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The Marrying Man	By : LilTinyBee Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 12393 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I own nothing the in the fantabulous world of Harry Potter. No infringement is intended. I make no profit from this story..

Chapter List
- 1-The Marrying Man
- 1
This fic was written several years ago for the LMHG FicExchange. I happened to stumble across it on my computer after all this time and thought I'd posted it here too!

Enjoy!

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The tavern was quiet as the remaining stragglers from the lunch time crowd departed. I could sympathize with them—I did not want to go back to work either. Luckily, I didn’t have to so I asked for my second mug of butterbeer. The drink had become a guilty pleasure of mine since my days at Hogwarts. I refused to associate calories with the beverage even though it was very sweet and probably completely void of any nutritional value whatsoever. The only thing different was that I was now an adult so I was served the alcoholic version which never gave me anything more than a mellow buzz.

Why was I alone in a seedy tavern at three-thirty in the afternoon on a work day? I guess I had some thinking to do. After five years in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, I was shocked and saddened by the revelation that I, Hermione Granger, was feeling not just a little bit disillusioned. I had gone through school, a war, my first day of work and more with such a sense of optimism for the future. Sure, I had spent a good number of those days being scared, angry and confused, but I’d always known that deep down inside I was going to make it. I had not gone unscathed, but I’d survived.

So, what changed?

I’d worked my way up the ladder at the Ministry, starting as a low-level clerk in the Department and Regulation of Magical Creatures. I hadn’t spent a year there before I moved on to Law Enforcement. Ready to make a difference in the world, I felt invincible on the day of my transfer. I was on to bigger and better things. I’d help to change the magical world one law at a time. I’d champion for equality for all citizens and creatures of our nation.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. I hadn’t accounted for the politics that came with territory. All too soon, I’d come to the realization that the old saying about taking one step forward and two steps back was not true. It was more like taking three or four steps back.

Unsurprisingly, dealing with blood rights had been one of the most difficult topics to resolve post-war. What had been most astonishing was my own stance on a number of issues. I’d thought that pure-bloods were being treated unfairly. Instead of pushing equality for all, the Minister of Magic and the Wizengamot had gotten it into their heads that they could fix everything in one fell swoop. A Marriage Law. There wouldn’t be anymore more Squib births or issues with pro-pureblood laws. Everyone would be on equal terms within a hundred years.

Right.

My solitary pity party was interrupted by something going on in the street outside. I could hear voices carrying on the wind from down the street, but I couldn’t see anything from where I sat. I looked up just as the heavy wooden door to the establishment swung open with tremendous force. It made me jump a little in my seat, but I recalled that my wand was within easy reach. I had used it to twist my hair into messy knot early that afternoon.

The last person I ever expected to see in the Hippogriph’s Nest tumbled over the threshold and hastily closed the door behind him. The disheveled man peered through the grimy window for any indication that he had been followed to his temporary haven. I could see that he relaxed measurably when he saw that nobody was pursuing him.

It had been a long time since I’d seen Lucius Malfoy looking anything short of pristinely stylish and any previous circumstances had been due to the war. Taking a moment to right himself, Lucius brushed the snow off his forest green, velvet cloak and smoothed out his blond locks. He took a breath and then schooled his features back to the disinterested, arrogant expression he was accustomed to and just before he stepped up to the bar, he turned his nose up a fraction. Yes, I was annoyed that it only took the man a few moments to gather himself and look like royalty. Then again, he was used to looking like he owned the land.

"Ogdens, my good fellow," Lucius ordered. "A double, if you will."

"Firewhiskey," the surly barkeep grunted. "That s'all I got. Take it or leave it,"

Lucius sneered ungraciously but nodded in acceptance. The glass was filled and sent careening down the bar for him to catch. I could hear him mumbling something about a reputable establishment as he inspected the glass for its cleanliness. Apparently, it met with sufficient approval for a moment later the contents were tipped down his throat. The look on his face in the aftermath of the liquid elicited a giggle I could not suppress. It was quite evidently far beneath his standards in quality and flavor.

I knew I was in for it when he made his way around the bar to where I sat. I was glad that I had picked out a nice outfit to wear that morning. My dark, woolen slacks were well-fitted and my ivory-colored jumper even had shiny beads for buttons. I didn’t look too shabby at all.

"Does my current situation amuse you, Miss Granger?" Lucius asked sharply.

I looked sideways at him and tried not to smirk before picking up my mug again, "Frequently, actually."

"How gracious of you," he sneered. "You finally have your Ministry working in your favor,"

"My Ministry?" My moment of carefree humor was over, and reality was back. The man always knew which buttons to push. "And, what exactly do you mean 'in my favor'?"

"Pure-blood families will be gone within two generations now that this new law has been passed. Let's not pretend that you aren't secretly thrilled down to your little Muggle-born toes,"

"Mr. Malfoy," my cheeks burned as I turned to face him. "you know very well that I was opposed to this law. It does not only affect pure-bloods. If the witch or wizard does not name his or her intended, the Ministry will choose for the individual and the half-blood or Muggle-born is required to comply with the union without question. I would never condone the removal of one's freedom of choice in any matter and especially in marriage. This is precisely why I did everything I could to suggest as many choice options and loopholes as I could,"

"And yet," Lucius pulled out a crumpled scroll from his robes and tossed it onto the counter. "here is your signature!"

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. "As senior clerk and junior advisor, it is one of my duties to bear witness to the passing of laws."

"I suppose you knew nothing about making me the first victim of this atrocity?" Lucius huffed and signaled for a refill.

"No," I spoke extra slowly as if to a child. "I was not a part of the selection committee nor was I privy to the final list. Again, as I have told you on numerous occasions when you stop by to accost my supervisor and me about the mandate, Minister Fitzpatrick and the Wizengamot, mind you, drew up all the requirements, and our office simply put them on paper."

I took a deep breath to try to calm down.

"Fitzpatrick has it in for me," Lucius fumed. "Ever since that sniveling toad took office, he's been breathing down my neck. I've donated millions of galleons to the Ministry and now this. Did you even read this pile of verbose manure?”

I knew the Law was a very big mess. Percy Weasley had written it, and anyone familiar with his previous work had no need to see the name of the author to know it. He didn’t take kindly to suggestions or criticism on his work. The silly redhead had always been that way.

"In any case, what are you doing in this godforsaken place? Shouldn't you be at the Ministry protesting this infringement on my rights?"



There was a sharp retort on my tongue that I almost couldn’t keep to myself. I had to force a different reply instead. "The Ministry is closed this afternoon to deal with that Flemish Pixie infestation once and for all. They've been drinking all the quill ink and shredding the stores of new parchment not to mention eating mail in mid-air. No one’s been able to write memos or letters for days. It's an utter disaster."

I had a tendency to ramble when I was nervous or trying to change conversational topics when attempting to keep myself from getting into long, pointless arguments. Like now.

Lucius took a moment to re-inspect his new glass before drinking from it and I used the time to take another much-needed breath. I hated how the man was able to rile me up so easily. Ever since he had saved me from an Unforgivable during the final battle, he’d been completely insufferable. He made it a point to let just about everyone know that he sacrificed his supposed spy status to deflect and dispatch the Death Eater before anyone could even react. That much was true—I would never have been able to react in time against Dolohov. Months and in fact years later, he was still using the tale to remind people how his beliefs and alliances had changed. On some occasions, he’d even used the act to guilt me into helping him deal with the Ministry when it came to his business licenses and currently, the Marriage Law.

He and Narcissa had divorced immediately after the war, and I had to admit that that whole family was much happier now. Malfoy Industries was more successful than ever, his son and daughter-in-law recently had a baby boy who was a regular feature on the society pages of the Daily Prophet, and Lucius, himself, frequented Britain's most eligible bachelor list. He was undeniably intelligent, ruthless and unfortunately, rather handsome.

Oh, how I wanted to knock the peacock down a notch or two. I had fantasies of doing just that, but for some reason, my mind would often wander into more prurient territory. I’d have to cast a cooling charm and mentally kick myself—hard. It was ridiculous, but I hated to think that he thought of me as one of his son’s school chums. I didn’t know why, but I hoped he didn’t.

