A/N: Thank you for the favorites, follows, and reviews!

3

Previously:

She lifted her head and looked into his silvery eyes, the light of the fire danced in them, making him look dangerous. Her breath caught as his smell permeated everything, his proximity making her head spin. Slowly he leaned in, watching her for permission or skittishness or whatever. She sat still, stiff as a board on his lap. His lips connected with the corner of her mouth, a soft sigh escaping her lips. A breathless moment that captivated her. How could his lips be so soft and molten at the same time? Hermione shivered at the contact. A bolt of heat shot through her core. She could feel him smile as he pulled away.

"Do you want to sleep here tonight?" He whispered.

**HGHG**

Hermione stared at Lucius as if he had lost his mind. Her face flushed and her breathing hitched. Here she was sitting on his lap and was frightened by the mere question of staying the night.

"I will not be joining you, if that is what you are worried about. I have something to do before I can sleep. I doubt I will be done before morning." He said.

The relief and disappointment warred on her face.

"Alright." She said softly earning a smile in return.

"Do you want a cup of tea, Poppet?"

"Sure."

Lucius handed her a handkerchief so that she could wipe the tears from her face. The fire held her gaze hypnotically as he pulled her back into his chest. The steady beating of his heart, calmly pumping in her ear, forced her to relax. Tinkling china filled the room as one of the house elves brought their tea.

"Thank you." Lucius murmured. All Hermione heard was the pop of the disappearing elf as she burrowed further to Lucius' comforting embrace. She blinked her eyes a few times, feeling cherished in his arms, so safe. There was just something about this man who made her feel as if the rest of the world could burn around them and he would protect her. That was the last thought she had before she fell asleep in his arms, her tea untouched.

Lucius held her close, chin resting on her head as she began to lightly snore. He smiled. His heart started to pound faster as his fingers explored the soft skin on her arms and knees. She was magnificent and he felt drawn to her in a way he never experienced before. He had loved Narcissa but not like this. He now knew the travesty of marrying someone for the sake of a child. It was devoid of the most important things in life, for him anyway.

"She is incredible, isn't she?" Abraxas asked, slowly opening the door so that she wouldn't wake.

"Breathtaking."

"So, this is where she disappeared to." Draco said as he joined them, closing the door behind him, just as softly as it was opened.

"She is feeling guilty for Potter being in captivity, Narcissa too."

"That's Granger to a 'T'."

Abraxas and Draco took chairs on either side of Lucius' and the three of them sat quietly observing the woman in their midst.

"We will leave tonight." Abraxas told Lucius. "We have to be able to watch everything, find the best way to extract them both."

"Narcissa will be the most difficult to extricate. She will be next to Riddle. Severus said that she is going to be bound to him in slavery soon. It is the only way he can force her to give him the memories that she is hiding."

"We can't afford for him to find out what the prophecy and contract stipulates. Plus, it would put Hermione in harm's way. He is intrigued by her now, what would happen if he knew she brought us back from the dead? The contract is even more serious. If he manages to capture her, we are as good as slaves as well. We are bound to her very life. We must never forget that she is the only hope for our family. I made sure of that when she was eleven."

"We will do what we must. Draco will stay here and keep her busy in the Prophecy room and the both of us will do what we can to put an end to this war. She may not know it yet, but she is ours. She is a Malfoy in all but name and as soon as we can convince her, that will change too." Lucius said.

He stood up and walked to the large bed, Draco followed and turned down the blankets so that Lucius could lay her down. Her curly hair spread out around her in a frizzy halo that hid the pillow completely. Her pink lips were set in a tiny smile, her face relaxed. She curled into the bed, her face pressed against the sheets. Lucius and Draco watched as their witch sunk deeper into sleep before covering her. Draco ran his fingers through her hair, a tender look on his face.

"She feels safe here." Draco marveled.

"I think it is a lingering feeling from when we saved her, two years ago." Lucius murmured, so as not to disturb their sleeping witch.

"She is so beautiful."

"Yes, she is."

"I hope she doesn't freak out and run away when she sees the contract."

