Helen McCrory one shots

"Are you saying you missed me?" - Narcissa Black

Narcissa looked at you like you were the sun.

That is to say that it physically pained her to look at you for longer than a few moments at a time. You were the most irritating person she'd ever met, always so bloody happy and full of energy. It frustrated her so much so that even looking at you gave her a headache. How could so much excitement be compact into one person?

Ignoring you had been easy enough for her when you'd first begun to work in the same department as her. The department of magical law enforcement was after all the biggest department in the entire M.o.M . You were occasionally seen by Narcissa but fortunately for her your interactions were basically non-existent.

That was up until a month ago that is. Narcissa used to despise the fact that you even worked in the department yet now she'd give anything to go back to just working in the same department. Now she had to deal with you on a daily basis, now you were assigned to work as her partner more or less.

You weren't exactly partners but it was close enough. You had been moved to work within her section, a section of only 3 others aside from yourself and Narcissa.

Today begun as any day did for Narcissa.
She had floo'ed directly to her office, a habit she'd gotten into as to avoid your bubbly and enthusiastic existence for as much of the day as possible. She missed her daily walk to the ministry, she lived close enough since the war for it to only be a 10 minute walk but it was peaceful nonetheless. She missed walking through the atrium and greeting the security guard that she'd grown fond of after chatting with most mornings for the last five years. She missed the walk through the corridors where she'd often get met with the occasional tip of the hat and cordial greetings from the other people working there. But it was better this way, better to get to her office directly so she didn't have to walk past yours and be completely bombarded with literal rays of sunshine. Yes she missed her routine, but to avoid you, well she was fine with missing the familiarity of her previous five years working there.

Her desk held four stacks of thick parchment which made her groan inwardly.
Bloody hell it was only 8 in the morning how could there possibly be so much so early?

A knock on her closed door snapped her out of her moaning. She straightened her blouse and made her way to open the office door.

Standing there with a barely contained grin you beamed at your favourite colleague, it was true she was less than friendly to you but you couldn't help but find her fascinating. So regal and rigid, clothes always pristine, never a hair out of place. Narcissa truly was something else you couldn't help but think.

Her lips puckered slightly in distaste but she was quick to hide it behind her ever icy expression when she spoke with you. She'd dropped the pureblood Slytherin act years earlier, ever since the war ended really but around you she instinctively threw it up again. Maybe just maybe she'd scare you off one day with it. Today however she found herself like every other day, unable to do so.

"Good Morning Narcissa!" You exclaimed, the grin you'd been containing slipped out. She always managed to make you grin like a fool.

She merely hummed slightly in response, barely acknowledging your existence. Making it obvious she was trying to get the conversation to fizzle out before it even started.

You on the other hand refused to let that happen.
"The weather really is quite nice today, isn't it?"

"I'm sure it is. If you only wish to speak of the weather I really must go, I've got quite a bit to do this morning." Her tone was cold and your smile wavered ever so slightly.

"Yes, yes, sorry of course. I didn't mean to bother you I just wanted to let you know that we're expected on site for the Alaskira case this afternoon. It starts at 3, in the furthest courtroom from the one we were in last week."