A Rose By Any Other Name

Chapter 16

"I am free" she whispered to herself, re entering reality. Was it really true, was escape in reaching length ?

But adrenaline can only medicate for so long. Her legs gave out and she was once again in a crumbled heap on the floor. But she wouldn't let that define her, Narcissa for too long had been branded as a weakling by her husband. It's only in times of conflict he will discover that you should never mistake a woman's meekness for her weakness; in meekness, there is strength underneath the control and façades of weak innocence.

"Why did his ancestors insist on having master suite so far away from the door ?"

Probably for protection, fear of intimidation: the bliss of ignorance at its finest.

She crawled from the bedroom on her hands and knees, leaving perfect and bloody imprints on the wood patterned floorboards across her palms. Crawling was such a primal verb of choice and yet so fitting. She was just a breeding mate to him, an animal. She had freedoms of courses but a captive animal in a zoo is free to go anywhere it wishes; as long as it stays within the cage it is confined to. Crawling though the house gave her opportunity to study the bars that had imprisoned her body for far too long. As humans, we all too often become comfortable and encapsulated by our surroundings; it doesn't take long. Sit down, shut up, be not seen, be not heard. No longer. Before it was 'yes sir' not out of obedience, out of fear. It will now be 'no sir', still out of fear but out of fear of being mistaken for the weak puppet in the corner, controlled by the strings of a misogynistic society.

But it was no use, there after ... nothing happens.

In her mind, no thunderous knocks had occurred at the front door of her ice palace. And she was completely out by the time the Alohamora charm had blasted the doors open. The peace that had been found in the complete blackness. The complicated simplicity of silence.

"Look like the cat got the cream before we could remove the bowl." Moody muttered as he stared at the seemingly lifeless body that had dragged itself into the lobby of the manor.

"At least now we have proof." The other auror said to Moody. "Wait, she isn't dead."

"What !" Moody said, wiping his head round in order to catch a glimpse of Narcissa in his one good eye. And it was true. The lifeless body on the floor was slowly regaining strength and began to peal itself up into a semi heap on the floor.

"Mr Narcissa Malfoy ?"

"Unfortunately." Narcissa replied, unable to look the 3 men in the eyes due to her piercing headache and bruised eyelids.

"We wish to discuss some events that happened last night involving your husband, a Mr Lucius Abraxas Malfoy."

"Whatever that man did, and I am sure there is a long list of things, had nothing to do with me." But that was not the question at hand. The information just wasn't sinking in. It was going in one ear and out another. Odd words stuck like post it notes onto her brain as the conversation continued.....

Caught

Incarcerated

Azkaban

"As we said Mrs Malfoy we cannot release anymore information on your husband. Would you wish to witness the trial" Some Auror mentioned as she was quickly snapped back to reality. The one she was glad she had and that he was now living.

"No" she whispered back in weakness.

The officials, obviously shocked by her abrupt and exteriorly cold response to her the imprisonments of her husband and brother in law, interjected "Are you sure. Many wives at this point would want to see their husbands, well what you are allowed to see of him. To support them."