A/N : Another chapter so soon! Surely you are spoiling us, I know, I know, there's no need to thank me, it would be unthinkable to take so much time off and not make an effort to plan the next chapter, granted I've been working on this since I posted the last chapter, apologies if it's a little rushed, I can always go back and tweak it

This, my lovely readers, is the penultimate chapter (there may be an epilogue, so technically I'm lying) but for the moment everything is going to plan. I was largely influenced by a book I'm reading, this is my homage to it.

Thanks to mercersburgrachel, my muse and occasional random idea generator.

Thanks as always to you for reading and reviewing, following and favouriting, without it, I probably would have given up ages ago, so here's a new chapter, I hope you like it.

(Update : this chapter has had a huge chunk rewritten, I hope it still makes sense and that those who've read it before like the changes, those of you who are new to this story, trust me, the new version is better)

Chapter Twenty Two

Narcissa woke up alone, it was still early judging by the dim grey light spilling through the gaps in the curtains. She felt Harry's side of the bed and was disappointed to find it cold, he hadn't just gone to the bathroom. Her eyes were still unwilling to open, even though the room was still gloomy, she rubbed her eyes and blinked rapidly.

She stretched and stifled a yawn, groaning as she heaved herself into a sitting position, she covered her bare breasts with her left arm, this allowed her to inspect her swollen stomach, she stroked her bump lovingly, she could feel movement and the flutter of little kicks. She gently pressed her fingers against the little feet and chuckled to herself as the baby responded, it was fun until the unborn child shifted onto her bladder.

Once she had relieved herself she selected a simple silk nightdress, put on her robe and tied it loosely around her middle. The bedroom door opened quietly and the elegant blonde witch stepped through and padded down the hallway in search of her husband. On her way to the living room she paid a visit to the tapestry room. Now they were wed she was interested to see if any further changes had taken place, the addition of a thread leading to a blank space for their unborn child was expected, their own places hadn't changed much, there were slightly more intricacies to the designs around their portraits and the lines connecting them, but that was it, her name was now Narcissa Potter Black, it gave her a warm feeling, she hugged herself and stood to exit the room.

There was no sign of Harry in the living room, or any indication that he'd been in there, the Prophet was still laying on the table, she looked at the front cover and made a mental note to request a proper print of the picture, it would look nice on display. The next stop was the kitchen, the lamps were lit and it was comfortably warm, a steaming mug was on the table next to a familiar shock of messy black hair, his head was resting on his arms and his eyes were closed. She fixed herself a drink and sat down opposite him, she sipped at the hot beverage and felt more awake and alert, unable to help herself, she reached out and stroked the top of his head, the running of her fingers through his soft hair caused him to stir.

Sleepy green eyes looked at her and a crooked smile grew large on his face, he apologised for sloping off but he didn't want to disturb her, he had woken up and felt awake and rested. He fancied a drink and a bite to eat and ended up in the kitchen. She teased him for falling asleep at the table when he had a perfectly good bed complete with a rather ravishing wife occupying it.

Harry lit the stove and started to prepare breakfast, he chopped mushrooms, halved tomatoes, pricked sausages, trimmed bacon, opened a tin of beans and chopped an onion. The kitchen was filled with delicious smells and the sound of sizzling, he cracked two eggs into the pan and stirred the beans. Plates and cutlery were summoned and he served up their food, they ate in comfortable silence, it still puzzled her why he didn't ask Kreacher to cook, or speed things up with magic, it wasn't that she didn't like him doing it the muggle way, she just found it odd.

He gave her the same response whenever she brought it up, he saw magic as a privilege rather than a right, he had spent many years living as a muggle, he didn't want to use magic for the sake of it, he thought it promoted lazy behaviour. Once they had finished eating he pulled out his wand and cleared everything away, all tidy and clean, she raised her eyebrows at him and he just rolled his eyes, he conceded that using magic freed up his time for more pleasurable pursuits, he finished his explanation by kissing her and after that all thoughts of poking fun at him evaporated.

Harry was already dressed but that didn't stop him following Narcissa up to their room, he impeded her attempts to dress in the nicest possible way, he wasn't a total hindrance, he helped zip her dress up at the back and fasten the clasp on her favourite necklace, not that it stopped him from kissing her exposed neck which sent pleasant shivers down her spine.

