Chapter Text
Narcissa Malfoy was many things, but what many people forgot was that she was, first, foremost, and always, a Black and that with that comes certain truths. Specifically: the female of the species is far more deadly; blood, family is important above all else; and a genetic tendency to madness carries with it a genetic tendency to genius. Her sister, unfortunately, got a double dose of the former. People forgot, because Narcissa wasn't insane, that she was still Bella's sister, and that meant she was very much a genius. Just because she acted a proper Lady where people could see did not render her genius void.
So when Blinky informed her that Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE, had dropped by at eleven in the morning on a weekday, Narcissa immediately knew three things. It wasn't for her imported teas, no matter what she said. It also wasn't directly related to any ongoing cases or raids the DMLE was running. And Lucius needed to stay in his study.
Toward that end, she sent Minky in with tea for Lucius and an inquiry about how their French holdings were doing. That'd buy her three hours while he hunted down the information. Draco, fortunately, was at the Notts' for the day and wouldn't be back until dinner.
Narcissa's solar was her domain. Lucius gave over control of the wards for that room even before Abraxas died, and Narcissa had built them up even higher than Blacks normally did. Which meant that she could, and often did, take tea with a friend there and be absolutely certain there would be no ears. And fewer questions asked. Furthermore, while of the men of their society, only Lucius, Severus, and Draco knew of her private fortress, all the Ladies were aware that Tea in Narcissa's solar was the most secure place in the country to have discussions their spouses might not approve of. Only the offices of Account Managers at Gringott's could compare, and one just didn't have social calls and gossip sessions with one's account manager.
As Blinky led Madame Bones into the solar, and Minky returned with finger foods and a selection of her finest teas, Narcissa brought her secrecy wards up firmly. "Amelia, darling, I wasn't expecting to see you until the Fall! I know how hard you work, and how you relish your time off with your niece. How is she, by the way?"
"Narcissa, it's always a pleasure. Susan is chomping at the bit to get to Hogwarts, naturally, and planning all her courses out years in advance." Amelia returned warmly.
"Of course. Draco is doing much the same, but with the addition of quidditch."
"Still trying to get Lucius to let him sneak a broom in, I take it?"
"Naturally. This week's excuse is that he might run into Unforeseen Dangers From Gryffindors and need a quick escape. He was not impressed with the answer that he should try running that one by Severus. So what brings you by?"
"Nothing much really, I simply had a very long morning out of the office and needed a moment of respite before returning to the office. I simply couldn't resist the opportunity to stop by for a chat and some truly excellent tea."
"Oh dear, nothing too dangerous, I hope?"
"Not dangerous at all. We simply received a visit from Edgar this morning, the instant I'd sat down at my desk. Apparently, a wizarding child has been recovered from abusive muggle relatives. His aunt made the mistake of allowing him to find out where she had lived as a child and that his mother's best friend still lived there. The boy hopped on a muggle train at midnight and was pounding on Master Snape's door at 4:30 this morning."
Narcissa didn't doubt Amelia had needed a respite after that. The Boy Who Lived living with muggles all this time, abused, and escaping to find succor in Severus of all people? Narcissa needed a respite just hearing about it. Severus was a good man and very capable, but no one would describe him as cuddly or comforting. And if Sev had immediately sent for Amelia, they'd probably spent a portion of the morning in a pensieve, walking through Harry Potter's memories, which if Severus was a relief instead of a terror before he'd had his coffee, could only be deeply horrific. Bugger, she was being called in as a healer. Severus couldn't take him to the hospital without it becoming national news by noon.
"Oh my! The poor dear. Master Snape's temper is formidable at any hour of the morning, I could only imagine the child was terrified. Is there anything I can do?"
"Confused more than terrified. Edgar has taken a rather proprietary interest in the boy, and when I left, he was hugging one of Master Snape's atrocious cushions and staring about in bafflement. He did not expect his abuse to be taken seriously. I have all the evidence I need to get the boy justice, and Master Snape has agreed to take custody, so there's little left to be done… Actually, Master Snape tells me you're a licensed healer?"
