One Little Adventure

Disclaimer: I do not own or profit from Harry Potter stories or characters although I am letting them play in my universe.

Prologue:

The war had been over and Narcissa Black Malfoy had been set free but would not be allowed international travel. She was no longer filthy rich, she was merely rich and consequently had to move from Malfoy Manor to Blackthorn Cottage. Now if you know what the cottages in the Hampdens of the United States are, you would know that she was not living in a two bedroom bungalow. This was similar. Today she had been reading the latest drivel that was published in Witch Weekly and was decidedly bored. With no husband at home, Lucius was serving his life sentence in Azkaban, she found there were considerably fewer visitors, both wanted and unwanted. With a sigh, she finished her breakfast tea and put down the tabloid. She snapped her fingers to call her house elf.

"Mitzie, I am going to the Library to write a letter. Please come get it so Athena can take it in half an hour."

"Yes, Missus."

/

She wrote it six times before deciding that simple and straight forward would be best.

"Dear Andromeda,

I wish to apologize in person and would like to visit with you.

Your sister, NBM"

/

Andromeda Tonks was finishing giving her orphaned grandson, Teddy Lupin, his morning bath. He always seemed to get more food on him than in his belly, so she bathed him after his morning meal.

"Owl birdie, Gran Andi," the toddler said pointing at a beautiful white owl that was patiently sitting on the perch outside the window.

She removed the tot from the bath and wrapped him in a large fluffy towel before carrying him over to open the window for the owl to enter. "You are certainly an elegant fellow," Andromeda spoke quietly to the bird as she untied the letter that was attached to his leg with her free hand. She noticed that it was waiting for an answer, so she told it to help itself to the treats and water near the perch and she would be back shortly with a reply. The haughty bird moved off as though it were looking down its aristocratic nose on sharing space with Andromeda's owl but didn't ignore the treats.

Andromeda carefully opened the letter and read the single sentence as she balanced the towel-wrapped boy on her knee. "No, Teddy, this is for Gran Andi," she said as he reached a chubby little hand for the letter. She was still cuddling Teddy and staring at the note when Harry Potter stepped through the floo.

"Is Teddy not ready for his outing?" Harry asked. Then he noticed the strange tableau, "What's wrong, Andromeda?"

"Read this," she answered handing him the note. Then she rose and took Teddy to the bedroom to dress him for the day.

Harry was still sitting on the sofa looking at the note when she returned followed by Teddy dressed for play in coveralls, a T-shirt and a pair of muggle trainers that had lights that blinked with every step the little one took as he ran up to his godfather. "Play on swings or play on brooms?" Teddy asked.

"Tell her you will meet her some place in muggle London where there are lots of people around. Maybe even tell her you will bring Teddy," Harry said evenly.

"Will you come, too?"

"Do you think it is wise?"

"It would be wise to have someone else to keep an eye on Teddy if he got bored." Harry chuckled.

"How about Thursday? We could make a reservation for that new tea room near White Hall. It would be elegant enough to impress Narcissa, yet relaxed enough for tea with a toddler at that time of day, even one that is as well behaved as Teddy is."

"Yes, I can come, but are you certain you don't want to bring Hermione instead? She's the godmother."

"Harry, you cannot think that she would skip classes. She is so busy trying to get her degree in accounting. She is just not happy keeping books for the Twins WWW, she wants to perfect her craft and then open an agency to keep books for various muggle and wizard businesses."

"No, you're right. Hey, Teddy are you ready for the swings?" He picked up the small boy, whose hair changed to black as he exited with his godfather through the floo.

/

"Dear Narcissa,

Yes, we must talk. Would you meet me for tea at the Newtown Tea Room at 4 o'clock on Thursday? I will be bringing a young gentleman to meet you along with his godfather if you agree to meet me there.

ABT"

Narcissa read the note twice then called Mitzie. "Is Draco still at home, Mitzie?"

"Yes, Missus Narcissa."

"Please ask him to join me here before he leaves for work."

"Yes, Missus."

Minutes later Draco entered the room with his traveling cloak over his arm and dressed in an expensive, charcoal gray, tailored Italian suit and shiny black dress shoes. He had taken over the management of Malfoy Industries after his father had been sent to Azkaban. He was struggling to keep a prosperous front, yet moving the business from the nefarious.

"You wanted a word with me, Mother," Draco stated rather than asked. He then gave her a kiss on her offered cheek before sitting down across from her at the desk. "I have about ten minutes before I need to be in the office."

"Yes, Draco." Narcissa looked at her son with pride. He had grown into a fine young man and taken the reigns of the family businesses with a gusto that his father never had. "Your tie is crooked." She reached across to straighten it, then she continued, "I received this reply to a note I sent my sister."

"I didn't know you could owl the dead," Draco joked with a straight face.

"No, not that sister. This is the one that was just dead to us," Narcissa replied with exasperation in her voice.

"I was just kidding, Mother," Draco answered. "What did she say?"

"Here," she said, handing him the note, "what do you think?"

After reading the note he replied, "Tell her you will also bring a 'young man' for her to meet and his godfather."

"And how are you going to get Severus to agree?" the blonde witch asked.

"He will do it if I ask nicely."

/

"Dear Andi,

I will meet you at the Newtown Tea Room at 4 o'clock and will be bringing a young man for you to meet as well, along with his godfather to remove him if he gets too bored with our company. I assume you will make the reservation.

Cissy."

/

"Narcissa,

I have made a reservation for six at 4 o'clock on Thursday.

Andromeda"