Black Night Part Ten Rated R Narcissa/Lucius, Bellatrix/Severus

The WWN had been crackling in the background for some time, occasionally announcing the time, the weather, or making some comment on current events that was nearly always biased or incorrect. It seemed very out of place, even considering that it was being utterly ignored, in the large room.

Silver and green tiles and a snake carved into several of the instruments shouted Slytherin from miles away. Under normal circumstances, Narcissa would have loved it, and loved this house. The circumstances under which she had come to be in Malfoy Manor, however, were anything but normal.

She lay on the floor with a blanket (green) folded under her head, staring out at the stars at one of them which was quite prominent at the time - the Dog Star. Lucius was asleep next to her, his arm curled around her shoulders quite comfortably. He was just as beautiful when he was asleep, perhaps more so due to the abscence of cold emotions, and occasionally she would take her eyes off of the sky and look over at him. Why couldn't everything be perfect?

The WWN announced suddenly that it was eleven o'clock, and that they would have an update on the situation after these messages. She sighed, and filtered the sound out once more.

The Andromeda constellation was also quite beautiful tonight. She had been avoiding looking at it deliberately, and felt tears fill her eyes again. Sirius. Andry. Bella. Lucius.

The Dark Lord's voice in her head, his eyes moving from Lucius and staring at her, And perhaps, Lucius, you should discover where her loyalties truly lie.

She shivered. The night had rarely been so cold and lonely with Lucius there, and the wind had never sounded so mournful, and the sky had never seemed so dark, and her heart had never felt so black -

Black. Black. Black. The word echoed in her head. I could be a Malfoy. I could join him. I could be happy. I could leave the name of Black behind. Behind. Behind. Behind.

"And we're back with Wizarding Wireless Network News, we do indeed have more information on the attack thought to be the work of the Lord - well, you know who."

Attack?

"Having taken place last night, the attack on the residence of Ted and Andromeda Tonks -"

She sat bolt upright. Lucius stirred beside her, murmering something indistinct.

"- is now thought to have been the most recent atrocity of this Dark Lord. Rumors that several of the followers, who call themselves Death Eaters, were killed, is unconfirmed, as when help arrived at the Tonks residence the house was empty. The attackers appear to have come in through the windows and found resistance, but the outcome is unknown. There were at least two defenders, as blood was found in two different rooms and signs of a fight taking place in both were clear. Experts now suspect that six or more attackers had expected to find Mr. Ted Tonks and his three-year-old child alone in the house, but found that Mr. Tonks had visitors, trained well in defense and attack, perhaps relating to his wife Andromeda Tonks' recent disappearace. If you believe you may have information regarding what has already started to be called the 'Tonks Incident', or you know something of the whereabouts of Ted, Andromeda, or Nymphadora Tonks, please send an owl, Apparate, or Floo to the Auror Division of the Ministry of Magic, who confirm that it appears some of the defenders at least escaped by fire."

"Lucius," she whispered, now frightened. "Lucius, wake up."

His grey eyes opened and focused on her, taking in at once her obvious fear.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he whispered.

"Did - the Dark Lord -" Her throat was dry. She could not think, could not see anything beyond his face. "Did he order - an attack? Last night - the WWN just said -"

But Lucius had frozen momentarily. After a moment he shook his head, reaching up a hand and stroking her cheek gently.

"No," he said softly. "The Dark Lord ordered no attack. No, all that he has done recently is to delay the next strike. There was no attack last night."

"My sister -" she whispered. "My sister - oh, Lucius, they attacked Andry's home, they attacked Ted and Nymphadora and -" And Sirius, she wanted to say, perhaps Bella as well but certainly it was Sirius who was there -

Lucius' eyes closed, darkening as if a shutter had been pulled to keep out any trace of emotion or light. He sighed slowly, letting his hand fall from her cheek and pulling his head up, propping himself on his arm. She saw the unspoken question in his eyes, and shivered, because the wind was mourning more, suddenly, and it was so much colder.

She settled down, facing him in the same position, propped up on an elbow. "You're shivering," he said quietly, studying her carefully. "Are you cold?"

