A/N - Here we are finally, the last chapter! Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting and following! I may possibly do a few one-shorts or short chaptered fics related to this story, possibly Ginny and Draco's story but I haven't decided for certain yet. In any case, it will be a bit before I start as I have a few busy weeks coming up with relatives visiting and vacation. Thanks so much for all of your support for this story and I hope you enjoy this last chapter!
Chapter 51
Epilogue
November 1999
"Letters for Miss Hermione and Master Draco," Liddy said as she walked into the dining room where they were having breakfast. She handed Hermione her letter and Hermione saw the Ministry seal. Their N.E.W.T. scores. She glanced at Draco, who looked a bit green. Hermione gave him a reassuring smile and opened her letter.
Hermione Granger – N.E.W.T. results
Ancient Runes - O
Arithmancy - O
Charms – O
Defense Against the Dark Arts – O
Herbology - O
Transfiguration – O
Potions theory – O, Potions practical – deferred until a later date
"Well?" Lucius asked and she smiled and passed him the parchment.
"Well done, love," he said, leaning forward and kissing her temple. He then turned to his son. "Draco?" Draco handed his father his letter.
"All O's and an E in Ancient Runes," Lucius said. "Excellent, Draco." He put a hand on Draco's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
"Have you thought about what you want to do?" Hermione asked Draco as she continued eating her breakfast.
"Yes, actually," Draco said. "I've spoken to Severus and he's agreed to a Potions apprenticeship."
"Draco, that's fantastic," Hermione said with a smile. "You'll be brilliant." Draco's cheeks pinkened slightly and Lucius smiled at both of them. Hermione knew he was happy that the two of them had gotten closer while he had been gone.
"That's wonderful, Draco," Lucius said. "I am extremely proud of you." Draco's cheeks darkened further and he cleared his throat.
"What about you, Granger?" he asked. He had not given up calling her by her surname, but Hermione found she really didn't mind. Especially since it was no longer said with scorn.
"I spoke to Kingsley about the research department in the DMLE. It sounds like just what I'm looking for. It won't be for several months yet, of course, but I'm going to send a letter to the head of the department anyway."
She glanced at Lucius but he was smiling at her. He had been hesitant when she told him that she wanted to work after the baby was born. Of course, Narcissa had never had a job as that just wasn't what was done in Pureblood circles. She had her charities, of course, and a few boards that she was member of, but actual employment was out of the question.
For his part, Lucius hadn't forbidden her or anything but they'd had more than one long talk about the subject. Hermione had assured him that she didn't intend to start working until two to three months after the baby was born, although Lucius had wanted a year. But Hermione could not even contemplate having nothing to do for the next fourteen months.
Draco finished his breakfast and wiped his mouth, placing his napkin on his plate.
"I'm sure Ginny has gotten her results as well," he said as he stood. "I'll see the two of you later." They bade him good-bye as he strode from the room.
"Are you finished?" Lucius asked. Hermione nodded, setting down her own napkin. "Come with me." He stood and helped her from her chair, then led her out to the gardens. They began their familiar walk through the paths, stopping at the bench they liked to frequent.
They sat down and looked out across the gardens which were looking much less ragged these days. Lucius had hired a gardener last week and the man had been hard at work attempting to return the gardens to their former glory. It was fall now, of course, but Hermione expected that come spring, they would be in full bloom again. She couldn't wait to see how they looked.
"Hermione," Lucius said and she looked up at him. He looked so serious, her brow creased in concern.
"What is it?" she asked. He smiled slightly and she relaxed. He pulled something from the pocket of his robes but concealed it in his hand for the moment.
"I know that our relationship has not been what one would call conventional," he said. She laughed.
"No, I don't think you could say that at all."
"When you first arrived at the Manor, I never would have thought that this was where we would be today." He paused again and Hermione was beginning to wonder if something was wrong. She put a hand on his arm.
"Lucius?" He turned to her.
"You gave me my life back, you gave me my son back and you will soon give me another child, something I never expected, never thought I deserved." He opened his hand and Hermione saw the small box sitting on his palm. Her breath caught in her throat.
"If you let me, I will spend the rest of my days attempting to be worthy of you." He opened the box and Hermione gasped at the ring inside. A large square-cut diamond surrounded by small sapphires sat nestled in the black velvet. She looked up at Lucius, tears in her eyes. "Hermione, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"
"Yes," she said. He leaned down and kissed her until she was breathless and then plucked the ring from the box, sliding it on her finger where it immediately resized itself to fit her perfectly. She looked down at it, sparkling in the light and then back up at him.
"I love you," she said.
"Not as much as I love you," he replied.
December 1999
They were married a month later on the grounds of Malfoy Manor. They had a small ceremony with only a handful of people in attendance. Kingsley had officiated and Severus, Draco and Theo had stood with Lucius, Ginny, Luna, and Katie with Hermione.
Oliver was there with Dennis and Graham. Dennis had found his parents in Ireland where they had a few distant relatives. His parents had chosen not to return to England, the memories of Collin too painful still. Dennis now split his time between his parents' new home in Ireland and Katie and Oliver's flat. Graham's mother had been less than thrilled to see him, still spouting the Pureblood nonsense her husband had embraced and so Graham had remained with Katie and Oliver as well. Both boys were back in school now, of course, but they had come with Minerva who had been invited to the wedding as well.
The Weasleys were there, including Ron. After the incident in Diagon Alley, Ron had Apparated to the Ministry shortly after Hermione and Ginny had been taken away by the Portkey. He had hugged Hermione so tightly and been so worried, it had almost seemed like nothing had happened between the two of them. Since then, they had spoken more often, Ron even asking her about her pregnancy from time to time. He and Parvati had finally parted ways, at least for the time being. Parvati had quite a bit to work through and told Ron she couldn't make any kind of commitment until she had done so. Hermione had applauded her for the decision and even though Ron had been upset, he had understood. Ginny said that he and Verity had gotten rather friendly, although Ron denied they were dating when asked.
