"Have you heard anything? Do you know where she is?"

Remus was bombarded with questions the moment he stepped into Grimmauld place after his night out. He wasn't expecting Narcissa to still be there, and he certainly was not expecting her to be having tea in front of the fire in the library with Sirius.

"If you are speaking of Lacey, no, I do not," Remus said edgily, watching Sirius tip more than a shots' worth of firewhiskey into his tea and place the bottle on the coffee table separating him and Narcissa. The Animagus was clearly tense and brooding about something, and judging from the emptiness of the bottle, had been since shortly after Remus has left.

Narcissa shot Sirius a pointed look and he had reached his breaking point. "For the last bloody time woman I do not know where Lacey took Ginny!"

"She was here?" Remus croaked out, his plans for the night looking more dismal by the moment as Sirius kicked his boots up onto the couch and slouched back with his arms crossed.

"Apparently she was here and begged Ginny to go somewhere with her…and Sirius didn't think it prudent to mention it to me right away or even bother to ask where they were going. This has gotten out of hand…I want both of them back now. I want to tell Lucius tonight," Narcissa raised her voice, and it almost spilled over her red lips as a threat. Remus closed his eyes for a moment, trying to decide on the best course of action. He didn't like not knowing where Lacey and Ginny were, but he knew they were smart women and were probably with Lucius, who wouldn't dare hurt them if Lacey's feelings for him were reciprocated in any way.

"Narcissa, darling, calm down. I am sure Ginny will be back soon…" Remus stepped forward, trying his best to be helpful, even though anger was beginning to manifest inside of him and he knew his polite tone was laced with annoyance.

Standing abruptly, Narcissa stared Remus down as if she was ready for a fight and Sirius took to his feet as well, looking between the lovers warily, "I will not calm down. That careless slut is with my husband and has taken my Ginny…"

"Your Ginny?" Sirius cut her off as Remus stood still, shocked as if the words physically slapped him.

"Your husband? You still refer to him as your husband…" Remus felt as if his long, skinny legs were no longer enough to support his body and reached blindly out, grabbing onto the back of the nearest chair for help, his mind reeling, "Lacey is not a slut. Don't you dare say that again."

"You only say that because you want her."

Narcissa's blue eyes were glazed with tears that she willed not to drip down her slightly lined face. Her voice was filled with venom, but there was no real malice behind it. The vulnerability was clear when she said it and then physically recoiled, angry with herself.

"Don't be like Bella, Cissy, don't. Don't go there…" Sirius beseeched his cousin softly, reaching out for her shaking hand but she pulled it away.

"I'm tired of telling you that I don't want her. I'm fucking tired of having you be jealous of a woman who is my friend and say horrible things about her while I have to be okay with you upset over her fucking your husband that you say you no longer love!" Remus was trying his best to control himself, but he felt himself slowly losing the battle as he said the things he had wanted to say for so long. After he left Hermione he had planned on finding Narcissa and proposing to her, not this. Not this at all.

Narcissa sniffed, her proud posture faltering, "I don't love Lucius, I love you Remus…"

"Then why are you so jealous of her then? Hmm?" he jerked his hand from the back of the chair and walked towards her, Sirius stepping in between him and holding his best friend back from getting too close, from letting his anger take over and make him do something he would regret in the heat of the moment. It only took a gentle push backwards to stop Remus, and as Sirius' eyes replaced Narcissa's in his line of sight, the two friends shared a silent conversation. After a second, Remus nodded to Sirius, too tired to tell his lover and so he looked away.

"Lacey is in love with your husband, Cissy. It started out as a game, as you planned, but it turned into more. She doesn't want to leave him," Sirius turned to the dumbstruck blonde as Remus turned his back on both of them.

"That's ridiculous…she told me…"

"She lied to you," Remus whipped around, "And how does that make you feel Narcissa? Do you hate her even more? Are you just so overcome with jealousy for a man you doesn't love you like I love you?"

Narcissa stood silent as tears rolled down her cheeks and she shook her head very slightly, begging Remus to stop with her eyes.

"Leave."

"Remus, stop, for Merlins' sake you've said your peace…" Sirius implored, watching two people he cared about fall away from each other.

