Part Eight:
Even though Remus told her that she was safe, Narcissa still felt worried. The Ministry wasn't perfect: as the wife of a Death Eater, she knew that. When they tripped up, the planned escapees would find their way out...
One afternoon, Narcissa couldn't take it anymore. She was looking at her wand, just sort of examining it. She remembered how she'd been using it all of her life: first for school, then to help out with house chores at Malfoy Manor. She'd never used it to protect herself, but...wasn't that what if was for? The problem was, of course, that Narcissa didn't know how to duel. Lucius had bullied her for years, and she'd never learned how to defend herself. But she knew that if he found her, she'd have to do something...or he would kill her.
Narcissa, carrying her wand, went out of her room (that she now shared with Remus most nights) and walked down the hall. Remus was sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper. Narcissa knew that he was going away to an Order meeting tonight, and possibly even a mission. It was now or never...
She cleared her throat to maker her presence known. Remus looked up at her over the top of his paper. "Oh, hello," he said lightly. He gestured to the paper. "Did you want to see any of this? I'm nearly done."
"Um, no." Narcissa sat down. "I actually wanted to ask you something."
Remus put the paper down on the coffee table. "Okay. What is it?"
Narcissa swallowed and smiled. "Well...you know how to duel, right?" She knew the answer to that, of course: she'd seen him duel in school before. With his friends, mostly, as "practice" he said.
"Yes. What do you need, Narcissa?"
"Could, um, could you teach me?"
Remus stared blankly at her. "Teach you how to duel, you mean?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "No, teach me how to knit. YES, you idiot, teach me how to duel."
"Don't know why I should, if you're going to verbally abuse me." He said it jokingly, but he saw the perfectly serious expression on Narcissa's face. "What do you need to learn how to duel for?"
Narcissa sighed. "Look, I know what you said about Azkaban: that it's being well guarded, that there's no possible escape. But you know as well as I do that anything's possible." She was referring, of course, to her late cousin, who'd been the first person to ever escape from the prison. And that was before the dementors abandoned it.
Remus couldn't disagree. "No, that's true..." he said slowly. "But-"
"IF Lucius were to escape AND manage to find me..." Narcissa took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, I'd like to know how to defend myself."
Remus looked thoughtful. "Well, you make a good case."
"So, you'll teach me?"
Remus nodded. "Alright, alright, Narcissa. If this is really what you want-"
"It's not that I want to," Narcissa said calmly. "It's that I need to."
Back in Narcissa's school days, there hadn't been a dueling club to teach even the basics to the students. Many students learned from older brothers and sisters. Narcissa had just never bothered, and now she wished she had.
Right away, Remus taught her the Disarment spell. Narcissa managed to get Remus's wand out of his reach, but she didn't get it into her hands.
"But that helps a lot," Remus said cheerfully. "Even if you can get your enemy's wand away from a second, you've got the upperhand."
As time went on, Narcissa also learned the Stunning Spell, Body-Bind, and the Slug-Spitting Spell. "It may seem juvenile," Remus said after he tested it on a stray cat, "but it really is effective. Really throws them off."
Narcissa was looking forward to learning more, but Remus didn't seem to eager to teach. "You've got enough for now," he promised her. "Those few spells could save your life." Then he felt stupid for saying that, as if suggesting that her life was in danger in the first place.
No news of a breakout was in the "Daily Prophet" (Narcissa checked every morning), and after nearly a month, it seemed to Narcissa that she really was safe from Lucius. But she would still practice the simple curses she knew. It helped her to sleep better at night when she was alone. Slowly, those old nightmares began to fade away...
She still hated being alone in the evenings when Remus went to Order meetings. He had been saying, before he left, that he would try to convince the others to let her join. "It's not like you were an actual Death Eater, anyway. And you could get information from those women you know..." Narcissa wasn't holding her breath, though: she knew that her niece Nymphadora would ralley against her.
So Narcissa sat alone, waiting for Remus to come home. She read some magazines and even glanced at some of Remus's dusty old volumes that lined the shelves. But the books didn't hold her interest. And, having stayed up late the night before with Remus, she was feeling very tired. Eventually, she stretched herself out across the couch, with her wand securely in hand, and dozed.
The sound of the slamming door woke her an hour later. She sat up quickly. "Remus?" she called. She heard footsteps in the front hall. She decided to go out to greet him. She got up and walked out there, intending to greet her lover with a kiss before taking him to bed.
As she turned the corner to the front hall, she found the tip of a very familiar wand pointed at her face. Behind it was the face of her sneering husband. "Hello, Narcissa," he hissed.
