Disclaimer: Harry Potter, his world, and the characters contained therein are owned by J.K. Rowling. Who, well, isn't me. Not making any money of this, either.
A/N:
Firstly, many thanks to Lou for coming up with the title, and for
being a wonderful person.
Secondly, many, many thanks to my wonderful beta, Anna. Without her,
this story would be much worse.
This story might contain SPOILERS, as it was written after I'd read HBP, but seeing how it takes place in the past, I don't think there are many, if at all. Didn't put any in there consciously, in any event. ;) Now you know.
Feedback, of course, is always appreciated. :)
In Between
He comes to her family's house a couple of weeks after Narcissa leaves Hogwarts. Brings flowers for her mother and cigars for her father.
"They gave their consent," he says, and smiles triumphantly. It's as if he knew from the beginning they would – and maybe he did, too, because a Malfoy never looses.
Lucius slips the ring on her finger, and Narcissa knows that this is it: all her dreams coming true.
---
At the wedding, Bellatrix kisses her cheek, and wishes her luck.
---
She is pregnant, and before Lucius even knows she is with child, Narcissa already knows that she will bear him an heir.
There are spells passed down from witch to witch, from mother to daughter. Ancient magic which man shall never know about nor understand.
When she tells him, he gives her a ruby pendant - a family heirloom, and it might have belonged to Salazar Slytherin himself, once upon a time - and takes her to the best dress makers, ordering maternity robes.
Only silks and brocades for Narcissa. She will, after all, bear his heir.
---
Her belly grows round, and in her dreams Narcissa becomes the pregnant Earth Mother (and there was never anything motherly about her). She dreams of giving birth to a heap of bones, of dead things crawling across her skin, leaving traces of blood behind.
---
There are chocolate frogs piled high on her pillow, potions against morning sickness (and Severus sends his regards), the finest magical delicacies.
Jewellery the Death Eaters plucked from murdered women's breasts makes her glow - but he never tells her where he gets it from.
Lucius is giving her everything she could wish for.
And when he smells of Bellatrix's perfume, and of something other, something animalistic, Narcissa doesn't say anything. She lets him rest his hand against her belly and feel the child move, and doesn't say a word.
She is, after all, a good wife.
---
When she gives birth to a son, Malfoy's heir, he kisses her like he never kissed her before.
Lucius cradles the child in his arms, and whispers sweet, sweet things about a glorious future.
"You've been born into a wonderful world, Draco," he whispers. "Soon, there'll be no more Mudbloods, no more filth. There'll be Muggles for you to play with, my son, everywhere."
---
He gives her an emerald choker this time, and she looks brilliant at the Ministry's Christmas party.
---
Holding little Draco to her breast, she watches him go off to another Death Eater meeting.
"Brave new world," she tells her son, and smiles.
---
When Lucius brings Bellatrix into their bed, she doesn't say anything.
Lies perfectly still, her eyes squeezed close. She feels them move next to her, hears Bella's excited little moans, and becomes nauseated. She imagines tearing Bellatrix limb from limb.
---
"How dare you?" she asks Lucius in the morning.
And Bella, who watches them out of half closed eyes, drawls, "The Dark Lord gave me to Lucius as a gift. You wouldn't wish to offend Him, would you, Cissy?"
Narcissa screams, then. Throws her powder box at Lucius, and yells things that hurt like knives.
She scrambles for her wand, but Bella's non-verbal spell hits her before she can reach it, and then the world goes black.
---
The baby's screaming. That's her first thought when she wakes up: somebody will have to feed the boy. Where are the house elves, anyway?
Lucius looks at her, in a manner that's anything but apologetic.
"She's gone," he says, and there's no need to ask who.
Narcissa stumbles to her feet, and goes to look after the baby.
---
She won't let him touch her. Sleeps in the nursery, and re-reads, with a cynic smile, the romance novels she used to love at sixteen.
Now that she knows the nature of love, she cannot sympathise with Ianthe who tumbles from a nobleman's bed into a wizard's arms anymore.
---
He gives her golden bracelets, and golden earrings, each of them an apology he'll never speak.
Narcissa wears those to her mother's dinner, and stares wordlessly at Bella for the entire evening.
---
The Dark Lord falls - because all great men fall, and that's hardly a consolation - Bella is on their doorstep, crying. For a moment, Narcissa wishes things would have been different.
But because no matter what Bella did, she is still her sister, so Narcissa asks her in, and makes her to sit by the fire.
"Is Lucius all right?" Narcissa asks, anxiously, and Bella looks up. Her eyes seem dead.
"Voldemort is gone," she says.
"Bella," Narcissa says, and it's the cry of a wounded animal.
But Bellatrix just weeps.
---
When the Aurors come – Bellatrix isn't crying anymore. Her hand is cramped around her wand so hard that her knuckles appear white.
Narcissa, in a red robe, and a sleepy one-year old in her arms doesn't do anything. Couldn't have done anything.
She has a son to think of, after all.
---
"Terrible, terrible business," the Aurors say, and feed little Draco chocolates. "And you didn't know what kind of activities your sister was involved in, Mrs Malfoy?"
And Narcissa just shakes her head. She hasn't seen anything in the past two years. She might just as well not see anything now.
---
Lucius comes home late, but he comes.
She throws herself around his neck. He holds her close, and tells her that everything will be all right.
But it won't be.
The time for dreams is over.
---
When Draco turns three, she lets Lucius into her bed again, and tries to ignore that he sometimes whispers Bellatrix's name.
She plays the good wife, and he keeps her and her son safe in return.
It never occurred to her to run away.