𓂅 ⋆ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 .

SYDNEY SWEENEY by Amber Asaly

      so, rapping a dainty gloved hand against the grand front door of the rosier's townhouse, it's with a brilliant smile that narcissa greets the favourite of her dark haired rosier cousins, ❛   oh, there's nothing to apologise for, andra! ❜ she reassures, having not been in too much of a rush herself to move on from what had happened whilst she'd been away. not to mention how difficult it was proving but her being there was certainly a stride in the right direction, her mother had said as much, something she'd likely divulge to andra in due time. ❛   i can only imagine what it's like to prepare for the social season with a job as prestigious as yours on top of that. ❜

Belle de Jour (1967) dir. Luis Buñuel

      thankful, it was enough just to be in regulus' presence. there's an innate comfort in his being by her side, born from two decades of close companionship that resulted in narcissa seeing him as more of a brother than a cousin and it calms her. one might even be tempted to say that she shared a deeper bond with him than with her two sisters. it certainly felt, at times, as though she could speak more freely with regulus... particularly on matters of the heart. vulnerability didn't scare her quite as much as it usually did when face to face with his thoughtful understanding. ❛   i know... i know... ❜ she breathes, holding onto regulus' forearms for support as she considers whether she should simply resign herself to the thankful outcome that not a single member of their family had fallen victim to the beast's claws. only, her cousin can't truly begin to imagine the onslaught of guilt she stared down, for he hadn't been there holding valeria's body as she appeared to bleed out, the memories of it beginning to flash before her teary blue-green eyes once more, ❛   i just... i fear i... ❜ the blonde struggles, unable to voice what she so rarely felt, ❛   i fear i put valeria directly into the line of fire, or at least i stood by and allowed her to be dragged into it... had i... not been so prideful or spoken up for her, perhaps she wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed, maimed and permanently scarred. ❜ regret.

@daffodlis

      wordlessly, narcissa accepts the cigarette packet in her hands, plucking one out and placing the delicate thing between rosebud lips, fraught with rapidly unravelling emotion, before leaning down to retrieve her wand from the holster it had been hiding in beneath the bloodied white chiffon of her skirt, uttering a simple "incendio" in order to set it alight. eventually chancing a fleeting glance in lucius' direction, it wasn't at all difficult to tell he was agitated, touchy in a way she should have expected — poor andressa had been attacked after all. and savagely at that. but so had her friends... so, instead, she's rather taken aback by the austere tone to their conversation, naive in her expectation of comfort, only to met with harsh reality as ever and it altogether prompts the blonde to recede in retaliation. her only hope being that she hadn't been the cause of it. one rather pensive drag later, her breath noticeably unsteady in the face of not only what had happened to their peers but from the way her heart had begun to be ache too, ❛   no, it was noble. naturally, you have your priorities... nobody can fault you for that. ❜ words that might have otherwise sounded bitter from any other pair of lips are masked by narcissa's genuine sense of sentiment. of course, simmering beneath the seraphic surface, she resented that it was andressa at the centre of all this. that time after time, it would always be her and narcissa had resented that very fact ever since the all hallow's ball in 1982, resented how each opportunity she had to prevail had been sabotaged by forces beyond her control. it was the lack of control that ate away at her, preying on her resolve. only this time promised to be different, for he had been made thoroughly aware of her and her intentions and time could only tell how that would affect their... relationship going forward. beginning to toy nervously with the cigarette between her fingers, she turns to face him, hoping to finally draw his attention, ❛   i'm perfectly fine. ❜ she adds with a ghost of a feigned smile, though she scarcely believes herself, performative as ever when vulnerability was involved, especially before lucius of all people yet she sincerely doubts he believes her either, ❛   val's alive, that's all that really matters to me right now. and how about you, hm? how fares andressa? ❜

      a charade it was and yet, narcissa rarely felt more at ease than she did in rabastan's presence. they'd had their tumultuous moments as any friendship might — namely in the wake of the death eaters having been revealed to her but time had only gone to show that their relationship was stronger for it and best of all, there was no pretence between the two of them. ❛   having been there visiting our friends, i can certainly sympathise with that. an extended stay at st. mungo's, anything longer than a few fleeting hours, is truly the stuff of nightmares. ❜ the blonde replies scathingly, shuddering at the thought of returning to hospital only to be met with those same sterile walls, ❛   hopefully he'll be released soon and reunited with andromeda... she's a black in every sense of the word but you know i worry about her place in all this. ❜ blue-green eyes flicker downward in tandem with her words, a pensive expression gracing fair features. if she were being truly honest, narcissa's dream of marrying lucius malfoy should pale in comparison to that of andromeda falling in line and joining them. it occupied her thoughts at the best of times but she's stirred awake by her friend's probing question, a faint smirk playing at her lips, ❛   how did you know? ❜ she gasps, feigning shock and surprise at his incredibly accurate summation of the night's events, ❛   lucius was with me, yes... for all of five minutes before poor andressa was attacked and then, naturally, he went running to her aid. ❜

      st. mungo's was a place narcissa preferred to spend as little time in as possible... yet it was a day after the attacks and there she lingered still, unable to bring herself to leave when the health of several of her friends hung in the balance. sending away for a house elf to collect a fresh set of clothes and some edible food from brideswater for her, the blonde had successfully evaded the hospital's cafeteria another day and began poking around elsewhere to bide the time, quietly delighting in the surprise that awaited her inside the waiting room. ❛   larkin... ❜ narcissa hums in greeting, her manicured brows raised and mirroring his as she comes to sit beside him in the chair he'd so politely pulled out for her before crossing her legs and turning to him with a wry smile, ❛   where's that little sidekick of yours who's always skulking around after you, hm? too busy picking up all the broken pieces of that dusty old shop to pay you any mind today? ❜ teasing words at severus snape's expense are all in good fun, a self-interested attempt to entertain herself and lighten the all too dismal mood the sterile walls around them only perpetuated, though she imagined with a wizard as bad-humoured as mulciber was rumoured to be, it would prove... difficult to say the least.

