Chapter Text
November 1981
It hadn’t taken long to locate all the Death Eater hideouts, once the Dark Lord had fallen. Once you caught one Death Eater trying to escape the law, it didn’t take long for them to talk, and all that talking led to locations and even better, names of who to expect was hiding there.
Alistair Moody had led his Aurors down on this particular hideout once the intelligence was confirmed. A hideout on a small Scottish island, the only other inhabitants seemed to be sheep - they found the dead Muggle farmer in a field, left to rot. His home had been turned into a safe house, but by the time the Aurors got there, the mess in there was somehow worse than the crime scene Sirius Black had left behind with his victims.
Every surface seemed to be covered in blood, with residue spell marks seared into walls - there had even been a fire, which Moody was sure was set deliberately to try and get rid of as much evidence as possible. Many presumed Death Eaters were dead; their faces were unrecognisable following what Moody assumed was a rather vicious fight. But who had found them first? Or, was this fighting from the inside?
Moody stopped moving in the small house when a silver glint caught his magical eye’s attention. There, lying in a pool of blood, was Lucius Malfoy’s broken cane; the silver snake head seemed to have avoided all the blood in the room. Moody sneered down at it - fancy bloody Purebloods and their fancy wand handles. At least it made his personal effects easy to identify in all this chaos; the next thing he had to do was work out if Malfoy was dead or alive. Even more important than that , Moody thought as he heaved himself down on his good leg with a groan, using his wand to carefully pull out the long white blond hair out of the blood, was he under the Imperius curse or here on his own free will?
“We got Igor Karkaroff!” Some overly excited Auror said behind him, his eyes far too bright and excitable in the grim scene. “He was trying to escape - there must have been a portkey for emergencies, because he was picking up all kinds of Muggle things outside when we caught him. He’s already trying to give us names in exchange for his freedom!”
“Good,” Moody grunted, pleased when his tone seemed to calm down the young Auror. “Get him sent to Azkaban; before he can be questioned, we need to get clues from here. I smell a cover up.”
December 1981
It was a quiet night when a figure apparated into the small village of Helgacroft; Christmas lights decorated the main street, highlighting the white snow that lay on the ground. There were hardly any footprints pressed into the ground; it must have snowed again. There was noise coming from the village pub, but even it was muted in the dark night. The figure shifted, quietly pleased that no one was going around. It was a wizarding community, of course, but people were scared easily at sudden appearances of unknown people. The Dark Lord may be dead, but his terror still clung to the magical community.
Narcissa Malfoy took one last look around the village, before rechecking the address she had written down. With a whisper to her wand, she asked it to become a compass and point her in the right direction. Straight away, it turned her away from the heart of the village and outwards to a row of cottages. The snow crunching under her feet felt too loud in such a quiet space, but she did not slow or stop. She had sent out some of the house elves to locate the home of her sister, and once they had confirmed the address, she knew she had to go as soon as she could, lest she talk herself out of it.
The cottage before her was small and understated, but it had a cosy feeling to it. Her wand dropped as the spell broke - Narcissa was in the right place. They were wards in place around the property - though they had nothing on the old wards of Malfoy Manor, they were strong enough to create a buzzing sound in Narcissa’s ears. With a frown, Narcissa carefully pushed open the wooden gate that led to the garden. She was expecting to be forced back, but the wards curiously curled around her, allowing her into the space. Perhaps, being a relative, she was cautiously welcome. However, the wards were not stupid - she knew that it had already alerted the home owners when the front door opened before she could even reach it.
“Cissa?” Andromeda asked, her eyes wide. Her hair was pulled back, a bandana keeping the curls out of her face. She was dressed in baggy muggle clothes that seemed to be splattered with paint. Narcissa inwardly cringed at the sight of her older sister - it had been a few years since they had last seen each other, and the way she looked so Muggle was off putting.
As if sensing her distress, Draco - carefully wrapped to her front, warm in her robes, began to fuss. Without thought, Narcissa put her hand over his frame, rubbing his back softly through the fur.
“... Andromeda, I apologise for intruding. Is this a bad time?” Narcissa asked politely, as if it weren’t the first time they were speaking in years.