"Judging from the droves of witches in hot pursuit, I take it that you have not announced your intended yet?" I asked to draw myself out of my thoughts.

Lucius signaled the barkeep for yet another refill. "Harpies! The lot of them!"

"Well, I suppose they're very desperate. The Ball is tomorrow night." The highlight of the Ministry's Winter Ball was going to be the announcement of Lucius' engagement. Three dozen notices had been sent off to witches and wizards in the past month, but Lucius Malfoy's marriage would be the shining example. Fitzpatrick had hoped that he would lead the way for cooperation from other pure-blood families.

"You need not remind me, Miss Granger," Lucius scoffed. "I am too well aware of my predicament. I am reminded every time I have to run down the street looking for sanctuary. If I Apparate elsewhere, there seems to be another drove of witches waiting to list their qualifications for being the perfect Malfoy wife. I've had to refrain from using my wand to prevent myself from landing in Azkaban again!"

I tried not to laugh, but had to settle for half a smirk instead. "I cannot imagine that you are unaccustomed to such attentions, Mr. Malfoy. You always seem to have a lot of women trying to catch your eye,"

"I believe there was an underlying compliment somewhere in that statement?" Lucius raised an eyebrow and tightened his gaze on me. My heart skipped a beat. I hoped he couldn’t tell.

"Well, you certainly are popular. Every time you step foot into my department, the collective swoons are rather obvious and ridiculous. You haven't noticed?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Afraid not," Lucius replied with odd look I couldn’t decipher. "I'm usually busy talking with you,"

I didn’t want to admit that I secretly enjoyed his visits just a very tiny, little bit. Conversations, or rather debates, were always engaging and thought-provoking. He was also extremely well-read and had some amazing stories of his travels abroad. But, it was (again) ridiculous of me to even imagine that the man came into the office for anything other than to schmooze with my boss and grill me for Ministry information. Okay, I had to confess that I was going to be slightly upset when he finally got married and had less time to come around to see my boss. I’d been avoiding his regular visits over the past few weeks. I had to quit cold turkey. I had too many other things in my life to worry about.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Yes, your bi-weekly attempt to fish for Ministry news and gossip. I keep telling you I don't follow the rumor mill. You're much better off having a drink and cigar with Mr. Bromley, but half the time he's in meetings when you come around,"

"I'll try to remember better next time." he swallowed the liquid with another wince. "And, I've asked you repeatedly to call me Lucius."

"I really don't think that would be proper.” I had to look away for a moment. My face felt too warm—I hoped I wasn't blushing. "Back to the subject at hand— surely, one of these witches would be better than the Ministry choosing on your behalf?"

Lucius grimaced, "Did you know that the Manor has been inundated with flowers and chocolates for the past three weeks? All the safe deliveries were being re-routed to St. Mungos, but now they're overloaded as well,"

"Safe deliveries?"

"The ones that aren't laced with potions," he drawled.

"Oh!" The lengths that some women would go to get his attention suddenly dawned on me.

"Luckily, Draco has everything under control at the company. I've almost been a prisoner in my own home. I had to tighten the wards after a couple of the more powerful witches managed to get into the gardens. They would have never made it into the house, but if I had decided to take an evening stroll outside..."

"Alright, so you aren't interested in your new... erm, suitors." I giggled when Lucius frowned. "Didn't you have a girlfriend or someone before all this happened? Although, was she a pure-blood?"

Before Lucius could answer, a great fuss could be heard coming from the street just as it had before he had entered the tavern. The voices were definitely female.

"Oh dear." I stood up reluctantly. "I think you've been found out,"

Lucius rose up off his crooked bar stool to stand next to me. He looked a little worn out. The situation must have been getting to him.

"You're a woman." Lucius swallowed uneasily and reached for his cane. "Go reason with them."

"Ah," I scoffed at his astute observation skills. "What makes you think that they're going to listen to me?"

Lucius grabbed and spun me around so that I stood in front of him facing the door.

"Are you hiding behind me, Lucius Malfoy?" I asked incredulously. Silly man.

The door opened and a screeching, writhing mass of limbs and heads tried inside. It looked like Medusa had multiplied and was on a frenzied hunt for her prey. I’d only seen such a thing once before when Madam Malkin had a renovation sale. She sold everything for seventy-five percent off, and it was like the gates of Hell had been opened. Aurors had to be called in to restore order— Harry being one of them.

"Lucius!"

"Mr. Malfoy!"

"I'm your dream girl!"

"We were meant to be! Look at these runes!"

"That brunette has bad breath so you shouldn't pick her. Pick me instead!"

I couldn't tell which voices were from which woman. They were all shouting and knocking each other over to try to get to the front of the crowd. I pulled the wand from my hair and the curls cascaded down around my shoulders. I stuck the wand under my belt so it was closer in case I needed it.

Lucius kept his hands firmly on my shoulders to move me to where I would shield his person the best.

Twat.

"This is insanity," I scolded him while keeping an eye on the mob. "You need to pick someone so that these women can go home and stop trying to compete with each other. You're just exacerbating the situation,"

"I’m not picking one of these harpies!" Lucius growled.

"Well, just tell them something!"

Lucius looked at the expectant crowd of women who were still pushing and shoving at each other. He glared at them with such a look of disdain it was almost comical.

"Please," I tried my best to stall. "Please calm down. I'm sure you're all beautiful, intelligent and desirable women. You can't want to marry a man you don't even know,"

"But, he's rich!" someone shouted.

"And, handsome too!" someone else chimed in.

Flashing a charming smile at the crowd, Lucius raised his hand to quiet them down. "Ladies, I'm flattered by your passionate tenacity. Unfortunately, I can only choose one woman as my bride,"

The crowd seemed to sigh and groan at the same time.

"And," Lucius suddenly put his arm around me and pulled me to his side. "Here she is. I'm sorry, but I've already chosen. You can all go now."

Oh, hell.

"You hussy! What makes you think you're good enough for my Lucius! Bitch!" the crowd wailed.

I barely had a second to throw my arms up in defense before someone barreled into me like a rugby player. A hand with bright fuchsia nail polish reached out to grab a chunk of my hair. I screamed heartily as she took a good amount of strands with her. Another woman actually slapped me. I lunged over to the git who had thrown me to the wolves and grabbed him by the collar.

"You arse!" I yelled in his ear. "They're going to tear me to pieces!"

If I got out of this mess alive, I was going to kill him.

Lucius swore under his breath and fumbled to extract the wand from his cane but dropped it in the scuffle. I was going to have to stupefy these women to get clear.

"She's going for her wand!" one woman shrieked. "Grab it!"

Out of nowhere, a fist flew towards me and connected harshly with my poor nose. There was an explosion of pain that made my eyes water and my ears ring. Something warm began trickling down to my chin as someone wrenched the wand from my hands.

"Stop this madness!" Lucius bellowed angrily as I felt his strong arms encircle me when I crumpled. The room quieted immediately. "How dare you? How dare any of you?"

I had trouble focusing for a moment, but then I felt him press a soft handkerchief into my hands. I tipped my head back and held my nose to stop the bleeding. I wanted to scream and shout at all of them, but for the moment my nose took precedence.

"Stand aside, Madam," Lucius growled as he guided us towards the enormous fireplace in the back corner.

I looked up to see a tall, pretty witch standing in front of the Floo. She was glaring at me with familiar green eyes.

"Hermione Granger?" She frowned at Lucius. "You cannot be serious."

"It is none of your concern, Madam," he replied in a dangerously low tone.

"Mandy Brocklehurst?" I couldn’t believe it. Since when was she interested in Lucius Malfoy? "I thought you were a pure-blood?"

"One quarter Muggle-born actually," Mandy batted her eyelashes at Lucius.

"Outrageous!" Lucius shouted. "Any sane man wouldn't give any of you half a consideration."

Mandy reached into her pocket and pulled out a suspended bubble of purple liquid. "You just need someone to open your eyes a little."

She reached out and tossed the bubble at Lucius' mouth. It popped on contact and half the liquid went into his mouth and the other half splashed onto his cloak. Almost immediately, Lucius' face went red and he began choking.

