#ft: narcissa

[ofphyrric]

@noctemes @ofcommonrooms

DO REVENGE (2022) dir. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson

[signetrings]

@potentialbreakupscng

delivered by owl, scribbled on a scrap piece of parchment is a note:

dearest mother, i've decided to stay at hogwarts for christmas. i hope you don't mind. i'll send yours and father's gifts as soon as i can. love, draco

[t1oui]

oh yeah btw i wrote something yesterday

oneshot, 4.1k words, my view of the 2nd war :) + draco x blaise bc i love them and they need more content

warnings: mentions of torture & one sentence that kinda hints at nsfw things. also lots of depression so pretty typical for a war fic

[travelingreportersam]

Summary: Sam, Xavier, and Narcissa decide to explore the caves around town to test Sam's theory about underground tunnels. Instead they find a portal that tossed them into a lake. Xavier shows the other 2 the portal leading from the tree to the bar.

@ghostsbrokenbyfairytales @backmaskcd

As he moved closer to the newspaper office, Sam blinked in surprise to see Xavier already there. "You actually came." It was more of a statement than a question

xavier was on his phone looking at whatever was on it that still worked while he waited for sam. he’d gotten there earlier than he needed to be but he wasn’t risking not being able to go. “course i did, told you i was. didn’t want to miss this.” he said putting away his phone in his pocket.

Sam raised a brow at the other. "And you're just doing all this out of curiosity?" What a weird guy. "Anyway," he pulled out the map he'd already marked, showing it to Xavier. "The marked places are potential caves to check out. I took the time to make sure they weren't just shallow inlets. If you weren't lying about knowing the woods well that could come in handy, since we have no clue where any of these tunnels could lead."

“yeah? why else would someone explore if it wasn’t for their own curiosity? and before you say to find an answer, sometimes things don’t have one so.” xavier answered with a shrug and glanced at the map. it was familiar enough and all the x’s were area’s he’d been around at least from what he could recognize. “oh yeah that’ll be easy, over twelves years of not being able to do anything _besides_ exploring when you’re bored makes it easy to navigate around.”

He looked to Xavier and back at the map, brows furrowing in thought. "Do any of these areas particularly familiar to you? Like that you've visited fairly recently?"

xavier looked over the map and pointed to one of the x’s. “that one, never gone in it cause the thought of going in a cave alone always gave me the creeps but i do know where that one’s at.”

Sam nodded, muttering to himself in Korean. Creepy huh? Often people felt the gi of an area without realizing it. That could be the one. "Alright, that'll be the first one we check then. We'll need to be careful on time. Of course there's a real chance of a breakthrough on some of these mysteries and it has to be the middle of winter."

xavier nodded and pulled out his phone once more. “it’s why i got this thing still, alarms still work, already have a couple set for an hour and two hours before sunset usually happens. just in case.” he could set more if he needed to but for now that felt like a good amount of time, depending on where they ended up by then. “so you’re another person trying to solve the mystery of huntsville then? is that how you ended up here or did that happen after you got stuck.”

Good, they were taking this trip seriously enough, something Sam could appreciate. Maybe it wouldn't be a trial in babysitting after all. "Yeah," he admitted as they started walking. "I noticed a large number of missing person cases leading to rural West Virginia and decided it would be my next big story." Sam glanced back over to Xavier. "I'm an investigative journalist. I usually travel as needed."

“must’ve felt shitty finding out you couldn’t leave again then but hey, least you got plenty of time to write your story, ya know, assuming you don’t die and all.” was that morbid to say? probably but xavier learned that it’s easier to be blunt rather than give a false hope. as they walked next to him they glanced to him now too, “so what other stuff have you written about then? anything i’ve missed out on the last twelve years that’s interesting?”

Sam couldn't help the chuckle. At least Xavier didn't beat around the bush. "Well, I'm going to try my best not to die. I at least have to make sure my sister is safe," his expression dropped at that. "Somehow she ended up in this town too. That's the part that feels shitty." Sighing, he shook his head and looked back to the other. "So are you from around here?" He gave a shrug at the questions. "Human trafficking, child soldiers, that sort of thing. Unfortunately nothing new in our world but something that is still important to give voice to."

“completely coincidental or followed you in?” xavier had heard about it a lot that siblings often got stuck here after going to look for the other or even the off chance of it being random. “oh yeah born and raised, never left this town and never got a chance to anyway. i was only fourteen when the storm hit so it’s not like i ever had a chance to leave even if i wanted to.” and that was something he’d come to terms with a long time ago. all his exploration he’d done wasn’t in hopes to find a way out it was mostly to cure his own boredom. “gross to hear things are still the same out there. somehow all those things make the creatures feel human.”

"Coincidental. She'd actually been here for an entire year before it fell on my radar....I...didn't even know she was among the missing." His expression turned solemn, the guilt still eating at him.

A sardonic smile made it across his lips as at Xavier's comment. "You know, I've said something similar before and you may be one of the first people to agree with me. Monsters are everywhere, these ones just don't hide behind a curtain of niceties."

xavier let his own expression soften and put a hand on sams shoulder. “you’d be surprised how many people are here for longer than a year and family _still_ hasn’t noticed they’re missing. it happens. people just assume they’re out living their life it’s not like we can tell them otherwise.” he hoped that would at least ease him a little bit.

they dropped their hand from his shoulder now and looked around them, making sure there wasn’t any hunter traps around since this was the woods. “yeah? surprised more people don’t agree with that considering there’s a murderer too. or murderers, wouldn’t be surprised if there’s more than one with how things have been lately.”

Flashing a sad smile, Sam nodded. He appreciated the attempt, at the very least. At the mention of murder his smile dropped and a sigh escaped him. "I imagine it's easy to get away with murder in a place like this. A friend of mine mentioned that the number of murderers and sociopaths you could run into here is exceptionally high. Can't help wondering if they're drawn to this place somehow."

As the forest came into view, Sam stopped, a thoughtful expression beginning to form. "Hey, do you mind if we take a small detour?" Not really waiting for an answer, he leads Xavier down a road. "I think we should bring my colleague. She would tear me a new one if she found out I didn't include her on the trip." A few minutes later they arrived in front of a residence as Sam knocked on the door.

