Disclaimer:- I neither own nor earn anything in this story. Everything you recognise belongs to JK Rowling as associate. Only the plot is mine.
xXx
A/N:- This is where the story starts to become more positive, and we start to learn how things actually are. It is only a short chapter (for me, anyway) but I hope you enjoy…
oOo
Chapter 3 - The Explanations Start
When a soft rug replaced the hard stone floor, Lucius quickly scanned the room for unwelcome extras. What he would have done had he found any, he was unsure. He'd had no wand for months now. Sighing when he found them alone, he tightened his arms around the unconscious witch in his arms. "We're safe," he sighed to her, and without thinking about it he kissed the top of her head, despite how dirty it was. "We're safe… it will be all right… I'll make you better."
The murmured words of comfort falling from his lips, scared him somewhat, yet they continued with a promise, "Don't worry, my angel, I will never let anything harm you again." Lucius had never felt positive deep emotion like this before, well not like he did at the moment anyway. Perhaps the closest he'd come to this was when he'd been presented with his son. But this was very different to that, very, very different indeed.
Looking for distraction from thoughts that were quickly consuming him, his quick-silver eyes silently moved around the room until they met the large green orbs of the elf standing over them, gazing in horror at their appearance. To his astonishment Lucius said, "Thank you, Searly," and his words were heartfelt.
The aristocratic blond wizard was starting to wonder if he'd lost his mind. What with his promises to a woman who would probably wake up and scream thinking she was in another nightmare and his thanks to a house elf. But for some reason protecting this witch felt right to him, normal even, and this coupled with the new emotions coursing through him, it was such a foreign sensation it was surreal.
Lucius was pulled from his contemplation when he heard running footsteps. "Father… Father," Draco was yelling as he ran, but the younger blond wizard stopped dead, half way through enquiring where his mother was, and stood gaping at the picture in front of him. "Bloody hell, what's happened?" Then his eyes seemed to suddenly take in the second person. "Father, why are you hugging… is that Granger?" His son gave him an alarmed look. "Is she dead?"
"Stop asking stupid questions, Draco. Summon the healer, boy," Lucius growled. No, she can't be dead, please don't let her be dead, he thought desperately. Sitting up was painful but he saw her frail chest still rising and falling slightly, and breathing a sigh of relief, his stress softening a fraction and he adjusted his words to his son. "Just get our healer, son, I need to send a message to Severus." Then turning to the elf, he instructed, "Searly, take Miss Granger, as gently as you can to the master bedroom, clean her, and make her as comfortable as possible until the healer arrives."
The little elf nodded. "Yes, Master," the kindness in his master's words was not usual. Searly had never taken offence if his master had been curt and cutting, he knew how he had to live, but now he was pleased.
Lucius thought a moment, wondering if he should send the elf to recover Narcissa's body, for Draco's sake. Unfortunately, he was uncertain how much time had passed since his 'punishment' and the present. If normal practice had been followed, the poor witch would have been snake food by now, and this made him shiver in disgust. The revulsion and sentiment were not for Narcissa; they had never been more than acquaintances, even though they had shared a life and a bed on occasion, well, until Draco had been conceived.
It was at this point that Searly carried out his orders and levitated the unconscious Hermione up and away from Lucius. As soon as he was relieved of the frail witch, his arms felt empty and somehow light. Lucius shook his head to clear it, and managing to get to his knees after watching Hermione disappearing out the door with Searly. He turned to the fireplace, almost proud of his limbs for obeying him, and he muttered, "Severus Snape, Hogwarts headmaster's office."
It was a startled Snape who saw his friend's head appear in the fire. "Lucius," he gasped. The man looked like he'd been ten rounds with a grizzly bear.
Lucius looked cautiously around before he spoke. "I've got Miss Granger… I've got her, she's safe, Severus. I have her, I found her in the dungeons… but he's let the mad witch kill Narcissa." It may have sounded like a garbled message but Severus knew what Lucius meant.
"We'll come to you as soon as possible, Harry's out looking for the last one now…" Severus stopped speaking, watching Lucius draw up in pain, as a cry tore from his friend's lips. The raven-haired wizard then understood why Lucius had been in the dungeons.
Severus turned his head towards his supply cupboard. "Accio, Pain Potion and muscle relaxant," he called. As he fed them to Lucius with the fire-tongs, he asked hesitantly, "Will Miss Granger survive?"
"I don't know, Severus. Draco has just taken the healer up to her, and I need to be there too." They were just winding up their conversation when the sound of running feet made Snape's head move.
