January 23rd

Hermione turned her face towards the sun and smiled. The ground beneath her feet was frozen, and both gravel and grass crunched to different degrees when she stepped on them, but if she focused really hard she could feel the sun warm her skin. Taking a deep breath, Hermione enjoyed the moment of stillness and solitude before she opened her eyes and walked on along the path between the bare trees and shrubs.

She was still adjusting to all that had happened and all that had been revealed, and her take on the situation differed from day to day. Some days were sad days, when she mourned all the things that had gone wrong. From the events of her childhood and youth, Ed's return and the fact that her parents still didn't remember her - to the way some unknown assailant had almost managed to ruin her future with Lucius - to all the trusts that had been damaged in the process.

Other days were angry days, when all she wanted was to figure out the mystery and get a hold of the attacker and do something. Hermione didn't know what exactly, only that it was something her rational and moral self would rather not know about. She made long lists of what they knew about the attacker, trying to fit the pieces into something remotely logical, hoping to find something to point them in the right direction. Neither she nor Lucius believed the attacker would rest just because they probably ran out of blood, so she went over everything that had happened over and over and over again - with little result but a great deal of determination.

Then there were days when she was simply confused, and both she and Lucius struggled to get a grip on their situation. There was just so much going on. Hermione knew it was hard for Lucius to let go of that overwhelming fear of his, even though he was perfectly convinced that whatever happened, there was no longer any curse that sentenced her to annihilation. And she, on her turn, found it difficult to trust Lucius implicitly, as she once had. But though she lamented it, she knew it was a problem that could only be solved by time and experience. She'd talked a lot to Ginny lately, who not only understood her feelings, but could also reassure her as to the possibility to overcome them. With time.

But then there were happy days too. Days when Hermione recognized that in spite of everything they had been through, they were still together. That they had, once again, chosen each other. Their relationship might be chipped around the edges, but was standing strong. When she saw the absolute devotion and love in everything Lucius said and did, she couldn't help being happy. And beside the crying and laughing, it seemed they'd scarcely done anything but talk and make love.

Today was, thankfully, a happy day. Hermione continued smiling to herself as she continued her stroll in the gardens of Malfoy Manor. She was walking alone without any kind of precautions (apart from what the Manor itself held), and though she had a feeling Lucius was glancing out the window every two minutes, she appreciated that he'd let er make her own choices. It was a lovely feeling to be able to breathe the fresh air with neither guilt or suffocating sadness, and in her joy she had no problems staying within view of the windows.

Hermione felt... she searched for the right word... she felt at peace. Well, as much at peace as was possible during the circumstances anyway. Besides catching an unknown prospective murderer, she did have quit a few things on her to-do-list. Preparing the nursery for one (the baby might be here within the month and they still hadn't gotten around to getting clothes for it). A figuring out that Cruciatus-cure. And then, of course, there was the wedding to organize.

Yes, the wedding!

In three weeks time, she would be Lucius's lawfully wedded wife, and she frankly couldn't wait. Lucius was not going to tease her into promising him obedience, thank you very much, but she longed for the moment their relationship was formalised and everyone, friends or foes, would just have to live with it.

They'd waited long enough, and decided to just go on with it. Hermione had been rather tempted by Lucius earlier suggestion of just getting a Ministry official to do it with very little fanfare, but Lucius being Lucius, he had negotiated his way out of that. He insisted he was not being romantic only practical. Even a small wedding as what they had in mind ought to be celebrated with style. Therefore they needed at least a wedding dress and new dress robes, to send out proper invitations and to make sure there was quality food and wine.

Hermione secretly thought Lucius already had half a dozen suitable robes, but had begrudgingly admitted that a proper wedding dress wouldn't hurt. And he would like a few of her closest friends and family members to be there... And so they had settled on a date in mid-February.

Hermione pricked up her ears when she thought she heard someone speaking quietly nearby in the garden. Her curiosity was peaked when she heard only one voice, but when she got closer she soon recognzed its owner.

"Neville" she called when her friend came into view. "Are you talking to yourself?"

He was kneeling by the bushes, and grinned when he glanced at her over his shoulders. Dusting off his muddy jeans, Neville pointed at what looked like a pile of dirt.

"They like it when one talks to them", he said. "A kneazel recently disturbed their nest, so I had to put them back to sleep."

"Hmm..." Hermione racked her brain. "Mimosa sollicitus?"

"I see you've read the book I leant you", Neville chuckled, and then rolled his eyes. "Silly question – what book wouldn't you read?"

