A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you for the wonderful reviews, I loved reading them all. To those that thought it might be a lust potion he dosed the wine bottle with, he would never do that. Lucius already stated that he was overjoyed that she came to him on her own, and that he wouldn't want her any other way, but of her own free will. I just wanted to clear that up for anyone still wondering. Anyway, here is the final chapter before the epilogue. Enjoy!

Special Thanks to: To my beta TabiPrewett, you have done an amazing job and I very much appreciate your hard work and dedication.

Disclaimer, because it's been a while: I do not own anything pertaining to the HP universe. I write for fun, for free, and because I like changing things to fit how I want them in my stories. Lol

Chapter 30

Hermione glared. "I said, what did you put into my wine?" She asked again, her voice rising with her anger.

Lucius' smirk grew. "Not just your wine, my dear, I put it the bottle and we both drank it. What do you think I put in there, my sweet?"

Hermione's eyes locked onto his, her hands clenching. "It feels like a truth potion, but its not Veritaserum. Veritaserum makes you drowsy and dazed while not able to do anything, but sit and answer all questions put to you. I'm clear headed and able to move just fine. What did you give me?"

"Very good." Lucius told her. "Did you know that before the Ministry started using Veritaserum that they used another type of truth potion? One that kept your mind clear, but still made you speak truthfully? They stopped using it for several reasons, though none are dangerous to either of us. That is what I put in our wine."

"What reasons?" She asked.

His fought the automatic response to tell her the full truth, but as long as a person kept to the truth in what they did say, they might be able to partially bypass the potion. "It didn't give them the control they wanted when interrogating a prisoner."

"Why would you drug me?" She asked.

Lucius mentally sighed, glad she didn't ask anymore questions about the potion. He didn't want to tell her that as long she spoke true, that's all that mattered. It would let her get away with simply saying she didn't want to answer the question, if she didn't want to. Because it would be true and that is all the potion made you do. If she knew that, that is all she'd say until it wore off.

"I did it because, I didn't think you'd believe me and I wanted to prove to you that everything I'm telling you tonight is true. Plus, I wanted honest answers from you as well." He told her.

Hermione was furious with him and went to walk away, but her legs suddenly locked and she would have fallen had he not caught her. Picking her up even as her upper body struggled, he carried her back to the sofa and set her on it as she glared at him using a leg locking curse on her.

"I won't let you walk away, my dear, I want you to hear what I have to say." He told her, sitting beside her stretched out legs on the sofa.

Hermione was in a sitting up position, her legs still frozen. "I want to leave because I don't want to know what you have to say." She replied.

"Why not?" He asked her.

She tried closing her mouth, but the words bubbled up anyway. "Because you hurt me more than anyone else ever has. I'm still angry with you, and I'm afraid if I listen, you'll just hurt me again."

Lucius closed his eyes against what she said. "I'm so sorry, my dear, I meant to hurt you that night, but only because you hurt me first. It is a defense mechanism that is long ingrained in me."

Lucius hadn't intended on saying all of that. He had meant say that he didn't mean to hurt her, but the potion was forcing him to admit that he had actually meant to hurt her, even if it was only because of his own pain that night.

Hermione frowned. "I didn't do anything, how did I hurt you?"

"By wanting to leave my home, I thought you didn't want me any longer." He said, watching her face.

"Why in the world would you think that?" She demanded.

"Because I'm an idiot." Though that wasn't what he meant to say either, and Lucius sighed in mild annoyance at what had come out. "I thought you were done with me and I...was devastated. I had come to care so much for you and I thought you no longer wanted to be with me, that you were no longer happy with me." Unable to keep eye contact with what he'd just admitted. He wasn't used to letting anyone see anything that was deep inside him.

Hermione sat stunned. "Of course I was still happy with you and wanted you."

Lucius looked at her. "Then, why did you even start looking for a place to live."

Hermione shrugged. "We agreed I'd stay until I found a place to live. I didn't plan on living there forever." She didn't want to tell him the full reason. That she feared becoming attached more than she'd already been to him.

Lucius tilted his head slightly. "Our agreement aside, why did you want to leave the Manor?" He asked. He needed to know, Draco had said...but he wasn't sure if his son was correct.

"I was afraid that you'd tire of me and was trying to keep some part of my heart intact before you took it all. I was afraid it would destroy me otherwise, when you grew bored with me." Hermione said softly, knowing it was useless to fight her answer with the truth potion in her system.

Lucius moved closer to her on the sofa, but she tried to lean away. He took her hand and held it in his, even as she tried to pull it free from his grasp. "Stop and listen to me."

