Sorry for the brief delay. I had a really bad past few weeks and was feeling so upset to even write. If you guys could leave me reviews that would really cheer me up! I need some cheering up! Thanks!

xoxo

The night seemed to go by in a blur of passion and happiness. Both Aria and Lucius felt as if they were on a high; a high that was similar to the night they had drank each others' blood and a high that transcended all others because it was a feeling that came from the very depths of their souls and connected as one. After everything they had been through, this was the light that had been at the end of their tunnel. Throughout the night, after their romantic evening down in the grove of the Manor Gardens, Lucius and Aria had slept on and off, waking every few hours and making love in the silent and still darkness of their room. Each time more and more passionate and all consuming, however despite waking up multiple times through the night, both awoke the next morning well rested and feeling light as air.

Aria had awoken, and instantly knew Lucius himself had been awake as his breathing wasn't the type of deep breath one has when asleep. However when Aria looked over and up at her new fiancé she saw his face still held the hint of the smile that now seemed to be permanently engrained on his lips. For the first time in his life, Lucius Malfoy was a happy man. To anyone besides Aria herself, the sight of a natural smile upon the face of the head of the Malfoy family would have been shocking.

Without looking Lucius could sense that Aria was awake, which made his slight smile broaden even wider on his peaceful looking face. His platinum hair fanned out across his silk pillow looking like it shimmered in the morning light and his silver-grey eyes shined like diamonds. The constant darkness within him was practically gone, it so appeared.

"Good morning my beautiful girl," he said as he turned to his left side so he could look upon his future bride.

She smiled at him and closed her eyes in pleasure as his gorgeous hand came up to stroke her soft cheek. She could stay in bed with him forever and be completely content.

"I was thinking…." he said growing more serious.

"Oh?" Aria said her green eyes fluttering open and looking at his expression, wondering what he had in mind.

"I want to introduce you to my Father…" Lucius said warily. She could tell he even seemed uncertain with himself, but remained determined. There was one thing that Aria knew however, and that was that his Father, Abraxas Malfoy, had been dead for decades.

Aria furrowed her brows and Lucius instantly knew what she was thinking.

"I know what you are going to say…he is dead so how can you possibly meet him? Well, he does have a grand portrait here in this house and although it is not the real man himself, I'd like to think there is a bit left of him within that portrait to know and understand…. Although he didn't have much of a soul or personality to begin with. I mean look what I turned out to be," Lucius said as he slightly rolled his eyes.

Aria put her hand up to stroke his cheek. "I would love to meet your father, Lucius. Although I am not too sure he will like meeting me…I still want to meet him…" she slightly smiled. "As for the other thing…you have more of a soul than anyone I have ever known. You turned out to be the only man made for me, and that is everything to me. You are the greatest man I have ever known."

Lucius never knew if he would get used to being loved as much as Aria loved him. He still had one foot slightly in his dark past, and could sometimes only think about himself as the man he used to be. He known he had grown to be a different man, especially with the influence of Aria in his life, but he truly never knew if he wouldn't always see himself as a soul possessed by darkness.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said as he leaned in to kiss her briefly and then brought her hand with her ring finger up to his lips and kissed the beautiful rock on her finger, as if further proving his point he truly meant what he said.

As the two got up, Lucius dressed in a black button up shirt with black trousers with his iconic black robes and leather gloves; no matter what he always looked dashing and dressed to impress. Although Aria knew she would be not actually meeting his Father in the flesh, she still wanted to look like a presentable witch for the man who had raised the love of her life and so she put on a beautifully elegant pale green silk dress that hugged her body in all the right places but was still classy.

During a quick coffee and breakfast Aria and Lucius said little, besides the occasional smile and touch from across the table. Aria was wondering why she hadn't seen the portrait of Lucius' Father before. Had she missed it? She was sure she would recognize the portrait, as the man who probably resembled Lucius a great deal. However after breakfast, when Lucius led her to the one room he had never stepped foot in since she had known him, she knew why.

The portrait of Abraxas Malfoy was hanging in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor. The dark and dusty room was one that Lucius seldom had gone in for the many years after the War. Aria knew a bit about it, not only from Lucius himself, but also from what Hermione had said. The room was a reminder to Lucius of his dark past and of the times when Voldemort had taken over not only his home, but also his life and soul. Aria understood why Lucius would rarely go in the room, although it had the potential to be such a beautiful space. The portrait itself had a dark cloth draped over it, as if the second the War had ended and Lucius had regained his home and life back, he had covered up every reminder of any bad association and memory.

Aria could feel Lucius slightly shuddering at even having set foot in the dark room. He stepped in front of the covered portrait but had made no move yet to uncover it. He just stared up at it, as if bracing himself for the worst. Being gentle and comforting as ever, Aria squeezed his hand lightly. She then removed her wand from a hidden fold in her dress and muttered a few spells under her breath, causing the window curtains to open slightly allowing a bit of natural light in the gloomy room and she also used a quick spell to create a low crackling fire in the fireplace, which made her feel instantly more homey and comfortable. As much as Aria loved the Manor herself, she could even feel the dark memories and vibes radiating around this room. The light from the windows and the comfort of the fire seemed to help Lucius a bit as he breathed in a long sigh and let it out slowly.

