Chapter 2 – A kidnapping

Harry came back to consciousness slowly. He realized he was lying in a very comfortable bed and slowly opened his eyes to find out where he was. He quickly recognized Sirius' bedroom at Grimmauld Place, but he was surprised to see Narcissa asleep in a chair next to his bed, covered with a soft fleece blanket. 'Kreacher's doing no doubt, if only he liked me that much.' Harry sat up and started to fumble around for his glasses.

"They are on the wardrobe." He heard a soft voice say from the chair. "You were flailing around quite a bit. I didn't want you to break them. I'll get them for you." Narcissa stood up, causing the blanket to fall to the floor. She walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed his glasses and then handed them to Harry gently.

"Thank you," said Harry quietly as he took the glasses from her. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days," said Narcissa as she sat down next to him at the edge of the bed.

"Have you been here with me the whole time?" Asked Harry in surprise.

"I didn't really have anywhere else to go," said Narcissa in a rare nervousness as she sat there wringing her hands and refusing to meet Harry's eyes. "And to be honest, I was worried about you. I don't really know what happened, but from what I know of that spell I'm certain it wasn't supposed to knock you out like that." Harry leaned over and gently stroked her cheek. He wasn't sure what made him do it, he'd never initiated touch with anyone before, but in the moment, it felt like the right thing to do. Narcissa looked up at him in surprise.

"That's better," he said gently as he offered Narcissa a kind smile. "Things happened pretty quickly the other night and I'm not entirely sure what that spell was, but you said it would bind us together so I'm guessing it's safe to assume we're married now." Narcissa nodded her head affirmatively.

"If that's the case then you might as well look at me," he said kindly as moved his hand from her cheek. "You look much better by the way."

"Your magic is very powerful Lord Black, I started to heal almost instantly. I woke up fully to see you screaming on the floor. Then your magic flared and white light poured out of you until you went still. When your magic washed over me I - well - like I said, your magic is very powerful," finished Narcissa with a deep blush.

"We've never actually had a conversation before, so I don't know much about you Narcissa, but from what I know of pure blood families I imagine formalities are very important to you." Narcissa nodded again and smiled at him gently. "But if I am Lord Black then you are Lady Black and in my mind that makes us equals so please call me Harry. Save the lord stuff for dinner parties or something." Harry flashed Narcissa his signature lopsided grin and her eyes shined with surprise again.

"Very well Harry. How are you feeling?" Asked Narcissa.

"Invigorated, refreshed, energized. It's hard to explain but there is this strange buzzing sensation underneath my skin. It's like there's a build-up of static trying to get out. It doesn't hurt or anything though."

"Static?" Asked Narcissa.

"Sorry, muggle thing." Narcissa nodded. "The headaches are gone and… wait..." he stopped as he noticed he wasn't actually wearing his glasses but could see just fine.

"Apparently I don't need glasses anymore," he said in amusement. "How is that possible?"

"I'm not sure," said Narcissa thoughtfully. "Maybe the spell healed you as well. I'll have to do some research to know for sure." Harry conjured a mirror in excitement and lifted up his hair to look at his forehead, then his face fell in disappointment.

"Unfortunately my scar is still there, so I guess it didn't heal everything," he said sadly. "Oh well, can we go eat something? I've never been so hungry in my life." Said Harry as his stomach grumbled loudly.

"Of course, Harry. I'll go ask Kreacher to prepare something while you get dressed and cleaned up. I'll see you down in the kitchen," she said as she left the room, closing the door gently behind her.

Harry got up and showered and then changed into the one pair of nice trousers that he had and a clean shirt, then he walked down and joined Narcissa for breakfast. Narcissa sat in shock as she watched Harry Potter, her new husband, eat three helpings of the full English breakfast Kreacher had prepared. 'Husband, that will take some getting used to.'

"Do you usually eat this much?" She asked as she ate a small mouthful of egg. Harry chewed the bite he had just taken and swallowed before he answered.

"No, I don't know why I am so hungry it feels like the food is just going straight through me," said Harry with a shrug before taking a sip of his tea and then grabbing another sausage. "Besides, I'm pretty sure Kreacher cooked me a rat the night you came here, so it's hard to resist when the food is edible."

