Chapter 3 – I Could Get Used to This

They appeared moments later in a dark alley of London. Harry moved his hand from around her waist and stepped away. He smiled when he saw a flash of disappointment cross her features. He took her hand and gently placed it in the crook of his arm and then began to walk.

"Where are you taking me?" Narcissa asked excitedly. "You mentioned dinner and dancing, so I find myself quite intrigued."

"You'll see. Do you come to muggle London often?" Harry asked as they walked.

"No, I've very rarely had the opportunity, I've only been a handful of times. I'm excited to see more of London with you though," Narcissa replied. They walked for a few more blocks and then Harry stopped in front of a very tastefully designed building. Narcissa's eyes were immediately drawn to an elegant, expensive looking restaurant in the center. To her delight, Harry led her forward and opened the door to the restaurant she had just been admiring. Once inside, Harry let go of her arm and walked over to the hostess stand.

"Good evening, I have a reservation under Harry Potter, please," he said politely.

"Of course, sir. Just give me a moment and I will show you to your table," said the hostess.

"Very well, thank you," said Harry and then he returned to Narcissa's side. A short time later, they were led to a small half-round booth in the far corner of the restaurant with a splendid view of a large, elegant piano. In the center of the room was a small dance floor, surrounded by other small half-rounded tables facing the piano. The lights were low and each table had a small candle, and a single vased rose in the center for ambiance. It was a beautiful restaurant and Narcissa was suitably impressed by Harry's choice. As soon as they sat down the waiter brought over a bottle of Vosne-Romanee and poured them each a glass.

"You ordered a glass the other night, so I assumed you liked it, I hope that's alright," said Harry uncertainly.

"It's perfect, thank you," replied Narcissa as she intentionally scooted into the center of the booth to sit closer to him. They enjoyed one of the best meals either of them had ever had and while they ate the conversation between them flowed easily and pleasantly. There seemed to be an unspoken agreement to not talk about the past, and instead they focused on each other and their hopes for the future. Harry tried not to concentrate on how close she was sitting, on the searing heat of her thigh against his, but every time she picked up her wine glass her arm brushed gently against his own and it got harder and harder to ignore how much he wanted to touch her.

As they waited for their dessert, a man came out and started playing a gentle waltz on the piano. They listened to the music for a while and then Harry took this as his chance to touch her, so he stood and put his hand out for Narcissa to take.

"Would you like to dance Miss Black?" Harry asked. Narcissa smiled widely at him as she took his hand. When they reached the dance floor Harry slipped an arm around her waist and entwined their fingers before he began leading her around the dance floor.

o – o – o – o – o

Narcissa was in heaven. Harry's dancing wasn't nearly as bad as he claimed it to be, and the way he held her so tightly, so reverently, it made her heart soar. It had been so long since she'd truly felt wanted, if she ever had. She'd certainly never felt like this. When the next song began, Harry slowed to match the rhythm of the music and pulled her in closer so that her head was resting gently against his chest. Narcissa listened to the fierce beating of his heart while she tried not to focus on the tingling sensation his fingers left behind as his hand moved along her hips and lower back.

As the song ended at the next began, Harry stopped. Narcissa was about to complain when she felt him push her back slightly and lift her chin up so was gazing into vibrant green eyes filled with - no- it couldn't possibly be- but she knew it was when he leaned his head down and pressed his lips firmly against hers. He gave her enough time to pull away if she wanted, but when she didn't, he deepened the kiss pulling her flush against him. His slightly spicy scent, the taste of her favorite wine on his lips and the feel of his hands moving up her sides and into her hair was overwhelming. She started to panic a little realizing just how many years it's been since she's been in this sort of intimate embrace with someone, but when she pulled away, the dazed and content look on Harry's face made her completely forget about her nervousness and she quickly brought her hands up and pulled his head back down for another searing kiss. After several moments she parted her lips and snaked her tongue out. She licked Harry's bottom lip before pulling it between her teeth firmly to ask for entrance. He opened his mouth to her willing, eagerly and Narcissa reveled in his taste as their tongues dueled for dominance. She clung to him almost desperately as they kissed. 'Salazar he's a good kisser.'

