[CoughSweet]

Ach Avi.. schön und traurig Und ich könnt in Englisch glaub ich nicht so gut schreiben..

[XxPruexX]

Hihi, danke Ines Ich bin auch ganz stolz drauf xD

Title: Tränen
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters: Narcissa Black-Malfoy
Rating: R
Genre: Tragedy
Disclaimer: Mir gehören weder die Charaktere noch die Spielorte der Harry Potter Serie, ich will und werde mit dieser Fanfiction kein Geld verdienen, sondern schreibe nur zu meiner eigenen Freude.
Warnings: Darkfic, OneShot, Sadfic
Chapters: 1/1
Word Count: 1035

Tränen

Sie hatte nie zu vor in ihrem Leben arbeiten müssen, selbst dann nicht, hätte sie es gewollt. Stets hatten ihre Bediensteten alle Pflichten für sie erledigt, sogar die kleinsten Dinge. Doch nun war sie es, die auf dem boden kniete, in dem Willen zu arbeiten, jedoch zu schwach um auch nur eine Hand zu heben. Sie war zu sehr in ihre Gedanken versunken, um sich zu konzentrieren.
Es war, als hätte eine Bombe in dem Salon eingeschlagen, der im Vergleich zu einigen Stunden zuvor kaum wiederzuerkennen war. Aber was kümmerte sie der Salon... Der Junge war erneut entkommen. Er war entkommen, durch ihre Schuld. Nur Sekunden nach seinem Verschwinden war der Dunkle Lord eingetroffen und noch nie hatte Narcissa ihn so wütend gesehen. Er hatte sie gefoltert, sie alle, stundenlang. Allein der Gedanke an jenen unsäglichen Schmerz ließ sie zusammenzucken. Doch nicht die körperliche Qual war es gewesen, die sie schier verrückt gemacht hatte, es war das Zusehen. Das Zusehen bei der Folterung ihrer Familie. Die Angst in Bellatrix’ Augen zu lesen, sie so schwach, so zerbrechlich sehen zu müssen hatte ihr das Herz zerrissen. Er hatte sie bis zur Bewusstlosigkeit gefoltert, immer weitergemacht, als wäre es seine Absicht gewesen, sie zu töten.
Auch Lucius und Draco waren unfähig gewesen, sich zu wehren, hatten keine andere Wahl gehabt, als es stumm über sich ergehen zu lassen. Nachdem der Dunkle Lord ihr Haus verlassen hatte, waren sie disappariert, sie alle, selbst Bellatrix, die kaum in der Lage gewesen war, sich aufrecht zu halten. Sie waren verschwunden, hatten Narcissa zurückgelassen, inmitten eines Meeres aus Scherben und Blut, das sie nun so verzweifelt zu beseitigen versuchte, als könnte sie dadurch auch ihre Erinnerung reinwaschen. Reinwaschen von den Geschehnissen dieser Nacht.
Sie wusste, dass sie mit einem Schlag alles verloren hatte. Ihre Schwester, die ihr einst so vertraut gewesen war, nun kaum noch ein Wort mit ihr sprach, zu besessen von dem Gedanken, dem Dunklen Lord zu gefallen. Ihren Mann, der es vermied sie auch nur anzusehen, sie wusste nicht, weshalb, ob er es tat, um sie zu schützen oder zu verletzen. Selbst ihr Sohn schien ihr immer mehr zu entgleiten. Der Krieg, der schon zu viele Opfer gebracht hatte, hatte ein neues Ausmaß angenommen, ein Ausmaß dessen Größe sich niemand bewusst zu sein schien. Es versetzte ihr einen Stich in der Brust, wenn sie daran dachte, wie sehr sich alles verändert hatte. Der schmerz, der sie nun durchströmte war nahezu unerträglich, viel intensiver als der des Cruciatus Fluch es jemals sein könnte.
Sie hatte Tränen in Lucius Augen glitzern sehen, als der Dunkle Lord den Zauberstab gegen ihn erhoben hatte. Nie zuvor hatte er sich erlaubt, Schwäche zu zeigen. Ihr war der Atem gestockt, als sich ihre Blicke für den Bruchteil einer Sekunde kreuzten, sie bemerkt hatte, dass er weinte. Im nächsten Moment hatte sie sich dazu gezwungen, den Blick abzuwenden, zu tun, als wäre nichts geschehen. Sie würde es sich niemals verzeihen, noch mehr Schande über ihre Familie zu bringen.