She stood at the dresser with Harry behind her, his arms wrapped around her baby bump, they were both looking at the key and envelope.

"Shall we see what mother has in store for us? I'm sure it'll be fine, she wouldn't do anything dangerous"

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"

"A little bit of both"

She turned her head to look at him and in response he leaned in and caught her lips. Harry withdrew his arms and picked up the envelope, he broke the seal and peered inside, it contained a single sheet of heavy parchment. The Black family crest dominated the top, gold leaf detailing ran along each edge, the writing was exquisite calligraphy in a deep purple ink, it read :-

My dearest Harry and Narcissa,

I hope this finds you well, I gave Harry a key during the wedding party, all you need to do is hold onto it. Enjoy!

Yours with love

DB

That was all that was written on it, they both eyed the key with an air of suspicion, Narcissa grabbed Harry's wrist as he reached out for the key.

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"When it comes to Mother, that is anyone's guess"

She released him and he picked up the key, it still felt warm to the touch, nothing happened, feeling slightly foolish he gripped one end and held the other out to Narcissa, hesitantly she moved her hand towards it and closed her fingers around the metal, she was surprised at the warmth.

"Now what?"

"Your mother just said we need to hold it"

As they stood there holding the object, the warmth of the metal seemed to be increasing, without warning a sensation like an electric shock caused their hands to grip tight to the key, there was a bright light and a strange sound. It happened so fast there was no time to cry out or react in any way, once the after effects of the bright light had worn off and they were able to see properly, they surveyed their new surroundings.

They were stood in a lush meadow, a place so obviously magical that it made the hairs stand up on the back of Harry's neck, Narcissa let go of the key and Harry slipped it into his pocket, with mouths hanging agape he fumbled for his wife's hand, she in turn, reached for his and gave it a squeeze. The carpet of springy grass was the most vivid green, all manner of flowers were growing, inhaling deeply through his nose brought many subtle scents, more than they could identify yet it wasn't overpowering.

At first glance the meadow had looked completely wild, now the initial shock had worn away, they looked out at the area with a more critical eye, they saw there was a natural path leading north. He looked behind, the tree line was some distance away, but it was clear that it was almost like a solid wall, there was no other obvious way out.

Before wandering aimlessly around unfamiliar territory, Narcissa attempted to apparate, but nothing happened. Harry had an idea and called for Kreacher, and still nothing happened, they were completely alone it seemed. Wisps of cloud drifted lazily across the perfect blue sky as they set off, they walked in silence to take in all the sights and sounds. The trees that lined the meadow broke in one spot and gave way to a leaf strewn path, dappled sunlight filtered through their ancient boughs. Eventually the path led them to a stream and it bubbled and gurgled alongside the path, although the trees were densely packed they glimpsed some woodland creatures running between the gnarled trunks.

The cool, dimly lit path ran straight and in the distance it looked like it opened up, as they neared what they perceived to be the end of the path, the sound of the running water had taken on a roaring quality, the path did come to an end, a small stone wall had been built at the cliff edge, to the right roughly hewn stone steps went down and down, the river had widened and spilled in a torrent over the edge. As they walked down the steps they glimpsed a large pool into which the waterfall fell, at the bottom they stood at a large clearing, the pool was beautiful, emerald winged dragonflies buzzed along the surface, small bubbles popping on the surface hinted at an active fish population, a small brook flowed out from the pool following another path.

Harry walked to the edge of the pool and dipped his fingers into the water, it was cool but not cold and in this weather, would be perfect for taking a dip, even though summer was coming to an end, there were still plenty of warm days left before Autumn arrived, and once Winter came they would be welcoming their child into the world, he smiled at the thought.

Narcissa nodded her approval when he suggested that they move on, the path was mostly dry earth, the remnants of a dry stone wall poked through the undergrowth in places, like the bones of some creature, moss grew easily on the old stone, a small bird alighted on the wall and pecked at the moss, foraging for small insects. This part of the woods was home to a lot of birds if the cacophony of bird song was any indication.

