Chapter One

He had been standing there for what seemed like hours, a clock chimed somewhere deep in the house, it gave no hint of the time. The clutched tumbler of drink was untouched, the ice had long melted, he rested his head lightly on the grubby window, rarely did anyone pass by, and when they did, they never looked towards the building.

He hated this place, should hate it, but the more time spent here the more it became bearable, Kreacher had found a new lease of life, the house was beginning to regain some of its former glory, helped in part by the discovery that Regulus Black was a hero, with his name cleared and intervention from the elf, even Walburga Black's portrait ceased screaming obscenities whenever he passed, it seemed that Half-bloods were tolerable.

He swilled the amber liquid a few times to stir up the alcohol that would have long settled at the bottom of the glass, the drink was finished off in three measured gulps, he exhaled sharply, an involuntary response brought about from the strong alcohol burning a path to the young man's stomach. The light was fading as night drew in, he stretched briefly, reinvigorating the tired muscles throughout his body, then settled back against the window.

In the kitchen a fire was blazing, shadows danced along the floor and walls, the clock ticked and tocked closer to the next hour, the grand timepiece drowned out the steady dripping of the tap. The flames in the hearth double in size turning a vivid shade of green, a spinning figure appeared in the flames and stepped out into the kitchen.

A subtle wave of the newcomers hand and the lamps lining the room flared into life, the shadows fled, seeking new places to dance and twist in the uneven flickering of many lamps, the dark corners seemed darker. The figure dropped their hood and removed the light cloak, laying it over the back of a well used, wooden chair.

The woman was beautiful, she smoothed down her robes despite them being immaculate, red fingernails caught the light, her hair was tied up in a loose bun, expensive jewels twinkled in the light, like silvery tears dripping from each earlobe, she approached the mirror hanging on the wall, heels clicking sharply on the tiles, she straightened her necklace and smiled, ice blue eyes sparkled, she moistened red lips with the tip of her tongue.

The kitchen was simple, akin to that found in a farmhouse, a huge range style oven occupied most of one wall, set back into an alcove, handsome wooden beams lined the ceiling, pots and pans hung from large iron hooks, the large dining table could easily accommodate 8 people, newspapers are scattered across it, there is a mug and the remains of a small meal for one.

The elegant woman clicked her fingers, with a loud pop an extraordinary creature appeared, and bowed down so low that his nose brushed against the tiled floor

"Mistress, a pleasure, how may Kreacher serve you?"

"Just a drink please"

With a click of long fingers a glass appeared, full of a clear liquid, on closer inspection, many colours can be seen within the fluid, the woman took the proffered wine glass and allowed herself a sip, her eyes flutter closed as she savoured the drink.

"Will that be all, Mistress?"

"Yes, thank you, Kreacher"

"The master is upstairs"

With that the odd creature disappeared with another loud pop. Glass firmly in hand she crossed the room and opened the door, after climbing a small, creaking flight of stairs, she exited into a long hallway, taking a slight decoy, she gazed at the sleeping figure of her Aunt, the severe looking woman's eyes flicked open, darting left and right before resting on the face in front of her, the picture smiled, the expression looked quite unnatural, as if it was not often used.

"My darling Niece, so good to see a member of the most noble and ancient house of Black"

"Hello Auntie, it's nice to be able to visit again" she smiled at the venerable old woman

"You're here to see the half-blood" she chewed and spat out the word like it had a bad taste "He is growing on me, he wants to restore the house to its former condition, Regulus would be pleased"

Taking leave of her Aunt, the woman glided over to the staircase and slowly climbed to the upper floors, she walked down a richly decorated hallway, the door at the end was ajar, breathing quietly and slowing her steps she crept to the opening, the room was unlit, the street lights outside cast harsh orange light through the room, the leaded windows splitting the beams, casting criss crossing black shadows.

The man stood as still as a statue, if he was aware of the others presence, he didn't show it, she can't help but watch, building up courage, the door opened fully with barely a whisper, thick carpet masked her foot falls, until they were standing only inches apart, she closed the gap, her arm snaked around the man's waist and when her palm rested flat against his stomach, she pulled them together, he didn't flinch at the unexpected touch, choosing to lean into it instead.

"You came" he says, a trace of surprise in his voice

"I always do, and you always seem surprised" she replied with amusement

"Will you be missed" the concern in his tone evident

"Not even a little bit, What about you?"

"No, being the head of the Department of Mysteries has its advantages, antisocial working hours and only a few people are privy to my comings and goings"

The woman sighed contentedly, gently turning the young man to face her, despite the messy hair and stubble, he was very handsome, the residue of the war remained, but in some ways he looked all the better for it, emerald green eyes meet ice blue.

"Do you feel at all guilty?" the question is asked quite innocently

"Must we do this every time?" she does her best to hide her irritation

"I'm sorry" he says sincerely "I guess I let the mood of this place get to me, I'm working on it, after all it was left to me and I think I could be happy here"

"What about Ginevra?"

"I can't carry on, it's different now, so much has changed, we aren't teenagers any more, I am planning on leaving her" the woman looked shocked

"What about you?"

"I hope you already know"

He removed his wand from the front pocket of well worn jeans, a quick flick lit the candelabra, the room suddenly bright, another flourish of the wood and the curtains drew closed, with his free hand he took the hand of the woman, linking fingers, and led her gently to the comfortable looking couch, he sat down and pulled the woman onto his lap, she let out a small shriek at the sensation of free falling.

Having recovered from the shock, she adjusted herself into a more relaxed position, back leaning against the arm, her eyes close as a warm hand caressed her cheek, he leaned toward the woman and placed a kiss on her lips, smiling at her young lover she recaptured his mouth with her own and deepened the kiss.

They finally broke apart, both sucked in deep breaths of air, a flush on their cheeks, touching foreheads, they gazed into each others eyes.

"I have missed you"

"I missed you too, have you eaten? I can get Kreacher to sort something out"

"No thanks, it's fine, I ate before I left" she kissed him lightly on his temple

"Let's turn in, its been a long day"

Sliding from beneath the woman's legs, he stood and stretched slightly, offering his hand, she gladly took it, he slipped his arm around her waist as they left the room, the lamps extinguish.

The lights along the hallways burned brightly, they slowly make their way up to the third floor, the first door belonged to Regulus and was now used solely by the house elf as some kind of shrine to the man, Harry didn't mind, the house was plenty big enough, upon reaching the fourth door, he opened it and allowed the woman to pass and enter.

"It looks fantastic, although it's a bit Gryffindor for my tastes"

"I hoped you'd like it, I had you in mind when I was making it fit for purpose, and the drapes and trimmings around the bed are green and silver"

"I love it"

The room looked positively regal, a deep red carpet covered the floor, the back wall was dominated by an impressive bed, the bedside tables, wardrobes, desk, dressing table and chairs were all fashioned from mahogany. She walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, it felt perfect, she watched the young man take off his clothes with hungry eyes, he's still skinny, but it's offset by well toned muscles, he walked over to the bathroom in just a pair of black briefs, opened the door and stepped inside.

Narcissa was happy, happier than she could remember, she felt young, she supposed she had Harry to thank for that, she hadn't planned on having an affair, or ever seeing any of the golden trio ever again, but things had a funny way of working themselves out. She thought back to the day that had started off the chain of events that led to this moment in time.