sugar plum gala 1978;

@narcissawhite

Rabastan smoothed a hand over the collar of his dress robes, fingers straightening the silky material, dark and smooth and cut with sharp, clean lines. The gala was luxurious even by his standards, the walls dripping with twinkling lights and the ceiling adorned with chandeliers of crystals, each shining brighter than the last. It felt... Special. Rabastan had grown up around galas and dinners, it wasn’t a new concept to him, but the feeling of exclusivity never wore off, the feeling of belonging. Of being wanted there - and whether that was for himself or his name - he wasn’t a fool, he knew the weight of the title of Lestrange - he couldn’t care less. He swept his gaze over the room in search of a friendly face, more keen for warm conversation than the polite chat he knew would be inevitable, and as he made his way over to Narcissa he gave a nod of greeting to several others, making shallow promises to converse later that night, to dance, to drink -to brown-nose like the best of them, don’t dress it up like it’s anything but- “Evening, Cissa, you look wonderful.”

Tea for Two || Anastasia and Narcissa

The house was pristine, just like all of her works. She designed the whole building, from top to bottom. It was orderly and clean, just like she needed it to be. White. It was bathed in white, with dark silver and grey accents covering the room, giving it an eerie, yet sterile look. The curtains were drawn so that sunlight flooded in through the windows that arched from the ceilings to the floor. Light twinkled ever so slightly off of some of the metallic surfaces in the room 

The blonde padded into the living room, one foot landing gently in front of the other room, and sat down on the grey settee. One long, slender arm reached for the tea that Zilley, the house elf, set out for Anastasia and Narcissa’s lunch date. It had been a while since the two got together, so there was definitely a much needed girl time.

The two women had been friends for ages and though Anastasia was several years older than Narcissa, the two still had still grown up close. Their families saw to it that they were close, always enrolling them in etiquette courses together. Ana had almost become like a sister to the young blacks, and had been close with them ever since.

Zilley stepped into the living room where Anastasia had sat down, and spoke up, her little voice high and soft. “Miss Nott, Miss Malfoy is here to see you for tea.” Ana raised to the words and faced the little creature. “Thank you Zilley. Now please see to it that you have our lunch ready in a few.” Zilley bowed and exited before returning with The other young woman.

Annie smiled towards the other woman, walking closer with her arms slightly open for a brief embrace. “Cissa, how are you darling? Come in and take a seat, make yourself at home, of course.” She gestured towards the living room. 

@cissa--malfoy

February 21, 1982 Malfoy Manor 6:30 PM [ @purebloodperfection ]

She shouldn’t be here; there was absolutely nothing in her right mind, or in anyone else’s for that matter, that could justify her being here, breaking in, entering an empty home on a whim, on a barely tangible lead procured by one paranoid Prewett and one uncertain ally, who she was sure she still shouldn’t trust. Alice had been too hasty to bother with the magical wards; she had little time to wait around to make absolutely certain that they were not home, that they had stepped out just as she’d thought them to. The house elves were upstairs, tending to Narcissa’s bedroom, if the flickering lights above were any indication, and so with any semblance of luck she would slip in and out unnoticed. 

Ignoring the pangs of soreness in her healing limbs, she pulled herself through the newly unlocked window-- forcibly unlocked-- dropping onto the marble with a minimal rapping of her boots upon the floor. She glanced over her shoulder, back out into the dwindling light; this would be her only chance to escape before any notable damage was done. She could slip back through the open window and escape into the placid afternoon. Narcissa was pregnant and Lucius was politically safe, despite his recent arrests; it was infuriating how untouchable the Malfoys were, and so this, surely, was the only way of getting the answers she needed. 

Gideon and Gretchen had given her minimal details; perhaps because there was little concrete evidence that Lucius and Narcissa had been, at all, directly affiliated with the events of the Battle of the Highlands, though they all knew it. Steeling her resolution, Alice stepped from the window, skirting the wall toward the stairs which, if she remembered correctly from Gideon and Gretchen’s findings, led to Lucius’s study. Down the stairs she started, freezing only once when a thump from upstairs stilled her footsteps. 

“House elves,” she muttered to herself, pushing a careful hand through her hair and exhaling with control, “Just the house elves.” With determination steeled behind her eyes, Alice turned her attention downward once more, pulling her wand from within her coat and holding it aloft; within a moment, the stairwell was filled with soft light illuminating the steep steps down to whatever secrets lay beyond. Another breath, and she continued forward, hoping beyond hope that above her head, the house elves would stay put. There was no telling what she might resort to should she be cornered; sanity was not in her corner on this night. 