"You and me both, Draco."

They walked back to their chairs, eyes still occasionally darting to Hermione's sleeping form.

"There is a chance that one or both of us dies in this attempt, Draco. If that is the case, you have to take her out of country and hide until this passes." Abraxas began.

"She will never leave willingly. Not while Potter lives." Draco muttered.

"Then we will have to make sure this doesn't fail. To protect our mate, we must destroy the Dark Lord. The sooner the better." Lucius said.

"That really goes without saying." Abraxas said derisively.

"Narcissa has been suffering for two years." Lucius whispered. He put his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees.

"She will always be part of our family whether or not you are still married. We will save them both."

"Mother is strong. We will get her out of there." Draco looked lost, his determination and hope bled into desperation.

"I can't even imagine what she had to go through." Abraxas agreed.

"She was my wife and I failed her."

"Lucius, you are not to blame here. This is the Dark Lord's doing and now that we are here, we are going to stop him."

Silence settled over the room. They were used to each other's idiosyncrasies, understanding on a basic level that silence was not necessarily a bad thing. Abraxas stood up and walked over to the bed. He let his fingertips trail over her cheeks.

"How is it that one witch can tie me up in knots so thoroughly?"

"I've been asking myself that exact question ever since I learned about the whole thing." Lucius responded.

**HGHG**

Hermione woke up in the warm cloud of a bed that Lucius chose for his own. She hadn't slept so well in such a long time, sinking into the feathered bed as if she had been born a princess, she lay contented. She turned her head and froze. After blinking a few times, her brow wrinkled in confusion.

It had looked as if Draco pulled one of the wingback chairs over to the bedside and instead of finding his own bed last night, he kept watch over her. He was out cold. His head tipped back in an angle that looked like it was painful. It was comforting to know that he wanted her to feel safe with them. She studied his face, relaxed in sleep. He was truly a handsome man.

She could have easily fallen for him before at Hogwarts had he treated her and her friends better. Oh, and wasn't an all-around arse. She snorted lightly. She liked this version of Draco better. He was sweet and considerate. Always looking out for her, holding her hand, giving his life for hers. She was deeply touched. Whatever caused this change was unquestionably formidable.

Hermione crawled from under the warmth of the blankets, stripped the top most quilt and covered the sleeping man before padding softly to the bathroom. She groaned as she saw her reflection, her hair having gone wild in the night. She wanted to touch up but decided to just shower instead. There was no saving that bedhead. Pulling out one of the fluffiest towels she had ever seen, she turned on the taps. Where did the elves find all of the household linens anyway? It had only been a day or so since they have been back and already she was swimming in luxury.

She moaned appreciatively as she stood under the hot shower, the pulsating water kneading the muscles of her shoulders. Showers in Malfoy Manor were nothing short of orgasmic. And she would defend that opinion to the death.

Draco was awake by the time she came out of the bathroom, her hair wrapped in a towel on the top of her head. He watched her silently move around the room as if she owned the place, as if she were familiar with it. She on the other hand, felt like a chicken with its head cut off, she rummaged through personal possessions and boring documents looking for her wand, which happened to be on the window sill. Why it was there, was anyone's guess. Hermione shook her head.

"Let's go back to the prophecy room. I want to listen to it one more time." She announced.

"Alright." Draco stood. He grimaced having slept in that god forsaken chair for the better part of the night.

"Where is Abraxas and Lucius?" She asked.

"They must be somewhere. They left after I fell asleep." He replied. He was very careful with each word he uttered. He dared not lie to her but neither could he tell her the truth. Hermione thinned her lips in suspicion but let it go. There would be plenty of time to grill him later if they didn't show up.

"Well, lead on, Draco." Hermione said, gesturing to the door. He grabbed her hand as he passed, holding on to her in a way that she was coming to really like.

"How are you holding up?" Draco asked.

"Harry is being tortured and has been for a week and a half. I am not doing well. After we are done here I want to go to the library."

"We will get Potter out of there. Just give us some time."

Hermione nodded as they stopped in front Sigurd's door.

"Good morning, Elskede." The blond Viking rumbled.

