Sept. '78: Pretty Poison Berries {Narcissa&Lucius}

[Meredith Mulciber]

As Meredith stared at the ornately carved knocker she was filled with more nerves than she knew what to do with. She glanced back at the impossibly long, straight drive she had just walked and then up at the impressive facade of the manor before her. Her mind began to wonder how she had gotten here but then she would have to wonder how she had gotten anywhere lately. The last few months had been so crazy. The least crazy was her friendly connection with the most recently married Black.

They were so similar after all; they were always bound to be friends. She was anxious and also so excited about this meeting with the woman. Unlike her meeting with Bella –which had every nerve ending on edge the entire time- she was actually looking forward to meeting with the youngest Black woman, well Malfoy now Malfoy Malfoy Malfoy she practiced in her head. Belatedly Meredith wondered if Mister Malfoy himself would be in attendance this afternoon. Great men like him were never home.

But if he did happen to be here…well for her that would be extremely awkward. Her very best friend had been and was currently sexually involved with Lucius Malfoy and Meredith was sworn to secrecy about it. And of course, Narcissa didn’t know. Therefore Lucius just couldn’t be there, it would be too…weird. No, no…This visit would be a grand one, she was determined, the man of the house present or no. Meredith Mulciber would deal with whatever came her way.

But, she hoped she didn’t have to deal with that. She adored Lydia but she didn’t always agree with her. Married men were off limits to Meredith, well everyone was currently off limits to her. She was happily taken and well on her way to being married herself. She sighed to herself, silenced her inner thoughts, and smoothed down her already sleek hair. With a nod to herself, she reached up and slammed the knocker down three times, slapping on her customary blinding smile and pushing her anxiety to the back of her crowded mind. Oh, she was about to have tea at Malfoy Manor! Bronwyn will be so jealous!

[Narcissa Malfoy]

"This will be fun, Lucius! You must at least come and greet her with me, and stay for the start of tea before excusing yourself," the young woman insisted, eyeing her husband in the mirror as she fixed her earrings. Narcissa had always loved hosting, even more so since she began calling Malfoy Manor her home, and soon Meredith Mulciber was set to arrive! Lucius wasn't nearly enthused enough, and so she left the mirror after ensuring she looked as perfect as she could (not too difficult, given her natural assets) to spiff him up. A little tweak to his tie here, smoothing of his hair there, rubbing her lipstick off of his lips after a kiss as she grinned up at him... "Stop making such a fuss and just do this for me!" And you'll see how right I am about her! Narcissa was simply excited to have a woman similar to herself on this side of the war! True, there were many socialites and housewives who "supported" them, but so very few were actually involved enough to attend gatherings - Meredith was the sort of person she could actually relate to at those things, and when Bella and Lucius and Regulus were attending to business, she would now have a companion!

She led her reluctant husband downstairs to the parlor to ensure that all was properly set up for their tea, and thankfully it was after showing Dobby exactly what she meant when she said the harp should be playing Chopin (as in, it should be playing Chopin and not Bach) that there was a loud rapping on the front door. She sent the elf scurrying to answer it, not wanting Meredith to think they would give her anything but a proper welcome. While Narcissa knew, of course, that she held the upper hand here, she still wanted to show the girl the respect she was due! "Would it kill you to smile?" she coached Lucius under her breath as they heard Meredith approaching, and she broke into a beaming smile herself as the girl was bowed in by the elf.

"We're so happy you're here, Meredith," Narcissa said, going forward to take the girl by the hand and lead her the rest of the way in. "I'm sorry it hasn't worked out to have you by until now - " Lucius was full of excuses. " - but here we are! You didn't have any trouble finding us, I hope?"

[Lucius Malfoy]

Why did he have to attend this blasted tea party that Narcissa was insisting on throwing? If his wife wanted to entertain the Mulciber girl, she could do it on her own time. There was no reason he had to be involved in this sort of thing. He was a busy man with things to do, he didn't have time to waste making pleasant with a younger girl that he hardly knew. In fact, he knew so little about her. Her father was quite respected by the Dark Lord, but that really didn't require him to play nice.

In fact, he'd really only met the girl a few times. The most he had heard about her recently was from Lydia, and that was certainly not a conversation he was going to be having with Narcissa. She was better off not knowing of his affair with the young Slytherin girl, and he'd be damned if this Mulciber girl was going to ruin things. "Yes dear," he replied as she fussed over him, fixing is appearance. He did love Narcissa, but this was truly one of the worst things she could have asked him to do.

