Shadow Council 131B

*****

Narcissa shuddered as she made her way back through the manor house, the remnants of the Dark Lord’s cruciatus randomly setting her nerves aflame.

Sessions with the Dark Lord were rarely positive, even when he was moderately pleased with the outcome.

“Wife.”

She looked up and gratefully accepted the potion offered as Lucius appeared beside her.

“Husband,” Narcissa nodded in greeting as she uncorked the bottle and downed the foul tasting brew in one gulp.

A sense of relaxation flowed over her a moment later, stilling most of the painful surges from the curse. She set the bottle down and painfully made her way to her favorite chair, falling into it with a relieved sigh.

“Our Lord was pleased with your initiative,” Lucius said wearily as he too painfully took a seat.

“I hope to never feel his displeasure,” She said flatly.

Lucius just nodded, “Placing Draco with your muggle loving sister was… I do not know if it was the work of genius, or madness, but…”

“But he’ll be safe, for a time.” Narcissa sighed.

“Indeed. So long as he keeps our Lord informed on what he sees and hears.”

“He will, I made it clear to him that he must,” Narcissa responded. What she didn’t say, and only just barely allowed herself to even think was that she had also told the others that he would have to do just that and to ensure that he saw nothing that they wanted kept from the Dark Lord.

It was a thin protection, but she would take anything she could grasp at for the moment. It was obvious that the Dark Lord was once again in ascendance, she couldn’t deny that, but Narcissa could see the cracks in the unnatural facade the man… if he could even be called a man now… hid behind.

The young Charismatic leader of my youth is dead. He likely died long before he met Mr Potter for the first time, Narcissa thought, but it is certain that the husk now sitting in our home, holding court with sycophants and terrorized fools is not him.

The early days had been heady times, back when she’d believed in the cause. Taking back their world from the ignorant muggleborn who insisted on changing everything they touched, whether they understood it or not.

Narcissa had never quite realized just how deeply she’d fallen into the cult of personality until it had been ripped violently away on that night, that cold Hallow’s Eve on a wednesday night.

She’d never thought that she was one of the bad ones, she even had friends who were muggleborne… the memory of Lilly Potter caused her to close her eyes.

A great friend I was… supporting a lunatic who spoke openly of how evil my friends were, but no. I told myself he meant the others, the ones I didn’t know.

Only when it had all been taken from her, the Dark Lord dead… or apparently so… and the true price of supporting him, both personally and for the nation, was laid bare did she recognize just how badly she’d stepped.

When it didn’t matter any longer. When all I could do was scramble to save my own hide… that’s when I saw the truth, Narcissa thought bitterly. Too late for my friends.

Now, though, she found herself in the same position again. The same fools at her side, the same promises being given… and the same mistakes being made by all and sunder.

This time it will be Lilly’s son at the center of it all.

Narcissa felt trapped.

By her past, her present, and the future she feared would come.

She didn’t know what to do, couldn’t see a path out for herself or her family. Her concerns and empathy for young Harry burned in her, yes, but was it enough to justify what would certainly happen if she or any of hers were caught working counter to the Dark Lord?

That was a question Narcissa did not have the answer too.

*****

Draco lay in his bed, in the dark, and thought about the day he’d just experienced.

Going to a muggle party had been… a strange experience. That was a poor description, but he supposed it was all that came to mind. Strange, not because of how different it was, but because of how similar it had been.

Certainly the clothing was different, and the whispered snippets he caught as he walked through were utterly incomprehensible to him… What the hell is a movie anyway, and why would everyone be talking about the last one they saw?

For all the differences, though, it was the underlying meaning that felt so familiar. The party had been very much like one his father might throw, most of the people were clearly there to connect with their peers and while it seemed like no serious discussions were held in the open… because of course they wouldn’t be… Draco had no question that more than a few people had quietly arranged for private discussions just as the Queen had done with Potter.

He could even hear his father whispering in his ear to pay attention, that important things were being decided amongst the  levity.

So strange.

*****

At the Burrow, Harry and Ron were playing chess into the night as they relaxed and enjoyed the aftermath of Molly Weasley’s cooking skills.

Harry was looking out over the Weasley family orchard, fireflies appearing and vanishing among the trees as he listened to Molly finish up the post supper cleaning. He’d offered to help, of course, but she’d put an end to that in no uncertain terms.

“You brought Draco as a bodyguard?” Ron asked, not for the first time, his expression a mix of honest amusement and the jealousy that Harry had come to recognize in the other boy.

Harry just rolled his eyes, “I brought him to fill out a spot in my ‘entourage’ and as a favor to his mother. He gave his wand to Xander, no chance I was letting him be armed around me if I could help it, let alone around the Queen.”

Ron nodded slowly, “Yeah, that was smart I’d bet. Still having trouble wrapping my head around it. Didn’t you tell me that you didn’t invite me cause I wouldn’t know what to do at a Muggle party?”

Harry shrugged, “That, and I figured you’d not enjoy it. It was a high class party, Draco seemed uncomfortably comfortable at it. He was more at home there than I was.”

“Weird.”

“Tell me about it,” Harry said. “I’m just glad it’s done and over. I do not need that anxiety in my life. Dealing with the dark lord is easier on my nerves. Most of the party was just rich people looking to make deals with other rich people… or be seen hanging around rich people, I guess.”

“Is that really so bad?” Ron asked, puzzled. “I thought that was the point of being rich?”

Harry just shook his head, “I don’t know, Ron… I have some money, I know, but I never grew up with it. It felt like…”

He paused, thinking it through, “It’s hard to explain. Remember how we felt that first year, firsties waiting to be sorted?”

“Yeah?”

“That, only without any of the excitement.”

Ron grimaced, “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, Mate in two bud.”

Harry blinked and stared at the board before scowling, “Damn it. You distracted me!”

“Yup.”

Harry tipped his king and sighed, “I’m going to sit out on the porch for a bit before bed. It’s been a long one.”

“You do that,” Ron said as he cleaned up the board and put the pieces back. “You have been on edge since you got back.”

“Don’t I know it.”

*****