"Stay one step behind me at all times," She heard the comforting voice from the night before tell her as the girl sighed, now in clothing that felt nothing less than unnatural to her, a long nearly formal dress, her hair that was normally frazzled and frizzy was now perfectly straightened and pinned back. Even the bright red lipstick she wore felt unnatural as she looked on at the grown man in front of her. "A Malfoy never lets his wife walk beside him, it is his job to take care of her and protect her."
"Do you really feel that way?" She asked as she looked on at Lucius, who less than 24 hours ago was the boy who had made love to her. "That a woman is inferior?"
"Never really thought of it that way Granger," Lucius answers, looking on at his wife instead of Hermione, although he knew that's who it really was.
Narcissa nods her head, looking down at her feet, now ashamed as she followed Lucius down the darkened, damp streets of Knockturn Alley. She couldn't believe it, what he was saying. She was inferior, simply because she was a woman. Because she was, as she looked down at the strange hand that was her own at the ring on her left hand, his wife for now.
"Hold your head high Narcissa," Lucius said in a colder voice, trying to sound more like he knew he should. "You are above these people."
"A Malfoy..." She answers, nearly in disappointment before holding her head high as if with pride. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. Dumbledore had warned them of that, but it still hurt, hearing Draco talk like Lucius. It almost made up for it as he led her up to the darkened storefront, a dirty glass sticking out of one side as Narcissa looked into it, shivering as she saw a skull on display.
"Here," Narcissa says, handing Lucius a gold coin. "In case we get separated."
"A galleon?" He asks, raising an eyebrow in doubt as he looked down at the coin in his hand before looking back up at Narcissa. Was she mad? "What is this for?"
"To know when to meet again," Narcissa answers, "We used them for Dumbledore's Army last year. The numbers there on the side are normally serial numbers so that the goblins can keep track of the money going in and out of Gringotts. I did a simple spell on them so that the numbers change to dates and times, that way we knew when the meetings were. This way, if we get separated or if you get summoned by the ministry," She says with sarcasm, "We know when to meet back up at the cafe."
Lucius nods his head, suddenly understanding why the Inquisitorial Squad was having such a hard time keeping track of when Dumbledore's Army's meetings. It was genius, pure genius. Softly, he put the coin in his pocket with a smile.
"Come on Narcissa," He says firmly as she looks up at the sign above the door. Borgin and Burkes, Established 1603. She smiled slightly as he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding the woman into the over-crowded, dark and dusty store-front. Narcissa looked on at a withered hand sitting on top of a red cushion. Demented looking masks similar to the one Narcissa recognized the real Lucius wearing in the Ministry of Magic lined the walls, each one having a slightly different design covering the face, but the general idea was the same as she moved closer to the Lucius she walked in with, breathing in the familiar scent of fresh parchment from his own over-done clothing for a store such as this.
"Mister Malfoy," A voice called out, almost in a fearful tone as a stooping man with piercing blue eyes and greasy brown hair stepped out from the back. "One of my most loyal customers, and..." The man stopped, looking at Narcissa in shock as he slicked the greasy hair back from his face, exposing even more his blue eyes that Narcissa feared could see straight through her. She reminded herself to keep her mind closed, as Draco had taught her in the basement of the Shrieking Shack as the shop keep stared on at the beauty in front of him, eying her into a discomfort like a piece of fine meat.
"I suggest, unless you want to lose that bottom jaw Borgin, you make it connect with your top one once more." Lucius said coldly, lifting his cane slightly in a threatening manner.
"Ye...yes sir." The man answered, bowing down to Lucius making Narcissa wonder what kind of "My apologies sir, just didn't expect you to bring the Missus in. You never bring the Missus in."
"Yes, well." Lucius answers, his voice cold as he looks over at his wife. "She seemed to have had a special request that she could make with only you." He says, his eyes meeting Narcissa's as she nodded her head, fearful of what the shop keep would try to do once he was alone with her. "You make my wife uncomfortable in the least," Lucius warns, turning back to Mr. Borgin himself, "And I will personally make it to where you get to meet your maker. Do I make myself clear?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes sir," The shop keep answers, "Right this way ma'am." He says, pulling open a curtain as Narcissa looked back at her husband once more before following the shop keep into the back, the curtain dropping behind her, breaking her view of the only thing keeping her together as she had looked on at such horrid sights. Tears well up in Narcissa's eyes as she fights them back, sitting down in a chair at a small table across from the man Lucius was calling Borgin.
