Disclaimer: I just own the plot, if you recognise some lines in the conversation with Fudge it's because they were lifted directly from the book.
Review Responses:
Serepidia - I too do not like Draco following in Lucius' footsteps but this fic gets away from me sometimes, that scene just wrote itself with no reference to what I wanted at all! Narcissa needs pity, actually she needs a good shake to knock some sense into her and a way out of that marriage! Update's here! Thanks for the review!
Lune Project - Glad you liked the chapter, Draco and Narcissa are definitely drawing apart. Narcissa's going to be feeling even more helpless in this chapter, Draco has been brainwashed in so far as he is behaving in the way Lucius raised him to, but unfortunately he's not cursed or anything it's just Lucius' influence becoming clearer. It is a bit much when Lucius is insulting Narcissa as it's pretty clear who makes the better parent! Ah yes, I am very fond of chapter 27, I had some fun writing that! Sev afraid of Moody? Well he seemed to be intimidated by him in book four and you'll see his reaction to him in that chapter. I'm glad you thought chapter 22 was romantic, I get what you mean by it. I haven't really designed a logo I was just joking about the picture of Sev! LOL! I like your idea for a design, you don't suck! I've sent a reply to your e-mail, actually you'll probably have that by now! I don't mind answering your questions. I too hope that Draco and Perce will not be evil in the books! I'll never get bored with your e-mails and reviews and I'm glad this story makes you happy, I'll keep updating regularly! Thanks for reviewing!
Dark Comet - Look forward no longer the quidditch world cup is here! Lucius' bedroom is right next to his study and the study has a wooden floor and I'm thinking the paperweight was pretty heavy. He probably is a fairly light sleeper though! I've never seen Some Like It Hot though the name rings a bell, I'll have to see if it's on sometime. Harry is a stupid little teenager who simply does not understand the wonder that is Sev! Umbridge sitting in a Trolloc pot? I hope that's something deeply unpleasant, that woman is twisted! Thanks for reviewing!
Trillium - Eleven year olds from normal family backgrounds do not act like that, you're right! I think that Draco must have had a somewhat odd upbringing, I mean we've met his father and he isn't exactly winning any 'normal person of the year' prizes, what with his whole using eleven year old girls to murder people and going off the deep end about hippogriffs! I don't like book five as much as the other four and it took me a while to get into it but I think it's got some really good parts, like any scene that had Neville in it! Or Ron! I also really liked finding out a bit about Sev's past. What did you think? Yeah Narc does kind of throw Draco to the wolves a bit there! She's just woken up from a horrible nightmare though and I don't think her mind's really where it should be. Sorry to disappoint you but Draco wasn't lying, his behaviour is not going to improve in this chapter either but give him time and you'll see some closeness between him and his mother again! Thanks for the compliment and the review!
I Built My Life Around You
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
Chapter 24
Draco seemed to grow more distant as the summer progressed and Narcissa was constantly worried at what Lucius might be teaching him. She was desperate to find some way to bond with her son but he seemed to have little interest in anything she had to say. She once tried to talk to him about the meal they'd had out at the start of summer but he had merely nodded in a bored fashion and changed the subject.
She eventually hit upon the idea of quidditch, the world cup was coming up and Draco had been talking about it excitedly one morning at breakfast. Narcissa waited until he had left before speaking to her husband.
"Lucius, I don't suppose you could get tickets to the final of the quidditch world cup, could you?"
"Why? Do you want to go?"
"Yes, and I think Draco would like to go."
"I suppose I could see about it."
"I heard the Weasley's might be going..."
That was all it took, "Really? Well if even they're going I think we may have to make an appearance, it wouldn't do to be outdone by the Weasleys."
**Gosh, I'm good at this.** "If you think so dear."
Narcissa left the room before Lucius could notice the smug smile on her face.
*******
Three days later Lucius walked into the dining room brandishing three tickets to the final of the quidditch world cup. Draco was delighted and Lucius looked oddly happy too. Narcissa was suspicious, as she knew her husband had never been fond of the sport yet he seemed almost eager to go. She eventually dismissed it, thinking he was probably just trying to get Draco to side with him rather than her, **Gosh he can be petty.**
Draco was delighted at the opportunity to see the final of the world cup and Narcissa was looking forward to it herself. She didn't ask how Lucius had got the tickets, she had a feeling she wouldn't want to know.
There was much excitement in the house on the morning of the match with Narcissa and Draco discussing quidditch over breakfast until Lucius nearly stormed out in frustration, his liking for the sport was minimal and he was thoroughly sick of hearing about it. Eventually it was time to go and, after persuading Dippy that the portkey was not going to do anything unpleasant to her, they left for the world cup.
Fudge had sent them the portkey, which they were to use at midday, and Lucius had procured a four bedroom tent, **I really don't get why we need four bedrooms there are only three of us!**
The tent was put up by magic while no one was looking and Dippy set about making lunch for the three of them. Lucius was talking to Draco about how they were superior to, **well the way he tells it just about everybody!**
Draco was drinking it in in a way Narcissa definitely didn't like. She had noticed that Draco had been spending far more time with his father than with her that summer and his distant attitude towards her was hurting her more deeply than she would allow Lucius to see.
