A/N : A little quicker with the update this time, a new month deserves a new chapter, I just hope it lives up to expectations, I was pretty pleased with it, but I'm biased, I leave the critique to my readers, and so far you've been very generous.

Big thanks to mercersburgrachel, she inspired this chapter, I love replying to your reviews and chatting in general, I cannot thank you enough.

So here's the next part, enjoy! If you've read my story before and are reading it again, enjoy the updated chapter

Chapter Sixteen

The mood inside the house was frosty, more suited to a wake, a stark contrast to the usual atmosphere, more often than not, loud and hectic, Harry wondered if Molly had suffered from empty nest syndrome after her brood had moved out to forge their own way in the world, or perhaps her and Arthur were finally glad to have the place to themselves.

The living room seemed very crowded, even though it had played host to a far bigger crowd, but they managed to find places to sit and squeezed in, Harry had a protective arm wrapped around Narcissa's waist, who had done little to alter her appearance, ever the pragmatist, Molly busied herself and tended to her guests, a few contemptuous glances were directed at the woman beside Harry, if she noticed, she made no indication.

"I don't suppose there's somewhere I can clean up?"

"Of course..." he gripped the arms of the chair to pull himself up

"It's OK, Mr. Weasley, I'll show her the way, she might need a hand"

"Thank you Hermione, I'd appreciate that"

Narcissa smiled gratefully at the young woman, they stood and she led her towards the stairs.

"I'm sorry for dragging you out here Harry, I didn't know what else to do"

"Don't worry Mr. Weasley, I had no idea she planned on coming here, Hermione saw her as she was on her way out but was none the wiser"

"It's a relief that they didn't do each other any serious harm" he lowered his voice and checked that the coast was clear "I don't think Narcissa was giving her all, I believe she came here just to talk"

Mr. Weasley's reaction to his wife suddenly entering the room was comical, but the stern looking housewife didn't seem to suspect there was anything going on, she inquired as to the whereabouts of the two women and satisfied with the answer, went back to her business.

A creak on the stairs and muted chatter caused him to look up, the two women came slowly into view, Narcissa looked much more like her usual self, her dress remained in tatters and Harry's eyes were drawn to her slender legs, he saw it as a good sign that even after all this time, she still had a profound effect on him, as his heart picked up pace he felt a prickle of heat across his skin, in the sudden absence of noise he looked up, a smirk played on her lips, she rested a hand on her hip and shook her head slightly, resuming her slow walk back to his side, the way she moved her hips as she did so was not lost on him.

"Your house is quite unlike anything I have ever seen, very quaint"

"We can't all live in a mansion, and despite your sister's best efforts, it's still standing"

Molly had just walked back in and without pause, sat herself down and glowered at the blonde witch as if daring her to talk out of turn.

"I spend most of my time at Grimmauld Place, I much prefer it" she gently squeezed Harry's leg "Malfoy Manor is mine, but I don't care for the place, too many bad memories, and I don't think my mother would want me moving back home"

"Harry dear, you're certain this is what you want? There must be so many girls out there your own age who'd be ideal for you"

Arthur looked up at the ceiling, Hermione had gone white as a sheet, Ron appeared to be attempting murder on a scatter cushion and opted to simply hide behind it, they were all braced for the explosion of anger. Harry gently ran his fingers up and down Narcissa's spine just the way she liked it, her hands clutched tightly at her knees, knuckles white, when she spoke her voice was quiet and level, but under the surface lay a hint of the danger threatening to spill over.

"How dare you insinuate that Harry doesn't know his own mind, or maybe you still think I've used magic or a potion"

"That was the first thing I checked" Narcissa looked positively murderous and spoke through clenched teeth

"I bet it was, you should know better than to meddle, you cannot arrange people's lives, let alone love"

"That's rich coming from you Narcissa, your marriage to Lucius was one of the most well known and well publicised arranged marriages in decades"

"I was lucky, we did love each other in the beginning"

"Well that changes everything, you must have been ignorant of Lucius' activities, the innocent party, though I find that very hard to believe"

Molly seemed determined to goad the blonde witch into a rage, almost delighting in the argument, it was several moments before she responded.

"I believed in the cause, I didn't know any better, I didn't want to end up like Bellatrix and I didn't have the strength to escape like Andromeda, everything would have been fine if the Dark Lord had never returned" there was real pain in her voice "Lucius showed his true colours, he was willing to sacrifice everything for the cause, including my son, and that was unacceptable, as a mother you know there is nothing you wouldn't do for your children" the volume of her voice had dropped to barely a whisper "Harry's mum died to save him, I lied to the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever seen to protect my son, and you killed to save your daughter"

The elegant woman stood, shaking with emotion and fought valiantly to hold back her anger and her tears, she brushed down her dress and fixed her cold blue eyes on Molly.

