What I've become

When Axel the house elf returned to the manor he did not find his master in the library where he had left him but spied his mistress in a far corner sobbing, knowing not to disturb her, Axel began to search the manor for his master.
After a long search Axel found Lucius in one of the guest bedrooms staring out of the window that looked over the vast land.
"Axel has returned master," Axel squeaked as he shuffled into the room.

"It’s about time too!" Lucius snapped his back still turned towards the elf. "And what did Miss Granger say?" Lucius asked, the moonlight that spilled though the windows illuminating his handsome face.
"The young Miss is sending her reply with Axel master," the elf replied pulling the note from within his tattered attire and holding it out towards his master. Lucius turned from the window and snatched the reply out of Axels outstretched fingers, Lucius unfolded the note and began to read, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he did do.
"And what was her reaction to the invite?" Lucius asked in a small voice.
"The young Miss seemed surprised...but then she is looking happy!"

Lucius raised his eyebrows at the elf.
"Happy," he murmured, then turned back to the window. "I wish to be left alone now...don’t bother me unless I call you, and tell the other elves the same," Lucius said then watched Axels reflection in the window as he left the room.

Lucius stood there for awhile just staring over his land before making up his mind and disaperating.

Lucius reappeared in the dead Muggle’s apartment the stink of his rotting flesh had increased some what and the corpse itself was begging to sink into its self as it decayed.
Ignoring the body but lifting the hem of his robe over his nose to stem the smell Lucius strode to the window wondering if she was already in bed...but he spotted her straight away. Hermione was in her bedroom pulling dress after dress out of her wardrobe and laying them down upon her bed.
She then stood looking at her collection with her hands on her hips, before trying them on one by one often going back and trying the same one on to compare.

Lucius watched her intently as she dressed and un-dressed and had his own opinion of each and every dress she tried on.

