Chapter Text
The water flowed over the edge of the tub as she slowly emerged from her bath. Long, pale legs that were thin but muscular gracefully stepped over the edge while a manicured hand grabbed the nearby towel. With slow strokes the woman dried herself, completely lost in thought. Dropping the towel to the floor, she walked over to the master bedroom to which the bathroom belonged too.
She didn’t cover herself as she lived alone in the London house. It wasn’t very big but the way she decorated it and the materials that were used, made it feel grand. The detached house had a distinguished Victorian style and was located in one of the more quiet London suburbs. Real oak and marble made for a complex balance between warm and cold while the use of colours was kept to a minimum with a few decorative items in green.
The whole house breathed luxury as the taps and cutlery were real silver. The sofa and chairs covered in suede, although a pain in the ass to keep clean, felt like soft caresses against your skin. And last but not least, there was art that took your breath away. Sculptures and painting, all similar to match the house but still unique of their own.
The house itself consisted of a hallway with a staircase and a separate toilet. A double door led to the dining area with an open kitchen and a porch filled with plants and flowers. Immediately next to the dining room, was the living area with a fireplace and a small office. The upstairs held three bedrooms of which two shared a bathroom. The master bedroom had it’s own. The attic was not being used but still had an occupant. A majestic blonde barn owl slept the day away, gaining energy to hunt during the night.
The mistress of the house sat crossed legged and naked in front of her vanity while loosening her hair that she had pulled together in a bun to avoid it getting wet in the bath. Her almost black hair with platina blonde streaks fell sleek against her back, perfectly in place as always. Narcissa Black, once Lady Malfoy, looked at herself in the mirror and sighed.
Although everybody would agree that she was still a very beautiful woman, the years had definitely left their marks. There were small wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and despite people disagreeing with her, she was convinced that there were grey hairs hiding between the blondes. Her breasts weren’t as perky as they used to be and there was an ache in her joints on rainy days that she found harder to ignore by the years. But above all, there was a pain in her eyes that aged her. An undeniable proof of her past and the things she’d been through. Hidden behind a stoic expression but visible for those who paid attention.
Humming to herself she grabbed a pencil and drew a meticulous line above her eyelashes. Her fingers, skilled from years of practice, quickly finished the task and grabbed the dark reddish lipstick next. She pushed her lips into a pout and painted her lips without faltering. She smacked them once before returning the lipstick to the vanity and sighing once more.
Normally she had no problems going to work in the morning, but today was a difficult day. It has been two years since she divorced Lucius and saw him running off with a younger, French version of herself. They sold Malfoy Manor and split the money, agreeing on never contacting each other again. Draco tried to keep contact with his father at first but noticed rather soon that his efforts were not reciprocated.
Her son had lived with her in the Victorian house for a short while before deciding that Astoria was the woman he wanted to grow old with and moving out to start a family of his own. They visited her quite often but it wasn’t enough to drive the loneliness out of the house. All the grandeur, all the luxury, it could not fill the longing that had settled in Narcissa’s chest. The longing for a friend.
It was a particularly hard day today because it reminded her of the fact that after two years, she still had a long way to go in earning her forgiveness from the Wizarding community. Not a week could go by without someone snarling at her or muttering an insult as they passed her. She had made progress of course. Two years ago, she couldn’t go outside without being chased by an angry mob.
Atonement. It was her cross to bear. She had kept her freedom but still she always felt like she was a prisoner. Held hostage by a cage she herself created from years and years of allowing injustice without blinking an eye. Atonement. The word weighed heavy on her shoulders for today, the anniversary of the start of her new life, reminded her of how much people loathed her and all she wanted was to be loved again.
Startled from her own pained expression in the mirror, Narcissa conjured her famous ice queen arrogance back on her face and reached for the jewels. Her earring were ridiculously expensive emeralds that had a matching necklace but she decided not to wear it today. Graciously she stood up and walked to her dressing, hips swaying as she moved. Elegance had always come naturally to her.
For years she believed it was because of her *pure blood*. She knew better now but it still pained her when she realized how brainwashed she was. How brainwashed they all were. From the day she was born, she was led to believe that she was better than others. Smarter, richer, more powerful and with a legitimate claim to magic others didn’t have. She shuddered at the realization of all the blood that was spilled for this horrible cause. Innocent blood and most of all, talented blood whether it’d be pure or not.
