This chapter feels very chunky toward the end (to me at least). School started this week and I haven't gotten around to writing. I finished it just now (it's 1:30 am for me) because I didn't want to miss an update. Sorry for that. After Week 1, I usually get into a good rhythm so I might revisit this chapter within the fortnight. I hope y'all had a great start into 2017!

As they climbed down the mountainside, it took all of her willpower to fight against the ever growing urge to turn back, storm into that hut and give the old fool a piece of her mind. She had granted him forgiveness, although in word only, and she had done so because she just knew it was for the best. For now, for as long as her boys needed his protection, she couldn't dare risk lose it just to satisfy her own need for revenge. Dumbledore, loathe as she was to admit it, was the only person capable of saving Harry from what was to come. Her son had done the saving for far too long. Now it was time for her to finally step up and make true the promise she made to Draco, Nathan and Harry each, on the days of their births.

"We will apparate to Hogwarts straight away," Severus said. "Curfew has only started an hour ago. It is rather unlikely that any of them will be asleep already."

She nodded. "How have they been doing? Have the twins been successful in regaining their balance yet?"

"Certainly not," said Severus at once. "Finian, I presume, will find his balance by himself. The disruption to his core was minor in comparison to your other son's. Eoin, on the other hand, will require help."

"And will you be able and willing to offer this help?"

"I am able, no doubt, and will do so."

Ignoring that he avoided making any statement on his willingness to help Harry, she smiled at him gratefully. "You could call them Nathan and Harry. Everyone does, it seems, and they certainly prefer it."

"Draco calls them by their former last names still. I don't care what they would prefer. I'm their professor and they shall put up with whatever I decide to call them."

"You're their godfather as well. There was a time when you were only too happy to love them."

"They were unborn children then and hadn't been corrupted by the spoiling ways of their guardians yet."

She pursed her lips. "Nathan was loved, yes, but I doubt Harry received more than the barest necessities from those Muggles he lived with."

He snorted. "Have you paid them a visit? I know you meant to."

"No, I haven't but I will soon. Maybe you should accompany me and see for yourself the home my son, your godson, grew up in. Perhaps that will let you see him as he truly is."

"Maybe I shall. Do you wish to return to Headquarters and floo into my office or will you apparate to Hogsmeade with me?"

"I'll go to Headquarters first," she said. "My niece asked to speak to me earlier and I think it would be quite rude of me to stall her for too long. Merlin knows the girl is far too impatient for her own good."

"Or anyone else's. I'll have your sons in my quarters. Don't take too long, I would prefer if my rooms weren't being haunted by three hormonal, overtly exhausted teenage boys."

He turned on the spot and disappeared, leaving Narcissa standing by the Cliffside. It was a beautiful night out and for a moment, she envied Dumbledore for the breath-taking view of the starry sky he had from his hut. From the windows of Grimmauld Place, all she could see were more houses, grey and faded.

It was at times like these that she missed Malfoy Manor the most. It was a gorgeous home, magnificent and ancient. It was on a plot of land far removed from any others, giving them all the privacy they desired. The backyard was easily twice the size of the actual house, with plenty of room for a playground and a Quidditch plot, which they had installed for Draco when he was a little boy, and a beautiful garden that the Ladies of House Malfoy had nourished for several centuries.

All of it was in ruins now. After she had fled with her sons, the Order had arrived and battled the Death Eaters. The house was the battle's only casualty. She hadn't returned since but the descriptions Nymphadora and Lupin offered her were more than enough to create a mental image she didn't want to confirm. Even if she wanted to, there would be no way for her to do so without being killed. The Dark Lord, in a sadistic manner typical for him, had declared her home as his Headquarter. Severus had informed her that her former master had ordered the Death Eaters and a small army of House Elves to rebuild part of the house, just enough for him to hold his meetings, keep prisoners and live in. The master bedroom, her bedroom, was now inhabited by the monster that wanted to see her son dead. It was a chilly thought. Grimmauld Place, dull as it might be, was at least safe for the time being.

