Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the delicious Narcissa Malfoy (Black) does indeed belong to JKR. As does any other character used blahhhh! Xxx
A/N: Cyber cookies for all my lovely readers :D there will be strawberry cake if you review! (I can't give you chocolate as its lent . ) xx
A/N: okay, as you can see from the previous note, I haven't updated in far too long and for that I am grievously sorry. I just want to thank Zelda's Hero for a wonderful email that provided me with the kick up the ass that I needed; as well as all of your reviews, from the anonymous ones to HazzaPfanatic94 and Robin Helena Jager-Black.(and everyone else un-named) Thank you all so much 3
"Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements
Even if it leads nowhere?
Or would it be a waste even if I knew my place
Should I leave it there?
Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements
Even if it leads nowhere?"
Knocking on the door she had left only hours ago, the tears that sliced mercilessly down Hermione's cheeks seemed unstoppable. She wanted to compose herself before seeing Narcissa again, wanted to create an impression that proved she had an intelligent mind and strong character, not that she was weak. The emotions inside her, however, were not listening to her futile attempts to impede the tears, and instead she was gripping herself around the ribs, feeling as though they were going to rip open in pain.
The seconds it took Narcissa to answer the door, felt like an eternity to the young brunette, all time seemed to stop and her emotions seemed to swell uncontrollably. The blonde witch swung the door back with a slightly shocked expression, looking Hermione once over she stepped back without a word and let the younger woman into her flat. Shutting and locking the door silently before following the heartbroken woman into her front room.
Hermione had lost the elegance and grace from the afternoon and dropped herself onto one of the large leather sofa's. She kicked her shoes off, then swung her feet lightly onto the sofa. She leaned into the arm of the sofa, sobbing gently, with her brown curls falling around her face. Narcissa looked on from the doorway, the expression on her face somewhat unreadable, but the emotion and pain in the witches clear blue eyes was unmistakeable. Narcissa moved towards the sofa, taking light steps across the plush carpet, bringing herself closer to the heartbroken young woman on her sofa.
She sat beside Hermione, close enough for her to reach out and comfort the girl, but not so close she would cause discomfort. Narcissa's eyes did a quick scan of the young witches shuddering body, checking for any more injuries inflicted by such a cruel man. Starting at Hermione's feet, her eyes followed the curves of calves and the bend in her knees. So far the pale skin remained unblemished, but Narcissa could see no more. She moved her gaze to Hermione's face which remained covered by the brunette curls, dancing randomly with each sob. The loose bun that had once held these ringlets in place was messy and dishevelled, barely visible in the mass of brown hair.
Hermione gasped a deep breath, gulping air into her aching lungs, trying to regain control over her breathing. Narcissa placed a gentle hand onto Hermione's hand, noticing that the glittering wedding band from before had gone. With a little squeeze, she let Hermione know she was there.
The brunette looked up, her normally honey coloured eyes appeared red and puffed, tears stained her cheeks and the glamour charms once again, rendered useless by the intense emotion. The black eye was strong shades of purple, and her jaw line was also beginning to turn an interesting array of colours. Hermione raised her free hand, swept the curls from her eyes; she wiped the tears from her cheeks and then placed her hand over Narcissa's .
The blonde witch looked into those amber coloured eyes, wishing more than anything to help, comfort or in some way alleviate the pain her new found friend was suffering. Hermione looked back, her eyes meeting the strong blue gaze of Narcissa, feeling something stir within her chest.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to go …" Hermione whispered, looking at the floor and letting her ringlets fall forward as a curtain, covering her face.
"It is perfectly fine Hermione, I am glad you came to me." Narcissa answered, her voice gentle and warm.
Hermione looked up cautiously, her expression a cross between anxiousness and tender hope. Her honey bloodshot eyes traced the older witch's face, across her highly arched, perfectly manicured eyebrows, down over her high chiselled cheek bones and travelling over her plumb pink lips. Hovering over her mouth, Hermione watched as Narcissa smiled gently, a gesture that was reflected in her azure eyes.
