Day 11

Hermione woke up and giggled when she saw Lucius gazing at her from above, leaning on his elbow. Softly, he touched her nose.

“Are you laughing at me Granger?” he whispered the question.

“Of course, I caught you watching me sleep. You should at least look slightly embarrassed.”

“You know I will not be ashamed of something I wanted to do.”

“Oh, and why, prey tell, did you want to watch me sleep?”

“Because you don’t make sarcastic comments when you’re sleeping,” Lucius joked, threading a lock of Hermione’s hair through his long fingers. “There are far too many sarcastic people in this house at the moment.” When Hermione looked slightly hurt, Lucius added, “I was joking, I wouldn’t get rid of any of them.”

In silence, Hermione linked her hand with his, and murmured, “Good, that would be evil even for you.” She laughed at his cynical eyebrows.

“Father,” Draco burst into the room, and recoiled slightly at the sight of their entwined hands. “This is so weird.”

“Sorry,” gulped Hermione.

“I’m not,” Lucius said smugly, pulling Hermione in for a kiss. Hermione let him roll her onto his chest, but lay a finger onto his thin lips.

“Not in front of your son. That’s not fair.”

“Fine.” Around Hermione, he asked, “Were you here for a reason? Or would you like to join our cuddle?”

Trying not to let out his laughter, Draco said, “No, I thought you should see this.” He threw the newspaper over to the pair, and watched it bounce off Hermione’s head. “Sorry Granger.” He quickly ducked out of the room.

Lucius manoeuvred the newspaper around Hermione and ended up propping it up on the girl’s head. She sniffed her distaste but did not speak, until Lucius swore, then she asked, “What?”

The blonde folded the paper round and revealed a large close-up photograph of Lucius’ hand on Hermione’s shoulder, with a smaller picture of the whole scene, identifying the pair.

“Oh goodness,” gasped Hermione, reading the headline of ‘Malfoy: turned kitten by the lion?’ “But at least it was not negative Luce.”

“No they didn’t think that I had bewitched you, but they decided to crush my reputation instead.”

Hermione tried to kiss him gently to take his mind off the news, but he lifted her up and put her down at his side. “I have to go hurt someone… or destroy someone’s company or… wife.”

Before she could protest, Hermione was left on her own in the room. She heaved a sigh of “Fine.” Carefully, she leant over to reach into Lucius’ top drawer in the hope that there would be a book that she hadn’t read before. She had a feeling that most of the books in the Manor would be dark or rare, and therefore she was unlikely to have read them.

Instead, she found a wand, which was slightly battered but silver handled, with an intricate snake intertwining with itself to form a looped L. It’s eye was an emerald. Hermione had to assume that it was one of Lucius’ wands, maybe one he had possessed in the past and then found another one which suited him better. She knew that Ollivander could not possibly own every combination.

She gave it a hesitant wave to try and open the curtains, only to set them aflame. Swearing, she concentrated as hard as she could and agumentied the no-doubt antique velvet, dousing it in water. Then she turned her attentions to the other set, offering up a prayer as she tried to swish them aside. This time it worked without a hitch though the spell was slower, less powerful than usual. She blamed it on the wand and summoned her wheelchair towards her so she could dress and then head downstairs for breakfast.

000

Lucius only returned when it was getting dark and Severus and Hermione were in one of the sitting rooms on chairs reading and eating from a box of dark chocolates they had found. When he entered, they both looked up from their novels, and Hermione wiped a small amount of strawberry mousse from her lip and said, “Well it’s about time. Did you kill anyone important?”

Softly, the blonde laughed, “I didn’t kill, maim or even do anything. In fact, I barely did anything at all.”

“Barely?” Hermione questioned, gesturing for Lucius to come closer. He did so and ran a delicate finger over the girl’s temple.

“I didn’t know who took the photograph and I went to the Ministry to threaten the prophet but I couldn’t get in there either, but that was because Narcissa was there and she may have launched herself at me. She’s as ferocious as a wild cat sometimes.”

“Did she do anything to you?” gasped Hermione.

Gingerly Lucius touched his face and answered, “The glamours hid the scratches. I apparated her back to the Nott’s place before any more pictures could be taken.”

“Smart.”

Kneeling down by Hermione’s side, Lucius whispered, “Come to bed with me?”

Feigning reluctance, Hermione quietly said, “Oh all right then.”

“Don’t mind me. You don’t even have to leave the room if you don’t want to. The sofa’s plenty comfortable,” smirked Severus.

“Voyeuristic,” accused Lucius jokingly as he began to push Hermione out.

“Night,” called Hermione.

“Sleep well,” grinned Severus.

“No problem,” Lucius answered, matching his smile.

They started kissing the moment they entered the room, or at least Lucius did. Hermione let him nibble at her neck, until his hands started undoing her shirt. “What are you doing?” she murmured, staying his hands with her own.

“Have you not guessed yet?” Lucius chuckled low in his throat, a very arousing sound.

“You didn’t come straight here from Narcissa’s. You were away for hours.”

“Shacklebolt came to see me. He’s taking over as Prime Minister you remember? He was talking about my trial. They need me to stay in Azkaban for a week before hand, to weaken me I expect, but also because they’ve learnt their lesson after Crouch. I have to submit myself… tomorrow.”

“No!” Hermione exclaimed. Her arms tightened around Lucius substantially and she hissed, “They can’t do that.”

“I have to go Hermione, if I want to be free.”

“So why all of this then?”

“I want a way to remember you, to know that there’s hope on the outside,” Lucius confessed, running his hands through Hermione’s hair, as she gazed down at him from her place on her chest.

