Adventurous Hearts Part III: Merlin's Tomb

Chapter 14: Rage





“Blast it all to bloody hell!” Lucius bellowed as he stepped through the fireplace and into his study. His body vibrated with frustration and a rage that he hadn’t felt in years. He paced back and forth for several moments, trying in vain to work off the tension. Why couldn’t she understand how he felt? Why didn’t she see that all he wanted was to take care of her? It wasn’t because he believed she couldn’t take care of herself, he knew that she could, he just wanted, needed, to pamper her, to shower her with his love.





Gifts, adoration, that was the language of love in his world. He wanted to give her beautiful things and romance her in ways that he knew no other man had ever done but she wouldn’t let him. She didn’t respond to flowers and baubles the way other women did, his money just didn’t impress her.





He was confused, frustrated and he felt helpless as he floundered emotionally. He wasn’t sure why he thought she would possibly give up her career. He knew how much pride she took in her work, hell it was important enough to her that she had called in favors with the Minister of Magic in order to get him paroled to assist her. It was far fetched but it still hadn’t stopped him from trying to make it happen.





He really couldn’t help it, every time he thought about her going back to work he saw that chamber caving in, her small figure buried beneath the weight of stone and earth. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head fiercely, desperately wishing he could erase the image of her broken and bloody visage from his mind.





It was then that the rage took over, that crippling, uncontrolled fury that he had not felt in years. He howled with anger as he swept the items off of his desk and sent them clattering to the floor. He couldn’t think, the anger fueling him as he began ripping books from the shelves and throwing them around the room. He gave his temper free reign until it left him exhausted and his study in ruins.







He fell into his desk chair, his eyes closed and his head bowed as he tried to sort through his mind.







“Redecorating?” Lucius looked up to see Draco leaning against the doorframe, his hands shoved into his pockets as he looked around the disheveled room.









“Not now, Draco.” Lucius said quietly. “I am not in the mood for company.”







“I’m not company, I’m your son.” Draco said as he stepped over the books and various other paraphernalia littered about the room. “Care to tell me what caused this little temper tantrum? Or do I have to guess?”





“Women. One woman in particular.”







“Ah, Granger. What did the little mudblood do?” Draco asked, shoving a stack of books off of a chair and settling in to it.







“Draco, if you value your inheritance I would suggest that you never call her that again.” His voice was low and even.







“I don’t mean any harm by it; it has become a term of endearment between the two of us recently. Along with Prick, Bastard, Ferret, Dickhead, Arsehole, Bitch and Cunt.” Draco smiled. “What has she done to cause you to go mad?”







“She merely exists, that is enough to make me insane.” Lucius said wearily. “But specifically, she insists on returning to that blasted tomb. And watch your language, you sound like her.”







“Well, it is her job and it is a rather important project for her.” Draco said. “The healers said she could return at the end of the week so why shouldn’t she see the project through?”







“Because she nearly died!” He said tiredly.







“It was an accident, they happen.”







“More than is normal around her. She is a walking talking disaster area!” Lucius said.







“Oh come on, she looks pretty good these days.” Draco smirked. His father however did not look amused. “She has just had an odd year, father. Everyone has them, those periods in your life where anything that can go wrong does. She has been doing this a long time and I have never heard about anything serious happening to her.”







“Draco, I can’t stand it, I can’t sit around waiting to hear from someone that she is in trouble or has been injured! How am I supposed to function with her out running around all over the planet doing who knows what? I won’t be able to think for worrying about her.”







“So travel with her.” Draco said, shrugging his shoulders. “You can handle business from anywhere; all you need is a place to sit down with your books. You are a wizard for Circe’s sake, you can come and go with a thought so it isn’t as though you would be without luxuries.”





“Are you jesting?” Lucius asked, staring at him incredulously.







“Not at all. Severus often traveled with her during the summer; perhaps you can do the same.” Draco said.







“But I have probation, terms for my parole and the truth is I wish to settle in to a normal life, Draco. A life with her, not gallivanting all over hell and back looking for treasure!” Lucius ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He wasn’t prepared to deal with an independent career woman; nothing in his life had readied him for the stubbornness that came in such a delectable little package.





“You make her sound like a pirate! I am sure you can work it out with your probation officer, and did you ask her about possibly slowing down? I know she does some teaching, some lecturing, perhaps she could do more of that.”







“No, I didn’t ask her.” Lucius flushed slightly. Draco made a clucking sound with his tongue and shook his head.







“You ordered her to quit didn’t you?”







“Yes.”







“And she got her knickers all in a twist didn’t she?”







“Yes.” Lucius frowned and reached for a quill lying on his desk, twirling it idly in his fingers. “She left.”







“Where is she?” Draco asked.







“With Severus.”







“Well at least you know she is being looked after, he’s like an old mother hen when it comes to her. It freaks me out, actually.” Draco said shuddering. Lucius groaned loudly and tugged at the hair at his temples.