"I want you to be a part of the happiest day of my life, if Harry still wants that, I owe him more than you know, and I am absolutely devoted to him, ultimately it's your choice, but mark my words, if you decide against it, there's only one person you'll hurt deeply, and it won't be me"

Narcissa turned on her heel and stormed out, everyone sat, stunned, but Harry was on his feet and after her, she was stood still in the yard, the wind buffeted her hair, he approached her slowly and wrapped his arms around her middle.

"I'm sorry"

"What in Merlin's name do you have to be sorry for? You are all I want and all I need, hopefully a few real friends will stick around" he laughed "I didn't think I could manage to love you any more than I already do, I cannot wait to marry you"

She turned in his arms suddenly and buried her face in the crook of his neck, her body racked with sobs, he felt hot tears drop onto his skin, he spoke soothingly and held her until she calmed.

"Sorry, I don't think I've been this emotional in my whole life, it all got a bit too much, I was worried how everyone would react, I thought this would be the easiest part, but if that's how the closest thing you have to a real family react, it's only going to get worse"

"I don't care, as long as I have you, from what Ron told me, his mum struggled a lot after the war, I don't want you to think I'm defending her behaviour, I think she was testing you"

"It'll take more than the views of that bitch to frighten me away, you are stuck with me" she huffed loudly, dabbed at her eyes and after several deep breaths she was almost fully composed "I guess the day can only get better"

"I hope so, I've a surprise for you, I'm afraid it'll be quite emotional, but hopefully for good reasons, and I will do anything you like as compensation for putting you through all of this"

With only a touch of trepidation she held onto the offered arm and the familiar sensation of apparation enveloped them both. The street was instantly recognised by Harry, he took a step forward and staggered backwards, Narcissa had gripped his arm like her life depended on it, her eyes reminded him of a rabbit's caught in car headlights.

"I, I, I don't think I can do this, I'm not ready, I look an absolute state"

"You look beautiful, and you are a very powerful and skilled witch, I'm sure you can fix how you look"

"You are biased"

For what felt like an age, Narcissa worked on her appearance, Harry didn't dare say anything, he was worried they might be spotted by a muggle but not so worried that he would risk her wrath, it had been a pretty trying day already, thankfully it was always quiet in Andromeda's neighbourhood.

He had hoped that this day would come, just as she had gone marching to confront the Weasley's for him, he had a burning desire to reunite her with her sister.

As they had been putting a few finishing touches to Grimmauld Place, they had been sorting through boxes and boxes of stuff from the attic and found a mass of old photographs, Narcissa painstakingly went through the lot, it had taken her many hours and put the dinner table out of commission for at least two days, she found lots of her with her sisters, Harry had come in at one point and she had been crying, her eyes were red and puffy, they had been taken in happier times, three young girls, laughing and jostling one another, with absolutely no idea at what life had in store for them.

Andromeda had owled regularly since their visit to Druella, sometimes Teddy would write a little, it didn't take long for an opportunity for a visit to open up and he simply asked if Narcissa would be welcomed, usually Andi's responses were quick, it wasn't until a few days later that he got the go ahead, there was a definite eagerness on Andromeda's part, he had picked the day and made a date, he hadn't known at the time that Narcissa would choose that morning to go off to the Burrow without a word.

Ready at last they walked hand in hand to the gate, her grip was tight, almost uncomfortably so, he paused to look at her before knocking, she may have put on a mask of calm but Harry knew her well, he kissed her softly, assured her that everything would be fine and knocked on the door.

The striking form of Andromeda Tonks stood in the doorway, a handsome young boy peered around her skirts, when Narcissa's eyes met his she smiled and he ducked back behind cover.

"Hello Harry, so glad you came, Teddy has been a right handful, he was up at 6am and has been waiting for you ever since and asking when you'd be here every other minute, he is desperate to show you something or other, for the sake of my sanity, can you please indulge him"

"Wild Thestrals couldn't stop me, come here this instant Teddy Lupin"

Harry grabbed the boy who was soon squealing with delight, he threw him over his shoulder and marched off towards the stairs leaving the sisters alone. Andromeda's soft brown eyes looked long and hard at her younger sibling, Narcissa looked away first, she had no idea what to say, all her apologies sounded so hollow to her, she wasn't even sure she'd be able to voice them.

