What I Did on My Summer Holiday

"Aunt Bella?"

"Hush, boy!" Voice hisses and crackles with demented rage. "I've come to make a man of you."

The boy jumped.

"Don't be stupid, you little insect," she spat. "A fighting man, a warrior for the Blood, not a whining, sniping parasite. Get up, get dressed. Get up!" She knocked him off the bed with one backhand slap.

"Sister, where are you?" she trilled. "Oh, my dear, it's been absolutely forever! Your darling son here has been telling me -- "

"Let go of him, bitch. And get out of my house."

"Oh, no! No, no, no! Please! I know we're not as close as we might be, and I blame myself, I do! Dear Cissa, Let me make amends! Voice silken, eyes glittering.

Narcissa sits up, puts down her glass. The boy is cowering in his father's chair.

"Amends, Bella?"

"I should have married Lucius, you know. I could have given him a proper son, but how was I to know? When we were younger, he looked no more promising than that miserable specimen --" she indicated the boy with a dismissive wave. "Rodolphus seemed so much more robust...but it's not too late, we can help him, you and I..."

Narcissa reaches for her wand but her sister is too quick.

"Come here, boy, hold this wand for your mother. Let me tell you something. You must be aware of what a crushing disappointment you have been as a son and heir, beaten and humiliated at every turn by half-breeds, Mudbloods and blood traitors..."

The boy had stopped trembling and gone very pale.

She went on, "The last straw was the thestrals. You couldn't see them, and you made a stupid joke about it. 'Bella,' your father said to me, and he wasn't angry, funnily enough, more sad really. 'Bella, I've spoiled that boy; he's quite useless.' But I said no, I said 'Lucius, he has it in him, he has the Blood...'" Her voice had been rising, but now she smiled kindly and spoke conversationally. "Now, Harry Potter tried to use an Unforgivable Curse on me, did you know? He didn't have the hatred in him, I suppose. Those curses require a certain strength of character or...will, yes, that's it, strength of will --"

Narcissa leapt from the couch, but her sister had her wrist in a steely claw, and yanked her back to her seat.

"Use that wand, boy!" Bella said, grinning crazily.

Narcissa screamed "No! Kill her! Kill her!"

The boy was frozen.

His mother screamed again. "Do it, you fool, kill her!"

"Use the wand, boy!"

"No! I-I can't..."

"You can, boy! You must! You owe it to your blood, Draco!"

_________________

Narcissa Black Malfoy, 41, was found dead in her sitting room with her white birch wand at her feet, apparently of a self-inflicted Killing Curse. The wealthy society matron had been a virtual widow since her husband, Lucius Malfoy, was arrested and confined to Azkaban prison for crimes related to his activities as a follower of the Dark Lord What's-his-name.

Mrs. Malfoy's son Draco, who may have witnessed his mother's suicide, was admitted to St. Mungo's Hospital for treatment of shock and trauma. He is expected to make a full recovery.