Prisoners of Love - A Mystery - COMPLETE

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Updated 8-22-07

Astounding reviews as usual. You guys are the best! I’ve already added to my story based on a comment I received this time. Your input really does affect the details of my story. Many thanks for your input, everyone!

Some answers to questions:
Clare1984 - I’m glad you liked the pic of Lucius. Yes, I liked his hands, too. Everything life size (too bad he was wearing clothes).
doodles - I hope your strep throat gets better soon. Take it easy!
BUCKYKATTGIRL - You bestowed upon me the appellation, “EvilBitchQueen” and Scheherazade crowned me the “feedback queen”. I am so on a roll here. (Blushes and steps out to look for a nice ermine cape.) Thank you!
kira and lilbitbord - “Who are those people?” As this is a mystery and the tradition is for the clues to be doled out and the mystery to be solved at the end of the story, I fear we have a ways to go before the answer is known. Sorry!!

Hermione is out of prison at last!! Read on...

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Chapter Thirteen

Home

Hermione was somewhat in shock at the abrupt change in her life – again. She sat at the Azkaban apparition point on the shore, listlessly watching the gray, ceaseless waves as they shushed onto the rocky shore, waiting without much interest as Harry finished the paperwork with the Warden inside. She wanted to be with her husband, not out here in the cold North wind, growing a bumper crop of goose pimples. What was there for her at home? Someone apparently had it in for her at the Ministry. Lucius was right, she needed to quit that job and seek another. Her parents were relieved to know what had happened to their daughter, but Harry had already informed them of her whereabouts and told them he was bringing her home. They had sent their love and wanted to see her immediately, but she didn’t know if she was ready to see anyone yet.

She would go home to her snug little cottage and start work on the legal wrangling she and Lucius had talked about thoroughly in their cell. She hoped she could gain his release, but if she couldn’t she was going right back to Azkaban if she had to get caught robbing one of the Diagon Alley shops to do it.

She felt hollow, as though something had fallen out and was missing now. The tears started to track down her cheeks again as she waited in the cold, trying to cover her bare feet by putting one on top of the other against the chill. She had been past caring about the pebbled shore, which had bruised her bare soles as she’d picked her way to the departure bench.

Harry hurried down the shingle from the portico of the prison, handed Hermione her wand which the Warden had returned and bundled the shivering, silently crying little witch into his overcoat. Under the Warden’s personal aegis which for the moment was nullifying the ban on apparating, Harry quickly whisked them both to the shore of Scotland and from there in a couple of easy stages to the parlor of Hermione’s little cottage where Harry’s wife, Hermione’s close girlfriend Ginny, was waiting for her. Hermione flew into Ginny’s sympathetic arms and sobbed until she couldn’t find any more tears. The trip back to the mainland had been accomplished in silence, neither of the two longtime friends wishing to open a debate on her feelings for the Death Eater or her legal entanglements.

Both Ginny and Harry stayed in the cottage for several hours with the forlorn witch while Hermione recovered from her long crying jag and grew more calm from her ordeal, finally being able to dress in her own clothes and slip on some warm slippers at Ginny’s insistence.

Hermione realized early on that neither of her friends wanted to hear about her husband so she told them instead about living in the cell and the prison routine, leaving out any reference to Lucius or why she had married him, including the guards’ intention to rape her. And perhaps it was as well not to speak of the intimate reason that was tearing her apart – the loss of Lucius. All it did was start the tears again.

As the hours drew on and Harry and Ginny could see Hermione was exhausted, they left saying they would be back the next morning and they would bring breakfast for her before accompanying her to her parents’ house. Harry didn’t want Hermione to try apparating in her frame of mind and Hermione agreed, knowing it might be dangerous if she wasn’t completely concentrated on the sophisticated magical technique.

After the couple left, Hermione drew out some paper and sat at her dining room table, laying out the appeal she planned to present through his solicitor to the Magic Council on behalf of her husband. She worked on it ceaselessly for hours until she woke up and realized she had dozed off at the table. She dragged her aching body into her bedroom and slipped under the covers with all her clothes on, falling asleep almost before her head hit the pillow.