Soon, they launched into a discussion on the different herbs and plants described in the book. Hermione had been especially interested in Dragon's Breath and the Fire-Lily, which both had stimulating qualities used in potions for people who were in deep slumber or coma. Perhaps it would be possible to tweak a potion so that it worked on Cruciatus-patients whose minds were - figuratively - sleeping?

"The book didn't say where one could find them, though", Hermione concluded her enthusiastic rant.

"We could grow them here if Malfoy wasn't so stubborn", Neville muttered. He glanced at Hermione and blushed. "Sorry."

Hermione waved it off. The wall. She remembered Lucius talking about a wall that was reluctant to take down. "Which wall is it?" she asked, looking around.

"The east one", Neville answered, pointing to an ivy-covered wall on the opposite side of the garden. "The area just outside perfect growing conditions for Dragon's Breath. It faces the east, the ground is dry, and a minor dragon resided in a cave just below it a few hundred years back. He sighed. "But I'm afraid Malfoy has made his decision clear."

Just then, they spotted Lucius approaching them from the main building. Neville grimaced slightly. It was clear that he'd already exhausted that topic of conversation with his employer. Hermione gave him a hug and a quick goodbye and went on to meet Lucius while Neville continued tending to his plants.

As soon as she reached him, Lucius folded her in his arms. Next, he pulled back to examine her and Hermione waited with a raised eyebrow until his features relaxed. Then they started to walk back to the Manor.

"What's so special about that wall, Lucius?" Hermione asked gently as she snuck her arm under his.

Lucius didn't miss a stride, but she could tell that he didn't like the subject. But though he remained quiet for a few moments it was from apparently thinking the matter over rather than a desire to hide anything. "It's part of this place – both the history of the Manor, and my own", he finally answered with a sigh. "I used to climb that wall as a boy."

"From what I understand", Hermione said, "taking the wall down would benefit the healing environment, enable Neville to grow some very rare and very useful plants, and make it possible to investigate that mysterious magical presence buried beneath it."

"True", Lucius sighed. A nother moment's quiet passed, before he added in a dry tone: And it was built in 1784."

Hermione looked up sharply at him. "By -?"

"Septimus Malfoy", he filled in.

Of course. She shouldn't even be surprised. Lucius glanced down at her with a knowing look in his eyes, and stopped by a bench they were just passing. It was facing the wall in question, and Hermione sat down while he remained standing. The pale sun illuminated his feature as he keep his eyes fixed on the wall.

"I had decided against making any alterations, no matter what they said", Lucius began. "The thought of taking it down... I've always liked walls. They're the first and most efficient line of defense there is."

His eyes seemed to wander along the wall, climbing higer and higher as if following a secret set of stepping stones. "But I have been reconsidering, or rather: I don't have much choice. Everything seems to come back to Septimus Malfoy. The curse goes back to him. The book was gifted to him. And this wall, under which some mysterious remnant of magic resides that apparently wants to be found", Lucius snorted derisively, "was built by him. It's too much of a coincidence."

"Then you'll take it down?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No", Lucius said, making her heart fall for a moment. Lucius turned towards: "But I will build a gate in it."

January 25th

Two days later, Hermione and Lucius were back in the gardens, but this time they had lots of company. Most of the reconstruction crew were there, ready to perform the actual work, as were the two curse breakers. Neville was there, of course, along with a few stray workers that were curious to see what was going on. And keeping to the background were a couple of carpenters carrying an impressive looking wooden door.

Lucius had been pleased to see Draco present as well. Having made Hermione his absolute priority these past couple of weeks, Lucius hadn't had time for more than the occasional exchange of notes by owl, but something in his son's manner of writing had worried him. He couldn't tell what exactly, but something was off. Seeing Draco in the distance, he had excused himself from the conversation he was involved in, and gently pulled Hermione along.

"Father", Draco nodded with what was at least a more pleased expression than Lucius would have counted on a year ago. "Hermione."

"Son", Lucius responded. "How are you?"

For some reason, Draco looked surprised. His eyes flickered to Hermione, who only smiled as if the two of them amused her.

"What's wrong?" Lucius asked, narrowing his eyes.

Draco shook his head, giving him a bemused look. "I'm fine."

"Are you?" Lucius scrutinised his son. He looked well enough - no bloodshot eyes or dark rings under them. No sallow complexion or loss of weight. Odd.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Draco defended.

And there it was. The telltale tension in his shoulders. Draco had become an expert in hiding his feelings, but Lucius knew his ticks.

"Father's instinct", Lucius responded.

Before he could continue his interrogation, however, the head of the construction crew called for him for one final review of the procedure. He had to leave Draco to Hermione for a few moments, but watched them from a distance. Hermione spoke to him, rolling her eyes, and they both chuckled at something. Lucius was forced to focus on what his staff was telling him for a few minutes, confirming the details of their plan,

When he turned his attention back to Hermione and Draco they were just saying goodbye. Draco looked significantly more relaxed, but avoided looking in Lucius's direction before he slipped into the crowd.

