I give you all a longer chapter because I just couldn't wait to post this all at once. Also it all seems to fit well together. Enjoy, my darlings!
"Good morning Master, Misses. What can Tippy get for you?" Tippy said happily. "Oh! Misses your clothes are on the dresser!" Tippy whispered to her, behind a hand making Hermione giggle.
"Thank you, Tippy." Hermione whispered back making the little elf squeak with embarrassment. "Um, can I have pancakes and pumpkin juice?" Hermione asked shyly. Lucius only chuckled at her and nodded
"Tippy? Some pumpkin juice, earl grey, pancakes, sausage and coffee, please." Lucius asked and Tippy nodded, she left with a crack then as Lucius and Hermione were talking a few minutes later she cracked back in then it all appeared with a snap of her fingers. Hermione smiled and took her glass of pumpkin juice, sipping it lightly. "I don't remember the last time I had pancakes." Lucius told her making her giggle, she could imagine Draco stuffing his face with the stuff at Hogwarts; she saw it once.
"Me either. Um I wanted to talk about what happened when I came here..." Hermione admitted with a small frown, she still couldn't remember.
"Yes, I was going to wait until you were comfortable talking about it. Oh! I forgot to give you something it slipped my mind when the incident with Draco happened. I believe I found your bag. Accio." Lucius accio-ed her bag to her and Hermione smiled brightly.
"Thank you so much!" She exclaimed brightly and this made Lucius smile. "Now, I um don't remember what happened so maybe you could use Legilimens on me and see if you could tell what happened." Hermione offered hopefully, at this Lucius seemed shocked. Would she actually trust him enough to allow him in her mind?
"Would you be okay with this, Hermione?" Lucius asked, quickly recovering from his shock, determined not to let it show.
"Of course! I trust you Lucius." She smiled brightly at him and went to reach for the pancakes but blushed when she realized her arm wouldn't stretch the full length needed. Lucius smiled and put one pancake on her plate. Hermione nodded her thanks and went to cut her food but her hands were shaking far too much.
"My dear, are you alright? You're shaking…" Lucius took her hands into his and set the cutlery down. He turned to look at her and she looked fine except for the fact that she was trembling all over.
"I feel fine wh-." She doubled over in pain at this and Lucius stood up quickly his chair flying back and toppling over, from the speed and force at which he moved. He kneeled down next to Hermione and turned her chair to face him.
"What is wrong pet? What hurts?" He took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. She let out another moan of pain and Lucius grimaced.
"C-cruci-cru"
"Aftereffects?" Lucius cut the brown haired witch off, she nodded and fell out of her chair. Lucius picked her up in his arms and rushed her to his room where he had potions easily accessible. "Tippy!" Lucius yelled as he made his way into the bedroom with his hands full of Hermione. He laid her on the bad and the elf appeared.
"Master called Ti-…" She cut herself off. "Is Missus alright?" The little elf quickly made her way to the potion stores. "Which ones?" She asked quickly.
"Pepper-Up and the healing draught for Crucio." He held her against him as she shook. Lucius leaned against the headboard with her in his arms.
"Here you are Master." She held the bottles out to Lucius. Lucius took one and tilted it up to her lips. Hermione took the potions with the help of Lucius.
"That's it; we are getting Sev over here..." Lucius growled lightly and cast a Patronus. It was a beautiful Jaguar. "Go to Severus; it's an emergency. There has been an attack." He sent it out. Within a few moments Severus was bursting into the room, Tippy hot on his heels.
"Lucius what happened?" He asked worriedly. Then he noticed Hermione Granger sitting in his best friend's lap. "What happened, Miss Granger? Are you alright?" She tried to answer but doubled over as another wave of pain coursed through her. Lucius grabbed a pain potion and administered it to her carefully.
"She seems to have aftereffects from prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus curse, old friend. And rather recently too." Lucius explained and held the witch close to him protectively. He was not letting her out of his or Severus' sight. Severus lifted the back of his hand to her forehead and noticed that her temperature was spiking.
"Try to get some sleep, Miss Granger. It will help the potions fight off the aftereffects." Severus told her and moved her hair out her face. He trailed his hand down to her neck and checked her lymph nodes to check for any signs of illness. They were slightly swollen but nothing of any real consequence. He moved back up to near her jawline and checked her pulse; it was erratic and rising quickly. Shit!" Severus cursed under his breath and pulled her out of Lucius's hold and laid her flat on the bed. He set a counter spell on her for the potions that were given to her. "What did you give her?" Severus growled and gave her a potion for the reaction. Lucius looked affronted but grabbed the empty phials. Severus sighed as her heart rate dropped significantly. "She's stabilizing. She should be fine in a little while." Severus sat on the bed next to Hermione and took the bottles from Lucius "They seemed to have somehow managed to become contaminated with dust. It compromised the effects of some of the combined ingredients. She will be fine. I will brew some fresh potions for her. May I make use of your lab Lucius?" Severus asked as he covered the young witch with a blanket. Hermione snuggled down under the covers; all of the sudden she was extremely cold. "Are you cold Miss Granger?" Severus asked and she nodded trying to burrow further under the covers. Severus smiled, chuckled slightly, and set a warming charm on the blankets and sheets under her.
"T-Thank you Professor Snape…" Hermione mumbled into the pillow.
"I haven't been your professor for years Miss Granger, you may call me Severus." He stood and looked to his friend.
"You know you are always welcome here Severus; and you always have access to use the lab, you know that." Lucius chuckled at his friend and Severus nodded to his friend.
"Thank you Lucius. I will check back in about an hour or so." Severus exchanged a hug with his friend checked on the witch once more before exiting the room to raid the lab. The lab at Malfoy Manor was more equipped than some of the fanciest and most prestigious labs in the whole of Brit- no, Europe. Severus opened the lab doors and was met with the creamy walls and dark floors, the equipment all had proper places and such. Severus brewed any basic potions that people would have in their stores. It was about midday by the time he was done. Severus sent back to Lucius's room and found him doing paper work on the couch in his quarters, his work spread over the table and the opposite side of the couch. "You need to empty your stores, old friend." Severus explained and Lucius looked at him as if he had gone 'round the bend. "Do not worry, I brewed new stores for you. They are all equipped with charms to keep them stable and under stasis." At this Lucius merely nodded and got up to do so. He looked over at Hermione and decided he should move her to her own rooms but he didn't like having her so far away. Lucius decided she could stay where she was for now. He and Severus talked and shared some brandy for a while. They still could not figure out how this had happened.
"Severus, she did want me to look into her memories to see if I could find anything. Perhaps you could do it; you are much better at it than me." He goaded the dark haired man with a smirk. Severus let out a chuckle and smiled.
"Of course, I do owe her this, at the very least; to find her attackers. As hesitant as I am to admit it, I do not like seeing her hurt, not after all she did for me, and you too Lu." Severus explained and Lucius knew he was right. Hermione let out a small groan and raised a hand to her head. Where was sh-. All of the sudden everything in the past couple days came rushing back and she remembered. Not just Lu and Sev, but everything. It was him, but how could he?!
"Y-you! H-how could you?" She yelled weakly as she got up. Severus went to her side quickly and she brushed him away. "How bloody fucking could you?! I trusted you! You worthless sniveling piece of Shit!" She stormed out and went to her room, she only made it as far as the middle of the hallway before collapsing to the floor.