When Narcissa noticed the music had stopped she pulled away again and took a step back out of his embrace to gather her composure. Harry took a step towards her and kissed her gently just below her ear.

"I think I understand the delight of dancing much better now," he whispered. Narcissa laughed softly. "Shall we go back and finish our meal, Miss Black? It looks like dessert has been served." Narcissa looked over and saw a large slice of cake sitting invitingly in the center of the table, with a new bottle of wine.

"Narcissa," she said as she let herself lean into him again.

"Pardon?" asked Harry politely.

"If you are going to continuing kissing me like that, which I very much hope you do, you should probably start calling my Narcissa, no more Miss Black, Harry," she said mischievously.

"Narcissa," he whispered as he pulled her into another deep, lingering kiss, their dessert remaining forgotten for several more minutes.

o – o – o – o - o

When they did eventually return to the table, they enjoyed another glass of wine each and then fed each other forkfuls of cake. They took breaks to kiss when the mood struck them. Harry was mesmerized by her hair while Narcissa had grown quite fond of scraping her nails down the front of his silk shirt. It was like a dam had broken. Now that they had kissed neither of them could pull themselves away for long. When the music restarted, they got back up to dance. After several more dances, Harry paid and then they left the restaurant hand in hand. Harry apparated them both to Malfoy manor and when they reached the front door he ran his fingers through her hair and then pulled her in for a passionate kiss before he said goodnight.

"Would you like to come inside?" Narcissa asked in a husky whisper. Harry could see the desire in her eyes and his breath hitched. But he could also see her nervousness and the vulnerability she was trying to hide.

"I can think of nothing I would like more than to get to spend more time with you, but if I go inside, I'm not going to be able to get myself to leave. I only have so much self-control," replied Harry.

"That's alright," said Narcissa lasciviously. Harry smiled and gently stroked her cheek before pushing loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"I don't want you to think that my refusal to come in means I don't want you, because nothing could be farther from the truth. I'm trying really hard to be a gentleman here. I don't want to rush this Narcissa, and I don't want you to have any regrets. I want you for much longer than tonight. Besides I have to work in the morning. When we do spend the night together, I don't want to have to worry about rushing off to work in the morning," explained Harry. Narcissa let out an annoyed huff and Harry couldn't help but laugh. 'Is she pouting, I never thought I'd see that day.' Harry promptly kissed her pout away, only stopping when she started gently thrusting her hips into him.

"When are you free again?" he asked as he tried to get himself under control.

"There you go being presumptuous again. What makes you so certain I even want to see you again?" she asked with a mock scowl. Harry smiled at her.

"Perhaps I can persuade you with an invitation to make you dinner. Wednesday night?" Narcissa nodded. Harry leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then the shell of her ear before he whispered.

"And I'm off on Sunday, if you don't have any plans for Saturday night." Narcissa gasped softly, but quickly recovered and smirked.

"We'll see how satisfied I am with your cooking," she responded. "Goodnight Harry."

"Good night, Narcissa," Harry responded, then with great difficulty he turned and walked away. Only looking back once to see her smiling at him with a dreamy expression on her face.

"Yep, that one definitely went well," he smirked to himself as he apparated away.

o – o – o – o – o

On Tuesday, Luna and Neville came over for dinner. As soon as they came through the fireplace Luna gave him a knowing smirk.

"How is Miss Black, Harry?" asked Luna.

"She was doing very well when I saw her on Sunday," replied Harry. "How nice of you to ask Luna."

"Sunday? So, you've already had a second date then?" chimed in Neville. "Wait, did you say Miss Black? As in Narcissa Black?" Harry nodded and Neville paled.

"Luna? Why would you set Harry up with Narcissa Black?" He asked. Luna just shrugged.

"I had no choice really. They had the highest compatibility rating I've ever seen. They are clearly meant to give this a chance," Luna responded. Neville looked at her in disbelief, but he knew he had very little room to argue. Her system had been flawless so far. Neville sighed and looked back at Harry.

"I will reserve judgment until I meet her myself," said Neville firmly.

"That's fair, mate," said Harry as he squeezed Neville's shoulder and led him into the kitchen. As they ate Luna asked what Harry thought of the restaurant.

