Chapter Six
"You didn't expect this? Come now, Lucius… you didn't think you could hide forever, did you?" Around him, the rest of the Death Eaters started laughing.
"My friends… I wasn't hiding. I'm on a mission for the Dark Lord, which had to be done in complete secrecy. No doubt he would have told you eventually…" Bellatrix scowled.
"Do you take us for fools, Lucius?" she asked angrily.
"No, no of course not," he said hastily. "I was just saying that there are some things that the Dark Lord can only trust me with…"
"How dare you!" Bellatrix raised her wand furiously. "Cru—"
"Bellatrix, no!" Severus knocked her wand away. "He said not to hurt him! Control yourself!"
"But Severus, he's mocking—"
"You're letting him take advantage of your emotions! Fools wear their hearts on their sleeves!" Snape turned back to Lucius. "Where's your son?"
"I don't know," Lucius stated.
"Accio Draco's wand," Lestrange shouted. A wand flew towards them from behind a haystack.
"Come out, Draco," Snape shouted. Draco Malfoy came out slowly, whimpering.
"He kidnapped me… I tried to run away or to alert the Dark Lord but he stopped me!"
"Shut up little boy," Bellatrix giggled.
"But I—"
"Don't make me get my veritaserum," Snape said threateningly.
"What are we waiting for?" Lucius asked.
"You're waiting for me," an icy, merciless voice said from behind their backs. The Death Eaters fell to their knees.
"Get up! We don't have time for this. Lucius, Draco, come here." Lucius came forward unhesitatingly. Draco didn't move.
"Draco, come here!" Lucius shouted. Draco wasn't listening. He started to run as fast as he could, dodging spells as he went.
"Get him!" Bellatrix screamed. It was too late. He had apparated. And in the confusion, so had his father.
88
Severus threw himself onto his bed, exhausted. He had looked for Lucius for an hour, and after that he had been tortured by the Dark Lord. Not his idea of a good day. He got up and walked into a dark room. Then he reached out and pulled out a tendril of thought from his head, which he put in his pensieve. He closed his eyes. He was so tired. Suddenly he could see a memory beckoning him. He didn't want to touch it. He knew what it was. It seemed to dance before his eyes. He reached out tentatively. His hand brushed the liquid/gas and he was sucked into the memory unwillingly.
He found himself standing in front of himself and Narcissa. They were holding hands and laughing at some private joke. He sat down, and started to watch.
"Are you happy Narcissa?" Past Severus asked her quizzically.
"Why wouldn't I be?" She laughed.
"I don't know… but in case you aren't… I have a present for you," he smiled. She clapped her hands excitedly, and he gave her a quick kiss before handing over a small velvet box. She opened it and took out an elegant silver chain with a diamond dangling off of it.
"Oh Severus!" she gasped.
"I'm sorry. I know you're used to more expensive things but it was all I could manage…" Narcissa looked at Severus' shabby robes, and second-hand books. Her eyes watered.
"I love it. It's beautiful." She clasped it around her neck. "I won't ever take it off!" she said determinedly. He laughed. A shadow crossed over them as Lucius Malfoy came up to them.
"Sweetie, I would appreciate it if you don't kiss other guys when you're my wife. Bad for my reputation, you know," he walked off laughing.
"What's he talking about?" Severus asked Narcissa.
"Probably his idea of a joke," she said, dismissing it.
"Are you sure?"
Severus couldn't stand to watch any longer. He didn't want to see what happened next. Some things are best forgotten. He pulled himself out of the memory and crawled into bed. He put a sleeping charm on himself, and his eyelids started to droop…
88
"How did you find me?" Narcissa asked Lucius.
"The black robes. I put a tracking spell on all of them, just in case I needed you urgently," he sniggered. "Narcissa, my love, my life…" He pulled her towards him, kissing her neck. "I've missed you darling…" His hand wandered down her back. She pulled back abruptly.
"What is it you want, Lucius?" she said acidly. "I don't have money, and I don't have a place to stay… what could you possibly want?"
"I want you to come with me, a wife should be at her husband's side," he said, crossing his arms.
