Disclaimer: I don't anything in Harry Potter. J.K owns all the characters and places.
Author's Note: This will be an AU story and the characters are OOC. Some of the dates in the story have also been changed to fit in with the story itself.
A/N: I'm taking a small break from writing, I've got a small writer's block at the moment. When I've gotten over this, I'll pick the pen once again... So to speak ;)
Summary: Hermione takes a break from the wizarding world, five years later she returns with her four-year-old daughter. Lucius Malfoy bumps into Hermione and her daughter whilst in Diagon Alley… A few weeks later and they're going on their first date. Post-Hogwarts & Second War. Will be AU & OOC. Some dates have been changed to fit the story.
Chapter 5
Last weekend of September 2004,
The weekend dawned slightly colder than the day before, a soft rain fell from a darkened sky. Hermione and Luciana walked down their street to an area she could apparate from, walking around the small bend and entering the abandoned alleyway, Hermione took hold of Luciana's hand and with a slight twist disappeared with a soft pop. Appearing within Diagon Alley, they headed for the Leaky Cauldron which is where she and Lucius had agreed to have their brunch. Letting Luciana in first, she trailed behind her, watching as her daughter practically ran to where Lucius sat, "Hello sweetheart." Wrapping her tiny arms around his neck, Luciana smiled broadly, "Hello Mr Malfoy." Hermione came up behind them, a gentle smile in place at the sight of her daughter wrapped in an embrace with Lucius. "Good morning Lucius." Taking a seat opposite him, watching as he gently poked Luciana's nose, "Good morning my dear, how are you two lovely ladies doing?"
Luciana slid out of his embrace, claiming the seat next to him with a happy giggle. "Mama and I watched movies yesterday with hot chocolate." Her excitement kept a broad grin on her face. "Did you now and what was it that you watched?" Hermione smiled when Lucius briefly looked at her before he gave his full attention to Luciana as she began to tell him all about Brother Bear and Ice Age. Hermione's heart swelled as her stomach filled with butterflies, her ever increasing feelings toward Lucius were making her want to spend even more time with him than she already was. "Then what happened?" Hermione's thoughts were interrupted by Lucius' voice, turning her gaze to her child, she patiently listened along with Lucius as her daughter explained even more of the events that had happened in the movies to him. "These lights came from the sky and touched the mountain, then water was falling like a waterfall onto the mountain and the man turned into a bear!" Her childish glee was enough to make even Lucius curious about the film, "I think I may have to watch this movie with you, it sounds really good."
Luciana and Lucius continued to talk to each other for a short period and Hermione decided to order some drinks and a platter for them to share. "So how about we watch these movies one night and I can see how amazing they are?" Luciana nodded her head with a large smile, "I would love that!" Squeezing her into his side, Lucius placed a quick kiss on her head, "Good then it's a date." Turning his eyes to Hermione, he smiled. "And you my dear? How's the week been treating you?" Hermione took a blueberry from the platter that had arrived moments before, popping it into her mouth a second later, "It's been good thank you, I'm actually still waiting for Roberto to get back to me about the restaurants and hotel as I've not enquired about them for quite some time." He nodded, having taken a strawberry from the platter himself, passing Luciana a slice of orange. "I'm going to need to check in with the manager at Tesoro Roberto as well, perhaps we could dine there one night and I can speak to her then." Lucius nodded in agreement to her suggestion.
"That sounds lovely, we'll need to arrange it for the week after next as unfortunately I've received a letter from Draco requesting my immediate presence in France." Hermione lifted her brow in a silent question, "I'm not entirely sure as to what the issue is, all I know is that I am needed for an urgent matter." Lucius rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed with Draco's letter. "When do you have to go to France? Were you needed today? I'm sure we can rearrange our shopping trip for when you return…" Hermione blushed when Lucius chuckled, "It's alright my dear, I've informed him that I had a prior commitment for this weekend and would only arrive in France on Monday. I will spend a few days with him there and will return nearer to the end of the week. We are fine for today; you don't need to worry." Lifting his glass of pumpkin juice to his lips, Lucius took a hearty sip, his gaze on Hermione as she fussed with Luciana and her daughter's food. He could spend so much time with them both and never tire of their presence, having Luciana and Hermione in his life was like a balm to a burn.
