XXVIII.

The picture Bellatrix sent came along with a postcard that disgustingly said "Wish you were here!" signed with a deep red lipstick mark. Narcissa did not see the photograph of her Soul Mender's mutilated body, thank god, but Cassandra did, and the horrible scream that left her lips was enough of an answer of how bad it was. Cassandra burned the evidence of it immediately though, not wishing to scar Narcissa even more, and then she had a thirty-five minute long breakdown about how she didn't want Bellatrix to be in Narcissa's life anymore because she was afraid their relationship was going to end in them killing one another, and not just in the emotional sense.

Narcissa could not blame her for believing that, as most days she did too.

"I'm sorry," Narcissa breathed, clutching the other woman in her arms after Cassandra had at least calmed down enough to stop shouting and shaking. Narcissa had her chin on her shoulder, their hands clasped together in the redhead's lap. "I'm so sorry I've condemned you to this. I'm not worth it, Cass, I'm just not. I can leave, I can go to the Leaky Cauldron—"

"You're not fuckin' going anywhere," Cassandra responded dangerously, her fingers tightening around the blonde's hand, as though the more she held on, the harder it would be for Bellatrix to take her away from her. "An' stop with the bloody pity party, Cissa. I knew what the hell I was doin' when I 'condemned' myself to you, an' frankly you tryin' to tell me what I do and do not consider to be worth a damn is insulting."

Narcissa fell silent, her gaze landing on the floor. Cassandra took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. "I want ya here so long as you're tryin' to get better," she revised. "I understand why ya broke— Lucius goin' to prison, your son gettin' the Mark, Draco findin' out about Aquila… it was a lot, all at once, an' your mental state had never been the best. But ya kept forgettin' to take your meds, you weren't sleepin', you lost control of your anger an' nearly killed your bloody sister…"

Narcissa's chest ached, and she could not bear to look at the woman when she laid everything out like this; she knew circumstances beyond her control began this whole mess, but there were things she could control later on that she did not, and that made this entirely her fault.

"Your Soul Mender is dead now, Cissa," Cassandra harshly reminded her, and Narcissa sucked in a sharp breath that felt as though it was piercing her lungs. "Bellatrix has gone off the deep end 'cause you were tryin' to keep me a secret when maybe if you had just been honest with her in the fuckin' first place—"

"Cass, she would have killed you!"

"How can you still believe that, when you just broke the woman beyond recognition an' she is still doin' exactly what you wanted?" Cassandra shot back, silencing Narcissa's protests. "I'm not one to advocate for that cunt, believe me, but you've fucked her up so thoroughly that even after you've emotionally fuckin' slaughtered her, she can't bear the thought of robbin' you of anything that would cause you that much pain. She's still at your house, trainin' your son, despite feelin' betrayed an' lied to, despite feelin' replaced an' worthless, because she doesn't know how to do anythin' else other than cater to you, an' that's fucked up."

"So what, you'd rather she leave my son to die?" Narcissa asked, horrified as she pulled her hands out of the other woman's, establishing space between them. She suddenly felt ill.

"Don't put words in my mouth— ya know I'm glad she's still doin' that. You just don't like to hear how badly you screwed with her head unless you're actively using it to cut yourself down, but I'm not gonna sugarcoat it for you," Cassandra told her, which was par for the course really, but Narcissa still hated it. She needed it, but she hated it all the same. "I'm scared for ya, 'cause I'm bloody terrified that this is gonna end badly, but I'm not under any illusion that you're some sort of victim in all of this either. You are party to your own misery, Cissa, an' you need to start accepting that if you're ever gonna move forward."

"I know I am, don't you think I—?"

"There's knowin' and there's changin', so make a sodding effort," Cassandra demanded, causing Narcissa's lips to purse into a thin line as her eyes brimmed with upset. "I'll be here while ya try to deal with the horrors of your life that are beyond your control, but I am not gonna cater to the shit you orchestrate yourself anymore. I've seen you better, I've seen ya whole, an' I'm not acceptin' anything less anymore. I love you too goddamn much to watch ya revert back to that helpless mess with a victim-complex. Own your shit, Cissa; fix it— for fuck's sake."

Narcissa just looked at her helplessly, at a loss of how to proceed. "How?"

