House Arrest

Disclaimer: I don't own very much…sadness…

ThouandI: Ah yes, you'll have to wait and see how the pregnancy came about…

Olio: Glad you like it!

Eleonora1: Ah yes, I did plan for someone to speculate about rape before I got your last review, its just that someone wasn't going to be Remus. Sirius is a bit of a bastard in this fic, isn't he? That was definitely intentional. And yes, Hermione could probably relate to Lucius a lot more than the boys in the house.

Brunette89: Ha ha, Lucius/Sirius action will come soon! But it has to take its time…

Cutieak88: Ha ha, good guess with the other father thing, but I won't be revealing that for a while yet.

Legolas19: Thank you!

Jadwiga: Snape knows, he never guesses :-D Oh yes, Lucius will have to depend on Hermione a lot while Sirius is being an arse.

Shinigami: Yeah he did hate his family but he probably still had to interact with Bellatrix until he ran away from home. Anyways, people shouldn't get offended by that blonde comment as I myself, am blonde as well, I mainly wrote that to poke fun at myself as I always get told the blonde is getting to me.

Jen: Ok!

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Chapter 3: Alone with Lucius

It had been two weeks since Lucius Malfoy had arrived at Grimmauld Place now and he was finally starting to relax a little. He didn't really leave his bedroom that often, preferring to stay as far away from Sirius as he could but Sirius felt the same so he kept his distance at meal times when Lucius decided to join them.

Hermione's owled request to her Potions Master about the Stomach Calming Solution had taken nearly three days to be replied to, but there had been an Order meeting in those three days so she figured he was quite busy. However, Professor Snape was kind enough to send a vial of the potion with direct instructions for giving it to a pregnant person. His letter had shown a great dislike of Lucius, so she was rather surprised he had bothered to help in the first place.

"There's only a tiny bit in there." Said Lucius when he looked into the goblet Hermione had just given him.

"Professor Snape said that any more than that a day could damage you and your baby." Replied Hermione; she showed the blond the vial. "Six drops is all it takes and when the morning sickness subsides you have to stop taking it in case it causes more damage."

"Snape said that?"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, I figured if anyone knew about this solution it would have been him.

Lucius gave her a half smile, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Despite Sirius constantly telling her she didn't know what she was getting herself into, Hermione found she was getting along quite well with Lucius already. In fact, he was a very interesting person in her opinion, next to Remus; he was the only other person in Grimmauld Place whom she could hold a proper conversation with without starting an argument.

………

"You be nice." Said Hermione one morning to Sirius, as she and Harry were both going to go to Diagon Alley with the Weasleys. And with Remus gone for a few days that meant that Sirius and Lucius would be alone for a good few hours.

"I will if he is." Replied Sirius frowning slightly.

Hermione sighed, "Please Sirius? I don't want to have to start from scratch…"

"Fine." Said Sirius, he wasn't quite as bothered by Lucius' presence now but the few times they had passed in the hallways or on the stairs, the blond hadn't been too kind at all. He usually got a sneer or a biting remark thrown at him so he had no choice but to retaliate. No matter what Hermione said, he didn't believe that Lucius was worthy of respect after the things that man had done in his past. "But if he gives me reason to be nasty then I will."

Hermione gave him a small smile, "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Come on you two, we're going!" Called Tonks from the entrance hall, she was taking them to Diagon Alley.

Sirius sighed when he heard his mother start screaming again, "Good one Tonks."

"HALF BREEDS! MUDBLOODS! FOUL CREATURES! BANE OF MY FLESH!"

"Sorry Sirius." Said Tonks guiltily, as she saw him storming out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Sirius heard the three of them leave as he approached his mother's hideous screaming portrait, "Shut up you stupid old bat!" He grabbed the curtain that had fallen back and yanked it back across the portrait with some difficulty. "God I hate you, you stupid cow…" He muttered angrily.

"She did have a rather slow and painful death."

Sirius spun around to see Lucius leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, "Really?"

The blond nodded tiredly, "Yes. Apparently the old hag fell down the stairs, she was found a few days later half dead by Narcissa."

Sirius raised an eyebrow in minor amusement, "And there I was thinking it would have been something spectacular."

"No…just a common household accident."

"Hang on," Said Sirius suddenly, "Where was Kreacher when that happened?"

"With us." Replied Lucius, "I have no idea why though."

Sirius nodded slowly, he tried as inconspicuously as he could to look Lucius up and down. He was a very good looking man and with Sirius' own sexual orientation, Lucius would have been the kind of guy he may have dated back when he was younger, before Azkaban.

"Now, now, cousin, are you checking me out?" Asked Lucius, an eyebrow arched curiously, there was definite amusement in his voice.

