Challenge #93: Mother's Day
Title: Sacrifice
Rating/Warnings: PG, None
Characters/Pairing: Narcissa, Draco, Pansy
Summary: Narcissa knows what being a mother is all about: sacrifice.
Word Count: 551
Author's Notes: N/A
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
Narcissa sighed heavily as she stared out into the vast gardens of Malfoy Manor, her eyes flicking between watching the sun set and making sure her young son, Draco, was okay. He was out playing with his new best friend, a girl from down the road called Pansy, and had insisted on being left alone to play, because, as he put it, he was a 'big boy now'.
Time seemed to pass so quickly these days, and Narcissa wasn't even sure when she'd blinked and suddenly Draco was seven years old. Being a mother was all she'd ever wanted, and she began to regret not having another child. When Draco left, there would be nobody but her and Lucius, and she liked to look after someone.
After all, you could only look after someone who was there, and Lucius was away on 'business' so very often these days it was as though she was a single mother. She hated having to turn up to Ministry functions and friends' balls on her own, explaining away Lucius's absences and ignoring the snide remarks the other women would send her way.
Narcissa knew what they thought; they thought he was cheating on her, but Narcissa knew better. He was just dedicated to the cause, that was all. Since the downfall of Voldemort, Lucius and those who had escaped Azkaban had had to run things on their own, and it certainly wasn't easy. She knew perfectly well that Lucius didn't like to be away from his family for too long, but needs must, and she knew she shouldn't complain.
A loud scream brought her out of her thoughts, and her eyes switched to where her son had been standing by the pond, but now, there was just Pansy, and she was screaming the place down. Quickly, Narcissa ran out of the patio doors and across the lawn, grabbing her wand out of her pocket as she went.
"What happened?" she called out to the little girl, who just looked sheepishly at her. "Well?"
"He... he fell! In the pond!" Pansy squeaked, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Without a second thought for her expensive robes, Narcissa jumped into the pond and hauled Draco out, mentally chastising herself for having a pond so big with no fencing around it. She lay him carefully on the lawn, and was pleased to see no harm had come to him; he was just lay there coughing and spluttering.
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, dear," said Narcissa, placing a reassuring hand on Pansy's shoulder. "He'll be fine."
"Fine?" Draco tried to shout, but it came out as nothing more than a mutter. "I nearly died, mother!"
Narcissa rolled her eyes; he really did have a tendency to be over dramatic. "Tea is in half an hour," she said to the children as she stood up. "Don't be late, or there'll be no pudding for either of you."
With one final glance to make sure Draco was okay, Narcissa headed back up to the manor and cleaned her robes. The stains would never truly come out, but she knew that that was what being a mother was all about: sacrifice. And if Narcissa had to sacrifice expensive robes to save her son, then so be it. She wouldn't have it any other way.
Points
Word Points: 551/30 = 18
Item Points: 10
28 Points for Hufflepuff
Fairy//Hufflepuff
Rating/Warnings: PG, None
Characters/Pairing: Narcissa, Draco, Pansy
Summary: Narcissa knows what being a mother is all about: sacrifice.
Word Count: 551
Author's Notes: N/A
Registered purchases?: Quill & Parchment
Narcissa sighed heavily as she stared out into the vast gardens of Malfoy Manor, her eyes flicking between watching the sun set and making sure her young son, Draco, was okay. He was out playing with his new best friend, a girl from down the road called Pansy, and had insisted on being left alone to play, because, as he put it, he was a 'big boy now'.
Time seemed to pass so quickly these days, and Narcissa wasn't even sure when she'd blinked and suddenly Draco was seven years old. Being a mother was all she'd ever wanted, and she began to regret not having another child. When Draco left, there would be nobody but her and Lucius, and she liked to look after someone.
After all, you could only look after someone who was there, and Lucius was away on 'business' so very often these days it was as though she was a single mother. She hated having to turn up to Ministry functions and friends' balls on her own, explaining away Lucius's absences and ignoring the snide remarks the other women would send her way.
Narcissa knew what they thought; they thought he was cheating on her, but Narcissa knew better. He was just dedicated to the cause, that was all. Since the downfall of Voldemort, Lucius and those who had escaped Azkaban had had to run things on their own, and it certainly wasn't easy. She knew perfectly well that Lucius didn't like to be away from his family for too long, but needs must, and she knew she shouldn't complain.
A loud scream brought her out of her thoughts, and her eyes switched to where her son had been standing by the pond, but now, there was just Pansy, and she was screaming the place down. Quickly, Narcissa ran out of the patio doors and across the lawn, grabbing her wand out of her pocket as she went.
"What happened?" she called out to the little girl, who just looked sheepishly at her. "Well?"
"He... he fell! In the pond!" Pansy squeaked, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Without a second thought for her expensive robes, Narcissa jumped into the pond and hauled Draco out, mentally chastising herself for having a pond so big with no fencing around it. She lay him carefully on the lawn, and was pleased to see no harm had come to him; he was just lay there coughing and spluttering.
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, dear," said Narcissa, placing a reassuring hand on Pansy's shoulder. "He'll be fine."
"Fine?" Draco tried to shout, but it came out as nothing more than a mutter. "I nearly died, mother!"
Narcissa rolled her eyes; he really did have a tendency to be over dramatic. "Tea is in half an hour," she said to the children as she stood up. "Don't be late, or there'll be no pudding for either of you."
With one final glance to make sure Draco was okay, Narcissa headed back up to the manor and cleaned her robes. The stains would never truly come out, but she knew that that was what being a mother was all about: sacrifice. And if Narcissa had to sacrifice expensive robes to save her son, then so be it. She wouldn't have it any other way.
Points
Word Points: 551/30 = 18
Item Points: 10
28 Points for Hufflepuff
Fairy//Hufflepuff