I have been a horrible person to my dear readers. I had a bout of depression and a horrible writers block. All is well now. Did everyone see the final movie? I will not lie, I cried during the Prince's Tale. Alan Rickman for the win. Anyway, I finally have everything finished. This entire story has been written and there's maybe a decent ten chapters left, but good news is there might be a sequel to marry me. If you all want it.

Do not forget to review!

-Val

Sixth Year Part I: The Lake of Fire Burned Her On Her Fingertips

Narcissa clasped her hand in Lucius's unnaturally soft hand and placed her head was placed on his broad shoulder. For the first time in what seemed like ages, a big smile seemed to attach itself to her face and remain dormant there, even when Lucius wasn't in her presence. Lucius had a half grin on his pointed features as well as his index finger began to stroke the soft skin on her hand. She loved taking walks across Hogwarts grounds with her beloved intended. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest so loud, she wondered if Lucius could hear it. She bit the inner part of her lip and barely breathed with the smell of his cologne crossing under her nose.

"I don't want you to leave next year." She whimpered, pouting her lips and sighing heavily.

"I do." Lucius disagreed. "I could not stand another year of Charms class. I could jump from the top of the Astronomy Tower at the thought." Narcissa looked up at him with a glare. He smiled back at her and kissed her forehead. "But if I could avoid classes all together, I would stay with you."

Narcissa's glare was replaced with a pleased smirk. "I would hope so. You have to focus on your N.E.W.T.S, I'll try not to be a distraction."

Lucius made a noise that sounded like a deformed snort. "That is an entertaining thought. However, distraction is your middle name, Miss. Black."

"Actually, it's Guinevere, but the thought was there." Narcissa laughed at her sarcastic jest, Lucius rolled his eyes and pulled her along by the hand. "Come," he said. "I have a surprise for you."

"What is it?" she asked. He grinned at her knowingly and led her further off to the grounds until they reached a large tree on the outskirts of the forest with its branches hanging down made for the perfect shade against the bright September sun. On the grass lay a black, green and silver blanket with a picnic basket on top.

"Oh my." Narcissa said clasping her hands together over her mouth in awe. Lucius wasn't a romantic type of man. He rarely showed his emotions toward her, but the change in the monotony made her feel warm inside. She grinned at him and stood on her tip toes. Her arms wrapped around his neck and their lips were pressed together. After several moments she parted from him, cocking her head to the side. Her blue eyes scanned his gray ones in curiosity. "But why, Luc?"

Lucius grinned at the newer nickname for himself and shrugged his shoulders lazily. "I missed your birthday, Cissa." He said, leaving gentle kisses along the corners of her mouth and down her neck. Narcissa smirked at his hands roamed up and down her spine. His touch was careful to not tread any lower than the small curve of her back. She could never admit the desire to have him continue to touch her in polite company. She squeezed her eyes shut and ran her hands down his chest, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. The windows to their souls was ajar and the longing for each other could be read clearly. The two toyed with the thought of testing the desire on the blanket before them. The risk of being caught, the heat between them and the passion in their touches, but there was also fear from Narcissa. The fear of her secret being found by her mother and father and the fear of the pain. It would be her first time and it was painful according to Druella. Narcissa and Lucius instinctively took a step back and replaced their desires with indifference.

Lucius cleared his throat. "My apologies," He began. "For my absence at your birthday celebration. I had so much to do." He hesitated before continuing. Narcissa barely noticed the doubt in his voice. She was concentrating on keeping any perverse thoughts from her mind. "I wanted to so something special for you. Is that so hard to believe?"

Narcissa shook her head rapidly and pulled him to sit on the blanket. Along the fringe of the blanket were various sweets such as Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, Liquorice Wands and chocolate frogs. Over the past hour she had stuffed her cheeks with sweets she could feel the sugar sticking to her teeth and running through her veins so rapidly, she was sure she wouldn't get any sleep tonight.

"I want to leave here so badly." Narcissa stated. Lucius laid on his back and stared into the branches and the sunlight. Narcissa ran a hand down his cheek. "I debated with Father whether to go forward with my education." Narcissa poured more pumpkin juice into her goblet.

"Why not?" Lucius asked cocking his head to the side. His long hair tangled under the hand behind his head and placed the other hand on his abdomen.

"I'm going to be a wife and mother," Narcissa chuckled. "I don't think you need a high N.E.W.T score to change diapers."

"Perhaps." Lucius said, propping himself on his elbows. His eyes never left her. "But I believe he disagreed with you, yes?"

