Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Amazing Grace	By : Kooldragon400 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 41309 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any recongizable characters, nor do I make any money off of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Oh ho ho, Merry Ch- damn it, I need to stop drinking a 2 litre of sun-drop and working on people's computers until five in the morning. Well, I would have had this up TWO DAYS AGO, but my computer decided to be a fuck-tard and erase my hard-worked chapter. So I had to re-do it. Truth be told, I miss the old one, but I think the new one, at least the first part, is alot funnier. So enjoy. Please. *dies*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry felt as if he’d been pushed, and landed in a tangle of his own limbs. He took several moments to attempt to gather his wits, before gently beginning to untangle his arms and legs. He was surprised at the lack of pain in his back.

“Harry Potter.”

Harry sat up immediately, straightening the glasses on his face and looking up at the Keeper of the Veil.

“Stand.”

“I can’t…” Harry replied. “I can’t walk.”

“This is land of Death, Harry Potter, and things aren’t always as they are in the land of the living. Stand.”

Harry gulped, disbelief written in every line on his face. The Keeper moved forward suddenly, grabbing Harry by the arm and pulling him to his feet. Harry yelped at the cold hands on his arm, and found himself swaying on his legs like a newborn fawn. But there was no pain! He finally found balance in his legs, and lifted one of his feet to look at himself.

“I can stand. I can walk!” Harry said, before bursting into tears. The Keeper seemed distinctly uncomfortable.

“Yes…well…The one you seek may be found-” But the Keeper couldn’t continue because Harry’s wails cut him off. The great cloaked creature waited patiently for about two minutes, before its patience snapped. Harry was startled nearly into a coronary by the hair-raising shriek that the Keeper let out. The startled young man took several steps backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in an attempt to get away. “The one you seek may be found by taking the path bathed in shadow, crossing the river of dreams, and through the valley of fear.”

Harry, his heart pounding, began to look around. He could no longer see the Veil. The world they’d landed in appeared to be in grayscale. Everything conformed to the monochrome color scheme, and Harry himself had the most color around in the form of his green eyes.

They appeared to be in some sort of plain, with knee-high silver grass that swayed on a breeze Harry couldn’t feel. Off to the south there was a black forest with tall, skeletal trees. A dark castle stood to the west, standing as a shadowy sentinel in the sky. The plains extended as far as the eye could see to the north and east.

“How will I know where to go?” Harry finally found the courage to ask.

“I will provide you with a guide.” The Keeper said. It raised the long scythe in its hand and brought the handle against the ground with a sharp tap. Harry immediately heard the small ‘pop’ of Apparition, and felt a cool presence behind him. He turned to find himself face-to-chest with a Dementor, and could not muffle a shriek as he scrambled back towards the Keeper, immediately hiding behind the tall being as a frightened child behind its mother.

“Is he all right?”

Harry was startled to realize that it wasn’t the Keeper’s deep voice he was hearing, and peeked around the dark robes to look at the Dementor. It wasn’t like most Dementors he’d seen, as like the Keeper it stood with its feet on the ground, though it lacked the scythe and wings that had frightened the daylights out of Harry.

Harry found himself roughly grabbed by the Keeper, and pushed towards the Dementor.

“This is Viatoris. He will be your guide.”

“I don’t want him to be my guide. Can’t I get…like…a unicorn or something?” he asked, eyeing the Dementor with distrust.

“It isn’t my idea of a great day to be stuck with a whiny skin-sack, either.” The Dementor sniped back.

“Well pardon me for being wary of the creature that at any point could suck my soul out through my mouth!” Harry hissed.

“And here we go, exploding at the mouth when you don’t know anything. A Child can retrieve a human’s soul, yes, but we do not keep it for our own. We bring the souls here, to Death’s lair. It is an…unpleasant way to die, to be sure, but an effective one nonetheless. How could I bring your soul to a place it already resides?” The Dementor was snarky and prickly, and reminded Harry an awful lot of Professor Snape.

“Ch-child?” he asked.

“Dementors are the children and messengers of death.” Viatoris replied. Harry blinked, and shuddered as a cool breeze stirred around him. He reached up to wrap his arms around himself, and noticed violently that he was naked except for his red boxers with the black pawprints that Hermione had given him for his birthday.

“Oh Merlin! Can I get some clothes please?” he squeaked, a flush starting in his cheeks and traveling down his neck.

He heard a raspy, exasperated sigh from the Keeper, and turned to it warily. The Keeper reached up a sharp-clawed hand and scratched at the air, rending the atmosphere as if it were a sheet of cloth. Four long, black gashes hung curiously in the air. The Keeper reached into the longest one and withdrew a puff of black smoke. The smoke solidified as it touched the cool air, dripping fluidly into a black cloak that dangled from the Keeper’s claws. Harry found the robe extended towards him, and he took it gingerly.

