Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Summer Vacation 1976 – Narcissa Pov
Andromeda was cast out of the family.
I felt like the world was falling apart, and Andromeda, my older sister, had run away with a Muggle-born. Grandpa had kicked her out of the family for it.
We were forbidden to look for her, forbidden to contact her, forbidden to ask about her.
I felt horrible. I hadn't left my room in what seemed like days, and there were no tears left to shed.
"How are you, Cissy?" I felt Bellatrix's hand on my back. I could barely respond.
"I'm... better." I tried, and I really tried. I knew I couldn't change anything, that I had to stand up, but... Andy, my sister, had chosen someone else over us, over her family. We may not be perfect, I'd be one of the first to say that, but it seemed easy for her to choose that Muggleborn over all of us, her family.
"Do you need something, sister?" Bellatrix's soft voice comforted me; the warmth filled me, perhaps because of her...
"Yes... a bath, then... we can go to Diagon Alley, I think I need a... change of scenery." I looked up and smiled crookedly at Bellatrix. Bellatrix looked surprised, almost as if she didn't believe what she had heard, but she quickly recovered.
"W- right away, Cissy!" Bellatrix said quickly and called our house elf.
"Bella," I called once more. Bellatrix immediately looked at me, and I smiled shyly at her. "Could we... could we invite Lucius?" I asked timidly, and a sour expression appeared on Bella's face, but she sighed and nodded.
"I'll tell the elf to take a letter to him and have him meet us in… two hours in Diagon, you… You have to look presentable." Bellatrix said with difficulty. I gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Bella... for everything." I said softly, Bellatrix's expression softened, and she reached out and took my hand.
"Don't mention it, Narcissa. I will support you always, I will always protect you, I will always be by your side." Bellatrix said with conviction. A fire of determination in her eyes, and I believed her, every word she said, I didn't doubt any of her. Through thick and thin, Bella would be by my side. A smile took over my face.
"Thank you, Bella, I love you." I said softly.
"And I you."
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Summer Vacation 1976 – Lucius Pov
"I'm... disappointed." I flinched at my father's cold words, but stood still, upright in front of his office desk without moving a muscle.
"I'm sorry, sir," I said quickly.
"I thought... I was very clear that you would become Headboy in your senior year, but what happened?" I swallowed the bile that seemed to rise.
"I'm still a prefect." I clenched my fists tightly at my stupid defense, having been wrong, and my father's cold gaze gave it away.
"That's not what I asked." I suppressed the urge to shudder again.
"I… I think it was the headmaster, sir." I tried weakly, but when I saw my father looking at me, waiting for an explanation, I opened my mouth again. "Slughorn assured me that my name had been called and he would do everything he could to make me headboy… the only reason he wouldn't succeed, would be because of the headmaster… I think… I think the headmaster is scared, and doesn't want any purebloods in such a position." I stood completely still as my father stared at me for a few long seconds before nodding.
"You're right, that nosy old fool is of course afraid of the Dark Lord." I almost wanted to sigh in relief, but suppressed it. "I suppose… prefect will do." My father looked at me intently again, "You have your job, do it well, nothing less than perfect will impress the Dark Lord, understood? " Father asked, and I nodded firmly.
"Of course, father, you can count on me."
"Very well," he nodded. "Now, how about your courtship with… Narcissa, we have to make sure we join the Black family; there can be no mistakes."
"Very well, sir, Narcissa… is more attached, more committed to the engagement now that her older sister, Andromeda, ran off with that Mudblood at the end of the school year. So there shouldn't be any problems." I felt like I was going to throw up I hated talking about Narcissa like that, but I knew what I had to say so that Father wouldn't insist further.
"The misfortunes of others are blessings for us, at least something good came out of that blood traitor whore sleeping with a mudblood," father snorted.
"In fact, I understand that Lord Black is currently negotiating an engagement for Bellatrix, and according to Narcissa, the Lestranges are first on the list." My father's eyebrows rose slightly.
"Interesting, I'll have to start bringing Lestrange under us." Father said thoughtfully. "Very well, you may go. I have things to think about." I nodded and sighed in relief; the conversation had gone much better than I had expected.
"If that's all, Father, I'll take my leave," I said politely.
"That's all, still, by the way, how's your... pupil doing?" Father spat, and I grimaced before frowning, Serena.
"Miss Snape is an excellent prospect, very good with potions and a brilliant mind in her head, and… a few months ago, the problem regarding that… Mudblood she was hanging out with was resolved." Father hummed before nodding.
