Before The Past

Ch. 61

"Aroura dear, there you are." Narcissa spoke as she turned around the corner. 

I was only a few steps down the hall before she had found me. She stopped just at the end and waited for me to make my way over to her. She nervously flattened the front of her dress a few times and gave a soft smile. Before I could fully stop in front of her she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the room closest to us. 

She quietly closed the door, looking outside before doing so. When the door had shut she looked around at all of the paintings with a stern look, causing them to all nod and walk away from their frames. I watched cautiously as Narcissa paced around the room with her hands together, pursing her lips. She looked out the window for a moment before taking a deep breath and sitting down on one of the chairs. 

We were in what appeared to be a study with several books, a desk, and a nice seating area with a large window to view outside. I'd been in others rooms such as this in the manor, but never before had I been in this one. This room was darker, and had several more artifacts than any of the others did. There was a newspaper on the desk which was from almost a year ago with Lucius Malfoy's Azkaban head shot on it. 

This must have been Lucius's study. 

But why were we in here? Based off of Narcissa's apprehensive and fidgety manor I could tell that there was something heavy on her mind. 

"Is everything alright Narcissa?" I asked quietly. 

Despite my efforts not to startle her, she seemed to jump a bit at the sound of my voice. She looked over at me, almost as if she had forgotten I was there and had just now noticed me. She took yet another deep breath and patted the other chair next to her. 

"I'm just fine dear, sit." Her voice was hesitant, but her face gave nothing away. 

I sat down and she immediately conjured up two cups and a pot of tea. As if out of instinct she began pouring and adding two sugars and a dash of milk to her cup. She looked over at me, smiled, and repeated the same movements for my cup. We both liked our tea the same way, which in some ways almost seemed to comfort her. It also brought me comfort to know that she was able to remember it easily and not speak more than she had to. 

I could tell that whatever was going on put a lot of strain on her mind. 

"Is there something on your mind? You seem just a bit timid, and excuse my forwardness, but this is quite an odd place to have tea." I said, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Oh not to worry. I do agree that this is not the most favorable place for tea, but it was the best option for now. It's hard to find privacy when the Dark Lord chooses to station in your house. As much as it is an honor, it is also quite taxing." Narcissa sighed. 

I nodded and took a few sips of tea, letting the silence take over the questions. I was obvious that she was still trying to muster up the courage to speak, so I was going to give her time. I only hoped that whatever it was she had to say, it wasn't too devastating. 

Several minutes had passed by and I wondered if my parents had left or not. I questioned if they chose to stay and wait for me or it they've decided I can do things on my own now. Slowly they've given me more independence, and seeing as I was now performing tasks for The Dark Lord, there was more freedom. If I can can be trusted by someone so powerful to execute dangerous tasks, what was the point in governing me at home like a child? 

The more time I spent in the room, the more things I noticed. 

The paintings checking in every so often and scurrying off when they saw us. 

The small trap door in the corner, locked by a small padlock, presumably enchanted for extra precaution. 

The labels of the books and the run down spines of those used the most.