All the Little Secrets| D.M. (18+)

Chapter 23

I was woken up by shouting coming from downstairs. It was so loud it would have been impossible to ignore and go back to sleep. I threw the covers off of me and discreetly snuck out of the guest room to see what in the wizarding world was going on. As I approached the edge of the top of the stair case I could see Draco's platinum hair. I ducked down closer to the ground and began eavesdropping on the conversation. 

"Mother, you can't possibly be serious?! Kick her out of the house on Christmas, it's cruel, even for you!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. 

"Draco please your father said she needed to be gone before he came back and who knows when that will be?" Narcissa whimpered. 

"Exactly, he may not be back for months!" Draco retorted. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, I said the girl leaves by the end of today and that's final." She said sternly.

"Well then I'm leaving too." 

My vision was blocked but I could hear Draco storming off, slamming one of the doors on his way out of the manor. Just like that the dispute was over and I could not have felt more awful. 

They're arguing because of you. Fix it!

A faint sobbing sound began to emanate from the first floor and I knew exactly where it was coming from. I tiptoed down the staircase to the bottom where a disheveled Narcissa sat on the first step with her head in her hands. She always looked so regal and put together but today her hair was messy and she was still in her nightgown, she seemed utterly defeated. 

"Narcissa?" I whispered hesitantly.

She whipped around to reveal her tear stained face and a small purple bruise which had formed on her right cheek where Lucius had hit her the night before. 

"Oh for Merlin's sake, haven't you done enough?" She snapped before putting her head back in her hands. 

"I'm sorry I...I-"

"Well don't just stand there stuttering bring me a glass of wine." Narcissa commanded. 

I honestly had no idea what else to do so I did as she said. I went into the kitchen and retrieved the largest wine glass I could find, filling it to the brim with Narcissa's finest vintage red. I carefully walked over to her making sure not to spill a single drop of the blood red liquid on the marble tiles. As I began approaching Narcissa she looked up at me and held out her hand, patiently waiting for me to place the glass in it. Once she had the wine glass in her grasp she immediately gulped down the entire thing without even taking a breath. 

"You know, when I saved you I never realized what a pain in my ass you would become." She hissed. 

"You saved me?" I gasped disingenuously.

"Oh please don't act surprised, I'm sure you heard mine and Lucius' conversation last night, it's not like he was being quiet. Plus I heard you scurrying around your room like the little rat you are."  

Narcissa's words were sharper than usual but I couldn't let that get to me. I had to know the truth behind why I was taken in by the Death Eaters, about my parents, about why someone like Narcissa would even care enough to save me. 

"I bet you have all these little burning questions swirling around your head. Well go ahead, ask them." Narcissa scowled as she placed her empty wine glass on the floor. 

I took a seat next to her on the staircase, she slide as far from me as she could as if I could infect her with some deadly virus.  I really could not fathom how someone who despised me so much could have been my savior.