A/N - Hey everyone! I am so excited for you to read this chapter! There is a part in it I've had planned since the beginning and I can't wait to see what you think of it. Also, there are other bits I think you're going to like. ;) Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
Chapter 37
Declarations
"Just do the damn Legilimency," Lucius snapped. All three sets of eyes in the room glared at him.
"You need more time to recover," Hermione said.
"We do not have time," Lucius retorted, then winced. Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him pointedly as if she had just proven her point. He pulled in a breath through his nose, attempting to calm himself.
"If I let him in, it will not be painful," Lucius said.
"He still has to sift through everything, Father," Draco countered. "If you don't remember, you can't bring the memories forward."
"I remember Yaxley's eyes," Lucius said. "Severus can start from there and work back or forward as he needs to."
"Still, if you can't remember, it's likely because you've buried it. It won't be easy to find, even with something to work from," Draco said.
They had been having this argument since they had joined Lucius for breakfast. With Draco and Severus' help, Lucius had made it to the couch in the sitting room, as there was nowhere for them to sit in the bedroom. They were still avoiding using magic so could not conjure a table.
They had discussed the situation over breakfast, although no one had any real idea just how Yaxley and the Dark Lord had done it. Or what they had done, exactly. Lucius had been trying to convince Severus just to use Legilimency on him again so they could see the entire encounter, but Severus had been hesitant given Lucius was still recovering. Draco and Hermione had been even less amenable to it.
"Do you realize how close to dying you were when you got back to the Manor?" Hermione had asked through thinned lips. "If Severus hadn't known the counter-curse, you would have."
"And now I have been healed," Lucius had replied. Draco had scoffed and Hermione had rolled her eyes. Now, Lucius looked to Severus. If he were going to be able to convince anyone, it would be Severus.
"This is information we need. If I could remember, I would give it to you myself. As I cannot, there is only one choice."
"We can wait a bit longer," Hermione said before Severus could speak.
"And if Yaxley decides to start questioning others?" he said eyebrow raised. "If he discovers Theo's treachery?" She looked away at that.
"And if you have a setback because of this?" Draco asked.
"Then I will rest again," Lucius said. "This is bigger than me, Draco. And while I understand your concern, there are far more people at greater risk than I." He looked to Severus and gave him a nod.
"Bring the memory forward," Severus said, stepping forward and drawing his wand. Lucius did as he asked and stared at his friend. Severus cast the spell and dove in. Lucius got flashes of things as Severus searched. He felt a slight pressure in his head as his friend had to move further into his mind, following the single strand of memory. The pressure built a bit before it disappeared. Lucius blinked, looking up at Severus.
"Well?"
"You need more time to heal," Severus said evasively. Lucius' eyes narrowed and Severus sighed. "Did you feel any discomfort?"
"A bit of pressure," Lucius said. Severus nodded.
"You have locked them away."
"What does that mean?" Hermione asked.
"He put the memories behind a rather strong wall that I cannot just get through. Either Lucius has to willingly drop the barrier or I have to force my way in. I prodded at the wall which would have caused the pressure you felt. The pain would be much worse if I force my way through."
"I can handle a bit of pain," Lucius said.
"This would be more than a bit," Severus replied. They fell silent.
"Look, we don't need to do this right now," Draco said. "We've had no word from Theo so I can only assume things are still fine there. He said he would check in after supper so let's just wait until we hear from him."
"And if we do not?" Lucius asked.
"You've remembered something," Hermione said, ignoring that question completely. "Maybe you'll remember more."
"Hermione," Lucius said with a sigh.
"Give it a bit longer, Father," Draco said. Lucius looked at Hermione and his son, then glanced at Severus.
"All right," he finally said. "However, if we hear nothing from Theo today, Severus will make another attempt." Draco nodded and Hermione, while reluctant, finally did as well.
"I have set up a brewing space near the kitchens," Severus said. "I am going to make up a few potions that we may need." Lucius gave him a nod as he swept from the room. Draco glanced between Lucius and Hermione and then picked up the stack of books on the Fidelius from the table.
"I'll finish looking through these," he said and left the room. When he was gone, Lucius looked at Hermione.
"Do you need anything?" she asked.
"No," he said. She nodded.
"I'll just let you rest then."
"Hermione," he said and she looked back at him. He cleared his throat. "I think we should discuss a few things." She stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Settling herself into a chair opposite the couch, she looked at him expectantly.
"Please explain what you meant by what you said earlier," he replied. "In reference to you and Weasley."
"We're not together," she said simply.
"That is not what I observed," he replied. He felt his jealousy flare but attempted to keep it under control. "Or what I heard."
"You read into it," she said. Her lips had thinned and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I feel we have had this argument before," he said.
"Because we have," she replied. "Just before you were called."
"Explain," he said crisply. She began telling him what had occurred when she had returned from Nott Manor that evening. The longer she spoke, the more he felt as if he could almost remember what she was saying. He got a few flashes, mostly of her angry face, but nothing he could really grab hold of.
