"That seems... uh... like quite a broom, for an 11-year-old." Hermione commented dumbly as she walked by Narcissa's side in Diagon Alley.
"Oh?" Narcissa questioned, raising a worried brow. "You don't think it's too much, do you?"
"Not at all!" Hermione lied, desperately holding in a laugh. She had nearly fainted on the spot when the shopkeeper at Quality Quidditch had given Narcissa the total of her purchase. The Firebolt Ultimate cost more than the house her parents currently lived in, and she had just come to learn it had been specially designed for Seekers – speed above all else.
Hermione could tell that Narcissa had seen straight through her obvious deceit, but the blonde did not seem at all discouraged. No, Narcissa looked... smug.
"Perfect" she murmured to no one in particular. "I'm positive it'll drive Drommie to insanity!"
Hermione could only laugh at that. "Why would you want to drive poor Andromeda insane? You already won the disagreement over the inheritance money."
"Yes," Narcissa confirmed with a glimmer in her eye. "Now I must bask in my victory and gloat."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You Blacks have an odd way of gloating."
Narcissa merely shrugged. Hermione had another question about Narcissa's relentless spoiling if her grandnephew on the tip of her tongue; however, her train of thought was summarily interrupted by a booming, delighted voice calling from a few paces behind them.
"Madam Malfoy? Goodness gracious, I cannot believe my luck!"
Narcissa visibly stiffened upon hearing her old married name – Hermione only noticed because they were standing so close together, nearly shoulder to shoulder.
The two witches turned to see a rather tall, paunchy old wizard strutting in their direction. His hair and beard were more grey than their original hazel; he wore deep purple robes that looked quite expensive, judging by the fine silver embroidery found on his exposed waistcoat. He smiled widely as he approached them, greeting Narcissa with a formal bow.
"Lady Malfoy, I am deeply honoured to make your acquaintance" he said, still deep in his bow. Hermione was a little miffed he had not even acknowledged her presence.
"I go by Narcissa Black now" Narcissa corrected as if by rote – Hermione noted the corner of her mouth twitching in displeasure. "My deepest apologies, Sir, but I don't believe we have been properly introduced."
"Oh, I am terribly sorry, Lady Mal... Lady Black. Where are my manners! Allow me to introduce myself – I am Gareth Davies. I believe my boys are students of yours. Edgar has said a lot about you, and your wonderful lessons in Potions!"
"Oh, of course." Narcissa responded, politely offering her hand in what was sure an antiquated Pureblooded greeting that Hermione had never seen her perform before. Davies resumed his bow as he took the proffered hand, pressing a kiss onto Narcissa's knuckles. "Please to make your acquaintance."
Hermione felt an odd spasm in her arm – she wanted to bat Davies' face away from Narcissa – seeing his lips press another kiss to her hand made her blood boil for reasons she could not name.
The strong, visceral reaction surprised the young professor, but she had no time to analyse it, as Narcissa was introducing her to Mr. Davies.
"May I introduce you to Stuart's Head of House, Mr. Davies. This is Hermione Granger, our incredibly talented Transfiguration Professor."
Hermione spared Davies a stiff smile – something about him rubbed her the wrong way. He reciprocated in kind – there was bow, no hand-kissing, and his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Of course" he responded, barely sparing Hermione a second glance. "Who does not know of the Brightest Witch of her generation?" He turned to face Narcissa rather quickly.
"Lady Malfoy..."
"Black, if you please" Narcissa interjected.
"Yes, Lady Black, of course..." Davies began again, looking a little put off at being interrupted, but Narcissa kept smiling at him, so he pressed on. "How fortuitous to happen upon you like this. I've been meaning to owl you about some important matters."
"Is that so?" Narcissa inquired. Hermione felt her heart lurch uncomfortably in her chest – why was Narcissa smiling at him like that? "Are there any concerns regarding Edgar?"
Davies waved off her question with a booming laugh. "Not at all!" he replied heartily. "I was merely aiming to inquire about your interest in a possible business opportunity," he explained.
