August 2nd, 1996
"Don't worry, Draco," Daphne soothed, crouching down beside him and resting her hand on his back. She pressed against his hurried breaths as if she could stop them, which only made him breathe more desperately. "It's a panic attack, Audrey's had them in-"
"Don't," he managed to growl out, hoping that he sounded stronger than what he felt. He could not bear to listen to her say any more and he didn't dare to listen if she were to continue. At least Theodore wasn't in the room to witness this, a small comfort he tried to cling to, because Daphne would never say her name if there was a chance her beloved Theodore would hear it. "This is not panic – it's...it's life and death."
"A panic attack feels like death, but you're fine," she assured, even if she misunderstood what he was trying to say. "You just have to calm down."
"I won't, I can't," he coughed, hiccupping on what he prayed were not tears while he tried to stop shaking enough to be able to speak and sound strong – he could not believe that he was falling apart like this, particularly in front of Greengrass. "I can't just...just calm down. Don't you – haven't you-"
"Miss Greengrass," the voice of Draco's mother was cool and calming because of its constantly controlled tone. It was as if he knew that he would always have everything looked after because of the authority that rang through her voice. His father had been like that too, before he had been incarcerated in Azkaban...before this whole mess had started because he had been incarcerated in Azkaban...
"Mrs Malfoy," the pressure from Daphne's hand was immediately gone from Draco's back and he was glad to feel it go. Though the panic flooded to cool the warmth from where her hand had been placed, he was glad that she wouldn't have to see him in such a mess. "Draco's having an anxiety attack, I came in and found him like this..."
"Thank you, Daphne," her voice was still cool and calm. "You may leave."
"But-"
"Leave." Daphne didn't need to be told twice. Ever since her incident with Montague and the lesson she had learned from Potter's cold shoulder, it seemed she had learned when to more appropriately fight her battles – it seemed she knew this was not one of them. He was glad.
"Draco," his mother's voice was much softer now that they were alone and he could hear the worry no matter how well she tried to mask it from him. "Draco, it's alright."
"It's not alright," he choked out again, even more devastated by how much his voice was breaking in front of his mother. "The Dark Lord, he wants me to-"
"Shh," she said immediately. "You're not supposed to speak of it."
"But you know," he said quickly. "You know. Mother, I'll never be able to outwit the headmaster; I'll never be able to outmatch him. And I can't-"
Narcissa didn't need her son to finish to know what he was insinuating: he could never hurt Audrey Potter. It was clear as day in his letters from the year before, in the articles that hounded the Daily Prophet, in the way that he couldn't bring himself to say her name ever since their relationship had ended...
The Dark Lord had given her son an impossible task: to kill Albus Dumbledore or to hand over Audrey Potter – the most powerful wizard of all time and not only quite a powerful witch, but her son's personal Achilles' heel...it was cruel. She knew he was being punished thanks to Lucius' failures two months prior, but even then she couldn't believe how deeply You-Know-Who's anger ran. Her son was too young to be a Death Eater, too young to have that mark stained into his skin as he had done – but to do this, to tear her son apart this way...it was torture to watch, nevertheless for him to bear.
Only half a month before when he was inducted into the Death Eaters, Draco had been excited. Well, perhaps excited was not the right word – but he was ready to fix what his father had broken during the Department of Mysteries debacle that had tarnished the Malfoy name. It had sounded so simple, at first – the Dark Lord knew well who to lure and lull into submission and he had done it perfectly to her son. At first, all Draco had to do was find a way for the Death Eaters to enter the school; that was all.
"I can do it," he had assured the Dark Lord. He had tried to sound so much braver and older than he was in front of the man. "I'll find them a way in."
And while Draco had slaved over books and methods, looking up each enchantment they knew to surround the walls of the castle and all the loopholes to them...Draco had become comfortable. The job was too simple; He Who Must Not Be Named could see he was doing too well – which meant that he had to make it harder.
"When you are sure of the Death Eaters presence in the school, you must do one more thing," the Dark Lord had hissed, his voice so persuasive and confident that it had made Draco feel so confident at the time. "You have to kill Albus Dumbledore."
Draco hadn't been able to speak at first and Narcissa had mutely willed her son to say anything – to make up excuses or to run away, but all he had done was shake his head. "Shouldn't a wizard as powerful as you take out the enemy, my Lord?"
It had been the perfect answer; the perfect way to deflect from the fact Draco had never killed anything in his life – had he swatted a fly? had he crushed a spider? Narcissa couldn't remember whether or not he had.
"That would require my presence at Hogwarts, wouldn't it?" the Dark Lord had asked. "If anything, Dumbledore should be brought to me."
