The letter Delphini wrote home brought an issue and a non issue. The non issue was her Sorting - as expected, Delphini was a Hufflepuff. Narcissa had seen that coming from a mile away.
The issue was the friend she had made, the photo in Narcissa's trembling hand a problem, the letter partially ignored.
Mom, Delphini's scrawl that never went away no matter how much Narcissa tried started, I'm in Hufflepuff! Their rooms are warm and the Common Room is so cozy, I feel at home already.
I made a friend on the train! His name is Edward Lupin, who is on Hufflepuff with me, but he'd rather be called Ted; we took photos together (he brought a camera! A gift from his godfather, apparently) and I asked to have one so I could send it to you. His hair isn't half brown and half pink, don't worry - he's a Metamorphmagus! Apparently his mom was one! Isn't that cool?
No, it wasn't. Edward Lupin was Nymphadora Tonks' son, grandson of her sister, Andromeda, and grandnephew of Narcissa herself. And if Narcissa had photos, so did Andromeda - who would be able to recognize Delphini for what she was.
Narcissa looked at the photo once more, the two kids - who were friends for what, six hours? - faces squished together, Delphini's wild hair like Bellatrix's against the boy's changing one. The boy looked like a bit like a young Sirius, if she gave it too much thought, wondering if she could make that photograph move.
No. Narcissa shook her head. No, she had to focus. She needed to talk with her older sister and - well, beg? It was worth a try.
"Sissi,", she called, and the elf appeared soon after. "Get a bath drawn out for me, I have a social duty to attend."
"Of course, lady Malfoy,", the elf replied, and Narcissa rose up, picking the letter and photo. The letter she stored in a well warded box, and the photo she hid for the time being. Lucius hadn't barged in her room for the past twenty years, but she didn't see the need for carelessness.
Narcissa took a deep breath and readied herself to meet her sister, picking her best robes.
She had always known where Andromeda had lived - a few Galleons here and there gave you access to some information others didn't budge easily on -, but never had visited, at first because of her rage at the fact it was Andromeda's fault her rather light contract had been tightened to death, and after that, it was the fear that the Dark Lord found out she had been talking with her estranged Muggleborn approving elder sister.
Narcissa should've approached her sooner, perhaps when Andromeda's husband was killed, but how was she supposed to face her sister when the killer lived under her roof? Bellatrix had always hated Andromeda - their looks too similar, but Andromeda was always kinder, like one got the nice parts of the personality and the other, the hateful and vicious that their mother prefered -, but Narcissa always had, in a way, looked up to her sisters.
That was how Narcissa found herself hesitating in front of the door to Andromeda's house, the guilt of knowing and never speaking anything gnawing at her.
Still, she had to move at some point, and started by doing the simplest thing possible - knocking.
The door opened on its own, and Narcissa had a shiver go down her spine. So, her sister still had a flare for the dramatic, like Sirius did. She knew, and now she was playing cat and rat with Narcissa. It was the cake incident all over again. Narcissa suppressed the second shiver this time, and entered Andromeda's house.
It was smaller than Narcissa had expected, but that came, perhaps, from living in big houses her entire life, from Grimmauld Place to Malfoy Manor, but still cozy, the walls filled with moving photographs of the long dead, starting with Andromeda and her husband, then moving to Andromeda, her husband and their daughter, the girl growing with each passing photography, hair always changing colors, slowly setting itself on a few colours, mostly pink, brown, teal.
Andromeda's husband disappeared, then the girl had company, Remus Lupin, for a few photos, before both disappeared and it was substituted by Andromeda, alone, with a growing child whose hair changed colours.
She reached the end of the absurdly long hallway to find herself at Andromeda's too warm drawing room, her sister - who looked what Bellatrix, in another universe, may have looked when older and not as insane - sat quietly, sipping her tea, the smell of honey thick in the air between them.
In the table, between the other set teacup, the exact same photography that rested inside Narcissa's pocket. She gritted her teeth as silently as possible.
"Hello, Andy. I see you haven't lost your dramatic flair,", Narcissa started, and her sister kept sipping her tea, slowly, like Narcissa was some fly in the wall.
Cat and rat, Narcissa reminded herself. She took a deep breath and sat on the chair reserved for her, high, dark and too comfortable. Her sister set the teacup in the table, and Narcissa poured herself some tea - by the smell, jasmine, Andromeda's eternal favorite. Narcissa prefered lavender.