Oh hell. There was a lot to unpack in that. That Edgar the Owl had claimed Lily's Son was to be expected, really, and was, in many ways, a relief, as the child could find no better protector. That he was hugging one of the god awful pillows Lily inflicted upon Severus implied that rather more had happened than the usual beginnings of an investigation into abuse, as Narcissa was well aware of where those pillows lived. That Harry Potter had run away, but didn't expect anyone to care about why, indicated several rather long term problems going well beyond what happened in the house he lived in. Confused indeed.
"I am. I made Lucius wait to get married until I had finished my certifications. What do you need?"
"Master Snape ran a medical history charm on the boy as soon as he was awake enough to realize the problem and gave me a copy. I can't let it out of my hands, as it's evidence now, obviously. But could you take a look and give me your opinion?"
"Of course! Anything to help our children."
Narcissa steeled herself. If Severus had sent Amelia to ask for her as a healer, it was beyond his own formidable capabilities, and he wasn't comfortable moving the child nor leaving him alone, and didn't want Lucius to know just yet, which is why he didn't firecall or write. She still wasn't expecting the meters long length of parchment covered in red and yellow ink.
Her vision greyed momentarily. "This… you're arresting them, right?"
Amelia nodded gravely, "I'll be sending a full squad of Aurors to collect the family as soon as I get back to the office, and filing the custody papers while they're out. How severe should the charges and sentencing be? Master Snape couldn't say."
"Amelia," Narcissa swallowed heavily and picked up her tea to steady her hands, "I'm not sure how the child is still alive except that he must have a large magical core fueling his body and keeping him upright, and a deeply stubborn will to survive. I'll be surprised if he doesn't sort Slytherin on that alone. This… I see what amounts to multiple counts of attempted murder on this parchment. Not simple abuse or neglect, Amelia, murder."
Amelia froze and stared at her a moment before removing her monocle and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Damn. We will need Lucius' assistance, after all."
What?
"I'm sorry, for what?"
"The child in question was specifically and purposefully left with these relatives, and other claimants barred from him, by none other than Albus Dumbledore. Who has publicly claimed, in the Wizengamot, no less, that he was in contact and ensuring the proper education and training of the child. He had to have known, or he lied in court, and everyone on the Wizengamot will know it the moment I bring the family in. I was hoping to deal with it quietly, but attempted murder several times over… If I push for the full sentence these monsters deserve, Dumbledore will get involved or there will be an uproar. Lucius is the best placed to stand against him."
Bugger. Everything. Narcissa nodded and took another fortifying sip of tea. "I'll get him on board and go assist Severus. You take care of the arrests and paperwork. Leave Dumbledore until just before their court date. That'll give us time to maneuver."
"Of course, Narcissa. Thank you. I'd better get back to the grind then. Arrests to make and society to upend. I'll be here for Sunday Tea, I think. I'm sure I'll need it."
"And you'll be welcome if you do. Keep me updated. I'd like to know if there's anything else I can do."
"Of course. I think Severus would appreciate your help in getting the boy clothes appropriate to his station. The poor dear has only the clothes on his back, which are more rags than anything and Severus has never been one for fashion."
"I'll be in touch with him, then. We'll make a day of it with the boys."
Narcissa waited until she was sure Amelia had left the property, taking the time it took for an adult to make the long walk to the front door and the gates beyond it to settle her mind and finish her tea. Then, and only then, she slowly, calmly, rose from her seat and went to her cabinet. Unlike many other wives, after the war she had never stopped keeping the fullest possible first aid supplies in every wing of the manor. It was useful today. She emptied the entire contents into an expanding bag and grabbed her spare healing rituals set from under the couch. Better to be prepared for every possibility than find herself unprepared for the injuries she faced.
Bag in hand, she sedately strolled down to Lucius' private study and opened the door. "Lucius, I'm heading out."
"Cissa, my dear, I was just about to come find you with what you requested."
No, no he wasn't. He was maybe halfway through the books and paperwork.
He stood and approached her, looking down at the bag in her hand. He knew that bag, and what it meant. He also knew she didn't usually bother to stop and let him know where she was going when that bag was in evidence. "What's happened?"