"No. Narcissa I want you to leave," Remus finished and she ducked her head as she walked past the two men into the fireplace and said the address for Malfoy Manor.

~o0o~

"He's fucking handsome…" Aislinn sighed. She and Lacey were lying on Ais' bed and gossiping like they used to when they both lived at home. Except now their conversation was taking a very different turn past schoolgirl crushes and bitchy girlfriends.

"I swear you need to stop with the cursing. Dad isn't going to let it go on…" Lacey laughed a bit but her sister just grinned, flipping her long red hair over her shoulder as she snuggled up with a pillow, "And don't say Lucius is handsome. I never, ever want you dating anyone like him. No one older than you. Understood?"

"Merlin's panties Lace, come on…why not?"

"I don't want you getting hurt, okay?" Lacey sighed and Ais narrowed her eyebrows at her sister.

"You two seem perfect…but is there something I am missing?"

"No. Okay? Just me being overprotective. Trust me, I didn't expect to fall for him. He's not my type at all."

"We know. Which is all the better. I think he's great. Colin will just have to suck it up!"

"Colin and Dad aren't wrong you know…"

"You two will have perfect babies, oh can you imagine them? So bloody cute!"

"Aislinn, Lucius already has a son. He's my age," Lacey stopped, letting that sink into her younger sister for a moment and the red-head looked sobered.

"Sorry. I knew it had to be complicated, but you just look so happy and I…"

Lacey moved on the bed so she could wrap her arms around her sister, "I am happy. Happier than I have ever been. I just want you to realize that it isn't easy. And it won't be. Not for some time." Lacey knew Ais wouldn't understand exactly that she was talking about her impending heartbreak, but it would have to do for now. She needed to let out her emotions in some way. When Ais pulled away, she looked at the clock, "Where is he anyway? And where's Gin?"

Lacey slid off of the bed, her bare feet hitting the cold wood of Ais' bedroom floor. It hadn't been that long since Lacey had finished helping her Dad with the dishes and just assumed Lucius and Ginny were talking to Colin, since she couldn't find anyone. Her questions were answered when there was a knock on Aislinn's door.

"Come in…" Ais called out cheerily, craning her head to see if it was Lucius, and sure enough, the blonde entered with Ginny following behind him.

"I hate to interrupt two beautiful sisters catching up, but could I steal Lacey for a few moments, Aislinn?"

To Ais, it sounded like a polite request and the redhead nodded, but Lacey instantly knew something was wrong by both Lucius' and Ginny's too-stiff postures. With a smile to her sister, Lacey followed the pair out of the room and took them to her own bedroom, littered with Aislinn's extra clothes, locking the door behind them and casting a strong silencing charm at the request of Lucius.

"Someone speak now. You both are scaring me…"

"Lacey, Ginevra has asked me to do something, but I told her I wouldn't unless you agreed to it…" Lucius said cautiously, and Ginny looked pissed off that they were even having this conversation.

"I am a grown woman capable of making my own decisions and I told you not to involve her!" Ginny whined, crossing her arms, although Lacey knew her best friend well enough to know she was covering up another type of emotion: fear.

"I love her and she is your best friend. She has to know," Lucius finished the argument and turned to Lacey, "Ginevra has requested that I wipe her memory of the events that took place in the Chamber of Secrets. Besides Severus, rest his soul, and Voldemort himself, I am the only one that could feasibly do it. I am aware of the memory I would be looking for, having been shown it by Voldemort…"

At this revelation, both Ginny and Lacey blanched. Voldemort was known to revel in any conquest, but the thought made their stomachs turn.

"I can extract it and she will never think about it again," Lucius promised.

"Sirius will kill you," Lacey reminded him but Lucius didn't seem phased.

"Let him try. Personally, I have been looking forward to a rematch ever since he was resurrected. It's Ginevra's decision. Not his."

"Then let's do it. Come on…" Ginny tapped her foot impatiently and both Lucius and Lacey looked at her in horror.

"Now?!"

"What the fuck did you think I meant, Lucius? Next week? I asked you because I want it done tonight." Ginny snipped.

"I need more time, no distractions, and some things from the Manor…" Lucius fidgeted uncomfortably, distressed at how manic Ginny was acting.

