"Another letter, Cissy?" Lucius glanced over at his wife as he poured his morning cup of tea, sitting in his usual spot at head of the table. Narcissa sat to the left of him, uninterested in her breakfast of boiled eggs, and was intently and worriedly reading Eira's latest letter.
"Yes," Narcissa answered without looking up.
"What has she got to say now?"
Narcissa folded the letter and put it aside. "She says she and the baby are doing much better, but Miss Riverblood suspects something sinister has been attempted upon Eira."
"Sinister?" Lucius snorted, opening the new copy of The Daily Prophet.
"A hex," Narcissa kept her eyes on him, "An old sort of hex found in grimoires of very dark magic… the kind Walburga has in volumes."
Lucius now raised his eyes to his wife, "I beg your pardon?"
"Eira nearly lost her baby only a few days after Walburga found out about her pregnancy."
"So?"
"You don't think that is odd, Lucius?"
"I think it is an unfortunate coincidence and that you are overthinking it."
"It's not just Miss Riverblood who says it. Severus also agrees," Narcissa took a small sip of tea.
"Cissy," Lucius threw his newspaper down, finally losing his patience, "I don't know how many times I already said it: I am sick and tired of this."
"Of what?" Narcissa frowned.
"You and that…that girl," he replied, glaring at her, "Removing her from the house clearly wasn't enough. All you think and talk about is her."
Narcissa felt the colour rise in her cheeks and hastily looked down to drop more sugar cubes into her tea. Lucius continued to stare at her, observing the way her thin hand trembled under his sharp eyes.
"Don't think I don't know what is going on."
Narcissa nearly knocked her teacup over with the side of her hand. She looked up at once, her eyes wide, "What do you mean?"
"Why are you trying to distance yourself from what is going on around you?" Lucius frowned, "The Dark Lord will return, Cissy, and he will call upon us. We are his servants. Sympathising and fraternizing with Muggles is not going to look very good."
"I thought that was why you took her into our home in the first place," Narcissa glared, "To deliberately look like you sympathised with her plight."
"Yes, to the Ministry and other nosy busy-bodies, not to the Dark Lord," Lucius snapped, "I barely escaped Azkaban after the first wizarding war. And do you know what? It has worked. Keeping her here has marked us with great generosity and taken the attention away from us, which has allowed me to do my work for the Dark Lord in peace. Not that you would have noticed," he added darkly, "seeing as you are so swept up with that girl. Sometimes I feel like I hardly know you anymore. Do you not still stand behind the Dark Lord and everything he represents?"
"Of… of course I do," Narcissa answered in a rush, looking flushed, "Blood purity is everything."
"So why do you insist on maintaining a relationship with that Muggle girl?" he demanded.
"What does it matter?" Narcissa threw down her napkin and pushed her plate away, "It's not as though I can marry her. What harm can it cause?"
Lucius looked exasperated and rubbed his face, "Good God, I wish your sister Bella were here to talk some sense into you. Bella would murder the girl on the spot."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes on him and stood up, scraping her chair loudly against the flagstone floor. "I'll thank you not to talk about my sister."
"Sit down, Narcissa, I'm not finished with you," he said sternly, raising his voice slightly.
Narcissa did not sit down, but she remained standing at the table, her palms resting on the surface. She glared defiantly at her husband and waited.
"I said sit down," Lucius repeated.
"I don't wish to sit down."
Lucius stood up now and caught hold of Narcissa's arm, gripping it firmly; Narcissa winced in fear, shrinking back, "Lucius…"
"I really don't want to hit you again, Narcissa," he snarled threateningly, "but I will not be disobeyed by my wife. Now sit down or your backside will receive a firm lesson from my hand."
Pale with fright, Narcissa quickly sat back down. Lucius smirked and patted her arm before releasing her; he then calmly resumed his breakfast, relishing in Narcissa's dreadful anticipation, before he continued.
"You may be right, Cissy," he said.
"About what?" Narcissa replied quietly.
"About Walburga attempting to jeopardize Sirius's child. I can hardly blame her."
