A/N : Hello, and apologies for my absence, my first love was feeling a little bit neglected, so I went crawling back to beg for forgiveness, so I've been catching up on my gaming, having convinced my PS4 that I will always love her, I have returned to the arms of my second love.

I still plan on trying to wrap this up before the end of the year, then I will revisit the whole piece and tweak bits, hopefully making it better, and possibly explaining away a massive plot issue, I can totally explain how Harry can be subjected to Legilimancy and not give away all the secrets from the Dept of Mysteries. Then in the new year I'll post my new story.

Honourable mentions, as usual, to mercersburgrachel, giver of ideas and time and generally putting up with nonsensical ramblings. Ncpfan for inquiring about my well being, it's nice to be missed, and everyone who has read, reviewed and messaged. I'm still astounded that anyone would want to read something I've written. I hope you enjoy the new chapter, I'll try not to leave it so long next time. (updated, but only spotted a few spelling mistakes)

Chapter Twenty One

Harry smiled nervously at Druella, Narcissa was deep in conversation with Andromeda and Hermione. She caught his eye and smiled at him, a look that somehow managed to convey her sympathies for his predicament and pride for the way he was handling it. He grinned broadly back at his bride and in that momentary lapse of concentration, he clumsily mis-stepped, cheeks burning with embarrassment, he offered his apologies.

Druella just inclined her head and subtly moved herself closer to Harry, she lead the dance with the kind of ease associated with years of living the pure-blood lifestyle. She attributed his slightly wooden gait to nerves, in an attempt to make movement more natural she changed position and placed his hand lower down her back, he pulled away, at first she thought her actions had been misinterpreted but upon following his gaze she saw that he was looking at Rita.

"What the hell is she doing here?"

He freed his hand and Druella sensed that he was planning to have an altercation, she held him firmly and angry green eyes found her dark brown ones, the intense ferocity faded and became softer, until he just looked puzzled.

"Don't you worry about her, she won't be doing anything that would risk my...displeasure"

"How? Why?"

"She and I have history, let's just say she owes me"

"You asked her to be here?"

"No Harry, she was trying to crash the party and I dealt with it"

"I guess we won't find out how successful you were until the Prophet comes out"

For a brief moment she considered telling him all about the plot to kidnap him and quickly decided that some things were best kept secret, and one day, it may even serve a purpose. She didn't consider this to be the appropriate time or place, besides, there was no way she could prevent him from telling her daughter, and Narcissa would want revenge. She easily hid her relief when he changed the subject.

"Narcissa and Andromeda never explained the significance of our dance"

"It's very simple, it signifies acceptance, had your father been alive, he'd be dancing with my daughter. Can you imagine what would happen if either of the wedded couple's parents refused the final dance? It's primarily a pure-blood tradition and I know there hasn't been any scandals in my lifetime"

"I see, as far as pure-blood traditions go, it's not a bad one"

The music stopped and the crowd clapped and cheered, the assembled musicians stepped forward and took a bow. The applause slowly dwindled to a polite ripple and the bustle of the crowd quickly became the dominant noise. Harry offered Druella his arm as they slowly walked over to where Narcissa waited.

He was engrossed in the behaviour of the guests, as they passed by chattering groups of people, conversations fell silent as they came within ear shot only to spark up again once they had gone by, it was understandable, curiosity was a rope by which many would hang, the witch on his arm had become notorious in her absence from the public eye, he was surprised no one had tried to throw a curse or attempt a citizen's arrest, a gentle tugging on his arm broke him from his thoughts.

"Before we return to our group, I have a little something for you, think of it as a wedding gift"

Harry averted his eyes as his mother-in-law foraged inside the bustier of her dress, his embarrassment didn't go unnoticed, he heard her chuckle. A very old key was dangled in front of his eyes, it swung like a hypnotist's prop on a length of gilded chain, he held out his hand and the key and chain fell onto his outstretched palm.

The metal was smooth and warm, the sensation as he held it reminded him of the first time he had held a wand.

"What is it?"

"It's a key" the playful sparkle in her eye was not lost on him

"I can see that, but what is it a key to?"

