Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Adjustment	By : MariaTeresaQuintanar Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Snape/Hermione Views: 22820 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do not make any money from the writing or posting of this story.

Chapter List
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Hello! Happy day to all. Just a quick warning--hold on to your socks, folks, and get ready for...What the heck! Go on and read it for yourselves. Have fun and please REVIEW!

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Chapter Twenty-two

            Unlike any other time Hermione had gone into a pensive memory, she landed on her feet. Or it should be said that she ended up in Severus’s arms and he in fact landed on his own feet. Opening her eyes, she blushed and apologized as she slipped down to the ground. She even muttered something about never doing well landing with floos either, but then the memory was in motion and all was forgotten about personal embarrassments.

            Lucius and Narcissa were dining quietly and were being rather ordinary. She was eating as she was listening to Lucius expounding about how the business was improving.

            “In another two or three years, pet, we’ll be back on our feet. Just you see.” He smiled at her, taking her hand and squeezing it.

            “That’s nice, Lucius.” Hermione frowned as she went over to Narcissa in order to look at her more closely.

            “She’s running on autopilot,” she told Severus.

            “What?”

            “Everything is going in one ear and out the other while she’s saying everything she’s expected to say to him,” she explained. “Look at her. She couldn’t care less what he says.”

            “Business was never something she was interested in,” he replied. “But I see what you mean, she looks bored.”

            “How can you tell?” she asked, attempting to look at the older witch more closely that held close to no expression on her pale face.

            “It’s in her eyes,” he pointed out to her. “When Narcissa is bored, her eyes go rather dull in color.”

            Standing up all the straighter, she asked him, “And why is it that you took note of her eye color in such a fashion?”

            A small thrill went through him, as he realized the witch was jealous. “I was a spy,” he told her. “I took note of everything about everyone.” He went over to Hermione, kissing her mouth hard and possessively. “Care to hear about how fire whiskey made Crabbe Senior flatulent, but he drank it anyway in fear that the dark lord would kick him out of the inner circle meetings? Something that ended up happening anyway due to the fire risk he posed to the others in the room.”

            She was giggling at his story, when she took note of something very much out of place in the Malfoy household. Calming down, she went over to where it was hanging from and was looking up at it.

            “That doesn’t in anyway belong here,” she told him.

            Frowning he asked, “What is it?”

            “A muggle lighting device called a spotlight,” she told him, looking around more. “Usually used for lighting on a stage or in a studio when filming. There are more of them.” There had to be at least fifty spotlights all pointed and aimed directly at Lucius at the head of his table.

            “Merlin, just how many of them are there?”

            “More importantly, just what kind of light bulb is going to be lit?” she inquired of no one in particular as she tried to see what kind of bulb was there. About the only thing she did take note of was the dust on the lighting fixtures themselves, telling her that they had been there for some time without even the house elves taking note of them.

            “Why is that so important to know?” Severus joined her.

            “The kind of lighting can determine whether or not Lucius’s sight can be repaired if it’s a muggle means that was used. The magic used to enhance it, could have made the damage worse. But if we can find out just that little bit, we’ll have something to work with.”

            But just then someone charged into the room. Hermione turned to see Blaise there looking rather frantic.

            “What is it this time?” Lucius drawled sounding bored and the slightest bit perturbed that their meal was being disrupted.

            “I had to take Draco to Saint Mungos,” he told them.

            “Alcohol poisoning again, I presume?” questioned the older man sounding bored. “I told him…”

            “Lord Malfoy, you’ll have to pardon me, but Draco isn’t the one that is refusing the suit,” Blaise cut in. “It’s Pansy. She’s in a relationship and they have been bonded already.”

            “What?!” he yelled. “Why wasn’t I told this?”

            “Draco has tried,” he said. “But you don’t listen, leaving him in a rather difficult situation.”

            Relaxing back in his chair, his eyes narrowed as he inquired, “It wouldn’t be you by any chance?”

            “Are you kidding me? Pansy’s…”

            “Right here and can explain herself.” Standing confident and proud, the witch had grown into her looks with the help of some glamours Hermione was certain. Tossing back her sleek mink brown hair, Pansy walked over and said, “I told Draco my father had me sign that contract under duress. He said the very same thing had happened to him and that it didn’t matter. That once we had a son, specifically a legitimate heir, that we could go our own ways.” Her features went tight. “That was something I couldn’t live with.”

            “Do you think I care a wit what you want?” Lucius asked, his features as hard as stone as he said as much. “We had a contract.”

            “And I have a wife,” she told him. “That is a binding magical contract that trumps yours in any magical court anywhere on the planet.”

            His mercurial eyes went nearly white hot in rage. “Are you telling me…”

            “No, I am.” And Millicent Bulstrode stepped out of the shadows. She went over to Pansy, murmuring, “You shouldn’t have come here alone, love.”

