"What...?" was all Narcissa managed to articulate before the grotesque image she had just witnessed. Her heart tightened seeing the image of someone who had once been a figure of respect; now she was being violated to the point of losing all nobility, surrendering to depravity just to avoid suffering even a single second more of an even more twisted profanation.
Andromeda waved her wand again, and the thick curtain fell back over the canvas, dampening Walburga's final whimpers of dread as she returned to the gloom of her perpetual torment.
"She was getting a bit annoying and uncooperative. Spending so much time alone on that wall ended up driving her mad, so we gave her the opportunity to lose her mind in a slightly more... 'entertaining' way," Andy commented with a wide smile. "Alright, I admit it: there's also a touch of innocent revenge involved," she added with a playful giggle.
Narcissa remained dumbfounded. The almost childlike ease with which her sister justified such cruelty made her skin crawl. The composure she was beginning to recover after their initial chat vanished in an instant: Andromeda's warmth was genuine, but it didn't come from a harmless witch, but from someone who could be extraordinarily dangerous and perverse.
Noticing Narcissa's stiffness—who didn't even notice the house-elf replacing her fallen spoon—Andy decided to break the ice in her own way.
"BOO!!!" Andromeda shouted, jumping forward.
Narcissa flinched, dropping her cake onto her lap while her hand instinctively reached for her wand among the folds of her dress. She froze upon hearing her sister's loud burst of laughter. Gritting her teeth, she pulled her hand away from her thigh and picked up her plate once more, breaking into a cold sweat.
"Honestly, Cissy... I 'torture' our aunt's portrait a little bit, and you already get like this. I expected more fortitude from someone who endured Lucius for decades," Andromeda teased. "Besides, that old bitch is having the time of her life; I assure you she receives more attention than you ever did in your entire marriage. Believe me, few women have managed to reach climax as frequently as she does now."
Her sister's sheer nerve made Narcissa uncomfortable on unsuspected levels, but paradoxically, the absurdity of the joke served to dissipate the extreme chill in the air. After forcing a grimace and remembering that she had nothing left to lose, she attempted to regain her composure.
"So... did you only do that to her, or...?" she asked, her eyes fixed on anything other than the wall where that hidden portrait hung.
"Only her. The other portraits rest in a private gallery in the residence. I even recovered a few that remained hidden in the Gringotts vaults and had them restored," Andy clarified with total detachment as she savored her tea.
"That is... reassuring to know," Narcissa responded in a flat tone, taking a sip to calm her pulse. She observed the house-elf serving a new portion onto her table. "These elves... are new. What happened to Kreacher?"
"Oh, Kreacher passed away. His head rests alongside those of his predecessors; it was his final wish. Though we remodeled that wall to give it a more aesthetic finish," Andromeda explained, unfazed. "As for the others, they are a necessary addition for maintenance. I hardly ever stay here, but they make the house feel alive. I suppose you're curious to know how many there are, right?" she added with a sly smile.
"Truthfully... yes. House Black never had so many house-elves, as far as I can recall," Narcissa admitted honestly, eager to gauge the extent of the family's current resources. House-elves were a scarce and expensive asset.
"There are about twenty elves in charge of the property," Andy revealed, leaning back in her armchair. "Though it's nothing to throw your hands up over; they belong to the last batch of an older generation. They look young, but they have less than two decades of life left and wanted to spend them serving. Knowing that the residence required attention, I asked him to hand them over to me, and here they are."
"Twenty?" Narcissa repeated, her eyes widening in surprise. However, her sister's explanation left a crucial detail floating in the air: "You asked... whom?"
"Well, my hubby..." Andromeda let slip with a radiant smile, withholding the details to tease her sister.
"Hubby?!" she inquired, bewildered. She knew Ted Tonks had died, and even if he hadn't, he would never have had the capacity to mobilize two dozen house-elves. "Have you remarried?"
"Heh, heh... Well, 'husband' is an affectionate way of calling him. There are no signatures involved, but I can't envy anything beyond the title," Andy replied, leaning forward with her eyes gleam. "He has done everything demanded of a true husband: he secured the headship of House Black for me, restored my youth, granted me power, happiness... and takes care of filling my womb with semen until I lose consciousness," she let out without the slightest trace of modesty. "He has delivered more than any ordinary man could dream of... because he is far above any man."
Narcissa felt a shiver run down her spine, but this time it wasn't out of fear, but intense intrigue. The revelation confirmed Lucius's suspicions: there was a figure in the shadows backing Andromeda, a hidden power capable of orchestrating the takeover of House Black, providing a large household staff, and granting her sister power and youth, among many other things...
