Hermione's mind was racing, her body full of so many thoughts and emotions that she didn't know what to feel, how to react. She couldn't bring herself to care if Lucius had helped Rodolphus escape or not, knew that no matter what had happened, her feelings towards him could never be diminished. A hatred, however, was building within her. How could Harry do this to her? How could he take Lucius away from her? 'Because he doesn't even know you love him...' A rational voice inside her said, but she chose to ignore it, knew her closest friend would have been able to recognise the signs, at least, she hoped he had anyway.

Hermione barely registered the events happening around her she was so overwhelmed. Draco had drawn his wand, Severus was restraining him, spells started to fly out around her in a blur, chaos seemed to be descending all around. Suddenly there was a burst of blue light, and Lucius voice rang loud and clear through the commotion. Hermione rallied around the sound, using it to bring her back to reality.

"Silence." Lucius called, his ward effectively ending the exchange of spells. "I will go willingly." He stated, and Hermione realised he must understand that if he showed any resistance, put up even the smallest fight, it would give the ministry a true reason to send him to Azkaban.

"No, Father! What are you doing?" Shouted Draco, his voice full of despair.

"Do not worry, my son. I am sure I will be released when the ministry no longer needs to use me as a scapegoat for their own failings." Lucius drawled, almost certain that his words would likely rile a response from some of the aurors, making him look superior when he remained calm.

His plan worked when an auror near the back shot a stinging hex at him. He merely waved it off with a flick of his wand, not even deigning to look at its' caster, the attempt was so feeble.

"Enough!" Shouted Harry, glaring at the auror who'd cast the spell. "You, you're suspended." He said, pointing to the man. "Malfoy," He turned back, facing Lucius once more. "Please come with me."

"May I say a few words to my family? I may not be able to see them for quite some time." Lucius asked, knowing his words would strike a chord within Harry.

"You have a minute." He conceded, his eyes briefly darting to Draco and Hermione who's whose own were filled with fiery rage.

"Draco, please take care of my wand while I'm gone." Lucius said, handing it to his son. "You are in charge of the estate until I return. I am sure you will be able to handle everything perfectly."

"Yes Father." Draco said proudly, clearly trusting that Lucius was not in the wrong.
That's when Lucius turned to her, and she lost herself in his eyes, the grey storm within them seeming to make her whole world stand still. "Hermione." Was all he said, knew no words were necessary, knew she would understand that she needed to trust him, to be strong.

She wanted to kiss him, to pull him upstairs, aurors be damned, but knew she couldn't, knew that exposing their relationship now would only complicate matters further.

"Lucius." Harry interrupted. "Come with us."

Hermione was sure that, if Draco had not been holding his wand, Lucius would have done considerably more than hex Harry for interrupting his farewell if the look in his eyes was anything to go by. Lucius walked straight past Harry with his head held high, and continued to the guards who would escort him to the ministry. He would do this with dignity, something that many would be unable to do if put in the same situation.

They all left with a series of pops until the only one left was Harry, standing expectantly on the doorstep. He was smiling.

Hermione heard Severus retreating behind her, pulling a protesting Draco with him, but all she could focus on was that smile. A smile she'd seen so many times before, one which had always warmed her, made her happy, but now it only invoked a toxic feeling inside. How could he be smiling at a time like this?

"Well." He said, gesturing for her to come outside.

"What?" She asked, her voice lifeless, unable to comprehend what he was talking about.

"Aren't you going to come home with me?" He asked, confusion evident on his face. "You can't stay here anymore, not use the Manor as a safe house, not when it's owner has aided in the escape of the man who's after you."

"I'm not leaving." She said firmly, ignoring the rational part of her brain that told her that Harry's actions were completely normal, more than expected. Surely, he'd thought this would be what she wanted, to see Lucius Malfoy behind bars.

"Why not?" He questioned, truly perplexed.

She could lie. She'd lied to him before and it had been so easy, she'd felt so little guilt, but what was the point anymore? He was the last person she truly cared about in life who didn't know about Lucius and she.

"Because I love him." She said, a pleading in her eyes, hoping he would understand.