"It was beautiful. The garden was wonderful, and the food was great. Narcissa seemed pleased with it. How did you get us a reservation there? Hermione said the waiting list was like six months," replied Harry.

"The owner was one of my first clients. He was so happy with my results that he offered me reservations whenever I wanted them. I try not to overuse his offer, but when I saw who you were matched with, I knew it was an occasion to utilize the favor."

"It was perfect, thank you for setting it up Luna," responded Harry. Neville was shaking his head and chuckling.

"I still can't believe you went on a date with Draco's mother and had a good enough time that you had a second date as well. How are you not freaking out about this?" Asked Neville.

"I don't know mate, I guess it just feels right. I freaked out a little when I first saw her sitting there, but as soon as I started talking to her, I realized she is very different from the person I made her out to be in my mind," said Harry. He paused and looked up at Neville thoughtfully.

"I know there are two things you are going to ask about. I'll address those so we can move on to enjoying our dinner, and you can let me know if I miss any of your concerns. First, yes, I know she was married to a death eater, but only because her parents made her. You're a pureblood Neville, I know you understand what kind of pressure she must have been under to do what was expected of her." Neville winced and nodded.

"Second, yes, I also know she let terrible things happen when she could have stopped them, but every choice she made was to protect Draco. I don't see Voldemort being very merciful if she had interfered or defied him directly, even though I know there were times she wanted to. We both know what Voldemort would have done to Draco to punish her." Neville eyes him curiously as he spoke.

"You are very defensive of her. You have clearly put a lot of thought into how you would answer people's questions, why?" said Neville then his eyes narrowed. "You're already in love with her."

"What? No. I just knew people would have concerns about us, so I wanted to be prepared," responded Harry, but neither Neville or Luna missed his deepening blush.

After dinner they played a couple rounds of exploding snaps like they usually did and then Luna asked him if he knew any muggle card games.

"Um, not really, the Dursleys were never into cards. Sirius has a deck upstairs, but I've never used it. Luna's eyes sparkled mischievously as she conjured three equal piles of fake coins.

"Go get the cards, Harry," she said. Harry nodded and went upstairs to retrieve them. When he returned Luna started explaining the rules to a game called poker as she dealt out the cards.

"You know, many muggles enjoy playing a version of this called strip poker. Where you remove items of clothing if you lose instead of betting coins," said Luna. She was intently staring at Harry as she said this, as if it was information, he would need someday and she was trying to imprint it on his brain.

"That's – very interesting Luna," Harry replied.

"And weird, do they play it like with strangers?" asked Neville with a blush.

"Sometimes," said Luna with a smile.

"Ew," said Harry and Neville together.

When Luna started to yawn, they stopped playing. Harry thought poker was pretty fun. Out of the three of them Luna was clearly the best, but Harry didn't do too bad. Neville on the other hand was awful. Luna said it was because he has a pure heart. As Harry walked them to the fireplace, Neville pulled him aside.

"Send me an owl when you're ready for us to meet her," said Neville. "I'm glad you are happy, Harry. Anyone that saw you right now, would know that much. Oh, and feel free to bring her to the wedding. It will make things far more interesting." Harry laughed and said goodnight.

o – o – o – o – o

Wednesday morning Narcissa woke up to a vase of Calendula flowers and a note. She immediately had a giddy smile on her face as she reached for the note.

I get off at 1700 hours and will have dinner ready by 1900. You are welcome to come over early if you feel the need to supervise my cooking. Can't wait to see you again.

-H

The smile remained for the rest of the day, though she did her best to hide it from Draco when she saw him. She attended to some business after breakfast, and then kept herself busy for the rest of the day with gardening and picking out new books in the library. By 3 o'clock she was so excited to see Harry again that she couldn't think about anything else, so she decided to take her time getting ready and head over early. He did say she could after all. She was just finishing up and heading downstairs when Draco met her in the hallway.

"Hello mother. Do you know what's for dinner?" Draco asked.

"I'm sorry, Draco I haven't asked. I'm going out again tonight," reminded Narcissa.

"That's right, I forgot. Another date?" He asked.

"Yes," replied Narcissa.

"With the same person?" Draco asked cautiously.

"Yes," Narcissa responded, barely able to hide her blush.

"Do I get to meet him," Draco asked, catching Narcissa off guard. She wasn't expecting him to ask that so soon.

