th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 04:48:39 UTC

Hello! :D <333333

Thank you so much!

The relationship between Remus and Narcissa was certainly not planned at all! It just sort of happened over time...Narcissa commented to Remus about something small, the two began exchanging comments more and more...and then they just developed a bond/friendship over time that was ever so much fun to play out! Remus' player and I definitely had a blast with their friendship and we got to know one another better right along side of Remus and Narcissa as their friendship blossomed!

My favourite NA moment? Oh that's such a hard question! I think the ones that stand out in my mind were the Veritaserum and everything about the wedding, the Buffy spoof, the outing, and when Lucius decided that he and Narcissa were to 'ignore' Draco after he embarrassed them by oversleeping for his duel with Terry as I had great fun sparring with Lucius over that!

As for your last question, I'm afraid I can't answer that. I don't want to strip her of at least a little mystery. ;)

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 05:07:08 UTC

Oh, her personality is much different from my own. I'm not vain and certainly lack the self-confidence that she has (as well as the superior attitude!), among other things. I'm very laid back while she's high-strung, etc.

She was a bit difficult at first for me to play but I think that had more to do with myself being nervous playing with Lucius and Draco's superb players!

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 11:50:52 UTC

I think that, at times, she was a very good mother. She was often self absorbed but, when it really mattered, Draco was always most of the time her top priority. In the months leading up to the Sleep Duel That Wasn't, Narcissa was slowly coming into an awareness that Draco should always be her top priority and Lucius' decree that they ignore him for two weeks really shocked and outraged her because she worried what that might do to Draco. I think that was really the 'turning point' for her where she realised she had to get her nose out of the air and focus completely on being the best mother she could be.

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 13:03:42 UTC

On her trips she did think a bit more of herself, but a great deal of the time her purpose was to better herself so that she could be a better person and mother and wife, so there was still a focus on Draco on some level.

I don't think she really would have gone through with divorce unless it was absolutely necessary. The two of them needed one another more than they probably cared to admit, so I couldn't see a divorce unless all other options were explored.

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 11:57:23 UTC

I'm afraid I can't tell you as I don't believe we decided upon particular hexes when plotting that out -- if I recall correctly, Remus' player and I were just like THEY SHOULD DUEL!!!!!!11111ONE!!!1111 After Remus and Narcissa had a fair go at one another and worked out their aggression, they were able to talk about things. :D

Well, Narcissa was referring to more than one thing when she said that things were going to change. She was talking about their friendship strengthening and a few other things that I prefer not to go into here. As for the last attack on Hogwarts, she did not know about that one and so she was not hinting about it. She was aware that something was going to happen, but I'll leave it at that.

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 18 2004, 13:06:25 UTC

Thank you! We had a lot of fun together.

Narcissa's main concern would be Draco, first and foremost. Yes, she would grieve and be devastated over Lucius' death but she has to be strong for Draco and be the head of the family now. She would be capable running some aspects of the household herself as she is very intelligent...but I think that she would hire various wizarding experts to assist her until she got her feet firmly on the ground again.

Oh, she nearly always knew what Lucius was up to!

th_australia @ Deleted Deleted

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a_player @ August 19 2004, 00:15:57 UTC

Narcissa's revealed relations absolutely did not change the background I had already developed for her in any way, shape, or form. I actually did mention a bit of her background the first time around I did the Q&A, so you might want to check those out for more details because I'm sure I'll leave a lot of stuff out here. :))

She was the only child of a French couple who lived in Cannes. Her parents were quite good friends with the Malfoys and she used to have play-dates with their son, Lucius, who was five years older than she. Her father did indeed dabble in the Dark Arts, although her mother always turned a blind eye to it. Her mother and father were very proud purebloods and definitely looked down upon those who were anything but.

kearie @ August 18 2004, 04:53:57 UTC

This is a question I'm sure you won't be able to answer, but it's worth a shot! What was that promise that Draco had made to Narcissa back when he was dating all the girls in Hogwarts? And another I'm sure you can't touch, was Narcissa aware of the romantic relationship between her son and Harry?

Right, so since I've given you those to answer, I think I need to also tell you how wonderful your portrayal of Narcissa was! It kept us all guessing, and it kept us all entertained... you did a wonderful job! :D And thanks for coming back and answering questions.

a_player @ August 18 2004, 04:59:13 UTC

Hrm, I think the promise you are refering to is that he would lose his virginity before a certain age...over time she stopped nagging him about this because, well, she had more important things with which to concern herself.

As for your second question, I'm afraid I can't answer that. Sorry!

Thank you very much! I'm glad to have been entertaining. :D

kearie @ August 18 2004, 05:45:49 UTC

I'm surprised and delighted that you were even able to answer the one, so no need to apologize! Thanks again for doing this :)

nyxforsythe @ August 18 2004, 04:57:35 UTC

Hey Narcissa!! I want to congratulate you on playing such a wonderful character, I loved NA Narcissa as she was always so real and yet so amazing.

I want to ask about the Dynamic between Narcissa and the two main men in her life, I always loved the interaction between the Malfoy family as you always had to read between the lines to what was actually being said. Narcissa was very supportive of Draco and even Lucius to some extent and it really showed that she loved them very much (yes even Lucius).

So my question is this: Is it difficult to play a character who was in love with a man who was lets face it pretty horrible at times? And also did you and Lucius' and Draco's players get very close when playing as a family. They dynamic was always really well played between the three of you.

Thanks so Much.

a_player @ August 18 2004, 05:04:23 UTC

Hello nyxforsythe!

