Chapters will get longer, I assure you! At any rate, enjoy :D

Disclaimer: I don't own it. Some spoilers for DH. AU - obviously.

Harry Potter and the Unraveling of Time

By Koinaka

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost

Chapter Two
A Blank Slate

Narcissa Malfoy was not as overly fond of shopping as everyone thought her to be, but as the wife of one Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, there wasn't much else to do, and shopping, at least, guaranteed her freedom from Malfoy Manor, if only for a little while. Plus, she thought, as her hand came to rest idly on the slight swell of her belly, it was only a matter of time before it would be unseemly for her to continue her public appearances. So, she spent the majority of that frigid December morning wandering in and out of the various shops in Diagon Alley shopping for Christmas presents for her husband, her mind wandering freely, enjoying the opportunity to be herself that her solitude afforded her. Once her shopping was completed, she apparated to an abandoned alley and made the brisk walk from said alley to her Auntie Walburga's house. Since the disappearance of her favorite - and in her mind, only cousin - Regulus, Narcissa had taken to calling on her aunt several times a week to check on the woman and ensure that the mad old house elf they kept, Kreacher, had been taking proper care of her. Her aunt didn't always allow her entry into the house, but attempting still lent Narcissa a small amount of comfort.

She found him on the way up the walk way. He looked so very much like Regulus, she nearly thought that it was Regulus. But she knew what her aunt did not know. Regulus was never coming home. He was dead - dead by the very man whom he had sold himself; by the very man her husband served - the Dark Lord Voldemort.

She dropped to her knees beside the boy. He did look so very much like Regulus. Her heart clenched painfully as she gazed at his face. Grimacing at the coolness of the ground, she lightly ran a single finger down the boy's cheek. It was cool to the touch, much cooler, in fact, than it ought to be. She pulled her wand out and discreetly cast a warming charm along with a notice-me-not charm on the boy before stepping over him and up to her aunt's front door. She rapped three times on the door but received no answer. After another three raps, she turned back to the boy. He hadn't moved, but she hadn't expected him to. With a sigh, she headed over to him. The old Narcissa would have left him to his fate, but this new Narcissa, the one who was in the process of creating a human life - a magic like none other - could not do so. No, her instincts demanded that she help this boy. He was quite slight, but as he was still nearly her height, it was an awkward thing to gather him in her arms. She managed to do so, however, with a bit of work.

There was only the matter of where to take him. For all she knew, he could be a murderer, but that didn't bother her half as much as it should. She'd become shockingly accustomed to killing and those who partook of it. With Lucius Malfoy as her husband, she hadn't a choice in who was paraded in and out of her home and lately, more often than not, that included murderers.

Her decision made, she apparated both of them back to Malfoy Manor, directly into her own private suite. With the conception of the Malfoy heir, Lucius had been quick to move Narcissa into her own set of rooms in the left wing. She called for her personal elf, Lobby, and ordered the elf to watch after the boy while she ran to make a firecall. There were precious few that she trusted. Precious few, indeed. But there was one person she thought may help her - Severus Snape. He was a friend of Lucius'. Perhaps friend was not quite the word for it, but despite that, he was the only one who had any mediwizardry training that she trusted.

"Severus Snape, Spinner's End," she called out clearly as she threw in a handful of powder and stuck her head in the green flame.

"Narcissa?" was the confused query Severus gave as he looked up from his brewing to see her face peering back at him.

"Severus," she breathed out, relieved that he was home. "Can you come through? I need your help."

His eyes widened as he searched her face for any signs of distress. "Is it the baby?" he asked in a low murmur.

Narcissa shook her head. "No. Will you come through?" she repeated.

"Yes, I will," he replied at last.

Narcissa pulled her head out of the flames just in time for the flame to flare green again and Severus to come walking through.

"How may I be of service to you?" asked Severus, slowly, his obsidian eyes sweeping around the room before landing on the figure resting in her bed. He turned to her, arching an ebony brow. "A lover, Narcissa?"

A sneer flitted across the otherwise pretty face. "Do you think me so foolish?" she asked him. "To ask my husband's closest friend for help with a lover?"

Severus sighed. "No." He wasted no time approaching the bed. His breath hitched in his throat as he saw the figure closer. "Regulus..." he breathed out. "But how?"

Again Narcissa shook her head. "It's not Regulus; you know very well it is not! I'm not sure who he is. I found him laying on the ground in front of Aunt Walburga's house. I couldn't just leave him there - I couldn't," she finished. She was chewing on her bottom lip. "Can you examine him?"

Never taking his eyes off the boy, Severus nodded. "I will," he conceded. "But if it beyond me, then we will have to take him to St. Mungo's."

She gave him a terse nod. "I'll just go into the sitting room, then. Would you like some tea?"

Severus murmured his acceptance, before pulling his wand out of its holster. Narcissa gave the boy laying on her bed one last glance before hurrying out of the room.

She had Lobby bring a tea set for two to the sitting room, and she set about fixing Severus' tea the way he liked it before doing the same to her own. No sooner had she set the tea glass down did a pale-faced Severus came stumbling into the room.

"I think you ought to see this," he said.

