Chapter Seven: Cold-hearted in the Cold Snow

Chapter Seven: Cold-hearted in the Cold Snow

He felt the soft, slight frizz of hair tickling his chin. He dropped her without another thought. He looked down at her, sprawled on the floor, attempting to pull herself up and avoid any of the broken shards of glass near her palms.

"Thank you so much," Hermione said sarcastically, dusting her hands off on her long, dark jeans that Lucius just happened to notice elongated her legs.

"You were the one so anxious to get away Ms. Granger," Lucius sneered down at her. Sean began to inch his way toward Hermione but stopped short as the barkeep stepped into the middle of the scene.

"Now, now…" He began, walking around the four set in the middle of the scene. "I think I'm going to have to ask you two to leave," the bartender said, pointing to Sean and Hermione.

"Yes sir," Hermione began, grabbing Sean angrily by the hand and marching for the front door.

"Eve, I think you should leave for the night also." Eve locked eyes with her boss, obviously furious. Lucius cleared his throat. Her eyes, hazel and bright, flicked over him.

"Alright, I'll go. Come on Lucius, you were going to walk me home, no?" The fire in her eyes licked his body up and down and he knew that the passion that hadn't had a chance to explode yet surely would cover him the minute he'd gotten her alone. The night wouldn't be a complete waste after all.

"Sure Eve, lets get out of here," He signaled to the barkeep and took her by the elbow to exit the smoky bar. As they walked outside the cold air of winter hit him like a ton of bricks. Obviously, Eve was also freezing because she squeezed herself beneath his arm, snuggling for warmth. Lucius glared down at her. Normally he wouldn't allow such a blatant show of affection, but he was rather cold and her body felt good holding the wind off of him.

"Get off me!"

"What was that love?" Eve asked pulling closer beneath his arm.

"How in bloody hell would I know?" Lucius said, dropping his arm from her shoulder to her waist.

"Uuuuughhhh!"

"You stop it, I said!"

"Lucius, I think its coming from that snowed-in embankment. Something is not right. You should go check it out," Eve pleaded, adjusting her coat to pull it tighter while she looked over her shoulder into the darkness.

"No Eve. It is none of our business…" Lucius began just as a spark shot up from the snow bank into the sky. "You know maybe I will go check it out…" Lucius disentangled himself from Eve and started towards the empty field across the way from the pub. He took his wand out of his inner coat pocket and held it tight in his hand. He wasn't nervous. He'd accomplished much more terrifying things in his lifetime than stray sparks and a few screams and grunts. As he came toward the top of the hill, he readied himself for what might be lying on the other side.

"Lumos," he whispered, lighting his wand and pointing into the darkness. He heard quite a bit of shuffling before his wand finally enlightened the figure of Sean. He rose drunkenly and stumbled toward Lucius. Lucius trailed the wand light from Sean to the dark pile beside him not two feet away. Quickly it hit him that it must be Granger lying there. She'd been struggling against him when he stunned her with some sort of spell.

Lucius looked back to Sean who was slowly making his way up the embankment with his wand held out to Lucius as if he was going to hex him. Lucius laughed into the night as he waved his wand leisurely at Sean, causing him to fall backward tumbling down the hill.

"What's going on Lucius?" Eve asked, running towards him at the sudden thud Sean made, hitting the pile of snow. Her eyes drifted down to the pile that was Sean on the ground and then looked over noticing Hermione. She shivered a bit, clearly uncomfortable with the realness of the situation.

"Did you..?" She asked pointing to the bodies. Lucius shook his head.

"Just him… just stunned."

Eve took careful steps leading the way towards Hermione in the cold snow. Lucius followed her, curious himself to see the damage that stupid boy had done.

"I think she's all right, darling," She whispered kneeling at Granger's side feeling for a pulse.

"Good. Let's go then. Wouldn't want to stick around to see them wake up." Lucius said pulling at Eve's coat collar.

"We can't just leave her! She'll freeze to death!"

"Twenty minutes ago you were lunging at her throat!"

"I didn't want to kill her… and this isn't her fault… Sure, she chose to go out with that worthless thing over there, but the poor girl probably couldn't get any better. At least try to wake her up." Eve looked up at him pleadingly, her eyes bright and sad. He took out his wand and pointed it directly at Grangers, casting the spell to awaken from a stun. Nothing. She just lay there motionless.

"Try it again," She asked, adjusting her position so her knees weren't buried in the snow. Lucius tried again.

"That bastard must have hit her with something bloody hard," Lucius said stashing his wand back in his pocket. "There is nothing else we can do for her and we can't bloody hell wait for her here in the snow for her to wake up.

"No, you're absolutely right. We need to take her with us."

"Are you out of your bloody mind?"

"No I'm serious. What if he wakes up first and starts back at whatever he was after. And do you really want a girl left to die in the snow on your conscious?" She looked so serious. He didn't care really. He could leave her here to die for all he cared. But people at the pub had seen them together at the bar and Eve would talk for sure… and if she did die… He'd been trying to lay low. Damn it all- he took his wand out again and pointed it at Hermione. She began floating in the air, her brown hair dropping down beneath her.

"Lead the way," Lucius said gruffly.