"How come I never get a good morning?" Draco complained.

"Because she is prettier than you."

"Impossible."

Hermione giggled at their banter but the smile fell away quickly. She shouldn't be happy when Harry and Narcissa were being tortured.

With a sigh, Sigurd swung open, allowing them to enter the small room. The room was a marvel. Generations of memories swirled in their vials. Each shelf was clearly labeled. Dates, contents, and the originators name on each. One whole wall was a glass cabinet that was warded and spelled so that the only people that could open it were Hermione and a Malfoy heir by birth.

She opened the fragile door and cradled the prophecy in her hands. A husky alto voice rang out, a woman whose voice by its very nature was seductive. Of course, she was a Malfoy.

September 19, 1979 will mark the birth of Merlin's protégé and she will rise from the lowest echelons of society. Her lineage will bless the houses of the Sacred twenty-eight. The fruit of her womb will be abundant and they will establish their own noble lines, replacing their fallen brothers. She will resurrect an extinct house and will build new foundations on which the entire wizarding world will rest. With a power unequaled, she will establish a new dynasty that will reign for a millennia.

Draco watched the confusion and wonder battle on her face. He smoothed her hair out of her face.

"Why did Abraxas think this person was me?"

"He saw your potential when you were just a child. Out of the three magical children born on that day, two of you were girls and only you were Muggleborn. Plus, the first time he saw you, you were sneaking out of your locked house. He was observing your family and when he saw you magically unlock the door and leave, he stopped you. He asked where you were going without your parents. And you told him that they weren't your parents anymore because they wouldn't take you to the library. He summoned a book for you. Your eyes lit up as if a fairy had hidden inside them. You glowed. You told him you wanted to marry him someday but only if he promised to keep giving you books." Draco was grinning at the blush that spread over her face. "It was one of the reasons he was so fastidious about acquiring rare texts for the library."

"I couldn't have been any older than six. How did he know I was even a candidate?"

"He was a school governor. He was able to look at the magical register."

"Naturally." She mumbled, still embarrassed.

His finger was under her chin and he tilted her face so that he could see her. His lips inches from hers.

"I saw the memory. You were incredibly adorable as a child. A menace but adorable."

"I wasn't a menace."

"Oh really?"

He smirked, his eyes bored into hers, pausing for one breathless minute before leaning in and connecting their lips. He caressed her bottom lip between his.

Hermione felt fire through her veins. She couldn't breathe and butterflies had taken up permanent residence in her stomach. He smelled so good. She wondered if he always smelled this good. He moved in closer and removed the prophecy carefully, putting it back in its proper place. He drew air into his lungs through his nose and pressed her into the glass case, his body surrounding hers.

Her hands ran up his body to encircle his neck. He moaned as she stretched onto her tiptoes, her breasts naturally thrust into his chest. She pulled him down to her as he tangled his fingers in her hair.

His lips were demanding as he deepened the kiss, moving his tongue over the seam of her lips. Parting the plump flesh, he pillaged her mouth, drawing sexy mewls from her throat. When he finally came up for air they were looking at each other with unfulfilled lust and need.

"The library." She squeaked.

He smirked as he clasped her hand, running one of his fingers on her ring finger, a bare portion of skin that he craved to claim. Soon.

**HGHG**

Narcissa lifted her head as the door opened, dread sinking in her stomach. Had it been a week already? She was losing track of the days, months blending into years.

Voldemort walked in and smiled at her. She cringed. Nothing good ever followed.

"Narcissa, Darling, I think it is time that I show the entire world exactly who keeps my bed occupied." He laid a set of beautiful golden robes on the bed and squatted next to the corner that she was chained to.

He ran his fingers over her bruised face, tongue clicking. The abrasions healed as he fingered each in turn.

"Rosier isn't kind to his play-things, is he? If you would just give me those memories that I know you are hiding, I wouldn't let them do such horrible things to you. You force me to hurt you. I just want you to be happy, Cissy. Work with me so that I can stop this madness."

