Disclaimer: The characters are not mine and I'm not profiting any by playing with them. All the knuts and kudos go to J K Rowling , etc.
It was little more than a few weeks until the Dementors deserted Azkaban to join with the Dark Lord. Fudge surprised even you by bowing to the Malfoy millions once again in allowing Lucius to return to be placed under 'house arrest' at Malfoy Manor. The tracking and binding charms placed on your husband by the Aurors were almost laughable. No wonder the tide seemed to be turning for the dark side if that was the best they could do.
You finally got the full account of the Ministry battle from Lucius , and of the casualties from Draco once term had ended.
Lucius was surprisingly gentle in his account of how your sister had killed your cousin. Draco was surprisingly ungentle in his account of the injuries Hogwart's students had sustained. You suspected more than half your son's rancor had its genesis in his jealousy of all the attention Triumvirate received. "Potty got off easy, the Weasel's got scars that may never heal. The mudblood ended up in the hospital wing taking 10 different potions a day. Professor Snape didn't look happy to be having to brew them all either," he ended, smirking just like his father.
Lucius added, "If only your dear Godfather would slip her some untraceable poison." Your husband missed the flash of pure panic that crossed Draco's face at that suggestion. Neither did Draco notice that it mirrored the look in your own eyes.
Lucius' 'incarceration' at the Manor placed you as his proxy in the Hogwart's Quidditch stands in Draco's 6th year. You eschewed the Slytherin section in favor of a seat in the teachers box next to Snape. If someone had told you 20 years ago that you and Severus would team again to be Lucius eyes in Hogwart's you'd have laughed outright.
Life had held different promised for young Slytherins then; the Dark Lord's promises. They were being offered now to the next generation, empty though they were. Perhaps your husband was blinded to that fact but neither you nor Severus were anymore.
You were pulled out of your tangled thoughts by the feeling of eyes on you. Looking up you found the dark gaze of Gryffindor prefect Hermione Granger focused on you. You allowed yourself a bland smile in her direction as you slipped your arm through Severus' and placed your hand in the pocket of his outer robes. Not only were your hands truly cold, you were also testing Miss Granger's reaction. A determined and thoughtful look came to the girl's face, which could almost have been mistaken for common interest in Lucius Malfoy's wife or Draco Malfoy's mother. That is, until Severus absently patted your hand inside his pocket without even dropping his eyes from play in a gesture so obviously borne of years of familiarity. Out of the corner of your eye you could see her face darken with emotion. Whether your mere presence repulsed her Gryffindor sensibilities or she was jealous of your contact with her Potions Professor you could not say.
The stands had erupted around you then as the Potter boy had caught the snitch winning the game: Gryffindor 180/ Hufflepuff 20. Granger and the rest of her house were swept down onto the pitch to congratulate the victors where she was caught up in a hug by team Captain Weasley and Potter that lifted her feet off the ground and had her shrieking in abandon. Not only you marked the pained scowl of the Head of Slytherin. Your eyes met the Headmaster's briefly. Dumbledore inclined his head to you, "I trust you have enjoyed yourself, Narcissa?"
You smiled, "Yes, sir. Now I have an idea why Draco speaks so seriously of playing Gryffindor. The Potter boy is certainly a worthy opponent." You were thinking, 'only on the pitch, I hope.'
Dumbledore seemed to understand, "That he is, my dear. Will you be joining us for the rest of the season?"
You were on the verge of answering in the affirmative when you realized that you never knew, no one knew, when the Dark Lord could destroy the world as it was known. You schooled your features into a characteristic Malfoy sneer and replied, "I plan to sir, fate willing." You could not stop your voice wavering at the last. The Headmaster had dropped his gaze then and let one gnarled hand drop on your shoulder.
Christmas Holidays that year were not so festive as was standard. The Ministry kept close tabs on all Lucius visitors to the Manor and your usual Yule party guest list was entirely unsuitable. Little did that matter to the Dark Lord, however. His holiday revelry continued unabated. Despite his state of house arrest, Lucius had not missed a summons of the Master. You could only wonder that the Ministry had not seen fit to guard "Public Enemy #2" with charms and spells stronger than a fourth year could break. At any rate, Lucius and Severus too had been kept busy.
You still managed to have a family gathering with some semblance of normalcy. As your husband, son and his godfather sat down to Christmas dinner for a moment you heart forgot the circumstances and you envisioned the day that Draco would come home for the holidays with a family of his own and perhaps even Snape after all these years would find companionship. Then thoughts came tapping into your mind. This time next year Draco would be preparing to take the Dark Mark. And Severus... you despaired that anyone would ever take the time to fight through all his defenses in light of his role in things.
You'd many years ago realized there was no hope of ever seeing Lucius' loyalties change. He would never lay his prejudices to the side for long enough to see clearly.
But just for that day you had the men of your life together and safe.
By New Year's all hell had broken loose. The Death Eaters had gone on a killing spree the likes of which had not been seen since Godric's Hollow, 31 October, 1981. Every Muggle family that had a student enrolled at Hogwart's had been tortured and killed. Only the fact that Dumbledore had refused to allow the Muggleborn children to leave for the hol's had prevented further bloodshed.
That missed opportunity had enraged Lucius no end, "Meddling old man. We could have rid the school of Mudbloods in a day. A few less Muggles in the world hardly makes a difference, but at least it sent a message."
You could feel the blood drain from your face and saw that reflected in your son.
New Year's Eve was like a wake and not an Irish one. Only Lucius was unaffected, "I understand things may be more difficult for a short while especially at Hogwart's. The Dark Lord's loyal servants will be rewarded soon enough."
You could only sigh. It was the same line you'd been hearing for 15 years.