A/N - Hi all! First I want to thank everyone for the well-wishes. You are awesome and I really appreciate your understanding. I have been feeling better the last few days and I managed to finish this chapter yesterday. I even got started on the next one today so I am crossing my fingers and hoping I can get it up as usual next Thursday. We are definitely getting closer to the end. I won't try to estimate how many chapters are left, because I'm not sure how long it will take me to finish what I want to do, but I am going to guess that it's going to be less than ten. Thank you so much for continuing to read and review! Enjoy!

Chapter 39

Making Preparations

"I'm sorry, you want to do what?" Draco said when Lucius had laid out his plan.

"Trap Yaxley in my mind," Lucius repeated.

"You do know how incredibly mad that sounds?" Draco said.

"This is the best solution, Draco," Lucius said. "We are running out of time."

"And what happens when the Dark Lord's soul decides to take up residence in you instead?" Draco snapped.

"That will not happen," Lucius said, glancing out the corner of his eye towards Hermione. She was biting her lip and looking less convinced that this was the best plan by the moment. Lucius should have spoken to Severus and Draco alone.

"And what makes you think that you'll be able to bombard him with enough loving images to succeed? Draco asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You doubt my love for your mother?" Lucius asked, not intending to bring up his feelings for Hermione if he did not have to. Draco did not need anything else to be upset about. "Or you, for that matter?"

"It's not as if you were ever the most demonstrative of people," Draco said.

"Just because I was not constantly coddling you does not make my feelings less genuine," Lucius said, voice clipped. Both men stared at one another for a moment before Draco looked away.

"Regardless, are you sure it's going to be enough?"

"Yes," Lucius replied. Draco's gaze flicked to Hermione for a moment before he looked back at his father. Lucius forced himself to keep his eyes on his son.

"Fine," Draco said. "But I think this is ludicrous." He looked to Hermione again. "You really think this is going to work?"

"It worked for Harry," she said.

"Potter was only dealing with the Dark Lord, not Yaxley as well," Draco pointed out.

"It's as good a plan as any," she said. "We'll have back-ups, of course, but I do think this could work." Draco then looked at Severus.

"I believe the curse can be modified to suit our purposes," Severus said.

"Perhaps Hermione could help you with enchanting the receptacle," Lucius said. "Severus and I will work on modifying the curse," Lucius said.

"Fine," Draco said throwing up his hands in defeat. He walked back to where the small brass box sat on the table, grabbing a piece of parchment with Severus' notes and ignoring everyone else in the room.

Hermione looked up at Lucius and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Is this a good idea?" she asked.

"It will be fine, Hermione," he said. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze before turning to follow Severus from the room.

When they reached the upstairs sitting room, Severus whirled on him as soon as Lucius had closed and locked the door.

"This is your plan?" Severus hissed. "To attempt to trap the Dark Lord in your mind?"

"We have not found a spell to reverse the binding," Lucius said. "We are not even sure what they did to bind their souls together in the first place. We are running out of time, Severus. We cannot continue to put the burden of keeping all our secrets on Theo."

"And this ridiculous love notion?" Severus asked. "I have to say, while I do not doubt that you loved Narcissa and you do love Draco, I must agree with your son. Will it be enough?"

"There is more," Lucius muttered. Severus stood in silence for a few moments.

"Hermione," he finally said.

"Yes," Lucius said.

"Well, I cannot say I am surprised," Severus said with a sigh. "Still, you have to admit this is not something that you normally would embrace. Potter, yes, even Hermione would be a better choice."

"No," Lucius said immediately.

"The woman wears her emotions on her sleeve, Lucius. Surely, she would have no difficulty coming up with a myriad of loving images," Severus sneered.

"Hermione is not an option," Lucius said forcefully. Severus' eyes narrowed as he studied the other man.

"You do not expect to survive it," he said.

"Of course, I do," Lucius argued.

"But you are not sure," Severus said. "You think that you might not be able to expel the Dark Lord. That his soul might stay trapped within you."

"I never said that," Lucius said.

"You did not have to," Severus replied. "If you were convinced of success, you would use Hermione."

"I would never allow Hermione to do this, even with a guarantee of success," Lucius said. Severus raised an eyebrow. "She does not need that madman in her head."

"Well, I see that you should have no trouble with the loving feelings then," Severus said. "However, the fact remains that you do not know if you will succeed."

"I will succeed in destroying the Dark Lord," Lucius said.

"There is only an eighty-six percent chance," Severus said.

"Not anymore," Lucius replied.

"Hermione has found the missing variable," Severus said, not phrasing it as a question.

"She has," Lucius said.

"It cannot be one of the binding rituals, she would have said."

"No," Lucius agreed. He stared at Severus as understanding dawned.