Thank you so much for the kind words! :">

It was difficult and at the same time it wasn't at all, if that makes any sense. On one hand, it was easy for me to have Narcissa react to the horrible things Lucius would say or do...but on the other, at times it really hurt me a great deal and made me wibbly over the snarkfests the two would get into. I'd take it personally sometimes!

Yes, Lucius and Draco's players and I got along quite well. They are both brilliant RPers and SO easy to work with and off of. It really was quite amazing at times as (with a lot of RPGs, players will be pinging one another on IM services to discuss on-goings) a good lot of the time we wouldn't even ping one another to consult or ask what the other character's angle was. We just got it. IT was sort of scary sometimes. ;)

bookofjude @ August 18 2004, 05:10:46 UTC

:O! What was the significance of the silver mine, might I ask? Or should my question be directed to your dear husband?

a_player @ August 18 2004, 05:12:19 UTC

Hrmph. Nosy boy, aren't you Jude? ;)

I think that Lucius' player would better answer that question (if he can, of course), dearest.

bookofjude @ August 18 2004, 05:21:16 UTC

I know! I am so sorry, the question just popped into my head and I had to ask it, and then I was just about to post it when I realised that I wasn't sure who I should ask! >:D

a_player @ August 18 2004, 05:25:56 UTC

Hee! Don't apologise! It's all right! >:D<

Aww, thank you so much! If only I had gotten to use Kill Bill icons! *despairs*

I'll await your question. :D

saltroseortopaz @ August 18 2004, 07:59:52 UTC

Holy frickity! Hello. [blush] I adored and worshipped your Narcissa, and am making this up as I go along because I don't really have any questions just at the moment (I never do...I keep just making crap up in all these Q-and-A things...of all the deep, meaningful things I could've asked teh Remus player, and I inquire after Lupin's underwear of choice...). Aha, I just wanted to say you are AWESOME (and are partly the reason/inspiration I chose Narcissa when I was debating who to pick in an RPG I joined), and Narcissa was one of my top two favourite characters in NA!

AHA. Question. Lucius/Narcissa - thoughts? A nice general question, sort of, hey, what can you tell me, because I don't have anything specific, but I always sort of wondered about them.

And if Narcissa wasn't Mrs Malfoy (gaspomg), who do you think she'd be with? Or would want to be with, at least?

a_player @ August 18 2004, 11:41:23 UTC

Hello! Thank you so much...and thanks for asking Remus' player what sort of underwear he wore, because I've always wanted to know myself. ;)

Lucius and Narcissa...man, they were complicated but SO very much fun to play off of one another. Underneath it all Narcissa did love him, which I think when she was younger surprised her a bit because their marriage was arranged and, at the time of their wedding, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to do so. They had been around one another as children (he is five years older in NA canon) a good bit as their parents were friends but it's one things to be friends with a bloke and then be told you have to marry him! Narcissa and Lucius didn't realise that they actually had true feelings for one another or were in love until Narcissa learnt that she was pregnant with Draco. They've had their ups and their downs (most of the downs, of course, occurred during the last year or so) but through it all, they loved each other in their own (often dysfunctional or unconventional) way.

Hrm, if Narcissa hadn't become Narcissa Malfoy, I'm not sure who she would have ended up with. Likely another man with pure blood and an old wizarding name because that is what her parents wanted for her. But she always did rather fancy Gilderoy Lockhart just a little. ;)

black_dog @ August 18 2004, 10:37:10 UTC

*swoons*

Brava Narcissa!

*tosses roses*

I don't even know where to start, because Narcissa just endlessly fascinated me -- mysteries within mysteries, and the question was maybe whether she really even had a true center or improvised herself all the way down in an impossibly contradictory situation. Let me sort of probe and see what you'll answer ;) and maybe I'll come back for seconds!

There were some very odd repeated references in the game to what might have been another child, who might have been born around 1984 -- Narcissa mistaking Draco's age, the photograph of a child who wasn't Draco, references to that year, etc. Was there some unmentionable family mystery here involving a real second child?

One of the wonderful things that happened as the game progressed was watching Narcissa and Draco move toward a real relationship, and away from projecting self-regarding fantasies on to one another. If there were discrete breakthroughs that Narcissa and Draco had, what were the big ones? When he sometimes mocked or was hostile to her, did she ever think about her own behavior? Was his choice of Lucius over her last summer in Italy a big shock? Did her own efforts to "find herself" let her see PS more clearly?

I tended to think that the Narcissa-Lucius relationship was partly genuine love and affection, but also partly a balance of power based on knowing where the bodies were buried. Is that off base? How would you characterize Narcissa's mix of awareness and denial about Lucius' activities? What about the balance between genuinely wanting to be with Lucius, as opposed to just being a survivor, wanting to preserve the good things in life for herself and her son?

I was surprised (and it also hysterically funny) when Narcissa dissed Voldemort and the DE's to Lucius after the failure of the first Hogwarts attack. Given that some of her less loyal friends had a habit of dying off (Kiki Leavenshire, etc.) did N ever feel physically vulnerable/frightened of Voldemort? If not, was this obliviousness, or a sense of being in an untouchable position?

Did Narcissa actually save Remus' life during the kidnapping? What was her leverage here with Lucius and the DE's?

Did Narcissa ever actively consider Remus & Co. as a possible refuge for herself and Draco if things went bad with the DE's?

Can you talk at all about "the plan" that Lucius wasn't wild about, and that Narcissa seemed to abandon when Harry and Draco fell out over the Weasley murders?

Can you tell us, anything at all, about what in the world was going on the night Narcissa's house-elf got killed, and in the week or so leading up to that? Can you illuminate what Lucius and Narcissa were discussing?