Still, he would play the dutiful husband for a while, but at the first opportunity to excuse himself he would. He followed her down to the parlor, doing his best to keep his annoyance about the whole ordeal to himself. A task he was obviously failing as Narcissa nagged him, and he threw on his best smile. "Anything for you my love."

He waited with as much patience as he could muster as Narcissa greeted the girl, extending his hand to her as she approached. "Oh Narcissa, I'm sure she found the place just fine. It's a pleasure to have you here, Meredith."

[Meredith Mulciber]

An elf opened the door for her, a proper greeting, but she paid no mind to him. Immediately her eyes were scanning what she could see of the notorious Malfoy Manor, so much so that she nearly knocked over the elf upon entering, she hardly noticed. She was at Malfoy Manor and the Malfoys were there. There was a moment of ‘Oh no!’ upon spotting Lucius but Meredith recovered quickly. Narcissa helped a great deal by taking her hand and ushering her further into the immaculate house and just with her happy reception in general.

She smiled at the slightly older woman and was about to answer her question when the man of the house piped up. She shot him a pair of guarded eyes and maybe her smile was not as easy as the one she bestowed on the man’s wife. “There is nothing to forgive, we are such busy women Narcissa, we do not have ample leisure time for tea dates.” She shared a special smile only her close friends ever observed with the blonde next to her. Then she turned her undivided attention to Lucius. “The pleasure is all mines Mister Malfoy and you are correct, it was no trouble at all, my father is familiar with this place and gave me specific directions to it.” As she spoke she offered her hand to Lucius as was custom, by the end of her greeting she had retrieved her hand and was trying not to let on that she had any reaction at all.

Lucius Malfoy had nice hands…hands that had touched some rather sacred places on her best friend, hands she did not want to taint herself with. The experience was surreal. Again, they were nice, but nowhere near as nice as say, Ethan’s hands. Looking at him though she could see why Lydia would risk the wrath of a Black. He was very pretty. Before she could ruminate on it further she turned away and rummaged in her deceptively small clutch. Meredith plucked out a small tin container; it was a dark green with golden embellishments and when she popped the lid the most delicious smell permeated the air. A nifty little spell that was. “Biscuits,” she replaced the lid and extended the container to Narcissa. “For the loveliest hostess.”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Narcissa let a smile brighten her already lovely face as Meredith was so understanding with her about the delay in their tea date. She'd wanted the date to include both herself and her husband, and Lucius was just so busy these days! Factor in Meredith's schooling, and today was the first time all of the pieces could fall into place! She watched closely as Lucius and Meredith exchanged a hello, wondering for the umpteenth time why her husband had been so reluctant to find time for the Mulciber girl. He'd been evasive and noncommittal whenever she prodded, which only made her more determined to secure time for all three of them. But their greeting appeared to be nothing but proper, if not as friendly as hers had been with the younger woman. See, Lucius? Nothing to be concerned about.

"Oh, Meredith, you didn't have to," she said with a light laugh, gladly taking the gorgeous biscuit container from her guest as it was offered. The biscuits smelled divine, and while Narcissa usually ate little at events like this, she would have to indulge in at least one of these. "Come and make yourself comfortable!" She set the tin out on the low coffee table where the rest of their goodies for the tea lay. With a snap of her fingers, Dobby was shortly pouring the tea, and she settled into one of their posh white armchairs. She smiled over at the younger girl, fully taking in her look, and decided that the two of them needed to go shopping. Yes, Meredith looked beautiful - with her looks, it would be difficult not to - but she was no longer a Hogwarts student. Yes, she was still a student, but the schoolgirl-chic look needed to go if she was going to be taken seriously as an adult. Next time.

"Well, dear," Narcissa began with a wink, "I simply cannot express enough how glad I am that we are in the position we are. It's delightful to have such pleasant company within the organization, I'll tell you now that we are rarities!" Honestly, some days it seemed that she and her husband - and Bella, of course - were the only decent people trusted by the Dark Lord! "Your family must be incredibly proud, what with you managing so much yourself. How have you enjoyed living on your own? We skipped that step, but to each her own," she said - graciously, of course.

