Disclaimer: Not mine…nothing you recognize anyway.

A/N: Keep the reviews coming. Also, I want to see how many of you can guess where I got the creature in Hermione's dream from.

Chapter 3

The Shadow

She didn't know why she was doing it, but she was leaving the house. Her gown was a satiny white and flowed on the ground behind her. Her only cover was a thin forest green robe that flowed with the gown. It was dark and eerily quiet. She didn't know where Lucius was. She followed the path from the front door until she reached the gates to the property. She heard the gate shut behind her. She felt the dirt and dried tree leaves beneath her bare feet. She entered a small clearing when she heard a maniacal laugh reminding her of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Quickly looking around she noticed them coming out from behind the trees surrounding her. Their black cloaks with their pointed hoods and skull masks sent a wave of shock and fear through her body. She shook her head in disbelief.

"No…no…"

She looked around frantic, but she had nowhere to run. Before her, a darkness formed near her feat. She watched in horror as this darkness rose from the ground. It seemed to be taking a form, yet not taking a definite form. It was as black as a fire's smoke and smelled of ash and death. It was the darkest shadow Hermione had ever seen and it seemed to slide toward her. The Death Eaters closed in on her as this shadow came for her…

Lucius found her outside. Hermione lay curled up on the ground just inside the gates. One arm was wrapped around herself while the other held her head as if in pain. Lucius saw she had nothing but her gown and robe on. Her body shivered and he had a feeling it was not just because she was cold. She was talking in her sleep.

"No…no…"

He could hear the desperation and fear to such a degree in her voice that it sounded foreign. Lucius stood there wondering if he should wake her or wait until she woke up. He felt a battle raging within him. A year ago, he would have laughed and left her there. For some reason he just couldn't do that.

The entire Order will kill me if I just leave her here.

Resigned to his decision, Lucius bent down and lifted the sleeping girl up in his arms. She was still chanting and begging no in her sleep. When he lifted her though, Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck and held on as if he were something in her nightmare come to rescue her. Lucius took a deep calming breath and shifted his eyes to see that she was indeed still asleep.

Lucius placed Hermione back on her bed and covered her as her body felt so cold to him. He watched her as she thrashed again in her bed begging her nightmare away. Before he could leave however, she sat straight up in bed and screamed. It sent a chill down Lucius' spine. She looked around her room, disoriented and confused. Her eyes fell onto Lucius.

"Mister Malfoy?"

She wondered why he was in her room. He looked away from her to give him a moment to compose himself before he met her with his usual cold stare.

"Miss Granger, perhaps you should ward your door at night to prevent your little night time strolls outside."

Lucius left the room, shutting the door behind him. Hermione sat there in bed trying to figure out what he meant. Reaching up to scratch her head she felt something odd in her hair and pulled it out. It was a dried leaf. With a furrowed brow she looked at it and the horror struck her that if she had been sleep walking there was only one reason Lucius was in her room—he had to of carried her.

Down stairs, Lucius sat at the desk in the drawing room quickly writing a note. His Eagle Owl sat perched on the banister of the swirling staircase. The owl flew off with the note as Hermione appeared on the stairs. She didn't look well. Her skin had grown pale in their first week in the safe house, her eyes bore dark circles and were red, and with her hair pulled back haphazardly, you could see the sweat on her brow from an obvious fever. Lucius said nothing as the girl walked straight to her schoolwork and started to edit an essay not due for another week.

It was close to lunchtime when Lucius noticed Headmistress McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey hurrying through the gates toward the front door. Lucius met them at the door pointing them in the direction of the girl sitting at the desk scribbling away on her parchment.

"Miss Granger."

Hermione heard McGonagall stern voice, immediately dropped her quill, and stood up to greet her Head of House. When she turned to face her Head of House, however, she swayed. That's when she noticed Madam Pomfrey who took her by her arm, allowing her to regain her balance.

"Sit."

Madam Pomfrey pointed at the sofa and Hermione knew better than to argue. A few wand movements and clicks of the tongue later Madam Pomfrey was giving Hermione a firm tongue lashing.

"…and no more skipping meals. You are shriveling up. You will rest for the next few days."

Madam Pomfrey turned to Lucius and handed him two phials.

"Mister Malfoy, make sure she takes the blue one at night and the green one in the morning."

Hermione felt insulted. Madam Pomfrey stood there giving Luius Malfoy instructions for her care as if she were a child incapable of knowing what to do. With a pat on the shoulder from both women, they left Lucius and Hermione alone again.

Lucius stood near the drawing room door.

"Go to bed Miss Granger. The house elf will bring you your lunch." He noticed the look on her face. "And I do not want to hear one word about house elves is that clear?"

She nodded her head and quietly walked up to her room.

'Some say the Shadow was evil's only friend and came only when evil called it forth…'

Hermione sighed. She was tired of being stuck in bed. She read her Dark Arts chapter once already, but something about it was pulling at her. Slowly she drifted off to sleep…drifted off to nightmares.

A blood-curling scream pierced the night. Lucius jumped right out of bed and swiftly moved to Hermione's room. He stood in nothing but pajama bottoms in her doorway to find her not there. Dashing down the stairs and out the front door, he found her on the ground again. With an exasperated sigh, he picked her up again and returned her to her bed.