And finally (for now!) -- I really thought Narcissa's most brillant performance was her final one -- here she was, DE wife, probable co-conspirator in the attack on Hogwarts, strolling right into Hogwarts with her head held high, daring anyone to challenge her role as grieving wife and mother, isolating herself for a period of mourning with Draco -- and pulling it off! Leaving in triumph as, at least publicly, an innocent. Two questions about that: 1. Is my reading of this entirely off base? and 2. Despite her mourning for Lucius, do you think Narcissa will be a happier person, a better person, with the whole DE tension behind her? Is she, in some way, relieved by Voldemort's death?

You know, I have lots more to ask, but will take a break for now and catch my breath from the overwhelming Narcissa-love!

a_player @ August 18 2004, 12:41:25 UTC

Oh, I figured you might have a plethora of questions for me! *hopes my carpal tunnel syndrome does not act up ;)*

Although there had been much debate about it on NrAged, there was absolutely no other Malfoy child born around 1984. Certainly, had there been, Draco would have remembered this and you can rest assured that he would NOT have failed to bring it up during the time that he sided with Draco and was giving his mother the cold shoulder.

I think that was one of my favourite things about NA - the progression of Narcissa and Draco's relationship. I'm not sure I can even call what happened between them a breakthrough as things between them evolved over time. I think that they slowly began to realise that, in many ways, they were very much alike. On Narcissa's end, she made a choice to be a better mother and was able to pay attention to Draco and his needs, which IMO really opened the door for them to connect in a way they hadn't been able to before. When he mocked her or became hostile at various points throughout NA, sometimes it shocked her (most of the time this would have been before the Sleep Duel That Wasn't) but a great amount of the time it did not. She was very much aware that she had not been as good a mother as she could have been for a good portion of his life and also how much Draco admired and respected Lucius. In many cases, a boy needs his mother's love but craves his father's respect more...and I think that Draco fell into this category. She wasn't surprised by his choice of Lucius over her whilst they were in Italy, although it did still hurt her. As for her efforts to "find herself," I think that it did some impact on how she saw PS, Lucius, herself, and the world in general.

I tended to think that the Narcissa-Lucius relationship was partly genuine love and affection, but also partly a balance of power based on knowing where the bodies were buried.

This is exactly right. They loved each other in their own twisted and unconventional way...but never would they forget that they knew one another's secrets. When push came to shove, that knowledge would be used against one another...but I think that it was more for threats than anything else. Narcissa was too loyal to Lucius to ever go through with one of her threats (and she would certainly not do anything to risk Draco's feelings in that respect).

Narcissa, as Lucius often noted, was very clever. She was clever and often turned the other cheek so that, if questioned by someone outside of the Malfoys' trusted circle of associates and friends, she would never truly be lying about her knowledge of Lucius and his goings-on. There were some things (but not many) that Lucius did without letting Narcissa in on them. I think he valued her opinion and trusted her more than anyone else. Everything Narcissa did had a reason and, more often than not, usually the reason had something to do with her family. Her own father was Dark but she managed to have a relatively normal childhood and so she took cues from his upbringing as to how to provide and set examples for Draco.

Narcissa never felt physically vulnerable to Voldemort. Frightened? Yes, there were times when she was. Mostly, though, she was more frightened for Draco and that he might be used as some sort of pawn to get the elder Malfoys to comply with Voldemort's wishes.

Did Narcissa actually save Remus' life during the kidnapping? What was her leverage here with Lucius and the DE's?

I really don't know! She did ask Lucius to look into things for her and requested his safety, but I'm not sure how much she figured into the fact that Remus was spared. ;) That might actually be a question that Remus' and/or Lucius' player might be able to better answer.

a_player @ August 18 2004, 12:41:54 UTC Part 2

Did Narcissa ever actively consider Remus & Co. as a possible refuge for herself and Draco if things went bad with the DE's?

Oh, yes. Definitely yes.

Can you talk at all about "the plan" that Lucius wasn't wild about, and that Narcissa seemed to abandon when Harry and Draco fell out over the Weasley murders?

No, I'm afraid I can't! Sorry! I don't want to give everything away, after all. ;)

Can you tell us, anything at all, about what in the world was going on the night Narcissa's house-elf got killed, and in the week or so leading up to that? Can you illuminate what Lucius and Narcissa were discussing?

Hrm, I'm not sure how much I can give away on this one. I'll consult with Draco's player and get back to you on that!

Regarding Narcissa's final performance:

No, your reading isn't entirely off base...but I will say that first and foremost her concern was for Draco and his well-being. She is a mother first and other things second. (And if this just happens to discourage people from challenging her, then so be it. How fortunate for her, no?)

I think that eventually Narcissa will be happy. I'm not sure I can say she will be happier because she loved Lucius madly and she's never really been on her own (despite her efforts to assert herself like that before) and it will be very hard to be both parents for Draco. Voldemort's death is a relief because Draco will no longer be used as a pawn or threatened and she doesn't have to worry about unexpected owls or Fire Talks from people wanting something of her or her husband.

Thank you so much for your questions and the appreciation! <333333333333333333

black_dog @ August 18 2004, 14:41:15 UTC Re: Part 2

Thank you for some fascinating answers. And I'm truly sorry about your carpal tunnel but we must strike while the iron is hot. We have mysteries to solve! Puzzles to unpuzzle, once and for all! So I am going to presume, yet again, on your patience with a few follow up questions. :)

Voldemort's death is a relief because Draco will no longer be used as a pawn or threatened

Now this really leapt out at me in your reply, together with the forceful way you indicated that N saw Remus as a possible refuge from the DE's, and the way N hoped to use her experience of being raised normally by a Dark father to do the same for Draco. It gets at the whole question of the relationship between the Malfoys and the DE's, and I think it would be absolutely fascinating if you could share some backstory, here.