"Draco?" Harry asked, his voice strangely sad, even more confused than he had been before.

"No, not Draco." She assured him, her words removing the peculiar fear and apprehension from his face, the confusion remained.

"Who then?" He questioned, his brows furrowed.

"Lucius." Hermione said, as surely, and with as much conviction as she had told her mother the previous day.

If Hermione had been hoping Harry would understand, that her best friend had known her well enough to have suspected this before, then she would be disappointed. His face contorted into a twisted rage, his green eyes seeming to turn the deepest emerald as his anger grew.

"What has he done to you?" He practically shouted. "I'll kill the bastard! Hermione, what has he done? Are you alright?"

His concern for her helped to lessen the pain his words struck within her, but they hurt her nevertheless.

"He has done nothing." She stated as calmly as she could. "Despite his previous actions, he is a good man, a great man, and I love him, Harry."

Her words did nothing to quell his anger, only shifting attention from Lucius to herself.

"What's wrong with you Hermione? What about Ron? The Weasleys?" He asked, a true desperation in his voice.

"Nothing is wrong with me." Hermione said, gripping her wand so tightly she was sure it would snap. "Ron is a bastard, the Weasleys are blind to the truth and-"

"But he's a monster, Hermione! He tried to kill us! He stood by while you were tortured, for fucks sake, did nothing, and yet you say you love him?" He shouted, this time unable to control his emotions.

"Yes I love him. You may not understand it, but Harry, please, say you'll accept it." She pleaded, tears now running down her face. "Please don't leave me like Ron did, like my friends did, not you..."

He stood in silence, shoulders rising and falling with his heavy breaths, tears too on his own cheeks.

"I will never be able to accept it." He said, his voice sounding colder than the snow which fell upon them.

Hermione's breath hitched, and she was sure she would fall apart if it were not for the warm hand she suddenly felt in her own. She looked up to see Harry right in front of her, his eyes glistening, the smile back on his face. "But I will always accept you Hermione. I won't abandon you. You're my closest friend and always will be."

She pulled him into a hug with a sob, holding him so tight she was sure she was hurting him, and let her tears fall freely. He hugged her back for a short while, letting silence fall between them and a light sprinkling of snow form upon them, but all too soon, he pulled back.

"I have to go now." He said softly, the emotions in his eyes too many to distinguish. "And, I'm sorry."

And with that he was gone.

Hermione went back inside and closed the door. The only sound was the grand clock in the entrance hall, it's ticking all she could hear, seeming to taunt her. Suddenly she was running, hoping that if she kept moving she might be unable to think on what had just occurred.

She ran and she ran until suddenly she found herself in an unfamiliar part of the manor, a door standing before her that she thought she recognised, but could not place. Opening it cautiously she ventured inside, the curtains were drawn so she couldn't make out the room, but made her way in anyway, the floorboards creaking with every step she made. After almost tripping over the corner of a rug she decided she should probably light up the room, freezing when she finally saw what it was.

This was it, the room which brought back memories she had tried to forget, ones which she had fought to suppress these last few weeks especially. She was standing in almost the exact spot it had happened, where she had been pressed into the floor by Bellatrix, tortured, screaming...Lucius turning his back, unable to watch, but doing nothing.

Hermione slumped into the nearest chair, her legs too weak to stand on, and tucked them underneath her. She could not remember the room well, her time in there was a blurred memory but for Bellatrix' voice in her ear, the searing pain, and strangely enough, the image of Lucius, his blond hair shining out amidst the haze. There was blood on the floor, although oddly not all where she had been tortured, a large amount of it splattered on the wall too, now dark in its age. She did not panic, recognised that it was old, but still found it curious, however, her mind had too many other things to think on to ponder it further.

Her aunt had been the one to torture her, not that she'd known it at the time, Hermione suspecting that it might have been all the worse if Bellatrix had known the truth. To find Hermione was the child of her own husband and sister, a blood traitor as far as she would have been concerned, likely to have instilled a rage far greater than the one which had taken hold of her that day.