Although the Ministry would claim victory in her change of mindset, they had nothing to do with it. Their so called “reintegration” program was utter nonsense. For hours she had to listen to a senile man nuzzling about magical creatures and muggles weren’t inferior but rather allies in the survival of wizards and witches. No, it was only until recently when she had applied for a job at the Ministry – mostly to fight boredom and to have a purpose in life again – that she had experienced a change of heart. It was only until no other than Hermione Granger herself, became her boss.
Narcissa felt her patience waver as the clerk behind the reception of the Ministry kept stuttering in an attempt to fathom what she had just said to him. Nevertheless she kept her polite, but very fake, smile plastered on her face. She wore a dark green tailored jumpsuit – something she’d always fancied wearing but wasn’t allowed to do so from Lucius – with a black belt around her waist. The belt buckle was a silver snake with an emerald eye. Her boots were made of black dragon skin and had heels she could kill with. Her black coat, also tailored, was buttoned just below her breasts and flowed freely just an inch from reaching the floor. To finish her look, Narcissa wore silver jewellery with green emeralds as always.
‘You want to apply for a job at the Ministry?’
‘As I have stated twice already, yes.’
The clerk almost turned purple as his brain forgot to function completely. Eventually he managed to scribble down a memo that immediately flew away.
‘If you would be so kind as to take a seat, Lady Malfoy. The Minister of Magic will be with you shortly.’
‘It’s Lady Black now,’ Narcissa said as she arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. She had not expected her job application to cause such a fuss.
Nevertheless, she strode towards one of the wooden benches and perched herself atop of it. Her back straight and one leg crossed over the other, hands on her knee. It was the proper way to sit for a lady, the way she had been taught. Despite the bench being by far the most uncomfortable piece of furniture Narcissa had ever sat on, her stoic expression gave nothing away.
Luckily for the former Malfoy Matriarch’s backside, the Minister arrived mere minutes after the memo was send. He looked like he had dropped everything he was doing and hurried all the way to the reception to greet Narcissa. She immediately rose to her feet and offered her hand to the man in front of her.
‘Kingsley Shacklebolt, to what do I owe the pleasure of being received by the Minister of Magic himself? You are known to be a busy man.’
‘Yes, Lady Malf- Black… I apologize. I’m still getting used to your new name. Or old name actually. I also apologize for not receiving you in my office, I was in the middle of – something classified..’
Narcissa smirked as the man kept babbling as he inclined his head until his lips met her knuckles. She perfectly knew why he was acting so nervous around her. She had sent him at least three owls inquiring after a job at the Ministry, all which had gone unanswered. The man obviously never expected her to actually show up in a place where everyone either feared or hated her.
‘Since my owl seemed incapable of delivering my letters to you, I decided to butcher the animal and address you in person as I am convinced you would never deliberately ignore me, Minister.’
It took Kingsley a few moments before he seemed to realize that the one and only Narcissa had just made a joke. Surely she wouldn’t kill her owl? The Minister of Magic mentally kicked his own ass and composed himself. He had his reputation of being calm and unshaken to uphold!
‘I sincerely apologize for the lack of an answer, Lady Black. Your request was a rather unusual one and it demanded lots of debate and discussion before we could come to an agreement. Your timing is impeccable as always though since I just left the final meeting in which we came to a decision regarding your job application.’
Kinglsey waved his hand in the general direction of the Atrium as he invited Narcissa to walk alongside him. The witch with the platina streaked hair obliged and folded her hands in front of her stomach while walking. She tried to hide her curiosity even if it felt like she was going to burst.
‘You see Narcissa – can I call you Narcissa? – it’s not that we doubt your abilities. You have proven yourself to be a powerful and very intelligent witch. It’s just that you’ve been on the wrong side of the war for so long and that hasn’t gotten you many friends. I’m just going to be really honest with you, no department was willing to employ you apart from one.’
‘I sense a but…’
Kingsley smiled a sad smile. Narcissa was far more receptive than people gave her credit for. The witch hadn’t batted an eye when he told her she had no friends in the Ministry. She must have gotten used to being by herself, he thought.
‘You’d to become assistant to the deputy Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She’s the sole employee in this department and it’s becoming a bit much. Although I must admit that she’s partially to blame for that. Her work could be much more simple but she always saw it big.’
‘Whom are we speaking of? Who’s to become my boss?’ Narcissa inquired, not in the least taken aback by the inferior position she was offered.
