Purebloods never give it up on the first try...
[Recap: Hermione tapped Pepper’s nose and headed back downstairs. After descending one flight, she rounded the corner and heard Elizabeth’s voice carry up the hallway. Hermione wanted to believe she hadn’t heard properly because it almost sounded as if Elizabeth had said she had been in love with Narcissa since they were in school together. Hermione, on stealthy feet, crept slowly down the top few steps, listening carefully without making a sound.
“Elizabeth, I...you...I’m not choosing Hermione,” Narcissa answered, her voice rough.
Hermione’s heart sank, her stomach dropped. She froze there, two steps down, just out of sight.
“Then I can send him away,” Elizabeth was smiling, “you’ll stay with me!”
“No,” Narcissa gasped. “That’s absolutely not what I’m saying. I’m not choosing Hermione. I’m not picking sides in a schoolyard Quidditch match. Hermione and I, we have...we have plans and hopes. We’ve discussed our...our goals. I know how she wants to change the world, what she dreams.” Hermione heard Narcissa stand, “I may have carried Lucius’ child in my body, but I’ve never known another person as intimately as I know Hermione.”
Hermione pressed her hands over her mouth to contain the sob threatening to break free. She could do nothing about the tears pouring down her cheeks.
Narcissa sighed deeply and moved toward the staircase, she stood at the bottom, still looking at Elizabeth. “It shouldn’t be about choosing her over you but if I must, I will.” Narcissa looked up the stairs then, startling a bit when she saw Hermione. Their eyes locked, “I’ll choose Hermione every day. We’re going to Hogwarts in the morning. We won’t return afterwards. Goodnight, Elizabeth.”]
Narcissa moved gracefully up the stairs, her eyes never leaving Hermione’s. When she reached the younger woman, she paused briefly to wrap an arm around Hermione’s waist so they could continue on together.
So quietly no one else could possibly overhear, Narcissa whispered, “Shh, my darling, shh. Keep it in until we’re in our room. I know you’re upset right now but it won’t do anyone any good for Elizabeth to know you’ve heard the whole thing.”
Hermione shook her head, maintaining her silence, one hand still pressed over her mouth.
The moment they closed the door behind them, Hermione sank against it and let herself slowly drop to the floor. She couldn’t hold her sobs back any longer.
Narcissa’s eyes filled with sympathetic tears, she absolutely hated to see Hermione cry and it was even worse when it was her own fault.
“Oh, no, darling, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Narcissa knelt before Hermione.
The younger woman waved her off, hugging her knees and resting her head on her arms. “I’ll be fine, Narcissa. That was just...that was...God, for a very long moment I thought that was going to have a different ending.” Hermione looked up at Narcissa to see the other woman’s eyes squeeze shut and her own tears falling.
Narcissa silently turned, picked up a cheap, glass votive and transfigured it into a small corked vial. She then placed her wand tip against her temple and used it to pull a brightly colored memory out. With the memory sealed securely in the vial, Narcissa handed it to Hermione, “The entirety of the conversation I had with Elizabeth tonight from just before you left until now. I don’t want you to think you missed something or that I’m hiding anything from you. Anything at all.”
“No, it’s not that. I trust you, Narcissa, I do. I don’t think you’re hiding anything. I just... When you said you weren’t choosing me, I thought...it seemed...it sounded like that meant you were choosing Elizabeth. And then you said it again and it was just so confusing and I was scared and sad and hurt and...I don’t know,” Hermione trailed off, looking up at the ceiling, her eyes tearing up again.
“I’m sorry, Hermione. What I meant was that I’m not choosing you instead of Elizabeth like you’re desserts on a menu. I was...I am offended by the implication that being with you, that us...merging our lives and planning our future is that simple. Being with you is deeper, more profound than just...choosing.”
“Thank you,” Hermione whispered, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around Narcissa’s neck.
In response, Narcissa muttered the incantation for the featherweight charm and scooped Hermione right up in her arms. In a low voice, Narcissa assured Hermione not to worry, “If it was that simple, though, darling? If it was as effortless as desserts on a menu? I would choose you every day, Hermione. Every single day.” They shared a kiss. “Now, you lie down before you pass out from sheer exhaustion. I’ll go get my pyjamas on and be right back.”
