Fatal Flower

Fatal Flower, chapter 6; Foxes and Scorpions ~or How the Lion got his Mane.

Lucius had drawn Narcissa a bath in one of the smaller bathrooms on the first floor. He stripped off his robes and helped Narcissa get out of hers. Narcissa's skin was littered with scratches and bruises; he had to be very careful not to hurt her any further when washing off the grime of the last day. He accidentally scrubbed over Narcissa's freshly placed Dark Mark and she flinched. His eyes met hers as he carefully rubbed his thumb over it and they exchanged a quick smile.

"Lucius, there's something in your hair," Narcissa said as she pointed to the crust of blood and mud in Lucius' dreadlocks.

"Shite! Oh, shite! I'll never be able to wash that out in time."

Lucius grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting off his precious dreadlocks, one by one. They fell to the floor, adding to the heap of blood stained robes. In minutes, nothing was left of his silvery, beaded locks but short scruffy tufts.

"Oh, Lucius. I'm so sorry."

"Don't be silly, my sweet. Tomorrow my hair will be long enough to twist again."

He pulled both their wands from the dirty robes and called for Dobby and Chef.

"Dobby, burn this pile. I want there to be nothing left but ashes, understand? Chef, clean these wands, inside and out. You know what I mean," he said with a meaningful nod.

"Eeh," said Chef as he took the wands and hurried out of the bathroom.

Narcissa was thoroughly impressed with Lucius' control over the situation. He was calm and collected; it seemed like he had done this before. The authorities would come, Narcissa knew that, but for some reason it didn't frighten her. She was a part of something larger now; she would never be alone again. All those nights, all those years that she'd yearned for an end to her loneliness, seemed rather laughable now. Indeed, many of the things she'd worried about seemed futile. Lucius had been right, she had changed. It wasn't a drastic change; the Order had just unleashed a side of her that had always been there, hidden and suppressed. In a way, she hadn't changed, she had merely grown to her full potential. Narcissa chuckled because this reminded her of a fable her mother had told her when she was young. The fable of the fox and the scorpion.

A long time ago, when animals could still talk, there was a marvelous, ancient oak forest. The forest was spilt in two by a rapidly streaming river. One day, half of the forest was being consumed by a fire and all the animals fled to the edge where the river barricaded their home. Those that could swim, quickly jumped in to find refuge on the other side. The turtle swam, as did the wolf and the bear. Even the snake could swim his way to safety and the birds spread their wings and flew to salvation. The unfortunate scorpion was stuck on the bank as the fire blazed behind him. He could not swim, nor could he fly. His only hope was to ride on the back of another animal. So he approached the fox, whose powerful little legs would surely get him over the river.

"Fox, I need your help. I can not swim," the scorpion said. "Please take me on your back to the other side of the river."

The fox, being a very clever animal, refused the scorpion's request.

"If I take you on my back, you will sting me and I'll die," he said.

"No," said the scorpion, "I won't sting you. If I sting you, I'll surely drown and die too. Please, fox. Please take me to the other side on your back. I have no reason to sting you."

The fox contemplated the situation for a moment. There was no benefit for the scorpion to sting him, so he headed and took the scorpion on his back.

So the fox swam, with the scorpion on the back on his neck as the river was quite deep. They were half way through and could see the other side of the bank where safety lay. All of a sudden, the fox felt a painful, hot sting in the back of his neck. The scorpion had stung him! As they both sank to their watery grave, the fox asked:

"Why? Why did you sting me, scorpion? Now the both of us will die!"

"I can't help it," said the scorpion, "It's simply my nature."

Narcissa realized she was very much like the scorpion in the story. She couldn't help what she had done the day before. She was just a natural born killer.

Lucius went to fetch her some robes as there was no way Narcissa would make it up the marble staircase in the condition she was in. He dressed her and wrapped her in a blanket to keep her muscles warm. Then they positioned themselves in the lounge, waiting for the inevitable.

Narcissa felt a sense of accomplishment, worthy of some jubilation. Even though she was tired and sore, it felt as if a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders and she didn't have the urge to worry about anything for a while. In fact, she felt so good that she wouldn't mind having some breakfast.

"Lucius, I'm a little hungry. Could you ask Chef to make me some breakfast?"

"Certainly, my sweet. How could I have forgotten?"

It wasn't long before Chef rolled his little silver cart into the lounge. It contained everything one might expect from a hearty English breakfast and a few more exotic looking dishes. There were chicken dumplings wrapped in banana leaves and green sponge cakes that tasted of spices. He also returned their wands, which looked very clean indeed, almost like new.

"Chef, I don't see any tea. Did you forget to make us some?" Narcissa asked.

Lucius answered her question as he too entered the lounge.

