A/N : I own nothing, I know this, you know this, but just in case some legal eagle wants to bring about my financial end, I will write a disclaimer.

Well here it is (an updated and improved) Chapter 12, I'm constantly amazed to have so many people following along with my poorly written ramblings :o) apologies as always for 'Tense Blindness'

I find your support invaluable, I appreciate every follow, favourite, review and PM, so thank you for that, hope you enjoy this next bit, I absolutely loved writing it. In fact I got quite carried away, I hope you can forgive me as it will carry on into the next chapter, I tried not to leave it hanging too much.

Chapter Twelve

Narcissa decided not to stay with her mother that night, choosing instead to return to the manor, the thought of actually spending the night in that place filled her with dread, even the idea of sleeping in the room she'd grown up in was laughable, not that there weren't many other rooms to choose from, with each step she took away from Black Manor the less she felt like a scared child, the chill wind buffeted her face, her hair flowed out behind her, with each breath she felt more like her old self, it had been good spending time with her mother but perhaps next time she would invite her to Malfoy Manor instead.

She wanted Harry, unfortunately, Kreacher had informed her that the Golden Trio were having a little bit of a reunion and she wasn't quite ready to join in with that, with a resigned sigh she headed to her bed chamber. Too weary to bathe, opting to treat herself first thing in the morning, she carefully untangled her hair, the wind had not been kind, she enjoyed the mundane act of brushing out the knots before tying her hair up loosely, she shrugged off her clothes and slipped into an unflattering pair of silk pyjamas, there was little point in making an effort only to sleep alone.

In her bathroom she adhered to her nightly rituals, she looked over at her bed as if it was somehow to blame for her having to sleep by herself, she threw back the covers and climbed in.

Sleep was an elusive mistress, she lay awake, her rational mind whispered patience, when morning came and she was rested, she would go to Harry and all would be well, her irrational mind was screaming at her to punch patience right in the face, floo to Grimmauld Place and slip into bed with the man to whom she belonged.

As she lay still trying to quiet her busy mind she thought about what the future might hold, she wasn't against the idea of remarrying, in fact it appealed more than the first time, it would be her choice and she found that empowering, but children, that was something else entirely, once Lucius had an heir all further talk of children just disappeared, secretly she would have liked a girl.

She woke up suddenly not even realising that she'd fallen asleep, judging by the brightness bleeding through the thick curtains it was still early morning. She had been dreaming, it was a good dream, as she closed her eyes she could still see a little girl with black hair and green eyes.

(Scene Break)

Hermione woke in an unfamiliar room, the bed was vast and incredibly comfortable, she had slept well, as she moved there was a tiny reminder of her alcoholic excess, nothing a cup of coffee and something to eat couldn't fix, she shuffled to the edge of the bed, standing up to stretch away the remnants of sleep, her eye was drawn to a scrap of parchment tucked under the door, she crossed the room to retrieve it, unfolding it carefully, her eyes were met with a familiar scrawl.

Hermione,

I've gone out, I shouldn't be too long, as always, make yourself at home.

Harry.

Her mind wandered to the wonderful looking bathroom, she could almost feel her body relaxing after a long soak in that massive tub, but first food and drink, she pulled on a pair of shorts and a loose fitting shirt, she searched her bag for headphones and her portable music player, she plugged herself in and selected some tunes, after tucking the small rectangular object into her shirt's breast pocket, she left the room and made her way down to the kitchen

Once in the kitchen she raided the pantry, this morning she fancied pancakes, she put the ingredients on the side next to the cooker and searched for a mixing bowl and a frying pan. The coffee was a slightly trickier problem to solve, so she resorted to magic, one percolator, freshly ground beans, milk and sugar flew from their respective hiding spots and landed neatly on the sideboard.

Lost in the music she shimmied over to the sink to run the cold tap, the coffee percolator was old fashioned and looked like part of a mad scientist's chemistry set, she filled part of it up with water, placed the coffee in place and poked the burner with the tip of her wand, yellow flames appeared and slowly the water began to heat up.