Hermione nodded, her eyes barely open as Narcissa stepped away from the bed.
Pepper, however, stood wide-eyed. “Narcissa?” she whispered, “Will Hermione Granger be okay?”
“Yes, she will be. You just help keep us safe tonight sleeping in here and we’ll all be just fine, Pepper,” Narcissa answered soothingly. After changing, Narcissa felt the day catch up to her all in a rush. She could hardly brush her teeth, she was so sleepy but she had one last task to do before she could get in bed for the night.
Narcissa took out the salve they had picked up from Bliant’s shop earlier. She pulled open the tin, sniffing the contents and finding an odd sort of comfort in the spicy scent of the healing herbs. With Hermione already asleep, Narcissa only needed to pull the other woman’s arm out from under the covers and she did so slowly. It was easy to spot the scar - angry, raised, and red. Narcissa took a deep, calming breath and looked at Hermione’s peaceful, sleeping face. She pressed a kiss to her cheek, rested her forehead against Hermione’s temple, and then slowly sat back up.
Narcissa, having used it before, knew she had to soften the salve a bit before she’d have enough to cover the whole word so she rubbed her thumb back and forth over it, warming it up. When she finally felt it was soft enough to use on Hermione’s arm, Narcissa repeated the words inside her head a few times to make sure she had them right.
“Slànachadh le gaol,” she whispered, carefully putting the first touch of healing solution on Hermione’s wound. Checking her fiancée’s face, there was no reaction. Narcissa repeated the process twice more until she had covered the entirety of Bellatrix’s cruelty with her care. Narcissa rubbed the salve remaining on her fingertips into her own hands and put the tin on the table where Hermione would notice it in the morning.
Double checking the lock and turning off all the lights except one took longer than Narcissa had the patience for and she let out a gusty sigh when her body finally felt the bed beneath her. She rolled onto her side facing Hermione and reached under the covers to find her fiancée’s hand. With Hermione’s fingers entwined with her own, Narcissa fell immediately asleep.
Hermione’s night was long and plagued with terrible dreams. She woke time and again with the image of Bellatrix holding her down and the sound of her own screams ringing in her ears. Finally, just before sunrise, Hermione quietly slid out of bed, doing her best not to wake the other woman. As Hermione made her way to the window seat she saw that Pepper had obviously already risen, her blankets and pillows had been cleaned up and put away. Taking a detour to the door, Hermione stepped into the hallway and whispered for Pepper.
“Yes, Hermione Granger?”
“Good morning, Pepper,” Hermione said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Would you be able to get us a pot of tea very, very quietly? Narcissa’s still asleep and I don’t want Elizabeth to think we’re awake. I’m not ready for that.”
Pepper nodded and, with a wink, disappeared.
Hermione, content that the little elf would do as requested, settled into the window seat with a blanket to watch the sky change as the sun made its way up.
Narcissa, having awoken every time Hermione did, simply watched the younger woman, trying to gauge if Hermione needed the time alone to gather her thoughts or if her company was welcome. She hoped for the latter and pulled the covers back as she rose. Hermione smiled hearing Narcissa making her way toward the window.
“Hmm, lean forward, darling,” Narcissa commanded, her voice low and scratchy with sleep.
Hermione complied, feeling Narcissa pull away a few pillows before the seat dipped behind her just a little.
“There, now you can lean back again,” Narcissa offered, replacing the pillows with herself, her arms wrapping around Hermione who sat in the vee created by Narcissa’s legs.
“This is perfect,” Hermione sighed, head back against Narcissa’s shoulder.
Narcissa smiled, “Just about.” Her eyes slowly drifted closed once more.
Pepper came back with their tea and set the tray next to them so they would see it when they woke back up.
“Thank you, Pepper. Tea is exactly what we needed,” Narcissa winked at the little elf when she and Hermione awoke again.
“Narcissa is welcome! Breakfast?”
“Oh, not yet, Pep,” Hermione answered quietly. “If you need to take care of anything or you want to go home to Black Manor you can.”
“We’ll probably head into Hogsmeade for breakfast before Hermione needs to be at Hogwarts at half ten. We don’t fancy spending too much time here today,” Narcissa explained.