"Ya need to worry about yourself first— then ya can worry about everyone else," Cassandra answered, reminding her that healing always began with self-love. However, that had always been the hardest part for Narcissa, as the worse she got, the less she saw of herself to love; it was why she needed someone else who loved her, someone else she could suck that love from like the goddamn leech that she was, but Cassandra was not Bellatrix, she was not Lucius, and Narcissa knew if the other woman knew what she was trying to do she would put a stop to it immediately, because she wouldn't allow her self-destructive behaviors in the way everyone else did.

This needed to be genuine, it needed to be real, and that was the bloody problem because that was just so, so much harder.

"I'm not tryin' to be— I know this has been shit for ya, but I just can't have this in my house, Cissa. I have my son to think about," Cassandra said softly, her brow creasing in apology as she realized how upset Narcissa was getting again. "Honestly, you have no idea how badly I wish I could just take ya far away from here, away from her an' all this shit; just fuckin' grab our kids an' go…" Narcissa laughed softly, sadly, and Cassandra's brow knit further. "What?"

"That's what I said to my Soul Mender," Narcissa admitted in a whisper, an awful yearning in her voice for a dream that could never become a reality. "That I wish I could run away with you and the boys. She asked me… she asked me who made me the happiest and I— I said you; without fucking thought I said you."

Cassandra looked a little touched by that before she reevaluated the reality of the other woman's words. "Well, to be honest, it's not exactly a high bar— I'd have to be pretty shit not to make the top of your list right now."

Narcissa exhaled a long puff of air. She had hoped that would mean something to the other woman, because it meant something to her. "Can't you just take a compliment?"

"It's not a compliment to tell someone they're decent to the person they love, Cissa; that should be standard. All it does is make me feel sorry that you haven't realized that yet."

Narcissa felt her shoulders sag; she had wanted to build off that and tell her… well, perhaps now wasn't the time anyway. Not after everything that had happened. Instead Narcissa's gaze fell between them, her lips pursing into a thin line. Cassandra had seemed to notice that defeated her a little bit though, so she gently reached out, sliding her palm over the other woman's cheek before she brought her in for a soft kiss.

"You make me happy too," she breathed, and Narcissa smiled before she allowed their lips to connect again, her lashes falling to her cheeks as she tried to immerse herself in the only good thing in her life. When Cassandra parted from her though, she gently learned her forehead against Narcissa's and amended, "Well, usually— the last twenty-four hours have been pretty shit."

"I know. I know, I'm sorry," Narcissa apologized, taking the other woman's hand that had been lying on her cheek in her own before bringing it to her lips. "Things are going to change, I promise. I'm going to be okay. I'm going to deal with this and I'm going to— I'm going to be okay."

And Narcissa meant it. It was still difficult, dealing with the reality of her son's situation, but Draco had been making a point to come over every day to update her on his progress. At first, Narcissa had asked him if he just wanted to stay at Cassandra's with her and then he could go back to their manor whenever Bellatrix was ready to continue his training, but Draco said the worst Bellatrix did nowadays was tornado through the house and break damn near everything in her path, but Draco had apparently solved that by making the house elf follow Bellatrix around wherever she went at all hours of the day, repairing everything that she touched.

Besides, he said, he liked having the house to himself for most of the day, which probably meant he was up to no good when he was left unsupervised, but Narcissa had resolved to trust him regardless. She felt horrible for what she had put him through over the last month so, quite frankly, so long as Draco wasn't doing drugs or making her a grandmother, she was happy to allow Draco to do whatever it was that he wanted.

Apparently, and surprisingly, Bellatrix was fairly consistent with her training schedule; she woke Draco up every morning by teaching him that you have to be on your guard, even when you're sleeping (which had not been pleasant for Draco the first time he was unexpectedly hung over his bed by his ankles) and then after breakfast she would train him until two in the afternoon unless she had pressing matters to attend to, after which she tended to disappear for the rest of the day as she no doubt asked for each and every mission she could from the Dark Lord to keep herself busy. Draco said he had no idea what time she got home as he never heard her, but considering Bellatrix was always there the next morning, he knew she did at some point.

