It is summer again and there's piano music flowing through Malfoy Manor. It's been years.
The Dark Lord returned and all music had died.
Now it sounds again, for his daughter.
Draco is splayed over the sofa. Delphini kept him up all night, no doubt. The happy one year old stands on the piano bench, bare feet on a soft crimson cushion, next to Narcissa, holding on to her shoulder to steady herself. She is enthralled by the movements of Narcissa's fingers over the ivory keys. She does not move, just observes, like she's learning. When the piece is over, Narcissa holds her niece close. Her green eyes turn grey and she knows whom Delphie longs for. "She loved you very much, darling. But she is gone, I cannot bring her back." The little girl loses her smile at that. Understanding, she thinks. Her eyes turn that shade of grey every now and then, it's the steel in there that they know means Mama. Narcissa's heart hurts at the thought of Bella.
Sometimes she turns her eyes red too. Less and less often, now. There is a shadow of kindness that baffles them all, again and again. They know whom she wishes for too, but that tie must be left behind. They tell her he is not there and leave it at that. How could they tell her that he loved her too? They don't believe him capable of ever having. Sometimes she hisses in reply. Narcissa just knows that she means Father. But their contract is clear. So they don't dwell on it, let it slide and hope the little girl will too. They have warded the house; no snake will ever come close. They have decided to ward the little girl too, once she starts venturing outside. No snake will be able to approach her. Granger is perfecting that spell with Draco.
A sonorous crack wins Delphini's attention. She giggles at Wabby. She likes to pull on her ears when she can reach them. She promptly launches forward from her aunt's embrace. Narcissa catches her chest on her hand and brings her back, feeling the little girl's soft curls against her cheek.
"Should Wabby be sending the lunch up, Mistress?"
"Have you asked your Master, Wabby?" The house-elf goes wide eyed, if that's possible for something with eyes the size of sauce pans. Then she bangs her head on the side of the sofa, startling Draco.
"Wabby is -thump- a bad elf –thump- Wabby must –thump- always –thump- ask –thump- her Master –thump- first"
"Wabby!" Draco sits up, staring at the house-elf. He looks up to his mother and cousin, looking a bit lost. Delphini is laughing in Narcissa's arms now. All joy and amusement. Her eyes bright green as grass on a sunny day, her hair going white blond and shining like there is light within it. The happy girl kicks the air as her Aunt tickles her belly. The room seems lighter somehow.
"Wabby, enough!" The elf looks at her mistress, still holding to the side of the sofa.
"What is going on in here?" Lucius joins them, his proud façade giving way to a lighter self he allows only around them. "Wabby, why is lunch not served? Is Delphini's meal ready at the nursery?" A stern glare goes straight through the shrinking creature.
Before Wabby can return to her self-punishing, Draco orders her out. Delphini is still laughing and he cannot help a concerned look.
"Oh, don't be like that, Draco. You used to love it when Dobby broke things on its head. Unless they were in your room, that is." He looks at his Mother in disbelief. No wonder Granger thinks them all deranged. He has half a mind to tell her of this next time they meet just to tease her about bringing S.P.E.W. back.
Lucius takes a look at his wife, sitting before the piano in that perfect, aristocratic way Druella Black instilled in all her daughters, even if Bellatrix never quite gave in. "I thought I heard you play. It's been so long…" Shadows cross his eyes, taking away some of the frost there. Narcissa stands and walks to him, two long fingers under her husband's chin so that she can take the shadows away. "Yes, a long time. But no more." He knows what she means. Cupping her high cheek bones and dragging his thumbs under her eyes, free of the marks many sleepless nights had left there, closing the gap between them. "You alone are my light, my precious flower." Delphini turns her eyes steel-grey again, recognizing love there and reacting to it.
"You know, there is an under aged witch in this room that is much too young for this." Draco comes by, picks Delphini up and proceeds to march towards the nursery before he sees something cringe worthy. "I'll take care of Delphie's lunch and put her to sleep afterwards. I'll have my lunch in the nursery too." For good measure. I should probably Obliviate myself too, he adds in his mind.
Lucius snickers at his son. It's his turn to be enthralled by the blonde. He kisses her deeply, softly, without a care in the world for the first time. Narcissa answers by curling her arms around his neck and pushing herself flat against him. Lunch will have to wait.
Author's Notes: I have not forgotten you or this fic, it's just that the semester is coming to an end and I have a huge exam that is pretty much going to decide my future life to study for. So I keep having to supress the plot bunnies haunting me
The plot bunnies did strike me hard after this chapter and so I will be uploading a one-shot thar accompanies this story but also stands on it's own and is in no way connected to where things are going
I think this is going to be between 20 and 25 chapters long. I have it figured out, I know where and how this is going to end, it's just these middle parts that I still have to work on.
Last but not leats, I'm getting a fair number of hits per chapter and almost no reviews. It would help me a lot if you would be so kind as to leave your thoughts