A Ghostly Curse

A/N: Thanks to all that have taken the time to leave a review. It really makes my day to know what each of you think. It also helps me know if I’m headed in the right direction.

Enjoy!

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Ch 13 - It’s Me!


“Me is sorry, Master Severus. But Mistress Hermione and Master Malfoy not’s seeing any but each other for a whiles, sir.”

Severus’ brow furrowed and he drew back from the little elf in confusion. “Pardon me? But I was under the impression that they needed my help to solve Malfoy’s unfortunate malady?”

Mud brightened and offered Snape a smile then. “Oh, no Master Severus. Mistress Hermione fixed him all up yesterday. He all better now.”

The house elf paused when he saw the dark wizards face darken. Taking a slow step back from him, he whispered, “Master Severus not happy for news?”

The murderous expression on Snape’s face was enough to send Mud scurrying away from him in fear. “Master Draco!” The little elf yelled, even as he popped out of the room and left Severus alone in the foryer.

Severus didn’t wait long. Draco appeared at the top of the spiral staircase a moment later, wearing a dark green robe and looking completely like a content playboy. As he made his way down the stairs he offered Snape a devilish smile. “Good morning, Godfather. Care for some breakfast?”

The older wizard glared at the younger. “No. I’ve already eaten.” Tilting his head, he queried, “What’s this about your father’s miraculous recovery?”

Draco smiled widely and shrugged. “Well, Severus, I guess the best explanation is to say that for once, Hermione took your advice and,” he lowered his voice and asked, “What was the phrase you used? Oh, yes… She fucked the statue.”

Severus face lost all expression as the blood drained out of it. For a moment, Draco wondered if the older wizard was going to pass out. When he recovered, he asked, “And why is it that I cannot see her?”

Draco shrugged again and chuckled. “Several years have passed since father has been able to fully enjoy the company of a woman. Suffice to say, I believe that they are getting a little better acquainted for the next month.” As he spoke, Angelina had made her way down the stairs as well and rested her head on Draco’s shoulder for a moment before placing a gentle kiss to his neck. “Yes, I do believe that’s what we were doing as well.” She looked pointedly at Severus. “It’s a weekend, Severus. We didn’t call. Why aren’t you at home worshipping your wife’s gloriously beautiful body?” She clicked her tongue at him before adding. “She won’t be pregnant forever. You should enjoy this time when you aren’t bothered by her woman’s menses each month.”

Draco quirked an eyebrow when Severus reddened even more. Stepping closer to him, he agreed. “Yes. Why aren’t you home making Ginevra feel as if she’s a goddess in your eyes?”

Severus’ jaw twitched in irritation. “Well, since I am no longer needed here, I will take my leave.”

As he turned to go, Angelina rushed forward. “Oh, Severus?” Whenhe turned back to look at her, she quickly blew a powder into his face, whispering, “Hear how you‘ve hurt the ones around you!…”

For a moment, he stood there blinking at her, a look of confusion marring his features. She smiled sweetly and backed away to stand beside Draco. “Have a wonderful day.”

He returned her smile, as if nothing untoward had happened and nodded. “You as well.” Again he turned to leave, adding. “Give Lucius and Hermione my best.”

After he left, Draco turned to Angelina with a sly smile. “You sneaky little vixen. You don’t play fair!”

She giggled madly and tip-toed away from him slowly. “Yes, I know… Perhaps I should be punished.”

When the blond man before her nodded and started to pursue her slowly, she shrieked and turned to race back up the stairs, only to have her sprint after him. “Yes. I daresay you are in desperate need of a good shag!” Tearing up the stairs after her, he found himself laughing as he looked forward to a day spent worshipping his own witch’s body.

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Severus whistled to himself as he entered his chambers. He had the most delicious yearning to do just as Angelina had suggested. She hadn’t allowed him to do much since she had become pregnant. He hadn’t pushed too hard because he hadn‘t really been overly drawn to her once she began to show.

However, now he had an almost irrational need to run his hands over her swollen belly and see for himself if his child moved. He shook his head at the idea of ever wanting to have an affair with Hermione. He had everything he could ever have wished for right there in his own home. Everything he could ever want was right behind this door…

Severus opened the door only to stand there in shock at the sight that med his eyes. Ginny lay on the bed crying and sobbed out a name that Made Severus’ heart pause in it’s beating. “Oh, Harry! I miss you so much!” She wrapped her arms around her pillow. “This baby I’m carrying should be yours. I should still be with you! I love Severus, but I don‘t think he even cares!” Her sobs continued as she rubbed her belly. “And I’ve made the greatest mistake. I hurt Hermione just because I was so afraid to be alone! My life is a disaster. Severus doesn’t even love me anyway. He thinks I don’t know, but he goes out night after night and sleeps with common whores, rather than just being gentle with me.”