And she could only hope that Narcissa would not come home; Alice had already gone on a limb to save her once, and putting her in the way of her paranoid crusade was the last thing she wanted to do. 

Unexpected News Over Tea ll Eleanor, Narcissa, Seraphina, and Druella

Eleanor had learned of something truly wonderful and terrifying not so long ago. Perhaps a week. Maybe a little more. Her first thoughts were of who she would tell. Of course Elis. Perhaps not right away though. She could tell a few others first surely?  She was just so nervous. So frazzled. It was an uncomfortable feeling. She sat behind her desk and wrote three identical notes. One to Sera. One to Narcissa and one to Druella.

Dearest lady,

I would love to have the pleasure of your company next Friday for tea. I’ve some news to share with you and am barely able to contain myself until our meeting. 

Your Eleanor

The day for the tea had finally come and all three ladies had promised to attend. Eleanor had run around all week making plans for their visit. It had been difficult to not tell Elis about her news but he had been working late so avoiding him wasn’t as hard as she thought it would be. 

Tea was set up in the parlor and that was where she was sitting with Henri when she heard the arrival of one of the ladies. She was shown in by the house elf and Eleanor stood to greet her as she walked into the parlor. “Hello! I hope you’re well today. I’m glad you could make it.”

@queenofthecrabbes @cissa--malfoy @thedruellablack

Crystalline Pristine; Cissy + Bella [Flashback]

The drafty nature of the Black family manor makes Bellatrix shiver and wonder why she hadn’t grabbed her afghan with her as her bare feet bad down the corridor. She’ll just have to bear it, she’s too excited to run back for it now. Instead she lifts the candlestick by its iron handle a tad bit higher in order to see ahead. The few portraits that groan and hiss their offence at being disturbed from their sleep get a pointed tongue for their annoyance. Even at the age of thirteen, she wouldn’t bother with apologies.

“Cissy!” Bella hisses her whisper into the shadowed bedroom as she pushes her way through the door to her youngest sister’s quarters. The lit candle elongates every shadow it sweeps across. That doesn’t concern her. She makes her way to Narcissa’s bedside. It seems a bit unfamiliar now, sneaking into the blonde’s room in the early hours after she’d just spent the last several months away from home. Despite having Andromeda in tow this year, there’s an element missing. So Bellatrix seeks out a potential solution. A first snow--her favourite tradition--with the company of her youngest sibling alongside her. “Cissy, wake up. You have to come with me or I’ll not give you your gifts on Yuletide day.”

@cissy-noire

Bad Boys do it Better || Christopher and Narcissa

    Chris looked down at his watch, quietly whistling to himself before shoving his hands in his pockets. He was surprised by himself when he owled Narcissa Black of all people. If he wanted to have fun there were certainly more fun people he could pick that would definitely want to go out and have a drink, but yet he owled her instead. She was pretty enough, and perhaps the thought of corrupting her interested him quite a bit more than he should. He'd never corrupt his younger sister, but there was something about the youngest Black girl that drew him towards her.

    That's why he was sitting there in the Black manor, waiting for her to come down the stairs. He never understood why it took girls so long to get ready. They were just going out to dinner and maybe to his manor afterwards. It'd be nice to have someone there with him because it always felt so alone, but he wasn't sure if she would in fact go with him. He did mention it briefly, but she said maybe. It depended how tired she was. He didn't understand how dinner was going to be all that tiring, but he didn't question. He wasn't going to push her... yet.

    He leaned back against the couch he was sitting on which was in the sitting room. Druella Black led him into the sitting room ten minutes before with a warm smile on her face. He didn't know why the women was so nice to him, it's not like she knew him all that well. Narcissa did mention earlier on in the summer that her mother wanted to marry her off before her seventh year ended, but Chris knew he wasn't going to be apart of that. First of all, Narcissa was considered too good for him, and second, he didn't want to be married to anyone. The thought actually made him sick, no matter how powerful the Black family was considered.

    Chris stood up when he finally heard footsteps on the stairs and turned to see the blonde girl, a slow smirk playing up on his lips. After she greeted him he took her hand, pulling it up and pressing a kiss to the back of it. "It's nice to finally see you, miss Black," he murmured, holding her hand a little bit longer than needed before he finally dropped it. "Are you finally ready, love?"

