Chapter 27 - The Little Girl; Cissy
"Mistress, Mrs Malfoy is here to see you" said the house elf poking its head into the door way in front of Narcissa. The door way to her mother's chambers, the Black family, had two homes. As her father and her uncle were the two sons of her paternal grandparents they separated the two houses between the two sons. Her uncle, being the younger, received the Black Town house in London. Her father received the Black Country house.
The house had a strange nostalgia about it; it brought back hundreds of memories, good and bad. It had the same smell that it always had. Fir trees and potion puree that scented the air strongly, the 'stuff' that made Sirius' eyes 'itch' every time he came to their house.
The house elf nodded at Narcissa to go in. Narcissa marched into the grand old witch's bedroom. The drab, dark, purple, velvet curtains hung over the windows letting only a small stream of the outside light onto the room.
Mrs Black lay in her equally drab purple bed. It was a four poster with long miserable bed curtains. The old witch lay curled up in the bed wearing a lace night bonnet. A fat black cat rested on the end of the duvet purring loudly.
"Hello Mother" Narcissa said softly looking over at the woman.
"Narcissa, darling, come and give your mother a hug"
Narcissa walked forwards to her mother, leaned over and hugged her coldly. She kissed her on each cheek. Narcissa stiffened slightly as she smelt the alcohol on her mother's breath, and saw a wine glass resting dangerously close to the edge of her bedside cabinet.
Narcissa stood up straight and pulled out her wand, she drew up a single delicate wooden chair. She sat down.
"Narcissa, you're looking incredibly well" said her mother
"Thank you" Narcissa nodded
"Where is Lucius?"
"At work"
"And Draco?"
"Playing outside in the gardens"
"Am I not allowed to see him?"
"You may if you wish, I just wasn't sure if you wanted to see him, being so ill of course" Narcissa raised an eyebrow
"I am well enough to look at my Grandson…but while we are alone, I wanted to discuss something with you. I read something in Witch Weekly the other day"
Narcissa knew exactly what this was about
"Really mother?"
"I read something about you running off…Nothing about why or where you ran too. Now I thought to myself, how very unlike my Cissy. Not just the running away part but the whole idea of you being gossiped about it in the magazines"
"Mother, I don't know who started the rumours, but its nothing serious, if it became serious then Lucius would sort it all out. And running away? What would I be running from?"
"Your husband?" Druella Black suggested
"What?"
"Well, you always tagged after your sisters, I may try to pretend that my middle child never existed, but I cannot totally erase her from my memory. I was thinking perhaps you were taking a leaf out of her book. I know you aren't happy in your marriage-"
"Mother I don't want to discuss this further. It's nonsense."
"Very well" said Mrs Black haughtily. "Now if you don't mind I'd like to see my Grandson"
---
Seven year old Narcissa tiptoed as quietly and quickly as she could along the dark corridor, she quietly tapped on her older sister's door. She opened it and peaked her head inside.
"Coast is clear" she whispered through to her sister Andromeda who was lying in bed reading a book by candlelight. Andromeda nodded and Narcissa closed the door. Narcissa quickly ran to the next door. Tapped on it, and opened it.
"Coast is clear" she whispered through to her cousins Sirius and Regulus. Who were laying in their twin beds talking. Sirius looked over at Narcissa, he grinned and nodded. Narcissa closed the door.
Every night Druella Black would order the children to bed, Sirius and Regulus too, if they were visiting. Then every night, the children would take it in turns to rush along the corridor and tell each of the bedroom occupants that the coast was clear.
Narcissa opened the door to her oldest sister's room. Bellatrix, who should have been in bed like the rest, was sitting at her writing desk near the window writing out a letter.
"Bella" Narcissa whispered. Bellatrix turned around, she sighed and nodded jerking her head towards the bed. Narcissa grinned and jumped into her sister's large four poster bed. Bellatrix put down her quill and joined her in the bed.
"Are the others coming?" the fourteen year old girl asked.
Cissy nodded, then right on cue, the door opened and Andromeda entered. She bounded towards the bed and joined her sisters, her reddish brown curls bouncing as she ran. She was holding a largish blue shoulder bag
"Did you bring the food?" asked Bellatrix, Andromeda nodded, she opened the bag and showed its contents full of sweets. Narcissa instantly put her hand in. Bella slapped it away
"Wait for the others"
Suddenly the door opened again, the two boys Sirius and Regulus stood in the door way in their pyjamas. Sirius smirked and ran in, his brother following eagerly.
All of the cousins sat on the large King size bed.
"Why do you lot have to always come in my room" Bellatrix complained as Sirius spilled the sweets out of the bag and onto the bed spread.
"Because you've got the biggest bed" said Regulus.
Each of the Black children picked up a single sweet and held it in front of them
"What should the toast be tonight?" asked Andromeda
"Toujurs Pur" said Bellatrix holding up her chocolate frog and instantly biting into it
Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Fine Toujurs bloody Pur" he ate his Bertie Botts every flavour bean.
"Toujurs Pur" said the rest of the Black children all together.
--
The children lay out on the bed in a circle formation, each of their heads met in the middle and their legs lay out on the wide large bed. Each of them had a small pile of sweets resting on their stomachs; they sleepily put them into their mouths. After several pillow fights, and much devouring of sugar the Black children had had a very exciting party, even if it did mean that they had to miss out on their parents' party downstairs.
The children were so day dreamy and half asleep that they did not here the soft thudding footsteps on the stair. The door opened to Bellatrix's room, there was a gasp.
Druella looked and saw the sleepy children lying sprawled on the huge bed.
Bellatrix and Regulus were the first to come to. Bellatrix sat up straight. She thumped Andromeda on the shoulder. She sat up and hit Sirius' head. No one quite had the heart to wake up Narcissa who had actually fallen into a deep sleep
"What is this? You children were supposed to be in bed six hours ago. You are a disgrace Bellatrix!" yelled her mother "Boys in your bedroom?"
"Mother its just Sirius and Regulus" said Bellatrix, her black eyes glittering
"I don't care who it is. Sirius, Regulus, RETURN TO YOUR CHAMBERS NOW, I WILL BE INFORMING YOUR PARENTS OF THIS! ANDROMEDA YOU HAVE A PERFECTLY GOOD ROOM. USE IT!"
Sirius, Regulus and Andromeda jumped up off the bed and zoomed out of the room like lightning. Sirius laughing hysterically as he went. Narcissa, from all the commotion, was now awake. She sat up confused, saw her mother and gasped.
"NARCISSA! EVEN YOU, GO TO YOUR BEDROOM!" Narcissa's eyes swelled up with tears as her mother screamed at her. She jumped off the bed and ran into the hallway to you her bedroom.
She jumped into bed and hid under her covers crying.
Through the door she heard her mother yell to all the bedrooms
"AND ABSOLUTELY NONE OF YOU SHALL RECEIVE ANY BREAKFAST TOMORROW!"
This was one of the many memories that flooded back to Narcissa as she sat in her old children's bedroom. She was perched on the edge of the large white bedspread on her old white four poster bed. Soft toys lay still on the pillows as if they were laid out for the little girl Cissy to play with after a day out with her sisters. The frilly pink dress robes were hung up for a ten year old girl to wear to a family party.
Yes, the room was as it always was, and the girl was now a grown woman, a woman who had been exposed to so much misery, misery that the little girl Cissy, would never have imagined in her wildest nightmares.
Narcissa shook her head to rid herself of these thoughts; it does not do well to dwell on the past. Lucius had been better lately. Yes he had a temper which frightened Narcissa, but he had not hit her, beaten her, or threatened her. He had not laid a finger on Draco.