A/N : Well here we are again, a new month, a new chapter, hopefully it will exceed expectations, I do put a lot of effort into writing for you lot :)
The usual mention, as always, for Mercersburgrachel and her uncanny ability to read my mind.
I love the reviews and the chats that I've had with some of you, much thanks for that, sanity remains intact, just.
I'm sorry if you are already for the wedding, but I've decided that it deserves a chapter all of it's own.
I think this might be the weakest chapter, terribly sorry! It's not had much done to it, update-wise. Anyway, there's not much I can do about it, but I have learned some valuable lessons
Chapter Eighteen
"Am I dead?"
Narcissa recognised her own voice but was unsure whether or not she had spoken out loud. The sound fell flat and there was no response, maybe she hadn't spoken out after all, she tried to move and couldn't but the effort caused white spots to explode behind her eyes.
She felt her chest rising and falling rapidly, not quite at the brink of hyperventilating, she squeezed her eyes tight and concentrated on her breathing, after a time it slowed to normal, there wasn't a sound except the steady thump of her heart and whisper of blood in her ears.
"Oh no, definitely not dead."
After she had recovered from the shock of not being alone, Narcissa felt incredibly vulnerable, she had no idea if the stranger meant her harm. Unlike her own voice, the sound had projected and echoed around the space in which she resided, the voice, though distorted, sounded strangely familiar to her, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
She opened her eyes, there was a vague light source but nothing in her periphery gave her any kind of clue as to where she was, she shut her eyes again and listened, footsteps, staccatoed and erratic, as they came closer she could hear the swish of material along the floor.
A metal legged chair was dragged, screeching in protest, across the tiled floor, the silence returned after it was spun 180 degrees, the visitor must be sat astride the chair, this suspicion was confirmed by the rhythmic drumming of long nailed fingers upon the chair's back.
The tapping stopped abruptly, the chair legs made only the slightest sound as the occupant stood up, it fell deathly quiet again and Narcissa strained her ears for even the tiniest noise, for good or bad, the only option available to her was to open her eyes, she did this very slowly and allowed her eyes to focus.
Her sister's face looked down at her and she was drawn to her eyes, into their infinitely black depths, her head was cocked to the side, like a cat staring at a bird through the bars of it's cage, she could hardly believe what she was seeing, it could only be a dream, a bad dream.
Bellatrix smiled, her teeth were still rotten, Narcissa wrinkled her nose at the smell of decay, when she had been freed from Azkaban, she had begged for her sister to let her fix her teeth, she refused, it helped maintain her fearsome reputation, or so she had claimed.
"Wakey wakey" the two words were delivered in her trademark sing song voice
"I'm not awake, this is just a dream, a bad dream"
"Well that's just charming! Is that anyway to speak about your dearest, darling, departed sister?"
Bella danced erratically around the bed laughing all the while
"Like I said, this is just a bad dream, I collapsed, I'll wake up in bed, or in hospital and this will all be a distant memory, I imagine Harry and Draco will be worried sick"
Bellatrix stopped mid pirouette and exhaled, it was like a raspberry of disgust, completely childish and so very Bella, she trotted back into Narcissa's field of vision and stared at her questioningly.
"Harry and Draco? Harry fucking Potter?
"Must you use that word? I didn't even say anything out loud, how could you know what I said?"
"Cissy, I hate to break it to you, but this is all in your head" her raucous laughter was painfully loud, this space had acoustics that defied convention "I quite like swearing, I find it incredibly expressive, I have quite the repertoire, care to hear?"
"No thank you"
The two women regarded each other in silence for quite some time, Narcissa wished above all else that she was in a position to wipe the stupid grin from her sister's face, Bella was soon distracted and took to fiddling with her silver bird skull necklace.
"Tell me baby sister, why would Harry Potter be worried about you?"
"Don't you know? I thought you were in my head"
"I am, in a sense, but there is something you are desperate to hide, you are afraid Cissy and this is a chance for you to confront your fears, although I have no idea why you'd be afraid of little me" her decaying smile wasn't reassuring
"I'm not afraid of you Bella, I never was, you were always my protector"
As the silence flooded back into the room, or whatever this place was, Narcissa recalled a conversation she had with Harry, it took place around the time he had brought home the Pensieve. After Voldemort had struck him down with Avada, and the Death Eaters were concerned with the effect it had had on their Lord, for he too had collapsed. Harry had lain on the forest floor, largely forgotten. He had told her about how he was in some kind of limbo, and there he had met Dumbledore, they had talked and he had gained a degree of closure, perhaps this was her chance for the same.