Narcissa was pleasantly surprised by how good Harry's table manners were. She was grateful for that because she hated eating with people that shovelled food into their mouths like hogs. 'He may have eaten an exuberant amount of food, but at least he did it neatly and politely.' She was not pleased about Kreacher, however. He should know better than to treat the head of the house of Black in such a way. 'I'll have to deal with him.'

"Kreacher." She called and with a slight pop the aging house elf appeared with a bow.

"How may I be of service Mistress Black." He said.

"You dared to cook your master rat?" She bellowed. You could almost see Kreacher gulp. "Behaviour like that will not be tolerated Kreacher, nor will the condition of this house. If you have lost the ability to serve your house properly, I shall seek replacing you."

"Kreacher will do better Mistress Black. Please do not make Kreacher leave his family." Cried the house elf.

"I expect you to. Now go, you clearly have lots you have been neglecting." She said as turned back to her breakfast. Harry was looking at her with a mix of shock and awe, and a small bit of arousal but he was ignoring that part.

"So tell me Harry how did you become Lord Black?" Narcissa asked pulling Harry out of his trance. She had been wanting to ask that since she recognized him the night she came here.

"Sirius named me his heir in his will. No one has really told me anything more than that, they certainly haven't told me anything about being a lord." Said Harry getting frustrated again that so much was being kept from him.

"I don't understand why Albus would keep that from you. In fact, I'm not sure how he's keeping you from claiming your titles. Even if Sirius hadn't named you his heir you have always been the heir to the Potter lordship, surely you've received statements from Gringotts every year."

"No," said Harry as he continued to eat.

"Well they may have been going to your magical guardian since you were underage, but when Sirius named you his heir it would have made you an adult in the eyes of wizarding law, so in the few days between Sirius' death and me coming here you should have received something from the goblins. Do you think it's possible that Albus has been tampering with your mail? He has always been a meddlesome old fool."

"I wouldn't put it past him. Last summer he didn't let my friends write to me just so I'd be kept in the dark. I don't know why, but he seems to take an extra interest in anything involving me. And it's frustrating that he either thinks I'm too young or too stupid to be told anything. I'm honestly not sure I can trust him anymore, "said Harry honestly.

"You surprise me Harry," said Narcissa giving him a gentle smile. "According to Draco you are Dumbledore's golden boy." Harry chuckled.

"I wouldn't believe everything Draco has told you about me," responded Harry.

"Indeed," said Narcissa. 'He certainly never mentioned how handsome you are becoming.'

"Thank you Harry, for saving me. I don't think there are many people that would have, had they been in your position," said Narcissa truthfully as she took a sip of tea.

"Hermione says I have a saving people thing. After the other night I don't think I have much choice but to agree with her," said Harry with a chuckle. Narcissa smiled at him softly over the rim of her cup.

"Hermione is your muggleborn friend, yes?" Asked Narcissa.

"Yes," said Harry as his eyes turned suspicious. Narcissa could see his anger just under the surface and as his magic flared, she trembled and had to take a moment to close her eyes and regain control.

"I want you to know that I have no issue with muggleborns Harry, despite Lucius' beliefs. Unlike the rest of my family, except perhaps Andromeda, I do understand that we need them for the old wizarding families of the world to not die out completely. I do believe that pureblood wizards and witches from ancient families should be respected and that our traditions should be upheld, but I hold no ill will towards your friend," said Narcissa sincerely. Harry nodded and Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief as his magic calmed down from her answer.

"Can I ask you something Narcissa?" Asked Harry suddenly catching Narcissa off guard.

"Of course," she said, hoping it wasn't something else about her family's prejudice towards muggleborns.

"Why haven't we been interrupted? I mean if it's been three days, I would expect at least the Weasleys to be banging on the door," said Harry.

"That would be my doing, I'm afraid. I hope you aren't mad. When you went unconscious I had Kreacher levitate you to Sirius' room and then I had him go to Malfoy Manor and retrieve my things while I went downstairs and closed off the floo, used the ward stone to put up the anti -apparition wards, and then slightly altered the Fidelius charm my uncle had put the house under so that those who already knew where it was would no longer be able to find it." Said Narcissa quietly, nervous of his reaction.

"I didn't know you can do that?" Said Harry in surprise. Narcissa nodded.