Retribution || Rodolphus & Narcissa & Niklaus

Classes had resumed and a sense of normalcy had returned to the castle in the wake of the orphanage attack. Teenagers were very predictable in that way: tensions, doubt and suspicion had run high for a couple of days - then it was back to the usual pubescent melodrama. Rodolphus, as usual, felt he was above all that. When he had a grudge, he held it. He wouldn't forget. If he was to be bad, he was to be bad with purpose. 

Niklaus and he had decided that they'd wait until Friday evening to execute their plan. It was an optimum time, as students usually congregated in their common-rooms to socialise before the weekend - leaving the corridors relatively empty. Though the two boys were both more than capable of dealing with an unfortunate by-stander stumbling in onto the scene, it was one less hassle they could do without, as there already seemed to be a million other ways in which their scheme could unravel completely. 

During dinner, Rodolphus had communicated through a series of whispers to Niklaus that he'd snatch Narcissa, their target, once dessert was finished. As the last of the treacle tart was scraped off the plates, Rodolphus made his way down the length of the Slytherin table to where the sixth years were seated. He only had to narrow his eyes slightly for a space to be made quickly for him on the bench. He sat down beside Narcissa, as others around them stood up to leave and return to the common-rooms, and whispered,

"Cissa, I need to talk to you. It's urgent. It's about Bella." 

Finding Ourselves In A Dark Sky: A Six-Word Memoir || Andromeda & Narcissa

It was such a lovely evening.

Full of food and fairly content with the world as it was, Andromeda lay quite still in the tall grass, her slender face and hazel-green eyes turned skyward. Clad in a dark bottle green, long-sleeved frock that was mostly tucked underneath her slim legs, she inhaled deeply and let the air escape in a satisfied sigh. After a few more moments of staring up at the clear black canopy, embellished with thousands of tiny sparkling stars, Dromeda turned her head to her right side, where the youngest of the Black sisters lay beside her.

The light nightly breeze was cool and comforting as it wafted over the two girls, rustling the blades that hovered around them in greeting. Sounds of friendly insects and creatures filled the atmosphere, disturbed only by the occasional hoot of a nearby owl. Perhaps even her childhood environment had recognized that she was soon to be leaving this place, and was trying to send her off in the best way possible. It was a nice thought; one that pushed another satisfied exhale from her lungs. Andromeda could only drink it in while she could, savoring the sensations only the open field behind the Black Manor could give her.

With her cheek pressed against the soft grass, she watched her blonde sibling, a little smile on her lips and the twinkle that only sisterly-bonding could give poised in her irises. "I hear the sky the Great Hall is ten times better," she finally said, breaking the silence, but not because it was in any way uncomfortable. She turned her body now, too, so that she was laying on her side to face Narcissa. Moving an arm under her head to act as a pillow, she continued, "Though I suppose that might just be because everyone would be stuffing their faces with treacle tart while looking at it."

The eleven year old let out a giggle then as she lifted a pale hand to rub her eye, the bell sleeve falling down to her elbow as she did so. This was her last night at home until winter vacation, the last night that Narcissa would have someone for company other than their parents. The very next day she would be boarding the scarlet train that would take her to the place that Bellatrix hadn’t shut up about the entire year. “Hogwarts this!” and “Hogwarts that!” -- Only Merlin knew how Dromeda had kept herself from delivering a well-deserved mud-pie in the eldest’s face.

Andromeda was, of course, excited about going off to the school. She could only imagine what she’d encounter at the castle, having heard so many things about it from practically everyone. The entirety of the Black lineage had gone to Hogwarts and, as it was, every single one of them was placed into Slytherin House by the Sorting Hat. If there was anything that Dromeda was worried or anxious about, it was that fact.

It wasn’t that she thought Slytherin wasn’t her first choice, and surely she didn’t want to disappoint the whole of the Black family. But if any of her experiences could say something about Andromeda in comparison to the rest of them, it would definitely voice the observation that she was always one hesitant step behind them all. She knew she was destined to be in Slytherin; but what if she didn’t like it there?

At the moment, however, all of these thoughts were absent from her head. She was absentmindedly plucking at the flattened blades near her face as another breeze blew over them, pushing her thick brunette strands back. “Are you excited to see me off tomorrow?” Her tone was cheerful, and she reached out a slender finger to playfully poke at Cissy’s shoulder. “You’ll have the whole house to yourself for a couple of months.”

