A lead weight dropped in Hermione's stomach. She turned to Narcissa, wondering if now was the time to tell her about Bellatrix.

Narcissa stepped around her, standing directly in front of the window. "They also interrogated me the day I was returned to the Manor. They were quite put out that they couldn't get into the library or certain private rooms. And the fact that their men kept getting lost in the corridors."

Her gaze was intent on the crowd.

"After looking into my mind, their Legilimens was convinced I had no idea why the Manor wouldn't cooperate." Narcissa folded her hands in front of her. "Of course, if they'd bothered to suppress my magic before they read my mind, the answers they received would have been very different." Narcissa's lips twitched as her eyes met Hermione's. "Some men are predictable on any side."

Something bubbled in her belly, and then Hermione felt herself laughing, her face breaking into a grin.

At three in the afternoon, the elves finished stocking their quarters with supplies just as a dozen more blue-robed wizards arrived. The house continued to rock with explosions.

A group of decorated wizards in red arrived around seven. They seemed to confer with Pierre and Jacobs, gesturing animatedly.

As it grew darker, Hermione conjured a couch for the two of them to rest on. The worst explosion was at ten, chattering Hermione's teeth and smashing a clock that tumbled off the mantelpiece. Narcissa startled awake to watch orange flames crackle across the night sky. But the wards held.

By half-three, almost all of the wandlight beyond the gate had vanished. Hermione sat onto the couch, watching over Narcissa as she slept and fighting her exhaustion.

~*~

Hermione's eyelids fluttered open. Her vision focused on the sunlight overhead, streaming through the high windows. Birds were singing outside.

She jolted upright and found Narcissa standing at the front windows like a sentinel. She glanced over at Hermione, her eyes blue and warm.

"Come and see."

Hermione scrambled to her feet.

A dozen guards were posted around the Manor, silent and still. Hermione craned her neck in both directions, but she saw no army. No generals.

The wards had held.

Hermione closed her eyes, swaying. Narcissa clutched her elbow.

Relief sank into her. There were still a million obstacles ahead, but for now, they were safe, just as Lucius had intended. And she was a step closer to bringing the last of Narcissa Malfoy's family home.

Her heart skipped as a dark memory flitted to the surface — black eyes and wild curls. Hermione breathed deep, shoving down the dread in her veins. She needed Narcissa's help and trust. And that meant no more secrets.

"Narcissa, there's something I have to confess." Her hands trembled. "Bellatrix is dead. I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you."

Narcissa went very still. "You're certain?"

Hermione nodded. Her heart sunk lower in her ribs.

Narcissa released her hand, winding her arms around her stomach. "I always knew she wouldn't survive the True Order's invasion. I had already assumed I would never see her again."