Chapter 21

Orion: Caught in the Crosshairs

Winter 1997 - Spring 1998

It was the first day of the Christmas holidays, and Narcissa was standing on Platform 9¾. It felt very odd to her, to be doing something she had done so many times before, but in such a different way, for this time, she was not waiting to greet her son. She was dressed in black, hooded, Death Eater's robes, with a mask covering her face. Lucius, Rodolphus and Bellatrix were similarly clad, each of them watching the frightened parents for any sign of rebellion. None came, however, and after the train pulled into the station, they were able to carry out their mission.

"There she is!" cried Bellatrix, pouncing on a girl with dirty-blonde hair and wide, protuberant blue eyes; Luna Lovegood. The girl's father, the editor of The Quibbler, had irritated the Dark Lord by printing pro-Potter stories. The girl had also been making a nuisance of herself at school, continuing to partake in low-level resistance with Weasley and Longbottom, so the Dark Lord had instructed the Malfoys to remove her from the Hogwarts Express and keep her in the cellar with the other prisoners, until her father decided to do as he was told. Narcissa stepped forwards, quickly searching the girl and taking her wand. To her surprise, she did not struggle, but stood still, a dreamy expression on her face. Then Luna spoke, addressing Narcissa with a wide smile,

"Draco looks like you." Narcissa was shocked, How does she know who I am? But she did not reply, and the two witches frog-marched Luna from the station, Lucius and Rodolphus bringing up the rear. The crowd parted before them and not one person, student or adult, tried to rescue the teenager. Narcissa turned her head and saw Draco following at a distance, his face carefully blank.

Back at the Manor, Luna Lovegood was put in the cellar with Ollivander. Narcissa secreted Luna's wand in her dressing room, then called Ingle and told her about the extra 'guest.' Narcissa stepped out of her bedroom, and was about to go downstairs when Draco caught her arm,

"Are they going to hurt her, Mother?"

Narcissa looked piercingly at her son, but his grey eyes gave nothing away. "Why do you ask, Draco?" Narcissa enquired, her voice level.

"I - I -" Draco hesitated, then said quickly, "It's not her fault, what her father did."

Narcissa took a deep breath. I know, baby, but we mustn't fight this... I am doing all this to keep you safe... "Draco, I know it must seem... strange, that she is being kept here, but I shouldn't need to remind you that children sometimes end up paying for their parents' mistakes."

Draco looked down at his left forearm, as if he could see though his robes to the Dark Mark on his skin. "Yes, Mother. But will you hurt her?"

Narcissa felt a pang at his use of the word 'you'. "Ingle will keep her fed and watered, and I see no reason why she should be hurt. She has no information to give us, and if her father behaves himself, I am sure she will be returned to him." Draco nodded, and slowly walked towards his bedroom. Narcissa hesitated, wondering if she should follow, then decided against it. She went to find Lucius and sat with him in the library, talking quietly. Having a teenager in their cellar was unsettling her, and her husband felt the same way,

"But there is nothing we can do," Lucius said quietly, looking around as if nervous someone could be eavesdropping. "If we are seen to sympathise with her, it'll be us locked in there next - or worse. The Dark Lord knows he can use Draco against us, so we must give him no reason to be displeased with us."

"I know, I know," Narcissa whispered back. "But how can we do this to the girl? She's younger than Draco!"

"We can keep her alive, Narcissa," Lucius said. "And the Dark Lord has no reason to question her, so she should be fine. Hopefully, old Lovegood will stop printing those articles and she'll be home again by the New Year."

"I hope you're right," Narcissa sighed, and moved restlessly to the window, looking out over the darkening grounds.

Draco was very quiet over the Christmas holidays. The Manor was still being used as the main meeting point for the Dark Lord's forces, and Narcissa lost track of who was and wasn't there as Death Eaters came and went. Draco attended the meetings, then shut himself in his room for hours on end. When he did emerge, he looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, and he hardly spoke. On Christmas evening, Narcissa was just heading down the stairs, looking for Lucius, when she heard raised voices from the drawing room,

"Stop behaving like a child, Draco!" It was Lucius, and Draco answered hotly,

"I am of age, Father! And I wasn't doing anything!"

