Part Six:
During the next week, Narcissa tried her hardest to show how grateful she was to Remus. While he was gone "for business" (as he put it), she would slave away like a house elf, cleaning and cooking...using magic, of course, but it was the hardest work she'd ever done, even after Dobby left Malfoy Manor and they had to do for a couple of days without hired help. Remus insisted that Narcissa not do anything (mainly because her cooking wasn't very good and she had no idea how to fold laundry), but she was determined.
And if Remus knew Narcissa Black-Malfoy, he knew that when she was determined to do something, she would. At least, that was the way she was before she'd left school years before. And that side of her, the reason he'd fallen in love with her, was revealing itself again.
One night, Narcissa was cooking a nice dinner for while he was off doing "business". Usually, she just prepared simple dishes, but tonight she was making foods that she remembered Remus loved: veal, roasted potatoes, trifle. As she was adding layers of custard (that she'd decided to make the "Muggle way") to the trifle, she heard the front door open. She didn't have time to clean up with magic as Remus entered the kitchen. She stood up quickly to greet him. "Remus! You're...early."
Remus, who'd been looking around at the mess with a curious look, turned his gaze on her. He raised an amused eyebrow. "It's nearly nine o'clock."
"Nine o'clo-OH, MY GOD! THE VEAL!" Narcissa dashed to Remus's old-fashioned Muggle oven and flung it open. Black smoke came out, getting in her face and making her cough. She took her wand and used it to levitate the charred veal from the oven to the sink. She turned to Remus, who looked like he was going to laugh. She held back tears. It was ruined.
Remus looked at her face and felt guilty. "Narcissa...oh, my dear, I'm sorry..." He went over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. She sniffled into his shoulder for a second...then, suddenly, she began to laugh. Remus looked at her. "Um, Narcissa."
Narcissa pulled away from him, putting her hands on his shoulders, throwing her head back and laughing. The tears in her eyes ran down her face as she laughed, almost doubling over. "Oh, my God!" she cried out between fits of laughter. "Me! Cooking! Can you believe it?"
Remus was laughing now, too. "No, I can't," he choked out.
Narcissa made a mock-offended noise. "I can't believe you would say that!" she cried, putting her hands on her hips. "What're you trying to say, eh?"
"That you're lazy. HEY!" Remus backed up as Narcissa pointed her wand at him.
"You better take that back, or you'll be on the floor as a slug." Her dark blue eyes, usually dull and lifeless, were shining. They looked just like they did the night Remus met her...
He put his hand on the wand and gentely lowered it, looking into her eyes. Her smile faded. "Remus...?" She didn't say anything eles as he put his arms around her, pulling her to him, and kissed her. The kiss was long, but it was too short to Narcissa as Remus suddenly pulled away.
"What's the matter?" Narcissa asked, beginning to panic. Oh, God, he doesn't care about me anymore.
"It's just..." Remus turned away and stared at the charred mess in the sink. "You're...married."
Narcissa let out a sharp laugh. "Lucius was never much of a husband to me, Remus," she said in a sarcastic tone. "He was more of a...slave driver." She took his arm and turned him around, looking into his eyes. "Remus, I meant what I said the other night. I never stopped loving you." Remus tried to look away, but Narcissa's eyes followed his. Her next question made him crack: "Tell me the truth, Remus: did you ever stop loving me?"
"Oh, Narcissa..." Remus took her in his arms again, kissing her with even more passion then before. Somehow, they made their way to the bedroom...
After it was over, Narcissa lay awake and stared at the ceiling as Remus slept, with his arms wrapped securly around her. It had finally happened: they'd had sex.
Had it been over 20 years ago since they'd almost had sex that first time? Narcissa closed her eyes as the memory, the first good memory to come over her in a long, long time...
It was the beginning of her seventh year, his fifth. They'd been seeing each other for over a year, much to the objection of her cousin and his friend Sirius Black. Even though they were two years apart and in separate houses (Narcissa, of course, was in Slytherin), they managed to keep their relationship strong. In fact, they were in love.
But neither of them had had the guts to say it, yet. Until that fall day.
It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and though they knew they should be studying for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, they decided to go. Well, Narcissa managed to convince a reluctant Remus to go.
"Come on!" she cried as they walked down the cooridors together. "It's just for a few hours on Saturday, it's not like you'd be missing too much studying, anyway."
"Yeah, but..." Remus knew he wouldn't win: his older girlfriend always got her way with him. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. We'll go."
Narcissa clapped her hands in delight and kissed his cheek swiftly. "You won't regret it, we'll have so much fun! See you later!"