When she returned to the house, she found her sister's daughter waiting for her in the lounge room.

"Good evening, Nymphadora," she said. Even though she'd been seeing the girl almost every day for two months now, she had never quite managed to build anything resembling a familial relationship with her. Andy, she supposed, would've found it easy to connect with Harry but she hadn't been around very much. According to Nymphadora, her mother was usually off, completing either work related tasks or doing the odd job for the Order. She, unlike Narcissa, was a fully trusted member. No one doubted her loyalties the least and since she wasn't cooped up at Grimmauld Place and reliant on it as a hiding place, she was one of the few designated people who could really do much of anything.

"Hullo," the girl said. "Back already?"

"I will be off to visit the boys after we're done here."

"Oh," she said. "Well, you didn't have to come here just for this. My mum just wanted me to make arrangements for the holidays with you."

"What sort of arrangements?"

"For Nate. Will he be coming home for the holidays?"

"Yes, of course. He and his brothers are all coming. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Nymphadora nodded. "Um, yes, of course. See, the thing is, ever since Nate was born, the Longbottoms spent Yule with us. It's a family tradition and we don't want to stop it. So, Mum said that since you, Draco and Harry are family too, we should invite you."

Stunned, Narcissa looked at her niece. She hadn't expected for Andy to want to celebrate Yuletide with her- granted, the invitation had likely only been extended so that Nathan would get to celebrate with both of his families but if her sister had been completely against it, she wouldn't have suggested it or gone as far as telling her daughter to deliver the message.

"Yes," she said quickly before she could talk herself out of it. "I should like that. Tell your mother thank you."

"Course."

Narcissa, for a moment, stayed seated but almost immediately felt the awkwardness that lay in the air after Nymphadora's last word and stood up abruptly, eager to leave and see her boys.

"I am going to visit the boys at Hogwarts," she said. "Would you like me to bring Nathan a message from you?"

Her niece seemed startled but recovered quickly. "Tell him I can't wait to see him."

She nodded and left without a goodbye as not to make the situation any more awkward. As she walked to the closest fireplace, however, she couldn't help but dwell on Nymphadora's message to Nathan. She had no doubt that her son would share the sentiment. Every time she had seen the two of them together, they had been as thick as thieves. Even when they weren't together, there always seemed to be some sort of understanding between them, the kind that only family has. The day they arrived at Grimmauld Place, Nymphadora had taken one look at Nathan and instantly figured out that he was overwhelmed and removed him from the situation, whereas Narcissa could only stand by and wonder why she hadn't caught the signs. It was the same understanding Harry had with the Weasleys and the Granger girl, the one Draco had with her.

Over the two months she'd been reunited with the twins, it had happened time and time again that she'd been confronted with the ugly truth that her children had, in one way or another, made families for themselves. She was comforted by that thought most of the time. The rest of it, the reality of that thought made her sad. She was supposed to be her sons' rock, the person who gave them the love and stability they craved and needed. Their traditions ought to be the ones she taught them. Even their accents reminded her of Harry and Nathan's otherness. Harry's was the accent of Surrey- English but no less different than Nathan's Scottish accent.

Hogwarts was already quiet when Narcissa arrived. Even Severus' quarters were silent, the only noise being the roaring fireplace. Her three sons were seated on the sofa in front of it, Nathan and Draco on either side of Harry. Draco's face lit up as soon as his eyes found hers and even the twins smiled at her genuinely. Her heart burst at the sight- her beautiful boys, her precious sons. She looked at Harry and felt that same heart explode with anger. Umbridge, that vile, spiteful woman, had dared to put a hand on her precious child, had dared to break his skin and draw his blood. His hand was scarred, she could see at first glance, the smooth, pale skin disrupted by the pink words.

"My boys," she finally said, tearing her eyes away from Harry's hand and settling on their faces. She smiled gently.