Don't want to be here | Amycus & Narcissa | 12/16/78 | Political Parties Prompt

Amycus glowered around at the various men that he could see eyeing his sister.  He was still a little annoyed by his conversation with the man who'd somehow managed to weasel his way out of actually giving his name (not to mention he'd used a lot of big words).  Then he'd seen that old bastard Travers looking at her and he couldn't even tell the sonofabitch where to keep his eyes because Lecto had asked him to at least play slightly nice.  

He tossed back another glass of wine and tossed it toward the nearest waiter (not even caring that the poor man wound up dropping three other drinks in his instinctive attempt to catch it).  He simply grabbed another and kept walking.

At least until he came across someone who looked as though they had roughly as much enjoyment in these proceedings as he did judging by the look of sucking on lemons she was doing.  

Moving forward, he leaned on the wall against which she was propped and said, "Bloody glad I don't approve of this party either Mistress Malfoy, or I might be insulted by someone looking so dour in my home."

The Cold Truth || Narcissa and Lucius

Lucius had been laying in bed all night, staring at the ceiling of his canopy as he willed his body to find the sleep that he knew wasn't coming. His mind was running wild with thoughts, the new mark on his forearm still felt warm to the touch. This was his life now. He had made a decision. Unlike Rodolphus or Mulciber, Lucius had never made a rash decision in his life. He did not jump into the Death Eaters head first, throwing care to the wind. No, Lucius he wrote lists, talked to his father and Narcissa, evaluated every single possible consequence before agreeing to take it. He was the last of his friends to take the mark. Mulciber and Rodolphus had gotten it quite early on and had been pressuring Lucius to take the mark as well. Even Severus was seriously considering getting the mark. The last thing he needed was a half blood to become a Death Eater before he did.

The only thing that kept him from going along with the mark was Narcissa Black. His beautiful fiancee who trusted him more then she should have. Who put up with his indifference with amazing poise. If he wasn't careful, he would fall in love with the girl. That was the last thing he needed, to love his wife. She did not want him to take the mark and was adamant about the fact when he broached the subject with her. This was not their way to fight but Lucius was so confident that the Dark Lord would be victorious, that to not take his side would be idiotic. That when the Dark Lord won, those who were his most loyal servants would be rewarded handsomely. He was not about to give that up. Once he could make Narcissa see reason, he would then break the news to her.

Goyle was snoring. Throwing the blanket back, he moved to slip his feet into the slippers his mother had bought him for Christmas two years before. He pushed down the sleeve of the long sleeved t-shirt he had been wearing, a new habit formed in the past few weeks. Grabbing a book, he decided his best bet was to enjoy some peace and quiet by the fire. Heading downstairs, he saw the familiar view of the blonde headed girl that had him so enamored. He knew he wasn't in the mindset to flirt and charm his way through a conversation with her but his feet refused to turn around. Instead, they continued their path down the stairs, across the common room and forcing him to sit on the couch next to her. "You're up late."

This House is Not a Home || Remus & Narcissa

Tagging→ Remus Lupin, Narcissa Black

Location→ Narcissa's The couple's new cottage

Notes→ After a long re-packing session, it's time Remus confronts Narcissa and unloads his things to live with her in their new setup. Should be fun!

Even though Narcissa's cottage was only going to be his home for the weekends when Remus wasn't at the castle for his work, He couldn't help the familiar melancholic feeling trickle through him. It was the same sense he felt whenever his family was forced to move across the map whenever suspicions of his condition rose... the feeling of not belonging. Perhaps he was over-thinking the situation-

"Agh--" His owlet nipped at his fingertips through her cage clearly eager to get moving along and successfully snapping the dark-haired man from his own thoughts. Before she could nip again Remus scritched under her beak while securing his knapsack across his shoulder, pinching himself and his belongings through space to reappear just outside the house he was going to be living in. The man swallowed hard in anxiety upon arriving at the new address which only grew upon seeing the lights on through the windows, meaning Narcissa must have been just sitting there.

Waiting on him. 

Cautiously making his way through the elaborate front garden and fence to the door, Remus Hesitated before knocking three times. Sighing deeply he prepared himself for the worst, and hoped for the best.

Sisterhood | Bellatrix and Narcissa

She'd been watching her youngest sister for some time now, deciding on how to deal with the mess she could see Andromeda leading them into. For the longest time it had been Bella and Andee, with Andee looking up to her older sister and trying to be like her... but now all that had changed. If she couldn't convince Andee to keep following her then as far as she was concerned, she only had one sister and that was Narcissa.