"Make sure she stays that way, a ward of House Malfoy, even a half-blood like her, must not be seen hanging around a Mudblood, and find her a decent match that will benefit us all." Father said in a tone of finality.
"Of course, father." I agreed and saw my father wave his hand, a gesture indicating that I was no longer required in the office. Without waiting, I left the room. Once the door closed, I sighed deeply, straightened my clothes, and began to walk.
Serena, I hadn't heard from her since the end of the school year. It was different from previous years; at this point, Serena would have already contacted me for requests, books, ingredients, or even money. However, she had been utterly silent for the past month.
Serena was both a friend and my sponsee, so I was worried about the meaning behind the silence. I just hoped it didn't mean anything bad. If there had been any accident, as her sponsor, I would be the first to be notified. So I hoped it wasn't anything serious. I'll write her a letter later. Now, I have things to do first.
Meet Narcissa in Diagon Alley.
…Serena could wait.
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October 30 – Narcissa Pov
"I'm going to kill Serena," I growled under my breath. I could feel my whole face getting completely hot. I couldn't help but think about our conversation from the morning. It only got worse when I heard Lucius laugh nervously.
"Shall we have dinner, dear?" Lucius asked softly, and I sighed in relief.
"Of course, Lucy, I'm starving." I said quickly, trying to push Serena out of my mind. Lucius held out his arm to me. I quickly grabbed it and let myself be guided to the table Serena had prepared. "Serena really did a good job." I couldn't help but comment as I watched the dinner being prepared; it really did look delicious. If its flavor were a fraction of its appearance, it would taste divine. And not just the dinner, the entire room was prepared. The atmosphere was everything I could have hoped for and more. Serena had really gone the extra mile for us. I let out a huge smile.
"We'll have to thank her later for the effort she took… despite her mouth." Lucius grimaced, and I giggled.
"Don't worry, I'm sure our embarrassment was more than enough payment," I said, amused. Lucius opened his mouth, then closed it and sighed.
"Yes, I most certainly agree." He agreed with me, and we both shared a smile. "Sit down, my dear." Lucius said as he moved the seat. I turned slightly, ready to sit down, before stopping.
"1 second," I said to Lucius before quickly walking over to the bed. I glanced over at Lucius, who was looking at me curiously. I blushed a little before taking the perfectly labeled potions. Without looking at Lucius, I gulped down the two potions Serena had prepared.
To my surprise, the potions didn't taste horrible, like I was used to. They didn't taste good per se, but they didn't have the usual bitter and atrocious aftertaste. It was disconcerting, and I thought it hadn't worked. Still, I felt that little tickle in my stomach and sighed in relief; of course, Serena wouldn't prepare anything less than a perfect potion.
I approached the table once more and looked at Lucius, who had looked away, blushing slightly. He cleared his throat and grabbed the chair again. I sat down without saying anything.
"Everything looks delicious. Do you know who made it?" Lucius asked as he sat down in his own chair.
"Serena said she was going to prepare it herself," I said honestly. Lucius opened his eyes slightly.
"Serena? I didn't know she could cook." Lucius said, surprised, and I nodded several times.
"I know! I was surprised too, but as long as she cooks with even a fraction of the skill she has in potions, we'll be fine." I agreed as I took the cutlery, Lucius did the same, and we both tried the food.
""mmh!"" A moan of pleasure came from both of us, but we didn't care; we immediately took another bite of dinner.
"Oh, Salazar, this is delicious." I let out a pleasure-filled moan, almost throwing all decorum aside. I held back just enough from attacking my food, but my cutlery moved as fast as I could, while keeping my manners ingrained in my movements. I could see Lucius doing the same, as he agreed with my statement.
Before we knew it, our dinner had disappeared from the table, and I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of disappointment. I grimaced as I realized what had happened, prompting my plan to have a chat over dinner to calm our nerves.
"That... was really something," Lucius said as he put down his cutlery, apparently realizing what had happened as well. "This food is dangerous." I snorted, but didn't deny it; it was almost addictive.
"I'll be sure to tease her, years of hearing Serena say that potions are a completely different fine art than cooking, and she happens to be excellent at both? I won't let that go." I said, amused, Lucius smirking back at me.
"I'd be careful, she may have changed a lot, but she's still grumpy," Lucius warned with a smile.
"That's an understatement." I rolled my eyes playfully. "But yes, she's changed... quite a bit, she's still our old grumpy Serena, but she's... happier, lighter, so to speak. It seems that separating from Evans did her some good." I said softly, Lucius groaned at the mention of Evans' name; I almost wanted to do the same.
