Love Thy Enemy
folder
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Lucius/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
48
Views:
57,046
Reviews:
442
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
3
Category:
Harry Potter › Het - Male/Female › Lucius/Hermione
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
48
Views:
57,046
Reviews:
442
Recommended:
2
Currently Reading:
3
Disclaimer:
I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Having It Out
CHAPTER 38: Having it Out
Hermione sat in the solarium of Malfoy Manor staring at Lucius over a candlelit table. Since her agreement to work on their relationship and subsequent discovery of their impending parenthood over a month prior, Lucius had been the perfect gallant.
He was going out of his way to woo her. He took her to the best restaurants, the theater, she had even gotten him to acquiesce and take her to the muggle cinema in London. He took her on picnics to admire the changing leaves of fall, to Venice just to go on a gondola ride and to Belgium for chocolate.
One could never say that Lucius Malfoy wasn’t charming. He was good at the grand gestures, buying gifts and making you feel like you were the only woman in the world, but when it came to opening up and talking about his emotions, he was sorely lacking.
Not once had they discussed their situation and what had brought them to such a strained point in their relationship. Hermione wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy making her moody, or if she had just reached her breaking point, but she just couldn’t sit there and listen to him talk about trivial things any longer. He had been going on and on about a new theater production and his investment in it for the last hour and she couldn’t take any more.
“Will you please stop?” Hermione asked, rubbing her temples. “I don’t care about the theater right now, Lucius. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Lucius stared at her for a few moments in surprise and reached for his wine glass.
“Very well, what would you like to talk about?” She hadn’t exactly been talkative since they began to attempt reconciliation. She was still keeping him at a distance both physically and emotionally.
“We are supposed to be working on our relationship, trying to fix what is broken, but we have not discussed it a single time, Lucius. How can we fix it if we don’t talk about it?” She hated to ruin the romantic mood he had set for them. He was trying very hard to please her, but she could take no pleasure in his romantic gestures with the pain and rejection she felt hanging over them.
“I didn’t want to upset you and make you or the baby ill.” He said quietly.
“The baby and I are perfectly healthy, Lucius. I can not keep pretending that everything is alright with us when it’s not.”
“Have you been miserable spending time with me then?” He asked, looking slightly dejected. Hermione instantly felt guilty.
“No, Lucius, I love being with you. I don’t think you will ever truly know how much. I appreciate all of the thought and planning you have put into our evenings together.” She stood and dragged her chair around the table so that she was sitting closer to him, and reached for his hand. “Let’s just have it out and put it behind us.”
“I don’t want to fight…..” Lucius didn’t want her upset, not in her current condition.
“We aren’t fighting, we are talking.” She smiled at him and he closed his eyes and nodded his head.
“Alright, love. Where would you like to begin?”
“What happened to make you suddenly turn so cold?” She asked.
“The morning after we made love in the garden I was watching you sleep. Out of nowhere I began to wonder how I would ever survive if I lost you.” Lucius was staring down at their clasped hands; it was the most intimacy she had allowed him in the last month. “It made me start to think about the past and then I got angry that I had let you get under my skin. I wanted you….WANT you more than anything else in this world and I didn’t understand how I had gone from hating you to the point of being almost obsessed with need for you.”
“Why didn’t you just talk to me about it?” She asked, her heart melting at his words.
“And admit that I had fallen for a muggleborn? My pride is a very powerful and sometimes a very negative force in me Hermione. I will try very hard to overcome it, but I can make you no promises there, I am sorry.” Lucius refused to lie to her on that front. If they were to move forward it could not be based on false promises.
“At least you admit it, that’s something in and of itself. Why did you say such hurtful things to me? You had to know that they would cut deep.” Hermione asked.
“It seemed to be the easiest method of pushing you away. It worked, you left me.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. “I have done horrible things in my life, things I regret. But I regret hurting you the most.”
“Why did you stop the annulment? I know you don’t like to lose, Lucius. Was it just to win, or do you really want me as your wife?” She asked the question and braced herself for the answer.
“I don’t like to lose, you are right about that and I suppose part of that probably came in to it. I am competitive by nature. But it wasn’t just that, I didn’t want to lose you. It made me physically ill to hear you say you wanted out, I felt like you ripped my heart out with those words and in public no less.” Hermione moved from her chair and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.
“I’m sorry I left you. I should have stayed and fought you until you fessed up, I don’t know why I chose that confrontation to walk away from. I am so sorry that I asked the court for the annulment, but I too have my pride. Your words hurt me and I hated myself because I thought I had been a fool to believe that you really cared for me.” Hermione pulled the ribbon tying back his hair and dropped it on the floor. She rubbed the base of his skull and he moaned softly at the familiar touch he had missed.
“I don’t just care for you, I love you.” He confessed so softly she barely heard him.
“I love you.” Hermione whispered just before she pressed her lips to his gently.
“What now?” He asked, his hands tightening on her waist. Hermione sniffed and sat back to look at him more fully. Lucius reached up and brushed the tears off of her face.
