Again, apologies for the delay in chapter updates, but hopefully the length of them makes up partly for that! A warning now, this is where the chapters get darker for a while and the rating goes up to M. Quick thank you to LivingInInkHeart for always listening to my ideas and other ramblings – you remind me that there is something worth writing for.
Being the lady of the manor suited Narcissa very well. Lucius' family home was larger than her own family's estate, and the grounds stretched far and wide over the Wiltshire countryside, with three house elves keeping everything in order. She filled her days with hawking and riding her chestnut mare whilst Lucius spent his hours working his way up the Ministry's ranks and she often enjoyed the time to herself, but in the three years of life post-Hogwarts she had not been allowed to work. Achieving five N.E.W.T.s apparently meant nothing to her father, who believed that women had no place in the world of work and refused to allow her any employment opportunities; instead insisting that she helped her mother in the circles of the social elite. Cissy enjoyed it well enough for a while, but missed her sister's company. Bella was always away with the Dark Lord, terrorising Muggles or plotting more murders, constantly a devoted servant. When she received letters from Bella, Cissy couldn't help but think of the other Black girl whom it was forbidden to mention, but sorely missed. Three years ago the Blacks had received a short letter from that man telling them that she had given birth to a young girl, a letter that her mother had furiously set alight to and declared the child as a bastard, never to be mentioned again. Cissy thought about her longingly often though, especially on the bleak, misty days that became more and more frequent as the Dark Lord's power grew. The Dementors were breeding.
Married life suited her also very well. Two years after Cissy left school, Lucius approached her father privately and her father, thrilled at the prospect of a happy, pure-blood marriage for his favourite daughter, was more than happy to bless the union. He proposed in the gardens of the manor; bending on one knee, taking one of her hands in his, he had pulled out a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a platinum ring set with tiny diamonds that surrounded a larger sapphire.
"To match your eyes," he had told her with a smile. She had accepted his proposal, thrilled, and run into the house where their parents were taking tea together. They all greeted her with a smile as Lucius joined her quickly and the wedding arrangements began swiftly.
The wedding a grand affair, taking place in the manor gardens with every member of the social elite in attendance, including the Minister for Magic himself, but the real surprise that awaited the newlyweds was after the reception. Abraxas Malfoy ushered them into the library with a solemn face, and awaiting them was a dark-haired, handsome man with a long, white wand.
"Ah, the happy couple," he said, his cold eyes flitting over their entwined hands. Lucius fell to his knees before his Master as Narcissa bent her head in submission to him.
"Rise, Lucius. You make a pretty bride, Narcissa," he said to Lucius, not looking at Cissy.
"My Lord," she whispered.
"Lucius, Narcissa, I have come here not to congratulate, but to discuss," the Dark Lord said coldly.
"Of course, my Lord," Lucius replied nervously, rising and offering him a seat.
Narcissa stood clasping the back of her husband's chair and listened as the Dark Lord talked. He said of his plans to make them a team, similar to Bella and Rodolphus, working together to carry out his orders. Cissy felt a chill as she saw how coldly he talked of torture, of murder, but pushed her distaste away as his eyes flicked towards her warningly. She knew he was a skilled Legilimens – according to Bella, the greatest the world had even seen (but her blinding infatuation with him meant that Cissy took everything she said with a pinch of wormwood) and knew that her thoughts were far from safe in his presence. Lucius watched the dark-haired man in awe as he talked of the 'duties' the couple would carry out and nodded reverently when the Dark Lord told them coldly that any child of theirs was expected to join his service the moment they come of age. Narcissa shuddered involuntarily, but he ignored her indiscretion.
"And Narcissa," he finally looked directly at her just before he turned to leave. "I expect you to attend meetings from now on." There was no room for negotiation – she was trapped.
"Of course, my Lord," she said with as much grace as she could, inclining her head towards him. "I am honoured."
