004 Insides—Cracking the Veneer

Narcissa Black kept up the façade of an ignorant, selfish daughter of an ancient bloodline. To most people, this is all she was. Of course, it could be expected that people would take her at face value because she hardly talked to anyone. Now that her sisters had graduated she had lost her only companions. People called her the "Silent Prefect" because she had gained the position of leadership and only talked to discipline. She spent her spare time reading, studying, and practicing her oboe in her quarters. Her dormmate tried to give her a great deal of space, but it was annoying to him sometimes. He tried not to let it bother him but having someone so close to him who wouldn't say a casual word to him was irksome.

He came back from Quidditch practice one evening to find her sitting on the couch in the Prefect common area with book in hand and the WWN on softly in the background. Her golden blonde hair was pulled back from her face with a thin black headband and the low lighting cast shadows across her soft features. The room was completely dark other than the one lamp and Lucius rummaged in his pocket for his wand. As he ignited a second lamp Narcissa squinted as her eyes adjusted.

"You'll ruin your eyes with that kind of lighting," he commented. She made no movement to acknowledge him and continued reading. His forehead tensed. "You know, I hardly know what your voice sounds like because you never speak to me."

"I never speak to anyone," Narcissa said without looking up from her book. Lucius smirked and took a seat on the opposite sofa. This had now become a game to see how many words he could get out of her in a single evening.

"My mother loved to sing. I miss her voice sometimes when I'm at school. She sings from morning to night and it comforts me sometimes when I'm stressed out at school to think of her singing me to sleep when I was very little," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked down his slender nose at the woman across the way. She had stopped reading but her eyes remained fixed on the parchment pages bound in her hand. He continued. "The reason why I tell you this is because she always told me things about "the voice". She warmed up with scales and arpeggios every morning just like you do when you practice that horn of yours. It keeps the voice warm and ready to play or speak. Because you never even whisper hello to anyone you see I'm surprised when you do manage to talk you don't croak like a frog."

Narcissa put a marker in her book and closed it, assuming an upright sitting position and facing the young Malfoy. She gave him that same icy, fixed glare that had come to sit naturally on her pretty face. His smirk widened.

"A young woman should be seen and not heard," she said quietly, her voice cool and even. She stood from the green velvet sofa and turned on her heel towards her door. Lucius hopped up from his perch and stood in the doorway before her.

"I like how your voice sounds, Miss Black. I do wish you'd talk more," Lucius said, his face inches away from hers. Her eyes remained fixated straight ahead.

"I wish you wouldn't mock me," she said with venom. "You are a jerk, Lucius, and I don't want to hear your voice at all."

"I've never done any wrong to you, Narcissa," he whispered. She looked up at him now and was surprised at how his gray eyes caught the flickering of the lamps and reflected hers so clearly. "If you could recall past your apparent loathing for everyone I've been behind you with all of our Prefect duties since the first day. I've stepped in and backed you up whenever you've needed it in dealing with snotty first-years and disgusting Mudbloods who try to walk all over you."

Narcissa stepped back a bit and softened her glare. Lucius relaxed and crossed his arms once again. "I'm not trying to marry you or anything. I'm just asking for a bit of conversation and maybe for you to defrost the room."

"Defrost the room?" she questioned.

"Yes. That icy glare of yours is freezing the stone in here." He put his hand against the wall and drew it back quickly as if the stone really was frozen. "You're going to crack the castle open."

He stepped away from the doorframe leading to Narcissa's room and headed for his own but she didn't budge. Lucius looked back and turned. "Are you okay?"

Even from just her profile he could see tears running slowly down her face. Perplexed at what he could have said to upset her, he paused. She reached a hand up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Little Narcissa… you could freeze the sun if you tried," she said in a tone that mocked one of her sister's. "You'll never make any friends because you'll freeze their hearts too."

She sniffed back more tears and covered her face with her hands. Lucius came over to her and wrapped his arms around her, something that seemed a little bit out of character to young Miss Black, but she appreciated it. He was known more for belittling people and pestering them than comforting them. She liked the feeling of having his arms around her so warm and strong. After him being out on the Quidditch field for three hours he didn't smell bad either. He smelled like grass and dirt and the expensive cologne he slathered on himself regularly. One of his large hands patted her back comfortingly.

"You can have friends, Narcissa," he said and she felt the vibrations of his low voice in his chest. "You're a beautiful, intelligent young woman. You just intimidate people."

"Do I intimidate you?" she asked, pulling back to face him. He pondered for a second.

"Maybe a little," he said honestly. "But I know you're not a bitch. You're a little stand-offish, but that's all."

"Why are you being nice to me?"

He smiled mischievously at her. "Us Purebloods have to stick together. Also, we live ten kilometers away from each other. I couldn't imagine being so unfamiliar with my siblings if I had any. I couldn't not know my own mother. Maybe I'm not being nice, just reasonable."

"Reasonable…" she repeated with a slight upturn to the corner of her mouth. "I'll remember that, Malfoy."

"Never nice, just reasonable," he said and turned to go to bed. "Goodnight, Narcissa."

"Goodnight," she replied and stepped into her room, closing the heavy door behind her and smiling genuinely in the private of her quarters.

I tried to make a teen situation between Luce and Cissa that wasn't super corny. In case you're curious as to the age of the Malfoys in this, I am imagining them to be in their sixth year. Anyway, I welcome and appreciate all reviews! Check out my livejournal for more LM/NM ficcing!