“Now….you get me one of your eagle owls so that I can send a note to Harry and Ginny to let them know I am staying home tonight, with my husband.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Don’t worry, its not over. The Malfoys have some unfinished business yet to attend to.
Hermione sat in the solarium of Malfoy Manor staring at Lucius over a candlelit table. Since her agreement to work on their relationship and subsequent discovery of their impending parenthood over a month prior, Lucius had been the perfect gallant.
He was going out of his way to woo her. He took her to the best restaurants, the theater, she had even gotten him to acquiesce and take her to the muggle cinema in London. He took her on picnics to admire the changing leaves of fall, to Venice just to go on a gondola ride and to Belgium for chocolate.
One could never say that Lucius Malfoy wasn’t charming. He was good at the grand gestures, buying gifts and making you feel like you were the only woman in the world, but when it came to opening up and talking about his emotions, he was sorely lacking.
Not once had they discussed their situation and what had brought them to such a strained point in their relationship. Hermione wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy making her moody, or if she had just reached her breaking point, but she just couldn’t sit there and listen to him talk about trivial things any longer. He had been going on and on about a new theater production and his investment in it for the last hour and she couldn’t take any more.
“Will you please stop?” Hermione asked, rubbing her temples. “I don’t care about the theater right now, Lucius. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”
Lucius stared at her for a few moments in surprise and reached for his wine glass.
“Very well, what would you like to talk about?” She hadn’t exactly been talkative since they began to attempt reconciliation. She was still keeping him at a distance both physically and emotionally.
“We are supposed to be working on our relationship, trying to fix what is broken, but we have not discussed it a single time, Lucius. How can we fix it if we don’t talk about it?” She hated to ruin the romantic mood he had set for them. He was trying very hard to please her, but she could take no pleasure in his romantic gestures with the pain and rejection she felt hanging over them.
“I didn’t want to upset you and make you or the baby ill.” He said quietly.
“The baby and I are perfectly healthy, Lucius. I can not keep pretending that everything is alright with us when it’s not.”
“Have you been miserable spending time with me then?” He asked, looking slightly dejected. Hermione instantly felt guilty.
“No, Lucius, I love being with you. I don’t think you will ever truly know how much. I appreciate all of the thought and planning you have put into our evenings together.” She stood and dragged her chair around the table so that she was sitting closer to him, and reached for his hand. “Let’s just have it out and put it behind us.”
“I don’t want to fight…..” Lucius didn’t want her upset, not in her current condition.
“We aren’t fighting, we are talking.” She smiled at him and he closed his eyes and nodded his head.
“Alright, love. Where would you like to begin?”
“What happened to make you suddenly turn so cold?” She asked.
“The morning after we made love in the garden I was watching you sleep. Out of nowhere I began to wonder how I would ever survive if I lost you.” Lucius was staring down at their clasped hands; it was the most intimacy she had allowed him in the last month. “It made me start to think about the past and then I got angry that I had let you get under my skin. I wanted you….WANT you more than anything else in this world and I didn’t understand how I had gone from hating you to the point of being almost obsessed with need for you.”
“Why didn’t you just talk to me about it?” She asked, her heart melting at his words.
“And admit that I had fallen for a muggleborn? My pride is a very powerful and sometimes a very negative force in me Hermione. I will try very hard to overcome it, but I can make you no promises there, I am sorry.” Lucius refused to lie to her on that front. If they were to move forward it could not be based on false promises.
“At least you admit it, that’s something in and of itself. Why did you say such hurtful things to me? You had to know that they would cut deep.” Hermione asked.
“It seemed to be the easiest method of pushing you away. It worked, you left me.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. “I have done horrible things in my life, things I regret. But I regret hurting you the most.”
“Why did you stop the annulment? I know you don’t like to lose, Lucius. Was it just to win, or do you really want me as your wife?” She asked the question and braced herself for the answer.
“I don’t like to lose, you are right about that and I suppose part of that probably came in to it. I am competitive by nature. But it wasn’t just that, I didn’t want to lose you. It made me physically ill to hear you say you wanted out, I felt like you ripped my heart out with those words and in public no less.” Hermione moved from her chair and onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her forehead against his.
“I’m sorry I left you. I should have stayed and fought you until you fessed up, I don’t know why I chose that confrontation to walk away from. I am so sorry that I asked the court for the annulment, but I too have my pride. Your words hurt me and I hated myself because I thought I had been a fool to believe that you really cared for me.” Hermione pulled the ribbon tying back his hair and dropped it on the floor. She rubbed the base of his skull and he moaned softly at the familiar touch he had missed.
“I don’t just care for you, I love you.” He confessed so softly she barely heard him.
“I love you.” Hermione whispered just before she pressed her lips to his gently.
“What now?” He asked, his hands tightening on her waist. Hermione sniffed and sat back to look at him more fully. Lucius reached up and brushed the tears off of her face.
“Now….you get me one of your eagle owls so that I can send a note to Harry and Ginny to let them know I am staying home tonight, with my husband.”
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Don’t worry, its not over. The Malfoys have some unfinished business yet to attend to.