She ate lunch in almost complete silence, unable to stop the conversation that was taking place next to her, she tried several times to steer Lucius on to another topic but he was not cooperating. He merely cut across her, smirking.
The afternoon continued in much the same way until she was about ready to gag the two of them, or simply murder them, she supposed both would achieve the desired end result.
Her excitement about the match was dwindling and as they walked to the stadium that night she was almost bored of the whole thing. They went inside and were directed to the very top of the stadium.
"How on earth did you get these tickets so late on?" Draco asked Lucius as they climbed the purple carpeted stairs.
"Minister Fudge was kind enough to invite us to be his guests after a very large contribution to St. Mungo's. That idiot is so easy to manipulate, he'd probably jump off a building if I told him too," Lucius replied, making his son laugh unpleasantly.
**Why don't you then? Do the world a sodding favour!** "Lucius I'm sure the Minister for Magic has a mind of his own," Narcissa commented trying to sound nuetral.
"Oh, come on mum the man's an idiot, I'm sure he would say black was white if Father told him it was!"
**Thanks for the support, dear!**
"Hmm," Lucius smirked, "let's test that theory."
**Oh dear. This isn't good, that smirk is never good! Did I really find it appealing once?** Narcissa shuddered.
Lucius continued towards the minister, extending his hand and saying, "Ah Fudge, how are you? I don't think you've met my wife Narcissa or our son Draco?"
"How do you do, how do you do," Fudge said and bowed to Narcissa, who was trying not to scowl at her husband and son. She didn't like Fudge but the man was clearly looking confused and was apparently dying to point out that he and Narcissa had in fact met on several occasions.
Fudge seemed to brush it aside though and proceeded to introduce some other foreign Minister of Magic. Narcissa wasn't paying attention until she caught the words, "Arthur Weasley."
She looked at her husband who was glaring at Arthur Weasley, "Good Lord Arthur," he said in a soft silky voice, "What did you have to do to get seats in the top box? Surely your house wouldn't fetch this much?"
Narcissa was greatly tempted to hit her husband round the head but thought that there were too many witnesses for her to convince him someone else had done it.
Fudge began to tell Arthur all about their "generous contribution" to St. Mungo's. Arthur gave a strained smile and simply said, "How - how nice."
**Not really! This was not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to go to the Quidditch World Cup final!**
Lucius was now glaring at the young girl with bushy brown hair who was sat next to Ron, **What did she do to deserve that? Oh right, that'll be Granger the mudblood.** Narcissa sighed deeply, telling herself to count to ten and simply suffer in silence for a while whilst they were in public. The boy on the girl's other side was glaring back at her husband, **Oh goodie! It's the-boy-who-gets-more-attention-from-my-husband-and-my-son-than-I-ever-do!** Narcissa barely held back a sneer, telling herself that it was not the child's fault that her husband wished him dead.
Lucius nodded at Arthur and sat down, Draco following. Her son sneered contemptuously at the Gryffindor trio but Narcissa grabbed his arm discreetly but firmly and steered him to his seat before he could say anything.
"Could you two grow up," she snapped as they sat down. "You're behaving like little children, you don't have to manipulate everyone purely for your own entertainment you know!"
"You're right, Narcissa," Lucius drawled, "It's always best to get something more than entertainment when manipulating someone but when you're stuck with company like that," he looked pointedly at the Weasleys, "You have to take your entertainment where you can get it."
Draco laughed and Narcissa turned away from the two of them, glaring over the pitch and wishing she'd never decided to come to the damned game.
It wasn't long before the game started, with Ludo Bagman commentating, and Narcissa soon lost herself in what was going on, noticing with a smile that her son was doing the same whereas Lucius looked distinctly bored and was trying to entertain himself by reading the programme.
The three of them all had ombinoculars and Narcissa was glued to her own, cheering on no particular side simply enjoying watching people play quidditch again. She recognised the moves and tactics of the players and worked out fairly early on that Ireland was going to win. The Bulgarian seeker was good but their chasers just weren't as talented as the Irish ones. The game was over too quickly in her opinion but she didn't mind as she remembered that the longer it went on the more nights she would have to spend in the tent with her husband, she was finding that it was harder to lose him in a tent than in a large manor.
Lucius appeared unable to make up his mind about whether he was pleased with the length of the game or not. He was glad to be able to stop watching a game that held little interest for him but he was bemoaning the loss of 700 Galleons to St. Mungo's for a couple of hours worth of quidditch.
Draco at least seemed enthusiastic but she was still in a bad mood as far as he was concerned and as he glared at the Weasley's retreating backs her position on him was confirmed.
"I can't believe they let riff raff like that into the top box!" Draco exclaimed loudly causing Narcissa to blush and reach out to quiet him but Lucius stepped skilfully between them and smiled proudly at his son who beamed back at his father in a way which made Narcissa want to be violently sick. The three of them were at best little more than a parody of family life but there were moments when they simply got too much for her to take.
