In Love and War

Disclaimer: I own nothing and make not profit.

AN: I wanted to say thank you for the reviews. It made me so happy to see a review from a couple of the authors whose stories I adore! Thank you so much and please please please update. I won't share Lucius with you, but I will give you Draco. :)


Chapter 2

She woke up to the quiet house and tried to remember the past twenty four hours. She remembered that she had separated from Harry and Ron after the successful break in at Gringotts.

They had made a miraculous escaped by releasing the dragon that stood guard outside of the Lestrange vault. They had flown out of the blasted ceiling of the famed wizarding bank and had landed a short time later.

Harry had decided that their next move would be to search for the last horocrux, besides the snake, at Hogwarts. She knew that he had seen into Voldemort's mind and knew for certain that the treasure that held a fragment of his soul was stored there. She agreed with the idea and was sure that if the Dark Lord knew that they were hunting down his horocrux that he would start removing them to more secure locations.

They had split up so that Hermione could inform select members of the order of their intentions. It was when she got to the safe house, that she was apprehended by Greyback and taken to the manor.

She remembered the torture from that crazed woman. It had been hours of pain inflicted on her body. She had suffered the cruciatus curse more times than she could count. After that she sank into the welcoming arms of darkness, content to have been released from torment.

She looked at her surroundings, not recognizing the room that she was being held in. At one point the room could have been called elegant, but it was apparent that the room hadn't been used in a very long time. There were large cobwebs in the dark corners and a thick layer of dust coating the various shelves and objects. On several of the pieces of furniture there were large white linens, obscuring the actual shape and fabric. The carpets and walls were dark, leaving her to assume that this was not a normal wizarding home. The room rank of dark magic and old family. It sent a disturbing shiver down her spine as it reminded her in a way of Grimmauld Place.

Before she could even get up to search for an escape route the door opened and a man walked in.

She felt her body tense as she recognized him. There was no disguising those sharp cheekbones and alabastor skin. His towering height, broad shoulders and dominating presence had given him away before she had seen his face. Fear overwhelmed her body as he made his way to a chair next to the sofa she was laying on. This man with his white blond hair and aristocratic features was going to kill her.

“Please,” her voice struggled. “Let me go.”

“My dear, I have no intention of hurting you.” Lucius Malfoy said in that drawling voice that she had come to know only too well due to years of dealing with his son. “Well, at least not yet.”

She hated and knew that a look of terror had shown in her eyes when he lifted the corners of his mouth into a sneer. She felt around her body for her wand. It had been taken from her before she had even been brought into the manor. She suddenly felt stupid for looking. Why would he of all people give her a weapon to defend herself with? To him she was not a witch. Hell, she probably wasn't even human to his eyes.

“You are looking for your wand, I presume? Well, you will have to forgive me for I will be keeping it. The Dark Lord has seen fit to relieve me of mine and I see that the situation is fitting so I will be doing the same in turn with yours.” He pulled the stick of wand out from under his robes and twirled it between his fingers.

She knew that she should try to take it back from him, but couldn't. Taking in his lofty height and obviously well defined form, she wagered that she didn't have a chance in hell of getting in back.

She felt his eyes roam over her body, probably trying to ascertain where to fire the first hex.

“Are you feeling any pain?”

Hermione was shocked to hear him ask. “No, although I'm sure I should. I remember that getting cursed does not usually feel pleasant, and seeing as how what was done to me was much worse, I should be writhing in agony.”

His full lips managed a slight smile. “Well, don't you have something you would like to say? Draco has been going on and on for years about how smart you are. Surely you have some basic manners, regardless of how you were raised?”

She searched her mind, unsure of what it was he wanted. She mentally examined her body for signs of damage and was surprised when it came up empty. Her body was intact with no bruises or lacerations. Her wrists were not bound and she wasn't under immediate threat of attack.

“Thank you Mr. Malfoy. I don't know why you have healed me, but I appreciate it none the less.” She had to grind her teeth to get the apology out. She never thought that she, Hermione Granger the mudblood, would be thanking Lucius Malfoy, right hand man to Lord Voldemort and the epitome of pure blood arrogance.

“You are quite welcome. It would have been a shame to see you disposed of before I could learn your true intentions.” His eyebrow lifted a fraction of an inch as if he was waiting for her to start talking.

Her blood began to boil again, not only in anger, but in terror as well. She felt a great sense of foreboding as he shot from the chair to stand mere inches in front of her.

