Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns and created Harry Potter. I simply play with her toys.

.she saw Lucius who seemed to be practically marching across the room toward her. He was stopped when his father grabbed his elbow, jerking him to his side and seeming to speak angrily at him. Lucius's eyes lowered, and he composed himself to look neutral again before turning around and walking away.

Chapter Eight (the one you've all have been waiting for)

Hermione went to go after him, but as she passed by her host Abraxas grabbed her arm as well. "Gentlemen, may I introduce our new transfer student, Hera Elias." Hermione smiled at the two men with Abraxas, politely curtsying. Only one of the three returned her smile.

They did not say anything to her, but talked to Abraxas as if she was an interesting bug. "Pretty little thing- a shame that it is wasted on filthy insides and a slow mind. Still, Abraxas, it is most charitable of you for look out for those so beneath your station."

Hermione gritted her teeth to prevent a retort.

"I don' t know," the nicest looking of the three said. "She reminds me a bit of Eliyona, and if she is much like her, she will have a quick mind."

Hermione felt a hand softly rest itself on her shoulder as Adeline joined them. "Oh, yes, Vaughn, Hera here is quite intelligent, aren't you? And powerful, too! I am sure Abraxas has mentioned her ability to conjure a Patronus that puts my own to shame? The men seemed to jerk slightly, gobsmacked.

Finally, the one who insulted her spoke again. "Well, it seems the Gods smiled down on you Abraxas, and at least settled you with a poor orphan with good blood. Probably some pureblooded bastard girl from a night of drunken debauchery…" he then looked into Hera's eyes, "Still, a shame about your circumstances. At least you should be able to get a decent administrative or custodial job at the ministry. Not much chances for a good match, though..."

"Cygnus! Yes, I forgot how wonderful you were at Charms in school. Well, outside of taking two months to be able to levitate that feather. Oh, and the other when you were trying to charm that statue to say your name and it exploded instead… Ha! And that duel with Goyle, of course. He must have had luck on his side because you remember how intelligent he was, God rest his soul. It is so fortunate for you that pureblood guaranteed your magical aptitude." Cygnus, who she now realized was Bellatrix and Narcissa's father, was obviously becoming quite angry.

Vaughn Dolohov, who had listened to it with amusement flashing in his dark eyes, shrugged. "Personally, I find that if a witch is beautiful, capable, and intelligent enough to keep up with her counterparts, wealth is not really an issue."

Abraxas sneered, "Come now, Vaughn. What would our mutual friend say to such… progressive claims?"

Antonin's father inclined his head. "Point taken, Abraxas. I am not saying that even ten percent of low born witches are capable to being truly worthy, but there are exceptions. I am sure if our friend met Miss Elias that he would be suitably impressed that a seventeen year old witch could cast a Patronus."

Adeline chimed in, "Sixteen! She learned it when she had recently turned only sixteen! I was twenty two, I believe."

Hermione still said nothing, but for the first time, she felt herself getting angry with Adeline. If this "mutual friend" was who she thought it was… she certainly preferred to say off of Voldemort's radar for as long as possible. In fact, she'd prefer never to see his snake face again.

Cygnus sneered. "Yes, well, maybe she will get a chance to meet him at your Yule Ball, Abraxas. Then, we shall see what he thinks. It is a shame he is not here tonight, but I do not think he cares for the company the Dolohov's keep." Vaughn glared, and Adeline squeezed Hermione's shoulder.

"Hera, dear, let us go and get some punch. It is divine." She then steered Hermione away.

After a few cups of, admittedly delicious, punch, Adeline returned Hera to a rather grumpy looking Lucius. "Lucius, perhaps you can be a better escort to our ward? She spent several minutes with your father's circle…"

Lucius looked slightly guilty and nodded. "Of course, mother." Adeline smiled and patted their shoulders as she walked away.

"How bad was it?" Lucius said.

Hermione, though she had expected to hear rude remarks, glared. "Well, I am apparently am a 'pretty little thing', but I have a slow mind and filthy insides. When they learned of my abilities, I was upgraded to a pureblooded bastard orphan that was only worthy of an administrative or custodial ministry job."

Lucius cleared his throat, looking apologetic. "I am sorry you had to hear that," he consoled. His words just sparked Hermione's ire more though.