Hermione had accepted what had happened to her long ago, back when she was at school, and it was not the pain which haunted her thoughts these days, no, it was Lucius, what he had done that day. It was the only thing that ever caused her to doubt her feelings for him, always wondering what had gone through his head that day. She understood now that many of his actions, and in- action, had all been to protect his family, to save them from Voldemort's wrath, but part of her worried that, at the time, he truly hadn't cared what had happened to her.

She looked to the door when it slowly creaked open, hearing a light knocking on the wood. Severus was there, concern evident in his so often lifeless eyes.

"Can I come in?" He asked softly, so strange was it to hear him speak in such a way that it took Hermione a moment to respond.

"Yes." She replied, her voice sounding weaker than she had anticipated, something she could not find it within her to feel ashamed about.

He came over and sat beside her, pulling her into a hug, knowing it would do more for her than words. She rested her head on his shoulder and pulled him close, his warmth helping to re-ignite the life within her.

After some time she spoke, seeing the dark splatters around the room was starting to disconcert her, so she felt compelled to ask. "Severus, why, why is the room covered in blood?" Hermione questioned apprehensively, unsure as to what the answer would be.

He was silent for a while and Hermione feared that he did not know the answer, or would not tell her, relieved when he finally replied. "Because Lucius forbid it to be removed."

"After you'd gone, when you'd all escaped, Voldemort came. Draco and Narcissa had gone when he arrived, hidden somewhere, although where I could not say. Voldemort assumed it had just been Bellatrix and Lucius present, their mistake, their failing, and he punished them for it." He explained, his voice cold as if he were back teaching, his emotions lacking. "To be more accurate, he punished Lucius." He continued, although it seemed to be getting harder for him to remain detached. "It went on for hours, Lucius lost a huge amount of blood, was left there to die, and most likely would have had I not gotten there in time."

Hermione's heart started to ache, thinking of the pain Lucius felt seemed to physically hurt her, more than the memory of her own torture even. "So the blood..."

"Yes, it is his." Severus stated. "And some of yours." He added, a sadness now in his voice. "Lucius wanted to keep the room this way, so that he would never forget. Never forget what his actions had brought upon his family, what his lack of action had brought upon you." He said, stroking her hair as if to remind himself that she was still here, still safe. "I sometimes think he took the torture willingly, allowed it to tear him apart, to punish himself for his own weakness."

Hermione wanted to cry, tears of relief, of pain, of sadness, but could not. She was unable to find happiness in hearing of Lucius remorse, what he had put himself through, how he had suffered, it only served to break her heart further. All she wanted was to have him here with her, with their family, their friends, but he was gone, still being punished for his past.

"Come now." Severus said as a silence spread between them, pulling Hermione to her feet and lifting her tired body into his arms. "It will do you no good to dwell on the past." He said as he shut door softly behind them, locking the memories away once again.

Hermione let him take her, his long strides comforting her as they made their way through the quiet manor. She felt exhausted, in every way possible, and let the peacefulness of sleep take her before they had even reached the stairs.

Draco was desperate to talk to his father, but knew it would be nearly impossible for him to get into the ministry cells, even though he was Lucius' son.

His saviour had come in the form of his new found cousin, Hermione. She had recovered remarkably well from the whole ordeal, leaping into action the very next morning. She too wanted to see Lucius and, despite warnings from Andromeda, and Narcissa, and Severus, had decided she was going to see him anyway. A plan had been concocted between the two where Draco would ask Harry to the manor to talk about his father whilst Hermione would go to the ministry, now lacking a certain chosen one, where she was confident she would easily be able to talk to Lucius alone, a confidence Draco shared.

Draco met Harry at the gates of the manor, telling him that he wished to walk through the grounds which were now covered in an enchanting light layer of snow, although his true motive had been to avoid seeing any of the other current occupants of the house. He knew he need not worry about any of the house elves as they were all inside having their own festive meal.

Harry arrived and they walked in silence, eventually stopping in a small walled, courtyard, a frozen pond in the centre.

"Look, Draco, if you're trying to get me to let your father out of prison, it's not going to happen." Said Harry firmly, in spite of how he was shuffling the snow with his boot.

