Part Seven:
Whenever Remus was gone for "Order business" (he was still being discreet when it came to details) or during his "time of the month" (they joked that he understood women more then any other man), Narcissa would be lonely. She was no longer afraid that her husband would come and find her: she'd found out some interesting news on that subject just the other day.
Narcissa had been sitting in the small living room, reading "Witch Weekly" and waiting for Remus to come home. Usually he came in quietly and sat down next to her, but today her came in shouting.
"Narcissa!" Startled, she ran out into the front hall to greet him. He was grinning. "You'll never guess what I found out at the meeting."
"I can hardly wait," she said sarcastically, taking his discarded cloak and hanging it up. "And honestly, Remus, if you can't learn to pick up your things-"
"Forget about cleaning!" he cried. "I just found out some news about the Azkaban breakout that's-"
"Oh, God." Narcissa had to put a hand on the wall to keep from falling over. Had they escaped? Was HE coming to find her? She knew he would kill her.
"Narcissa?" Remus's smile vanished, and he grabbed her to keep her from falling. "Darling, it's alright. It's been delayed."
"For how long?" She still felt faint.
"I'm not sure," Remus admitted. "But the Ministry is actually cooperating with us. They don't completely trust the dementors, so they've come up with new ways, BETTER ways, to guard the prison."
Narcissa knew better then to ask what those "better ways" were. All she cared about now was that Lucius wasn't coming to get her. "So, the Death Eaters might never get out," she whispered hopefully.
Remus nodded. "Everything's going to be alright. And it's all because of you."
She looked surprised. "It is?"
Remus nodded. "You told us about the planned breakout, and we took it to the Ministry. Well, they had no choice but to believe us, right? I mean, there was that other breakout just a few months ago..." Remus stopped: talking about the previous breakout made Narcissa feel embarressed. He knew that her older sister was in it.
"Well..." Narcissa stepped away from him. "Wow. That's so fantastic." She wasn't sure what to say now. "So...are you on duty tonight?" She led him into the living room and they sat down.
Remus shook his head. "Not until Tuesday." That was four days away. Four nights with Remus...the thought immediatly made Narcissa feel better.
"Good," she said softly, and Remus couldn't help but smile. He knew what was on her mind. And whether there was sex or not, they would be together all of those four nights. Whenever Remus was around, the nightmares of the past were gone.
For awhile, they resumed their evening ritual: she read her magazine, he read the "Daily Prophet". Narcissa was impatient for the clock to finally strike 10: at that time, they would make their way to the bedroom...
But it was only 9:27 when she checked the dusty old Grandfather clock, so Narcissa decided to read some more of her magazine to distract herself. She came across an article entitled: HELP! MY CHILD HATES ME!, talking about a witch whose wizard son resented her. And Narcissa couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Remus didn't notice her crying at first, until he looked at her from the top of his paper as he did every so often. He did a double take when he saw the glittering tears on her face. "Narcissa? What is it?"
Narcissa sniffed, embarressed that she had been caught. "Oh...nothing, darling," she said, trying to laugh it off. "Just an article in here, um..." She couldn't stop Remus from taking the magazine from her hands, and looking at the article. She felt stupid for keeping it open to that page.
Remus looked at her when he finished scanning the article. "Oh, Narcissa..."
"I know," she said, still faking a laugh, as she snatched the article from him. She placed it carefully on the coffee table. "I'm just being-"
"Don't say that," Remus said sharply. "You're not being anything." He put his arm around her. "Narcissa, your son didn't hate you."
Her fake laughing stop as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved. "I know," she said slowly. "But...I think he could have, do you know what I mean?"
Remus nodded. "Like father, like son, right?"
Narcissa smiled grimly. "I could see that he hated Lucius. But he also had a lot of respect for him. I...think he was going to be like him."
Remus had to agree. "I saw that in him when I taught him."
"Oh, he hated you." They laughed together, then Narcissa stopped quickly. "I miss my son."
"I know." Remus didn't know how he could comfort her. He didn't know what it was like to be a grieving parent: he could never have children of his own.
Narcissa sighed. "It broke my heart to look at him. Turning more and more into his father by the day. But still," she said sadly, "I wish I hadn't of killed him."
"It was an accident, Narcissa," Remus said again, just as he had when they first met up a month before. "You mustn't blame yourself. Personally, I think it's all Lucius's fault."
"Well, he won't see it that way," Narcissa said grimly.
Remus smiled at her. "Who cares how he sees it? He'll be in Azkaban for a long, long time."
Narcissa felt comforted by these words. But she wished she could fully believe them.
