Dear Readers,

Ah, Chapter 20. And Chapter 21 following immediately. These were very difficult to write, so I'm sorry about the longish wait. At least it was under 3 months this time. :D And they are both short, which is why I am posting them together. Enjoy!

Littlekat1010

Ginny Malfoy had come to dread breakfast. It seemed to be the hour for ill news and angry words, and the sense of dread in her stomach had completely overtaken her appetite. Nevertheless, she dressed in one of her many new outfits, arranged her hair in a low, sophisticated ponytail, and made her way down to the dining room of Malfoy Manor. Lucius was already waiting for her. He said nothing, but she could feel his eyes on her as she sat next to him where her plate had been set.

"Did you sleep well?" His voice was quiet, casual.

Ginny nodded instinctively, but her perceptive husband was not fooled.

"Don't lie to me, Ginevra."

She kept her eyes on her breakfast. There had been a moment, last night, where she thought that perhaps she could at least try to trust this man, to give him a second chance. The whole day, the moment where he had been her hero, the waltz...they had all been a haze of emotion. But darkness had brought nightmares, and when she woke from them, there had been the memories from her wedding night to greet her. She felt ashamed that she had been so open with the man who had caused this pain in the first place. Now, sitting before his piercing eyes in the light of a new day, she felt unbelievably vulnerable.

"I—there were nightmares."

They ate in silence, Lucius pretending to read the rest of the paper, Ginevra focused on not bursting into tears or simply fleeing the dining hall completely. When Lula had at last cleared the plates, Lucius spoke again.

"Since you seem to be unable to even look at me, I assume you're mind is no more at rest than it was last night. If there were something I could do to put your mind at ease..." He paused, waiting for her reply.

Ginny swallowed hard. "Wait. Give me a few more days." She was pleased that there was no tremor in her voice.

Lucius sighed deeply. "That is something I cannot do. We only have until Saturday night, Ginevra, to complete our requirements twice over. I will not allow you to procrastinate this, spend the next week worrying and not sleeping. You will terrify yourself to death." Lucius stood and crossed to Ginny's chair, resting his hands on her shoulders. She tensed, but he did not remove them.

"I have to go out for an hour or so. Be ready when I get back." His voice was quiet, but left no room for argument. "Try to calm yourself, Ginevra. For your own sake."

He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving a trembling Ginevra alone.

LGLGLGLGLGLGLGGLGLG

Lucius flooed into Severus' living room at exactly half past ten. Severus was ready for him.

"Here you are, Lucius." He gestured to a small box that contained several vials, sitting on the coffee table. He pointed to each vial as he spoke.

"That is a dreamless sleep potion. That is a minor pain potion. It is specifically intended to target muscle soreness, so it should be more effective than the one you originally gave her. This is a calming potion, for either one of you." He grinned. "And that is the best lubricant known to mankind. It also has a minor muscle relaxant in it. It won't help much if she's really tense, or fighting you, but if things go well, it should ease the process. Why you didn't think to use it the first time is beyond me."

Lucius ignored that last comment. "Thank you, Severus."

Severus closed up the box and handed it to his friend. "Would you like to stay for a drink? It's a bit early for Scotch, but Irish coffee is perfectly respectable."

Lucius smiled. "It's never too early for Scotch. And as much as I appreciate the offer, I should be getting back to the Manor."

Severus nodded his understanding. "You are a good man, Lucius. Remember that today."

LGLGLGLGLGLGLGGLGLG

Lucius flooed directly into his bedroom, and immediately rang for Lula. "Could you please escort Mrs. Malfoy to me?"

"Mrs. Malfoy is just getting out of the bath, Sir. Lula will bring her as soon as she is ready."

"Thank you, Lula. And Lula? Tell her to take her time."

He didn't want the girl to feel like he was demanding her in his bed, although that was essentially what he was doing. But as patient as he was prepared to be, the fact remained that there was a time crunch. Not only that, but Lucius sincerely felt that the longer they waited, the more upset and nervous the girl was prone to become. She had done her best to hide it from him, but Lucius had seen that she had been on the verge of tears all during breakfast.

He had showered the night before, but decided to use his time to do so again. When he was finished and his long hair had been magically dried, he pulled it back at the nape of his neck, and dressed back into his usual robes. Then he settled into the chair that stood in one corner of the room and focused on his book for the next half an hour. Lula's knock on the door pulled him out of the description of an advanced magical theory, and he closed the book and placed it on the chair-side stand before softly calling "enter".

It was a moment before the door opened, and the girl stood alone in the doorway. She was dressed in the same clothes she'd worn to breakfast, an olive green shirt and cream colored skirt. Her hair was in a braid on top of her head, the way it had been their first night together. She seemed unsure of what to do.

"Come in, Ginevra, and close the door."

She did as he instructed, then turned to face him, her hands clasped nervously behind her back.

"I was uncertain of what I should wear." Her voice broke the awkward silence.

"What you have on is just fine." He held out his hand to her from where he sat, and she crossed the room to him to take it. He looked up into her pale face, felt her hand trembling slightly in his. "You are afraid of me." She couldn't hide her face from him from this angle, and he saw her close her eyes briefly to hold back tears. Lucius stood, moving slowly, as if a sudden movement might spook her.

"There is only one way that I know how to do this, Ginevra, and that is to be in control. But I need you to be willing."

"I don't understand. I can't make myself want this." Her voice was choked. Lucius grasped her chin and pulled it up.

"No more hiding your face from me, Ginevra. I cannot know what you are thinking if I cannot see your eyes." He moved his hand to her cheek, and she tensed noticeably. "You cannot make yourself want this, but you can be willing that it should happen. It will take a good deal more courage to give yourself to me, than to fight me." His thumb caressed her cheek softly, but the girl did not relax.

"I don't trust you."

"I know."

He watched her, he could practically see the wheels turning in her mind. She had no choice but to do this. She was determining in what way she wished to go about it.

"Do you want this?" Her question was unexpected, and it took Lucius a second to register what she'd asked.

He wasn't certain what answer she wanted. He decided to be blunt. "You are a beautiful girl, Ginevra. I would be lying if I said that my body isn't looking forward to this."

Slowly, she nodded, and spoke in a whisper. "Show me what to do."

Lucius leaned down, and softly pressed his lips to hers.

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