Amorem Consentit

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Chapter 19 - The Healing Power of Love

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This chapter is dedicated to a very faithful and loyal reviewer who wishes the wabbie well...angeles! This is for you, Babe!

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Hermione sighed as she sat stroking Draco's hair. They had been married two weeks. Two weeks of delicious shagging and snogging. Two weeks of being at his side with almost no care. Two weeks of nightmares about Lucius.

“What are you thinking about, Love?” Draco asked as he played with her wild hair.

Hermione smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

"About how I am going to get big and round soon, I hope," she said, draping herself over his torso.

“I can't wait to see you heavy with my child. I will take care of you, so that you don't have any discomfort.”

There was a tapping at the window.

“I guess the Daily prophet delivery owl is annoyed at us for not picking up the paper every day,” Draco grinned and went to the window.

Hermione smiled and pulled Draco back into the bed.

"Let the owl be annoyed," she said, "Draco."

“But Sylvus is out doing groceries. So I have to get this one.” He ran to the window and took the paper.

Hermione pursed her lips as he came back to the bed with the rolled up paper.

Lord Malfoy on his Deathbed! the headline read in red letters.

Hermione screamed when she saw the headline and she began to cry loudly before she pushed Draco away and ran to her closet.

She grabbed a trunk and began to throw some dresses into it and grabbed the new bathing suit that Draco had bought for her a few days ago.

“Love, you don't need to pack, you still have clothes at the manor.”

Hermione was in tears as Draco took her into his arms.

"Your father is dying and he is all alone," she said, putting her cheek over his heart. "We left him when he was sick!"

“He wasn't sick the last time we saw,” Draco tried to reason with her. “Shall we apparate to the Manor now? The elves can move any items we need later.”

Hermione nodded as she grabbed the bracelet Lucius had made for her and put it on her wrist.

Draco held her tight and apparated them to the Manor's entry.

Hermione pushed him away as soon as she had her footing. She took off up the main staircase.

"MY LORD! MY LORD!" she called as she raced down the hallway. "We're here! We're here!"

She flung the door to his room open.

She cried out when she saw Lucius pale and frail lying in the lush bed.

She leapt onto the bed and crawled up to him.

"I'm here," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "I'm right here. You're not alone."

She stroked his hair back from the cold sweat soaking his face.

"No! No!" Lucius said, flopping like a fish on a dock. "Don't tease me. No."

“Lucius, sweetheart, I'm here. I love you, my Lord. You can't die,” she murmured and patted away the sweat with a warm cloth.

“How is he?” Draco asked, as he looked at the helpless form of his father.

"GO AWAY," Lucius said, continuing to flop on the bed. "Why?"

"He's delirious," Hermione said, pressing a kiss to Lucius' temple. "I'm right here, my Lord." She kissed his pale cheek gently.

“Has a Healer been summoned?” Draco asked the elf which stood at the foot of the bed.

"Healer has been and gone," Mori said, "Says he doesn't know why Master is so sick."

“Have you tried other Healers?”

"It's alright," Hermione whispered, putting her cheek over Lucius' heart.

"No Healer knows," Mori said, "But Mori knows. Master has mind sickness from awful spell. Mori told Healers. They tell Mori to shut up."

“Draco, we have to be here for Lucius. We can't let him die alone. He's family. We love him.”

"I wasn't even thinking of leaving," Draco said, taking his father's hand.

“It's going to be fine, my Lord,” Hermione murmured as she snuggled him.

"Tormenting PHANTASM!" Lucius screamed and he began to thrash.

“Can I get a calming draught for him?”

Mori handed the potion to her.

"Just poison me," Lucius murmured, "and leave."

Hermione fed the potion to a not protesting Lucius.

His body fell back slack on the pillows.

“Sleep now, Honey,” she said and stroked his sweat soaked hair. “No one is going to poison you.”

He moaned a little and turned his face toward her.

Hermione took his arms and draped them around her.

"I'm right here. Nothing will hurt you."

“Succubus,” Lucius murmured in his sleep.