"Perhaps someday, if I keep seeing them. I'm still trying to make up my mind," lied Narcissa. She hated lying to Draco. She knew exactly how she felt about Harry, and unless something drastic happened she could see him being in her life for a long time, but she knew Draco wasn't ready to hear that yet. Draco nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Have fun mother," he said as walked towards his room.

"I'm sure I will. Good night, dear," she replied as she continued towards the stairs. She didn't want to appear to eager so when she got down to the lounge, she sat by the window instead of leaving right away. She waited as long as she could manage before she floo'd to Grimmauld place. At 5:30 she walked through the fireplace to the sound of someone whistling softly in the kitchen. Kreacher immediately appeared at her side.

"Mistress Black. Master Harry is waiting for you in the kitchen. Please let Kreacher know if you are in need of anything," said the house elf before he bowed deeply and popped away. It had been many years since she had been to Grimmauld place, but she found the kitchen easily enough. The drifting smell of sautéing vegetables helped. She walked into the kitchen to see Harry cutting ingredients by hand at the counter. She noticed his smile brighten when he saw her in the doorway, and he immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to her.

"I was hoping you would come early," he said softly as he pulled her in for a deep, languid kiss that was clearly meant to let her know he had missed her. His tongue quickly found hers and it took a desperate need for air for him to pull away. Narcissa hummed her approval as his lips moved along her jaw line and down her neck. 'I know it's only been a few days, but Salazar I've missed the way he kisses me.'

'Come sit down. I've only just started so it will be awhile, but I can get you some wine and you can keep me company while I cook," said Harry as he led her over to the table.

"Wine, would be great, thank you Harry," Narcissa said as she moved the chair so that she could sit with her back to the table and have an undisturbed view of Harry cooking. Narcissa watched as he busied himself with opening a bottle of wine and her heart soared at the longing glances he kept sending her way when he thought she wasn't looking. Harry poured her a glass and brought over to the table. He gave her a soft kiss as he put it down before heading back to the counter to continue preparing their meal.

"So how was your day Narcissa?" Harry asked as he started to stir the pan.

"Uneventful for the most part. I used to host a charity dinner every year for Saint Mongo's. I've missed doing it, so I've been trying to get that going again. I worked on that for a little while in the morning and then did some gardening and tried to find some new books in the library," said Narcissa.

"Well, if you run out of good reading material in the Malfoy library, you are welcome to the Black library anytime you want," chimed In Harry.

"Thank you, Harry that is very kind. So, what are you making me?" Narcissa asked as she sipped her wine. Harry smiled at her.

"A mango curry. I hope you like it. It is easily my best dish, so I'm all in as the muggles would say," Harry said with a wink.

"Well, I'm not sure what that means, but it smells divine," replied Narcissa. A few moments passed before Harry spoke up again.

"So, about this charity dinner? Am I invited?" Harry asked cheekily.

"Well that depends, I suppose," replied Narcissa nervously.

"Oh? On what?" asked Harry.

"If you were to attend something like that with me, everyone would know we were a - item, I wouldn't want Draco to find out that way," Narcissa explained.

"Ah, so my invitation is dependent on when I am willing to face Draco's wrath," Harry said. He smiled kindly at her, but he must have seen the tension in her eyes because he put the bubbling pan aside, so it didn't burn and walked over to her. He cupped her cheek and then gave her a soft kiss.

"I care for you Narcissa. I have no intention of walking away from whatever this is becoming between us. I am willing to face Draco whenever you are ready for me to," said Harry honestly. Narcissa sighed in relief and gave him a genuine smile.

"I do ask one favour though," Harry said as he walked back to the stove.

"Oh?" Said Narcissa with a raised eyebrow.

"When you decide you are ready to tell him about us, will you give me a few days warning so I can practice my defensive spells. I'm a bit rusty," said Harry with a grin. Narcissa laughed melodiously. Her heart lighter than it had been in years.

"I can do that, so how was your day?" she asked.

"Pretty good, I've narrowed down what I want to do for my main project to three areas I'm most interested in, but I didn't get much further than that since I kept thinking about you," said Harry.