She remained silent the rest of the way back to the tent, whereas Draco and his father were speaking animatedly about mudbloods and muggle loving fools. They kept this up all evening until finally Lucius seemed to run out of things to say and Draco turned to her and began to chatter happily about quidditch.
"...and did you see that Wronski Feint, I mean it was amazing! Bet Potter thinks he could do it just like Krum, hope he tries it and plows himself!"
Something inside Narcissa snapped. She was sick of her son's behaviour, sick of playing the dutiful wife, sick of crying herself to sleep at night, sick of her existence that she wouldn't dignify by terming a life. She'd had enough, or rather too much.
"Draco, will you be quiet!" she snapped viciously at him, "I don't care about Wronksi Feints or Arrow head attacking formations, just go and sit still will you and God help me if you say one more word about Potter Jr......!"
Draco shut up, astonished at this outburst from his gentle mother who normally would listen to him talk for hours on end and always loved discussing quidditch with him.
"How about both of you be quiet? Now why don't you go for a walk over to the woods, I think there's about to be a bit of a commotion here." Lucius gave a cruel smile which chilled Narcissa's blood, she knew that smile from years ago, that smile meant serious trouble.
"Right," she said coldly, "get your cloak Draco."
He nodded at her sullenly and put on his cloak. "What's going to happen?" and Narcissa noticed it was Lucius he addressed his question to, it was always Lucius he addressed his questions to these days.
"You'll see," he replied enigmatically.
"Can't I go with you, instead of mother?"
**Oh,** she thought, irritated, **I'm mother now, am I?** Then more sadly, **What happened to mum?**
Lucius shot Narcissa a triumphant smile, "No, I think you're still a little young, maybe some other time."
Narcissa was relieved but angry as well, her son was turning away from her to Lucius and she felt frustrated and helpless which made her want to lash out like a cornered animal. She swept soundlessly out of the tent leaving Draco to hurry after her.
"Hey, wait," he called, coming up behind her and gabbing hold of her arm. She shook him off instinctively and instantly regretted it seeing the pain in his eyes. However the look of hurt was quickly covered up with a sneer and a look that made her feel like he was looking at her as he would something unpleasant on his shoe. Once this would have hurt her, now it simply made her angry, unbelievably angry. She sent him an impressive sneer of her own and stalked into the forest, stopping when they were a fair way in. She could hear screaming now coming from the campsite and, through a gap in the trees, she saw what her husband was up to. A family of muggles were being levitated high above the ground by masked figures who were so familiar to her she could probably have named every single one of them, even from this distance and with the masks on.
Draco laughed, breaking her from her horrified trance. She shot him a look which if looks could maim would have left him begging for euthanasia. He didn't get the hint.
"Sorry, suppose we shouldn't be too obvious!"
**I want to be sick; I also want to strangle my own son!** "Stay here and don't move! Why don't you enjoy the show, I have to go and do something," she snarled at him and stormed away through the forest, running when she was out of his sight.
**Those poor children,** she thought looking up at the young muggles crying in fright, not that their parents were in a much better condition. This was the first time she had ever seen the deatheaters acting in the open against muggles like this. Aside from the child she had once found locked in Malfoy Manor's dungeons, she had been kept very much away from all the less pleasant aspects of Voldemort's reign.
**I have to do something.** It was instinct rather than common sense or altruism she just couldn't stand by any longer.
She looked around for the aurors and ministry officials and saw a young man with red hair, who she recognised as a Weasley, running in the general direction of the deatheaters. She turned to follow him but he was much faster than her and for the first time in her life she began to feel age catching up with her. **I'm not as young as I used to be, what a waste of a life!**
The young man easily outstripped her but she kept him in sight, as the crowd became thicker he was forced to slow down; suddenly Narcissa, with her quidditch honed instincts, knew her attention was on the wrong part of the picture. She looked up to realise how close to the deatheaters the two of them had actually got, one of them, **MacNair,** turned to face the young man and raised his wand but the red head hadn't noticed, **he's so young.**
Suddenly Narcissa ran faster than ever and caught up with him, knocking his legs from under him, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the floor as a curse sailed over his head missing her by mere inches and hitting another member of the crowd who howled in pain. The red head didn't notice any of this and was climbing to his feet nursing a bloody nose when he looked out over the forest and gasped. Narcissa turned and her face fell, the Dark Mark was hovering over the trees. **No! I left Draco in there!**
The young man was now being helped to his feet by a slightly older man with the same shock of red hair and a large cut down one arm, "Percy! You alright?"
"Yeah some idiot tripped me!"
"Come on, Charlie's heading back to the tent and dad's gone over to the forest we're going to join Charlie."
"Bill, it's his mark!" the young man sounded afraid.
"I know, come on!"
The two turned and began to thread their way through the thickening crowd. Narcissa simply stood, shell shocked, before she finally came to her senses and began to make her way over to the forest. She could see the deatheaters running in complete disarray but she didn't give a damn what they were up to she just wanted to hold her son in her arms and know that he was ok.
