Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Hungry Thirsty Crazy	By : AndreaLorraine Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 47434 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
- 21
Author�s Note:� Two
updates in one week!� This chapter just
wanted to be written.� A lot happens
here.� Be prepared for a little angst, a
glimpse inside Lucius�s head, and a few surprises.

I want to say thank you to everyone for sticking with
me.� I know this story isn�t action laden
and the reality of the romance doesn�t make for instant gratification.� You�ve all been immensely patient and
supportive.� You�re awesome.� And no, the story is not over.

Melankali: Thank you.� Their chemistry is so delightful to envision
and write.� I�m happy that other people
are seeing it now; it seems the ship is growing!� Yay! (but let�s hope it doesn�t grow so big that this section is
afloat with crap�did I say that out loud?)

Kazfeist: Yes, there is a third
book, but it�s on the distant horizon � right now Lucius
isn�t even intending to write a 3^rd.�
We�ll get there.� The wizarding world won�t know for a while yet.� Oh, and everyone, kazfeist
was awesome enough to point out to me that my Latin is atrocious and
technically in last chapter Lucius should have said �Te
solvo� to release Hermione from the Vow�so now you
know. :)

Shiv: Obviously, indeed.

Browneyes2yu: Wretchedly glorious?� Thank you.�
That must be something like �ugly beautiful�.� Yes, Hermione�s powers of denial are
world-class.� Fortunately, so are her
powers of intelligence.

Heidi191976: Your wish is my command, as it relates to Ron.� You�ll just have to read the rest to see how
things turn out.

Slytherin-princess: Oh, darling �I
hope your house is lovely.� I�ll confess
that a certain part of this chapter was very easy to write, because I recently
broke up with my boyfriend of a year and a half.� At any rate, thanks for the continued
feedback and I�m glad you�re enjoying the story even though it stirs up some
yucky emotions.

Tambrathegreat: I love making Lucius a bundle of contradictions.� A lot of it is about perception and reality,
too.� Once you crack the outer layers,
then you begin to see the real man.� I
hope I didn�t make you cry too much.

Ithilwen: Thanks!� Yes, the infatuation has definitely been
converted into something greater.� That�s
really what I was trying to stress last chapter.� Stay tuned for how it will all turn out�

Jesse: Sad and happy at the same time, I hope.� Lucius releasing
her from the Vow means an awful lot of interesting things�

Mia: Thank you.� They
may continue to skirt around that L word for a while�and I hope this relatively
quick update doesn�t make you revert to impatience, lol.

Foreverawriter: No, no, that is
definitely not how the story is going
to end.� I�m not that mean.� Yes, they did use a condom.� BUT,
FROM THIS POINT FORWARD, IF I DON�T DIRECTLY MENTION THAT THEY�RE USING
PROTECTION, JUST ASSUME THEY ARE. �It�s not in the plans to have an HIV
scare for Hermione at any point. (and thanks for
re-reading � I do that, too.)

Sapphire: Yup, Lucius has fallen
hard and fast and he isn�t prepared for it.�
You�ll start to see what happens with Ron and Harry starting now.

Cathartes: I�m really trying to
make these two simmer, because I think I�ve written 5 consecutive chapters
involving sex.� I usually don�t do that
much so I was really conscious of making it varied and not having it become
boring or mechanical.� I just want their
chemistry to jump of the screen and bludgeon you�so I guess that�s working, hehe.

Meankitty69: I know exactly what you mean with the heart
clenching.� That�s the feeling I get when
I read a really well written romance, so I�m glad I�m pulling it off for your
guys.� Though, I�m sure half of you want
to strangle me for not making it easy for them�

Muffy: Aww,
here�s some tissues.� Hopefully I won�t
have to pass out as many soon�

Elladee:
Thanks!� You certainly aren�t the only
one who doesn�t want them to separate.� I
think I�ve gotten that message, lol.� Read on�

HermioneMalfoyFan:
Don�t you hate when people are in love and it�s obvious to everyone but
them?� So irritating.
*clucks tongue*� Hermione
isn�t going to drop a bomb on anyone just yet.�
But, she will be ending things with Ron in the immediate future�

Caughtinblacksgreyeyes:
Doesn�t everyone want a Lucius of their own?� I don�t despise Ron.� It�s just that I never felt he and Hermione
were meant to be.� Also, having known men
like Ron, it�s easy for me to characterize someone as he is.� He�s not a bad guy, he just wants what he wants
and is trying to get it out of someone who can�t or won�t provide it.� These are things we often do to ourselves in
relationships�

Morganabythesea:
I think I laughed good and hard at your first review.� You�re not a horrible reviewer.� I would welcome your technical assessments,
so don�t hold back!� It�s in the life
plan to write novels, so I�d keep my loyal readers abreast of that, of
course.� Both Lucius
and Hermione are really coming alive and realizing that their strength is in
each other as much as it is themselves alone. :)

Jessie: While caressing her lol!� I do have plans
for the m-word.� Stay tuned.