Hermione, for her part, seemed to be getting more agitated in her retelling and it was obvious that while they may have argued and she may have even explained things to Lucius' satisfaction, they had not actually resolved anything that night.
When she told him again, that he had misinterpreted what he had seen and that she and Weasley were not together, she began to settle, growing quiet. Lucius could tell that there was more that she was reluctant to tell him. He wondered what he had done, or if it had been her that had done or said something that she did not want to repeat to him.
"And then you were called," she said, looking away from him. He stared at her but she did not raise her head.
"Why do I have the feeling that you have not told me everything?" he asked. She looked up at him.
"I called you stupid," she said. He stared at her.
"You called me stupid," he repeated. She shrugged.
"Well, you were being rather asinine about the entire thing." He stared at her for a few more moments before he snorted. She looked up at him and a tiny smile formed on her lips at his reaction.
"I assume I did not take well to being called such."
"Nothing I couldn't handle," she said with a smirk. "And then, well, we found another way to take out our frustration." He looked at her in shock. Surely, she wouldn't have allowed that.
"Don't look at me like that," she said. "We both wanted it and it was successful in getting us to calm a bit and discuss things. After Draco almost caught us anyway."
"Draco?" Lucius said, remembering the promise he had made to his son after Draco had walked in on them the first time.
"He came through the Floo after," she said with a wry smile. "We were presentable, don't worry."
"I need a drink," Lucius muttered. Hermione shook her head, but the smile was still on her face.
"Maybe this time we try it without the alcohol," she said.
"As if I have a choice," he said. She took a breath and looked at him again.
"After Draco left, before you were called, you said," she trailed off, biting her lip. Lucius wished she were closer so he could pull it from her teeth.
"I said what?" he asked. She looked up at him, clearly pained.
"You said that it shouldn't have happened and that we were better off ending things now. That it was a distraction." He glanced away from her. He was not surprised by what he had said. He had been thinking it for days after all.
"You said," she took a breath, "you said that you expected to go to Azkaban." He looked back at her.
"It is a strong possibility," he said softly.
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
"Hermione," he said with a sigh.
"I need to know," she said, then paused. "I need to know if you were serious about those things or you were just saying them to push me away." She looked at him for a moment and then stood from her chair, moving to sit on the table in front of the couch.
"I need to know if that's how you really feel. If the two of us were just a dalliance as you said or if there is something else going on."
"I would ruin you," he said quietly. "Your reputation would be forever tainted."
"That's not an answer," she said.
"It is an answer," he argued. "I do not wish to hold you back from anything you want to do. If you are with me, you will be shunned." She smiled wryly.
"That's the same thing you said that night."
"You should heed my words." She looked down at her lap for a few moments, then back up at him.
"And I'm going to tell you the same thing I told you then." She reached for his hand and he allowed her to take it.
"I don't care what people think, not the public or my friends. If they can't support what I want, then I don't want them in my life." He opened his mouth to speak, but she put her free hand to his lips. "This next part, I didn't get a chance to finish because we were rather rudely interrupted."
There was a flash in Lucius' head. Hermione was standing in front of him, her hands on his chest, looking up at him. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Lucius, I love you," he heard and realized he was no longer in the memory but she was saying those words to him now. He focused on her face which looked not hesitant, not unsure, but determined, unruffled, true. He knew that she would not be dissuaded, that she would not change her mind no matter what he said. He could continue to lie to her and tell her that he felt nothing for her, that he no longer wished to be with her. He could continue to use the same excuses that he would ruin her life, that she deserved someone much better than him.
But he said none of those things. Instead, he gripped the back of her neck with his hand and pulled her towards him. She came willingly and he kissed her, slowly, reverently, his hands cradling her face. And when they finally had to pull apart to breathe, he stared at her before opening his mouth and saying the first words that fell from his lips.
"I love you." He should not have said them, should not give her false hope. He should have explained, again, why any relationship between them was doomed for a myriad of reasons. He should have been strong, should have been able to resist what he so desperately wanted. But when she smiled and kissed him again, he let her. He pulled her to him, devouring her mouth once more and damn the consequences.
They were gathered once again in Lucius' sitting room, only this time Theo was with them. After their snogging session earlier, Hermione had managed to convince Lucius to rest for most of the afternoon. He had insisted that he was well enough to travel downstairs to meet with Theo and while he was up and walking on his own now with little to no help, the stairs were a different matter. It took all three of them to convince him that it would be just as easy to meet in the sitting room. He was still irritated about it, Hermione could tell.
He hadn't remembered anything else and Severus had agreed to attempt the Legilimency again after they had met with Theo. However, Hermione was hoping they would learn enough that she could convince Lucius to wait until the morning.
"He's sent out groups to search all your properties," Theo said now. "Those he knows about anyway."
"Which?" Draco said.
"The villas in Italy and Greece, the chateau in France," Theo said. He looked at both Draco and Lucius apologetically. "I had to give him the flat in London."
"I'd rather that then he suspect you were holding back on him," Draco said. Lucius nodded in agreement.