"That child is innocent!" Narcissa cried.
"You have to remove an infection before it can spread," he went on calmly, "She ought to do rid of the pair of them really, both mother and child. Perhaps Lupin will do that honour."
"How can you speak like that?" Narcissa couldn't bring herself to look at his gloating face.
"How would you feel, Cissy, if Draco grew up and married a Muggle? Would you allow such a thing? Would you want him to have children with a Muggle?"
"Well, no, but…" she trailed off, fidgeting with her napkin.
"But what?"
"I wouldn't murder my grandchildren, no matter what their blood."
"That is your downfall, dear. You are too soft, too womanly."
"I am a mother," Narcissa answered a little more firmly, looking at him now.
"So is Walburga."
"She's not natural."
"The witch or wizard that marries and breeds with a Muggle is not natural," Lucius retorted.
"If some of us didn't, there would be none of us left," Narcissa muttered.
Lucius turned his grey eyes upon her sharply, but he did not say anything. He resumed his reading of the newspaper while Narcissa remained sitting at the table silently, like a child in disgrace, with her hands folded in her lap.
It was nearly two weeks before Narcissa went to see Eira, who had since reported in her letters about feeling ill at ease and having terrible nightmares every night.
Please come to me, I am so scared.
Narcissa read this line over and over. She sent a fast owl to tell Eira she was coming that very day and hastily dressed, waiting until Lucius was away with his business and not present to question her whereabouts. She apparated close to the gate of Remus's little cottage, just hidden around the corner, where she found Eira was already waiting. Eira, though startled at first by the suddenness of her arrival, threw her arms around Narcissa's neck.
"I'm so glad to see you," Eira murmured against her neck.
"You shouldn't be outside," Narcissa reprimanded her, "It's cold and you're not dressed properly."
"Come inside," Eira linked her arm up with hers.
"Is Remus at home?"
"Yes, but he knows you're coming."
Narcissa eyed the run-down cottage and overgrown garden with visible distaste as they approached; she wanted to say something, but was soon through the kitchen door, where inside Remus was topping up the fire with logs.
"Mrs Malfoy," he nodded to her curtly.
"Hello, Mr Lupin," Narcissa replied, glancing around the room haughtily.
Remus wiped his hands on the front of his shirt and tramped off outside, muttering about the gnomes he had spotted earlier that afternoon. It was already growing dark outside in spite of the considerably early hour of the evening. Eira led Narcissa into the sitting room, where another warm fire burned welcomingly in the grate; they sat down together closely, holding one another's hands firmly.
"Your hands feel so cold, darling," Narcissa said, lifting Eira's hand to blow her hot breath upon her palms, and then rubbed them with her own hands to warm them.
"Do they?"
"Yes, you're freezing… but the house is so warm," Narcissa frowned, "Are you alright?"
Eira shook her head, fear plainly in her eyes, "I don't think so… they think Walburga…she…she's trying to…"
"Hush, I know," Narcissa soothed, "I've brought you something."
Narcissa reached into her gold-clasped handbag and pulled out a necklace with a green pointed crystal around the chain. She at once put it over Eira's head.
"I wore this all the time when I was pregnant. The crystal deflects bad magic and ill-wishers. It should also ward off the nightmares."
Eira lifted the crystal, examining it closely. "Thank you…" she breathed out gratefully, her eyes tearing up as she looked back at the older woman again. "I've missed you so much…"
Narcissa pressed her lips to Eira's forehead, "I've missed you too. You have no idea."
"Has Lucius been kinder to you since I left?"
Narcissa shook her head, "He is worse than ever. But what of you? Are you comfortable here?" she glanced around the room with a look that suggested she was vastly searching for some merit to note upon.
Eira shrugged, "Yes, it's fine. Not ideal, but Remus keeps it warm and cosy. He's also a very good cook. The toilet is outside though, which isn't too fun. Try to imagine getting up in the night, shivering in your nightie, struggling with your knickers in the dark."
Narcissa grimaced, "I don't want to imagine."