Xeno Lovegood with little Tristan, Neville and Hannah, Poppy and Simon Proudfoot had rounded out their guests. Ron had actually been the one to walk her down the aisle and when he had handed her off to Lucius, the two men had exchanged a look that Hermione couldn't read. But then Ron had nodded once to Lucius, then kissed Hermione's cheek before he let her go. The fact that Lucius hadn't bristled at the kiss was more telling than anything else. They had come to some kind of truce it appeared, something that caused Hermione to tear up.
After the ceremony, when they were dancing together for the first time, Lucius looked down at her and smiled.
"You look beautiful," he said. She smiled up at him. Ginny had done wonders with her hair and although Hermione was eight months pregnant, her wedding robes made her feel beautiful.
"Thank you," she replied.
"Are you feeling all right?" he asked. "Not too tired?"
"I'm fine, Lucius," she said. This was a constant question he asked her, however, after learning about all of Narcissa's miscarriages, as well as Draco's traumatic birth, she humored him. While he would never admit it, she knew he was terrified that something was going to go wrong, no matter how much Poppy had assured him that everything was perfectly normal.
They danced together in silence for a few moments, simply enjoying the fact that they were together. It was something that they still felt even though Lucius had been home for nearly two months now. He still had nightmares from time to time, although Azkaban was no longer the horror it had been the first time around. His dreams were more about his sentence being extended and not being there for Hermione and the baby. He also dreamed about the incident in Diagon Alley, except instead of just the verbal insults, Hermione was physically attacked.
Hermione couldn't deny that she had nightmares as well. If she hadn't had the Portkey, things could have ended much differently. She didn't think about it often, but when she did, she invariably dreamed about it at night.
Lucius did not like to venture out much, only going into Gringotts on occasion. When they shopped for the baby's things, Lucius had paid the owner of the shop to close it for the afternoon, so they were not disturbed. Hermione knew that they couldn't hide away forever, nor did she want to, but for now, she was all right with it.
"What are you thinking about, Mrs. Malfoy?" Lucius rumbled in her ear.
"That's Granger-Malfoy," Hermione replied, smiling up at him.
"Hm, so it is," he said. That had been quite the discussion to say the least. Lucius had been surprised that she wanted to hyphenate her name. In fact, she knew that he had actually been a bit hurt at first. They'd ended up having a rather long conversation about the differences in the wizarding world versus the Muggle one. Well, it was a conversation punctuated by arguments, if she were honest. Still, in the end, he had capitulated once she explained that it was mostly due to the fact that she no longer had her parents. It was a way to honor them, even though they no longer went by Granger. She supposed that dissolving into a sobbing mess at the mention of them might have just swayed him a bit. She hadn't meant to, wasn't trying to manipulate him, but she hadn't been able to help it. She had been particularly weepy lately, actually. Hormones, she was sure.
"However," he continued. "I believe I retained the right to call you as I like in private." Hermione looked around their friends and family gathered in the ballroom.
"I don't think we're in private right now," she pointed out.
"Perhaps we should rectify that," Lucius said, his voice still a quiet rumble in her ear. Hermione flared with want. They had eaten already and everyone had made all the obligatory toasts. Still, they had only danced the once.
"Don't you think it would be rude to leave so soon?" Hermione said. "I promised Charlie a dance." Lucius possessively pulled her slightly closer to him.
"What makes you think I intend to share you with anyone this evening?"
"You're going to have me all to yourself for a whole week," she said, smirking up at him. "Don't you think you could be a bit magnanimous tonight?" He sighed.
"If I must," he said, sounding extremely put out. She laughed and leaned up to kiss him lightly.
"I love you," she said. He smiled and whispered in her ear.
"I intend to show you just how much I love you later, Mrs. Malfoy." Hermione shivered, wondering if maybe she'd made too big a deal out of leaving. But before she could say anything, Lucius had returned them to the proper dancing position and continued to waltz her across the floor. He smirked at her, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to her, which she was sure that he did.
Given Lucius could not leave the country because of his probation, they were going to the lodge for their honeymoon. Hermione didn't mind. She was too pregnant to want to travel far and the lodge was where their baby had been conceived after all. Besides, Hermione hoped to convince Cecilia to allow them to move her portrait to the Manor. It had to be lonely in the lodge all by herself.
As Hermione moved across the dance floor, she looked up at her husband. Husband. If someone had told her a year ago that today she would not only be married to Lucius Malfoy, but also expecting his child, she would have thought them completely barmy. Now, though, she couldn't be happier. She smiled at Lucius once more as the song ended and he bent down to kiss her.
3 January 2000
Hermione woke feeling off. She wasn't sure what, exactly, was wrong but something was. Of course, it might have something to do with the fact that she was as huge as a Hippogriff and had a difficult time finding any position that was comfortable these days. And now, of course, she had to pee.
Grumbling, she tried to get out of the bed as quietly as possible. Even though she was far from graceful, she managed to do so without waking Lucius. She smiled down at him as he snored lightly. Something which he insisted that he did not do. It was too bad that a tape recorder wouldn't work with all the magic around. It would have been amusing to prove to him that yes, he did, in fact, snore. Hermione stifled a laugh as she made her way to the loo.
She felt like a lumbering elephant most of the time, although Lucius insisted that she was perfect. Hermione shook her head wondering just how he could still find her attractive but her ever expanding waistline hadn't seemed to cool his ardor for her any. Not that she was complaining. Still, she was more than ready for this baby to be born.
She was only a few days from her due date but when she had been to the Healer two days ago, she had been told it was likely to be a bit yet. Sighing, Hermione sat down to relieve the ever persistent pressure on her bladder.
When she was finished, Hermione yawned widely, then stood to wash her hands. She wondered how Draco's project was going. His apprenticeship with Severus was going very well and the two were working on improvements to the Wolfsbane potion. It was something Severus had worked on sporadically over the years but never had time to commit to it fully. They had also contracted not only with Hogwarts to provide all their healing potions, but with St. Mungo's to provide some of theirs as well.
Severus had sold his small home in Spinner's End and bought something newer and a bit larger just a few miles from the Malfoy estate. Whenever Hermione saw him, he seemed…content for lack of a better word. Not having to be beholden to anyone seemed to suit him.
