A Muddy Secret

Hello all...still not managed to get italics working, I'm afraid. Also I like Roman Numerals!

I have a confession to make to all you lovely readers and the more kind reviewers. Well two confessions. One is nice and the other maybe not...

First is that I love you. You make me feel warm and fuzzy feelings.

Second, however, might not be so happy. While I will try to update often, I can make no guarentee. I wrote this on a whim. It has a softer kind of direction. I have no plan. That doesn't mean that I don't love it and won't do my best with it and my best to keep it going.

I have a general list of what I want Lucius and Hermione to do, but it seems to me to be far from complete...if you have suggestions, I am open to them. That does not mean I will use them. I will acknowledge you if I do though and hadn't already thought of it. Again...Sorry. I will be honest about it.

To address reviewers...

Lyssander - I am glad. Hope you continue to enjoy.

Citten - I am rather fond of Lucius here as well. I will do my best to post regularly...but with classes, nothing is ever certain. It annoys me greatly when I am left hanging. That does not mean that I do not do cliffies though. *wink*

LadyVoldemort87 - I had never read another HG/LM time-turner fic. I shall have to check yours out! Having never read one, I thought, why the hell isn't there a time-turner story with Lucius? While not overly common, I find SS/HG and RL/HG time-turners.

Clare1984 - Well, I shall not keep you in suspense as long as I might have otherwise.

meankitty69 - It is rather fast paced. It started originally a bit slower. But it was too slow. I felt better with it sped up a bit.

Mia - It is a bit murky, but some of the murkiness is necessary, and I hope to have it resolved by talk in later chapters. Ms-Figg is a delight, is she not? Don't know how I would fully and completely get my SS/HG fix every week without her.

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Hermione sat in the Headmaster’s office staring at him after explaining everything that happened without using any names.

“Well, Miss Granger, this is certainly a most unusual circumstance. I can’t say that I have heard of it happening before,” he said, looking at her. His eyes held none of their usual twinkle as they observed her.

“But you'll be able to send me back,” Hermione asked, shifting in her chair and examining the many magical instruments on the tables and the books on the wall. Her voice rose a few notes as she said “send me back.”

“Oh, I am sure we will. It may take some time to discover how to accomplish it though,” Dumbledore said peering over the tops of his half-moon spectacles at her. “I’ve never heard of any person going forward in time.”

“What do we do for now?” Hermione asked, fidgeting the edge of her robe.

“You said that you did not attend your seventh year, correct?” Dumbledore asked lacing his fingers together as his blue eyes twinkled.

“That is correct, sir,” Hermione responded slowly as her eyes narrowed.

“Then you shall attend it now while I ponder a solution,” he responded. “You said that young Mr. Malfoy brought you here?”

“Yes,” Hermione answered shifting around in her seat and glancing toward the door.

“Mr. Malfoy is an exemplary Slytherin. Top grades for his year, and not a blemish on his record. I think it would do well to put you in Slytherin. Keep you with someone you know.”

“But Sir,” Hermione protested. “I am a Gryffindor and a “Mudblood.” Slytherins have always been good enough to remind me of that! And I do not want to be near any Malfoy. He is—”

“I don’t need to hear of the future. It would be wrong for me to know any occurrence in it,” Dumbledore said with a sharp edge in his voice. “Sometimes it is good for us, as witches and wizards and perhaps even just as people, to see things from the other side. Have you mentioned to Mr. Malfoy that you are a Muggle-born? Has he tried to hurt you in this time?”

“No and No.”

“As long as he does not ask you, omitting that truth does not hurt him,” Dumbledore said as he tapped his wand to his temple. “You told him your name was Miss Beaumont, did you not? I shall inform the teacher’s of our new Beauxbaton’s transfer student.”

“Sir,” Hermione said as her head moved forward and her jaw dropped.

“My word stands. I believe that all can benefit from this. Mr. Malfoy is waiting to take you to the great hall. Have a nice day, Miss Beaumont. A Slytherin uniform and course books will be in your room in Slytherin House. And I will be searching for a way to send you back.”

Hermione stood stiffly and walked to the door. She shut it silently behind her and rode the revolving staircase down. She raised her hands and shook them in the air.

DUMBLEDORE! This would only end in tears. How could he not see it? Hermione raged in her mind.

“How’d it go Hermione?” Lucius asked as she stepped into view as she finally lowered her hands.

Hermione glanced at him out the corner of her eye. She did not want to talk to him. She did not want to have all of her classes with him. She did not want to even be in the same building with him. He was why she was here in 1972 in the first place! He spent more than twenty five years devising a way to send her back. To what point and purpose?

