Hidden Meanings

Lisa: The wait is over. I wasn't going to keep you hanging on forever... so here you go... the chapter you've all been waiting for.



cateye: I kind of know where this story is heading now, so your heart doesn't need to bust! As for Harry yes, well, I think Harry's going to learn a few shocking things about his mother in the next book. I reckon he would grow up though.



sinister83: Nope, it isn't Lupin. You'll find out with this chapter. And yes I will keep writing, here's proof.



Dee Dee: Find out by reading this chapter.



pittwitch: LOL! I can imagine that's how most Gryffindor's propose. Anyhow, here's the next chapter.



angel: Fear not for the twins and Hermione.. you'll find out why.



Chavela: Glad you liked it. Draco is still slightly sore but hey... read on my friend and find out whats in store.



Mary: Has it got to be Draco? Hmm, okay if you say so...



Citten: I am so laughing at everyone thinking it is Draco... especially as I said a few chapters back that it isn't... oh well... anyway here it is... and I hope you all will forgive me.



The Slippery Friend



Hermione stirred and woke up. She blinked and turned over and flung an arm around her companion’s waist. She frowned, as it felt different to her normal companion. Her husband must have lost weight. She shrugged her shoulders too tired to care. She felt the companion stroke his hand up and down her side. She snuggled even further into his embrace and nestled into his chest. She slept peacefully in his arms.



He smirked. Finally, he had her. He had wanted her ever since he first laid eyes on her at the World Cup Quidditch Match. She was sitting between two moronic boys. One of them was first class idiot. He had murdered said idiot. He thought that with the murder the young woman would do something brash and Gryffindor. But she didn’t.



Back then he had caused a commotion only to get her on her own. But even that didn’t work as she stuck to the redheaded jerk.



He kissed the top of her head and smiled serenely. She had been sleeping in his arms for a week. She had stirred like this a couple of times but he had a plan of feeding her sleeping draughts before she woke to full consciousness. She was sweet in his arms. Even though she was pregnant she had not lost that beauty that she had when he first saw her. In fact, pregnancy made her prettier than ever.



He was slightly rattled that Lucius kept looking at her, and that she returned the look. He had sniffed some perfume she was wearing and wished that she’d swap places with Potter. He had another plan that year but he thought of having a bit of fun before he slunk out of view.



He did everything he could to praise her, and make her feel special. It was in character after all. He suggested she become an Auror. Only so that she could capture him. His dark fantasies extended to her dominating him and whipping him. So what, that she was only fifteen when he first met her... he knew that was when Lucius started his fascination of her.



Hermione moaned a little and wriggled in his arms. She was going to wake up again. He walked over to the drugs cabinet and he panicked. He had run out. He could not go down and make some more as it was too late. Why did he always let this happen? He was careful up to a point and then he got cocky.



He knew his downfall was over confidence. He knew that he became too comfortable with the situation. Oh well. Perhaps it was a good thing. He had wanted her to know that it was he that had been haunting her for the past three months. He wanted her to know that he was the one that desired her beyond dreams. He wanted her to know that she was absolutely his Mistress. She had potential to be a powerful Witch. That damn Order always held the good ones back.



Hermione stirred in the bed and flung her arm back on the empty space of the mattress. He watched with fascination as Hermione patted and stroked the recently vacated spot and woke up with a frown on her face.



“Lucius,” she moaned. “Come back to bed, darling.”



“Oh that I’ll do, but I am not Lucius!”



Hermione turned around and gaped her mouth open wide at the man that she thought was dead...



~*~*~



Harry and Ginny were a good team. Since their rather impromptu engagement Harry had treated Ginny with absolute respect. He let her in on all his plans and secrets. Lucius sighed. Even as a Death Eater there was nothing sweeter than to see a young couple in love. At least, Lucius thought, he’s marrying purity!



