Invasion

Marcus Licinius Crassus: Thanks mate, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.



Weasley Wench: Thank you. I am pleased that you love this story so far.



Kittycat30: I don’t mind slave/master stories generally, depends on how they’re done; I don’t like it if Hermione is forced and it’s just a bit of role-play, and ancient Hermione wasn’t forced.



Mary: Yes, he does seem to love both Hermione and his cousin. He’s a confused little sausage.



Shiloh Darke: Yes, I did know that. I mentioned a couple of chapters ago I think, plus I have a copy of the Greek Myths, and I found out through that. But no, this is another Hermione. She’s not related to any royalty, just a farmer’s daughter who is now the lover of a Roman General. Yes, it is terrible … and it does go a long way to explaining why she won’t let a man near her ever again. Thanks, I am enjoying writing it actually.



Citten: I am pleased you are enjoying the way I have developed the ancient Lucius and Hermione. As for the questions - read on.



Angelnomiko: Thank you, and yes it was rather hot; I had to fan myself a few times. Anyways … here’s the update. I hope you like it.



Ravenna: Thanks; I was unfortunate in the fact that Latin wasn’t taught at my school; which was a shame. But I knew I had research the layout of a Roman domus! Here’s the update.



La Bibliographe: Hee hee! I understand where you’re coming from. Practically everything nowadays has a sexual undertone to it. I do love how you translated that. Lovely! But as I said, my latin is non-existent to. Don’t we all want to see Lucius naked, huh? Yummy! Hmm. Has Severus sneaked in my bedroom? Well, possibly. He’s gotten the whip out now … with a smirk … Anyway. I can definitely assure you that Snape won’t fiddle with Hermione and Lucius in this story; he’s going to be a very good friend to them both. As for having a sexy cousin … Sorry, but he’s rather preoccupied at the moment.



Sheherazade: Hmm … well … No, actually there isn’t. Just a sort of reflection. Hope you like this chapter.



Janeplay: Well, I can’t answer any of those questions on the grounds that I may incriminate myself, apart from the Flavius/Steven one. Thank you. I appreciated them very much, so did Severus.



Northstar: Here’s more for you to read.



999: Thank you. Here’s an update for you!

Cooking Up Trust



Lucius and Hermione walked down the hill in silence. Neither wanted to remark on the bird’s song, or the beauty of the area. They were both lost in thought. Hermione looked at how close she was to him. Lucius looked at Hermione and thought of all the things she had been through, and none of it deserved. If Severus hadn’t have told him he would have found out anyway. He heard everything from her own lips. His heart soared a little when Anthea said that Hermione must care about him slightly. He hoped she did.



Hermione smiled a little, as she felt relaxed in the silence. She began to feel a little oppressed at Anthea’s. Besides, the outburst she’d had about her past had left her feeling exhausted. She wanted so much to jump into a pool of ice-cold water right this moment in time. She looked ahead of her and sighed.



“Isn’t Greece so beautiful?” she asked.



“It is,” Lucius said. “I love Greece; the warmth, the sunshine, the olives.”



Hermione giggled. “I must admit that I am not much of a fan of olives I find them too vinegary.”



“Hmm, I suppose they are an acquired taste.”



Hermione looked around and noticed that they were now holding hands. She was about to withdraw her hand but he pressed his thumb in her palm and squeezed it softly but tightly. Her breath hitched inside her throat at this sensitive touch. She looked up and he was staring ahead.



“So, what part did you read today, Miss Granger?”



Hermione blushed. “It was their first love encounter,” she said. “I – um, didn’t care much for Flavius.”



“No,” Lucius said. “He was not very nice.”



Hermione looked down at their hands again, she could not tell which were her fingers or his. She decided that she liked it. She felt safe holding his hand. She chewed her lower lip again. Lucius turned around and stared at her profile for a few seconds; she was indeed beautiful. Queen Helen of Troy may have had a face that launched a thousand ships, whatever that meant. But Hermione had a face that could make a thousand hearts beat as one. It was such a pity that she had been spoilt by that ingrate of a Muggle.



“Mr Malfoy,” Hermione began. “I think I need to freshen up before our date. Do you mind if you take me to my home? I just think I need a quick shower and a change of clothes.”



Lucius was about to protest but he knew enough from his experiences with Narcissa to never gainsay a woman when she wanted to ‘freshen up!’ It was fatal to disagree. He glanced her up and down. He shrugged his shoulders. She was perfectly fine as far as he was concerned. Her cute butt was shown to its advantage in those tight jeans and whoever invented the strappy little tops deserved a medal. She was absolutely lovely the way she was.