The young witch glared and pursed her lips in anger, but stopped struggling.

Lucius met her glare and didn't look anywhere but at her. "I know what my history with women has been, but you are not like the women I've been with before. You are smart, you are kind, you are so much more than all of them put together. I grew bored because I was never interested in them beyond their physical features. I grew tired of them because all they saw with me, was my money. The one thing, that I know for a fact, you don't give a damn about. You saw me. You wanted me. That alone peaked my interest in you more than any woman before you, and I doubt I could ever grow bored with you."

Lucius saw her breathing was rapid, saw Hermione was fighting tears and he went on. "I only said those things to you that night you came to see me, because I was hurt and wanted to hurt you back. I never believed any of it. I never thought any of it when I was with you. You are so much more than just some woman I slept with because you were convenient."

Hermione's breathing increased more as a tear escaped and her chin trembled. Lucius debated only a moment before he decided to throw caution aside and tell her everything. "Hermione Granger, I'm completely and irrevocably in love with you. The thought of you not wanting me was…unbearable."

More tears escaped, but she stayed silent as Lucius spoke. "I've been miserable without you. The night I said all those things to you, I saw the complete anguish in your eyes as you told me to stay away from you. It made me realize I had made a huge error, but you ran off before I could tell you. I saw you with Draco, saw the tears on your face and I felt my insides rip to shreds at knowing I had caused you so much pain. I wanted to take it back, to tell you the truth. That I didn't mean it at all, that I was sorry for lying and saying any of it, but you apparated away before I could reach you."

Hermione swallowed, more tears slipping out as she listened to him. "I wanted to follow you, and I tried, but you had blocked me too quickly." Lucius told her. "You were right when you said I could follow anyone who apparated from my home. I tried to, but your wards were too strong with your grief added in when you placed them, for me to be able to follow."

Hermione shook her head no, but Lucius spoke again. "We both drank the wine laced with the truth potion. You know what I'm saying is true."

"Can you ever forgive me for what I did that night?" Lucius asked her.

Hermione sniffed, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out a soft handkerchief with his initials embroidered on it, and handed it to her. She wiped her eyes and nose. "I...I don't know. Are you just going to purposely hurt me the next time I hurt you? Even unintentionally like I did?"

Lucius sighed. "I can't say I would never hurt you, my dear. I can only say I will do my very best to make sure I never do it again. I will do my best to make sure to speak to you about whatever it is that you do to hurt me, before lashing out at you."

Hermione's lips were pursed and she was still breathing hard. She didn't want to believe any of what he said, she wanted to believe that he was only saying this to get back in her good graces again and let him back into her bed, but she had watched him drink the wine. Lucius had said things he hadn't been pleased about too. He hadn't liked calling himself an idiot.

Hermione wondered where the blond man had gotten the potion suddenly. Looking at him, she had to ask. "How did you get the potion to spike our wine?"

Lucius didn't look happy about her question. If he told her that it was from Severus, she'd be furious with the dark man. If he said that he didn't want to answer her, she'd know that she could answer him that way too. He didn't want her to know yet. He still had a few more questions.

Finally, Lucius gave up. Sorry, old friend, he thought. "Severus knew I was coming here and gave it to me. I had thought to bind you and make you take it and then let you see me take it, but I figured you'd be so mad that I did it that way, that you'd never listen to me."

Hermione narrowed his eyes. "You think slipping it into my drink without my knowledge was so much better for you in the end?"

Lucius shrugged, fighting a smirk. "You drank it easier than me trying to force you."

Hermione thought of something else. "How do I know you really put it in the whole bottle and not just my glass?"

Lucius sighed. Bloody buggering hell. "Would you care to test this bottle on someone else to prove it to you? I'm more than willing if it will make you believe me."

Hermione thought about it. She wanted to say yes, but really, why would he go through all of this if he wasn't telling her the truth. "No." She finally said.

The platinum haired man frowned. "What do you want me to do then?"

Hermione bit her lip, she didn't want to say what she wanted right this moment.

Lucius frowned a bit more. Was it wearing off already? "Hermione, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to kiss me." Hermione said, before huffing in annoyance that the potion made her say it.

Lucius' eyebrows shot up. "You forgive me?"

Hermione glared at him. "For what you did two weeks ago? Yes. For you slipping me a potion tonight without my knowledge or consent? Not yet."

Lucius lips started to curve. She really isn't one to hold a grudge. He had hurt her so horribly. Treated her in a way he'd promised he never would, but she forgave him easily as soon as she knew the truth. It was something he would do well to remember. He was sure he'd make her furious with him again.

