"Narcissa." The voice was commanding and void of human emotion.
"Yes, my lord?" Narcissa's hands were trembling, but she clutched them inside her robes so as not to let on that she was afraid.
"He has let the boy slip out of our clutches too many times. He was valuable, but now he is a hindrance. He must be killed."
"K-killed, my lord?" A tear slipped down Narcissa's cheek.
"Yes, Narcissa, killed," the Dark Lord said, now sounding agitated. "If we are to succeed in destroying the Potter boy once and for all, those who get in our way must be eliminated. You will do it tonight."
"Yes, my lord."
---
That night, Narcissa lay in bed in a crumbling old shack, waiting for Lucius to fall asleep.
I cannot do it, she thought. I won't do it. He can kill me if he wants, but I won't go through with it.
Narcissa! her brain scolded. You pledged your life to the Dark Lord in taking the Dark Mark! You must do it.
"Narcissa?" Lucius mumbled, annoyed. "Stop tossing and go to sleep."
I'm going to do it, I have to. He'll kill me and then do it himself, or get someone else to.
"Narcissa, I know you're awake."
"Sorry, love," Narcissa said, the words sticking in her throat. He has no idea what I have to do tonight once he falls asleep.
"Goodnight." Lucius rolled over on the threadbare substitute for a bed they were lying on.
"I love you," Narcissa whispered, savouring the feeling of the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. She had not said that in two years. Lucius grumbled something that sounded like, "lo... over...ated." Narcissa sighed and waited for him to drift off into sleep.
It's for the best, Narcissa. Don't you want the world to be free from filth? Don't you want to be free? It's for freedom's sake.
I know, she told herself, but it's so hard. I mean, I have a wonderfully rich and handsome husband, a - er - son, and I used to have a huge mansion, and now here I am, sacrificing it all for the Dark Lord, and I have a mission to complete before the night is over or he'll take my life.
Suppose I don't do it. Suppose I run away, and never go back. I could learn Occlumency and dye my hair, and change my name, and live as a Muggle - Narcissa felt as though her heart would snap at the thought. NO. I can't do that.
I'll have to go through with it, then.
Why won't you fall asleep already so I can make up my mind? Narcissa groused to herself as Lucius made a grunting noise and pulled the tatty blanket mostly off of Narcissa and onto himself. Narcissa shivered in the cold night air. She closed her eyes. I'll just take a rest while he falls asleep.
Narcissa was walking down a hallway in an old house. There were voices coming from a room on the left. She walked up to the door, which was open a crack, and listened to the hushed conversation inside.
"Loyal servants, faithful Death Eaters," began a high, cold voice she recognised as her master's. A Death Eater meeting without me? she thought dimly, before pressing her ear to the crack while holding the door closed. "We are here to discuss a mission. I have devised a plan to capture and kill Potter. It will be tricky, but I am confident that it will work.
"But first, the individual assignments. Draco Malfoy, come forward."
"I am here, my lord."
"Narcissa." The voice was commanding and void of human emotion. Narcissa's hands trembled. Where had she heard that before?
"She failed to kill a once faithful servant of mine who had gotten in the way of killing the Potter boy one time too many. She was valuable, but now she is a hindrance. She must be killed."
"Killed, my lord?" Draco did not stammer as Narcissa had. Narcissa covered her mouth in fear.
"Yes, Draco, killed," the Dark Lord said, now sounding agitated. "If we are to succeed in destroying the Potter boy once and for all, those who get in our way must be eliminated. You will do it tonight."
"Yes, my lord."
Narcissa woke up screaming. Lucius shot up, wide awake, and covered her mouth.
"Do you want us found?" he hissed.
"No," Narcissa trembled. "I'm sorry, Lucius - bad dream."
"Malfoys don't have bad dreams," Lucius sneered. "Now go back to sleep. We have a meeting tomorrow and you need to be rested for the Dark Lord's new plan."