It was obvious to Draco that Harry had practised his words, tried to make them sound strong. He'd forgotten to hide his nervous ticks, however. "What evidence could you possibly have, Mr Potter?" Asked Draco, with a poison edge, sounding so like his father.

Harry looked taken aback by Draco referring to him in such a formal tone, clearly becoming unsettled. "An auror I trust told me that they'd seen Lucius fleeing the scene on the night it happened. It's indisputable." Harry stated, although it sounded as though he were trying to convince himself more than Draco.

"And this auror you say you 'trust', did you just take their word as truth? Or did you investigate further? Perhaps use occlumency? There are many within your department who would love to see my father behind bars, and I don't think any of them would hesitate to blame the first crime they can on him." Draco accused, his voice rising in anger.

"It's not like that." Harry protested.

"Is it not? Tell me, did you question it? Were you all too ready to come and arrest him? So unable to believe that he's changed?"

"People like him never change!" Harry shouted, his words like a slap to Draco's face.

"Don't they, Mr Potter." A deep voice came from behind them. "And how many times have you accused someone of being in the wrong simply because you assumed them to be?" Questioned Severus Snape, appearing silently.

"You were different." Said Harry, clearly becoming flustered. "You weren't a monster."

Severus laughed in exasperation. "And who are you to call Lucius Malfoy a monster? You see, you judge him based on what you thought you knew, not facts, not the truth."

"Have you all gone insane? Even Hermione..."

Suddenly they heard voices approaching, the light crunching of snow underfoot. Teddy came bounding round the corner, Andromeda and Narcissa not far behind.

"Uncle Hawwy!" Teddy said smiling. "Why you here?" He asked, his face falling, clearly remembering what had happened the previous day.

"Why are you here." Andromeda corrected him with a sigh, it becoming obvious to Draco why the boy sounded so mature, clearly Andromeda hadn't abandoned her pureblood upbringing when it came to grammar.

Harry took just that a little bit too long to reply, Draco realising that he must not recognise Teddy with his new Malfoy appearance, something Draco revelled in.

"Teddy, Andromeda, what are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question, Harry." Andromeda said sharply. "After how you behaved the other day."

"Yeah." Said Teddy, folding his arms and standing up tall. "You took away Uncle Lucius, and you made Aunt 'Mione cry."

"I had to." Harry said, sounding less and less sure of himself.

"Why?" Teddy questioned bluntly.

"Because, because he might have done something bad, Teddy."

"So it's might have now is it?" Asked Severus with a raised eyebrow. "I'm surprised you'd put Draco and Hermione through this for only a possibility."

"I didn't think it-"

"Ah, that is sweet music to my ears, you didn't think." Drawled Snape. "Of course."

"How was I to know about Hermione?" Harry asked, nervously running his hand through his hair. "Andromeda." He seemed to plead. "Surely you can't approve of Hermione's decision?"

Draco could see Harry's words ignite a motherly protection in Andromeda's eyes, yet couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for his 'friend'.

"Hermione is free to love whoever she wants and we all accept it. She needed you last night Harry, needed you to accept her feelings, and you pushed her away. You have no idea what she's been through lately, no idea at all, and if you did, you'd understand why Lucius would never free Rodolphus Lestrange from the ministry." She seethed, the disappointment evident in her voice.

"What do you mean? What's happened to Hermione?" Harry asked, clearly full of concern and worry for his friend.

Everyone seemed to look at each other, trying to silently decide whether or not to share what they knew about Hermione's parentage to Harry and, unsurprisingly, Andromeda was the one to speak.

"Harry, Hermione has found out that she was adopted." She stated calmly. "She is not muggleborn. In fact, she is a pureblood."

"A...a pureblood?" Harry asked in disbelief. "But... but who, who are her real parents?"

"I am her mother." Andromeda said after taking a deep breath. "And her father has just broken out of the ministry."

Harry stood in shock for quite some time, then his legs gave out and he fell to his knees. Draco had to fight his urge to go to him, to comfort him, but his pride wouldn't let him do it.

"Rodolphus?" Harry asked, his eyes searching theirs for some sign of a lie.

"Yes." Confirmed Severus. "Now do you understand? Now do you see why Lucius would never release him? Would never hurt Hermione like that?"