Andy snorted at the question and leaned against the doorframe. “Is there ever a good time, in this climate?”
“Yes, well,” Narcissa murmured, reaching up to press Draco firmly against her chest when he kept fussing. Andy’s eyes missed nothing, and focused in on the moving lump under her robes. “From what I understand, the Dark Lord is no more - taken out by the Potters child, no less.”
“Did your husband confirm that with you?” Andy asked, her voice full of disdain.
“He couldn’t. He’s dead.” Narcissa said, her own voice like steel. She would not cry over it, not in front of her estranged sister. There would be time to grieve, in a manner that was fitting a Malfoy.
“Dead?" Andy said the word with disbelief. “I… I had not heard he had died. How has this not been reported in the Prophet?”
“The Aurors are still investigating it. His body has not been recovered, but a large amount of blood was found at a Death Eater hideout, and his cane.” Narcissa said, her voice only wavering slightly when she said the word ‘body’. “They have been harassing me ever since, desperate to search the Manor for him.”
“Are you hiding him?” Andy asked, a frown on her face. The tone she was using reminded Narcissa of her mother.
"No, I’m not.” Narcissa responded in a firm tone, which sounded rather like their father. “And if he has gone into hiding, I would have no idea where - he never shared a plan to do this, and trust me, Lucius shared everything with me.”
“I suggest you let them into the Manor, then.” Andy took a step back into her house, and Narcissa was sure she was planning to close the door in her face. “Though if you’ve come here to ask me to hide any Dark artefacts, don’t think I won’t hex you-”
“Andy!” Narcissa snapped, pushing back the hood of her robes so their eyes could meet. “I appreciate you have no love for me, but I have just lost my husband, and my son, his father. Save your cruel words for when I’ve left. I am not here looking for your sympathy over this, do you understand? Merlin, don’t you know that if I have come here, of all places, it is because I am out of options?”
The silence that fell between the two sisters was louder than the words they had spoken to each other. The wind was picking up around Narcissa, causing small sprinkles of snow to land on her.
“Andy, is everything ok?” a voice called out from inside the house. They both froze, as if they had forgotten that this conversation was happening at Andromeda’s home, where her family lived. Just then, a small figure pushed past Andy, to peer out at Narcissa. It was a young girl, with rapidly changing hair colours - with a start, Narcissa realised she was looking at her niece. A sick twist came over her when she realised she could not remember her name.
“Mummy, who’s that?” the girl asked, pointing at Narcissa. Andy tried to push her back inside, but the child just wrapped her arms tightly around her leg, not letting her push her away.
“Nymphadora, go back inside!” Andy said with a scowl, trying to shake the girl off. “Ted! Ted, come and get her, will you?”
A man appeared a few moments later. Edward Tonks, with his sandy blonde hair and light blue eyes, hadn’t changed at all since their school days - he simply looked older, like they all did. He froze when he saw Narcissa, recognising her instantly. Her face twisted into a grimace. She hadn’t been nice to him while at Hogwarts. She would love to blame her behaviour on Bellatrix, but really, she hadn’t required encouragement to be nasty. She thought she was protecting his sister by scaring away the Mudblood trying to court her. In hindsight, Narcissa and her family's actions had been the ones to scare her away.
Narcissa swallowed against the uncomfortable lump in her throat. One part of her wanted to greet her brother-in-law, while the other part of her wanted to act like he didn’t exist.
“Andy… is, er, everything alright?” Ted asked softly, managing to scoop their daughter up into his arms. Nymphadora squealed happily, twisting around to cuddle into her father’s neck. Her hair changed colour to match his.
“It’s fine, Ted; I won’t be long.” Andy said firmly, “will you take Dora to bed? It’s getting late.”
“Sure,” Ted said, over the girl’s wail that ‘it wasn’t late’. “Just, uh, shout if you need me…”
Once again, they were alone. Narcissa cleared her throat, feeling her face twitch.
“Your daughter, she is a Metamorphmagus,” she commented, stating the obvious when she wasn’t sure what else to say. Andy just rolled her eyes, as she had done growing up when she thought Narcissa was being stupid.