"Sorry I had to hear it or sorry that you believe it?" she hissed, and then she walked away. She wandered out of the ballroom and eventually found a quiet sitting room. She sat down heavily, content to spend the rest of the evening there as she struggled to hold back her tears.

It wasn't like expected Lucius to fall in love with her or something preposterous. His older self had been sick and locked up inside of a deplorable prison to rot the rest of his days away. Hope for something like love again had to have been appealing to a man that would never get to feel a woman again… Still, she was so angry that he had just stood back to watch Bellatrix abuse her, and then he deserted her so that his father's friends could have a go, too. She thought he at least believed she was worth more than that. She must have fallen asleep because the next thing she knew, someone was shaking her awake. She opened her eyes to see Antonin looking at her. "I've been trying to find you everywhere."

"Yes, well, I didn't really want to be found. I just want to get out of here…"

Antonin nodded, sitting down beside her on the couch. "I'm sure. My mother had already married my father when they moved here from Russia. She and my father were already well connected when people found out she wasn't a pureblood. I believe I was two or three. At that point, everyone just decided to tolerate her. I can't imagine what it is like trying to blend in with everyone looking down their nose at you."

"Well, you and your parents seem okay. And Adeline, of course. Abraxas hates me though, and Lucius thinks I am beneath him. I had hoped that finding even footing with him was possible, but I don't think he could ever view me as equal enough to truly consider me a friend…"

"Well, I am only a half blood, too, and he is my best friend," Antonin countered, trying to encourage her.

"Yes, but you are wealthy and were raised in society by both of your parents. I came out of literally nowhere with nothing to my name except the clothes on my back and a wand. Hell, my name is even a lie. Who knows what my last name should have been?! Even you probably should try to avoid being seen with me. Probably all of the people at Hogwarts will, at best, pity me. No money, no friends, no family…no chances." The tears came earnestly, as sadness replaced the bitterness, and Antonin struggled with what to do for a moment before pulling her into a hug.

"You will have friends at Hogwarts. While many might feel sorry for you that you don't have those things, they won't all look down their nose at you for it. Many will judge you solely on your merits, and you have plenty of those. Don't give up, Hera. The world is not as bleak as it appears." The door opened, and they broke apart to see Eliyona standing there.

"Antonin, the Malfoys are ready to leave and are waiting for Hera in the entrance hall," she smiled sympathetically at Hermione. "It was lovely to meet you, Hera. Welcome to England."

Hermione nodded and the lady of the house closed the door. "Come, let's get you back to Lucius. He has seemed quite put out since you disappeared. He probably wanted more than just two dances." Lucius didn't even look at her when they rejoined her "family". He kept his head down or looked only to his parents.

After the ball, Lucius kept his distance from Hermione. He still spoke to her but it was only pleasantries. The entire house seemed to have a gloom over it. Hermione couldn't help but wonder if her chance to help Lucius was already gone. How many were destined to be lost no matter how hard she tried? He hadn't broached anything of importance again, and she had long since expected his interest in learning the Patronus had only been to see if he was strong enough to do it.

Instead, Hermione found herself in the library most days, though Adeline often tried to distract her with lunch or tea and conversation. She had also taken her to Diagon Alley once more and had picked up the books both students would need as well as the rest of her supplies. She had already read through all of the books and taken notes. Academically, at least, she could count on not being a failure. She did actually learn a bit, and it made her excited to go to Hogwarts again on another level. She hadn't gone back after the war because the repairs took much longer than expected. By the time they were finished, her class and Ginny's had both tested out. One foreseeable advantage to being in this time was that she would get to take her seventh year, officially. The downside would be what would happen afterward. She was gatheingr from her books and conversations with Adeline that it was much harder in this time period to find a good job and be embraced by the magic community after graduation if you weren't at least a half blood. Most muggleborns and many half bloods without connections eventually found jobs and lived in the muggle world. Hermione didn't want that, though. She wanted magic to be an unmistakable part of every single day of her life.

She had decided to approach Dumbledore at least. He would probably be willing to help her achieve her goals as well as make her way in the world. Potentially, she could find friends with those that would be Order Members. If she remembered correctly, Kingsley had graduated the same year as Lucius, and Molly and Arthur were only a few years older.