"Not me. I'm done with your stupid ideas… forever. I'm sick of being your trophy wife…"
"You're not just a trophy wife Narcissa," he said softly.
"Oh please," she laughed shrilly. "We both know the reason we married. And it wasn't for any deep feelings we had for each other."
"Narcissa, if I'm not mistaken, you had a choice in the matter too…"
"I don't quite recall…"
"No? Then let me refresh your memory," he grabbed her arm and took out a small time-turner. And before she knew it she was soaring backwards through time…
"Let go!" she shouted, when they arrived. "How dare you!"
"I have business to take care of. Meet back here in an hour or so?" Lucius left. She sighed.
"Narcissa, your parents are here to see you," a voice said behind her. She jumped, and saw her Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher talking to her past self. Narcissa ducked behind a stone pillar so she wouldn't be seen. She quickly cast an invisibility spell on herself.
"Where?" she could hear her past self saying.
"Office. Follow me," the teacher said, leading her to a small room, where she could already see her father tapping on the desk impatiently.
"Finally! Narcissa, my dear, darling daughter," her mother beamed, bending down to kiss her lightly on the forehead.
"Mother," Narcissa said stiffly. Her parents visiting usually meant bad news.
"We have great news for you," her father launched into a long speech about maintaining the family's honor and her "duties" as a member of the noble house of Black.
"You see, Narcissa, there are two types of people: purebloods, and—"
"Father, I know this, but what is it you want of me?" she interrupted him.
"Don't interrupt Narcissa, it's not fitting for an obedient wife," her mother cut in. Narcissa watched her past self figure out what her parents were getting to. She blinked to stop herself from crying. She wanted to shout at her past self to stop, to leave, run away before it was too late…
"Wife? Wait… Lucius said… You want me to marry Malfoy?" Past Narcissa widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Malfoy is a very noble name, Narcissa. You should be happy Lucius is considering you as a possible bride!" her father said.
"But mother, I can't possibly marry him! He's arrogant, vain, full of himself…"
"Don't be silly! How dare you insult him so? I do not like this new rebellious side of you Narcissa… what's gotten into you? Just think of the great life you'll lead with a man of his connections! Unless there's something you're not telling me…" Narcissa's mother looked at her questioningly.
"I… I think I might like someone else…"
"Does he like you back?"
"Yes, and he's pure-blooded." Narcissa's father's eyes brightened with interest.
"Crabbe or Goyle would suit you well too! They're not the most intelligent people in the world but…"
"It's not Crabbe or Goyle. It's Snape, Severus Snape," Narcissa said, slightly self-consciously. Her parents blinked at her disbelievingly, and then started laughing.
"Snape!" her mother said, spluttering. "And where do you propose to live? In a pigsty?"
"We really care about each other. Please mother, I love him…" Her parents' faces sobered. Her mother turned back to her father.
"Darling, do you think you could leave us for just two seconds?" Narcissa's father nodded and left the room.
"Narcissa, you don't understand. We need you to marry Lucius."
"Why?"
"Narcissa," her mother whispered. "We're broke. We don't have any money left in Gringotts. We've tried selling some of our possessions, but there just doesn't seem to be enough desperate buyers at this point in time. Lucius is a wealthy man. He can take care of you. He can take care of us. Now, I won't force you into any marriage you don't want to be part of, but please, consider it. It's this family's only chance for survival. The choice is up to you… Narcissa, dear, don't make the wrong choice. You're our only hope," her mother's eyes watered, and she clasped Narcissa's hand.
Past Narcissa looked into her mother's eyes sadly.
"I love him," she said, closing her eyes. "I love him… but I can't abandon my family in times of need with a clear conscience… I love him…" tears fell quietly, and her mother tightened her hold on Narcissa's hand. Finally, Narcissa looked up.
"Forgive me, Severus," she whispered, her hand brushing against diamond necklace. She turned to her mother, determinedly. "Don't worry about anything, mother. I won't let you down."
Still invisible, Narcissa from the present banged her fists on the wall angrily. She resisted the temptation to scream. She looked at the time; it was time to go. She slipped out of the room as quietly as possible, and went back to meet Lucius, drops of blood falling from her fists as she went.