A Push Towards Madness - A gift for xwetparchmentx!
Title: A Push Towards Madness
Author: pretty_panther
Recipient: xwetparchmentx
Pairing(s): Narcissa Malfoy/Rita Skeeter, Narcissa Malfoy/Lucius Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Word Count: 2,149
Rating: R
Warnings: Kidnapping, drugging, derogatory language
Summary: Madness is practically a birthright in the House of Black and Narcissa is no exception. Voldemort has won the war but still she is not utterly content with her life. Then Lucius becomes the Minister for Magic and a reporter comes to interview Narcissa, discovers too much, and awakens the inner madness.
Author's Notes: A challenging pairing to write but very interesting at the same time. I hope that the recipient likes it.
They have spent so long waiting for their victory that when it comes, Narcissa doesn’t feel it quite matches up to her expectations. The Mudbloods are removed from Hogwarts and taken care of, while Draco becomes top of his year and gets a good position in the new Ministry. Lucius becomes the official Minister for Magic and passes the laws that purify their world, and yet something is still missing. The ugly tattoos burned into her husband and son’s skin reminds her that they are not equals with their Lord, but subservient. Lucius spends more time away from her than ever before and comes home looking harassed, and when she touches him he shivers and pulls away. He no longer takes any comfort from her and Narcissa has learned to stop asking how long he was cursed for; it doesn’t really matter anyway. It is meant to be better than all of this but now the Mudbloods are taken care of, it seems the pure-bloods are turning on each other and being overcome by their lust for power.
The Dark Lord finds it amusing, as if it is the ultimate survival of the fittest to see his followers tearing each other apart in their scramble for position. Severus stays out of it at Hogwarts and it is more than once that Narcissa wonders if he still has what it takes to perform to a standard high enough to teach. Magic is might, but with so many house-elves to run around after her she doesn’t really use it all that often if she is honest with herself. Lucius says that it shows their power and influence, so good they don’t even have to use it, but Narcissa knows it is nothing of the kind. A rich Mudblood can afford an army of house-elves just as she can. Or they could before the war and the purges.
Lucius has his secrets and she has always kept them, before the wars and now after. She longs for something to do, some sort of purpose outside of Mrs Lucius Malfoy, because though his imprisonment was one of the darkest periods in her life, it did show her just how little she has outside of him. She was raised to be that way but that was another world, another time, and her sister has now risen to the Lord’s right hand despite being female.
Another day and another face to smile at, to convince, to remind that Narcissa saw the beginning of the new. She is the wife of a notorious Death Eater, and it is her job to represent him well. Really, along with looking beautiful it is the only job Narcissa has ever had and the smirk on the face of the reporter standing on her doorstep, and any questions said reporter has to throw at her, is not going to make her fail at that.
“Good Morning, Mrs Malfoy. I am-”
“I know who you are, Miss Skeeter,” Narcissa states, cutting her off and promptly turning on her heel and leading the reporter into the lounge room she has decided to give the interview in. The reporter follows quickly, her stilettos loud and echoing on the marble floors as Narcissa summons an elf and orders them a pot of tea and biscuits. Narcissa sits herself down in a comfy armchair and directs Rita to a more high-backed and uncomfortable chair near the window, gaining the upper hand without saying a word. She won’t have a reporter feeling comfortable. Whether it is for the benefit of her husband or not, Narcissa still finds it distasteful to have such people in her home.
“Thank you for having me, Mrs Malfoy. Shall we just crack on? Right. During the election campaign, were you confident that your husband would secure the job?” Rita demands straight away, not even glancing at her tea, which puts Narcissa on edge because it is polite to do so and expected. The reporter’s quill starts to write before Rita has even finished speaking and it writes far longer than is necessary to jot down her words.
“I had confidence in my husband. Confidence in the public is far harder to come by,” Narcissa begins carefully.
*
They talk for hours and by the end of it Rita seems pleased with her notes and yet off at the same time. She doesn’t jump out of her chair the minute she has finished asking questions, but puts her glasses away in her bag, sits back and finishes her tea, making Narcissa frown. This didn’t match her behaviour from the start of the afternoon at all. Refusing to be the woman that threw Rita out of her home, Narcissa watches her carefully and says nothing. A few times it seems as if Rita is about to speak, and then she closes her mouth again and takes another sip of her tea. It annoys the blonde who has always preferred people to just come out with it when they have something to say.
