Hermione POV

"I see you and Kingsley have become quite the pair. How are things progressing between the two of you?" I suggestively ask with a devilish smirk and my eyebrow cocked up in amusement as I lift my tea cup to my lips.

Never to be out played, the ever poised Narcissa Malfoy meets my suggestive stare without even battling an eyelash.

"Lets just say he's a giver… in all aspects of our relationship. I plan to keep from around a long while," she suggestively insinuates finishing off with a wink.

The three of us Black women are gathered on a beautiful afternoon at Malfoy Manor. Having been here before, but in a much different timeline under much different circumstances, it's hard to imagine this home ever being so stunning. Since her late husband's passing, Narcissa has been gutting the entire Manor room-by-room, and transforming the estate into a work of art that rivals the most immaculate historical homes, including Versailles.

Narcissa had her elves set up a tea service inside the conservatory of the long winding gardens that sprawled the ancient Malfoy estate. Between my pregnancy, Andromeda's family, and Narcissa's new beau there hasn't been much time for the three of us to properly catch up.

"But in all seriousness, things are progressing quite well indeed. We've officially entered a proper courtship," she informs up casually, snapping me out of my dazy infatuation with the gardens, her eyes shifting from my own to Andromeda's waiting for our reaction.

Andromeda, never one to hold back her reaction, slams her teacup on her saucer and squeals loudly as she hops up to sprint over to her sister.

"I'm so happy for you Cissy! I always hated that poncer twat of an ex-husband of yours. You've always deserved the world and more, and I truly think Kingsley is a wonderful match for you," Andromeda coos to her sister with tears welling in her eyes.

My heart wells up in love and happiness for my cousin-in-law. No matter how horrific Lucius has been, having the knowledge that Narcissa was stripped away the opportunity to have a child… Draco… it pulled at my heart strings daily. But as is everything in this new life I've wound up in, happiness and hope are always just over the horizon.

My hand is clenching my heart and my lip is quivering, holding back tears looking at the two sisters gush over Kingsley.

"Both in the present and future, Kingsley has always been a wonderful wizard, Narcissa. You both make a brilliant match, and I couldn't be happier for the two of you," I tell her lovingly, reaching my hand across the table to squeeze hers.

"I… never even thought to ask you about the kind of person he becomes in your world. Having that little bit of knowledge means more to me than you know, Hermione. Thank you," she strokes my hand gently in gratitude.

"I honestly did not know him well in the future, there being such a large age difference between the two of us, but he was a wizard of honor, bravery, a kind heart, and took his duty protecting us seriously. You picked a good one!" I chuckle out trying to break up the tension before my pregnancy hormones turn me into a blabbering mess, Narcissa and Andromeda joining me in laughter.

The next few minutes were spent asking Narcissa questions about everything to do with Kingsley and their new courtship. The conversation took an interesting turn when Andromeda asked her where they plan on living.

"The only good thing my vile ex-husband ever did for me was what was left to me in his will. Being the last living Malfoy, even just in name, by default the home, the vaults, the businesses, and the Wizenagamot seat were all left to me. Naturally, if we had conceived a son, the will was set up for everything to transfer to them and I would handle it all until they turned of age… but with no son, I was left with everything," she explains, almost overwhelmed with so much responsibility.

Taking a deep breath, she continues on, "Kingsley and I spoke, and we would love to stay in this Manor once we wed. I know it isn't exactly normal for the wizard to move into the witch's estate… but I can't bring myself to part with it now that is truly feels like home."

Andromeda and I agree with her completely, the Manor was now something she was proud of, that she created into a space all her own.

"The businesses I have no interest in. I actually wanted to get both of your opinions on what I should do with them. My thought is maybe Regulus would be interested in taking them over? And thinking even further, I think Remus would make an excellent addition as well. They're both intelligent, driven, ruthless when they need to be, but well composed."

My mind starts racing thinking about how both wizards have been struggling to find out what their passion is. Both wizards never being given the option to even think about what they could do in the future, because society had set that path for them. A business portfolio as extensive as the Malfoy's would be far too much undertaking for one person to handle, especially a person who hadn't grown up learning every detail from the time they could speak, like Lucius.

It's… bloody brilliant.

