Updated at last! Apologies for the wait.
As usual, all characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
When Lucius and Hermione strode through the ski patrol office the next day on Enchanted Peaks resort, two witches had already gathered there. Hermione recognized them immediately as Narcissa Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.
"Granger? What are you doing here?" Pansy spat out when she spotted Hermione.
"I'm here with my husband," she coolly replied, glancing at Lucius.
"Your husband?" Pansy snorted. "Is this a joke?"
If Narcissa Malfoy was surprised by the news, she didn't show it, her face was etched with worry of another kind.
"Lucius, they said there was an avalanche when Draco was skiing on the Suicide Run," she told her ex-husband. "The entire run was closed off due to weather conditions, but they didn't listen."
"What was he doing on it?" Lucius barked, looking at Pansy. His eyes alight with fury. "Why on earth would he get it into his head to ski on such an atrociously named trail?"
Tears flowed down Pansy's eyes. "It was a bet. A stupid bet," she admitted. "Suicide Run is a double black diamond and whoever lost our bet was supposed to ski it. Draco lost the bet and when I tried to convince him to postpone it until the weather got better, he refused!"
"What is this double black diamond?" former Mrs. Malfoy asked.
"Trust the word 'diamond' to pique your interest," Lucius muttered under his breath.
"It's an experts-only run on the slopes. A regular black diamond is difficult even for good skiers, but a double black diamond is even harder," Hermione explained. "Suicide Run is at the top of the mountain and is considered to be the most dangerous and difficult run on Enchanted Peaks."
"Know-it-all," Pansy mumbled.
Hermione ignored the witch.
Lucius turned to look at her. "How do you know this?"
"I've read the tourist guidebook about Enchanted Peaks on the way here," Hermione answered. "There's even a map of all the runs and trails. Besides, I've been skiing with my parents since I was very young."
"So he was caught in an avalanche on the most dangerous part of the mountain. That's just perfect," Narcissa summed up. "Pansy, I thought you were a good influence on my son. I thought you were someone who could make him stop with the childish antics. It's blatantly obvious now that I was wrong. All you do is encourage his foolishness and now he's out there in the cold, injured or worse! From now, your liaison is over. Do you understand? I never want to see you near him ever again."
Pansy wailed at her words.
"Now, now, folks, don't get worked. It's important to stay calm in these situations," came a voice from one of the ski patrol guys, who hovered over the maps on the table.
"Who are you?" Lucius imperiously demanded.
He gave him a friendly smile and extended his hand. "I'm Scott Albright, head of the ski patrol. We'll find your son, sir. I'm from the Rockies, we used to handle those situations all the time over winter and spring breaks."
Lucius didn't shake the man's hand, even after Hermione stealthily nudged him in the ribs.
She placed her own hand in Scott's and shook it. "Hermione Granger. I'm a member of the family. We came as soon as we heard."
"Nice to meet you. As I said, these situations occur often on the mountains. It's very important not to panic and not to assume the worst. Like I told your father, we'll find your brother."
Hermione flushed and shook her head as she indicated to Lucius. "He's not my father. I'm his wife. Not his first one … I mean I'm not Draco's mother, obviously. I'm the second wife," she found herself blabbing.
Lucius glared at the young man.
"My apologies," Scott said with a smile. "I just assumed. Anyway, we have a search party out looking. If he's out there, they'll find him."
"Search party," Narcissa mused. "What an inappropriate term. I can't stop thinking that he's cold, hungry, and hurt."
Lucius wrapped his arm around his former wife. It was a simple, comforting gesture and yet it prompted a burst of jealousy from Hermione.
"He's an excellent skier, Cissa. He's not injured. He's a smart boy, he's probably found shelter," Lucius said.
Through her tears, Pansy spoke again, "He will be hungry though by the time they'll find him. Maybe we should throw him a welcome-back party?"
"That's not a bad idea," Hermione said.
"I'm not in the mood for any party," Narcissa snapped back. "And neither is anyone else."
"It won't be for us," Pansy pointed out. "It'll be for Draco. He's always in the mood for a party. It'll be fun. At least, it'll cheer us up."