‘Hark at you, Malfoy. He who is pining after a muggleborn.’ Shut up. ‘Well, at least Potter is marrying purity Mr Practise What He Preaches!’ What about Narcissa? ‘Yeah, but you didn’t love her did you?’ Oh go boil your head!



Lucius had withdrawn into a shell. He was no longer the proud, arrogant, man that he once was. He had let himself go. His hair began to look tangled, and there were the beginnings of a beard adorning his face. Narcissa felt sorry for him but she also felt like slapping him in the face and telling him to snap out of it. Severus was the only one brave enough to talk to him.



“Come on, Lucius,” Severus said. “Why aren’t you going out pulling England apart to find her?”



“I think I know where she is,” Lucius mumbled. He turned to Ginny. “Did she give you any clues?”



Ginny paled. She had kept this a secret the past week or so, as she thought that he had suffered enough. The last thing he needed to hear was that Hermione had been having nightmares that she couldn’t talk to him about. Harry noticed Ginny’s eyes widened considerably. He hadn’t seen her like this since she was about to confess that she had been the one setting the beast of Slytherin about the school.



“Ginny?” Harry asked gently. He walked up to her and placed an arm around her shoulders. She sighed. She looked down and wringing her hands together in desperation she looked up at Lucius:



“She mentioned something about voices and she said one of them was the Dark Lord, but she didn’t know who the other one was. She thought she glimpsed at hair but couldn’t distinguish the colour. She said that the Dark Lord had called the other man ‘his slippery friend’, and that he would get what he wanted.”



Lucius, Severus, Narcissa and Draco all glanced at each other; their hearts racing in their chests at this piece of information. It couldn’t be, could it? Surely he was dead?



“Sev?” Lily asked. She looked at her lover with concern in her bright hazel eyes.



Severus gulped. “Impossible.”



“But didn’t you watch him die?” Lucius asked.



“I remember him coming round to talk to me,” Narcissa replied.



“Who?” Remus asked. He, too, began to look concerned. Whoever this person was it didn’t seem too good for Hermione’s health to be with him.



“I walked in on him in mid transformation once,” Draco confessed. “He made me promise not to tell anyone. He was doing it under the Dark Lord’s bidding.”



The various clues built themselves into Harry’s head. He was used to solving puzzles and mysteries. He had done it since entering the Wizarding World. Sherlock Holmes eat your heart out!



“Surely it’s not who I am thinking it is, is it?” Harry asked. His face drained of all colour. He looked more like Snape’s son rather than James son at the moment.



Snape turned to Potter and nodded his head. Lucius jumped out of his seat.



“WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL ME?” he roared. “WHY DIDN’T SHE TELL ME THAT SHE WAS SCARED?”



“She’s a Gryffindor,” Remus answered mildly. “We don’t like admitting our fears. We like to be perceived as brave.”



“STUPID MORE LIKE IT!” Lucius roared.



“I agree,” Remus said.



“Why was she so concerned with what I thought of her?” Lucius asked. “I told her time and time again that I loved her.”



Narcissa walked up to Lucius and tilted his chin up. She looked into his eyes. She sighed and kissed his lips. She knew what would calm him down. Lucius jumped back from Narcissa’s light touch.



“Don’t do that!” he hissed. “Why are we still hanging about? We should be planning an escape plan.”



Draco chewed the bottom of his lip. “Use me!”



“WHAT?” Narcissa yelled. “NO!”



“Mum, I am not a kid anymore,” he looked at Lucius, and he looked at Snape and Harry. “I am the only one with no one to live for in this room. Potter has Weaslette. Lucius has Hermione. Severus has Lily. You have Lupin. I have no one. I won’t be missed.”



Narcissa looked up at her tall son proudly. “Your real father would have been proud of you.”



Harry wondered if that’s what Sirius was thinking of at the time of his death?



“That’s not true, Mal – er, Black,” Harry said. He stepped up to Draco and extended his hand. “Didn’t you once extend your hand in friendship to me? Well, now I am doing the same.”