"What have you done?" I shouted at Mandy who shrieked with fright. Lucius doubled over. I dropped the bloodied handkerchief to support his weight.

"It's an Amortentia potion!" Mandy squeaked.

"It's not supposed to be purple." I shoved Mandy aside and grabbed some Floo powder. Properly brewed Amortenia had a very distinctive pearly sheen to it. "Merlin, you failed Advanced Potions!"

I quickly threw the powder down and called out the name of the only person I could think of. "Severus Snape, Spinner's End."

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As luck would have it, the head of Slytherin House was just sitting down for dinner when we tumbled out of his fireplace. The soot and ash settled nicely onto his roast and potatoes. I knew that with Hogwarts closed for the winter holidays, Snape was likely to be home. Since he co-owned the Hippogriph's Nest, certain individuals had been granted permission to Floo to and from his home. I figured that Lucius would be allowed access and since I was along for the ride, I hoped that I would be as well. I wasn’t looking forward to spending another minute in that tavern.

"Close your Floo!" I shouted in greeting. I didn't think we'd be followed, but some of those women were mental.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Granger." He pushed his ruined dinner away from him and went to secure his fireplace.

"Have you gone and poisoned Lucius once and for all?"

We had landed in his dining room which was surprisingly brightly lit with enough candles to keep the room comfortably warm without lighting the fireplace. I wondered if the professor was a little bit of a pyromaniac. It was seriously a lot of candles. We moved into the adjoining library. It was small, but the rare, antique books in it made my mouth water. I had only been to his home on one other occasion with Harry. He didn’t like company.

"As tempting as that might be, Professor, this had nothing to do with me." I slumped onto an ancient-looking, cushioned chair relieved when the dark-haired man moved the blond to a faded, floral-printed chaise. "Well, more or less nothing to do with me,"

"Then, you’ve been in a drunken brawl?" he looked at me disapprovingly and went to dip his napkin into his water glass. He returned and tossed it to me.

I hastily wiped the blood off my face and checked my nose. I wasn’t broken, but it was severely bruised, as was my left eye.

"Brawl, yes. Drunken... not so much. And, I think Mr. Malfoy has been poisoned by an improperly brewed batch of Amortentia,"

“The women?” Snape drawled.

“Oh, yes.” I glanced at Lucius with a slightly hateful expression.

Lucius coughed and sputtered on the chaise. He clutched his stomach and whispered hoarsely, "Little help, old friend?"

"Hmm.” Snape paused and he seemed to be thinking hard about something. “Did you talk to Narcissa?”

“What?” Lucius croaked. “Now is not the time for this. I think I’m dying here, Severus!”

“You said you’d talk to her last month.” I think he might have been pouting.

“She’s still in Spain,” he wheezed. “Said she…said she’d call on you when she returns… next week,”

“Er, Professor?” I asked wondering where the conversation was going. What did Snape want with Lucius’ Ex?

Snape rounded on me with a something that looked almost like a smirk, “Concerned, are we?”

I wasn’t sure how to react to his reaction at my question. “He’s turning a little green,”

"Oh, very well," he grumbled and went to a tall, mahogany cabinet filled with a plethora of potions ingredients. "I suppose I can't have him dying in my library."

Pulling several vials of liquids and powders, he strolled into another room. A few minutes later, he returned with a glass of thick, black liquid and a bucket which he handed to me. Then, he stooped over Lucius, and snipped off a small piece of his collar stained with the so-called Amortentia.

"I rather like the rug in this room, Miss Granger. Try not to let him make a mess. I'll test the potion to determine the antidote." He turned on his heels and left.

I sat holding the glass and bucket feeling a tad overwhelmed. My head hurt and the bruises on my arms were beginning to blossom into all sorts of pretty colors. I had a quiet evening planned after going for that drink. I’d ring for some take away (yes, I had a cellular phone. It was magical, of course.), open a bottle of wine and have a steaming, hot bubble bath. I was tempted to owl Charlie to come over as well. We had a buddy with benefits relationship, but we sought each other out very infrequently. I just wanted to forget about my life for one evening and not think about that atrocious law and all the troubles that came with it. But, I was here and now and tomorrow, I’d go back to reality.

Lucius turned his head and looked at me with his steely, grey eyes. He looked like he was very uncomfortable. I sighed, then stood and walked over to the chaise. I wasn’t looking forward to whatever the bucket was supposed to be used for.

Kneeling next to the antique lounger, I rolled up my sleeves. He was eyeing the black gunge in the glass, but he focused on me when I brushed the hair away from his face. He sighed and his brows that had been knitted together due to his convulsions relaxed a little. I helped him to remove his cloak, waist coat and vest. Ron and Harry would be having conniptions if they saw me now, I thought off-handedly.

It had taken a long time, but I had come to terms with the past. A few years earlier, while at a Ministry function, Lucius had cut in while I’d been dancing with a colleague. As we twirled around the ballroom, he had apologized for his transgressions towards us including what had happened in the Department of Mysteries and at his home when Bellatrix had tortured me. When the song had ended, we’d stood awkwardly on the dance floor facing each other. He was waiting for a response. I could tell that he was bracing himself for the worst. I wasn't able to forgive him then, but I thanked him before walking away.

“Here,” I said as I slipped my hand under him to support his neck. I tipped the glass to his lips. “Drink.”

He sniffed the liquid and grimaced as he took three big gulps in succession. His trust in Snape spoke volumes. He did not question what was in the glass; he just drank the foul smelling concoction. It must have been vile because he squeezed my arm tightly and shuddered, gasping for air before drinking the remainder.

Lucius slumped back onto the chaise when the glass was empty. He coughed, tried to clear his throat and then settled. I sat on the edge of the chaise with the rusty bucket at my feet, wondering how long it would take for the potion to work. It wasn’t long.

Propping himself up on his elbows to be closer to the bucket, he told me to go check on Snape. Reading between the lines, I guessed that he was feeling pretty embarrassed that he was going to be losing his lunch shortly. It was probably a very un-Malfoy-like thing to do.

“I’d prefer not to have you see me like this, Miss Granger.”

“Today is not the best day to worry about your pride, Mr. Malfoy,” I told him softly before I pulled his golden mane back so that it wouldn’t get in the way when he purged.

Lucius was about to object when he started heaving into the bucket. I braced his head for him as he emptied the contents of his stomach. It was rather disgusting, and when it was finally over, he looked absolutely miserable. After cleaning up, he closed his eyes and dozed off.

I perused the bookshelves for a little while and then thought of owling Ginny when Snape came back into the room.

“Our celebrity has drawn unwelcomed visitors to my home.” He looked very annoyed.

We went to the front door to find an even larger crowd than what had been at the tavern, gathering around the fenced garden surrounding the property. Some women were carrying flasks with steaming potions in them. A few claimed to be mediwitches hoping to nurse the patient back to health. Maybe they were mediwitches. I wasn’t about to ask for qualifications. I saw one woman trying to disable the wards on the gate to get in and pointed it out to Severus, but he just rolled his eyes and pushed me back inside.

I returned to the library while Severus disappeared again. For the first time I noticed that there were no portraits around the house. There were no elves or pets. It impressed upon me that my former professor really did value his privacy. It seemed a lonesome existence, but perhaps he needed the peace and quiet after teaching for three quarters of a year. Then, my thoughts drifted to the odd conversation involving Narcissa. Severus certainly seemed anxious to speak with her. It might have been my imagination, but I could have sworn there was a millisecond when he had looked a bit starry-eyed and wistful. Then again, my black eye could have been affecting my vision.

“Alright then,” Snape flew into the room holding a small bottle. “This is the antidote. It’s a broad range anti-poison to counter the effects of the potion. It will not be a pleasant recovery. Lucius will need to be kept warm as his body temperature will dip to dangerous levels,”

“Wait, Professor!” I interrupted him, suddenly unsure of what my continued role in this predicament was. “I can’t do that. I need to go back to the tavern and retrieve my wand. We both lost ours…”

“Miss Granger,” he cut me off, looking bored and impatient. Like usual. “We both know that your noble Gryffindor sensibilities are not going to allow you to abandon Lucius.”

