A/N : Update!

Chapter Five

Sometime later, when morning had long broken and the bright light from outside could no longer be ignored, Narcissa woke up, she stretched, the action was elegant and catlike, she smiled at each muscle twinge, there were also a few marks, she traced across them with cool fingertips. She considered bathing but wasn't ready to wash away all of what had happened the previous night, instead she got dressed, she wore a champagne coloured silk blouse, if she were to be spending the day in the company of a certain someone, she may have considered wearing nothing else with it, the garment came half way down her thighs, leaving plenty of leg on show, denied an audience she opted just to wear her skirt again.

On her way down to the kitchen she stopped off in Harry's tapestry room, she examined the section he occupied, seemingly satisfied with what she saw, she continued on down to the kitchen. Kreacher was only too happy to provide Mistress Black with breakfast, while she ate Kreacher was tasked with getting hold of the latest edition of the Daily Prophet.

Having finished her breakfast she dabbed the crumbs away from the corners of her mouth with a napkin and sat back in her chair, in no time the familiar pop, signalled the reappearance of the house elf, he passed Narcissa the paper and shuffled around the kitchen to make his Mistress a drink, after he was satisfied she had been catered for, he left.

The paper, as expected, was filled with rumour, gossip and sensationalism, she sipped her drink and flicked through to the Agony Witch section, absorbed in stranger's tales of woe she didn't hear the front door open, she did hear the screamed protests of Walburga Black.

"Blood-Traitor, Filth, Scum, defiling the house of my forebears, traitorous blood is no better than mudblood"

The noise came to an abrupt end, a familiar sounding voice followed, "Bloody awful old hag."

Narcissa sat herself up straight, interlocked fingers rested against her lips, her steely blue gaze on the kitchen door, quietly awaiting the arrival of the newcomer, she didn't have to wait long for at that moment the door burst open and in stepped a flustered looking Ginny Weasley.

She stopped dead in her tracks, Narcissa's face remained completely impassive and she met the young witch's eye. The colour drained from the red headed girl's face, there was a hint of fear in her eyes, once the initial surprise faded it was quickly replace with anger.

"Narcissa?! What the hell are you doing in Harry's house?" she reached for her wand and pointed it at the older witch.

"That's Miss Black to you, girl" the corner of her mouth curled up into a sneer "This happens to be the home of my Aunt, you know who she is, I believe you disrespected her on your way in"

"Sirius left the house to Harry, your Aunt is just a picture on the wall"

"That's as maybe, but I have every right to be here, I am a Black"

"Where is Harry?"

"I have no idea, work perhaps, you're his wife, don't you know? If he were mine, I'd keep better track of him"

"Well he's not yours, and I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you"

Narcissa picked up her mug and smirked at the contents. During this pause in the conversation Ginny attempted to summon Kreacher, when no answer was forthcoming, she stormed across the kitchen to check in his cupboard, the blonde watched this display with much amusement, and wondered why the ginger didn't know that Kreacher now resided in Regulus' old room, how long have there been problems at home she wondered.

She fixed the irritating girl with a cool blue stare, set her cup down and called on Kreacher, he appeared with a small pop, the Weasley girl shot daggers at the older witch before turning her back to her and addressing the elf.

"Kreacher where is Harry?"

"The Master was called to the ministry"

"Why is she here?" she jerked her head in Narcissa's direction, the blonde held her breath

"Mistress Black is visiting her Aunt, the young Master is happy for her to do so, she is a daughter of the ancient and most noble house of Black"

"Thank you Kreacher" the elf gave her a look of barely concealed contempt and disappeared

She turned back to the woman sitting at the table, she was smiling at the girl, her head was tilted a little to the side like an animal with an inquisitive nature, and though her face was completely impassive, it did little to change the mood of the angry witch.

"Have a seat Miss Weasley"

"It's Mrs Potter" she spat the words out, Narcissa just continued to sit there, calm and composed

"Trouble at home? Do you want to talk about it?" the girl's wand arm visibly tensed

"There is no trouble at home, I have no idea where you get that impression"

"Yet you have no idea where your husband is, and by the look of this place, he spends a fair amount of time here, even my Aunt is warming to him" she chuckled at the last part

"It's none of your business" she hissed "He wanted to fix it up, and it's nice having property in London" she folded her arms across her chest and her jaw was clamped tight as she fought to contain her emotions.

