Shadows Of The Past

Chapter Fourteen: Start of Something Good









Where Lucius and Hermione have their first date.









It was difficult not to stare at her as Lucius opened her car door and gave her his hand. Her legs swung to the side, knees together like a proper lady, and she slowly edged her way from the vehicle. He smiled and tucked her arm into his elbow as he stepped beneath the red awning over the walkway and into the restaurant. Hermione had never heard of it before, Delicieux was nestled into an upscale, trendy area near Mayfair. As they stepped inside it was obvious that it was not the sort of place one dined at every day, nor did you bring your children.







“Let me take your coat.” Lucius said from beside her. She unbuttoned her simple black coat, bought at Harrods on clearance more than four years before; to reveal a dress that had probably cost Lucius more than five times what she paid for the coat covering it. His fingertips brushed her neck as his hands slid into the collar and pulled it from her shoulders. She shivered at that light grazing of his fingers and it didn’t go unnoticed by him. If she reacted like that when he accidentally touched her what would it be like when he touched her with a purpose? He was distracted by those thoughts as he gave their coats to the attendant. Visions of her igniting beneath his touch danced through his head and he had to adjust his suit jacket to cover the results.







“This is so nice.” She said quietly as she took in the candlelit ambiance of the restaurant. Small, intimate tables covered in red linens and flickering candles were scattered around the room. They were a good distance apart, offering privacy to the diners and easy movement for the servers. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble, Lucius. I would have been content with a curry and a movie.”







“I know, that is why I planned this evening as I did.” He stroked her cheek, enjoying the way her lashes lowered and her lips parted on a sigh. He knew he would enjoy his evening with her more because she would have been happy with less, she didn’t place value on wealth and therefore wouldn’t be constantly expecting lavishness. Spoiling her would be fun because he knew she would always be surprised and always a bit hesitant, she would never expect it. “Let me spoil you, Hermione, just a little bit.”







She didn’t get to respond before a woman in her mid to late thirties approached them. She had her bright ginger hair twisted into an elaborate bun on the back of her head and her bright green eyes raked over the two of them taking in every detail. Her slim fitting black dress draped her willowy body perfectly and she held herself with an elegance that Hermione envied.







“Bonsoir, welcome to Delicieux, do you have a reservation?” She asked in a light French accent.





“Table for two under Malfoy.” Lucius answered. Something about the woman irritated him but he couldn’t quite figure out why. And then she opened her mouth again.





“If you and your daughter will follow me.” She said, eyeing Hermione smugly. Lucius slid his arm around Hermione’s waist and pulled her against his side.







“Not my daughter, and if you don’t want me to speak with your manager I would suggest that you keep your ignorant assumptions to yourself.” Hermione would have probably been embarrassed by his comment to the woman had she not found the hostess’s comment presumptive and offensive.







“I beg your pardon, Monsieur. I meant no offense.” She said, an obviously unrepentant expression on her face.







“Of course you did, but your simple minded pettiness means little to me, simply take us to our table before you ruin our evening.” Lucius had a way of saying things that could bite like a dragon without ever raising his voice. It was a tone that sent chills down her spine. It could cut a person to the quick, could persuade and cajole, and he knew exactly how to use it so that it had the strongest affect. The rather snotty woman didn’t know how to react so she just remained silent and led them to a semi circular booth along the wall nestled into a corner for optimal privacy.







Lucius held her hand as she slid into the booth. She expected him to slide in on the other side but he followed behind her, moving her to the back so that they were seated next to one another. With a simple arch of his brow he dismissed the hostess and they were left alone.







“Well, she was pleasant.” Hermione said as she reached for the menu.







“She was jealous. She likes to think that by working here she will she land herself a wealthy husband and live a life of luxury.” Lucius scoffed.





“So you read minds now?”







“No, let’s just say I have run across women like her a time or two in my life. She thought that commenting on our age difference would give her leverage. She was jealous; it’s as simple as that.” He said, reading over the wine list.







“I imagine we will come across others who will take offense to our age difference.” She said conversationally.







