Hidden Meanings

Disclaimer: I wish, Luscious Lucius belongs to Jo, as does Severlicious Severus and ravishing Remus... even Hermione belongs to Jo!

pinkwands: Yeah, I think he's cute. I love Lucius thinking of Hermione as a shrew as well.

Citten: Don't panic! I feel the same way about that ship. That could be a spelling mistake, but it could be not... Luscious IS my favourite nickname for Lucius.

Gaps of Misery: The talking mirrors aren't used very much in fanfic, and I love that scene in CoS when the mirror tells Harry to tuck his shirt in! I just thought I'd expand on the idea.

angel, mary, Buckykattgirl: Do not worry about Remus... And no I won't break him too badly, another plot bunny's going to hop in soon, don't worry.

Taming of the Shrew

Hermione hid away as soon as she felt the wards on Severus’ cottage shake. She had hid just in time. If Remus had known she was there he would have tried to convince her that he was right for her. He probably was. But she had made a deal, and knew that she could not back down from her bargain.

She had gone to Severus just to tell him what her vows would be, and for the most part he agreed with them. He offered advice on a few, and rejected others completely. She accepted everything he said, as she worked out long ago that it was useless to argue with him. She was just about to leave then Remus turned up.

It was with a broken heart that she had entered Malfoy Manor. She stepped out of the fireplace in the library breathing a huge sigh of relief that he wasn’t in there. She looked around and set her bags down, and she sat down on the same chair she sat in the previous day. She was tired.

She had an exhausting and thoroughly demanding night. How she woke up forgetting it actually amazed her. She was still in shock over Remus feelings for her. She shook her head and brought herself back to her senses. She didn’t love Remus in that way. She couldn’t. He was too much of a father figure for her. It was too Sophoclean for her. She placed the back of her hand to her throbbing forehead, and she leant back.

“Can I gets you anything, Miss?” a house elf said. Hermione looked down, and to her shock she saw Dobby standing there with a tea cosy on his head, and his usual pair of mis-matched socks. “Hermione!” Dobby exclaimed. “Master said, new Mistress is someone Dobby knows, but he did not tell Dobby you is to be the new Mistress. Yous leave! You is too good for Master!”

“Dobby,” Hermione sighed, “I have made a bargain with your Master.”

Dobby’s eyes widened. He walked over to Hermione and took her hand in his.

“Why is pretty, nice friend of Harry Potter marrying Malfoy?”

“Lucius Malfoy knows things that could help us,” Hermione replied.

“One thing,” a cold voice said from the doorway, Hermione looked up, her brown eyes full of loathing, “Malfoy’s do not do is fraternize with the servants. If you wish to have cosy chats then you do so with me.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the blonde arrogant wizard in front of her.

“I would have thought prison might have made you re-evaluate your life, Malfoy,” she hissed.

Lucius smirked, he leant against the doorframe, Hermione observed his clothes; he was finely dressed as usual, wearing a pair of tight fitting grey hose, and knee high black dragon hide silver studded boots. Her eyes travelled up, and gasped as he had a white frilly shirt that had the first four buttons undone, revealing his toned body, and she could see his fine soft chest hair. He wore a silk silver waistcoat with emerald studded green buttons. He was also wearing a glove on his right hand and on the middle finger he wore a snake emerald ring. His other hand was naked but he held his cane in it. His long, satin hair hung loose and free and adorned his back and shoulders.

Hermione tried to tell herself that this was still a Death Eater, she also tried to tell herself that he was arrogant, and that she was not attracted to him one tiny little bit! She tried, but a part of her didn’t listen, and that part of her was beginning to get hot, and she felt the stirrings of liquid passion boiling within her. Merlin, she gasped, he is so much like King Jareth… and Jareth was hot!

“Back to, Malfoy, is it?” he grinned. “What happened to Luscious? I happen to like that nickname.”

Hermione’s expression narrowed, and she turned towards Dobby. She winked at him, but he was fiddling about with his apron. She got up, and swayed her hips. She noted to her satisfaction that she affected him, as much as he affected her. She looked all sweet and demure, and then she raised a hand to his cheek and slapped it hard.

