Time for a Talk (Lucius)

[Narcissa Black]

The more Narcissa thought about it, the more she did not want to become a death eater. She couldn't get the picture in her head of her having enough distaste for someone to kill them or anything of the sort. Honestly, Cissa had nothing against half-bloods or muggles. Sure, they were different than them, but so what.

Plus, the more she talked to Andi, the more she realized that she didn't want to follow in Bella's footsteps either. Cissa didn't understand how Bella could have that crazy look in her eyes, and she didn't want to become that. Sure, she loved her sister, but she just couldn't do that.

Narcissa sent an owl to Lucius telling him that she was going to Hogsmeade over the weekend and that she wanted to meet him there because she wanted to speak to him. She figured that now was the perfect time while she had enough courage to tell him. Hopefully, Lucius would agree with her and would approve of her just being a supporter to the cause rather than actually being a death eater.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius was pleased to receive the owl from Narcissa. Since they were no longer in school together, he didn't see her nearly often enough for his taste. He hadn't quite been able to stop thinking about her since the dinner.

How was he to tell her that he didn't really want her to become a Death Eater, like he was? Ever since the realization had come to him the other night, it had haunted him. He certainly didn't want to order her around and tell her what to do, but he just knew that he didn't want her to be involved in such dangerous situations. And the idea of her killing someone... it was abhorrent to him.

But he wouldn't bring it up to her... not just yet. She wasn't even his wife yet, and he had no right to make such a decision for her yet. The most he could hope to do was delay her for a while, if she happened to bring up the idea.

So with these thoughts in mind, Lucius headed into town to meet with Narcissa. It would be nice just to spend the day with her. As he approached the edge of town, he saw her standing there and smiled. She was so beautiful; she never failed to take his breath away. It seemed almost inconceivable that she would be his wife.

"Cissa!" he greeted her, taking her in his arms. "I swear, you get more beautiful every day."

[Narcissa Black]

She stayed close to the edge of town so that it wouldn't be a problem to see him coming. Narcissa only hoped that Lucius was not going to be busy. She feared that if he didn't come then she wouldn't have the chance to tell him. However, her thoughts quickly fled at she spotted blond hair coming her way. Cissa broke out into a smile. Lucius seemed so surreal as he walked towards her.

Once he took her in his arms she couldn't stop smiling as she put her arms around him. A blush started to surface on her fair cheeks. "Lucius! I'm glad you came," she said happily. "I feared that you were busy!"

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius smiled and kissed her deeply. "Never too busy for you, my sweet. I've missed you terribly, not seeing you every day. I've begun counting the days on the calendar until we can be married."

He pulled back and looked at her, marveling at how her cheeks flushed and her eyes danced when she smiled. She seemed well, with no ill effects from what had happened with her sister. This was a relief, because, despite what he had said to Bellatrix on the issue, he knew that Narcissa still cared about her oldest sister and must have been hurt by her betrayal. "So what 's going on, Cissa? I trust everything is well with you."

[Narcissa Black]

"Everything is well," she replied. Everything was fine. Her relationship with her oldest sister was better, although she wasn't so sure that she should tell Lucius of this. Cissa didn't like to lie to anyone, and if she could, she would avoid the subject. The only thing on her mind strongly, other than being happy to see him, was the fact that she didn't want to follow her sister. How was she going to tell him? She only hoped that he would agree with her.

"Let us walk around a bit before we speak of the reason for the owl, if you don't mind." Narcissa didn't want to immediately talk about it. She would rather enjoy his company first, then discuss her thoughts.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius nodded. "Whatever you wish, my dear," he said smoothly. "I have the afternoon off, for a change, so I can take my time. I miss my Cissa during the week, you know." He pressed a kiss on her cheek and wrapped his arm around her slender waist as they began to walk. "How are things at Hogwarts? Anything notable going on. Is Dumbledore still planning that silly tournament?"

[Narcissa Black]

Narcissa put her arm around Lucius' waist as well as they walked. She took in his scent. He always seemed to smell nice to say the least. In a way, she could hardly believe that she ended up with him, although she would not have had it any other way. Cissa had always had a place in her heart for Lucius and now, he would be there forever.

There was something notable going on, especially with Andi, however she was going to try and avoid that part as best she could. "Ah yes. The tournament. We had a ceremony last night. Dumbledore named the champions of the houses. A girl by the name of Samatha Montgomery is the Slytherin champion. She transferred in is all I know really, and she's a fifth year. I'm not sure how she will to in the tournament. In fact, of all the people in Slytherin, I thought for sure that we may have someone different. However, she may be better than what I think. I hope that she doesn't make the house look horrible."

Narcissa leaned into Lucius as they walked. "How about you? Anything different?"

