The carriage bumped to a halt as they arrived at the Malfoy beach house. Hermione looked out her window, the sky was grey and cloudy, she a dark, ominous, ocean rising and falling against pale grey sand. She looked out the other window and saw a tall, dark forest and a large dark green mansion that looked nothing like a beach house.
"This is depressing," Hermione remarked as she put her book back into her bag. She opened the door and stepped out, a cold, moaning wind blew past her, sending a nipping cold through her bare leg "What a horrible honeymoon spot!" She went back into the carriage and fished out her wand, which had been disguised to look like Luxia's. She waved it and all her belongings flew into the bag. She waved it again and everything else, including Draco, started floating. With her belongings, and Draco, floating closely behind her she walked up the dreary cobble stone path that lead to the house. Along the path there were deep green bushes with black roses blooming from them.
Why are all Malfoy houses so creepy? She wondered as the ominous wind blew past her again This is so unnecessary! She walked up the black granite stairs to a huge, black, set of doors and turned the knob, letting out a loud creak, as she opened the doors.
"Are you kidding me?" she huffed. The décor was equally as creepy and stereotypical haunted house-ish as the outside. The room was unusually dark and illuminated only with silver candle sticks. The furniture was dark and Victorian with intricate paisley patterns embroidered on then in silver thread. The rough-looking oriental rugs were green and silver with silver tassels lining two sides. The wall paper was emerald green and gaudy and covered with still-portraits with eerily blank expressions and many mirrors lined with silver. There was a faint moan and rattling of chains. "What is this?"
"Did you kill him?"
"Of course there's a ghost," She turned and saw a translucent woman floating by Draco. She had long light hair and was wearing a simple flowing gown.
"Wish I had killed my husband. What's your name?"
"H-Luxia, and you?"
"Julia. Need some help burying him, Luxia? Or are you just gonna burn him? If you are I know the perfect place. Please, can I help you?" she asked eagerly.
"H-he's not dead. I just didn't want to talk to him." She stuttered slightly startled by her reaction.
"Oh… you should kill him before you end up like everyone else."
"Everyone else?"
"Almost everyone who is a part of this family loses their soul," she said casually adjusting her hair in a mirror.
Luxia I'm going to kill you! "Is that why none of the portraits move? Who are you? How do you know this? What about me?" she asked, completely disregarding the no question rule.
"Yes… er… well… at least I think so. I was the wife of a Malfoy a long time ago and I regret it so much! They expected me to be completely submissive to my husband like all the other wives, who were just lifeless dolls."
"But what about me?"
"You should be good as long as you don't submit to them."
The chains began to rattle and something moaned again. "Julia!" It cried.
"It's been 200 years can you shut up already!" she yelled in response and the rattling and moaning ceased.
"Who is that?" Hermione was so distracted she forgot about Draco and dropped him.
"Ow…" Draco moaned, sitting up.
"Oh look, he's awake." Julia said, disgustedly, "Good luck." She flew off yelling something that Hermione didn't catch.
"What happened?" He asked rubbing his eyes. His hand suddenly rushed to his mouth and he vomited in a nearby vase.
"Ew…" What did I give him?
"What did you put in my drink?" he moaned angrily.
"Quite frankly I don't know," she said guiltily as he retched again into the vase, "I'm sorry. I didn't want to talk but I had no idea it would do that!" Damnit! Volunteered to much information!
"How could you not know?" He vomited again, "You could have just said you didn't want to talk…" His moans were muffled from the vase and the distant rattle of chains.
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"He will want to talk to you-"
"-And she won't talk to him." Ron interrupted, sitting with his arms crossed on the couch next to Hermione
"-And you will talk to him." Luxia finished annoyed.
"No she won't," he said stubbornly.
"Yes she will," She said with acid in her tone.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"YES SHE WILL!" Luxia yelled.
"NO SHE WON'T" Ron yelled back.
"WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? WE DON'T NEED YOUR HELP ANYMORE!"
"BECAUSE YOU'RE MARRYING MY FIANCEE OFF TO SOME FERRET MAN-WHORE!"
"CAN YOU TWO PLEASE ATLEAST CONSIDER MY OPINION!" Hermione yelled in a tone that made then both back down. "I am going to side with Ron-" Luxia groaned in disapproval as Ron whooped, "-because right now he's being a pretty good sport about things."
"Hermione please reconsi-" Luxia began.
"This is part of the agreement Luxia."
"But Hermione, this isn't about who's a good sport or not, it's about keeping them from knowing who you are!"
"But wouldn't I talking to him reveal that I'm not you?"
"He hardly knows anything about me in the first place. Besides, if he blacks out for an entire week that will look suspicious. And what happens if he wakes up in the middle of it?"
"Please." Hermione begged in a voice to low for Ron to hear, "I don't want to stress our relationship anymore."
"Alright," Luxia sighed.
"So, what happens when the weeks up?" Ron asked suddenly.
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Hermione was unpacking her bags in a guest bedroom, she didn't feel like spending time with a vomiting, angry Draco. She walked over to the fireplace when she had finished and tossed in some floo powder and a minute later Luxia's head appeared. Her hair was now jagged and short with burnt ends. She was covered in soot.
"This isn't a very good time," she wiped some of the soot away with a handkerchief, "What do you want?"
"He woke up," she didn't bother asking questions about her appearance.
"I told you! Is he throwing up?"
"Yeah, a lot. What do I do?"
"Nothing, it'll pass, just check and make sure he's not heaving up blood." There was a loud crashing sound from behind her. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Hermione, I have to go."
What is she doing? She wondered as Luxia's head disappeared. Hermione went and checked on Draco, who was now curled up pitifully in front of the toilet with bile on his cheek. Hermione sat down on the edge of the tub and looked at him for a second and began to feel guilty at his pained visage. She pulled out a cloth and cleaned his face and then filled a glass of water and placed it next to him.
Hermione began to think about how she should act. If only she hadn't deviated from Luxia's original plan, then she would know what to do and how to act. What would Luxia do? She was by no means the epitome of a refined lady, so there had to be something about her that Lucius liked. But what was it? She was nothing like Narcissa or any other pureblood woman. Is that it?
"I wonder…" Hermione said out loud.
A/N: Hey guys sorry for the late update, life has been hectic.