Hey Everyone! So I just w ant to say thank you forf everyone who has followed and reviewed this little story. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please leave me a review to let me know what you think. We are coming for the end of this story soon. I think there will be ten chapters in total.
I have loads of stories on an old phone. Some are complete and some are not. Slowly over the next few weeks I will be posting these. Some are Cissamione, others are Dramione, Sevmione and I think I have some with Harry/Narcissa and Hermione /Minerva. Some were just things I have written over the years and need somewhere safe to store them, so I thought why not upload them. The firstf chapter of the first story will be posted later on today.
So without further ado I hope you enjoy this nexff chapter. As always Rated M and we will get some lemons soon so keep your eyes peeled.
Chapter Six
Having Holly living with me was incredible, Kingsley had given me a leave of absence to allow Holly to adjust to a new country and her new playschool. She is set to attend Primary School in September and is making so many friends. Two weeks had passed and Narcissa moved into Black Manor twelve days ago and was currently redecorating.
It was frightening how much I had gotten used to her presence in the house, it was so quiet now that she wasn't tinkering in the Potions Lab. I had only seen her once since she left but tonight was the Ministry Ball, and she was attending. There had been a huge article in the Daily Prophet about her when she made her first public appearance with the Malfoy-Potter family.
It was just a quick shopping trip as well as a trip to Gringotts but the whole of the Wizarding World was buzzing about her return. Holly had became very close with her in that time frame also, needless to say she was missed in Grimmauld Place.
Holly had also gotten close to Andromeda and ever since Teddy came home for a week at Easter she had latched onto him. He loved showing her his Metamorphic abilities and she loved showing him her own natural ability of magic also. Tonight she was staying with Draco who had decided to miss the ball this year and play babysitter to Maya, and Holly.
Harry was my date for the evening and I know Andromeda had tried to set Narcissa up with a man for the night to which she ultimately refused. I had dropped Holly off an hour ago and was in the middle of doing my hair when I heard my name called out.
"Hermione." What on earth was she doing here, shouldn't she also be getting ready or already there. I called down to tell her two seconds and slipped my black shoes on. I smoothed out an imaginary crease in my dress before heading downstairs to greet her.
No amount of preparation could have helped me to see her in her robes. She was in a silk, red full length dress with black shoes and I didn't have to look at the red soles to know they were designer. She was like a devil in a red dress, kind of ironic that I was in Slytherin Colours again.
"Narcissa, are you OK?" She spun to me and I could see the worry on her face, she let very few people see this side of her and I felt smug at being one of the few she showed this side to.
"I don't really know if this is a good idea Hermione. I mean the last thing I want is people gawking at me. I can usually pull on my mask and I had never had anxiety before, I mean the thought of walking in there alone is just too much." It was understandable that she was feeling this way, the world had moved on and she was just trying to catch up.
"OK just come here." I did the one thing that always soothed me as an anxious child, I wrapped my arms around her and it seemed to startle her because she flinched and stood for five seconds before wrapping her arms around me.
"You are not going to be alone Narcissa. Stepping into the ball with Harry will practically guarantee no one will annoy you. OK?" She pulled away from my body and smiled down at me, she really is a beautiful woman.
The Floo erupted and spat Harry out onto my rug before taking in our close proximity and smiling at us. He didn't say anything thankfully but Harry is the only other person in the world who knows me completely and if we were both straight we probably would have made a good couple.
"Do I get two dates for the evening?" I nodded at him as he smiled before walking over to us both and hugging us close to him. It's like he knew Narcissa was nervous and had decided to try and comfort her as best as he could. The older woman seemed slightly touch starved for lack of a better word because again she flinched.
"OK then ladies, let's get this over with shall we?" He held out his arms for each of us and apparated away from Grimmauld Place. Landing the the foyer we made our way out of the entrance and were greeted by flashes of bulbs.
I knew we were running later than usual but in all honesty these things were incredibly dull and leaving it as late as possible allowed us to practically bypass the press. Seeing Parvati we headed over to her, after Rita got the boot she took up the mantle as the main Journalist, we worked with Parvati and gave her exclusives when we could.
"Hermione you look beautiful and Harry handsome as ever. Ms Black may I be the first to welcome you back to Wizarding Britain. It is so good to see you back with us and you look amazing." She smiled gracefully and I realised the ice mask was back up but it softened slightly at her friendly tone.