She hadn't been expecting anyone - so Narcissa naturally assumed it had to be Lonnie or Sam bugging her. All the same, she pulled open the door, trying her best to maintain a stern face. "I'm an extremely busy woman you know - did you pencil this visit in with my secretary?" Spotting Xavier she quickly shook her head. "I'm just teasing Sam - I'm not that important. What's up?"

Sam raised a brow at Narcissa, a small quirk of his lips. "Oh, well if you're too busy then I guess you don't want to come join me, and Xavier" he nods toward the other, "in testing out my tunnel theory." He held up the map to sweeten the deal.

"Well, I do love a premade plan. Just a second - let me grab some stuff." Disappearing for only a couple minutes as she quickly gathered her camera and put on better shoes, she reappeared with a wide grin on her face. "Okay - fill me in."

“oh i can do that!” xavier moved closer with a smile. “xavier by the way, anyway, i was about to go in the crack, he stopped me cause it was just a rope and apparently you guys had gone in it already anyway. bummer. he talked about exploring the caves and i asked to join, he said yes since i know the woods and we’re starting with this one,” they paused to point on the map at one of the x’s, “because i know where this one is. he can fill in the why, i don’t actually know that part or maybe i do i’m in it for the adventure really and my own curiosity!"

As they started walking Sam nodded to Xavier's explanation. There were a couple details he would fill Narcissa on later, but they at least covered the gist of everything. "Considering some of these caves might open back up to some other part of the forest, I figured having someone who's familiar with the woods here would be pretty helpful. As for this particular cave, it was on a list of potential candidates I already scoped out. Xavier mentioned they never get close to that one because of how 'creepy' it is, so that seemed like a good starting point."

Narcissa nodded as they walked, taking in all the information. She was already getting excited; the more people she and Sam had on their side, the better. "Okay - don't love that the cave is creepy, but maybe that means something. I'm glad Sam stumbled upon you, Xavier - sounds like you're well versed in the caves. We're like a Mcgyvered myth busters."

“well i didn’t say the cave was creepy, i said it always gave me the creeps about going in alone. what if it’s got bats? we don’t have anything for bat rabies. cooties? there’s a word for it that i can’t remember.” at least xavier thought that’s what he said, or maybe that meant the cave was creepy he wasn’t sure, he wasn’t great at reading in between lines. “but yeah, guess it was a good thing he did considering i was already feet dangling in a pit. cant dangle in a pit in a cave… most likely.”

He waved a hand at Xavier's clarification. "Eh, semantics. The gi is off and that's all I care about. Also there's no cure for rabies so try not to get bit." Sam sighed at the reminder of how he'd met the other. All he could hope was that during this exhibition Xavier didn't prove to be a liability, even with their useful geographic knowledge.

Narcissa chewed on her lower lip, but nodded a little. "Okay; let's just be careful where we're aiming our flashlights and try not to talk too loud then; I don't want to deal with bats or get one caught in my hair." All the same, the excitement she felt was evident as she all but skipped along. "So you think it'll lead to the crack somewhere?"

xavier shrugged at sam waving him off. “there’s not really a cure for anything here so you’d be shit outta luck anyway but i’m sure there’s none. probably. i make no promises, i can tell you what’s in the woods but that’s about it.” turning to narcissa they pointed at sam, “that’s a him question i’ll zip it now cause i don’t actually know what his whole thought process is.”

Sam frowned, though a small blush coated his cheeks. Narcissa asked for his reasoning so he gave it. So sue him. He shook his head at the question. "I doubt it. We shouldn't be going that deep into the caves today, plus that was mostly just a hypothesis. I could be completely wrong." He glanced back to Narcissa with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on time. Xavier even set some alarms. Speaking of," looking back to Xavier as they entered the forest. "Do you know about how far we are from that cave?"

"Alarms are a very smart idea," Narcissa felt relieved at this idea, now that they would have time to protect themselves. "I don't know; I guess it's hard to say since they disappear during the day; but I guess anything is possible here, right?"

“why thank you.” xavier said with a proud smile, he definitely didn’t hear that a lot. “you could also be right, we won’t know until we’re there.” he paused now and took a quick look around to see where they’re at to give an answer. “from here i’d say… maybe a twenty minute walk? possibly thirty, just depends on where the hunters laid traps.”

He gave them both a tight smile. "Let's just hope I'm wrong. All I have in my bag is my camera, a little bit of rope, and a flashlight."

"Well, no matter what we encounter, it'll be a productive first day anyway," narcissa insisted, trying to boost Sam's spirits. "That's not a terrible walk."

“i got my fists and a whoooole lotta gusto.” xavier said with a wide smile. it was mostly to try and keep the spirits up for everyone but mostly himself. “nope not bad at all, i know where a couple of the other caves are on the map but they’re farther out. this one felt like the best option especially if we’re in it longer than we intend to be.”

Sam smiled, appreciating the two's attempts at lightening the mood. He could only hope he wasn't leading them to their deaths. The rest of the walk was fairly uneventful as the cave eventually came into view. Pulling out the flashlight from his bag, he offered it to one of his companions as he sized up the dark mouth. "Well, here goes nothing."

The walk was pleasant enough - and honestly the more time the three spent walking, somehow the more sure Narcissa felt about things. As they approached the cave, she pulled a beanie out of her bag, pulling it down over her ears. "Alright - let's see what's waiting for us."

xavier let narcissa take the flashlight and decided if they really needed to they could use the one on their phone, it wouldn't be great but it'd be something. "i'm following you guys so, after you two."

Looking back to the others, Sam took a steadying breath before walking into the darkness of the cave. He glanced around, keeping his eyes peeled for anything as he followed the natural curve of the rock. Rounding the first curve, Sam was about to say something when suddenly he was blinded by a bright light. Stumbling forward, he let out a startled yelp as his next step met with air instead of solid ground and his body came tumbling forward. Before he could comprehend what was happening, ice cold water enveloped his body. Scrambling to reach what he supposed was the surface, Sam gasped for air, looking around himself wildly. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, he realized with shock that he was back outside in the forest, treading water in some lake. The cave he was just in was nowhere to be found.

