Disclaimer: I just own the plot.

Review Responses:

Dark Comet - Yay, I got a squeal!! You must have liked it! I figured that a proposal could hardly be simple where those two were involved! Good luck condensing the chemistry notes, I'm pleased to have discovered something more evil than me! It's true you can't help liking the good guys in LOTR, though personally I think Orlando Bloom looks much better with short black hair (not the mohican I hate that!) than with the blond wig! The Nazgul are groovy, Sevvie on crack? LOL! That just cracks me up (oh god! unintentional and terrible pun!). No I can't stand Buffy, I mean I like the show but she gets on my nerves! Giles however is lovely! Ron's back again being clueless in the next chapter! Thanks for the review!

Errisar - It wasn't that I thought you wouldn't like chapter sixteen more that I thought you might find it a bit cliché or something. There are certain chapters I get really worried about at times and that was just one of them. The Daily Prophet has eyes and ears everywhere remember! Percy's really only more difficult to incorporate in that Ron's at school with Draco but Percy's always at work! I have the same problem with the twins but I don't really want to use them anyway so that doesn't matter. When I write my Weasley fic (which I currently doing and tearing my hair out over it!) Percy will get a big part but only later on as he isn't born when it starts! I want to learn leglimancy too! I can imagine it would prove rather useful! Here's the next chapter, hope it lives up to expectations! Thanks for reviewing!

evtavy - sorry I killed luscious Lucius but it had to be done and I hated it too! It broke my heart! As for the hair colour I broke with that because before I saw the films I always imagined him with dark hair and I couldn't find any reference in the books to his actual hair colour, even though I'm betting it is blonde, so I just wrote it as being dark. Glad you like the stories, despite my killing the lovely Lucy and changing his hair colour! I'll keep writing don't worry. Thanks for the review, which I know wasn't for this story but as you mentioned him as being dead I'm assuming you've read up to here anyway and will find the response.

Aki-Ame1 - Glad you like my Ginny, she always seems so energetic in the books. I'm hoping people will like the wedding but of course that's saying I'm not evil and break them up or something! Lol! You never know what will come out of the mind of demented fanfic writers! There's certainly some other stuff that will happen first! Thanks for the review, I'll try not to disappoint with the writing.

Luna Project - Hello, sorry if I made you feel guilty, I didn't mean to. Don't fret about the e-mail and reviewing and stuff, it sounds like you've got a lot on at the moment. That social empowerment program sounds interesting. You don't seem ungrateful in the slightest, it's not your fault you've been busy! Draco has been behaving well hasn't he? He's free of Lucius' influence and it's had a good effect on him. As for Sev and Narcissa well there's certainly more to come for them to face I'm afraid and you may all hate me when you get to the end of chapter 18 as it's a bit of a nasty cliff-hanger! I'd like to hear about Detective Conan and yes I'm still anticipating the reply and don't worry about it I don't mind waiting! Uni life's pretty good really. My course is great and I'm getting to know people. Chemistry is evil isn't it? I remember it being really hard and that was the easy stuff when I was about 16! At least if you were in Sev's dungeons with dangerous potions Sev would be there so you'd get to meet him! That might make up for the work. Hope you're project goes well and your work load becomes more manageable. Thanks for the review!

Also thank you to Padfoots-one-and-ONLY for reviewing Wedding Bells Just Turned to Rust. Didn't know where else could thank you so I'm doing it here.

I Found a Little Courage to Call it Off

A/N: Sorry this is late, the university computers have been having some internet problems so I couldn't post or get to the betad version of this chapter (kindly done and e-mailed to me by ilovesporks) until now.

**Narcissa's Thoughts**

_emphasis_

Chapter 17

The morning Draco and Severus were due to go back to Hogwarts Narcissa was sulking in her study, not wanting either of them to go. At ten o'clock there was a sharp knock on the study door. She got up and opened it to find Severus stood there with a bunch of flowers which he held out to her. "Stop sulking woman! I'll be back at the weekend and if you get that lonely you could always get a cat or talk to Dippy or something!"

