Narcissa Black was not one to waste her time without a really good reason. Time was something she considered valuable, and wasting it was not something she considered wise. She could use it for something.. even if it was the smallest excuse on the planet, but Cissy NEVER wasted it, not matter whay. Even on this day, Narcissa had reason to be alone. Contemplating about what to do about her sister, she considered this of the upmost importance if she where to maintane her family's standards.

Standing on the edge of the lake, Narcissa looked at her reflection in the dark water, her beautiful features sparkling back at her. Yet today there was something different about her face, it wasn’t the same. There was a trace of anger rippled through her eyes, lips and brow as she stood with her hands clenched.

Another thing that Narcissa never did was let her temper rule her. She hated letting an emotion (especially anger) control anything she did. She wanted to make decisions in a clear state of mind, not rashly, and at the moment it was taking all her will not to take it out on some undeserving student. Why would that make a difference? It would only make her angrier that she had let her emotions loose, when she could show more control by holding them in. She would never look weak in font of another person.. she had trouble even letting her emotions go around Lucius, and that was saying something.

Tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, Cissy unclenched her jaw and massaged it gently. ‘Merlin! It’s not even that big of a deal Narcissa.. she’s just a damn hufflepuff.’ She reassured herself in vain. She had struggeled with the same thing time and time again, accepting that her sister was no longer a part of her life. She hated why Andromda had to be something different.. to feel the need to prove something.. Narcissa was still not quite sure what it was exactly that she was trying to prove, but so far it was just making her whole family angry. All this talk of equality and mudbloods being just as good!!!! Gah, it made her want to be sick. Even thinking about muggles and mudbloods being on the same lever as her, Narcissa Black, made bile rise up in her throat, and she had to force it down with a shiver.

Why couldn’t the world just go back to the way it was before Hogwarts? When Andromeda was just like any other Black girl… proud of being a pure blood, loyal to the house of Salazar Slytherin.. NOT HELGA HUFFLEPUFF!

Narcissa’s scrutiny had caught his attention and she pulled her gaze away quickly, placing it back in a more appropriate state. She was just doing what was naturally when it came to conversing with men. Lucius Malfoy or no, she needed to have some sign of what they where thinking in order to play the game that revolved around the heart, mind, and body. It was dangerous and many girls had lost more than their pride playing it, but Narcissa was not one to be snared so easily.

Arching her blonde eyebrows curiously, she let Lucius’s arm slide around her waist. Her stomach fluttered nervously “It’s tiresome, having women follow you around, pleading for attention.” “That’s what I like about you. You let me have my space.” Narcissa’s body ached at the pain of holding her emotions back. Pressing her teeth down on the inside of her bottom lip, she kept her cool, not wanting to give him any sign that she was being affected.

She had seen this happen to so many other girls, including herself, even if it wasn’t Lucius. She was smarter than this, she knew it, but something inside her made it difficult for her to stick to what she knew. Letting the corner of her lip pull up in a playful smirk, she looked at him quizzically, “Really Lucius, I though you would find a better reason for liking me than me ‘giving you space’. Her reply was silky as she tilted her head so slightly to one side. If another girl would have done this, it would have looked quite playfull.. something reminding one of a puppy, but the way Narcissa did it had an art. It was more seductive than anything else, and once again it was a subconscious flirtatious movement which she could not help.

She could play the game.

As his hand slid to the sensitive small of her back, she gave a little gasp of surprise. Her body was alerted, and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as her heart leapt. She resisted the urge to shiver, and instead regained her momentarily loss of composure, before her face was moved to look up at him, his hand gently cupping her chin.

“What had you looking so angry today? I never see that kind of fire in your eyes.”

“Andromeda..” the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. She could have kicked herself! “Merlin Cissy, you are such a sucker!’. If it where any other man, she could have easily stopped the words that came, and given him some witty response hinting he would never know, but not with Lucius. She seemed unable to protect herself form him, which she knew would be her demise. He was never this nice to her without wanting something.

Gazing up at Lucius, she was slightly ‘star struck’ as she struggled with common sense and her attraction to him. He was her weakness, and he knew how to use that against her. She was on the verge of ripping her hair out in turmoil (though she never would ACTUALLY resort to ripping it out, no it was too precious), or slapping him in the face for being such a cad. She hated what he did to her, and because of her inability to send him away, she found herself unable to even breath.

“You know I wouldn’t have agreed to marry you, if that was all that I liked.”

That’s rich. Everyone knew that Lucius was set against their engagement, though he couldn’t proclaim it, word still got around that he was refusing to actually ‘act’ like Narcissa Black’s fiancé. Narcissa of all people! How could he NOT want her to be his wife? She was perfect, yet for some reason, Lucius seemed to be against it from the start. Merlin, he was difficult.. or mad. Either way, she knew she was falling into a pit that she couldn’t get out of.

“Don’t worry about that blood-traitor sister of yours. You know that mudbloods can never be equal to us, and you have one sister left who believes that whole-heartedly.”

