Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything you see here except the plot.
Review Responses:
Melissa Pitt - Glad you're liking the story, updates will keep coming, hope you like this chapter too! Thanks for reviewing!
Dark Comet - I found that story again! It's by an excellent author called Cairnsy who has written a couple of the stories on my favourites page and the story I was talking about is called "Reflections of their Souls". I will warn you though that all the other people who look in the mirror get sad. It's worth reading for the adorability of Hagrid though! He is such a big bundle of niceness! Thanks for the review! (Ooh I could get a taste for having people hail me, my head is going to over inflate with all the nice things you kind reviewers say.)
Professor Charlotte Snape - I actually rather like Lockhart, well I adore him in the films but I never liked him in the books so I can see why others dislike him. I just thought that he was exactly the sort of person who would seriously annoy the Malfoys! I feel sorry for Narc and Draco too and they do rock, even though they both have their less pleasant sides! Thanks for reviewing!
Lune Project - I'm glad you like my writing, Narc is right and heck I think Lucy was innocent once! I do wonder sometimes what happened to turn him into the man he is but I think it's too late for him which really just makes the idea that something made him this way all the worse. Sorry I'm a great believer in people being influenced by circumstances beyond their control as we are all born innocent, it's our upbringing that effects who we are. Hmm, I wonder what Dumbledore would see in the mirror of Erised, maybe himself catching Tom Riddle fifty years ago so that Lord Voldemort could never have existed? Or perhaps the world's largest sherbet lemon? It's just impossible to tell what the man would want! I found the fic I was talking about, if you're interested then I put the name and the author's name in my review response to Dark Comet. Thanks for reviewing!
T.A.Skywalker - I had actually read your story but I didn't review it however I have now. I really liked it. You should write more! Sorry about the character bashing, it pains me deeply to write bad things about the ever-lovable Hagrid but he is out of line at that point, however as my friend Marwood puts it, "it's J.K.'s evil influence". The woman may be a genius but she doesn't half play favourites with the houses and no child can be described as being rotten to the core and I doubt he's met Narcissa Malfoy. Sorry, you're right I do character bash sometimes, be grateful I'm not writing about Harry as I'd beat him into a pulp! Also my opinions are not always Narc's she's biased in her son's favour and I see Draco can be a little brat, though a darned cute one! Glad this hasn't put you off the story, most of the character bashing from now on is aimed at Lucy and his evil behaviour! Glad it's different, I like being different! Thanks for reviewing, good luck finding a job.
honest_iago - I left you 'til last so that I could give you a long review response as you did leave two pretty lengthy reviews! Damn that Tom Hollander stuff is good; he is the best! And he's single according to what you sent me so maybe you're in with a chance? I love the way you say that Hagrid is 'technically' J.K.'s character, I'm afraid he is hers lock, stock and barrel not just on a technicality. Narcissa is a hard person to like or understand sometimes, all I can say is she's not a good person or a bad person she's just a person and she's as flawed as anyone else. She was deeply wrong over the Sev thing but in her defence she was upset and scared and emotionally unstable. Narc WAS once a Voldie supporter, he does actually persuade her, it's his methods that end up disgusting her! Now she would never agree with his principles but she really believed in him at first. Narc is her own worst enemy at many times but at this one in particular, she's scared and angry and frankly pretty stupid. Do bear in mind though that Sev was her friend but Lucius was the love of her life, she still loved him back then. I don't think it's the kind of thing anyone should forget she did, it's part of who she is, but I think she does deserve to be forgiven eventually, emphasis on the eventually she did do a horrible, terrible thing. She is vain, self-obsessed, reckless and mentally unbalanced, hang on now she sounds like Harry! Just kidding! (Well......) The vanity thing is explained a little in that scene with Severus which you've read but my other readers haven't so I can't mention anymore here. She really means what she says then. Her world does revolve around her to a degree but she can be altruistic occasionally like when she stands up to Voldie over that child, or is that just an example of her being mentally unbalanced? I really like her because she's such a grey character, J.K.'s fond of black and white, clear cut characters but I don't like them, people are much more interesting and realistic when you see both side of their personality, faults included. I think that's why I like writing Narc so much you never quite know what she'll do next! Did you go and complain on the BBC website? I bet you did! LOL! Don't regret leaving any reviews! As long as they're not too insulting! Was that a long enough review response for you Marwood? Thanks for reviewing and twice at that! Not to mention that you apparently felt the need to bring my reviews on Wedding Bells to a round 35.
I Built My Life Around You
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
Chapter 6
Narcissa caught up with her family a little way down the street. "Ok, that was entertaining." She quickly wiped the smile from her face as her husband turned to glare at her, "How's your eye?"
"Painful. Would you heal it for me? Actually, on second thoughts, hand me a mirror and I'll do it myself, I don't want to end up blind."
