Halloween Mix-Up

Halloween Mix-Up

by: Tassana Burrfoot







Chapter Twenty-Three: Prestige Love





Draco squeezed Hermione\'s hand reassuringly before knocking on the large, dark oak door. "Come in," a voice answered from behind the door.



Draco took out his wand and waved it in front of the door. The door opened and he led Hermione into the study. "Father? We would like to talk to you about something," the boy greeted, approaching his father\'s desk.



Lucius glanced up from his paperwork and raised an eyebrow. His gray eyes immediately narrowed in Hermione\'s direction. "What could you possibly have to say to me?" he asked her, only slightly ignoring his son\'s presence.



She lifted the fairytale book up and placed it on the desk in front of him. "Draco told me that you would know what this is," she told him.



Draco shook his head. "No, I didn\'t. I said my mother would know what it is. Father doesn\'t read anything Greek," he corrected.



Lucius looked down at the book, his eyebrows furrowed. "A fairytale book?" he questioned. He glanced back up to the girl, a bemused expression on his face. "I didn\'t realize you were still interested in fairytales, Miss Granger. But, before you ask, I do not read bedtime stories. I didn\'t do so for Draco and I most certainly will not do so for you."



Hermione clenched her teeth together and suppressed her annoyance. "Actually, sir, I think you\'ll find one particular fairytale quite interesting. We have it marked already; all you need to do is open it and read... to yourself."



Lucius Malfoy wasn\'t the type of guy to indulge Mudbloods. However, he was aptly curious as to what this particular Mudblood wanted him to read. He opened the book and quickly found the marked page. He muttered as he read, "A long time ago..."



"NO!" both teenagers shouted in unison, causing the man to glare at them. Draco shook his head while Hermione looked on in fright. Draco quickly explained, "Don\'t read it aloud. That fairytale book is chalk full of spells. We still haven\'t ascertained what is a spell and what is not."



"A spellbook?" Lucius inquired, closing the book while keeping one hand inside to mark the page. "Where did you get this?"



"In the Restricted Section," Hermione answered. "Professor Snape had given me a detention Halloween night. My task was to go through the Restricted Section and make a list of all the damaged books. I found that book and was curious as to why a fairytale book would be in the Restricted Section."



Draco released her hand and placed his hand on the small of her back. "She thought it was a laugh," he told his father. "She even skimmed through a few of the fairytales. She realized they were fairytales involving the Greek goddess Aphrodite, but she didn\'t think anything of it."



Hermione nodded and trained her eyes to the small globe which sat upon Lucius\' desk. It was a constellation globe. "The story you have your hand in is one which I read aloud. At least, part of it," she said softly.



"Actually, only the prayer," Draco pointed out. "She thought it was just a fairytale, nothing more, nothing less. And just like any other fairytale, she didn\'t think anything of repeating the prayers in the book. It wasn\'t like she needed it."



"Nor do I believe in the ancient Greek gods," she added, not daring to look at Lucius\' expression. "I didn\'t know the prayer was actually a spell."



Lucius raised an eyebrow as he opened the book and began reading again, this time silently. It didn\'t take him long to find the spell and draw a summary as to what it meant. His eyes narrowed. "So, this is how you trapped my son?" he asked, looking up at the teenagers. "You think he\'s your true love?"



Hermione shook her head even while Draco nodded his. At Lucius\' raised eyebrow, Draco explained, "She doesn\'t believe it. In fact, she has no clue who her true love is. And she won\'t listen to anything I say."



"Draco, don\'t start this," Hermione warned. "I\'ve told you already, you don\'t know if what you\'re feeling is real or part of the spell. You can\'t even honestly tell me when you first fell for me. You keep saying..."



"When we were in second year," Draco answered, interrupting her. "I\'ve told you that a million times now. Why won\'t you believe me?"



She threw her hands up in the air and gave an asperated sigh as she turned away from him. She walked over to the fireplace and looked into the blazing flames. "It would be different if Severus hadn\'t said the same thing. And Ron. And Seamus. How do you expect me to believe you when the only one not muttering sweet nothings is Harry?"



"Severus is a part of this?" Lucius asked, curiously.



Draco glanced at his father and nodded. "They accidentally brushed hands when he was handing her parchment the next night. I got the spell when she slapped me across the face. Potter and Weasley... well, I don\'t know about them. But Finnigan got it when she accidentally touched his face with the back of her hand."



Realization hit Lucius as sharply as an iceberg. "Are you saying that I, too, am infected?" he inquired as he gazed back down at the book.



Hermione sighed, "You weren\'t supposed to be here. You were supposed to be in prison. That\'s why I came here. It was the only place we could think of where I wouldn\'t incidentally curse another guy."



Draco nodded. "Not that we aren\'t glad you are home, Father," he added. "I\'m actually really pleased to see you safely out of that dung hole."



Lucius gave a slight nod, though he did not look up from the book. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as he read the story over and over again. The teenagers could hear some mutterings, like "true love", but wasn\'t worried.



Draco crossed the room to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her waist. To his pleasure, she allowed him to hold her, though she kept her gaze firmly on the fire. The minutes ticked by as Lucius continued to read.



Finally, he said, "The spell will only be broken on Valentine\'s Day when true love shares a kiss."



The teenagers nodded. "Dumbledore is going to throw a Valentine\'s dance on that day for cover," Draco said. "Each \'suitor\' will be given a chance to dance with Hermione and give her a kiss. Once her true love is found, the spell will be broken and the other suitors will be freed."