[Lucius Malfoy]

He hardly cared about the conversation between women, what use was it to him? It wasn't like he was going to learn anything new from this conversation. And yet Narcissa insisted that he be here. Surely Meredith was a wise girl, she would understand that he was busy and didn't have time to sit and drink tea. But yet he flashed a smile at her reply, and took her hand gently as he should, placing a kiss on top of it before returning it to her. Just because he could be the perfect gentlemen didn't mean he had any desire to.

He smiled cordially as the smell of the biscuits wafted through the air, glad that his wife was taking charge of the conversation. He sat down next to Narcissa, draping an arm behind her as he leaned back and let the two of them talk. It was clear he would need to place nice a little longer, and so he smiled and nodded along with his wives words. While her words were true - they were rarities within the organization - he wasn't so willing to invite Meredith into the group yet. Just because she was pretty didn't mean she was trustworthy.

He gave a small laugh to Narcissa's last comment, brushing the hand behind her back against her shoulders. "What can I say? I knew from the first moment we would be married and I didn't want to waste any time here without you."

[Meredith Mulciber]

Meredith bestowed her hostess with a regal smile. “It is but a small thing,” she said as the three of them moved into a more comfortable environment. The table was set properly for tea and upon Narcissa's command, the elf began serving them. The blonde glanced momentarily at what was on offer and was pleased to note her offering was amongst the selection. The recent graduate situated herself to be directly across from the couple in a very comfy armchair and accepted her tea with a smile to Narcissa. 

“I dare say we are rarities in general, not just in the organization. We should count ourselves lucky to have found each other.” Meredith sipped her tea, pleased to be flattered, and equally pleased to squeeze in some flattery herself. For now, Lucius was quiet and she was glad for it; but he was still there, draped around his wife like a coat. She was very surprised that he was even here, and her surprise grew every moment he remained. She was sure he would rather not spend an evening with two chatting women, especially if one of them was his lovers best friend. She ignored him for the most part, her attention all for the other women in the room. 

She was always intensely observant, so she didn't miss the subtle jab in her direction. Yes, Meredith knew she would always have to face up to some backlash for her recent decisions. Her parents were surprisingly compliant, but she knew the general society would not be. She chuckled along with the couple as Lucius spoke. “All in good time dear,” Meredith told Narcissa, her voice, and demeanor as if she were telling the other woman a very juicy secret. “Until then I do not see why a woman cannot be self-sufficient and formidable in her own right. I intend to be a worthy companion for my husband when the time is to marry. I am not as fortunate as you to be so awe-inspiring so young. No wonder you two could hardly wait, just look at you.” she finished admiringly.

Meredith patted herself on the back, mentally, of course, sometimes she did have a way with words. And really the pair across from her were very impressive, that part was easy to indulge in. She didn't want the day to go pear-shaped because of her words, she didn't want them to lapse into passive aggressive politeness. Meredith hadn't planned on dropping in this subject so soon but she felt it would help to keep tea time with the Malfoy's pleasant. “I recently had a drink with Bellatrix, charming woman she is.”

[Narcissa Malfoy]

Moments like these were what she'd imagined when, as a teenager, Narcissa had first envisioned herself as Lucius Malfoy's wife. His arm behind her, protective and attentive as always, her hand resting on his knee, the pair of them an idyllic picture of domestic life. As her husband was often kept busy with his various pursuits, Narcissa's ego was stroked by gestures like this. He was incredibly choosey in where he spent his time, and while she knew he would like to be elsewhere, he was here. With her. If you don't have a good time, I'll make it up to you. Their elf tended to the needs of their tea, and she passed her husband his cup and saucer before taking up her own as Meredith spoke. The girl was young, yes, but obviously well trained in her manners; it would be such a delight to have her company more often, and Narcissa could not see this going poorly enough to make that an impossibility. "I agree wholeheartedly," she assented, lifting her cup to the other playfully before taking a drink.

Narcissa could not resist prodding into Meredith's personal life a little for clues about the girl - was she not still seeing the Vanderhyde boy? Could this living-on-her-own business be a short-term endeavor? The Vanderhydes could hardly be counted among the most patient of their lot, so if things were going well...I expect we'll see a ring soon. Lucius' brush against her shoulders drew her smile, and she leaned into his touch, giving the girl across from them a wink. "It may be a cliché, but when you know, you know." She was glad of Meredith's pleasant laughter, nodding along as the younger woman gave her points, and positively beaming by the end. "I trust you will be just as fortunate as I was," she promised, although the sentiment was a white lie. There were currently no eligible men of their caliber who were as good of a catch as Lucius was in her time, but Meredith was going to do well for herself. If the relationship did not progress with the Vanderhyde boy, Narcissa would be eager to assist her.