In canon, I've always wondered if the DE's were an enthusiasm of Lucius' youth, and Voldemort's return an unwelcome and very problematic ghost from the past intruding into an otherwise successful (if vaguely nefarious) middle age. Certainly in NA, there were all sorts of indications that the DE's were crude, gauche, inept, smelly, and other very un-Malfoy things as well as being brutal. Lucius might have been happy to torment puppies (so to speak) in his spare time but it's hard to see why he would willingly spend time with such unattractive characters.

Whatever the complexities of their political leanings, were NA's Lucius and Narcissa in any way reluctant or unenthusiastic allies of Voldemort?

Was V extorting cooperation by implicit threats against Draco?

Did L and N both hope to spare Draco from membership in the DE's/service to Voldemort?

What did they actually think of Voldemort? Why didn't Narcissa feel physically threatened by him?

Were L and N at any point considering active rebellion against V?

I really hope you can answer some of these, because I think it would just hugely clarify a great deal of what the Malfoys were all about.

I'm sad that you couldn't provide info about Narcissa's plan for Harry and Draco. On an, um, entirely unrelated note ;), I wondered sometimes if, in RPing the game, the players ever deliberately, playfully tried to out-mystify one another. You know, dropped unexpected backstory suggestions on the fly, just to see how the other could play off it. So that, in the case of some mysterious allusions, there may really not be any agreed-upon backstory at all. How's that for a theory worthy of NrAged?

Thank you again for indulging these questions, and being part of this whole, nostalgic, postgame show. :)

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:31:23 UTC Re: Part 2

You're welcome! :)) My CTS has been holding off thus far so you are in luck!

I don't want to presume to answer for Lucius' player about his relationship with the DEs/Voldemort so I will defer you to his player about that. However, I will say that Narcissa was, to an extent, in contact with DEs and Voldemort. (I won't divulge, however, if she was or was not a DE. I am crafty that way. ;) ) Sometimes she agreed with their views and sometimes she did not. On the whole she did feel that pureblood wizards were best and that Muggleborns were horrid, etc, but I think that those views were not at strong at the end of NA's run as they were at the beginning. Narcissa (hopefully) grew as a person and her horizons were broadened by her friendship with Remus, interactions with Harry, Vector, and Hera Peligroso. Early on in the game Narcissa, if you will recall, was basically Voldemort's fashion consultant. She often complained about having to shop for her business associate and how he had no taste in clothing (I imagine he was stuck in the late 70s and going on about the wizarding equivalent to leisure suits and such as he was 'dead' for all those years. Fortunately, he missed out on the layered sock craze and the MC Hammer pants. Narcissa's head would have imploded had he requested those items.) Later on, though, his demands did become more important than simply clothing. Remember when Narcissa was meeting friends for dinners and such and a few of them, most notably Kiki Leavenshire, turned up dead? That is because Narcissa was asked (okay, told that if she did not do it something would happen to Draco) to go put feelers out to see if the spouses of DEs were supportive or not. After she'd report back, if V found the report to be unfavourable, the spouse would be offed. Yay!

Narcissa was not very fond of V. She thought him to be weak and bumbling, mostly. He didn't feel threatening to her because she believed that he needed the Malfoys.

Narcissa never actively considered a rebellion against V. I can't, again, speak for Lucius' player.

Re: deliberately trying to out-mystify one another: Sometimes that did happen, actually. Lucius' player and I would just feed off of one another and eventually we'd IM one another and be like WHAT IS HE/SHE ON ABOUT? We'd then discuss things and try to work them in later on. A good bit of the time that's how we figured out storylines for L/N!

You're very welcome!

black_dog @ August 19 2004, 02:31:38 UTC Re: Part 2

*dies*

Yay! This is wonderful stuff. Voldemort in MC Hammer pants, indeed. Do you think he could have pulled off the attitude?

I wasn't going to ask this, for complicated reasons, but since you allude to Narcissa as V's fashion consultant early on: I couldn't help noticing that you had, at some point, suppressed/filtered some of Narcissa's early posts in the game. I read them once, when I was first trying to figure out Narcissa, and I just thought they were hysterically funny. Though I can see how, as you developed Narcissa, they would have, shall we say, eroded some of her subtlety! Would you ever consider un-filtering them, just to provide a sort of draft or variant reading of Narcissa, and also for the general amusement of Narcissa-lovers everywhere?

I'm glad you said the things you said in this post, because if now-suppressed!early!Narcissa loads the interpretation of her character too much in one direction, screening those posts may load it too much in the other, toward innocent! or trapped!Narcissa. She really is loyal to the cause, then, in her own way. I used to wonder, when I took the early posts as integral, if she were maybe the brains behind them all. And yes, I noticed the pattern of deaths that followed some of Narcissa's dinners -- at one point, I wondered if she were even more directly responsible! :)

So it seems like the wedge, perhaps the thing that got Narcissa thinking critically, was possibly V's making threats against Draco, or perhaps even watching the way Lucius reacted to those threats? (Plus, of course, V's inability to compete, in fashion terms, with the side of light. V does, indeed, seem like a self-defeating bumbler. Clothes make the man!) Which makes her development even more fascinating, because it's clearer how wrenching and totally transforming it must have been for her to remake herself, primarily, as a good and responsible mother for PS.

And I loved your description of you and Lucius' player feeding off one another. I can just picture that! And now I am a bit more at peace with certain backstories that may never be clarified. :)

Thank you again, this is great!

a_player @ August 19 2004, 02:51:24 UTC Re: Part 2

No, I think V would not have been able to pull off the attitude OR do the typewriter. Sad, that!