"Yes." Narcissa drank a gulp of pumpkin juice and stared into her goblet. She swirled the liquid around in a rhythmic circle. "He thinks I should do well anyway. It would get me out of the house. If Bellatrix, him and mother went through it, I should as well."

"Another year won't hurt." Lucius agreed. "You'll be with Severus, Fatima-"

"But not with you."

"I'll owl you everyday, Cissa." Narcissa looked at him skeptically and mumbled doubt into her pumpkin juice. Lucius held his hands up in surrender. "I promise you, but do not worry about this now. You'll grow mad if you make yourself nervous and anxious over something you have no control over." Lucius cupped one of his hands on the crook of the right side of her neck. She smiled as she felt his fingers lace through her hair loosening the pins that kept her strands steady and still.

"It's impossible for me to stay unworried." She fall onto her shoulders in waves. Lucius smirked at her taking the goblet from her hands and placing it on the other side of the blanket. He placed one hand on each side of her face. "I wonder why you don't keep your hair down. You look beautiful." Lucius complimented, running his hands through his hair.

"Mother says it would make me look like a harlot if my hair was in my face."

"Hm," he said, planting a kiss on her pink lips. "Well, as long as no one is watching..." He drawled. Narcissa wrapped her arms around his neck and kissing him back. Her eyes were closed not completely tight. She wanted see how he looked through the space in her eyelashes. She loved looking at him. His tongue slid past her lips and she pushed hers against his. Between their dancing tongues and his roaming hands she somehow found her to lying on her back against the picnic blanket.

Her body was sensitive to touch. The blades of grass tickling the back of her neck and his hands circled roughly on her chest, waist and hips. His rough Quidditch trained fingers avoided the parts where she desperately wanted his touch. She fantasized and imagined it from her dreams and the novels she read.

"Lucius." She respired softly into his lips. He opened his eyes and stopped for a moment. He propped himself on his hands and forced a look of patience, but his eyes were everything except composed.

"Say the word, Cissa." He said. "What do you wish me to do?" She felt him grind into her a little. She exhaled a satisfied breath before replying. It was all so tempting. She wanted it so badly. At the moment her body was craving for it. Her breath was shaky and her thoughts were murky. She was to be married to him after all, no one would ever know. She opened her mouth to say, yes. Yes, she wanted to give him the purest gift a woman can give a man. Yes, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. However, something held her tongue. The memories of the tall blonde woman with striking blue eyes, giving her "virginity test" left a chill down her spine. Frigidity had replaced the warm and dangerous lust and brought her back to her reality. Her father promised Druella would leave her alone, but virginity was an importance to Cygnus as well. She couldn't disappoint him.

"Not this way." Narcissa breathed. "Our wedding night, I promise." Lucius bit the inner part of his cheek to keep himself from frowning. He nodded his head and continued to kiss her forehead. "It's fine." He said, kissing each corner of her mouth. "Let's just enjoy this then." He said curling his hand into hers and laying next to her.

Narcissa and Lucius walked hand in hand into the Slytherin common room. Severus, Regulus and Fatima sat by the fire. Severus had his nose in another book, while Regulus played wizarding chess with an unenthusiastic Fatima.

"Hello." Narcissa said with a large grin on her face. Her pink lipstick was smeared along her cheek and chin. She had just noticed MacNair sleeping on the sofa. He opened one of his eyes and closed them drifting off to sleep. Antonin Dolohov sat on the floor adjacent to the snoozing MacNair. He turned the pages of his book, not paying them any mind. Normally Antonin would welcome Lucius with a wave or a nod. She assumed it was because Fatima was in the room with him. Severus looked up from his opened book of complicated spells and waved at them warmly.

"Hello," He responded back. "You two look-" He stopped mid sentence when Regulus interrupted him.

"Like you two snogged." He cooed with a wink. Severus chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Yes. It's true."

Narcissa froze in her spot. Lucius was suppressing a grin while she tried to keep her cheeks from turning a bright pink. Regulus pointed at her beet blushing face and said; "I was right they did."

"How did you know?" Narcissa asked.

"Luc has your lipstick on his neck." Regulus answered. "Did you know?"

Lucius hand flew to the right side of his neck and rubbed his skin raw. Fatima shook her head and spoke in a bored tone. "Other side." Fatima said dryly. Her eyes darted to Antonin. He mumbled something into his book. She stuck out her tongue and turned back to Lucius. The Slytherin prefect scrubbed the other side ofh is neck free of pink lipstick. The common room erupted in jeers and chuckles. Narcissa wanted to run away and hide under the sheets of her bed, but her body wouldn't cooperate with her. Lucius's cheeks flushed and his voice became sharp and commanding.