"Thank you my love…are you ready?" he asked her, almost in a way asking himself, as he still sounded unsure.

"Yes. And don't forget, I am here for you and I love you with all of my heart. And nothing anyone says will change that…ever," she smiled.

He smiled back and then suddenly with a flick of his wand, the cloth covering the portrait of Abraxas Malfoy fluttered to the ground in a heap. Aria stared up at the portrait for a few long seconds, taking it in. She could definitely tell the resemblance although she was pretty sure that Lucius had received most of his beautiful features from his mother. The man was blond, but his hair was a more subdued dirty blond and was slicked back against his head. The eyes were a deep, dark blue, not bright like Lucius' silver ones. However, the mouth and the bone structure of the man were definitely all Lucius. While Abraxas had certainly been a handsome man, he was not gorgeous and mesmerizingly beautiful as his prodigal son. And another thing was certain after looking into the eyes of the man in the portrait; Abraxas Malfoy was a confident man who had no regrets and no true concept of love behind the dark blue depths of his eyes. And while Lucius was certain that he had inherited that aspect from his Father, Aria knew in that instant, just from one look at the portrait that Lucius was indeed different and the thought made her smile at the revelation.

The portrait of the man stared down at the couple from its vantage point hanging on the wall. The visage of Abraxas was unnerving and his eyes narrowed as the man in the portrait tried to decide what he wanted to say first to his son.

"Well, well, well…" Abraxas began to speak from inside the portrait, "If it isn't my only son…finally come to speak to me again have you? After being so carelessly covered up for Lord knows how long." Abraxas then looked to Aria and his face softened slightly. She could tell the man was confused as he also took in the fact that Lucius was holding hands with her. He must have been wondering what happened to Narcissa. Perhaps he didn't know how long he had been covered and forgotten. "And who is this lovely woman?" he finally said as one of his blond eyebrows raised up in question; just like Lucius' often did.

Lucius let out a sigh. He had been expecting some unfriendliness but it could have been worse he thought. Leave it to his Father to be more interested in a beautiful woman when one presented itself to him. Lucius puffed out his chest a bit more proudly as he thought of Aria next to him; how beautiful she was inside and out.

"Abraxas," he addressed his Father coldly. Aria instantly noticed he didn't call him Father to his face, which caused the man in the portrait to scowl again. "You have been covered for many years now…. the War is over. The Dark Lord is no longer in control of the world, let alone my own life. Much has changed. Narcissa and Draco have proven themselves to be unloyal and unworthy of the name Malfoy. For the first time in my life, I have learned how to truly love and be happy, thanks to this woman next to me," he said more tenderly as he looked at Aria next to him. She looked back up at him and smiled softly, her cheeks flushed a light beautiful pink. He smiled just as softly back and continued. "This is Aria De La Cour, and she is to be my wife. We have just become engaged yesterday."

Abraxas looked down at his son taking in his words. His expression almost read as if he didn't quite believe what Lucius was saying and that this was all some show. He then looked back to Aria, this time his expression was one of pure inspection. He looked at her for quite a long time not speaking. His deep blue eyes making her slightly nervous and uncomfortable with her own sense of self. Finally he spoke.

"And are you pure my beauty?" he questioned her as he leaned forward in his portrait as he eagerly awaited her response.

"Pure?" Aria asked, her cheeks flushing further. Was his Father really asking her if she was a virgin? That is where her mind immediately went. She didn't realize that of course he meant pure as in her bloodline.

"Yes, pure. What is your wizarding bloodline and lineage?" he asked more angrily, clearly not enjoying having to repeat himself.

Before Aria could answer Lucius began to speak, "That matters little Abraxas, as I have said I have changed quite-"

"No Lucius it's okay. I am not ashamed," Aria said as she stopped him mid-sentence. She stepped up closer to look up at the portrait of Abraxas. "I am half wizard blood, half Veela," she said proudly.

Abraxas leaned back in his portrait as he looked down at her. His scowl had disappeared and Lucius was almost surprised to find his expression was pleased. He smirked and then spoke. "Yes I can tell you definitely have Veela blood. Your beauty is exceptional," he said eyeing her up and down rather obviously. Aria normally would not have appreciated that but she was too surprised at his practically immediate acceptance. He continued, "Lucius said you were a De La Cour? Yes, I have heard of that family name before; a very powerful family lineage from France. Yes, I suppose you will do nicely for Lucius."

Lucius could only stare up at the portrait of his Father, his mouth slightly open in shock at how quickly Abraxas had accepted Aria as a good match for him. "And you don't want to know about Narcissa and Draco?" Lucius finally spoke.

