A/N: This is my first story on this site or any other. I hope you enjoy it. I tried to keep it light for my first time out. Please review and let me know what you think.

I don't own any right to theses characters or places as they appear in the Harry Potter series as they belong to J.K. Rowling and Co. I make no profit from this work it is simply for my enjoyment and I hope your as well.

The Secret Life of Purebloods

Narcissa Malfoy was the picture of a perfect pureblood wife. She was a daughter of the ancient and most noble House of Black, brought up in the old ways and groomed to be a bastion of pureblood ideals. Her family was thrilled that she caught the eye of the equally impressive Lucius Malfoy during her time at Hogwarts and signed the betrothal contract with nary a thought of what Narcissa may want out of life. But like the dutiful pureblood daughter she was, Narcissa married Lucius and bore him an heir to the illustrious house of Malfoy, their son Draco.

Lucius never paid much mind to anything personal Narcissa did as long as she continued to uphold their place in pureblood society. And uphold their place she did. Her training from the ancient and most noble House of Black was not wasted after all. She was the paramount society wife and hostess. She sat on the board of various charities, hosted society teas, and threw lavish galas and balls. She carried herself with a cool indifference that spoke not only to her upbringing, but to the comfortable place she held in high society. Very few of the other pureblood wives attempted to set a trend without a nod of approval from Narcissa Malfoy. No one would ever suspect that Narcissa had a secret.

Her secret was not some salacious tidbit such as infidelity or addiction. No, her secret was much worse; her secret would surely bring shame and derision on not only herself but her family as well. But alas, Narcissa simply couldn't help herself, she loved muggles! She found them fascinating. Not just muggles themselves, but the culture in its entirety.

One Muggle Studies class was all it took to insight her curiosity. The way they solved problems without magic, their methods of transportation and communication, the veritably limitless additions to art and literature they seemed to make, how could the wizarding world ignore such inherent charm and ingenuity?

The only person who knew of her little hobby was her sister, Andromeda. Being older, Andromeda was out of Hogwarts and disowned by their family by Narcissa's third year. Disowned though she may be, Andromeda had gifted her baby sister with a charmed journal upon her induction to Hogwarts' hallowed halls. The journal wasn't simply meant to keep the musings of an eleven year old a secret, the journal served as a two-way communication device. This gave Narcissa solace and an outlet through the years as she was able to confide in her more progressive older sister.

Tonight was not different from any other family dinner at Malfoy Manor. Lucius, Narcissa and Draco were seated at their large formal dining table in their equally large formal dining room, for only formal dining was considered appropriate for a Malfoy. Narcissa had grown accustomed to the silence throughout the years, and used these times as an opportunity to observe her husband and son.

Her husband had aged well throughout the years. He was handsome, but distant, loyal, but not affectionate. He and Narcissa shared a life and a marriage, but emotional intimacy was seldom afforded in pureblood relationships. She knew this was the case when they married, but had dared to hope that one day they would be able to find at least a modicum of affection for one another.

Draco on the other hand, oh how she loved her son. He was the spitting image of his father, but when she was afforded time for just she and Draco, she saw so much of herself in him. At now six years old he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the world, though he was strictly curious about the wizarding world, as he had had no exposure to the muggle world. In fact, Lucius had taken it upon himself to instill something of an aversion to all things muggle in Draco. It pained Narcissa to know that sharing her curiosity about the muggle world with Draco may never be possibility.

Surprisingly, Lucius interrupted the quiet, "I'm going away on business for the summer."

"The entire summer?" Narcissa queried.

"Yes, business is such that I will be required to travel for the entire summer. And, thusly I will be required to travel alone on this venture. "

Draco sat quietly watching the exchange between his parents. Though he enjoyed attempts at mischief with his friends, he knew that dinner was not the time to speak out of turn lest he be disciplined.

Narcissa smiled politely at Lucius and said, "Well, I guess Draco and I will just have to find a way to entertain ourselves here at the manor this summer."

Lucius nodded approvingly and the quiet resumed.

That night as Narcissa was returning to her and Lucius's bedchamber she was struck with a most intriguing idea. She quickly retrieved her journal and penned a quick note to Andromeda.

Would you help me with something?

