Hey everyone!

So remember I said I was back at work on the 15th...? Well that and my brother's 11th birthday and last day at prmiary school meant that the mid-month updates slipped from my mind. I do hope you can forgive and I'm around 3-4 months ahead in both planning and writing so not having updates ready to go shouldn't be a problem. Anyway here's the update finally! Enjoy!

Stay safe.

Lots of love,

LM xxx

Breaking Traditions-Part 25:

Narcissa had gone to see Helena Greengrass so Lucius had asked his parents and Cygnus to come for a meeting. They had to discuss what had happened at the Ball and the impact that it was having on Narcissa and the fact that the madness had resurfaced.

"I fear that she is now on the edge of losing it and being able to pull herself back," Lucius said, "I thought that maybe we'd managed to… somehow… beat the Black madness but we haven't clearly and what Druella has done might well have derailed the adoption plans right at a crucial moment or drawn Cissa back into madness to derail them through no fault of her own."

"I just don't get why Druella is so against this. Is she jealous that Narcissa might be able to get the child she's always dreamed of? Or is the fact that maybe her daughter is braver than she was?" Priscilla said, "either way there are serious issues now caused by a woman that really has a funny way of saying she loves her daughter. Causing the madness that almost claimed her child once is one thing but to try again…? That's madness."

"Narcissa will not succumb to it. Rosalie is within touching distance now and I do not believe that Narcissa would let it come and claim her really," Cygnus said as he sighed and had a sip of his Firewhisky, "Druella will certainly be punished by me for what she has tried to do. I thought she was past all this but clearly not."

"If anyone should have decided when it was revealed then it's Lucius and Narcissa. It's their plans and they should have been the ones to decide when it's announced to the public," Abraxas said, "Druella has always had a loose tongue where alcohol is concerned and we should have been more careful really."

"She must have used a glamour or else one of us would have seen her before that moment and been able to get her out," Cygnus said, "we were all looking out for her with the exception of Narcissa who was busy playing hostess," he said as he looked around.

Silence fell as the group slipped into personal thoughts and then had another big sip of their drink as Lucius refiled the glasses and sat back down.

"What matter to me now is Narcissa and making sure that she is OK and bounces back from this. She's already so confused as to why Druella appears to despise this idea," Lucius said, "I know she values traditions but to actively try and destroy your daughter's dreams is wrong. I think there is madness from the Blacks… no offence Cygnus…"

"None taken," came the reply.

"But Druella appears to have it far worse and she only married into the family," Lucius sighed, "unless she really does have some sort of madness within her that was triggered. All she's ever done is push Narcissa to be the saviour and now she's trying to crush Cissa's dreams because she's being just that. I really do not understand my mother-in-law at times."

Cygnus chuckled and caught everyone out.

"I have been married to her for so many years and I still do not understand her," he said as he looked at the others, "I don't think I will ever understand her really to be honest. But yes I do agree that what she did was wrong and I will see that there is some consequence to what she has done. She will learn one way or another that what she has done is wrong."

"Why not fight fire with fire?" Priscilla said as she sat back and crossed her ankles. She watched as everyone turned around and looked at her, "Cygnus and Abraxas release a statement and shame her publicly but showing that most of Pureblood society support Lucius and Cissa… that her plan has backfired and she hasn't won this round."

Silence fell on the room again as the men processed Priscilla's words before Lucius was the first to break it.

"I think that would be a viable idea," he said, "I really want Druella to see that she hasn't won this round and that her plan hasn't worked."

"I mean that could work but it would have to be a carefully crafted statement by Cygnus and myself but it is doable," Abraxas said, "we can easily put our heads together and come up with something then Priscilla can look it over and then finally Lucius and Narcissa before it's released."

"I agree but I must talk to Cissa about this. Nothing can be done without her say so. Last thing we need is an full on breakdown from Cissa now. She's already just coming back from the wobble she had the other day that mother managed to pull her back from," Lucius said, "Narcissa has to be told about this before one word of a statement is written. I do not want to go behind her back on this one."

"No. That I will agree with. We have to be open about this and I don't want her finding out about this when the letter is put to her for a final read through," Priscilla said, "what we do need to do is press on Druella the seriousness of what she has done and then confirm the adoption is happening and that there is support out there for this. It's going to be a very hard thing to balance but Lucius has to talk to Cissa first," she said.

Silence fell and Lucius headed over to the window and looked out over the gardens that Narcissa had spent so much time preparing and arranging. He was wondering where a play area would go for a girl and he suspected that Narcissa's Secret Garden would be the safest place for a toddler to be running around. It was where Draco had when he was a baby and a toddler so it seemed the obvious place for a child to be.

"Druella will not and has not ruined this for Narcissa and she is about to face a storm that she'll regret," Lucius said softly but with a hint of determination in his voice and the others knew that he was serious and wondered if Priscilla would finally get her chance to duel Druella as she so badly wanted to do.