Ambur_nikole:
No worries, and thanks for sticking with me.�
You�re not quite out of the emotional barrage yet�

Thalia:
Yeah, I�m on too many sites and have crazy and inconsistent updates on some of
them.� I try to keep on top of things but
I�m just so busy at the moment.� Eek.� I think they are
meant for each other, too�and hopefully this is a quick enough update for ya!

LaBibliographe:� Really?�
A grey suit?�
I didn�t know that.� I am oh so
glad that Mr. Isaacs queened him up, lol!� Let�s just say
those trousers showed off the perfection of BOTH sides, hehe.� You�ve summed up what�s going to happen with
Ron perfectly.� Their dismal conversation
was about how they could never be together publicly and that they were playing
house, as it were.� Lucius�s
fibbing at the party was more to entertain himself
than anything else, hehe.� Remember our dear Lucius
has never been in love, so he isn�t quite prepared for the way he�s
feeling.� But at the same time, he knows
his time is limited so he is more open to experiencing all those emotions�

Mara: Whoa!� Tantrum!�
Hehe.� As you can see, I�m
not leaving you hanging.� This chapter
just kicked my door down and demanded to be written, basically.� Take a deep breath and read on�

<><><>

He dreaded waking.� He had not been sure he would even be able to
fall asleep, but the wine�s seductive charms had made him more amenable to
slumber�s call.� It had also made him
more amenable to strong emotions.� But
who was he kidding?� The emotion that
rushed at him the moment he opened his eyes was just as strong and he hadn�t
had a drop to drink.

He closed his eyes
immediately.� They were stinging
dangerously.� He knew he was alone in the
great bed.� And Lucius
had been alone for much of his life, but it had never been so
painful as this.

He lay there for a long time, aware
that it was silly and maudlin to do so.�
He just didn�t want to get up, because doing so would make it real.� It would signal the start of a new day, a new
time�one in which he was set adrift.�
Hermione had chipped away at him and many of his walls had fallen under
her onslaught.� Now she was gone and he
was entirely unprotected � from the inside and
the outside.

He wanted to hate her.� He wanted to despise what she had done to
him, what he had allowed her to do.� But
he felt sick when he tried.� He felt sick
when he didn�t try.� He just felt sick.

Lucius
curled beneath the blankets and willed sleep to take him again.

Hermione sat in her flat feeling
shaky.� She knew she was doing the right
thing, but it still terrified her.�
Sometimes the right thing was
frightening.

She looked at the clock.� Ron was late.�
What a great surprise.

Thankfully, he wasn�t that
late.� He knocked at her door five
minutes later, preventing her from working herself up too greatly.� She stood up robotically and answered the
door.

�Hey,� he said, leaning over to
give her a peck on the lips.� He didn�t
even acknowledge that he was late.

�Hi,� she replied, not consciously
reciprocating.� He walked in and set his
broom by the door.� That was obviously
why he�d been late; he had flown instead of apparating.

In typical Ron fashion, he walked
over to her small kitchen table and helped himself to a handful of the peanuts
she always had sitting there.� She liked
to munch sometimes and Ron had always been endlessly thankful for that, since
he was more or less a bottomless pit.� He
usually ate more of her food than she did.�
It was a joke between them that the outside world would think that no
one fed him � which was the biggest fallacy ever, because Molly always made
sure that he was seen to.

�I didn�t think you wanted me to
come over,� he said.� �You didn�t send me
a letter.�

�You were supposed to contact me,
Ron, and yesterday, at that,� she said quietly.�
This was a game he played sometimes � pretending he didn�t know or
recall what had gone on.

�Oh.� I�m sorry, Hermione, I forgot.� I�ve been so distracted with these flying
formations.�� He smiled.� �I flew over here today to practice.�

She nodded.� She couldn�t even crack a smile at his
enthusiasm, which might have made her smile before.� Swallowing, she got right to the point.

�Do you want anything else before
we sit down and talk?�

He looked up from the peanut
jar.� �Can�t we just have a nice Sunday
together?�

She just looked at him.

�What�s the matter?� he asked,
annoyance seeping into his tone.