She danced back over to the mixing bowl and made a rudimentary batter, stopping briefly to forage for fruit, pleasantly surprised to find a punnet of blueberries, adding the whole lot to the mix she oiled the pan and lit the stove. She sang along to a catchy tune as she waited for the oil to reach the correct temperature.

(Scene Break)

Narcissa rose gracefully from beneath the bubble laden water, her skin coloured pink from her toes to her neck, she liked her bath hot, she breathed in the heady aroma mingled with the steam, slim fingers grasped her towelling robe and she wrapped it around herself, tying the cord tight around her middle, she flicked her hair forward, deftly, she gathered it up in a towel and secured it atop her head, she stepped out into the relative cool of her bedroom and sat down at her vanity.

Firstly the head towel was removed, holding the material firmly in her hands she frisked her hair dry, she used it's residual dampness to make styling it easier, pleased with her efforts she stood and rested her left foot on the chair, she pu;;ed an ornate handle, a drawer slid noiselessly open and she removed her favourite nail polish and carefully painted her toe nails. With her feet done she sat back down and filed her fingernails before applying the glossy red paint to them.

She shrugged the robe from her shoulders and pulled the cord loose, it fell from her and hung over the back of the chair, she crossed to her dresser and selected a classy set of red lace briefs and matching bustier, she selected a figure hugging dress from the wardrobe and laid it on the bed to make it easier to remove it from its hanger, she stepped into it and slid it up her body, pleased with the fit she picked up her wand and fastened the zip.

Narcissa walked to her full length mirror and wondered whether or not the ensemble would look better with stockings, eventually the choice was made for her as she was unable to locate the suspender belt that matched her underwear, slightly frustrated that the summoning charm hadn't brought the elusive item out of hiding. Next came the choosing of footwear, she found one of her favourite pairs of open toed heels and placed them by the door, she returned to the vanity to apply a touch of make up, nothing too extravagant, she smiled at her reflection and gently pressed a tissue against her lips to blot any excess lipstick.

She slipped her shoes on and left her room, she quickened her pace as her impatience got the better of her, she strode purposefully across the vast entrance hall and into the library, she threw a handful of floo power into the flames and moments later she stepped out into Harry's kitchen.

The sight before her caused her to stop dead, the young woman in front of her was doing something that could loosely be referred to as dancing, she was also cooking, Narcissa inhaled deeply and instantly regretted leaving her house without eating, something smelt really good.

The Granger girl remained blissfully unaware of her presence, she cast an appraising eye over her appearance, she was barefoot, the shirt just about covered her backside, she couldn't tell if she was wearing shorts or just boy cut briefs, she experienced a flare of jealousy, she was not pleased to see so much of the muggleborn on display.

Narcissa was just considering leaving when Hermione turned round with a plate in her hand, the plate fell end over end before shattering on the tiles, brown eyes widened in shock as her jaw went slack, she fumbled for the headphone cord and yanked the earpieces loose, 'oh shit' was her first thought, followed by, 'how long had she been standing there?' She could feel the hot flush rising, she knew she'd been dancing, she was grateful she hadn't been singing, swallowing hard she attempted to wet her mouth and find her voice. Without uttering a word Narcissa withdrew her wand, the repaired crockery glided gently through the air back on to the side.

"Miss Black, I had no idea you'd be visiting today, I have the house to myself, Harry has just popped out and I was going to have a bath but needed a drink and some food, so I hadn't bothered to get dressed properly, I'm so embarrassed, please have a seat, can I fix you anything?

Her voice came out a little bit higher than she would have liked and she babbled like a fool, stuttering was kept to a minimum, she extracted her wand and with a few careful flicks adjusted her clothing to something a bit more appropriate for entertaining guests. The blonde took a seat at the table, Hermione's eyes were drawn to icy blue ones, Narcissa was pleased to hear that the girl was home alone, and saddened by Harry's absence, the girl's obvious nervousness was amusing, her manners were adequate, this could be an opportunity to mend a few fences, she had no issue with being civil, she wasn't quite ready to set the young woman at ease however.