I looked at the man stirring on the chaise for a few seconds and then conceded. Snape was right. “Damn it. Fine.” I sulked and gave him the evil eye. Or, tried to at least.

“You’ll need to keep him awake for the next four hours while the poison dissipates."

“Can’t we just stay here?” I asked.

There was a very polite sounding knock at the front door. I guess the mediwitch in-home service had gotten through the front gates. How convenient.

Snape arched an eyebrow daring me to stick around to see what would happen if the desperate harpies got inside. It was the Ministry’s fault. They’d put posters of Lucius up all over the city practically advertising a new wife for him.

“I think not.” Snape pulled a shabby, wooden box out of his robes. He removed the cover and I could see that there was a shiny, flat river stone inside. “I have a small cottage up north that should suffice. No one will know to look for you there. I shall retrieve you in the morning.”

"But--" I protested. Some higher power was playing a mean, dirty trick on me.

"Food and water." He handed me a package as the knocking became more insistent.

The little voice inside my head was trying to speak up, but Snape guided me back towards the chaise where Lucius was trying his best to sit up. He took the bottle the Potion master handed to him. It was blue and frothy inside, and I wondered if it would taste anything like blueberries—probably not. Lucius gagged a little when he downed the antidote and I felt sorry for him until I caught a whiff of his breath.

"Please don't breathe on me." I grimaced and Lucius snorted indignantly.

Snape held the wooden container out to us. He had a slightly devilish smirk on his face. "It appears that you owe me again, old friend."

"I have always been in your debt, my brother." I was surprised at how sincere Lucius sounded. There was much history between these two men. Lucius had spared no expense to give Snape the best care available after he had been left for dead by Nagini. I remembered Harry's descriptions of the horrible scars on Snape's body. His recovery had been very long and very painful.

"Professor," I began, but stopped when he turned to look me square in the eyes.

"Miss Granger," he drawled. "You are no longer my student and since I am on holiday, I'd rather not be reminded that I have a multitude of dunderheads to return to in a fortnight. And, in addition to being really quite lovely, you are undoubtedly brilliant at what you do from what I've heard. I would be more than pleased to have you address me by my name so that I could feel a little less ancient."

I could feel the precise moment when my cheeks flushed. What had he heard about me and my lackluster career in magical law enforcement? I had to swallow twice before answering.

"You are not old by any standard... S-Severus," I stuttered. "Muggle or Wizard. And, if I am to address you in the familiar, then you must do the same,"

He smiled. He actually smiled. Good lord, what a day.

"Don't look so put out, Lucius," Severus said amusedly when Lucius coughed. "I trust you'll be polite to Hermione. After all, she did save your life. Didn't you, Hermione?"

"Er..." What an odd way to put it. "It's nothing, really."

"Remember to keep him awake and warm, Hermione." Severus motioned for me to sit. "I shall see you both in the morning."

"Thank you, Severus," I said, grateful for the help. “I guess we’ll see you in a few hours then.”

I was surprised to find the blond beside me silent, so I elbowed him in the side. He muttered his gratitude making Severus chuckle again.

After a moment that we both seemed to need, we reached out to touch the river stone. I felt the nauseating tug of the Port-key and felt myself being pulled through a swirling vortex. I hated travelling by Port-key. It was number two on my list of things to never do—flying on a broom being number one. I seemed destined to ignore this list of mine.

-----------------

I added yet another bruise to my battered person as I dropped onto a creaky floor-board. A thud and a groan nearby indicated that Lucius had also arrived at our destination. The wind was wailing like a banshee with PMS. And, it was cold. I wished I had my wand.

It was fairly dark, but I could just make out what seemed to be a lamp and a box of matches sitting on a small round table. I fumbled but managed to light the kerosene lantern. The collective groan at viewing our surroundings was depressing.

“Okay, I see that by ‘cottage’ he meant shack and by ‘up north’ he meant Siberia.” I said out loud but did some air quotes in my head. What on earth was Severus thinking sending us here?

The shack was as big as my living room, which wasn't saying much. It looked like Severus used the place for ice fishing or something of the like. I could scarcely imagine him doing such a thing. There wasn’t much furniture—just a lumpy-looking bed covered with blankets and furs, an iron potbelly stove and the small table with two chairs. Through the frosted windows, I caught a glimpse of a blizzard-enveloped wilderness surrounding the frozen lake we were on. I was pretty sure that there would be no harpies nearby.

"I haven't been here in years," Lucius said as he crawled beneath the heavy stack of blankets. "This place has definitely seen better days."

"I wouldn't have figured you for an outdoorsman," I said, surprised to hear that he would actually stay out in the woods without any luxury amenities.

"There is much you don't know about me, Hermione."

“Well, how about you tell me then, Mr. Malfoy?” So, the man was peeved that I allowed Severus to call me by my given name? I’d let it pass for now. But, I couldn’t have asked for a better opening to keep Lucius Malfoy awake and talking.

I could tell he was annoyed and surprised at the same time by my request. As I went over to light the stove to heat up the icebox we were to call home for the night, I asked him to start at the beginning with his childhood. Without too much fanfare, he began telling me of his life. I was not terribly astonished to find myself very curious about what he had to say. Even in his weakened state, his acerbic wit was very entertaining.

By the time he started telling me about his last years at Hogwarts, I had no more excuses to dally around the shack. We’d eaten the meat pasties and drank some of the water that Severus had packed for us. Even with the stove’s warmth, I could feel the cold seeping into my bones. Lucius stopped reminiscing when he noticed my hesitation.

“You’re cold,” he said plainly.

“It’s not so bad,”

Lucius chuckled, “You’re a poor liar, Miss Granger. But, I can assure you that I will be the picture of a gentleman. Come along then.”

I shook my head and laughed. This certainly would be an evening to remember. I supposed that excluding my bubble bath, my evening bore some similarities to what I had originally planned. Here I was contemplating crawling into bed with a good-looking male. Well, a bed-ridden and severely incapacitated male. Still. I exhaled forcefully and gathered my wits before walking over to the bed.

“So,” he began as I lifted the blankets. “Seeing as you’re about to climb into bed with me, I think we can dispense with formalities and start using each other first names. Don’t you agree?”

“Fine.” I rolled my eyes and slipped in beside him. I smiled just a little.

There was an awkward moment of heavy silence until Lucius started his tales again.

“As I was saying,” he continued. “My father expected nothing short of perfection in my studies. I was to carry on the family name and business as every Malfoy son had for countless generations. I had little time to cultivate relationships, so my parents arranged a union with the Blacks.”

“Wow, so your luck in the marriage department has never been much in your favor then.”

“Oh, I knew Narcissa from school and she was amiable. I was very lucky to have her.” He smiled.

“You were happy together then?” I asked curiously.

Lucius nodded in the dim, flickering light of the lantern. He looked very tired, but I had to keep him engaged in conversation. I’d read enough about poisons and antidotes to know what would happen if he fell unconscious. We were nearing a pivotal time in his recovery. It had been about an hour and a half since he had taken the potion, and his body would be turning on him soon.

“We were.” He sounded sad. “For a time, we were very happy. Especially, after Draco was conceived. Then, it all unraveled. It was my fault.”

“What was?”

“Everything,” he said forlornly. “My obsession with the Dark Arts and my blinded devotion to that maniac caused so much grief to so many people.”

He glanced at me, and I realized that he was including me in that statement. He told me about the path he took that led up to him joining Voldemort’s ranks.

“My marriage fell apart and I almost lost my son…”

“But, you have a very good relationship with your son now. And, Narcissa seems happy.” I offered.

I considered myself a friendly acquaintance of Draco and Astoria nowadays. Draco even played Quidditch with Harry, Ron and Neville on occasion.

“There is so much I could have prevented if I had made better choices with my life. I was too arrogant—“

“You’re still arrogant.” I turned to face him and grinned cheekily. I had to lighten up this conversation.

“Hmmpf.” Lucius pretended to be offended. “I was worse before.”

“Oh, I would agree on that front.” I smiled. “You’re much more tolerable now.”

