Voluptas
e difficili data dulcissima est.*
PUBLILIUS
SYRUS – Sententiae
Narcissa
would have liked to pretend that she had given this a whole lot of
consideration, that she had resolved reluctantly
to attend that party that of which Bella had spoken. But it wouldn’t have been
true. In fact, she hadn’t thought more than ten seconds about it, or rather
say, her resolution to go had been there right from the start, she had rather
tried to find some sound reason why she would not go, and had failed to come up with sufficiently substantial
arguments.
Bellatrix
was positively delighted with her own doing. If nothing else, she had made her
prissy little Cissy go to a party – voluntarily
– and that was already a huge success. She also took on the negotiations with
their parents – since Andromeda’s lapse, they were even more protective and
suspicious, but she swore that she would look after the girl, and their
mother’s relief outweighed their father’s anxiety by far. Amandine wasn’t
blind; she found that Narcissa had to learn how to get along with other people,
because she and her husband wouldn’t always be there. Cygnus on the other hand
believed that Bella was a good chaperone, after that disaster with Andromeda,
and fortunately, he had no idea that the ‘sly scoundrel’ could be acquainted
with his oldest daughter in the first place.
The two
witches carefully prepared for the evening; for the first time in their lives
really, they were having fun together. They chose their robes together – dark
red velvet for Bellatrix, dark blue silk for Narcissa, their jewellery – opals
for the elder, aquamarines for the younger, and to calm down their father, a
stole to disguise Narcissa’s décolleté, which they got rid of as soon as they
were out of Cygnus’ sight. Having been quite adventurous in her time, Bellatrix
was apt to counsel her little sister on the perfect perfume, make-up charms,
hairdo, and also advised her how to behave around men. Principally, her
attitude was fine – cool, poised, dismissive – but sooner or later, she’d have
to show Lucius Malfoy that his advances wouldn’t be totally in vain.
Narcissa
wasn’t quite sure that he’d even try
to advance on her, all she wanted was to see him once more, and apologise to
him, maybe. Bellatrix on the other hand hadn’t the slightest doubt that her
Death Eater pal would do nothing else but try to get off with her beautiful
little sister – any man with eyes would try to give her the come-on. There was
only one thing she hadn’t considered in her plot – she hadn’t informed the man
himself. She hadn’t thought of it, she hadn’t met him between Christmas and New
Year anyway, because his father claimed his son’s presence at home. Now Lucius,
ignorant of the unexpected appearance of his crush, and determined to try and
have some fun that night, had picked
up some Italian exchange student that he had met shortly before the holidays,
and asked her to accompany him. Isabella was dark and beautiful, with endless
legs and a voluptuous bosom, black curls and olive-green eyes – in short: a
model with dextrous fingers, as he had found out in a broom cupboard in
College, half an hour into their acquaintance. Pretty as she was, in his eyes
she still bore no comparison with Narcissa Black, but he had given up all hope
in this respect at any rate.
Host of
the party was Rabastan Lestrange in his Kensington apartment. Everyone that
mattered between eighteen and sixty-eight was there, even Stubby Boardman,
singer of the newcomers of the year, the Hobgoblins, had assented to come and
give a private gig. Knowing the rules of effective appearance, Bellatrix had
decided that she and Narcissa wouldn’t show up before a quarter past eleven,
and since they’d have never got Cygnus’ consent to go so late, they left his
house at eight o’clock and Apparated to her and Rodolphus’ mansion, to have a
couple of drinks.
She was
careful; Narcissa must not be drunk, but three glasses of champagne did the job
and made her loosen up. “So? Are you excited?”
“A little
bit… Only a little!” Narcissa suppressed a giggle. “It’s just that I haven’t
seen him for so long…”
“And what
will you do now that you will see him?”
“I? Do?
I’ll do nothing!”
“That’s
my girl. Let him do it.”
Narcissa
swallowed. Her mouth was suddenly awfully dry. “And what do you reckon will he
do?”
“Look at
you like a child looking at the Christmas tree! And then, he’ll scrape all his
bravado and come over and say hello and ask you to dance and as soon as he
spots a chance, he’ll try and kiss you.” Bellatrix winked at her. “You’ve never
kissed a boy before, have you?”
“And I’m
not about to,” Narcissa protested with pink cheeks.
Bellatrix
laughed heartily. “We’ll see about that, little sister!”
Narcissa’s
heart was beating madly when they climbed up the stairs, less due to the
exertion, but because of the prospect to see him again. She felt in a daze, nodding to whatever Bellatrix said –
the blood rushing in her ears made her almost deaf. The door to the apartment
opened – they went in – Bellatrix was welcomed by her husband and
brother-in-law, and a couple of others. Narcissa hardly noticed all of this;
she had seen who she had been looking for so dearly.