She reached the forest and didn't hesitate to run in, knocking a reporter in Lime Green robes to the ground as she went, **Hah! Write about that Skeeter! I can see the headlines now, Daily Prophet reporter knocked down in undignified heap whilst getting in everyone's way!** Narcissa shook her head and continued to negotiate the trees at top speed until she saw a flash of silver in a clearing and found Draco leaning nonchalantly against a tree as though this kind of thing happened all the time, **Of course, it did once.**
Her anger completely gone, she ran up to him and gathered him into her arms, tears rolling down her pale cheeks, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you! Oh God, are you alright?" She drew back and examined him at arms length and, upon seeing he was unhurt, threw her arms round him again.
Utterly confused, he hugged her back. "Mum?" he sounded a little nervous, "What's wrong? They sent the mark up, isn't that a good sign?"
For once she didn't care what side her son appeared to be taking, he was alright and that was all she cared about. "Sweetheart I don't think that mark was sent up by anyone who meant us well."
"But, I thought that only his followers knew how to cast it?"
"So did I, but if reactions of everyone here are anything to go by, no one expected this to happen. I don't think this was part of the plan! Come on, we have to go." She grabbed his hand and led him away from the mark which still hung in the sky. He was very quiet and didn't let go of her hand, even though normally he would have protested at being treated like a child. She dried her tears and found her way back to the campsite, drawing her wand and glaring threateningly at anyone who got in her way.
*******
Lucius was sat in the tent when they returned looking somewhat perturbed and Narcissa instantly knew she'd been right, they hadn't sent up the dark mark.
"Lucius, we're alright." **Like he's interested!**
He glanced at them and nodded.
"What happened out there? Who sent up the mark?" she asked.
"I don't know, go to bed Draco."
Draco did as he was told; he looked worn out. Narcissa sat down next to Lucius and conjured up a pot of tea and two mugs, she poured it and pushed one towards him wordlessly. He drank it and turned to face her, worry in his eyes.
"We didn't send the mark up."
"I had surmised as much," she kept her voice cold, if Lucius was looking for comfort he was talking to the wrong person.
"I don't think it was sent up to support us either."
"Interesting."
"Interesting? That's all you can say?" Lucius seemed amazed at her off-hand attitude.
"What do you want me to say? You're probably right."
She was about to leave him worrying at the table, thoroughly pleased with herself, when he said, "This might mean he's back."
Five words, nothing more, but that terrified the life out of her, if he returned what could save her son?
She didn't answer Lucius but simply picked up her tea and retreated into Draco's room.
He was still awake but was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. "Hi, mum."
"Hi, sweetheart, you ok?"
He nodded.
She smiled and conjured a hot chocolate for him, "Here drink this."
"Thanks. Mum is everything going to be ok? Dad looked worried, and so do you."
"I hope everything will be alright sweetheart, it was probably just someone's idea of a joke."
"It certainly upset the ministry, they were running round like headless chickens!"
She snorted in amusement, "Draco dear, they tend to do that anyway!"
He laughed and she sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Precious I'm sorry I was so snappy with you before. I didn't mean it."
He shrugged, "That's ok, what was wrong with you though, I didn't do anything?"
She sighed, **I'm too tired for this!** "I was just in a bad temper, I wasn't feeling too well."
"You alright?" he asked with concern in his voice.
She nodded, "That wronski feint really was something, eh?"
"Yeah, it was amazing! And those chasers worked so well together, ours always fight."
"That'll be because they all want the glory of a goal, they need to play as a team not a group of individuals. I remember our house quidditch team used to be able to play like that. The three of us chasers practiced together for hours, it was worth it in the end though, we almost always got the cup."
Draco smiled then frowned, "We never win," he sulked. "Potter always gets the bloody snitch, I swear that thing doesn't like me!"
She laughed at her son's adamant expression that a bewitched object with no mind of it's own had actually taken a dislike to him. "Well you saw today that though a team may have an amazing seeker they still might not win. It's not all down to you you know."
He smiled and then yawned.
"Right, that's it, finish your hot chocolate and then go to sleep, you look exhausted!"
"Nite mum."
"Goodnight sweetheart," she said and kissed his head before retiring to her own room.
As Narcissa lay in her bed that night her thoughts strayed back to when she had first seen the dark mark over the forest, she felt that now she understood the terrible fear that must have gripped the hearts of those who had returned home to find it hanging over their house.
*******
I told you it was going to be a long chapter! I just had to give Percy and Bill a cameo, Oliver got one in Wedding Bells and I could hardly leave poor Percy and Bill out, pity I've never found a way of working Neville in but there really isn't a place for him in this fic, ah well.
The reason for Lucius messing with Fudge's head in the way he does is that when I was writing this I realised I'd hit a fairly major problem! I'd already written chapter 17 in which Fudge is talking to Narcissa and in the book Luicus introduces his wife to Fudge saying they haven't met before so I either had to work around that or change chapter 17 which I really didn't want to do! Anyway, this was my solution! I think Lucius would do something like this anyway, he is a rather petty man!
The next update should be on Sunday 6th July.
