Chapter One: The Fall of a Lord

No number of words could describe the surprise Narcissa Malfoy felt when the solemn head of the one and only Albus Dumbledore popped up in her fireplace on the night of Halloween, 1981. One moment, she had been sitting on the luscious maroon love seat in the manor's living room, legs curled elegantly beneath her body and the quaint muggle novel 'Jane Eyre' (which Lucius, for obvious reasons did not know she possessed and would abhor to discover in their pureblood mansion) positioned in her delicate hands, and then the next Albus was grimly informing her that three people were dead and was requesting her assistance at Godric's Hollow. Despite feeling a deep pang of concern, particularly once she heard where Albus was, and an even deeper one of surprise that it was she, out of all people, Albus had contacted first, Narcissa assured the older man that she would be there as soon as she had found a baby sitter for Draco. With nothing more than her word, the head of Albus Dumbledore disappeared into the fire without a trace. Had Narcissa not seen him with her own eyes and spoken to him with her own voice, she would have never known he was there at all. A small part of her wished she could pretend he hadn't been; a small part of her wished she wouldn't have to deal with death that fateful night.

Fifteen minutes later and a slightly frazzled Andromeda Tonks had apparated just outside the wards of Malfoy Manor. Narcissa, already having dressed herself and prepared to take the trip to Godric's Hollow, allowed her sister in, offering a thankful smile. Once allowing her sister through the threshold of the manor, Narcissa glanced around the front door surreptitiously, making sure none of her husband's spies had witnessed the arrival of the banished once-Black. In a hushed voice, Narcissa thanked her older sister for taking care of her son at such late notice, and at such a late time (a quick tempus would have informed either woman that it was sixteen minutes past midnight), and assured her she'd be home soon enough.

"… Lucius shouldn't be coming home tonight, he told me he had 'business'" Narcissa shivered involuntarily, thinking of the sort of despicable actions her husband referred to as 'business', "to attend to. Draco's been asleep for hours and I dare say he won't wake before I return. You know what my boy's like; he'd sleep through the apocalypse." Andromeda, hearing all of this, merely rolled her eyes.

"Cissa, this isn't the first, and I'm sure it won't be the last, time that I've taken care of Draco while you've swept off into the night like a muggle superhero. Now go. If Albus was willing to risk fire calling the manor just to get your attention then I'm sure it's something important." And with that, Narcissa looped her pale arms around her sister, whispered her love and gratitude in the older woman's ear, and stepped outside her home. It was only a matter of moments before Narcissa had moved outside of the wards and apparated to Godric's Hollow. Of course, being the secret location that it was, wards kept her from apparating directly to the house. Instead her magic set her on the familiar path towards the Potter family home. Narcissa had followed the path for all of five-seconds before she smelt the scent of destruction heavy in the air, and barely five minutes before she could see it.

Godric's Hollow had been torn apart: caved in from the inside like a poorly baked soufflé. Narcissa felt her heart take residence in her throat, her pulse quicken with horror. The scent of thick smoke clawed its way into her nostrils and her eyes stung and watered with fear of what she might see as she approached the once beautiful home. Narcissa picked up her pace, now running towards the partially destroyed building. It had been over twenty minutes since Albus' fire call, and Narcissa quickly realised she was not the only person who had been summoned to the Potter's residence. It was there, on the steps of Godric Hollow, that she found her cousin, reeking of high doses of veritaserum and nearly drunk with mourning, blabbering about guilt and pain, and how it was all his fault. Narcissa inhaled sharply, forced to face the truth as she took in the devastated and dishevelled appearance of Sirius Black: Albus had said three deaths, there were three Potters. There was only one logical explanation for her cousin's heartache.

The Potters were dead.

Narcissa's heart broke right then and there. She thought of James, who she had never particularly liked whilst at Hogwarts, with his wild and unruly manner, his complete lack of contempt for rules and often pretentious attitude. But for all his faults, she thought of his heart of gold, how he had grown tremendously as a person since graduating, devoting his short adult life to being the best husband and, in the past year, father he could be, as well as being an admirable auror. No, Narcissa might not like James Potter, and probably would not miss his presence, but she could surely recognise that the world would be a darker place without him in it.