"The coffee smells very nice Miss Granger, I would appreciate a cup"

"Of course"

With slightly shaking hands, Hermione found what she hoped would be a suitable mug for the pure-blood, she even remembered to ask how she took her coffee, unsurprisingly she had it black. As she served the drinks she took the opportunity to cast her eyes over at the older woman, there wasn't a single part of her that couldn't be described as immaculate, not a hair out of place, or a crease on her dress, she assumed that she dressed with Harry in mind, but Narcissa just looked so elegant and classy, Hermione felt slovenly in her presence.

"Miss Black?" she had picked up a copy of the Prophet and was flicking through, her perfect features impassive, her chin rested lightly on her hand, she looked up to meet the source of the question. "Would you like join me for breakfast? I'm making blueberry pancakes"

"Yes please, I didn't eat before I left, I was in a hurry, will Harry be back soon?"

"I'm not sure, he left me a note, it was vague"

The young brunette managed a weak smile and was glad to have it returned, the witch went back to browsing the paper, manicured red nails beat a quiet tattoo on the wooden tabletop. She gave the batter a little whisk and placed the pan back on the heat, she was a little bit annoyed with herself for being so easily intimidated.

As the pancakes cooked and the plate beside her filled up, she hoped Harry would come home soon, at first it was a desire born from this uncomfortable situation, which would be diffused the second he walked in, but now she just wanted to see him interact with Narcissa, her curiosity outweighed everything else.

She set the plate of pancakes down in the middle of the table, and a smaller plate for Narcissa and herself, she made one last trip for syrup and cream before sliding into a chair opposite the older woman. Hermione rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the nearest fork and tucked in with gusto, as she chewed she stole glances at her dining companion, even the way she ate had a certain majesty about it. Narcissa had noticed she was being observed, it was only natural that Harry's friend would be curious, she was also interested in the young woman, as she looked over, her eyes were drawn to the ugly slur carved into the woman's arm, Bella always left an impression on those she met she thought sardonically, and how did one start a conversation with someone who had suffered so much at the hands of her family? She honestly had no idea what her sister would do, there was a chance that events would have played out exactly the same regardless, but she had recognised the girl, she had said so. At the time it had been a means to an end, success meant favour with the Dark Lord and there had been a real fear that he would kill them all. The break in at the LeStrange vault had eroded a lot of the safety net Bella provided. Now, years after that event and with hindsight, she had a burning desire to make things better, but could it be done, she wanted to win the girl over for Harry's sake, more importantly she wanted to do so without taking any short cuts.

"You are curious about me, Miss Granger, and possibly a little bit angry, you were disappointed with Harry for the circumstances of his break up, but easily placed all the blame on me" she girl moved to speak, Narcissa silenced her with a raised finger "I confess that my part in your ordeal at the manor and my lie to save Harry was purely selfish, I found out about what transpired in the room of requirement afterwards, and beyond that I rarely gave any of you a thought, don't misunderstand, I know what you did, and I'm grateful, thanks to you, I have my freedom and my son. I assure you that I did not plan any of this, did Harry mention how our paths crossed?"

Hermione just nodded, a forkful of food was suspended halfway between the plate and her mouth, surprised at the openly candid speech from the ice cold witch, she remembered the incident at Madam Malkin's, she was convinced a duel was about to break out and seriously doubted Harry's ability against the woman, instead there were thinly veiled threats, insults and snobbery. Many years had passed since then, her brain just didn't have the capacity to imagine Harry and Narcissa together.

"Our first meeting was awkward and brief, he seemed unhappy, I too was lonely, we had shared something in the forest, we were indebted to each other I suppose, I wanted the company more than anything, despite my selfish reasons we became friends, we never talked about the war if we could help it, I never asked what he'd told his friends about that night, or why he hadn't turned to them, I knew all wasn't well at home, I made the first move, I do not regret it, I feel I have a lot to prove, acceptance will not come easy, and I fear he will lose many friends for being with me, I will not force him to do anything he does not want, but I'm not just going to go away"

What on earth could she say to that? She popped the fork into her mouth and chewed

"Tell me, what happened when you tried to heal your arm?" she pointed to the mark on her arm, it was just visible, poking out from the beneath the sleeve of her shirt. Hermione was surprised by the sudden change of topic, it caught her off guard

"It hurt a lot, the wound reopened and took a long time to heal, even with the aid of Dittany" she hastily rolled down her sleeve to cover the scar, her tone suggested it was not up for further discussion

"Did you try essence of murlap? When was the last time you tried to heal it?"

