Part Three:
"Nymphadora?" Narcissa stared at the girl. Her niece nodded. "Why do you...?" Then she remembered: her niece was a metamorphagus: she could change how she looked. And right now, she was the image of her late mother. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to my cousin's funeral."
Narcissa suddenly felt angry. She hadn't seen this girl since she was four, since Narcissa had told Andromeda that she wanted nothing to do with her or her Mudblood husband anymore. "Why? So you could laugh at me? You never even knew Draco!"
Nymphadora sighed. "Aunt Narcissa, I didn't come to laugh at you. I just...wanted to see you."
Narcissa didn't buy it. Nymphadora sat down. "I never knew Draco." Narcissa snorted. Of course not: Lucius would've never allowed his son to associate with his Mudblood relatives. "But I'm sorry for your loss."
"I'll bet you are." The words were bitter and cold.
"What happened?"
Narcissa felt a stab of fear. Did she suspect the truth? "The house caught fire. I managed to get out...but Draco didn't."
"Blue fire?"
The stab turned into an almost blinding pain. Nobody knew that the fire had been blue: had they, they would've known that the fire was no accident.
"Aunt Narcissa, I was on watch that night. I...saw what happened."
"Get out," Narcissa whispered dangerously. "Get out, you little Mudblood..."
"Talk to me. Tell me what he did to you." Narcissa knew what she meant, but she acted ignorant.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she hissed. "Now get out of here."
Nymphadora stood up. "I know the truth."
"GET OUT!" Everyone turned to stare, and Narcissa could tell that her niece would have to leave now...rather then get caught by Death Eaters.
"I'll be seeing you again." And with a BANG, Nymphadora was gone.
Everyone pretended that they hadn't seen anything, and continued to leave Narcissa alone. She closed her eyes and sank back into the chair. The horrible memories claimed her...
Narcissa had been married off to Lucius Malfoy at the age of seventeen. Her parents hadn't even allowed her to finish school. "You'll be set for life if you marry a Malfoy!" her mother had said. "You don't need to finish school!" They were scared that Narcissa would make the same "mistake" as her older sister, Andromeda, and marry a Muggle-born. So when 26-year-old Lucius Malfoy had made arrangements to marry her and give the family 100,000 galleons, it was a deal.
For you see, that branch of Blacks weren't as well off as their relatives. The Blacks of London had the family house, and the family fortune. Narcissa would see her cousins, Sirius (who was two years behind her in school) and Regulus (who began at Hogwarts the year she left) in their nice new robes, while she had to wear Andromeda's old ones. Now, the Blacks of Liverpool would have it made.
Narcissa didn't even meet Lucius until the day before the wedding. She was immediatly frightened of him, with his cold grey eyes with their cold stare. He would never love her, she knew. Not the same way as Remus did...
"Nonsence, Narcissa!" her father had yelled when she'd spoken of him. "A half-breed! Honestly! And the Lupins are so poor...no, you will restore honor in this family and marry that Lucius Malfoy. Lord knows that that sister of yours shamed us by marrying the Mudblood..."
So, Narcissa had married Lucius. Unwilling, she was thrust into a life that would make her miserable and bitter, with a stare almost as cold as her husband's.
Narcissa couldn't sit there any longer. If she did, more memories would come back to her...like what had happened on her wedding night...she shuddered and stood up. Ophelia Crabbe spotted her and went over to her. "Do you need anything?"
"No...I think I'll just go to bed."
"Just let me know." Narcissa felt a stab of guilt: Ophelia was being so nice to her, and she was so ungrateful.
She was staying in one of the guest rooms. Though Ophelia had offered her the largest, nicest one, Narcissa had insisted on a smaller one. "I'm enough of a burden already. What if you have relatives coming over?" The truth was, Narcissa liked sleeping in a small room: it didn't remind her of the tomb that she'd called her bedroom for 20 years.
Before she could think about the past anymore, Narcissa slipped into a blessed sleep...
But the dreams came again.
She was on her knees in front of a tall figure, begging. "Please, Lucius, have mercy."
Her husband laughed, a horrible, deadly cackle. "Have mercy? Why, Narcissa, you don't know me very well, do you, dear?"
"Lucius, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" But her sentence was interuppted as Lucius slapped her in the face. She clutched her cheek and stared at the ground, fighting back tears. "Lucius, please..."
"Shut UP!" Four hard blows to the head knocked Narcissa to the ground, sobbing. Lucius had lost his usual cool calmness: he was showing his maniac, angry side, the part that he reserved for his wife. He grabbed her by her blonde hair and began to drag her down the hallway, as she kicked and screamed.
When the reached the bedroom, Lucius pulled her up and threw her into the bed. He got on top of her and began hitting her again...it wasn't as bad as the Crucio curse, but she knew what was coming next...
But she woke up, in a cold sweat again, before it happened.
And she couldn't hold in her emotion anymore. When she realized where she was, in the Crabbe's small guest room, she began to sob...in relief and sadness.
