Behind Closed Doors
Into the Serpent's Lair
Whereof what's past is prologue; what to come,
In yours and my discharge.
-William Shakespeare: The Tempest
While a storm raged outside, the inside of Malfoy Manor buzzed with music and the content chitchat of guests attending Narcissa’s Halloween Party. There was a certain bravery in hosting parties in a time of war. People tended to hide in the shadows and wait things out, but Narcissa could see the benefits of mingling with the right sort of people. It was best to strengthen their bonds now that they could. After all, one could never know how things would play out in the future.
Although Lucius had supported the idea of her hosting a small party, he was unable to attend himself. He was currently in Albania with Rodolphus, on business for the Dark Lord. Bellatrix, however, had promised to stop by later when she was done with her duties. Apparently she would be taking a potential new Death Eater on his very first mission.
For the occasion the young Mrs Malfoy had dressed up in a particularly elegant new dress with a bodice of midnight blue. The skirt, a lighter shade of blue, was made of luxurious crêpe de Chine that really appeared to float around her. She had lost weight recently, more than good for her, and she had had to lace the bodice extra tight to make sure she didn’t drown in it. Now the overall effect was quite flattering, and she dared to play the confident hostess and lady of the house.
Things had been hard for her, these past few months. Although Lucius was a very charming and generous husband, she had still had some trouble adjusting to her new life. She carried the responsibility well, but it was quite something for a girl who had not even taken her NEWTs at school. The urgent family matters had prevented that. Andromeda eloping with muggleborn Ted Tonks had brought such a scandal on the House of Black that her parents had been forced to withdraw Narcissa from school immediately to hurry along the marriage to which Lucius had thankfully still agreed. And of course, now that she was married there was new trouble to deal with. Her father-in-law, for instance, always looking for things to criticize in her. Lucius’s missions for the Dark Lord becoming more and more dangerous. And, most of all, the much-needed male heir still not on the way. All of this combined caused her to spend many nights awake, too much on her mind to sleep. Or eat, for that matter. Whenever in times of great stress, it seemed Narcissa’s body refused primal functions such as sleeping and eating. But tonight, she had decided, should be a good night. She was good at this sort of thing, and it would be good for Lucius too if she made some extra friends in the wives of the Death Eaters.
The drawing room was extravagantly decorated for the occasion. Due to its recent refurnishing it looked splendid already, but the finishing touches here and there did the true trick. Flags with the Slytherin coat of arms prided on the walls, and elves paraded around with trays full of crystal glasses containing alcoholic beverages and snacks of various kinds.
“Cissy! There you are, finally!”.
Narcissa came across Melusine Nott; one of the girls she had been acquainted with during her Hogwarts years. Melusine had married Theodore Nott in the same period as Narcissa had married Lucius, thus creating a bond of shared experiences between the two young women.
“How wonderful to see you, Mellie!” Narcissa smiled fondly at her old friend and kissed her cheeks in greeting. “You look dashing, how do you feel?” she inquired, glancing at Melusine’s round belly: she was quite obviously pregnant. As were, in fact, more than half of the women present at the party.
Of course it was to be expected. It was only normal for young couples to take their marriage to the next step, especially in a time of war where the Dark Lord greatly encouraged this for the sake of his future army. The fact, however, that for them this all appeared to go so smoothly, was rather a sting to Narcissa’s pride.
“Oh, I feel just fine,” Melusine responded, leaning in to start a more confidential topic of conversation. “You must tell me the secret of your diet. Once this little one is out, I fear I’ll never fit into my old clothes again!”.
“Ah, yes, I eh...” Narcissa stammered, thinking she would gladly trade places no matter how much weight a pregnancy would cause her to gain. “I believe I see my sister over there, excuse me for a moment.”
Bellatrix had just entered with a young man in tow. Both looked rather dishevelled, undoubtedly from the business they had occupied themselves with just now. Narcissa was glad to see that her sister had at least taken off her Death Eater’s cloak and now wore a form-fitting black dress that looked quite attractive on her tall and slender figure. Bella –as most people called her- would never wear pastels and silks like Narcissa, but at the very least she responded to the dress code. It was part of their upbringing, although one could say that children from the House of Black were not raised, but drilled.
“Hello Bella, I’m so glad you could make it,” Narcissa kissed her sister’s cheek in greeting, musing silently that Bella had no clue of knowing just how relieved she was to see her there, amidst of all these women full of evidence of their fertility. At least she needn’t fear that from her sister.
“Yes, I thought I might as well. Cissy, I want to introduce you to Severus Snape. You may remember him from school. I believe he was in your year. I dare say he will be receiving the Dark Mark very soon,” Bella’s eyes sparkled with vigour as always when she mentioned the Dark Lord or anything related to the dark arts. “Severus,” she continued, “meet Narcissa Malfoy, formerly Black. My sister, and lady of the house.”