"Amelia was just by, stopping for tea after a morning at Spinner's End. She's off now to arrest the muggle family Dumbledore left Harry Potter with. On multiple counts of child endangerment, abuse, and attempted murder. Severus will be getting custody," she trailed off as her husband and friend, if personal idiot, hugged her.
"I'll make the rounds then, leave Lord Nott till late and gather Draco up while I'm there. And I'll hold Draco off of asking for his godfather until Severus's new ward has some time to settle. Let me know when you'll be home."
He may be an idiot some days, but he loved his family, which was all Narcissa had ever asked for.
***
"He's asleep with Edgar watching him, at the moment." Severus looked haggard, but then he'd apparently been up since before the sun this morning, if he'd slept at all. Narcissa could forgive the lack of proper greeting.
She hugged him anyway and set her bag on the couch, "Alright Sev, hand me the diagnostic and tell me what you've done."
"For the moment, nutritional supplement, appetite stimulant and anti-nausea before meals, general healing, nerve tonic, and a digestive stimulant after meals. I didn't want to get too specific without a solid plan, and he confessed to being unsure how much he'd be able to eat as Petunia bloody well starved him."
"Good. Let him sleep for now. I want to do a more general diagnostic first and then decide from there how we go about this. We can do both without disturbing him, and I very much doubt he doesn’t need every bit of rest he can get."
"He's in my old bed, upstairs," Severus nodded, gesturing to the stairs.
Narcissa's more general diagnostic charm gave results that were no more cheerful than Severus's medical history charm, but it was at least less overwhelming in data quantity.
"On the one hand, it's not as bad as I feared from what Amelia said," she started, as they sat back in the living room. They'd both been quiet as Severus made and served them tea, and for the first three sips after, a tradition they both favored when there were unpleasant things to be spoken of. "He's not dying. We have options. Option one: we go through the problems one by one, most critical to least, and deal with them the normal way. We would have more control over the results and can change tactics at any point as needed. It would also be as painless as any healing can be, but it would take the rest of the summer, and he'll never be as healthy as he should have been, nor will he attain his full height and weight."
She paused to sip at the tea Severus kept in stock for her, a Masala blend of his own making, before continuing. "Option two: reversing time bubble ritual. Deage him to about a month before the Potters died, when he was at his absolute healthiest, and then reage him from there back up to his current age. It'd be intensive and painful, but could be done by sunset, especially given the extra boost from the Solstice, giving him the rest of the summer to learn what he needs to, and would ensure his… previous accommodation will have no further effects on his life going forward. Though he will need to sleep most of the next few days, and eat well both before the ritual and for the next week."
"Option two. Please," came a small voice from behind her.
Narcissa turned back to the stairs where a bleary-eyed Harry peaked from around the corner. He really did look like an exceptionally tiny James, physically, but his eyes and his facial expressions were all Lily. What struck Narcissa the most, though, was the way he moved. He moved like Severus, with bits of Regulus thrown in, not that she thought either of them had noticed that yet.
"I have a feeling I'm going to need every advantage I can get," Harry continued nervously. Her perusal was probably making him uncomfortable, as it often did Severus.
"Are you sure?" She asked instead, "once we start we won't be able to stop, and it can be quite painful, shrinking and growing that rapidly. Even if we put you to sleep first, you won't avoid all of it."
"That's alright, pain isn't new, and it won't hurt for weeks, will it?"
"No, I don't imagine pain is new for you at all," Narcissa agreed sadly. "You may be sore for a few days, possibly up to a week, and feel very weak, as your body settles into its new size, but it shouldn't last longer than that, no."
"Then that's the best option," he announced firmly.
Narcissa looked Severus in the eye and pushed the last consideration to the front of her shields for him to read there. If they did this, with only the two of them and not a full community, it would have the same effects, and be very nearly as binding, as a magical adoption, though not as much as a blood adoption. Dumbledore would not be able to take Harry away, but Harry would get far more of them. There would be no going back if the Dark Lord returned.
Severus nodded, "I am willing, if you are."