"I received a letter from my grandson, today,", Androme started , hands resting on the table. "Before I read the letter, however, I saw the photo, and I'm sure, Cissy, you can imagine my shock when I saw Bellatrix. Of course, I was soon reminded by the fact my grandson was in the picture as well that dear old Bella is dead. I'd like some confirmations on how, exactly, your supposed mystery orphaned child looks so much like our dearest older sister."
"Interesting utilization of words. I rather enjoy your use of 'confirmations' instead of 'explanations' there, if I'm rather honest.", no point in lying, Narcissa figured, trying to use grammar to escape. Andromeda's left eyebrow rose.
"Stalling is of no use, Cissy. Do tell your favorite older sister whatever tale you have."
Narcissa obliged, spinning her tale, aware that, if anything, Andromeda may help her - this was their sister they were speaking about, and regardless of some ill feelings, family was family, and those of Black blood helped their Black siblings.
Well, with the exception of the Gryffindor ones.
After she told how Rodolphus had gotten caught, Andromeda smiled.
"Well, I see. So, you aren't raising this child to, I don't know, steal a Time Turner and have her go and try to resurrect Voldemort?"
"That's not even how Time Turners work,", Narcissa frowned, vaguely remembering the class she had given Delphini on the subject, when the girl had gotten curious about it. "And why would I try to have the madman who almost killed my son alive once again? He slept with our sister inside my house, Andy. I had to have all rooms deepcleaned, and I still don't trust their cleanliness at all!"
Andromeda nodded, seemingly amused.
"I see.", was all Andromeda said, pouring herself more tea, sipping the still warm liquid. "Then I see no reason to speak against it. I'll let the two be friends, but I will tell Teddy if he comes to me with romantic intentions towards her."
Narcissa wanted to make a pureblood joke, but bit her tongue instead. Andromeda was being kind on her. That was more than what she could count on.
"Anyway, isn't it fun that dearest Bella's daughter is a Hufflepuff? Merlin, I hope she's rolling in her grave,", Andromeda said, and paused, seemingly hearing something, and then, leaning in conpiraciously. "Can you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
Andromeda grinned, sharp corners too similar to Bellatrix, and Narcissa wondered if Delphini had them as well.
"The sound of Bella rolling in her grave and screaming at me from behind the Veil, obviously."
Narcissa did not hear it, but she could understand. The two sister catched up on each others' life, and when the time came, they separated, promises of pretending to hate each other in public, but to tolerate the other's presence when their wards, invariably, decided that they needed to talk.
They'd never find out they were sisters unless told, anyway, and as Narcissa went back to her house, she took a deep breath. She had three months without Delphini nearby, with her most private secret exposed like a wound.
Delphini's letters were a balm to Narcissa, in the meantime, filled with schoolyard adventures - Teddy, Alex and me snuck into the kitchens to get cookies for a crying third year at midnight - that don't involve the ludicrous things Draco used to speak about, no rumours of giant Cerberus, no Heir of Slytherin (well, not officially, at least.), no Dementors. Just a bunch of kids, learning and having fun.
Delphini's letters never spoke of people looking at her oddly, no rumours she can hear Astoria speaking that her potion teacher sister told, and as such, Narcissa allowed herself to think everything is alright, deciding she can confirm it later, when Delphini came back home.
As such, she waited, and eventually, the beginning of the Christmas holidays came, Delphini's letter saying she'd come home a certainty that left a well dressed Narcissa waiting in the 9 ¾ platform in a chilly December day, Andromeda away from her, separated by a mass of waiting parents. For a society who had been through a war, it almost seemed like they didn't have reproducing issues. Or perhaps that just had been her.
The train's whistle broke her chain of thoughts, making the parents move forward to find their children first. Narcissa did not move, six years of experience waiting for a child telling her it's a bad idea. Besides, she had agreed to meet with Delphini near the candy shop, and Narcissa, as much as she wanted to see the girl she called a child, wasn't one to break her promises - unless, of course, it suited her, but getting in the middle of a moving mass didn't.
Kids poured out of the train, Narcissa catching a bit of teal hair followed by black hair, a redhead's scolding face for a moment, before they disappeared in the crowd. Was that her child and her friends? The teal hair indicated that yes, it was, and the scolding face of Alex - so common in the photos Delphini sent home - made it even more positive. Nonetheless, Narcissa waited. She had time.
"C'mon, Teddy, your grandma won't mind if you get late a few seconds!", Delphini's voice said, even if Narcissa couldn't see her.
"The last time uncle Harry was late to meet her, she passively aggressively scolded him, Del,", Teddy, Narcissa would have to guess, whined. She raised an eyebrow to the nickname, however. Del? "I don't want to be on the other end of that particular rope."