“Their opinions don’t matter. Small people have small minds.” Her age was a tender spot for him though he would never tell her that. He still felt the guilt of deflowering her when she was barely of age, of fathering a child on a woman so young but it didn’t weigh as heavily as it once had.







“Well, it’s our…relationship…right? Not theirs so it doesn’t really matter.” She wanted to change the subject.







“That’s right. Do you have an idea what you would like for dinner?” He asked, closing his menu and laying it on the table in front of him.







“I…I don’t know…there are no prices on this menu, Lucius.” She observed.







“Price doesn’t matter, order what you want.” He said, smiling when she frowned and bit her lip.







“But…”







“Whatever it is, I can afford it.” He smirked. She was adorable, always the frugal one, never spending in excess, never buying what wasn’t absolutely necessary. She was an enigma in that right, so unlike the aristocratic women of pureblood society who spent freely without care.







“Braggart.” She said, smiling slightly as she glanced at him over her menu. “Fine…what if I said I wanted the filet mignon AND the lobster?” She asked, figuring they were in the higher price range.







“Then filet and lobster it is.” He smiled, leaning close to her. “I am very rich, Hermione, it would make your head spin if you knew the truth of it.”







“It is very clear where our son comes by his arrogance.” She said, licking her lips unconsciously. He was close to her, their noses nearly touching. If she tilted her chin forward just a little their lips would touch.







“Good evening, I am Gaston, may I take your order?” The waiter’s interruption had Lucius leaning away from her once more. A second longer and he would have kissed her. Kissed her in a way that was completely inappropriate in a public place. Instead he ordered dinner, both steak AND lobster for the two of them and as he did he nearly groaned at the thought of feeding her lobster from his fingers. Feeling her lips wrapped around his fingertips as she savored the rich, buttery flavor.







He became determined to ignore the ‘voice’ below the belt. It wasn’t easy; it had been a long, long time since he had felt the warmth of a woman beneath his hands. Since he had sunk into the silky wet warmth of a female body and gotten lost in the delirium of pleasure. It didn’t help that she was sitting beside him looking more beautiful than he had expected. Her skin was so pink and a light floral fragrance clung to her. She looked soft and he had to ball his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to touch her. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and to his surprise, and his ego’s delight, neither could several other men in the restaurant.







“Why are you staring at me?” Hermione asked. She was staring at her hands where they were resting in her lap. She was unnerved by his studying of her and she couldn’t deny that his attentions had a tingling warmth spreading through her body. He unnerved her, even more so because she wasn’t used to being wooed, she wasn’t used to having someone in her life who wanted to spoil her, who simply wanted her period.







“Because you are lovely, and I enjoy looking at lovely things.” He reached over and clasped her chin with gentle fingers, turning her face towards him. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip gently and he wanted to nibble on it as well. A little sigh escaped her when his fingertips began to traverse her face. He traced her brows, her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. He even feathered his fingertips over her thick lashes. “I can’t believe I was so blind to such beauty.”







“I’m not beautiful, Lucius. I certainly wasn’t when I was in school…” She began to protest but was silenced by his finger pressed against her lips.







“Don’t contradict me, Hermione. I know beauty when I see it, if I say you are beautiful then you are beautiful, no arguments.” He said, caressing the soft bottom lip he coveted. Her mouth was a thing of true beauty. Deep pink and pillowy soft, the top lip was shaped into a perfect cupid’s bow while the bottom lip was full and soft, a temptation he was finding it difficult to resist.







“You are so…cocky.” She said against his fingertip, a smile spreading her lips. He flashed his devilish grin and winked at her as his fingers slid slowly down over her chin and feathered over the sensitive skin of her throat, daringly tickling along her collarbones just above the neckline of her dress.







“It suits me, don’t you think?” He asked, leaning close to her as he moved his other arm to the back of the booth and behind her shoulders.







“You Malfoys are something else.” Her breath caught when he pressed his fingers against her throat and felt the pulse pounding wildly beneath the skin.







