"She's still pining for him," Lucius muttered, annoyed, two weeks later. He pulled the drapes aside on one of the dining room windows and watched Narcissa as she idly walked through the rose gardens, a sad expression blighting her pretty face.

"What did you expect?" Trixie asked him, "It was going to take more than two weeks."

"I don't think she's going to give in," Lucius went on, as if he hadn't heard. He turned to Trixie, "I don't think she's going to marry me."

"Why wouldn't she?" Trixie demanded, "It isn't as if she has anywhere else to go."

Lucius shook his head, "She won't talk about arrangements or dates, or anything that has to do with the wedding. And she isn't wearing the engagement ring I gave her."

"She said it was too big," Trixie replied, then laughed, "And it was. Four carats, wasn't it?"

Lucius flushed.

"You were hoping she'd forget all about Remus Lupin," Trixie went on, "What you didn't plan on was her being in love with him. Even your diamond can't make her forget that."

Lucius looked away from her.

"Then there's nothing to be done, is there?" he asked, "Perhaps I should just give in. Perhaps we're both better off."

"What, and give up before we've lost?"

Trixie slithered off of one of the stools along the private bar and walked over to him.

"We HAVE lost, Trixie," Lucius replied, "She doesn't love me. She never has, and she never will. You're right, not even diamonds are going to make her forget Lupin."

"No, not diamonds," Trixie said suggestively.

Lucius looked at her.

"What are you suggesting?"

"There's a spell," Trixie began, "It would ensure that she would forget all about Remus Lupin – and anything else you wanted her to. The Auralium Curse."

"A curse?" Lucius asked.

"Well, not so much a curse as a complicated spell," Trixie amended, "It's difficult, but I'm sure you can manage it."

"Me? I don't understand."

"It's simple," Trixie said, her lips curving into a devious smile, "You cast the spell on Narcissa, and she forgets everything. Everything – until the event of your death. You control who and what she remembers. You tell her what you want her to hear. She'll forget all about Remus Lupin – and anyone else but you."

Lucius stood as if stone. There was a transfixed expression on his face.

Then he spoke.

"You are asking me to corrupt her mind," he said coldly, "I will not do it! I have more pride than that, Bellatrix! I will not force or coerce her to do anything she would not willingly do."

"Don't make yourself out to be a saint," Trixie replied icily, "Since when have you cared if someone has done something willingly or not? Don't forget – you were the one who kissed me in Hogsmeade, after I drank the Polyjuice Potion with Narcissa's hair in it. You didn't mind a little coercion then, did you?"

"Stop," Lucius ordered.

"Or what?" Trixie taunted, "You can't back down now, Malfoy. You owe me. You owe the Dark Lord."

Lucius turned white, "What did you say?"

Trixie looked triumphant, "Stupid. How do you think I got a hold of all those ingredients for the Polyjuice Potion? Who do you think told me how to perform the Auralium Curse?" She smiled, "He helped me help you. And now you have to help him."

"Or what?" Lucius asked, his face now ashy, "What will you do if I don't?"

She pulled her long, thing wand from her pocket, "Or – or I might just have to do a little coercion of my own," she said meaningfully, "I assume you've heard of the Imperious Curse?"

Lucius' eyes were wide.

"Face it," Trixie went on, "you're the servant of the Dark Lord now. And unless you want Narcissa – and yourself – to die, you'd better do as he says."

Lucius looked out the window again. Narcissa had walked out of sight.

"Tell me what to do," he whispered.

In London, the Hogwarts Express was finally stilled, for the last time for many of its students. Lily, James, Sirius and Lupin stood awkwardly on the platform, surrounded by bags and trunks, none of them knowing what to say to the others.

"It's – it's not going to be the same," Lily began awkwardly, clutching James' hand, "going back to Hogwarts, and none of you there."

It was a lie. Or at least a partial lie. Lily had barely spoken to any of them before this past year. Remus shouldered his knapsack and wished this conversation were over. The real person that Lily would miss would be Narcissa. They would all miss Narcissa.

Remus would never forget waking up the morning after the Hogsmeade trip and deciding that he would go talk to Narcissa, listen to her side of the story. He had dressed early and walked down the corridors to the Slytherin common room entrance. But as he raised his hand to knock, the bit of wall had swung open, and Severus had emerged.

His black eyes had narrowed.

"She isn't there," he had broken in, as Remus opened his mouth.

"What? Where did she go?" Remus had asked, his heart dropping into his stomach again.

Severus smiled, "Well, you obviously didn't want her anymore, did you?" he had drawled triumphantly, "She's gone off with Lucius Malfoy. You know," he leered, "Her REAL fiancé."