The material was light and airy, and the robe split down the middle. He swung the light cloak around his shoulders, drawing it closed and gasping as a small puff of smoke zipped the two pieces together to form a solid robe. As the small puff reached the collar near his throat, it circled his neck and melted downwards into a thick, smoky cloak that wafted on the invisible breeze that seemed to lift everything here. Professor Snape would be so damn jealous...

Harry looked at the Keeper of the Veil, and then he looked pointedly at his bare feet. The Keeper looked at him for several long minutes, as if debating on whether or not it had been worth it to bring him into the land of Death. Then it reached into one of the smaller gashes, retrieving a smaller puff of smoke. This puff solidified into two black, pointy-toed slippers. Harry opened his mouth to complain about the elf-like design, but a warning hiss from the Keeper made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He held his hand out and retrieved the slippers, easing them onto his feet and relishing the unbelievable warmth of the shadowy clothing.

“Is the little fleshie happy now? I’d like to get through the forest before hell freezes over.” Viatoris snarked.

“ ‘My name is Viatoris and I’m a big scary Dementor. But I’m also a whiny baby, too. Fear me.’” Harry said in a high-pitched, mocking voice.

“I want to eat you right now.” Viatoris said, before turning his back on Harry and starting towards the black forest. Harry turned a cheeky grin towards the Keeper, who merely shook its shrouded head and lifted the scythe. Harry watched in fascination as it sliced it downwards in a powerful motion, rending the air as before. Except instead of retrieving something from the tear, the Keeper disappeared into it. The slash sealed itself after the Keeper disappeared into the void, and Harry was suddenly distinctly aware that Viatoris was several yards away now.

He took off, surprised at how good it felt to run again. He caught up with the Dementor, but its long strides tested his stamina.

“Slow down!” Harry huffed. “I’m excited to see Sirius, too, but I don’t want to die of exhaustion!”

“You won’t die. Trust me.”

“Strangely enough, I do not.” Harry replied.

It took a lot longer than he had anticipated reaching the forest, which had seemed so close before. And it only took Harry one look into the woods to understand why it was called ‘the path bathed in shadow.’ There was a narrow roadway in the forest, but it disappeared into a thick, impossibly opaque shadow only a few feet in.

“How am I supposed to see in there? I don’t have my wand.” Harry said.

“Your little stick-light wouldn’t work in there anyway. Hold on to my robe.” Viatoris said, holding out his skeletal hand so that the sleeve of his robe hung low. Harry looked at the robe.

“Oh that is so not happening.” He said.

“Fine. Walk blindly then.” Viatoris said, before immediately walking into the forest. Harry squeaked in panic, bounced on the balls of his feet a few times, and then took off into the forest after the Dementor. He only got a few steps in before he ran face-first into a tree, busting his lip and falling back with a shout.

“ ‘My name is Harry Potter and even though my guide knows exactly where he’s going I’m not going to listen to anything he says because I’m a big boy and I don’t need help from a stinky old Dementor.’” Viatoris mocked.

“Oh God…I think I lost some brain matter…”

“I believe you have to have brains for that to happen….” The Dementor snapped back. Harry groaned. “If you’re so damned keen on walking yourself through the forest, you at least need to learn how to see the path. Do you know how to access your magical core?”

Harry sat up and straightened his glasses, though it did no good for his sight.

“Yes.” He replied gloomily.

“Access your magic and let it spread out. Everything that has matter has some inordinate magic. Every creature, great and small, has a distinctive color and glow. You have to feel it with your magic. Reach out towards me and I will help guide your power.”

Harry had done something similar to this when he had been made an Honorary Auror. He had decided to go in and sit on one of their training sessions one time, and they were using a technique similar to this to find an opponent in the event they had been blinded. Harry extended his magic out, feeling for the presence of his traveling guide. He felt the dark, oppressive presence immediately, and then felt the Dementor take hold of his power.

Suddenly it was like a light switch had been flipped, and the forest was bathed in a deep blue light. The trees, still skeletal, were now a dark steel color, instead of the unforgiving black they were before. The path was outlined by the absence of the gray trees, and wound like a black snake through the forest. Harry turned to his companion to convey his success, and found his breath caught in his throat.

He could see Viatoris very clearly. As in straight through his cloak, and he was looking at more than just the Dementor’s face. Its body was like an extra long human skeleton, with barely any flesh to fill it out. The rib cage was empty save for a black, throbbing heart which beat with a fatally slow rhythm, and seemed to be the source of the Dementor’s magic. Its body was draped in tatters of rotted flesh, hanging as though it had been shredded by something.

And then its face….the eyeless skull stared back at him, its long, gaping maw with no end, just an endless black hole for a mouth.

The only warning Viatoris got that his companion wasn’t okay was a small squeak, and then Harry’s eyes rolled back against his closed eyelids and he fell back in a dead faint. Anyone close to the duo would have heard a sharp, raspy exhalation.

