"Here goes nothing." Hermione murmured, resting her hand on the doorknob. Luna gave a vague sense of agreement. The wolf had been...fading, for lack of a better word. Hermione's best guess was that the wolf's consciousness was tied to the mating bond. Without Moony there to anchor her, she was becoming more of an instinct than an individual. It was like she was dying, pining away for her mate.
Almost unconsciously, Hermione rubbed at the pain in her chest, as she unlocked the door. Narcissa was awake already and dressed in the clothes Hermione had provided yesterday.
"Good morning, Narcissa."
"Good morning, Lady Hermione." The blond witch stood, brushing some of her long hair out of her eyes.
"Here." Hermione moved behind her and began to braid the silky strands back. "Now, I do have to warn you. We're going to go down to breakfast and there is going to be a lot of trouble. After breakfast I'm going to get one of our Healers to look you over and check on the baby. Might check you for curses too." Hermione slipped a hair tie from around her wrist and secured the braid. "Is that okay?"
"Yes." Narcissa paused. "How many are there in this house?"
"Don't really know any more. C'mon."
Hermione watched in amusement as she tugged on the hem on the dress to lengthen it. "I'm sorry. You're taller than me and it didn't occur to me that the clothes wouldn't fit. We'll have to buy you some new ones, but we'll adjust these for now." Using her wand she adjusted the dress to fit the witch's taller figure. She linked hands with her and escorted her down the main staircase. They paused outside the dining room door and listened to the rabble coming from within. The craving for physical contact was one of the few remaining influences of Luna's. Hermione could often be found curled up sleeping between people, on the sofa.
Hermione chewed on her lip.
"Sounds like everyone's here. Stay here, okay?" and without waiting for an answer she pushed open the door, leaving the witch standing awkwardly in the hall.
The room had, like much of the household, been magically extended. The dining table had once fitted ten, was now sitting close to twenty. Hermione had almost lost count of the number of people living in her home. Sirius, James, Marlene, Lily, Frank and Alice were all there. The Aurors recovering from the late night shift, blearily blinking away sleep. Frank fallen asleep in his porridge bowl and looked unnervingly like his son. Towards the end, and sitting in silence, was Dorea. After the fall of Potter Manor and the loss of her husband, the once bubbling and devious woman was a mere ghost. Hermione's only consolation was that at least this time Harry would have at least one grandparent. Minerva had returned to Hogwarts two weeks ago but her seat had quickly been filled. The Tonks family, sat by Sirius, little Nymph changing her nose to the amusement of her best friend Alasdair McKinnon. Severus wasn't present, but he usually ate alone anyway.
The room barely blinked as Hermione, ignoring Lily's knowing glance, crossed and tapped Andromeda on her shoulder.
"Can you come with me for a second?" she asked.
The woman nodded and with a vague threat to her daughter not to break anything, followed. Hermione closed the door behind them and waited.
"Why didn't you tell me my sister was here?" Andromeda whispered, looking afraid to move. Narcissa didn't even blink, just staring at her older sister as though she was a ghost.
Hermione sighed and winced as a loud crashing came from the room behind her.
"And that will be plate number thirty six," she muttered. Nobody laughed. "Ron always said I wasn't funny," she murmured. "All right. Andy and Narcissa come with me." Both blond witches followed her out of the silent hallway and into the Library.
"Andromeda, this is Narcissa. Narcissa, this is Andromeda." Both shot her an unamused glance.
"You look well," Narcissa whispered.
"Thank you. You don't. Too thin and pale." Andromeda reached out one hand and tapped her sister's cheek. "You're real though. You're really here. Why are you here?" she asked frowning, her normally happy grey eyes stormy and serious.
Narcissa shrugged as though the details weren't important.
"Hermione blew up my house. She saved our lives."
Andromeda switched her glare to Hermione, who winced slightly.
"You weren't scheduled for a mission last night."
Hermione shrugged.
"Spur of the moment thing."
"Hermione nothing you do is spur of the moment. I caught you planning Nymphadora's play time last week." She turned back to her sister. "Our lives?"
Narcissa nodded and rested a hand on her stomach.
"Is it his?" she asked bluntly.
"Yes. But only by blood. It won't be his heir. He won't have this one." Narcissa reached out one hand, which trembled slightly. "I'm so sorry for disowning you. There was nothing wrong with Ted at school. He seemed nice. I'm sorry I never worked up the courage to tell you that."
Andromeda regarded her sister with guarded grey eyes, before reaching out and clasping her hand. "So you finally did it. I wondered how long it would take you."
Narcissa blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Andromeda dropped onto the sofa.
"You were forced into that marriage. Just as Bella was and I am sorry for that. If I hadn't run away with Ted you might have gotten a choice and..."
