CHAPTER TEN

She knew that her friends were sharing knowing glances beside her, but Hermione only had eyes for Lucius. She wanted so badly to go to him, but almost as soon as he walked in, he was surrounded by his usual group of mates. His eyes found hers and butterflies exploded in her stomach. His gaze softened and the left corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly at the sight of her. It was the first time he'd smiled at her like that in the presence of others. A second later, she experienced a moment of pure euphoria when he excused himself from his friends, crossed the space between them, and drew her into his arms. Though he didn't kiss her, the silence between them spoke more than any kiss could.

The feel of his arms around her was better than she'd remembered. Before she could fully enjoy the moment, it was over. A not-so-subtle clearing of a throat pulled them from their embrace. Lucius stared down at her, a promise in his eyes, before turning to walk to the hearth with his mates. Hermione took the look for what it truly meant; they would talk later. She smiled at him and went back to retake her seat between Liz and Andromeda. The girls had apparently exhausted their stories of their holiday adventures and turned to Hermione.

'So,' began Andromeda, 'how was your holiday? You went back to France, right?'

Hermione had been thinking about this for a while, even having Dumbledore offer to help concoct a plausible story for her Christmas hols, but in the end, she knew that she would once again stay close to the truth. During her last Christmas break, she actually had gone to France with her family. They'd visited family, gone skiing and ice skating, and gone to midnight mass. While she'd left that last bit out while talking to the Slytherin girls, she regaled them with funny anecdotes from family meals and gatherings. The conversations continued over dinner, a great feast to celebrate the return to school, with the girls discussing the gifts they received, the places they went, and the balls they attended.

It was a semi-quiet walk back down to the dungeons, students feeling tired from the day of travel and full from the return feast in the Great Hall. Polite conversation was maintained in the common room, but one by one, the space cleared out as people headed off to bed. Before long, Hermione found herself sitting alone in the common with Andromeda Tonks.

'You need to be careful,' Andromeda began. At Hermione's confused look, she continued. 'I know how you feel about Lucius. Hell, the whole of Slytherin House knows and that can be a real problem for you if people get to talking, which they are.'

'What are you talking about?' asked Hermione. 'Who's talking and what are they saying?'

'It's merely whispers right now, at least here, but at the Malfoy Gala on Christmas Day, you were the topic of many conversations. Lucius was warned to keep his distance, as apparently he's dangerously close to negating his contract to marry my sister.'

Hermione gasped as the words sunk in. Was that why he didn't kiss her when he came into the common room? She shook off the thought as soon as it entered her head; he had never kissed her in the presence of others before the break, why would he start now?

Andromeda continued. 'Abraxas and my father had many heated words, with Father only calming down when he was told that Lucius was only practicing with you so that he would be a better husband for Cissy. But more than that…'

She broke off and looked around the common room a few times before turning to Hermione and lowering her voice. 'Do you know what kind of family Lucius comes from?' she asked.

'A Pureblood family. One of the oldest, if I can remember correctly.'

'More importantly, his father is in the Inner Circle.'

Hermione stared blankly at Andromeda, hoping that the phrase would be better explained. Andromeda, for her part, stared back intensely. There was fear written all over her face, and Hermione knew. Of course Abraxas Malfoy would be one of Voldemort's closest advisors, if that's what they were. Either way, Hermione knew that the Malfoy's were deep in the Dark Lord's ranks.

'You're not a Pureblood, are you?'

The question seemed to come out of nowhere, and Hermione was so shocked by it, she reflexively answered with the truth.

'No one can know,' Hermione said. 'It would ruin me in this House.'

'I'll keep your secret if you can keep mine.' It was then that Andromeda revealed her budding relationship with Ted Tonks. She told Hermione about how he was a Muggleborn and that her family would most likely kill her, or him, or both, if they ever learned of them. It took a full ten minutes for Hermione to convince her friend that her secret was safe.

'I think I've seen him in the halls,' Hermione told her. 'He's handsome! Are you two serious?'

Andromeda smiled, her cheeks going a bit pink. 'I snuck out on Boxing Day and saw him. I knew there was no way the two of us would be able to go the full break without being together.'

Hermione sighed. 'It was difficult being away from Lucius for so long, I'm not going to lie. But though I missed him, I knew we'd be together again soon enough.'

The shock on Andromeda's face was only there for a moment, but Hermione saw it. The tone of her voice, though, wasn't as easy to school as her expression. When Andromeda spoke, it was with both shock and awe. 'You're not sleeping together.'

'I'm not sure I want to sleep with him. I mean,' she hesitated, knowing deep down that she was lying, both to Andromeda and to herself. Composing herself, Hermione continued, 'I… I really… I like him a lot… Oh Merlin's Beard. I more than like him, but I know who he is, who his family is!' Lowering her voice, Hermione whispered, 'I'm not who he thinks I am… That's…'

Andromeda pulled Hermione into her arms and gave her a commiserating hug. The two were both in over their heads, but Hermione knew that only one of them would have a happy ending. There was no way that she and Lucius could have any sort of a romantic future together. Realizing their mutual futility, they held each other in the way friends do and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was another day…

~*~*~*LMHG*~*~*~

Even though she had almost every class with Lucius, and shared a House with him, it was a full week before they were really able to speak to each other. He'd caught her in the corridor outside of the common room and asked if he could speak privately with her. Of course she'd agreed immediately, and he led her up to the seventh floor, pacing in front of a stretch of wall that soon revealed a plain, wooden door. The two went inside the Room of Requirement, which had taken the form of a space similar to the Slytherin Common Room. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Lucius turned and took her into his arms. They stood simply holding each other, breathing each other in, for many minutes before he suggested they sit before the roaring fireplace.

