Narcissa Malfoy stood anxiously waiting for a sign of life from the vast garden below her bedroom window. She'd been waiting for what seemed like a lifetime for him to comeback to the safety of his home, back to her arms where he belonged. How would she cope if she lost him to the war? Or to the clutches of Azkaban? She needed him to help her look after her sons, his sons, his two beautiful little boys. They had fought to hard to keep Tristan, keep him from the clutches of death. He had almost died inside her, after her father found out about him. He was conceived out of wedlock, a child unworthy of the name of Black. It almost killed to think what might of happened if Lucius hadn't got there with his father when he did. She wouldn't have her oldest child. Then, she might not even have her new baby, her little boy, Draco. He was her miracle baby. When Tristan was born the complications were great, she was told not expect to have any more children, then he showed up.

She had wanted a little girl, not another boy. She wanted someone to be her companion in life, to teach, to spoil, to cherish and have always. Boys grew up and became to independent to quickly, but a girl was always there. She felt guilty when the jealously kicked in, when she saw Lily with her little girl, her beautiful, blonde haired baby that should have been hers. She would have given anything to have a girl. But now it was too late and fate had dealt its cards on her.

Realizing that he wasn't coming back anytime soon, she sighed heavily and ran her hands through her blonde hair before pacing back into the fire lit room, where the shadows played on the walls. To her, the fire was like a lion in a serpent's lair, a for-shadowing of the dangers that faced them all in the future, if the Dark Lord were to be successful in his campaigns for power.

Hastily she left her room and made her way down the corridor, she couldn't sleep at all tonight, so what was the point in trying. She would find her solace in pacing the house in which she had lived for so long now.

Various portraits ticked and hissed at her as she made her way around the house, the lady of the manor should be in bed right now, waiting for her husband to come home to see her. Absent mindently she made her way to the room in which she had usually found solace in the past, a room in which she felt at peace.

She let out a sigh of relief as she heard the uninterrupted steady breathing in the room. It sounded like angels breathing to her, this was where her life was now.

She sat on the edge of the bed, smiling as her eldest child lay sleeping in his bed, his glasses on the end of his nose and a book spread across his chest.

She laughed as she read the cover, "Metamorphosis for beginners." She chuckled to herself and moved the book to the side cabinet and took off her son's glasses. "You're not quite there yet baby!" she smiled to him and kissed his head. "Good night sweetheart."

Narcissa absently looked at the contents of the shelves on which her son had collected various creatures from the fields and woods that surrounded the Manor gardens. A couple of fairies seemed rather annoyed at her and swore tremendously at her to let them out of their glass jar cages. Chuckling to herself, she left him to rest and shut the door behind her. She wanted to go to her other solace now, to see her other baby, the cherub asleep in his crib, until she was interrupted by the sharp noise of the front door opening and shutting with a tremendously loud thud.

She felt her heart thud inside her chest, over and over like a train inside her. Silently she waited, pinned against the wall in darkness, waiting in the shadows of her house until the quickened and heavy footsteps disappeared. Only then did she move forward to survey the room below her, panic rising in her chest.

The serpent like glimmer that came from the room to the far left shone across the stone floor. She took a deep breath and walked stealthily down the hallway and then down the stairs, producing no noise as she did this. She was then able to quickly walk across the grainy stone flooring, her wand un-sheathed at all times. She opened the door quickly and made her way into the main body of her husbands study, she could hear noises being produced from the other part of the room.

"Lucius! For crying out loud!" she hissed around the corner. Her heart leapt as her husband came around the corner, unscathed. She felt a rush of relief her husband grinned at her, she flung herself into his arms. He grasped her tightly against him, he'd thought he would never see her again, yet now here he was. Home, safe and in the presence of the woman he loved.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" she pulled away and kissed his nose, her eyes full of water. "What happened?"

Lucius swallowed hard "Nothing. The Dark Lord fell, no-one knows where he is, whether he is dead or not."

Narcissa smirked a little "We're free! We're safe, for good now?"

"For now, if he isn't dead and comes back, he'll be pissed." He pulled away and ran his hands through his hair. How could he tell her? "Narcissa, he died…he died trying to kill the Potter boy."