“Don’t forget that our son is also a Malfoy.” He liked the way her eyes softened when he said ‘our’ son. It hadn’t been that way at first, they had flashed with anger and possessiveness and sometimes with fear. It was the fear that had affected him so much. He never wanted to see that emotion in her eyes ever again, especially not fear of him.







“Our son will probably be the cockiest Malfoy ever born.” She was leaning towards him without thought, unconsciously moving in to a perfect position for him to take possession of her mouth.







“His arrogance will serve him well.” Lucius muttered as his eyes narrowed to slits and focused on the wet, pink lips waiting for his kiss. His head lowered and he rubbed his nose against hers, feeling her soft breath against his lips.







“Ahem…your wine, Sir.” Lucius swore softly and pulled back, not missing the disappointed sigh and slump of Hermione’s shoulders at the interruption. He offered the server a tight smile and sampled the wine then nodded his approval for the glasses to be filled. The server obviously knew where he wasn’t wanted and hurried away, leaving them alone once more.







“I am beginning to wish I had taken you to my house for a quiet dinner alone.” His arm was still draped along the back of the seat and his fingers were idly stroking her shoulder.





“I am beginning to wish the same thing.” She said quietly.







“Next time I won’t make the mistake of bringing you out in public.” He said quietly. “At least not until I have more control over myself.”







“I didn’t notice that you were out of control.” She felt out of control. Her pulse was racing and she couldn’t stop tapping her foot beneath the table. Her skin felt too tight for her body and her hands literally itched with the need to reach out for him but she was too inexperienced…embarrassed to just do it. He, however, looked perfectly calm sitting beside her; he didn’t look as though he were struggling with his control at all.







“Years of masking my emotions allow me to seem calmer than I am. I am torn, I want you alone but I know that if I am alone with you I will try to make love to you and it’s too soon for that, yet here we are in public and the urge to pull you into my arms and lay you back on the seat is just as strong. What is a wizard to do?” He had his head tucked low, his lips near her ear as he spoke. He could feel her trembling and it only made his discomfort worse because he could imagine her responsiveness mingled with sweaty bodies and tangled sheets.







“Oh…” that one, soft syllable was all she could manage. She swallowed hard and her mouth suddenly felt like a desert causing her to reach for her glass of wine. As the sweet, cool liquid slid over her tongue images that could only be described as carnal drifted through her head. She nearly spilled it when Lucius reached for her glass and set it back on the table.







“Slow down, you haven’t eaten. I don’t want you intoxicated.” He chuckled, handing her a glass of water instead. “Relax, Hermione, I want you but I’m not going to pounce on you the first moment I get you alone.”







Now that was disappointing. She thought, trying to keep the frustration from showing on her face. Perhaps she needed some more lessons with Jessa so she could build up the nerve to do the pouncing. If Lucius was determined to play the gentleman she may never know what it’s supposed to be like between a man and a woman. She supposed it was a good thing that their first course arrived, the food was a welcome distraction from the sex on a stick, Jessa’s description, beside her. Conversation turned towards safe, neutral territory as they discussed Elias, politics and books.







Things once more became tense when desert arrived, chocolate mousse with thick whipped cream topping. Hermione was a sucker for chocolate, she couldn’t resist, but Lucius turned her obsession for the sweet into something else when he reached out and wiped a smidge of whipped cream from her lip then sucked it from his finger. Her entire body heated as though she were feverish and she felt as though she couldn’t breathe.







“Would you like to go for a walk?” he asked, his eyes were normally a bright, icy blue color but they had darkened to an almost smoke gray as he stared at her. His voice had deepened and grown hoarse, the raspy sound of it sending shivers down her spine.







“A walk?” She croaked, cringing at the sound of her own voice.







“I think some fresh air might do us some good.” He turned from her and flagged down their server to ask for the bill. They collected their coats and stepped out into the night air to collect the car from the valet. From there they made their way to a car park near a ferry port. They walked along the Thames, her arm tucked into his elbow as boats moved up and down the river. Above them the sky was clear and bedazzled with a thousand twinkling stars and a full moon.







