I'm not honestly sure how long this is going to get, though at this point I'm expecting it to be at least another five chapters, though more than likely, closer to another fifteen. This chapter was going to cover the summer and the Indus, Hugo, and Lily's second year... and I only got through the summer soo... glad you guys are enjoying this as it's going. To "slburn" - yes I know I said I'd cover Hermione's employment situation in this chapter, however as I stated above, I didn't get as far in the timeline as I'd wanted to for this chapter. It will be in the beginning of the next chapter. Promise. :) And without further ado...
Hermione gasped as Narcissa's lips found hers, and despite the nagging thoughts about how she was very much a married woman, she found herself kissing Narcissa back eagerly. It was so soft, so unlike Ron. Where Ron had rough stubble, Narcissa's skin was smooth, and where she often felt like Ron's mouth might completely envelop hers, Narcissa's lips matched her own, the kiss truly equal as opposed to a battle for dominance. Still…
"We shouldn't," she breathed, though she still kept pulling the other woman closer.
"We shouldn't," Narcissa agreed, as she tugged Hermione's shirt out of the waistband of her jeans, and lifted it quickly over the younger woman's head.
"I want you…" Hermione gasped, quickly unbuttoning her companion's blouse.
"Gods, Hermione, I need you…" Narcissa exclaimed, unsnapping the younger witch's bra, and as soon as it fell to the ground, she leaned down and latched on the first breast she found.
The brunette moaned as her body pulsed with pleasure, leaning back against a wall for support as Narcissa methodically searched for every erogenous zone on her torso. Lower and lower Narcissa moved, eventually unbuttoning Hermione's jeans and pulling them and her knickers down in one swift motion, completely kneeling on the ground as she did so.
She pulled one of Hermione's legs free of clothing and swung it over her shoulder, not even bothering with the other leg before pulling her own shirt off the rest of the way, and then thrusting her tongue into the apex of Hermione's thighs.
"Cissa!" Hermione cried, orgasming almost immediately following the contact of the older woman's tongue against her own clit. "Oh, gods!"
Narcissa continued her beautiful assault on Hermione's body for several minutes before standing, kissing her lover on the lips gently, and pulling her closer. "How about we continue this in the bedroom?" she suggested softly.
"We shouldn't…" the brunette tried to reason for the second time, dropping her face against Narcissa's shoulder.
"But we are," the other woman replied, tone certain.
"I think I've fallen in love with you," Hermione whimpered, looking up at her lover with tears in her eyes. "And it terrifies me."
"I think I've fallen in love with you," Narcissa echoed. "And despite all the potential consequences, I cannot bring myself to walk away."
Hermione nodded, feeling much the same. She had never wanted Ron the way she wanted Narcissa now. Their relationship had grown as per a natural evolution of the friendship they had and hardship they faced during the war. Harry had Ginny, and she had Ron. It was as simple as that. Until now, she'd always thought that was enough. She loved Ron, but she was beginning to wonder if she had ever really fallen in love with him.
"Nor can I," she admitted. "Take me to bed."
It had been six weeks and three encounters since Narcissa had begun the affair with Hermione. She supposed she could define it as going well. They had not been found out, and the sex was bloody fantastic. However, the impulse to look over at Hermione at King's Cross was still bothering her a bit. She had a theory, but she was no expert and really didn't even know what books might hold the answers. She only knew one person who would have the information she needed, so on a Monday morning she dropped Indus off at Draco's to play with Scorpius, and she made her way to Hogwarts.
"State your name and business," a stone Gryffin at the gate demanded.
"Narcissa Black. I am here to see the Headmistress," Narcissa said. "No, I do not have an appointment, but it is rather important."
There was a pause, and then the gate swung open. "She is by the lake, and bids you to join her there," the sentry informed her.
"Thank you," Narcissa replied.
It didn't take her long to walk to the lake, and as expected Minerva McGonagall was sitting on a bench on the far side. "Hello, Narcissa," the aging Headmistress greeted. "What can I do for you on this fine day? All is well with Indus, I trust?"
"He's fine," Narcissa replied. "Visiting his brother and nephew. I have some questions that I believe you may have the answers to."
"Go on," Minerva urged, patting the bench and was sitting on, inviting her visitor to sit.
Narcissa took a seat, and a deep breath. "What can you tell me about Clairsentience Links?"