" I appreciate that Miss Patil, it is wonderful to see you again. I am just thankful to get go know my granddaughter and my new family?" They spoke for a minute before we were being ushered into the room as they wanted to start. Walking into the ballroom was always daunting, people looking at you, either glaring or adoring you.
It made me sick, I glanced at the Weasley Table and when George was drooling with a wink at Narcissa , Bill and Fleur waved as I exhaled and just turned my body away after a quick wave. Things with The Weasleys were not unfriendly but not the same as it once was.
When Ginny cheated on Harry and he chose to walk away, he Weasleys apart from George and Bill were all trying to get them back together and making excuses for her. He didn't cave and instead buried himself in work and practically ignored them until Maya was born.
Molly and Arthur loved Harry and accepted him with Draco after a while but they never forgave me for breaking up with Ron. My freaky lesbianism was too much for them and their son was heartbroken. I haven't spoken to them since a big blowout six years ago when there was an article about me kissing a woman.
"Are you okay?" I could tell Narcissa wanted go ask me all sorts of questions but chose go just check on me instead. I just nodded as we were ushered to our table and took a seat beside Minerva, Filius, Aberforth, Andromeda and Dianna Chang. Cho was there with her husband and they were polite and cordial to us all but when Dianna spotted Narcissa she smiled at the blonde.
"It is good to see you Narcissa." The two women embraced and conversed for a second before Kingsley took to the podium and a silence fell over the room. It showed the amount of respect that Kingsley had from the public as a whole.
"Good evening. Thank You for joining us this evening, I am please, to see so many familiar faces. As we are speaking of familiar faces let us also welcome back someone long thought gone to us. Narcissa Black whom we all thought stolen from us too soon has returned after twelve long years. Please let us all make her feel welcome and not annoy her too much." A few chuckles were heard and as I turned my head to look at her, those blue eyes also met my own.
"Twelve years ago, peace felt like a foreign concept. Yet here we all are living in harmony for the first time in a long time. I am proud of everyone's resilience and determination to provide that peace for the next generation." I had to hand it to Kingsley, his speeches were different every year and it showed because people still listened and focused.
"As you all know we would not have been able to that peace without the work of the Golden Trio known as Harry Potter our saviour, Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of the age and Ronald Wesley whos keen strategic mind was irreplaceable. Please welcome them to the stage now." I hate this part, every fucking year we are trolled out like cattle at a market.
Still I did my duty, I stood and took Harry's arm that was held out for me and slapped a fake smile on my face. Seeing Ron stand at his parents table and extracting himself from Buffy, Muffy of whatever the blonde plastered to his side was called.
It was notoriously awkward and got worse as each year passed, slipped between the two boys for a photo op was not my idea of a good time. All for the peace of the next generation.
Of course that was Holly's generation now, my daughter. News of Holly hadn't broke yet and for one I was glad that she had been protected up until this point. I have tried to keep my private life as separate as I could up until now, of course some things have slipped out over the years.
I knew she would be discovered eventually but for now my life was still half in the Muggle world and allowing her the chance to grow up far away from the vultures of the press will be easier for her in the long run. Since the war my name had became synonymous with scandal, heartbreak and greed before being announced as a hero for this world.
"Big smile then folks." If I punched the Minister of Magic would I get into trouble, possibly. The smug smile on Kingsley face was really angering me, I don't know how many more times I can do this. Flashbulbs were flitting around my fave and it was only when my eyes fell onto Narcissa I felt peace. She grounded me and kept me sane thought this photo op.
Shit on a stick, I am in love with this woman, so in love and it has just hit me like a ton of bricks. I held onto my pendant only to breathe a sigh of relief that she couldn't hear me. How the hell am I supposed to go about this? Denial seems like the best way to go if I am being honest. She had became a very close friend to me and I am so happy when she is in my life.
"Miss Granger over here! Have you got any new suiters that you would like us to know about? Word has it that you were spotted with an older woman recently in Australia of all places." Barbaratt Whistler was a big wig from Witch Weekly and always gave me some positive feedback, woman on woman was not all that accepted in the Wizarding World but ever since Harry and Draco have been together alot more people are proud of me for some absurd reason.
