No Refusal, Just Disownment by Ron x Hermione
Chapter Notes: Enjoy! I'm starting to dive into the character of Narcissa, so more may be coming your way!
“I will not marry someone who doesn’t love me, father! Just because he’s pureblood . . . it doesn’t mean anything, all right? That doesn’t matter to me at all.”
“If Lucius proposes, my darling daughter, you will say yes no matter if that is whom you wish to marry or not. The Black family has been pureblood ever since they’ve come into existence, and I do not want the fact that my daughter ruined that on my shoulders when I have to face them again because she didn’t love him!” His voice was grave, and Narcissa knew that even though what he said was true, she didn’t want to follow it. She would feel horrid that she had ruined their family, but it was her life and she figured that she should follow it to her own calling and taste. No matter how long she would defy her father, he would eventually find some way to get to her and force her to marry Lucius.
She threw up her hands and heaved a great sigh. She paced to the other side of the room nearly in tears before she turned around again.
“So does the Black family not love?” she asked with great dignity. She looked at her father intensely and did not allow the grim line on her lips to falter.
“I can’t tell what you mean, dear.”
“Well, if our family prides themselves on just being pureblood and there’s not that many left for us to choose from, does that mean that no husband and wife have ever loved each other? I can have a life, have a child, have money”--- she looked at her father disgustingly ---“but only if I have a man. Can’t it wait until I find someone on my own? I can’t have a child with a person I don’t love, father---”
“I can assure you, I love your mother very much.”
“No,” she told him, “you tolerate her. I’ve seen the way you two bicker and fight: you don’t even realise that your yelling can be heard all the way down the stairs. Bella hears it too.”
“That is quite enough,” her father said gruffly, his eyes narrowing at her while his fists clenched and unclenched. “I can assure you that just because we fight doesn’t mean we don’t love one another. You will--- you do love Lucius, you just don’t know it yet. Now get dressed--- put on something nice, you’re going to dinner with Lucius tonight.”
“I don’t find it fashionable that I am forced to do something I don’t want to do. I’m seventeen and of age---”
“And you will always do what your parents tell you to do no matter if you’re ten or if you’re fifty.”
Narcissa opened her mouth in protest but he waved her off.
“And if he proposes tonight, Cissy . . .” He paused, choosing his words very carefully. “If he proposes tonight, you will say yes, no matter how much you want to defy me. If you say no---” He reached up slimy fingers to stroke that goatee of his. “You will no longer be welcome in this family.”
~ * ~
After their extravagant dinner, Lucius had taken Narcissa on a walk through the garden. The many rose bushes budded into the walkway, and Narcissa soon found a pink one in her hand that Lucius had picked just a few moments before. He didn’t talk much this night; she guessed that it was because of his nerves getting to him. It had to be because of the small black box hidden in his fine dress robes pocket that Narcissa could see clearly, but she didn’t allow him to know that.
She found it quite sad: out of all of the connections that Narcissa had--- her father and all of his associates --- versus Lucius, who had no earthly clue of her knowledge of his proposal tonight, she found it kind of horrible to realise that she had the knowledge of the offer while he had no idea that she did. But then her heart turned to stone when she thought of all of the hardships she had been put through because of him. If she wasn’t engaged to Lucius by tonight, she would be thrown out of her family and into the streets with no place to stay. Even if it wasn’t his fault she still harbored intense feelings of spite against the man in front of her.
“My dear, are you cold?” He began to take off his jacket quickly.
“No, no, Lucius, I’m all right. I’m rather warm, actually.”
“Well, take this anyhow.” He wrapped the warm coat around her shoulders. Narcissa rolled her eyes and shook her head as he turned away. Had she just not said she was warm? Honestly, he got on her nerves sometimes.
“Narcissa, I have something to ask of you.” Lucius finally found the courage to turn and face her, grabbing her hand.
Here it comes, Narcissa thought, her brain relishing any possible possibilities she could use to get out of this. But she knew that she couldn’t hide from it forever--- her father would eventually find out her plans and she’d be disowned before the proposal was even in progress.
“My dear, I . . . I find myself staring at you anytime you are with me. Ever since I’ve found you, my life seems that much happier anytime I think of you or your name. I know that this may seem kind of rushed, but . . .” Lucius suddenly seemed to lose his nerve, and Narcissa’s heart soared, but he soon reached into his back pocket and pulled out that box she had been eyeing that entire night.
“Will you marry me, my dear Narcissa?”
Narcissa still held onto his hand tightly, sweat filling the pores of her small fingers in his, her mind reeling with her choices as her stomach flipped over (not in happiness or anger, but of the point of retching). She knew that she would have to answer in the next second or he would know something.
She smiled at him weakly and grabbed his other hand, pulling him up.
“Of course, Lucius,” she said, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
Lucius beamed at her and hugged her around the waist, planting a soft, happy kiss on her cheek. “I’m pleased to see you so content. Please, don’t cry, my dear.”
“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes darting back and forth, just allowing him to wrap his arms around her, not returning it. “It’s because I’m so happy.”