"She can't be that bad,", huffed who she supposed was Alex, and Delphini broke from the crowd, dragging Teddy with one hand, Alex behind them, the trio still dressed in their school robes - two Hufflepuffs and a Ravenclaw. Rather interesting. Narcissa smiled as Delphini, seeing her, freed Teddy for a second to wave to her before grasping his arm again, the boy's hair turning from teal to brown and bringing some curious eyes to it. Alex, face full of freckles, sighed.
"Hey, mom!", Delphini grinned, smiling as brightly as the sun, and the lazy snake coiled around Delphini's neck hissed a greeting, she supposed. Narcissa smiled, looking at the two children by Bellatrix's daughter side
"Hello, Delphi. Are these your friends?", Narcissa greeted, as Teddy's eyes looked at her cautiously. Narcissa thanked Merlin she had never looked too much like Andromeda. "Be polite and introduce us, dear."
"Sure! This is Teddy Tonks,", Delphini started, waving to the boy, his brown hair becoming a bright red, similar to his face. She grinned to the boy, and Alex elbowed him in the ribs, playfully, while Delphini waved to the redhead girl. "And that's Alex!"
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Narcissa Malfoy, Delphi's mother, as I assume you know.", she allowed the two newest additions to greet her back, and keeps her smile. "Delphi, dear, are you ready to go?"
Delphini blinked quickly, and shook her head. Narcissa tilted her own, curious.
"Alex's parents are waiting on the other side of the barrier, and we want to see her off,", Delphini said, suddenly serious. Ah, so Alex was a muggleborn? Bellatrix would be gyrating in her coffin, truly. Teddy nodded, hair colour changing to a more subdued red.
"Then go, dears. I'll be waiting here.", Narcissa smiled to the three kids as they went off, Delphini's trunk left behind. Narcissa scooted it closer and watched, from far away, as Teddy introduced Delphini and Alex to her sister. Andromeda smiled and played the role of the nice grandmother, which seemed so odd to Narcissa. Her sister, a grandmother, not even at fifty.
Sure, Andromeda had married young and her child had children of her own young, but still. Narcissa avoided thinking of how her own young son already had a child of his own, with plans for a daughter at the end of the year, or else she's going to sob, and she'd rather not ruin her day so soon.
There was still time to meet Lucius, after all.
After meeting Andromeda, the trio went to the barrier, Alex being the only one with a trunk left behind, and the two of them came back minutes after, and give each other their goodbyes - which Narcissa felt it's dramatic, but the two have Black blood running through their veins. Drama is in their blood -, before Delphini makes a run to Narcissa.
"So, my dear. I see your Hufflepuff instincts are already running into overdrive?", Narcissa hummed, drawing colour from Delphini's cheeks. "Also, congratulations on being sorted on Hufflepuff."
"Alex's parents aren't nice to her,", blurted Delphini, as they made their way to the Floo. Narcissa rose one eyebrow, looking at her not so little charge. "When we were changing clothes, she didn't want to me to see her, and I accidentally caught the bruises in her wrist when her robes rode up her arms. I asked if she wanted to speak about that, she said no, so I told her that if she ever wanted to speak about it I'd listen, and that Teddy would, too."
Narcissa nodded, murmuring the Floo address and letting Delphini go first, following soon after, and arriving in her drawing room to find Delphini already sat in front of the prepared tea table. She called Sissi and told the elf to clean whatever dirty clothes were inside Delphini's trunk, dismissing the elf soon after.
"I'm assuming she spoke with you two, then?", Narcissa asked, sitting at the table, a flick of her wand to make the lavender tea pour itself. Narcissa wondered if she was going to need to adopt another child.
Delphini nodded, chewing a biscuit.
"Her parents sent her a letter telling congratulations on the sorting, promised a gift, and then for her birthday they sent her a bunch of rats, saying that was what she supposedly ate now that she was a raven. She seemed fine during the day, and at night we took her to the kitchens because we had spoken to the house elves - mom did you know they have house elves? - to get her a birthday cake and Alex broke down.", Delphini took a deep breath, face red for the strain of speaking with no pauses, and Narcissa nodded. If it weren't for the bruises, Narcissa would have chalked it up to clueless muggle parents, but alas. "So we decided we're getting her out of there as soon as possible, and we went to meet her parents to see what challenge we were getting into."
Narcissa wondered how Delphini had swayed the Hat into putting her in Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, but kept it out of her mind.