Finally she seemed to have made up her mind; she had picked a dress lilac in colour that flowed down just passed her knees.
Hermione put away the others dresses and hung her chosen dress on her wardrobe, then proceeded to get ready for bed, then spent five minutes admiring the dress while sitting up in bed, before flicking her wand at the light switch, plunging the window into darkness and the curtains swished closed and blocked Hermione from Lucius’s view.
Lucius watched the black window long enough for Hermione to have fallen asleep before apparating to her apartment door and letting himself in with magic, marvelling once again how careless she truly was, reaching her bedroom door he opened it carefully.
He could see her sleeping form from the weak light from the moon that fought its way though the curtains; Lucius looked at Hermione she had rolled over to the side of the bed so her face was at the edge, her hair was spread out behind her upon the pillow and her face was calm and peaceful most unlike when she was awake.
Lucius’ eyes fell to her lips and the vision that had come to him when with Narcissa came flooding back to him and he found himself thinking what it would be like to kiss her ruby lips. Falling lightly to his knees so his face was next to hers he stared at her sleeping face.
“What is going on with you Lucius old boy?…she’s a Mudblood, be it that she’s powerful but still she is beneath you,” his mind told him, but brushing this aside he moved his face closer to hers so if she opened her eyes all she would see was his own.
His lips were inches from hers and he could feel her soft breathing against his skin. “What on earth are you thinking!” his mind shouted as he leaned closer still, so his lips were hovering above hers, out of no-were Hermione groaned in her sleep and rolled over onto her back.
Lucius’s heart felt like it had settled in his throat and he waited for it to stop racing before getting carefully to his feet. Hermione continued to groan and her eyes flickered as she dreamed. Lucius started to wonder what she was dreaming about and an idea came to mind.
Lucius remembered a spell that Bellatrix Lastrange had invented and had shown the Dark Lord who had then made every other Death Eater learn it.
“But I can’t do that…it’s too dangerous…besides I haven’t done it for years,” he thought, but as he watched her, her face became more agitated and his curiosity got the better of him, so removing his gloves he gently placed his finger tips to her temples.
“Dremento” he whispered and felt himself lurch forward through his hands and into blackness and arrived upon a curious scene.
Hermione was stood alone in a long corridor that Lucius recognized as a corridor that belong in Hogwarts, she was stood alone in her old school robes that were far too small for her, between three doors.
Hermione didn’t seem to notice Lucius sudden presence and stayed stood between the three doors looking scared.
One of the doors suddenly banged open at Hermione’s right making her jump and cry out in surprise, stood in the doorway was Harry and Ginny surrounded by little children, Hermione gasped and stuttered.
“Harry, Ginny…what are you doing here?” she asked, to Lucius her voice seemed far away beyond the invisible barrier that barred him from her sight.
“We just came to tell you that we never want to see you again,” Harry said his voice was not really his own, it was more full of venom and loathing.
“What do you mean?” Hermione stuttered her eyes full of tears that threatened to fall.
“He means he is done with you, you stupid cow!” Ginny sneered, her hair more red, like blood that flowed down one side of her face making her look deadly but beautiful.
“But…but we’re friends” Hermione sobbed her tears spilling over the lids and down her face.
“Friends!” Ginny shrieked and cackled with laughter. “How could I ever be friends with you…Look at me, I have the Chosen One as my husband plus he is now the Minister for Magic and has the power to throw you in Azkaban and let you rot there…it’s where you really belong!” Ginny spat her face a twist of viciousness.
“But best of all…I have had the joy of carrying a child inside me,” Ginny said smirking, the children around her started to giggle, not in a cute way but in a way that made Lucius’s blood run cold within his veins.
“Stop it!” Hermione cried tears streaming down her face, a second door banged open this time on Hermione’s left and this time it was Ron and Luna alone but again looking somehow more beautiful and evil.
“I know you loved me Hermione,” Ron said his face impassive. “But how could I ever love you, you’re nothing to me and you never was!” He spat his face cracking into a grin.
“We laugh about you all the time Hermione,” Luna sniggered, “how you thought anyone could ever love you.. Ron chose me, Looney Lovegood, over you,” Luna continued her ash blond hair shining with an eerie glow.
“You’re just pathetic!” Ron growled and put his arm around Luna’s shoulders drew her close and kissed her passionately.
“Please stop….stop it please!” Hermione sobbed scrunching up her eyes to block out what she was seeing before her.
The Final door banged open, in the mouth of this door was two people Lucius just recognized, one was a middle aged woman with blond hair and the other a man slightly taller with brown hair, Hermione opened her eyes and sobbed with what sounded like relief.
“Mum…Dad...” she said forcing herself to smile at them but her smile faulted when she noticed the icy coldness in her parents’ eyes.
“Don’t you mum me!” Hermione’s mother spat her nose wrinkled with utter disgust. “I should have drowned you the moment you slipped from me…I realized you weren’t normal from the moment I saw you …I knew you was a... a freak!” Her mother whispered her face green and sick looking.
“You are no daughter of ours…we could not wait for you to grow up and be gone from our lives for good, and when you did, do you know what we felt?….we felt free, so we moved far away so we never had to see you again,” Hermione’s father said his face also sick looking.
Hermione started to sob harder than ever; her chest hitched as she struggled to breath, “No…this isn’t real!” Hermione cried using both of her hands to brush back her hair.
“Yes it is Hermione…this is how we all really feel and you know it,” Ginny chimed softly from behind her.
“You will always be pathetic,” Ron added making Luna shriek with menacing laughter.
“Pathetic!” Hermione’s mother shouted her husband nodding his agreement at her side.
“Pathtic,” Harry agreed his face malicious.
“No…Stop….It!” Hermione cried as she sobbed.
“Pathetic!” They all chimed together in unison.
“No!” Hermione sobbed gripping her hair tighter.
“Pathetic!”
“Stop it!”
“Pathetic!”
“I’m not!”
“Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic!” They all chanted, starting forward and closing in around Hermione, who screwed up her eyes again as she sobbed.
“Pathetic, Pathetic!” they continued chanting over and over until Hermione felt she would go insane.
“Pathetic!” they all screamed.
Hermione opened her eyes and lifted her face upwards.
“Shut up!” she screamed her face turning red, the apparitions of Harry, Ginny, Ron, Luna and her parents shattered like glass and the pieces of there bodies spilled to the floor.
“No!” Hermione cried sinking to her knees. “I didn’t want that to happen to them!” She said as she sobbed into her hands.
Lucius had watched the scene with interest but now felt compelled to go and comfort her, ignoring his own mind Lucius pushed his way though the invisible barrier and into Hermione’s dream, she did not hear him as he made his way over to her over her heavy sobs.
Lucius came to stand behind her and placed a hand on her heaving shoulders; Hermione cried out jumped to her feet and spun around.
“Lucius!” Hermione gasped tear tracks still stained her cheeks.
“Shhhhhh,” Lucius cooed moving his body closer to hers; taking her face in his hands he used his thumbs to brush away her tears.
“Forget them Hermione…forget them all,” Lucius whispered and lifted Hermione’s face to his and gently pressed his lips to hers, at first he expected her to push him away when he felt her body go tense but after the moment of shock he felt her move against his body and kiss him back, Lucius run his tongue over her lips making her sigh.
With a sudden lurch Lucius felt himself being pulled back to his body, out of the dream, returning to his body he found his lips really on Hermione’s as she slept.