�You must know, Ron.�

A surly look crossed his face.� �I hear that a lot, you know.� I must know what�s wrong.� And every time I tell you that I�m not psychic!�

�You don�t have to be psychic,� she
replied.� �You just have to pay
attention.�

�I do, Hermione.� You�re mad at me.� I get that.�
What I don�t get is what for.�

She took a deep breath.� There were a lot of things that she wanted to
say to him, some nice, some not so nice.�
It was difficult to control the not so nice things.� She would do her best, though; things would
be ugly enough without the intrusion of her razor-sharp tongue.

�I think you should sit down.�

�I don�t want to sit down,
Hermione.�

She took another breath.� He was so stubborn.� �All right, your choice.� I want to break up.�

�What?�

�I want to break up.�

�I heard you the first time!�� He dropped his peanut shells and thumped his
fist on the table.� �What the hell are
you talking about, breaking up?�

�I�m talking about the fact that we
aren�t meant to be, Ron.�

�Says who?� he demanded.

�Says me,� she answered as calmly
as she could.� �I�m not happy.�

�Well, I�ve got news for you,
Hermione.� You�re not the only one in
this relationship!� he sputtered.

�No,� she snapped, �I�m not.� I�m the third party and I have to compete for
attention with your auror training.�

�You know that�s important to me!� he protested.� �It isn�t fair.�

�But it�s fair for you to get
irritated when I spend time at the library or doing research?� Those things are important to me, Ron.�

�It�s not the same,� he
sniffed.� �You aren�t training to protect
people.� You�re just reading books.�

Hermione weathered a surge of
temper.� When things like that came out
of his mouth, she wanted to strangle him.

�Do you ever listen to yourself, Ron?�
What you just said is so disrespectful to me.�

�It�s the truth, Hermione, but no
one else is brave enough to say it to you.�
When I miss training, like right now, I�m missing things that can help
me save people�s lives in order to see you and be with you.� When you�re at the library reading about
goblin rebellions and infusions of frog eyeballs, nobody�s life depends on it.�

She knew he wasn�t thinking
straight.� She knew he didn�t apply logic
to his life when he was angry.� But even
though she knew that, she couldn�t help but feel annoyed at how bloody stupid he was being.

�Ronald, how do you think healers and mediwitches
save lives?� They do it by research, by
reading and experimenting, by creating new things!� Aurors aren�t the
only ones who save lives!�� Her momentum
was gathering.� �And if you ever bothered
to show any interest in what I was doing, you might know that I have been
researching cures for Cruciatus overexposure with
Neville!�

�Oh, wonderful, my girlfriend has
been spending her spare time with another man!� he nearly shouted, throwing his
hands up in the air.

�It isn�t like that, Ron, and you
know it.� Neville is with Hannah and if
you bothered to pay attention to them,
you�d know they are engaged!�� She
refused to feel guilty that for the last two weeks, she had been spending time with another man � but it wasn�t Neville,
that was for sure.

�I don�t care about books,
Hermione.� I don�t care about
research.� I never have.� Why should I try to talk about things I don�t
like and am no good at?� he demanded.

�It goes both ways, Ronald.� I�m no good at flying or quidditch
and hate both, but I still try to ask you about it.� I still try to show a little bit of interest
in how the bloody Cannons are doing even though I could care less!�

Ron had no answer for that, because
he knew she was right.� She did ask him about the Cannons frequently
and compliment him on his flying.� He
moved right on as if the point hadn�t even been made.

�We�ve always known we were
different.� We decided we didn�t
care.� Why does it matter now?� he
pleaded.

�We didn�t care about a lot of
things when we got together.�� She
collapsed onto the couch.

�What�s that supposed to mean?�

�Ron, we thought we were going to
die.�

He looked at her blankly, as if to
say �and your point is?�� She blew out a
breath.� She had to spoon feed him everything.

�We thought we were going to die
and everyone else was dying and�things were bad.� It�s only natural for people to pair off and
cling together in times like that.�

�So you mean to say that every
couple that formed during the war was just out of convenience?� he said
churlishly.

�No, Ron, if I meant to say that I
would say �every couple that formed during the war was just out of convenience.�� She couldn�t keep from rolling her eyes.� He was always putting words in her mouth.

