Hey, Soul Sister [Lucius/Narcissa]

Chapter Fifty-Three

A/N: I'm working to finish HSS. Light in Oblivion has been removed, as I'm turning it into a novel. If you want to read my other novels, short story collections, etc., check out my Twitter (my username is MandiJourdan). I would love to connect with readers of my fics and introduce them to my original fiction, including a sci-fi novel I'm putting on as a play in a few months.

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Chapter Fifty-Three

Narcissa sat at her sister's bedside. In her darkest nightmares, she'd never imagined what her life had now become. Her father was dead, her fiancé responsible for his murder. Abraxas was gone, as well, and Lucius seemed to be losing more of himself by the day. Andromeda lay pale and unconscious in a bed at St. Mungo's, and Bellatrix had been the catalyst.

Nothing can be simple. Nothing can be easy.

The Healers had only allowed in one person, and Narcissa knew Lucius and Seraphina awaited news down the hall. She would return to them eventually. Perhaps when Andromeda awoke, she would tell her to leave. In her sister's place, Narcissa had no idea what she would do. They had been so close to mending at least a portion of the brokenness between them. Andromeda had wanted to help, to lead the Ministry away from Lucius in their search for Cygnus's killer.

Narcissa let out a heavy sigh, trying to push some of the pain out of her body. She lowered her head into her hands.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry, Andi. I never wanted you to get hurt."

Several minutes that felt more like hours passed in silence, and then rapid footsteps drew her attention to the doorway. Ted paused on the threshold, his eyes wide and his hair tousled, as though he'd been running for a long while. He looked older than he should have. When his gaze landed on his wife, his eyes filled with tears.

"Ted, I can't begin to—"

"You can't, can you?"

His voice was hard, and at the sound of it, the rest of Narcissa's words died in her throat. Her eyes stung, and she fought back the tears that wanted to fall. She couldn't crumble now.

Ted moved forward and paused at Andromeda's side, laying his hand on her cheek and leaning close to press his lips to her forehead. They lingered there for several moments, and at last, Narcissa had to turn away from the sight in order to keep her tenuous grip on her emotions.

"Bellatrix?"

She nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry. Ted, I'm so sorry."

As the tears broke free at last, she looked up at him to find him watching her. The ire in his expression eased away, and he closed his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice was softer.

"I don't think you understand all this, Narcissa. Not fully. If you did, you wouldn't be aligning yourself with the wrong side."

The words twisted her stomach, and she gripped the arms of the chair tightly.

"I don't have a choice," she breathed. "If it were her who—who served him, what would you do?"

They stared at one another in silence. Narcissa wondered whether he could truly answer her, could give her some escape route that she hadn't seen. Was there a way she could take Lucius and run, escape from the Dark Lord and everything he wanted her fiancé to become? Everything Bellatrix had already become?