Characters: Draco and Narcissa Malfoy Location: Malfoy Manor Date: Saturday, July 26, 2001 Time: Dinner
Narcissa: The remains of pudding melted away from the table, and Narcissa watched her son prepare to leave now that the meal was over. The man who'd accosted her in Diagon Alley had been weighing on her mind all afternoon, and she had finally come to the conclusion that she had to tell him about it. "Draco," she said, folding her napkin and placing it on the table, "I need to talk to you."
Draco: Draco had set his napkin on the table and was tensing his body, ready to push himself up to leave when his mother spoke. He paused, sitting back down, "Yes, Mother? Is anything wrong?" He wasn't sure what she had wanted to discuss, and given the recent activity and his meeting with the Ministry, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Narcissa: "I suppose," she said. "It's more that I want you to be on your guard. Draco ... a man stopped me in Diagon Alley today to speak to me." She pursed her lips, looking displeased.
Draco: His back stiffened. It wasn't what she'd said thus far. It was how she spoke. Her tone of voice, her visage alerted him to something far more sinister. "About what?"
Narcissa: She wasn't about to repeat the things the man had said about Lucius. "From what he said, I gathered that he's connected to the people who decided to daub the Dark Mark about the place," she said. "He seemed stupid enough to not understand what that symbol actually meant." No one had ever actually taught Narcissa the spell for the Dark Mark - she wasn't a Death Eater who had to cast it over her kills - but it really hadn't been hard for her to find out. Bellatrix and Lucius had both kept their mouths shut like good servants of the Dark Lord, but not everyone had such control over their tongue, and Narcissa had been good at making people want to impress her.
Draco: Draco's eyes narrowed at the implications. Not only was he stupid enough to approach anyone, but he approached Narcissa Malfoy. "I see." he said quietly, tone deadly. Given his less than favourable conversation at the Ministry, he would not be surprised if this had been a set-up. "And what did he want?" Now for the part he knew he didn't want to hear.
Narcissa: "He wanted my input," she replied, tone conveying all that needed to be said about such stupidity. "He felt I could advise his group. I didn't tell him that any organisation stupid enough to use that mark without a full understanding of its implications wasn't worth my notice, no matter what its cause."
Draco: Given that it was only he and his mother, the fact that he could feel the blood leave his face didn't alarm him as much as it could have. He could have been the one approached, and after his visit. He took a breath. "The input I would give them is to not use such a symbol at all, no matter the cause.
Narcissa: There were times when Narcissa was overarchingly thankful that she had never had the Dark Mark tattooed on /her/ arm. Seeing it scribbled around was one of them. People talking about it was another. "He said his group intended to continue the ... the Death Eaters' cause," she said, refraining from characterising it as her husband's cause as the man had, "but I don't think his goals are the same. I told him not to approach me again and not to approach you."
Draco: He was inordinately glad that his hands were under the table to allow him to clench them tightly, fingernails biting into flesh despite how short they were. "The cause," he repeated, not trusting himself to say more or he'd say far more than he wished for his mother to hear. It took another minute before willing to speak. "Yes, I do appreciate that. I do not need such attention drawn to me." It was all he was willing to admit. It was all he dared.
Narcissa: "If they do speak to you, I don't mind at all if you go straight to the Ministry," she told him. "Or I will, if you want me to." People like that deserved the Ministry's wrath, and she had already made the threat. "And if they /do/ approach you, try and ignore it if they use your father's name." She knew it might make Draco blow up, and wanted to guard him against it.
Draco: Draco nodded curtly. "I will most assuredly do that." It seemed a perfect time to comment on his own recent Ministry visit. She'd want to know. "I already made a statement in the Ministry in regards to his group," his smile was nothing short of sinister. "I have no intention of our family suffering worse than we have already.
Narcissa: She was rather surprised that he'd already spoken to the Ministry - but rather pleased, too. It was the kind of initiative Lucius would approve of. Narcissa smiled and stood up. "Well, I trust you completely in this, Draco, so act as you see fit," she said.
Draco: he felt almost awkward in knowing that she trusted him. That she had approved of his actions took him by surprise. He hadn't expected it at all; still, he stood quickly when she did. "Thank you. I will protect our name as best I can. However, even if not, I would not want anything to do with such idiocy, especially since I still bear the scar."
Narcissa: "They're amateurs, Draco," she said with a sigh as she passed him.
Draco: He nodded, "Yes, amateurs," he agreed, sitting down again after she'd left.