That Saturday, the couple met after breakfast at the front doors and walked down to the village, hand in hand. Narcissa spotted the back of her cousin's head in front of them, walking with Potter and the short little fat kid. Sirius turned around once, gave them an unreadable look, and turned back around. Narcissa looked at her boyfriend. "Um...if you want to hang out with your friends for now, that's okay."
"No, I said I would spend the day with you," Remus said quickly, as though reading a script.
Narcissa sighed. "Remus, it's ALRIGHT. Go with your boys. I'll hang out with my friends, and we'll meet up later."
"Are you sure?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Yes, Remus," she said impatiently. "GO! We'll meet at the Hog's Head at three."
"Hog's Head...?" Remus had no idea why his girlfriend wanted to meet him at the seedy, shady dive.
"See you!" Narcissa backtracked to find her friends, leaving Remus to try to chase down his friends.
At three o'clock, Narcissa was sitting at a table with her friends, surrounded by drinks and laughter. But she was staring at the door, waiting. When Remus walked in, she jumped up to greet him, stumpling slightly as she rushed into his arms. "Remus! Hello, darling!" She gave her shocked boyfriend a hard kiss, like they only kissed in private. Narcissa's friends all clapped and cheered before Remus gentely pulled himself away. "So, what've you been up to today?" she asked, playing with the clasps on his cloak.
"Um, Narcissa?" Remus carefully pulled her hands away. "Have you been drinking?"
Narcissa pinched her fingers together. "Just a bit, darling, just a bit." She giggled. "Would you like some firewhiskey? Red currant rum? We've got loads!" As she turned to lead him to the table, she had to grab him to keep her balance. She cackled with laughter as he pulled her to her feet.
"How did you get that stuff?" he hissed.
Narcissa giggled again. "The bartender. He didn't even ask our ages or anything, just sold as anything we asked for!" She pulled his arm, trying to herd him to the crowded table. "Come on! Let's get some more!"
"Narcissa, I can't. I'm a prefect."
"Oh, poo!" Narcissa cried, slapping him playfully in the chest. "One ickle drinkie-poo won't kill ya, will it?" She suddenly gave him a very sexy look. "Come on, darling. Just have one drink."
"Um..." He let himself be led to the table, and he sat down at the end. The people at the table were mostly sixth and seventh year Slytherins, but they were all too bombed to notice that a fifth year Gryfindor prefect was in their midst. He suddenly found a glass of red currant rum in front of him, and his girlfriend was nudging him.
"Come on, it's good."
Remus had had alcohol before, so downing the glass wasn't a big deal. It was a great deal stronger then anything he'd ever had at his parents' cocktail parties and cousins's weddings, but he managed to drink it with only a bit of eye watering. Narcissa clapped for him, and suddenly he found a shot of fire whiskey in front of him.
Four drinks later, Remus was almost as drunk as the rest of them. As some of the drunk Slytherins made their way out of the pub and to a Potion shop to try to find a quick cure for their drunkeness before going back to school, Narcissa took his hand. "Come on," she whispered softly. "I have an idea."
Depsite the fact that they were clearly students at the school, and underage (Narcissa hadn't had her seventeenth birthday yet), the innkeeper let them have a room for three sickles. Narcissa paid him and led Remus upstairs.
The room was small, dark, and somewhat dingy. It had seen many other drunken couples before them. Narcissa led Remus to the bed and lay down. "Come on, darling. Let's take things a step further, shall we?"
"I..." Remus watched as Narcissa striped out of her school clothes, down to nothing. She lay on the bed again, and beckoned him with one seductive finger. Come here.
Remus got on top of her and started kissing her. He was ready, she was ready, they were...but Remus looked down at his girlfriend's face. She looked up at him, expectant. "Remus? What's the matter?"
"I...we...can't." Remus jumped off the bed and picked up Narcissa's discarded clothing, holding it out to her. "I'm sorry, we can't do this. It's not the right time."
"Oh...okay." Narcissa slowly put on her clothing as Remus rushed out of the pub, running back to school, and heading right to bed (or so Sirius later told Narcissa, who came to look for him).
Narcissa lay awake now, in Remus's arms. He had been right, it hadn't been the right time back then. She'd had to wait for a long time for it to be the right moment, but now that they'd done it...
"Narcissa?" Remus had woken up, and put his hand on her cheek.
"Hi," she whispered. They kissed softly, then, when Narcissa put her arms around his neck, they got a little more passionate. And they did it again.
And Narcissa knew that, after 20 years, that it was worth the wait.