Narcissa had told him that Bellatrix had found out about her and Cassandra's relationship and that was why she was unpleasant at the moment, but Draco just followed that up with, "Aunt Bella is always unpleasant," which was probably true from his point of view, and so long as her sister wasn't taking out her anger on her son or scaring him, that was fine. Draco did remind her that if she had wanted to keep her relationship a secret though then maybe she shouldn't have been so bloody blatant by running to Cassandra any time things went bad, and perhaps he had been right about that, but Cassandra was the only light that shone when she looked out at the bleak future of her life and Narcissa was not willing to extinguish that.

Cassandra made her happy.

Unfortunately, the happier Narcissa realized she was with Cassandra, the guiltier she became when she thought of Bellatrix. She hadn't seen her since their altercation, and while Narcissa ached to apologize to her and to try to fix things between them, she also knew she couldn't until she got to a better place mentally, and she still was not there yet. She tried to get updates on her sister's mental state through Draco, but outside of finding out that Bellatrix bitched for ages when it finally clicked in her head that as the oldest living Black she should have gotten Grimmauld Place and the Order of the Phoenix hideout when Sirius died yet didn't because the wank had passed it to Harry Potter, and that she was getting frustrated that the Death Eaters were having trouble finding their old Potions Professor Slughorn, who Voldemort wished to recruit, Draco knew very little.

Narcissa had read in the papers that Igor Karkaroff's body was found in a shack up north, and while she was certain that hunting down and murdering someone who defected from the Dark Lord's cause no doubt lifted her sister's foul mood, she doubted it was in any substantial manner. In all honesty, Narcissa was more than aware that Bellatrix would not be able to be happy again until she came home, and because of that it made her feel terribly selfish that she didn't feel ready yet.

What was worse though was that even if she did feel ready, Narcissa wasn't entirely sure that she would want to leave. It was… it was nice, living with Cassandra. It felt almost like she was in a normal relationship, and considering it had been a very long time since Narcissa had felt that way, she ate it up.

"Cass, at least— at least let me brush my teeth first," Narcissa tried, but Cassandra was having none of that as she had apparently woken up horny and responded to that by sliding her tongue into her mouth as she climbed atop the other woman, the duvet shifting off her body as their legs tangled together in the sheets.

Cassandra's lips fell to her neck then and Narcissa closed her eyes as she exhaled a small gasp, deciding arguing about her breath wasn't really worth it right now anyway. Her hand fisted in a mess of auburn hair, the morning sunlight streaming into the room from the large bay window, and Narcissa couldn't remember when she ever had something in her life that was so simple feel so perfect.

"Ya got no idea how fuckin' sexy you look in the mornin', Cissa," Cassandra breathed against her skin, causing the woman beneath her to squirm as the Cassandra's fingers pressed over the fabric of her knickers. All she had been wearing were those and a tank top that had ridden up in her sleep per usual, and as it seemed Cassandra had this incredible fetish for her stomach, it was no wonder with it being exposed to her when she awoke that Narcissa was practically ravaged.

"Fuck," Narcissa breathed as her lover's lips were now dusking over the softness of her abdomen, every inch she descended being accented by a gentle love bite. Narcissa was embarrassingly wet already, but Cassandra had never had a problem making quick work of her. The woman's hair was disheveled and half in her face, her makeup from the previous night still beneath her eyes, and yet Narcissa was fairly certain she had never seen anything sexier. "Fuck, Cass— don't tease me."

Cassandra responded to that by tracing her tongue around the blonde's bellybutton, causing Narcissa to groan in frustration as the back of her head hit her pillow. Cassandra chuckled, the sound coming out muffled against her skin. "Got half a mind to make ya beg."

"I am really, really not above it."

"An' I appreciate that," Cassandra responded with a smirk before she leaned further down, taking the woman's knickers into her mouth before pulling them away from Narcissa with her teeth. She allowed them to stay there for a moment before she let them go, causing them to snap back into place which prompted a desperate gasp to fall from the blonde's lips. Her nipples were straining against the fabric of her top now and Narcissa's chest heaved as she looked down at the woman between her legs.

Cassandra was smiling at her, just fucking happy to be here with her in this moment, and Narcissa's heart clenched in her chest as she held out her hand and beckoned to her with a soft, "C'mere." The other woman's brow knit but she did as she was told, and when she was hovering above her Narcissa wrapped her arms around Cassandra's neck as she brought her in for lingering kiss. "I need to tell you something," she breathed when they broke, not really knowing why now was the time, but feeling as though she was unable to keep it in any longer.

