Beyond the Veil -- COMPLETE

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Updated 8-30-08

Yup, I updated again. I don't know what's got into me, really I don't.
Maybe it's because this chapter is basically a warm and fuzzy one. So don't get out your lemonade glasses. This chapter only has water.

Answers to all your comments --


Utopia – Oh, dear. You know I would have replied to you. I’m glad you discovered there wasn’t a comment extant. LOL I think Lucius found out the hard way about not using candles except for light, heh, heh. I’m hoping his innate magic ability allowed him to retrieve his mistake. Hmmm, Sorting hat with Veil sand. Clever idea! Lucius isn’t known for his altruism – he’s looking out for his family as usual in creating the Lynx, not only because of his own family tree, but to protect them from the Master.


CoCo.M –The next painting will appear, but there will be some (I hope) entertaining plot first.


Heidi191976 – Thanks, Heidi. I hope this next chapter pleases.


Lurky loo - Are you safe from Gustav, Mia? I understand it is now a category 4 storm. Unfortunately, no grove of lemons in this chapter. Some relaxation instead. I hope you like.


sisterae – Yes, Lucius profited quite exceptionally from Hermione’s unending quest for knowledge. If I can squeeze some plot in among the lemons, they may someday discover what is going on with the Squib problem LOL.


ShiningEyes – Hello! A Delightful Delurker. Welcome! Thank you for the compliment. I usually don’t let more than a week go by between chapters. I greatly appreciate your input!


nitesfool – Of course you know I enjoy your reviews. Reviewing as you read is fun and relieves having to come up with something after you’ve finished a chapter. Yup, I suspect there may be some kinky stuff ahead somewhere (not this chapter). I hope the dentist wasn’t too traumatic. The Veil does seem to have its own ‘personality’ of sorts.


doodle – Funny you mention that Hermione’s days were structured. That plays right into this chapter. Oooh, you’re in Gustav’s way, too? I hope you and yours are safe!


Muffy – I’m glad you love the plotty bits because there actually are some coming up. Lucius and Hermione make good intertwining characters, I think. They are evenly matched in brains and personality. It’s fun to write them.


Pumkin – Hermione is a knowledge junkie and Margaret is a very nice woman. I’ve got some plot that needs to be advanced and a little more togetherness to build with our couple. I hope you think I’m keeping up the good work as you see it [crosses fingers behind back].


NinjaWitch – Hello and welcome to you. I’m very happy you like the story so far. And you are right, the question is WHEN are they. As the chapters unfold you’ll learn much more.


morganabythesea – Welcome to this story. I’m glad you chose to read it. Be strong and read each chapter in order. Each one adds information that you might need for the next. Think of me designing a lovely romance swirled through with a mystery. You can’t skip chapters in a mystery! Does that help? Enjoy!


Citten – I know at least one horse expert reading this, so I’ll call it a day on writing what I know nothing about LOL. I was aiming at the riding crop more than the horse riding. I suppose everyone figured that out rather quickly [grin]. Lucius broadcast the white lie of Hermione being a Pureblood, but no real harm comes to her. Hmm, that doesn’t tell you much, seeing as how she’s the heroine. Children? No comment. And yes, the daily downtime for AFF is obnoxious! They could at least play soothing music.


Anon – Hi Anon! I’m glad you loved the chapter. Next one coming up now.


Damiana – Damiana, yay, you’re back. Oh my, Lucius on his hands and knees being ridden and whipped? He might do it for his child. I don’t think he’d do it for Hermione. Not this Lucius anyway. I’m relieved the actuality eclipsed that visual. As Lucius becomes more sure of Hermione his spurts of jealousy will decline, I’m sure. You asked about pagination, but I don’t understand the question. What did you mean? Can you imagine the swelled head Lucius would have if the new House was called Malfoys?


Mrs_Helene_Snape – Yeah, I think we aren’t finished with paintings quite yet, but not this chapter. Lucius and inhibitions are complete opposites when it comes to sex LOL. Right now Lucius is still unsure of his importance to his wife. Her willingness to seek out knowledge should have appeased him, but she miscalculated a bit, not understanding it was a field he was expert in and HE wanted to teach her.
The threat to Hermione will show up later. It’s fascinating to see your questions and how you’re processing the story line. But I can’t answer. Sorry!


