Next chapter for you, and finally, all our main characters meet on the same page! Please keep writing reviews – I love to read your reactions, and I'm happy you've all enjoyed this so far!
Chapter 12
Hermione awoke what she assumed to be the next morning with a dull ache in her right leg. As she groggily cracked an eye, the pain turned sharp, and she groaned as she propped herself up on her elbows to take in her surroundings.
She was on the chesterfield in the study, buried beneath a woolen blanket someone had placed over her in her sleep. The fire was still burning across from her in the hearth, even though it was daylight. Then, she saw that something was currently brewing over top of it in a cast iron cauldron, but from her position, she couldn't tell what it was. Littered around the sofa were bloodied towels and bandages, empty potion bottles, and crushed herbs.
Shifting her gaze, Hermione cringed and pulled back the blanket from her leg, bracing herself for what she might see.
The first thing she noticed was that her leg was indeed still attached. It was wrapped quite nicely in clean bandages, and she could bend her knee and wiggle her toes, although she found it quite painful to do so.
"You're awake."
Whipping around, Hermione found a slightly disheveled Lucius standing in the doorway. His usual robes were gone, leaving him looking almost Muggle in nothing more than black slacks and a white, buttoned shirt which had become somewhat untucked from his trousers.
Hermione couldn't find the words to say. Now he shows up, of course, when he can be the hero and come to her rescue!
Her rescue…He had saved her last night, hadn't he?
Lucius didn't wait for the response he knew he wouldn't receive; he merely made his way toward the cauldron over the fire and stirred it tentatively. After withdrawing a small vial from his pocket, he added another dose of something to the mixture, and purple smoke wafted up from the liquid.
"Done." He poured it into a cup and brought it over to Hermione on the chesterfield. "Drink." He extended the broth, and Hermione took it cautiously.
"What is it?" She winced as another wave of pain radiated up her leg.
"Just drink it. It's for the pain."
Hermione lifted the cup to her lips and drank, and the warm potion worked its way through her body, slowly eliminating the throbbing in her ankle.
"Better?"
Hermione nodded. "Thank you."
Lucius wordlessly plucked the cup from her fingers and sat it back by the fireplace. He didn't seem keen on talking to her, but Hermione wouldn't let him off so easily.
"It seems like you had to prepare a lot of potions last night…" Hermione commented, looking at the mess around her.
Lucius shrugged, still not looking at her directly and keeping his particularly cold demeanor. "Blood replenishing potion, healing draft, a few others...nothing too difficult."
Hermione snorted at his modesty. "Really? Nothing too difficult?"
"Remember, my best friend for many years was none other than your Hogwarts potion master, Miss Granger. It would be a shame if none of his talents had rubbed off on me in some manner."
Hermione was silenced at this. One, because she had never thought of Lucius as having friends before, especially being "best friends" with Severus Snape. And two, because things were back to "Miss Granger" now, as they had been before.
Hermione decided not to broach the subject and settled back down into the sofa. She may have been near delirium last night, but she knew what he had said.
She risked a glance over at Lucius; he was still leaning up against the wall, eyes fixed somewhere on a baseboard across the room.
The only sound was the crackling of the fire and the bubbling coming from the cauldron.
"You shouldn't have gone back there." Lucius finally turned to face Hermione. "I told you it was a bad idea from the start."
"There's no way you could have foreseen something like this," Hermione muttered. "And besides, you weren't exactly around to stop me."
Lucius took a step toward her, and Hermione suddenly realized how vulnerable she was in her current state. "Is that all that keeps you from making such impulsive decisions? My presence, your fear or respect or whatever you have for me? Miss Granger, I thought you would actually use that marvelous brain of yours from time to time."
Hermione felt herself flushing. "I do, I just-"
"And if you wanted to leave, I expected you to have a little more tact and self-respect than to just go running back right into the arms of-"
"I didn't! And I didn't want to leave! I just-"
"Haven't I given you all that you needed? All you wanted? And you leave me for-"
"I wasn't leaving, Lucius!"
The sound of his name froze him to the spot, mere feet from Hermione's side.
"I wasn't leaving," Hermione repeated, controlling the volume of her voice once more. "I just hadn't seen you in days…and I figured that the game was over and it might soon be time for me to move on, to get back into the real world, so I tried to collect a few of my things. I didn't want to leave…but I was worried that I had to."
