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Review Responses:

Dark Comet - Live happily ever after? But then what would I put in my story? *Demented author cackles evily*. I cannot give away the ending but the end of this chapter might leave you worrying about their future. I love it when people use Blaise, and I also love the idea of him being a weirdo loner. I had to put him in after developing the character of his father so much but never really getting a chance to use him the two of them had to at least get a scene. I am currently depriving the monkies of their banana privileges until they learn to be nice to Draco, though as that will never happen I think they've eaten their last bananas! As for Pansy's excuse well I like the girl being a bit strange as you'll see in this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Errisar - I'm afraid Patricia and co. will not learn, but we can always hope that Voldemort will fall before Gregory and Vincent throw their lives away as well. It's not so much Voldemort that wants Narcissa as those people who feel she's betraying them, Voldemort remembers her as the hormonal woman who threw a hissy fit just because he wanted to have some fun murdering a small child. He's probably re-evaluated her since and he hasn't forgotten his inability to impress her when they first met but he's got bigger fish to fry, namely Harry Potter. How could anyone not think Severus was the wizarding world's most eligible bachelor? It is best for a man to know when to be ruled by a woman though I think Severus and Narcissa would disagree on this matter! LOL! Glad you liked Greg and Blaise I love their father son relationship, poor Greg means well he's just been so messed up. I said this chapter had a little angst? Understatement I think! Well, it might be angsty it might not it all depends on what's happened at the end of it, but you won't know that until next chapter! You'd teach me leglimancy? Well obviously I'd prefer Sev but as I think he's probably busy keeping Narcissa and Draco in line I'd love for you to teach me! LOL! Must be a useful talent! Now for the response to your second review, I was not at all aggravated by it I was rather touched at the concern and I do apologise my beta reader didn't get the chapter properly and so I'm now putting this up unbetaed as I didn't realise just how long it had been! I am apt to forget these things and though I realised it had been longer the usual I hadn't picked up on just how long. Let's just say that it's better the long gap came now than between this chapter and the next one as I'd probably get lynched if I left you all hanging with this cliff-hanger! Sorry again the update took so long! Thanks for the reviews and concern!

Bonezz - Sneaking onto the computers during a class! I'm shocked and appalled! LOL, personally I used to use the computers during prefect meetings! Hope your computer's fixed soon so that we can find out what will happen next in your fic. Thanks for the review!

A/N: Sorry for the late update, my beta reader lost the chapter and then when I sent it a second time I don't think it reached her at all so I'm posting unbetaed as you've had a rather long wait for which I am sorry. I'll try not to let it happen again particularly between this chapter and the next as I know it's irritating to be left for ages with a cliff-hanger.

I Found a Little Courage to Call it Off

Chapter 18

Narcissa settled down to her work the day after

Severus and Draco left for school and was soon

engrossed in it. The translation was challenging but

not too difficult and the document was fascinating.

She was working on translating the minutes of a

meeting between some foreign ministers for magic and

one of Fudges forerunners. Apparently the ministers

hadn't found it much easier to communicate several

hundred years ago than they did in the present day and

so they had used the runes to prevent anyone crying

favouritism because their language wasn't used. The

meeting appeared to have degenerated into the

questioning of each other's parentage and some of the

insults were most inventive.

Narcissa was beginning to feel settled like she never

had before. She was financially stable with an

interesting job, she had a wonderful fiancée and her

son was turning out to be far less like his father

than she had imagined. She felt content.

A tapping at the window caused her to glance up,

Osiris was waiting with a letter from Draco. She

opened it eagerly.

Hi Mum,

Missing me yet? Or are you just missing Severus?

He's having fun tormenting the new Gryffindors! The

new Slytherins seem alright but people keep quoting

that article whenever Severus is around! He's put

eighteen people in detention for it so far! He's also

complaining about McGonagall, as apparently she

thought the article was very amusing! Dumbledore

actually congratulated him on his engagement to you at

the welcoming feast! I thought Severus was going to

kill him!

The sorting hat's song was interesting, it called for

unity between the houses, something about uniting or

risking crumbling from within. The Bloody Baron said

it gives these warnings every now and again.

Crabbe and Goyle haven't given me any more trouble,

thanks to Millicent looking murderously at them

whenever she gets the chance. She and Pansy have been

fine and I've been talking to Blaise like you asked me

to. He seems ok actually, I'm starting to think he's

more quiet than weird.

Well, there's not much else to say at the moment

because I haven't had any classes yet. Oh, but Pansy

let slip that she's the anonymous Slytherin female

source in the article, you know the one who said

Severus was wonderful? I think she's got a crush on

him, it's quite odd really but she seems less

interested in me which I suppose I should be thankful

for. Got my first prefect meeting tomorrow night.

