Getting to know S. (Severus x OC)

2- Narcissa's version

I can't believe it's already six.

I can't stop, I must go from one place to another, checking that everything is in condition for our guests.

The flowers in the vases, the vases on their tables, the tables in their place, illuminated, but not much, lest the flowers wither... the elves inform me that dinner is ready, and I run to check it, as well as the table. Everything must be perfect.

Lucius looks at me, sitting on his couch, with Treu resting his head on his knees, and smiles. I know he think it's ridiculous that I go out of my way to prepare details that won't be appreciated, but he doesn't say anything to me, knowing that I like what I do.

I'm glad to see that Lucius is much calmer since I agreed to acquire Treu, with the excuse that he would be a playmate for our son Draco. The events of the War left him too restless, but the presence of the animal has been a blessing. It's a relief to see how Lucius is back to his usual self.

By Merlin! The doorbell rings, and an elf goes to open it. I check on my clothes, nervous, and smile to welcome Severus and his wife.

I give them two kisses and look at her: she is very pretty, and her green dress contrasts especially well with her dark hair and brown eyes. Her makeup is subtle but very flattering, and it looks like she's put great care into getting ready for dinner.

I wonder if she is responsible for our friend Severus finally looking more elegant than usual. It was about time that someone took hands in the matter and make this man dress properly.

She seems very nervous and somewhat resigned, as if she feels out of place, but she smiles and maintains her composure, like the lady she is. She's not much younger than Severus, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old, but I can sense her inexperience and insecurity. I realize that she must not be used to attending formal evenings, and I understand her concern.

She looks for her husband, who seems to always be aware of her and does not leave her side. That surprises me in Severus, but before I can study them better, we are told that dinner is ready.

Treu is the one who arrives at the table first, as if not wanting to be separated from Lucius, and my husband allows him to remain at his side, while inviting Selene to sit next to him. She does not respond immediately, but hesitates and turns pale, without taking her eyes off the black mastiff.

Her attitude does not surprise me, because Treu, even though he has a very good character, is a gigantic animal, and even I feel intimidated by him, but I am very surprised by the reaction of Severus, who changes his place with her, despite hating dogs. Never before had he voluntarily placed himself so close to Treu.

I think I see an expression of gratitude in her eyes, and a shadow of complicity in his, and I look at them both in surprise, not really knowing what to think.

Once dinner was served, we started talking.

Lucius mocks Severus, and his previous efforts to hide his wife from us. I can see he gets upset, but he holds his composure. Then my husband, who is as curious as I am about Selene, proceeds to question her.

At first, she answers his questions, and I think I see Severus looking at her with pride. However, Lucius gets carried away with his enthusiasm, and begins to ask about her past on the dark side, and her expression changes. She has stopped eating, is breathing quickly and keeps looking at Severus, who, irritated, ends up taking the floor and answers Lucius for her.

I notice that he has called her "Core" in a slip of the tongue, and I imagine, like Lucius, that it is a diminutive of her last name, Corine. I'm surprised to see that level of familiarity between them, but the gesture is forgotten by the unpleasant tone the conversation is taking.

Severus is acting quite surly, and from the look on Lucius's face I know that they are both going to start a fight. I proceed to interrupt them and remind my husband that this is not the time to talk about the past. After all, we wanted to have a quiet dinner, for the first time since the end of the war, and there is no need to inconvenience our guests by reliving unpleasant memories.

I try to smooth things over, asking Selene about their honeymoon trip, hoping Severus had that detail.

To my surprise, Selene confesses to me that they traveled to Venice, a destination that I did not expect at all. The excuse of the trip allows us to talk animatedly, and Selene seems to relax and smiles for the first time all night, looking much prettier than before. She talks candidly about her honeymoon, and I think I see her blush.

I would like to know more about the reasons for her blushing smile, however, the agitated conversation between Lucius and Severus catches her attention, and for a moment she is distracted, leaving me with a question in my mouth.

Lucius realizes that Selene is listening to them and asks her a question, quite uncomfortable in my opinion, and I can see how she freezes, nervous again, squeezing her wine glass in such a way that it ends up breaking, spilling the wine on her and cutting her hand with the edges of the glass pieces.

She seems confused and embarrassed, not knowing what to do, so I insist that she accompany me out of the room. I take Selene to the restroom, where I clean her dress with a spell and heal the wound on her hand, giving her a little time to recover from her embarrassment.

Then, realizing something, I ask her a question, which startles her. Clearly, it wasn't my place to question her like that, and I deeply regret having cornered her like that. Fortunately, a house-elf interrupts us. He calls me to come and comfort my son, who has woken up, so I leave for a few minutes, leaving Selene alone.

When I return to her, I find her in the library, browsing one of our new acquisitions. To my surprise, she seems very happy, as well as blushing. She can't tell me what it is, but I sense that perhaps my question had, despite everything, something to do with her change of mood.

When we return to the dining room, the men are arguing, but they fall silent when they see us arrive.

I act as if nothing had happened and sit back down at the table, trying to create a good atmosphere, but I'm not very successful, because Lucius and Severus are still angry. Selene doesn't talk much either, but looks at her husband as if she sees something new in him, and blushes a little, showing a weak, almost invisible smile.

Then I get a message from my sister Bella, announcing that she's coming to visit us later. She has some matters that she urgently wishes to discuss with Lucius, and that explains the reason for her sudden visit.

At that moment, Severus's face falls, and he stands up abruptly, announcing that he and Selene are leaving.

She looks at him surprised and tries to tell him that such haste is not necessary, but he insists, emphasizing his words and fixing his gaze on her, as if reminding her of a conversation already had. She nods and lowers her head, but I can see a thankful expression on her face that surprises me. She even seems relieved, as if she had just been rescued from imminent danger.

Lucius is upset but shows good manners and accompanies them to the door, although for Severus that would not have been necessary, since he has taken Selene by the arm with a protectiveness that I had never seen before and leads her firmly to the door.

Before leaving, Selene hugs me and thanks me. There is something in her look that makes me think that it won't be long before we see each other again.

Now that they are gone, Lucius paces up and down, furious, muttering insults against his friend, cursing him a thousand times for how he treats Selene, but I, however, sit in an armchair, thoughtful, realizing that, in those eight months of marriage, Severus has changed much more than I imagined, even in insignificant things.

I never believed that he could overcome the intense hatred he has for dogs to separate his wife from the animal, and I had also never seen him speak for so long in a row, of his own free will. He seemed to want to protect Selene from something.

And she... she intrigues me too. I think there is much more than what she has let us see. And all those smiles and blushes make me think that maybe this couple is not as unfortunate as we thought.

I smile as I hear Lucius call Severus a miserable oaf, and I shake my head in amusement, feeling like I'm still missing a few pieces to solve this puzzle.