Lucius escorted him off the property to Disapparate and she watched the two men from the window – one man she loved, the other she feared above any other. Dark times lay ahead, but with her future in the cold hands of the Dark Lord, she hoped they would at least be safe.
It was the warmest day of the year so far, and Narcissa spent the morning riding around the grounds, allowing her mare to canter and jump to her heart's content. An owl arrived mid-morning from Lucius, telling her he would be coming home early from work. She smiled, and tucked the letter in her pocket. The days spent with him since that bitter-sweet morning of her sixth year had been wonderful – he was still the friend she had grown to adore, the lover she had hoped he'd be. She was happier than she could have ever imagined. The time he spent with the Dark Lord did worry her, and he had returned home in the early hours of the mornings ashen-faced and splattered in blood; at those times there was nothing she could do but hold him as he trembled, eyes wide and unblinking. By the morning he would always appear to have recovered, but Narcissa would see the fear in his eyes before he left for the next meeting.
After the Dark Lord's visit, she had attended meetings, but was not required to attend the more gruesome missions, something that Bella took great delight in pointing out. The Dark Lord, however, understood that Cissy not yet had the stomach that was required for such events, but warned her that her time would come soon. Lucius had frowned, and spoke up, saying something to spare her from the activities, not wanting her to see all that he had. He was punished for his speaking out of turn. Narcissa was terrified of what the Dark Lord would do, knowing that he was capable of anything; the combination of his powerful magic and lack of remorse was deadly, even to those who followed him most devoutly, but knew being in his service could only be a good thing. The day that the Death Eaters were unleashed completely on those filthy Muggles was never going to be a day too soon.
It was late afternoon before Lucius arrived home – the sun was beginning to set in the red and purple sky as he appeared with a faint pop before the grand iron gates. Not missing a beat, he stepped through them as if they were smoke, and made up the driveway, ignoring the magnificent white peacock that strutted past him. The front doors swung open as he approached them and a house elf came skidding into view.
"Master," it squeaked. "May I be taking your coat?"
"You'd better," Lucius replied coldly, flinging it to the quivering creature.
"Would Master care for some refreshments?" it asked, stumbling towards the cloak cupboard.
"No, not yet. Where is the lady of the house?"
"Mistress is in the gardens, drawing the last time Dobby saw her, sir," the creature cowered under his fierce glare.
"We are not to be disturbed, Dobby, and you are to see to it," Lucius ordered, striding briskly towards the back of the house, the creature hurrying to keep up with his long steps. "We will take dinner at seven in the private apartments, a cut of beef will do."
"Of course, Master. Dobby is happy to serve the house of Malfoy," it trembled, bowing away from his cruel master.
Lucius didn't give his house elf another thought as he reached the doors leading into the garden. Sat on a bench near the bed of Pelargonium was his wife – his beautiful, intelligent wife. Narcissa had her head bent over a roll of parchment and didn't notice him approaching. Her long blonde hair was hanging over her face and he stopped directly in front of her, smiling.
She saw the brown buckles of his shoes as she glanced up from her drawing through her hair and grinned. Slowly, she sat up straight and pushed her hair away from her face, letting her eyes travel up his tall figure, along his long, robed legs, up his slender torso to his broad shoulders covered in one of his elaborate burgundy jackets. His soft blonde hair rested just below his collarbones and glittered in the evening light, making his pale face look even lighter.
"Husband," she said gracefully, putting her drawing aside and standing up.
"Wife," he replied with a smile, leaning in to kiss her cheek. She closed her eyes briefly as his lips brushed her skin.
"How was your day?" she asked as she took his hand in her own, gently stroking his smooth skin.
"Well enough, until that Weasley tried to charge a member of my staff for some Muggle-related offence," he scoffed. "That man is a complete disgrace; I don't know why the Ministry keeps his department on. A waste of money, if you ask me."
"Things will be better once the Dark Lord is in charge," Narcissa said consolingly, leading him back towards the house along the beds of flowers, "then you can deal with him."