The little company fell into a brief and comfortable quiet with their tea, Narcissa moving slightly to give her husband a smile and kiss on the cheek - Just a little longer, love. - when she heard Meredith's next. "Charming" was hardly the word most would use to describe Bellatrix, and the blonde wondered what Meredith meant by it. Was she truly growing fond of her sister? If so, then all plans Narcissa was forming around her blossoming friendship with the girl would likely fail; companionship of any sort with Bella was all-consuming, and Meredith would hardly have time to spend with her, or the want to, if she was more interested in Bella's sort of fun than her own. The concern and, quite frankly, panic she felt at hearing her eldest elder sister had approached the girl first, was something she did her utmost to conceal as she looked across to her guest. She hardly wanted Meredith to think poorly of Bella, but the ranks did not need another Alecto Carrow. That creature had been swept up by her sister within the first few months of joining, and playing nice with Bella's minions was intolerable as it was. You'll be smarter than she was, won't you?

"She really is something else, isn't she?" Narcissa said with a light laugh. "I hope she was not dreadfully hard on you. She enjoys testing the new recruits perhaps a bit too much, but she means well by it." Her sister prided herself as one of their Lord's most trusted - to hear her speak of it, there was hardly anyone above her - and took the duties that came with that to heart. Vetting the recruits to sort those who could be useful from those who would crumble at the first sign of danger was a summer past-time of hers, and if Narcissa hadn't heard anything to the negative about Miss Mulciber...you'll have to act fast.

[Lucius Malfoy]

He accepted his tea from his wife with a smile, glad to have something else to occupy himself with besides the boring conversation of women. The two of them talking about whatever it was kept their minds active, he could hardly care. Why did he care about the personal life of Meredith Mulciber? Still, he had promised Narcissa that he would be here. ”I’m sure your father had been dealing with plenty of eager suitors. I wasn’t the only one with my heart set on Narcissa, but things work out as they should,” he said with a smile, leaning over to place a kiss on his wife’s temple.

But Meredith was bringing up his sister-in-law and he was glad for the tea as a way to avoid what was happening. Bellatrix was not at all charming, but instead was a vicious snake and pain in his arse. Whatever Lestrange was up to, he didn’t want any part of it. ”Oh Narcissa, I am sure Bellatrix was on her best behavior. She’s just passionate about her work.”

[Meredith Mulciber]

"You two." she said with a jesting eyeroll as Lucius leaned over to give his wife an adoring kiss. Meredith quickly followed it up with a tinkling laugh and a shake of her head. They really were too perfect. On the outside at least; Meredith knew there were secrets and lies even in this seemingly wonderful pair. However, overall, they really were a perfect match and the envy of so many people One could only dream of finding ones equal. "I hope so too." she said honestly to her hostess, thinking she may already be so lucky. Ethan was a very fine match for her and Meredith found herself feeling things she hadn't felt in a long time, but she was not quite positive yet if she intended to marry him one day, or whether he even wanted to marry her. She didn't mention any of this though, not wanting to crow too loudly before she was sure of the situation. Instead, she kept the focus all on the couple before her until the conversation turned in another direction. 

That direction by her own doing was to Bellatrix Lestrange. She had wanted to gauge Narcissa's reaction to her sister and let the other snakes know that she was very much a full member of their society. She succeeded in both her endeavors and gave herself a mental pat on the back, mentioning it suddenly was best after all. Now, it wasn't a very big reaction, but Meredith was trained to notice the tiny nuances people rarely thought of, and she could tell now that something was off about the other woman when she brought up her darker counterpart. 

Meredith shot Lucius a tight smile. "Aren't we all passionate about the cause?" she said with a curious tilt of her head in answer to his brush-off of his sister-in-law's ways. She admitted only to herself that Malfoy was right, Bellatrix had a zest for their work that was unrivaled, and her passion was sometimes terrifying. She was like fire, awe-inspiring to watch, but too dangerous to touch. "She is something else, altogether." she conceded with a little grin. Too much, too dangerous for Bronwyn. she thought too herself not for the first time since her meeting with the eldest Black sister. Deciding it was best not to tell Narcissa any specifics of their discussion, especially the other woman's interest in her old roommate, the younger blonde went on with the most delighted air she could muster. "Don't trouble yourself, she actually was very agreeable to me and I don't think she hated me in the end, all in all it was a nice evening. I look forward to a working relationship with her. She will be an advantageous ally, wouldn't you agree? In any case, I don't see her as the tea and cakes sort, which I really do love. So, thank you again, for inviting me. Everything is so delicious and it is so lovely catching up Narcissa."

