Hermione clutched onto Lucius' sleeve while they walked back to the master bedroom. She could still feel her heart beating in her chest while maintaining a white-knuckled grip on his arm. Lucius could feel her tenseness as they entered the bedroom, leading her to the couch near the fireplace. Perhaps a warm cup of tea would calm her down, he thought to himself. Lucius glared at the house-elf who was already on the move.
Hermione released her grip from his fabric but still felt her hands shake, balling them up into small first hoping it would help.
" What is wrong Hermione? " Lucius questioned, standing in front of her and watched her movements carefully in anticipation.
"I couldn't help but think about…" Lucius knew what she was referring to. Despite her most desperate attempts to forget about her time with Dolohov, the memories have been haunting her in the most unsuspecting moments of the day. Something between the time Snape left and their walk through the empty halls made her shut down and Lucius was disappointed in himself for not knowing how to handle the situation.
Lucius sat down on the couch and scooted Hermione over with her legs draped over his lap and her head nestled in the crook of his shoulder.
"Allow me to help you, what seems to trouble you so?"
Hermione took hold of his large hand and placed mindlessly with the elegant fingers.
" What do I have to do to convince you to leave you-know-who? Let's leave and find the Order. Be safer…well at least safer than we are now." Hermione mumbled.
Lucius let out a sigh and kissed the top of her head, leaning his cheek against her hair while they both melted into the comforting position.
"At the moment I fear it is impossible, my dear. I can help. I can gain intimate information about his plans. He trusts me and allows me to know intimate details about his campaigns. I will play whatever part I need to play to help the Order although I am afraid no one else wants this particular position. "
Hermione took a deep breath and said, "Who knows how much longer this war will last. Or how much longer you will have to put yourself in danger. What if this is still going on by the time this baby is born? I don't know if we will be able to keep it safe." Her voice cracked and he felt small tears fall on his shirt.
Hermione shifted her leg, causing Lucius to place his hand on top of her thigh. When his hand touched her thigh, he felt something peculiar.
"What do you have there?" Hermione felt her stomach drop and quickly threw her hand on top of his. His tone shifted to something stern and demanding. Lucius gave her a curious look. Instead of letting go, he continued to feel the object and knew what it was.
"What do you have…" Hermione knew it wasn't worth the fight and there was no escaping his grasp. She gave up and allowed him to reach into her pant leg, pulling out the long wand she found in Draco's room. Lucius held the wand for a quick second before looking back at Hermione, which had her head held down just waiting for him to react.
"Where did you get this?" He asked while holding it up. Lucius knew exactly what it was but how did she manage to get a hold of this specific wand?
" When Draco and I were messaging in the book he told me where to find it just in case. I wanted it just in case something happened downstairs…"
Lucius placed the wand down on the nightstand and turned back to Hermione. She kept her eyes averted and waited for Lucius to say something, anything.
"If anyone of them even sensed this on you, you would be struck down on the spot ".
Hermione looked up at him and nodded shamefully.
"I just wanted something on me, Lucius. If not a wand, it would have been a knife, and if it wasn't a knife I would have resorted to a damn quill if I had to". Lucius took a breath and stood from the bed, trying to compose himself. Did Hermione not find him capable of protecting her? Did she think he wouldn't protect her if something happened? Rationally Lucius knew that wasn't her intention but somehow the question still pestered him.
"Lucius, you have to understand that just the idea of Dolohov being within the same four walls sends me into a rage. No matter how much time passes, I will never be able to forget about him and what he did to me...or he's capable of doing… I trust you but I don't trust him. If that means I have to hide a wand or knife on me whenever he's around just to have some peace of mind, you can't stop me."
Lucius took the wand and placed the two ends between his fingers, examining the shaft. He rounded his way to the other side of the bed to where she was sitting and placed the wand in her hand.
Hermione looked at the wand and back at him, puzzled. Lucius grabbed both sides of her face and placed a kiss on top of her head.
"If this is what gives you security, it is yours. But with that I want you to know that I will always protect you." He slowly started to release her but Hermione grabbed his collar and pulled his lips onto hers.
"You don't know how much that means to me, Lucius"
Both stared at each other soaking in each other, surprised by each other's responses to the situation. She placed the wand on the nightstand and leaned against his chest. While against his chest, his fingers started to run through her hair, causing her to sigh. Lucius glanced down at the woman leaning against his chest. He thought back to earlier that evening and how petrified Hermione was downstairs. Was following Voldemort, even for the sake of gathering information for the Order, really worth it? Was it worth the trauma that Hermione was potentially forced to relive? Was it worth putting his unborn child at risk?
Gently Lucius scooped Hermione into his arms and placed her into the warm bed and laid beside her holding her close in his arms.
"I will always protect you…once this becomes too much, if you or the child are no longer safe, we will leave. For now, while I can protect you, we will stay and gather information for the Order. Agreed?"
Hermione lifted herself on her elbow to look him in the eyes. Her mouth couldn't produce the words but her lively nod said it all.