"I'm listenin'."

Narcissa swallowed, feeling her heart beat rhythmically in her chest. She didn't know why she was nervous; it wasn't as though she was afraid the sentiment wouldn't be returned as she already knew it would be, but this was— this was a lot for her, considering her fucked up life and her even more fucked up circumstances, and Narcissa prayed that doing this wouldn't make everything worse as she tied Cassandra to her in a way that was as close to permanence as they could get.

Cassandra was patient with her. She just looked down at the woman in her arms, gently brushing an errant stray of hair out her eyes. Cassandra looked at her like she adored everything she was, and Narcissa started to feel emotional as her eyes began to water. "It's okay," Cassandra breathed softly, already knowing what this was about. "If ya say it, the world won't end. But if you're not ready, then I can wait; you don't gotta—"

"—I love you."

The words were practically forced from the back of Narcissa's throat, as though it took every ounce of courage she had inside of her to bring them forward, but once she did she felt infinitely better and her whole body relaxed as she swallowed down the rest of her nerves. "I'm— I'm in love with you, Cass; like so goddamn in love with you I can barely think straight. I feel like… like I'm on this whole other world when I'm with you, and I didn't realize that things could feel like this until you took me somewhere entirely new, to a place that I didn't even know existed until now. And I know that's— God, I probably sound so stupid…"

"You don't."

Narcissa's gaze met hers, hoping she did not look as vulnerable as she felt. Cassandra just smiled down at her though as she gently ran her fingers through blonde hair, but then she seemed to realize something and her expression masked in anxiety. "But… this isn't somethin' you're just feelin' now, right? 'Cause this ain't— this ain't fuckin' real, Cissa. I want it to be, I want it to be so bloody badly, but things're gonna change eventually. You'll need to go home—"

"I don't— I don't want to," Narcissa admitted, even though that made her feel horrible because it felt like she was betraying Bellatrix. Well, perhaps she had been betraying her for a long time now, but it somehow felt worse when she admitted that out loud. "I am so goddamn happy here— I'm happy with you, but I've always been happy with you, Cass. I'm not just feeling this now… I wanted to tell you after you told me but I wasn't ready to say it yet because— I don't know, it felt like I was giving you a death sentence or something…"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "You're so bloody dramatic— a 'death sentence', honestly…"

Narcissa just looked at her sadly, her palm cupping the younger woman's face as she looked up at her. "I wish it wasn't," she breathed. "I wish I was strong enough to let her go, but I'm not. When I go back to her, you're gonna feel like…"

"Like I'm givin' ya a bridge," Cassandra gently interrupted. "A bridge that you can cross, whenever you're ready. I know it won't be soon. I know you're still in love with her an' that ya keep holdin' on to hope that it's enough. An' maybe your sister's right— maybe I am a fuckin' masochist for holdin' out my hand and waitin' for ya, but that's my choice. You are my choice."

"I knew fallin' in love with ya would be messy, Cissa," the younger woman continued softly, her fingers gently brushing the baby hairs from Narcissa's forehead. "I've never been disillusioned to that. I'm not Lucius— I went into this with my eyes open. I knew about her. Granted, I never thought she'd escape, but I'm not gonna just say 'fuck it, this ain't worth it' because things got more difficult. An' maybe that's… I dunno, stupid of me; maybe I'm bein' too optimistic — thinkin' I can handle more than I actually can, or that me bein' here for ya is even gonna make a difference in the long run — but I'm still gonna try. You forget, I've known you were mental long before I fell into your bed. I knew about every ugly, complicated, fucked up thing in your life an' I still couldn't imagine wantin' anyone else. You're it for me, Narcissa. You've always been fuckin' it for me."

Narcissa's eyes welled up with tears at those words and when one spilled over, Cassandra gently kissed it from her cheek before teasing, "You cry too much."

"Shut up— you've become an emotional wreck over me too, so don't act like it's just me."

Cassandra chuckled softly, kissing her jawline and then her clavicle. "Yeah but, you cry over like… everythin'," she reminded her, causing Narcissa to roll her eyes and gently push her shoulder.

