Fatal Flower

Fatal Flower, Chapter 2: Buttermilk

"My dear, that bone was easy to fix, but you have to start taking better care of yourself. I've never seen bones this porous in someone this young," Madam Pomfrey said as she handed Narcissa a large ceramic jug, "Drink this. It's a start."

"I have to drink the whole jug?" Narcissa said with a disgusted look on her face.

"One jug, every day."

Buttermilk. Narcissa had never tasted anything more horrid. She downed the jug, gave Madam Pomfrey a meaningful look and wiped a drop of the glutinous white liquid off her lips. At that moment Harry Angler stumbled into the infirmary. Folbius had messed him up pretty good. He spotted Narcissa.

"Oh, Merlin! Keep her the hell away from me!" he shouted, pointing at Narcissa.

Narcissa's mouth fell open. Mere minutes ago he had been more than happy to get very close to her. Gibbula was right, he was a pig! His comment cut through her like a butcher's knife. It wasn't her fault Folbius had attacked him, was it?

Madam Pomfrey was fussing over Harry now.

"You can go, dear. I'll make sure you get your jug of buttermilk a day." she said.

Narcissa got up from the hospital bed and walked back to the Slytherin common room. Her head slightly bent and her shoulder's slouching. Most people were still out in Hogsmeade and she went to her empty dorm. She looked over at the frail, green plant Lucius had sent her and touched it lightly.

"Why aren't you growing? Am I not giving you enough water?"

Pantera interrupted Narcissa's gaze by dropping a decapitated bat on the bed. Blood was oozing out of it's neck. The big, dark cat gave a happy grunt.

"Good girl! Is that for me?"

Narcissa picked the gift up by it's wing with her thumb and index finger, her pinky in the air as if she was holding a cup of tea. She discarded it in the rubbish bin and pointed her wand at her sheets.

"Purgare."

The sheets were now clean and Narcissa sank back onto the bed. She really wanted to write Lucius, but had no idea what to say. They'd only met once and she knew next to nothing about him. Reluctantly she picked up some parchment and a Quill and began to write.

Dear Lucius,

I'm terribly sorry that I never thanked you for the plant. Life here at Hogwarts is very consuming. This week is the first Hogsmeade weekend and I've been running the Slyth route. Soon, I'll have to pass on the tradition. It's been going strong for centuries, but the younger Slytherins just don't seem to be cut out of the same wood as 'our generation'. Must be all those damned Mudbloods flooding into the House! Anyway, the strangest thing happened today. Folbius Crabbe beat up your friend Harry Angler. Can you believe that? Oh, and I cracked a rib. Madam Pomfrey has got me on a jug of buttermilk a day. I can't imagine having anything more disgusting in my mouth! Write me soon if you can. I'd really love to see you again, but I'm afraid I'm going to be staying at Hogwarts for all the holidays. If I go home, I'd have to kill that Muggle stepfather of mine and, although it would give me great pleasure to blow him to pieces, he's not worth going to Azkaban for. Have been missing your company!

Love,

Narcissa Amor.

She read over her letter and felt butterflies going through her stomach. Of course she was nervous, but surely Lucius was interested in her. He sent her a plant. Narcissa's face turned sad as she remembered Angler's words.

"Do you think you're the only girl he sends gifts? Are you truly that naive?"

She could feel anger welling up inside her. It was a dark feeling with a metallic sting, but she shook her head and pushed it away. Gibbula wouldn't mind if she borrowed her owl and so Narcissa tied the letter to the brown beast that was sleeping on a perch next to Gibbula's bed. She poked it hard.

"Hey, Garuda! Take this to Lucius Malfoy!"

The bird hooted and tried to bite Narcissa, but flew off with the parchment anyway.

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It was about half past five and Lucius had just come home from work. His family was having their afternoon Sherry in the library as usual. He greeted his father with a nod, kissed his mother on the cheek and ignored his useless older sister as he poured himself some single malt Scotch from the liquor cabinet. At that moment, an ugly brown owl tapped the window. Nucella, Lucius' sister opened the tall window and the owl flew to the youngest Malfoy's shoulder. Lucius took the piece of parchment, pushed the owl away without gratitude and sank into his green, leather chair. His eyes moved over the parchment. The letter was from his little investment. He read it and smiled.