"Come on." Said Andromeda. "I think we should go back inside and leave Harry to his thoughts."

And so they all turned and walked away, none giving Harry a backwards glance, but Narcissa stayed behind, still in Draco's earshot. He knew his mother and Harry had a strange relationship, had in truth, that fateful day, saved each other's lives, and so he was unsure of what she would say to him now.

"Mister Potter." She said, her voice calm, commanding, and curiously kind. "Sometimes, those we trust the most are the ones who tell us the biggest lies." And with that she walked away, leaving Harry standing alone in the snow, his brow furrowed, his face the epitome of confusion.

Draco didn't wait, didn't go to say goodbye. If Harry didn't think that people could change, didn't believe that they could have good inside of them, then he must still see Draco as he saw Lucius, and as far as Draco was concerned, their friendship was over.

He now finally understood what people meant when they talked about broken hearts...

The aurors had questioned him several times, but, obviously, to no avail, considering he hadn't done anything wrong. Lucius had tried to be as cooperative as possible, making sure to give them no reason to shut him away forever, but the questions were really starting to aggravate him, and he wasn't sure how much longer his patience would last.

Lucius was worried about Hermione too, with Rodolphus on the loose once more the chances of her getting into trouble were considerably higher. He knew Draco could handle the estate, trusted that the Blacks would stop Hermione getting into too much trouble, but it still preoccupied his thoughts, as Hermione always did as of late.

He could hear voices outside his cell, assuming that someone was coming to talk to him, yet again, and this time, he knew it would take a great deal of effort to control his tongue.

Hermione managed to gain entry to Lucius' cell at the ministry by telling the guards she needed to speak with him in regards to one of her cases and that Harry had sanctioned it. In the past she may have had reservations about bringing her best friends name into things, but not today, for Lucius she would do almost anything.

She needed to speak with him alone and told the aurors the case was confidential so they happily let her go into the interrogation room alone, naturally assuming a member of the golden trio could be trusted.

Lucius sat in the chair proudly, despite having his hands loosely shackled, ready to intimidate whoever entered the room with a mere icy glance. His grey eyes set ablaze, however, when he saw Hermione enter the room, a sly smile gracing the corner of his lips.

The sight of him alone made a heat rush between Hermione's legs, it had been mere days since she had seen him last but her body ached for his touch.

"How are you Lucius?" She asked as soon as the door was shut behind them, the silencing and locking charms cast, the aurors blindly trusting her enough to let her keep her wand.

"Thirsty." he said, his eyes devouring her form, his intentions clear.

Hermione didn't hesitate, the need to discuss his imprisonment seemed irrelevant now to her, and she made her way to the desk he sat at, sitting on it in front of him.

Lucius' ran his slightly shaking hands up her smooth calves, roughly pulling apart her legs causing a unison groan to come from both of their lips, accompanied by a rattling of his chains. Hermione had never been happier that she had chosen not to wear underwear. He looked at her core which Hermione could already feel was dripping wet, had been since she set eyes on him, her thighs glistening in her essence.

She could tell he wanted to touch her, to tease her body into a frenzy, the way his fingers twitched and gripped her legs, but they did not have time. This would be urgent, frantic, it was necessary for the two of them, as breathing was for everyone else.

Lucius lowered his face between her legs, breathing her in, before his mouth descended into her folds, licking through them as he tastes her. Hermione felt electric, her nerves alive, every touch of his body against her own magnified ten fold until all she could focus on was him. He sucked hard on her clit, circling it with his tongue, Hermione bucking into his hot mouth as he gripped her hips, pulling her closer to him. He thrust two fingers into her, the sweet unexpected pain sending a fresh wave of her lust onto Lucius' waiting tongue which lapped it up eagerly.

His tongue soon replaced his fingers and she cried out, so perfect was his touch, his thumb now working on her clit. They didn't have long, knew the aurors would come to check on them soon, so they had to finish quickly, the urgency evident to them both.

"Come for me." He ordered, his breath ghosting over her core. "Please, Hermione, come for me." He pleaded, his tongue pressed hard between her folds.

