I am alive. In case, anyone wondered :P

I am going through some major major changes in life and I am trying my best to ace in them.

In the meantime, I could finally write down a chapter (phew). The next chapter is coming along nicely (though it still wrestles with me at moments) and the post 6th year chapters are being demanding.

*Long author note alert*

I have other rabid plunnies at the horizon. Two Sherlock/Hermione story, one Loki/Hermione MCU epic starting from post Hulk era, (fudged timeline and all) and I have a mammoth Reylo plunny that keeps spawning ideas at the drop of a hat.

I have been trying my best to manage them all. Oh, did I tell you about the Viking Dramione or the ABO Dramione story or the Draco gets turned into dragon story or... so many plunnies.

I have a (scientifically inaccurate) sociopath Hermione/Blaise story- End of the F**king World inspired.

I have a werewolf Hermione in the wings. A Viktor/Hermione story.

I am also working on the stories that I have pulled down too. Adding a lot of changes and all. The one I'm working with right now is "Only Time"- DA end up time traveling to Marauders era AU.

I have fudging toooooo many to quote in one author note (le sigh)

Shout out to WinchesterGranger without whom this chapter would have been impossible.

Anyhowwww (embarrassed author sound), please enjoy this chapter.

Saturdays usually meant studying after a hearty breakfast. But today, she was busy spending some much needed time with her boyfriend. She had a lot to talk about; especially the bit about Ginny knowing about them and approving it.

As much as that pleased him (because it pleased his mat—girlfriend), he had been away from Hermione for a longer time than he was comfortable with.

They met at an abandoned classroom in the eighth floor selected with a nice roll of the dice. It was near the end of corridor that was unused for quite some time now; no footprint of any pets in the dust or any other sign of life.

Draco entered the classroom and found Hermione sitting near the window, reading. He made his way to her as quiet as a mouse and whispered in her ears,

"I've missed you." And wisely took a couple steps back.

The wand pointed to his face was already glowing but he knew he'd just have to wait for a few seconds for Hermione to realise who had startled her.

"Draco! Don't you dare to scare me like that!" Hermione squealed as she jumped up to hug him.

Draco grabbed her and hoisted her up in his arms. She wrapped her legs around him as he carried her to the nearest desk. He buried his face in the crooks of her neck, smelling the intoxicating smell of her. Comfort, peace, safety. The venom in her must have settled in well enough for this passionate reaction to his presence.

The past few months had been educative. The blood sharing, the tiniest bit of his venom in her veins has sure solidified their bond for the moment. Nothing like what his parents have...but it's something.

He recalls all the conversations they've had. Sneaking away from their friends and spending the evening together studying in library or chatting with each other under the ancient oak tree on the other side of the Black Lake.

So efforts were made on both the fronts- the incubus and the human. It was a stable relationship that needed to blossom now. And survive the rise of the Dark Lord.

He sighed into her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, running her hand over his hair.

"Something is not right," he murmured.

She nudged her head into his shoulders, urging him to explain.

"I have a bad feeling. That's all."

She backs from him, looking at him with a soft smile. "Has Harry's vibes been getting to you?"

Draco laughed lightly, "You could say that. How do you manage?"

"With the sole understanding that Harry did not ask for the troubles."

Draco smirked, "So you're telling me he did not want to participate in the Triwizard competition?"

"Absolutely not. He despises attention. He just wants a peaceful school year."

Draco ran his fingers up her leg- tracing the hem of her skirt, slipping up a bit like he's toeing with the imaginary line. He slowly caressed longer strokes on her thigh, his thumb teasing the softer skin of her inner thigh.

"Is it? Monsieur Center of Attention hates attention, huh?"

Hermione's breath stuck a bit at the feeling of his calloused finger tracing her sensitive skin. She was taking deep breaths, trying not to outright pant.

"Loathes it."

He leant a little forward as if he wanted to kiss her and at the last minute, though better and nuzzled her neck, nipping the skin lightly.

He kept kissing up her neck till he reached that delicate stretch of skin behind her ear. He went back to the crook of her neck, nipping it and then laving his tongue over the slightly stinging area.

"I can't wait to be more close to you," he pulled at her uniform shirt, "I hate this barrier between us."

He pulled enough that her tucked in shirt came out of her skirt. Draco slipped his hand under her shirt and traced her belly, his fingers trailing right under her bra clad breast. He skimmed his fingers up the curve of her spine, over her bra straps on her back to the back of her neck and then slowly he dragged his fingertips down to the small of her back where her skirt started.