"You look well Cissy, there's a glow about you, while the boys play, we'll talk in the garden"

The garden was small and well kept, the day was comfortably warm, the honeysuckle was in bloom and the steady hum of bees could be heard, in a little nook there was an apiary, she followed her sister to a bench, it was crafted from driftwood, bleached bone white by the sun, she sat and motioned to the empty place by her side.

"It's a really nice place you have here"

"We like it here"

"Thank you for helping Harry, he told me about his meeting with Mother"

"That was a very strange day, I needed him to convince me that what he was saying was the truth, he handled himself well, I wonder if you'll be as accommodating"

She felt the spell hit her, she relaxed as best she could at her sister's intrusion, images of her time with Harry, her thoughts and feelings laid bare, back and back, all the way to the forest, she saw a little of the battle, those memories were painful for them both, then it was over.

"I had to see, Cissy, I had only seen one side, you are a selfish bitch, or at least you were, you've changed, I won't lie to you Narcissa, you don't deserve to be happy, not really, I helped Harry because Teddy would have wanted me to, he's such a lucky little boy, thankfully he will never have to suffer as we have, Harry has been brilliant, he will make an excellent father one day.

He does deserve to be happy, it's lucky for you that the thing that makes him happy is you and I needed to know that this isn't another one of your manipulations"

"I don't do that any more, I'm not the same woman"

"I saw, he loves you and I know now that you love him, so don't fuck it up"

Caught somewhere between a laugh and a sob, Narcissa went back into meltdown, despite not being ready to let her younger sister off the hook, the older woman softened and pulled her into a hug, which only exacerbated the situation, this wasn't the same sister who had screamed the words blood traitor in her face when she had told her and Bella that she was running away.

She had spent years looking over her shoulder, waiting for her father to track her down, she hadn't known what was worse, being found or the thought that her sisters had betrayed her, it never happened, she cried the day she heard her father had died, and it wasn't out of grief, she knew then that Bella had kept her secret and was probably responsible for Narcissa's silence.

Gently she stroked her sister's soft blonde hair, the sobbing lessened until only a slight hitch in her breathing remained

"I'm so sorry Andi"

"Save it Cissy, there is an awfully long way to go but we've made a start, where we go from here is down to you, I'm glad you came, I sincerely hope to have my sister back, but you don't get second chances like this handed to you, I will not stand by and watch you squander it, I know you better than anyone and I'm just being cautious"

"I understand, I've missed you so much, even seeing mother again felt good, I'm quite anxious about her attending the wedding, she knows her reputation and she will play to it"

Narcissa sat up again and the two women looked at each other, they smiled weakly, glad that the air was clear, she relished the opportunity to prove herself to Andromeda.

"I saw something in your mind that I missed when Harry let me in"

"You did? What did you see?" She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow

"You seduced him knowing full well he was married"

"I had to be bad to be good, it all worked out in the end" she said with a defensive air

"Come on, I think I've said all I need to, let me show you around and we'll find the boys and have a drink"

The afternoon flew by, the tension ebbed away as the two sisters reminisced, Harry held Teddy's attention, Narcissa watched their interaction closely, he was a natural, no wonder her sister was so glad he'd been playing a role in his life, and the little boy was such a character, Andromeda almost choked on her tea when he suddenly told the room at large that his grandmother fancied one of his teachers, and that she talked to him at every opportunity, the blushing witch was spared no quarter as he finished by telling them that her flirting cut into his time at the park, the accusation was furiously denied.

Teddy invited them for dinner, and they happily accepted, while Andi went to the kitchen he had slowly approached Narcissa and charmingly muscled his way onto her lap, the usually unflappable woman didn't quite know what to do or how to react, Harry smirking at her wasn't helping, it was his turn to watch her, he knew it had been a number of years since she'd had to deal with a small child and as the minutes ticked by, Teddy won her over completely.

With dinner finished and night drawing in fast, Harry and Narcissa got ready to leave, Teddy was tucked up in bed and in a surprising turn of events, he refused to settle until both of his guests had gone up to say goodnight, Andromeda hugged them farewell on the doorstep.

Back in Grimmauld Place they staggered wearily up to bed, stomachs full, heads fuzzy from wine, as they lay in the dark, Narcissa had kissed him, the end of the day had cancelled out all of the negatives from the start of the day.

