Title: Black and Deep Desires

By: Dr. Kim-chan (no, really, I'm back)

(As punishment for his misdeeds, I was going lock up Lucius in the closet. But due to all the good reviews and circulating petitions, I've decided to let him out, but only on the promise that he never touches my laptop again, and since I have yet to check my mail, that decision might soon be appealed as well.)

Harry: 'Appealed'? What are we, Law & Order: Criminal Intent?

Me: No…oohh, but I have a crush on that one guy who used to be on there…he played Detective Goren…oh yeah! Vincent D'Onofrio. Smart men are so sexy.

All: (look at me strangely)

Me: (coughs) Right. Well, anyway, we're just one chapter away from another Silver Remote chapter…but only eleven away from our first-ever Gold Remote Event—wait for it—it's comin'—DUN DUN DUN!! The FIFTIETH CHAPTER! I've never made a fanfiction that long! And it's all thanks to you, my faithful reviewers! By the way, Lucius, what was with making Thirty-Eight all about McGonagall?

Lucius: First off, let's get it straight that I do not have a crush on that woman. I already have Ron, and besides, she's thirty years older than I am!

Plushie: And that's saying a hell of a lot. (gets kicked across the room) OW!!

Me: Well, I guess I have to pick up where you left off. And yes, to all you hopefully desperate, Lucius Malfoy DOES return at last! (yells over the unbearably loud cheering) ROLLING! (whispers) You did remember to say that while I was gone, right?

(Begin Chap. 39)

…The next morning didn't see much of an improvement in anyone's moods.

Although it was far beyond too late, the Aurors finally took some measures to step up security. Harry was still at St. Mungo's—no further details on his condition yet. Ron was still in the hospital ward, practically mute to everyone and everything around him.

Breakfast was strangely quiet, even for the teachers' tastes. Among the students, the whispers were now less about what had happened than what was going on, and what might happen soon. One thing was certain, though: whatever was going on, they could read it in the moods of the teachers. As if it wasn't enough that Professor McGonagall was much more snappish than usual and Professor Mills was down in the dumps (she barely used her psychic abilities in class that day), Professor Snape was eerily calm.

If Hermione was to find any neutral party to discuss these recent events with, there was only one place to go to.

She had only been alone for a day and a half, but already she was beginning to see the disadvantages of not having her two best friends around. Harry and Ron had always told her that they needed her, as much for her insight and common sense as for her book smarts, but what they often failed to realize was that she needed them just as much as they needed her.

She had already gone to Hagrid's yesterday, but he had told her of a meeting the teachers were supposed to have that following night. Hopefully there had been some sort of breakthrough.

Early in the afternoon, when she finally found time out of her busy schedule, Hermione walked out onto the grounds and towards the giant's hut. As she descended that familiar sharp slope on the south side of the castle, she was stopped in her tracks by a peculiar sight. Dumbledore had already beaten her to the punch. He and Hagrid were finishing up a deep conversation outside. The expression on Hagrid's face was a mixed combination of surprise and outrage. Hermione stood in the tall grass, watched, and waited until Dumbledore departed in the other direction before she ran the rest of the way down.

"Hagrid!" she called out.

"Oh. "Lo, 'Ermione."

She frowned and tilted her head. "You look upset. What did Professor Dumbledore say?"

Hagrid sighed deeply and dropped his voice down to a low grumble. "Apparently we're expectin' a visitor in tha next hour or so. I'm headed to the Thestrals' stables now to rig up a carriage. Dumbledore acts as if it's not a problem, but I wonder if he feel the same I do…I jus' can't believe it! How dare he come here!" he hissed out of nowhere, almost making Hermione jump out of her skin.

"Who?" she asked, then in her mind she answered her own question.

"Is it—?"

He nodded. "Yep. Lucius Malfoy. McGonagall and all the other teachers had almost plum forgot, but Professor Snape reminded us at the meeting that he had just recently made Ron his new heir. To be honest, I think he's rubbin' his hands in glee over this."

Hermione stayed silent for a while longer, thinking about what Hagrid had just said. Yeah, he would probably be rubbing his hands in glee…under normal circumstances. But she could tell there were greater forces at work. Something about all this just didn't add up.

"But if he had really wanted this to happen, why would he risk coming to visit Ron in the first place? Mr. Malfoy knows just as well that he's not welcome here, especially not after he kidnapped Ron. And why did he even make Ron his heir in the first place?" Hermione dropped her hands at her sides in frustration. "None of this makes sense, Hagrid."