"Narcissa is irrelevant to me. You could have been paired up with any pureblooded witch and it would have mattered not to me Lucius…you were paired simply for blood pureness alone. And as for my grandson, Draco..." Abraxas stopped for a moment and contemplated what he would say next. "If you say he has betrayed the name of Malfoy, than it must have been exceptionally impactful what he had done. You have always been more of a family man than I Lucius…more of a man of feeling," Abraxas said the word with disgust. "I had tried my hardest to beat the feelings out of you growing up but I knew when you had your son I had failed," Aria breathed in sharply at this statement and she stepped forward as if to tear the portrait off the wall, but Lucius quickly grabbed her hand in his and squeezed it to stop her. Abraxas continued speaking, seemingly he had not noticed Aria's rage at his statement. "So if what he did was enough to make you separate yourself from him, then it must have been serious," concluded Abraxas.

"Hmm," was all Lucius muttered as he looked to his right into the fire that crackled in the fireplace, as if trying to figure out which direction his mind was going.

As for Aria, she was horrified to learn that Lucius had been abused emotionally, and what seemed to be physically, as a child. Aria now knew where a lot of his darkness stemmed from. She felt tears prickling her eyes knowing that if Lucius had been raised differently perhaps his life could have taken a different path. Although she remembered that she was in the present, and Lucius loved her and was now a man of free emotions, and that was all that mattered.

Lucius spoke again, "I must say Abraxas, I find your acceptance of this news rather a relief. Aria is the best thing that has ever happened to me in my miserable life and I wanted you to know that your only son is finally and truly happy…even if that is never even what you truly wanted or cared about."

"I care about power and status, Lucius. You know that more than anyone. And although her wizard blood is but half, her other half being Veela, is far more powerful than any normal wizarding blood. Anything that will bring more power to our family is good…plus her beauty far surpasses your previous wife's, and I see it as an extra bonus."

Aria seriously couldn't believe the words that spewed from the man's mouth. So trivial and so vain; and yet Aria couldn't help herself from feeling some slight pride at hearing Abraxas claim she was more beautiful and more powerful than Narcissa. Aria felt slight shame at her feelings of pride for what the man said. She could really now understand much of Lucius' personality and the often conflicting emotions he had. She couldn't imagine talking to Abraxas for much longer, let alone a whole lifetime and she instantly realized how hard it must have been to be a young Lucius Malfoy. She felt a whole new level of love for Lucius than before.

Aria did have a question though for Abraxas, one that had been on the tip of her tongue since the conversation had begun. "Abraxas, did you know that Lucius was also part Veela? Does that come from your side? Did you know about his Veela blood?"

Abraxas nodded plainly and simply answered, "Yes, I knew."

"You knew I had Veela blood and you never thought to mention it to me before?" Lucius said just as surprised as Aria.

"All you needed to know Lucius, was that you were a powerful being. It mattered not whether it was wizard or Veela blood. I just needed you to understand that you were greater, more powerful and better than most of society. That was what was important…"

Aria rolled her eyes at Abraxas. God the man was horrible to have to listen to.

Lucius had more questions though. "Is my Veela blood from you or Mother," he asked quickly, desperately needing an answer to better understand himself and his own history.

"Your Mother of course," said Abraxas as if that was plainly easy to know. "Her beauty was unsurpassable, much like your young fiancé standing next to you. It is part of the reason why I truly did care for her. She was also a very powerful witch. She was a pureblooded witch although everyone could see that she had Veela somewhere within her blood. She often demonstrated Veela type powers as well; some special nights, I recall her hair and skin would glow if her emotions got the best of her…which wasn't many times throughout her life. Your Mother, as you know, was a very subdued and emotionally controlled woman."

Lucius couldn't help but look out into the open room as if remembering his Mother fondly. A slight smile played across his lips at the memory of her. Lucius' love for his Mother made Aria smile as well.

"So you did love her than? You do know what love is," Aria smiled up at the portrait of the emotionally vacant man.

"I said I cared for her, young lady, not love. I do not believe in such weaknesses as love," he scowled.

"But you see, you are simply wrong," Aria combated him. His expression clearly indicating he was not used to being argued with. "Lucius and I have had many revelations and have seen many prophesies telling us that our love is one of the most powerful magics in the universe."

Abraxas raised his eyebrow again at her. Not clearly understanding her meaning. "How do you mean? Explain," he demanded.

"I found a prophecy of our love in a book here in our library at the Manor," began Lucius. "It depicted a woman and man, mirror images of the two of us, with a Latin prophecy encircling the image. And then Aria, later on, was able to somehow gain entrance to the Chamber of Love in the Ministry of Magic…" he revealed.

"Wh…what?" Abraxas snapped his head to Aria, looking at her as if she was a higher power, a deity. "The Chamber of Love?! No one in my generation nor any before mine, has been granted access…" he marveled at her.

"Yes, so I've heard," Aria replied. "I believe it is because Lucius and I are the first original soul mates of the Universe. Our Veela blood has formed a bond between us that transcends time. The Chamber of Love showed me many things. It showed images of us throughout time, ever connected, ever in love. Don't you see? The one thing you don't believe in, is the one thing that makes your son more powerful than all the rest."