“Are you going to tell me the information that you so bravely held from my dear deranged sister in law?” He asked politely, as if they were having a conversation over tea. His eyes bore into hers, like he could see her secrets in her cinnamon eyes.

“I will tell you nothing. I wouldn't tell her, so what makes you think that I will tell you?” She replied with a sneer that could rival his own.

“Yes, I thought that we might arrive at this impasse. However, I have an offer to make you.” He drawled, while he sank back into the chair he had vacated only moments ago.

“An offer? I'm sure it's along the lines of 'tell me what I want to know or I will kill you'”

“Such barbarism is beneath me. Let's call this an exchange of information if you please.” He looked at her thoughtfully as if trying to judge whether or not she would be inclined to believe him. “To put it plainly I will give you the means to save your friends if you tell me why you were separated from Potter and Weasel.”

“Oh no Mr. Malfoy. As wonderful as it seems you will have to forgive me if I don't trust you. If you want to know anything about me you will need to cough up information now.” She knew it was lunacy to provoke him in such a manner. The Malfoy patriarch was not only in possession of a wand, but was physically superior to her. He could just as easily kill her with his bare hands as he could with the powerful branch of wood.

He regarded her coldly for a moment before he spoke. “The Dark Lord has plans to attack Hogwarts. He has started calling his death eaters to him in preparation of storming the castle. You can save many lives by calling for reinforcements for the order.”

“Why are you telling me this?” She asked, unable to stop herself and mentally kicking herself for her inquiry.

“It is odd isn't it? Trust me, as much as I would like to see the eradication of your kind from our world, the battle that will ensue would cause just as much of a loss for all wizards. The Dark Lord will have complete dominion over our world. My position was much better under the previous ministry regime.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “As I am sure you know, my wand was taken from me and for a Malfoy that is the crudest form of insult. I can no longer sit back and watch the Malfoy name treated so rudely.”

“So that's it? You're willing to betray that snake because your embarrassed? I thought you held yourself in higher esteem. Surely you wouldn't let that madman's actions turn you away from your true objective?” She really was losing it. He had given her valuable intelligence and she was throwing it in his face.

“You silly child. My family has been at the front line of power for several generations. I am not about to lose that for some half blood, who no longer treats me with the respect I deserve.” His eyes narrowed at her and body tensed in obvious hatred for her who was less than a half blood. “Now, I believe that it is your turn to tell me what you know.”

She stood up and sank down to her knees in front of his seated legs. She reached her hand up to touch his face, not surprised when he flinched away from her touch. She didn't let that stop her. Her fingers traced his chiseled jaw line, his aristocratic high cheekbones, and the smooth skin of his face. She didn't miss the look of disgust that dominated his eyes as he looked at her.

“How do I know you are telling the truth? It seems to me that having the forces of the order in one place would make it only to easy for you to annihilate the opposition. I may not be as learned in the ways of treachery as you are, but some things are blatantly easy for me to see through, and this is one of them.” She said crooning to him as if he was a lover. “Why should I put other's lives in danger when I know that our destruction is what you wish for above all else. Look at you. You can barely manage to keep the bile from rising out of your stomach at my touch.”

Before she could react he caught her wrist in a cruel grip. His hands were like ice as his fingers wrapped around the delicate bones of her hand. Slowly she watched him raise his newly acquired wand in his other hand and brought it level with her temple. “Tell me what you know now or I will show you just exactly how much I abhor your touch.”

She looked in between her hand and the wand that she could see out of her peripheral vision. “I was going to raise the alarm with the order. I thought it prudent for them to be on standby in case something happened.”

“Ah, now that is what I am looking for.” He lowered the wand slowly and she watched it's progress with trepidation, her hand was still caught in his vice like grip. “Do continue my dear. Tell me what Potter has been up to. You can rest assured that I will not impart the information to the Dark Lord.”

“We have been hunting for horocruxes.” She said barely above a whisper. She couldn't believe that she was telling him willingly. In just minutes with him, she was betraying everyone she held dear.

“How interesting. The Dark Lord has sough to gain immortality by scattering his soul throughout the country. He said years ago that he had gone beyond the realms of magic to ensure his survival. That would account for his current appearance.” His voice trailed off, clearly deep in thought.

She started to struggle to free her wrist. It was starting to feel numb and she knew it was only a matter of minutes before it would start to bruise, leaving his fingers imprinted in her skin. Her pathetic attempt was enough to revive him from his reverie.

“So, tell me. Have you been successful in your endeavors? I heard that you broke into Gringotts. The Dark Lord was quite angry to hear that you were able to. He slaughtered several goblins because of your actions.”

