The Library

She sat on a luxurious leather sofa in an expansive library finishing off the last drops of her second glass of wine. Her long hair fanned out behind her across the back of the sofa as she finished the chapter of her book. It was late in the evening, as she was wearing a snug, deep turquoise satin nightgown with a low neckline that plunged to the top of her curvaceous bust. The nightgown was very complementary to her slim figure and porcelain skin. She tugged her dressing gown tighter around herself, feeling a chill despite the roaring fire crackling in the fireplace. Contrary to popular belief, she spent a good deal of time in there, but not for leisure. No, she preferred to read practically, gleaning knowledge she could use in the future. The walls around her were filled with all types of magical books imaginable, some of them centuries old. She had read and reread many of them during the past few months; there had been nothing else to do. The old grandfather clock in the corner struck twelve; she groaned and slowly picked herself up off of the expensive leather couch and headed up towards her bedroom. As she walked quietly down the corridor into the main hallway, she heard someone pounding hard on the front door. It did not surprise her; her husband's associates frequently dropped by in the early hours of the morning to discuss business. Still, the always cautious lady of the house drew her wand from her dressing gown pocket and approached the door. She opened the small square peephole.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"Mother, it's me, and Professor Snape as well."

She gasped audibly and wrenched the door open. "Draco, what are you doing here? And you, Severus?" Narcissa quickly ushered them in and secured the door behind them with extra precautionary charms. "What is the meaning of all this?"

Draco stood before her, trembling slightly. "We did it, mother. We killed him. Dumbledore's dead," he blurted out and stared at the ornately tiled floor, fiddling with his wand.

Narcissa stared at them, dumbfounded. She looked from one to the other, waiting for one of them to crack and say that it was all a joke. Neither of them moved. She looked directly into Severus' eyes, eyes that betrayed no emotion, no anger, no joy, no grief. "You really did it?" she finally whispered after several seconds of silence.

"Yes, Draco disarmed him and I performed the Killing Curse," Severus replied. "We'll need someplace to lay low; they'll be combing the country for us already."

Narcissa reverted back into her usual conscientious self. "Of course, but this will be the first place they'll look." She paused. "Unless..." she trailed off, thinking hard. There was a room Lucius had shown her once; when Draco had been an infant. He told her it would be possible to hide if necessary. It had been so long ago, could she find it again? She snapped out of her memory, snatched a candelabra from the hallway table, and started off down a narrow side corridor. "Follow me."

They wound their way deeper and deeper into the bowels of the house, until they were nearly in the center. She led them down the passage that went to the east wing, and stopped abruptly in front of the former quarters of Draco's great-great-great grandfather Bob Malfoy. She turned the silver serpent-shaped door handle and they entered the room. They passed through the sitting room and into the old bedroom, where Narcissa began to pace like a caged tigress.

Draco walked the length of the room and back. "Mother, what are we doing in here? The Ministry has already searched the entire house, there's no way we could hide..."

"Silence, Draco," Severus cut him off. "I'm sure your mother knows more about this house than you."

Narcissa closed her eyes and took herself back to the day Lucius first brought her there, a few days after the Dark Lord's fall. "Narcissa, I know they're going to come for me. If you ever need to hide anything from them, including yourself, come here." he had told her. He strode up to the portrait of his great-great-great-great grandmother and ran his slender index finger down the painting until he found a barely perceptible, hand-shaped indentation in the bottom right, over a vase of roses in the background. Narcissa heard a clicking sound and the painting swung smoothly forward.

"The Aurors will easily find this," she told him.

Lucius smiled indulgently at her. "Not quite. The only way this doorway can be activated is by the touch of a Malfoy. Otherwise this painting has a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back. They only way someone else could find this is if a Malfoy led them straight to it."

"Can I open it?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Because you have married into the family, you have become, in all respects, a Malfoy. Just remember what I showed you, and you can do the same."

Narcissa opened her eyes and strode purposefully to the painting. She did exactly as her husband had sixteen years before, tracing her finger around the rose vase until she felt the handprint. She placed her slim hand over the spot and heard a soft click. The canvas moved toward them.

Draco leapt up off of the bed. "Why didn't I know about this?"

His mother shrugged. "You never asked."

Severus took the candelabra from Narcissa and led the trio into the dark corridor that had opened up before them. It was short, leading into a small room with a low sofa, desk, chair, and end table. A tiny unlit fireplace with a modest stack of wood was opposite of the sofa. Severus lit the candle on the end table and began to kindle a fire in the fireplace as well. Another doorway led to a small bedroom with a bed, nightstand and chair. Narcissa motioned for Draco follow her into the bedroom and sit with her on the bed. She smoothed her son's hair and smiled sadly at him.

"You did well tonight," she whispered softly.

"I didn't do it. I couldn't," he hissed fiercely.

She shushed him. "That doesn't make you any worse. The first few times are very difficult. You're father had a hard time with his first few, but it gets easier with time."

"Dumbledore said that he would protect us if we joined him. Do you think he could have?"

Narcissa hissed at the thought. "Dumbledore could never have kept us safe from the Dark Lord. If we left his service we would be hunted until death. But you would never wish to leave your father, leave our cause, would you my son?"

"Never!" Draco retorted vehemently.

"That's good," Narcissa cooed. "The Master can sense doubt. It is not wise to doubt him."

"D'you think the Dark Lord will punish me for not following his orders?"

Narcissa shook her head. "I don't know. You did much better than he anticipated, for one so young. I'm not sure what he will do." She carefully smoothed the folds of her dressing gown and stood. "It would be best if you went to sleep now, the next few weeks are going to be extremely trying."

Draco nodded and lay down on top of the soft downy bed. He wanted to be alone to contemplate both what he had done and what was in store for him from the Dark Lord. Narcissa shut the door behind her as she reentered the sitting room. A tiny fire was crackling merrily in the fireplace, but Narcissa did not feel merry at all. She sat down beside Severus on the sofa and exhaled.

"Thank you for holding up your part of the Unbreakable Vow and protecting Draco. The Dark Lord will be very pleased with your actions. There can be no doubt which side you are on now." She pulled her dressing gown around her tightly and looked away. "I'll bring you provisions in the morning; the Ministry shouldn't come before midday."

Severus nodded slightly. "Thank you for allowing me sanctuary here."

A long silence followed. Narcissa took the hint and stood to leave. "Good night, Severus." she opened the portrait door and left, securing it firmly behind her.

"Goodnight," he whispered at the door.

Narcissa left the east wing and headed back to the library. The fire was still blazing as she chose another book from one of the shelves.

"Death Curses are Not for the Faint Hearted." she mused over the title. "Looks interesting enough."

As she gracefully returned to the sofa, she snapped her fingers and ordered the house elf that had materialized to bring her more wine. It was, after all, going to be a long night. She opened the book to page one and began to read. "Death curses, albeit usually simple to complete, are often traumatizing to the average wizard attempting to perform one..."