Sins of the Father

Title: Sins of the Father-Chapter 3
Author: lucretziathevagabond (MissJo1)
Rating: NC- 17 eventually
Pairing: LM/HG
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never will be. They all belong to JKR et al. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 4: Is it Heaven, or is it Hell?

Severus Snape walked into the crowded cafeteria and scowled. He absolutely hated crowded rooms, and the smell of roast mystery meat and overboiled vegetables. Having eaten dinner with his quarry, he would have assumed that she had higher standards than this swill. He looked around the room, finding her at the register. He moved to her side, and interrupted her search for change to pay the witch. Extending his hand, he handed the cashier the galleon for her chocolate bar and led her away by the elbow; ignoring the curious stares of the other Ministry employees.
He followed her back to her library, watching as she closed and locked the door behind her. Turning to face him, she opened her chocolate bar and took a bite. She waited for him to tell her why he had sought her out.

“Blaise and I went to see Lucius Malfoy yesterday. Apparently, he has spent the past two days since he departed your flat in a drunken stupor. He has neglected to eat, take his potions or even bathe. I am not entirely certain if it is because he is unable to walk or if he is in a fit of melancholy. Either way, it is inadvisable to leave him alone. Blaise has agreed to take a temporary change in shift at St Mungo’s so as to be home during the day whilst we are at work.

“Miss Granger, I know that you have made your feelings regarding Lucius Malfoy clear. However, I would consider it a favor if you would take him back in until he is back on his feet. Between Blaise and I, you would not be alone with him. We have also gotten him to agree to surrender his wand. Wandless magic is the last thing to return to a wizard, so he would be as harmless as a muggle.”

Hermione snorted. “You are a half-blood. Muggles are hardly harmless. They have committed atrocities that are absolutely unspeakable. No pun intended, of course.”

“Lucius Malfoy will not be a threat. He may be an arrogant bastard at times; but you seem to handle him quite well. He only baits you because you rise to it.”

She threw up her hands in defeat. “Fine. Just bring him over tonight at seven. The guest room is made up.”

Snape exhaled in relief. Things were going to plan. Lucius was weakened and stubborn as a bull. He needed a powerful witch that he believed he could dominate, to protect him until they figured out who his attacker was. Hermione would badger him into health. Providing neither of them ended up in Azkaban for murdering the other, of course.

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At precisely seven o’clock, Hermione opened the door to a semi-sober Lucius carrying a suitcase and Severus Snape carrying a box of potions.

Lucius was leaning heavily on his serpent head walking stick, but moving under his own steam. When he got into the bedroom, she heard the suitcase drop and a body collapse onto the bed.

“I need to get back to stir the strengthening potion. Blaise should be here any time. Lucius hasn’t eaten dinner yet, but he will need to do so before he takes his anti-infective potion. You have enough potions to last until noontime tomorrow. Let Blaise know I’ll drop more off in the morning.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at work.” She went to close the door, but Severus caught her hand. Lifting it to his lips, he kissed the knuckles gently.

“Again, thank you.” She nodded, and then turned to walk into the guest room. Knocking, she entered to find Lucius sitting on the bed unpacking his clothing. He looked absolutely miserable, his head bowed and his hands trembled as he sorted his clothing. Hermione noticed that his clothes were still clearly quite flamboyant in color, they lacked the ornamentation of his usual attire. He was dressed now in the clothing Hermione had given him. She realized it was as though his spirit had somehow been broken, and wondered what it had taken to bring a proud man down to this.

“Mr. Malfoy, I had planned to make scallops for dinner. Do you eat scallops?

Nod.

“I can have dinner ready in forty minutes. If you require any correspondence, I have a raven named Noir who lives on my balcony. Your owl would be welcome there. I also have a study down the hall, and I cleared out a space for a desk if you need it. I’m sure you will still need to conduct business, despite being here. Once you are more steady, we can connect the floo to your office, so you can work there.”

Nod.

She left the room to start dinner, and pondered the change in him. Ten minutes later, she heard him walk out into the living room. The pancetta and sage were sizzling in the pan and the orzo was cooking away in a saucepan. She was standing at the counter and chopped up vegetables as he limped toward her, examining the vegetables.

