Author's Note: Sorry it's been like an eternity (not really but it feels like it to me)! Anyway, I'm estimating that there will only be three more chapters until I'm done. Maybe four if I decide to include like an epilogue or something. I don't know yet. What do you think? We're switching back to Draco's POV!

Chapter 22

Draco stared at his mother in shock. What was going on? How did she get here, where did she come from? Why hasn't she contacted me before?

Dumbledore had finally noticed Narcissa Malfoy's presence at the doorway, but he did not have his usual all-knowing twinkle in his benign eyes. He actually looked a bit bewildered. Snape got up from his seat and rushed over to Draco's mother. They spoke in hushed tones for a few moments before Snape turned and nodded at Dumbledore once and whisked her out of the room. After Snape and his mother had gone, Dumbledore continued to eat as if nothing had happened. It was the students cue to do the same. But the Hall was still uncomfortably quiet and whispers and murmurs fluttered throughout the room, and Draco felt Harry grab his hand supportively.

Draco stared at their joined hands on his lap, not wanting to look up and see his classmates' faces. He knew that they were all sneaking peeks—if not blatantly staring—at him and he did not know how to deal with them. Hell, he hardly knew how to deal with himself right now. He felt a small squeeze on his shoulder and he looked up to see Snape looming over him. "Draco," he said quietly, motioning towards the door. "Dumbledore's office." Draco nodded slowly at him, too numb to speak. Harry gripped his hand tighter.

"Are you going to be okay?" his green eyes shone with concern.

Draco gave him a tiny smile. "Don't worry about me, Harry. I'm a big boy and I can take care of myself. Besides, you need to look after Becca," he teased softly; trying to fool Harry into thinking that he was fine. He took the doll back from an unusually hushed Blaise and gently laid her down next to Harry.

Harry didn't look convinced and his eyes showed no relief. But he let Draco's hand go reluctantly and picked up Rebecca. "Well… Okay." He bit his lip hopefully. "Can I come?"

"No, Potter. This is a matter between Dumbledore, myself, Draco and his mother," Snape piped in, shooting a disapproving glare towards Harry. The other boy turned to Draco looking like a crushed puppy.

Draco squeezed his shoulder lightly. "I'll be fine, Harry. Just stay here." Harry nodded, rocking Becca tenderly in his arms. Draco looked up at Snape. "Let's go," he said, attempting to keep his voice from trembling. He shot another glance back at Harry as he walked towards the doors, trying to shut out all of the other students staring and pointing at him. He held his head up high and acted as if he wasn't going to see his up-until-now-missing mother whom he hadn't seen in more than a year. He acted as if his thoughts weren't fumbling around at an uncontrollably high speed inside his mind. He acted as if it wasn't a big deal at all.

His insides were churning unpleasantly as they approached Dumbledore's office. It wasn't as if Draco did not want to see his mother—he did—but at the same time, he was tremendously anxious, expecting the worst. What if she was changed? What if something was terribly wrong? What if she hadn't meant to come back for him? Maybe ignorance was bliss. Maybe he could just turn around and pretend as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred and head to class. He shook his head. It's too late for that now.

He took a deep breath and trailed hesitantly behind Snape into the office. Narcissa was already sitting in a cushioned chair, but she jumped up when she saw Draco enter the room. "Draco!" she cried, running towards him and throwing her arms around him. Draco immediately melted into her motherly embrace, his reluctance and fears melting away as well. Relief, love and euphoria rushed through him as he pressed his face against her hair. She smelled of expensive French shampoo, subtly spicy but sugary, and wildflowers. That scent had been familiar to him for so many years. It was his mother's.

When she pulled back, her eyes were shining with tears. Draco observed her silky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and tall, lean figure. She was just as beautiful as he remembered her. Narcissa ran her hands over his hair and face as if she were memorizing his every feature. Draco felt her loving fingers sweep away tears from his cheeks and realized that he was crying, too. He looked up and saw that Dumbledore was sitting calmly at his desk, waiting patiently through their weepy reunion to discuss the matters at hand. Even Snape was respecting their moment and was standing in the corner of the room. His expression was even a little empathetic. Well, as empathetic as Snape could ever look.

Draco rubbed his eyes and gently stepped out of the embrace, turning to face Dumbledore. As much as he wanted to just stand there and hold his mother for hours and hours, he needed to know what was happening. Draco looked at Dumbledore in anticipation, expecting him to go off on a rant about how it had happened and for what, and why he couldn't have just told Draco in the first place. Harry had mentioned on several occasions that Dumbledore had a tendency to play mind games like that. But Dumbledore only gazed kindly at Narcissa. "I'm just as baffled as anyone else, Mrs. Malfoy. Please, do explain." Draco raised an eyebrow, but did not say anything. He turned to look at his mother, who sighed tiredly and wilted into her chair.