Narcissa selbst hatte nicht geweint, sie schien zu gelähmt, um eine Reaktion zu zeigen. Vorsichtig erhob sie sich, noch immer zitternd, betrachtete stumm den in Trümmern liegenden Salon. Ein eiskalter Schauer durchfuhr ihren Körper, schwach sank sie zurück auf die Knie, spürte nicht einmal die Scherben, die ihre zarte Haut mit Leichtigkeit durchbohrt hatten und nun grob in ihr Fleisch schnitten. Langsam schloss sie ihre Augen, die sie jedoch nach kaum einer Sekunde schwer atmend wieder aufriss, sich verzweifelt bemühte, das Bild, das sich ihr geboten hatte, aus ihrem Gedächnis zu verbannen, doch es schien wie eingebrannt. Bellatrix’ Körper reglos auf dem Boden liegend, Narcissa unfähig zu ihr zu laufen, zu prüfen ob sie noch lebte... Lucius’ starrer, angsterfüllter Blick, seine Haut noch bleicher als jemals zuvor...
Sie begann zu schreien, schrie so laut sie konnte, ohne Rücksicht darauf zu nehmen, ob man sie hörte, berührte wie in Trance ihren linken Arm. Ihren Arm, der nicht das Zeichen trug, das in die Haut aller Mitglieder ihrer Familie eingebrannt war, an genau der Stelle, die ihre Finger nun so verzweifelt umklammerten. Ihre Haut war schneeweiß, frei von dem Dunklen Mal, dem Symbol, nach dem Bellatrix und Lucius so sehr gestrebt hatten, das so unsägliches Leid über sie gebracht hatte.
Wie sehr sie sich wünschte, niemals in diesen Krieg hineingeraten zu sein, den Krieg, in dem jeder gezwungen war zu kämpfen, dessen Ausgang niemand erahnen konnte...
Die Ereignisse der letzten Monate hatten ihr Leben völlig auf den Kopf gestellt, hatten alles verändert. Jeden Tag hatte sie gebetet, dass es aufhören würde, hatte sich stets beschworen, durchzuhalten. Doch nun war ihre Kraft versiegt. So sehr sie es auch versuchte, sie war zu erschöpft, um weiterzumachen wie bisher. Sie war gebrochen, in diesem Moment, und es war zu spät, um zu versuchen, diesen Bruch zu heilen. Sie erhob sich erneut, hatte stumm einen Entschluss gefasst, den sie nicht einmal wagte in Gedanken auszusprechen. Lange ließ sie ihren Blick durch den verwüsteten Salon schweifen, den Raum, den sie einst so geliebt hatte, der sie jedoch nun lediglich mit Abscheu erfüllte. Für einen kurzen Moment schloss sie ihre Augen, sah erneut jenes fürchterliche Bild vor sich, das sie erschaudern ließ.
Natürlich liebte sie sie. Sie alle. Bellatrix, Lucius, Draco... Selbst nach all dem, was geschehen war, Narcissa würde sie stes mehr lieben als sich selbst, wäre niemals in der Lage dazu, dies zu ändern. Die Gefühle für ihre Familie könnten sich nicht schmälern, auch dann nicht, wenn sie es noch so sehr begehrte.
Auch Lucius, der ihr den größten Schmerz zugefügt hatte, würde stets ein Teil von ihr bleiben, ein Teil, nach dem sich ihr ihr Herz so verzweifelt sehnte, auch wenn ihr Verstand wusste, dass es unmöglich war, ihn zu besitzen. Sie hatten sich geliebt, mehr als alles andere. Waren glücklich gewesen, auch wenn Narcissa kaum noch Erinnerung an jene Zeit hatte, nicht mehr wusste, wie es war, angesehen, zärtlich von ihm berührt zu werden. Sie hatten sich geliebt...
„Es tut mir so Leid, Lucius...“, flüsterte sie kaum hörbar, als sie die Türe verriegelte, sich selbst in dem zerstörten Salon einschloss, nun nach ihrem Zauberstab tastete, den sie fest gegen ihre Schläfe drückte. „Obliviate.“
Sie hatte Tränen in seinen Augen glitzern sehen.

