Love Thy Enemy

CHAPTER 36: I Found a Deatheater

Lucius sat on the floor, leaning against the wall beneath Draco’s painting. A large decanter of fire-whiskey sat on the floor beside him.


“Why are you wearing that?” Draco asked, looking down at his father who was deep in his cups and wearing his old deatheater robes.


“Nothing better to do.” He said, tossing back the entire contents of his glass and refilling it.


“You could try getting your wife back. I miss talking to her and you are starting to scare me, and that’s saying a lot, given that I’m not actually alive.” Draco had watched his father mope around for the last month. He had finally given up following her everywhere and was giving her the space she needed. He hadn’t seen her in a month, and he was miserable.


“She doesn’t want to see me, my boy. You were right, I lost her.” He stared down at the mask in his hand.


“Maybe she’s cooled off. You haven’t seen or talked to her in a month.” Draco debated on whether or not that was the right thing to say to his dad at that moment. Sound judgment seemed a little out of his reach given his current attire.


“Giving her space.” Lucius said, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the wall.


“I know that, but maybe now it’s time to close the gap a little.”


“Maybe. I could go visit.” Lucius pushed to his feet.


“I would….” Lucius popped out of sight. “…change first.” Draco wished Harry liked him enough to have a painting of him. He would love to see how this played out.


“Harry why are you staring out the window?” Ginny asked as she walked into their living room.

“There is a deatheater in our yard, talking to him self.” Harry said, peeking around the curtains.


“What?” Ginny ran over to look outside and sure enough, there was a deatheater standing in their backyard talking to him self. It was a good thing the long flaxen locks peeking out from beneath the hood gave him away else they might have hurt him. “What are we going to do with him?”


“I’m going to let him in.” Harry said, dropping the curtains and going towards the door. “Go get Hermione, it’s her deatheater, she can deal with him.”


Harry opened the door and walked out into his back yard. Lucius stood there, his eyes closed but his lips were moving. Harry could smell the whiskey on his breath.

“Evening Lucius, out for a stroll?” Harry asked. Lucius opened his eyes slowly.


“I’m dizzy.” He said. He was clutching a mask in his hands, an image Harry had hoped to never see again.


“Nice outfit.”


“What?” Lucius looked down at his clothes and started laughing. “Oh, I probably should have changed. Where is my wife?” He asked, blinking rapidly as though he couldn’t quite get Harry into focus.


“Come inside Lucius before one of my neighbors calls the authorities.” Harry led him into the house and closed the door.


“Go sit down. I’m going to get you some coffee.” Harry went to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee just as Ginny and Hermione came into the kitchen. “Hey Mione, you feeling better?”


“Some…I always feel better after I throw up though. Ginny said you found something I should see in the yard.” Hermione curled her nose at the smell of the brewing coffee. “That’s repulsive!” She said, pulling the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her hand and covering her nose.

“It’s coffee, Mione.” Harry said.


“What did you find?” She yawned.


“I found a deatheater.” Harry said. “A drunken deatheater. Your drunken deatheater to be exact.” Harry filled a mug with strong, hot coffee.

“What are you talking about?” Harry pulled her by her shirt into the living room. “Oh, gods.” She moaned. Lucius was sitting on the sofa dressed in his old deatheater garb. He looked terrible. He looked pale and exhausted.


“He’s all yours.” Harry put the mug of coffee into her hand, the smell making her stomach roll. She shuffled into the living room and stood in front of him. His eyes were closed and she wondered if he had passed out. She kicked his boot lightly with her slippered foot. Lucius opened his eyes slowly and Hermione was amazed at how red they were, the dark circles beneath his eyes told her he wasn’t sleeping or taking care of himself.


“Hello, love.” He said softly. Hermione handed him the cup of coffee and tugged the pointed hood off of his head.


“Why are you wearing this? Why do you still have it?” She asked. “I thought you gave it up.”


“I was bored. I kept it….I don’t remember why I kept it. I did give it up.” He handed her the mask. “Here, you can have it.”


“I don’t want it, Lucius.” Hermione curled onto the sofa beside him. “What are you doing here?”


“I came to see you.” He said, wincing when he burned his tongue on the hot coffee.


“Why?” She asked, fighting the urge to push his hair back from his face,


“Draco said I had given you space, now I have to close the gap.” He let his head fall back onto the sofa. “I really do miss you.” He said.

“How much have you been drinking, Lucius? Do you do this every night?” She asked.

“No….just on the nights when it’s really bad. Do you know that today is our six month anniversary?” He asked.


“I know.” She wanted to curl into him, she had missed him so much.


“I bought you a present. Hold this.” He tried to hand her the cup of coffee and she shoved it away.


“Put it on the table, I can’t stand the smell of it.” Lucius frowned slightly then shook his head and placed the mug on the end table. He fumbled around in his robes and withdrew a flat box.

“I had it custom made for you.” He said, handing it to her.


“So you thought you should dress up in the outfit you wore when you tried to kill my friends and me to deliver it?” She asked, her brow lifting slightly.