Lucius gazed up at the teenagers and tilted his head to the side. "I do not think I am as infected as the two of you believe."



The teenagers whirled around and looked at him in shock and confusion. "You found something?" Hermione asked, pulling out of Draco\'s embrace and approaching the desk.



The older man just shrugged. "It\'s common sense, Miss Granger. This spell applies to those who have not already found their true love," he pointed out as if it were obvious. "Since Narcissa is my true love, I highly doubt you have anything to worry about. I assure you I have no desires towards you. According to this book, the spell takes affect almost immediately after contact. It\'s now been two hours and I still feel fine."



Hermione realized he was right, though she wasn\'t entirely convinced. "Are you sure you feel nothing towards me, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked. "No sense of longing, desire, or lust? You still feel the same hatred that you\'ve always felt?"



Lucius shook his head. "I will admit. My hatred for you has vanished. But, other than that, there\'s nothing. Only a sense of indifference with a bit of admiration."



"Admiration?" the girl questioned, surprised by the word.



Lucius shrugged as he stood up. He walked around his desk and towards the fireplace, taking the spot the teenagers had just vacated. "When I was your age, I had girls lining up to be with me. Girls who wanted to marry me, bed me, bare my child. They drooled over me and pined when I didn\'t reciprocate their feelings. Of course, I knew they really only wanted my money and status. It\'s very difficult to date when you are wealthy. I\'m sure Draco can agree with me on that."



Draco nodded, though Lucius did not see him. Instead, the man continued, "I was very lucky to find Narcissa. She was much like me, only opposite. Boys were constantly following her, begging for her notice. All three of the Black sisters had to deal with it. Not only were they wealthy purebloods, but they were also very beautiful. Narcissa both hated and loved the attention, much like myself.



"I believe that was one of the reasons Andromeda married a Mudblood. While I\'m sure she fell in love with him, I also believe she couldn\'t think of anyone else. No other boys really suited her. She was beautiful, wealthy, and quite intelligent. Very much like her sisters in many ways. In fact, the three sisters had been inseparable throughout school.



"Andromeda had started dating the Mudblood, Tonks. Bellatrix was steadfastly seeing Lestrange. Narcissa stayed away from boys. It wasn\'t because she disliked boys, quite the opposite, honestly. She just didn\'t want to end up with someone only after her money.



"I was very much the same way. Sure, I would date. I had my fair share of adventures both in the bedroom and out. But, nothing would ever last. Eventually, I had all but given up on the hope that there was someone who wouldn\'t treat me as some sort of prize or trophy.



"I had known the Black sisters my entire childhood. My mother and their mother had been really close in school. But, I had never really looked at them. Not truly.



"When I finally did start to notice them as something more than knobby kneed snot-nosed girls, I thought it was too late. Like I said, Andromeda and Bellatrix were already taken and Narcissa was nothing short of unavailable. Then, one night, she and I talked. We told each other our secrets, our fears, our desires. Everything. Before we knew it, we were madly in love."



He turned and looked at the teenagers, though ignored their shocked expressions. He had probably just told them both more than even Draco had known. He just shrugged. "What I\'m saying is, I\'ve walked that same path, though not entirely. Your path differs from mine, Miss Granger. Unlike me, you have boys, and men, who want you for something more than wealth and prestige. But, how do you tell the difference?



"Not to mention, you feel the obligation to be with them, though your Gryffindor morals tell you it\'s wrong. So, how do you be with these boys and men and still hold on to your virtue? Still remain pure and, for the most part, innocent? You are walking a very thin line, Miss Granger. One which I do not believe anyone else could walk, and that includes my son."



Hermione nodded slowly and bowed her head. "You are right, on several accounts. I am at a loss of what to do. And it seems, no matter how hard I try, I keep messing up. Now you know why I wore those gloves to the dinner table. I had no desire to touch you. You\'re a married man and you have a son, whom I am currently sharing a bed with. And while you understand my situation, I\'m not quite sure your wife will."



He waved his hand. "Let me deal with Narcissa. I have known her for most of my life and I assure you, all will be well. If you don\'t mind, I would like to hold on to that book for a bit. Read through it and try to see what conclusions I can draw from it," he told them.



Hermione looked slightly fearful, but Lucius just gave her a soft smile. "I promise, Miss Granger, I will do nothing untoward. I just want to study the book. More importantly, I wish to study that particular fairytale that we have all been wrapped into."



The girl glanced at Draco who nodded in acceptance. The book will be safe. Finally, Hermione agreed. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, for understanding."



The older man approached her and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. The move caused Hermione to stiffen as his fingertips held her jaw. He gazed down into her honey eyes and smiled at her. "Everything will be all right, Miss Granger. Now, go on upstairs with Draco and get some sleep. I know both of you must be tired."



She nodded slowly as she stepped away from him, her eyes wide. She could see the clouds of irritation in Draco\'s eyes as he took her hand and led her back to his rooms. As she willingly followed the younger Malfoy she couldn\'t help but wonder just how much of the spell had really affected Lucius Malfoy. And to what extent.

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Author\'s Note: I realize this chapter is rather shorter than some of my other chapters, and for that I apologize. I just wanted to give you all some insight to Lucius\' place with the spell and all that jazz. I promise some juiciness will come in the next chapter! Just give you a little warning to remind you that this story does contain scenes of incest, guy on guy, and threesome stuff. That\'s why I put up the warnings, that\'s why I put this in the threesome category. If you don\'t like this sort of stuff, you might want to wait for chapter twenty-five so that you can skip chapter twenty-four.



And I promise I have some Severus on the way. Enjoy!