Harry woke first the next morning and watched his woman sleeping, she stirred and murmured a few times, he quietly tasked Kreacher with breakfast, he was only too happy to oblige, he had told the elf about his marriage to Narcissa and then spent the next ten minutes trying to prise the creature off him, to say Kreacher was pleased would be an understatement, he would give the Hogwarts elves a serious run for their money.

Over breakfast they discussed more wedding details, mostly the cake, she had very specific ideas and wanted to go to Diagon Alley to try and arrange it, he wanted to go with her but she wanted it to be a surprise, there was no arguing with her and he decided to spend the day at home.

She'd been gone an hour and he was bored, he'd read the Prophet and was now having a stab at the crossword, he had gotten used to the flow of traffic through his house as the wedding neared, mostly Hermione dropping off this and that, so he barely flinched at the roar of fire signalling a new arrival, he only looked up as a chair was dragged from its place and sat upon.

He blinked many times before his brain acknowledged what his eyes were seeing, Ginevra Weasley hadn't said a word yet, she looked at him curiously as if seeing him properly for the first time.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hi, I'm fine thank you, how are you?"

"Surprised, but the question still stands"

"Um, Mum hasn't seen you for ages, Ron's busy with the shop and his girlfriend, Hermione, well you know what she's like, only happy if she's busy, so I said I'd drop by" she smiled at him

"Ginny, I was at the Burrow yesterday with Ron and Hermione"

"Damn you caught me, I had hoped some of it might be true, I didn't have an excuse to drop by, so I made it up, I was trying to avoid making it awkward"

"Why would you want to drop by?"

"I've missed you, I wanted to see you"

She reached out to take his hand and he hastily withdrew it, the look of hurt flickered across her face for just a moment.

"Did your mum put you up to this?"

"Put me up to what? I told you I was bluffing, I've not actually seen anyone yet, I was just passing through on my way back from a Quidditch game"

"Can I make you a drink?"

He left his seat to put the kettle on, she chatted easily about her job, she asked about his, laughing as he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, she'd forgotten he was sworn to secrecy, the uneasy feeling in his stomach had gone, he looked at his ex-wife and felt nothing, answering the question of what would happen the next time he bumped into her, he returned to his seat with drinks.

"I'm sorry we drifted apart, I know that it was more my fault than yours, but now we've learned from it and grown, I thought there might be a chance for us"

"I don't think so Gin"

"Why ever not, I know you're not seeing anyone, I would have been told"

"I've moved on, and you are wrong, I'm seeing someone and have been for a while, it's serious"

Harry watched as she battled with her emotions, he knew her so well, she was proud and fought hard not to breakdown, she picked up her mug in both hands and slowly raised it to her lips and drank.

"I'm pleased for you, I had no idea, is it anyone I know?"

She sounded sincere but was unable to meet his eyes, as he worked on a response he heard the front door close and the sound of stiletto heeled footsteps, the steps stopped to be replaced by muted chatter, obviously her Aunt would want all of the latest wedding gossip.

The stairs down to the kitchen creaked and groaned as they always did and the kitchen door opened, Narcissa strode into the room, her heels loud on the tiled floor, two sets of eyes turned to look at her, oblivious to her audience she walked to the sideboard, put down her bags and began rummaging through their contents.

"I'm happy to say that everything went to plan, I had a very productive day, did you miss me?"

"I'm glad, I'm sorry to say that I did nothing, of course I missed you, I was pretty bored but then Ginny dropped by on her way back from a Quidditch match"

The item she had been removing from the bag fell back inside with a dull thunk, she turned slowly on the spot and looked at the pair.

"Is this Molly making another attempt to interfere?"

"No"

Narcissa sat down next to Harry and lay her hands on the table top, she quietly clicked her nails on the wood, she allowed herself a sly smile as he rested his hand on hers, the gesture didn't go unnoticed by the red haired woman, she looked to be gathering her thoughts, and cleared her throat.

"Mum knew?"

"Yes, that's why we were at the Burrow"

"Ron and Hermione knew as well?"

"Yeah, I asked them not to say anything, I was about to tell you when Narcissa came home"

"It's fine, it's none of my business anyway, thanks for the drink but I really must go"

She stood up too quickly, the chair legs caught on the floor tiles and sent it crashing to the floor, apologising profusely she picked it up and grabbed a handful of floo powder, she stepped into the flames without a backward glance, Narcissa squeezed Harry's hand.

"Are you OK, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good, it had to happen at some point, glad to get it over and done with"

"That's not quite what I meant"

"I know what you meant, I felt nothing, if anything it only proved that I've made the right choice"

With that he kissed her, when he pulled away her lips were slightly parted and her eyes closed, he kissed her again.