"Have you eaten?" Narcissa asked, clearly concerned, head cocked to one side so as to observe Hermione's expressions with more accuracy.
"Not recently no." Hermione answered, perfectly timed as her stomach gave a little growl in agreement.
They both laughed lightly before Narcissa stood gracefully.
"You make yourself at home and I will rustle you up a nice Caesar salad." She spoke gently, delicately stretching her limbs like a cat before gracefully sauntering into the kitchen.
The younger witch watched Narcissa work from the sofa, totally in awe of how precise and elegant every move was. Shaking her head slightly, an amused smile on her lips, Hermione followed Narcissa into the kitchen, perching herself on an adjacent side to the one Narcissa was working on before eyeing up a wine stack, hands clasped together gently.
"Rose or White?" the blonde asked, without even turning to face the young brunette.
Shocked at the fact Narcissa hadn't even looked at her, yet she still knew what Hermione had been contemplating, the younger witch felt her brow crease and jaw drop slightly. When Narcissa finally turned to make eye contact with her companion she laughed merrily.
"…White please" Hermione answered, shaking her head once more still somewhat baffled.
The blonde witch swished her hand in a refined and flowing motion, turning her attention back to the salad. Her magic made the wine bottles jingle and a white bottle extract itself from within the rack. Hermione watched as this bottle floated across to another work surface, followed by two tall glasses. Somewhat fascinated, she continued to observe how the cork unscrewed itself with a squeaky sound , the bottle tipped slightly and poured its contents into the glasses upon the work top. Narcissa turned her head quickly, a pleased smile gracing her face.
"Would you look at that, not a drop spilt!" Her voice was light and amused.
"I'm impressed to say the least" Hermione laughed, sliding down from the counter and reaching for the glasses, passing one to the blonde and raising the other to her lips.
Taking a sip of the crisp wine, another smile passed across Hermione's face. Resting the glass on the side, Hermione gracefully repositioned herself on the counter, picked up the glass and took another mouthful. Narcissa's eyes followed Hermione, her delicate way of moving, how her hair caught the sun and glinted almost gold. Realising she could have been looking for a little too long, Narcissa took a drink then returned to the salad, turning her back on Hermione.
Breaking the silence with a gentle sigh, Hermione began to feel more comfortable in her surroundings. Relatively sure she was far from Ron, somewhere he wouldn't find her and best of all, she was with a friend. Her mind began to wander, thoughts about anything and everything and was very soon immersed in her own little world.
Adding the finishing touches to her salad, Narcissa reached for the fruit bowl. Slicing a lemon in half and squeezing it across both plates, she was satisfied. Turning to face Hermione, she saw the young girl, her honey coloured eyes distant and fixed on the floor. Narcissa took a few steps across the kitchen, bringing herself close to Hermione. Moving slowly, she reached out a hand, and rested it on Hermione's. Looking up into Narcissa's face, the golden eyes were filled with pain and emotion. Without a second thought, the blonde witch guided her friend from the counter, and pulled her close into a hug.
For a moment, Hermione's body went rigid in fear, scared she was going to be hurt, but Narcissa's gentle touch overrode the fear. Crumpling into Narcissa's shoulder, Hermione found her emotions were out of her control, tears falling again, covering both her face and Narcissa's shoulder.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're safe here, he can't hurt you here I promise. I won't let him near you again." Narcissa comforted, her delicate hands rubbing circles into Hermione's back.
"It … it … it hurts Cissy." Hermione chocked out.
Narcissa had only seconds to ponder the usage of her old nickname, before her heart squeezed in pain as the young woman clung even tighter to her.
"I know chick, I know. It will get better, honestly. You are safe with me, he can't hurt you here. You will be okay. Everything's going to be fine, just you wait and see." She continued, her strong arms cradling the younger woman to her.
