Mother of the grooms
Raindrops fell steadily on the roof of the orangery, where Narcissa sat in her massage chair, trying to give the past few days a place in her mind. The chair was her new most favourite place to be these days, since Draco got it for her last birthday, three months earlier. It worked by providing her with a wonderful back massage, as hands gently kneaded her muscles and rested on her shoulders, making aches and strains disappear like magic. Rain trailed down the windows in rivulets, and Narcissa closed her eyes for a minute.
Everybody had finally left, apart from her cousin Camelia, who was now reading a book in the sitting room, before she'd go off to bed. It seemed to last forever, the last guests going, when her son and his new husband had already set off on their honeymoon some hours before. Narcissa almost looked the three of them off the estate, and when they finally Floo-ed themselves back to their house, she and Camelia sighed a deep sigh of relief. Finally they could just sag into whatever chair they felt like, without having to cater or hope the hired house elves were going to be on their best behaviour.
The day itself had gone wonderfully well. Draco and Neville had looked gorgeous, both wearing a bespoke dark blue suit, making them even more handsome than they already were. Narcissa smiled when she thought this, allowing herself at least today to think of her newly acquired son in law as rather hot. She was a woman of flesh and blood, she still had feelings… Many of her friends had whispered it during the day, that her son and his betrothed looked yummy enough to eat. A few she had agreed with, some others she almost hexed.
Mostly she was proud, that they made such a beautiful, great matching couple. It was a good thing really, that Molly Weasley had been open to her persuasion, to send Draco an invite when Potter and her daughter got married, now some years ago. It had taken a fair bit of encouragement, as Molly was a woman with strong convictions, and Draco's love life was not on her list of concerns, but ever since she'd witnessed Neville Longbottom's amazing behaviour during the Battle at Hogwarts, and the way he seemed to eagerly eye up her beloved son, Narcissa was hatching plans to get the guys together. And what better place to do so than at the wedding of the century (as the Prophet had dubbed it), where their possible meet-up could be camouflaged in Draco's apparent reintegration in the wizard world? Most people would be too busy with Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley's wedding anyway, to be bothered about an atoned former Death Eater, was her reckoning, and from what she understood from Draco, that was exactly how it went. People couldn't have been nicer to him, he'd said, and apart from Neville running for the hills after they'd had their first chat, it went like a dream.
Unfortunately her husband wasn't quite as forgiving as the rest of the wizards who had come across their son and his significant other. The wedding had almost not occurred, thanks to the issues Lucius had with his sons' partner of choice. She had told him about it, quite soon after Draco mentioned that he had fallen seriously in love with Neville, while all that nasty business went on with the spell that had been cast at Potter's wedding, and left the poor boy with an awful skin condition, and on the brink of death. Lucius had been quiet. Which she knew was a bad sign. It meant he was stewing, and stewing rarely meant anything beautiful came out of it. Stewing meant curses and trouble. She was so happy that he was still in Azkaban, for that meant that his plans would be slightly less easy to carry out. He was under pretty tight scrutiny still (mainly after the stunt he pulled when he found out that Draco had denounced his Death Eater marks and opted for a life as a regular wizard, holding down a proper job. Narcissa still seethed at the thought of the hearing that followed and she had to vouch for his mental stability) but managed to find a way around the security.
But that was then… Now there was a lovely wedding to think back on…
The day before
'Draco, darling! Do you and Neville want to have tea outside with me and Camelia?' Narcissa had been going through the list of Things To Do all afternoon, and felt like having extended supper with her cousin and the couple that would be tying the knot in the grounds of Malfoy Manor the next day. It had felt like there was never going to be an end to it, and she almost regretted offering herself to take charge of the Ceremony when Draco and Neville told her of their planned nuptials. She had been ecstatic, had hoped for news like that for ages, and practically forced herself onto them as the person to organise it all. She knew that Neville had no direct family, and Draco was far too busy with his work to have to think about who to invite (although she consulted the guys on just about everything, as she remembered how utterly frustrating it was when she was kept out of most major decisions when she and Lucius got married) or what colour scheme the place should be in. Neville was rather great when it came to that, actually…
'Yes mother, we'll be down in a bit. Busy with… um…' she heard Draco shout down, followed by a muffled giggle.