Rini - Strangely I can’t seem to write a one-sided dominance story with Lucius and Hermione. I guess I’ll leave that scenario to others. Lucius can tell Hermione whatever he wants. Have you ever seen her pay him any attention if she doesn’t agree? To Hermione him forbidding something would be absorbed as a nebulous suggestion. Then SHE would decide. Uncle Malfoy was definitely not a book reader (I said that in some previous chapter somewhere…)
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Correction info for Rini -
Thank you for helping me with corrections. I always like to clean up my tales for grammar, spelling and punctuation. The sentences you pointed out are actually entire sentences with the commas as they are.

Example: [“Tell me that was a joke,” Hermione’s brows lowered over her brown eyes in a scowl designed to hide her desire to laugh in his face. ]

That was okay as one sentence. Hermione’s action relates to her words and thus can be a single sentence. It could be a separate sentence in that particular case; that example could go either way and be correct.

The next example: [ “If it’s such a derogatory term, perhaps we should rethink the name. ‘Lucians’ comes to mind,” Lucius said with a commendably straight face.]

This is definitely one sentence. The comma after ‘mind’ must be there, not a period. You are stating what Lucius said and it is all one sentence. I hope that makes sense to you. This is an error I see all over stories.

The comma you listed was a problem because I should actually have added another comma separating out the dependent clause. I’ve now done that.

And the last correction where I had an extra double quote I fixed. Many thanks!
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Pittwitch – Lucius wanted to school Hermione in sex himself. Picky, picky. Do you think bottled horse smell would sell? I’d rather have the Lucius and lime smell, myself.


Clare1984 – What is it about Lucius’ butt that makes women want to kiss it? Oh! Oh yeah, never mind. [kicks self for stupid question.] Lucius probably has a whole arsenal of information on sex the way he likes it that Hermione hasn’t touched on yet (ooooh, a little pun there). I also think ‘Lynx’ is better. A dark green hazmat suit. That would show up the escaping body fluids. Hmmm? Oh, no body fluids, just sponge baths? That’s bad enough. Candles again, hunh? I hope they were merely for ambiance. I’m glad you got the one-on-one with Lucius. Now we all need details, just like I write them. Blow by blow. (Oops, was that another pun??)


sheherazade – Hermione does have a brazen streak when it comes to learning. She’s dauntless in her quest for knowledge. Lucians as the name for Squibs might have been nice, but I wonder if Lucius thought much about his name being associated with magic folk who couldn’t do magic? Twelve years of no sex would be hard on most people. (OMG, was that yet another pun? My goodness, they’re everywhere.)


blue artemis – Hermione is a researcher before nearly anything. It is her passion. She just combined her interests. And Lucius profited. Her lack of sophistication peeks out occasionally. Lucius corrected her quickly on that gaffe. Next painting will show up after some plot happens.


Scary Bear Hair – Do you get the impression that Lucius would take any excuse to spank Hermione? Well, you are correct that I wouldn’t write pony play, having no understanding of it beyond an episode of “Bones”. But Lucius usually gets pegged in my stories. You know that, heh, heh. It’s something Hermione can lead in but Lucius can remain somewhat dominant. Does that make sense? It is kind of a give and take scenario for the couple to indulge in. Those two complement each other well. The Veil isn’t all powerful in the sense of controlling the hero and heroine. I promised another reviewer I would give the Lynx the color purple so that’s what will show up in its place. Ah, the elves. Sorry, Scary, no can say.


jw – Glad you like the idea of a fifth House. I can’t imagine Lucius would want to be bogged down in the minutiae of the new school. He’s more the grand planner type. And Hermione is a FEMALE. They can’t do stuff like that. They’re ornaments. This is 1817. Poooor Hermione! I can’t remember if I said or not, but I can’t discuss Lucius being his own g.g.g.grandfather. Sorry.


tambrathegreat – Hermione is slowly immersing herself in Lucius realm of sensuality. I like Lynx better, too. Yeah, Lucius liked the idea of ‘Lucians’, too. I guess Hermione didn’t. A pity. If the pattern had stayed the same as the other Houses and used Lucius’ last name, all the Squib children attending school would be called Malfoys. Halfbloods and Purebloods alike. That has a delicious irony.


SnapesCello – Hello and welcome. I see by your enjoyment of the cow comments you’ve just entered the world of Lucius and Hermione “Beyond the Veil”. I got a kick out of writing that cow scene. It was farcical fun.


On to the lemonless chapter...

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Chapter Thirty-Eight

Surprise!