[XxPruexX]

Title: Comatose
Summary: Lucius after the Battle of Malfoy Manor
Characters/Pairings: Lucius Malfoy // Narcissa&Lucius
Genre: Angst, Drama
Rating/Warnings: R
Word Count: 727
Chapter: 1/1 // 2/3
A/N: Lucius' PoV. Find Part #01 of the trilogy here!

Comatose

He would never forget the sight of the drawing room when he left the house. The drawing room, that was now lying in ruins, after an hour of desperate fighting. He wouldn’t forget Narcissa, leaning against the wall, trembling with fear and pain after the Dark Lord had tortured her for more than twenty minutes to punish her for deeds she hadn’t committed. Leaving her behind in this condition had almost broken his heart, but his Master had forced him to join the meeting he had just called and Lucius didn’t dare to refuse Lord Voldemort’s orders, too afraid of what would happen to him if he did.
The meeting had lasted for only a few minutes and now he was on his way back home, worrying about his wife, whom he had neglected for months, without being able to tell her how much he still loved her. He had always tried to protect her as well as he could, to ensure nothing would harm her during this war, but he failed. Failed and hurt her even more by keeping clear of her. He sometimes heard her crying in the middle of the night, but still kept on pretending he was asleep in order not to put shame on her.
He heard a scream, somewhere in the dark, and suddenly found himself standing in the drawing room again, observing the Dark Lord punishing his family.
Lucius had never cared about watching people being tortured, but seeing Narcissa lying on the floor, squirming with pain, bearing everything silently, too proud, too self-controlled to scream, had hurt him as much as the Cruciatus Curse seemed to hurt her.
He’d never forget the day his eyes had filled with tears for the first time, while watching his wife being tortured almost until unconsciousness, waiting for it to stop, waiting for the same to happen to him only a few minutes later.
Narcissa’s and his glances crossed, shortly before the Dark Lord raised his wand against him, but he couldn’t hold her gaze for more than just a second.
He knew that he had lost her in the moment he disapparated to follow his Master, that he had lost her by leaving her behind when she seemed to need thim the most. He was too rapt in thoughts to pay attention to the Dark Lord’s speech, rather to pay attention to anything else.
He felt like he had dropped off to sleep full of nightmares, like he had collapsed unconscious, being comatose, with only Narcissa who’d be able to wake him up.
He slowly opened the door, entered the house as quietly as he could, in order not to frighten her even more. She had been so anxious lately, winced almost every time she heard a noise that didn’t seem familiar to her. „Narcissa?“, he shouted, suddenly realizing that he hadn’t talked to her alone for longer than a week. He sighed, remembering how much they once had talked together.
Lucius headed for the drawing room, like he had gone into a trance, tried to open the door. He couldn’t hide his astonishment when he realized that it was barred. It took him only a few seconds to open the door by magic, to finally enter the room.
He gasped for breath when he caught a glimpse of Narcissa, who was lying motionless in a corner on the ground. Lucius started to run, without caring about the shards on the floor. He could see blood streaming down her hands, where the shards had cut into her flesh, carefully tried to sit her up, but her body just sank inanimately into his arms. He could see, could feel her heart breathe, knew that she was alive, but the reproaches seemed to almost kill him. He never should have stopped talking to her, never should have left her alone under these circumstances.
If he only knew what had happened to her while he was gone... „Narcissa“, he whispered gently into her ear. „Wake up... Wake up, Cissy, please...“
Her eyes opened, only a second afterwards, as if she had heard, had understood his words. She looked at him for a long time, too weak to talk, even to move. Hours seemed to pass until she was finally able to raise her voice, to nothing more than just a whisper. „Who... who are you?“

