To The Devil's Doorstep

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters, obviously, but I do like to take them and play with them occasionally. I’ll return them all to JKR when I’m done.

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Chapter 14
Repairs to be Made

As Draco and Hermione hurried to a seriously injured Lucius, Harkey leading the way, Hermione began to bite her bottom lip, wondering what she was to see. She had seen Professor Snape once, accidentally, when he had to be taken to the infirmary at school. It hadn’t been a pleasant sight. She was at the infirmary learning a few things about healing spells and trying to figure out how she could improve them when the professor was brought in. Hermione was quickly asked to leave.

Before Hermione could think anymore on it, they had arrived in the lowest level of the dungeon. She hadn’t even taken notice to her surrounding on the way there.

“Master, why have they put your father all the way down here?” she asked Draco.

“Because this is the only place the Dark Lord has been in the manor. He never ventured far from the lowest level and therefore he only had this spot to pinpoint his magic on Granger.”

They both turned to look at the ratty mattress that Lucius laid upon. He was writhing in agony and convulsing as his body tried to fight off the effects of the curse.

This particular dungeon did have a fireplace, which was a good thing as it was freezing down here. Draco walked over and pointed his wand at it, instantly creating a warming fire. He then walked to a cabinet on the far side of the room and opened it, collecting various potions from the shelves. This was obviously not the first time this had happened.

“What are you just standing there for Granger? Do something to help him. I know you’re a bloody Spells Mistress, do something!” Draco hollered over to her.

Hermione jerked into action. Draco had just brought the potions over to sit on a metal table next to her. She couldn’t get him to drink anything with the way his body was convulsing. She cast Immobulis on Lucius so would be still. She then gave him a general healing draught, and a calming potion. You could literally see him relax some in his muscles.

Next she ran her wand over his body to assess the damage done. It appeared that Lucius had some broken bones and some internal bleeding. She looked closely at the potions set before her. There was a potion there to mend broken bones but she would also need a blood-replenishing potion once she healed the internal damage.

“We are going to need a blood replenishing potion. Do you have one or know where to get one?” she asked Draco.

“Yes. I’ll ask Severus. I shall be back soon.” he replied as he stepped over to the fireplace to floo to the professor’s private rooms.

After Draco left, Hermione looked at Lucius, who was still under the Immobulis spell. His eyes were open and focused on her.

“Sir, I shall get you well as quickly as I possibly can.” she told him.

First, she gave him the bone-mending potion. His face took on a look of pain but not as much as he had been in before. Within a minute or so Hermione ran her wand over him again and saw that his broken bones had healed themselves. Now it was just to fix his internal injuries.

Pointing her wand at the injuries she said, “Intestina Renovo.”

This was an improvement on an already existing healing spell. The original spell had to be done on each injured organ. Her improvement made the spell encompassing all the internal organs. She once again ran her wand over Lucius’ body and saw that all the damage was healed, but he was desperate need of the blood-replenishing potion. She looked toward the fireplace, willing Draco to come back, hopefully without their dour ex-professor.

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Draco had flooed directly into Severus’ study without so much as a quick announcement. The professor looked up quickly, as very few people had permission to floo him at all, let alone without permission.

As he saw Draco standing there, fear in his eyes, he knew something indeed had to be very wrong for his godson to be there.

“What’s happened Draco?” Snape asked quickly.

“It’s Father. He was punished by the Dark Lord and is in desperate need of a potion I don’t have. Please Uncle; could you give me some blood-replenishing potion? It’s what Granger needs to help him.” Draco replied.

“Did I hear you correctly Draco? Miss Granger is … helping Lucius? You have permitted her to have her wand? How do you know she isn’t killing him as we speak, you insipid boy?” Severus was doubtful that Granger had it in her to purposely kill anyone unless they were causing her or others dear to her harm. But still, the boy had some hard lessons to learn.

“She’s not killing him Uncle. You know it as well as I. She doesn’t have the darkness required to kill just for the sake of killing. Besides I told her if she hurt either of us I’d kill her with my bare hands. She truly is just trying to help. The potion Uncle, please?”

Snape walked to his private stores and brought out an armful of potions. The replenisher was there along with some pain potion and assorted other potions he himself had to use when the Dark Lord punished him. He put them in a satchel and handed them to Draco.

“Go back quickly and attend to your father. Would you like me to come with you in case Miss Granger has taken liberties to try to free herself?” Snape asked.

“No thank you. I’m sure everything will be fine. If there is any trouble I shall floo you immediately.” Draco replied.

“Very well Draco. Go.”