"Oh, I'm afraid I am in a bit of a hurry" Narcissa evaded, suddenly looping her free arm into the crook of Hermione's elbow. The pressure the brunette felt suddenly dissipated, and a fuzzy, comfortable heat settled in its place. "But do feel free to owl me at any time" the blonde reassured the wizard.
"Very well!" He beamed – his gaze never once swayed in Hermione's direction. His eyes scanned the broom case Narcissa had been carried since they had picked it up at Quality Quidditch. "Ah! A Firebolt! Good choice, but do let me know if you'd be interested in trying out something new – my FeatherLight broom line has just come out – ergonomically designed for the modern witch, you see!" he quipped with a waggle of his bushy brows.
"I will certainly think about it" Narcissa said politely.
"Splendid, splendid!" Davies' eyes glimmered "Cygnus would be chuffed! He and I were business partners back in the day."
Hermione felt Narcissa flinch – just barely – at the mention of her late father's name. How strange.
"Oh, I was not aware you and my father were acquainted." She observed politely.
"Acquainted?" Davies laughed. "We were the best of pals, old Cygnus and I. Went to Hogwarts together – he was the best man at my wedding!"
Narcissa's smile became stiff. "How wonderful." Hermione could tell that Davies had no idea of how little Narcissa meant it. The Gryffindor, for her part, was not only more confused at the odd exchange. "Now, Mr. Davies, my deepest apologies, but we have a prior engagement and it would not do to be tardy."
Davies relented at last, taking one last formal bow and taking Narcissa's hand once again, patting it softly before dropping another kiss that had Hermione inexplicably seeing red.
"Very well – I know better than to come between a witch and her shopping!" he snickered. "Look for my owl in a few days' time!" he reminded her with a wave, letting the two witches continue on their way. "Goodbye, Lady Malfoy!"
Hermione felt herself being practically dragged away by Narcissa's resolute hold on her elbow. She really wanted to say something – anything – to comment on the rather odd encounter that had just transpired, but to her surprise, Narcissa beat her to it once they turned into an alleyway past Flourish and Blotts.
"Merlin almighty" Narcissa hissed, finally releasing her hold and leaning onto the brick wall of the alleyway. "What a fucking pill!"
The expletive – and the way it seemed to seethe out of Narcissa in a burst of candid annoyance – sent Hermione into an uncontrollable fit of giggles right there on the street. Narcissa looked supremely embarrassed for a moment, but the feeling soon melted away as Hermione doubled over in laughter.
"Oh, Godric" Hermione gasped, holding onto her sides, which throbbed painfully due to the force of her laughter. "I didn't know you could curse like that."
Narcissa reddened, but smirked all the same. "Why ever not? I am a woman of many talents," she retorted smugly. Hermione could only roll her eyes.
"I don't doubt your capacity" she quipped with a knowing look. "I just thought that the ever-so-prim and proper Narcissa Black would be above such crude language."
The blonde's smirk widened considerably. "Perhaps," she conceded. "But being improper can be rather... fun."
"Indeed" Hermione laughed. "Everyone can use a 'fuck' every once in a while." It took Hermione a second to process what had just come out of her mouth, but Narcissa was already laughing. "Ah! No, bollocks, I didn't... Shit, I meant it's good to curse every once in a while, not..." Hermione slapped her own forehead. "Merlin."
"Quite right, Hermione, quite right." Narcissa conceded, wiping tears of laughter from her blue eyes that sparkled in the afternoon sun. "In fact," she winked "I believe you might be right on both counts."
Hermione could only gape as Narcissa sauntered away.
Teddy's eleventh birthday party, like most large, familiar gatherings did those days, took place at the Burrow. The cosy home and garden had been decorated – surprising no one – with a Quidditch theme. Harry had even pulled a few strings so that posters signed by some of his godson's favourite players found their way among the delightful homemade decorations Molly and Andromeda had made so lovingly.
Hermione and Narcissa arrived together via side-along apparition – they popped into simultaneous existence at The Burrow's apparition point still in the throes of laughter from their earlier exchange. Andromeda was the first to see them; she greeted the two giggling witches with a raised brow, and her gaze dropped to where Hermione's arm rested upon the small of Narcissa's back.
"Merlin, what a cheery couple of witches you two are," she commented, making Hermione instinctively withdraw her arm. "What is so funny?"