"You must be joking," Severus snorted.

"I am not," Lucius said. "She solved it last night with a bit of prodding from Cecilia."

"This is where you have gotten this foolish notion from?" Severus asked. "Because the missing variable is love?"

"It only makes sense, Severus," Lucius said with a sigh.

"Surely there must be something else," Severus said.

"As I told Hermione when she first revealed the missing variable to me, what are we supposed to do hug the Dark Lord to death?" Lucius said. "This makes sense and takes everything into account."

"Except that the prophecy states that both of you must destroy the Dark Lord," Severus replied.

"It states that when 'two become as one all will be revealed'. Which it was, last night. The prophecy does not say that the two of us must actually perform whatever spell we use to destroy him. Only that we had to work together and once all is revealed, he will be destroyed," Lucius said. "Now are you going to help me or not?"

"She will hate me when she finds out that I knew and did not stop you," Severus said.

"I am not asking you to tell her," Lucius said with a sniff.

"Lucius, there must be another way," Severus said and Lucius was surprised to see that Severus had truly been affected by his revelation. "Think of Draco."

"I am thinking of Draco," Lucius insisted. "And Hermione. Neither of them will have any kind of life if the Dark Lord remains in power."

"You would leave him an orphan?"

"He has you," Lucius replied. "Merlin knows the two of you have a better relationship than I have with him at present." Severus changed tactics.

"And Hermione? You do not think of how this will affect her?"

"Hermione is young," Lucius said, forcing the words out. "She will find someone else." Severus shook his head and sighed.

"I do not intend to die," Lucius said. "But if something happens and that is the only way to carry out our plan, so be it."

"You are a fool, Lucius," Severus said.

"Does that mean you are not going to help me?"

"No, it means you are a fool," Severus said. "You do not deserve either of them."

"I am aware," Lucius said. Severus glared at him for another few moments before picking up parchment and quill to begin making notes about the curse.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Hermione asked as she and Draco prepared to cast the spells on the small brass box.

"Severus said it should," Draco replied. "If we can get his soul in there anyway."

"That's what I'm worried about," Hermione said. "What if Lucius' plan works as far as separating You-Know-Who's soul from Yaxley's, but it gets stuck in your father?"

"There's got to be some way to extract it," Draco said.

"Harry had to die," Hermione said. Draco looked at her sharply. "At least that's the theory."

"That's why he wasn't dead at first? When my mother said he was?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded.

"It's different though, isn't it?" Draco asked. "Wasn't Potter a Horcrux?"

"Not an intentional one," Hermione said. "The magical backlash from the failed killing curse ripped You-Know-Who's soul and part of it attached itself to Harry because he was the only living thing in the room."

"But Father will be allowing him in," Draco said.

"Doesn't that make it worse though?" Hermione asked. "He'll basically be giving You-Know-Who permission to possess him."

"No, he's dropping his shields so Yaxley can do Legilimency," Draco said. "It's not the same."

"Lucius said he can expel him," Hermione said.

"Then I'm sure he can," Draco said, although he didn't look convinced. "Besides, Granger, we haven't found anything else. And my father is right about one thing. We're running out of time."

"You're right," she said with a sigh. "I'm sure that he and Severus can figure it out."

"I'm sure they can," Draco said. He glanced at the clock on the mantel. "Are you ready? It's nearly midnight." They had decided to wait to cast the spells until the Ministry would be relatively empty. Draco had told her that only one or two people monitored the magical output map overnight. Hermione thought this was incredibly obtuse of them, but given it was the Ministry, she wasn't surprised.

"All right," she said, practicing the wand movements one last time. Then she nodded at Draco. He watched the clock, waiting until a few minutes past twelve and then cast the first ward. Hermione followed suit and then the two of them cast the last one together. When they had finished, the box glowed gold for a moment before the magic settled into it. Draco cast a cutting curse against the box, but it simply glowed again as it absorbed the magic. He nodded in satisfaction.

"That's done at least," Hermione said, biting her lip as she glanced up the stairs.

"Stop worrying, Granger," Draco said. "They'll figure it out." That, however, was exactly what she was worried about. Because she had the distinct feeling that Lucius wasn't telling her everything. Hermione just wasn't sure what.

Lucius and Severus worked for quite some time trying to modify the curse. So far, all of their attempts had failed, although the last one had some success. Lucius was unable to hold it, however.

"Perhaps someone else must cast the curse," Severus said.

"Perhaps," Lucius said attempting to stifle a yawn.

"We will return to this tomorrow," Severus said. "You need rest." Lucius was too tired to argue. Casting the curse and trying to keep the appropriate memories forefront in his head had taken quite a bit out of him.

"Lucius?" Lucius looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "Draco and I have finished. It's after midnight."

