Sold-Chapter 14- Lucius' Visit
By Marmalade Fever
A.N.: Well, I finally finished reading. Due to the amount of new information, I think I'll continue Sold with as little HBP influence as possible. (Though I must warn that there will be some trivial information, but I'm not going to go back and make any changes.) To those who asked, AU means Alternate Universe.
Granger opened her eyes and slapped Draco so hard that he stumbled backward and onto the ground. "Stay away from me!" she hissed, eyes large.
Draco wasted no time and left the angry woman's cell, smirking to himself. "Oh, Granger?" he added, as he was about to leave. "My father will be visiting in the morning. Don't forget." He continued down the passage and up the stairs to his bedroom. That kiss had been entirely worth it. He now fully understood why his counterpart had married her, with chemistry like that! So it hadn't been love at all. Everything was making much more sense now. And Granger had certainly earned herself a new outfit.
It was ten o'clock in the morning when Lucius Malfoy showed up. He was wearing robes of slate gray to compliment his eyes. Draco had hastily double-checked the locks on both Evander and Lily's doors. "Father, how good of you to come!" Draco said, with false emotion in his voice.
"Your mother sent this package along," the elder man said, with a grimace.
Draco took the brown-paper parcel in his hands and slid the string off. Inside was a pair of bright, peach colored ladies' dress robes. "I think she's gone a bit far…" Draco muttered, holding the robes up for inspection. He couldn't help but notice that the coloring would match Granger's complexion quite well. "Come along, she's in the dungeon. I just had Kobby send her some breakfast a few minutes ago."
"You know, Draco, when I said that you should catch up with your old school-mates, this isn't entirely what I meant."
"No, Father? Why, I was under the impression that it was," Draco said, smirking to show that he was only jesting. "And here we are." They had arrived outside of the dungeon doors and Draco's father wasted no time in going in. Draco followed.
Granger was leaning against the back wall of her cell, eating a bowl of porridge. When she caught sight of her visitors, she made no move to put the bowl down. Draco noticed that her eyes had that familiar gleam of the dead in them, once more. Draco nodded to her, trying to withhold a smirk, and she nodded back, continuing to eat.
"So this is what has become of the know-it-all mudblood from the days of yore," Lucius said, eying the woman with keen interest. "You're right, Draco, she is skeletal. Practically nothing but skin and bones and porridge. You had me a little worried last night, you know."
Draco felt panic seize him. His father was speaking in his normal tone, and was not intent on hiding his conversation from Granger at all.
"Well, you've seen her now, Father. Let's go somewhere a little more comfortable, shall we?"
"Don't be in such a hurry, son! You might as well give her that outfit your mother sent along." Without waiting, Lucius took the dress robes from him and tucked them through the bars in the cell. "My wife sends this, mudblood. Take care to not send spittle down the front. I can assure you that it will be one of the last kind acts ever bestowed on you."
Granger fixed her evil eye onto Lucius and Draco was pleased to see the unease that gripped his father. She stood, swaggered forward, took up the dress, and said in all politeness, "Thank you." Her gaze then swept from Lucius' face to Draco's and she was back at the rear wall of her cell so fast that Draco thought he must have blinked.
"Draco," his father said, lowering his voice, "don't you have any torture devices? I was sure you did."
Draco cast a look at Granger and quickly muttered a muffliato spell at her. "There are other ways to skin a cat. Besides, what need have I for torture? I don't have any information to draw out of her, and there's always verita serum for that."
"And what other use is there for keeping her if you don't even use torture? I really don't like this setup, Draco. It's unnatural."
"I told you, Father, it's her mind that requires preservation. Do you know how she did on her O.W.L.'s? Ten out-standings and only one excellent! We can't risk the damage of a brain like that!"
"No, I suppose not. But I still don't like this, Draco. Say that you do meet a woman soon and you marry her. She won't be very happy by the presence of another woman in her dungeons."
"Quite frankly Father, I think that can be dealt with at the proper time. And who's to say I will meet anyone? There is a dangerously small crop of worthy women these days. I think it's safe to say that the entire human race is close to extinction! Unless you wouldn't mind if I married a hag?"
"Of course I'd mind! Just remember, Draco, we must have an heir! You are the very last of the Malfoy line. If you wish, I'll begin making a list of eligible women and if worse comes to worst, we'll imperius one into marrying you!"
"Really Father? You wouldn't rather use a love potion?" Draco asked, wryly.
"Just find somebody! Anybody! Murder a few husbands if you have to! Just produce an heir before your mother dies. Do you understand?"
"Of course." Draco wheeled his father out the door and returned him upstairs to speak a little more privately.
Hermione shook her head. Draco had cast a muffliato spell on her. Just wonderful. She felt like she had sand in her ears. She had finished her porridge and set to work trying to decipher their conversation through their lips, but to no effect. Now that they had left, she turned her attention to the colorful material beside her. She slipped from her rotting overalls into the soft fabric of the dress robes and admired herself. They had been charmed to fit the wearer exactly. She sighed, though she couldn't hear it, and pulled her fingers through her hair. So this was her reward for being kissed by Draco Malfoy.
A.N.: I'm so sorry this was so short. I was called in to work and had two and a half hours less to work on this than normal. TTFN everyone.