Darkness is My Light

Chapter 5

Hermione looked at the woman in the room quizzically. Did she just say that she was waiting for her? "Waiting for me?"

"Oh yes, Dear. You've been here quite some time yet."

"I've only been here one day."

The woman began to move about the room, tending to various plants, avoiding her contradiction. "Do come in from that doorway, Dear. It makes it quite cold for my tropical flowers," she said pointing to a corner of the room full of multicolored plants.

With nothing else to do, Hermione walked into the room. She quietly shut the door behind her. The woman went through the large room, and Hermione temporarily lost sight of her behind a rather large flower tree. The scent of flowers soon began to overwhelm her, and Hermione tried to find a spot in the room that smelled milder than the one she was in.

She spotted two chairs and a table in the center of the room. She sat down and soon the woman was back, a tea tray in hand. A cup was set down in front of Hermione; she never touched it.

"You're such a pretty little thing," the woman said quite absently. A long pause. "Narcissa is the name. Sorry, I just realized I hadn't said it yet."

Hermione just blinked awkwardly at her smile. "Hermione," she answered slowly, cautiously.

"Beautiful name darling, really, really beautiful. So how do you find the house?" Narcissa asked waving at the room vaguely.

"Um...big, I guess." Hermione cocked her head to the side to really look at the woman. She was quite beautiful: long, blond hair, which was turning white; pale skin; perfect complexion; and flawless smile. But what irked Hermione the most were her deep green eyes that seemed to show no emotion. They seemed like crystal.

The woman's head lolled a bit from side to side, but the smile never left her face. Hermione wondered how anyone could smile so perfectly that long. Something was definitely wrong with the woman. With nothing to do in the thick silence, Hermione began to look at the flowers in the room.

Several unnaturally silent minutes later, there was a sharp knock at the door. A moment later, the door opened. A teenaged girl dressed in all black came in. She looked like something out of a horror movie, pale and thin.

"Lady Narcissa, there has been a summon for you." Narcissa stood up with her cup of tea, and headed towards the voice. "Lady Narcissa!" the girl almost screamed in alarm as she rushed to the woman. "What are you doing? You know you aren't supposed to rely on the magic for long periods of time!"

"Oh Darling, don't worry about me; I'm fine," Narcissa explained. She turned back to Hermione, "It was very nice to meet you, Dear, but we'll have to finish our conversation later."

"Sure." Hermione stood up and stepped to her left to where Narcissa had been looking. Cautiously, as to not offend her hostess - a manner lesson her mother had drilled into her as a child - she held up a hand in front of Narcissa's face.

"You smell like the library, Dear; just so you know." She held the cup out to Hermione who took it and set it on the table. The servant girl brought Narcissa an elastic leash that had a tiny ball of light on the other end. The ball gave a little tug and Narcissa followed it out of the door and down the hall.

The girl turned around and faced Hermione at last. "I guess you figured it out; The Lady Malfoy - though she hates that name - well, she's blind." The girl gave a wistful smile before turning and following after Narcissa Malfoy.

Hermione let the newly discovered piece of information settle into her head. "The...Lady Malfoy?" she thought for a moment. "Oh, Draco's mother!"