Before the spell had completed, Lucius stepped up behind her and spun her around.
'What the hell, do you think you're doing? You can't just treat this part of the Ministry like a game'. His hand stayed on her arm, but his eyes left hers and stared out into the room.
Beth turned to see what he was looking at and wished she hadn't. The mist wasn't some sort of charm it was the product of many hundreds of dormant Dementors. They hung like old coats on the walls, hundreds of them, their cloaks emitting the mist as if they were breathing out cold air. Beth's spell finally hit the wall, sucking in all the remaining mist, but as it did so all of the Dementors shivered. Lucius whipped out his wand, but it was too late, the Dementors began to animate. Beth turned towards the door, but an arousing Dementor fell from the ceiling and blocked her path.
'I can't get help. I can…stand behind me…I can' Beth shook, her wand falling out of her hand. Lucius' face showed no fear but he was angry, his eyebrows were drawn down into a frown, his lips pressed so hard together and his breath coming out of his nose heavy. He picked up her wand and pushed it against her chest. Beth grasped it without feeling her hands move. She looked up into Lucius' face and for a moment she forgot the moving shadows all around her.
'It's too late, we were never meant to wake them. It was an inventory…for an employer' Lucius sighed. 'He is not going to be happy' he said with a bitterness, spitting the words out into the freezing air.
Beth hadn't noticed the air getting slowly colder and she felt more and more as if the happiness was being drained out of her body. Any joy she felt from spending time with Lucius ebbed away as if on a slow flowing current. It was in that moment that the Dementor that had fallen in front of the door rose to its full height and sucked in a long soul-sucking breath, which echoed around the room as the others sucked in the air with rasping gasps.
Lucius moved with professional speed and relaxed posture, he pulled Beth into his chest and wrapped his cloak around her, cocooning her small form between the course material and himself with his right arm. She gave in to his tense embrace and closed her eyes, she breathed in his scent. He smelt like candle wax and parchment.
Lucius braced himself and swished his wand with a flourish, he cast a Patronus, but instead of thinking about the only time in his childhood when he had been given a present he had asked for, a streamlined Foxbough Broom, Lucius thought of how nice it was to feel someone need him. Need him for something other than work or servitude. Usually his patronus ran as a mighty python, rolling out of his wand with furious intent, but this time two pythons fell from the white light – they were entwined, wrapped around each other. When they hit the floor, they unwound and moved off in opposite directions, circling round each Dementor, fangs bared. The Dementors were forced back into the corners of the room, the snakes quick and vicious. When they had slithered around the room, they met in the middle, when their heads touched they disappeared.
Lucius didn't hesitate, he cast an explosive spell on the door, squeezed Beth into him so he could pick her up and pulled himself and her through the tattered remains of the door. He fell against the wall outside with a worn out breath, he cast of charm on the door to shield the escape of any Dementors and then let himself relax. His knees buckled a little and he settled to the floor. Beth was shaking under his cloak.
The cloak fell from his hand and Lucius let his arm drop from around Beth's waist, she stayed huddled against his chest, her eyes squeezed closed. She was afraid that if she opened them, she would be faced with the fact that the Dementors were undefeatable and she and Lucius were doomed.
Lucius controlled his breathing and looked down at the young woman clinging to him, he leaned forward so he could see her face better in the dim lighting underground and realised that her eyelashes were covered with frost. He felt a huge impulse to wipe away the frozen traces that sparkled like tiny gems. His thumb reached out and pressed against her eyelid gently and Beth started in surprise, she leapt forward towards him and his bowed head, seemingly afraid that they were still in danger. Her eyes flew open and her face collided with his chin.
Beth's heart leapt into her mouth, Lucius let out a breath; his hand rose to grab his throbbing chin but Beth touched it lightly instead. She didn't know what she was doing, but her hand followed his jawline and cupped his cheek, her thumb gently stroking his chin.
Lucius couldn't breathe, for the first time he didn't know how to take control, it felt so nice to feel Beth's warm touch on his skin. The threat of the Dementors seemed so far away and he was so aware of her small body curving into his own. He could feel her pulse in her thumb, it was so fast, mirroring the heartbeat that he could now hear in his ears. He saw Beth's eyes drop to the floor and she dropped her hand from his face, without thinking Lucius caught her hand and pressed it back against his cheek. Beth's eyes lifted to meet his and he pulled her towards him by the arm already wrapped around her.
Beth's other arm threaded up around his neck, she could feel his hair at the nape of his neck. They were so close to each other, his arms were around her and he only stopped drawing her in when his nose met hers. Lucius gave in to the small voice in his head, which was probably his mother's saying that he was being completely inappropriate and he should be ashamed of himself for associating with someone like Beth. But the voice disappeared and he moved his nose ever so slightly to the side and felt his lips meet Beth's. The touch sent shivers like electricity through his body, his arms tightened around Beth and his lips moved against hers. His heart felt as if it was going to fly straight out of his chest.
Beth couldn't breathe either, but didn't feel like stopping for breath was worth it, all she wanted was to stay right here – lost in the lips that she had only dreamed of touching. Her fingers crept up into his hair and his tie fell out, the hair fell forward framing his face and caressing her cheeks. Beth's fingers slid into the hair and pulled his lips harder against hers and he responded by lifting his hands up to cup her face. His fingers shook against her cheeks and she felt tears welling up.
Before the tears fell, Lucius pulled away from her and breathed out, his hands on his chest. Beth fell to the side, blinking back any emotion that almost came to light, Lucius purposefully didn't look at her and stood up slowly. He flung his hair back over his shoulders and pulled his cape around himself. He turned to go, but then paused and Beth thought he was going to acknowledge the moment they had just shared, but he only stared at the opposite wall for a moment and then left. Beth felt tears fall for a different reason and dropped her head in shame, she felt the darkness that was drawing in around her as if it were a judging jury.