"Father, are you and mother going yachting in the Caribbean again this Christmas?" he asked.

"Of course, Lucius! You know your mother and I can't stand English winters," his father looked up from the Daily Prophet, "By the way, son, when will you do something about that hair of yours? It's so vulgar!"

Lucius touched his dreadlocks and smiled again.

"I quite like it this way. You're being horribly old fashioned, you know."

His father snorted and ruffled his newspaper. Lucius grinned.

****************************

Over the next few weeks Lucius and Narcissa exchanged correspondence. It had been a whole week since Narcissa had gotten a letter and she was growing nervous. Her heart kept saying Lucius was just very busy, her mind kept saying he'd lost interest. She looked over at Gibbula, who was fast asleep in her bed. Harry Angler had begun pursuing Gibby right after 'the incident'. All Angler cared about was his popularity and Gibbula was the most popular girl in Slytherin. At that moment Narcissa felt horribly alone. A salty trickle came out of her right nostril. Sometimes she just felt like jumping into the lake and ending her loneliness. Harry and Gibby being together only made things worse. Narcissa didn't know what bothered her more, the fact that most of Gibby's attention went to someone else instead of her, or that every time she saw the two of them together, she felt more alone than ever. The happy couple's sole purpose of existence was to torment Narcissa, well that's what she thought any way. Narcissa touched herself, closing her eyes.

"Lucius," she whispered, before falling asleep.

Narcissa woke up to see Gibbula's face hanging over her.

"Happy birthday, Cissa! Here's your buttermilk!"

Narcissa moaned and took the ceramic jug from her friend.

"I bloody hate this stuff!" Narcissa said before gulping down her daily dose.

"It seems to be going to the right places," Gibbula replied as she poked Narcissa's left breast.

"Ouch! Don't do that! They really hurt, Gibby!"

Narcissa touched her breasts. They still had the hard painful discs inside, but there was a definite pudding like layer on top of them now. She put on her Hogwarts robe, which seemed to be tighter around the chest.

"I couldn't afford to get you a proper gift," Gibbula said, "but Harry and I will take you to the Three Broomsticks tonight for some Butterbeer and a game of pool."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes. Buttermilk, Butterbeer, the whole world seemed to be determined to turn her into a Butterball! This was just another excuse for Gibbula to flaunt her success with Angler. Their little popular happiness was an eyesore, a farce. Narcissa had no one and every time she saw Gibby and Harry together that distinct metallic hate bubbled up inside of her. She smiled at her friend anyway, finished her buttermilk and tried not to think of her birthday, or Christmas break, which started the next day.

The day had been hell. It seemed to be endless, but finally Gibbula and Narcissa were getting ready for their night out.

"Here, Cissa, let me just put on the finishing touch," Gibbula said.

"No, Gibby! Please don't put on too much!" Narcissa protested as her friends was applying magical makeup.

Narcissa looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were still fallen in, but her robe was definitely very tightening around certain areas. Her makeup was much heavier than Gibbula's. She had purple eye shadow for Merlin's sake! Narcissa was convinced that Gibbula had done it on purpose to make herself look better. They walked to the main entrance, where Harry Angler was waiting for them. He kissed Gibbula, giving Narcissa an angry glare, before they set off for the Three Broomsticks.

Narcissa had remained quiet on their way there and for most of their Butterbeers. She kept her head down. What was the point of looking up? She'd only get her loneliness rubbed in her face. Gibbula wasn't even making an effort to cheer her up anymore. Finally the pool table was free and they started playing. Every minute, every second, Harry and Gibbula grew more intimate, frolicking around the pool table. At one point Harry leaned on Gibbula's back and said:

"No wonder you're alone, Cissa. You're wearing too much eye makeup."

He looked at her defiantly and Gibbula started giggling.

