Lucius paled, feeling the wards shift. He had known this moment was approaching but Merlin did he feel utterly unequal to it now it was here. Across the table, Narcissa met his eyes, the flash of resolve he saw there bolstered him slightly. Not that it made any difference, what was coming, would come and they would need to react accordingly.
Seconds later with a sneer on his face, Voldemort appeared in the doorway, his eyes flicking around the room.
"Where is everyone?" he hissed.
Narcissa took a deep breath, "It's almost Christmas, My Lord, many are with their families."
His eyes narrowed in displeasure. "And your son?"
"Draco is here," Lucius replied, trying not to recoil. He was more monstrous than he had remembered, his alien face showing nothing but hate. And his robes, merlin, did they look disgusting. He barely bit back a shudder as he tried not to stare. Was it to much to ask that the wizard wore fucking shoes? His nails were more filthy than his robes.
"Get him!" he demanded.
"Of course my Lord," Lucius agreed, calling for Coley as he hid his disgust. "Get Draco," he commanded, knowing no level of manners could be displayed, not towards a House elf with the Dark Lord watching.
"Yes, Master," he agreed.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed further. "I find myself….disappointed that my followers are not here to welcome me home. Bellatrix is usually so devoted."
"Bella demanded to be allowed to join a meeting with Rodolphus and Corban to discuss plans for muggleborns and the Ministry, My Lord," Lucius murmured, his eyes on the table in a show of subservience.
"What plans?"
"I am unsure," he replied slowly, bracing himself for the cruciatus he knew was coming. On cue, he felt the searing pain of the curse as he toppled his seat, landing on the floor of the diningroom. Briefly he contemplated whether they should have considered a rug. Wooden floors were both cold and hard, especially when it felt like someone was flaying you alive and pouring vinegar in the wounds. The curse lifted after several minutes, allowing him to catch his breath, Dracos pale face staring down at him.
"Ah, Draco," the Dark Lord all but cooed, "I assume you must have finished the task I set you for you to be here."
"I have a way into the castle my Lord," Draco agreed promptly, "I requested Aunt Bella's assistance with identifying the best people to infiltrate, which is why I am home."
"I see," he hissed. "Show me,."
If anything Draco paled further, missing Narcissa's hissed "Coley, now."
He blinked in surprise when the Dark Lord promptly disappeared. "What…"
"We sent him to cool off and think about his actions," Narcissa smirked.
Slowly letting out a breath, Draco stared at his mother. "Merlin, I hope those wards hold."
"They will," Coley's satisfied little voice interrupted, handing Lucius a vial that he promptly downed. "Coley has Nyx watching. Milly will take the nightshift and Coley and Mar will check the barriers hourly just in case."
"Thank all the gods for elves," Draco muttered as Narcissa lavished the slightly bloodthirsty elf with praise.
"And the Mistress will let Coley be there at the end?"
"Of course, Coley," Narcissa cooed, "although I cannot promise we'll have time to play with him. My cousin plans to ah..help Dumbledore move on shortly though. As long as Severus deals the final blow, we'll have time to play with him."
Coley's answering smile sent a shiver through Draco and Lucius, both glad the elf was on their side.
"Where is his snake?" Draco checked.
"The snakey be hunting," Nyx answered, appearing beside Coley.
"If you could let us know then that changes," Narcissa answered smoothly before turning to her husband, "Cake for breakfast? Chocolate cures most ills."
"I don't think it stops shaking hands," he muttered but accepted the slice Coley handed him.
They jumped when Coley reappeared over an hour later. "The snakey is on her way back"
"Good," Narcissa growled, "Is the trap set?"
"Yes Mistress, Coley put in a nice pig that the snakey will want to eat even if she's full."
"Well done Coley," Narcissa praised hearing the crash that indicated the trap had fallen, her smile turning smugly sinister. "It's all coming together now."
"Merlin mother you are terrifying,"Draco muttered.
"Nonsense," Narcissa dismissed, ignoring the look her husband and son shared. "Now who's good with a bow and arrow?"