"We have finished as well," Severus said, rising from his chair.

"How did it go?" Hermione asked.

"We have made progress," Lucius replied. "We will continue in the morning." Severus bade them both good night and Hermione walked towards him. Lucius stood from the couch and wrapped her in his arms.

"Have you really made progress?" she asked into his chest.

"Yes," he replied. "I have been struggling with casting the curse while simultaneously trying to bring forth the appropriate memories."

"Maybe someone else has to cast it," Hermione suggested. Lucius smiled into her hair.

"Severus said the same." Hermione pulled back from him slightly.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, biting her lip. Lucius reached out and gently pulled it from her teeth.

"I am," he replied. She stared up at him.

"What if something goes wrong?" she asked quietly.

"As you have said, we will have contingency plans."

"I don't like this," she said. Lucius pulled her back to him.

"Soon, it will all be over," he said wrapping her more tightly in his arms. Hermione buried her face in his chest. Lucius felt a pang of remorse at not being honest with her about the possibilities of what might happen. But no, that would only worry her further or convince her to attempt to talk him out of it. And Lucius would not be swayed. He had not done much right in his life, but he would do this.

"Come to bed," he said, releasing her and taking her hand, leading her into their bedroom.

Hermione woke to lips on her shoulder. She smiled, sliding a hand to rest over Lucius' at her middle. He brushed her hair away from her shoulder and then kissed her neck. Hermione tightened her hand on his and then turned in his arms. His lips were immediately on hers.

"Good morning," she said when they parted.

"Mm," he replied, mouth moving back to her neck. He didn't seem particularly intent on talking this morning. Although, if he kept doing that, Hermione thought with a shiver as he licked at the hollow of her throat, she didn't think she altogether minded.

Rolling her to her back, Lucius quickly divested her of the shirt that she slept in, baring her beneath him. And then he worshipped her. There was no other word to describe it. Any time Hermione attempted to reciprocate or pull him to her, he refused and continued the exploration of her body. Fingers, lips, and tongue all joined it to bring her to the edge quicker than she ever remembered happening. She hadn't even come down fully before he was bringing her over again.

"Lucius!" she shrieked and he looked up at her, stopping the torture with his mouth, but continuing to coax her with his fingers. She moaned again and then he was surging up her body, kissing her fiercely. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, trying to bring him as close to her as possible.

Lucius gentled the kiss after a few moments, taking his time to savor her mouth before her moved back to her breasts. Hermione moaned and eventually yanked on his shoulders, trying to bring him back to kiss her again.

"Please," she said and he smiled, then kissed her languidly. Her knees tightened around his hips and she arched against him. He continued to tease her for a few more minutes before finally, finally, sliding into her.

She sighed in contentment once they were joined and for a few moments, Lucius stayed still, simply kissing her. Hermione shifted and he began to move. He kept up a slow and steady pace, no matter how she tried to speed things up. He looked down at her, staring into her eyes and Hermione couldn't look away from him.

Even as she knew he was close, he didn't speed up, just continued the same unhurried strokes. He moved a hand between them and it wasn't until she cried out for a third time that he finally sped up fractionally to chase his own release.

They lay there, still joined, as Lucius placed gentle kisses on her cheeks, her nose, her eyes and finally her lips. Hermione cradled his face in her hands, staring up at him. There was something in his eyes, something she couldn't quite figure out but a moment later it was gone and he was dipping his head to kiss her again.

When he finally slipped from her, he rolled them to the side, pulling her into him so her head rested on his chest. His arms tightened around her and she relaxed into his body. His lips grazed her forehead.

"I love you," he whispered. Hermione burrowed closer to him and kissed his chest.

"I love you too." She slowly drifted back to sleep, all the while something nagging at the back of her mind about the look she had seen on his face.

Lucius held Hermione tightly to him as her breathing evened out and she fell back to sleep. His lips ghosted over her forehead again and he nuzzled his nose into her unruly hair. The fact that this might be the last time he would hold her in his arms like this was on a constant replay in his mind.

He had been honest when he told Severus that he did not intend to die. He did not particularly care to, especially not now. However, Lucius was aware that it might not be something that could be helped.

Modifying the spell to keep the Dark Lord in Lucius' mind could backfire spectacularly, Lucius was aware. There was no guarantee he would be able to expel the Dark Lord even if Lucius were successful in getting the Dark Lord's soul to split from Yaxley's. And if Lucius could not, well, there would not be much recourse but to have someone kill him.

He was aware that the first Killing Curse the Dark Lord had sent at Potter in the Forbidden Forest had killed the soul fragment that was clinging to the boy. However, that did not mean the same would happen with Lucius. It might very well kill Lucius instead, leaving the Dark Lord to inhabit his body. Of course, no one would let the Dark Lord survive if that should happen, which was a consolation.