"During the worst of the war, he… V-Voldemort was living at the Manor. From such close vicinities, I realized that his actions, intentions, and campaigns… they were much more vicious than I had previously believed. They were cruel and inhumane. I understood that I could not stand by such a madman. I switched sides covertly and managed to get Draco to do so as well—you know," she said, motioning at Snape and Dumbledore. They both nodded.

"But during one of the battles, I suppose it was the last, from what I've recently heard… I deliberately saved Harry Potter's life—" Narcissa paused, glancing at Draco briefly before continuing, "and he got away from Voldemort safely. After he was gone I ran around the school grounds trying to locate Draco. But—but before I did, a group of Death Eaters approached me and said that they knew I had let Harry Potter go. They said I would pay when the Dark Lord figured out what I had done. I panicked and continued to search for Draco with more insistence. I wanted to take him with me to a safe place, because I figured that if I were suspected of being a traitor then Draco's true alliance wouldn't be extremely difficult to guess. But I suppose I didn't realize that he was such a capable spy," she said, smiling admiringly at Draco and resting her hand on his shoulder.

Draco felt the glow of pride in his chest with his mother's touch as Narcissa continued with the story. "But after twenty minutes and still no sign of Draco, I realized that if I stayed much longer the Dark Lord would come for me. So I… I went someplace where no one could find me. Well, no one but my son." Snape, Dumbledore and Draco all stared at her in confusion.

"But… I couldn't find you. I looked everywhere, and you were nowhere to be found! I thought that you had—or that they—" Draco's eyes started to water again. "I couldn't find you!" he repeated dumbly.

She gazed at him with sorrow. "I had hoped that you would follow me as soon as you figured out that I was gone. I thought that you would remember. It took you a while, but I suppose you did eventually."

Draco grabbed her arms and shook her, exasperated by her murky answers. They weren't making any sense! "I didn't know where you were!"

She frowned slightly at him and freed her arm from his grasp, reaching into the pockets of her robes. "Then how did you send me these?"

Draco stared at the crumpled parchments in her hands. Astonished, he reached for them and thumbed through the pages. "My letters," he whispered, running his fingers over his own careful script. He glanced up sharply. "How could I have sent these to you if I didn't know where you were?"

Narcissa looked at him curiously and shrugged. "Your owl brought them to me. When I received the first one that said that the Dark Lord was gone and the war was over, I began to pack up my things. As I was preparing, your letters began to arrive every day. I thought—" she stopped suddenly, glancing sheepishly at him. Draco had never seen that expression on his mother's dainty face before. "I thought… I thought that if you knew where I was, you would come and find me. That we could just stay there together and start anew. So I didn't read any of the letters after the first. I unpacked my things and waited for you. I stayed put for a couple of weeks before I finally decided to come and find you instead."

Draco's mouth was dry as he tried to process the information. His mother had actually received his letters? His owl had taken them to her? His owl had known where his mother was? And where exactly was that, anyway? "Where were you, mother?" he asked slowly.

Narcissa sighed and caressed his cheek comfortingly. "The private estate in France. Remember when we went that one summer? It was ours, just ours. Not even Lucius knew about it. I thought that you would have recalled that."

Draco's eyes widened as he remembered playing in the sunny fields and running through the several glimmering corridors of their French getaway. "But I did," he whispered to himself, "I just didn't think that you would—"

Narcissa pulled him into a slightly awkward hug, their chairs restricting their grip to some extent. "I love you, Draco. Please forgive me for abandoning you without even saying goodbye." She said softly. Draco just closed his eyes and held her tighter, saying nothing. After the initial shock, he was admittedly angry and hurt and moody for many months after, wondering why she had left him and questioning her love for him. But as of right now, he was just ecstatic to have her back.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I know that this may not be the most ideal time to discuss this, but we need to put out an official statement of your reappearance. Also, about the previous charges against you for Death Eater activity, do not worry of them. Greatly influenced by the testimonies that Harry Potter had given after the war, you had been released of any charges against you prior to your disappearance." Dumbledore said serenely, not having uttered a word throughout her explanation.

Narcissa smiled gratefully at him. "I should thank him properly for that." She murmured quietly. "But thank you for easing my mind, Mr. Dumbledore. You too, Severus." She walked over to Snape and pulled him into a quick hug.

"What for?" said Snape, looking quite surprised at her display of affection.

"For keeping my son safe when I could not," she replied. Draco smiled at his godfather's still bewildered expression.

"Come, let us discuss other arrangements for you, Mrs. Malfoy. Seeing as your Manor is still under search by the Ministry, you do not have a place to stay. We will be happy to have you here, if you so choose." Dumbledore said kindly, his eyes twinkling with delight.

Narcissa nodded her head, smiling, "Yes. Thank you."

