Hi everyone!
I loved writing this chapter, so I hope you'll love reading it – I'll be hearing from you I presume :) do enjoy your reading.
Disclaimer: They are NOT mine, will never ever be - they ARE JK's for the 17:th time
Disclaimer: The lyric doesn't belong to me - belongs in this chapter to Kansas and is called "Dust in the wind" ;)
All credit touching grammar, spelling or stuff like that goes to my beta shyngr8 (shy-n-great)
But other ways - ENJOY :)
Duster
I close my eyes
only for a moment, then the moment's gone
all my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
all we are is dust in the wind
Have you ever been in a dress-shop and been totally disgusted with the sight of clothes? Well, that doesn't happen very often, in most cases you would be delighted, but in this case Hermione wasn't. The one who had a house-elf to serve them would know. The little creatures had through the ages learnt how to handle a snobbish Pureblood and how to handle a Pureblood was evidently to spoil them with no limits, namely to crawl in the dirt (a lot), beg for forgiveness (much), always find the best and insist on always doing their best.
For an hour and a half Hermione had been standing in that god damned wardrobe, impatiently trying out numerous dresses, shirts, robes and shoes. Evidently the old matron, Narcissa, left a lot of clothing behind. Hermione had thought that Lucius had disgustingly too much clothing, but Narcissa, it seemed, had been far worse. After Lucius' last closet on Hermione's right had Narcissa's closets after it (then continued on Hermione's left). At first Hermione had thought that it was only the fifty closets which she saw from there but Duster had shown her just how wrong she was. The last of Narcissa's closets (the ones that were closest to the door that led to the bathroom) were empty, instead of clothes there was another door that led to Narcissa's 'private' wardrobe which contained at least a hundred more closets.
"Her interest must have been shopping," Hermione muttered as Duster showed her a very expensive and glittering hand-made dress.
"Oh yes, my former mistress loved shopping, yes, yes she did. Bought herself a new dress every week she did, threw them away after a while….yesyesyes she did," Duster eagerly answered and waved the dress in front of Hermione, trying to make her try it on.
"Spoilt bastards, all of them," Hermione growled and shook her head at the dress in front of her face.
"Yes they are, they are very sp-" Duster clamped his hands over his mouth; evidently he'd just realised what he was about to say, "BAD Duster! BAD Duster!"
The poor creature dropped the dress on the floor and started wailing, wriggling his hands and began hitting himself on his head. Always repeating; bad Duster, bad Duster. Hermione gasped, she had seen that reaction before, but she always had heart ache when she saw it.
"Duster….Duster, Sweet Merlin, stop it," she gasped and took hold of Duster's sickly thin arms, thus stopping him from hitting himself.
"Duster spoke ill of his family," he cried and blew his nose in his already dirty towel.
"Yes you did," Hermione answered calmly, Duster stared at her his eyes were wide in fear.
"Duster is so sorry, Mrs. Malfoy, Duster will punish himself… Duster forgot she was a Malfoy, speaking nice to Duster and all, Duster's going to pu-"
"You DID speak ill of your family, Duster, and with all rights," Hermione continued, holding the poor creature's arms firmly, whilst meeting his eyes.
"M-M-Mrs w-w-wanted Duster t-t-to? Nonononono," the creature stared wide eyed at Hermione which made a lump rise in her throat.
Hermione couldn't help what happened next; she needed comfort, Duster needed comfort. She needed a friend, he needed a friend…..they needed each other. She had lost her cat, she wasn't about to let this mistreated, cute, creature go without a fight. Therefore she bent forward and with trembling hands she picked up the quivering house-elf, he didn't fight her, he didn't move at all as she gently hugged his thin frame. She stood there for a while, holding on to the vibrating, and by now, sniffling creature, all of a sudden she felt a small hand as it sneaked around her neck…….Duster was hugging her back.
They didn't need words, they didn't need fine words or false understanding, the only thing they understood was that both of them needed love and caring. By now both of them were crying; Duster cried because he for the first time in his miserably life felt loved, Hermione cried because of the fact that Duster had never felt love.