“I am not attracted to you, Malfoy, as I said that just slipped out.”

She pushed him away so that she could walk away.

“Dobby,” Lucius said, “please take Hermione’s clothes to our bedchamber.”

Dobby whimpered and picked up Hermione’s bags.

“Yes, sir,” Dobby said.

“And if you tell her I have accepted you, payment and all, you will regret it Dobby. She will immediately think I’ve softened. We mustn’t let her think that, must we?”

“No, sir,” Dobby replied, he cringed as he walked past Lucius. Lucius let the elf think what it wanted to think.

Lucius had not softened, it was just that Dobby was the only house elf that had actually kept the Mansion in good working order, despite his little obsession with Potter. It was difficult to find people, and creatures to trust and he trusted Dobby. He knew that to get Hermione on his good side, he would have to behave better to third class creatures like Dobby.

He then raised his hand to the cheek she had slapped. He began laughing, although it was a cliché he did like women with a bit of spirit, and she had bucket loads of the stuff. Spirit and passion were the two things he saw about her instantly. He skipped over to the brandy and poured himself a glass. He was tempted to ask her what she was worried about, he knew she was worried, but that would show her he cared. He didn’t want to give that away – yet.

~*~*~

Hermione set about finding a room of her own. She was not going to sleep with Lucius until he behaved much better towards her. She opened door after door, and she could see instantly that these were guest rooms. She was about to step into the last room when she saw Dobby coming out HIS room.

“What were you doing in there?” Hermione asked.

“Miss, I was putting Miss things away in Master and Mistress bedchambers,” Dobby explained, he quivered under Hermione’s baleful stare.

“Who told you to do that?” she asked her teeth clenched, and her hands made into fists.

“Master told Dobby to Miss,” Dobby explained the fear showing clear in his silvery green orbs. “Dobby did not want to disappoint Master.”

Hermione advanced on Dobby and bent down on one knee so that they were eye-to-eye. Dobby squeezed his eyes shut, but Hermione patted his head.

“It’s not your fault, Dobby, that your Master happens to be a bastard,” she said to him gently. “As soon as I have found my own room I will tell you immediately to move those things there.”

“But Master -!”

“I will deal with Master, Dobby, you don’t have to worry yourself about that,” she said. Dobby gulped.

“You should not be marrying Malfoy, Hermione, you should be marrying the Weasey,” Dobby said.

“Ron’s dead,” Hermione said sadly.

“Poor Weasey,” Dobby said in mournful tones. “Harry Potter has lost the thing most dear to him.”

“So have I,” Hermione said a lump coming to her throat.

~*~*~

Lucius stood in an alcove behind them, and he scowled. Seeking her own room? The impertinence of the girl. She would sleep with him in his room, or she’d have to be naked until their wedding night, that was that. He was not going to give in. She was going to share a room with him and that was final. She was stubborn, but he was a Malfoy! And Malfoy’s got what they wanted. He might have spent two years in prison but he still had his pride.

He watched Hermione walk into the last room and when she came out she had a beaming smile plastered on her face.

“Dobby,” she said. “Move my clothes in there.”

“Yes Miss,” Dobby said, as he bowed. Hermione walked past him and descended the staircase with all the air of the Mistress of the Manor. Lucius came out of the alcove.

“Dobby,” he drawled.

Dobby froze in mid turn to the door to do what Hermione wanted.

“Yes, Master?” he said in a squeaky voice.

“You will not remove the Mistress’ clothes from my chamber,” Lucius said simply. “It will not go well with you if you do.”

“Yes, Master,” Dobby began. “But, Master, what does Dobby tell Mistress, if Mistress asks where her clothes are?”

Lucius sighed. “Tell her, Master says she is to sleep in the same bed as Master, or, she shall wonder the Mansion naked!”

Dobby gasped. Lucius gave Dobby a look that meant he was deadly serious and swirled around and descended the stairs. Dobby looked at the retreating back of Lucius Malfoy and thought about their actions. He was first and foremost a servant, and servants understood things that sometimes their employers did not. Dobby almost fell over in shock. His Master did actually LOVE the Mistress! And what shocked and confused the elf more was that the Mistress was in love with the Master.