Severus knew enough that he would ensure it would be done. Even if Severus could not do it himself, there were plenty in the Resistance that would have no issue.

Lucius tightened his arms around the sleeping woman next to him. By tomorrow, one way or another, everything would be done.

After breakfast, they were all sitting in the main room of the lodge as Lucius and Severus continued to practice the modified curse. Hermione could see that Lucius was tiring. He was managing to hold the curse as well as bring forward his memories, but Hermione didn't think it would be long enough to accomplish what they wanted.

"Someone else is going to have to cast the curse," Hermione said as Lucius sank down onto the couch beside her with a groan. "You tire too quickly otherwise." Lucius shook his head.

"Severus is already going to be there Disillusioned to cast the spell to trap the Dark Lord's soul. He needs to be free to do that."

"Let me cast the curse," Hermione said.

"No," Lucius said immediately. "I want you with the Resistance. I do not want you anywhere near him."

"Lucius," she began but he shook his head.

"No, Hermione." Hermione scowled at him. He wasn't her keeper. She opened her mouth to say as much but Draco spoke first.

"I'll do it."

"No," Lucius replied, just as forcefully.

"You're being ridiculous, Father," Draco said. "Granger is right. You cannot possibly hold the curse and feed him memories at the same time. Not for long enough, anyway."

"The fewer people in Yaxley's vicinity the better," Lucius insisted.

"I'm going to have to be there anyway," Draco said. "Our plan with Theo is that we both contacted him. Yaxley is going to expect to see me."

"Draco is right," Severus said and Lucius turned to him, look of betrayal on his face. Hermione understood that he was trying to keep them safe, but he had to be barmy to think that she and Draco were going to listen.

"Yaxley will expect him to be there. He will be suspicious if he is not. If this is to work, he has to think that he has bested us," Severus continued. "I will cast the curse. Draco can trap the Dark Lord's soul."

"All I need is more practice," Lucius growled.

"We don't have time for that," Hermione said. He turned his glare on her. Unphased, she rolled her eyes. "I realize that you want everyone to be safe, but you need all of us if this is going to work. The more you practice, the more you drain your magic. If you intend to go through with this plan tonight, you can't be magically exhausted."

Lucius stared at her for a moment, then looked to Severus and Draco. Draco stared right back at him while Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," Lucius practically snarled.

"As I am casting the curse, perhaps Hermione can take the place of Yaxley," Severus said. "That way Draco can practice casting the containment spell." Hermione knew that this had more to do with the memories Lucius would be calling forward than Draco needing practice with the containment spell but she was grateful all the same. This was not the time for Draco to discover his father's feelings for her.

Hermione was not skilled in Legilimency by any means, but because Lucius was going to be feeding her memories, all she really needed to do was cast the spell. She could tell that he was still upset with her but she gave him an encouraging smile all the same. He gave an infinitesimal nod and she cast the spell, finding herself in his mind.

The first memory he brought forth was from early this morning. Hermione hoped she was controlling her blush as she saw herself through Lucius' eyes as he worshipped her body. She certainly hoped he wasn't planning on showing Yaxley that. He quickly moved to afterward when he had told her he loved her, then back further to the first time they had uttered those words out loud to one another, back further still to him brooding over what he thought she had said to Ron.

When he had finished with memories of her, he moved on to Draco. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the tiny little blond boy, clamoring for his father's attention. The look on Lucius' face the night Draco was born nearly took Hermione's breath away. Lucius was so in awe of the tiny baby in his arms, his love for Draco practically shouted itself to the room.

"Attempt to remove yourself, Hermione," she heard Severus say. Hermione watched the memory for one last moment, seeing the look of pure love that Lucius gave a sleeping Narcissa and then tried to pull out of his mind.

But she couldn't. The memories of Narcissa continued. Hermione didn't want to intrude on Lucius' privacy so she tried closing her eyes, but she could still see everything behind her eyelids, as if Lucius was in her mind as well.

She saw the two of them at Hogwarts, when Narcissa had given him demure smiles, pink tinging her cheeks as she looked away from him. On their wedding day, when Lucius looked as if he thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Their small glances and quiet smiles to one another when in company and their passion when they were alone. Hermione tried valiantly to escape. She didn't want to see this. It wasn't that she didn't know that Lucius had loved his wife but seeing the evidence of it twisted something inside her. It was ridiculous to be jealous of a dead woman, but Hermione couldn't help it. And she couldn't help but wonder why Lucius was showing her these things. Yes, they were obviously what he would show Yaxley, but she wasn't him, she didn't need to see all of this. They just needed to be sure that the curse worked. Lucius could have showed her memories of him doing figures at his desk, or reading a book, or eating his breakfast. Hermione didn't need to see this.

