Give and Take
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: Compared to J.K. Rowling, I am dirt. Enough said.
Narcissa eyed the girl weeping in the corner. Not only was she wearing a Gryffindor
Robe, but attatched was a shiny Prefect badge. Narcissa felt a bit uneasy. She had just broken
a few very crucial school rules, and if any of her Teachers found out, she might lose her
excellent conduct marks. In a quick movement, she whipped out her wand and pointed it to the
girl, who just grinned and rolled her red, blotched eyes.
"Honestly now, Narcissa. Would I really turn you in? I'd get in just as much trouble as
you." Narcissa raised an eyebrow.
"How did you know my name?" She said, with her wand still extended in front of her.
"Come on now, your rated #1 gradewise out of all the 7th year students. And I'm #2.
Your the only person in our whole class who's grades are better then mine." Narcissa tried to
remember the last time she had checked the Class Ranks. Who was #2? As she thought about
it, she slowly put her wand back into her robes. Then, suddenly, it came to her.
"Evans! Lily Evans." A smirk appered across her face. "Yes, I do have a fine time indeed
keeping up with you. I will admit that a few times you have been dangerously close to taking
over my rank." Lily stood up and walked over to the mirror.
"Well, it isn't easy. I don't know how you do it, especially with that creep Lucius
constantly breathing down your neck." She shuddered and started to wipe her tear-smeared
makeup off of her face. Normaly, a comment like that would force Narcissa to curse the person
bold enough to speak, but this time, Narcissa didn't mind that Lucius had just been insulted.
Instead, she just walked over to the sink and began wiping her face too.
"He isn't all that bad, you know. I mean, sure, to other people he may appear that way,
but you don't know him like I do. Nobody does. He's really a wonderful person." She
examined the blood stain on her collar and frowned. She realized just then that she had no idea
how to remove it. But when she looked back up at her reflection, she saw Lily's giant green
eyes focused on the stain. She squinted and asked
"What happened there?" Narcissa froze. She tried to think of one of her excuses, and she
said the first one that popped into her mind.
"Nosebleed. The dry air in this castle aggrivates my sensitive skin........" Narcissa said,
stumbling over her words. For some reason, she could tell that Lily didn't believe her. But all
Lily said was,
"Well, I know that the library has a spellbook full of laundry charms. I took it out just
last week." Narcissa nodded.
"Thanks....I'll keep that in mind." Narcissa turned back to the mirror and finished wiping
all of the dried blood off of her face and the smeared makeup from her tears. The bathroom
was now silent, all except for an occasional sniff and a few drips from a leaky faucet. There was
a question Narcissa still wanted to ask Lily, however. Her curiousity was killing her. Finally, she
turned to her and asked,
"Why were you crying? I heard that your boyfriend proposed to you today....doesn't that
make you happy?" Lily bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling.
"It SHOULD make me happy now, shouldn't it? He's all I could ever ask for. I'll never
find another guy who is that gifted in magic, who makes me laugh even when I'm having a
horrible day, or a guy who loves me as much as he does." She turned and looked at Narcissa
again. "But," she continued "We're both so young. I KNOW my family is going to freak out. I
love him too much to turn him down, but I care for him so much that I can't say yes.
Does...does this make any sense to you?" Narcissa felt as if she was going to be ill. Standing in
front of her was a girl who got to choose who she would marry. She felt envious, because she
knew that's what she wanted too. She KNEW that she had forced herself to believe that she
really DID love Lucius and just by coincidence her parents had chosen him. She looked over at
Lily and asked,
"So...your going to turn him down, then?" Lily smirked.
"Nahh.'Course I'll say yes." She gave her face a final wipe and turned to Narcissa.
"Thank you for everything. I mean, I know we're supposed to be arch enimies or somthing just
because of our houses, but it was really nice to be able to talk to sombody....get everything out
of my system."
"Likewise, I'm sure." Narcissa said. Lily smiled.
Narcissa headed back to her common room with the knowledge that she had a few
hours-worth of schoolwork ahead of her. Her eyelids were heavy, her stomach ached for some
food, and her nose was very sore. She fineally reached the common room.
(PUH-lease review. Please? I love you?)
