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Catch and Release	By : AndreaLorraine Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Lucius/Hermione Views: 19606 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe aren't mine and I'm not making any profit from the writing of this fanfic.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
�� For the
first time, Lucius was gone when she woke.� Hermione would have been much more upset if
he had not left a note on the pillow next to her saying that he loved her and
would see her on Friday.� She had seen
the forlorn undercurrent in his face, heard it in his voice; the picture had
shaken him.� It was only natural that he
would need space and time to process it.

�� She had
never realized just how much sadness existed inside Lucius.� Hermione had to admit that in those very rare
moments where she caught him still, quiet, and introspective, she simply
enjoyed how beautiful he was.� She had
not put much thought into what it was that dashed the words and energy from him
and created that far-off look in his eyes.�
Incidents like that were so infrequent that she figured he was simply
tired.

The fact that he was remorseful
about his past had gone a long way in winning her over.� Now she felt a worm of anxiety about just how
remorseful he might be.� He seemed happy
when they were together and she had no doubt that he was, but that eddy of
melancholy was always in him.

In hindsight, her �gift� seemed
silly or even unkind.� It had served as a
reminder of what he couldn�t have.�
Though her heart had been in the right place (and still was), and he
swore up and down that he was glad she had brought the picture, Hermione knew
it had wounded him.� She also knew that
he was fully aware that there was no malice in her presentation of the
photograph.

So she had unintentionally hurt
him.� Hermione sighed and snuggled into
the Lucius-scented bedclothes.� Her mother often said that the road to hell
was paved with the best of intentions�

She wished he was there to reassure
her, but she very much understood why he wasn�t.

Hermione worried about him on and off
during the week.� She loved Lucius; she had for a long time.� If she thought about it, she could trace it
back to a time in Japan, not
long after their reunion in Greece.� The hotel maid had been observant enough to
notice that they weren�t married.� From
there, she had made the assumption based on the age discrepancy that she was was Lucius�s mistress or just a
lowly prostitute.�

The woman had expressed her opinion
to her coworker as they left the room, mistakenly believing that they wouldn�t
understand her.� Hermione didn�t, but Lucius did.� He
became so angry that Hermione was a little afraid.

He�d bitten back in perfect
Japanese.� To this day Hermione had no
idea what he said, but the maid blanched whiter than death and did not return
the next day.� At first she hadn�t been
sure what to make of the exchange.�
Later, when he calmed down and was able to relate to her the contents of
the maid�s monologue, Hermione felt a little perplexed at the intensity of his
reaction.

�Lucius,�
she recalled saying, �a lot of people will probably make those
assumptions.� It doesn�t bother me.�

�It bothers me,� he retorted with a
cross of his arms and an agitated tone.�
�I will not stand for anyone referring to you in such language.� You aren�t that kind of woman.�

At first it had been hilarious to
her that Lucius Malfoy was
defending her honor.� Then, as it sunk
in, she realized that it represented a complete reversal in the way he thought
about her.� She was an equal, a
worthwhile person�a lady.

That was when the walls around her
heart had finally given in, crumbled under the weight of the passion he showed
night after night and the undeniable evidence of his reform.� It was the second time she had gone down that
precipitous slope of love.� Somehow, they
embraced the mutual, unspoken clue that it was better left undiscussed
and simply marched on.

He had altered things now.� By speaking his love out loud, their
relationship changed imperceptibly.� That
didn�t bother her.� Thoughts of the
future did.

What if he wanted to get
married?� It would have to be a Muggle wedding, and a very small one.� In fact, it would be best if no one was there
at all, save the two of them, the official, and a witness.� Hermione sighed.� Essentially, it would be an elopement that
nobody could ever know about, and if that was the case, was it really worth it?

She slapped herself in the
forehead, causing Padma to glance up and give her an
odd look.� Padma
was used to such behavior, apparently, because all she did was return her attention to her paperwork.� Hermione frowned and slouched in her
seat.� She was being ridiculous.� Lucius was not
suddenly going to declare his boundless desire to be married.�

Truthfully, she didn�t want to be
married again, either.� What she had with
Lucius now was just fine.� But what was the next step?� Did there need to be a next step?

She sighed and touched the small
stack of postcards she kept in the drawer.�
They were her favorite ones for whatever reason, be it a beautiful
picture or a well phrased comment that was quintessentially Lucius.� She looked at them when she missed him, which
was often, but was careful not to moon over the slices of paper when Padma was about.

