“Julianne, you are a genius,” Narcissa gushed as she looked in the mirror and beheld her transformation.
“And you, Madame, are very brave,” the young French couturier told her.
“Oh, pish-posh. There will be more than enough goddesses, wood nymphs, and the like at the costume ball. Why should I be like every one else?” Narcissa said airily, “I never have before and I certainly am not going to start now.”
Narcissa scrutinized the image in the mirror again and was very pleased with what she saw. In a week’s time she would be setting Wizarding Society on its arse. She removed the costume and handed it to Julianne to pack in tissue and send to the manor. Narcissa sighed as she put her dress and outer robes back on. The costume was infinitely more comfortable. Narcissa decided that it was time to shake up wizarding fashion a bit. She would make it her personal mission to make woman’s trousers all the rage, but that would have to come after the ball.
- - - - - - - - - -
“You are not going like that!”
Narcissa smirked and drew her wand from her pocket and held it loosely at her side. “Why ever not, Draco? I am a grown woman and I have been dressing myself for a long time now. I do not need you to tell me what I can and can not wear to a Ministry Function.”
“But, you look like a man,” Draco whined, as if she didn’t realize that she was wearing a tuxedo and one of Lucius’ altered Slytherin fettered cloaks draped around her shoulders.
Narcissa crossed the foyer and looked at herself in the mirror. She nearly burst out laughing when she saw Draco glowering behind her. She looked like a smaller version of her son standing, there in his tuxedo cloak and highwayman mask.
“Well, Draco darling, you can always just introduce me as Nicolas, your younger, incredibly good-looking brother.”
“Mother!”
Narcissa burst out laughing at her son’s shocked outburst.
“Draco seriously--, I have to show those Ministry fools that I am not going to be pushed around just because Lucius is in that…that place,” she spat with disgust, “I am the head of this family and I’ll make them see that one way or another tonight!”
“Now, Mother don’t do anything rash,” Draco crossed the room to her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Don’t worry Draco. I’m just going to make sure that those bumbling idiots know where Malfoy support will be coming from now.”
She met his eyes in the mirror. She opened the snake-headed cane to reveal the empty pocket inside, which once housed her husband’s wand. She fit the snakehead onto the handle of her wand and firmly slid it inside. The symbolism was not lost on Draco, who understood at once that it was the last piece of her costume and the most important. She would carry her wand in the cane until she deemed her twenty year old son ready to take on the mantle of responsibility that came with the name Malfoy, that time being when he was firmly, in his words, leg-shackled to a right and proper witch.
With Draco at her side, Narcissa’s thoughts turned to Lucius as they trekked across the grounds to the apparition point just outside the bounds of the manor’s property. Her husband disgraced his family name and left Narcissa to pick up the pieces while he was incarcerated in Azkaban for unspeakable crimes, crimes that she was horrified to learn about at his trial.
Three weeks ago she sat in the courtroom as Lucius was led inside. He was nearly unrecognizable to her. His hair dirty and unkempt and his clothes in tatters still covered in dark rust covered stains from the final battle. Halfway through the reading of the accusations against him, Narcissa calmly walked out of the courtroom. Ignoring his cries and protestations of his love for her she left Lucius to his fate with out looking back. The next day she started proceedings to take control of the family’s fortunes.
Now, the Ministry thought they could push her around because she was a woman. She and Draco were followed constantly and her owl post was tampered with. If the Ministry of magic thought she was going to take their harassment lying down they were sorely mistaken, as the Minister of Magic and his deputy would soon find out.
- - - - - - - - -
Narcissa sipped her champagne and observed the crush around her. Dressing as a man gave her infinitely more freedom to wander as she liked through the receiving rooms of the Di Madici Club in Diagon Alley. As she strolled from room to room she was positive that few of her peers recognized her. Narcissa grinned widely when she heard Patty Parkinson commenting that she hadn’t seen Narcissa all evening.
The strains of a waltz brought Narcissa to the ballroom where she acquired another glass of champagne and discretely went to stand near where her son was gossiping with his friends. As she watched the swirling crowd her thoughts went back to her showdown with Shacklebolt and Weasley, the Minister and his head toady. They were taken aback by her appearance but very quickly decided that it was in their best interests to listen to the Matriarch of the Malfoy Line. She gave them a choice, an ultimatum really, either they called off Lupin’s aurors or every knut of Malfoy money was going to rot in the vaults of Gringott’s. Not only the Ministry would suffer but also St. Mungo’s, St. Myrmidon Orphanage, Hogwarts and a host of other charities would loose a major source of funding, Malfoy funding.
