It was late in the morning when Eira woke up. Narcissa was still sleeping, her arm draped over Eira's waist, breathing softly; Eira moved a little closer, gazing fondly at Narcissa's lips, and lightly kissed her several times until Narcissa stirred and opened her eyes.

"Morning," Eira murmured, touching her hair.

"Morning," Narcissa smiled sleepily, nestling deeper into her pillow. She entwined her arms around Eira more tightly and held her close. Eira could smell the subdued notes of her perfume on her skin, mingled with the salty husk of sweat between them. "I don't want you to leave, darling," Narcissa mumbled against her cheek after a brief silence.

"Let's not think about that yet," Eira wrapped her leg around Narcissa's leg and kissed her.

"No," Narcissa agreed, "Let's not."

"You look pretty when you sleep," Eira smiled.

"Do I?" Narcissa laughed lightly, her cheeks pink.

"Mhmm…" she gripped Narcissa's face in her hands and kissed her deeply, touching her tongue with hers. "Your looks lose nothing even first thing in the morning."

"You are a little pearl," Narcissa kissed her earlobe.

As they kissed, Eira slowly trailed her fingers down between Narcissa's legs and rubbed her gently in small circles; Narcissa sighed happily into their kiss, moaning softly, while she ran her hands over Eira's back and up to her chest, where she lightly played with her pert nipple. They stayed in bed for some time like this, enjoying and loving one another.

"Can Lucius make you come?" Eira asked when Narcissa had finished riding out a blissful finale on Eira's fingers. She had trembled violently against her, gasping with momentary blinding pleasure.

"Lucius?" Narcissa looked at her when she had gathered her senses, "Darling, nobody has given me an orgasm like that. You are divine," she laughed softly, "Lucius does not care much about my pleasure."

"I heard you both once," Eira admitted, "but I couldn't tell whether you were enjoying it."

"I can enjoy it, certainly, but I rarely reach the end with him… what about you? Could Sirius satisfy you?"

"He was quite an attentive lover," Eira nodded, "We hardly did much else."

Narcissa wished she had never asked nor mentioned Sirius as she felt the throes of jealousy gripping her heart. Eira looked at her face when Narcissa did not reply, and at once reached up to kiss her.

"Cissy, you cannot be jealous."

"Why can't I?" she replied a little abruptly.

"He is my husband. I love him."

Eira felt a little startled when Narcissa suddenly drew away from her and sat up, leaning across the bed for her nightgown. Eira sat up too and caught Narcissa's arm.

"Cissy…"

"What?" Narcissa replied without looking at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're obviously upset," Eira frowned.

Narcissa laughed dryly and pulled her arm away, snatching up her nightgown. She continued to avoid Eira's eyes as she pulled it on over her head, staring ahead sulkily, before she slipped out of bed and walked across the room to retrieve her dressing gown. Eira remained sitting up in the huge bed, staring bewilderedly at Narcissa.

"You told me you loved Lucius," Eira said quietly after a tense silence between them.

"I don't know anymore," Narcissa answered, also in a low voice; she had her arms folded and was staring fixedly at the carpet. "I'm frightened of him."

"Then leave him," Eira said with an air of ease. She at once realised this had been the wrong thing to say. Narcissa's dark eyes snapped back up and narrowed on Eira.

"Leave him? Leave my husband? You think it's that easy?"

"No, I—" Eira paled.

"I've heard you Muggles do it all the time," Narcissa continued, "You marry and then divorce at the slightest inconvenience."

"Lucius hits you!" Eira retorted.

"He only hit me once," Narcissa snapped back.

"That doesn't mean he won't do it again. You've seen already what he's capable of doing."

"You don't understand anything!" Narcissa cried, "I come from a pure, ancient bloodline, as does my husband. Purebloods marry purebloods and uphold the lineage. That is why Sirius marrying you was such a terrible thing; you… not even a half-blood, but a Muggle!"

Eira threw back the coverlet and grabbed her nightgown, pulling it on roughly; she felt the sting of Narcissa's meaning clearly.

"So, why do this with me?" Eira glared, "I have to admit, Narcissa, you almost made me forget that you support a regime not too dissimilar to the Nazis, and that I've been your prisoner here this whole time. I also nearly forgot that you held me down while your husband beat me and wouldn't believe me when I told you he tried to rape me. Oh, and now my mother-in-law is trying to murder my baby, and possibly me too! And why? Because I'm a Muggle who will taint your precious bloodline? What have I done to deserve any of this?"

"Stop it," Narcissa said stiffly, turning away. She kept her eyes down and bit her lip, willing herself not to cry.