�Then what are you saying, Hermione?�

�I�m saying that it was easy to
overlook our differences when we were trying to fight Voldemort.� We only had each other.� We dreamed of what it would be like when the
war was over, when we could just be together�that kept us going,� she
sighed.� �And now it�s over and we�re
together and everything that kept us apart before is showing itself.�

�It�s you that wants to be apart, Hermione, not me.� I want to be together.�

�You want to be with the Hermione
you think is right.� The Hermione you�ve
seen since the war.�� She looked up at
him.� �She isn�t me, Ron.�

He was quiet for a moment,
stewing.� Hermione held her breath.� Either Ron would lash out and say something
horribly hurtful now, or he would move on to a new level of adulthood and
attempt to actually discuss things with her.

�Well,� he said frostily, �I guess
I should be glad.� I should be glad that
the two years I spent in this relationship weren�t with the bossy know-it-all
who�s always talking down to me.� Tell
her hello, will you?�

And with that he collected his
broom and slammed the door.

She tried not to cry, but it was
impossible.� She bawled.

She had no idea how Ron could do
that.� She had tried so hard to be
diplomatic and not say all the unkind things she wanted to say.� That was how breakups were supposed to be
handled.� The fewer hurtful things said,
the better.� Obviously not everyone
conformed to that, but she had really tried.�
She could run off a list of grievances a mile long when it came to Ron
and she hadn�t � for all the good it did her.

This had made it abundantly,
glaringly clear, though, that she was right.�
They weren�t meant to be.�
Marrying him would have been the biggest mistake of her life.� She could thank Lucius
for making her realize that.

Lucius
was probably the second biggest mistake of her life.

Feeling awful, Hermione cradled one
of the throw pillows and cried until it was a soggy, snotty mess.

Some time later, she woke to a soft
touch and a whisper of, �Hermione?�

Her heart hoped it was Lucius, but she knew it wasn�t.� She opened her swollen eyes and looked into a
pair of concerned green ones.

�Harry,� she said softly.�

�Hey.�� He shifted to sit on the floor beside the
couch, on level with her head where she lay.

�Hi.�

He reached for a tissue and offered
it.� Gratefully, she blew her nose.

�I talked to Ron,� he said.� �Or, rather, Ron yelled at me.�

�I�m sorry,� she sniffled.� �I should have warned you.�

�It�s all right.� I�m used to his outbursts by now,� he replied
with a shrug.� �He said some pretty nasty
things and I�m sure they weren�t just confined to my company.�

She shook her head, feeling tears
prick at her eyes again.

�You know how he is, Hermione.�

�I do.�� She wiped at her eyes.� �That doesn�t mean I have to forgive it.�

�No, it doesn�t.� But the reason he gets so worked up about
things is because he loves you.� He loves
us.��
Harry had had more than his fair share of angry Ron moments, too.

�Loving people doesn�t mean that
you hurt them.�

�That�s not necessarily true,�
Harry said.� �I hurt Ginny sixth year
when I broke up with her, but it was all out of love.� I loved her and didn�t want her to be hurt
because of me, or to have to be broken-hearted if I died.� I figured being broken-hearted because I
pushed her away would be the better way to go.��
He shrugged.� �Stupid, but she
understood.�

�Ron didn�t say what he said out of
some sense of nobility.� He just wanted
to hurt me.�

Harry looked at the carpet.� He didn�t bother to rebut what she said
because they both knew it was true.� �I�m
sorry, Hermione.�

�I know,� she replied softly.� �I am, too.�

He reached up to take her hand and
squeezed it.� She squeezed back and let it
rest there for a while, enveloped in the warm surety of Harry�s palm.� She was beginning to feel a little calmer.

�I hoped you two would make it,�
Harry said after a while.� �But I
understand that you might be a little too different and better off as friends.�

Friends?� Hermione bit the inside of her lip.� She wasn�t sure friendship was on the
horizon.

�Thank you, Harry,� she
whispered.� �This means a lot to me.�

He nodded.� �You going to be
ok?�

�I think so.�

�Well, I don�t recommend dropping
by the auror training grounds if you need to talk,
but if you send a letter to Ginny, I�ll get it,� he smiled.

�Noted.�

Harry leaned forward to place a
kiss on her cheek.� �You�re a great
woman, Hermione.� Don�t forget that.�

Finally, she smiled.� Hermione stood when Harry did and hugged him
tightly.� �And even though people tell
you this all the time and I think it�s starting to go to your head, you�re a
great man.�

�I know,� he grinned rakishly, and
then laughed at himself.� �See you,
Hermione.�

After Harry�s visit, she was able
to get herself together enough to make some lunch.� It was a little early, and Merlin knew she
shouldn�t be hungry after all the food she had eaten last night, but she was
starving.� Obliquely, she knew it was
because strong emotions used up a lot of energy.� She had burned right through all that
wonderful Italian food with last night�s anguished confusion and this morning�s
masochism.

