It was a chilly morning when Hermione helped pack the tent in her bag. She had the cloak over her already, only her head hovering visibly above the shielded body out of sight. A few twirls and flicks and the wards came down, though nothing in the forest changed.
"Are we ready?" she asked the boys.
Ron was pale behind his freckles, Draco was tiredly resigned, and Harry was determined. They all nodded and put a hand on her. Hermione threw the hood over her head and apparated.
They landed within the gates of Malfoy Manor. This was the riskiest part since they could have triggered the wards with their arrival. They would have to hope that, since Draco was with them, the wards recognized him as one of the masters of the house and the others as his guests.
Hermione followed the Hufflepuff up the walkway and into the house proper. Thus far, there was no sign of anything amiss. There was no shrieking or an alarm, nor was there the yelling of portraits. All was deadly silent except for their steps and breaths and the whisper of their clothing as they walked.
"It through here." Draco led the way to the dungeons, a place she had avoided since the one time it was used as a threat toward her. Draco, too, had never insisted they explore it after that.
It still terrified her, even though she now knew the threat was never serious, not even from Lucius Malfoy.
Draco led past the large open part of the dungeon, past manacles, cells, and drains, until they came to a wall with only a torch upon it. He reached out and did something to the torch. Whatever it was pained him and he brought his hand to his lips to suck away a spot of blood.
More familial magic, she supposed.
The wall shook, the torch trembled and twisted, and the bricks rearranged until an archway appeared for them to walk beneath.
"Touch nothing," Draco warned, though she liked to think none of them were dumb enough to handle items in a family vault without first consulting someone who knew better.
The other two boys nodded, as did Hermione, though hers went unseen.
Curios and shelves lined the vaults to display their wares. An occasional table or pedestal held small collections or singular items of worth.
There were also a few larger pieces, like furniture itself that was packed down here when not in use. There was a bassinet, a crib, a rocking horse… she turned away from the section the made up a little nursery in the deep shadows.
Draco opened a curio and began inspecting items one by one. "A frame that quill display different pictures put in it… it has too many of my great, great aunt. Father deplored her, so it's put away. That's an enchanted candlestick. No, no, no…"
"If you tell me what you're seeking, perhaps I can help."
The coterie of students froze. They had not expected company so soon. Surely it would have taken the lord of the manor longer to note something was amiss. And there were no portraits in this area, so how had he tracked them down that quickly?
"Potter, Weasley… Draco." Lucius Malfoy nodded to each boy in turn. "I suppose Hermione is hidden around here somewhere."
"Don't say her name," Harry spat, drawing his wand.
Before she could stop herself, she called, "Harry, don't!"
Lucius peered askance toward her, then returned his icy gaze to the boys. "None of you has anything to fear from me. Haven't you heard? I removed my bid for Hermione. She remains under my wife's care until they come to some other arrangement."
They had no been informed of any such thing and Hermione was reluctant to believe that the same man who had held her captive would now allow her freely to walk into and out of his manor as she pleased.
Her eyes narrowed and she made a quick inspection of the man.
He had lost a considerable amount of weight and his hair was long, lank, with split ends and a sheen that told the tale of man too depressed to bathe properly.
His clothing, grey and silver and white, was all too large for him and probably only clean and neat due to the house elves. His eyes were tired and he looked to have aged since she'd seen him last.
Overall, he was the vision of a man who had lost and accepted it.
Hermione, her heart hammering and a voice in the back of her mind screaming that it was foolish, through back the hood. "We need an item that can destroy a Horcrux."
Lucius' incongruent dark brows rose. "Now that is an obscure request. Where did you hear about Horcruxes?" He tipped his head and the silver of his hair slid across his shoulder. "Do you mean that have one?"
"Nevermind the questions," said Ron. "Just tell us what we want to know."
Lucius shook his head and sighed. "This is hardly the setting for such a conversation. Come." He turned, the click of his cane on the dungeon floor echoing off the walls.
They all glanced at each other and Hermione shrugged. They came to the same silent agreement and followed after Lucius to the solarium.
It was bereft its usual greenery, instead bare but for the glass walls and the trimmed back trees. Lucius sat at the little white table and Summoned an additional chair so all five of them could sit. Draco and Harry flanked her and Ron sat between Harry and Lucius, though his seat was pushed out from the table and away from the man.
"Is Earl grey amenable for everyone? I had just ordered a pot made when I felt the wards trigger."
The boys glanced at Hermione again. If they continued to check on her every time Lucius spoke, she might get peeved.
"That's fine," she said.
The barest hint of smile crossed Lucius' features. "Good. We should like a full tea service then," he spoke into the air. "Plenty for these young ones to eat."
There was a slight pressure that quickly dissipated in the manner of elves who were acknowledging orders without being seen.
China appeared before the four guests, silverware following soon after.
"Now, I'm given to understand that you lot have been missing for the past month, yes?" They gaped or frowned upon this revelation. "Clse your mouth, Mr. Weasley. I do pay attention to the news."
"What do you mean?" asked Draco. "We are all of age now. We're hardly missing."
