Here we go again..
—
Hermione knew the note she had written for Ron that sat on the kitchen island was the final nail in the proverbial coffin. It wasn't as if her husband was home enough the last couple of weeks for Hermione to lie to his face about her letters and dinners with Narcissa but actually writing out a letter that was a bare faced lie about hers and Rose's whereabouts told Hermione everything she needed to know.
Narcissa hadn't mentioned Lucius once, neither in person or through the letters they shared constantly with one another and Hermione was curious. Did the man know about the blossoming friendship between his wife and a dirty mudblood or had Narcissa don't the same as herself and kept it a secret? Hermione knew her inquisitive nature would no doubt chase after the answer.
Rose was currently resting happily against Hermione's waist, a morning of crawling around in the living room with multiple attempts at standing up by herself had the baby exhausted and clinging to her Mother.
It seemed as though the previous days' cold had been reduced now to a slightly running nose and occasional cough from the young baby much to Hermione's relief. Then again if she had been sung to and held all night by Narcissa Black Hermione was sure she would be on the mend just as quickly.
Brushing aside the bubbling guilt she felt, Hermione continued to neatly fold and pack up multiple outfits for Rose who tended to enjoy getting her clothes messy with whatever she could possible. A trait she had picked up from her father who wouldn't think twice of going into work with a dirty and stained T-shirt.
It wouldn't be too long before Narcissa would arrive, a glance at the clock told her it would be within the next ten minutes and Hermione hadn't even had a chance to have a much needed cup of coffee. Rushing around after a baby most certainly wasn't easy, a day teaching at Hogwarts was a breeze in comparison but the young witch wouldn't change it for the world.
Making the decision to be a stay at home Mother was the easiest choice she had ever made and only was made easier when Rose constantly sought her out for sloppy kisses in her cheek and a murmur of 'Mama' which melted her heart every single time.
Flicking her wand in the direction of the kitchen, a mug of coffee was quickly conjured up before coming to land on the living room coffee table which had recently become Rose's go to to try to pull herself up off the ground.
It truly did break Hermione's heart that Ron wasn't there to witness any of Rose's milestones. Letters sent to his office regularly went unanswered or when he did it wasn't exactly gushing words she would expect from a Father.
Watching Ginny and Harry together had become too much, being around a couple with so much love and overflowing care for one another had made a side of Hermione rear it's head that she didn't like, a jealous side that she hadn't ever experienced before. Hermione so badly wished Ron could be more like Harry, the type of man who constantly showed Ginny and his children off at any opportunity. But he wasn't and at first it had frustrated Hermione but now it just broke her heart a little more everyday that she and Rose were nothing more than a hindrance to Ron and he made no attempt to hide it anymore.
Hermione had known getting into a relationship with Ron was risky, best friends with Harry and sister to her best friend yet she did it anyway and now she wished so badly she could go back and tell her younger self to trust her gut. Harry and Ginny didn't want to get dragged into the middle of it and so tried to stay as neutral as possible. Yet behind her back she knew they took Ron's side, it was clear to see on their faces that they didn't want to hear Hermione's complaints and would turn a blind eye to Ron's multiple affairs. The same as everyone did. She had lost count of the amount of times Harry had covered for Ron's disappearing acts especially at the beginning of their relationship. I'm
There was no doubt in Hermione's mind that everyone was laughing behind her back. 'The Brightest Witch' being taken for a fool, quite the story.
Letting out a humourless chuckle, Hermione's attention was drawn to the knocking coming from the front door. Narcissa was here.
Patting Rose's back as she gently bounced the baby on her waist, the young brunette made her way toward the front door. Heart racing slightly as the butterflies tumbled softly in her stomach, Hermione took a second to smooth her hair back and brush down the front of her t-shirt. A pointless exercise as no doubt Rose would pull her hair free from behind her ears within a matter of seconds but it was worth a shot she supposed.
