For the Hogwarts Forum
Count Your Buttons: "I Bet My Life"- Imagine Dragons, jewel, RodolphusNarcissa
"I know I took the path you would never want for me."
His heart is heavy as he lingers outside Malfoy Manor. An albino peacock struts past him, its long feathers grazing Rodolphus' leg.
He takes a deep breath. Narcissa could have been his. If he hadn't been so blinded by his own ambition, his own ideals, she would have been his.
He still remembers standing in the garden with her. She had cried and begged him not to follow her sister. It had been one thing for her husband to take up the Dark Mark, but having the man she loved do it… Rodolphus had betrayed her in a way that Lucius never could.
It takes several moments for him to collect himself. Taking a deep breath, he walks the stone pathway until he reaches the door. He hesitates, his fist raised, unable to knock. Still, the door opens, and Narcissa stands before him.
"Well, come in," she says dryly. "You've been out there for an hour, looking like a fool."
"And I assume you looked like a fool staring out the window for an hour," Rodolphus counters.
Eyes narrowing, Narcissa turns and stalks off. Rodolphus follows behind, closing the door. He remembers all their stolen moments together in this hallway. Lucius would be too busy with work, and Bellatrix would been preoccupied trying to bed the Dark Lord. In those days, as it is now, it had only been the two of them; it had been nothing but promises mixed with heavy breathing and desperate limbs tangling in a mess of passion.
Rodolphus shakes his head, forcing himself to put the memories away. He quickens his pace until he reaches the parlor where Narcissa sits in a chair. Her posture is rigid, and there is no warmth in her eyes. Rodolphus supposes he deserves that. He had betrayed her. Why should she spare him a moment of tenderness.
"I love you," he says. "I made a mistake."
"A mistake?" she echoes, raising a brow. "You broke my heart."
"I should have listened to you."
"How are you still free?"
Rodolphus swallows dryly. "Through miracles alone," he answers. It's the only thing that makes sense. He has only managed to evade the Aurors with luck. Really, it's only a matter of time before they catch up to him. It doesn't matter; he only needs enough freedom to make things right.
"I never stopped loving you," she admits, fingers grazing over the jewel that rests against her chest. Rodolphus recognizes it; it's the emerald he had given her.
"Will you forgive me? I made a mistake, and I will pay for it when my time comes," he says. "But I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Azkaban knowing you hold any spite for me."
To his surprise, Narcissa climbs to her feet and closes the distance between them in a few quick, graceful strides. She wraps her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"Yes."
And the room around them seems to melt. There is only Rodolphus and Narcissa. Maybe it isn't for long. Maybe this will be torn from them before they have a chance to start anew.
It doesn't matter. All that matters is this moment.
"Please forgive me for all I've done."