Shadows Of The Past

Chapter Thirteen: Everything Is Backwards









A courting they will go..









Lucius was actually nervous when he pulled his car to halt in front of Hermione’s house. He stared at the house for a few moments, thinking about his last ‘date’. He had picked Narcissa up in a carriage. She had been afraid of automobiles and never understood why he loved driving so much. She didn’t understand the freedom that came with climbing behind the wheel and just driving, no destination in mind, no sound except the hum of the road or maybe the radio if the mood struck. She preferred the old ways, the more traditional way of things. They had gone to the theater, her sisters in tow to make certain all was proper and at the end of the night he had returned them to their home with naught but a kiss on the hand.







It wouldn’t be that way with Hermione. They would be alone with no one to listen to their conversations, no one to make sure they kept a respectable distance from each other, no one to stop him from tasting her lips if he so desired. Being with a ‘modern’ witch would be new for him and not just because she was muggleborn. Even his mistresses had been ‘traditional’, Pureblood widows or spinster daughters. He never went for the young ones either, too much drama and it was too likely that they would form attachments and make demands he had no intentions of answering. Hermione would be a first for him on so many levels, just as he had been her first.







The short jaunt up the walk and onto the porch was a bit nerve wracking. He could go into a battle without fear, without his nerves interfering, but for some reason approaching her door that night had his stomach tensing. He was there nearly every night and not once had he felt so on edge, but then again his visits had never had the sort of importance that this visit did, this visit changed everything. He clutched a bouquet of rare lilies in his hand from his greenhouses and after taking a deep breath he reached out and knocked on the door like a proper suitor.







He was surprised when Hermione didn’t answer the door, instead it was Harry Potter staring back at him through the screen.







“She isn’t ready.” Harry said shortly as he pushed open the door and invited Lucius inside.







“I am a bit early. Good evening, Mr. Potter.” Lucius said politely as he entered the familiar comfort of Hermione’s home.







“Just Harry.” Harry said as he walked past him into the living room. Lucius followed, his smile brightening when he saw Elias on the floor with his coloring books and crayons. His chest tightened when Elias looked up then squealed as he leapt to his feet and ran to him with his arms up.







“Loo-she-us!” As soon as Lucius swung him into his arms he wrapped his arms and legs around him and hugged him tight. Harry watched in amazement as Lucius returned the little boy’s affection with a light chuckle and a reciprocated embrace.







“Did you miss me?” He asked, pulling back to stare into eyes so much like his own. It had been two days since he had seen his youngest child and to his surprise, he had missed him.







“I did! You’ve been gone!” Elias said, an exaggerated pout on his face.







“I had business to deal with, but I was most certainly thinking about you. Have you been a good boy?” Lucius asked, still holding him.







“I tried, but it’s hard.” Elias said solemnly.







“What did you do?” Lucius asked, his eyes narrowed slightly as he waited for Elias to admit to his latest bit of mischief.







“I accidentally put bat bogeys on the painting at Uncle Harry’s house.” Elias said, peeking around Lucius to Harry.







“Accidentally?” Lucius queried, turning around to face Harry.







“He used his learner’s wand to cast a bat bogey hex on the portrait of Mrs. Black in my hall.” Harry was fascinated by watching Lucius with Elias. He never dreamed Lucius could be so tender, so affectionate, so patient.







“She calls me a half-blood buzzard and George said she was a mean old bat so I gave her bat bogeys. But Mum said it wasn’t very nice.” Elias’s lip pushed out slightly and he cast his eyes down. No doubt he had confused the word buzzard with bastard. Lucius remembered Mrs. Black, she was a mean old bat and apparently death had done little to sweeten her sour disposition.







“Well…it wasn’t very nice…but I understand that she made you angry and hurt your feelings.” Lucius said softly. “How about you try a little harder to ignore her next time?”







“Yes, sir.” Elias said, smiling slightly when he met Lucius’s eyes. “Your flowers are poking me.”







Lucius laughed and set the child back on the floor, checking to make certain that the lilies had not been crushed by his son’s embrace.







“These are for your mother.” Lucius said.







“Mummy said you are going to dinner but this time it was grown ups only so I have to stay with Uncle Harry.” Elias looked disappointed.







“Yes, tonight is strictly a grown up dinner. We will go to dinner again soon all together.” He ruffled Elias’s curls and smiled down at him. “Shouldn’t you be in your pajamas?”







“Yes, sir. Are you reading me a story?” He asked.







“Not tonight, Elias, I am sure Harry will read to you.” It saddened him to allow another man to read to his son, it had become something special to him since the first time Elias asked him to tell him a story. “I tell you what, go get ready for bed, if you hurry perhaps I can tell you a short story before your mother is ready to go.”







“Okay! I’ll be super-fast, I promise!” Elias said excitedly as he hurried off down the hall.









“You surprise me.” Harry said as he came up beside him. “You love him.”







“He is my son, of course I love him.” Lucius said, slightly offended. Why did people assume that he did not have the capacity to love?







“Don’t hurt them, Malfoy.” Harry said quietly.