She honestly didn’t care as long as she could keep herself busy. Suddenly she realized that Kingsley had stopped dead in his tracks and was looking at her with a rather uneasy look on his face.
‘You’ll get a 2 months trial before she decides to hire you. Of course you will receive correct compensation for your work and –‘
‘Who will become my boss?’
‘Hermione Granger.’
Narcissa smiled fondly as the memory played in her mind. She remembered inhaling sharply at the surprise of the name but maintaining her poise nevertheless. She also remembered requesting when she could meet her new boss, making Shacklebolt stutter all over again.
The witch looked at herself in the mirror with an approving nod and went downstairs. It was still dark outside as the morning had yet to begin. But she was always up early as she had trouble sleeping. It’s been years since she had a decent night of sleep but she had gotten used to it by now. Willy, the house-elf she employed was still asleep.
Narcissa was perfectly capable of doing her household by herself. After all, it wasn’t a very big house and only she lived in it. But the comfort of having another living creature in her house, soothed her. The loneliness could be so cruel sometimes. Willy’s previous owner had died and there was no living relative that could inherit her. Therefor, Willy had become a free elf.
But unlike Dobby, the poor elf she had treated so unnecessarily cruel, Willy did not like her freedom very much. Nevertheless, Narcissa had insisted on paying her for her service and the elf had agreed. The witch chuckled when she remembered how insulted Willy had been the first time she discovered Narcissa had woken up before dawn and made her own cup of tea.
It had taken some time for the two to find a routine they were both comfortable with. Hating boredom, Narcissa had demanded to still do some of the household. But that left Willy not knowing what to do. Luckily for them, Narcissa’s neighbour was an elderly muggle lady who struggled to keep up.
She was demented and almost blind and should have been in a home for elderly people by now, but she had no relatives who could take care of that for her. Narcissa had lived in her new house for a few months only when she saw the woman lying in her driveway after having stumbled and fallen to the ground.
If someone would have told Narcissa years ago that she would have taken pity on a muggle and helped her, she would have scoffed and hexed them. But she had changed. The world had changed. So Narcissa had assisted the woman and agreed with her that Willy would come over for a few hours each day to take care of the household.
The woman was too blind to see that Willy was a magical creature and even if she did suspect something, she had forgotten it the next morning. As had she forgotten Narcissa so that still left the witch lonely and without friends. Now, almost two years later, she still hadn’t got many friends. In fact her boss, Hermione Granger, probably came closest to being a friend to her.
And that was something that surprised both witches as Hermione certainly had not planned to keep Narcissa in her employment. The witch groaned as the memory resurfaced and decided that today, she would need coffee instead of tea to be able to face another day at work.
‘Enter.’
The answer sounded short but not unfriendly as Narcissa knocked on Hermione’s door. They had tucked her away somewhere deep within the Ministry at the end of a hallway of which Narcissa was convinced there used to be toilets instead of an office.
Apparently the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was considered a side job for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement but since they never had enough time to do their own work, it had been neglected for years.
That’s why house elves had been abused and enslaved for years without consequence. That’s why Centaurs and wizards had been living on the brink of war. That’s why Buckbeak had been sentenced to death when Lucius pressed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to quickly make a decision in his favour.
But it all ended when Hermione Granger graduated. After the war, she returned to Hogwarts, determined to earn her job instead of being given it for being part of the Golden Trio, a name she hated. When everybody had expected her to take on some fancy post and work herself up to become the new Minister of Magic, she had asked to be in charge of the forgotten Department.
And the woman took her job seriously. The war had aged her in a way none of her other classmates could understand. She had seen things. Experienced things. It left her with scars and nightmares and the young witch found solace in her work and buried herself in it. She did not care about the tiny office that had such a small window, it barely let enough sunlight in to illuminate the room. She did not care about the years and years of neglect she had to make up for. And she did not care about being the sole employee of the Department.
That was until she heard that no one else but Narcissa Black was looking for a job. For some strange reason she couldn’t really name, she was intrigued by the idea of having one of her former tortures under her supervision so she told Shacklebolt that she needed help. Maybe she saw a way of taking vengeance on Narcissa? Or was it merely another distraction for her brilliant mind that was still scrambled from trauma? Back then, when Narcissa entered the office and looked Hermione in the eyes after years of not seeing each other, none of them exactly knew.