"Your sister, and her refined vulgarity" Hermione chortled, earning a playful slap from Narcissa. "Yeow!" she yelped. "Violence is decidedly not funny!"
Narcissa huffed, trying to sound haughty but failing rather miserably. "Then don't do anything do deserve it."
Hermione turned to Andromeda with a dramatic roll of her eyes. The eldest Black sister still looked at them as if they had descended from another planet.
"See the sort of abuse I have to tolerate, Andy?" The Gryffindor complained, walking up to greet Andromeda with a hug. "Where's the birthday boy? Still with Harry?"
Andromeda nodded, then turned to answer Narcissa's questioning look. "Teddy pays his respects to Remus and Nymphadora on his birthday, every year. He goes with Harry." She explained kindly.
Narcissa at once looked deeply ashamed – Hermione noticed the vestiges of deep, all-consuming guilt clouding her blue gaze. She immediately returned to where Narcissa stood, looping their arms together and leading her towards the house.
"Come on – you've got to hide that present before he arrives."
Narcissa shot the brunette a grateful glance. Andromeda still looked at them oddly, but her gaze narrowed once she noticed the unmistakable broom case her sister carried.
"Cissy," she began, her tone admonishing. "That better not be a broom. Need I remind you, you gave him a broom last year! And a Firebolt, no less!"
Narcissa smirked. "Of course, Drommie, but they came out with a new one – what was I to do? Teddy should have up-to-date equipment."
Andromeda groaned, but Hermione was already leading Narcissa away.
"She's right" the brunette said once they were inside. "What will an eleven-year-old boy do with two professional-grade brooms?"
"Fine" Narcissa retorted, not looking even remotely bothered. "I suppose his godfather may have his hand-me-downs."
Hermione giggled. The two witches found an inconspicuous spot behind a couch and left the broom there so that Teddy wouldn't find it immediately.
"What in Merlin's name are you two up to?"
The two turned to find a very pregnant Ginny Potter waddling into the living room and flopping down rather inelegantly onto the nearest sofa.
"Hiya, Ginny!" Hermione greeted, excitedly rushing for a hug. She was unceremoniously shoved away.
"Godric, Hermione, please don't touch me." Ginny protested with a grimace. "I feel revolting today. Get this baby out of me already."
"Aw, Gin. Come on, you're nearly there, sort of. What are you having, twins?"
Ginny shot her a dirty look. "Merlin help me, don't you dare even joke about it" she moaned, rubbing a hand over her swollen midsection. "I look humongous. And have you seen Lavender? She hardly looks pregnant at all." She then eyed Narcissa, deeply annoyed. "And don't even get me started on Astoria. How is that fair?!"
Hermione shrugged. "I suppose you're lucky, Gin."
Ginny made a rude gesture, but then looked a little green around the edges as she let out a hearty burp. "Galloping hippogriffs, I want this over with!"
"Is your nausea more acute than usual, Mrs. Potter?" Narcissa interjected from where she stood behind Hermione. The brunette could detect a little of a Healer's clinical tone and gaze in the other witch.
Ginny sighed. "Only every day of this past week" she groaned unhappily.
Narcissa smiled. "There's an old wives' tale," she began, moving to take a seat by Ginny. "The harder the pregnancy, the more powerful the little witch or wizard."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's what Mum keeps telling me."
"Between us," Narcissa continued in a conspiratorial tone and a wicked smirk, "if it is true, then Draco surely is taking his sweet time in taking over the world."
That made Hermione and Ginny laugh uproariously. The redhead wiped a cheerful tear from her eye. "Merlin, it feels weirdly satisfying to know he was a pain even before birth." She quipped, and then belatedly seemed to realise she was talking to his mother. "No offence," she quickly added.
Narcissa waved her off with a grin. "None taken," she reassured. "It was a difficult pregnancy, and a difficult birth."
Ginny was immediately put at ease once more. "I'll say! It was difficult enough that you learned your lesson and didn't try to give him any siblings, right?" She quipped with a laugh and a pat to her belly. "Guess I didn't learn that lesson!"