Draco stood up and stepped into her embrace, easily melting into the familiar touch. "It's good to see you, Mother. I was glad when Severus told us you were coming."

As soon as Draco sat down, Nathan stood up but not to hug her as his brother had. "Are you taking us home?"

"No," she said decidedly. "Your place is here."

She expected him to put up a fight, to demand to be brought away to see his family but instead, he nodded his head once, entirely satisfied. "Good because we weren't going to let you do that anyway."

"Is the Order doing something?" Harry asked.

She sighed- she knew it was too much to expect the twins to greet them as sons should greet their mother, especially at times like these. Harry, since he was only ten years old, had been raised to be a soldier. She shouldn't expect him to stop being a soldier and start being a son, not when a war was brewing around him.

"Yes," she said. "Plans are being made as we speak but there's not too much to be done. The Ministry links this breakout to Sirius' escape. I'm afraid he won't accept the Dark Lord's return until he has seen him for himself."

"I don't suppose we could draw him out, could we?" Nathan asked.

"Don't be daft, boy," Severus snarled from his place in the corner. "The Dark Lord won't fall for such a trick."

"Don't call my son daft, Severus. The Order has toyed with this idea, after all, before we decided it was too risky to try."

Harry worried his lip. "So what is going to happen then?"

She hesitated. Since the day Dumbledore had been forced into hiding, she hadn't talked to either of her sons regarding their feelings for the man. She knew that Harry had idolised him before. Dumbledore had been his knight in shining armour, the man who made everything alright. For Nathan, he had been somewhat of a grandfather if the tales Nymphadora, Aria and Kelvin regaled her with were true. An estranged grandfather, granted, but a grandfather nonethe less. Draco, on the other hand, had never held him in high regard. He'd been glad when Nymphadora brought them the news of his disappearance.

"We're bringing back Dumbledore."

The boys stared at her gobsmacked for a few seconds. Then, slowly, Draco's face merged to show his anger and Nathan's transformed into one of ecstasy. She frowned- the emotions of her sons' faces were polar opposites and yet they had never looked more like Lucius than they did at that moment. Shaking her head in an attempt to rid herself of the confusing realisation, she focused on Harry, who continued to look at her in shock.

"That's great!" Nathan said. "With Dumbledore back, we'll be rid of Umbridge soon! Everything will be easier once she's gone-"

"Longbottom, you can be so stupid sometimes," snapped Draco. "The only thing that coot will achieve by coming back is his permanent arrest."

Harry snapped out of his stupor and glared at his older brother. "Don't call him stupid. He's right. Dumbledore won't come back until he knows exactly how he can do it without being arrested."

"I agree," she said, looking at Draco sternly. "Do not call your brothers names, Draco. As Harry said, Nathan is quite right. It doesn't matter whether we like him- and believe me, I don't like him- but he's one of the smartest wizards alive today. He won't rush headfirst into a situation he can't manage. Trust me."

"I don't trust any of them-"

"I'm not asking you to do that, my love. I am asking you to trust me. Trust your brothers and your godfather. If no one else, these are the people that will always be by your side, just as I expect you to stand with Harry and Nathan."

She left Hogwarts shortly after midnight. If it had been her choice to make, she would've stayed much longer but she could plainly see Nathan struggling to keep his eyes open and Harry's attention kept drifting off. Even so, she enjoyed her visit with them. After the matter with Dumbledore had been settled, Severus left them and they had talked of sweet nothings, regaling each other with stories of what had happened since they last met. Harry had told them of Luna Lovegood, the girl Nathan spent most of his time with, a cheeky grin on his face. Nathan had only blushed, saying that Luna was just a friend and Narcissa was inclined to believe him. In turn, Nathan had mentioned Ginny Weasley and the crush she used to have on Harry whilst Draco snickered on.

As she drifted off to sleep that night, she saw her three precious boys with their beautiful smiles, talking and laughing. For one night, they had acted like the brothers they were. For one night, her family had felt complete.