Logically, Narcissa thought of James' wife next, and was not surprised when tears threatened to spring to her eyes. The friendship which had quickly formed between Lily Evans and Narcissa Black in the Charms classroom their first year at Hogwarts was not common knowledge to anyone outside of the Order of the Phoenix. The women had had to keep up appearances, Narcissa the cold Slytherin and Lily the vivacious Gryffindor. However, the two students bonded over a passion for intellect and revelled in their differences, Lily's fiery spirit versus Narcissa's calm and collected nature, the two had been nearly instant friends, academic rivals and reliable confidantes all at once. Lily had been the first woman Narcissa had ever befriended outside of her family and, to this day, was one of the few people in the world Narcissa could honestly say had ever understood her completely. After graduating, when Narcissa had followed through on an arranged marriage to Lucius (primarily so she could spy on the Dark side of the war for Dumbledore) whereas Lily had followed her heart and married James, the two somewhat lost touch, but made sure to see each other at least once a week, outside of Order of the Phoenix meetings. In fact, it had been Lily's muggle heritage which brought the fantastic world of literature to Narcissa's attention; it had been Lily's copy of Jane Eyre she had been relishing in before Albus tore her whole world apart from the safety of her fireplace earlier that night. The mourning which Narcissa felt now, realising that the woman she considered to be her closest friend was dead, was indescribable. She felt as if she had been punched in the gut, kicked in the head and thrown to the ground all at once. She felt her skin become cold, the blood in her veins freeze to ice, as she took in the knowledge. Despite the despair Narcissa felt building in the pit of her stomach, the pain she felt recognising the death of the most wonderful woman she had ever met, Narcissa had been asked her for a reason. Pushing her heartache away, promising to deal with it at a more practical time, Narcissa decided to move on.

Finally, she thought of little Harry, but a month younger than her own darling Draco. The thought of his death… No, it was too much for her to handle. The death of an infant, one so close in age to her own son, was too devastating for a mother to even think.

"Cissa?" A broken voice cried. Narcissa blinked, realising she had been standing in front of Sirius for some time now, lost in her own mind and grief, unspeaking and unmoving. Almost without thinking, her body propelled forward and she pulled her cousin into a deep hug. Much like with James, Narcissa had never particularly liked Sirius' headstrong, often arrogant, personality. But blood is blood, and she could appreciate many parts of the compassionate man, such as his loyalty and devotion to friends and family. Just as Narcissa had moved without thinking, propelled to alleviate the man's suffering, Sirius' strong arms quickly wrapped around her, enveloping her into a tight embrace. The man in her arms, once the image of hardiness and vigour, shook under the weight of his anguish, tears streaming down his dirty face (the soot from the home had clearly been falling on him for quite some time now) and sobs breaking his voice. Narcissa's heart ached as much for Sirius as it had for herself; he too had just lost his best friend.

"Narcissa," the wise voice of Albus came from inside the home, behind where Sirius and Narcissa stood in the doorway to the house. Narcissa opened her eyes to look at the elderly man, yet she kept her tight hold on her cousin. Albus appeared to had aged a further decade in the course of the night, his eyes which were so widely known for their perpetual twinkling now cold and hard, his good humour entirely disappeared by the severe tragedy.

"I'm glad you could make it so quickly." Albus came closer to the cousins, wrapping an empathetic arm around Sirius' shoulder. A few moments later Sirius let go of his cousin, dropping again to the stairs in front of the doorway and sinking into his despair. Albus sighed sadly, but merely wrapped an arm around Narcissa's shoulder and pulled her into the building.

"Albus," Narcissa nearly whimpered, the anguish she felt from the death of her friend threatening to seep through and unload right then and there. "Albus, what happened tonight?" The man sighed deeply and began to arrange his thoughts and words, Narcissa looked around the destroyed home as he did. Furniture was chaotically displaced around the room, chairs upside down, a couch somehow broken in half. The floor was littered with glass, mainly from photo frames. The Potters, particularly Lily, had always found great love in photos. There must be at least fifty different pictures of the infamous Marauders in this one room, the majority of which were now covering the ground. Narcissa felt a pang of sorrow in her chest as her eyes focused on an image of Lily and herself at graduation. The magical photograph showed the two young women, arms wrapped around each other, smiling brightly to the camera. Almost simultaneously, the two woman turned and looked at each other, laughing as if it were the happiest day of their lives. Narcissa pulled herself from Albus' grip and quickly picked up the image (her state of shock causing her to forget her wand), carefully folding it and storing it in her pocket before returning to Albus' side.

