Love Bites (Harry Potter: Official Dragon Tamer, Part One)

Mums Really Do Know Best

Saturday Afternoon
05 September 2009
Narcissa's POV

The shrill cry of a peacock broke through the peaceful quiet of the afternoon as I strolled the rose garden taking in the scent of the late summer bloom surrounding me, and my eyes snapped over to where the proud animal sat, tail feathers fanned out in a brilliant display of jewelled tones, at the end of the walk.

Long gone were the boring, ostentatious albino peacocks Lucius had so fancied, his obsession with all things white and "pure" having reached such maniacal levels as to even manifest itself in those damn birds.

They had been amongst the first to go once ownership of the manor had officially passed into Draco's hands.

Although we'd never discussed it, my son, apparently, hadn't been fond of those pale, lifeless birds either, and one afternoon, during my habitual stroll through the gardens, I discovered that the charm employed that had kept them so pure and pale had been reversed so they all but sparkled in their cobalt and emerald splendour in the late afternoon sun.

I very much enjoyed looking at them now, although I still found their strident cries quite jarring.

I averted my path to avoid the still-squawking bird and allowed my thoughts to stray, once more, to the events of this morning.

My Draco... falling in love with Harry Potter?

No, not falling, I chuckled to myself.

Watching him watch Harry all morning told me Draco was long past falling.

Of course, I couldn't read Harry the way I could, Draco, but as far as I could tell, he was equally enamoured.

And the looks they thought they were sneaking past me every two seconds?

Well, those ran the gauntlet from adorable and endearing to positively smouldering, and frankly, I'd been surprised breakfast had lasted as long as it had.

My musings were cut short as I caught a flash of silver from the corner of my eye, and I turned to watch Draco come sauntering down the stone stairway into the garden.

"Draco!" I exclaimed, a smile spreading across my face almost immediately.

Do all mothers feel the same, almost irrational, sense of delight whenever they see their children? I wondered.

I hoped so.

In one split second, I was overcome with waves of emotion:

The first was nostalgia, remembering my darling little Draco, who'd grown up playing in these very gardens, followed by a second surge of fierce pride at how he'd overcome being all but used as a pawn in his father's schemes and lust for power, and not only that but had managed to use the past decade to restore a modicum of respect for the Malfoy name once more.

Finally, one last swell of pure, motherly admiration as he held his arms out to greet me, speculating that my son (as all mothers thought of their children) was surely the most handsome child alive, was he not?

"I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon," I admitted, stepping into his embrace.

"Harry had plans for tea," he explained, and I couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"Oh, I see," I replied, pulling back but still holding Draco at arm's length to mock glare at him.

"So if Harry hadn't had plans, I wouldn't now be having the pleasure of your company?"

"No," he replied, rolling his eyes and grinning impishly as he twisted out of my embrace, much like he had when he was a teenager. "Highly unlikely, anyway."