"Would you like to know something, Duster?" Hermione asked gently and stroked Duster over his head, the creature shivered but finally he answered.
"No, Mrs Hermione."
"I think I know what I want to wear today."
"She does?" Duster withdrew from her neck from where he had rested his head and faced her.
"I want to wear a towel," Hermione stated and Duster stared horrified at her.
"Mrs Hermione wants to wear a towel? No, no, no! Oh no! Mrs can't do that," he protested and shook his head violently, "Master would kill her, yes he would. She would be wearing the same thing as a… a… a…"
"As a house-elf?" Hermione finished for him, Duster nodded eagerly, "I want to wear the same thing as you do….what's your favourite colour?"
"Duster's favourite c-c-colour? Mrs Hermione just asked about D-D-Duster's favourite colour?" the poor creature seemed to be getting upset again so Hermione calmly caressed his head to show him it was okay. After a while Duster answered with a trembling voice, "Duster likes red, yes he does."
"Red is a lovely colour, this house seems to be lacking it… hey, I've got a great idea," Hermione whispered, "Come on."
She carried the house-elf into the bathroom, when there she closed the door into Lucius' and his dead wife's huge wardrobe. She walked over to the washbasin and carefully, without making any sudden movements, removed Duster's feeble and dirty towel.
"What's Mrs Hermione doing?" Duster asked with an alarming voice. He made feeble attempts to stop her with his thin and weak arms.
"Do you trust me, Duster?" Hermione asked and stopped herself.
"Y-y-yes, Duster trusts Mrs Hermione, yes he does," the little creature relaxed in her arms.
"I'm going to wash you, Duster, and heal your wounds. Would you allow me to do that?"
"Yes."
Hermione smiled a genuine smile and was met by a very weak smile from Duster. She finished the removal of his towel and then dropped him in the washbasin, fastened the plug and turned on the hot water. She added some soap and began scrubbing Duster's thin body.
The little house-elf closed his eyes and shivered in pleasure as all the dirt was washed away from him. Hermione had to empty and re-fill the washbasin three times before all the dirt was gone; the first round of water was brown when she pulled the plug. When she was finally done she studied him, he who had been brown was now almost silvery grey, his skin was beautiful, just like an old silver-spoon.
After the bath she picked him up once more and then searched through the bathroom and found what she were searching for……Lucius' own towel. With that towel she dried the little creature off, feeling an enormous pleasure in doing so. Then she put him down and went for her wand, she found it in a corner of Lucius' wardrobe.
"I'm not sure, Duster, but this might hurt…I've never tried this spell before, a usual healing spell wouldn't bite on your cuts and bruises…is that okay?"
"Duster trusts Mrs Hermione, yes he does. Mrs Hermione is a great witch," he quipped and sat down on the cold floor. Hermione drew a deep breath and muttered:
"Rotensus medicor…"
From Hermione's wand tip a green light exploded and hit Duster, the little creature shivered but made no other signs of displeasure or pain. Duster glowed green for a while, the light pulsed around him; he looked like a huge lava-lamp. After a while, though, the light faded and left Duster sitting on the floor with a dreamy expression on his little face.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" Hermione asked with her voice a little shaky. Duster opened his eyes a bit, sighing dreamily and answered her.
"No… no, Duster's feeling nothing, Duster feels… he feels…" the little creature couldn't seem to find words for what he felt. Hermione was about to start the next step in her 'saving Duster' mission when her new friend finally knew what he felt, "Duster feels happy… he feels light."
"Most of your wounds are gone, and your bruises… only some scars remain," Hermione remarked and placed her index finger over one particular scar that leapt over Duster's chest.
"Duster feels… he feels… loved." the last word came out in a whisper, as if it was a forbidden curse.
"You are loved…..now you are loved," Hermione had to fight her need to cry again; she sniffed behind a hand before she continued, "Now I'll get both you and me a new towel. What about a...a red towel?"