"Bella?"
"Yes, Love"
"I lied about Harry being dead"
"You did WHAT?!" she ignored Bella's shriek of outrage and continued, feeling bolder by the minute.
"It gets better"
Her sister's head snapped up and her black eyes burned with hate, her face twisted in anger.
"How could it be better, it's your fault that filthy half-blooded cu-"
"Don't you DARE say that word in front of me"
"My own sister is a fucking traitor" Bellatrix folded and unfolded her arms across her chest, clearly agitated. "It matters not, the boy would have been no match for my Lord" she crossed her arms across her chest again, her features a mask of smug satisfaction
"The war is over and we lost, not only that I'm glad, the world is a much better place and what's more, Harry kept me from Azkaban, he gave me my life and my son back, we became friends, and then lovers.
The dark haired witch wore a look of utter disbelief, her mouth struggled to shape the words to express her feelings, Narcissa continued to talk in the wake of her sister's verbal impotence
"He loves me and I love him, we are getting married, well I hope so, providing I can just wake up from this awful dream"
Bella started to laugh, a quiet chuckle at first, it built up into her maniacal, insane, shrieking laugh, she continued until a lack of air caused her to stop, wheezing and gasping, she recovered quickly and spat her words with as much venom as she could muster.
"You spread your legs for your freedom, that spineless brat and your wealth, well done sis" her voice dripped sarcasm
"I don't give a-a shit what you think, I'm happy and that's all that matters, I know everything will be fine, this is just a dream"
Narcissa turned her head and stared at the ceiling, she couldn't bare to look at Bellatrix a moment longer, she closed her eyes tight and was surprised to feel tears roll slowly down the sides of her face, she heard movement near her but didn't react.
She let out a cry of surprise as her left eyelid was opened wide by a thumb and forefinger, what on earth was Bella playing at? Bright wand light entered her vision, she was unable to shy away from the glare, then it was gone, she squeezed her eyes shut, her other eye was subjected to the same treatment, she felt a slight pressure on her abdomen and everything went dark and still.
As if someone was trying hard to tune a radio, sound filtered in and out, she tried to concentrate on the noise, she could just make out talking, the clarity came slowly, she was unable to identify the owners of the voices but there were at least three people nearby.
A woman's voice, presumably a Medi-Witch, was talking about her condition, her voice was so familiar, but she still couldn't place it. There was nothing she could do except lay there and wait for this temporary paralysis to wear off.
"She's going to be fine"
"Are you asking me Harry, or reassuring yourself?"
"Both"
"Then yes, she will be fine, she's under a sedation spell, all signs show that she was exhausted and self medicating against a cold"
"Thanks Astoria, Does Draco know yet?"
"Yes, he'll be along, I warned him to behave and not to worry, but be prepared"
"So what's wrong with her, what caused the collapse? She had been fine by all accounts, right up to that point"
"Well that's the thing Hermione, I'm surprised she didn't recognise the signs, and it's obvious none of you know either" the woman looked anxious "there's no easy way to say it"
The two friends stared at Astoria Malfoy expectantly, suddenly the curtain was swept aside and three pairs of eyes turned to see a red faced Draco enter, he looked at his wife and managed a smile. His gaze was drawn to the prone figure on the bed and the colour drained from his pointed features, Harry couldn't blame him, Narcissa still looked stunning in his eyes, but her face was drawn and her eyes were sunken with deep purple rings around them.
"What the fuck happened Potter?"
Before Harry could open his mouth he had already directed another question at Astoria
"Is she going to be all right?"
"Yes Draco, I was just about to tell Harry what the tests revealed, and that kind of language is not called for"
She gave her husband a severe look and he had the decency to look uncomfortable until she finally looked away. She collected up her clipboard and idly flicked through the pages, she cleared her throat and looked Harry dead in the eye
"I don't quite know where to begin, it's nothing bad" she hastily added as she saw the fear on each face "she's pregnant"
The expected silence didn't come, Draco launched himself at Harry and punched him square in the face, his glasses clattered across the floor, Hermione screamed and jumped out of the way as Harry fell to the floor at her feet clutching a broken and bleeding nose, he muttered expletives and got unsteadily to his feet, he ran his hand under his nose and streaked blood down to his wrist. The two women watched in horror as Harry landed a solid punch to the side of Draco's face, the two men tussled, each fighting for the upper hand, they lost their footing and landed heavily on the floor.