“I would never hurt them if I can help it. I know you don’t believe me, that you don’t trust me and you have every right not to, it is more than understandable. I don’t want to hurt them, I want to take care of them, I want to make life better for them and be a part of that life…I care about them, very much.” Lucius confessed. It burned his throat to reveal his vulnerable side to Harry but he understood that for all intents and purposes, he was her family. He was the older brother, the father figure, the patriarch of her mismatched and pieced together family. As much as it irritated him, Harry’s approval mattered.







“You realize how back ass-wards you and Hermione have done this whole thing, don’t you?” Harry shook his head. “I mean you sleep together first, have a child and then date. It’s all screwed up.”







“Well, I swore I was going to change my ways, change my life, I am simply mixing things up and keeping them interesting.” Lucius said sarcastically. He wanted to cuff the boy and tell him to mind his damned business but he held his tongue.







“I want you to prove me wrong. I want you to show me that I was wrong about you. So far, so good. Just don’t disappoint me because I will go to any lengths necessary to keep Hermione and Elias safe.” Lucius was impressed with, Potter’s conviction. Perhaps the boy retained more of The Dark Lord’s darkness than anyone cared to believe.







“Understood. If you will excuse me, I am going to go read my son a bedtime story.” He removed his coat and laid it across the chair then headed down the hall to read to Elias.









~@~









Hermione entered her living room with her hand pressed into her lower belly trying to still the butterflies that threatened to have her entire body trembling. She saw Harry sitting on the sofa, his feet propped up on her table with a Quidditch magazine in his hands. Elias’s coloring books were still scattered on the rug but her son was no where to be seen.







“Where is Elias?” she asked, looking around. Harry switched his attention from the magazine to her and gave a long appreciative whistle.







“Wow…Mione…you look….damn!” He grinned when she blushed and smoothed her skirt.







“Um…thanks. Elias?” She queried.







“Lucius is here.” Harry gestured to the lilies lying on the table and the coat draped over the chair. “He went to put Elias to bed.”







“He enjoys tucking him in, though he complains about the Dr. Seuss stories.” The soft smile on her lips when she spoke of him was telling. She cared for him and she trusted him, she trusted him to be a good father to Elias. Harry wondered if she gave him her trust too easily. Could he really change? “I’ll go see how they are coming along.”







She walked down the hall and as she approached she heard Elias and Lucius discussing the circus. Their son was trying to convince his father to take him and Lucius was capitulating. She was going to have to watch him or Elias would be spoiled rotten in no time.







She felt a sudden jolt go through her when she stopped in the doorway to Elias’s room. Lucius, dressed in a black suit that probably cost more than she made in four months was stretched out beside Elias, his ankles crossed. He had obviously finished the story as the brightly colored book was lying closed on the nightstand. He had his hair tied back, accentuating the silver at his temples and the sharp angles of his face. He was so handsome, the kind of man that women noticed and reacted to without thinking about it. And for some strange reason, he had chosen her.







“Ooooo….Mummy, you look beautiful!” Elias said as he uncurled himself from his father’s side.







“Thank you, Baby.” She said, smiling as she made her way to the side of his bed and leaned over Lucius to kiss his forehead. “It’s time for bed, I love you.”







She stood back while Lucius stood and tucked the quilt around him, ruffling his curls before he turned to face her. He cleared his throat as he ran his eyes over her. Her hair was pulled back into low ponytail, her curls tamed and smoothed into soft waves. Her skin was smooth and glowing, her cheeks flushed as she stood still beneath his perusal. The dress fit her like a dream, just as the clothier had said it would. She was a perfect blend of innocent youth and seductive woman, and he was most certainly seduced.







“You look beautiful.” He said hoarsely when his gaze returned to her face.







“Thank you, you look very handsome yourself.” She said, reaching out to smooth his slightly rumpled tie. He drew in a sharp breath when her hand pressed against his chest. He could feel the heat of her touch through his shirt and he wished he could feel it against his bare skin. “I’m sorry I took so long to get ready…I’m not used to dressing up.”







“No…it was definitely worth the wait…you are stunning.” There was less than a foot between them and the air surrounding them was thick and pheromone filled.







“Thank you for the dress and the spa.” She still had her hand resting against his chest, the silk tie beneath it absorbing her warmth.







“You deserve it. That dress was made for you, it’s perfect.” He reached out with a shaking hand and touched her shoulder, lightly tracing her soft skin along the edge of the dress.





“You look at Mum like she’s a cake and you are going to eat her!” Elias giggled from his bed, watching the exchange between the two adults curiously. They stepped apart, both of them with guilty expressions at having forgotten their audience.







“We should get going, we wouldn’t want to miss our reservation.” Lucius said.







“Of course, let me get my coat.” She turned back to the bed and blew a kiss to Elias. “Be a good boy.” She said, smiling when he blew a kiss back to her before she stepped out to retrieve her coat.







“My Mum is real pretty.” Elias said, staring at Lucius who was still staring at the doorway that Hermione had disappeared through.







“Yes, she is very pretty.” Lucius agreed, turning to look at his son. “Goodnight, Elias. I will see you tomorrow and we can talk more about this circus business.”







“Goodnight, Loo-she-us.” Elias said, still smiling as he nestled in beneath his quit, his head dancing with thoughts of the three of them going to the circus. As a family.