"Yes, that was the first thing I tried, it worked well for the scar on Harry's hand. The last time I tried to heal it was pretty much the only time I tried, that was after our escape, when we reached a safe house"

Narcissa just nodded, Hermione looked angry and slightly disgusted with her, she couldn't blame her, she deserved the young girls' ire. It occurred to her that Bella had still been alive when she had tried to remove it, there was a slim chance that the curse may have broken, or at the very least weakened since her death. She felt like she was walking on very thin ice, she didn't want to alienate Harry's friend, or any of his friends for that matter, she would not put him in a position where he would have to choose between them and her.

"I'm sorry for what you endured at the hands of my sister, and the part I played, in her own twisted way she was only trying to protect me, we were always close, all three of us were, but as the youngest, Bella doted on me, and in turn, I idolised her. I'm not trying to excuse what she did, I assume that you know more than I about what scared her that day"

Hermione just nodded, she held Narcissa's gaze with a steely determination, the cold blue eyes looked away, the blonde believed that the girl needed the mental victory.

"Your sister was a monster"

"She may well have been, but I am not, give me your arm" perhaps it would be prudent to appear a little bit more human, she set aside her fork, smiling slightly, she held her hands out toward the brunette "Please Hermione" a flicker of shock flashed across her face as she heard her name fall from those red lips "Bella was the brightest witch of her age, I believe that title is yours now, but I know my sister better than anyone and I think I can help, I will not lie, it may hurt"

With much reluctance she held out her afflicted limb, Narcissa gripped her gently by the wrist and rolled up the sleeve, she ran her thumb over the damaged skin, she could feel Hermione's muscles tense but the arm remained in her possession, she took out her wand and rested the tip against the scar.

She recalled several counter curses, many of which were Bella's own design, she hoped that this particular curse was also one her sister had created, without being able to examine the dagger used, she could only guess. She remembered her sister being obsessed with muggle body art, long before she'd even heard about the Dark Lord and received a tattoo of her own. She had tried unsuccessfully to replicate a design on her own body using a bastardised version of the permanent sticking charm. The austere blonde witch uttered the words to the counter curse whilst tracing her wand over the letters, Hermione cried out in pain, blood ran and dripped onto the table, and then it was over, she cleaned away the blood and healed the cuts, fresh tears streaked the young woman's face, her hands were balled into fists,

Narcissa released her grip and the arm was withdrawn, the woman opposite hugged herself tightly, eyes still closed, red nailed fingers picked up the fork and poked at the remains of the food on the plate, she would wait for Hermione to regain her composure in her own time.

"Thank you" it was barely a whisper

"You're welcome, don't let it alter your opinion of me, I know you care about Harry, and I assure you that I care for him as well, it's only natural that you are wary of me and sceptical of our relationship, I wanted to make amends for what Bella did, but I did not do it so that I would win your favour, do you understand?" She nodded mutely "Good, I must say, those pancakes are quite possibly the best I have ever eaten"

"My mother taught me how to make them"

The blonde smiled warmly at her, she placed her knife and fork neatly on the plate, slid it to one side and refreshed their drinks.

"Your mother taught you well, I have experienced muggle cooking, Harry took me to a very fancy place in London for one of our dinner dates" Hermione couldn't be sure if she imagined it, but it looked like Narcissa was blushing slightly "will you be staying for the weekend?"

"Yes, Minerva insisted I had a break, what are your plans Miss Black?"

"Call me Narcissa, I was hoping to see Harry, I promised to go and see Draco later and as long as I'm welcome, I planned to come back here, now we've got past a little of the unpleasantness, I can come out of hiding, so to speak, so please don't be shy Hermione, I would be most disappointed if you didn't challenge my intentions or ask difficult questions"

Her surprisingly warm smile was eclipsed by the coffee mug as she drank deeply.

