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Chapter 12: Past the Point of No Return

"Past the point
of no return,
the final threshold -
what warm,
unspoken secrets
will we learn?
Beyond the point
of no return . . ."

-Past the Point of No Return, The Phantom of the Opera

The day was fast approaching, when Hermione would be presented to Death Eater Society. She tried not to think about it, that she would be trapped inside a room with tons of people who hated her and everything she stood for.

But what did she stand for? Gradually, Hermione began realize that the only reason she was nervous was because she craved to be accepted. She wanted to discuss theories with them, learn from them as she did with Lucius. But when she'd told him of her concern he waved her off.

"But they hate me. Even if you didn't they do."

Lucius bored those gray eyes of his into hers. "They're sheep. That's what makes them decent followers. The only ones with any intelligence are the few in the Inner Circle."

"And who exactly makes up the Inner Circle?"

"Just about everyone Potter named." Hermione chose to disregard the edge of malice in his voice that accompanied every mention of Harry. "Avery, MacNair, the rest that had gathered in Potter's sight had been in a lower order. And of course there are the three most important people."

"Who are?" Hermione teased gently.

"Bellatrix, Severus and yours truly."

"Lucius?"

"Yes?"

"Why wasn't Narcissa a Death Eater?" Hermione hoped this question didn't provoke a nasty outburst, but she was curious as to why there were so few women Death Eaters.

Lucius' jaw tensed, but he answered her. "My former wife was too…weak emotionally to agree with some of the Dark Lord's methods. She respected him as her Lord, of course, but she did not have the temperament that a Death Eater must have."

She could've sworn she heard him say under his breath, "She wasn't like you."

LHSLHSLHS

Why was he here? Why was he torturing himself like this? Though he hadn't asked, the Dark Lord would've undoubtedly given Severus a leave of absence had he only asked for one. Why was he torturing himself? He knew how to end his suffering; he just refused to do it.

Lucius and Hermione strolled in, making a handsome couple. Lucius was dressed in simple robes, but Hermione looked…spectacular.

The scarlet red of the dress robes picked up the highlights of her hair which no longer hung in a frizzy cloud around her head. Instead, it hung in smooth, sleek ringlets. The dress also brought out her eyes, showcasing the inner fire that raged in them. She must've gained some weight because the robes were hugging her intimately in all the right places, stealing Severus' breath away like a sickness, pervading his lungs.

He reluctantly ripped his eyes off of her just in time to see one of his hated Death Eater comrades sidling towards him.

"The mudblood sure cleaned up well, eh?" The man or rather, boy, was a new recruit named Delaney. He could not be more than twenty and Severus wondered to himself, what was this young man fighting for? He most certainly did not come from one of the old Death Eaters. He didn't have the bias. He clearly was willing to look past Hermione's faults, just from his tone.

But the young man swept away like a vampire in the night, leaving Snape to gaze at Hermione once again. Was it just him or was Lucius too close to her? Gripping her too tightly? Their acts seemed to intimate, to secret to be an act. But it was, was it not?

"Beautiful, isn't she?" The Dark Lord whispered close to Severus' ear, shocking him. "I must say, I thought you would be the one to sweep her off her feet, despite the living arrangements. But, the game is not over, eh? And may the best man win." The Dark Lord raised his goblet to Snape and gave him a tiny snake like wink.

He left Snape there, silent and staring, at the man who had so easily become his enemy.

LHSLHSLHS

Hermione schmoozed the night away, and those foolish enough to challenge her or her position was quickly silenced by Lucius. It was shocking to Hermione how scot free she'd escaped her juxtaposition, but assumed that both Lucius and Voldemort had put the fear of hell into their lackeys. She stuck by Lucius like glue, talking to Severus only a few times before being swept away with Lucius, on to the dance floor, or to meet another acquaintance. All the same, she was glad it was over. The overall feeling of the banquet had been…acceptance…the exact thing Hermione feared she would not get. That, more than anything, had disturbed her.

"You did wonderfully tonight, I'm so proud of you." Lucius said once they were back in the privacy of their own rooms. "The Dark Lord will be pleased."

"And you're pleased?" Hermione looked up at him through her lashes. She didn't know what had gotten into her but she felt like quite the coquette.

"Yes, I'm pleased."

"Does this mean…"

"Yes, this means we can do magic. Come here." He led her into his rooms and closed the doors. Turning to a wall he whispered a spell and an outline of a door appeared on the wall. Taking her hand, Lucius led her inside.

The room was big enough to fit several small elephants inside and it glittered. Not with gold or jewels, but with magic. How had she missed this?

"There's an opening in your room as well," Lucius said softly, guiding her to the center of the room. He waved his wand and instantly the room shifted, changed. It now looked like a meadow in the spring. It was so real that Hermione could feel the warm sunshine on her cheeks, see the butterflies flitting around, going from flower to flower.

Lucius was so close to her now that she could feel his hot breath on her cheek. Shivering, she instinctively, she pushed herself closer to him, willing herself to become one with him.

"Hermione," the voice sounded in her head. She looked at him and he silently explained how their bond had deepened the moment they'd stepped into the room. He walked over to a tree filled with blossoms. Picking one that hadn't bloomed yet, he gave it to her.

It was so sad, Hermione thought to herself. The flower she held in her hand would never grow, never become what it was destined to. Not actually knowing what she was doing, Hermione passed her hand in front of the bud and it burst into bloom right before her eyes.

"You did it," Lucius gripped her waist tightly. "You made dark magic."

She shook her head in wonder. Though she understood that what she'd done was wrong, messing about with nature for absolutely no good reason was frowned upon and considered if not dark magic, than magic with a dark purpose. But she couldn't accept it. She'd fulfilled life. How could doing something so beautiful be wrong?

Turning her around, Lucius buried his nose in her hair. "You're so beautiful," he inhaled. He leaned in, and suddenly it was as if Hermione was watching things in slow motion. She felt his soft lips against hers. The voices in her head battled fiercely, one telling her to stop; to remember Ron, or even better, remember Snape and the other ordering her to pay attention to the man in front of her.

Hermione listened to neither. For once in her life, she ceased to think; to over analyze things. More than anything, she wanted to be close to someone, to anyone again. And here was somebody offering all of that closeness, that desire that she'd been lacking for so long. More than anything, she wanted what Ron wasn't there to give her and what Snape for some reason wouldn't. She wanted someone to want her.

But a part of her was telling her nothing. It was only hoping that if she closed her eyes hard enough, she could pretend it was Severus kissing her.

Slowly the pair sank down to the ground.

LHSLHSLHS

So guys, thinking about trying to start a Girl With A Pearl Earring category. If you haven't read and or seen it, read and see it ASAP. Questions follow:

Should it go under movie or book?

Would anyone read my story there?

Would anyone write a story there?

Personal stuff below:

SugarQuill Cutie: Um…let inspiration strike. Don't force a story. It always ends bad. Even if others like it, you might not. And thanks for the awesome review!

Fiona McKinnon: Yeah, I don't know exactly where that finger part came in, but it did.

Carebear Erin: Yeah, everything Hermione does with Lucius is because of the definite dark sexual awakening, but everything with Severus is normal.

Laragirl007: Snape is pissing me off. I know that's sad, because I'm writing him but honestly. But I still love him. I hope you aren't too pissed about Hermione and Lucius, but it had to be done. Sorry!

Thank you to all my reviewers!1111