"Do not lie to me! You were going into the cellar, Draco. Why?"

"I wasn't!" Draco protested, as Narcissa entered the room.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from her husband to her son. She was struck anew by how similar they looked with their pale, pointed faces, fair hair and identical grey eyes. They were the same height now, and Draco's voice was almost indistinguishable from his father's. They both turned to address her,

"Mother, I didn't -"

"Narcissa, Draco was -"

They spoke at the same time, their words colliding, and they both fell silent. Narcissa looked at her son. "Why were you going into the cellar, Draco?"

He did not attempt to deny it this time. "She's still down there, Mother. I can't - I can't sleep. I just need to see that she's ok..." Draco's voice trailed away and Lucius grabbed his son by the shoulders, turning him to face him.

"Draco! Never repeat what you have just said! Do you have any idea what our Master would do if -" but Draco drew his wand, pointing it at his father.

"Yes, Father. I have a very good idea what the Dark Lord would do," he hissed. "I have seen him at work and I have done things in his name that I cannot get out of my head!" Draco's eyes were wild and even Lucius looked worried. He took a step back, shooting an anxious look at his wife.

Narcissa quietly crossed the room. "Draco," she began, putting a hand on his wand arm. "The girl is fine, I promise. Ingle checks on them twice a day, and has been instructed to report to me if either of them look ill." Draco's arm was trembling, and it fell to his side. "You need to go to bed, I'll have Ingle bring you a potion to help you sleep." Draco nodded mutely and walked slowly from the room. Narcissa looked after him then turned to her husband. "What should we do?"

"I have no idea," Lucius admitted, still looking worried. "But if he carries on like this, we'll all be for it."

"He'll feel better when he's back at school," Narcissa said, but without any real conviction. She did not know the full details of what was happening at Hogwarts, but reading between the lines of Severus' and Draco's letters, the Carrows were using the pupils to punish one another, just as Draco had been forced to do to Antonin and Rowle. The idea of Draco torturing other children was abhorrent to her, but she could not bring herself to ask him about it, for fear of what he would say. Narcissa pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind, thinking, I can take care of Draco now, that's all that matters at the moment. She sent the elf up with a Dreamless Sleep Potion, and kept a close eye on Draco over the next few days. He still seemed tense and stressed, but did not attempt to get into the cellar again.

The week before he was due to go back to school, an unfortunate incident occurred. Xenophilius Lovegood had not toed the line. In the two weeks which had passed since his daughter's kidnap, he contacted an increasingly annoyed Doyle Travers, asking to trade his daughter for a bizarre headdress, then for proof that a fictitious creature existed. "He's a basket case!" Doyle had complained to Narcissa after his second visit to the man's home.

A couple of days after Christmas, Doyle was contacted again, this time, because Lovegood claimed he had captured Harry Potter. Doyle was at the Manor when the message arrived, and he groaned. "Not again! He's a fantasist!" Selwyn offered to accompany him, and they left, but not in any particular hurry. They did not return, however, and Antonin arrived the next day and told the Malfoys that Lovegood had indeed had Potter and Granger in his house but, once again, they had escaped.

"The Dark Lord wasn't happy, and they've packed Lovegood off to Azkaban. Best place for him, if you ask me. Is the kid giving you any trouble?" Antonin finished, fingering his wand. Narcissa felt Draco stiffen next to her and she shook her head.

"None whatsoever," she replied, then swiftly changed the subject.

Three months later, Narcissa heard her sister's excited voice calling her from the foot of the stairs, "Cissy, I have a gift for you! Come quickly!" Narcissa rushed out of her dressing room, where she had been idly looking through the dresses she had no occasion to wear anymore, and hurried down the stairs, stopping half-way down. Bellatrix was not alone, but was standing before an odd assortment of people - four wizards, two of whom were bound from head to foot in tight ropes, and one similarly restrained goblin.

