Chapter thirteen – Ask Me Questions…and I'll tell you no lies

The sun seeped through the windows and Narcissa felt her eyes flutter open. Her face was half concealed by the pillow that she was laying her head upon.

Narcissa felt suddenly disorientated, where was she? She sat up and tried to take in her surroundings. She was in Andromeda's guest bedroom. The twin bed next to her was empty. Narcissa heard a childlike laugh from downstairs. She gathered that Draco was with the Tonks family. Narcissa sighed and ran her fingers through her bed-headed blonde waves. She got out of bed and opened her suitcase to find a pair of clothes. She dressed smartly as always. Not because she was pure blood witch but because she enjoyed looking presentable. She painted her lips with her signature red lipstick. She combed her hair quickly and going against everything she was taught, decided to leave her hair loose behind her.

Narcissa walked down the stairs into the hallway. Narcissa could hear voices to her left so she headed down into the kitchen. Narcissa was greeted with a situation she believed she had never seen before. A happy family, sitting at a small breakfast table in a bright sunny kitchen. Her son sitting happily between them. Narcissa could not remember when she had seen him in such a happy scene. Narcissa smiled at the doorway. It was Nymphadora who was first to realise she was their.

"Good morning Aunt Narcissa"

Andromeda turned around to see her sister.

"Cissy come and sit down"

Narcissa mumbled a 'good morning' and a 'thank you.'

She sat between Draco and Andromeda. Narcissa gave her son a kiss on his head and turned back to the family.

Narcissa had never experienced such a joyful breakfast, Draco's chattering was not dismissed by everyone, save Narcissa as it usually was but they were interested in what this three-year-old had to say. Or at least they pretended to be interested. Which must be good enough.

"Annie, did you cook that?" asked Narcissa putting her knife and fork together

"Yes I did?"

"Goodness, what happened, last time we had to cook was when you were fifteen and I was ten, you made burnt toast, remember how black it was"

"Oh yeah, and Sirius tried to make spaghetti" Andromeda laugh

"Oh I remember that what did he call it…'Sirius surprise' or something?"

Andromeda laughed, her husband Ted smiled at her

"And remember Bellatrix tried to make that salad and she thought she had to put it in the oven" said Andromeda

"How could I forget, it stank the house out"

"Nothing was worse than 'Sirius Surprise' though was it?" said Narcissa disgustedly

"It tasted like one of those terrible potions I made in Hogwarts"

The two women laughed in the memorabilia. Draco was looking curiously at his mother, he had probably never seen her laugh like that, perhaps with Frankie but even that was never with this hysterical giggling.

Andromeda and her husband had gone out to work. Narcissa had promised to look after the house and keep and eye on Nymphadora. Draco was taking an afternoon nap, as all toddlers do. Narcissa sat in the living room reading a book that Andromeda had left out, she enjoyed the feeling of being welcome in a house, to spend the day in harmony, without being terrified of speaking in the wrong tone…or speaking at all.

"Aunt Narcissa" came a quiet yet confident voice. Narcissa looked up from her book. In the door way of the living room stood her niece Nymphadora, sporting vibrant lavender hair in

"Hello Nymphadora" said Narcissa. Nymphadora winced slightly but Narcissa was not sure why

"Um…Aunt Narcissa I was wondering if we could go for a walk in the garden…I wanted to talk to you"

Narcissa was sceptic towards how one may 'go for a walk' in a garden which belonged to such a small house

"Certainly, why not? It's a lovely day" Narcissa put down her book and standing up

Nymphadora wavered slightly in the doorway and looked shyly and her trainers. Narcissa walked towards the girl and placed her immaculate hand on her shoulder leading her out of the room out of the house and into the garden.

It was rather small, just an average garden, a few rather frivolous flowers which Andromeda had always liked such flowers. Still it smelt fresh and it was nice to respect the sunlight for its true beauty and not just to be out of a formidable house.

"Erm…What's your house like Aunt Narcissa?"

Some how Narcissa doubted this was what her niece wanted to talk about

"Oh…well its quite nice…it's a manor on a hill looking over a little town. Its got a large lake and some woodland areas and…" Narcissa noticed that Nymphadora was not really listening. Narcissa sighed "Its not so wonderful to be honest"

Nymphadora looked up at her Aunt.