[XxPruexX]

Title: Anywhere
Fandom: Harry Potter
Characters//Pairing: Narcissa Black-Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy // Narcissa&Lucius
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Angst
Disclaimer: Mir gehören weder die Charaktere noch die Spielorte der Harry Potter Serie, ich will und werde mit dieser Fanfiction kein Geld verdienen, sondern schreibe nur zu meiner eigenen Freude.
Warnings: OneShot
Summary: Nach dem Verrat an Lord Voldemort leben Narcissa und Lucius Malfoy in Angst. Gezwungen, sich fortan stets in ihrem Anwesen aufzuhalten, finden sie wieder zueinander. Bis sich Narcissas größte Furcht eines Tages zu bewahrheiten scheint...
Chapters: 1/1
Word Count: 845

Anywhere

Zu Weihnachten fragte er sie stets nach ihren Wünschen. Versprach, ihr alles zu schenken, was sie begehrte, egal was es sei. Sie nannte ihm stets die banalsten Wünsche, um ihn nicht zu verletzen, ihn nicht zu enttäuschen, doch das, wonach sich ihr Herz am meisten sehnte, wagte sie nicht einmal zu denken.
Es war eines Abends, kurz vor Weihnachten, als Lucius das Haus betrat, leichenblass, mit vor Angst zitternden Händen. „Er weiß es...“, flüsterte er kaum hörbar. Narcissa runzelte die Stirn, legte vorsichtig eine Hand auf seine Schulter, um ihn zu beruhigen. „Wer?“, fragte sie leise, während sie ihn in den Salon führte. „Setz’ dich.“
„Der Dunkle Lord“, entgegnete Lucius, so schwach, dass selbst Narcissa, die dicht neben ihm stand, Probleme hatte, seine Worte zu verstehen. „Ich... ich habe dir etwas verheimlicht, Narcissa. Die Auroren würden alles tun, um den Aufenthaltsort des Dunklen Lords zu erfahren. Sie haben mir viel für meine Hilfe geboten.“
Erschrocken schlug sie sich eine Hand vor den Mund. „Du hast ihn verraten?“, fragte sie kaum hörbar. Lucius nickte. „Ja. Dolohov hat davon erfahren und es ihm erzählt, doch ich konnte fliehen, noch ehe der Dunkle Lord den Zauberstab gegen mich erhoben hatte. Ich bin von nun an kein Todesser mehr, Cissy... Ich bin ein Gejagter.“

