She awoke groggy and uncertain of where she was...her head was still fuzzy, her body was still weak. Someone came through the door, "you're up...well, sort of. Sometimes the herbs can take a full day to wear off..." Hermione tried to move. "I'm afraid you're immobile for right now," Lucius drawled. Then, slowly he crawled on top of her, causing her to panic. "Do you remember where we were? Ah, yes...I marked you and you deliberately disobeyed me." He grabbed her around the neck and nearly choked her, "you won't be doing that again!"
"I will...tell the Ministry...," Hermione protested.
"Go ahead. I guess you didn't read all of the history did you? If I mark you...you're my property...it's an old, old law and I'm afraid it's never been taken off he books...THEY CAN'T DO A DAMNED THING ABOUT IT!" he dropped her head into the pillow.
"You're...you're ...lying."
"Oh...no. In fact, I'll be happy to take you to the Ministry, you can talk to the Minister himself." Lucius caressed her face and examined her neck, "I guess you've covered it up well for Eric not to see it...that and it's faded." He held her close, Hermione realized what he was about to do and started to panic, but it didn't phase him. Lucius forced her head to the side, bit down again and even harder than before, she squealed in agony as his teeth seemed to pierce right through the skin. He held he tight to him as if he were a predator going for the jugular.
He dropped her back down, "now that I've re-established my ownership...I will let you rest."
She rolled over and started to cry.
Lucius had ordered her some dresses and arranged for some jewelry to be brought over, he'd pick something nice for her to wear. In a few days, he'd arrange for them to be seen in public together.
They arrived the next day, Hermione was fully recovered but still resistant as he knew she would be, "I don't want these things! Take me home!"
He sighed, "go home to WHAT, Hermione? To a boyfriend who cheated on you...to friends who abandoned you after all you went through!"
"You were spying one ME!"
"How do you think I found you? If you had just come off the train like I told you...you could have still had your friends...a life..."
"This is NOT a life! And as for ERIC, I know you had something to do with it!"
"I personally don't know what you're talking about...from what I undersand...he had a reputation, did he not?"
"Yes...but he never cheated on anyone," she said softly, almost tearing.
"Except you...," Lucius drawled.
"Be quiet! I know you had something to do with it...," Hermione hugged herself. "I don't want to be with you, just take me home so I can live my life."
He came up to her and held her, "do you know why I picked you?"
"For some sick joke, I suspect."
"Because you and I have more in common then you like to think. We have both lost a great deal...The Weasley girl had no idea what you had gone through, so it was easy for her to judge you...take her anger out on you for what Harry had done. And though you were part of it, it was his job to be honest with her. You had been fairly honest with Ronald Weasley...but no doubt his pride suffered slightly. She was protected and you were not, you suffered the most out of all of them, Harry Potter may have died...but he left you with the mess to clean up, as he did before. Whenever he and the Weasley brat were behind in their studies, you caught them up, whenever they needed to add brains to the plan...you were there. Despite the fact that my son did not like you...he respected you, you know. I miss my son as you miss your parents, and I miss my wife as you miss Harry...pain is the same, no matter WHO feels it, Ms. Granger."
Hermione was gripping his shirt and crying, as much as she wanted to deny his words, they
were true. "I know you are supposed to hate me...but I am what I am. And no amount of protesting from you or your friends will change that." He nuzzled her neck, "do you remember the day before you left?"
"You only want me because the other pure-blood females want nothing to do with you," she winced as his grip tightened. "I'm not stupid...I'm just a convenient lay, and once you've shown everyone that I approve of you and they think it's acceptable to associate with you again, you'll drop me. So...let's stop the charade," Hermione looked up at him. "What do you want...? Do you want me to help you...if I do this, will you let me go?"
Lucius was taken aback by her ability to see right through him.
"WILL you let me go?"
He didn't answer the question.
Hermione sighed, "I guess I'll have to answer it for you, I'll help you...you let me go. I'll even help you pick out a blasted wife if that's what you want. Then I'll go away forever. You'll never have to see my face again...I'm sure you'll be happy with that..."
His hand covered her mouth, this made him angry for some reason...what she was saying... Lucius dragged her to the bed and straddled her, she screamed through his hand, "you listen, and listen well...if I choose to let you go, I will...and not because I find a pure-blood female. If I tire of you, I tire of you and that's it. You are property...do you understand!...DO YOU UNDERSTAND!"
She nodded, tears were running down her face.
Lucius leaned over, "you will wear the things I buy you because I want you to wear them. You will obey me." He sat back up, "you need to rest...you're exhausted and then you need to eat, and you WILL eat, otherwise I'll pin you down and shove it down your gullet." He left and locked the door from the outside.
"Eric," Hermione whimpered. "I should have let you come over, I should have been with you and now...I may never see you again."