“Is there anything you see that you don’t eat? We’re having Scallops with Pancetta and Crispy Sage, Scallion Orzo and salad. I’ve also made berries with Grand Marnier. “

He looked at her in surprise, and she imagined that he thought that he would be eating peanut butter on white bread for two weeks.

“That sounds wonderful.” He finally spoke, his voice low. His eyes looked puffy, and she realized with horror that he had been crying. The reason for his sadness finally hit her. He had been completely stripped of his identity as a wizard. He was too weak to use magic, he couldn’t do the things he used to do as lord and master of his domain, and she was pretty sure that he didn’t really want his friends and colleagues to realize he had been weakened to this degree. For her, using magic was a choice; for him, it was the only way he knew to do things.

“Miss Granger, I have a proposal for you.” She set her knife down.

“All right, I’m listening.”

“Please hear me out before refusing me. I have a house elf by the name of Lola;… no, please don’t interrupt. Lola is my personal elf; she came to the Manor two years ago after being cast out of her family. She was unable to find work, and ended up at the Manor. Lola is a house elf, but she has no magical ability…a Squib, if you will. She is a good worker, but cannot use magic to complete her chores, so is considered by many to be worthless. I use her to maintain my wardrobe, and to clean my study and chambers. Because of her status as my personal elf, she has many enemies among the elfish staff who desire her position.”

Hermione was aware of the jealousy of status within elfish circles from her SPEW days. She nodded for him to go on.

“If I were to bring Lola here, she would be safe from mistreatment by the other elves. I would have her clean the flat and attend to your wardrobe as well if you would agree to let her come here. She is not paid, but she has always had a special area where she sleeps in my study away from the other elves. The last time I went away, she was covered in bandages when I returned.”

Her most sacred law of her house was no elves. Still, if Lola was being mistreated by the other elves, and couldn’t do magic…
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The moment Lola came through the fireplace, Hermione knew she had made the right decision. The tiny elf threw herself into Lucius’ arms sobbing with happiness, ignoring her bandaged arms and scorched ears and forgetting the large bag she was dragging. Minutes later, Hermione had her arms full of excited house elf, who hurried around the flat, pronouncing it in dire need of her attention. By the time they sat down to dinner, Lola had clad herself in a new red tea towel and was arranging blankets and pillows into a new bed for herself in the laundry room.

Lucius seemed a bit cheerier as he ate his scallops, taking second helpings of everything and going so far as to compliment the meal. More than likely, it was from winning the house elf battle, but she was willing to tolerate his good mood. Hermione was barred from washing the dishes (which she was grateful for) as Lola pulled a chair over to the sink. Minutes later there was a sink full of bubbles and Lola was splashing as she happily washed the plates and pots.

Hermione followed Lucius as he made his way into the living room, ensuring that he didn’t fall. Once seated in the blue velvet Queen Anne chair, his mood seemed to lower as he gazed out the window, lost in thought. Two attempts at conversation failed, so Hermione pulled out a book and began to read.
A voice echoed in the fireplace and seconds later, Blaise’s head appeared in the grate.

“You are two hours late, Healer Zabini,” Lucius growled.

“I am very sorry, Lord Malfoy. We have had an outbreak of dragon pox and the emergency room has been overrun. I have had assurances from the head of the hospital that my shift will be changed after tonight, but as for now I am stuck until the line dies down.”

Lucius looked annoyed.

“Hermione, can you give him a small vial of the anti-infective potion? It’s the yellow one with the red specks. He also needs the muscle -relaxing potion rubbed in, but if he can hold off, I’ll do it when I get there. I’m hoping to be there within two hours.”

“Fine.” The first night of this new arrangement, and it was already going pear-shaped. Damn it.

Blaise disappeared from the grate, and Lucius reluctantly took the revolting potion. When she appeared with the relaxing potion, he shook his head.

“Absolutely not. You are not touching me.”

“Mr Malfoy, your muscles are already starting to stiffen; I can tell.”

“No.”

“Fine. She slammed the potion down on a side table and left the room. Walking into her study, she sat down with her mail. That annoying doctor from the county hospital, Dr. Stevenson, had sent her a letter requesting an update on Lucius. He also requested to be given access to “his patient”, stating that he was considering writing a paper on Lucius’ odd bloodwork and test results, believing Lucius had a new and rare disease. Hermione threw the letter in the bin. What an idiot.