"Please get me a basin of warm water," Hermione said, looking up at Draco. "He is so cold."

Draco hurried to the bathroom to fill her request. He didn't want his father to die.

Hermione ran a hand over Lucius' cheek and kissed his forehead some more.

"We won't leave you," she whispered, shifting him so he was laid more on the pillows and less on her.

"Don't leave," Lucius whimpered, grabbing for her. "Beguiling wench."

Draco scowled. He didn't like seeing his wife in bed with his father.

Hermione dipped the cloth in the basin of warm water and wrung out the excess before dabbing at Lucius' brow.

“We should've not left him here alone for so long,” Hermione cried.

"Hermione, can't you sit next to the bed and do that?" he asked.

"He needs to be held, Draco," she said, stroking Lucius' hair.

“But isn't holding his hand enough?”

Hermione slid back from Lucius to move to just be holding his hand.

"TORMENTOR! WICKED PHANTASM, BE GONE! OPPRESS ME NO MORE!" Lucius shouted as he flung his arms out. "LIAR!"

Lucius thrashed madly. 'Stop tormenting me!'

"Draco, he needs to be held so he will relax!" Hermione said, falling upon Lucius' chest and petting his hair again as she kissed his brow.

Draco scowled.

“I will call the Healer.”

Hermione had tears in her eyes as she laid on top of Lucius.

"There. There. No one is hurting you."

Draco went to the fireplace to summon the Healer. There was no point in making his wife stressed over Lucius' illness.

"Vile vixen," Lucius whispered.

"You're just fine," Hermione said, wiping her tears on his shirt.

"I want to die," he moaned softly.

“This is very interesting,” Harold said as he placed his Healer's bag on the floor.

"Will he be alright?" Hermione asked, continuing to make a fuss over Lucius.

“He seems to be much calmer now. This morning he was thrashing so badly that even magical restraints didn't hold him.”

"So he will get better?" Draco asked; that was excuse enough that Hermione didn't need to be in bed with his father.

“I do not know. All our specialists cannot determine what is wrong with him.”

"PHANTASMS BE GONE!" Lucius shouted as he began to thrash. Magic whipped around the room and forced Harold and Draco to their knees.

"Be calm," Hermione whispered, kissing his cheeks. "I'm right here. I'm not leaving you."

“I would suggest transporting him to the high security care unit. There his magic will be taken away so he cannot cause any damage,” Harold said as he got up from his kneeling position.

"No!" Hermione snapped, "He shall stay right here. You won't hurt him!"

"Hermione be reasonable," Draco said, rising to move toward her.

"He didn't hurt you. Nothing is broken! You will not take him away," she said, stroking Lucius' face sweetly before pressing her nose into his neck.

“Love, maybe this time he didn't hurt you. But what if next time something hurts you? I can't risk it, especially if you are already pregnant.”

"Test me to see if I am pregnant," Hermione said to Harold.

Harold took his wand, his hand shaking badly. He circled the wand over her belly in an oval pattern, till there was blue light.

"Mirage Wench," Lucius groaned.

Hermione pressed her lips to Lucius'.

“What's the result? Is she pregnant?” Draco asked the Healer.

"No," Harold answered. "It would glow pink for a pregnancy."

"Then I shall tend to Lucius. There is no need for him to be locked up like a criminal."

“Hermione, maybe the Healers in the ward will know how to treat him better,” Draco tried to reason.

"He needs me," Hermione said, putting her cheek over his heart. "He is better when I am here. The Healer said that he is calmer now."

“Yes, he is surprisingly calm. I guess she has a calming effect on him. Of course, there's still the possibility of transferring him to the high security ward. He would be sedated and cared for in a luxurious private suite. We treat or dying patients with dignity, Mrs. Malfoy.”

"He isn't dying," Hermione said, sniffling as she smoothed her hands over him. "He's going to get better."

“Ma'am, magical illnesses of unknown origin are almost always fatal.”

"He will get better!" Hermione snarled fiercely.

“Love, maybe we should agree to what the healer says. We want Father to have the best care.”