"To start, they are very rare," Minerva replied. "They are also virtually impossible to resist once a physical connection has been made. Prior to a first sexual encounter, two Clairsentients might feel unusually comfortable with one another, but it can be resisted. Once you've had sex, your very magic bonds to your partner. I won't kill you to be apart, but it does drain your magic. That drain becomes permanent when one partner passes through the veil. When Albus died, magics that had once come easily to me became a struggle, which is why I stopped teaching directly after the war."
Narcissa nodded. "How do you know if you have a link with someone?"
"It always starts as a friendship, commonly one perceived as unusual in one way or another," Minerva explained. "That's the link reaching for it's mate. Over time, the link grows stronger, eventually triggering psychic abilities… a sixth sense in which you somehow know that the other person is in distress. Distress is not the only emotion to trigger the link, though it's certainly the most common. For Albus and I, he realized we had the link when, four years after I'd begun teaching here, I'd fallen down a flight of stairs. He found me minutes later, despite my being in a less than commonly used part of the castle. He used the link to locate me."
Narcissa rubbed her temples. "Damn," she muttered, thinking of what had happened at the train station and knowing beyond any doubt that she and Hermione were indeed linked. And they'd had sex… which meant that there was no walking away. Not that she actually wanted to, but given that Hermione was indeed married, it was not out of the realm of possibilities that at some point, she may want to end things.
"Narcissa, have you…" Minerva questioned, looking concerned.
She saw no point in beating around the bush. "Hermione Granger," she said tersely. "Weasley. Whatever. The link activated between us six weeks ago at the train station when we were picking up our children."
"Had you become friends prior?" Minerva asked.
"We had been… running into each other, rather often," Narcissa explained. "We knew our families would never understand a friendship between us, so we kept it very casual, and completely secret."
"Have you…"
"Ohhhhhh yes," Narcissa laughed. "Hermione is… well… I'll spare you the details."
Minerva chucked. "Thank you. Well, Miss Black, you have gotten yourself into a rather big mess, haven't you?"
"Understatement."
"Will you tell her… about the link?" the older witch asked.
"No," the blond replied. "At least not yet. She has a husband and two young children who deserve to grow up in a home with both their mother and their father. I do not want Hermione to feel like she's being pressured to break up her family."
"While I do understand that point of view, her magic is also important to her," Minerva said gently. "And she deserves to know what's at stake should she chose to stop seeing you."
"If she indicates a wish to stop seeing me, I'll let her know," Narcissa promised. "For now, however, it's information I shall keep to myself."
"Slytherin," the Headmistress teased.
"I'm sure with your Gryffindor sensibility, you'd want me to risk everything - the future of my son as Lord Black - and just announce to the Daily Prophet that I'm in love with a muggleborn woman twenty years younger than me," Narcissa countered.
"Aye," Minerva replied, eyes twinkling. "Not a bad plan, though I'd wait until Hermione is in agreement."
Hermione had been seeing Narcissa… in the sense of seeing her… all of her … for the better part of a month now. It had been earth shattering both sexually and emotionally, though mentally she was starting to wear thin. She knew what she was doing was wrong - cheating on Ron - but she couldn't seem to help herself. She felt like a teenager again, totally unable to control the desperate need that filled her anytime Narcissa was not around.
She needed talk to someone, but talking to her friends was out of the question, and she was also disinclined to talk to a therapist at St. Mungo's in fear that they'd be just as judgemental as Harry or Ginny were likely to be. It was moments like this that she was grateful that she had such a close relationship with her mother.
Rose and Hugo off to visit the Potters, and Ron off at work, Hermione made her way to her parents' home on the outskirts of London. Her father, this time of day, was likely down at the pub watching a soccer game with his mates, which Hermione felt was all the better. If she was going to get sound advice, she needed to be honest, and she did not really want to talk to her father about whom she was shagging, gender of said person completely beside the point.
"Mum?"
An aging muggle woman poked her head around the corner, smiling brightly. "What brings you by, Hermione?"
"I need to talk… vent… advice…?"
"Sounds serious," Jean Granger commented. "Shall I put on the kettle?"
"Probably a good idea," Hermione murmured, following her mom into the kitchen.
Jean put the kettle on for tea and took a seat at the table across from her daughter. "So, what's going on?"
"I'm having an affair," she replied without hesitation. If she didn't say it now, she knew she'd chicken out.