There he
was, handsome as ever, dressed in black, his bright blonde hair shimmering in
the flickering lights of a thousand candles that were floating in mid-air. She
was so nervous, she didn’t even register her sister and her husband whispering
– Rodolphus reported under his breath that good old Lucius had come in the
company of a mind-blowing Italian; Bella hissed some curses and ordered him to
‘take care’ of that problem. Consequently, Rodolphus and Rabastan left and
waited for Isabella, who had just gone to the bathroom, and ‘accidentally’
poured an entire bottle of claret over her satin robes. Naturally, that had to
be treated with great care – such gorgeous, expensive robes! – and Rodolphus
proved considerable talent as an actor in the following hour, during which he
dropped a burning cigarette on the fabric, tore the hem line and ruined her
satin shoes as well.
In the
meantime, Lucius, too, had spotted the one person he hadn’t reckoned with,
almost spilling his drink with surprise. Without really knowing what he was
doing, he headed towards the entrance to say hello to the sweetest of all
creatures. He knew she hated the sight of him, but that didn’t count in this
second, he just wanted to hear her voice once more, even if it was merely for a
rebuke –
“Narcissa!”
His voice was shaky and he cleared his throat. “How wonderful to see you!”
“Good
evening, Lucius,” she replied just as hoarsely.
He shot
Bellatrix a swift glance, on the verge of hugging her for her complicity. He
had totally underestimated her potential kindness! “What – what a pleasant
surprise! Good evening to you, too, Bellatrix –”
“Good
evening, Lucius,” Bella said, gesturing expressively behind her sister’s back.
“I suppose you’ve already met Rodolphus? If you haven’t – he’s dealing with a
little problem, but I’m sure he’ll
return sooner or later!”
He didn’t
get what she was talking about, too absorbed he was by her startling companion.
He couldn’t even take his eyes off her. “Yes, I’ve met Rodolphus, thank you,
yes, yes – but excuse my manners, Miss Black – I – I was just so surprised to
meet you! How are you?”
“I’m
fine, thank you! And you?” She was beaming at him, thoroughly unable to wipe
off that ravished expression.
“Enchanted
as always when I see you!”
“And how
do you like College? Is it as bad as you’ve feared?”
“It’s
even worse, I’m afraid. But don’t let us talk about such unpleasant trifles!”
“What would you like to talk about then?”
“I’d like
to hear more from you, Miss Black!”
“I
thought we had agreed on first names a long time ago, Mr Malfoy?”
He smiled
insecurely and gazed at his own feet. “I’d be glad to return to that, I merely
didn’t wish to trespass your own prohibition –”
She
blushed. “Oh! Oh, I see… Please, forgive my bad behaviour that morning, I – I
was very much distraught and… My overreaction was unpardonable, I suppose…”
“Not at
all, I assure you! I was insensitive
and inattentive –”
“Oh no,
no!”
Utterly
unnoticed by the two lovebirds, Bellatrix raised her eyes to the ceiling,
sighed and left unobtrusively. She had carried out her task. Nobody expected
her to hold the candle for these two, right?
Meanwhile,
Lucius shuffled his feet, apologised for his thoughtlessness in calling on
Narcissa on that of all mornings – she vigorously shook her head and assured
him that she now thought he was very thoughtful – he modestly declined a
couple of times – she vividly insisted just as often – and then he finally
managed to gather whatever wits he had left and asked her to dance.
At last!
He had thought it would never happen! He had hoped to dance with her on his
graduation ball – they hadn’t come so far – and in the very next moment, she
had sworn that she never wanted to see him again. He needn’t hear her excuses –
a creature so perfect need never excuse – to hear that she had changed her mind
was enough to make him exquisitely happy.
She
danced lightly, elegantly – of course, he hadn’t expected anything else;
everything about her was elegant and light. He had one hand in the small of her
back, itching madly with excitement, he felt her body so close to him, closer
than ever before, and he spoke a silent prayer that he wouldn’t blunder with
excitement, because honestly, he had never felt even half as aroused. Narcissa
had no clue of his concerns, feeling far too thrilled herself. Her hand was in the small of his neck,
his silky hair tickling her fingers, and her main worry was that she’d say
something embarrassing, or pass out straightaway. She had never been remotely
as conscious of her own body as she was now.
“You’re a
marvellous dancer,” he said lowly, incapable of turning his gaze away from her
for a second.
“I should
forward that compliment to my father – he’s shown me how to dance – but from
what I’ve heard, he wouldn’t do you justice.”
“Oh well…
I would lie if I claimed that he hadn’t intimidated me a little… But if you allow me, I’ll face up to him
squarely.”