“Your willingness to embrace muggle things amazes me.” She said from beside him. “Elias’s books and games, muggle clothing for outings, even tonight, taking me to London for our date. It shows me how serious you are about changing the man you were.”







“There have always been things that required me to drift into the muggle culture. Literature and business crossed cultural boundaries more than once. It just didn’t hold a predominant place in my world. But I also didn’t have a family that crossed those boundaries, that’s changed now.” He felt her hands curl into his arm at his reference to them as his family. “It is my hope that we will soon be able to socialize in the wizarding world, but for this…for our first date I preferred not to have the Prophet’s gossips reporting every bite we took or every look we exchanged.”









“Thank you. I have seen my fair share of that rag’s headlines. They tore my reputation to shreds when it got out that I was pregnant. I am surprised you didn’t read it.” She said.







“I wasn’t allowed to read the prophet or anything else that wasn’t selected and closely monitored by the Ministry. They didn’t want me keeping up on any of my cohorts activities through the news and Draco was under an oath that prevented him from relating any news of the outside that might be deemed “influential” in my reformation.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.







“They called me the “whore” of the golden trio. The rumors ran the gamut from being raped by deatheaters to me being the center of a poly-amorous relationship with Ron and Harry. There was even a rumor that the baby belonged to Professor Snape, that he knew he would die and I made him a promise to continue his legacy. As if he would touch me.” She scoffed.





“Don’t discount Severus’s seductiveness, Hermione. He was as weak as the next man when it came to a pretty witch and he had a special weakness for the women of Godric’s house. But he did loathe children so that alone would discredit that rumor for anyone who actually knew him.” He said. “I am still amazed that you didn’t tell anyone the truth of it, that you didn’t demand that I support you financially. Any other witch would have had the story plastered all over every gossip sheet she could find and been in the courtroom demanding her fair share.”







“I didn’t want that. Elias is a child, not a tool. I love that boy so much I sometimes cry because if I don’t do something to let it out it feels like I will explode. We were getting along just fine and you had enough going on in your life without an illegitimate child to worry about on top of it.” She shivered and leaned into him as the night breeze picked up. Lucius un-tucked her hand from his elbow and curled his arm around her shoulders, holding her against his side as they stopped and stared at the Tower Bridge illuminated in the distance.







“We’ve walked quite a ways.” He observed. “Are you too cold? We could go back now.”







“This is nice. I haven’t done this since I was little with my parents and I have never done this at night.” She said, letting her head rest against him.





“Neither have I. When I dated as a young man it was always with chaperones, mostly it was sitting in a family’s parlor having boring conversations or going to the theater, always with a female relative or servant in tow.” Lucius turned his head and inhaled the light fragrance clinging to her hair.







“Really? I imagined you as a bit of a hellion like Draco. He wasn’t very discriminate of his…erm….companions, nor was he all that circumspect of his activities.” She said, her cheeks blushing as she tattled.







“Doesn’t surprise me. My son is an enigma to me. I am not quite certain where his personality comes from. I am only glad that I did not succeed in breaking his spirit. He is genuinely happy and has an incredible sense of humor, sometimes I want to throttle him as I tend to be his favorite source of entertainment these days.” He chuckled.







“I am happy that he is doing so well. I think that the last time I saw him was at Flourish and Blot’s about three years ago and only from a distance. He actually smiled at me; I nearly dropped Elias I was so stunned.” She shivered again and Lucius rubbed her arm.







“There is a little building right there selling coffee and tea, how about we get something warm to drink?” He said already guiding her to the little building. “Two coffees please.” Lucius ordered. The elderly man inside filled two cups with steaming coffee, adding the cream and sugar requested before putting plastic lids on them and sliding them forward. Lucius reached into his trouser pocket for his cash and handed it to the man. Everyone went completely silent when two gold foil packets landed on the counter along with the cash.







“Oh!” Hermione squeaked, her eyes wide as she stared at the word TROJEN in large black letters blazoned across the packets.







“Damn it, Draco! I swear on all that is holy I am going to crucio that boy!” Lucius swore as he shoved the condoms back into his pocket and snatched the coffees from the old man who was now laughing at him.