Narcissa crept along behind Sam, not meaning to hold her breath, but it was hard - the excitement and anxiety were vibrating through her bones, and since everyone else was quiet, it was taking everything in her to not talk incessently about all the things they might uncover. However, this didn't last for too long - the bright light and cold water caused Narcissa to scream - though since she was underwater, no one could hear her. Quickly swimming to the surface, she let out a loud gasp, whipping her head aroudn to find her companions. "What the fuck??"

xavier was right, the cave really did give him the creeps and he was half tempted to turn back but having other people around did make it a bit easier. he was quite though, mostly afraid and small noise might do something but he felt like it got eerily quiet and couldn’t see where the two had gone so he continued forward anyway. that was until they felt like they couldn’t breathe anymore, looking around frantically until they looked up to see light so they… swam up? xavier got his head above water with a loud gasp and turned to see sam and narcissa there too who seemed just as confused. “did we just…” he looked down to his feet trying to catch a glimpse of anything off but saw nothing. furrowing his brows he swam to shore and hoped they’d follow behind. “i think i know what just happened to us.”

Following Xavier to the shore, Sam pulled himself up and offered a hand to Narcissa before flopping down to the sandy ground with a shiver. They were going to need a change of clothes ASAP. Looking back at Xavier, his eyes narrowed. "The hell did you mean you think you know what just happened?"

Narcissa followed Xavier, teeth already chattering. This venture had been a bust, and hopefully her camera hadn't been taken out of commission. It wasn't waterproof per se, but it had been through a lot. "Is it a paradox thing?" She managed to stammer out between her chattering teeth. She tried to wring out her hair and clothes as best as she could without taking them off, but it wasn't do much good to dispell the cold.

“well,” xavier had a look on their face like they wanted to admit something but wasn’t quite sure yet but eventually sighed, the longer he stood there the colder they were getting and they needed someplace warm. “i think it’s a paradox thing.. not sure though. i um, im pretty sure that was another portal, as in, i may or may not already know where another one is.” he finally admitted a bit sheepishly.

Sam immediately shot up, eyes widening. "Hold up, there's more of those? Does anyone else know about this?"

"A what?" Narcissa didn't care about how cold she was anymore - her entire focus was fixated on Xavier, excitement, terror and something else bright on her face. "Where's the other one? Where does it lead to?"

“no.” xavier said quickly at sam’s question. he wanted to keep odette out of it as much as possible so she didn’t freak out.. hopefully. “as far as i know there’s one more, it’s a tree. when you crawl through it, it leads you into the basement of the bar. that’s.. all i know but that one you can go back through unlike this one.”

Their reply made it obvious that wasn't true, but Sam wouldn't push the matter. There were more important questions, like "why haven't you told others? This is a massive discovery." He was shaking his head, mind going into overdrive on how he would write this. "Can you show us where the tree is?" Glancing down at himself and his shivering companions, he added "after we get changed."

Narcissa barely even noticed that Xavier was potentially lying - all she cared about was the fact that this was an anomaly that occurred in at least two places. "This is huge - holy shit, Xavier, that's incredible." She wanted to protest that they just go to the tree right then and there, but it would be much smarter to at least change before going. "You've done this before? Go back and forth between this other portal?"

“i uh,” shit he didn’t actually have an explanation as to why he didn’t tell someone, “okay fine. a friend of mine had it happen to them, they’re the ones that originally found it but i promised not to tell anyone because they were freaked out and thought they were going crazy and now im freaking out because i don’t want them involved or their name to be out their because they don’t need that stress and,” xavier took a deep breath in after realizing he was rambling and calmed himself down before continuing, “i just don’t want their name out there so i’m not saying who. that’s for them to say when they’re ready but yeah.. i can show you guys where the tree is.” turning towards narcissa they nodded at her, “multiple times. as far as i know i’ve been the only one to do it, i usually just go back through the vent so i’m not randomly coming out of their basement.”

He gave a nod, experession softening. "I won't add their name to the paper, I promise. You can also stay anonymous if you'd prefer." Standing up, Sam held out a hand to help anyone up that wanted it. "First, let's warm up and then we can take a look at this tree. I might want another look at that cave, but that can wait."

Narcissa easily took Sam's hand, letting out an almost relieved sigh. "Well.... At least we aren't as far away as I thought that meant we were." She admitted, turning to Xavier. "It's okay - I care less about your friend's name and more about investigating these portals - no offense to them, of course, but this is.... incredible. Even if now we're all freezing."

xavier got up on his own and brushed off whatever sand he could that was sticking to his clothes and gave an appreciative smile to sam. “thanks.” glancing towards the water they raised an eyebrow, “this one’s an odd one. i wonder if the other side of the portal is at the bottom of the lake and that’s why we can’t see it. i mean it’d be hard to tell anyway, the one in the basement just looks like a vent you’d never be able to tell if you didn’t know.” looking back at the two now their expression turned sheepish again, “sorry. yeah we should go do we can get changed, it’s too cold for this.”

"You'd think any portal would be odd." He mused with a raised brow. "But I will say it felt like we were thrown in instead of being already inside the lake." He turned back to the water, squinting as he tried to see any sort of difference, a shimmer or something. "Anyway, yeah, let's go. Last thing we need is hypothermia on top of everything else."

Back at Narcissa's apartment Sam paced back and forth in the blanket she's supplied, impatient for their clothes to come out of the dryer. "How exactly did your friend find that tree portal?"

The trip to Narcissa's place felt twice as long this time as the trio were shivering, but Narcissa quickly offered the other two towels and the few bigger pairs of sweatpants she had lying around her place before they got together to try to discuss what the fuck just happened.