“Is that
– was my father the reason why you’ve – uhm – why I haven’t heard anything from
you ever since…?”
He looked
straight into her eyes when replying, “No… I swear, a thousand times I meant to
call on you. I thought of hardly anything else since then. Your father just
clarified the point, you know? You said you hated the sight of me, and I just
believed you. I know I’ve never done anything to deserve your regard, and I
didn’t want to – to molest you…”
She
blushed again. “I was that awful, was I?”
“You
could never be awful, Narcissa. You’re perfect, just the way you are.”
“Oh yes,
I perfectly frightened you away!”
“I was a
coward when I let you of all persons frighten me, wasn’t I?”
She
remembered Bella’s advice and put on her most mysterious smile. “I believe that
bravery is widely overrated.”
He
laughed. “You think so?”
“Yes!”
She laughed as well. “Though that does not
mean that I wouldn’t have been pleased if you had mustered a little bit of courage and I had heard
from you.”
He stared
at her. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“You
cannot imagine just how much better the past few months would have been for me,
if I’d had the slightest notion that you could feel that way!”
“I bet
you never had to wait that long, right?”
“You have
no idea how long I’ve waited for you in fact.”
“You
expect me to believe that?”
“You
needn’t believe. All I want is that you give me a chance to prove it. All I
ever wanted was to get one chance to
prove you how much you really mean to me.”
He looked
so earnest, Narcissa thought she would swoon if it weren’t for his arms holding
her straight. She had forgotten all her objections, all her doubts. At some
point during those past months – possibly during Potions while trying hard to
shake off her complete bedazzlement smelling the scent of his cologne – she had
realised that she wanted nothing but him, despite
all those doubts; that her self-imposed constraint hadn’t made her happy, but
the time they had spent together had, strangely enough. They had had some real
fun together, she had missed him, she had missed everything about him, even the
come-ons that she had always claimed to resent so much. In the same moment when
she had believed to have lost him for good, due to Andy’s elopement, she had
understood how much he really meant to her.
They danced
the next four dances until they both were out of breath, and Lucius lead her
out onto the balcony. He had completely forgotten about his original companion,
who was getting more and more impatient in the kitchen, uttering Italian curses
under her breath with each of Rodolphus’ clumsy faux-pas. Poor Rodolphus would
do anything for his wife, and to say the truth, he increasingly enjoyed his
mission. Annoying that bitchy witch was fun,
and he discovered so far unknown creativity. The robes couldn’t be saved, so
much was sure already, he had singled out her hair to be ruined next, and
despite the obvious wreckage, he nevertheless kept on assuring Isabella that
everything was fine, absolutely no problem, his wife removed stains far worse
than this on a daily basis…
“Whadis wrong wiss you, Signore Lestrange? I ged
see impression sat you are doing sis on purpose!”
“Signorina,
please! My only wish is to be
helpful! Potassium is a sure remedy for custard stains!”
“I know a
spell, Signore Lestrange, sat is a sure sing!”
“Oh no.
No, no, Signorina Fallucci. My wife swears
that nothing works better than potassium. A spell might do more harm than good!”
“Don’t
talk such nonsense, Signore Lestrange!”
She
produced her wand, he tried to unwind it from her hand, they struggled and – a
well-aimed push with his elbow hurled a bowl of punch all over her. She
screeched, she gasped, hurling a real curse at him, missing him by inches, and
then his saviour came through the door – his beloved wife, showing her most
sardonic smile.
“Rodolphus!”
she cried, pretending to be scandalised. “What are you doing there?”
“Bella my
love, it’s so good you’re here!
Signorina Fallucci wouldn’t believe that potassium is the only way to remove
custard!”
“Honey,
potassium is good for yolk only. Let me
give it a try!”
Isabella
protested, but nobody could stand up to Bellatrix Lestrange when she was on her
way. Two minutes later, half of Isabella’s skirt was on fire, she was shouting
madly, Bella sprayed water at her out of her wand, ruining the young woman’s
hairdo, too. That was the straw that broke this camel’s back.
Out there
on the balcony, Lucius and Narcissa had toasted, watched the first premature
fireworks and to say which of them was more thrilled would have been a hard
call. He had asked her whom she was going to kiss at midnight, trying his best
to sound as if he was joking, and she had forced herself to laugh, even though
her heart was beating so hard she could barely stand upright. “I’m not sure
yet! Perhaps you, if you’re nice!”