Shuffling from the sink, she turned off the light and stepped back into the bedroom. Seconds later she stopped as she felt a gush of fluid run down her legs. She gasped and Lucius was instantly awake, lighting his wand.
"Hermione? What is it?"
"My water just broke," Hermione said.
"Are you sure?" he asked, rising from the bed.
"I'm standing in a puddle, Lucius," she said dryly. "So yes." He chuckled and waved his wand to vanish the mess.
"I will get your bag," he said, leading her over to the bed. She sat down while he went to the large dressing room that was off their bedroom and gathered the things she intended to take with her to St. Mungo's.
"You need to Floo Poppy," Hermione reminded him. While they had been reluctant, St. Mungo's had finally agreed to let Poppy deliver the baby there, as long as there was a Healer standing by should something happen. Hermione had been insulted on Poppy's behalf but the older woman hadn't minded, telling Hermione it had been many years since she had delivered a baby.
"Let me help you get dressed first," Lucius said, coming back from their closet perfectly coiffed as usual. He helped her out of her nightgown, admiring her breasts as he did so. She rolled her eyes while he helped her into a simple set of maternity robes.
"You know they're just going to make me get undressed once I'm there," Hermione said. "I might as well just stay in my nightgown."
"You are not going to walk through the corridors of St. Mungo's in your nightwear," Lucius scoffed. Hermione just shook her head fondly. He was still rather proper about some things.
"Are you ready?" he asked once she was dressed. What was about to happen suddenly hit Hermione full force and she lost her breath for a moment. Lucius looked at her in concern.
"I can't believe it," she finally whispered. He smiled and kissed her.
"Come," he said. "We will Floo Poppy before we leave for hospital." He led her from the room, arm around her waist.
Hours later, he sat with Hermione at St. Mungo's. She gritted her teeth as another pain ripped through her, trying to breathe as Poppy had instructed. Lucius felt utterly helpless. When Narcissa had given birth, things had gone wrong so quickly that he had not been allowed in the room for the majority of it.
"It won't be much longer now," Poppy said. "You're nearly ready to push." Hermione gripped Lucius' hand tighter, panting as the pain finally subsided.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, wiping the sweat from her brow with a cloth. She closed her eyes and sighed. Almost immediately, her eyes popped back open and she groaned as another pain began.
"Shouldn't she have some respite between?" Lucius asked worriedly. He had no idea how she was doing this. The pains seemed to be coming one right after the other.
"Not anymore," Poppy said, looking between Hermione's legs once again. "They'll come more quickly now." She looked up at Hermione. "All right, it's time." Lucius helped Hermione to sit up a bit, moving in behind her so she could lean against him.
"I want you to push on the next one, Hermione," Poppy instructed and Hermione nodded, bearing down as soon as the contraction was upon her.
It seemed to go on forever. Hermione pushed with each contraction, Poppy praising and directing her, but still their child did not make an appearance. Hermione collapsed against him, clearly exhausted.
"Just a bit longer, Hermione," Poppy said. "We're almost there."
"You have been saying that for an hour," Lucius snapped. "What is happening?"
"Birth is happening, Lucius," Poppy said crisply. "It's not always as quick as we'd like."
"Can you not do something?" he demanded. "She is exhausted."
"Lucius," Hermione admonished. She put a hand on his cheek. "It's all right."
"It is not," he insisted. He looked at Poppy. "Can you not do something magically?"
"Hermione doesn't want that," Poppy said. "Unless there is a threat to her or the baby's health." Lucius did not understand. His wife was in pain and if there was something magic could do to help her, why not do it?
"Hermione," he said but she shook her head.
"It's all right, Lucius," she said with a smile. "It's not like before." He knew she was referring to Draco's birth. He had almost lost both his wife and son before Draco had even been born. And Lucius had been forced to wait outside the room, not knowing what was going on inside. It had been terrifying.
"I promise you, everything is going just as it should," Poppy said. Lucius looked down and Hermione and finally nodded. Then her face screwed up in concentration and she pushed once more.
It appeared that Poppy had been right and it wasn't much longer before his daughter came screaming into the world. His daughter. Lucius was completely in love the moment Poppy placed her on Hermione's chest. Hermione was crying and smiling all at the same time and he leaned down and kissed her.
"She's beautiful," Hermione said once the two of them had been cleaned up and were resting in the bed.
"Of course, she is beautiful, she is a Malfoy," Lucius said. Hermione laughed. He smiled down at his wife and kissed her softly.
"You're sure about the name?" she asked. Hermione had insisted on an ancient Roman name, as Lucius' was, but Lucius was not all that enamored with many of them. It had taken them weeks to come to any kind of agreement for either a boy or a girl. Hermione had also suggested that if the baby were a girl, they might use Narcissa for her middle name. Lucius had been quite touched that she suggested it but had told her that he would rather they leave it for Draco should he someday choose to honor his mother that way.
"Yes," Lucius said now. "I think it suits her well."
"Laelia," she said. "Laelia Cecilia Malfoy." Lucius smiled. It was perfect. And Cecilia would be overwhelmed to know she had been honored so. Of course, without her, they likely would not be here so Lucius thought it was fitting that their daughter carried his ancestor's name as well.
"Laelia," he agreed.
The door to Hermione's room opened and Draco stuck his head inside. Lucius gestured for him to be quiet as Hermione had just fallen asleep. Lucius sat in the chair next to her bed, holding his daughter.
"Come," Lucius said quietly. Draco stepped inside and walked up next to Lucius looking down at his sister. Draco smiled and Lucius honestly could not fathom how anyone could look at Laelia and not smile. She was completely perfect as far as he was concerned.
"Would you care to hold her?" Lucius asked.
"Oh," Draco said, "I, er, all right." Lucius stood from his chair and gestured for Draco to sit. As he passed Laelia carefully into Draco's arms, she opened her eyes and appeared to stare up at her brother. Her eyes were light blue as most newborns were, but they were ringed with grey and Lucius thought she would likely have his eyes. Her hair was wispy and blonde, but darker than his and Draco's. Perhaps she would have her mother's curls. The thought of a chubby-cheeked, curly-haired, blonde toddler made him smile.