She smelt the flowers and smiled, taking one of his hands in hers. "Thank you. You will write to me, won't you?"

He nodded, "Of course, though I'm only going to be gone for a few days."

"And you will come back for the weekend?"

"Unless one of the new Slytherins has some kind of crisis. Now I have to go, and you should think about taking Draco to the station."

"Ok, have a good week. I hope the new Slytherins aren't little bastards."

"It's the new Gryffindors I worry about!" Severus kissed Narcissa, slipping his arms around her, "I won't be gone long."

She smiled and nodded, "Ok. Go on, you can floo from here. I should go and check that Draco's done something that at least vaguely resembles packing!"

Severus took a step away from her then stopped. "Narcissa?"

"Yes?"

"You're going to have to let go of my hand."

She squeezed his hand one last time before releasing it, "See you Sev."

"Goodbye Narcissa."

After he had gone Narcissa went into Draco's room to find he had managed to unpack the entire trunk, leaving most of his belongings on the floor, because Dippy had accidentally packed the shirt he wanted to wear.

"Draco!" Narcissa groaned. Waving her wand at the mess, she re-packing the trunk and locked it magically; before Draco could thing of anything else that was in there that he simply had to get to.

*******

Half an hour later mother and son were stood on platform nine and three quarters, both looking a little nervous. There were people there that neither of them were too ecstatic to see and Narcissa was worried as to how Draco's friends would react to him now.

Draco spotted Pansy shooing her parents off the platform. She looked up and caught his eye, her expression unreadable. He set his own face in an emotionless mask and dragged his trunk over to where she was stood. Narcissa was in two minds as to whether she should leave him to it and look for Molly or go and make sure he was ok when a voice caught her attention.

"Narcissa, how are you?" she turned to see Patricia Goyle standing at her side with her husband and the Crabbes. "I must say, you look positively unwell, and the tragic loss of your husband seems to have put years on you!" Patricia simpered wearing a look of mock pity.

**I really haven't the patience for this this morning!** "At least I can wear short sleeved outfits. Your husband must get rather hot in summer!" Narcissa sneered. **If she can be bitchy so can I!**

Patricia looked shocked and continued in a less friendly tone, "Have you thought over what we said about where your loyalties lie?"

"Yes, I have. My loyalties lie with my son and my fiancée and also with myself. I will not run around at the Dark Lord's decree Dumbledore's decree, or for that matter at _anyone's_ decree. I am no slave to do other people's bidding. Lucius is dead, and you'll find no sympathy for your cause in me. So I suggest you get out of my sight, and if you ever approach me again I might just give you the chance to meet your beloved Lucius!"

"You didn't kill him!" Roger scoffed.

"No?" Narcissa fingered her wand, "Then how do you think he died? The verdict was accidental death while resisting arrest, but I'll let you into a little secret," she leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "The ministry weren't there when he died." She arched an elegant eyebrow and smirked. "I'd better be going, I have other people to talk to, but it was a pleasure seeing you again!" She turned on her heel and stalked away leaving the Crabbes and the Goyles looking shocked and bewildered.

Narcissa could see Draco and Pansy talking but she wasn't near enough to hear them. As she made her way towards them through the growing crowd on the platform she found a hand on her arm.

"Narcissa?"

She stared for a moment at the tall, grey haired man in front of her before recognition set in. "Greg. Hi!" she smiled delightedly. "I'm surprised to see you here. I understood that after Isabella's death you didn't have much to do with our world."

The man smiled back at her, "Actually I came in hopes of seeing you. Have you seen today's Society page in the Prophet?"

She frowned, puzzled, "No, why? What does it say?"

He handed her a paper, mirth clear in his blue eyes.

She took the Daily Prophet, open at the society pages, and unfolded it. Her eye was instantly caught by the headline:

Lady of the Manor's 'Bit of Rough'

It has come to the paper's attention that Narcissa Malfoy's gallant rescuer and knight in shining armour is also something else. It would seem that his heroic deeds have captured the lady's heart!

