Hello! So, um, I'm alive. And I'm sorry. This fic isn't dead, and I never meant to drop it for so very long. Four months… Yeah. To be fair, I've been busy editing the novel I wrote for NaNo, working as a translator and finishing another huge fic I was struggling with—but it's still not really an excuse. On a more positive note, now that I've gotten back to Hearts, I'm making a lot more progress and I've already been working on the chapter following this one, which means the update delay should be something fairly decent again. Hopefully you'll enjoy this!
Reminder: in ch. 16, we've seen Slytherin House fall prey to regular pranks, which Lucius and Narcissa strongly suspect Sirius and his friends to be responsible for. We've also learnt of the beginnings of a love interest between Cassie and Virgil Greengrass.
Chapter title comes from the song by Bloc Party.
"Narcissa."
Lucius' voice came unexpected as Cissy was hurrying through corridors, on her way to class. The urgency of it made her heart leap in alarm, and she whirled around to face him.
"Your cousin is in the hospital wing," he simply said. "Come with me."
Narcissa's hand flew to her mouth. For a minute she couldn't speak for shock, and Lucius reached out for her wrist impatiently.
"Please, he will be all right, but we might want to hurry," he urged. "Would you mind excusing Narcissa to her next teacher if she turns out to be late?" he added, turning to Cassie.
"Of course not. I will notify them."
"Very well. Thank you." He pulled her after him, and Cissy followed, limp from shock.
"Have no fear," Lucius stated as soon as they were alone in a deserted corridor. "Your cousin and his group of friends had a run-in with young Severus Snape. The latter was trying to catch them in the act of one of their pranks. The little fools had a fight, but all they managed was to topple down the stairs. Madam Pomfrey must have fixed them by now. Still, they are all stuck there together. If we must find a moment to reason with them, this is as good a chance as we might ever get."
Narcissa nodded, fingers curling around his. They were quick to reach the hospital wing, and Lucius led her directly to the corner where five sullen-looking boys were sitting each on a bed. Madam Pomfrey was fussing over one of them, a Gryffindor from the pair that was always following Potter and Sirius around. She straightened up as the Slytherins neared them.
"Quite unnecessary, Mr Malfoy," she stated. "Those careless little ones are fine."
"I understand that, but Miss Black here was very worried," Lucius said smoothly. "I have permission from Professor Slughorn to bring her to see for herself that her cousin is all right, as I was coming back to escort Mr Snape to class anyway."
"Mmm," the nurse said curtly. "Very well. I shall only be keeping Mr Black, Mr Pettigrew and Mr Snape here to rest for ten more minutes. You can stay with them during that time. Then it'll be back to class for everyone, and no more funny business. Mr Potter, Mr Lupin, you may go already."
Pomfrey walked briskly away. Under Narcissa's glare, Potter and Lupin slid off their beds, but Lucius raised an authoritative hand. "Not so fast, gentlemen. We all have matters to discuss here."
They glanced at each other, with looks of shocked innocence. "McGonagall has already been here for our punishments," Potter said. "You only just missed her."
"Oh, I know."
"So there is no more reason to keep us," Lupin intervened. "You don't have that power."
"I think you will find I have more power at the moment than you think, Mr Lupin," Lucius drawled. "Please sit down."
Raising an eyebrow, Lupin obliged. Potter did likewise with a scowl.
"Are we reaching the point of this visit, then?" Sirius jeered from his bed. He looked just fine, bruises slowly receding on one side of his head. "That's funny, Narcissa doesn't look that sick with worry to me."
"Oh, but she is, Mr Black," said Lucius. "And you know why. Because her cousin is walking a dangerous path."
Sirius snorted. "Yeah? Well, not that it isn't sweet of her to be concerned, but besides falling down a flight of stairs, nothing much happened to me lately."
"Yet," Lucius replied. "Let us be honest with each other. Everyone in this room knows that the lot of you is behind the pranks that have been targeting Slytherin House since September."
Potter roared with laughter. "Are you honestly thick enough to buy this fellow's tales?" he asked, pointing to Snape, who sat quietly on his bed, eyes focused on Lucius. "Wow. I didn't know that greasy, jealous first-year gits had that much influence in Slytherin. That's pretty interesting."
