Disclaimer: I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters (wish I owned Sev though!)
Wedding Bells Just Turned to Rust
Chapter 8
Things continued much as they always had, Lucius was a little cold at times but she simply put that down to stress. Narcissa knew that he suspected a spy was in their midst though personally she wasn't sure whether or not he was just being paranoid. She saw little of her husband but then things were getting busier and she knew that Lucius was being kept busy both by his deatheater activities and keeping up appearances at the ministry. When he did come home it was often late and he was slowly becoming more irritable.
She often found herself alone, she saw little of her friends from school and she missed Morgana dreadfully. Even Severus, who used to be a frequent visitor, hardly ever came to see her these days and when he did he too seemed stressed and paler than he used to be.
She had always been capable of amusing herself but now she felt incredibly lonely. She was also beginning to think that there was something down in the dungeons, she knew Lucius used them for various things but lately she had begun to hear noises coming from them and she was sure he was keeping prisoners down there. This didn't bother her at first but as she was more and more frequently left alone in the creepy manor it was beginning to wear away at her nerves until she jumped at the slightest noise and nearly had a heart attack one day when the house elf crept up on her.
It was early January and Narcissa was around seven months pregnant, the gardens were dead and a thick frost covered the ground. She was bored senseless, she had spent the morning in the library with a book but she felt energetic and decided to take a walk around the frozen grounds. The house elf brought her her cloak and she put it on but hesitated as she was about to walk out of the front door. She once again heard a noise from the dungeons, it sounded like someone was crying.
"Dobby, can you hear anything?"
The house elf was silent a moment, "Dobby is thinking he is hearing someone crying but there is being no one here but Madam Malfoy so I is thinking I is mishearing things."
"You're not. I can hear it too, does it sound like it's coming from the dungeons to you?"
The house elf nodded slowly clearly terrified that it would be asked to go and investigate. That had in fact been Narcissa's intention but the fear on the little creature's face changed her mind. After all it was her own house and she had nothing to fear.
"I'm going to go and see what it is, it's probably nothing but it'll give me something to do," she kept her tone light but her voice shook slightly, she really didn't want to go down there but she knew she would be unable to be happy in this house until she knew what those noises were.
"Be careful!" Dobby warned her and she smiled at him affectionately, she rather liked the funny little creature despite Lucius' obvious disgust.
She descended into the dungeons leaving on her outdoor cloak as she was sure there was no heating down there. She walked through the dark passages illuminated only by the light from her wand. It had gone eerily quiet and she began to wonder if she had been mistaken when she heard a muffled sob.
"Who's there?" she called but received no answer other than more sobbing noises.
She continued down a corridor to the side and traced the noises to a locked door.
"Is there someone in there?" she tapped on the door and the sobbing instantly stopped.
Worried she unlocked the door and slowly opened it keeping her wand at the ready in case of any trouble all the while thinking she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to her baby because of her own impetuousness and inability to sit still.
Stepping into the room she was horrified at the sight which met her eyes. A little girl with red hair and large brown eyes was cowered on the floor. She was chained to the far wall and was wearing only a thin cotton dress nowhere near warm enough in the freezing dungeons. Tears were flowing down the little girl's face and she drew back in fear at the sight of Narcissa with her wand raised.
"My God!" Narcissa instantly pointed her wand away from the little girl and went to kneel beside her.
"It's alright sweetheart, don't cry." She removed the girl's chains and wrapped her in her own fur-lined cloak holding her and stroking her hair. The little girl clung to her, crying uncontrollably. Narcissa felt icy cold and not simply because of the lack of heating, there was only one person who could have left this child here. She had spent so long trying to excuse Lucius, to rationalize what he and the deatheaters did and now she had come across something no mother could ignore. The child was helpless and terrified and Narcissa's maternal instincts made her feel capable of using the unforgivables on whoever had done this to this child, even if it was her husband.
"Shhh, it's alright," she said comforting the girl who was beginning to cry a little less now.
"I want my mum."
