Spellbindingly beautiful.
That is what Narcissa thought as she gazed upon Eira's reflection in the mirror, watching as she admired one of her new dresses. Eira smoothed her hands down the dress, twirling a little. It was ivory with a scalloped neckline, embossed, and adorned with tiny white buttons trailing down the centre of the bodice; the sleeves were gently puffed, flouncing at the elbows, and the skirt was mid-length and full.
"It's beautiful, Mrs Malfoy," Eira said, "Thank you."
"You look like a pearl," Narcissa replied softly.
Eira looked at her in the reflection of the mirror; she smiled shyly, blushed, looked away. She still felt a little wary of the woman.
"I need to help you dress now though," Eira turned around. Narcissa was sitting on the bed in just a black slip. Her hair and makeup had already been done.
"I was going to wear this," Narcissa pointed her wand, and an elegant black dress came floating from her wardrobe. It had a curved, exaggerated neckline with a dramatic plunge, three quarter-length sleeves, and very pronounced skirt.
"It is beautiful, Mrs Malfoy," Eira said with genuine admiration.
"Do you think so?"
"Yes, it's simply gorgeous."
Narcissa looked pleased and went to sit on her dressing stool. Eira, accustomed to Mrs Malfoy's dressing routine, picked up the black nylon stockings draped over a chair. She knelt beside her and took her foot into her lap, then carefully rolled the stocking up Narcissa's leg, fastening it to the garter clip at the top. Narcissa watched Eira closely while her eyes were down, busy focused on fastening the awkward clip; when Eira looked up, Narcissa did not remove her gaze and Eira stopped, frowning, staring back at her.
"What is it, Mrs Malfoy?"
Narcissa now turned her dark eyes aside, colour rising in her cheeks, "Nothing."
Eira resumed her work, but she felt Narcissa's eyes still on her. Her heartbeat picked up slightly, fluttering madly in her chest; her hands were trembling by the time she came to secure the final garter clip and it took her several tries.
Eira then proceeded with the ever-present waist-cinch Narcissa wore to accentuate her form; and a dress like the one she'd procured certainly required it. Eira stood behind her and pulled the laces in tightly, reducing Narcissa's already small waist by a few inches. Narcissa didn't flinch. Both were silent, stealing shy glances in the mirror every so often. Finally, with the dress on, Eira sprayed Narcissa with her usual perfume—a scent of sandalwood and jasmine— and helped her step into her shoes. They were both ready to go downstairs.
"You look like Elizabeth Taylor," Eira remarked smilingly.
"Who?"
"An actress," she answered vaguely.
"Oh…" Narcissa looked perplexed, wanting to be offended at being compared to a Muggle, but she didn't say anything.
Eira hurried to open the door for her and followed behind.
Both were surprised and dismayed to see Walburga had apparently been invited last minute. Narcissa and Eira could hear her in the drawing room with Lucius, speaking to Draco about the importance of carrying the family tradition at Hogwarts, how he must be sorted into Slytherin.
"Sirius was the only one of my children not to be sorted into Slytherin," she recalled bitterly. "I was mortified. Now look where he is."
"I wouldn't want to be in any other house than Slytherin," Draco assured her.
"Good boy," she nodded, patting his hand. "Lucius, where is your wife?"
"She should be— ah, here," he smiled as Narcissa stepped into the room. His smile faltered slightly when he saw Eira behind her, dressed up prettily and without an apron. Walburga fixed her hard eyes on the girl.
"Stand in the corner, girl, as you did before," Lucius instructed.
"No," Narcissa spoke up. "She will sit with me. Good evening, Mrs Black."
Lucius and Walburga shared an outraged look. "Cissy is cross with me tonight, I'm afraid," Lucius explained. "I believe she is trying to spite me."
Narcissa ignored this remark and sat down near Draco. Eira nervously sat on the other side of her, perched awkwardly on the edge of the green damask sofa. She clasped her hands together tightly and fixed her eyes on the floor. A stunned silence ensued, only broken some minutes later by Dobby's squeaky voice announcing, "Mr Severus Snape and Miss Astrid Riverblood, Master," he then bowed so low his nose touched the floor.