Now it was Abraxas' turn to stare open-mouthed as he took in what was being said. The man in the portrait stared at his son, with an expression that was entirely new; almost as if he had seen his son for the first time in his life, and all of his potential. Lucius stared back, a new confidence and pride in himself shining through. Aria was so happy for him in this moment. This was as close as he would ever get to his Father's complete approval.

"Abraxas your son is the most wonderful man I have ever known. Yes, he is an exceptionally powerful wizard, the most powerful I have seen, but he also is the most romantic, most gorgeous soul. Your quest to make your son all-powerful has proven successful but I am afraid that your other quest to remove love from his life has failed. However with your failure, he has become even more powerful than before," said Aria.

Lucius looked down at her with such love and adoration for the things she was declaring for him to this stoic man in the portrait.

Abraxas for once didn't argue against the notions of love and its power. Instead, he still kept the expression on his face that indicated he was seeing things for the first time more clearly.

"Lucius do you know what this means? If you two really are what this young lady says you both are…the legends of the soulmate Veelas, that means you will have exponential power when combined together…" Abraxas' eyes could be noticed shining and glinting even in the painted features of his face in the portrait. "That means the Malfoy line will be more powerful than ever…perhaps the most powerful wizarding line ever!"

"We have experienced some phenomena when…combined as one on certain special nights," Lucius said delicately as not wanting to embarrass Aria.

Aria flushed slightly, but didn't mind that much. She was proud of their love and it wasn't something to be ashamed of in any way.

"Yes, that is a good sign…but when will you be producing an heir?" Abraxas came right out and said boldly.

Aria flushed even more at this. She had always envisioned a bright future with Lucius and having his babies, and it made her heart flutter deliciously, but the way Abraxas talked about it made it seem too emotionless.

Lucius raised his eyebrow at the portrait of his Father. Leave it to Abraxas Malfoy to be so emotionless and tactless about such a topic.

"That is between Aria and myself Abraxas…" Lucius said as he glared slightly at his Father.

Abraxas scowled at Lucius' non-answer. "Well make it quick Lucius! This family finally deserves this limitless power. The child you will produce together will certainly be one of the most powerful beings born. The magic you two possess must be combined in the form of a child. The name of Malfoy will finally have the ultimate glory and power!"

Aria continued to flush and stare wide-eyed at the portrait. Abraxas seemed to be going slightly manic at the thought of so much power. Lucius almost seemed to sense Aria's thoughts and quickly grabbed her hand to comfort her. He took out his wand and flicked it at the thick covering that lay on the ground and went to cover his Father's portrait back up.

"Thank you for your input Abraxas. I am pleased to know I have your blessing," he said as he moved the fabric ever closer back to covering up the portrait.

"Wait! Lucius…leave me uncovered!" shouted the portrait.

"Goodbye Abraxas," Lucius said coldly as he covered up the portrait, as the shouting from behind immediately went silent. The cover must have been enchanted.

Aria let out a huge sigh. Part relief, part anger, and interestingly, part amusement.

"That was….that was interesting…" Aria said as she turned to face Lucius who sighed out a long breath of air along with her. He grabbed her hand and led her out of the room, he seemed glad to leave it, and led her up to one of their more comforting rooms, the library.

Aria sat down on one of the plush couches in front of the fireplace while Lucius went over to his liquor cabinet and poured himself a tiny dram of Firewhisky. "I know it's early…but by the Gods I need this," he said as he leaned his head back and drank the whole dram in one gulp. "Do you want one love?" he asked as he poured himself another.

She shook her head, her flush slowly fading, and she smiled to herself and chuckled a bit. The whole conversation between the two of them and Abraxas had been eventful yet surprisingly positive (well as positive as it could have been with such a hateful man). "I think that went well. At least he likes me," she shrugged.

"He likes your power…and clearly your beauty," said Lucius with a smirk. "But coming from him that is the best you are going to get, so we should truly be content."

Lucius sat down next to her finally and lovingly put her legs in his lap and rubbed her legs and even her feet comfortingly. He truly was so caring and he didn't even realize it. "Sorry he brought up children already," Lucius began, his grey eyes flicking to hers briefly before looking away almost as if embarrassed.

"Don't be Lucius. I've told you before, it will be the greatest honor for me to one day have your babies," she flushed again but smiled.

His grey eyes met hers again, but this time stayed, his eyes filled with so much emotion and love. He reached out his hand and cupped her cheek as he traced her soft skin with the pad of his thumb. He then slowly moved his hand lovingly down her soft neck, her chest, and finally on her stomach where eventually one day a baby would be growing happily. The warmth of his hand on her stomach could be easily felt through the thin silk of her dress and she closed her eyes and imagined their future together. She knew their baby would be powerful, that was for sure, but that mattered little to her. The child would be purely their love formed into a new being, and that is what mattered most. For now though, she just wanted to focus on the two of them. After everything they had been through, they deserved some time for just themselves.

She saw, however, a glint in Lucius' eye; one of excitement and love. "Should we…?" he began to say almost as if he wanted to have a baby with her now, his eyes were locked on her flat stomach, almost as if he was willing it to grow with new life from his love for her.

