A/N; Well here it is, lord knows if my long departed absence is going to show. Like it, hate it or love it.
I don't own a damn thing.
If there were any assumptions made concerning the future of Narcissa after the war, none would have even come close to the reality that she now faced. Things had turned and changed for Narcissa. And perhaps for once in her life, she was truly happy about it.
Her once very restricted, private life was now lax. Formal dinners catered by house elves, now were small self-made gourmet private dinners with Hermione and Draco. Conversations once ignored or avoided were now aired, no matter how colourful it got, she knew Hermione would never hurt her or use her words against her. It was a comfort that at heated times proved to be very frustrating, but the openness was welcomed by the blonde, even had extended to her relationship with Draco.
Her son was a brilliant young man. She would look at him in wonder of how on earth he could have possibly flip his upside down life and go against everything he was raised to be, and do so very successfully. True to his word, he took a break from study. Something in which Narcissa was relieved about. Draco spent his time off getting to know his other siblings, they were completely different from what Draco and Narcissa had expected, from what her son had told her, they family were very much muggle. Lucius had paid the expenses of the family, but was very vicious, controlling and evil to his mistress and children. Draco felt absolutely disgusted from the stories he was told, and from what he had told Narcissa, she was glad that Lucius was well and truly dead.
She encouraged her son to help the family, they suffered just as much from Lucius. He often asked for her advice on matters, she would help him as much as she could. Together they devised a plan to help the family out, and with Hermione's assistance and connections, they had the wards taken off Malfoy Manor, had the property, including the house had every last speckle of magic removed. From the Malfoy portraits to the house elves. Narcissa never set foot on the Manor, and it was not her idea either, it was a condition she had to abide by if they wanted Hermione's help.
The blonde smiled as she remembered the brunette's words, "You can call all of the shots you like from our apartment, but there's no way in hell am I letting you set foot on that fucking Manor, ever."
Narcissa complied and reminded Hermione that they were all doing it for a good cause, the family needed somewhere to stay, the property needed maintaining, so turning Malfoy Manor into a Bed and Breakfast seemed like the option they will go for. The brunette rolled her eyes and muttered something about not caring even if they were turning it into a high end brothel, the blonde was to hold her end of the agreement.
So Narcissa controlled everything from Hermione's apartment. She had never once met the family, it was something she told Draco she would not do. He didn't seem to mind as he couldn't even believe that his mother would want the family in the Manor in the first place, let alone plan and orchestrate the whole thing. It took a few months before they were finally able to move the family into the Manor, but when it happened, Narcissa felt extremely proud of her son. He was a caring man, and he showed that toward others. Narcissa had to hold back tears and he shared his memories with her, while he showed the family their new home.
She felt complete, her son was happy and safe. Her relationship with Hermione was settled, honest, happy not to mention very sexual. They faced the day-to-day issues of a relationship, they would debate certain topics, mostly about ancient runes. And the challenges they face at their jobs.
Her days were now spent as a researcher and interpreter for the Department of Mysteries. There was gossip surrounding how Narcissa gained that position, she had heard Hermione blast one of her subordinates for slanderous comments made about herself and even went on to accuse the blonde of buying her way into the job so that she could obtain items to support her ill-gotten cause. When Narcissa asked Hermione about the rumours, the younger witch, simply told her to ignore everything and focus on interpreting the Runes. When she pressed more, the brunette sighed and told the blonde that she would protect her as much as she can, but in order to do that, Narcissa needed to remain ignorant of the vicious gossip about her.
They argued of course, Hermione claimed protection, Narcissa reasoned with her age and the fact that she was often gossiped about, in fact, for her entire adult life, she was gossiped about, so it was something that she could handle, no matter how cruel it was.
Over a few days Hermione had relented and told the blonde of the different variations of how she got her job. Apparently she had bribe for it, then she had threatened for it and to her amusement and to fuel Hermione's possessiveness, the blonde was having an affair with Jarvis O'Brien, the Head of the Department.