"Okay so - portals." She had changed into a different set of clothes, already scrawling shorthand across a notebook. "Two of them - one you can go in and out of, now one that is also in a lake. How did you find the other one, and why did you think this cave would be one?"

xavier was sitting on the couch with the towel wrapped around his shoulders trying to warm up anyway he could. "well with what they told me it was like some alice in wonderland shit, there was a rabbit, they followed it, it went through the tree then so did they and next thing you know they're in the bars basement." taking a quick look at narcissa they shrugged, "i didn't. they're the one that technically did they just showed me. as for the cave i'm not sure, it always just gave me a weird vibe when i'd pass it during my explorations to the point i never wanted to go inside. only went this time because i wasn't going to be alone."

Sam continued pacing in thought, running a hand through his damp hair. "Do you get the same feeling from the tree? That weird, creepy vibe? If there's two in that forest that must mean there's more right?" What if...what if one of them led to outside? He wouldn't voice that thought, the hope it would place too potentially soul crushing. But...it was worth considering. He glanced back to Narcissa, stopping in his tracks. "Maybe we can try asking around, see if anyone else has gotten any weird feelings, canvas potential areas."

"Okay.... okay sure, sure," she was half listening and half taking notes, nodding along as they went - however at Sam's comment, her head popped up. "Look, I'd love it as much as the next person if there was a secret portal out of here, but that seems far more unlikely since literally everything about this town seems to be designed by whatever to keep us in - even transporting us to different spaces inside the paradox. Xavier, do you know how far the bar and the tree are? Like, a ballpark guess?"

"well... kind of? like with the tree it's not as intense but i still get an off vibe, even before they'd pointed it out to me, they basically confirmed it." xavier could never figure out why he got those feelings for specific things but never questioned it and just assumed the town in general probably gave people the similar feeling. "i uh, i don't know how far, if i had to take a guess maybe a half mile to a mile apart? i never paid attention to that actually so i guess that'll be something we take note of when i show you guys."

Glancing down at his watch, Sam nodded, muttering to himself. To the others he said, "our clothes should be dry by now. We should have enough time to check out this tree and snap a few pictures before getting home." He glanced more specifically at Narcissa, "unless there was something in particular you wanted to do."

"No - that sounds good for an initial investigation with the time we have left," Narcissa looked sadly at her video camera, which still hadn't been able to turn on since they got back. "I want to try to get this fixed before we go through the portal, anway. To really document it."

“i know someone who can fix that but he wouldn’t be able to do it in a day. my old roommate cyan, he’s a big tech guy. i can see if he has another camera you can use in the meantime?” it was the closest xavier could offer since he was gonna have to find a way to get his own phone fixed, hopefully. “actually, do either of you still have your phones? could use that to record.”

Sam's cheeks heated as he held up a hand. "Oh, um, actually," he glanced to Narcissa. "For your birthday I planned on fixing your camera. I still can...if you'd like. Uh...surprise?" He also shook his head as he riffled through his bag to pull out his camera. "No need. This puppy is completely water proof. It's been across the world and back and been my partner through it all."

"Well, someone needs to fix it - I'm not too bothered as to who," Narcissa playfully waved them off, an appreciatve flush blooming across her cheeks. "Anyway. Um, no, my phone camera got cracked when Sam and I went into the crack - Lonnie stepped on it. But it's fine, Sam can take the wheel on this one,"

“well in that case we seem set, im gonna put my clothes back on because i’m still freezing.” xavier said with a laugh and disappeared to go do just that. when he came back he sat down again and smiled, “fresh out of the dryer is always the best. i’m ready now whenever you guys are.”

He flashed Narcissa a grin. "Well luckily I could have been a professional photographer in another life, so the prints are in good hands." Sam followed Xavier to get dressed, chuckling lightly in agreement as he pulled on his own clothes. "Alright, let's head out."

Keeping an eye on the sky, Sam asked to Xavier, "how much further are we?" He cursed the fact they were still in the dead of winter. Everything would be so much easier if it was summer and they had ample daylight to spare.

Narcissa was almost jogging to keep up the pace - she wasn't concerned about falling behind, she was concerned about the daylight slipping away from them. "I guess worst comes to worst, we just dive into the portal and spend the night in the bar."

xavier was still walking but started looking around to figure out where exactly they were at. he’d done this so many times at this point he knew the route like the back of his hand. “not much farther away, it’s just past those ones up there.” they pointed to the trees in front of them and chuckled. “funny you say that, i’ve yet to see a creature go into the portal and i’ve tested it before.” it was a stupid test, of course because no one knew he was doing it and it could’ve resulted in negative results. “waited in the vent till the bar closed then just waited in the basement, i kept the vent closed just in case so maybe that was why but,” a pause and a shrug, “just went right back through when daytime came, it was like i was never there.”

Sam blinked, stopping in his tracks as he looked at Xavier in abject horror. "What the fuck dude? That...that might actually be one of the stupidest things I'd ever heard. What would you have done if they *did* go through?" Between them dangling over the crack and now this, Sam was genuinely concerned for the other's well being. Knowing they don't have the time to go into a full tirade of how utterly idiotic Xavier's little test was, he shook his head and continued onward, pulling out his camera in preparation. "We should have enough time to get back," he assured Narcissa. "All we need to do is verify the portal, take a couple pictures of someone halfway through it, and dip."

Narcissa wasn't sure why San was reacting the way he was - she would have done the same thing if she were them. "That's really interesting - maybe the animas know something we don't?" Nodding a little at Sam's direction, she perked up. "Can I be the halfway in person?"

xavier ignored the fact that sam stopped and only started walking backwards instead, "i don't know. die i guess? no risk no reward or whatever that saying is." they shrugged and turned back so they wouldn't trip over any roots. "you can if you want, i've been in it plenty of times. since you want to verify it starts becoming a tight squeeze the closer you get to the bars vent so keep that in mind when you wanna turn around."

Narcissa may have a point. Animals usually caught on to things faster than people, especially when it came to energies. He pinched the bridge of his nose at Xavier's reply. God there was a lot he could say to that, but all he settled for was "that was beyond stupid." Letting go of his nose, he looked to Narcissa with an amused smile. "Sure."

As they came across the tree Sam nodded to it. "You two can go in. I actually want to see what it looks like when someone goes through."

"We all do stupid things, Sam, c'mon," Narcissa pointed. "Rapelling into the crack was stupid, we just do stupid stuff with Lonnie as a lookout." She flashed Xavier a playful look. "He forgets what it's like to be impulsive sometimes, I think."