Remus had never been a violent person. He let James and Sirius reserve that trait. But Severus' cruel words had been too much for him. He had split his knuckle to the bone on Severus' nose, breaking it.

James squeezed Lily's hand involuntarily. The single diamond solitaire sparkled on it in the late afternoon sunlight. It had not been the joyous occasion that Lily had hoped for: too conscious of Remus' pain, James had snuck into Hogsmeade right after finals and presented Lily with a small round diamond ring in private. Lily had not shown it to Sirius and Remus; she had let them notice it themselves, and nobody had spoken of it on the way home.

Sirius cleared his throat, "Moony, mate," he said slowly, with false bravado, "What say you to staying at my place for awhile? I've got plenty of room to spare – "

"No, thanks," Remus replied, shouldering his heavy pack again and averting his eyes, "I have to go see my mum and dad – they'll be expecting me."

"Right," Sirius replied, "Well, if you ever need a place – to crash," his voice trailed off awkwardly. There was nothing else to say.

James nudged Sirius, "Hey, isn't that your cousin?"

Remus fought the urge to look around. It wasn't Narcissa. It couldn't be.

"It is!" Sirius said excitedly, "Oy! Andromeda!"

He had not seen her in a very long time, not since she had graduated from Hogwarts. Now, she was fighting through the crowds of excited parents, trying to reach him.

Andromeda Black Tonks was three years older than Narcissa, two years younger than Bellatrix, and as unlike either as could be. She was not tall, like Bellatrix, or willow-figured, like Narcissa. She was of middle-height, with a somewhat shapeless figure that owed itself to the small bundle wrapped in her arms. Her hair was brown, like Trixie's, but was not thick and glossy, but thin and mouse-colored. Her eyes were too wide for her face, and they were of such a plain color that they were easily forgettable. Sirius had always wondered why the Rosiers had hankered after Andromeda in the first place. She wasn't exceptionally pretty, but she had a good heart, and she was easy to talk to. She was smiling at Sirius, but her smile looked forced, and with an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, Remus realized that her eyes were fixed on him.

"Sirius!" she managed to smile as she greeted him, giving him a one-armed hug, "Congratulations on your graduation."

Sirius grinned foolishly, "And I take it this is your little one?"

"This is Nymphadora, yes," Andromeda beamed. She pulled aside one corner of pink blanket so that they could get a better look at her.

James reeled, "Her hair is blue!"

Sure enough, the infant girl happily sleeping in the confines of pink blanket had a scalp full of deep blue curls.

Andromeda laughed in spite of herself, "She's meant to look that way. She's a Metamorphmagus – she changes her appearance at will. Although she doesn't know she's doing it yet. I'm not really eagerly awaiting the day that she learns she can do it herself – I may never find her again." She kissed the blue ringlets.

Only Remus was not surprised. He knew about Nymphadora and her special powers – Narcissa had told her, in a letter that she'd received from Andromeda.

"That's a really unusual name – Nymphadora," Lily commented.

"Yes, named her after my great-aunt Nymphadora – or just Dora, as we called her," Andromeda explained, "Ted – my husband, Ted – doesn't like it, but what can you do."

She turned to Remus, "I came to speak to you."

Remus shook his head, "I don't think there's anything to be said, Mrs. Tonks."

She stared at him, "There's lots to be said."

Sirius touched his cousin's arm, "Andromeda, listen, he doesn't want to hear anything about – he's been through enough already, see."

"That's nothing compared to what she's going through," Andromeda shook him off, "And from what she's told me, you all ought to be ashamed of yourselves, treating her like you did."

"Like we did?" Sirius said in disbelief, "We didn't do anything to her! You should have seen her, snogging Lucius Malfoy – "

"Enough!" Remus shouted. He looked at Andromeda. "You may think you have the whole story, but you don't. If she was innocent, why did she run off with Malfoy?"

"Because you lot wouldn't listen to her!" Andromeda replied, frustrated, "You wouldn't listen to her side of the story."

"We didn't have to," Sirius broke in, "We know what we saw."

"Sirius, shut up!" both Remus and Andromeda hollered at him. Sirius stepped back, subdued.

Remus turned back to Andromeda, "I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have turned away from her." He stiffened his shoulders, "But I know what I saw. You weren't there; we were."

"She would never have done that to you!" Andromeda cried, "Remus, she's in love with you!"

"I can't listen to this anymore," Remus said brokenly. He turned his back on them and walked away, towards the interior of the station.

"Remus!" James shouted. He didn't turn around. He was going to go where nobody would follow him.

He was going to go to Narcissa.