Her heart nearly burst with love for the man in front of her. She knew he had taken his role as Father very seriously when it came to Draco, but she didn't realize how badly he had craved a second chance at a normal, happy family. One that she would one day provide him. Soon, but not yet.

She reached out her hand and put it gently under his chiseled jawline bringing his eyes and head back up to be level with hers. "Some day soon my love. For now though, I want to enjoy just being together, you and me…I want to be selfish with you a little longer. I want to marry you first, enjoy our time alone together. Don't you agree?"

He grabbed her hand from under his jaw and brought it to his lips to kiss it. Of course he understood. "Yes I agree my love. You must excuse my excitement about the need for a child with you though. You represent love, hope and happiness for me. All of my secret desires I could never truly have in my past. Now that I have the potential for all of that I find myself becoming overly excitable and almost restless," he smirked.

Aria giggled to herself. She loved this side of Lucius; the giddy and passionate side to him. She thought more about her interaction with his Father. She could see where he got the passionate side to his personality; the fire that lit up inside of him whenever something appealed to him. She still wished she could meet his Mother however.

"Lucius, is there a portrait of your Mother? I would love to meet her. To talk to her about her powers and her Veela blood…if she even knew she possessed it herself."

Lucius' giddiness decreased a bit at the mention of his Mother. "Unfortunately, she never received a portrait herself. Only the blood-born Malfoy women receive official portraits, not the ones who marry into the family…it is a tragedy. She would have been lovely, and I would have loved to have a part of her still here. Now she only exists in my memory and whatever rare photo I can find of her here and there…" he told Aria. "But don't worry love, that will change. One day you and I will get our portraits and we will be together. So no matter where our souls end up, at least that moment in time, between the two of us, will be preserved forever."

Aria felt honored that Lucius had already had the forethought to want a portrait of the two of them commissioned. "Oh Lucius, I would love to be apart of this Manor's history. A portrait commission would be so amazing."

Lucius beamed a perfect, gorgeous smile at her. "I want the future Malfoy family to know that the great Lord and Lady of this Manor ran the family with love and light for once instead of darkness and hate."

Aria smiled and nodded her head in agreement and just sat in her happiness for a while. A thought then dawned on her; one she knew would eventually have to come up. She had met his Father (in a way), now he needed to meet her parents. She had been slightly dreading this. First off, she loved her own bubble that the two of them had formed over the past few months. While that might not have been the healthiest of things, Aria had reveled in their privacy and their budding romance. But with them being newly engaged, she knew the time would be now. Her parents deserved to know who held their daughter's heart.

"Lucius, you know what has to happen soon now right?" she began tentatively. He looked up at her with silver eyes full of wonder. "You need to meet my parents," she said slightly wincing.

Much to her surprise, Lucius didn't cringe or wince. His face remained calm and peaceful and he nodded his head and simply answered, "Yes."

"Won't that be awkward though? I have grown to love our own life here in England. Having you meet my parents seems so…so…juvenile.." she cringed again. She was sure his charm would win over her parents without a doubt, but then there was the age difference. Lucius was as old as her parents, although he looked gloriously amazing still due to his powerful and pureblooded genes.

"I agree my love, but it must be done. Your parents deserve to know that you will be taken care of, protected and loved unconditionally," he said, causing Aria's heart to swell with even more love for him. "Although I am not sure how my alabaster skin will fare in the California sun and heat…"he mused as he thought about having to visit the sunny West Coast of the United States.

That caused Aria's mood to lighten as she laughed at his thoughts on visiting California. He would look out of place, that was for sure, but his confidence of going to meet her parents comforted her greatly.

The two lovers stayed on the couch for quite a while. Kissing passionately, talking about their future; about their wedding, their eventual family they would build and of all things important in their lives; their bond growing stronger and more connected with each passing hour. The times they were silent were filled with more kissing, feeling and touching. Everyday the two discovered each others' bodies as if it was the first time and sometimes it was so all consuming they forgot to eat; tonight was one such night.

Aria, with her ever-glowing flush and glint in her eye straddled Lucius on the couch and leaned in to whisper in his ear. She knew where she wanted to go with her teasing and seduction and she knew it would rile Lucius up in just the right way in which she desired.

"So how do you feel Mr. Malfoy…knowing that the woman you are to marry might just be as powerful as you are? The great and powerful Lucius Malfoy…has found his equal," she whispered as she bit down on his neck, teasing him.

Lucius' brain instantly went into overdrive. Was she seriously trying to rile him up so as to arouse him? Of course she was…and he would let her.

"Now now Miss De La Cour…don't get too big for your britches. You are after all, still but a half-blood…"his honeyed voice drawled in her ear as he leaned his head in to bite ear earlobe. He knew internally he had grown enough as a man to move past the ideals of pureblooded supremacy, well at least when it came to Aria, however he could tell she desired his dominant side to come out tonight, and if he admitted it to himself, that side of him needed to rear its head every once in a while.