“Just open it.” Hermione removed the lids box and peered inside. He had had the jeweler design a gold daisy chain for her.


“You make it hard to be mad at you sometimes Lucius.” Hermione said, lifting the delicate chain from the box to admire it. It reminded her of the last time they had made love. Had it really been almost three months ago?


“Maybe you could try not being mad at me. Maybe you could try to like me again.” He looked almost boyish in that moment, begging for a friend. Everything in her wanted to cave and kiss him senseless.


“I don’t want to be mad at you. But I don’t want my heart broken beyond repair either.” Lucius was staring at her; his gaze was so intense she could actually feel it.


“If you forgive me, and let me have your heart I promise to be more careful with it in the future.” He reached for her hand and laid her cool fingers against his forehead. Hermione needed no prompting, she knew what he wanted and started stroking her fingers over his brow. “I miss your touch. I miss you coming into my office and interrupting my work. I miss having you fuss over me.”


“I miss you too Lucius, I do, but I worry, what happens when the novelty wears off again?”


“I wish I had never said that. You don’t know how it tortured me, still tortures me not to have you. It terrified me that I wanted you so much I was willing to overlook propriety. I took you in my garden for Circe’s sake!” He shouted.


“A little louder Lucius, I don’t think the people on the corner heard about our sex life.” Hermione said.


“Sorry. I just got a little….jumpy. I said things I didn’t mean and I’m sorry.”


“I can’t just come home and act like nothing happened, Lucius.” Hermione said softly, pushing his hair back out of his face.


“We can go slowly; I’ll court you if that is what you want. Just give me another chance, please?”


“Are you going to remember any of this come tomorrow?” She asked.


“Yeah, I’m pretty lucid now that Harry slipped me a sober up potion in that crap he calls coffee.” He smiled. “I’m scared to eat or drink anything when I come over here; they are always slipping me a potion.”


“He had a good reason to this time. When did you eat last?” She asked him.


“I don’t remember…..I might have had toast at breakfast.” He said, he really couldn’t remember.


“I made some homemade chicken noodle soup. Come into the kitchen and I’ll get you some.” She headed towards the kitchen and Lucius followed her.


“You can cook your own food?” He sat at a small kitchen table and watched her dish up soup from a large pot on the stove.


“Yes, Lucius. I’m the one who makes the strawberry banana crepes you like so much.” She sat the bowl in front of him and handed him a spoon. “Eat; I’m going to get you some milk.”


Lucius practically inhaled the hearty soup. Hermione sat in the chair across from him and slid a glass of milk his way.


“So I guess that’s why I haven’t had them in the last couple of months.” He said, downing his milk quickly and wiping his mouth on the paper napkin she had given him


“When was the last time you slept all night?” He looked so tired.


“Just before you left me.” He said, propping his head on his hand and staring at her sleepily. “I like sleeping with you. Even with your cold feet.”


“Why don’t you stay here tonight?” She said, she was beat herself and wanted to go to bed. She took his bowl and cup and put them in the sink.


“Can I sleep with you?” He asked.

“Yeah, but you aren’t getting any, so don’t even try.” She said. “Take that cloak off.” When he did it revealed the leather, armor like suit he wore under it. “Well, that’s not how I remember it.” She smirked.


Lucius followed her up the stairs and down the hall, past the portrait of Mrs. Black and into her room. She didn’t light the lamp but Lucius could see her pretty clearly as she climbed onto the bed situated against the wall. It took him a bit of maneuvering to get out of the leather pieces, but once he had stripped down to his boxers he climbed into the bed behind her and pulled her into his chest. He kissed the back of her head, like he had done so many nights before she left and in no time, he was dead asleep, snoring softly against the back of her neck.


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He’s such a cute little deatheater LOL She’s willing to give him another chance, but she’s gonna make him work his ass off for it.


Cab2000 – you are right that in the HP novels she spells it floo…but the actual spelling according to the dictionary is flue….hence the reason Word corrected it during spell check LOL


Val – I don’t post on other fanfic sites….I like AFF….Ive made some friends here and know I can count on them to read and review regularly and fairly


Athena – I think it’s a toss up when they argue in my head on who is being a bigger pain in the ass

Clara – Im glad you are enjoying it. I hope others will write more LM/HGs…..there aren’t nearly enough

Angeleye68 – Thanks for reading! Im glad you like it. My first published work will go into print in June 08, I will keep my profile updated when I have specific release dates.

Kittycat - make up sex is the best! But it wont happen right away, Mione is going to make him work for it.


LaBib – Silver Master was good, I read it recently. Supposedly Ash’s story will be out soon. Ashley Gardner (or one of her pennames LOL) is doing a dragon series…..I just read the first one over the summer……forget the title, I suck….anyhow, it was GOOD…second one, Black Dragon is due soon….The Gathering was good too…..Ill check out the Captain Lacey series, never read them. Ever read anything from Ellora’s Cave? I have tons of them, hubby says romance novels are my crack. LOL Bertrice Small does like her heroines promiscuous doesn’t she LOL