"All will be revealed, but not now, you will know everything once you return from your honeymoon"

He slipped the key into the pocket of his suit jacket and tried to ignore the niggling curiosity, a task made easier by Narcissa. She still looked radiant even though the hour was late and they had been awake since the break of day, her cheeks were slightly flushed and her hair wasn't as sleek and perfectly styled as it had been. Harry was practically dragged from Druella's side, her surprisingly cool hands slid across his shoulders and clasped around his neck, she drew him closer softly kissing him full on the lips, then her cheek was resting against his own. He shivered involuntarily as her warm breath caressed his ear.

"I think I'm ready for you to take me home"

"Are you alright?"

"Never better, but now I think I want to leave the company of all these people and spend some quality time with you"

"When you say it like that, how could I refuse?"

He kissed her tenderly on the cheek and reached for her hand, it still took them the best part of an hour to leave, so many people wanted a few moments with the couple, finally they had made it to the castle's entrance hall. The party was still going, McGonagall assured them that the remaining guests would be well cared for.

Hermione, Andromeda, Draco, Astoria and Druella had followed them out to say their goodbyes, Ron had disappeared with a group of their friends and couldn't be found, but Harry didn't mind, after the castle was cleaned up and restored to its former glory they saw less and less of their old school friends and then less and less of each other, the golden trio had gone off out into the world to find a life of their own, once things returned to normal Harry was determined to make more of an effort, having his two best friends around in the run up to his wedding had made him realise how much he missed them.

Draco hugged and kissed his mother, Astoria did the same and much to Harry's surprise, she had a hug and a peck on the cheek for him, Draco didn't say anything, he just shook his hand firmly and nodded, after a few words with his Aunt and Grandmother they returned to the party. Druella kept her farewell brief, she made a few salacious comments and as the disbelief faded from their faces she smiled a wry smile and apparated away.

"You can always trust mother to say something completely inappropriate"

"I think I liked it better when she kept herself hidden away, we may live to regret bringing her back to the fore"

"Andi, where's Teddy? I was hoping to see him before we left"

"I'm sorry Harry, I asked Molly to take him, he looked fit to drop, I know he's in good hands, I wasn't ready to go home"

"Well give him a big hug from me, I promise we'll visit once we get back, are you going back to the party Hermione?"

"No, Andromeda and I are going to take a walk and then turn in"

"OK, enjoy your walk it's a nice night, now I think it's time for us to go"

Harry was almost knocked flat as Hermione barrelled into him, he blew as much of her wild bushy hair out of the way as he could, lest he choke. He hugged her back and thanked her for everything, she let him go and her eyes were distinctly watery.

Narcissa's brow furrowed slightly as she noticed a wistful look on her sister's face, she raised an eyebrow questioningly, Andromeda just folded her arms and met her sister's gaze, most people would have looked away, but she met the icy blue stare head on. The exchange went unnoticed by the other two as they enjoyed each others friendly banter, the sisters stood locked in stalemate. A smile formed on the lips of the blonde witch, she shook her head and turned her attention back to Harry and Hermione.

Narcissa was subjected to a slightly less exuberant hug than her husband, they exchanged a few whispered words and then Andromeda hugged them each in turn. Harry slipped his arm around his wife's waist, pulled her close and apparated away. The unlikely pair stood and stared at the point the couple had occupied only seconds ago, Hermione reached for the older witch's hand, linked their fingers and squeezed. The entrance hall doors opened silently and they walked out into the castle grounds.

Narcissa couldn't understand why they were standing in the courtyard outside Grimmauld Place, before she could raise a question she was literally swept off her feet, her legs dangled over his left arm and his right arm supported her lower back. In the shock of her rapid change of position she had flung her arms out to save herself, and they were wrapped tightly around his neck, her chest rose and fell rapidly.

He chuckled and apologised for scaring her and explained that this was a muggle tradition and that she was to be carried over the threshold, with a wink he added that he planned on carrying her straight to their bedroom. He strode purposefully up the stone steps and wandlessly opened the door, he moved quietly down the hall in case Mrs Black was asleep in her frame, she wasn't. She welcomed him to the family proper and after a brief chat, Harry politely excused himself to continue his climb to the bedroom.

Halfway up the second flight of stairs he began to show signs of flagging but the end was in sight and that thought lent him a burst of energy. At the door he bent his knees slightly so that Narcissa could turn the handle.

He carefully manoeuvred them into the room, in hindsight he wished that he had taken the time to decorate it, had he really thought about it, Kreacher could have been instructed to do something to make the room a little bit special. He walked to the side of the bed and dropped Narcissa onto the mattress as gently as he could, he laughed at the brief look of horror on her face at the sensation of falling, she uttered a few choice words and hurled a pillow at him. He removed his wand, dimmed the lights, and summoned a few floating candles for effect.