"You are a moron Potter, are you so fucking stupid you don't even know how contraception works?"
He spoke through gritted teeth, and tried to regain his breath
"Narcissa assured me that she took her potions with strict regularity" he struggled to sound coherent, his broken nose affected his speech
Astoria cast 'incarcerous' on Draco and levitated him to a nearby empty bed. Hermione did the same to Harry, the women ignored their pained protests
"She had been taking them, these things happen Draco, by all accounts it's a very healthy baby, very magical, and we think that's why she collapsed, it's very demanding"
Hermione was tempted to fix Harry up while Astoria worked on her husband but didn't want to step on the woman's toes, the young doctor finished up with Draco and moved on to Harry, he exhaled sharply as his nose snapped back into shape and gave his thanks
"I'm not releasing either of you until I'm happy that you can behave like adults, I've never seen anything like it, this should be happy news! Draco, you get to be a big brother, you told me once you'd have quite liked a brother or a sister. Harry, I understand why you retaliated, but this is not the time or the place, and you can deal with it a damn sight better than you have done thus far"
Neither man could look Astoria in the eye, Draco looked embarrassed and Harry felt terribly ashamed.
"Sorry Draco, despite everything I don't really blame you, I can't imagine how I'd feel in your position"
"Shit!" Draco took a deep breath "all that matters is that mother recovers and that she's happy, I'm sorry Pott..., Harry, it was a huge shock, not the diagnosis I was expecting at all, I overreacted but that's a poor excuse, sorry"
"Yeah" he let out a small chuckle "no harm done, magic is great, there's not a mark on me"
Seemingly satisfied that there would be no more fighting, Astoria released them. Harry found that he was able to move again, he crossed the room and retrieved his glasses, as he stood cleaning the lenses on the hem of his shirt Narcissa called his name. There was a collective sigh of relief from the group, Harry rushed to her side and could barely keep the smile off his face, he gently ran his fingers down her arm and linked them with hers, he peppered her face with kisses.
"You scared me"
"I know, I'm sorry, you and Hermione have been telling me not to overdo it for days, how long have I been here?"
"Almost a day, how do you feel?"
"A little bit weak, I probably look worse than a banshee"
Harry helped her to sit up and handed her a glass of water, as she drank he sat on the bed behind her, the glass was soon empty and placed back onto the nearby table, she smiled and settled back against him, he kissed the top of her head and wrapped a supportive arm around her, contentedly stroking her hair.
"What was wrong with me, do you know?"
"Yes, Astoria has been handling your case, Draco arrived not that long ago and Hermione has been here as long as I have"
The trio had made themselves scarce and emerged smiling from behind the curtain of the bed opposite. Draco gave his mother a hug, the two women expressed their joy at her recovery.
"Is anyone going to tell me what's wrong with me?"
"Yes, Harry will, I must get going, see you soon mother" and after giving Astoria a parting kiss, the blonde haired man left
"I have to go and do my rounds or the matron will be most annoyed, I'll be back a bit later" Astoria collected a few items and departed
"I'm going to leave you two together, you'll be home soon and we can put the finishing touches to the wedding preparations" she smiled at Narcissa and didn't quite meet Harry's eyes before leaving.
The witch had a feeling that something was being kept from her, something important, she was more worried than annoyed and didn't have the energy or inclination to do much about it, much was down to her unwillingness to leave Harry's embrace, she liked the sensation of him playing with her hair. Her voice was calm and even, she just repeated her inquiry.
"What did the tests show?"
"For the most part they showed that there was nothing wrong with you"
"I didn't collapse because of that bloody article in the Prophet, tell me what they found or Merlin help me when I get my wand back"
"Ok, ok, um, you're pregnant"
Harry had expected some kind of outburst, he was braced for it but it never came, he couldn't see her face and surmised that she was just staring into the middle distance, her hands gently stroked her stomach. He didn't know what else to say at that time and he wasn't even sure he would have been able to say anything, even if he had something in mind, he rested his cheek against her head, held her and waited.