Snape motioned towards the door. "Come on, Draco. If I am not mistaken, it is time for both of us to head down to my class," he said, grimacing slightly. Draco looked around in surprise. He hadn't noticed before, but they had been in the office for the past couple of hours. Harry must be driving himself bonkers by now. As if Snape could read his thoughts, he wrinkled his nose in disgust and sneered, "And Potter probably requires your assistance with the doll. He's observably quite incompetent."

Draco smiled at his godfather's obvious displeasure with the fact that they would both be attending Marriage Sex and Family and would most likely be bombarded by an extremely anxious and worried Harry Potter. He walked towards the door. "Okay, let's go," he said.

Before he could leave, Narcissa reached out and pulled him aside. "Wait. About Harry Potter—"

Draco blushed, remembering that he had confessed his relationship with Harry in the letters. How embarrassing. But how was he to know that his mother would actually receive them? "Yes, Mother. He's my boyfriend." He said awkwardly, rubbing his neck.

Narcissa smiled a little. "I figured so. I only read one of your letters, but I'm sure all of them are frequently about him," she replied.

Draco bit his lip, realizing that she was right. "I know you probably don't like him all that much now, but I promise that you will," he said earnestly, receiving a raised eyebrow from his mother. "Harry's brilliant and sweet and compassionate, like nobody I've ever met before. He makes me feel so happy, and he could charm the pants off of anyone," he smiled slyly, thinking of the night before when Harry had literally 'charmed his pants off'.

His mother paused and backed up in surprise for a moment and looked at him searchingly. She probably didn't expect him to gush like that. Malfoys never gush. Draco looked away from her, suddenly uncomfortable. She sighed. "I don't doubt any of that, Draco. I know that he is a good, strong boy. He will protect you with everything he's got, and that's all I can ask for as a mother."

Draco beamed at her and Narcissa's eyes softened at his glowing smile. She motioned towards the door, silently telling him to go to class. He hugged her again. "I'm in love with him, Mother." He whispered in her ear. He felt his heart constrict as he thought of Harry's dazzling smile and playful disposition. "And he loves me too."

Narcissa's arms tightened around him. "If he makes you happy Draco, then I'm happy too." She said and pulled back, her eyes glimmering with genuine elation. Draco left Dumbledore's office feeling lighter than he had in over a year.

As soon as Draco had walked into Marriage Sex and Family, Harry had literally pummeled him with his body and then verbally pummeled him with millions of questions. Draco explained as thoroughly as he could while also continuously reassuring Harry that he was fine, so stop fretting! He took Harry down to his mother's new room to visit later that night. Harry was an absolute mess and was horribly nervous about officially meeting Draco's mother. He had worried endlessly and paced their room for 45 minutes before they'd come. Draco chuckled as Harry—for the fourth time—tripped and almost dropped Rebecca. Harry was so adorable when he was uneasy.

Draco tapped on her door while Harry rocked back and forth on his heels. Draco laughed and stilled him, grabbing his face and planting tiny kisses on his lips to calm him. Narcissa opened the door as Draco bestowed one last quick kiss on Harry's mouth. Harry looked dreadfully embarrassed, but Draco saw that his mother's eyes sparkled with delight.

"Hello Draco," she said, hugging him cheerfully. "And Harry Potter! What a pleasure," she chirped, pulling a wide-eyed Harry into an equally enthusiastic embrace. Narcissa let go of the astonished boy and gazed at him seriously. "Thank you for everything you have done for my son and I. We are both very lucky to have you."

Draco had the joy of seeing Harry's face turn a pretty shade of pink. "Erm," Harry said eloquently. Narcissa and Draco both chuckled.

"And is this Rebecca? Oh!" Narcissa's eyes lit up when she saw her in Harry's arms. Harry passed Becca over to her and she cradled the doll lovingly. "Rebecca," she repeated, looking up at Draco and giving him one of the brightest smiles he had ever seen. "Thank you," she said. Something about the sight of his own mother cradling their baby doll and calling her Rebecca was so touching that he felt tears welling up in his eyes. He nodded in response, afraid that his voice would break if he spoke.

He and Harry spent a good three hours sitting on the couch just talking with his mother. Harry had eventually stopped stammering and began to light up the room with his enthusiasm and charisma. Draco was quite proud of him. He had managed to be hilarious, charming and polite all at once. Narcissa was visibly impressed, and Draco had to give him props for achieving such a rare success.

Actually, Harry and Narcissa had gotten along fantastically as they chattered on about this and that. Draco saw his mother's blue eyes gleam when Harry was telling a particularly captivating story, and watched Harry's emerald ones widen as he tried to capture her every word. He even had to forcibly pull Harry away from their conversation when it was almost curfew and they had to go. Draco could not have asked for a more perfect evening. His mother was back and his boyfriend was scoring major points with her. Draco sighed in contentment as he closed his eyes to sleep, feeling Harry's fingers curl around his. His life was finally just the way that it should be.