Narcissa ignored him, sinking into the memories of when Draco was born. He was the very best part of her life. The only good thing that came out of forcing Lucius to marry her.

Voldemort growled as he looked into her glassy unfocused eyes. Narcissa knew that he hated when she ignored him. There would be severe consequences for her disobedience but she just couldn't take his emotional manipulation anymore. It is not her fault. He controls everything, down to what she ate. If he didn't want to hurt her, he wouldn't. Her personal hell wouldn't stop with her capitulation. She needed to be strong so that she could protect her family.

"Legilimens."

Narcissa was laying in the master bed, propped up as the white silk sheets pooled around her. She looked down at her nursing son. Draco was a three-month-old with wisps of fine blond hair and his blue eyes were starting to change to grey. His little pink lips covered her nipple as he took long pulls of her milk. She smiled tenderly at him. He was everything that she had always dreamed of. Narcissa cuddled him closer as his little fingers pinched the skin under her arm.

Voldemort sneered in her mind as he mentally flung the tender moment away. He battered her defenses, cutting through her sweetest memories to fling his mind against her fortifications.

Narcissa had just stepped out of the shower and sat in a towel on the edge of their marital bed. Her head was in her hands as she wept. The healer said that she had postpartum depression but Narcissa knew the truth. She was grieving for her marriage. It had taken her a year and a half but she finally realized the problem with trapping a husband. He wasn't in it because he loved her. No, he married her to give his son legitimacy. He liked her well enough, sure. They got along as good friends do but there was nothing more. There was no great love. Part of her regretted getting pregnant by Lucius but another part, the maternal side, was grateful. She wouldn't be the mother of such a perfect child if she hadn't seduced Lucius that day.

Adjusting to life as the wife as a Malfoy was difficult on a good day. Her in-laws disliked her, her parents had stopped talking to her, her husband was emotionally absent. There were only two people who seemed to understand her deep unhappiness without her saying it. Bellatrix and Severus.

Bellatrix was told shortly after her marriage to Rodolphus that she was infertile. For a pureblooded woman who married the patriarch of a dying house, she was expected to strengthen the line. It was the reason the Lestrange's contracted for a Black, the most prolific of the pureblooded houses. For her to be unable to do that lowered her worth in the eyes of society. Rodolphus had found a young pretty thing as his mistress after only two days of receiving this news. Narcissa watched as the light and respect Bellatrix had for her husband and herself diminished. She was only a small insignificant nobody that just happened to be wealthy and infertile.

The sisters never abandoned each other but took solace from separate sources. Narcissa buried herself in raising Draco and Bellatrix studied magic, that is until she was thrown into Azkaban prison. Bellatrix felt that she needed to be powerful enough that no one would ever make her feel less of a person just because she couldn't have children. The signs of madness were all there; the bitterness and her anger deepening into justification for cruelty. When the Dark Lord came along, he petted her hair and told her how special she was. Being pureblooded and unquestionably powerful, Voldemort gave her the vindication and attention that her soul needed to thrive once more. No longer was she a husk of a woman. She was his servant, the only woman in his inner circle. She fell in love with him, no matter how irrational such a thing was. It was then, after Bellatrix was broken out of Azkaban that Narcissa acknowledged the madness that lingered around her. It took a very heartbroken Narcissa two days to realize that the sister that had brought her comfort all those years ago, was gone.

Severus was a surprise to Narcissa. He and Lucius were close friends. They were both intellectuals that thrived on being powerful and influential. At the time, she didn't realize that that need for power stemmed only from the need to protect. You can protect your own only if one had the power to make it so. He always made it a point to seek her out before leaving the Manor. They had become close confidants and friends. Had she been able to change her decision to get pregnant by Lucius, she undoubtedly would have fallen for him. If she could go back, she would have waited for Severus to grow up and snatch him before other women realized what a catch he was.

As she sat on the edge of her bed, crying for her marriage, she didn't hear the door creak open. She continued her lamentations until a hand slid over her shoulder. She jumped. Lucius had already left for the day and the Manor was supposed to be empty. She looked up through her bloodshot eyes at the dark and newly-minted Potions Master.

