Where are you now?
I'm trying to get back without ever knowing at all.
What is the chance of finding you out there?
-Wait Forever by Michelle Branch
A knock on his door, one solid, fluid knock, sounded through the well-lit apartment. He stopped, mid-bite into his cornflakes and milk and took a hesitant breath. These weren't safe times - a sentiment from James explaining his and Lilly's secret move to Godric's Hollow echoed in his head. He took a sharp intake of breath, knowing he could handle whatever stood past the door. It was probably an awry Muggle postman on the wrong floor, he reasoned, but slid his wand behind his back, into the elastic of his pyjama bottoms til it was held in place and unseen.
The doorknob turned, slowly, and he opened the door. But no Muggle postman stood in the threshold, something far from. It was a pale, blonde woman with silver eyes that he knew quite well, but couldn't fathom why she was here. She was pregnant now, he could see that. Her hair was a mess, a ponytail at the nape of her neck like Andromeda used to wear. Her expression, which was typically stern and forboding, was rather empty - her eyes were lost.
"I blame you." She said firmly, locking her watering eyes on his confused eyes, which matched her's in their gray color.
"Narcissa?" He responded softly, "Come in."
He wasn't thinking, he couldn't have been. To allow his cousin, who had married Lucius Malfoy two years ago and kept him from her life many years prior to that, into his home would be downright mad. But he did, and though many would question that she would ever accept, she did.
He offered her tea but she declined with a shake of her head, he indicated the seat across from his at the table and that she accepted.
Her nimble, slender fingers were picking at spots on his tablecloth while silence filled the room. Her fingers graced the spaghetti stain of Peter's, the spilt punch of Remus's, and suddenly he realized that this place was not for her, that the fact she was here wasn't right.
So he questioned in a more demanding tone, "Why are you here?"
"He's dead," she said, her voice slightly strangled, her eyes on the table cloth rather than his.
"Who?" he questioned hoarsely, dread filling him.
"Reggie," she said with an exhale of breath and his stomach felt as if someone was ripping it at the seams and leaving the raw flaps to hang. His throat tightened.
"How?" he questioned.
"I don't even know. Someone, one of those hor- one of those Death Eaters."
"And you blame me?" Suddenly anger had filled him as he remembered her opening words, "You come all the way down from your haughty Manor life to tell me of my only brother's death! The first words you've uttered to me in ages, Narcissa, and you blame me?!" He was roaring, standing now, though he didn't realize it til his chair clattered on the ground.
He stood, breathing heavily with anger in his eyes, as she sat, head bowed. She looked up at him and then dropped her head once more.
"Stop, just, just stop. You look so much like Bellat-"
"Don't you dare mention her name! Don't act frightened of me, Narcissa! I want an answer of you and you tell me I'm like your sister? That's ri-" He was yelling again, very much angered by the very prescense of her in his apartment. He felt as if he was about to explode, everything from his family he'd suppressed flooding over him in a wash of mixed emotions. That was, until she stood, spedily, knocking his bowl of cornflakes to the floor and interrupting his rant.
"You were his idol, Sirius! Everything he wanted to be! He was my most favorite person in the entire world, yet he didn't care about me! When you left, he wasn't consolable, he wouldn't let anyone so much as a yard close to him! When you left, you left this sense of duty on his shoulders, this sense of righting all your wrongs! And when I found out he died, I had to leave the Manor, I had to go somewhere, couldn't stay holed up in that bloody house. And Sirius, I wandered, and d'you know where I ended up? Your doorstep! I've known where it was for ages, but never told you. Been here loads but didn't ever knock. Stood! I bloody stood here so many countless times! And I miss Andromeda more than anything, though I'm not permitted to! Bellatrix is so consumed in the darkness, and now Reggie! He's dead, he's dead," she broke down into tears, sobbing and repeating her last sentence.
His anger faded as he side-stepped the cornflake mess and wrapped her into his arms. She shook, and cried harder, and he gripped her shoulders with intense ferocity. She sniffled and took a step from him, bumping into the counter behind her. She looked up at him and, as if realizing what she had been doing was wrong, rubbed her nose and made her way for the door. All he could feel was a rawness, an emptiness clawing his insides as she paused for the door. It was hard to breathe for him, but she spoke softly.
"I need your permission. I want to name my son after you and Reggie. Draco, your first name, and Titus, his first name." She didn't turn around, but rather quivered, staring at his door with her hand on the knob.
"Draco's a dreadful name, 'Cis." he said raggedly, and she smiled toward the door.
"Perfect." She said, sliding out of the door and out of his life.
He collapsed once the door was closed, sliding to the floor and laying out on the tiles. His hands brushed the mess of cornflakes and he felt rather sick, taking in what the last new minutes of Narcissa's visit meant. She would never return to his apartment and three weeks later, he'd catch a fleeting glance of her firm silver eyes as he was charged for the murder of James and Lilly. There had been a baby in her arms at the time of the trial.
Author's note: more Narcissa-centred stuff. Mirroring the character of her in Black Nature, so if you enjoyed this, be sure to read that. It's set when Cissa discovers Reggie's Death-Eater-dom and confronts Bella about it. This made my throat tighten a bit when I visualized the whole scene play out. Mwah for major melodrama. Right-o. I think Draco's real middle name is Titus... though I may be way off. ::shrugs:: I don't really care much. Artistic liscense is el fantastic-o. (I, ovbiously, do not speak spanish) And this isn't grammar-checked / spelling-checked, so mucho grande (see previous note on forgein language) apologies.
Review, please!