"We're not having tea, we're having champagne. I'm rich and it's Christmas morning. Why on earth would I be having tea?"

Lucius grinned as he opened the bottle he was carrying. It made a civilized popping sound. Narcissa approved. There was nothing more vulgar than opening a bottle of champagne and spraying the precious liquid all over the place. Or worse, shooting the cork into the ceiling. Narcissa realized she had forgotten all about Christmas. Well, it wasn't like her mockery of a family ever did anything special. Some years she would receive a gift from her uncle Roderick and her grandparents, who lived in Jordan always sent a card, but that was the full extent of her Christmas. When she had been a little girl, Narcissa had dreamed of having elaborate Christmas celebrations with a family of her own. It was futile to hope that her mother and Saul would ever get into it, especially considering Saul's beliefs. He was Jewish, which was another thing that had thoroughly annoyed Narcissa. Not that she had anything against Jews, she just hated Muggles in general, especially Muggles that upheld an archaic faith. Witches and wizards should know better. Well, that's what her real father used to say, anyway.

She tucked into Chef's bizarre breakfast and Lucius started to lecture her on how to deal with the authorities.

"Keep your answers simple, Narcissa. Give short answers and don't reveal more than what their asking. If possible, answer only with 'yes', 'no' and 'I don't know'. Oh, and try to look sad when they tell you the news."

They both laughed and clinked their champagne glasses in an unholy toast.

"To the Order," Lucius began.

"And to the Cause," Narcissa finished.

They drank, not taking their eyes off each other and they both smirked as they put their glasses down. Lucius took Narcissa's hand and gently rubbed his thumb over it. Once again a private moment was disturbed. This time by the ominous chime that signaled there was someone at the gates.

"Dobby! Show the visitors to the house!"

Narcissa bit her lip and attempted to suppress the nervous butterflies that raged through her stomach. Before long Dobby entered the lounge, followed by three individuals. Two men and a woman.

"Master Malfoy, there are some Aurors here to see you," the House Elf spoke nervously.

"Thank you, Dobby. I'll take it from here."

Lucius got up, his hands folded behind his back.

" Good morning, gentlemen and Miss. What can I do for you today?" he asked politely.

The three Aurors took their hats off and rested them on their chest.

One of the men spoke:

"Actually, we've come to see Miss Amor. I'm afraid we have some bad news."

Narcissa perked up and looked at the three Aurors. One of the men had a genuinely concerned expression on his face, the other two looked more ambivalent.

"My name is Atlas Hill and these are my colleagues Alastor Moody and Claire Griffiths."

The man in the middle motioned to his colleagues as he introduced them.

"Please, do come in," Lucius said as he gestured to the lounge.

The three Aurors stepped in and halted in front of Narcissa. The sympathetic one, Atlas Hill, briefly lowered his head.

"I'm terribly sorry to have to bring you this news, Miss Amor. Your parents were found dead in their home early this morning."

Narcissa cringed. Not out of surprise or sadness, but because this Auror referred to her Muggle stepfather as a parent. She regained her composure and tried to look as innocent as she possibly could.

"Oh, dear Merlin! That's horrible! What happened? When did it happen?" she said.

"We're not entirely sure at this moment. Foul play is suspected," Atlas said.

Alastor Moody gave a snort and was about to say something when Atlas poked him with his elbow. Narcissa understood that they weren't giving out too much information for the sake of their investigation. She tried to cry, really she did, but she just couldn't find any tears for a Muggle and his whore. Besides, it was no secret that she didn't get along with her so called family. She deemed it best to play it cool.

"We noticed there was a Floo call from their house to Malfoy Manor yesterday morning. Care to elaborate on that? Did you take the call? What did you talk about?" the female Auror said.

"Of course there was a Floo call. I've been staying with Lucius and mother called to confirm our visit that was to take place tonight," Narcissa said confidently.

Moody snorted once more and pushed Atlas aside.
"I hope you don't mind if we ask you a few questions," he said.

Narcissa nodded politely, still trying to show sorrow.

"Tell me, Miss Amor. You haven't moved since we arrived. Could it be that your muscles are sore? Is that why you are wrapped in that blanket? Can you tell me why you are in this state?" Moody asked.

Narcissa didn't look over at Lucius, but she could feel his anguish none the less. She straightened her posture, which caused an unimaginable amount of pain. Then eloquently answered Moody's question.

"My muscles are sore indeed, but I do hope you are not asking me for a detailed explanation, Mr. Moody. I'm sure your imagination can tell you all you need to know," she said as she slightly motioned her head at Lucius.

Moody grunted. Apparently he was not satisfied. Now the female spoke:

"Can you tell us where you were yesterday and what you were doing?"

Narcissa had to suppress a smile. This was truly too funny for words.

