The Snake and The Lioness

Adrienne was beyond saddened. She couldn\'t function. It was like she had lost her right arm. She didn\'t go to work. She had asked Harry to tell Percy she had some personal problems that made her unable to work.

Of course everyone thought that Lucius had done something to her. Harry and Christian thought that Lucius had tired of her and sent her packing. Arthur and Percy, the only Weasley\'s that knew about her and Lucius, hoped Adrienne had come to her senses and left him alone. Nina, who was the only one whom had any faith in Adrienne, was afraid that Adrienne had given into her brother and stopped seeing Lucius.

Adrienne spent most of her time in her room, thinking about all of her memeories with Lucius. Even though it didn\'t seem like him and she had been together long, they had hundreds of memories. The one about their first time was Adrienne\'s favorite.

Adrienne wondered if this was what being broken-hearted felt like. If it was, it was true that being heart-broken was one of the most painful feelings in the world. Adrienne went to sleep that night with a frown on her face for the first time in months.

Lucius, on the other hand, kept himself busy. He visited Severus. Stirred up a bit of trouble at the Ministry(he was careful to stay away from Adrienne\'s department). Gave a bit of money to some of the wizarding schools in England and took up the company of other women.

He tried to keep his mind off of Adrienne. Off of her smooth skin. Her pert breast. Her plump, bee stung lips. Her brilliant mind. It was hard. No matter what he did, whom he talked to, or what he saw, something always reminded him of Adriene.

Sometimes when he took a bath, it reminded him of the leisurely soaks they used to have together. Whenever he slept in his bed, he thought of Adrienne and himself making love. Even when he walked by her old room, he couldn\'t help thinking about her.

Lucius missed her, but as proud as he was, he would never go back to her before he was sure he could forgive her. And that would take some time, if at all.

Adrienne finally went back to work two weeks after her break up with Lucius. Everyone was careful to treat her as if nothing had changed. But Adrienne wasn\'t daft. She knew that everyone had some sense of something going on.

Adrienne walked out of her office and down towards the owlery during lunch. She was going to owl Christian to let him know she would be home right after work. Even though she knew he didn\'t care, she did it anyway. It gave her a feeling of normalcy.

Lucius was coming out of the owlery when Adrienne walked up. Adrienne stopped in her tracks as Lucius passed by her. He was so cold, it felt like ice when he passed and she could have sworn she heard him say something. She turned to look after him, but when he didn\'t turn around she figured she had imagined it.

Adrienne had tried to return to her normal routine after seeing Lucius in the Ministry. She had even contemplated quiting her job to ensure that she didn\'t have to endure the pain of seeing Lucius. Carefree and happy .... without her.

Adrienne soon started a nightly ritual. Once she got in from work, if she even went, she would take a shower and then take up a post at her bay window. She would search the skys for hours, seeing if Lucius\' owl was delivering something to her.

She did it against her better judgement. She knew that once Lucius made up his mind, it was nearly impossible to get him to change it. You would really have to make a solid point and he would have to know that somewhere within your argument that you were right. She also knew that it was not healthy, mentally, to dwell on something so long.

She hated eating meals because her brother would tease her about her pain. She would just say that he was being childish and leave the table, tears streaming down her face.

Nina, who would sometimes be present during this, would chide Christian for his harsh treatment. She didn\'t think it was gratifying to try and make Adrienne more miserable than she already was.

Adrienne became numb to Christian\'s teasing after a while. She was starting to accept that maybe it was the end of what she and Lucius had.


A/N: Another chapter up, Hopefully, this is as enjoyable as the last. Not much to say this, but I do want to say thanks to my reviewers for reading my story and giving their imput. The Fifth is my BIRTHDAY, so I probably won\'t be online until the end of next week. I know, my B-day should only last one day, but my famijly celebrates the whole week. My next chapter will be Lucius coming to bis senses, You will never guess who helps him realise that he is making a huge mistake by trying to let Adrienne go. See You Soon!