I shift in my seat, my mind continually spinning a thousand miles a minute at the possibilities these two wizards could achieve. My smile grows to an inhumane size, staring at the two sisters like a mad woman.

"It's perfect, you're an absolute genius. You have no idea how perfect, Narcissa. Those two can be stubborn about excepting well… anything from others, so the claws might need to come out on your end, but fuck… there's no one better."

Narcissa's smile grows wider at my words, "I'm glad you think so, Hermione. I'll speak with both of them this coming week, and need I remind you that I always, and I mean ALWAYS, get what I want?" She winks at me deviously.

Andromeda and I cackle at her comment, both of us pleading to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

Mentally running through her checklist of what was left to her in Lucius's will, my curiosity grows on the one point she's been avoiding speaking about.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on the table, "And who is going to take the Wizengamot seat?"

For the first time in my life, I see Narcissa Malfoy shyly blush. "Caught that, did you?," she huffs in defeat, turning to face her sister, fumbling with the neckline of her tailored robes.

"Pureblood witches like ourselves, were raised to have one duty… to produce heirs. From a young age we were taught how to sit, stand, walk, talk, groom, and bag the most eligible Pureblood wizard. Our bodies were our value, but never our minds." She takes a deep breath trying to collect her thoughts, and turns back to face me.

"Over the past year, so much about the life I was raised in was unveiled… by you, of course," she chuckles. "The ideals, the stigmas, and the stubbornness to protect these archaic ways of life were brought to light for the very first time. When I was on the stand testifying against my late husband's associates, the power was unlike anything I've ever felt."

"The 'Queen of Pureblood Society', as I've been so aptly named, valued only for her hosting abilities and marrying a well-known wizard, was never seen as a threat. Those wizards never even considered I was anything other than a pretty face, because while I may have been Lady Malfoy, I was a witch… and witches will always be beneath men like them," she continues on, her eyes glowing with a fiery passion unlike anything I've ever seen from her.

"But I was a threat, Andromeda was a threat, Lily was a threat, Euphemia was a threat… and you, Hermione Black… you were the biggest threat of us all. Meeting you has lit a fire under me that I never knew existed, and for the first time in my life… I want more. I want to be more than a housewife who poses for the camera and throws lavish parties…" she trails off.

"I want to make change, real honest change, because while the men before us were the only ones whose legacies have been documented and celebrated, the tides have turned. It's time to make way for us… the witches to take the reins. You've shattered everything our society once believed, in the best possible way I might add, and I want to help you rebuild it to become what it always should have been."

My jaw drops to the floor in… shock? I think? Narcissa Malfoy you are one bloody incredible witch.

She leans back in her seat, watching with triumph on her face at the fact that she left Andromeda and I speechless. She picks up her tea cup ever so gracefully and raises it to her lips, pausing to add one more comment.

"So, to answer your question, Hermione. Me."

Sirius POV

"Bloody fuckin' hell… LOLLY!" I yell out in frustration when the entire bag of fertilizer pours over my body through a hole in the bottom, drenching my clothes in smelly dirt.

A crack of apparation sounds immediately, "Master! Lolly tellz you over ands over it's not the right time of year to plant the pretty flowers." Lolly huffs out with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I just want there to be a beautiful garden blooming when the baby comes. Hermione is going to be stressed enough as it is, I want her to have a sanctuary to come to…" I trail off, digging around the pile of dirt looking for my wand.

Lolly's face softens at hearing my reasoning, "Mistress is very lucky witch! Has you thought of building a conservatory like Miss Cissy? Lolly knows all of the charms to keep the plants growing all year long," she squeaks out excitedly.

On my hands and knees digging around in soil, I pause at her comment. "Wait… That's an option?! Why did you never mention this! I've never been to the gardens in Malfoy Manor. How long would it take to get something like this built?" I pleadingly ask the house elf, half annoyed that I'm freezing my balls out of here and also half excited.

Lolly claps with excitement, "You never asked! Not longs at all Master! Lolly talks to Miss Cissy, we will get working right away. Yes we will!"

Finally finding my wand, I stand up and wave a scorgify over my body to dispel the lingering dirt. "Brilliant, Lolly. You're a genius! Thank you!" I call out affectionately toward our house elf.

