Hey, Soul Sister [Lucius/Narcissa]

Chapter Thirty-Three

Narcissa awoke to the sound of tapping against the glass of her bedroom window. She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself up into a sitting position to look toward the noise, and she blinked in the sight of Lucius's eagle owl perched on the sill. She tossed off the covers and climbed out of bed, padding across the carpet toward the window and opening to allow the owl to move inside. Narcissa detached the letter from the foot of the bird, which hooted softly and watched her as she opened the envelope and pulled the letter free.

***

My Dear Narcissa—

My mother had a brilliant idea as to how we can celebrate our engagement, and I want to bring it up to you and to your parents in person. They've given me permission to stop by this afternoon. Please don't worry—I promise to make the best impression I can.

I look forward to seeing you.

—Lucius x

***

Narcissa stared down at the parchment, her heart thudding against her ribs. He's coming here? she thought. Her cheeks burned, her palms beginning to sweat. She didn't doubt that Lucius was capable of making a decent impression with her parents, but the idea of trying to conceal the depth of her feelings for him to placate the two were doubted that she knew what love was highly unsettled her. She would have to remain vigilant and not give them reason to question or embarrass her while Lucius was present.

She pulled fresh parchment from a drawer within her desk and wrote a reply, trying hard not to betray her anxiety about the situation.

***

Lucius—

I'm sure you'll make a fantastic impression; I'd sooner anticipate them making a poor one on you. I'm very glad to have the chance to see you, and I hope I can do so often over the holidays.

Love,

Narcissa

***

As she sat at the edge of the chaise in the drawing room, absently picking at the dark green threads beside fabric of her dress of a few shades lighter, Narcissa found it increasingly difficult to keep herself calm. Lucius would be arriving at any moment.

They wouldn't possibly ruin this, she told herself, trying hard to believe it. If only for the sake of our family name, they won't want to make a bad first impression. She knew Lucius had encountered her parents briefly in passing—a 'hello' at a ball, perhaps—but they'd never been around one another for long enough for him to experience the disasters that so often accompanied them.

She heard the knock at the front door and the hurried footsteps of the elf as he hurried to answer it, and she rolled her shoulders backward and sat up a little straighter, ignoring the feeling of her parents' gazes pressing in on her from the sofa. A few moments later, Lucius strode into the drawing room, a cool smile on his lips. Narcissa's gaze swept over him, and she couldn't help admiring how composed he looked in a set of dark-blue dress-robes she'd never seen him wear until now, his posture relaxed yet emanating an air of control.

"Lord and Lady Black," he greeted them, nodding respectfully to each in turn. When his grey eyes landed on Narcissa, she caught sight of a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. "Miss Black." He stepped forward, and she rose from the chaise to curtsey for her parents' benefit.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said, resisting the urge to smile, if just barely.

She hadn't anticipated that Lucius would reach for her hand, and when he took it in his own, Narcissa's pulse accelerated. She watched as he drew her hand to his lips and gave its back a gentle kiss.