"Cissy."

"Don't! I don't want your pity."

"Good because I don't give it."

"He doesn't love me. He never did."

"No. He doesn't."

"What am I going to do?"

"What do you think you should do?"

"Nothing, I am going to do nothing. I need to put my feelings aside and follow through with this life I have created with Lucius. Until Draco is a grown man, this is where I belong. Children need strong families when possible. Lucius doesn't abuse me. He is a good man but I don't know how I can bear seeing him, sleeping with him, knowing that it's not me that he wants. Because despite everything, I still love him." Narcissa patted her cheeks as Severus handed her a handkerchief. She smiled gratefully.

"You are a strong woman and if you ever need anything, and I mean anything, I will gladly come."

"You are a good friend Severus."

"Always."

Voldemort moved on, his impatience burning through her mind. He didn't want to look at that drivel. He battered his way through her barrier of memories, causing a momentary fracture in her fortifications.

Hermione was on the floor of her drawing room and Narcissa looked on in horror. She needed to do something, needed to get her out of there. The panic burned through her veins as Bellatrix sliced another mark into her future daughter-in-law's arm. She wanted to fling her mad sister away, pull the sobbing girl into her arms and keep her safe. She shuddered as she held herself in check. She looked into Lucius expressionless face. She knew that he was looking at the girl writhing on the floor with hidden fascination and panic. She also knew that he felt the need to save her, not that anyone but her would be able to tell. Narcissa glared at the floor as the old familiar resentment lodged somewhere in her thorax. Lucius was looking at Hermione with curiosity. After all, had he not gotten Narcissa pregnant, the girl on the floor would be his fiancée.

She watched as his fingers clenched around the marble mantle of the fireplace. Draco on his other side. Her son was ghostly white, knowing that his future wife was being tortured in his own home, in front of his very eyes. The home he was supposed to present her with as a loving, safe environment where they would raise their future children. The Manor was warped now, it's days of representing the grandest parts of the old ways were gone.

With a collective sigh of relief, the Malfoy's were relieved when their prisoners escaped, forcing Bellatrix to leave the room. Narcissa pulled Draco into the receiving room, waiting at the door for Lucius who carried that battered girl. She called one of the remaining house elves and asked them to retrieve and fill Hermione's bag with food, enough to be on the run for a year. Narcissa forced down her feelings of loss and soothed Hermione's hair. It was not really the girl's fault that Narcissa's marriage was less than desirable. If there was any chance of her son living through this war, it would only be through this small, powerful child. She was a woman, not a child, Narcissa admonished herself. Despite having obviously gone hungry for some time, Hermione's curves were still evident. The look in Lucius' eye as he held her, confirmed for Narcissa the biggest truth of her life. Her husband and her son were in love with the same woman. It would have broken her heart if it hadn't already shattered into a million pieces slowly over the years.

As they sent Hermione and Draco through the floo, Lucius turned to her and held her close.

"I'm sorry, Cissy, that I couldn't love you the way you deserve. I want you to know that I have loved you in my own way. I wish that you had a happier life. I failed you and I am sorry."

Voldemort opened the door and swept into the room, his furious glare falling on first one then the other.

"Et tu, Lucius?" Voldemort sneered.

Lucius only rose his chin, gladly blocking his master's way.

"Where did they go? Where is your son and the Mudblood?" He yelled.

Lucius crumpled to the ground as the flash of green light hit him in the center of his chest, his body not even cold before Narcissa was bound next to him. She morbidly stared at his face, desperately praying that Hermione was the woman who they thought she was. Even if she would never be Lucius' wife again, even if she died as they lived, she would never again regret her choices. He loved her in his own way and she loved him too.

It wasn't long before Voldemort was back, Draco's body hovering beside him. He kept his eyes on Narcissa's as he set the dead bodies side by side.

"Why would your husband and son die to protect one little Mudblood?"

Narcissa held her silence, her jaw set.

"No? Crucio!"

She writhed on the floor as much as her bindings would allow, her throat burning with her screams.

