Here is the newest chapter! Sorry again for the delay - I've been a bit hectic, editing the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo and proofreading for work. I'll do my best to get the next chapter wrapped up in a decent time, though.
This chapter is named after the song by Pink, and it is dedicated to my darling Lauren, for her birthday! Love you, dear. -squishes-
The Daily Prophet shook a little between Narcissa's hands. She put the paper down, smoothed it over with a fingertip, took a sip of tea.
Some of her housemates were also reading the news, or their mail; most were not. Cissy had only recently acquired the habit, and though she would never have confessed that, of course, it had been for the likes of today's headline. Three Muggle-borns tortured in Manchester – culprits actively sought. In the picture beneath, a mark stared at her for the first time: a skull painted across the sky, a snake stretching from its mouth. She flipped the paper over. She'd have plenty of time to read that article – later.
Narcissa glanced up, features carefully composed, and looked slowly across the table, focusing briefly on each face to help empty her mind. On one side of her, Cassie was leaning over to chat animatedly with Virgil Greengrass, who listened with his face tilted downwards; a bit further, Lucius discussed with some classmates of his, sipping a cup of tea. She turned her head and met Alcyone Nott's eyes next; the girl was watching her steadily, her lips pursed and her gaze thoughtful. She didn't like that, and stared back until Alcyone glanced away. Then she caught a glimpse of Travers, just two seats down. The two hadn't interacted much since their return to the school, a fact which Cissy was quite thankful for, as she wished to avoid any unnecessary awkwardness. A couple of times, she had caught him watching her and Lucius, his lips set in a tight line. Today, however, he didn't once glance up from the heavy volume he was consulting. All the better.
Narcissa's attention switched back to her plate, but she was distracted again as Cassie burst into laughter beside her. She turned her head; her friend was still talking to Greengrass. Her cheeks were slightly flushed by now, and she wore a small, taunting smile that seemed to make Virgil quite clumsy – she thought his spoonful of porridge might start dribbling into his lap any second, as he kept glancing at his neighbour's face and then away. Narcissa raised an eyebrow, with a mix of amusement and concern at the sight. Pretending she hadn't noticed the slightest thing, she turned back and caught Lucius' eye this time. It was her turn to flush merrily, although there was little rational cause to her having such a reaction every single time.
With a small smile, Narcissa simultaneously pushed the Prophet into her bag and from her mind. She stood, knowing she still had a little while left of freedom before classes began. It only took two minutes before Lucius excused himself as well, and followed her out of the Great Hall and into the quiet corridors. A very nice little while, indeed.
Narcissa shook her head and dramatically buried her face into her hands, resting her elbows on two of the countless manuals that lay open before her, and took all the room on the table. Cassie swatted her shoulder. "Your arm is all over my paragraph."
"We're not going to make it," she replied.
There was a chuckle in response. "With that state of mind, certainly not."
Cassandra leaned back in her armchair, shaking her head. "Who would have thought Slughorn would be so cruel?"
"Sixth year," Cissy replied matter-of-factly, taking a purposefully sinister tone.
"Sixth year," Cassie hummed, glancing aimlessly about. Narcissa decidedly pushed the nearest book away from her and looked up at her friend.
"You're getting along pretty well with Virgil Greengrass," she pointed out.
Cassie blinked, seemingly startled. "What? Oh, yes. He's… nice. I'd never noticed."
"That's lovely," Cissy murmured. "He's a little shy, of course, but very pleasant. His mother is an old friend of mine's."
Cassie had a dry laugh. "Of course. Good families are ever so tightly bound, are they not?"
Narcissa shrugged, reaching for another piece of parchment. Unconspicuously, she watched her friend's face from the corner of her eye. Cassandra's expression had darkened, and she was chewing her lip slightly.
"He seems fond of you," Cissy said airily, after two minutes of silence.
Cassie jumped a little. "What? Oh. Yes, he is very… polite, I suppose."
"I've seen him be polite," Narcissa disagreed. "That's the way he always acts with me. But here there's a difference."