Pepper nodded solemnly. “Pepper will go to Black Manor and talk to Filly and see Narcissa and Hermione Granger at Hogwarts later. And don’t forget about Bliant.”
Narcissa nodded and Pepper, smiling, disappeared.
The two women sat a while longer watching the sky change and the birds fly about. They shared sporadic murmured conversation about the rest of their plans for the day and slowly finished their tea. Both were silently dreading making the trip downstairs to leave. Neither woman was particularly keen to run into the Innkeeper.
“She doesn’t need to know that I know,” Hermione shrugged.
“She does, though. I don’t want anyone thinking we keep secrets from one another, especially secrets like that. It’s so important to be honest, Hermione,” Narcissa sounded pleading.
Hermione set her teacup on the tray and turned sideways in Narcissa’s arms. “It absolutely is, you’re right. I think what I meant is, she doesn’t need to feel embarrassed about her feelings for you. Do I think what she did was wrong? Yes. Do I think it was a little mean and kind of cruel to wait until I was in bed to proposition my fiancée? Absolutely. On the other hand, I know what she sees in you. You’re a brilliant, loyal, fierce, kind, beautiful woman. She saw a shot and she took it. What matters most right now is what everyone does next.”
“You, my dear, are wise beyond your years,” Narcissa kissed Hermione.
She shrugged in response. “I think we ought to say our goodbyes, keep them quick, mind you, and pop over to Bliant’s.”
Narcissa nodded, her lips pressed together, fighting off a frown. Hermione took the teacup out of Narcissa’s hands and placed it carefully on the tray beside her own before wrapping her arms tightly around Narcissa’s torso and resting pressing a kiss to the leonine neck beside her.
“Why is this bothering me more than it’s bothering you?” Narcissa asked.
“I think you’re confusing two issues, Cissa. You’re not bothered about us. We’re still going to be married in three months, one week, and two days. You’re upset, and rightly so, that you feel as if you’ve just lost your oldest friend. You thought your friendship was one thing and now you’re finding out that maybe it was something else all along. That’s upsetting. You came here for a bit of peace from the world how many times in the last ten years? Now you’re wondering if that was ever really what was being offered.”
“Precisely,” was the whispered response.
“Just trust that it was. When we leave in a bit, hug Elizabeth goodbye. Remind her that she’s your oldest, dearest friend and that we will be inviting her round for dinner with Draco and Dean when they get back from their honeymoon in a few weeks. Be your charming, gracious, socialite self.”
Narcissa chuckled in response, pressing a kiss to Hermione’s hair.
“And end with an off hand remark about going to Achnagairn in three weeks for the tasting with the caterers and bakers and how you’re looking forward to seeing her parents again.”
“You were sorted into the wrong house, my dear,” Narcissa snorted.
Hermione, too, chuckled and the women shared a quick kiss before silently agreeing it was time to start getting ready for the day.
After they had dressed and gathered their things - surprised at how much they had spread out in one afternoon and night - Narcissa sat back on the window seat and beckoned Hermione over. “Before we go, let’s put Bliant’s salve on your wound.”
Biting her lip in nervousness, Hermione nodded and sat heavily next to Narcissa.
“It’s not going to hurt, darling. When I put it on your arm last night, your face relaxed immediately.”
“I didn’t know you put it on my arm last night,” Hermione frowned. “I had terrible dreams the whole night.”
Narcissa took a deep breath, “I know you did. And I did worry a bit that it might be due to the healing salve but it could also have been due to the ridiculous amounts of stress yesterday? A grim, Ron, Death eaters, Rita, Elizabeth, the day was intense.”
“It was,” Hermione acknowledged, unknowingly rubbing her scar.
“Hermione, look at me,” Narcissa softly commanded, “I want you to know that your nightmares could have been triggered by the healing spells in this solution. In order to heal, our brains have to process the trauma we’ve experienced and that happens best in our dreams.”
“So, I’m going to go back to having those nightmares every night again? I don’t know if I can do this, Narcissa,” Hermione squeezed her forearm, subconsciously protecting her wound from further pain.
