Chapter Thirty Three

A/N: No reviewers.

Narcissa shifted Draco slightly on her hip, trying to calm his quiet whimpering. Even for a toddler, he was aware of the suspicious eyes following him, judging him for nothing more than his parentage. His mother had always found it rather endearing, the growing resemblance the boy had to his father. Evidently, it was more of a blessing than a curse.

Hundreds of workers seemed to stream through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, rushing to reach their desks before anyone important noted their absence. It was ironic, Narcissa supposed. Not long ago, her husband was one of those people, his slow strides distinguishing him from the crowd. There was no need for him to rush, when he was the one those lower men and women were trying to evade. Now, who knew what he would be. Who could trust the authority of a man who had been tried for corruption and dark magic?

Draco whimpered louder, reaching his arms towards an open door at the edge of the room. The boy was very sharp for his age, able to notice small details it took his parents far longer to spot. Lucius had never been able to surprise her when he came home from work, because Draco would smile and clap his hands before he had a chance to close the door behind him. He was not smiling now; instead, he looked between his mother and the door, unsure how he should react. It did not take long for Narcissa to realise why.

The Ministry had clearly done their best to humiliate her husband, exploiting an opportunity that clearly did not come along very often. His face was unshaven, his hair unbrushed and his black robes heavily creased, as if he had been forced to sleep in them. Even so, his smile sent the same warmth through her bones.

An age seemed to pass before Lucius reached her side, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist and pulling her close, trying not to agitate the fussing baby on her hip. The embrace lasted only for a moment, both of them conscious of the amount of attention they were attracting, but it was enough.

"Oh, my darling." Lucius breathed, stepping back from her arms. Draco was watching his father intently, as if judging his every move. The child was protective of his mother, even as young as he was; he would not stand for anyone mistreating her. He was going to be a terror when he grew up.

"We ought to get back to the Manor." Narcissa suggested, her eyes flicking left and right. Her head was beginning to swim, her son's weight growing more burdensome by the minute. "There are too many ears in the Ministry, and many of the things we need to discuss are quite… private."

Lucius nodded, taking her by the arm and leading her to the nearest Floo grate. It took all of her energy to clutch tightly to Draco as the flames built up around them, and the woman all but collapsed onto the settee in the drawing room of the Manor, placing Draco safely down on the floor in front of her.

Narcissa breathed deeply, her head feeling like it was padded with cotton wool. Lucius took a seat beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back.

"You need rest." the man instructed, stroking a loose tendril of hair from her face. "The kind of magical strength you would have needed to do what you did, you might as well have fought a five-hour battle against Albus Dumbledore. You cannot just carry on as if nothing had happened."

"I needed to see you, and I wasn't going to wait to do it." she explained, looking up at him with a hint of her old stubbornness, despite the dark shadows beneath her eyes, even more pronounced on the greyish pallor of her skin. Lucius allowed himself to smile for just a moment.

"Cissa," Lucius sighed, reaching for her hand. "You risked so much to help me in my trial. You could have been caught lying, you could have killed yourself using Occlumency against Veritaserum! And you hardly batted an eye."

"Because it was you." Narcissa explained, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. "I would do anything for you, or for Draco, no matter what it might do to me. The pair of you, you are my world. I could not imagine living without either of you. I wouldn't want to."

"Nor would I, darling." the man agreed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He knew agreeing with the sentiments was nowhere near as powerful as being the one to say them, but he could not think of a better way to describe what his wife meant to me. She had somehow summarised a heart full of emotion in a few short sentences.

Comfortable, Narcissa leant her head down onto her husband's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. She could feel Draco playfully tapping at her foot, feel Lucius' chest rise and fall with each breath, constant and reassuring that he would not leave her again. Within a few seconds, she was fast asleep.

Lucius looked up from his wife's face to see his young son staring at him, his head tilted inquisitively as he observed this strange man who looked so much like him. 'He'll remember me soon.' he reassured himself, plucking the child from the carpet and balancing him on his knee. Draco pummelled his fists against his little legs for a moment, frustrated at having been taken away from his exploring, but he soon relaxed, comfortable in his father's arms.

"Your mother is quite the woman, young man." Lucius whispered, trying not to wake the woman sleeping soundly on his shoulder. Looking at his son, the man smiled, seeing the look of pure adoration that overtook the baby's features when he looked at his mother; in that moment, they would have never looked more alike. "She would do anything for you, no matter what the risk. I know that we are safe now- the Dark Lord is gone and most of his followers too- but should it ever come to war again, she would move the moon in the sky to keep you safe. And I promise you that I will try to live up to her bravery, to protect you with all the strength that she possesses. It does not come easily to me, to care about someone so completely. But that is how much I care about her, so it should not be so difficult. What do you say, do you trust me?"

The toddler babbled some nonsense in return, reaching for a wooden toy he had spotted abandoned in the corner of the room. Lucius liked to think he had understood him, as he placed the squirming boy down again, wrapping an arm tight around his wife's shoulders, as if that simple gesture could shield her from the world. 'I may not be brave enough to protect them from the Dark Lord and his armies, but here, at this moment, I will do anything to keep them from harm. No one will touch my family again. I will not let them.'

A/N: I am pretty sure that Narcissa must be an amazing Occlumens to lie to Voldemort, so I used it in this fic. Hope you enjoyed. Please review!