"Voldemort", Albus began, causing the fine blonde hairs on Narcissa's arms and neck to stand on edge, "Voldemort happened." Narcissa blinked with shock.

"But the Fidelius Charm-" She began to sputter before the old man cut her off.

"The Fidelius Charm only works, my dear, when the secret keeper keeps his secret." Confusion overwhelmed Narcissa. If she wasn't such a strong woman, she likely would have fainted right then and there.

"But Sirius was the secret keeper…"

"That's what I thought too, until tonight. The moment I arrived here and felt Voldemort's magical signature, I asked Hagrid to bring Sirius here, so I may understand how this could possibly occur. However, when Hagrid did find Sirius, the man was under detainment of aurors. Witnesses had reported the murder of Peter Pettigrew and twelve muggles, at the hands of Black. Hagrid, loyal as he is and knowing how desperate I was to question Black, did all he could to have Sirius released, adamant that he would never murder someone in cold blood and insisting that Sirius be tried with veritaserum." Narcissa merely nodded, recalling the strong scent of veritaserum which had radiated from Sirius as she embraced him just moments earlier. "Of course, when Sirius did take the potion, his story did not change. Apparently, feeling he would have been the obvious secret keeper who Voldemort would interrogate, Sirius had rejected the title, offering that Peter be secret keeper instead."

Narcissa could not hold in a gasp as the dots started to connect in her mind. She had always been weary of Peter, but never believed he would do anything to harm any of his friends, particularly James who he idolised beyond all others. What sort of limits would Vol… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named have to go to in order to make the man crack? Albus' head dropped as he took to staring at a photo of the four Marauders on the floor. It was of the day James had been appointed Chaser, and all the boys cheered and celebrated, looking happy as could be in the photograph. Peter was hugging James around the waist, a complete look of utter adoration filling his face as he looked up at the taller boy, while Sirius had his arms draped somewhat lazily around the shoulders of James and Remus.

"To appoint Peter as the secret keeper was a mistake. Alas, tonight it was discovered that Peter had been working as a spy for Voldemort for some time now. It's not all that surprising, when you think about it. Peter had always been attracted to power, it's the reason he worshipped James and Sirius so. If there was ever a wizard whose power was strong enough to be venerated, it's that of Voldemort." Narcissa nodded slowly, her heart sinking as she began to understand. Peter was not a bad man, but he was a weak one. And the power of Vold… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was enough to make even the strongest man bend to his will, might as well the meek Pettigrew.

"As you can see from the destruction around us, Peter sold James and Lily out to Voldemort. He then attempted to pass the blame on to Sirius, confronting him in a muggle town. He cast a Blasting Charm, murdering twelve muggles, before slicing off his own finger and transforming into a rat; his unregistered Animagus form. He ran away, attempting to fake his own death and leaving Sirius in a state of shock to take the blame. I do believe that Black would be sentenced to life in Azkaban, had Hagrid not insisted on the use of veritaserum." Narcissa felt sick to her stomach as she took this all in. Her best friend and Lily's family, now dead, all because Pettigrew was too weak to stand against power.

"And so, V…Vol… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came here, and murdered the Potters…" Narcissa cried, her voice breaking. Albus turned and looked at her quizzically, his eyebrow raising ever so slightly.

"It's true that James and Lily are now dead. They gave their lives defending little Harry. But that's where the truth in your deduction ends. See, in a peculiar turn of events, Voldemort's 'Avada Kedavra' was unsuccessful on the infant. We can't be too sure exactly what occurred, but Harry Potter is very much alive and well. The third death of this night was that of Voldemort's himself." The world suddenly spun on its axis and Narcissa felt physically dizzy at the understanding. The man who had started the war, the man who had terrorised her own and the families of countless others, was dead? The single most malicious wizard to have ever lived, so atrocious that even the thought of saying his name was too much for her to handle, had fallen at the hands of an infant? Narcissa didn't even notice when Albus took hold of her thin arms to keep her from sinking to the ground.