Pulling the door open, Hermione had to stop her eyes from bugging out at the sight that met her. The Pureblood women that stood in front of her screamed of money. The past few times Hermione had seen the women she had been dressed in Muggle clothes, a surprising turn of events which she hadn't wanted to point out in fear of embarrassing Narcissa but the women pulled it off extremely well. Converse trainers on the feet of Narcissa Malfoy, ten years ago she would have rolled around on the floor at the mere thought but not now.
The dark green robes that the women was wearing now miles apart from the outfits of she had sported not too long ago. It was almost annoying just how well the blonde women could go between Muggle and Wizarding clothes with such great ease. Hermione was curious about the women's change of attire from their previous meetings but she surmised if the older women wanted to tell her then she would.
Hair elegantly cascading down the women's hair, platinum blonde locks with a dark contrasting inky black made Hermione want so badly to reach out and feel the silk like hair between her fingers. The older woman hid perfectly framed her face, the barest amount of makeup upon her face not that the woman needed.
How the women managed to look so unbelievably beautiful only having slept very little last night after watching Rose all night Hermione wasn't sure. Glancing down at the old band T-shirt she had stolen from her Father years ago and a worn pair of Mom jeans, Hermione almost felt like racing up the stairs to change if it weren't for the appreciation of her outfit gleaming in Narcissa's eyes. It felt nice, the way Narcissa's eyes raked across her outfit subconsciously licking her lips.
Before Hermione could greet the women, Narcissa beat her to it as she reached out to wrap her arms around both her and Rose.
"Hello sweetheart." The words were whispered softly in her ear, unable to stop the shiver that raced through her body at being surrounded so suddenly by everything Narcissa.
The smell of expensive perfume and feel of expensive clothes under her hands made Hermione want to pull the women even closer but before she could do so the older women had pulled back to brush her hand through Rose's curls.
"And hello to little Rose here. Have you got everything ready? I can give you a helping hand if not." Narcissa offered, her eyes never leaving Hermiones as she continued to brush Rose's hair back much to the delight of the baby who snuggled in closer to her mum, eyes heavy with sleep.
Hermione tried desperately to squash down the jealousy that shot through her as she watched the soothing touches that Narcissa offered her daughter but it was clear that she must have shown something upon her face as the older women squinted her eyes at her as though trying to figure out the expression in her face.
"All packed and ready to go. Are you sure you still want us to come? I would understand if you had changed your mind." Hermione shifted from foot to foot as her self doubt began to bubble up inside.
The way Hermione felt about herself, it was devastating. Self confidence at an all time low, Hermione had stopped caring so much about her appearance because no matter how much she tried to look like all the witches that appeared on the front of Witches Weekly, the sort of witches that Ron bedded every night, it was never enough to make her husband even so much as want to be in the same room as her.
Looking back there wasn't a moment where Hermione had noticed everything in her marriage had started to slowly crumble, it was as though they were doomed from the beginning with the constant little petty arguments and niggling at each other over the most stupid of things.
Hermione had been flirted with on hundreds of occasions even with everyone knowing she was married but she had always quickly shut it down. No doubt around half of the propositions she had found herself on the receiving end were men who would love to brag about sleeping with the 'Golden Girl'.
Five years of marriage and never once had she ever once contemplated breaking her vows in the same way Ron had done multiple times. Until now.
"Hermione? I would very much love for you and Rose to stay with me at Black Manor, if you would still like to that is?" The way in which Narcissa didn't demand and gave her the option yet again was a stark contrast to the way most people spoke to her these days.
Ron never gave her a choice, it was always 'you will' and not 'could you'. It was almost as if Narcissa knew the power she had previously wielded had now dwindled down to nothing. The older woman was giving it back to her even if it was a simple question of double checking. It was scary, how she did everything for Ron these days without so much as thinking about it.
Without warning Hermione felt the lump in her throat, her emotions getting the best of her as they often did these days. Tears came so easily as she lay alone in bed at night, arm stretched out across the king size bed and feeling the empty space beside her. It was a lonely world she had lived in but it was starting to feel a little more full with Narcissa's presence.