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius nodded. "Yes, I heard about the ceremony. Your cousin Alice was chosen as Gryffindor champion, was she not?" He thought a minute, wondering if he should mention the article by Rita Skeeter. After all, he knew the truth of the incident, that Bellatrix had set up Tonks to shatter Andromeda's heart. Cissa had always got along with Andromeda, so he wasn't sure how she would react to knowing what had happened. After all, the breakup was for the best. Andromeda would be painted as sympathetic to the pureblood wizards who might otherwise have scorned her. She'd be welcomed back, if she so chose. He somewhat doubted that she would, since he'd always known her to be a headstrong, rebellious girl. But then it would be her choice, and it wouldn't reflect as badly on the rest of the Black family.

"I heard a few other things about the ceremony as well," he said carefully.

[Narcissa Black]

Narcissa had read the article by Rita Skeeter. She had been outraged by it. Rita only lived to make people start to fight each other. She had twisted everything! Cissa wanted to hex Rita so bad, but she didn't. People would figure that it would have been one of her other family members that did it, and she honestly didn't want anyone else to suffer anything.

She wasn't going to say anything about the article of she didn't have to. Right now, she knew the truth as to what happened, and she wanted to speak to Bella about it. Cissa hated the fact that if she said anything or did anything, then everything would go spiraling down. If she made one wrong move in front of anyone then everything would be lost and she could not gain it back.

Cissa looked up to him. Of course he had heard. Just about everyone read the Daily Prophet. She sighed quietly. She couldn't tell him that she met with Ted either. There was no way that she would tell him that much. No one would ever know except for her and Ted. Now, the article would more than likely come up in conversation.

"The ceremony was full of events," she said not sure what she should say.

[Lucius Malfoy]

"So I heard," Lucius said, also deciding, for the time being, to avoid the subject of Andromeda. "Tell me, love, what do you make of the Slytherin champion? I hear she's some transfer student from Durmstrang. Do you think she will do credit to our house?"

As he spoke, he watched her for a reaction, to see if she wanted to talk about the situation with Andromeda. He knew that Narcissa was still fond of her sister, despite what had happened, and it couldn't have been easy for her to see her in pain, even if it was for the best.

[Narcissa Black]

A look of relief hit her as Lucius avoided the subject. She wasn't sure if she should tell him about her amends with Andi yet. If he brought it up she would tell him because she didn't want to hide anything from him.

"The Slytherin champion? Well, she does have her way with the boys I can tell you that. I'm still not so sure about her. I haven't had the chance to really talk with her, so I can't really judge her completely. Although she does love the drama. However, I think she will do quite well in the tournament."

Narcissa grew quite a moment after she finished speaking. She couldn't keep it from him and she knew that she told herself she wouldn't say anything unless he brought it up, but he had to know. "Lucius, there is something I do need to talk about other than the reason behind the owl. I don't want to hide anything from you. I want to be completely honest and tell you everything." She took a deep breath before looking back up at him. "I made amends with Andi."

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius hesitated. On the one hand, now that Andromeda was free of the mudblood, there wasn't any real reason for Narcissa not to be close to her sister again. But on the other hand, Lucius wasn't sure whether the amends had been before the incident or after. If it was before... he wasn't quite sure how to take it.

"You made amends with her?" he said, keeping his tone light. "How so?"

[Narcissa Black]

Narcissa began to doubt what she had told. She swallowed because she was unsure how Lucius was going to take it. Slowing her walk down, she looked back up to him after drifting her attention forward. "I made amends with her after dinner. Actually it was the day after," Narcissa said quietly. She didn't want to lie to him ever. Now was the time were the truth was going to test the waters.

She wasn't sure if he was going to like what she said very much, but Narcissa kept telling herself that it was better to tell him the truth than nothing at all and him finding out some other way.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius thought on this for a long moment. "You mean... you made amends with her before she broke up with the mudblood?" he said, his voice getting low in his throat. "Cissa... I know she's your sister... but how can you tolerate the idea of her being involved with someone like that?"

He pulled away and began to pace. "Well, I suppose ultimately it doesn't matter that much... she's no longer with him, which means she is safe... and Cissa, I would never tell you how to live your life, and I wouldn't tell you to cast her aside. She's your family. But her attitudes are dangerous, and with me in the position I am in with the Dark Lord... it wouldn't do for anyone to know you continue to be close to her."

[Narcissa Black]

Narcissa frowned as Lucius' voice lowered. "Yes, I did. I didn't care, because he made her happy. I have never seen her so happy, ever. If he made her that happy, I was willing to look over that fact, plus she's my sister and I can't depart from that."

Her eyes watched him as he paced. "Family is extremely important to me. I can't leave one of them behind, no matter what happens. I just can't." Narcissa bit her lip. "I know that. She's not going to tell anyone, because she knows it could be dangerous. I know what I'm doing, and she knows as well. We're keeping it a secret, but I couldn't keep it from you." She casted her eyes downward to look at the ground.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius hesitated. He had some concerns, to be sure. But despite his attempts at seeming cold and unemotional, the truth was, he truly loved Narcissa. And he didn't want to lose her; nor did he want her to be unhappy. And if reconciling with her sister made her happy, who was he to deny her that?