Turning to her research, she lost track of time until she felt a tiny hand touching her knee.

“Yes, Lola?”

“Lola is sorry for bothering the Mistress, but Master is very ill, very ill indeed.”
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Hermione hurried down the hall to the sitting room. Lucius was on the floor, curled in the fetal position with his jaw locked in a spasm. Dear god. Levitating him into his room, she sent Lola for the potion and the oil she needed to mix it with. The elf returned, sobbing and hopping from one foot to the other.

“Lola, can you go make me some coffee?” she asked, eager to get the trembling elf out of the room. When she left, Hermione emptied the potion into the oil bottle and watched it turn into a silvery white substance. Interesting, she had never seen this before. Probably one of Professor Snape’s creations, she thought. Vanishing his clothes, she went to work starting with his jaw.

She massaged the mixture in gently, watching with amazement as she could feel the magic begin to flare and the muscles relax. Making sure that the potion had been completely been worked in, she went down to his neck. She saw a healed scar near his collarbone, but ignored it as she continued to work the potion into the knotted muscles, unknowingly healing more than just the knots as she went along.


Lucius lay on the bed, trying to debate whether he was in heaven or hell. When the muscle seizures hit, he had been working on his third glass of brandy that Lola had hidden away in her large bag. Blaise was now five hours late. He had turned down Granger’ s offer of applying the potion, figuring that Blaise would be there in an hour or so. When he hadn’t arrived, Lucius had been plotting ways to injure the bastard without magic when his entire body had revolted, seizing up and causing him unbelievable pain as he crashed to the floor.

He hadn’t been surprised that Granger had levitated him to his room. Or that she had decided to apply the potion herself-after all, she was as stubborn as he was. What he was surprised in was the thoroughness in which she applied the potion. When Blaise applied it, he rubbed the potion on, but never took the time to patiently work out the knots and kinks the way she did. He had expected her to be uncomfortable with touching him and hurry through it. He had been pleasantly mistaken.

It had been years since a woman had touched his bare skin so intimately. He had his share of mistresses of course, but whilst they had eagerly shared their bodies, none had lavished such attention onto his entire body as she did. At that moment, he decided that she would be the one to apply his relaxing potion from here on out. He had been living a life of virtual celibacy for years now, and he was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Lola had brought a pain potion, and Hermione had poured out a half dose into a small glass.

“Can you swallow?” she asked softly, rubbing the back of his neck. He tried; yes he could swallow. He nodded.

The partial dose of pain potion was just enough to settle his aching, and he lay like putty on the bed as she went back to her task, kneading the muscles between every single vertebrae as she went. Her fingers grazed his ribcage and he giggled, the potion blocking his inhibitions.

It took her nearly an hour before she was finished with one side and was able to coax him to roll over onto his back. She repeated the process, covering his private parts to maintain his modesty. She had been afraid one particular muscle would need attention, but thankfully lay relaxed under the towel. Finishing with his feet, she slipped the now sleeping wizard under his covers . Turning toward the door, she saw Professor Snape looking at her strangely from the doorway. Climbing off the bed, she walked out of the room and into the sitting room where Lola was waiting with her coffee.

“Blaise called me and said he was going to be at St Mungo’s until morning. I came to see if you needed anything; I confess to being surprised at what I found.”

“He had some sort of muscular reaction. His whole body seized up, and it took me ages to be able to get his body to straighten out from the fetal position. When I get my hands on Blaise, I’m going to strangle him. There is no reason for him to be so late that his patient suffers.”

“I don’t think that Lucius will allow anyone else to apply the muscle relaxing potion but you from now on.”

“What makes you think that?”

Snape grinned, sipping his coffee.

“If I had a beautiful woman to massage my entire body so thoroughly, I wouldn’t let anyone else do it, either.” He laughed as she blushed.

“It wasn’t sexual. He was in pain.”

“I understand that. Lucius is a wizard, however. Sex is almost always foremost in our minds.”

“He is a married man. Narcissa is very beautiful; I’m sure he has no interest in anyone else.”