I did flock some of her earlier posts because they really conflicted with things that I decided about her later on in the game. For example, she goes on and on in one filtered post about hating Transylvania at length, but in the course of the game Lucius' player and I decided that Transylvania was a special spot to them and they'd gone on holiday there quite a bit, most notably whilst they were affianced. That's where Narcissa bought the pimp cane for Lucius. If the posts didn't contain information that grossly conflicted with things that I/Lucius' player and myself decided about the Malfoys later on in the game, I would definitely not have filtered the posts. As it stands now, I don't think I'll be unlocking them as there isn't any feasible way I can change the post to make it work.

As far as NArcissa being the brains behind them all, keep in mind that she is smarter than most make her out to be. ;)

Yes, V's threats against Draco and when Draco'd gone missing and no one would help Narcissa find him were the two things that forced her to realise that it was time for her to accept her responsibility as a parent. She wasn't always good at it after the fact but I like to think that she tried her best.

I'm glad I've provided you with a bit of peace. I'm sorry I can't tell you everything, but I hope I've provided enough details about things to be of help!

You're very welcome!

Anonymous @ August 20 2004, 06:40:53 UTC the locked posts

Just got pointed to this thread and wanted to say that I can email you those posts, if you'd like. (As a Word document, rather than a set of links, so that it wouldn't be a part of the official NA record on the net.) blondenarcissa's player locked all of the posts written before she took over the character, which of course was her prerogative and certainly makes sense in terms of character consistency.

But since I did take a lot of pride in the work I put into those posts and into my own version of the character, for the brief handful of weeks that I played her, I'm very glad that you found those posts amusing. I would be delighted if they did not entirely vanish into the dustbin of history, so to speak ... they're the only thing I ever wrote in fandom that didn't, well, suck. ;)

-- an_ex_player

black_dog @ August 20 2004, 20:10:06 UTC Re: the locked posts

I would very much enjoy a chance to read them again, and I will certainly respect their status as an independent, totally separate characterization of Narcissa. If you want to email the text to me at black_dog_307 at yahoo dot com, I'd love it!

they're the only thing I ever wrote in fandom that didn't, well, suck. ;)

Somehow I doubt that! And now I'm intrigued about who this is. ;) But it's fun to have the mystery extend to ex-players as well.

oysters @ July 20 2009, 08:22:40 UTC Re: the locked posts

Holy shit, I’m a hilarious stalker for doing this. But uh, is there any possible way I could see the posts too? (I'm also sorry for sketchily asking you instead of Narcissa’s old player, I was just dubious about whether or not she’d even realize I'd replied to her anon comment FIVE YEARS LATER.) I remember them and love them and and miss them. My email is mcp423@gmail.com. This probably qualifies me for a straitjacket.

black_dog @ July 21 2009, 20:06:11 UTC Re: the locked posts

Watch your email. :)

a_player @ August 18 2004, 19:55:34 UTC

Can you tell us, anything at all, about what in the world was going on the night Narcissa's house-elf got killed, and in the week or so leading up to that? Can you illuminate what Lucius and Narcissa were discussing?

Obviously I cannot answer for what Lucius and Narcissa were discussing, but as Draco was the only one in the room, I can answer that part.

Draco was meeting Voldemort for the first time, and as he'd never met him before this was a rather large deal. It was at Voldemort's request. It wasn't to ask him to join the Death Eaters or anything like that. They discussed the Death Eaters and Draco's future, and Voldemort asked if Draco was afraid of him. Voldemort also discussed Quidditch and a great deal of things of interest to Draco. Nagini crawled all over Draco and hissed at him and listened to him. When Voldemort asked if Draco was afraid of him, Draco said that he was, and it was at this point that Dacey was shuffling about with trays of drinks and the like. Voldemort cast the Killing Curse on her while she was standing right behind Draco, so that Draco thought that Voldemort was about to kill him. Then Voldemort laughed and fed the house-elf to Nagini. He did it in order to show Draco why he should be afraid and because it amused him. It wasn't a sacrifice of any sort and Draco's life was never in danger.

bookshop @ August 18 2004, 20:01:37 UTC

Oh, Draco. :|

sistermagpie @ August 18 2004, 20:26:10 UTC

That is the greatest thing ever. It made my skin crawl.

a_player @ August 19 2004, 00:21:31 UTC

I'm so grateful to Draco's player for answering all of that. Thank you! >:D<

I can't shed light on everything Narcissa and Lucius discussed because, to be honest, I cannot recall everything that we had decided they talked about. My brain is a bit like Swiss cheese at times, sorry. :"> I can tell you that while Voldemort was there in a room alone with Draco, Narcissa was in the other room downing a rather large number of drinks and fretting over the general goings-on in the other room. I think that Narcissa was likely very nervous and unsure as to whether or not Draco was ready to meet him, what might happen if he did not make a good impression, that sort of thing.

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:35:28 UTC

I kept waiting for you to come back online after I got your message, but then I got bored and just answered. I thought perhaps you would be annoyed, but my boredom rarely knows its limits.

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:39:59 UTC

Meh, I had to go to evil work where I cannot really be on the net that much! *smiteS*

I'm glad you answered...I didn't want to give anything away I shouldn't ;)

And you could never annoy me! <333333333

black_dog @ August 19 2004, 01:19:16 UTC

Thank you! That is chilling, and creepy, and a big, satisfying revelation. Nagini crawling all over him and listening to him, and a faked execution -- it calls for a re-evaluation, maybe, of some of Draco's behavior in the immediate aftermath, but I'll save questions about that for your own post!

Voldemort also discussed Quidditch

Dry-cleaning out the snake-stains? Seventeen sickles. Buying a new House-elf? Fifteen galleons. Voldemort discussing quidditch? Priceless. :D

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:38:41 UTC

Draco is not afraid of snakes, but I don't think I'm being too rude by telling you that Nagini was absolutely terrifying.