As his arms wrapped around her, Cissy felt the rush to weep, to get all of the mixed feelings out of her system. Anger rippeled through her as she once again fell to his charm. Placing her hands on either side of his shoulder blades, she held him in a light embrace. She couldn’t whole heartily hug him back, she still was strong enough not to let that happen.

She hated him for doing this to her, the bastard was cruel beyond reasoning to her, yet she couldn’t drive that far enough into her heart and body. Why was she so weak? Why could he bend her like this? She was wrapped around his darn pinky, and she couldn’t cut herself loose! He was like a cancer that spread throughout her being. She couldn’t say anything, she was to twisted inside to bring herself to utter anything that would make sense, so she just stood there, like a doll. A pretty little doll, waiting to be broken.

Being a Slytherin, one had to have the amazing ability to read other’s emotions. If one was unable to do so, then they would find themselves being ripped apart by others. It was a kill or be killed emotionally house, and one always had to fend for themselves. No matter what. It didn’t matter if you trusted your boyfriend or lover more than anything, you could never depend on them for too much. It was a snake eat snake world, and Narcissa was getting the lesser hand for the time being.

Narcissa could feel something different within Lucius. It was not necessarily the way he held her, or the way he breathed or even acted at all. It was just something. She could sense it, and she suddenly felt alarmed, not sure what this new feeling would have in store for her. Luckily enough his arms stayed around her, now a little more comforting than they had been before… not much but still better.

“Why don’t we go somewhere?

This phrase he uttered caught Cissy off guard completely. She was surprised to find herself in his presence at all, and now he was requesting that they do something else. As he unwound his arms, Narcissa quickly brushed her cheeks with the back of her hand, not wanting any sign of her struggling emotions to show. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear she followed after him, Cissy's high and arrogant air regained.

Though it was all an act.

It always was. She could never pour her heart out to anyone for fear of it being used against her. Once again, a snake eat snake world. She was curiously to the way Lucius was acting. It was not us usually cold air that seemed to surround him, though she notice he looked slightly relieved to be away from her. This was ok. She was just glad he wasn’t sending her away. She could have scoffed at the idea. Her being sent away like a trained pet. Though she would have responded the same way… Merlin!

Catching up, she walked beside him, though giving him distance. She was still angry, though much less so considering the events unfolding. Perhaps he was changing? No. Lucius Malfoy didn’t change for ANYONE. Especially not any woman.
“Where to?” she asked, arching a brow, her eyes now perfectly clear of showing that she had been on the verge of tears only moments ago.

Narcissa didn’t like the idea of being used anymore than Bellatrix did. That was one thing they had in common. But the thing that set them apart was how they handled it. Bellatrix would never allow anyone Narcissa knew to use her. Cissy on the other hand would let certain people use her in order just to feel their attention. One of these people was her mother, Druelle Black, and the other was Lucius Malfoy. As long as either one of them offered some sort of reward for, whether it was her mother’s attention or affection, or Lucius’ company and affection.

It was a tradeoff, Narcissa would tell herself, trying to justify her stupid actions, but it never seemed to help. It’s because it wasn’t true, and she knew it, now matter how much she didn’t want to. Believe something hard enough didn’t make it true. And no matter how much she wanted Lucius to want her company for something other than selfish reasons, that would never make it true.

“Let’s go to the quidditch stadium.”

The quidditch stadium? Narcissa arched an eyebrow, but followed none the less. Why there? Shoving away the curiosity, she watched as passersby looked at them like a freak show. Looking at them, down the crook of her nose she caught the glances of random girls as they scuttled away. Narissa caught the look her fiancé’ gave the Ravenclaw and let a smooth chuckled escape her full lips.

As Lucius moved closer, she watched a smile graze his features. He was certainly a handsome man. It was hard to Narcissa to fathom that he was only just now in his seventh year at Hogwarts. He had the look and maturity of a older man, more capable of making decisions that many adults Narcissa found herself acquainted with. She shook her head mentally, ridding herself of drooling like sensation of staring at him this way.

Feeling his arm wrap around her shoulders, Narcissa managed to maintain her regular breathing and walking, as they continued on their way to the stadium. Her brain was going in slow motion, and she hardly caught the words that came from his mouth.
“Relax. you look as if you’re scared of me.”

Narcissa’s breath caught in her throat as he spoke in her ear, his breath on the side of her face. STOP IT! She shouted to herself inwardly as she felt all sense of warning slip away. He was like a drug that she couldn’t get away from, an addiction that she was stuck on. Narcissa bit the inside of her lip to bring herself back to earth, and slowing loosened up, turning her head sideways to look at him curiously.

“Me? Scared of you?” she asked playfully, before giving a seductive chuckle, “What makes you think that?” she asked teasingly. Narcissa thanked herself inwardly for keeping her cool, and regaining her usual flirting tactics that defined her almost as much as her beauty with men.