Yet on the other hand, if she could continue to be close to her sister, with her cavalier attitude towards her own blood status, who was to say that she couldn't influence Narcissa to follow such attitudes? And then, would he lose her over his dedication to the Dark Lord? He was not going to change his loyalty, not even for Cissa. He truly believed in the Dark Lord and in the cause. If Cissa didn't believe as well, how would their relationship ever work?

"I'm glad you told me," he said. "I wouldn't want you to think you had to hide such things from me. But Cissa, you do understand the inappropriateness of her choice? It may not seem to matter now, because she is rid of him, but for her to take up with a mudblood like that... it borders on treachery! I serve the Dark Lord, and I believe in his cause... Do... do you not believe as well?"

[Narcissa Black]

She was relieved that she wasn't getting yelled at. Although, she could never imagine Lucius yelling at her. Narcissa did understand where he stood when it came to the Dark Lord, and she did still have some stand on his side, but she couldn't fight.

Lucius made her happy and she wasn't going to leave him. She didn't know what she would do if he wasn't there. "I do understand Lucius. I honestly do. I know that her dating a mudblood was and is dangerous. It's not that I approve of what happened. I just like to see her happy. And yes, I do believe in the cause Lucius. I do. Which brings me to the reason behind the owl. As much as I believe in the cause, I can't fight. I'm not like you, or Bella. I can't fight people. I can believe in the cause and support it, but not fight."

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius thought this over for a moment. He couldn't quite understand how she felt about her sister, because he had no siblings of his own. Still, he understood just how important family was to Narcissa, and he loved that about her. She would be a loving, supportive wife and mother. His own parents had been cold and harsh, so there was a part of him, deep inside, that was glad he had found a woman who was beautiful, well-born, and loving. She was the perfect woman in his eyes. And if her love of family meant that she wanted to support her sister, even if she didn't approve of everything she did, then how could he complain about that? The important thing would be that she keep it quiet.

As she had continued speaking, he listened as she mentioned that she didn't want to become a Death Eater, like himself. This relieved him immensely, and he broke into a genuine smile. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him. "Actually, Cissa... I'm glad to hear you say that. I've been thinking... ever since the dinner... that I didn't want you involved in the fighting. If you wanted it, of course I wouldn't stop you, but... I want you safe and unspoiled. I can't bear the thought of you harming another person, of you becoming hardened to the world. The love you have for your family, that's one of the things I adore about you. And if you can support your sister, even if you don't approve of her, that's the kind of woman I want you to be. The kind of mother I would want for my children."

He kissed her softly. "But I want you to be very careful whom you talk to about your sister Andromeda. Now that she's free of the mudblood, it's possible she will be able to regain her reputation and make a decent match, but don't tell anyone you reconciled with her before the breakup. Some people... might take that the wrong way."

[Narcissa Black]

Lucius' reaction wasn't quite as she expected. She thought maybe he'd fuss at her for not wanting to become a Deatheater, or fuss at her for making amends with Andi before she and Ted broke up. Lucius did quite the opposite. He approved of it, however Narcissa was not about to complain about it. Lucius was understanding and that was what mattered, other than the fact that he loved her.

She smiled as he pulled her closer and spoke. Narcissa hung onto his every word, as she usually did. She was relieved that he didn't want her to become a deatheater like he and her sister. She placed her hands on the upper part of his arms. The thought about having his children made her flush. She always wanted a child of her own. Narcissa wouldn't force him or her to do what they did not want. She would support them in anything that they did, much like she was doing for Andi, Bella, and Lucius.

"Of course I'll be careful. You're the only person I've told, and the only person I will tell. I'm not going to put Andi, or anyone else in danger. Plus, you have a reputation to uphold, and I'm not going to ruin that for you. You've worked too hard for it and I love you too much to do anything like that." She smiled up at him. "And I'm glad that we can both agree. I can be a strong supporter of the cause, and support you in everything that you do."

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius hugged her, but his mind was swirling with thoughts. It seemed as if Narcissa was planning to straddle both sides, and it concerned him. Could she support both him and her sister, two completely different sides with opposite opinions? Could she be happy that way? And what if Andromeda attempted to influence Narcissa away from him and his support of the Dark Lord? He hated to be the one to make her choose, but he feared what would happen if she continued to believe that it was acceptable for her sister to be with the mudblood.

But he loved her. Oh, he would deny his ability to love to the Dark Lord, but he really did love Narcissa. And he didn't want to lose her. And again... maybe it was all a moot point, since Andromeda wouldn't be marrying the mudblood, anyway.

"Narcissa," he said suddenly. "I think you should begin studying Occlumency. You must learn to close your mind to the prying thoughts of others who might learn of your dual loyalties."