Snape looked as if he wanted to argue, but just then the fireplace ignited and Blaise climbed out, looking exhausted. One look at the glare on the faces of the room’s occupants (including Lola) and he held up his hands in surrender.

“I know, I know. I’m very sorry, but I wasn’t able to leave Mungo’s until everything was back to normal.”

“Go home, Healer Zabini. I will stay tonight, and will expect you at 9:30 sharp tomorrow morning. No excuses.”

The healer opened his mouth as if to argue, then nodded and left in a whoosh of flames.

“You can go home as well, Professor. We’ll be fine until morning.”

“No, Miss Granger. I prefer to stay. I can help Lucius get ready in the morning.” With a nod, she summoned the blankets and pillows he would need and went to bed herself.

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Lucius awoke feeling better than he had a long time. Crawling out of bed, he was halfway to the bathroom before he realized he had left his cane by the bed. He was even more surprised to learn that he hadn’t needed it. By the time he had made it to the shower however, his legs had once again stiffened and weakened. Lola appeared minutes later with Miss Granger, who smelled oddly like oranges.

Hermione washed his hair and back as she had before, then left for him to finish. Snape was there shortly afterward to help him back to the bed, where Lola had laid out his clothes. His arm twitched as he tried to lift the undershirt. Damn it. Then again, a massage might be in order…

Snape helped him into his clothes, snickering at the odd boxers, then helped him to the kitchen table. Hermione was cooking again, and this time placed pancakes with sausages, fruit and orange juice in front of him. Lucius smiled to see Lola sitting next to an uncomfortable Blaise eating off of a child’s plate, a new red bow perched on her head.

“So, Mr. Zabini, I understand St Mungo’s was in a bit of a crisis last evening. I assume everything has been sorted out?”

Blaise nodded, swallowing his pancake before answering. “Dragon pox, sir. They had an outbreak at a daycare center. My shift will be from eleven pm to seven am starting today. Severus has agreed to stay at night in case you need him.”

“Severus does not need to stay. I am quite tired after my muscle relaxing potion and sleep uninterrupted through the night.”

Snape snorted, and Lucius glared at him.

Silence reigned over the table until Hermione said, ”I’m going to go out with Dean to a gallery opening tonight. Professor, will you be able to stay this evening?”

“You aren’t going anywhere, Miss Granger. You need to stay here with me in case I need you for something.” Lucius snapped, cutting his sausage into small discs.

“Mr. Malfoy, you’ll have eaten dinner by the time I leave and Blaise will be able to handle your potions. Lola and the Professor will be able to help as well. “

“Absolutely not. You will remain here. I will not sit and bear witness to muggle mating habits; if I am expected to stay here, you will behave in a decorous manner.”

Snape snorted, and Blaise smiled at the comment.

“So, are you dating Dean, then? I had heard you turned down Weasley, but I hadn’t heard anything else. Ginny was upset, and I’m afraid that she wasn’t very kind in her comments, “Blaise asked.

“I’m not dating Dean. We share an interest in urban exploring; he photographs the areas and I do research on the buildings. It’s a collaborative effort.”

“What is urban exploring?” Snape wanted to know.

“It’s where you go to abandoned buildings and explore the interiors. We go to muggle and wizarding buildings. Right now we have been visiting abandoned hospitals: psychiatric and medical hospitals. Dean is putting together a show on the subject and I am contributing the information under the photographs.”

“I was under the impression that sort of behavior was called criminal trespass.” Snape said, reaching for the syrup.

“Well…strictly speaking, it’s a rather grey area. We look at it as appreciating the beauty in the decaying buildings before they are torn down. We’re preservationists, really.” She blushed, looking down at her juice glass.

“I don’t think you’d be able to sell that to the Wizengamot. It sounds suspiciously illegal, not to mention filthy; tromping around buildings filled with trash and other revolting things.” Lucius grimaced at the thought.

“Fortunately, no one is asking you to do it. It is my hobby, not yours. I find kissing up to important people in society to be dull; yet, it is apparently something you seem to enjoy.”

“Actually, they kiss up to me. I can be very generous when I so choose, and people seek my favor of their own free will. I have other hobbies, if you must know.” Lucius glared at her.