"Most people don't. My father showed me how when I was little. It's very simple really. We are now at 12 1/2 Grimmauld Place," Narcissa explained with a small smile.

"Interesting, but why did you go to all that trouble?" Asked Harry as he finally had enough to eat and pushed away his plate. Narcissa hesitated for a moment, but then spoke candidly.

"I- I was scared. I was worried about what would happen if someone decided to come by unannounced and you were indisposed, and they saw me here and – well suffice to say I thought it would be better if we had a chance to speak first and decide how to move forward." Harry nodded his understanding.

"That was probably a smart move Narcissa. I have no doubt Dumbledore has every member of the order trying to get in here, and I don't know what they would have done if they found you here with me unconscious."

"So, you're not upset?" Asked Narcissa softly.

"No I understand," said Harry. "So, for all intents and purposes me and the house have disappeared?"

"Yes," responded Narcissa curiously wondering where he was going with this.

"Brilliant. I spent three days trying to get away from everyone and you made me impossible to find until I want to be found. Thanks for that." Said Harry happily.

"You're welcome." Said Narcissa giving Harry a shy but sincere smile. Harry felt his stomach flutter at the look on her face. She was not at all how he expected her to be. 'Was her cold demeanour all Lucius influence?' He watched her for a moment while she finished her tea. He could see traces of a younger more carefree Narcissa. 'I hope I can get to know that side of her better.'

"You seem very calm about all of this," said Narcissa pulling Harry out of his thoughts.

"What do you mean?" Asked Harry.

"You are now married to your 'enemy's' mother, who is at least twice your age and yet you don't seem bothered by that," she explained.

"Draco may be stuck up and grate on my nerves, but I wouldn't say we are enemies, we seem to just have a lot of misunderstandings," said Harry with a cheeky grin, causing Narcissa to laugh gently.

"I'm not sure that's how Draco would describe your encounters," she replied. Harry just shrugged.

"Anyways, to answer your question, it doesn't bother me. I made the choice to bond myself with you. I may have done it to save your life, but I did it knowing what the outcome would be. I have been allowed very few choices in my life, but this one was mine, and it happens to be one I'm proud of. I'm not ashamed to be married to you Narcissa. I plan to make this a situation that we can both be comfortable in, and maybe even some day happy. From what I saw a few days ago you deserve a chance to be happy and I will do my best to give that to you," said Harry sincerely as he reached across the table and took Narcissa's hand in his. "Please don't feel sorry for me. If you need to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for Draco, he is going to have quiet the shock coming his way." Narcissa laughed, more genuinely than she had before and Harry found he liked the sound.

"Yes, I suppose he will," said Narcissa as she interlaced their fingers, causing Harry to look at her in surprise, but she noticed that he didn't pull away.

"So, what do you think we should do Narcissa?" Asked Harry, changing the subject.

"Pardon?" Asked Narcissa, not sure what he was referring to.

"You said you thought we should talk and decide how to move forward before letting other's see us together, so what do you think we should do now?" Harry clarified.

"I think we should go to Gringotts, so you claim your titles. It is illegal to stop an heir from claiming their rightful title even as their magical guardian, so once we are there, not even Dumbledore can stop you. We can also try and figure out why you aren't getting correspondence from Gringotts. Then we can go from there." Said Narcissa.

"I think that's a great idea Narcissa. How do we get out of here? I know you said people can't apparate in but can we apparate out?"

"No I'm afraid not, but if we can get past whoever Dumbledore has guarding the place, we can just walk, or try muggle transportation. I've always been intrigued by how they get around," said Narcissa. Harry thought for a moment.

"I have an invisibility cloak, but I'm not sure it will fit us both," offered Harry.

"We'll manage," said Narcissa with a smirk. 'Sharing an invisibility cloak could be perfect. He's my husband now. I have to get him used to the idea of touching me somehow.' Suddenly Harry grew shy and Narcissa looked at him in concern.

"Narcissa, when we are done with Gringotts will you teach me what's expected of me. I don't know how to be a Lord and I don't know anything about wizarding traditions. Will you help me?" Asked Harry eagerly. Narcissa sat in surprised silence for a moment. She wasn't used to someone accepting her help and opinion so easily. 'It's nice to be valued.'