She examined the tree - it just looked like a normal tree, she didn't even feel any odd vibes. "Perfect - you can just film us like alice following the white rabbit."

“yeah sam, c’mon.” xavier couldn’t help but tease with a grin as they got closer. “well if he sticks around me he’ll remember cause impulsive is my middle name.”

he stared into it for a minute, it still was wild to him how a tree of all things led him to a basement but then again a cave just spit them out into a lake so he’s stopped questioning it. “so pretty much what happened to my friend.” he commented with a chuckle. “you sure you don’t want me to snap the pics sam? i’ve been through this thing plenty of times if you wanted to look for yourself.”

He sighed, shaking his head. Sam would like to argue that they were professionals doing a job, that they had experience and at least some form of a safety net while what Xavier did could have easily been a suicide mission, but it felt like the argument wasn't worth the effort. Not now, when their time outside was limited. "I'd rather be the one to take the pictures if that's alright. Plus now that I know this portal is here I can always come back." Assuming he would be able to find it again." Holding up his camera, he adjusted the focus until it was perfect. "Whenever you're ready."

"Someone has to be responsible," Narcissa grinned widely, but quickly circled aroudn the tree, just getting a good look at it, nodding a little to herself. "Well, it's now or never, right?" Her grin was a little more nervous now, but she gestured for Xavier to lead the way. "Narcissa, and Xavier, signing off. For now."

“yeah that’s perfectly fine, i was just making sure in case you wanted to go in farther.” xavier have a smile and waited while narcissa circled the tree once then nodded before finally stepping into the tree and continued walking forward.

Sam nodded in appreciation, snapping a few pictures of the two, keeping his finger over the button for the right moment.

Narcissa shot a nervous look back at Sam - her face was confident, but her eyes betrayed her actual feelings - before she quickly stepped forward to follow Xavier, taking a deep breath and resisting the urge to close her eyes just in case something bad happened.

“you guys good?” xavier asked as he continued, glancing back only for a moment since he knew they were going to get to a point where the space got smaller.

"Yeah," Narcissa cleared her throat a little as she followed them, face determined. She believed them, of course, but had to see for herself. "I hope we looked cool crawling in here."

xavier held back a laugh. “does anyone ever look cool crawling?” the closer they got to the vent they gave out a warning to sam and narcissa to let them know. “see the vent?” he pointed out and tried to move out of the way as much as he could for them to look.

"Well… probably not." Narcissa admitted. "But a girl can dream." She squinted to where Xavier was pointing since the lighting wasn't the best. "Oh - yeah!! And it's just loose for us to push?"

“yeah pretty much, you just gotta use a little force behind it but that’s it.” xavier said with a slight nod. “i’d show you but i don’t know if anyone’s in the basement right now, i cant tell.”

Narcissa was disappointed, but understood. "Right - well. This just means we need to come back another time to FULLY investigate."

[patriciers]

closed  starter  for  @fallencrxwns​  (  narcissa  redsmith  )

“  cissa  ,  i  hope  you’ve  been  faring  well  ,  ”  osric  greets  ,  grinning  as  per  usual  ,  “  did  you  miss  me  terribly  ?  ”  he  asks  ,  solely  in  jest  .  between  aster  ,  the  baby  she’s  carrying  ,  and  tharon  ,  he  can’t  see  her  concerning  herself  with  him  too  much  ,  if  at  all  .  but  the  opportunity  to  rib  his  friends  and  family  is  one  he  always  loves  to  take  .

[thecryptidcottage]

↳ ft. orion + narcissa ! ( @drcamland ) at orion's flat, in the living room

❝ this is it. ❞ dark eyes flit around the chaotic collage orion has assembled across the crumb-scattered hardwood floors of his flat ; a multitude of sloppily scrawled index cards and post-its arranged between photos and print-outs, articles gleaned from obscure magazines and old newspapers, all spread out in such a manner that makes it nearly impossible to traverse the space without treading on something. but don't make that mistake ! there is a method to his madness, a delicate balance in the placement of the materials. maybe. he thinks so, anyway. ❝ i've managed to collect every single scrap of information i can detailing every close encounter of the second kind or above reported within a ten kilometre radius of notting hill in the last... shit, over the last century ! oldest one's from 1907. ❞ orion sucks his teeth, swivels on the balls of his feet to look up at narcissa. ❝ how are you with pattern recognition ? ❞

[xrodolphusxxlestrangex]

where: department of mysteries; thought chamber. who: @aurcralux || narcissa.

If there was anything Rodolphus enjoyed more than near anything it was his job. He was made for it. Poking around in brains, discovering new things about thoughts, how the mind words, where things hide in memories, how to manipulate in ways unknown to others and what buttons he could push -- all among a million other wonders that came with the career. He thrived in the dark space. He belonged there, just as he belonged along the Dark Lord's side. It was his calling.

One unexpected part of this calling was Narcissa Black. Naturally he knew her. Even before he properly wed Bellatrix, he knew the Black family. Narcissa -- never Cissy or Cissa -- was different from her sisters. Thank the gods she wasn't the disappointment Andromeda had been. But her relationship with Bellatrix was acceptable. But their relationship was different.

They both held a passion for their work. When she began working in the Thought Chamber Rodolphus was immediately annoyed but things began to smooth over. She wasn't as annoying as he expected her to be. He could see the want for knowledge in her eyes and Rodolphus could foster that knowledge. He may have always given his siblings the wrong answers to their stupid questions but never to Narcissa. Well, never when it came to work. They had a very odd dynamic but it seemed to work for them. So when they worked together, it was interesting. He liked that.

"What's on the agenda today, Miss Black?"

[corruptedarkness]

@dancingwithghcsts​

Narcissa/Lucius: 

Lucius was seeing the last of their guest before he could enjoy a nice quiet evening with his wife, they had married young but there was something about Narcissa that called to him. Malfoy men required women who could hold their own in the public eye and there was none better in his eyes than his wife. With the last guest out the door, he turned in search of his wife who’d be nothing short of a lovely host as usual. Upon finding her in the sitting room he couldn’t help but stare for a moment before speaking. “You truly are a treasure, I do apologize for the impromptu drop-in, but one must always make time for new friends especially those within the Ministry” he mused stepping into the room to sit across from his wife. “Hopefully the wife didn’t prattle on too much to bore you?”