"But besides that, I am comfortable enough," she assured her.
"If you say so," Narcissa frowned.
"Cissy," Eira sighed sadly, touching her cheek suddenly, "Please, won't you stay the night?"
"I can't, darling," Narcissa replied regretfully.
"Then…can't I come back with you? Please? It's not that I'm not grateful to Remus, but I am just so scared on my own…after what happened…and…and the nightmares…"
"I fear you won't be any safer in my home…" Narcissa answered truthfully, wiping Eira's tears with her hand gently.
"Just one night," Eira insisted, "You said in your letter that Lucius will be away until tomorrow evening."
"Eira…" she whispered, holding her close and rubbing her back.
"Please," Eira begged tearfully, "I'm scared of being alone."
Narcissa held her for a long moment, lifting and dropping strands of Eira's long hair between her fingers while the younger girl shook and trembled, before she finally and quietly nodded, murmuring in her ear, "Alright. Just tonight."
Eira sank against her in relief, whispering softly, "Thank you… thank you…"
Remus came back into the house, eyeing the two women sat in a close embrace on the sofa, and made a point to make his presence known by clattering around in the kitchen. Narcissa at once drew away, straightening up.
"Will you be staying for supper, Mrs Malfoy?" Remus called through from the kitchen.
"Oh, I…I don't think so…" Narcissa replied.
"Stay, Cissy," Eira implored, "He makes the best shepherd's pie. Doesn't it smell wonderful?"
"Well, alright then," Narcissa looked at Eira, smiling softly when she saw Eira's face light up with happiness.
Remus was not particularly surprised when Eira informed him she was leaving with Narcissa for the night. He had little to say, however, asking only when he should expect her to return. The two of them prepared to leave shortly after supper and strained small talk with Remus, who seemed to constantly be watching them with close attentiveness; he noticed every side glance and every small touch Eira and Narcissa shared at the table, every expression that passed between them, trying to convince himself it was merely an innocent friendship between two women. In all fairness, Remus knew little of the ways of the opposite sex. His friend group at Hogwarts had been all boys— Sirius, James, and Peter— and he had never involved himself in dating, given his lycanthropy condition. Thus, he had always found girls rather mystifying, and could not decide whether the tender feelings he observed between Narcissa and Eira were close friendship or romantic infatuation. Far be it from him to object to Eira leaving for the night.
Narcissa apparated sidelong with Eira and arrived inside the manor Eira had once been so anxious to leave. It now felt like an old home, but Eira now recognised it for as lonely as it really was with the weather so bleak and cold. The wind howled around the windows and shook the casements.
"Are you not afraid of ghosts when you're alone in this house?" Eira shivered as they stood in the huge hall. A fire was burning in the large fireplace, but the benefit of this could not be felt unless one stood beside it.
Narcissa smiled and unbuttoned the front of Eira's coat, revealing the very small bump hidden under her dress, which Narcissa touched with gentle fondness.
"I fear the living in this house," she replied after a moment.
"Are there ghosts?" Eira asked a little apprehensively, wondering why the thought had never seriously occurred to her before.
"Oh, yes," Narcissa nodded, "But they shan't hurt you. I doubt you ever saw them when you lived here."
"I used to think it was Draco."
Narcissa laughed lightly, embracing her fondly. "Let's talk no more talk about ghosts."
"I dream about them," Eira admitted, "I see my husband's ghost… but he's not dead."
"No, he is not," Narcissa gently pushed Eira's hair back.
"Do… do you think he will get out?"
Narcissa stared at her, unsure of how to answer. On one hand, she wanted to comfort Eira with warm hopes she could cling to; a small number of prisoners had been pardoned in the past and let go; on the other hand, and the more likely outcome, Sirius would live the rest of his days in Azkaban and die there, wretched and alone. It troubled Narcissa to think what it would mean for her if Sirius was released; would Eira forget her? Would she run off and never look back? This thought dropped a heavy weight on Narcissa's heart. It seemed impossible that the two of them could walk away from the other.
"I don't know," she said finally.