"But…Bu… But no-no-nobody has… Nobody has ever survived the Killing Curse." She squeaked, her voice small. For the first time in her life, despite all she had seen, Narcissa Malfoy was not in a state of habitual calmness. Her entire world rocked back and forwards.

"Well, now someone has." A new voice entered the room. Despite her dazed state, Narcissa looked up to see Minerva McGonagall enter the room, a bundle of blankets held tightly to her chest. The blankets moved, ever so slightly, allowing Narcissa to see the dark head of Harry James Potter.

"I just don't understand." Narcissa whimpered.

"No one does, Narcissa. But it is true. Voldemort is, for now at least, gone from this world. Unfortunately it came at the cost of two extraordinary lives. But there is no denying that he is gone." Narcissa turned, moving her eyes from Harry's little head to Albus.

"And what of Harry? Where is he to go?"

"No plans have been made as of yet. He has an aunt and an uncle, muggles, who I might ask to take him in. It would be best to keep him with family; to keep him with someone who cares for him. And, I believe, it is best to keep him in a muggle world, at least until he's old enough to attend Hogwarts. There won't be a single witch or wizard who won't know his name; who won't know the legacy of the boy who lived. I think that a decade of living amongst muggles might do him good, before bombarded by his status as saviour." Albus' voice rung in Narcissa's ears, echoing for what seemed like an eternity. Aunt and uncle? He must be speaking of the Dursley's. Lily had told her all about her sister, the muggle so overcome with jealousy that she had made Lily's life a personal hell. And from what Narcissa had deducted, Petunia had married a man fitting of her own despicable personality.

"No." Narcissa found herself saying, before she could even think. Minerva gave her a quizzical look, whilst Albus, unseen by Narcissa, gave her a soft twinkle in his eyes, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen from the moment he invited her here.

"No?" Minerva questioned, doubt clear in her voice.

"No. The Dursley's, Harry's aunt and uncle, won't look after him properly. Lily and James never would have wanted this. He can't stay with them."

"Well then, Narcissa, if you feel so strongly about this, then who do you suppose should raise young Harry? The boy deserves a normal childhood, or as normal as possible. Therefore no witch or wizard can take him in. So, other than muggle relatives, who do you suppose raise the boy?" Minerva's voice was laced with the same patronising tone she utilises on particularly daft students. Narcissa let out a shaky breath, knowing that the next words to come out of her mouth would likely change the rest of her life.

"I will." She stated. Minerva nearly laughed.

"Oh, and are you a muggle are you?"

"No, but I could be. For Harry. For Lily. I'll take Draco, escape into the muggle world. I was Lily's best friend, I know all about how their world works. She told me everything about her childhood. It won't be easy but I know I can do it, at least until it comes time for the boys to leave for Hogwarts. You know that I can be trusted and you know that I'm perfectly capable of raising him. This is what Lily would have wanted."

"I have no doubt, Narcissa, that you would do well to raise Harry. But what about your husband? Remember, the Death Eater? You can't possibly expect us to allow Harry to be raised in such an environment. In fact, you can't possibly imagine he would allow Harry to be raised there either." Narcissa shook her head.

"Don't worry about Lucius, I'll take care of it. He won't ever lay a hand on Harry, not if I can help it. I will be the one to raise him." At this point, Narcissa and Minerva both turned to look at Albus imploringly. Despite the tragedy of the night still heavy in all of their hearts, the man's twinkle was back in his eyes, excited about the prospects opening up. Albus looked at Narcissa with a soft smile and nodded, such a tiny movement that Narcissa nearly thought she had imagined it. He then looked to Minerva. What the woman saw in her coworker's eyes concerned her, yet it was enough for her to give up the fight. Once Albus got into his head that something was a good idea, there was no stopping him.