I wish he'd discussed Quidditch with great passion. Of course, I did not have the actual conversation, as there is no Voldemort player, but in my head he was just saying things like, 'I have heard the Falmouth Falcons are doing well this year. . . . I assume you are pleased.' Making it clear that he knew such things about Draco and things like that.

Voldemort also speaks in ellipses in my head.

black_dog @ August 19 2004, 02:40:10 UTC

I imagine him reminiscing at length about great quidditch matches of the 40's, while Nagini's head drooped on Draco's shoulder, and Draco tried to control his shuddering. ;)

a_player @ August 19 2004, 19:50:17 UTC

Nagini also freaked Lucius out. Muchly. He hated that snake.

a_player @ August 19 2004, 19:51:55 UTC

I feel certain that this does not make either of them less manly.

frozen_jelly @ August 21 2004, 18:08:19 UTC

haha! This thread is too cool!

ceilidh @ August 18 2004, 10:49:27 UTC

No question, just <3!!!! :D

a_player @ August 18 2004, 11:28:03 UTC

<33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333

*shares hazelnut chocolates*

goth_the_goat @ August 18 2004, 11:03:13 UTC

I love you. Pure and simple.

Anyway, what is the most hilarious post you've been involved with in N_A? I thought the Lucius the Shiny part was hysterical!

>3

a_player @ August 18 2004, 12:00:24 UTC

Thank you! :">

I did enjoy Lucius the Shiny very much, although I think that the most I giggled while being directly involved in a post was the Buffy "I've Got a Theory" nod that we did. The chat was hilarious and I thought I was going to hyperventilate as I'm a huge Buffy fan and each of the characters in NA took lines that TOTALLY fit them...and then I kept imagining parallels between them and the Buffy characters. :))

<33333333333333333333333

comava @ August 18 2004, 13:23:53 UTC

Squeeeeeeee!!!!

I must say, your Narcissa got to me more than Lucius. He was clearly TEH EVIL!!!1! and she could be so nice and the turn around and be a really infuriating.

You've mentioned that you couldn't really let us know if Narcissa was informed about Draco's relationship with Harry. So let's say that she didn't... and can you tell us how she would have reacted if she had found out about them?

I've been wondering how Narcissa felt about the Weasleys. How was it for her to socialize with them on the journals and spar and comment, etc and then to find out (or perhaps she already knew beforehand) that her husband had helped, or was at least associated with the plan to kill them?

And how did she feel about Remus' comments to Lucius, the Someday I will kill you ones? Surely those were unnerving at the least.. how seriously did she take them? How was it for her to be stuck in the middle and then find out they'd killed each other?

Sorry if those are a bit too personal and thanks again so much for doing this. You guys rock!

a_player @ August 19 2004, 00:26:22 UTC

Thank you! I must admit that I really loved portraying her as such a fickle public persona.

Had Narcissa found out about H/D before befriending Remus (if they had been together at that point in time, that is) she would have been absolutely furious. She was very prejudiced against homosexuals and quite concerned with Draco bedding before a certain age, carrying on the Malfoy name, that sort of thing. I do not think that she would have been so crass as to disown him, but she would have likely ignored him for a long time.

However, after befriending Remus, Narcissa had a change of opinion on homosexuality. Were she to find out that Draco and Harry were a couple, I think she would initially be a bit disappointed as she would want Draco to carry on the Malfoy name...but ultimately Draco's happiness (especially now that he is all she has) is what matters most to her. She is fond of Harry and would likely think them to be a good match.

comava @ August 19 2004, 16:48:14 UTC

Ooh, nice to know!

Thanks again so much for doing this.

comava @ August 19 2004, 17:53:27 UTC

Oh! I just remembered my initial question - did Narcissa have a miscarriage? She did seem to be pregnant for quite some time, but I don't remember that theory getting a yea or nay.

a_player @ August 20 2004, 02:32:59 UTC

No, she wasn't pregnant. She was suffering from insolinoma, which I am probably misspelling atm as I'm very tired. ;)

sistermagpie @ August 18 2004, 15:41:22 UTC

I'm very nervous approaching you--I'm just sure my slip is showing or I'm going to say something completely gauche. Sorry in advance!

Narcissa was definitely one character I felt like I spent a huge amount of time wondering about. I loved her relationship with Lucius and with ps--they were really a remarkable family the way you all mixed dardardly deeds, silly OTT snobbery and a really surprising and obvious LOVE between all of them.

You've given some hints about Narcissa's love of Lucius above and--thanks! I really believed them as a couple. Sometimes they reminded me of Tom and Daisy Buchanan in that one scene in The Great Gatsby where Nick sees them eating cold chicken at the kitchen table and realizes that while outsiders might think they could steal Daisy away to a better husband, they were wrong to underestimate the real bond between them. I think Tom makes reference to carrying her on their honeymoon when her shoes got wet and in my head I *always* imagined some very similar moments with Lucius and Narcissa, like they would have all these shared, romantic, silly moments together they could reference and know the other person still remembered them like they were yesterday. I was truly sad for Narcissa and Draco when Lucius died. Hmmm. I had no idea I was going to wax so romantic. L/N=OTP!!!!

I guess my question here is if you and L's player came up with any backstory like that and if you could share any of it. Just little memories you'd both have.

And then there's her relationship with her son, which I also loved. Here's where it gets delicate...um, what drew me into their relationship is it seemed like on the one hand you had an obviously difficult child who would lash out at people unfairly, and that included Narcissa. But also based on comments all the Malfoys made, it seemed like Narcissa had been, not a bad mother in the past, but an unreliable one. I remember, for instance, that she said she didn't quite know what to do with a baby and Draco maybe scared her a bit so she withdrew from him.