Draco was stood to one side looking sulky as Narcissa pulled a small mirror compact from her bag and handed it to Lucius. "Draco, be a dear and take some of these books for me."
Sighing, he took them from her. Lucius had finished healing his eye and snapped, "Come on let's go home."
"We haven't got Draco's broom yet."
"No, well I wanted to talk to you about that actually. We'll get it next week."
**He wants to talk to me? Why? If he wants to know which model he should get then surely he could just ask the man in the shop, I haven't bought a broom in years.**
She was waiting for Draco to protest but he maintained the sulky silence that he had since she'd met up with them after they'd been to Knockturn Alley.
"Right, come on then." She said shifting the remaining books in her arms in an attempt to get Lucius to at least pretend to be a gentleman and help her; he didn't take the hint.
Her husband and son followed her back to the Leaky Cauldron which was thankfully a Weasley free zone, Narcissa didn't need any more fights, even though the first had been highly entertaining.
*******
Once they were home Draco was sent upstairs to put his new school things away and Lucius asked Narcissa to join him in the drawing room. She followed him, deeply curious.
"Narcissa, you were talking about Draco playing on the Slytherin quidditch team."
"Yes."
"Well I thought we might make a gift to the team."
"What do you mean?"
"I was going to buy the team Nimbus 2001's."
"Lucius do you really think it's a good idea to provide Nimbus 2001's for the entire Slytherin Quidditch team?"
"Why not, we can certainly afford it and it should guarantee them a win."
"I know that, but don't you think it'll look like Draco simply bought his way onto the team?"
"So? What's your point?"
"That is my point. Draco's a good flyer and a good quidditch player he could get onto that team on his own merit I'm sure of it."
"Well then, no harm in giving him a helping hand is there?"
"A good quidditch team wins because they work together well and are genuinely talented, not because they've got the fastest brooms money can buy. This doesn't guarantee the team will win the cup."
"It had better, that Potter kid needs taking down a peg or two."
**Why? You've never even met him, what is your issue with that child? He brought down my Dark Lord so now I'm going to sulk about it and plot against him? Grow up Lucius!**
"Need I remind you that you were the one who promised him a new broom this summer?" Lucius added.
"I don't remember promising the Slytherin quidditch team new brooms."
"Narcissa are you questioning me?"
"Well need I remind you that I was the one on the quidditch team and you were the one who could hardly stay on a broom by all accounts?"
She knew as soon as she'd said it she'd gone too far, Lucius did not like being questioned, least of all by her.
He advanced on her, sneering, "You're nothing, so you were the queen of Slytherin back in high school but what are you now? You're a nobody. You got on to that team because of who you were and what you looked like."
"That's not true," she shook her head, "I was a good player."
"Of course you were. You were average like you are at everything else. Why do you think they made you head girl, you're the champion of the mediocre." He smiled unpleasantly as she flushed, clearly upset, "When was the last time you used magic other than to do your hair and make up of a morning or to apparate to the shops? You might have had potential once but you let any true abilities you ever had rot and fester years ago." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room leaving Narcissa to collapse gratefully into a chair.
**He's right, what else do I use my magic for? I don't know if I even could perform some of the spells I used to be able to. For goodness sake I'm not even carrying my wand at the moment! I live with a maniac deatheater who has little to no respect for me and yet I think it's wise to leave my wand upstairs?**
She ran lightly up the main staircase to her bedroom and grabbed her wand from her bedside table feeling good to have it with her again. She looked at the lamp on her bedside table, **I used to be good at transfigurations...**
She concentrated and soon instead of a lamp she had something which resembled a pot plant with a light shade on top of it. **Ok, so I'm a little rusty, no need to panic just because my son could probably make a better job of that than I did.** Focussing more intently this time she turned it back into a lamp without any problems, but she couldn't help but notice how much more difficult it felt compared to when she was at Hogwarts.
**Ok, well then how about charms,** "Wingardium Leviosa," the bed rose a foot off the floor. **Alright I just managed something any first year could do, no reason to get excited. How about a spot of re-decorating?** a few flicks of her wand and the room changed from green to blue. **At least I can still do something!** She was about to call the house elf to fetch her a cup of tea when it hit her, **That's the whole bloody problem, am I a witch or not?** She conjured up a tea tray laden with teapot, cup and saucer and a plate of socks. **Socks? How did that happen? Ah well, at least I got the tea!**
*******
A/N: I do not own the line 'champion of the mediocre', it's from Amadeus, which by the way is a wonderful film which everyone should see! I just thought it fit in rather well, Narcissa would sooner be anything than average, all her life she's been told she was something special so Lucius' comment hits her pretty hard as she knows that with her potential she could have been much more than his wife.
Review!!!!! Please!!!!