Unsure what to do but wanting to console Hermione, Narcissa pulled one leg up onto the window seat and turned toward the other woman. She took Hermione’s free hand in her own. “Darling, I just don’t know. If that’s how you’re dealing with the trauma then yes? Probably? Perhaps if you...if you were to talk about that night more? Maybe talk about your nightmares with someone you trust to analyze them with you? That could help you work through the emotional and mental part of healing a cursed wound like this while the salve takes care of the physical part.”
“That...actually makes a lot of sense. This isn’t just a physical wound, it’s a cursed wound. I have to heal it from the inside out. Though, don’t we need to know what the curse was?”
Narcissa’s eyes fell briefly closed as she inhaled, “I’m fairly certain it was a blood malediction.”
“A blood curse?”
Narcissa nodded, her face serious.
“But...but Narcissa. Blood curses, they’re incurable. They pass down through generations, killing bloodlines,” Hermione’s voice was thin, terrified.
“They’re only incurable far down the line, when you don’t know where they started. We know exactly when, where, and how your curse started. We know who cursed you and what she used.”
“And that means it can be cured?”
“Yes. We’ve already started, with the salve from Bliant. However, blood curses are old, terrible magic. You can’t be cured with a simple potion or spell or even just using a healing ointment no matter how talented Bliant may be. You have to also deal with the emotional and mental effects. You have to heal it, too.”
Hermione dropped her head into her hands, “Will the hits ever stop coming, Narcissa? It’s just one thing after another right now. Do we ever get a break?”
“Oh, darling, don’t. Don’t think of it that way. This has already happened. Bellatrix already did this to you. We’re fixing it.”
“This isn’t a hit. Learning what the curse was is a positive. Knowing how to heal it is a good thing,” Hermione said, nodding. She was clearly trying to convince herself.
Narcissa nodded back, reaching out to cup Hermione’s cheek. “I know you’re scared,” Narcissa whispered, “and I know it seems really hard...but we can do this, Hermione.”
“You’re right. Of course. We’ve made it through far worse already,” Hermione leaned over and quickly kissed Narcissa. “I’m ready now.” She rolled up her left sleeve, exposing the wound.
Narcissa went through the same process she had the night before, staying focused on healing Hermione’s wound. Once she had completed it, Narcissa, again, rubbed the remaining salve into her own hands and pressed a lingering kiss to Hermione’s temple. Before she could pull away entirely, Hermione turned and pressed their lips together.
“Narcissa,” she murmured, kissing the older woman again.
“Mmhmm?”
Hermione pulled back just enough to meet Narcissa’s eyes. “We’ll get through all of this. Ron, Elizabeth, the Death Eaters, the Ministry. We’ll figure it all out. We’ll have a perfectly splendid wedding and all will be well.”
Trying in vain to hide her smirk, Narcissa answered, “Yes, my darling, all will be well after our perfectly splendid wedding, I’m sure.”
“Hey,” Hermione flirted, wrapping her arms around Narcissa’s neck, “I like to have clear goals and deadlines. They make me feel more grounded.”
“And the goal right now,” Narcissa punctuated the word with a kiss, “is to get out of here.”
Reluctantly, Hermione nodded, standing and offering a hand to Narcissa to pull her up. “I do hope Elizabeth isn’t one to hold a grudge, her Inn here is quite delightful and I did enjoy the garden all lit up last night.”
Narcissa hummed, though not in total agreement.
“Yes, I know,” Hermione laughed, holding her bag open for Narcissa to put the tins in, “you’d like to see something other than daffodils.”
“I would. It was a little...hmm.”
“And let’s just leave it with that,” Hermione wrinkled her nose up, reaching for the doorknob. She was caught off guard by Narcissa’s hand suddenly pulling her back. Then she found herself captured in a deep kiss, one arm circling her waist, a hand tangling in her hair, her back pressed against the door. Hermione kissed Narcissa back with equal passion, holding the other woman against herself.
Finally, Narcissa pulled back, her forehead resting against Hermione’s. “I don’t know what Elizabeth is going to say when we see her. I don’t know how she’ll treat you.”
“Oh, Narcissa,” Hermione’s eyes filled with tears of empathy for her fiancée, “however Elizabeth treats us, whatever she says to us, is a reflection of her. It has no bearing on us. It has no bearing on what’s between us or what’s ahead of us.”