“Tolerable?!” He scowled and I had to laugh.

“You can be quite charming when you’re not being an arse.”

“Well, thank you for your vote of confidence.” Lucius crossed his arms. “I see that I shall have to double my efforts now.”

I chuckled for a moment, but didn’t answer right away. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

“Well, I’m sure your new wife will be delighted with your charms,” I said softly.

“But, she won’t be—“ He trailed off.

“A pure-blood?” I saw red. “How can you… I thought you didn’t care about that anymore! This is the twenty-first century, you know! If you’re going to treat this poor woman like a second-class citizen, you’d better consider just giving up your wand.”

“Hermione.” He reached out to touch my hand. “That’s not what I meant,”

His fingers shocked me and not in a good way. They were like icicles. I frowned when I saw that he was trembling. How had I not noticed? I pulled the blankets higher around him.

“How are you feeling, Lucius?”

He blinked slowly and his movements were lethargic, “I’m alright. Not to worry, my dear. I do wish that stove lent a little more warmth to the room. You’re not cold, are you?”

My heart sank. It was much warmer in the shack now, although the blizzard was still howling around us. I was nice and toasty under the thick, fur blankets. They smelled, by the way. Propping myself up on an elbow, I sidled a little closer to him. I put my hand on his forehead to gauge his temperature and he sighed.

“That’s nice.” He closed his eyes as if he enjoyed the warmth on his cold skin.

“Lucius,” I called him loudly. “You need to stay awake. Remember what Severus told us.”

“I’m fine.” He nodded. “Just resting my eyes a little,”

Bullocks. Pardon me. He was not fine. I had to do something quickly. I was warm; perhaps I could share some body heat. I moved to drape myself partially across his body.

“Hermione?” His eyes fluttered open. “What are you doing?”

“The antidote is working, but it’s affecting your body. Severus said that your temperature would drop. Is this any better?”

“Much better.” He smiled and brought his arms around me.

I observed him for a few minutes during which he struggled to keep his eyes open. It wasn’t working. His lips were turning blue.

“Lucius?” Damn. “Stay with me.”

“Always…” he mumbled.

He was losing his coherency fast. Think, Hermione! You’ve read hundreds of books. What were you supposed to do if you were stranded out in the woods? Keep hydrated—no, that wasn’t the issue. Keep warm—that was it. You shared body heat. Oh, boy. Skin on skin contact was the best way to preserve heat.

“Okay, well,” I said out loud but more to myself. “I’m in it this far. This is just one night, and then I’ll go back to reality tomorrow.”

I gathered my courage and tried not to think about how humiliating this was for both of us. Lucius did not open his eyes as I peeled off our clothes. It took a bit of maneuvering, but I managed to free his silk shirt, trousers and everything else from under him. Then, I gently brought myself to lie on top of him. I was pressed on him in a very intimate way and I tried to think of more mundane things to keep my thoughts from wandering. For instance, I thought of Crookshanks and how upset he’d be that I wasn’t home to feed him. He would get his own dinner somewhere outside, so I knew he wasn’t going to starve.

I rubbed Lucius’ shoulders and face a little to warm him up and he stirred.

“Hermione?” his eyes went wide when he looked up to see my face hovering over his. Then, he looked down and saw my breasts flattened on his chest. “Did I miss something?”

“Er…well..I.” I couldn’t find the words I was looking for. “I have to keep you warm. And…and body heat works best. S-so…uh.”

So, yeah. You wake up naked with naked me on top of you. I took a breath and went into what Ron calls my ‘Hermione mode.’



“According to most texts on outdoor survival under dire circumstances, if you have no other source of heat, sharing body heat works the best. Through clothing, the warmth does not transmit very well, so direct skin contact is necessary,”

“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry that I have caused you discomfort and embarrassment,”

I shook my head. “Don’t mention it. Actually, we never need mention this again, I think. Just a few more hours and we can both put this episode behind us.”

“I don’t believe that this is a day I will soon forget.” He smiled at me.

My heart skipped a beat at that smile. After all that happened today, I still found him incredibly attractive. I had to acknowledge that. I needed to get him talking again for his sake and mine. I didn’t want to dwell on the fact that his chest was broad and strong and that I could feel his firm abdominal muscles beneath me. Or that his silken locks were fanned out on the dark pillow and that his face, though lines were beginning to show, was handsome and full of character. What I had said to Severus about aging had been true, but more so for Lucius. He was still so youthful and vibrant that he put other men half his age to shame. My thoughts were sending unwanted signals to parts of my body that I did not want to wake.

“So, tell me more about yourself.” I folded my arms underneath my chin. “Not about the past. Just about you.”

“Me?” He sounded surprised but pleased that I would ask.

“Tell me about your hobbies or what you like to do outside of work,” I suggested.

“I suppose,” he began, “that I prefer some quieter distractions these days. I have my library.”

Bingo. More signals broadcasting down south…

“I’ve travelled extensively to find rarer tomes and first printings for my collection. Severus has benefitted from some of my duplicates.”

Sweet mother of Merlin. If Severus’ collection was only discards from his own, I couldn’t imagine what was hiding behind the walls of Malfoy Manor.

“I will have to show you sometime.” He seemed to read my thoughts. “I believe you’re interested in old world charms and spell origins?”

I nodded whole-heartedly. I’d been thinking of writing a book, but I couldn’t ever remember mentioning it to him during one of our conversations.

“I have a very good historical account written in 1283, but it is in Latin.”

I sat up a little, “You don’t mean Pedrovelli’s History of Charms?”

Lucius chuckled at my enthusiasm and placed his hands around my hips. I think he was trying to warm his chilly digits, so I didn’t mind.

“How on earth did you manage that?” I was wholly astonished and impressed that he could find a book that experts said was unattainable. It was beyond priceless.

“Well, I have my sources.” He winked at me. Goddess above. “I picked up the book in Sorrento last month.”

“It must have cost you a fortune,” I said in wonderment.

“There are some things worth more than money,” Lucius mused.

He drew some lazy circles on my hip that tickled. I’d always been ticklish so it left me squirming a little. Plus, my back was getting a little sore from staying still, so it was good to move around. I think I might have pressed a little too hard because Lucius groaned a moment later.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized. “Did I poke you? I can move—”

Lucius sucked in a breath and grabbed my arms firmly so I froze. “Stay still.”

“Sorry,” I mumbled. As if this wasn’t awkward enough already…

“You really have no idea, do you?” He arched an eyebrow at me.

“About what?”

“I’m afraid that you’ll have to try not to move around. I’m trying to be a gentleman, but I am a man after all.” He smirked.

“Ohh.” I put my head down so he couldn’t see me blushing. “Sorry.”

We were silent for a long while. I was trying to think the un-sexiest thoughts I possibly could. An aroused Lucius beneath me? I tried to think of scrubbing my toilet and getting rid of the nargles in my garden. Who knew Luna was right about those pesky little suckers?

I think I might have dozed off. When I opened my eyes, the room was darker. I looked over and saw that the lantern had gone out. It must have been out of fuel. However, the storm outside had run its course, and it was quiet. I could still see thanks to the glowing embers from the stove, and the light from the rising moon also provided some illumination.

I looked down to see Lucius’ eyes closed. I wondered what time it was. Had it been four hours yet?

“Lucius?” I called. He didn’t respond. He was sleeping too soundly.

I tapped him on the shoulder but didn’t get a response either. Then, I touched his cheek. It was stony cold.

I shouted at him this time and shook him hard. He moaned, but didn’t open his eyes. I sat up, straddling his waist and shook him again. I tried rubbing his cheeks and then his hands to get his circulation going.

“Hermione?”

“You are not going to die on my watch,” I told him angrily. “Wake up!”

Lucius gradually opened his eyes and gave me a drunken-looking smile. “You have such pretty breasts.”

Oh, right. I was sitting up and putting on a good display. Well, I suppose it got his attention. Unfortunately, he started slipping away again. I grabbed his hands and put them on me.

“Wake up, Lucius!” I must have sounded very frantic.

