Sorry for the delay! I felt like I spent an age on this chapter, but I wanted to get it right. I'm sure there are other fics out there depicting this moment far better, but this is how I imagined it. Again, thank you all so much for the wonderful responses, they are greatly appreciated! I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
It was the first fine day of the year, and Cissy intended to take full advantage of the fact. Being a sixth year meant that she had piles of homework every weekend, but with such good weather, nothing would stop her from basking in the warm sun – even if it meant whilst writing a rather tedious essay. She stuffed her books into a bag, grabbed a couple of slices of toast from the Great Hall as she passed and stepped out of the magnificent oak doors. The smell of freshly cut grass washed over her in the light breeze as she stepped out of the shadow of the castle into the first ray of sunlight in months and she sighed happily. As she crossed the lawns she saw other students beginning to wander into the grounds, all happy at the prospect of a sunny day, although most of the fifth, sixth and seventh years seemed to be weighed down, like her, with heavy bags. Over in the Quidditch stands, figures were bobbing up and down in order and Cissy could make out the streaks of silver in their robes. Thinking she had nowhere better to go, she wandered slowly over to the stands, admiring the glistening lake as she passed.
Already, there were a few people sat in the stands – mostly, Cissy noticed, girls sat in clusters of twos and threes, giggling whenever a player flew close by. She rolled her eyes and settled down in one of the high Slytherin stands.
"Morning, Severus," she said warmly to a small black-haired boy who was sat in the top corner of the box.
"Good morning, Cissy," he replied shyly.
Just after the beginning of term, Slughorn had taken her aside. "Just look out for him, wouldn't you, Miss Black?" he had asked her, pointing him out in the dark common room one evening. "Having a little trouble fitting in, you see, and I think he could do with a helping hand. You don't mind, do you?" Cissy had agreed quite happily – it would feel quite satisfying not to be the youngest in a relationship for once.
Over a few months, Cissy had gained some of the boy's trust – his mother had been a Prince, a daughter of most noble blood, but he had later confided bitterly that his father was a Muggle. Cissy had pitied the boy, rather than withdrawing from him, as he was truly exceptional. Despite him only being a first-year, he could brew nearly any potion with little trouble, and knew more Dark magic than most of the seventh-years. She had spent evenings teaching him to duel, refining his brewing technique and even trying Legilimency with him. He struggled with that, and was horrified when Narcissa uncovered his memories of the bullies in Gryffindor – especially when she recognized one of the marauding boys as her own cousin, Sirius.
"How are those boys treating you?" she enquired, looking out over the pitch so as to not make him feeling embarrassed.
"Not too bad," he lied. Cissy frowned, making a mental note to have words with dear little Sirius.
"And your classes?" She picked out Lucius on the pitch, speeding after the Snitch over near the Hufflepuff seats. She smiled as she noticed his ridiculously long hair streaming out behind him.
"Very well, thank you. Potions is hardly challenging though. I can't really see the point of brewing a potion to cure boils – I know no one who suffers from them anyway."
Cissy turned with a half-laugh, only to see him absorbed in his book once more. She turned back to look over the pitch, trying to clear her mind to work. Then, with a sigh, she reached into her heavy bag and pulled out her own Potions book. "Hey Sev, I'm doing some work for Slughorn, you wouldn't want to help me, would you?" she said loud enough for him to hear. She heard a scuffling and saw him quickly scramble onto the bench next to her.
"Sure," he breathed excitedly.
Cissy smirked, knowing it was not her that was being helped. "This work is on Felix Felicis, you know anything about it?"
"That's the lucky potion, isn't it?"
They worked contentedly together, and soon the Quidditch team was winding up their practice. Cissy looked up from her notes and saw the tired players traipse into the changing rooms. Just as Lucius reached the door, he turned and looked up into the stands at her, throwing her a grin and a wave. She knew he'd join her in the stands once he had changed; it's how it had always been. After every practice or game they could be seen sat together on the benches quietly – sometimes talking, sometimes just sitting in silence, drinking in the peaceful beauty of the place. It was a time after the excitement of the game or weariness of the practice to just relax for a moment and do nothing at all. Lucius found great comfort in those moments with her.
