It probably wasn't a good idea to wander off with her anyway.
But, now that he was no longer furious, he was hungry. He'd stolen just enough for a night owl ticket on the bus. There was not enough money left to buy anything to eat in muggle London. He had not eaten anything since lunch yesterday. He had been counting on access to his vault.
"I know this charming restaurant" she said persuasively. "The food is delicious and if we sit on the first floor we'll be able to see most of the alley."
Well. It was not like she was inviting him back to wherever it was that the Malfoys lived.
Harry shrugged. "Thank you."
Her mouth curved into a small, restrained smile. "Of course."
The restaurant was much nicer than anywhere Harry had ever been before in either lifetime. The navy blue carpets were thick, the walls were painted a tasteful shade of off white, and the furniture was both delicate and expensive looking. All of the furniture's arms and legs were carved into the shapes of writhing and twisting snakes.
Harry idly wondered if he could still speak with them now that he had gotten rid of that piece of Voldemort's soul.
The four sets of silverware were a bit worrying though.
When Narcissa ordered, Harry was careful to order what she ordered. In the quiet afterwards Narcissa turned those thoughtful eyes on him.
"What brings you to the alley today?"
Harry scowled automatically, once again reminded of his earlier failure.
"I wanted to access my vault. Dumbledore has the key though."
"Is that so?" She eyed his clothes coolly as she asked, "What did you wish to buy?"
"My wand. Clothes. Some books."
"For school? My son Draco has yet to receive his Hogwarts letter."
Harry shook his head. "I haven't gotten mine either. I just thought that – I wanted – It would be easier for me to come today than to come later."
"Without your guardians." Her pale eyes were uncomfortably speculative. "London is a dangerous place for a child, Mr. Potter."
Harry's eyes flicked away. He watched the perfectly coiffure and well dressed witches and wizards around him.
"It would be more dangerous to come with my relatives. They hate magic" he admitted. "Not that it would prevent them from trying to steal my inheritance. Gold is gold, after all, even if its wizard's gold."
He looked back in time to see her eyebrows raised.
Deftly she turned the conversation toward his time in the bank. Harry admitted that the goblins hadn't even offered to tell him how much was in his vault. After that Narcissa Malfoy twisted the conversation to general information about the wizarding world. Some of it was stuff Harry had learned from his seven years in the community but some of it was new and fascinating.
When the food came Harry was careful to watch which pieces of silverware Mrs. Malfoy chose to eat with and then to imitate her movements. Her eyebrows climbed again but she made no comment on his behavior. Her gestures became larger and crisper though so that they were easier for him to observe and imitate.
Lunch was as delicious as she had suggested it would be.
When lunch was nearly over, Harry finally blurted out the question that had been bothering him since he had bumped into Mrs. Malfoy.
"Why are you doing this?"
"You looked hungry."
"But why would you care? No one else does."
No one else would until he met the Weasleys either.
"Because we're family."
Harry gaped.
"What?" he wheezed.
"Your Grandmother Potter was a Black before her marriage as was I. She was my favorite aunt." Her lips curved into that small, reserved smile again. "We are cousins of a sort."
Merlin!
Was she lying? Why would she lie? She had no reason to yet. She still thought Voldemort was dead. And it would be easy enough to research his family line. If she was telling the truth…
She was his cousin!
Draco was his cousin!
Sirius was his cousin!
Why was he only finding that out now? What else had no one thought to tell him the first time around? Had Dumbledore silenced them? Had they just expected him to somehow know?
Harry suddenly remembered all of those times he had caught Sirius staring at his family tree. And all of those long afternoons where Sirius would shoo Hermione and the Weasleys away and tell him stories about the Blacks. He would even point out the relevant members of the family on that giant family tree. Had Sirius been trying to tell him something? Had Sirius expected him to eventually notice the Potter nee Black on the tree, either intact or partially blasted off like Sirius' own name, and ask about her or research her himself in the Black Family Library?
"I have…cousins. Other cousins." Harry murmured blankly.
He had thought he hated Albus Dumbledore when he first came back to the past. Now Harry knew that sentiment was mere dislike. Now he hated Albus Dumbledore.
That put a whole new spin on his rivalry with Draco Malfoy, one that he was not ready to examine yet.
"Draco Malfoy is my cousin" he said aloud, trying the words out for the first time. Was that why Draco was supposed to make friends with him first year? Was that why Draco was so – no. Now was not the time to think about what was or what could have been the first time around.
Narcissa Malfoy giggled. "You sound so surprised."
"Everyone always said that I had to live with my muggle relatives because they were the only family I had left" Harry said absently as he tried very hard not to think about things that he did not have time to really think about properly. His mouth ran on without him. "Why would they lie?"
"Perhaps they were misinformed."
Harry shook his head. "No. He had to know. He lied." Harry shook his head again. "Never mind. What's done is done. Can I meet Draco?"
Narcissa Malfoy – his cousin's – face lit up. That was exactly the right question to ask Draco's mother.
"Of course." She said warmly. "I would like that very much."
Lunch paid for, she gently ushered him toward the establishment's door.
"Now, let me see if I can help you get an inventory of your vaults."
"Vaults? I've got more than one?"