Narcissa Recommendations

oxygen by badgerspride
Length/Completed: 2359 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Pairing(s): Narcissa Black/OC
Genre(s): Angst
Summary: Once upon a time, Narcissa had loved another.
A tale about regret.
Reasons for Recommendation: Honestly, this is one of my favorite stories ever. The way Narcissa is written is absolutely stunning. There's such weight to all of her decisions, and it's so clear that she's carried that weight her whole life...but it's still so hard to watch her struggle with it. The author definitely captures the complexities of pureblood aristocratic life and shows the multitude of ways that it affects the children born into that sort of unyielding society. In addition to Narcissa's lovely characterization, the author provides us with an absolutely beautiful OC named Florence. And Florence...wow. She's a shooting star across the dark sky of Narcissa's predictable life. And the relationship that forms between them is breathtaking. The evolution of that relationship clashes so perfectly against the backdrop of the pureblood society's expectations for Narcissa and provides a plot that you can't help but follow with bated breath.

A Ghost, A Grave by @mydearfoxy
Length/Completed: 2597 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Pairing(s): Narcissa (Black) Malfoy/Lucius Malfoy
Genre(s): Angst
Summary: Narcissa is haunted by the effects of a war she couldn't control... and by memories of a sister she wishes she could forget.
Reasons for Recommendation: Oh no. This story is absolutely heart-wrenching. I'm one of four sisters, so reading this story was like a punch to the gut—the struggles Narcissa faces as she grows up, the loss of Andromeda to disownment and then Bellatrix to death...wow. It's clear throughout this story that Narcissa is a deeper character than the canon would lead us to believe. Her traumatic childhood has shaped her into a woman who fears loss, and Renee doesn't shy away from exploring that. She also doesn't hesitate to show Narcissa's trauma after the war and after the horrors she witnessed therein. What's more, this story feels like it could be a continuation of canon. It's honest in its portrayal of Narcissa as a deeply complicated and morally gray character, and Renee's ability to weave Narcissa's motivations through all of her actions has you hoping for a happy ending despite the choices Narcissa made prior to the story's start.

Narcissa in the Forest by @Oregonian
Length/Completed: 726 words / 1 chapter (complete)
Pairing(s): N/A
Genre(s): Drama
Summary: Narcissa finally takes matters into her own hands and changes the outcome of the war.
Reasons for Recommendation: Um. Um. Honestly, I don't know how to describe how phenomenal this is. It is by far the best Harry Potter poem I've ever read. And even calling it a "poem" doesn't seem to do it justice (not that there aren't amazing poems in the world), because the lyrical brilliance of this story is unparalleled. Vicki straight-up smashed through every expectation I had of stories that explore canon moments in depth. Because this isn't just a "retelling" of a canon moment; it's an expansion of a few pages in Deathly Hallows executed in such a way that you'll never look at the canon scene the same again. I can't say enough about this story's insane grasp of language and masterful handling of Narcissa's character. It takes the crux of what we know of her motivations—her love for her son—and brings it immediately front and center. And then it holds that defining element tight and uses it to inform every stanza and every line. I'll leave you with my favorite part and urge you to go and read and review:

The key to end this ghastly dance is this:
His life is in my hands, our lives in his.
A moment to atone, and to forgive.

"Is Draco in the castle? Does he live?"

you should see me in a crown by @viking grumpy fox
Length/Completed: 4670 words / 2 chapters (in progress)
Pairing(s): Narcissa Black/Lucius Malfoy
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Drama, Romance, Smut
Summary: 
Rome wasn't built in a day.
But it burned in one.
Reasons for Recommendation: It's rare that I find an in-progress story that I get hooked on so quickly, but this story was an immediate exception. Kris absolutely kills it with her writing here. The writing style is fantastic and gives the story this eerie, dramatic quality that makes you desperate to know what will happen next. It's almost noir in its tone, which fits the plot perfectly. Kris writes a version of Narcissa who is fiercely independent and intelligent, and whose ambitions have her shaping her own future despite the Black family's falling prominence. She's willing to conspire and outwit anyone she needs to in order to further her own interests, and her machinations with her great uncle Arcturus are the plots that shape generations. I'm so excited to meet Lucius in future chapters and see how (read: if ) he shapes up against the intrepid youngest Black sister. This story grabbed my attention in two sentences, and I don't see it letting go anytime soon.