In the distance, Lucius heard, "Professor… Professor," in a voice he recognised as Harry Potter's before Severus terminated the connection. This confused Lucius; he'd only had scant time with Severus where they were free to talk without listeners since his release from Azkaban.
As he hauled himself to his feet on the arm of a chair, Lucius noted that every muscle was still screaming, despite the potions Severus had given him. Although he could count it a small blessing that they were allowing him to walk, he doubted he would have been able to before having both potions.
Pausing to look up the stairs, he sighed, and then started on the arduous journey up to his bedroom as he reflected on the things he did know. At least he knew who the 'we' was Severus had mentioned. He was still a little in shock that his son had fallen in love with Harry Potter, but then life was full of little unexpected surprises, wasn't it? His thoughts instantly turned to the pale and frail witch now being treated in his bed.
xox
Severus had rendered the revolving staircase temporally unusable to make the office less accessible to people. He heard Harry bounding up the stairs and then what sounded like a blasting curse. So Severus knew Harry wasn't alone, and he took precautions before Harry's arrival.
As he did so, he also took stock of how many changes there had been this past year. He scoffed for probably the millionth time at Dumbledore leaving Harry his 'little errand' after the old man had demanded to be killed. "For the greater good," Severus mocked quietly. Of course typically, he left no instructions on how the chosen Gryffindors were supposed to complete their task.
This situation had been the catalyst that had broken the so-called 'Golden Trio' apart. Severus shook his head, he had not actually expected them to have such tenacity in trying and keep the friendship together. But it had been his insecurities that had made Ronald Weasley drop Harry and Hermione like a hot potato. When certain facts about Harry's sexual preferences accidentally came to light, Ronald had bolted, in true closed-minded style. That was when I got Draco out and hid Harry and Hermione, he thought as he waited.
Severus laughed to himself, thinking how six months ago he would never have thought of these two young people as friends. It had all started when, out of sheer frustration Hermione had sought him out. The smart girl had a suspicion that I was the order spy.
He looked towards the door again, "Hurry up, Harry," he muttered. "I can't trigger the defences until you're inside."
Standing with his arms folded and his wand ready, he smiled slightly remembering the first meeting with Harry. Hermione had almost dragged him along, and eventually had to cast Petrifius Totalus on him so he had no chose but to sit and listen while she convinced him that Severus could help them.
The young wizard had been brainwashed into being staunchly Dumbledore's man, but his resolve had been fraying severely around the edges now the old headmaster was gone, and the put-upon boy had started to realise some home truths.
It was proving the reason for Dumbledore's adamant determination that Harry go back to the Dursley's every year for more punishment and starvation to be a lie that had finally broken the younger wizard of the old man's hold. Hermione had told him repeatedly that no matter where he was his mother's magic would protect him, that it was ridiculous to think that such a hostile relative, who wasn't even magical could reinforce that protection merely by the fact that she was his mother's sister. Eventually, along with a conversation with his head of house gave, Harry finally saw that it had been a lie to manipulate him.
This coupled with proof from the same source that I had wanted to foster him when he was orphaned, but had been stopped by the restrictions placed on me by Dumbledore's lack of trust, had finally won him over. Once everything was explained to him, he had been rather more open to the truth, and in turn finally told me what he'd been asked to do.
Dumbledore's knowledge of the fact that the Dark Lord had made a series of Horcruxes, was news even to Snape. He knew what they were and how to make them, and this allowed several puzzle pieces to fall into place when Snape knew of their actual existence. It appeared that the monster intended to stay alive, no matter what, and they had to be destroyed before the final battle could take place.
However, the fact Dumbledore had chosen two such innocents to deal with the deepest of darkest magic, troubled Snape greatly, he couldn't work out why. How could he had ever expected them to succeed.
Severus was brought back from his thoughts as a panting and terrified looking Harry stumbled through the door with a hex on his tail. "I've got it Professor, the last one," he managed and collapsed at Severus' feet, his chest heaving.
Nodding, Severus stepped over the dazed young man, he prepared for the company he could hear coming, and each death eater was disarmed, silenced and bound as they entered the room for later collection by the authorities.
"Come on, up," Severus encouraged quietly, offering a hand. "We've just reached the point of no return," and Severus helped him up. As they walked out of the office to the underground lab, Severus told him, "Lucius has rescued Hermione; they are in France at present."
"Is she okay? Are they with Dray?" Harry asked, full of questions.
"I believe they are with Draco, but I can't tell you anymore about Hermione. Lucius assured me everything was being done for her." Severus saw Harry's face fall, and he cursed his predecessor yet again for setting such a terrible task for two still very naive young adults. But this was Dumbledore they were talking about here, and Severus knew he wouldn't have cared about insignificant details like that. The question of why, still begged an answer, but Snape was fairly sure that would never be answered.