Hermione caught him staring and blushed once again, "What? Is there something on my face?" Lucius chuckled at Hermione's question and shook his head, dislodging a stray strand from his hair tie. "No, I was merely admiring a beautiful witch." Hermione's cheeks blossomed to an even darker shade of red, ducking her head as she pushed a portion of her own hair behind her ear. "I will hazard a guess and say that Ms Weasley and Mr Potter have informed you of the colours in which we are to arrive in?" Hermione nodded; her mouth full with a slice of orange. After swallowing, she looked back to Lucius, "The invitation had a little message at the bottom, which I've deciphered to be navy and maroon. I would like to have a navy dress with a maroon accent. I thought perhaps we could get you a navy suit." Lucius nodded thoughtfully, he would prefer to take his business to Twilfitt and Tattings as he was a long-standing client of theirs, "Then we'll go to Twilfitt, I've been going to them for years. What will Luciana be dressed in?" Hermione thought for a moment of Luciana's attire for the wedding, still unsure on how to dress her.
"Perhaps she could match you and myself in a navy dress?" Hermione looked at her daughter, watching as she picked apart the litchi in front of her. "I think that will do nicely." Lucius concurred with Hermione's words, looking over at Luciana as well. "Mama, I need the bathroom." Hermione nodded, looking at Lucius a moment later, "I'll be right back." He smiled, watching as mother and daughter walked away. A moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning to look, he spotted an older woman with greying hair looking at him with a kind smile, "I just have to say, you have a very beautiful daughter, those eyes of hers are simply amazing. You and your witch must be so proud." Lucius felt his lips spread into a smile at the older woman's words, "Thank you, that's really kind of you." Patting Lucius' shoulder, the older woman smiled and nodded before continuing on toward the door that would lead her into muggle London.
Feeling his heart filled with a touch of pride at the woman's words, he couldn't help but wonder on what it would be like to father a child with Hermione. Would they have chestnut or silver blonde hair, or would it be a perfect mix of the two. Would their eyes be like Hermione's or his or perhaps their colour would mix. His thoughts then drifted to Hermione, he wanted to ask her if she would be his girlfriend officially as they were still only dating, he wanted to be able to call her his, and be able to kiss her forehead and her lips. He wanted to have that with her where he didn't have to be so formal all the time with her, touch her hair more often, hold her hand more. Pull her into his chest and kiss her passionately. Deciding that when he got back from France, he would ask her to become his. "What's got you thinking so hard?" Breaking out of his thoughts, he found a smiling Hermione sitting in front of him, her eyes alight with curiosity. "Oh, nothing much. I was just trying to see if I could figure out what Draco could possibly need me for." Hermione nodded in acceptance of his words and turned her gaze to the young waiter, calling for their bill so they could continue with their day.
Once they'd paid for their drinks and food, Lucius lifted Luciana out of the seat and placed her onto his hip, he led the way to the exit of the Leaky Cauldron and together he and Hermione made their way up the cobbled street to where Twilfitt and Tattings was housed. "Mama, can we get ice-cream today please?" Hermione, shielded from the rain by means of an umbrella she'd produced from her wand, turned with a raised eyebrow, "Do you not see the rain Luciana? It is far too cold for an ice-cream." Luciana pouted and turned her gaze to Lucius who lifted his own eyebrow in question. "Don't look at me sweetheart, your mama has already said no." Her pouting lip jutted out just a smidge more and she turned her eyes away from both adults. "Luciana, stop behaving like a petulant child. You know I do not tolerate behaviour like this and to do so in front of Mr Malfoy is even more unacceptable." Hermione gave Lucius an apologetic smile to which he nodded. Luciana turned her own gaze to Lucius again, "I'm sorry." She whispered to him, letting her head fall upon his shoulder in defeat. He accepted with a small press of his lips to her head, "It's alright poppet."
When they'd finally walked into Twilfitt and Tattings, Hermione departed from Lucius and went in search of a dress for herself and Luciana, "Can I stay with you?" Lucius placed Luciana onto her feet again and smiled, "Of course you can." He made his way over to the counter and requested for a fitting. "I would like a three-piece navy-blue suit, it will need to have a maroon tie and pocket fold as well please, in your best quality." The gentlemen behind the counter immediately got to work, flicking his wand to and fro, measuring tapes and pins coming out of their hiding places as the older wizard walked toward Lucius. "Follow me please Mr Malfoy." Following behind the man, Lucius kept his hand in Luciana's, guiding her through the many rows of different clothing items until they reached the back of the store where the fitting would take place. After Lucius took his outer robe off, he was left in only his shirt and slacks, "You know the procedure Mr Malfoy, keep still please." Lucius having been through this for many years, did as requested and kept still. He felt the measuring tapes circle his arms, his legs, his upper and lower waist and his chest. Material wrapped around him, tightening in the right areas until the pins were inserted.