Even though Remus told her that she was safe, Narcissa still felt worried. The Ministry wasn't perfect: as the wife of a Death Eater, she knew that. When they tripped up, the planned escapees would find their way out...
One afternoon, Narcissa couldn't take it anymore. She was looking at her wand, just sort of examining it. She remembered how she'd been using it all of her life: first for school, then to help out with house chores at Malfoy Manor. She'd never used it to protect herself, but...wasn't that what if was for? The problem was, of course, that Narcissa didn't know how to duel. Lucius had bullied her for years, and she'd never learned how to defend herself. But she knew that if he found her, she'd have to do something...or he would kill her.
Narcissa, carrying her wand, went out of her room (that she now shared with Remus most nights) and walked down the hall. Remus was sitting in a chair, reading the newspaper. Narcissa knew that he was going away to an Order meeting tonight, and possibly even a mission. It was now or never...
She cleared her throat to maker her presence known. Remus looked up at her over the top of his paper. "Oh, hello," he said lightly. He gestured to the paper. "Did you want to see any of this? I'm nearly done."
"Um, no." Narcissa sat down. "I actually wanted to ask you something."
Remus put the paper down on the coffee table. "Okay. What is it?"
Narcissa swallowed and smiled. "Well...you know how to duel, right?" She knew the answer to that, of course: she'd seen him duel in school before. With his friends, mostly, as "practice" he said.
"Yes. What do you need, Narcissa?"
"Could, um, could you teach me?"
Remus stared blankly at her. "Teach you how to duel, you mean?"
Narcissa rolled her eyes. "No, teach me how to knit. YES, you idiot, teach me how to duel."
"Don't know why I should, if you're going to verbally abuse me." He said it jokingly, but he saw the perfectly serious expression on Narcissa's face. "What do you need to learn how to duel for?"
Narcissa sighed. "Look, I know what you said about Azkaban: that it's being well guarded, that there's no possible escape. But you know as well as I do that anything's possible." She was referring, of course, to her late cousin, who'd been the first person to ever escape from the prison. And that was before the dementors abandoned it.
Remus couldn't disagree. "No, that's true..." he said slowly. "But-"
"IF Lucius were to escape AND manage to find me..." Narcissa took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, I'd like to know how to defend myself."
Remus looked thoughtful. "Well, you make a good case."
"So, you'll teach me?"
Remus nodded. "Alright, alright, Narcissa. If this is really what you want-"
"It's not that I want to," Narcissa said calmly. "It's that I need to."
Back in Narcissa's school days, there hadn't been a dueling club to teach even the basics to the students. Many students learned from older brothers and sisters. Narcissa had just never bothered, and now she wished she had.
Right away, Remus taught her the Disarment spell. Narcissa managed to get Remus's wand out of his reach, but she didn't get it into her hands.
"But that helps a lot," Remus said cheerfully. "Even if you can get your enemy's wand away from a second, you've got the upperhand."
As time went on, Narcissa also learned the Stunning Spell, Body-Bind, and the Slug-Spitting Spell. "It may seem juvenile," Remus said after he tested it on a stray cat, "but it really is effective. Really throws them off."
Narcissa was looking forward to learning more, but Remus didn't seem to eager to teach. "You've got enough for now," he promised her. "Those few spells could save your life." Then he felt stupid for saying that, as if suggesting that her life was in danger in the first place.
No news of a breakout was in the "Daily Prophet" (Narcissa checked every morning), and after nearly a month, it seemed to Narcissa that she really was safe from Lucius. But she would still practice the simple curses she knew. It helped her to sleep better at night when she was alone. Slowly, those old nightmares began to fade away...
She still hated being alone in the evenings when Remus went to Order meetings. He had been saying, before he left, that he would try to convince the others to let her join. "It's not like you were an actual Death Eater, anyway. And you could get information from those women you know..." Narcissa wasn't holding her breath, though: she knew that her niece Nymphadora would ralley against her.
So Narcissa sat alone, waiting for Remus to come home. She read some magazines and even glanced at some of Remus's dusty old volumes that lined the shelves. But the books didn't hold her interest. And, having stayed up late the night before with Remus, she was feeling very tired. Eventually, she stretched herself out across the couch, with her wand securely in hand, and dozed.
The sound of the slamming door woke her an hour later. She sat up quickly. "Remus?" she called. She heard footsteps in the front hall. She decided to go out to greet him. She got up and walked out there, intending to greet her lover with a kiss before taking him to bed.
As she turned the corner to the front hall, she found the tip of a very familiar wand pointed at her face. Behind it was the face of her sneering husband. "Hello, Narcissa," he hissed.