"Hey there," Draco said. Laelia blinked slowly at him and Draco chuckled. One of her hands flailed out of the blanket and grasped one of Draco's fingers when he touched her palm. Draco's face completely softened and Lucius felt a wave of emotion come over him at the sight of his two children. He looked away for a moment to compose himself. He blamed it on his lack of sleep and emotional turmoil of the last twelve hours.
"How's Hermione?" Draco asked and Lucius was a bit taken aback. Draco never called Hermione by her first name, it was always Granger. She still called him Malfoy on occasion, usually when she was annoyed with him, but for the most part it was Draco.
"Exhausted," Lucius said. "But otherwise, everything went well." Draco nodded.
"Everyone wants to see her," Draco said, indicating Laelia. "Perhaps you should take her out to the waiting room."
"Who is everyone?" Lucius asked. He had asked Poppy to inform those waiting about the birth after she had finished examining Hermione and Laelia but Lucius himself had not yet been out of the room.
"All the Weasleys, Luna and Theo, Katie and Oliver, Severus."
"Severus is here?" Lucius asked, a bit surprised. His friend had never been one for hospitals and even less for births.
"He's been here the whole time," Draco said with a laugh. "The only one besides me that has. The rest started showing up about two hours ago, Katie and Oliver were the last after Ginny Flooed to tell them the baby had arrived."
"All right," Lucius said. He took Laelia back from his son and followed Draco out into the waiting area. He was immediately surrounded, mostly by redheads, as he introduced his daughter.
"She's just beautiful," Molly Weasley said. There was immediate agreement from nearly everyone else present.
"Thank you," Lucius replied. "Her mother and I agree."
"How is Hermione?" Molly asked.
"Sleeping," Lucius replied. "But everything went well." Once everyone had seemed to get their fill of looking at Laelia, Lucius turned and walked toward Severus. He had not approached with the others, although Lucius had not expected him to.
When Lucius reached his side, Severus looked impassively at Laelia. He then looked at Lucius who was watching him expectantly.
"If you are waiting for some kind of compliment on the child's appearance, I do not think your over-inflated ego needs anymore stroking," Severus said. Lucius snorted in reply but could not keep the smile from his face.
"Perhaps, then, you would like to hold your goddaughter," he said. If he had not known Severus as well as he did, Lucius would have missed the subtle shift in his expression. Clearly, he had not expected to be given the honor once again and it had obviously moved him. However, there was no one else that Lucius would have chosen. Hermione had agreed immediately. She had a harder time deciding on the godmother, but in the end had selected Ginevra. Lucius was actually looking forward to Severus' reaction when he found out who he was sharing godparent duties with.
"Very well," Severus finally said, taking Laelia carefully from Lucius' arms. The sight of Severus Snape holding a newborn made the entire room fall completely silent. He glared out at the rest of the well-wishers and they wisely went back to their own conversations. He looked down at Laelia for a few moments before looking back at Lucius.
"She is satisfactory," he said. For Severus, that was like saying she was perfect in every way. Lucius smirked.
"Of course, she is," he said. Severus rolled his eyes.
"Let us only hope she has her mother's intelligence," he said. "As her father is obviously determined to pass on his propensity for vanity." Lucius smiled.
"Thank you, Severus," Lucius said sincerely. Severus looked at his old friend for a moment and the tipped his head in acknowledgement.
"Indeed," he replied.
Although he did not wish to, Lucius was forced to wake Hermione an hour later when Laelia needed to be fed. Once their daughter was finally nursing away, Hermione looked up at Lucius, tears in her eyes.
"What is it?" Lucius asked. "Shall I get a Healer?"
"No," Hermione said shaking her head. "No, I'm fine."
"Clearly, you are not," Lucius said.
"I was just thinking about my parents," Hermione said softly. "How much I wish that they could be here to see her." Lucius immediately rose and went to her side, sitting down carefully so as not to disturb his feeding daughter. He wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders as she began to cry quietly. He knew her breakdown was partially fueled by her exhaustion and the emotional upheaval of the day but he was also aware that she missed her parents terribly. He kissed the top of her head as she leaned into his side.
"I just started thinking how sad it is that Laelia isn't going to have any grandparents," Hermione said. "And how much I loved going to my Nanna's house when I was small."
"I am certain that Molly Weasley intends to take on the role of grandmother whether we want her to or not," Lucius said dryly and Hermione laughed.
"I'm sure you're right," she said but she still looked sad.
"I know it is not the same," he said quietly. Hermione looked up at him, smiling through her tears.
"No," she said. "But I suppose she's going to have so many honorary aunts and uncles that she won't miss having grandparents."
Lucius was quite sure this had more to do with Hermione missing her parents than with Laelia. He remembered how Narcissa had wanted her mother after Draco's birth and the two of them had not been close by any means. From everything Hermione had told him, she had been very close to both her parents.
There was an owl he would have to send once they returned home. Lucius was not sure if anything could be done, but he would do whatever he could.
Lucius helped Hermione carefully from the Floo, siphoning the ash from both her and Laelia. He led her to the settee in the sitting room, making sure she was comfortable.
"I'm so glad to be home," Hermione said.
"Do you need anything?" Lucius asked.
"I'm fine, Lucius," Hermione said, putting a hand to his cheek. He had been completely overprotective these last two days but she couldn't find it in her to be upset. She knew it had everything to do with all that had happened with Draco's birth. Even after Narcissa had been stabilized, they had not known for certain if she would recover for a few days afterward.
"This little one, on the other hand, could use a nappy change," Hermione said. She handed the baby to Lucius. "Do you mind?"
"Of course not," he said. Before he could take her to the nursery to change her, however, Draco walked in.
"I thought I heard the Floo," he said. He walked up to Lucius and peeked at his sister who was starting to squirm in her blankets. She would need a feed next, Hermione knew. They only had a few minutes before she would start to wail in earnest.