Corban, it turned out, was good with a bow, a throwback to his teenage years when he had been attempting to impress a boy he was fond of. It hadn't worked but at least he'd gained a new skill. A skill that meant Nagini was now very much dead, a basilisk venom laced arrow completing the job with minimal fuss. They'd let Bella behead her just to be sure before shipping the snake off to a delighted Severus to experiment with.
"Just his Lordship now," Corban mused.
"Indeed," Narcissa agreed briskly. "And after christmas we'll arrange that."
"After Christmas?"
"Well, there's no point until we've done something about the Potter boy," she pointed out. "He'd still have an anchor and we risk the boy being possessed."
"Fair point," he sighed. "How is He doing?"
"Tom? Oh, he's furious. The elves are finding it endlessly funny that he's trapped. Coley keeps taunting him."
"Your elves are insane," he muttered.
"They fit in rather nicely," Narcissa agreed. "Now. Why don't you go and find my brother in law and see how he's getting on with that cure for the Longbottoms."
"If I must," he grumbled, stalking off in search of Rodolphus. Narcissa smiled smugly at his retreating back. She did so appreciate underlings that did exactly as they were told.
Christmas morning dawned crisp and cold. From inside the warmth of the Manor, Narcissa smiled around the sitting room, all of her remaining family finally in one place. Granted, her eldest niece looked like she couldn't believe she was here, a look that was mirrored on the faces of Severus and Harry Potter, but no matter. She had finally gotten what she wanted.
"Auntie Cissa there's lots!" the awed voice of her youngest niece as she stared at the presents under the tree with wide eyes drew Narcissa's attention to her and she smiled indulgently, wanting to coo at the sight of her. Bella had given in to her badgering and the child was dressed in the most darling green velvet robes, her hair in tamed curls that fell half way down her back. She was adorable, the perfect embodiment of a miniature Black witch.
"Yes there is," she agreed, "will you help me give them out?"
"Yes!" Aquila squealed, drawing fond smiles from the rest of the room.
"Well then, this one is Draco's," Narcissa handed over a present, watching as she very carefully carried it over to Draco before darting back. She allowed her to hand something to everyone before she handed over a garishly pink parcel that made Bella wince. "Can you guess who this is for?" Aquila shook her head and unable to help herself Narcissa ran a fond hand over her curls. "Might it be yours?" she suggested.
"Mine?" Aquila breathed.
"Yes yours, go and open it Poppet, I'll distribute the rest. Sit beside someone so they can tell you who it's from."
"This is weird right?" Harry muttered to Sirius as he watched the former Hermione Granger scamper over to Rodolphus Lestrange, waiting until he picked her up so she didn't have to put down her gift before she wriggled until she was nestled between both her new parents. The smile on Bellatrix's face was quite frankly terrifying.
Sirius merely gave a huff of laughter that was cut off by Aquila's gasp of delight at the doll in her hands.
"That ones from your Auntie Andy," Bella sneered at her sister.
"Thank you Auntie Andy!"
"Oh you're most welcome, little witch. What are you going to call her?"
Aquila's nose scrunched adorably, "Simon." she declared.
"Simon?" Narcissa checked. "That's an…unusual name for a girl, Poppet."
"Simon's an un..unusual girl, Auntie Cissa." she replied with such seriousness that they struggled not to laugh.
"Very well, open the purple one next, Poppet. It's from me and your Uncle Luc."
Very carefully, she ripped the paper off. "A tea set for my very own!"
"Narcissa is that real wedgewood?" Andy wheezed, silently reaching over her sister in order to pick up a delicate teacup.
"Well of course it is." Narcissa dismissed, "I'm hardly likely to buy her some cheap imitation."
"My god," Remus muttered, shaking his head.
"That's expensive isn't it?" Harry muttered.
He let out a choked laugh, "I have no idea how expensive, but yes."
"It was hardly that expensive," Lucius waved them off, overhearing, "It was a little over 1000 galleons. I imagine her first proper one will be five times that."
"1000 galleons," Remus wheezed, "Thats…thats over £5000! On a tea set for a child!"
