Work Text:
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings: possible future Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black; and mentions of Lucius Malfoy/Juno Carrow
Warnings: alternate universe; het; pure-blood culture; Druella Black is a horrible parent; Cygnus Black III is a horrible parent; and mentions of original character (Juno Carrow)
Prompt: (Word) Heart
Summary: In which Narcissa Black wanted to form a friendship with Heir Lucius Malfoy prior to attending Hogwarts, but he never wrote back.
tell me you’re still mine
The first time they met, Lucius was attending Hogwarts and Narcissa was two years away from starting herself. The Betrothal Agreement was written before they even met. The betrothal was the work of their parents – Lucius’ father Abraxas and Narcissa’s mother Druella. There was something between them – history, according to the rumors – and they wanted their children to be together – a chance they were denied, the same rumors said.
At their first meeting, there wasn’t anything between them. It was an awkward meeting that lasted two hours while their mothers enjoyed a silent and uncomfortable tea. Narcissa kept her head down, quietly sipping her tea while Lucius sat next to Lady Malfoy. He wore a frown and he didn’t seem to move.
In the beginning, there wasn’t anything – no love, no hatred, no friendship. The following weeks found Narcissa thinking about her lacking relationship with Lucius. She wanted to have a happy marriage. As a nine year old girl, Narcissa fantasized about loving her husband and having a joyous union with two or three children.
Things between them needed to change.
Narcissa didn’t know where to begin. She thought about it for days, even writing to her older sisters for advice. Bellatrix and Andromeda proved to be useless, advising her “to stop worrying” because the relationship “took time to build” and she “couldn’t rush or force anything.” In the end, she decided her sisters’ help was useless. What did they know? Sure, both of them were likely to receive betrothal agreements in the coming years, but neither of them were betrothal yet .
Druella proved to be even more useless than Bellatrix and Andromeda. The woman told her “not to worry her pretty little head” because “everything was arranged” and it was all “meant to be.” Her mother would hand her a book on beauty charms or household charms before wandering off.
With her sisters proving to be useless and her mother unhelpful, Narcissa turned to books and magazine articles. The American magazine Sparkles had a monthly article on getting a boy’s attention. The best idea came in the November issue: write him a love letter.
Instead, Narcissa made it a simple letter.
Dearest Heir Lucius Malfoy,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am interested in how your studies are going. I know Hogwarts offers several classes. I know my sister, Bellatrix, took Ancient Runes and Magical Creatures while my other sister, Andromeda, took Arithmancy and Divinations. What electives are you taking? What made you decide on those electives? Also, I’m curious what your career ambitions are. I know Malfoys usually go into politics and work at the Ministry.
What is Hogwarts like? My sisters have always been vague on the details, telling me its an old castle with a lots of passages and a moving staircase. I would love to hear your opinions on the matter.
Faithfully yours,
Lady Narcissa Black
She tied the parchment with a silver ribbon before sending it off with her family’s owl, Mercury. Her heartbeat sped up as she watched Mercury soar through the sky, flying off in the direction of Hogwarts. She bit her lip to keep from smiling.
With a skip in her step, Narcissa turned her back on the window before heading off to the library. Her French tutor was due to arrive for another grueling two hour session. Narcissa didn’t want to learn French, she was more interested in German or Italian, but her mother ordered her to learn French because she would need it as the future Lady Malfoy. Being a dutiful daughter, Narcissa simply complied with her mother’s wishes.
The next few mornings, Narcissa eagerly awaited a reply. She knew Lucius was busy with school and he wouldn’t be able to reply right away , but she waited patiently for a letter. Nothing could contain her excitement. She was nearly bouncing in her chair by the third morning. Luckily, her mother was out with friends, so she wasn’t around to scold Narcissa and her father won’t do anything.
“What has you so excited, puppet?” her father, Cygnus Black III, asked as he read the latest issue of T he Daily Prophet .
Narcissa fought the urge to wrinkle her nose. She hated it when her father called her “puppet” – mostly because she didn’t like puppets. They were creepy.
“A letter,” she replied with a beaming smile.
“Oh, I haven’t seen one from either of your sisters,” her father stated, he glanced up from the newspaper.
Narcissa weighed her options before deciding to tell her father the truth. It wasn’t improper for her to write Lucius, but it was unusual. “I wrote a letter to Heir Malfoy,” she explained.
Her father lowered the newspaper, frowning as he turned his attention to her. “Why?” he asked.
“I want us to be friends,” she answered, honesty coloring her tone. “I know we won’t marry for years, but I would like to know him.”
Her father stared at her for a minute, his gray eyes narrowed. “Just don’t tell your mother,” he advised before returning his attention to the newspaper, “and I’ll let you know if I see a letter.”
Narcissa smiled, quickly and enthusiastically agreeing, “Of course, father.”
Several more days passed without a glimpse of a letter for her. By the fourteenth morning – the second week – Narcissa felt like crying. Why wasn’t he responding? She knew school and friends would keep Lucius busy, but surely he could have replied by now.
With a heavy heart, Narcissa decided to send another letter. This one would be shorter.
Dearest Heir Lucius Malfoy,
I hope your studies are going well. I know you best be busy with schoolwork. After all, you’re only a few years away from taking your OWLs. What kind of studying routine do you have?
I’ve started learning French, at my mother’s insistence. I find it’s a beautiful language, but I’m having difficulty learning it. My tutor, Madame Bellefleur, says I need to practice more. Do you have tips or suggests?
Faithfully yours,
Lady Narcissa Black
Like the previous letter, Narcissa waited patiently for a reply. After two weeks, she sent another letter. She did her best to keep her letters simple, following the same pattern by asking Heir Lucius about himself before offering details about herself.
By the end of summer, her letters were more formal, only addressing Heir Lucius as Heir Malfoy and starting each letter with Dearest Heir Malfoy instead of Dearest Heir Lucius Malfoy and she started signing her letters as Lady N. Black .
Despite the lack of replies, Narcissa continued to write Heir Lucius a letter every two weeks, always trying to keep it short and polite. The letters with tear stains and smudges were tossed aside in favor of tight and clean letters with even penmanship and good grammar.
The last few letters she sent Heir Lucius before starting Hogwarts herself were only a few sentences, always starting with Dear Heir Malfoy and ending with Sincerely, Lady N. Black . By her hundredth letter, Narcissa knew this was a hopeless and pointless cause, but she continued, naively hoping for a change – and partly out of pure stubbornness.