She didn't answer, but he had waved his wand and the ceiling of the observatory was closing again. Sirius was out of sight and within seconds Andry was gone as well. She felt tears fill her eyes. Lucius lowered his wand slowly, fingering it as if he wanted to use something else with it - perhaps he was longing to do Dark magic. It was, as far as Narcissa could tell, addictive, and he appeared to be hooked on it.

But she drove that thought out of her mind, and forced a small smile onto her face, cocking her head slightly the way Lucius had said he loved, and then leaning forwards to kiss him, feeling herself relax enough to let more emotions break through, happiness, content, love - I love him, she thought wildly, I love him, I love him. And she didn't have to ask if he loved her as well, not only because she could feel it in his hands and lips but because he was murmering it as his fingers touched her face, delicately, carefully. I love you I love you I love you I love you.

And then they had pulled back, and she settled down on her blanket again, his face buried in her hair, his breath tickling her cheek, and she thought to herself before she fell asleep, This is what it means to be happy.

***

Remus could not help the pang of worry that came when they were late.

Would they search without him? Sirius had at least promised that they would be there when he was let out - but the streets were clear - perhaps they had found something that they could not leave for the moment, and they would be around later. Should he stay?

He moved over to sit down on the bench, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall. The next thing he knew, a voice to his left was saying, "Tired, Moony?"

He opened his eyes, and realized with a burst of embarrassment that he must have fallen asleep. Sirius was sitting next to him on the bench, looking utterly relaxed and also quite alone, staring at him, grinning but with worried eyes.

Remus just twisted his mouth, glancing around, and asked, "Where are Bella and Snape?"

Sirius' grin threatened to slice his ears viciously in two. "Oh, they're coming," he said with a note of glee in his voice.

There was an odd noise from off to the right, and Remus twisted his head. A motorcycle - bloody Muggles. It was getting louder, coming closer, and he strained to see it -

What he had not expected was to see Severus Snape driving it.

Snape pulled it to a halt, looking shaken. Bella, who was clutching him from behind, climbed off carefully and then helped Snape pry his fingers from it. The two of them walked up, Snape actually shaking, Bella looking torn between amusement and worry as Sirius had.

"Well, it looks like the two of you had fun," Sirius commented slightly nastily.

"Oh, yes," Bellatrix said, slightly breathlessly, but she did look as if she'd just had the time of her life.

"Speak for yourself," Snape hissed, "and if you ever try to blackmail me into riding one of those - those IthingsI again -"

"We'll know she's lost any shred of sanity that remained," Sirius said. He was laughing, which worried Remus, because Snape looked on the point of pulling out his wand and hexing random things, or not-so-random things, in front of the Muggles and all. "Honestly, Snape, was it really that bad?"

"Yes," Snape said, gritting his teeth. "Yes, Black, as a matter of fact it was."

"Well," Sirius said, suddenly businesslike. "I'm going to find a place to Apparate Maria home -"

Remus did not ask who Maria was, he thought she had made herself prominent enough.

"- unless of course you want to ride her, Remus."

"No thanks," he said quickly.

"Oh, come on, you know you'd like it -"

Feeling slightly bad about manipulating Sirius this way, and then erasing his ashamedness when he realized that Sirius was manipulating him, he said quietly, "It's not that I don't think it'd be fun, I just - I really don't know if I - well - feel up to it."

"Oh," said Sirius, his eyes widening and his grin fading quickly. "Right. Well, I'll meet you three at the Tonks' place in maybe ten minutes. Okay?"

Snape nodded curtly, and Sirius saluted them before zooming off. As soon as he was gone Bellatrix burst into peals of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Snape demanded, looking suddenly angrier.

"Oh -" Bella gasped. "Oh - I'm not laughing at you, Severus, it's just - oh, Remus, that was excellently funny - way to worm out of it - oh, the look on your face when he asked - quick thinking, though, I mean - honestly, though -"

Snape looked sour. Remus realized with a jolt of understanding that this was the first time Bellatrix had ever called him by his first name.

The three of them moved slowly into a secluded alleyway and Disapparated.