Hermione reached a hand for Draco as she kept petting his cheek. Draco lifted her gently from the bed so she wasn't in contact with his father.

"BACKSTABBING SLATTERN!" Lucius roared as he began to shake and glow.

“Hush, Sweetie,” Hermione purred as she caressed Lucius' cheek.

Lucius calmed and his hand began to seek for something.

"Draco, he needs me," Hermione said, wiggling out of Draco's hold and crawling close to her.

“But I am sure the Healers would do a better job!” Draco protested.

"Then why does he only still when I am comforting him?" Hermione asked, stroking the side of Lucius' neck.

“You gave him a calming draught!”

“He spat out any potions we tried to feed him,” Harold said, amazed at Hermione's achievement.

"See!" Hermione said, sitting on the bed and pressing herself to Lucius' chest.

"Venal Harlot," Lucius mumbled.

“I guess he can remain at home for now. I shall check on him tomorrow morning,” Harold said and quickly collected his bag and flooed away.

"You are going to get better, my Lord. No fear," she said, crawling over to be on the other side where there was more room.

“Come on, Draco. Cuddle with us. He needs a lot of love.”

"I'll hold his hand," Draco said, taking his father's hand after he drew a chair up next to the bed.

“If we both cuddle him he will feel better!” Hermione pouted. Why couldn't Draco snuggle his father?

"Hermione, that is just weird!" Draco said, shaking his head at her.

“Why weird? Just a group cuddle! So he feels all warm and cozy!”

"You don't group cuddle a man," Draco said.

"You both cuddled me when I needed you both," Hermione said, crinkling her nose at Draco.

“That was different.”

Hermione sighed. "Didn't he cradle you when you were sick?"

“What? Of course not! I had nanny elves to cast comfort spells!”

"He told me about how when you were little, and had pneumonia, and how the only thing that made you feel better was when he would carry you about the grounds with a warming spell around you."

"I was three!"

“It doesn't matter how old one is! Hugs and comfort are good at any age!”

Draco rolled his eyes and leaned over and hugged his father briefly.

“See, did that hurt?” Hermione asked and continued to kiss Lucius' neck.

Draco tilted her head back from his father's neck and kissed her lips.

“Mine,” he murmured.

“Yours,” Hermione agreed.

"DECEIT! DECEIT!" Lucius began to howl and kick. "Strumpet!"

Hermione pulled from Draco and began to lavish Lucius with attention.

"Master," a soft voice said, and Draco felt tugging on his trouser leg.

"You're okay, my Lord. I'm right here with you," Hermione whispered. "They aren't going to take you away."

Lucius calmed, and his arms snaked around her waist.

"Yes, you hold on to me," Hermione said, putting her cheek against his.

"I have to go to the office, Love," Draco said, glaring at the position that Hermione was in with his father.

“Alright, Draco my love, I'll take care of Lucius. I'll let you know if he gets worse.”

Draco reached over and hugged both of them.

"I love you, Hermione," Draco said, kissing her cheek. "I love you, Father."

“I love you, Draco. Hope everything's okay at work.”

“I'll be home as soon as I can.”

Lucius moaned and squeezed Hermione more tightly.

"No dissimulation," he mumbled. "Witch."

Hermione smiled. Was her Lucius returning to his old self?

Draco flooed away to work.

"Mori," Hermione called pleasantly.

"Yes, Mistress," the elf said.

"I would like two basins of water. One with soap. Both hot. I'm going to give my Lord a sponge bath."

“As mistress requests! Will deliver right away!”

Hermione smiled.

"You're going to smell nice. And I'm going to get you clean sheets," Hermione said, pulling Lucius close to her breasts.

He mumbled something incoherent. She slowly removed his silk pajamas.

"I shall brush your lovely hair," Hermione said, tossing the smelly sweat soaked pajama's onto the floor. "You'll be better in no time, my Lord."

Lucius sighed and put his hand on her arm.

She examined his body for any bruises or other damages. There was none apparent. However, his bit was standing up proudly.

"Are you happy that I am here?" Hermione asked, and she ghosted her hand over him.