A few moments pass, Narcissa finished her drink, all the while Ginny's light brown eyes never left the older witch, even for a second, when it became obvious that Narcissa wasn't going to say anything further, the red head broke the silence.

"So you'll be leaving then"

"Is that a question?"

"No"

"Then I suppose I shall leave, I just need to collect a few things, then I will be on my way Miss Weasley"

"What things?"

"I don't care for your tone, not that it concerns you, but I want my cloak and a few items of clothing" the look on the ginger girls face was a picture

"Y-y-you stayed the night?"

"Yes, Potter was quite the gentleman, he gave me the use of his room"

"Where did Harry sleep?" Narcissa could hear the rising panic in the girls voice

"No idea, on the living room sofa perhaps, a spare room, he didn't inform me"

Narcissa stood, drawing herself up to her full height, the screech of the chair on the tiles made Ginny jump. She strode from the room without so much as a glance in the other woman's direction. Reaching the first floor landing she summoned Kreacher, making it very clear that the blood traitor wasn't allowed inside Harry's tapestry room under any circumstance, the elf was only too happy to obey, satisfied, she continued to the bedroom, she collected a few things, and swept from the room.

Back down in the kitchen, she helped herself to floo powder and left Grimmauld place with light brown eyes burning into her back.

Stepping out of the roaring green flames the haughty blonde felt surprisingly calm, the encounter with the ginger weasel had made her anger flare, but there was no way she would let it ruin her good mood and the Lady of the manor had a lot to be happy about.

Walking out of the library she went straight into her tapestry room, she found her own place and studied the magic material up close, she found whatever it was she was looking for, with a triumphant look on her face she left the room, the door clicked shut after her.

She didn't hear anything from Harry for the rest of the day and in the loneliness and solitude of the huge manor her mind had become her worst enemy, she wondered at first, if the ginger weasel had managed to worm her way back into his heart, or perhaps their intimate encounter was a one off, a mere blip in the midst of this rocky patch in his marriage, after all, marriages took effort from both sides.

Having absolutely no idea what the trouble in their relationship actually was, didn't help her fight off the creeping doubt, she felt foolish and embarrassment burned on her cheeks, she took herself off to a spacious room at the back of the manor, it had been converted into a training room of sorts, she spent a few hours venting her unwanted emotions.

Breathing heavily, brow glistening with sweat, she surveyed the destruction, training dummies lay strewn around the space, scorched, torn, in pieces burn marks criss crossed parts of the walls and giant gouged tracks, like dragon claw marks, marked the wood floor and ceiling.

She considered leaving the mess for the house elves, but she had always found a certain serenity in the act of cleaning up after a workout, gripping her wand, her eyes drift closed, she walked around the room, her lips moved with silent incantations, after two laps of the room everything was back as it was, she briefly admired her work and left the room.

Back in her bedroom she removed her sweaty robes, scooping her hair back behind her shoulders and dislodging some rogue strands still clinging to her sweat soaked forehead, she walked into the bathroom and began to draw a bath, a heavy scent filled the steamy air, she walked into the water and slid into it's depths.

Some time later she left the warm embrace of the bath, drying herself with magic, slipping between the sheets, the cool material caressed her hot skin, she eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.

Morning arrived with a damning inevitability, Narcissa was in the process of dressing and taming her bed hair, today she let it fall, sleek and natural, it curled slightly at the ends, never as prominent as those of her sisters. Finally happy with her appearance and the floor length robes she had chosen to wear, she walked elegantly out of the bedroom and headed off in search of breakfast.

An obliging elf provided her Mistress with freshly ground coffee and toast, she picked up the few pieces of mail from the hall and walked to her desk in the library, an unexpected sight was waiting for her, the surface of her desk was covered with Daffodils, several different colour variants all aesthetically arranged, unlike many of her family members, Narcissa was not named after a star, not many people knew she was named after this flower. With her curiosity piqued, she carefully placed her carried items on the desk, ensuring the flowers weren't harmed or disturbed, she gently moved the blooms in search of clues to the origin of this impressive display. She spotted a square of yellow parchment, hidden amongst the pale yellow flowers, with clumsy fingers she broke the seal, and gently unfolded it..

