Chapter 4 - Family
*
Cygnus Black always wore a perfectly tailored suit (black, of course) and a haughty smirk, like he knew a secret that no one else in the entire world would ever know. His connections were endless, reaching all over the wizarding community so that everyone in the country feared and hated him.
He gloried in it.
The House of Black thrived off of hate. Cygnus retained a cool disposition when his little girls came home from Hogwarts for the holidays in tears because children didn't want to be their friends. It didn't bother him. His daughters were too good to associate with such filth, anyway, and they could keep companions within other Pureblood families instead. That way, their ideals wouldn't be poisoned by those lesser than them.
Cygnus was a family man. Nothing mattered more to him than blood. He grew up as the middle child of three brothers, often the forgotten one. Orion was the heir, and Alphard was potentially insane. The only thing that set him apart was his looks. Out of his brothers, the girls tended to fawn over him the most. Relishing in this attention only fed his already-vain ego.
While he took great pride in his daughters, he always wondered why he couldn't have at least one son to carry on his family's legacy. Currently, the only boy shaping up to make the Blacks proud was Regulus. And secretly, while Cygnus wished he had a boy, he was more than grateful that he didn't have to deal with his nephew, Sirius.
On the night of his birthday gathering, he stood at the entrance to the parlor in Grimmauld Place, Druella at his side, greeting his guests with a charmingly cold smile and a firm handshake. She was incredibly attractive, born of the Rosier bloodline, a family known for its heartlessly beautiful women and rather plain men. While he chose her over dozens of other potential wives, he harbored no feelings of love for her. Their marriage was a strategic one: nothing more, nothing less. They worked well together as a team, but not as a couple.
"Happy birthday, Father!" Three voices cried in unison.
A real smile spread across Cygnus' face at the sound. He only loved Druella for one reason. She gave him his daughters.
"Thank you, my girls," he said. "You all look lovely."
Andromeda smiled brightly and embraced her father. "Thank you."
"It's been too long," he said, patting her cheek fondly. "I must catch up with you all later, but tonight, just enjoy the party."
"Narcissa," Druella said, her voice like shards of ice, "your father and I need to speak with you for a moment."
The blonde stiffened, then nodded. She looked at her sisters uncertainly, biting her lip.
"I'll catch up with you two in a few minutes," she said quietly, giving them a faint smile. Andromeda and Bellatrix nodded, then disappeared into the party.
"You look stunning tonight, little daffodil," Cygnus commented, looking his youngest up and down with approval. "The prettiest girl here tonight by far. That includes your sisters."
"Cygnus, don't inflate her ego," Druella snapped. "An arrogant lady isn't a lady at all. Vanity isn't becoming."
"Come now, Druella. Don't go saying things that don't make sense. Our Narcissa doesn't have an arrogant bone in her body."
Narcissa blushed at her father's praise, but it barely showed due to the many layers of makeup she'd applied to her face. Her mother didn't like that she blushed so easily.
"My dear, the Malfoys are here tonight." Cygnus fixed her with a meaningful expression. "I'm counting on you, Narcissa. You are a daughter of the House of Black, set apart from birth, and I expect you to act as such. I need you to be perfect."
A trace of fear flickered in Narcissa's eyes, but she hid her emotions well and nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Go join the celebrations, daffodil. Your cousins are already here, as well as the Lestranges and a few other families."
Narcissa smiled faintly, then walked into the parlor, clinging to the outskirts of the party. She wasn't particularly fond of crowds, but that didn't mean she didn't know how to behave in them. Her eyes flitted around, wondering who to speak with. Across the room, Bellatrix was trying to avoid both Amycus Carrow and Rabastan Lestrange. Andromeda and Sirius were laughing about something a bit too loudly, and Regulus wore an embarrassed yet amused smile nearby.
"How's the little Narcissus?"
Narcissa spun around and immediately threw her arms around her Uncle Alphard, who laughed warmly and embraced her back.
"It's been too long, Uncle! How was Ireland?"
Alphard's eyes gleamed, one of them pale blue and the other dark brown. He was the youngest of three brothers, naturally the rebellious and thrill-seeking one. He wore a deep purple suit, tailored perfectly, bordering flamboyant. His brown hair hung messily around his sharply-angled face.
"Paradise, my dear, paradise! The finest firewhiskey, the prettiest redheads I've ever laid eyes on, the best music to dance to. The Irish do know how to have their fun. Londoners are such sticklers." Alphard knocked back a flute of champagne like it was nothing, then snapped his fingers. As the glass refilled itself, he continued. "According to Andromeda's last letter, you've got a marriage problem."
"It's... it's not a problem, per say," Narcissa said hesitantly. She wondered how much she wanted to share.
His eyebrows shot up. "You're telling me you want to marry the young man?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Then I'd say it's a problem. One I don't have the answer to, I'm afraid. I'm about the worst person to ask for advice of that sort. You saw how I was with that Veela girl." Alphard wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pointed to the entryway, where her parents were still greeting guests. "I snuck past them, you know. I'll go over and greet my brother in a few moments, and he'll embrace me, tell me how happy he is that I've returned, assure me that I've been missed terribly. Naturally, Orion'll do the same, and the wives will kiss my cheek."
Narcissa frowned. "Isn't that a good thing?"