Die Tage verstrichen, schneller als sonst, und schließlich wurden aus Tagen Wochen. Aus Wochen wurden Monate und aus Monaten schließlich ein Jahr. Ein Jahr war es nun her, seit Narcissas größter Wunsch in Erfüllung gegangen war, ohne dass sie es jemals gewagt hatte, ihn auszusprechen. Lucius hatte ihr das größte Geschenk gemacht, das er ihr zu machen in der Lage war. Er hatte aufgehört, Lord Voldemort zu dienen.
Aber mit ihrem größten Wunsch war zur selben Zeit auch ihre einst größte Furcht Wahrheit geworden.
Ihr war alles entglitten, woran sie sich so verzweifelt festgehalten hatte, jeglicher Luxus war mit einem Schlag verloren gegangen. Doch was kümmerte sie noch der Luxus... Was kümmerten sie noch Perlen oder Seide, hatte sie nicht etwas viel Wichtigeres neu gewonnen. Die Nähe zu Lucius. Sie hatten wieder begonnen, sich anzusehen, miteinander zu sprechen, wie sie es einst nächtelang getan hatten, hatten einander ihre größten Geheimnisse, ihre tiefsten Ängste anvertraut und waren stets Arm in Arm eingeschlafen.
Narcissa war nie zuvor glücklicher gewesen, und die Zeit, die sie mit ihrem Mann verbrachte ließ sie manchmal sogar vergessen, dass sie nun Ausgestoßene waren. Gejagte, die ständig um ihr Leben bangen mussten, darum, entdeckt zu werden. Sie wagte nicht daran zu denken, was geschehen würde, würde man sie finden. Würde sie Lucius verlieren. Allein der Gedanke daran schien ihr jeglichen Boden unter den Füßen zu nehmen. Sie war glücklich, und doch träumte sie, als wollte ihr Unterbewusstsein ihr Glück zerstören. Träumte davon, was geschehen könnte. Träumte davon, wie ihr Herz langsam, qualvoll aufhören würde zu schlagen, bis sie erwachte, schreiend, weinend, und es Lucius war, der sie fest im Arm hielt, sanft über ihr Haar streichelte, um sie zu beruhigen.
Mächtige Zauber schützten nun ihr Anwesen und niemand, niemand außer ihrer Schwester wusste, ahnte mehr von dessen Existenz.
Narcissa war bewusst, dass Bellatrix dem Dunklen Lord noch immer treu ergeben war, doch sie wusste auch, dass sie niemals in der Lage dazu wäre, ihre Schwester zu verraten. Auszuliefern. Niemand außer ihr käme infrage, das Geheimnis von Malfoy Manor zu bewahren.
Ein Jahr lebten Narcissa und Lucius nun im Verborgenen, ein Jahr, in dem so viel und doch so wenig geschehen war. Erneut war es kurz vor Weihnachten und wie damals war es eine stürmische, Unheil verkündende Nacht, als plötzlich ein silberner, nahezu durchsichtiger Panther in den Salon glitt und, wie es schien, Narcissa tief in die Augen sah.
„Der Fidelius Zauber ist gebrochen“, sagte Bellatrix’ klare, kalte Stimme, durchbrach somit die Stille, die sich über den Raum gelegt hatte. „Man ist mir gefolgt, ich habe es zu spät bemerkt. Sie sind nun auf dem Weg hierher, ihr müsst fliehen. Noch heute Nacht.“
Der Panther löste sich auf, so schnell wie er erschienen war. Panik spiegelte sich in Lucius Augen wider, und zum ersten Mal fand auch Narcissa keine Worte, um ihn zu beruhigen. „Ich werde gehen“, sagte er schließlich, nach einem schier unerträglichen Moment des Schweigens.
„Und ich komme mit dir“, erwiderte Narcissa entschieden, doch Lucius schüttelte nachdrücklich den Kopf. „Nein“, sagte er. Es ist zu gefährlich, Cissy. Sie suchen nur nach mir, du bist in Sicherheit, egal was geschieht. Bleib hier.“
Nun war es an Narcissa, den Kopf zu schütteln. „Ich komme mit dir“, wiederholte sie. Lucius schloss für einen kurzen Moment die Augen. „Wieso tust du das?“, fragte er leise. „Wieso begibst du dich in solche Gefahr, wieso gibst du alles auf? Für nichts und wieder nichts...“
Vorsichtig griff sie nach seiner Hand, sah ihm tief in die Augen. „Weil ich dich liebe.“
Und sie disapparierten. Disapparierten, nur den Bruchteil einer Sekunde bevor die Todesser das Anwesen stürmten. Verschwanden ins Nirgendwo, spürend, dass Narcissa ihre Schwester nie wieder sehen würde. Sie verschwanden, in eine ungewisse Zukunft, mit nur einem Punkt, an dem sie in der Lage waren, sich festzuhalten. Sich selbst.

[XxPruexX]

Title: In Noctem (HiH Writer's Block Challenge #46: Nightmares)
Rating/Warnings: R, just to be safe... Includes angst and some blood.
Characters/Pairing: Narcissa Malfoy
Summary: Narcissa makes a dreadful discovery in the middle of the night.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do own nothing.
Word Count: 445
Author's Notes: Gosh. I know that I really should not be doing this, at least not now, but I just needed something to distract me from everything at the moment, so I wrote this, just to... Well, to distract me. At least for half an hour.