"Do be quiet, Mr Potter," Lucius said pleasantly. "Madam Pomfrey left us ten minutes and I have no intention of wasting more of my time on you. Now, I can assure you I took things rather seriously and I do not throw accusations at random. As we are all well aware, there is no tangible evidence and therefore no teacher can step in. However, my housemates can, and are frankly dying to. They haven't caught anybody thus far—it is Mr Snape's theory, I believe, that some kind of undetectable invisibility device is coming into use—but I am certain that having specific individuals to watch out for will help them quite a lot." He paused. "This is where we stand right now and I could very well have left it to that. I am here today as a favour to Miss Black. Narcissa would be very distressed, should anything bad happen to her cousin, and I believe that it might not be necessary to come to such extremities. Therefore, I am here to warn you. Very shortly, a select few of my housemates will be made aware of my conviction about this whole business. Without evidence, we shall certainly not undertake any rash actions against first years. However, we will know who to look out for. It would surely be most convenient for every last one of us if the pranks were to cease before any further developments. But should they carry on, there will be consequences. You were wondering earlier about influence in Slytherin House. I can assure you that the word of Lucius Malfoy is one always carefully listened to, even while presenting a theory that might sound… dubious… to the outsider. However, I have no delusion over the limits of my power. Should my classmates finally catch in the act the culprits of the pranks we have had to endure all year, even I won't be able to keep things from turning… passably messy."
Lucius made a small bow. "That is all, I believe. Have a good day, gentlemen. Mr. Snape, with me. Narcissa, do you want a word with your cousin in private?"
"She's just fine," Sirius intervened before Narcissa had the time to open her mouth. "Nothing much to say."
Cissy hesitated, then nodded. "Please, be reasonable," she told Sirius, who pointedly looked away. She turned back to Lucius. "We can go."
Flanked by Severus Snape, they walked away and left the hospital wing. "Off you run, Severus," Lucius said as soon as they were out. "I assume you know the way. As for that little group, like I said, I'll take it from here. No use getting in situations where you'll be one against four. I thought you had more sense than that."
"It isn't as though anyone had believed me before," Snape pointed out. "I had little choice. Thankfully you found better testimonies, though, as it seems." He eyed Narcissa.
"Indeed, I have," Lucius said curtly. Snape scurried off without another word.
Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am hoping this will be the rather satisfactory conclusion to this whole business. Do you feel ready to share my optimism?"
"I definitely wish so." Narcissa's arm curled around his own, and she leaned against his shoulder, breathing deeply. "Thank you. Thank you for trying, no matter what happens. And I do believe… I do think they'll be careful. I'm not sure they'll entirely stop, and that's what frightens me. But they don't have a death wish."
"That sounds like an accurate analysis," he said softly. "We'll have done our best. What class are you heading to again?"
"Runes." She checked her watch. "But I'm already quite late."
He grinned. "I have History of Magic. What is our hurry…"
"For shame, Mr Malfoy." She lightly pinched his arm, and they sat in a secluded niche in the wall, mostly concealed from the eye of the random passerby. Cissy rested her head against her companion's shoulder, her hair spilling there and tickling his neck. He stroked the silky strands absent-mindedly.
"The winter holidays are drawing near," he said in a pensive tone.
"Already. I feel like I have only just set foot in the castle again, it all went by in such a rush," Narcissa commented.
He had a dry chuckle. "Quite right," he agreed. After a pause, he went on: "I assume your family will gather and need to stand united, and I respect that. I was simply wondering whether you think you might take two days away. I would quite like to invite you over to Malfoy Manor. Sometime before New Year."
A bit shocked, she twisted around to look at him. "That is rather serious." She had been briefly at Malfoy Manor; never before had she stayed the night. Such an occasion carried a quite official weight, that was usually left to engaged couples.
"Yes, I am aware," Lucius replied coolly. "I think it appropriate, and I believe our families should as well. But if it is too early or coming at the wrong time for you, I will understand."
She hesitated. "Have you asked your parents already?" she inquired, buying time.
"No. I thought it best to wait for your approval."
Narcissa felt strongly conflicted. Of course spending more time with Lucius would always be a very appealing prospect; nevertheless, she didn't feel quite at ease with Circe and Abraxas Malfoy. That might actually have been another reason to accept, for she did wish to get somewhat closer to them. The official side of the idea, in itself, did not bother her; it felt a bit dizzying, but Lucius was in his last year of school, and he was visibly serious in his relationship with her. Although she wasn't actually self-assured enough to picture their future yet, she could not imagine being without him either. And there was another thing she couldn't quite push from her mind: picturing herself in a wide room at Malfoy Manor, she kept coming back to memories of being alone in the common room with Lucius, of melting into his arms, his hands on her back, on her hip, his lips and the white-hot coils curling and unfurling at the very pit of her stomach—the warmth spreading goosebumps and foreign sensations, her skin ever so sensitive. Her mind felt lost at such moments, and although she trusted her own sense of control and Lucius' responsibility, she still feared, despite herself, to let go and get carried away.