“Narcissa,” Rita begins tentatively, making Narcissa purse her lips because she had not given the other woman permission to use her given name, “I can’t help but get a certain impression of you through your answers that suggest you are… not entirely happy with your life at the moment. I must say it shocks me. You are known as the woman who has it all in this… new regime that we find ourselves in. How can anyone be happy if you yourself are not?”
The first thing that strikes Narcissa is that Rita has no right to say such things as her family is from questionable lines and has thrown away its fortune. That is evident in how Rita has to actually work. The second is that she is in fact right, and then there is disappointment because she didn’t want to show that at all. The quill and parchment are tucked away, safely hidden in Rita’s bag, and Narcissa wonders if anyone has ever been off the record with Rita Skeeter before. The way she writes her articles makes the other woman doubt it.
“If that was the case it would not be any your business, Miss Skeeter. You have a job to do and you have done it,” Narcissa says coldly.
“If I step out of line-”
“You do more,” Narcissa snaps, finding herself suddenly furious because no one is meant to know how she feels about things. There is just no way that she will tarnish the Malfoy name by having rumours spread that Lucius has an unhappy wife. It won’t do, and the anger turns to panic as the possible repercussions spin across her mind.
“Of course, I will just gather my things and leave. The edition should be-”
“No! You stay right where you are!” Narcissa shouts, suddenly on her feet. “My thoughts are my own and are the business of no one else. You will not be spreading any rumours about what your little mind has come up with!”
There is a glint in Rita’s eyes for just a second, even as she grabs her bag, and Narcissa knows that she has given the game away, revealed too much, shown her discontent. The articles about Potter that Narcissa could see through, the book about Dumbledore, and everything else that has ever had Rita’s name attached to it make her panic, and before a worried Rita reaches the door Narcissa has knocked her unconscious.
*
No one comes to look for Rita. Narcissa informs the newspaper that she left after she had conducted her interview and they don’t question her because they know better. Prisoners have frequently been hidden away in the Malfoy family home but things are different now and Narcissa doesn’t need to hide her. Lucius isn’t home enough to notice the room in the East Wing that Narcissa has warded Rita into, and Draco loves her too much to question why she needs the potions that she asks him to brew in order to sedate Rita.
For a month Narcissa keeps her locked up and only having contact with house-elves that remind her that ‘Mistress is very unhappy with you’. It is all that they are ever permitted to say to her and since Dobby none of the Malfoy elves have been stupid enough to disobey. They report she is growing more and more delirious and Narcissa smiles, satisfied, and attends to her business as if nothing has changed. Rita would have ruined her life if she had left with the thoughts she had, and so Narcissa will ruin hers instead. It seems perfectly normal to Narcissa, and there is nothing she won’t do in order to protect her family or its reputation. She has, after all, nothing without it. No matter what it takes she will break Rita down until she is completely under Narcissa’s thumb and answers to her every need. Lucius remarks that she seems brighter, and Narcissa laughs and informs him that she has found a way to keep herself occupied. He doesn’t question it. They don’t talk about the Mudblood Granger that is still in the cellar either, but Narcissa knows that he visits her now and then for a quick fuck. He has his toy and now she will have hers. It is only fair.
*
“Don’t talk,” Narcissa says softly the moment she enters the room. Rita is curled up on the right side of the bed, her face pale and her eyes dull. It has been three months since she has seen another human being and Narcissa feels a thrill when she notices the fear in Rita’s eyes. No one has ever been afraid of her before. Mrs Malfoy perhaps, her husband of course and her son on occasion, but never Narcissa. “You’ve been in here a while, haven’t you? That is because you threatened me. You might not think you did but… you did.”
Smiling sweetly, Narcissa crosses the room and watches as Rita draws her knees up to her chest, shaking her head.
“I…I…I” is all that Rita can manage to get out, but Narcissa takes no notice, joining her on the bed and tilting her head.