"It's a lot to take in, when he told me, albeit unintentionally, I struggled, you're just so, well just look at you, and Harry, I know he's matured, but I have so many memories of him rushing head long into situations with literally no thought processes occurring, I know opposites attract, but-"

Hermione gestured with her hands and searched for the words, her blonde counterpart laughed and she joined in despite herself

"I guess I'm just curious how it works" she ventured

"As I told my mother, I liked the buzz of being wanted and desired again" it was the brunettes turn to go a little pink in the cheeks "it was gradual, his genuine interest in me was refreshing, the vast differences in our upbringing always surprises, we are constantly learning, we play muggle card games, we talk, I can come out from behind my armour, I won't discuss certain topics, but I think he brings out the best in me, I feel young" there was a definite sparkle in those brilliant blue eyes.

"It's still a struggle to imagine Harry as the boy who turns out to be a gentleman, I know he scrubs up well, I think I'm tainted by how much time I've spent in his company, you'll be pleased to know that his bad habits are few and far between"

With the ice well and truly broken, the two women found conversation enjoyable, it was still early days but Narcissa couldn't have hoped for better, she talked a little of Hogwarts when she was a girl, and yes, McGonagall was just as strict then as she was now, she avoided talking about her sisters wherever possible, but the subject was always going to come up, apparently she could remove the physical scars but not the mental ones.

"Narcissa, can I ask you about Bellatrix, I just want to try and understand, it might help me"

"If you must" she did a poor job of hiding her dislike of the topic

"There are a few things I would like to know" Narcissa gestured for her to continue "How did she survive Azkaban? Sirius used his animal form and the knowledge of his innocence to keep himself together"

"I honestly don't know, she never talked about it"

"She was responsible for what happened to Neville's parents, I've read about Azkaban and the Dementors, even the worst criminals couldn't escape from reliving their crimes and there hasn't been a single case in which a prisoner didn't feel remorse, no one can be that evil, you even said yourself that Bellatrix was capable of love" Narcissa could feel the colour draining from her face

"All I know is that she was there and there were three others, her husband, his brother and Crouch, it never made any sense to me, why keep them alive, why leave the boy unharmed? That information died with those involved, I hope the rest of the knowledge you seek makes for a lighter conversation, now if we can move on please"

Hermione offered to refill their cups, the offer was gratefully received, an excess of caffeine was possibly not the best idea, a slightly shaking hand took the cup.

"I think I know where this conversation is going, but I will allow it"

"Sirius, she hit him with an Avada before he fell into the veil, did she really hate him that much?"

"Quite the opposite, they were thick as thieves growing up, but you need to understand what it's like to be a pure-blooded woman, your role is to marry into a respectable family and birth a male heir, my father had three daughters while his sister had two boys, my father was ashamed, he took it out on Bella mostly, she was extraordinarily talented, her power unrivalled, I would even go as far as saying that my father feared her, so he became more creative with his punishments. You must understand that I am only guessing, this is purely conjecture on my part, I therefore assume that my father would mention Sirius and Regulus while he beat her, Regulus died, only Sirius was left, she probably blamed him for her treatment at the hands of my father"

Narcissa dabbed at the corners of her eyes, Hermione had the good grace to look elsewhere as the blonde composed herself. She had gone to great lengths to forget about her father's brutality, she never imagined she would ever manage to talk about such things freely.

"This is the last thing I want to know, I'm sorry if this is painful for you Narcissa, but why was she so determined to kill Nymphadora? Dora told us that she had never even met her Aunt, Bellatrix was after her from the moment we moved Harry, on the night of the seven Potters"

"I don't know"

"Then guess, like you just did"

"Have you met Andromeda?"

"Yes, we took a portkey from her house, it was before Ted went on the run"

"What did you think when you first saw her?"