Rather than reply verbally, Hermione nodded her head eagerly with a watery smile that Narcissa had clearly noted as she affectionately brushed a soothing stroke across her temple.
"You deserve so much more." The worst were spoken in such a way that Hermione could tell Narcissa believed the statement with all her heart.
The look the two women shared as Narcissa's hand trailed to rest on her jaw was without a doubt unlike anything Hermione had ever experienced in her life. If Hermione had ever believed she and Ron shared chemistry, this look right here and now blew that out of the water.
The way Narcissa's eyes gazed into her own with such intensity, almost as if trying to look into her soul, a genuine curiosity to find out exactly what the woman was really like. It was as if for the first time someone was taking the time to truly look at her, not the war hero that everyone depicted or Ron Weasley's wife. The Hermione that had been lost with years of trauma and hurt.
The eyes that had stared at her with such a dead look behind them as she writhed around on the floor being tortured were now so full of passion and emotion. It had intrigued Hermione, how different Narcissa looked compared to her older sisters. There was no denying that they were all gorgeous, having seen pictures of Bellatrix prior to Azkaban she knew even the eldest Black sister would have had men falling at her feet. Even all those years ago when they had first met, Hermione had caught herself taking quick glances at the older women. Watching and taking in the womanly curves and polite smile that seemed to hide so many secrets. But there was something special about Narcissa, an aura around the women that drew everyone's attention when she walked into a room.
A commanding presence that Hermione found oh so very attractive. And now she found herself getting to know Narcissa, she felt comfortable enough in the women's presence to let her guard down and let the truth flow out.
"I wish I could believe that." Hermione's words were only a faint whisper, not needing to be any louder as the women stood in each other's space with Rose happily sleeping on the young brunette's shoulder.
The young witch wished she still had the same Gryffindor bravery that used to run so freely through her body but it had dried up to next to nothing over the last ten years. A loveless marriage and being treated so poorly would do that to a woman.
"You will, I promise you." It was taking everything within Hermione not to close the gap between the two of them, the soft plump lips that were upturned slightly in the beginnings of a smile.
Rose's quiet fussing against her side broke the moment, Narcissa's eyes darting to the young baby in her arms.
"Could you hold her while I gather everything up?" Hermione waited for Narcissa to reply, an eager yes was given before the younger witch carefully passed her daughter over to rest against the blondes' side.
It was a sight for sore eyes, the care and affection almost overflowing from Narcissa as she murmured quiet whispers of reassurance to Rose who took a moment to settle but after finding her spot to nuzzle against the older woman's neck she drifted back off into dreamland.
A rare occurrence, Rose settling for anyone else but Hermione but as the young brunette quickly surmised it wasn't as if the young baby spent much time around other people.
Hermione would do anything to have her parents back, for them to know they had a granddaughter and were sorely missed every single day by their own daughter. The young brunette had made visits to Australia, trips disguised as dentist appointments just to be able to catch a glimpse of her parents but as the years went by it became harder and harder to watch from a distance as they carried on with their lives oblivious to her existence. Ron so very much loved to point out that it was her own fault whenever they argued and he wanted to rub the salt in, she may have had made the choice to wipe their memories but it didn't mean that it didn't still hurt so bad that she could barely bring herself to think about them these days without wanting to burst out into tears.
Visiting Molly and Arthur was always dreadful and that was being polite about it, the Weasley matriarch would constantly berate Hermione for not trying hard enough for Ron in their marriage and it irritated the young witch to the point of only making a visit once a month out of politeness. To make matters even worse she always ended up going by herself when Ron made up a flimsy excuse, nobody there to stand up for her other than herself and at this point she rarely had enough energy to argue instead she sat and nodded her head while trying not to draw blood as she bit her tongue that would no doubt offer a scathing retort. Even Rose could pick up on the tension of the visits, clinging to Hermione like a limpet and refusing to leave her side.