He had two sets of orders, but he decided that in his first day of employment to stay on the Masters good side. He sighed, and apparated in the kitchen, he knew the Mistress would not like him for this, but Masters word was law. He thought of how pleasantly he could tell Mistress what Master said.

~*~*~

Lucius was being extremely pleasant to Hermione, which made Hermione wonder about what he was up to. He had been so nice to her that it was almost impossible to believe that this was the same person that had, had a plan to kill her best friend. He had been courtly and gentlemanly, offering his hand to her when she wanted to rise from a chair, he opened doors to rooms she wanted to go in, and he flashed dazzling smiles at her, and he even dropped sporadic compliments to her throughout the day.

Hermione was wary of every touch, every kind gesture, and every time he complimented her. She did of course say thank you, every time he did do something nice for her. But she knew from hearsay that Slytherins were only nice when they were up to something, or wanted something. She already had spent the night in his bed, so it couldn’t be that. What was the son of a bitch up to? She spent most of the day reading. He watched her reading. If this is a taster to their married life, he mused, he would not mind it actually. She was absolutely gorgeous when she was quiet.

He observed her crinkling her brow at something she had just read; she shook her head and turned the page. She sighed with frustration and then snapped the book shut.

“What’s the matter?” Lucius asked.

“Why do you keep outdated books like this in your Library?” she asked. She got up and went to find a different book to read. Lucius sighed.

“Why don’t you read more relaxing books, Hermione? I have first edition Dickens novels in this library.”

Hermione turned around and widened her eyes in surprise at what Lucius Malfoy had just admitted.

“You read Muggle authors?” she asked incredulously.

“Of course, although it is rumoured that Dickens was a squib, there were some parts of his story that testify to that. In the Pickwick Papers there was a story that featured goblins,” Lucius said. Hermione gulped.

“Show me, please?” she asked quietly. He loved that sweet, husky tone. It showed the vulnerability of the woman.

He took her hand and led her gently to the part of his library set aside particularly for Muggle culture. Hermione gulped as she surveyed the floor to ceiling bookshelves.

“As you can see, I have quite the collection,” he whispered, his front pressed against her back and he stretched an arm over her head, and as the sleeve of his shirt brushed against her face she hissed. Lucius heard the hiss and he was very careful to brush the sleeve against her cheek again. She hissed again. “Do you happen to like Charles Dickens?” Lucius whispered in her ear.

Hermione refrained from shivering from the touch of his arms and breath. He trapped her within his arms, as he opened the book.

“Yes,” she whispered, “yes, I do. I happen to love his life and works very much. I liked the fact that for a Victorian man, he liked his women to be intelligent.”

“Yes,” Lucius replied. “I, too, succumb to the charms of an intelligent woman.”

Hermione turned around and their lips touched as before. She opened her mouth further apart and he slipped his tongue inside her warm mouth. Her legs were buckling beneath her. She broke the kiss and turned around still trapped in his arms. She realised her eyes were level on his chest. She looked up and saw that his eyes had clouded with lust for her.

He bent down and dropped the book on the floor, it landed with a thud and he drew Hermione closer to him, and he bent his head down and he bit her lower lip to allow instant access. As he kissed her, her hands were circling his chest and she felt his nipples harden under her hands. Lucius hands went down to one of her legs and he hitched it over his waist, he bumped her into the bookshelf and she moaned inside his mouth.

“Not interrupting anything am I?” a voice said behind them sarcastically. Hermione squeaked and dropped her leg down. Lucius growled, but schooled his expression to one of pleasure.

“No Severus,” Lucius said. “We were just having a bit of pre-nuptial fun.”

Hermione pushed Lucius away and stormed out of the room.

“Lucius, you are going to have to treat her better than that, you know,” Severus said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Excuse me, but I am not going to take advice about women from a hermit,” Lucius snarled. “And I’ll treat her any way I please.”

Severus tipped his head on his side. He knew he should warn his friend that someone else was competing for Hermione’s affections. It might actually make it more interesting for him. But his respect for Remus and Hermione prevented him.