So enveloped in her own misery, she hadn’t even noticed her husband’s entrance. Pausing in the doorway, he felt his own heart breaking as he heard her words. “He doesn’t love me. I ruined Hermione’s life because I thought he really loved me. But, I just remind him of your mother! What‘s worse is she says she‘s forgiven me, but I don‘t know how! Oh, Merlin, I don‘t know how she can!”

She grasped the picture in her hand and cried that much harder. “Maybe I deserve this. I was selfish and afraid.” Her sobs were growing as she let her grief take over. “Why did I have to lose you? You were all I ever wanted!” She moved to clutch her belly where Severus’ child was growing. “Oh, I’m being punished. I know, I’m being punished.”

Completely lost as he saw the truth of his wife’s misery, Severus closed the door and started to turn, only to find himself standing in the open doorway of his chambers. Baffled and miserable, he moved to sit in the closest chair and looked around him in confusion.

“Great Merlin, am I going mad?” He sat there for several moments wondering if he was dreaming. Before he could question it, he heard the soft sobs he had just seen in his vision firsthand, coming from his wife’s room. Her cries tore at him and he buried his face in his hands. For the first time since Lilly had died, he let his own tears come. He was trapped in the life he had built and he wasn’t the only one suffering for it.


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Hermione woke to the feeling of something gently caressing her cheek. Blinking, she turned and found Lucius looking down on her with a smile. “Good morning, precious.”

She started to return his smile until her memory of the previous night hit. In one fluid movement, she had bounded from the bed and turned to stare accusingly at him. “You!”

Lucius smirked as he rose to stand before her in all his naked glory. “Yes, me.” he answered just as forcefully, placing a hand to his chest. “Me! Not Severus! Not Weasel! Not even your best friend, Harry! Me!”

Tears stung her eyes as she backed away from him. “What do you want from me? I was trying to give you an easy out!”

Lucius balked at her for a moment, before advancing on her. “You were trying to run away! You were judging me by the guidelines of every other man that has disappointed you!”

Hermione shook her head. “You don’t want this! Not really. I’m a Mudblood! Remember? You have a higher expectation from a potential mate, don’t you?”

Lucius stopped and regarded her silently for several minutes. She waited for him to dispute what she knew to be the truth of himself. When he didn’t, she sighed. “You know that this is just a passing interest you have. When it has run it’s course, you won’t want me anymore.” Her voice shook as she fought to keep the sob from coming out.

“What would you do with me then? Throw me away, like Severus?” She shook her head. “Forgive me for being weak. But I just don’t think I can take that pain. I don’t want to hurt anymore, Lucius.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. “I just don’t think I’m strong enough anymore.”

Lucius wanted to take her in his arms, kiss away her tears and make her forget what she was afraid of. The problem was that he knew if he simply pushed those fears aside without addressing them, they would only return again later. Instead, he took the Slytherin approach.

“What? The Gryffindor courage leave you? I thought you Gryffindor’s were all astoundingly brave and courageous!” He worked hard not to wince at her stricken look. “Whatever happened to believing that people can change? Yes, your birth makes you inferior in the eyes of my ancestors and even at one time, myself.”

He advanced on her, and grabbed her arm to keep her from once again moving away from him. “I will not lie to you. When you first came here, I wanted nothing more than for you to leave. I wanted to chase you away and pretend you had never darkened my halls.”

Her eyes searched his and for a moment he thought she’d start crying all over. Instead she asked, “What changed?”

Reaching out, and running the back of his hand across her cheek, he whispered, “I did. I have changed and it was because you made me feel alive again. Even when I thought I‘d never find myself.” He shook his head. “I had all but given up. You made me realize that I was taking the coward’s way out. You wouldn’t let me do it. And now, I’m not going to let you do it either!”

She shook her head and made to back away again, but he pulled her against him and she moaned, closing her eyes at the touch of his naked flesh against hers. “Listen to me,” he insisted. When she looked up to meet his gaze, he kissed her softly on the nose and whispered, “I cannot promise you that we will have a future untainted with misery. I can’t even promise that since you’ve saved me we will always be together.” He wrapped both arms around her and ran a hand down the naked expanse of her back. “but I can promise you that we will never know if we don’t try. I can also promise that right now, the last place I want to be is far away from you.”

