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Chapter 2

The Godmother

March 1988

Timothy Devinsher, the Ministry of Magic's Level Two receptionist, blinked at the blonde haired woman in front of him.

Her sharp grey eyes narrowed with impatience, and he shot out of his chair. "I'll go see if Mr. Black is available."

He gulped, Auror Black was never free and respectfully put, insane, but that woman could turn molten lava into ice. It was a lose-lose situation, so he bit back his nervousness and knocked on the heavy wooden door with the golden Head Auror plate shining proudly on its varnished surface.

"Mr. Black, sir? Mrs. Malfoy is here to speak with you. Says it's urgent." He said this all very fast, but he always addressed the higher ranking Aurors so, and he hadn't been fired yet.

Sirius glanced up with a raised brow and threw his quill across the room, splattering the marble floor with the ink remnants, "Urgent my - show her in, Tim."

Timothy turned to leave and jumped - the woman in question was standing right behind him. Typical, screw up moment on his part. Smirking, the impeccably dressed witch waltzed past him into the room and slammed the door in his face.

Sirius begrudgingly pulled his dragon-hide clad feet off the maple desk as his second least favorite cousin entered his private office. "What do you want, Narcissa?"

The woman's fists clenched and unclenched, her face twisted as though she slapped, "You dare use that lax tone with me? We helped you with that Horcrux hunt of yours and nearly died. Or have you forgotten, cousin of mine?"

She did have a point, albeit, the so-called 'help' had been Malfoy's penance for being a 'reformed' Death Eater in the first place, but he let it slide.

Sirius's stringent expression softened, he sighed heavily and transfigured a chair for her to take a seat in, "What can I do for you, Cissa?"

Narcissa folded her hands in her lap and seemed to be testing out the words she was about to speak, "As you may know, my goddaughter, Daphne Greengrass, is now in our care - "

Sirius leaned forward, not caring that he had interrupted, "How is she?" He'd found the girl sensible and unexpectedly kind for a pureblood. He was also hopeful that his cousin would be an improved influence over the child, for even Sirius had to admit that Narcissa was a decent mother.

The woman bristled, then her sculpted brow rose slightly, and she almost smiled, "She is doing as well as can be expected. Hardly eats anything, terrible nightmares and keeps her tears bottled up. She does come out of her room though and still gets up to mischief with Draco."

Sirius folded his arms over his uniform jacket, "You have to tell her that it's okay to show emotion. Perhaps it will help with her grief."

Narcissa's brows tugged in confusion, "Hm?"

"Oh, come on Cissa, you remember how loud your mum would yell if you didn't have the sun shining up your ass all day long. Tell Daphne that no one will judge her if she cries." His words were laced with certainty and softness.

"Very well." She disguised her surprise over her cousin's advice as she opened her purse and pulled out a slip of paper. "I would appreciate it if you could do background checks on the following wizards." She levitated the two-person list over to him.

Sirius bent forward on his desk and glanced at the names. He sneered, then shot her a questioning stare, "What do you want with them?"

Narcissa adjusted the emerald snake clip holding her smooth hair up, "In Victoria and Quinton's Will, Lucius and I were not only given guardianship over their daughter but also instructed to arrange a betrothal between Daphne and a pureblood wizard."

She held a stern hand up to prevent him from speaking and quickly gave an explanation to the judgmental question she knew Sirius would've barked out, "The request was spelled to be carried out, so there is no way past it. We must find her a suitable match in two weeks, or they'll strip her magic away." Fidgeting with her wedding ring, a true saddening pity contorted her usual mask of indifference before she pointed to the list, "Those are Daphne's best candidates." Reformed Death Eaters.

Sirius stood up, knocking his leather chair down in the process. "No, absolutely not." He walked over to the sunlit window and pulled at the curtain while the note floated into his grasp. Without sparing the heinous thing another glance, Sirius non-verbally vanished it. "There must be someone else."

A desperate, "No one," held an unnoticed edge of lies that they were both inwardly aware of.

"Draco?"

Narcissa became torn, her voice cracked unseemly, "I - I can't do that to -" Her words dropped off.

"Of course, I understand, Cissy." Sirius sighed heavily and leaned on the window sill in contemplation. He had not called her by that nickname in a very long time, and his slip of control made Narcissa look away in shame.

After a tense minute, in which neither of them uttered a word, Sirius cleared his throat and stood his ground, "Get me every document you have on this as soon as possible. Can I presume that you've already made Miss Greengrass sign her part of the betrothal contract?" He paused, his stern business facade dropping for a beat, "Does she even know, Cissy?"

Narcissa's reply was automatic and unsteady, "Daphne knows, and yes, she has signed. She's a very understanding girl, not surprising given her upbringing. - Are you going try to find a way -"

The withering look she received caused her mouth to close and her grey eyes to widen as she remembered his use of formality with the girl's name. Narcissa moved sideways to face him.

Sirius, however, turned his back to her, "Fetch me the documents and the contract. - "

"Sirius - you don't - "

Something crackled in the dynamic between them then. Narcissa felt it, shuffled to stand and grasped the back of her chair as a feeble barrier. She'd been allowed leniency she realized with her barging in, addressing him, and repetitive interrupting. Although Sirius was her cousin, he was also the Head of her old House, Head Auror, and had done plenty for her and her family that her childish behavior was unwarranted and disrespectful. Though, she often forgot because of appearances sake that Sirius was not the man her cruel father or his indifferent one had been.

Sirius observed the woman's submissive stance and inwardly cursed their traumatic childhood. He walked over and straightened his fallen chair, "Could you willingly pair your goddaughter off with someone like our fathers for life?"

Watery grey eyes, met patient grey ones, "Never."

Sirius straightened the lapels of his Auror's uniform as he sat down and moved to tidy up a scattered mount of papers on his desk. "Then it's simple, Narcissa. Bring me what I've asked and allow me a week to make a decision."

Narcissa, nodding pitifully, opened her purse and pulled out a stack of papers. As she went to place them in front of him, her guard lowered by the interaction, Sirius grabbed her roughly by the wrist.

"Did you plan this?" He spoke through clenched teeth, his voice threateningly low, an almost growl.

Narcissa cried out in surprise and tried to pull away from his grasp, but his hold was too strong. She ducked her head to avoid his raging stare, "No - I thought of it -" His fingers tightened and she hurriedly continued, "Daphne spoke highly of you when she first -"

"The girl was traumatized, Narcissa! I did what anyone else would do for a child that had just lost everything!" He snarled out, and the papers in her grasp fell covering the desk, but they were spared no attention.

"You made a traumatized pureblood little girl feel safe. Should have thought twice if you didn't want to make an impression over her." Narcissa bit her tongue, and a metallic taste spread in her mouth.

Sirius's grip fell, his eyes becoming severe given the truth, "Get out."

"Forgive me, cousin. I am begging you, no one else - "

"Did I say I wouldn't go through with it?" Sirius regarded her coolly, "I have one condition, however."

"Anything."

Sirius unclenched his right hand where his Head of House ring with the Black Family crest rested ostentatiously around his middle finger, "You must put aside your differences and make amends with Andromeda." He paused, "Do we have a deal, Cissa?"

Narcissa swallowed down her pride, "Yes, Sirius." Merlin knew her goddaughter was worth it. "You're a good man."