Hermione doubted very much that Ginny had noticed it, but she saw Narcissa's easy-going expression fracture into supreme discomfort at the redhead's quip. Narcissa was such an expert at schooling her features that it could not have lasted more than half a second, but it was enough for Hermione to see it, plain as day.
She wondered, then, why Narcissa and Lucius had never had any more children. Narcissa certainly seemed to have greatly enjoyed having siblings as a child, and Hermione knew – she could see it very clearly every day – how much Narcissa loved children. Even when Narcissa seemed miffed about being a grandmother at her age, she loved Scorpius with all her heart. She loved Teddy, despite only recently meeting him. And she loved every single one of her students.
"Ah, but pregnancy is always a most unexpected journey, and one we must enjoy" the Potions professor said to Ginny, breaking Hermione away from her musings.
"Ha!" Ginny croaked with a sarcastic laugh. "Kind of hard to enjoy anything when I feel this awful," she moaned. "I just wish the nausea and heartburn weren't so bad."
"If I may," Narcissa started, reaching into her robes and pulling out a small phial containing a bright orange liquid. "I would suggest you try this."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"An Anti-Nausea Elixir of my own creation" Narcissa explained, uncorking the phial and handing it to Ginny, who took it eagerly. "Astoria suffers from terrible bouts of nausea as well."
"A-ha!" Ginny exclaimed, then downing the entire phial in one swift gulp. "So that's her bloody secret! Her mother-in-law is a Potions genius!"
The redhead's features settled on relieved contentment as the potion did what it was supposed to do. "Merlin" she breathed out in sheer relief. "I feel better already."
"Glad I could help." Narcissa said kindly, though Hermione noted that her smile didn't quite reach her eyes anymore.
"Hey, Gin, do you think Molly needs some help in the kitchen?" Hermione asked, as discreetly as she could.
"Ha! Probably. Feel free to help her out – I am excused because, y'know, I'm busy growing a human and all."
"Great!" Hermione turned to Narcissa. "How about we make sure Molly doesn't kill herself feeding and caring for all these people?"
Narcissa gave her an odd look, but stood to follow nonetheless. Before they left, she turned to Ginny one last time.
"Do let me know how the nausea goes, Mrs. Potter. Should you need any more of the elixir, you need but owl me."
"You bet your butt I will!" Ginny promised as Hermione led Narcissa out.
Hermione dragged Narcissa by the hand, away from the living room. Instead of moving to the kitchen, she turned at the last minute before Molly could notice their approach, shoving Narcissa into the adjoining pantry a little more forcefully than she had intended.
"Pardon me," Narcissa said, clearly amused as Hermione swiftly closed the pantry door behind them. "But I very much doubt that Molly needs any help in her pantry" she finished in the darkness.
"Eh, maybe not. Lumos." Hermione agreed, lighting the tip of her wand. The spell's soft glow revealed the overstuffed pantry to be much smaller than she had anticipated – Narcissa stood merely inches away, backed into a shelf filled with miscellaneous canned goods.
"You know, subterfuge does not see, to be a strong suit for you Gryffindors" Narcissa said pointedly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me? I'll have you know three Gryffindors snuck into Gringotts right under everyone's noses!"
"And rode a dragon through a glass ceiling on their way out" Narcissa retorted with a knowing look. Hermione let out a breath of defeat.
"Touché. If you want to actually hear about how good this Gryffindor is at subterfuge, ask Draco sometime."
Narcissa waved her off with a laugh. "I shall take your word for it. What is the reason for the present subterfuge?"
Hermione straightened her shoulders. Now that she heard Narcissa joke and laugh so openly with her in this cramped pantry, she wondered if her worry had been misplaced, or worse, completely unnecessary. She felt rather silly.
"Um..." she began, the uncertainty washing over her. Would Narcissa think she was overstepping? "That was really nice, what you did for Ginny."
Narcissa smiled. "Oh, it was nothing. I know first-hand how difficult a pregnancy can be – it can truly take its toll."
Hermione nodded her agreement, ready to forget her initial worry, until she saw a change overcome Narcissa's eyes. There. Her haze became wistful and distant; her smile faltered just enough for Hermione to notice.
"Narcissa..." she began once more, still unsure, but certain that there was something wrong. "Are you alright?"