Now the resigned sadness of the
breakup was starting to be converted into anger.� She had known Ron would react the way he did,
but that didn�t excuse it.� He always had
a choice.� He was in control of his words
and actions.� Just because he tended to
behave a certain way didn�t mean he shouldn�t be held responsible when that
behavior wounded someone.� If no one
showed him that there were consequences, he would never learn to change.� And if he didn�t change, she was afraid that
Ron would end up alone.� He wasn�t that
bad of a person that he deserved to be alone.

But she was angry at him.� Right.� She spread some jam on toast and ate it
listlessly.�

She had completed step one of her
Life Changing Routine.� The only problem
was that she had no idea what step two was.

Lucius
woke some time in the afternoon.� He had
a headache.� It was the kind that
throbbed and throbbed and made life impossible.�
He didn�t know what was inside his head to make it throb so, because it
felt so empty without her stream of consciousness�

He had known,
when he severed the Vow, that it would alter their connection.� The runes were a more ambiguous bond.� He was certain it was emotional, so no doubt
she felt his misery right now, or maybe he was feeling hers.� Maybe they were both overflowing with it and
making each other even more miserable.

That was what relationships were,
right?� Shared misery?� He had said it himself during their
confrontation in the courtyard.� He
thought of the way she had jumped into his arms and kissed him and everything
began to hurt.

He had endured a great deal of
physical and mental torture in his time.�
He had been raped, of course, and had not had the luck to be accosted by
a poorly-endowed tormenter on any occasion � not that it mattered.� He had been cruciated
until his muscles spasmed, his heart palpitated, and
he lost control of his bodily functions.�
He had been left in complete darkness and silence in Azkaban�s
solitary confinement for nearly two months, accused of attacking the very man
who had attacked him and given him
this godforsaken disease.� That alone was
enough to drive any man mad, and he had considered just sinking his teeth into
his wrists until he found the artery many times.� He�d never been able to go through with
it.� The thought of Draco
stopped him.� He had no doubt they would
have left him in there to slowly go mad and if he hadn�t gotten sick.� And after Azkaban, he had been ridiculed,
taunted, and returned to an even harsher taskmaster.� He had been beaten, burned, frozen, cut, and
forced to watch someone else do all those things to the people that mattered
most to him.� He should have died a dozen
times. ��

It was kind of ludicrous that none
of that even compared with how much he hurt now.

�I don�t know what to do with my
life.�

Minerva McGonagall blinked at her
former student.� �Well, Hermione, I have
always told you that you can do anything you want.� Any field in the wizarding
world would be immensely privileged to have you.�

�I know,� she said, running her
hands through her hair.� �That�s the
problem.�

�Aren�t you working in the Muggle Affairs department at the Ministry?�

�Yes.�

�Are you happy doing that?�

�No,� she said immediately � and it
was the truth.� �It�s just something I�m
doing until I can figure out what I really want to be doing.�

�A lot of people your age find
themselves in that position.� It�s
normal, Hermione,� the older woman said with a sympathetic smile.

�Did you?�

�Well, no, I always knew I had a
talent for transfiguration.�

Hermione sighed heavily.� She needed an answer.� She couldn�t stand this limbo any longer.

�Are you all right?� McGonagall
asked, pursing her lips in concern.

�No,� she replied, again
truthfully.� �I don�t know what to
do.�� Tears filled her eyes and she
willed them away.� �I just don�t know
what to do.�� And even she wasn�t sure
what she was talking about anymore.

She had managed to explain away the
tears and dishevelment and general malaise to the breakup with Ron.� McGonagall had been unfailingly sympathetic
and supportive.� She always had been.� The older witch was sort of the like great
aunt she�d never had.

But her day wasn�t over.� Fate didn�t seem to be on her side.� For, as she walked towards the main entrance
of the castle, the Ancient Runes teacher spotted her.

�Miss Granger?�

It was Eleni
Sinistra�s voice.�
Hermione winced.� She couldn�t
ignore the woman; that would be terribly rude.�
But of all the people she didn�t
want to talk to right now�gritting her teeth, she turned.

Now she was in a second office,
drinking a second cup of tea.� Sinistra�s blend was chai and the
warm, aromatic spices were at odds with the woman�s cool, aloof visage.� She was watching Hermione very closely.