Where was she! Eric talked to the police, the phone had been ripped out of the wall, the machine smashed in, the room was torn apart...yet there was no blood, they would take the tea that was on the floor and examine it because the tin was knocked over too. They scowerd the floor for any kind of hair...there was Hermione's and a blonde hair...white blonde.
It drove him crazy with grief...he helped the police as much as he could, but what could he say? That his Hermione was a witch and there was a war between the muggles and wizards? He would be laughed out of the precinct! No. He had to find a way to reach another wizard or witch...but who could he go to. Ginny, but they had just had a fight and she mentioned something about reaching her by letter...by owl. Did Hermione own an owl? Maybe she did, but he never saw it. There was a place called the 'Leaky Couldron'...he'd have to find it, he remembered the corner she said it was on...but would they even talk to him knowing he was a muggle, surely they'd know. Still, he had to try...but what if they were like the wizards that didn't like muggles...he didn't care.
Eric was going to do everything he could to get Hermione back. It was in his gut who might have taken her...this Lucius Malfoy had white blonde hair...and a woman definately didn't have enough strength to do what was done that answering machine. Plus, Hermione mentioned that Lucius might still be after her...it had to be him! He knew what he was up against, he wasn't stupid...but, he just couldn't live without her. Eric took another swig of of beer...he'd had five already and his drunken stupor was kicking in completely. He had cried all night and barely ate...if it wasn't for that wench! She was a witch! Who was she though?
Hermione stared into the fire...Lucius was right to some aspect, it seemed so easy for Ron and Ginny to abandon her after all that they had been through. Couldn't have Ginny understood? But all this time, she did keep in from her...but to a point where she practically attacked her? Ron didn't even apologize for it...maybe he didn't know? No, Ginny told him everything...maybe he was jealous and angry at Harry too. He'd always been jealous of Harry. And Eric...by now he had to have realized she was missing. But as tenacious as he was, would he stop and nothing to find her? How could he though...? No. He wouldn't find her, instead, he would maybe come to the realization that perhaps she was dead and that was it. He would grieve and move on... 'To someone better suited, someone without all this baggage,' she thought. 'I guess I don't deserve to be happy.'
The door opened and Lucius came through, he was checking up on her to make sure she had eaten her dinner...it was only half-eaten. "Didn't I tell you to eat?"
"I did."
"Don't make me spoon feed you like you're three...you've lost too much weight."
"Why do you care?"
"Just eat the damned food, woman!"
Hermione huffed and put the plate back on her lap and shoved the rest of the food in her mouth, then slammed the plate back down on the end table. "There, happy?"
"Don't be snide, my pretty little mudblood..."
"Why do you still call me that! Don't call me that...I'm a human being, and just because my parents were muggles, doesn't make me any less valuable."
Lucius only grinned.
"Eric understood...," she whispered, but then jumped when Lucius slammed his fist onto the table. "DON'T MENTION HIS NAME AGAIN!"
"WHY, YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ME! WHAT DOES IT MATTER IF I MENTION SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY LOVES ME!"
"He cheated on you, Hermione!"
"You had something to do with it, I know you did! Why do you have to try and ruin my life! Haven't you done enough! You people took the one I loved the most in this whole world...you brought this misfortune on yourself and you have no right dragging me into it!" She started to hyperventelate...her head was dizzy and she fell on her knees again. Hermione's emotional state was causing her to become ill.
Lucius picked her up and placed her back on the bed, "I will have to call my Healer, he'll take a look at you."
Why was he doing this? Why was he taking such good care of her? It was just an act, it had to be. Someone like him couldn't possibly care about someone like her, a mudblood...a muggleborn. Still, when her head hit the pillow...she was out.
There were voices then, she heard a man...not Lucius, she overheard the conversation;
"Mr. Malfoy, she'll need to take special care. Her nerves are very bad based on the tests I gave. Ms. Granger suffers from exhaustion and her stress level is extremely high...her small body can't handle it. Here, take this, she only needs a few drops in her tea or food...give this to her twice daily, it will insure she rests, though she'll be in a slighly lucid state. I will be back to visit in another two weeks and see how Ms. Granger is."
"Thank you," Lucius bowed and let the Healer out. He would have to cancel his arrangements for tomorrow, how annoying. He came back and instead of putting the drop in her food, since she was out already, he tilted her head back and put it underneath her tongue. Hermione almost made a face that caused him to chuckle, it tasted aweful, but immediately her body relaxed.
"Wh..why are you doing this? Why are you even taking care of me?" Hermione could barely form a sentence.
"I need to take care of my future, don't I?" Lucius drawled.
"How am I your future?" she tried to furrow her brow.
He petted her body, "you are going to do far more than just secure me a place back in society, my dear girl."