Chapter 9
The Lestranges' house was looking no less sinister than when Narcissa had last visited it when she and Lucius entered for the party. There were many witches and wizards present, sipping smoky drinks or whispering together. The atmosphere was very different to the respectable parties the Malfoys held. Bellatrix and Redolphus did not even try to appear respectable. They were known Death Eaters, and Narcissa knew the Ministry would do anything to get their hands on her sister. Narcissa suspected that at least half the wizards and witches present were Death Eaters like her husband and sister. Unafraid, Narcissa walked tall and proud, staring at people haughtily from under her long lashes. Lucius looked down at her approvingly. Everyone in the room knew Lucius and Narcissa. They were well known figures in most circles. It was not long before Lucius was drawn away into various conversations, plotting and laughing darkly. Through the heavy smoke and dimly flickering lights Narcissa could see Bellatrix surveying the scene from the opposite end of the room, her thin figure clad in another clinging red dress, a long cigarette in her hand. Narcissa walked over to her. Bellatrix saw her coming and smiled, revealing her pointy white teeth.
"Cissy, darling, so glad you could come." She reached over and their cheeks brushed in barely a kiss.
"Bella," purred Narcissa, as though nothing could delight her more than being with her sister at the party. "I hope the evening is as you had hoped?"
Bellatrix took a long drag on her cigarette and exhaled purplish smoke. She raised an eyebrow. "Everything is always as I want it." She replied. Glancing around her, she continued. "Just you wait, Cissy, there's some splendid entertainment later." Bella had an excited glint in her dark, heavy lidded eyes. "I am sure even you, with your rather prudish ways, will enjoy it."
Lucius slid over at that moment, and Bellatrix smiled widely at him, offering a jewelled hand which he raised to his lips to kiss.
"Lucius, my darling, how are you?" Bellatrix asked him, exhaling more purple smoke which made Narcissa's eyes water slightly.
"All the better for being here tonight, Bella," replied Lucius.
"The pleasure's always mine, Lucius." She said huskily. "Do come with me a moment, I have some splendid new acquisitions that I wish you to see. I doubt even Borgin has seen the likes of what I have found." She slipped an elegantly gloved arm through his and turned towards a door to their left. She paused and looked back at Narcissa who was staring back at her coldly. "Narcissa, Mother's here and no doubt will wish to see you. She's in the parlour with Sharatan and Ethelinda."
Narcissa said nothing as she watched her husband and sister's figures slip through a side door and out of sight. Then she turned slowly and made her into the hall and through to the parlour. As she did so she caught sight of a new portrait of Bellatrix and Redolphus. Portraits were obviously the thing to do these days. This reminded her sharply of Benjy Fenwick and the note he had left her. Narcissa had managed so far to put him out of her thoughts for the party. She needed to be on her best behaviour here, letting down her guard amongst this group of people was absolutely out of the question. But the note, the note… it was Friday evening now. Benjy had asked her to meet him on Saturday. She was mad, mad to be considering it. And yet…
A voice cut through her thoughts.
"Mrs Malfoy, I'm so glad to see someone I know." Narcissa turned in the direction of the voice, pushing all thoughts of Benjy Fenwick out of her head as she did so. It was Mrs Rosier, a young and very pretty witch recently married to Evan Rosier, another of Lucius' acquaintance.
"Good evening, Lucy," replied Narcissa politely. "I hope you're well?" Lucy Rosier had never struck Narcissa as particularly intelligent. The poor girl was hardly out of school; she had been a few years below Narcissa at Hogwarts. Evan Rosier had married her the year after she left, Narcissa rather suspected for her money and connections at the Ministry than anything else.
"Oh, I'm fine, Mrs Malfoy, thank you." Mrs Rosier giggled a bit nervously. She must only be nineteen. "Evan is with some of his friends in the other room, I don't think he wanted me around." Narcissa felt sorry for her, she knew exactly how she felt. Unlike Narcissa, however, poor Lucy Rosier had no skill at making herself appear what she was not. Always nervous and flighty, she could never seem cold and disdainful like Narcissa.
Mrs Rosier went on, "He's always so secretive, I never know what he's up to…" Narcissa shook her head sympathetically. She knew that Evan Rosier was a Death Eater, a relatively new one from what she picked up from Lucius. This was not common knowledge, however, and Narcissa suspected that even Lucy did not know her husband's decision to join the Dark Lord. Lucy looked too out of place in this gloomy mansion among the dark wizards of society.
"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Lucy." Narcissa said.
"Thank you, Narcissa, you're always so kind to me." Lucy looked slightly gloomy for a moment until she seemed to suddenly remember something. Glancing around them Lucy lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Did I told you my news, Narcissa?" She looked girlishly excited and reminded Narcissa of gossiping girls in the common room back at school. She could not believe this girl was married.
