Narcissa quickly changed out of her nightgown and into more suitable traveling clothes. Her legs carried her across the room as her arms grabbed at the various items she needed—wand, cloak. Narcissa was highly unaware of her actions for her mind was taking her back. Back to when she had been younger and freer.
Nearly 17 years ago she had been sitting in the drawing room, staring. Her husband had been pacing back and forth. On the table sat a small cauldron.
“Is it done yet?” asked Lucius anxiously.
“You know it has to boil for exactly twenty minutes,” Narcissa replied.
“I never understood why this potion takes so long.”
Narcissa looked down at her special Potions timer. Ten seconds left. She put her gloves on, poised to take it off at the exact second. Three…two…one. Her hands lunged at it like a cobra attacking its prey—precise and quick.
There’s no way this can be faulty, thought Narcissa. She set it down on the table and put out the fire with her wand.
“Finally,” sighed Lucius, who sat in the chair across from his wife.
She picked up the knife she had used to chop up the ingredients. Using her wand, she cleaned it instantly. She then rested the point on the tip of her finger and sliced. Deep red blood flowed from the fresh wound. Placing her finger above the recently concocted potion, she added three drops of blood. A puff of smoke issued from the solution, yet neither flinched. Each knew that the real results would take a few minutes longer. Narcissa casually grasped a small vial and placed a drop on the bloodied cut which healed instantly.
“What if,” stuttered Lucius, “it comes out negative?”
Narcissa turned her head away as if disgusted by the very idea. She had worked so hard to have a child.
No…they both had.
She was astounded by how their hard work could be so wasted. Married for nearly six years and not a single child. They had tried everything—natural, fertility charms, fertility potions, ancient rituals. Once they each had a little sip of Felix Felicis. Lucius was elected a governor of Hogwarts and Narcissa found an unclaimed bag of Galleons. But she easily would have traded all the Galleons in the Wizarding world for a child.
“Honey, something’s happening,” spoke Lucius, waking her from her trance. They both stared at the cauldron as its contents began to bubble.
Let there be a blue circle, thought Narcissa. In the anticipation, she hadn’t noticed she had crossed her fingers which she thought to be an ugly Muggle tradition. A sudden flash of bright light exploded from the cauldron. It always took them a second to recover from the blinding flash, but what they saw did not relieve them. Floating in the air was a red X. It sat there in space almost taunting the couple. Narcissa couldn’t help but shed a tear. Lucius got up from his seat and went to comfort her. She hadn’t remembered any words being said. Just the two in a tight embrace, staring at the shape that seemed destined to plague them.
* * *
The next morning all those years ago, Narcissa stood outside of the Lestrange residence. She knocked three times on the old oak door. For a moment, she wondered if the two were gone but soon heard heavy footsteps slowly approach the doorway. The door creaked open so that only an eye could be seen through the slit that was made. Suddenly, the door burst open. In front of her stood Rodolphus Lestrange.
“Hello Narcissa.” Rodolphus spoke deep and blandly.
“Hi, I was wondering if…”
“Hello, dear Cissy.” A woman joined the man at the doorway. Bellatrix’s thick, dark hair always had a beautiful shine. She stood erect and with a sense of pride as if showing herself off.
“It’s nice to see that my dear sister has come to visit me. Come in, Cissy.”
Narcissa walked into a grim living room. Light came in from the dim, grimy windows, but somehow the dark mood of the room lingered. She noticed that the edges of the wallpaper were slowly coming off. In front of the fireplace sat a classy couch with legs like eagle’s talons and armrests like lion’s paws.
“Mum always did have a great taste in furniture,” Bellatrix stated. “Come sit.”
As Narcissa sat on the couch and her sister sat opposite of her, she noticed how Rodolphus continued upstairs. Narcissa often pondered on the two’s relationship. Her parents would never allow Bella to go through life unmarried, and Rodolphus was the only person that she couldn’t find anything to loathe. It was blatantly clear, though, that the two didn’t have even a scrap of affection toward each other.
“Why so long for my sister to drop by to visit?” Bella asked. She said it with a grin, but the point was all too clear.
“Well…,” Narcissa thought of how to say it, “it’s about Lucius and me.”
“What? Another argument? Did you find something in the old attic?”
“No, no…” Narcissa almost laughed but stopped at the realization that her sister wasn’t joking.
“Come on, spit it out. You know I was never good at being patient,” Bellatrix complained.
“We’re having problems having a child.” Just saying the words gave Narcissa a pain in her chest.
“Well, why would you want one of those? Wretched, little things they are. Think of it more as a blessing than a curse.”
“Now I know you don’t mean that. And even if you do, I want a child. Someone to love and care for. Someone to guide and protect.”
“Someone to beat when they steal your wand and wreak havoc,” Bella laughed as if the whole conversation was a mere joke.
“I didn’t come for your approval,” Narcissa spoke sternly. “I came to ask for help. I know you know your way through the wizarding alleys and side streets. Can you tell me of somebody who can help me?”
“First you want to bear some bloody, little parasite, and now you want help from some shriveled crone. Wow, Cissy, you sure have stooped down from your world of prestige and class.”
Narcissa stood up. She would not stand for such talk. “Don’t lecture me about stooping down. At least I still act like a lady.”
Bella’s eyes flared as she stood to face her sister. Her face twitched from anger.
“I hardly find hiding behind some man as becoming. And I’m sure mother and father are more proud of me than scared little Cissy and backstabbing Dromy.” Bellatrix bit her tongue hard as if to punish it for saying the childhood nickname of the person she hated the most.
“Did you know that our sister has a child now? She’s had a daughter for about six or seven years now.”
“I HARDLY COUNT SOME HALF-BLOOD FILTH AS A CHILD.”
Narcissa clenched her fists. She knew this was getting nowhere. She felt a drop of water fall down her cheek. Not realizing it, her anger had turned to tears. There was nothing she could do. All she wanted was a family of her own, yet the family she had was falling apart. First, her sister and her rebellious marriage. Next, her husband and his secret escapades. And now her other sister was becoming more distant and colder with each passing year.
She collapsed on the couch. She was losing control of herself.
“Listen,” Bellatrix spoke much softer now, “I don’t know if this will help, but I know an amazing Seer. She’s amazing at these types of things. She also dabbles with homemade remedies and potions. I know she will take care of you, I know it.”
Narcissa looked up. She saw the redness in Bella’s eyes and the moisture that ran from them down her cheeks. Her sister wasn’t one to breakdown. Narcissa knew her sister had realized the rift that was forming between them. Yet, she couldn’t help but smile. Here was two grown women crying like two little school girls.
Narcissa was glad to see that Bella smiled back.
A Different Light by jzoolander
Chapter Notes: Chapter Three is now complete. Origins is mainly a flashback except for the very, very beginning which takes place directly after The Scrapbook. Again, this chapter took a lot of my writing will and imagination. I'm sure I'm going to get one or two reviews on how my Bellatrix is inaccurate, but I'm proud of how this is all turning out. Hope you enjoy and please leave a review.
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks for reading. Please leave a review. Chapter Four: Origins Part 2 is coming soon.