Breakfast at Natalie's

Downstairs in her father's old bedroom, Natalie tried to sleep. She tossed and turned, and readjusted the blankets, but she wasn't tired. The ancient grandfather clock in the study struck midnight, and she heard the creak of footsteps upstairs, and at first she thought it was a burglar, but then she remembered that she had guests in the house. But even so, who would be wandering around in the middle of the night? She decided to investigate.

As silently as possible, she slid out of her bed, the chilly wooden floor making contact with her bare feet. She slipped on a worn bathrobe and opened the door very carefully, going out into the hallway. She was just in time to see a shadow disappear into a bedroom upstairs. Malfoy's bedroom, to be exact. It obviously wasn't one of the children, so she knew it had to be Hermione. She smiled to herself, glad that her half-brother had found some form of happiness in these dark times.

She stood out in the hallway for a few minutes, not really doing anything, just being still. Then she crept into the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea and carried it back to her bedroom. She stopped as she heard muffled voices, listening intently, but the walls were thick and she couldn't understand what they were saying. It wasn't any of her business anyway. She carried the tea back to her bedroom and tucked her feet back underneath the warm covers.

She drank the tea a little too quickly, scalding her tongue. Setting it aside on the nightstand to cool, she pulled out the family album she liked to keep in the drawer by her bed. She pored over pictures of her father, herself, and other relatives, their black and white images moving within the frames.

"Daddy," she whispered, tracing her finger over the picture. "Why did you have to leave me?"

A tear fell on the photograph, and she wiped it away before it could do any damage. She shut the album and tucked it back into its drawer.

Lately, she hadn't even had time to miss her father, but now that it was nighttime and she had nothing to keep her occupied, she found her mind automatically conjuring up memories of him. No matter how much she tried, she could not push these thoughts away. She felt a little guilty about trying not to think about him because the last thing she wanted to do was forget him. She cast her mind about, searching for something, anything else to think about, and she thought about Malfoy and his mother. How lucky he was that he had known both of his parents!

Suddenly, she sat straight up in bed.

Madame Morisette! The psychic! That's it! I can ask Madam Morisette to help me find my father!

Content with this idea, she rolled over onto her side and drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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The morning came, misty and gray, and Natalie hurried off to work before anyone else actually woke up. She used the payphone at the café to request and appointment with Madame. Fortunately, there were still a few remaining appointments open in the afternoon, and she eagerly scheduled one.

"Hi, Natalie," said Emily, coming in just as she hung up the phone. "Who are you calling?"

"Oh, um, I was just reminding my brother to buy some, uh, milk," she said, thinking fast. "We're completely out."

"Do you live with him?" asked Emily curiously, flipping the sign from "Closed" to "Open."

"Yeah," she said, "we live in my dad's house. He left it to me in his will."

"Some girls have all the luck," sighed Emily.

"He's my brother, Em," she reminded.

"But still, he's so good-looking," she squealed, "not to mention modest and good with children."

"He does have some redeeming qualities," said Natalie.

"Do you think you could...oh never mind," said Emily, tying on an apron.

"What?"

"Never mind. Pretend I never said anything."

"Oh, come on. What were you going to say?"

"Alright, I'll tell you," she said sheepishly. "Do you think you could...arrange a meeting for me...with him?"

"You mean, like a date?" said Natalie loudly.

"Shh! Yes, that's what I mean. Don't go yelling about it."

"Sorry," she apologized. "Well, I guess I could try," she said, not telling Emily about Hermione. "I don't know if he'd agree to it."

"Oh, please, Natalie," begged Emily. "Just one date. That's all I'm asking."

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" she said happily, giving Natalie a hug, startling her.

"I haven't even asked him yet," she said, leaning away uncomfortably.

"I know," said Emily dreamily. "I'm just so excited."

"Just be prepared for him to say no," warned Natalie, as the first customers strolled in. "I don't want you to go dying of a broken heart."

"Oh, come on," she said, rolling her eyes, "don't be such a spoil sport. He's going to love me."

They were forced to end the conversation, as Natalie had to start pouring coffee and handing out menus.

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When the workday was over, Natalie said goodbye to Emily and hung her apron up on its designated hook.

"Don't forget to ask!" said Emily, waving a farewell.

