Wolf and Wings - Remus and Narcissa

Chapter 14

Amycus Carrow had warned himself not to wring his hands as he went into Malfoy Manor's drawing room to speak to Tom Riddle. He was doing it all the same. The evening was dark, the fire in the hearth burning high and greenish, and with every day, the air in the room took on a stronger and stronger reptilian stench. The Dark Lord had grown powerful enough, fearsome enough that whatever room he was in felt like murder, tense with the power to dole out judgment, punishment, and death.

He was becoming more dangerous, yet that wouldn't stop Amycus from offering the Dark Lord his sister as the mother of the chosen one in place of that wild and foolish Narcissa Black.

"Surely after her disgraceful behaviour this weekend my Lord will dismiss young Miss Black as Malfoy's consort. She is clearly unfit, if I may say so," Amycus said over his clasped, twisting hands.

"You may not say so," Malfoy said, tossing his hair as he sat at the Dark Lord's side.

Riddle raised a hand to silence Malfoy even as he scoffed at Carrow himself. "Don't be coy, Carrow. Your motives are transparent. You've come to offer Alecto as an alternate consort, in an attempt to elevate your family and yourself above the Malfoys, the Blacks, the Lestranges - families with which yours has never compared."

"Alternate? An utterly unsuitable alternate," Malfoy fumed. "Really, Carrow. That tree stump of a sister of yours as Madam Malfoy? Are you quite serious?"

Carrow snapped, stepping into the flickering green firelight. "Honestly, Malfoy, you would let your selfishness, your vanity, your lust for a pretty but vapid girl get in the way of our Lord's designs. Alecto is no beauty. She has never taken any interest in something so frivolous. Instead, she is a skilled witch, mature, stalwart and true to our cause. You certainly won't find her on the gossip pages canoodling with a fancy man."

He stood panting, waiting for some sign of pain in Malfoy, but finding only a roll of the eyes and a smirk.

Riddle tutted. "Gentlemen, there is no need to insult or take offense. Yes, Amycus, Alecto would do as a mother, all things being equal, but they are not. I will tell you something, because you are a competent, if lacklustre servant, who will serve me better if you understand why I reject your offer. And I will tell you, Lucius, so you do not overestimate your own worth in all of this. You may be substituted out of the role of the chosen sire. Narcissa Black may not be."

Lucius almost let his smirk falter. His pride forced him to hold it, asking no questions, waiting, masking his state of alarm.

"Yes," the Dark Lord continued, sitting forward in his chair, the firelight illuminating his face. "Any virile wizard would do for the father. I chose Malfoy because the bloodline is ancient and pure. The family fortune is sound. And this house - the enchantments built into the stones and timbers of this old house make it a formidable fortress in time of need. It is a fit home for our chosen child. What's more, Lucius's physical appearance matches Miss Black's well, assuring the child will be not only pure, but strong and comely. Yes, it was Lucius that I matched to her, not the other way around."

Carrow sniffed, not daring to object. The Dark Lord turned his back to him, rising and walking to the window, peering out at the darkness. His breath barely fogged the window pane.

"Bella will be arriving soon. Matron of honour for tomorrow's wedding," he snickered to himself. "You know, Bellatrix was my first choice for the mother of the chosen one. I had her paired with Lestrange, another excellent stud like yourself, Malfoy. Both of the Lestranges are skilled, handsome, loyal, lush darkness to their cores."

He smoothed the chintz of the drawing room drapery between his fingers. "But a woman doesn't simply find a mate and lie back to conceive a charmed child. She must be prepared, magically altered over the course of years as she develops. When I approached Bella to begin the preparations, she was fifteen years old, already eager for revolution and glory. At first, she came along brilliantly. Do you remember, Lucius? You were in school together at the time, and she rose to be the best in class for a short while. All thanks to our preparations. A potion she took with her meals, like a health draught."