"No leaving," Lucius growled as his hips bucked.

She grasped his bit tightly.

Lucius groaned as he lay limply on the bed enjoying it as she began fisting him.

Hermione loved pleasuring him. He was such a gorgeous man. And it was not good for him to have a painful erection for long.

His eyes snapped open as he came.

"No! Stop torturing me! Why do you do this to me?" Lucius shouted staring blankly at the wall as he rigidly sat in the bed.

“Everything is fine,” she purred, gently cleaning him.

"Phantasm! Be gone!" Lucius said, and he shook his finger in her face.

“Shh, all is fine, my Lord.”

She continued the sponge bath, making sure that every inch of his skin was cleaned.

"Why must you afflict me with such pleasure?" Lucius asked, "You are a figment of my imagination. You do not love me! You should stop."

He hurled the basin she was using on the floor. The side of it cracked as it landed upside down. The carpet was soaked.

“Mori! Can you clean up this mess? And change the Master's bedding?” Hermione ordered as she helped Lucius to get up.

"Go away!" Lucius said, and he started to smack his head. "Make her gone!"

“Lucius!” she said and pulled him close.

"Don't hurt me," Lucius said, "You want to cause me pain. You left me. You married Draco, and now you hate me!"

“I love you. I want to marry you!”

Lucius went limp in her arms.

The elf had already cleaned the mess and changed the sheets.

“Mori, can you lay out a clean pajama for Master?'

Mori snapped her fingers and a soft green and silver monogrammed pair of pajamas hovered over to rest neatly on the bed.

"Oh and Mori, please get my Lord some nice broth and a slice of bread to eat," Hermione added as she gently lifted Lucius up onto the bed. She slowly began to work the pajama bottoms up over Lucius, not bothering with any boxers.

“Yes, Mistress. Anything else?”

"Thank you, but I think that will do us. Maybe a ham and cheese sandwich for me."

“That would be all,” Hermione said as she smoothed the bottoms over Lucius' hips.

Lucius frowned.

"Oppressor," he mumbled, trying to turn from her.

She planted a kiss on his chest.

"Phantasm."

She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose.

She made him sit up so she could put on his pajama top.

Lucius ripped the shirt from her.

"I told you to be gone!"

"You may be without a shirt. But you must wear the bottoms."

Lucius pouted. “Oppressor!”

"I told you to be gone, Phantasm."

"I'm just as real as you are, my Lord," Hermione said. "Surely a 'phantasm' couldn't give you an orgasm. Surely it couldn't give you a bath, a change of cloths, or feed you potion and food."

"I'm not hungry for your pseudo-meal!"

“Lucius! Be good. Get under the covers. Sit up. You will eat now!” Hermione ordered sternly.

Lucius whimpered.

Lucius reached for her as a tray appeared with her requested meal.

Hermione took his hand.

“Ghost image! Why are you trying to steal my sanity?”

"My Lord, if I don't feel like a ghost or look like a ghost, why is it that a ghost is what I am accused of being? I am going to stay with you till I am certain that you are well," Hermione said, dipping a piece of French bread in the bowl of soup and lifting it to Lucius' lips.

He took the offered food, still looking at her suspiciously.

Lucius tugged her so she was snuggled against his side. He dropped the plain bread when he saw Hermione eating the ham and cheese sandwich. He grabbed what she was eating and tried to take it from her.

"My hallucination! I get to eat what I want!"

“Lucius! You need light food!” Hermione said, trying to get her sandwich back.

Lucius managed to get two bites before Hermione had the sandwich reclaimed.

"Would it taste better," Hermione asked, "if I fed it to you? Bite by bite?"

“Ghost! You can't make me believe it is real food!”

"You will do as I say, my Lord. Also I will be brushing your hair tonight."

"I'm not a little girl! You will do no such thing," Lucius said poking the end of the bread into his mouth. "Phantasms. Nasty little wenches. Not letting me eat what I want. Not letting me dress how I want. That isn't a phantasm. It's just a controlling wench."

Hermione smiled.