That was it! That was the final straw!. The same metallic anger that she felt so often boiled up inside Narcissa, but this time she didn't push it down. She raised her cue stick and slammed into Gibbula's face. Gibbula whimpered under the blow and grabbed the side of her face.

"What's wrong with you?" Harry Angler said, hugging his sort-of-girlfriend.

All Narcissa could do was laugh out loud. Nothing had ever made her feel this good before! Letting her anger out made her feel powerful, more powerful than refusing to eat, more powerful than anything.

The whole pub had gone silent and everyone was staring at the three students. Harry gave Narcissa one last angry look and guided the crying Gibbula out of the pub. Narcissa decided to stay for a while. Nothing was going to get her down that night. she knew she was going to pay for hitting the most popular girl in Slytherin, so she was going to savor the high she felt that night. When Narcissa finally arrived back at the dorm, thoroughly drunk, Gibbula wasn't in her own bed. Narcissa had a pretty good idea of where she was and smiled evilly.

Early the nex day, Narcissa's worst fears became reality. No one at the Slytherin table would talk to her at breakfast. She received a lot of cold stares and could here people whisper behind her back. It wasn't easy to keep her head up like the night before, so she sat down and stared into her jug of buttermilk. Gibbula and Angler were sitting across from her, trying to be nonchalant. They all would be going home for Christmas, except for Narcissa. Then Professor Dumbledore walked over to their table and said:

"Miss Amor, there's a car waiting outside the main doors."

Narcissa looked up at the old wizard.

"A car? I'm not going anywhere. My parents-" A look of realization came over her face and she jolted up from the table.

"Cissa! Don't go! That guy is not Kosher!" Gibbula said.

Narcissa looked over at her 'best friend' and sneered, then ran down to her dorm to get her cat and headed to the main doors without packing as much as a toothbrush.

Sure enough there was a limo right outside the main doors and sure enough Lucius Malfoy was waiting for her inside it. He was wearing a black robe and had silver beads dangling in his blonde dreadlocks. Narcissa was speechless. She hadn't expected this at all.

"Aren't you spending Christmas with your family?" she said.

"My parents are rich and retired. They always spend their holidays in Paris or the Caribbean. The Manor is all mine, all ours for the holidays." Lucius flashed her his beautiful smile and told the driver to take them to the Manor.

They probably talked about things, but Narcissa really couldn't focus. She was so nervous and spent most of the ride just looking at Lucius. At one point she caught herself stroking his snake cane. When Lucius saw what she was doing he grinned broadly and a naughty twinkle appeared in his eyes. Oh, Merlin! How embarrassing! She stopped abruptly.

"You can stroke my cane any day, Narcissa." he said.

Narcissa wished the earth would just swallow her right there and she quickly averted her eyes.

"Ah, we're home," Lucius said and the car came to a stop. The driver opened their door and Lucius got out extending his hand to Narcissa. He sure was a gentleman. Pantera darted out of the car to explore the gardens. Narcissa tried not to look to overwhelmed, but it was hard. The Manor was huge, decorated with ornate carvings of snakes and gargoyles. The doors were a beautiful dark wood. Teak maybe. Beside the doors there were two large, exotic plants in magnificently large pots. Lucius opened the doors.

"Come along! It's even nicer inside." he said with a smile.

Narcissa walked through the door Lucius was holding for her. He wasn't lying, it was beautiful inside. A curving marble staircase and a high ceiling with an emerald colored chandelier.

"Is that...is that real?" she said, pointing up.

"Of course it's real!" Lucius let out a chuckle. He took her hand and led her to the library.

Narcissa gasped as she saw the ancient, leather bound book that lay opened on the desk.

"You have the original! I can't believe it!" She ran over to the desk and let her fingers run over the delicate pages.

"The original Necronomicon! How did you get this?"

Lucius chucked again.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie..." Narcissa started.

"...And after strange eons even death may die," Lucius completed.

Narcissa turned around. Lucius moved close to her and was just about to lean down for a kiss when Narcissa darted over to a wall of books and started touching them. He just smiled at her excitement.