Working class hero, Severus Snape, is a teacher at Hogwart's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry and one of the most talented potions masters of our age. Lady of leisure, the rich, beautiful and recently widowed Narcissa Malfoy is not immune to his charms it turns out. They are in fact involved though, as an anonymous female Slytherin student said, "I'm not at all surprised, personally I think he's wonderful!"

Surely everyone would agree that after the hard time Mrs Malfoy suffered at her husband's hands she deserves a little happiness, even if she is making off with one of the wizarding world's most eligible bachelors!

The teachers at Hogwarts wish them well and congratulate them on their recent engagement, as do all of us here at the Daily Prophet.

"Oh my!" Narcissa brought her hand up to her mouth in a gesture of shock and amusement.

"So, is it true?" Greg grinned.

"Yes, Severus and I are engaged," her tone darkened, "And Lucius is a dead bastard."

He hugged her suddenly, "I missed you. I'm sorry, but I just assumed that you agreed with the Death Eaters." He met her gaze seriously, "I should have given you more credit than that."

She laughed without humour, "Yeah, more credit. As in by the time I realised what they were really like I was too afraid of Lucius to leave him? I didn't deserve your credit. Greg I was so sorry to hear about Isabella. She deserved better than that, you both did."

The man looked at her with such sadness that she felt on the verge of tears herself. He looked so different to the last time they had met. His hair had prematurely turned entirely grey, though she had to admit it looked stylish, his eyes didn't laugh in the way she remembered and for the first time she noticed the boy stood quietly behind him.

She focused on his son, "Hello, you must be Blaise."

The boy nodded and extended a hand, remaining sullenly silent.

Narcissa smiled warmly and shook the proffered hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too Mrs Malfoy."

The boy may have looked like his mother, but he'd certainly inherited his father's attitude. Narcissa could well imagine that what Draco had said about father and son fighting a lot might be true.

"I'm going to put my trunk on the train," Blaise informed his father. Greg tried to levitate his son's trunk for him, but was waved aside, "I can cope on my own thanks dad, I always have before!" the boy snapped, attempting irritation but only managing to sound tired.

As Blaise walked away, Greg turned to Narcissa with guilt in his eyes, "I've never seen him off to school before, not even in his first year. It always hurt me to see how much he looks like her. I've been a pretty bad father; I never wanted anything to do with him. You're not the only reason I came here today, _He's_ back isn't he?"

"Yes." She answered him simply, realising that her own domestic problems of the last decade and more had been nothing but a side show to the terrible main action.

Greg sighed, "This isn't the time to be carrying on ignoring my son. Our world's in danger. I need to move on with my life, and stop holding him responsible for my own misery. He can't help being like her."

"Draco looks rather like Lucius," Narcissa said thoughtfully. "I haven't really been much of a mother either. Blaise will forgive you, children always do. Just keep talking to him, staying quiet won't help either of you."

"I know." There was a pause, as Greg looked across to where Draco was stood with Pansy Parkinson before saying, "Draco seems alright."

Narcissa gave a genuine smile, "Yeah, I think he's going to be ok. He and Severus get along so well."

*******

Draco dragged his trunk across to where Pansy was standing with her own luggage. He fixed her with a glare, which she seemed singularly unimpressed with. Spotting the prefect's badge pinned to her top he spoke, "So _you're_ the other prefect then?"

"Of course," she spoke as though this had never been in doubt, at least not her own mind.

"I wrote to you; you didn't reply," he said, afraid that if he didn't raise it now he never would, because he really didn't want to ask at all.

"I know I didn't," she replied simply.

"Why?"

Emotion finally flitted on to her impassive face: frustrated anger. "Draco, I got that letter at the breakfast table. My parents read it! They still haven't decided whether to support your mother, in case she becomes a power of her own, or to steer well clear of her because she turned from the Dark Lord and took up with a Hogwart's professor! I wasn't allowed to write any letters for most of summer after that! You are _such_ a prat!"

