A Rose By Any Other Name

Chapter 10

The clock had just struck nine. The night was drawing nearer and this sent shivers down her spine. Their guests would arrive sometime after nightfall; it could be any minute now but she put these thoughts out of her mind and just focused on making herself back into the presentable pure blood wife she was brought up to be.

Looking into her closet, she chose a white turtle neck blouse with long princess sleeves that were cuffed at her wrists and matched it with a ebony mermaid skirt that cleverly covered her oxygen deprived veins that crawled up her legs like poison ivy up a white willow tree. She could hear her name being called from the entrance hall, her heart now beating fast enough to break each individual rib. She crossed over the hallway to meet her husband in the entrance hall. She met his cold sneering gaze and almost wanted to retreat back into the shadows.

"About time, come on" he yelled as she slowly tiptoed down the marble staircase to enter the dining room. It was above the entrance hall but was quite a way from the master suite. Lucius seemed impatient; it was the first meeting since the dark lord's return, comeback if you could call it that. How long had been calling her, after all you had to yell rather loud to be able to be heard. Most of the time they just used the house elves, I mean that's what they were used for and they are more than happy to oblige

"I'm sorry" she said, hanging her head low, but her chin was quickly grabbed and shoved back into its usual cold, pure blood position, curtesy of her husband.

"Now, you don't speak unless you are spoken to. You stay behind me" he whispered, his icy breath tickling her ear canal bitterly. The ink black skull burning more by the minute, alerting him that their guests would be arriving soon

"Yes"

The doors started to shake, confirming the arrival of their impending visitors. Turning and looking over the balcony, the all too familiar hooded figure of He Who Must Not Be Named himself came into view, floating across the room like a withered old scarf. Whilst he made his way upstairs to join herself and Lucius, the appearance of black smoke confirmed the arrival of everyone else. Well everyone who mattered, who were loyal and Bellatrix, Narcissa's oldest sister, was among them. The group met in the dining room once again like they had 15 years ago. The pair stat down next to Bellatrix who was looking significantly skinnier than before. 14 years in Azkaban had taken its toll: her bones sticking out of her at every angle like a sickening Halloween joke.

"My lord, what an honour it is to be on your presence once again" said a Bellatrix, bowing finally before the master she had waited over a decade to serve again "I told you that I would wait". Sensing that he was still fragile, she placed her hand on his resting arm to help him.

"Bella I don't need your help" the man hissed in his snakelike voice, lifting her ice cold hand from his robes to the unoccupied table "I am honoured that you have remained loyal, unlike some I might add" he said this as he looked at his former right hand man "Lucius you have changed, a bit"

Lucius shifted slightly in his seat, trying to reach for his wife's hand but he noticed that her hands were already occupied by her pockets and the wand that was inside one of them

Narcissa could sense Evangeline's crying upstairs. She wished desperately to go and hug her daughter and tell that everything was going to be ok. That was a lie. However as a pure blood trophy wife, on display shows of affection and empathy were completely off limits, even if they were your own children. Narcissa turned back to her husband

"Lucius darling, Eva is crying, I need to go to her. I can't just get a house else, you know she doesn't settle for them"

Lucius, looking back, knew that she couldn't be exempt from the meeting but something inside her made her not care anymore. She stood up, held her head high and simply stated