Why She Stayed

Narcissa Malfoy had aged considerably, that was nothing that amazed people. What did amaze them was how beautiful and elegant she still was. The young reporter sat in the redecorated parlor of the Malfoy Manor getting an interview Narcissa had deprived the public of for thirty years since the war ended. But, at Narcissa's request, the reporter was not here to ask questions, just to simply listen.

Narcissa raised the teacup to her mouth with a frail hand and an elegant grace. She had it safely placed back on the table before she sat back and put her longing blue eyes on the reporter, who shifted under her gaze.

"What was your name?" she asked in her sweet, slightly demanding voice.

"Chester Granger ma'am," he said nervously sitting up straighter and trying to appear composed.

"Granger?" she asked raising one slightly graying eyebrow.

"Yes ma'am, my mother is Hermione Granger," he answered politely.

"Well, that explains how you reminded me of someone else," she said sitting back up eerily now. "I believe you remember our arrangement, Mr. Granger?"

"Yes ma'am, I do."

"I tell you what I wish for you and the world to know, and that's all you get," she said leaning back again. "Well, then, I might as well start. Most people, Mr. Granger, regard my husband as vile and corrupt, a monster, if you will."

"Do you want me to write ALL of this down, Mrs. Malfoy?" he asked not sure if she might tread into some emotional waters.

"If you wouldn't write it and sign it, Mr. Granger, why say it?"

"Yes ma'am," he said leaning back in his chair.

"Now, I'm not going to tell you my husband was a good man at heart, because he truly wasn't, so it'd be a lie. My husband made a lot of mistakes, Mr. Granger; mistakes we all paid for. But Lucius wouldn't have pulled out if he could have, believe me when I say that."

"Are you saying your husband really did enjoy what he did, Mrs. Malfoy?" Chester Granger asked.

"I'm saying while my husband might not be a monster, Mr. Granger, he was indeed a Death Eater at heart. People often ask me what king of spell he had on me or what kind of threats he made to make me stay with him; did you know that?"

"No, I didn't," Chester replied.

"My husband never did anything to make me stay with him; Chester, if you would be so kind as to make sure that stays on the record. I stayed with Lucius Malfoy because I choose to, on my own free will, in full use of my mind."

"May I ask why, Mrs. Malfoy?" he asked leaning forward, now very interested in the woman's tale.

"You can," she said smiling. "You see, you can't choose who you fall in love with. It's one of those things that you don't determine, much like your parentage or your name. Once you fall in love with someone, you can't fall out of it, Mr. Granger. In Hogwarts, I won't tell you Lucius was a completely different man, because that would be another lie; but he was less corrupt and evil, if you will. I loved that man, who he was then, and who he was the moment he died. To me, he was always the same person, no matter how much he changed. I'm not sure, Mr. Granger, if Lucius ever loved me, but he did tell me once, shortly before he became a Death Eater. You see, as Lucius became deeper into the Dark Arts he had no emotion, yet enough to tell me he loved me, whether he did or not. But that one time that he had told me...I held onto that, Mr. Granger. Some people, who don't quite understand it, call people in love fools. And perhaps we are," she said leaning up again now. "But, you see, there's something real about us, something they don't have."

"What's that?" Chester asked completely intrigued in her story.

"The fact that if the love is real, it never goes away, even if the person does. I wish I could tell you better reasons of why I stayed with Lucius Malfoy, but I can't; because there is only one, and that is that I was simply in love. Being in love is something that not only overpowers all other emotions, but also all reasonable thinking, Mr. Granger. And perhaps, someday, you will better understand what I'm talking about. Or perhaps," she said raising an eyebrow at the man, "you already do."

Chester shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "May I ask you one question, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"You may, but I can't say I'll answer it," she said looking into his grey eyes.

"What do you think about your son's involvement with You-Know-Who?"

"It's true that we grow up one way, and we have beliefs that are instilled into our heads. But, it is not true, Mr. Granger, that we can't choose our own paths in life. Draco did grow up learning how to endure pain, how to hate, and how to be feared. What he choose in life, though, was his own doing. I guess I could put partial blame on myself for what happened to him, but I won't. Sometimes, Mr. Granger, it takes a wrong to create something right; am I right?"

"I wouldn't know, Mrs. Malfoy," he said standing and collecting his things. "Thank you for the interview."

"Thank you for listening to me," she said as she watched the man practically trip over himself to get out the door. "And say hello to your father for me," she spoke up when he was almost out the door. The young man turned around and poked his head back in the door. "You look very much like him," she said smiling at his confusion.

"How do you...."

"Honestly, Mr. Granger. You think I don't know my own son that well? Draco may have made mistakes, but something I always taught him, that Lucius didn't know about, was that you can always fix them. Tell him I'm proud of him," she said looking off with a faraway look in her eyes now. "I haven't seen him in thirty years, but I bet he's just as handsome as ever."

"My father is quite handsome, Mrs. Malfoy. You would be proud of how far he's come since he was released from Azkaban."

"Like I said, Chester Granger, you can't help who you fall in love with. My son, no matter what he was taught, is no exception to love. Perhaps you do already understand my decision to stay with Lucius?" she asked turning back to look at him.

"Yes ma'am, I think I'm starting to."