"Minerva, please help Narcissa to get Harry's things together. It's going to be a long night for them, trying to find some place of refuge." The two women found their way up the stairs to Harry's nursery. Glancing up, Narcissa noticed that where the roof had caved in, the night's stars had taken the ceiling's place. She thought back to her days at Hogwarts, recalling all those Astronomy classes she couldn't have cared less for at the time, and used that knowledge to locate the brightest star in the sky; Sirius. She sighed. Sirius had truly been named fittingly. The man, with his dazzling grin and flashy personality, was quite honestly the brightest wizard Narcissa had met… He was the physical manifestation of the 'Dog Star'. What he would do now, without his other stars in the sky, balancing him out, she did not know. His fate was a mystery to her.

Narcissa and Minerva worked quickly, pulling together Harry's clothes and favourite toys. Narcissa didn't bother with any baby supplies, as she would be on the run soon enough and would need to stock up once she found her own place to live. Once the women had filled a small bag with Harry's things (a bag charmed to fill much more than it appeared to be able), Narcissa turned to Minerva and requested to hold her new surrogate son. Minerva's face openly displayed suspicion.

"I want you to know that I still don't think this is a good idea. I'm not going to argue, for Albus' sake, but I think you're making a mistake. Have you even considered what you're getting yourself into, offering to adopt another child? Offering to raise him and Draco on your own? In a muggle world no less, where everything is harder to do. It's not too late Narcissa. We can find somewhere else for Harry." Minerva's eyes were kind, not harsh. She wasn't trying to scare the Slytherin; she knew that Narcissa was more than capable of doing a wonderful job of raising Harry, even in a muggle environment. But she needed to make sure the woman was aware of what she was sacrificing. She would lose her husband, her wealth, her comfortable lifestyle. After this night her life would be forever altered. Narcissa extended her arms and pulled baby Harry against her own chest, trying to conjure a response. She looked down at the child before she answered. His dark hair spattered wildly over his forehead, reminding her so much of his father's. She noticed at this point that a scar had taken place on his forehead, in the shape of a lightning bolt. Recalling what little knowledge she possessed on curse scars, Narcissa presumed that this had occurred as the boy miraculously vanquished Volde…Voldemort. A pang of doubt suddenly reverberated throughout her body. Did she really want to do this? Could she handle becoming the surrogate mother of the boy who lived? Did she want her own Draco to be raised among side another child? The little boy in her arms, who had been asleep ever since she arrived in Godric's Hollow, now opened his eyes and looked up at her. In that moment, all of her doubts were swept away. The emerald eyes of the child, so similar to that of his mother's, made the decision that much easier for her. In fact, it took away her ability to make a choice at all. This was Lily's child, the son of her best friend. Narcissa would do everything in her power, would give her life, to assure that Lily's sacrifice would not be in vain.

"I'm sure, Minerva." Narcissa responded quietly. She glanced up, her eyes locking with those of her once-professor. "This is Lily's child." That was all the response she needed. Minerva nodded solemnly, recognising that nothing would keep Narcissa from taking care of Harry as if he were her own; he was practically already family, after all.

The two women descended the stairs and came face to face with Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling and a soft smile threatening to dance across his lips. The man approached Narcissa, stretching out his arms to firmly place a hand on either shoulder. They looked each other dead in the eye, a world of understanding between them.

"You will be fine, my dear. I know you will do well, so long as you remember to follow your heart… and the stars." With that cryptic message in mind, Narcissa escaped into the night, the stars dwelling in her heart and the photograph of happier days heavy in her pocket.

- x -

Narcissa set herself the task of quickly packing Draco's clothes and favourite toys, much as she had but an hour earlier with Harry. The two boys were currently in Draco's cot, gurgling and playing with each other, completely unaware of the world falling apart outside of their protective bubble of infancy. Narcissa was exhausted, tiredness and emotional fatigue threatening to break her right then and there. Narcissa was, however, if nothing else, a Black; she was strong and she would get through this. Carefully putting up her shield, her calm and collected persona, she finished collecting Draco's things. She had already packed her own things, it was the first thing she had done upon returning to the manor much to the shock of her sister, who had begged to know what was happening. Narcissa had offered vague response as she collected the few muggle clothes and sentimental items she owned, along with her most valuable jewellery which she would be able to sell once amongst muggles. Something about Lily's death, the fall of a lord and the stars in the sky. Andromeda pulled enough together to understand the general gist, but was struggling to discern why her sister was packing so frantically. It didn't take her too long, however, to understand her sister was running away.

