Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
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Narcissa sat beside her window, reading a book in the dim light given by a candle on her desk. She glanced out the window and grinned when she saw that the sun was starting to rise over the tips of the trees.
She closed her book and grabbed her dressing gown before running out of her bedroom. She bounded down the hallway toward Andromeda's room. She hammered on the door with her fist and bounced on her heels as she waited for a reply. When all she received was an annoyed groan she flung the door open and ran into the red head's room.
She jumped and landed on her sister's bed, jumping up and down in excitement. "Wake up, wake up!" she shouted, jostling her tired sister from her slumber. "Andromeda, get up!" Once she was sure her sister was awake she ran from the room, approaching Bella's room down the hall.
Waking Bella had to be much more subtle. If Narcissa was to jump on her bed and holler she would be hexed into next week. She quietly opened the other girl's door and slipped into her bedroom. A shiver ran up her spine as she glanced around her older sister's room. The room was very dark, black curtains pulled over the windows to block the sun. She approached Bellatrix's bed and sat on the edge.
"Bella, wake up." She whispered, bending down to whisper in her older sister's ear.
"I'm already awake." Bellatrix replied in a whisper, surprising Narcissa and making her jump. "You woke me with the shouting you were doing when you woke Andromeda." Bella sat up and ran her long fingers through her raven locks. "I'll meet you downstairs. Now, get out before I charm your hair black."
Narcissa obeyed and jumped off her bed. She smiled at Bella before quickly leaving the room and hurrying downstairs.
She was in very high spirits this morning. And, the reason for that was very obvious. It was Christmas Day and there were dozens of gifts waiting for her under the tree.
It was custom since as long as she could remember that she would be the first to wake. It was Narcissa's job to wake up her other sisters and they would all wait eagerly for Cygnus and Druella to wake and let them open their presents.
Narcissa sat down in the living room and pulled a summoned a house elf. The elf brought her a blanket and a plate of milk and cookies to munch on while she waited. She was trying not to look at the gifts piled high beneath the tree. But, it was getting increasingly difficult not to.
She wondered if she had gotten the diamond tiara she had shown her mother in the store a few months earlier and if her father had remembered what pair of shoes she had shown him the week before.
As Narcissa day dreamt of the wonderful goodies that she would soon find in her lap Andromeda arrived. She greeted her younger sister with a lengthy yawn before settling beside her on the couch. She grabbed a cookie and together they waited for Bella and their parents.
Bellatrix arrived next, looking terribly sour. But, Narcissa saw the glint in her eye when she saw how large the pile of presents was. The three Black sisters waited silently for the fourth and fifth members of their family to arrive while they ate chocolate chip cookies dipped in milk.
Finally, after what seemed like eternity Druella arrived with her husband in tow. The Black matriarch took a seat beside the fireplace, closest to the presents and Cygnus sat in the corner of the room from where he could silently observe what he thought was 'foolish gift-giving.'
The brightly wrapped packages were handed out and the girls took no time ripping off the paper to see what was inside. Narcissa squealed with delight every time she got something she wanted and smiled when she got something less than desired.
After a full hour of gift opening Narcissa was sitting on the couch by herself with expensive presents piled around her. She had gotten the tiara, as well as a matching necklace and ear rings. She had also gotten the shoes she had wanted; in each color just in case she had changed in mind on which one she liked best.
When everyone thought that they had opened all of their presents Druella pulled a small gift that had been tucked into the tree's branches. She smiled when she looked at it, remembering who it was from.
"It's from young Mr. Malfoy." She announced with a bright smile. For a mother of three daughters a gift from the richest pureblood heir in England was very exciting.
Bella made a grab for the box right away, but Druella slapped her hand away. "No, Bellatrix. This one is for Narcissa."
Narcissa stared at her mother for a few moments, wondering if she had heard incorrectly. "F-for me?" she stammered; her eyes wide in surprise.
She took the box from her mother and slowly unwrapped it. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest as she pulled the top off the box. She let out an audible gasp as she stared down at the most beautiful necklace Narcissa had ever received.
It was simple, but perfect. It was diamond pendant in the shape of a heart and was wonderfully crafted. She smiled as she pulled it out of the box. "Andromeda?" she asked, turning her back on her older sister so she could put it on for her.
It was heavy and fell perfectly on her chest. She beamed as her mother came over to inspect the necklace. "That's lovely. Lucius must be terribly fond of you." Druella said.
Narcissa noticed Bellatrix standing beside the tree. She looked angry and Narcissa quickly turned away. She could see the anger oozing out from Bella's eyes and it scared her. She had seen that look before, but it had never been directed at her.
"I'm going to go put my things away." She said, gathering up a few of her gifts and then quickly escaping up to her bedroom.
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Narcissa kept her book over her face as students passed by her compartment. Valerie Parkinson had insisted they keep the door open in case any of their friends passed by. But, it was making it more difficult for Narcissa to hide from Lucius Malfoy.
"Narcissa, why are you hiding?" Valerie asked, making Narcissa blush a deep crimson.
"I'm not hiding." She whispered, her voice muffled from behind her book.
Valerie grabbed the top of the book and pushed it down so she could look the blond witch in the eye. "Malfoy obviously has a thing for you Narcissa. Why are you hiding from him?" she asked; her voice at a low whisper.
Narcissa scowled and pulled the book out of Valerie's hands. "I'm not hiding." She argued.
After a few more Slytherin girls had joined them Valerie agreed to close the door and soon enough the train began its journey back to Hogwarts.
Narcissa read her book in silence as the girls chatted about what they had gotten for Christmas. She was doing a fine job of avoiding Lucius when she heard her stomach softly growl. She frowned, silently cursing to herself. She had woken up late that morning and skipped breakfast.
She decided she would sneak out of the train for a few minutes, find the snack trolley and then duck back into the compartment.
"I'll be right back." She told her friends before heading out into the corridor. She absent mindedly began to play with her necklace, smiling to herself as she thought about Lucius and how sweet it had been of him to give her a gift. She really did want to thank him for it, but she was scared to speak to him again. She was scared it wouldn't be as easy as it had been the night at the Christmas party.
Narcissa stared down at her feet as she thought, still twirling the pendant between her fingers. She was thrust from her thoughts when she felt herself walk directly into a hard wall.
She fell backwards onto her backside with a small cry of surprise. She looked up to see how she could have possibly walked into a walk and realized it wasn't a wall at all.
It was the back of Rodolphus Lestrange and he had been talking to…
"Oh Merlin." Narcissa gasped.
Rodolphus had been talking to Lucius, the former with his back turned and she had walked straight into him.
She blushed furiously as the two wizards offered their hands and gently pulled her to her feet. "Thank you." She murmured.
"No problem, Miss Narcissa. Are you alright?" Rodolphus asked. Narcissa nodded, staring down at her shoes which had suddenly become very interesting.
"Narcissa, I've been looking all over for you." Lucius said. Narcissa noticed he was still holding her hand and her cheeks reddened. "Did you like the necklace I sent you?" he asked.
Narcissa nodded, looking from their clasped hands to his face. "Very much so, thank you." She said, giving him a shy smile. "It's beautiful. I was very surprised by the gift." She said quietly.
"You were so charming at the party that I wanted to thank you for making my evening so wonderful." He said. "Now, would you like to join Rodolphus and me? We were just going to look for the snack trolley."
Narcissa nodded and the two went down the corridor together with their fingers still woven together.
Unbeknownst to Narcissa, there were two pairs of jealous eyes following them.
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