And then suddenly, the curse ended and Hermione sucked in a breath. She stumbled backwards, collapsing into a chair, refusing to look at Lucius. She cursed herself for being so upset and cursed Lucius for showing the memories to her.

"I assume you could not extricate yourself?" Severus said.

"No," Hermione replied.

"And when you closed your eyes?"

"I could still see everything," she said shortly. Draco looked at her with raised brows, obviously wondering about her tone. Severus glanced at Lucius for a moment before continuing his questioning.

"And could you feel the emotions?" Severus asked. Hermione finally looked at Lucius.

"Yes." Lucius stared at her, his face giving nothing away.

"Lucius, how do you feel?" Severus continued. "Fatigued at all?"

"I feel fine," Lucius said, his gaze not leaving Hermione's.

"Very well," Severus said. "It appears that it works. I assume that the Dark Lord will fight even harder than Hermione did, however. Let us hope that it will still be enough."

"Excuse me," Hermione said, standing from her chair and hurrying to the stairs. When she reached their bedroom, she made her way into the loo and closed the door behind her. Crossing to the sink, she splashed water on her face in an attempt to calm herself. She blew out a breath and patted her face dry with a towel.

Looking at herself in the mirror, Hermione wondered what Lucius saw in her, really. Narcissa had been beautiful and Hermione, well, she was definitely not on par with the perfection that was Narcissa Malfoy. The woman had come across as cold and haughty whenever Hermione had been in her company, but it was clear from Lucius' memories that her public visage was not her private one.

There was a knock on the bathroom door and Hermione sighed.

"Come in," she said. She looked up at the mirror and saw Lucius standing in the doorway. They stared at one another through the mirror for a few moments before Hermione turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What is it?" he asked. She snorted.

"I should think that would be rather obvious."

"I was doing as we discussed," he replied. He didn't look the least bit remorseful.

"I'm aware," Hermione replied. She uncrossed her arms and walked towards him, attempting to push past him into the bedroom. Lucius grabbed her wrist to stop her.

"Hermione," he said.

"What?" she snapped. He sighed.

"I did not intend to upset you."

"I'm not upset," she replied. He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. She made a noise of frustration and tugged on her wrist. He let her go. She walked back into the bedroom, keeping her back to him. She needed to get herself together. She was being ridiculous.

Lucius stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"The point of the experiment was to be sure that I could keep the Dark Lord trapped in my mind," he said, stepping closer to her so their bodies were nearly touching. She wanted to lean back into him, but she didn't.

"I know," she said quietly.

"I was unsure how you would react to my memories of Narcissa but I thought," he trailed off.

"You thought that I would be so uncomfortable that I would fight harder to get out," Hermione finished.

"Yes."

She couldn't blame him for that, not really. It was the entire point of what they had done. So, she should not be upset about it. She was well aware he had been married, that he had loved his wife. Why should the memories have surprised her?

He took a final step until her back rested against his front. His hands slipped from her shoulders to her upper arms.

"I am sorry," he said.

"You shouldn't be," she replied, finally allowing herself to melt into him. When she did, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. "I'm the one that should be apologizing for being ridiculous." His arms tightened around her for a moment before he turned her in his arms.

"I loved Narcissa," he said. "But she is gone." He pushed a curl away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"I know," Hermione said with a sigh. "That's what makes me all the more absurd." She looked up at him. "You should love your wife and I'm glad you did. And I'm sorry for my reaction. I just, wasn't expecting it, I suppose."

"That was the entire point," he replied, bit of a smirk on his face. She huffed.

"I know that," she said. Lucius pulled her to him. Hermione wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek against his chest. He ran a hand up and down her back.

"Liddy is preparing lunch," he finally said. Hermione nodded and pulled back slightly to look up at him. He leaned down and kissed her. Hermione threw herself into the kiss, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pressing her body close to his. When they parted, he looked down at her.

"I love you," she said. Lucius smiled and kissed her forehead.

"And I love you," he replied. "Now, let us eat." He took her hand and led her from the room.

Theo arrived late that afternoon. He was not as bad off as he had been the night before, but Severus still had to give him the potion for Cruciatus effects.

"Is Miss Lovegood safe?" Severus asked after the twitching had mostly subsided.

"Yes," Theo said. "I moved her this morning before I had to report to Yaxley. One of my House Elves is with her. He has instructions as to where to go if things should go south tonight."

"Our plan should keep you above blame, if things do not go as planned," Lucius said. Theo looked at him in confusion.

"You're going to turn Father and I over to Yaxley," Draco said. Theo stared at him for a few moments.