“All right,” he said. “As long as you let me wait inside?”



Hermione nodded. She opened the door and let herself in. Lucius followed keeping an eye on her curvy bum. He couldn’t wait until he had his hands on those cheeks again. He shook his head thinking how insensitive that sounded. He was glad he didn’t speak it aloud; she would never want him near her again. Lucius had to control his thoughts, thankfully, due to his hedonistic days as a Death Eater; he had become expert at controlling his thoughts.



“Just sit down,” she said. “I won’t be long.”



Lucius smiled and nodded. He sat down and laid his head back, he rested the back of his head on his hands and stretched his legs out; he looked very much like he was going to gather moss. Hermione shook her head as she was offered a gorgeous glance of his sinewy arm muscles. They were firm and strong, she blushed when she remembered how wonderful she felt in his arms.



She watched him for a few long, lingering moments before running out of the room and going up the stairs. She switched the shower on and got out of her clothes. She stepped in the shower and grabbed the shampoo to wash away some of the heat of the day, and the dust of the country. She hummed a Muggle tune and grabbed the shower gel. She scrubbed her body and let the hot water relax her slightly. She stepped out and wrapped a towel around her body, and she wrapped one around her hair. She walked to her bedroom and opened her wardrobe. She selected a black pencil skirt and white cotton blouse. She found some nice white underwear and put those on. She sprayed herself with perfume and dried her hair with a spell.



She looked in the mirror and sighed. She straightened her blouse and squared her shoulders. She slipped her feet in a pair of black sandals, and walked down the stairs. She walked into the sitting room; she smiled when she saw Lucius flicking through some of her magazines. She coughed delicately.



“Hello,” he said. He looked at her.



“Hi,” she replied. “Well, I’m ready.”



“I noticed,” he said. He personally thought that the jeans and vest top was sexier. He had always seen this sort of outfit as uniform. But, again, he wasn’t going to say anything. She obviously was wearing what she felt safe in. “Shall we apparate from here?”



“Well,” she sighed. “All right.”



She awkwardly stepped up to him and took his hand. He circled one of his arms around her waist and held her close to him. She smiled a little as he pressed her against his firm, protective body. She tried to resist the urge to nestle her head against his chest but couldn’t resist very much longer when his aftershave enticed her to lean in closer. She fiddled about with the collar of his t-shirt. He smiled and leant his chin on the top of her head; he wanted to hug her for a little while longer but she looked up:



“Are we going to apparate?”



Lucius sighed. “Yes.”



He concentrated his efforts and they apparated to his villa, he looked around him and opened the glass doors.



“What would you have done if I wasn’t here?” she asked him.



“I would have taken my clothes off and dived into the swimming pool,” he said. He smirked a little at Hermione’s blush. She looked at the pool and ran inside the villa. “I won’t do that until you have gone. I happen to like a cool dip in the pool.”



Hermione smiled a little. “I wish I had grown up with a swimming pool. I even begged my father to move to Australia.”



“Why?” Lucius asked. “Australia is mostly desert.”



“Well, many people have swimming pools in Australia.”



Lucius sighed. He walked over to the kitchen and looked through the cupboards. He smiled a little awkwardly.



“Looks like I don’t have much to eat,” he said. Hermione rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She opened the cupboards and fridge.



“There’s plenty, if you know how to mix up the ingredients,” she said.



“You sound a little like Snape,” he observed.



“Well, he was right.”



She brought out a packet of basmati rice, some frozen vegetables, some frozen chicken and she found an egg.



“This will do,” she said. “Ah! An onion, just what the doctor ordered.”



Lucius watched her as she navigated herself around the kitchen. She put a pan of cold water on but hadn’t switched the gas on, and added a little salt.



“Do you wish me to help?” he asked.



“No,” she replied. “It’s all right I don’t mind cooking. I find it relaxing actually.”



Lucius tilted his head to one side. “I can’t sit there whilst you’re working,” he said. “Really, this is supposed to be your chance to relax!”



“Did you not hear me? I said I find cooking relaxing, now would you please leave the kitchen. Unless you want to wash up.”



Lucius grinned. “All right, I’ll wash up.”



Hermione faltered slightly. She looked at the distance between the sink, preparation area, and cooker, and guessed that there’d be a lot of touching and bumping. She had said it jokingly but she could see he was serious.