Until
very recently, she had meant that she would never want to kiss anyone, the idea
that someone stuck his tongue into her mouth – ewww – but right now, she had forgotten all about her disgust. In
fact, both of them had nothing else in mind but to kiss each other as soon as
possible, but typically, they both also staunchly and superstitiously believed
that their secret hopes would tumble and crash down if they just acknowledged
this. He had taken off his overcoat and put it over Narcissa’s bare shoulders,
she had meant to decline, but when feeling that the fabric was still warm, and
that she could smell his unmistakable scent, she said nothing. The closer
midnight came, the less they were talking – Narcissa was getting more and more
worried because she had never kissed anyone. What if he didn’t like it? If he
thought that she was a boring cow or something? If she disappointed him?
Of
course, Lucius wasn’t worried about his abilities as a kisser, but nonetheless
nervous like hell. How long had he waited to get a chance with her – how dearly
had he craved it? What if he messed it up? If she felt rushed by him? If he had
mistaken her completely?
Inside of
Rabastan’s apartment, people began the countdown for midnight, and determined
to prove that he was no coward, Lucius took Narcissa’s glass and threw it over
the balustrade together with his own. Narcissa swallowed, putting on a saucy
smile that belied the bees in her belly. Oh dear, she felt all weak and dizzy,
overwhelmingly excited, and he came closer and closer.
Five – he
stood directly in front of her, only inches separating her breasts from his
chest –
Four – he
put an arm around her waist –
Three –
his other hand cupped the back of her head –
Two – he
looked into her eyes, deeply, longing – or was this only her wishful thinking?
One – he
seized her near, looking strangely solemn, and closed in for a kiss.
She could
not have described the sensation – the havoc inside her, she was melting away
in his arms, the sensation of his lips on hers was like glowing embers, burning
her, taking her breath away, making her arch against him as close as she could…
He was very gentle, much more than she had expected, he tasted as marvellously
as he smelled, and without quite knowing what she did, she kissed him back with
a passion that she hadn’t known she could possess. She let her hand glide
through his silky hair, and then, she felt him open his mouth the tiniest bit,
she felt his tongue tipping against her bottom lip and retreat again. Sod all
her childish notions, this was incredible, she opened her lips, too, and very
slowly, so very tenderly, he began to play with her, explore her mouth with his
tongue.
It wasn’t
the least bit disgusting, but the very opposite, she clung to him for dear
life, convinced that she’d sink on the spot if he let go of her now. His arms
were strong – for the first time in her life, she could see one merit in Quidditch – his chest was
heaving, his kisses grew harder, more demanding, and she was happy to give in
without any more opposition.
She was
so totally bewitched, it took her quite a while to register that something had
hit her hard over the head – perhaps she wouldn’t have noticed it at all, if
Lucius hadn’t stopped kissing her. Only then, she realised that someone was
shouting – in Italian – shouting curses and very rude insults – a female voice
– and rather bewildered, she turned around, seeing a witch in thoroughly
ragged, dripping wet robes who threw glasses at them while continuing to scream
on top of her lungs. Behind her, Bella, Rodolphus and his brother came running,
trying to stop her from getting her wand.
Narcissa
shot Lucius a swift glance, finding him looking like someone who had just been
caught in the act, and at once she knew everything. This witch was – what – his
present girlfriend – or mistress – whatever, it was all the same. How could she
have been so stupid?! Had she truly
believed he had waited for her?! Had
she been that naïve?! Oh, Mary Mother of Jesus!
She took
a deep breath, pursed her lips and swirled around, slapping him twice with the
back of her hand. She didn’t wait for an answer, but turned back to the
outraged witch, tried to smile, and said, “Scusa, non sapevo che lui è già
impegnato per la sera. Lei può fare che favore con lui. Ove Lei vorrebbe
bastonarlo, potrebbe spingerlo una volta per opera mea, per favore?*”
And with
those words, she threw his cloak away and marched out, her head up high. She
was followed by Bella and Lucius, too, but a quick Stunner kept him from
pursuing her any further. Bella didn’t stop in her way save for carefully
stamping on his sprawled hand, hissing, “Aren’t you the greatest idiot ever?!” and continued running after her
sister, who was halfway down the stairs already.
“Cissy!
Cissy, stop!”
“Did you
know this, Bella?!”
She did
her best to keep pace, gasping, “Not until we arrived –”
“And
still you let me make a complete idiot of myself?! Thank you, sister, thank you
very, very much!”
“Get off
it, Cissy! That bitch means nothing
to him –”
“Of
course not! He cares for nothing and nobody!”
“He cares
for you!”
“Yes,
from twelve a.m. to noon!”
“Cissy,
be sensible!”
“I am sensible, at last! Now I don’t want
to hear another word on the topic, or I swear, you will regret it!”
* Voluptas… The sweetest
pleasures are hard to reach.
* I am sorry, I didn’t know that he is already engaged for the
evening. You can do what you please with him. In case that you would like to
beat him up, could you kick him once for me, please?
*****
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