'I've missed you,' Lucius began, 'missed this. I wish I could have seen you over the Christmas hols. I wish you could have come to the Christmas Gala, met my parents, seen my home.'

Hermione didn't know what to say, so she just smiled shyly at him. There was a part of her that would have loved to have gone with him, to have been with him at his home, his party, but she knew that it wasn't something she would ever do. Their lives were just too different, whether he knew it or not. At the same time, she remembered Andromeda's words from just that morning. I'Just because someone says you shouldn't be together doesn't mean you can't be together. Just enjoy it while you have it!'/I Well, she would try.

'We're here now,' she said, her head falling forward just as the blush spread up her cheeks. 'What did you want to talk to me about?'

'I wish Narcissa would find someone else to fixate on. She was at the Gala and wouldn't keep her hands off of me. It would be one thing if she were older, but she still seems a child to me.'

Hermione heaved a resigned sigh. 'You know you're to marry her, right? Child or not, she will eventually be a woman and bear your heir.'

She had to stop talking. Though she knew the truth in the statement, it surprised her how her throat closed up at her declaration. Narcissa Black may be young, but that wouldn't always be the case. The Narcissa Hermione knew was a formidable woman, beautiful and powerful in her own right. She looked like perfection standing next to her husband. They were the perfect couple.

Perfect.

Lucius' hand came up to cup her chin. He brought his mouth to her cheek and kissed away tears she didn't even realize were falling. Mentally, she shook herself. Why was she so weepy over something that had happened well before she was born? Logically she knew why she was upset, but she still refused to admit how much it hurt knowing that he was destined to be with someone else.

'Don't cry,' Lucius pleaded against her skin. 'The contract can still be nullified if she finds herself pregnant with someone else's child. Eventually she will grow out of her youth and realize that there are many options in Slytherin and-'

'None like you, though.'

Hermione's interruption caught them both by surprise. They held each other's gaze for two heartbeats before slowly moving together. Their lips met in a sensual dance that they were beginning to perfect. Her hands came up to grasp his shoulders. His arms circled her waist, pulling her closer and moving her onto his lap on the loveseat in front of the fire. She gasped at the movement, not expecting him to be so bold.

Leaning his head back, he gazed into her chocolate eyes. 'It was hell without you over break. I wish you could have been there with me. The only thing that kept me going through all the inane chatter was knowing that I would be coming back here to be with you. You were the star in my black night sky, shining in my memories, and leading me toward a new day.'

He kissed her briefly but passionately before staring deeply into her eyes again. His mouth opened to speak, but Hermione didn't let him utter more than a brief sound before her mouth was back on his. They kissed deeply, her hands coming around the back of his head to thread through his shoulder length blond locks. She felt him pull her closer with his left arm, which was around her waist, while his right hand traced the line of her neck up into the nape of her hair. Turning her head slightly, their kiss grew in passion and need, Hermione's mind only registering how amazing it felt to have him holding her, have him beneath her, have him in her arms.

As he drew her impossibly close, she noted two things. The first was that he was solid muscle under his robes. The second was that he was highly aroused. Upon realizing that it was his erection pressing up against the apex of her thighs, she broke the kiss and scooted back a few inches. No words were spoken between them; nothing needed to be said. He half smiled and raised his left eyebrow. She blushed to the roots of her hair. After a moment, he leaned forward and kissed her softly.

That was all it took for her to accept what was happening between them. Andromeda's notion to enjoy it while she could melded in her mind with the memory of Dumbledore telling her that she was stuck in the past. She would enjoy every second of this reunion with Lucius.

Lucius's hands were fisting in the hem of her shirt, gathering the material in a way that distinctly told her of his desires. Pulling her mouth from his, she gave him a small smile and allowed him to remove her top. Hermione was surprised how there was no instinctual reaction to cover herself before his hungry gaze.

'See something you like?' she joked.

Hermione began to chuckle at her joke, but the sound was swallowed when Lucius' mouth raised up to meet hers. He held her captive in the kiss for mere moments before she felt him trail his lips along her jaw to the place where it met her neck. Distracted by his teeth nipping her earlobe, she didn't notice that he'd undone her bra until she felt his fingers on her shoulders, sliding the straps down her arms and bringing them to rest at her elbows.

She pulled back from him then. Hesitation lit her features as he looked at her with lust clear in his eyes. The cups of her bra still covered her breasts as she met his gaze. Slowly, almost timidly, she straightened her arms and allowed the garment to fall from her body, exposing her chest to him fully. He barely gave her a chance to feel insecure about herself. Gripping her waist, he quickly turned them over until she was on her back beneath him.

'You're so beautiful,' he whispered. Lowering his head, he started at her mouth and placed open-mouth kisses down her neck to her chest, all the while grinding himself against the crux of her legs. He took her right breast in his left hand, squeezed it slightly, and began to worry the nipple between his fingers. Just as she was getting used to the foreign sensations, his mouth captured her other breast.

It was almost too much. The pinch from his fingers combined with the pull from his mouth was beginning to elicit responses from other parts of her body. Carding her fingers through his hair, she held his head to her chest as she rode the waves of pleasure that were building inside of her. When he finally had had enough of feasting on her left breast, he released the right from his fingers and brought his lips to it. His hips were moving in long strokes while his tongue was laving the tight bud of her nipple and sucking the entire areola into his mouth.

That was all it took. She inhaled sharply, squeezing her eyes closed as fireworks lit inside of her. It felt as if every muscle in her body had seized up before releasing in concentric pulses originating in her core. Breathy sighs escaped her mouth as Hermione's orgasm completely overtook her. Her eyes came open when she felt Lucius shudder in her arms, his voice letting out guttural moans against her chest. They held each other for long moments as they came down from their unexpected high.