Hermione gave up trying to break away from him and was instead focusing on his chest as if afraid to meet his gaze. “What do we do, then?”

He chuckled, “Well, for starters… We take one day at a time. We get to know each other without being afraid the other is going to run away for little or no reason besides fear of being hurt… And right now, we get back in that bed so I can continue to show you how very unlikely it is that I shall ever tire of you.”

When the corners of her mouth tipped up, he exclaimed. “Yes! See? There she is! There’s the woman that makes my blood stir and makes me wish we were the only two people on the planet!”

Looking up at him, she whispered, “What would you do if we were?”

His gaze turned hot as he slowly began leading her back to the bed. His voice sent a chill down her spine. “Let me show you.”

Letting him lead her to the bed, she watched as he sat down on it’s edge and leaned forward to capture a nipple between his teeth. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back and reveled in his touch.

Reaching out, Lucius slid his hand around the back of her knee and pulled gently, urging her to place her leg on the side of the bed, next to his thigh. With her legs opened somewhat, it gave him room to touch her core. His fingers found her wet heat and began rubbing slowly, drawing a gasp of pleasure from her.

Looking up to meet her eyes, he smiled and then urged her to bring her other leg up as well. As she straddled him, he continued to pull at her legs, until she was sitting on his lap with her core just inches away from his erection.

Feeling his hardness press against her clit, she jerked. Leaning closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and touched his lips with her own. Lifting her just a little he turned to lay back on the bed, bringing her with him.

The change in positioning put her opening right above his pulsing shaft. Holding her breath, she met his eyes as she slid down over him slowly. He gripped her hips and whispered. “You fit me perfectly. It’s as if you were made with me in mind.” He thrust his hips up and filled her completely. “Do you feel that?” When she nodded, he added, “We fit.”

Moving slowly over him, she let her breasts drag across his chest with her every move. She heard him begin breathing faster and smiled at the effect she was having on him.
Grasping her hips tighter, her pulled her down to meet his thrust, and she cried out at the exquisite feel of it.

Instead of slowing again, Lucius continued to thrust up and pull her into each thrust. Groaning, he growled, “How can you think that I would ever tire of this?” He turned and sat back up, still buried within her.

Standing, he moved to the wall and leaned her against it. As she felt the wall at her back, she also felt him moving inside her, thrusting deeply and making her insides tremble. She cried out when the first orgasm hit. It ripped through her and then seemed to carry him away as well. Sliding to his knees, he still cradled her to him.

Gently, he whispered in her ear, “I don’t know what it is we have here. But I do know that we cannot simply walk away from it.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in his shoulder. Knowing she felt it as well as he did, he pleaded softly, “Please, give us time to find out what it is we have?” Pulling back, he entreated her with gloriously beautiful eyes that made her heart jump into her throat. “Please, promise me you’ll give us time to figure this out?”

Slowly she nodded and leaned in to kiss him. He returned her kiss with a gentle but deep passion that stole her breath away. He was right. Her mind reasoned that what he asked her to do wasn’t too much. She knew that the only way anyone ever found the love of their life was to take the risk. She made her decision at that moment to take the chance instead of letting the pain she’d felt from Severus’ betrayal make too afraid to try.

Standing, Lucius led her toward the shower. “Let’s get cleaned up, then, we’ll eat and I’ll show you some of my favorite books. At her curious look, he smiled. “I have a very nice selection here in my room. I daresay a person could survive quite happily here for a month.” He chuckled. “Even without my stimulating company.”

Hermione laughed in response. She liked the idea of reading through some of his books, but she doubted she’d have much time for reading. “Are you sure we’ll have time to read?” She asked mischievously. At his curious look, she added. “You still haven’t robbed me of my ability to walk yet.”

Turning, he captured her against him as he pulled her the rest of the way into the bathroom. “Patience! I’m just getting started with you. Believe me!”

A startled giggle erupted from her as he pulled her into the shower with him and began making good on his threat. Hermione smiled as she thought that perhaps he would make good on his threat before the month was out.

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A/N: This chapter ended up being rather long, but there were a few issues that had to be addressed. I think Hermione may be willing to give Lucius a chance now. I certainly would…

As always, I ask again… Please leave a review. I thrive on them! Thanks!