A Muddy Secret

Lovely Reviewers:

Mrs_Helene_Snape - The proper term is Schadenfreude. Those wonderful Germans! Hot UST should be back in the chapters following this one in varying degrees. *wink*

Kerima - Raman works just as well and is much cheaper.

Snapes_Goddess - It has helped some the writing. Watching extra angsty Snape/Lily youtube videos has also helped. The only canon couple that I like, even if they were only friends. Crazy about them.

LaBibliographe - How did you know about Lucius' nappies? I don't recall mentioning that tidbit. Thank you for the knowledge on italics. It has made me quite happy to see it more as I type it for myself in word first. Severus is indeed. I didn't plan this. I have an idea of where it's going, but of the journey little is certain. Difficult to say which is worse. But I do not think Lucius intended for Draco to be that way. I think he just wanted his child to be happy above all else. Check the previous chapter. I fixed the egregious grammatical error that you pointed out, and thank you for that. That picture is quite darling.

Jessie - More is just a matter of hittin' the scroll bar arrow.

Heidi191976 - But then our dear Severus would be betraying Hermione.

Citten - Hugs are always appreciated! Live! Live! No dying!

ana - I am glad that it moes your heart. That tells me I am doing a good job showing.

Mia - Happily fixed and ironed out story, by the end of the sequel you can depend upon it. Independently wealthy, I am wrestling with the truth of my current circumstance, and that is that I must get a job. I have no wealth to spare, I'm afraid and wouldn't be a good financial adviser. I am a bit miserly.

LadyVoldemort87 - That darn Abraxas! Well, he gets his. Dies of dragon-pox. Teehee! Tom! Tom! Tom! You share a country with him, and I am almost on the other side of the world from him. *huffs up and crosses arms over chest with lower lip stuck out* IT'S NOT FAIR!

meankitty69 - I imagine he would get a hug.

xineweber - Sevvie is adorable.

Utopia - I tend to agree with you. Orlando needs the long blonde hair to be at his sexiest! Why do you get to be in a Legolas-Lucius sandwich? What about the rest of us? I love blondes too! They're hot! Jason Isaacs has a hot accent too! What's wrong with Snape? Alan Rickman as him made him extra yummy. Why are all of the best actors from England? Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, Orlando Bloom. Sectumsempra? Right in one, our dear Sev. He unfortunately went the 180 degree turn with Draco. I do not believe that he meant to be a bad father. I think he wanted his child to have everything he wanted.

Miss Lilac - I am glad that you liked it. I hope it continues to be liked.

onduril - He will know the truth.

Avanell - Glad to have brought you aboard the knight bus of this fic. *wink*

HermioneMalfoyFan - I assure you I am in the process of writing this piece. Foremostly is a word. You have no idea the truth of the "child into a psycho" statement.

Lyssander - If you feel something when reading about Lucius, then I am doing a good job.
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Well, dears. Chapter IX has arrived. I am getting to feeling better by a great deal thanks to y'all reviewers. I hope to hear from y'all at the end of this chapter.

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Days flowed by like sand through an hourglass with Hermione only talking to Lucius the minimum amount necessary to ensure that her grades didn’t slip.

It was Lucius own hell come to life. Having someone he respected and come to care for deeply ignore him. He was not high enough in her regard to be treated as a house-elf.

He gave her a few days to relax toward him before he began to sit next to her in the great hall again.

He would touch her arm; she wouldn’t even bother to flinch away from him. He would talk to her; she wouldn’t acknowledge it unless it was about study. He kissed her cheek; she didn’t say a word or move a muscle. He yelled at her in the common room one evening; she had just walked by as if she didn’t hear him.

“You’re being quite cruel to Lucius,” Severus said the Saturday three weeks after Lucius and Hermione’s falling out. “I think Morgana had more compassion for Merlin than you for Lucius.”

Hermione didn’t respond. She took a sip of pumpkin juice and glanced out the corner of her eye at Lucius. At her silence, Severus stood up and walked away.

Lucius sat across the table from her. He had taken to his niffler-like behavior of following her everywhere again. He looked ghastly, as if he had hardly slept in days. Dark circles were under his eyes. His robes generally looked awful, not the normal pristinely pressed look anymore. Every morning, when she walked out of her room she would see him leaned against the wall waiting for her though she pretended not to notice. His hair was always mussed, and he hadn’t spoken to anyone but Severus for over a week, and even then, he only gave one word replies. Several of the professors had pulled him aside and asked him to talk to them about what was troubling him. He would just stare at them blankly. He hadn’t done his homework.