Lucy leaned in to whisper in Narcissa's ear. "I'm pregnant!" She stepped back and chewed her lip nervously, her eyes bright. Narcissa didn't know what to say. She tried her best to smile. "That's wonderful, I'm very happy for you."
Narcissa knew Lucius would find out about this soon enough, and it would only anger him further. Lucy, only nineteen and married a matter of months was already pregnant. She, Narcissa, had failed to produce Lucius an heir after three years of marriage. Heirs were the only thing that mattered to families like the Malfoys and the Blacks, and she had failed in her duty as a pure blood wife. Wizards were so medieval sometimes. Benjy was Muggle born, she remembered. Perhaps he was different. But no, she mustn't think about him.
Narcissa blinked and brought her thoughts back to the present and managed a more convincing smile for Lucy Rosier, who was looking at her anxiously. "Congratulations, Lucy." She said.
"Cissy, is that Cissy over there?" Came a posh and haughty sounding voice. Narcissa turned her head to where the voice had come from. It was her mother.
"Please excuse me," she said to Lucy, who nodded and left the room. Narcissa walked over to where a middle-aged witch was sitting on a sofa sipping a smoking green cocktail. "Good evening, Mother." Narcissa bent to kiss her mother on the cheek.
"Cissy, darling, how beautiful you look."
Narcissa straightened up again. "You're looking well, Mother."
"One must look well if one is to succeed, my dear." Replied her mother, tossing her head so that her glittering earrings caught the candlelight as she took a sip of her drink.
Narcissa nodded in response. She knew that rule well enough. Maintaining an image was all that mattered, it was true.
"I'm glad to see you. Your father's completely inebriated of course. And Sharatan's not far off. I left your father arguing about politics with my dear son in law Redolphus." Mrs Black smiled. "Bellatrix has done well for herself, hasn't she?" She mused, looking around the manor.
Narcissa felt irritated at this comment, old sibling rivalry firing up in her as of old, but she held her tongue, not wishing to argue with her mother, least of all in her sister's house with so many guests present.
"Sharatan and Ethelinda were here a minute ago, I'm sure you'd like to see them." Narcissa's mother went on. Narcissa had no such wish to see her aunt and uncle, but smiled politely.
"I hope Ethelinda is recovered from her illness?" She asked.
"Did someone say my name?" came a shriek of a voice from the gloom by the curtained window. A prematurely aged woman came into view, hobbling with a walking stick, followed by a handsome, proud looking man.
"Ethelinda, my dear Aunt, how are you?" Narcissa asked, managing to sound perfectly thrilled to see her least favourite relative.
"Ah! It's only you, Narcissa." Ethelinda chuckled to herself. "I thought maybe it was somebody important!" She poked Narcissa in the ribs and laughed some more. A drip of saliva trickled down her chin which she didn't notice.
"I hope you're feeling better, Ethelinda?" Narcissa asked, subtly stepping backwards, unwilling to get herself or her new silk robes very near her mad aunt.
"Never better than when at my favourite niece's gatherings, my dear." Narcissa's smile became even more fixed at yet another mention of how wonderful Bellatrix was. "She has done so well, hasn't she? You must be very proud of your sister."
"Of course, Aunt Ethelinda. Bellatrix is a credit to the family I am sure."
"Ah! Now here's a girl who knows the way to think." Mrs Black jabbed at Narcissa with her walking stick. "Bellatrix is a credit to the family. Mind you, you've not done badly yourself, Missy. Marrying a Malfoy, now that's the way to do things. Toujours Pur, that's us. Toujours pur." Mrs Black continued muttering to herself as she sat herself down next to her sister in law, Narcissa's mother. The contrast between them was quite striking, Narcissa's mother being far more like Narcissa, elegant, proud, beautiful, and looking about thirty five though she was nearing fifty. Narcissa's aunt on the other hand had suffered from an illness not long before and was looking years older as a result, and had suffered brain damage which rendered her even more mad than she had been before.
The handsome middle aged man who had walked over with Ethelinda now stepped forward.
"And how is my prettiest little niece?" He asked Narcissa, stepping forwards to kiss her. His hands squeezed around her waist for a moment longer than she would have wished as she politely offered her pale white cheek.
"Lovely to see you, Sharatan," said Narcissa, smelling fire whiskey on his breath and feeling slightly repulsed. He sat down on a sofa and gestured at the space next to him, which she obediently took.
Narcissa searched for something to say. "How is Regulus?" She asked.
He smiled at her, his eyes glinting. "I see your very thoughts my dear, don't be afraid to ask after both my sons. I don't mind your mentioning Sirius. You after all have similar embarrassment with Andromeda."