"He's searching a few of the Black properties also," Theo said. "Your grandparents' estate and a cottage on the coast. And there's a townhouse in London?"
"Grimmauld Place," Hermione said. Theo looked at her in surprise. "It was Sirius Black's childhood home. Yaxley already knew about it. He followed us there from the Ministry."
"No one knew about the lodge?" Lucius asked. Bellatrix and Rodolphus had been here so there had been concern that Rodolphus might have told Rabastan about it.
"Not that I've heard," Theo said. "He split everyone up to search. Flint, Goyle and I were sent to the flat." He grimaced. "I'm sorry to say that it's a bit worse for wear. Flint and Goyle got a bit…enthusiastic with the Bombardas." Draco shrugged.
"It needed to be redecorated anyway," he said. Theo chuckled.
"Has Yaxley given any indication what the next step will be when he does not find any of us?" Severus asked.
"Not yet," Theo said. "He's convinced that one of you is the traitor now, so I expect he'll start questioning us about your activities." Severus pulled a vial from his pocket. Hermione recognized it as the masking potion.
"If he gets too close, take that and come to us," Severus said. "He will not be able to follow." But Theo was already shaking his head.
"The Resistance is on my property," he said.
"We can warn them," Hermione said. "They can disappear, don't worry."
"Luna can't Apparate," Theo said. "Not anymore, she's too far along." Pregnant witches were encouraged not to Apparate at all, although once they reached the second trimester it was actively advised against.
"Then take the potion and get yourselves somewhere safe," Lucius said. "Go by broom if you have to. But do not sacrifice yourself." Theo finally pocketed the vial.
"I am not certain how long it lasts but we have been taking a dose every twelve hours. If you do not come here right away, you will have to at some point to get more doses," Severus said. Theo nodded in understanding.
"Is there anything you need?" he asked. "I can bring things with me tomorrow or you can send Liddy back with me now."
"Actually, there are a few ingredients I am low on," Severus said. "If you would be able to supply those?"
"Of course," Theo said. "I have plenty in my own stores, but I can get anything else that you need." Severus picked up parchment and quill and began to make a list.
"How is everyone in the Resistance holding up?" Hermione asked.
"Frustrated they can't use magic," Theo said. "But Shacklebolt's had them practicing anyway. They're just using sticks." Hermione smiled at the image. "They've set up the tent and they're taking it in turns to sleep or keep watch or practice. They've formed a perimeter around their camp and they're patrolling." Hermione nodded. It was what they used to do when they were on the run.
"Did you find anything out about the Fidelius and tracking magic?" Theo asked indicating the stack of books that were sitting on the table.
"No," Draco said with a sigh. "There's nothing specific about it which isn't surprising given that magic isn't usually tracked as it is now." Theo nodded and they all fell silent. After a few minutes, Theo looked around at the four of them.
"Ask," Severus finally said, obviously recognizing the look on his former student's face.
"Do you have any idea what is going on with Yaxley?" Theo said. "How he can suddenly curse five people at a time and can use Legilimency at will."
"We have suspicions," Severus said. There was a beat of silence before Theo spoke again.
"That you do not intend to share," he said.
"It is better if you do not know at this point," Lucius said.
"And we're not entirely sure anyway," Draco said. Theo studied them for a few moments.
"And if you should discover what it is?"
"You will need to know to help us defeat him, mostly likely," Hermione said.
"How much time do we have?" Theo asked.
"I do not know," Severus said. "Part of that will depend on what Yaxley does or if he discovers anything. But it will be soon." Theo nodded.
"I need to get Luna to a safe house," he said. "I have one in mind, but I'll need advance warning."
"We will do our best," Lucius said.
"I should get back," Theo said and stood from his chair.
"Thanks, Theo," Draco said. "For everything." He handed Theo an envelope and Theo tucked it into his robes. Hermione was sure it was a letter to Ginny.
"I'll be back tomorrow, likely at the same time," Theo said. "Unless you need those ingredients before that?"
"No, that will be fine," Severus said.
"Be safe," Hermione said and Theo smiled before he left the room with Draco. Lucius turned to Severus once they had gone.
"It is time," he said.
"Lucius," Hermione said with a sigh.
"You know it must be done."
"But we don't have to do it now," she said. "You heard what Theo said, he's just searching your properties. It will take longer for them to search those on the Continent. We still have time." He reached over and took her hand.
"I have recovered," he said. "It will be fine." She bit her lip and looked up at him, then sighed again and nodded. Draco came back into the room.
"What's going on?" he asked as Severus moved to sit across from Lucius.
"It is time, Draco," Lucius said.
"Father, don't you think," Draco began but Lucius held up a hand.
"Now, Draco." Draco glanced at Hermione. She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Draco threw himself into an armchair and crossed his arms over his chest.
"If it gets to be too much," Severus said.
"I will be fine, Severus," Lucius replied. "Get on with it."
"Very well," Severus said, drawing his wand and uttering the spell.