“How are you feeling, Lucius?”

"I'm tired," Lucius said, slipping down under the covers, "of listening to you! Be gone Phantasm!"

Hermione put the food aside and sat next to Lucius. “I am real. I'm here to take care of you.”

"Prevaricator," Lucius said, "You would cuddle me if you were real."

Hermione reached out and pulled him into a hug.

Lucius slid down till his head rested on her stomach.

“Does this feel real?”

Lucius had already drifted to sleep against her.

The room turned green for a moment and Draco stepped out of the fireplace.

"Potter would lose his head if it weren't attached," Draco griped as he walked toward the foot of the bed.

Lucius jerked awake at Draco's voice.

'Thief!' he cried out.

Draco jerked back.

"Deranged Kleptomaniac! Larcenist! Witch Snatcher!"

Hermione wrapped her arms around Lucius.

"That is VERY rude," she said, stroking his hair.

“Took my woman!” Lucius frowned, and he hugged her putting his head on her bosoms.

"I'm right here," Hermione cooed before she kissed his cheek.

"He's mentally unstable!" Draco yelped. "I'm calling the Healer."

“Don't call the Healer, Love. Lucius was very fine before you came back.”

“My wench!” Lucius exclaimed and dragged her to the middle of the bed.

Draco stuck his head into the flames, and moments later, Harold appeared.

“I think it would be wisest to take Father to the special facility,” Draco told the Healer.

The air crackled around Lucius and Hermione. Smaller things in the room began to levitate and crash into each other. It was like standing in the epicenter of an earthquake for Draco and Harold.

“My wench!” Lucius cried and held Hermione in a tight grip. “I keep my ghost wench.”

"There, there," Hermione whispered into his hair. "I'm not a ghost, and I'm not leaving you."

Lucius sobbed, tears running down his cheeks.

Hermione held him and continued to whisper.

"May I check him over, my Lady?" Harold asked, bowing his head to Hermione.

“Of course, just don't upset him.”

Harold approached cautiously.

"No! No!" Lucius held his hand out to block Harold. "He will take you. I'm keeping you."

“I will stay. He will just check if you are fine.”

Lucius clung to her and glared at the Healer.

The Healer waved his wand over the man as fast as possible.

“His vitals seem normal now, however, there's a lot of disruption in his magical field, which is the cause for his anxiety.”

"Anxiety?! He is paranoid!"

“Mine!” Lucius mumbled as he crawled under the covers, holding Hermione tight.

"Have you been near him at all since the wedding? Spoken to him at all?" Harold said, leaning down to peer into Lucius' eyes that watched him suspiciously.

“No, we went for our honeymoon to our new home,” Draco said, scowling at the way his father held the witch.

"Well, it may be that the new Lady Malfoy's condition was transferred in part to you and your father. This is not too unusual. The trouble is that there is no way to verify it. You aren't suffering as you have her near you. You are bound to her. I assume that more occurs often. You are newlyweds."

“What are you implying?” Draco asked sternly.

"That you and your wife are having sex. That you and your wife are keeping close to each other. And that the magic that is residual in your father is causing his illness."

"Go away, Thief!" Lucius said, glaring at him. "I will cut you to ribbons!" Lucius brandished a soup spoon at the other two men.

“But what does me having sex with my wife do to him?” Draco said and he blushed beet red.

"He is not," Harold said. "He has had no contact with her. You are quite intimate with her is the point. He now believes that everyone and everything is threatening to him being close to her. He needs to have her close as you do to be well. You are not sick."

“How close?”

"My poor Lord," Hermione cooed allowing Lucius to pen her in the bed.

"He shouldn't need to be much closer than he is right now. He needs her to hold him and talk to him. And they should not be separated until he stops calling her a 'ghost' or you a 'thief.’ But ideally, he might need intercourse,” Harold whispered.

"Out of the question!" Draco roared. "She will not be with my father!"

“But it would restore him to his previous self!”

"Will he be restored any other way?" Hermione asked, as Lucius glared at the other men.

"They want to take you!" he said.