"Yes well I was in Australia on a family bereavement and I was with a close friend of mine but nothing romantic at this present moment." That seemed to appease them for now and began peppering Harry about an exclusive photo of the Malfoy Potter baby. They had only released one picture of Maya when she was born and that was it, they kept her very well protected both in the magical world and the Muggle one.
Twenty long minutes and it was finally over, dinner was being served and as I took my seat beside Narcissa she held up a glass in front of me to which I had never been more grateful.
"You look like you need this more than me." I smiled and took the drink from her hand catching her fingers as I did so. Only a small intake of breath let me know she felt it but we separated from one another as Harry sat back down.
"God that gets worse every year." I nodded at him as the first course was served, everyone had to pick their preferences before the ball and when my tomato, lentil and red pepper soup arrived with crusty bread slathered in Butter I remembered the only good part of this ball. Hogwarts House elves are employed by the Ministry for the ball every year and it is always extraordinary.
"This food is amazing." Narcissa had some form of salad with what looked like chicken on it. She had cut out meat from her diet so it must be some sort of fake chicken. She caught me looking and placed some on her fork before holding it in front of my fave.
" You have to try this." I slowly opened my mouth and as my lips wrapped around the fork her blue eyes shot to mine and I felt butterflies in my tummy. The explosion of flavour as she removed the fork was unexpected but amazing, if had the texture of chicken but was anything but.
"It's called seitan and you can basically make any kind of fake meat with it. It's incredible." As I finished my starter she was watching me having paused her starter.
"Are you OK?" I had never seen that kind of look on her face before and it made me blush slightly. She dabbed her cheek and excused herself from the table before heading toward the ladies. I took the last dredges of firewhiskey from my glass and excused myself too. Following her I saw her blonde hair flash as she walked through the bathroom door.
Slowly edging my way after her what I found was not what I was expecting, she had hard hands gripping the basin in front of her. Her knuckles were white and her back was wrought with tension. What on earth had happened?
"Are you OK?" Her head snapped up to my own and she looked terrified reflected in the mirror. She turned to face me and truly looked like a hippogriff ready to attack. Her chest was heaving as she took in deep breaths, the mask was down and I was grateful for it.
"Hermione... I..." Was she having a panic attack, I locked and warded the door before making my way closer to her and she took a step back so she was pressed against the sinks.
"Narcissa, tell me what's wrong?" She shook her head and bored her eyes into my own before taking my hand in her own.
"Nothing is wrong Hermione I just, realised something and needed a moment to catch my breath." Realised something, and yet that look on her face was almost feral when shed was lookingv at me. Would it be rude of me to ask her what shed realised? Probably. My curious brain is getting the better of me but her hand holding my own felt amazing.
"I thought I had done something wrong." She pulled my body close to her own, so close in fact I could feel every muscle pressed against my own body. She felt amazing, athletic of course which was no surprise considering the yoga positions I sometimes found her in at Grimmauld Place. There was a softness to her though, not only her skin which felt like silk but also her body moulded to my own.
"You have not done anything wrong Hermione. Absolutely nothing. I promise you." I pulled back from her but never let her go and the smile on my face was more telling than anything else. I needed this to continue, I need this closeness in my life. Before I could say anything else to her the door flew open and who should walk in Aliana Diggory, she stopped dead at the two of us and we were far enough away from one another to be appropriate at this point and the colour drained from her face as her gaze landed on Narcissa.
"You! You should be ashamed showing your face around here. Your husband was there that night my son was taken from me and you parade your face here as if you are innocent. You disgust me. How, dare you!" Narcissa had an impressive mask in place at this point and I knew she was taking it all in but ignoring how she really felt at this point.
"Aliana, I truly am sorry about your son. The war has cost too many people too much. I am not going to sit here and fill your head with a sob story Aliana because you have known me this long to know that's not my style." The older woman recoiled at Narcissa words and continued to glare at her.
" All I can do is atone for my mistakes, can you let me do that?" She huffed and ran out again and the tension in Narcissas shoulders was back and she sighed against the wall and wrung her hands together. I don't know why but seeing her dressed to the nines but looking nervous made her more human.