"I guess we'll finally get sum answers when he gets here. Well, I better get goin'."

…Unfortunately, by the time Hagrid met Mr. Malfoy at the train station in Hogsmeade, it was a little under ten minutes before classes changed, so students were swarming the hallways by the time Dumbledore and the Heads of Houses met him at the innermost entrance in the Great Hall. The blond gentleman had arrived in full effect: the leatherette gloves, the black cloak, that ever-omnipresent cane, and that displeased scowl that would make an enraged Hippogriff flinch in terror.

"Dumbledore. So to whom do I owe the favor of this visit?" he asked scathingly.

"Mr. Malfoy, I assure you that Mr. Weasley is all right."

"Physically, yes. But what am I hearing about him holding himself prisoner in the hospital ward?"

"Madam Pomfrey has been keeping close watch over him. Unfortunately, he hasn't been feeling up to attending classes, and he refuses to speak about the incident."

"Why am I not surprised?" Lucius sighed. "It appears that the two of us seem to be having less-than-perfect luck. I suppose the least I can do is express my gratitude for your efforts—at a different time, in a different place, and Potter would have succeeded."

…The sunlight filtering out through the windows was changing angles at a snail's pace. In the sky, it was pretty much 60/40 in favor of the silvery clouds drifting by. This further dulled the light somewhat, casting an odd glow on all the white sheets and pillows, the living portraits, and the sand-colored stone walls.

None of this mattered to Ron.

His blue eyes saw nothing, either in front of him or around him. He hadn't cried too much since last night…in fact, rarely at all. Still, they were a little red and itchy. He ate once in a while. Sometimes he moved his hand to rub his eyes to get rid of the irritation. Otherwise, he just sat there in bed, keeping very still. Every once in a while Madam Pomfrey would come by to freshen him up, attempting to make small talk, but Ron wouldn't be willing to join in. This morning had been pretty much more of the same.

As usual, Madam Pomfrey was running back and forth between the supply room and the main hospital ward when there was a sharp rapping on the door. She set the bundle of sheets down on the nearest bed before going to answer it. Ron heard Madam Pomfrey take a sharp intake of breath and a couple of deep rumbling voices. One of them sounded like Dumbledore…but the other one…

Could it be?

The next thing that came into Ron's field of vision was the one thing that could have given him hope at this, what felt like the lowest point in his young life. It was impossible, but there he was: the platinum-blond hair, the gloves, cloak, the square jaw, the ice-blue glare in his narrowed eyes. Was this some kind of dream? A cruel trick of the mind, perhaps?

"Ron."

No. That voice proved it. Startled, the despondent redhead looked up into those familiar eyes, his jaw dropping ever so slightly.

"Are you all right?"

How many times he had heard the same question being asked of him over and over again in the past 48 hours. He was nearly at his wits' end about the whole affair—but this was an entirely different situation altogether. Trying to regain his composure, he looked around the hospital ward before answering.

"I…I don't know. I'm still in shock about what happened. What did I do to make Harry hate me so much? I wonder if it's just another one of You-Know-Who's tricks…"

It was an uncomfortable moment of silence before Ron put two and two together.

"Mr. Malfoy, does this have to do with the experiment that Mr. Zabini was working on during the summer? That Malefactor Elixir you both were talking about?"

Lucius could see the fear creeping into his eyes, wrinkling the skin around them and making the emotion even more visible. Lucius cast his eyes downward and sighed. He didn't even know why Ron had even bothered to ask. He wasn't stupid; he already knew the ominous answer. It was useless to lie to him at this point. However, he didn't know what it did or who had been responsible for slipping it to him. That gave him at least a little bit of leeway.

"Yes."

Ron quickly shook out of his funk and pressed his lips together so firmly they almost disappeared completely inside his mouth. His unfathomable depression was now replaced by a silent, seething fury.

"So how can I believe you?" he muttered under your breath.

"Believe me?" Lucius asked incredulously.

"When I started working for you—you kept forcing me to get in bed with you, but you kept telling me you were in love with me, and I started to believe you. Now you made Harry into some bloody mad murderous lunatic—"

"Don't be stupid," the blond man interrupted caustically. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Like hell you didn't! You're the one who kept me hostage and asked for the money!"

