A/N: Another updated chapter, hopefully improving and correcting my tense blindness (hopefully)

Chapter Four

Rising early and feeling surprisingly refreshed, she moved cautiously, anticipating post alcoholic punishment that never seemed to manifest, unwilling to question her immense good fortune, she dressed, freshening herself and her clothes with a little bit of wand work, taking care of the rest in the adjoining bathroom. Returning to the bedroom she sat on the bed and called for Kreacher, who promptly retrieved the package she had brought with her from downstairs, the room smelled of him, it's pleasant, she ordered the elf to leave the room as it is, secretly hoping that when Potter next slept in his bed, he'd smell her perfume.

Package in hand she left the room and headed to the second floor, she searched her memories for the layout of her Aunt's house, walking towards the living room, she stopped, and opened a door seemingly on a whim, stepping inside, the door is gently closed. The room hadn't been used in years by the look of it, cobwebs and dust fought for supremacy, the wallpaper was faded and peeling, she spent the next hour cleaning and repairing.

She looked at her handiwork, she was pleased, the room was unrecognisable, the plush carpet was actually coloured red, all the debris had been removed leaving the perfect space for her gift. Kneeling down she carefully removed the precious bundle, sometime later she left the room smiling to herself, she walked quietly into the living room. The grey light of the approaching dawn lightened the room enough to see, Harry was asleep on the sofa still wearing his glasses, she shook her head and removed them, placing them on the table, he didn't even fetch himself a blanket, or conjure one, the room is far from cold but still, summoning a blanket she covered him over and settled into the nearby chair.

She took a small amount of pleasure as she watched the young man sleep, his untameable hair, the famous scar, almost faded now. He stirred but it was not a precursor to waking, his eyes moved rapidly under closed lids, Narcissa leant closer, ready to wake him and offer comfort if what she suspects to be a nightmare took hold. He was talking softly, she could only make out a few words, he was back in the Forbidden Forest on the night she saved him.

Almost as soon as it began, it was over, he woke up breathing heavily, his hands reached for his face and then started searching for his missing glasses, she made her presence known as softly as possible and handed them to him.

"I hope I didn't startle you"

"No, I'm fine, just woke up with a start, was disorientated"

He rubbed his eyes hard with his hands, and ran them through his hair to no avail, he sat up and collected his wand, with a swish the curtains swung open and the grey dawn light illuminated the room, they simultaneously shielded their eyes until they adjusted to the sudden brightness.

"Sorry" he mumbled

"You were having a bad dream, you were back in the forest"

"I said something?" embarrassment and shame enter his voice

"You mentioned my sister, and here I was, hoping it was my name you whispered into the dark" she winked at him "Good job it was a nightmare or I'd feel most put out" she sat back and folded her arms across her chest.

For a brief moment she considered holding back on the slightly flirtatious comment, but seeing the crooked grin on his face made it totally worth it, a conversation like that could only benefit from the mood being lightened.

"It's a recurring dream but it never seems to be the same, I remember something different each time, sometimes it's just a sound, other times it's conversations. I recalled your sister, it sounded like she was trying to help her Lord, he just brushed her aside, I couldn't see, but it sounded like she hit the deck" Narcissa just nodded "I fully expected it to be her who would check me for signs of life, and then it was you, they completely underestimated you"

He looked at her with blazing green eyes, she met his gaze and smiled, she stood up and held out her hand to him, after watching him stare at her hand for several moments she felt compelled to offer some vocal encouragement.

"I won't bite, I have something to show you"

"What?"

"I'm not going to ruin the surprise, so take my hand, and close your eyes"

Despite the look of complete surprise and his eyebrows disappearing into his fringe he did as he was told, she carefully led him a short way down the hall and into the room she prepared earlier, she closed the door and manoeuvred him into the centre, her hands rested gently on his shoulders, she leant close to his ear, clearly enjoying this moment of power, she told him to open his eyes.