They set off walking again and maintained their leisurely pace, Harry let his eyes wander, Narcissa pulled at him to stop and pointed through the trees, he squinted in the direction of her finger, there seemed to be a dwelling in the distance. It was hard to tell how far it was and they assumed the path would wind it's way to the building at some point. The walls lining the dirt track became less ruinous, there was a break in the stones at the approaching bend, there had been iron gates there at some point in the past, the large rectangular space wasn't overgrown, which was curious considering the wildness of everything else they had seen so far.

Two large marble monuments stood side by side, weather and moss hadn't changed them much, Harry walked over to them and Narcissa followed, these monuments were a pair of graves, that much was obvious, the surprise came once they were close enough to read the names of the occupants. The first stone tablet read Charlus Potter, followed by the proclamation that he was a loving father and husband, by his side lay Dorea Potter, loving mother and wife.

"What is this place and what game is my Mother playing?" Harry just shrugged "When we find our way back home, we are going straight to see her"

The way the words were spoken left no room for argument and he was more than a little curious about this place. For now he wanted to follow the path to see where it led and then find a way to get them back home, Narcissa conjured two bouquets of flowers and placed them on the graves, they were as much her ancestors as they were Harry's.

The path wound its way on and came back parallel to the river, the canopy was thinning and the heat of the day began to mercilessly beat down on them. Breaks in the trees became larger and more frequent, there was definitely a clearing up ahead, the walls rose higher on each side and were soon well above head height, they rounded the final bend. There was a large archway before them, the gates were open, and in the clearing was a castle, it reminded Harry of a scaled down version of the fairy tale castles he had seen in cartoons as a child.

It looked to be built from black granite, the stone had a shiny quality that gave the impression of the building being wet, there were towers and ramparts, the stream formed a moat around it and a sturdy oak bridge led to the entrance. They walked around the circumference of the clearing, there were a few out buildings, one of them was a stable and Narcissa realised that it was the building she had seen through the trees earlier on.

Having explored around the clearing, Harry reasoned that they should go inside, the imposing door had no notable features just a large keyhole, he pulled out the key and slipped it into the lock, it turned smoothly and with an audible clunk the mechanism released. The door swung inwards and they stepped into a vast entrance hall, it was remarkably well lit, the windows were tall and narrow, the upper floor was all open and those windows lit the whole place. A huge black iron chandelier hung down on a thick chain from the centre of the impressive vaulted ceiling.

Harry was itching to see what this place was like, he set off to the nearest door with Narcissa trailing behind, all the rooms on the left were interlinked, they passed through a ballroom, dining hall, library and a few little reception rooms, the library was devoid of books, the furniture that remained looked old, it was sparsely furnished, a few tapestries adorned the walls, huge rugs covered the floor in the dining hall and library, the rest were bare. There were plenty of fire places, everything was clean but there were no signs of life.

Exiting through the last door brought them back into the entrance hall, they walked across to the opposite side, this wing seemed to be dedicated to the functional rooms, the kitchen was massive and more suited to a farmhouse than a castle, it had it all, hanging racks for herbs, meat and pans, a huge oven, cold room, larder and in front of the window, a deep stone basin as the sink. They peered into the laundry room but there wasn't any reason to venture further, Harry went down to investigate the cellar while Narcissa waited for him to return. After a quick scout around, he informed her that there was a giant coal fired boiler, an extensive and stocked wine cellar and a huge coal trough, he surmised that the entrance was concealed in one of the out buildings above ground.

They returned once more to the main hall and climbed the grand staircase, on the upper landing it overlooked the floor below, Harry leaned over the ornate bannister, it wasn't noticeable from the ground, but up here you could see the whole floor and the tiles were arranged into a pattern, at its centre was a crest he didn't recognise, the clever design, obviously magical, was made to be viewed in this manner.

All Narcissa said was that she thought the crest looked familiar, they drifted from room to room and noticed that there wasn't a single personal item anywhere, the bedrooms were grand and had basic furnishings but that was all, the drawers and wardrobes were empty, the whole place was like a blank slate. There was a beautifully decorated nursery just off from the master bedroom, the walls held a mural of fantastic creatures, Harry moved closer to inspect the Hippogriff, there were as many non magical creatures as magical, there was a hand carved crib with a rocking chair, Narcissa explained that it was a nursing crib, the mother would sit in the chair to feed, then she could lay the child in the crib and rock them to sleep.