[Narcissa Malfoy]

"You may not have been the only one with your eye on me, but you were the only man on my list," she returned, giving her husband's thigh a light squeeze. She shifted her gaze from his to Meredith's, giving the other beauty a knowing smirk. "Nothing but the best for women like us." With any luck, seeing as how she was already seeming to have begun piling her eggs in the Vanderhyde boy's basket, Ethan would become "the best" for Meredith. He did not have the accolades that Lucius had had at his age, but then again, her husband was a rare sort of treasure. It was unfair to compare others to him, for they would always fall short. 

Talk turned to a recent encounter Meredith had had with her sister, and Narcissa was kicking herself for not using her usual persistence to secure this tea sooner. She loved Bellatrix, but she was so sure that Meredith would be a friend! And while she gave an assenting nod to her husband's remarks - surely Bella wasn't looking to replace her minion or anything of the like, Narcissa was just letting her mind run away with her - she had to give the girl a look of consideration at she rebutted him. You're not here to dig into anything, are you? Nothing is purely a social call, but I thought we could trust each other. Thankfully Meredith was ready to speak of her time with Bellatrix fondly, but not overly so, hitting home the note of a working relationship that Narcissa could get behind. By the end of the girl's thanks, Narcissa was quite soothed and gave her an easy smile.

"We have claimed being the tea-and-cakes home for the family," Narcissa said as though confiding a delightful secret. The history behind the separation of what business transpired in which Black sister's home was hardly a delightful one, given Narcissa's utter refusal to set foot within the other manor as a protest to how Bella, Rodolphus, and Rabastan were treated by the prior heads of the Lestrange family. And while those times were in the past now, the tradition stuck. She preferred to be a hostess than a guest - who wouldn't, in a home like this? "Consider this an open invitation from now on, will you? And you are certainly correct on the rest, my dear. Passions for the cause show in a variety of ways from case-to-case, while we all have our hearts in it. My husband and I fill our lives with other duties and pleasures outside of its confines, just the same as you." Her tone was pleasant, unassuming; while she herself was loathe to risk her loved one's safety in service to the Dark Lord, he was the necessary evil, the albatross around her long neck. How far in are you, Meredith? "Bella prefers...a different balance, as is her right to choose. Any ally of hers is lucky, indeed, so should you count yourself." She gave the other a smile and looked to the clock above the mantle, letting out a light laugh as she turned to her husband.

"Speaking of balance, my love, I believe you've granted us all the time we can ask for." An excuse hardly needed to be given; let Meredith wonder as to which pursuit he had an appointment for, from the apothecary to the Lord to friends or family. Thank you, she said with her smile. That wasn't so horrible, was it? 

[Lucius Malfoy]

As he looked adoringly at his wife, he had to smile at her words. Meredith found them endearing, which he enjoyed, and his wife was just so sweet. If only she knew the truth. She hadn’t been the first on his list, by any means. The first on his list had been his dear sweet friend Violet Fudge, but she’d been betrothed to Avery. It was no secret that he was the one who had let Nichola’s betrayal slip, but it hadn’t ended their betrothal. After that, he hadn’t had anyone on his mind, but his parents had other ideas. Annie had left him for a muggle, which was all fine because Narcissa truly was his perfect match. Playing around with other girls was fun, but when it came down to it Narcissa was the best one for him. No one could ever compare, even if they were fun to flirt with. Like Lydia, who Lucius was sure had told Meredith about their activities.

But as the talk turned to his sister-in-law, Lucius bit his tongue at Meredith’s words. Of course, they were all passionate about the cause - that was part of the deal. They wouldn’t have taken their marks if they were passionate about making a better world for themselves. It was good to hear that the younger girl’s talks with Bellatrix had been agreeable when Lucius knew very well the woman was anything but. He had to chuckle at Narcissa’s words though because she was right. They were the tea and cakes side of the family, or as he liked to look at it - the sane ones. There was something wrong with the Lestranges, and Bella fit in with them perfectly. At his wife’s last though, he nodded and placed his teacup down on the table, leaning in for a kiss before he stood. “I hope the two of you have a wonderful time, but duty does call. I'll be back tonight, my love.”  He gave a nod towards Meredith as he left the room, glad to be escaping what could have been a dreadful afternoon. 

