A/N: Sorry it has been so long. I promise I haven't abandoned the story. The semester just took a rough turn and I had no time to write. But now I'm back into the swing of things and hopefully I will be able to post regularly and finish the story within the next monthish. Thanks for sticking with me!

25 March 2003

Narcissa breathed in deeply, calming her nerves as she sat in a small room in the center of the DMLE. Roughly two hours had passed since the Aurors had escorted her to the ministry, Draco in her arms. Andromeda had arrived, only about half an hour later to pick up Draco and whisper words of reassure in her ear. "Lord Black is on it," she whispered, "there is no need for you to worry." But Narcissa was worried. She was well aware that many of the items in Lucius's possession warranted time in Azkaban. While they were not hers, they had been found in her house. She took another deep breath and practiced her occlumency, hoping her nervousness was not showing.

Just as she reached a state of peace within her mind, the doors opened and Amelia Bones walked it, a young, redheaded Auror on her tail. Carrying a thick file and a small vial of a clear liquid, Auror Bones sat down across from Narcissa.

"Good Evening Narcissa. How are you?"

"Well enough, is Draco okay?"

"He is with Andromeda Tonks. I believe her plan was to take him to Lord Black's house. He should be safe enough."

Narcissa nodded. She trusted Andromeda to take care of her son, but simply knowing he was likely behind Black family wards gave her greater confidence.

"Now," continued Auror Bones, her face settling into business, "Let's talk, shall we? I just finished speaking to Lord Black. He indicated to me that you meet two days ago and discussed your role in the family. He indicated that while Lucius Malfoy, your husband, was a supporter of Voldemort, you were not. Is this true?"

Narcissa nodded, "That would be correct."

"And the only reason you did not contact the Aurors was because you feared for the life of yourself and your child?"

Again, Narcissa merely nodded.

"Very well. Recently, the Ministry has undergone a… shall we say… dramatic restructuring. Any power Lucius may have held before is gone now. He just might not realize it." Auror Bones opened the file, laying out a series of photos and a list of charges. "These are a few of the dark artifacts and charges we are preparing. If, and may I reiterate if, what you and Lord Black claim regarding your loyalties is accurate, you shall be released into the custody of Lord Black. You will then serve a three-year parole. If during that time you commit any crime, we will return to these charges. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Narcissa managed to reply weakly. "I understand."

"Very well. If you consent, we shall confirm these loyalties under the influence of veritaserum. As Lord Black is unable to attend this session, Theodore Tonks, your brother in law, has offered to act on your behalf. Do you agree?"

Narcissa took a moment to think. She did not really know Theodore. Andromeda clearly loved and trusted the man, as she ran away to marry him, but Narcissa had never actually had a civil conversation with him. She remembered Bellatrix insulting him as a dirty mudblood, but she was unsure if she had ever said anything to him. But, if she was going to do this, then she was going to have to trust Sirius and her sister. If they sent Theodore to act on her behalf, then they must trust him. Taking a leap of faith for the second time that day, she agreed.

Theodore Tonks entered the room carrying a black leather brief case. Placing it on the table, he opened it up and pulled out a piece of parchment. Handing the parchment over to Auror Bones, he explained, "This is a list of questions I have prepared for you. Any question you ask my client not on this list will be considered an assault. Do you agree?"

Auror Bones looked over the list, and read through the questions. They were fairly simply, and clearly were designed to skirt around some issues, mostly by utilizing the present tense, but they seemed to cover everything. "I agree. Shall we begin?"

Narcissa nodded, and the redheaded Auror stepped forward and placed three drops of liquid on Narcissa's tongue. Waiting a moment for the potion to take effect, Auror Bones began.

"What is your full name?"

By the time Narcissa was released, she was exhausted. Following Theodore Tonks out of the interrogation room, she was pleasantly surprised to find Andromeda waiting for her.

"Good evening Cissy."

"Good evening. How is Draco?"

Andromeda smiled, "He is just fine. As a matter of fact, I can take you to him right now."

"I would appreciate that."

Andromeda nodded and indicated that Narcissa should follow her as she headed towards the elevators.

Theodore kissed Andromeda on the cheek and added, "Say hi to Sirius and Aletha for me? I promised I would drop Dora off at a friends house for a sleepover tonight."

"Will do," Andromeda replied as Narcissa merely watched. Her sister seemed so happy and relaxed with her husband, they appeared to truly love each other. While she and Lucius had gotten along just fine, they never shared that type of connection. Yet another reason she was convinced she had made the right choice.

Stepping out of the elevator into the main lobby, Andromeda took Narcissa by the arm.

"I am going to apparate us to somewhere now. I cannot tell you where at the moment, but we will meet Draco there. Are you ready?"

Narcissa merely nodded, and with a pop, she felt herself being squeezed until they reappeared on a quiet street. Following Andromeda as they rounded the corner and crossed the street, Narcissa realized where she was. Sirius's house.

