The smell of velvet roses and citrus oranges danced around the small boat, waking Narcissa properly. She moaned and opened her eyes, quickly regretting it as the daylight blinded her. Narcissa closed her eyes again and sat up on the bed, wrapping the large duvet around her as best she could without looking at it. She noted the absence of her husband beside her and added it with the sizzling coming from the little kitchen to decide Lucius was cooking. She opened her eyes again, this time slowly, prepared for the light. She pulled on her dressing gown, covering herself up. Candles and rose petals still lay scattered around the floor, reminding Narcissa that the events of last night had not been part of some dream she had confused with reality. Behind Lucius was a small table set for two, he looked around and gestured for her to take a seat. She did as she was told and watched as he continued to cook. The last few weeks had been similar and undisturbed, seeming to blend together in a blur. Narcissa would wake in the early hours of the afternoon. Lucius would cook for the both of them, they would eat together and then spend the rest of the day together. They would watch the sunset together and talk about their future. They had, on the second day of the honeymoon decided they would try for a child. Lucius had stated clearly that he wanted a boy but Narcissa secretly hoped for a girl. Hoped for a girl? She didn't even know if she was pregnant yet, and she was hoping for a girl? They had only tried twice and already, on the last day of their honeymoon, Narcissa was already thinking of genders and names. She sat, looking at Lucius while trying to picture their future children. Presuming they would be blond as both her and her husband were, she hoped they would inherit her eyes, rather than Lucius' grey ones.
"Are we having a staring contest or am I just that irrisistable that you can't take your eyes off me?" He smirked at his blushing wife and handed her a plate.
"No. I was just thinking, blue eyes are much prettier than grey ones."
"I don't aim for pretty Narcissa."
"I can see that," she laughed, sipping coffee.
"If I didn't know any better I'd think that were an insult dear." Narcissa rolled her eyes and began to eat. She had to admit it, Lucius could cook. But then, she could only compare him to her mother and the house elves at Hogwarts. She would compare it to her own cooking, but that would be biased. Leaving this little boat to return to Malfoy Manor would be sad. They had only been there for a matter of weeks but to Narcissa, it was more homely than the mansion ever seemed. It was cosy and intimate. Unlike the large house, yes, it was elegant but it lacked something. Narcissa never thought it was home. True, she lived there and it was a grand house but it was never home. She would have to change that before the children arrived, she thought.
"Do we have a nursery at the manor?" She thought out loud and bit her lip when she realised Lucius had heard, annoyed that he found it amusing how much she thought about it. It had certainly been his idea to start a family, but Narcissa knew that he simply wanted an heir. Somebody, no, not somebody, a boy to follow in his footsteps and to become a miniture Lucius.
"Of course we do dear. The Malfoys have lived in Malfoy Manor for centuries. Where else would the children be raised into proper adults?" Narcissa shrugged, unsatisfied with his response. She felt like she had asked if they had a shed to raise cattle, not a nursery to care for their unborn children. She would have to check, and possibly redecorate when they got "home".
Looking around the room, it looked no different from the rest of the house. It was cold and didn't seem to resemble a nursery. How any child could have a happy childhood here was beyond Narcissa. Of course, it wasn't meant for a happy childhood. It was meant to accomodate the child's needs, but not spoil them. There was a dark, wooden cot in one corner of the room and a changing table in another. There were no toys and very few books that seemed suited to a playroom. The hangings were green and silver, while the large persian rug that consumed the majority of the room was a dark blue and black. Dust hung on most of the furniture, lingering in the air. Apparently, Lucius had been the rooms last occupant. Narcissa waved her wand swiftly, freeing the air of the dust and the endless shelves too. She changed the sheets in the cot to a yellow and put above it a mobile with several famous quidditch players zooming round. She then lightened the drapes and rug, stepping back into the large doorway. Deciding it was suitable for now, as she was doubtful that she was even pregnant yet, Narcissa went downstairs early for dinner. It had been three weeks since they returned from their honeymoon and it was almost October. Leaves were starting to fall from trees, flattering the gardens in many colours. It was a refreshing change to have bright reds and oranges about, as opposed to dull greens and browns. She was hungry, even though she was almost an hour early for dinner. She looked out at the trees and decided she wanted to paint the nursery red. Playing with her fingers at the dining table, Narcissa called Dobby.
"Dobby, I want some food. What have you been doing all day? I called you before and you never came."
"Dobby is awfully sorry Mistress! Dobby was cleaning up dirty, messy leaves from outside for Master Lucius! Master told Dobby not to respond to other requests until Dobby had finished."
"And are you finished now, Dobby?"
"No, Mistress. But Mistress had been calling for a long time and Dobby did not want to upset Mistress!"
"Thank you for your concern Dobby, but you really should have continued with the leaves."
"Dobby is eternally sorry Mistress, Dobby has dissapointed his masters and Dobby must be punished!" With that, Dobby ran into the wall at an alarming speed. What could Narcissa do? She couldn't let the elf injure itself because she'd called it.
"Dobby, stop!" Dobby stopped still and turned to face her.
"Would mistress like food for Master Lucius and the guest early too?"
"Guest? What guest Dobby?" Dobby pointed to the doorway, where Lucius stood, swinging his cane absentmindedly. Next to him was a small woman. She had dark frizzy hair and wore a dark apron.
"Narcissa, this is Nurse Winnie." He turned his gaze upon the small house elf, who was at this point, hiding slightly behing Narcissa's leg. "Dobby, forget the leaves and the food. Go get some tea." Dobby nodded and clicked his wrinkled fingers before vanishing.
"Lucius, I don't need a nurse. I am in perfectly well health. You're not sick are you?"
"Narcissa, Nurse Winnie will be performing a pregnancy test on you. We have, after all tried for a boy."
"Lucius we have tried for a baby twice. It is rather unlikely that I am pregnant."
"I have a feeling about this Narcissa. Our boy is on the way!" Narcissa scoffed at her husbands ignorance but followed into the bathroom regardless. Narcissa lay on the bed conjured by the middle-aged witch and lifted her shirt. The older witch rubbed a potion into her stomach before waving her wand and muttering under her breath. A bright light glowed from Narcissa and swirled in the air before receding back into her stomach and leaving Narcissa looking up at the nurse, utterly confused.
Ok. I know it's been a while and it's the shortest chapter to date. But I really didn't know what to write. I really need to plan the next chapter better than "last day of Honeymoon & Find out pregnant."
Way to go with the planning skills, Josie! Real good. Anyway, there it was. It's kinda cruddy but hey, Haters gon' hate.