A/N : I own nothing, this is an amended chapter 3, enjoy!
Chapter Three
Narcissa woke early the next day, she lay in bed trying to drag out the morning. Having nothing planned added to her lethargy, in an uncharacteristically childish act she violently thrashed about under the covers out of sheer exasperation, defeated she got out of her bed and went for a shower, feeling invigorated she dressed quickly and simply and headed out into the vast house.
Her first stop was the library, it was a depressing sight that made her heart ache, the ministry had been through here like a force ten hurricane, anything containing any mention of dark arts had been removed, some of them she could understand, others she mourned, yes they had contained questionable subjects, but they were ancient and had been in her family for generations.
Wandering through the shelves she would stop occasionally and tidy up some of the piles, she could have sorted it out in an instant but the thought of then having to find another task to occupy her mind did not appeal.
As she tidied she thought back to the slightly awkward, albeit, short trip to her Aunt's house, talking to Potter made her realise just how much she needed alternative human contact, figuring that if he was choosing to stay in that old house, all was not well at home with the ginger weasel, and that had piqued her interest.
The next day was pretty much the same, the fierce determination to stay busy helped fend off the cabin fever. An owl caused a brief distraction, apparently the ministry no longer had any need for her, they were satisfied that she wasn't a threat, but might call on her should anything come up, she wondered if Potter had anything to do with it, that thought brought back the unwelcome weight of loneliness, yes there were several Aurors around, but they were only bothered about their duty. At the beginning she even tried to play the hostess, offering two young men a drink, she stopped doing this soon after because out the corner of her eye she saw them checking the drinks for any sign of tampering, she said nothing at the time but felt hurt by it later.
On the fourth day, the weather broke, gone were the grey clouds with their never ending supply of rain, there was blue sky, white clouds and the sun was giving its best. She tracked down the Auror in charge and requested a trip to Diagon Alley, eventually they were ready to leave, Narcissa was doing her best to keep her anger in check, she failed to see how it could possibly take an hour for them to be ready to leave.
They Flooed into the Leaky Cauldron, she held her head high as the patrons turned to see who had entered, the volume of chatter dropped to conspiratorial whispers, a few furtive glances were shot her way, nothing could touch Narcissa, she wore her status like the thickest dragon hide.
Stepping into the alley behind the pub, muted chatter from Diagon Alley could be heard, she tapped the bricks and stood back as the archway formed and strode forwards, heels clicking on the uneven cobbles.
Life had returned here for the most part, Gringotts looked like nothing had ever happened, Ollivander's had reopened, Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour was also open, there wasn't a single destroyed store front to be seen, her eyes travelled to the Weasel twins' joke shop, it was such an eye sore, but as only one of them survived the war, part of her was glad to see it still going.
She spent a few hours browsing but not buying, as she contemplated calling it a day, a group of witches passed and made no effort to mask their hate towards her, she gripped her wand tightly inside her robes, the Aurors intervened and she conceded that it was indeed time to return home.
Almost a week later, the often austere lady was desperate for a reason to get out, she thought about Potter's offer, but needed a good reason to act upon it. Sitting in the library, early evening was approaching, she had a large book open in front of her but was looking straight through the page, she didn't even know what the book was, it was picked up at random and the page was selected in a similar fashion.
One word jumped off the page 'Elf' without much thought the blonde sat up straight and called one word into the empty room 'Kreacher' with a loud pop he appeared.
"Mistress, what can Kreacher do for you?" She thought for a moment before responding
"Where is Potter?"
"The young master is at home miss"
"Home with the ginger weasel?"
"No mistress, the young master is at home, I don't know where the blood-traitor is"
She thought hard about what to ask the elf, he was surprisingly free with information regarding the wizard he was now bound to.
"Has he eaten?"
"No, Kreacher worries about his master"
"Why are you telling me all this Kreacher?"
"The Master spoke to Kreacher after you left Mistress, he was very adamant that Kreacher was to obey Mistress Black"
"In that case Kreacher, go to my kitchens, prepare some food and bring it home, I will go on ahead, perhaps some company will help his appetite, I know it'll do wonders for me"
The elf bowed to the floor before he disaparated, Narcissa headed to the ornate mirror on the wall and fixed her hair with a few deft wand movements, she always looked immaculate and had a knack of making it look effortless, she turned on her heel and strode over to the fire place, seconds later she stepped out into the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place.
She dusted herself down and set off into the house to track down Potter, slipping comfortably into the role of hostess, she headed straight up to the living room, he was sat in front of the fire reading the paper, it fell limp as he spotted the woman stood in the doorway, she was a fine example of pure-blood heritage, haughty and arrogant, she didn't want to appear unapproachable, but she needed to hide her vulnerability and lonliness, at least for now.
