INSATIABLE

Almost there loves... can you feel the tension building? *lol* LOVE the reviews and I just want to thank everyone for being so patient and supportive of this story! and for having an open mind to venture off to my other fics! btw: go read Pandora and Flame :) We are almost to the end of this road...
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The next day at work Lucius watched Hermione intently from his desk, she had her shoes off and seemed to be trying to work out a kink in her ankle underneath her desk. He set down his papers and looked at her from over his silver framed spectacles and cleared his throat. She felt his eyes on her and without looking up from her desk she responded to his gaze “What Lucius?” she asked in a slightly exasperated tone.

“How are you feeling?” he asked cautiously. “You’ve asked me that ten times this morning, I’m having a baby, not dying of plague” she barked. He moved from his desk and felt her eyes on him, he moved to his liquor cabinet and pretended to fix a drink while he studied her more closely. He fixed her a quick cup of tea and placed it on the edge of her desk as a peace offering. He bided his time till he watched her waddle across the room to the bathroom and when she reappeared he scooped her up and carried her over to the couch.

“Your going to throw your back out doing things like this you know” she said curtly as she nestled onto the large leather couch. He smirked at her as he grabbed her feet and settled them in his lap. He started massaging her feet and ankles till he watched her head tilt back and she let out a long relieved sigh. “Did you miss me?” he asked tentatively. “no talking, more rubbing” she breathed. He gently tickled her feet until she shot him a threatening glare. His strong hands worked all the tension out of her feet and ankles and she felt so relaxed in his skillful care.

“did you miss me?” he asked more firmly. “what kind of question is that? Oh right there!” she moaned as he turned her legs into jelly with his nimble fingers. “I could hear you, more than anyone else really… I wanted to talk to you so bad, I wanted you to know I was there” he said quietly. “there wasn’t a night I didn’t cry myself to sleep over you Lucius… sometimes I have nightmares that you’re still back in the hospital”. “I’m here to stay love… but that reminds me I wanted to tell you I’ll be going on a trip for about two weeks to Romania to settle the whole mess with the dragons, Oberon will stay with you while I’m gone naturally”. “oh no, I’m going with you… it’s non negotiable” she said adamantly.

“Hermione, you’ll be seven months pregnant by then, you need to stay close to St. Mungo’s”. he chided. “you’ll not treat me like a child Lucius… you may be my boss and this babies grandfather but that doesn’t mean I can’t run my own life, now I’m going with you so you’ll just have to deal with it”. “than were bringing a full staff, a Healer, Oberon, maybe you can even fit Potter in your suitcase” he spat.

Several more months rolled by with Lucius still taking his potion faithfully and Hermione growing large by the day. Hermione kissed Draco goodbye and Lucius and her floo’d the Romanian Minister of Magic’s office. Lucius’s doting on Hermione only worsened the bigger she got and she was frequently slapping his hands away from her very round stomach. “you make me feel like a beach ball when you do that” she said as she walked out on her balcony in her own private suite at the luxurious hotel they booked. She overlooked a gorgeous courtyard filled with ripening fruits and flowers surrounding a large fountain in the shape of Pegasus.

“and what a beautiful beach ball you are love” he drawled in her ear as he draped his hands over her stomach again. She leaned back against his chest and studied his face and effortlessly their lips met. Hermione didn’t even seem to be aware of it because it felt like second nature to her, until she narrowed her eyes on his and released the kiss. “did you take your potion?” she asked quietly.

He let out a disappointed sigh and nodded. “all of them? You look tired” she demanded. “every bloody one, and you’re the one who looks tired. You should rest before dinner”. That night Hermione entertained the Romanian Minister and Lucius with stories about Hagrid hatching Norbert and shipping him off to Charlie.

Lucius escorted Hermione back to her room in the Romanian Minister’s castle and quietly listened to her humming a tune while she changed behind an elaborate screen. He sat on the edge of her bed with his hands folded in his lap, watching her profile in the firelight. “Hermione… how could you replace me so suddenly? he asked abruptly to her shadow. He watched her shadow freeze against the wall, only to be replaced by the real thing seconds later.

She was pulling her night gown over her stomach as she shuffled from behind the screen. “whatever are you talking about?” she asked incredulously. “you gave yourself to Draco so suddenly, how could you make love to another after so little time had passed since I made love to you last? Am I that replaceable?” he said with pleading eyes.