"Hmmm," she moaned as his teeth nibbled at her ear and neck. "Then you must really feel awful knowing a half blood is capable of being your equal," she taunted further.

"Are you looking to be punished Miss De La Cour. Your insolence will not be tolerated," he looked up at her face, his eyebrow raised and his silver eyes shining at her, his dark side wanting to come out badly it seemed. It both excited and slightly un-nerved Aria that in the past he probably would have hexed someone for speaking to him like this. But she knew in their case, as a soul-bonded couple, it was probably arousing him for than anything; exactly what she had planned.

"What if I am?" she said, staring back into his eyes. Hers gleaming with anticipation.

"Well then, naughty girls must get punished," he said with a growl in his chest as he lifted her up, her legs still straddled around his waist.

He carried her over to the thick wooden desk that he often used in the library; he put her down so that she stood right in front of the desk facing him, the last thing she saw were those mesmerizing grey eyes, gleaming with a fire inside of them, his eyebrow still raised in dominance, when all of a sudden his strong hands grabbed her waist, turned her around so she now faced the desk, as one of his hands came up to push her down slightly hard against the hard wood of the desk. Papers scattered everywhere, and Aria's face, breasts and upper body were being pressed strongly against the wood. She should have felt scared, but she just felt pure ecstasy at his dominant side coming out.

"Yes, punish me," she said shakily, her breath coming fast and quick as her face broke out into a slightly crazed smile as she laughed a bit.

"Would you like to tell the class what you think is so amusing Miss De La Cour?" Lucius questioningly teased as he leaned his body over hers, his warm breath tickling her exposed ear and neck. He was so close she could feel his erection pressing up against her backside, which was currently bent over the table, giving him the perfect access to it.

Before she could tease back, she felt his leather gloved hand inch her silk dress quickly up her legs and bum until she was completely exposed to him. Then suddenly, before she even felt the sting of it, she heard Lucius slap her backside with a very strong amount of force. The leather glove on his hand clearly creating even more of an impact. The stinging started shortly after she heard the noise, but she didn't feel the pain so much as the pleasure. She moaned out in ecstasy. This was a very different side to Lucius, and she was glad her teasing had brought it out for him.

"Did you learn your lesson yet Miss De La Cour?" his voice again whispered in her ear. She leaned up on the desk so that she could look at the strong man behind her, as he still pinned her down with his left hand, his right hand ready to spank again. She loved the smirk that played across his lips.

"No, I don't think I have yet," she smirked back and bit her lower lip with her teeth, waiting for the next slap.

Lucius couldn't stop staring at her teeth as they bit her plush lower lip, he found the sight very arousing for some reason and he grew harder. "Well then…you are a naughty, disobedient girl aren't you?" he said as his right hand came down and spanked her backside again. She moaned out in bliss, which excited him. He noticed the red shape of his hand had been imprinted on her bum. Deep down he really hated to hurt her, but right now his mind and his raging erection pushed those thoughts to the side.

"And now…" his voice drawled out again as he anticipated her answer.

"No," she practically moaned out.

"Then further steps must be taken," he said as he took her black lace panties that she wore and ripped them from her in one strong swipe.

She quivered in lust at his strength and she dripped with wetness as she anticipated what came next. She wasn't disappointed when she immediately heard him unzip his trousers, not even bothering them to take them off as he plunged into her to the base of his cock until he was completely sheathed in her warm, velvet heat.

"Lucius!" she cried out as her upper body moved as if she meant to get up to brace herself; however Lucius pushed her back down so that her face and chest were flat against the hard desk. He didn't waste anytime in going slow. His pace was quick yet steady as he began making love to her in the most dominant of ways.

Aria adored this all. This type of love making between them was a rare occurrence, as they usually experienced sex through romance, passion and tenderness, but tonight it was good to feel his dominant side return to him in full force. The way he pounded into her, the way his leather gloved hand felt against her back, the way his platinum hair tickled her neck and face as he leaned into her ear to whisper dirty words to her as he continued his motions with his hips and cock.

Lucius himself was in heaven. He rarely liked going rough on Aria, he preferred to be romantic and gentle with her, however he knew that with her teasing, she had been wanting and expecting this side of him and it felt good for him to release the "beast" as it were, every once in a while. He reveled in the perfect view he had as he loomed above her as he entered her in and out, in and out. He could see his whole cock disappear into her and then come back out again and again, and the sight made him shudder and his eyes roll back, as his head fell back in pure pleasure. He brought his head back up and saw her rear-end was still red form the few slaps and so with his gloved hands he rubbed gently against the sensitive areas causing her to mewl with delight and comfort, until he surprised her again with a intense slap, causing her soft moans to turn into screams of pleasure and pain.

"And now Miss De La Cour," he drawled in her ear, "Have you learned your lesson yet?" he said as his pumping slowed down, so that he was more gentle and slow with his movements inside of her.

"Yes my love," she whispered back with her eyes closed. She had finally surrendered to him, her teasing gone and her tender, innocent side returning. Seeing her change of mood and emotion immediately shifted Lucius' own within him and he instantly reverted to his loving and romantic self. It was as if their emotions and moods were always in sync.