Since the night of Slughorn's party, their relationship had shifted. Upon advice from his father, Lucius had withdrawn from Narcissa romantically, despite their growing feelings for one another. Disliking the idea from withdrawing completely from her, they continued to spend vast amounts of time together, and over the two years their friendship had grown and grown. Many evenings were spent in each other's company, talking by the common room fire, pouring over thick volumes in the library or taking late-night strolls through the empty hallways. They became like the missing half of the other - they finished each other's sentances in conversation, they mirrored the other's movements flawlessly when practicing dueling and could practically read each other's thoughts. In her sister's absence, Annie had taken it upon herself to watch over Cissy, and saw uneasily as the pair grew more dependant on the other than ever. She disliked the idea of her younger sister with such a cold-hearted scoundrel but couldn't help but notice how different he was with her. Half-bloods and Muggle-borns stood little chance against his arrogance unless Cissy stepped in and asked him not too - it was as if he would do anything to keep her happy, even if it meant easing up on his signature Mudblood baiting. Annie had asked Cissy once or twice if there was anything romantic between the blonde pair, but Cissy had laughed it off, telling her sister what she had told everyone else - that they were just friends. Annie saw throught it though; she saw what they couldn't. Narcissa and Lucius were falling in love.
Cissy and Severus worked for a little while longer until the sounds of heavy steps echoed up the stand's rickety staircase. Lucius stopped in the doorway and leaned against the frame, a smirk on his lips.
"Making notes on my team's practice are we?" he drawled. "Spying for that Gryffindor cousin of yours?" He winked at Severus, who suppressed a laugh.
"Of course, and then I'm going to invite Dumbledore for a cosy drink down the Three Broomsticks to discuss your poor tactics," she replied airily, closing her book. "Here, Sev, you can borrow this if you like." She handed him the copy of Advanced Potion Making they had been working from.
"Really?" he asked, his face lighting up. "Thanks Narcissa!"
Lucius ruffled his hair as he scurried out of the stands with a chuckle. "I'm fond of him," Lucius smiled, settling himself on the bench next to her. "He shows great potential too."
Cissy looked out towards the castle. "He's a wonderful boy. He deserves happiness."
"Doesn't everyone?" he asked, glancing across at her. Her pale face was smooth, her blue eyes still for a moment.
There was a pause. "Yes, I suppose."
"Do you think you sister will be happy marrying Lestrange?" he ventured after a few moments of pleasant small-talk. The news had reached Narcissa a few days ago and it was not welcomed. She hadn't discussed the situation at all with Lucius, although he knew she had written to Andromeda concerning the issue. Since Bellatrix's continued relationship with the Dark Lord had intensified – Bella spent nearly every waking moment with him – Narcissa had become much more dependent on Annie.
"Bella doesn't love him," she sighed, turning to look at him with sad eyes. "And she never will. She's completely and utterly devoted to her Dark Lord-" she drawled the name sarcastically "- and no man will ever live up to him. She's said she'd rather die than be parted from him. I mean, she used to enjoy Rodolphus' physical company well enough, but now she says they have not even that, and that is no basis for a happy marriage."
"How is her work with the Dark Lord?" he asked quietly.
"She says he is wonderful, that he challenges her and has let her perform to her full potential. I know she's killed Muggles before, and she relishes in informing me of the different kinds of torture he had educated her in. Legilimency is his personal favourite, so naturally, it has become hers." Her brow was furrowed, but her expression stayed blank.
"Are you worried?"
"Yes."
He reached between them and took her hand. "Don't be. He protects his followers to his full ability, and rewards them. She'll be safe with him."
"How can you be so sure?" she asked, her composure beginning to crack. She turned to him with desperate eyes.
He swallowed. "Because the Dark Lord has been in contact with me. He knows of my bloodline and heritage – as anyone decent in our world does – and has requested my services as soon as I leave this place. He has assured me safety, amongst other things."
"Oh Lucius," she sighed. "Can't you decline him?"
"He's not the kind of wizard you can decline, Cissy," he replied delicately. "And besides, I think I like the idea of standing with him. He could take over, you know, be Minister, or more, he has the ability and soon he'll have the numbers. Think about it, if wizards take control of the Muggles in this country, every other country in the world will have to follow or risk being exploited on the Muggles' terms! It could be a global revolution – and we would be at the very spearhead, if we stand with him."
"'We'?" she repeated uneasily.
"Well, yes. I would want you to support me in this," he said, looking uncomfortable. "To have your blessing would set my mind at ease. After all, to go into this at the cost of losing you would be, ah, foolish of me. You are, at the end of the day, all but the other half of me."
Cissy looked away, slightly embarrassed. She came from a society that was filled with empty words of lovers and meaningless glances, a place where a whispered word could mean no more than a dead spell, or more than the greatest Patronus (although the latter was rarer than a true Parseltongue), a world where real emotions were hidden beneath floorboards in the bedchambers and only retrieved in the dead of night. She wasn't used to such words being spoken and found the repetitive phrases of arranged courtships much more comfortable. Nevertheless, she was glad that one of them had finally voiced what they knew the other was thinking all along.
They sat in silence for a moment. In the distance, an owl soared towards the turrets of the stone castle.