"Indeed," he agreed haughtily, holding his head high at the thought. "The Dark Lord has promised many things to me. To us." He turned with a smile to her. She forced herself to return the smile, trying to push the thought of the price of such rewards from her mind.
They walked across the courtyard and back into the house, hand in hand, and were greeted by another house elf.
"Master, Mistress," it said, cowering away from the pair. "I is knowing not to disturb you, but there is being a letter from the Ministry for Master."
Lucius frowned. "Very well. I'll read t and then join you in our rooms, Cissy." He kissed her lightly on the lips before turning towards the library. Cissy watched him stride away, feeling more at ease than she had for a while – having him near always calmed her, and the Dark Lord had informed them he would not be needed for a week at least.
She walked into their rooms, her long dress sweeping the stone floor silently and settled herself in a chair by the window to watch the sun set.
Within minutes Lucius had burst into the room, a look of elation on his face. "The Minister sent me a letter, Cissy! I got the promotion!"
Her heart leapt. The promotion to Head of Office meant one thing – security. The Ministry would never suspect him of illicit activities; they were free from investigations, house raids and tagging. They were safe. "Oh Lucius!" she cried happily, flinging herself towards him. He caught her in his arms and swept her round in his arms. "I knew you could do it," she said breathlessly as he set her on her feet again.
"Not without you, Cissy," he beamed, looking her in the eye. "You have been the rock I never knew I needed."
She blushed slightly at his words, still not entirely used to his confessions of emotions. He chuckled at her blush and brought up a cool finger to stroke her warm cheek. She looked into his grey eyes and saw real happiness there, feeling it spread completely into her. She brought up her lips to his, pressing gently. His hand wove into her long hair as the other wrapped around her waist, pulling her towards him and rubbing up her back. Their lips parted in the familiar kiss, their tongues starting their immortal dance, hands roaming what belonged to them. Lucius let out a low moan and Cissy pulled away slightly. His eyes were closed, lips parted slightly as he awaited her return. Taking his hand again, she backed towards their bedchamber. Not stopping walking until the backs of her legs hit the mattress she led him and fell back onto the crisp, clean sheets, pulling him with her. His lips pressed against hers again, hotter than before as hands tugged at the ties of her bodice and she reached briefly into her pocket, flicking it at the door and hardly even hearing the slam of the wood on the doorframe as it locked shut. He dragged his lips from hers and ran along the delicate line of her chin, down her neck and along her collarbone. Wordlessly, his strong hands pushed her dress from her shoulders and she lifted herself slightly as he eased it down her body, leaving her bare. The dress dropped to the floor and was soon forgotten. His lips traced down her body, pausing here and there before she could take it no longer and pulled his head back up to meet hers. Cissy made quick work of his clothes and soon they joined the dress at the foot of the bed as a hand crept between her legs. She felt his fingers tease her and moaned into his mouth, hands knotting in his hair as his pace quickened and the feeling inside her grew.
Not being able to take his teasing any longer, she grabbed his hand away and flipped him on his back, easing herself onto him. He groaned her name loudly as they climbed together, allowing his hands to roam up and down her pale body, rubbing her damp skin and relishing the sound of his name on her lips. The tension in Cissy built and built, until finally she leant forwards and captured his open mouth in a mind-blowing kiss, her world shattering around her. He joined her a split-second after her with a throaty groan, arms encasing her automatically as he spilled out inside her. He rolled onto his side and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head as they caught their breath.
"Cissy, you are amazing," he murmured into her hair after long, blissful moments, stroking her bare back.
She whispered something incomprehensible into his neck and he smiled. His wife was never one for many words.
They spent a long time curled up together on the bed, ignoring the call for dinner, not talking, until a nervous knock came at the door. "Master?" a voice squeaked.
Lucius cursed. "What is it?" he called angrily, sitting up and pulling the covers up over them.
"Sorry to be disturbing you, Master, but the Dark Lord is here," the voice replied, sounding terrified. "Dobby has shown him into the drawing room, sir."
