"Narcissa," Remarked Lucius to his wife late one evening, "Might I impress upon you to discuss a matter of great delicacy to my sister?"
"If you cannot rely upon your wife for such a task, who can you?" Narcissa smiled, rolling over in their bed to smile up into his face.
"You must not let it be known that I was the one to send you. Rather you must make Severus think you came to her on your own accord." Lucius began, blushing with discomfort.
"Well, dear husband, now I am utterly intrigued. You must tell me at once what you would have said to your sister."
"Very well," Lucius began, clearing his throat, "You must impress upon Severus the importance of not being so guarded. If she is to secure Forsythe for a husband, as I believe she intends, she must not be so expressionless. There is, after all, a great deal of vanity to be had when it comes to attachment and love. There are very few men, indeed, who can fall in love without encouragement. As such, Severus must show a great deal more affection than she has been. Forsythe enjoys the company of my sister, certainly, but such feelings will not last if she cannot be prevailed upon to encourage his affections."
"That was quite a sermon, Lucius." Narcissa remarked. "But as to the topic of your sister, the poor girl expresses as much as her nature will allow- you must know that by now."
"You must help her refine her nature than." Lucius declared. "For Forsythe does not know her nature as we do, and will come to think of as disinterested."
"But why must she do all the work?" Narcissa interrogated. "If a woman is partial to a man, and makes no effort to conceal it, then he must needs find it out."
"And perhaps he might, if he sees enough of her. But, though Forsythe and Severus meet often enough, it is never for more than a few hours; and, as they always see each other in large parties, it is impossible that every moment they should converse. Severus, therefore, should make the most of every moment she with the man and has the opportunity to command his attentions. Only then, when she is secure of him, can she return to her stoicism.
"Your words are certainly pretty enough," Replied Narcissa, "Where nothing is in question but the desire of being married and subsequently made a mother. But this is where both you and your sister delude yourselves. She does not fancy Forsythe as much as she, or you, might hope but desires instead a man who will adore her as you adore me. But she cannot receive such affections from Forsythe, nor could any woman. As such, it is cruel for you to encourage her delusions. She must focus, instead, on man who can give her the adoration she seeks as well as the baby she craves." Narcissa paused only for a yawn before finishing. "She must focus her attentions upon my cousin, instead."
Lucius looked in equal measure both insulted and outraged at the suggestion.
"She has known the new version of this man for less than a month. How can you ever prevail upon her to make her see him as a potential suitor, much less one more favorable than the one she currently fancies?"
"I do not entertain the foolish notion that such a coupling will happen overnight. But given some time, a few more months at the most, they might be prevailed upon to discover the suitability of a union themselves."
"This is Severus we are speaking of. In a few months your cousin might only discover her favorite book or, if he is lucky, her favorite color."
"While you spurn my designs, you must know that I have only Severus's wellbeing in my heart. If it were not so, I would not wish for her to be married to my cousin. But if you persist in your own delusions, I can be prevailed upon to see her married to Forsythe."