A full size cot was against the wall, a mobile hung from the ceiling, there was also a playpen and all the drawers and cupboards you'd need to accommodate all the bits and pieces needed for raising a child.

Only one door remained unchecked, it creaked open and revealed a stone staircase that wound tightly upwards, intrigued, they carefully climbed up, Narcissa went first, Harry claimed it was so he could catch her if she fell, it was a steep climb, she was adamant that he was using it as an excuse to grope her backside, not that she minded.

They emerged, giggling like children, on the roof, the view was astounding, from this vantage point the tree canopy was just below them, the most surprising sight was the coastline, the trees sloped away for a few hundred meters and then gave way to a white sandy beach, the scenery was breathtaking and still gave no further clue as to where they were.

Harry felt a gentle tugging at his sleeve, he turned to his wife and followed her gaze, in the middle of the roof was a circular structure built from the same black granite, a large dome of glass formed the roof, there was a doorway. He hadn't noticed anything, they had exited the stairwell facing away from it and he had been captivated by the view, he had seen the turrets in his periphery, as he looked around he saw that each corner had a tower with a door, they could be investigated later, right now he wanted to see inside that strange domed building.

The door wasn't locked and he pulled it open, it was some kind of observatory, a large telescope dominated the room, curved shelves held books and ornaments, there were chairs and tables, one of the chairs was occupied.

"Welcome to Riverbank Castle, you certainly took your time, better late than never, I suppose"

Druella Black lay elegantly on a chaise lounge, it made Harry think of a panther.

"Mother!"

"Hello Narcissa dear, so, what do you think?"

"I don't know what to think, I don't even know where we are"

The fearsome Black matriarch laughed good naturedly and gestured for them to sit. Harry sat on the love seat opposite his mother-in-law, Narcissa sat beside him and smiled to herself as she was wrapped in his arms and pulled close against him. Druella flicked her wand and a table of refreshments appeared between them, she leaned forward and prepared them ice cold drinks. They sipped gratefully at the cooling liquid, the blonde eyed her mother with suspicion, Harry was taking in the room and it was several minutes before the silence was broken.

"What is this place?"

"I'm glad you asked, as I said when you arrived, this is Riverbank Castle, situated on Yr Ynys Cudd, this is just one of the names it's known by, the lonely isle and the wandering island are more commonly used, the literal translation of its name is the hidden island"

"That's impossible, no one could have made an entire island unplottable, all that aside, how did you discover it?"

"As you may have guessed, Narcissa, it is linked to both the Potter and Black families, but it wasn't documented in any of the old property deeds, I assume you know them as well as I, this place rightfully belongs to Harry, a fitting wedding gift, I think you'll agree, as for how I discovered it, that is the interesting bit. After Andromeda bought Harry to visit me, a parcel was hand delivered to me by a Gringott's goblin, it contained the key I presented to Harry, to cut a long story short, only a union between our two families would reveal this place, Dorea and Charlus made sure that in the event of another Potter and Black marriage, the key would be delivered to the oldest head of either household, in this instance, me"

"So this is all ours, and if there wasn't another Potter – Black union, it would be lost forever?"

"Exactly, only in my role as custodian, am I allowed to be here"

"Why couldn't we apparate away or call Kreacher? I tried calling him and he didn't come"

"That was partly my doing, had I not prevented you from leaving, you might have missed the surprise"

There were a few things that needed to be discussed, due to the complex magic imbued in this place, the only way to get in and out was the key, or utilising a house elf's unique magic, however, the key only worked when it was held between them. Druella hinted, not too subtly, that it would be a wonderful place to raise a child, and she was available to help whenever they needed her. Narcissa politely declined much to Harry's relief, but she would be welcome to visit from time to time, the older witch hugged her daughter and son-in-law and departed.

With the restraints removed, Kreacher was summoned and tasked with providing food. Afterwards Harry instructed him to check the place over, make contact with the house elves, if there were any, and take command, the elf swelled with pride. Harry figured that something had been maintaining the place and considering how old it was supposed to be, modern features had been added, if you could class things from the industrial revolution as modern.

They spent a large part of the day going over the place, Narcissa stayed tight lipped with regards to how she felt until they had gone over everything, when asked what she thought, she stated quite simply that she was perfectly happy in Grimmauld Place, but it would be nice to have a secret hideaway, he agreed.