She had been able to see Draco start sweating, his mind racing as he tried to sort out how he would ever lure Dumbledore out of the castle and into the Dark Lord's arms. It was an impossible feat – the old man would see the ambush coming; he may not have been able to out-duel the man but was he smart enough to out-think him? Narcissa didn't know. Her son was clever, but Dumbledore was much more intelligent than he let on between his bouts of Mermish or unsolvable riddles. He would not be killed easily.
"Or," the Dark wizard had said, his voice had feigned indecision as he began to plot. "Better yet – I could give you a choice; you can take the easiest, more appropriate road...it is true I should never entrust important things to my Death Eaters, your father has proven that, after all..."
Draco, pride wounded, had clenched his jaw. "Whatever you wish of me."
"Upon my uprising last summer, I came upon a newspaper – a simple article from the Prophet with warnings written on it; the only warnings knowing who may have been my informant in the castle and how they may have accomplished it..." he had watched Draco closely, looking for any sign of recognition as he'd circled him. If Draco had understood, it didn't show in the subtle interrogation. "It was an article involving you, Mr Malfoy – an article of you and Audrey Potter."
Draco had noticeably tensed, as he always tensed when Audrey Potter's name was mentioned. "The writer was misinformed, my Lord-"
"But I am not," The Dark Lord had smiled, taking his wand and sliding it along Draco's head until he'd tapped his temple. Draco noticeably flinched each time he did it, just waiting to be cursed. "You are easy to read – something that needs to be fixed, if you ever dare to chance an attack on that school. Your Aunt will assist with that."
"Who do you think I'll hate to repel from my thoughts?" Draco had asked stiffly. "No one will suspect me."
"You'll have to repel Audrey Potter," the serpentine man had smiled at Narcissa's son in a way that made her sick to her stomach. "I've heard she is far too curious for her own good – we wouldn't want your intimacy to give her a warning of her own, would we?" he shook his head. "No, no...you will fear them both, both Potter and Dumbledore..."
"Why not Harry Potter?" Draco had asked quickly. "Why can't I bring him?"
"No, Draco – when I am done, he will come to me. The girl, she knows better than to fall into my trap – but into yours? Something tells me she would not expect that." Draco had shook in front of You Know Who and the more he'd tensed to hide it, the more noticeable it had become. The show of emotions had made the Dark Lord sigh. "I knew this day would come, when she would be a hindrance, something to strike fear into my Death Eaters...or...is it something else that she strikes in you, Draco?"
Draco, wisely, had not answered.
"You will bring me Dumbledore's body or you will bring me the girl. You will do this after you have led your fellow Death Eaters safely into the castle to prove our influence – do you understand?"
And today, as Draco stood shaking on the cool porcelain floor of their home, Narcissa knew that he understood his mission all too well.
"Come now, Draco," Narcissa eased her son up to stand. He had grown this summer, matured more than he should have considering his age. She patted down his robes, trying to smooth out the creases and brush off the dirt that had stuck to him. "If you're this upset, people are bound to ask questions. They needn't know what you're planning..."
"You don't need to know either," he said simply, still breathing heavily. "This is my task, the Dark Lord said so."
"That does not mean you have to accomplish it alone," Narcissa all but plead. She and Draco had been arguing this for days now and she hated how he was standing his ground so strongly. In no part of the Dark Lord's task was he told to act alone – it was his mission to oversee, not his mission to co-ordinate and suffer. He could have aid...she just wished he would ask for it.
"I don't need your help," he said stiffly, turning to walk away. His mother grabbed his arm, earning a hiss from him as his newly ingrained Dark Mark stung at the contact.
"Of course you don't need it, but I'm asking you to consider it. If not mine, think of Severus or your friends. Daphne and Theodore think the world of you-"
"Neither of them will be helping me with this mission," he growled, his voice low. Narcissa sighed, lowering her hand from him.
"Is that because you fear he would take it too seriously?" Draco didn't look at her. "Do you think he would prefer you hand over Potter to killing Dumbledore?"
"It doesn't matter what he thinks, or what you think," he added, bristling defensively. "This is my mission and I'll decide what I do and how I do it-"
"Draco, this is childish," Narcissa growled. "She is just a girl! If you fail the Dark Lord, you will receive worse than your father, don't you understand? There will not be a cell in Azkaban waiting for you if you cannot complete this mission – so put thoughts of her away!"
"I know what will happen if I fail," he whispered.
"Then you have to understand that as much as I sympathize with your feelings for Audrey Potter," she explained watching as Draco looked away as if her name churned his stomach, "I cannot condone them. These feelings will get you killed."
Draco said nothing for a long moment, considering her words before clearing his throat and moving away from her. "Tomorrow we need to go to Diagon Alley. There are things I need."
"For school, or for your mission?" He said nothing to his mother but glared at her, turning on his heel to leave. At the door, Narcissa took another step forward. "Don't you write to her again, Draco – your time with her is over."
