A/N: Not mine. None of it.

Life's Lessons, 1973

Lesson One: Trust

Lucius was late. Narcissa had been pacing the hallway for an hour an a half now. She'd arrived home from Hogwarts for the very last time, and she'd been certain that Lucius would be waiting at the station for her. He wasn't, and oddly enough neither was Bella. Narcissa was suspicious, but the anger she felt right now was overriding all other emotions. They were supposed to be celebrating, but instead he was gallivanting around Britain somewhere.

She was going to give him what for when he got back. She wasn't going to be distracted by how handsome he was, or how good he smelled, or how smooth he talked. She was not going to be distracted.

A loud pop from the sitting room heralded the return of Bellatrix. Narcissa rushed into the sitting room. She was disappointed to discover that Bella was alone. Her sister quickly hid a white object behind her back.

"Oh, hi Cissy."

"Where's Lucius?" Narcissa demanded. She could tell from the look on Bella's face that she knew something.

"I don't know. I haven't-"

A stony look from Narcissa silenced Bella for a second. Bella had never seen her little sister looking like this. The air positively crackled with rage.

"Oh fine. He'll be here soon. He just had to change."

"What do you-" Narcissa stopped abruptly in her tracks. She hadn't connected the white object to where they'd been until that second.

"How long?" she asked softly, eyes cast downwards.

"Just after he grad-"

"No. You," Narcissa cut off Bella again.

"Oh. A couple weeks."

"Why?"

Bella sighed.

"You know I was never going to be the pretty little trophy wife. Tat suits you, but it was never going to be like that. I was never good at all that girly stuff. I have to fight for what I believe in."

Narcissa nodded slowly. It made sense and somewhere in her mind, she'd always known it, but she hadn't expected to be confronted with it.

A second pop announced the arrival of Lucius. Bella used Narcissa's momentary distraction to escape, shooting Lucius a sympathetic glance as she sped out of the room. Lucius noticed the look on both Bella's and Narcissa's faces, and fixed his fiancée with his most charming smile.

"Now, Cissy," he started, walking towards her like one would approach a wary animal.

"Don't you Cissy me, Lucius," Narcissa snapped, fixing him with an icy glare. "I can't believe you would do something like this."

All the unexplained absences and speedy departures in the middle of lunch suddenly made sense. For a while, Narcissa had thought Lucius was cheating on her. It hadn't taken her long to squash that theory. Malfoy men were many things, but unfaithful was not one of them.

There were always rumours floating around that Malfoy women were abused physically and mentally. It just wasn't the case. A girl had not been born into the Malfoy family in over two centuries which just made them appreciate their wives even more.

Narcissa was determined to change that, and bring a daughter into the world. Right now, however, children were the last thing on Narcissa's mind.

"Look, Ciss, I'm sorry, but I had to do this! You're just going to have to get used to it."

"I don't care that you're doing it, Lucius! I care that you didn't have the decency to tell me! I'm your fiancée, for Christ's sake!"

"When do you propose that I should have told you? Hogsmeade isn't exactly a secure location."

It took all of Narcissa's self control not to slap him at that point.

"Don't give me that, Lucius. You had Christmas! You had last years holidays! And don't even think of telling me you didn't want to ruin Christmas!"

"But it's true! I didn't," Lucius protested, trying to regain some ground in this battle. It wasn't very successful. Narcissa went very quiet for a few minutes.

"Ciss?" Lucius ventured, stepping towards her again.

"Get out!" she screamed at him.

Lucius didn't have to be told twice. He Disapparated quickly. Narcissa burst into tears.

Bellatrix re-entered the room, took one look at Narcissa, and beckoned her. Narcissa ran straight into her sister's arms.

"I've never fought with him before, Bell. I don't want to fight with him, but I don't want him to keep secrets from me either."

Bellatrix stroked her sister's hair, as she led her upstairs.

"We'll run you a nice bath, okay?"

Narcissa nodded.