Chapter 1
Draco was on his way out of the stables when the mention of his family name made him halt in his tracks. He recognised the voice as that of one of his neighbours, a woman whose vulgarity was made more so by her high station in the upper crust, and hid behind a wall, listening intently to gossip he thought he had every right to know.
"Well, Mr Malfoy may be charming, but I certainly wouldn't want to be married to him."
"Oh?" The second voice was that of a shopkeeper from the nearby town. "Why is that?" Draco felt faintly outraged that these people would dare to spread careless hearsay about his family, and made a mental note to strike them from the guest list of the Malfoys' next social function.
"I'm not one to gossip-and Merlin knows we could do without any more scandals! - but I have reason to believe that he is prone to violence." A gasp from the shopkeeper.
"Never!"
"Oh, yes. The poor dear, he's probably beat her black and blue on occasion. No wonder she rarely leaves the house!" Draco knew from experience that his father wouldn't dare to lay so much as a finger on his mother. He smirked at their ignorance and strolled idly past them, waving casually at the two women. They waved back, throwing one another cautious glances. He hadn't gotten far before their whispering continued. "And that darling boy! What must his life be like?"
'' '' ''
It hadn't taken much for the few women who had ever spoken back to Lucius Malfoy to be put into their place, but Narcissa was not like the other women Lucius knew. Yes, she had been brought up in the same sexist, pure-blood society, spending the majority of her life training to be the perfect wife. But she was a Black! The Blacks did not bend to the will of others, and by no means was she going to be the first.
The only time Lucius had ever raised a hand to her, she soundlessly turned her head to the side, refusing to stumble, before turning to glare straight into his eyes. He opened his mouth to talk and she swiftly raised her knee with force enough to leave a bruise on her thigh. He grunted and sank to his knees, grabbing his crotch in a perfect display of indignity. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and twisted his head upwards, forcing him to look at her. Her anger was hidden apart from the red dots high up on her cheeks and the unblinking fury in her eyes.
"If you ever hit me again I will make you regret the very day you were born. Do you understand me?" Lucius gulped and she tightened her hold on his hair, making him gasp. "Do you understand?"
"Yes!" He spoke through clenched teeth and nodded weakly. She let go of his hair and he slumped to the floor.
"Good. Do not make the mistake of thinking you are the only one with friends in high places. You think the Dark Lord would back you over me? I could request that he kill you today and he would do so unflinchingly." She strode past him towards the door, jabbing his ribs with the heel of her boots as she went.