Chapter Eleven
Hermione got back to the apartment shortly before six. The apartment was the private rooms of the house. The house was actually three stories with a number of reception and entertainment rooms on the first floor, with bedrooms and guest rooms on the other two. There was also a library on the first floor, but Hermione had not had time to check it out. Hermione had also seen the rude little elf scurrying down one of the corridors. Seeing it reminded Hermione of Dobby and she felt a bit sad to think he wasn't at Hogwarts.
Lucius was not there and Hermione settled down in one of the chairs on the balcony. The sun was starting it's descent and the whole island had a golden glow. Maybe she could apparate into Venice proper one day, go exploring. Hermione contemplated what Lucius had said earlier, that the pureblood society had been integrated into muggle society here at one time. It didn't seem to fit with what she had heard in History class. Maybe this integration only happened in Italy. It didn't matter she decided.
She heard Lucius enter the apartment and waited as he found her on the balcony.
"You have been out I understand," he said while still standing behind her.
"Yes, I have been exploring the island."
"Feeding that relentless quest for knowledge, I see. Does it meet with your approval?"
"I didn't know it was sought," she answered standing up to face him. After a moment of silence, he continued.
"We will dine here tonight. The festivities will not start until tomorrow, so tonight will be informal. Just us actually. Draco will be dining with his fiancé's family tonight and my wife," he said. "Ex-wife, I suppose."
Hermione shifted where she stood, the mention of Narcissa made her uncomfortable considering she was cited as the reason for their divorce, unwitting and unwilling as it was.
Lucius told her to come as they walked down the hall to a less formal dining room. There was a more formal and much larger one downstairs. Hermione smiled at the notion of having to sit in that large room too far apart to make any actual conversation, maybe that would have been better than this smaller intimate family table.
"I feel like I am trespassing," Hermione said before she could guard her thoughts.
Lucius did not respond. "My immediate family is ended in what it was. There are many memories here, which are unrelated to a person such as yourself."
Anger flowed up Hermione's back. "Then why bring me?"
Lucius made the tsk sound like he did when she annoyed him. The roast chicken meal appeared before them. Not what she had expected as she had anticipated something more Italian.
Hermione decided to try another tack, "If this place holds so many memories, then why come back here? Why not go somewhere else, somewhere new?"
"Because this is where the family holiday home is, or rather the Malfoy holiday home. This is where we come and so it is."
"And that cannot change?"
"No."
"What if it doesn't work anymore?"
Lucius sat back and regarded her. "Then it must be made to work."
"Strange statement coming from a divorced man," Hermione said knowing it might anger him. To her surprise he seemed amused.
"We can afford a little leeway if it has no fundamental consequences."
"The end of your marriage has no fundamental consequences?" Hermione said disbelievingly.
"No, my child is grown, about to be married. We are past the point of having any more children, so fundamentally it does not greatly matter if we are apart. The marriage has served its purpose in all important respects."
"A very clinical assessment of your marriage," Hermione said, wondering how he could be so cold about the relationship that had been the core of his family for nearly a quarter of a century.
He watched her as he drank some of his red wine. "Marriage is about love to you," he stated as matter of fact.
"Yes," she responded, "Shouldn't it be?"
"Love is not a good foundation for a marriage. Love only causes volatility and eventually discord in a marriage."
Hermione could not help but snort at his cold regard on relationships. "So love has no place in the world."
"I didn't say that, it just doesn't have a place in the marriage contract."
"Blood does," Hermione said.
"Background, heritage, promotion of the family, culture, values and tradition. These things are all important."
Hermione shook her head slightly, "I believe marriage is about love and support and tackling the world together."
"They are not two mutually exclusive views, a good fit will promote the latter," Lucius said.
"The Weasleys married for love," Hermione said defiantly.
"And look where that got them. They have no means, influence or respect. They live in a hovel without the ability to give their children good prospects for the future. It doesn't make sense to me to breed like rats when you have no prospects to give your children," Lucius said derisively.