"Ms. Griffiths. Once again I'm sure your imagination could tell you just what I was doing yesterday."

The Auror was not satisfied with that answer.

"I can't, Miss Amor. Do enlighten us."

"Lucius and I shagged our brains out. Then we swam naked in the pool and shagged some more," Narcissa said, tilting her neck.

Both Lucius and Narcissa had to work very hard to stifle their laughter. Claire and Atlas turned slightly red, but Alastor seemed unimpressed.

"May I ask where you were around noon two days ago?" he said.

"I was at Madam Reniformis' spa," Narcissa replied.

"Can anyone confirm your alibi?"

At this moment Narcissa was grateful Lucius had sent her to the spa instead of joining his unit.

"Madam Reniformis, her assistants, several House Elves and a number of other guests."

Moody turned to Lucius.

"May I ask where you were at noon two days ago?"

"I had lunch at the Lestrange residence. We played a game of Hearts until three in the afternoon," Lucius said. "The Lestranges will confirm if asked."

Moody stared at the both of them, lingering on the smug expression on Lucius' face. Then Claire stepped forward again.

"May I please see your wands?"

"Certainly," Lucius and Narcissa replied in unison.

They handed their wands over to the Aurors, who inspected them thoroughly. Narcissa's heart skipped a beat. She knew it was quite easy to discover the last spell that had come from a wand and found herself breathless for a moment. Moody waved Narcissa's wand.

"Prior Incantato!" he roared.

A faint cloud of smoke that resembled a dead squid erupted from the wand. Moody looked puzzled and repeated the same spell for Lucius' wand. Once again the faint shape of a squid appeared. Even after several attempts, there was nothing but squid. He grunted.

Chef, you're a bloody genius! Mental note: Kiss Chef before leaving. Narcissa thought to herself.

"Care to explain what kind of spell this was?" Moody said grumpily.

"Come now, Alastor. There's no need to question Miss Amor any further. I think she's been through enough for one day," Atlas Hill said.

If they only had a clue. Narcissa thought, trying very hard not to laugh in the Aurors' faces.

Atlas continued that they would be investigating her parent's deaths as best they could, but that it was not going to be easy. Saul's Muggle family wanted to bury him and Narcissa's mother before sunset that day. Then they went on about what would happen to her.

"We're a bit at a loss about what to do, Miss Amor. You have on aunt in France, your grandparents live in Jordan...I know you probably want to stay here to finish your education, but your uncle Roderick....well...is not the most suitable person to be a guardian," Atlas said.

It was true. If uncle Roderick had been a poor man, he would surely be classified as insane, but since Roderick Amor was a very wealthy man, he was considered to be eccentric. Narcissa frankly didn't care what arrangements would be made for her, so she decided to end the conversation.

"I can't believe it! My parents," (and she cringed when she heard herself say it) " aren't even cold yet and you are talking about such matters. Shame on you! Shame on you all!" She yelled.

Lucius moved close to her and hugged her. She could feel the giggles in his inner core and had to make several sour looking facial expressions to stop her own from bursting out.

Moody and Griffiths gave the young couple one last evil look, before reluctantly turning to the door. Before he stepped out, Moody turned around one last time.

"We'll be in touch," he said venomously.

After the Aurors had left the grounds, Lucius and Narcissa finally allowed themselves the laughing fit they had been trying to stifle during the whole thing. Lucius bent down and kissed Narcissa. She pushed him away though, even her lips were sore. Lucius understood, so they just rested and eventually fell asleep in each other's arms, right there in the lounge. Mrs. Malfoy would have had a heart attack if she'd seen them there, sleeping on a sofa like common riffraff. Chef found them when he came to clear off the breakfast and with a soft "Eeh", he shifted the pillows to make them more comfortable.

It was late afternoon when Nucella returned to the Manor after riding her horse. She was not prepared for the eerie sight she found in the lounge. Lucius and his girlfriend lay sleeping on one of the larger sofas. If she hadn't known any better, it would have been a cute sight to behold. Two beautiful people entangled in a peaceful slumber. Their silvery blonde hair draped casually over their sleeping forms. Lucius had taken out his dreads, she noticed.

But Nucella knew this was not as pretty a picture as might appear on first sight. Some would have seen a lion and a lamb sleeping in each other's arms, but Nucella knew better. Narcissa was no lamb; she was every bit as lethal as her brother. She knew Lucius well, and it appeared he had found his match. When these two were together, they generated a bizarre energy. There was no one to challenge their convictions. There was no one to ground their violent tendencies. They fed off each other's strength and revolved around each other like a binary star. If they weren't split apart now, nothing would ever be strong enough to separate them. As a wave of frightening repulsion swept over Nucella, she knew what to do. For the sake of her family, Narcissa had to go. All she had to do was convince her parents and they would take care of it. She ran out of the lounge and put quill to parchment.