Narcissa,

I'm so sorry you had to deal with Ginny the other day, work has been unexpectedly busy and I was tied up until very late.

Please come tonight, dinner will be taken care of and I have some good news for you.

Harry

P.S. Your Aunt said you may like the flowers, I'm unsure about these things.

She should have guessed, it took away all the bad feelings, being alone was like a poison and quickly corroded good thoughts and feelings, suitably elated the Lady of the house felt herself relax, she had tonight to look forward to, she would dress to impress and attempt to erase any trace of the ginger weasel from Harry's thoughts, he was hers now, and she was his, Narcissa had never been denied anything before and that wasn't going to come to an end any time soon.

Time moved in fits and starts, hours flew by only to crawl excruciatingly the next time she glanced at the clock, by mid afternoon she was pacing restlessly up and down in front of the fireplace, an Auror approached her about something trivial, she retrieved the mail she had discarded and forgotten earlier, as suspected it was mostly junk, and condemned to a fiery doom, a letter bearing the recognisable scrawl of Draco was a most welcome distraction.

Work was mentioned in only the vaguest terms, but it was going very well, the hope that he would be able to return home soon was clear in his words, he expressed a wish for them to have a nice dinner when he returned home, the idea pleased her, she hadn't really had many opportunities to get to know Draco's lovely wife.

She toyed with the idea of inviting Harry along as her plus one, a married man and Draco's boss, it would be fun, but possibly not the smartest move. Time seemed to be behaving itself again and Narcissa settled down with a well read book, lost in the words she was shocked to hear the clock chime six, placing the book down, she sped up to her room. She wasted precious minutes selecting a slightly more scandalous set of underwear this time, she adjusted her stockings, attached all the clips and pulled up the silk panties. She wasn't happy with the bra, well she was, it moulded her perfectly, but it was visible through her dress so the bra lay discarded on the bed, she slipped into a blood red gown, split tastefully down the skirt showing of a shapely leg, the plunging back and neckline left little to the imagination, but it hugged her figure and gave the impression her pale skin glowed.

The look was finished with a pair of strappy heels and a delicate application of makeup, a fine red shawl lay draped across her shoulders, the material almost sheer, looking at the result in the mirror, she smiled to herself and headed to the fireplace.

Expecting to walk out into a hot and busy kitchen and being met with quite the opposite left the woman standing confused, treading the familiar route up to the main hallway and climbing the stairs, she headed to the living room, a feeling of deja vu, his unmistakeable figure stood staring out of the window to the street below.

"You came, I wasn't sure if you would" she can feel the relief in his voice

"I wasn't sure myself" the lie rolled off her tongue so easily, she was no pushover

"I am so sorry about, well, you know" he averted his eyes and looked down at the carpet, she reached out and gently grasped his chin, she lifted his face up and looked into his eyes.

"It's in the past, maybe you can tell me what's going on?"

"Later, I promise, I don't want to spoil tonight" she felt warm as his eyes travelled over her body

"Very well. See something you like Potter?" It's his turn to feel the heat, the blush was almost instant

"You look beautiful Narcissa" she already knew but still liked hearing it, especially from him

"You look pretty handsome yourself Potter" he's dressed in a simple, well fitted black suit

"Tonight I would very much like to take you out, I have pulled in a few favours to make it special"

"Out? You mean in public? But..." grinning broadly he closed the gap between them and took her hand

"Trust me" he kissed her soft red lips and she let out a shuddering breath and just nodded her head.

He put his arm around her waist and they apparate with a pop. Appearing in a posh looking part of a city, no one noticed the couple, he reached for her hand and led her across the street, they head towards a fancy looking building, there are people queueing to get in and the line of people is so long the end can't be seen.

Harry walked them both up to the door and gave his name to the doorman, they are instantly admitted. A young usher led them through the plush interior to an ornate booth, upholstered in rich leather, Narcissa allowed herself to be helped into her seat and her date settled down across from her, the young woman made a note of Harry's drink request and scurried off.

"Impressive Potter, but what if someone recognises us?"

"I told you everything will be fine" he smiled and waited for the penny to drop, her blue eyes darted around the room.

"This is a muggle restaurant?" Harry nodded and Narcissa relaxed a little

The wine arrived, Harry popped the cork and poured them each a generous measure, they clinked their glasses and enjoyed a taste, it wasn't bad for muggle wine, probably a fine example, she praised his superb choice.

