— narcissa black, the chameleon, is played by ( skye ). the ( 19 ) year old SLYTHERIN identifies with the pronouns she/her and has chosen to REMAIN NEUTRAL in the uprising. narcissa black is closed.
— ( + ) farsighted, high-minded, disciplined
— ( - ) Stealthy, Dishonest, Pedantic
BANG, SHOTS FIRED ;; About
— The baby of the family, that was the label slapped on your forehead the moment of your conception. Born into darkness, in the middle of the night, quiet and steady. Narcissa had no need to be taught or raised well by her parents, she was quickly delivered into the somewhat capable hands of her sisters, cousins, anyone not called mommy and papa. They were there, of course, her parents but they were quite hands off and Cissa was just fine with that in the beginning. Growing up she was quite privileged, incredibly wealthy and well educated, groomed to be the epitome of perfection and elegance, and she was but only because they asked her to be. From a very early age Narcissa knew what was being asked of her, she watched her family conform the ideals presented as best, she witnessed others being rewarded with safety and material possessions, power and influence, just for following the rules. It didn’t take long for sharp and witty little C to learn how things were supposed to work.
Despite understanding what was required she felt a pull in a different direction, resting on her laurels due to her wealth just wasn’t exciting and Cissa, for some reason, craved thrill. Perhaps it stemmed from the day her cousin Sirius took her up on his broom and she fell. Yes, she broke her wrist, bruised her spine and witnessed the punishment he was met with but when she was falling she felt her heart pound in a way it had never done so before, adrenaline spiking through her veins like a vodka tonic, her mother’s chosen poison. Even the pain from her injuries, which lasted all of an hour before the best possible healer was called, wasn’t enough to deter her. She’d spent her young life being sheltered, never even skinning her knees during play, which had never been allowed to be rough. A princess in a tower, protected, cherished but not really loved or valued beyond her elegance and beauty. It would be unfair to say she didn’t enjoy that aspect but she wanted more and she knew how to get it now. Playing her part was easy, she was a born actress and she’d watched others, the difficulty was finding a way to keep her illicit activities away from prying eyes.
Once at school Narcissa already had a booming black market business, though no one knew she was the boss supplying them with banned items such as cigarettes and certain books, hard to find potion ingredients, magical contraband and contraception. Narcissa loved her double life, she had everything she could possibly want and once again found herself bored. When things got too easy she lost interest, she needed challenge and intrigue like most needed air and food. Finding others who could offer her what she needed was easy and yet again keeping it secret became challenging. If Narcissa was one thing however it was clever, she always found a way and sneaking around was second nature. The future seemed bright for a girl of her particular talents and intelligence, she had a trunk full of applications for exciting opportunities and she hadn’t even passed her NEWTs yet. But then news came down the grapevine of her new betrothal and her dreams shattered overnight. Suddenly the impending war, which she had no part in good or bad, seemed like the least of her concerns.
— stiff leather, green and gold, leaf cookies, the smell of snow, wood polish, fishnet tights, strings of pearls, the smell of the sea, soft rock music, expensive perfume, comfort in the dark, steel nerves, bay of the family, billowing cloaks, pink champagne, high waisted sheer lace knickers, the torture of small talk, real housewives junkie, floral rompers, gladiator sandals, tae kwon do expert, sneaking out windows, glittering chandeliers, getting what you want, nail art, high ponytails, the art of the compromise, iron staircases, sharp collarbones, square diamonds, expansive bathtubs, creeping ivy, castle walls, white finches, the taste of cherries, stilettos, underestimated.
IF HISTORY IS DEAD AND GONE
Do not mistake me for my mask. You see light dappling on the water and forget the deep, cold dark beneath.— patrick rothfuss
she’s been a sheltered princess from the beginning, despite being the youngest of three daughters. or perhaps it was because of that, because even then she could light up a room, gave off the vibe that made you want to protect her. there was no doubt she enjoyed it, the attention, being spoiled, not having to work hard to get what she wanted. it was in her from birth, and as a child she was quick to pick up what the right way to act was, or what words were to be said to have things turn out the way she wanted. show them what they want to see, and you’d be able to attain the benefits you want, is what she learned. it’s also from the way bella was treated that solidified this ideology in narcissa’s mind. bella was different, she didn’t act in the way that was to be expected in this society, was the one who was shunned, kept away, punished. ‘this is what happens to those that aren’t worthy.’ her older sister was enough of an example for narcissa to know what she had to do if she didn’t want to go down that same path, and perhaps she would’ve been content to push down the vague unease that she felt, keep living in the bubble that had been built around her. to live the rest of her life in complacency.
if not for that incident with her cousin, she sometimes wonders how her life would’ve been. would she really have been content with being one of those trophy wives? either way, falling off the broom that day was the catalyst to her change. it had been in her all along, but she had seen no reason to rock the boat, to shatter what seemed to be the dream life of many that she had. adrenaline coursing through her veins, laughing while screaming, she knew she would never be able to turn back. it was as if suddenly that lingering unease had vanished in the moment, and she knew exactly what she had been missing until then. she had not been born for this life wrapped in cotton, she was meant for more, for adventure, for discovery, for finding thrill … for living life, truly living it.