In Noctem

She had hidden in the attic. Had hidden there for hours, maybe even a day, did not dare to move, even to breathe, until she was sure that he was gone, until she couldn’t hear any more of his steps. She sent silent prayers to heaven, that he would not find her upstairs, that he would not find her family. But then... Then she heard the screams, heard her husband shouting, heard her sister crying.
Bellatrix, who was so strong, so cold, who never cried, not daring to show weakness. Yes, she could hear her cry, could hear her shout, shouting for help... But she was unable to help her. Unable to help anyone she loved.
She hated herself for hiding, hated herself for not being brave enough to face her destiny, like Lucius, like Bellatrix did. But what choice did they have... They were not able to hide, were not able to run away, like Narcissa did. She had run away, too cowardly to do anything but save her own life. But how much would her life be worth now, now that she had lost everything... How much would her life still be worth, now that she was sentenced to live? To live, knowing, feeling what she had done. What had happened to her family.
The silence seemed to almost kill her when she opened the door, slowly stepped down the stairs, too scared of what she would see when she entered the drawing room. But yes, yes she did enter the drawing room, almost collapsing when she found her sister, lying on the floor, motionless, all covered in blood, next to her husband...
Narcissa suddenly felt dizzy, so incredibly dizzy, sank down on her knees, desperately trying to hear, to feel them breathing... „No...“, she whispered, over and over again, not willing to realize what she saw. She had expected it to be like that, had expected everything to be exactly like that... But seeing them, seeing them right before her eyes, dead... It broke her heart, broke it into small pieces...

„Cissy... Cissy, wake up...“
She gasped for breath when she felt the hand on her shoulder, hastily opened her eyes, found herself in the bedroom, lying next to Lucius, who had carefully wrapped her arm around her, trying to allay her. „It was just a dream, Cissy“, he whispered into her ear. „Everything’s alright... It was just a dream...“
She was unable to understand what he told her, unable to realize that what had happened was not real.... That nothing she had just seen was real, that it was just a dream. Just a dream... She suddenly heard steps from outside.

[Abendstern]

der text ist wie immer schön und emotional :herz:

das ende ist mir allerdings ein bisschen zu "klischeeig", falls du verstehst was ich mein ^^ trotzdem super <3

[XxPruexX]

Hihi, dankeschön
Das mit dem Traum meinst du? Das war die Vorgabe xD Also die Vorgabe war "Nightmares"

[Abendstern]

achso, dann hab ich keine kritikpunkte mehr ;D

[XxPruexX]

Title: Trapped (Challenge #74: Don't Speak)
Rating/Warnings: R, just to be safe... Includes angst and blood
Characters/Pairing: Narcissa Malfoy
Summary: They had taken everything from her. Had taken her wand, had taken her freedom, had taken her life.
Disclaimer: I, unfortunately, do own nothing.
Word Count: 540
Author's Notes: I know, the ending is quite abrupt, but I ran out of time (this was originally written for hh_writersblock )