“Look, about Lucius…I won’t say I’m sorry to hear he’s gone,” Andy said softly, “but I am sorry to hear Draco will grow up without a father. Too many children have suffered losses from this war. I don’t know what I’d do with that child without Ted.” Silence fell over them again, uncomfortable and suffocating. Narcissa knew Ted had been at risk, due to his blood status. Bellatrix had always said how much she wanted to be the one to kill him.
“... Draco is why I am here, actually,” Narcissa finally murmured, taking herself out of the thoughts of her older sister. She pulled back her robes slowly to reveal his pale blonde hair; his face was still tucked into Narcissa’s side, cosy in her hold. Andy looked at her nephew, her frown softening somewhat at the sight of him. Andromeda had always loved children - at school, she was always looking after the first years. “I have no qualms of working with the Aurors, but I cannot do this while I have Draco with me. He gets so fussy if he isn’t being held, and too much noise upsets him. His routine has been ruined with all of this. I cannot… focus on anything when I have him, and I need to be present for my son. He is all I have left.” It was the first time she had said it out loud, and it made her eyes sting. Lucius would have been an amazing father - he had been so excited when the Healer confirmed she had finally gotten pregnant.
It was a bit of a Black curse, Narcissa was sure of it. Bellatrix had never managed to fall pregnant (which, admittedly, was a blessing in disguise), and from whispers in the magical community, Andromeda had struggled to conceive too. Narcissa had kept her own difficulties with falling pregnant very much a secret, working with Healers in private and from all over the world.
There was a social pressure to produce the next Malfoy heir. And yet, Lucius had never made her feel broken, or like a failure when potions failed. He was always certain that they would have a child. And now, he wasn’t even here to love his son.
“What does this all have to do with me?” Andy asked, frustration in her voice. “Stop beating around the bush, Narcissa. What do you want?”
“Your help. I was hoping you could take Draco for a few hours on the days the Aurors are at the Manor. Or when I need to meet with the lawyers. You’re the only family I have that I can trust-”
“Oh please, just say it! I’m just a step up from one of your house elves,” Andromeda’s voice cut in, but thankfully there was no heat behind the words. Her sister was back to looking at Draco’s pale blond hair. “And that’s only because I’m a witch, not because I’m his aunt.”
“You are family,” Andromeda laughed at that, but Narcissa pressed on, “and you are the only one I can trust with him. I don’t mind the house elves playing nanny, but only when I am also at home. There is simply too much required from me to be present.” She would have to give evidence of her husband’s innocence in front of the Wizengamot, and then meet with the goblins to track all of his investments… while organising a funeral for him. The thought caused a lump in her throat.
“You may trust me, but do you trust my Muggleborn husband with your Pureblood son?” Andy challenged, gesturing behind her and into her house. “You know our parents would be heartbroken to see your reliance on me. Whatever will Aunt Walburga say?”
“Are we really bringing Aunt Walburga into this conversation? She’s on her deathbed, for crying out loud.” Narcissa felt the urge to kick her sister. “I haven’t forgotten who you married, and I don’t think you’d stay married to someone who would harm a child. I’ll pay you, if that is what it will take.” Narcissa said, her tone slightly desperate. “Whatever you want. Just - just until I can sort out Lucius’ affairs, and when the Aurors allow me to grieve. Then you won’t have to hear from me again, I swear.”
Draco had seemingly finally awoken, his grey eyes blinking owlishly up at his mother. Narcissa rubbed his back, hoping she could get this conversation wrapped up before Draco decided to wake up the surrounding houses with his impressive screaming. Andromeda’s eyes landed on the child again, which finally made her deflate. Finally, she said; “I don’t want your money, Cissa.”
“Well, there must be something you want,” Narcissa countered, mentally wincing at the calculating look that crossed Andy’s face. She already knew she was going to have to do something she really didn’t want to do.
“Oh, dear sister, don’t look so worried.” Andromeda responded, a sly grin on her face. Sometimes, Narcissa had questioned just how her sister came to be in Slytherin - moments like this reminded her just how much she fit in with the house of snakes. “Well… I suppose you better come in and get Draco out of the cold. We’ll discuss what I want in return, and if you agree, we can discuss Draco’s routine.”
With a soft exhale, Narcissa felt herself smile and nod in gratitude, finally stepping into her sister’s home for the first time.
