Voice of Love

21 | Lord Voldemort

Narcissa was shivering with anxiety. Just behind the door was the man behind thousands of murders. She felt Lucius' hand on her back, and she took a deep breath. She put up Occlumency walls so the Dark Lord wouldn't view unwanted thoughts. Once she felt she was calm enough to not scream her head off, she made eye contact with Lucius. He gave her a reassuring smile and together they walked into the meeting room.

Narcissa was surprised at the number of people she recognized sitting at the meeting table.

"Ah, Lucius Malfoy. Wonderful, I see you've brought your wife just like requested. Very good," Voldemort said from the very end of the table.

Narcissa's eyes widened at the sight of the Dark Lord. In simple words, he looked revolting. He had snake-like red eyes full of malice, and he was completely hairless. He was also very bony, and she caught a glimpse of long, spider-like fingers as he raised himself from the table. Narcissa hadn't thought it was possible to look scarier than the pictures offered in the Daily Prophet, but she was wrong. Paranoid the Dark Lord would somehow still be able to access her rebelling thoughts, Narcissa strengthened her Occlumency shields and cleared her mind as best she could.

"Narcissa Malfoy of the Black family, correct?" he asked, directly addressing Narcissa. He had gotten out of his chair and was now walking in her direction.

"That is me, my Lord," she replied. She bowed, hoping she didn't overdo or underdo anything.

"I requested you to come tonight because I want to make sure you understand what is expected of you now that you are aware of your husband's nocturnal activities," he began, stopping inches from Narcissa's face.

"This means you are not to tell the Ministry or anyone against my cause anything that goes on here. You may attend Death Eater meetings if you wish, but I won't ask you to wear the Dark Mark."

"You have my word I will not rebel against this cause, my Lord," Narcissa responded.

The Dark Lord smiled, "So this is what Bella meant by you being so good. Very obedient and eager to please. You must be the favorite child," he mused.

He lifted his bony hand and seized Narcissa's chin. Narcissa resisted the urge to shudder under his touch, and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Lucius stiffly watching the exchange. Bellatrix looked quite bored. The Dark Lord studied Narcissa's face for a very long time before releasing her.

All of a sudden, without any warning, the Cruciatus curse was directed at Narcissa. Narcissa's body tightened at the sudden pain rippling through her. It felt as if she was being twisted and stretched while hot fire was burning her from the inside. The pain was agonizing and lasted for way too long, and all Narcissa could do was clench her teeth and fight it off. She managed to remain standing, but barely. Her legs were shaking uncontrollably. Finally, Voldemort let go of the curse.

"This is a taste of what will happen if you betray me, but it will be ten times worse," Voldemort spoke softly.

He walked back to his seat at the head of the table and ignored Narcissa. All of the Death Eaters were looking at her out of the corner of their eyes, obviously trying to see if she would break. She was not going to let that happen. Noticing an empty seat by Mrs. Malfoy, Narcissa quietly slipped into the seat. Amelia gave her a sympathetic look and patted her leg before turning to pay attention to what the Dark Lord was saying. Narcissa pretended to listen as well, but in reality, she was calming herself down and thinking about the unfortunate position she had ended up in. She did, however, catch phrases such as "mass killing" and "enjoying this torture." She caught Bellatrix's eye, and her sister smirked. The evilness of the place was already getting to Bellatrix, and she could only hope it wouldn't get to her.

At around 1:00 in the morning the Death Eater meeting was finished, and Lucius rushed to Narcissa's side. He wrapped his arm around her and together they walked out of the Dark Lord's manor before Apparating back home.

"Go grab a glass of water and some food," Lucius ordered one of their house elves.

He made Narcissa sit on the couch, placed a blanket over her, and forced her to eat some food. He then placed the glass of water on the coffee table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I suppose I'm feeling alright...a little shaken though," Narcissa replied.

"He tends to have that effect," Lucius said.

"They're all so evil! Did you see what Bellatrix has become? He Who Must Not Be Named talked about a mass killing in Bath and my own sister laughed! Everyone has become bloodthirsty monsters, even Evan!" Narcissa cried, "Does Giselle even know Evan is a Death Eater?"

"She knows, which is why they are currently not on speaking terms," Lucius sighed.

Narcissa buried her face in the blanket, and she felt Lucius' arms wrap around her as they had done on many occasions in which she was stressed. He was what was keeping her sane during this stressful time.

"What can I do for you?" Lucius murmured.

Narcissa closed her eyes and leaned against Lucius. "I want to spend a day with you. You have been so busy and we barely get to see each other anymore. I would like for you to take tomorrow off so we can spend some time together."

Lucius said, "That can be arranged. Come on, let's go to sleep now. It's getting late."

He carried Narcissa bridal style to their bedroom, and Narcissa took a warm shower before collapsing in her bed. She listened to the water run as her husband took a shower as well, and smiled. Despite being in a stressful situation, she would always have Lucius Malfoy by her side and that was enough.