Meanwhile across the store, Hermione was ghosting her fingertips over a dress she'd seen, it was just what she'd had in mind. Taking the dress over to the fitting area for the ladies, she was immediately assisted by an elderly witch, "Hello dear." Hermione smiled in greeting and handed the dress over, "I'd like to have this fitted to my body if you please, it's for my best friend's wedding." The witch smiled kindly in response, taking the dress from Hermione before waving her wand and erecting the privacy screens. Thereafter Hermione was asked to strip to her underwear to get the best fit on the dress and soon she found herself with the dress on, hugging her curves in the right places. Turning to where the mirrors were, she got a good look at herself and smiled, the dress was sleeveless and floor length with a lace backing and a deep plunging neckline, it had a maroon satin ribbon belt that was just the right thickness to compliment the dress and not overpower it. Looking at the older witch, Hermione smiled, "I'd like to take it please, it's perfect." The older witch nodded and waved her wand, returning Hermione to her original dress, letting her put herself back in order shortly after. "Would you like any additional charms placed onto the dress dear?" Hermione lifted her gaze to that of the older woman, "Yes please, a repellent to dirt and stains and a cooling and heating charm too please." Nodding, the witch once again departed from Hermione's side, leaving her to finish fastening her travelling cloak around her shoulders.
Lucius looked up when he heard Hermione talking with Luciana, admiring how the younger witch doted on her daughter, even if she were strict, he could see the love she had for her daughter. "We're sorted Mr Malfoy; I assume all the usual charms are to be placed upon the dress?" Lucius nodded, turning his gaze briefly to Hermione before settling on Luciana, "I'd like to have the little one fitted for a navy-blue dress as well. All the same charms." The older wizard nodded and beckoned Luciana over, calling for his wife to join him so they could sort out the child. Hermione stood next to Lucius and smiled at her daughter, watching as she was measured and the material adjusted every so often until Hermione gave the approval on the style. "That's perfect, thank you." Lucius walked over to Luciana when she'd been sorted and pulled her up into his arms once more, "Did you like my dress?" He nodded, "I did indeed, you looked beautiful poppet." Hermione requested for a small piece of satin be added to their purchase for Luciana's hair and soon thereafter, the purchases were taken care of and they made their way outside once more.
"Would you and Luciana like to come to the Manor? I know it holds a horrid memory for you but I've made large changes to the Manor itself, I promise, it looks nothing like it once did. We can even have an early dinner and enjoy the remainder of the day by the lake that borders the grounds if that helps?" Hermione, startled by his invitation, took a few minutes to respond, her eyes full of curiosity at the mention of change as well as a bit of apprehension. "It might take me awhile to warm up to the Manor but an evening near the lake sounds wonderful, thank you." Lucius nodded and tightened his hold on Luciana before taking Hermione's hand in his own, "Ready?" Hermione took a deep breath before releasing it slowly and nodding her head, Lucius not wanting to prolong it any more, twisted them into his smokey apparition. Departing Diagon Alley in seconds and moments later, they were standing outside the large dark washed double doors of Malfoy Manor.
Hermione feels an involuntary shudder rack her body before she steps across the threshold, "Are you alright my dear?" Nodding her head, she allows her eyes to lift from their spot on the floor. Her jaw dropping open at the sight that lay before her, where there were once a double set of stairs that led to the room in which she was tortured, now lay a large open foyer that ran the length of the Manor itself. She could see a large floor to ceiling glass wall straight ahead that overlooked a large forest, turning her eyes to the left, she saw three doors that she assumed led to his study and drawing rooms and perhaps the kitchens. To her right was an open archway that led to what looked to be a large open planned dining room and living room, "Is that a television, Lucius?" He turned his head to look behind him and nodded, "Indeed, after a lot of hard work and a number of enchantments, we finally managed to get the muggle electricity to work with our magic, I had to rebuild the front section of the Manor twice before we got it right." Luciana wiggled a little until Lucius placed her back on her feet, "Can I go look please?" Lucius nodded and watched as the young girl rushed through the archway.