Too much information, thanks, she thought privately. Having walked in on them being 'busy' had left her feeling rather uneasy the day before. Seeing your son and his beloved passionately involved isn't something any mother would feel wonderful about, she reckoned. Camelia confirmed these thoughts later that evening, sharing a pretty embarrassing story about her son and his girlfriend a few years earlier.
The guys had arrived two days prior to the wedding, packed and incredibly exited. Their house in Scotland was left with plenty of spells to keep unwanted visitors out, Draco reassured his mother. Their luggage for the honeymoon, which was to be had on an island in Greece, would be Floo-ed on by Ron Weasley, Neville's Best Man (Draco had chosen not to bother with one, as his former friends all seemed to have connections with his Death Eater/Hogwarts past, and he really wasn't fussed, he kept reaffirming to his fiancé, who felt bad for Draco that he couldn't have the frills that he reckoned came with a Best Man…).
'Are you sure that quiche is veggie, mother?' Draco asked as soon as he saw the lovely spread on the lavishly laid-out lunch table in the garden. 'You know that…'
'Neville doesn't eat meat, I know, honey. I remembered… Not senile, yet,' Narcissa smiled back.
'I know, it's just that so many people find it hard to bear it in mind. Gosh the place is already looking wonderful, mother!' Draco looked around the garden and noticed the marquee in the middle of the lawn, edged with countless white roses, awaiting fireflies and butterflies which would be arriving in the morning, in time for the wedding. 'Wow… Nev will love that…'
'He suggested that, actually,' Narcissa smiled still. 'He's quite the wedding planner, your man.'
'If he ever gets bored with teaching…' Draco grinned, and looked behind him to see where his man actually was. 'Is there still much to do?'
'Bar from the band, and the guests arriving on time, I think we're on top of everything.' Which was partly true.
'Will father… Is he…' Draco seemed nervy asking this. Dreading the answer, she knew.
'No, he's not joining us. He sends his love, but he'll not…'
'Good,' was the curt reply, and she knew not to carry on. The relationship with those two had been fraught at the best of times after the war, and it never regained anything resembling warm since. It saddened her, but she knew it wasn't to be helped. She was just delighted that Draco had managed to find a sweet, kind, strong, down-to-earth man in his life to keep him from being too stuck in his mind too much. She knew Draco could have that tendency, and it pleased her to see him becoming a more laidback version of himself. Loved, and easier-going… Her intuition about the former Gryffindor student had been right…
Draco eased even more when Neville joined them in the patio, and greeted Camelia warmly, kissing her on both cheeks, proceeding to do the same with Narcissa.
How different that had been when they first met. To her memory, no one had been as tense as Neville Longbottom was when he walked (or rather stumbled) out of the Floo fireplace that time when Draco brought him around to meet her. Her son had warned her that he wasn't too sure, apprehensive to say the least, even though Draco had done his best to convince him of there not being any need to worry. Narcissa vowed to try her best to win the guy over, even though a tiny little voice inside shrieked to her that no one would ever be good enough for her son. However much she'd taken to Neville in the past. He had looked even more handsome than she'd remembered from that final day of the battle at Hogwarts, when he looked dishevelled, in pain, and unwavering in his conviction. A true warrior in his own way. There was no cardigan to start with, and his face had grown into that of the strapping, mature man he had become. The kind eyes had stayed, as had the gentle smile, and some stubble added to the rugged charm that Draco had mentioned in one of his letters. As far as the Herbology teacher could ever be described as being rugged, of course. Well, compared to her son, most men looked rugged. It had taken about an hour before the nerves vaporised, and she was left with a charming, funny, confident, impeccable guest who (after many months and her perseverance) ended up calling her Mother.