His fingers brushed her shoulder delicately. Narcissa jumped a little, remembering that she had not given him an answer. "I'm sorry," she said at once. "I was… lost in thought."
"That's all right," he answered smoothly. "I shall leave you time to think about it, perhaps?"
She hesitated. "Yes, that might be best," she confessed. "I do want to go… but…"
"No problem," he told her soothingly. "I am no fool, Narcissa. I realize that this is quite the step."
She kissed him. His startled lips soon moved under hers, and his hands found her waist, pulling her close so she could lean comfortably into his warmth. Their bodies drew nearer, knees touching, arms reaching to curl around their familiar shapes. She found herself almost in his lap, but his fingers were now busy sliding through her fair hair for one hand, following the length of her neck for the other. She shivered and he wrapped one arm around her upper back. Her own little palm slid down his chest.
He nipped her lower lip, a flame flared through her belly, and the bell rang shrill.
They jumped apart. Narcissa could feel the heat in her cheeks, and she had a second of panic; but Lucius put one finger to her lips and pulled her to her feet, soundlessly moving to a secret passageway that would allow them to reach the dungeons in peace. Clutching his hand, she followed. They disappeared just as the first students were rushing loudly into the hallway.
They shared a quiet laugh.
"Of course you should go," Cassie said absent-mindedly. "How silly. Everything you are scared of will be solved by nothing but the act of confronting it, after all. Not much use running away if you are so sure about Lucius, is there?"
"Perhaps there isn't," Cissy agreed under her breath.
"Of course there isn't."
The two girls were sitting in a quiet corner of the common room, discussing over idle homework. Narcissa doodled in the margin of her friend's Runes notes, considering, and Cassandra slapped her wrist. "Oh, sorry."
Cassie just curtly laughed. Narcissa set down her quill and peered at her, intrigued enough to forget about her personal concerns for the moment. Cassandra was acting a bit oddly, appeared distracted, jumpy, yet in a state of nervous excitement, for a reason she could not unravel. She had a strong feeling that there was something her friend was not telling her.
"How about you?" she asked. "Did anything interesting happen that I don't know of?"
Cassie squirmed. "Not really," she said in a slightly high voice. "Why do you ask?" Then she looked up and flashed Cissy a brilliant grin, as if she could not really help herself.
"Tell me right now," Narcissa demanded, grasping her hand.
Cassie leaned in and put her lips almost to her ear. "Virgil kissed me," she breathed, pausing with an incredulous-sounding laugh.
Narcissa gasped. "Cassie! That's fantastic!" she exclaimed, to which Cassie laid an authoritative hand across her mouth. "Sorry," she added in a lower tone.
Cassandra took her hand away, flushed with mirth. Cissy observed her in wonder. She had never seen her so animated, so blatantly happy before; it was a lovely thing, and yet she couldn't help but appraise her friend's chances of getting hurt. It all depended on how serious she felt, and Cassie was such a flippant girl, it was difficult to read her. For now, she decided to keep her worries aside.
"I am so glad for you," she said warmly. "At last he made a step! Well, that took him long enough!"
"So I would say," Cassie snorted before adding quickly: "Not that I am making plans. I'm no silly girl with a crush, and I am not about to wait pining for him to gather his nerve. I shall consider myself free until he finds it in him to claim otherwise."
"Well, you will see indeed. But after the first kiss… It would be rather cowardly of him to leave it at that," Narcissa commented, musing. "What did he say?"
"Nothing much. Turned quite red, and excused himself, all babbling." Cassandra visibly meant to sound matter-of-fact, but she could not disguise the fondness in her voice.
Narcissa chuckled. "I can picture that."
"Slow progress with this boy, really. If it took us so long to progress thus far, I dread to imagine the future!"
"He might surprise you."
"I quite hope he will."
Now she was the one blushing, fiddling with her quill with fake casualness, and it made Cissy grin. She reached out to squeeze her friend's wrist. "I am happy for you."
Cassie met her eye. "Are you really? You don't think I'm inferior to him?"
"Of course not," Narcissa protested. "You are pure, clever, and a wonderful girl. At this point he should not be concerned about anything else."
Her words were quite sincere, though they did not cover the extent of her thoughts. The two girls grinned at each other.