Two days later Hermione came barreling into Lucius’ study slamming the door and wrenching her bonnet off, throwing it against the wall, “Ooooh, I hate those women. Why are you still in your study? Oh, never mind. ” She stomped a tiny foot and glared at her spouse, making him feel as though he were responsible for her anger, even though he knew he didn’t qualify as one of the women she was ranting about.

Lucius set his quill into the inkwell and folded his hands on his parchment, sitting quietly at his desk as the flow of vitriol from Hermione’s delicate lips washed over him. Apparently there were any number of Pureblood women who were part kneazle and part sly, nasty ferrets whose mouths should be washed out with soap. He smothered a grin at Hermione’s lack of inventive invective. It was something he liked about her. She didn’t really have a vicious bone is her body and her diatribes were usually limited to Hogwarts schoolgirl curses. Condemning someone to a mouthful of soap was dire indeed for her.

When she finally ran down and threw herself into the carved oak chair in front of his desk he asked mildly, “Someone upset you?” Then to take her mind off her irritation he added, “If you will tell me their names I’ll take care of them for you.”

Hermione looked up at her gently smiling mate in alarm. That quiet smile didn’t reach his wintry eyes and she worried that she was endangering a flock of idiot females by her complaining. Who knew exactly what her husband’s uneven temper would unleash if she sicced him on the stupid cows?

“Ah, uh, no, that won’t be necessary, Lucius. I’m just angry that a few of the ‘ladies’ have come to the conclusion we were afraid of. It’s getting around that the blackmail is continuing and we’re the prime suspects. They think we’re following in your uncle’s footsteps. One woman intimated that the new dress I’m wearing probably was paid for by someone’s secret being kept. I got other oblique comments like that, if more discreet, from a few other women, too.

“It just makes me mad that I’ve been tarred with insinuations I don’t deserve. One or two of the nasty tabbies had the nerve to hint that your academy is a smoke screen and is probably being built with the blackmail money. Logic isn’t a trait of your Pureblood ladies, is it? It’s like you were saying, I know I’m innocent but I can’t prove it. Lucius, we need to figure out who the blackmailer is.”

“As to that,” her husband offered, an ironic quirk at Hermione’s slur on Purebloods twisting his lips, “you said you had a list of people for me to charm into telling all their secrets. I can make a start on that first, I suppose. Are any of the people on the list women? Perhaps I can start with the Pureblood ladies as you’ve identified them as halfwits.” Lucius sat back in his seat, stretching his long legs out under his desk. He folded his hands over his stomach in a relaxed slouch.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the lounging wizard, “Those halfwits are being quite nasty to me so don’t expect me to feel charitable toward them. Why does the sex of the person make a difference, anyway? Do you want to know if the women are good-looking, too?”

“Is that a shade of green I see tingeing your face, Hermione? Are you worried that I might in turn be charmed? I merely asked because strange as it might seem, I do have better luck charming women. For some reason, my charm isn’t quite as compelling to men. Go figure.” He laughed at her obvious chagrin, but was warmed at her display of territoriality. He liked that he was important enough to her to elicit jealousy. “Kitten, you very effectively wear me out at home. I don’t need any other females to excite me, but even if tomorrow you became paralyzed, I wouldn’t stray.” He was jolted a bit to realize he was telling the absolute truth and he sobered some, “Is it that you don’t trust me to be faithful?”

“Oh, don’t mind me,” Hermione slumped in her chair. “I’m having a bad day and I guess I still have an echo here and there of feeling out of your league in looks.” When Lucius would have remonstrated, she held up her hand, “I believe in you and I trust you. I’m just feeling pissy and I’m taking it out on you.” She rose and circled his desk, sliding up onto his lap, “I’m sorry. What you said about me being paralyzed was lovely.” Hermione tucked her head under his chin and settled comfortably into his embrace.

Lucius chuckled at her odd statement, but merely held her for a few minutes, wrapping his arms more securely around her small frame, staying quiet.

Finally Hermione gave a gigantic sigh and sat up in her husband’s lap. “Lucius, I can give you those names, but do you have any other ideas on how to discover the blackmailer?” She now noticed that he looked tired, his frosty eyes a little bloodshot with the slightest droop to his lids. She knew he had been sleeping well at night so his slightly worn look puzzled her, but she hesitated too long before asking him and he started speaking so she let it go.

