Blackberry Jam (A Drarry FanFiction)

Chapter Twelve

   There was a sudden knock at the door. Three heads whipped around, not sure who it could be. "I'll get it," Harry cried, as he was the closet, and he thought maybe it could be Neville or one of the other boys dropping round to play. If it was, Mrs Figg might let them out of their chores early (or recruit whoever it was into helping, which would make the whole ordeal quicker too).

However, when he opened the door and let in a gust of freezing wind, he didn't recognise the person on the other side. She was an extremely beautiful woman, wrapped up in a huge fur coat, blonde hair peeking out from beneath a matching fur hat. She looked extremely cold, clutching her coat lapels tightly to her body, the tip of her delicate nose a rosy pink. She blinked at Harry.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hello?" said Harry back, unsure what else to do. The woman seemed so utterly out of place in their small, mismatched cottage, but Harry didn't get time to ponder any further before he was unceremoniously bowled out of the way.

"Mother!" Draco shouted in absolute joy, flinging himself into the woman's arms. Harry's eyebrows shot up. Of course this was Draco's mum! The resemblance was uncanny, and he took a step back to watch as they embraced tightly, bright smiles and happy tears on their faces.

"Oh my darling boy," Mrs Malfoy laughed as she pressed the back of her gloved hand to her cheek to mop up a pearly tear. "How you've grown!"

Mrs Figg limped over and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. "Well isn't this a lovely surprise," she commented. "Mrs Malfoy I presume?"

Mrs Malfoy turned to hug Draco to her side with one arm, then extended the other towards Mrs Figg. "And you must be the famous Mrs Figg I have heard so much about," she said graciously as they shook hands.

"And this is Harry!" Draco added, untangling himself and rushing over to push Harry in front of his mother, standing with his arm around his shoulders proudly. Harry beamed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Malfoy," he said, remembering his manners and offering up his hand for her to also shake.

"Aren't you just a darling Harry," she said, taking his hand gently and giving it a squeeze. "Draco has told me so much about you, I feel I know you already!"

Another gust of wind tore in from outside, and Harry couldn't help but yelp. "Come in, come in," Mrs Figg urged, waving them indoors and out of the elements. "Otherwise we'll all catch cold, and that will never do."

Several cats appeared once the door was closed, suspiciously inspecting the new arrival into the house, and Draco was quick to scoop up Shelley. "Look Mother," he said eagerly as Mrs Malfoy removed her hat and began undoing the buttons on her coat. "Mrs Figg let me have my very own kitten!"

If Mrs Malfoy was unsettled by so many feline admirers, she did a much better job than Harry or Draco would have done not showing it. "How marvellous," she said sincerely, folding her coat over her arm.

"I'll take that," Harry said, springing to action, hefting the enormous coat to hang on the rack.

"Please take a seat, won't you Mrs Malfoy," Mrs Figg said. "You'll stay for tea of course?"

Mrs Malfoy pressed both her hands either side of Mrs Figg's one that wasn't holding the cane. "Narcissa, Please," she insisted. "And that would be wonderful dear, thank you."

Harry automatically followed Mrs Figg into the kitchen, but he could hear as Draco and his mother both sat on the couch, the kitten hopping between them. Draco was chatting in such an animated manner that Harry had never seen him use in front of other people before, just Harry, and mainly when he was talking about one of his story books, or a particularly fascinating bit of history. His mother obviously brought out the best in him. Harry grinned, loving how overjoyed Draco was at the surprise visit, and only a little sad that he hadn't been able to see his own mum since the evacuation at all.