“How do you do?” Narcissa smiled kindly, extending a gloved hand. The boy looked familiar, but no more than that. Even at Hogwarts Narcissa had always been surrounded by a secluded group of Purebloods, which he had clearly not been part of.
“Quite well, Mrs Malfoy,” he responded, accepting her hand in greeting. “And a lovely house you have, I must say.”
Narcissa noted he did not seem very much at ease under to present circumstances. She suspected he was not from the traditional upper class Pureblood families, or she would have known him. He also stood out from the rest; his robes being rather out of fashion and not at all a match to the fine material worn by the majority of the guests.
“The Dark Mark you say?” she mused. “Tonight must have been a success then.”
“It was acceptable,” Bella responded haughtily, taking a glass of Firewhiskey from one of the passing elves.
“Well,” Narcissa smiled towards her new guest. “Coming from my sister, I assure you that is quite the compliment. I’m afraid I will have to see to some of the other guests. Perhaps we’ll meet again,” she said, before she left them to it. She trusted Bella to introduce the boy to some of the other Death Eaters. Not that Bella was particularly keen on benevolence, but she never failed to do her duty. And, more importantly, those valued by the Dark Lord, were valued by her.
The Halloween party left Narcissa feeling gloomy during the days afterwards. She felt lonely with Lucius still abroad, even if the house was never truly empty. There was Abraxas, of course, and the house elves. They had also allowed Severus Snape to make use of their potions supplies in the dungeons. He was now a freshly branded Death Eater and apparently very skilled in potions. The Dark Lord had appointed him the special job of brewing Veritaserum and some other advanced work. Because she had not yet seen him, Narcissa suspected he was either too shy or too busy to come and see her. Her solitude did give her an undisturbed access to the library of the manor. Ever since the party she had made up her mind that something had to happen. Half of the pregnant women had been married shorter than she and Lucius, so she could not suppress the thought that her father-in-law was right and there was indeed something wrong with her. Now that Lucius had made very clear he did not want her to seek help, she didn’t think he could object to her checking the books on the matter.
Malfoy Manor was in the possession of an extended library, matching the Victorian style of the rest of the house. Endless rows of mahogany bookcases were filled with old leather-bound books that carried their titles in golden letters. There were books on every topic one could think of, so Narcissa supposed she should be able to find what she was looking for. At first she had checked the handbook, but found little advice in that. The Handbook of Pureblood Wives was given to every young lady of ancient wizard ancestry on her wedding day. It contained advice on many practical parts of marriage, and was terribly old-fashioned. There was even a chapter called ‘Duties in the Bedroom’, but nothing that might help Narcissa in the present situation.
Perhaps The World of Witches: From Pregnancy to the First Sign of Magic would know what to do. Narcissa took the heavy book to the nearest desk, and began to skim through it. Her heart gave a leap at chapter two, and she quickly began reading.
“Are you happily married, but so far unable to acquire the one thing you want the most? Do all your friends conceive child after child without effort, while you stay behind empty-handed? Fear not and try our simple suggestions, before you embarrass yourself unnecessarily by visiting a Healer or by turning to potions from the black market.
#1 Bathe one hour a day, before sunrise, in a combination of moon dust and unicorn milk
#2 Before your husband comes to you for the deed, try your luck with Felix Felicis. Luck might just do the trick for you.”
“I would hardly think you should lower yourself to such common measures.”
Before her stood her sister Bellatrix, as always dressed in colours as black as her hair. Dark curls framed her face, and she leaned so casually against the bookcase it seemed she had been there for a while.
“Bella!” Narcissa glanced up in shock and closed the book quickly before she got the chance to read the other, more drastic measures it prescribed. “I didn’t know you were coming, Dobby should have warned me.”
“That’s quite all right, I’m only looking in. I was really on my way to see Severus for some business. I heard you’ve lent him some... workspace,” the corner of Bella’s lip twitched towards a grin as she snatched the book from Narcissa’s grip. “I’d like to know how such a book ended up here in the first place. I wouldn’t think the old man had such broad interests,” she chuckled.
“I expect it may have interested Lucius’ mother. It seems quite old,” Narcissa shrugged and felt her face flush lightly as her sister looked through the book’s table of contents.
“Really, Cissy, this is so common it could have been written by a muggle. Do you truly think this will help? If Felix Felicis worked it’d be out of stock by now,” Bella commented finally as she tossed it aside carelessly.
“I wish I knew,” Narcissa seated herself on the desk and watched sadly as one of the elves hurried in to pick up the book and put it in its rightful place. “Bella, do you reckon there’s something wrong with me?”.
A frown appeared on her sister’s face. “Has the old fool been mistreating you? Putting all sorts of insanities in your head? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t just slip some poison into his morning tea. Good riddance I’d say, and I don’t know anyone who’d disagree.”
“Oh, Bella, I wish you wouldn’t say such things,” said Narcissa with a sigh. “This has nothing to do with Lucius’ father. Not really, anyway.”
