The Death Eater's Valentine

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Friends, Lovers and the Old Ways













Hermione sat behind her desk, drumming her fingers on the wood surface as she looked over the manifest for the Dark Arts collection. She jotted down a few notes regarding some of the items and then picked up the next parchment on her desk and scowled. Another note from Lucius had found its way onto her desk.







Please, little one, wont you talk to me?









She wadded the parchment into a ball and tossed it into the air then used her wand to set it afire. The ashes fell to her desk, vanishing on impact. It had been a month since Valentine’s Day and the evening spent in the dungeons with Lucius and Severus. He had tried everyday to see her. He sent flowers and gifts, came to her office only to be sent away, and he had pounded on the door to her flat like a madman until her neighbors called the authorities.







He was persistent, she would give him that. He was trying, she acknowledged that, but gift and baubles weren’t going to cut it. She wanted him to apologize for playing with her, for taking advantage of the attraction she felt for him. What hurt the most is she had meant her parting words to him, she really could love him. She could forgive his past, could understand the temptation of the dark side, more now than ever having had a little taste of it.







But Severus was right, if she didn’t stand up and demonstrate her strength then Lucius Malfoy would walk all over her. She looked up at the clock and smiled, it was time for lunch. She set her work aside and just as she looked up, her door opened and Severus walked in carrying a take away bag from her favorite Chinese food restaurant in London.





“Hello, Severus, right on time as usual.” Hermione smiled. He had been coming to see her for lunch twice a week since their little play date. He had apologized profusely, which had amazed her, she had thought him incapable of it. There was much more to Severus Snape than anyone realized.





“Well, punctuality is important; I despise people who are late.” He said, placing the bag on top of her desk. He looked over at the filing cabinet and bouquet of rare, night blooming lilies in a large pot. “You still aren’t speaking to him are you?” Severus asked. He knew those flowers, they were special hybrids grown in the Malfoy green house.







“No, he doesn’t seem to get it, I don’t want gifts, I don’t want things.” Hermione said, reaching into the bag and pulling out the little white boxes filled with their lunch. She opened each box and conjured plates before dishing up the food. “Oh, goodie you remembered the crab rangoons this time!” She said, excitedly reaching for the box of crispy dumplings.







“Well you acted like your world was ending when I didn’t bring them the last time.” He said, rolling his eyes and settling into a chair to have his lunch.







“Well, we want what we want, don’t we?” She smiled. They ate in silence, enjoying the food and simply being in someone else’s company. A quick spell disposed of their mess and they were left staring at each other over the desk.







“You should talk to him.” Severus said, propping his feet onto her desk and crossing his ankles.





“No.” She said, shaking her head. “He’s just going to turn on the charm and try to coax me back into his bed.”





“Well, technically you’ve only had him in the Dark Lord’s bed and given him a hand job in his basement, so he cant coax you back into his bed since you’ve never been in it in the first place.” Severus said, shrugging his shoulders at her.





“Be quiet, Severus.” She frowned, wadding up a piece of parchment and throwing it at him.









“He cares and he is sorry he hurt you, Hermione.” Severus said, vanishing the wad of parchment. “You have to understand where Lucius comes from, he’s rich, filthy rich and not everyone sees beyond that. He plays games partly because it is a way of protecting himself from being hurt by those who pretend to care for him, but really care only for his money.”







“Partly?” She raised her brow skeptically. “That implies he has other motivations as well.”







“Well, it also amuses him to toy with others. Lucius is a sadist and his sense of humor is dark and sometimes rather disturbing.” Severus said, smiling.









“That’s just it Severus, I don’t want to be toyed with. I like him, I wanted to get to know him better and he just wanted to play.” She said softly.









“It wasn’t just playing, he really had no intentions of things going where they went, he only wanted me there to set you on edge. I am the one who decided to teach him a lesson.” Severus said. “You aren’t like his other witches. You are young, innocent and could easily be crushed beneath Lucius’s ego, I didn’t want to see the girl I remember get lost, and I only wanted to help you find your own strength.”







“Why weren’t you like this when I was a student? Why couldn’t you be supportive then?” She asked, softening even more towards the dark wizard.







“I loathe children. Besides, you were already daydreaming of me as some sort of knight in shining armor, if I had been kind to you, you may have tried sneaking into my dungeons to play with my wand.” He smirked.











“I didn’t hear you complaining about my wand handling a few weeks ago.” She said, laughing when his pale cheeks flushed slightly.







“Well, you’ve matured and so have your daydreams.” He said, clearing his throat. “But I suspect that you still harbor a desire for the prince and fairytale.”







“It would be nice.” She said softly, smiling at the dark wizard who had become her friend. “Are you taking me to dinner tonight?”







“Do I have a choice?” He asked.









“No. I have to get back to work; I just received a shipment of Dark Objects I need to sort through.” She said.







“Oh? Would you like some assistance? Perhaps I can help you determine their purpose.” He said, his eyes bright with an almost childlike hope.







“Alright, as long as everything on the manifest remains in the ministry, I am well acquainted with your fascination with all things dark.” She said, pointing her finger at him as she stood. “Come on.” She smiled, leading him from her office and into the storage area.





**** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****









Lucius stood in the bar, leaning against the counter, his cocktail in his hand as he glared at the couple sitting in the back corner. They were laughing and drinking a bottle of wine, clearly enjoying each others company.







