The Platinum Cradle: Lucius and Narcissa's Parenting Journal

Winter at Malfoy Manor was always especially quiet.

Narcissa stood before the floor-to-ceiling bedroom window, gazing out at the white birch forest blanketed in snow. Her hands gently caressed her swollen belly. Through the dark green velvet robe, her fingertips felt the faint warmth beneath the fabric.

Six months.

The tiny life inside her had been there for six months already, growing from an invisible seed into a little thing that could kick her in the ribs. She often felt him stirring late at night: soft, rhythmic taps, as if he were greeting her. She would place her hand on