“Then Malfoy himself. Has it occurred to you this might not be your fault? I’d bet a thousand galleons he’s got weak seed.” Bella’s grin widened at her own remark. She disliked Lucius with a passion and the feeling was mutual. It was quite inconvenient, considering they were both in the Dark Lord’s inner circle. They would have been better off as allies.
Narcissa didn’t quite get the humour of it and she turned her face away to study the bookshelves instead. “Lucius says we must have patience.”
“We are beyond patience, are we?” Bella lifted her sister’s chin to cause their eyes to meet. “Why not seek some assistance? And by that I do not mean ordinary moon bathing or whatever the books prescribe. Perhaps you should seek your fortune in the dungeons.”
“You don’t mean Severus Snape? I told you, Lucius wants –“
“Do you want a child, or not?” Bella interrupted her impatiently. “All I say is, he’s good with potions. He might have something of use to you. He’s hardly the gossiping type, I assure you,” she chuckled before continuing. “You allow him to use your house for his projects, you introduce him to the right people... why wouldn’t you ask for something in return?”
Indeed why wouldn’t she? It took Narcissa only a few hours to come to that conclusion. It was well past midnight when she found herself descending the stairs to the dungeons. She was barefoot and dressed in her nightgown, although she had donned a dressing gown for discretion.
“Hello, Severus?” she inquired hesitantly, entering the potions room. Despite the hour, Severus Snape appeared still diligently at work. A cauldron was brewing a clear liquid that carried no fragrance, and wooden shelves were full of vials and bottles that formed a kaleidoscope of colours. “I should hate to disturb you at this hour.”
“You already have,” came the young man’s reply. His state of dress appeared to have improved. It was also obvious to see he was more at ease in his domain here than he had been at the social event. “So you may as well state the purpose of your visit, Mrs Malfoy,” he continued, bowing his head in greeting.
“Narcissa. Not so formal, you’re one of us now,” Narcissa smiled, albeit it was a smile of hesitation. “I was wondering if you might have some Sleeping Draught by hand?” She had figured she would start out with a safe request and see how willing he would be to help, before she got to asking what she was really after.
Upon her request, Severus turned around to inspect the shelves of potions. “You have trouble sleeping?”
“Ah, yes. Lucius is still abroad, you see. I do worry for him.”
Severus neither acknowledged nor rejected her words spoken. He merely continued to look through the vials and finally selected a few. “It is the nerves then, that keep you up?” he inquired.
“Is there ever anything else?”
“Supposedly not,” he agreed, handing her a small vial with purple contents. “Three drops of this should do the trick for a good night’s sleep. Take more and you’ll have trouble waking up, so be careful,” he concluded.
“Thank you,” Narcissa said, sounding surprised. Somehow she had not expected he would so willingly come to her aid. He had seemed aloof, but perhaps it was just a facade. “Lucius tells me the Dark Lord speaks very highly of you. You must be proud,” she added.
“Indeed.” Not one for small-talk, Severus squinted his eyes as he studied her. “Is there anything else you require?”
It would have been the right moment to leave. But Narcissa hoped she was correct in her feeling that in his direct, honest demeanour lay a trustworthiness that she so needed.
“There is something on my mind,” Narcissa started, entering the room further now that she had made up her mind to confide in him. She smoothed out the skirt of her gown and took a seat on the leather sofa. “But I’m afraid it is a rather delicate matter. And confidential.”
“I work for the Dark Lord. I believe that should be enough evidence for my ability to keep a secret,” Severus remarked dryly.
“Of course. Well then... I believe I may require a... fertility potion,” she lowered her voice to barely more than a whisper.
“A fertility potion?” Severus repeated. For a split second his monotonous tone of voice appeared to hold an edge of surprise. He said nothing more, though, and Narcissa suspected he did not need the ‘Inner Eye’ or anything like it to read the despair on her face. She had gathered all of her courage to consult him in the matter.
“Why not consult a Healer?” he finally spoke.
“Lucius prefers me not to. He doesn’t want people to know we might have trouble,” she admitted.
“And so you consult me instead, one who works with your husband in close proximity? Seems rather odd.”
“I see that now, yes. I only thought...Bella said you may be able to help. She said you’d be discrete.” It was a good thing the room was so dimly-lit, or he might have spotted the pink blush on Narcissa’s face.
“As a matter of fact, I might be able to come to your aid. But you must understand this is not something I have in stock. The Dark Lord has no need for such potions,” Severus added with a hint of what might be described as humour.
“Of course,” she quickly responded.
“Come back tomorrow,” he suggested. “I shall see what I can do.”
“Oh Severus,” Narcissa stood up, breathless with relief. If he only had the slightest idea of how grateful she was. “I am ever so grateful. But Lucius...”
“Will hear nought from me.”
Sometimes conspirators were found in the strangest of places. Narcissa had no intention of going beyond her husband’s wishes, but was his greatest wish not equal to hers? He need never know she had sought a little extra help, if in the end they both got what they wanted.