The summer's afternoon in Wiltshire carried on very pleasantly, and nothing prepared them for what came after the tea had been drank and the food eaten.
Narcissa was ready to go back inside to carry on with the final preparations for the day, when she heard some unusual noises in the distance, as she finished off her wine, and watched Draco and Neville wander along the garden, chatting, holding hands. It sounded like some very large winged animal was flapping along, but nothing was visible in the sky. Then a roaring added to the noise, and when she looked up, an enormous dragon appeared from nowhere, soaring over the gardens, ready to crash into the trees if it weren't careful. The boys ducked into the gazebo near the pond, and Narcissa and Camelia sped into the orangery, not looking back to see what was happening. Not until they looked around, safe behind the glass windows, did they witness what the animal, now standing on the grass near the marquee, was up to: spewing fire onto the delicate fabric, which was ablaze in seconds. Narcissa gasped in horror, as she saw the animal destroy the beautiful shelter, as flower after flower fizzled into nothing. And as quickly as the beast had arrived, so it turned and flew off again, into the distance, leaving Narcissa and Camelia in a state of shocked disbelief.
'Draco, darling! Are you both okay?!" she shouted towards the gazebo as soon as she felt assured that the dragon wasn't going to make another appearance.
After some silence she heard Draco shout back that indeed they were, and he popped his head around the corner to prove that he was. Neville followed, and the guys walked back to the house with slightly more haste than before.
'The fuck was that?!" Draco uttered as soon as they arrived.
'A Norwegian Ridgeback, though a far more aggressive looking one than is generally the norm,' Camelia replied.
'Hagrid used to have…' Neville started, then thought better of it.
'What, that huge lump that lived in that hovel?' Narcissa asked, still in shock. 'You mean, there was a dragon living at Hogwarts?'
'Only for a little while, he got rid of it quickly!' Neville tried to explain.
'What was it doing here? Why was there a bloody dragon burning down my marquee?' Draco carried on.
'Maybe it was lost?' Camelia offered. 'Maybe it was a pregnant female, searching for a place to lay her eggs…'
'In my garden?' Narcissa was close to crying, walking up to the marquee, which was by now a heap of ashes. 'How am I going to replace this?'
'Mr Weasley might have one spare. They use them all the time for parties and weddings.' Neville tried.
'What, one of their flee-ridden tents? Don't think so, darling…' Narcissa turned her nose up at the thought of having to welcome her guests in one of Arthur Weasley's ungainly constructions.
'It's worth a try, mother… It's better than nothing,' Draco smiled, taking Neville's hand.
'I don't know…' Narcissa carried on, although she knew that both guys were right.
Just then there was a huge scream from the kitchen.
Narcissa and the others hurried towards where it came from, having no idea what to expect. After the stray dragon, she was ready for anything.
As she opened the door, a stream of mice walked along her feet, making her jump. She looked around, trying to find Hilda, her cook, but all she saw was bits of cake and icing, stuck to the surfaces and cupboard.
'They… They just… It exploded! And the mice… Oh, Mrs Malfoy…' a voice from inside the pantry spoke agitatedly.
Narcissa walked up to Hilda, hoping to calm her down a bit so that she could get the whole of the story, but more mice appeared from the cake, and more screaming was heard from other staff in the kitchen.
'It's okay, Hilda, it's only a few mice…'
'Only a few mice? Only a few… There's hundreds, and they just keep coming!' Hilda shouted, still feeling rather upset.
'Why does it look like…' Neville wanted to ask, then saw the answer right in front of him. He walked up to the exploded cake, the top layer disappeared, and the bottom layer looking like a bomb site.
'Do you reckon we're hexed?' Draco turned to Neville, who was making a start with clearing up the mess.
'It has got those marks all over it, doesn't it?' Neville replied. He licked his fingers to taste the delicious cake.
'But who would…?' Camelia wondered out loud.
'I can think of someone…' Narcissa sighed, still trying to soothe Hilda, who was in tears.