[xrodolphusxlestrangex]

"To be fair I did say my little heart. There are a few things I give a damn about, Mrs. Malfoy." It was true. He cared about Rabastan, Alecto and even Bellatrix to some degree. He cared about his career. And, of course, he cared about the Dark Lord. Those were a few things. "Can I say it was a mixture of both? Lucius was quite convincing. And since you are Bellatrix's sister I did not think it would be right to say no. So yes. A mixture of both. Either way, here I am. And I am pleased to know that Lucius is appreciative of my efforts." They certainly were efforts.

"You will truly allow your parents to dictate how long you stay? You did say it was your wedding after all. You should be calling the shots. Besides, I should leave with my wife."

"Really? That would imply that you had a heart at all to begin with Rodolphus." Narcissa quipped back before lightly shaking her head. She had known her brother-in-law long enough now to know this was just the way he was and there would be no use in trying to change him now. "Hm, so which one was it then? Was it the right thing to do or did you not wish to say no to my sister?" She asked with a raised brow. "Either way, I am sure that Lucius appreciates the effort."

"Well it's my wedding day after all, I imagine we'll be here until our parents are ready to see us off. Could be hours yet if they're not done bathing in the attention. But as I said, you're more than welcome to make your excuses at any point."

[oflucius]

closed for @aurcralux

"is narcissa home?" it was a bold move, but lucius believed cygnus and druella were fond of him enough to let him crash family dinner so late without any major complaints -- at least, not to his face. he'd returned from his month long mission in france yesterday and still, even back home, he was so busy -- death eater business more so than his actual job. being one of voldemort's most trusted soldiers came with a price. it gave lucius very little time to spend with his wife to be, but he was serious when it came to his duties. any free time he had, the malfoy had to make sure he could give some of it to narcissa. she deserved it, lucius thought. she seemed nice, proper and hardworking yet he found it hard to truly get to know her or open up. truth to be told, the thought of becoming a husband and a father terrified him, being anything like his father and grandfather. but what did being a good husband, and eventually father look like? the malfoy quickly brushed those thoughts away when cygnus and druella gave him some privacy with their youngest daughter. "it's good to see you again." lucius said, the corners of his lips tugging upwards into a smile. his hand dug into his pocket, taking out a small box. "i got you something. it reminded me of you." inside the box was a silver necklace with a dark blue paraiba tourmaline gemstone. it was his way for apologizing for spending so much time away.

[itgirldraco]

do you have any fic recs?

yes!! so many!! please check the tags for each!

all time favorites:

way down we go: an absolute classic. werewolf harry, chronically ill utterly miserable draco, post-war in small town america. enemies to lovers slowburn with protective harry and hopelessly gay draco.

in hopes that you may drown: SO much of my art is based on this author's harry and draco. such a lovely fic. post-war, draco raising delphi and absolutely perfecting the stressed yoga mom vibe. harry is instantly smitten.

in our blood: about haunted houses, parenthood and growing to care for each other. I love this one.

you'll still find stone: arranged marriage. draco expects the worst and harry is an absolute sweetheart. angst but so heartwarming. (mind the tags!!)

ANYTHING by corvetteclaire! their blood link and in the mirror series are severely underrated and genuinely took my breath away. some of my favorite writing and plots.

inside grey eyes: so so beautiful. quite dark and yet exceptionally hopeful. all about draco's recovery from a nightmare situation and harry's unending support. (mind the tags!!)

anything by tessa crowley!! an absolute gem in the fandom with an impressive variety of works.

the mirror of ecidyrue series: perfection.

in your arms, rests my world: “You make me feel safe, Potter. You keep me safe.” yeah..yeah. (mind the tags!!)

anything by toxik_angel tbh..one of my favorites is infairitance even though it’s incomplete; fairy draco is a game changer

oxytocin: angst, angst, angst, and so much cuddling. slowburn in the best way possible.

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm: i read this some time ago but i remember adoring it.

Diffraction Patterns (I Don't Know How to Forget You): another incredible old read .

everything by beloved @rockingrobin69 !! this is one my favorites ever i never stop thinking about it

fluff/humor:

manlet: PLEASE read this one! so so cute and adorable and hilarious ft sweet giant harry and tiny angry draco and wickedly funny narcissa. will definitely open your eyes to small draco.

screw you: extremely funny and extremely hot.

like a star across my sky: SUCH a good fic! feels like a romcom.

title of their sex tape: as funny as it sounds.

flirt: really sweet. disaster flirty draco and awkward yet charmed harry.

married to a brute (ongoing): genius and hilarious

smut:

it beats me black and blue: absolute perfection. no notes.

let me roll it: so delicious. clueless mess draco and grumpy harry who hates everyone except draco.

his little something: size difference excellence

scenes of surrender: a combination of smut, love, recovery and caretaking

a perfect fit: hung harry and size queen draco

come up for air: veela draco

fawning for you: harry is completely obsessed with draco's videos. very cute, muggle setting.

burning the ground: creature fic

ongoing/other faves:

one elephant at a time (ongoing): i recommend this fic to EVERYONE. genuinely incredible. think yellow wallpaper, jane eyre, crush by richard siken, and the author mentions being inspired by my dark vanessa as well. so essentially a modern romance with a dark gothic backstory. every single sentence in this fic stands out to me. every characterization, every conversation, is just so honest and genuine. also!! draco has a cat called lady di!! and he loves to wear earrings! (mind the tags!!)

within the hollow crown: more of pre-drarry tbh. such an interesting plot!! harry grudgingly cares for an increasingly spiraling draco who is except under close and constant watch by the dark lord-every second of his sixth year. currently has an ongoing sequel.

imperfection (ongoing): another fic by robin! and another of my all time favorites, so so lovingly written and so tragic and lovely and heartbreaking. really digs into draco's psych and his manic mindset and constant spiral BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel and so much love surrounding him even though it's hard for him to see it. (mind the tags!!)