Understandably, neither man wanted to face those consequences. They agreed to her terms, albeit reluctantly, then and there she received a writ of proscription signed by the Minister himself. She slipped the scroll into her breast pocket and patted it lightly as she bid Shacklebolt and Weasley goodnight, lighting a cigar as she left the room.
She was still basking in her victory when a woman caught her eye. A mane of glorious red hair cascaded to milk white shoulders. Narcissa let her eyes rove over the woman’s body. If she possessed a cock the sight would have given her an erection. She could tell the woman was young; her body had the suppleness that came naturally to the young. She surmised that she was near to Draco’s age. A pale eyebrow rose, as she took in the woman’s costume, a soiled dove. It took daring to wear the costume to such a staid event where old biddies ruled the roost and anything so risqué was nigh unheard of in the polite circles of the Ministry. Narcissa traced the curves that the tightly laced corset accentuated, lingering over the soft spill of her breasts as they were thrust up and out almost obscenely. The curve of her hips spilled into frothy layers of tattered tulle and satin that flashed pale sections of creamy thigh as she moved slightly to the music.
Narcissa almost licked her lips before she caught the action. The men’s attire was affecting her more than she anticipated because she couldn’t fathom another excuse for her attraction to the woman. Granted, there was one such encounter in her past with Mildred Bulstrode when she was still a student and still carried the name Black while Millie was still an Envers. It happened quite by accident during sixth year when the two were forbidden from visiting Hogsmeade after they pranked the seventh year Slytherin boy’s dormitory. Narcissa smiled at the memory of their brilliant prank and the idyllic afternoon she and Millie spent behind her tightly shut bed curtains.
Shaking herself out of her reverie Narcissa looked across the room to the woman again and felt an unexplainable hunger. Without thinking, she stuck the smoldering stub of her cigar into Draco’s convenient glass of champagne when he wasn’t looking.
She strode purposely across the room to where the girl stood watching the dancers whirl around the room. With one last check that her mask was firmly in place, she stepped up to the girl and smiled when she was met with the liquid brown eyes of Ginevra Weasley, Arthur’s beloved little girl.
“Puis-je avoir cette danse?” Narcissa purred in French, her naturally low and husky voice caressing each word as it left her lips.
After receiving a slight nod she whisked the young woman into the turning throng and waltzed her around the room, smoothly leading Ginevra through the graceful steps of the dance as she whispered soothing, sultry nothings in her ear.
When the song drew to a close, Narcissa guided the girl outside into the cool evening. She fell silent now as she cupped Ginevra’s cheek and leaned in to capture her sweet lips in a kiss. Moments later they both pulled away, breathing heavily.
Ginevra was the first to gather her wits and break the silence, “Who are you?” she asked breathlessly, “I know you are a Malfoy but…”
Narcissa smirked slightly. “I told Draco to introduce me as Nicolas tonight, but you, my dear Ginevra, can call me Narcissa.”
Narcissa took advantage of Ginevra’s shock, with a smirk befitting Lucius, she kissed the girl soundly before sweeping away through the crowd and left the party. Twenty minutes later, she was sitting in front of the fire back at the manor and was unsurprised when an owl tapped at her window. Life had just gotten more interesting decided Narcissa as she read the note signed, ‘with hopeful anticipation, Ginevra.’
Author's Chapter Notes:
TITLE: Call Me Nicolas Malfoy
AUTHOR: Zephyr
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: NM/GW
SUMMARY: With Lucius’ incarceration Narcissa has something to prove. She does that and more at a Ministry costume ball. For GrrArrg.
WARNING: Femmeslash (kissing)
AUTHOR: Zephyr
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
RATING: PG-13
PAIRING: NM/GW
SUMMARY: With Lucius’ incarceration Narcissa has something to prove. She does that and more at a Ministry costume ball. For GrrArrg.
WARNING: Femmeslash (kissing)
Chapter End Notes:
A/N: Inspired by ‘Victor/Victoria’ and GrrArrg’s Challenge:
Harry Potter Pairing/Character(s) Desired: Narcissa/Ginny Element(s) Desired: Narcissa dressed as a man, and a first time meeting
Maximum Rating Acceptable: NC-17
Preferred Genre: Angst PWP
Harry Potter Pairing/Character(s) Desired: Narcissa/Ginny Element(s) Desired: Narcissa dressed as a man, and a first time meeting
Maximum Rating Acceptable: NC-17
Preferred Genre: Angst PWP