"Lolly starts right away! Oh! An owl came for you," Lolly informs me handing over the sealed envelope and then disapparates away to undoubtedly get started on our future conservatory.

Finally clean from the dirt, I look down at the envelope. A vaguely familiar penmanship grazes the front.

"Sirius Orion Black"

I flip the letter over to open, and my hands begin to quiver when my eyes lock on the seal, a seal that brings back the worst of my memories. The dark green wax embossed with the Black Family emblem and our house words laced through… Toujours Pur.

Fuck… There's only one person it could be…

I hesitantly break through the seal and pull out the letter, the shaking in my hands is almost debilitating.

"Sirius,

I am sure you are undoubtably confused and hesitant receiving communication from me after all of these years. To be frank, there have been many changes in our society and our family as of late, many brought forth by you yourself, and I felt it was time I finally reached out.

From my very little communication with your brother and the headlines in the Prophet, I first wish to offer you congratulations on your recent nuptials and the news of your child.

Over the years, I've put quill to paper many of times, trying to find the words to say to you that would ever be enough to make up for the horror your mother and I have caused you. Each time, I make it a bit further before burning the letter. Frustrated that I ever could have not seen what a truly wonderful boy you were and the man you've become.

I know my words will never be enough, nor do I deserve any forgiveness from you, but I wanted you to know that I have never been more sorry for treating you the way we did and worst of all… letting you go.

I have reinstated you as the Heir of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. I know that you have no interest in tying yourself to our family again, and I am expecting nothing of you in return. I only wish to right as many wrongs as I can, starting with this, because this was always yours… and you're the rightful person to rebuild this house into something truly worthy of the name, if you choose to do so.

I have also retired from my current seat on the Wizenagamot and the Black family seat has now been passed to you to do what you wish. My only ask is if you choose not to take the seat yourself, please consider giving it to someone who truly deserves it. Someone fierce and good… someone like you.

I have given you every reason to not believe this statement, but I am proud of you, Sirius. I will continue being proud of you from afar, and I look forward to seeing you continue to grow as a wizard, a husband, and a father.

You have a new family now, an incredible one at that from what I gather, and your brother seems to have meshed in with them perfectly. I am happy to know that both of my sons are loved in the way you both deserve, and I am sorry that I was never able to
reciprocate a similar love. I understand that my own horrific actions are responsible for me not having a place in your new family.

Please do not feel the need to respond, I have come to terms with the fact that I am responsible and my actions lead to this outcome. I only wish to convey to you my true thoughts of you, so that it may help you find a bit of peace.

Always,

Orion Artemus Black"

I stare at the parchment, reading it over and over again. The unfamiliar words written in the familiar script of my father. A man who, comparatively to Walburga, was not entirely horrific, but still a cold, serious, and uncaring wizard.

A man who sat by for years, turning a blind eye to my mother's antics, choosing not to engage. He was an absent man, cruel when he needed to be, but overall incredibly absent.

This letter is written in such unfamiliar language to be coming from my father, I'm half convinced it's a forgery… My hands are still shaking, clutching the letter for dear life, obsessively reading the contents until my eyes start to cross.

I lean forward to grip the cart that is holding the gardening tools, knuckles turning white and my eyes squeeze shut so tight I'm starting to see splashes of colors across my eyelids.

I take a deep breath, knowing what I need to do. I reach down quickly and snatch my wand and straighten back up and disapparate away.

I land on a street I haven't visited in years. The rows of identical townhouses in front give me a sense of foreboding, never imagining I'd be standing here again.

The bricks starts to shift as I walk closer to the sidewalk, surprised a bit because only a member of the Black family have access to the wards…which means my father was telling the truth. He did reinstate me.

I blink furiously at the moving townhouses until they settle, unveiling the missing number 12 townhouse. Working off of adrenaline, my feet move forward and climb the stairs. I take a deep breath and knock on the door, not feeling comfortable enough to enter my childhood home on my own.

A few moments pass by in silence before the locks on the door start to shift and the door opens about a fourth of the way. I look up as the door opens, letter still crunched in my hand and lock eyes with a man who I have not seen in years.

"Father…"