"There will be classes bright and early tomorrow." Lucius noted. "You lot should get to bed." Severus nodded his head in agreement and Regulus rolled his eyes.

"I can stay up for a little bit." Reg yawned. His eyes were drooping and his hand curled under his chin. Fatima sighed and stood up from the game. She smoothed down the front of her robes and pointed to the girls dormitory.

"I'd better get some sleep." she said stiffly.

"Are you feeling okay?" Narcissa asked, cocking her head. Fatima raised an eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders. "Yes, I'm alright." Her voice was stressed and irritable. She turned on her heel quickly and left the common room. Her heavy footsteps echoed through the room until she reached the girls dormitory.

"What's gotten into her?" Lucius asked, shoving MacNair's feet from the couch before sitting beside them. Regulus shrugged and Severus put his nose deeper into his book. Antonin closed his book quickly and nodded his head at Lucius. The other boy's mouth formed into an 'o' and he leaned back into the couch. "I see." He said with a nod.

Narcissa frowned at her intended, but didn't pay him too much mind. She took notice of Severus's body language. Narcissa narrowed her eyes and tried to get Severus's attention, but he was too distracted with his book to pay her any mind. He knew something she didn't and she wasn't going to give up until she knew what had been bothering her friend. She could've easily asked Fatima, but knowing her for the past five years gave her the understanding to never ask her anything personal without any background.

"Severus," Narcissa said sweetly, settling next to him with her elbows on the table and her eyebrow pointed up. She smiled sweetly, but Severus ignored her actions. "Do you know what's wrong with Fatima? She seemed to have left in a huff."

"Yes, she did." Severus said in a low voice, his nose still deeply within the parchment paper of his book.

"Sev," She said using the nickname she heard his muggleborn friend had used. Severus's pale cheeks turned slightly pink and knew she was getting closer to the knowledge she craved. In her ear she heard her mother's wretched voice urging her to stop being nosy, but she shooed the thought away. "Do you know what has been causing her such problems?"

"Erm, no." Severus stumbled over his words and Narcissa smirked. She could feel herself coming closer and closer to the problem and possible solution. She was aware she shouldn't be concerned at all, but being excluded from the predicament ate away at her. Her fingers brushed lightly on the parchment of his book. His dark eyes looked above the book cover and back to the inked lettering. "What?" he asked.

"I think you know." Narcissa implied, giving her a small smile.

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Because Fatima won't open up unless I have an idea of the situation. She won't reveal her inner feelings on command."

"I guess that's not my problem." Severus's voice was becoming stern. Narcissa pouted her lips and put her head on his shoulder, widening the worn binding of the book so she could see the print on the bent pages.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"It's a Potions book I found." He said shyly. "It's to study for my N.E.W.T's." Narcissa read the front of the black book with a boiling cauldron at the edge of the book. It read; "Advanced Potion Making" by Libatius Borage.

"N.E.W.T's?" Narcissa retorted. "Aren't you a little too young for that?"

"No, it's never too early to begin studying for something so important."

"You haven't even taken your O.W.L's."

"I've began studying for them as well. It might not have been as hard for you if you would've picked up your books early and began to study-"

"Blah, blah, blah." Narcissa said with a roll of her eyes. "Not everyone is as smart as you, Severus."

"Yes, there are other more important priorities to attend to before studying and learning magic. Such as boys, dating, spying on your friends and partaking in… erm… other proclivities."

Narcissa rolled her eyes once again. "I suppose so, but who wants to be studying all the time?" She raised an eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest.

"I find it to be fun." Severus said. He raised his eyebrows at something in particular and scribbled it on the parchment paper, muttering the words that were of an up most importance. Narcissa tried to peek over his shoulder, but he moved the book. She frowned.

"Why can't I peek?" she asked in a huff. She spotted Antonin placing his book on the floor and his head turned to look at Lucius. They exchanged aggravated expressions. Narcissa shot them a look and turned back to Severus. Her leg crossed over the other and most of her weight rested on her arms

"Why would you want to? It has nothing to do with you." Severus said closing the book and clasped his hands together.

"Oh, you're no fun, Severus. Have fun "studying."" Narcissa said using the quote fingers that she knew her younger friend hated so much. Regulus became temporarily distracted by fiddling with the trinkets upon his family crest pendant. Narcissa glanced at him and the fiddling stopped momentarily until she turned her attention back to Severus. Whenever he fiddled with anything he was normally in deep thought. Narcissa shook her head, rolling her eyes and standing up from her seat on the cold dungeon floor. She blew Lucius a quick kiss and walked forward to investigate Fatima's current situation.