"Oh, shut up, you idiot!" Draco's mother snapped at her as she lowered herself gracefully onto her discarded parka on the vinyl couch. "You don't plan a party until the guest of honor can be sure to make it!"
Lucius took a seat next to his ex-wife. "Miss Parkinson, a party is not going to cheer anyone up. We just want Draco back. He's been gone for almost twenty-four hours."
"She was just trying to help," Hermione said, annoyed that she had to come to Pansy Parkinson's defense. "It's a much better idea than sitting around snipping at each other."
"She's done enough!" Narcissa pronounced. "I want her out of here!"
Pansy tried to protest, but wishes of a mother trumped girlfriend's laments, and Pansy was escorted out to the tram, back to the chalet she shared with Draco.
Hermione took off her parka and squirmed to sit next to Lucius, watching Scott and ski patrol go over search areas on their large maps of the Enchanted Peaks. The hum of the room was occasionally punctured by the bursts of static from the radio on Scott's desk. Being 9,000 feet high was beginning to affect Hermione as she fought dizziness and waves of nausea. She never complained though and stubbornly remained by Lucius's side, her earlier bout of jealousy still churned within her. Scott Albright was professional and nice though. He picked up on her altitude sickness and offered her everything from tea to juice to biscuits to help her keep her strength.
By evening, two search parties came back with no news on Draco.
Scott crossed off two areas on the map and turned to the anxious parents. "The good news is that he wasn't anywhere where avalanche hit the worst. We'll prepare another rescue party to be ready to go tomorrow at dawn."
"Dawn?" Lucius raised his voice. "He could be dead by then."
"They can't continue the search in the dark, Lucius," Hermione said in a soothing voice, placing a hand on his shoulders.
"It has already been one night. We cannot leave him out there for another! This is insupportable!" he railed at Scott.
"This side of the mountain has about a dozen small cabins in case of avalanches. They are equipped with essential survival supplies. Perhaps he made it to one of them when the storm came in. When the rescue crew is unable to find someone, it's usually because the missing person has found shelter."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes. "Usually? How comforting."
The three Malfoys remained at the ski patrol station, watching the crew finalize search plans for the following morning. Suddenly static erupted from the radio and a familiar voice came from it, "Can anybody hear me? Please respond."
Lucius leapt to his feet. "That's Draco! That's my son."
A sound of great relief escaped from Narcissa's lips as she joined her ex-husband next to the radio.
Scott spoke into the microphone, "Draco Malfoy? This is ski patrol. Can you tell us your location?"
"Draco, are you hurt?" his mother asked, leaning over Scott.
"Mother! No, I'm not hurt, I'm…" His next words were lost in a buzz of static, then the sound faded and the radio was silent.
"What happened?" Lucius frantically demanded.
Scott turned the knobs, but there was nothing. "Upcoming storm must be interfering with communication equipment. The meteorologists predict a storm this week, but it's not supposed to hit until tomorrow night. At least we know that he's well. He's found the radio, which means he did find shelter in one of the avalanche cabins."
"But which one?" Narcissa demanded in frustration.
"There's no way to tell," Scott admitted, looking at the map. "We'll start another search tomorrow by the cabins that are in the proximity where he was last seen, and go from there."
"Tomorrow?" Lucius raised his voice. "I'm not leaving him out there all night!"
Hermione tried to pacify him. "Lucius, it's too dangerous to search for anybody after dark, much less with another storm coming. No ski patrol will do that. No one can, especially not with a storm coming."
In one quick motion he zipped up his parka and flipped the hood over his head. "And I didn't make myself clear: I'm not leaving my son out there. If worthless ski patrol won't help me tonight, I'll go find him myself."
He charged out the office into the twilight outside. Hermione ran after him, but stopped short when the frigid air hit her. In her rush, she left her parka inside, but she wasn't about to let Lucius get lost on the mountain either. She gripped her jumper tight about her as she called for him to return. The wind whipped harshly against her, burning every inch of exposed skin.
Scott ran after her, his hands were on her shoulders. "Hermione, get back inside. I'll talk to him."
She nodded, grateful for his kindness and returned to the cabin. To her relief, Lucius soon joined her and Narcissa. Scott came up to drape a blanket around her shoulders and handed her a steaming cup of tea.
