Harvest Moon

I sincerely apologize to everyone reading this. I know it\'s been a small forever since I updated. Suffice it to say it\'s been a stunningly awful past few months and one of the roughest consultations I\'ve ever had to deal with. I\'m also sorry if this isn\'t up to usual par, I just don\'t have the energy to do the more complex chapters right now. Thanks for understanding, everyone.



***



“So, here\'s where you\'ve been hiding out, Lucius. Why am I not surprised?” Ara said, striding into the library at Malfoy Manor.



“I hardly think you should be after all these years, Ara.”



She sighed heavily then went to hug him. “I saw Hermione come in earlier. Where is she?”



“She went to speak to Severus concerning something. Considering it’s about the case, I am not privy to that information,” he said, smiling a bit sardonically.



“How odd, considering she’s told you just about everything else about the case so far.”



“I really have no explanation for that either.”



“Of course you do,” Ara said.



Lucius stared at her blankly for close to a minute, willing her to explain.



“She feels the same way about you, Lucius, so she tells you things she would never have normally.”



“I still fail to comprehend what you’re aiming at, Ara.”



“Oh, just stop dawdling and tell the girl you love her,” she said, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.



“I\'m sure I don\'t know what you\'re talking about, Ara.”



She leaned back and looked at him dubiously. “I\'m sure you do know what I\'m talking about.”



“I can\'t say what I\'m feeling toward her at the moment,” he hedged.



“You love her,” Arabella said firmly. “You love me as well but not to that degree. You are in love with her. Face that fact and get on with it.”



“That entire statement makes no sense, Ara,” he said.



“Of course it does,” she said loftily. “Or it would to any normal person. You just don\'t understand it because you have never really been in love in your life.”



Lucius stared at her as though she\'d lost all rational thought. “I\'ll have you know I\'ve most certainly been in love before,” he said, sounding thoroughly offended.



“No you haven\'t,” Ara scoffed. “Narcissa doesn\'t count because you never loved her. She was foisted off on you by your family because it was the proper thing to do after Liren supposedly died.”



“Ara, I do love you, you know.”



She smiled and took his face in her hands. “I know that, you daft man. But while we are good playmates, we can not be a serious couple. We’d kill one another. I also know one Mr. Potter is chomping at the bit wanting to speak to you in the foyer.”



Lucius blinked startled as usual by the abrupt subject change. Potter showing up at the Manor certainly couldn\'t bode well for the rest of the day. Especially not when Hermione would have to come back through his library fireplace to get back to the Ministry. He didn’t want to cause her any more trouble than she’d already be in if Potter found out she was still working this case in spite of being officially removed from it.



Lucius sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to go see what he wants of me.”



“Might be a good idea to hurry,” Ara said, smirking a bit.



“Why is that?”



“Because I saw Bubble lurking in the doorway when I left to come find you.”



Again, that could not bode well for the day. The gods only knew what Bubble would tell anyone about anything.



“Can you stay here and warn Mine if she comes back before Potter leaves?”



“Certainly. Lucius, be very careful. You know that young man would like nothing more than to lock you up in Azkaban forever.”



“I’m aware of that, Ara,” Lucius said, sweeping out the door of the library.



Arabella sighed. “Really, that man is going to get himself arrested one of these days.”



She turned a little upon hearing a “whoosh” and “thud” from the fireplace to her left. Hermione stepped out, brushing the soot from her clothes and trying to shake it out of her hair.



“Hermione, so glad you’ve returned,” Ara said.



“Why? What’s happening?” Hermione asked, suddenly tense and worried.



“The Potter formerly known as friend is here.”



“Oh, gods!” Hermione said, starting for the door.



“Hold on a tic, Hermione,” Ara said.



“What is it?”



“You can’t just go barging in there. Potter isn’t stupid, except when it comes to friends, he’ll figure out something is up in a heartbeat.”



“What’s your suggestion?”



A wicked smile played over Arabella’s lips. “First, transfigure that outfit into what you wore to tea with me at the Ritz. I’ll call Lucius on his mobile and tell him what the plan is.”



“What exactly is the plan, Ara?” Hermione asked, looking at the other woman with no small amount of suspicion.



“Why you and Lucius are going out, of course.”



“Ara, I really don’t think . . .”



“Gods above and below, you and Lucius both think too much. That’s exactly your problem. Since you are officially off the case, you can see whom you please for whatever reason you please.”



“That’s brilliant.”



“I know,” Ara said, pulling out her cell, which had been modified to work in the magickal world. When Lucius picked up she quickly explained the plan to him so he could play along. She hung up quickly. “He certainly doesn’t sound happy.”



“Well, he’s still the prime suspect in a multiple murder investigation. That’s enough to make anyone unhappy,” Hermione said, taking out her wand to transfigure her clothing to something more suitable for dining out with Lucius Malfoy.



“Doubtlessly. I think you should step in now. I hear that tone creeping into Lucius’ voice.”



“The one that indicates he’s about to hex someone off the planet?”



“That would be the one.”