Lightning Strikes Twice Ch. 37 (Harry Potter) (Patreon)

A/N: Things move fast when people know what they want~

-x-X-x-

“I want… I want to know more. Please Bella… tell me more.”

She means it too. All her life, Narcissa Malfoy has fought so damn hard for control. If it isn’t one thing, it’s been another. From being the youngest of three sisters, to being used as a pawn by the family, to marrying Lucius and becoming his wife.

Narcissa didn’t hate Lucius Malfoy, but she didn’t love him either. Being Lady Malfoy had opened many doors for her and offered her more freedom than being Narcissa Black had, but it was still little more than a gilded cage. And being marked by the Dark Lord… well, that too had limited her and Lucius’ options quite a bit.

Worst of all, if the Dark Lord still lived, Narcissa knew it would only be a matter of time before he came back to full strength and demanded they renew their allegiance to him once more. That wasn’t something that she or Lucius could decline even if they wanted to… and she could only think of one way that they would be able to placate Lord Voldemort for daring to disavow him after his defeat.

… He would want their son. He would want Draco. Narcissa couldn’t allow that to happen. Even if Draco was becoming distressingly similar to Lucius by the year, she couldn’t afford to risk his soul to the Dark Lord’s clutches.

Smiling wickedly, Bellatrix sits down in a chair next to Narcissa, giggling softly.

“You’re afraid of the Dark Lord, aren’t you? You’re scared of what he’ll do to you, Lucius, and Draco if he regains his strength.”

Narcissa scowls, her lips forming into a thin line as she grimaces at the truth of Bellatrix’s words. Her sister is right on the money, after all.

“And why shouldn’t I be? You might be free of him Bella, but I’m not. Your new Master might protect you, but he certainly hasn’t sworn to protect me. What would it take? What would it cost me to get the same sort of thing you’ve gotten?”

Her eyes dart down to Bellatrix’s arm again. The Dark Mark, covered in chains, is no longer exposed… but the sight of it is burned into Narcissa’s eyes.

“Oh, not much. Your loyalty, of course. You would owe your new Lord your devotion and fealty. But he wouldn’t ask for much out of you. Not much at all. Just your support… and probably Lucius’ life.”

Wait, what? Narcissa blinks at that last part, as casually said as the rest. She stares at Bellatrix, nonplussed.

“His… life?”

Bellatrix just grins and she realizes that as much as the other Black woman has gotten better at hiding it, Bella is just as insane as ever.

“Maybe not even that much. But yes, you won’t be just betraying the Dark Lord. You’ll almost certainly be betraying your Lord Husband as well. Do you think you could do that? Do you think you could sacrifice Lucius if it meant your freedom?”

It sounded more like Bellatrix was offering to trade one set of shackles for another. After all, Bella’s Dark Mark wasn’t gone… it was covered in chains. Freedom? Don’t make Narcissa laugh. And yet… there is something tempting about the idea. Draco wasn’t old enough to become Lord Malfoy yet. He also loved his dear mother with all his heart. It was the one way in which Draco and Lucius had always differed and would hopefully continue to differ.

… Of course, there was every possibility that the older Draco got, the more he would change. Especially with Lucius putting ideas in his head. There could even be a time when Narcissa’s darling son no longer cared for his mother. Unless, of course, Lucius was removed from the picture and Narcissa became the defacto head of House Malfoy, about to keep Draco on the right path until he came of age and took over as Lord Malfoy.

Yes, there was quite a lot of possibility in that idea. It was even enough to bring a smile to Narcissa’s face. Sure, she would have to swear to a new Lord. But she’d already foolishly given her soul over to one Dark Lord when she was younger. Her and her husband would either wind up kneeling at the feet of Lord Voldemort again, forced to give him their son to placate his rage and fury over their cowardice… or Narcissa could take the opportunity that had just been dropped into her lap.

“There’s no such thing as freedom in this world, Bella. Not for witches like us. We’ll always belong to this wizard or that wizard, won’t we?”

Bellatrix blinks, looking surprised by Narcissa’s words.

“I… I suppose you’re right, yes. There’s no escaping that.”

Nodding, Narcissa raises an eyebrow.