"You weren't kidding when you said you'd changed it since I was last here. It looks amazing and so bright, unlike before." He nodded, keeping his eyes upon her, gauging her expression as she took in the sights. "What do those three doors lead to?" Pointing to the door closest to her, Lucius started explaining, "This door is to my study the second is to the kitchens and the last door is where you'll find the stairs that will lead to the six guest rooms on the first floor and then to my bedroom on the second floor. As you can see, the area where Luciana is, is the dining room and living room combined." Pointing to the back part of the Manor, Lucius smiled, "The back gardens are through the door just in the right-hand corner, which is where the peacocks are as well as the rose and orchid garden. To the left of the Manor is the forest and the cordoned off area where I grow the vegetables and herbs and to the right is where the lake runs through and of course, where we'll be enjoying the rest of the evening." Hermione took it all in, her body relaxing the longer he spoke until she found herself feeling a lot more comfortable than she had before.
"You've done an amazing job Lucius, truly. We can enjoy dinner indoors and perhaps you can show me the gardens after?" He nodded, snapping his fingers to call on his favourite house elf, "Master calls?" Hermione looked at the little creature, noting the clean white and green toga with the Malfoy family crest on the breast. "Yes, Poppy could you please ask Pip to prepare dinner for three tonight." Poppy the little green-eyed elf nodded with a small smile, looking at Hermione with her large eyes. "Of course, Master." Lucius smiled at Hermione when Poppy disappeared to do as he requested, "You've truly changed Mr Malfoy." Lucius puffed his chest in pride, "Thank you Ms Granger, a lovely compliment from a lovely witch." She could feel her cheeks warm at his own compliment and she smiled shyly up at him. When Hermione and Lucius finally moved out of the foyer it was with Lucius leading her up the stairs to give her a tour of the refurbished Manor. He showed her the guest bedrooms, noting how each one had its own en-suite bathroom and how each room was made up in neutral colours. He then took her up to where his bedroom was, chuckling at how her eyes widened at the size of his room, "It's the whole floor."
Hermione took in the décor, it was made up with aquamarine and black, there was a skylight above the bed and the large glass wall had no curtains of any kind, there was a balcony that ran the length of the glass wall as well. The room itself was spacious, he had no clutter at all, there was a dressing table with a singular hairbrush upon its service. From what she could see, he had a walk-in closet and a hidden bathroom, but it was the bed that caught her attention, for a single wizard, it was massive. It looked to be a double king size and it was covered in what appeared to be black satin with an aquamarine throw hanging across the bottom. Lucius then led Hermione to his bathroom which was home to a claw-foot bath tub and a large shower, there were two basins and a floor to ceiling mirror that made the actual space look larger, his colour scheme in the bathroom was aquamarine and white. After walking back down the stairs to the ground floor, Lucius smiled at her, "What do you think?" Hermione turned back around to face him, "Your bedroom is beautiful, the bathroom is also really amazing. I love the glass wall that you have, it must be incredible to sit out there in the morning and have a cup of tea." He nodded and gave her a charming smile, "I do enjoy spending my time out there and with being alone, I normally am either in my room or down here watching the television."
"Speaking of…" Looking in the direction of the living room, both Hermione and Lucius spotted Luciana lying on the couch with the television on. "She looks comfortable, why don't we continue, I haven't shown you the library yet and as I recall, you have a deep love of books." Smiling, she turned to follow him down toward the second glass wall, only stopping when he placed his hand on the empty wall and pushed, where there was nothing but a wall, now stood an enormous library, "Sweet Merlin. Lucius, it's massive! Have you incorporated an expansion charm?" He chuckled and motioned her in, "Go on, have a look and yes, it's been given a rather lovely expansion ward." Hermione took her time to look around, completely missing the soft look in Lucius' silver eyes as he watched her roam the room in awe. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and kiss her but with his pureblood ways he wouldn't take advantage of her, "Not yet anyway." He muttered to himself. Hermione eventually made her way back to where he stood, her eyes shining and her mouth pulled into a large grin, "I could get lost in here." Taking her hand in his he brought it to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss, "Perhaps one day, you can."