The feel of his hand on her was incredible, it stirred feelings in her that she didn't know existed.

He kept caressing her over and over again, as if memorising the feel of her body.

He leant in for a kiss, not before he murmured something over her lips.

Hermione was too invested to demanding he said.

It wasn't until later that she realised what he had said.

"We cannot wait to be yours and you to be ours."

Narcissa looked at her husband as he took her wounded palm and pressed a full mouth kiss on it, his tongue sliding across the cut. Her wound sealing up in matter of moments though Lucius didn't relent in his process.

"You've always been so decadent, my lady," he murmured against her skin.

Narcissa merely smiled at him. The ever flirt. When he looked up at her with his darkened eyes, all she felt the shiver of thrill run down her spine.

"We should get this done and then," she smirked at her husband.

"Excellent proposal, my lady."

"My pleasure, my lord," the adoration in her voice satiated the thrum of hunger in him.

He extended his arm and she held it and with a slight spin, the couple Disapparated.

"I must say, he has his wits about him despite those gruelling years in Azkaban," Lucius commented as he dusted off the dirt from the international Floo they just took.

They had used Narcissa blood to search out her fugitive cousin. Blood spells are a strict taboo these days but he's a Death Eater whose leader is rising and she's a Black daughter. Enough said.

La Gomera, Canary Islands, was beautiful when they had visited it after their marriage and it was beautiful still. He offered his arm to her as they walked out of the Floo Atrium of the La Gomera Magical Associations.

"Just think what all he could have if he just thought before taking a decision," Narcissa sighed.

"Like plotting before blowing up an entire street?" Lucius scoffed.

"That and the fact that he really couldn't have done it. This is Sirius we are talking about. He'd marry a Muggle before he'd kill them."

Lucius scowled at his wife.

"You don't get to make that face at me. I spoke nothing but the truth."

"Which makes one wonder exactly what happened and why Chief Warlock of our time didn't bother to lift a finger? His rebellion, his soldiers and he lets them all just…"

"My dear, he is not a leader. He's a chess master. They were his chess pieces," Narcissa said as she watched the compass needle spun lightly before fixating in the right direction of her cousin, "He didn't need Sirius, he disposed of them. He needed to lure the Dark Lord out; he was casual about the security of the Potters. I can't even fathom why they wouldn't live at the Potter Manor. It has blood wards like every respectable Pureblood home. The unfortunate events could have easily been avoided!"

Lucius placed his arm over her shoulder, rubbed them to ease her discomfort. Yes, he's a stoic person in public but in a place like this, he could drop his guard. The bliss of anonymity in such tourist places.

Narcissa sighed and leaned against him. She was just being a concerned mother. From what she hears from Draco, the situation doesn't seem very rosy for the kids. No wonder every Pureblood had rushed to join the ranks of the Dark Lord. But then everyone started focusing on the invasion of the Mud—Muggleborns into society. She let out another sigh.

"Take deep breaths, my love. I can still feel the resentment in your bones," Lucius whispered in her ears.

"Can you tell I am tired?" Narcissa replied.

"I can feel the end drawing near."

Narcissa nodded slowly. "Let's start paving the path to our salvation, shall we?"

Lucius smirked at his wife.

It wasn't hard searching for Sirius- they had the magic compass that kept pointing to Sirius's location- but it wasn't easy either- he was living in a Muggle area. A logical choice given his current status.

They walked up the stairs of a decrepit looking building with living spaces that were right next to each other.

"Huh, modern hovel," Lucius murmured under his breath.

"Apartments, dear. Not modern hovel," Narcissa corrected him.

"What's the difference?"

Narcissa ran her hand over her robe front once, looked at the compass that was fixed towards door number 303. She looked at Lucius once before knocking on the door in the old childhood code they had- two knocks, one knock, two knocks, one knock, and three knocks.

After a beat, the door clicked and opened on its own. Narcissa pulled out her wand and confidently entered the house. Lucius's instincts screamed at him but he had to let Cissa do this alone.

"What is something that I know that no one knows about Narcissa Black?" Sirius pointed a metal thing at Narcissa standing near the open window of the apartment.

"You had promised me," Narcissa hesitated a little, "that he," she jerked her head at the door, "wouldn't ever come to know of this."

Lucius couldn't hold back his curiosity and the rising sense of dread. He had planned to wait it all out in the dingy corridor but it was no longer possible.

'Did she…cheat on…No, no. She was… But what if? No. Not his Cissa.'