"Well, a piece of advice, from a seasoned Slytherin: don't underestimate them, dear,", Narcissa paused, sipping her tea. Delphini looked, puzzled, biscuit in the middle of the trip to her mouth. "Have you two considered that you might have made things worse for your friend by showing up? Alex's parents may have understood it a threat, depending on what you said."
The biscuit dropped, horror written clear as day in Delphini's face.
"We made worse? How?", the girl asked, horror sounding clear in her voice, and Narcissa sipped her tea.
"By showing up, you unknowingly issued a warning, sweetheart. You told them you were paying attention to Alex.", seeing Delphini's face drop, Narcissa decided that perhaps she shouldn't turn the Dark Lord's daughter against muggles, even if they deserved it. Narcissa cleared her throat. "Dear, you're eleven, fighting something someone twice your age would hesitate to. I don't blame nor you, nor Teddy, for doing so. However, take that as a lesson."
"Of course, mom. Thank you.", Delphini nodded, picking her fallen biscuit. The snake in her neck hissed something, and Delphini hissed back with a pout, before turning to Narcissa. "Can you help me?"
"I'm feeling rather generous, so yes. Would you like it to be in front of your friend, or should I wait until you're back at Hogwarts, to have some plausible deniability on knowing of this?"
Delphini's smile reminded her too much of Bellatrix, and Narcissa suppressed a shudder.
Perhaps this was the wrong course of action, but Narcissa still felt bad for abused children, the image of a "dead" Harry Potter seeming so fragile in the Forbidden Forest imposed over the sound of Delphini's cries after being pinched by Euphemia.
And as such, Narcissa gets Alex's (short for Alexandria, as she learned when she asked the parents if it's Alex's house) address, and waited two weeks after Delphini was back at Hogwarts to execute her plan, letting her drama queen of a sister go a few days before to do… Whatever she does, really. What matters is that it made the parents paranoid, looking over their shoulders at every sound, and Narcissa is sure Andromeda had too much fun with this.
Would Bellatrix do the same for her daughter? Perhaps - Alice and Frank Longbottom came to mind. Narcissa shook her head and smiled to the couple who sat in front of her.
"So, mrs…?", the man asks, thick rimmed glasses contrasting with a weak neck. Narcissa could feel her wand in her pocket, tingling like she is, the letter Delphini had written about a black eye in Alex's face being hidden with whatever spells she and Teddy could scramble to remember until they could see the school nurse. Narcissa had ordered the elf to bring her makeup magazines and had sent them to Delphini with a letter telling to learn from it.
"Mrs. Malfoy, mr. Cohen. My daughter is your daughter's friend.", Narcissa took her wand out of her pocket as the two of them froze, and Narcissa eyed the centerpiece - an ugly silver vase with even uglier fake flowers on it. Pathetic, but would serve her purposes. "And I've heard some interesting tales from her."
"You can't do magic in my house, the witch who came here told us so…", said the woman, as wide as she was tall. Narcissa chuckled.
"A minor cannot, mrs. Cohen, but I am no minor. Now, I'm assuming the professor that came to explain to you forgot to tell about magical godmothers?"
"Magical what now?", the man asks, frowning. Narcissa smiled, transfiguring their centerpiece on a nice, breakable porcelain statue. She has no idea, either, what is a magical godmother, what that would mean exactly, but she keeps her charade going.
She waited a few seconds before speaking, trying to hear if a Ministry owl would come, and smiled when it didn't. So the Ministry didn't track magic use in muggle households during the school year? How interesting. Narcissa filed away that information and started speaking.
"Every time new magical blood enters the wizard society, they're assigned a magical guardian that makes sure the child isn't mistreated for its blood. I happened to be Alex's, and my dearest daughter hasn't spoken well of you two.", the two of them looked at each other, and Narcissa broke the porcelain statue with a spell, making the woman hiss. Narcissa rose up, making sure she stepped on the broken pieces, deliberately grinding them under her shoes as she kept her wand trained on them. "If I hear she has one split hair, one broken nail, anything at all, and it will not be only a little magic trick on your furniture. It'll be on you. And if I can make something durable breakable very easily, take a guess on what I can do to you."
The two of them nodded quickly, and Narcissa put her wand in her pocket once again, a smile plastered in her face. She wouldn't do anything, really - the Ministry was still breathing down her neck -, but the threat was still there. Narcissa hoped it worked.
"It was nice to meet you two, mr and mrs. Cohen. I hope we can keep it nice.", Narcissa hoped not, as she left their house, head high and shoulders straight, leaving the two behind. Alex lived in a small, crowded suburb, and Narcissa just needed to find a dark corner behind a store to apparate, after making sure no one was around, directly to Andromeda's house.