*0*0*0*
The guards in Azkaban weren't entirely happy to see Narcissa arrive at this time in the early evening. They were getting ready for dinnertime, always a frantic time of day, making sure that all the prisoners were going to be fed and no one was going to escape or get cursed or hexed (even though all inmates had been put under a spell themselves, immobilising their magic, there was always a possibility that one would find a way around the security). The guard at the gate glared at her in no uncertain terms.
'Mrs Malfoy, you know it's not the time for visiting, surely by now?' the surly man by the gate asked her.
'I know, Nelson. I just really need to talk to my husband.' Narcissa was her most charming, and the guard sighed. 'It's important. Draco is getting married tomorrow, and I need to clarify something with Mr Malfoy.'
'Is young Master Malfoy tying the knot?' the guard asked, now slightly less gruff. 'Who to?'
'Have you not heard? It's been in the Prophet…' she knew that some bigoted wizards had an issue with wizards in same-sex relationships, even thought they were a huge minority, and she wasn't sure if this guard was as urbane as she hoped for. He looked nonplussed, until she saw his colleague pop his head around the corner.
'Isn't he together with that Longbottom chap? Whassisname…? Nathan? Nicholas?'
'Neville? Is he with Neville? Wow… And they're getting married, you said?' Nelson, the first guard replied.
'To young Master Malfoy… It's been all over the Prophet last week.' The other guard responded.
'Cor, blimey… Who'd have thought that, eh, Mrs Malfoy? Your son marrying the leader of Dumbledore's Army… What are the chances… Who'd've thought that, eh, when your husband…' he stopped suddenly, obviously realising the implications of his train of thoughts. 'oh… Sorry…'
'Yeah, well, he's not too happy about it all, Nelson. He'd rather Draco married a girl to start with, but it's not up to him, is it?'
Nelson shook his head in agreement. 'To no one but the kid himself… Is his life, innit?'
'Wish him all the best,' the other guard said to her, and flicked a wand to open the gate. 'You know where to go, don't ya?'
Narcissa nodded, and walked on to the second gate, where less nosy guards waved her through. After two more gates she arrived at the office of the Tight Safekeeping Ward, where she explained her reason for being there, and had to wait for Lucius to be fetched.
It stank, and she still wasn't used to it, not even after eight years. She knew Lucius was going to be there for another five, at least, so tried her best to not let it get to her, but knowing that rats wandered along the corridors didn't fill her with any kind of serenity.
'Narcissa!' she heard after a few minutes.
'Lucius,' she responded relieved.
'You came to tell me… Why are you here?'
They both took a seat on the wooden chairs that sat near a table, nodded at the guard leaving them two cups of lukewarm tea and sighed.
'I came to tell you that I want you to stop the hexing of the Manor. Right now…'
Lucius looked at his wife confused. 'Hexing the Manor? What on earth do you mean?'
'You now, Lucius… I know you're not happy about Draco getting tied to Longbottom, but he's never going to change his mind… No matter how many dragons you're going to send to the house.'
'Not happy!? 'Lucius bristled. He hit his hand on the table, to indicate how angry he felt. 'Narcissa, even you can see that it's plain wrong for our son to fall for… Him… Of all people… Ron Weasley would've been less deplorable… But Longbottom…' Lucius stood up from the chair he was sitting on and wandered to the barred window. 'He hates Death Eaters…'
'He loves, no, he adores Draco, Lucius. You should see them together… Draco has never been so… Happy. And easy-going. And loving…'
'What will happen to the Malfoy bloodline, Narcissa… Have you ever stopped to think…'
'The Malfoy bloodline?! Is that what you're worried about?' Narcissa's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. 'There's ways around that, Lucius, you know that… Plenty of gay wizards have managed to raise their own kids, for that exact reason. Straight ones even, as well…'
'Yeah, but it's not normal, is it?'
