Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything in their magical world. These characters and their world belong to the talented J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
Stepping inside the pub, Narcissa expected to be greeted by a blast of heat, however, she felt nothing. She approached the bar, still shivering from the cold. Glancing around, she saw that it was hardly well decorated, but what could she expect when it was located in the middle of nowhere. It was remarkable the bar could stay opened at all. She doubted that wobbly tables and flickering lights were the reason the place was deserted.
She took a seat at the bar and was greeted by a large man with bulging belly and a huge smile.
“Good evening, Madame. What can I get you?” he asked in a cheerful voice.
“A Firewhisky; and could you please light the fire?” she asked pointing towards the cold, empty fireplace. “I must have become chilled outside.”
The man waved his wand and a glass of Firewhisky appeared in front of her. “I would light the fire, Madame, but I’m afraid it would do no good,” he told her with a strange smile.
“Why not?”
“It’s just the way it is,” he told her with a shrug. “I’ll light it anyway, but don’t expect to warm up.”
Again, he waved his wand and flames appeared in the empty fireplace.
“What are you doing out this time of night?” he asked her. “This is a strange part of the country to see such a pretty woman all alone.”
“You could at least tell me your name before you start questioning me,” Narcissa snarled as she downed her entire glass of whisky and motioned for a refill.
The barkeeper filled her glass with a smile before responding, “Of course, how rude of me. I’m Blenkinsop Waterbut, Narcissa.”
She stopped short, with the glass halfway to her mouth. “How do you know my name?”
“I have seen the Daily Prophet. You and your family members have been staring there lately.”
“We certainly don’t get the coverage that bloody Potter does,” she muttered.
A chill ran through her. She realized that Blenkinsop Waterbut had spoken the truth when he told her that the fire would not warm her.
“Harry Potter is not the picture of all that is perfect in the world, as many believe,” he told her. “He has his faults. There are many of them and they are glaring. He is the hero now, but he will fade. Eventually, everyone fades away. You have seen it happen yourself, have you not? Wasn’t your eldest sister once the picture of all that was strong and beautiful? Wasn’t your son the rising star of the Malfoy family? Wasn’t your husband practically the king of the wizarding world, everyone bowing towards his will?”
“How the hell do you know so much about my family?” she snapped as a wave of nausea swept through her.
“I told you,” he replied. “Your family is well known. You chose to live your lives in the public eye.”
“I didn’t choose any of it,” she snapped. “I didn’t choose the Dark Lord. I didn’t want Lucius to join him. I didn’t want Bella to join him. I sure as hell didn’t want Draco to join him. I didn’t even want Severus to be in the middle of it. I have always cared for him. But I went along with all of it. I acted as though I believed in it. I lost my other sister because of it; and in the end, I lost them all because of it.”
“You loved them all very much.”
“Of course, I did,” she paused briefly and then added, “Why am I talking in the past tense? I still love them. I want to know where my son is. I want to help Bella and Severus. I want to see them out of that horrible place. I want to finally welcome Andy into my life.”
“Have you ever thought that perhaps your sister and Mr. Snape need to be where they are?” he asked. “I know of their crimes.”
“You know what the Ministry decided the public should know. There is more to both of them than that.”
“Of course there is,” he told her smiling softly.
“Are you making fun of me?” Narcissa growled.
“Not at all,” he replied. “I know you speak the truth. There is more to the story than meets the eye.”
“I just wish I could have a second chance with my family,” she muttered, staring into her half empty glass of alcohol.
“What would you do differently?”
“I wouldn’t let Andromeda walk away. I would tell her that I loved her. I would stand by her instead of siding with my parents. I would do everything I could to keep Bella, Lucius, Severus and my precious Draco away from the Dark Lord.”
“You know in your heart that none of that would have worked. Andromeda was determined to go and if you chose to keep her in your life than Bella and Lucius would have left you. Your husband and your sister were clear about their beliefs and their desire to follow the Dark Lord. There was nothing you could have done that would have kept them from that fate. Severus too, would have ultimately chosen the same path, regardless of your objections. And your son was interested only in his family name and honor. Nothing would have stopped Draco from taking the Mark.”
“Then what should I have done?”
“Loved them,” he told her simply. “Narcissa, you did what you could for your family. You loved them and they knew it, even Andromeda. She knew that you still cared. She even knows that Bella still cares.”
Finally, Narcissa shook her head, trying to shake away her growing headache, fatigue, and nausea.
“How do you know these things? How do you know what my family felt?” she demanded as she regained herself.
“It is my job to know, Narcissa. Please, don’t be afraid. I’m here to help you,” he said as another sad smile crossed his face
“Help me what? Who are you? What is your job?”
Blenkinsop Waterbut extended his hand to her. “You’ll find out very soon. It’s time. You are ready.”
Her mind was filled with crazy thoughts. She wanted to demand answers or run out the door. But something stopped her from doing either of those things. Somehow she knew that he was telling the truth. It really was time and she really was ready. She only wished that she knew what she was ready for.
With a deep sigh, she accepted his hand.