Voldemort pulled from her mind a thoughtful look on his face. Narcissa went whiter than ever before. He had cracked through her defenses and accessed one of the five memories. She shook, feeling sick as the weight of import crashed around her. She couldn't allow anymore of the five to be compromised. She had known that she wouldn't survive this. She couldn't take the chance that he would break through her defenses any further. She looked at the floor, terrified he would dive back in.

She was surprised when he didn't.

"Be ready in an hour. You have free use of the bathroom until I come back for you." He said quietly before quickly retreating. Narcissa wondered if a person would be able to drown themselves if they tried hard enough. She rose unsteadily to her feet as the chains disappeared from around her ankles and wrists. She walked like a newborn colt to the bathroom, her arms stretched out to the side to steady her shaky limbs. She had been chained there for days, her legs folded beneath her more often than not. She sobbed as the feeling began to rush back into her extremities. She fell to her knees and dragged herself into the bathroom. It was almost over. She wouldn't have to suffer anymore. Dispassionately she wondered why she hadn't tried to kill herself earlier.

She knew though that it was only recently that things changed. Harry Potter, the hope of the wizarding world was now in enemy hands. How could he defeat Voldemort if he was a prisoner? Narcissa clenched her teeth and mentally pulled up her big girl panties. She kept herself alive in case Hermione ever needed her. If Draco and Lucius were to live again, she needed to protect Hermione, even with her life if needed. Even if she had to sacrifice someone else's life for it.

She grimaced as she pulled herself to the lip of the tub and turned on the tap for the warm water. Narcissa thought about the memory that she had just replayed and marveled at how much she had changed since the day Lucius died. The feelings of betrayal and resentment were gone completely. She wondered at the change, having loved Lucius her whole life and came to a shocking conclusion. She was in love with someone else. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, Severus had always treated her with compassion and kindness, even as he treated the rest of the world with disdain.

**HGHG**

Abraxas and Lucius watched from the back corner of the ceremonial stage where they were heavily disillusioned. Their lips curled with disgust and derision as they watched their former peers as they sunk into atrocities that had never been part of the role of Death Eaters before.

How the mighty had fallen. The great pureblooded lines were blemished. Pedophilia, necrophilia, rape, sodomy and dangerous sex games were being played out in the open. The robed Death Eaters wandered from one area to another, openly jeering at the victims that were being abused.

"Bloody fucking Hell." Abraxas muttered.

"As if we needed another motivation to stop that crazy bastard." Lucius muttered back.

"Not only is this deeply disturbing but there are pureblooded children down there. I thought he ran on the pureblooded dogma."

Their stomachs churned with revulsion. This was the makings of nightmares and they were only silent observers.

"You and I know exactly the same information. Although, I feel like Severus should have warned me about this."

"Would it have changed anything?"

"I probably would have drugged Hermione to guarantee that she didn't follow."

"Is that likely?"

"Draco thinks so."

"He would know."

A disturbance at the entrance drew their gazes, eyes quickly drew to the two prisoners that were their highest priorities. A large procession of Death Eaters streamed in, a new inner circle followed their master. Narcissa was elegant as a queen as she walked sedately next to Voldemort. She looked sallow and underfed but they couldn't see any scars or blemishes on her skin. They were holding out the hope that it wasn't as bad as Severus made it out to be for her.

Harry was led on a braided leather leash that was attached to a wide white leather collar around his throat. His body only covered with a white thong, the bruises on his body glaring as the rainbow of colors from his bruises spread across every inch of skin. That is, the bruises were everywhere that the lash didn't split. His eyes were nearly swollen shut and his hair had been slicked back so that no one would be able to deny that the person so degraded was actually Potter. His hands were tied behind his back and he stumbled as Bellatrix jerked his leash. A rumble of laughter flowed through the room.

Blood began to ooze down his legs from the deep gashes to his inner thighs. Abraxas couldn't imagine he would last much longer if he had to suffer more of this treatment. It was brutal and nonsensical. His eyes hardened on Voldemort, walking in the front with a holier than thou attitude. This was his victory march but it was an empty one, he just didn't realize it yet. But he would. Abraxas couldn't take the chance that Hermione would be next to walk attached to that leash. Potter was her family. They were closer than siblings. It was something that war did to people. It forged bonds that were stronger than blood.