"What can I do to make it up to you?" Lucius asked as relief swamped him.

Hermione lips started to curve. "That kiss would be a good start, as would unlocking my legs and giving me back my wand."

Her heart already mending from having been shattered by him. Knowing he really did care for her, that she wasn't just some meaningless shag, and that he actually loved her like she loved him, healed her faster than she ever thought possible.

Lucius quickly lifted his wand and said the counter curse to unbind Hermione's legs. Before he knew it, she was climbing onto his lap, straddling him as she pressed her mouth to his.

Lucius felt his heart clench when her tongue touched his after being miserable without her for so long. He deepened the kiss, his passion for her quickly rising as he warred his tongue with hers.

However, Lucius broke the kiss before he lost himself in her. He still had another couple of questions for her. "Hermione, I have to ask you something. You know now that I love you. I've never loved another woman like I love you, but I have to know, how do you feel about me?"

Hermione met his eyes and smiled. "Lucius, I'm in love with you. My reasons for leaving didn't matter because I had already fallen in love with you, I just hadn't fully admitted it to myself. With you and not your money. I don't care about your money, or your name, or your social standing. I care about you." She said, just so he'd know it was true and never doubt it.

Lucius smiled. "I never thought for a moment that you cared for my money, or social standing. Though, I would like for you care about my name."

Hermione frowned. "Why?" She asked, not understanding.

He could have avoided answering, but he didn't want to. "Because I hope one day you'll want to take it and make it your own."

Hermione eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Lucius smirked. "Yes. Truth potion, my dear, remember? Do you think you might want to take my name one day?"

Hermione only needed a moment to consider his question before she smiled. "Yes, one day. If you ask me again one day in the future, when we've had a proper amount of time to really get to know one another…I'm positive I'll say yes."

Lucius found he liked that answer. He didn't want to marry her now, it was too soon, and they needed time to heal together. However, he was sure he would want to do so at some point in the future. Six months seems like an ample amount of time wait to propose, Lucius decided as his eyes roamed over her face. Thinking too that he should start shopping for a ring immediately. Things of that nature always took time after all.

With his all of questions that he'd had answered, he kissed her. Only, Hermione pulled away moments later. "Lucius, I want you to know something. It might make you change your mind about wanting me to take your name."

Lucius frowned. "What's that, my love?" He doubted there was anything she could say that would make him not want her to marry him one day. Unless she ever decided she didn't want him any longer.

"I know you have Draco already in your life, but...I know I'll want kids someday. Is that a problem for you?" Hermione's eyes searching his, even though she knew he had to answer honestly.

Lucius brought her lips to his, kissing her again before speaking. "My sweet Hermione, I would love to have more children. The only reason I never had more, was that Narcissa refused. She had complications with Draco and it made the possibility of more difficult, though, not impossible. She refused to even try. I always thought she just didn't want to risk her figure with another pregnancy."

"I'm sorry, Lucius." Hermione said, and she meant it.

Lucius shrugged. "It doesn't matters anymore, my sweet. If you want children..." His lips curving. "I will thoroughly enjoying trying to give you as many as you want."

Hermione chuckled softly. "As will I. Even if we're only practicing at conceiving."

Lucius' lips curved more. "Care to do some practicing, my love? I've missed you and want you terribly."

Hermione felt her body heating at his words. "I would love to, but I need to tell you something else first."

He frowned slightly. What could she possibly have left to tell me? "Alright, what is it?"

Hermione swallowed. "Draco came to see me this evening. He hadn't spoken to me in weeks, even before that night in your room that we fought. Draco found out about us and was so angry with me. I knew he would be...and I was right. He heard us...after I told him out about my flat, Draco heard us in your room that night."

Hermione swallowed as what she was about to say made her ache. "I love you, Lucius. I want nothing more than to be with you, but...I'm not sure I can be, if it will ruin my friendship with him. I can't...let myself be happy with you, if it will hurt Draco."

Lucius reached up and stroked her cheek. "My dear, Draco came to me tonight too. After speaking with you, he was angry at me for thinking I'd simply wanted you only as my mistress. Draco has never raised his voice or shouted at me in the past, but he did tonight, for you. He had every right to be angry with me, and I let him yell, because I felt that I deserved it."

Lucius' thumb rested on her chin as he cupped her face, and he went on. "Draco was angry with you for hearing us, but it was my fault that he did. I didn't use any spells after you told me you were leaving. I didn't care if anyone heard us. I didn't care about anything other than trying to show you that you should stay. I didn't want to simply tell you that I wanted you stay, I wanted you to want to on your own. I wanted to just show you, without spilling my feelings on the matter, what you'd be missing if you did go. I was afraid you'd somehow use how I felt against me if I did tell you."