Draco sighed and shook his head. “No, Potter, you are not going to do a Dumbledore on me. I am partly responsible for the way the world has gone the past year or so, I am partially to blame for this. Let me, for once, do something noble with my life. You have someone to live for,” he said glancing at Ginny. Harry followed his gaze and sighed.



“Stubborn jackass!” Harry exclaimed.



Draco grinned. “Takes one to know one, Potter.”



Harry sighed. It seemed that a battle might be won with another life gone. He had thought about wanting Draco dead for a long time but now the time came for it to be an actuality, well, it didn’t seem like so much fun after all. He wondered if that is what his father felt about Snape, and what Snape felt about his father... he looked at the former Potions Master and finally understood him.



~*~*~



Hermione scrambled as far away from the man as she possibly could.



“You’re supposed to be dead!”



He chuckled. His dark eyes glittered mischievously. Hermione didn’t like the look in his eyes.



“Yes,” he said. “Oh, that Fudge was an easy one to fool. It was Dolohov disguised as a Dementor. He did a convincing soul sucking noise and I managed to fake my death. After I was buried I managed to dig myself back out of the grave and returned to my rightful position as Lord Voldemort’s left hand man.



Do you know, its bizarre Hermione, that the Latin word for left is SINISTER, a word that is used to describe evil. I am left-handed as well.”



“I did know that,” Hermione replied. “But...”



“People can escape death,” he said.



“What shall I call you?” she asked. She was thinking of distracting him.



“Oh you can call me Barty,” he said. “Dear, darling, sweetheart. But you, I will call my Mistress. For you are to me, I have long desired you.”



Hermione closed her eyes and counted to ten. HOW! She screamed. HOW?



“But why?” Hermione asked.



“I felt your power the day that I was sat near you at the World Cup Quidditch match.”



“STOP!” Hermione exclaimed; she covered her ears. Barty Crouch Jr began crawling on the bed. He kept eye contact with her as his lips sneered at her. He knelt on his knees and pulled her hands away from her ears and said:



“Oh, Hermione, are you going to deny a man that has wanted you for six years?”



“Some have wanted me longer!”



“Ah, yes. Good old Lucius. I watched your little staring contest with interest. You were one of the few that could stare him down.”



“So I’ve been told.”



Barty sighed and started stroking her belly. “I don’t mind raising these children up as my own. But I want one of my own. I am not prepared to let the Crouch name die. Neither is my Master.”



“You are aware of my bloodline aren’t you, sir?”



Barty sighed. He stroked one of her cheeks lovingly. He looked deeply into those honey eyes that had captivated him from the first.



“Yes,” he said. “But I think as my Master does that you have something more important than blood status.”



“What’s that?”



“Knowledge of Potter,” he said. “I want revenge on that brat! He was useless during that tournament. The way he cried like a baby over that Diggory’s death. The way he never got the clues I so carelessly dropped his way... and he’s supposed to destroy my clever Master!”



Hermione felt her mouth go dry. She was afraid. Barty Crouch Jr was part of the group that had tortured the Longbottoms to insanity along with the Lestranges. He was mad, and dangerous. Hermione touched her belly.



“Oh, don’t worry about these little ones,” Barty said. He began kissing her belly. “I can’t wait for their births. This is the man that is going to be your daddy speaking to you my little sweeties; now be nice to me and let me make love to your mummy. I know you can kick now.”



Hermione’s heart leapt into her throat. “Surely, you’re not thinking that I would let you inside my body?”



“I really don’t think that you have much of a choice!” Barty said. “You remember the Unforgivables don’t you?”



He had prowled so far up her body and now he had her pinned to the mattress. His hand scrambled under the pillows and found his wand. He twirled it lovingly in his hands as he stared at her. The last thing Hermione felt was a whispered voice in her ear muttering the word: IMPERIO!