Softly, Hermione confessed, “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to feel anything.”

“Maybe not down there sweetheart, but I can make your heart beat so fast, cause shivers up and down your spine, goose bumps, sweats,” purred Lucius. “I can make your whole body sing.”

Hermione heaved a long suffering sigh and murmured, “Oh very well.” She began to reciprocate: kissing back, nibbling, stripping Lucius of his clothes, planting kisses along his face, down his chin, across his chest, getting lower and lower.

“Not shy are you,” growled Lucius, aroused.

“No time to be shy,” smiled Hermione, her eyes sparkling. “Make me feel Lucius, I want you to make me feel.

Day 12

“Lucius, Lucius you have to wake up.”

“Go away.”

“You’re the one who has to leave and you are somewhat lying on top of my legs.”

Lucius stirred and opened his eyes, “Oh Merlin… I have to leave.”

“Don’t go,” Hermione pleaded.

“Don’t think I want to,” Lucius told her, and wrapped his arms around the young woman, as she began to cry.

“I’ve only just found you, and Severus is going to have to leave as well so I’ll be all alone in this house with Draco and you’ve been unable to find anyone else to defend you.”

Dryly, Lucius said, “Thank you for that encouragement.”

With soft fingers, Hermione caressed his face, “You need to redo your glamours. The bruises are fading, kind of greeny-yellow, but the cuts are still vivid.”

Grimacing slightly as Hermione’s fingers ran over on of the injuries, Lucius coyly asked, “Do you love me anyway?”

“Yes,” she buried her head in his shoulder. “I’m going to miss you.”

“I won’t be gone long I promise.”

“I only just found you.”

Epilogue

The big day had come at last, months of planning, alterations and stress were going to come to fruition. The media had gone into a frenzy when they heard the news, and were currently camped straight outside the church.

Lucius straightened his tie in the mirror, “The Aurors are keeping them away?”

“Of course, they’re under strict instruction,” Severus told him. “Don’t worry, Harry has them under his thumb.”

Sparing the ex-teacher a glance, which clearly said, “I’m not worried,” Lucius said, “He’s out there? With Weasley and the Aurors?”

Sighing, Severus said, “No he’s given them a moral boosting speech and come back in.”

“It’s a good job I can tell when you’re not being sarcastic,” snapped Lucius. “I need this wedding to be perfectly in control.”

“It will be, they’ll all be kept out,” soothed Severus.

000

In a room at the opposite side of the church, the level of panic was a hundred times bigger, and Harry was frantically trying to calm Hermione down. Five minutes earlier, Ginny and Hermione had been giggling excitedly, as the bridesmaid charmed the older girl’s hair into an elaborate style with ringlets and small, flower shaped diamonds. Harry had been set to guard the door by Severus to keep any media, who may have slipped through, away. Everything had been fine until, suddenly, Hermione had turned pale and pasty, vomited into the bin next to her, and began to gasp for breath. Harry and Ginny were not able to help her. He had tried to talk to her, rubbing her back, as Ginny charged out to get help.

000

The female Weasley burst into Lucius’ dressing room, hair flying and tears on her face. “Mr Malfoy, please, Hermione, help,” she gasped.

At once, Lucius stood and sprinted down the hall, following Ginny. “What do you mean? What happened?” He ripped the door open, saw Hermione heaving and hyperventilating on the floor, and hissed, “What the hell happened?” He ran past Harry, saying, “Move Potter.”

Then, as Ginny and Harry tried to explain, Lucius picked Hermione up and set her on his knee, softly whispering, “Deep breaths sweetheart, it’s OK.” He ran his hand over Hermione’s chest, massaging gently. “Come on, breathe with me dear, in and out, deep breaths.”

Ginny and Harry watched in awe as Hermione took control of her breathing and then hoarsely said, “Oh God,” as she flopped back against Lucius, panting.

Pressing a kiss to her hair, Lucius said, “I’m here, you’re OK.”

“You’re here, and I’m in my dress, bad luck, damn I’ve got sick on my dress.”

Hurrying forwards, Ginny cast a few quick cleaning charms on to the dress to clean it, and passed Lucius a tissue, which he used to dab at the residue by Hermione’s mouth.

“My poor love,” the blonde murmured, rubbing at Hermione’s stomach trying to settle it. “Are you OK?”

“I’m fine.”

Lucius raised his head from where he was studiously examining Hermione’s brown eyes and asked, “Thank you, you two, but may we have some time on our own?”

They left the room, saying, “How come we couldn’t do that?”

“He’s never like that with anyone else.”

Hermione smirked, “They’re still shocked by the real you all the time.”

Lucius softly said, “Well Harry and Ron obviously saw some good in me when they decided to add their statements to Minerva, Kingsley and yours. I know we hadn’t know each other for that long but… anyway. Are you going to tell me what upset you?”

“I was feeling so overwhelmed. Tons of people think I’m making the wrong decision and I don’t understand why because they don’t know me and they don’t know you.” Her voice was rising with panic so Lucius shushed her gently.

“Hush sweet one. You’re going to hurt yourself if you stress out like this. Just clam down,” he said kissing her forehead. “We have to not care what they think.”

Hopelessly, Hermione leant her head against Lucius’ chest, and whispered, “Stay here a while.”

“I can’t just stay no matter how much I want to. Unless you don’t want to get married?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then get married we shall.”

000

In chorus, holding hands (Lucius kneeling down and Hermione sitting in her pure white chair), they said, “You saved my life and you saved my heart. Keep them in your hands for always. I vow to do the same for you every day of me life.”

“I now pronounce you man and wife, bonded for life.”