She looked down on the black tiled floor. He walked up to her and tucked a coil of hair behind her ear. He tilted her chin up and gazed down into her wide, honeyed eyes. He might as well get it out now.



“Hermione,” he sighed. “I know the truth about our baby.”



Hermione looked up. Her eyes flashed molten hatred. “What?” she hissed.



Lucius sighed. “I heard you talking to Anthea,” he murmured.



“You could have shut your ears!” she exclaimed.



“I couldn’t,” he replied. “Hermione, that was our baby. Do you think I could shut my ears to that? Do you think I am going to let you fight this alone now I know?”



“You weren’t supposed to know about the baby, I just thought I’d better tell you,” Hermione whispered dangerously. “Let alone how I lost it.”



“You didn’t lose it, it was taken from you,” Lucius replied. “I want so much to help you. Please, whatever you do, do not cut me out now. I hate the fact that I missed out on so much already.”



She shrugged him off. “I should never have come here,” she said. “I should never see you again. I’m -!”



“Believe me, Hermione, you can’t run away forever!” Lucius exclaimed. He was shaking with frustration. She was about to walk out of the kitchen.



“I am not running,” she said.



“No, but you’re hiding,” Lucius explained. “You are hiding from everyone. I have seen your friends and they are worried about you. I hid myself for a long time,” he sighed. “It is not good to hide. It certainly isn’t good to run either,” he tentatively walked up to her. “Hermione, I don’t want to see you hurt.”



“Then if you let me walk out now, you won’t have to!”



She turned on her heel and made for his sliding doors. “Fine, Hermione, walk away from me! Walk away from your friends! But, what about your father? Surely, he deserves to know how his daughter feels, and what she’s been through. I can’t imagine how I’d feel if you were my daughter and you decided to cut me out like this.”



Hermione stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. She let her hand fall from the handle. She turned slowly around to face him.



“My father would never understand,” she said. “The last time we spoke with a clear understanding of what we were both on about was when I was eight years old.”



“He may not be able to understand, hell I don’t understand, but at least he’ll know. If I had have known what you were going through I would have wrapped you up in cotton wool and never let you out of my sight.” He stopped and sighed. He added in a much quieter, calm voice: “Just like I want to do now.”



Hermione gulped. She walked slightly forward back to the kitchen. He waited until she spoke.



“You’re right,” she said. “But my father thinks of me as his Sunshine Princess, you know why? Because I smiled a lot, he always made me feel special. I feel that I’ve disappointed him somewhat.”



“He is your father,” Lucius said. “He paid for your education. Supported you when you went to Hogwarts even though it probably broke his heart to do so. This is a man that loves you. No matter what.”



“How do you know my father?” she asked. “Have you been threatening him to?”



“No,” Lucius sighed. “I haven’t spoken to him. I just sense that. You would not be a disappointment to him – as you are not a disappointment to most people – especially to me.” He looked at her forlorn expression. “I am sorry for sounding harsh but it’s only because I care,” he said. “I know you’re hurt right now. I know you are insecure about yourself, and with good reason. All I am saying is that you shouldn’t feel alone,” he tilted her chin up. “Everyone back at home miss you. They love you! I am surprised that you haven’t told Potter. Or at the least his charming wife.”



“I can’t. Harry has had no problems, apart from getting Ginny pregnant, since the Dark Lord. I wanted to ease up his life,” she said. “As for Charlie and Luna, well, I’ve never seen Luna so happy before and I couldn’t ruin that. And my father went through enough when my mother was diagnosed with cancer,” she sighed. “My mother died a very painful death and my father had to watch her deteriorate rapidly. It’s going to break him if he found out what happened to me.”



Lucius walked up to her and pulled her in his arms. He felt her tense up but his expert hands eased the muscles in her back. She felt a lump come into her throat, and then the tears started to fall. She clutched onto his shirt and cried. He soothed and rubbed her back; she was shivering and shaking.



“Shush,” he said. “I’m here, now, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”



She tentatively circled her arms around his waist letting the tears fall. He held her close to his body.



“Why do you still want to be with me? I could win the Worlds Ugliest Woman contest!”



Lucius arms dropped and he scowled at the amount of anguish this muggle had put her through. She may never heal that’s how deep the scars went. He moved his arms around to where her hands were and took hold of them. They felt so little in his. He walked her over to the nearest mirror.



“You are not ugly,” he said. “You are the prettiest girl I have ever met. You shine. I have hung around with many ugly women. Have you ever met either Mrs Crabbe or Goyle?” Hermione shook her head. “Well, they could easily win that contest. The judges wouldn’t even consider entering you for that competition.”