“I fear not,” Harold said.

"Then lock him up!" Draco said, moving to take Hermione to safety.

"BANDIT! PREDATOR! MONSTER!" Lucius shouted, and he lunged at Draco.

“No, you can't do that to him! Lucius is a human being, not an animal! It's the Ministry's fault!” she cried.

"Oh! Yes! We can!" Draco said. "He's not any better than an animal now!"

“My woman,” Lucius said and kissed her neck till a love bite was formed.

“He's molesting her!” Draco cried as he watched Lucius hold her possessively.

"You poor thing," Hermione said, "If you want him to have any chance at being better, Draco, you won't try to take me from him."

"He doesn't know what he is doing, Draco,” Harold said.

'He looks rather content! The lecher is feeling up my wife!'

"Why do they want to take you from me?" Lucius cried, moving so that Hermione could only see him. "I need you."

“Shh, Lucius, everything is going to be fine,” she said and caressed his hair.

He sighed and settled on top of her, but he didn't close his eyes. His muscles remained tense even as Hermione rubbed his back to try to relax his body.

“I forbid this!” Draco cried. He wouldn't let his wife be taken away.

Lucius let out a strangled noise and threw the spoon at Draco.

"I gave you everything!" he yelled, "and you won't even share!"

“My wife is something I don't share!” Draco yelled and the room began to crackle from his magic.

"Draco, Don't hurt him!" Hermione cried out, and she wrapped her arms around Lucius' head to protect him.

Harold backed away, grabbing his bag. He wasn't paid to take care of family squabbles.

Objects began to fly through the room again.

"Draco! Stop it! Stop it NOW!" Hermione cried.

“He wants to steal you!”

"No one is stealing anything!" Hermione said, flipping Lucius over so she was between the flying objects and Lucius.

Draco collapsed on the floor in tears.

Hermione gently kissed Lucius forehead. "I need to see that Draco is alright."

Lucius nodded like a small child and allowed her to leave his arms.

“Draco, my Love,” she said and hugged him.

Draco wrapped his arms around her.

“I love you, Sweetheart. I don't want this to ruin our marriage.”

"Draco, Draco," Hermione whispered. "I'm your wife. And your father is my family. I will not have sex with him to speed his recovery. I know the pain it would cause you. I think he will get better just having me near to him. Yes, I will be hugging him, cuddling him. But I will not have sex with him. You are the only Malfoy with whom I wish to have sex."

“Liar!” Lucius roared and sprung up from the bed to drag her away from Draco.

"Release me!" Hermione squealed as Lucius grabbed her hair.

He let go instantly.

“I need her to please me!” Lucius yelled.

Draco smirked at his sire.

"Lucius, remember you said that we would do nothing to purposely hurt Draco," Hermione said, shifting so she could hug his leg. "And we won't, will we?"

“No, but I want to make love to you!”

"That would hurt me," Draco piped up, before he kissed Hermione's chin.

“But I need her! Merlin said we share!”

"Merlin is a dead painting. He knows nothing."

“Why didn't you marry them both?” Merlin's sweet voice asked her.

"My Lord wanted to wait for the old rites to be performed," Hermione said.

“So you still want to marry him?” Draco asked teary eyed.

"I want both men in my family to be happy," Hermione said, "I don't want your father locked up and treated poorly for what has happened. And I don't want to hurt you."

Draco looked heartbroken.

"And when your father is well, he will not do anything to hurt you. This is just one of our trials, Draco. Alright? We will get through this. I promise."

“Why is life so cruel?” Draco said and stood up, turning to exit the room.

"Draco," Hermione said, and she raced to him. She grasped the back of his robes.

“I need time to think, Love. I failed you. I didn't give you the baby you wanted.”

"Don't leave, Draco. You haven't failed."

“I have. Just give me a moment to breathe.”

"Draco," Hermione said, releasing his robes. "I want your baby."

“I didn't make you one.”

"It takes time, Draco," she whispered. "It takes time. My mother tried for four months. It's my fault that we aren't pregnant. Not yours."

