Chapter 1: A Surprise Engagement

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The peonies rippled in the warm breeze, sending sweetly-scented air through the forest. Most of these flowers grew from April through late May, but at the quaint lakehouse with the white picket fence, magic allowed them to bloom all summer long. Other blossoms accented the stone house, giving it a beautiful yet magnificent appearance. Charms near the gate kept the property invisible to Muggles. Closer to the water, a wisteria tree was planted. Underneath its weeping purple flowers sat a stone bench, and on the bench sat a girl.

She looked quite pretty in a fluttery blue dress. Her pale skin was littered with faint freckles and her platinum blonde locks fell to her shoulders in loose curls, held back with a black headband. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a pendant holding three stones: one garnet, one topaz, and one emerald. Every once in awhile, she'd absentmindedly play with the chain, but she mainly kept her attention on her parchment as she copied phrases from a textbook, ink occasionally splashing on her dainty hands.

A blonde curl fell into her eyes, eyes lighter than the sky. Her bare toes brushed the grass, but she didn't swing her legs or fidget. She'd been taught better than that.

"Cissa! You're home!"

Narcissa glanced up in shock, dropping her scrolls. The inkwell fell and spilled all over her left foot, staining it black. Biting her lip, she gathered her materials and began to walk back up to the house, casting one more longing look at the lake.

Another young woman came running down the hill to meet Narcissa. Her long chestnut curls flew out behind her as she ran, her laugh as carefree as a summer night. She wore a long brown skirt with suspenders and a fitted white top. The two sisters giggled as they ran into each other, Narcissa holding the inkwell evenly so that it didn't spill again.

"Look at you!" The brunette exclaimed. "I haven't seen you since Christmas! You're so pretty! Look at my baby sister, looking all grown up!"

"Andi, stop it!" Narcissa replied, blushing so furiously that her skin appeared sunburnt.

Andromeda only grinned and took a step back, framing her petite sister between her fingers jokingly. "Yep. It's settled. I've got the prettiest little annoyance in town standing right in front of me."

Unlike Narcissa, Andromeda had never quite mastered the art of elegance. Her beauty was a wilder kind. Over the years, their mother had tried to tame and mold her middle daughter, which worked to an extent. Andromeda knew how to play the part of a high-class lady, especially around esteemed company, but it was an act. She had too much fire to enjoy exchanging pleasantries. Her dark eyes always sparkled and she towered over almost everyone she came across.

"Stop smothering me with compliments, will you? Where's Bella?"

"Up at the house, I believe. I only arrived a few minutes ago." The young women began to walk up the hill again. "Mother's here."

"Mother?" Narcissa's eyebrows shot up and she worriedly glanced at her appearance. A comforting hand squeezed her shoulder, and she looked up at her sister gratefully.

"Don't fret, honey. I doubt she's here to criticize you the day you get home from school. Speaking of family, did you hear that Uncle Alphard rode a hippogriff in Ireland last week? Apparently, he made the paper."

The two fell into comfortable conversation as they caught up everything that letters could not convey. Andromeda shared her experiences as a rune translater, a career Narcissa had never quite wrapped her head around. Her older sister spent all day surrounded by volumes of ancient texts covered in inches of dust, carefully finding meaning in the symbols. She'd never even attempted the elective at Hogwarts, but Andromeda fell in love with it.

The lakehouse had been passed down in the Black family for many generations and it was Narcissa's favorite place in the universe. She loved its quiet tranquility, its calm beauty. The world slowed down as soon as she stepped through the garden gate and breathed in the earthy scent of nature. London smog cloaked their primary house and no amount of candles seemed to bring enough light inside. Even though she hated her parents' house, she always felt grateful that it wasn't 12 Grimmauld, her least favorite place in the universe.  She couldn't imagine living there.

Andromeda held open the gate for her sister and they traipsed inside, giggling about a story from Narcissa's most recent trip to Hogsmeade.

"I missed you!" The blonde admitted as they walked through the back French doors. "You have no idea. It's not the same at school without you and Bella."

"I know," Andromeda replied comfortingly. "You only have a year left, though. Trust me, it'll fly by. Besides, you still have Reg and Sirius."

Narcissa's lips turned downwards at the edges. "Sometimes I wonder if I really do have Sirius. He associates with the wrong sort, Andi. Mudbloods and the like."

"I know," she said after a moment. "But he's still our family. He's still our blood."

The sound of a woman clearing her throat startled both girls and they spun around, already assuming stiffer postures.

Druella Black sat at the head of the worn wooden table, somehow managing to look cold and intimidating in such a warm and gentle place. Her black dress was buttoned up to her throat and she sat with uncomfortable rigidity, her long fingers tapping on the tabletop. She made no move to stand and embrace her daughters, but instead raised her eyebrows at them, her expression critical.

