Halloween Gift for Highsmith
Gift for: highsmith.dreamwidth.org
From: hikarievandar
Title: First Night
Characters: Narcissa Malfoy, implied Lucius/Narcissa
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Narcissa’s first night in Malfoy Manor is an eerie one.
Notes: I loved your prompts and character choices, Highsmith, so I really hope you enjoy the fic.
She glances over her shoulder. Unfamiliar portraits rustle on the walls; generations of her husband’s noble family staring down their long noses as she passes. Her echoing footsteps are faltering, and she longs for the deep carpets of her parents’ house. There, at least, she didn’t have to listen to her fears.
She stares back down the corridor towards her bedchamber. Shadows cling to the walls as her wandlight passes over them, and then surge forward as soon as she moves on. The hairs on the back of her neck prickle. Her breath comes in short, sharp gasps, and she resists the urge to flee to the nearest fireplace and on from there to home.
Home is no longer hers to go to.
She squares her shoulders. She pivots slowly, returns the cool glances of Lucius’ ancestors with a derisive one of her own, and resumes her search for a bathroom. She’s sure there’s one close by.
She refuses to quicken her step or to pause again, even though she’s sure that there’s someone behind her. Someone cruel, with cold fingers that are reaching out to tangle in her hair. She will not be afraid of the shadows she now owns.