Please review!!
Review Responses:
Serepidia - I too do not like Draco following in Lucius' footsteps but this fic gets away from me sometimes, that scene just wrote itself with no reference to what I wanted at all! Narcissa needs pity, actually she needs a good shake to knock some sense into her and a way out of that marriage! Update's here! Thanks for the review!
Lune Project - Glad you liked the chapter, Draco and Narcissa are definitely drawing apart. Narcissa's going to be feeling even more helpless in this chapter, Draco has been brainwashed in so far as he is behaving in the way Lucius raised him to, but unfortunately he's not cursed or anything it's just Lucius' influence becoming clearer. It is a bit much when Lucius is insulting Narcissa as it's pretty clear who makes the better parent! Ah yes, I am very fond of chapter 27, I had some fun writing that! Sev afraid of Moody? Well he seemed to be intimidated by him in book four and you'll see his reaction to him in that chapter. I'm glad you thought chapter 22 was romantic, I get what you mean by it. I haven't really designed a logo I was just joking about the picture of Sev! LOL! I like your idea for a design, you don't suck! I've sent a reply to your e-mail, actually you'll probably have that by now! I don't mind answering your questions. I too hope that Draco and Perce will not be evil in the books! I'll never get bored with your e-mails and reviews and I'm glad this story makes you happy, I'll keep updating regularly! Thanks for reviewing!
Dark Comet - Look forward no longer the quidditch world cup is here! Lucius' bedroom is right next to his study and the study has a wooden floor and I'm thinking the paperweight was pretty heavy. He probably is a fairly light sleeper though! I've never seen Some Like It Hot though the name rings a bell, I'll have to see if it's on sometime. Harry is a stupid little teenager who simply does not understand the wonder that is Sev! Umbridge sitting in a Trolloc pot? I hope that's something deeply unpleasant, that woman is twisted! Thanks for reviewing!
Trillium - Eleven year olds from normal family backgrounds do not act like that, you're right! I think that Draco must have had a somewhat odd upbringing, I mean we've met his father and he isn't exactly winning any 'normal person of the year' prizes, what with his whole using eleven year old girls to murder people and going off the deep end about hippogriffs! I don't like book five as much as the other four and it took me a while to get into it but I think it's got some really good parts, like any scene that had Neville in it! Or Ron! I also really liked finding out a bit about Sev's past. What did you think? Yeah Narc does kind of throw Draco to the wolves a bit there! She's just woken up from a horrible nightmare though and I don't think her mind's really where it should be. Sorry to disappoint you but Draco wasn't lying, his behaviour is not going to improve in this chapter either but give him time and you'll see some closeness between him and his mother again! Thanks for the compliment and the review!
I Built My Life Around You
**Narcissa's Thoughts**
Chapter 24
Draco seemed to grow more distant as the summer progressed and Narcissa was constantly worried at what Lucius might be teaching him. She was desperate to find some way to bond with her son but he seemed to have little interest in anything she had to say. She once tried to talk to him about the meal they'd had out at the start of summer but he had merely nodded in a bored fashion and changed the subject.
She eventually hit upon the idea of quidditch, the world cup was coming up and Draco had been talking about it excitedly one morning at breakfast. Narcissa waited until he had left before speaking to her husband.
"Lucius, I don't suppose you could get tickets to the final of the quidditch world cup, could you?"
"Why? Do you want to go?"
"Yes, and I think Draco would like to go."
"I suppose I could see about it."
"I heard the Weasley's might be going..."
That was all it took, "Really? Well if even they're going I think we may have to make an appearance, it wouldn't do to be outdone by the Weasleys."
**Gosh, I'm good at this.** "If you think so dear."
Narcissa left the room before Lucius could notice the smug smile on her face.
*******
Three days later Lucius walked into the dining room brandishing three tickets to the final of the quidditch world cup. Draco was delighted and Lucius looked oddly happy too. Narcissa was suspicious, as she knew her husband had never been fond of the sport yet he seemed almost eager to go. She eventually dismissed it, thinking he was probably just trying to get Draco to side with him rather than her, **Gosh he can be petty.**
Draco was delighted at the opportunity to see the final of the world cup and Narcissa was looking forward to it herself. She didn't ask how Lucius had got the tickets, she had a feeling she wouldn't want to know.
There was much excitement in the house on the morning of the match with Narcissa and Draco discussing quidditch over breakfast until Lucius nearly stormed out in frustration, his liking for the sport was minimal and he was thoroughly sick of hearing about it. Eventually it was time to go and, after persuading Dippy that the portkey was not going to do anything unpleasant to her, they left for the world cup.
Fudge had sent them the portkey, which they were to use at midday, and Lucius had procured a four bedroom tent, **I really don't get why we need four bedrooms there are only three of us!**
The tent was put up by magic while no one was looking and Dippy set about making lunch for the three of them. Lucius was talking to Draco about how they were superior to, **well the way he tells it just about everybody!**
Draco was drinking it in in a way Narcissa definitely didn't like. She had noticed that Draco had been spending far more time with his father than with her that summer and his distant attitude towards her was hurting her more deeply than she would allow Lucius to see.