"They are well respected and their children are strong enough to pursue anything they want in life. More importantly, they're happy. After everything that they have been through, they're happy. They still love each other and they will always have that support. And maybe they would not be living in the 'hovel' as you call it if you hadn't burnt their house down," Hermione shouted.
"I did not burn their house down. Although I understand it was a fire hazard to begin with."
They sat in silence for a minute. Hermione contemplated if she could annoy him to the point where he would break up with her for the sheer relief of being rid of her.
"They're happy and they love each other. How could you possibly understand?"
"And what would a little girl like yourself know about love. What would you know about anything? You are barely out of your mother's drawstrings."
"I know enough thank you. I know that the Weasleys love each other and can't bear to be apart. I know that the Weasleys have sex every single damn day. They want to be together because the world isn't cold and hard when they are. I also think you have been jealous of them for a very long time. For everything you have, you'll never have what they have," Hermione spat.
"An utterly ridiculous notion," Lucius snorted. "Being jealous of Arthur Weasley. Living in filth and misery. I require my creature comforts, no matter what you say Miss Granger. But I do not begrudge the Weasley's some contentment in their lot if they can find any."
"You are unbelievable," Hermione said, continually amazed by Lucius' arrogance. "All being said and done, Arthur Weasley still has a marriage."
"Don't be cruel, Miss Granger, it does not suit you."
"Don't be cruel?" Hermione repeated the words, not knowing what to do with a statement like that. "Now that is rich coming from the man that watched me being tortured in his house. A Deatheater, who is responsible for the misery of countless people. How could you?"
"Easily and I will not apologize for it," Lucius said defiantly. The candle lights were making his eyes glitter as he stared at Hermione. "I did what I had to in order to maintain my family."
"You are unbelievable," Hermione stated. "You support an utter madman to promote your family and then claim that you had to. Don't you understand what you have done."
"Of course I understand," Lucius responded sharply. "It was never my choice to support a lunatic like Voldemort. He was a problem I inherited and walking away was never an option. My only objective was to get my family through."
"No matter what the cost."
"No matter what the cost," Lucius repeated.
"Well I guess you succeeded," Hermione said tartly.
"More or less."
"And you don't feel bad about the things you did?" Hermione pushed.
"What good would that do?" he said. "I did what I had to, no more no less. People got hurt and I fully acknowledge that I participated in that. My family was always in more danger from Voldemort than any of you were, with the exception of your friend Potter. I could never understand Voldemort's obsession with the boy, but Dumbledore was a good protector of him."
"Until he died," Hermione said.
"I understand if you wish to punish me for what Voldemort did. Many do. I am not a saint and never have professed to be one."
"But you didn't fight it either," Hermione said. "Snape fought, you didn't."
"He had nothing to lose and he ended up paying with his life. I understand that you have very little regard for my son, but he means everything to me. I could not afford to take the steps that Severus did."
"Did you know?" Hermione asked. "Did you know that Snape was helping the Order?"
"Of course I knew," Lucius said airily. "The man was my best friend for much of my life. It didn't exactly escape me that he was in love with Lily Potter. I always knew he was working against Voldemort, never expected anything else."
"But you didn't help," Hermione said.
"I didn't hinder either. The fact that Voldemort would eventually fall was inevitable."
"But you helped keep him powerful. You put his diary in Ginny's cauldron."
"I did what it told me. I knew Voldemort was wheedling his way back and I could not afford to disobey. It would have come to light."
"It almost killed Ginny, not to mention the opening of the Chamber of Secrets which nearly killed me and everyone like me."
"I did not know the mechanics of the diary. I didn't know it was a Horcrux. I knew the goal was to open the Chamber and that the basilisk would seek out muggleborns."
"And it is alright with you to kill all the muggleborns," Hermione said quietly.
"Dumbledore knew the Chamber was open and he knew what would happen. He was an idiot for keeping your lot at the school as long as he did. He should have sent you home."
"And that would not have been such a bad thing." Hermione snorted.
Lucius cocked his head and stared at her. "And that would not have been such a bad thing."
Either of them could bring themselves to say anything more. The dinner was finished and Hermione's headache had returned with a vengeance. All she wanted was to go to sleep and forget the last couple of months.