"Recently, maybe. When I was younger… I'm not entirely sure how I had any water left in my body, to be honest. But there was like… a second, in the middle, where I didn't feel so helpless all the time, and… and I miss that."

"You can have that back," Cassandra gently reminded her between her soft kisses on her neck, her shoulder. Narcissa just exhaled a defeated breath however, her hand tangling in the other woman's hair as she massaged her scalp.

"No," she realized. "I can't. Even— even if I could somehow fix the mess my life has become, my son's life is…" Narcissa exhaled a trembling breath, the reality of it washing over her again. "I will never feel like I'm in control again. So long as that Mark is on his skin, I will always be afraid."

Cassandra looked at her sadly, settling down on her side next to the other woman. She ran a comforting hand over the blonde's abdomen as she placated her with foolish hopes. "Maybe one day it won't be."

Narcissa exhaled a short, bitter laugh. "He's gonna win, Cass. Everyone thought he died and he's still here. Draco will be a slave for the rest of his life, and my family will never know peace." She shook her head, averting her gaze. "We shouldn't be talking about this— I know the walls don't have ears but one day they could and we just… we need to be careful. This is our reality now, and I think the only way I'm ever going to mentally survive it is if I simply accept that there is nothing I can do."

"I'm sorry," Cassandra breathed regrettably, knowing how difficult this was for her. "I wish there was somethin' I could do, even though I know that's… I dunno, a fuckin' bollocks sentiment. I'm just as bloody useless."

"You're not," Narcissa denied, because while Cassandra was not like Bellatrix, while she couldn't protect her in the same way or solve Narcissa's problems using her wand, she gave her something else, and it was just as important. "When I'm with you, I feel like the world's not bloody ending. I feel like things might actually be okay, despite it all. And that's… that's enough. That's more than enough."

Cassandra's brow creased with emotion before she leaned in, gently pressing her lips against the other woman's. Narcissa tangled her fingers in her hair as she coaxed her back on top of her, parting her lips so Cassandra's tongue could find its way inside of her mouth. Narcissa just wanted to drown in her, to drown in this feeling because she knew it would soon be over, and she would be forced back into a realty with Bellatrix that she did not know how to face.

It was starting to become late morning though, and Narcissa knew they did not have much time before they would be expected downstairs, so she quickly bunched her fingers in the other woman's shirt before pulling it over her head and tossing it to the ground. Her hands cupped the other woman's breasts, her thumbs dusking over Cassandra's nipples as she captured her lips in another kiss, feeling the younger woman's uneven breath against her lips as she gently tweaked and pulled.

Cassandra hissed softly as her hand fell between their bodies, her hand slipping beneath the waistband of Narcissa's knickers as she gently pressed against her clit. Narcissa's breath hitched in her throat and she curled her fingers, leaving scratches down the younger woman's sides that made her shiver in need. Cassandra connected their lips again, kissing her harder as she allowed her fingers to slide further downward until they slipped inside of her.

There was a bang on the bedroom door. "Mum!"

Cassandra ripped her mouth away from Narcissa's, an irritated, "What?" falling from her lips as she stilled herself, fingers still very much inside her lover. While Narcissa obviously preferred not to be interrupted, the blonde found the normalcy of one of their children ruining their private time to actually be rather comforting. She wished this was her biggest problem in life.

"I'm hungry—"

"Well that's what the bleedin' house elf is for, innit?"

"—The elf's shit. And Malfoy's here; says he wants to talk to his Mum. Make us pancakes, yeah? M'Fuckin' starving."

Narcissa's brow knit in concern at the information that her son was there as he usually didn't come over until the afternoon, and Cassandra sighed heavily, removing her fingers from her girlfriend. "Yeah— gimme a mo'. Start the coffee, will ya?"

"I dunno how."

Honestly, Narcissa was not surprised by that in the slightest. Gregory Goyle was not the sharpest tool in the shed, that was for sure. It took nearly two weeks until he came downstairs, looked at Narcissa with the most perplexed expression and asked, 'You livin' here now or something?' Cassandra loved him dearly, but she also wasn't the most patient of mothers, and her son exercised hers quite frequently when it seemed he couldn't even do the simplest of things.

"Then get the bloody house elf— ugh, just go downstairs an' we'll be there in a sec. Brush ya teeth first!"