She ate lunch in almost complete silence, unable to stop the conversation that was taking place next to her, she tried several times to steer Lucius on to another topic but he was not cooperating. He merely cut across her, smirking.
The afternoon continued in much the same way until she was about ready to gag the two of them, or simply murder them, she supposed both would achieve the desired end result.
Her excitement about the match was dwindling and as they walked to the stadium that night she was almost bored of the whole thing. They went inside and were directed to the very top of the stadium.
"How on earth did you get these tickets so late on?" Draco asked Lucius as they climbed the purple carpeted stairs.
"Minister Fudge was kind enough to invite us to be his guests after a very large contribution to St. Mungo's. That idiot is so easy to manipulate, he'd probably jump off a building if I told him too," Lucius replied, making his son laugh unpleasantly.
**Why don't you then? Do the world a sodding favour!** "Lucius I'm sure the Minister for Magic has a mind of his own," Narcissa commented trying to sound nuetral.
"Oh, come on mum the man's an idiot, I'm sure he would say black was white if Father told him it was!"
**Thanks for the support, dear!**
"Hmm," Lucius smirked, "let's test that theory."
**Oh dear. This isn't good, that smirk is never good! Did I really find it appealing once?** Narcissa shuddered.
Lucius continued towards the minister, extending his hand and saying, "Ah Fudge, how are you? I don't think you've met my wife Narcissa or our son Draco?"
"How do you do, how do you do," Fudge said and bowed to Narcissa, who was trying not to scowl at her husband and son. She didn't like Fudge but the man was clearly looking confused and was apparently dying to point out that he and Narcissa had in fact met on several occasions.
Fudge seemed to brush it aside though and proceeded to introduce some other foreign Minister of Magic. Narcissa wasn't paying attention until she caught the words, "Arthur Weasley."
She looked at her husband who was glaring at Arthur Weasley, "Good Lord Arthur," he said in a soft silky voice, "What did you have to do to get seats in the top box? Surely your house wouldn't fetch this much?"
Narcissa was greatly tempted to hit her husband round the head but thought that there were too many witnesses for her to convince him someone else had done it.
Fudge began to tell Arthur all about their "generous contribution" to St. Mungo's. Arthur gave a strained smile and simply said, "How - how nice."
**Not really! This was not what I had in mind when I said I wanted to go to the Quidditch World Cup final!**
Lucius was now glaring at the young girl with bushy brown hair who was sat next to Ron, **What did she do to deserve that? Oh right, that'll be Granger the mudblood.** Narcissa sighed deeply, telling herself to count to ten and simply suffer in silence for a while whilst they were in public. The boy on the girl's other side was glaring back at her husband, **Oh goodie! It's the-boy-who-gets-more-attention-from-my-husband-and-my-son-than-I-ever-do!** Narcissa barely held back a sneer, telling herself that it was not the child's fault that her husband wished him dead.
Lucius nodded at Arthur and sat down, Draco following. Her son sneered contemptuously at the Gryffindor trio but Narcissa grabbed his arm discreetly but firmly and steered him to his seat before he could say anything.
"Could you two grow up," she snapped as they sat down. "You're behaving like little children, you don't have to manipulate everyone purely for your own entertainment you know!"
"You're right, Narcissa," Lucius drawled, "It's always best to get something more than entertainment when manipulating someone but when you're stuck with company like that," he looked pointedly at the Weasleys, "You have to take your entertainment where you can get it."
Draco laughed and Narcissa turned away from the two of them, glaring over the pitch and wishing she'd never decided to come to the damned game.
It wasn't long before the game started, with Ludo Bagman commentating, and Narcissa soon lost herself in what was going on, noticing with a smile that her son was doing the same whereas Lucius looked distinctly bored and was trying to entertain himself by reading the programme.
The three of them all had ombinoculars and Narcissa was glued to her own, cheering on no particular side simply enjoying watching people play quidditch again. She recognised the moves and tactics of the players and worked out fairly early on that Ireland was going to win. The Bulgarian seeker was good but their chasers just weren't as talented as the Irish ones. The game was over too quickly in her opinion but she didn't mind as she remembered that the longer it went on the more nights she would have to spend in the tent with her husband, she was finding that it was harder to lose him in a tent than in a large manor.
Lucius appeared unable to make up his mind about whether he was pleased with the length of the game or not. He was glad to be able to stop watching a game that held little interest for him but he was bemoaning the loss of 700 Galleons to St. Mungo's for a couple of hours worth of quidditch.
Draco at least seemed enthusiastic but she was still in a bad mood as far as he was concerned and as he glared at the Weasley's retreating backs her position on him was confirmed.
"I can't believe they let riff raff like that into the top box!" Draco exclaimed loudly causing Narcissa to blush and reach out to quiet him but Lucius stepped skilfully between them and smiled proudly at his son who beamed back at his father in a way which made Narcissa want to be violently sick. The three of them were at best little more than a parody of family life but there were moments when they simply got too much for her to take.