"By all means, lead the way…" Ginny gestured to the door.

"No," Lucius sighed, "I am in the middle of a birthday present to Lacey and even if I did agree to your request, I could never perform it with you in such an agitated state. Your thoughts will be addled and I could risk wiping half of them away. It will have to wait, Ginevra, I am sorry."

"Gin. I get why you want this, but what's your deal? I asked you here to help me, not threaten my boyfriend into performing Dark magic," Lacey's lips were set in a hard line, her small chin jutting out a bit as she locked her jaw.

Ginny took a long look from Lucius to Lacey and rolled her eyes, finally breaking into honesty, "Look, you two are in love. I get it. But Lace, I am never fully going to trust him unless he does this for me." Both of them knew the fiery sprite before them was dead serious. The Weasley's valued actions above words. But Lacey wasn't quite sure why Ginny cared now, seeing as she knew what was going to happen to her and Lucius' relationship imminently, and there would be no further reason for them to ever meet again.

"I will do it. I promise. But it won't be tonight," Lucius finished firmly, and although Ginny seemed to realize it was impossible to continue the argument, her face suddenly sparked with one last idea.

"An unbreakable vow. I want you to make one with me. To promise you will do it. And at least if you make it. I can trust you enough with Lacey. Deal?"

"Deal."

Lucius didn't hesitate and immediately thrust out his arm, "Lacey get your wand."

"I won't. I won't do that. I don't know how," the brunette tripped over her words out of nervousness, but going into her bag for her wand all the same as she saw Ginny step close to Lucius in her peripheral vision, clasping his forearm.

"I'll walk you through it…" Lucius said calmly, looking into the determined eyes of the woman before him, a woman he had caused so much pain to and only realizing so when it had been far too late.

Lacey moved so she was right in front of the pair, with her wand pointing to where their arms connected, "Now what?"

"I am going to give you the incantation. And you have to concentrate very hard. And you mustn't break that concentration. Ginny will then set the rules of the vow. Are you both ready?"

Never in her life would Lacey have every imagined a moment like this as a reality: her best friend and her boyfriend, who just happened to be formerly one of the darkest wizards of their age, making an unbreakable vow. She had to shake her head to clear it and focus, but the incantation was easy enough to recite if done carefully, and soon the tip of Lacey's wand was glowing red, with a thin ribbon of red light snaking from it and wrapping around the pairs' arms.

"Do you promise me that you will remove the memory of Tom Riddle raping me from my mind?" Ginny asked in a shaking voice, ghosting over the unthinkable word, her eyes locked with Lucius'.

"I promise."

Another thread of light wrapped closely around their wrists and Lacey fought to keep her concentration.

"Do you promise that nothing will stop you? Not Sirius? Not my family? Not Lacey?"

Lacey bit her lip as another red glowing ribbon appeared, waiting for Lucius' response.

"I promise."

"And you will do it as soon as you can when your trip is over?"

"Yes. I promise."

Lacey watched the spell bind their arms together, glow brighter, and then all traces of it were gone in an instant. Both parties broke away, flushed from the intensity of the magic, all three of them standing awkwardly in the room for a moment.

"Thank you Lucius. I'm going to be going then. I hope both of you have a wonderful time." Her voice was soft, and it was clear she was in disbelief of the events herself. Lacey pulled her into a strong hug, and Lucius gave her a small hug before she slipped out the door.

"You shouldn't have done that," Lacey finally spoke, sitting down on her bed and slouching her back as if the weight of the world was pressing down on her.

"It's the right thing to do. Even if the methods of doing it aren't," Lucius sat down besides her and she let her head droop onto his shoulder, "I think its time you got ready for bed. I'm going to go see if your father has any tea, and if we both are lucky, I might be able to sneak back up here and give you a kiss goodnight."

Lacey smiled despite herself and pulled him into a lingering kiss before he left her room with a slightly devious smirk on his face. She didn't want to know what else he was up to, and took his advice instantly, changing into some soft boy shorts and a tank from her bag and falling back onto her bed, exhausted.

