*Note: This headcanon is in response to this interaction between @malfoy and myself. It is heavily reliant on the headcanons about Narcissa and the Black family that Tessa posts about, and also based on this headcanon about Alice that I previously posted.
Ao3 link
at first neither of them realizes it for what it is
alice is just happy to have a few new friends to help her navigate this strange new world and narcissa is happy to be accepted for who she is.
that first summer is all giggles and sleepovers and afternoons lazing about by the pool
it's alice shoving bowls of ice cream at narcissa and the two of them walking arm and arm down diagon alley, window shopping and actual shopping and acting as if they own the place
when they get back to school that september things carry on in very much the same way.
they have a few classes together yes, but more often than not they have to actually make an effort to see each other.
there are afternoon study sessions out on the courtyard under a tree and evening sessions in the library stifling giggles and dodging looks from Madame Pince. there are weekend trips to hogsmeade together walking arm in arm as usual.
then narcissa starts to show up to sit in the stands and watch the hufflepuff quidditch practices
the first time she sees her in the stands, alice's stomach does that flip flopping sensation and she almost misses the snitch as it zooms past her.
but she writes it off as just being excited that one of her friends bothered to show up for a practice at all
still, there's a noticeable shift between them. alice can feel a palpable excitability whenever they spend time together
there's a softness there that wasn't there before. linking arms turns to holding hands, turns to eyes that lock a little too long to be just a coincidence.
that christmas, they both go home for the holidays as usual. narcissa is allowed to spend the night before the malfoy yule ball and as they're giggling sleepily and planning their outfits for the following evening they share a hesitant kiss.
they smile against each other's lips and the next morning they wake up in a tangle of limbs.
alice can swear that something is about to change, everything feels magical and perfect and she's happier than she's ever been.
that evening Lucius' betrothal to Narcissa is announced publicly.
it's alice's first true test of etiquette in pureblood society. she manages through with a smile plastered on her face, and hugs her brother to congratulate him.
she does manage to sneak away for a few moments to allow herself to hyperventilate in peace. to gather herself and blink away the tears as she mourns something that she never really had in the first place.
she tells herself that it's not going to change anything because nothing really happened in the first place. all that she feels for narcissa and the way it fills her up and chokes her is just her misplaced friendship. her loyalty and affection.
narcissa is still her best friend and better yet, they'll be sisters.
but that does nothing to help ease the ache in her chest as she watches her brother and his future bride stand side by side greeting guests and practicing for their future together as Lord and Lady Malfoy.