“You were right about one thing, Rita. This is a new regime. One that has not even noticed you are missing. You know why that is? It is because you’re scum. You’re a filthy little reporter that makes her living making other people miserable through accusations and open questions at the end of scathing little reports, and that was ok when it was Mudbloods. I’m not a Mudblood though. I’m a pure-blooded woman and I won’t be taken advantage of in your mag.”
Rita doesn’t respond and Narcissa nods to herself before patting down her robes. It is amazing how quickly you can break down someone’s spirit. The potions had stopped nearly a week before but Rita has made no attempt to break through the wards. Her red lipstick is long faded and her lips are pale and cracked with wrinkles around the edges, showing her age. It doesn’t look right, doesn’t fit the picture in Narcissa’s mind. Conjuring a red lipstick she hands it to Rita. “Put it on.”
Rita stares at her blankly until Narcissa raises an eyebrow and then slowly removes the lid and applies to her lips.
“Now, isn’t that better? You’re not leaving, you know. Not ever again, so you might as well get used to it. You’re going to stay here with me, as my new toy. Lucius has one too, a Mudblood downstairs called Granger. You don’t get on, do you? No. I can tell you these things see, because you’re never going to tell anyone because you’re never going to see anyone. Not ever,” Narcissa taunts, her eyes wide and gleaming.
Rita nods, glancing around the room before focusing on her captor again. “What are you going to do with me?”
Narcissa laughs, shrill and mad, far too like Bellatrix for Rita’s liking. “I’m going to keep you, silly. You’re a toy. Toys get played with. Toys make people happy. You were right, you know. I am lonely and something is missing. You’re going to change that. You’re going to keep me occupied,” Narcissa says, before crawling across the bed and placing her hand to Rita’s cheek, running her thumb over her red lips and smiling. “Lucius doesn’t anymore. We don’t even sleep in the same room. He has his whore, you see.”
Rita’s eyes widen and Narcissa smiles serenely as it sinks in. She starts to slowly unbutton her robes and hum to herself. Lucius Malfoy has his dirty little secret locked away in the depths of his ancestral home, and now Narcissa has hers.
Author: pretty_panther
Recipient: xwetparchmentx
Pairing(s): Narcissa Malfoy/Rita Skeeter, Narcissa Malfoy/Lucius Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy/Hermione Granger
Word Count: 2,149
Rating: R
Warnings: Kidnapping, drugging, derogatory language
Summary: Madness is practically a birthright in the House of Black and Narcissa is no exception. Voldemort has won the war but still she is not utterly content with her life. Then Lucius becomes the Minister for Magic and a reporter comes to interview Narcissa, discovers too much, and awakens the inner madness.
Author's Notes: A challenging pairing to write but very interesting at the same time. I hope that the recipient likes it.
They have spent so long waiting for their victory that when it comes, Narcissa doesn’t feel it quite matches up to her expectations. The Mudbloods are removed from Hogwarts and taken care of, while Draco becomes top of his year and gets a good position in the new Ministry. Lucius becomes the official Minister for Magic and passes the laws that purify their world, and yet something is still missing. The ugly tattoos burned into her husband and son’s skin reminds her that they are not equals with their Lord, but subservient. Lucius spends more time away from her than ever before and comes home looking harassed, and when she touches him he shivers and pulls away. He no longer takes any comfort from her and Narcissa has learned to stop asking how long he was cursed for; it doesn’t really matter anyway. It is meant to be better than all of this but now the Mudbloods are taken care of, it seems the pure-bloods are turning on each other and being overcome by their lust for power.
The Dark Lord finds it amusing, as if it is the ultimate survival of the fittest to see his followers tearing each other apart in their scramble for position. Severus stays out of it at Hogwarts and it is more than once that Narcissa wonders if he still has what it takes to perform to a standard high enough to teach. Magic is might, but with so many house-elves to run around after her she doesn’t really use it all that often if she is honest with herself. Lucius says that it shows their power and influence, so good they don’t even have to use it, but Narcissa knows it is nothing of the kind. A rich Mudblood can afford an army of house-elves just as she can. Or they could before the war and the purges.