His grey eyes bore into hers while her smile slowly faded, admiring his features. Gradually, her hands touched his stubbled cheek and traced his sharp jaw.
She leaned forward and took a brief moment to enjoy the warmth of his lips.
Lucius accepted the kiss with enthusiasm and wrapped his arms around his waist to flip her over, laying her down on her back.
Lucius pulled back and admired the flustered beauty in his arms and thought for a brief moment that this is what has been missing his entire life, a love her just started to feel for her the second he knew she carried his child.
"What are you looking at?' Hermione giggled.
"Just admiring the view from up here." Her laughed was music to his ears.
"Was that a joke from the great and powerful Lucius Malfoy?"
He smirked while leaning forward for another kiss. Hermione's hands started to slowly move towards his shirt, fiddling with the elegant buttons. Slowly she worked on the buttons one by one until the front laid open revealing his chest. It took her a moment before her hand reached towards his chest and traced a finger along his abdomen.
Lucius watched in wonder as she concentrated on his chest. The small look of curiosity on her face was astounding to watch. He couldn't bear to move an inch but instinct took over and his hand cupped her right cheek purely to adore her. For a moment, both forgot where they were and what was going on around them. Only they existed for that moment.
For the first time, they looked at each other in a new light. Something clicked at the moment they stared into each other's eyes. There wasn't any fear or looming threat but rather a purse sense of admiration and love.
Lucius' hand went to take hold of her other cheek. He took a brief moment to look into her eyes, slowly leaning forward to lay his lips upon hers. The kiss felt different, more primal. He began to think about his child in her womb and how this woman in his arm would be the mother of his future child. His groin began to grow at the thought. His hands traced their way to his hips before gently coming inwards, resting on her flat stomach.
Hermione stopped the kiss and stared into his eyes, questioning his movements.
"What's wrong?" She whispered.
He smiled faintly, "Not a thing, just admiring the beauty laying before me."
Hermione smiled and pulled him back towards her, laying her lips back on his. Before long, Lucius took hold of both sides of her hips while grinding his erection against her. As if a flip of a switch, both felt their yearn for each other rage. Lucius started to reached down towards her pants to undo the button and pushed them down and off her legs, both of their hands started grabbing at their clothing to undress. When their lips broke away from each other it was only to take off Hermione's shirt fully.
Lucius grew impatient, his hands started fidgeting with the button to her pants and with one grab he pulled them down and off her legs. Her panties were the next to go. Without breaking their lip lock, Lucius reached down and started undoing the button to his pants. It didn't take long for both of them to be completely nude, exploring each other as if it was the first thing. This should have been the first time, Lucius thought to himself. Although he didn't have a single regret about their actual first night together, he knew that the foreboding threat of Dolohov was the main motivating factor. This time was different. It was momentous, both were desperate only to be with each other rather than completing a task. Hermione wrapped one hand around his neck while her other grabbed his bicep. Her legs wrapped around his waist hoping to relieve the craving she had to bring him closer.
Lucius felt his erection throb as it touched the wetness between her legs. He broke away from the kiss to see if anything changed but instead was greeted with a tenderly sensual look in her eyes paired with a blush that made his chest tighten. His hand caressed her cheek again while the other grabbed his member to align it with her entrance. With one gentle push, he was engulfed by her warmth and the most beautiful sound he ever heard. Hermione moaned against his lips as he pushed himself deep within her until he couldn't go further.
He began a pace slowly and to his delight, he was rewarded with another moan.
"My exquisite Hermione" He moaned against her shoulder. His pace began to speed up which was only rewarded with more of her sweet noises.
When they were done, Lucius pulled Hermione securely in her arms. Hermione passed out the moment his arms wrapped around her, leaving the blonde man to hold her in silence. He took the time to admire her both physically and circumstantially. She was indeed a brave and strong woman to have gone with far, undoubtfully sacrificing more than most would in their lifetimes in this war. Her life in the last year alone radically changed and he hoped that although their current position unorthodox and peculiar that there may be a future for them beyond this war. He hoped for the child to be born safely, for Hermione to raise the child lovingly alongside him, and for her to never know another moment of sadness or pain again.
Lucius knew that at the moment it was wishful thinking. The future was unpredictable at the moment and he truly considered contacting the Order to get her out of here at that moment but that wouldn't be realistic. Voldemort would not only kill him but would enlist Dolohov to track down Hermione and do who knows what with her and his child. There was no point in dwelling Lucius thought to himself. All he could do was hold the petite curly-headed woman in his arms and enjoy her warmth next to him.
Three weeks later, Hermione was sitting in the library clutching a potions text when she heard distant shouting. She turned towards the door and decided to investigate further, after all the manor was so highly warded that the possibility of an intruder was impossible. Making her way down the freezing marble hallways, she slowed down to focus on where the sound was coming from. A minute later, another burst of heated talking echoed through the hallways concentrating towards the main floor. As quietly as possible she made her way downstairs and towards the drawing-room. The voices were echoing and distorted because of the side of the room but she swore she knew that voice. Something snapped in place and she knew exactly who it was.