*
It takes months to sort everything out. The Aurors are relentless in their raids of the Manor, their questions, but even they are finally ready to accept that Lucius is really gone. The funeral is attended by the rich and powerful, who express their condolences with an air of interest - just what became of Lucius Malfoy, in the end?
Narcissa, with her head held high and her in her arms, paid no mind to the questions. Part of her was relieved that she had insisted Lucius removed many of the dark objects that had once been in their home, due to fear that his involvement in Death Eater business could lead to them getting raided. She was also glad she had no idea where it had ended up, so if she were to be questioned, she could tell the truth.
She had made the decision to not tell Draco of his father’s true involvement in the war. As she told the Aurors and reporters alike, Lucius had never been involved, but she had suspected he had been kidnapped, potentially to be forced to join with You-Know-Who, or to be ransomed. Draco, who already faced growing up without his father, did not need to be burdened with the knowledge of the things Lucius Malfoy had willingly done for the Dark Lord.
The strangest thing to come of this is her rocky relationship with her sister. Though it can be tense at times, Andromeda readily took Draco a few times each week, which delighted her little dragon. Nymphadora was the perfect big cousin, helping out with Draco whenever he was at her home. She cried when she realised that, while you could take an owl, cat or toad with you to Hogwarts, baby cousins were certainly not on the list.
Her sister’s husband ( brother-in-law , her mind supplied helpfully) had also been extremely good with Draco. Though it had made her uncomfortable first, Ted had been nothing but pleasant to her. She was sure the uncomfortable feeling was starting to bleed into guilt, but tried not to dwell on it.
She could never tell Andy how grateful she is, that she is not facing motherhood alone (that Draco will have a family, should anything happen to her). But that is the wonderful thing about having a big sister - the words did not need to be said.
Though, debts did need to be paid… and the Black family most certainly paid their debts. Hence why Narcissa was currently standing outside of Sirius Black’s cell in Azkaban, trying not to make a face of disgust at the prisoner inside. Sirius had no such issue, and had even spat at her when she appeared at the cell.
She raised an eyebrow at him, and carefully smoothed down her immaculate dress robes. “Really, Sirius, must you act like an animal? You’ve hardly been in here long enough to resort to that.”
“Why are you here, Narcissa? Did you take the wrong turn when visiting Bellatrix?” Sirius snarled, jabbing a finger against the magically enforced forcefield. It left a red welt on the tip of his finger, but he hardly seemed to notice the burn. “Have you come to gloat? Tell me, how much did you pay the Minister for Magic to get him to drop his investigation into your husband?”
“Not one knut,” Narcissa responded in a bored tone, not willing to play his game. “Funnily enough, I’ve spent a fortune on you. It took the best lawyers to even get me in this filthy place to see you.”
“And why are you wasting your money on the likes of me? We aren’t exactly close, dear cousin,” the prisoner sneered, but his words had already lost some of its bite. Curiosity always won out when it came to Sirius.
“No, we’re not - and trust me, I have no desire to get any closer to you than I need to. Especially since it’s clear you haven’t bathed since your arrest.” Narcissa held up her hand to silence Sirius. “No need to reply, I’ll assume it was something clever. I only have ten minutes with you, so listen closely. Andromeda believes you are innocent of any crimes, and while I have my doubts, I owe her, and frankly I don’t care.”
“If we win the right to your trial, which we will, you will write up a statement of what happened the night Peter Pettigrew and the Muggles were killed, which my lawyer will check prior to release. You will agree to submit to questioning under Veritaserum and you will provide your memories to the Wizengamot as evidence of your innocence. You are going to act like the well behaved Pureblood I know Aunt Walburga tried to beat into you, and will stop attempting to fight the guards when they take you out of your cell. Do you understand me, Sirius?”
“Do I… what in Merlin’s name are you talking about?” Sirius yelled, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“I’m not known to repeat myself, Sirius, and I won’t do it for you. I promised Andromeda I would get you a trial, not that I would help you win the case - that all rests with you.”
A guard signalled to Narcissa that her time was up, which she was most grateful for. They had cleared the area of Dementors as per her lawyer’s request, but it didn’t stop the feeling of dread seeping into her bones. She wanted out and back to her baby.