"Evening Mr Potter, I hoped you would be willing to have dinner with me"
"Miss Black, an unexpected pleasure, dinner would be great, I hadn't even thought about it"
"Excellent! I requested that Kreacher enlist the help of some of my elves"
"Um, great, do the Aurors know you've left?"
"No, and they won't notice I've gone, I think I scare them"
Just as she was about to admonish the man for the smile creeping onto his face, Kreacher appeared and summoned them to dinner. The kitchen looked so much better that when she last visited, the place had been well cleaned, the pots and pans shone in the muted light of the fire, the large table now looked like a well used antique, she set herself down at the table, Harry sat opposite and poured them each a glass of wine, they ate in silence, occasionally praising the elves for a damn fine meal.
Harry hadn't eaten properly for the longest time, he wasn't sure what to make of the woman opposite, but it was miles better than eating a meal alone. He refilled the wine glasses for a third time, having both agreed that they couldn't possibly eat any more, the table clears, leaving the 2 glasses and the remains of the bottle.
Harry asked if Narcissa had ever played any card games, she just shook her head, he got up from the table and retrieved a pack from one of the drawers, he knew Sirius kept a deck, it was something to do when he was stuck in the house with only a few passing Order members for company, shaking off a touch of melancholy, he returned to his seat.
Narcissa was a fast learner and poker is the game of choice, in less than an hour she had it down and Harry was equally impressed and jealous of her poker face, several hands into another game he had taken to sitting on his free hand, its tendency to stray up to the back of his neck gave him away all the time, he should have known better than challenging the ice queen to a game that could be won by the opponents ability to keep a straight face.
He threw his cards down in disgust, and held his hands up in surrender, he smiled at the woman, he wasn't a sore loser, but there were only so many crushing defeats one person could take before all the fun was sucked from it, had they been playing for cash, Harry would have had to hand over the key to his vault at Gringotts.
"Sorry for barging in the last time" she smiled at the young man opposite, he goes a little red
"It's fine"
"So, Why are you back here Potter? Trouble at home?" he clenched his jaw and in the dim light he looked tired and older than his years, she felt a strong surge of sympathy for him.
"I just, it's not, I'm not ready to talk about it, sorry"
"Sorry Potter, if you ever want to talk, I'll listen" he nodded but didn't meet her eyes
Unsure of what to do or say but feeling the need to comfort the man, she reached across the table and gently squeezed his shoulder and that seemed to do the trick. She retracted her hand and he lifted his head, the grateful smile changed the way he looked dramatically, the ice queen melted a tiny amount and returned the smile.
"I suppose I better get back, wouldn't want Kingley's minions getting in to trouble"
"Thanks for the food and company, remind me never to play you at cards ever again"
"It was most pleasant Potter, this should keep me sane for a while longer"
"We should do this again sometime" she nodded and with a last, lingering look, stepped back through the fire.
She stepped out of the flames back into her library, she adjusted her clothing and stood facing the mantle, a small cough from behind startled her and she span round, coming face to face with a very angry looking Auror.
"Miss Black, may I ask where you have been?"
"I have just spent a few hours in the company of Harry Potter"
"He will confirm this will he miss?" she didn't care for this obnoxious man's tone, she stood to one side allowing him access to the fire.
"By all means contact him, don't mind me" she narrowed her eyes at the man and he quailed slightly under her intense gaze
Narcissa walked into the middle of the room leaving the irritating little jobsworth to check she wasn't lying, she can hear him talking but not what's being said, another small cough from behind her and she turned to face the man once more, blue eyes blazed dangerously, she enjoyed the feeling of satisfaction as the odious little twerp squirmed under her cold gaze.
"Terribly sorry about the misunderstanding Miss, Mr Potter says that you are free to travel to his place of residence whenever you like Ma'am"
"Very well, then I bid you goodnight" she turned on her heel and marched from the room, had she looked back, she would have seen the man visibly sag before he mopped his brow with a tatty looking handkerchief.
Back in the sanctuary of her room, she sat at the dressing table, she opened a few drawers and pulled out a quill, parchment and ink pot, for the next few minutes not a sound could be heard except for the scritch and scratch of the quill, satisfied with the letter, she folded it neatly, sealed it with wax and summoned an elf to post it.
She sheds her clothes, moves to a chest of drawers and after a quick rummage, she selected a demure silver silk nightdress, shivering slightly as the cool material clung to warm skin, the deep pile carpet always felt nice on her bare feet, she headed into the bathroom and returned after a short time. She threw back the covers and climbed into bed, once the lights were out and she had made herself comfortable, she let out a sigh, by merlin, she despised sleeping alone.
