Chapter Text
November 15th,1979
Lucius sighed as he pulled off his Death Eater robes, making sure to quietly head toward the en suite as he was sure Narcissa was asleep. As he opened the door, though, he was surprised to see her by the toilet, as she heaved into the bowl; her body shuddering as she pulled back panting. Quickly, he rushed to her side, his arm sliding around her shoulders. "Easy," he gently murmured, feeling her jump in his embrace. "What's wrong, 'Cissa?"
"Nothing," Narcissa groaned, resting her head against his shoulder. "I must have eaten something that did not agree with me..."
Lucius placed his hand on her forehead and cheek. She did not seem feverish but sweat had certainly built up on her brow. "How long have you been in here?"
"Not sure," she whispered, groaning again as she lurched forward, as if to vomit once more; but when she did not, she settled back against him.
"I will run a bath for us," Lucius stated, pulling the wand from his cane he had dropped beside them and started the water running in the tub, gently picking up Narcissa, nuzzling her head. Once the water was hot enough, he tapped his wand on her nightdress and his robes, making them disappear as he gently placed her in the tub, slowly lowering himself down beside her. "Is it too hot?" he asked, trailing his hand up her neck and gently began massaging it.
"A bit," she replied, sighing as he eyes closed. He leaned forward to run some cooler water into the tub, waiting for Narcissa to state she was comfortable, before turning it off. "Have you had much sleep these last few nights?" he asked, noticing some dark circles.
"Not particularly," she replied, as Lucius continued massaging her neck. "I had a headache the night before.... and some hot flashes."
"Are you sure I do not need to summon a healer?" Lucius asked. "Perhaps I should summon Severus."
"I am not sick, darling," she said quietly, pausing for a brief moment before continuing. "Not in that particular way."
"What do you..." Lucius asked, confusion furrowing his brow as he tried to make sense of what she was saying; a stolen glance toward her stomach gave him a clue as to what was happening. "Are you—"
"No!" Narcissa said firmly, placing a finger to his lips. "No.... do not say it."
She was begging, Lucius realized, noting the pitch in her voice, the pleading in her eyes. Slowly, Lucius raised his hand to gently grasp her wrist, slowly pulling it away. "May I ask why?"
"Just in case," she whispered, averting her gaze. "I don't want to get my hopes up... not after Mira...."
Lucius contemplated for a moment, then nodded. "Until you are ready," he vowed, cupping her cheek, before she winced again. "Let's head to bed," he said, once he was sure Narcissa was not going to be sick. Once she was settled in the bed, he made sure a bin was close by should she need it. Sliding into the sheets behind her, Lucius draped an arm over her body, kissing her cheek before settling back down into the pillows, a small smile crossing his lips as his thoughts began to drift toward the possibilities of having a child in the manor.
🐉🐉🐉
"Drink some of this, Orion," Walburga murmured, placing a bowl of broth under his lips. The Patriarch had caught Spattergroit, and she was trying to be very careful about how much time she was spending with her husband. "Maybe you will improve now."
"Wally," Orion whispered, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "How beautiful you are... does Sirius need you?"
"Sirius is gone, Orion," Walburga sighed, her heart breaking a bit as she recognized the signs of confusion in him. Which would mean that the disease was far worse than your typical case of Spattergroit. "He has been for years...."
"He was just here yesterday," Orion pointed out.
"That was Regulus," Walburga countered, squeezing out a rag and put it on Orion's forehead. "And he has a Death Eater meeting tonight. He also brought Kreacher along by order of the Dark Lord."
"Sirius was such a good boy when he was small," Orion croaked a bit. "Why did he go away?"
"One can only guess," Walburga said, waving her wand to tuck Orion into the bed. "Now get some rest, my love... hopefully tomorrow you will be better."
She closed the door as she left, walking to the parlor and sitting down on the love seat. Her heart full of grief as she thought about how small her family was becoming. The Blacks were once the largest pure-blood family in all of Britain…
With the lack of male heirs, though, the family had become smaller. Alphard had decided to become Celibate and refused to marry— much to her delight; Cygnus only had daughters, and one of them had become a blood-traitor. Bellatrix, while married, either refused to do her duty, or struggled, it was hard to tell. Narcissa… struggled. Leaving the sole heir of the Black family as her youngest son, Regulus.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not until it was confirmed that Orion would not make it. A soft pop brought her out of her thoughts, and she quickly wiped her eyes. “Mother?” Regulus asked, hurrying to her side. “Are you alright?”
”Yes, my son,” Walburga whispered, taking a deep breath. “I am fine… how was your meeting?”
”Fine,” Regulus said slowly, his body tensing as he spoke. “Kreacher will return once he is finished with his task with the Dark Lord.”
“What?” Walburga demanded, immediately getting to her feet. “You left Kreacher with—“
”It’s an honor, Mother!” Regulus countered. “A great honor! He will hold our house in high esteem! Even Bellatrix agrees with that!”
”Bellatrix has grown highly delusional since joining the Death Eaters,” Walburga snapped. “Especially with her infatuation of the Dark Lord.”
“Kreacher will come back,” Regulus assured her. “I gave him specific orders to come home as soon as the task is finished.”
”If he does not, boy,” Walburga said lowly, her eyes very narrow as she raised her wand. “You will suffer dire consequences.”