"Hello, Mother," Narcissa greeted politely, smiling softly and keeping her voice quiet, just like a lady was supposed to keep her voice. "It's good to see you."

Druella's black eyes swept over her daughters. "Where is Bellatrix? She should be here."

"I thought she was in her bedroom," Andromeda replied. She craned her neck to see into the hallway. "Should I get her?"

"Yes, go fetch her, dear. I bring good news."

Narcissa frowned. No hello, no kiss, no questions. It felt like her own mother didn't miss her at all.

Meanwhile, Andromeda ran into the hall with an impish grin and yelled, "BELLA!" at the top of her lungs. Laughing, she returned, but her happiness faded when she saw the look on Druella's face.

"Shame on you. You should know better, Andromeda. You're twenty-one years old now," she reprimanded in a stern voice. "Ladies do not yell in such a manner."

Andromeda crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Leaning against the wall, she said, "Tell that to Aunt Walburga. I'm surprised she still has a voice after all these years."

"Don't disrespect your elders. Your quips, however amusing you seem to think they are, are not becoming."

"Yes, Mother." As soon as Druella's gaze swept to her youngest, Andromeda rolled her eyes again and dropped into a seat.

Acting as though her mother's critical watchful eyes didn't intimidate her, Narcissa nonchalantly crossed the room and began to put her writing supplies into a cabinet. She glanced over her parchment, judgment on her mind as she evaluated her writing. Languages came easily to Narcissa, and once she'd mastered both French and Latin, her father suggested picking up a third, so she'd decided to devote the summer to learning Italian. It was already proving to be tricky, but she'd never been one to shirk from a challenge.

"Andromeda, you are the most-" Bellatrix's grumbling ceased the moment she saw their mother in the kitchen. She straightened up ever so slightly and ran a hand through her voluminous dark curls before noticing her youngest sister. Her face lit up. "You're home! I didn't even hear you come in, Cissy! You're so quiet!"

Bellatrix swept her into a bone-crushing hug before Narcissa could protest. Her sisters were the few individuals who could get away with that. She loved her family more than anything, but physical affection always made her uncomfortable, and she wasn't the only one. Harmful touches were just as common as the kind ones in the House of Black.

"Bella," Narcissa gasped through giggles, "you're strangling me!"

"Oh! I'm sorry, it's just been so long!"

Bellatrix's dark eyes were like charcoals in a dying fire, enhanced by black eyeliner. Her look was monochromatic, with her black sleeveless top and flared pants emphasizing her curvy figure. Her maroon lips curved up into a genuine smile as she released her sister from the hug and embraced Andromeda.

"Girls." Druella's sharp voice cut through the happy reunion like glass through skin. All three of them jumped. "We have matters to discuss." They started to take places at the table, but their mother held up a hand. "Wait one moment. I would like to have a look at you."

Knowing and dreading what was about to happen, the sisters lined up in front of the bay window. Narcissa stared straight ahead and fought the urge to run.

Druella stood, her movements slow and deliberate, and walked over to her daughters. She stopped in front of Bellatrix and tilted her chin up with a talon. "You wear too much makeup, Bellatrix. Between the copious amounts of cosmetics smeared across your face and the clothes you insist on wearing, it appears that you are desperate for a man's attention."

Bellatrix's eyes flashed. "You know more than anyone, Mother, that I am not in the market for a man's attention. I am not interested in forfeiting my freedom just yet."

"Unfortunately." Druella's lip curled in disgust. "When you come to your senses, your father has heard of several offers for your hand."

"I look forward to disregarding them," Bellatrix said, smirking. The comment earned her a slap across the face, Druella's nails leaving red marks behind. Bellatrix didn't so much as blink, but Andromeda closed her eyes and Narcissa flinched, praying to keep her tears in check.

Finished with humiliating her eldest, Druella moved onto Andromeda. The tallest of the three, Andromeda bit her lip and gave her mother a shy, unsure smile.

"Andromeda," Druella said softly, "I do wish you'd spend more time at home with us. We miss your presence."

"But my work is important to me, Mother," Andromeda replied with a patient smile. She'd argued this debate before. "I love translating. It's so fascinating. It just feels like for once in my life, I'm part of something bigger than myself."

"Your first duty is to our family, Andromeda. We are what matters most to you. You would do well to remember that. Do not neglect your blood." Her words were harsh as she continued to berate her middle child. "Perhaps if you would pull your nose out of those dusty rune volumes, then your father and I wouldn't be having such a difficult time securing an advantageous marriage for you."

Andromeda flushed with embarrassment, her gaze dropping to the floor as shame filled her facial features. Bellatrix reached over and squeezed her hand quickly before letting go.