The two guests entered: Snape, with cool ease, upright and tall; and Astrid Riverblood, loudly remarking on an odd fruit bowl she had seen in the foyer. She bumped unceremoniously into Snape as he abruptly stopped and greeted the family, bowing in respect to the elderly, noble Walburga. Astrid did an awkward curtsy and laughed nervously. Eira had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from smirking.
Astrid was one of the most unusual witches Eira had yet seen. She had dark, deep purple hair, an elfish sort of face dotted with freckles, and bright violet eyes. Her clothes were bright and emboldened with intricate details that sparkled in the candlelight, and Eira noticed that she was wearing black satin gloves.
Lucius warmly embraced Snape and shook his hand fervently. "So glad you could make it, Severus. And Miss Riverblood," he turned to look at the young pretty witch, "I am so glad to finally meet you."
"Likewise, Mr Malfoy," she smiled. Eira noticed the smile looked false, strained.
"Will you both have a drink?" Lucius offered at once.
Snape and Astrid each in turn expressed their preference, and Dobby at once procured the drinks for them. They sat down on a sofa by the fire.
"How are you, Mrs. Black?" Snape asked the sour looking Walburga.
"Dreadful, Severus," she answered at once, as if glad to have been asked, "I suppose you've heard what's happened."
"Of course," Snape replied coolly. "I am sorry to hear your son is in Azkaban. Hopefully—"
"Not that," she interrupted, glaring darkly. She then slowly raised a bony finger at Eira. "It's that."
"Ah," was all Snape said in response, fixing his black eyes on Eira. His expression did not give away his feelings and Eira at once felt more afraid. She thought he looked akin to the grim reaper.
Astrid, however, looked upon Eira cheerfully and said without hesitation, "So this is the young Mrs Black."
Walburga made a noise of disgust. "She's not worthy of the name," she muttered.
"My goodness, you are beautiful," she breathed, ignoring Walburga. Eira looked more uncomfortable and averted her eyes to her feet. "Severus, isn't she lovely?"
Snape glanced at Eira and replied flatly without giving away any feeling, "Most charming."
"I'm Astrid Riverblood," she continued, "It is a pleasure to meet you. I've read about you in the papers."
Confusion now flitted across Eira's face. "The papers?"
"Yes, in the Daily Prophet. Haven't you read what they've been saying about you?"
Eira shook her head, not sure she wanted to know. Astrid, however, went on to tell her, "Oh, they say so much about you. You're quite a tragic figure. Of course, I don't think Sirius is guilty, but with them saying he's a Muggle-killer and all that, everyone thinks you were tricked and nearly lured to your death."
"That's complete nonsense," Eira frowned.
"I know it is. But the whole thing is rather tragic. I really do feel for you, Eira."
Lucius snorted quietly in derision. Narcissa sipped her wine and kept her eyes down. They both knew, of course, that the papers were writing fervently about Sirius Black and his unfortunate young wife who had been taken in by the generosity and kindness of the Malfoys.
"I hope you are being well-cared for here," Astrid went on. "This world must be so much different from yours."
Eira said nothing. She felt small and scared again, remembering how alone she was without Sirius.
"I'd like to hear about you," she leaned forward in her seat. The Malfoys looked tense and uncomfortable but didn't say a word.
"Me?" Eira blinked.
"Tell me how you met Sirius exactly. I read something about it in the papers and it sounded terribly romantic. I'd like to hear your version though."
Eira fidgeted nervously with her wedding ring, which she had been allowed to keep. She had no idea how much had been written about her in the newspapers and felt a little stunned.
"I… I was a dancer. A ballerina. It was a performance Swan Lake and I danced the, um, starring role as Odette…" she trailed off, feeling too self-conscious to go on. The silence and eyes in the room unnerved her.
"Yes?" Astrid nodded encouragingly.