Narcissa placed a nearly chaste kiss on Hermione’s lips and stepped back.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
The women made their way downstairs, side by side, a united front. At the bottom of the stairs, before they turned into the sitting room, Hermione looked at Narcissa’s face, gauging her level of comfort. She ran her hand soothingly down Narcissa’s back, murmuring to her about how it was just a quick word of goodbye.
One more steadying breath and Narcissa adopted her socialite face. Hermione tried to copy it but had a feeling she just looked uncomfortable so she stopped rather quickly.
As luck would have it, Elizabeth was sitting in front of the fireplace drinking her morning tea and chatting with the man who had rented the third room. Narcissa’s back tensed up immediately though her facial expression made no change.
“Narcissa, Hermione, good morning,” Elizabeth said quietly, standing.
“Is this your Narcissa?” The man asked, positively beaming. He put his tea down quickly and stood up right away reaching one hand toward Narcissa. “I’ve heard so many stories about you from Liz, here. I’m so pleased to finally meet you! I’m Oliver, Oliver Jones.”
Narcissa glanced quickly at Elizabeth and found her blushing. “Nice to meet you, Oliver Jones. I’m Narcissa Black and this is my fiancée, Hermione Granger,” Narcissa deftly avoided Oliver’s hand by wrapping her arm around Hermione’s shoulders.
“Pleased to meet you, pleased to meet you both!” He laughed jovially. “This is such a treat! Lizzie has talked about your school escapades so much! Tell me, did you really get caught in the Prefect bathroom in your skivvies in your second year?”
Narcissa let out a shocked laugh, “I can’t believe she told you that! It was mortifying!”
Hermione chuckled along, “I’m definitely looking forward to hearing that story!”
“I’m sure you are, dear, but not today. We really must be off,” Narcissa said.
“You haven’t shared that one, yet? But it’s so funny, Cissy,” Elizabeth chuckled.
Hermione felt the tension rise in the body so close to her own, “I’m sure she will, Narcissa and I don’t keep secrets from one another.” Hermione tightened her grip around Narcissa’s waist and felt her fiancée squeeze her shoulder. She continued, “We’ve spent a lot of time talking through the darker parts of our histories and, unfortunately, dealing with some...pushback about our engagement. I’m really looking forward to sharing more of our funny school stories as soon as life seems to settle a bit.” Hermione smiled pleasantly.
Elizabeth moved to stand next to Oliver, smiling at him as he begged them to stay for tea.
“I’m sorry, we have quite a lot to do today and simply not enough hours in which to do it. We’ll have you both to the Manor for dinner soon, though, yes? When Draco and Dean get back from their Honeymoon, we’ll reach out and set a date. Probably a Saturday, those are often free,” Narcissa looked to Hermione for confirmation.
“Usually, just not the third of October,” Hermione looked up at Narcissa, leaning into her.
“Right,” she nodded at Hermione. “We’re back at Achnagairn that day for the tasting with the caterers and bakers. I doubt we’ll even have supper that night!”
“Well, we’ll look for your owl, then. Dinner with you both and Draco would be delightful,” Elizabeth offered quietly. She watched Narcissa, only glancing at Hermione for a split second before her eyes were back on her old friend’s.
Narcissa and Hermione looked quickly at Elizabeth, surprised that she would mention owls in front of Oliver.
“Don’t worry so much,” he laughed. “I’m no muggo. I’m a wizard, right and proper.”
“Lovely, we’ll owl you soon, then,” Hermione smiled politely.
After the pair Apparated outside Bliant’s shop a few minutes later, they took a moment to collect themselves.
“That was a little odd to you, too, right?” Hermione asked. “He’s, like, too friendly.”
“It was, I think. Although, perhaps he was simply excited to meet us? He seemed pretty honestly interested in Elizabeth and I am her oldest friend. Then, on top of that, he got to meet Golden Girl, Hermione Granger,” Narcissa teased a little as she took Hermione’s hands in her own and stepped backward toward the front of the building.
“Oh, you,” Hermione laughed, stepping forward quickly to catch up to Narcissa. She used the momentum to pull Narcissa’s arms around herself so Narcissa was hugging her.