'Normal? You want normal? Normal wizards don't live in prison, Lucius… Normal wizards are happy when their kids are happy… They don't send Norwegian Ridgeback Dragons over to their son's wedding to destroy a marquee, or get an explosion spell on the wedding cake… Don't give me normal…'
'I didn't tell him to…'
'Tell who?'
'Nothing…' Lucius sported a wry smile being his hand.
'You got someone to do this for you, haven't you?' Narcissa raised her eyes to the ceiling. 'I think I've heard enough…'
'I didn't mean to…'
'Lucius, please. Don't insult my intelligence…' Narcissa stood up from her chair and fetched her cloak. 'Draco and Neville will be getting married tomorrow, whether you like it or not. I'll send some cake over for you.'
'Narcissa, please try to understand my position…' Lucius tried in vain, and watched his wife make her way to the door. 'I only want the best for Draco.'
'He has the best, Lucius.'
*0*0*0*0*
The day of the wedding started a lot less stressful. Narcissa woke as the sun started to come up, and she set out to make sure that all was going to go according to plan. The night before had been pleasant, after she arrived back from speaking to Lucius. Neville was dragged to a pub in Godric's Hollow with his friends for a kind of stag do (though Ron insisted that it would all be good, clean fun) and didn't return until three in the morning. It gave Narcissa and Draco time to talk (no stag do for him), mother to son, which was something that she missed since Draco and Neville became an item. She had been glad, as the veil of downheartedness she had been under had lifted simultaneously, to her delight, but she couldn't deny that she'd felt that she'd lost something as well.
She had a quick gaze at the list of Last Minutes, and felt a little daunted. Stirring her tea, she sat at the table in the dining room, and rewrote what hadn't been ticked off or scribbled out, welcoming Camelia in.
'What can I do to help today, dear?' her cousin asked, while pouring herself some tea from the flowery teapot that sat on the side cabinet. 'Give me some of those tasks on your list.'
'I'll have a look… Would you mind dealing with Arthur Weasley for me? I've arranged for roses to be attached to the marquee that he'll be bringing over in an hour or so, maybe you and he can get them ready?' Narcissa asked, not looking up from her papers. 'I want it to look beautiful for Neville… He'd had his heart set on the other one…'
'If the look of horror on his face was anything to go by…' Camelia smiled. She looked nothing like Narcissa, is that she was short, chubby, had a riot of curls and a friendly appearance, unlike Narcissa's tall physique, ordered manners and aloof façade. They enjoyed each other's company immensely though, and Narcissa was glad that she'd offered to help out a few weeks back when they met for coffee in Diagon Alley, a once every six months occurrence. 'Poor lad…'
'I know… Bless him… Oh, and the new cake will arrive at nine, can you make sure it will be looked after by one of Hilda's henchman? I don't want Lucius to spoil it again…'
'On it, dear.'
The clock in the dining room struck eight. Three hours to go till the wedding.
Hours that whizzed by. She made sure that all was according to her plans, and that Draco looked his most wonderful. He and Neville had grudgingly agreed to spend the night before the wedding in separate rooms, to abide with tradition, but she was well aware that upon returning from Godric's Hollow Neville in his half-drunk state wandered into Draco's room, and some merriment ensued soon afterwards (quite audibly too). He did however appear from the guestroom that morning, looking slightly the worse for wear, but his eagerness for the day ahead made up for any grogginess he may have felt.
Narcissa felt a mixture of zealous enthusiasm and the beginnings of madness set in by the time all the guests had found their seats and the four-piece orchestra started playing the music that Neville had chosen. First Draco wandered along the isle, underneath the flower- and butterfly-covered marquee, wearing his dark blue suit, which to Narcissa's mind made him look gorgeous. His smile was dazzling, as he nodded at the odd person in the crowd that he hadn't seen for a long time. He positioned himself in front of the clergywoman, to her right, and turned to smile at his mother, who waited at the far end, taking Neville's arm and walking to the front together. It had been his request, a few months before, as he knew that no one from his own relatives would be able to come and he had started to see Draco's mother as the nearest he had to family. She had been so touched, and agreed immediately. And it felt marvellous to be able to walk her son in law to meet up with her son, who was beaming.