Lucius pinched her clit, while his fingers stroked her g spot and she came apart, screaming his name. He shuddered against her as he continued to storke and lick her through her orgasm, clearly having done so himself too.

As soon as Hermione caught her breath, she scourgified them both and kissed him thoroughly, loving how she could taste herself on his lips, before rearranging her clothes and unlocking the door.

A few seconds later an auror entered, told Hermione she had to leave now, none the wiser to what had gone on between them.

Hermione had to go and see Lucius again, knew she would have little opportunity to in the near future, considering her last visit hadn't gone exactly as planned, not that she regretted what they'd done. So, she decided there was only one thing she could do, and that was go to the ministries' New Year Ball. It was expected that she go anyway, she was an employee after all, and then there was that... pesky little thing about being part of the golden trio. Once there, she would have to hang about for an hour or so and then, at an apt moment, feign ill or tired and then sneak off to the cells, most of the aurors worth anything likely to still be at the ball.

So, that's where Hermione found herself a few days later, walking into the ministry atrium, which had been transformed into a ballroom for the evening. She had opted for a muggle dress rather than robes, as she always found they suited her far better. She wore black, feeling it was appropriate for her current mood, a dress which reached the floor, strapless, clinging to her in all the right place, a deep v neckline falling down her chest, something she knew Lucius would appreciate. Draco and she arrived together, deciding that, as family, it was something they should do. They turned heads, naturally, but whether it was because they'd come together or the sight she expected they made, Hermione could not be sure.

Hermione acted as though everything was normal, as if nothing in her life had changed, pleasantly greeting and talking to people as she made her way across the room, searching for someone she really wanted to talk to. She had spotted the Weasleys early on, they tended to be hard to miss, but, fortunately they had not yet seen her. Harry was there, talking with the minister, and gave her a smile across the room when he saw her, clearly trying to look apologetic, something which Hermione appreciated.

Suddenly Hermione found herself unable to walk, a small pair of arms wrapped tightly around her legs.

"Aunt 'Mione." Came Teddy's happy voice, looking up at her with a big smile. He was dressed in a smart, dark grey shirt and black trousers, his long blond hair tied back with a deep green ribbon.

"Hello Teddy." She smiled as she bent down to give him a hug. "I see Andy let you come then."

"Yep!" He beamed, clearly pleased Draco and Hermione's persuasion of Andromeda had worked. Teddy had been thrilled to find out Hermione was his aunt, only after confusedly asking that he thought she was already his aunt anyway, but was happy that it was now official.

She looked up to see Andromeda and Narcissa not far behind Teddy, the pair walking arm in arm, most likely surprising many onlookers as it was not common knowledge that they were close these days.

"Hermione." Her mother greeted with a smile. "You look wonderful." Narcissa added, kissing her on each cheek. "I shall have to get my tailor to make a dress like that one day, it is simply marvellous."

"Thank you." Said Hermione, sure she was blushing at her aunt's kind words.
"It is such a shame Lucius could not be with us." Said Andromeda, although Hermione was dubious as to whether her mother's words were genuine.

"Yes." The smooth baritone of Severus said from behind. "I'm sure he would have loved to see you in that dress." He commented, coming to stand next to Narcissa, resting his hand on her lower back.

"Well you should be happy he isn't, Severus, or he might just hex you for looking at Hermione like that." Narcissa teased.

The group of them started up a very stimulating conversation, as was to be expected, and, although she appeared to be listening intently, Hermione's thoughts were far away. She was deciding what her next move should be, what would be the best way to exit, how she would get past the guards to see Lucius.

About half an hour later music started to play and, somewhat reluctantly, Severus was pulled onto the now clear dance floor by Narcissa. The two looked like complete opposites together, quite literally black and white, yet they appeared to be perfect for each other, matching in intelligence and ability, seemingly compatible in every way a couple could be.

"Well Granger, shall we?" Asked Draco, extending his hand to her. "We are family after all." He added quietly, seeing her slightly shocked expression.

"I suppose there a worse ways to spend the time." Hermione agreed with a smile, more than happy to avoid any potential confrontations with a member of the Weasley family if she were to decline.