"I won't," said Natalie, waving back and hurrying to find a place where she could Apparate. She made it to Madame's a few minutes early, and waited in the fancy parlor as a butler served her tea and shortbread.

"Ahh, welcome back, my deah," said Madame Morisette, gliding into the room, the scent of some weird, woody smelling perfume trailing behind her. Today she was dressed in shimmering lavender robes, her nails painted to match. "Come with me."

She was lead into the same room she had gone into before, and she sat down across from Madame, feeling slightly nervous.

"Do not be afraid," said Madame, sensing her fear. "You are safe here."

"I'm not afraid," said Natalie, sitting up straighter.

"You have picture?"

"It's right here," said Natalie, placing the picture of her father and her mother on the table.

"Two pictures?" said Madame, raising her sculpted eyebrows.

"They're my parents," said Natalie, gulping. "Can I see them both?"

"It will take much concentration, yes?"

"I want to see them," she said adamantly. Madame eyed her curiously.

"Yes, I see," she said. "You have great desire."

Natalie sat there, waiting patiently.

"We will proceed, yes?" said Madame, sweeping the two pictures toward her. "I do not know if it is possible to see both at once."

"I don't think they're in the same time period," said Natalie. "I don't know how this will work."

"Ah, time is no matter," said Madame wisely. "Death is great equalizer. Time vanishes."

"Then...is it possible to bring them together?"

"We will try," said Madame, "but I cannot guarantee. Hands, please."

Natalie nodded, and held out her hands, gripping Madame's small, slightly cooler fingers.

"Do not let go," she said. "You know how this works. Remember, you must be very careful. It is dangerous."

She closed her eyes as she was instructed, and in no time, she found herself in front of the Malfoy Manor again. She practically sprinted across the yard, eager to see her mother. She flung open the front door.

"Mum! Mum! It's me, Natalie!"

"Natalie?" said Narcissa Malfoy, stepping into the hallway. "Oh, Natalie!"

They raced towards each other and embraced.

"Oh, Natalie," said Narcissa, smiling at her daughter. "I'm so glad you came back."

"I missed you," she said, hugging her mother tightly. She felt like a little girl again.

"How have you been?"

"Well, it's rather complicated," she said. "I'm living with Draco now in my father's old house."

"That must be nice," said Narcissa, looking a little sad at the mention of her son.

"But I'm really here to find my father," said Natalie, pulling back from their embrace.

"Your father isn't here," said Narcissa, looking puzzled.

"I know he's not here, as in here in this house, but I was told that I would be able to find him somehow."

"I'm sorry," said Narcissa, shaking her head. "I don't know how to help you. I have never tried leaving here. I have never had a reason to."

"Oh, Mum, won't you come with me?" pleaded Natalie. "I'm...scared of going alone."

"I...guess I could come with you a little ways," she said hesitantly. "I want to walk with you."

"Hold my hand," said Natalie, and together they exited through the front door again. It was sunny outside, and Natalie was feeling too warm in her thick winter coat. "Is the weather always so nice here?"

"It is whatever I want it to be," answered Narcissa simply.

"It's hot," said Natalie, slipping off her coat. "Back where I am it's winter."

"Ah, winter," said Narcissa. "I barely remember what that's like."

She stopped and tilted her head up to the sky, her eyes closed. Dainty snowflakes began to fall from the sky, drifting gracefully to the ground. One of them landed on Natalie's cheek, and she reached up to brush it away, surprised to find that it did not melt or feel cold at all.

"Why isn't it cold?" she asked.

"Isn't it better this way?" asked Narcissa, opening her eyes again. "I think so."

"It's strange," said Natalie. "It's...different."

"You try," said Narcissa. Natalie looked at her apprehensively.

"How?"

"Just close your eyes and imagine."

"Okay," she said hesitantly, closing her eyes and thinking of rain with big, fat droplets of water. She felt a slight wind blow, and then something trickled down her face.

"See?" said Narcissa, smiling. "It's easy."

"We're not getting wet," said Natalie, brushing the droplets off her arms. Rain without wetness was no fun at all. She made it stop. "Let's go," she said, looking up at the sky. "We don't have much time. I didn't tell Draco I was coming."

"You didn't? Why not?"

