A pop sound beside her made Hermione aware of her friend's arrival, but she couldn't take her eyes off Lucius lying on the floor, not moving. Just because there were no visible injuries didn't mean there weren't any. What was he thinking of taking on Ron with a crossbow? She should have just left when Ron had sent his Patronus to her. Please be okay, Lucius.

"Hermione, what happened here?" Harry's question cut through Hermione's racing thoughts.

Tearing her gaze from the man on the floor, she looked at him and noticed he wasn't alone. The youngest of the Weasley was crying over her brother's unconscious body. Hermione glared at Harry. Why did you bring her with you? She screamed at him in her mind.

"Isn't it obvious, Harry, that damned Malfoy attacked my brother?" Ginny shrieked while standing, forgetting her brother on the floor, and came over her face, brows furrowed, and eyes squinted at Hermione. "Why are you checking on him and not your fiancé?"

She opened her mouth to answer but quickly closed it. Hermione didn't know what to say and didn't want Lucius to get attacked again while he couldn't defend himself.

"I'm sure Hermione already checked on Ron and was just making sure Mr. Malfoy was okay." Harry came to her defense which she was grateful for. "How would it look if she only checked on one and not the other?"

Ginny shook her head, and with nostrils flaring, she went back to kneel beside Ron, who had begun making soft moaning noises. Harry started to survey the room. His green eyes quickly noticed the forgotten crossbow on the floor a few feet from where Lucius lay.

Bending down, he held it up and raised an eyebrow toward her. "Who is this?" By the tone in his voice, she knew he already knew the answer.

"It belongs to Lucius. The Ministry took his wand from him after the war. It's one of the requirements of his probation." She explained the last thing Hermione wanted was lies and accusations thrown around.

"If this is his, and he doesn't have a wand, then how did Lucius knock Ron out?" Hermione had to commend her friend for not being biased and being able to question what happened with an open mind.

"He clearly took Hermione's wand from her, Harry. Why are you two trying to make it seem like the death eater is innocent in all this he attacked Ron? Tell him." Ginny's screaming voice echoed off the walls.

Hermione took a deep breath to compose herself. The false accusations were grating on her nerves. Suddenly she felt someone lightly touching her wrist; Hermione looked down to see that Lucius was awake again. His face showed discomfort as his other hand went to the back of his head. Hermione knew he would have a bump on the back of his head for a few days. Her hand came up and caressed his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. This made her smile that he was responding to her touch.

"Lucius, you okay?" Harry asked, walking closer to assess the older man.

"I think I'll live." He said, nodding.

Trying to sit up, Hermione gently placed her hand on his chest and gave him a stern look. "You shouldn't move. At least let us call a healer to have you checked out." Her voice trembled slightly. The last thing she wanted was something to be wrong and him not getting the proper care, but Lucius just waved off her hand and sat up slowly but suddenly stopped when a sharp pain shot through his right arm. He let out a hiss.

"See, I told you." She tried her best not to sound like a know-it-all, but she also knew that she was ultimately correct.

"Ginny, I think you should leave with Ron while I piece together what happened here," Harry said as he walked over to the redhead. Hermione was sure the younger woman was shooting Lucius and her heated looks the whole time.

"So that's it. Whatever they say, you're going to believe them and not even consider that bastard is the one to hurt my brother and your best friend?" Her face turned a deep crimson matching her hair, and her voice rose an octave with each work. Hermione was sure she would go hoarse. The high-pitched rant of the other woman gave the other occupants in the room a solid urge to cover their ears.

"Ginny, please, I'm tired of asking you. I'm now telling you to get your brother out of here NOW!" Harry's voice rose, and his tone said he was not messing around.

Her face softened, and her eyes doubled in size in shock. Apparently, Ginny didn't think Harry would lose his temper with her, but he had obviously had enough of her throwing a fit.

"Why are you yelling at me? I didn't do anything. He has Hermione under the Imperius curse, Harry. Why are you so blind to it." She whispered, attempting to hold back tears that weren't there.

"I'm trying to be fair, but I can't do that with you shouting at everyone." Hermione could tell Harry was trying to stay calm.

Ginny realized that she would lose the argument, grabbed Ron by the arm, and, with a pop, was gone from Malfoy Manor. Looking back at Lucius, she noticed his face was unreadable; no doubt he hid his emotions.

"Okay, so will someone now explain what happened?"

Harry walked over to the couple sitting on the floor, watching as he came closer. Hermione ignored him when she felt Lucius shift beside her; he was currently still trying to stand up.

"I'm not going to sit on the floor any longer. At least let me sit in a chair." His voice was strained as he tried to hide how much pain he was really in.

Hermione lifted her wand and brought one of the dining chairs they were previously using to enjoy their lunch over so he wouldn't have to strain himself. Lucius gave her a slight nod in thanks. Taking a seat, he was able to mask a wince with a cough to play down how much he hurt.

Hermione and Lucius told Harry what happened as they recalled the events; he stood there nodding and listened carefully, soaking in everything. When it got to the part in the story where she shouts that she is pregnant, Hermione oversaw her friend's reaction. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline, and his mouth hung open for several seconds before he composed himself.

"So, you're pregnant?" Harry asked when they both finished telling their side of the story. She just nodded.

Shaking his head, Harry just sighed and said. "Well, talk about that later, but now I'm going to see if Ron's awake." Harry nodded and Apparated, leaving them to pick up where they had left off.

Authors Note: Please leave your comments telling me what you think so far. Thank you to everyone who has liked, commented, and followed it makes me really happy.