After what had been, arguably the best nights sleep in living memory, she was annoyed to be roused in such an unforgiving manner, a persistent screeching and clawing was coming from the large bay window, leaving the warm cocoon of her bed, she summoned a robe before throwing open the curtains. Severe yellow eyes stared into surprised blues, the Eagle Owl was a beautiful, majestic sight, she hurriedly opened the window, the bird glided to a perch on the opposite side of the room, Narcissa collected some owl treats on her way over, feeding the owl, who hooted softly in appreciation, she carefully removed the package from its offered leg.
The bird stretched out its impressive wing span with a rustle of feathers and in one fluid movement alighted from the perch and sped away through the open window. Narcissa poked the parcel with her wand and it returned to its original size, carefully she opened the top of the parcel 'Perfect!'
After getting dressed she flitted from room to room, there was no clear goal in mind, just keeping busy, lost in thought her hand gripped the next door handle, as she moved to open the door a sweet voice called out her name, frozen in place with the handle part way down, she gently released the handle and stepped slowly away from the door, Bella's distinctive cackle echoed through the hallway, with her heart in her mouth and breath coming in desperate gasps, she fled to the main hall, with jangling nerves she walked straight into the library, the bright, airy room does much to calm her, the sudden appearance of Kreacher does exactly the opposite.
She brought her hand up to her chest and splayed her fingers over her thumping heart, a few deep breaths and she was adequately calm, she faced the elf, head tilted questioningly, the creature bowed deep before talking.
"The young Master was wondering if Mistress would care to join him for dinner tonight"
"Tell him it will be my pleasure" inwardly she cringed at the eagerness in her voice and hoped the elf wouldn't notice.
Kreacher took his leave, feeling strangely elated, Narcissa grabbed a book and settled into her favourite chair next to the fire, covering her bare feet with her long robes, she struggled to get engrossed in the weighty tome, her mind wandered constantly, after a few hours she gave it up as a bad job and took herself off the liquor cabinet, she spent her time carefully selecting a few choice bottles, it seemed only fair to provide after dinner drinks.
As late afternoon came round she went to get ready, deciding on tying her hair into an elaborate French plait, the issue of what to wear was a lot more difficult than she had imagined, she wanted to look alluring, but not desperate, and most of all, avoid looking like a mother figure at all costs, playing it safe, she chose a figure hugging dress that matched her eyes, a small amount to make-up was applied, just to highlight certain aspects of her face, she was always told that she was blessed with her looks, staring in the mirror, she was pleased with the result.
She picked up Potter's thank you present and headed for the fire, only stopping briefly to instruct an elf to deliver the selected drinks to the living room cabinet in Grimmauld Place.
The kitchen was warm, mouth watering smells were coming from the oven, surprisingly, Harry was in charge of the cooking, he turned to greet her, his eyes widen at the sight.
"Wow, you look great" zero to awkward in less than a second, he cleared his throat "Make yourself at home Miss Black, Kreacher has been helping me, but I wanted the effort to be mine"
"Narcissa"
"What? I mean excuse me" his hand moved to his neck, the woman just smiled politely at him
"You may call me Narcissa, if that's OK Harry"
"Oh, Yes yes" his face splits with his boyish grin, Narcissa felt an unfamiliar flutter in her stomach
He turned back to the stove and she sat at the table idly thumbing through the most recent copy of the Daily Prophet, nothing caught her eye, the paper had gone downhill during the run up to the war and after that hardly anyone trusted it. She's dragged away from the gossip columns and Agony Witch help page by the appearance of plates and cutlery.
Dinner was a pleasant affair, small talk flowed easily between mouthfuls, several times she caught him looking over, his eyes looked a little darker, no need to worry about being seen as a mother substitute after all, once dinner was over, it was Harry who suggested heading up to the living room.
She settled down on a chair by the fire, legs tucked beneath her, she rested her head on her hand as Harry retrieved glasses and drinks from the cupboard. Over the next few hours they chatted about growing up, Harry recounted his time with the Dursley's and discovering magic, she listened intently, hanging on every word, his muggle upbringing equally as interesting as her pure-blooded one.
An unspoken rule kept all talk of the war off the table, as the drinks flowed and the talk of Hogwarts escapades increased along with the laughter, the clock struck midnight, she uncurled herself from the chair, shook the pins and needles out of her legs, as she moved to stand she staggered, drunk, a warm arm encircled her waist, green eyes laced with concern.
"Stay, please"
"I can make it home" her voice was steady, the same could not be said for her legs
"It's OK, you can have my room, I'll even make you breakfast"
"How can I argue with an offer like that, please lead on Mr. Potter"
The unsteady duo made it slowly up the stairs and along the corridor, she held the wall for support and the bedroom door creaked open, the room is sparsely decorated but clean.
"Thanks, such a gentleman"
She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek, he stood stock still, mouth open, he held his cheek like he'd just been slapped, the door swung closed and clicked shut, leaving the stunned man standing alone in the hallway
"Still sleeping alone" she chuckled "I suppose it could be worse."