Narcissa giggled at the memory, not everyone would believe that Narcissa Black actually sat in an interview and then completed an exam for her role in the Department of Mysteries. She checked the time and quickly cursed herself for running away with her thoughts. She launched out of their now shared office in Hermione's apartment and made her way to their bedroom.
It was Saturday, usually they would lie in, go out for breakfast or brunch. Hermione introduced Narcissa into movies, so the couple would often frequent the pictures or just watch one at home. Sometimes Hermione would surprise her and they would spend a long weekend abroad, they stayed in Europe. Sometimes it was a luxurious chateau or resort. And other times they would stay with the friends Hermione had made on her travels. Narcissa absolutely loved it. She loved getting to know the people who knew Hermione in a time where even none of her close friends knew what sort of woman she had become.
The blonde padded into the bedroom, where the brunette was lying in bed staring at the ceiling.
"I was wondering when you would come in to wake me." Hermione murmured as the blonde straddle her.
"We are going to be late if we don't start getting ready now." The blonde said softly.
"Hmmmm." The brunette grinned, Narcissa on top of her, was a sight. The blonde had covered herself in her navy blue bath robe, her long hair cascading down her shoulders, her beautiful face free of makeup. The older witch smirked when Hermione's hands found her hips. "Can't we just stay here?"
"And hide from the world?" Narcissa husked
"Yes." The brunette murmured.
"Most certainly not." The older witch chided as she slapped Hermione's hands that were now trying to open her robe.
"But why?" Hermione pleaded innocently.
"Because your childhood home is up for auction today and I know you need to get out of this apartment and have some sort of distraction." Narcissa said she removed herself off Hermione and the bed and proceeded to gather an outfit.
"And you think attending a Ministry auction would do that? Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'd rather stay here with you on top of me, that's enough of a distraction."
"Of course I think a Ministry auction would do the trick." The blonde witch murmured as she held up a grey sheath dress. The younger witch had decided only two weeks previous that she wanted to sell the property. At first Narcissa advised against it as, the house and property proved to still be very strong links to Hermione's parents, when the younger witch needed it. The young witch simply said that she was ready to move on, the house deserved to be filled with a family and not there as backup place to stay whenever the blonde wasn't talking to her, which had happened once or twice already. And then with that in mind, Hermione began the procession in selling the house. The blonde turned to find the brunette still lying in bed. "And no, you've had me enough this week, I am running out of excuses of being late to work."
"I'll have a word to Jarvis." Hermione offered.
"You will do no such thing, I don't want anything more to fuel the rumour mill." The blonde muttered, now searching the closet for suitable heels.
"It won't fuel anymore rumours, I'll just tell him that you're with me and he will back off." Hermione now had rose out of bed, stretching languidly. Hermione knew that once she confronted Jarvis about Narcissa, he would be too sacred to even say hello to the blonde.
Narcissa stopped what she was doing and quickly faced the brunette. "Are you telling me, that you're ready for everyone to know that you're in a relationship with the infamous Narcissa Black?"
"Of course I am." Hermione scratched her head. She met those blue icy eyes. "I've been ready for it since you got that damn job."
Now it was Narcissa's turn to roll her eyes before she muttered. "Only so everyone knows that I'm with you and not Jarvis."
"That was the plan." The younger witch sang in a sing song way as she too now looked at dresses to wear.
"So if I never got the job, would you have been comfortable keeping us quiet?" The blonde asked quietly.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"If I hadn't-
Hermione cut the blonde off very quickly, "I know what you meant, it just never registered quickly enough."
"Well?" Narcissa raised her arms.
"For a while yes, but not without thinking it through and talking about it with you. As you've said previously, we hardly knew each other before Zabini took you to that ball and even so afterward. Now would be the best time, because our relationship is without question and also becoming very hard to contain." Hermione threw the red dress she had in her hand on their bed and made her way to the closet, stopping just inches away from the blonde. "I want the whole entire world to know that you are mine."
Though Hermione had seen Narcissa react this way before, it was a rarity for the blonde to blush.
"Really?"