Review Responses:
Melissa Pitt - Glad you're liking the story, updates will keep coming, hope you like this chapter too! Thanks for reviewing!
Dark Comet - I found that story again! It's by an excellent author called Cairnsy who has written a couple of the stories on my favourites page and the story I was talking about is called "Reflections of their Souls". I will warn you though that all the other people who look in the mirror get sad. It's worth reading for the adorability of Hagrid though! He is such a big bundle of niceness! Thanks for the review! (Ooh I could get a taste for having people hail me, my head is going to over inflate with all the nice things you kind reviewers say.)
Professor Charlotte Snape - I actually rather like Lockhart, well I adore him in the films but I never liked him in the books so I can see why others dislike him. I just thought that he was exactly the sort of person who would seriously annoy the Malfoys! I feel sorry for Narc and Draco too and they do rock, even though they both have their less pleasant sides! Thanks for reviewing!
Lune Project - I'm glad you like my writing, Narc is right and heck I think Lucy was innocent once! I do wonder sometimes what happened to turn him into the man he is but I think it's too late for him which really just makes the idea that something made him this way all the worse. Sorry I'm a great believer in people being influenced by circumstances beyond their control as we are all born innocent, it's our upbringing that effects who we are. Hmm, I wonder what Dumbledore would see in the mirror of Erised, maybe himself catching Tom Riddle fifty years ago so that Lord Voldemort could never have existed? Or perhaps the world's largest sherbet lemon? It's just impossible to tell what the man would want! I found the fic I was talking about, if you're interested then I put the name and the author's name in my review response to Dark Comet. Thanks for reviewing!
T.A.Skywalker - I had actually read your story but I didn't review it however I have now. I really liked it. You should write more! Sorry about the character bashing, it pains me deeply to write bad things about the ever-lovable Hagrid but he is out of line at that point, however as my friend Marwood puts it, "it's J.K.'s evil influence". The woman may be a genius but she doesn't half play favourites with the houses and no child can be described as being rotten to the core and I doubt he's met Narcissa Malfoy. Sorry, you're right I do character bash sometimes, be grateful I'm not writing about Harry as I'd beat him into a pulp! Also my opinions are not always Narc's she's biased in her son's favour and I see Draco can be a little brat, though a darned cute one! Glad this hasn't put you off the story, most of the character bashing from now on is aimed at Lucy and his evil behaviour! Glad it's different, I like being different! Thanks for reviewing, good luck finding a job.
honest_iago - I left you 'til last so that I could give you a long review response as you did leave two pretty lengthy reviews! Damn that Tom Hollander stuff is good; he is the best! And he's single according to what you sent me so maybe you're in with a chance? I love the way you say that Hagrid is 'technically' J.K.'s character, I'm afraid he is hers lock, stock and barrel not just on a technicality. Narcissa is a hard person to like or understand sometimes, all I can say is she's not a good person or a bad person she's just a person and she's as flawed as anyone else. She was deeply wrong over the Sev thing but in her defence she was upset and scared and emotionally unstable. Narc WAS once a Voldie supporter, he does actually persuade her, it's his methods that end up disgusting her! Now she would never agree with his principles but she really believed in him at first. Narc is her own worst enemy at many times but at this one in particular, she's scared and angry and frankly pretty stupid. Do bear in mind though that Sev was her friend but Lucius was the love of her life, she still loved him back then. I don't think it's the kind of thing anyone should forget she did, it's part of who she is, but I think she does deserve to be forgiven eventually, emphasis on the eventually she did do a horrible, terrible thing. She is vain, self-obsessed, reckless and mentally unbalanced, hang on now she sounds like Harry! Just kidding! (Well......) The vanity thing is explained a little in that scene with Severus which you've read but my other readers haven't so I can't mention anymore here. She really means what she says then. Her world does revolve around her to a degree but she can be altruistic occasionally like when she stands up to Voldie over that child, or is that just an example of her being mentally unbalanced? I really like her because she's such a grey character, J.K.'s fond of black and white, clear cut characters but I don't like them, people are much more interesting and realistic when you see both side of their personality, faults included. I think that's why I like writing Narc so much you never quite know what she'll do next! Did you go and complain on the BBC website? I bet you did! LOL! Don't regret leaving any reviews! As long as they're not too insulting! Was that a long enough review response for you Marwood? Thanks for reviewing and twice at that! Not to mention that you apparently felt the need to bring my reviews on Wedding Bells to a round 35.
I Built My Life Around You
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
Chapter 6
Narcissa caught up with her family a little way down the street. "Ok, that was entertaining." She quickly wiped the smile from her face as her husband turned to glare at her, "How's your eye?"
"Painful. Would you heal it for me? Actually, on second thoughts, hand me a mirror and I'll do it myself, I don't want to end up blind."