Her mother blinked. "What?" she asked, incredulous.
"With a woman," Hermione continued.
Jean's jaw dropped.
"Who is twenty years older than me, and the widow of a Death Eater," Hermione explained, getting all her cards on the table.
"Hermione that's quite a lot to take in," Jean said, finally finding her voice. "You of course, realize that doing this to Ron and your children is very wrong."
"Don't be daft, I've course I know that," Hermione snapped. "I just… can't stay away from her. It feels as if every time we're together, the pull gets even stronger."
"Could she be compelling you by magical means? Like a potion, or the imperious curse?" Jean asked seriously.
Hermione loved that her mother had really taken the time and effort to learn about the wizarding world. It made conversations about her life there so much easier. "I seriously doubt it. Primarily because she is in a similar boat as I am - she stands to lose a lot if our relationship was discovered. Further any food or drink we've shared has been at a muggle cafe, and if she is carrying a wand around anymore, I have not seen her draw it."
"Why wouldn't she carry a wand?" Jean asked. "I mean, aren't witches and wizards typically so attached to their wands that they feel uncomfortable without it?"
"Typically, yes, however in the aftermath of the war there were plenty of witches and wizards who chose to live as muggles. Ron and I actually considered it for a time. It can be… difficult to go places in which the strongest memories are ones of death and destruction. All I know about Narcissa - my lover - post the end of the war is that she had a second child eight years after. Her son Indus is Hugo's age."
"Narcissa… as in Malfoy?" Jean asked incredulously. "As in whose sister tortured you?"
Hermione groaned, regretting ever telling her parents the details of what happened that year she and the boys had been on the run. "She's Narcissa Black now, though yes, one in the same. And besides being an entirely different person than her sister was, that was over twenty years ago. People change."
"That they do. I would never have imagined you to be the cheating sort, sweetheart," Jean commented. "I'm certainly not going to turn you out or any such for your choices - you're a grown woman and have a right to decide things for yourself - but you cannot expect me to actually support you having an affair. Who you're having one with completely beside the point."
"I figured as much," Hermione nodded, looking at the table. "But you were the only person I could think of that I could talk to. I certainly couldn't tell any of my friends, and I didn't want to risk telling a counselor at St. Mungo's either… there's still a lot of bad blood between families of Death Eaters and families of their victims. In another generation, things will be better, but not now."
"So, my approval or not aside," Jean offered, changing direction of the conversation. "What is Narcissa Black like?"
Hermione smiled softly. "She's smart. Witty. Passionate. Beautiful…"
Narcissa was still panting as Hermione flopped on the bed beside her, naked and grinning. "Somebody seemed to be enjoying themselves," she commented.
The older witch offered a weak glare. "Somehow I don't think I was the only one. You were sucking on my tit like your life depended on it."
Hermione shrugged. "Among other things."
"You're insatiable."
"I can't help myself. I know how completely wrong this is… but I just can't stand not being near you," the younger woman admitted. "My mother is convinced you put a spell on me."
"You told your mother?" Narcissa gaped. She opted not to make mention of the offence in being judged by a muggle of all things, leaning more towards the actual risk factor involved. "What if she decides to tell Molly at the Burrow bash on Friday?"
"Oh, come on," Hermione pouted. "My mother wouldn't do that to me without a damned good reason, and even if she was intent on telling, she'd warn me ahead - give me a chance to do the right thing and confess my own misdeeds. Cissa, I had to tell someone. I needed council and she was a safe choice for me. Besides, I'd be willing to bet that you've found someone to confide in as well."
It astonished Narcissa how well Hermione seemed to know her. While her reason for going to the Headmistress had been technically because of the information she needed regarding the link, she admittedly didn't have to tell the elder witch whom she'd discovered a link with. That had been a need to talk about things, pure and simple. "Minerva," she grudgingly admitted.
Hermione stared at her for a moment, and then buried her face in the pillow for a full minute before turning to look at her lover. "I have a meeting with her next Monday regarding Rose… I have no idea how I'm going to look her in the eye. Do you even know how many times she would let me do things with that damned approving nod of hers and the words 'I trust your judgement, Miss Granger'...?"
Narcissa laughed at Hermione's imitation of Minerva's accent. "Professor, I'm shagging the former Mrs. Malfoy!" she imitated Hermione, then switched to her own version of Minerva's accent. "I trust your...oh my god Hermione… judgement…Mi..."