“Maybe father would get you all sprogged up right away. He seems eager enough.” Draco huffed and apparated away.

Lucius padded over to Hermione looking like a lost puppy.

"Why'd the thief leave?"

“He is angry at me,” Hermione cried.

Lucius took her in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered. "I need you."

"Lucius, I'm not going to have sex with you. I won't hurt Draco."

“Not sex. Give me cuddles. We will have sex when I am bound to you.”

"I'm going to go look for Draco," Hermione said, "I want you to get dressed and come with me."

“Love, he may be anywhere. Come to bed. Let's sleep.”

"I have to look for him just in a few places," Hermione said, grabbing Lucius' bedrobe. "He is really upset. And it is all my fault."

“You don't know where he is! Stay with me!”

"You're coming with me. I have to at least try," Hermione said, and she took his hand. "We need to put on your shirt so you don't catch cold."

Lucius pouted and took the pajama top.

"Please, don't be angry with me too, my Lord," Hermione said.

“I just feel very weak, Sweetest,” Lucius said.

"You will hold me. We won't be long. I just want to look in a couple of places."

Lucius pouted again. The boy wasn’t worth her attention.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Lucius after he was fully dressed in pajamas. The disappeared with a pop and reappeared.

"Where are we?" Lucius asked staring at the strange shiny black screen.

"It's not important," Hermione said, "Wait in here."

She left Lucius and walked up the stairs. "Draco."

She heard nothing for a moment, but then decided to look into the room allocated as the nursery.

She peered in the room and saw only Sylvus tidying a bit.

"Sylvus, is Draco here?" she asked.

"No, Mistress. Master Draco is not here."

Hermione was in despair. Where could Draco be?

"Master Draco usually goes to a pub when he is upset by Mistress. He loved you a long time. Would come home stinking of alcohol," Sylvus said, continuing to straighten the baby room.

“Which pub?” Hermione asked, nervously.

"I don't know," Sylvus said, as he placed a stuffed lion on a shelf.

“Can you make sure Master Lucius is fine here whilst I go and have a look around nearby pubs?”

"Sylvus would caution Mistress against leaving Master Lucius," Sylvus said. "Things too wrong already."

“What do I do, Sylvus?” Hermione asked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Mistress should wait for Master Draco to come home. He always comes here when he is drunk.”

"Okay, I'm going to put Lucius in the ivory room to sleep," Hermione said as she quietly left the baby room.

She found Lucius kneeling at the TV, the TV on and an episode of the chipmunks running on full volume.

"Hermione!" Lucius cried. "Magic box! You shouldn't have such powerful magic in a Muggle home!"

“It's just a TV. Where did you put the remote?”

“These creatures are unusual! I've never seen them before!” Lucius said, his eyes wide as he pointed at one chipmunk.

"They are called chipmunks," Hermione said. "They are like squirrels."

“But squirrels don't talk and don't sing!”

"It is just a show for children," Hermione said. She pointed the remote at the TV and turned it off.

"HEY!"

“I think you need to go and get some sleep now, Lucius.” Hermione took his hand to lead him to the room where he would sleep.

“Where are we? What is this place?”

"We are in the home where Draco and I were living till we read about your illness," Hermione said, leading him up the stairs.

“But where are we? Wiltshire?”

"We're in Kensington," Hermione answered as she pushed the door of the ivory room open.

"Oh. You will stay with me?" Lucius asked as he bounced nervously on the bed.

“Sleep with me? I need you close, or I will go mad again.”

"I'll sit next to you. I'm waiting up for Draco, Sugar."

“No, no sitting! Cuddle me! Please?” Lucius looked at her with big eyes.

Hermione slid onto the bed, and allowed Lucius to rest his head in her lap.

“I love you, Witch,” he murmured.

"I love you, too," Hermione said, petting his hair.

“I will marry you.” He looked up and gazed into her eyes.

Hermione didn't answer as she petted his hair.

Silent tears slid down her cheeks.

Lucius was sick with a mind disease that was almost entirely her fault. Draco was furious with her and wanted her to be with his father.