"I'd hate to be the reason you fall behind on your work," she responded neutrally, but she couldn't hide the widening smile on her face. Inside she was screaming in glee that he thought of her all day. 'I'm glad I'm not the only one.'

"I have until Friday to make my decision. I promise I'm not falling behind on anything," Harry said as he added the rest of the ingredients to the pot and then left it to simmer. He walked towards her slowly, stopping when his pant leg brushed against her knees. He leaned down and kissed her deeply before using one hand to brace himself on the table behind her and the other to softly trace the bodice of her dress with a finger. She gasped at the spark of arousal that shot to her centre when his hand moved over her breast and when he leaned in further to whisper in her ear she had to shift slightly in her seat for relief. "But even if I was, thinking about you is a very pleasurable way to spend my day, so I have no regrets." He gave her one more lingering kiss and then returned to the stove to put the finishing touches on the meal. As Harry finished, Narcissa watched his muggle technique in fascination and hummed in pleasant anticipation at the enticing aromas that filled the kitchen. She tried to ignore the arousal that continued to pool in her belly each time he sent a searing look in her direction, but it was no use, so she decided to ask him questions to distract herself instead.

"Why don't you use magic?" she asked.

"Pardon?" responded Harry.

"When you cook? Why don't you use magic?" Narcissa asked more clearly.

"Oh well, I learned to cook long before I knew about magic, I guess I've just always done it this way. It is kind of soothing actually. I'm not sure I'd enjoy cooking as much with magic," responded Harry. When he was finished, he put a plate down in front of her and refilled her wine. Then he gave her a soft kiss before sitting down across from her with his own plate. Narcissa simply stared at the dish for a moment. It was beautifully presented and smelled delicious. She was eager to try it, but it almost looked too good to eat.

o – o – o – o – o

"I didn't poison it you know," said Harry with a smirk as he took a bite. Narcissa laughed sincerely and he looked up in pleasant surprise. Harry noticed that her mask was almost completely gone, and he marveled at his first look at the real Narcissa. 'She is an extremely beautiful woman.'

"I'm not worried about you poisoning me, Harry. It just looks so good, I wanted to give it the appreciation it deserves," Narcissa replied.

"It's food Narcissa, it's meant to be appreciated with your mouth." Said Harry.

"I can think of a few things I would like to appreciate with my mouth," said Narcissa huskily. Harry groaned as she looked him over salaciously and he noticed his trousers were starting to feel awfully tight. "But this will do for now."

Narcissa took a bite and moaned in approval, causing Harry to squirm in his seat even more. When she finished the bite and wiped her mouth with a napkin, she put her elbows on the table and leaned in conspiratorially.

"I guess this means I'm staying the night on Saturday," she said with a wink before sitting back and taking another bite. Harry nearly choked on the bite he had just taken as he blushed deeply, but to both of their surprise he recovered quickly and gave her a rakish look before he spoke.

"I am very much looking forward to having you in my bed," he replied earnestly.

When they had both finished, they decided to move into the lounge to be more comfortable. They barely made it to the sofa before their lips crashed together and they got lost in a heated embrace. Harry moved so that Narcissa was practically laying on top of him while he entwined his finger in her hair and pulled at the flowing locks firmly. After awhile, he moved his hands down the sides of her dress and then around to the back of her thighs pushing her dress up slightly.

Narcissa moaned and pulled back enough to begin unbuttoning his shirt. She placed hot, wet kisses along the exposed skin as she went and then openly admired his muscular form when the last button was undone. Harry pushed Narcissa onto her knees so that he could sit up enough to reach around and unzip her dress. He slowly pulled each strap down and then took in her red lace bra that barely enclosed what he had spent a lot of the day thinking about. He kissed along her collar bone and then back up her neck. One hand moved back to her thigh where it kneaded the skin there gently, while the other moved slowly across the lace of her bra. When Narcissa let out a soft moan, he gripped her breast firmly through the material as he sucked on her pulse point. Harry pinched a nipple and felt Narcissa's hips thrust into him as she put her head back and let out another throaty moan. Narcissa scraped her nails down his chest and then pushed him back into the sofa before plunging her tongue into his mouth. Several moments later she pulled away, panting and eyes wild with arousal.

