Narcissa looked around her, making sure she had not been followed by any of those filthy bloodsuckers. Preparing herself, she entered Grimmauld Place, its dark foreboding looming before her like some terrible phantom. She knew that it would be warded against the very suggestion that her DNA had entered it, so she threw up a shielding charm and clicked open the always unlocked front door. It was so quiet, aside from the scurry of furry intruders. The walls seemed to stretch out and curve into sinister dark corners, leaving room for the monsters of the imagination to leer through the black. Narcissa coughed and pulled herself up taller, her long platinum blonde hair falling down her back and curling around her hips. This would have to work, she prayed it would. She coughed again and into the dark commanded;
"Dobby!"
There was no resounding crack, no meek serving elf before her. So she tried again;
"Dobby! Please! I know you can hear me! I was your mistress once!"
Still no sounds came from the house. Narcissa felt her shoulders slouch, she had no other plans to find Harry Potter's whereabouts. And she needed him. Draco did not know where he was, and although she highly disapproved of the acquaintance, deep down she was happy that her son had joined the winning side during the wars, and also found someone to help him where she could not. Draco was a strong boy, but he needed someone there for him, and solely him, taking care and- dare she say it – loving him for who he was and not his titles. Narcissa had never had that love and trust, not even with Lucius, and now the fruits of her meagre existence were finally rotten to the very core. She felt nothing for Lucius now, the loving she thought she had felt turning into a bubbling cauldron of pure hatred. How dare he embarrass her before the others? Throw her to the ground like some despondent pup! She was Narcissa Black, from the ancient family of Black. She was no man's lapdog!
While her thoughts ran through her mind of the life she had led with Lucius, the crack of a house elf was heard, far off to her, like in another world entirely. She felt a tug on her robes and looked down to where a small, fat, female house elf stood. The eyes were huge and rimmed red from crying. Narcissa envied house elves freeness of emotion, the way they could, if they chose to, cry forever and always feel the pain of loss. The elf bowed ungracefully and looked even sadder than when it had first appeared.
"Mrs, I am Winky, Dobby cannot come any mores Mrs, because Dobby is…Dobby is…"
Winky let out a high, screeching wail and fell to the ground her face buried in the musty carpet. Weeping loud, unrepressed tears, she continued.
"Dobby is dead, Mrs. The Miss Bellatrix killed Dobby years and years ago. But Winky still cries for Dobby Mrs, Winky loved Dobby! Dobby was kind to Winky after the World Cup, Dobby took Winky to Hogwarts and gave Winky a job. And Winky never had a chance to tell Dobby how thankful Winky was for freedom, because Winky never expected…"
Her tears were making a wet patch in the carpet, and Narcissa could not stop them. She felt her heart bleeding for this poor wretched creature at her feet and, without thinking, knelt down and held the frightened little elf in a tight and warm embrace, as if she were a child who had scrapped her knee and needed a mothers love to heal the wound. The noise died down and Winky realised that she was being comforted by a known witch, one who had been on the bad side when the fighting came. But Winky simply hugged back, feeling, as all house elves do, that this witch needed support as much as she did.
"Winky will do for the Mrs whatever she asks, free of charge! You are a good Mrs, and kind, like the saviour himself!"
She smiled a wet and dribbling smile and Narcissa wiped her tears with a corner of her robe. She had never had this kind of connection with Draco, which made her displays of motherly warmth something very rare to her. She savoured every moment of it, even if it was for a servant.
"I need you, Winky, to tell me where Harry Potter is. I need to find him, it is very important. There are things afoot that need careful attention."
Winky looked sceptical, so Narcissa quickly added,
"I am not going to harm him, or lead him to any more bad people, but there are things he needs to know, and quickly."
Winky furrowed her brow and looked deep into Narcissa's pleading eyes, and Narcissa felt an icy shudder at the realisation that this elf was reading her soul. She did not falter, this needed to be done.
"Winky believes the Mrs. Winky will take the Mrs to Harry Potter, so that the kind Mrs does not get hurt. Harry Potter is with something that Mrs will not…"
Winky stopped, as if she had given away too much, and slapped herself with a harsh thud across the face.
"Winky will go now."
Winky's pudgy hand grabbed Narcissa's and in a crack like thunder they were gone.
Within moments, Narcissa was standing in a room bathed in light. There was no dirt, no dust in this shining room. As her eyes adjusted to this new source of light, she saw that she was standing in a kitchen, with cold black marble tops and shining metal sinks. It looked like a Muggle kitchen, but there was something about the smell of the place that reminded her of something. Vampire. But not quite as strong as the smell from the coven her husband had aligned with. There was something, almost warm, in the air. She could hear in the distance the wild chatter of men. Every few moments a high pitched female voice, almost like flowing silk, would pipe up and speak. Then the voices would once again become deep and male. Her ears tuned into the conversation just as the female spoke.
"I think that we are not alone, Carlisle, someone is in the kitchen."
There was the sound of wind whistling past Narcissa and she saw before her a man made of the purest alabaster, his eyes golden as a lions. Within a breath there was another man beside him, this time with dark hair that framed a perfect face, his eyes also the deep gold of the previous man. Lastly, at her shoulder, appeared a small pixie faced angel with very short hair, which seemed to bounce off her head. Her eyes shone with wonder and mirth, unusual for a vampire. That is what they certainly were, all of them. Finally, a hand touched her shoulder, but it was not the icy hand she expected. It was warm, human and soft.
"Narcissa? We weren't expecting it to be you…"
The voice was so familiar, she would know it blind. Harry Potter.
Winky coughed and Narcissa snapped into full focus, her senses tingling.
"Winky, thank you, you may go back to Hogwarts, if you like."
"Yeah, thank you Winky."
The house elf looked around the room at the three vampires and the saviour. If Harry Potter was here, and was safe, that was good enough for her. The Mrs. would be fine here with them. Winky nodded and in a crack she was gone, leaving Narcissa ramrod straight between power and ice.
"I believe you have news for us?" Came the smooth and dangerous voice of the first vampire.