saviour series (ongoing): wouldn't necessarily call this drarry? more of a stockholm syndrome gothic novel type of fic but i recommend it all the same. the writing is truly extraordinary and the pacing is incredible. will leave you breathless. part one is complete. (mind the tags!!)

perspective series (ongoing): the original books with alpha harry, omega draco in gryffindor, and an adorable friendship dynamic between the golden trio and draco. really sweet, and super interesting. no romance as of yet but there are little moments.

tales of the potters: very interesting take on the arranged marriage trope! i recommend all of this author's works; they have a gorgeous way with words and their work really brings harry and draco to life.

the veiled boy (ongoing): one of the most intriguing recent fics i've read. really delves into character dynamics in such a realistic and refreshing way and draco is so endearing in it. every chapter has gorgeous illustrations.

never in extremity: reread this one recently. equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming. (mind the tags!!)

[moonyeyedstar]

Masterlist

Kinktober 2024

Ao3

** is smut

Remus Lupin

*Be Mine- V-day*(Professor Lupin)

*First-Time*(Marauders Era)

*Thigh-riding*(Professor Lupin)

*Punish You*(Professor Lupin)

*Extra Help*(Professor Lupin)

*Forgive Me, Father*(Priest Remus)(pt1)(pt2)

*Hide*(Professor Lupin)

*Daddy's Girl*(Stepdad Remus)

*Full Moon*(Professor Lupin) (pt2) (pt3)

*Experiment*(Remus Lupin x James Potter)

*Kinktober Day 25: Sensory Deprivation*(Professor Lupin)

Sirius Black

*Skinny Dip*(Marauders Era)

*The Order*(Older Sirius x Harry's Friend Reader) (Part 1)

*The Order*(Older Sirius x Harry's Friend Reader) (Part 2)

*The Order*(Older Sirius x Harry's Friend Reader) (Part 3)

*Relax, Love,*(Stepdad Sirius)

*Truth*(Stepdad Sirius)

*Lap Dance*(Older Sirius)(Kinktober Day 14)

*Kinktober Day 22: Daddy Kink*(Stepdad Sirius)

*Kinktober Day 29: Phone Sex*(Older Sirius)

Wolfstar

Under the Mistletoe-Wolfstar Xmas(Remus POV)

*Attention*-(Wolfstar x F!Reader)(Marauders Era)

*Starved*-(Wolfstar x F!Reader)(Post Hogwarts Marauders)

*Kinktober Day 17- First Time Anal/ Praise Kink*(Older Wolfstar x Younger f!reader)

James Potter

*Cheer Up*(Marauders Era)

*My Brother's Best Friend*(James Potter x Y/n Black Marauders Era)

*Distraction*(Marauders Era)

*Experiment*(James Potter x Remus Lupin)

*Tit Fucking*(Marauders Era)(Kinktober Day 1)

*Body Worship*(Marauders Era)(Kinktober Day 9)

Marauders

*I Want You Both*(Remus Lupin x James Potter x Reader)

*Happy Birthday*(Poly Marauders x Reader)

*Orgy*(Poly Marauders ft Lily Evans, Mary Macdonald , Marlene Mckinnon x Reader)(Kinktober Day 2)

*Kinktober Day 31: Creampie/Cum Eating*

Marlene Mckinnon

*Victory*(Marauders Era)

*Face Riding*(Marauders Era)(Kinktober Day 12)

Lily Evans

*Kinktober Day 15: Breast Worship/Nipple Play*(Dom Lily)(Marauders Era)

Severus Snape

*Virgin*(Professor Snape)

*Cockwarming Parts 1+2*(Professor Snape)

*Valentine's Day*(Professor Snape)

*Detention*(Professor Snape)

*Meeting*(Death Eater Snape ft. Lucius Malfoy)

*Good Girl*(Older Snape x Younger Reader ft Older Narcissa Malfoy)

*Kinktober Day 5: Threesome w/ Prostitute!reader*(Older Snape x Younger Reader ft Lucius Malfoy)

*Kinktober Day 7: Catches you masturbating*(Professor Snape)

*Kinktober Day 10: Being Recorded/Whips/Glove Kink*(Professor Snape)

Lucius Malfoy

*Assistant*(Older Lucius x Younger Reader)

*Meeting*(Lucius Malfoy ft. Severus Snape)

*Kinktober Day 5: Threesome w/ Prostitute!reader*(Older Lucius x Younger Reader ft Severus Snape)

Narcissa Malfoy

*Toys*(Older Narcissa x Younger Female Reader)

*Good Girl*(Older Narcissa x Younger Female Reader ft. Older Severus Snape)

*Touch Me*(Older Narcissa x Younger Female Reader)

*Restless*(Older Narcissa x Younger Male Reader)

*Picture You*(Kinktober Day 20)(Older Narcissa x Younger f!reader)

Regulus Black

*Thoughts and Prayers*(Kinktober Day 6)

*Kinktober Day 18: Cock Worship*

*War is Over*

Tom Riddle

*Teacher's Pet*(Professor Tom Riddle)

*Kinktober Day 11: Gun Kink* (Mafia AU)

Draco Malfoy

*Fooling Around*(Male Reader)

*Stress Relief*(Draco Malfoy x Female Reader) (Part 2)

Minerva McGonagall

*Fantasy*(Professor McGonagall)

Barty Crouch Jr.

*Kinktober Day 19: Corruption/Training Kink*(Older Barty x Virgin Reader)

Oliver Wood

*Kinktober Day 16: Shower Sex*

Bellatrix Lestrange

*Kinktober Day 30: Knife Play*

Evan Rosier

*Kinktober Day 21: Hunter/Prey*(Death Eater Evan)

[travelingreportersam]

∗ 15﹕ a text containing advice . [narcissa]

[user: S. Ahn] Hey, taking a look at some of the pictures you sent for the upcoming article. They're not bad, but you should try using the rule of thirds to help boost the quality. It basically divides your view into thirds, and if you shift the main item into one of the side thirds it creates a more natural looking image. Gives it a sense of motion which is always good for candids.