Slowly Hermione's sobs subsided, her ragged breathing becoming more even and her head becoming heavy on Narcissa shoulder, as the brunettes exhaustion prevented her from holding it up by herself any longer. The older witch continued to make soothing sounds and comforting circles on her new friends back. Within seconds the even breathing became deep and slow, almost peaceful and the tiny brunette sagged against Narcissa.
Sweeping the now asleep Hermione into her arms effortlessly, the blonde witch practically waltzed into a bedroom off the main corridor, lay Hermione gently down onto the bed and silently waved her wand which she had slipped into her hand from the bedside cabinet. Carefully her magic transfigured Hermione's clothing into a long silk nightgown, clearly meant for sleeping in, but elegant enough to wear to a ball. Her wand twirled effortlessly once more, and the duvet moved so as to cover Hermione's sleeping form. Smiling gently, Narcissa hit the light switch, waved her wand at the curtains and closed the door quietly.
Waking with a start, Hermione sat bolt upright in a cold sweat, eyes wild and fingers searching for her wand frantically, finding it hard to breathe and hating not knowing where she was. She spotted it on the bedside table to her left, reaching for it in a reflex movement equal to that of a cat, she sprang silently from the bed and held it out in front of her, ready to attack Ron should he emerge from the shadows like normal.
Her feet caressed the soft carpet of Narcissa's lounge as she made her way around the almost familiar apartment; walking past the sofa she screamed and shot a nonverbal disarming curse at the person whom had just reached out and grabbed her hand. Pulling her hand away harshly she whipped the wand around her head and crouched in a defensive position, face ablaze with adrenaline and the fierceness of a powerful priestess of ancient magic. The other person remained still as a statue, completely hidden by the shadows simply observing the younger woman through the tiny patch of moonlight illuminating the brunettes face.
"Lumos." Narcissa whispered, barely audibly, causing the tip of Hermione's wand to light up, not her own. She did not have the time to ponder such a strange action however, as she was momentarily dazzled. The wand light overwhelmed the two of them, causing them to squint in order to adjust to the light change.
"Mione' do drop the wand a little?" Narcissa asked, her voice husky with tiredness, but not unkind.
Hermione seemed to come to her senses and immediately lowered her threatening wand from Narcissa's form, stood from her battle pose and lurched forward to make sure Narcissa was not hurt, the wand light falling across the blondes beautiful face.
"Did I hurt you?" she whispered, clearly concerned, her light finger tips gently tilting Narcissa's face left and right and caressing her shoulder.
"No, I'm okay, are you? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Narcissa answered back, not allowing herself to register the Goosebumps rising under Hermione's touch.
"It's me that should be apologising, I have just threatened you, In your own home!" Hermione countered, sitting next to Narcissa and pulling the duvet the blonde had been using, over her legs, resting her tired head on Narcissa's arm. After a few moments silence, she yawned loudly and swivelled round so that her head was now resting on the opposite arm to Narcissa's, her legs tucked up underneath her and her wand lying abandoned on the cushion near her head. Within seconds her breathing had become steady once more, her eyes were shut and she was fast asleep; her alight wand tip illuminating the peacefully sleeping expression upon her face.
Narcissa watched the younger woman sleep, for how long she didn't know; she was curious as to how Hermione would cope with the abuse, knowing how long it had taken herself to handle her memories of Lucius. She was determined to help the younger witch in any and every way she could, she wanted to get to know the real Hermione, she wanted to bring out the brave woman who had threatened her moments ago. She could see that Hermione had a fire in her, a fire that burnt with flames of knowledge, passion and curiosity. Narcissa knew that teaching would be good for her, it would surely bring her personality out. Smiling at the idea of helping her, Narcissa whispered;
"Nox" and Hermione's went out.
Curling up on the other end of the sofa Narcissa too fell asleep.
A/N: I hope you all like this chapter as much as the last one, if not, let me know what you would like in next chapters. Xxx Lots of love Lacey :-)