Chapter 74 - Confessions

                                        

                                              
Chapter 74 – Confessions
                              
Published: July 7, 2020
                              
***TRIGGER WARNING*** mentions of child sexual abuse
                              
Harry came out of the fire into his living room, right on Narcissa's tail. She stopped only a few feet from the fire, so he nearly ran into her. 
                              
"Oh, sorry, Harry," she said, stepping out of the way.
                              
"It's fine. Narc..." he paused. He didn't really like calling her that. He looked at her. "Are you okay?"
                              
"I... I don't know. It's all so... embarrassing," she said, putting her hand over her mouth. Tears were in her eyes, again.
                              
Harry stepped forward and hugged her. "Hey... no, it's not. We all have our low points. You should have seen me this summer. I was hurting... a drunken mess. A wreck... and that was my own doing. Please don't feel that anything has changed between us," he urged.
                              
"It has though, Harry!" she gushed into his ear. "You saw me at that place. Only debtors wind up in there! The poorest of society go there. No one even cares about who gets sent there."
                              
"I care. I care about you and so does Draco and your sister. Everyone has their difficulties. You only did what you had to do. It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said, squeezing her tighter.
                              
"It is... I won't know how to explain this to Andy," she said, dismayed.
                              
"Please go back to her. She misses you so much."
                              
Narcissa held on the hug a little awhile longer. "I... will. I'll tell her what happened. But... there's something... I can't just stay there... but I... this doesn't solve everything Harry," she said, lowering her voice. "I have other... obligations."
                              
Harry pulled back to look at her, worried. Maybe, she had other debts. "What else? I'll fix it... please tell me. I want this... fear... to be gone completely."
                              
She looked torn, like she didn't want to tell him. "I... I still owe for my restitution judgment. The fines? I still have to pay them," she confessed.
                              
Harry tilted his head and murmured, "They charged you more than you had? That doesn't sound right." 
                              
"Well... they said I had to pay... twenty-five galleons a month as part of the war reparations."
                              
"For how long?" he asked, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.
                              
"Well... forever. It was "in perpetuity". Th-They could arrest me for failure to pay," she whispered.
                              
"Oh, the hell they will! Look, I'll put more galleons into your account, so you have whatever you need and I'll look into this... fine. They said nothing about it at sentencing. That's fuc-freaking crazy! Twenty-five galleons? That's more than most people make in a month!" Harry stopped, and looked at her, realizing something important. "How... what... tell me... is that why you were so behind in your rent and didn't have any food in your apartment?"
                              
She blushed and nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "I had nearly sold everything that I had of worth by the time you came. I almost took Blaise's offer of help, too, but Moira is rather bracing. And well... I couldn't bring myself to sell Draco's things. It was all I had left of him. I-I guess I forgot that they would seize it anyway."
                              
Harry huffed, "I will figure out how they got away with this. It is totally underhanded."
                              
"Harry... you don't have to...."
                              
"Have to? No, it's an obligation. More than that even... you-you treated me like a son. Please let me handle this!" he pleaded. "Draco and I need to know that you will be safe, that your problems are over."