white rose

‘‘Me? In trouble? Cissa, you are mistaking me for someone else.’‘ Mack chuckled, a grin on his face as he spoke to her. Mack took the bracelet, gently fastening it around her dainty little wrist. How could a wrist be so small? He could wrap his forefinger and thumb around it effortlessly. ‘’It’s just another year at Hogwarts, darlin’. Except the previous years didn’t include explosions and fire, of course.’’

He was talking about what had happened during the Hogsmeade trip. Eyebrows raising in question to the blonde before him. ‘’Were you there?’’

"You're right, silly me, I must be thinking of the other Mack Yaxley." She teased, giving Mack a knowing smile. She giggled with excitement as he clasped the bracelet around her wrist, happy to be reunited with her favorite piece. She could only imagine the gossip now, Mack Yaxley was seen giving Narcissa Black a present today, looked like expensive jewelry, but it was better than not being spoken about at all. 

“Yes I heard about that.” She said, shaking her head. “No I was–” Stuck in a magical room with James Potter, but she caught her tongue. It was one thing to be gossiped about with Mack, but a totally other thing to be gossiped about with James. “I was doing some shopping, far away from the explosion. Where were you?”

“Frog choir!” Adélaïde huffs indignantly, instantly regretting the very unladylike noise that came from her. “’ow I do despise the frog choir! Ze croaking—et iz enough to drive anyone completely mad!” Despite that, Adélaïde did feel better from her friend’s comforting. She had never in her life felt like she had a home. Not in France, not even at Hogwarts; but when she was with Cissa, she at least felt as though she had someone who cared for her. “Thank you, Cissa,” she took her friend’s hands and squeezed. “You always make me feel better.” 

"Oh once you get past the croaking, it’s not so bad, some of them have lovely voices. Maybe you should try giving one of the toads a kiss, Addy, one could turn into a handsome prince.” She was teasing, a horribly unladylike trait but she knew Adélaïde wouldn’t mind. The two blondes were the same, raised to be the perfect pureblood ladies, a role they both happily filled, but it was nice to have one friend to be able to let your guard down around. “Yes, it is one of my many talents. That and hair styling.” She said, squeezing her friends hand back. 

Bellatrix knew she could be a hard person to admit things to at times. She came off a little harsh, a little uncaring, and a little stubborn. But, her sisters were two of the only people she would listen to with understanding - well, she would try, at least. She did love them more than anyone else, but she worried about them. “Okay.” She would let Narcissa come to her when she was ready. “Just know that if there is anything you want to talk about, I’m here to listen.”

“One can hope.” Bella didn’t want to think about them together. But, she did feel as though there was some truth to Skeeter’s article. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear a voice telling her that Gideon and Alecto weren’t her property. That it wasn’t fair of her to expect them to not be together or Gideon not to move on when she had several times. But, she shook those thoughts from her head.

Narcissa plastered a smile on her face, giving her best impression of the happiest girl in the world. “Of course Bella.” She was thankful for her sister’s offer, though she wasn’t sure if she could endure the embarrassment of admitting her short comings. “There really is nothing to worry about.” She said, reaching out and taking her sister’s hand, finding comfort in the familiar feeling. “I’m just not sleeping very well, all I need is a sleeping potion and I’ll be as good as new.”

“Everything will be fine, I just know it.” She smiled at her sister, but this time she wasn’t faking it. “Besides, anyone with half a brain knows better than to make you angry.” She teased, sending a little wink her sister’s way.

Maybe all he really wanted was to be stopped, to put and end to this, to have Narcissa turn him away, that she would push him and tell him that this -whatever it was, whatever they have- was over. Because he knew he wasn’t strong enough to walk away, to stop himself from closing the space -if there was ever any- between them. “Narcissa” he said struggling to make sense of her words, she surely didn’t mean what was currently racing through his head. But the way her eyes seemed to look into his soul, the only person who had ever seen beyond his facade, how could he ever deny her something. “I-…” he didn’t know what to say, he had ran out of words, an incredible feat really, anyone that knew him could attest to it, but it only made real how great an effect Narcissa had on him. “You have to tell me” Rabastan said while grabbing her waist to pull her even closer, “tell me stop” he said kissing her temple, trailing kisses along her jaw, until he was hovering over her lips, “because I-” he was done fighting, he was giving up, his grasp on her waist tightened, and he used his other hand to grab her neck, finally letting their lips meet.