"Oh Cissy," Andromeda cooed from the doorway behind her. Narcissa squared her shoulders and strengthened her resolve. Nothing her sister could say would defer her. She was leaving, tonight, and would not return for at least a decade. "Please don't go. The boy has family who can look after him. You don't have to do this. Lily would understan-" Narcissa didn't let her finish. She whipped around, a dangerous gleam in her eyes as she pointed a sharp finger at her sister.

"Don't you dare tell me what Lily would or would not feel in this situation. Don't you dare tell me what she would say. I know… I knew her better than anybody. I know what I have to do now. And I'm sorry that that means I have to leave tonight, truly, I am. I'm sorry that it means Draco will be raised without a father, without an aunt. But I have to do this Andromeda, it's my duty." Narcissa shook and forced herself to remember her persona; calm, cool and collected. She could do this. She would do this. Her sister's lips trembled, worry and sorrow overtaking her. Narcissa sighed, placing the bag filled with Draco's possessions on the floor, and swept forwards to embrace the older woman. "I'm sorry, okay? I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave this life. But it's for the best. I know that I have to do this. And it won't be forever. You'll see me again. You'll see Draco again. We'll be your family again, someday. It just so happens that day isn't today." Andromeda nodded, hugging the blonde tightly.

"I'm just going to miss you so much, okay. Both of you. You know you're nearly all I have. And I hate to think of Nymphadora growing up without her cousin. You know how much Draco means to her. It's just hard, okay. I know you need to do this. I know I need to let you do this. But, oh Merlin, I don't want to." For a terrifying moment, Narcissa thought the other woman might start crying. She was thankful when she didn't. If Andromeda started to cry, Narcissa couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't too, and that would be the end of it. At the moment, Narcissa's emotions were hanging on by a thread, her feelings stacked up like precarious dominos; one representing her mourning for her closest friend, another mourning the loss of the life she knows so well, one representing her love for her sister and her desire to not go and another symbolising her concern for her son, growing up in an unfamiliar world. If one domino fell, if she lost her grip on just one feeling, then everything would fall apart inside. She couldn't handle that; not quite yet.

"Where are you even going to go?"

"I don't know." Narcissa answered truthfully. While she might know the muggle world quite well, thanks to her friendship with Lily, she didn't have any contacts in this foreign environment. She wasn't concerned that she'd be able to find somewhere to live quite quickly, but for tonight, she had no idea where she might go. Suddenly, Albus' words resonated in her ears, and a short laugh escaped from her lips. Why hadn't she thought of it before? Andromeda, concerned upon hearing her sister laugh, pulled away from the embrace, looking the younger woman square in the eyes. In response, Narcissa merely smiled.

"Maybe I'll follow the stars."

- x -

"Narcissa?" The confused voice of Remus Lupin questioned. Narcissa offered a fleeting smile before pushing past him, entering 12 Grimmauld Place. Sirius, previously seated at the dining table with a mug of tea cradled in his shaking hands, jumped up at her arrival. His cousin had a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and a child cradled in each of her arms, one with ebony hair, the other ivory.

"Harry?" Sirius breathed, mystification lacing his tone. His eyebrows raised as he looked to Narcissa, desperate for an explanation. The exhausted woman sighed, for what felt like the thousandth time that night, and quickly explained the situation.

"Someone needs to raise him. I volunteered and Albus accepted. He deserves a normal life though, not the life that the 'wizarding saviour' will surely be forced to experience." She spat the term 'wizarding saviour', her voice full of acid. Despite it being nearly three in the morning, on her way over to Grimmauld Place she had already heard the term whispered amongst wizards on the street. No, Albus was right. Harry certainly could not be raised in such an environment. "I'm taking him to live amongst muggles, where he'll just be a normal child. At least until he comes to Hogwarts."

"That's my Godson you're talking about." Sirius growled, taking a step towards the blonde woman. How dare she try to take his last link to James away from him?