Then Lucius gave him the one glare that Ron still recognized. It was the glare Lucius used to give him when, whenever they were in some sort of conflict, Ron would start being too stubborn for his own good. Ron never crossed that line, but he was too afraid to find out what would happen if he did…probably something like what happened after they had gone to Diagon Alley that fateful day in August.

After Ron's lips resurfaced, Lucius's own expression softened and he looked him square in the eye.

"If anything, you're giving the Dark Lord too much credit. Just because his followers are loyal to him doesn't mean it works the same in reverse. Voldemort has his own agenda, and we are all his tools; I realize that now. Some don't mind, as long as that brief taste of power is the last thing they taste. There are a select few he actually does trust. I cannot honestly say which category I fall under, but something tells me I must be a pawn. He can use my son for his own means, while at the same time he can murder my wife for treason. Meanwhile, I'm obligated to allow some heinous experiment go on inside my own house and keep silent about it. There was a time when I would have considered this normal, just a part of my duty as a Death Eater, and talked myself into believing it would all pay off in the long run…but not anymore."

Well, this was shocking. A confession didn't get more personal than this. Everything he had just said sounded…almost anti­­-Voldemort.

"You're saying you're thinking of quitting the Death Eaters?"

"The point I'm trying to make is that as long as you stay at Hogwarts, and if Potter is allowed to return—which, knowing Dumbledore, I'm almost certain it'll happen—no one can guarantee your safety. And if you die, I can't guarantee my reputation. You're my heir, and therefore my responsibility…so I've come to take you back home with me."

…"You can't be serious!"

It was about fifteen minutes later, and apparently Ron wasn't the only one shocked by Mr. Malfoy's plan.

Lucius had left Ron's bedside momentarily, the last words he left with him being to think his offer over—and "to think it over well", because with this recent incident, it didn't leave him with many more people to trust. The matter was now being discussed in Dumbledore's office, and all eyes were now on Professor McGonagall, who was literally red in the face.

"I meant every word," Lucius replied crisply. "Weasley is my legal beneficiary; therefore I have an obligation to look after his well-being."

"You're not the only one," said McGonagall. "We've already notified Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and they're supposed to arrive tomorrow. Can't we discuss it then?"

"I don't believe we can afford the time. Dumbledore, didn't you just say that Potter is scheduled to be discharged from St. Mungo's tomorrow as well?"

"Yes," Dumbledore answered.

"And what makes the Healers believe so strongly that Potter won't try to attack Weasley again?"

"No one can make any kind of guarantee at the moment, but on the other hand they can't do much else. They haven't reported any further hostile outbursts from Mr. Potter since the night before, and until they can determine the exact cause and discover an antidote, there isn't anything else we can do."

Lucius stared around the dark office and at all the professors present, the realization drawing upon him like a heavy veil. His eyes narrowed, the blue inside them decreasing by five whole shades.

"Tell me, honestly. The truth is that none of you trust me with Weasley."

"I don't," McGonagall replied sharply, stepping forward. "As both a Hogwarts professor and deputy headmistress, I am responsible for the students' safety as well. Everyone in this room is. That said let me remind everyone that you were only recently released from Azkaban and that you were responsible for his kidnapping. I don't know how you gained Mr. Weasley's trust, but you haven't yet gained mine."

Lucius's eyes narrowed even further to the point where they were almost closed. Before a real confrontation could break out, Dumbledore stood up and walked out from behind his desk.

"Minerva, this dilemma will not be solved by reflecting upon Mr. Malfoy's credibility," Dumbledore stated firmly. "Now whether his family will accept his answer and respect his wishes, I do not know, but the final choice must be made by Weasley, and that choice is his alone."

"But his decision could very well be the worst decision!" McGonagall shot back. "Children don't necessarily know what's good for them."

"And forcing him to stay here with Potter is any better?" Lucius demanded.

"Until the Weasleys arrive tomorrow morning, that is our only recourse," said Dumbledore. "Weasley will stay in the hospital ward until tomorrow. Contact between Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will also be restricted until then. Can we agree on those terms?"

Begrudgingly, McGonagall agreed, as did Lucius. The debate was over…for now.

(End Chap. 39)

Me: Is it me, or is McGonagall getting more crotchety?

Plushie: (sarcastically) No, it's just you.

Me: Do I have to call Lucius in here so he can kick you across the room again?

Plushie: (gulp) I'll be good. For an old guy, he has a strong kick.

Lucius: I heard that.

Plushie: Eep!

Me: So should Ron stay or go? It'll all be decided in the upcoming Chapter 40! Let's polish that Silver Remote!