The week was already dragging, and
it was only Monday.

The remaining workdays were
interminable.� Hermione felt like a child
with ADHD trying to sit through the most boring of school days.� Her mind was never on what it was supposed to
be, everything she read went straight out of her mind, and she fought a very
real urge to assault her boss when a Thursday afternoon meeting ran late.� All of it seemed so unimportant.� For the first time, she began to see what Lucius had meant when he taunted her about working at the
Ministry so long ago.

She could do bigger and better
things, and maybe one day soon, she would.�
Friday morning dawned at last.�
She had to go in to work to finish a report that had fallen victim to
her fractured thought process.� Now that
the end of the week was so near, Hermione was certain she could get it together
long enough to edit and finish the report.�
Then she�d get the coordinates from the book and be off to see Lucius.

She anticipated only being there
two hours, at most.� Somehow, the time
flew by and it was lunchtime before she knew it.� The mail was delivered and out of force of
habit, she picked up hers and Padma�s.

�You�re still here?� Padma said, in response to her mail being dropped on her
desk.

�Unfortunately, yes,� she replied
absently, sifting through her own missives.�
Instantly, Hermione frowned.�
There was a postcard among them.

�I thought you�d be gone to spend
the weekend with your man.�

�I�m trying to get out of
here.� This damn report won�t write
itself.�� She slid behind her desk.

�Yeah, shame no one ever figured
that one out.�

Hermione barely heard Padma.� She was
holding the postcard, white side up, and blinking at the words scrawled upon
it.� In Lucius�s
handwriting, it said:� Will you be there when I get out?

What on earth was he talking
about?� When he got out of what?� Confused, she turned the postcard over.� Her heart sunk.

London, England.� It was a generic thing with a picture of Big
Ben, the kind of postcard any tourist could buy for a few pence while wandering
goggle-eyed around the city.� Hermione
swallowed.� He could not be here.� Why would he�

�No,� she said out loud.

Padma
glanced up.� Taking in her office mate�s
pale visage, she grew concerned.� �Is
everything all right, Hermione?�

Hermione didn�t respond.� She couldn�t.�
She pulled open her desk drawer and frantically dug beneath the stack of
postcards for the nautical log book.� He
ought to have written his coordinates in already.� He had
to�

There they were, in his familiar
penmanship.� Hermione pointed her wand at
the map that straddled the far wall of the office and cast a location
spell.� No, this could not be.� He must have written them incorrectly.� Why would he give her the coordinates for the
Ministry of Magic?

�No,� she repeated, well on her way
to panic.� �No, no, no��

�Hermione, what is it?� Padma demanded, alarmed.

She simply stared at the other
woman, tears filling her eyes.� If she
got down to the Auror offices quickly enough, perhaps
she could stop him.� Maybe, by some
miracle, she could get him out of here undetected�

She turned and fled, leaving a
bewildered Padma behind.

Their security was pathetic.� No alarm announced his presence.� He stepped out of the guest entrance like he
did it every day.� Nary a wizard or witch
gave him a second glance even though he was not in a robe and had his hood up
to cover his hair.� Perhaps they had all
forgotten him.� How long had it been?

Not for the first time, he asked
himself why he was doing this.� The
answer always came easily.� He was doing
it because he didn�t want to be written out of his own life.� There was very little of the previous Lucius Malfoy that he wanted; his
family was the only aspect of that life that mattered, and it mattered so much
that he was willing to step back into those former roles to have it back.� He wanted to know his grandchildren, even if
it was only through iron bars, and he wanted to be something other than a
villain to his son.

Merlin, they were oblivious.� A fugitive was walking in their midst, bold
as brass, and no one noticed.� Everyone
was so busy with their own microcosm.� He
didn�t fit into any of them.� The mark of
a successful escape, he supposed, was that he well and truly disappeared�

Ah, but he was about to return, and
they wouldn�t soon forget it.� He hoped
it was enough of a gamble.� He hoped he
wasn�t going to be ignored by the very people he came back for.� He hoped he wasn�t making the biggest mistake
of his life.

Hermione was running.� She knew that she was bumping into a lot of
people, but there was no time to apologize.�
He couldn�t do this.� Why, after
everything, would he do this?

The lift was too slow.� She nearly cried in frustration.� At last it reached the floor she needed and
she helped the doors open with her wand.�
The lift made sounds of protest, but it was already well behind her.