"I took my potions, there couldn't have been anything wrong there, it's impossible"
She spoke so softly Harry almost didn't realise she had spoken, he almost asked her to repeat it but bit his tongue, she was obviously just voicing her thoughts, the next time she spoke it was in a slightly louder voice.
"I always wanted another child but Lucius wouldn't entertain the idea, once he had his heir that was all that mattered" the bitterness in her voice was apparent "I'd love a little girl, with black hair and green eyes, just like in my dream"
Harry listened intently, his mouth was dry and he desperately wanted his mind to cooperate and give his mouth the right words to say. Narcissa twisted herself around so that she could see him, his heart broke a little at the sight of her, her eyes filled with unshed tears and the fear and anguish on her otherwise perfect features.
"Talk to me, tell me that you want this, I couldn't bear to get rid of it and I don't want to lose you"
She broke down then, huge sobs shook her whole body, despite the awkwardness of their positions, Harry scooped her up and pulled her close, his arms wrapped tight around her, she clung to him and wept against his chest. Harry swallowed hard, and took a deep breath, he was close to joining her but not out of any kind of sadness, this was great news and he felt that he had found the words he'd been searching for.
"I do want this, I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you, I love you and this child is the best surprise, I know it's unexpected, I assumed you wouldn't want another child, I honestly hadn't given it much thought, but now, I couldn't be happier"
He ran his hand down the side of her face and gently cupped it under her chin, she resisted his attempts to lift her face up, she didn't want to be seen in such a state. Harry wore away her resistance with soothing words until she relented, finally their eyes met, he brushed stray hair away from her tear streaked face and tucked them behind her ears, he smiled and moved closer, her eyes slid closed in anticipation then his lips were on hers, he could taste the salt of her tears on her lips, he deepened the kiss and she shifted her weight just enough to unbalance him.
The kiss was broken as he fell back on the bed, she uncurled herself and shuffled up the bed alongside Harry, he pulled her onto his chest much to her delight and began kissing him with renewed vigour.
"It seems our patient is on the mend"
The couple split apart and looked up at their visitors slightly red faced, Astoria had returned with a severe looking Medi-Witch, she must be the Matron. Astoria smiled at them out of sight of her boss.
"Miss Black, it seems that now we've ascertained the cause of your collapse and prescribed the correct medication, I see no reason why you can't go home, I will leave Mrs Malfoy to take care of the particulars"
The woman cast a final glance at Harry and stomped out of the room leaving behind an apologetic looking Astoria.
"If you feel able, you are allowed to go home, but you must have at least two days of bed rest"
Narcissa smiled and ran her nails down Harry's chest, the action didn't go unnoticed and she continued.
"The key word is rest! Harry, you will make sure that she gets her two days of rest, or else, do you think you're strong enough to make the trip home?"
"I think I will manage"
"Then sign this paperwork and you are free to go, I will see you both soon"
Harry, with the help of Kreacher, got Narcissa settled in, he ate his dinner in bed with her and once the dishes had been cleared away, he made himself comfortable and she lay her head on his lap and fell asleep.
He read for a time until his eyes got heavy, he was a little uncomfortable but decided he could live with it, she was sleeping so peacefully, his head slumped forward onto his chest, his glasses crooked. Narcissa stirred briefly in the night, she carefully moved him so he wouldn't wake up in agony, wrapped herself around him and fell back asleep.
Harry woke first and left Narcissa sleeping, he went to the kitchen and fixed himself some breakfast and a cup of tea, he prepared scrambled eggs, toast and coffee, for fun he pulled out his wand and conjured a small vase containing a single red rose, whistling tunelessly he carried the offering up to his bedroom.
She was awake and sat at the dressing table brushing her hair, she smiled at him and he placed the tray in front of her, they kissed and he went and laid back on the bed while she ate. After breakfast she disrobed and was in no hurry to dress, much to her chagrin, Harry was unwilling to break doctor's orders, she had sulked a little bit, but struggled to stay mad under a barrage of affection, they enjoyed a lazy day together, with less than a week until the wedding there was only a few tiny details to take care of. Narcissa spent her time poring over notes and conversing with Hermione.
