Invisible Tears

oOo

When her crush rejected her, sixteen-year-old Narcissa Black reacts in a very dignified way and just tells Theseus Nott not to say anything about the confession. Truth was, a very large part of Narcissa wants to cry and she does; she makes sure no one's looking before she rushes to the seventh floor, where there's this secret room that's always there for her when she needs time alone.

She slams the door to the Invisible Room shut and slides to the ground. Winter has always been Narcissa's favorite season and the Room reflects that. A frozen ball room to reflect her love for dances and where snow falls, snowflakes falling around Narcissa like rain that she delights in dancing under.

Narcissa has the tendency to mope about something for a very long while. Usually, this problem will disappear if she tells someone. She knows from experience because she's confessed her fear of monsters and the dark to Bellatrix, and even though her oldest sister laughs at her, she still tells her that she'll kill anything that dare tries to harm Narcissa and it did cheer her up. When she's jittery before her first day at Hogwarts, she whispers her fear of not being Sorted into Slytherin to sister Andromeda who comforts her, telling her that no matter what, she'll always be the older girl's baby sister.

This time, however, it's a different matter entirely. This is too embarrassing. Narcissa doesn't need anyone to tell her that her sisters are breathtakingly beautiful, more so than she is. They'll laugh at her and she doesn't think she can bear that. Narcissa doesn't need her self-confidence to take another dive into the sinking ocean, especially not when she's already rock bottom.

I wish there's someone I can talk to.

Narcissa hasn't even sigh after that wishful thought when a loud and obnoxious voice calls, "Cousin Narcissa?"

That voice belongs to the last person she wishes to see right now. Someone up there must've hated her guts. Eyebrow twitching in reflexive annoyance, Narcissa snaps, "Leave me alone, Sirius, I don't want to talk to you now."

The obnoxious second-year ignores her and she can hear his voice, loud and headache-inducing, echoing all around them as he talks. "Eh? You know about this place too?"

"Yes," she snaps. "or I won't be here."

"Why are you here?" Sirius asks, skidding across the ice ring, twirling like a fucking ballerina with a pig's grace. Either he doesn't get that she needs time-alone or he's ignoring all the signs on purpose. Cheeky git. She hopes the brat falls and breaks his nose. Regulus was never like this. Honestly, Sirius has the maturity and thoughtfulness of a three-year-old.

"Why should I tell you?" snaps Narcissa nastily.

"I'm just curious. Not many things can make the Ice Queen Narcissa cry."

Her hands automatically fly up to her cheek to wipe any stray tears. "There's no tears! I'm not crying!" Her cheeks flush. "You're playing with me!"

"You're the one stupid enough to fall for it," responds Sirius, as nasty as when he's five and he'll trip her at every corner even though he's supposed to listen to her because she's older. "But you still look like you want to cry. Why?"

"I won't tell you even if you were the last person on earth, you prat! Stop bothering me and go away!"

Sirius stops twirling in the skating ring; he whirls around to face her and she raises her head to see him, noting that he's angry now because his pale cheeks are flushed in anger. His grey eyes are intense. "I want to know," he snaps. "I have every right—you're my cousin and someone made you cry. Who?"

"So you can congratulate him on making me cry?" spits Narcissa bitterly.

"No," says Sirius, grinning now. Narcissa thinks he needs to get a check-up from one of St. Mungo's Healers because his mood swings are starting to get unnerving. "Because only I have that right to make you cry and I'll bury him alive. Did he reject you?" Narcissa snarls quietly at him and he whoops in joy. "I got it right!"

"You better not tell anyone!"

"I will use it as blackmail," agrees Sirius and Narcissa fumes, glaring at the ground. How did that brat not made it into Slytherin she has no idea.

"Why, though?"

"You already guessed right," snaps Narcissa. "Can you go now? I want to enjoy this scenery alone."

"No," says Sirius. "I was wondering why he'd reject you." Huh? "I thought everyone likes pretty girls."

Narcissa's cheeks flush. "You think I'm pretty?"

"Sure."

They don't speak for a while and Narcissa, feeling slightly better than before, raises her head to see Sirius skidding clumsily, waving his arms wildly for balance. He's doing a fairly good job but she knows he'll fall some time soon. She reaches up to wipe her face, making sure there's no tears before she speaks in her steadiest voice.

"You're doing it wrong."

She expects Sirius to burst out that he's doing spectacular and she'll wait to see him fail. What she doesn't expect is for him to actually stop, grin and beckon her forward. "Then teach me, cousin." He mock-bows, holding out his hand like the gentleman he's been taught to be but often insists on being a jerk.

Sirius is a terrible dancer and skater, as Narcissa quickly learns. She needs a multitude of Healing charms before she can continue with the lesson.

Sirius is laughing; Narcissa knows that he's stepping on her shoes on purpose and she properly reciprocates. The prat's sadistic but she supposes that it runs in their veins.

Even though he's about a head shorter than she is and he's annoying like hell, Narcissa silently hopes that in the next pureblood party they're invited to, Sirius will ask her to dance with him.

Right now, whirling with nimble steps about in the magical room where snowflakes fall into their hair, Narcissa can't think of anyone else, not even Theseus Nott, that she'd rather be dancing with.

oOo

Family's got to count for something right?