�You know,� she said, her voice
softly powerful, �there are young women in Slytherin
house, too, who get upset and need someone to talk to.� I know the signs.�� She put her cup down on its coaster.� �Have your runes gone awry?�

�No,� Hermione said miserably.� �They�re just perfect.�

Sinistra�s
face displayed a thoughtful confusion.�
Hermione would bet that she already knew that Hermione�s relationship
with Ron was over.� McGonagall, her
co-conspirator, had probably told her immediately.� She sighed; she shouldn�t have taken that
detour to see Hagrid.�
He, at least, had been wonderfully oblivious to her dampened spirits.

�You never applied them to Mr. Weasley,� the other woman deduced.� �There is someone else.�

Hermione said nothing.

�I�m not here to judge, Hermione,� Sinistra shrugged.�
�You know that I did not believe Mr. Weasley
was right for you, and there is no ring on your finger.�

�Thank Merlin,� Hermione couldn�t
stop herself from muttering.

�Then why are you upset, dear?� Now you are free to be with this other
person.�

�That�s the thing.� I�m not free.�
We�re not free.�

�Why?�

Hermione looked down at her
hands.� Was she actually going to talk
about this with Sinistra?� She felt safe, as if the other woman would
somehow understand more than the others who knew her better � and who expected
her to behave a certain way.

�He�s�� She stopped and swallowed.� �Someone I shouldn�t be with.�

�Says who?�

Hermione sighed.� �Everyone except the two of
us.�

�What is so bad about this man?�

�Nothing.� Everything.� He�s�� she winced.� She had to say it.� �He�s a Slytherin.�

Sinistra
smiled.� �You know, Hermione, there are
those in the magical community who believe that Salazar Slytherin
and Godric Gryffindor were lovers and their falling
out was�� her lips quirked, �a truly awful breakup.�

Hermione looked up.� No one had ever mentioned such a thing to
her.

�Are you one of them?�

�As a matter of fact, I am.�� She took another sip of her chai.� �Slytherins and Gryffindors are cut
from the same mold, with a few differences.�
Those differences aren�t insurmountable.�
Great love can exist between the two.��
She picked up her wand and waved it at her left hand.� Hermione�s eyes widened as a platinum wedding
band shimmered into existence.� It was,
of course, circled in runes.� �Case in
point,� Sinistra said, lowering her wand.� �I have been bound to a Gryffindor for
twenty-one years.�

To say Hermione was shocked was an
understatement.� For one thing, everyone thought Sinistra
was single.� For another, she never in
her wildest dreams would have imagined that the quietly pro-Slytherin
professor was married to a Gryffindor.

�And you�you keep it a secret?�
Hermione stammered.

�Not for the reasons you
think.�� The dark-haired woman tapped her
fingers thoughtfully.� �Let�s just say�I
have a wife and not a husband.�

�Oh,� Hermione said.� It didn�t bother her, but it was mildly
shocking.

�I just prefer that my orientation
not be spread all over the universe.�
There are still some old-fashioned people out there.� Those who matter to me know and accept my
choice.� If they don�t, well�then they
were never the people I thought they were, anyhow.�

Hermione was silent, absorbing that.� Sinistra sighed.

�Hermione, I spent a long time
denying and worrying about who I should and should not love.� It was lost time that I can never get
back.� Don�t make the same mistake.��

The headache (soul ache?) was
slowly passing.� He didn�t quite want to
die anymore.� Lucius
turned over in the bed.� That seemed to
be about all he was capable of.

Until a
squish-faced ginger cat hopped up onto the mattress.� Lucius
blinked.� That wasn�t the kitten.� That was Hermione�s cat.� That was Crookshanks.

His brain stalled.� For a few minutes, he petted the cat,
listening to its contented purrs.� Why
would Hermione leave her cat here?� He
could tell that she loved her familiar.�
She wouldn�t leave him behind.

Much to Crookshanks�
displeasure, Lucius got out of bed.

Hermione walked into the villa with
the same determination she had exited with.�
Of course, now it was for an entirely different reason.� Her chat with Sinistra
had made things crystal clear � especially the part about time she could never
get back, because her time with Lucius was
finite.� Always finite.

She knew what she wanted.� She wanted him, right now, and screw the consequences.�
If the feelings that roiled inside her were any indication, she had the
chance to experience a great love with the least likely partner.� She couldn�t turn her back on that no matter
what challenges it posed.

�Lucius?�
she called his name, breathy with exhilaration.�
She felt so good.� It felt so good to know.

He wasn�t answering.� Maybe he had gone out?� She made her way to his bedroom.� She could smell the humid, herbal scent of
his bathing products.� With happiness
soaring in her chest, she pushed open the bathroom door.

