After being confined for what seemed like an eternity in the lift of St. Mungo's, there was no point in going to the restaurant where they booked a table the day before, surely the reservation had already expired.
Whereas Narcissa wanted to go home, she didn't voice her complaints to Lucius, instead, she allowed him guide her to the Leaky Cauldrons saying very little and responding in monosyllable words.
Thankfully, it was past lunchtime and the place was almost empty. To withstand her anguish she sat quietly at the table, avoiding Lucius' eyes and ruminating on the unpleasant encounter with Andromeda.
“But speaking of being pathetic, now I do recall… Did you know Robert here was all set to play for the Magpies out of Hogwarts, dear? Yes, there was an announcement and everything… But apparently an unfortunate incident dashed his hopes - and, it seems, all he has left now is to take petty revenge against his betters. What very typical behaviour for his kind.”
“Save your fake arse pity for the Magpies. Merlin knows they need it after they lost the best shot at a decent keeper. You want me to stop fouling him? Maybe buy him a couple lessons on how to play the damn game.”
Marlene knew better than to butt in where she wasn’t invited, but that never stopped her. It was practically fate that she had looked up in time to see such a grimace worthy purchase only moments away from being made. “If it was me, I’d probably save it for St. Patty’s day,” she commented, dropping the potential gift she’d been eyeing as she approached the offender. “It doesn’t really strike me as romantic enough for the fourteenth. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
When she stepped out of the bathtub, the warm water had already grown cold, but Narcissa did not seem to notice the change, it was almost as if her whole body was numb. The absence of thoughts was a torment greater than her mind working at a high speed making millions of connections to organize and compartmentalize everything that Lucius had told him.
The witch changed into a salmon stay at home dress. Merlin, how she regretted having chosen such a sweet palette of colors, she didn't feel loveable. Neither did she feel confident or proud to parade in her black silk dress or her crimson velvet blouse.
Narcissa stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own reflection, and proceeded almost mechanically with her daily makeup routine, as if that would fill the void in her chest. Was this the role that Lucius wanted her to play in his life? @luciusofmalfoy
She had never felt so alone before. Everyone had lied to her, and why? Maybe Bella had really been driven by a childish desire to protect Narcissa. The idea thoroughly annoyed her, though she often turned to her sister when she was in need of protection. Rodolphus, naturally, followed Bellatrix lead on this matter, she didn't expect him to contradict her wife in matters that concerned her youngest sister. Narcissa never kept secrets from Bella, only the ones that Lucius had told her in confession. Now, she had been betrayed by both. How ironic.
She had left their room the day before, after their argument. She could not bear to sleep in the same room as him, in the same bed where they made love for the first time. However, she could not tell him to leave the bedroom, that was his house, and she was nothing but a mere guest. If this was the kind of marriage he wanted, why did he pretend to want a deeper connection with her? She would have agreed to a purely contractual marriage, after all, people like them never marry out of love.
But Lucius was cruel. He fed her fantasies, led her on and then crushed her entire world with one lie, as if she meant nothing to him. Narcissa looked at her opulent wedding ring with cold disdain.
After reflecting on everything he told her, she understood why he had joined the Death Eaters in the first place. All the traditional families had done the same, it was undeniable that he was seeking to preserve the power of his family if the Dark Lord created a new order in the wizarding world. Narcissa, however, knew Lucius well enough to be sure that his choice was not just a matter of politics, no, he liked the Dark Arts. He enjoyed power.
Narcissa thought of her cousin, Evan, the only one who had been honest with her. For a second she was angry that he had not told her the truth about the man she was about to marry, but the anger cooled quickly. In his place she would have done the same, for it must have seemed to him that Lucius had his own personal reasons to mistrust her, naturally, Evan would want to stay away from that sort of trouble.
Narcissa felt dizzy, she had to eat something or else she would faint. She left the room and walked down the spiral staircase slowly, she was not yet familiar with the house, nor did she want to be.
When she reached the spacious kitchen, she took out a crystal glass from the clean cabinets and filled it with water with a flick of her wand. Lucius had made sure the house's pantry was stocked with anything they could eventually need, and everything they loved. However, Narcissa could not savor the food, everything tasted like ashes in her mouth. Still, she needed to eat.
Dear Miss @loriorpington,
Thank you for adding to the joy of our wedding with your services and cordiality towards our guests. Everyone was charmed with the superb drink you created especially for our ceremony. With our sincere gratitude, please accept this modest gift. (x)
@luciusofmalfoy and Narcissa Malfoy
Narcissa’s exhaustion threatened to take over her, as the wedding day approached, thus, not having to elaborate an extravagant Valentine’s surprise for her fiancé took a weight off her shoulders. Tonight, she didn’t have to personally supervise anything. For the first time in a long while, Narcissa could allow herself to sit back and enjoy a pleasant dinner in the company of those who were dear to her: Lucius, Bella and Rodolphus.
After powdering her nose, Narcissa lingered a little bit longer in the corner, pausing to watch the three of them sitting at a round table in the center of the restaurant. She did not know exactly why, but the sight of them together made her crimson lips curl into a small smile. Narcissa scolded herself silently, she had been very sentimental lately, and it was beginning to annoy her. Her heels clicked over the marble floor on her way to rejoin the elegant group.
"We should go out more often, the four of us" She said, taking the empty seat between Bella and Lucius.