"The… lord Voldemort ," Lucius said the name with a twist of his lips that showed just what he thought of the affectation, "had it declared that you four were missing, that Miss Granger in particular should be brought to him immediately if found, but that all four of you should be detained." He shrugged. "I wrote to Narcissa and she hadn't the faintest where any of you were."
"Like she would tell the like of you," said Ron.
Lucius tutted. "You misunderstand. I did not ask her where you were, merely whether she knows."
"What is this change of heart, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked. She couldn't stand to call him by name, nor by any title other than the common and inoffensive, not that he remarked upon it. "The last we saw one another, you were… well…"
He inclined his head. "Quite, yes. I lost, Hermione. I lost you, myself, and most of all, I lost what Malfoys cherish most: I lost my family. I see now it is irrevocably broken."
"You're not, er, intending to build anew?" she hedged.
"No. I have a son, let him take up the responsibility of the Malfoy legacy. I am finished." He sounded hollow and forlorn when he said it, Hermione was on the cusp of believing him.
"Then you're willing to help us," Draco said.
"You seek something that can destroy Horcruxes?" They all nodded. "Indulge me. Tell me why and I will tell you what I have."
Harry took the lead. "Professor Riddle has three Horcruxes. They make him immortal unless we can destroy them."
"How do you know this?" asked the Malfoy patriarch.
"The Headmaster left me a letter," said Hermione. "It told us all about them, and then he also sent this book."
Lucius' eyes gave a momentary shine of avarice when she revealed The Secrets of the Darkest Art but it was gone with a sigh. "I see. Have you found these Horcruxes, then?"
"We have one." Harry was watching Hermione as he spoke. "And we are searching for the other two."
"May I see it?"
They froze. The boys looked at Hermione as one. She nodded and pulled the ring out from its pocket in the bag. She set it on the table as far from herself as she could, then leaned back into her chair.
Lucius Malfoy stared at her as he reached across to pick it up, then he broke eye contact to study the stone and ring.
"This has the mark of the Hallows on it. How curious," he observed.
"Yes. Professor Dumbledore left us a book with the same mark," she replied.
"Have you tested it?" He glanced back up at her; she shivered at that dreaded gaze, and shook her head no. "Then allow me." He pulled loose his wand and everyone had their own drawn and pointed instantly. He set it slowly on the table. "I mean no harm. I am casting some enchantments to explore the nature of the ring and the stone."
The group slowly eased their wands down, but did not put them away. Lucius decided that was enough and took his up again.
"Curious, it does not appear to like me." His leather gloves no doubt kept him safe from the painful shock the other boys had received, but he still felt its boiling hatred. "Is it like this with everyone?"
"Not with me," said Hermione.
He hummed, glanced at her, then back at the stone. "There is quite a bit of magic layered in this, complex, too. I can feel its darkness, but that's not all. Something about it is older than the Horcrux properties. It is… enchanted, but more. I cannot discern the exact nature. A charm, yes, but it's almost like the stone is inscribed. Not by the Hallows mark, that came later." He considered it for moment, then hissed and dropped the ring on the table.
It landed with a loud, high thunk.
Hermione stood and was halfway to him before she remembered herself. "What is it? What happened?"
"The ring was resisting identification," Lucius murmured, holding his his wrist and clenching and unclenching the hand that had held the piece of jewelry. "It's old and powerful, and I feel it has ties to necromancy, but the magic beneath the Horcrux somehow isn't quite dark."
"Isn't all necromantic magic dark?" Hermione asked, frowning.
Draco shook his head. "Not mediumship, nor the magic to become a ghost. Perhaps it's related to those."
"I wonder…" said his father, "if this might've been intended to be the Resurrection Stone."
Hermione snorted. In her opinion, the Stone was the least realistic of the Hallows. A powerfully enchanted cloak and a wand with a bad reputation were both well and good, but there was no such thing as resurrection in reality.
Then again, that was exactly the pitfall of the Stone.
"How would we test for such a thing?" she asked.
Lucius gave another shrug. "By using it."
"Shouldn't we wait until the Horcrux is broken? What if it interferes?" she argued.
"The problem is that the easiest way I could think of to destroy the thing is Fiendfyre," he replied. "And Fiendfyre is notoriously difficult to control."
"You mean it's impossible," she countered.
Lucius gave a shake of his head. "Not quite. A strong enough will and enough practice makes one able to guide it."
"'Guide' is not the same thing as 'control'," she pointed at.
"It's near enough—"
"Do you have another way we can destroy it?" she asked, leaning forward in her seat as he took a sip of tea.
Lucius considered for a long moment. "I am uncertain. I'll see what I can find, perhaps reach out to a few contacts. I am still a man of some significance." He swept back the curtain of his silver hair and lifted a brow, and for a flicker he was the man she'd known before.
Hermione nodded. "Very well. We will be back in two days' time—"
"You're not staying?" He was suddenly concerned.
The boys all grimaced. "No, father, we have other accommodations," Draco answered for them.
"You would be perfectly safe," Lucius assured the quartet. "I could clear out a guest suite for the four of you to stay and—"
"No." His eyes flitted to Harry. "Like Draco said, we have plans of our own."
When they left, it was to the view of the shadow of Lucius Malfoy watching from the window.