Narcissa finished her tea and forced herself to eat the last bit of toast on her plate. She was never really hungry in the mornings but after fainting once at Twilfit and Tattings where she wanted to have her clothes altered because she lost so much weight, she realized that she needed to take better care of herself.
True to her routine, Narcissa started to head out as soon as the sun was up. She muttered a good morning to Willy who came downstairs to make a list for the grocery shopping and shut the door behind her. For a few seconds she allowed herself to enjoy the mixture of fresh air and morning warmth to settle on her cheeks before starting her walk.
As always she bought the muggle newspaper as she headed towards the park. She could read the Daily Prophet at work but since she lived in a muggle neighbourhood, she liked to know what was going on in their world as well. Narcissa smiled as she found her favourite bench empty and sat down. At this hour, there wasn’t too much movement in the park apart from the early joggers and muggles who walked their dogs.
After spending almost half an hour skimming the newspaper and reading all the articles she found interesting, Narcissa began solving the crossword puzzle at the back. She had struggled so intensely with them when she first started doing this and realized that her knowledge of muggle words was lacking profusely. Lady Black was almost halfway when she looked at her silver wristwatch, a gift from Draco who realized his mother liked to do things without magic once and a while.
Narcissa’s heart skipped a beat. Almost time. The thought hadn’t even formed in her head completely as she saw the person she had been waiting for. Punctuality had always been a family trait. She nervously watched as muscular legs jogged their way through the park, cheeks flushed and brown curls bouncing wild. Andromeda. Andy.
She hadn’t found the courage yet to talk to her sister, but as soon as she found out that she jogged here very morning, she made sure the park was part of her own morning routine. It always tore Narcissa apart to see her sister. She felt happiness to see her, alive and well. But she also felt an overwhelming grief for all the lost years. Despite Andromeda surviving the war, Narcissa always felt like she lost both her sisters.
When she saw her sister wearing a blue spandex outfit disappearing behind a curve, she stood up and sighed. She always started work early so she could avoid the morning jam in the floo system. It had just started to rain when she saw her house emerge at the end of the street and she quickened her pace to avoid getting wet. Willy was not home so Narcissa assumed she was tending to her neighbour. Without much enthusiasm, she grabbed a fistful of powder and dropped it in the flames as she clearly stated ‘Ministry of Magic.’
With a loud ‘whoosh’ Narcissa appeared at work and quickly stepped out of the fireplace to make room for the next person to enter the building. She went to the stall that sold hot beverages and newspapers for her daily purchase. She avoided the gazes of the other witches and wizards that preferred to avoid rush hour by coming to work early.
‘One coffee with vanilla and the Daily Prophet,’ said the man behind the stall while he handed the items to Narcissa.
He wasn’t being friendly to her. He simply remembered everyone’s order who worked at the Ministry. New employees only needed ordering two or three times and he would know for the rest of their career. Even frequent visitors of the Ministry were stuck in his memory. It was rather impressive but Olivander managed to remember every wand he sold and to whom so it wasn’t a rare quality.
Narcissa put one Galleon on the counter and received four Sickles and seven Nuts in return, the way it always went. She didn’t bother smiling at the man or thanking him for he was already busy with his next customer. At least she made it through the first part of her journey to the office without a snarl or a hurtful comment directed towards her.
She sighed with relief as she had the elevator for herself and pressed the button. While nipping her coffee that was still burning hot, she let her eyes roam over the front page of the Daily Prophet. The witch was glad to see that this year there wasn’t some petty journalist who devoted an article to the anniversary of her divorce with Lucius. Last year it had been quite annoying to relive everything through the newspaper.
The doors from the elevator opened and Narcissa began the long walk through the hallways all the way to the end, where she and Hermione were hidden away in their office. Much to her surprise no witch or wizards she encountered in the hallway gave her an angry look. Even Minister Shackelbolt gave her a small smile that she returned with a polite nod. By the time her coffee had reached an acceptable temperature, she saw the door of her office appear. It instantly reminded her of the first time she went into that office.
‘Please take a seat Lady Malfoy,’ Hermione said while gesturing towards the chair in front of her desk.
‘It’s Lady Black now actually.’
Hermione inclined her head as to acknowledge the new name and took a moment to think before addressing the older witch in front of her. Narcissa surely looked older than the last time she saw her but it couldn’t be seen by her looks. She was still a truly beautiful witch. No, Hermione saw it in her eyes. The war had aged her like it had aged Hermione.