Narcissa and Draco saw Lucius off just days later. Andromeda had been an absolute wealth of suggestions and advice for Narcissa's most daring plan, and Narcissa was determined to see it through. Draco was growing up to be a devoted pureblood son much like his father and she was determined to show him that though loyalty to the wizarding world was a noble thing, there was also a great big world of possibilities beyond theirs. She would simply present his options and allow him to decide for himself, perhaps the next generation would have a bit more freedom than hers.

On a bright Tuesday morning, Narcissa woke Draco with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Draco noticed immediately that his normally stoic and staid mother seemed elated about something. Before Draco could question her present state she laid out clothes and instructed him to meet her in the dining room.

Draco dressed hurriedly, noticing these clothes were a bit less formal than the ones her normally wore, and was in the dining room within minutes. Narcissa smiled warmly at her son and he returned the gesture. Draco sat down at the table and a house elf brought out a light breakfast. They ate in relative silence observing each other for long minutes. He noticed his mother was also dressed differently than usual. She wore a simple day dress with a cardigan sweater casually draped over her shoulders instead of the tailored robes she generally favored. Draco decided not to dwell on these small changes and simply allow his mother to enlighten him when she was ready, he was a natural born Slytherin after all.

"Draco," his mother began, "are you up for an adventure today?"

"What sort of adventure?" he asked.

"Oh, only the most daring of adventures."

Draco's eyes were wide with suspense as he looked expectantly at this mother for an answer. She laughed lightly and whispered, "We're going to explore muggle London."

Narcissa was surprised when Draco's eyes opened even wider than before, but was then struck by the look of panic on his young face. She reached across the table and placed her hand atop his in a comforting gesture and took a deep breath. He imitated this cue from his mother and seemed to calm. Narcissa quickly and quietly explained her plan and as she hoped, by the end of her explanation, his eyes were shining with an excitement that she had not seen in since he first learned to ride a broom.

"When do we go?" He asked excitedly

"As soon as you're done eating. But, Draco, you understand that this adventure is to remain our secret. You can tell no one about it, not your friends, not the elves, and especially, not you father."

Draco looked at her with a very serious face for a six year old and said, "Yes, ma'am, I understand."

Draco quickly finished his breakfast and they walked quietly from the dining room. Narcissa and Draco made their way into the drawing room where Narcissa picked up her handbag and bade Draco take her elbow. He was familiar with magical travel and apparition would certainly be the fastest and least conspicuous way into muggle London.

On Andromeda's suggestion she apparated them to a small alley way they were familiar with just down from number 12 Grimauld Place. On a rare, and unsupervised, occasion when visiting Aunt Wallburga and Uncle Orion Black at number 12, the children had snuck out to explore the surrounding muggle area with their cousins, Sirius and Regulus. They weren't caught at the time and Narcissa hoped that luck would be with she and Draco on this occasion as well.

Narcissa smiled at the memory of her only incident of rebellion in her youth, and looked around to be sure they had not been seen. A small box with a star on the lid was placed by the wall of the alley. Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief that her sister was so dependable. She opened the box and found the muggle money inside. She replaced it with the gold galleons and closed the box. Before their very eyes, the box disappeared and Narcissa smiled at the handy charms work of her sister.

Draco had yet to blink once they landed and watched as his mother opened the curiously placed box. His eyes went wide with surprise as the box disappeared. His mother smiled at him and gave him a little wink which set him at ease as she took him by the hand and led him out to the sidewalk.

It was much brighter compared to the alley and Draco noticed they were in front of a row of quiet townhomes. Narcissa gently nudged him to begin walking they kept a steady pace until they reached a busier street.

Draco had never seen cars before and was amazed by their speed and the variety of colors and shapes. All of a sudden a huge red double-decker bus stopped at the corner where he and his mother were standing. She smiled down at him and motioned towards the bus with her head. Draco took a deep breath and with a single determined nod of his head boarded the bus with Narcissa.

Narcissa had a general working knowledge of muggle currency and placed the correct amount into the receptacle by the driver who gave them a friendly smile as they proceeded to top deck of the bus. Narcissa discreetly placed a silencing charm around them so they could speak without fear of drawing undue attention to themselves.

They rode the bus for quite some time, taking in the sites of London until Draco reported that he was hungry. Narcissa ushered him off the bus close to Piccadilly Circus and began walking looking for suitable place to eat lunch. They soon found themselves safely seated at a small but clean café each with a plate of fish and chips.

Draco smiled at his mother and said, "This is amazing mum!"

"I'm glad you like the food, dear."