She stared at him, her mouth gaping as she grasped for the right words to say. She thought back on the many nights Draco had reached out to her in the darkness of their bedroom, how many times he had tried to make love to her. It was only after Lucius was alive and well, and her own stirrings for him overflowed that she gave into Draco’s advances. Each time she would be in tears after, and Draco would hold her till she stopped trembling.

It was well after Lucius child was growing in her womb, and Lucius could not give her release. She slowly walked over to him, her hands trembling as she stared upon his beautiful face.

“please… I am sorry for hurting you, it was what you wanted of me, you said it was all you could give me” she breathed. Lucius pulled her closer to him “I am a fool” he said into her stomach. “he gave me the one little thing that you couldn’t, I dreamed of you in my arms countless time, I could never replace you… I could never forget… I can only pray this will get easier with time” she said through tears, her hands stroking his hair.

He gave up his small jealousy of his own son and wished she were right. “I’ve requested separate rooms for us, but I have no intention of sleeping alone tonight” he said while pulling her closer. She crawled onto the bed and he slipped in beside her, pulling her into him. They let sleep overtake them as they melted together as one, without lust or craving, but tender heart aching need to be near one another again.

Their visit to Romania came to a close and Hermione was anxious to get back home to the Manor, for now it really did feel like home to her. Lucius took the floo back to his office while Hermione went along to the Manor ahead of him. Hermione brought back a few gifts for Narcissa and Draco and was waddling closer to her and Draco’s room. When her hand closed around the door handle she felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck and a horrible sinking feeling settle over her. She knew something wasn’t right, the Manor seemed quieter and colder than she had remembered it ever being. She took a deep breath before she opened the door, not expecting what might be on the other side. The door swung open and Hermione found herself standing in an empty bedroom.

Her brow furrowed in confusion as she clutched the parcels in her hand, gifts for her husband and mother in law. As she combed the halls her need to see Draco and Narcissa increased. Her head began to swim with terrifying thoughts of them hurt or worse.

She could not imagine life without them now, they filled a void in her life and she felt such a connection to them now. She thought of all the motherly advice Narcissa gave her and how fun it was decorating the babies room with the Malfoy matriarch. When Narcissa’s ice melted away she was an extremely funny and charming witch with a sharp wit that Hermione came to respect greatly.

Then there was Draco, whom she had vowed to always love and protect. They had a child now and he seemed so scared and excited to see this new life enter their lives. She realized one morning months ago when she woke to his beautiful grey eyes gazing down at her that she had indeed grown to love him. Her heart belonged to Lucius and always will, but she felt a deep love and loyalty to Draco.

She wanted desperately to see their sleek blonde heads in the distance of the gardens, she felt any minute one of them would round the corner and her fears would vanish. Hermione frantically searched the Manor and her fear only increased the longer they remained hidden from her.

She glanced out the large arched windows of the dinning hall when something in the fountain caught her eye. Rivulets of bright red were filling the fountain, staining over the mermaids white marble figure. Blood. Her heart froze in her chest and she felt the baby inside of her womb jerk violently.

She ran as fast as her girth would allow, her hand around her stomach, grasping protectively. She saw Narcissa’s long blonde hair swaying in the fountain, she was floating in the crimson water of the fountain. Her pale blue eyes wide and staring blankly at the sky. She looked like an angel, in ivory robes and pale opalescent skin, her face serene and unchanging as her golden tresses fanned out behind her in the water.

Hermione’s gaze fell to Narcissa’s hand, which was clenched tightly around another’s hand. Draco’s . He was slumped against the side of the mermaid, eyes closed and blood seeping from his chest and lips. Hermione dashed into the fountain and cupped Draco’s face in her hands. His eyes slowly opened and focused on her, the life draining from them as rapidly as the water coursing through the fountain.

“take care of my family” Draco whispered before the light left his eyes and he fell limp in Hermione’s arms. Hermione felt the world crashing around her and a rage burning in her soul. She gripped Draco beneath his arms and heaved him out of the fountain, tears blurring her vision.

Lucius could hear her as he stepped out into the garden. She sounded like a wounded animal, shrieking in pain and muttering incomprehensibly. His eyes focused on Hermione’s soaked form thrashing in the fountain, heaving another figure out wildly. He was frozen to the spot as he saw the blood gushing out of the fountain. He watched as his entire world was being torn asunder in front of him.

Hermione was thrashing in the fountain again, reaching for another, smaller figure, but suddenly a vast black crow had swooped down, it’s black feathered body looming larger till it took the shape of a raven haired woman. Bellatrix Lestrange stood with wand aimed at Hermione’s back. “Imperio!” Bellatrix screamed with full force. Hermione’s mind was only on getting Narcissa out of the water and had not noticed the threatening figure behind her. She felt her knees give out and her body being projected under the water.