“I-I don’t want your money, or your help!” Sirius yelled after her, banging on the forcefield again. Narcissa didn’t bother to stop walking, but she refused to let him have the last word:
“That is not your choice to make, little cousin. I’ll be seeing you soon with your new lawyer. Do try and bathe before then, yes?” she said, the hint of a sneer in her tone. As she turned to leave, she breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Lucius was better off dead than rotting in here.
*
The situation with Sirius Black is not as easy as Narcissa hoped. She is sure this is because she is trying to get everything done legally, not with the usual slyness that was Lucius’ preferred method of conducting business. Rather than nudging members of the Wizengamot to do her bidding with money and promises, she petitioned them for a fair trial with the help of the best wizarding lawyers she could get her hands on. Sirius never once showed her any appreciation, of course; but Andy did, and that means Draco is cared for, so really, who cares what Sirius thinks.
However, she didn't consider the rather negative impact she was making on her own social status until she attended a luncheon at the Crabbe Mansion. She was in attendance with Draco, dressed in rather adorable light blue robes that matched her own - the house elf announced their arrival, and all chatter of the other witches seemed to… stop. Eyes turned to look at them, and Narcissa could feel they were calculating, assessing her. As if she were a threat.
Narcissa did not make any indication that she felt the shift in the room as she walked into the room, politely greeting each woman that she passed. She hardly got any pleasantries returned to her. Draco was sitting comfortably on her hip and entirely unaware of the atmosphere, much more happy to play with the brooch that was pinned to her robes. After many battles with the Aurors, she had gotten back Lucius’ cane, and she had taken the two emerald jewels that were in the eyes of the snake head to repurpose them. The brooch was something she had recently commissioned, and it had come out beautifully; it was a small, silver dragon with its wings spread, and the emerald had been carefully placed in between its wings. The other emerald she held onto, as a gift for Draco when he was older.
Cecilia Crabbe came up to greet her, in her arms her own son, Vincent. He was a few months ahead of Draco but already seemed much bigger. His chubby hands reached out to grab Draco’s robes in interest, but before he could touch him, Cecilia pulled him firmly back against her.
“Narcissa, I didn’t think you were attending today,” Cecilia murmured, looking around at her other guests with obvious discomfort.
“I’m sorry? You invited me yourself, Cecilia. I told you then I would be in attendance.” Narcissa reminded her, feeling her eyebrow twitch at the poor greeting. Cecilia had been a friend since school, after all.
“Yes, but that was… well, before Lucius’ passing.” Cecilia responded, taking hold of Narcissa’s arm with her free hand and steering her away from the others. “There are rumours, of course-”
“-oh please, must I relive these moments with you? You and I both know of our husbands' involvements, but Lucius is gone . And I hear your own husband has walked away, free of charge.” Narcissa interrupted, a frown on her face. Draco had stopped playing with the brooch, and instead was staring at Cecilia, a small pout on his face. Vincent continued to babble away, reaching out for Draco again.
“Not about that, Narcissa - you think every witch in this room doesn’t know what their husband was doing for the Dark Lord?” Cecilia hissed to her, “I meant the rumours about you! Getting back in touch with your blood traitor sister and her Mudblood husband, and recently, I hear that you are trying to get Sirius Black freed! Narcissa, have you gone mad without Lucius?!”
Narcissa was stunned at how direct Cecilia was being (the witch usually went along with whatever her husband or, well, Narcissa said). But she hadn’t been around, to maintain a firm grip on these witches, and clearly without her lead that had rebelled.
“Mad without Lucius?” Narcissa repeated slowly, “because I am petitioning for a man to get a fair trial?”
“Witches like us, of our standing, do not meddle with prisoners and Mudbloods. It is most unbecoming of you, Narcissa - you know, half of the witches here do not want your son to associate with their child. The Malfoy name is getting dragged in the mud because of your recent… exploits. I mean, really, next you’ll be telling me you are going to get a job!”
“Why, yes, actually - I think I am.” Narcissa said suddenly, even surprising herself.
“You… you are?” Cecilia gaped.