"Of course I will," she said confidently. "Let me go freshen up, you get your invisibility cloak and then we can leave." Narcissa stood and kissed Harry lightly on the cheek before leaving the kitchen. Harry was left blushing and holding his kissed cheek in surprise.

An hour later Narcissa finally joined him in the entryway. She was wearing a simple blue muggle dress and holding a matching clutch. 'Does she always take that long to get ready.'

"Congratulations to you both. You make a wonderful pair, and it is nice to have a proper Black in the family again. I am hoping the two of you can return the house of Black to the prestige it once had," said Walburga when they reached her portrait.

"Thank you Aunt Walburga." Said Narcissa warmly. "Do you have your cloak, Harry?" Harry nodded and showed it to her.

"Very good. Now, I think we can both fit if we stay close, Narcissa said. She noticed Harry blush at this and smiled gently. "I think you should stand behind me as close as you can and then wrap the cloak around us both. We will be able to move relatively easily that way and we will both be able to see where we are going. Is that alright?"

"Um - sure - okay." Said Harry. He nervously walked behind Narcissa and wrapped the cloak around them. Then he gently put his arms around her, and they began to move. As they walked Harry's heart rate increased as his brain began to register the sensation of her soft curves against him as they moved together. 'Why is she wearing such a thin dress." His fingers tingled where they rested across her midsection and he had to keep taking long deep breaths to save his brain from short circuiting. When they got outside Harry nearly chuckled at the sight of Albus Dumbledore and a dishevelled Molly Weasley standing in the street looking up at the building with a mix of confusion and fury on their faces. They quietly walked past them and down the street. When they were out of sight, they stopped and removed the cloak. Harry was surprised at his disappointment when Narcissa moved away.

"Where do people go if they try to apparate in?" asked Harry as they walked towards the busy intersection nearby.

"I'm not sure but knowing my uncle I doubt it is anywhere pleasant," Narcissa responded. "Do you know how to use muggle transportation?" Harry nodded.

"Yes, but I don't have any muggle currency." Said Harry in response.

"Leave that to me," said Narcissa. Harry shrugged and walked to the edge of the pavement to signal for a taxi. Narcissa looked at it wearily when it stopped in front of them. Harry smirked.

"Are you going to give it a shot, or are we walking?" He asked as he held the door open. Narcissa, not being one to back down from a challenge, simply squared her shoulders and stepped into the car.

"Where to?" Said the driver when they were both seated.

"Charing Cross Road," said Harry. The driver nodded and then pulled away from the curb. Narcissa's eyes widened as they took to the road. She looked out the window in fascination. When they reached their destination, the driver pulled over.

"That will be £21.50," said the driver. Narcissa pulled a muggle credit card out of her purse and looked at it suspiciously before turning to Harry.

"I'm not really sure what to do with it," she whispered. Harry chuckled and passed the card up to the driver, who ran it through the scanner. When the payment had gone through the driver passed the card back to Harry with a pen. Harry filled out the tip and then handed the pen to Narcissa.

"Sign here," he said pointing to the bottom of the receipt. Narcissa looked at the pen in awe.

"It has its own ink. How fascinating," she said as she signed.

"Have a good day," said the driver, eyeing them curiously as they got out.

"It is a sign of status to have one of those, only the most prominent Gringotts account owners are offered them, and they aren't cheap. I don't think Lucius has ever used his, he probably doesn't even know where it is, but I figured he's probably been too preoccupied to take me off the account, so it was worth a shot," said Narcissa with barely contained glee.

"What if it hadn't worked?" asked Harry.

"We have magic Harry, we could done a Confundus charm or something if we'd had too," she said as they reached the Leaky Cauldron.

A few minutes later, they were walking down Diagon Alley towards Gringotts when an elderly woman tripped over something in front of them and fell to the ground. Harry raced over to help her up. Narcissa kindly gathered all of the things she had dropped while Harry moved her out of the way of the other pedestrians.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes Harry, I am quite alright, thank you dear," the elderly woman replied, smiling at him fondly.

"Do we know each other?" Harry asked, trying to determine why she looked familiar. 'She knows my name, we must have met before'.

"Not yet," she said, but before Harry could respond he felt a peaceful fuzzy feeling overtake him and his eyes began to close.