Hermione woke up early and got under a shower, feeling a bit better, but returned to her work on the dining room table until a knock at her front door alerted her to her friends’ advent. Hermione hurriedly gathered up her legal paperwork and put it in her bedroom before answering the door and letting in her two dear friends.

Ginny laid out the breakfast of chocolate-filled croissants on the dining room table and went to the kitchen to prepare tea for all of them.

“Omigosh, is that chocolate I smell?” Hermione sat down and stared at the chocolate croissants in delirium. “I have missed chocolate SO much. Oh, doesn’t that smell great?” She hoped Ginny would hurry up with the tea so she could bite into one of those tempting pastries – the aroma was making her drool. Chocolate had the power to raise her spirits even more after a successful evening filled with precedents and arguments of logic on behalf of Lucius’ prison sentence. She was seeing a glimmer of hope in the work she’d already done, but she would need to visit the Ministry Archives very soon.

Harry sat down at the dining room table and asked Hermione how she was holding up – he and Ginny wanted to know what they could do for her, or if she would like to stay with them for awhile.

“No, Harry, I want to be in familiar surroundings so I’ll stay here.” Harry’s home was in the magical world and Hermione remembered what Lucius had said about staying in the Muggle world. She certainly didn’t want to bring her unknown persecutor to their front door.

Harry pursued his argument, “Ginny and I were talking and she is worried that someone may still be trying to get rid of you. We don’t want to alarm you unnecessarily, but we thought you should be aware of that possibility.”

“I know, Lucius already pointed that out to me and I think all of you may be right.” Hermione saw Harry’s instant recoil and glower at her mention of Lucius, but she had to start somewhere to bring her friends together with a husband she wasn’t going to abandon ever. He and Ginny had their love match, so they would just have to accept her own, or lose her as a friend.

Harry put his hand over Hermione’s and said sympathetically, “Uncle once accused me of having Stockholm syndrome because I always wanted to go back to Hogwarts. I looked it up and it’s when a hostage starts having feelings of loyalty or becomes emotionally attached to the hostage-taker regardless of the danger they may be in. I think that’s what you may have, Hermione.”

He continued, “Malfoy used your fear and isolation to take advantage of you. I’ll take up the question of getting an annulment for you at the Ministry. I’m sure it can be done. They’re already embarrassed about not investigating more thoroughly before railroading you into Azkaban to save their precious documents from being passed to anyone.”

Hermione took a deep breath and counted to ten before answering the young wizard, “Harry, I do NOT want an annulment. I don’t want a divorce either. Please let that whole idea go. I am not a victim of your syndrome. You weren’t there and you can’t make a judgment on our relationship. If you want to help, try to track down which papers were stolen. I think that may point me toward whoever framed me.” She didn’t bother to say Lucius had made that leap of intuition. Harry might not try very hard if he thought Lucius was pulling the strings of the investigation.

Harry was disgruntled at Hermione’s continuing dogged defense of a vicious Death Eater, but decided to sidestep any more discussion of the annulment for the moment. He brightened at Hermione’s suggestion, however, “That’s a brilliant idea, Hermione. I spent all my time running down your whereabouts to match to the times you were to have stolen those documents, but I didn’t pay attention to the documents themselves. I’ll do that today.” One look at Hermione’s closed expression had told him that trying to sway her opinion on her husband wasn’t going to net him anything but a faceful of irritated witch knuckles. He had seen her in operation before with the Ferret and Hecate knew he’d had plenty of experience with her stubbornness to know when to quit - for now.

Ginny brought in the tea things and they settled down to enjoy the chocolate-filled croissants, smiling at each other’s brown mustaches from the overflowing fudgy filling. When breakfast wound down, the trio stood together and all apparated to the front door of Hermione’s parents’ home.

The elder Grangers had long since seen the need for a front porch sheltered from view so their daughter could appear without the neighbors noticing a person popping out of nowhere. They decided on that in preference to Hermione appearing unannounced inside their home. That was still a little nerve-wracking, having someone just pop into place beside one without warning. And who knew what either of the parents might be doing at the time? Hermione had quizzically smiled at her mother when that particular reason was put forward, but her mother merely said, “Well, we didn’t find you under a cabbage leaf, dear.”