It also rankle Severus that he had not been able to accompany the pair of Gryffindors on their searches; up until this moment, he needed to maintain his cover to protect the school and its occupants. As it was, neither Harry nor Hermione had been able to be seen in the school. They had been living deep in the dungeons, protected by the headmaster's wards and a secret exit that led to a cave on the other side of the lake. It was on one of their missions that Hermione had been captured. Thank goodness that the last Horcrux had been secreted at Hogwarts was his last thought before they got down to the business of destroying the last Horcrux.
With all the Horcruxes gone the battle for freedom could finally take place. On his last visit to the Manor he himself had disposed of the Horcrux within Nagini while she was feeding he had slipped her a potion he'd developed to expel a Horcrux from a living entity.
He had simply contained and housed the expelled entity in another vessel until he could get to their hidden lab to dispose of it. This exercise had been crucial and dangerous, but necessary. It had also served as an experiment, he didn't want to dose Harry with the potion before he'd tested it. If it had killed the snake, he was certain he wouldn't have survived very long afterwards, thankfully it hadn't. He thanked the Felix Felicis he had taken before he'd left for this as well.
Snape could understand why Felix Felicis was touted as being so dangerous. It was not the first time he'd brewed the notoriously difficult potion, however, it was the first time he had ever used it, and the feeling of complete confidence it gave him was heady. He would share his remaining supply with Harry tonight before they left.
xox
Next morning the papers both English and French crowed that the man who called himself Lord Voldemort was dead. Harry Potter the boy-who-lived had fulfilled his destiny in a heated, but quick battle on the grounds of Malfoy Manor.
There were also vivid pictures of his family home being guttered by fire. In some ways this made Lucius happier than anything. This was a completely new start. He looked at the still sleeping woman and breathed a sigh of relief. Now perhaps I'm free of them all, he thought, flopping back into his chair by her bedside. He'd found enough energy to clean himself up, but hadn't wanted to leave Hermione for too long. He looked at her again and wondered. Will she run screaming from me when she wakes and sees where she is?
Then his thoughts took another turn. Something that up until this point, he hadn't given too much consideration to was, exactly what had happened between them in that dungeon? Why did he now have the urge to stay with her? Certainly, he had admired her the night of the Yule ball, but they were practically strangers in every respect.
He knew that magic worked in mysterious ways sometimes and what had happened was something he wanted to discuss it with Severus, because while it felt strangely normal and comforting, it was also scaring the hell of out him, especially the thought that when she woke, she was most likely to get as far away from him as possible. If she did that he suspected he would be heartbroken, and he'd never even contemplated something like that happening to him before.
The young woman slept on, their family healer Monsieur De la Mont, had declared it a miracle that she had survived at all. He'd healed her broken legs and wrist, and removed all of the curse damage he could, but warned she may always be affected by her ordeal as there were something's he couldn't rectify.
Lucius hadn't left her bedside, he knew he had nodded off a couple of times and Searly had forced food on him, but essentially all he had done was make certain she was all right. He had told Draco about his mother while the healer was still present, because he knew it would be distressing for the young man, and M. De la Mont had sedated him with a strong Sleeping draught as a result. Lucius had then transfigured the lounge under the window into a bed for Draco so he could keep an eye on him as well.
Never had Lucius been more pleased that he'd had the foresight to transfer everything of value here to his French estate. He'd done so, before the Azkaban breakout, knowing he could always move it back if he was wrong, but he hadn't been. As soon as Bellatrix was reunited with her sister the awkwardness of his marriage started to become much worse. It had not taken any of them long to work out that what had been peculiar quirks in Bellatrix before her incarceration had now developed into full blown madness, and her silly sister, Narcissa, had doted on every word of it.
He'd moved the precious Malfoy library and priceless artworks—a lot of them, surprising Muggle—along with the stables and aviaries, most of the staff of elves and a wand he had placed in the house vaults here in case he ever needed it. He had then warded the French estate against everyone but himself, Severus and Draco and he was so pleased he had, because the mad witch had systematically destroyed everything of value at the Wiltshire manor.
He had to say, he missed the elm wand that Voldemort had destroyed, but only because it was a family heirloom, he considered that perhaps it was better gone. He fingered the replacement; this wand was also elm with a dragon heart-string core, but it had chosen him when he'd purchased it from Gregorovitch. It already felt better in his hand than the old one he'd simply inherited.
This time there was no ostentatious cane, merely a simple wand, and for some reason this pleased Lucius inordinately. There had to be change, and it needed to start at the elemental level. Finally, he had given in to blessed natural sleep.