Narcissa could hear Gregory grumble something inaudible from the other side of the door as she redressed herself. After tossing Cassandra her shirt the redhead sighed, giving her girlfriend an apologetic look. "Sorry. Was hopin' for a nice morning."

"It was nice," Narcissa assured her before she grabbed her long bathrobe, wrapping it around her body. They always had time to finish what they started later. "You actually make pancakes?"

Cassandra snorted. "No. Have the bloody house elf do it an' tell him they're mine 'cause for some reason he's been weird 'bout eatin' the thing's food lately. He still goes through phases like a toddler— I dunno. I'm used to it by now." She peered at the blonde curiously then and asked, "You ever cook?"

Narcissa burst out laughing. "I mean, if you'd like your house burnt down, sure." Cassandra smirked as Narcissa crossed the space between them, leaving a lingering kiss on her lips. "I love waking up with you," she breathed when they parted, and Cassandra smiled.

"Me too," she told her softly before she bit down on her lower lip and gently pinched her lover's side, encouraging Narcissa to get a move on. "Go wash up first so you can talk to your son— 'cause if we try to shower together we're never gettin' down there."

She was definitely not wrong about that.

Narcissa washed up as quick as she could before she got dressed and found her way downstairs. Draco and Gregory were in the parlor and she could hear them speaking before she made her presence known. "Dunno why they always gotta be here— it's not fair, I want the house to myself for fuckin' once."

"And what would you do with the house to yourself? Not like you could get a girl, be a bloody waste."

"Could so! Rubbish that you get to shag Pansy all the time and I'm soddin' stuck here while my Mum lezzes out—"

Narcissa cleared her throat and both boys looked over at her, wide-eyed. "Uh. Hi, Mother," Draco greeted, which was only met with a brow raise. While she wasn't surprised by any means that Draco was using his newfound freedom and privacy to have sex with his girlfriend in their home, she also would have preferred to be blissfully unaware of that until she died, thank you.

The joys of raising a teenage boy though, she supposed. Besides, objectively Narcissa knew that the weight Draco now had on his shoulders could cause him to want to experience the parts of life he had not yet, and she could hardly fault him for it. Still, there was definitely a migraine starting in her temples and Narcissa wished she had come downstairs a little bit later so she could have missed that entire conversation.

"Goyle was just talking shit," Draco tried to deny, which made Gregory, who did not understand that Draco was just trying to cover up what he had done with a ridiculous lie, say bluntly:

"Bollocks— you said last week you were shaggin' her!"

"Shut up, you oaf!"

Yup. Definitely a migraine. Narcissa sighed heavily. "Draco, may I speak with you privately?" Draco grumbled, slamming his hand onto the upholstery as he violently rose from his seat.

"See? This is why I don't trust you with anything important, you absolute moron," Draco snapped at his 'friend' before he dejectedly followed his mother out of the parlor and into the study a ways down the Goyle manor. Narcissa shut the door behind them, and Draco was quick to tell his mother, "I'm using condoms, alright? I don't want to talk about it!"

"I wasn't— you are free to do as you please, Draco, so long as you're safe about it," Narcissa told her son, as she knew forbidding him from having sex would be a bloody waste of breath. "I was actually more concerned about why you're here this early. Shouldn't you be having your lessons with your aunt?"

Draco's expression soured. "There's a fucking werewolf at our house right now—"

Narcissa nearly choked on her breath. "What?" Oh my god, she was going to murder her sister.

"I mean, Aunt Bella was pissed; she kind of strangled the guy a little bit— but he had information for the Dark Lord about… I don't know, some other werewolf trying to integrate with them or something. Think he's part of the Order. I didn't hear the whole thing— she told me to get the fuck out so I did; I didn't like the way the thing looked at me, Mum."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Narcissa swore, causing Draco's brow to rise at her language. "Just— stay here, please. Cassandra will make you breakfast and I'll go and speak with your aunt."

"No, Mother, it's fine; if you're not ready to come back home yet—"

"I don't have to move back home to yell at her, Draco. I merely need to pay her a visit."

"Yelling at her is gonna fuck you all up again!" Draco protested and well, he probably was not wrong in that regard. Narcissa was, in no way, ready to deal with Bellatrix yet, but this kind of shit left her with little choice. "I don't want to have to come home to find that you've actually killed her this time! I can handle it— I just didn't want to be there right now."