[Meredith Mulciber]

Meredith nearly beamed at how easily gracefully Narcissa accepted her commentary on the eldest Black sister, but she was careful not to give away too much pleasure. Then her counterpart might think she was disingenuous, and she was most certainly sincere. Bellatrix was a fine ally to have but she was much too dangerous to get too close; best to always keep one eye on that one with she enjoyed tea with this one. And that joy was quickly followed by another: An open invitation to the Malfoy Manor. Here, Mere did let her unbridled pleasure show now as it was warranted and Narcissa would be expecting as much from her at such a generous offer. "Oh, Narcissa, that's so kind of you. I will for sure have to come to tea more often." Then, just because it was her duty to engage both hostess and host, she sent Lucius a cheeky grin. "Though not too often."

As if on cue, well, actually literally on cue, as his wife had instructed him that he was released from this duty, it was time for the man of the house to depart -Meredith noted the expert way Narcissa was handling this affair and her husband and wondered if she would ever be so delicate in her marriage duties. She gave him a farewell with a respectful incline of her head and then he was gone and she felt...better. It was so tense sitting with him and his adoring wife and knowing the things she knew about him. Lydia would have to end this ridiculous thing with Lucius Malfoy if she ever hoped to be at ease in his presence. She pushed those thoughts away until later when she could ruminate on them properly.

"These great men always have one thing or another to do." she commented, setting her cup down. Making herself slightly more comfortable, Meredith addressed her hostess more directly.  "I say all the better. Gives us ladies some time to chat, and we do have so much to catch up on." Other than the dinner over the summer that they had shared with the Dark Lord and his other followers, she and Narcissa hadn't had a reason to see each other since they were both at Hogwarts. And she had been so young then, it hardly counted. Now, they had so much time to really be friends. "What have you been getting up to Mrs. Malfoy?"

[Narcissa Malfoy]

While she admired her husband for many of his attributes and accolades, it was at times like these that Narcissa gave herself a pat on the back. For while Lucius had the patience for much of the seemingly idle talk that happened behind closed doors, he sometimes failed to understand why she brought certain people here. It was good to have Meredith Mulciber in their home, now with an open invitation that the younger woman was so pleased with. Her father was even higher ranking under the Dark Lord than Lucius was, so couldn't he see that this was an easy way to rise in his esteem? And Meredith herself was part of this new group of women desiring to be Death Eaters themselves, so wasn't it beneficial to them that they sway her allegiance before darker minds took her for themselves? There were radicals on their side, as any violent group drew them, but if she and Lucius could provide a safety net for anyone else who was more moderate...The whole endeavor that she'd found herself irreversibly strapped to upon her marriage would become more palatable. If they had the numbers and the will, they could change the world from their sitting room, from changing the politics in the Ministry and the Wizengamot, instead of torching the world and building from the rubble, which to Narcissa seemed to be the route their leader was taking them on.

But that was talk for a private time between her husband and herself, for while Meredith was likely an ally she could count on, disagreeing with the Dark Lord's methods and being told on was akin to being accused of heresy in the days of absolute monarchies. As the consequences were no more pretty or dignified than an old-fashioned beheading, she was not keen to be caught speaking her mind to the wrong person. And so here she would be, determining - without resorting to Veritaserum or Legilmency or torture - whether or not the little blonde was the right sort...or not.

She accepted the kiss from her husband and watched with a smile as he left, making a show of getting more comfortable in the hopes that her guest would let another layer or two down as well. That smile broadened as the other woman spoke of great men with her husband included in the category, as he should be, and she indulged in one of the biscuits Meredith had brought. "Mrs. Malfoy," Narcissa echoed with a trilling laugh, noting with pleasure the way Meredith had accentuated her title. "We were just girls the last time we were together like this, weren't we," she said with a disarming smile. "But this life, I promise you, it's becoming what I've always deserved, and I'm sure you'll make that of your own as well. We'll have our heir soon enough, and I can't complain about the path we're taking to meet him." Her smile took a slightly wicked turn as she reached for another treat. While she'd wanted children already, she felt that they were close, so close... "Outside of that, though, I've taken up a role of my own with the Malfoy business," she said with pride. "It's only right that I know what's happening, to protect us and our future. While those great men are pulled here and there, someone must keep the lights on."