Intrigue took hold of Narcissa while her mind plotted all sorts of scenarios. Questions flooded her, pushing her to imagine an increasingly dark and dangerous plot. To survive in the middle of this game, she would have to draw upon all her cunning and Slytherin instincts. Her sister—now partner to that mysterious man who might well pull the strings of the Albion Dragons and the infamous "brothel"—was her only lifeline in this tide of power into which she had stepped.
"And when will I get to meet my new brother-in-law...?" Narcissa inquired, crossing her legs and adopting a posture of calculated elegance, prepared to respond to Andromeda's game as firmly as possible.
"Oh, he won't be long. I notified him of your presence, and as you can imagine, he was eager to see you," Andromeda answered, enjoying the exchange with her sister, as if returning to those past times when they continuously competed.
"My," Narcissa muttered, tensing on the inside while maintaining her external composure, knowing what awaited her. "I hope to have the pleasure of seeing him... and I trust he is a better choice than your previous husband," she added, throwing a dart to test the waters. Depending on her sister's reaction, she was trying to figure out if this consort sympathized with blood purity or the Muggle world, or if the alliance was purely commercial. Any information was vital. Although risky, she had nothing left to lose at this point.
"Heh, heh, heh... Cissy, how cruel of you," Andromeda laughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve. "In another era, I would have thrown hot tea in your face, but..." she sighed. "The thing with Ted is in the past. It was a beautiful stage, and I thank him for it from the bottom of my heart, both for the happy moments and for my daughter, but it's part of the past now. Say what you want; I suppose you have a right to a certain resentment, considering we orchestrated Lucius's death."
Narcissa's eyes widened, trembling for an instant before staying completely still, petrified. After the initial shock, the tension accumulated in her shoulders gave way, leaving behind a profound state of exhaustion and surrender. She had suspected it from the beginning, but direct confirmation that Lucius's downfall had been planned stripped away the weight of her doubts. Although logic demanded indignation, her upbringing commanded her to prioritize the survival of the lineage over personal grudge. It was clear to her that as long as Draco remained alive, she could not afford the luxury of hating what she could not face.
"Are you upset?" Andromeda asked. This time there was no teasing tone in her voice; it was the honest question of a sister trying to find out if there was room for harmony.
"Yes... and no... Truthfully, I don't know how to feel. I haven't even had time to mourn," Narcissa confessed, her eyes fixed on the bottom of her teacup before looking up. "Did you propose it?"
"No. Although I never liked Lucius, having gone through grief for my own husband, I understand how painful it is. I wouldn't subject you to such an ordeal without a compelling reason," Andy explained, taking a sip. "But he deemed it a necessary measure, and I simply supported his judgment."
Narcissa noddded in silence. It was paradoxical that the disowned sister offered her a show of empathy, while the person indirectly responsible for her widowhood was waiting to arrive. Gathering what strength she had left, she attempted to resume the dialogue.
"Well... I trust that man of yours is as exceptional as you claim," Narcissa said in an indecipherable tone.
"You can't even imagine... When you witness what he is capable of doing, you will doubt your own perception of reality," Andy boasted with a playfully knowing giggle. "And if you knew what he is capable of doing with his penis in intimacy, you would question your entire sex life. Believe me, there are things I didn't even think could be legal... or physically possible."
No sooner had she finished the sentence than the echo of firm footsteps resounded down the corridor, announcing a presence that had nothing to do with that of the elves. The drawing room fell into absolute silence, broken only when Andromeda stood up enthusiastically.
"Darling!" Andromeda exclaimed, throwing herself at the newcomer to wrap him in an affectionate embrace.
The figure became visible in the doorway. Andromeda acted with an almost childlike ease in front of her sister, as if a spark of youthful competitiveness drove her to show off her new companion in front of her former family.
Narcissa, on the other hand, froze once more. The mastermind behind the Malfoys' downfall, the architect of House Black's restoration, and her sister's consort materialized before her. To her absolute stupefaction, it was not a powerful mature wizard, a sinister old man, or an elegant conspirator, but a second-year Hogwarts student, the exact same age as her own son.
"Hello, Narcissa," I greeted with a cordial, serene smile, though I was aware that after the actions I had carried out, it might seem like a provocation.
"Sister, let me introduce you to my man," Andromeda chimed in with a triumphant tone, like someone displaying her greatest conquest. She hung off my arm and slid a leg coquettishly over my thigh, looking at both of us. "Owner of the Albion Dragons in England, the Fleurs-de-Lis in France, and the 'Demon's Den' brothel; evil deity in the Amazon, protector of werewolves, and lord of the spider swarm; accomplished archmage, lover of goddesses and mortals alike, lord of death, demons, and the dispossessed; magical animagus, the greatest fortune in the wizarding world, sovereign of time, space, and the Fiefdom; executioner of gods, executioner of husbands... among many other titles I might not even know... but above all else, my man: Red Weasley."