Eira knew what Narcissa was thinking and did not press her further with talk of Sirius. It troubled her too – what would she do if he walked free tomorrow? She could not and would not forget Narcissa, a woman she had grown to love so deeply due to the shared agony of pain and unrelenting loneliness.
"Let's go to bed, it is late," Narcissa put her arm around Eira's waist and walked with her across the room to the stairs. "You'll have no nightmares tonight."
"Your belly is still so small," Narcissa remarked as they laid in Narcissa's enormous bed together.
"I'm only four months," Eira replied, smiling and tracing her fingers over her belly, "and Astrid says the baby is sitting against my back, so unless it moves, I probably won't look very big."
"I was huge with Draco when I was expecting him," Narcissa recalled, "By the end, I couldn't do much except sit and knit hats."
"Is childbirth different for witches? In my world, most women go to the hospital."
"Most witches give birth at home with a midwife in attendance. Only in very serious cases does a witch go to the hospital for prenatal care. I gave birth at home."
"Do you use charms and potions for the pain?"
"Yes," Narcissa nodded, "I don't know how many I used. The first I remember was a potion to calm me and dull the pain."
"How long was your labour?"
"Oh, hours," Narcissa frowned slightly as she recalled the harrowing experience, "Pushing him out was the easy part, he was so small he just slipped out in the end, but they had to use charms to coax and get him in the right position. He was sitting breech, you see."
"Does that mean ass first?"
Narcissa snorted softly, nodding, "Yes exactly, darling."
Eira giggled lightly and rolled onto her side, laying closely against Narcissa, who instinctively wrapped her arm around her and kissed her gently, smiling. Eira sighed softly and peppered hot kisses down Narcissa's graceful jawline, whereupon she reached her lips and plunged in deeply, connecting their lips with wild fervour, their caresses slowly rousing one another. Eira quivered a little in Narcissa's arms as they momentarily withdrew their lips, almost breathless, and looked into each other's burning eyes. Narcissa's tidy hair had become dishevelled, and the nightgown she wore had slipped down her shoulders to partly uncover her breasts. Eira was wearing one of the cotton nighties Narcissa had given her when she first arrived at the manor. It was shapeless, but she was naked underneath it, and through the transparency of the fabric Narcissa could see the slender lines of Eira's trembling body.
Eira pushed down Narcissa's nightgown completely, revealing her beautiful, taut breasts. Narcissa had slightly larger breasts and darker nipples than Eira; the younger woman sat up a little and gazed in admiration, both nervous, but desperately wanting to be touched.
"Eira…" Narcissa breathed out, taking her hand and inviting it to her breasts. She swallowed thickly, looking at her, "I've always wanted you to touch me… every time you've sat alongside me while I bathe, I so badly wanted it…"
"I know," Eira replied, her eyes shining. She pressed her wet mouth back to Narcissa's, kissing her deeply, "I wanted it too."
"You don't feel it is…wrong?" a look of guilt passed over her beautiful face.
Eira sat up on her elbows, looking at her. "I don't know, sometimes. But I don't feel this is the worst sort of infidelity. A French writer, a woman who wrote much about love, once said that when you find love in a woman, like we have, you are only seeking yourself."
"So, it is a sort of indulgence?"
"I suppose, in a way," Eira admitted, "But that doesn't mean I don't love you. I'm quite obsessed with you actually."
Narcissa smiled a little, encircling her in her arms, "Your face haunts me every night."
Eira's lips trailed down Narcissa's neck and down to her breasts, where she gently took Narcissa's nipple in her mouth and kissed the sensitive skin, causing Narcissa to cry out in joy. She gasped and moaned, wrapping her arms around Eira closely. She was so gentle, Narcissa thought; she had never had such a gentle lover in her life.
"Take your nightie off," she murmured to Eira.
Eira undressed, tossing the nightgown aside. Her breasts had swollen in size with her pregnancy, but they were as Narcissa's expected and remembered, tempting, round, and of pale skin, with rosy, pink nipples. Her thighs were slender and white, gleaming in the dim candlelight, her sex partially hidden in shadow. Narcissa slid her hands up these thighs and over Eira's hips, where she rested her hands momentarily.