"Cissa," She heard Lucius whisper. Her toes were just to the threshold of the girl's dormitory. Narcissa turned on her heel and raised an eyebrow. "Leave her alone." Lucius discouraged, shaking her head.

"Why should I?" she asked, making her way towards him. Her eyebrows were raised and Lucius swallowed hard.

"Do not be hard headed, Cissa." Lucius exhaled sharply. "Believe me, it's none of your concern."

"But-"

"Trust us," Antonin said looking up from his book for a brief moment. "She's angry and this doesn't involve you."

"So, you all know about this, I'm assuming?" Narcissa accused placing her hand on her hips. "I had suspected this."

The room had been brought to a deafening silence. Each boy looked up at each other and then back towards the other as if for the other to speak. "Well?" Narcissa snapped, tapping her foot. Severus opened his book again, writing notes. Dolohov followed his example and put his nose back in his book and Regulus fiddled with the chess set in front of him. Lucius looked for something frantically to do. Narcissa narrowed her eyes at him.

"Lucius…" she said in a dark tone. "Tell me."

"As I previously told you, Cissa," He said massaging his temple. "It's not a matter in which you should be concerned with."

"Yeah," Dolohov added. "You shouldn't worry about it."

Narcissa frowned at Antonin and narrowed her eyes at him. "I was talking to Lucius."

"So?"

"So, return back to your book," Narcissa put her hands on her hips and kept her blue eyes on Lucius's gray ones. "Mr. Malfoy."

"Yes, Miss. Black?"

"Tell me what everyone doesn't know."

"Let me think about it." Lucius said, blinking at her with bored gray eyes. Before the sentence could finish crossing his lips he gave her a straight forward and defiant. "No."

Narcissa's mind was racing. She exhaled sharply through her nostrils and turned on her heel to leave. She had to know what was happening. She was half-way up the stairs to the girl's dormitory when she stopped in her tracks. She was acting ridiculous.

'What are you doing, Cissa?' she asked herself, putting a firm hand to her temple. 'This doesn't involve you. Do not worry yourself. When Fatima is ready, she will tell you.' This didn't make her feel any better. In fact it only made her wonder more about her best friend's current predicament. She debated back and forth whether or not to ask Fatima, when her thought was interrupted when Marguerite Zabini tapped her on the shoulder.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to let me go to sleep?" she asked. Narcissa turned around and wrinkled her nose at the dark haired, caramel skinned fourth year, she walked up the stairs and stepped to the side to let Marguerite pass. She saw Fatima staring into a piece of parchment. Her green eyes scanned the cursive print over and over. Her hands were shaking and her cheeks were wet from crying. From the corner of her eye she saw Narcissa and Marguerite enter the room. She shoved the letter under her pillow and wiped her tears away furiously, but it was barely any use. Her red runny nose and redder eyes were an obvious display.

"Oh," she said with a sniff. "I didn't see you two come in. Sorry." She apologized. Marguerite shrugged her shoulders and Narcissa walked forward slowly, gathering her thoughts and sitting on Fatima's bed. She reached out and placed her hand on Fatima's shoulder. "Is everything fine?" Narcissa asked. When the question came out of her mouth it left a stain of idiocy on her palette. It was a stupid question to ask.

Fatima paused for a moment and shook her head. Her eyes began to tear again and strands of black stuck to her moist cheeks. Narcissa brought her hands to Fatima's cheek and wiped her tears away with her thumb. Her friend grabbed Narcissa's hands and pulled them from her face. "Stop," she said. "I'm alright. It's just-" she paused for a moment and more tears fell from the corner of her eyes. "Rabastan is such an arse."

Narcissa knew it. It had to have been him. What could he have done? Did he find someone else? No, no one was that crazy to date Rabastan for more than a few months, except for Fatima.

"What did he do?" Narcissa asked, anticipating the typical response that she's heard all around the Slytherin common room for many years, but Fatima shook her head, standing up and folding her arms against her chest. "It's not what he did," she said with a hint of weariness in her voice. "It's what he's going to do that I'm worried about."

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked, with a frown. Fatima didn't answer. She walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Narcissa waited for nearly an hour to talk to her, but she remained in the showers for far too long. Narcissa forced herself to stay awake, but the anticipation of another full day of classes and her already weary mind got the best of her and she passed out into her pillow.

"Val, it's so short!" You may or may not be saying. I know I'm so sorry! The next chapter was extremely long and I didn't want to take out anything. Next chapter will be up soon.

Review!

-Val