“Do close your mouth, Cecilia - witches of our standing shouldn’t be attempting to catch flies.” Narcissa snipped. “Lucius was a Governor for Hogwarts, and they require a placement. Considering my son will be in attendance there someday, I wish to continue my husband’s hard work there.”
“I… I think they are right, you have gone mad. They always said that the Blacks go mad,” Cecilia whispered, shaking her head. Narcissa just snorted, and Draco seemed to copy the noise. “I believe you should leave, Narcissa. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”
“Oh, don’t worry - we’re leaving. Good riddance, anyway; you could never host a luncheon to save your life.” Narcissa turned to face the room, a glare on her face. The witches watching the exchange shrunk back at her look. “And if any of you dare to say that I am destroying the Malfoy name, I highly suggest you remember what information I have on all your dear husbands and families. I may be trying to get Sirius Black out of Azkaban, but trust me, I can just as easily get you all put there. Don’t test me.” and with that, she left.
The funny thing was, instead of going to her sister to complain about her poor treatment, she went straight to the door of Severus Snape. He refused to let her in, which was no surprise, but Narcissa was more than happy to stand and make a scene until he granted her entry.
She forced him to take Draco as she paced back and forth in his hovel of a home, making a face at the state of it. It wasn’t really like Severus, whom she had known had always been rather tidy. It felt like he had given up, but really, he couldn’t be this heartbroken over the Dark Lord being defeated. He had never seemed as devoted as Bellatrix, who Narcissa knew was devastated that he had fallen.
“Severus, you really ought to get a house elf, you shouldn’t be living like this.” Narcissa said, her tone one of displeasure. “Your home is resembling some of the hideouts the Aurors raided.”
“You shouldn’t be here, Narcissa.” Snape drawled, his eyes on Draco as if he were a dangerous beast. Draco, meanwhile, stared back at the man, with some of Snape’s black robes stuffed into his mouth. He was always a quiet baby with new company, while at home, the portraits complained at how loud he could be.
“Oh please, I know you’re hardly pleased that Lucius asked you to be Draco’s godfather - I wasn’t exactly over the moon either. But he did it, and you accepted, and so here we are. You haven’t spent a moment with him since he was born.” Narcissa snapped. “I want to talk to you about Hogwarts - when Draco attends..”
“I think we have a few years ahead of us before we must discuss that subject, Narcissa. I understand a mother’s concern, but even this seems excessive.”
“Oh hush, Severus. I was meant to go to a luncheon with witches from the Sacred Twenty-Eight today, and I was escorted out due to my… change in circumstances. These women have children that will attend Hogwarts at the same time as Draco. I do not want my son to be bullied or shunned by them. I want your word that you’ll do everything you can to protect him when he attends school.”
“You should direct concerns about the school to the Headmaster,” Snape nodded his head towards Draco. “Take him back, will you?”
“No, I will not.”
“Narcissa, if you are so worried about Draco, do not send him to Hogwarts. You know people will talk about his father, about him. They will judge him based on your choices. You have a home in France, live there.”
“I refuse to be chased out of the country by some judgemental members of society. Running away is the coward's way out, and may I remind you, I’ve done nothing wrong?”
Severus muttered something under his breath about Sirius Black, but he wilted under Narcissa’s sharp glare. She had known the two had had some issues during school, though she didn’t know a lot about it. After all, she hadn’t spoken once to Sirius during their shared time at Hogwarts together, after his disappointing Sorting into Gryffindor.
“... If I agree, will you remove your son?” Snape said through gritted teeth. Draco just smiled at him, the wet robes dropping out of his mouth. Snape grimaced at that.
“Yes, I will remove your godson. I have no idea how such an awkward wizard can stand working with children.” Narcissa snorted, but she made no movement to take Draco back. “Give me your word first.”
The two glared at each other, before Snape said through gritted teeth; “if you really thought I would let anyone bully Draco, you clearly do not understand why your husband asked me to be his godfather. I will look out for him at Hogwarts.”
“... Was that so hard?” Narcissa murmured, reaching down to pick up her son. Draco instantly began to babble to her, his tiny fists gripping her blonde hair. “Be glad I didn’t force you to take an unbreakable vow. Is your floo connected?” Narcissa approached the fireplace, tutting when she saw he was out of floo powder. “Never mind, we’ll apparate.”