"You say you love me and yet don't respect me as a person. I'll always be the other to you, always be beneath you, and you most certainly would never admit to loving me. Sirius loves me and is not afraid to let everybody, even his shitty family, know that."

"That's completely different!" Narcissa argued, now looking at her again, "Firstly, we are women. Our relationship is…is unnatural. And secondly, I'm married and have a son."

"Say you weren't then," Eira folded her arms and sat down on the end of the bed.

"What?" Narcissa frowned.

"Say you weren't married, didn't have a son, and say you were comfortable with your sexuality—"

"I am comfortable with my—"

"I mean between us. Say you weren't married and not ashamed to love another woman. Would you love me openly and honestly?"

Narcissa averted her eyes again, fixing them on the carpet. She looked deeply uncomfortable. Eira waited, letting the silence hang between them coldly.

"I…I wouldn't be allowed," she said finally.

"Your family again? What a surprise," Eira rolled her eyes, "But it never stopped Sirius."

"I keep telling you, that's different!" Narcissa exclaimed, "He's a man! He was never forced into a marriage like I was."

"You're an adult, Narcissa!" Eira snapped back.

"And so is Sirius yet look what has happened to him!"

Eira paused and looked Narcissa over closely; she was pacing, still with her thin arms folded across her chest, her eyes shining with tears.

"Did your family have something to do with his imprisonment?" Eira asked pointedly.

Narcissa stopped pacing. She seemed too nervous to look at Eira and the tears she was holding back now spilled down her pale cheeks. She took in a deep breath, choking on a sob in her throat and rushed upon Eira suddenly, embracing her and drenching Eira's bare shoulder with hot tears.

"Please, let's not fight like this," she begged.

Eira pried her arms away and turned her head aside. "Just take me back to Remus's house."

"Darling, please…"

"I want to leave," Eira said as firmly as she could, though her voice cracked as she felt her throat jump.

Narcissa fell to a heap on the floor at the foot of the bed, trembling and shaking with silent sobs. Eira went to the bathroom to wash herself and dress, letting her own tears fall the moment she was alone.

Narcissa brought Eira back to Remus's cottage just after lunchtime. They didn't speak and they didn't linger; Narcissa Disaparated the second Eira walked through the garden gate. She was slightly dismayed to find Remus sitting at the kitchen table with Astrid, and to Eira's vague surprise, Severus Snape. They all looked at Eira curiously as she came in. Eira had a horrible feeling that they had been talking about her.

"Narcissa not with you?" Astrid asked.

"She was in a rush and had to go," Eira mumbled, avoiding her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Astrid frowned, noticing at once how pale she was and how her eyes glistened.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, sweetie."

"I'm fine," she snapped a little more firmly now, "I'm just tired."

Astrid put down her cup as Eira walked off into the bedroom. She briefly touched the top of Snape's hand, murmuring, "I'll be right back."

She followed Eira into the bedroom and shut the door behind them. Eira, looking slightly irritated, sat down on the bed and began to unlace her boots wordlessly.

"Eira…"

"Please just leave me alone."

"Eira, what's happened?"

"Nothing."

"Remus said you stayed with Narcissa last night."

"Yes, I did," Eira replied, tossing her boots aside and curling up on the bed.

Astrid sat down at the end of the bed by Eira's feet, looking at her. "What's that around your neck?" she pointed to the green crystal Eira was fiddling with absentmindedly.

"Narcissa gave me it."

"What is it?"

Eira shrugged, "It's a crystal. She said it would help protect me and the baby."

"May I see it?"

Eira lifted the chain over her head and passed the necklace to Astrid, who studied it for a moment, and then handed it back.

"She must care very much for you," Astrid said with caution, watching her face, "To have given you that… but Eira… you are just a servant to her, a Muggle, and I find it well, um, odd…"

"What's odd?" Eira's eyes darted to her face briefly.

"Her behaviour towards you. It's no secret that she and her husband hate Muggles."

"Then why would she give me a protective charm?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"She's kind to me. She wouldn't hurt me."

"No, but her husband would hurt you."

"I won't see him again. He wasn't there last night, that's why she took me back with her."

This admittance caught Astrid's attention and Eira at once seemed aware that she had given herself away; her cheeks suddenly grew pink, and she was more determined than ever to avoid Astrid's eyes.

"Are you… are you doing this with her because you're lonely, Eira?"

"Doing what?" she replied quickly with a note of panic in her voice.

"I'm not judging you, Eira. I just want to know."

"Know what?"

"Are you sleeping with her?"