"Yes, it's time everyone knew" Hermione whispered. And it were true, once she had told Harry and Ginny and Narcissa had informed Draco, there weren't many other things that they had considered. Especially the ordeal with Lucius and the Narcissa's jealousy with Camilla. Unknowingly they had ceased the announcement, in focus of their development together.
"Even if the rest of the world doesn't like it?" Narcissa asked softly.
"Even if they don't." Hermione smirked.
The couple kissed for a few moments. Narcissa ended it before it took the chance to become heated.
"Even though, we are pressed for time do you think that perhaps your plans of announcing your undying love for me, should be halted?" Narcissa asked quickly before answering the question herself. "You have yet to tell the rest of your friends and I need to see my sister."
"I don't know if I'd call it undying.." Hermione giggled when the blonde gave her a playful shove. "But yeah, I guess there are the rest of the Weasley's that I should tell and perhaps Minerva."
"Good, now hurry along. We are going to be late."
Rolling her eyes, Hermione backed away from the blonde and headed for the bathroom. Before reaching the door she turned to the older witch, whom was inspecting black heels to go with her chosen outfit.
"And no I'm not joining you in the shower." Narcissa muttered. "We will never make it out of the apartment."
The couple had arrived at the auction together, they were fashionably late but not rude as the auction was still yet to begin. Kingsley asked Hermione in the last few months, about her thoughts of an auction. The brunette assumed that he was referring to auctioning off items found and recovered from her Department, she very sternly advised that he do no such thing, as the whole founding of her department would be wasted if he were to let it all out back into society.
Then Hermione became surprised when he said that he was thinking more so of the items deemed harmless within the Department of Mysteries. They discussed about the items, the brunette claimed that Jarvis should be spear heading the project with Kingsley as it really had nothing to do with her and so the Minister relented to a degree.
As a trio they met over a period of three months, discussing, deciding, even arguing at times on which items were to go into auction and where the funds where to go if they had made any profit off it.
In the times that Hermione had met with Jarvis, she found the man to be very charming. She actually liked him. He was handsome in a tall, dark Arabic looking way that betrayed his name. Hermione decided that what drew him the most attention from women were his green emerald eyes that proved to be a great contrast to his olive skin. The wizard definitely was a catch.
She got on well with him. He was partial to being very meticulous and his vigour for work ethic showed in the results he would turn in on his monthly report to the Minister. The department of Mysteries, showed the most growth in results out of any of the departments within the ministry. Kingsley often joked in their private meetings, that soon there will be no department of Mysteries as the mysteries were getting solved in the most rapid rate he had ever seen. The brunette could not help but feel very proud that Narcissa played a massive role in it.
In terms of the auction, the only real debate that became quite heated between the trio, was whom was to attend the auction itself. Suggestions had been made that if they were careful enough with their chosen items, the auction would be opened to the entire wizarding society. Hermione argued strongly against it, she felt that it needed to be invitation only, and only to very few people. Keeping this auction exclusive, would reduce the PR backlash the Ministry would receive from the Daily Prophet making claims that the ministry were becoming slack with the anniversary of the war not having even turned a decade.
Jarvis mentioned his admiration for Hermione once the final meeting came to a conclusion and everything was set in place. Humbly, she shrugged it off. But that's where Hermione learned that Jarvis respected her as an equal if not as a better for her tenacity to argue quite harshly with the Minister.
So when the blonde and the brunette entered the large hall dedicated for the auction they were both welcomed by Jarvis.
"Ahhh, Narcissa! Hermione!" He beamed. His black robes trailed behind him as he rushed over to them. Form a rough estimate, Hermione would have said that of the two hundred people that were invited to the auction, most were already in attendance. Jarvis had to weave his way through the crowd to join the couple.
"Hi Jarvis." Hermione smiled once the olive man finally met them.
"Ahh Greetings, greetings." He smiled at the couple before turning his attention to the blonde and acknowledging her. "Narcissa."
"Jarvis." She nodded.
"If I wasn't mistaken, you were not on the invitation list." Jarvis mentioned politely.
"She's with me." Hermione smiled at him and ignored Narcissa's raised eyebrow.