"Oh..." She breathed, her eyes fluttering closed when she felt his lips against her temple. What had her mother said to her before she left for school this year? Stay away from Rabastan Lestrange. Yes, Druella had made it plainly clear that whatever tryst, if thats what you could call it, that Narcissa had been carrying on with Rab over the the years must end. Her mother had never approved of her friendship with Rabastan, and as they got older her distaste for the boy only grew. She wasn’t wrong to want to keep them apart, Rabastan was a bad influence, and Narcissa had always been weak for him. “I can’t.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper as his lips trailed across her jaw, trailing up up up, until his lips were just above hers. So close. They were fools if they had thought they could avoid this, it had been building in them since they were children, this undeniable pull between the two of them. 

“Please.” She whimpered right before she felt his kiss. Finally, her body sang and she felt herself melt into his, wrapping her arms around his neck. She was so happy that everything else melted away. Her mother, her impending engagement, exams, they no longer existed because she was in Rabastan’s arms, where she had always wanted to be. 

the moment he felt two hands on his face, he tensed and he was ready to turn around and pull the other person away, but then he recognized that voice in a moment and relaxed slightly.’ i don’t know ;  it sounds like a fairy.’ he said, moving his hand and slowly taking hers off his face as he turned around to face her. he chuckled  down at her. ‘ you alright, cissa? or did you think that spending time with your favorite black was needed?’ it was hilarious how relaxed he was around her.

"Yes I was looking for my favorite Black, have you seen Andromeda anywhere?" She teased pretending to look around for her sister before turning back to Regulus with a bright smile. “Of course I am all right, but I am much better now that I am in your company.” She said, threading her arm through her cousin’s, leaning her blonde head against his shoulder. “I have barely seen you all year, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to get some time with you on my own.”

“I know. It turns out she’s just as human as the rest of us.” Andie loved their parents, truly, but it was no secret that she clashed with them quite often; particularly with their mother. Still, when she had learned that she had nightmares like everyone else it was almost… reassuring. Druella Black liked to present herself as statuesque, even to her daughters, and it was a rarity for her to admit she had problems. It was nice to see that statue crack just a little. 

“Are you sure?” It wasn’t that she didn’t believe her sister, it was just that she didn’t quite believe her sister. She also had a considerably large distrust of anyone who might be involved romantically with her, because Narcissa deserved nothing less than the perfect husband when that time came. “Oh, Cissa. Of course he’ll want to marry you. You’re the biggest catch at this school.” she teased lightly, though her voice shifted back to something slightly more serious, “Nobody would be disappointed in you, Narcissa. You don’t need to worry about that, not ever.”

Narcissa chuckled despite herself. Narcissa took after her mother in many ways, but even she could admit that Druella Black could be more than a little cold towards her children. “Well don’t let anyone else find out she’s just a mere mortal, it will destroy her carefully constructed reputation.” She was not normally one to poke fun at their parents, after all she was their perfect daughter, but lack of sleep made her tongue loosen and the jibe slip past her lips. 

“Of course I’m sure.” She said, feigning a giggle, as if Andromeda’s query was a silly joke. No she couldn’t let Andromeda know her true heart, it was silly of Cissa to breach the topic to begin with. “Yes, but will he love me? Will I be able to keep his interest?” I’m not like you and Bella, she almost added but she couldn’t bring herself to say it, it would be too pathetic. “If he does not marry me Mother and Father will never forgive me.”

Adélaïde ran her fingers over her skirts, smoothing out the wrinkles. “Oui,” she said airily, “but zen I would be surrounded by ze cutest European boys. Zey are so much more openminded zen these brutes,” she waved a hand for emphasis. “English boys are so uptight. Zey are so crude and ‘ave no tact. It iz too much to ask for, to ‘ave yourself serenaded, or given flowers?”

"Come now Addy, they're not all bad." Cissa said with a giggle. Adélaïde could always make her laugh even when she was not intending to be funny. “I’m sure there is a boy in the frog choir who would happily serenade you, and as for the flowers I promise to bring you a fresh bouquet more beautiful than anything a man, English or otherwise, has ever given you.” She said, putting the finishing touches on Addy’s hair. “There, good as new and rather fashionable if I do say so myself.”