She expected him to smile at the thought of causing others pain, but he didn't. It was plain for her to see that he somewhat respected the caretakers of the wizarding bank. His power had come from money and his money had come from power. He respected wealth, therefore he respected the creatures responsible for seeing to it's growth and security.

“The break in at Gringotts was necessary. Voldermort had given a horocrux to the Lestranges for safe keeping. Harry and Ron have the cup and will be destroying it soon.”

“Interesting.” Was all he offered for comment.

“Were do we go from here? Should I trust you or shall we attempt to kill each other?” She asked, ready to get down to the heart of the matter. It wasn't that she was eager for death or punishment, she just wanted to move past this. She wanted the war over and if his information was correct this battle could put a stop to the tyranny that blanketed the wizarding world. If it wasn't she wanted to assure herself that she had been brave and fought for the right side. They had destroyed enough of Voldemort's soul and was confident that Harry would have no problems destroying the man himself.

He lifted her to her feet and moved his grip from her wrist to her hand. “You will do a binding with me.”

“Absolutely not! I refuse.” She was astonished that he would make such a request of her.

“Please stop with your continuous refusals. You are at my mercy right now, need I remind you of that again? If you would keep your mouth shut for a moment you could hear what I am going to say. I do not take insolence and disrespect from anyone, least of all you.” His voice brokered no argument. “Now, hold out your left hand.”

She did as he said and watched as he raised his wand above her pale skin. He concentrated on the blue veins that lined her wrist. She was positive that he was thinking about her distasteful blood. He muttered under is breath as a small cut was made across her skin. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to pull forth blood. She watched with heavy eyes as he rolled back his sleeve and mimicked his moments of just moments ago.

He grabbed her hand before she could draw away and pressed her hand to his, mixing her blood with his own.

“I, Lucius Malfoy, bind myself to Hermione Granger. By combining my blood with yours I willingly tell you the truth in the Dark Lords plans. I make this oath to you on the pain of my death that I have given you no untruths and have no plans of harming you mentally or physically. My only request is that you tell no one what has taken place here outside of the intelligence that I have provided you.”

She watched in amazement as a small otter tattoo sealed itself over the small incision he had made on his own skin.

“Your turn my dear.”

She was leery of what she would say in response, but knew that if he was serious about binding himself to her that his intentions were honest. She cleared her throat and made a quick prayer to whoever would listen. “I, Hermione Granger, bind myself to Lucius Malfoy. I am taking his word with this vow and trust that the information he has given me is true. I will keep his identity confidential when asked where I acquired the information.”

She felt the magic course through her veins as her blood binded with his own. When she had completed the vow a tattoo sealed itself over her cut in the same fashion as his did. In place of an otter she watched in horror as a small snake slithered into existence on her once unblemished skin.

“Well spoken.” He whispered in a low, lazy voice. “Are you ready?”

“Excuse me? Ready for what?” She didn't think he could throw her any more unexpected turns. His rescue and subsequent bonding had her mind jumping around in confusion.

“To leave my dear muggle born. Please keep up, I do hate having to continually explain myself to you.” The cool mask that she associated with him was back in place.

She looked at the small tattoo on her wrist and held her hand out to him. She was assuming that they were going to apparate out. Seconds later she felt the tight squeeze that she had come to rely on.

When they landed, she was astonished to see that they were standing in front of the safe house that she attempted to gain access to the day or so before. It felt like she had been gone for days. He released her and she stumbled, not really ready to go in and bewildered that he was actually returning her in one piece and not several.

He caught her and held her up in his strong arms. She could have sworn she heard him sniff her hair. She closed her eyes for a moment and just allowed herself to hold onto the man. He drew back immediately.

“This is where we part company. The bond will allow you to find me should you need me. I don't recommend it given the company that we both keep.”

“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. I know it took a lot for you to save me, but I do appreciate what you have done for me. For what it's worth I don't think that you are the man you show yourself to be. You are not a good man, but I don't think you are as bad as I once believed. You may have done evil things, but I believe that you are capable of change.” She said and cursed herself mentally for adding the last bit.

“She was beginning to understand that evil is not absolute, and that good often an occasion more than a condition.” He recited.

She was shocked that he would quote a muggle author.

“May good fortunes find you on the battlefield.” With that he raised his hand and brushed his knuckles lightly across her cheekbone. “Goodnight.”

She felt his light caress leave her skin and then the encompassing felling of darkness as she fell into his arms courtesy of a softly whispered spell.