Narcissa glanced around hastily to check no-one had heard. She looked back at him a little uncertainly. Nobody mentioned Sirius or Andromeda in their family. Sharatan Black really must have had a lot to drink for him to be talking freely about Blacks his wife had blasted off the family tree.
"Sharatan, Sirius and Andromeda are disgraced and disowned. I will not talk about them happily."
"Such a good little girl, always so obedient to her parents' wishes." He patted her on the leg. "I wish my son had been a little more obedient to mine." Narcissa closed her eyes wishing to be elsewhere. She disliked thinking about Sirius for the same reason she disliked thinking about Andromeda. Both had so much freedom now; they had broken away from the tight Black family unit that demanded such conformity and purity.
"Yes, that's us, Toujours Pur, always pure…" Narcissa could hear her aunt's voice echoing in her head repeating the Black family motto over and over. "Toujours Pur… Toujours Pur… The Black family will always be respected…" Narcissa ignored her uncle who was now staring drunkenly at her mother's chest, and sank back into a reverie.
Narcissa had been a bridesmaid at her father's sister's wedding. Andromeda had been too, but Bellatrix had declared herself too old for such things. The two younger Black sisters had nervously walked along behind their aunt at the wedding, clutching their posies of flowers.
"Your aunt has made a fine match" She remembered being told. "Blacks always marry pure bloods, then we stay united and strong." At the time that had made her feel so powerful, so thrilled to be a Black. She and Andromeda had looked at each other, little girls of ten and eight, excited.
At that party she and Andromeda had played with Sirius and Regulus. Little children they had been then. That had been the year before Sirius started at Hogwarts. The year before any trouble began. The Black cousins used to play with one another all the time. Andromeda would play boys' parts, warrior wizards who fought in battles against evil powers. She and Sirius would be the heroes, duelling champions with long flying capes. She, Narcissa, always took the girls' parts. The fairy, the princess, the queen. Regulus was normally made to be whichever part Sirius rejected, and he came along grudgingly, feeling bullied but wanting to join in the older cousins' games all the same.
Narcissa sighed, longing for that time when she had no worries. It had all changed only a year later. Narcissa could still vividly remember the tense scene at home when they had all found out that Sirius had been sorted into Gryffindor, the shrieks of Ethelinda at Christmas when Sirius had said he liked it there. Narcissa had sobbed herself to sleep that night, certain she had lost her cousin forever. She was not far off. Only four years later and her cousin ran away from home to live with the Potters.
"You must never, ever, speak to Sirius again, Narcissa." Her mother had told her. "He's a traitor to the family, and is not worthy of you. You are a Black."
"So is he, Mother." Narcissa had timidly replied.
"Not any more."
And then only two years later, when Narcissa was entering her fifth year at Hogwarts, Andromeda had left Hogwarts and got married in secret to Ted Tonks. The shame this caused her family was unbearable. Narcissa shared in that shame, brought up so as to believe that all Muggles and Muggle borns were filth. She had only seen Andromeda once or twice since that time, and not for many years. Deep down, she supposed she missed her sister, but this was covered by too many layers of anger and resentment to ever show. Narcissa had been watched so closely from that time onwards, her parents and extended family wanting to ensure that there were no more embarrassing incidents in the family.
Her family had got their wish with her. Toujours Pur indeed she was, marrying a Malfoy when she was only a couple of years out of school. Toujours Pur. Benjy Fenwick was not a pure blood. Not that it mattered… it wasn't like she cared about him, was it?
Sighing, Narcissa brought herself back to the party and gazed around her, hoping no-one had noticed that she'd been lost in her thoughts. Most of the guests were too drunk to notice much. She stood up and slipped out of the room.
There was a lot of noise coming from one of the other rooms off the hall. She opened the door slowly and stepped inside. It took her a moment for her eyes to adjust to the smoky lighting in there, but after a moment she realised everyone had formed a ring around Bellatrix, who was lazily swinging her wand from side to side. She could see Lucius too, standing just behind her, pulling his excellent sneering smile. There was laughter in the crowd, and Bellatrix was smiling evilly. Only then did she realise that there was another figure in the middle of the circle. A pretty young boy, who, by the looks of his clothes, was a Muggle. Knowing instantly what was going on, Narcissa took a deep breath, calming herself. She took a step back towards the door but then Lucius saw her. He smiled at her and beckoned her over. Knowing she had to comply she pushed her thoughts and her feelings behind her mask, and smiled serenely as she made her way through the crowd towards her husband.
There was a crack and the little boy screamed. Bellatrix's laugh was the loudest as he flew up into the air to hover at their head level. Another crack from Bella's wand and Narcissa saw what looked like snakes, writhing under the boy's skin. Forcing her thoughts elsewhere than the boy's screams of pain and terror as one of the snakes burst through his terrified little mouth, Narcissa laughed and clapped along with the rest, hating herself for being too weak to do otherwise.