Lucius swore loudly. "Fine, Dobby. Tell him I'll be with him in a few moments."
"What can he want with us at this time?" Cissy asked wordily, her buzz effectively killed.
"I don't know, darling, but you'd better make yourself decent too, he may want to see us both," he fretted, pulling on his black robes used for his Death Eater duties.
Ten minutes later, they entered the drawing room arm in arm and bowed their heads to their master. His eyes scanned them coldly and silently led them outside. Once they were outside the perimeter of the estate, he held out his arm to them and they took it without asking where they were going.
The trio appeared in a deserted Muggle suburb lit by orange streetlamps. Out of the shadows came Cissy's sister, Bellatrix, her husband Rodolphus and the young Severus Snape. Bella was smiling coldly.
"Friends," the Dark Lord said, walking to the middle of the road with his arms outstretched. "You may wonder why we are here, in the depths of this Muggle estate." His voice was taunting, as if the idea of Muggle housing was humorous. "I have brought you here, select few, to this place for a number of reasons. The first being Narcissa here."
Cissy looked up from the ground that she had been so determined to look at to avoid any unfortunate eye contact. Lucius shifted, shielding her slightly, his face hard.
"You see," the Dark Lord continued, his dark eyes glistening through the darkness, "Mrs Malfoy is yet to carry out any of my tasks."
Lucius moved again, his face relaxing and shifting away from her this time, seeing where his Lord was going.
The Dark Lord smiled coldly at her. "And that just won't do."
Bellatrix let out a bark of a laugh, looking to her sister. "Oh you'll love this, Cissy," she crowed. The Dark Lord sent her a warning look that hushed her up.
"Secondly, this is the street happens to be the home of the Muggle Minister's family." He indicated to one of the small detached houses on their left. "And we all know how the Muggles depend so much on family."
Rodolphus and Bella gave short laughs at this. Severus forced himself to smile as the Dark Lord's eyes swept over him. Narcissa felt ice spread through her, realising what she must do. Lucius turned his head slightly towards her, checking her mood. He was calm, collected, the strength that she would need. She swallowed, and stepped forward bravely.
"Your task is simple, Narcissa," the Dark Lord addressed her. "Kill them."
The four Death Eaters and Narcissa drew their wands and pointed them at the own faces. Silver masks formed across their cold features, and she nodded. Holding onto her wand tightly, she walked steadily past her sister, past the newly-of-age Severus and up to the front garden path. On the lawn beside her feet sat fat little Muggle gnomes, and she found herself pitying the Muggles inside, before quickly banishing such a thought. Lucius was a pace behind her.
It was gone 11 o'clock at night and the house was empty of light. Raising her hand to the small knocker on the door, she couldn't help but notice the similarities between this house and her own manor. The door was wooden, the walls stone, and the knocker a miniature version of the one that hung on her own door in Wiltshire. The thought of being compared to a Muggle repulsed her, and she lifted the knocker, banging it thrice.
After a few moments, a light flicked on behind the glass in the door and a figure in a dressing gown made its way closer. Cissy felt her heart beating faster and faster as she pulled out her wand, holding it in front of her. Lucius' hand rested, assuring, on her shoulder. A grumbling could be heard from the Muggle. Bellatrix spat on the ground. Severus was lurking by the front gate. The Dark Lord watched from the spot that he had Apparated to. A key was inserted into the lock. The door swung open.
"Yes, how can-"
"Avada Kedavra."
Cissy's cold voice rang out through the house. The body fell to the ground in a flash of green light and the creak of a door came from upstairs.
"Daddy?" said a small voice. "Daddy, who is it?"
Narcissa and Lucius stepped over the man's corpse and scanned the ground floor. The only creature they found was a Golden Retriever in the kitchen. Rodolphus used his strong boots on the gentle beast, a grim look on his face as he pounded down. The noise they made had disturbed those in the upper rooms and as they ascended the stairs they were met by a pale-faced, dumpy woman with brown hair.