Later that evening, after they'd had their dinner, Luciana had gone back to the television and Lucius had taken Hermione out the back of the Manor. They strolled through the multitude of flowers both magical and non-magical, she'd been in awe of the wonders that were the Malfoy Gardens. "This is truly beautiful Lucius; I could quite easily see myself out here more often." Biting her lip at her admission, she looked up at him, only to find his eyes shining with a hint of joy, "I assure you my dear, I could've been out in the gardens a lot more in the past but alas with all the upheaval that befell this Manor all those years ago, I tend to stay within the solitude of my room, the only place that was untouched by the evil that was my former life." Hermione felt a pang of sadness touch at her heart, hearing a man of Lucius' standing admitting this was a vulnerability she never thought he had. A strong wizard in his own might, a former Death Eater and blood supremacist and here he was, standing before her, opening up his heart. "If I had possession of a Time-Turner, I would go back and fix everything, force my younger self to run away when my mind was still untainted by the rubbish my father spewed. I would never have followed his footsteps, kissing the heels of a megalomaniac who was nothing more than a half blood lunatic with a horrid upbringing."
Hermione followed behind him as he slowly walked along the path, his voice loud enough for her to hear from where she stood. "I would give anything to have a normal life, one where there was only peace. I would have brought my son up with love and not with hate…" Hermione listened as he trailed off in thought, she slowly brought her hand up to his elbow, slowly turning his body to face hers. "I'm sorry my dear, you shouldn't have to listen to the ramblings of an old man." She shook her head, moving her hand from his elbow to his cheek. "Lucius, you're not an old man and you're not rambling. You are sharing a part of your past with me, something that affected how you felt within your own home." He unwittingly leaned into her palm and she felt a flutter in her stomach. "Come my dear, let's continue." She smiled and followed behind him, "Would you tell me more?" He turned to look over his shoulder, his silvery blue eyes looking into her curious honey eyes. "What would you like to know?" They came to a stop next to the open body of water and Lucius gazed upon its clear waters, taking a deep breath in before turning to look at Hermione. She was looking up to where the moon shone, its ethereal glow reflecting in her eyes, he could feel a flutter in his chest, he was beginning to feel differently toward her. "Could you tell me about your childhood?" His eyes focused back on her, "Come sit with me."
They took a seat on the bench he'd conjured; he crossed his legs and kept his eyes on the water, watching as it rippled with the breeze. "I was born into a bloodline consisting of only dark wizards, wizards who have been crazy over their hatred of muggles from the time of the Founders, Armand Malfoy my ancestor came over from France with the Norman invasions and became friends with William the Conqueror and it was from this friendship that we have Malfoy Manor and this enormous property. It was also during this time that he learned of magical marriage contracts and began searching for a wife of pureblood, a woman that would have come from only purebloods and thus began the notion of blood supremacy that was passed down through the generations. According to a story that was passed down from father to father, our family has a supposed curse that never allows for more than one child, a male heir, to be born per father per generation…" Hermione looked over to the Manor where her daughter was, she wondered if she should speak with Lucius tonight about her or not. Turning to look at him, she opened her mouth but he spoke up again.
"I imagine that if there were any disowned Malfoy's, not that there is any evidence of such, they would most probably only have a male heir themselves, although from what my father told me when I was but a mere seven years, should a Malfoy that is of magic and not a squib be disowned, our family magic is stripped from them. If that were to happen, I wonder if they would be able to father more than one male heir…" Hermione could see his eyes become darker, a sadness shadowed his pale features, her heart squeezed in her chest at the crestfallen man before her. "Oh, how I prayed to Morgana to give me a daughter after Draco." Lucius turned his eyes to her when she shifted to face him fully, "You must think me so weak." His lips turned down at the edges and he turned away, what is wrong with you man, why are you suddenly so shy. "Lucius, you're not weak, you're sharing a part of your most private thoughts, that in itself is a difficult task..." She placed her delicate hand upon his jaw and turned his head to face her, "That takes a great deal of courage to do and if you think that's a weakness then you're mad." He leaned into her touch and smiled, "What did I ever do to deserve such a sweet witch such yourself." Hermione's stomach did flip-flops when his lips kissed her palm, his silvery blue eyes fluttering closed as he did so.
"Lucius, there is something I wish to speak with you about…"