She didn't get the Miss Granger part fully out before Hermione threw a pillow at her. As a pillow fight escalated into another round of making love, Narcissa made a mental note to Owl Minerva and let her know that while she'd told Hermione that the Headmistress was aware of the relationship between them, she had still not told Hermione about the link. Perhaps she was being selfish in withholding the information from her lover, but ultimately she just didn't want to complicate things until they'd both had some time to adjust to the notion of being together at all. And the presence of the link did complicate things.
"Mrs. Weasley...Hermione…" Minerva McGonagall stated. "We've been talking for nearly half an hour and you've not made eye contact once. Whatever is the matter?"
Hermione wanted to crawl into a hole. "It's my understanding that you spoke with...Narcissa, recently," she whispered. "After years of your trust in my judgement, forgive me if I'm having a hard time looking you in the eye."
Minerva reached out and cupped the younger woman's jaw. "My dear, I am not upset with you. These things do happen. You cannot holp who you fall in love with. I certainly couldn't help it when I fell head over heals for my boss."
Mentally Hermione went over a biography she'd once read about Minerva's life, recalling that she'd gone from being a student here at Hogwarts, to training for her mastery, to returning to Hogwarts to teach. If the only place she'd ever worked was Hogwarts… "Albus?" she whispered.
Minerva nodded. "A relationship, and later marriage kept secret for decades. I suppose I could announce it to the world now that he's gone, but after so long of not telling people, I find that I am seldom inclined to bother. I was content with the way we lived our lives, and through secrecy, our children were spared the publicity that would have come with being the Headmaster of Hogwarts' offspring, not to mention the danger it would have caused them during Voldemort's reign of terror."
"You're really not upset?" Hermione asked sheepishly.
"I believe that at some point you'll need to make a choice regarding your marriage to Ronald," Minerva stated. "Though I do understand why you'd take time to make that decision, given the implications of who Narcissa is, or rather was. Your history is not one easily forgotten, and while the war may be over, there are plenty who still live to remember."
Hermione nodded. "I know. Thank you for understanding. I know fair few would."
The Headmistress nodded. "Now, shall we continue talking about your daughter's wish to follow in her mother's footsteps and acquire a time turner for her third year?"
The younger woman laughed. "She can't have one."
"Now you mind your manners," Narcissa instructed her younger son. "And if the older Slytherins keep giving you trouble for your friendship with the Potters and Weasleys, don't hesitate to go to the Headmistress."
"I got it, mum," Indus replied.
"Oi! Indy!" Hugo Weasley shouted. "Train's leaving in five minutes!"
"Don't talk to the Malfoys!" Ron Weasley shouted at his son.
"Indy is a Black, dad," Rose stated, sounding bored. "If you're going to be a prejudiced git, at least get your facts right."
"Rose," Hermione sighed. "Don't talk to your father so disrespectfully. Ron, do get over yourself. Hugo, please give my best to Indus."
Narcissa couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange.
"What's funny, Mother?" Draco asked her.
"How some things never change," Narcissa commented. "Indus, please give my best to the Weasley children."
"Are we sending well wishes to the Potters as well?" her elder son cut in, looking at his mother curiously.
"Well of course," Narcissa replied with a coy smile. "It's long past time old grudges were settled. Perhaps we ought to have Hermione, Harry, and their respective spouses to dinner at the Manor sometime."
"You're kidding," Draco gaped at her.
"Do I look kidding?" she inquired, offering a stern glance.
"How about next summer," Draco offer diplomatically. "So the children can come as well and at least act as a buffer against the inclination to start a duel in the middle of my dining room. Actually, maybe we should dine somewhere in public. So there will be witnesses to who started it. I assure you, it will not be me."
The whistle sounded on the Hogwarts Express - the final boarding call. Quickly she scooped Indus into a hug, kissing his forehead before letting him go. She glanced back and saw Hermione doing much the same with Rose and Hugo, and let out a soft sigh, wondering if there would come a day in which she'd have a chance to kiss Rose and Hugo goodbye, and Hermione's would have the same opportunity with Indus. She wondered if such a simple sign of normalcy was even possible. Making eye contact with her lover, she knew that Hermione was wondering the very same thing.
Bringing some new characters into the mix this chapter... who did you like seeing best? PLEASE REVIEW!