" Are you OK?" She smiled softly at me and I just walked over to hug her, I had noticed she didn't flinch half as much with me as she did with other people. Instead her arms filtered around my body and she held me close to her. I could feel her heart pumping rapidly underneath her skin and she seemed nervous. As I pulled back from her she stroked my cheek softly.
"I miss you Hermione. Being in Black Manor is lonely and I miss you and Holly." I didn't move too far away from her and took her hand in my own, God she just fit perfectly.
"I miss you too. Holly misses you, we could come visit you in that mansion of yours anytime you feel like company." Her smile got larger and when she tilted her head to the side and seemed to be concentrating.
"What's wrong?" She shook her head at me before tracing my cheek again, my skin felt like it was on fire when she, touched me.
"You're getting better with your shields, can't hear you screaming in my head anymore." Her smug smile looked far too much like teasing for me to be comfortable and I nudged her playfully and held out my pendant for her to see.
"I charmed it to protect my mind from others while I get better at Occlumency. Also to protect you from my pervy thoughts, sorry about that again. I in no way want to make you uncomfortable, that is not something I want to do. You've became a friend, a really good friend and it's surprising in a way really that we, would become friends... On paper we shouldn't work but yet we have so many interests which are similar and I... " Her thumb trailing across my lips shushed me and I jolted up at her in shock.
Those impossible pools of blue in her eyes were not such a stark contrast, she was darker and more sultry than I would have, originally thought. My brain has practically seased to function, all I can feel is her thumb stroking my face.
All I can feel is her body close to my own and the feel of her skin on my face, it made me breathless. She truly was breathtaking and her free hand pulled me close by the waist. I was inches from her and her eyes flicked down to my lips and it hit me. She desired me, I know she, does. I slowly willed myself go move my arms and held her close also.
"Hermione...stop rambling. Fuck, what am I doing? This is not a good idea and yet you have weaved your way inside of me. It is so fucking distracting, you look beautiful by thdd way. I didn't mention itg before because I was nervous but fuck Hermione you look amazing." Hearing her swear made me instantly aroused, I have never had these kind of reactions. I didn't want, her to dwell on anything too long so as she, changes her mind. I took the plunge and slowly brought my lips up to hers and pulled the back of her neck closer to me. God, it was sensory overload, she smelled incredible, her skin was so soft and her hair was like silk.
Her lips felt like Utopia and a soft callous on the corner of her lip made me softly stroked my tongue against her. She pulled me around the corner away from the door and pushed me against the sink before lifting me up to perch on the edge of the sink, she fucking lifted me.
"This is probably a terrible idea Hermione." She, said whilst pressing kisses to my jaw and neck, her left hand was pressed against my thigh and the other was wrapped in my hair tightly but gentle.
"What if it's a good idea? What if we do this and it's the happiest we have, ever been? Don't we, owe it to ourselves to try? I want to try Narcissa please. Let's try." I pulled myself up and pressed my body to her own perching on the, edge of the counter. Wrapping my legs around, this seemed to be, enough to break her resolve as she trailed her hand up my leg which was exposed through the slit, on the dress.
"Hermione, you have became my very best friend apart from Andromeda. I don't want to lose you and if this goes bad it is going to impact a whole hell of a lot more than just you and I." I couldn't stop grinning at her, she liked me. This beautiful woman who transcends time actually likes me, I mean I have pulled women before but something about the way she is looking at me. No one has every looked at me like she is and it filled me up from my fingers and toes with smugness and satisfaction.
"Let's just see, let's just try and see. I will not force you nor do I want someone who doesn't want me. When you make up your mind, come and find me." I slowly backed away from her and waved my wand to fix my face and hair before leaving the bathroom and letting her brain catch up with everything else. We can confirm that we would get on quite well, the woman can surely kiss. I mean I am weak in the knees and it has took even walk away from her.
Seeing as the photo op was done I headed straight for Harry, I need to leave and just recuperate a little from that encounter. I know she is scared, it was strange and new. Anyone in their right mind would feel a little apprehensive but I know we can be good together, she needs time to think and that is what I am going to do.
My raven haired friend was talking to Minerva and I just tapped him on the shoulder. The headmistress hugged me close to her and I excused myself claiming a headache and made my way to the FLOO to head home. Although I know she needs this time I realistically don't know how long I can stay away from her.
That's us folks! I hope you enjoyed it.
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