"No, mum, London, it's incredible! Why is father so against us spending time here?"

"He was raised with very staunch pureblood ideals, as was I. Your father, and myself still hold dear to those beliefs, but I have had a fascination with muggle culture since I took Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Even if we can't share it with anyone else, I wanted to be able to share this adventure with you."

"I'm glad we get to share it mum. I'll never forget his day!"

Narcissa laughed lightly and mused, "Do you think this is all there is?"

Draco shook his head and grinned excitedly as he hurried to finish his lunch.

After paying for their food, the duo set off on foot to explore the streets and parks of London. It was loud and colorful. The varieties of people were astonishing to Draco. Narcissa was completely exhilarated, she had imagined a day where she could explore this world without repercussions, but to be able to share it with her son was a privilege she never dreamed possible. As they approached a large building, they noticed several groups of mothers and their children going inside. Upon closer inspection, Narcissa realized this was a library and a sign indicated that a special children's program was to begin shortly.

She looked down at Draco and asked, "Would you like to see what muggle children do for fun?"

Draco nodded his head excitedly and they entered the library. A small kind faced woman directed them to a side room dedicated to children's activities. They surveyed the room as some of the other mothers stood in small groups conversing quietly while their children perused the shelves of books and activities. Draco stayed close to Narcissa in quiet observation of the other children until a librarian entered the room and directed the children to a space filled with bean bags and pillows strewn across the floor. He looked at his mother questioningly and she gently nudged his shoulder to join the other children. He walked over and took a seat at the back of the group, but continued to look around.

Narcissa observed the room as well. She noticed that small groups of mothers who were clearly familiar with each other, the children who whispered conspiratorially to one another as the librarian looked on disapprovingly, but with no real malice, and her son, taking in all these new experiences.

Her attention was drawn to a small girl seated against the wall away from the main group. She looked to be close to Draco's age, but was reading a rather large book, and seemingly uninterested in whatever the librarian was prattling on about. Draco had noticed her as well and was surreptitiously scooting towards her. Narcissa watched in fascination as her fearless son attempted to make a new muggle friend.

"What are you reading about?" Draco asked.

"Pardon?"

"What are you reading about?" He repeated.

"Oh, a lovely book about astronomy." The small girl told him.

"I love astronomy." He said, "I'm named after a constellation."

"Really, my name comes from Greek mythology." She informed him.

"What is your name?"

"Hermione. And yours?"

"Draco." He said proudly.

"Ah, the Dragon. Would you like to read with me?" She asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"Um, sure"

He positioned himself beside her at the wall they began to read about celestial discoveries and the origins of the constellations' names. They spoke quietly so as to not draw attention to themselves, but they did not notice that the attention of two mothers was fixed on the unlikely new friends as they uncovered a world far beyond the sky.

Narcissa smiled and sat down in a small chair to observe her son and this young lady, but before she could consider the implications of this development she was joined by another woman.

"Is that your son?" She asked kindly.

"Yes, can I assume that is your lovely daughter?"

"She is." The stranger replied, "I'm glad to see she was able to find a friend who shares her interest for learning."

Narcissa laughed softly, "Oh, yes, my Draco does enjoy learning about new things. He does always seem to enjoy his lessons."

"My Hermione as well. I'm Helen by the way, Helen Granger. And you are?" she asked kindly.

"Narcissa, Narcissa Malfoy."

"It's lovely to meet you. I do hope we'll run into each other again this summer, perhaps at more of these children's gathering." Helen said.

"Do they do these often?" Narcissa questioned, quickly stating, "We're not from here, and only in town for the summer while my husband's on business."

A look of understanding crossed Helen's face. "Would you and your son like to join us for tea? There is a lovely café around the corner and I can tell you about some more of the library and the museum's summer offerings while the children discuss…well, whatever it is children discuss."

Narcissa considered this invitation carefully, would having tea with muggles be taking this adventure too far? She looked up at Draco and saw the fascinated smile on his faced mirrored by the smile on his unlikely companion's. She decided then that tea with muggles would be perfectly acceptable. "Thank you, Helen, tea would be lovely."

The women signaled for their children to leave the library and Narcissa and Draco followed Helen and Hermione to the café around the corner from the library. As they took their seats, more formal introductions were made. They ordered a simple tea service and biscuits for the children and settled in for this welcome respite.

