The Evolution of Narcissa Malfoy

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April 11th

Draco's POV

Conflicting measures of elation and fear battled for center stage in Draco's psyche as he contemplated the arduous task of explaining to Hermione where he had been. The elation speaks to the progress he made with her parents tonight, and the fear speaks to the cavernous unknown, which is her reaction to his potential cataclysmic overstep. When he compares the thought of what he did, to the idea of Hermione reaching out to Lucius to 'mend' the tattered remains of their relationship, it makes his blood boil for a multitude of reasons. Still, he'd chosen to move forward with his plans, knowing that the good would outweigh any perceived overstep on his part. That's what he chants to himself, at least, as he follows the sound of his mother's voice to the informal sitting room.

"Mother?" he asks as he pokes his head into the room. He finds her and Evie sitting comfortably on a leather sofa, both holding a copy of the same book.

"Hello, my darling; we were just wrapping up our book club discussion for the evening. Did you know that Hermione posts an advert with Witch Weekly that covers her book recommendations for the month? I daresay you may be in over your head with this one if her reading tendencies say anything about her preferences. I do believe you'll need to dig deep to find your inner romantic." Spotting an empty bottle of vintage red, he determines that goading his mother while she's at least three glasses deep into the drink probably isn't the wisest idea.

"May I ask what book you ladies are discussing this evening?" He questions as he discreetly steps in front of the table before vanishing the empty bottle and the remainder of the wine in their glasses.

"It's a marvelous book by a muggle author. It's a harrowing story of time travel, love, and loyalty in the Scottish Highlands. They don't make men like this anymore. Have I ever told you about my short dalliance with Lord Murray? Now that man knew what to do with his hands."

"Mother! Could we please keep stories of your sexual dalliances to a minimum? What are you doing reading erotica anyway?"

"Calm yourself, Draco; I am a grown woman, am I not? A woman has needs, and this is a perfectly healthy outlet." Evie giggled into her hand before letting out a soft hiccough, no doubt from the amount of wine she had consumed.

"I suggest you focus your energy on the wonderful witch waiting for you upstairs. We will wrap up here and see you in the morning." Hearing the apparent dismissal, he takes his mother's advice and directs his energy elsewhere. He promises never to think about her and Lord Murray under any circumstance.

Making his way to the guest wing where he and Hermione will spend the next two nights, he takes a moment to appreciate the evidence of his mother's evolution. Gone were the family portraits of long-dead Black and Malfoy ancestors who lived their lives with only the concern of blood supremacy. In their place hung a mixture of muggles and magical imagery with the sole purpose of inspiring those who cared to appreciate them for who they were. A surprise he'd found after touring the estate once the remodel had been completed was still portraits of his cousins Sirus Black and Andromeda Tonks standing on display outside the entrance to the second-story library.

He'd noticed a sharp decline in outgoing invitations for visitation on Narcissa's part. He'd been concerned at first that she was suffering more than she let on after his father's imprisonment, but after careful observation, he realized just how wrong he was. Narcissa had been held strictly under her parent's thumb throughout her childhood and young adulthood until she'd been married off to his father, where she'd been under a new but no less critical form of scrutiny. So, after nearly five decades with very little freedom to make her own choices in any aspect of her life, she was finally letting go. Able to learn her likes and dislikes in a more liberating form of self-discovery, she truly flourished, and Draco had never been happier for her.

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