Hermione rose from the floor on which she had been sitting and walked over to the hooks that held one hand-towel and one bath-towel, both of them white. Hermione took them and went back to Duster, drew her wand and spoke:
"Mutatio cruentus"
Both of their towels turned red as blood, red as a rose, red as... red as a Gryffindor's colours. Hermione sighed and watched her work, Duster loved to watch, his face held a mask of rapture. Hermione picked up the largest towel and exchanged her blue sheet with it, she swept it around her chest and fastened it behind her back. Duster had, during the process of Hermione wrapping the towel around herself, picked up his and in one swift movement he'd made a complicated shroud around his lower body.
"Would you like to show me the kitchen, Duster?" Hermione asked politely, she didn't even have to wait for an answer because Duster was already out of the room, eagerly waving his hand as a sign for her to follow him.
Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
all we do
crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
all we are is dust in the wind
When Hermione got to the kitchen she gasped, because a kitchen that big could only be found at Hogwarts, which in had to produce food for hundreds of students. Malfoy manor's kitchen only had to produce food to one, well, two when Draco was home.
"What would my mistress want to do now?" Duster asked eagerly.
"First of all, she wishes that you would stop calling her 'mistress'. Secondly she wishes to know where you keep your eggs, flour, salt, milk and stuff like that," Hermione answered and walked towards a stove huge enough to live inside.
"If mi-……Hermione tells Duster what she needs, Duster will bring it to her," the little creature answered.
"Well I need…two cups of flour, two and a half teaspoons baking powder, one teaspoon salt, two eggs, one and a half cups of milk and two teaspoons of butter."
"Mrs Hermione wants pancakes," Duster squealed and jumped up and down on the spot, "Duster will make her pancakes, yes he will."
"No you won't," Hermione protested.
"I won't make you pancakes? What does she want Duster to make for her morning meal then?"
"First of all, it's almost lunchtime. Secondly I want to make them myself, but you're welcome to help me if you want."
"She wants to cook her own food!" Duster's eyes were about to pop out from their sockets, "I can't let her make her own food. Nononononono. Master would kill Duster; Duster's job is to cook food for his Master and Mistress, mistress is not allowed to cook her own food, nonononono."
"But Master's not here, is he?" Hermione asked and narrowed her eyes, "And if he comes home early you'll just run away and hide, I'll handle him."
"He would kill you. Duster can't allow Master to hurt Hermione."
"Listen to me, Duster, if your Master, my husband comes home you'll have to run and hide. He can kill you without being punished, but he can't kill me, that's illegal… promise Duster."
"Duster promise," the little elf sighed and hung his only ear.
"Good, would you like to help me with my lunch?"
"Duster would be… what would a wizard say?… Duster would be delighted."
"Bring me those eggs then," Hermione laughed.
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Hermione loved pancakes; she'd practically been brought up on them. Therefore everything went smoothly in the kitchen, Duster helped clean up after them, bringing the right ingredients and keeping guard in case Lucius turned up. Hermione turned pancakes with a passion, flipping them upwards with one frying pan and catching them with another frying pan.
One pancake flew too high though thus hitting the roof and then dangled from it in a laughable manner. Hermione began laughing, but Duster hadn't noticed the dangling threat, as he came rushing towards the stove with crème and strawberry jam. Hermione was about to warn him, but too late, the half baked dish fell with a disgusting splash from the roof and landed on Duster's head; it looked like a strange hat.
Hermione stared for a moment, then she started laughing; she laughed to the point of drawing tears. After a while she even heard Duster's nervous laughter from under the pancake-hat. Then Hermione decided to go crazy, she picked up a pancake and placed it on her own head. Duster, whom in just that moment, had peeked from under the pancake, caught a glimpse of his Mistress, standing there in a red towel, in the kitchen with a pancake on her head laughing so hard that she was almost un-able to stand up. It was in that moment Duster first laughed in mirth and then heard hasty footsteps outside the kitchen. He tried to inform Hermione that they were in danger, but she laughed too hard to take notice of him and with a panicked squeal he disappeared into the nearest cupboard, just as he had promised Hermione earlier.
And that was how Lucius found her, standing in the middle of the kitchen wearing a red towel and a pancake on her head. She was laughing so hard that she didn't even notice him entering, even though he had thrown the door open with full force.