Whenever Remus was gone for "Order business" (he was still being discreet when it came to details) or during his "time of the month" (they joked that he understood women more then any other man), Narcissa would be lonely. She was no longer afraid that her husband would come and find her: she'd found out some interesting news on that subject just the other day.
Narcissa had been sitting in the small living room, reading "Witch Weekly" and waiting for Remus to come home. Usually he came in quietly and sat down next to her, but today her came in shouting.
"Narcissa!" Startled, she ran out into the front hall to greet him. He was grinning. "You'll never guess what I found out at the meeting."
"I can hardly wait," she said sarcastically, taking his discarded cloak and hanging it up. "And honestly, Remus, if you can't learn to pick up your things-"
"Forget about cleaning!" he cried. "I just found out some news about the Azkaban breakout that's-"
"Oh, God." Narcissa had to put a hand on the wall to keep from falling over. Had they escaped? Was HE coming to find her? She knew he would kill her.
"Narcissa?" Remus's smile vanished, and he grabbed her to keep her from falling. "Darling, it's alright. It's been delayed."
"For how long?" She still felt faint.
"I'm not sure," Remus admitted. "But the Ministry is actually cooperating with us. They don't completely trust the dementors, so they've come up with new ways, BETTER ways, to guard the prison."
Narcissa knew better then to ask what those "better ways" were. All she cared about now was that Lucius wasn't coming to get her. "So, the Death Eaters might never get out," she whispered hopefully.
Remus nodded. "Everything's going to be alright. And it's all because of you."
She looked surprised. "It is?"
Remus nodded. "You told us about the planned breakout, and we took it to the Ministry. Well, they had no choice but to believe us, right? I mean, there was that other breakout just a few months ago..." Remus stopped: talking about the previous breakout made Narcissa feel embarressed. He knew that her older sister was in it.
"Well..." Narcissa stepped away from him. "Wow. That's so fantastic." She wasn't sure what to say now. "So...are you on duty tonight?" She led him into the living room and they sat down.
Remus shook his head. "Not until Tuesday." That was four days away. Four nights with Remus...the thought immediatly made Narcissa feel better.
"Good," she said softly, and Remus couldn't help but smile. He knew what was on her mind. And whether there was sex or not, they would be together all of those four nights. Whenever Remus was around, the nightmares of the past were gone.
For awhile, they resumed their evening ritual: she read her magazine, he read the "Daily Prophet". Narcissa was impatient for the clock to finally strike 10: at that time, they would make their way to the bedroom...
But it was only 9:27 when she checked the dusty old Grandfather clock, so Narcissa decided to read some more of her magazine to distract herself. She came across an article entitled: HELP! MY CHILD HATES ME!, talking about a witch whose wizard son resented her. And Narcissa couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Remus didn't notice her crying at first, until he looked at her from the top of his paper as he did every so often. He did a double take when he saw the glittering tears on her face. "Narcissa? What is it?"
Narcissa sniffed, embarressed that she had been caught. "Oh...nothing, darling," she said, trying to laugh it off. "Just an article in here, um..." She couldn't stop Remus from taking the magazine from her hands, and looking at the article. She felt stupid for keeping it open to that page.
Remus looked at her when he finished scanning the article. "Oh, Narcissa..."
"I know," she said, still faking a laugh, as she snatched the article from him. She placed it carefully on the coffee table. "I'm just being-"
"Don't say that," Remus said sharply. "You're not being anything." He put his arm around her. "Narcissa, your son didn't hate you."
Her fake laughing stop as she looked into the eyes of the man she loved. "I know," she said slowly. "But...I think he could have, do you know what I mean?"
Remus nodded. "Like father, like son, right?"
Narcissa smiled grimly. "I could see that he hated Lucius. But he also had a lot of respect for him. I...think he was going to be like him."
Remus had to agree. "I saw that in him when I taught him."
"Oh, he hated you." They laughed together, then Narcissa stopped quickly. "I miss my son."
"I know." Remus didn't know how he could comfort her. He didn't know what it was like to be a grieving parent: he could never have children of his own.
Narcissa sighed. "It broke my heart to look at him. Turning more and more into his father by the day. But still," she said sadly, "I wish I hadn't of killed him."
"It was an accident, Narcissa," Remus said again, just as he had when they first met up a month before. "You mustn't blame yourself. Personally, I think it's all Lucius's fault."
"Well, he won't see it that way," Narcissa said grimly.
Remus smiled at her. "Who cares how he sees it? He'll be in Azkaban for a long, long time."
Narcissa felt comforted by these words. But she wished she could fully believe them.