During the next week, Narcissa tried her hardest to show how grateful she was to Remus. While he was gone "for business" (as he put it), she would slave away like a house elf, cleaning and cooking...using magic, of course, but it was the hardest work she'd ever done, even after Dobby left Malfoy Manor and they had to do for a couple of days without hired help. Remus insisted that Narcissa not do anything (mainly because her cooking wasn't very good and she had no idea how to fold laundry), but she was determined.
And if Remus knew Narcissa Black-Malfoy, he knew that when she was determined to do something, she would. At least, that was the way she was before she'd left school years before. And that side of her, the reason he'd fallen in love with her, was revealing itself again.
One night, Narcissa was cooking a nice dinner for while he was off doing "business". Usually, she just prepared simple dishes, but tonight she was making foods that she remembered Remus loved: veal, roasted potatoes, trifle. As she was adding layers of custard (that she'd decided to make the "Muggle way") to the trifle, she heard the front door open. She didn't have time to clean up with magic as Remus entered the kitchen. She stood up quickly to greet him. "Remus! You're...early."
Remus, who'd been looking around at the mess with a curious look, turned his gaze on her. He raised an amused eyebrow. "It's nearly nine o'clock."
"Nine o'clo-OH, MY GOD! THE VEAL!" Narcissa dashed to Remus's old-fashioned Muggle oven and flung it open. Black smoke came out, getting in her face and making her cough. She took her wand and used it to levitate the charred veal from the oven to the sink. She turned to Remus, who looked like he was going to laugh. She held back tears. It was ruined.
Remus looked at her face and felt guilty. "Narcissa...oh, my dear, I'm sorry..." He went over to her and wrapped her in a tight hug. She sniffled into his shoulder for a second...then, suddenly, she began to laugh. Remus looked at her. "Um, Narcissa."
Narcissa pulled away from him, putting her hands on his shoulders, throwing her head back and laughing. The tears in her eyes ran down her face as she laughed, almost doubling over. "Oh, my God!" she cried out between fits of laughter. "Me! Cooking! Can you believe it?"
Remus was laughing now, too. "No, I can't," he choked out.
Narcissa made a mock-offended noise. "I can't believe you would say that!" she cried, putting her hands on her hips. "What're you trying to say, eh?"
"That you're lazy. HEY!" Remus backed up as Narcissa pointed her wand at him.
"You better take that back, or you'll be on the floor as a slug." Her dark blue eyes, usually dull and lifeless, were shining. They looked just like they did the night Remus met her...
He put his hand on the wand and gentely lowered it, looking into her eyes. Her smile faded. "Remus...?" She didn't say anything eles as he put his arms around her, pulling her to him, and kissed her. The kiss was long, but it was too short to Narcissa as Remus suddenly pulled away.
"What's the matter?" Narcissa asked, beginning to panic. Oh, God, he doesn't care about me anymore.
"It's just..." Remus turned away and stared at the charred mess in the sink. "You're...married."
Narcissa let out a sharp laugh. "Lucius was never much of a husband to me, Remus," she said in a sarcastic tone. "He was more of a...slave driver." She took his arm and turned him around, looking into his eyes. "Remus, I meant what I said the other night. I never stopped loving you." Remus tried to look away, but Narcissa's eyes followed his. Her next question made him crack: "Tell me the truth, Remus: did you ever stop loving me?"
"Oh, Narcissa..." Remus took her in his arms again, kissing her with even more passion then before. Somehow, they made their way to the bedroom...
After it was over, Narcissa lay awake and stared at the ceiling as Remus slept, with his arms wrapped securly around her. It had finally happened: they'd had sex.
Had it been over 20 years ago since they'd almost had sex that first time? Narcissa closed her eyes as the memory, the first good memory to come over her in a long, long time...
It was the beginning of her seventh year, his fifth. They'd been seeing each other for over a year, much to the objection of her cousin and his friend Sirius Black. Even though they were two years apart and in separate houses (Narcissa, of course, was in Slytherin), they managed to keep their relationship strong. In fact, they were in love.
But neither of them had had the guts to say it, yet. Until that fall day.
It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and though they knew they should be studying for their O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s, they decided to go. Well, Narcissa managed to convince a reluctant Remus to go.
"Come on!" she cried as they walked down the cooridors together. "It's just for a few hours on Saturday, it's not like you'd be missing too much studying, anyway."
"Yeah, but..." Remus knew he wouldn't win: his older girlfriend always got her way with him. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine. We'll go."
Narcissa clapped her hands in delight and kissed his cheek swiftly. "You won't regret it, we'll have so much fun! See you later!"
