Hermione woke up the next morning in her new, wonderfully comfortable bed. Looking around her room, she smiled—she had not every thought that she would have the luxury of privacy and the comfort of a bed that was her own ever again. She remained in bed until she started to hear noises of Lucius or Severus waking across the hall and moved to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.
"Hermione," Professor Snape greeted her by setting a fresh cup of tea down in front of her.
"Thank you, Professor," she smiled, grateful for the caffeine—another luxury.
"As Lucius said last night, please, call me Severus. It would be rather awkward otherwise. We are going to be rather close and I feel the familiar term appropriate," Severus stated matter-of-factly, as he picked up the Daily Prophet and started to pick at a scone, motioning for Hermione to do the same.
"Ugh. I need caffeine," Lucius mumbled, almost throwing himself into the chair. He had not yet showered, nor had he even changed, coming to the table in his pajamas, which consisted of boxers and an undershirt.
"I apologize for my partner's lack of decorum," Severus rolled his eyes as he sat the mug of tea down in front of Lucius.
"Oh! Scones! No more healthy food!" Lucius gushed once he had his first gulp of tea, reaching for a scone. Hermione was smiling at Lucius's behavior but became confused at his last comment. Severus saw this and replied, "I make him eat food that is good for him. Otherwise, he would eat pancakes with a kilo of whipped cream, chocolate, and syrup on it."
"That was one time, and I hadn't had that in years, before that! I missed it," Lucius pouted. Hermione chuckled, and it was her chuckle that had startled the two into reminding them that they were not alone.
"Ah ha! This is why we have scones. You, Madame, are my hero! You must stay forever or I'll die with only Severus's healthy food of death," Lucius announced with a particularly dramatic end, while adding butter and marmalade onto his scone, leaving Severus to look upon it in disgust. Hermione only smiled, never really coming to grips with this new personality of Lucius that she would have never thought he had.
"Lucius, please, control the amount of calories you are putting on your breakfast. And, get dressed! WE have a meeting with the Headmaster in thirty minutes," Severus was still glaring at the scone in his lover's hand.
"Oh, merlin, is it in his office? Can we be late, just in case?" Lucius's eyes widened in panic and his eyebrows achieved a comical height.
"No, he'll be coming down here to meet with all of us," Severus smirked, looking over to Hermione to assure her of her inclusion in the meeting
"Thank dear, sweet, old Merlin!" with that Lucius got up and went back to the bedroom to get ready as Hermione's face took on a puzzled expression due to Lucius's apparent dislike of the Headmaster's office.
"Lucius fears, to a ridiculous degree, the Headmaster's office, because he is one of the very few people who have ever surprised the old man and, let's just say, Lucius never wants to go back," Severus's smirk had grown and he even gained a mischievous glint to his eye.
"Well, Miss Granger, Severus, Lucius, I gathered you here to discuss Miss Granger's time away from us," Albus announced one everyone was settled with a cup of tea and, in Lucius's case, a biscut.
"Headmaster, you cannot expect her to just be able to discuss all of this now!" Lucius looked outraged at the Headmaster's assumption.
"Lucius, no, dear Merlin, no. I feel I may have been a bit ambiguous. I meant to say that while Miss Granger is staying here, it is for the censorship of the news of the present to help adjust to the change, however, I am hoping, that it will also be a kind of therapy. I'm not demanding any stories from you now, my dear, I am, however, asking that you all build trust together and that you will try to share your experiences in the past two years."
"Alright, Professor Dumbledore. I can do that. I have already written some down in the journal, but my hand is no longer use to writing and got tired, so Madame Pomphrey made me let it rest," Hermione spoke softly, drawing within herself physically to protect herself from the mental onslaught of the past.
Lucius placed his hand on her shoulder, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. Hermione leaned into his touch, although she looked demure, she did not feel as weak and helpless as she had felt just moments prior.
"Hermione, are you alright? Perhaps you'd like to lay down?" Severus studied her face and could tell she wanted to cry, being a Head of House allowed him that odd ability to know when a female was about to cry. Hermione looked torn at his words.
"I don't want to be alone," she trembled, looking lost.
"I will stay with you and Severus can stay and talk with Albus. Is that acceptable to you?" Lucius spoke in low tones, moving to help her stand when she nodded her ascent. He helped to guide her to her room, while exchanging looks with Severus.
"Come, little one, let's lay you down," he moved into her room, shutting the door behind him. She looked at him in alarm. "What's wrong, Hermione?" He was disturbed by the sudden shift in her demeanor, not moving too quickly and keeping his hands visible to her, hoping to calm her.
"The door, you locked it. You're not going to let me leave, are you?" her breathing became labored as she looked around the room, wide-eyed and frantic.
"I did not lock the door, I put up a silencing charm so that you could rest without being disturbed by the conversation in the other room. Come, here, you can test the door, yourself," Lucius led Hermione over to the door, placing her hand on it before taking a step back to open the door herself. When the door opened, she started to cry with relief, all of the pent up emotion had released themselves. Lucius grabbed a hold of her as she sunk to the floor. When his arms reached around her, she clung to him, knowing she could trust him, and Lucius just held her. He leaned back against the wall, comforting Hermione as she exhausted herself with her emotional outpouring, clinging to him. It was not long before she quieted and fell asleep. He remained with her for some while, afraid to move and was lulled into a light sleep, as well.
"Love?" Severus poked his head into Hermione's room after his soft knock went unanswered. His eyes swept across the room, stopping when he found them next to the door on the floor. Hermione was clinging to Lucius, using him as both a pillow and a life-line, with tear stains on her cheeks.
"Lucius," he whispered, placing his hand on the other's shoulder to wake the blonde if he could. "Love?" Lucius blinked slowly, looking down at Hermione first before looking up at Severus.
"She cried herself to sleep," he said simply.
"I can see that, any reason why?" Severus asked, sitting down on the ground.
"She thought I locked the door. She got so scared, Merlin, Sev. I haven't seen pure panic like that since the war," Lucius alternated between staring into space and looking intently at his lover. "When I showed her that the door was unlocked and that she was free to go, she started crying. She seemed so adjusted before this. I think she needs more help then we thought."
"I'm sorry I wasn't able to help you," Severus was quiet, but earnest. He looked down at Hermione Granger. He remembered the headstrong Gryffindor that had been fierce in battle. It was hard to reconcile that image with the broken woman he saw before him. He felt his heart ache for her, just as he had for Lucius when he was released from the contracts and layers of compulsion and obedience charms. He knew, at that moment, he was going to do anything he could to help Hermione become the force she was prior to her disappearance.
Together, Lucius and Severus were able to put Hermione on her bed. Lucius sat in a chair beside her bed, determined not to leave her alone, after the fear he had just witnessed. Severus went to make tea for them both. He was going to make sure she would get over this, no matter how slow the process.
A/N: Review Please!