"Lucius," she said as the two men became so enamored with watching Laelia, Hermione knew he had forgotten. He looked over at her. "Her nappy."
"Oh, yes," he said. "Liddy." Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion as he called for the House Elf. Perhaps he was going to have Liddy bring the supplies here instead of taking Laelia all the way to the nursery.
"Yes, Master Lucius?" Liddy said as she popped into the room. Then she caught sight of the baby.
"Mistress is home with new little Miss," Liddy said in excitement. Lucius bent down so the House Elf could get a good look at the newest member of the family.
"She needs a change, Liddy," Lucius said. "If you would."
"Of course, Master Lucius," Liddy said. She took the baby and disappeared. Hermione stared at Lucius. Draco smirked and took a few steps back from his father.
"Lucius," Hermione said voice clipped. Lucius looked up in surprise at her tone, then frowned at the apparent irritation on her face.
"Hermione?" he said questioningly. "What is the matter?"
"What is the matter?" she repeated. "You send our daughter off to be changed by the House Elf and you ask me what the matter is?"
"Yes?" Lucius said, phrasing it as a question. Hermione's thought she heard a stifled laugh from Draco.
"I asked you to change her, Lucius," Hermione said.
"Liddy does not mind, I assure you," Lucius said. "She took care of Draco when he was an infant as well." Hermione's eyes narrowed further.
"Have you never changed a nappy, Lucius?" she asked realizing before he even answered that she was right.
"Of course not," he said, looking affronted that she would even assume he had. Hermione sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Draco gave up trying to hide his laughter. Lucius glared at him.
"Lucius," Hermione said, trying to remind herself that this was how Pureblood society worked. Lucius was only doing what he had always done. "You are her father. If she needs changing, you change her." Lucius opened his mouth to reply but Hermione held up a hand to forestall him.
"I realize this is how you did things when Draco was a baby, however, that is not how things are going to be this time around," she said. "Liddy is not going to be given all the work you don't want to do."
"Liddy enjoys it," Lucius said. As if to prove his point, Liddy returned with a wide smile on her face, despite a fussing Laelia.
"Little Miss be hungry," Liddy said, handing the baby to Hermione.
"Yes," Hermione agreed. "She is. Thank you, Liddy." She took a few moments to situate Laelia and herself. Lucius, obviously realizing what she was doing, moved to block her from Draco's view, looking a bit scandalized that she meant to nurse their daughter in front of Draco. Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes. It's not as if she intended to whip her breasts out right in front of him, Hermione had cast the charms to hide things from direct view. But Draco had better get used to seeing her feeding his sister, as she did not plan to leave the room every time she needed to do so. For his part, Draco didn't look all that concerned. He couldn't see anything with the charms anyway, for Merlin's sake.
Liddy popped away and Hermione looked back at her husband. She sighed.
"Sit down, Lucius." He stared at her for a moment before doing as she asked.
"It's fine to ask for Liddy's help on occasion, but she has other responsibilities and is not going to be the sole caretaker for Laelia," Hermione said. "If Laelia needs to be fed, we will feed her, if she needs to be bathed, we will bathe her and if she needs a nappy change, we will change her." Lucius' lip curled at the thought but Hermine looked at him steadily. She was not going to back down on this. A father not changing his own child's nappy was ridiculous.
"Hermione, you are being unreasonable," he said.
"No, I'm not," she replied. "This is what parents do, Lucius."
"Fine," he finally said, sounding a bit petulant. Hermione smiled sweetly and patted his hand.
"Don't worry," she said. "You'll get used to it." Draco laughed outright at that and even Hermione couldn't help but chuckle at Lucius' scowl.
April 2000
Lucius looked at the letter in his hand once more, sighing and rubbing at his forehead with his fingertips. It was not the news he had been hoping for. As much as he hated to, he was finally going to have to tell Hermione. He had exhausted every contact he had and they had all told him the same thing.
"Liddy," Lucius said and the elf popped into the study.
"Yes, Master Lucius?"
"How long has Laelia been asleep?"
"Almost an hour," Liddy replied. That should give him about an hour to break the news to Hermione.
"I must speak to Hermione," Lucius said. "If Laelia wakes before I am finished, please tend to her."
"Yes, Master Lucius," Liddy said and disappeared. Lucius sighed again and rose to find his wife.
Hermione looked up as Lucius entered the library. She had been doing a bit of research for her proposal on werewolf legislation, her first project for the DMLE, once Laelia had gone down for her afternoon nap. At the expression on Lucius' face, Hermione's smile faltered.
"Has something happened?" Hermione asked as she rose from her chair. "Is it Laelia?" Hermione had the monitoring spell set up and hadn't heard anything from her daughter but one never knew.
"Laelia is fine," Lucius assured her. "I have asked Liddy to watch over her for the moment."
"Then what's wrong?" she asked.
"Sit here with me," Lucius said, taking her arm and leading her to the couch. When they had sat, Hermione looked at him expectantly but he didn't speak right away.
"Lucius, please, you're scaring me," Hermione said. She knew something was wrong. She could tell by the expression on his face.
"I have had someone looking for your parents," he finally said. Hermione stared at him in shock. When had he decided to do this?
"What?" she finally managed.
"I hired someone after Laelia was born," Lucius said. "I wanted to give her grandparents if I had the power to do so."
"Did you find them?" Hermione asked, heart starting to beat faster.
"Yes," he said. "About a month ago in Melbourne." He took a breath and looked at her. "I knew what you had said about the memory modification, that the longer they were under it, the less likely it would be that it could be reversed. I hired a specialist."
"And?" she questioned, almost certain she knew what he was going to say.
"The expert I hired feels that too much time has passed. If the spell were to be removed now, there is a very strong chance that they would lose their minds all together. It would be too difficult for the old and new memories to integrate. He felt it was kinder to leave them as they are." There was genuine remorse in his eyes.
