~Chapter Nine: Narcissa's Plan~

About a two weeks had gone by since Draco's mother had agreed to help them spy on the wizard elite. Hardly any progress had been made due to the fact that Lucius had a habit of hovering around his wife all day, everyday.

Lucius would take his beloved shopping around the finest shoppes, wine and dine her at the most lavish restaurants, and when they didn't have any plans and spent time lounging around their home, he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

Narcissa and her son had decided that their first course of action should be to obtain samples of their suspects handwriting, so that she could compare it to the written portion of the bloody parcel mailed to Alyona.

Due to the frequency of benefit dinners, birthday soirées and gala events that were held every year, she knew that she'd have ample opportunities where all of the elite families would be gathered together in one setting. She just needed a break from her exceptionally loving husband in order to take care of the first step in this plan.

One sunny afternoon, Lucius had decided to pay the minister for magic a visit to discuss a few things. Narcissa took this rare opportunity to head down to her favorite posh shopping district.

She strolled down along the many bright and cheerful shoppes, dressed in an emerald green cloak that covered the black, ankle length dress that she wore.

The sound of her black suede stilettos striking the hard ground echoed up and down the street as she passed by the less financially inclined locals, many of whom took double takes as she gracefully whisked by them.

Her usual arrogant expression would have turned people away if it wasn't for her incredibly youthful and gorgeous appearance. She had not a wrinkle, crease, or sagging bit of skin in sight.

Narcissa hadn't aged a bit since her school days had ended. Even though she was nearly thirty-eight years old, she could trade in her lavish gowns and intricate hairstyles for a Hogwarts uniform and easily be mistaken for a seventh-year student.

After a short walk, she had arrived at her destination, Gabby's Galleria.

Narcissa pulled open the golden framed door and entered the large shoppe. She was always amazed when she stepped foot inside the store.

There was an immediate waft of a sweet and luxurious scent that swept across Narcissa's nose. She never could figure out if it was an intentional choice of fragrance or if they had used something with the delightful smell to clean with.

The shoppe was very open and spacious with three separate levels, all dedicated to different departments: Clothing on the first, shoes on the second, and jewelry on the third.

The warm tint of the ambient lighting, courtesy of the many golden chandeliers that hung throughout the parlor combined with the renaissance themed wallpaper gave off a soft and feminine vibe.

The walls of the shoppe were lined with metallic gold racks upon racks of clothing from luxury designers, known the world over. There wasn't a single dress in the entire selection that could be purchased for under two-hundred galleons.

As Narcissa made her way to the checkout counter, she watched as a soon-to-be bride was getting fitted for her dream dress. There was a team of seamstresses nipping and tucking at the white gown to get that perfect fit.

Seeing this took Narcissa back to when she went wedding dress shopping with her mother. It was a magical day, one that would have been made better if her sisters could have been there to share the moment with her.

Lucius had actually offered to be there for her that day. However, she didn't want to spoil the surprise seeing her in the dress for the first time before the wedding.

Lucius always preferred to accompany his wife while she shopped the endless selection of designer goods. No matter how light or heavy her selection was during any particular shopping venture, Lucius was always prepared with money in hand, ready and willing to spoil his precious princess.

"Welcome to Gabby's Galler….Narcissa?!" A woman screeched in delight when she saw her favorite customer.

Misses Malfoy smiled as she made her way to her favorite shop keeper in all of Wizarding England.

"Hello, Gabriella. How have you been?" She asked with a sweet smile.

"I've been good, I've been really good! What can I do for you today?" The shoppe keeper asked.

Narcissa took a quick survey of the room before speaking, "Are you free to have a chat in your office, by chance?"

"Oh, of course. No problem at all. Come on up." Gabriella chirped as she motioned for her favorite customer to follow her.

Gabriella Gazaar was of average height and pair shaped. She had shoulder length ginger hair and kind, honey brown eyes.

The two women started towards the grand staircase that led up to the higher floors.

The staircase was centered in the middle of the shoppe. It was wide and exquisitely designed with with gold railing. Each golden spoke that supported the hand railing was sculpted into a very detailed figure of a snake, a design choice that Narcissa had always admired.

The stairs were made from white marble and laid on top was a richly hued scarlet hued carpet that led all the way up to the higher floors.

As they made it to the second floor they passed by women being tended to by the workers. Tall stacks of shoe boxes sat next to each customer as they tried on pair after pair of sultry high heels. The women pranced around in front of the extremely large decorative mirror as they marveled at the footwear on their feet.

Upon arriving to the third floor, they were met with numerous cases of glittering jewelry. One particular piece had immediately caught Narcissa's eye.

Within the decorative case, laid a beautiful necklace.the chain was a stunning white gold that led down to the dazzling centerpiece. The focal point of the necklace was a good sized pink stone that was cut into the shape of a heart. The centerpiece was small enough for everyday wear, yet large enough for spectators to know that the wearer was in possession of something valuable.

"My goodness, this is beautiful," Narcissa exclaimed.

