After
they had kissed, Remus and Narcissa walked around the grounds,
holding hands and talking about things. The morning sky grew lighter,
the few stars that had remained dissapearing within a cloud.
Eventually, they slowed down and stopped by an old tree, it's
branches swaying in the light wind. "I think I love you,"
Narcissa told him dreamily, her eyes sparkling.
His own eyes
appeared to be glittering too. "Only think?" He leant
forward and pressed his lips on hers, pulling her into a tender
embrace. His hands held her waist, her arms wrapping around his
neck.
"WIT-WOO!"
They broke apart to see the
taunting faces of Sirius and James watching them. "Did you get a
photo of that, Padfoot?" James asked, picking up a clump of snow
and throwing it over his shoulder carelessly. It ricoched off
Wormtail's head, causing him to fall over, but James didn't seem
paticularly bothered.
"Think so," replied Sirius,
checking his camera. "Yep, got it right here."
"Seeing
as you went to the trouble Sirius," Narcissa said sarcastically,
"we might aswell see it." Sirius grinned in response and
held up the photograph. Narcissa squinted slightly. It showed her
speaking to Remus with a dreamy expression, then him replying, before
kissing her. Then, there was the flash of the camera, and they
turned, laughing to face Sirius and James.
"Wow, that's
pretty good." Remus commented with a ghost of a smile.
"You
can put it in your - photo book thing, that I gave you," said
James helpfully, pushing his glasses up his nose. Narcissa smiled
warmly at him, nodding in agreeance.
"Bloody hell - it took
old Prongs simply AGES to cotton on about Remus and you, Narcissa,"
Sirius started.
"Yeah - we went on about it for a long time
to him," continued James.
"But hopefully, we won't have
to keep going on at him anymore." Sirius finished, looking
smugly at Remus.
Remus inclined his head, smiling. "No - no
you won't."
James yawned. "So, are you two going out
now?" He put his hand in his pocket to retrieve a Chocolate
Frog. Pressing it to his lips, he took a large, noisy bite out of it,
before surveying the two again.
"Narcissa?" Remus
glanced at her, an eyebrow slightly raised as he remained
inquisitive.
"If you want to, Remus," she smiled.
Her
smile. It was tantilizing him - mocking him unintentionally. He was
part bloody Werewolf - what was he playing at? He couldn't be having
a relationship with someone as pretty and intelligent as Narcissa.
There were so many things to think about that he had just shoved
aside. One of them being his little affliction, or as James called it
'his little furry problem.' Another was the family Narcissa came
from. Pure blood mania. Surely they wouldn't accept him - he was a
Gryffindor, and a cursed one at that. Andromeda was going out with
Ted Tonks, though, and she was from a Slytherin background. Maybe,
maybe
they'd relent.
"Sure," he answered, his face rather hot.
What was he meant to do now - kiss her again? Take her hand and walk
along with her in front of everybody? In front of Lucius and Snape?
Narcissa did not appear to see him dithering, but Sirius and James
did. "Take her
hand, Moony,"
whispered James from the side of his mouth. Remus obeyed, taking her
hand in his own. It was ice cold, whereas his own hand was
suprisingly hot. He felt guilty. It was as if he was leading her on.
Sirius and James truged ahead, forgetting about Wormtail lying in the
snow without another thought.
The
fact that Narcissa Black had kissed Remus Lupin and was now dating
him seemed to spread across the school faster than a killing spell -
everyone seemed to be either whispering about the matter, or watching
her with interest. "Look," Narcissa said fiercely to a few
whispering fourth years who were staring at her as she walked past
them with Sirius, Remus and James, "Do you WANT me to hex you?"
They scattered, terrified. Well, they would
be terrified,
considering her sister was a Death Eater, along with the rest of her
cronies. Bellatrix was, as far as Narcissa was concerned, still
seeing an awful lot of Voldemort - outside of meetings, yet she was
still
going out with Rodolphus. Sirius pointed his wand threateningly at a
third year who mentioned Narcissa, and he shrieked before
scarpering.
"Well, well," said a silky voice from behind
them. "Looks like dear old Lucius will have to forget any chance
he would have with you, Narcissa."
"I - what?"
Narcissa turned around, expecting to be looking at another gossiper,
but she was only to be faced by Severus Snape. "Oh, hello
Severus."
"What do you want, Snivellus?"
Sirius glared at Snape, whose smile unfolded calmly onto his face.
"Calm yourself, Black," Snape replied coldly, his dark
eyes boring into Sirius's, "Or I may have to report you for
hexing innocent children."
"Innocent when they're
DISCUSSING me?" Narcissa said incredulously, her hands resting
on her hips.
Snape paused. "That is rude of them, yes,"
he began, "but innocent none the less." And with that, he
turned away, looking rather smug with himself. His cloak swirled
around him with it's extra long sleeves, making him look ludicriously
bat like.
"What's HIS problem?" James said spitefully,
glaring at Snape's dissapearing back.
Sirius shrugged.
"People
like him don't always need a reason, James." Pulling his wand
out, Sirius examined it absent mindedly, before putting it back.
Remus was smiling beningly, not letting the words people were
speaking bother him more than necessary. "I'm going to the
common room for a while," Narcissa told them, then directing her
goodbye to Remus by kissing his cheek. Sirius and James pretended not
to notice by having a coughing fit. Rolling her eyes, she waggled her
fingers at Sirius and James before departing towards the Dungeons.
After answering the password to a rather grumping looking
portrait, she was permitted into the common room. Bellatrix was
sitting on the emerald couch, ashen faced. Next to her was Lucius
Malfoy, who had been heatedly discussing something with Bellatrix,
but at Narcissa's arrival, his face smiled and the argument ceased.
His eyes were lifeless. No emotion, apart from the wicked smile, was
shown on his aging features. He looked tired. His usually pale skin
had accquired a grey-ish tinge to it. His hair, ususally thick, was
thinning around his head. Bellatrix spoke, eventually, breaking the
awkward silence. "Andy has a fiance - that bloody mudblood!"
Her voice came out several pitches higher than normal, her eyes
brimming with instant hate and dislike to their younger sister.
"What
mudblood?" Narcissa pretended she didn't know Andromeda was
dating the elusive Ted Tonks. She sat on the arm of the couch, her
blonde hair curling neatly around her chest. Bellatrix snorted
impatiently, tossing her dark hair. Her heavy-lidded eyelids seemed
rather tired; they kept drooping. "Ted Tonks. I'm writing to
mother about it - it's inacceptable."
Narcissa was shocked.
"No, Bella, don't. I'll speak to Andy - she has to tell mother
herself. Give her one week or so to do it."
Bellatrix looked
at her suspicously. "Why so tense, Cissy?"
"I'm not
- it's just better if she does it herself." Narcissa replied
quietly.
Bellatrix snorted, and rolled her eyes. "Whatever,"
she pouted, "just make sure you talk to her. You better get
going." She gestured to the portrait door pointedly. "Bye,
Cissy - don't forget, you only have a week."
"Yes, bye
Cissy dearest."
Lucius called to her, his voice like honey. It was more sickening,
rather than sweet. Shuddering, Narcissa climbed out of the portrait,
making her way back to the Gryffindor common room.