He turned back to the bed and stopped in his tracks, his wife, a vision in white, was sat up and unpinning her hair, it fell messily around her pale shoulders, her skin looked golden in the room's soft light. Harry removed his suit jacket and hung it over the back of the dressing table chair, he remembered his gift from Druella and removed it from the pocket, and laid it on the dresser. He pulled off his tie and undid the top button before pulling it free of the waistband of his trousers, feeling infinitely more comfortable he walked to the bedside and sat behind her.

Harry brushed her hair over her left shoulder and kissed the right, placing gentle kisses en route to her neck. More experienced fingers worked on the stiff clasps of her dress, the final one was particularly tricky, it sprang open exposing her back, heavily marked by the tightness of the material, he traced the marks with his fingertips and massaged her warm skin, she moaned throatily in appreciation. Narcissa stretched out her legs and rolled onto her front, without giving anything away she slid the upper part of the dress from beneath her and threw it onto the bedroom floor. He savoured the sight of her, arms straight above her head, the delicious curve of her breasts squashed against the duvet.

He hooked his fingers into the waist band of her skirt and tugged it down over her hips, she wore a simple suspender belt and lace topped, white stockings, he playfully slapped a cheek and twanged the elastic of her underwear. He removed his dress shoes and straddled her thighs, he pressed his thumbs into the small of her back and worked his way out, occasionally halting the massage to kiss her soft skin, she delighted at the sensation.

After what felt like hardly any time at all, but in reality had been a long pleasurable and relaxing half hour, she reluctantly asked him to stop, initially he seemed disappointed, until she explained that she could easily fall asleep and would rather not, he caught up with her train of thought at an impressive rate. He shifted his weight enough for her to turn over, her skin prickled as his eyes drank in the sight of her, she wetted her lips and ran her hands down her own body, he seemed frozen as he watched them trace a slow path across her skin, he sucked in a ragged breath as her nails scraped across his abdomen, her fingers felt cool on his hot flesh, he removed the shirt as she pulled his belt open, undid the button of his trousers and pulled the zip down, she stroked the bulge straining against his cotton briefs.

Their lips crashed together as lust took them over, she nipped at his bottom lip and dragged her nails down his back, he sucked on her tongue as it passed his lips and she moaned at the sensation, and revelled in the intensity of his actions, fingers probed through her hair and he held her head, the kissing fevered and desperate. Only two garments separated them and despite the urgency they were both feeling, there was no effort made to remove the barriers. He ground his hips against her and she reciprocated, as furious and frantic as it seemed, there was a degree of control, the promise of what was to come heightening their senses.

The kiss was broken, she sucked in lungfuls of cool air only to expel it all as his mouth found her pulse point, he kissed and sucked her slender neck. She fumbled for his hand with her own, her fingers tingled and her coordination was unreliable, eventually she found what she sought, stroked his knuckles and guided his hand to her chest, she hissed in pleasure as he kneaded each breast, a thumb and forefinger pinched and sent a jolt through her body.

A hot mouth latched onto a sensitive peak, before moving to the other, he kissed down her sternum, and her stomach muscles fluttered at the soft kisses, the bump of her belly was lovingly kissed and caressed. There was a growing urgency to his actions as he removed her panties before dispensing with his briefs. She couldn't resist sliding her fingers over the soft, sensitive folds between her thighs.

Hungry green eyes watched her wanton behaviour, clearly she had been waiting for this all day, from the moment Harry saw her enter the great hall his desire had burned, the anticipation adding fuel to the fire. She beckoned to him with a glistening digit, he slipped inside with ease, she wrapped her legs tightly around him and dug her nails into his back.

Their love making was raw and energetic, he uttered words of love in her ear as waves of pleasure crashed over her, so intense that she wept, Harry held her tenderly as he climaxed and melted into her embrace. He brushed hair from her sweaty brow and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye, she buried her head in the crook of his neck.

Neither was willing to let the other go, the covers were pulled over their cooling bodies by Harry, the lights remained burning, they found sleep easily and comfortably.