Draco was stood to one side looking sulky as Narcissa pulled a small mirror compact from her bag and handed it to Lucius. "Draco, be a dear and take some of these books for me."
Sighing, he took them from her. Lucius had finished healing his eye and snapped, "Come on let's go home."
"We haven't got Draco's broom yet."
"No, well I wanted to talk to you about that actually. We'll get it next week."
**He wants to talk to me? Why? If he wants to know which model he should get then surely he could just ask the man in the shop, I haven't bought a broom in years.**
She was waiting for Draco to protest but he maintained the sulky silence that he had since she'd met up with them after they'd been to Knockturn Alley.
"Right, come on then." She said shifting the remaining books in her arms in an attempt to get Lucius to at least pretend to be a gentleman and help her; he didn't take the hint.
Her husband and son followed her back to the Leaky Cauldron which was thankfully a Weasley free zone, Narcissa didn't need any more fights, even though the first had been highly entertaining.
*******
Once they were home Draco was sent upstairs to put his new school things away and Lucius asked Narcissa to join him in the drawing room. She followed him, deeply curious.
"Narcissa, you were talking about Draco playing on the Slytherin quidditch team."
"Yes."
"Well I thought we might make a gift to the team."
"What do you mean?"
"I was going to buy the team Nimbus 2001's."
"Lucius do you really think it's a good idea to provide Nimbus 2001's for the entire Slytherin Quidditch team?"
"Why not, we can certainly afford it and it should guarantee them a win."
"I know that, but don't you think it'll look like Draco simply bought his way onto the team?"
"So? What's your point?"
"That is my point. Draco's a good flyer and a good quidditch player he could get onto that team on his own merit I'm sure of it."
"Well then, no harm in giving him a helping hand is there?"
"A good quidditch team wins because they work together well and are genuinely talented, not because they've got the fastest brooms money can buy. This doesn't guarantee the team will win the cup."
"It had better, that Potter kid needs taking down a peg or two."
**Why? You've never even met him, what is your issue with that child? He brought down my Dark Lord so now I'm going to sulk about it and plot against him? Grow up Lucius!**
"Need I remind you that you were the one who promised him a new broom this summer?" Lucius added.
"I don't remember promising the Slytherin quidditch team new brooms."
"Narcissa are you questioning me?"
"Well need I remind you that I was the one on the quidditch team and you were the one who could hardly stay on a broom by all accounts?"
She knew as soon as she'd said it she'd gone too far, Lucius did not like being questioned, least of all by her.
He advanced on her, sneering, "You're nothing, so you were the queen of Slytherin back in high school but what are you now? You're a nobody. You got on to that team because of who you were and what you looked like."
"That's not true," she shook her head, "I was a good player."
"Of course you were. You were average like you are at everything else. Why do you think they made you head girl, you're the champion of the mediocre." He smiled unpleasantly as she flushed, clearly upset, "When was the last time you used magic other than to do your hair and make up of a morning or to apparate to the shops? You might have had potential once but you let any true abilities you ever had rot and fester years ago." He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room leaving Narcissa to collapse gratefully into a chair.
**He's right, what else do I use my magic for? I don't know if I even could perform some of the spells I used to be able to. For goodness sake I'm not even carrying my wand at the moment! I live with a maniac deatheater who has little to no respect for me and yet I think it's wise to leave my wand upstairs?**
She ran lightly up the main staircase to her bedroom and grabbed her wand from her bedside table feeling good to have it with her again. She looked at the lamp on her bedside table, **I used to be good at transfigurations...**
She concentrated and soon instead of a lamp she had something which resembled a pot plant with a light shade on top of it. **Ok, so I'm a little rusty, no need to panic just because my son could probably make a better job of that than I did.** Focussing more intently this time she turned it back into a lamp without any problems, but she couldn't help but notice how much more difficult it felt compared to when she was at Hogwarts.
**Ok, well then how about charms,** "Wingardium Leviosa," the bed rose a foot off the floor. **Alright I just managed something any first year could do, no reason to get excited. How about a spot of re-decorating?** a few flicks of her wand and the room changed from green to blue. **At least I can still do something!** She was about to call the house elf to fetch her a cup of tea when it hit her, **That's the whole bloody problem, am I a witch or not?** She conjured up a tea tray laden with teapot, cup and saucer and a plate of socks. **Socks? How did that happen? Ah well, at least I got the tea!**
*******
A/N: I do not own the line 'champion of the mediocre', it's from Amadeus, which by the way is a wonderful film which everyone should see! I just thought it fit in rather well, Narcissa would sooner be anything than average, all her life she's been told she was something special so Lucius' comment hits her pretty hard as she knows that with her potential she could have been much more than his wife.
Review!!!!! Please!!!!
