A Thief to Catch a Thief; a Death Eater to Catch a

The past months had been hard on the Malfoy family; first Lucius had suffered the scandal of the gossip regarding the sudden adoption – Rita, heavily influenced by Kingsley, actually published the truth. The other tabloids and glossy magazines made things up to their hearts (and Gringott vaults’) content.



The inquiry into the orphanage revealed the owners owed heavy debts to a group trafficking illegal substances… illegal substances such as the pollen of the blue lightning flower.



The owners were charged with nine counts of illegal potion brewing; four counts of murder; twelve counts of child cruelty; twenty counts of staff cruelty; six counts of blackmail; and one count of unpaid tax.



The pair were kissed within ten minutes of sentencing.



***



Hermione lay naked, draped over an equally naked Lucius’s chest; they were sated and taking advantage of a simultaneous night off and Cressida’s bedtime.



“Hermione…” Lucius began, making sure she was still awake, they’d played hard and his back was scratched to ribbons thanks to her nails.



“Hmm?” she whimpered, for once hoping he wasn’t ready to go again, she’d lost count of her orgasms after six, or seven.



“Hermione, Cressida called you Mummy earlier.” He whispered, she’d called him Daddy for a month, but it was her first reference to Hermione as anything other than Myeeh.



“I know. The private teacher you’ve employed is brilliant for her speech!” Hermione, now awake was quite happy to discuss the child’s learning.



“Didn’t you think it strange?” Lucius commented neutrally.



“No, not really. The teacher was working through a book of pictures, teaching vocabulary. The picture of a family unit has a Mummy, a Daddy, a Brother and a Sister – she was just repeating what she’d learnt.”



“Would you like to be Mummy?” Lucius asked quietly.



“What are you saying, Lucius?” Hermione whispered, sitting up and snatching the sheet around her nudity.



“Marry me? Please?” He asked.



“You won’t take advantage of the charm, will you?” she said, tears falling down her face.



“No. I would never dishonour a woman, especially one I… I…”



“You…?” Hermone hiccupped.



“Love you.” He whispered, barely audible as he hid behind his long hair.



***



“Lucius!” Hermione screeched from the library, where’d she’d been reading as she ate breakfast. She marched up into their bedroom to wake him. He’d been on the night shift the night before and had so far had three hours sleep.



“W-what?” he said, sitting bolt upright, grasping his wand.



“I. Will. Not. Marry. You.” She hissed, throwing a beautifully hand written book at him.



“What? Why?” he said, horrified.



“I am not going to go through with that!” she snapped, waiting as he read the title of the book: ‘Socially Accepted Standards of a Malfoy Wedding, a Bride’s Memoirs. Composed by Cressida Malfoy, 1433.’



“Oh, you don’t have to – standards have changed…” Lucius began, only to be cut off by an angry woman.



“Yes! Society now expects more than this tome specifies! I won’t go through something like this! If I marry you, it has to be simple, quiet, no frills, no huge dress, just very close family.” She said, sitting down with him.



“Well… I thought all women wanted the fairytale wedding, the big dress, the flowers…”



“No. I don’t want that. That was what Molly wanted to plan for Ron and I before it all went tits up.” She sighed.



“Oh, well, we can plan something simple – whatever makes you happy and lets me get some more sleep.” Lucius yawned, snuggling under the covers again.



“Da-dee!” Cressida shouted, walking into the room with the assistance of a spell keeping her stable, a supporting brace around each leg beneath her nightdress.



“Well, scratch that option.” He muttered as Hermione lifted his daughter into his arms for a morning cuddle.



“Da-dee na jama.” She pointed out Lucius’s dislike of nightwear.



“No, Daddies don’t wear pyjamas.” He yawned, sitting up and pulling her into the crook of his arm.



“Oh. Da-dee seepy.” She said, kissing his cheek and snuggling into the hug. “Muh-mee seepy?” she patted the bed.



“No, I’m not sleepy, I’m awake.” Hermione chuckled as Cressida started playing with Lucius’s hair.



“Ah-wake. Na Seepy.” She repeated back, wriggling down on the bed to lay her head on Hermione’s pillow, looking at Lucius’s face in repose.



“Do you want to get some breakfast and look at some books?” Hermione offered, wanting to let Lucius get some sleep after she’d woken him with so much rage.



“Beh-fat an boo?” she grinned, bouncing up and smacking Lucius over the head in the process, he woke with a grunt.



“Yes. Breakfast and a book – and a book with lots of pictures in too.” Hermione said, lifting Cressida from the bed and lifting her from the bed before holding her hand as she walked from the room.



“Peekah! Muh-mee weed peekah wi me?” she asked, giggling.



“Of course I will!” Hermione smiled, moving across the hallway to dress the little girl for the day before looking at the pictures and learning vocabulary while the private teacher had a Saturday off.



“Deco an Jess weed too?” she asked, as Hermione tugged the lilac nightie over her head and put on a cotton vest.



“Not today, they’re not here.” Hermione said, pulling a comb through her long hair after getting her into clean underwear and a clean dress.



“Na ome? Where go?”



“I’m not sure, somewhere sunny and warm.” Hermione tied one of Lucius’s hair ribbons around the silky strands.



“Na ere, waining ere. Na suh-nee.” She said, looking at the summer rain lashing against the window.



“Come on, breakfast.” Hermione smiled, taking Cressida’s hand and leading her carefully down the stairs into the parlour.