"Are you mental?" he finally asked.

"No," Draco said. "It's the perfect excuse to get him to your manor." Theo sighed and rubbed at his forehead with his fingertips.

"You're going to have to explain it to me because it sounds mad."

"You will tell Yaxley that Draco and I have approached you as an ally," Lucius said. "Given your past friendship with Draco, we thought that you would be amenable to helping us."

"Instead, you're going to act the loyal little Death Eater and report us to Yaxley," Draco said.

"And this is going to help how?" Theo asked. "Once he finds out the Resistance is on my estate, I will definitely not be above blame."

"We brought them with us," Lucius said. Theo thought about that for a moment.

"I understand having a reason to get him to my house but how is this going to get everyone else there as well?"

"Once Yaxley gets there and sees that you're telling the truth, that you've got Father and I bound and waiting for him, he'll call everyone to witness the spectacle," Draco said.

"And what exactly is the spectacle going to be?" Theo asked. "If I've got you bound, you'll obviously be disarmed."

"If things go to plan, we won't need wands. Not at first, anyway," Draco said.

"I will be Disillusioned," Severus said. "I will collect Draco's and Lucius' wands from you after you show them to Yaxley and return them when they are needed."

"Needed for what?" Theo asked. Lucius glanced at Severus before he answered. It was likely that Yaxley would do surface scan of Theo's mind once he arrived at Nott Manor, but they did not think that he would probe long enough to break through Theo's shields. Theo had been able to hold them so far, there was no reason to think that anything less than torture would break through them. It was a gamble they were willing to take in order for Theo to be fully informed.

"The Dark Lord has bound his soul to Yaxley's," Lucius said. Theo stared at him blankly.

"Sorry, what?"

And so, the entire story was told, of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes and the destruction of them, the instability this caused with the remainder of the Dark Lord's soul and his suspected weakening, Yaxley's newfound power and the disappearance of the Dark Lord from public view.

"You're positive about this?" Theo said.

"Yes," Draco replied. "We suspected something had happened but got confirmation from an ancestor of ours. A Seer. A true one."

"Hello, young man," a voice said and Theo startled. Lucius looked up at the portrait over the fireplace and saw Cecilia standing there.

"Hello, Cecilia," Hermione said, smiling at the woman in the portrait. She turned to Theo. "This is Cecilia Malfoy, Seer. She's been helping us. Cecilia, Theo Nott."

"Hello," Theo said, still looking completely flabbergasted by these revelations.

"Mr. Nott, it is good to meet you," Cecilia replied. "I had the pleasure of knowing your many times removed great-grandmother. She was a dear friend to me and the only person outside my family who was aware of my gift. She never shared that secret with anyone, not even her husband. You have inherited her loyalty and discretion."

"I, erm, thank you," Theo finally said.

"Perhaps when all of this is over, I might visit her," Cecilia said.

"I am sure that could be arranged Madam Malfoy," Theo said politely. Cecilia smiled and nodded in thanks, then left the painting. Theo still looked a bit stunned.

"Sorry about that, mate," Draco said with a smirk. "We didn't know she was going to pop in." Theo blew out a breath and attempted to compose himself.

"All right, so the Dark Lord bound his remaining soul to Yaxley. How do you destroy him then?"

"We have modified a curse to keep him trapped in Lucius' mind once he casts Legilimency which he, of course, will. Lucius will then bombard Yaxley and the Dark Lord with memories that the Dark Lord will try to escape. We hope that this will force the souls to split and Draco can trap the Dark Lord's in a receptacle we have prepared. It will then be destroyed."

"What kind of memories?" Theo asked.

"That is not important," Lucius replied.

"What about you?" Theo asked Draco.

"What about me?" Draco replied.

"What if Yaxley decides to read your mind instead? Are you going to do the same thing?"

"No," Lucius said. Hermione had brought up this possibility at lunch. At first, they had all been angry with themselves for not thinking of this possibility once they determined that Draco would have to be with Lucius when Theo called Yaxley. However, it had been relatively easily solved even if it was not what Lucius wanted.

It had been Hermione that suggested that Draco reveal Lucius' relationship with her and Draco's disgust about Lucius taking up with the 'mudblood'. Lucius had bristled at this and Draco had looked uncomfortable, but Hermione had been realistic. If Yaxley did delve into Draco's mind first, nothing would get him into Lucius' mind faster than knowing he had been sleeping with Hermione. The fact that Hermione would be with the Resistance and not with Lucius and Draco was the only thing that convinced Lucius to go ahead with this plan.

They were not planning on revealing this to Theo, however. Not yet anyway. He was still attempting to wrap his mind around the revelation about the soul binding.

"We have a plan," Draco said. "Don't worry about it, Theo." Theo glanced between the four of them before nodding.