That Saturday, the couple met after breakfast at the front doors and walked down to the village, hand in hand. Narcissa spotted the back of her cousin's head in front of them, walking with Potter and the short little fat kid. Sirius turned around once, gave them an unreadable look, and turned back around. Narcissa looked at her boyfriend. "Um...if you want to hang out with your friends for now, that's okay."
"No, I said I would spend the day with you," Remus said quickly, as though reading a script.
Narcissa sighed. "Remus, it's ALRIGHT. Go with your boys. I'll hang out with my friends, and we'll meet up later."
"Are you sure?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Yes, Remus," she said impatiently. "GO! We'll meet at the Hog's Head at three."
"Hog's Head...?" Remus had no idea why his girlfriend wanted to meet him at the seedy, shady dive.
"See you!" Narcissa backtracked to find her friends, leaving Remus to try to chase down his friends.
At three o'clock, Narcissa was sitting at a table with her friends, surrounded by drinks and laughter. But she was staring at the door, waiting. When Remus walked in, she jumped up to greet him, stumpling slightly as she rushed into his arms. "Remus! Hello, darling!" She gave her shocked boyfriend a hard kiss, like they only kissed in private. Narcissa's friends all clapped and cheered before Remus gentely pulled himself away. "So, what've you been up to today?" she asked, playing with the clasps on his cloak.
"Um, Narcissa?" Remus carefully pulled her hands away. "Have you been drinking?"
Narcissa pinched her fingers together. "Just a bit, darling, just a bit." She giggled. "Would you like some firewhiskey? Red currant rum? We've got loads!" As she turned to lead him to the table, she had to grab him to keep her balance. She cackled with laughter as he pulled her to her feet.
"How did you get that stuff?" he hissed.
Narcissa giggled again. "The bartender. He didn't even ask our ages or anything, just sold as anything we asked for!" She pulled his arm, trying to herd him to the crowded table. "Come on! Let's get some more!"
"Narcissa, I can't. I'm a prefect."
"Oh, poo!" Narcissa cried, slapping him playfully in the chest. "One ickle drinkie-poo won't kill ya, will it?" She suddenly gave him a very sexy look. "Come on, darling. Just have one drink."
"Um..." He let himself be led to the table, and he sat down at the end. The people at the table were mostly sixth and seventh year Slytherins, but they were all too bombed to notice that a fifth year Gryfindor prefect was in their midst. He suddenly found a glass of red currant rum in front of him, and his girlfriend was nudging him.
"Come on, it's good."
Remus had had alcohol before, so downing the glass wasn't a big deal. It was a great deal stronger then anything he'd ever had at his parents' cocktail parties and cousins's weddings, but he managed to drink it with only a bit of eye watering. Narcissa clapped for him, and suddenly he found a shot of fire whiskey in front of him.
Four drinks later, Remus was almost as drunk as the rest of them. As some of the drunk Slytherins made their way out of the pub and to a Potion shop to try to find a quick cure for their drunkeness before going back to school, Narcissa took his hand. "Come on," she whispered softly. "I have an idea."
Depsite the fact that they were clearly students at the school, and underage (Narcissa hadn't had her seventeenth birthday yet), the innkeeper let them have a room for three sickles. Narcissa paid him and led Remus upstairs.
The room was small, dark, and somewhat dingy. It had seen many other drunken couples before them. Narcissa led Remus to the bed and lay down. "Come on, darling. Let's take things a step further, shall we?"
"I..." Remus watched as Narcissa striped out of her school clothes, down to nothing. She lay on the bed again, and beckoned him with one seductive finger. Come here.
Remus got on top of her and started kissing her. He was ready, she was ready, they were...but Remus looked down at his girlfriend's face. She looked up at him, expectant. "Remus? What's the matter?"
"I...we...can't." Remus jumped off the bed and picked up Narcissa's discarded clothing, holding it out to her. "I'm sorry, we can't do this. It's not the right time."
"Oh...okay." Narcissa slowly put on her clothing as Remus rushed out of the pub, running back to school, and heading right to bed (or so Sirius later told Narcissa, who came to look for him).
Narcissa lay awake now, in Remus's arms. He had been right, it hadn't been the right time back then. She'd had to wait for a long time for it to be the right moment, but now that they'd done it...
"Narcissa?" Remus had woken up, and put his hand on her cheek.
"Hi," she whispered. They kissed softly, then, when Narcissa put her arms around his neck, they got a little more passionate. And they did it again.
And Narcissa knew that, after 20 years, that it was worth the wait.