They awoke the next day happy and a little tender from the previous nights exploits, unwilling to give up the comforts of their bed at that moment they indulged in each other for a time. Once satisfied again, Kreacher was summoned to provide breakfast, they bathed together afterwards and dressed. It amused Harry greatly as Narcissa had to magically alter her clothing to accommodate the baby bump, as she attempted to look stern and sulk at the same time he slipped his arms around her stomach and cooed platitudes in her ear, it didn't take much for her to relent but she still slapped him lightly on account of his bare faced cheekiness.

They weren't due at the port-key departure lounge until the afternoon of the following day, they hadn't made any plans to do anything the day before. Harry had asked Draco to remove Grimmauld Place from the floo network, he had no desire for visitors, not that he was expecting anyone.

Astoria would be visiting with increased frequency as Narcissa's due date approached, Druella had also threatened to visit, in Harry's mind these were things to worry about at some point in the future, he didn't think he would ever feel comfortable around his mother-in-law.

His wife had requested a week long trip away followed by a week back home before allowing normality to return, there was no way that he would deny her anything. Coincidently, Druella had cryptically hinted that her wedding gift would require at least a few days to appreciate.

They made their way to the kitchen, she watched him make tea, this was without doubt her favourite room in the house. She was staring out into space with a huge grin on her face when the mug clunked dully on the table top.

"What are you so happy about Mrs. Potter?"

"I like the sound of that and as if you even need to ask"

"Very well, have your secrets" he raised his eyebrows as the mug of tea covered the bottom half of his face.

"I was just remembering how this began, who thought the kitchen would be our 'special' room"

Harry coughed and spluttered at the lewd insinuation, his choking subsided and he scowled at her for such a cheap shot, she sipped her drink and never took her sparkling blue eyes off him.

There was a modest selection of wedding gifts waiting for them in the living room and they spent the remainder of the morning opening presents and reading cards. Harry arranged the cards on the mantelpiece, the gifts were mostly for the baby, it was surprising that so many people knew that Narcissa was expecting. Hermione had outdone herself, there were books, that was expected, ones on baby names and a collection of wizard and muggle faerie tales, beautifully bound, but the gift from Ron had the brunette's name all over it, his best friend had bought them a muggle toaster, when Harry stopped laughing he explained to a very confused looking Narcissa, that at most muggle weddings it was highly likely you'd receive a toaster as a gift.

Some mail had been brought in with the gifts and left at the bottom of the pile, Harry discarded the junk and was left holding a large brown envelope, the handwritten address was very neat, he didn't recognise the handwriting, he looked at his wife and she just shrugged. The seal was broken and the contents were tipped out, a newspaper flopped onto the table, it was the morning edition of the Prophet, he groaned at the sight, and then at the Quidditch news, the Chudley Cannons had been annihilated, there was no other way of saying it.

He picked it up, flipped it over, and laid it flat so that they could both see it. There was a large colour photograph of them, Harry couldn't recall seeing a photographer doing the rounds, it was a very flattering picture. The headline, if you could call it that, referred to the union as a historic event, there was a brief summary of the families and an account from an archive about the only other Potter – Black marriage.

The sub heading was much more in the style of Rita Skeeter and announced that the chosen one had chosen again. Despite that it was a good article, not even a line containing the phrase 'the boy who married again' could sour it, Druella had been true to her word but couldn't crush Rita's acidic journalistic spirit entirely. The pictures were fantastic, there was no denying, it reminded him of the celebrity gossip magazines he used to see lining the shelves whenever he was ordered to the shops by his Aunt. He was surprised that most of the paper had been filled by the wedding, the final touch was several pages of messages compiled from people who attended the event and people from the Wizarding community. He was certain that only the positive ones had been published, but that was fine, maybe the great Harry Potter could do no wrong.

The next day was bright and slightly cooler, the sky was periwinkle blue with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily on their way. Kreacher prepared a hearty breakfast and would provide them with anything they needed while away, there was no need for packing everything into cumbersome suitcases.

They stepped out into the courtyard of Grimmauld Place, Narcissa took Harry's arm and they set off towards the city centre. The route took them towards the river, at the Barbican centre they turned right and headed toward Covent Garden, from here they could see the London Eye on the opposite bank, straight ahead lay the Houses of Parliament. A tatty looking red phonebox was situated on the corner of Derby Gate and Parliament Street, they squeezed inside and Harry dialled them in.

The atrium seemed busier than normal, a large contingent of witches and wizards were gathered around the place the Daily Prophet news stand was situated. They kept their heads down as they passed, from the general buzz of conversation they gleaned that it was indeed the wedding story causing the furore.