Draco did not look back after pausing in the door, but he was sure to slam it shut behind him. Narcissa felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, like pulling out her hair – everything was falling apart at the seams. It was all falling and making a mess that she didn't know how to clean and she didn't like it laying there for everyone to see and pick apart.
What was happening to her family?
"Theodore, why don't we go to Diagon Alley with them?" Daphne whispered to the younger boy while Narcissa and Draco donned their robes for the cool summer morning. "It could be fun."
Narcissa watched Theodore Nott's eyes look over Draco cautiously – the two had been at odds all summer, again a thanks reserved for Audrey Potter. The girl had done a number on these families after everything that had happened during the Department of Mysteries failure. Not only had Theodore Nott lost his father, but other people had been separated from their own by the cruel and unforgivable walls of Azkaban. Narcissa had thought that the boys would be close because of how alone they must have felt – but it was the opposite. The two boys, once so close, had fallen at odds...over the girl.
It was always because of the girl – no, because of that girl: Audrey Potter.
Narcissa heard Audrey Potter's name more often than she heard anyone else's, and she couldn't bring herself to understand what was so special about her. She remembered vaguely seeing her at Platform nine and three quarters, she remembered the roles she had played in her son's schooling – usually as much a bully as she was an intrigue...but nothing ever rang special about her. Articles called her brother the Boy Who Lived and later she was the Girl Who Coerced Dragons...but who was she? And what power did she hold over Draco and Theodore?
"I expect he is too busy to come with us," Draco said calmly. "Aren't you Theodore?"
"Or I just don't want to," Theodore shrugged, though his dark eyes still burned through Draco's own. "But you can think what you'd like."
"If you ever get off your period, Nott, feel free to join us in the real world," Draco growled back. "Until then, why don't you find something better to do besides moping and bitching?"
"Draco!" Daphne gasped. Narcissa raised a surprised brow to her son.
"That's hardly appropriate," she chastised.
"Oh, how inconsiderate I'm being – I forget how attached you get to things, Draco. Is it that you miss your pet?" Narcissa didn't quite understand why Draco's eagle-owl, Heracles, was mentioned but Nott looked on the warpath. "Or do you miss that he wasn't here to send another blessed love letter to that traitor?"
Draco's jaw twitched and he purposely avoided his mother's eyes. She had warned him not to try to write Audrey Potter again – it seemed he'd intended to do so anyway.
"I'll have you give back what is mine, Nott," Draco seethed, buttoning his robe with violent fingers. "And when you're through with Heracles, I think you can find your own way home."
"Draco," Narcissa scolded. "Nott is welcome here and at the Greengrass'."
"Because he's too scared to be alone," Draco spit venomously. "Now you just have everyone waiting on you hand and foot – is this the kind of power you've always wanted, Theodore?"
"I'm glad you had it in you to give it over for a day," Theodore hissed back. "I always thought you were too helpless without it – or maybe you took it from the Potters? We all know how close you are with them-"
"Enough!" Narcissa found herself raising her voice, something that dignified women in the pureblood society were strictly forbidden to do. She took a moment to compose herself – the boys arguments about Audrey Potter always grated on her nerves, particularly knowing that because Draco was so fond of her he would be forced to be a murderer. "Draco and I are off to Diagon Alley and will return before dinner. If your mood has not improved, Theodore, I believe it wise to stay with the Greengrasses for the week until it has. You are welcome when this squabble is over."
With that, Narcissa walked out the door, not waiting for her son to open it for her and knowing that he would follow without incident. Once through the gates to Malfoy Manor, she turned to her son.
"That was petty," she informed him lightly. "Theodore Nott is your friend, not your enemy."
"Tell him that," Draco muttered. "He barely says one word to me unless it's to argue-"
"About Potter?" Narcissa interrupted, her voice cool. "Then perhaps the fault is still yours."
Draco gave her a glare before wrapping his arm around her own and taking a deep breath to prepare as she Side-Along Apparated him right to the entrance of Diagon Alley. She had luckily surpassed the Leaky Cauldron and ended up on the outside, facing the brick wall that lead to the opening – she didn't like speaking to that dirty old barman, he was constantly begging for their tips. Narcissa allowed Draco to hit the proper brick in the wall which opened up the vast doorway to the street lined with shops.
It was not as Narcissa had remembered from Draco's childhood, nor her own – the war was starting again and you could see the Death Eater's influence littering the street like trash. The streets were dark and dank; no longer did coloured displays or vibrant attractions bolster the community. Nowadays you knew exactly where you needed to go and you didn't loiter outside of those places in fear for your safety; you didn't linger in the streets or browse through windows – it was too dangerous to be outside. It was too dangerous to be inside as some of the shopkeepers had found out during the latest raids.