"Mrs Malfoy." A tall, gangling wizard bowed to her, and this action was echoed by the other untied wizard.

Narcissa ignored them, speaking to her sister in haughty tones, "And why would two Snatchers and their prey interest me? Take them to the Ministry." She waved her hand imperiously and made to sweep back up the staircase, but her sister's next words caused her to turn slowly on the spot.

"But Cissy, I thought you would want to meet our brother-in-law."

Narcissa stared at the tied-up and gagged wizards. One was blond and rather chubby, the other was slimmer, with brown hair. "Really," Narcissa breathed, slowly descending the rest of the stairs, and coming to a stop by her sister. "Well, isn't this simply lovely? And which of you is my dear sister's husband?" she asked sweetly, smiling at the two men. The brown-haired man looked away, but the blond one met her gaze steadily and nodded once. He's not afraid of us, Narcissa realised. More the fool him. "Right then... I see no reason to keep this one." Narcissa gestured to the brown-haired man. "He can go to the Ministry for all I care." One of the Snatchers leant in and whispered to the other, and evil smiles spread over their faces. "Ingle!" Narcissa called. The elf appeared, and Narcissa instructed her to fill a bag with twenty Galleons for the Snatchers. They looked excitedly at each other and the elf quickly returned, handing the gold to the lead Snatcher. "If you would be good enough to step outside for a few minutes, we will have an extra job for you," Narcissa said pleasantly. The Snatchers, recognising the dismissal, withdrew from the house, taking the bound goblin and the brown-haired wizard with them. Narcissa closed the door behind them, then turned her gaze back to the tied-up wizard. "Ted Tonks," she murmured, stepping up to him and looking straight into his clear, blue eyes. "We meet at last."

Bellatrix let out a whoop of excited laughter, standing next to her sister. "Yes! The famous Mudblood."

Narcissa read defiance and disdain in the man's steady gaze. "You think you're better than us, don't you, Mudblood?" she whispered. "Do you have any idea what you did to this family, what you did to me?" He looked back at her resolutely, unwaveringly, as Narcissa went on, "You took my sister from me. You just took her and filled her head with lies about you and your kind." Her voice was low and dangerous, and next to her, Bellatrix laughed loudly again.

"Of course he doesn't realise, Cissy, look at him! He hasn't got a clue!"

"No," Narcissa agreed. "You're right. Mudbloods are parasites, they take and they take and they take, giving no thought to the consequences of their actions." Her voice was rising as anger began to wash over her in waves. "And now, because of you, my family is being ridiculed because your half-blood daughter shacked up with a filthy half-breed. You must be so proud." She spat this last word vehemently at him, and for the first time, his gaze flickered. Yes, now you are just starting to realise you won't be leaving this house alive. Narcissa stepped back and raised her wand. Next to her, Bellatrix did the same, declaring harshly,

"You have no place in this new world, Mudblood. My Master is eradicating filth like you from the face of the earth, and we will further his honourable cause! We are the noble house of Black, the family you sought to destroy!"

Ted Tonks did not try to move, he did not cry. He looked at their wands then his blue eyes once again met Narcissa's. She felt a lurch in her stomach, and a small voice inside her head said, I can't do this, he's my sister's husband! How would I feel if it was Luc? Narcissa broke the eye contact, chiding herself, He isn't Luc! He's an abomination, like all of his kind. He made his choice - surely he knew the price he would have to pay for taking a pure-blood? He deserves it.

"On three?" Bellatrix asked, bringing her wand up to shoulder height. Narcissa nodded, raising her wand as well, as Bellatrix's voice rang out, "One... Two... Three!" Narcissa and Bellatrix both shouted, "Avada Kedavera!" and two bright green jets of light shot simultaneously out of their wands. Bellatrix's hit Ted in the chest and he fell to the ground immediately. Narcissa's missed, shooting past his right shoulder. "Cissy!" Bellatrix cried, turning to her sister. "He was right in front of you! How could you miss?"