“So then tell me true… is your new Lord better than the old? Is he worth sacrificing my husband?”

To her credit, Bella doesn’t just straight up say ‘yes’ at least. Instead, she leans forward, eyes suddenly intent.

“That depends, Cissy. What do you want? What do you truly want out of this deal?”

Narcissa’s breath hitches as she considers that for a long moment. What does she want? Well, since it’s just her and Bellatrix, she might as well go for broke right? Bella can always tell her if she needs to adjust her expectations downward.

“I want nominal control over House Malfoy and its wealth until Draco comes of age. I can handle an order here and there to help this mystery Lord with whatever he desires, but I want to be the one making the day to day decisions. I also want Draco to be spared. I’m sacrificing Lucius for Draco’s sake, not solely for my own selfishness. If I just wait for the Dark Lord to come back, then it’ll be Lucius and I sacrificing Draco to him in order to save our own skins. That’s the thing I want to avoid the most.”

She narrows her eyes then, staring Bellatrix down.

“How do you think he would respond to such demands? Will he allow me to rule House Malfoy my way? Will he let me protect and raise my son on my own terms?”

The Dark Lord certainly wouldn’t have ever agreed to such a thing. Lord Voldemort would have put Narcissa under the Cruciatus Curse for daring to suggest that Draco be spared the Dark Mark. Narcissa might not ever be able to be truly free, but the same couldn’t be said of Draco. Even if it cost her everything, even if she had to sacrifice Lucius to do it… she would be willing to risk it all to ensure Draco’s freedom.

Bellatrix is quiet for a few moments, mulling over Narcissa’s requests. At least it’s not an immediate rejection, though the silence still means that her sister thinks there might be something objectionable in her demands. Finally…

“I would need to bring your words to my Lord to be absolutely certain, Cissy. But… I don’t think he would be opposed to your demands, necessarily. He likes his servants to be capable and independent from what I’ve seen. So long as you did not stand against him, he probably wouldn’t pull too tightly on your leash.”

Narcissa opens her mouth to speak, only for Bellatrix to cut her off.

“However… that would go for your son as well. I do not believe my Master wishes for Draco Malfoy to die as of yet. On the face of it, he wouldn’t have any problem sparing your son right now. However… Draco is Lucius’ son. He’s been raised as your husband’s heir, the scion of House Malfoy. Do you really think he won’t become just like Lucius, one day?”

The other Black witch sounds legitimately curious. Narcissa frowns. She doesn’t like to think about it too hard… Draco was so cute as a boy. But the older he’s gotten… the more like his father he’s become. Still, he’s not too far gone. She has to believe that.

“If Lucius is removed from the picture, then I fully believe I can steer Draco onto the right path. I can make him a better man than his father. He’s not too far gone yet, there are years left where I can help him.”

Bellatrix tilts her head to the side… and then shrugs.

“Well. The possibility is still there. Obviously, my Lord would keep confidentiality with you. None would know you serve him, and your son would never have to learn that you were behind his father’s… removal from the board. However, if your son grew up to oppose our Lord anyways, you would not be in a position to save him then. Draco would be on his own… and I will admit now, Cissy, the Master doesn’t have time for mercy.”

Doesn’t have time for it. Not ‘doesn’t have the patience’ nor ‘fresh out of it’, but rather, doesn’t have the time for it. What does that mean? Narcissa feels like it means something, but she can’t quite put her finger on it. Still, it’s a better offer than she’ll get otherwise now that she knows the Dark Lord is still around.

Betting on Lord Voldemort never coming back to life and terrorizing them all again is a crapshoot. As far as Narcissa can see, the only way to get half of the things she wants done… is by taking this offer before the Dark Lord can return and make their lives a living hell again.

For Draco. For herself. Narcissa lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“What… what are our next steps if I agree, exactly?”

Bellatrix’s smile is blindingly bright and a little insane as she claps her hands together.

“You meet with him, of course! Tell me, does Lucius still not care about your… indiscretions?”

Narcissa blushes but doesn’t let Bellatrix get to her.

“Of course not. So long as it doesn’t result in any bastards, he could care less about what I do with my body. He has his heir, after all. He only ever wanted the one child.”