“What sorts of hobbies? “ Hermione asked. Lola took their empty plate and carried them to the sink.

“I teach etiquette and dueling to young witches and wizards between the ages of seven and seventeen. Draco also coaches a children’s Quidditch team, and I am a league referee.”

“You teach etiquette?” Hermione sputtered.

“I happen to be quite refined, as opposed to certain witches who tromp through mud and keep their elbows on the table” Lucius snapped, looking pointedly at her arms, which were crossed on the breakfast table.

She burst out laughing, which seemed to annoy him further.

“We should be off to the Ministry, Miss Granger,” Snape told her, standing and effectively cutting off the current subject. She stood as well, unknowing drawing a certain blonde wizards attention to her attire. She was dressed conservatively in a grey suit, with a knee length skirt and heels. For a wizard used to women wearing multiple layers of clothing to their ankles, it was positively scandalous.

“Surely you aren’t going to work wearing that travesty?” Lucius asked. He was annoyed that he couldn’t rile the bushy-haired annoyance, he rather enjoyed the flash in her eyes when she was enraged. He kept maneuvering for her weak point. Unfortunately, he was unable to find it yet. Give it time, he thought.

As Hermione and Snape disappeared through the flames, Lucius turned to Blaise.

“Mr. Zabini, you and I need to have a little chat.”
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Hermione unlocked her door, feeling a little tipsy. The gallery opening had been interesting, to say the least. The room had been packed with critics and their hangers-on, artists and famous faces. She and Dean had made their appearance and viewed the collection, before going to a wine bar and drinking far too much. Thank Merlin for sobering potions, she thought as she searched for the vial she had placed there before she left for the opening. Pulling the cork off with some effort, she drank the vial down, grimacing at the taste of gunpowder. Absolutely disgusting, but effective.

Moving silently through the kitchen, she crossed the living room. A light clicked on, startling her. Mr. Malfoy sat in her chair, holding the bottle of muscle relaxing potion.

“I’m glad that I didn’t suffer another attack whilst waiting for you.” He looked at her long silk dress with low neckline and halter neck and scowled. Positively indecent, he thought as he felt his body traitorously respond.

“Where is Blaise?” she asked, looking around. “Where is the Professor?”

“Blaise is out at a pub with Draco, and Severus had some sort of problem with an experiment; he is at the Ministry. Alas, it falls to you once again to apply my potion.” He held out the already –mixed vial.

“Fine. Let me change so I don’t ruin my dress.” She disappeared into her room, returning moments later clad in a pair of old grey shorts and a black tank top. Lucius noted she wasn’t wearing a bra, and cursed his body’s response. Gesturing to her, they went into the guest room, where he lay down and covered himself with a towel.

“I don’t understand why Blaise didn’t apply this himself before he left”, she said before remembering Snape’s comment about Lucius making sure she would be the one to apply his potion. Damn the manipulative bastard. With a sigh, she busied herself with the task before her.

This application was much easier than the one last night as the muscles were not knotted as badly. His body was well toned and lean, probably from years on a broomstick, and it was obvious that he took care of himself. If he weren’t such a completely bigoted git, she would have been aroused by the gentle glide of her fingers along his bare and hairless skin. Finished with his back, she had him roll over and began the process on his front. When her fingers grazed the scarred area by his collarbone, she could feel something move under the skin. It wasn’t scar tissue, she was sure of that. Palpating the spot, she discovered the unknown object was the size of a piece of rice. It lay hidden next to the bone; she would never have found it had she not been so focused on his body.

“What the hell is going on here?” came a familiar voice.

“Language, Draco.” Lucius said, his voice sleepy. He took her hand and laid it back on his chest, motioning for her to continue. She resumed the application, ignoring Draco’s protests and criticisms of herself and her family.

Seized by the urge to annoy Draco as much as possible, she straddled the older Malfoy as she worked on his chest. Sure enough, Draco sputtered and began to insult her again. Only his father’s sleepy admonition kept him from exploding, particularly when Lucius hands came up and cupped her buttocks.

“Blaise, feel this,” she said as she once again reached for the scarred area. The healer’s brows wrinkled as he touched the area.

“What in the world is this?” Pulling out his wand, he made a small insicion, then slipped out the object. It was blinking, and Hermione recognized it immediately from seeing it on television.