"Say something" his hand fumbled for hers and the gesture was returned "I hope you like it"

He just nodded his head. She couldn't have hoped for a better response.

"How did you manage this?" his voice came out as barely a whisper

"I know a lot of people and to some my name still carries weight, it's a small token of my thanks, and if you ever wanted to research your family, you now have all the names and dates you'll ever need, and should you extend your family, your tree will grow too"

He walked around the room, looking at the names and faces, lingering on them for mere moments until he found the spot his parents occupied, Narcissa slipped back behind her mask, just in case, it was always going to be emotional, he wouldn't want to break down in front of her and she already felt like she was witnessing something deeply personal.

Distracted by her own thoughts she didn't notice him approach, the embrace took her completely by surprise, her mask shattered, body rigid, with her mind rapidly gaining traction with the unexpected turn of events she allowed herself to relax and hugged back, breaking apart after a time, no words were said, there was no need.

Good to his word, Harry made a very passable breakfast, and was called into work, he apologised profusely for having to leave but duty called, somewhat reluctantly, Narcissa headed home.

Back at the manor she made a point to make herself known to the nearest Auror, only to be met with complete indifference. Collecting the pile of mail, she made her way through the main hall to the library, she settled herself at a small writing desk and proceeded to check through the letters, dismissing most of it as a waste of her time she recognised the handwriting on one piece, cracking open the wax seal, she is met with the familiar scrawl of her son.

The letter was largely vague, she ascertained that he was currently out of the country doing something for the Department of Mysteries, she had managed to extract some information from him, he was very good at finding items of great interest to the Ministry. The rest of the letter was personal, hoping she was well, and all the latest news from his own life, she read it several times.

After writing a suitable letter in reply she handed it off to an elf and threw the rest into the fire, she wondered what Draco would make of her burgeoning friendship with one Harry Potter, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it, for now it was her secret and she wasn't in a sharing mood.

As the weather was mild she took herself out into the vast grounds surrounding the manor, with no goal in mind she wandered aimlessly at first, then at the garden's wildest edges, she picked flowers and herbs, anything useful to replenish a few of her most used potions.

Looking up at the sky, grey clouds were rolling in from the west, a thin veil of rain could be seen on the horizon, not wanting to be caught out in it she returned to the house. In a side room next to the house's huge kitchen she skilfully shredded and cut everything down and laid them all out to dry, she washed her hands in the kitchen and fixed herself a little something to eat.

It wasn't late but Narcissa headed up to her room, she treated herself to a luxurious bath and stayed in the hot perfumed water long after her fingers had pruned, wrapped in a towel she re-entered her bedroom vigorously rubbing her hair dry, as she passed the bed her eyes fell upon a square of parchment resting neatly on her pillow

Obviously it had been placed there by an elf but she still approached it with caution, not knowing what to expect, or perhaps unwilling to get her hopes up. She unfolded it with slightly shaking fingers.

Narcissa,

I hope I haven't disturbed you, I told Kreacher to be discreet, I hoped you'd still be awake and if you wanted to join me, I'd like that very much.

Harry

There was no denying the warm feeling radiating through her, slightly flustered, she placed the note on her dresser and grabbed her wand to speed up the drying process, if anyone who knew her well could see her now, they wouldn't recognise her, cold, calm and collected, she was none of those things and the masks she wore with such ease, all thrown right out of the window. She crossed to the chest of drawers and picked out a nice set of underwear, nothing too outrageous, unsuccessfully keeping her expectations for the evening low, she reasoned that it was better to wear them and not need them, than need them and not wear them. A form flattering blouse and skirt would do, after all she was visiting on a moments notice, and her appearance would do well to reflect that.

Stepping out into the familiar kitchen the house seemed eerily quiet, doubt crept in, she shook it off as she climbed the stairs, a faint glow from the living room at the end of the hall removed anything lingering, approaching the door she could see a figure standing and staring out of the window, she pushed the door and stood in the frame waiting to be noticed, she needed to see his reaction to her being there.