"Good girl," he whispered in her ear, as he kissed her neck and leaned in so that his upper body comfortingly rested upon her as he continued moving his hips slowly in and out of her. He reached his right hand to where her lower half hung off of the desk and found her sensitive clit instantly. He began slowly rubbing in circles as her body instantly reacted in the most delicious way. Her little mews of delight returned as she reveled in the feel of his gloved finger rubbing in glorious circles around her most sensitive area. She couldn't help but bucking her trembling hips back into him each time he thrust into her, her body was losing its own self-control.

Lucius groaned with delight as her perfect hips continued meeting the thrusts of his cock perfectly. His fingers circled her clit faster and faster until he felt her whole body tremble and quake and her legs give out slightly beneath them as she came uncontrollably onto his fingers that were practically holding her up.

"Good, good girl," he repeated again as she continued coming around his ever hardening shaft. God it felt so good and her tightening inner walls made it almost impossible for him to move inside of her. "God you are so good Aria. So beautiful. So perfect," he said as he moved slowly at first inside of her as she came down from her orgasm, and then faster and faster, until he was pounding into her again. For Aria she was so sensitive from coming so hard, she began crying out into the room in bliss again.

Lucius looked down again at himself going in and out of her and put his hand gently on her red bum as he rubbed it and lightly squeezed it. With that engrained into his memory, he felt himself harden, his breath hitch and stop and then felt himself shoot his seed deep up inside of her as he came and spurted over and over again. His groans practically turned into roars of pleasure and he finally collapsed onto her, as he gently supported himself and breathed his warm, sensual breath into her ear. "I love you," he groaned.

"I love you Lucius," she said back, her eyes still closed in pleasure as she managed to finally catch her breath.

After coming back down from his heaven, he eventually got himself up, helped Aria up off of the desk, ignored the papers scattered about around them, and carried her upstairs to their bedroom.

Aria loved whenever he did that; it was so old-fashioned and gentlemanly, and such a contrast to his behavior during their most recent lovemaking. They lay down on their bed, still breathing heavily and just stared into each others' eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked after a while as he reached out and stroked her cheek. "You know that was all in jest right? What I said. Also, is your backside alright?"

Aria was touched he wanted to make sure she was okay physically and mentally after their recent passion and she smiled sweetly and nodded her head, indicating she was perfectly content.

"Yes my love, I am perfectly happy and content. I wanted that…I do sometimes adore when your dominant side comes out," she giggled to herself. She still felt the stinging on her backside but she loved it.

"Hmmm," he groaned lowly as he took in what she said. He scooted her in close to him with one of his strong, powerful arms and just held her, as his other hand found her tender bottom and gently rubbed it lightly with the tips of his fingers, as if soothing it.

Lucius thought about their little game of teasing of dominance and submissiveness. Yes, Lucius knew he would always slightly get off on that, but truth be told, he did love having someone that was his equal in terms of their bond and their power. Lucius had never felt that before with anyone and it was nice to have someone that was the perfect match for him emotionally, physically, magically, in every form possible. He never knew he would find so much contentment in finding his equal. He smiled to himself as he continued gently rubbing the young, powerful witch in his arms.

Aria finally went to work the next day. She felt as if she hadn't been in an age, and she felt a mixed sense of happiness to be back, but also a resentment to go back to her job without Lucius being there. She had found it extremely hard to leave him that morning. She longed to just be back at the Manor with him, having more romantic and adventurous times with him. She was rather excited to see her friends though, especially Pepper. While Aria had left her engagement ring at home, so as not to cause more newspaper headlines, she would of course tell her best friend about the happy news. Eventually Aria would proudly wear her ring out in the open but for now, her and Lucius decided they didn't want any more newspaper headlines about them for a bit.

Throughout the day Aria noticed more and more people staring and taking a notice of her. After all that had happened, all of the headlines, her dream to blend in seamlessly to the British Wizarding Society seemed to fly out the window. No one was rude or mean, but the staring was something quite noticeable. Aria would often flush and keep her head down and stuck mainly to her desk throughout the day. She had a lot of papers and letters waiting for her. Many smaller projects she would be able to complete in a few hours. She longed for a big project, such as the Hogwarts one, where she would be able to travel somewhere and see amazing, interesting things; Lucius would be able to join her on her travels as well. Again, she felt so odd being at work without him there. She wondered if his office had already been filled with someone else. She couldn't bear to go look.

Her and Pepper had gone out to lunch that day. Pepper was extremely excited to have her best friend back and Aria was wonderfully happy to know that her friend treated her just as she had before, not staring and questioning like everyone else.

When Aria announced to Pepper the exciting news, Pepper almost squealed loudly and was practically jumping up and down in her chair, causing a few of the patrons of the restaurant to stare at their table with annoyance.

"Oh my god, oh my god! Aria! Congrats! It's so soon! When is the wedding? Where is the wedding? Where is your ring!?" all of the questions poured out of her mouth in a torrent.