“What house are you in?” he prompted, pinching his lips as she stared at the ground as they walked.

He felt himself quiver in indignation.

WHY wouldn't she look at him? He was attractive with his shoulder length blonde hair, steely grey eyes with long lashes, silky pale skin, smooth rich voice, charmingly disarming smile. He was tall. He was intelligent. He had authority only surpassed by the teachers and headmaster. He was rich. He was a Pureblood without a Squib or Muggle since before the time of Merlin! What was wrong with this witch? Every witch, even some Gryffindors, from first year to seventh stared at him with lust in their eyes. Every witch in the school was dying to share his bed. And this one would not give him a sniff.

“I was placed in Slytherin,” Hermione said softly enough that he had to lean down to hear.

She bit her tongue to not let loose with the vindictive stream of curses about what she thought of the method of her placement there.

She did not want to know the man who would grow to be the right hand of the most evil wizard of the day.

But he saved your life. You do owe him for that. Wizard’s debt. Her brain chanted at her.

“Perfect! We’ll have classes together!” Lucius said, smiling at her. “I have ancient runes, transfiguration, charms, potions, arithmancy, care of magical creatures, and defense against the dark arts. You’re going to love it!”

Hermione fell into step at his side and looked at the ground as he rambled to her about exactly what to expect from certain teachers. The only gratitude she felt was when she heard several familiar names spoken, Professor Slughorn, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick. It was comforting to know that so far in the past that there were those she knew.

“Do you want to go and change? You look like you came from a battlefield,” he said, giving her a gentle smile.

“I guess that would be a good idea. I want to make a good impression on my new housemates,” she said not adding the ending that she felt the sentence warranted, the slimy, racist, soon to be death eater gits. Her appearance alone wouldn’t be enough to save me if they knew she was born to Muggles.

They descended slowly into the dungeons and walked down a corridor till they came to a blank wall.

“Serpensortia,” Lucius said firmly and loudly so she would hear.

The wall rose up and he held out a hand to indicate that she should enter before him.

She frowned. She didn’t like being treated nicely by a Malfoy. Granted this one has never called her a Mudblood and had saved her life before. It still didn’t feel right. It made her feel like tiny blast-ended skrewts were shooting around in her stomach. If he only knew, he would...she didn’t let herself finish the thought.

“Girls dorms are this way,” Lucius said, walking down the hallway on the right of the common room.

“You can go down the girl’s hallway?” Hermione questioned, looking at him. “Is it because you are headboy?”

“Of course not,” Lucius said with a laugh. “All boys can go into the girls’ hallway the same as girls can go into the boys’ hallway, but not into the rooms without personal invite.”

“I was told by my mum that boys couldn’t enter girls’ dorm rooms in Gryffindor tower,” Hermione said, clenching her teeth as the lies continued not knowing why she was talking to him.

Lucius laughed and laughed at that as he rubbed his hands together gleefully.

“I always knew it was best to be Slytherin. Why aren’t they allowed in the girls’ dorm hallway?” Lucius asked still laughing every couple of words.

Hermione barely paid any attention to Lucius. She was reading the names that decorated the doors.

“They are not considered trustworthy,” Hermione answered as she came across the name Narcissa Black. “Does everyone have their own room in Slytherin?”

“Yeah,” Lucius said, and his eyes were sparkling with humor at the thoughts. “Salazar Slytherin felt it was best that no student be able to enter the room of another without the other’s presence or express permission. It left too much room for nasty pranks to be played. It would not have supported intrahouse harmony in here if we never knew who was messing with our things. Better to know to your face who despises you than have to be suspicious of all. The doors are keyed to the magical signature of an individual.”

“So is this my room?” Hermione asked as she stopped where a sign read Hermione Beaumont.

“I reckon it is,” he said. “As a seventh year, you have your own personal bathroom as well.”

Hermione pushed open the door and walked into the room.

“I’ll wait in the common room for you,” Lucius said as he turned and walked down the hallway.

Hermione watched him walk down the hallway with an almost entirely smooth walk. His fluidity had not fully developed yet, she thought and shook her head.

He turned and looked back at her.

“Can’t keep your eyes off me? Eh Hermione?” he asked with a wink.

Hermione slammed the door behind her in response.

“Why was I just staring at Malfoy?” she whispered to herself. “I must have gone loony as Luna looking for her nargles.”

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I hope you enjoyed Chapter II. I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are nice if you please.