Hope you're well and not too lonely. Millicent

suggested that if you are you should get a cat. She's

got one and he's always wandering around the common

room fighting with the other cats, so I'd pick a calm

looking one if you take her advice.

Love Draco

Narcissa smiled and stared dreamily out of the window

wondering what Severus was up to at that moment.

*******

Severus was in fact trying to restrain himself from

jumping off the astronomy tower. Apparently the

summer had left few improvements in his mixed

Gryffindor/Slytherin, now fifth year, potions class.

At Draco's insistence, he had paired Ron Weasley with

Hermione Granger. Draco wanted some entertainment and

Severus was hoping the girl would keep Ron from

talking too much but he'd been wrong. The two of them

were now bickering madly over some potions ingredient

that Ron wanted to add now and Hermione said should be

added later.

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil were giggling behind

their cauldron at something Potter and Finnegan were

reading and Pansy Parkinson kept staring at her

teacher with a far away look in her eyes that was

rather troubling.

In fact the only ones in the room who appeared to be

getting on with the potion anywhere near correctly

were Neville Longbottom and Dean Thomas and Blaise

Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode, Draco was too busy

laughing at Pansy to do the work properly and Crabbe

and Goyle had something which was almost entirely

unlike what they were supposed to have. Time for a

change of partners.

Severus swept over to Potter's desk and the class fell

silent suddenly, realising that they were in for

trouble. Potter however had failed to notice his

approach and was still reading the Daily Prophet from

the previous day with the article about Severus and

Narcissa open on his lap.

"Mr Potter!" Harry jumped and looked up a little

guiltily. "I would have thought that the fact you had

no talent whatsoever in this subject might have

convinced you that you needed to work at it, but

apparently not. I see our local celebratory would

rather read the paper." Severus snatched the paper

from him, "I'm confiscating this and you will serve

detention tonight with Mr. Filch. Swap partners with

Mr. Thomas, let's see if Mr. Longbottom can teach you

something about potions as frankly there's no one in

this class you couldn't stand to learn _something_

from!"

Crabbe and Goyle snickered (as did Draco and Pansy but

Severus chose to ignore them) and Severus whirled

round, "Apart from you two that is, what you did to

that potion to make it turn a muddy brown when

everyone else's is a distinct shade of blue, and even

Potter and Finnegan managed green, is something we

will probably never know but I suggest you try to fix

it without blowing anything up!"

He turned back to the Gryffindors and saw that Ron and

Hermione were now bickering silently with each other.

"Mr Weasley! Miss Granger! In future I would prefer

it if you left your flirting outside my classroom! As

for those beetle wings, you were both wrong, they

should have been added several ingredients back. You

don't seem to be able to concentrate today Miss

Granger, I didn't realise Mr. Weasley had such an

effect on you," Severus smirked, getting into his

stride; this was better. He turned back to Draco and

Pansy who were trying desperately not to laugh, "Next

lesson I want Miss Parkinson and Mr. Zabini to swap

partners as well." He didn't give a reason but he

just didn't want Pansy sat at the front of the class

staring at him any longer. "Well?" he said as they

all stared at him, "Get on with it!"

Severus sat back down at his desk and wondered for the

thousandth time why he had ever taken a teaching post

in the first place.

*******

Severus entered the staff room that night to find

McGonagall sat reading the paper. She glanced up as

he came in and said innocently, "Interesting, this

piece on you and Narcissa, isn't it?"

Severus held back an urge to curse the woman and

simply sat down looking grumpy, it was not turning out

to be a good day.

"The wizarding world's most eligible bachelor it calls

you," McGonagall continued.

Severus managed to ignore her.

"You know I remember the girl who wrote this from when

she was here, do you remember her?"

Severus remained silent.

"Of course you do. She was that Hufflepuff who had a

crush on you! Remember? She took potions at NEWT

level just to be near you. Or at least that was

everyone else's theory at the time!"

A tick had appeared in Severus' cheek and McGonagall

knew that it wouldn't take much more provocation to

send the man totally insane, so she continued. "It's

sort of sweet that she still has a thing for you,

don't you think?"

Severus snapped, "No I bloody don't! The girl was

crazy and never gave me a moment's peace in the

classes she was in! And if one more person mentions

that article...!" He stopped, realising that many of

the room's inhabitants were trying not to laugh, and

stalked out, muttering rude things about Gryffindor's

ridiculous head of house.

*******

A few days after the first, Narcissa received another

letter from her son. A letter that left her almost

killing herself laughing and which she immediately

took round to Molly so she could read it too.