Cassie squirmed a little. "Maybe. Well, it doesn't matter much."
"Doesn't it?"
There was a pause. Then Cassandra looked up. Her gaze was blazing this time, and Narcissa noticed that she had quite nice green eyes. She had never paid much attention to that before.
"I'm not sure," she said in a low voice. "He is nice, indeed. But… it isn't like he seemed willing to take things any further. He probably fears that his family wouldn't approve. A shopkeeper's granddaughter, after all…"
Narcissa hesitated. "Well, it all depends, but I hardly see the problem," she said slowly. "You are pure, and that is what matters most. Of course his mother will be thinking about his prospects already, I suppose. However, we are only sixth-years, and he's a boy. He still has quite some time… He may very well develop more… intimate… acquaintances at the moment, without his family having to get involved right away."
Cassie stared down at her lap. "I wouldn't know," she replied with a hint of bitterness. "You are the one who is familiar with society's politics, after all."
Narcissa shrugged, a bit embarrassed. She wished she could have been more helpful to her friend; but she had already stated her opinion, and the rest was up to Virgil Greengrass and no other. She felt slightly awkward as she watched Cassie grab one of her books, with more energy than was strictly necessary, and pointedly immerse herself in study. She, after all, had Lucius. She had never seen Cassie display extensive interest towards the other sex before, nor had the girl actually expressed vulnerability or want of any kind. There had certainly never been any question of their belonging to different social circles. It suddenly seemed very selfish that she had never imagined Cassie might be anything less than content with her life.
"Perhaps the two of you should talk," she suggested. "Merely to make sure you both see things the same way."
"Perhaps, indeed," Cassie murmured.
She did not add any further comment, and Cissy respected her reserve, going back to her homework with a sigh. She gave up after a short while, though, and decided to go to bed early. Quietly wishing her friend goodnight, she retreated to the dormitory, which seemed to be empty at this hour. Climbing into her canopy, she opened a book. Neatly, discreetly tucked inside were several notes of Lucius', her father's letter, and a quick, flippant one from Bellatrix. She unfolded one of the parchments, smoothing it over carefully.
"Hey, Narcissa."
Cissy gave a startled cry, dropping the book, which clattered to the floor. Apparently, she had been wrong to assume she was alone. Alcyone Nott had just leaned out of her bed to talk to her. The girl had a letter on her lap as well, and she was clutching it tightly, while peering at her.
"Hello, Alcyone," Narcissa said stiffly. "What do you want?"
"Well, we are quite alone in here, I just thought I'd say hi." She shrugged.
"All right. Hi." Cissy pursed her lips and bent down to retrieve her book. When she straightened up, Alcyone was looking away, but she had a feeling she was still being watched.
"Tired as well, weren't you?" her housemate inquired.
"Most of us are. This is a very demanding year," Cissy pointed out matter-of-factly.
"Quite right."
An uncomfortable silence fell over the dormitory. Narcissa could not relax with the other girl there, and yet she was fiercely determined not to let it show. She also was quite surprised that Alcyone had made no venomous allusion to her cousin as of late: she suspected it was because she feared the comeback would be about her ex-boyfriend's new fiancée. Indeed, Cissy did not consider herself above making such a comment, should the situation call for it. The year would not be easy on her, but she was pushing her way forward, knowing that she had Lucius and Cassie, and she would be all right; those were the only things that mattered. She would not allow the likes of Alcyone Nott to get to her.
The door burst open, and the latter's sidekicks, Stevens and Smith, barged in, talking loudly. Narcissa sighed and pulled the curtains of her canopy tightly shut; however, she could still hear them. Alcyone's voice did not join in, thankfully.
Cissy curled up under the sheets, the book containing the letters close to her side, and squeezed her eyes shut. It took her a while to succeed in stopping to think, as always, but eventually she managed.
"Not another prank!" Narcissa exclaimed, aggravated, stepping out of the way of a balloon aiming for the group of Slytherins.