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

Lucius had been right. It only took a few hours of regenerative sleep and his hair was as long as it was before, without the dreadlocks that is. He wanted to twist his hair again, but Narcissa said she liked it just the way it was.

The next few days at Malfoy Manor were bittersweet for Narcissa. She knew she had to go back to Hogwarts. The authorities were probably keeping an eye on her and Lucius' parents would return from the Caribbean soon. There was no other option. Both their minds and their bodies had to say their goodbyes, at least for a while. The unit came to see Narcissa off on her last day. Morphia pulled her aside.

"Remember, Narcissa, there's lots of work to be done at Hogwarts. There's a vast, untapped resource of young, fragile minds. With your intellect, you should be able to sway them to the Cause, but remember that we use any means possible to serve the master. You'll be contacted on what to do. Sometimes you just have to lay back, close your eyes and think of the Order."

Narcissa wasn't quite sure what Morphia meant by that, but she wasn't going to worry about it now. Lucius wasn't going with her to Hogwarts; the unit had business to conduct. Their last moment together was neither intimate nor warm. Lucius had said it was undignified to say hefty goodbyes in public. All he did was pin her Pendula on and wish her well. He kissed his hand and placed it on her chest.

"I'll be right here," he said.

Pantera hopped into the car and Narcissa followed. She turned around to see the unit wave at her, then, just like that, they were gone. If Narcissa had been clear of mind, she would definitely have panicked, but she was too consumed by her sadness to think clearly. Before long, the ancient castle that was her home appeared ahead.

It's walls and turrets seemed tired as if the melancholy burden of time was finally getting to them. Narcissa raised her back and her chin. As she got out of the car, she spoke:

"Can you hear that, Hogwarts? The wind of change has arrived."

She entered the large, heavy doors and what she found inside surprised her thoroughly. A silence fell over the excited crowd of students returning to school. All eyes were pointed at her and all young girls were wearing a Pendula. She smiled before proudly marching through the familiar corridors. Up ahead, she could see Harry Angler chatting with some of his friends. He turned to face her.

"Hello gorgeous! Now that you've had your test ride with Lucius, can The Angler give you a little spin?"

How bloody predictable! He's still a slime ball! Narcissa pretended to walk past him and just as he was about to make a stupid comment to his friends, she elbowed him sideways to the face. He fell to the floor with a crunch and Narcissa strode on, laughing.

She went straight to her dorm where she found her things just the way she left them, well except for one.

"Well what do you know? Maybe I was giving you too much water after all," she said as she touched the plant Lucius had given her. The buds were thick and puffy, ready to bloom at any minute.

She went back up to the common room, where she found Gibbula. There stood the girl she had looked up to for so long. It amused Narcissa that Gibbula was wearing a Pendula too. It seemed the tables had turned. They stood there in silence, just looking at each other. Narcissa put up an angry face, but couldn't help feeling pity for poor Gibbula. Their lives were very different now, but Narcissa realized that Gibbula was exactly the type of person the Order was fighting so hard for. She moved closer to her old friend and embraced her in a silent hug. Gibbula let out a sigh of relief.

"We are very different people now, Gibby. I am no longer your remora (*)."

Gibbula looked as if she has a large question mark floating above her head. She never was the brightest bulb in the pack.

At that moment Severus Snape and Folbius Crabbe entered the common room. Narcissa smiled and nodded at them. They nodded back.

"I have to go, Gibbula," she said and she left her friend standing bewildered in the common room.

Narcissa joined Severus and Folbius and they proudly strode over to the Great Hall for the start of term announcements. They didn't speak a word, but walked as one, radiating order and dignity.

The Great Hall was already quite full with students and all heads turned as Narcissa and the boys stepped in. Silence fell and the magnificent shimmers of hundreds of Pendulas flashed through the open space. Narcissa noticed that Dumbledore was giving her a strange stare. She returned it triumphantly before walking over to the Slytherin table. Some younger house mates scrambled to get out of her way, looking up at her in awe as she calmly took her seat.

Meanwhile, at the high table, a young man leaned over to Dumbledore. It was Phosphorus Ogle, Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher and Head of Slytherin.

"I'm afraid we've lost that one, Albus," he said.

"Don't speak too soon, Phosphorus. I'm not willing to give up on her quite yet."

And with that, Albus tapped his goblet, signaling he wanted to speak. He had to give the usual notices and hopefully discourage the girls from wearing their Pendulas, even though there was nothing in the Hogwarts rule book against them. He knew that times were no longer carefree and safe. There was a storm coming. Albus could feel it, almost smell it in the air.