Draco, unsurprisingly, danced very well and Hermione really was enjoying herself. The pair attracted a couple of strange glances, most notably from Harry who had the widest smile on his face she'd seen in a long time, but for the most part people just seemed to ignore them. The song came to an end and Hermione was about to start phase one of her plan when Severus caught her by the waist and asked to dance with her during the next one, Narcissa insisting Draco do the same with his mother.

"So." Severus said quietly next to Hermione's ear. "What was it going to be? A headache? Too much to drink? A nasty conversation with the Minister? Because I assure you, I have potions, and poisons, to remedy all of those on my person, so you may have to come up with something a little more elaborate."

Hermione purposefully stepped on his foot but he didn't even flinch, the sly bastard. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She replied.

"Oh come now, Hermione, I know you well enough to tell when you've got a scheme brewing. I just don't want you to do anything brash."

"You wound me to assume any scheme of mine would be brash, Severus." Hermione joked, knowing she wouldn't be able to talk her way out of this one.

"Well perhaps a scheme won't be necessary." Said Snape with a sly smile as their dance came to an end, rather abruptly leaving her on the dance floor.

It was then that she spotted Ron directly ahead of her, and fuck, he was making his way towards her. Hermione quickly looked around her for someone to dance with, literally anyone else, but all had partners, her way out blocked.

Hermione feared all was lost when, suddenly, she felt large hands on her waist, a strong grip that sent tingles up her spine. There was a tall, solid, figure behind her, hot breath on her neck, long hair tickling her collar bone.

"You look ravishing, Hermione." He drawled, sending a shiver through her.

"Lucius." She breathed out, grinding back into the rock hard length she could feel against her, causing his grip to tighten, a sharp intake of breath.

He spun her around and they started to dance, Hermione barely noticing Ron, standing shocked at the edge of the dance floor.

"You're here." She smiled, barely believing that he was.

"Yes. I believe I have your friend Potter to thank for that. Clearly someone has talked some sense into the boy." He said, his words kind, his tone less so. "I hope Severus kept his hands off you." He asked, moving his own lower, pulling her tighter against him.

Hermione bit her lower lip and nodded, her eyes transfixed on his, the lust she saw in them. "Fuck, Lucius, I want you." She said through heaving breaths.

"Patience, my sweet." He smirked. "Good things come to those who wait." He said with a chaste kiss to her lips.

She knew people were looking at them, they were practically fucking each other through their clothes already, but she couldn't bring herself to care, all she cared about was Lucius, that he was holding her in his arms once more.

Harry had decided that they should let Lucius go free. His trip to Malfoy Manor had given him a lot to think about so he'd gone back to re-investigate. Hermione had provided Lucius with an alibi, no one else had seen Malfoy at the ministry, and he seemed to have nothing at all to gain from freeing Rodolphus.

Harry was pleased with what he'd done, now that he could see how happy Hermione was to be reunited with Lucius, perhaps one day he might be able to accept their relationship if they carried on like this. Unsurprisingly the pair were drawing quite a bit of attention as they danced together, a pair of wizards standing within Harry's earshot discussing the two.

"That's not Lucius Malfoy dancing with Hermione Granger is it?" One asked in disbelief. "I thought he'd been locked up?"

"So did I, but of course that's Lucius, how could you mistake him for anyone else?"

What a good question Harry thought. How could anyone mistake Lucius Malfoy for anyone else? Narcissa's words repeated in his head once more, for what had to be the hundredth time since she'd said them to him. At first, he thought she'd been talking about him lying to himself, but now, they seemed to take on a different meaning. Perhaps the one who'd condemned Lucius in the first place has been lying.

Harry searched the crowd frantically with his eyes, needing to find him, needing to know it wasn't true. Finally he spotted him, red hair, making his way through the crowd towards Hermione and Lucius.

"Ron." Harry shouted as he ran across the room. "We need to talk. Now."

"We need to talk?!" Ron asked in disbelief. "What about that?" He said, wildly pointing at Lucius and Hermione. "He's supposed to be locked up, I told you he was the one who let Rodolphus out didn't I."