"When do we do this?" he asked.

"We need to get Miss Granger with the Resistance and, of course, have Severus hidden before you call him," Lucius said. "The only thing that we need to ensure is that we are outside when the confrontation happens."

"If you brought the Resistance with you, I would have had to let them in through the wards," Theo said. "I agreed to help you to get them to my estate and then I trapped them there for the Death Eaters to take care of once I informed Yaxley."

"Excellent," Severus said. It was a possibility they had already discussed and Lucius was glad that Theo had come to it on his own. "All the more reason for Yaxley to call everyone to your manor."

"Are we ready now then?" Theo asked. "We can inform the Resistance of what's going to happen and then eat something before I call Yaxley."

"Give us a few minutes," Lucius said.

"Of course," Theo replied.

Lucius rose and walked to the stairs. Hermione followed behind. Severus had gone to the small room off the kitchen he had been using as a lab to gather the potions he had been brewing. Draco remained in the sitting room speaking to Theo.

When they reached their bedroom, Lucius turned to Hermione, pulling her into his arms. She clung to him tightly for a few moments before looking up at him.

"This is it," she said.

"Yes," he replied. He cupped her face in his hands and then kissed her. She responded enthusiastically and before he realized, Lucius had her pinned against the wall. He forced himself away from her a few moments later, resting his forehead against hers.

"We don't have time," Hermione said.

"No," he replied with a wry smile as he stepped back from her. They stared at one another for a few seconds before he stepped back to her and kissed her again.

"I love you," he said and she smiled up at him.

"I love you too." He took her hand and kissed the back of it, then gave it a squeeze before leading her to the door. When they reached the corridor, he dropped her hand and they made their way back downstairs.

Severus was back in the main room, a small bag the Lucius knew contained the potions, in his hand. Draco had the enchanted box.

"Liddy," Lucius said. The elf walked into the room a few moments later.

"Yes, Master Lucius?"

"We are going to Nott Manor. I want you to remain here and care for Madame Trelawney until one of us calls for you."

"Yes, Master Lucius."

The five of them made their way outside to the edge of the wards. Lucius' hand brushed against Hermione's as they walked. When they reached the boundary of the Fidelius, Theo turned to them.

"You can Apparate outside the gates," he said. "I'll meet you there."

"Very well," Lucius replied and Theo turned and was gone. Lucius looked at the three people standing beside him, the three people he cared about most in the world. With a nod to all of them, he gripped Hermione's arm and disappeared, Draco and Severus following quickly behind.

"Hermione!" a voice called and Hermione smiled as Ginny rushed towards her. The redhead threw her arms around Hermione and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're all right."

"Thanks, Gin," Hermione said as Ginny released her. And then Ginny caught sight of Draco over Hermione's shoulder. She ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms. Draco looked a bit surprised for a moment, then wrapped his arms around Ginny and closed his eyes, nose buried in her hair.

Hermione saw Ron start towards the two, but he was stopped by his mother. She shook her head and Ron looked as if he were going to argue with her for a moment. Then he glanced back at Ginny and Draco and sighed, shaking his head but doing nothing to interrupt.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder as Lucius and Severus arrived at a much more sedate pace. She wondered what would happen if she did the same to Lucius as Ginny had just done to Draco. She was sure she wouldn't get the same understanding and acceptance.

Shoving that thought from her mind, Hermione turned and greeted the rest of her friends as hugs were passed around liberally. When she finally made her way to Ron, he still had a slight scowl on his face as he watched his sister. Ginny and Draco were now talking quietly to one another but Ginny had a tight grip on Draco's hand.

"He's really quite taken with her," Hermione said quietly to Ron. He sighed.

"I know. Mum told me," Ron said. "It's just, after everything she's been through, I don't want her hurt."

"I don't think Draco would ever hurt her intentionally."

"Draco now, is it?" Ron asked.

"There's two of them," Hermione said with a shrug. "Have to differentiate who I'm talking about somehow." Ron shook his head but Hermione could see the smile threatening. He reached out and pulled her to him.

"I'm glad you're all right. When Nott told us what happened," Ron trailed off but his grip on her tightened. Hermione hugged him back, then stepped away. She couldn't help but glance towards Lucius. His face was impassive, but Hermione could see the slight clenching of his jaw. She hoped she was able to keep the amusement from her face. She didn't think he would appreciate that right now.

"Are you ready for this?" Hermione asked.

"More than," Ron said. "You?" Hermione glanced at Lucius again. A feeling of foreboding swept through her. She shook it off, blaming it on nerves and the finality of the situation.

"The Arithmancy looks rather good," Hermione said. Ron laughed and tugged playfully at a curl.