Helen was interested in the fact that Narcissa was homeschooling Draco, but when she inquired about his secondary education, Narcissa used her Slytherin evasiveness and simply said, "We're exploring many options." Thankfully, Helen was appeased by this answer. Narcissa learned that Helen and husband were dentists, she gave an impressed face, but she would have to ask Andromeda later if she knew what a dentist was.

The children sat politely and allowed the adults to talk without interruption. Narcissa was impressed with Hermione's table and conversational manners. She pondered on the fact that some witches and wizards viewed muggles as barbaric and uncouth, but from all she had observed first hand today, that could not be further from the truth. Helen informed her that the library had a special offering for children on Tuesday every week, and that on Thursdays, the British Museum was hosting a children's enrichment program focusing on different historical periods. Before they knew it tea time was over and the two pairs parted ways expressing a hope to run into each other again in the future.

When they arrived back at the manor, Draco looked tired, but exhilarated at this same time. Narcissa and her son ate a quiet supper and retired to bed after some reading in their own library.

The next morning after breakfast the pair took a walk in the garden.

"Mother," Draco began, "could we go into muggle London again?"

Narcissa looked momentarily surprised, but said, "Of course, would you like to go to the British museum on Thursday of next week?"

Draco nodded enthusiastically and said, "Yes, mum, I would like that very much."

They walked in silence for a bit before Draco spoke again. "Mother, do you think Hermione and Mrs. Granger will be there?"

"I don't know? They both seemed very interested in the program the museum was offering so I'd say it's a possibility."

Draco thought for a moment, "I think I'd like to go anyway."

"Very well, darling, that is what we will plan to do."

The next Thursday found both Narcissa and Draco excited and a bit nervous. They apparated to the same alley, exchanged money in Andromeda's charmed box, and again took a bus into the busy heart of London. They found another clean but small café and had a light lunch before venturing to the museum.

The children's program this week was on ancient Greek culture and mythology. Narcissa settled at a quiet table and watched as Draco explored the children's exhibit, with hands-on items and museum personnel giving detailed accounts on some of the artifacts displayed.

"Hello again!" A kind voice spoke from behind her.

Narcissa turned around to see Helen Granger and her daughter. She smiled warmly and gestured to the seat beside her for Helen and told Hermione where she could find Draco so they could explore the exhibit together. As the children explored, Narcissa and Helen spoke quietly about themselves, Narcissa being careful to censor how she worded things so as not to draw suspicion. When the program was drawing to a close, Helen invited them to a nearby park since the day was warm and bright. She informed Narcissa that she had packed a light picnic and that it was more than enough to share so that they could continue their socializing while the children were given a chance to spend some much needed time outdoors.

Narcissa and Draco once again followed Helen and Hermione to a new location. However, instead of the quiet café, they were in a beautifully manicured park with paths and benches and even a muggle swing set. Helen was carrying a large tote from which she pulled a thin blanket that she spread out on the ground, and then proceeded to pull out large metal cylinder, and clear bags, one filled with biscuits and other with small paper cups. Narcissa was suitably impressed with the amount of things that Helen procured from this bag and wonder momentarily if perhaps Helen was herself a witch. Though she quickly dispelled this notion.

As they settled onto the blanket, Helen poured pleasingly warm tea from the cylinder into the paper cups and passed one to each person on the blanket. She then offered biscuits around, Narcissa declined, but Draco and Hermione each took two with a grin from Helen. The children quickly finished their tea and biscuits and asked to be excused to explore the park. The mothers smiled at each other as they watched their children take to the swing set in an attempt to "outfly" each other. Narcissa chuckled inwardly at the irony that Draco could "outfly" any child in this park on his broomstick at the manor.

As Narcissa and Helen enjoyed the warm afternoon sun, Draco and Hermione explored the paths of the little park. They were talking about some of the mythology stories they had learned about at the museum when Hermione asked Draco, "Do you believe in magic?"

Draco was unsure how to answer, knowing that magic was real, and that if he concentrated he could perform real magic at that very moment, so he used his inherent Slytherin cunning and said, "I don't know? Do you believe in magic?"

Hermione smiled mischievously at him and said, "Oh, yes! I most certainly believe in magic!"

Draco looked at her with unmasked surprise as she continued to give him an impish look. He was starting to get a bit nervous, but then Hermione signaled for him to follow her just off the path to patch of wild flowers. "I have a secret." she said quietly.