Taking advantage of the position, Narcissa hugged the younger woman tightly to herself. “Thank you for staying so calm in there,” Narcissa whispered, “it helped me remain calm as well.”
Hermione hummed her agreement into Narcissa’s neck before she leaned back and met her in a kiss. In perfect unison, the women stepped away from one another and headed around to the front of the shop.
“I cannot believe you didn’t warn me at all! You knew! You knew she felt that way and said nothing? Is that why you didn’t come to dinner?” Narcissa glared at Bliant across the same scarred table at which they had, only the night before, discussed Hermione’s scar.
“No, well, yes, but, no!” Bliant’s cheeks were flushing pink as he stuttered to answer clearly. “Narcissa,” he spoke more quietly, “you know me. Would I ever throw you to the wolves like that?”
“I never thought so but, Bly, not even a hint. You said nothing,” Narcissa smacked her hand on the table.
The big man took a long, deep breath and reached out for Narcissa’s hand. “I said nothing because I truly didn’t think she would ever come clean about it. Especially not now when she has that Jones fella around all the time. And you? With Hermione? I certainly didn’t think she’d confess her crush in front of your fiancée.”
Hermione rubbed her hand along Narcissa’s spine, soothing the other woman as Bliant spoke.
“Honestly, I’m shocked. I thought at this point she’d chalked it up to a lost cause,” he shrugged.
“She hadn’t, unfortunately,” Hermione replied when Narcissa just shook her head. “She didn’t intend for me to hear her, though. She thought I was upstairs in bed. I had started back down to get a glass for water and stopped when I heard what Elizabeth was saying. She only found out this morning that Narcissa and I keep no real secrets between us.”
Bliant narrowed his eyes at Narcissa. “Really?” He asked. “Our Narcissa has always been a woman of mystery.”
“She still is,” Hermione chuckled. “There are a lot of pieces of this puzzle I haven’t seen yet but the big stuff, we share. We don’t keep secrets that could hurt one another.”
“Goodness, no,” Narcissa agreed right away. Waiting a moment to let the air settle around them, Narcissa took a sip of her tea before asking her next question. “Bliant? Why didn’t you come to supper last night?”
“Narcissa,” he smiled sadly and patted her hand, repeating what he had said only moments earlier, “you know me. Why didn’t I come to dinner last night?”
“Still too many people for you? Five?”
“Six with Oliver Jones.”
“Ah, but Oliver did not join us for dinner. We didn’t see him until this morning. Apparently he was waiting for some sort of answer from Elizabeth.”
“And she was waiting for an answer from me. The whole thing was very...uncomfortable.”
“Right, I don’t do uncomfortable. Really, though, I assumed Oliver would be there and I just can’t eat a meal with that man. He’s always...on,” Bliant shook his head. He released Narcissa and picked up his tea cup with both hands.
“You mean that excitability this morning? That wasn’t just enthusiasm for meeting my famous fiancée?” Narcissa half-teased.
Bliant shook his head slowly. “He’s always like that. Everything is thrilling or hysterical. He never settles. I doubt if he’s ever heard a clock tick.”
Narcissa, having let go of her earlier upset in the face of Bliant’s obvious discomfort, reached out and patted his hand. “We’ll have you to supper when it’s just us, then. Maybe Draco or Harry but we’ll keep it small, no more than four. Okay?”
Nodding, Bliant looked awfully grateful.
“And we’re going to head out. Hermione and I are having breakfast in Hogsmeade before heading up to the castle and I’m sure she doesn’t want to be late,” Narcissa smirked.
“Do you know Harry and Ron were late to our very first Transfiguration class ever? And they thought they’d got away with it because Professor McGonagall wasn’t there yet but they didn’t know she was an Animagus. She was watching the whole thing from atop her desk. She leaped and transformed back into her human self in midair without missing a step and told the boys they ought to transfigure one of them into a pocket watch so they could be on time next class.” Hermione finished the story with a wicked grin on her face. “It was brilliant.”
“And thus a crush was born,” Narcissa teased, standing and holding out her hand for Hermione to take.
“Oh, and just how many classes did it take for you?”
“Pff, at least three. Purebloods never give it up on the first try, Miss Granger,” Narcissa smirked again.