“Lucius? Why do you have condoms in your pocket?” She could see that his face was flushing as he carried their coffees over to a bench situated so that they could still watch the river traffic. “Were you planning to…I mean, did you plan for us to….are you planning to spend the night?”







“No! I didn’t, I had no plans for this evening other than spending some time with you. My son the comedian decided to lecture me on…safe sex…while I was preparing for this evening. The condoms were his; he must have put them in my pocket.” Gods what an uncomfortable conversation. He could kill Draco.







“So you don’t want to…spend the night with me?” She didn’t understand it, but she felt a little…rejected. Lucius sat his coffee cup on the bench beside him and took hers to do the same. He laid his gloved hand along her cheek and tilted her face up to his.







“Don’t misunderstand, I want you very much. I want to spend the night with you, I want to make love to you and show you what it should have been. But I will not rush it. When it happens it will be because we both want it and it will not be a rushed moment like before, it will be slow and it will be sweet and it will take all night.” He said earnestly. He could see the mist of her breath as she panted, her cheeks were flushed and he could feel her body trembling beneath her coat.







“Will you kiss me, please?” She pleaded softly, reaching deep inside her for every bit of courage she could find as she grasped the lapels of his coat and held on tight. He moved in slowly, licking his lips just before he pressed the softest of kisses against hers. The sound of her breathy sigh went all through him and he pressed again, parting his lips against hers and encouraging her to do the same. He kissed her again and again gradually nibbling on her sweet bottom lip before teasing her with the light stroke of his tongue. She opened eagerly and accepted the foray of his tongue, sliding hers against his until the kiss grew so passionate that she feared they would combust from the heat of it. Yet when he pulled away, breathless and gasping for air she found herself clutching him, trying desperately to pull him back to her.







“No, we…I can’t…you have no idea what you do to me, what the taste of you does to me. I am hanging on by a very thin thread here.” He clasped her hands and uncurled them from his coat. He brought them to his lips, kissing them firmly before standing and pulling her to her feet. “I should take you home.”





“A-alright.” She managed, swaying slightly towards him. He had successfully done what no other had come close to doing. He had turned her brain to complete mush where her only thought was ‘my god that man is beautiful’ as he stared down at her, backed by the light of a full moon. With one kiss he had rendered her an idiot.







Lucius led her along the walkway, his body aching and his mind reeling. The taste of her lingered on his tongue, intoxicating him, drugging him. She was just as he had imagined. So responsive and eager, she caught fire like a match to tinder and he felt scorched by her. He wanted to be consumed by her. A little ways down the path he looked around to make certain they were alone then wrapped his arms around her and in an instant they were inside the car.







“Lucius! You should warn me first!” Hermione pressed her hand against her chest, her heart racing as she settled into her seat.







“Forgive me, I only wanted to get you out of the cold.” He said as he shrugged out of his coat and placed it into the back seat, tossing his gloves on top of it before starting the car and turning on the heat. His excuse was only half true; he was finding it incredibly uncomfortable to walk with an erection. “Long drive or short flight?” He asked.







“Long drive, I hate to fly.” She said softly. “Didn’t you notice that I kept my eyes closed the entire trip into London?”







“I wondered about that.” He smiled. “Fine, we will take a long drive through the country.” He turned on the radio but kept the volume low. The ride through the city was quiet but comfortable. Once they crossed the city limits, the brightly lit streets giving way to dark country roads, Lucius reached for her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers and letting them rest on the console between them. She enjoyed that simple intimacy more than she could say. The feel of his larger, stronger hand holding hers securely, the heat of his skin against hers made her feel close to him.





It took over an hour to reach the long, desolate road that led to her home. As they turned on to her road Lucius brought her hand to his lips briefly then laid her hand on his thigh so he could down shift, slowing their speed and extending the drive. He had only intended to free his hand for a moment so he could shift; he hadn’t expected to feel her fingers begin to slide back and forth tentatively.