Lucius shrugged, opening a few of his own gifts as Aquilla pulled out robes and shoes that his wife had taken great delight in shopping for before moving on to more dolls and toys that, based on his sister-in-laws look, Rodolphus had acquired all on his own. She let out an unholy squeal at the box of books Draco had gifted her that was only surpassed by the noise she made when she opened the box of what Rabastan described as 'play jewellery."
"I think they robbed the Queen for that jewellery," Harry muttered as Aquila immediately draped several necklaces around her neck before placing what Harry suspected was a real diamond tiara on her curls, making Sirius laugh.
"Ah well, the little witch will have much more fun with it than the Queen."
Sirius' addition of a leather jacket with Princess embroidered on it in pink, with a tiny gold crown over the P made Bella roll her eyes and Severus' potions kit was predictable, if well received. He regretted it slightly when Aquila batted her eyelashes at him and asked him to "Please, please, please Uncle Severus, teach me properly." Especially when they all laughed when he folded completely and agreed, determined to cure her of her reliance on the textbook this time around. She'd be in his House when the time came after all, he could afford to play favourites. And truly, it would be a blessed relief to teach one competent child.
He was spared further scrutiny with Harry's gift of a plethora of craft supplies that Sirius had insisted he add glitter to. It had Bella sending avada's with her eyes, but Aquila almost vibrating with excitement, especially given that Remus had found a colouring book based around Wilma the witch to go alongside several classic muggle fairy tales.
"Last one!" Bella cooed, finally drawing her glare away from Harry and Sirius and immediately putting them all on edge.
Inside her last gift was a set of beautifully ornate throwing knives, "For my very, very own?" Aquila breathed, running a careful finger over the flat side of a knife.
"Of course, we'll begin some proper training after the New year."
"Really Mummy!" her eyes lit up, "I be as good as you?"
"Oh no, my darling, you'll be so much better."
"No ones putting a stop to this?" Dora checked hesitantly.
"Hush, dear, " Andromeda countered, "If you recall, I taught you how to wield fire."
"Not at three!"
"Well if you'd been able to remain on your feet for more than two minutes, I would have begun much earlier than I did. I had also intended to teach you to throw, unfortunately, I rather thought you'd do yourself an injury."
"You didn't teach me to throw knives!" Draco pouted at his mother before eyeing his cousins knives covetously.
"Your father taught you how to wield a sword, Draco," Narcissa replied exasperatedly.
"So he did." he nodded, seemingly mollified.
"Is anyone here sane?" Dora checked.
"Likely not," her father shrugged, "Embrace it. It's happening either way."
Christmas night found Aquila in pink silk pyjamas Narcissa had fallen in love with, tiny niffler slippers and the fluffiest of cream dressing gowns, cuddled into a slightly bemused Harry's side as he read Peter Pan stiltedly, all too aware of his audience. It was a mark of how tired she was that she didn't make any comment on that and merely cuddled close and closed her eyes. He still wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. He was glad she was here, at least physically ok but Merlin did he miss her older self. Still, he would take her however he could get her and if that meant putting up with the Malfoys and the Lestranges, then he imagined he'd get used to it. After all, they had managed to be something close to pleasant today, and he definitely hadn't been expecting that. It had turned out to be one of the best Christmases he'd ever had and given the company, that was nothing short of miraculous.
"I'll take her to bed," Sirius offered when Harry finally fell silent and it became clear Aquila was sound asleep, Simon clutched in her arms.
"I'll do it." Harry offered quickly, nodding at Crookshanks curled on his lap, " I wouldn't want to disturb Crooks. If someone tells me where I'm going..."
He saw the Lestranges share a glance before Rodolphus shrugged, "Right to the top of the stairs and then two down on the right.
With slightly awkward movements Harry stood, ignoring the way Draco was watching his every move as if ready to step in and headed in the direction he was sent.
Finding the room that he imagined most little girls dreamed of and assuming he was in the right place, Harry settled her on the bed with a sigh.
"I miss you," he muttered, dropping a kiss onto her forehead, feeling incredibly awkward. "Love you, 'Mione."