Chapter Seventeen

A/N: Thank you to Guest, AdonCa, Guest and Nevaeh -Rose Malfoy for reviewing the last chapter.

The morning dew on the grass had frozen, leaving little droplets of ice on the blades and on the flower petals. Light snow flurries fell from the heavens and were caught on the wind, blowing swirls of white this way and that, light as feathers on the breeze. Somehow, it did not seem as beautiful as it once had done.

The holidays had come around and Narcissa was spending Yuletide with her sisters and her cousins. She was extremely nervous, for she had never interacted with any family other than the ones she knew in school, but hid it well; not even Sirius noticed her fears.

From what she knew of the Pureblood families, they were strict about their standards and their reputations. They would not stand for imperfections, blemishes on their family names. They expected each one of their children to be without fault. It was a concept that was extremely daunting for Narcissa, especially when she did not know truly what to expect.

Of course, her sisters had told her all about the different expectations the family had of her. She must always look presentable, be polite, graceful and charming, uphold the values of blood purity and never fraternise with those seen to be beneath her. That is, anyone who was not a Pureblood, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight at that.

The way they talked about the issue, Bellatrix especially, made it seem as those all those who did not come from a Pureblood family were thieves, unworthy to study magic and dangerous to all those that were. Narcissa did not understand that. 'Professor McGonagall is a half-blood,' she thought. 'And I've never known anyone kinder than her.'

Still, she made no comment. She knew Bellatrix enough by reputation to know what she did to those she deemed 'blood traitors'. Even if she had a new family now, that did not mean she wanted Professor McGonagall to get hurt.

"Are you ready yet, Cissy?" Bellatrix called, from somewhere near the staircase. She had resumed calling the girl by the affectionate nickname she had used when they were children without a second thought, as if they had never been parted at all. However, it had taken Narcissa a little longer to get accustomed to hearing it again, and it was not until her sister appeared in the doorway that she related the name to herself.

"Sorry." she apologised, stumbling over the hem of her dress, which was far longer than any she had worn growing up. Bellatrix rolled her eyes, but seemed more amused than annoyed.

"Hurry up, the guests will be arriving soon." Bellatrix chastised her. "We don't want to keep them waiting."

"Guests?" Narcissa questioned, suddenly afraid. She was still not certain how she ought to behave in society, but she had imagined that her family would be forgiving of her faults, at least at the beginning. How would a pack of strangers react to her if she did something wrong?

"Of course there are guests, Cissy!" Bellatrix exclaimed, cackling at her ignorance. "You didn't think you would be dressed up like this for the family, did you?"

In truth, she had done. Having seen how smartly turned out the Purebloods always were, she had not thought twice at having a ballgown pushed upon her. Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment, not that Bellatrix seemed to notice.

"Never mind." the older girl said dismissively, shaking her head affectionately as she took her sister by the arm, pulling her through the still-open door and towards the staircase. It was a reasonably effective tactic, the younger supposed; when she was being pulled along with such speed, she did not have the chance to become any more worked up about the situation she was being forced into.

A few dozen guests must already have been assembled by the time the sisters reached the ballroom, a sea of faces that seemed familiar to everyone but her. There were a few recognisable figures, mainly Hogwarts students that she had become acquainted with over the last few weeks, but even they could not be counted as friends. It was amazing how isolating such a gathering could make Narcissa feel, and she clung tightly to her sister's hand. Bellatrix laughed, but did not let her go.

The pair came to stand beside their Aunt Walburga and her husband, as well as their two sons and the girls' own sister Andromeda. Sirius leant slightly forward in the line to give Narcissa an encouraging smile; she returned it gratefully, feeling a little more comfortable in the process.

"And this is my youngest niece, Narcissa." Walburga introduced, extending a hand towards the girl in question. Narcissa blinked a couple of times before stepping forward, trying to clear her mind of the daze it had been trapped in once she heard her name called. "She's Cygnus and Druella's girl, too young to live with me when they died. But she is here now and she is learning well. That is all that matters, I suppose; is it not, Narcissa?"

"Yes, Aunt Walburga." she replied, respectfully inclining her head towards the woman. Walburga was the first person to criticise a lack of etiquette, and the first to punish it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Narcissa." came a confident voice, much younger than she would have anticipated from the man her aunt was addressing. Then she saw the boy stood beside them, the image of both his parents, with white-gold hair and piercing grey eyes. He would have seemed intimidating, had his smile not been so kind.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." the girl responded, not feeling quite so false anymore. She opened her mouth to continue, then realised she did not know the boy's name.

"My name is Lucius, Lucius Malfoy." he informed her, luckily intuitive enough to realise her struggle. His chest puffed slightly as he spoke his family name, a common trait among Purebloods, Narcissa had quickly come to realise. "I hope I'll see you around school next term. I would like it if we could become friends, being similar ages."

"That would be lovely." the younger blonde agreed, seeing her aunt nod her approval from over her shoulder and assuming Lucius' father would have done the same. "You must look for me, when we return to Hogwarts."

"Of course." Lucius promised, before moving along with his parents to make space for another family to be properly received. Narcissa's eyes, unbidden, followed him as he walked, not looking away until she heard her sisters snigger beside her. They were whispering to each, something about a well-matched pair, but the girl chose to ignore them. It would not do to chide her elder sisters' behaviour in public.

Especially when she did not really disagree.

A/N: Thanks to anyone still reading this and I apologise for how long it's taken to get the next chapter up. Next update should be within the next couple of weeks, so keep hanging in there. Please review!