She blinked in confusion.� The tub was full, but he was�under the
water.� Still.� Eyes closed.

She panicked.� She screamed and ran to the bathtub, plunging
her arms into the water and physically pulling him to the surface.� She was so upset that she didn�t see his eyes
pop open in shock.� However, she
certainly heard his cry of,

�Bloody hell,
Hermione!�

�Oh my God!� she wailed, throwing
her arms around his wet torso.� �I
thought you had�I thought you were��

He wiped water out of his
eyes.� �I was just ducking under to get
my hair wet.� You missed my suicidal time
by about two hours.�

�Ooh!� Don�t do that to me!� she exclaimed
tearfully, punching him in the arm.� Then
she impulsively climbed into the tub with him, fully clothed.� It spilled about half the water out onto the
floor.

�Have you gone mad?� he demanded

�No!�� She laughed and kissed him everywhere that
she could reach.� He tasted of water and
scent-infused skin.

�People usually take their clothes
off before getting into the bath, unless I am mistaken.�

With a gleam in her eye, Hermione
sat up and struggled out of her shirt.�
She heard his sharp intake of breath; her bra was white and soaking
wet.� Though it left nothing to the
imagination, she pulled it off.� Then she
leaned back against his chest and wiggled out of her jeans.� That was a real challenge, since they weighed
about as much as her when wet, but she didn�t mind because she knew what effect
all her squirming was having on him.�
When she had at last cast away her sodden knickers and flip-flops, he
was at full attention.

That was just fine with her.� She turned over and kissed him, rubbing her
now-naked body suggestively against his in the water.� He was more than happy to join in her
horseplay and they wriggled and tousled and splashed water everywhere until
they couldn�t stand it anymore.� Lucius then hoisted her out of the tub and carried her,
giggling and play-fighting, back to the bed.

In minutes he was between her
thighs, filling her.� His pace was hard
and somehow victorious.� They clung and
pulled and grasped at one another, fingers digging into eager flesh as they
made love.� His shoulders were striped
with the lines of her fingertips and her hips imprinted with the shape of his
hands.� And all the while, he slammed
home inside her again and again, groaning, panting, saying her name, ordering
her to come, to say his name, damn
it, say it�

And she did.� She shouted his name, moaned it, keened it,
worshipped it as she clenched around him violently and pleasure made her go
blind.� He thrust through it with a
growl, keeping his relentless pace and stoking the frenzied fire inside her.� She was a shivering, whimpering mess of jelly
when he finally stiffened and came with a sharp, guttural cry.

In the aftermath, they lay there
gasping for breath.

�Don�t leave me,� he panted after a
long, brain-fogged moment.

Somehow she managed to string
together a coherent sentence. �I�m not�going�anywhere.�� She slid her hands down his back and cupped
his buttocks, her hand tracking over the runes.�
The feeling of the raised letters sent a hot flush of moisture to her
core.� She raised her hips against his
and put her mouth against his ear.� �Fuck
me again, Lucius.�

They were jarred out of their
mini-coma by a kitten walking on top of them.�
Lucius grumbled and shoved the ginger fur ball
away.� Hermione smiled; he didn�t yet
know that the easiest way to get a cat to bother you was to not want it to
bother you.� Sure enough, the kitten
bounced back and parked itself right next to his face.� He got a noseful of
fur and sneezed.

�Bloody thing,� he murmured.� His sentiment was annoyed, but all he did was
pet the little kitten.� Hermione�s smile
grew wider.� She loved it when a man
pretended not to like a cute cuddly creature.�
Their actions always gave them away for the wimps they were.

�Lucius,
did you decide what you�re going to name the kitten?�

�Mm,� he said, eyes closed.� �Musca.�

She considered it.� �What does it mean?�

His lips rose in a small
smile.� �Look it up.�� He opened his eyes for a moment; mirth was
dancing in his tired irises.� �It
reminded me of you.�

She raised a suspicious eyebrow at
him.� �Oh really?� It must be very flattering, then.�

�Terribly.�� The smirk gave him away.

�Hmph,�
she huffed.� She made to turn onto her
stomach and winced.� �Ouch.�

Lucius looked
over at her, quickly deducing the source of her pain.� �Sorry.�

�Don�t be.� I asked for it and I enjoyed every minute.�� Hermione shifted and hid a grimace.� The soreness was certainly worth the
incredible sex.