The last week of August, with Adeline's blessing, Hermione decided to explore the grounds a bit. She realized that she had been stuck up in the house for too long, moping. Adventuring out, as far as she could anyway, would lift her spirits. Adeline had the elves pack her the young woman a picnic and even told her to take a swimsuit.

"We have a beautiful lake on the western edge of the property. It is hot out today. Do you swim?"

Hermione had nodded, and though unsure she would use it, put on her swimsuit underneath her clothes. Then, with a grateful smile and basket in hand, she took off for the day. She had only meant to explore the gardens and wooded area, but then she had seen one of the peacocks. It was rather beautiful, though the idea of collecting them was still the height of pretention. She followed it for a while, but eventually it got sick of being followed and veered off from her after a rather strange hissing sound. I want you to adore me, but I want nothing to do with you. It was the Malfoy way, it seemed - and even their bloody birds knew it.

She eventually wandered down to the lake, and Hermione reflected that Adeline had been right. It was beautiful. Trees and bushes lined the lake, the sun reflected on the water to show the beautiful blue sky. It was almost like a picture out of some magazine for muggle country estates.

Hermione was just about to sit down for a few minutes to admire the scenery when she noticed a shirt and a pair of shoes lying on the ground a few feet away. She recognized the shirt… Lucius was on the lake today. She decided it would probably be best to leave when he popped up from under the water and looked in her direction. She could see that he was standing, though the water covered most of his chest.

She was going to turn around before she looked like some sort of creep, but realized she was glued to the spot. Lucius's eyes were locked on hers even from this distance. He seemed to make up his mind as he started to wade out of the water toward her. As he got closer, the water shallowed and more of his body was exposed. Hermione felt her knees shake as she murmured to herself, "Mother of Merlin…." The country estate magazine had turned into some sort of… Playwitch scene in a matter of minutes.

His wet hair curled slightly when wet, framing his face. Water dripped down his body, and his skin, though fair, was flawless. Muscles she had not ever imagined on Lucius Malfoy were there in plain sight. The water just reached his hips when Hermione's legs decided they could work again. Without thinking, she turned and started to walk away, quickly.

"Hera!" she heard behind her. Gods, he was still coming after her! She started to run, determined to ditch him. She heard her name still being called behind her, and he seemed to be gaining. She was in the west garden now. A shed! She swung the door opened and shut it quickly behind, hoping he wouldn't search for her there.

Turning away from the door, she noticed a trunk rattling just before it burst open, and there was Harry. Tears sprung to her eyes seeing him, and she didn't think about how it was possible that Harry had popped out of a trunk thirty years in the past. She stepped forward just in time to see a purple light hit him. Blood started to pool around him as he glared at her. "You failed! This whole thing was a waste of time! You could have saved us all, and you only made it easier to die."

He disappeared to be quickly replaced by a Ginny with a gaping head wound, a Neville with a sneak bite to the neck, Luna with vacant eyes, all telling her she failed. Remus and Tonks, holding on to each other as their bodies erupted in flames. Finally the snakelike demon who called himself Lord Voldemort appeared with bodies clothed in black, crawling on the ground and reaching for his him. A few looked back. Severus Snape. Antonin Dolohov. Regulus Black. And Lucius. She screamed then. He spoke, eyes defeated as he reached for his Master's robes. "You failed me. I could have been so much, and you FAILED me!" The dark wizard aimed his wand at Lucius and a curse was shot. Lucius started to convulse, screaming with the hoarse voice she associated with him from her past. She screamed again and yelled.

"STOP! STOP! I'M SORRY! LUCIUS!" She was pulled backward, and a body appeared in front of her.

The scene changed and suddenly Abraxas Malfoy stood before them. Before he could speak, Lucius bellowed, "RIDDIKULUS!" Abraxas rapidly became old and weak, with dribble coming out his mouth. "Ha!" Lucius laughed, sarcastically, before hitting the boggart with a spell that knocked it back into the trunk. He locked it and then turned to Hermione who was standing in place, crying loud, miserable sobs with her head in her hands.