As they lay in their bed that night, she expressed a desire to do something meaningful with her time once the baby arrived, she wanted to move all of her belongings from Malfoy Manor to Riverbank Castle, the furniture would look as at home there as it did in the manor, with Malfoy Manor empty, she wanted to convert it into something that would benefit the wizarding community, but she had no idea what that would be, Draco had no interest in it, and with no other members of family to lay claim to it, it was hers to do with as she wished.

Harry fully supported her idea, providing she didn't over exert herself, the next day, after Harry left for work, she travelled to the manor to start the ball rolling. She relished the challenge and having a purpose, the first task was the most cathartic, the systematic destruction of everything that belonged to Lucius. All of the unwanted items were piled out on the garden's boundaries and reduced to ash by a controlled fiendfyre, it left her feeling a little bit drained, she felt a little guilty at pushing the limits of the promise she'd made her husband, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him, it was something she needed to do, it had been liberating.

In their spare time Hermione and Andromeda came to help, they had heard all about it from Harry when he had gone to visit Teddy, it also allowed her ample alone time with her sister, time she spent interrogating her, the older woman refused to confirm or deny that anything was going on between her and Hermione, they had grown close while collaborating on the wedding plans and the rest was none of Narcissa's business, it didn't stop her trying, she brought up the teacher from Teddy's school, and in a tone of voice that quite clearly indicated that the conversation was over said 'you try bringing up an extremely magical child with the ability to alter his appearance in a muggle environment, and not have to have lengthy conversations with those who look after him'

Narcissa relented and apologised a little, she assured her sister that the only thing that mattered was her happiness, she had found hers in Harry, it would take something monumental to beat that.

The nights were drawing in and autumn was making way for winter, her work in the manor was mostly done, weeks rushed by, the baby was growing big, Astoria was pleased with her progress, everything was fine, even Draco was starting to get excited about the new arrival, he made a marked effort when interacting with Harry.

That day her son and his wife had visited and it had been nice, once they left she sat reading by the fire, her Aunt's voice drifted up to her, she placed the book down on the table and stood up. There was someone at the door, she thanked Walburga and went to answer, Harry wasn't due home and she wasn't expecting anyone.

Standing on the doorway was a Ministry official, her mind instantly assumed something awful had happened, her stomach dropped and she held tightly to the door frame.

"Mrs Potter?" she just nodded her head "I have a letter for you, if you could just tap your wand here" he held out a piece of parchment, she did as requested and he handed over the item "That's all Ma'am, have a good evening"

Narcissa slammed the door the second he'd gone, she moved as fast as she could back to the living room and ignored her Aunt's questioning shout. She sat down heavily and opened the letter with shaking hands, her eyes moved back and forth rapidly as she read the words, this day was always going to come, she thought she'd be prepared, she slid to the floor and cried, she cried so hard her whole body shook, finally it was all over, Lucius was dead.

As the crying subsided she attempted to pick herself up but was forced back to the floor by a searing pain in her stomach, she was told that she had a couple of weeks before the baby was due, panic rose up against her rational mind, she sucked in deep breaths. Unsteadily she made it to her feet and her waters broke in a dramatic flood, until just a small trickle of fluid ran down her leg, she called for Kreacher, he appeared instantly in front of her.

"I need you to take me to St. Mungo's, then get Harry"

Thin green fingers gripped her pale wrist then they were gone, their arrival at the hospital brought instant quiet to the emergency room, medi-witches rushed forward to support her, orders were shouted but to Narcissa it was just noise, a whispered voice by her ear told her that everything would be all right and that they were going to give her something to help with the onslaught of contractions.

Less than five minutes later, Harry burst through the doors, he knelt down in front of the elf and sent him to get everyone who mattered, he left the elf and marched over to a nervous looking receptionist, she didn't even need to hear him speak, she called over an orderly and told him where to escort Mr. Potter.

Harry barged through the double doors and his heart thudding loudly in chest after he'd ran down the last few corridors at break neck speed, several medical staff looked up, ready to admonish whoever had disturbed them, a nurse took his arm and pulled him to one side.