Lucius lowered his arms to Hermione’s waist and sat up a bit straighter, too, keeping her firmly on his knees. “I’ve thought about it, but the only thing I can come up with is the fact that a blackmailer has to have something to blackmail his or her victims with. Someone can’t just go up to a person and say, ‘I know such-and-thus about you, pay me. The blackmailer would have to have something concrete to wave in the victim’s face. Perhaps pictures or documents or some other sort of evidence that they can use. So I think there must be a physical place where the blackmailer keeps his or her evidence. Outside of that I have no other ideas for now.”

“Well, if you can chase down a few of the women on my list and see if they’ll succumb to your manly physique and mesmerizing icy eyes -” Hermione gave a screech and wiggled furiously on Lucius’ lap. “Stop that, it tickles,” she tried to look ferocious, but a betraying giggle escaped as she pried Lucius’ hands away from her ribs.

“As you wish, my dear. I’ll captivate the witches into telling me all with my Malfoy looks,” said the blond wizard, totally unrepentant at his wife’s mock glare. He settled his hands back at her waist, satisfied he had made his point on her goading him about his looks. “And if that doesn’t work, I can always tickle them. It works quite well on you so I should have no trouble learning all their secrets, including their corset size and which sex toys they prefer.”

“Lucius!”

“No?” he asked innocently. “Too much information, you think? It is often the victim’s sexual preferences that open the door to blackmail, but if you don’t wish me to, I’ll skip that. Pity, though. The rest of the information will likely be incredibly boring.”

“Wouldn’t any blackmail information be juicy stuff that they don’t want anyone to know?” Hermione wrinkled her forehead in confusion.

“Not necessarily. Sexual deviance or infidelity are usually the big winners, but money irregularities and other crimes run a close second,” the wizard replied.

Hermione lifted both hands and ran her fingers through Lucius’ hair from his scalp to the ends letting the pale strands drift back to his shoulders trying to soothe away his fatigued look, “And how did you become so familiar with all those reasons for blackmail, hmm?”

Lucius merely lifted his left arm and pulled up his sleeve, displaying a faded dark mark tattoo. One blond eyebrow lifted over his pale gray eyes, but otherwise he didn’t answer her question.

Hermione knew Lucius had cowed the Hogwarts School Governors into removing Dumbledore from his post as Headmaster when she was a child and she suspected that was only the tip of his extensive Death Eater repertoire, but it was long ago and he had served many years in prison for his misdeeds.

She leaned toward her husband and gave him a quick kiss, then jumped down from his lap. “Ancient history,” she whispered in his ear before stepping to the side of the study to retrieve her abused bonnet. “I’ll give you the list of your prospective conquests before we leave for dinner at the Armbrusters’. Leticia Armbruster has invited several of the blackmail victims so you can have a clear shot at a few of them tonight. I’m going to go soak in the hipbath for an hour.”

Hermione sailed out of the study leaving behind a bemused but complacent spouse to finish his various accounting records, an enigmatic smile touching his lips.

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Lucius wandered into his bedroom an hour later and smiled to find it empty. He strode toward the dressing room door and opened it on a very satisfying scene.

“Lucius!” Hermione squealed. “You sweetheart! When did you do this?” The little witch was submerged in frothy bubbles that floated on a vast expanse of water filling a large sunken tub made from green marble. Her hair was piled haphazardly on her head, a few stray curls clinging damply to her shoulders.

“It occurred to me that I needn’t be limited to that double hipbath when I could work on transfiguring my regular sunken tub,” he said. “Why couldn’t the tub I’m familiar with in my time have been designed in this time period? It took me most of the day to do including knocking out the wall into the next bedroom to make more room. That’s why I was still working in the study when you came home. I assume you like it?” He grinned at his wife’s euphoric expression, seeing her float her small body and wiggle her toes through the bubbles. He could see her decorative chest peeping out of the bubbles as well and he decided his brainstorm was nothing short of brilliant.

“This is what your tub looked like before? Or I mean in the future? You certainly lived very well, didn’t you? A large palatial estate with every luxury. I don’t understand why you threw it all away for Voldemort. Were the Muggles and ones like me so much of a threat?”

“As you said, love, ancient history,” replied Lucius using her words. “It doesn’t do any good rehashing a world that we no longer inhabit. I’m making an effort to succeed in my new leaf program and that includes burying those political ideas and forgetting them. I’d rather not relive a time that gave me nothing but gut-churning fear and pain. I suppose I’ll always have a leftover patina of Pureblood arrogance, but I flatter myself I’m blending in with other nonPureblood magic folk better now. I certainly thought we were blending quite well. Speaking of blending, is there room for me in there?”

