A/N: Hope you enjoy Narcissa! I must admit she's a favourite of mine… Please, please leave a review if you liked this!

WC: 1,256

On Sunday, Narcissa and Meda go shopping. They go to Diagon Alley, just the two of them. Bella refused to come, still sulking in her room about the whole wedding affair. Honestly, Narcissa doesn't understand why she's making such a fuss.

Actually, she doesn't understand why she's so upset. Clearly she likes Rodolphus, at least enough to live with him, and partake in activities Cissy won't mention out loud. It's her role as a Pureblood to marry. Personally, Narcissa can't wait. She's been promised the best of the best, or at least that's what Mother said. She'll have a flirt or two at school, but she knows at the end she'll be making the best marriage of the decade.

She's a little sad Bella decided not to come, but at the same time she's glad. She doesn't have a lot of presents left to get, Meda being the easiest, but she remains frustratingly gift-less for Bella. She doesn't know why, though.

She doesn't share that special relationship Meda and Bella have, with their little eye conversations they think she doesn't notice – she does, but she can't read them. The two of them often left her alone, treating her like a baby and sometimes still do, when they were younger. But she did grow closer to Meda, who is so much kinder than Bella, and they were very close that first year Bella left. Now maybe less so, but still. Picking out a beautiful necklace for her was easy. But Bella…

Bella is Narcissa's ultimate role model. She's her sister with guts and fire and spice, she's what Narcissa wishes she could be, and she looks up to her constantly. Bella loves her, she knows, but in a strange sort of condescending puppy way. She doesn't mind too much, and there are times when Bella treats her like the woman she feels she's becoming.

But she sees so little of her, now. She writes, but her letters feel superficial, always telling her the most trivial boring parts of her life, idle chatter which Narcissa does still love a lot. But she knows there's more underneath, it's just a scratch of who Bella is. She desperately wants to please her at Yule, but countless hours searching at Hogsmeade for something to give her have proved fruitless. She's determined to find something for her today.

They wander aimlessly around Diagon Alley, flitting from shop to shop, picking up items, inspecting them, putting them back down again. For some reason, she thinks Meda looks a little nervous, and she catches her looking behind her shoulder a couple of times. But she shrugs it off, Meda's probably got a lot on her mind. It is her NEWT year, after all, and she is Head Girl.

Meda is Head Girl, yes, like Bella before her, and it is pretty much expected that Narcissa will be too. She's the Slytherin princess of her year, and honestly none of her fellow classmates rival her in beauty, intelligence and purity. The spot is made for her. The only thing she doesn't really want is that fact that she might have to end up working with a Muggle-born Head Boy, like Meda this year. She doesn't really know if she wants that. But, maybe it will mean they'll stop calling her Cissy.

"A Hundred Ways to Say I Love You," she reads the title of a book she's just picked up.

Meda snorts. "Yes, you should definitely get Bella that for Yule."

"Medaaaa," Narcissa complains. "You're not helping!"

Meda gives a small chuckle, and for just a moment, she looks past Narcissa and at the street. Narcissa looks back, but there is no one.

"What are you always checking for?" she asks.

"Nothing," Meda says hastily, and Narcissa knows it's not nothing.

She shakes her head. "Anyway, what did you get Bella for Yule?"

"That's a surprise," she tells her.

"Come on!" she urges, "You can tell me! I have no idea what to get her."

She looks at another book, but nothing inspires her. None of the jewellery is good either. She couldn't possibly buy her a pet, it would probably die from neglect. Bella hates fashion, so clothes are out. She's not very good at Potions, so it's not like she can buy her a rare ingredient. After some more aimless wandering, were Meda makes a couple of purchases, her sister stops her.

"How about we split here," Meda says. "I've got to meet up with someone."

"So that's what you were looking for!" Narcissa exclaims. "Who is it?"

"Just someone for school."

"For school? But it's the holidays!"

"Yes. Let's meet up again here in an hour and then we can go."

And Meda's off. Narcissa could follow her, find out who's she's meeting, but then again, she's got some rather more pressing issues. And she's only got an hour. So she let's Meda go off into a little corner café to meet her mysterious someone.

Narcissa continues to wander, randomly going into shops she's never been into, strolling around. But soon she's not quite paying attention, and she walks into somewhere she knows she isn't supposed to be. Knockturn Alley. There's a little chill, and it's a little darker. She's a little worried.

Cissy walks into Borgin and Burkes, the first shop of the darker alley. The objects around her are a little daunting, and the many do no touch signs send a shiver down her spine. But something about this place reminds her of Bella. She doesn't know why; and she doesn't think she likes it.

"I really don't recommend you touch that," a voice says behind her and she almost leaps.

"Oh sorry." She had just been looking an elegant, but slightly gaudy necklace laid out on black velvet. She had been thinking it was possibly something Bella would wear.

"It'll curse you to Valhalla and back, I assure you," he tells her. "Now, what can I do for you young miss?"

The man is small, mousy, a mean glint in his eyes, especially when he looks at her. It makes her slightly uncomfortable. "I'm looking for a gift. For my sister," she adds for some reason.

"Ah, of course." There's a knowing look in his eye, as if he's recognised her – he should, she is after all, Scared 28 – and he knows who her sister is. "Maybe you could have a look at these."

Cissy exits the shop soon after, the perfect gift for Bella in her hands: a pocket mirror that grows warm in your hand when someone is lying to you. For some reason, she thinks it's perfect.

Narcissa returns to Diagon Alley right on time, and seeing her sister is not there, she heads to the small café she had seen her go to. Sure enough, she bumps into Meda just as she is coming out.

"Goodbye!" calls Meda, looking behind her. Her tone is warm, warmer than she's heard it in a long time. Narcissa tries to get a peak to whom she was talking to. All she sees is a tuff of honey blond hair, and a tall masculine build.

"Cissy!" Meda exclaims.

"I came to fetch you," she explains. "Who was that?"

"Oh, just someone from school," she dismisses. Her cheeks and the top of her nose are a little red.

"He doesn't sound like just a someone," Cissy taunts and Meda just rolls her eyes.

"Did you find something for Bella after all?"

"Yes!"

"What?"

"Can't tell you, it's a surprise!"

"Cissy!"