"Well how was _I_ to know you'd let your parents read it? I didn't even know who your parents supported!" Draco argued back.

"They don't! They sit on the fence waiting for someone to win you fool! That's why I couldn't write to you!" Her tone softened a little, "Ok, so I probably could have found a way of writing to you if I'd tried hard enough but I had shopping to do! Did you go to the Paris shows?"

"No, I've had other things on my mind than clothes strangely enough," Draco said quietly, bewildered at her sudden change in mood.

She snorted, "Well _that's_ a new one for you! Anyway, I got the most gorgeous new winter cloak; I have to show it you!"

"Pansy?" While Draco had been talking to Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle and spotted them and lumbered across the platform.

"What?" she asked Crabbe, irritated. She had never got along with Draco's 'bodyguards' and she never missed an opportunity to put them down.

"We just wondered what you were doing with _him_?" Goyle sneered, or rather attempted to as the result was somewhat feeble.

"Erm, having a conversation? I realise you two still have difficulty stringing together coherent sentences, but some of us are quite advanced in that area!" Pansy gave a sarcastic smile and turned back to Draco to indicate that their role in the conversation was at an end.

They didn't take the hint, "Pansy, I suppose you spent the summer with your head in a fashion catalogue so maybe you haven't seen the reports in the Prophet."

Pansy scowled at the condescending tone they had been stupid enough to take with her and turned back to face them. "I beg your pardon? _Fashion catalogue_?! _Please_, I was at the Paris shows and I do not shop in _catalogues_! Besides, I _have_ read the reports in the Daily Prophet. What's your point about them?"

"Yes, what exactly is your point?" Draco finally found his tongue again and realised that it wasn't Pansy they wanted to have a go at.

"Just that your mother is making an unfortunate alliance. We're still waiting for her to wake up and realise the mistake she's making." Goyle sounded like he had been coached by his parents to get that many long words right.

"Then you'll wait a long time, because she's not making a mistake," Draco said coldly. "And I suggest you refrain from talking about my mother in future!"

"Don't threaten us Malfoy. You don't scare us. You can't hide behind us any longer!" Crabbe grunted.

"I wouldn't want to!" Draco snapped, frustrated by the truth in the larger boy's words.

"Well you're going to have to pick your enemies more carefully in future. You think _she_ can protect you?" Crabbe pushed slightly at Pansy, a bit of a mistake.

Pansy suddenly gave an odd smile, "Hello Millie! How was your summer?"

Crabbe and Goyle turned round to see Millicent Bulstrode towering over them, scowling. "Everything alright here Pans? These two aren't giving you any trouble, are they?" She cracked her knuckles and the two cowards looked a lot less sure of themselves.

"It's alright Millie," Pansy kept her tone polite but deadly serious, "They won't cause any more trouble for me _or_ my friends, will you? Because you may be stronger than I am but I assure you I have no qualms about hexing you into next week and I'm sure Draco feels the same." Pansy smiled unpleasantly, "As for brute strength, well Millie's always up for a fight."

Draco had to admit he'd have been scared too in Crabbe and Goyle's position. Pansy had a nasty temper that was well known in the Slytherin common room. It wasn't easy to provoke her but, once provoked, it took her a long time to calm down. As for Millicent, Draco definitely wouldn't have crossed her for any money! The two boys decided to cut their losses and quit while they were still in one piece. They scuttled off to another group of Slytherins, who were shooting Draco and his mother less than pleasant looks.

"I don't believe it, I've just been rescued by a couple of girls!" Draco groaned.

"Hey! Watch it! What's wrong with being rescued by a girl?!"

At the indignant looks on the girls faces Draco shut up on that topic. "Nothing, nothing at all!"

Pansy snorted and Millicent frowned.

"Why did you two defend me?" he asked, changing the subject.

Pansy gave him a look. "What, did you expect me to take up arms and fight for what I believe in or something? What do you think I am, a Gryffindor?! Don't be daft Draco! I do what I want, when I want. If I want to be your friend then I will be your friend, without reference to anyone else's feelings on the matter."