Hermione moved to the side in a mute invitation for her husband to join her, hiding a grin. Poor Lucius. He thought he was blending in with his fellows better? He was treating others more politely and actually listened to the views of the nonPurebloods as well as to his stratum, but her wizard would never blend in anywhere with those looks and that ingrained Malfoy style. Hermione was clever enough to figure he actually didn’t want to blend in too much and become anonymous. He enjoyed the attention he drew as an extraordinarily handsome, magnetic male.

Part of Lucius was sheer showmanship and everyone, including her, had a good time watching him just like they would enjoy watching a peacock strutting in all his beautiful colors. People always preferred to see a proud, self-confident individual rather than a downtrodden, self-effacing soul. It was merely human nature. Lucius was one of those grandiose, charismatic people who led naturally, always striving for the first spot; he couldn’t be anything else. She just hoped his delusion that he was now one of the crowd held for him.

Hermione understood his need to be the best; she had that personality quirk in spades herself. She could see and sympathize that his life under Voldemort must have been one long struggle to accept second place. It was as well, she mused, that Snape had been the spy; Lucius couldn’t have submerged his personality into a secret double agent serving two masters to save his life.

Hermione smiled at her lover as he stripped out of his clothing and slipped into the water. She wouldn’t have her wizard any other way but his ambitious, lordly, quick-tempered self. Somehow, amazingly, he completed her, the organized, intelligent, feisty, socially inept conformer. She saw herself as the peahen to his peacock splendor, drab and uninteresting next to him, but peacocks needed peahens and he said she made him happy. She wasn’t going to tease herself any more about their differences. It was beginning to dawn on her that he was happy with her.

Hermione floated over to Lucius who had settled across from her on the facing submerged step. His pale eyes were gleaming with contentment and pride in his accomplishment, knowing he had pleased his witch. Now she understood why he looked so tired and she lavished well-earned praise on her imposing spouse, “I see from this beautiful spa that you could have built your new academy yourself, instead of parceling the work out to those transfiguration specialists. I am so impressed with the quality and detail of this marble bath - I could stay in here forever. I feel rather like a queen being pampered with this luxury. You must have driven yourself quite hard to do all this in one day.”

Lucius glowed with the compliments and his wife’s admiration of his talents rather than his looks. That meant so much more to him than taking credit for an appearance he was born with and hadn’t worked for. Perhaps she was truly coming to see him as more than a pretty face and an experienced sex partner. He wanted that more than he should. Lucius was worried that his escalating need for her was way out of balance with her need for him. He knew he was lost to her; he belonged to her as thoroughly as those wild curls on her head.

Without even pondering it, he knew if Hermione had been his wife, she would have waited forever when he was sentenced to Azkaban – more, she would have visited him regularly, although if he had been married to her he wouldn’t have been a Death Eater in the first place. Sadly, he realized he would never have considered her, a Muggleborn, as a wife back then, aside from the unpleasant realization that when he had married Narcissa, she hadn’t even been born. Lucius tried not to think too much about the difference in their ages – it didn’t seem to bother her at all.

He wondered why he never succeeded in making someone love him the way he loved. He had lost Narcissa long before she had abandoned him to prison. Lucius had played down his marriage to Narcissa when Hermione had mentioned soulmates. He’d loved his wife, but had always known her reciprocation was a shallow reflection of his feelings. Their marriage had been arranged and some small part of Narcissa had always resented her lack of choice in her spouse. Looking back he understood with regret that Narcissa’s maternal attachment to their son was much stronger than her love for him and any care she had for her husband had suffered a death blow when he had embroiled Draco in Voldemort’s web.

Hermione’s small body snuggling up against his side in the warm, fragrant water pulled Lucius’ mind from his unpleasant reminiscences. The two of them sat with fingers entwined under the water, letting the cares of their lives melt away with the pretty, soothing bubbles for these few moments. It was always like this for Lucius when he was with her. He relaxed his shrewd, wily mind from its treadmill of financial contriving and guileful vigilance or his occasional darker thoughts to bask in her company and approval. He decided to try to let his future with her take care of itself and to just protect and care for her as much as she would allow.

tbc...


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I wonder if being married to Lucius might be like being married to a mob boss. One couldn't really complain too loudly about a person who annoys one for fear that person would be gently erased from this world. Ah, well, I think the perks would be worth it.

Lucius knows he's hooked. It must worry him not knowing Hermione's deepest feelings. But then he isn't volunteering his either. Hermione is using his charisma for their project, but how does she feel herself?


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