"Don't drink it too fast," he told her gently.
"Thanks," she murmured.
She noticed Lucius glaring at Scott again and he protectively put his arm about her.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" he said under his breath.
Hermione let the warmth from the mug seep into her hands. "He's just being nice." She took a deep breath, not wanting to sound argumentative, but needing him to see reason. "Lucius, I know you want to find Draco tonight, but it's not possible. He is safe for the night. You can't just run out into an area you know nothing about and expect to find him. I don't want you to do something rash and then end up with two missing persons on this mountain instead of one."
Lucius scoffed. "Nice my arse. My son is missing and all this clown wants to do is flirt with my wife."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "He was not flirting with me. I know you're upset about Draco, as would any concerned parent, but let's not read too much into anyone's actions."
"Oh, really?" He mimicked Scott's American accent as he spoke, "We had situations like this in the Rockies all the time. I can bench press 250. Oh, would care for some tea and cookies? Maybe you should sit on my lap to get warmed up."
She softly laughed at his impersonation. "You're being ridiculous. He's just being nice because of my altitude sickness. He grew up on the mountains, so he probably feels sorry for tourists like me. And who cares if he really is flirting? Not only is it in bad taste, but I'm your wife, remember? I'm not going to be unfaithful, especially not during a family crisis. But thanks for trusting me. You're the one who can't keep your hands off your ex."
"That's preposterous!" He sneered. "All I've done is comfort the mother of my missing child. There was nothing amorous in my intentions, unlike some people's."
"Oh, come off it! Scott is only being professional."
"Not professional enough."
Hermione was too fatigued to argue with him and closed her eyes against another wave of lightheadedness.
"You should go back to the chalet and rest," Lucius suggested. His tone was much less hostile now.
"The next tram to the resort leaves in half an hour," Scott said, coming to her side. "It's probably a good idea for everyone to get some rest."
"I will do no such thing!" Narcissa insisted. "I can't go back now. What if Draco is still trying to make contact? I'm staying right here!"
"Then I'm staying too," Lucius said. "I want to be here if he manages to message again."
Scott looked uneasy, but agreed, "All right. Normally, I'm not allowed to do this, but in this case I don't see the harm. In the back office, there's a pull-out couch that you can sleep on."
Hermione's heart sank. Was she supposed to just be okay that her husband was going to be spending the night with his ex?
She had little choice in the matter, apparently, as no one consulted her.
Lucius turned back to her. "You should get some sleep. I know this wasn't easy on you."
"Okay," she agreed, wanting to tell him something else, but he already turned back to the radio, probably willing Draco's voice to come through it again. Hermione found herself disappointed that he didn't try to kiss her good night or offer any affectionate gesture. He didn't even seem to show slightest concern when Scott volunteered to escort her back.
The next day everyone seemed to have had a restless night. They spent majority of the day inside ski patrol office while the search parties went out. Lucius paced from one end of the office to another.
"What time is it?" Narcissa asked him.
He glanced at his watch. "Fifteen minutes since the last time you asked," he replied.
"It's already dark, why aren't they back yet?" the older witch asked, delicately rubbing her temples.
"If they're all the way on Suicide Run where the avalanche struck, it's probably really rough out there. Maybe it's taking them a lot longer to cover projected area," Hermione quietly offered.
"If he had his wand with him—" the blonde lamented.
Lucius interrupted her. "We've been over this: the terms of his wager with Miss Parkinson excluded forms of magic. That's why he doesn't have it with him. It has nothing to do with his judgement!"
"I didn't imply that it was. I'm only saying if."
Fortunately, the door burst open and a gust of freezing wind buffeted the room. Scott and several of his crew flooded into the room and slammed the door behind them. Hermione rushed to pour him a cup of tea.
"Did you find him?" Narcissa asked before Scott could take a seat.
He ruefully shook his head. "It's getting rapidly worse out there," he told the anxious group. "We couldn't even get anywhere near that side of the mountain. The ridge is too unstable and with this upcoming blizzard, another avalanche could occur at any minute."