there are times where she thinks of the irony of her parents, their three princesses meant to show just how illustrious the family was, to be used to gain ties to even more powerful families, to save them from their bankruptcy and yet none of the three end up being what they wanted. bellatrix has been a problem in their eyes, the loud one, drawing attention to every fault available. andromeda’s rebellion is less of a spectacle, but it is a bold statement nonetheless.
narcissa, the one that isn’t expected to go the way of her sisters in others’ eyes, the last hope of the black family. yet she is just as strong as her sisters, preferring to maneuver things her way without publicly upsetting the unspoken rules.
many view her as naive, as shallow, and she’s perfectly content with letting them think that at the moment. it’s a half truth, if she were to be candid. naive, she is, but not in the way most seem to assume. it’s her outlook that is naive, the little girl craving adventure, wanting to explore, believing that love with be able to overcome. she can’t deny that she is shallow. she enjoys the luxuries, loves getting pampered and if she could avoid it she would certainly not leave the comforts available to. stronger than that, however, is that will of seeking out what truly makes her happy, and that is what makes her reckless, willing to throw away everything she has done, everything she possesses in pursuit of it.
HOW DID WE GET HERE MY GOD, MY GOD
LUCIUS MALFOY: The betrothal surprised them both, Lucius had his own ambitions and an early marriage right out of school to a girl years younger was not part of his plans, a fact he made perfectly clear to Narcissa during their first meeting. Narcissa, to her credit, did not curse him right then and there. Lucius liked to talk about himself and he never asked questions or showed interest in her life or thoughts. Perhaps she should have expected this, after Bellatrix had been betrothed, and then Andromeda but she was still a teenager, it was much too soon and this thought led her to a particularly stunning revelation. The Black family was broke, they’d been hiding it for years, borrowing from this family or that one, marrying their daughters to those families to pay off the debt. Narcissa was no more than a payoff and she resented that, her family, for perhaps the first time in her life. Narcissa feels no desire or loyalty to her family to bail them out of the mess they made, she has been wearing an agreeable mask for too long but the idea of a life beside Lucius, dull and stifled, has become her worst nightmare. No matter the consequences she planned to end the betrothal one way or another, if she doesn’t punch Lucius first. Startlingly she managed to end one and be thrown into another.
MUNDUNGUS FLETCHER: One of two people who knows the truth of her business endeavors, Mundungus has been an invaluable source of information, products and some semblance of friendship. Narcissa has never been opposed to friendships of any kind with anyone despite her family very vocally supporting the Opposition, declaring magical creatures and halfbreeds the bane of wizardkind. Cissa just never had an interest in discrimination, she didn’t feel the desire to belittle anyone to make herself bigger, she was too clever to do that after all and found other ways to elevate herself, judging more on behavior and intelligence than anything as uncontrollable as birth or nature. Mundungus never questioned her, but sometimes she’d test the merchandise with him and spend a few hours calm and unconcerned, discussing politics, history, gender and all sorts of curious topics with Fletcher. At school she had to meet him secretly but she didn’t really care if anyone saw them together in the end, rumours didn’t bother her much either. When the whole betrothal thing happened he was the first person she owled for ideas on how to officially sabotage it, and Lucius, without suspicion. Despite his reputation Dung has turned out to be a good friend to her and she won’t stand for anyone trying to belittle him around her anymore.
TED TONKS: When Andromeda was betrothed to Rabastan Lestrange she threw a fit, in the privacy of her bedroom, which only Narcissa witnessed. It was anger, sadness, helplessness that Andie never portrayed before or after that moment of vulnerability. Cissa would stand by her sister’s side at the wedding but it never got that far. Andromeda exposed her relationship with Ted Tonks and then promptly ended it, her ambition and independence beating out her desire for companionship, at least that was how Narcissa saw it. Confused by her sister’s choices but proud of her nonetheless she supported Andromeda and even helped her decorate her new office at the ministry. She watched her sister’s star rise but one day she happened to bump into Ted, joined him for coffee. Getting to know Ted was a breath of fresh air from all the ambitious and power hungry housemates she spent a majority of her time with. The sweet and exceedingly kind man caught Narcissa by surprise. Her heart had never stirred like this, not for anyone, she had never considered romance or sex a priority and as such had not experienced either. But Teddy, as she came to call him, was worth risking her heart for. The problem was that she knew her sister still loved him but he had moved on, like she told him to. Narcissa felt guilty, she knew she’d likely lose Andromeda over this, but she felt strongly enough to risk that. Andromeda had helped raise Cissa but she hadn’t expressed warmth, joy, pride over her little sister, everything with Andie felt more like duty than desire. For Ted, for a chance at real love, she was willing to lose her sister.