Why was her life so complicated?

She maneuvered Lucius under the bedcovers and cuddled him.

"DAMN TABLE!" she heard a curse downstairs followed by the crashing of a lamp.

Lucius was fast asleep, so she put a pillow in his hands to cuddle and run downstairs.

Draco was sitting in the middle of the entrance hall with his legs spread out.

Another crash followed.

Draco picked up the lamp and began to bang it on the floor.

“Draco, what are you doing?”

Draco looked up at her.

“My lamp. I can bang it as I want!”

Hermione came quickly down the stairs.

"Give me the lamp, Draco."

“Do I have to share the lamp with Father, too?” he slurred.

"No," Hermione said, kneeling down next to him and taking the broken lamp. She set it back on the table. She gently put her hands on his shoulder.

He burped loudly.

Hermione fought the urge to cover her nose. He smelled of cheap tequila. It seemed that Draco didn't mind that, or the fact that his shirt had grease and ketchup stains on it.

"Draco, where have you been? I've been sitting up waiting for you," she said, petting his hair gently.

“Jus' at the local,” he said.

"Please don't do that again. I was so scared," she said, and she kissed his cheek.

She could smell a hint of smoke in his breath, too.

“I don't share my wife. You fuck my father?" he asked, picking up a piece of the glass from the broken lamp-cover.

"Draco, I've not had sex with your father ever. You are my husband," Hermione said, trying to haul Draco to his feet.

“But you'd like to, hmm?”

"Draco, you are the only Malfoy with whom I would like to share a marriage bed. Right now, your father needs me to care for him. That doesn't mean that I will do as the Healer so callously suggested," Hermione said, kissing Draco's neck gently as she spoke.

“You want to fuck him.”

"I want you, Draco Malfoy," Hermione whispered. "Can we make a deal?"

“What's the deal? Do I get peanuts with that?”

"I'm sure that peanuts can be arranged," Hermione said, gently as she draped his arm over her shoulder to help him up the stairs. "I will take care of your father for one month, and if he has not made any improvement by the end of that time, then we will have to have him hospitalized. I will not have sex with him. But I will be with him for much of the day."

“I don't like him being near you!”

"Draco, if you can't share my time with your father now, how do you think that you will share me with our baby? I'm not going to have a nanny or a house-elf be the primary caretaker for my child. It's going to be you and me."

“I don't want him to persuade you to have sex with him!”

"He won't," Hermione said. "I'm not going to knowingly do something that will hurt you. You believe that, don't you?

“He is sneaky,” Draco said as he slumped against her.

"He is sick right now. He has real paranoia. He needs to be shown that we are his family, that we love him, and that we want him in our lives. But that there are boundaries, and that if they are crossed, there will be consequences that are negative for him."

“It's all jus' about the sex.”

"If he tries to have sex with me, and I mean more than begging with me and pleading for it," Hermione said, "then he goes straight to St. Mungo's. And I give you my word that I won't visit him without you there with me."

Draco pouted and then burped

"He is our family though," Hermione said, helping Draco take his clothes off and lie down on the bed. "We owe it to him to do what we can to try to help him."

Draco was already snoring loudly.

Hermione kissed his forehead and pulled the covers up over him.

What was she going to do?

It was up to her to keep her family together.

She changed into her pajamas and crawled into the bed next to Draco.

Draco sighed and wrapped his arms around Hermione.

"My wife."

"My wizard," Hermione said, and she held Draco close.

Lucius was mostly mad already. It wouldn't do her any good to have another man who was paranoid.

Later that night, she felt the bed dip and set of arms embrace her.

“I couldn't rest, Sweet,” Lucius purred.

"You're alright," Hermione whispered to him.

“I go mad without you.”

"Sleep now," Hermione said.

She sat awake between her men that night.

It would be horrendous to admit that she liked to be Hermione-sandwich.

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Well, there it is. Please leave a review for the wabbie! He is a sensitive fellow...and is giving all big sad eyes. He sends love and hugs and kisses and cookies to his reviewers. And a very bug snuggle to angeles.

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