The ball exploded, drenching a bunch of fourth-year girls with a thick, translucent and sour-smelling liquid, causing them to screech in chorus. Muttering a profanity under his breath, Lucius drew his wand, and let go of her arm.
"I've got to sort this out," he told her, "you should get somewhere less… messy."
She nodded her agreement, quickening her pace in the hope that she would avoid falling prey to a stupid practical joke as well. She dashed through the corridors and only paused once she had reached a staircase, peering back towards the little group of Slytherins. Knowing the dangers of a false impression of safety, she did not take much time even then, but rushed as far away as she could. She thought she heard a muffled giggle on her way, yet there was no one there: the culprit had remained unseen. Sodden Gryffindors. She shuddered at the main idea of that stinking substance touching her clothes, her hair.
"I swear to you, I will have them expelled or skinned alive if I can get my hands on them," Lucius ranted a bit later, having caught up to her on his way to class. "I am used to dealing with pranks from this kind of brainless baboons, but this is over the top – there have never been so many that early in the year before. All aiming for our house. And I won't be able to keep under control the imbeciles who crave retaliation for much longer, either. Really, I am all for healthy inter-house competition and getting those Gryffindors as nasty as we can, but there is Quidditch for that very purpose. If I see any more stinking glue today, I might stick it down some innocent bystander's throat."
"I agree with you," Narcissa murmured, shuddering. "Come any closer to identificating them?"
"I suspect the culprits are rather young. Well, immature, of course, but even seventh-year Gryffindors are about as mature as the next Crup, so that hardly helps. Their magic is creative, but still very basic – simple spells, with a twist. Just Wingardium Leviosa, for instance – this filthy stuff in the balloons had certainly been bought, not brewed. Some new students… It's all way too cocky for first-years, though…"
A sinking suspicion seeped into Narcissa, but she kept it to herself. "That's all rather surprising," she said neutrally.
"Isn't it?" Lucius retorted. "I'll find out who is behind this, though, believe me. I am really sick and tired of that childish mayhem."
Cissy nodded along to his words absent-mindedly.
In the following weeks, the Slytherin prefects declared open war on the prankers. There was no proof that Gryffindor was indeed the house to be held responsible, but nobody really had a doubt, and the lions' mocking smirks did nothing to ease the suspicions. Lucius and the others often roamed the corridors, keeping watch and clearing the dungeons of Dungbombs, their jaws tightly set. It was clear that if anyone was caught, depending on who got their hands on them first, they might land in the hospital wing sooner than in a teacher's office. That was partly the reason why Narcissa eventually gathered her resolve and grabbed a hold of Sirius between classes, demanding to know whether he was informed of anything about what was going on.
"Hey, leave me alone! I have no idea," he protested, trying to flee.
"You don't fool me. I'm sure you know." She took a deep breath. "In fact, I really hope you are not involved, Sirius."
He grinned wickedly. "Wow, that's some credit you give me. I'm flattered, Cissy."
"This isn't funny!" She wanted to shake him. "You spend more than enough time in detention already, and you are really starting off the wrong way. If some of my classmates get their hands on the people who have been making our life hell for the past few weeks, it won't be pretty and I don't want to think you're part of this!"
"Aw, she's concerned. Isn't that sweet?"
"Sirius," she growled. "I'm giving you a warning. If you've got any brains, you will pay attention to it. I am not trying to make you tell on others, but please, please, stay away from that kind of nasty business."
He had a little laugh that sounded maddeningly patronizing to her. "Warning heard and heeded, cousin dear," he replied, pulling his best innocent face. "Can I go to class now?"
She scowled at him. "Yes. Get out of my sight."
As Sirius scurried away, it suddenly dawned on her that she had managed to catch him without James Potter this time. That mere fact was unusual enough to make her pause and ponder the implications – then she rushed through the corridors, wanting to catch Lucius before the bell rang.
"Did anything specific happen during the break?" she asked right away as she ran into him in the staircase.
He frowned at her. "Dungbombs. Quite minor, but still – it hardly ever stops." His face darkened.