Lucius has his secrets and she has always kept them, before the wars and now after. She longs for something to do, some sort of purpose outside of Mrs Lucius Malfoy, because though his imprisonment was one of the darkest periods in her life, it did show her just how little she has outside of him. She was raised to be that way but that was another world, another time, and her sister has now risen to the Lord’s right hand despite being female.
Another day and another face to smile at, to convince, to remind that Narcissa saw the beginning of the new. She is the wife of a notorious Death Eater, and it is her job to represent him well. Really, along with looking beautiful it is the only job Narcissa has ever had and the smirk on the face of the reporter standing on her doorstep, and any questions said reporter has to throw at her, is not going to make her fail at that.
“Good Morning, Mrs Malfoy. I am-”
“I know who you are, Miss Skeeter,” Narcissa states, cutting her off and promptly turning on her heel and leading the reporter into the lounge room she has decided to give the interview in. The reporter follows quickly, her stilettos loud and echoing on the marble floors as Narcissa summons an elf and orders them a pot of tea and biscuits. Narcissa sits herself down in a comfy armchair and directs Rita to a more high-backed and uncomfortable chair near the window, gaining the upper hand without saying a word. She won’t have a reporter feeling comfortable. Whether it is for the benefit of her husband or not, Narcissa still finds it distasteful to have such people in her home.
“Thank you for having me, Mrs Malfoy. Shall we just crack on? Right. During the election campaign, were you confident that your husband would secure the job?” Rita demands straight away, not even glancing at her tea, which puts Narcissa on edge because it is polite to do so and expected. The reporter’s quill starts to write before Rita has even finished speaking and it writes far longer than is necessary to jot down her words.
“I had confidence in my husband. Confidence in the public is far harder to come by,” Narcissa begins carefully.
*
They talk for hours and by the end of it Rita seems pleased with her notes and yet off at the same time. She doesn’t jump out of her chair the minute she has finished asking questions, but puts her glasses away in her bag, sits back and finishes her tea, making Narcissa frown. This didn’t match her behaviour from the start of the afternoon at all. Refusing to be the woman that threw Rita out of her home, Narcissa watches her carefully and says nothing. A few times it seems as if Rita is about to speak, and then she closes her mouth again and takes another sip of her tea. It annoys the blonde who has always preferred people to just come out with it when they have something to say.
“Narcissa,” Rita begins tentatively, making Narcissa purse her lips because she had not given the other woman permission to use her given name, “I can’t help but get a certain impression of you through your answers that suggest you are… not entirely happy with your life at the moment. I must say it shocks me. You are known as the woman who has it all in this… new regime that we find ourselves in. How can anyone be happy if you yourself are not?”
The first thing that strikes Narcissa is that Rita has no right to say such things as her family is from questionable lines and has thrown away its fortune. That is evident in how Rita has to actually work. The second is that she is in fact right, and then there is disappointment because she didn’t want to show that at all. The quill and parchment are tucked away, safely hidden in Rita’s bag, and Narcissa wonders if anyone has ever been off the record with Rita Skeeter before. The way she writes her articles makes the other woman doubt it.
“If that was the case it would not be any your business, Miss Skeeter. You have a job to do and you have done it,” Narcissa says coldly.
“If I step out of line-”
“You do more,” Narcissa snaps, finding herself suddenly furious because no one is meant to know how she feels about things. There is just no way that she will tarnish the Malfoy name by having rumours spread that Lucius has an unhappy wife. It won’t do, and the anger turns to panic as the possible repercussions spin across her mind.
“Of course, I will just gather my things and leave. The edition should be-”
“No! You stay right where you are!” Narcissa shouts, suddenly on her feet. “My thoughts are my own and are the business of no one else. You will not be spreading any rumours about what your little mind has come up with!”
There is a glint in Rita’s eyes for just a second, even as she grabs her bag, and Narcissa knows that she has given the game away, revealed too much, shown her discontent. The articles about Potter that Narcissa could see through, the book about Dumbledore, and everything else that has ever had Rita’s name attached to it make her panic, and before a worried Rita reaches the door Narcissa has knocked her unconscious.