"Sirius snuck in with his friend towards the end of the performance… I suppose with magic, I don't know. I didn't know about the wizard world then and I thought he was wearing very odd clothes… he watched me dance and waited for me to leave the theatre at the end of the night. He brought me flowers…" she smiled faintly at the memory. "And he took me and my friend out with him for drinks. After that, he came to call on me all the time and we courted for a while…"
"It must have been a shock when he told you he was a wizard," Astrid laughed lightly.
Eira shook her head. "Not really. I thought he was unusual from the start. But I did think he was kidding."
Astrid laughed gleefully at this. "How did he tell you then? What did he say?"
"I think dinner is about ready," Lucius interrupted, giving Eira a disapproving look.
"Oh, Mr Malfoy," Astrid sighed with irritation, "I really wanted to hear her story."
"Perhaps some other time," he said dismissively.
"She must need a friend around here. She looks so sad and lost. Perhaps I may visit her sometimes?"
"She has Dobby," Lucius replied with a sneer.
"Lovely as Dobby is, I'm sure she needs more than the house-elf to talk to."
"She also has my wife, as of late," he said with particularly callous meaning. "They are inseparable."
Eira stared into the fire, her cheeks burning, and felt glad when Astrid turned away to speak to Narcissa about some new dresses and hats that had arrived in a fashionable shop on Diagon Alley.
Dinner was an even worse affair for Eira. Again, Narcissa insisted on seating Eira at the table and eating with them. This was too much for Lucius. He turned on his wife in front of all present company.
"Narcissa, do you let dogs sit at the table? No, she can eat with Dobby in the kitchen."
"Eira is not a dog," Narcissa glared. She held Eira's wrist firmly.
"It's okay, Mrs Malfoy…" Eira said in a quiet voice, "I would rather eat downstairs."
Snape and Astrid glanced at one another, deeply perplexed that Narcissa Malfoy, a proud pureblood fanatic, was defending a Muggle.
"I will not have that rat sitting at my table, Narcissa," he snarled. "Whatever point you are trying to make, you have made it. Do not embarrass yourself further."
"I, for one," Astrid spoke up now, "do not see the problem with Eira joining us."
Snape said nothing, but his jaw was clenched. He stared at Eira intently, observing the mounting fear in her eyes and realised at once that this girl was afraid for her life.
"This is ridiculous," Lucius muttered.
Narcissa pulled a chair out for Eira and motioned for her to sit. Eira stood still, frigid, fearing a trick; she wanted to throw up with all these people around her, watching, waiting. Walburga was pale with anger.
"No, really…" Eira shook her head, backing away, "I will eat with Dobby."
"No," Narcissa sounded stern now, gripping Eira's arm and pulling her forward, "You will sit with me."
Eira wondered if Narcissa really was just trying to make a point of spiting Lucius and using her as the bait. Before Eira could do anything, however, Lucius stormed forward and snatched hold of Eira's arm; ignoring Narcissa's objections, he hauled her from the room and threw her out into the corridor without a second glance. She fell on her knees roughly and the door slammed shut behind her.
Narcissa was quiet and forlorn throughout the long meal. Not even Draco's jokes and clever prattle forced a smile; she barely listened to the conversations taking place across the table and did not speak unless directly spoken to. As soon as her wine glass was empty, she refilled it, out drinking everybody quickly.
This change in character did not go unnoticed by Snape, who having known Lucius for a number of years, also knew Narcissa considerably well. While Lucius and Walburga were talking to Draco, Snape leaned in close to Astrid and murmured, "Do you get the impression that something very odd is going on between Mrs Malfoy and that Muggle girl?"
"Yes, very," Astrid assented at once, speaking in a low voice. "Have you seen her act this way before?"
"No…" he watched Narcissa, who was slumped back in her seat, idly swirling the dregs of her wine around the glass. "I have not."
"I don't think Eira is safe here…"
"Miss Riverblood," Lucius addressed her suddenly from across the head of the table, "I have not yet asked you, are you looking forward to your new position as a teacher? Defence Against the Dark Arts, isn't it? Are you not nervous? Many believe the class to be jinxed."