Hermione nodded. She'd known this, it was one of the reasons she hadn't looked for them as soon as the war was over. She'd thought about it, more than once, when Lucius was in prison and before her pregnancy had progressed so far as to prevent international travel. But she had known, even then, that it was too late. The spell she used had a cumulative effect and the longer a person was under it, the harder it would be to pull back the old memories. Still, to know that an expert felt the same way was a blow she hadn't been expecting.
"Thank you," she said. "For trying." And then she began to cry. Lucius pulled her into his arms and she sobbed into his chest. He rubbed her back and whispered soothing words to her.
"I am sorry," he said. He handed her his handkerchief when she pulled back from him.
"I always knew," she said as she wiped her face and blew her nose. "That there was little chance I'd get them back." Lucius took her hand, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. She looked down at her lap.
"I just, I see Luna's father with Tristan and I wanted that, for Laelia," she said quietly. Lucius put a hand under her chin, tilting her face up so she looked at him.
"Laelia may not have grandparents but she has many people that love her. She will not want for family."
"I know," Hermione said with a sad smile. She leaned back into Lucius and he wrapped his arms around her once more. Hermione felt her tears begin again but Lucius simply continued to hold her, allowing her to feel her grief.
"I love you," Hermione whispered into his chest. His arms tightened around her and he kissed the top of her head.
"And I you," he replied. They sat that way until Laelia woke from her nap.
2 May 2000
Hermione found Lucius staring off across the grounds towards the family cemetery, as she knew she would be. She knew he and Draco had been to the mausoleum earlier. She had wanted to offer to go with them, but she didn't want to intrude. When Lucius hadn't asked, she had gone to the Burrow instead to visit the small graveyard in Ottery St. Catchpole with the Weasleys.
Hermione moved up next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. He automatically put an arm around her shoulder. They were due to leave for Godric's Hollow soon. The Weasleys, Kingsley, Severus and a few others were meeting them there. Lucius had been reluctant to go, not because he didn't want to support Hermione, but because he didn't feel as if he had the right to be there. Hermione had reminded him, yet again, about what he had done to save them all. Lucius had done what Harry had been unable to because of the interference of Bellatrix Lestrange. He did deserve to be there.
Last month, there had been an observance of the Final battle, of course, as well as the day that Lucius had actually destroyed the last remaining bit of Voldemort's soul. Many people had celebrated, but those that had actually done the fighting had had a small memorial service instead. They were joined by many of those that had been prisoners of Death Eaters or had been thrown into Azkaban after the Battle of Hogwarts.
"Where is Laelia?" Lucius asked. He had spent much of his time with his daughter this morning. Hermione knew that her presence not only soothed him but reminded him that he had a future despite all that had happened in the past.
"She's still napping," Hermione said. "I've told Liddy to bring her down when she wakes." Since Hermione had started working at the Ministry in the DMLE's research department a month ago, she had been a bit more relaxed about allowing Liddy to take on some of the childcare duties. Besides, Liddy adored the baby and Hermione didn't have the heart to tell the elf that it wasn't her place to take care of her. Not to mention that with just the two of them here now that Draco had moved to the Malfoy flat in London, Liddy had much less work in the house to do.
Ginny had won a spot on the reserve team for the Harpies as a Chaser. When she wasn't training with the team, she stayed with Draco, much to Molly's chagrin. Not because her daughter was living with her boyfriend but because it was one less child for her to mother. Charlie and Ron were still living at the Burrow and Molly visited Bill and Fleur every few days, but George had moved back to his flat over the shop.
Draco's apprenticeship was still going well. He and Severus were closer to improving the Wolfsbane and thought they might be able to dull some of the pain of the transformation with their new version. Hermione certainly hoped so. There were far too many children that had been turned by Greyback before the end of the war.
Lucius spent his days managing his investments and the estate, as well as spending time with Laelia. Hermione knew enjoyed being more involved in Laelia's daily care than he had been with Draco, including changing nappies, but she couldn't help but feel that he was floundering a bit. He had been so used to wielding his influence at the Ministry and the Hogwarts Board of Governors that Hermione suspected he wasn't sure what exactly to do with himself now.
He did still hold his seat on the Wizengamot, it had been restored to him once he had completed his prison sentence. But there had been only a handful of cases presented to the Wizengamot in the last few months. The majority of the most heinous laws Voldemort had pushed through, such as the Muggleborn Registration, had been immediately repealed upon Kingsley's appointment. And since then, the government had been too busy with Death Eater trials and purging the Ministry of Voldemort supporters to do much else.
Hermione wasn't sure what Lucius needed but she had a few ideas she wanted to suggest to him. The Daily Prophet was the first. The newspaper, completely corrupted under Voldemort's reign, hadn't improved all that much since his demise. Salacious articles along with outright gossip frequented its pages, very little accurate news was printed. Hermione knew that Lucius owned a small interest in the Prophet, not enough to influence what it printed, but she thought if could buy the paper outright, he might enjoy making it into a reputable news source. She hadn't said anything as of yet; they needed to get through the next few days first. But she did plan on bringing it up soon.
His arm tightened around her shoulder and she looked up at him.
"Are you all right?" she asked softly.
"I am fine, love," he said. Hermione didn't believe him for a second.
"You don't have to pretend, you know," she said. He looked down at her quizzically. "I know you miss her." He opened his mouth to protest, Hermione was sure, but she shook her head.
"It's all right, Lucius. You're not going to hurt my feelings. She was your wife for more than twenty years. And she was taken from you in the cruelest way. Of course, you still love her." He stared down at her and then shook his head, drawing her completely into his arms.
"I do not deserve you," he said.
"Yes, you do," she replied. He bent his head and kissed her, Hermione relaxing against him. They were interrupted a few moments later by Liddy popping into the room with a wailing baby. Lucius kissed Hermione's forehead and turned towards Liddy.
"What is all this?" he asked, taking Laelia from the House Elf. "What has my princess so upset, hmm?" As soon as she saw her father, Laelia's wails stopped and she smiled at him. Lucius chuckled and Hermione shook her head fondly. No matter how upset she was, Lucius was always able to calm his daughter. She was such a daddy's girl.