Narcissa was different, the warmth radiating from her in waves and only with good intentions. Babies were always a good judge of character and clearly both she and her daughter agreed on having Narcissa around. It seemed as though they were both lost souls, searching for a way to smooth the pain of loneliness and they had both found one another at just the right time.
"All set." Having gathered up all their belongings and shrinking them down to pocket size and placing them into a bag with her famous extension charm, Hermione came to stand in front of Narcissa who had been perusing one of her many bookcases that lined the living room walls.
"Quite the collection you have here." Narcissa commented as the book she had been quietly reading one handed floated back into its rightful spot on the shelf.
It was a skill Hermione had only really mastered since Rose was born, of course she could multitask but add in a screaming newborn child and the use of arm arm as the other cradled the baby it became second nature to do everything with only the use of one hand. Narcissa had clearly not lost her touch even with it being nearly three decades since Draco being a baby.
"Books have always been there for me, keeping me company when I'm lonely. Which seems to be more and more often. Do you like to read?" Hermione couldn't bear to meet Narcissa's eyes which more than likely were looking at her with a look of great sadness, the feeling of sympathy was radiating off the women enough for Hermione to try to change the subject.
When it came to Narcissa, Hermione felt as though everything she said the older women truly listened to. Nothing like Ron who would nod along with an uninterested look upon his face. No, with Narcissa she had the women's full attention and at times it was slightly overwhelming given that she had gone so long since being in the spotlight. Like right now.
"I love to read. My sisters would relentlessly tease me I would end up in Ravenclaw, they soon stopped when my Mother pointed out how much of a disgrace anyone from the Black family being in any house other than Slytherin would be. I can remember the fear running through me as the Sorting Hat mulled over my house and the relief I felt when it shouted out Slytherin. Looking back I don't think I would have enjoyed being separated from my sisters even if they did take every opportunity to embarrass me." Taking the chance to watch Narcissa as the older women seemed to get lost in her thoughts, gazing off as though thinking back to her school days. A wistful expression upon her face as she glanced down at Rose.
The young brunette couldn't quite be sure exactly where the curiosity came from, morbid as it may be and as hard as it was to even speak the woman's name but a part of her couldn't quite understand exactly how Bellatrix had become so evil, had she always been like that? And so the question came tumbling out in a rush as though scared of what kind of reaction she would receive.
"What was she like? As a sister?" The silence that followed after the question left Hermione's mouth lingered in the air for a long moment, the young brunette looked straight ahead at the vast amount of books in front of her.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Narcissa was still swaying lightly from side to side with Rose tucked in close to her chest. The silence stretched out between the two and for a moment Hermione was going to apologise and take the question back. However, before she could Narcissa let out a heavy sigh and began to speak.
"She was fiercely protective, of both myself and Andromeda. Would always take the blame and end up taking the punishment even if it wasn't her fault. I can't tell you the amount of times I had to watch my Father beat her. A belt, fists, magic. You name it and he would use it. And Mother, well she would just sit and encourage it. You know there's only one time I can ever remember her crying in front of me, always putting on a brave face in front of everyone but the night Andromeda ran away.. I don't think I've ever seen someone sob as hard as she did. It was heart wrenching, screaming and shouting for Andromeda to come back. I was always a little jealous of how close they were, like you already know they looked so alike but their personalities complimented one another so beautifully. When she lost Dromeda, it was the beginning of the end for her. Voldemort used that heartbreak and turned it into something so evil, he created a monster to use as he pleased. A part of me is glad she's dead, she can't hurt anyone anymore but a bigger part of me wishes so badly for my older sister to come back sane and tell me everything is going to be okay like she always used to do." It was very obvious to Hermione that Narcissa had refrained from saying Bellatrix's name outright but there was absolutely no denying the love she held for her elder sister.