"You came" he sounded surprised, he grinned broadly and she smiled in spite of herself

"Well you did invite me"

"I know but it was getting late, I thought you might have turned in" he shrugged

"I was thinking about it, you just caught me"

The atmosphere had changed, they could both feel it, he fixed her a drink, Narcissa could still feel his nervousness, if anything developed she would happily take the lead, she thanked him for the drink and pressed him for information on Draco's assignment, it was all for nothing, she expected nothing less, he was suitably apologetic, she made it clear that it was perfectly fine, her knowledge of the inner workings of the Ministry from Lucius' dealings had given her enough insight over the years

As the hour grew late and the conversation began to wind down, he made a clumsy segue into the subject of bedtime, his bedroom was still available for her, he had made a guest room available for his own needs, she nodded and smiled as they walked up to the top floor, when they reached his door Narcissa decided it was now or never, she grabbed his hands and pulled him close.

"Stay with me Potter" she purred the words into his ear "Please"

She placed a kiss on his cheek, her lipstick left a mark, she moved back to look into his eyes, there was a touch of fear in those emerald eyes, but he nodded his head, she let go of the breath she wasn't aware of holding, it seemed the feeling was mutual, he exhaled sharply. She led him to the next door, keeping contact all the while, she opened the door with one hand.

She stepped through and pulled Harry along after her, he stumbled, they collided and fell back against the door clinging to one another. Never one to pass up on an opportunity, and considering the fact their bodies were already pressed tightly together, she crashed her lips onto his, not caring about the rough stubble against her soft skin, she was in control, but he responded willingly, she deepened the kiss, breaking away only when oxygen became a very real need.

The initial rush began to wear off, it occurred to Narcissa that Lucius was the only man to have seen her naked, she felt an icy drop of fear run down her spine, as if her fears were spoken out loud, Harry kissed her, red lips parted as his fingers teased through her long blonde hair, her fears melted away as hot lips moved on to her neck, her hands travelled up his warm back, one to pull him close, the other continued to the back of his head, she gripped his black locks. After a time, she moved away and disrobed, the soft light danced on her pale skin, she self consciously covered her chest with her arm. He clumsily pulled his shirt and t-shirt over his head, the shadows made the contours of his muscles more pronounced, fully undressed, they climbed into bed.

Narcissa continued to lead, he was hesitant but she welcomed his touch, and he slowly found his confidence, their breathing was heavy, her heart was thundering, they clung to one another, he was tender and attentive to her needs, it was frantic, greedy and desperate one minute, slow and passionate the next. The inevitable battle for dominance didn't surface, the need and the want were completely mutual, both savoured what the other had to offer, neither had experienced anything like it, their foreheads touched, their eyes locked together adding to the intensity, oaths were uttered from barely moving lips, promises whispered, bodies settling, arms wrapped tight around each other, she relaxed her grip first, she wanted to be held, they shifted into a position of comfort and he was only too happy to oblige. Sleep found the pair swiftly, the lamps eventually went out on their own.

Narcissa woke as if disturbed by something, she reached over, fingers searching for contact, when the search became fruitless she couldn't help but open tired eyes, a dim light shone from a door slightly ajar, the sound of running water, muted, was coming from beyond, his side of the bed was still warm, and she unashamedly rolled into it, she felt his residual warmth on her skin, having cast off all her protective armour the night before, she would allow herself this blatant show of weakness, in a way it showed the power he had over her at that moment, possibly forever, her true feelings were laid bare, she felt that he would never use it against her and dared to believe that his feelings were just as strong.

The brightness of the light intensified for just a few seconds before the darkness returned, readying herself for his return and making sure he had to fight for that privilege, she's disappointed to get a kiss on the forehead and a whispered apology, apparently the ministry deems itself far more worthy of his time than her, huffing her displeasure, he chuckled quietly, his minty breath close to her cheek, followed by a proper goodbye kiss, which she supposed would have to do. She made herself comfortable and drifted back off to sleep.