Draco threw a handful of powder into the fireplace and flooed back to the manor’s dungeon.

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After looking expectantly at the fireplace, Hermione suddenly realized that Lucius was still immobilized.

“Finite Incantatum” she said pointing her wand at him.

Lucius looked around the room, knowing they were alone for now. He felt very weak but had to ask her anyway.

“Hermione, why did you help me?”

“I couldn’t bear to see you in pain like that Sir. I couldn’t bear to see anyone in pain like that. It was either I help you or I kill you. And I couldn’t kill you Sir.”

It seemed to Lucius that Hermione had a dark side that didn’t just encompass the sexual department. She was courageous, that much was true, and compassionate. But she would kill to put a person or creature out of pain.

Lucius was starting to feel lightheaded due to loss of blood and Hermione noticed him starting to sway as if he were about to lose consciousness. She looked expectantly at the fire, hoping that Draco would return quickly.

“Sir please save your strength until Draco returns with the potion needed to restore your blood.” Hermione told Lucius.

At that precise moment, they heard a whoosh at the fireplace and Draco emerged carrying the satchel of potions. He thrust it at Hermione so she could do what needed to be done.

Hermione reached into the satchel full of potions. Her former professor had certainly supplied them well. She grabbed the potion she needed and looked toward Lucius. He was still conscious, though barely. She walked over to him and put the vial to his lips, tipping it so he could drink it.

Lucius drank the entire contents of the vial, completely trusting that Hermione wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. The potion had a putrid taste to it. Lucius closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the replenisher to do its job.

“What did you do to him Granger?” Draco snarled at her.

“I did nothing but help him Draco and don’t you dare accuse me of trying to harm him in any way!” she replied.

At hearing the bickering, Lucius opened his eyes. He looked at the concerned face of his son.

“Draco, I assure you that Miss Granger had done nothing untoward to me. She has indeed helped me to recover quicker than even Severus has ever been able to attain.” Lucius told his son calmly.

“Father, how do you feel?” Draco asked.

“I feel quite alright. I am having some very minor muscle spasms and I’m terribly tired, but other than that, I’m fine.”

“Oh Sir, I didn’t think the pain relieving potion would have worn off by now. Shall I get you another? But if I may so bold as to suggest that we first get you to your rooms where you will be more comfortable first and out of this dank dungeon.” Hermione asked hesitantly.

“Yes Miss Granger, that sounds like an excellent idea.” Lucius replied.

At once Draco summoned Harkey to transport his father carefully to his private rooms. Harkey did so effortlessly, while Hermione packed away the extra potions into the satchel to take to Lucius’ rooms.

With that being done, Draco picked up the satchel and escorted Hermione to his father’s bedroom where Harkey had set him up comfortably on his bed. Draco didn’t say a word on the way up. He would just occasionally look at Hermione in perplexed sort of way.

Hermione, for her part, ignored his perplexed looks and was just intent on getting Lucius as comfortable as she could so he could the rest his body needed to heal. She was sure she’d have to pay for using Draco’s given name at some point in time, but now was not the time.

They entered Lucius’ bedroom and Hermione instantly set up the potions again on a small table near the far wall. She picked out a pain-relieving potion and a mild sleeping draught. As she walked over to Lucius she pulled out her wand and, once more, ran it over his body, now clothed in nothing but a pair of silken boxers.

“What are you doing now Granger?” asked Draco.

“I’m making sure that moving him hasn’t damaged anything I’ve recently healed. It hasn’t.” she replied.

“Sir, I’m going to give you a pain-relieving potion, but I’d like to couple it with a spell to help your muscles relax. I’d also like to give you a mild sleeping potion to make sure you get a restful night’s sleep. Is that alright with you?” Hermione asked Lucius.

“Yes Miss Granger, that sounds fine with me. You, and only you, will be taking on the role of nursing me back to full health. The cleaning of the dungeons can wait until I am healed. Is that satisfactory to you Miss Granger?” he replied.

“Yes sir.”

Hermione gave Lucius the pain potion and waved her wand over him saying “Corpus relaxo”. He suddenly looked so at ease that he felt no pain at all. She gave him the sleeping draught and backed away.

The last thing Lucius saw was the worry, not only in his only son’s eyes, but also in the eyes of Hermione. He knew that he would have to do something to end to the Dark Lord’s reign. It was doing no good for anyone involved. And with that thought, Lucius went calmly to sleep.

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AN: I know you’re all waiting for some hot stuff but I had to get Lucius on the mend. Next chapter should be more ‘lemony’.