She remained silent the rest of the way back to the tent, whereas Draco and his father were speaking animatedly about mudbloods and muggle loving fools. They kept this up all evening until finally Lucius seemed to run out of things to say and Draco turned to her and began to chatter happily about quidditch.
"...and did you see that Wronski Feint, I mean it was amazing! Bet Potter thinks he could do it just like Krum, hope he tries it and plows himself!"
Something inside Narcissa snapped. She was sick of her son's behaviour, sick of playing the dutiful wife, sick of crying herself to sleep at night, sick of her existence that she wouldn't dignify by terming a life. She'd had enough, or rather too much.
"Draco, will you be quiet!" she snapped viciously at him, "I don't care about Wronksi Feints or Arrow head attacking formations, just go and sit still will you and God help me if you say one more word about Potter Jr......!"
Draco shut up, astonished at this outburst from his gentle mother who normally would listen to him talk for hours on end and always loved discussing quidditch with him.
"How about both of you be quiet? Now why don't you go for a walk over to the woods, I think there's about to be a bit of a commotion here." Lucius gave a cruel smile which chilled Narcissa's blood, she knew that smile from years ago, that smile meant serious trouble.
"Right," she said coldly, "get your cloak Draco."
He nodded at her sullenly and put on his cloak. "What's going to happen?" and Narcissa noticed it was Lucius he addressed his question to, it was always Lucius he addressed his questions to these days.
"You'll see," he replied enigmatically.
"Can't I go with you, instead of mother?"
**Oh,** she thought, irritated, **I'm mother now, am I?** Then more sadly, **What happened to mum?**
Lucius shot Narcissa a triumphant smile, "No, I think you're still a little young, maybe some other time."
Narcissa was relieved but angry as well, her son was turning away from her to Lucius and she felt frustrated and helpless which made her want to lash out like a cornered animal. She swept soundlessly out of the tent leaving Draco to hurry after her.
"Hey, wait," he called, coming up behind her and gabbing hold of her arm. She shook him off instinctively and instantly regretted it seeing the pain in his eyes. However the look of hurt was quickly covered up with a sneer and a look that made her feel like he was looking at her as he would something unpleasant on his shoe. Once this would have hurt her, now it simply made her angry, unbelievably angry. She sent him an impressive sneer of her own and stalked into the forest, stopping when they were a fair way in. She could hear screaming now coming from the campsite and, through a gap in the trees, she saw what her husband was up to. A family of muggles were being levitated high above the ground by masked figures who were so familiar to her she could probably have named every single one of them, even from this distance and with the masks on.
Draco laughed, breaking her from her horrified trance. She shot him a look which if looks could maim would have left him begging for euthanasia. He didn't get the hint.
"Sorry, suppose we shouldn't be too obvious!"
**I want to be sick; I also want to strangle my own son!** "Stay here and don't move! Why don't you enjoy the show, I have to go and do something," she snarled at him and stormed away through the forest, running when she was out of his sight.
**Those poor children,** she thought looking up at the young muggles crying in fright, not that their parents were in a much better condition. This was the first time she had ever seen the deatheaters acting in the open against muggles like this. Aside from the child she had once found locked in Malfoy Manor's dungeons, she had been kept very much away from all the less pleasant aspects of Voldemort's reign.
**I have to do something.** It was instinct rather than common sense or altruism she just couldn't stand by any longer.
She looked around for the aurors and ministry officials and saw a young man with red hair, who she recognised as a Weasley, running in the general direction of the deatheaters. She turned to follow him but he was much faster than her and for the first time in her life she began to feel age catching up with her. **I'm not as young as I used to be, what a waste of a life!**
The young man easily outstripped her but she kept him in sight, as the crowd became thicker he was forced to slow down; suddenly Narcissa, with her quidditch honed instincts, knew her attention was on the wrong part of the picture. She looked up to realise how close to the deatheaters the two of them had actually got, one of them, **MacNair,** turned to face the young man and raised his wand but the red head hadn't noticed, **he's so young.**
Suddenly Narcissa ran faster than ever and caught up with him, knocking his legs from under him, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the floor as a curse sailed over his head missing her by mere inches and hitting another member of the crowd who howled in pain. The red head didn't notice any of this and was climbing to his feet nursing a bloody nose when he looked out over the forest and gasped. Narcissa turned and her face fell, the Dark Mark was hovering over the trees. **No! I left Draco in there!**
The young man was now being helped to his feet by a slightly older man with the same shock of red hair and a large cut down one arm, "Percy! You alright?"
"Yeah some idiot tripped me!"
"Come on, Charlie's heading back to the tent and dad's gone over to the forest we're going to join Charlie."
"Bill, it's his mark!" the young man sounded afraid.
"I know, come on!"
The two turned and began to thread their way through the thickening crowd. Narcissa simply stood, shell shocked, before she finally came to her senses and began to make her way over to the forest. She could see the deatheaters running in complete disarray but she didn't give a damn what they were up to she just wanted to hold her son in her arms and know that he was ok.