"Let's spend as little time here as necessary," Narcissa instructed. "I do not want any writers from the Prophet to come and corner us again."
Draco seemed to agree, considering his newfound hatred for writers. "We'll just get what can't be ordered. Robes first, then?"
Narcissa allowed Draco to lead the way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions – she was pleased that the shop was empty during the dark times and the owner, Madam Malkin herself, was quick to jump up and greet them when the bell rang to indicate she had what looked to be her first customers of the day.
"Mrs and young Mr Malfoy, how nice to see you!" the woman with badly dyed hair smiled to them. "It has been too long – why, you've grown! You must need new robes then?"
"School and Dress robes," Draco informed.
"Slytherin robes," she jotted down on a notepad, "and Dress robes – what colour?"
"The new Antoniam Verias fabric would be splendid," Narcissa voiced, ignoring the fact that her son rolled his eyes. She knew that he hated it when she took to dressing him, but it was a mother's privilege to ensure that their child was given all they wanted...and that which would benefit them even if they didn't.
"Oh, of course!" the seamstress was all too excited to get the expensive fabric onto a client and was quick to summon it from one of the back rooms. As she began to unfold the fabric, she took Draco's measurements – Narcissa was pleased that Draco had grown a full three inches. This would make him taller than his father now...Narcissa tried not to think any more of that.
Narcissa watched as she started draping the fabric over him and began to pin it to an approximate size. The seamstress looked up from her work briefly to ask "what style would you like these in, young Master Malfoy?"
"Galilean," Narcissa answered for him again. This time Draco didn't even have the patience to roll his eyes.
"Should I have come here on my own?" He snipped. Narcissa raised her eyebrows to hide her own amusement.
"No one should shop alone these days, Draco. I am your mother, I know what's best for you." She stopped sounding so amused when she heard the door to the shop open – she put on her regular feel of nonchalance just in case the paparazzi had found them once again.
"You do realize this is not your shopping day?" Draco muttered, looking down at the pins that were now being added to the expensive fabric. "I'm not a child, in case you haven't noticed, Mother. I am perfectly capable of doing my shopping alone."
"Now, dear, your mother's quite right," Madam Malkin defended. Narcissa did not thank her, but rather watched carefully while she moved the sleeve around Draco's left arm around – with their luck she may catch a glimpse of his Dark Mark if she continued to disrupt his shirt. "None of us is supposed to go wandering around on our own anymore; it's nothing to do with being a child-"
"Watch where you're sticking that pin, will you!"
Narcissa wished he wouldn't have made such a scene of it, but she had been aware that the pin would have pricked right near his Dark Mark – she knew that it was still sensitive and would be for weeks – the Dark Lord liked his followers to suffer through the pain without complaint. He shouldn't have gotten it so young...if Lucius had been here, he wouldn't have. Then again, if Lucius had been here, then there would have been no point to punish them as a family.
The woman backed away thanks to his tone and let him go towards the mirror to see if he liked the Galilean fit that Narcissa had picked out for him. It was a longer and more fitted style of robe than his school uniform – a nice change of fashion that would show off the money spent and just how grown up he was becoming. Narcissa stayed back to examine the fabric that was being used – yes, the Antoniam Verias was a good fit for his new dress robes.
"If you're wondering what the smell is, Mother, a Mudblood just walked in," Narcissa was surprised by her son's abrasiveness and looked up from the fabric she was examining. Madam Malkin nearly jumped at the word and scrambled between the clothes racks so that she could go see who had entered and insulted her earlier customer.
"I don't think there's any need for language like that!" The seamstress gasped. "And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!"
Wands drawn? Narcissa's worry peaked itself as she moved towards the racks, hearing a girl whisper – no, it couldn't have been...what were the chances that she would run into the Potters here, now? Of all days for an outing to Diagon Alley, it could not have been the day that Draco had needed to be here...
"She's right," a young voice said. "He's allowed to be hurt."
"No, he's not," Narcissa recognized that voice, the world would have recognized the voice – it was Harry Potter. It appeared that the chances of seeing the Potter twins were always high – they littered the street like rats. Sometimes it was hard to believe there were only two of them with all the attention and publicity they received. "It's not our fault his Dad's a Death Eater. We're even after last year – so now I can hex him and not have you feeling guilty."
"You're a prat," the female voice said again. "And you're no better than them if you hex someone when they don't have their wand drawn."
Narcissa moved towards the racks, looking through the strands of hanging fabric and watching the Potter twins from her hidden place. Harry Potter was exactly as she remembered and like all the pictures showed – there was nothing special about him that jumped off the page in pictures and here, the only special thing about him seemed to be his furious eyes and white knuckled grip around that ridiculous wand that was causing the Dark Lord so much trouble.