"Where's my husband?" she asked shakily, holding one hand behind her back.
"Come on, Cissy. You've made it this far well enough," Lucius whispered in her ear. "Just three more to go, then we can return home."
Narcissa stepped forward, circling the woman until she was trapped between the blonde couple. "He's dead," she said coldly. The woman looked from one to the other, keeping her hand hidden from them both.
"You're lying," she said, her face draining from colour. "I know you are. I didn't hear a gunshot!"
"Dear lady," Lucius drawled, pulled out his wand and pointing it at her. "We have no need for guns and other Muggle rubbish! Your husband lies dead in your doorway." He fingered his snake-headed wand lovingly.
"You're lying!" screamed the woman suddenly, flying at Lucius. She pulled out a small knife from behind her back before he had a chance to aim a spell.
"You foul woman!" screeched Narcissa, her guilt melting away, replaced but fury. The knife in the woman's hand flew into the air and was caught by Severus' spell before it harmed anyone. Cissy shot curse after curse at the woman. The woman fell to the ground where she was, writhing and screaming on the floor. Two pairs of eyes peeped out of a crack between the bedroom door and the frame next to them, whimpering.
"Narcissa, finish it!" Lucius shouted over the woman's screams, backing away from her flailing body.
"Confringo!" Narcissa cried. The end of her wand exploded and the woman was set alight. Her screams stopped quickly. Severus, who was watching the scene from the top of the stairs, looked away. Bellatrix smiled darkly.
"Mummy!" screamed a voice from the room next to them. Narcissa flung the door open, knocking young twin girls to the floor. They looked up at the towering figure and cowered. She killed them quickly, cleanly, and swept out of the room. Lucius stood still for a moment, in shock at the ruthlessness of his wife, seeing the dark fury in her eyes, but gathering himself together quickly, he followed her out. Bellatrix skipped out of the house, chanting various obscenities about the family and Severus followed bleakly. Rodolphus kicked the man's body out of the front doorway and slammed the door shut, setting the house alright from three different points. The Muggle authorities would be baffled by the Death Eaters' activities – as always.
"Morsmordre!" Bellatrix shrieked, casting the spell above the burning house, the flames shining off her twisted face.
The Dark Lord was waiting from them. "Narcissa. That was more impressive than I thought it would be," he said appraisingly. She looked at him blankly, a feeling of numbness spreading through her. "You will be more useful than I thought."
Lucius glanced worriedly at his wife, seeing her strength falter as she began to slump on her sister slightly. "My Lord," he said quickly, bowing his head, "might I take my wife home? Not wishing to be disrespectful to you, but she appears to be drained of everything now. She is not used to anything like this."
The Dark Lord smiled darkly. "She has done well. You may take her home, and I will not be needing your services for a number of weeks now."
Lucius nodded, and stepped towards Narcissa. Bellatrix turned her to him, pushing her almost dead-weight into his arms. He felt her slump entirely onto him and gathered her in his arms before Disapparating home.
She came round a few seconds later, blinking her eyes and looking up at his hard face. She drifted in and out of consciousness and as Lucius placed her in-between their bed sheets, he saw al colour had drained from his face.
Her dreams were plagued with the faces of the people she had killed, the eyes of the children, the engulfing pain in their mother's eyes, the shock of the father as she turned her wand on him. The smell of the fire in the house, the breath of wind as the bodies were stripped of life. The eyes. At 3 o'clock in the morning, she woke up. That's when the screaming began.
I know this is very different to my previous three chapters, and has probably lacked the charm the others have, but I guess that's how it would have been for the Malfoys at this time – less than charming. I hope this hasn't put too many of you off this fic, it will get cheery again at some point! I think, after writing this chapter, I have realised that the times were so much better without Voldy, so maybe they'll only be one more instalment for the moment with him.
Again, thank you all for reading, your reviews, subscriptions and favouriting of this fic really are wonderful, and I dedicate each and every chapter to you, the reader.