            The smaller witch softened at her words. “I can handle myself.”

            “I know…”

            “Enough!” Getting to his feet, Lucius erupted, “How dare you break the contract! That marriage contract had been in place since you were both born and signed by the two of you at the age of consent!”

            “I was threatened with having my magic stripped of me and killed rather painfully!” Pansy screamed. “I had no choice, but to sign even knowing I was lying at the time I was doing so! Something you should know as well, as you knew damn well Draco wasn’t even close to being interested in me.”

            Lucius’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted again, but this time from an unexpected source.

            “Is that true?” came from Narcissa.

            Turning to his wife, he said, “Not now…”

            “You would have condemned our only child to a loveless marriage, turning his back on the life he wants and for what?” she asked him, her voice sounding brittle.

            “Narcissa…” he started, sounding condescending only to end up screaming when she took the fork that she had been eating with and plunged it straight into his thigh. She pulled it straight out, tossing it aside, and even went so far as to heal him just as quickly.

            Narcissa stood up slowly. “I am a trained witch, Lucius. I gained my mastery in medical magic young so I could go and do as my parents wished to marry you. It was a fluke that we were meant to be, but I ensured it in my own way—just as I tried to protect my family along the way as best as I could. I thought I’d done everything right.” She laughed bitterly. “I’ve done everything I could to make certain that my son wouldn’t be subjected to the same.” She looked to the young witches and young wizard in front of them, her face crumbling as she whispered, “I did everything wrong, didn’t I?” She looked over to Lucius, who was looking to his wife puzzled. “We put him through hell, made a boy go through tasks that no man should have done—never mind a boy…”

            “He was spoiled!” Lucius snarled.

            “As all children should be!” she screamed back. “If being in a safe home, being loved and protected is being spoiled…” She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “He drinks himself to illness constantly, Lucius. There isn’t a day he doesn’t pour liquor into himself and for what? Because he can’t live with the memories of the war and you won’t let him get the help he needs.” She waved to the witches. “And now this? You can’t force them to wed anymore than your own father could have forced you to marry anyone other than me!”

            “That’s what you think,” he snarled, whipping out his wand and hexed Pansy.

            Everyone seemed to start screaming at once, as the scene seemed to go into slow motion. Pansy crumpled into Millicent’s arms.

            It was a horror stricken Narcissa who turned to Lucius who was snarling, “She will marry my son or she dies.”

            “What have you done?” Narcissa screamed. “Lucius! What have you done?”

            “Unless she marries my son…”

            “Take it off of her!” Millicent screamed. “Reverse the hex! You’re killing her!”

            “Not unless she…” Millicent whipped out her own wand, hitting Narcissa with a hex of her own.

            Shock and pain ripped through the older witch as she crumbled to the ground. Lucius screamed in outrage, catching his wife. Narcissa was panting as her own magic and living energy seemed to be tearing away from her.

            “Stop this!” Lucius demanded, tears threatening in his voice as much as violence. “You’re killing her!”

            “Then take the hex off of Pansy!” she screamed.

            “She will marry…”

            “Then she dies!” Millicent growled.

            “The lights…” Pansy whispered. “Turn on the lights…I can’t see…Millie…It’s so dark…I’m scared.”

            “Don’t be scared. I’m right here. You’re not alone…” Millicent glared at Lucius, tears streaking her face. “Stop this!”

            “Never!” he yelled, certain that they were in a stalemate he would ultimately win.

            “Cover your eyes, Millie,” came from Blaise.

            In that instant there was a flash of light from the ceiling, going dimmer and allowing Hermione and Severus to see everything almost like a photograph in the next instant. Lucius was looking down at the waxen face of his wife, smiling peacefully in a coma. Millicent was holding the equally still, yet living, body of Pansy Parkinson, covering both of their faces from the bright light overhead. And the harded face of Blaise Zabini pointing his wand straight at Lucius, as everything went black.

TBC...

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Wow! I won't bother to ask if you saw that coming. I hope you liked it. Let me know what you thought of it and what you think is coming next.

Time for Famous Last Words: Movie Edition! The answers to the last quote are, "Evita", the characters who sang the last line were the Embalmers, but since no one playing the parts were on screen nor are they well known at the time I asked you who sang immediately before them and that was Chè (Antonio Banderas), and directed by Allan Parker. A selection of their choice of e-books (Again I wish these were real) goes out to Sailor_Sol and Darquehart for knowing the movie and the character that sang before the embalmers! Well loved copies of their favorite books goes out to ChaosLady for knowing the movie! If I missed you I'm sorry.

And that was the last of our game in this story. I want to thank everyone that have participated. This has been a blast to make up and play. I just wish that I could have really sent out the prizes. I hoped you liked it as much as I did creating it.

Not to worry, the story isn't finished yet (There are two more chapters to go). I'll be posting them before you know it. Please review!
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