Her eyes had indeed turned the same grey as her father's and brother's, but her hair was darker blonde. She still had the wispy curls she'd had when she was born but Hermione suspected the curls would tighten as she got more hair. She really was a beautiful baby, even if Hermione was a bit biased.
Shoving a fist in her mouth, Laelia's attention turned to her mother. As soon as she caught sight of Hermione, the fussing began again. Hermione smiled and reached for her daughter.
"Hungry, are you?" she asked, settling on the couch and positioning Laelia to nurse. Lucius sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders once again. He watched the two of them with a smile on his face and Laelia pulled away from Hermione's breast for a moment to smile up at her father, milk dripping down onto her cheek.
"Lucius," Hermione admonished as she guided Laelia back. "Stop distracting her." Lucius chuckled and kissed Hermione's temple. Laelia's eyes shifted towards him again but she must have decided that food was more important than her father at the moment because she continued to eat. Hermione leaned into Lucius, who tightened his grip, resting his cheek against the side of her head. She suspected they both needed the comfort today.
When Laelia had finished feeding, Lucius took her from Hermione while she righted her robes. The baby was all smiles now that she had been changed and fed. Hermione couldn't help but grin back at her gummy smile. They had debated on bringing her to the cemetery but in the end, Hermione decided that Laelia would likely provide more comfort than anyone else might. Hermione knew that Luna and Theo were bringing Tristan for a similar reason.
Given Laelia was still a bit young for Apparition, they arrived by Portkey in the graveyard in Godric's Hollow. Kingsley had closed the cemetery while they were there so that they could have a bit of privacy. Hermione held tightly to Lucius' hand as they walked towards Harry's and his parents' graves. The Weasleys were already there, as were Kingsley and Minerva. Severus arrived just after they did, Laelia immediately reaching for her godfather. Hermione saw the hint of a smile from Severus as Lucius passed his daughter over. Laelia was really the only one that could ever draw anything resembling an actual smile from the Potions Master.
There was no real schedule, no planned speeches or ceremony. It was just people gathering together to remember those they had lost, for they reminisced about more than just Harry. Hermione conjured a wreath of flowers and set it at the base of Harry's headstone. Minerva did the same for Harry's parents.
Ron stepped up next to Hermione and she leaned against him for a moment as they looked down at the grave of their best friend. She felt Ron's arm come around her and Hermione sighed, resting her head against his shoulder for a moment.
"Sometimes, I still find myself looking for him," Ron said. Hermione nodded.
"I know," she said. They stood there in silence for a few minutes until Ron cleared his throat and swiped at his eyes. Hermione straightened and took his hand, giving it a squeeze.
"I hope he's happy," she said softly.
"You kidding?" Ron said. "He's with his parents, Sirius, Remus and Tonks. I can only imagine what that lot gets up to." Hermione laughed softly and smiled at Ron. He returned it before squeezing her hand and releasing her.
Hermione returned to Lucius, who was now holding Laelia once again.
"Are you ready to leave?" he asked. She nodded, stepping up on her toes to kiss him softly.
"Thank you," she said.
"For?"
"Coming with me today. I know that you weren't sure about it." Lucius put an arm around her as Laelia attempted to grab one of her mother's curls. Hermione smiled at her daughter and grasped her tiny hand instead, kissing it and making the baby laugh.
"Shall we?" he said and they began to make their way from the cemetery. Severus walked with them and Draco and Ginny caught up soon after. They were all coming back to the Manor for supper.
As they neared the gates where they would take the Portkey back to the Malfoy Manor, a few people stepped inside. Hermione realized they had lingered longer than they had intended and the cemetery was no longer closed to other visitors.
They continued walking, the three men ignoring those who were now looking their way. Lucius tightened his grip on Hermione's hand and attempted to hurry her along. Hermione glanced at the group of people and saw one of them step away from the rest, making his way towards them.
In a movement so fluid, Hermione would have sworn that they had practiced it, Lucius handed Laelia off to Draco and Lucius and Severus had stepped in front of Hermione, Ginny, and Draco. They hadn't drawn their wands but Hermione knew it would take them only a second to do so.
"You're Lucius Malfoy," the young man that had approached them said.
"I am," Lucius replied. Hermione could see the tension in his body and the tightening of his jaw. He made a motion towards Draco with his hand.
"Hermione," Draco murmured. "We should go."
"Take Laelia," Hermione said. "But I'm not leaving." Draco looked at her in exasperation and Hermione was positive now that Draco, Severus, and Lucius had practiced for just such a scenario. She drew her wand and looked at him.
Draco sighed and retreated a few feet with his sister. He tried to convince Ginny to follow, but she had also refused and drawn her own wand. Hermione wondered where everyone else was. Her attention turned back to the young man that had addressed Lucius.
"Thank you, sir," he said extending his hand. They all stared at him, completely bewildered. Even Draco had stopped moving.
"My mother is Muggleborn," the young man said. "Thank you for destroying You-Know-Who and getting her out of Azkaban." Lucius finally reached out and shook the man's hand. Hermione felt tears well in her eyes.
"You are welcome," Lucius finally managed. "Is your mother well?" Hermione heard a click and saw the flash of a camera somewhere.
"It took a few months, but yes, she's much better now," the young man said.
"I am glad to hear it," Lucius replied.
"I'll let you get back to your family," the man said. He nodded to them and then turned to rejoin the others that were with him. Lucius turned to Hermione, looking extremely muddled. Hermione motioned to Draco and he hurried forward, grasping onto the Portkey that she held out. Just as the press began to walk towards them, they were whisked back to Malfoy Manor.
When they arrived, Draco and Ginny took Laelia inside, followed by Severus. They left Hermione and Lucius standing on the terrace. She stepped forward and looked up at him.
"Lucius?"
He looked down at her still appearing unable to believe what had just happened. It made Hermione's heart ache that he had been so sure he was about to be vilified that he didn't know how to handle the thanks he had received instead. She wrapped an arm around him and put her other hand to his cheek, rubbing his cheekbone with her thumb.
"Are you all right?"
"I never expected," he began, then shook his head.