Without another wasted moment, Lucius took the three commanding steps toward Hermione and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her tightly in a hug. She seemed to start crying a bit harder, but eventually took her hands off of her face and wrapped them around him, returning the hug. They stood there together as she calmed down. Eventually, when all of her tears were cried and only sniffles remained, he pulled back and looked at her. He intended to ask her why her greatest fear had anything to do with him and what on Earth he had been doing in the Boggart's twisted form, but he looked too long.

She looked so vulnerable, standing there in his arms with tear tracks down her face. He was sure he had never seen anyone look so sad before and wished she was the happy girl he had spoken to weeks before. He wished he could make her happy. And then, despite the rattling of the trunk, he gently pressed his lips to hers for the first time. She was frozen for a moment before she started to respond slightly. Then, she stopped and pulled away.

"I'm sorry…. I know you don't really see me this way, and you are just…"

Lucius growled fiercely before tightening his arms around her and pressing his lips back against hers forcefully. She gasped into his mouth and, taking the opportunity, he slid his tongue in to brush against hers.

Hermione's mind shut down completely. All she could focus on was the feel of his body against hers. He still had no shirt, and she could feel his muscular back against her hands, and his firm chest against hers own. She moaned and moved her hands, running them up and into his hair, gripping it at the roots as she kissed him back enthusiastically.

Her moan seemed to push Lucius forward as he grabbed her waist and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He walked her backward into the wall next to the door and pushed her back up against it. Their kisses only seemed to grow more passionate and Hermione was sure she would pass out from pleasure if he didn't stop soon.

He pulled away and started to kiss down her neck and, using the wall as leverage, he reached down to the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head before she captured his lips again. Hermione could feel her legs shaking with excitement and exertion. She had never, ever been kissed like this before. She felt him reach his arms behind her to unclip the top of her swimsuit, and it sprung her back to reality.

She pulled her lips away from his, looking at him in shock. He had just…. He had just kissed her! And not just kissed her but did much more than that! He had been undressing her! He…..wanted her. The second line of thoughts hit her just as hard. I am nothaving sex with a pratical stranger in a garden shed. And then, I am thinking about having sex in a garden shed with LUCIUS FUCKING MALFOY!

She must have been looking at him in total shock because he released her, backing up a step. He shifted uncomfortably, and Hermione glanced down before blushing bright red.

"I….uhm… I…." she couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence as she scooped up her blouse and slipped it back on. He was silent, simply watching her redress herself. She closed her eyes in exasperation and could feel her eyes moving beneath the lids rapidly as she tried to figure out what to say. Finally she groaned and took a deep breath before opening the shed door and walking out.

She heard his voice gruffly call out to her when she was a few feet away. "We will talk about this later, Hera. All of it."

The next time she saw Lucius was a dinner that night. They were both very quiet during the meal, and Abraxas even tried to engage his son in conversation with little success. Hermione could feel Lucius looking up at her occasionally from his plate though. Adeline slowly ate her meal with a smirk on her face as she ignored the strange silence.

Hermione went straight to her room after dinner, hoping to avoid the inevitable conversation. She was quite sure that he was too stubborn to let it go, and if she avoided talking to him forever she would be breaking the vow she had made before coming. So, she sat on her bed revising the notes she had taken in anticipation of potions class. She intended to get a very quick invitation to join Slug Club, even if she couldn't stand the man.

The hours slipped by, and Hermione had finally stopped worrying about if she would face Lucius that night. She was just about to get ready for bed when she heard the knocks on her door. She sighed with exasperation as she stood and walked to the door. Opening it, Lucius stood.

"Can't this wait? It is almost time for me to go to sleep," she said, widening the door despite her words. He stepped in and shut the door behind him.

"Well, I would have tried earlier, but you were up here. I needed to wait for my parents to go to bed so I could come see you."

She looked at him with a frown. "You could have just gone to bed yourself and wait until tomorrow."

He chuckled, darkly, taking several steps toward her. "Do you really think I would be able to sleep after all of that?"

Hermione nodded in concession and took a seat on the loveseat in front of the fireplace, gesturing for him to join her. He sat much closer than she expected, but she didn't comment. "Well?" she prompted, trying not to stare at him. He was clothed now, but the picture of him half naked and wet was very, very fresh in her mind.