*
No one comes to look for Rita. Narcissa informs the newspaper that she left after she had conducted her interview and they don’t question her because they know better. Prisoners have frequently been hidden away in the Malfoy family home but things are different now and Narcissa doesn’t need to hide her. Lucius isn’t home enough to notice the room in the East Wing that Narcissa has warded Rita into, and Draco loves her too much to question why she needs the potions that she asks him to brew in order to sedate Rita.
For a month Narcissa keeps her locked up and only having contact with house-elves that remind her that ‘Mistress is very unhappy with you’. It is all that they are ever permitted to say to her and since Dobby none of the Malfoy elves have been stupid enough to disobey. They report she is growing more and more delirious and Narcissa smiles, satisfied, and attends to her business as if nothing has changed. Rita would have ruined her life if she had left with the thoughts she had, and so Narcissa will ruin hers instead. It seems perfectly normal to Narcissa, and there is nothing she won’t do in order to protect her family or its reputation. She has, after all, nothing without it. No matter what it takes she will break Rita down until she is completely under Narcissa’s thumb and answers to her every need. Lucius remarks that she seems brighter, and Narcissa laughs and informs him that she has found a way to keep herself occupied. He doesn’t question it. They don’t talk about the Mudblood Granger that is still in the cellar either, but Narcissa knows that he visits her now and then for a quick fuck. He has his toy and now she will have hers. It is only fair.
*
“Don’t talk,” Narcissa says softly the moment she enters the room. Rita is curled up on the right side of the bed, her face pale and her eyes dull. It has been three months since she has seen another human being and Narcissa feels a thrill when she notices the fear in Rita’s eyes. No one has ever been afraid of her before. Mrs Malfoy perhaps, her husband of course and her son on occasion, but never Narcissa. “You’ve been in here a while, haven’t you? That is because you threatened me. You might not think you did but… you did.”
Smiling sweetly, Narcissa crosses the room and watches as Rita draws her knees up to her chest, shaking her head.
“I…I…I” is all that Rita can manage to get out, but Narcissa takes no notice, joining her on the bed and tilting her head.
“You were right about one thing, Rita. This is a new regime. One that has not even noticed you are missing. You know why that is? It is because you’re scum. You’re a filthy little reporter that makes her living making other people miserable through accusations and open questions at the end of scathing little reports, and that was ok when it was Mudbloods. I’m not a Mudblood though. I’m a pure-blooded woman and I won’t be taken advantage of in your mag.”
Rita doesn’t respond and Narcissa nods to herself before patting down her robes. It is amazing how quickly you can break down someone’s spirit. The potions had stopped nearly a week before but Rita has made no attempt to break through the wards. Her red lipstick is long faded and her lips are pale and cracked with wrinkles around the edges, showing her age. It doesn’t look right, doesn’t fit the picture in Narcissa’s mind. Conjuring a red lipstick she hands it to Rita. “Put it on.”
Rita stares at her blankly until Narcissa raises an eyebrow and then slowly removes the lid and applies to her lips.
“Now, isn’t that better? You’re not leaving, you know. Not ever again, so you might as well get used to it. You’re going to stay here with me, as my new toy. Lucius has one too, a Mudblood downstairs called Granger. You don’t get on, do you? No. I can tell you these things see, because you’re never going to tell anyone because you’re never going to see anyone. Not ever,” Narcissa taunts, her eyes wide and gleaming.
Rita nods, glancing around the room before focusing on her captor again. “What are you going to do with me?”
Narcissa laughs, shrill and mad, far too like Bellatrix for Rita’s liking. “I’m going to keep you, silly. You’re a toy. Toys get played with. Toys make people happy. You were right, you know. I am lonely and something is missing. You’re going to change that. You’re going to keep me occupied,” Narcissa says, before crawling across the bed and placing her hand to Rita’s cheek, running her thumb over her red lips and smiling. “Lucius doesn’t anymore. We don’t even sleep in the same room. He has his whore, you see.”
Rita’s eyes widen and Narcissa smiles serenely as it sinks in. She starts to slowly unbutton her robes and hum to herself. Lucius Malfoy has his dirty little secret locked away in the depths of his ancestral home, and now Narcissa has hers.