The shoppe keeper turned around to face her long time guest. "Oh yes, that's a one of a kind piece as well. There was actually a woman that came in earlier that admired it."

"Oh, it's not on hold for her, I hope," Narcissa queried.

"Not at all, she said that she'd be back with her husband sometime later to purchase it. She said that her daughter would love it," Gabby stated.

Narcissa wondered if it had been Anastasia who had been in earlier. If that was the case, she didn't want to snag the item that her close friend had her eye on.

"Do you remember what she looked like?" Narcissa asked.

The shoppe keeper pondered for a moment before responding, wanting to give as much description as she could remember.

"She was short, shorter than me perhaps. She had mousy brown hair that looked, rather stiff. She had a huge fur coat on too, can't imagine why, it's not freezing outside just yet."

This was all the description Narcissa needed, "I'll take it."

Gabby looked surprised, but not displeased at Narcissa's eagerness to purchase the necklace.

"Oh, sure thing. I'll have it wrapped and boxed for you," Gabby replied, "Cassandra? Could you package this for our guest here?"

The shoppe assistant nodded politely as she removed the delicate piece from the jewelry case and began to carefully wrapped it up.

After a moment of appreciating the necklace's beauty, Narcissa and Gabby continued their journey back to her grand office.

The office was large and cornerless with a sizable window located just behind the shoppe keeper's comfy arm chair.

The walls and light fixtures matched the rest of the store's decor perfectly.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" misses Gazaar asked as she poured herself a mug full.

"That would be lovely, thank you," Narcissa gracious acepted.

The two women sat down and began their chat.

"So, Gabby. As you probably know, the Blossoms have recently made a…resurgence of sorts," Narcissa stated.

"Oh yes, I've actually been meaning to send a letter out to them. I have a lot of our top designers askingif their daughter would be interested in collaborating with them to create a fashion line, they say pink is about to be huge in the fashion world. Given that, I feel that it could be rather good for business to work with them," The shoppe keeper said enthusiastically.

"I think that would be a marvelous idea, but I was hoping you could help me out with something before that?"

Narcissa asked after taking a sip of her green tea, "I'm sure you've heard about poor Adonis."

Gabby frowned upon hearing that name, "Oh…yes… I'm so very sorry for their loss. It's terrible what happened to him."

Narcissa nodded, "Yes, it's quite tragic. My family and I are doing everything we can to make sure Alyona and her family have what they need. Unfortunately there have been some…recent events that have transpired that make me worry for their safety. I wanted to talk to you because I could really use your help."

"Of course, anything for my best customer." Gabby insisted.

Narcissa seemed hesitant. She wasn't sure if her next request would come across as asking too much of her friend, but she had to if she was to help her son and the Blossom's daughter,

"Would you be willing to pretend to be closing down? At least just for a little while?"

Misses Gazaar looked at Narcissa with a wided eyed blank stare, "Pretend to…close down? I'm not sure I understand?"

Narcissa leaned in a bit so that they could speak a bit more quietly, "I'll pay double of what your lost sales add up to during your down time if you do this for me"

Narcissa reached out to place her hand on the shoppe keeper's, "Please, we really need your help."

After a brief moment of thought, Gabby nodded in agreement, much to Narcissa's delight.

~ooOOOoo~

At the ministry, Lucius was having a friendly conversation with Cornelius Fudge about possibly being allowed to have a say in more departments within the ministry. More specifically, one department in particular: Beast, Being, and Spirit Divisions.

The two men walked down the black shiny bricked hallway of the department of mysteries. This area was typically rather solitary, being as not many things in the wizarding world required attention from said department.

Lucius and the Minister preferred to have candid conversations here as they knew no one would be there to intrude upon them.

"I do hope your son heals up nicely from his wounds, I'll be conduct a thorough investigation in that Rubius Hagrid and his monstrous creature," Cornelius said.

"Thank you, minister. I also wanted to talk to you about the Beasts, Beings and Spirit division, Lucius commented, "The department has a lot of potential for improvement, minister. Although, it is my understanding that there has been a fairly consistent upset over the years regarding some of the classifications."

The minister looked slightly uncomfortable at this comment.

"What makes you say that? I don't recall receiving any complaints from that department specifically," he said.

Lucius continued, "I've overheard many conversations around the ministry about how certain beasts shouldn't be classified as such. I was hoping to get your opinion on the subject."

"What creatures have you heard come up in such conversations?" Cornelius asked.

"There seems to be an ongoing dispute on the matter of weather the merpeople, specifically sirens should be considered to be beings or beasts," Lucius responded.

"Ah, well they're beasts. Plain and simple," Cornelius simply put.

Lucius raised his brow in interest, "If you don't mind me asking, Minister. What is it that has swayed your opinion in that direction?"

Cornelius looked at Lucius with confused eyes. This was the most bizarre topic to be brought up by the wealthy Malfoy.

"Well…they lure men to their death. They're vicious little creatures that can't be trusted," Fudge responded.

Lucius continued to pry for information, "I don't mean to overstep, but surely they would qualify as beings, Minister? They look and sound like people. They understand all human languages and they have an identical mental structure and brain capacity as us humans."