She reached the forest and didn't hesitate to run in, knocking a reporter in Lime Green robes to the ground as she went, **Hah! Write about that Skeeter! I can see the headlines now, Daily Prophet reporter knocked down in undignified heap whilst getting in everyone's way!** Narcissa shook her head and continued to negotiate the trees at top speed until she saw a flash of silver in a clearing and found Draco leaning nonchalantly against a tree as though this kind of thing happened all the time, **Of course, it did once.**
Her anger completely gone, she ran up to him and gathered him into her arms, tears rolling down her pale cheeks, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have left you! Oh God, are you alright?" She drew back and examined him at arms length and, upon seeing he was unhurt, threw her arms round him again.
Utterly confused, he hugged her back. "Mum?" he sounded a little nervous, "What's wrong? They sent the mark up, isn't that a good sign?"
For once she didn't care what side her son appeared to be taking, he was alright and that was all she cared about. "Sweetheart I don't think that mark was sent up by anyone who meant us well."
"But, I thought that only his followers knew how to cast it?"
"So did I, but if reactions of everyone here are anything to go by, no one expected this to happen. I don't think this was part of the plan! Come on, we have to go." She grabbed his hand and led him away from the mark which still hung in the sky. He was very quiet and didn't let go of her hand, even though normally he would have protested at being treated like a child. She dried her tears and found her way back to the campsite, drawing her wand and glaring threateningly at anyone who got in her way.
*******
Lucius was sat in the tent when they returned looking somewhat perturbed and Narcissa instantly knew she'd been right, they hadn't sent up the dark mark.
"Lucius, we're alright." **Like he's interested!**
He glanced at them and nodded.
"What happened out there? Who sent up the mark?" she asked.
"I don't know, go to bed Draco."
Draco did as he was told; he looked worn out. Narcissa sat down next to Lucius and conjured up a pot of tea and two mugs, she poured it and pushed one towards him wordlessly. He drank it and turned to face her, worry in his eyes.
"We didn't send the mark up."
"I had surmised as much," she kept her voice cold, if Lucius was looking for comfort he was talking to the wrong person.
"I don't think it was sent up to support us either."
"Interesting."
"Interesting? That's all you can say?" Lucius seemed amazed at her off-hand attitude.
"What do you want me to say? You're probably right."
She was about to leave him worrying at the table, thoroughly pleased with herself, when he said, "This might mean he's back."
Five words, nothing more, but that terrified the life out of her, if he returned what could save her son?
She didn't answer Lucius but simply picked up her tea and retreated into Draco's room.
He was still awake but was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. "Hi, mum."
"Hi, sweetheart, you ok?"
He nodded.
She smiled and conjured a hot chocolate for him, "Here drink this."
"Thanks. Mum is everything going to be ok? Dad looked worried, and so do you."
"I hope everything will be alright sweetheart, it was probably just someone's idea of a joke."
"It certainly upset the ministry, they were running round like headless chickens!"
She snorted in amusement, "Draco dear, they tend to do that anyway!"
He laughed and she sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Precious I'm sorry I was so snappy with you before. I didn't mean it."
He shrugged, "That's ok, what was wrong with you though, I didn't do anything?"
She sighed, **I'm too tired for this!** "I was just in a bad temper, I wasn't feeling too well."
"You alright?" he asked with concern in his voice.
She nodded, "That wronski feint really was something, eh?"
"Yeah, it was amazing! And those chasers worked so well together, ours always fight."
"That'll be because they all want the glory of a goal, they need to play as a team not a group of individuals. I remember our house quidditch team used to be able to play like that. The three of us chasers practiced together for hours, it was worth it in the end though, we almost always got the cup."
Draco smiled then frowned, "We never win," he sulked. "Potter always gets the bloody snitch, I swear that thing doesn't like me!"
She laughed at her son's adamant expression that a bewitched object with no mind of it's own had actually taken a dislike to him. "Well you saw today that though a team may have an amazing seeker they still might not win. It's not all down to you you know."
He smiled and then yawned.
"Right, that's it, finish your hot chocolate and then go to sleep, you look exhausted!"
"Nite mum."
"Goodnight sweetheart," she said and kissed his head before retiring to her own room.
As Narcissa lay in her bed that night her thoughts strayed back to when she had first seen the dark mark over the forest, she felt that now she understood the terrible fear that must have gripped the hearts of those who had returned home to find it hanging over their house.
*******
I told you it was going to be a long chapter! I just had to give Percy and Bill a cameo, Oliver got one in Wedding Bells and I could hardly leave poor Percy and Bill out, pity I've never found a way of working Neville in but there really isn't a place for him in this fic, ah well.
The reason for Lucius messing with Fudge's head in the way he does is that when I was writing this I realised I'd hit a fairly major problem! I'd already written chapter 17 in which Fudge is talking to Narcissa and in the book Luicus introduces his wife to Fudge saying they haven't met before so I either had to work around that or change chapter 17 which I really didn't want to do! Anyway, this was my solution! I think Lucius would do something like this anyway, he is a rather petty man!
The next update should be on Sunday 6th July.
Please review!!