Most people seemed to be avoiding the confrontation but some had gathered around, Narcissa and Severus, the whole Weasley clan.

"You!" Shouted Hermione stalking towards Ron, wand raised. "Why would you make something like that up? What's wrong with you?"

"I can't believe it." Said Harry, realisation finally dawning on him. It had been Ron who told him he'd seen Lucius but now he thought about it, it couldn't possibly be true. Ron would have had to be there to have seen Lucius, was there when Rodolphus escaped, how had he not worked it out earlier?

"I can't believe it either Harry." Said Ron, clearly thinking his friend was on his side.

"No, Ron, I'm not talking about Hermione." He stated, trying to reign in his anger.

"What are you on about mate?"

"It was you who set Rodolphus free wasn't it." Harry accused, not missing the satisfied smile appearing on Lucius' lips.

All the colour went from Ron's face, the group around them going silent, so Harry continued. "You were on guard duty that night, weren't you? I remember now you mentioning how you thought you'd do a better job than the official interrogators, tried to persuade me to let you in-."

"It was an accident." Ron blurted out. "I thought I could get him to talk, so I went in and, I don't know how, but he managed to get hold of my wand, and then he was just gone." He said frantically. "But, who cares that I lied, who cares if Lucius Malfoy goes back to Azkaban right?"

Even Mrs Weasley was shaking her head in disappointment, the crowd around them breaking into murmurs.

"I care." Said Harry. "You can't falsely accuse someone just because you don't like them. It isn't right."

"What's wrong with you all?" Asked Ron. "Clearly he's Imperioed you all! And as for, Hermione, gold digging mud blood-"

That's when the slap happened. And this time it came from his mother.

"Ronald Weasley! How dare you talk about Hermione like that." She boomed. "Apologise. Now."

Ron looked taken aback but quickly obeyed his mother's words. "Sorry Hermione." He said shuffling his feet, not quite looking her in the eye.

"Do it properly." Said Ginny, clearly appalled at her brother's behaviour.

He scowled at her but did it anyway, walking up to Hermione and giving her a real apology. "I didn't mean to call you that Hermione, I'm sorry, and I'm sorry for being a complete bastard to you lately."

Hermione stared back blankly, only rolling her eyes slightly at his words.

"Right, Ron, I'm going to have to take you in to get an official confession and we'll work out your trial date."

"Trial?" Questioned Ron, his eyes widening in shock.

"Yes." Harry said bluntly. "For obstructing justice, going against clear orders and releasing a mass murderer."

After Ron had been restrained everyone started to dissipate back into the crowd, after the daily prophet managed to get a picture of course, Lucius thankful that his own place on the front cover of late would likely be replaced.

The Weasleys had a quiet word with Hermione, insisting they must talk soon to work things out between them, something Hermione seemed pleased about, Lucius slightly less so, but if it made Hermione happy, then it made him happy too.

Narcissa and Andromeda gave Ron an icy stare on their way out, one which Lucius had experienced himself in the past and knew just how terrifying it was to behold. Severus 'accidentally' bumped quite violently into Ron, pretending he had slipped, and Teddy, quite unabashedly, kicked him in the shin, gave Harry a wide smile, and ran off after Snape.

Hermione gave Harry a big hug and was thanking him, so Lucius thought he'd have a little fun of his own whilst everyone was distracted. "Well, Mr Weasley, do you know what I'm going to do now?" He drawled. The boy merely frowned at him, tried not to look him in the eye. "I'm going to take Hermione home and I'm going to fuck her, something I hear you never knew how to do, until she either passes out with pleasure or has at least seven orgasms, whichever comes first." Lucius said, so only they could hear.

Ron tried to lash out at him but his hands were bound so he managed to trip over his own feet and fall to the floor. Lucius laughed, a cruel laugh he hadn't used in far too long, one which he liked more than he should. "Now, now, Mr Weasley, we wouldn't want to add assault to your list of offences now, would we?"

"Come on darling." Said Hermione, slipping her arm through his. "He's not worth the time."

With that, they left, together once again, and that evening Lucius managed to do exactly what he'd told Ronald he would do, achieving both of his goals simultaneously.