"Pansy, I'm not the best person to befriend. Your parents may have a point."

"When did you get so self-sacrificing? Look Draco let's put it this way I have no real interest in the upcoming war but I do know this, I have perfect skin for tanning and I won't allow anyone to destroy that by making sure that I have to cover up even in summer!" She smirked but Draco could see that there was more behind her words than the empty-headed, vain creature people took her for; but then he'd always known that, he just hadn't known exactly what it was that lay under her façade.

Narcissa had been watching the exchange with interest and wandered across suddenly, leaving Greg to think about her advice with regards to his son.

"Draco, you should get on the train soon dear," she said, taking in the thin girl next to him. "You must be Miss Parkinson?"

"Mrs Malfoy," Pansy held out a hand and smiled, "It's nice to meet you. Congratulations on your engagement."

"Yes, I still don't know how the papers got hold of that! Thank you anyway."

"This is Millicent Bullstrode," Draco introduced the larger girl stood with them.

Narcissa winced at the strength of her handshake. **Now I know why Crabbe and Goyle Jr. ran away!**

Narcissa hugged her son, who surprisingly didn't protest, "Take care sweetheart. Any problems and you go and see Severus! Oh, and this might provide you with some amusement on the journey down!" She passed him the Daily Prophet Greg had given her. "Look at the society pages!"

Pansy and Millicent were picking up their trunks, or rather Millicent was picking up the trunks with Pansy supervising. "Let me give you a hand girls," Narcissa levitated the trunks with ease. "Where are they going?"

"Put them in that compartment over there," Draco gestured. "There's only Blaise in it and I'm sure he won't mind the company."

"Blaise?" Millicent asked, "The weirdo?"

"He could be worse, he could be Crabbe and Goyle!" Pansy pointed out, "For a weirdo loner he does have style!"

"Well make your minds up!" Narcissa said, trying desperately not to laugh at Pansy's attitude of anyone who had style couldn't be all bad.

"Put them in there with Blaise," Draco decided.

Narcissa put the trunks in with a rather surprised Blaise Zabini and Millicent got into the compartment with him. The two of them both intimidated people easily; Millicent with her size and Blaise with his strange personality, but neither seemed scared by the other. They looked appraisingly at each other. "You three seem to have made a mistake about this carriage being empty," Blaise said coldly.

"We didn't make a mistake. Don't worry they're going to the prefect's carriage. Still, we need somewhere to put our trunks, and I'd rather chew off my own leg than sit with Crabbe and Goyle!" Millicent said, sitting stubbornly opposite him.

Blaise sighed and picked up his book again, "Sit where you like."

Draco found himself being poked in the ribs, "Draco we need to get to the Prefect's carriage," Pansy said impatiently.

Blaise laughed suddenly, "Under the lady's thumb, Draco?"

Draco glared then laughed as Pansy said, "It's a wise man who knows when to submit to a woman."

"Quite right Pansy!" Narcissa chuckled. "She's right Draco, you'll hold the train up. Now get to the front!" She kissed his head and hugged him again. "Write to me as often as you can!"

"I will," he promised.

As he and Pansy walked away she heard the girl say, "Aren't you going to look at that paper? There happens to be something very interesting in it you know!"

Narcissa glanced back at the carriage where Blaise and Millicent sat, and saw Greg saying goodbye to his son though the open window. The two of them were smiling and, as he told his son to take care, Narcissa saw something of the old Greg Zabini in the man. It looked as though he and his son were in the process of healing the wounds they'd inflicted on each other.

*******

Leaving the station with Greg, Narcissa finally spotted Molly in the crowd of parents. She swiftly introduced her and Greg and convinced the two of them to go for a coffee in Diagon Alley. She had her first work assignment waiting for her in her study at home but first she wanted to spend some time with her friends for a change.

*******

Next chapter we see some Ron and Hermione but also more angst for Severus and Narcissa and things are looking serious.

I'll update again soon!

Please Review!!