So to me what was compelling about Narcissa's commitment was not just that she loved Draco but that she was willing to deal with his anger (and perhaps see some of it as earned, if not all of it). It seemed like the two of them started out more playing roles with each other, paying each other compliments that weren't always true, saying they liked each other for their perfection when they weren't perfect. Like they both just preferred to focus on the positive aspects of the other. So their relationship got a lot uglier before it was better, but ultimately their relationship seemed closer and more mature than many characters had with their "better" parents.

So I guess my questions would be, what was hardest about that for Narcissa? Were there any places where she felt like she particularly messed up, for instance?

Were there ever any times when it was exceptionally hard to stick with it?

I'd be especially interested in Narcissa's feelings about the outing. ps seemed to say it was Narcissa who gave him the impression being gay was bad, and it seemed like he thought telling Narcissa Harry was gay would make her reject Harry. (I could be wrong, of course.) Did she remember teaching this to ps or was it not something she was even aware of?

What did Narcissa think of Pansy when she and Draco spent the day with her after getting back together?

Finally--did you ever find out why the portraits kidnapped Draco's portrait and if so, could you share it with us???

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:02:28 UTC Part 1

There is definitely no need whatsoever to feel nervous - I am such an incredible non-threatening nerd. ;)

Thank you so much for the kind comments and questions - I'm glad that we Malfoys were able to paint a portrait that intrigued you!

Re: the scene in The Great Gatsby - that is very similiar to how I always saw Lucius and Narcissa. Not very many people understood them or even attempted to do so. More often than not, they would dismiss the elder Malfoys as uppercrust people putting on a show. Yes, L/N did enjoy putting on a show...but when it all boils down to it, they had a very real affection for one another and no one - not even Draco - ever really got the chance to see that side of them. It was private and just theirs.

We definitely did have a backstory for them (we discussed it in the first round of Q&As). Essentially, their parents were old friends and arranged the marriage between them. When they were younger, Lucius and Narcissa would play together and she was quite fascinated with him. When they were of Hogwarts age, Lucius was done with school at the end of her second year and they didn't have much contact during that period of time. When they were wed, I think they hadn't been around one another for some time and it was very awkward, as I am sure you can imagine. They did get along and eventually, after they learnt that they were to be parents, really did fall deeply in love.

...it seemed like Narcissa had been, not a bad mother in the past, but an unreliable one...

That is precisely it. When Draco was a baby she didn't quite know what to do with him; he scared her. Being responsible for someone else and having them depend on you was quite frightening for her and so she would defer to Lucius or house elves or whoever else happened to be around. As he got older she got over this fear and began to try to mother him more, although she was not very good at it and would get easily discouraged (and then pull away from him again). And then, of course, she decided over the past two years that she needed to be there for him all the time and made a great effort to be a better parent. And you're right - it did get uglier (A LOT UGLIER) before it got better. I think that they ended up having a much stronger bond because they had to get through all of the ugliness. It made them tougher and Narcissa was better able to appreciate Draco for it.

I think that Narcissa had a tough time of it when Draco chose Lucius over her. It quite stung, even though she entirely expected it. And during the Italy fiasco, she did feel as though she could have handled things with Lucius a bit better as it wasn't fair to Draco to behave like that in front of him.

a_player @ August 19 2004, 01:09:50 UTC Part 2

Oh, she definitely remembered teaching PS that being gay was bad, as before she became friends with Remus she was quite anti-homosexual. After becoming close friends with Remus her viewpoint changed, which was likely frustrating for Draco.

Narcissa quite liked Pansy (more than Lucius, I gathered) and always appreciated the way she cared for Draco. She thought Pansy was a very good friend to him and would not have been upset had Draco decided to settle down with her.

Hahaha, yes! We never got around to actually posting about it, but this is what happened:

If you recall, M.B. came to stay at Malfoy Manor a bit. She brought a portrait of herself and the portrait kidnapped Draco's portrait self. I expect they're still in some random frame being children in some forgotten room at the Manor.

sistermagpie @ August 19 2004, 14:40:46 UTC Re: Part 2

Thank you so much! That portrait story was totally worth waiting for. I never guessed anything like it!

And thank you even more for the insights into Draco and Narcissa's relationship. In the past--especially right after the outing--I made some people angry because they felt I was bashing Narcissa, which was kind of horrifying because I loved her character especially at that moment. I think I gave the impression somehow that I didn't think she *deserved* to have a good relationship with her son because I'd judged her a bad mother or a bad person. But it was really just what you've said here, that I just thought the situation was difficult. I completely understood her feelings about Draco as a kid--I just also found the results very very sad. I had much more respect for Narcissa because those things were dealt with than I would have if she was just sort of the victim of a brattish son. Draco's, "I love you, mother," had me cheering...after I stopped crying. Go Narcissa! You da mom!!

And also I love that Lucius and Narcissa had a bond that wasn't about Draco. For all their problems, they were a really great family!

aome @ August 18 2004, 20:03:23 UTC

I don't have time to read everyone else's questions/answers so far, so my apologies if I am repeating things.

First of all - kudos to you. Very consistent characterisation - you really *felt* a lot of who she was, and it made her very likeable, even when she wasn't being likeable. Which probably doesn't make any sense, lol.

Favourite memory of Remus?
What did she really think of her cousin, anyway?
Did she know about H/D, and what did she think about that?
Why did she keep going back to Lucius?
Was she pregnant last year? It certainly seemed like it.
Which of her outfits did female!Remus look best in? :D
If she could take back any one thing she'd said or done in the game, what would it be?

a_player @ August 19 2004, 00:39:40 UTC

Thank you! And yes it does make sense. ;)

Fave memory of Remus: likely the exression on his face when she presented him with emergency outfits when he'd been hexed into a woman!