"Lucius, do you have Sitayi's manual on immortality?" she asked.

"I lent it to a friend," he replied, "Come one, let's go for a swim."

"But..." Narcissa protested.

"We can spend more time in the library later!"

He took her hand and led her down the hallway. At the back of the house there were two large glass doors that opened up to the Malfoy's swimming pool. It was oval in shape and had a mosaic of a green snake at the bottom.

"I'm allergic to chlorine," Narcissa said.

"Don't worry, it's cleaned magically by the House Elves."

"I don't have a bathing suit." she continued.

"Neither do I."

Damn! She had run out of excuses! She shiftily looked over at Lucius who was already undressing.

"There's no one else here, Narcissa. No one will see you," Lucius said.

He was now naked and Narcissa sucked in a deep breath. There wasn't a flaw on his muscular body! And there, in plain sight, was his...eh...snake. She had never seen one this close before and let out a muffled gasp.

Lucius dove into the water and shook his dreads. Reluctantly, Narcissa began to undress. She wasn't exactly confident about her body. No one had seen her without clothes for years, not even Gibbula.

"Come on, hurry up! You're missing out on some fun here!" Lucius said while splashing around.

With one last shifty look, she took off her under robe and jumped into the cool water. Lucius swam towards her and her heart skipped a beat. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. Then he kissed her. Narcissa closed her eyes. This time there were no thoughts about papers or grades. There was nothing in her mind besides Lucius' lips and his touch as he propelled her through the water.

"Well, well, Lucius. How old is this one? Seventeen?"

Startled by the sudden voice, Narcissa broke off the embrace. She looked up and saw a tall, thin woman standing by the side of the pool with her hands on her hips.

"She's sixteen, Nucella, and none of your business." Lucius now turned to Narcissa.

"It's my sister," he whispered.

"Lucius, might I remind you that the only reason all of this," Nucella waved her hand around the swimming pool, "and the control of this family will one day be yours and not mine, is because of what you have between your legs."

Lucius smiled at her.

"And," she continued, "is it too much to ask that you use what you've got down there for the benefit of this family for a change?"

"I intend to," he replied.

"With this one? She looks like she might break in half!" Nucella said with a snort.

"I was going to be careful! Besides, she's as pure as purebloods come these days," Lucius said with a big grin. It was quite obvious he had these little word wars with his sister on a regular basis.

Nucella gave one last disapproving look, then turned on her heel and left the room.

Narcissa was frozen in the water. She was completely mortified. She didn't know what was worse, the fact that Lucius' sister had seen her naked or that the two of them had been discussing her as if she wasn't even there. Lucius now turned to her and tried to touch her, but she turned her face away from him.

"Oh, Narcissa. Don't be that way. It was just a little sibling rivalry," he took her chin and turned her face to his, "You're a keeper, Cissa. I promise. A jewel in the mire. I told you I love rare and unusual things, didn't I?" He smiled at her.

He picked her up and carried her out of the pool. All her doubts melted in his embrace. She couldn't resist a seduction like this, what good was there in trying? There was no denying this is what she had been dreaming about ever since they first met. For years, she just wanted someone to notice her, to feel loved and this was it. This was finally it.

Lucius put her down and took his wand from his robe on the floor. Narcissa was cold and her nipples were in full salute. Lucius smiled.

"I can fix that," he said, "Assicare."

The drying spell worked. It even dried her hair. Then she noticed something on Lucius's arm. It looked like a tattoo, a fresh one, for the skin around it was still red.

"What's that?" she asked.

"I belong to a secret society, this is our mark," he smiled at her, "Have you ever heard of Lord Voldemort?"

"Of course I have. I heard he doesn't exist, that he's a myth. He's something Dark Wizards use to scare their children. Eat your greens or Lord Voldemort will come and take you away." Narcissa said.

Lucius started laughing very loudly.

"My dear, the greatest thing the devil ever did was convincing the world he doesn't exist, but let's talk about that later," he said as he swooped Narcissa off her feat and into his arms again.

"For now, let's just have some fun," he said as he carried her to his room.