Dear mum,

Our first prefect's meeting was priceless! I mean it

was just too good for words! The Weasel and Granger

were bickering like crazy and suddenly, completely out

of the blue (as she has a habit of doing) Pansy just

goes, "Can you two flirt on your own time? Some of us

would like to get back to our dormitories before

tomorrow morning."

Well, that shut them up pretty fast, but Pansy didn't

stop there! Next thing you know she's saying:

"Granger, we all know you like Weasley but this is

hardly the time or the place, wouldn't you agree?"

Granger went purple, I swear! Pansy, of course, just

went back to doodling on this piece of parchment she

was supposed to be taking notes on! I think the head

boy and girl were a bit taken a back after that!

Granger was furious and the Weasel was just confused!

You should have heard Pansy afterwards though! She

was saying how she admired Ron for playing it cool and

making Granger chase him, instead of the other way

around. She went as far as to say it made him pretty

attractive! Bloody hell, that girl's got nothing but

romance in her head some days! Ron overheard her

though and he went bright red at the attractive part

and then asked what she meant by playing it cool and

letting Hermione chase him! Then Pans finally

realised that he wasn't playing it cool, he's just

clueless!

So, we didn't really get much done in that meeting!

How are you doing? Work going ok?

I'll write again soon,

Love Draco.

Molly was as amused by it as Narcissa and the two of

them were soon saying what a shame it was that Ron and

Hermione didn't seem to have realised that they were

perfect for each other...Yet.

*******

As promised, Severus returned home to spend the

weekend with Narcissa. Most of his possessions were

now at the manor, apart from his school equipment and

potions ingredients, and he was beginning to think of

returning to the manor as coming home.

For several weeks things continued in much the same

way, Severus would come home every weekend and write

letters during the week while Narcissa remained at

home working.

However in November Severus began to worry about his

fiancée, she had been complaining of feeling ill and

throwing up a lot and he was beginning to get

seriously concerned.

He arrived home early one Saturday morning, as he had

had to take a detention till late on the previous

night, to find Narcissa in bed with a sick bowl on the

floor bedside her and an empty bottle on the bedside

table that had held an anti-nausea potion.

"Narcissa? What's wrong, are you alright?"

"I feel miserable!" she was close to tears and Severus

felt a wave of guilt that he had left her alone like

this.

He was about to go and summon a doctor when her hand

caught his and dragged him down to sit on the bed

beside her, "Don't leave me!"

Smiling sadly at her he kicked off his shoes and lay

on the bed beside her, holding her gently and trying

to soothe her. "How long has this been going on?" he

asked.

"A few weeks, it comes in waves I guess. It just

isn't going away like I thought it would."

"Narcissa," he scolded gently, "You need to see a

doctor."

"I'll think about it," she groaned.

"Narcissa," he said warningly, "You need a doctor, and

if you won't call one I will!"

"Just let's see how I feel by this evening, alright?

Maybe I've just got a touch of food poisoning."

He grudgingly agreed and by evening there had been an

improvement. Indeed for the rest of the weekend she

seemed to brighten up but Severus was not willing to

let it rest and he refused to go back to Hogwarts

until he had extracted a faithful promise from her

that she would go and see a doctor sometime. He knew

very well that people didn't throw up for no reason

and he doubted it could be something as simple as food

poisoning as he had eaten a lot of the same things she

had and he had never heard of food poisoning lasting

for several weeks in this manner.

He returned to school feeling worried and upset, he

hated thinking of her alone and ill in that house but

she had reacted strongly against him taking time off

from school as she didn't want to worry Draco. Draco

seemed to have noticed that Severus was worried though

and kept trying to get him to tell him what was wrong

but Severus simply assured him that everything was

alright. Though, in truth, he wasn't sure that it

was.

*******

After suffering another bad bout of sickness early in

the week after Severus went back to school, Narcissa

called for a doctor. She felt simply too ill to go to

one herself.

The medi-wizard arrived on the Tuesday morning, a

friendly little man with glasses and a moustache. He

ran all kinds of tests and eventually came up with a

diagnosis which left her feeling stunned. He asked if

she wanted him to stay with her any longer but she

shooed him off, wanting some time alone to think about

what she'd just found out. He fixed up a future

appointment and left.

Narcissa wandered round the house in state of shock.

Suddenly finding tears rolling down her cheeks she sat

down heavily in a chair and, sinking her head

disbelievingly into her hands, realised she needed to

talk to someone.

*******

Ok, very very evil cliff-hanger! Promise to update again soon so no one gets too keen on the idea of hunting me down and killing me for this one. Next chapter's quite serious.