Hermione sniffed and leant into his chest once more. “I just wish that I could take back three years.”



“You can’t but you can look forward to the years ahead,” Lucius replied. “It’s going to be scary.”



Hermione looked up at him. She sighed. “I am scared.”



Lucius smiled down at her and placed a soothing kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but I do want you to talk to me.”



“I find it very difficult to talk to people,” she said. “I thought I could trust Steven, I told him most things, and he started out really sweet, and then – well, I mentioned that I was a Witch, and that was when the problems started.”



“He became afraid,” Lucius said. “It’s a very common occurrence. A lot of Muggle men think they can take it, yet they always eye the coffee; prod the pie, or are suspicious if you say something to them in a sweet voice, it is one of the reasons that I didn’t endorse marriage between Muggles and Wizards; look at what has happened to you?”



“We weren’t married,” Hermione sniffed.



“You were living together like you were married,” he replied. “I want you to stay here, with me, forever.”



Hermione sighed. She began to struggle in his arms until she broke free. “I must cook dinner,” she said.



Lucius sighed and smiled. It was a small victory, he supposed. She was now prepared to stay for dinner. He walked over to his cabinet and opened the doors. He looked at the DVD collection.



“What do you want to watch?” he asked. She measured a small cup of rice and poured it in the pan. She switched the gas on.



“Hang on.”



She stirred the rice around a bit so that it wouldn’t stick and walked up to Lucius who was holding some DVD’s the way she would a poisonous insect. She shook her head. She crouched down and looked inside the cabinet and smiled when she found something. She picked out Pride and Prejudice.



“I might have known!” Lucius exclaimed. “I could jump in the pool afterwards if it helps?” Hermione narrowed her eyes. Lucius rolled his eyes. “Harmless flirting, Hermione. I want to be able to flirt with you.”



Hermione chewed her lower lip again. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You’re right, we should be able to flirt. I do have to start living again. It was just a shock.”



“Understood.”



She walked back to the kitchen and turned the rice around. “I just like that story.”



“A lot of women do,” Lucius replied. “I haven’t watched this production yet but I’ve heard a lot about that shirt. Although, the book is pretty good.”



“Pretty good?” she said sarcastically. “That’s like saying Severus Snape is pretty good at potions.”



“So you consider her to be a genius?” Lucius asked.



“Yes,” she said. “Even a man of the day said that ‘something this intelligent could not have been written by a woman!’ Her brother gave the game away though.”



“Well, Muggles at the time did have a rather odd view of women. We had a female Minister for Magic then. It took a long time for Muggles to catch up to that.”



“Hmm, and when Muggles did they were saddled with Lord Voldemort’s less nice sister!”



“You shouldn’t say his name in jest,” Lucius said in a quiet, thoughtful voice.



Hermione berated herself for that joke. “Sorry,” she said. “I wasn’t thinking.”



“Perhaps we both need to live again,” Lucius replied.



Hermione turned the rice off, and cut the onion up. She then drained the rice. She continued cooking for about half an hour and when she was done she served the meal up in two big bowls and gave Lucius his bowl. She set hers down on the table and operated the DVD player straight away. Lucius shook his head and smiled. He gave her the control and she selected the first episode.



They ate their meal of egg-fried rice with vegetables and chicken and Lucius was surprised at how good a cook she was.



“You are a good cook.”



Hermione muttered a thank you. She watched the scene’s playing before her. It was the first ballroom scene; Darcy has just insulted Lizzie. Lucius set his plate aside and took hers away from her. She slipped her feet out of the sandals, and curled her feet on the sofa. Lucius contemplated picking them up to massage them but didn’t want to make any sudden movements.



She kept her gaze on the screen and suddenly yawned. She checked her watch; no wonder, it was edging onto midnight. Hermione always preferred to be in bed as early as possible.



“I need to get to bed,” she said. “Could you please apparate me to my home?”



Lucius turned around and frowned slightly. He had hoped that she was going to stay with him tonight.



“You can stay here,” he said.



“No, I’d rather be at my home in the village,” she replied in a final tone.



Lucius sighed. He stopped the DVD and stood up. She slipped her feet back in the sandals and he picked her up by her hand. He smiled as he drew her closer to his body. He leant down and smelt her hair. He concentrated his efforts and placed the picture in his mind of her small ramshackle living room.



“Can you please just apparate me onto the porch?” she asked.



Lucius sighed, and hugged her to his chest. “I’d rather see you in safely,” he murmured.