"Is it too much?" Narcissa looked at her.
"No," Eira shook her head, sitting astride Narcissa now, "No… I don't want you to stop."
"My hands…" she whispered, "are they cold?"
"Your hands?" Eira took touched Narcissa's hand, which was still resting upon her hip.
"Lucius says I always feel so cold, like he is making love to a dead woman."
"No," Eira whispered back, a little disconcerted that Lucius would say such a thing, "Your hands feel fine to me."
She pulled Narcissa's hand to her chest, inviting her to caress her. Narcissa obliged, fondling Eira's naked breast and rubbing the little nipple with her fingers gently; Eira gasped in pleasure.
"Keep going," Eira murmured.
"They are so darling," she said as she sat up and kissed Eira's nipples.
Eira slid her hand up Narcissa's leg and under her nightgown, where she quickly found a warm, inviting wetness between Narcissa's legs; she rubbed her sex gently, finding her swollen spot much more quickly than her husband could ever hope to. Narcissa felt she was melting against Eira, quivering all over in pleasure as Eira's firm finger found her centre and stirred every nerve in her body. Narcissa dropped her hand from Eira's breasts and with one motion, slipped her hand between Eira's creamy thighs, relishing in both the feeling of Eira's fingers inside her, and the feeling of Eira's wet centre in her own fingers. Eira moaned, gasping in pleasure as her arousal increased.
"Are you sure you haven't done this before?" Eira gasped out, her eyes drowsily falling upon Narcissa's flushed face.
Narcissa smirked and shook her head, sitting up to gently push Eira onto her back. She spread Eira's legs apart and dipped down between them, and then with her tongue she kissed and rolled her fevered mouth over her sex, emitting a louder moan from Eira, who grabbed Narcissa's shoulder to steady herself, her orgasm building. But she wanted to prolong her pleasure and come at the same time as Narcissa, to be thrown into a frenzy together; just before her pleasure could burst, she sat up and threw herself upon Narcissa, parted her legs, and slid herself between them; they clasped hands to hold one another up, moving together, moving with heated desperation. Narcissa threw her head back and shut her eyes, moaning, so close to the edge of her orgasm; it was the sound of Eira's loud cry of joy that finally sent her over the edge, feeling Eira's sex twitching and quivering against her own, she came with an intensity she had never felt, not even with her own husband, who so often left her behind and tense with dissatisfaction.
They stopped moving, catching their breath, and looked at the moisture glistening upon their legs. Even though they were exhausted, they couldn't keep their hands from one another; Narcissa pulled Eira to her and kissed her deeply, murmuring to her, "I love you, I love you…"
Eira smiled into their kiss, panting, sweating; they finally fell against the pillows, locked in each other's arms, and contently drifted to sleep.
Eira awoke in the dark to whispers she couldn't make sense of. They were all around her, growing louder, some laughing, speaking in a tongue she didn't understand. Narcissa slept on peacefully beside her, breathing softly. Eira looked around the dark room, her heart pounding, seeing nothing; she gripped the crystal Narcissa had given her, which was still around her neck, instinctively knowing something evil was lurking.
"Cissy…" Eira turned and shook her, "Cissy…"
Narcissa woke up, blinking sleepily, "Hmm?"
"Do you hear that?" Eira gripped her wrist, but even as she said it, the whispers seemed to be dispersing. The room soon fell silent again.
"Hear what, darling?" Narcissa yawned.
"There was…there was people whispering…"
Narcissa sat up a little, listening for a moment, "I don't hear anything."
"It's stopped…"
Narcissa lay back down and encouraged Eira to do the same. She pulled her close to her body and kissed her forehead, "You must have been dreaming, darling. Or perhaps it was the wind."
Eira nodded, though perplexed and shaken; the whispers did not return, and Narcissa's arms comforted her enough to allow her to soon drop off to sleep again, undisturbed for the remainder of the night.