Lucius and Abraxas waited until the procession was on stage and they moved as if ghosts among their former peers. It was pure arrogance on the part of Voldemort that the wards around the celebration were many and yet still lacking. Anti-apparition wards were never erected and the Malfoy's rejoiced at the foolishness of their enemies. Lucius stalked to the front, standing just behind Bellatrix. He knew that leash. It had magical retardants and many other binding spells woven into the very creation of the thing. It was meant for slave training and it was sickening to see it be used so callously. He clenched his teeth. The only way to get Potter out of there was to become master of the leash and that meant forcefully and willfully taking it from its current master.

A small coin heated in his pocket. Their signal to begin. Keeping the disillusion while disarming Bellatrix was difficult but with what felt like a lifetime of wrestling, Lucius finally won the allegiance of the leash and disapparated both Harry and himself out of there. They were in the center of the forest that connected to Malfoy Manor.

Lucius dropped the disillusionment and the leash, clawing at the bonds that kept the collar around Potter's neck. Harry stood shivering, staring at Lucius as if he was staring at a ghost. Using his own cloak to cover the boy, Lucius pulled Harry into a very awkward hug.

"Am I dead?" He croaked.

"No."

"Then how are you here. You died."

"Hermione. That brilliant, amazing woman brought us back."

"Us? Ron? Did she save Ron?" He yelled wildly.

"I'm sorry Potter. She could only bring back wizards from the same line, a dead line that she owed something to."

There was a loud crack as Abraxas apparated in. He was flustered, already visible, and alone.

"Where is Cissy?" Lucius asked.

"When I tried to take her, it was as if a physical force held her there even though he wasn't touching her. I couldn't do anything. I nearly didn't make it out of there at all. He saw me. He knows who I am."

"So, you left her there?"

"What was I supposed to do? Stay and die? I couldn't take her. It was physically impossible."

Both men stared at each other, their stubborn anger fueling each other's temper. Lucius looked away first. He knew he was being unreasonable but he owed her better than this. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. Hermione may be the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with but that didn't mean that he had forgotten all of the years of loyalty. She was Draco's mother and as such deserved the protection of the Malfoy family.

They began the long trek through the forest and grounds to get to the now heavily warded Manor. Harry was being led in a daze, not quite believing that he was free and that Hermione did actually make it out. He had doubted for days now. It was one of Bellatrix favorite things to taunt him with. She liked to list the details of the things that she vowed that Dolohov was doing to her.

"Harry Potter. I am Abraxas Malfoy. The patriarch of the family and Hermione's first husband. It's nice to meet the man who she holds in such high esteem."

"What? Husband? How?"

"Well, I will be, eventually. I guess I can't skip the chase." He winked at Harry.

"Excuse me?"

"Potter, calm down. It was the spell she used. She is our family's matriarch now. She just hasn't realized the full ramifications of the spell she cast that brought us back. Despite my father's forward manner, we are not going to force this on her. By the time we are done with the chase, as he so eloquently put it, she won't want anyone else."

"Your father?" Harry choked.

"Yes."

"And you both are going to be her husbands?"

"Yes. Draco too."

"I've died. I know it." Harry sighed. He looked around disbelievingly. "I really didn't think Heaven would look like this."

"You are not dead, Mr. Potter."

The moment they crossed the wards they stopped and the Malfoys began casting every healing spell they had in their arsenal. Lucius transfigured the cloak into a nice robe and Harry nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you."

Once the three men entered the Manor, Abraxas summoned one of the many house elves in residence.

"Where is Hermione."

"The library, Master."

"Thank you."

"I live to serve." The elf bowed and disappeared, leaving the three men to find the library alone.

Harry stood in the doorframe and leaned against it casually as Abraxas and Lucius stood behind. They watched as Potter gathered himself and plastered an uneven smile on his face.

"I hope you have made her take breaks to eat, Draco. She gets bitchy when she is hangry."