�As did I.�� He stretched, yawning.� �I never did get to wash my hair.�

�You�ll survive.�

�Indeed.�� Lucius laced his
hands behind his head.� �So�� he said
quietly, �what now?�

�What?�� She blinked. �She could hear the doubt in his voice.

�Well, as much as I enjoyed you
ambushing me in the bath, it didn�t provide me with many answers.�

She rolled over and molded against
his side, placing a small kiss on his shoulder.�
�I told you, I�m not leaving.�

There was a beat of silence.� Then he said, �What about your job?�

�Job?�

�Yes, you know, that thing you have
to go to in between bouts of worshipping me,� he cracked.� �Did you take more time off?� I don�t want them thinking that you�re
lazy.� They wouldn�t fire you, but--�

�Lucius,
I quit my job at the Ministry.�

He sat up so fast that she was sure
he must have made himself dizzy.�
�What?!� he nearly shouted.

�I quit.� It was just a temporary thing.�

�Hermione, no.� You can�t do that.� You can�t.�� He appeared very distressed.� �Not because of me.�

�It isn�t because of you.� I didn�t like the job.� It wasn�t what I wanted to do.�

�But the
Ministry!� It�s�there are so many
connections you can make there�so many opportunities�you can�t give that
up.�� He was up on his knees now,
pointing a finger at her.� �I won�t let
you give that up.�

She couldn�t quite take him
seriously when his penis was only a foot from her face.� She tried not to smile.� He still thought it was about him � typical Lucius.� It wasn�t
about him at all; it was about doing what she wanted to do for a change.� He just so happened to be on that list.� At least, she hoped that was why she was
doing it; she didn�t want to be the kind of woman who structured her entire
life around her significant other.� But
she was getting a little ahead of herself.

�I was there because I didn�t know
what I wanted to do.� Now I know,� she
clarified.

That settled him slightly.� He sat back on his heels.� �What will you do, then?�

�I�m going to University to become
a Healer.�

Lucius
frowned.� �Hermione��

�I�ll be applying to different
schools for the rest of the summer, and then taking the prerequisites I need at
the University in Florence
in the fall.� In January I start Healer School,
wherever I decide to go.�

�And this isn�t because you want to
save someone, is it?� he asked, his
brow furrowed.

�Well, I�d imagine everyone who
goes to Healer School wants to save people, or else why
would they go?�

�You know what I�m getting at,� he
said sharply.� �I don�t want you to make
choices based on me.� I want you to do
what is right for you.�

She stared at Lucius
for a moment.� What she would have given
to have heard those words or something similar come out of Ron�s mouth, even
once.� She had absolutely made the right
decision.

�This is the right choice,� she
said softly, and rose up to kiss the corner of his mouth.� �Healer Smythe will
be here tomorrow to help me narrow down schools.� �

He looked at her as if she was a
mirage.� �And you�ll�be staying here?�

Hermione smiled.� �The rent on my flat is paid through the end
of the year.� Are you planning on going
somewhere else?�

At last, he smiled back.� �No.�
I�ll have to go to the Manor sometimes, but I�m certain you won�t want
to accompany me there.��

�You�re right.�� She left it at that.

He reached out to stroke her
cheek.� �You know that�� he trailed
off.� She looked into his eyes patiently,
waiting for the words to work themselves out.�
�You know that I have no idea what I�m doing.�

She knew what he meant.� And the truth was�

�Neither do I.�

<><><>

A/N 2: Congratulations to Tassana Burrfoot, winner of the kitten naming contest.� She suggested the name Musca,
which means �the fly� and is used in Italian to indicate someone who is
annoying.� It made me think allll the way back to chapter 6 (?), where Lucius asks Anna the counter girl at the tea shop for
synonyms for �annoying� in an obvious jab at Hermione.� It also seemed like something Lucius would name the �unwanted� kitten to irk
Hermione.� Plus, Mr. Musca
has a knack for hovering around Lucius, so all in all
it�s the perfect name!� Tied for second
place are Brianna and Korly Grimaldi,
with the names �Photine� (Greek, light) and �Girasole� (Italian, sunflower).� Brianna, I also really liked Luminita and if the kitten had been female that would have
been my choice.� Luminito
didn�t have the same ring to it. :P� Korly, I may yet
use Girasole, possibly as the name of Lucius�s Italian estate.�
You�ll get credit, of course.�
Thank you everyone for participating, you sent in lots of great options!� And sorry it took me so long to reveal the
results�I�m bad, I know. *hangs head*

But anyhow�How did you like the chapter?!!!!?!!1 ;)
- 19
- 20
- 21
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

Hungry Thirsty Crazy