The girl did not look special either, but Narcissa couldn't help looking for a more detailed description that could explain why two of the smartest young men she knew could be such a mess by the mention of her. Narcissa half expected extravagance but Audrey Potter was plain...though perhaps in the vaguest sense of the word. If she looked hard could see why Draco thought she was pretty – her hair was a mess, but it was a pretty, bloody kind of red and the freckles on her face looked less like a stain on her skin and more like they were there to draw attention away from her grimace. She was small in all senses of the word and fragile, something that would make Draco likely want to protect and covet her – he was a coarse personality when it came to possessiveness. Then again, despite how innocent she may have appeared, how small and how needy, Audrey Potter did not look delicate at all – it was her eyes. Her eyes that were the same shape and colour as her brothers were somehow so different. They were more aware and observant – and far more jaded. Audrey Potter had seen the world in ways that Harry Potter had not...and without a doubt this was why her son loved her.
"Like you'd dare do magic out of school either way," her son sneered to the spectacled boy. "Who blacked your eye, Granger? I want to send them flowers."
Potter did not stand up for her friends in the way that her brother did, Narcissa was sure to watch. Draco had always told her that Audrey Potter was not actually friends with the people she was forced to spend time with – it would appear he may have been right...or she was too weak to fight back. There was a definitive wounded nature to her posture that Narcissa caught like a wolf on the hunt.
"That's quite enough!" Madam Malkin tried to sound stern, but her voice wavered nervously while Harry Potter raised his wand again. The taller, redheaded boy was quick to follow and aim their wands toward her son's face. "Madam, please-"
The seamstress drew attention to Narcissa by looking in her direction, so she was sure to come out from behind the racks with confidence; ensuring that there was no sign she had been watching the scene as she had been.
"Put those away," she sneered down at the boy's hands. She didn't like wands drawn so near her son's face, particularly when his own wand was underneath three different layers of fabric. "If you attack my son again, I shall ensure that it is the last thing you ever do."
"Really?" The Potter boy growled, refusing to put down his wand and glaring at her. "Going to get a few Death Eater pals to do us in, are you?"
Narcissa tried not to take a dark breath and was pleased that she was taught so well to control herself. While Madam Malkin nearly fainted at the mention of Death Eaters, Narcissa barely batted an eye. She only wished she had been able to teach Draco as well as she had been taught, for he was nearly trembling with fury.
"Really, you shouldn't accuse – dangerous thing to say...wands away, please!"
"Harry, let it go," Audrey Potter, that annoying little girl who was ruining her son's life, attempted to lower her brother's wand arm. "They have every right to come buy-"
"No they don't!" Harry Potter took a moment to glance at his sister and they glared at each other, trying to fight for who would win, for quite some time. Narcissa did not like that the battle was being fought without her input.
"I see that being Dumbledore's favourite has given you a false sense of security, Harry Potter," she smiled sweetly, trying not to put any emphasis into her words while she thought about Draco's choice, Draco's mission. "But Dumbledore won't always be there to protect you."
"Wow," the boy looked around the shop condescendingly. "Look at that – he's not here now! So why not have a go? They might be able to find you a double cell in Azkaban with your loser of a husband!"
"Harry!" The girl was outraged, it was written clearly across her face, even before she hit her brother's arm harshly to ensure that his wand was pointed anywhere besides Draco's forehead. Audrey Potter even appeared to feel bad when Draco tripped over his unhemmed robes and gave the Gryffindors a reason to titter. "Stop it, you're being an arse!"
"Don't you dare talk to my mother like that, Potter!" Draco snarled, straightening himself.
"We all need to leave," the girl announced, glaring at the others in the room. The other girl, the Mudblood, seemed to agree – but she did not seem as passionate about it as Potter did. Narcissa was surprised: this looked like genuine concern coming from the little redhead and that was something she had not been expecting from the woman who pinned friends against each other and murdered men with a touch of her hands. "It's stupid to fight in-"
"Would you stop protecting him?" Harry Potter seemed like he'd had this argument one too many times with his sister, which intrigued her more – perhaps the girl did have some misplaced concern for her son after all. "He can fight his own battles, can't you, Malfoy?"
"Harry James Potter, if you fight him I will never forgive you," she made sure that her brother's wand arm was finally lowered, her voice sounding much more threatening than it was before. "Take that as you want to, I don't care what you think my excuses are – but if you fight him, you will be waging war with me."
It was interesting, seeing her standing up for her son as much as she was. Audrey Potter was certainly as interesting as Draco always boasted, but that didn't mean that her excuses were true. It was interesting, however, to see just how much her son had been right – she certainly seemed separated from the Gryffindors and her brother; but she didn't necessarily seem like a Slytherin – she was being far too kind to the Malfoys for that. It seemed that Draco's anger was set off from the kindness she showed, as well.