“Muggle equivalent of a tracking spell.” Without waiting for anyone to comment, she smashed it with the potion vial.

“Now it’s useless. We can’t use it to backtrack the signal. Great job, Granger.”

“Malfoy, if this thing has been in him, the it knows everywhere he has gone: here, the Manor, even his office if he has been there.” She could feel Lucius begin to harden underneath her, and slid off the bed as she covered him for his modesty. He was injured, and not in control of his body at present. She moved down to his calves and feet, finishing as Blaise and Draco retreated back into the living room. He looked so peaceful as he slept, and she was reminded again of some sort of fallen angel. Closing the door behind her, she went out to meet the men.

Snape was in the living room now, holding his overnight bag and examining the shards of the tracker gizmo. He looked up and gave her a grim smile as he placed the shards in a small container.

“Mr. Malfoy is asleep.” Snape nodded and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen. As she pulled out the teakettle, she noticed her cast a Muffliato before turning back to her.

“Draco has just told me you were straddling Lucius when you massaged him. He is quite concerned that you are trying to usurp his mother’s position and become the new Mrs. Malfoy.”

“You’re kidding me.” She looked shocked, then annoyed.

“Indeed. I informed young Mr. Malfoy that you were not a threat to his mother’s position. Further, I explained to him that we intended to have Lucius back at the manor by Saturday morning at the latest. He teaches an etiquette class on Saturday mornings, and he has already missed one. If he misses another, people will begin to ask questions. That means his magic will need to be restored by Saturday.”

“All right. That’s four days from now. What do I need to do?”

“Actually, it’s three days from now. It is already Wednesday.”

“All right, three days then.”

He looked over at the Draco and Blaise, who were watching them curiously. “Let’s meet for coffee early, around five thirty perhaps? I believe that for us to be successful, we will need to take off the rest of the week from work. I will also need to set up a place to brew here in the flat. We can work out the logistics in the morning.” She nodded in understanding, and watched as the spell dissolved.

Sleeping arrangements were hotly debated. Draco swore he would not sleep on the floor, and refused to sleep in the same bed as his father. Finally, it was decided that Blaise would take the sofa, and Draco would sleep on a conjured chaise in Lucius’ room. Snape would sleep next to Lucius, and Hermione would have her own bed.

Hermione was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
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Six o clock am found a wide awake Hermione sitting across from Snape at the coffee shop, drinking coffee and processing what she had just been told.

“You have got to be kidding me. There is no way that you could possibly think I would consent to such… well, I don’t know what to call it. Surely Narcissa would be a better option, or one of his mistresses?”

Snape pinched the bridge of his nose, obviously praying for patience.

“Miss Granger, we are all adults here. This is the most expedient way to reclaim his innate magic and get both of your lives back to normal whilst maintaining the discretion this situation warrants.”

“I still don’t understand.” Snape sighed, and started over.

“As you are no doubt aware, magic begins to manifest itself in earnest during puberty. Prior to that, most magic is accidental and tied to strong emotions. During puberty, the rapid changes in a witch or wizards body undergoes allows the magic within them to spill forward. Educational curricula during the first two years at Hogwarts is a combination of both classes that require no magical ability, such as astronomy and runes, or ones that emphasize the development of control such and Transfiguration. Potions is a specialty that involves the development of precision and concentration; pivotal steps in the development of an adult wizard.

“When an adult witch or wizard sustains a life-threatening injury, their magic goes latent, effectively reducing them to a pre-pubescent stage. The body focuses on preservation, and higher level abilities like magic are not used until the body has healed completely. The advantage of being an adult is of course, that the catalyst for reigniting magical emergence is not only acceptable but is often part of the life of an adult.”

“Sex.” Hermione said, her voice flat.

“You make it sound like a disease, Miss Granger. Yes, sex is the catalyst, and the most powerful one alive. During climax, the person’s inhibitions evaporate and leave a vacant place for the latent magic to reignite. Muggles refer to orgasm as a “little death”; in fact it is actually a “little rebirth”. Of course, intense sexual attraction can also be a catalyst without sexual completion, but the intensity and volatility that is required is mostly seen in teenagers. Adults tend to manifest sexual attraction in different ways and are better able to transfer it into other areas of focus such as Quidditch. Professional Quidditch players often abstain from sex the night before a match, in order to allow the power that is released during intercourse to build within them and then direct it to their athletic pursuits. I imagine that is why they play with such intensity.”