"Oh."
"Yes, you do remember every Head of Department were given the option of a plus one that was not mentioned to the rest." Hermione smiled again.
"Ahh yes, of course I do." Jarvis nodded. Then smiled at Narcissa. "I just never thought..
"I've spotted an old acquaintance, I must go and say hello." Narcissa spoke to Hermione. She smiled politely as her boss. "It's good to see you, Jarvis. Hopefully today is a success."
"Ahh yes, I dear hope it is." He smiled and then drew all of his attention to the young brunette. "Forgive me, Hermione I did not mean to be rude."
"That's quite alright Jarvis."
"I am just shocked, I would have never of thought that you would bring-
"Finish that sentence Jarvis and I will make sure your stellar career would end today." Hermione warned. She clutched her purse in her hands tightly and suddenly the room felt like a sauna. "Narcissa has every right to be here as my plus one."
Jarvis frowned. His thoughts were scattered all over the place, all sorts of questions were floating around. Why would Hermione Granger be so protective of Narcissa Black? Why would she be so quick to defend the older witch?
In a matter of mere moments Hermione saw the realisation dawn on Jarvis' face. And while his eyes were wide and his mouth slack and smiled sweetly at him as she said; "And yes Jarvis, she's my world. So please be a kind gentleman and fetch me two glasses of champagne."
"Oh, Narcissa, what a pleasant surprise!" Exclaimed another blonde witch Ingrid Larsen.
"Ingrid" Narcissa smiled before both blondes embraced each other, kissing both cheeks.
"It has been far too long!" Ingrid smiled eyeing Narcissa. "You look as elegant as ever."
"As do you Ingrid." Narcissa smiled back. The other blonde could pass off as Narcissa's sister as their features were almost exact. They were both tall, blonde, slender, blue eyed women. But there was a contrast, where Narcissa favored a grey sheath dress with black heel, very little makeup and red lipstick, a pearl necklace and French roll. Ingrid preferred a different attire altogether, wearing a rather short cocktail black dress with red heels, nude lipstick and her hair flowing down her shoulders in curls. Ingrid was one of the society witches who was always criticized in her choice of attire. She was far more modern then what the rest were, Narcissa realized very early in meeting first meeting her ten years previous, that alongside her modernity was her ability to see right through all the false pretense. "I agree, it has been far too long."
"I am very sorry to have heard about dear Lucius." Ingrid said sadly. This blonde knew sympathized with Narcissa as she herself was a widow. "It was such a tragedy."
"Yes, it was." Narcissa nodded speaking more so of their marriage rather than his death.
"Have the Ministry concluded their investigation?" Ingrid queried.
"Yes they have. They could not find whomever killed him as he was executed in a very muggle manner." Narcissa murmured going with the official report the Minister had issued Draco and herself. "So it was only concluded as a murder."
"Oh, dear. I suppose young Draco has yet to be told." Ingrid pressed.
"My son had been informed." Narcissa said firmly.
"That is good." Ingrid smiled at Narcissa wondering just how much information she could get out of the other blonde. "I see you attended with none other than Hermione Granger?"
"Yes, I did." Narcissa smiled again.
"I must ask, a friendship with the golden girl must surely be rewarding?" Ingrid eyed the other blonde.
"She is a good person." Narcissa murmured staring off distractedly passed Ingrid.
"You have been spotted with her quite regularly, one can only assume if it is redemption for Ms Black?" Ingrid murmured as Hermione Granger along with two glasses of champagne in her hands walked toward them.
"Her influence is astounding." Narcissa grinned at Hermione as the brunette approached them.
Taking the flute from the brunette, Narcissa murmured warmly. "Hermione I would like you to meet a friend of mine, Ingrid Larsen."
"Ingrid." Hermione smiled extending her hand.
"The pleasure is all mine, meeting the brains of the golden trio certainly has brightened my day as you very rarely attend any of the Ministry functions." Ingrid smiled as they shook hands.
Hermione laughed, "And if I had my way, I wouldn't even attend this. However, when duty calls."
