Again, excellent characterization of Narcissa. And a good try with Bellatrix, too. Keep it up, it's really interesting!

I think Narcissa's portrait is quite accurate, she looks like a strong woman who knows what she wants and cares for but isn't used to take things into her hands and is probably unaware of her own strenght because she was never required to use it before - perfectly canon, in my opinion. I also like very much the glimpse of Severus through her eyes, it's very well-written.
Guess Bellatrix will be your real challenge, though, she's not easy to make believable. So far, well done!

Author's Response: Thank you so much, LunaforGryffindor. I truly appreciate your review. Just to give you the heads up, Bellatrix will make an appearance in Chapter Three, and she was quite a challenge. I only hope I can make you and fellow readers proud.