“There’s nothing to worry about,” she sighed. “I think that if it took you three years to chase me down it would take that brainless muggle a damn lot longer.”



“I still don’t get why you were attracted to him?” Lucius asked.



Hermione shrugged her shoulders. “It’s probably the same reason that you were drawn to the Dark Lord.”



Lucius smiled ruefully. “My attraction to the Dark Lord was not sexual,” he replied.



“Neither was my initial attraction to Steven,” she retorted.



He smiled a little before apparating them out to the front of her porch. He let go off her hand and leant over to open her door.



“I’ll see you safely inside,” he murmured. “I want to make sure you are all right before I go home.”



Hermione smiled shyly. No one had treated her with this much respect for a long time. They gazed at each other each with a kiss lingering on their lips, she curtsied slightly and turned and walked inside. He waited for a few moments, saw her sitting room light shine through the window, and the curtains twitch slightly. Satisfied, he turned on his heel and was about to apparate when he heard her scream!



***



Hermione walked into her hallway and tottered to the living room and switched the light on. Before she knew what was happening she was forced against the wall and her face smashed against the rotting window frame.



“Hello, Ugly!” a voice leered into her ear. Her heart paced. No, her inner voice screamed. This is not fair!



“Get off me, Steven!” she exclaimed.



“Or what? You’ll turn me into a toad?”



“I don’t think that would take much effort!” another voice joined them. “What are you doing with my lover?”



Steven grabbed a handful of her long, brown hair and swung her around, causing her to wince. He found himself face to face with a distinguished man with long silvery blond hair, and pale stormy eyes. This man had all the refinement of aristocracy; Steven wasn’t scared of an aristocratic wuss.



“Oh, yeah, you’re lover?” he sneered. Some of his drool went onto her cheek and it slid down into her neck causing her to shudder. Tears sprang into her eyes.



“Leave her alone,” Lucius said in a slow clear way.



“No!” Steven exclaimed. “And I don’t believe you two are lovers. You don’t look like the sort of guy that would be interested in third hand goods!”



Lucius lowered his eyes and glared at him through his eyelashes. He had been a little bit wrong in his assumption of Steven. He was actually a good-looking boy, dark hair flopped over his tanned face and his crystal blue eyes sparkled dangerously. He flashed a charming smile. He also looked big and tough. Lucius could now understand what Hermione initially saw in him. He looked a little like Sirius Black did as a youth. Lucius shuddered at the thought.



“Actually,” Lucius sighed. “The only trash I can see in this room is you!”



Hermione’s eyes widened as she saw something from the corner of her eye, it was the barrel of a gun. She gulped. She wondered if Lucius could see what she was seeing.



Steven let out a bit of a laugh. It was meant to be hollow and unfriendly, but it came out weak and nasally. Lucius smirked like a tiger in the bushes that had spotted his prey’s weakness.



“And what can you do, old man?” Steven taunted. Hermione gulped. She was about to kick him in the shin when Lucius strode up to them.



“You know,” Lucius began conversationally. “What Hermione is don’t you?” Steven nodded. “What has she told you about herself?”



“She’s a Witch. She told me that she had to face some dark Wizards; like Luke had to face Stormtroopers.”



Lucius was grateful he had watched Star Wars. “Well, what would you say if I said that I was a Stormtrooper at one time?”



Steven looked him up and down. “I’d say you were more like Darth Vader.”



Lucius arched his eyebrow up and wished he were a smoker. He needed something to occupy his hands, he needed to look sinister, the Muggle was not afraid of him. Perhaps he should revert to being Death Eater Lucius again. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Steven’s hand grab hold of Hermione’s breast. He tweaked her nipple around; he turned his face around and flickered his tongue out stroked up her cheek with the tip of his tongue. That did it!



Lucius flipped his wand seemingly out of thin air and pointed it at the Muggle. Steven found himself flying up in the air. Hermione toppled over and turned around. Lucius stopped floating Steven for a minute but kept him suspended in mid-air, upside down, so that he could pick up Hermione. He held her to his chest and lowered Steven down on his head.



“Believe me, boy, if you go near this beautiful woman again I will make you wish you had never been born.”



“Her? Beautiful?” Steven scoffed. “You must have met some right dogs before!”



Lucius kept his cool as he zapped at the muggle. Steven twisted and writhed in agony. Hermione shut her eyes and turned her face away, wishing she could close her ears to the haunting sounds of the torture.