She watched the boy for a moment, as he came around to sit on the chair across from her, seeing her favorite cousin in his walk, her best friend in his hands. She looked back to Severus and nodded, she'd do it, but for Sev, for Reggie, today she was not Narcissa Malfoy.
Today, she was Narcissa Black. And she'd defy anyone who threatened her family.
***
OMAKE:
Sunday, June 23rd, 8:00PM
Gideon Godet was finishing the final touches on an order to be sent out the next morning before closing up shop when two women he’d never expected to see together nearly ran into his atelier. By which he meant they strode with purpose, something one of them managed to avoid appearing to do under any circumstances whatsoever. “Madame Malfoy! Madame Bones! Two of ze finest ladies in Britain! What brings you to my shoppe in such a hurry today?”
“We have a Project for you,” Madam Bones began, the capital letter clear in her voice, “one which requires the utmost discretion --”
“And absolute skill,” Lady Malfoy continued, “Both of which we know you are best at.”
Gideon’s eyebrows attempted to escape his face, despite his best efforts to control them. Most intriguing. “You have my silence, ov course, dear ladies, and I vill certainly do my best. What iz zis project?”
“Potions Master Severus Snape has been given custody of a boy, nearly eleven years old, heir to at least one House, who was, through some idiocy of the War’s end, left with muggles,” Lady Malfoy said.
“He was appallingly abused and escaped to wind up on the Potions Master’s doorstep,” Madam Bones added.
“With only the clothes on his back.”
“Which were rags at least six sizes too big. He took being given Severus’ old things to hold him over in stride, but became horrifically confused when Snape said they would be purchasing the boy his own clothes, made to fit him, to his own tastes. Everything from the concept of being allowed to choose what he wore, to being given new things when old ones are available, to Severus paying for them from his own pocket, entirely baffled the boy,” Madam Bones wrung her hands in distress.
“He has no idea what is fashionable, what looks good, not even what he likes in clothing or what clothes that fit feel like because he’s never been allowed anything but cast-offs!” Lady Malfoy hissed in a voice that clearly would have been shouting in outrage were she any less dignified.
“Oh my,” Gideon said faintly. He didn’t know what to say to that. It certainly was a Project, capital letter absolutely necessary. He pulled his notebook over and began taking notes of what he would need. “What sort of budget are we looking at?” he asked, enunciating carefully to help himself focus. “The Potions Master does not make a great deal at zhat- that school.”
“Budget is not an issue,” Lady Malfoy waved off, “Severus may have promised to buy him clothes, but I have a new nephew to spoil in dire need of spoiling. I’ll let him cover some of the cost, if he insists and can negotiate me down, but I’m not sparing any expense.”
“You’re not alone in that,” Madam Bones near-growled, “Half the office is putting in to buy him whatever he wants for his room, as he’s never had one of those before either.”
“What?” Lady Malfoy gasped in sync with Gideon’s own horror.
“Those monsters made him live in the boot cupboard like the lowest of house elves. He’s never had a bed. Let alone space of his own to decorate however he chooses,” Amelia nearly whined. “When we arrested them, the squad I sent out found his cupboard, carefully decorated in his own drawings, where they wouldn’t be seen by someone standing outside his door. The fund is the only way I could keep the office from rioting outright.”
Gideon wanted to cry. “When will he be available for an appointment?” he asked instead.
“He will be fully healed by next week,” Lady Malfoy answered, reminding Gideon that she was a fully licensed healer. “They’ll be getting paperwork sorted at the Bank the morning of the first. Perhaps after lunch that day?”
“I have an appointment at 12:30, but will be available by 2:00pm, and have nothing further scheduled. How about I just block out the entirety of the rest of the afternoon for you?”
“Perfect. Maybe I’ll even manage to get Sev to stand for you,” Lady Malfoy smiled. Gideon smiled back, touched. This was why she was one of his favorite customers, she always gives the best presents.
He frowned slightly, speaking of, “I vill acquire art supplies and instruction books for the boy. If he iz decorating his own space vith his own work, he should have ze best materials to vork vith, no?”
“Gideon, darling, you are a dear, and I adore you.”