Inside the Black house, chaos reigned. Somehow, throughout the day, Sirius went from being in charge of two small children, to in charge of five. It started simply enough. It was Friday, which meant Alice dropped Neville off around 1 pm as usual. The two would play happily together, while Sirius supervised. Then, around 2:30, Dan Granger had called asking if he could watch Hermione for the evening, as the babysitter had cancelled last minute. Since they had done the same only a week or so ago, Sirius readily agreed. Hermione was an easy child, and Aletha usually returned from work around 3:30 on Fridays. So Dan had walked Hermione over.

The chaos really started when only about fifteen minutes later, Sirius received a floo call from Andy letting him know Malfoy manner had been raided, she had Draco, and he was needed in Amelia Bones' office. So, he asked if Andy could bring Draco over and promised he would head to Amelia's office as soon as Aletha returned from work.

At 2:52, Andy arrived carrying Draco. Ten minutes later Aletha returned home to find five toddlers in the house and Sirius preparing to leave. Five minutes after that, Sirius was in Amelia's office. It took about an hour and a half for Sirius, with the help of Ted's legal expertise, to work out a deal with Amelia. Flooing home, he sent Andy back to the DMLE.

On the home front, not much was better. Draco, unaccustomed to either sharing with others or a mostly muggle household, was throwing a fit. Aletha had tried to get the boys to clean up the blocks they were playing with before taking out toy brooms, but Draco simply refused. So, while Aletha dealt with a two-and-a-half year old's melt down, Sirius took the rest of the kids outside and supervised Harry and Neville's flying while Hermione tried to teach Lyra her colours (unsuccessfully to Hermione's disappointment, as Lyra was still less than a year old).

By the time Draco had finished his tantrum and helped Aletha pick up the blocks, it was almost 5:30, dinner had not been started, and the children were growing hungry. So, setting his newfound cooking skills to work (he really was only capable of the basics), Sirius set about making some dinner. Mac and Cheese with a side of peas, to be precise. Half an hour later, the food was ready, and Sirius and Aletha had conjured extra booster seats and chairs, and expanded the table.

It was part way through dinner, around 6:30, roughly four hours after being brought into the DMLE (it was amazing how fast Amelia could get someone through the system when she wanted to), when Narcissa and Andromeda entered the room.

Narcissa, despite being raised to be a proper upper class lady, could not help but laugh when she entered the Black household. Sirius Black, serial dater, prankster, and rebel extreme, was currently trying to convince Draco to eat while balancing a sleeping baby in his arms.

"Come on Draco, just one bite? Everyone else is eating their food."

"No," the two-year-old replied stubbornly, his bowl of mac and cheese untouched. Hearing new voices, he turned around as much as he could as shouted "MAMA!"

Now, normally, Narcissa would reprimand her child for such a display. But, given her day and her own less than poised entrance, she merely crossed the room and scooped her child up.

"Hello darling, how was your day?"

"Ma'e cwean," pouted Draco, his lower lip sticking out an admirable amount.

"Aletha asked to boys to clean up after themselves," Sirius explained.

Narcissa nodded, then blushed, realizing she had not actually meet most of the people in the room.

"Ah, I suppose I should introduce you, shouldn't I?" laughed Sirius. Gesturing with his free hand, he began, "This lovely lady is Aletha Freeman-Black, my wife."

"A pleasure to meet you Narcissa," replied Aletha.

Narcissa looked the woman over. She was young, probably about 23, Sirius's age, and rather attractive. Narcissa thought back to her Hogwarts years and tried to remember her. A ravenclaw, she thought. And a mudblood… or muggleborn she corrected, knowing Sirius would not stand for any of that. "Pleased to meet you," she responded simply.

"Next to her is my godson Harry, who is only a few weeks younger than Draco. The other young boy is Neville Longbottom, Frank's son, as I'm sure you know. And across from him is Harry's friend, Hermione. She lives next door and is a young witch herself."

"Pweased to meet you," replied Hermione smartly. Narcissa was surprised to hear the girl was a neighbor, as she thought Sirius was living in a muggle neighborhood.

"And lastly, but certainly not least, in my arms, sleeping through all the excitement, is my daughter, Lyra," Sirius finished with a smile.

Narcissa looked at the baby in Sirius's arms again and could see the family resemblance. The girl had light brown skin, several shades lighter than her mother's but very much not the pale white of the Black family, but her face appeared to have some of the characteristic aristocratic features found in Sirius, Andromeda, and herself.

"She is beautiful," Narcissa replied, for in truth, she was. Even if she was not a pureblooded Black. But, then again neither was Andromeda's daughter and she was a metamorphagus.

"Well, if you want, you are more than happy to join us. The kids have mac and cheese while Aletha reheated some leftover chicken and rice for the adults. We have plenty for both of you," Sirius said, nodding to both Narcissa and Andromeda.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm having dinner with Ted," Andromeda replied. Crossing to the room to Harry, she planted a kiss on Harry's forehead. "That's from Ted. He sends his love. And I'm sure Nyphadora would love to stop by this weekend."

"An fwy?" asked Harry.

"And fly."

"I…" Narcissa trailed off as she looked at Sirius's face. She was about to say she had to leave, but something in his eyes made her change her mind. "I guess I can stay for a little while," she amended as Aletha conjured another chair.

Sirius simply smiled. He hoped that maybe this was his chance. His chance to truly fix the Black family and restore it to its glory.