A.N: This ends my little foray into the world of the Black family and their tumultuous relationship with the winter holidays. Thank you for reading, following, and reviewing. Hearing feedback is much appreciated and makes my holidays that much warmer.
PART 9
1998
Death crowded in, intangible and frightening, that heated night in May. Everyone knew it was present but no one paid it any mind until the rubble finally settled and it was discovered that Death had left a mark on the souls of the living, heedless of whether they had been branded by a crazed man or not.
The pressure of such a mark on one's soul could send a person in unexpected directions in search of relief.
Every night after that god-awful day, Narcissa spent her nights plagued by the feeling of her eldest sister's fingers cold and still in her own trembling ones. She was plagued with the sight of a young woman her sister had killed, taking her other sister's only child away from her without hesitation. They had both been laid in the Great Hall where Narcissa had to see and valiantly fight the threat of tears that would have surely embarrassed her husband and son then. However, with Lucius' absence from the Manor after his incarceration came the absence of sleep, peace, rest, security for Narcissa; and those tears sought their revenge. She was very nearly convinced she was suffering from the absence of her sanity, as well.
Instead, haggard and clearly broken, her son began to administer her strong brews of Dreamless Sleep and Calming Draught. The fourty-three year old mother felt a burning sense of failure every time she had to watch his wounded expression as he made certain she swallowed every drop of the potion. She had failed to keep her sisters and she now failed to protect and mend the shattered pieces that were her son, her precious dragon.
Narcissa knew she must use the false sense of ease that each Calming Draught afforded her in order to find peace with the deaths she witnessed. The deaths she felt she needed to be atoned for. It took every ounce of her stubborn Black blood to find the strength within herself to face the reality of her life, the gaping holes like open maws that mocked her inability to reconcile past wounds. But inch by inch, she came to terms with the hard facts and regained her ability to see the good things she still had in her life; to see the good things she still had a chance to take hold of, given the proper chance.
The blonde was able to stand with a clear mind as autumn took possession of Wiltshire and with that clarity; she finally gave Draco the care and attention he'd so willingly shown her during her darkest hours.
On December twenty-fifth, they were both prepared to take a leap of faith. And leapt they did, with a bundle of gifts in tow and a desperate hope that what they all once thought to be irreparable wasn't quite so broken after all.
*x*x*
Andromeda was incapable of hearing the first two knocks at her front door thanks to the wailing of a blue-haired eight-month-old. Teddy simply wouldn't lie for his afternoon nap and he only quieted after she lifted him from his crib and she pressed a dummy into his little mouth. She heard the third knock then and made her way toward the front door with her grandson held expertly against her hip. Molly had been by the day before so Andromeda couldn't imagine the woman had a reason to return so soon. She was still running through the list of possible visitors when she pulled the doorway open and looked upon the startled expressions on two unexpected faces. Her baby sister stood at the edge of her portcullis looking incredibly fragile. Her son, Draco stood beside her with his hand held against his mother's shoulder; whether to hold her attention or keep her standing wasn't clear.
Andromeda knew what day it was and the implications in their presence made it feel painful to breathe through the waves of crashing emotion that were suddenly let loose inside her. Certainly, the disenchanted sister felt a pang of resentment curling around her spine. They could have made this decision sooner and possibly saved her daughter from needing to sacrifice herself for the safety of their world. But she had to consider the fact that the two of them clearly chose to stand before her now of their own free will and that meant something. It would have meant something to her husband and to her daughter, Andromeda was certain of that. If Ted had found it in him to love her and Nymphadora found it possible to love a werewolf, they both would have already spread their arms to Narcissa and Draco rather than stand numbly as Andromeda did now. The silence was stifling as the three relatives looked at each other helplessly. Neither sister nor nephew knew what to say in order to break through the barriers that so clearly stood in the way.
It was the pleased shriek and gurgling laughter Teddy contributed as he gripped a swath of his grandmother's hair and tugged that drew the adults to a common point.
"Teddy," Andromeda said once her hair was her own again and she was certain her voice wouldn't betray her. "This is your great aunt Narcissa and your cousin Draco. Grandma hasn't seen her sister in many many years and this is her first time meeting her nephew and he's all grown up already."
Only sparing a glance for Draco who notably flushed at the comment, Andromeda resolutely stared at her grandson as she added, "Do you think we should let them in out of the cold and see what they have in that bag of theirs?"
Teddy let out another shriek that almost sent his dummy falling from his mouth as he clapped his hands haphazardly together and jerked his legs about enthusiastically, forcing Andromeda to tighten her hold. Whether he was truly pleased to see new relatives on the doorstep or simply taken with the swirling snowflakes that began to make their way in through the open door, no one could be certain but it was enough. Andromeda stepped back into the hall, leaving the door open for them as she spoke directly this time. "Remove your shoes and leave them on the mat there after you have the door shut. Then come through here. I'm going to put the kettle on."
Tea and a heap of patience was the only way Andromeda knew she would make it through this estranged encounter. That and the convenient distraction Teddy provided.
While Andromeda fussed over cups and kettle, Narcissa stood just inside and slowly took in her surroundings. The photograph she had held on to didn't give her any inclination to what the interior of her sister's home would look like. She had to expect it would be significantly smaller than any house she'd ever spent time in, but perhaps the lack of space made the home more comforting and inviting. Whatever she might have thought of it, the last thing she was going to do was look on the space Andromeda had created for herself with criticism and negativity.
When Narcissa looked at her son, Draco was watching her expectantly. She reminded herself that he was entirely without direction here. To him, he stood in the entranceway of a stranger who only happened to bear a remarkable resemblance to his late aunt. Though his self-confidence had greatly improved since their trials and subsequent house arrest, he wouldn't navigate this without her as his compass.
They divested themselves of their footwear and followed in the direction Andromeda had gone, listening to the sounds Teddy made. Just as they entered the kitchen space, the woman in possession of the baby turned and asked, "Do you still take two sugars with your tea, Narcissa?"
Narcissa nodded, a small smile finding its way across her lips. If her sister could recall something as small as how she liked her tea, then it stood to reason that she could remember the good memories they shared and forgive her for the moments that caused her pain. With time.
"And you, Draco?" A dark eyebrow arched as Andromeda took in the moment of shock and anxiety that crossed over her nephew's face before he drew a complacent mask over his features, a trick she was very familiar with, and answered her. The woman held no doubt that what she'd seen was a reaction borne of the similarities she shared with Bellatrix. The understanding lead Andromeda to briefly wonder what sort of relationship her sister had had with the young man.
Once the cups of tea were prepared and embraced by hands in need of something to hold, Andromeda ushered the two blondes into the den where she sat them and finally turned her attention to the bag Draco carried in with him.
"I'm going to assume that the bag you've brought has something to do with the holiday," Andromeda stated drily. Then she allowed herself a grin. The significance of the season, the holiday, and their presence in her home was not lost to Andromeda and when Draco began to pull items—decorations—out of the bag, the older sister felt a certain unnamable weight lift from her shoulders. If they had turned up on her front stoop with only flimsy words and broken smiles, Andromeda would have been less inclined to forge ahead with forgiveness and consideration in her heart. This deliberate peace offering, however, brought a sting of tears to her eyes as she found Narcissa's gaze.
There was tea, there were gifts of the season and there were numerous obstacles still yet to overcome but this was a pretty damn good start. The room wouldn't be a secret this time around, but it would be theirs to shape into the future they still had.
