Rodolphus D. Lestrange and Narcissa B. Malfoy

Narcissa sat, silent, as her elder sister walked around the room they shared, ranting about how she refused to go downstairs to greet her future in-laws and that "insufferable Rodolphus." The younger sister just took all of this with a grain of salt, knowing that Bellatrix was highly exaggerating about Rodolphus' behavior. He might have been a bit of a trouble maker but she doubted he was an uncouth rake and a scoundrel like Bella swore he was. She sighed softly, knowing the request that would come soon would not be to her benefit. She would have been well off with one visit to the downstairs parlor to say hello to her future family and then back to the safety of her bedroom. Of course, things would never go the way she wished it to be.

"You must go down there for me. I will not do it! I will marry him, yes, but you know how I am Narcissa. I am not ready to face him yet." Bellatrix said softly. Narcissa could see strains of madness pulling at Bella's face, her eyes becoming wild with worry. The blonde knew that if things did not go as Bella planned, her life would become a living hell. She stood up slowly, her dress robes straightening out the moment she was firmly planted. She could have refused if she wanted to, but she did not.

"Alright, sister. I'll go down and greet your guests for you, but I shall not stay for too long. If you do not attend to them, then you can be sure that mother will have your head on the wall much like our past house elves.” A grateful look swept over her elder sisters face just as Narcissa turned and walked gracefully out of the room. She heard Bellatrix, barely audible, “Thank you.“ She took a deep breath and straightened her spine, much like her mother would have informed her to do, and walked down the spiral staircase.

As soon as she reached the bottom, an elf came to her side. "Shall I introduce you, missus?" It asked.

"Yes, of course," she replied stiffly, brushing the fabric of her dress.

It knocked softly and then the door to the parlor opened up. "Miss Narcissa," the elf introduced in its croaky voice.

She walked past it, the bottom of her robes swishing softly against her legs as she entered the room. She kept a soothing smile on her face, knowing that she excelled at these kinds of social settings. "Good evening all," she spoke pleasantly, only briefly glancing at her parents.

Rodolphus Lestrange sat between both of his parents, stately resting upon the Venetian couch of burgundy tapestry and intricate, wooden rimming that occupied the left portion of the sumptuous Black living room. For the past few hours, the ears of the youth had long left the room and the conversation his father had established with Cygnus Black. The two men had been engrossed in the topic that was being ardently discussed among all echelons of the Wizarding World: the resignation of the Minister of Magic, Albert Bailey. The political decision had been accompanied by shrouding rumors and ceaseless secrecy, leaving the true motives behind his decision open to speculation. Most, however, believed it to be nothing more than a maneuver to divert the eyes of the Wizarding community away from the series of inexplicable murders that, just like a plague, had stolen away everyone's security and peace of mind.

His eyes, indolently, travelled around the expanse of the room, finding nothing of true interest that would justify any lingering observation. He observed the long windows, dressed by a duo of navy blue and white drapes, held back at the middle to allow a lazy afternoon sun to light the room they were in. The chandelier attached to the ceiling in the middle of the room, that domed above them, held dozens of currently smothered candles, but he guessed the crystals would be a magnificent sight to behold once they were ignited. His attention was briefly called to the family portrait that rested above the chimney on the far back of the room. In it, Cygnus and Druella sat upon the couch he and his parents currently rested upon, accompanied by three beautiful girls. The oldest one with heavy-lidded eyes and raven locks, stood by the left of her father, and in no time he recognized her as Bellatrix Black, his wife to be. Standing behind the couch was a younger girl, and for a moment, Rodolphus squinted as he appreciated her closer. Had he not previously known Andromeda Black formed earlier meetings, he could have sworn she was her older sister's twin. Andromeda's features, however, were softer, and her lips seemed to ache to break into a smile. Finally, on the right and standing next to her mother, there was Narcissa, the youngest of the infamous Black sisters, who seemed to be taking her role the most seriously: with her chin held up high and dignified, lessons surely learnt from her mother.

The young wizard covered up a yawn with his left hand, and stole a furtive glance at his watch. His parents had promised they would not be taking any more than a couple of hours in this diplomatic visit. For all he cared, he could meet his spouse in the exact day of their marriage, and spare both of them these senseless visits. But his parents were ones for upholding family traditions, and they saw these visits as mandatory, an appreciation that Bellatrix Black seemingly did not appreciate, for she still needed to make an appearance. He did not consider this as an act of rudeness. After all, he could hardly expect her to keep up with an absurd tradition, when he was the first one to disregard it.

As the door breached open, granting entrance to the gnarly house elf, for a moment, Rodolphus believed Bellatrix to have arrived. But instead, Narcissa walked in.

"Narcissa, dear!" Druella called from her seating, her palms stretching upon her knees, "Where's your sister? She should know better than keeping her guest waiting." Even when the woman tried her best to hide her disappointment of seeing Narcissa, and not Bellatrix, obvious signs of her discomfort broke through her tone of voice and the sudden darkening of her eyes.

"Never mind that, Druella," Cygnus interjected as he nodded, welcoming his younger daughter. "It is equally important for her sisters to meet the people who will soon become part of our family." He said with an econgouraging smile.

This brief intermission allowed Rodolphus to think of an idea, a quick getaway before he passed out int he living room and made a fool of himself. "Actually, Mister Black... I have not yet toured the grounds of your manor, something I have been wishing to do ever since I was first here. Would you mind if Narcissa showed me around the place?"