He was feeling me up before he opened his eyes. Typical. He caressed me tenderly, and I gasped when he gently rolled my left nipple between his fingers. It was then that he awoke fully.

“Merlin, I shouldn’t have.” He pulled his hands away like he’d been burned. “I cannot begin to apologize.”

“It’s okay.” I rested my hand on his chest. “I didn’t know how else to wake you.”

I should have moved or lain down again. I don’t know why, but I just sat there for a moment gazing down at him. He was actually looking at me like I was desirable. I suppose that almost dying could do that to a man. It wasn’t that I had poor self-esteem. I kept myself well and was fairly attractive. I just never seemed to be the kind of girl that could captivate a man that way. Sure, they wanted to marry me and present me to their mothers, but I wanted to be desired as well.

The fire had gone out of my relationship with Ron pretty quickly after the war. We’d both known we were better off as friends. I had dated quite a bit, but boyfriends since then had been few and far between. Ginny had once told me it was because I was too smart and logical and that it was intimidating to men. I didn’t know how being dumb and irrational could help me any better.

I almost didn’t notice when Lucius lifted his hand to my face. “Beautiful.”

Oh dear. He had to be fading again. Or was he? He seemed like he was lucid. Maybe he meant what he said. But, wouldn’t that have been even crueler?

He lightly caressed my cheek before moving to inspect my nose. I realized I must have looked dreadful with the bruising on my face. I was confused when I detected a flourish of magic around me. The touch from Lucius’ fingers was electric. I could feel the pressure and soreness instantly lifting away.

“No!” I pushed his hand away when I realized he was performing wandless magic on me. “You mustn’t. You need to conserve your energy!”

His arm slumped off to the side and he closed his eyes. The healing magic had drained him.

“Why did you do that?” My eyes burned as I shook him. “Please, Lucius,”

I leaned down and took his face in my hands. I had longed to run my fingers through his hair and I did just that. Lucius opened his eyes.

“You’re not going to die on me are you?” There was no calm in my voice, but I couldn’t help it.

“I’ll try my best not to.” He gave me a tired smile. “Although, I can’t think of a better way to go.”

I groaned in frustration. Why was this man tempting fate? I decided in a split second what I was going to do. I stopped myself from rationalizing and just acted.

I took his hands in mine and placed them on me again, but I didn’t let go when he tried to pull away.

“I’m afraid that if you’re going to be such a gentleman I’m just going to have to seduce you,” I told him matter-of-factly.

“No,” Lucius said angrily when my words registered. “I won’t let you do this just to keep me awake.”

“To keep you from dying,” I corrected. “It’s just one night and we never have to speak of it again. And, besides, there are two things you need to remember.”

I started moving his hands over my skin in the way I liked and his breathing quickened.

“Number one—you’re not in charge.” I licked my lips in a way I hoped looked somewhat seductive. “And, number two—I want to.”

I really did.

“Hermione…” Lucius groaned when I reached behind me and enveloped his cock in my hand.

I smirked when I found him already hardening. His hands didn’t budge when I let go of them. Instead, they began moving around on their own accord making me shiver from his ministrations. Although I could not see him, I marveled at his velvety hardness. He was thick and long and I wondered how he’d fit. When I stroked his length, he shuddered and gave my pebbled tips a good squeeze that made me groan.

Lucius watched me intently as I touched myself with my other hand. I knew I was already wet, but I showed him so he would know. He grabbed my fingers and suckled them clean one by one. His tongue swirling around my digits affected me in a way that I wouldn’t have guessed. He was very thorough. I let go of his weeping length and raised myself up to position myself above him. His hands went to my hips to help guide me, but at the last moment he stopped me.

“Wait,” he moaned breathlessly. I could tell he wanted just the opposite. “Are you sure, Hermione? We don’t have to--”

I put my fingers over his lips and told him I was very sure. He muttered something unintelligible as I slowly circled my hips around, dipping my folds over him to get him wet. He was very eager and tried to pull me down in him, but I held my ground.

He hissed with pleasure as I very slowly lowered myself. I completely forgot why I had started doing what I was doing. All I knew was that I had him now and nothing had ever felt so good. His was definitely bigger than anyone’s I’d ever experienced. I could feel him stretching my limits, but I was so aroused that I felt no discomfort.

“Oh, my god,” I moaned. I didn’t know how I could possibly move. I was going to come in no time at all.

“So good.” Lucius’ hands wandered over my skin as I sank the final inch onto him. “I knew it would be.”

I felt the sweet, delicious tension at my core increasing and tried to calm myself down. Even though I was sitting, I could feel the weakness in my knees. I wouldn’t be able to raise myself up and down, so instead, I began to rock back and forth.

His hands roamed over my skin before surrounding my breasts once again. He started to flick and tug at my nipples as I moved, and I had to grasp his arms to steady myself. I could feel the beginning of a strong orgasm building up and I drew in jagged breaths in heady anticipation.

I’d never been very noisy in bed in the past, but I just couldn’t help myself. I could hear my voice ragged with need reverberating through the small cabin. I saw him watching me and the way our bodies joined together. He gently pushed my knees a little further apart and ran his fingers over himself and around my nether lips seemingly to feel how he slipped in and out of my body. I found it unbelievably erotic. I called his name as my pace quickened and he encouraged me on with whispered endearments.

“Let go,” he groaned as I started to lose control. “Don’t hold back.”

I didn’t want this to be over so fast, but it had been too long for me, and I told him so.

“For me as well, Hermione.” I almost screamed when he started stroking my sensitive bud in time with the rocking of my body. “I need to see you falling apart for me.”

Then, suddenly the moment was here, and I arched my back, my head falling backwards. The rush of intense pleasure tore through me so powerfully I saw stars. I felt Lucius gripping my hips urgently to keep the rhythm going as he, too, crested and erupted inside me. He stayed rigid for what seemed like a long time moaning and bucking his hips erratically. My name on his lips cut a hole inside my heart. It would be the first and last time. That was why I never wanted him to call me by my name. It was number three on my list.

I struggled to catch my breath and stay conscious as he lowered me to rest beside him. I knew I should have stayed awake to make sure he was okay, but I slipped into contented darkness within a few minutes.

----------------------------------

It might have been several hours later when I stirred—I wasn’t sure. It was still dark outside, but somehow I was drawn out of my slumber. I bolted up alert and worried. What if he had died because I had fallen asleep?

“Lucius?” I cried out in fear.

Hands fell upon me and gently pulled me to lie back down. I didn’t realize he was so close.

“Shh,” he whispered gently. “I’m fine.”

Relief washed over me, but I was mortified to find that there were tears now running down my face. He came up beside me and wiped them away with his thumb. He was warm.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he covered it with his own. All thoughts flew from my mind and I brought my arms around him to bring him closer. I thanked the goddess that it was still night and he was still mine.

His lips were soft and seemed to melt into mine. He gently nibbled and sucked on my lower lip as I moaned with growing need. I gasped as his tongue sought out my own, teasing and coaxing it to meet with his. I felt utterly consumed as he deepened the kiss, cupping my face with his hands. We hadn’t kissed earlier, and he must have been making up for the loss. Was this what it was like to be loved by Lucius Malfoy?

When we finally broke apart for air, he smiled at me in such a way that it was like I’d never seen him smile before. I didn’t have time to consider the thought because he lowered his head to my right breast and proceeded to do some fantastic things to it.

As he lavished attention on them both in turn, he snaked his hand down between my legs. He slipped one finger and then two inside me when he found me already slick and ready. He made a noise that sounded rather smug. His thumb found my nub which he worried at the same time. I pushed my hips forward as he explored me relentlessly. Soon, I was writhing in pleasure beneath him as I felt the coils tightening and awaiting release inside me. How did he know just where to touch me?

“Please,” I whimpered breathlessly.

I reached between us to wrap my fist around him and he jerked at the contact. I ran my fingers up his length with feather-light touches circling the engorged tip of his cock before reaching lower to cup his testicles.

“I need you again,” he growled and his hunger was evident.

“Yes,” I agreed as I pulled him up to meet my lips again. I just couldn’t get enough of that mouth of his.