Hermione felt Lucius grip her hand more tightly as Severus dove into his mind. She and Draco could only watch and wonder what was happening. Severus' brow furrowed and Hermione guessed he had reached whatever barrier Lucius had put up around his memories of the torture. There was complete silence in the room as Severus attempted to breach Lucius' walls.
Hermione glanced at Draco as sweat began to bead on Lucius' brow. His grip on her hand was bordering on painful but she didn't attempt to extricate herself. Severus leaned a bit further forward and Hermione could feel Lucius begin to tremble.
"Fuck," Draco muttered as he watched. He had sat forward in his chair and Hermione could see the worry in his eyes.
The wait seemed to take an eternity and the more Lucius shook, the more Hermione wanted to bodily rip Severus away from him. Draco looked poised to do the same. The sweat was running down Lucius' temple now and Hermione glanced at Draco once more. They both watched the two men worriedly.
"Draco," she finally whispered. "I think-" and then Severus pulled away. Lucius turned his head and vomited on the carpet.
"Lie down," Hermione insisted, easing him down on the couch as Draco vanished the sick. Hermione unbuttoned the top few buttons on Lucius' shirt as he closed his eyes and groaned. Draco had jumped up and gone into the bedroom, returning with a cool flannel that Hermione used to wipe the sweat from Lucius' face.
"I'm fine," he managed although he looked extremely pale and he was still trembling.
"Like hell you are," Draco snapped. He turned to Severus who was looking a bit peaky himself. "Did you get it at least?"
"Yes," Severus said tiredly. Hermione and Draco looked at him expectantly. "It is as we suspected." He relayed the information he had gleaned from Lucius' memories.
"So, we still have no idea what exactly they did," Draco said. "Are we sure it's not just possession?"
"Harry said that You-Know-Who was the back of Quirrell's head," Hermione said. "That doesn't sound like the case."
"No," Lucius said, eyes still closed. "The Dark Lord was part of him." Severus nodded in agreement. Hermione realized that with Severus breaching the barrier around Lucius' memory of the events, he now remembered everything that happened. A part of her wished the memories were still buried.
"Anything else?" Draco asked.
"First he suspected Lucius was the traitor but then set his sights on you," Severus said.
"Well, we knew that from what Theo said that it was one of us," Draco said.
"Yes, however, given what Yaxley said, I am almost certain that he has decided it is you, Draco," Severus said.
"Which means that Theo is likely in more danger than he realizes," Draco said with a sigh.
"Anyone in your age group is," Severus said. "Yaxley will assume that if anyone knows it is one of them."
"Damn it," Draco said under his breath. "We've got to warn him. We'll have to send a note with Liddy."
"Send her to the kitchens," Severus said. "Leave the note with one of Theo's elves. They can determine when it is safe to deliver." Draco nodded and got up to fetch parchment and quill.
"Lucius," Hermione said quietly. "How do you feel?"
"Like a Bludger flew around inside my skull," he said. She sighed and got up, walking to the bedroom to retrieve a pain potion. She grabbed two vials as Severus looked as if he could use one as well. When she returned both men had their eyes closed, brows furrowed in pain.
"Honestly," she said with a huff, handing one vial to Severus and then moving back to the couch to give the other to Lucius. He drank it down and then sighed in relief a few minutes later.
"Thank you," he said, grabbing her hand. She winced as he did so and he looked at her in concern.
"It's nothing," she said. He propped himself up on one elbow and gently pulled her hand to him.
"Nothing?" he replied. "You are lucky I did not break your fingers." Hermione glanced down at her hand and saw that there were bruises blooming on the side and palm of her hand. "Why did you not remove your hand?"
"That would have been a bit difficult, given how tight you were squeezing," she said dryly. He looked pained and she gave him a smile. "I didn't want to break your concentration."
"Daft witch," he grumbled.
"Let me see," Severus said as he came to stand next to her. He took her hand and gently examined it. "Nothing is broken. Let me get you a bruise salve." Severus left the room and she turned back to Lucius. He took her injured hand in his and gently kissed her fingertips.
"I am sorry," he said.
"You didn't do it on purpose," Hermione said. "And it was the only way I could help." Lucius sighed.
"You do realize that you do not have to suffer injury in order to help."
"I wasn't going to let go," she said. He stared at her for a moment before leaning forward and kissing her. A throat cleared behind them and Hermione pulled back to see Severus standing there with the tub of salve in his hand. Her face reddened but Lucius seemed unaffected as he sat up on the couch.
"Thank you, Severus," Lucius said and took the salve from the other man. Taking Hermione's hand in his, Lucius rubbed the salve gently into her bruises, running his fingers over her palm when he was finished.
"Yes, thank you," Hermione managed. Severus nodded once then bid them both good night and left the room.
"You should rest," Hermione said to Lucius.
"I do not need any more rest," he said.
"Oh, really? Was it someone else who just got sick on the carpet?" Lucius glared at her.
"I am fine," he said.