"Harry -something is-" he heard Narcissa say next to him, but then the world faded to darkness.

o – o – o – o – o

Same day, Hogwarts

Albus Dumbledore was having a really bad day. It was only noon and he had already eaten all of his lemon drops and he was confident that his growing headache was not going to go away, if the still enraged head of Minister Scrimgeour yelling in his fireplace was any indication of how the rest of the day was going to go.

"How could Harry Potter get kidnapped right under your nose, Albus? I thought you told me you have someone keeping an eye on him at all times. What am I supposed to tell people if he ends up dead?" yelled the minister.

"There is no indication any harm has come to Harry. Clearly there is something else going on here. Are you sure it was actually a kidnapping?"

"Yes, it was seen by at least 10 witnesses," replied Scrimgeour.

"Very well, I will do my best to help you find young Harry, but I am afraid I have nothing more to offer you at this point in time," said Dumbledore with his signature eye twinkle.

"You better find him Albus and he better still be alive," said Scrimgeour gruffly. Dumbledore waved him off and when the floo call ended he dropped his mask of friendliness and rubbed his temples.

"This week has gone from bad to worse," he said to his empty office. "Why is everything falling apart now?" He had aligned himself so perfectly, giving aid to both the light and the dark, just as he had with Grindelwald. That way no matter which way the war went he would end up being on top. But something was different all of the sudden, things were changing. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

It all seemed to start with Sirius' inconvenient death. With him around Harry was too worried about bonding with his long-lost godfather to question Dumbledore's plans. Now, there was no distraction. When Sirius' died and named Harry as his heir, Albus ended up having to take drastic measures to ensure that Harry didn't claim his title, because then he would have two titles and it wouldn't due for him to have that kind of power. When Harry asked what it meant Albus had told him that it meant 12 Grimmauld Place was his but he was intentionally vague about everything else, carefully never mentioning the word Lord. The next problem was Harry's mail. Since Harry was technically an adult now, his letters from Gringotts would no longer be coming to Albus, so he had to intercept the mail from Gringotts before it got to Harry, which took constant monitoring and resources he didn't really have.

Then Harry decided he wanted to stay at Grimmauld Place by himself to mourn Sirius properly. Albus did his best to dissuade him but despite his insistence that it would be better for him to not be alone, Harry wouldn't budge. 'Why doesn't he understand it's for his own good. I simply don't want him falling into the wrong hands, like Mr. Flamel. He used to listen to me, why does he not listen to me anymore.'

In the end, he ended up placing two guards outside Grimmauld Place for 'protection' and told Molly to go visit Harry first thing in the morning. But in the middle of the night, he had received a frantic floo call from Shacklebolt saying that the house had just disappeared. That is when the headache had started. Albus sighed. 'How does a whole house just disappear along with the person inside?'

The next day he met Molly outside where they knew Grimmauld Place to be. No matter what they tried they could not get into or see the house. It was like it never existed. After an hour of trying, he grew frustrated and returned to Hogwarts to come up with a new plan 'Could he have placed a new Fidelius charm on it? No, there is no way he is capable of that.'

First 12 Grimmauld Place disappears and then he reads in the daily prophet that Harry has been kidnapped leading to the joyous conversation he had just finished with the new minister. 'It can't be a coincidence. Flamel must be involved somehow. I must find him before he can learn too much.'

o – o – o – o – o

Same day, Wiltshire

Lucius Malfoy was also having a really bad day. He screamed in rage as he threw his copy of the daily prophet into the fire, the headline still visible as it burned.

'The-Boy-Who-Lived Kidnapped! Suspect - Narcissa Malfoy.'

He gave one last look at the paper, before he turned and destroyed everything in his office. 'First she vanishes out of thin air and then she's in Diagon Alley kidnapping the Potter brat. Is doesn't make any sense. The Dark Lord will not be pleased.' Lucius winced. He had taken three rounds of the Cruciatus Curse when the Dark Lord found out that his marriage with Narcissa had been annulled and almost half of his remaining fortune had been taken back as a returned dowry. Now he would have to pay for whatever Narcissa was doing. The Dark Lord would think he had sent her after the boy and would be furious when he could not tell him where the boy or Narcissa were. Suddenly his dark mark burned. Lucius trembled noticeably at what he knew was to come, and then he apparated to his master.