      the elegant blonde in question was attempting  to clear her mind, doing so by way of running errands after escaping the clutches of a drab and dreary st. mungo's waiting room. a return to normalcy, she hoped. having already looked in on moribund's on behalf of the davis', narcissa's sights turned to cobb & webb's next, in search of a present for val when the familiar voice of a friend intervenes, his handsome face catching her by surprise. ❛   rab! ❜ she calls back cheerily, welcoming him into her arms and pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek in the process. if the two of them were going to play at courting, narcissa would, naturally, rise to the occasion and not miss a single beat whilst doing so. they'd have high society wrapped around both their little fingers by the end of the week with any luck. ❛   i'm alright, i'm alright... all the better for seeing you here in one piece. ❜ the witch smiles wearily, pulling back to inspect him in tandem, offering a look of concern, ❛   i was so sorry to hear about rod, how is he? i'm told my sister put up a rather valiant fight in order to protect him... i hope that means the damage is minimal? no full moon rendezvous in his future i take it? ❜

SYDNEY SWEENEY Gotham Magazine (April 12, 2023)

keeping an ear to the conversation taking place beside her, it's only when the topic of andromeda's... relationship with rodolphus comes up that narcissa immediately dismisses herself from the chat with their parents, turning the pair of brunettes with a bemused expression, ❛   what are you two smirking about? rodolphus' turn as a damsel in distress? i heard andie was a regular knight in shining armour. i'm sad to have to missed it. ❜ she fawns, wiggling a pair of manicured brows in andromeda's direction, ❛   you should likely heed bella's words though, andie... or else you won't just be married before me, you'll be getting married in a private room at st. mungo's. ❜ teasing words are accompanied by a theatrical shudder at the thought of them coming to pass. the blonde did enjoy the idea of andie and rod together... they made a good team, so it seemed and a pureblood union also meant she might be more susceptible to the ideas being introduced by bella's dark lord. the three sisters as a united front once more, narcissa wanted it more than anything. well... almost anything. @andromedahs

      narcissa's mind was moving a mile a minute and had been since the previous night. far too fast for her own comprehension as she swanned about st. mungo's attempting, rather in vain, to fight off the guilt she was having to swallow as a result of sending val off to her almost demise. all the while the more selfish part of her was struggling to stomach what calliope had said to her. they were a monstrous little wix indeed. thusly, in an uncharacteristically dejected daze of her own musings, the blonde scarcely has time to notice her beloved cousin make his entrance, ❛   oh, reg... ❜ she breathes a sigh of relief, welcoming him into her arms with a sliver of a smile, ❛   i'm so glad to see you. ❜ and it was true, for the events following valeria's attack were... blurry to say the least. the witch was thankful to know that regulus dismissed himself before the chaos began ensuing. and quite rightly he was for it too. ❛   as kind a gesture as that would be... i don't want you to miss work on my account. it's val we should be worried about, after all. i can't help but feel it's my fault. ❜ cissa confides, pulling him aside and out of view of any unwanted company as tears begin to prick her blue-green eyes.

If your opinion is as rude as your manner, I don’t think I care to hear it. Grace Kelly as Lisa Carol Fremont in Rear Window (1954)

      in spite of herself, narcissa smiles and proudly so, flaunting her desirability as she'd been taught to, ❛   but i have my fair share of handsome suitors, thank you. it's simply... not a decision i wish to rush. ❜ it was, after all, one of the only decisions she got to make for herself. advantageous marriages might have been a staple of their society but getting to choose whom it was, rather than be callously pawned off on the highest bidder, was all the autonomy a life like theirs afforded a lady and narcissa, for one, planned on making it count. ❛   and you? ❜ comes the inevitable volley. the blonde could tell well enough why it was that he'd come here alone but there was a much more pressing question that demanded attention, ❛   are you planning to get down on one knee soon? or did poor old mr. wilkes dropping dead at his own wedding perhaps put you off? ❜ she poses under the veil of an innocent, if not a little scathing, inquiry. pale brow ever so slowly beginning to knit with worry, altogether dreading the sort of answer she may receive.

      it felt as though all narcissa had done today was drink... not that that was a particularly bad thing. she'd thoroughly enjoyed the company kept and the buzz she'd acquired through doing it had certainly soothed the opposing disdain narcissa held for the festival and its eclectic crowd of attendees. still, the witch takes pleasure in flexing her status as fluid, writhing bodies part to make way for her. a convivial smile gracing rosy lips as she, at last, makes contact with her elder sister, ❛   that would be lovely, andromeda. ❜ narcissa replies, taking the brunette's hands in her own, ❛   where is it that you've been hiding today then? i sincerely hope you've enjoyed your day, regardless of what you've been up to... ❜