"Well, then," Cassie said flippantly. "Shall we make a deal? You go to Lucius' old place during the holidays, and when you return to the castle I shall also have plenty of news to share. Does that sound reasonable?"
Cissy hesitated. "Tricky girl."
"Virgil is not the only one who needs prompting now and again."
Narcissa playfully swatted her.
Narcissa rapidly scanned her mother's letter as she finished her cup of tea. At her side, Lucius was feigning an entire focus on his breakfast; however, she had felt his eyes flicker to her at the owl's arrival. She smiled quickly to herself.
Her foot briefly touched his under the table.
Quite conveniently, Lucius was soon finished eating, and sent her a questioning look; picking up her satchel, she gracefully rose. They left the Great Hall together, arms entwined. The wide room was busy as it always was at this hour, and Cissy enjoyed the quietness of the foyer once they had passed the door, the simple fact of being alone with Lucius. It had become a habit of theirs, leaving breakfast early and having some peaceful time to themselves before the day truly began, with the hustle of classes and the wearisome mass of daily concerns.
"I have some news for you," she said as they made for the stairs.
"Good news, I dare hope."
"I think so, certainly." She hid a smile beneath a strand of her hair. "You saw that I received a letter from home. My parents are willing to allow me to have a short stay at your manor during the holidays."
She felt his hold tighten. "That is wonderful," he said. "It makes me very happy indeed."
"Such enthusiasm, Mr Malfoy," she teased. "I might have hoped for a more positive reaction."
She had been joking; but Lucius stopped, just as they were reaching the first floor, and turned to face her. Before she had any time to think, she felt his hands around her face, and then he was kissing her fiercely. Breathless, she stood on her tiptoes and leaned deeper into him, her fingers curling into the fabric of his robes for support.
"Oi! You two, get a room!"
Narcissa had a little gasp and Lucius let go. Her face, already flushed from the kiss, was also burning with confusion and a bit of defiant anger as she turned to face Sirius, who had been coming down the stairs—alone. Her heart sank at the realization.
"Where are your friends?" she called.
"None of your business," he snarled back. "Not out on an evil quest against the poor wee Slytherins, if that's what you're worried about."
Lucius squeezed the hand he had just reclaimed. "I saw them at breakfast," he told her in a low voice. "Well, mostly I saw Potter. He was alone as well."
Narcissa sighed in relief. There had been no more pranks after their confrontation with Sirius' little gang, and that was an enormous relief. It took enough of her focus to act as stunned and suspicious as all of her classmates felt at this sudden, unexpected turn of events; she did not feel ready to have the anxiety return. "Did the lot of you have a fight?"
"Don't sound so hopeful," he spat.
"Could you leave us for a moment, please?" she asked Lucius quietly.
"Of course." He kissed her on the cheek and strode away.
Sirius stared, taken off guard, as Lucius walked past him. Soon the cousins stood alone before the staircase.
"What is it then?" he jeered. "Want to check everything I've been doing? I could send you reports if it helps you sleep at night." The flippant rudeness hardly disguised the bitterness.
"Are you all right?" Narcissa asked. "We never meant to draw you away from your friends. I won't pretend I appreciate them, but I don't want you to get hurt."
For a moment Sirius just gaped at her. Then he blinked, and shook his head. "Don't be such a bleeding heart," he said. "It doesn't suit you." His voice was hoarse.
"Are you scared of going home?"
A ringing silence answered her. "I'm not scared of them," he finally muttered.
"They're your parents. Your family."
"Hardly know if they want to be anymore."
"Don't be so stupid," Narcissa said fiercely. "Of course we want to be."
There was a pause. "I hope uncle Alphard will be there," she added. "Don't you? Father said he might be in the country at some point and come say hello."
"Of course I hope so," he said gruffly. "That's one of my reasons for coming home at all."
"What about the other reasons, then? Let's hear them."
Sirius looked away.
"You belong with us, Sirius," she told him gravely. "And you know it."
"Shut up."
She started up the stairs, hoping to hug her cousin, but he danced out of her reach. There was an awkward moment. Sirius rubbed his eye with a fury.
"You'd better get to breakfast," she said softly.
He didn't look up from the ground. "Yeah."
Their shoulders brushed as he passed her. She reached out to squeeze his.
He stopped.
"And I miss Andromeda, too," he croaked. Perhaps it had meant to sound defiant.
Tears flowed Cissy's eyes, and her cousin rushed down towards the Great Hall.