Draco watched as Hermione picked a flower and held the delicate yellow blossom in her left palm. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she placed her right hand over the flower. When she removed her hand the blossom had turned purple, she repeated the action and turned the flower red, then again and turned it back to yellow. Draco shook his head and looked at her with wide-eyed surprise and asked excitedly, "Can you do more?"

Hermione nodded yes and took another deep breath. She closed her eyes once again and holding the flower up gently blew it out of her palm, as it began to flutter down it transformed into a butterfly and fluttered off without a second thought.

The children stared at each other for a long moment, but before they could say anything about Hermione's beautiful display of magic they heard the beckoning of their mothers on the path. They quickly made their way to the path where they were gently questioned about where they had disappeared.

"Hermione was showing me the flower patch and we saw a butterfly."

Helen and Narcissa smiled and bid the children to follow back to the street. They parted ways again hoping to see each other again this summer.

As Narcissa a Draco landed in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor, Draco could barely contain his excitement.

"Mother, she can do magic, she can do magic!"

"What, darling? Who can do magic?"

"Hermione! She picked a flower and changed the color of the petals and then when she blew it out of her hand, it turned into a butterfly! Do you think her mum's a witch too? Do you think she'll be at Hogwarts in my year?"

"Will who be at Hogwarts in your year?" A smooth deep voice asked from the door.

Narcissa and Draco looked up into the foreboding eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

"Lucius, darling, we didn't expect you back until summer's end." Narcissa attempted with a calm tenor to her voice, though her eyes betrayed her surprise and shock.

Lucius repeated, "Who will be at Hogwarts in Draco's year?"

"Draco, darling, go to your room." Narcissa bade.

"No, Draco, have a seat." His father commanded.

Draco sat and stared uncomfortably as his father slowly walked into the room.

"What have you done, Narcissa?"

"Now, Lucius, it not an apocalyptic event."

"I'll be the judge of that. What did you do?"

"ItookDracointomuggleLondon." Narcissa muttered.

"WHAT!?" Lucius roared!

"I took our son into muggle London." Narcissa said this time clearly and with a hint of rebellion in her eyes.

Lucius drew in a deep breath before he continued, "And you purposefully exposed him to…muggles?" He said with unconstrained disgust in his voice.

"Yes."

"What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that exposure to a different culture could only serve to make a better man of him."

"A better man than me?" Lucius said derisively.

"No, Lucius, just a man with a mind more open to the possibilities of this world in which we live, the whole of the world, not just the wizarding world." She replied sadly.

Lucius drew in a breath and said simply, "Leave us, Narcissa."

"What are you going to do Lucius?" She said nervously as she felt her eyes begin to string with tears.

"Leave. Us."

Narcissa backed slowly out of the room imploring Draco with her eyes to trust that everything would be alright at days end.

Hot tears began to fall as she started to close the door slowly and just before it closed completely, she heard Lucius utter a spell.

"Obiliviate"

She struggled to breathe for a brief second mourning the loss of wonder and innocence for her son. Before she could escape down the hallway, Lucius exited the room and with a dark look toward his wife, and spoke simply, "I've fixed your mistake, see that it doesn't happen again."

Narcissa took a deep cleansing breath, controlled her emotions and replied, "Of course."

Five Years Later

Platform 9 ¾ was bustling as usual for September first, families seeing their students of all ages onto the Hogwarts' Express.

Narcissa fussed over Draco's robes and his hair as Lucius looked on with minimal emotion toward the situation. He subtly observed the other families, some he knew, some he didn't, though paying little attention to those he didn't recognize as political or business allies. As his gaze returned to Narcissa, he noticed a fleeting look of recognition and then fear in her eyes before she turned to once again to dote on Draco. Lucius glanced in the direction she had looked and saw a middle aged man and woman with a small curly headed girl, seemingly Draco's age. The parents were not wearing robes, so he surmised they must be muggles. He scoffed at the idea of muggle born students, and allowed his pride to swell as he thought of Draco's inherent superiority to this little whelp of a child. He couldn't fathom for the longest moment why they would elicit such a reaction from Narcissa. But then a dark look came over his face as he realized these were the muggles that Narcissa so foolishly exposed Draco to five years ago.

Thankfully Draco would have no memory of such madness. Lucius laughed to himself. What could that small, bushy-haired muggle born possibly achieve in the wizarding world?