Bellatrix watched as Amycus threatened everyone into following the cause- and it was something she had tried in desperation with Andee. Threats could work and she usually did mean to follow through on them but she was also a master manipulator and she knew that making sure Cissy stayed on the right path would take a different touch. The threats could belong to Amycus... she would have to be nice to her little sister.

So she took a deep breath and walked over to join her... where she had been doing homework. "Cissy..." She greeted her with a smile, something that was rare but not impossible, even though usually associated with her hurting someone. "I haven't made enough time for you lately."

Blood In The Black Manor || Bellatrix, Andromeda & Narcissa

Bellatrix hurried down the stone steps leading down from the Headmaster's office, still clutching the note she had received not even an hour earlier, but hesitated as she neared the Slytherin Common Room. The owl had come to her room as she worked, and it was certainly a shock to Bellatrix as she read the note which had been attached to its leg. 

Bellatrix,

You and your sisters must come to the Manor immediately, regarding an urgent family matter of life-threatening gravity.

Walburga Black

She had left her dormitory immediately, intending to try and get out through a passage before she was stopped by the interfering caretaker, Filch, and taken to Dumbledore's office. She explained the note as best she could, not even knowing herself what exactly the situation was. After much speculation and deliberation, the Headmaster had given her, but only her, permission to go back home.

"Miss Black, I trust you will not abuse this. I have given my express permission only to you. The Floo Network will be enabled from your dormitory until your return, which I presume will be tonight. Do keep the school informed, and I hope all is well." Dumbledore nodded, gesturing for her to leave as she was already fleeing the room.

Bellatrix knew she should have listened, but there was really no question of leaving her sisters behind on such an occasion, regardless of Dumbledore's wishes. She hurried into the Slytherin Quarters, bursting into Narcissa's dormitory, where she was surprised to find her sat on the bed talking with Andromeda. Bellatrix's breathing was ragged, and the note was crumpled in her hand.

Catching Up || Narcissa & Callista

Callista had missed Cissa. She hadn't seen much of the younger Slytherin lately, but was eager to see her again. While their schedules didn't match up well during school it was easy for the two of them to spend time together at Hogsmeade. She was particularly excited to bug Cissa about Lucius.

It was a beautiful day as she made her way down the main street, stores packed with students, ready to spend their money on trinkets. She was Narcissa standing outside of the robe shop, and a smile spread across Calli's face.

"Cissa!" She shouted, jogging up to her and throwing her arms around her neck. "It's so good to finally spend time with you!" 

Grudging Gratitude

Lucius Malfoy forced a smile. He was sitting in a corner of the Slytherin common room with several of his friends and fellow housemates, gathered around a small table on which a particularly vicious game of Exploding Snap was being played.

So far, Rabastan Lestrange had lost half an eyebrow, and Emma Vanity had (conveniently, in the opinion of most of the wizards and a few of the witches in the room) gotten such an awful scorch mark on her blouse, she had simply taken it off and sat now wrapped, none-too-securely, in her loose robes. It was not by any means a party--there wasn't enough alcohol for that, for one, although a few surreptitious flasks were being passed back and forth for fortifying sips--but the mood was as bright as the fire crackling under the mantle, and the boisterous commentary of the crowd was almost loud enough to drown out the sound of the actual explosions.

(Inspired by the fate of Vanity's blouse, people were now encouraging the players to forget the original bet, and turn the game into Strip-Exploding-Snap instead, which was just asking for sensitive scorchings.)

Lucius should have been having as grand a time as any, holding court as he usually did, but instead he felt hollow and miserable and could barely maintain the pretense of interested good cheer. His smirk might have been polished enough to fool almost all the onlookers (save perhaps Roddy, and maybe Amy if he was paying attention to humans today, and of course Rita Skeeter), but it was the thinnest mask he had ever worn, and perhaps the most artificial smirk he had ever had to fake.

He hadn't felt like smiling, properly smiling, since the day Narcissa Black exploded out of his arms.

Another explosion rocked the spectators, and Lucius joined in the cheers and laughter as Rabastan coughed his way out of a cloud of smirk, his face now streaked with black and his hair up on end. As the noise and smoke passed him by, Lucius allowed himself just a moment to sag, utterly, into his misery, before he had to pull his mask back on and square his shoulders and pretend that any of still mattered, without her.