Narcissa nodded, thinking hard and fast. She couldn't tell whether this was good or bad – Potter, who had become as good as Sirius' shadow, wouldn't have left him for no reason. There might have been another perfectly reasonable explanation, and yet she was sure her conclusions were correct. Potter was definitely implicated. But if he was, was it possible that Sirius would get left behind? Hardly likely – they probably merely took turns, watched out for one another. She wanted to groan at the notion. Such ill news. Well, at least they were only involved in the smaller tasks.
Lucius waved a hand in front of her face. "Narcissa?"
"Sorry, what did you say?" she replied automatically, blinking.
"I was asking whether you'd seen anything suspicious." He raised his eyebrows.
"Oh no. Nothing," she responded a bit too hastily. She could tell he wasn't quite convinced.
"All right then," he said slowly. "I'll see you tonight in the common room?"
She nodded happily, both relieved to be getting away and pleased by the idea of spending time with him later. He leaned in to kiss her, and dashed off; she nearly had to run as well, so that she might make it to class on schedule.
When she arrived in the dungeons that evening, Cissy rushed through her homework, willing to be able to relax and make the best out of her time with Lucius. Her head was too full, and the necessity of always being on her guard so that she would not fall prey to a nasty prank was putting her on edge. However, she might have spared the effort, for Lucius returned rather late from his rounds with the other prefects, only to get to some homework of his own. She sat next to him by the fireplace, watching him from the corner of her eye. His hair was falling over his face, and she could see the curve of his wrist as his hand glided across the parchment, scrawling essay after essay. She blushed a little at her own silliness, glancing away. She should have been doing something useful, instead of peeking at her boyfriend like a common girl.
"All done," he declared a little while afterwards, startling her out of her reverie.
He pushed his books away and stretched wearily, glancing around at the scarcely populated common room. He gave her a crooked little grin. "Come here, will you?"
Although she was certainly eager to comply, Narcissa made a point of raising an eyebrow at him before rising slowly and gracefully, her head held high. She moved to the armrest of his seat, and he smiled up at her, snatching her hand to drop a kiss on its back. He kept their fingers laced, resting on his lap, slightly stroking her wrist with his other hand. Cissy hummed under her breath. She rather liked the way he managed to always strike the balance between respect and slight possessiveness.
"Productive evening, then?" she inquired lightly.
He shrugged. "Essays, rounds. Same old."
"Nothing new?"
"Nothing." He snorted, needing no further prompting to broach the subject. "I cannot quite figure out how they're managing this. Those tricks are not that clever, really – quite plain, even. It is only surprising that they aren't getting caught. It is as though they were invisible – but Homenum Revelio would work in that case. We have been thinking of leaving actual traps, but then it is us the teachers would turn against."
Narcissa scoffed. "The irony. And I suppose they still aren't doing anything?"
"Haven't moved a finger since McGonagall gave that ludicrous little warning talk in the Great Hall. And making ever so clear that she was speaking as Deputy Headmistress, not particularly thinking of her house, too."
"Oh, of course not."
He sighed, reclining in his seat. "They only say that they are watching out, but cannot do anything until someone gets caught. And of course we are supposed to be satisfied with that. The whole thing really is getting on my nerves, believe me."
Cissy nodded, adjusting her posture so that she might lean a bit closer to him. He eyed her thoughtfully. "You know," he said in a pensive tone, "Snape has hardly been leaving me alone lately. He is convinced that your cousin and that Potter boy have something to do with this mess."
Her stomach dropped. Narcissa straightened up, and fought to compose her features into a suitable expression of surprise. "You are not serious."
"Indeed, I am," he replied. "Those boys simply loathe one another. I believe Snape would say or do anything to get Potter and young Sirius in trouble. However, he is also very clever, and he knows better than to lie to me about such a subject – or to any of the older Slytherin students, for that matter. He is genuinely convinced of their involvement."
"And what is his evidence?" Narcissa asked sceptically.
