Title: An Opportunity

For: Dramionefan4life/Tiff

House: Ravenclaw

Name: Rosawyn/Rosa

Narcissa Malfoy paced before the marble fireplace in the parlour, eyes darting about warily. Her black skirt swished around her ankles, whispering in the quiet. When she saw her husband standing framed in the doorway she stopped and stood still, fixing him with an intense stare, her hands tightening into fists at her sides.

He opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, he then closed it again with a sigh, stepping into the room and closing the polished wood door behind him. He walked to the ornate sideboard and poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey, quirking a questioning eyebrow in her direction while holding the decanter over a second glass. She shook her head fiercely, her lips compressed into a thin line and her face even paler than usual. He shrugged, set the decanter down, and took a sip of his drink.

"How could you make such a decision without consulting me?" she demanded, her heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she advanced on him. Her dark blue eyes flashed with fury.

He sighed, sitting carefully in a dusky green velvet high-backed armchair, tapping his walking stick against the side of his leg as he looked up at her. "It was an opportunity I simply couldn't pass up. I was in the right place at the right time, and I seized it."

"I am your wife! I should have some say in whether or not you bring another child to live under our roof." She ran her perfectly manicured nails through her hair, leaving several strands askew.

"I suppose I could have asked your opinion had you been there, but sadly you were not." He took another sip of Firewhiskey, then set the glass on an end table.

"Have you even considered the consequences?" She glared down at him. "It's not like we can just send him back if we grow tired of his company!"

He quirked one side of his lips up in a small smirk. "I should say not. That Muggle house no longer exists, to say nothing of the people who once lived there. It's quite fortunate the children were at the park when it happened—even 'The Boy Who Lived' may not have gotten out of that scrape in one piece."

She frowned, cupping one hand under her chin. "He had a cousin, didn't he?"

"Yes, but we can't very well bring a Muggle child into our home. He'll be a ward of court; I'm sure they'll find some...fitting Muggle family for him." He flicked a stray piece of lint off of his knee, then focused his attention on her once again.

Narcissa's shoulders visibly relaxed as she let out a sigh. "It's good to see you haven't completely lost your mind at any rate. But why even take the half-blood? Couldn't Dumbledore have found someone else—?"

"Ah, but of course Dumbledore would have found someone else had I not spoken up when I did, my dear." He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.

She sniffed and placed her hands on her hips. "It's easy enough for you play the noble philanthropist and say we'll take him in and then leave me with the day to day responsibilities of a second seven-year-old to care for. He won't even be going to school for another four years."

"Oh, you'll hardly notice he's here; Dobby will deal with most things, so don't fret. Apparently, the Muggles had him living in a horrid little cupboard and used him as a servant. Can you imagine that? Muggles, presuming to order a Wizard about as though they had some right?" Lucius made an indignant sound.

Narcissa just looked at him, her face blank.

Lucius started chuckling. "You should have seen his eyes when I showed him his new bedroom. You'd think the poor boy had never seen such opulence. And he thanked me ever so politely...remarkable for a boy who's been through such a recent shock. I fixed his glasses for him too—apparently those loathsome Muggles couldn't be bothered to buy him new ones, no matter how shabby he looked—and I don't think I've ever seen a child's face light up with such wonder. He had no idea he was a Wizard or that any of our world even existed." His voice softened and he had a faraway look in his grey eyes as he repeated, "No idea."

"Lucius," she said, finally sitting down in another chair, facing him, her shoulders hunched and her hands clasped in front of her. "Please just tell me why."

"Who better than our family to nurture and guide a young Wizard? It will be good for Draco as well to have a companion, a playmate of sorts. And besides..." He sat further forward in his chair, his eyes gleaming. "It is quite possible he's the Chosen One, the one who can defeat the Dark Lord."

She frowned, her brow wrinkling, and her eyes darted to her husband's wrist—it was covered with his sleeve, but they both knew what mark lay hidden there. "And do we want that, Lucius? Do we want him to defeat the Dark Lord?"

Lucius smiled with a glint of pleasure in his eyes as he leaned back in the chair, steepling his fingers in front of him. "That, my dear, we will have to see."