Narcissa tore her gaze away from the fallen wizard. "I - I am not feeling well. Please deal with the Snatchers, Bella. Ask them to take him away." She flicked hand dismissively at Ted's lifeless body, then turned and headed back up the stairs. She shut herself in her room, throwing her wand down onto her bedside table, and curled up on the bed. She felt sick and hollow and lay there for a long time, questioning what had just happened. Bellatrix's voice echoed in her mind: "How could you miss?" Narcissa had meant to kill Ted Tonks, she had wanted to, but when it came to it, she had missed. A memory stirred. I missed Lupin too, I shot a dozen Killing curses at him, but they all missed... At the time, she had thought her poor aim had been the combined result of flying and trying to hit a moving target, but now she wasn't so sure. The door to the bedroom opened, and someone stepped inside.

"Narcissa?" It was Lucius. Narcissa said nothing and stayed curled up on the bed. She felt the mattress depress and he placed his hand on her hip. "Bella told me what happened. Do you want to talk about it?"

"About what? That I tried and failed to murder my brother-in-law? What's worse, Luc, that I missed, or that I didn't set him free?" Her voice was bitter, and Lucius patted her gently.

"You're not thinking straight, Narcissa. Tonks deserved it, by all accounts. He dishonoured your family, and his kind need to learn their place. You had to do it, Narcissa. If it got back to the Dark Lord that we had set a Mudblood free..." He did not need to finish his sentence. "And the Snatchers would have killed him anyway."

"You don't know that," she muttered.

"No," he admitted. "But it's too late for regrets now, Narcissa. He's dead. Come on," He pulled her up and hugged her, saying gently, "You need to pull yourself together, and you need to come downstairs. The Dark Lord will be here soon, you need to be there to greet him."

They left the bedroom together, and Narcissa joined her sister in the drawing room, gloating together over the demise of the Mudblood, Ted Tonks. As the weeks went by, and March faded into April, Narcissa pushed the thoughts of the man's eyes out of the head, and tried to suppress the guilt she was feeling.

"Crucio!" The pain was unlike anything Narcissa had ever experienced. Every nerve in her body felt as though it were on fire and she screamed, her eyes closed tightly against the onslaught of pain. It could have lasted seconds or minutes, she had no concept of time. Suddenly, she was released and lay on the floor, images dancing in her mind. She saw Fenrir Greyback, pulling the group of captives into the drawing room, she saw herself, peering into the distorted, stretched features of a boy with dark hair and glasses...

She was pulled out of her reverie by shouts, and her eyes flew open, Draco was writhing on the floor in front of her. Narcissa pushed herself to her hands and knees, crawling across the debris-strewn floor to try to protect her son, but before she had shuffled the short distance, the Dark Lord turned his wand on her again and she collapsed once more, shrieking in agony. The pain ended, and another voice began to shout, but it wasn't Lucius' or Draco's. Narcissa closed her eyes, and thought of Draco, looking at the prisoners and refusing to identify them. He lied... why didn't he say it was Potter, Weasley and Granger? A new voice began to scream, as the Dark Lord shouted, "Crucio!" This time, Narcissa recognised her sister's cries. She tried to move but couldn't, and a hazy picture of her sister floated in front of her, Bella... the sword... the Granger girl...

Narcissa's eyes flickered open once more. Draco was lying motionless. She slowly reached out, her fingers gripping his wrist. She detected a pulse and relief washed over her. She closed her eyes once more, as Bellatrix's screams died away. There was a brief silence as Voldemort chose his next target; Lucius. Please, please make it stop, Narcissa begged inside her head, not daring to open her eyes as her husband's screams pressed in on her from all sides. Her mind saw, not Lucius, twisting in agony on the floor, but a girl with long, messy, brown hair, as Bellatrix stood over her. "What else did you take, what else? ANSWER ME! CRUCIO!" What did you mean, Bella? What else is in your vault that you are so afraid to lose?