The tears glistening in her eyes as she cleared her throat, clearly not used to showing her emotions on her sleeve as she was now. Hermione rested her hand on Narcissa's shoulder, offering a comforting squeeze as she let the older woman compose herself without any judgement on the brunette's part. Being an only child, Hermione had always watched her friends with their siblings and felt a pang of longing to share such a connection with someone.
The way Narcissa spoke of Bellatrix, the older woman was obviously still hurting quite deeply and despite everything in Hermione screaming that the dark witch deserved to be dead she had still left behind a heartbreak in her death.
"She sounds like the kind of sister I had always wanted growing up." Hermione admitted, finally turning her head fully after letting Narcissa gather herself.
The blonde eyes were slightly bloodshot and her breathing was slightly stuttering but it still didn't stop Hermione thinking she was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. It was more than how she looked though, it was her presence and the way her eyes spoke a story in themselves. It was the way she made Hermione feel comfortable in her own skin. It was everything about the women, she may have flaws but to Hermione it said more than she had overcome and changed her beliefs to become a better person in spite of her upbringing and Pureblood mentality that had been drilled into her head from birth.
"Bellatrix was incredibly smart, I didn't think it was possible for me to come across anyone smarter than her until I met you. Draco constantly moaned about being second best in all of his classes." Hermione felt the brush rise across her face, trying to pretend as though the compliment didn't mean anything when really it was quite massive considering the stories McGonagall had told her of Bellatrix Black receiving the highest marks at school beating everyone by miles. Until she had come along and bested every single record possible.
"What can I say? I love to learn." Shrugging nonchalantly, she felt a grin spread across her face to match Narcissa's as the older women let out a chuckle that would have no doubt been louder had she not been holding Rose.
Narcissa looked over toward the chair where she had removed her large winter coat when she had arrived, Hermione's eyes followed the women's line of sight and soon made a beeline to pick it up for the older women.
"Here you are dear." A teasing smile upon her face as she tried to match the older woman's posh accent with a little extra emphasis, Hermione returned with the coat in hand as she strode back toward Narcissa.
Finally getting a chance to touch the blonde silk like hair as she placed the jacket over Narcissa's shoulders, Hermione's fingers twisted lightly in the locks as she carefully rearranged it to sit over the expensive black coat that would no doubt cost more than Hermione's entire wardrobe combined.
Standing closer than was necessary, Hermione didn't note any resistance from the older women and stayed exactly where she was even after sorting the blondes coat for her. Narcissa's presence truly was intoxicating in the most heavenly of ways.
"You don't really think I sound like that, do you?" Narcissa's horrified questioning only served to make Hermione laugh even more, unable to hold it in at the affronted expression on the blonde face.
Shaking her head, the young brunette noticed Narcissa let out what seemed to be a sigh of relief. Hermione wondered if the women realised exactly how posh she was especially to someone like herself who before entering the Wizarding World had believed her parents were fairly well off. Not when compared to the likes of the Malfoy and Black family wealth though. They were filthy rich and it only took one look at Narcissa's current outfit to prove that point perfectly.
"Your Mummy is a very naughty witch Rosie." Narcissa whispered softly, a wicked smile on her face as she poked Hermione in the ribs sending them young brunette into a fit of giggles.
It took a moment for the two women to compose themselves before Narcissa offered her arm to Hermione, the other wrapped protectively around Rose. It was a lucky thing that Rose seemed to sleep through just about anything, so used to Ron's drunk self stumbling through the flat no doubt.
"Hold on tight." Taking a step closer so she was more or less tucked into Narcissa's side, Hermione did one better and grasped the blonde's hand before entwining their fingers together. Fitting together like a glove, Hermione felt Narcissa's thumb immediately begin to lightly brush over the back of her hand.
Feeling her heart race at the closeness, Hermione didn't have to wait long before the pull of apparition began to overtake her body.
To Black Manor they go.
—
A bit of a filler chapter, the first night at Black Manor coming up next! Hopefully you enjoyed that! Thank you for reading.
RIP Helen McCrory, a truly magnificent actress x