It was all terribly anti-climactic when Harry found a woman – clearly a witch – sitting in his poor excuse of a living room, waiting for him.
…
"My Lord, Lucius hasn't spoken to me on this matter. I must apologise, but I am a little out of my depth right now."
Voldemort smiled at the unusual show of weakness that came from the witch in front of him. Out of all of his followers, he trusted her more than he even trusted Lucius. The man everyone considered his right-hand was one of politics and always acted accordingly, however...the witch was raised in loyalty second only to the one of Godric Gryffindor, even if she looked down on his house.
Voldemort, regardless of being a Dark Lord and one of the most powerful wizards of his time, was still very much human. He needed someone he could trust and confide in, especially with the endeavours he got himself into. Most secrets he kept to himself, but those that were vital to his plans he had to tell to someone.
"That is understandable." Voldemort said. "I believe Lucius failed to tell you due to your position, if that is any consolation."
From the look of it, it wasn't. Narcissa Malfoy wasn't one who took such things lightly. She was raised in the belief of family coming first and never having any secrets from each other. What one knew, so did the others. It was clear she was displeased with Lucius and Draco, they should've came to her, even if only to mention the bare facts.
Narcissa Malfoy wasn't a witch you'd want to displease.
"A few weeks back, your son came in contact with who he believed to be Harry Potter." Voldemort continued. "He told Lucius, who in turn has informed me. Your husband and I investigated and it was him."
For a moment, Narcissa was silent. She processed the information and to her credit, she looked more curious than shocked.
"Do you have plans on how you will proceed, my Lord?" The Malfoy matriarch asked carefully.
"I have asked you here for a reason, Narcissa." The Dark Lord hummed. "I believe Mr Potter will not come to us willingly."
"He was raised among Muggles, he has no reason to." Narcissa reasoned. "You wish to use the legal route?"
"I'd prefer if the Ministry remained passive on the matter for now. The longer that the public doesn't know about him, the better." Narcissa nodded at that in understanding.
"It is curious though, how Mr Potter knows about magic and seems to be able to use it." Voldemort mused.
"That's impossible, there is not a wand registered under Harry Potter." The witch objected. The Ministry had a registry of every single wand sold in Britain and who it was bonded to. Other countries did the same, it was an automatic process. If Harry Potter got a wand, they'd be notified.
"Are you implying that I'm lying?" Voldemort narrowed his eyes. The witch sat up straight, her body tensing.
"No my Lord, if you saw it with your own eyes it must be true." She said quickly. "He must've stolen the wand from someone."
Voldemort hummed in agreement. "That is the most likely scenario."
They both sat in a moment of silence. Narcissa folded her hands in her lap, mulling over the information she was just presented with. She pursed her lips, thinking of Harry Potter. It felt odd that they found him so suddenly and that her own son did it. She felt there was something wrong with it all. After years of searching, it was much too easy.
Narcissa and Voldemort discussed the situation more. In the end, it has been decided that Narcissa would approach the boy. She was curious of him, being a woman who wanted to see things for herself rather than believing the word of mouth (even if the source was the Dark Lord).
…
Harry and Ian spent hours casting the wards around both of their apartments as well as the Flower Shop. Harry didn't want to abandon work just because of the situation he got himself into, even if both Ian and Mitchell insisted that he laid low in some cottage in the country for a few weeks. Harry was more stubborn than both of them combined.
"You should change your hair colour, maybe get some contacts? It could throw them off your trail for a bit." Mitchell mused while sat on top of the counter as Harry cast the last of the wards around the shop. "We could try bleaching it. How do you feel about blonde? Or maybe a nice red colour."
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not in a spy movie. They'd see right through it."
"Not in a crowd." Mitchell pointed out. "We could use make up too, I mean girls look totally different when they put make up on so that could work."
"I can so imagine Lucius Malfoy getting fooled by a bit of foundation." Harry replied dryly.
"It is muggle, he just might." Mitchell tried to defend his point.