He shifted over me supporting his weight with his arms and told me to hold myself open for him. I’d never been asked to do that before and heightened my arousal even further. He positioned himself at my dripping entrance and held my gaze intently as he pushed himself inside me. I didn’t think I’d ever be the same again. He felt like heaven.

He began a torturously slow rhythm, but quickly increased his speed. He ground himself onto my little bundle of nerves making me scream with delight at every thrust. I wrapped my legs around him so that his angle was better, but also just to hang on as I met him thrust for thrust. I wondered if he could feel the fire burning inside me. He attacked my lips hungrily and somehow, it was even better than before.

“You have all of me,” he murmured, sounding a little bewildered. “Hermione.”

I whimpered and asked him to go faster and he obliged. I was close and reached down to seize his buttocks in my hands. It made him laugh and he kissed me some more. I stiffened and cried out when I came just as fiercely as I had earlier. But, he wasn’t ready yet. I rode out the wave of ecstasy as it continued on until I thought I was going to go out of my mind. After a few more thrusts, he shouted out his own release. He shuddered for long moments while whispering endearments softly in my ear.

Finally, he rolled over and drew me into his arms as we floated off to sleep once more.

-----------

It was a little after seven in the morning when I finally got home. Luckily, I had just finished dressing when Severus showed up. He seemed too polite to say anything when he saw Lucius sprawled naked on the bed and I was grateful for that. I breathed a sigh of relief when my old professor pulled my wand out from his dark robes. I felt a little more like myself when I had it securely in my hand.

When Severus walked over to the bed to rouse Lucius, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. I was upset that I’d let my emotions get the better of me. I’d tried so hard to steer clear of this exact problem. Without much explanation, I had bid Severus goodbye and Apparated away.

I sat in my steaming hot bubble bath and tried not to think too much about anything. There were owls from Ginny which I ignored for the moment. I also closed my Floo so that I wouldn’t have any guests. I just needed things to be quiet.

I took the day off and had nothing to do until the Winter Ball that evening. I needed more sleep. Lucius had awakened me once more before dawn. He took his sweet time on that occasion and by the end of it, there wasn’t an inch on me that he didn’t know. Where did that man get his energy? He was practically at death’s door just hours before. I curled up in my bed and didn’t move until my alarm went off.

-------------

The largest ballroom at the Ministry was decorated like a palace of ice. There were ice sculptures everywhere and twinkling lights surrounding icicles all around the perimeter of the great room. I would have thought it was beautiful if Lucius hadn’t been so close to freezing to death the night before.

I was late and the party was in full swing. I went to the bar to get a drink. I really needed one.

“Mandy Brocklehurst is in custody,” Ginny waltzed over and told me as I ordered a glass of Goblin Mourvèdre. “I heard that Malfoy isn’t going to press charges against her.”

“Really?” I was a little surprised. News traveled quickly.

“He’s requested counseling and community service for her,” she explained. “So, what happened last night anyway?”

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“You haven’t seen the papers, Hermione?” I helped Ginny to sit down at our table. She was heavily pregnant with her and Harry’s first child.

I shook my head. “I didn’t bother this morning.”

Harry strolled over and gave me a kiss on the cheek before sitting next to Ginny.

“You look lovely this evening, ‘Mione.” He smiled at me a little oddly. “New dress?”

“Actually, no.” I’d been too preoccupied recently to go shopping for a new dress. I opted to wear a dress that I had bought for a formal wedding I had attended the year before. It was a dark indigo color and had crystals over every inch of the fabric so it glittered whenever I moved. The dress had straps, but the v-neck down the front dipped almost scandalously low. There was a little flare to the skirt at the bottom and I had matching shoes.

“Is there something you’d like to tell us?” Harry sipped his pumpkin martini.

“I think she wants it to be a surprise,” Ginny told him.

Harry chuckled, “It wouldn’t be that big of a surprise.”

“I suppose it wouldn’t.” Ginny giggled.

“What in Merlin’s name are you two on about?” I was starting to have a bad feeling about the night.

I looked around the room and found that there were some women staring daggers at me. I guessed they heard about me whisking Lucius away from the tavern. I wondered if throngs of women had scoured the countryside looking for their blond husband last night.

A large group walked up to the door of the ballroom, and people had to stand aside to let them pass. The commotion made the three of us take notice.

“Leave it to Lucius Malfoy to make a grand entrance,” Ron remarked to his wife from the other side of the table. Pansy looked amused.

My heart was hammering inside my chest, but I couldn’t help grinning. The Malfoys, including Draco and Astoria, were being flanked by about ten bulky bodyguards. I supposed he really did need the protection. A couple of women tried to get closer, but they were stopped dead in their tracks.

The three of them were impeccably dressed and adorned with a least a few baubles each. They really did look like royalty. Lucius had his cane, and he was wearing a shiny, gold ring on his right hand. There was also an emerald on his ascot. On the way to his table where the Minister was sitting, he caught my eye and tipped his head with a smile. Ginny elbowed me in the side.

We were onto the second course when the Minister clinked his fork against his crystal goblet to get everyone’s attention. He walked up to the stage and put his wand to his throat to magnify his voice.

“Esteemed witches and wizards,” Fitzpatrick began. “Thank you for joining us this evening to celebrate the season.”

The room applauded earnestly.

“Our primary goal at the Ministry is to ensure the safety, prosperity and longevity of all of our citizens. For the good of our society, changes are necessary from time to time,”

Pompous arse. Geoffrey Fitzpatrick was a short, stocky man with unbelievably curly black hair. He reminded me of a poodle. I saw that some of the pure-blood families in the room looked ready to throttle the Minister.

“I assure you that the Ministry and the Wizengamot have all of your best interests at heart,” he continued. “And, it is our hearts that should beat in unison. The blood that flows through our veins should be as one.”

He paused for effect and to wait for applause and recognition. He didn’t get it.

Fitzpatrick cleared his throat nervously and continued, “Some of you may have concerns about our newest opportunity to keep our magical community healthy. We have done our research most thoroughly, I can promise you. One of our most respected and admired citizens fully endorses the Ministry, and I’m proud to make a most joyous announcement on his behalf this evening.”

What a load of shit.

“My honored guests,” he beamed, “I give you, Lord Lucius Malfoy.”

There was a lot of clapping when his name was announced, but it was mostly by the women hoping to make a last minute impression. I couldn’t believe that the Minister had used Lucius’ formal title. He hated using it.

“I’m surprised that your fiancée did not join us at our table,” Fitzpatrick waggled his finger and looked around the room. “Where is she?”

Lucius looked in my direction uneasily. I wondered why. I hoped he would just announce her name quickly and get it over with.

“Ah!” the Minister exclaimed. “There she is! Miss Granger, won’t you join us up on stage?”

The room was deathly quiet. I must have heard him wrong. He didn’t really mean me. I sat and waited for whoever it was that was supposed to be marching up to the altar.

“Hermione.” Ginny nudged me. “What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Go up there!” she hissed.

“What? No…” I shook my head.

“I think your fiancée is a little shy,” Fitzpatrick teased and the crowd laughed with him. “I think you should go and escort her to the stage, Lord Malfoy.”

Oh, Merlin, no! Was this some kind of cosmic joke? Was I still in bed asleep? I pinched myself. It hurt.

I wanted to flee the room, but Lucius was already stalking towards our table in a very determined fashion. He stopped in front of me and bowed as he extended his hand. I was still frozen, so Ginny had to physically take my hand and put it in his. She practically kicked me out of my seat and then, we started walking to the front of the room.

“What are you doing?” I said just loud enough for him to hear. “You said that at the tavern just to get rid of those women!”

“Hermione…” Lucius faltered as we stepped on to the stage.

“Witches and wizards!” Fitzpatrick raised his arms up with glee. “I present you with Lord and soon-to-be Lady---“

“Wait just one minute!” I yelled out. The Minister was so taken aback that he stumbled into the podium.

I was so livid that I wasn’t sure what I was going to say. Was he mad?

“What the devil is going on here?” I fumed.

Lucius had the decency to look embarrassed. I thought he was going to explain, but instead, he reached into his robes and took out a black, velvet box.