The blonde's gaze snapped up to meet Hermione's in genuine surprise; her eyes were wide enough and unguarded enough for Hermione to confirm her suspicions.
"Yes," Narcissa breathed, and Hermione was shocked to see how plainly she could tell that the Slytherin was lying to her. "Yes..." Narcissa continued, but there was something unspoken in their exchanged glances that made her hurry to amend her statement. "For the most part, yes."
Hermione felt oddly triumphant, but the joy of being right was summarily eclipsed but the renewal of her worry. "For the most part?" she asked softly, reaching into the darkness and taking Narcissa's hand in her own. "You seemed... I don't know. Sad, I suppose, when Ginny said that thing... about having more children."
Narcissa laughed, but it was mirthless, and the sound broke Hermione's heart.
"Merlin" she breathed out. "I must truly be slipping if I can be so easily read." Narcissa said, her voice tinged with a kind of sadness that Hermione couldn't quite place. "What would my mother say?"
"Your mother isn't here," Hermione said resolutely, thinking about the unpleasant portrait that said such terrible things about her own daughter.
"Oh, no, I'm afraid she'll always be with me in some capacity, wherever I go." Narcissa finished sombrely, and Hermione did not know what to say to that. There were a million questions she wanted to ask, but she sensed that right then and right there, in the Weasley's pantry, was neither the time nor the place. Instead, she waited patiently.
Narcissa took a deep breath; she said nothing.
"You're not 'slipping'," Hermione found herself saying. "I think I just... I've just gotten to know you a little better."
To Hermione's immense relief, Narcissa smiled.
"Well. I suppose at this point, you do know me quite well," she said, and the admission filled Hermione with happiness. "I can assure you, I am fine. I simply..." there was a flicker in Narcissa's eyes. And Hermione instinctually knew she was trying to hide her feelings again. The Slytherin seemed to pause, as if remembering or realising she could trust Hermione with her emotions.
"Hey," Hermione sought to reassure her further. "It's OK. Was it what Ginny said, about more kids?"
Narcissa didn't need to confirm it, her eyes said it all. Hermione wasn't sure she should ask, if she should give a gentle push. Narcissa's silence eventually proved too much for her to handle.
"Did..." she started, the stopped. Was there a more tactful way to ask this? If there was, she did not know it. "Did you and Lucius want more children?"
Narcissa's smile this time was sad. "More children were not in the cards for me." She said after a long pause, leaning into the shelf and making the cans there rattle as they were displaced. "Something my sisters and I inherited from our mother," she continued cryptically, looking wistfully towards some sacks of flour and grain to Hermione's side. "Her weak womb. It was nothing short of a miracle that Druella survived three births. None of us could go further than the one."
Narcissa's tone had grown beyond wistful and now bordered on pained. "Well, Bella... not even that." she said, the memories clearly bringing her considerable pain. Hermione gave the hand she held what she hoped was a comforting squeeze. Narcissa took a fortifying breath, finding the strength to continue.
"Andromeda wrote to me once she eloped. I was the first she told of her pregnancy. Ted—" her breath hitched, "Ted wrote me only once in her place. I thought she had died, but in the letter, he told me the birth had been rather difficult and that Andromeda would take some time to recover. She would not be able to conceive again."
Hermione squeezed Narcissa's hand just a tad tighter in sympathy,
"And then, on my sixth year, Rodolphus came to fetch me at Hogwarts, out of the blue." Narcissa continued, her voice wavering. "He was frantic – I remember how he yelled at Headmaster Dumbledore to let me go. Bellatrix needed me. And I went with him to Lestrange Manor and... All I could hear were Bella's screams. She was howling in pain, in utter agony, and there was nothing the Healers, much less I could do besides hold her as she bled. She lost Ophelia and was left barren – like my mother and Andromeda before her."
Hermione felt Narcissa's grasp tighten in her own, as if the blonde needed a tangible tether to fortify herself.
"When I fell pregnant with Draco... I was overjoyed, of course." Narcissa kept speaking in a pained tone, the memories making it difficult for her to continue without wavering. Her voice was tight with emotion she had grown unused to displaying. "But also terrified. It was... difficult, a terribly difficult pregnancy. I was on bed rest for most of it, and when the time came..."