"Andy, that wasn't your fault. I'm glad one of us got to be happy."
Andromeda sighed.
"Still. I was your big sister. You were my responsibility. I could have taken you with me or done something at least."
"I was still at Hogwarts. There was nothing you could have done." Narcissa frowned slightly. "Why are you here? If you don't mind me asking, of course."
Andromeda smiled gently and clasped her sister's hand pulling her down next to her.
"The Death Eaters came for us." Narcissa winced in apology. "Not your fault. Lucky we had Sirius staying with us that night. You remember Sirius? Trouble-maker?" Narcissa nodded. "Well, he got us all out. This was last year. And I was frankly too scared to go live alone after that. So Hermione offered us a place to stay. We can still go to work and Hermione teaches Nymphadora and Alasdair, during the day. It's nice. And now we'll have a new baby."
Narcissa smiled and Hermione relaxed. If these two could reunite, then everyone else would have to deal with it. Merlin help those that crossed Andromeda.
She chuckled slightly and the two sisters raised an identical eyebrow. Hermione remembered Draco pulling that exact expression, when he was disbelieving of something a teacher said.
"Oh, it's nothing. Shall we introduce Narcissa to the rest of the family?"
Andromeda stood, and then paused.
"'Cissa, what of Bella?"
A pained look passed over the blond woman face and Hermione scowled, one hand unconsciously, going to cover her wrist.
"When she learns of my defection, as far as she is concerned, she has no siblings."
Andromeda took one hand and Hermione the other, and together they pulled Narcissa into the Dining Room. The room froze as they stood at the head of the table. Hermione moved in front of her and glared at James and Sirius, who had drawn their wands.
"What's going on, Hermione?" Alice asked. She was the more trusting of the Aurors preferring to gather the facts before drawing her wand. Franks snuffled slightly into his breakfast.
"I am introducing you to the newest member of my household." Hermione folded her arms and James flinched, lowering his wand slightly. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"She's a Death Eater," James spat.
"Show them your arms 'Cissa." Hermione asked quietly.
Unflinchingly Narcissa extended both pale unmarked arms.
"She's covered it," he accused.
"Think, Potter," Hermione hissed. "The Dark Mark cannot be hidden. And it cannot be removed. She was never a Death Eater. She has sworn oaths of loyalty to me and I have welcomed her into this household. I've taken her wand and removed her wedding ring. She cannot betray us."
"Hermione, she's wanted by the ministry. And by You-Know-Who. She's married to a Death Eater, for Merlin's sake," Sirius pleaded.
"She is also your cousin."
And no one spoke until Ted Tonks, showing exactly why Andromeda married him, looked into his wife's eyes and nodded.
"Nymphadora," he smiled, leading the eclectic little girl to her mother. "I'd like you to meet your Aunt 'Cissa."
Nymphadora's eyes widened slightly and she cocked her head to one side.
"Hello."
Narcissa crouched down so she was at eye level with her niece.
"Hello, Nymphadora."
She scowled.
"Only Mummy and Daddy call me that. Everyone else calls me Tonks."
Narcissa just grinned.
"You remind me of your mother."
"I do?"
"Yes. She hated being called Andromeda. Always insisted we call her Andy." Narcissa held out a hand and without hesitation the girl shook it.
Hermione chuckled slightly and finally sat down for breakfast.
"I'm glad we got that out of the way. There are several things I need to discuss. Has anyone seen Severus?"
"He's brooding," Lily sighed slightly, patting the back of her fuming husband, as he retook his seat. "Felicity still won't write back. He thinks she's left him."
Hermione sighed.
"Still I need to talk to him regarding last night's batch. Anything new in the Auror Department?"
"New trainees." Sirius shrugged, not taking his eyes off his cousin. "Some seem promising. Oh and Dumbledore wants you at the next Order meeting."
"Very well. Actually, Sirius, I need a favour?"
"No." Marlene rolled her eyes and jabbed him with a fork. "Ouch. Bloody hell. Fine. My apologies oh great Lady Hermione. Ask away and I shall do my best to ignore your request."
Hermione raised one eyebrow and Marlene raised her fork in warning. James muttered something which caused Lily to smack the back of his hand with her napkin. Sirius snickered and stuck his tongue out.
"I need you to dissolve Narcissa's marriage." Hermione interrupted what would eventually turn into a Marauder food fight.
Sirius blushed and, to her great surprise, looked guilty. James snickered slightly into his cereal.
"What did you do?" asked Hermione, Lily and Marlene simultaneously.
"Well, you remember when I claimed my title?"
"Vaguely."
"And we went to search Bella's vaults? Well, me and Prongs..."
"Prongs and I." Hermione murmured.