Hermione’s father and mother were getting ready for a day at the dental office, but they fell on their daughter in joy, hugging her and checking to see that she still had all her limbs and wasn’t sickening for anything, needing to be reassured several times that she was fine if a little thin from prison food.

Her mother remarked, “It looks like you’re making up for that,” as she swiped a bit of chocolate from the corner of her daughter’s mouth, then turned to Harry. “I don’t know how we can ever repay you for finding our daughter and releasing her from that horrible place. If there’s anything we can do for you, let us know. We’ll happily give you and your family free dental work. Not that you appear to need it.” Hermione’s mother teared up, sniffing away the unwanted tears, but smiling at both Harry and Ginny.

Her husband came and put an arm around her, “We’re in your debt, Harry.”

Harry replied simply, “Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I could never have done anything else.” He smiled showing his perfect teeth, “but if I ever get bashed in the mouth, I’ll come see you straightaway.”

“Harry! What a stupid thing to say.” Hermione grimaced at the amused shock on her parents’ faces. “That’s like saying if I ever crashed my expensive new broomstick into a wall, I’d bring it to you.” Seeing the corresponding grimace on Harry’s face, she figured she’d made her point.

“Oh! Sorry. Yes, the idea of a smashed broomstick does rather make one ill, doesn’t it?” He said, “I’ll be sure to take great care with my teeth, I’ll brush them constantly and use floss.”

Hermione merely rolled her eyes, kissed both her parents who were quietly snickering behind Harry’s back, then promised to return for dinner later in the week and the trio took their leave.

Harry and Ginny returned to Hermione’s home with her and offered to stay, but Hermione gently refused, saying she was still rather tired and would just like a lie-down. She and Ginny arranged to meet again in two days for lunch and the couple left.

Hermione instantly retrieved the papers from her bedroom and spent the rest of the day and evening preparing her summation for the Magic Council on Lucius’ behalf.

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The next day Hermione spent combing the legal archives of the Ministry, slipping in with the morning crowd and trying to keep a low profile with a scarf wrapped around her wild curls and a nondescript black outfit of pants and jacket to look bulkier than her own body’s shape. She even transfigured her nose a bit to make her face look different. If anyone was looking out for her to return to the Ministry and resume her old job, she hoped the disguise was sufficient to keep her safe.

Few people went into the archives and she was undisturbed by anyone as she sifted through the precedents she could use for her plea. Hermione was right at home in the dusty old tomes and sped through the work easily. If Lucius could have picked anyone to do this work, he couldn’t have chosen better than his new wife. A few tears fell as she mounted her argument. She missed her husband terribly and always had a sort of hollow feeling in her chest that even the intense concentration she brought to the legal work couldn’t dispel.

She couldn’t help worrying about him, his health, his now-compromised relations with the two angry guards, Jax and Ben, who might try to hurt him, and his probable retaliation against any attempt to injure him which could send him to stasis. In stasis he’d be even more vulnerable to any angry guard who wanted to disrupt his bodily functions. He’d be helpless. Hermione worked furiously at her project, only taking time to have lunch with Ginny the following day, mostly to sidetrack Harry’s attention from what she was doing, but it turned out to be a much needed catharsis for the brainy little witch, because as it turned out, Ginny was on her side, not Harry’s.

The two women met at the comfortable Leaky Cauldron for their lunch, seating themselves in a quiet rear table behind the stairs to the upper floors, so Hermione could stay incognito. She didn’t want to test her thin disguise of the black clothing and scarf and transfigured nose any more than she had to, but got a surprised chuckle from Ginny when she saw Hermione’s odd-looking face.

“Well, I suspect Harry’s made a right mess of it, hasn’t he?” Ginny offered across the scarred old table to her friend.

Hermione was so surprised, she dropped her menu. “What? What do you mean?”

“Harry’s convinced that you’re suffering from that Stockholm stuff. Or was it Oslo? Anyway, he won’t listen to any other ideas. But that’s not true, is it?” Ginny kindly put her hand over Hermione’s, compassion etched in her tender look.

Hermione was strong enough to face down a Death Eater and the Dark Lord, but she crumpled under the solicitous care of her friend. “No,” her lips trembled with her attempt to control her emotions and she found herself unable to say anything else for the tears that clogged her throat.