An errant tear escaped Narcissa's control; Hermione brushed it aside as tenderly as she could.
"To answer your question" Narcissa began again after a shuddering breath. "Yes. I always wanted more children. I wanted Draco to know the joy of having siblings" she smiled sadly once again. "But, like my mother and my sisters, I was unable to."
Hermione felt deeply saddened, but she did not know what to say. She knew nothing about having or losing or being unable to have children. She was the fun aunt to many, but that was completely different.
"I think that is part of the reason why I have always... envied Molly Weasley so much." Narcissa said through a teary laugh. "I might have had the grandest home in England, but she was always so happy in the warmth of her big family." She seemed to contemplate the idea for a little while. "I suppose, all things considered, that is a good thing to envy."
Hermione smiled. Now she could understand better the degree to which Narcissa had spoiled Draco when he was younger – he was her treasure, the one and only child she could ever have. She understood now; it helped her see why Narcissa was so adamant in getting Teddy the very best of everything, in caring for Astoria, in making sure Andromeda accepted her rightful inheritance: Narcissa was fiercely protective of those she loved, her family especially, because it had so many times been in danger of being lost forever.
"Merlin, I apologise for this horrendous display." Narcissa eventually said, adamantly wiping at her tears.
"Nothing horrendous about it," Hermione assured her kindly. "Remember what I told you? Sometimes it's food to have a good cry and let it all out."
Narcissa responding grin was now devoid of any sadness, and it made Hermione feel warm and cosy inside.
"Quite true," the blonde agreed. She seemed to ponder something for a while. "I don't think anyone has seen me cry as much as you have," she said, as if she had just realised it.
Hermione didn't like that thought; her displeasure must have shown in her expression, because Narcissa delicately reached out to caress her cheek. "That's a good thing, Hermione," she declared emphatically, her thumb softly brushing over the brunette's bottom lip pensively. "For Merlin knows what reason I... I somehow feel... at ease with you. I've spent a lifetime hiding my feelings – it turns out I am rather proficient at that. But with you, everything is... lighter, in some way."
Hermione recognised a distinct pull – she had felt it that night at the Astronomy Tower, under the constellations they named together. It was an energy, a great force she could not name, that compelled her quite strongly to close the little remaining distance between them and capture Narcissa's lips with her own. To her surprise, Narcissa's azure gaze seemed to drift downwards; Hermione noticed with a start that it had dropped to her lips.
That should have been all the encouragement she needed, but the thought of covertly kissing Narcissa Black in Molly Weasley's darkened pantry after such a charged conversation just seemed... entirely wrong. To Hermione's relief, Narcissa's gaze returned to meet her own, and Hermione took the opportunity to envelop the other witch in a tight hug.
"I'm glad" she said, enjoying the warmth of Narcissa's body against her own and the faint, pleasant scent of eucalyptus she discovered at the base of the blonde's neck. Without thinking, Hermione nuzzled at that spot. Relishing in the comforting scent and the feel of Narcissa's arms tightening around her as she responded to the embrace. "I'm glad you trust me enough to share those feelings with me." She took a half-step back to look at Narcissa directly – those blue eyes glimmered in the dark. "I'm here. For whatever you need me."
"Yes. Well," Narcissa stuttered, her voice suddenly hoarse. "Thank you."
"You're welc—"
Hermione was interrupted by a sudden burst of light and the click of the pantry door opening abruptly. A wide-eyed Andromeda stood at the threshold, holding an empty mug and a bewildered expression.
"Oh!" She gasped, eyes widening even further. "Oh! I didn't... Merlin, I—I mean, Molly needed some flour" she babbled, and then seemed to noticed her sister backed into a shelf of cans behind Hermione.
"Cissy?" She looked at Narcissa, then at Hermione, then back at Narcissa. "What are you..."
"Here's the flour, Andy" Hermione interjected, grabbing a labelled container and unceremoniously shoving it into Andromeda's arms before the other witch had time to process. She took Narcissa by hand and led her out, not giving Andromeda the chance to say anything futher.
"See you around, Andy!"