“Narcissa, before you go… I must ask about Lucius. You and I both know the Death Eaters didn’t murder him. Has he gone into hiding?”
It was strange; the question didn’t sound right coming out of Severus’ mouth. She was sure the real person who wanted the answer was Dumbledore himself.
“You would know better than I, if there was some escape plan.” Narcissa muttered, a frown on her face. “You were just as close to the Dark Lord as he was. Lucius is gone, and that’s all there is to it.”
*
Eight months into her arrangement with Andromeda (which had only meant to last a few weeks, but they didn’t talk about it), and just a month into her new role as a Governess for Hogwarts, Narcissa arrived at the Tonks’ home to drop off Draco for a few hours.
“Hello, Narcissa.” Ted said politely, letting the Malfoys in. Narcissa tried to keep the grimace off of her face as she greeted her brother-in-law. She was still getting used to him, though he was certainly a nice person and good with Draco… there was just the uncomfortable thing around his blood status that always crept into the back of her mind. She would never mention it, but she knew he felt the tension.
She was working on her feelings regarding the subject, but the Black family - and the Malfoys - had clear thoughts regarding the blood of witches and wizards. She had remembered watching Andromeda getting blasted off of the Black tapestry once she had left school and ran away with Edward Tonks, and had vowed to never let that happen to her. But really, it already was happening - she had received no further invites from her social circle ever since that disaster at the Crabbes. The sting of rejection from the crowd she once controlled was a painful one.
As soon Draco laid eyes on his uncle, he was reaching out to him with a happy squeal. Awkwardly, Ted held out his hands and Narcissa passed over Draco. “‘Ed!” Draco said, tiny fingers fisting into the cardigan
“Is Andy here?” Narcissa asked, smoothing down her robes. “I did ask her if she could look after Draco today - I have a meeting with the Ministry.”
“Well, no,” Ted said as he carefully put Draco down. He had only just started to toddle without support, and so Ted cast a cushioning charm on him in case he fell. “Nymphadora had a little broomstick incident and fell pretty badly. You should have seen the lump on her head. So it’s off to St Mungos - I did offer to take her, but Dora wanted her mum. So, I said I would look after Draco… if it’s ok with you, of course?”
No, was on the tip of her tongue. So Narcissa bit it, hard enough to make her wince. Draco was already babbling away to Ted, his hands happily clapping and not seeming to care at all that his aunt wasn’t here. Draco was happy. Ted knew what he was doing.
If she held onto her old prejudice now, Andy would cut off contact.
“It’s fine with me, Edward… you will send an owl to me if there is anything though, yes?” Narcissa said carefully. Ted smiled, his shoulders relaxing with obvious relief. If Narcissa didn’t know any better, she would have to say Ted was quite taken with Draco. Which made sense to her - her son was an angel.
“Yes, of course - but we’ll be fine! We’ll have a boys afternoon, right Draco? Say bye to your mum.”
“Bye bye!” Draco said, waving to Narcissa with a wide grin. She was so glad he never held a fuss over being dropped off, because Narcissa wasn’t sure she could handle the guilt of leaving that little face behind.
*
A year and a half later, and all of their hard work pays off - Sirius was finally given a trial. Urged by his lawyers, he agreed to take Veritasium and put forward his memories of his confrontation with Pettigrew, which all proved his innocence and Pettigrew’s own crimes. Reluctantly, he was released, and the Prophet was quick to jump on where in the world Pettigrew could be. Narcissa could only hope he had died in his rat form, which she was starting to consider to be his true form.
Although neither Narcissa nor Sirius wanted to, Andromeda forced them to come to her home and celebrate the result with champagne. Sirius had cleaned up well before coming, back into a dark blue velvet suit, his hair trimmed and his beard gone. Draco, recently turned three, had only looked at him curiously, his large grey eyes taking in the new face. Sirius had stared back, a muscle twitching at his jaw.
Edward Tonks had a rather good sense for awkward Black family reunions and quickly took Draco off of Narcissa, saying he would keep him entertained while they celebrated. It had been awkward, the three Blacks standing in Andy’s small kitchen, trying to think of safe topics to discuss that weren’t directly to do with the war.