Trapped

They had taken everything from her. Had taken her wand, had taken her freedom, had taken her life. She was trapped, trapped in a small room that had been her prison for weeks, for months, and that would remain her prison as long as she lived.
She still was not able to understand why Lucius had brought her here, whether it was to protect or to destroy her. Lucius... The man she had trusted, had loved for so many years, the only one who had been there for her, who had been able to understand her. Yes, it was him who had brought her to this place, who had abandoned her when she had needed him the most. He did not even visit her. Had never come to see her, as if he had forgotten her in the moment they locked her into her room, in the moment they made her drink the first potion to calm her down. To make her will-less.
She had been staring at the mirror for many hours, without realizing that the woman, once beautiful, but now thin and pale like a ghost, the woman that was wilfully holding her gaze, was actually her. He said, that it was for her best. That it was all for her best, that she’d never be able to...
Tears were streaming down her face when she remembered his words, when she heard his voice again in her head, talking to her as if she was a child, telling her how much he loved her... But how, how could he love her, and still lock her up? Lock her up, just for her best? She would not be able to bear another night in this prison, would no longer be able to hear the screams in the other rooms, to hear the steps in the corridor.
She had screamed herself too. Had screamed, cried, had begged to let her out, but they had just given her another potion. Had forced her to drink, when she tried to resist.
She rose, took just a step forwards to the mirror, closed her eyes for no more than a second. She did not even know if her family was still alive. Did not know if Lucius had survived the war he had desperately fought in, if he was still a free man, or already sentenced to spend his life in Azkaban. She did not know anything. And would never learn.
The mirror burst into a thousand pieces, with a loud, rattling noise. Hastily she took one of the shards, could already hear the steps outside of her room, echoing in the long marble corridor. Narcissa’s hands were trembling when she cut. Cut deeply into her flesh, knowing that this would be the only option to escape. She could see the blood streaming down her wrists, everything around her suddenly started to rotate. She could hardly see the door opening, almost unable to recognize Lucius, sinking down on his knees next to her, catching her in his arms, holding her body, as firmly as he could... He whispered words into her ear, words she was no longer able to understand, but she smiled when she closed her eyes. He had not forgotten her...

[XxPruexX]

Title: Hide and Seek
Summary: Narcissa mourns Bellatrix' death
Characters/Pairings: Bellatrix Black, Narcissa Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy; Narcissa&Lucius
Genre: Drama
Type: OneShot
Rating/Warnings: PG-13; Character Death and a little Blood
Word Count: 1450

HIDE AND SEEK

She had never considered herself to be very brave. It had always been her sister who’d have the right to call herself brave, as the only member of the family.
Yes, it was Bellatrix, who was looking for the monsters under their beds when they still were children, who was constantly seeking adventure. It was Bellatrix, fighting for what she believed in, without spending a thought on the consequences.
Narcissa had always been the quiet one, the lady, silent, when it was required to be silent, remaining obedient and reverent throughout her life.
She was told not to cry when she received the message of Bellatrix’ death, so she did not cry. Crying was pointless, they said, it would just make her look old and less attractive to her husband. Crying would mean that she had lost control, and a Black never lost control. She was told to remain quiet. So she remained quiet.
She had not been told about what had happened, had not even been told about when her sister had died. "Your sister is dead", they said, barely noticing her desperate attempts not to show weakness. "She was found a few hours ago, near Spinner’s End."
Narcissa had locked herself into her room for the rest of the day, unable to talk, to do anything but stare at the window.
She had not even said goodbye... Had gone without saying goodbye to the person that loved her more than she loved herself. "I always thought, you were brave, Bella...", Narcissa whsipered, hardly audible. "How could I be so mistaken..."

Narcissa pretended to be asleep when Lucius came to bed, late after midnight. She did not want to have to talk to him, or even to look at his face. Her whole body started to tremble when she felt his arms around her waist, when he started to carefully stroke over her face. "I brew you some Dreamless Sleep Potion", he whispered into her ear, knowing that she was still awake. She did not respond. Just looked at the purple liquid in the glass her husband was holding in his hands. "Thank you", she said eventually, her voice husky, hardly audible, and turned away from him, too ashamed of her feelings.
The potion started to show its effect fast, only a few minutes after she had emptied the glass. But not fast enough. Narcissa could hear Lucius speak to himself, whispering three words over and over again. "She was murdered..."
He had held her hand all night, unable to sleep himself, always ready to calm her down, in case she would wake up. But she did not wake up, slept quietly, as if nothing had happened. At least sleep would allow her to forget about reality for a while. Would allow her to rest.