He stood in her dark room watching her. Shaking his head, he left the room warding it himself on the way out. As he went back to bed, he couldn't but to wonder what in the name of Merlin she was having nightmares about. Thinking about all her little adventures with Potter could explain it, but she never seemed to have a reaction to it. However, he reminded himself, he was not exactly one of her friends to notice any change.

Lucius woke the next morning to screaming and pounding coming from the room next to his.

"LET ME OUT! LUCIUS MALFOY!"

He did not like being woken in such a way, but hearing her screaming like that made his lips curl in a wicked smile. Stepping out of his own room he headed toward the noisy door.

Hermione was panicked and pissed off. She tried to go down stairs to finally eat breakfast at the table and found she could not get out of her own room, no matter what she did to it. There was only one explanation—Lucius Malfoy. She resorted to pounding the door and yelling until he came.

The door flew open and there stood Lucius Malfoy, in pajama bottoms, and arms crossed over his chest. She glared at him so full of rage that he couldn't help but to drop his arms and step forward, into her door way. Leaning in the door he looked her up and down.

"Is there a reason for such an outburst so early?"

She refused to respond. After all, he should know why she was doing such a thing.

"Get out of my way Mister Malfoy," she hissed through clenched teeth.

Lucius remained in the door not saying a word for a moment.

"My...my…temper Miss Granger."

He watched the anger rising even more so. It showed in her blazing eyes and flushed cheeks and the way her chest heaved up and down with each deep breath she took. What happened next he would blame himself later for losing focus because a Malfoy never loses focus. Hermione knew he would not be expected a physical assault of any kind and the fact that he actually looked relaxed as he leaned on the doorframe gave her the advantage she needed. Hermione lurched forward. Lucius felt her hands come in contact with his bare chest and he could remember the odd tingling sensation that shot through his body with its center of origin being where her hands were. Before he could realize what happened totally, he found himself on his arse in the hallway.

He looked up at a still angry Hermione. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her foot tapped frantically while she looked down at him.

"Never…never lock me in my room again. Is that clear Mister Malfoy?"

She didn't wait for a response. He watched fascinated and angry as she whipped around and stormed down the hallway.

Lucius sat at the table to enjoy the breakfast Binky the house elf had made. Hermione sat there eating and pretending he did not exist. He didn't like to be ignored. He ate, keeping his eyes on the girl. She felt his eyes on her and just ignored it with a satisfactory smirk playing on her lips. Little did she know the pain he was living with. She would soon find out.

That afternoon Hermione sat on the sofa reading. Lucius, seeming to like making her uncomfortable, sat on the other end of the sofa. Hermione knew something was wrong when the normally composed man dropped the book he was reading. He sat bent over slightly as if in pain. Hermione jumped up and ran to him. On her knees in front of him she tried to get him to look up at her.

"Mister Malfoy, what is it? Please, Mister Malfoy."

She was actually afraid to touch him. He saw her as a Mudblood and for her to put her hands on him without him wanting it could be deadly. Checking that her wand was where she thought it to be on her, she reached her hands out to grab his face and make him look at her. The pain was in his eyes and his face was paler than death.

"What is it," she whispered.

For an answer, he held out his arm. The Dark Mark was burning darker than usual.

"I…I have been ignoring it."

She couldn't really explain what made her do it, but she reached up and hugged him. Something about knowing he was just accepting the pain of a decision he didn't really make. Voldemort was calling him and Lucius Malfoy refused to go. She couldn't say she totally trusted him, but it was a hug more of apology and empathy than anything. Lucius felt her arms wrap around him and he froze. The pain wasn't so bad as his mind reeled into his thoughts of her arms around him and trying to understand why it sent him into a nearly flustered state.

"Lay down."

He could feel Hermione's hand on his chest gently urging him to lie down on the sofa. Without complaint, he did it. Hermione ran from the room and a couple minutes later, she returned with a phial containing a golden looking potion.

"Okay, take this."

He took it from her hand as he slowly sat up. Looking at the liquid, he looked back at her suspiciously. Was this some sort of Gryffindor trick? Hermione rolled her eyes at his distrust.

"It's a potion for pain. Professor Snape used to take it prior to going to Voldemort so pain from the Cruciatus was lessened."

She watched his face turn from suspicion to curiosity. Taking a deep sigh she answered his unasked question.

"I took some during detention one night."

His face broke out into a genuine smile as he dumped the potion down his throat. Relief washed over his body as the pain subsided.

"Thank you, Miss Granger."

That evening was relatively quiet. Hermione didn't flinch away when Lucius sat on the other end of the sofa and he noticed the change. His attention was drawn to her in concern when she gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh Merlin!"

"What is it Miss Granger?"

She pointed at her book and began to read out loud.

"Some say the Shadow was evil's only friend and came only when evil called it forth. Sometimes the Shadow was as red as fire and sometimes gray as the ash to which fire turns all that it devours. The Shadow rises from his master's feet, soundless and faceless…"

Lucius waited for her to explain the point. She looked up at Lucius with a bit of fear dancing across her face.

"That is what I am dreaming about when you find me outside."

Lucius looked from the book to her face. She looked pale again.

"Your nightmares are of The Shadow," Lucius whispered into the silent night of the drawing room.