Elaborate Lives

Narcissa, who tried to be as perfect in her studies as in everything else, was trying to study. But her Arithmancy book might as well have been written in Muggle computer code for all the sense it made to her. Her thoughts kept running along the same tracks.

Besides, she did not like, or accept, the way her future was emerging from her meticulous calculations.

"C'mon, Cissy, it's bed time. And I have something to show you girls." Molly Weasley's round, pretty face was suffused with laughter, eyes almost as bright as her hair.

Of course it was Molly. After all, no other female in the Hufflepuff common room spoke much to Narcissa, and certainly never called her Cissy. She was too cold, too unfriendly, locked in her shell, too un-Hufflepuff. And too obviously burning with resentment that she had been put in the wrong house.

Looking up into Molly's sweet, inherently Hufflepuff face, Narcissa's cheeks burned at the memory of the last few hours. She had the humiliating suspicion Molly was trying to cheer her up. Narcissa had attempted one last appeal to be reassigned to Slytherin, or even Ravenclaw. Anything but Hufflepuff, the house for nobodies, people who all that could be said of them was that they were not brave, not smart, not ambitious, just… nice. And she had been there for year after purgatorial year, despite her repeated attempts to be moved. She wasn't going to graduate as a Hufflepuff. She couldn't.

Niceness was for weaklings. Narcissa knew she wasn't weak, and she certainly wasn't nice. She was lava iced over, dangerous. She had only been a child when she was assigned to Hufflepuff, it wasn't fair… She had told the senile old twit who ran the school so, and he had laughed in her face.

"The Sorting Hat sees who you are, not who you tell yourself you are, Narcissa. I don't think you are as glamorously evil as you like to think yourself." He paused. "Neither as evil nor as glamorous." He chuckled derisively. "You are lava iced over? Oh, to be an angsty teenager again, and not to find that kind of statement ridiculous."

Bastard. She hated him.

Molly's voice broke into the unpleasant thoughts. "Please, Cissy. You'd be happier if you at least tried to be friends." She touched the taller girl's arm, with something like affection.

It wasn't surprising Narcissa was unpopular, even in Hufflepuff, where absolutely everyone was usually enfolded in warm squishy liking. The other Hufflepuff girls had endured enough teasing from other Houses, and they weren't exactly happy about some of the things said by someone who was (supposed to be, only supposed to be, Narcissa amended furiously) one of their own, despite her only too blatant struggles to escape them. And after all, why bother with her? They had plenty of friends without her. After all, they were Hufflepuffs, and if Hufflepuffs weren't always taken seriously, at least they were usually well-liked.

Of course the boys bothered with Narcissa, but that was different. Anyone with her golden slenderness would be bothered with, and by, boys. She hated them for their attentions, almost impersonally. There was not one in whose face she would deign to spit.

Naturally, that went for most of the other girls, too.

Only Molly insisted on, despite all the evidence, treating Narcissa as if they were close friends. Even though she knew she was being pitied, Narcissa had eventually stopped even attempting to discourage her overtures. And Molly had wound herself around Narcissa's prickly soul, ignoring the spikes of resentment and bitterness as if they didn't even exist, until they were indeed something like friends. Until Narcissa found it was too hard to give up the little redhead's endless kindness and cheerful conversation… like refusing oxygen…

Much as she detested the knowledge, she was going to follow Molly wherever she called. She closed her books and silently accompanied the other girl back to their dormitory. Isis and Karen were already perched on the end of Molly's four-poster bed, giggling, their faces rosy with amusement. "Did you tell her?" Isis demanded.

"Not yet." Molly pulled her robes over her head. Her bra, barely containing her ample breasts, dug into lightly freckled skin, the velvety layer of flesh cushioning her ribcage.

Molly never cared what she ate, never worried about her figure or wore makeup. She claimed to enjoy life too much to fuss over irrelevant details. Narcissa, who ate sparingly, exercised daily, and never looked at her reflection without seeing every scrap of excess weight on her willowy frame, every flaw in her perfectly made-up face, often wondered how Molly, dumpy, carrot-haired and freckled, could look at her own reflection and smile. Narcissa scorned her for it, envied her, and guiltily dreamed about sinking her fingers and teeth into that unfashionably luscious flesh.