Narcissa's heart broke at these words and she felt tears flowing down her face. How could someone do this to a child, a child who could be no more than seven years old, an innocent.
She heard footsteps outside and her grip on the child tightened unconsciously as she whirled to face the door. Her husband looked at her in shock as did the figure behind him, it was Voldemort. Narcissa just stared at them unable to speak for her rage and sorrow tears still streaming down her face.
"What are you doing?!" Lucius spat at her.
"I might ask you the same thing! What on earth is this child doing locked in a dungeon?!"
"That is none of your concern, put the thing down and get out of here."
"No way in hell am I leaving this little girl down here!"
Voldemort raised his wand and had it pointed directly at her, or rather at the weeping bundle in her arms and before Narcissa knew what was happening he had cast the killing curse and the child went limp in her arms.
Narcissa cried out "No!" bewildered and in a severe state of shock.
"Now you don't have to worry about leaving it here." Voldemort's voice was as devoid of emotion as Lucius' expression and Narcissa felt sick. She stared down at the little lifeless body in her arms and her tears fell faster than ever.
"She was just a little girl!" she whispered her voice breaking. "How could you?!" Her voice became stronger as her anger grew. "How dare you! She was a child who wanted her mother! You left her locked in cold dark dungeon alone and then you murdered her!"
Lucius grabbed hold of her wand arm and twisted it up shoving her harshly into a wall and causing the little girl's body to hit the floor.
"If you weren't carrying my child...!"
"Now, now Lucius, I'm sure this is nothing more than a bout of hormonal hysterics brought on by the pregnancy," Voldemort sneered.
"What?!" Narcissa exclaimed in anger and disbelief.
"Shut up you worthless bitch!" Lucius threw her roughly to the ground and Narcissa simply stared at him in shock. "Get out of here and clean yourself up! You better be more respectful next time we see you."
Narcissa rose to her feet and ran from the dungeons and out of the manor oblivious as to where she was going.
*******
A/N: Cliffhanger! Aren't I evil! I promise a new chapter or two soon! Please review, let me know that someone cares!
Wedding Bells Just Turned to Rust
Chapter 8
Things continued much as they always had, Lucius was a little cold at times but she simply put that down to stress. Narcissa knew that he suspected a spy was in their midst though personally she wasn't sure whether or not he was just being paranoid. She saw little of her husband but then things were getting busier and she knew that Lucius was being kept busy both by his deatheater activities and keeping up appearances at the ministry. When he did come home it was often late and he was slowly becoming more irritable.
She often found herself alone, she saw little of her friends from school and she missed Morgana dreadfully. Even Severus, who used to be a frequent visitor, hardly ever came to see her these days and when he did he too seemed stressed and paler than he used to be.
She had always been capable of amusing herself but now she felt incredibly lonely. She was also beginning to think that there was something down in the dungeons, she knew Lucius used them for various things but lately she had begun to hear noises coming from them and she was sure he was keeping prisoners down there. This didn't bother her at first but as she was more and more frequently left alone in the creepy manor it was beginning to wear away at her nerves until she jumped at the slightest noise and nearly had a heart attack one day when the house elf crept up on her.
It was early January and Narcissa was around seven months pregnant, the gardens were dead and a thick frost covered the ground. She was bored senseless, she had spent the morning in the library with a book but she felt energetic and decided to take a walk around the frozen grounds. The house elf brought her her cloak and she put it on but hesitated as she was about to walk out of the front door. She once again heard a noise from the dungeons, it sounded like someone was crying.
"Dobby, can you hear anything?"
The house elf was silent a moment, "Dobby is thinking he is hearing someone crying but there is being no one here but Madam Malfoy so I is thinking I is mishearing things."
"You're not. I can hear it too, does it sound like it's coming from the dungeons to you?"
The house elf nodded slowly clearly terrified that it would be asked to go and investigate. That had in fact been Narcissa's intention but the fear on the little creature's face changed her mind. After all it was her own house and she had nothing to fear.