She was looking out the passenger side window, her bottom lip between her teeth and her cheeks flushing. Her fingers moved a little higher as she summoned her courage. She was curious but not quite bold enough to just touch him and satisfy her curiosity. He was amused by her timidity and enflamed by her touch. She was close, the tip of her little finger was damn near bumping against his testicles, but her embarrassment took over and she began inching her hand back into safer territory.







“Hermione?” He said her name softly as he reached for her hand.







“Hmmm?” She couldn’t speak; her throat was constricted with humiliation over the fact that she had nearly molested him while he was driving.







“If you are curious…” he held her fingers tight and slid her palm up along his thigh. “Don’t hesitate, if you want to touch me, do it.” He said as he pressed her palm against the thick, hard ridge of his arousal. She gasped, her fingers instinctively curling around the thick column of flesh covered by his trousers. “Damn!” He hissed, covering her fingers with his and forcing her to squeeze him tighter.





He removed his hand from hers, thrilled beyond words when she continued to squeeze him, taking his measure with gentle, curious fingers. He turned into her drive and as soon as he put the car into park he reached for her and pulled her across the center console and into his lap. He cupped the back of her head and held her still as he ravished her mouth with his. She whimpered into his mouth, her hand still holding on to his shaft as though it were a life line. He kissed her like he was starving for the taste of her, as though he couldn’t get enough and it was only when they were both sweaty, red faced and desperate for oxygen that he eased away from her.







“Lucius?” There was pleading in her eyes and he groaned, shaking his head as he removed her hand from his groin.







“Don’t even ask it, Hermione. I am only a man; I can only take so much.” He said, setting her away from him and quickly exiting the car. He walked around and opened her door, taking her hand as he escorted her up the walk. “You…you are the most amazing woman.” He said quietly at the door.





“You don’t want to come in?” Her voice was hoarse with unresolved sexual tension.







“That wouldn’t be wise.” He cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. “I want you, never doubt that.” With another rough and all too brief kiss he was heading back to his car and pulling out of her drive.







As soon as he started the car Harry opened the door and pulled her inside, watching Lucius drive away until his tail lights disappeared.







“Damn, that car is awesome.” Harry muttered before he closed her door. He turned around to see Hermione grinning broadly and staring into space as she removed her coat and tossed it over the back of the sofa. “Did you have fun?”







“I had a wonderful time.” She said with a dreamy expression.







“I saw that. I was just waiting for you two to climb into the back seat and send that Rolls a rocking.” He smirked.







“You were watching!” She punched him in the shoulder, hard. “You pervert! You shouldn’t spy on people! Now I know where Elias gets it from!”







“Hey, I was just looking out for you! You went on a date with a deatheater!” He defended himself. Truthfully he was just curious to see how Lucius was with her. He hadn’t really expected to see them making out in the front seat of the car.





“You need to trust me; Lucius is harmless…to me at least.” She said as she kicked off her shoes.







“So it seems.” Harry said. He could see that Lucius cared, could see that he appeared to have changed. It didn’t mean that he wouldn’t continue to watch the older wizard closely. He couldn’t help it, the past was there and he could quite let it go. “Well…Elias is sleeping soundly, has been since you left. You should get some sleep.”





“Give Ginny a kiss for me.” Hermione said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for sitting with Elias.”







“Anytime, you know I love him. I should go, I’m on duty tomorrow.” He said, hugging her tightly. “I’ll talk to you soon. I love you.”





“I love you too.” She said, watching as he stepped into her hearth and disappeared. She couldn’t stop smiling as she readied herself for bed. It had been a truly magical evening and as she drifted off to sleep she whispered his name.













A/N: Don’t worry, I wont make you wait too too long for some real HG/LM action LOL. You guys are soooo close with Jessa, but not quite. =) So…Mione copped a feel, got her a hand full o’ Lucius….I admit to being extremely jealous. ****Sigh*** I tried to put this up this morning but AFF was being uncooperative. =( but here ya go!





Anon - sorry you don’t like Jessa, but shes anything but a bitch. She comes to play later in the story and you’ll understand her more.





Terpsichore- her next experience will most certainly be a wonderful one, that I promise you =)