Sirius snapped out of his daze and forced a scowl onto his face, "You think far too much of yourself Lucius. Why would I be checking you out?"

Lucius smirked and moved a little nearer to the dark haired man, "Well, I happen to know that you being a Gryffindor was not the only reason your family wanted to disown you," Sirius was glaring at him willingly now. "They found out about your sexual preference didn't they? They wanted you gone because of it, but they were too high up in society to outright disown you."

Sirius was practically steaming now, very few people knew he was gay. Remus and James were actually the only friends he had told, though he figured his younger brother Regulus had been spying on him when they were at school, probably so that he could report back to their parents. "What about yourself, Lucius? I never took you as a bottom kind of man."

Lucius gave him a dirty look, "Normally under willing circumstances, I wouldn't be." With that, he turned on his heal and went straight back into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Sirius still had a hand on the curtain covering his mother's portrait so that it couldn't fall back, he was now quite confused. What had Lucius meant by that? 'Normally under willing circumstances…', was Remus correct in thinking that Lucius had been forced?

Sirius sighed, now what was he meant to do? Should he leave Lucius alone to sulk or should he go and apologise for being so nasty to him? Lucius had started it anyway, hadn't he?

No Sirius, you started the snapping because he caught you staring…

"Dammit." He turned and headed back down the stairs, he decided to give Lucius a little while to stew before he attempted an apology. What was worrying him more than Lucius' severe reaction to his bottom comment, was how Hermione would react to him starting a fight with Lucius. He had a sinking feeling that she would probably cause him great pain if she found out.

"Ah Sirius."

Sirius jumped at the sound of the voice, he looked up and saw Dumbledore had just entered the house, "Oh hi…"

Dumbledore had that usual twinkle in his eye, "I thought I would pop in and see how you and your guests are holding up."

Sirius nodded slowly, "Oh, we're fine. Harry and Hermione have been helping with redecorating this place…"

"And Lucius?"

Damn, you had to ask about him didn't you? Thought Sirius, "Yeah, he's ok, I think. Hermione's made friends with him, oddly enough."

Dumbledore nodded, "Ah good, yes, Remus mentioned that when I spoke with him." Sirius didn't like the sound of that, what if Remus had told Dumbledore what he'd been doing to Lucius? "He also mentioned that you and Lucius have been attempting to put your pasts behind you, and get along."

Oh thank you Moony, I owe you one. "Yeah…well, attempting being the operative word. Drink?"

"Yes thank you." Dumbledore followed Sirius down to the kitchen. "I am sure it would take a bit of time before you both got used to each other."

"Mm," Sirius nodded, he kept his back to Dumbledore as he poured them both a glass of brandy. "It will. Here."

Dumbledore took a sip of his brandy, then he spoke with a lowered voice, "Has Lucius mentioned anything about his condition?"

"You mean other than complaining about his morning sickness?"

"Well, I was thinking more along the lines of what happened to bring the pregnancy on."

Sirius frowned slightly, should he tell Dumbledore what words had been passed between them only a few minutes ago? No, he decided, he wanted to find out what Lucius meant without anyone else's help or input. "No…he hasn't. He's just been keeping to himself most of the time. He talks more to Hermione, but I don't think they really touch on the matter of his pregnancy."

……

After Dumbledore had gone and before the kids came back from Diagon Alley, Sirius hadn't had time to go upstairs and check on Lucius.

"What are you two doing back so soon?"

Harry shrugged, "Tonks said something about possible attack and Death Eaters…"

Hermione nodded, "Yeah, she was very vague but she said that we would have to finish our shopping another day."

"Ah, ok then." Replied Sirius, he was wondering what would happen if Hermione went upstairs and found Lucius still fuming and sulking. "Well, if you want some lunch, there's still some in the kitchen. I eh, have to go feed Buckbeak."

He headed to the stairs and as he ascended them he could feel Hermione watching him suspiciously and then he realised why. He never fed Buckbeak again this soon after the Hippogriff had had breakfast.

"Sirius?" Called Hermione's voice quietly up the stairs.

Sirius sighed, Here it comes. "Yes Hermione?" He looked back over his shoulder at the girl and saw she looked quite bashful.

Hermione bit her bottom lip, "Sorry I'm being such a cow to you about Lucius…but my mum miscarried a couple of years ago, I just don't want to see someone else go through that."

Sirius smiled slightly, "Don't worry about it. You were right, I am inconsiderate prick, Remus and James use to tell me that all the time." Hermione smirked. "Anyway, I will try and be nice from now on, so you can stop smacking me every time Lucius is upset."

"All right then."

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A/N: I think I'm finally getting over my writer's block now that my school holiday is drawing to a close.

Next Chapter: An Order meeting and Lucius' information about Voldemort will be heard. And Andromeda Tonks makes an appearance.