Disclaimer: Compared to J.K. Rowling, I am dirt. Enough said.
Narcissa eyed the girl weeping in the corner. Not only was she wearing a Gryffindor
Robe, but attatched was a shiny Prefect badge. Narcissa felt a bit uneasy. She had just broken
a few very crucial school rules, and if any of her Teachers found out, she might lose her
excellent conduct marks. In a quick movement, she whipped out her wand and pointed it to the
girl, who just grinned and rolled her red, blotched eyes.
"Honestly now, Narcissa. Would I really turn you in? I'd get in just as much trouble as
you." Narcissa raised an eyebrow.
"How did you know my name?" She said, with her wand still extended in front of her.
"Come on now, your rated #1 gradewise out of all the 7th year students. And I'm #2.
Your the only person in our whole class who's grades are better then mine." Narcissa tried to
remember the last time she had checked the Class Ranks. Who was #2? As she thought about
it, she slowly put her wand back into her robes. Then, suddenly, it came to her.
"Evans! Lily Evans." A smirk appered across her face. "Yes, I do have a fine time indeed
keeping up with you. I will admit that a few times you have been dangerously close to taking
over my rank." Lily stood up and walked over to the mirror.
"Well, it isn't easy. I don't know how you do it, especially with that creep Lucius
constantly breathing down your neck." She shuddered and started to wipe her tear-smeared
makeup off of her face. Normaly, a comment like that would force Narcissa to curse the person
bold enough to speak, but this time, Narcissa didn't mind that Lucius had just been insulted.
Instead, she just walked over to the sink and began wiping her face too.
"He isn't all that bad, you know. I mean, sure, to other people he may appear that way,
but you don't know him like I do. Nobody does. He's really a wonderful person." She
examined the blood stain on her collar and frowned. She realized just then that she had no idea
how to remove it. But when she looked back up at her reflection, she saw Lily's giant green
eyes focused on the stain. She squinted and asked
"What happened there?" Narcissa froze. She tried to think of one of her excuses, and she
said the first one that popped into her mind.
"Nosebleed. The dry air in this castle aggrivates my sensitive skin........" Narcissa said,
stumbling over her words. For some reason, she could tell that Lily didn't believe her. But all
Lily said was,
"Well, I know that the library has a spellbook full of laundry charms. I took it out just
last week." Narcissa nodded.
"Thanks....I'll keep that in mind." Narcissa turned back to the mirror and finished wiping
all of the dried blood off of her face and the smeared makeup from her tears. The bathroom
was now silent, all except for an occasional sniff and a few drips from a leaky faucet. There was
a question Narcissa still wanted to ask Lily, however. Her curiousity was killing her. Finally, she
turned to her and asked,
"Why were you crying? I heard that your boyfriend proposed to you today....doesn't that
make you happy?" Lily bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling.
"It SHOULD make me happy now, shouldn't it? He's all I could ever ask for. I'll never
find another guy who is that gifted in magic, who makes me laugh even when I'm having a
horrible day, or a guy who loves me as much as he does." She turned and looked at Narcissa
again. "But," she continued "We're both so young. I KNOW my family is going to freak out. I
love him too much to turn him down, but I care for him so much that I can't say yes.
Does...does this make any sense to you?" Narcissa felt as if she was going to be ill. Standing in
front of her was a girl who got to choose who she would marry. She felt envious, because she
knew that's what she wanted too. She KNEW that she had forced herself to believe that she
really DID love Lucius and just by coincidence her parents had chosen him. She looked over at
Lily and asked,
"So...your going to turn him down, then?" Lily smirked.
"Nahh.'Course I'll say yes." She gave her face a final wipe and turned to Narcissa.
"Thank you for everything. I mean, I know we're supposed to be arch enimies or somthing just
because of our houses, but it was really nice to be able to talk to sombody....get everything out
of my system."
"Likewise, I'm sure." Narcissa said. Lily smiled.
Narcissa headed back to her common room with the knowledge that she had a few
hours-worth of schoolwork ahead of her. Her eyelids were heavy, her stomach ached for some
food, and her nose was very sore. She fineally reached the common room.
(PUH-lease review. Please? I love you?)