Narcissa felt light-headed, as if she was floating away. She did not realise Lucius had also fallen silent. Her mind carried on replaying images from that evening... The goblin, crumpled at Bella's feet... the chandelier, crashing onto the floor, sparkling crystal shards flying everywhere... Dobby, Dobby, disarming her, the feeling of her wand jerking out of her grip... watching helplessly as Potter, Weasley and Granger disapparated... Then the Dark Lord had arrived. "Crucio!" Narcissa heard the high, cold voice cry once more... or was it just a memory? She did not know, and gratefully submitted to the darkness which consumed her as she slipped into unconsciousness, more screams ringing in her ears.

Narcissa drifted in and out of consciousness. She was on the floor of the drawing room as a figure in long, black robes stepped over her and walked out into the hallway, then she heard the front door slam shut... She saw Ingle's large brown eyes, and heard her piping voice, "Madam Malfoy? You is ill? What is Ingle to do?" But she could not reply, and everything went black once more.

The next thing she knew, Narcissa was lying in bed, too weak to move, hearing voices speaking softly nearby:

"When they wake, give them this." It was a man's voice, familiar, but somehow distorted.

"Yes, Professor Snape," squeaked Ingle, and Narcissa drifted away once more.

When Narcissa next came to, the elf carefully sat her up and helped her to drink a potion. As she gulped it down, her vision cleared, and the room came into focus. She looked at the elf and whispered, "Draco?"

"Master Draco is ill, Madam," Ingle replied. "Ingle is helping him. He is sleeping."

Narcissa looked to her right and was reassured to see Lucius lying next to her. "And Luc?"

"Master Malfoy is ill, Madam," Ingle said, looking worried. "Ingle is seeing all her masters is ill and Ingle is getting Professor Snape." She looked very proud of herself as she went on, "Professor Snape is coming with Ingle and is helping. He is bringing Ingle potions, Ingle is giving them to her masters." Narcissa nodded, and the elf said, "Madam Malfoy is to go to sleep now." Narcissa did not have the strength to argue, and lay back obediently.

The next time she awoke, it was to find the other side of the bed empty. It was dark, but she could hear voices and she jerked awake, panicking,

"Luc?" she called hoarsely.

"Narcissa, you're awake!" Lucius pushed the bedroom door open, and strode across the room, sitting on the edge of the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked, but Narcissa didn't answer, looking past her husband to another figure, silhouetted in the doorway.

"Who -?" she asked, but Lucius waved his wand and the candles in the room flickered into life, illuminating Severus.

"Hello, Narcissa," he said quietly.

"What - how long -?" Narcissa felt confused, her words jumbling inside her head and sounding thick and slurred as they left her mouth.

"You've been out for a couple of days," Lucius said, gripping her hand tightly. "It seems that Ingle went straight to Hogwarts when she saw what had happened and brought Severus here."

Severus gave Narcissa a half-smile as he said smoothly, "She is a very persistent elf - she actually dragged me out of my office! I think, had I tried to refuse, she would have clobbered me over the head. It reminded me of when you 'kidnapped' me, back in the day."

Lucius chuckled and looked back at Narcissa, but seeing her anxious expression, he quickly and went on, "And before you worry yourself too much, Draco is ok. He's up. Would you like to see him?"

Narcissa nodded, tears running down her cheeks. Lucius made to get up, but Severus said, "Stay, Lucius, I will find him." He returned a few minutes later with Draco, who came straight to his mother's beside.

"Mum?" he asked. "Are you ok?" Narcissa took her son's hand and tried to smile at him.

"Draco," she breathed. "You're here."

He looked steadily back at her, and Narcissa began to cry in earnest. "Mum!" Draco said, looking at Lucius in confusion.

"Come, Draco," Severus said, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Your mother needs to rest."

Draco leant forwards and hugged Narcissa tightly, whispering, "I love you, Mum", before standing up and walking out of the room.