"So, you have a special request?" He asked, leaning forward on the table, "One you could only talk to ME about?" He asks, raising an eyebrow as Narcissa felt her blood boiling at the moves the shop keep was already placing upon her.
"I suggest you do as my husband asked." Narcissa answers, her own voice having a sting to it as she crossed her legs like a lady. "I will be sure to tell him if I feel you are the least bit inappropriate, which right now YOU ARE." She said, causing Mr. Borgin to sit up straight as he looked on at the woman. Narcissa knew Lucius didn't have to say that to Mr. Borgin. It wasn't part of their task to keep each other safe, only to complete the task, and that it was his way of still showing he cared.
The man sat up quickly, "Yes ma'am. My apologies. Mister Malfoy is one of our most loyal customers, wouldn't want to upset him. What is it that I can help you with?" He asked, fear now filling his voice as Narcissa realized the scary amount of power Lucius truly held.
"My husband once bought me a necklace from here some time ago." Narcissa answers, her voice that of a lady as she stared down at the shop keep she still had no respect for. "For our anniversary. I seem to have misplaced it." She says, hoping the man would catch on.
"Oh yes," The shop keep answers, thinking back on it. "I think I remember the exact necklace. It was a silver one, if I remember correctly, that held only the rarest of emeralds. Only the best of my products for a Malfoy." He answered with a wicked smile.
"Yes," Narcissa answered, thankful that the shop keep remembered exactly the item, seeing as how she didn't know anything more about it herself other than the fact that it was a necklace, having nothing to base her own description of the necklace off of. "Our anniversary is next week." She tells him, as her and Draco had rehearsed. "It would be a true disappointment to Lucius if I did not have the necklace to wear for such a special occasion." She warns, holding her chin high now. "Is it possible I could get a replica of such a necklace?"
"Let me see what I have," The shop keep answers, stepping away from the desk to another room off to the side of the one where Narcissa currently sat. Curiosity got the best of her as she peaked around the corner of the curtain, looking in to see how Lucius was doing.
She watched as he paced in front of the cabinet, staring up at the dark-colored wooden corner of the cabinet in front of him, it standing nearly two feet over his own personal height. Lucius looked confused as he pointed his wand at the cabinet one last time, only the tip of his wand poking out past his sleeve as she watched his lips move quickly, not a word being said before he started pacing in front of it again, saying another incantation. This one appeared to have worked as Lucius turns around, winking back at his wife as he saw her staring at him.
"Found one," The shop keep answered, causing Narcissa to drop the curtain, quickly turning around and sitting up straight and proper. "How does this look?" He asks, holding up a necklace inside the case, making sure not to touch the necklace itself as Narcissa's eyes grew wide in awe at the sight of such a beautiful necklace.
It was nothing like Draco had prepared her for, emerald beads lining the neck that draped low down the neckline to a rather large gem in the center, shaped similar to a flower. The center most gem was a shining emerald, surrounded by diamond shaped silver slivers, and four emeralds on the outside of the flower. It was beautiful, possibly the prettiest necklace Narcissa had ever seen.
"It's perfect," She answered with a smile. "Looks identical."
"Brilliant, and if you don't mind?" Mr. Borgin asked, taking the necklace out of the case, holding it up as if offering to put it around her neck.
Excitement of wearing the necklace filled Narcissa, having never wore a piece of jewelry so beautiful in all of her life before realizing who she was supposed to be and what she was supposed to be doing there at Borgin and Burkes.
"I think not!" She answers, standing up firmly as she returned to the better-than-thou attitude. She was a Malfoy, she reminded herself, she had to act as such, even just for now. "My husband is not supposed to know I am buying this! How would it look if I walked out with it on!" She reached into her handbag, pulling out the galleons Draco had given her, at least a dozen of them in the small bag, if not two dozen. "Take the money." She demanded of the man, holding her head high. "And wrap the package. My husband is waiting!"