"I know, Sirius, which is why I'm here." She adjusted the two infants in her arms. Thankfully, they were both asleep, but that didn't make them much easier to carry. "I want you to come with me." Sirius blinked in shock. A gasp of surprise ripped itself from Remus' throat, who was still behind her.

"You want me to just leave? With you? No offence Malfoy," Narcissa winced at this. "But you and I have never really gotten along. What makes you think I would want to live with you and Lucius' spawn when I could just take my Godson now and raise him here. I am the closest living relative he has, I am the person James would have wanted raising Harry. Not you. Do you think Dumbledore's wishes really mean that much to me?" If Sirius had been thinking straight, he probably would have been able to recognise that he was overreacting. But it had been a long night, for everyone, particularly him. First he had discovered two of his best friends were dead, thanks to the cowardice of a man he had loved like a brother. Then he had witnessed said man murder twelve muggles and try to cast the blame on him. He had been detained by aurors and forced to drink veritaserum, a horrible tasting potion which burnt his throat more than fire whiskey ever could, just to prove he hadn't, in fact, been the murderer of two of his favourite people in the world. Now, after nearly four hours of mourning, he was so not in the mood to be threatened by anyone, especially Narcissa Malfoy. Narcissa merely rolled her eyes.

"For Merlin's sake man, think a little bit. I know more about the muggle world than you do, you can't deny it. Lily taught me everything I would ever have to know. And if Albus was right about one thing, it's that Harry deserves a normal upbringing. James might be his father, but Lily is his mother. Maybe he'll love attention, the way James did. Maybe he'd relish in being the 'boy who lived'. But if he takes after Lily at all, then you know just as much as I do, how much he would hate to live like that. He at least deserves a chance to be a normal boy before getting shoved into the spotlight. I know you might be a reckless Gryffindor but please try to think this one through before you do anything stupid!" Narcissa breathed heavily, anger rushing through her veins. She was a mother above all else; her instincts knew what was best for Harry, and Merlin's beard, she was going to get it for him. Just as Sirius was about to respond, his skin flushed with anger indicating that a scathing remark was about to be shot in Narcissa's direction, a soft voice piped up from behind them.

"She's right, Padfoot." Both biological Blacks turned at that point, surprised to recall that Remus was still in the room. "He at least deserves a shot. He deserves to live in the muggle world before bombarded by the chaos this one promises. And if you want to be in that world with him, then you need Narcissa. She knows more than we do." The quiet man nodded, trying to use a physical reaction to convince his last remaining friend that this was the only reasonable course of action. Narcissa was suddenly very glad for his existence. Remus had always been her favourite Marauder, the only one with enough sense to think a situation through before doing the first thing that came to his mind. Clearly, Sirius seemed to think so too, as his shoulders hunched in defeat.

"A'right." He mumbled after a few moments of staring at the floor. The flush of anger had nearly disappeared from his skin, although a faint tinge near his neck betrayed his previous reaction. He slowly looked up, glancing from Remus to Narcissa, before nodding seriously. "He's my Godson. I need to make sure he's okay. I need to be there for him. Unfortunately, as pointed out by Moony," his voice dropped sullenly, like a moody teenager. "I need you to be able to do that. I need you in order for Harry to have the best upbringing possible; in order to assure the happiness of James' son." Sirius took a few steps forward, stretching out his arms and offering to take the ebony haired boy from Narcissa, who seemed to be struggling under the weight of the two infants. After spending some time considering it, Narcissa carefully shifted Harry into Sirius' arms. Her cousin smiled sheepishly and it was silently agreed; they would move to the muggle world together, the most unconventional family to have ever existed.

"So where to now?" Sirius asked. Narcissa sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Honestly? I have no idea."

"I do. At least for tonight." Remus murmured, stepping closer to the cousins. "Just stay here for one night, it surely can't hurt. There's no way you'll be able to find a muggle home to stay in, not at this time of the night." As if on cue, the giant grandfather clock in the hallway struck, signalling it had just hit four a.m. Narcissa chewed the thought over for a moment before nodding. It had been a very long and exhausting night for her as well, and the thought of trying to find somewhere to stay at such a late (or early, depending on how you wanted to look at it) time would tip her over the edge.