"Would you call yourself a recluse Miss Granger?" Ingrid joked.
"No quite, my interests are usually elsewhere."
"And where may that be?"
'In your blonde counterpart' Hermione thought before she said. "Now I can't kiss and tell, there will be no mystery surrounding the brains of the golden trio, will there?"
"No" Ingrid laughed
"Cissy, I believe it's time for us to head to the Minister's box." Hermione smiled at her blonde and then turned to Ingrid. "It was a pleasure meeting you Ingrid."
"As I said, it was all mine." Ingrid grinned and then turned her attention to her friend. "We must arrange to meet Cissa."
"Will do Ingrid." Narcissa said politely before stepping away with the younger witch.
The couple left Ingrid Larsen still reeling with questions.
"Darling, it is no trouble if I sit with the others." Narcissa said softly as they headed for the back door of the hall and up the staircase to the Minister's box.
"No, you are my equal. You're sitting next to me." Hermione took a quick sip of the champagne.
"I have seen the seating plan, you are seated right next to Kingsley." Narcissa took a sip of her champagne as well. "As soon as everyone is seated, everyone will see."
"Then let them see." Hermione smiled to herself. "People will talk, they always do. Most make assumptions and care little for the truth, what we are to each other is what we have with one another, we aren't parading it around society but there's no way I'm going to distance myself from you, when what we are showing in society isn't a lie nor a façade but a truth to ourselves, for the time being."
"Solid argument Miss Ganger." Narcissa laughed
"Of course." Hermione laughed as well. They had arrived at the door to the box, an Auror was standing guard. He quickly moved aside for the couple. Hermione turned to and gestured to the open doorway; "After you my lady."
"Did you see this shit?" Hermione ranted as she stormed into Narcissa's office, the Daily Prophet clutched in one hand and her briefcase in the other.
The blonde witch looked away from her notes and up at the Hermione. The brunette despite her attitude looked very beautiful, her long curls running free along her shoulders. She wore black tailored trousers and a pleated crisp white business shirt. The blonde made a mental note that her influence in Hermione's wardrobe choices were becoming evident in most recent months, gone were the days of cargo pants and tank tops for the office.
The brunette placed the paper in front of the blonde as she sat down in a huff. "This is absolutely pathetic."
"Hello to you too." Narcissa smirked
"Sorry." Hermione muttered stood reaching over the desk and planting a solid kiss on the blonde's mouth. "Hello."
"That's better." Narcissa murmured.
"That freak Rita needs to be fired." Hermione fumed, resuming her seat. She gestured to the paper that Narcissa still hadn't eyed. "How can she get away with writing all that crap?"
"It's just her job." Narcissa shrugged.
"Her job? To suggest that you are using me and our supposed friendship for your own gain?" Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That you're intentions are to restore the most ancient house of Black, back into society and what better way to do it by establishing connections in the upper echelons of the Ministry?"
Narcissa cocked her head to the side and smiled. She decided she loved seeing Hermione get protective of her.
"That maybe my intention all along." Narcissa teased.
"Cissa, it's not funny." Hermione admonished. "Why are you being so cavalier about this? You haven't even read the article yet."
"Of course I've read it." Narcissa waved with her hand. She shifted in her seat slightly. "Darling, as you have said, people will talk whether it is the truth or not. What matters is, what is true to us and to those that we associate with, whom know our truth."
Hermione nodded her understanding.
"Though I do find your protectiveness very appealing." Narcissa smiled across at the brunette knowingly. "There are better times to bite, my love."
"You are right." Hermione reasoned. She had hardly ever read the Daily Prophet and would often scoff at the people that did. However, she could not avoid it as Kingsley had showed her in their morning briefing. Though the Minister's stance was the same as Narcissa's, he could not reassure Hermione that she did not need to pay the Daily Prophet a visit.
"Of course I am." Narcissa laughed.
"She better watch out when the time is right for me." Hermione warned. "I'll bite her and her career in half."
"As I'm sure you will." Narcissa briefly smiled sardonically at the younger witch.