She felt her heart sink into her stomach "Harry?" she chocked as he nodded "Is he dead?"

Lucius shook his head "No, not at all…but…" he stuttered.

"Lily?" she confirmed and he nodded. "God no!" she wept "James to?"

"Yes. James as well." He got up and put his arms around her as she wept.

"The baby…" she pulled away. "What about Lily's little girl? How is she?"

"She's alive." He muttered and Narcissa heard the whimpers coming from the other room.

She looked at him wide eyed and ran around the corner, the white and pink blankets spread on the table, her goddaughter screaming in the blankets. She ran to her and scooped her up in her arms, holding her fragile body in her grasp.

"Wait, Narcissa! We can't keep her here with us, she belongs to someone else."

"What do you mean? She's my goddaughter for crying out loud!" she shouted before hushing the little girl in her arms.

"Snape got there first." He muttered and rubbed his head "He adopted her, with Dumbledore's help, before we could do anything about it, its all legal."

"No! How does anyone expect that greasy haired two faced bastard to look after a helpless little girl?"

"I don't…" Lucius stopped and smiled at the little boy standing rubbing his eyes. "Hey Tristan." He picked him up and kissed his head.

"Why's mummy shouting at you daddy?" his voice yawned out. "What did you do wrong?"

"Nothing sweetie!" Narcissa assured him as the baby in her arms became quiet.

"Why's Draco awake?" he asked.

"It's not Draco, its Aunt Lily's baby, remember? Elisabeta?" she showed him and he nodded. "More to the point young man! Why are you awake?" she smiled gently.

"I had a nightmare." He took in a breath. "That Uncle Regulas died in a lake."

Narcissa looked worriedly at her husband, no one had explained to her son how her cousin had died, so she was shocked when he knew so much about it.
"It was just a nightmare son!" Lucius assured his son and he nodded against his fathers chest.

"Is Libby staying here now?" Tristan asked his mother.

"I don't know sweetheart, maybe just for a little while." She smiled and kissed the little girls head. "Come on mister, bedtime!" she enthused as Lucius put her son on the floor. "Here, hold her for a little while, just until I come back." She handed him the baby quickly and left before he could argue with her.

He sighed and went to sit down in his chair, the baby in his arms cooing away, moving her legs and arms freely. He laughed as she seemed to smile up at him.

"Oh no you don't miss!" he shook his head and turned her to face him, cradled in his arms. He smiled at her earnest little face, she was deciding whether or not she trusted him at all. "You know, for a Potter, you're alright. But you knew that!" he laughed as stuck out her little tongue in glee. "I'll give you this, you know how to pull on the heart strings!" he brought her into the crook of his arm and stroked her fingers back and forth. He seemed quite pleased with himself when she fell asleep in his arms, quiet and content.

He was too interested with the child in his arms to notice his wife standing at the door, who smiled tiredly at the site in front of her.

"She likes you." Narcissa quietly stated.

"You think?" Lucius looked at his wife worriedly.

She chuckled a little and sat on the desk next to him, playing with the baby blanket. "She does. James couldn't even get her to sleep most nights." She fought on her tears.
Lucius sighed and handed his wife the baby, who she gratefully held in her arms, smiling a little when she stirred in her sleep.

"She's never going to remember her mother, ever." She kissed her hand.

"There's a court hearing next week. Snape's letting us keep her until then, until we decide who gets guardianship for her. Harry's been sent to live with Muggles, his mothers family."

Narcissa simply nodded as the silent tears fell down her face and Lucius's heart caved in his chest. He sighed heavily and stood up, before placing his arms around his wives shoulders. He squeezed her gently and kissed her temple. "I'm sorry we never got the chance to have our own daughter."

She smiled a little and took in a deep breath "I think I'd better put her down for the night." She stood up gently and slowly, not wanting to disturb the baby in her arms.

Quietly she took the little girl to the nursery, in which her son was sleeping peacefully away, sprawled out on his back, dreaming not doubt.

She smiled a little at him before moving to the other crib in the room, the one which had belonged to Tristan would now belong to this little girl. Narcissa Malfoy was determined, as she tucked in the sleeping angel, to have her for her own and keep her with her always.