What she thought of him: Narcissa thought he was an exceedingly kind, intelligent, witty, caring, and brilliant man. He didn't mince words and he treated her as a human being, not Lucius Malfoy's wife or dismiss her as simply daft just because she was a socialite. That meant quite a bit to her and she will never forget the way he welcomed her into his life and went out of his way to help her.

Did she know about H/D: I've already declined to answer this one, sorry. ;)

Keep going back to Lucius: She loved the crazy sod. When they were apart, she always felt like a part of her was missing.

Pregnant last year: No. She had insolinoma, which was also a disease found in ferrets. ;)

Which outfit did Remus look best in:



Take back one thing she'd said or done: Hrm, that is so very hard! I don't really think she'd take anything back. She really has no shame. :))

aome @ August 19 2004, 00:42:50 UTC

*bursts out laughing at the outfit*

Given that she was lending him the clothing, this implies she's worn it, too. *scrubs brain*

a_player @ August 19 2004, 19:55:42 UTC

That outfit was one of Lucius' favorites, actually.

aome @ August 19 2004, 19:57:58 UTC

Really? I'm sure he looked smashing in it. ;)

jupistrahan @ August 20 2004, 15:19:19 UTC

So I take it Lucius wasn't particularly pleased with the knowledge that fem!Remus was wearing it, hm? Did he still like it as much once Remus returned it? (if he did...>=D )

1anonymous1 @ August 18 2004, 23:01:29 UTC

I think you were excellent at playing Narcissa. You sounded so...refined and elegant. Just very intelligent all around.

First, would you like to go on a romantic weekend with me?

Second, I was sorta confused about you/lucius sometimes. I mean...I know you loved him but did you trust him?

A sorta personal but why didnt Narcissa have another kid after Draco? I mean, I know its not in canon but I was just curious as to how you would answer for her.

Yet another personal question, but did Narcissa ever have erm, sexual feelings for Remus?

Finally, do I know you?:D

*loves*

a_player @ August 19 2004, 00:32:06 UTC

Thank you very much! I'm definitely not elegant or refined, so that means a lot that I managed to pull it off.

Hrm, sorry I would not as you do not have the right parts. ;)

To be honest, sometimes I was confused about Narcissa/Lucius sometimes! =)) She did trust Lucius, yes. There were times that the trust wavered a bit but she never felt threatened by him.

Stretch marks. Also, she was really freaked out by having a baby around and couldn't cope because she had absolutely NO idea what do to with a baby!

She found him to be attractive but he is her cousin and gay so she never thought on him much more than being fit.

No, you do not.

:X :X :X :X :X :X

1anonymous1 @ August 19 2004, 13:55:58 UTC

<33

Damned, this is always the case.;)

Did you, I mean as the player, ever think he was manipulative?


LOL! Very good reasons. And the mental picture I got of her with baby!Draco was just too cute.

Oops,lol, I forgot he was her cousin and completely gay.:">

I think we are soulmates, dearest.*blows kisses*

Anonymous @ August 19 2004, 01:41:40 UTC

Was Narcissa Diana Prevaleca?

a_player @ August 19 2004, 02:00:21 UTC

Why yes, yes she was. :>

oneminutemovies @ August 21 2004, 02:27:19 UTC

Yay!

unknownwisdom @ August 19 2004, 08:42:25 UTC

No question (all mine have been indirectly answered! o.oU)

But I just wanted to say that Narcissa was a very strong character and I admire the way you played her. <3!!!!

a_player @ August 19 2004, 11:50:14 UTC

Awww, thank you so very much! :D <333333

kievstar @ August 21 2004, 08:17:47 UTC

What happened with all that Draco!portrait-stuff and why didn't you develop this story line to the end?

a_player @ August 21 2004, 10:39:43 UTC

I've answered what happened here.

I think we didn't end up revealing what happened simply because more important things came up for the characters to focus on. Also, a bit of mystery is always amusing. ;)

susan_voight @ August 21 2004, 16:57:05 UTC

Hello! Thank you for doing this--the insight into Narcissa has been so interesting. I always thought she had to be a very difficult character to play, because of the constant fine line she had to walk.

Someone's already asked favorite moment, but I'm not sure that the hardest moment has been asked (as a player).

Would you do anything differently if you had to do it all over again? Would Narcissa?

Do you write any HP fanfic, and was there any influence/effects between it and the game?

And is there anything you wish we'd have asked and haven't yet?

Thanks again!

a_player @ August 21 2004, 17:18:54 UTC

You're welcome! She was a difficult character to play at times because there was so much going on with her that she simply couldn't be overt about, even if I really wanted her to be.

The hardest moment for Narcissa? I think probably the whole period when she was at odds with Lucius and Draco sided with his father was really hard for me to play because she was very hurt but wanted to do the right thing by Draco and allow him to make his own choices. Rejection is hard for me personally to take and, since I was so attached to Narcissa, that whole storyline was pretty draining.

Yes, I do write HP fanfic. NA hasn't inluenced my writing at all simply because I've not written Narcissa, save for maybe a drabble or two. I focus on other characters than the Malfoys (mostly because I think I write a terrible Draco. :)) )

No, I think the questions I was expecting were asked. I can't think of anything off the top of my head!

tabiji @ September 23 2004, 10:49:39 UTC

Hello Narcissa's player!

I am SO late, but if you check back, I'm asking everyone:

For the NA t-shirts, what are your favorite quotes from your own character, and any other NA characters?

Thankyou!