"Ye-Yes ma'am." The shop keep answers nervously, taking the coins from the table as he went back to wrap the package and Narcissa came out from the back, rejoining Lucius finally.
"Did it work?" She asks softly, finally able to talk in her own voice.
"Yes," He answers coldly, looking at the Vanishing Cabinet one last time as Borgin comes out from the back.
"Your purchase is ready." He says, handing Narcissa a bag that she took cautiously, careful not to touch the man's hand.
"What is that?" Lucius asks, eying Narcissa as he knew his father would do.
"A personal purchase," Narcissa answers, "A special something."
Lucius nods, reaching into his pocket, as if to pay the man as him and Hermione had planned, her remembering exactly what Draco had told her to say as she quickly snarled her nose.
"Don't pay the man!" She said firmly, a snarl in her voice matching that covering her face. "He has already been paid for his services which were mediocre to say the least." She tells her husband in disgust, her nose immediately going into the air.
"I see..." Lucius answered coldly, an evil glare in his eye at his wife's response to her service, "Fine, come Narcissa. Draco has already boarded the train. I want to make sure we are there to see him home."
Lucius led the way out of the dark and gloomy store as Narcissa followed onto the cobblestone road, looking down at her feet as she followed Lucius through Knockturn Alley, avoiding eye contact with the spooky and sometimes almost bone-chillingly scary witches and wizards that walked the darkened alleyway, leading her back into the busy street of Diagon Alley and into the darkened Leaky Cauldron where they caught some suspicious glances, wizards shocked that Lucius and Narcissa were downgrading to floo'ing instead of disapparating and they returned back to the Shrieking Shack just in time that the spell wore off.
Hermione looked down at Narcissa's clothes before smiling as she ran over, hugging Draco. "Draco! That was brilliant! No one had any idea!" She said, laughing as he smirked back slightly, the corner of his lip raising in satisfaction.
"I suppose I can act like my father rather well." He said as his smirk turned into a smile. "Really didn't see us being able to play that off so well."
"So, we should probably get headed back now then," Hermione whispers, looking down as the realization hit her that they would eventually have to go back. That Draco hadn't promised her what would happen once they did go back.
"Well, I was thinking." Draco answers, putting a lot of thought into what he was saying before the words came out of his mouth. "And maybe one more night here couldn't hurt. The old koot wouldn't know one way or the other whether we broke the cabinet tonight or tomorrow morning. It would give us one more night together and one more morning at the...that muggle cafe." He says, hoping Hermione wouldn't read too far into what he was saying as she looked up in shock, showing that she had and causing Draco to curse to himself.
"You mean stay another night?" She asks, wiping the tears from her eyes. "What difference would that make Draco? I mean..."
"You mean, you assumed that once we got back we would be able to sleep in the same bed still?" He asks, trying to hide the sting in his voice as Hermione made the realization that it wouldn't be the same once they got back. As she realized that Draco could just as easily ignore her the moment they returned to Hogwarts and no one would know what had happened between the two of them. That he had not only taken her virginity, but made love to her as well.
"So that's it then." She answered as tears filled her eyes and she turned away to hide the single one dripping down her cheek. "We sleep together tonight, go back to Hogwarts and it's like nothing ever happened. I was nothing to you."
"I didn't say that Hermione." Draco answers, wrapping his arms around her as she quickly shrugged him off. "I don't know what's going to happen once we get back to Hogwarts." He said honestly, still playing out in his own head how he was going to protect her from what he knew, for his own family, he had to become. "But you won't just be Granger, the mudblood, to me anymore. You...look, even we are together after all of this," He explains, hoping she would understand. "We won't be able to sleep in the same bed, or eat breakfast together like we can now. Hogwarts wouldn't allow it, Dumbledore wouldn't. I just want one more night of that."
Softly Hermione nods her head, understanding now what Draco was getting at. "Fine," She answers, "We will go back tomorrow."