Ginny instantly put up a shielding charm on the table, and leaned in toward the disconsolate witch. “I’ve put Harry off trying to get you an annulment. I told him it had to be your choice and to wait because it would be foolish to start the paperwork and have you negate it. Plus, it would draw attention to your presence again for anyone watching for you in the Ministry. He’s mad as fire though at you being ‘persecuted by the evil, old bastard’. Are you sure you do want him, Hermione?”

Hermione snickered briefly at Ginny’s imitation of Harry’s melodramatic description, knowing that Lucius would have hated the word ‘old’, though she sounded a little watery. “I thought you didn’t want to hear about Lucius.”

Ginny laughed softly with her, “I couldn’t fly in the face of Harry’s adamant position in front of him, but I’m not particularly in Harry’s corner on this. I know Lucius and I don’t have a very good history, but I have only two choices: I have to choose to keep my ancient anger at Lucius or keep my friendship with you. Anger is corrosive and only hurts me. Your friendship is worth more than my old antipathy. Plus, you’d think Harry would have figured out by now that no one, least of all Lucius Malfoy, could ever take advantage of you without your total cooperation. And you did cooperate – totally – didn’t you?”

Hermione nodded, a small reminiscent smile breaking through her woebegone expression. “Totally,” she whispered, blotting the few tears, which had escaped.

“Oh, my!” Ginny sat back, a bit shocked in spite of herself at the adjustment she needed to make in her view of her innocent friend. Then a chuckle escaped, “Well, good for you. Maidenheads are highly overrated these days.” She watched as a rosy blush bloomed and covered her friend’s entire face, making her cheeks a bright pink. “Oh, don’t go all sweet and innocent on me again, witch, not when I’m about to find out how Lucius Malfoy performs in the sack!”

“Hey,” Hermione’s tears gave way to indignation, “I don’t see myself as sweet and innocent!” she pouted, “I’ve had plenty of boyfriends, plenty, including your brother!”

“Darling Hermione, Ron and Lavender are married with brand-new babies , Harry and I have been married for two years, and you still hadn’t got past holding hands in the cinema.” Ginny crowed, “You took your time but you certainly outclassed us in the end. My Gods, Lucius Malfoy!” Then she sobered, “You love him, I take it.”

“Of course, I love him. I wouldn’t have married him otherwise.” Hermione’s face changed and all her love for her husband shone out of her eyes. “He’s my other half, now. I can’t explain it any better than that. It hurts to be apart from him.”

Ginny nodded, “Oh, I know that feeling. I don’t like being away from Harry much either.”

Hermione got more animated at Ginny’s sincere interest, “Our minds mesh. He’s so much like me in so many ways. I could talk to him all day long and never run out of things to say. And he listens because he’s as fascinated with my conversation as I am with his.”

Ginny regarded her friend with a quirk in her smile, “but I don’t think you talked all day long, did you? I know Harry and I hardly exchanged a word the first few days of our marriage, except to say things like, ‘Oh Gods, yes!’ and ‘Just like that! Harder!’ plus the intermittent screams.”

“Ginny!” Hermione scolded, “I don’t need to know that! Just thinking about you and Harry…Yuck!” She began to blush again, but Ginny only laughed.

“So have you tamed him and now he’s a big tawny pussycat, or is Lucius still as arrogant as always?”

Hermione reluctantly had to smile at Ginny’s question. “Oh, well… yes, he’s still arrogant as always. I must admit I truly enjoy taking on that superior attitude of his – he challenges me mentally and - to whet your prurient interest - he challenges me physically and I love it all. There’s never a dull moment with him and that’s what I’ve been trying to describe. I guess we sharpen our own wits on each other, sometimes drawing a little blood and then we make up. I love both parts of our marriage.”

Then Hermione slumped, “I just want him home, not in that terrible place. He may be in danger from a couple of guards he defended me against. I’m worried sick but he won’t allow me to visit him. He forbade me to return. But I’m going to get permission to visit him anyway. Even if he doesn’t like it.” Hermione was also having problems with the Azkaban Warden who was denying her visitation rights, but she was sure Lucius’ solicitor could straighten that out.