"How did you pull this off?"

"A muggle-born at work owed me a favour and he knows the owner"

"You've set the bar quite high, I will have to see what strings I can pull for next time"

"I have to ask, where are you keeping your wand in that dress?"

"A woman never reveals her secrets, you'll have to use your imagination" she gave him a sly wink.

He passed her the restaurant's extensive and exotic menu, so many choices, and everything sounded divine, she started with a salad, then a main course of fish and chocolate cake for dessert, Harry chose a meaty starter and a mixed grill for his main, quite the carnivore, and also picked the cake.

The order was noted and menus were removed. Narcissa sat back and crossed her legs under the table, as she watched the handsome man opposite she gently ran her foot up and down his leg, he looked at her with hungry green eyes and an adorable grin on his face, his gaze dropped and when they stay lowered she smiled in spite of herself, the man is still a boy apparently.

"Potter" no response "Potter!" embarrassed green eyes met blue eyes shining with amusement "Oh, there you are, my face is up here by the way" he was so easy to embarrass, he mumbled an apology. She took his hand and leant in close, her voice seductively low

"I love that you love my outfit, I wore it for your benefit after all, but I was hoping for some conversation this evening" she grabbed his tie and pulled him into a kiss "You said in your note that you had some news?"

"I did, I mean I do" his eyes slowly drop again, she rolls her eyes

"If you can avert your eyes from my chest for just a moment please tell me, you will have the opportunity to enjoy my choice of clothing later, you may even find where I keep my wand"

The poor man almost choked on his mouthful of wine, she reached across to pat his back and the coughing subsided, he took a small sip of water from the jug provided and after wiping his streaming eyes, was able to continue talking.

"Draco is coming home, I'm happy that he's completed his task and I owled him this morning"

"That's great news" Narcissa's face positively lit up

"That's not all, I have finally got rid of an irksome wizard in my department, I wouldn't be surprised if he was related to Filch, well, the only logical choice for his position is Draco, so I will be promoting him very soon, but you aren't allowed to tell him"

"You've done so much for us, you honestly don't have to"

"I may be the department head, but I still have to put forward my recommendations, I picked my best, and Draco came out on top, I don't want his colleagues thinking he's getting preferential treatment, he's just the best at what he does" he smiled and adjusted his glasses. There are no words to express her gratitude, so she kissed him fiercely instead.

The starters arrived, glasses were topped up, the salad was crisp and fresh, they talked about everything and nothing, the main courses arrived, they shared their food a little, the young waitress returned to take away the empty plates and Narcissa requested that the dessert is brought out as one large serving with extra cream and two spoons, the girl nodded and hurried back in the direction of the kitchen.

Leaning back once more, the blonde witch adjusted her dress for her captive audience of one, and resumed running her foot gently against Harry's leg while they waited for dessert to arrive, he emptied the second bottle of wine between their glasses with a slight unsteadiness in his arm.

Dessert finally arrived, a veritable mountain of chocolate and cream, Narcissa grabbed a spoon, and offered Harry a sizeable mouthful, having succeeded in getting a large amount of cream right on the end of his nose, her giggles became raucous laughter, his expression remained deadpan as he finished his mouthful and cleaned his nose with a moist napkin, he narrowed his eyes and picked up the other spoon.

"Now Potter, it was an innocent mistake, don't do anything rash"

"I wouldn't dream of it" the gleam in his emerald eyes said different.

She opened her mouth trustingly and was surprised to get a mouthful of cake and cream, some of which was left on her lips, before she can lick them clean he claimed them in a kiss ,taking it for himself, she purred her approval, the cake is finished off in this fashion, she was thankful for the wine and romantic lighting, there was no way she would behave like this normally, but this was far from normal, and most importantly, she just didn't care.

With the meal finished they headed home, there were less people about at this time of night and once out of sight Harry apparated them back to the house.

Once inside and back in the living room, she pushed him back onto the sofa and straddled his waist.

"Thank you for a wonderful night" her lips brushed against the shell of his ear, she could feel him shiver beneath her

"My pleasure" the words came out as a croak, he looked like he wanted to say something, she placed a finger on his lips.

"We can talk about Ginny tomorrow" she whispered

"Ginny who?"

"Very good Potter, now take me to bed."