"One would certainly think that, wouldn't they? It's a shame that they don't mean any of it." He finished his drink again, then winked at her. "Unless plans change, I'll be in London for the next few months. Don't be a stranger, Narcissus."
Her uncle made his way across the room, but was intercepted by Sirius and Andromeda halfway. Narcissa smiled. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be greeting his brothers anytime soon.
"Hello, Miss Black."
She nearly dropped her glass and shrieked in shock as Amycus Carrow chuckled.
"Hello, Amycus. How's your family?"
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. You know, I didn't come all the way over to chat about stupid things like that, babe."
Narcissa didn't like being called 'babe' by a man nearly twice her age who was attempting to not make it look like he was staring at the neckline of her dress. She crossed her arms defensively and stared up at him.
"What did you come over for, then?"
"A dance, of course." He winked. "I'd like to have you in my arms for a little while. I reckon you're the best partner here, and certainly the prettiest."
"Then it's a shame she's not your partner," said a sharp voice, slightly deeper than his. They both turned to see Lucius Malfoy, holding a flute of champagne and wearing a slightly amused smirk. "Go find your own."
Amycus glared at Lucius for a minute before sulking away. While Narcissa didn't exactly like how it was done, she couldn't deny her relief at Amycus being gone.
Bellatrix would have scoffed at Lucius, pulled out her dagger or told him that she didn't need his help.
Andromeda would have escaped his company as quickly as possible.
Narcissa was not her sisters.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft.
Lucius took a sip of champagne and nodded. "I caught him talking about you earlier. It's not right to talk about a lady like that, especially not one so much younger than himself."
"Oh. What was he saying?"
"I'd rather not repeat it. What he said was rather revolting and offensive." Lucius set his glass on a silver tray as it floated by, then held out his hand. "Dance with me."
Narcissa hesitated, then took it. "All right."
The piano had been enchanted to play itself, so classical music floated through the air as Narcissa let Lucius lead her into the throng of couples. She stiffened when she felt his hand on her waist, but quickly banished the feeling. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her parents watching her intently. Cygnus gave her an approving nod.
"Who's watching us?"
"No one. Just my parents, your parents, all of my sisters, Regulus, and a lot of men that work with my father."
He chuckled quietly. "Of course they are."
The pair fell into silence as they swayed to the music. Narcissa took the opportunity to really look at her fiancé for the first time in years.
He was tall, much taller than her, with long blond hair and interesting eyes. His simple black suit fit him perfectly, almost too perfectly. From a single glance, she could tell that he was calculating her as much as she was calculating him. Not like Amycus, who only stared down her dress. No, Lucius' eyes seemed more intent on her face. A warm blush rose up her neck and to her cheeks, but her makeup hid it well.
"You look nice tonight."
"Oh. So do you, I suppose." Stop blushing.
"You sound nervous," he noted.
"That's because I am," Narcissa replied, her voice soft and pleasant as ever even though her heart thumped wildly in her chest. "Are you?"
Lucius shrugged. "We might as well get over ourselves now. We both know how our story is going to end, after all."
"That's a rather pessimistic way to look at a marriage," Narcissa said, frowning.
"What is it that you want me to say? Let me remind you that you are not the only one being forced into this."
Narcissa blinked. She hadn't expected him to take that line of thought, not in the slightest. From afar, he seemed like an arrogant young man, condescending and powerful and domineering. She'd almost forgotten that just like her family ruled her life, his family ruled his.
"My father only told me about this marriage business about six months ago. He told me to think carefully, but he clearly wanted me to marry Bellatrix."
"You should have. She's better than I am. Older, powerful, outspoken-"
Lucius rolled his eyes and cut over her words. "Bellatrix would have murdered me in bed the night of our wedding without regrets. Besides, I always knew it was you."
"Me? You don't even know me, Lucius."
"I know. I've been watching, though, and you are the only Black that doesn't strike me as false. The rest are masqueraders. They're nothing but actors. Not you." He dipped her in time with the music, their movements elegant and polished. Narcissa noticed that while she didn't like the idea, they did make a handsome couple. "I live a very high-pressure lifestyle. I don't need a wife who only adds to that. I need a woman who can stand beside me and hold her own."
"This isn't a marriage," Narcissa insisted. "You need love to make it a marriage."
His blue eyes darkened. "Look around you. Look at your parents. Look at mine. Do you honestly think that love exists outside of children's tales?"
Narcissa stared down at her shoes, embarrassed. "I'd like to."
"If you so desperately wish to believe in love, then don't think of the arrangement between us as a marriage. It's simply a contract: nothing more, nothing less."
"A contract," she repeated, looking up at him after a minute. "That's an incredibly un-romantic way to view what we'll share."
"Well, unfortunately for the two of us, I don't believe that we will be sharing anything remotely close to romantic." The dance ended to her immense relief. She couldn't wait to run off and find her sisters. Knowing it was expected of a lady, she curtsied. In turn, he bowed, kissing her hand like a proper gentleman. The courteous gesture did nothing for her. "Perhaps I'll call at your address sometime."
"I look forward to it."
"As do I."
Both were lying through their false smiles.
Sorry for the late update! I hope you guys enjoyed :)
Please vote and comment! Xo