Lucius, for once, seemed taken aback.
"And when I got back to my flat, I was trying to just sneak in and grab my things, but Ron confronted me…and I went to leave. I was coming back to the Manor, after all. But as I started to apparate he grabbed hold of my ankle and…"
"And you got splinched," Lucius finished. Hermione nodded.
Lucius's expression softened, and Hermione almost caught a flicker of relief behind his eyes.
"Lucius…where did you go? Why did you just…vanish? And why did it take me nearly losing my leg for you to even acknowledge my existence?"
Lucius opened his mouth in a moment of vulnerability, but he caught himself, and Hermione could see him rethinking, weighing the sentences in his head until he finally spoke, choosing his words carefully.
"I will say, Miss Granger, that my absence was necessary…however…my days were not the same without your presence."
Now it was Hermione's turn to be taken aback. Was Lucius…was Lucius Malfoy admitting he missed her?
Before she could assemble her own response, Hermione heard distant shouts echoing across the courtyard. Lucius heard them too, because he seemed concerned initially, then he rolled his eyes and made his way back toward the door.
"Stay here, Miss Granger, and rest. I'll deal with…whatever this is." Sighing, he swept out of the room.
Hermione followed his bidding for a few minutes, but as she heard even more commotion and clearer voices coming from outside, curiosity got the best of her, and she cautiously sat up. The potion Lucius had given her was dangerously effective, and although her leg still hurt, she could move it and, she soon discovered, could put weight on it as well.
She limped down the hallway until the shouting could finally be interpreted as words. She pressed herself against the wall around the corner and listened, hearing two voices at first, followed by a third, all of which she recognized within the first syllable.
"Where is she, you git-"
"Ron-"
"I swear, Lucius Bloody Malfoy, if you-"
"Ron, calm down!"
"What are you playing at-"
"Ron!"
"Mr. Weasley," Lucius's smooth voice cut in, "I assure you what I am 'playing at' is none of your concern, although I will also add that your former flame has certainly been a willing participant."
Hermione heard a struggle, like Ron had just hurled himself at Lucius but someone was holding him back. She couldn't see him, but Hermione felt Lucius smirking at Ron's expense. He was enjoying getting under Ron's skin…
"Mr. Malfoy," a voice strained, and Hermione could almost see Harry struggling to keep Ron at bay, "Ron told me about what happened last night, and he really just wants to make sure Hermione is okay, although I know he has a terrible way of showing it."
"Spoken like a true diplomat, Mr. Potter. I can see your time at the Ministry is paying off…"
"Just let me see her, you-"
"Ron, shush!"
There was a moment where the rustling stopped, almost like Lucius was a schoolteacher waiting for his class to settle down before he spoke. "Miss Granger is currently recovering from the injury she sustained at your hands yesterday, Mr. Weasley, due to your impulsivity and lack of conscientiousness. If I may be frank, I don't believe seeing you is exactly what she needs at the moment-"
"You don't want me to see her because you're scared, Malfoy! You're scared she might rediscover her feelings for me and leave you to rot in your mansion alone!"
Hermione felt an unwelcome twinge of emotion for Lucius at this, and her frustration began to build.
Harry stammered, "Admittedly, I would like to see Hermione too, Mr. Malfoy. Just to make sure she's alright."
"I assure you, she is fine. Her leg will be saved, no thanks to your red-headed friend here, and she will be healed in a few days' time. She is being paid for her work in the library, she has access to all basic necessities, and she is not my prisoner. She may leave at any time."
"Then why won't you let me see her? Why can't she at least come to the door and-"
"I will."
The three men at the door all fell silent and turned to look at Hermione as she limped around the corner. She slowly approached the entryway, and she began to take in the increasingly odd sight before her.
Lucius had donned his usual elegant robe and kept a tight grip on his cane. He looked like he was struggling to keep decorum, but Hermione was proud of the restraint she had already shown.
Harry stood on the doorstep next to Ron. He looked somewhat older than Hermione remembered, dressed for work in a smart set of robes, but he still had the same sparkling green eyes, tousled black hair, and kind features Hermione grew up loving.
And then, there was Ron. He looked haggard in the daylight as well, with his jeans and shirt that both looked like they were the wrong size. His orange hair was unkempt and his face was covered in his usual chaotic smattering of freckles, but when Hermione saw the joy and relief in his eyes when he saw her, she felt an unwanted surge of emotion.