"Please," she replied. He stared at her for a moment, then sighed and nodded. Hermione stood and gripped his hand, pulling him to his feet. When he was standing, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.
"If I am resting, then so are you," he said. She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head. "Do not even try to tell me that you have gotten a full night's sleep any time recently."
"But," she began but he cut her off.
"There is nothing we can do tonight, Hermione. Draco will warn Theo." She finally nodded. Lucius took her hand and she followed him into the bedroom.
Hermione used the bathroom first at Lucius' insistence. When she came out dressed in just the button down shirt she had been wearing to sleep in, she saw his eyes darken. She ignored it and climbed into the bed. Lucius stared at her for a moment before he rose and went into the bathroom himself.
When he returned and settled into bed next to her, he turned on his side to face her. He put a hand on her hip and pulled her closer to him, dipping his head to kiss her. When they parted, Hermione traced the new scar on his chest. His hand moved from her hip down to her thigh and slipped under her shirt.
"Lucius," she said, warning in her voice. He had just been unconscious for Merlin's sake, not to mention the Legilimency he had just endured.
"What?" he replied innocently, his hand traveling back to her hip under the shirt.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.
"I should think that would be fairly obvious," he replied kissing her once more. Against her better judgement, Hermione lost herself in the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. Lucius grip tightened on her hip and then his hand moved towards her backside. He paused and pulled back from her.
"No knickers, Miss Granger?" he said with a smirk. "My, my aren't we a naughty witch." She rolled her eyes.
"I only have the one pair," she said. "I need to wash them sometime." He chuckled and kissed her again.
"Lucius," Hermione said as she pulled away from him. "This is not a good idea."
"On the contrary," he replied, moving to kiss her neck. "It is a very good idea." Hermione shivered as his lips found the sensitive spot behind her ear.
"Lucius," she said again.
"Hmm?" he hummed, his hand moving from her bum further up to her breasts. Hermione gasped before remembering just why this was not a good idea. She pushed back from him slightly, grasping his wrist and stopping his movements.
"You're still recovering," she said.
"I am perfectly fine," he replied, lips moving to the hollow of her throat. He shifted so he was partially hovering over her and Hermione let go of his wrist.
"We shouldn't," she said then whimpered as his hand continued on its path.
"Oh, but we should," her replied, kissing her again.
"I don't," she said, then hitched a breath as his hand moved back down her body until it found its target. She moaned. Lucius distracted her again with more kisses and she could feel him hard against her thigh.
"I don't want you to," she gasped again, "reinjure yourself." She could feel him smirk and suddenly, he rolled to his back, pulling her with him so she was straddling his thighs.
"Then perhaps you should do the work," he said, glint in his eye. He thrust against her to accentuate his point and Hermione moaned again. She looked down at him, brain fuzzy as to why this wasn't a good idea.
Lucius reached up and quickly unbuttoned the shirt she was wearing, pulling it from her shoulders. She wasn't sure when he had lost his pants, but she realized he was bare beneath her and moved against him. He hissed and gripped her hips. Hermione positioned herself and sank down onto him. Lucius pulled her towards him for another searing kiss and then she began to move. His hands moved to her hips and as she neared her end, he kissed her once more, swallowing her cries of completion. He chased his own release as she collapsed against him, following her a few moments later.
She lay on his chest, both of them trying to catch their breath. Lucius' hand drew circles on her back and she sighed, relaxing further against him, her hand traveling down to his free one and entwining their fingers. Lucius brought their clasped hands to his lips, kissing the back of hers and she hummed in contentment.
When he finally slipped from her, he rolled them to side and gathered her to him. She settled sleepily against his chest as he nuzzled the top of her head. She yawned and closed her eyes.
"I love you," she mumbled as she began to drift off. He kissed the top of her head and just before sleep took her, she heard him whisper back to her.
"I love you, too."
Hermione blinked in the darkness, unsure what had woken her. She looked to Lucius, but he was asleep, breathing evenly. She lay still, listening intently, but heard nothing. She hadn't been dreaming, she didn't think anyway. If she had, she didn't remember what it had been about.
She glanced at Lucius again, glad that he appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Hermione had been worried that he might have nightmares now that Severus had unlocked his memories of the torture. Of course, she was quite certain that was why he had initiated sex earlier, to try to forget.
Her mind wandered back to what they had discovered about Yaxley and Voldemort. If it wasn't possession, what was it, exactly? Harry had definitely had a bit of Voldemort's soul in him, but had he actually been a Horcrux? Hermione didn't think so. It hadn't been intentional at any rate. She supposed it was possible that Yaxley had been made into a living Horcrux, but she had doubts about that. Voldemort had already split his soul too many times. Severus and Lucius thought that he was weakening given the destruction of the other Horcruxes. If Voldemort had such a small piece of soul left, how could he have split it again to make Yaxley a Horcrux?
But if it wasn't possession and Yaxley wasn't a Horcrux then what had they done? Hermione had no idea. The fact that Severus and Lucius didn't either was more concerning given how much they both knew about the Dark Arts. She fairly itched to get into a library to research.