Severus placed some glass bottles on her bedside table, giving brief instructions to Lucius, before he too left the room. "Narcissa, drink this and go back to sleep," Lucius urged, raising a bottle to her lips. Narcissa drank, and did not protest as Lucius gently pushed her down onto the pillows, pulling the covers up to her neck.

"Bella?" Narcissa whispered, as sleep began to claim her once more.

"She's fine, Narcissa. I'll tell you everything when you're feeling better." Lucius' voice sounded as if were coming from a long way away as Narcissa closed her eyes again.

A week passed before Narcissa had fully recovered and when she did, Lucius filled her in on all that had happened. Peter Pettigrew was dead, strangled by his own silver hand, which had been gifted to him by the Dark Lord upon his regeneration. All the prisoners had escaped, along with Pettigrew's, Bellatrix's and Draco's wands.

"Ingle found yours, though," Lucius said, handing it to Narcissa. "The Dark Lord took Potter's and Granger's - he wanted to see which spells they'd been using to find out what they've been up to. I gave Bella Ollivander's and it seems to work for her. Draco tried out Lovegood's, but he couldn't use it, so he doesn't have a wand now..." his voice trailed off. Narcissa looked down at her own wand. She couldn't imagine being without it, but the thought of Draco going back to school, unable to learn magic and unable to defend himself, was a far worse thought.

"Let him try mine," she said, handing the wand to Lucius.

"Narcissa -" he began, but she cut him off.

"He needs a working wand, Luc. Let him try it."

The experiment was successful; Narcissa's wand worked well for her son, and he went back to school with it a few days later. To Narcissa's surprise, she was not wandless for long; she idly picked up the wand she had taken from Luna Lovegood on Platform 9¾ back in December, and found that it worked for her. She guessed it was made of pine, or possibly maple, and whilst it was nothing compared to the connection she had felt to her own wand, Narcissa was comfortable with it. She practiced regularly over the following days, and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the wand seemed to be adapting to her. It felt fresh and new, and responded well to her direction.

Bellatrix had also been very harshly punished and after she had recovered, she spent her days skulking around the Manor, alternately crying and cursing due to her Master's disfavour. None of them were permitted to leave the Manor until the Dark Lord decided they had learned their lesson. Narcissa was secretly relieved. During the long, dull hours in her parlour, she replayed the events of the last few months in her mind. She relived the murder of Charity Burbage, the kidnapping of Luna Lovegood, the murder of Ted Tonks and the torture of Hermione Granger over and over again. She felt an odd mix of pity, fear and guilt as she recalled each event, and more unpleasant memories came to mind - Lucius, barely alive after his punishment in the graveyard, and Draco, marked, forced to torture others, then subjected to the Dark Lord's wrath himself. Am I on the wrong side? The thought flashed through her mind before she could stop it, and she started, frightened and furious. I am a pure-blood. I am fighting for a better world, for a better future! She shook her head, and picked up a book, attempting to lose herself in its pages. I mustn't ever think things like that again... I'm tired, that's all. It doesn't mean anything.

Early one morning at the end of April, Severus visited Lucius and Narcissa at the Manor, suggesting they take a walk in the vast grounds. It was a bright but chilly day, so they donned cloaks and began to walk through the courtyard, past the fountain and out into the orchard. Severus was quiet until they were clear of the Manor, then said abruptly,

"I hope you will pardon my impertinence in not asking you first, but I have made you beneficiaries of my will. I hope you do not mind. And I wish to ask you that, when the time comes, you will pass my money onto my parents. I obviously could not name them as my next-of-kin, since the Ministry believes them to be dead."

Narcissa and Lucius exchanged a glance, then Lucius said, "Yes, of course. But I hope you aren't planning to pop your clogs any time soon?"

Severus looked seriously at them both and said in a low voice, "We are living in a time of war. It would be irresponsible not to get one's affairs in order." Then he dug into the pocket of his robes and withdrew a sealed envelope. "Here are the details of my parents' address, and I have written instructions on how to get the money to them without arousing suspicion - from our end or theirs." Narcissa took the envelope and slipped it inside her own robes. They walked on in silence for a few minutes, when Severus spoke stiffly again, "You are both very fortunate. To have found the person you love and who loves you back. I have always thought so, being alone myself."