Narcissa wanted to hex her cousin to the Veil and back. She was angry and disappointed, "You had promised."

"That's the only one secret I know that you wouldn't ever tell your Death Eater husband. That will prove if you are here under the orders of You-Know-Who or not."

"I had brought necessities for you. But I think I will shrink them just enough for them to discomfort you," Narcissa threatened resentfully.

Sirius merely raised his brow at her.

"At Leaky Cauldron's…facility, my ring…my engagement ring…fell down the drain," Narcissa muttered.

"The drain?" Sirius questioned her.

Lucius stared at his wife of twenty one years in surprise.

"The…the lavatory drain," Narcissa was fuming now.

"And?" Sirius urged her on, seeming to take great pleasure in the unfolding events.

"The ring was spell resistant so I couldn't really summon it. And even if I did, it would have covered in lavatory water!" She was positively angry now.

Sirius was sporting a huge grin, "Go on. The story doesn't end there."

"You came to use the men's facilities and found me there by the door,"

"Crying—"

Narcissa glared at him as she continued, "—and you asked me about my troubles. You got the innkeeper to retrieve my ring but it was long gone."

Sirius urged her on.

"No, it is your turn to prove your genuineness now," Narcissa was practicing her breathing techniques now. Five minutes exposure to Sirius's antics and she is seven years old, all over again.

"You were crying your eyes out more so now and there was snot running down your nose," If looks could kill, Sirius would have been so dead right now. "Then I, being the kind person I am, decided to help my hellion cousin," By now, Sirius had relaxed his wand hand and was slowing moving towards Narcissa. Relaxed but alert.

Sirius continued, "I got your memory of the ring, went to a Muggle jewellery store, got a replicate made in half a day. No jeweller must have bribed the way I had bribed him—"

"It's called paying an incentive!" Narcissa hissed.

Lucius took a deep breath of the cocktail of emotions churning around him. A mad 'murderer' taking immense pleasure in winding his irate wife up. He had never imagined he'd be a part of this craziness.

"You even got married wearing that fake Muggle ring!" Sirius concluded triumphantly.

"Not my proudest moments," she whispered.

"That was why the Floo and Apparation to the Manor did not work for you," Lucius whispered quietly.

Narcissa looked at her husband with trepidation, "Lucius, you need to understand—"

"Yes, my mother and father would have...yes, they would have made a chaos that they would have taken to the grave," Lucius let out a tired breath, "But you could have told me, couldn't you have?"

"I had assumed you too would have thought the worst of me."

Lucius shook his head, "But how in the world did that charmed ring slip off your finger? They don't slip off."

"Bella had cursed that ring. Her revenge for getting over me. I was in the lavatory when I felt the burn of the curse. I used a cosmetic spell on it and it flew out of my hand and right into the—"

"She has always been a bitch. I can't believe why you'd even let her live," Sirius added his two pence in it.

Narcissa cleared her throat, "If the verification of your identity is—"

"What do you want?" Sirius cut in, his jovial manners falling away and his rough side showing now.

"An—" Lucius began before Sirius pointed his wand at Lucius as a threat.

"I don't talk to Death Eaters unless it is to interrogate them."

Lucius curtly nodded his head once and fell silent. This conversation will have to be handled by his wife alone.

Narcissa turned to Lucius, her hand stretched towards him. He quickly pulled out the shrunken package out of his pocket and handed it over to her.

"These are some clothes and necessities for you. Oh, and some non-perishables too," Narcissa said as she kept her peace offerings on the small piece of furniture pretending to be a coffee table. She put expanded another package and continued, "This is some home cooked meal. This should last you at least a day. I will have Lottie deliver another of such meals for you tomorrow- hot and piping. You don't even need to use your wand. Just wave your hand over it and the Statis spell will drop. This is shepherd's pie, some scotch eggs, Welsh cakes and a roast dinner. Tomorrow, Lottie will deliver the entire day's—"

"Why?"

Narcissa looked at him and tried not to show her anxiousness. The plan, the alliances that the Malfoy needed to form started from here… She had to make this work. She took a deep breath and decided not to go for any underhanded play. As a brash person, Sirius wouldn't appreciate it.

"I need you as my ally."

Sirius scoffed. "A Death Eater's ally. Yeah…"

"An ally for my son's betrothed," Narcissa continued.

"That would be the spawn of another Death Eater. No, thanks."

"She's a Muggleborn," Narcissa spilled out.