“So you want me to, as you call it, reignite Lucius’ magical emergence.”

”Yes, Miss Granger, that is exactly what I want you to do.” Snape drank his coffee as he watched her carefully.

“What I don’t understand is why Narcissa isn’t brought in to do this. She is his wife; I assume they have sex regularly. She should be able to ignite him without even trying.” Hermione blushed, knowing how ridiculous she sounded.

“Never assume, Miss Granger. While it may be true that Narcissa could be applied to for her assistance, I do not believe that neither she nor Lucius would be pleased with the idea.”

“Why in the world not?”

“Two very important reasons. First and foremost, Lucius and Narcissa are very formal members of magical society who are known for their control. Theirs was an arranged marriage, and although they both love Draco dearly and would walk through fire to keep up appearances, the spark has long been absent in their marriage. Voldemort’s last rise and the fear and uncertainty that came along with it destroyed the confidence and tenuous bond they once had. Since the war, both have sought to fulfill their needs through others. In time, they will likely divorce, but for now it is easier to go on willfully ignorant of the others activities.”

“And the second reason?”

“Lucius has always had a bit of an obsession with you. At first it was a boiling hatred, and then a grudging respect. However, you have always been in the front of his mind. You challenge his intellect and his pride, two things that few have the audacity to speak openly to him about. I’m sure you’ve noticed the way he seeks you out; his snappish comments are the equivalent of pulling your pigtails. In many ways, you are more important to him than his wife, the bond between you is well established, although it is not sexual in nature. You have cared for him when Narcissa refused, even though the two of you are hardly friends. You have provided him both protection from an unknown adversary and the discretion to not take advantage of his weakened state. It is you, more than anyone else who can restore him to the powerful wizard he truly is.”

“What about mistresses?” She asked, almost desperately.

“No, they cannot be trusted. Miss Granger, I am not certain why you are putting up such an argument to this. Lucius is well known as a skilled lover and you will no doubt find pleasure in his embrace. He will not hurt you, and the bond between you will only be strengthened. If he has a bond of affection with you, he will be more likely to regard you as an equal and less like an adversary.”

“So, how do you plan on going about this?” She asked, her voice businesslike.

“I have already informed Zabini that in addition to the daily muscle relaxing potions, I will be adding a strengthening potion that will need to be massaged in. As we are both off from work now, the two of us will assume responsibility for his care. Originally, I had thought to add an aphrodisiac to the potions, however I believe they will not be necessary. Lust potions and aphrodisiacs can be devilishly hard to control, one of the reasons Narcissa quit taking them. I can provide a light attraction potion to you if you feel you need it.”

“You think that my massaging him will turn him on?”

Snape grinned. “You were straddling him this morning, what do you think?”

She blushed.

“Miss Granger, Lucius is very much a hedonist, and his senses are extraordinarily refined. He wears those gloves to protect himself from becoming fixated on certain textures. His body was unresponsive in the beginning because he felt so poorly; however, he is beginning to come alive again and the friction of skin on skin has always been very erotic.”

“So you want me to try to seduce him?” Hermione drained her coffee and set the mug down.”

“No. I just don’t want you to resist him when he tries to seduce you. Miss Granger, think of this as a one night stand. Most women have had at least one of those in their lives; a night of good sex with no expectations. Once Lucius is back to normal, we can figure out the rest of the mystery as to what has happened to him. Lucius is a very powerful wizard; we should be wary of anything that could bring him down.”

She nodded. “Fine.” What in the world was she saying? She should be running away from this man, not getting closer.

“You agree to our plan?”

“We need answers. However, we have until Saturday morning. After that, Lucius will need to find another catalyst.” Gryffindor bravado was taking center stage at the moment; that and her desire to have her flat be her own again.

“That sounds reasonable.”

They stood and returned to the flat, Hermione’s head spinning as to the devil’s bargain that she had just been manipulated into.

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Coming Up… The Seduction… and some answers.