- Day 58 of 366 Days of Writing Challenge: Fire

- The Emotion Challenge: Guilty

- Hogwarts Funfair/Dunk Tank: Written for Anastasia, prompt used: Corpse Bride wedding vows.

Pairings/Characters: Narcissa/James

Word Count: 497


Bound Bride

Touched by angels, though I fall out of grace, I did it all so maybe I'd live this every day.

The clearing in the middle of the Forbidden Forest where Narcissa and James sat was dark, as the night was fast approaching—but this was the only time of day that they could spend time together in solitude. Throughout the rest of their lives at Hogwarts, Narcissa was forced to remain amongst her fellow Slytherins for fear of being rejected from her Pureblood society, and James was expected to stick around the Marauders and his friends, as they just wouldn't understand his relationship to Narcissa. It was a secret they were both bound to keep.

"Narcissa, I wanted to ask you something," James said suddenly, after a few moments of peaceful silence. Narcissa enjoyed the moments of silence with James—sometimes they would talk for hours about everything that went on in their separate school lives, but other times they didn't need to say anything at all. Just sitting and listening to the other breathe was comforting enough.

Narcissa turned to look at James, absorbing his expression. There was a familiar, playful grin on his face, but his eyes were filled with a fire that she had only seen a handful of intimate, passionate times. "What is it?"

He stood up, pulling her to her feet. When she was stood, he knelt down on one knee, and took her hand, and she arched an eyebrow. "What on earth are you doing?"

"With this hand, I will lift your sorrows." He pressed a chaste kiss to Narcissa's knuckles, and her breath hitched in her throat. Not many people knew of the private wedding vows that members of the Black family spoke, so it meant a lot to her that James was choosing to say these words.

"Your cup will never be empty, for I will be your wine."

"James..."

He ignored her, and used his free hand to conjure a thin, cream coloured candle from thin air. The wick ignited instantly, and the reflection of the flame flickered behind his glasses. "With this candle, I will light your way into darkness." He let go of the candle, and it hovered in mid-air. Letting go of Narcissa's hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, velvet box. "With this ring, I ask you to be mine." He paused, catching his breath. "Narcissa Black, will you marry me?"

She took the beautiful ring from it's box; a beautiful, platinum band inset with black diamonds and dark sapphires. It was perfect.

"Yes," she whispered, and James threw himself at her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her in the air. She clutched the ring in her palm as James hugged her tightly, trying to swallow down the guilt that was welling up inside her.

Because it was a lie. No matter how much she loved James, there was no way she would be able to marry him.