Oh, God.� She could see him.� She knew the shape of his shoulders, his
back, and he was the only one who would have his hood up, to hide that
trademark hair.� The hair she had run her
fingers through so many times�

He was walking straight towards the
Auror office.�
She wasn�t going to make it.� His
long legs carried him too fast.� If she
screamed for him, it would be conspicuous and only lead to the same
result.� Tears spilled down her
cheeks.� Why was he leaving her?

The bored Auror
behind the desk glanced up at him.� �May
I help you?�

Lucius
cleared his throat and summoned his courage.�
Then he pushed back his hood.�
�Yes.� I�m here to turn myself
in.�

The Auror
stared at him.� Then his jaw
dropped.� Reflexively, he slammed his
palm against a button under the desk.�
The wail of an alarm filled the room.

Lucius
raised his hands to show that he wasn�t armed.�
Any second now, the room would fill with Aurors.� He had come peacefully, but he had no idea if
he would be arrested in kind.� Aurors tended to be a bit overzealous.� He had prepared himself for that.� This road wasn�t going to be easy, but he
would be able to bear it as long as it got him what he wanted.

Here they were.� Six men, four women, all stunned and confused
that he would just walk in and give himself up.�
Nothing happened for a very long moment.�
He merely stared at them, hands up, and waited.

The stalemate couldn�t last.� Two Aurors moved at
the same time, and a pair of Stunners converged upon him, tossing him down a
well of blackness.

She saw the jets of red light
flying at him and she lost her head.�
Hermione opened her mouth to scream, to beg them not to hurt him, but a
hand clamped over her lips before a squeak escaped.� Padma dragged her
away with a strength she rarely had to demonstrate.

Hermione didn�t fight her.� By the time they got back to their floor,
Hermione was leaning against Padma, sobbing into her
shoulder.� Padma
returned every questioning glance they got along the way with a scathing,
leave-us-alone kind of look.� Nobody
stopped them.

When at last they were back in the
privacy of their office, Padma deposited Hermione in
her chair.� Hermione slumped in it,
utterly defeated, tears coursing down her face and her body shaking with grief.

�It was him all along, wasn�t it,� Padma said, her voice sharp.

�Yes,� Hermione whispered.� Then her face crumpled into another round of
sobs.

The Indian witch paced.� �Damn it, Hermione,� she said softly.� �I just thought you�d met some flashy
businessman who was always traveling.� ��She looked at the map.� �But it all makes sense.�

�He�s n-not a bad p-person,�
Hermione hiccupped.� �He changed.�

�He must have.� You hated him.�

She didn�t know how she ever could
have.� The man she thought she hated was
only a caricature, buoyed by awful memories of the war.� The one she�d met, fought, talked to, tried
to outsmart, slept with, and eventually loved was so far removed from
everything she had known.

�How did it happen?� Padma asked.� Her
tone had softened now, recognizing that her friend and office mate was
devastated.�

�My vacation.� The Library at Alexandria � he was there.�� She sniffled.�
�At first it was like cat and mouse.�
I couldn�t catch him.� Then I
decided to try a different tactic � talking to him, spending time with him,
gaining his trust, in the hopes that he would let his guard down one day and I
could bring him in.�� Hermione let her
face drop into her hands.

�You got in too deep,� Padma murmured.� �You
fell for him.��

She nodded, feeling another fresh
well of tears against her palms.� �He
told me he loved me.� I should have known.� He wouldn�t have said it if he wasn�t
planning on doing this.� God, why did I
have to give him that stupid picture, what is wrong with me?� she gasped.� She was beginning to feel hysterical.

�What picture?�

�Last week I gave him a picture of
his family.� He�d never even seen his
grandchildren.� I thought I was being so
nice and wonderful,� her breath hitched, �but it was just like stabbing a knife
into his heart.�

Padma
frowned.� �He�s the reason he can�t see his family, Hermione.� You shouldn�t feel guilty.�

Hermione couldn�t be
comforted.� �Oh, God, what are they going
to do to him?� What if they hurt
him?� Why
did he have to do this?�� She looked up
at Padma, entirely vulnerable.� �Wasn�t I good enough?�

Padma�s
heart broke for her.� Hermione had been
through the wringer with Ron and from the looks of things, she had fallen very
hard for Malfoy.�
She gathered the other witch into her arms again and stroked her wild
curls.�

�You are too good for him,
Hermione, and I�m sure he knows it.�

She cried against Padma�s chest, every fiber of her being contorted in one
big ache, because Lucius had said as much himself.
- 7
- 8
- 9
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