Hey there everyone!

Hope you're still hanging in there or things are getting better for you in whatever country you are reading this from. Things in the UK are slowly looking up but there's a long way to go yet. Stay safe and eventually we'll all be OK and able to do things we love. Enjoy the update!

Lots of love,

LM xxx

Finally Belonging Somewhere-Part 70:

The next thing that was on Lucius and Narcissa's minds was the fact that Narcissa was a member of the Hogwarts staff and yet wanted time with Lucius as well. So they arranged to see the Headmaster to discuss the situation.

"I wondered when you two would ask to see me," Dumbledore said as he looked at the couple.

"With all due respect Headmaster we really need to come up with a solution that would work for everyone," Lucius said, "Narcissa has to stay here and work to remain as Aurora's Healer but she s also my wife and we need to figure out how to make a situation less complicated."

Dumbledore nodded. It was a complex situation and one that had to be solved rather promptly as Aurora needed to be told what was happening and he looked at the couple.

"So Narcissa still has the lip biting from her Hogwarts days," he observed before summoning refreshments to them.

"I do when I'm nervous. So much rests on what we're about to discuss," Narcissa said, "I want to remain here at the Castle but I need time with Lucius and then there is the fact that we need time with the children as well, especially Aurora. We've already lost so much time with her and it's hard to be away from her for a considerable amount of time because of that."

Silence fell on the office and the Malfoys could tell that the Headmaster was clearly thinking about what to do about the whole situation.

"Ok so what about if Narcissa is allowed home every night but has to be back for breakfast every morning? There would be exceptions though. Like if the Hospital Wing was busy or there is something that means she cannot leave the Castle then there would be no way that she could be allowed to leave," Dumbledore said finally as he looked at the couple sat in front of him.

"That could work," Narcissa said, "and maybe if I couldn't leave then Lucius would be allowed to Floo in. I mean we're basically doing this anyway but I'd just like it formalised for obvious reasons."

"That sounds fair with me and maybe you could have Wednesdays off completely as those are the calmest days and I'm sure Poppy wouldn't mind sparing you for a day… unless you're needed here but Lucius could Floo into here indeed," Dumbledore said.

"Sounds fair enough," Lucius said, "although at the weekends Narcissa and I would be here to do things with our children and they would be able to see their friends as well. They need stability. I don't think Aurora has ever truly had stability in her life."

The Headmaster looked sadly at that,

"I have no doubt about that after the report on the orphanage. It didn't look like some of the girls were cared for properly like your Aurora whereas the likes of Chloe and Natalie were spoilt and then turned that into what they did with Aurora. The connection does explain why Narcissa maintained she was still alive though."

"Yes it does. I think the connection was still there but less powerful because Aurora wasn't with us. It also explains why Cissa was really drawn to her at King's Cross," Lucius said, "if we'd have know then we could have found her sooner and she might not have suffered as much as she did in that wicked place."

"What you need to focus on is the fact that Aurora is home," came the voice of Phineas Nigellus Black from his portrait, "that child is a Black as well as a Malfoy and she is dear to me already."

Lucius scoffed at the comment before finding his wife's nails digging into his thigh,

"I meant she's a Black so she would be. That's all. I didn't mean to cause offence to anyone," he said and felt the pressure on his thigh decreasing, knowing that he'd have marks there later on.

"So I think we have some sort of plan in place now," Narcissa said before pulling a piece of parchment from her robes, "we had the test results back from Aurora's latest test and we think you need to see them," she said before handing the Headmaster the results.

Silence fell on the office as Dumbledore studied the results for what seemed like an age before a nod and he looked back at the Malfoys.

"Well progress is being made but it may take until her Third Year before she catches up with her peers but we will do all we can to support her and we know that you are doing everything that you can to help her as well," he said before thinking, "maybe helping with the Slytherin Quidditch Team would help her use the parts of her brain that she is unable to use," he said, "Draco is Captain so that would give the two a chance to bond as well."

Lucius and Narcissa looked at the elder.

"But she knows nothing about Quidditch…" Lucius said, "how could she help them."

"Well Severus is insistent that something isn't right with the team but nobody can figure out why so maybe she doesn't understand the game but she might be able to figure out what's wrong without needing to understand the game. Sometimes an outsider can see things that others can't."

Narcissa was the Malfoy most lost in her thoughts over the whole thing and she wondered how that could truly help Aurora.

"Are you asking us to give this a chance to see if she can use parts of her brain that are behind the rest?" she asked.

"Yes. Some parts of the brain are stimulated by something that they don't know well as it forces them to use their brains harder. Aurora's mind is most active when there is music and dancing, both of with involve sport that she knows. She doesn't know Quidditch so it would make her brain work harder at something new…"

"Therefore stimulating her in a different way to activate the areas of her brain that don't work as well currently," Lucius said before turning to his wife, "do you think it could work?"

"It's worth a shot, Narcissa said, "we need to try and find ways to help her brain catch up and maybe this could work. If it doesn't then we need to figure out a way to make her mind work but sure. Lucius and I can take them for a meal at the weekend and explain it all to them and the hopefully we can start getting her mind working differently," she said before feeling Lucius' arm around her waist and she smiled softly at him. Aurora would catch up and be a normal child again and she would move the Earth to make that happen no matter what it took.