"Do you call that an interrogation?" Hermione asked sarcastically when Lucius approached her.

"I suppose you had better luck?" Lucius asked, meaning to sound equally sarcastic but probably not pulling it off. This witch was a bad influence on him.

It was nearly time for the big event, and Lucius carefully guided his witch to the spot he had chosen for the two of them. It was at a reasonably (not ludicrously, as Hermione termed it) safe distance from the wall, but still close enough for him to reach it with is magic.

"He's worried about Astoria", Hermione murmured as she leaned on his arm.

"What about her?"

"She's been avoiding him lately, and he doesn't understand why", Hermione said with a worried frown."He's vacillating between thinking he must have done something wrong, and wondering if something's happened that she's afraid to tell him."

"Avoiding?" Lucius asked. "If she's in the country, surely he can just go see her? She should owe him some sort of explanation if she wants to end things, surely?"

"I think he's working himself up to it", Hermione said and was quiet in thought for a moment. "But why would she want to break up with him? Last time we spoke, she was pretty much head over heels for him."

Lucius's interest was peaked. "She's in love with him? And Draco?"

"The same, if I'm any judge."

Lucius was torn between being pleased to find that his son had found a worthy match an less pleased at the prospect of a connection with the Greengrasses. Saddened on behalf of his son in case Astoria really did want to break up, and relieved on his own part.

"I offered to go see her, but I guess it's better to let them sort things out themselves", Hermione sighed.

At that moment, a loud signal was rang through the air, and everyone's attention was drawn to the task at hand. Hermione gripped Lucius's hand tightly, knowing it had been a difficult decision for him to make. He took a deep breath, and with a curt nod to the head of the construction crew, the process began. The crew lifted their wands, as did Lucius. His cooperation as the head of the family was essential.

At first, nothing happened, but te ground soon started to vibrate and a low rumble resonated within the enclosed garden. The curse breakers had located the exact spot the mysterious magic seemed to emanate from, and above it, the centuries old martar crumbled into dust. A large stone slowly loosened and was placed on the ground to the side. One by one the stones were loosened in a similar way, until a door-shaped opening had been created in the wall with a large heap of stones beside it. It had taken about an hour all in all.

Lucius and the crew lowered their wands, beads of sweat on their foreheads. Lucius gratefully accepted a bottle of water that Hermione had conjured for him and drank while the curse breakers stepped forward. Some of the onlookers whispered amongst themselves, but Hermione and Lucius watched in silence as the witch and wizard performed all sorts of detection spells.

But to Lucius, it hardly seemed necessary anymore. Now he understood what Ms Danuba had tried to describe, because he felt it too. A pull. Not malicious and not benign, just something. There was magic there, and it was calling out to him. Lucius glanced down at Hermione.

"You feel it too?" he murmured.

She nodded slowly. "A little. What is it?"

Lucius turned back. He couldn't tell, but he had a feeling he could sense it stronger than anyone else. He wondered if it had to do with him being a Malfoy. From the expression on Draco's face - he was lazily leaning against the gazebo - it had. Their gazes locked for a moment, and they nodded at each other, before both turned their attention back to the wall.

After what felt like hours, the site was declared to be safe and Lucius's uneasiness had definitely transformed into curiosity. He'd resisted it a long time, but now that the answers were so close, he was eager to find out what hidden object had been calling out to be found. And even more desperately, he wanted to know who had placed it there in the first place.

With his arm around Hermione's back, pretending to give her support when he was really drawing comfort from her presence, they approached the opening. Something shimmered on the ground, still partly hidden under the dirt. He could have asked Longbottom to pick it up for him, but the calling was growing stronger, and for once, he didn't mind getting his robes dirty.

Whatever this was, it was meant for him.

Lucius released Hermione and crouched down by the opening. The ground felt soft under his shoes. He brushed away the cool, damp soil and touched the object. Nothing happened. It was cool and hard and made from glass. A glass vial. Picking it up and lifting it up, he heard curious murmurs from the crowd around him.

"A memory!" he heard Hermione gasp excitedly.

Lucius looked up and met her gaze. A memory, hidden under the wall built by Septimus Malfoy only a year or two after the wedding and birth of his two sons. This was certainly no coincidence.

A quick word to Mari on the review to chapter 33: I'm so glad you appreciate what I did with the sex scene and that you feel that it makes sense with regards to Hermione's and Lucius's relathionship arc. And, of course, SO glad you're still reading and enjoying my story! / Ida