Summary: Narcissa would do anything to protect her son, even if it meant throwing others under the carriage to do so. No matter who it was.

Rated: T

Genre: Family

Competition/Challenge Block
Written For: Monthly Challenges for All (Year 6); Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition (Season 10)

Quidditch: Wigtown Wanderers - Keeper (The Rains of Castamere) [Deception; Betrayal; Seizing Power]

MC4A: Ship War (Icicles - Sp Micro 2 [Black, Green, Pink, Wet, White]); ShipB (3A [Library]); SpB (2A [Tea/Coffee]); TrB (1B [Even Evil Has Standards])

Beta: brokenbottleaurora, starspangledpumpkin

Word Count: 1,216

Warning Tag: Canon-Typical Pureblood Bigotry

Of A Different Coat

.oOo.

"And who are you," the proud lord said,

"That I must bow so low?"

Only a cat of a different coat,

That's all the truth I know.

— The Rains of Castamere

.oOo.

Narcissa never felt more furious and vindictive toward someone else until now. Knowing that the person who caused these feelings was her very own husband put her in an impossible situation between a complexity of layered morals, loyalty, and family. Being raised under the image of a perfect pureblood lady to become a perfect pureblood wife told her that she was to stand by and support her husband no matter the circumstances. That's what was expected.

But what everyone seemed to forget was that she was a Black first and a Malfoy second. And with that privilege of coming from the most prominent family in pureblood history and marrying into the second best one meant the rules were different for Narcissa. A pureblood lady never simply submitted quietly, especially a Black, and she wasn't going to start now.

Finding out about the diary Lucius slipped into the Weasley girl's school things wasn't what caused her to pace furiously down the corridor to the back office library where her husband was no doubt hiding, it was the end result of what that cursed item led to. She was not going to tolerate such recklessness when her own child was put in harm's way as a result of petty rivalry.

Pausing just outside the office door, Narcissa took a deep breath and slid her hands down her sides, smoothing out the angry wrinkles of her emerald green dress that formed at the hips with aggressive movement. It helped quell her own wrath just enough to be able to enter with a calm demeanor instead of the furious dragon raging under the skin. She would approach the problem carefully, she supposed, giving him a chance to explain himself before taking any additional steps to amend the issue.

Entering the office as quiet as a mouse, she observed Lucius engrossed in a document as she approached. He didn't look up from his writings when she stopped in front of the desk.

"Is it important?" he asked dully.

"It is to me," she said firmly, taking a seat in the plush wingback chair. "Have a cuppa."

Without giving him an option to decline, Narcissa silently summoned the tea cart into the room. Not having a house-elf was a bit bothersome, but charmed furniture worked just as well. It was still one of the things she wished to address because Dobby was hers, and Lucius had no right to let him go. Lucius gripped the quill tightly before setting it in its holder, its tip still wet with ink, and accepted the cup and saucer from Narcissa without comment.

"I've heard about the situation at Hogwarts being resolved," she said, sipping her tea.

"From who?" Lucius asked quickly, abandoning his own cup.

"Does it matter?" she countered. "I have a right to check what goes on at the school my son attends as often as I wish, and I want to know more about what caused the loss of my house-elf."

"It certainly was not by choice, Cissa," Lucius said, curling his lip. "That snot-nosed brat Potter is too nosy and clever for his own good. He gave me a ruined black book with a sock stuffed in the pages, unbeknownst to me at the time, in which I handed the filth to the elf to dispose of who found the wretched item. Apparently such acts of deception still apply to the magic-bound loophole of elf ownership."

"And you think telling me that a child outsmarted you into freeing Dobby will satisfy me?" she asked, eerily calm. "We can never get him back, nor obtain another elf ever again."

Lucius grabbed his quill again, clearly done with the conversation. "Is that all you wish to discuss? Because if it helps tame your aggression, I'll hire you a maid who will likely be far more competent than that elf ever was with tasks and chores."

It took everything she had to not purse her pink-stained lips at the crass dismissal. She sat the white teacup on the saucer and refused to excuse herself. "And what of the creature at the school? You assured me it was not a concern, a simple school rumor, and yet…"

Narcissa trailed off with a wave of her hand, staring him down. Lucius made sure to not meet her scrutinizing gaze, instead focusing on the document in front of him once more.

"It is dead, if that is what you mean," he replied curtly.

"Nevertheless the thing was at the school my son is in!" she snapped, "And I will not tolerate a handwave of the danger he was put through."

Sighing, Lucius abandoned the quill again. "Cissa, Draco was in no real danger. The creature only attacked Mudbloods, no one else of any importance was harmed."

"You expect me to believe that some ancient nonsense about the creature protected my son? " Narcissa said, voice calm but eyes sharp. "Because that is quite difficult to accept considering that the beast is one of the most dangerous species in our world, for one, and next to impossible to control."

Lucius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what you want me to say. I used the tools I had to manage the situation to the best of my ability. The knowledge of the creature was entirely speculation up until the past few days when the remains were found in a place that was, up until recently, a myth. What else was there to do?"

She was livid. Knowing that he knew about the basilisk, even if it were a rumor, was enough for her to want to slap him in the moment. If she'd have had even the slightest hint of something dangerous running amok like he did, she'd have removed Draco from the threat immediately. Everyone, especially Lucius, knew that Draco was everything to Narcissa. Everything.

"Very well," she finally responded, collecting her cup and his and placing them on the tea tray. "I see that the wellbeing of your heir is a non issue to you, considering that you are confident that what was done under your leadership was satisfactory enough to allow Draco to continue with his schooling while a murderous snake roamed about. I will leave you to your work. Goodnight."

She departed with the tray without any more exchanges between them and went to write her own letter to a couple old school friends. It was a mere coincidence that the Ministry was on their doorstep a handful of days later combing the manor with great detail for illegal objects and substances.

It was safe to say Lucius was completely blindsided by the raid. He was never notified by his colleagues so he could squirrel away the forbidden items that were enough to violate his pardon from years ago. This meant that justice was properly served, and no one other than Narcissa and her own connections in the Ministry knew that she was responsible for the first major hit to the rise of the Second Wizarding War.

No one dared put Draco in danger, not if Narcissa could help it.