"Shhh!" Aria laughed as her best friend continued buzzing with excitement. "Pepper! It is sort of a secret! Calm down!" Aria laughed even more as she grabbed her best friend's hand and squeezed.

"Well, I didn't want to wear the ring because Lucius and I could use a break from the headlines for a while. But here, I have a photo of it on my phone," Aria said as she grabbed her phone and showed Pepper the brilliantly gorgeous ring that almost seemed to shine through the phone.

Pepper breathed in deeply in wonder at the gorgeous piece of jewelry. "My God Aria. That is one stunning rock! You lucky girl you!"

"He did do a good job didn't he," beamed Aria as she looked at the photo of the ring lovingly. A pang of longing beat in her heart making her miss Lucius and wanting to be with him. A full day without him was proving to be almost too difficult.

"As for the wedding and all of the details, we haven't even talked about any of that yet. For now we are just…enjoying each other," smirked Aria.

Pepper smirked back and winked at Aria's meaning. "Gosh, it must be so amazing to have a man as gorgeous as that all to yourself. Despite his bad reputation…"

"Oh Pepper, you have no idea. He is perfect to me. He truly is such an amazing man. I am sure if everyone saw the real him right now, they would all be pleasantly surprised to know how much he has changed. Although I am still happy to report he has his devilishly bad boy side," smirked Aria, immediately thinking of last night.

After lunch with Pepper the day seemed to pass by more quickly, which Aria appreciated. Soon she would be able to go back home to Lucius.

Towards the end of the day at around 5 o'clock, she had a few more notes on her desk asking her to come study and investigate some historical artifacts that had just recently come into Ministry hands. She was excited to see any rare artifact she could. Most of them were books, one of her specialties, and she was looking more forward to the rest of her week.

The last letter she found was at the bottom of the pile. The envelope was a very bright green color, almost chartreuse in its shade and her name was written in a very nice script on the front of the envelope. Aria raised her eyebrows. The green color and the neat writing indicated it could be from Lucius, but there was something slightly different about the writing. Still she was intrigued and so she opened the letter with excitement at seeing whom it could be from.

There was a small piece of parchment inside and when she opened the letter, it said nothing but one ominous sentence: "I am coming for you…"

For a moment Aria didn't register that it was malicious in its intent, but by the time her mind had processed that the sentence written inside was very unfriendly, she began feeling a hot burning sensation in her right hand which clutched the letter. The burning grew more and more hot, until it felt as if she was gripping the edge of a burning stove. "AH!" she screamed as she dropped the letter to her desk in a panic.

She thought once she dropped the letter the burning would stop, but if anything it grew worse and worse, and now instead of just her fingertips her whole hand up to her wrist was in agonizing pain. Tears began streaming down her face, and although Aria hated to make a scene, she couldn't help but cry out in pain, as the burning grew hotter and spread quicker and quicker.

Pepper raced over to Aria and held her in her arms as Aria slumped to the floor and clutched at her right hand with her left as if cradling it like a baby, willing the pain to stop.

"Pepper it burns! Make it stop!" she screamed. The tips of her fingers were beginning to turn purple, which began alarming her even worse, the panic rising.

Pepper didn't know what to do and was frantically calling for help as more coworkers rushed over to see what was happening.

"Pepper! It was that letter! Something happened when I touched it!" she cried. "Please make it stop! The pain is killing me! Lucius! I need Lucius!" Aria cried. Her tears streaming down her face. More of her hand turning a deadly looking purple, and Aria was practically going to pass out from the pain.

Aria faintly heard someone say that she needed to be taken to St. Mungo's Hospital but that was the last thing she remembered before she could think about anything else but the pain as it continued to burn up her entire arm.

Lucius had been at Gringotts earlier that day, finalizing the official paperwork, which included Aria on the deed to the Manor and the inheritor of all of his assets. He didn't realize how truly happy that would make him until he actually went to go and make it official. Later in the day he met a business partner at one of the finer wizarding pubs in Diagon Alley. They were just going over their next plans for investing in profitable business stocks when all of a sudden, Lucius got that same feeling he got that one-night months ago when Aria had been in trouble. His heart felt as if it was about to drop into his stomach and he stood up abruptly, causing his business partner to jump with a start.

"What is it Malfoy?!" the man said, almost annoyed at Lucius' abrupt disturbance of their conversation.

"My Aria!" he practically screamed. He ran outside of the pub his hair and cloak billowing out behind him as he ran. Their connection was of course more intense then it had been those first few days when this had happened before, so now he realized gratefully that he simply had to think about her and he was able to apparate to where she would be. Lucius was thankful that their bond and power had grown to that level, but his heart sank even further when he looked up to where he had just apparated to and realized it was St. Mungo's Hospital. He ran into the hospital, scaring the witches and wizards inside as he practically ripped the doors off of their hinges. He ran to the reception desk and couldn't help but scream at the poor witch behind the desk. "ARIA! Aria De La Cour! Where is she?! What's happened?!"