"As human-like and admittedly beautiful as they are, those half-fish, blood thirsty little devils do not belong with our kind," Cornelius snipped.

Lucius felt like defeat was imminent. However, he had one more point to make, "But they can breed with us..."

The Minister stopped dead in his tracks.

"They are the only beast in it's category that is able to produce a viable child with wizard-kind, and I believe that you know this, Minister," Lucius added.

Cornelius stared straight ahead down the dark hallway. He spent a moment frozen where he was before finally responding.

"I would prefer not to speak about such abominations, I've heard of the destruction and devastation they have inflicted on our society in the past. A child born directly of a wizard and siren is just the beginning of it, even children with a shred of siren ancestry have powers far beyond our understanding...or control," Cornelius stated with fear in his words.

Lucius gave an unpleasant glare towards Cornelius.

"Abominations? That's hardly a fitting word for such beautiful creations," Lucius protested.

"Listen, Veela and human conceptions have shown to be perfectly capable of societal integration, as you obviously know. But what you're talking about...it's dangerous territory, Lucius," The minister spoke.

"The current state of the being/beast classification system ensures that the products of a wizard-siren union won't have the same rights as full beings. They wouldn't be provided protections and provisions from the law. They wouldn't be allowed use their magic. To deny these people access to magic is going to have the same affects on them as denying any witch or wizard the right to use magic," Lucius insisted while trying to keep his voice under control.

"They were classified into the beast category all those years ago for a reason, Lucius. They're dangerous." Cornelius spoke.

"I promise you, minister. They aren't," Lucius insisted.

Cornelius narrowed his eyes at his statement, "And how would you know that?"

~ooOOOoo~

Back at the manor, Narcissa had just arrived after her meeting the Gabriella.

The first step in her plan had been executed successfully and now it was only a matter of time before the witches of Britain would rise up in outrage at the news of their favorite boutique closing down.

A few short minutes after Narcissa had made it home, her husband came waltzing into their grand bedroom.

"Hello, my Love. How was your day?" He asked as he embraced his wife tightly.

Narcissa smiled genuinely, "It was rather relaxing, I didn't do much. How about you dear?"

Lucius's smile soon faded into a slightly upset look, "I wish you would have told me you were going to the galleria today, I could have paid for your items. You know how much I like to spoil you, Darling."

For a moment, Narcissa was confused. How could he have known about her trip to the shoppe today. Then, as she looked down at the ring placed her left hand, it became clear to her.

"You know that I can see where you are at all times, right?" Lucius mentioned as he sat down on their lavish bed.

Narcissa nodded, "I know, Sweetheart. I just wanted to pay Gabriella a visit today. She's closing down the shoppe, Lucius."

Mr. Malfoy's eyes grew wide in shock, "What on earth for?"

"Her mother is sick. She needs to travel to America to take care of her," Narcissa told him.

"Well, she's a well off business woman. Couldn't she just hire help to look after her mother?" Lucius suggested.

Narcissa shook her head. "I suppose not. She said her mother has…very specific needs and she insists on being the one to take care of her."

"What kind of specific needs?" Mister Malfoy inquired.

His beautiful wife shrugged her shoulders, "She didn't say."

After a moment of silence between the two, Narcissa spoke up,

"I was thinking that maybe at the formal event, maybe we could create a petition for people to sign. Showing Gabby how important her store is to us. Maybe we could even have a donation collector there, as well? If all goes well, she might be convinced to stay in England and move her mother here?"

"That's a wonderful idea, Love. I can have it organized into this year's Halloween Ball," Lucius offered.

"That works perfectly." Misses Malfoy said with a grin of triumph.

Lucius smiled at his wife and came in close for another warm hug, "You're so thoughtful, Cissa. I love that about you."

Narcissa pulled her husband in for a tender kiss.

"Is there maybe another way you could show me?" She asked with a wink.

In one motion, Lucius swiftly picked up his beloved and placed her further up onto the bed. He laid her down softly and positioned himself over her.

"I know just the way to show you, my Love," he purred.

~ooOOOoo~

Back at school, Draco and Alyona were hanging about in the astronomy tower.

This became their usual late night spot as it was quiet and relaxing. It was their perfect little escape from the drama and the prying eyes of Pansy, who still hadn't given up on trying to steal the young Malfoy away from his Blossom princess.

He helped point out all of the visible constellations in the twilight sky, one hand was adjusting the telescope for her and one hand rested securely around her waist. Draco was extra excited to show her the one he was named after.

Suddenly, a musky grey feathered owl appeared. Within its talons it held an envelope addressed to the two students.

Draco swiftly took the letter from the owl and

opened it with great anticipation. He unfolded the parchment and began to read.

………………………………………………………………………

My dearest son,

Everything seems to be going according to plan.

I believe we shall catch the culprit crimson handed by the beginning of November.

I shall keep you updated if anything else significant occurs before then.

Keep Alyona safe.

-Your loving mother

………………………………………………………………………

Please Review :)