Narcissa exhaled a long sigh. She understood her son's reservations, but she also couldn't hide away here forever. Sooner or later, she was going to have to face her sister. "I have to come home eventually, darling. I understand you're enjoying your privacy—"

"This isn't about Pansy! I just— I have too much shit to worry about already, I don't want to have to worry about you too!" he exclaimed. "I don't want you home— I… I forbid it!"

Narcissa's brow rose at the sheer audacity her son had to even utter those words. "…You forbid it?"

"Yes! I'm— I mean, I'm the man of the house now, right? I can forbid things!" Draco tried to convince her, although not well by any means. The leg he seemed to be standing on right then seemed terribly unstable but he stuck to his words regardless, folding his arms in front of his chest as he attempted to look imposing.

"I'm sorry, are you under the impression that just because I am temporarily living here that I'm no longer your mother? You do not forbid me to do anything, Draco; I am still the parent here—"

Draco snorted. "Barely."

The word was said under his breath but it pierced Narcissa's chest regardless. She looked terribly gutted and Draco's expression masked in guilt before his gaze found the ground. "I didn't mean that," he mumbled, knowing how much his mother feared that trying to take care of her mental health would make her a shit parent, as she had basically run away from her responsibilities.

"You did," Narcissa corrected him softly, and the crease between her son's brow deepened as he toed the carpet. "You did, and I'm sorry— I am barely being a parent right now, and you don't deserve that. I'll come home—"

"Mum, I just said that I didn't want you to," Draco interrupted, sounding frustrated. "Aunt Bella is still pissed about you and Mrs. Goyle— she hit me with Legilimency right when I woke up once so I couldn't block her out right away and she specifically went looking for anything I knew about you guys. She really wasn't happy with what she found. I tried to tell her that Father knew and was fine with it and that she needs to get over the whole lesbian thing because it's not even that big a deal, but she told me that I didn't know shit about anything and that I needed to shut the fuck up, so that was a fun morning."

Narcissa's expression masked in guilt although she was, admittedly, pleased to hear that her son didn't consider her relationship with Cassandra to be a big deal. She had been concerned about that. "Draco, I'm sorry—"

"Whatever— she's insane and possessive and… I don't know, mad gross about you, so it's not like I was surprised," Draco responded and Narcissa's stomach dropped at the 'gross' part, considering she really hoped her son was not beginning to pick up on Bellatrix's romantic feelings for her. "But because she's all of those things I don't want you to come home yet! She needs to calm down and you need to get better, so just stay here, Mum. Please. I'm okay with Aunt Bella, I promise— she's a bloody nightmare but she doesn't hurt me or anything, and I'm actually learning shit. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Of course, darling, but—"

"Then let me, Mother. I would tell you if it was something I couldn't handle, okay? Besides, you seem… I don't know, happy here," Draco mentioned, although seemed a bit awkward about acknowledging anything to do with his mother's romantic life. "Like, it's still weird that you're banging my friend's Mum—"

"Our relationship is more than just sex, Draco, and if you acknowledged it as such I'm sure it'd be far less weird for you as I'm sure the last thing you want to think about is what I do in bed with anybody."

"Well I don't know what you're doing, it's not like you tell me! Like what, are you guys in an actual relationship? Do you love each other? Are you guys going to act like you're the ones who are married now and Goyle is going to become like… I don't fucking know, my step-brother or something? You literally have told me nothing."

"I've told you she makes me happy," Narcissa defended, even though she knew her son was right and this conversation was probably far overdue.

"Food makes me happy, Mother, that doesn't mean I'm gonna go live in a house made of bloody cheese— What are you guys going to do once Father and Mr. Goyle come home? You can't live together then. Does Mr. Goyle even know about you guys?"

"I know he… did at one point, but I'm unsure if this is something that he will be happy with and willing to allow," Narcissa admitted. "If you'd like the truth though, I'm certain that if he did not that Cassandra would go behind his back because yes, we are in love and yes, this is an actual relationship but no, Gregory will not become your step-brother. I can't run off and marry her, after all, and I still very much would like to have a proper marriage with your father once he returns."

