Chapter Thirty

A/N: Thank you to EriksAngeldeMusica, Sue and Unicornspit93 for reviewing.

The nursery was an ornate and beautiful room, one which Narcissa had loved from the first day she had spent living in Malfoy Manor. The walls were coloured emerald green, with silver and black vines creeping across them, interspersed with the occasional flower, to ensure the display was not too frightening for a young child. 'That is a mother's touch.' she thought, and briefly wondered whether Lucius' mother had been the one to add it. From what she remembered of the woman, she doubted it. She could not imagine her caring enough for her child to soothe his fears in such a way.

It was a constant source of disbelief for Narcissa, how a mother could leave a child to fight their own battles so early and with so little care. Herself, she spent each spare moment of the day in the nursery with her son, watching him grow and change as he adapted to the world around him. She left the room to take breakfast and dinner with her husband, and when she retired to bed in the evening, much to her disappointment, but those were the only occasions when she allowed herself, however reluctantly, to be separated from her baby.

However, the amount of time she spent with Draco had drawn Narcissa's eye to something worrying; for being with him so often, she could see how rarely Lucius came to visit his son. True, he spent the day at work in the Ministry, so he did not have as many opportunities to spend time with Draco during the day, but the only time he even saw the child was when he came to greet her when he returned home and to fetch her for dinner. He placed a brief kiss on the boy's head as she placed him back in his cradle, then turned his back and headed for the door.

It was not that Lucius did not love his son, of course he did. She had seen it in his eyes when they had named him, the pure joy of new parenthood, but now that gleam seemed to have died down. When she had summoned the courage to confront her husband on the matter, he had simply declared that it was all alright, that Draco would not remember time spent with him at this young age; but that was what worried her. Draco was so young, she worried if, when he became older, he would even remember his father at all.

Eventually, Narcissa resigned herself to the situation, and for each moment Draco's father was absent, she ensured the baby was always in her company. 'At least he has his mother.' she thought, though it did not offer as much comfort as she would have hoped.

Lucius had been called away that evening- she doubted the call was related to his job in the Ministry, but she knew better than to question it- and so Narcissa had taken up residence in the nursery for the night, settling herself in the plush armchair beside the cradle. She had intended to watch Draco, the beautiful peaceful baby that he became as he slept, but the lack of rest she had experienced herself, caring for her baby alone, finally took its toll and the woman felt her eyelids flicker closed.

She awoke to the soft creaking of footsteps on the floorboards and instinctively reached for her wand, intending to expel the intruder threatening her son. She had scarcely retrieved the instrument from her side when her vision cleared, the haze of sleep dissipating to reveal the tired but smiling face of her husband.

"I nearly hexed you." she stated, unsure whether or not to apologise. In the end, she chose not to; defending her son was only to be expected and surely Lucius would want her to do so. He only nodded in acknowledgement, returning his attention to the baby in the cradle. Reluctantly, Narcissa pulled herself to her feet, coming to stand beside him.

"He looks so beautiful while he's sleeping." Lucius stated, to which his wife could do nothing but smile. Even when they spent so much time apart of late, it seemed he was still able to deduce exactly what she was thinking. "So peaceful. You know, when he's like this, he looks very much like you."

Narcissa's brow furrowed as she studied her young son's features. Ever since Draco's birth, all she had been told was how much he resembled his father; she had never really thought to find herself in him.

"I'm sorry, Cissa." Lucius' voice was quieter now, almost like a whisper, but in the peace of the nursery it carried clearly. Finally Narcissa looked up at him, her eyes meeting his. There were crow's feet beginning to appear at the corners, evidence of his constant work, both at the Ministry and elsewhere. Narcissa was certain the same lines were beginning to surface on her own skin, no matter how much care she took to try and prevent them. But they still held the same love and devotion they had the day they spoke their vows.

Narcissa did not respond, knowing nothing she could say would be appropriate for the moment, and instead stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Lucius' torso and holding him close. Immediately her husband moved to hold her in return, dropping his cheek to rest on the top of her head and placing a kiss to the messy pile of curls that rested there. This close to him, Narcissa could smell the faint tinge of smoke and something more than that, a metallic tang that could only have been blood, but she fought to ignore it. There would be time to discuss his activities later. For now, the two simply held each other, reveling in the comfort they found in the peace of the nursery. Here, they were safe together, their baby boy sleeping in his cradle. Here, they were untouchable.

The two were so lost in their own world they did not notice the rumble of thunder in the distance, the crackle of magic surging through the air around them. A storm was approaching, a storm that even togetherness could not save them from.

A/N: So sorry it's been so long, but I hope you guys are still reading. If you are, please review!