Hidden in Plain Sight

Chapter 5:

September 14th, 2017

“Honestly, my dear, is it really necessary to make the poor elves quiver like that?”

A derisive snort was all the remark received in reply. “They need to learn not to quiver! I’m not going to hurt them, I’m helping! Really, it’s absurd.”

The figure in the doorway shook his head, smirking. His wife never did really understand the elves. He always had to make sure to have extra cleaning for them to do on their “nights off” to keep them from angering their well-meaning mistress. “Why don’t we sit down to eat? The dinner you’ve prepared looks scrumptious.” He took the salad bowl from her hands and marched his way to the supper room.

She huffed and walked after him with the other trays floating behind her. Setting them down on the small 6-person table, she took off the lids and poured the wine. She brushed a kiss over her husband’s brow as she walked past and then took her seat across from him.

“So, how was today in the department? You never did finish telling me that story about Mr. Callomy and the poor vampire.” She glanced over at him in time to see his eyes flash with a bit of mirth before settling back to their normal bright hue.

“Well,” he drawled, “as you recall, Callomy doesn’t have the most perfect of hearing anymore. So when poor Arianna comes in to discuss some of the vampire business with him, she was in for a bit of a hard time.” He took a bite of his steak and chewed appreciatively, “My dear, I never get tired of your filet – simply superb as usual.”

Hermione grinned slightly and nodded her thanks, “So Arianna was talking with Callomy about the recent upsets in Bulgaria? Did she mention that freak priest?”

Lucuis nodded with a smirk, “Indeed, she was attempting to tell him that their leader was struck with a stake and so the negotiations would have to be put on hold, but all poor Callomy could get out of it was “steak.” So finally after much yelling at each other, Callomy summons one of the ministry elves and orders a rare steak for the woman. She’s so flustered you can see the fangs peaking out, but of course once the steak gets there, she had to debate between Callomy and the steak.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow, “What on earth were you doing during all this, Mr. Head of Department?”

He chuckled, “I was merely examining the premises for all possible exits. I did, however, step over to the cubicle to offer Arianna some sound advice. I told her that Callomy was rather lean in all the good parts, so she might want to go for the steak. Of course, she merely smiled at me and dug in.”

Hermione grinned and let out a small laugh. “Well all’s well that ends well I suppose. Did I tell you I ate with Teddy today at lunch? I took him out from his training – I figured he could use a break from all that heavy Auror stuff. Harry has just driven them over the edge.” She shook her head and took a sip of wine.

“How was Teddy doing? Still missing that Victoire of his?” Lucius asked with seeming concern.

“Of course. He’s a lucky boy. I just hope Bill doesn’t render him in two one of these days. Those two are just …” she broke off laughing, “Did I tell you about the scene when Teddy was talking to some of his friends about Victoire and Bill overheard. Good Merlin, I thought Teddy was a goner. He kept morphing into different people whenever he had to walk by Bill’s office.” They both smirked at the probably fear on the younger man’s face. Everyone knew about the ferocity of Bill Weasley concerning his daughter. The Weasley girls were few and far between, and as Ginny Weasley could attest to, very well warded.

As though reading her thoughts, Lucius asked quietly, “How is Ginny these days? Have you seen her much?”

Hermione sighed softly, “Luc, I don’t know what to do. They’re being so difficult. I try to go to lunch or offer them dinner, but they never seem to have time. The only time I ever really see them is when we work together on projects. I had hoped … but well I don’t know what to do anymore.” She ran her hand through her still wavy chestnut hair.

He shook his head, “Of course, you still haven’t told them a thing.”

She shot him a glare, “Have you told your son?” His sneer was all she needed, “Of course not. When you make the move, I’ll match it. However, Luna is coming back with her new fiancée or lover or husband – I’m not sure which it is anymore.” She rolled her eyes at Luna’s obscurity. “But she always had that unwavering sense of picking things up that wouldn’t normally be spotted.”

Lucius raised an eyebrow, “So you’re saying the cat will be out of the bag soon anyways. Have you just been waiting for this out, Mrs. Malfoy? Quite the Gryf you are.”

She growled at him, “Don’t challenge my lion qualities, my dear Mr. Malfoy – I highly doubt you’re any match for them.”