"I'm going to go and see what it is, it's probably nothing but it'll give me something to do," she kept her tone light but her voice shook slightly, she really didn't want to go down there but she knew she would be unable to be happy in this house until she knew what those noises were.
"Be careful!" Dobby warned her and she smiled at him affectionately, she rather liked the funny little creature despite Lucius' obvious disgust.
She descended into the dungeons leaving on her outdoor cloak as she was sure there was no heating down there. She walked through the dark passages illuminated only by the light from her wand. It had gone eerily quiet and she began to wonder if she had been mistaken when she heard a muffled sob.
"Who's there?" she called but received no answer other than more sobbing noises.
She continued down a corridor to the side and traced the noises to a locked door.
"Is there someone in there?" she tapped on the door and the sobbing instantly stopped.
Worried she unlocked the door and slowly opened it keeping her wand at the ready in case of any trouble all the while thinking she'd never forgive herself if anything happened to her baby because of her own impetuousness and inability to sit still.
Stepping into the room she was horrified at the sight which met her eyes. A little girl with red hair and large brown eyes was cowered on the floor. She was chained to the far wall and was wearing only a thin cotton dress nowhere near warm enough in the freezing dungeons. Tears were flowing down the little girl's face and she drew back in fear at the sight of Narcissa with her wand raised.
"My God!" Narcissa instantly pointed her wand away from the little girl and went to kneel beside her.
"It's alright sweetheart, don't cry." She removed the girl's chains and wrapped her in her own fur-lined cloak holding her and stroking her hair. The little girl clung to her, crying uncontrollably. Narcissa felt icy cold and not simply because of the lack of heating, there was only one person who could have left this child here. She had spent so long trying to excuse Lucius, to rationalize what he and the deatheaters did and now she had come across something no mother could ignore. The child was helpless and terrified and Narcissa's maternal instincts made her feel capable of using the unforgivables on whoever had done this to this child, even if it was her husband.
"Shhh, it's alright," she said comforting the girl who was beginning to cry a little less now.
"I want my mum."
Narcissa's heart broke at these words and she felt tears flowing down her face. How could someone do this to a child, a child who could be no more than seven years old, an innocent.
She heard footsteps outside and her grip on the child tightened unconsciously as she whirled to face the door. Her husband looked at her in shock as did the figure behind him, it was Voldemort. Narcissa just stared at them unable to speak for her rage and sorrow tears still streaming down her face.
"What are you doing?!" Lucius spat at her.
"I might ask you the same thing! What on earth is this child doing locked in a dungeon?!"
"That is none of your concern, put the thing down and get out of here."
"No way in hell am I leaving this little girl down here!"
Voldemort raised his wand and had it pointed directly at her, or rather at the weeping bundle in her arms and before Narcissa knew what was happening he had cast the killing curse and the child went limp in her arms.
Narcissa cried out "No!" bewildered and in a severe state of shock.
"Now you don't have to worry about leaving it here." Voldemort's voice was as devoid of emotion as Lucius' expression and Narcissa felt sick. She stared down at the little lifeless body in her arms and her tears fell faster than ever.
"She was just a little girl!" she whispered her voice breaking. "How could you?!" Her voice became stronger as her anger grew. "How dare you! She was a child who wanted her mother! You left her locked in cold dark dungeon alone and then you murdered her!"
Lucius grabbed hold of her wand arm and twisted it up shoving her harshly into a wall and causing the little girl's body to hit the floor.
"If you weren't carrying my child...!"
"Now, now Lucius, I'm sure this is nothing more than a bout of hormonal hysterics brought on by the pregnancy," Voldemort sneered.
"What?!" Narcissa exclaimed in anger and disbelief.
"Shut up you worthless bitch!" Lucius threw her roughly to the ground and Narcissa simply stared at him in shock. "Get out of here and clean yourself up! You better be more respectful next time we see you."
Narcissa rose to her feet and ran from the dungeons and out of the manor oblivious as to where she was going.
*******
A/N: Cliffhanger! Aren't I evil! I promise a new chapter or two soon! Please review, let me know that someone cares!