"Mum! You're safe!"
Narcissa looked up from her book to find her son and his boyfriend uncharacteristically barging into her house.
"Any reason I wouldn't be?" she asked, calmly putting the book away. Draco and Harry paused midway, breathless, faces contorted with confusion.
"You haven't heard? Vol-The Dark Lord...he has returned," Draco slumped down on the deep green couch.
"We don't know how yet...but the Aurory's first priority is protect those who fought on the Light Side," Harry added. Narcissa frowned, as the realisation hit her.
"You came here to warn me?" she asked Harry. She had accepted Draco's relationship, but had never really warmed up to the head Auror.
Harry took a deep breath. "They don't exactly consider you as someone who fought on the Light Side. But I personally," he paused suddenly.
Ah. Off the record opinions. How diplomatic, thought Narcissa with a secret smile.
"I personally think Voldemort might target you first. Given that you, or rather Draco, betrayed him," Harry finished.
"Mum, you need to go seek shelter. You could go to our seaside cottage in France and we could put wards-" Draco began, but was cut off by his mother.
"And you? What will you do Draco?" she asked, one hand fiddling with the gold chain around her neck.
Both men sitting in front of her fell silent.
It was Draco who spoke after an awkward pause.
"We need as many people fighting him as we can manage. He has somehow recruited new Deathe Eaters and..." his voice trailed off under Narcissa's fiery glare.
"And you expect me to sit in a cottage while you fight? While you both fight? While half the wizarding world fights?" she asked, her voice low but firm.
"We thought...you might not be able..." Harry muttered, looking away.
Narcissa laughed sharply.
"You thought that I was too old to fight? Too old to defend wizarding Britain against the cruel master I formerly served?"
She received no reply.
"You were wrong," she told them. "I can fight, and what is more, I fully intend to. If either of you has a problem with it, you can take it up as a duel," she challenged.
Harry looked at her, shocked. "With all due respect, Mrs Malfoy, I don't believe-"
"I believe the empty room next door will do well for an arena at a pinch, don't you, Potter?" she asked, cutting him off.
Harry looked at her in disbelief.
A few minutes later, he found himself lying on his back in the aforementioned room, her wand at his throat, while his own wand lay a few meters away from his hand. Draco was staring at the duellers in utter shock.
"Convinced yet, Potter?" she asked, stepping away to let him get back up. He nodded mutely as Draco helped him up. Narcissa could see she had proven her point.
"Good. Then let's go fight a war, shall we?"
Notes: For the Mother's Day event at The Golden Snitch. Prompt: Narcissa Malfoy
Also for the British Literature Event: Prompts: deep green, gold chain, an old character is told to seek shelter and safety, a character goes to war.
And for the Through the Universe Challenge: Prompt: fiery.
I had so much fun writing this sort of badass!Narcissa!