Draco snorted. "A 'proper' marriage? You guys swing."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means— no, nevermind. I don't want to explain sex terms to you, Mother, it's weird."

"Well I would like to know what I'm being accused of exactly. You always make the strangest face when you say that," Narcissa responded, a little frustrated by her inability to keep up with the 'in' terms that kids used nowadays. "Besides, if you're old enough to have sex, then you are certainly old enough to have a mature conversation about it."

"Ugh, whatever— it means you guys have sex with other people, or have sex with them together and I honestly beg of you not to specify if you've done the last bit because I will honestly vomit all over this floor."

"Believe me, I do not plan to. However, thank you for finally explaining that to me, and I suppose that's an… apt description," Narcissa admitted, which her son still glowered about even though he was the one who kept calling it that. "Still, if you'd like to know how both of us plan to uphold our relationship once our husband's come home, I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. I supposed we'll find out once the time comes. For now, I'm just enjoying my time with her."

Draco's face scrunched up. "Do I have to keep calling her 'Mrs. Goyle' because I feel like that's weird if you guys are in like… a serious relationship."

"You can call her whatever you feel comfortable with, darling."

"…'Kay. I dunno— I'll talk to Goyle about it, 'cause it'd be weird if I started calling her by her name or something but he was still calling you Mrs. Malfoy."

Narcissa could appreciate that. She knew this was a strange situation for Draco, but she was glad he was understanding about it. "How is he doing with all of this, by the way? Cassandra told me she talked to him, but it sounded as though he didn't really… understand."

"He doesn't understand anything," Draco responded with a dramatic eye roll. "He's as dumb as a box of rocks."

"Draco, be kind. Gregory was born with his umbilical cord around his neck; both him and Cassandra nearly died when she gave birth to him and I think it's… affected him, developmentally. Besides, he is supposed to be your friend."

"He is; I can have dumb friends," Draco defended, like that was a proper reason to be a dick about Gregory's mental abilities. "But, I don't know, I think he thinks Mrs— Cassandra, whatever, is going to go back to Mr. Goyle when he comes back. Like this is temporary or something. Do you want me to tell him it's not?"

"No, that's something Cassandra needs to tell him. Just try to be delicate if he asks any questions, alright?"

Draco rolled his eyes again, but before he could say anything they were interrupted by Cassandra, who appeared in the doorway. "Mail's here," she told them, a stack of letters in her hand. "Yours too, Draco— that owl you've got is ruddy smart; beats the shit one Peter bought us last year. Waste of goddamn money. Think they're your OWL results though, you wanna come look at them over breakfast? I made pancakes."

Narcissa smirked, knowing full-well that she did not. Cassandra's gaze met hers and she shot her a look that clearly told her to be quiet, and Narcissa's smirk widened as she tried not to laugh at the look she was being given.

Draco, however, just looked a little pale.

"Darling, you don't have to look so terrified— I'm sure your results are fine. Come on, let's go have breakfast," Narcissa encouraged, and Draco looked a bit like he was walking to the gallows as he slumped out of the room as he headed to the dining room.

"Can't wait to taste your cooking," Narcissa teased as she approached her girlfriend, gently grasping onto the base of her blouse to pull her toward her. Cassandra rolled her eyes.

"Shut up. S'everythin' okay?" she asked, knowing Narcissa was concerned with Draco's appearance this early. Narcissa gave her a comforting smile though before she leaned in, kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, it's fine. We just… had a lot to talk about, but it's okay now."

"…'Kay," Cassandra breathed, her eyes having found Narcissa's lips once the older woman threw her arms around her neck, gently pulling her toward her until they both fit snuggly against the threshold of the door, the blonde's back against the wood. Narcissa smiled at her, her hand fitting against the back of the other woman's skull before bringing her in for a soft kiss.

"—Mum! Where's the bloody syrup?!"

"I'm gonna kill 'im," Cassandra muttered after they broke and Narcissa softly chuckled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, it's fine. I think this is the most normal I've felt in a long time, and it's doing wonders for my mental health so… thank you."

Cassandra gently smiled, glad to know that she was helping in some way. Narcissa just hoped that whatever she got out of being here would carry with her whenever she finally had to go home and face the woman whose heart she broke, along with all of the devastating reality that went along with that.

TBC…