"She is fine, they couldn't wait for you to arrive so they are doing everything they can to ensure mother and baby are comfortable and calm, she would probably appreciate having her brow mopped and your hand to squeeze"

He managed to nod, the doctors were working on her behind a partition, his stomach lurched as he caught sight of a gloved hand, slick with blood, just one of those things the nurse said as she saw the look of horror on his face, she guided him gently to her side, it took a few attempts to locate her hand through his blurred vision, he smoothed her hair and kissed her forehead.

The door opened again and he was vaguely aware of a new set of worried voices, Astoria, Andromeda, and Hermione had arrived, Draco wasn't willing to come into the room, the three women just huddled together in the doorway.

Time no longer existed for Harry, every tick of the clock on the wall seemed to take an age, and then the most wonderful sound, he heard his child cry, several nurses entered and there was an increase in activity, a nurse approached and held out a tiny bundle, small pink fists pumped the air, and legs wriggled free of the blanket.

"Congratulations Mr and Mrs Potter, you've got a healthy baby girl"

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, with bright blue eyes and a little mop of jet black hair, he made sure she was secure in the crook of his arm and touched her face with his forefinger, he stroked her tiny palms and she grabbed at his finger. He waited patiently while a nurse helped Narcissa to sit up, he gently laid their baby on her chest and she hugged her tight, tears sprung up at the corners of her eyes and Harry hugged them both. Hospital staff came and went, after a time they were informed that they needed to check baby and mother one last time. He picked her out of Narcissa's arms, she kissed the top of her head, he crossed over to the woman and let her be taken, she was in good hands.

After what felt like hours, the doctors ceased working, a nurse administered an energising draught and a few other things Harry couldn't identify, then some orderlies came and moved her onto a clean bed. The head doctor droned on and on about something, he kept stealing glances at the gorgeous blonde laying on the bed, in the end, the only piece of information Harry had retained, was that Narcissa was fine and could go home as soon as she felt she was able. He thought he would never feel as emotionally drained as he had done after the war, it turned out he was wrong, he heaved a big sigh and went and lay next to his wife who had fallen asleep. Astoria had gone to get them all coffee, it would be several hours before she woke up.

Andromeda was dozing in a chair and Hermione was talking and singing to the baby, Astoria had taken to pacing the room, while Harry dozed on and off by his wife's side. Initially he had panicked when Kreacher had turned up in an agitated state, that coupled with the first sight of Narcissa surrounded by medical staff did little to allay his fears, but now it was all all right, it made sense that giving birth wouldn't be totally straight forward, and coupled with his complete inexperience concerning fatherhood, it had looked pretty scary to his eyes. he just had to wait for her to wake up.

The clock struck midnight when he heard his name, he didn't realise he had fallen asleep again, the lights in the room were dim, it took him a few seconds to orientate himself, and he heard her voice.

"How long was I out? Is she OK? Can I have some water please?"

Her voice sounded hoarse, but he was so glad to hear it, he offered her the glass of water as he answered the rest of her questions.

"She is perfect, I'm so proud of you my love, she's sleeping just over there" he pointed to the cot right on the other side of the bed, Narcissa shifted so she could peer inside, she ran a pale finger across a soft pink cheek "You've been asleep for several hours, the nurse said you would need the rest.

"I feel much better, still very sore, I know she's sleeping but can I hold her again"

He leaned over and kissed her, his eyes met hers and he smiled that crooked smile, she touched his face tenderly and winced slightly as she sat herself up. Harry walked around the bed and carefully plucked the precious bundle out of the hospital crib, she stirred a little and gurgled in her sleep. He laid her carefully on Narcissa's lap, she was so beautiful and so tiny, everything she could have dreamed of, she was a little bit disappointed hat she'd slept for so long, she would;ve happily suffered a bit of tiredness to just sit and hold her, she scooped her up properly and cradled her close to her chest, tears poured unbidden down her face, and Harry wrapped his arms around them both.

"All we need now is a name, but I think that can wait until I'm back on my feet"

Draco and Astoria were sleeping on a sofa in the corner, Andromeda and Hermione had been given a camp bed, Harry was eager to wake them, they'd want that, but Narcissa shook her head, she patted the empty space on the bed next to her and edged herself over to make a bit more room for him, he lay on his side facing her and baby, he gently laid an arm around her and eventually sleep claimed him.