He stood from his chair with a predatory look, “I think a challenge has been issued. Perhaps the Madame Malfoy wishes me to reiterate my possession of her?”

She grinned up at him, standing to gain a bit more leverage, “Oh ho, your possession? I am not possessed easily, my good sir.” She turned and gave him a smoldering look over her shoulder, “You’ll find you have to catch me first.” She then ran giggling out of the supper room, bee-lining for the master suit two floors up.

**

Draco Malfoy was not looking forward to returning to England. He had spent a very pleasant 18 years in Greece and wasn’t really all that fussed about his homeland. His wife, however, did not like the intercontinental travel that was required since their son, Scorpius, had begun to go to Hogwarts. Draco sneered at the memory of the platform, seeing the Weasleys and Potters for the first time since he had left the war-torn society.

His wife Athena and his son Scorpius were the shining lights in his formerly broken life. After the war ended, he had hoped that things would turn up. Honestly, a boy can only take so much – having his life threatened for years combined with the threat of losing the rest of his family was quite a load. His family had been put on trial and after a long proceeding and a monetary penalty, he and his parents had been allowed back to their almost ruined Manor.

Within days his parents had been reduced to fighting and constant tension ruled the air. Draco could only assume that without the threat of looming death, the two couldn’t ignore their unhappiness any longer. He had hoped that they would settle down, but ultimately his mum had left. She couldn’t abide the idea of going out in society, but neither did she like the idea of hiding in her manor-cum-prison.

His father had been cold and aloof as always, the shadows haunting his eyes as they had ever since he’d escaped Azkaban. Draco wasn’t all that sure what to do with his two parents. One was emotionally unstable, switching from tears to anger in seconds; the other sat stoically staring at the wall, occasionally rubbing his forehead.

Draco avoided them for the most part. He stayed in his wing of the manor, studying for his NEWTS. He hoped to be able to do something once he got his scores back, but he rather agreed with his mother that they would never be trusted again in British society.

A year later, things were still the same in the old Manor. But the difference was that Draco and his mother had had enough. Lucius had somehow found work at the Ministry, after shaking important hands and rubbing the appropriate backs for over six months. The other two Malfoys couldn’t understand his ambivalence towards the opinions of other. Too bad it kicked in 20 years too late, thought Draco darkly. Now 17 years older and wiser, Draco felt he understood a little better though.

However, his mother had left. Gone to Italy and never looked back, Narcissa made a new life for herself. Draco, too, had left within a month of his mother – simply packing his things after another cold dinner out with his father and society. He had gone to his mother, who too his ultimate shame, wanted nothing to do with him. She well and truly wanted to restart her life, he had thought bitterly.

So, he had moved on, finding another city, another country, another society where he could lose himself in the anonymity, for once. But Greece was nothing like he’d expected. From the old buildings to the society, he had fallen in love. He opened up a small apothecary, in honor of his old mentor, Severus Snape.

He slowly began to open himself up a bit and sure enough, five months after he had finally settled down, a black haired, fresh-faced beauty had breezed into his apothecary and his life. She had never left. Athena had broken down his walls as surely as she was the warrior goddess herself. They had dated for 4 or 5 years before he had finally convinced her to marry his sorry arse. Then had come Scorpius and slowly his life had taken its own track.

Now as he stood packing the last of his furniture for the move, he looked back on the 17 years of silence from his family as a wall needing to be climbed. He knew his mother didn’t want to talk to him – she had made that abundantly clear when he tried to tell her about Scorpius. His father … well Draco didn’t know. He had studiously avoided Lucius since the day he left. Athena had always nagged him about it, but it was one issue he had remained strong upon. Lucius …. Lucius was an element that Draco couldn’t define.

Even in early childhood, Lucius had been distant. At the time Draco had wondered what about him was so repulsive, but as he grew, he realised that Lucius was like that with everyone. The man had no friend, no confidante that he could let himself go with, and as a result he was cold and reserved. Draco now realised that even then Lucius feared that being too close with his son would only result in more pain, more torture for an already broken life.

The Dark Lord had torn their world asunder, even before Draco’s birth. His dogmatic beliefs and extremist methods had appealed to the younger generations of Purebloods looking for a solution to the slowly disappearing Wizarding society. They had lamented the disappearance of many old customs, looking towards the Mudbloods as the root of the problem.