'We are gathered here today, to witness the marriage between Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom,' the clergywoman started, smiling at the two men in front of her. Narcissa was already wiping her eyes. Neville smiled at her kindly, then went back to staring at Draco, who was also having trouble keeping it dry.
The ceremony went swimmingly, with the only disturbance the doves that managed to escape from their cage far too early and created quite a tumult. After the clergywoman spoke her official words, and Luna read out a beautiful poem, there was more touching music from the orchestra. Then, with trembling hands, Neville took a crumpled piece of paper from inside his suit, which he folded out, and then took Draco's hand.
'Draco, my sweet, please bear with me here,' Neville started, sounding a tad overcome. Gentle laughter came from the crowd. 'Here goes… Draco, I love you so very much, that I cannot find the words to describe it. Having gotten to know you, again, has been the most wonderful thing that happened to me, and I want to thank whoever has made it possible to have achieved this. So, therefor, with all my heart, I, Neville Francis Longbottom, take you, Draco Lucius Malfoy, to be my husband, my friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to carry on loving you unconditionally, to support you, to honour and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live…'
Loud sniffles sounded from the gathered crowd, and Draco was seen to mouth 'thank you' as tears rolled down his cheeks. Narcissa clutched her now wet handkerchief, and Camelia's hand, and smiled until her face felt like it would break.
'Neville,' Draco started, his voice about to break, 'I know it's a complete cliché when I say that you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, but it is the only truth – you are… Until I knew you, love was a notion that I felt for only a small number of people in my life, but never for another man, not like this, and your love has enriched my life so much, that I want it to never end. I promise to do my best to be the best thing that's happened in your life… So, I, Draco Lucius Malfoy, take you, Neville Francis Longbottom, to be my husband, my dearest friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to carry on loving you unconditionally, to support you in all you do, to honour and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live…'
More sniffles, as well as some clapping, and Ron Weasley was the first to start cheering on his friend and his new husband. Then a round of applause filled the marquee, and Screech the house elf walked on with two rings and a platted wedding ribbon on a cushion.
Neville first picked up a ring from the cushion.
'Draco, I now give you this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you,' Neville said, and placed the silver band on Draco's finger.
The second ring was taken by Draco, who took Neville's hand in his, and spoke words of a similar nature, then gently put it on his new husband's finger, and smiled madly.
The clergywoman picked up the wedding ribbon, of beautifully platted silk and gold, beads and stars, and held out her hand to receive that of Neville and Draco. They laid their clasped hands in hers and watched as she then gently wound the ribbon around their joined hands several times, spoke a blessing of their joining in matrimony, and asked for several friends to come forward and tie a knot with the loose strings. This took some time, during which the four piece band played some beautiful string music, and Narcissa fetched a new handkerchief. Winston the cat walked during it all, placing himself right by Draco's feet, as if to give his approval. Neville pointed out the animal's gesture.
'Even Winston is happy for us,' Narcissa heard her son whisper.
'With the powers vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, I now have the pleasure of pronouncing you husband and husband…' they heard. 'You may now kiss… the groom?'
To the sound of giggles, Draco moved forward and reached his free hand to touch Neville's face. 'Hello, husband,' he grinned, and placed his lips on Neville's, who made sure that their first kiss as a wedded couple would last as long as possible.
'Love you,' Neville breathed joyfully when he finally thought it would be a good idea to stop kissing Draco.
'Till forever and a day…' Draco answered, and kissed Neville once more.
*0*0*0*0*
As the rain ran down the windows of the orangery, and peace returned to Malfoy Manor, Narcissa fell asleep on her far too comfortable chair, recalling the happiest day in the past decade. As the mother of the grooms, something for which she would be eternally happy. At least one Malfoy wedding had left her joyous, she thought, just before sleep overtook her.