“no—” harry is quik to ut her off, disturbed to evehose words fro her “no i—i wouldn’t be here if i didn’t want to”
and narissa looks at hi, really looks, as if she’s tryg to figure out if what he’s sayihen, fig her answer, her shoulders rex ages her sile “whatever did y son do to spire suh loyalty fro you?”
“he saved y life you saved y life i…i want to…” save hi, too, harry thks, but that’s urn the favour? that’s not it, too not really
but narissa’s lookg at hi a way that’s soft, and pityg, as if she uands harry has to look away fro that
“you saved believe , we wouldweren’t for you the istry would have had all azkaban and theen about ”
harry thks that kgsley wouldhat, but the wizengaot is another issue
“we ade our hoies ong for the i a not proud of the but give all agaihe hoie to save the world or save y faily, i…i don’t thk i would have beehis ti, she g her son, and says, slowly, “it jt pas , when i look bak, to reber hi havi hoie as well”
the day is peaeful it is bright a and visible birds hirp softly fres of the garden it’s a stark ontrast fro the heaviheir oion
narissa sighs, soft and sad “i hope you uand that i’ n to jtify what we did”
“no, it’s fe,” harry replies, and it is “it’s alright if you want to talk i want to…” he paes, surprised at the truth hiswords “i want to listen”
narissa siles that sa aed sile “you are kd reber, harry the world iso kd people”
she looks down at her hands ers sped as if i even with that said, i still want to selfishly request this fro you” she raises her head to look at hi “please take are of y son”
harry iered ahe answer is already on his lips “rs alfoy—”
“narissa” another sile
harry exhales, slowly he now feels narissa’s sa surprise wheo all hi harry i feels…nie “narissa there’s o request i had already p”
she reahes over, takes his hand hers, ahank you”
it’s te afternoon, and drao hasn’t shown signs of leavg his stupor
harry exes hiself, doesn’t ose by stayg for dner when he’s already stayed for nh by now, he already knows a lot ore about drao than drao would probably be ofortable with if he knew he also knows a lot ore about narissa, and i, and it’s dis, to feel this hy for this faily
he wo ould i have done?
≈o her word, narissa did ifiatioold her tale as it is, didshe is a sat apologized for what she said to hi bak then, about her oih
it still hurts, when harry rebers it, but the apology soothes, even if jt a bit she also told hi ore abrog up with hi, faily dih hi and his brother harry thks this is another way for her to apologize, ao her stories, enraptured, even as his heart still hurts, hurts and ahes so uh for siri and re, and oh, god, re
≈o hide it, how her words affet hi, but he knows it shows on his fae, as p as day
before he stands up to leave, narissa lht at hi and asks, “are yht, harry?”
and harry thks that she’s not jt askg about the now, she’s askg about the yesterday, the toorrow, and his every day a ko be ho at this o’s beae narissa has also already bared herself, that it sees… safe to bare hiself, too the end, he allows hiself a little bit of hoy
“no not really”
and narissaless words of ofort, jt the uandiy that he is not okay
harry looks at her, too, at the dark spots under her eyes “are yht?”
narissa gives hi a wry sile “no not really”
and all at one, harry ahe weight on her shoulders: her hba azkaban, leavih a ultitude of ss, a ruiai oed a adahelove of her life, lost with his own d
narissa sighs, slow and heavy “sur is the host of any oasioween failies and anizations of power i have tried to be present eah and every o’s been…diffiult siurned”
“oasions?” harry asks, thkg of the any fany vitatiohrowrash ihree onths “you an parties?”
“yes,” narissa nods, and then she hukles “so of those you’ve deliend, i believe”
harry gives a sall, uant gr
narissa o is a t that i reaiher pureblood failies of ourse, the wizardg hat part the alfoy faily has pyed i we a fore to hidih for the opportunity to ga all that we have yet to lose” she g drao wistfully “we ay have dohgs, harry, but y so deserve to be strippedhe ever was and had”
≈urns bak to hi “it’s been a bit tirg to attend so any funtions i dislike leavg drao alone, espeially as he is right now”
harry iagihen of s, of drao alone his r at the garden g and gog, but still returng to the sa sehere are flowers h