"We will do this sequentially. Why did you run away from me when you saw me at the pond?"

Hermione felt her stomach flip at the memory but tried to channel a pureblood. "I thought you were a hinkypunk and wanted to get away before I was lured in."

He smirked. "And the real answer?"

She groaned and closed her eyes before shrugging. Hell if she knew why she couldn't just play it cool. "You… unsettle me," she answered.

He chuckled at that. "The feeling is mutual. Even more after today." Hermione blushed and his smirk turned into more of an amused smile.

"Okay, next… while I think that unsettling you is probably why you decided to hide in a garden shed, can you explain why the boggart manifested itself the way it did?"

Hermione looked down at her lap. "What did you see when you walked in?"

"A….humanoid snake-like wizard had people in black crawling toward him and kissing the hems of his robes. I saw…me, and I was grabbing at the hem too before I looked at you and told you that… you failed me and that I could have been better."

Hermione was pleased that she at least didn't have to explain all of her dead friends. Struggling, she grabbed one of his hands, trying to decide how to spin a version of the truth. "I…. I feel like many of the people I have met here are on the cusp of something dark. That if someone said the right things or that if the benefits were great enough that they would fall over the edge and give in to the darker side of themselves."

"And you believe that I am in danger of doing this?" he questioned, sounding disappointed.

"Yes," Hermione whispered. She looked at him, and he seemed so lost and confused. She squeezed his hand, regaining his attention. "But… it doesn't have to be like that. Lucius, you are not dark, not yet. You are in the middle like most everyone else. In your circumstances though, the dark is more tempting than it is for many though. You are surrounded by dark people and those who aspire to be so. You, Lucius… you have such potential. And if there is a way I can prevent you from falling over that edge… I would do whatever it took. You can be a good man, Lucius Malfoy, even better than you are now."

He looked at her with the slightest bit of hope in his steely grey eyes. "Do you really believe that?" he whispered.

Hermione smiled at him and raised one hand, resting it against the side of his face. "You only have to want it enough to do it."

They stared at each other for a moment longer before a look of realization lit Lucius's face. "I want it," he said softly, in the most sincere tone Hermione had ever heard. Then, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again.

The kiss was not frantic this time, but it was still desperate in another way. Comforting, soothing, and redeeming. He pulled away after just a minute and stared at her, eyes soft.

"Please don't think I don't want this. I… I want this. I want you. I just… want. If I am completely honest, I am not sure if I have ever quite understood the meaning of the word want before this moment. I need to think though and decide how I would ever even begin to do everything I would need to do to be the person that you would want." He stood.

Hermione stood with him and took his hand again. She nodded at him. "I understand. But, Lucius, don't think that… that you have to have me to be who you should be. You don't have to want me."

He smiled at her softly and stepped forward again, brushing the gentlest of kisses against her cheek. "Hera," he whispered as he pulled away, "Wanting you is not the problem at all. I think I would want you if I was paving a path to Hell for myself as we speak... Getting you and keeping you will be the hard part." Then, he turned and left her room.

When Hermione climbed into bed that night, sleep didn't come easily. Lucius had said that he would want her if she went back and managed to get to know him. She had thought the idea to be a bit of a joke, really. What she hadn't even considered, though, was that she might end up wanting him back….

Author's note: Thank you again for all of the lovely reviews. I am happy to see how open minded everyone is regarding the characters. I think there are very few truly evil people in the world, and like to think that most (if given the right stimulus) will make a decision to live their lives in a way that will be good for themselves and others. The only people in HP that were legitimately evil were Voldemort and Bellatrix, I think. Perhaps Fenrir... but I am not comfortable labeling him. They might have known what was right and wrong but went through with it because they legitimately did not care and got joy out of causing pain. I think Voldemort knew right from wrong but was just concerned about himself and how to achieve his goals, regardless of the social mores he broke... a sociopath. Bellatrix might have been legitimately just...broken, not having a conscience to begin with. A Psychopath. I've seen stories and reviews that want to make so many people detestable, but I do not think that is near the truth. People that make detestable choices are generally not evil people. I will stick to cannon when it comes to the true nature of the characters, as I see it. Please keep reviewing and let me know your thoughts!