Cissy turned to look at Lucius, shifting herself away so she could cross her legs and face him directly. "I think this is something you need to do," she said carefully. "And I want you to be happy, to do something that makes you feel... valued. But I also want you to be sensible and to not throw your life away with this man whom you don't even know."
He opened his mouth to interrupt her, but she pressed on. "You seem to know what you're doing, however, and I trust you. All I'm saying is be careful. I can't bear the idea of losing you at any point in my life." She felt her cheeks flush as she finished.
His grey eyes watched her as she fiddled with her sleeve, trying to avoid his intense gaze. He shifted himself closer to her until her bent knees were resting on his strong thigh and he felt the warmth of her body sent a jolt through him. "Cissy," he said slowly, resting his hand on her knee, beginning to stroke her through the thick tights she was so fond of. "What do we do when I leave here?"
Cissy swallowed, knowing this was not a conversation she was ready for. The idea of spending a week apart from him was uncomfortable enough, let alone entire terms. "We write to one another often, maybe you could even come up to Hogsmeade some weekends in the term? We have to keep seeing each other, you're my best friend and I don't want absence to get in the way of that. That is, if your wife doesn't mind."
"My wife?" He looked at her in surprise.
"Well, aren't your parents marrying you off to some girl as soon as you leave, to continue the Malfoy line?" she asked unhappily, snaking her hand towards his and stroking his fingers with the tips of hers. Lucius noticed her watching their entwining hands.
"Not right away," he said quietly, shifting his body so he was facing her completely too, his legs straddling the wooden bench. His other hand reached up and stroked a lock of hair behind her ear and she closed her eyes at his contact.
"I don't want you to leave," she murmured as his fingers brushed her cheek, turning her face to kiss them. He pulled himself closer to her until she was sat in the gap between his legs, their faces inches apart.
"I don't want to leave either," he whispered. "Cissy, I..."
"Don't say it," she breathed, bringing her hands up and linking them around his neck. "I know. I've known for a long time. And I do too."
He leaned in slightly, brushing his lips across her forehead, down across her cheek, hovering above her mouth. He smelt the cool breeze in her hair, felt the warmth of her waist under his careful fingers and tasted the zest of her skin on his lips. Their noses touched as Cissy tilted her head upwards, pressing her tingling lips to his and sliding her hands into his warm, blonde hair. She leaned deeper and deeper into him until he was lying on his back, she resting on him easily, their lips parting slowly. She pulled away for a moment, pausing a breath's distance from him. Their eyes met. He sat slowly upright, holding her back until she was sitting easily on his lap. Never breaking their gaze, Lucius slowly pulled at the bottom of her jumper, easing his hands underneath and stroking the smooth skin of her back. She shivered and closed her eyes at his contact.
On the barrier behind them, an owl landed with a letter in its beak. Cissy leant forwards again, kissing his smiling mouth and gently pushing her tongue inside, moaning quietly. The bird hopped towards them, still holding the letter and hooted. Lucius pulled out his wand and flicked it in the owl's direction, trying to send it away, but the owl only watched the feeble sparks looking unimpressed. It hopped to the floor and waddled closer to them, hooting as it came, clearly unaware of the situation that it had interrupted. Lucius pulled away for a moment, reached down for the letter and pulled it out of the owl's mouth carelessly. The owl hooted indignantly at such rude treatment and took off towards the castle. Without looking at the addressee, he dropped the letter to the floor and turned back to Cissy, his eyes warm.
"Wait, that's my mother's writing," Cissy said suddenly, seeing the front of the letter. She pulled herself off the bench and stood against the barrier to read it.
My daughter Narcissa, the letter said.
This letter brings news of your sister Andromeda. She has eloped with a Mudblood man and thus betrayed us all. I know this will distress you as she lulled you into a false sense of security, as she hoodwinked us all into believing that she was a true daughter of the House of Black. We were mistaken. Henceforth, she will no longer be known as part of this family. Your father has written her out of the family wills, any documents she left behind will be destroyed and your aunt Walburga has removed her from the family tree at Grimmauld Place. She is no longer your sister. We will not speak of her, not mention her, and any heirs she produces will go unacknowledged. If you are found to be in contact with her in any way, you will be punished severely. It is to be as if she were never alive, as if she were a dead traitor.
Regards from your faithful family, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black
She felt her breath quicken and an uncomfortable tingle spread from her fingers to her toes. The letter swam before her eyes and she felt her mind cloud over until the blackness smothered her. She came round moments later, cradled in Lucius' arms and wondered for a moment what had just happen. Then she saw the letter next to his foot, and it crashed over her again. That's when the tears finally came.
The next chapter may take even longer to come, as I'm away for a while now, but I know what I'm going to include in them, so I'll try to have a new one up by Sunday, if not, do not give up hope, this will updated!