"Nymphadora?" Narcissa stared at the girl. Her niece nodded. "Why do you...?" Then she remembered: her niece was a metamorphagus: she could change how she looked. And right now, she was the image of her late mother. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to my cousin's funeral."
Narcissa suddenly felt angry. She hadn't seen this girl since she was four, since Narcissa had told Andromeda that she wanted nothing to do with her or her Mudblood husband anymore. "Why? So you could laugh at me? You never even knew Draco!"
Nymphadora sighed. "Aunt Narcissa, I didn't come to laugh at you. I just...wanted to see you."
Narcissa didn't buy it. Nymphadora sat down. "I never knew Draco." Narcissa snorted. Of course not: Lucius would've never allowed his son to associate with his Mudblood relatives. "But I'm sorry for your loss."
"I'll bet you are." The words were bitter and cold.
"What happened?"
Narcissa felt a stab of fear. Did she suspect the truth? "The house caught fire. I managed to get out...but Draco didn't."
"Blue fire?"
The stab turned into an almost blinding pain. Nobody knew that the fire had been blue: had they, they would've known that the fire was no accident.
"Aunt Narcissa, I was on watch that night. I...saw what happened."
"Get out," Narcissa whispered dangerously. "Get out, you little Mudblood..."
"Talk to me. Tell me what he did to you." Narcissa knew what she meant, but she acted ignorant.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she hissed. "Now get out of here."
Nymphadora stood up. "I know the truth."
"GET OUT!" Everyone turned to stare, and Narcissa could tell that her niece would have to leave now...rather then get caught by Death Eaters.
"I'll be seeing you again." And with a BANG, Nymphadora was gone.
Everyone pretended that they hadn't seen anything, and continued to leave Narcissa alone. She closed her eyes and sank back into the chair. The horrible memories claimed her...
Narcissa had been married off to Lucius Malfoy at the age of seventeen. Her parents hadn't even allowed her to finish school. "You'll be set for life if you marry a Malfoy!" her mother had said. "You don't need to finish school!" They were scared that Narcissa would make the same "mistake" as her older sister, Andromeda, and marry a Muggle-born. So when 26-year-old Lucius Malfoy had made arrangements to marry her and give the family 100,000 galleons, it was a deal.
For you see, that branch of Blacks weren't as well off as their relatives. The Blacks of London had the family house, and the family fortune. Narcissa would see her cousins, Sirius (who was two years behind her in school) and Regulus (who began at Hogwarts the year she left) in their nice new robes, while she had to wear Andromeda's old ones. Now, the Blacks of Liverpool would have it made.
Narcissa didn't even meet Lucius until the day before the wedding. She was immediatly frightened of him, with his cold grey eyes with their cold stare. He would never love her, she knew. Not the same way as Remus did...
"Nonsence, Narcissa!" her father had yelled when she'd spoken of him. "A half-breed! Honestly! And the Lupins are so poor...no, you will restore honor in this family and marry that Lucius Malfoy. Lord knows that that sister of yours shamed us by marrying the Mudblood..."
So, Narcissa had married Lucius. Unwilling, she was thrust into a life that would make her miserable and bitter, with a stare almost as cold as her husband's.
Narcissa couldn't sit there any longer. If she did, more memories would come back to her...like what had happened on her wedding night...she shuddered and stood up. Ophelia Crabbe spotted her and went over to her. "Do you need anything?"
"No...I think I'll just go to bed."
"Just let me know." Narcissa felt a stab of guilt: Ophelia was being so nice to her, and she was so ungrateful.
She was staying in one of the guest rooms. Though Ophelia had offered her the largest, nicest one, Narcissa had insisted on a smaller one. "I'm enough of a burden already. What if you have relatives coming over?" The truth was, Narcissa liked sleeping in a small room: it didn't remind her of the tomb that she'd called her bedroom for 20 years.
Before she could think about the past anymore, Narcissa slipped into a blessed sleep...
But the dreams came again.
She was on her knees in front of a tall figure, begging. "Please, Lucius, have mercy."
Her husband laughed, a horrible, deadly cackle. "Have mercy? Why, Narcissa, you don't know me very well, do you, dear?"
"Lucius, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" But her sentence was interuppted as Lucius slapped her in the face. She clutched her cheek and stared at the ground, fighting back tears. "Lucius, please..."
"Shut UP!" Four hard blows to the head knocked Narcissa to the ground, sobbing. Lucius had lost his usual cool calmness: he was showing his maniac, angry side, the part that he reserved for his wife. He grabbed her by her blonde hair and began to drag her down the hallway, as she kicked and screamed.
When the reached the bedroom, Lucius pulled her up and threw her into the bed. He got on top of her and began hitting her again...it wasn't as bad as the Crucio curse, but she knew what was coming next...
But she woke up, in a cold sweat again, before it happened.
And she couldn't hold in her emotion anymore. When she realized where she was, in the Crabbe's small guest room, she began to sob...in relief and sadness.