"What…well, what…I mean…what was Mum like when she was younger"

Narcissa thought a question like this would be coming up soon. Narcissa looked down at the green grass of the garden "Its just…mum never talks about her past. She just mentioned that she was disowned because she loved Dad and Dad is muggle born. She said she had two sisters who she had not spoken to for many years. One in Azkaban and one living in a Manor with her son and husband."

Narcissa looked around the garden while she thought of what to say. She saw a bench half hidden under winding ivy.

"Come on lets sit down…I'm not sure how much your mother wants you to know but I will answer any questions you have…it's the least I can do" said Narcissa her voice stuttering slightly however, as she had not paid any attention to Nymphadora in the twelve years of her niece's life she thought she should start to be the doting Aunt…it was nothing compared to how good Andromeda was being to her.

"The thing you need to know Nymphadora is that…"

Nymphadora winced again. Narcissa smirked "What's wrong?"

"Sorry I just hate my name…its ridiculous"

"I'm afraid your mother always like flowery complicated names"

"Did she?" Nymphadora said brightening up

"Yes…our whole family had complicated names. I used to hate mine"

"Why?"

"Because Narcissa is a female version of the name Narcissus. The story of the vain boy who died staring at his reflection." Nymphadora suppressed a grin "It doesn't matter…you can laugh, everyone else did…so what do people call you at school?"

"They call me by my surname, Tonks. Otherwise they call me Nymmy but I don't let anyone call me that"

Narcissa laughed

"Lots of people called or still call me Cissy. Your mother and our sister Bellatrix and our cousins Regulus and Sirius, used to pick on me calling me Cissy the sissy. I was always the good little girl who did as she was told. Unlike my siblings and cousins"

"Mum always said that her favourite cousin was Sirius" Nymphadora said softly

"Everyone loved Sirius, even when he was a disappointment to the family and you tried to confront him. He would do something funny like start singing to you or dance around the room with you until you laughed so much you couldn't breathe and you forgot why you were confronting him in the first place"

Nymphadora laughed but her tone changed when she said

"But I guess he took the joke to far didn't he, when he killed Lily and James Potter"

"No he didn't!" Narcissa said a little too sharply "I was taught to hate Sirius for many reasons but kill Lily and James Potter? I don't think so!"

"But he was Mum's closest cousin, she would know wouldn't she?"

"Yes and Remus Lupin was his best friend and he believes that Sirius betrayed them too. Sometimes it takes different types of people to see the truth. Sirius would not turn like that. I don't know what really happened but I know Sirius would never betray his friends. He gave up his family for his friends and in a family like ours, they are all you have…just as your mother gave up everything she had for your father"

Nymphadora looked guiltily down at her hands but then said strongly

"One day I will find out the truth about Sirius Black…whatever it may be"

Narcissa nodded "Speaking of which what would you like to be when you're older?"

Nymphadora sat thoughtfully

"Perhaps an auror…that could be fun…hard work but everything is…what do you do?"

Narcissa thought, what did she do? She sat at home, doted on her son and went shopping…that was it. She then realised that she had done absolutely nothing with her life. She had grown up a pampered princess with every piece of finery she could desire. Then she had married and produced an heir. After 22 years of her life she had done nothing more than that!

"I'm a full time mother and wife"

"Oh…you don't have a job then?"

"No, I got married when I was seventeen…didn't get any N.E.W.Ts"

"You left school for that bastard!" Nymphadora burst out. Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "Er sorry" she blushed. Narcissa laughed

"So your mother told you all about Lucius and I? Well…I was never as brave as your mother. I was sent into an arranged marriage and I suppose I looked at it as a wonderful romantic adventure. Lucius was handsome…I was young and pretty. He was rich, he had so much to offer me. Besides I had been told since I was eleven years old that it was my duty to marry who my parents picked out."

"So you could not marry for love?"

"No. In a family like mine one is expected to marry who they have picked for them and then, if they're lucky they can fall in love after they're married" she said matter-of-factly

"I could never do that" said Nymphadora her eyes widening

"Well it doesn't look like you'll have to…now Nymphadora, what was it you wanted to ask me?"

Nymphadora sighed and concentrated on the green grass around their feet

"It doesn't matter any more. Do you want to go inside, Mum's made cookie dough and I'm hungry"

Narcissa laughed, "She made you cookie dough for a snack?"

"Well no, to be honest I'm not allowed to eat it, it's for her baking…but she won't notice a bit missing around the edges. If you don't tell her that is" Nymphadora got up and looked at her aunt with puppy dog eyes

Narcissa shook her head "You are so much like your mother was"

Nymphadora grinned and walked over to the house.