“This has got to stop happening to me…”

~~

Hermione sat on the bed in her new room at Malfoy Manor, staring into the corner blindly. She had been given a room in the familial suites, and she had burst into tears when Draco had told her that. She had cried for several minutes on the unfortunate young man’s robes before she could calm herself enough to thank him and to send thanks to his father.

She had been such an emotional wreck lately. The past few days had been hell. She could see Harry’s face in her dreams every night, and every night he asked her why she had ignored his pain. Why had she dated Ron when it clearly hurt his feelings? Why did she flaunt her ability to carry herself on two legs without agonizing pain?

She woke in tears for three nights in a row, and she was exhausted. She was so tired of the nightmares, but greater still she was tired of trying to hide her emotions behind a wall. Except for the little incident with her tears on Draco’s robes, she had been rather stoic in front of the Malfoy house.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when a house elf appeared in front of her.

“Mint is sorry, miss. Master says that miss should come to the sitting room for a snack. Miss hasn’t been eating, no she hasn’t.” the elf tsked gently.

“I’ll be down momentarily.” Hermione answered automatically.

She stood with a sigh as the elf disappeared, and walked on autopilot down to the informal sitting room. The only other person there was Lucius, and he was sitting at the small round table with a tray of fruits and cheeses, with some fragrant tea sitting near him. Hermione looked at the tray and suddenly her stomach growled.

Lucius looked up, and offered a small smile to Hermione. He stood as she entered the room, but he soon realized she only had eyes for the tray.

“I thought it would be a good idea to get you to eat something.” He said softly.

“Thank you.” She said, taking the other seat on the table. A few flicks of his fingers and Hermione had a nice plate full of sliced green apples, some grapes, and slices of mild, buttery cheese that went very well with the sweet fruit. She ate in silence, only pausing to take a sip of the relaxing, yummy tea. Once she had taken the edge off of her hunger, she sat back in her chair. “Thank you.” She repeated.

“The very least I can do while you’re a guest here is feed you.” Lucius said mildly. Hermione smiled.

“You’ve been very patient with me.” She commented idly. Lucius tilted his head at her, and she found herself admiring the contours of his face. Hmm…she must be more tired than she thought…

“You’ve been through a shock. It would be cruel of me to not be patient.” He replied. She smiled.

“Thanks for getting me to eat. I was very hungry.” Hermione said finally, standing from the table. She rubbed her tummy, which was now pleasantly full, before she started back out of the room. She felt a presence behind her, and then a warm hand on her shoulder.

“Hermione…I know since you’ve been here that you’ve been having nightmares.” He nearly whispered. He felt her stiffen under his hand. “I do not want to pry, but I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to talk to someone about it, I would listen.”

She fought hard to keep her breathing under control. She counted to ten, gulped in a breath of air, and counted to ten again. But she couldn’t stop it. Before she knew what was happening, she’d broken down again and thrown herself at the Malfoy patriarch, burying her face in his chest and sobbing.

“I see his face. I hear him begging me for help, but I can’t do anything for him! Why didn’t he trust me to help him?” she sobbed, gripping onto Lucius’ robes as if they were a lifeline.

Lucius carefully guided them to the settee against the far wall, and gently brought her down onto it with him. He held her while she cried, sobbing her questions that he knew she didn’t really expect answers for. The gut-wrenching sobs were more soul-cleansing then the ones she’d released in Kingsley’s office. Those had been of shock and sadness. But this….this was grief.

She cried until she eventually went limp against him, and he looked down to see her face still pressed against him, her breath hitching restlessly. He carefully gathered her in his arms and Disapparated to her room, unaware that two sets of silver eyes had been watching from the door.

“Not the way I wanted this to happen.” Grace commented. Draco made a noncommittal sound. “Come on, bro. She trusted him enough to practically fall apart in front of him. They’re progressing…but losing Harry is going to be a bump in the road.” She said sadly.

“It’s too bad Potter’s gone. I was going to take him to Spain for a holiday closer to Christmas. He looked like he needed a vacation. And the Spanish women are something to hold out for.” Draco said softly. He felt Grace’s warm hand in his, and looked down at his sister.

“You’re an incorrigible man-whore, brother.” She said fondly. He merely laughed at her.

~~

Lucius drew the covers of her bed back with a small twitch of his chin, before lying her gingerly on the soft cotton sheets. They were green, predictably, but the crème color of the comforter seemed to cut through the Slytherin vibe it set off.

He gently brushed a spiral lock of hair away from Hermione’s face, his fingers lingering longer than necessary when she whimpered. He slipped her ballet flats from her feet and levitated them neatly by her vanity in the corner. Then he slowly drew the covers up over her, careful not to wake her. When he drew the soft sheets up to her shoulders, he tucked them carefully, before leaning down and brushing his lips over her forehead ever so gently. He pulled back, sparing her one more glance before he turned and walked from the room.

He missed her slitted brown eyes, and the slight smile on her face before she turned over and curled up into a tight ball, sleeping better for a few hours than she had in several days.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

=D
- 13
- 14
- 15
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Amazing Grace