She felt the searing pain as the bloody water began to fill her lungs and she fought as hard as she could against the curse being put on her. She felt herself grow weaker and a numb, pleasant feeling was taking over, the dim sunlight filtering through the red water was growing dimmer.

Lucius unfroze where he stood, the shock of Hermione under the water had over taken his paralysis of his family’s blood gushing from the fountain. Bellatrix had not noticed him enter the garden, her back was to him as her wand was aimed on Hermione. Without thinking he took aim at the center of her back and cast the killing curse. He had put all his rage, hate, fear and sorrows into that one curse and Belltrix fell to the ground with a thud.

Hermione had stopped fighting and let the darkness envelop her under the water. Suddenly strong hands were ripping her from the water, the light was blinding her and she felt the water being siphoned from her lungs. She finally opened her eyes to meet fearful grey ones. Suddenly Lucius was handing her over to Oberon, as if she were a doll or a child being passed into the care of another guardian. The last thing she saw before she passed out in Oberon’s arms was Lucius sinking to his knees by Narcissa in the fountain.

Hermione felt herself in the large soft bed of her room, the fire crackling and popping loudly, filling the room with an inviting warmth. She had never felt this weak in her life and could barely move, but only listened to the hushed whispers around her bed.

“And the baby? Will there be some sort of damage?”. It was Lucius’s deep, tortured voice that she recognized, the other voice was an unfamiliar yet comforting female voice. “the baby is fine, they are both fine, now I suggest you take this potion to calm yourself Minister, your suffering from shock”.

Hermione felt cool smooth hands stroke her forehead. “ah sleeping beauty awakens” Oberon’s rich French accent rolling over her. Lucius’s eyes locked with hers, but he did not take her in his arms as she had begun to yearn for upon waking. He took her hand in his but she could not help but think of how stiff and unfeeling it felt.

Hermione came back to full health in a matter of days, Lucius came to visit her in her room for only a brief time each morning. They became as strangers to one another, trapped within their own misery and pain in the same cage. They gravitated to each other as they always did, Hermione always by his side, but they held no tenderness for each other anymore, nor did Lucius’s lips meet her’s since Draco and Narcissa’s death. The funeral was elegant and somber, one of the largest funerals since Albus Dumbeldore’s. Hermione felt as if she herself were a ghost, that haunted the Manor and Lucius.

She watched with tear stained cheeks as Lucius placed a single red rose on Draco and Narcissa’s graves, as he walked back to his seat his eyes settled on her for the briefest of moments. She could have sworn she saw a glimmer of hate reflecting in this mournful pools of mercury, only to realize it was himself he now hated, not her.

Lucius turned into a bit of a recluse, taking meals alone and burying himself in his work. Hermione tried as she might to break out of her own sorrow, and with the help of Oberon and her friends, she slowly came back into her self.

Lucius was not as lucky, he avoided her at home and she was now on maternity leave from the Ministry. She remembered what Draco asked of her before he died, and she had but one purpose in life now, and that was to take care of her baby and Lucius, the rest of Draco’s family.

She made dinner for two and waddled in to Lucius’s office without knocking, the dinner levitating before her. “You will dine with me tonight and I won’t take no for an answer” she said curly as she set a place for two on a small table by the window. He stared over his silver spectacles at her, his expression vacant and cold. “I have quite a lot of work to do Hermione” he said quietly.

“You always have a lot of work to do, that’s all you ever do… you’ve cut yourself off from everyone and everything you once loved, I won’t stand for it” she spat. He stared past her out the window and let out a deep sigh. She waddled behind his desk and spun his chair around to face her, tugging on his hands she beckoned him to stand.

“Your getting too thin, you don’t take care of yourself… now come eat” she chided. He recoiled from her hands as if she scalded him, they had not had such contact in quite a long time. “Lucius, my patience is wearing thin… you are starting to really hurt me by all this distance, you never recoiled from my touch before” she said sadly. His eyes studied the floor and he held his hands, she had never seen him so unsure of himself before. “I can’t be the same person I was to you Hermione, too much has changed…I don’t deserve happiness anymore” he admitted shamefaced.

“You blame yourself for their deaths… I can’t help you Lucius if you keep pushing me away” she said quietly. She waddled to the door “Goodbye my love” she said as she left him alone in his office, without looking back. Lucius rarely expressed such emotions but his tears flowed freely as he held his head in his hands.