Narcissa wasted no time in following Severus back into the room. "Is he...alive?" she asked before approaching the bed.

"Yes, now that he is no longer laying amidst the snow and his temperature is back to normal, he is out of the danger zone. He seems to be suffering from magical exhaustion. He won't wake until his body has recovered his magical reserve."

Narcissa let out a sigh of relief before glaring at him. "You gave me a fright," she accused him, lightly. "What has you so troubled then?"

"This," he stated before pulling back the shirt the boy was wearing. It had been buttoned, but during his examination, Severus had unbuttoned the top two buttons before discovering the necklace both he and Narcissa were now looking at.

She gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth, blue eyes wide. "Is that...?" she asked.

"The lost locket of Salazar Slytherin?" he finished for her. "So it would seem."

"It is, isn't it?" her hand reached out almost instinctively to caress the heavy golden locket. Severus grabbed her hand before she could do so.

"Don't," he hissed. "It's cursed. I know not what sort of curse lays upon it, but it is cursed. You musn't touch it. The same curse seems to be upon his forehead as well," He motioned to the odd lightning-bolt shaped scar marring the boy's otherwise smooth skin.

She turned her blue eyes on Severus. "How is it that he came to have it? The locket's been lost for centuries!"

"I do not know," he replied, honestly. "I must go inform our Lord. He has been searching for the locket since he attended Hogwarts. I suggest you move your guest into another room and prepare yourself for a visit from the Dark Lord. I shall bring with me a cleansing potion. It should be able to remove the curse from the boy's forehead."

Before she could utter another word, Severus was gone. Narcissa let out a heavy sigh and sunk onto her bed. She watched the boy's deep breathing for several moments.

The Slytherin locket was a legend among the Slytherins at Hogwarts. Men had searched their entire lives for the locket only to come up empty handed and with far less sanity than they started with. And now, here it was...

Narcissa had Lobby apparate the boy into a guest quarters across from her suite and dress the boy for bed in a pair of transfigured pajamas. The house elf was just finishing when Narcissa entered the room. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully, if his steady breathing was any indication. His face was still a bit pale, but otherwise, he appeared to be well.

"Mistress, I found these papers in the Mistress' guest's pocket," Lobby said, handing an envelope filled with papers out to Narcissa.

"Thank you, Lobby," murmured Narcissa, softly. "You may go and ensure that dinner is prepared. We shall be having two guests for dinner as well."

Lobby bowed low before disappearing with a soft crack. Narcissa's slender finger traced the official seal of the Ministry on the envelope. She knew what was contained within this envelope. All of age witches and wizards were required to carry a set of these papers on their persons - when traveling internationally especially.

Narcissa drew a chair closer to the head of the bed and lowered herself in it, preparing to set up vigil until Severus returned. Every moment that passed by, the color was returning to the boy's face. Upon closer inspection, he looked much more like Sirius than Regulus, but there was no doubting his heritage. He was a Black, that was plain to see. Lucius was sure to be angry at her for bringing a stranger into his house, but if the boy was a Black - and Narcissa was certain he was - then he was her family.

An hour into her vigil, the boy let out a soft sigh and his long eyelashes fluttered against the creamy skin of his cheeks before opening to reveal gray eyes - the very same gray eyes both Regulus and Sirius shared. He blinked several times before turning his head. At seeing Narcissa, his eyes widened and he scrambled away from her.

"Keep away from me!" he exclaimed when she tried once more to approach him.

"I'll not hurt you," said Narcissa soothingly. The boy didn't seem to trust her words though he did, more out of necessity than want, she knew, lay back down on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

He seemed to ponder her question for a long moment. "Fine, I suppose," he said, finally.

Narcissa offered him a small smile. "I'm glad. You gave me quite a fright. I hadn't expected to find a young boy in the walk in front of Aunt Walburga's house. I'll firecall her in a moment and let her know you're alright. She must be frantic with worry. When was she expecting you?"

But the boy's face only grew more confused looking. "I'm afraid I don't understand," he said. "Do I know you?"

Blue eyes widened fractionally. "How remiss of me. I'm Narcissa Malfoy. Please forgive my rudeness for me not introducing myself. It's been a strange day."

The boy gave a curt nod. "That's alright. I'm..." he trailed off, his brow furrowed, a frown firmly set on his face. His eyes widened, almost comically so. "I... I don't know who I am," he confessed in a hushed tone. A look of panic appeared on his face. His breath started to come out in harsh spurts. "Who are you? How did I get here?" he demanded.

"I brought you here," she told him. "I found you unconscious on the stoop of Auntie Walburga's house. I couldn't just leave you there, so I brought you to my home - Malfoy Manor."

Narcissa expected to see some sort of recognition in those familiar eyes of his, but found none. "Surely you know of the Malfoy's? You are a Black, are you not?"

"I don't know!" he cried out. "I can't remember."

"That's alright," she murmured. "Perhaps its a side effect of the curse. Severus said you had been cursed. What do you remember?" she asked, curiously.

A silence fell over the boy. When he spoke again, his tone was horror-filled. "Nothing," he breathed out softly. "Nothing." he repeated.