Her sister opened the door after the crackling sound, like she was waiting for Narcissa, and nodded.
"I have cake."
"Don't you always?", Narcissa replied, with an eye roll. Andromeda grinned.
Narcissa, hours later, writed Delphini a letter, telling that it was done, and perhaps she could invite Alex and Teddy for summer. Narcissa had a house in France under her name; Lucius couldn't interfere with that. Perhaps taking the children there will do them some good.
Narcissa sent one letter and received two back; one from Delphini, and another from Alex. She opened Delphini's first, hoping to find some explanation for the second letter, and find one she does - Alex wanted to thank Narcissa herself for talking with her parents.
Narcissa smiled to herself, and opened Alex's letter, a somehow fancy penmanship in dark blue ink writing a polite letter. Narcissa frowned at it, until she recognized that it was heavily inspired by some of the etiquette books that the Hogwarts library had, and smiled, wondering if this girl wasn't supposed to be a Slytherin instead.
"Sissi,", she called, and the elf appeared. "Prepare a basket of sweets for three, yes? And find some books on pureblood etiquette. Be quick."
"Yes, lady Malfoy,", the elf replied as Narcissa read again Alex's letter. Maybe she could be the child's magical godmother, truly, and prepare little Alex as a political pawn. It'd be interesting.
Time passed quickly after that, with Narcissa corresponding slowly with Delphini - who kept taking smushed photos of herself with Alex and Teddy to the point Narcissa would think it was all she did with her time, if her grades weren't so spectacular -, occasionally answering some doubts of Alex regarding the ever growing pile of books on pureblood matters she sent to the curious Ravenclaw, and once in every blue moon Teddy sent a letter, to Narcissa's surprise, asking if she could explain some concept or another his grandmother wouldn't or his godfather didn't know.
Most concepts that he didn't know were some of the more complicated things she had explained to Alex with care, and made her wonder if Alex hadn't understood and asked Teddy, who, in turn, asked his godfather (Harry Potter, Golden Boy, Narcissa's personal living nightmare if he ever saw Delphini) and Andromeda. When both offered no answer, he turned to Narcissa, which was interesting in itself. Perhaps the boy trusted her.
Narcissa answered any letters that came to her and waited for summer - when Delphini confirmed that yes, her two friends could come with her during summer, Teddy for a month, and Alex for its entirety if Narcissa wouldn't mind taking her in -, soon finding herself in the platform again, blinking.
It was almost like only five minutes had passed, but Narcissa could remember the months before. Perhaps this odd sense of deja vu came from the scene in front of her: a mass of parents waiting for their children. She sighed, changing the weight of her body from one foot to another, the sound of the train's whistle not breaking her train of thought this time.
Andromeda wasn't at the platform this time, but Golden Boy Harry Potter was, and Teddy, with Delphini and Alex quickly going behind him, seemed to be going straight to Potter. Narcissa wondered if Potter would be able to connect the dots.
Probably not. Narcissa was only able to draw the comparisons between her ward and Bellatrix because she had seen Bella at that age; Potter hadn't. If luck was on her side, he never would.
Still, she would probably only see Potter again when he went to pick up Teddy from the station, considering they'd be leaving in two hours to Paris, then a portkey to the Cottage - a small manor near Agde that had been her mother's marriage gift to her. Narcissa had signed Lucius off the welcome book years ago, so she wasn't very worried about him.
She watched Potter speak with Teddy, looking at the two girls behind him briefly, not even pausing at the snake (perhaps Teddy had spoken about it? What he could have said?), before messing Teddy's hair - who changed between black, giving Narcissa a brief glimpse of Sirius when he was eleven, to red, to teal, to ginger, and so on - and laughing at something. She averted her eyes and waited, deciding not to intrude.
"Mom, we're here!", Delphini chirped, making her look at the trio, Teddy's now teal hair more tousled than before. "Sorry, Teddy's godfather wanted to speak with him."
Narcissa smiled. She could take a polite guess on the subject, turning to Teddy.
"Tell your godfather not to worry. Any Dark items are not within children's reach,", she offered, taking a laugh from the trio, and Narcissa recomposed herself. "Very well, shall we go? If you children are hungry, I suggest you speak now before we are relegated to the train's restaurant."
The children started to speak loudly between each other, and Narcissa steeled herself for the month to come. Well, a month with Teddy present, before Potter came for him, and then, two months with Delphini and Alex only. If Narcissa made a deal with the Ravenclaw's parents for that to be a reality, well, they don't need to know, do they?