One particularly loud and obnoxious witch proclaimed that it was all a lot of fuss about nothing, Harry pressed the brass button to call the elevator and they stood silently hoping it would hurry up and arrive before anyone noticed them. A loud ding heralded the lift's arrival, the doors rattled open and they shuffled quickly inside, Narcissa pressed the button several times before the grille finally closed with a clang. A few of the assembled crowd looked towards the noise, the elevator dropped out of sight before recognition stirred.

The port-key department was as busy as any muggle airport, they approached a bored looking clerk, his head rested on his hand as he idly flicked through the pages of a newspaper. After being ignored for the best part of two minutes, Narcissa drew herself up to her full height and cleared her throat, Harry had to use all of his will power to keep his face completely neutral.

When the clerk realised people were waiting he sighed loudly, as if it was an inconvenience to him, upon seeing them the reaction was electric, he stood up so fast the chair was thrown backwards and smacked loudly onto the floor, a few people looked over at the source of the noise. With crimson cheeks he stammered a grovelling apology, the haughty blonde witch gave him no quarter, her voice remained ice cold for the entire exchange, his hands shook as he found their booking and once the papers were signed an old tin can was placed on the counter, they reached out and touched it, a familiar feeling of being tugged from the navel and they were gone, the man wiped his brow, closed his eyes and slumped forward onto his desk.

Narcissa wasn't sure if it was the distance travelled or that it had been a long time since she last took a port-key, but she couldn't recall a time when it affected her so badly, she felt a little bit shaky and light headed. The sensation passed swiftly, she patted her stomach and blamed the feeling on her condition, she assured Harry that she was fine.

His brow remained creased with concern, her heart fluttered a little bit, she knew he only wanted to make sure that she and the baby were safe and healthy. She admitted that she did feel hungry and that would probably help, it had been nearing lunch time when they left England. Knowing that her appetite was unaffected and feeling quite hungry himself, they had reached a happy compromise, hand in hand they walked with a new sense of purpose and after a few minutes following the exit signs, they emerged at street level.

It was mid morning in New York city and even though rush hour had been and gone the streets and roads were heaving with people and traffic. Every single screen in Times Square was lit, the position of the sun made most of them unreadable, they grabbed a pretzel from a vendor in the street to take the edge off their hunger as they looked for a restaurant that called out to their stomachs. They decided to try an authentic New York Deli, they both had beef pastrami, salad and American mustard on rye bread. Most of the afternoon was spent wandering around and taking in the sights and the sounds, they walked through central park and checked into their hotel. It was supposed to be a quick stop, in order to receive their luggage from home, with Kreacher dismissed, Narcissa had dragged him onto the ornate four poster bed and kept her man occupied for several hours.

They washed and dressed before heading down to the hotel foyer, they hailed a yellow cab to take them to the Empire State building, they took their dinner in the restaurant at the top and took their after dinner drinks out onto the observation platform. As the sun dipped below the line of buildings, the city began to light up, hundreds of thousands of twinkling lights shining out from every skyscraper.

They spent the next day doing more tourist activities, they went ice skating at Rockafella Plaza, visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art,and then shopping down 5th Avenue. They made a point never to eat the same thing twice and ate in as many different restaurants as they could, Harry got his wish when they visited McDonald's on Wall Street, they drank wine while the resident pianist entertained the diners from his seat behind a brilliant white grand piano. The weather was scorching hot, a helicopter tour was a nice change from the usual tourist activities and a trip out on the rivers was a good way to stay cool.

They headed to Battery park and took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, after climbing to the torch and back down again they ferried across to the museum. To round off the evening they took in a Broadway show, a limousine collected them from the hotel and dropped them off and collected them at the end, exhausted they fell into bed and slept. The morning of their final day was spent in bed, Harry woke his witch up kissing down her back, she groaned a sleepy approval and stretched out to allow him better access.

Several hours later they were back in England and heading home, they ate a simple meal and turned in early. The bedroom was exactly as he'd left it, apart from the thick embossed envelope on the dresser next to Druella's key. Narcissa walked to Harry's side and took one look at it before declaring that it was from her mother, she didn't have to try too hard to convince him that it would wait until the morning. After they had made love they lay awake with their bodies pressed close together, she reached for his hand and placed it on her stomach, their baby had started to kick.