"Miss Granger, I told you to stay in-"
"But I'm not a prisoner, like you said. I'm free to come and go at any time, right?"
Lucius looked livid as she used his own words against him.
Hermione limped to the doorway, taking her place between Lucius and her two friends.
"Hermione…" Ron said weakly, and he looked like he wanted to reach out and hug her but did not.
Hermione offered him a slight smile before turning to face Harry. She accepted his embrace, and he held onto her tightly.
"Hermione," Harry said as they parted. "How are you? Is everything really okay?"
Hermione shook her head, "Between Ron and the Prophet, I'm sure you've heard quite the horror story."
Harry looked away.
"Well, thankfully, Lucius was able to save my leg…it got splinched pretty badly when I disapparated from the flat yesterday." Lucius sneered at the pair from behind Hermione.
Ron looked at her bandaged leg before tearfully announcing, "I'm sorry, Hermione. I never meant-"
"I know," Hermione said gently, and she meant it. She knew Ron still loved her, cared for her, and she hoped that one day, she could come to care for him too, if perhaps not in the way that he wanted. "But I don't want you to worry about me."
It seemed like just the sight of Hermione made Ron speechless, because he continued to stare at her wordlessly,
Harry seized the opportunity to cut in and began to speak excitedly. "Listen, Hermione, Ginny is coming home soon, and we've got the whole place cleared out for you. Plenty of space for all your things. You can stay with us for as long as you need. And as for work, you're so smart, there's loads of things you're good at, and I'm sure you'll find a new job in no time. I've even got a few leads at the Ministry, if you're interested."
Hermione was taken aback. A new job at the Ministry? The opportunity to spend a few months with Ginny and Harry? …A fresh start?
"If you grab your things, we can get going soon, if you like."
There was silence, and although she was only a few feet away from her companions, the distance had never felt farther. She felt Lucius's presence behind her, saw Harry and Ron in front of her. Ron was looking at her with a mixture of hope, desperation, and sadness plastered across his face while Harry was smiling an innocent smile of hope and happiness.
"…Thank you, Harry…but I'm going to stay here." The words came out of her mouth before she even fully understood what she was saying.
"What?" Harry asked, looking crestfallen.
"What?" Ron snarled, looking furious.
"What?" Lucius murmured, looking shocked.
"I know you might not understand…but this is where I choose to be."
"Hermione, why?" Ron cried. "What on earth are you getting from this? Is it to get back at me, because you've done it! I was wrong, alright? I miss you, Hermione! So much…"
The pain in her foot was beginning to return, and Hermione couldn't find her words quick enough. "She's made her choice, Weasley," Lucius said with a deathly calm. "Now let her be."
Before Hermione could reply, Harry, wide-eyed with shock, cut in, "Are you sure, Hermione? I mean, my home will always be open to you, but…I guess I just don't understand."
The pain in her leg was beginning to grow and intensify, and Hermione felt herself becoming lightheaded.
Reaching out for something to steady herself on, Hermione found Lucius just as he found her. His firm grip on her arm steadied her, but her head was still spinning and only partly from her leg.
"Harry, Ron…thank you for your concern. I'll keep you posted, but I promise you, I'm fine. I just need to rest…"
"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us, I believe Miss Granger is correct. I am sure she will owl you once her wounds have healed and her mind is a little clearer."
And with that, Lucius led Hermione back into the house and shut the door behind them before Harry or Ron could protest.
"Am I going to have to carry you down this hallway again, or will you learn to actually follow my instructions for once?" Lucius grumbled.
Hermione was too focused on her steps to look at him, and she didn't respond.
When they reached the study, Lucius eased Hermione back onto the sofa and instructed her to lie down. As she did so, Hermione felt queasy, although from what exactly, she didn't know.
She heard Lucius rummaging around in the corner, but she did not open her eyes. She squinted them shut against the pain, and it at least felt like it was helping.
Lucius returned to her side, and she heard his voice say, "Your wound needs to continue to heal if this pain is ever going to subside, and you must rest. I found a healing salve and some skin regrowing solution, but I still need to uncover my vial of-"
"Dittany," Hermione finished, opening her eyes and feeling them well with tears as a memory from the companions' time in the Forest of Dean flooded her mind. "You're looking for essence of dittany."