"Leaving that aside-" Lucius almost spat. "- even her way of dressing changed, even if it isn't as questionable as yours."
"Don't be mean, she likes dressing like that, and she looks good." I reprimanded him. Lucius raised his hands in surrender.
"I didn't say no, inexplicably... it suits her, I'm just saying, it looks like she picked random things and put them together." Lucius shrugged.
"Knowing her, it's possible," I said playfully.
" And she took all the jewelry she could find and put it on." Now Lucius wrinkled his nose. "Pure gold is not a material for rings, too malleable."
"Oh, actually, she made them herself, for some reason. She needs them to be completely pure, so she uses charms to make them keep their shape. She spent like half an hour explaining to me how she used a custom charm to keep their outer shape while not having any interference between the ring and her finger for… something." I shrugged. I hadn't understood most of that conversation.
"You know… she's keeping things from us, right? " Lucius said softly, I snorted.
"It's obvious." I said simply before smiling softly. "But I'm not worried, Serena is allowed to have her secrets; if she wants us to know, she'll tell us when she's ready." I said simply, Lucius stopped and nodded.
"You're right, my dear, as always." Lucius smiled gallantly at me. I returned a flirtatious smile.
"And you must remember that, because it will always be that way." I said playfully, Lucius's smile softening as he took my hand across the table.
"Forever, such a beautiful word," Lucius said softly. Before lifting my hand and kissing my knuckles. My cheeks flushed, and I could feel the heat emanating from them.
"Forever." I repeated with a smile, most of my nervousness gone, I couldn't imagine any future other than with Lucius, this… this felt right.
"I have... I have something to show you, a suit... I want to hear your opinion," I said shyly as I stood up Lucius looked at me curiously.
"Oh? Did you make any new dresses?" Lucius asked curiously, without any hint of accusation or annoyance in his voice. He actually sounded genuinely curious. I had only mentioned to him a couple of times that I wanted to make clothes, and he supported me without question.
Even going so far as to add a small workshop at home to our future plans, and the promise that he would wear any outfits she created for him without hesitation. She knew she had… a role to fashion as Lady Malfoy, and even though a seamstress wasn't a bad profession or something frowned upon, she still had to live up to expectations, especially from Lucius' father.
Luckily, Serena had convinced him to abandon the dark lord; it would have been impossible to continue with my passion for sewing in such a case, even if it were behind closed doors, as we were already planning.
"This time, no, it's not something I made, it's… something for our next activity, but… keep in mind that Serena picked it." I said shyly. And Lucius snorted amusedly.
"Don't worry, we've already made it clear that her style of dress is, at best, questionable," Lucius said amusedly. I slapped his shoulder playfully.
"I told you not to be naughty, or I won't give you your present." I said mockingly as I approached the screen. The spike of nervousness had returned, but now it was… duller, more muted. I knew I wanted this, I knew I wanted to do it, and the nervousness of it being my first time was still there, but there was no doubt. Not anymore.
I hurried to put on the 'lingerie', really, muggles were utterly different, I had... I had a lot to learn about their type of clothing, as I wondered if this was what they wore on a daily basis.
I looked at myself in the mirror behind the screen, and… I looked good, I looked sexy, and I would show it to Lucius. My cheeks heated up once again, but I wasn't afraid; in fact, I was eager to see his reaction.
Without hesitation, I stepped out from behind the screen and looked at Lucius, who had a glass of wine in his hand. His gaze stopped on me, and he froze, his eyes opening wide. His glass fell from his fingers, and his body stiffened.
Serena was right.
A huge smile spread across my face, and a new surge of confidence coursed through me. I remember Serena's talk: move with confidence, don't cover anything that isn't already covered, move slowly and sensually, move your hips, and stay firm.
I began to stroll, moving my hips just as Serena had shown me that morning. I was clumsy and uncoordinated, but I didn't have any problem catching Lucius's eye.
Lucius seemed to have been imperiused as he stared, his eyes drifting from my waist, which moved with every step, to my chest, which heaved slightly.
The lingerie left little to the imagination; she might as well be naked, and from that thought a surge of lust arose.
"I-I-I-Y-You're g-godly, Cissy." Lucius stammered, practically breathless; he seemed to be gripping the chair, his eyes wide with lust, as he was feeling it too. I shuddered slightly.
"Come on, my love, take me to bed." I purred provocatively, Lucius practically lunged at me, and I couldn't help but let out a moan of pleasure. I really, really had Serena to thank for everything.
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