‘I assume Shacklebolt told you about the trial period?’
‘He did.’
‘I am going to be honest with you, Lady Black. I do not in Godric’s name know why I decided to give you a chance. The trial period is not only for you but for me as well. From the moment I decide that this arrangement does not work, I terminate your employment here. The same goes the other way. If, at some time during the two months, you decide that this is not what you want, you can walk away without consequence.’
‘And what if one of us decides that this does not work after the trial period?’
Hermione frowned, ‘then the usual procedures will need to be followed.’
‘I understand.’
‘You agree then?’
‘I do.’
Both witches fell silent whilst trying to form an opinion about the woman in front of them. Narcissa was surprised by Hermione’s honest answer but understood the girl nevertheless. She assumed it was her unending curiosity and kindness that drove her to accept Narcissa’s request for a job at the Ministry. Well she would make sure that she lived up to the expectations and vowed to exercise her job with vigour.
Hermione in her turn was pondering on the question why a wealthy witch as Narcissa would want a job at the Ministry. She assumed it might be to fight off the boredom and to amuse herself while drowning in Galleons. But Hermione refused to let her Department be a form of entertainment. She took her job very seriously and would make sure that Narcissa did the same! While scanning the witch’s face in front of her for clues of what she was thinking, Hermione decided to test her loyalty for her new job.
‘Very well. Your job will consist mainly of organizing and filing the years and years of untreated cases. I have not found the time to do it myself as I had to battle ancient laws first in order to protect Magical Creatures from the present and the future and well, I had to build a whole Department from scratch.’
Hermione gestured towards the teapot on the tiny stove and got up to make some as Narcissa nodded at her. While the brunette was busy, the older witch let her eyes roam the office. There were only two rooms. In the main room there was Hermione’s desk with a small window behind her. One chair behind the desk and one in front of it. The stove was in the corner directly besides the door.
The walls consisted of shelves filled with books and there was a comfortable looking armchair with a small table next to it. The other room was almost stacked to the roof with files and boxes. One wall consisted of an enormous closet with drawers. In the midst of the room was a small desk with a chair. The entire office felt a bit depressing and dark in Narcissa’s opinion.
‘I realize that this must not live up to your standards,’ Hermione said when she saw the frown upon Narcissa’s face.
‘This should not live up to your standards, either. Or anyone’s for that matter. There’s not enough light and fresh air. How do you cope?’
This question took Hermione by surprise as she was used to the woman glaring down at her in disdain. But she seemed genuinely shocked that Hermione worked in this inadequate environment. Did the war change her or had she always been more human than she let people to believe? Hermione was curious to find out.
‘I honestly have too much work to care about the state of my office. They told me I had to prove that this Department was worth the time and money of the Ministry. So that’s what I’m doing right now. Proving that this Department is necessary and then we can talk about remodelling.’
Narcissa felt a smirk tugging at the corner of her lip but she refused to let it appear. She accepted her cup of tea and listened to Hermione describing what her job would look like. It was all rather basic and monotonous work but when the filing was done, Narcissa would be reassigned to more interesting stuff.
When she finished her tea, Hermione looked at the clock and startled. Narcissa took the hint and excused herself, telling that she had to run some errands. The brunette stood and offered Narcissa a her hand. Narcissa looked at the outstretched hand in shock and then at the younger witch who was to become her boss. The woman looked at her defiantly, almost challenging Narcissa to refuse her hand.
But Hermione did not know that after years of refusing hands from people she deemed unworthy, Narcissa had endured years of people refusing her. So she looked her boss straight in the eyes and shook the outstretched hand with a firm grip. The skin to skin contact send a jolt through Narcissa’s body and she suddenly realized how touch-starved she had become.
She did not notice however that when she closed the door behind her, Hermione and sunk into her chair a trembling mess. The confrontation with Narcissa had been much harder on her than she had anticipated. She still didn’t completely understand why she had gotten herself into this situation. Maybe it was to get some form of closure? The brightest witch of her age felt rather stupid as she poured herself another cup of tea.
Narcissa shook the memory from her mind as she knocked twice on the door and opened it immediately. Hermione sat behind her desk and acknowledged her presence by muttering a ‘good morning’ and glancing up quickly. Narcissa nodded and immediately trotted into her room to read her paper and drink her coffee before starting the day.