"Okay. But first thing in the morning we leave and find somewhere else to stay. If anyone sees Harry, if anyone recognises him, then it's too late and we won't be able to escape." Narcissa reasoned, tightening her grip on Draco, who suddenly felt extremely heavy in her tired arms. Sirius nodded, agreeing. He turned to Remus.

"Stay the night Moony. So I can say goodbye in the morning. And so you can say goodbye to Harry." Remus agreed. All exhausted, Sirius led them upstairs. Remus chose a room he had slept in a number of times before, kissing Harry on the forehead before departing to sleep. Sirius showed Narcissa and Draco to the bedroom next to his own.

"Thank you Sirius. Not just for the room, but for seeing sense. I could do this without you, you know." Sirius nodded.

"Yeah I know."

"But I'm glad I don't have to." She admitted sheepishly, looking down at her silver haired child. It would be difficult enough raising one boy alone, without the assistance of magic. She'd nearly go crazy if she had to raise two. She smiled tiredly at her cousin, who was as equally lost in his own thoughts as she was. "Goodnight, Sirius."

"Goodnight, Narcissa." And with that, the blonde woman shut the door and crept into bed, not even bothering to change her clothes as fatigue overwhelmed her. She wrapped her son against her chest as she pulled the heavy blankets over their bodies. She thought absently of Harry in the room next door, with Sirius, and smiled. The boy would grow up happily, even if it killed her. Both of her boys would grow up happy. Narcissa absently kissed the pale head of her own son, who wriggled a little bit, confused to be away from his usual cot.

"It's all going to be okay, my sweet boy." She whispered, lips pressed against his fine hair. "The war is over. I'll never let anyone or anything hurt you." Suddenly remembering the photograph in her pocket, Narcissa pulled it out and smiled sadly at her best friend. The image of the two happy young women was blurred as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Thank you Lily." She quickly stopped speaking quickly upon hearing her own voice nearly break. Instead, she thought the rest. 'Thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you for ending the war. Thank you for your son. Most of all, thank you for being my friend'. A single tear dribbled down Narcissa cheek as she shut her eyes, hoping sleep would take her quickly.

It had been a long night. The war may have ended, but the rest of their lives was only just beginning. However, she wasn't afraid. Albus' voice echoed in her ears. Everything was going to be alright, so long as they managed to follow their hearts… and the stars.

- x -

Author's Note: Alright STOP!

Collaborate and listen… Okay that was lame I apologise. Ty very much if you did stop though you're my favourite person already. Trust me, I know how annoying author notes are, especially long ones, and I have a bad habit of always skipping past them (woops) but I promise not to really write one (okay, maybe not promise, but I'll try my hardest) for other chapters I just had a couple of things to mention. Okay soooo, aside from a couple of one shots I've never done much HP fanfic, mainly out of fear of how big the universe is and how little my knowledge is. So, as you can tell if you actually did just read this first chapter, this story will predominantly be AU. Having said that I'm trying to stick to the facts as much as I can. With such a big fandom though I'm likely to make a few canon mistakes so please don't bite my head off when I do this.

I would love love looove to get everyone's feedback on what you think of the story. You know, motivate me to keep going. Otherwise I'll just spend all my time doing other things and you'll never get to see how this lovely little unconventional family works together in the muggle world *rubs hands together evilly, greedy for love and attention*. So, if you do like this chapter, make sure to let me know whether this story's worth continuing or not. If I decide that it is I'll probably write up a few chapters before I publish again, just so I can have a bit of a stockpile for you. Anyway, I sincerely hope to be writing for you all very soon *the sound of crickets chirping plays in the background, since this story only just came into existence and therefore I'm talking to myself right now but let's just ignore that little fact*

Also the story will usually be from Draco or Harry's perspectives, but occasionally we might see things from someone else's POV.

Also warning you right now, I have no idea (okay so I have a super vague idea) of where this story is going but I can nearly guarantee that there will be HP/DM slash (okay let's be honest I can guarantee because this boys are perfect for each other and I can't imagine them with anyone else lol) but this probably won't happen for quite a few chapters so just be patient you silly people

Anyway, ttyl (I'm pretty lame let's be honest)