"He has been listening carefully to everything that was said around him – do you remember when I was wondering if some fairly new students weren't behind this, too? Well, it seems to fit. The level of skill required to perform the curses… the immaturity – though we both know that mature behaviour is hardly a Gryffindor trait, so that one argument can be considered as questionable… and the fact that nothing had ever happened on this scale before. I remain convinced that a first-year would have been scared off by the fierce reactions and the obvious danger in continuing their activities by now, but perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps the younger they are, the less likely to stop and think about what they are doing, realize the consequences of getting caught. Pure rashness and arrogance, with little experience of the school's rules and everyday life…"
He trailed off, looking troubled. He gazed silently into Narcissa's face for a moment; she had honestly no idea what he might see there. She felt frozen. Eventually, an unhappy frown creased his brow.
"You think I might be right, don't you?" he asked.
"I have honestly no idea," she murmured. "This is unsettling, indeed."
"It certainly is. I know you talked to your cousin today… Did you happen to sense anything off in his behaviour?"
She flinched. "Have you been spying on me?" she said automatically.
Lucius' eyes widened in shock, and he sat up. "Don't be absurd," he replied rather sharply, "I do hope you know I would never do such a thing. Catulla, another prefect, merely mentioned in conversation that she'd seen you with him, and that you should attempt to get information for us. I told her I would talk to you about it, but I know better than to use you as a means to find out something about Sirius. Hopefully you realize that."
She flushed. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "I probably overreacted."
"It's all right." He squeezed her hand lightly. "You do think it is him, don't you? I can see you are getting more and more anxious."
Silence answered him. He sighed.
"Narcissa, you matter more to me than catching a silly prankster does. I won't throw your cousin to the wolves, I know it would hurt you, and be quite unpleasant for your family as well. You don't need that. But if I have all the information, we could try to stop him before someone else does."
She took a deep breath. "He denied everything," she said faintly. "But I didn't buy it."
"Did you see Potter as well?"
"No, they weren't together… for once."
"When was that?" he asked suddenly.
"During the morning break."
"The Dungbomb break."
She nodded and sighed. He pursed his lips in thought.
"Do you think anybody else might suspect him?" she suddenly asked. She threw a nervous glance around the common room. It was now empty but for the two of them, and they had been talking in low voices anyway. However, she still felt slightly paranoid.
"No, certainly not seriously. They are all like me, speculating, but reluctant to admit first-years could have such nerve – too reluctant to look too closely at this set of options. I only thought of Sirius because you've told me about him before. It was easy then to realize that his personality might fit."
"No immediate danger, then," she breathed.
"Not until they get caught."
Narcissa nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. "I do trust you – more than you probably think. I just got so edgy. I am sick of always having some nagging worry at the back of my mind, to be honest."
"I understand," he replied softly. "Just remember that I'm on your side."
She smiled a little. "I know that."
"Good. Then let us forget about it all for a moment, shall we?" His hand tightened around hers. "Just you and me."
She leaned closer against Lucius' shoulder, her balance precarious. He pulled slightly on her wrist, an invitation rather than an actual tug. They were alone, and Cissy decided that she had deserved a moment's rest from propriety. She let herself slide onto his lap.
His arm slipped around her waist, and she snuggled against him. Her hair was falling into his face; he brushed it back and caressed the nape of her neck. Narcissa pressed her mouth to his. One of his hands slid across her back, making her arch a bit closer. Eyes tightly shut, she took him in fully: his warmth, the solidity of his chest against her, the taste of his lips, his scent – a subtle mix of sandalwood and cedar. Everything fell away but Lucius and herself; the outside world was reduced to an abstract idea. She was losing breath, and they broke the kiss for a moment, their foreheads brushing.
"Narcissa," he whispered. She opened her eyes and gave him a questioning look, but he only stared at her, before leaning in for another kiss. She curled closer to him again, her pulse racing. One of her hands was now pressed against his chest; she could feel his heartbeat echoing her own. The frantic rhythms matched in staccato harmony.