"I don't need you to fight my battles!" Draco bellowed. "I'm more ready to fight you, Potter – you just wait until-"
"That's enough, Draco," Narcissa said simply, placing a hand on her son's arm as he took a few more steps forward. She couldn't have him saying something he'd regret while he was in a rage – clearly that was something she would have to work on with him while he was still home for the holiday. He was acting out of emotion – something he had been strictly taught not to do. Narcissa had always known the anger that the Potter twins caused him, but it was quite surprising to see it in the moment.
For an instant, Narcissa thought that the hissing that filled the room was the sound of something burning; something that had suddenly caught ablaze in her son's anger as he had done when he was a child and still wandless...but after a moment, Narcissa's eyes narrowed on the source. So, the Potter girl had a kneazle. That would present a problem in the future, particularly since the white, oversized cat was hissing at both she and her son as if they were the Dark Lord himself.
"Circe," the girl called, sounding unnerved. "Circe, stop it-"
The kneazle hissed more viciously, swatting the air between them with her claws unsheathed. Audrey Potter seemed genuinely surprised by the behaviour of her pet, something Narcissa noted with hope. It seemed that the cat was quite aware of the danger she and Draco now posed in the name of the Death Eaters – but it also seemed like Audrey Potter refused to come to the conclusion on her own, since she continued to try to calm her kneazle down and remove Draco from its sights.
"Looks like she doesn't like you as much as she used to," Harry Potter growled, glaring at Draco as much as the kneazle was. "That goes for my sister, too."
"Don't speak for me, Harry," the girl sounded annoyed, even if she hardly looked it. She continued moving to take her kneazle in her arms and further distract her from the dangers that lay in front of her. Her pet's nerves did not quell upon not seeing them, instead she sounded as if she were ready to attack at a moment's notice.
"Circe knows they're bad people," The Weasley boy sounded smug, which only seemed to infuriate Draco more. "She can probably smell that no-good, Death-Eating-dingbat husband of hers on them-"
"Ron!" Both girls cried out, their jaws slack. Yes, Narcissa had been well informed of the Weasleys prejudice against Slytherins, Draco had even said it extended towards Audrey Potter herself, so this did not surprise her.
"I'm going to slit your throat, Weasley!" Apparently it surprised her son, however, because Draco lunged towards the blood traitor. He only stopped when the kneazle looked ready to attack him in return. Audrey Potter tried to distract her again, but it would not do – Draco was meant to bring about death in the next year – Audrey Potter in particular – and any kneazle would have been able to smell the imminent betrayal lingering on his skin.
It seemed that Audrey Potter couldn't accept what she was being warned, even though her brother and his little friend had voiced the truth: Draco was now an enemy. Perhaps she had genuine concern, genuine feelings towards Draco that were clouding her judgement – for Draco always said she was well equipped with well rounded judgement and intuition – but whatever her instincts were warning her, she was ignoring them. The way she was looking at her son, the way that she was worrying over him made Narcissa nervous. It was a look that screamed of innocence and affection – something Narcissa had not expected from the life-ruiner and something that was deadly to his cause. If Draco was meant to kill Dumbledore or kidnap Potter, the latter would be easiest to plan...though she was starting to wonder if it would be harder for him to accomplish. She had known that Draco had feelings for the girl, but to see that those feelings were now returned, clear as day, made it as dangerous as the darkest night...and that just would not do.
"It's not a problem, Draco," Narcissa insisted, stepping in front of Draco so that the kneazle could no longer see him and nor could Audrey Potter. Of course, Draco made his presence known by looking over her shoulder – she now regretted those three inches he had grown – so she would have to make her point a little more stern. "I expect the dear twins will be reunited with their father before I am reunited with yours."
The boy narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"Not at all," it was a lie and she knew that the children recognized it.
"Exactly," Audrey Potter was clearly trying to make amends, something that could not be done after last spring...despite Draco's affections for her this girl had incarcerated Lucius, she had killed Theodore's father, and worse, she had been the one to lure Draco into the world that Narcissa had hoped he could avoid. Not only did Draco become a Death Eater, but he became the youngest Death Eater with the hardest of tasks and this Narcissa could not forgive. "We should leave. There are other robe stores and the Malfoys were here first-"
"I am not leaving because of him-" her brother scoffed, as if he was not used to listening to her. It seemed that she was used to the treatment because she looked quick to continue her point as if he hadn't interrupted at all, even though she was interrupted by the blood traitor instead.
"We came here fair and square. Though, I hope we'll have a mirror to look into by the time they leave. I'm surprised Dragon-boy hasn't broken it," the blood traitor was attempting a joke and Narcissa knew she would not like the punch line. "His ugly mug's been in front of it long enough to break it seven times – that's a lot of bad luck."