"What in the name of Merlin do you think you're doing?" he roared, causing, if anything, Hermione to snap back to reality.
"I-I-I-I… I'm making pancakes," She answered, her voice unsteady, but if it were from fright or aftermath of her earlier laughing, Lucius didn't know.
"A Malfoy wife never does the dirty work by herself," Lucius growled and came closer, "Why didn't you make a house-elf do the work for you!"
"Because I'm against slavery. It's despicable and it ended in the civilised world ages ago. Only stone-age wizards still keep them. Freedom for all house-elves, hail S.P.E.W!"
"Don't you dare…don't you dare," Lucius threatened.
"I believe that I am daring. Death to slavery, hail democracy," she shouted back, evidently forgetting that morning's events.
Lucius was in front of her with three hasty strides, towering above her just as he used to do, but Hermione stretched on tip-toe to make herself longer, this time he wouldn't break her, he wouldn't…..couldn't. He raised one arm as if he wished to slap her, but then he lowered it again, giving her an icy stare. The fact that he hadn't hit her gave her courage, he wouldn't dare. Everything was just…
"Empty words……you wouldn't dare you cow-"
Smack-
She fell backwards and landed on the floor with a weak whimpering sound. A lonely tear fell from her cheek as she touched where she had been hit with Lucius bare hand, it burned….hurt. Lucius bent over her, giving her a cold glare.
"I told you not to challenge fate, Hermione, let this be a reminder to you," he sneered and turned on his heel, making a dramatic exit with his black coat swirling behind him.
When the door slammed shut she began to cry violently, she sat there for a while, knees up against her chin as an exploding headache worked its damage in her head. She then felt two tiny arms as they wrapped around her neck, Duster crawled up in her knee. She hugged him tightly and kept repeating in her mind:
'Everything will be fine, just calm down.'
'Calm down…'
Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Alright, I know what all of you're thinking right now - ABUSE! How can there be love betwen those two? You needn't wory because I've got everything figured out - thanks for reviewing :)
Cafecappucino:
Thanks :) – well I do try to update frequently, but there isn't just enough time, I wish I just could be at home, writing on my own fantasy novel (and this fanfic) but sadly enough I can't do that… you know – school and stuff like that, my athletic training takes a lot of time to.
Hotskittles:
Thank you, I loved that chapter to. Uhm… I'm not quite sure if I caught you there, did you ask me if Ron and Hermione ever would be again? I'm sorry, but they would never ever be again (in my fic), I've got no intentions of turning this into a RW/HG fic…
Brittany Malfoy:
Well, Hermione, as you know, could be "a hard time" for everyone :) so yes, she's going to give him a hard time – in the future. Oh… a party? Sounds interesting, I'll maybe include that into my story – if it's okay with you if I do that… (it's no promise though)
xxXGoddessXofXdeadXloveXxx:
Oh yes, he is – but tell me, who wouldn't go through a hell with her as a wife… but right now I think Lucius is still having the upper hand… for a little while more… ;)
Storygirl2009:
I'm glad you liked the aftermath of the wedding night. No, no real surprise weren't it, one could only suspect that Lucius kept his dark past looked up somewhere. I will write more about them in the future… it will help their relationship so to say :)
Livethroughtheatre:
Thank you for that statement; "one of the few who gives it justice" I like that, thank you, and I'm glad you liked my fic – it always brings lightening to my writing to know that I have ensnared a new reader :)
Oliver's Quidditch Crazy:
Yes, yes she has! Yesyesyes:) Yeah, I'm totally in love with that creature… he reminds me a bit of Dobby – though Duster's a bit braver. (otherwise everything would have went so slow) –laughs- want to live in the manor? I would ;) just imagine FIFTY closets stuffed with expensive clothing? I'd die from happiness :) but apparently Hermione's not so thrilled. You thought Lucius had much clothing, well, now you know that Narcissa at least had the double… spoiled is the only word I can come up with.
Sneak peak:
Everytning's finaly calming down, until one day - Draco comes home - and all hell breaks lose. Hermione's asking Lucius if she can have Duster as her... what!
See yah:)