She jerked herself back to attention. She was spacing out more and more lately, and it was beginning to worry her. Alertness was vital, if you were going to play events to your advantage. Whoever heard of a dreamy Slytherin? And this could be important – she didn't like the way Isis was sniggering. Blue-eyed, chocolate-skinned Isis had been the first to offer Narcissa friendship at Hogwarts, and had hated her ever since Narcissa had too clearly shown she did not know how to respond to friendliness.

Narcissa had a Hufflepuff enemy. It was almost funny.

"It's just a game," Molly explained, still undressing. She pulled her underskirt down over wide hips, and turned to grin at Narcissa. Unfortunately, at just that moment Narcissa had been staring at the tiny red curls escaping elastic above softly dimpled thighs. She was forced to harden her face and look away, fighting embarrassment and lust.

"It's – a – dyke game." Karen buried her head in Molly's pillows and choked helplessly, her narrow shoulders shaking with mirth.

It was Isis who added, face smug with dislike, "So we thought you would enjoy it, Narcissa."

Molly frowned at her, in a flash of the temper that went with her warm temperament and hair. "Shut up, Isis. Cissy, they're talking nonsense. It's only a fun game, to help girl friends become closer."

"Become girlfriends," Karen managed through giggles.

Narcissa felt dull heat flood over her face, but of course they had realised. It would have been obvious. As long as they didn't fully realise who the focus of her obsessions actually was. Fortunately, Molly had pulled on her nightgown by then . Narcissa flung back pale blonde hair and curled her lip in a well-practiced gesture.

"What is this game about, anyway?" she asked, as detachedly as possible.

Molly, as her own bed was already taken, plumped down on Narcissa's mattress. Hesitating slightly, Narcissa sat beside her. She was aware that she took altogether too much time to decide the correct innocent distance to sit from her companion.

Molly smiled happily at her, apparently unaware of how ridiculous Narcissa was making herself, and just glad the blonde was, as she would put it, fitting in. "It's called Garden of Gaia. It says it's a celebration of witches' femininity. It sounds like just what we want, doesn't it?"

Narcissa had to admit to herself that it sounded just like something that would appeal to Molly. With her small body already rich with curves – fat, the nasty part of Narcissa's mind said, while something connected directly to her centre corrected, lush – Molly oozed femininity. The lines of her body were as unrestrainedly female as Narcissa's were toned, pared down and contained by dieting and exercise.

"And it's to explore deeper levels of relationships with your girlfriends," Isis added, tones laden with meaning. "I bet that's just what Narcissa here wants, right, Cissy?" She and Karen exploded into giggles, and Narcissa felt her skin flood with blood.

"I don't understand what you think is so funny. It's just to become closer friends, right?" Molly asked in confusion, and Karen and Isis shouted with laughter.

"Goddess, Mary Weasley, you are just too cute to be true…" Karen gasped, as Molly looked at her with wide-eyed confusion. Narcissa tried to be scornful of Molly's naivety, but her treacherously infatuated heart was too busy melting at her innocence. No one would know Molly was seventeen in a depraved world, to listen to her. Narcissa was entranced, and sad and angry at the same time. How could Molly be so stupid – and so adorable?

"What do we do?" Narcissa managed to ask, and the two girls on the other bed collapsed entirely.

Molly gave them a bemused look, and picked up the game. "It looks like Truth or Dare, with counters and cards. You have to perform dares, or answer questions about," she looked closer, "your deepest feelings, desires and dreams."

Narcissa smiled calmly. She could survive that. She was an excellent liar. It might even be a useful exercise, especially if dear Isis told the truth. "Let's play, then."

"And the game is enchanted, so everyone can tell if you're lying!" Molly added happily.

Narcissa flopped suddenly back on the bed. She was in big trouble.