Although, she had gone through so many books in the Malfoy library and hadn't come across anything that would have explained what Voldemort had done. So maybe research wouldn't do any good anyway. She sighed quietly.
She knew there was an eighty-six percent chance that they would destroy Voldemort regardless, but that fourteen percent niggled at her mind. She hated not being sure. And she certainly didn't want them to fail just because they hadn't done enough research. Still, things being what they were, they didn't have much more time.
Hermione rolled back towards Lucius and attempted to calm herself enough to sleep again. But her mind continued to go over everything they knew and everything they didn't. Running through scenarios where they failed to defeat Voldemort or he found the Resistance or he found them.
Finally, Hermione sat up in frustration. She needed something to calm her nerves or she would never get back to sleep. Or worse, she would end up waking Lucius.
She quietly slid out of bed and found her shirt on the floor. Donning it, she moved to the bathroom and retrieved her knickers which had, thankfully, dried. She then padded to the door and slipped through, closing it silently behind her.
Hermione made her way downstairs to the kitchen. All was quiet. She quickly made herself a cup of tea, figuring the small amount of magic needed to do it wouldn't register with anyone, especially as it was the middle of the night. She sat at the small kitchen table, her legs drawn up under the too-large shirt. She wrapped an arm around her knees and stared into the fireplace. Liddy had left a small fire burning and Hermione was glad for the bit of warmth it provided.
She sipped at her tea and attempted to calm her racing thoughts. Slowly the tea and the fire began to calm her. She should probably get back to bed soon. She didn't want Lucius to wake up and wonder where she was.
Just as Hermione finished her tea, the hair rose on the back of her neck. It felt like she was being watched. Drawing her wand, Hermione froze in her seat, listening.
She heard nothing but her mind was racing. It might have been Liddy, but from what Hermione had experienced with the elf, she would have just made her presence known and demanded to know what Hermione was doing up in the middle of the night or why she hadn't called for Liddy to make the tea for her.
No one in the house would have stood and watched her without making their presence known. Not with everything that had happened and what they were hiding from. Attempting a calm she definitely did not feel, Hermione set her cup on the table and waited. No one else could have gotten in except for Theo, given the Fidelius.
Hermione didn't want to think that Theo had betrayed them. It didn't make sense, first of all. The Resistance had been at his estate for nearly a week. If he were going to give them up why would he have waited until now? A few days ago, all of them, the Resistance, Hermione, Draco, Severus, and Lucius had been at Nott Manor. If Theo were a traitor, surely he would have had the Death Eaters arrive then. No, it couldn't be Theo.
Hermione wanted to think that she was just being paranoid but she hadn't survived on the run for nearly two years by discounting things like this. She could cast a Lumos and attempt to catch whomever it was off guard, but there was a chance they would be able to get off a spell before she could.
The thing was, though, if they had wanted to curse her, why hadn't they done it earlier when she had been distracted making the tea? Why wait until now when she was alert and suspicious?
Finally, Hermione cast a low Lumos charm and looked around the room. She saw nothing, of course, not the glint of a Disillusionment charm or anyone standing in the shadows. An invisibility cloak was always a possibility.
Hermione rose from her chair and swept her wand around the room. Her light passed over a painting, a wooded landscape, and continued on across the far wall. Seconds later, she moved back to the painting, pointing the tip of her wand at it and moving closer. Was there something, yes, behind that tree.
Hermione squinted in the darkness, the Lumos from her wand casting a bit of a shadow. She moved her wand slightly and a woman stepped out from behind a tree in the painting. Hermione jumped in surprise.
"It is you," the woman said and Hermione's heart began to pound. Who was this woman and where had she come from? The painting was a landscape, it was unlikely there had been any people in it. Which meant she had travelled from another painting. But where had she come from? The people in the paintings at Hogwarts could travel from one to another but they couldn't leave the castle unless they had another portrait somewhere. Chances were this woman belonged in another painting in the lodge. But Hermione hadn't seen any portraits since she had been here. Granted, she hadn't been in every room, so it was possible.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked.
"You are the one," the woman said, taking a step closer.
"The one what?" Hermione asked.
"The one that I Saw," the woman said. "The one that will destroy the darkness and bring light to the Malfoy name once more." The prophecy Professor Trelawney had made flitted through Hermione's mind. Dark and Light must come together to defeat the darkness.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked again. The woman took another step forward, her white-blond hair swinging away from her face and revealing familiar grey eyes.
"I am Cecilia Malfoy," the woman said. "I am a Seer."
Hermione stared at the woman in shock. The Malfoys had a Seer in their family?
"How are you here?" Hermione asked, the only question she could form coherently at the moment.
"I have a portrait upstairs," Cecilia said. "Hidden in a storage cupboard." Hermione looked at Cecelia in confusion.
"A storage cupboard?" she repeated. The woman laughed.