“I don’t know how to deal with this! How in the hell do you manage to…whatever it is you do…with women these days? What happened to getting married and raising a family?” He asked. “I have no idea how to handle a…working woman…”







“Why would you want to handle a prostitute?”







“I meant a career woman! Why do you insist on pricking me?”







“Granger would say that it’s because I’m a prick.” He smiled when his father glared at him from across the desk. “You are going to have to accept that she isn’t mother. Shopping and sitting about all day taking tea with the pureblood wives just isn’t who she is. You won’t get what you want from Hermione Granger by trying to demand it from her. You, Father, are going to have to learn the fine art of compromise.”







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The following morning Hermione sat a small table near the window of Severus’s quarters. She poked at the scrambled eggs with her fork as thoughts of Lucius filled her head. She had cried most of the night curled up against Severus who, bless his heart, had held and soothed her until she finally fell asleep and he was able to tuck her into his bed for some much needed rest.





“Eat, Minute, stop playing with your food and eat it.” Severus said from behind his morning paper. Hermione frowned and threw a piece of crust from her toast at him, smiling in satisfaction when it bounced off of his chest leaving crumbs on his black suit in its wake.





Severus didn’t bother to look up; he simply brushed the crumbs from his clothes and continued to read his paper.





“You know, being surly isn’t helping matters any.” He said as he turned the page. “Perhaps instead of taking your frustration out on those poor eggs you might consider going to see Lucius and having a conversation.”







“There are no conversations with Lucius if he thinks he is in the right. He becomes all tyrannical.” She frowned, tossing her fork onto the plate and crossing her arms as she sat back in the chair.





“I don’t think I would use the term tyrannical.” Severus said. “That might be an exaggeration on your part, Minute.”





“Oh sure, take his side why don’t you. Death eaters always stick together.” Severus turned down the corner of his paper and arched a brow in her direction. She was getting her hackles up because she knew she was overreacting. He folded his paper neatly and laid it on the table beside his plate and then focused his attention strictly on her.





“Did you for one moment consider his point of view or did you immediately go on the defensive?” He asked.







“What do you mean? Of course I considered his point of view! It was completely unreasonable.” She snapped, biting fiercely into a sausage link.





“Oh? Tell me, what is unreasonable about wanting the person you love to be safe? Especially given recent events.” He asked calmly.





“Don’t you dare try to turn this around on me, Severus Snape!” Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t like the way his words made her feel, like she was a student again and had been caught stealing from his stores or helping Neville in potions. She felt guilty when she shouldn’t. She had every right to be angry, to be indignant for the way Lucius had behaved. Didn’t she?







“I just think that perhaps you should think about things from his perspective is all. I too have reservations about you going back to that tomb. It wasn’t exactly a high point in my life that I had to blow air into your lungs to keep you from dying in my arms, I felt completely helpless and scared to death that the only person in this world that I cared about was going to leave me. That I would once more be forced to watch someone I love die.” He said softly.







She saw the pain etched in the lines on his face and she had to turn her face away. She realized how selfishly she was behaving, only thinking about how she felt and not at all considering the feelings of those around her. It was hard for her to see that look in Severus’s eyes because she already felt guilty for hurting him when she chose Lucius, seeing even more pain caused by her compounded that guilt to the point that it was unbearable.







“Do you want me to quit?” She asked softly. Severus got up and came around the table, crouching in front of her with his hands on her knees.







“No. I don’t want you to quit, but maybe the recent…calamities… that have befallen these last projects is someone or some things way of telling you that it is time to slow down. You have proven yourself again and again, Minute. Maybe now it is time to let someone else have a chance to discover something.” He said softly.







“But what would I do? I love going on digs, I love what I do.”







“Perhaps you could teach full time at the University or even here at Hogwarts, I would happily install you in a position, you could teach a class of the history of cursed objects or some other such nonsense.” He smiled. “You could still go on digs and have your little adventures during the summer holidays. Everyone has to slow down eventually, Minute, I did.”







She looked down at him, deep into the dark orbs that held so many hidden facets. She wondered if it were possible that ones soul mate wasn’t necessarily the same thing as a heart mate. Because while Lucius was the other half of her heart, she would never be complete without Severus, he was the other half of her soul.





“What if I can’t adjust?” She asked softly.







“I’ll help you.” He smirked. “I’ve got some practice with change you know.”







She brought her hand up and ran her fingers through his hair, smiling when he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch like a cat being petted, she almost expected him to purr.







“What am I going to do with my death eaters?” She shook her head and sighed.







“I have a few ideas.” Severus drawled with one eye open. Hermione threw her head back and laughed, he really was incorrigible.









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Kittycat30- oh yes, they DO need to talk. But we are talking two very stubborn people here.





CoCoM – When I am upset I turn to my best friends. Granted mine are other women, but for her, it’s Severus. And they just happen to have a history, but it isn’t any different than turning to a girlfriend for comfort.