True Revenge

True Revenge

By elfflame

Part 1

Narcissa Malfoy looked at herself in the mirror. Beautiful. Long, wavy silver-blonde hair curled around face; icy blue eyes framed by long, dark lashes; small turned-up nose; lush rose lips; and pale porcelain skin. Beautiful, but cold. From earliest memory, Narcissa could recall everyone telling her how she was the most beautiful of her sisters. Andromeda had bright strawberry-blonde hair, and a very rosy complexion, Bellatrix, on the other hand, took after the Black side of the family, with deep brown, nearly black hair, though she had Narcissa's slender face. But Narcissa knew she was better than both of them. And she'd proved it. Especially once Andromeda had become a blood-traitor and married that mudblood. And Bellatrix had been unable to marry better than Lestrange, and look where they'd ended up. She, Narcissa, had made the catch of the century. She had married Lucius Malfoy.

How she regretted it.

Malfoy had been three years ahead of her at Hogwarts, and every girl in Slytherin had vied for his attention. Even the ones who couldn't claim full-blood heritage. As soon as she could, she had made sure he knew she was available. She had set her cap for him, and what she wanted, she got.

It wasn't as though there weren't any other rich, full-blood wizards who would have done in Slytherin who wanted to date her, but Malfoy was the best. His family could be traced back many centuries, all full-blooded witches and wizards, and Malfoy manor was known in the wizarding world as one of the oldest, most authentic wizarding manors.

And so, when he had noticed her, and deigned to pay her attentions, she had been thrilled. She had floated on cloud nine for weeks. Then she had settled into routine with him. They had dated for two years, then at the end of her fifth year, she had received the thing she had wanted all along--a proposal.

It had been the first clue. She should have run then, when she'd had the chance.

It had started out as the most perfect evening ever. Lucius had been taking over duties from his father all year, since he had finished his final year the year before. The ball that they attended was intended to celebrate his formal acceptance into his father's company, as his second in command. After a year doing his father's dirty work, he would now have lackeys of his own to deal with the details. After toasts had been made, and she and Lucius had danced the first dance together, he had led her to patio, where they stood alone for a moment, to let the evening air cool them.

He had turned to her, and looked at her appraisingly. He took her hand, and placed the ring on it, before she truly understood what was happening. "Narcissa, will you be my wife?"

She had not expected him to get on his knees, this was Lucius Malfoy, after all, but the question was not at all what she had expected. Lucius was not a man who asked. He told. And you either agreed with him, or you never saw him again. She had learned that from watching his other conquests, who had been dumped the moment they had tried to assert their own independence. So she had been very careful their entire relationship, never a cross word, never tried to change him, always made sure to agree with everything he told her. Even when she didn't.

So, at this choice, she had no idea how to answer at first. But the indecision did not last long. Warily, she had smiled, then nodded her head.

That was when the first blow had fallen.

Lucius's grin was cold. He had obviously not doubted her answer. "Good." He turned from her, then continued. "Since you will be married to me, you really don't need your NEWTs, so we will plan the wedding for a year from December. I expect you to provide me an heir, then your time is yours to do what you will...or whom, as long as you ensure that you bring no bastards into my home to pollute my son." He turned back to her, his eyes malicious, a wide, cold grin on his face. "Understood?"

Her eyes grew wide. This was a proposal? But she nodded, then took his arm once more when he offered it to her, and they returned to the ball. The rest of the evening was spent in a haze, but she refused to show emotion in public. And once she returned home, there was no one to share that part of the news with. Certainly, they would all want to know, so the plans could be started, but Bella and she had never gotten along, and Andri had been disowned the year before when she'd married that mudblood.

And so the plans had been made. Time had gone quite fast, and she had not had time to dwell on Lucius's 'proposal.' Then, on their wedding day, all her doubts had come flooding back.

She had been left alone in the dressing room, looking at herself in the mirror. After all, this was her wedding day. She had to look absolutely perfect. Her ten attendants had been sent out of the room to give her a few moments of privacy.

Unfortunately, this meant that she was unable to have them prevent him from entering the room. He did not knock at all, just swept in, dressed in black and silver, and glared at his soon-to-be wife. "What in all hells is this garbage I've heard that you don't want to use the ring I gave you for my wedding band?"

She gaped at him. "Lucius?"

"Your--father--said that you intended to use that...that ring of his!"

"My father's father's wedding ring? ...Well, yes."

He stormed toward her and slammed something onto the dressing table. His voice was velvet steel. "Use this. I refuse to wear that...thing. You are becoming my wife, and I will not allow you to mark me." He turned and swept from the room.

She picked up the black velvet box he had placed on the table, and opened it to see a gold ring, obviously old, with a square of obsidian set with a large diamond. The band had been engraved with the word "Malfoy."

From a small silk bag that hung from her waist, she pulled out a smaller, green-velvet box. Opening it, she looked at the much more colorful ring--two shades of gold, intertwined, unadorned but for two gems, one a pale blue topaz, the other a deep violet amethyst. It had been passed from generation to generation, and when her only male cousin, Sirius, had been disowned, it had passed to her father, who had not allowed her sister Andromeda to use it, so the ring had then passed to Narcissa. Who better to give it to than the man she would spend her life with?

But he didn't want it.

Blacks did not cry. Not even when they were to become Malfoys. If anything, tears would be less allowed. She now had little doubt that nothing would sway Lucius to anything she wanted. She would have to go along. Perhaps, someday...

...Perhaps there would be someone to pass it down to. She took a deep breath, put both boxes in her bag, then checked her appearance once more. She had gone completely white, and spent several minutes adding a bit more blush to her cheeks, just to restore some color.

Her attendants arrived about fifteen minutes later, her father in tow. "Well, my dear. You look lovely. Shall we go?" He offered her his arm, and he led her out of the room. The look Lucius gave her as her father led her down the aisle was not so much proud as a man appraising a new belonging. She swallowed over the dryness in her throat, and leaned her cheek for her father to kiss as they reached Lucius's side. Lucius took her arm, and together they ascended the stairs to the minister. As the minister began the long ceremony, Narcissa closed her eyes and tried desperately to slow her breathing.

She had not ever felt the need to be in love with her husband-to-be, after all, it seemed such a useless emotion. She had assumed that if she found the right man, that it would automatically be a good marriage. After all, what makes a better marriage than money and position? But she would quickly learn.