"What? No!" Eira turned her eyes to look at her now, trying to feign surprise, "I mean…I sleep next to her. Is that what you mean?"

"You know that's not what I mean."

"I'm not…we don't…" Eira couldn't find the words she wanted to say. She squirmed uncomfortably, appearing more and more flustered every second.

"I don't feel so sure about that, Eira," Astrid said truthfully. "Even Remus, God bless him, who doesn't know a thing about women has his suspicions about you two. He's worried. I'm worried."

"There's nothing to be worried about," Eira replied stubbornly. "There's nothing going on."

"Eira, I know you must feel lonely without Sirius—"

"There's nothing going on," she repeated firmly.

"But you are doing him a great injury," she continued as though Eira hadn't said anything, "if you are carrying on with Narcissa the way I think you are. His family is related to Narcissa's family, I'm sure you've worked that much out; they are cousins; and Narcissa very much subscribes to the type of Muggle-hating agenda Walburga Black and Lucius Malfoy bang on about. Sirius has stood up for you time and time again. Even now while in prison, he's doing his best to protect you from his twisted family. He loves you so much, Eira."

"I know that," Eira couldn't hold her tears back any longer and began to cry. Astrid's reasoning had only confirmed the fears she harboured, the very same she had confronted Narcissa with only a few hours earlier. "And I love him, and I miss him every second of the day. But he's not here!"

"So, you sleep with Narcissa to make yourself feel better?"

"No!" she cried in frustration, shaking her head. "It isn't like that."

She sighed and reached for Eira's hand, squeezing it, "Eira, please just tell me the truth. Like I said, I'm not judging you for feeling lonely. But please think about this. If Lucius finds out what you and his wife are doing, he may very well kill you. You are putting yourself in more danger than you're already in. Besides that, think about how Sirius would feel."

"Sirius isn't here," she said bitterly, "I'm starting to doubt he's ever coming back."

"Oh? You've given up on him then? That's a shame."

"No…" Eira at once felt confused, shaking her head, "No, I've not given up… but how can he? They won't even give him a trial. What hope is there?"

"You can't have forgotten he's an Animagus, Eira. There is plenty of hope for him yet."

This gave Eira pause for thought. It had crossed her mind several times in the past, but she could not understand why, if he could do such a thing, he hadn't used this trick to break out already.

"Did you know his godson Harry is at Hogwarts?" Astrid now asked.

Eira nodded, "Yes."

Astrid nodded, "Yes, good. We're trying to decide if he could be any help."

Eira frowned, looking at her, "What do you mean? Decide what?"

"It's not a solid plan, and I'm not telling you anyway if you're busy under Narcissa Malfoy's skirt."

"I'm not sleeping with her!" she cried in frustration, knowing too late that she had raised her voice enough to have surely been heard by those sitting in the kitchen. A long, tense silence followed. Astrid sat looking at her, deciding whether to persist or let the matter go. Eira was clearly shaken.

"Okay," Astrid said finally, "Okay, fine. You need to rest. I'm sorry."

"Tell me the plan!" she looked at her anxiously.

"There is no plan."

"Astrid, please!" she said desperately.

"No," Astrid shook her head, "Not until you can be honest with me."

With that final statement, she stood up from the bed and took her leave, re-joining the two men sitting awkwardly in the kitchen. Eira stayed put for almost the entire afternoon, wishing to avoid Astrid, and only came out once she knew she had left with Snape. Remus did not broach the subject of Narcissa with her, and for that Eira was grateful, for she was certain it was on his mind.

She bathed in the little tin bath that evening after Remus had gone up to bed, thinking over everything that had happened and all she had heard that day. The prospect of being reunited with her husband filled her with equal excitement as it did dread; it continued to press on her mind as she lay in bed, listening to the rain pattering on the windowpane, trying to remember what it felt like to kiss and touch Sirius. All she saw, however, was Narcissa's face. When she tried to imagine Sirius's voice, she could only hear Narcissa; she remembered how she had cried that morning, how her dark eyes had implored her to forgive her. It was nearly three o'clock in the morning when Eira finally drifted off into a heavy sleep.

But a restful sleep was not to be. Eira, distracted by her thoughts, left her crystal necklace on the kitchen table after her bath and was swiftly gripped by a nightmare that caused her to wake screaming, her ears once again filled with loud, terrible whispers surrounding her on every side. She screamed and screamed, throwing the covers back, grabbing Remus the moment he rushed through the door in his pyjamas. He held her, soothed her as she sobbed, and at first did not notice the bright red blood running down her legs and staining her snowy-white nightgown.