"Trust you to break it down to numbers, 'Mione." He stared at her for a moment. "Part of me doesn't think it's real, though, you know? Like it's not really happening tonight or this won't be the end of it or something." Hermione nodded.

"We've been running for a long time," she agreed.

"If things don't go how we hope," he began, but Hermione shook her head.

"None of that," she said. "And you don't have to say it anyway. I know." Ron nodded and then hugged her again.

"You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too, Ron." He smiled as he released her and then stepped back to speak to Parvati. Hermione looked towards Lucius who was watching her intently. She smiled and after a few seconds, he smiled back at her.

Lucius stood with Severus and Theo, explaining the basic plan to Shacklebolt and Charlie Weasley. Lucius couldn't help but continually glance Hermione's way as she spoke with the youngest Weasley male. Despite everything that had happened and all that Hermione had told him, Lucius still couldn't help the flare of jealousy as the younger man tugged on one of her curls. His jaw clenched, although his face remained neutral. He attempted to ignore them and turned his attention back to the conversation at hand. But his thoughts wouldn't leave the two of them.

Although perhaps it was good that the two of them still held such affection for one another. If things did not go as they hoped, Lucius knew that Weasley would look out for Hermione. The two of them might even rekindle what they had at some point. Weasley's apparent involvement with the Patil woman suggested otherwise, but no one really knew what might happen once the war was over and things were back to a more normal state of affairs. Regardless, Lucius knew that the entire Weasley family would be there to help Hermione should she need it. It gave him a bit of peace about what was to come.

"We'll need some sort of signal," Shacklebolt was saying. "I want to keep everyone hidden until You-Know-Who has been taken care of. If we can take the Death Eaters by surprise it will only be to our advantage."

"The problem with that is, I don't know if he'll call the rest of the Death Eaters here if he doesn't already know the Resistance is here," Theo said.

"If he knows I'm here, wouldn't he assume the rest aren't far behind?" Shacklebolt said.

"Possibly," Draco said. He had sent Miss Weasley back to her mother and joined the conversation. "He'll probably bring a few people with him at first regardless. Mulciber and Rabastan, maybe the Carrows as well."

"All right, what if I just tell him about Lucius and Draco first, then when he arrives, I bring out Shacklebolt. Say that I found him hiding in the woods while we were waiting for Yaxley to get here," Theo said.

"You risk Yaxley killing him on the spot," Draco said.

"He won't kill me until he knows where the rest of the Resistance is," Shacklebolt said.

"Even if he doesn't, he'll take it from your mind and the whole plan will fall apart," Draco said.

"I am trained in Occlumency," Kingsley said.

"Not against the Dark Lord you're not," Draco replied.

"Shacklebolt stays hidden," Lucius said. "When Yaxley is in my mind, I will let him see that we have been in contact and that the Resistance is on their way here. I'm sure he will call everyone at that point."

"But he'll have to break the connection to do that," Draco argued. "Which means you won't be able to cast the curse at first. And there's no guarantee he'll go back in."

"If I give him a glimpse of Miss Granger, if he knows she's been with us, he will," Lucius said.

"Then you risk him just staying in your head until he's gotten all the information," Draco said. "If we cast the curse and separate the Dark Lord from him, there's no way to call everyone. If we don't cast the curse then there's no plan."

Lucius sighed. Draco was not wrong.

"If we can incapacitate whomever Yaxley brings with him, I can be sure his Mark is activated to call the rest," Severus said. "I will cast the curse as soon as he goes into your mind, Lucius. I can press the Mark even when he is trapped."

"We can take care of whomever he brings along," Charlie said, glancing at Shacklebolt who nodded. "We'll Disillusion ourselves and hide behind those trees there. That way we'll be close enough to hear everything, but they shouldn't see us."

"And what happens when the Death Eaters arrive and realize that Yaxley's trapped in Father's mind?" Draco asked. "There are plenty that won't hesitate to kill Father on sight."

"Do you really think that anyone would attempt that when it will appear that Yaxley is simply performing Legilimency on your father?" Severus asked. "They will wait for instructions. They will not know anything about Yaxley being trapped."

"I'll tell them what's going on, as much as we want them to know." Theo said. "That will ensure that they wait."

"And we'll be ready for them," Shacklebolt said.

"I'll shield your father," Charlie offered.

"The Killing curse isn't stopped by a shield," Draco said.

"I will be fine, Draco," Lucius replied. "It is as Severus says. No one will do anything before Yaxley gives the order. Not before the Resistance has a chance to act. They may wonder what is taking so long, but they will wait." Draco did not look convinced in the slightest but he stopped arguing.

Shacklebolt turned to the assembled Resistance members and strode forward, getting their attention.

"All right," he said. "Here's what's going to happen."