"Severus!" Narcissa cried, laying a hand on his arm. "Don't talk like that! You're young, there's still time for you to meet someone, and they'd be lucky to have you!"

But her friend shook his head, giving her a small, sad smile. "It is very kind of you to say, Narcissa, but I am too set in my ways to change now." They fell silent once more, walking through the dewy grass, and stopping at the end of a small lake. Severus stooped and picked up a stone, which he threw into the water, causing ripples to disturb the smooth surface. Narcissa was vividly reminded of standing by the lake at Hogwarts, talking to Severus about Occlumency when he was only in his second year. She recalled watching him throw pebbles into the lake, and remembered thinking, I cannot care about this boy. He is a tool for the Dark Lord. He will be trained up and sent out to fight and I cannot care whether he lives or dies. She swallowed, and opened her mouth to speak when Severus turned to them and said, "I must go now. Thank you, for agreeing to this. And thank you for always being there for me. I will not forget your friendship." Then, to Narcissa astonishment, he hugged first Lucius, then herself, before turning and striding back towards the house.

"What was all that about?" asked Lucius incredulously.

"I - I don't l know..." Narcissa said, but a feeling of dread was stirring in the pit of her stomach as she tore her eyes away from her friend's retreating figure and looked back at the lake, the surface of which was still and smooth once more.

On 1st May, Lord Voldemort arrived once more at Malfoy Manor and summoned Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Lucius to a meeting. They went, and Narcissa sat alone in her parlour, wondering if Lucius was going to be forgiven or punished further for his actions. Then she heard screams, loud, terrified shouts, and the sound of people running. She hurtled out of the room, raced to the top of the stairs, then froze. Lucius and Bellatrix came running out of the drawing room, followed by others, yelling and shoving in their haste to get away. Narcissa saw flashes of green light through the open drawing room door and shouted desperately, "Luc!" He came running up the staircase and caught her arm. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he looked terrified,

"Narcissa, get away, now!" They fled along the top corridor of the Manor, hiding in a small guest room at the very back of the house.

"What happened?" Narcissa whispered, as they sat on the bed together.

"Potter, Weasley and the Mudblood... impersonated Bella... broke into Gringotts... they took something from her vault... a cup." Lucius gasped, then stopped for a moment to catch his breath, before he went on slowly. "That's why Bella was so worried when she thought they'd got the real sword... there was something valuable in her vault - something the Dark Lord gave her. He's furious, Narcissa."

Lucius words turned out to be an understatement. When they decided it was safe to emerge from their hiding place, it was to find the bodies of eight wizards and three goblins, all crumpled on the floor of the drawing room. Most of the wizards were unknown to her, but Narcissa felt bile rising in her throat as she recognised Lance Jugson. They called Ingle and asked her to dispose of the rest of them. The little elf did so without question, clearly used to this job.

"Did Lance have any family?" Narcissa whispered to Lucius, who shook his head,

"No. He was widowed, no children. He might have had siblings, but I don't know who." He was looking down at Jugson, his face devoid of any emotion.

"It seems wrong just to get rid of him..." Narcissa murmured.

"But what else can we do?" Lucius countered. And so Ingle was also instructed to take Jugson's body away. Within the hour, no-one would have known the room had recently witnessed a massacre. It was late, and Narcissa and Lucius were just about to retire to bed when Lucius cried out, pulling up the left sleeve of his robe; his Dark Mark had turned jet-black.

"I - I have to go," he choked the words out, fear etched in every line of his face.

"I'm coming too," Narcissa said, drawing Luna Lovegood's wand. My wand, she mentally corrected herself.

"Narcissa -"

"Don't argue, Luc. I'm coming." She looked resolutely at him and after a few moments he nodded.

"Ok. Let's go." And after hastily collecting Lucius' Death Eater robes and mask, they left the Manor together, heading out into the night.