"It is quite a long story, my dear," Cecilia said. "However, one which you must hear if you are to succeed in your quest." Cecilia turned and moved to a tree stump in the painting, sitting down and arranging her skirts around her. Hermione continued to stare at the woman as she clasped her hands in her lap and looked up at Hermione expectantly.
"I don't," Hermione began then shook her head. "I'm sorry, this is just…I don't know what to think of this." Cecilia laughed again.
"No one ever does."
"Do you do this often then?" Hermione asked. Cecilia smiled, looking a bit wistful.
"Not as often as I would like," she said. "Everyone in the family that knows that I was here is gone now."
"But why are you here, instead of at Malfoy Manor?" Hermione asked. She knew there was a portrait gallery and other various ancestors had portraits scattered around the Manor.
"I was moved here at my request by my great, great grandnephew," Cecilia replied.
"But why? And why in a storage cupboard?"
"To wait for you, of course."
"Me?" Hermione asked.
"Yes, I knew that you would come here one day and I needed to be here." She looked at Hermione for a moment. "You have a very important task ahead of you."
"You know?" Hermione said. "About You-Know-Who?"
"I did say I was a Seer, did I not?" Cecilia asked in amusement. Hermione blushed and nodded. The smile slid from Cecilia's face. "If he is allowed to continue, he will destroy our world."
"You mean Magical Britain?" Hermione asked.
"No, the entire magical world," Cecilia said. "He will reveal us to the non-magicals and they will take up arms against us. We may have magic, but we are no match for some of the weapons that those without magic have at their disposal. He must be stopped now or there will be none of us left. The non-magical population will be decimated as well. They will not be completely destroyed but they will be severely diminished. There will be those that will attempt to aid us, to hide us, and they will be killed for it. Others will suffer as innocent bystanders caught up in the destruction. Those that oppose us will not rest until they find every last one of us, searching the remotest of locations to be certain that there are none of us left."
"But surely not everyone will allow that," Hermione said. "There have to be governments, rulers, that would stand up against it."
"There will be, at first. But they will suffer their own losses and eventually, they will all be overrun. It will take decades, but at some point, all of the magicals on the earth will perish and many of the non-magicals besides."
Hermione sat in shocked silence. She knew that Voldemort had designs on reigning not only over Britain but the Continent as well. But she never thought that he would end up destroying the entire world.
"I Saw many things in the course of my life," Cecilia said. "Some have come to pass. Others, I do not know as I have been hidden away here for quite some time. I had this particular vision only a few months before my death. I recognized the lodge as my father was the one that had it built. But I told no one about what I had Seen."
"Why not?" Hermione asked.
"As you may know, true Seers are extremely rare. When my parents realized what I was, they were terrified that I would be taken advantage of because of my gift. They attempted to keep it a secret. I was not allowed to attend Hogwarts with my brother and sister but was taught at home, my family telling everyone my health was too delicate. But rumors abounded and word eventually got out. Suitors immediately began petitioning for my hand. My father rejected all of them, unable to trust that they were interested in me and not just attempting to use my gift for their own purposes. I spent much of my life confined to the Manor."
Hermione felt a lump in her throat at what this woman must have suffered, watching everyone around her move on with their lives while she remained alone. Simply because she had an ability that others wanted to exploit.
"The Malfoy family has not always been so focused on the purity of blood. There are quite a few half-bloods throughout our family tree, even a Muggle-born or two, as we knew, unlike some families, that it was important to introduce new blood to keep our magic strong. When my nephew became head of the family after my brother's death, things changed. The Pureblood movement was gaining ground and he was very much a part of it. When I had the vision of this Dark Lord, I had no idea when, exactly, he would come to power and I did not want my nephew to know about him in advance.
I had had the obligatory portrait painted a few years before my death and afterwards, it hung in my rooms in the Manor. My nephew closed off that wing and I did not see much of anyone for many years, save House Elves. It was not until a few generations later that a small boy found his way into my rooms. I found out later he was hiding from his mother because he had broken her favorite vase." Cecilia smiled at the memory.
"Julian visited me often throughout his life and was not like my nephew had been at all. He thought the family was moving in the wrong direction, although his view was not a popular one. I eventually told him of my vision when his elder brother became lord of the Manor. When he told me that this Dark Lord did not yet exist, I requested he move my portrait here and hide it."
"How did you know when to show yourself?" Hermione asked, fascinated by the woman's story.
"Besides this painting, there is another landscape in the sitting room upstairs." Hermione's brow furrowed as she tried to picture the sitting room they had spent so much time in. "It is a painting of the gardens at the Manor. There is another over the fireplace in the main room. Over the years, when there have been visitors to the lodge, I have hidden myself in one of them to observe and listen. A few years ago, I realized that my many times removed nephew, as well as members of his wife's family, had joined the very man that would destroy everything. I thought then that perhaps my vision had been wrong." She looked down at her lap. "For you see, it is not just you that must destroy the Dark Lord."
"It's Lucius as well," Hermione said. Cecilia looked surprised at this. Hermione smiled faintly. "There was a prophecy, given by a woman who we suspect is an Oracle."