If only I could tell you what I just foresaw, Narcissa thought, gazing at Lucius in the dark. That's it. I have to do it. There was something odd about her dream that she couldn't place, something that scared her even more than the dream itself.
It was almost exactly the same thing he told me just this morning.
"Narcissa, you're taking up all of the blanket," Lucius told her, pulling it back, but Narcissa wasn't listening.
"Narcissa." The voice was commanding and void of human emotion.
"Yes, my lord?" Narcissa's hands were trembling, but she clutched them inside her robes so as not to let on that she was afraid.
"He has let the boy slip out of our clutches too many times. He was valuable, but now he is a hindrance. He must be killed."
"K-killed, my lord?" A tear slipped down Narcissa's cheek.
"Yes, Narcissa, killed," the Dark Lord said, now sounding agitated. "If we are to succeed in destroying the Potter boy once and for all, those who get in our way must be eliminated. You will do it tonight."
"Yes, my lord."
She had to do it. She had to. She would be killed if she didn't. Draco would kill her if she did not follow through with her mission.
She remembered the day she met Lucius. For her it was love at first sight, but for him... she doubted whether she'd ever be more than a trophy to him.
"Cissy, there's someone Mum wants you to meet," Bellatrix drawled, looking bored. "Probably some rich thirty year old man with no p--"
"Bella!"
"Well, isn't that what they always bring home to meet you?" Bellatrix smirked. "He's staying for dinner, so no matter how awful he is, you'll have to put up with him for the whole evening."
"Oh, Bella, what am I going to do with you?" Narcissa sighed.
"You won't have to do anything with me, Cissy. I can take care of myself."
"Really?" Narcissa said staunchly. "Then why do you have to have the Dark Lord baby-sit you?"
"You know very well he doesn't baby-sit me, Narcissa Black!" Bellatrix snarled. "He's taught me the meaning of loyalty and servitude, of pain and suffering, of love and compassion. Things you've never experienced in your wildest dreams!"
"Maybe I don't know pain, Bella, but at least I'm free to do what I want and not have to report back to him every time my arm twinges," Narcissa replied hotly.
"Narcissa!" their mother called up the stairs. "Get down here!"
"Coming, mother," Narcissa called. "I'm going downstairs, Bella. Why don't you go tell your precious master?" she sneered.
"Don't you dare--"
"NARCISSA!"
"Coming!" Narcissa shot a glare in Bellatrix's direction and flounced down the stairs to join her parents and their visitor.
"Ah, here she is. Lucius, this is our daughter Narcissa. Cissy, this is Lucius Malfoy."
Narcissa looked up and saw a boy no older than herself standing at the side of the couch. He had short blonde hair that went just below his ears, and he was - Narcissa's breath caught in her chest - gorgeous.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Black," he said, walking to her and kissing her hand.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Malfoy," she replied, blushing.
"Where are your sisters, Cissy?" Narcissa's mother asked.
"Bella's upstairs, I don't know where 'Dromeda's gone," Narcissa said, not taking her eyes away from Lucius's.
"Damn that girl," her father muttered. "Probably out in that horrid Muggle village again. It's no use keeping her inside, she'll get out anyway, and all to see that filthy boy." Narcissa's mother cleared her throat and nodded to Lucius, shooting her husband a warning look.
"I'll go fetch Bella," Narcissa murmured, slipping out of the room and hurrying up the stairs. Her cheeks, she was sure, were flaming red. She'd never felt this way before.
Two months later, Lucius proposed.
Narcissa heard the slow, soft breathing of her husband that could only mean he had fallen asleep. She looked at his face, peaceful and yet dangerous at the same time. She stood up slowly so as not to wake him. She pulled on her cloak and gripped her wand. She had only a few moments. She leaned down to Lucius, her mouth next to his ear, her hand on his arm. She never wanted to let go, but she had to.
"Goodbye, my love," she whispered. Then she raised her wand. "Avada Kedavra."