He rolled his eyes before lifting his hands up to cover his ears. “Ow, fuck! Turn it down a notch, Black! Small room, remember?” He rolled his eyes again. “Well obviously, if the intention was to leave someone in here for hours. I was going to use it on someone who messed with my friends and just let them sit in here for like ten minutes. We just don’t have that option, so why don’t you calm the fuck down?” He sighed, shaking his head. “We just have to hope someone pressed the button soon, but even if it only takes two minutes, we’re in for twelve minutes of each other.”

Narcissa sniffed, turning her small, button nose up in the air. “Twelve minutes too long.” She grumbled, turning her back to Potter, trying to pretend that he wasn’t there. Someone had to notice that they were missing, didn’t they? Narcissa’s gaggle of girlfriends would surely miss her, and James was popular among the Gryffindors, as much as Narcissa hated to admit it. Someone, anyone had to be looking for them and yet the minutes and they were still stuck in the forsaken room. “If we’re going to be stuck together for the foreseeable future we might as well talk.” She said, giving into the boredom.

This is how Rabastan knew he wasn’t a good person, because a good person wouldn’t lean down and let their noses brush against each other, and would definitely not be thinking about finally letting their lips meet. There was nothing he wanted more in this world than kissing Narcissa. But Narcissa deserved the best, and he wasn’t it, so he took all the pain and pushed it deep inside him, and grabbed her hand in his, giving it a kiss. “Cissa” he said, using the hand that wasn’t holding hers to cup her face, letting his thumb caress her cheek, before kissing her forehead. “We are getting out of the restricted section before the librarian or Filch catch us…” Rabastan let his hand move to her neck, and brought their foreheads together “and you are going back to your table, to your books, and I’ll sit across from you to keep you company…” Rabastan wasn’t a good guy, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t try, no matter how painful it was. 

This was why Narcissa didn't allow herself to be alone with Rabastan anymore, because every time they were left by themselves they always went a little bit farther, a little bit more over the edge. Her breath hitched in her throat when his nose brushed hers and she could practically feel his lips against hers. She had imagined what his kiss would feel like countless times, and if he would have leaned forward just an inch she would have happily let him press his lips against her own, but instead he pulled away and Narcissa couldn’t help but let out a whimper. She had to settle with a kiss on her hand, no where near as desirable as a kiss on the lips but it still sent flames going through her body. “Please.” She pleaded, reaching up and grabbing onto his sweater, desperately trying to hold him near. “No one has been here in hours, we won’t get caught.” She pressed her forehead against his, her blue eyes meeting his green. “Please Rab, please don’t make me wait any longer.”

“It’s cold in my room.” She whispered as she crawled into Rabastan’s bed. It was a lie and they both knew it, the Lestranges had put the Black Family up in their finest rooms for their visit. Narcissa’s room was actually quite lovely, but she couldn’t resist sneaking across the hall to Rab, not when he was so close. “Is this alright?” She asked once she was under his covers, so close to him that their noses were bumping up against each other. His sheets smelled like his all too familiar sent, and she wished she could bottle it up and wear it like a perfume. 

Narcissa rarely smoked, she thought it was a nasty habit but sometimes it was the only thing that could fix her trembling hands. She thought she was alone until Lucius appeared next to her, giving her a sad smile and removing the cigarette from her lips and brining it to his own. She returned his sad smile with one of her own, pressing her shoulder against his, leaning on him for support. These days they often communicated this way, silently, but filled with emotion. 

Tears pricked at Narcissa’s blue eyes and she had to quickly turn away to hide her face before they fell down her face. “Please don’t...” She whispered, unable to look at him. “You’re the one who ended things Rabastan, not me.” Her voice was choke up with emotion. How could he say such things to her, after he was the one who turned her away, told her to go to Lucius when she told him how she felt. She was just beginning to be able to be in the same room as him without feeling like she would fall apart and then he says things like this. “I’m getting married in a few weeks because you told me too, please don’t make it any harder than it already is.”

Narcissa clapped her hands with excitement as her friend exited the dressing room. “Oh Addy you look wonderful!” She squealed, jumping up and admiring the sage green dress the other blonde was currently modeling. “But we might have to change it,” she said, scrunching her face up and feigning concern “I can’t have my maid of honor looking more beautiful than me.”