No Slytherin mentioned his behavior to another even within the confines of the house. It was the code of Slytherins that all abided by. Several students had been questioned and all responded with quietness. If Lucius wanted those people to know his troubles, he’d share his heartache with them.

Hermione rose a moment later and began to walk to the library. She had just reached the top of the stairs when she heard the soft patter of feet behind her. She continued as if she didn’t hear him. She didn’t want to acknowledge him. She could tell that he was sorry for what he'd done, but she needed more than that.

She returned “The History of Merlin” to Madam Pince who gave her a surly look as she walked down a long aisle of books. She probed the shelves searching for books that talked about several subjects, including potions, runes, and Merlin. She wanted to see if other authors would mention the witch he trained, Viviane or as Malfoy said she named herself Nimue.

She found several books that talked about Merlin, and when she had a stack of books formidable enough that she had to use her chin to balance them, she walked to her favorite table at the back of the library by two large windows. She quickly organized the books into stacks by subject and took a seat ready to spend the whole day reading.

Lucius peered at her through the shelves sadly. He sighed. How could he apologize to her when he did not know what he’d done? How could he gain her forgiveness when she wouldn’t look at him? He walked around the end of the shelf and walked to the corner and sat down in the window seat. Hermione was at the only table, and he couldn’t take sitting there with her impassive toward anything he tried to do for her attention.

He’d given up pretending to read. It didn’t matter if he pretended to do anything other than stare at her. It wasn’t as if she paid enough attention to him to care anymore.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The slight noise on the glass next to where he was sitting drew his attention from Hermione. He looked out and opened the window to allow a spotted owl to fly in and land on his knee. It was his father’s owl. The bird held out its leg to Lucius. He took the missive that was attached, and the bird nipped his finger drawing blood.

Lucius glared at the foul tempered monster as it flapped away. He thought about hexing it out of the sky, but his father would have his head on a platter for hurting the feathery git.

He opened the letter and paled as he read what it said. He felt numb. He began to tremble.

He looked over at Hermione. She was not paying attention to him; she was too engrossed in her book and didn't care that he was there in the first place. He approached her quietly. He had to talk to her before tonight. He needed her. He shoved the note from his father into his pocket. He didn’t want to feel alone tonight. He needed her.

“Hermione,” he asked quietly.

She didn’t look up at him or make any sign that she heard him or was listening.

“Hermione.”

He got on his knees. He felt so strange on his knees. He had never gone before a soul on his knees in his life. He was a Malfoy; he had no one to grovel before.

“Hermione, please look at me,” he said, walking on his knees till he was at her feet.

She didn't look at him, but her eyes were making no progress across the page.

Reaching up, he flipped the book closed.

She didn’t respond. She didn’t reopen the book.

He crawled between her knees and peered up into her face. She didn’t return the look.

“Please look at me, please,” he said, placing his hands on her hips lightly and leaning his face against her stomach. “Forgive me. I don’t know what I did. I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. Tell me what I did, what I can do. I need you.”

Hermione looked down at the repentant and needy Lucius Malfoy leaning against her. She threaded her fingers through his tangled, dirty hair. He shuddered and pressed closer.

“Please, forgive me,” he sobbed, wrapping his arms more tightly around her. "I'm scared."

“I do. But you must ask another’s forgiveness. I never meant to make you this way. I’ve been hard-hearted,” Hermione said, threading her fingers through his hair and stroking his cheek as he cried.

“I’m scared, Hermione. I’m so scared.”

“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Hermione answered. Her eyes widened a bit.

Lucius Malfoy didn’t cry. He was never afraid. He didn't ne-, did he? She didn’t doubt his tears.

“I’m so sorry,” Lucius said as he struggled to press closer and looked up at her. “I really care about you. I think I might love you. I’ve never loved anyone so I don’t know. I don’t know what will happen.”

Hermione slid to the floor as he cried to wrap him up more tightly. He shoved his face into her neck. Hermione rubbed his back. She wanted—what she wanted could wait. He needed her. She pressed her cheek to the top of his head. He needed her.

She let him cling to her and cry in the back corner of the library. She whispered soft words to him stroking his hair and cheek. And softly she kissed his cheek.

Once, Hermione thought she saw a light flash out the corner of her eye. When she looked out the window above them, a wickedly jagged, forked bolt of lightening painted the grey clouds, and seconds later thunder growled with the menace of a nundu hunting its prey.

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Update will be here soon.