With three days until the wedding Harry could feel his nerves beginning to jangle, and the butterflies in his stomach were a constant companion, he was sat on the sofa when Narcissa entered, he was going over reports from work, his brow creased in concentration.
She adjusted what little clothing she was wearing and walked over, in one fluid motion all of Harry's paperwork had been displaced and drifted to rest all over the floor, the anger died in his eyes when he saw her, she leant forward and kissed his slack mouth. As she moved away she slipped free from the loose fitting negligee, hungry green eyes took in the view, pale legs slid either side of his as she straddled him.
She shot him a salacious smile as he responded to the stimuli she was providing and licked her lips, he pulled the garment down and it restricted her arms, before she could protest his hot mouth found her pulse point, and she pressed her body closer to him, he kissed as much of her exposed body as he could.
The flimsy material ripped as she wrenched herself free, she frantically removed his top and sat up, he didn't need telling twice as Narcissa demanded the removal of his trousers, her nails dug into his back as he ran his hands down her body and rested them on her hips, his lust filled eyes locked with hers and he slowly guided her down, her hiss of pleasure sent goosebumps prickling across his flesh, she rolled and ground her hips as they kissed each other, Harry did his best to fight the assault on his senses, she scratched and bit and whispered in his ear, he clung to her as they rode out their climax.
They held each other as their bodies cooled, he failed to mask his disappointment as she extricated herself and made to leave the room, she silenced his protests with a single finger placed over her lips.
"I'm going to bathe, I will understand if you don't want to join me"
He shook his head and gathered up the clothes, he could hear her laughing as she went upstairs, when he finally joined her the bathroom was filled with steam, they spent a pleasurable few hours loving and washing each other, the cool of the bedroom was most welcome, Harry dried and dressed in jeans and a shirt, Narcissa wore a plain dress, they lay on top of the bed covers and chatted until they were disturbed by a knock on the door.
"Are you two in there, are you decent?"
"Yes, come in Hermione"
The bushy haired woman entered and pulled out the chair by the dresser and sat down.
"How are you?"
"Great, I've got over the shock of the news and I think I'll still be able to get into my dress"
"Good, and no more dizziness or anything?"
"Narcissa has been absolutely fine, what's going on?"
"Well Ron and I were talking, and we had an idea"
"That doesn't sound great but go on"
"You need a stag and hen party"
She looked at the couple expectantly, Harry had seen her like this before, and it didn't usually bode well, no matter what excuse he came up with she would have a counter argument and solution, he exchanged a look with Narcissa who was wearing a mildly bemused expression.
"A stag and hen party?"
"Yes, oh come on, it will be so much fun, your last night of freedom before becoming a happy couple"
Two completely nonplussed faces just looked at Hermione, undeterred she ploughed on.
"I know you've both been married before but this is different, Astoria, Andromeda and myself will look after you and Ron, Draco and Neville will look after Harry, when we go our separate ways you won't see each other until you're stood before McGonagall ready to be bonded"
"I don't know Hermione, Narcissa's only been out of hospital three days and she can't drink because of the baby, I can't really see the point"
The young witch had a mischievous glint in her eye when she next spoke.
"I have a spell for just such an occasion, Astoria told me about it, it's a well kept secret and very complicated, basically I'm the only person who can pull it off, the top Medi-Witches and Wizards wouldn't consent to performing the spell for such frivolity, please say yes it'll be fun"
"OK"
Harry and Hermione were surprised that it was Narcissa who agreed. She was smiling, but it had an edge to it, and her voice was just a little too sweet.
"If he, or I do not make it to the wedding, I will hold you personally responsible"
She pointed a finger at the young woman and Hermione swallowed hard, the blonde witch smirked at her, the brunette rallied herself and tried to put them both at ease.
"Don't worry about a thing, you'll be in good hands, I have already threatened the boys, well Ron and Neville, by the look on Draco's face, Astoria had already talked to him"
"Are you sure? It's the night before the wedding, and I don't want the hangover from hell"
"Harry, I have potions and spells for every occasion, there is nothing to worry about, I'll see you here tomorrow night around 7pm"
She bounced enthusiastically over to the bed and hugged them both before she left.
"If this is a disaster, I'll blame you"
Narcissa slapped him playfully on the arm, he rubbed the spot in mock hurt, she screamed as he tackled her to the bed and he quieted her with a kiss.
"I'm sure it'll be fine and lots of fun."