"Narcissa. Let me have a look at you, my daffodil." Narcissa held her breath and stood perfectly still, determined to present her mother with the best version of herself there was. "Is this dress too small? Around the waist?"

Narcissa glanced at her mother, feeling more insignificant and self-conscious by the minute. "I didn't... I didn't think so."

"Hm," was all Druella said on the matter. "You're a mess. Don't think I didn't notice those ink blotches. Anywhere else, your appearance would bring us shame."

The blonde played with her necklace nervously, moving the pendant back and forth as tears burned her eyes, but she refused to break down. It would wound her pride severely.

"But you do have pretty eyes, so dry them. Everything I say to you is out of love. I intend to better you, child." Druella nodded to the table. "Sit. I have exciting news."

Unfortunately for Narcissa, her mother motioned to the seat to her right, and she obediently took it because she knew no other way. Never, not in a million years, would Narcissa Black admit that her own mother terrified her, but she didn't want to be slapped like Bellatrix or receive scathing comments like Andromeda. If playing the quiet, obedient little girl kept her out of harm's way, it would be well worth it.

"What's all this about, Mother?" Bellatrix asked. With a wave of her wand, she summoned a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses. They floated over to the table and distributed themselves among the women. "What's your news?"

"You all remember your father's dear friend, Abraxas Malfoy?" Druella took a sip of her lemonade as she waited for her daughters to nod, but an odd expression crossed her face and she set the drink down. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Narcissa realized that she made the lemonade. She left a bit of pulp in because that was how she personally liked it, but the fact that her mother didn't embarrassed her greatly. "Well, he stopped by the house in London the other day with his son, Lucius. A long time ago, when you were born, Bellatrix, your father made an agreement with Abraxas. One day, his son would marry one of our daughters."

Bellatrix sprung up from her chair, nearly spilling the lemonade. "I told you," she seethed, her expression livid, "that I am not interested in becoming a cook with benefits for that platinum mop or anyone else!"

To the surprise of all three girls, Druella watched Bellatrix's outburst with a calm demeanor. With a slight smirk, she shook her head. "No, not you, dear. You see, when we came to this arrangement, it was agreed that Abraxas' son would be able to choose his wife from our three daughters." Her gaze shifted from her eldest to her youngest. "Lucius has chosen to wed you, Narcissa."

Narcissa opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The tears that had been threatening her for several minutes begged for release, but she denied them this freedom and vowed to stay strong.

"I - what?" She asked weakly. So much for staying strong. "Marriage? Why me?"

"Your beauty, Narcissa. When you actually put in effort, you are a quite lovely young woman. I believe that was what drew him to you, as the two of you are barely acquaintances otherwise."

"But Mother, Cissy just turned seventeen. She's too young for this!" Bellatrix protested as soon as she saw the stricken look on her baby sister's face. "Lucius Malfoy is my age!"

"I agree with Bella," Andromeda said, standing to be nearer to the other two. "She's too young."

"Your father and I are also six years apart, so the age difference is most certainly not insurmountable," Druella said, waving her hand to dismiss the matter. "The Malfoys are a wealthy and powerful family to ally ourselves with. We are similar. Besides, the wedding will not take place until after you graduate from Hogwarts next year. We intend to let the two of you court first."

"Court?" Narcissa asked sharply, finally finding her voice. "What's the point of courting if we are to be married either way?"

"So you do not marry as virtual strangers. You have one year. I expect you to abide by our plans, Narcissa, or face the consequences," she said, sighing. "I did believe that you would be excited, but it appears that I was mistaken."

Narcissa's entire body went cold, an odd sensation as the June breeze blew in through the window.

"Mother, let me marry Lucius instead," Andromeda begged, shocking everyone with her proposal. "I will. I swear I will, and I won't complain. Just let Cissa have her freedom. She's too young to be chained down by something this final."

"Andi, you don't need to do that," Narcissa mumbled, shaking her head.

"I appreciate your obvious affection for your sister, Andromeda, but if Lucius Malfoy wanted to marry you, he would have asked for your hand, not your sister's." Druella fixed her youngest daughter with a sharp glare. "Willing or unwilling, you will be a Malfoy."

Narcissa stood up from her seat, her entire small body shaking with unshed sobs. As much as she wanted to stand up for herself, fear seized her heart. There was nothing to gain from resisting the will of her parents. It would only make things worse. She didn't want to hurt anymore.

"Alright," she whispered hollowly. "I accept."

"Cissa-"

"Cissy, wait!"

Before she could hear any other life-altering news, Narcissa slipped out the back door. Leaving her shoes and her self-control inside, she ran all the way to the stone bench by the lake. There, she put her head down while she cried, beautiful even in heartbreak.

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