All the women in the room, including me, gasped as he got down on one knee. He opened the box, and inside it was the biggest diamond I had ever seen. Ever. It was cushion-cut and sparkled like the sun. A double row of smaller diamonds circled the band all the way around.

“Hermione,” Lucius began calmly, “for quite some time, I have not been able to imagine my future without you in it.”

“What?” My eyes went as wide as saucers. “How long?”

He gave me that smirk of his and tilted his head. “It’s been a while, actually. You’ve been a little stubborn.”

“Oh.”

“Marry me?” he asked straight out.

The room ooh-ed and ahh-ed at his proposal, but all it did for me was twist that knife a little deeper. I didn’t want to do this in front of the entire wizarding community, but I didn’t have a choice.

“No, Lucius,” I cried. “I cannot marry you.”

The room exploded in delighted squeals from the women dreading my answer. They rushed up to the stage to state their cases again.

The look on Lucius’ face was devastating. I couldn’t bear to see it anymore. I told him I was sorry and ran from the room. The corridor was long and I almost broke my ankle with my heels, but I had to get outside to Apparate. I slammed open the French doors to a verandah and took the wand out of my purse.

“Don’t go.” Lucius pleaded from behind me. Reluctantly, I turned around to face him. “Don’t walk away from me.”

“Please don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” I closed my eyes. When had he become important to me? I shouldn’t have let him in.

“I know I should have told you sooner,” he said. I could hear his regret. “Give me a chance?”

“I’m sorry, Lucius. But, it’s impossible.”

“Why?” he demanded. “Are you in love with someone else?”

A sound like half a sob and a laugh came out of me. “No, I’m not in love with anyone else.”

“Then, what is it?” He grabbed me by the arms and shook me. “I know this isn’t an ideal situation. I would have preferred to court you properly. But, you felt how good we were together last night,”

“Yes, I did.” I couldn’t disagree.

“I’ve made mistakes. I’ve made more than my fair share, but you know that I’ve changed. Don’t you?”

I nodded sadly. “Yes, you are not the same man you once were. And, maybe this would have worked if we had more time. I’m sure you’ll have no problems finding someone else who—“

“Do not finish that sentence,” he growled. “How could I possibly imagine anyone else?”

“I’ll miss you coming around my office.” I smiled sadly and backed away from him.

“Why?” he persisted. “Just tell me,”

I sighed and opened my purse. I took out a heavily creased piece of parchment and handed it to him. I’d read it so many times that it was falling apart. I hated the Ministry with everything I had in that moment.

He opened it and read it aloud:

“Miss Hermione Granger—

Under Ministry jurisdiction you have been selected and are hereby, required to comply to Mandate No. 9-6274850-12B in accordance to Squib Prevention Act No. 3902-255-09 and Article 35F of Section 8892 of Ministry of Magic Official Legislation. Suitable and heretofore unattached witches and wizards of half-blood or Muggle-born lineage are required to marry a pure-blood partner if so selected. You have been carefully chosen for mutual compatibility in accordance to strict Ministry guidelines. Your official engagement date is listed below and marriage must take place within three months of engagement after which a child must be conceived one year from the date of official union as qualified under sub-footnote 11823 of Appendix CMXVIII of Section 281 of Squib Prevention Act No. 3902-255-09. Refusal to comply will result in forfeiture of wand, seizing of all personal assets and holdings (Refer to Article 676 of Section 1292G, part 992) and indefinite incarceration at a facility closest to your residence.”

Lucius looked at the bottom of the page and frowned, “That’s tomorrow.”

“I just wanted to forget about it for one night.” I shrugged. “And, then… you stumbled into that tavern…”

“We can fix this.” Lucius took a step towards me, but I held out my hand to stop him. “Even if you don’t want to marry me, I won’t let them do this to you.”

“Did you notice that Stoddart Ackley wasn’t at the Ball tonight?”

My question threw him off guard. “What?”

“He’s in Azkaban,” I told him. “Azkaban, Lucius. He refused to have anything to do with the law and they arrested him three days ago. He’s not in there permanently but just long enough to have your announcement go through successfully and have people change their minds.”

“Fitzpatrick cannot do this,” he shouted. An angry Lucius was a sight to behold.

“I have no doubt that there will be protests, and it’s only a matter of time before the law gets overturned. The Minister will be forced to leave office if it’s going to get as bad as I think it will.” I sighed. “But, for me… it’s a little too late.”

“No.” He shook his head vehemently.

“The marriage binding they are using is unbreakable.”

“I do not accept this,” he seethed.

“I know.” I smiled and swished my wand to Apparate. “Goodbye, Lucius.”

------------

The next morning, I was up bright and early. Actually, I didn’t sleep much due to my anxiety and the fact that I had slept through most of the previous day. I dressed slowly and ate some breakfast before Flooing to the Ministry.

I wondered who they’d matched me up with. Perhaps, it was Stoddart Ackley. Would he have been so upset at the prospect of marrying me that he’d rather face Azkaban? Maybe I wouldn’t have to get married after all. My mood improved a little at the thought.

The Ministry was all hustle and bustle as usual, and no one noticed me making my way down to the department that was formalizing the officially binding engagements. I went inside and was told to wait in an office. It was furnished like any other office in the building—oak and bland. I was alone so I must have been early. I made myself a little more comfortable and waited in anticipation for whoever was going to come through that door.

A few minutes later, a wizard and his harried-looking assistant came into the room.

“I’m afraid there’s been a mix up, Miss Granger.” The man didn’t bother to introduce himself. “My assistant thinks that the correspondence going to your fiancée might have been eaten by pixies,”

“Alright; do I have to come back another time?” I asked.

“Yes, we will be sure to contact you both properly regarding your new date of engagement.” He turned and narrowed his eyes at his assistant. “Set a new date as soon as possible, Jack.”

His assistant scribbled something on his clipboard nervously. I nodded and stood up to leave. So, I was right about not getting married. Well, not getting married today at least.

Before I could reach the door, it opened and Lucius stepped in, yelling for everything to stop immediately. I’d experienced a lot of people barging through doors in the last couple of days.

“Ah!” the official exclaimed. “Lord Malfoy, you did receive our letter after all.”

“What letter?” Lucius stopped yelling.

“The letter regarding your Ministry-appointed engagement date, of course!”

Lucius looked at me, at the official and then repeated the action. I did the same thing.

“Do you mean that I was sent a letter informing me that the Ministry had chosen Miss Granger as my intended?” he asked.

“Why, yes, of course! In the event that you were unable to find a suitable spouse, you were provided with information given to us by our expert matchmaking council so that you could meet prior to this date. We endeavored to give you every opportunity to forge a happy union.”

Lucius blinked once and then laughed so hard it brought tears to his eyes. I was too shocked to join in, but I was relieved.

“So then,” the man took his chair merrily. “shall we get started? There are a few forms to fill out.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Lucius said has he wiped the mirth from his eyes.

“Lord Malfoy,” the official jumped up. “You are required to comply!”

“Check with your secretary, Mr. Linus. The marriage law has been overturned.” Lucius held my cloak out for me to put on as the official, and his assistant ran out of the office to verify the news.

My jaw dropped. When had this happened? I really needed to start reading the Prophet in the morning.

“How did it get overturned so quickly?” I gasped, but then I saw the very satisfied look wore and grinned. “What did you do, Lucius?”

He leaned over and brushed his lips over a very sensitive spot below my left ear. I didn’t even know I had that spot. It made me shiver. “My dear, you’ll be learning very quickly that I’m a man of many talents.”

Of that, I had no doubt.

“So, we can just go?” I asked, still amazed.

“Absolutely.” Lucius nodded. “We can go, unless you’d just like to get it over with and marry me now?”

I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. He probably was. He had a mischievous twinkle in his eye. The butterflies in my stomach were making me giddy.

“How about we just start with dinner?” I blushed as we left the dreary basement office.

“It’s quite a few hours before dinnertime, Hermione. Whatever shall we do until then?” The hand at the small of my back slipped further down and he gave me a little pat.

“I believe you said you were going to show me your library?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the strangled expression on his face.

-end-
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The Marrying Man