"Don't think that'd work mate, sorry." Ian added. He cast a spell to check the wards and make sure they haven't forgotten any of them. They were all basic wards, mostly to notify them of people approaching or breaching them rather than keeping people away. Some of the wards they weaved in were meant to repel people, those were just in the rare case Lucius Malfoy sent some lesser wizard to do his dirty work. Anyone with above average magical power could easily get through them.
"Why not? I had this girlfriend that explained to me what contouring was. I swear I was looking at a different person once she put it on." Mitchell said. "We could try covering the scar at least."
Ian shook his head. "They know where he works and I presume it's only a matter of time before they find his house. They're smart enough to put two and two together even if we gave Harry a makeover."
Mitchell opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but bit his lip and didn't speak a word. He jumped off the counter and went to the back, to sort of the plants waiting there. Harry and Ian shared a look. The stress was getting to them all and they knew Mitchell was only looking out for Harry in any way he could.
Ian sighed. "I better get going, my free period will finish soon. Got a year seven class to teach next."
Harry grimaced. "Good luck with that," He said. He remembered year sevens being one of the worst classes to teach in the afternoons – they were all hyperactive after consuming their weight in sweets during lunch.
"I'll need it," Ian smiled. "I'll apparate back a few blocks down, contact me if anything happens, alright?"
Harry assured him that if anything happened, Ian would be the first to know. As the wizard left, Harry cast a spell to see the wards surrounding the shop. The magic was swirling around in colourful lights, whispering of protection and safety. This was one of Harry's favourite spells – it visualised the magic spells and wards that a normal eye wouldn't see. It showed another side of magic – the beauty of it. It was originally created to aid curse breakers in removing wards and spells, but for Harry it was a way to see the galaxies of swirling colours that magic created.
He stood there for a while, just admiring the spells, but broke out of his thoughts when he remembered that someone could come in at any time. He quickly cancelled the spell and went to see Mitchell.
The owner was shuffling through the plants they stored in the back, organising them and making sure they were all watered. Without a word, Harry joined him. They spent the rest of the day doing work, be it helping the customers or just running maintenance on the plants. They started to gather the flowers a customer requested for an engagement party which they were to arrange tomorrow for pick up.
During work, they didn't really speak of anything important. Harry was glad as it returned the feeling of normalcy. Work distracted him from the paranoia of a wizard kidnapping him at any minute.
Harry's normal life resumed for a few days, he picked up Chinese or Indian to eat after work before heading home, reading a few books and falling asleep with the light on and a book open on his chest. He almost forgot about the wizards haunting his life. Almost.
It was all terribly anti-climactic when Harry found a woman – clearly a witch – sitting in his poor excuse of a living room, waiting for him.
She was sat on his sofa with a look of distaste on her face, hands folded in her lap and her back straight. Her hair was pinned back and robes neat, with her wand resting under her hands. She looked up when he entered, covered in dirt and plant fertiliser and with a box of Chicken Chop Suey in his hand.
A sudden sick feeling filled his stomach at an alarming rate.
"I apologise for intruding Mr Potter, but you're a difficult man to get a hold of." The witch said without missing a beat. "I hope you don't mind that I made myself comfortable. Please sit down."
It all felt terribly like a meeting – Harry was reminded of a job interview. He didn't take his eyes off the witch, panicking and wondering why his wards didn't go off. They should've at least told him that someone broke them. That is unless the witch was more powerful and careful than she looked. Harry remained standing up, although he put down his take away on the counter.
"Who are you?" He asked. His thoughts darted to potential escape routes and Plan Bs. He needed to escape and possibly take up the idea of hiding away in the country for a while as much as he didn't want to. Although a part of him was curious of why the wizards were after him.
"I assure you that I mean no harm and merely wish to talk." The witch said. She took her wand, at which Harry flinched and backed away. The witch noticed that, but continued to move. She put the wand down onto the coffee table next to the stack of books. "My name is Narcissa Malfoy."
She was related to Lucius Malfoy. Of course.