The worried mother nearly sobbed. "But you know where all the cabins are on the maps, can't you go to all of them until you find Draco?"
Scott looked crestfallen. "We tried. Most of them are cut off. We tried to approach them from different routes, but the ridge is impassable at this point."
"Well, I don't care how you do it, you have to do it! You have to find my son!" Narcissa sobbed. Lucius put his arms around her and gently stroked her back.
Biting back another bitter taste of jealousy, Hermione spoke to stricken Scott, "I know you're doing everything you can. We don't mean to sound ungrateful. It's just that even if he's in a cabin, this blizzard is going to be pretty bad and we don't know what kind of supplies he has to help him weather the storm until he's rescued."
"If the weather conditions permit, tomorrow morning we can try to do an aerial search. It's the only way to get to that part of the mountain," Scott said.
"We'll come with you," Lucius announced.
"I can't allow that," Scott told him, looking apologetic.
"I can't spend another day like this!" Narcissa declared.
"You're not hearing me. I'm either coming with you or I'm going by myself on skis. Either way, I'm going and there's nothing you can do to stop me," the wizard said in a chilling tone that made it clear his decision wasn't debatable.
Scott swallowed. "It's against the rules, but it's better than attempting anything yourselves. You can join me tomorrow. Get some rest tonight and meet us here at seven sharp."
They all left to take the tram back to chalet. The dinner between the trio was predictably sullen and tense. Soon afterwards, Hermione retired to bed but restlessness continued to wake her up repeatedly through the night. Having difficulty falling back asleep, she paced in the room. She wished she had something to read besides Enchanted Peaks brochures. She walked to the window. Under the dark sky, snow flakes fluttered softly to the ground. Hermione instantly felt guilty. At the top, where Draco was stranded, there was probably no gently snowfall, but a blizzard with near-freezing temperatures. Poor Draco was all struggling to survive, and here she was spending the last two days selfishly concerned over his father's affections for his ex-wife. This was a living nightmare for them both, and Hermione felt like the worst person on the planet for wishing for little things, like to be able to share a room with her husband. There were more important concerns right now, but that's all she wanted: to just be in the same room with Lucius. She wanted to be the one to comfort him, to make him feel better, not Narcissa.
Feeling nauseated again, she decided to get a glass of water. On her way to the kitchen, she saw a lit fireplace in the living room. Through the sound of crackling firewood, muddled voices could be heard.
Lucius and Narcissa must be still up, Hermione surmised, feeling a tad relieved that she wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping. She poured herself a glass of water and walked in to join them, but blanched at the sight before her: Lucius stood in the center of the room, his arms around his ex-wife, his lips against hers.
Hermione was so shocked, she barely registered it when the glass slipped from her hand and crashed to the floor, spraying its shards all around her.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed, his face turning red.
She shook her head in disbelief and ran back to her bedroom. Lucius hurried after her, but she didn't want to talk to him; she could even bear to look at him as she slammed her bedroom door soundly behind her. The violence of her feelings surprised Hermione. Theirs wasn't a love match. There were no such feelings between them. They had never even discussed their stance on fidelity, so he owed her nothing and yet … she wanted to howl with hurt and anger. Feeling sick to her stomach, she ran to the loo, nearly blinded by her tears. She made it just in time.
As she was washing up her hands, Hermione looked at her reflection in the mirror over vanity. She looked awful. Her skin was pale and covered with a sheen of sweat and her eyes were bloodshot. To make matters worse, scarlet drops of blood dripped from her nose. Hermione couldn't even remember the last time she was upset enough to vomit and get a nosebleed.
More tears burst from her.
She didn't realize why she was crying so hard over Lucius Malfoy. Was it simply because they slept together? Bitter foe, thorny opposition, charming acquaintance, accidental husband, attentive lover — he always played some role in her life. It was as though she couldn't be without him in her life, in one way or another.
Still, she could fall apart like this over him. He wasn't worth it.
Holding a cold washcloth to her nose, she sank to the floor and buried her face in her knees. Was she doomed to spend the next three years crying in the loo over him?
He wasn't worth it … wasn't worth it… Hermione repeated to herself over and over.
But it still hurt.
Thoughts? Reactions?