"I rather think luck is on our side, Weasley," Narcissa opposed him calmly, before turning her eyes to the Potter girl – she looked so scared and uncomfortable; someone that Narcissa would normally think was not an adversary worth fighting...but exceptions had to be made. Even if she was trying to keep Draco from the Gryffindors' snide comments and their scrutiny, Narcissa needed her point to be made and she had a feeling that she knew just how to make it. "Though, if your luck continues the way it has, Audrey Potter, I wouldn't be surprised if you are locked up in Azkaban right alongside my husband. He may be a criminal, but unlike you he has never been a murderer."
It had done the trick, Narcissa could see it at once. The way that Audrey Potter seemed to curl into herself, as if she was fighting some sort of sickness, was both sickening and gratifying in itself. No matter how weak this little girl looked, a furious part of Narcissa wanted her to feel sick to her stomach, wanted the guilt to eat her from the inside out – that was for Thuban and Lucius and her precious Draco...
"Mother, I told you-" Draco began to interrupt, to soothe the girl's devastation in the way that he had always defended her back at home to Theodore himself...but Narcissa raised her arm to silence him. The girl should not hear the words of comfort; it would make her long for Draco all the more – exactly what Narcissa feared.
"Harry, no!" The Mudblood moved across the distance between she and Potter quickly, knocking down his arm and trying to convince him not to curse them then and there. It seemed that Potter wasn't listening; as the Dark Lord had explained: the boy was impulsive and foolish. He had no understanding of the consequences of his actions like his sister did. Even then, the redheaded girl seemed unable to move and help dissuade her brother; she was too busy caving in on herself and spiralling farther into her own guilt. "Think...you mustn't...you'll be in so much trouble!"
"Don't," Audrey Potter begged, sounding as if it hurt her to speak. Her brother continued to ignore her and fight for her honour, thirsty for blood and vengeance. There was a moment where the other girl, the Mudblood, continued to try to convince Harry Potter not to attack before another hissing sound threw everyone off of their trains of thought.
Behind Draco, the mirror upon the pedestal had cracked into thousands of tiny shards that refused to fall. When Narcissa looked up, there was no denying how harshly resembled Audrey Potter's unshed tears.
There was a moment, another very brief moment, where Narcissa felt pity for the girl. A moment where she hardly felt ill will towards her – with the exception of her involvement in the Department of Mysteries scandal and particularly her murder of Thuban Nott. She was a girl who had made a mistake, like her son was about to do, like Lucius himself had done – she looked like she was punishing herself far more than what punishment she would have been given were she anyone else besides a Potter.
But it made no difference: Audrey Potter was a danger, a means to an end...possibly Draco's end if things continued the way they were. Her eyes, moving from the mirror to Draco, closed as she tried to control herself. They were so lost that Narcissa instinctively wished she could help her, stop the pain that she knew Draco felt as violently as that little messy-haired child did. Draco stepped forward, as if to stop that very pain, and it pulled Narcissa from her thoughts. She held her hand up again, stopping her son from moving to comfort her – Audrey Potter should be kept in her guilt, where she was vulnerable. This was how she should stay so that when Draco needed to steal her away she would be too broken to fight back. If Draco could not kill the headmaster, she would be easily stolen because she would willingly walk away with him, all because he would be willing to forgive her...
"What-" Madam Malkin seemed unaware of what had broken the mirror, but it appeared like it was the final straw. "This is enough! Out of my shop if this is going to continue-"
"He really did break the mirror," the Weasley could not smother his laughter and the angst that flittered through Audrey Potter's eyes was lost to rage for a moment, before the dull glaze of hopelessness overtook her again.
"Stop it, she's right," the girl hugged her kneazle closer to her chest. "I think I'm going to leave. Mrs Malfoy has made her point and I'm not going to be here to see you fight for a lost cause-"
"Audrey, you're not a lost-"
"Harry, just stop," she ordered, daring to glance back at the Malfoys over in the corner. Her eyes held apology, but could not hold Narcissa's gaze for long before they looked past her shoulder. Narcissa hoped that Draco looked as indifferent as she did; the girl didn't need any hope to help her along her way. She needed to think there was no hope for reconciliation, Narcissa needed to squash that hope like a bug under her shoe before Draco fell into the trap that was love. "I don't have a fight with them and neither should you."
Her brother looked outraged. "But they-"
"I'm sick of arguing this with you," her eyes were again burning, as if she couldn't hold in the rage she felt. She took a step away from him, as if trying to breathe clean air. "I'll leave. I didn't really need dress robes, anyway."
