nothing i wont do anymore

pomegranate seeds.

Somewhere in Wales 1974

The day was finally here and Narcissa had never been more nervous. She had not even been this anxious on the day of her wedding. She knew Lucius would be there and that was all she needed to know. But this... This was more important than that. Lucius had told her no less than a hundred times what this meant for not just him, but the rest of the group. A unity in front of the Dark Lord, one which held the beauty and grace of theirs would do nothing but attract new pledges for the cause.

Narcissa knew about The Dark Lord's ceremonies and always endeavored to support Lucius in the tasks that had been set for him, but the thought of being on show in front of everyone set her on edge. What if she did something wrong? What if The Dark Lord did not like her as Lucius had promised. She already felt a seering sort of disappointment in the choice she had made not to be branded with the Dark Lords mark. Lucius had promised that he would not treat her any differently (and he kept his word) however she could not help but worry that it would cause some kind of disarray at the ceremony.

This ceremony was to take place in one of the groups most sacred of meeting spots, an old Welsh castle, half in ruins (at least to any muggle eyes) covered in moss and vines. It was a beautiful place, and the rooms were decorated in a way which made her feel like it had been abandoned and she had somehow stumbled into someone else's life. It was a great escape in the day before the ceremony where she was to be kept isolated from her husband.

She had hardly slept the night before and had spent the morning laying in the small bed, just imagining what tonight would be like. Lucius told her it would not be as grand as their wedding (the most beautiful night of her life, she thought) and would be much more ceremonial. She had been given clothes especially to wear as well as strict instructions on how to look, when to bathe and what to eat.

The stone was cool underfoot and Narcissa felt naked in the white silken slip she was obliged to wear as she stepped out of her bath. She had a small amount of relief knowing her sister was permitted to be with her for the night and day before the ceremony. Bellatrix was not always the best company, but she had a familiarity only family could provide.

"Here Cissy, the sleeves, arms go through the sleeves." she practically barked as she tried to hoist the white robe over her sister's shoulders. Narcissa snapped back out of her fog and nodded, moving her arms into the surprisingly heavy fabric.

"Sorry." she mumbled as Bellatrix moved around to adjust the fastenings.

"I wish you would reconsider." she told her sister as her hand lingered over Narcissa's left wrist. The blonde haired girl did not recoil.

"I don't like the look of it." she told Bellatrix. "It's so black and prominent."

Bellatrix scoffed in an unamused way. "You are so terribly vain Narcissa." she said in a condescending way.

"Perhaps." Narcissa replied.

Bellatrix seemed to be the one to have cleaned herself up for tonight. Her curls had been tamed and fastened back with gold pins, likely a gift from her to-be husband, Rodolphus Lestrange. But Narcissa had an inkling he was not the one she was trying to impress.

"Will you have to do this too?" Narcissa asked her sister meekly. Bellatrix looked up at her.

"No. The Dark Lord needs someone of Lucius' and your caliber for events like this. You are far more refined than I Cissy." she explained. "He prefers people to be afraid of me, not aspire to be me."

"Sometimes I get awfully confused about what he does want." Narcissa told her sister. "Some of his tasks seem rather self-conflicting-"

Her cheek stung and Narcissa came to the realisation that Bellatrix had struck her. Where once her eyes might have filled with tears, this time they remained dry, challenging her sisters authority.