Lucius sighed, his arm around her waist tightening slightly. "Draco was angry with you too, because he saw how I was acting since you left. I didn't even think of him knowing the truth about us while I moped and barked at everyone. I'm sure he was upset most by how I was reacting to you leaving me, more so than you and I simply sleeping together."

Lucius' hand moved to stroke her cheek again. "Draco also convinced me to come to you once he knew the truth of it all. That we had fallen in love, and that it was more than lust getting the better of us. He wanted me to come find you and fix things between us. He isn't upset that we are together as long as its real. I think Draco was angry thinking we were just using each other."

Hermione frowned, her hand finding her neck as a lump formed in her throat. Draco had convinced his father to come to her, to make things right. The young man had only cared that both his father and his friend were happy. He was a true friend to her and Ginny had been right about Draco.

Seeing Hermione's hand at her bare throat, Lucius reached into his pocket and pulled out her necklace. "Draco gave this to me, I think, hoping it would be the final straw that made me seek you out again." Letting the chain dangle from his fingers.

Hermione stared at the heart shaped amethyst. "Why would he give you my necklace?" Not understanding.

Lucius smiled. "Draco knew why I had given it to you and figured I'd make sure you would take it back. He told me that you didn't want it after learning I gave it to you."

She frowned, blinking at him in surprise. "You gave...but I thought Severus sent it."

Lucius paused, as he realized that his son had lied to him about telling Hermione that he'd sent it. Little brat, he thought with . "After finding out about you and Weasley breaking up during the holidays, I figured you'd be sad. I wanted you to know that someone did indeed care for you. I wanted you to be happy. I didn't think you'd accept it from me so I didn't leave anything that would let you know I'd sent it. Since it seemed to make you happy, even thinking Severus cared enough to send it, I never corrected you."

"You cared about me being happy even before we started being...well, anything? Even just friends?" Hermione asked, in slight awe.

Lucius smiled. "Hermione, I've cared about you for a long time now. Maybe not to the degree that I do now, but I did. Even before the Christmas party, I did what I could to keep an ear out concerning you. I had felt responsible for causing you so much pain and horror, I didn't think you should live through any more, if it was within my power. Seeing how happy the necklace made you, I didn't care about anything else, even that you didn't know it was from me."

Hermione frowned a bit more. "I sent Severus a thank you gift for Christmas telling him that I loved the necklace. He never said otherwise. Wait, how does Draco know you gave it to me?"

Lucius chuckled. "Both Severus and Draco were at the manor when the elf from the shop you purchased the wine from, brought it to him. After a bit of confusion on Severus' part, it came out that I sent it. Severus knew I didn't want you to know it was from me, so he never said anything to you to correct you. He also decided I should have the basket of wine since I was the one who sent the gift. Though I did give him a bottle, since you had mentioned you and him sharing a glass or two."

Hermione slowly started to smile. "That wine at dinner my first night there, that was one of the bottles I sent, wasn't it?"

Lucius chuckled again. "It was, my dear. I thought you might enjoying sampling your very thoughtful gift."

Hermione shook her head slightly, not the least bit upset at learning the truth. It had made her feel special and cared for. Knowing now that it was from Lucius, just made it that much more special to her.

Hermione raised a hand and lifted her hair. "Care to put your gift back on me? I only took it off because Draco asked to borrow it, though, at the time I was confused as to why."

Lucius smiled. My son may be a brat, but he comes by his cunning naturally. Thinking about his own devious mind. "My sweet, nothing would make me happier than to see you wearing it again."

Placing the chain around her neck and clasping it. He let the pendant slide down his fingers until it rested again at the swell of her breasts. Leaning in he kissed her neck, once, and then a second time, before moving up to find her lips.

Hermione let her hair fall down her back again as she opened for his questing tongue. Heat filling her once again as Lucius ran his tongue along hers slowly. Stroking his hand down her cheek as his other hand at her waist pulled her closer against him.

It wasn't long before Lucius was kissing her passionately, his hands molding her to him fully and running all over her luscious body. It wasn't long either, before he picked Hermione up, her legs wrapping around him, as he carried her into her bedroom.

Lucius' hand waving with a barely thought spell, filling her bedroom with soft light. He wanted to see Hermione when he made love to her again, wanted her to be able to see him as well.