"There are many other people that feel the same way that man does," she said softly.
"I did not do it by myself," he said.
"I know," she replied with a smile. "But I'm all right with you getting the accolades. I expect Severus and Draco are as well." Severus, of course, just wanted everyone to leave him alone and Draco was more than content with his apprenticeship and his relationship with Ginny. He didn't want or need recognition for his part in the ending of Voldemort's reign.
Lucius leaned down and kissed her, then rested his forehead against hers when they parted. He didn't say anything, but then Hermione didn't really need him to. She understood how he felt.
"Let's go inside," she said after a few minutes. He nodded and took her hand, following her back into the Manor.
Lucius and Severus sat on the terrace, glasses of brandy in their hands. Draco and Ginny had already left and Hermione had gone to feed Laelia and then put her to bed. Lucius was still musing over the events of the day.
"How is the spell coming?" Severus asked. Lucius had been attempting to cast a Patronus for the last few weeks. He knew that previously his use of Dark Magic as well as the Dark Mark had interfered with being able to do it. Now, however, the Mark was as faded as it had ever been and Lucius had not used Dark Magic since he had cast the Fiendfyre to destroy the Dark Lord.
Hermione did not know Lucius was attempting it. She would insist on helping and while he appreciated her faith in him, he would rather she not know unless he was successful.
"I have not attempted it in a few days," Lucius admitted. "Although I was able to produce a shield of sorts the last time." Severus nodded.
"It is a start, I suppose," he said. Lucius eyed him and Severus looked back at him innocently.
"Are you implying that I have not made sufficient progress?"
"I would think that after all the time you had spent on it you would have been successful by now," Severus replied. "If you were going to succeed that is." He raised an eyebrow in challenge and Lucius huffed in annoyance.
"I will have you know that I am extremely busy," Lucius said. "I do not have hours on end to spend on this."
"As you say," Severus replied, taking a sip of his brandy. Lucius knew his friend was simply goading him, hoping he would rise to the bait. The thing was, Lucius was rather frustrated he had not been able to do it. Severus obviously could and he had been branded just as Lucius had. Of course, the man had renounced the Dark long ago but he had still been forced to use Dark Magic on occasion to keep the Dark Lord oblivious to his true loyalties.
Even knowing this was Severus' intention all along, Lucius still drew his wand. Perhaps, he thought, if he used a series of memories instead of just the one, it might help. He had tried the first time he held Draco, his return from Azkaban, his wedding to Hermione and Laelia's birth. Maybe if he thought of them all at the same time, perhaps even adding in what had happened today in Godric's Hollow, he would have a better chance. Concentrating on the memories, Lucius cast the spell.
Something shot from the end of his wand and Lucius watched as it coalesced into an actual form. He stared at the animal in front of him, completely gobsmacked. Severus snorted in amusement.
"I see the Gryffindor has completely rubbed off on you," Severus said.
There, standing in front of them, was a lion. It shook its head, its mane flying out gracefully, and then stood and stared at them.
"Lucius!" Hermione said from behind them and Lucius jerked in surprise, the Patronus dissipating as his concentration was broken.
When Lucius turned, Hermione had a wide grin on her face. She rushed towards him and threw herself into his arms.
"How long have you been able to do that?"
"This is the first time," he said. She grinned again and kissed him, thoroughly enough that Severus made a disgruntled noise.
"Cast it again," she said. Lucius wanted to decline. He was a Slytherin for Salazar's sake, how could his Patronus be a lion? Still, he could not refuse her when she looked at him like that, eyes shining with excitement. Sighing, he drew his wand and cast the spell again.
"It's so beautiful," Hermione said as she approached the Patronus. It lowered its head and bumped her hand when she reached out for it.
"It is a lion, Hermione," Lucius said, lip curling.
"You're only upset because it's Gryffindor's symbol," she said. "Lions are noble and regal. I think it's very fitting." Well, he supposed on that point he would have to agree. Severus snorted again and Lucius' eyes narrowed.
"Is your Patronus not a doe?" Lucius asked. "A female animal?" Severus scowled at him as Lucius smirked. Lucius did not mention James Potter's stag Patronus, as he was aware why Severus' Patronus was actually a doe. Lily Potter's had been the same, or so Severus had told him.
Hermione did not attempt to hide her look of amusement. Lucius was unaware if she knew of Severus' history with Lily Potter but he would not share it unless Severus gave him permission. It was likely better that way.
As Lucius' Patronus once again began to fade, Hermione drew her own wand and cast the spell. Instead of the otter that Lucius had seen before, however, something else came out of the end of Hermione's wand.
A sleek lioness leapt lightly from the end of Hermione's wand, turning to look at her. Hermione's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"But that's," she began. She turned to look at Lucius. "What happened?" Lucius had no idea; he was not well-versed on the nature of the Patronus charm.
"Tonks' Patronus changed after she fell in love with the wolf," Severus drawled.
"Oh," Hermione said. She turned to look at Lucius. He wondered how she felt about the change. He knew she had been quite fond of her little otter. Although, he had to admit that he was grateful that hers had changed instead of his being an otter as well. He likely would have never lived that down.
As the lioness faded away, Lucius stepped towards her. He pulled her to him and looked down at her, tucking a curl behind her ear.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "It's just, I wasn't expecting it."
"Are you disappointed?" Her Patronus had changed because of what his was, he was sure. She looked at him for a moment.
"No," she said with a smile.
"Lionesses are quite fierce, or so I am told," he said. She grinned up at him.
"Don't forget that, Lucius Malfoy." He chuckled.
"Hm, I do not think I ever could," he replied against her lips before he kissed her again. He heard a noise of disgust from Severus.
"I am going inside to finish my drink without wanting to vomit," he said as he rose from his chair and left the two of them alone.
Hermione cast the spell once more and Lucius did as well. The lion and the lioness nuzzled each other and then their human companions followed suit.
"I love you," Hermione managed in between rather heated kisses.
"And I love you," Lucius replied. And then they stood, arms around one another, watching as their spectral companions faded from view.
The End