Of course, Narcissa was a witch with needs. Fortunately, she was able to take care of those needs while Lucius turned a blind eye.

“Good. Then book a suite like you usually do. But don’t pick up a friend for the night. Just wait for the Master to arrive and the two of you can finish hashing out the details then.”

Merlin, was she really going to do this? No, more importantly… wasn’t she in too deep to back out now? Narcissa gives Bellatrix a sharp nod to show she understands… and then watches as her sister fades from view. After a moment, she hesitantly calls out.

“Bella?”

But there’s no answer. Then, she draws her wand and casts a revealing spell… nothing. Did it even really happen?

Except… the server that Bella had to stun and obliviate is still unconscious in a chair. Eyes narrowed, Narcissa points her wand at them.

“Enervate.”

With a startle, the server comes back to life, eyes flying open as they look around and then realize where they are. Jumping out of the chair and to their feet, they whimper in confusion.

“L-Lady Malfoy?! I… w-what happened?”

Narcissa could have been nice… but that would have been more suspicious, really. So instead she just sniffs haughtily.

“I stepped out for a moment to wash up and when I came back, I found you asleep in that chair.”

Looking horrified, the server wrings their hands.

“I’m so, so sorry Lady Malfoy. P-Please, I don’t know… I’ve never done something like that on the job before. I swear I-!”

“Get out of my sight.”

“Y-Yes ma’am! Right away, ma’am!”

As they leave, Narcissa looks back at the table, at the chair Bellatrix had occupied. Then, pulling up her own sleeve, Narcissa looks at the incredibly faded outline of the Dark Mark on the inside of her arm. Maybe it’s just her imagination, but as she runs her thumb over it, she feels a distant sort of pang of pain. Was any of that conversation real? It had certainly felt real. And in the end… there was one way to find out.

Leaving the room behind, the Lady of House Malfoy sets about ordering herself a suite at the fanciest magical hotel in Diagon Alley. A fair bit of a step up from the Leaky Cauldron, of course, somewhere she wouldn’t be caught dead in even on her worst day. However, just like Bellatrix said, Narcissa doesn’t bother arranging for company for the evening this time around.

Instead she would either spend the night alone… or she would meet this new Lord that had freed Bellatrix from Azkaban and stolen her from the Dark Lord. And maybe, just maybe… she’d let herself be stolen as well.

-x-X-x-

Harry didn’t know how to feel about Bellatrix’s success. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a chance to bring Narcissa Malfoy into his stable of witches and bind her magic to his own. In fact, the idea held great appeal, truth be told. Not just because Narcissa was beautiful, but also because having her under his thumb would also give him access to Lucius Malfoy.

In the same way Harry had taken Rodolphus’ magic by way of his magical marriage bond to Bellatrix, Harry would also have the ability to turn Lucius Malfoy into a muggle… if he didn’t decide to just kill the man outright. Needless to say, that was very, very tempting.

The problem was… Bellatrix had managed it all so damn quickly. He’d barely given her permission and she had already arranged a meeting with him. To be fair, Harry had made sure to peruse her memories of the conversation she’d had with Narcissa.

He was actually quite proud of how Bellatrix had comported herself. Stunning and obliviating the server rather than killing them, making no promises to Narcissa that she couldn’t back up without talking to him first, and ultimately making sure that the other Black Witch understood what she was getting into, but not giving away too much about Harry and his methods.

All in all, Bellatrix had proven that she could be trusted more than he thought she could. While at the same time making him feel a little inadequate given how many slow burns he had going with other witches. Here he was, still not having sealed the deal with Rita Skeeter of all people, while after one conversation with Bellatrix, Narcissa Malfoy was pretty much ready to sign on the dotted line.

Still, there was one small thing Harry had to decide as he found himself standing invisible and undetectable in Narcissa Malfoy’s hotel suite, watching her pace back and forth across the floor while waiting for him to show up. The hour was already rather late, so he wouldn’t keep her waiting much longer.

However… did he wish to hide his identity from her until after their deal was concluded, like he had with Amelia so far? Or should she know exactly who he is before they continue?