By the time the birthday boy arrived, Narcissa had recovered from the little episode in Molly's pantry. Part of her felt incredibly foolish, but she had meant what she said—it was easier to let her emotions run free whenever Hermione was around. No matter how weak or guilty she felt when her walls crumbled to pieces, the young Gryffindor remained a steadfast, calming, comforting presence. Narcissa greatly appreciated it.
If only she were able to ignore the failure she felt whenever her walls did crumble. I was a terribly hard habit to break—her mother had made sure of it; whenever Narcissa's Ice Queen mask faltered, it felt like a personal shortcoming.
Narcissa supposed that was why she had so much difficulty navigating her own emotions now. She had been taught not to feel, not to show her hand to the outside world. It was impossible, however, to hide only hatred, only sadness, or only despair. There was no such luxury—to hide one, one must hide them all. That was how she had been relentlessly trained, and she excelled to such a degree that her joy, her hope, and even her love had been buried along with the rest.
That is, until a certain Transfiguration professor had come along and unearthed them all at the same time. Narcissa was exceedingly grateful, but navigating those emotions, relearning how to let herself simply feel—that was a steep learning curve.
She was profoundly thankful for Hermione's presence. Even then, surrounding by welcoming friends as they all sang a cacophonous rendition of 'Happy Birthday' to Teddy, Narcisa was thankful for the stolen glances Hermione directed her way, always asking, without needing words, if she was alright. It felt oddly liberating to have someone worry about her in that way.
There was someone else at the Burrow furtively stealing glances her way, and Narcissa had to wonder how out of practice Andromeda truly had to be, if a Gryffindor managed to be more discreet than she. Whereas Hermione's glances had been comforting, Andromeda's were... questioning, overtly and blatantly curious. Narcissa avoided her like the Dragon Pox.
Andromeda finally managed to corner her in the kitchen after Teddy had dragged his godfather out into the garden to try out his new broom. Andromeda had patiently waited until a sizeable crowd had gathered outside to watch Teddy's maiden flight.
"I should have known you would go overboard with his gift" Andromeda accused as she surprised Narcissa, who had been charming dishes to wash themselves. Narcissa could only grin at the accusation.
"I'm his aunt" she said simply. "Spoiling him is part of the job description."
Andromeda laughed; Narcissa could see plainly that her sister was using the broom as a pretext.
"Is everything alright with you, Cissy?" The older Black finally asked after several moments.
"Of course," Narcissa replied. "Everything is perfectly fine." It wasn't truly a lie, not really. Everything was better than it had been in years.
"OK," Andromeda seemed relieved, but not quite ready to relent. "Nothing you wanted to tell me? No new... developments?"
Why did Andromeda need to phrase things so oddly?
"None at all," Narcissa insisted.
"Really?" Andromeda prodded, brows raising nearly all the way up into her hairline. "Nothing special? I guess you and Hermione hugging in pantries is just a normal, everyday thing to you two?"
Narcissa froze, for once having a hard time reading her sister's questioning gaze.
"Of course not." She said. "We have developed... a friendly rapport."
"I can see that" Andromeda quipped with widening grin. "For the record, I think it'll do you some good, this... 'friendly rapport'."
Narcissa looked at her sister in confusion, but chose not to comment, mostly because she was inclined to agree. It did do her a world of good.
"Yes," she admitted. "Hermione is..." she paused, uncertain with how much she could tell Andromeda when there was so preciously little she understood herself. "Hermione is pleasant to have around." She finally said, hoping her gaze would convey more than her words. Thankfully, Andromeda seemed to understand.
"I'm glad, Cissy. You need someone like Hermione. Plus, I think I always suspected it."
Narcissa had begun to nod, relieved with Andromeda's understanding, but was stopped in her tracks at the end.
"What in Merlin's name do you m—"
"Auntie Cissa!" Came Teddy's excited yell from the kitchen window, startling them both. "Come see me fly! I can go so high!"
"Ah, yes, Teddy, in a moment," Narcissa responded, giving him a slight wave as she watched him perform an impressive sharp turn on his new broom.
As soon as he was out of view, she turned abruptly back to face Andromeda. Her sister was already gone.