“So, blondie is your kid?” Sirius asked, gesturing at Draco through the open door into the living room. Ted was sitting on the floor as Draco ran around the living room, squealing in delight as a very old golden snitch whirred around him in lazy circles. He had grown so much in such a short period of time, which both pleased and terrified Narcissa. He was just the double of Lucius, except his hair was growing in with a more curly texture, which was definitely a Black family influence. Nymphadora was there playing with him too, her hair changing colour and causing her cousin to shriek with laughter.
“Yes, my son Draco.” Narcissa waited for him to mention Lucius, almost daring him too. Thankfully, Sirius seemed to know better and took another sip of his champagne.
“He’s around Harry’s age,” he commented softly, a sad look on his face.
“Harry?” Narcissa cocked her eyebrow in confusion, before it clicked; “ah, yes. Harry Potter.” Was it awful she hadn’t spared him much thought over the past few months? The Boy who Lived, they were calling him in the papers. He seemed to have disappeared from the wizarding world entirely in the two years since the Dark Lord's defeat. “Yes, they will be in the same year at Hogwarts.”
“I’m his godfather,” Sirius said, his voice breaking on the word. “James would want him to come and live with me. I’m all he has.”
“He must be with relatives, surely?” Narcissa pondered, a frown on her face.
“The only family he will be with now will be Muggles - and trust me, from my memory, they weren’t nice people.”
“I’m sure they won’t treat the child poorly, Sirius - this is not a decision you should rush into,” Andy said, topping up their flutes. “You have just been released from prison, you ought to take time to process everything. Plus, children are hard work, especially when you are a single parent. Isn’t that right, Cissa?”
“Merlin, yes,” she confirmed, “but Draco is my biggest joy. I wouldn’t change him for the world.”
“Maybe you should spend time with Draco, before you take on Harry permanently, just to see if you can handle it.” Andy mused, ignoring the looks they both sent her. As if Narcissa would leave her son with Sirius. She had a horrifying image of Draco on that damn flying motorbike of his.
“Perhaps Sirius ought to decide where he is going to live, first.” Narcissa pointed out dryly, “before attempting any babysitting.”
“I have options,” Sirius said, a frown on his face, “but I’m not looking to settle down just yet. I need to track down Pettigrew - he’s a danger to us all if he isn’t found. And my friends deserve justice for their deaths.” Privately, she was sure Sirius meant his own personal kind of justice, rather than in front of the Wizengamot. How very Lucius of him.
“Is he such a danger, now? His Master is gone.” Narcissa questioned, genuinely curious. Her husband had mentioned a spy, but part of her had always suspected that Snape was spying for the Order of the Phoenix. She still could not understand how Dumbledore had come to employ him at Hogwarts.
“Until all of his followers are dealt with, Voldemort will never really be gone.” Sirius responded, his eyes back on Draco as he still tried to catch the slow moving snitch, giggling when its wings tickled his palms. Ted clapped when his little hands closed around it, much to Draco’s delight.
She felt herself frowning, as a growing sense of dread filled her. While most of the Death Eaters were being locked up, or killed, those who escaped justice with lies or money were left to roam free. What did that mean for Narcissa, who had been left with the Malfoy name and money, her husband tied to Death Eaters but with no confirmation of his innocence. She had just spent time and money freeing Sirius Black from his unfair sentence and had already been shunned from her peers - would that look like she was choosing a side?
Worst of all, she had reconnected with her blood traitor sister, and her Mudblood relatives. While she could still feel uncomfortable at times, she would never cut them off now, not when their presence gave Draco such happiness. Did this too look like she was against her Pureblood upbringing?
And what did that mean for her son? Her precious child, which was all she had left in this world? He would be a target to both sides - those who rightfully thought Lucius was a Death Eater that died before he could face justice, and those who thought that they were traitors to all the Dark Lord stood for. She would give away all the money in the Malfoy’s vaults if it meant she could keep him safe from harm, but even that did not feel like enough.
“I suggest when you find Pettigrew, you make sure he isn’t able to reconnect with his old friends.” Narcissa muttered. It must have been the right thing to say, because Sirius clicked their champagne flutes together before tipping it all back in one large gulp.