Lucius whisked his wand away, stopping the pain. “You hurt my lover; and you killed my baby! Give me one good reason why I should spare you?” he snarled.



Hermione had never thought that selfishness and arrogance were good qualities to possess until now. She looked at him. He was betraying nothing of the hurt that she knew he must be feeling right now.



Steven looked up and saw the cold, steel expression in this man’s face. He wished he had not been so calm before. Lucius smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. Steven looked at Hermione. She kept silent.



“Honest,” he said. “I didn’t know she was pregnant!”



“And you conveniently forgot she hadn’t been your girlfriend for three months prior to that?” Lucius said dispassionately.



“Yes,” Steven said. “I was drunk!”



“Oh, Hermione, he was drunk!” Lucius exclaimed. He smiled, and began to laugh. He let go off Hermione and walked up to the fallen muggle. “Drunk!” he said. “That’s funny. Being drunk can be so funny!”



Hermione nibbled her lower lip. She had witnessed Lucius like this before. It was when he had killed Bellatrix Lestrange. Lucius turned around and said the word ‘drunk,’ again, but he put emphasis on the three middle words. Hermione, having caught the inference, took off like a shot. She didn’t need to see another death.



She ran across the street and turned on her heel as she saw a flash of green light. She fell down on her knees and wept into the dust. Lucius walked out of the hut when he saw her crumpled onto the ground he ran up to her and picked her up.



“He’ll never trouble you again,” he whispered.



“You could be put in Azkaban for that!” she exclaimed.



Lucius sighed. “I know,” he said. “But that was probably the only time I killed for love.”



Hermione looked up and her face was a mixture of tears and sand. He stroked a coil of her golden locks and laid a finger across her jaw.



“That is a very Gryffindorian thing!” she exclaimed.



Lucius lowered his lips to her mouth. “I’d die a thousand deaths for you, Hermione. Spending twenty years in Azkaban would be a mere trifle.”



Hermione choked a little. “But you heard what he …!”



“He is dead, and was inconsequential and stupid. You are beautiful, and, more importantly, you are mine! I won’t let anything hurt you again. If I do end up in Azkaban I will choose someone to look after you, if not, I will look after you. You don’t have to hide anymore.”



He wrapped his arms around her and she began sobbing on his chest. “I should have stayed with you!”



He shushed her and carried her to the darkened shadows. He apparated her away to his Villa and laid her on his bed. He placed a pillow underneath her head and laid a duvet over her shivering body; he sat on a chair and watched her.



This was how Severus found them the morning after. He sighed; he had gone to check up on Hermione and found her missing but there was the body of the dead Muggle. He needed answers. He roused Lucius from his sleep.



“What happened?” he asked. Lucius looked at Hermione and by the look Severus could guess. “You realise you’ve put salt on a highly infected wound?” Severus said.



“I don’t care!” Lucius hissed. He got up and led Severus out of the bedroom and shut the door quietly. “All I care about is the fact that he deserved to die. He was hurting her again!”



Severus shook his head. “I thought you were a Slytherin.”



“He hurt what was mine; he killed my baby. I wanted him dead!”



Severus looked at his old friend. “You do realise what I have to do now?”



Lucius nodded. “There will be no ill-will,” he said, “I understand perfectly.”



Severus nodded. “As long as we are clear on that point.”



He looked at the door again. Lucius followed his gaze. “Severus, if I go to Azkaban, I want you to look after her.”



“How?” Severus asked. He looked into the cold, steely eyes of his old friend.



“Marry her!” Lucius exclaimed.



Severus sighed. “That won’t be necessary. I think once Potter finds out the truth; he might spare you.”



“Harry Potter? Huh!”



“He spared me, didn’t he?” Severus hissed.



“And it’s eaten your gut ever since!”



They both smirked slightly at the truth of this. Severus looked at Lucius again. “I am going to turn you in now.”



Lucius nodded. He opened the door and Hermione stirred. She woke up and found Lucius and Severus look at her with pity in their eyes, and love in their hearts.



“What’s going on?” she asked.



Severus sighed.



A/N = Well, well, I wonder what is going to happen next? Lucius sure did act like a hotheaded Gryffindor rather than a cool thinking Slytherin. I wonder how Hermione is going to react when she finds out that Lucius has to go to Azkaban. And exactly how did Steven find her so fast? We may never know … Hmm, Severus please put those high heeled shoes away, they don’t suit you darling … sorry. Anyway, tune in on the next exciting episode to find out exactly what pair of shoes – I mean what will happen to our favourite pairing in Invasion!