“She came to me earlier on to discuss her vows. I want to discuss yours. When is this marriage going to take place coincidentally?”

“When she’s tamed,” Lucius answered. “Don’t worry I have a scheme in motion.”

“Do you mind me asking why you feel she needs to be tamed?”

“She’s a little spirited to say the least, and she’s also unaware of her feelings for me. I have to do something drastic to make her realise them. One minute she’s pleasant to me, and then the next minute I find a hand slapped across my face.”

Severus smirked at Lucius. He was finding this whole situation extremely funny. That Lucius (a man he considered an older brother) and Hermione (a girl he actually did esteem even though she was insufferable,) were actually in love, but neither would admit it, provided Severus with much needed entertainment.

“Do you mind my saying that this is what you get when you fall in love with a Gryffindor,” Severus said.

“I am NOT in love with her, I just happen to find her very attractive,” Lucius said. “And she’s not that bad in the bedroom.”

“You are in love with her, Lucius,” Severus stated boldly, “and she’s in love with you. She doesn’t want to admit it so soon after her last fiancés death.”

“She was actually engaged to the Weasel brat?” Lucius sneered.

“Think about it, Lucius, she has a personal reason to get rid of the Dark Lord, as it was him that killed Weasley after torturing the poor boy.”

“Pity, for a Weasel, Severus?” Lucius asked.

“I did teach the boy, Lucius, and he did do some useful things in his life.”

“She has the nerve to pity me and ignore her own pain? Why is she doing that?”

“Because she knows that no amount of tears will bring him back, but vengeance is sweet. Oh don’t worry, Lucius,” Severus said, as he noted his friends jealous scowl, “she loves you. She’s just too scared to admit it.”

Lucius just curled his lip in a snarl and looked at his old friend and then sat down on a chair. Severus eyed the book on the floor and picked it up for his friend. He looked at the title and tutted. He put it back on the shelf and then sat down opposite Lucius.

~*~*~

Hermione stormed in the room she had chosen for herself and she slammed the door. She decided to show Lucius exactly what he was going to miss out on, and flung open her wardrobe door to get dressed in her best gown. She gasped when she found it was empty. She opened a draw and found that empty.

“DOBBY!” She yelled. Dobby immediately appeared in her room.

“Yes, Mistress?” he asked in a tentative tone.

“Where – are – my – clothes?” she asked slowly, taking a deep breath in between each word.

“Master told Dobby to keep Mistress clothes in Masters bedchamber,” Dobby replied.

“Did he indeed,” Hermione said slowly and dangerously. “Well, you can just go now and get my clothes.”

“Master say’s Mistress is to sleep in the same bed as the Master or she’ll wander around the Mansion naked,” Dobby simpered.

Hermione set her jaw tight and walked out of the room, she went to the Masters bedchamber and opened the wardrobe and draws, and took all of her clothes out of the draws and wardrobe. She was just about to walk out of the door with as many clothes of hers that she could when she rebounded. He had charmed the room to make sure that once she stepped inside the room she could not walk out again. She dropped her clothes, and grabbed her wand, and she aimed it at the door to try to lift the charm off the door. She couldn’t.

“LUCIUS MALFOY GET ME OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!” she yelled.

~*~*~

Lucius and Severus both heard the scream and Severus quirked an eyebrow up at Lucius.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“Well, old friend, I put her clothes in my room, as she wanted to sleep in a separate bedroom. I didn’t want her to, simple as that. She obviously did what I thought she would do, and try and move her clothes out of my room physically. As I had anticipated this move from her, I warded the door to not let her out of the room once she was inside.”

Severus tutted and rolled his eyes.

“That is not a way to gain her affections, Lucius,” he said.

Lucius smiled at Severus and he sipped his brandy coolly.

“Won’t it? She’ll shout herself hoarse, and once she’s shouted, kicked and driven herself wild in there, she won’t have the energy or the voice to deny me my right as her fiancé and soon to be husband,” Lucius explained.

“Slytherin!” Severus exclaimed laughing.

“Naturally,” Lucius said raising his glass to Severus.

A/N I have to say I loved writing this chapter!!! Did you love reading it?