Severus looked uncharacteristically happy and Hermione had a soft glow to her skin that he could see even from a distance.





“Bloody poacher.” He muttered into his glass. He watched Hermione offer Severus a bite from her plate, holding her fork up to his mouth as he took a bite. Hermione laughed and reached over with her napkin to wipe his chin. “Fuck this, I’ve had enough.” Lucius said, slamming his glass onto the bar and tossing a couple of coins beside it. He grabbed his cane and straightened his robes before strolling through the crowded restaurant to their table.





Hermione looked up and saw him coming, his determined stride and cold gaze clearly indicating that he was not happy to see her there with Severus. Severus saw her stiffen and looked behind him, his brows lifted. He wasn’t surprised to see Lucius; he was just amazed that it had taken him so long to come over. Severus has seen him standing with some acquaintances on the corner when he and Hermione arrived; no doubt he had had a business dinner. As soon as he had spotted them he had excused himself and followed them into the restaurant.







“This is going to be fun.” Severus mumbled.







“He looks angry.” Hermione said softly, her voice quavering.







“He is, very angry.” Severus said, turning back to the table just as Lucius stepped up beside them.







“Good evening. My don’t we look cozy.” He said, a tight smile on his face. “Severus, you didn’t tell me that you were seeing Hermione.”









“We are just friends, Lucius.” Severus said.







“The kind with benefits?” Lucius asked, tapping his cane against the side of his leg in agitation.







“Don’t insult her, or me.” Severus said low, his eyes warning Lucius that he was overstepping.







“Why won’t you talk to me?” He asked Hermione. She stared up at him, her heart pounding. She missed talking to him she suddenly realized, missed the easy, playful banter they had shared.







“What is the point, Lucius?” She asked softly.







“To let me explain, to make things right between us.” He said quietly. “Or have you chosen Severus?”







“Severus is my friend, nothing more.” Hermione answered. “As far as making things right, you keep sending gifts and flowers, trying to buy your way back into my life.”







“And you keep sending the gifts back.” He said with a frown.







“I don’t need or want you to buy me those things, Lucius.” She said, rising to her feet. “Until you figure it out, I am not going to talk to you.” She stepped around him and headed off towards the restrooms.









“Figure it out? I’m not a bloody mind reader!” Lucius said, watching the retreating witch in confusion.







“Ah, but women expect you to be, it is just the way of things.” Severus said.







“She seemed to be enjoying herself; I don’t understand why she is so angry.” Lucius sat down on the chair Hermione vacated and rested his arm on the table as he addressed Severus.





“Lucius, Hermione isn’t a plaything, she isn’t the kind of witch you can toy with until you get bored and then set her aside with a few pretty baubles and move on. She’s the kind of witch a man marries.” Severus took a sip of his wine and stared at his longtime friend.





“I never thought she was just a plaything. But I did think she would be fun to play with, I know she’s fun to play with, but I also thought perhaps she might allow me to court her.” Lucius said.







“Did you ever mention this to her?” Severus asked, somewhat shocked at the revelation. Lucius hadn’t courted a woman since Narcissa.







“Well, no…”







“So you have one, rather impulsive sexual encounter with the witch, then invite her over for some playtime and you expect her to come to the realization that you want to court her?” Severus asked.







“Alright, so maybe I didn’t handle it the best way possible. I will admit I should have perhaps taken things a little more slowly, but damn, you’ve seen her, how could I not seize the opportunity to have the little witch.” Lucius shook his head, wondering how he had gotten himself into the mess and why he felt like he would splinter apart if he didn’t fix it.







“You might consider telling her the truth…perhaps apologizing for toying with her.” Severus said, swirling the red wine in his glass idly.







“But I wasn’t toying with her; I was simply hoping to encourage a reaction from her. The games were a pleasant surprise, at least I thought so until she vanished and refused to see me.” He said. “How am I supposed to explain myself if she refuses to talk to me?”







“You could always force her to listen.” Severus said.







“How do you propose I do that?” Lucius asked, spotting Hermione as she made her way back through the crowd towards the table.







“Surely you haven’t forgotten the Old Ways, Lucius.” Severus said, a sly grin on his lips.







“Oh, no, I remember them quite well. Seems its time for this Death Eater to claim his rather reluctant Valentine.” Lucius drawled, formulating his course of action as his witch approached.







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OK, I know I left ya hanging with CH 10…..so she’s being stubborn, expecting him to see what she wants when men just don’t get it, even wizards.





Utopia - sorry hon, I didn’t think about sending out a message to let people know I posted this…..Lucius sort of invaded and wouldn’t go away so this kind of came out of nowhere…….Ill be better next time I post and shoot you a message, I promise.









LaBib - Yes, Sev and Lucius were frequent partners in their little games. Severus did not like being chained, Id imagine it was because of the torture he received at the hands of old “no nose”. But Im not sure his arousal came from the spanking so much as seeing Hermione come into her strength, her power….and yeah, Im certain that there was a certain amount of arousal to be found in seeing a woman punish his friend…truth is when I began this fic, it was just meant to be about the smut, something to blow off some steam and clear my head so I could focus on the rather angsty, sappy tale I was working on….but some how deeper emotions began to creep in and this is where I find myself….We shall see how well Hermione responds when Lucius backslides into the “old ways”, and Severus should be punished for encouraging him. He really is a bad influence.







Angeleye – I am so glad you are enjoying this!