"I...wanted to come alone," she said.

They walked along in silence until they came to the edge of a forest. Natalie began to step into the shade of the trees when she realized that her mother wasn't following her anymore.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I don't know where this goes," said Narcissa, eyeing the forest warily. "I've never been this far before."

"I'm here with you," said Natalie, holding out her hand. Narcissa took it nervously. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

They slowly made their way through the undergrowth, stepping over and under branches and trying to avoid muddy spots. They stopped to rest when they came to a clearing.

"Where are we?" said Natalie, looking up at the small patch of sky above them.

"I don't know," said her mother. "Maybe we should go back."

"Back? But I haven't found Dad yet."

"We don't know where to find him."

"Do you think he'll come if I call for him? If I imagine him like I did with the rain?" Narcissa shrugged uncertainly. "I'm going to try."

She closed her eyes and imagined her father, tall and handsome, even for a man in his fifties. "Dad! Dad! It's me, Natalie!"

Her voice echoed in the woods, eventually fading to silence. She shouted for him until her voice was hoarse. The two of them stood there, still and listening. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they heard a rustling noise in the bushes.

"Dad?" said Natalie, turning around toward the noise. "Dad, is that you?"

"Natalie," said her father's voice from behind the bushes, and then he pushed them aside and stepped out.

"Dad!" She ran towards him and flung her arms around his neck. "Oh, Daddy!" She wept into his shoulder, and when she pulled away, she saw that her tears had turned into bloodstains. She stared, horrified.

"Don't be afraid, Nat," he said, smiling at her. She turned to look at her mother.

"Have you found him?" she asked.

"He's right here," said Natalie, confused. "Can't you see him?"

"Nat, who are you talking to?" asked her father. "Who's with you?"

"I can't see him," said Narcissa, squinting at the trees. "Where is he?"

"I brought my mother," said Natalie.

"Narcissa?"

"She's standing right in front of you."

"She's right in front of me?" He waved his arms around in front of him, searching blindly. "Where?"

"Why can't you see each other?" said Natalie, bewildered. There they were, standing not even six feet away from each other, and she could see both of them.

"I don't know," said her father, shaking his head. "This place is very strange. I'm still not used to it yet."

"How did you find me?" asked Natalie.

"I heard you calling from far off," he explained, "and I followed your voice."

"Where did you come from?" He looked confused. "I mean, where are you living now?"

"Actually," said her father, a smile appearing on his face, "I've been brought back to my favorite childhood hangout. It's a tree house I built in our yard, an old haunt of mine."

"You never told me about that," said Natalie.

"You never asked," he said, shrugging. "Now, I want to see your mother. I haven't seen her in so many years. Tell me, is she still beautiful?"

"Yes," said Natalie softly, glancing at her mother, who was picking a bouquet of wild flowers. "She looks as young as ever. My brother showed me her pictures, and I've been here once before."

"Your brother?"

"It's a long story, Dad," said Natalie. Of course, she'd forgotten that her dad didn't know about Draco.

"I have all the time in the world," he replied. "Tell me."

And so they sat down on a fallen tree, and Natalie narrated everything that Narcissa had told her.

"I still love her, you know," said her father, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "I will always love her. I only wish I could see her now."

"Maybe if you were closer?" suggested Natalie, taking his hand in hers and leading him over to Narcissa.

"Natalie?" said her mother. "Is he still here?"

"He's right here," said Natalie. "Now hold out your hand."

Narcissa slowly stretched out her hand, and Natalie placed her father's hand on her mother's palm. The second their fingers touched, she knew that something had gone terribly wrong. The sky above began to darken, and a strong wind blew through the trees.

"What's happening?" she cried, looking around frantically. But her parents did not answer her, as they were staring into each other's eyes for the first time in many years.

"Theodore," whispered Narcissa. "It's you."

"You look well," he said, both of them seemingly oblivious to the brewing storm.

"I am," she said. "I suppose Natalie has told you everything?"

"She has," he said, nodding, not taking his eyes off her for a second.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm so sorry for everything. Now it's too late."

"I forgave you long ago," he said, letting her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Mum! Dad!" screamed Natalie, fighting to be heard over the thunder. "Can't anyone hear me?"

He kissed Narcissa's forehead, and that was when the world went black.