A Perfect Matcb
By Eamane-Shu
“Narcissa!” Violet called when she was standing barely three feet
away. Narcissa looked down haughtily, pretending that she hadn’t seen or heard
the girl as she continued to eat her ice cream daintily.
“Bellatrix! How are you?”
“That’s Miss Black, thank you” Bellatrix
commented coolly. What the girl failed to realise was
that they no longer attended Hogwarts, so socialising
with people solely on the merits of their house was now moot, and although
Violet came from a perfectly well respected pure blooded family, she was hardly
in their class.
Violet ignored her cool comment, “Narcissa, are
you not going to introduce me to your friends?”
Narcissa sighed, as much as she disliked Violet,
it went against almost all of her nature to be rude, it showed bad breeding and
weakness, and Narcissa never showed anyone her weak points.
“Violet” she smiled “This is Bellatrix’s fiancée, Mr Rodolphus Lestrange,
and his friend Mr Lucius Malfoy.” She paused,
wondering how to introduce Violet, “Rodolphus, Mr
Malfoy, this is Violet Parkinson.”
Violet smiled warmly at the two gentlemen. Before
her sat the two most eligible bachelors in wizarding society, and she obviously
wanted to make a good impression. “Mr Malfoy” she
said moving closer to him slightly, “You were on the Slytherin Quidditch team
were you not?”
“Yes I was” he smiled at her, “And please, call
me Lucius.”
Violet shot a triumphant glare over at Narcissa, she was now on first name terms with Lucius
Malfoy. Narcissa rolled her eyes and turned to join the conversation between
Rodolphus and her sister.
“Bella, you do realise
we’re supposed to meet mother in twenty minutes for tea?”
“Oh no!” she gasped, “I completely forgot.” She
turned to her younger sister, “Will you be ok to get home on your own?”
“Don’t worry Bella” Lucius soothed suddenly, “I
will be more than happy to accompany Miss Narcissa home,
after all we can’t leave a young lady on her own.”
“Cheers Lucius!” Rodolphus clapped him on the
back as he got up to leave.
Bella followed him, waving to Narcissa as she
left.
“Now Miss Black” Lucius offered her his arm
“Let’s get you home before it gets dark shall we?”
Narcissa looked at her watch and rolled her eyes,
“Mr Malfoy”, she remarked dryly “it’s July, it wont get dark for another four hours.”
“Well I don’t want to take any risks with you of
course” he countered smoothly.
Narcissa smiled at him indulgently “Well I am
awfully tired” she confessed. It was the truth, and it was kind of Lucius to
offer to take her home, and Narcissa didn’t like to put him out. “It’s very
kind of you to go to this trouble Mr Malfoy” she told
him sincerely.
“Nonsense, it would be appalling to leave a lady
to fend for herself in the streets.”
During this exchange Violet was getting
increasingly annoyed, she didn’t like to sit on the sidelines at the best of
times, especially not when Lucius Malfoy was involved. She coughed subtly,
causing Lucius to revert his attention back to her, “Violet, I trust you will
be alright to get home on your own, after all, you arrived by yourself.” She
looked livid, much to Narcissa’s amusement. She disappointedly nodded her
agreement, and Lucius escorted Narcissa out into the bright sunshine of Diagon
Alley.
Narcissa and Lucius chatted amicably during the
rest of their walk to the fireplace at the end of Diagon Alley,
they spoke of mainly neutral topics, such as the weather, and parties that they
had both attended recently.
“So Miss Narcissa, I do believe I saw you at the
Malfoy Spring Ball this year, would I be correct?”
“Yes, I attended it with Charles Jugson, do you
know him?”
“I believe so, he’s
cousin to Severus Snape, is he not?”
“That’s right” Narcissa agreed.
“And are you still seeing him at the moment Miss
Narcissa?”
“For the time being” she told him smoothly,
things with Jugson would come to an end, probably sooner rather than later, her
parents did not really approve of him. Admittedly he was a nice boy, from a
good family, and as such he had been an acceptable dalliance for the time she
had spent in school, but it would never be permitted to go any further.
They walked in silence for the rest of the walk,
until it was their turn to floo home. Lucius did the honours,
throwing a pinch of floo powder into the fireplace and allowing Narcissa to
step into the fire. “Ravensden Hall” she said very clearly, remembering the
time she had accidentally arrived at a hag’s home in
“Mother” she called up the stairs, “I’m home.”
Before turning back to the fireplace as Lucius Malfoy stepped into the hallway.
“Ahh, Narcissa” she
could here her mother’s voice coming from the top of the stairs behind her, a
note of astonishment in her voice as she saw her companion, “And Mr Malfoy, what a pleasant surprise.”
“How do you do Mrs Black” he replied politely.
She nodded politely, “Would you care to join us
for a cup of tea in the garden?”
“Thank you for your kind offer but regretfully, I
have urgent business in town.” Her mother was visibly disappointed. “Miss
Narcissa, I hope to have the pleasure of your company again soon.” He nodded
his goodbye to each of the women in turn before walking back into the fireplace
“Serpenaven” he muttered before disappearing.
Narcissa looked over to her mother,
she was looking far too excited. “Mr Malfoy!” she
almost squealed in delight, “What a gentleman, to escort you home, how utterly
charming” she gushed in delight.
Narcissa rolled her eyes as she walked through
into the parlour “Don’t plan our wedding just yet
mother.”
“Whose wedding?” her
father asked as he looked up from where he was sitting in the armchair reading
the morning paper.
“Nobody’s Daddy” she replied bending down to kiss
him gently on the temple.
“Welcome home ‘Cissa” he smiled up at her,
appraising his younger daughter, out of the three she would definitely go the
furthest, she lacked Bella’s temper and Andromeda’s sensibilities, she would
have every bachelor in the Wizarding World flocked around her once she came
out. “Darling, would you sit down, there’s something we need to discuss.” She
sat down obediently and waited for her father to begin. “Darling, as you’re
aware your coming out into society is about to take place, and you will be
attending your first debutante balls.”
“Yes Daddy” she agreed, Narcissa had been looking
forward to this summer for years, she was about to enter wizarding society and
hopefully attract a suitor.
“Now as you are aware Bellatrix and…” he paused
for a moment, he had been about to say ‘and Andromeda’ however he stopped
himself, “As you aware, your sister Bellatrix, was left to find her own
suitor.”
Rodolphus Lestrange Narcissa mused as she nodded
her agreement. Her sister’s fiancée was one of the most eligible bachelors in
wizarding
“However” her father continued, “We, I mean your
mother and I, have decided to take a different course with you Narcissa.” Her
brow furrowed in confusion, take a different course with you, what on earth did
he mean.
She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost
missed her father’s next words, “What I mean is princess, that I and your mother
have found you a suitor, the betrothal was arranged when you were only a
child.”
Narcissa was shocked, it wasn’t that arranged
marriages were uncommon in wizarding society, in fact they took place quite
frequently, it was just that she had never thought her parents would arrange
one for her, after all, they hadn’t for Bella or Droma.
“Narcissa darling” her mother soothed, bringing
her hands to her daughters shoulders, “it’s for the best, he’s
ever such a nice young man…”
“Who?” Narcissa asked quietly.
“What’s that dear?” her mother asked, running her
hand through Narcissa’s curls, though Narcissa wished she would stop.
“Who is it that you have arranged for me to
marry?”
Her parents exchanged a look, and suddenly
Narcissa started to worry, what if it was somebody awful, oh my goodness it
could be one of the Crabbe brothers.
But then her father spoke and she breathed a sigh
of relief “I believe you know him, his name is Lucius Malfoy.”