Sirius, who was busy poking the 'gifts' with his gun, froze. "Weren't the Malfoys beings? Weren't they… they had mates, right? Something about compatibility of blood and shit like that? What was it?" He started pacing. "Argh! I can't fucking remember!"

"Sirius…"

"Creature! A being! What?!"

Narcissa was clutching her neck delicately, gasping at Sirius.

Lucius rolled his eyes. Every child from the house of Black was so dramatic. Couldn't they just spill it out and be done with this. Escaping from prisons twelve years later…for what? Revenge? Petty revenge? Merlin give him some patience.

"Sirius Black, the Malfoys have a demon symbiosis. Nothing to do with creatures and bein—" Lucius began when Sirius roared,

"Fucking Incubus!"

Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit that he didn't know he had adopted from Severus, and sighed. It's going to be a long day.

"So you've readily accepted a Muggleborn as the next future Malfoy mistress?" Sirius scoffed out loud, "I find it HARD to believe." Sirius had taken to sprawl over the seat while

"It's the choice of our demon side not us," Lucius replied, trying his best not to snap at his...brother-in-law. By the looks of it, Sirius sure was channelling the dog in him perfectly. Maybe that's what saved his mind from the Dementors?

"And you pureblood fanatic lot just accepts it without a peep?" Sirius stared at Narcissa for answer. He was still actively ignoring Lucius.

"As much as Lucius has explained to me, the demon makes the decision. You can't go against it. You just...can't."

"Why me?" Sirius asked.

"Hermione is a kind hearted, brave girl. The sole brain behind saving Harry Potter. Wherever trouble leads the boy, she goes with him to help him, save him. If she goes, Draco goes. You can easily understand our position in this scenario now, don't you?" Narcissa told Sirius.

"So you are suddenly ready to go against You-Know-Who? Just like that? How can I trust you when you can easily ditch one side for the other?"

"Sirius, I know you are apprehensive about—"

"Look, Black," Lucius started angrily-this back and forth was annoying him, "you don't find cases where Incubi has killed off their partners or bed warmer for the time because of the fact they've learnt to get nourishment from alternative sources- one of them being high emotions or exposure to Dark magic or plain chaos and pain. You can fathom why a young Incubus would have joined the ranks of You-Know-Who. He just had a baby and had a wife to be healthy for. A weak man of the house is as useless as a broken wand. I did what I thought was the best at that time." Lucius rose from his seat to sneer over Sirius, "You do not get to haggle my wife over the decisions I made or the decisions my son made. If you can help us, I shall be grateful and help you but if it's otherwise…" Lucius straightened, "you'll forget what happened today."

"Help me? How?! That rat escaped! I am still convicted—"

"Help you get the evidence of Pettigrew's deceit. It'll ease a lot of path for us. So, it's the least I can do," Lucius said, tapping his cane lightly.

Narcissa remained seated, trying her best to gauge the direction this conversation was going.

"Just like that?" Sirius looking at Lucius for the first time in the duration of this encounter.

"Just like that."

Narcissa began, "I know you are in contact with the kids, Sirius. Please talk to them. I know Miss Granger observes more than she lets on. She'll be a good person to glean information from and the Weasley son too. He could be in the know of gossips and hearsays. We will keep giving you the news from our side too."

"I would need to bring in Dumbledore into—"

Lucius cut in, "Anything but that. A good for nothing, pretentious goody two shoes, that man! Have some shame, Black! That man abandoned you as soon as your usefulness ran out. If I could have evaded the Azkaban sentence then so could you. Dumbledore did nothing. Nor for you or the Potter boy. No one but himself."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest but then snapped it shut. He looked at Lucius and narrowed his eyes, "We shall talk about this later."

"So will you talk to the children?" Narcissa asked, a silent plea slipping into the Ice Queen's voice.

Sirius looked at her and nodded, "I'll talk to the children."

Draco knew Sirius needed to talk to the trio so he had, sadly, made an excuse of friends forcing him to hang out with them. They had all been at the Three Broomstick when he noticed how the trio tried to subtly leave.

"They are not Gryffindors for nothing," Daphne commented as she noticed the redhead bump into a friend and started chatting until Hermione elbowed him and glared at him.

"They try," Theo agreed.

"I have bad news," Pansy began and slipped the Witch Weekly to her friends.

"Who did this?" Blaise asked as Draco read who that magazine painted her salaciously.

"Who wrote this?" Draco asked, the magazine crumpled in his fists.

"Skeeter," Pansy provided.

It was evident to Draco's friends that he was soon going to make heads roll.

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