"I'm not here on the behalf of my husband or son, who you came into contact with not long ago as far as I'm aware." Narcissa Malfoy continued to speak. "Rather, I'm here on the behalf of myself and the Wizarding World."
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. Somehow he didn't believe it. Narcissa saw that and sighed softly.
"My husband and his associate may have acted a little hastily." She said. "I wish I could apologise for their actions, but it is not my place to do so. You must understand that discovering that you're alive may be a little surprising to us all."
Harry snorted. "Why should anyone care? I'm just Harry."
"Finding out that the Boy Who Lived is truly alive and safe is something that many do care about. I do believe the Daily Prophet would enjoy a story like that." She smiled thinly. "You are anything but 'just Harry' and judging by your actions, I think you know of your heritage."
Harry looked away. "What if I do? I still want nothing to do with the Wizarding World."
"That doesn't mean we can allow you to be running around doing what you wish, Mr Potter. If I am to believe what I was told, you are using magic, are you not? Yet there is no wand registered under your name. Your magic is also unregulated and you live in a muggle area which risks revealing magic to muggles and thus breaking the laws that the Ministry has in place." Narcissa said. "Furthermore, you have no formal education in magic which is concerning as your accidental magic would've been a danger to you by now. Which means someone must've taught you and that is a direct link to the Wizarding World. Now, please tell me again how you want nothing to do with the Wizarding World."
Harry sat down at that. He didn't expect the Malfoy matriarch to come out with so many reasons Harry can't deny. She was clearly far too good at what she did.
"What do you want from me?" Harry finally decided to ask. He saw no other way around it all. If he apparated away and hid, it was only a matter of time before they found him again.
Narcissa smiled. "Like I said, I only wished to talk. Anything you say will remain mostly confidential between us. You must understand that I will have to file away some of what you tell me in order to keep you on the right side of the law."
"If I may ask, what is your position to be able to do this?"
The witch straightened her back, levelling her eyes with his. "I'm the Minister of Magic." She said simply.
With the way she looked and acted in the short time he saw her, Harry believed her.
"Now, would you be able to tell me where you have gotten your wand?"
…
Narcissa left her meeting with the Dark Lord with much to think about. She would approach Harry Potter in the following few days, needing those to plan what to say. She would approach him as a Ministry representative, even if she wouldn't formally file anything for a long time. Narcissa needed to work on some little white lies she could say. She hated outright lying when she could get away without it.
Before that however, she had to have a word with her family. She was kept in the dark and that didn't settle well with her.
When she entered the Manor, the elves told her that both her son and husband were in the lounge in the family wing, so she hastily made her way there. With flourish, she entered the room.
It was clear on both of the men's faces that they knew they were in trouble.
Narcissa strode into the room, robe billowing behind her. Draco sat on the sofa, legs curdled into himself and a book frozen in his grip. Even the ever-regal looking Lucius looked tense in his armchair.
Narcissa gave them the best of her cold smiles, kissing the shocked Draco on the forehead in greeting.
"Darling, I taught you better than to lie to your mother." She said and Draco swallowed hard. "You too, Lucius, should've told me as soon as Draco failed to do so."
"We thought it was better for the Ministry not to get involved." Lucius tried to explain.
Narcissa's eyebrows rose at that. "I am not the Ministry though. I am your wife. My position has nothing to do with your trust in me."
"Don't you have to follow the laws though?" Draco said.
"Darling, I make the laws." Narcissa said. "I can choose not to follow some of them in the safety of my own home. There is no one here to tell on me that I am breaking them."
The two men fell silent at that. Narcissa took that moment so sit down on the leather sofa on the opposite end from Draco.
"I hope that this is the only thing that you've kept from me."
…
A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the long wait but I had University assignments until 1st May and then I took a few days to relax. I'm free for the summer now though, so I can write. I'm not happy with this chapter though, it feels a bit…meh. What I wanted to happen, happened, but it was a struggle to write. Now it's over I hope the rest will go smoothly.
Hope you enjoyed, please like and review!