~*~*~



Lucius was not keen on the idea of Draco being used as bait anymore than the rest of them. Molly was almost fussing over him as much as she would her own brood. Arthur looked at the young man and understood the reasons why he was doing this but that didn’t mean he had to like it any the less.



Draco was still Harry’s age, and as far as Molly Weasley was concerned he was going to die at the worst age for any one to die.



“But you’ll meet other people, Draco,” she said. She appealed to Narcissa. Narcissa smiled weakly. She appreciated the attempts Molly was making to talk her son out of it but she didn’t realise quite how stubborn Draco could be when he wanted to do something. “There could be a nice young Witch out there perfect for you and it would be such a shame if you die.”



“There was a nice young Witch perfect for me, Mrs Weasley, but she happened to prefer older men.”



Molly glared harshly at Lucius. Lucius and Molly still hadn’t sorted their skeletons yet. And Molly used him as a kind of scapegoat. She still hadn’t forgiven him for letting Hermione and Ginny out alone on a shopping trip. Lucius had told her that if he had known about the nightmares then he would not have been so liberal. Molly didn’t buy it. Since that argument there was a frosty cordiality between the two of them.



Ginny felt like slapping Draco in the face. She knew that Hermione would not wish death on anyone. Especially Draco! Ginny couldn’t help but gather that Hermione did kind of fancy Draco at one point. Hermione seemed to go for guys with blue eyes.



“Look, Draco,” Ginny said with a sigh. “If you die I will never forgive you.”



“Look, Weaslette,” Draco said with equal determination. “I said ‘use me.’ How come you’re all so damned sure I am going to die?”



“This is Lord Voldemort we’re talking about here, son,” Remus said. “Unless you’ve been given a fairytale he is not the sort to let you distract him without either hurting or killing you. He shows little to no mercy at all!”



~*~*~



Hermione was back sleeping with no idea of what had just happened to her. Barty got up and walked to the wardrobe. He picked out his outfit and went to the bathroom to clean himself up. He sighed as he looked in the Mirror.



“Well worth the wait,” he grinned manically. He brushed a hand through his long floppy brown hair and studied his face in the mirror. He was good looking he knew that. It was no thanks to his father for that one. “Although, next time she’ll just have to accept me. Imperiusing her was a kindness.”



“Did you know talking to yourself is a sign of madness?” a squeaky voice said from behind him. Barty jumped and he was looking into the face of Wormtail.



“Shut up, Ratty,” he snarled. “Were you watching?”



“Oh yes,” Wormtail smirked lasciviously. “I want to have a piece of her too you know!”



“If it wasn’t for the fact that you willingly gave some of yourself to bring our Master back I would have killed you for that one remark!”



“But you’re not?” Wormtail asked cocking his head to one side.



“No,” Barty replied. “I am not.”



Wormtail breathed a huge sigh of relief. He looked gratefully up at Barty Crouch Jr before noticing the mad gleam in the young man’s eyes.



“I’m going to ask the Dark Lord to do it as the favour long since owed.”



Wormtail quivered. He wished he had stayed as Scabbers; Weasley’s pet rat. But with that ginger hairball out to kill him then that was an impossibility.



“Bastard!” Wormtail exclaimed.



“Sadly, Ratty, my parents were married when they had me.”



A/N - HA! HA! Bet you lot weren't expecting that one were you? I began to wonder myself who the Slippery Friend could be, and the muse struck with this gorgeous little baby, besides the character is played by David Tennant. My most recent heartthrob! And for that reason alone I won't let the character be dead! Find out next time what exactly is Lord Voldemorts plans and what will happen to the rest of them.



A little note re: the voting for the sequel to The Truth About Bill... well, so far it's neck and neck... If it's equal on Monday then I'm afraid it'll have to go to default and be Snape... as that's the idea my stubborn muse has... so if you want to be Draco or Lucius go VOTE!