Lucius laid with her upon the huge bed she'd bought so they could be together in her home. A bed he hadn't been in yet, but was planning on making full use of.

Their clothes were gone from them quickly, both in a rush as they fully explored each other. Hermione's moans escaping as he made her body flame with all of his soft touches and teasing caresses. Lucius' groans filling the room as she ran her hands and tongue up and down his body. Making him inhale sharply, and let out a groan when her lips found his already swollen shaft. His hands fisted in her hair as she worked him as he had already done her.

When he'd had as much sweet torture as he could stand, Lucius pulled her up and with a quick roll onto her back, he sheathed himself inside her moist heat. A cry escaping Hermione at the sudden fullness of him filling and stretching her, as he groaned again at the feeling of her walls surrounding him again after so long.

Both took a moment to simply savor the sweet connection, his lips moving together with hers. When he could not stand to stay still any longer, he broke the kiss and started the slow process of making love to her. Though he doubted it would stay slow for long.

His hips lovingly grinded into hers as his silver eyes stayed locked onto her honey colored ones. His hands slid up and down her golden body as she glided her hands over his pale flesh. Both simply enjoying the gentle friction of him sliding in and out of her easily.

As usual, neither could keep it easy or slow for long. His desire for her so great that he needed to feel her explode around him, needed to hear her scream her completion, and he needed to fill her with his seed and claim her fully again.

Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, he built the speed and strength of his strokes. Plunging and withdrawing repeatedly as she clutched at his shoulders, crying out for him as the coil tightened inside her.

Her name came out as a groan from his lips as he felt her walls starting to pulse around him. This was his witch, his love, and he would never be parted from her again.

His hands found hers on his wide shoulders, lacing their fingers as he pinned them to her mattress, one on either side of them just above her head. His strokes not pausing or slowing in the least, though she seemed confused by his actions. He'd never pinned her like this before and she didn't understand, couldn't seem to make her brain function to figure it out why he did so either.

Lucius had bound her to the bed once, but that had been different. He'd wanted her to see that anything they did together, it wasn't wrong, and it didn't make her anything awful to allow it. So long as it was done with respect during and after. This, however, him pinning her like this, was different though.

Lucius' voice was laced with his passion as he spoke and stared down into her eyes that were glazed in rapture. "You are mine, witch. No one will ever again touch you like this, but me. Say it, my love." He needed to hear her say she'd never do what Narcissa had done to him.

The possessive note to his voice, made her swallow as more heat filled her. "No one but you, Lucius, I swear. I..." Hermione moaned at his thrusts deepened at her words. "...I don't want anyone, but you touching me like this either." Crying out as he slammed into her at her promise, his fingers tightening around hers.

"Do you want me, witch? Do you want me to be mine for the rest of our lives?" His voice harsher as his release started to claw at him.

"Yes!" Hermione cried out as everything in her started to tighten more.

Hermione words, still true with the potion flowing through them both, made his love and desire roar through him at hearing her promise never to stray, never to let another wizard have that was his and his alone.

"You will be my wife and bear my children, my love. I will love you for the rest of my days and never wish for anything else. I will be only yours, as you are only mine. Are you sure that is what you want?" Lucius demanded, fighting to hold back his release.

Hermione was panting as everything twisted and clenched inside her with her pleasure at what he said, along with what he was doing to her. "Oh, God, yes. Lucius!" She screamed as everything came crashing down on her, multicolored lights flashing behind her closed eyes, as she felt as if her body were flying towards the heavens with her intense orgasm.

So be it then, Lucius thought. His own release tearing through him as he pounded into her with everything he had. Not bothering with a spell to keep her from conceiving his child. A spell he wouldn't place again unless she wanted it.

Lucius collapsed on her, not able to keep his weight off of her in his boneless state. Hermione didn't seem to mind as their hands stayed intertwined, though not gripped as tightly as before.

"I love you, Lucius." She said wearily.

Lucius' face pressed against her neck, his breath ragged, as his lips curved. "I love you too, my sweet witch."

They held each other, even after Lucius moved off of her, holding Hermione tightly against his side as she rested her head on his shoulder. One arm around her, as he still kept his fingers laced with hers, on the hand that rested on his chest.

Lucius knew this wouldn't be the only time he took her tonight. She still had a few days before she started work again, and he planned on spending them all with her. He planned on making love to her the rest of the night. Something he planned on doing as much as possible too, for the rest of their lives.

A/N: Aww. Was it a bit cheesy at the end? Yes, but I love it. I hope you loved it too. Ok, the epilogue is coming soon. As always, please leave me your thoughts.