"Yes, yes," Madam Malkin agreed all too readily, moving Draco to the side as if to get the business finished with. "Out so I can-"
"Ouch!" Narcissa swivelled around, seeing that Madam Malkin had moved too quickly and had sunk a pin deep into Draco's left forearm. His sensitive Dark Mark could have bled from the pain that he tried to sneer away, slapping away her hand in the process. "Watch where you're putting your pins, woman! Mother, I don't think I want these anymore."
Narcissa could tell this was a lie. Even if he hadn't chosen the Antoniam Verias fabric himself, the robes were high quality...he just wanted out of the shop. He wanted away from the Potters...and she was more than happy to oblige and create distance between the Slytherin pair and the disastrous grouping of enemies. Draco tugged the robes over his head and violently threw them down at the woman's feet, sneering at her in his best impression of his father.
"You're right, Draco," Narcissa agreed, casting a venomous glare towards the girl, "now I know the kind of scum that shops here...we'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."
Narcissa was quick to turn on her heel and walk out the door, she hoped that behind her Draco was leaving with the impression of hating the girl as much as he hated her brother. He didn't stay to chat or to talk about his numerous letters, so there was hope.
Twilfitt and Tatting's was far more professional, hardly making small talk or bothering either Draco or Narcissa – both of which seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. It was a quick fitting, sew and hem before they were allowed to walk out of the store, only paying an extra seventeen galleons for the superior service. They pair moved to make their way to buy new stationary when Narcissa paused, turning to her son just inside an alleyway, her eyes fierce.
"Answer me honestly, Draco," she demanded suddenly, after the question had smothered her so badly that she knew the only way to breathe was when he denied it. "Do you love Audrey Potter?"
"What? No, no, of course not! What would make you think something so ridiculous?" His eyes looked so confused that Narcissa was unsure whether or not he knew he was lying to her.
"Because she is just a girl; you will not find true love at fifteen," she informed, taking hold of her son's face and making sure that her tone was firm. "No one stays together with their first love. She will be the death of you if you allow her to be – do you understand me? When you get to school, you make sure that you are the death of her before she becomes the death of you."
"Dumbledore," he said simply. "I'm going for Dumbledore."
"You will die," Narcissa let go of her son a little forcefully, her voice a hiss as she looked around to ensure no one could hear. "If you do not bring her, Draco, I will find someone who will – they may not be so kind as you would be. I do not care if you love her, I love you, and I will not see you die for a selfish little witch!"
"She won't be a problem," he assured. At Narcissa's look of disbelief he added defensively, "she won't."
Narcissa eyed him carefully before frowning. "I don't believe you."
"You don't need to," he grumbled, moving away from his mother to walk back the way he had come. He continued to walk away from her and Narcissa quickly moved to follow him.
"Where are you going, Draco? Draco!" she moved to catch him, only to have him walk more quickly away from her. She could have caught up if she wanted to, but there was something about his gait that made her fear following him too closely. "Draco, come back!"
"I'm going to make something of my threats," he hissed, spinning around to glare at her. "Why don't you go do the same, mother?"
With that said he continued walking away from her. Narcissa stood a moment, feeling lost and panicked – he was going to get himself killed with this mission. There would be no way he could kill Albus Dumbledore, not even the Dark Lord had managed it – he should go to hunt Audrey Potter, to bring her to the Dark Lord so that he could lure her brother and kill them both...the hope for the Wizarding World would be gone, but her son would be safe. Her son would be a champion of his own merit...
Narcissa had to save him.
"Bella!" she screamed after running up the drive to her own home. She had burst through the door so abruptly that the hinges may have been damaged. "Bella, where are you?"
"What do you want?" Her sister sneered, leaning over the railing of the grand staircase and looking down at her through heavily lidded, angry eyes. "What if there had been guests? You would have given me away, Cissy..."
"Severus," she struggled to breathe, making her voice sound hoarse. "Where does he live?"
"Spinner's End," she answered slowly, sounding cautious as if she were telling someone that they were insane and waiting for the denial. "What do you care to visit him for?"
"I need his help," she explained, rushing back out the front door the way she had come. It was only a moment before she heard the click of her sister's footsteps echoing down the stone path behind her.
"What do you need his help for? He's a traitor," she sneered.
"Draco," was all she could manage to say. Bella was quick to argue, but there was no stopping Narcissa now – her son was in danger and all she could think about was saving him from himself; saving him from this ridiculous infatuation he shared with Audrey Potter. She had already killed once, she would not get blood on her hands again – not Draco's blood. Narcissa would banish her from this world if she had to, because Audrey Potter did not belong in their world. So if she had to convince Snape to rid her from it, of Draco's sake, she would do it gladly because this girl was going to get Draco killed...and no love was worth dying for.
Based off of my story Green Eyed Monster.
I do not own the Harry Potter universe or its characters. I do own Audrey Potter, her ridiculously vivid potion-making skills, and her wicked nicknames.
Enjoy the flashbacks and please review :)