That sounded more like the Hermione Ginny knew and she applauded her friend’s determination, but the dynamics of the marriage still eluded her, “I don’t understand why he married you. You should be the last woman he would choose as a wife. He didn’t need to marry anyone, really, so he must have fallen hard.”

Hermione’s smile was a little brittle, knowing Lucius still felt a bit of irritation about their disparate heritages, but she urged, “For now, I would like my marriage to be kept quiet. Please tell Harry to keep mum too. I don’t want unnecessary attention drawn to me by that revelation. Lucius is high-visibility and very wealthy. I don’t want to court any publicity while I’m basically a sitting duck with someone after me, or at least trying to remove me from the Ministry.” And she didn’t want people noticing her while she researched her case for her spouse either.

“Harry isn’t going to tell anyone. He wants you out of the marriage, certainly not recognized as the new Malfoy bride. He promised me he’d wait on the legal paperwork for the annulment, but I don’t think that’s an option any more anyway, is it?” Ginny grinned at her newly non-virgin friend. “Best wishes, by the way. I hope your marriage will be as happy as mine.” Ginny wondered if that could ever be possible, but she did hope for a good marriage for her best friend.

“Thank you, Ginny. And you’re right, annulment isn’t an option.” Hermione giggled, “I don’t think Harry has really entertained that idea yet. He’s going to be about as happy as a werewolf with mange when he finally faces facts. He won’t start anything with Lucius will he? I don’t want a bloodbath and those two fighting each other would be gruesome, as evenly matched as they are.”

“Not to worry,” Ginny promised, “I’ll make sure Harry understands that he’s to keep his pointy little wand out of your personal business. Will your parents be upset? Lucius is a bit older than you.”

Hermione frowned slightly thinking of her folks’ possible reaction to a man several decades older than she. “No, I don’t think so,” she said slowly, “They know magic people age differently than Muggles so I imagine that fact will make them more content with my choice.” She lifted her tiny chin and said arrogantly, “He is my choice, no matter what anyone says. They’ll all just have to get used to it, or cease being a part of my life.”

“Don’t preach to the converted, love. Save it for the ones who will try to make your life difficult. Like those stuck up society Purebloods your husband hangs around with. Now what shall we have for lunch? I’m starved. My breakfast is long gone.” Ginny raised her menu and the discussion reverted to Ginny’s large family and her newest little nephews.

After lunch they decided to make a quick visit to see the new twin Weasleys, but Hermione didn’t stay long as Lavender and Ron were still trying to figure out the dynamics of two babies and were obviously completely bushed. Hermione decided to keep her announcement of her marriage for the end of the visit. She was a coward, she knew, but she just didn't want to face another barrage of anger against a fait accompli. Ron already looked tired and she wasn't up to his probable reaction for both their sakes.

Ron was relieved to see Hermione safe and sound and promised to give Harry and Hermione any help needed if she had any more hassles with the Ministry. Lavender added, “between feedings and nappies.”

"Uh, Ron, I need to let you know I...well, there isn't any good way to tell you. I fell in love in prison and got married."

"What! You married someone at Azkaban? Who, the Warden?" Ron was flabbergasted.

"No," she replied, edging toward the door, "Actually it was my cellmate."

Ron stared at his friend in utter stupefaction, "You married another woman?"

Hermione giggled self-consciously, "Not exactly. They put me in with a male cellmate. We were married within a couple of days. And Ron?" she added opening the front door, "my cellmate was Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione blew Ron a kiss, told the couple their babies were gorgeous little flame-haired heartbreakers and she and Ginny closed the door on a bellow from Ron that a bull elephant would have been proud of.


TBC...

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So Harry hasn't quite welcomed the idea of Hermione as a Malfoy yet. But now he has two women on his case, instead of just one. Poor guy, one of them even sleeps with him. Do you think he's going to persevere in his opposition? It may be the sofa for him. At least he'll have Ron to commiserate with “between feedings and nappies”.

Thank you to all my staunch reviewers and I'd love to hear from any 'virgin reviewers' out there who haven't reviewed a story yet. I accept anonymous reviews and I've been visited by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. Pop in any name and let me know your thoughts on the story. Thanks!
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