"We should stop now, or I won't be responsible for what I do to you" she whispered. Harry could see the desire in her eyes that matched his own, but he could also see her nervousness. This was new for both of them, and she was right, they should slow things down. 'She said she's staying over on Saturday. I can wait till then, can't I?' Harry sighed and nodded his head.

"Alright," he whispered back. He gave her one more chaste kiss in reassurance and then pulled her dress back on, kissing her shoulder as he zipped it up. The hour was still early and he wasn't ready for her to go, so he tried to think of something to keep her here as he moved her off of his lap and onto the cushion next to him. He looked over to see her smiling at him flirtatiously and groaned. He stood up to get some distance between them and clear his head. He kept trying to think of something they could do when the conversation he had with Luna the night before popped into his mind. He chuckled. 'Thanks Luna.'

"Narcissa? Have you ever played any muggle card games?" He asked as he turned towards her. Narcissa simply raised an eyebrow at him in response. Harry grinned at her.

"Right, well any interest in trying something new?" he asked.

"What do you have in mind?" She enquired as she removed her shoes and tucked her feet underneath herself. Harry watched her make herself comfortable as if she might stay awhile, and his heart soared at the idea of her being here on a more regular basis, tucked into his side as they read together, hair spread out across his chest as she slept. He smothered the urge to go back to kissing her senseless and tried to remember the conversation they were having. He shook his head once and continued.

"Well, I thought we could play a muggle card game called strip poker," said Harry with a blush that Narcissa didn't miss.

"Hmm, I don't know what poker is, but if strip implies what I think it does, I am definitely interested," Narcissa replied with a flirty smirk as she looked him up and down. Harry nodded and nearly ran into the study to get Sirius' old deck of cards before he lost his nerve. When he returned, he sat down on the sofa next to her and started shuffling the cards on the table.

"Typically you play poker for money, but in strip poker you basically play for items of clothing instead. So, whoever loses each round has to remove one article of clothing as payment," explained Harry.

"And when does the game end?" Asked Narcissa, enjoying his embarrassment.

"Um well - you know," said Harry as his blush deepened.

"I see," Narcissa said with a smirk. "What are the rules?" Harry explained how the game was played and then they began. 'I can't believe we are actually doing this. I'm either going to kill Luna or send her a giant fruit basket.'

Harry won the first round with a three of a kind and Narcissa made removing an earring look like the most erotic thing you could ever witness. Harry groaned. 'This game is going to kill me.'

The game continued pleasantly. Harry felt like kissing while they, well mostly him, were stripping was probably a bad idea if the goal was to take things slow, so every time he wanted to crash their lips together he engaged her in conversation instead. They talked about everything from their favourite books to how Kingsley was doing as minister.

An hour later Harry found himself stark naked while Narcissa was only missing her earrings. It didn't take him long to realize that this was a game she was extremely good at, even if she'd never played before. Narcissa had the best poker face he had ever seen. Not that, that was surprising really. He should have known he would find himself in this position. Narcissa's hungry haze wandering over his naked form was the only thing that kept him from feeling completely defeated. 'It's hard to feel like I lost when she looks at me like that.' Although he did shiver several times, despite the room feeling exceptionally warm.

"I must say that I enjoyed that game very much," said Narcissa with a predatory smile. "Excellent choice."

"The winner always says that," replied Harry with a chuckle. Narcissa responded by crawling towards him and giving him a passionate kiss. She confidently stroked his manhood once, causing Harry to jump and then she pulled away with a very Dumbledore like twinkle in her eye.

"I should go," she said with a soft sigh. Narcissa moved away to put her earrings back on and Harry waved his hand to magically redress himself. He stood and helped her off the sofa. He walked her towards the fireplace and handed her the jar of floo powder.

"Thank you for dinner, and the view," she said as she captured his lips for a thorough goodbye.

"So I'll see you Saturday then?" Harry asked gruffly when Narcissa eventually pulled away.

"Absolutely, not even a Nundu could keep me away," she replied as she outlined the edge of his lips with her finger. "Good night Harry."

"Good night, Narcissa," Harry responded as he kissed her lingering finger. Narcissa removed her finger and took a handful of floo powder before handing the jar back to Harry. She threw the powder into the fireplace and stepped in. Harry watched her wink and then she was gone.