[patriciers]

closed  starter  for  @fallencrxwns​  (  narcissa  redsmith  )

coming  off  of  the  dance  floor  for  a  bit  of  respite  ,  osric  grins  from  ear  to  ear  .  as  he  walks  ,  plucks  a  goblet  of  wine  from  a  nearby  cupbearer  ,  making  a  beeline  for  the  first  familiar  face  he  sees  ,  “  so ��,  were  you  the  one  who  chose  tharon’s  attire  this  evening  ,  or  did  he  manage  to  come  up  with  it  himself  ?  ”  he  asks  ,  mostly  in  jest  ,  as  he  slides  over  to  stand  at  narcissa’s  side  ,  taking  an  exploratory  sip  of  his  drink  —  an  arbor  gold  ,  by  the  taste  of  it  .

[greenerteacups]

Hi GT. I hope this message finds you well. I am sending all the good vibes and we'll wishes your way! ♥️♥️♥️ I hope you've had a wonderful summer.

I'm such a big fan of your work. Lioneheart is amazing and has stuck with me for such a long time.

I was wondering if you had any other stories you'd like to explore one day (even if you never get the chance to write them.) Whether it be fanfiction or original work, I was just curious because sometimes I feel as if I have hundreds of stories inside that I could tell, and I am not sure how to pick just one and see it to completion.

First of all, thank you! This is a fun one. I have a few enduring ideas for longfics I may or may not ever write (i.e., ideas that would have been projects already if I didn't have an ongoing longfic). I don't get stuck in them mostly because I try to remind myself that the idealized story you imagine when a concept occurs to you will never actually exist as it does when it's unshackled by the constraints of execution. What you'll get if you actually sit down and hack it out is (1) a real and imperfect piece of writing, and (2) the satisfaction of having written it, which is by far the more reliable source of motivation, if we're being honest. That being said, here are some ideas I've always wanted to explore, if and when I finish Lionheart:

I've always wanted to write a longform canon-divergent Tomione fic about Tom Riddle's 7th year at Hogwarts. Big honking political melodrama ft. the original Knights of Walpurgis, a Triwizard Tournament, and realistically functioning time travel (hence why this one's always been kicked down my list of projects, because writing a time-travel plot is like running through a minefield made of trampolines). I've already got character concepts sketched out for the Hogwarts cast — sooooo many fun ideas for the teenage Walburga. But I'd still need about a week of solid fic preproduction on the plot alone before I was ready to boot up and start writing, and it'd take at least 250k words — closer to 300k, if I'm being honest about myself. So this probably won't see the light of day anytime remotely soon, if ever.

A canon-compliant Dramione war fic, diverging from the Malfoy Manor chapters in Book 7, picking up from a speculative thread I read once about what would happen if the war didn't end after Voldemort died at the Battle of Hogwarts. I've always thought it would be fascinating to see who Hermione and Draco would become if they were actual soldiers in the war (and my disappointment with how Book 7 handled the "war" of it all has been established). That being said, Book 7 of Lionheart will probably give me a lot of similar ideas to chew on, so I don't know what my appetite for this one will be once I'm finished with it.

Durmstrang AU. This one's barely a fic concept so much as it is a mental moodboard — I just want to worldbuild the hell out of Durmstrang. And the international wizarding world, generally. It's a delicious sandbox.

A longform canon-compliant fic or series of fics about the previous generation of Blacks (Sirius/Bellatrix/Narcissa, namely). If you look at the books, there's a huge amount we don't know about the fall of the Blacks. I always found it bizarre that the sisters and Sirius seem to be the only ones left by 1995. No one else has a claim? No one else from this all-powerful wizarding family wants to step in and claim this big honking townhouse in the middle of London? Or its attendant fortune? Dude, what happened? Also, we don't see nearly enough of the Black family melodrama in canon. They lose 4/5 children of a generation in the span of almost single decade. And then (presumably) all of their parents die in the span of another. Goddamn. Just imagine the character work you could do there.

A No Chosen One/Voldemort Wins (The First Time) AU where Hermione never gets her letter, and meets Draco much later in life as a self-taught witch. The dynamics I have in my head for this are really enjoyable, and it would be a chance to finally write Hermione POV, plus the Draco I've cooked up for this universe is [chefs kiss]. I also just love the idea of Hermione as a feral witch-child running around muggle London. I love it a lot.

[fcundaticnsofdecay]

it was always so satisfying whenever he got her to finally crack. especially since he knew that she was so used to getting her way. he remembered thinking she was a spoiled brat and he still fully believed that. that was why he was so intent on watching her fall to pieces. he chuckled as he continued his agonizingly slow pace. his other hand was tightly holding onto her blonde locks. he had to stop himself from groaning as she again called him that title," i don't think you know what it means to be fully mine princess." he knew that she might not be able to handle it. even if she was insisting that she wanted his marks and to be full of him. he shook his head in disbelief as he reached to finally begin to undo his slacks. his hold on her hair never let up as he let them slide down his legs. he kicked her legs further apart if that was even possible as he opted to swat at her ass cheeks again. he moved from one to the other, grinning as he did," no more games then if you truly wish to be mine," he told her," you'll be punished for your disobedience." he reached to run the head of his cock along her slit but didn't go to push himself inside of her," push your hips back, show me how badly you wish to be mine."

"O-only for you," she agrees in a desperate whine, too caught up in chasing her climax to argue anymore. Narcissa can only cry in frustration when he stops, tears stinging her bright blue eyes and body vibrating against Anton's palm once he begins to caress her in torturously slow sweeps of his fingertips. "Ah — fuck!" The pretty heiress yelps when his fingers lace in her curls, pulling her blonde hair. This is new. She's never managed to drag this side out of him before and there's a very real, very potent part of the heiress that's hungry for it. "But, Daddy, I want to be yours." She says it so sweetly, sugar mixing with the desperation that she knows he loves so much. Narcissa is giving up her own power for quite possibly the first time, signing her soul away on the dotted line. "I - I want your marks all over my body a-and to be so full of you. Please? Please, show me who I belong to?"