Anxiety

The anxiety alone was going to kill her. She had to know if he was okay. She spent too many of her days, wondering whether her husband was going to come home alive.

The prophet this morning had proclaimed that at least a dozen Death Eaters had been killed, though no names had been released.

The wait was agonising. She kept running through all the most horrible scenarios in her head. If Lucius had been killed, what was she to do? Draco was only an infant. Of course, she could stay here, but what if they seized the house as evidence? She couldn't bring herself to go to her parents, and with Bella in Azkaban, she had no one else. Her only other option was Severus Snape. She would only go to Severus in a real emergency however.

Narcissa shook her head violently, trying to rid the images from her head. Lucius would be fine. He was always fine. She was just being irrational. Bella had only been sentenced earlier that month, and Narcissa was finding it hard to adjust.

In her childhood, her two big sisters had always been there for her. That was no longer the case. With Bella in Azkaban, and Andie disowned, she only had her husband for support. If he too was taken away, she feared she'd collapse under the pressure.

No one had said that being married to Lucius would be easy, but she'd been so in love with him when they'd married. Of course, she was still in love with Lucius, but it had matured. It wasn't the childish, overwhelming love that she'd held for him in her teens, and for that she was thankful. She couldn't have handled a love like that for so long.

She turned back to the newspaper, looking for any clues that may hint that her husband was still alive. There were none. There was nothing left to do, but hope and pray that he returned. For Draco's sake, at least.

He was sleeping for now. Her constant pacing of the room had kept him up, but he'd eventually fallen asleep. He looked so peaceful asleep, and already, so much like his father. She knew he'd be a heartbreaker when he grew up. She was so proud, already.

A noise from the living room caught her attention. Was it Lucius? She'd never moved so fast in her life.

Imagine her disappointment when she realised that it was just one of the maids. She returned to her chair, her hopes sinking even lower.

When another sound came from the living room, Narcissa paid little attention. It was most likely Rebecca again. Her heart leap into her throat when Lucius appeared in the doorway, and she ran towards him, tears already streaming down her face.

"Lucius," she managed to gasp out, barely being able to breathe. He held her tight, as she wept into his robes. She'd really thought she'd lost him that time. It wasn't the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"I'm fine," he whispered, stroking her hair. These kinds of welcomes just reminded him of how much his wife loved him, how much he loved her, and how much he stood to lose should he die out there.

He was never going to let that happen.