"And you believed this woman?" Cecilia asked.
"She made another prophecy nearly twenty years ago about the same Dark Lord that also came to pass," Hermione explained.
"And does the family's ideals still rest with this Dark Lord?"
"Draco never wanted to join in the first place but he wasn't given a choice. Lucius lost his wife at the Dark Lord's hand," she said. "He wanted revenge."
"And now?" Cecilia asked. Hermione hesitated. She knew that he loved her but she didn't know if that was now what was driving him to destroy Voldemort or if it was still to avenge Narcissa. There was a part of her that didn't want to know.
"Does it matter?" Hermione asked. Cecilia stared at her for a moment.
"My visions," she said. "Most often they were simple glimpses of things that would happen. But at times I saw what might happen if certain choices were made. Right now, you are standing on the precipice. Things could go one way or the other. So yes, it matters."
"I," Hermione began, then bit her lip. She didn't know. She couldn't say for sure if Lucius was still out for revenge. She didn't know if his mind had changed about Muggles and Muggle-borns. Even if he loved her, that didn't mean that he no longer cared about blood purity. There were always exceptions to be made. Even Voldemort had tried to get James and Lily Potter to join him, despite Lily's blood status. "I don't know."
Lucius woke, arm reaching out for Hermione. But his hand touched empty space. Frowning, he opened his eyes and saw that he was alone in the bed. He looked around the room but the bathroom was empty and the sitting room dark.
Rising from the bed, he pulled on his pants and his trousers and then grabbed his wand from the bedside table. He pulled on his shirt before checking the sitting room but Hermione was not there. Frowning again, Lucius left the room and stepped into the corridor. All seemed quiet. Perhaps she had gone down to the kitchen for something to eat or drink.
He made his way down the stairs and when he reached the bottom, he heard soft voices. Lucius froze, straining to listen. Once voice was definitely Hermione's, the other sounded female as well. It was not Liddy, however. His grip on his wand tightened. Severus had cast the Fidelius, there was no way anyone could have gotten in. Theo would not have been able to tell anyone where they were as Severus was the Secret Keeper. So, who was in the kitchen?
Walking as silently as possible, Lucius crept towards the open door. He stopped next to it, remaining hidden from view and peeked around the corner.
Hermione was standing in front of a painting, speaking to a woman sitting on a tree stump. Lucius frowned. The painting was a landscape and there had never been a person in it. Where had the woman come from and who the bloody hell was she?
He was about to make his presence known when a question the woman asked stopped him.
"And does the family's ideals still rest with this Dark Lord?"
"Draco never wanted to join in the first place but he wasn't given a choice. Lucius lost his wife at the Dark Lord's hand," Hermione replied. "He wanted revenge."
"And now?" the woman asked. Hermione hesitated. Why was she hesitating? He had declared his love for her, surely she did not think that it was still simple revenge driving him?
"Does it matter?" Hermione asked. The woman in the painting stared at her for a moment.
"My visions," she said. "Most often they were simple glimpses of things that would happen. But at times I saw what might happen if certain choices were made. Right now, you are standing on the precipice. Things could go one way or the other. So yes, it matters." Visions? Lucius attempted to make out the woman's features. She looked like a Malfoy from this distance, although it was difficult to distinguish. He wondered if she was the fabled Malfoy Seer. But if so what in Salazar's name was she doing at the lodge? True he had never seen her portrait at the Manor, but it was not as if he had ever really looked. There were so many of his ancestors in the portrait gallery, Lucius had no idea who half of them were.
"I," Hermione began, then bit her lip. She hesitated again and Lucius realized she was not sure. She was not sure if he still subscribed to the Dark Lord's ideals because Lucius had not told her that he no longer cared about any of it. That she had so thoroughly wormed her way into his life and his heart that it physically pained him to think that he might end up in Azkaban and be separated from her.
"I don't know," Hermione said. Lucius stepped through the doorway. Hermione whipped around her wand drawn and pointing at him. When she saw it was him, she lowered it as Lucius walked closer to her.
"I am sorry for frightening you," he said taking her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head and looked to the painting. The woman seated there smiled at him. She was obviously a Malfoy.
"This is Cecilia Malfoy," Hermione said as she saw where his gaze had gone. Lucius stared. He may have never seen the Malfoy Seer, but he knew her name well. Letting go of Hermione, Lucius gave a small bow.
"I am pleased to finally meet you," he said.
"I have been waiting a very long time," she said, trademark Malfoy smirk upon her face. She glanced from Lucius to Hermione and the smirk widened. "And I believe that my question has been answered." Hermione looked up at Lucius in surprise. He smiled down at her.
"How could I still be motivated by simple revenge?" he asked and Hermione stared up at him, shock plain on her face. He dipped his head to kiss her and Hermione threw her arms around his neck as he pulled her tightly to him. It was not until he heard the tittering of Cecilia that he finally pulled away. Hermione blushed and hid her face in his chest as Lucius smiled into her hair.
"Now that is settled, we have much to discuss," Cecilia said.