~o0o~

"Don't wait up for me," Remus said, his tone short and cold, to Sirius. After he had told Narcissa to leave, he had disappeared upstairs to his room, and now had stomped back down and was grabbing his cloak off of the hook by the door. It was late, almost midnight, and the rolling thunder outside suggested a downpour was mere moments away.

"Where the hell are you going?" Sirius got up from the couch. Ginny had popped back in a few minutes before, saying she was tired and they would talk about everything in the morning, but Sirius was still so freaked out about the night that he had stayed up and was bound and determined to finish off his firewhiskey bottle.

"None of your business," Remus nearly growled at his best friend, but Sirius was smarter than anyone gave him credit for most of the time, and stepped in front of the door. Another wave of thunder echoed from right outside.

"Don't do it mate. Really. You will regret it. This plan with you and Narcissa just got out of hand. She doesn't love him…" Sirius slurred his words slightly, running his hand through his shaggy hair.

"Why can't I be the one to fuck up every once in a while? I am tired of being perfect. Of being the understanding one who gets walked all over. Whose feelings mean absolutely nothing to no one." Remus pushed Sirius out of the way, opening the door and shoving his hands in his coat pockets as he looked up at the dark sky, some small droplets of rain already falling.

"Remus…"

"Like I said before, don't wait up." Remus gave his friend one last look before walking down the porch steps of Grimmauld and into the night. Once he had rounded the corner into a dark alleyway a few blocks down, Remus dissaparated and found himself at the head of Diagon Alley. In the second it had taken him to travel there, the heavens had split open and it was now pouring rain. He hiked his coat up over his shoulders to tried and cover his head and took off in a sprint in what he hoped was the general direction of his intended location. A few minutes later, blurry eyed from the cold and rain, he was knocking on her door.

"Remus, what….why?" Hermione was in a navy bathrobe when she answered the door, her curly hair up in a clip, and her face twisted in confusion. He was standing there, his ill-fitting clothes even saggier from the rain, his sandy hair clinging around his face.

"Can I come in?"

~o0o~

Lucius sat across from Liam Delaney, holding a cup of chamomile tea in his hands. It wasn't his first choice, but it was tea, and that was enough for him. Lacey's father regarded him from his comfortably worn leather chair as the two men sat in the living room of the quiet house. Lucius had left Lacey to go to bed and Aislinn and Colin had been quiet in their respective rooms.

"I think I already know what you want to talk to me about," Liam said sagely, looking at the blonde across from him.

"I'm sure you've been asked the question before…" Lucius chuckled dryly, although secretly hoping for a negative response.

"I haven't. But I am truly surprised it hasn't happened sooner," he looked at Lucius very directly. Liam Delaney wasn't a very imposing man. He didn't have the presence of his daughters or his son, but his quiet air spoke volumes and his gentle, deliberate way of speaking was slightly intimidating.

"I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to take care of your daughter for the rest of my life. I know I have a terrible track record and a less than desirable past. I am sure you have been made well aware of both of those things. But Lacey had made me a better man. She makes me a better man every day I am with her. And I don't ever want to be without her."

Lucius stiffened when he finished. His words did not come out romantic or gushing, but rather as very serious. He had never made such promises about or given such high praise to a woman. Not even to Narcissa's father.

"Mr. Malfoy, with all due respect, she's my oldest daughter. She's the light of my life. You can't take her away from me…"

"That isn't what I am intending to do. I want her to see all of you more. I know how important it is to her, and I will only do what makes her happy." Lucius reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a very small black velvet box and passed it to Liam, "May I ask you, formally, for your daughter's hand?"

Liam was silent as he took the ring box and slowly opened it. He glanced from the contents to Lucius' face and saw nothing but intense sincerity. The emotion displayed on the man's face was shockingly similar to the inner need and longing Liam felt for his lost wife. He shut the box and handed it back.

"You may have my blessing, Mr. Malfoy. But bear in mind that the decision is hers alone, and I may not be a wizard, but if you ever hurt her, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Point duly noted," Lucius said, not being able to contain his smile as he stood, shook Liam's hand, and excused himself to bed.

~o0o~

A/N: Hope you liked! What do you think will happen next? Will Remus really sleep with Hermione? Reviews will nudge things faster, wink wink love you all!