Sirius glared at her.
"Anyway we got kind of annoyed at not finding anything and so we went to see the record keeper. Nasty goblin he was..."
"Get to the point, Black." Hermione bit out.
"Keep your hair on. Anyway we found the records for the House of Black, which I can alter at any time."
"And...?"
"We may have fiddled with them a little."
James snorted and choked on cornflakes.
"A little?" he gasped out.
"What did you do, Sirius?"
"We may have revoked the marriages of Narcissa and Bella and refunded their dowry's."
"So they're not married?"
"Nope."
Narcissa smiled, happily.
"He has no claim?" she asked Hermione, who nodded.
"None at all."
"Claim to what?" Dorea asked. The room almost froze. It was the first time in days they'd heard her speak.
Hermione smiled gently.
"Narcissa's baby. If the marriage was not valid at the time of conception, he has no claim and cannot invoke property rights."
Dorea nodded.
"It will be nice to have a baby around the place again." She said and returned to her breakfast.
Hermione nodded.
"Yes, it will."
Marlene scowled at her husband.
"You're hiding something."
"Am not."
"Tell me?"
"Dammit, woman." Sirius cast a pleading glance at James, who was ignoring him. "Fine. We may have also changed Bella's birth certificate."
"To what?" Andromeda asked cautiously.
Sirius mumbled something under his breath.
"What was that?" Ted asked, lifting his daughter back into her chair.
"We renamed her Dominatrix."
There was silence, broken by Alasdair, who frowned and turned to his big sister.
"What does that mean?"
Marlene groaned as the table exploded into giggles.
"WHY SIRIUS?" She wailed.
This was why Hermione loved them. They could go from death threats to laughter in one meal. She smiled encouragingly at Narcissa, who looked slightly shell shocked.
"Actually, Marlene, are you on duty today?"
"No." Came the muffled reply. Marlene had hidden her face behind her hands as her little brother tugged on her sleeve.
"Could you look over Narcissa after breakfast? I need to make sure she's in good health. And if Alice could look her over for curses that would be great."
Alice recovered enough from her laughter to nod, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Sure, 'Mione."
There was a loud snort from her left as Frank inhaled and got porridge up his nose. He sneezed wildly, banged his head off the edge of his bowl, which tipped up on his head. He opened his eyes and glanced around with bleary confusion, as a large creamy globule trailed down his face.
"What did I miss?"
Hermione and everyone else dissolved into laughter again.
Everyone split up after breakfast. Most went to work or to bed, Alasdair and Nymphadora were presented to Hermione for their lessons, and the house settled down once more.
"Hermione?" Narcissa called, snagging her sleeve as she passed, trailing after Marlene. "I can't thank you enough for this. And you were wrong by the way."
"I was?" Hermione asked, amused.
"You have a family. Everyone here. They're your family." Narcissa smiled gently. "I had better go; Lady Black is waiting for me."
Hermione watched her go, frowning slightly.
"Tonks, if you don't want to listen, I can always send you to clean out the owl cages."
"But we have magic for that," the little girl whined petulantly.
"No. I have magic for that. You are six." Hermione frowned at her. "You get to do it the muggle way."
There was a pause as she weighed up both options. Then she sighed and climbed back into her seat next to Alasdair.
"Very good. Now..."
The doorbell rang and Hermione sighed.
"If I find out that was one of you two, we will learn about nothing but goblin rebellions until you go to Hogwarts."
Hermione left the makeshift classroom, taking care to ward it. No one rang the doorbell. It just didn't happen.
Cautiously she approached the door, checking the wards to make sure they were still intact.
They were.
Which mean that... the pain in her chest suddenly tripled, almost causing her to collapse, before it lessened, just as suddenly. She flung the door open and stared out at the bright lawns.
No one.
A quiet groan came from the floor and Hermione glanced down.
He was covered in blood, which had clotted into thick scabs over his body and his clothes were shredded and stiff. His left arm hung limply, the other loosely gripping his wand. One eye was bruised over and his lip was split, but the single blue eye seared Hermione to her soul.
"Remus..."
A/N
It'll be okay from now on. Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions.
And I'm sorry about Dorea.
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers.
Lizzy B: It's not his fault. He has his reasons. They're stupid reasons. But still...
punkyredhead: Well we can't have him sleeping in the hall now can we?
StarGirlPotter: You did a Doctor Who thing... I bloody love you.
.96780: I'm stopping with the angst. And yes he will be soon.
Oh btw I wrote a Sherlock and HP crossover. Sherlock and Hermione. Platonic thing. Should I upload it?
Once again,
Hood and Genius out.
P.S the Epilogue is written. WE HAVE AN ENDING PEOPLE.
So now I have to finish it don't I?