"Harry drew his wand on her, I was startled at first, but the subtle differences became more pronounced, she could easily pass for Bellatrix"

"My father never knew she was going to run away, Bella did, she caught Andi and Ted kissing at school, she was furious, but she never told our parents, once she had run away, father suspected that she knew, I think that was the point when he finally broke her, she never told him what he wanted to know, but Bella wasn't the same afterwards, my father destroyed her, Lucius' father was a great potioneer and it was only his skill that kept her alive, I found out bits of this from mother. I believe that Bella wanted to kill Andromeda because of the suffering she endured for keeping her secret. Bella never got to fall in love like Andi, she never had the chance to become a mother, Bella certainly never cared about her husband, it was a business contract and nothing more, over the years she harboured nothing but bitterness and hatred for Andi, it's safe to assume that taking Nymphadora's life would seem like a fair exchange for all that she had lost, I also think that Andromeda would have accepted her fate at Bella's hands, not only to save her daughter, but as a thank you for all the years of happiness she gained from Bella's silence"

The two women sat silently with their thoughts, Narcissa rubbed her eyes with the heel of her thumb, Hermione actually felt better, she could hardly believe the woman opposite had indulged her curiosity with such detail, she wanted to reach out to her.

"Harry is besotted with you, I asked him about you the other day and he just lit up, he and Ginny seemed so happy in the beginning, and I hate to admit it, but it pales in comparison to what I've seen recently, I think you are good for him"

What could have been a perfect moment was disturbed by the noisy arrival of a scruffy haired, bespectacled man. He looked completely surprised to see the two women sat at the table, he couldn't even feel any tension.

"Sorry I was so long, I hope I'm not interrupting anything"

"It's ok, we've just been talking, we had breakfast and coffee, where have you been?"

"I'm disappointed by the lack of tea, I went out Hermione, I left a note" she looked mildly annoyed at his evasiveness but didn't press him for further information.

As he passed by Hermione he playfully ruffled her hair and she slapped his hand away, chuckling he walked round to Narcissa and kissed her on the top of her head, he grabbed a mug and started making a cup of tea, the blonde witch quietly rose from her seat and crossed the room, Hermione picked up the Daily Prophet just in case she needed something to distract herself with, or hide behind.

She had always been curious, nosey even, her mother used to tell her that curiosity was the rope from which she'd hang, before laughing at her daughter's embarrassed face, pulling her into a hug and assuring her that it was a sign of intelligence, she watched Narcissa approach Harry, she wrapped her arms around him, not meaning to eavesdrop, but unable to shut it out, the woman said quite simply that she had missed him.

"I've missed you, tell me you're staying"

"Yes and no, I promised to see Draco, and then I'll be back"

"I saw him at work yesterday, he was fine, I gave him your love, won't that do?" he looked at her hopefully

"You must stop teasing him, what did he say? Do I even want to know?"

"He told me to go forth and multiply"

"He told you to what? What does that even me-, oh, I understand, wait until I see him, I'll wash his mouth out"

Smiling at the woman in front of him, he gently placed his index finger under her chin and lifted her face up, placing a kiss on her pursed lips, then a second kiss and the witch's expression softened, a tiny whimper escaped her when he pulled away, she rested her hands on his broad shoulders, one found a spot against his neck, she could feel his heart beat against her palm, the other was tangled in black hair, she pulled his lips back onto hers and deepened the kiss, a none too subtle cough came from the direction of the table, it sounded suspiciously like 'get a room' it went unnoticed.

She kissed along his jaw and rested her chin on his shoulder, he held her tight, and she sighed in his ear, content to just be held.

"I'm going to go and see Draco and doing that won't work" she bit her lip as a hot mouth latched onto her neck "the quicker I go, the quicker I get back" she made a half hearted attempt to push him away.

"Harry, will you please put the poor woman down, she'll be back before you know it"

"Thank you Hermione"

"As pleased as I am that you seem to be getting along, you don't need to gang up on me"

Reluctantly he let her go, she kissed him tenderly on the cheek, he caught her lips once more, and she bid the two friends farewell before stepping into the green flames.

Harry let out a heavy sigh and went back to making himself a cup of tea, picking up his cup he turned to the table and the woman watching him over the top of the paper.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just been a very strange day, sit down, enjoy your tea and I'll tell you all about it"