Astrid smiled widely and shook her head, "I am not at all afraid. Well, only afraid that Severus here will be too upset to look at me in school. I know how badly you wanted to teach it," she patted his hand sympathetically, which Snape withdrew stiffly.
"What will you teach me in that class?" Draco asked eagerly as he ate.
"Practical magic work, charms, and such to defend yourself against offensive and dark magic," Astrid explained. "I'll teach you about dark creatures, like werewolves, vampires, hags, gnomes…"
Draco's eyes lit up, "Have you ever met a werewolf?"
"No, but I believe Sirius was good friends with one."
"Friends with a werewolf?" Draco scrunched up his nose.
"Sirius could never do enough to embarrass me," Walburga shook her head in disdain.
"Mrs Black, you should be proud of your son," Astrid replied, "He is a very accomplished wizard."
"He's a stain on the family name."
"A nuisance, at best," Snape put in, "I never liked the man."
"He treated you terribly at school, Severus," Lucius said, "I remember it well. I was a prefect at the time and was always writing him and his idiotic friends up for detentions."
"I'm going to be a prefect one day, father," Draco assured him proudly. He glanced at his mother for her approval too, but she did not appear to have been listening. Instead, she rose from her chair and threw her napkin down on the table.
"I don't feel well. I am going to bed," she said, swaying slightly and gripping the chair for balance.
Lucius stood up, frowning, "Cissy, you have barely touched your food."
"I just want to rest, Lucius," she said faintly, "Thank you, everybody, for coming. Goodnight."
A confused murmur of 'goodnight' answered her in return, and she swayed out of the room. Lucius did not follow her. Narcissa made her way down the hallway, sliding her hand along the wall, stumbling and dizzy; her thoughts were fixated on Eira, needing to see her, needing to talk to her. She climbed the stairs and continued down the upper-story corridor towards her bedroom, and upon seeing the light on in Eira's room, knocked lightly and stepped in.
Eira was just coming out of the bathroom, now dressed in her nightie, patting her face dry with a towel. She stopped short when she saw Narcissa.
"Mrs Malfoy?"
Narcissa dimly noticed it, but she had tears threatening to spill onto her powdered cheeks. She looked at Eira and shut the door. Eira came to her at once, concerned Lucius had hurt her as well now.
"Mrs Malfoy, are you alright?"
Narcissa allowed Eira to sit her down on the creaky bed. They sat close to one another and Narcissa took Eira's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"I…I don't know what to do…" she wept.
"About what?" Eira stared at her. In all the time she'd been here, she had never seen Narcissa show such raw emotion.
"I don't know how I could be so…so…"
Eira handed her a handkerchief she had been mending, which Narcissa dabbed her eyes with and promptly stained with black mascara.
"What?" Eira said gently.
"So blind-sided," she finally said through embittered tears. She looked at Eira, "I was so happy until you came here. You have turned everything upside down in such a short space of time."
Eira didn't speak, unsure of what to say, or if she ought to say anything. She did not understand.
"I…I'm sure I won't be here for much longer, Mrs Malfoy…" she said with some trepidation. "I still have faith they will pardon Sirius and find the right man."
"Don't you understand?" Narcissa gripped Eira's hand more firmly, turning her body towards her, "I don't want you to leave."
"What do you mean—"
"Oh, God," Narcissa breathed out, staring at the younger woman. She took her face in her hands, "When I go to bed and close my eyes, all I see is your face."
"Don't be silly, Mrs Malfoy…" she stared. Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest.
"Is it silly?"
Eira didn't answer. She couldn't turn her eyes away from Narcissa, whose hand still cupped her face. Her chin was tilted towards hers, their lips parted, and then Narcissa brought her mouth to hers. She kissed her gently, slowly, and Eira responded by pressing her mouth to hers harder. Narcissa then pulled back, as though she had been stung by a bee, and touched her own lips with her fingers. Her eyes, still wet, were wide and frightened. She pushed Eira away brusquely and stood up, avoiding her eyes, and quickly left the room.