"I’m going to get you!", she shouted with her light, clear voice, almost stumbled upon her cloak while running through the corridors. She was glad their parents had gone on an outing and would not find out what they were doing, because she could be sure they’d punish them both if they did. "You can’t escape me, Bella, we both know that! You never managed to escape me!"
They had loved to play Hide And Seek when they still were children, and sometimes they even did now. Now, that they were both grown up. She, Narcissa, seventeen, her sister four years older.
They both knew that, for a lady, it was forbidden to act as childish and unbehaved as they did now, that a lady had to stay calm and controlled in every situation, and especially Narcissa followed these rules strictly. She knew what her family expected, especially now, that Lucius had proposed to her. Bellatrix did not care about what they, or other people, thought. She just did what she wanted, like she had always done only what she wanted to do. It had been her who convinced Narcissa to forget about the rules, to play Hide And Seek with her, as if they were ten again. She knew that it would cheer her up, knew that forgetting about her duties for only an hour would save her life. And it did.
It took Narcissa only five minutes to find her sister, hidden behind a curtain in her own bedroom. She had run a little too fast, though, fell down on her knees, gasping for breath, but smiling. "I told you I was going to get you..."

He was still lying next to her when she opened her eyes, her face all wet with tears. "I’m sorry", she whispered, but Lucius just shook his head. "Don’t", he said, his grey eyes looking at her, worried, like she had only been looked at by her sister.
Narcissa rose, had a brief look into the mirror. Her eyes had lost their shine, but they were from the same bright, clear blue as always, her skin, a bit paler than usual, but as soft, as flawless as before. She did not even look tired, as if it was just an ordinary day.
But everything seemed to move slower today. Her motions, her words, even her thoughts. As if also time was grieving.

Narcissa had never talked much, not even when Bellatrix was with her. Had always been the quiet one, never desired to make friends or to speak with people.
But now, now, only a few days after her sister’s death, she had stopped talking almost completely, hardly ever spoke a word, neither to her servants, nor to Lucius. He did not force her to talk, treated her carefully, as if she was as fragile as a porcelain doll. He brought her a glass of Dreamless Sleep Potion every night, and kept on holding her hand until she had fallen asleep.
But the world did not stop turning, she knew that she had to go on, had to fulfill her duties, and she did. Tried her best to please everyone around her, like it was her obligation. But she had become careless, about herself, about what happened. Had become numb. And only this numbness could help her survive.
She rose when she heard the noise from outside. When she heard Luicus shouting. After a few minutes she had reached the entrance hall, hardly interested in what was going on, to be honest. But Lucius seldom lost control over his voice, and she felt like there was an invisible power, forcing her to go.
Narcissa felt like heart had stopped beating when she reached the entrance hall, finding her husband, furiously shouting at a small, masked figure, seeming to be ready to beat him up.
"Will you stop it!", she shouted, horrified by what she saw. "Lucius, for Merlin’s sake, have you lost your mind? Stop it!"
She was not able to undestand what he was talking about, just heard the screams echoing in her ear, but she did not want to know. All of a sudden, everything had started to remind her of Bellatrix, how she had shouted at her mother, when they were having a fight, how hysterical she had become, even when she had grown older. It had been almost impossible for Narcissa to calm her down again, but she had always managed to do so. She knew that the only reason that kept Bellatrix from running away was her, because without her sister, she would be lost. Would not be able to survive.
"Lucius, please..." Narcissa hardly realized that her husband had now pulled a knife out of his cloak, ready to throw it at the man. She was standing right behind him, not daring to move, in case could make Lucius even more furious. "Please... Don’t! I don’t want to lose you too!"
But he did not listen to her. She was not even sure if he was able to realize what she said. "That’s for Bellatrix!", he shouted, tossing the knife at his opposite. But he disapparated, less than a second earlier. Lucius and Narcissa’s gazes crossed, for only a moment, his eyes wide open with horror and fear...
The pain in her stomach made her fall down on her knees, gasping for breath. She felt Lucius’ hands on her body, could feel how he laid her down on the floor, carefully, her head lying in his arms. "I’m so sorry, Cissy...", he whispered, over and over again. "I’m so sorry..."
Lucius, the entrance hall, everything started to blur before her eyes, she could hear Bellatrix’ voice, laughing, shouting from far away. "You found me, Cissy! And I really thought my lair was good enough this time..."
Narcissa closed her eyes, smiling. "I told you I’d get you, Bella", she whispered.