Draco wondered how Lucius was now, 17 years after his final freedom from a cause that had caused so much strife in his life. Draco, despite the outward desire to cut contact, had kept up with news of his father throughout the years. To his growing confusion, his father had more and more frequently been seen together with none other than Hermione Granger. It was never frequent enough to start rumors, Draco knew, but it was still highly suspicious – at least from his perspective.

Maybe, just maybe he would have to surprise his father with a visit once he was moved in.

**

Lucius lay in bed stroking his sleeping wife’s curly … well, bushy hair, and contemplating what turns his life had taken. Had anyone told him that he would be married to a witch twenty-four years younger than him for almost fifteen years at this point in his life, he would have laughed in their faces and then Crucio’d them.

He glanced over at her softly lined face and watched as she scrunched her petite nose before letting out a breath of air. He loved her nose, it was the most expressive feature on her face – it let him know when she was happy, sad, angry, … well suffice it to say, her pert little nose made his life a hell of a lot easier.

She slept half on him and half on the bed, his shoulder having been her pillow for the past 15 years. She was a whirlwind in her sleep just as much as in her everyday life. He thanked Merlin everyday for having had the chance to change his mind.

After the war ended, he was forced to re-examine. He slowly rebuilt his life, laying down new foundations and pushing his prejudices to the back of his mind. He held his ideals high, but when they interfered with his potential for living, well, then it was time to re-evaluate.

He lost his wife and son in the process, but he had also gained this amazing woman that lay beside him. She was his saving grace and he didn’t know what he would have done without her, not that he would ever admit that, especially to her.

However, he did regret the gap with Draco that had resulted from his divorce. Draco had been the one to leave, and while Lucius would have once simply followed and demanded his fatherly rights, he knew that Draco would have to be the one to come back.

Hermione was always saying that he ought to just contact his son and let him know that he was welcome anytime. “It’s not like you’re telling him to come, you’re just letting him know the option is open,” was her constant phrase.

Lucius wasn’t sure if she was right or not, but he decided to stick with his gut instinct for once, instead of following others’ advice, and he knew Hermione couldn’t fault him for it. If he had learnt anything with Hermione, it was that everything would work out in the end.

He chuckled to himself, who would ever have guessed that he would have been the primary male figure in the Lupin boy’s childhood, that his House Elves would have weekends off, or that he would be happier in the company of one muggle-born witch than with anyone else on the bloody planet?

He looked back over her sleeping form and noticed that it was a bit tenser than before, and that her small foot was rubbing circles against his calf. He glanced at her face and saw the moonlight reflecting in her eyes.

“Couldn’t sleep, my love?” she asked quietly.

“Just thinking, my dear,” he replied, stroking her face lovingly. He bent down and kissed her forehead, her cheeks and then her lips softly. “Just thinking about how everything has turned out.”

She nodded against his shoulder and pressed a kiss against his heart. “Come to sleep, my Luc.” She pressed subsequent kisses along his collarbone to his neck, and she felt the shiver of awareness course through his body. She grinned into his skin.

He growled slightly and ran his hand down her silky, nude form to her firm arse. “If you keep doing that witch, neither of us will be sleeping.” He ran his other hand along her back, sensually touching her sensitive spine.

She moaned and wriggled against him, running her hands along his sides. He groaned, “Mione, my love, as much as you know I want to … the three earlier just …” he shifted against her, entwining their hands.

She looked into his eyes and nodded, snuggling up to his side. He sighed and she stiffened once more, rising up over him, “Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, don’t you dare be ashamed. I love you for all that you are.”

He looked away, “I’m over sixty years old, Mione, I can’t ever be what you need me to be.”

She smacked him on the head, “Are you kidding me?! I knew how old you were fifteen years ago, and the difference didn’t bother me then and its not going to bother me now! If I'd wanted quantity over quality I'd never have been one of Hogwarts' oldest virgins beck in the day! You aren't even near middle-aged for a wizard either and plus I find white hair to be quite a turn on - as you very well know.” She glared at him, which he couldn’t quite take seriously with her nude breasts hanging within reach and her chest heaving. “I love you, Lucius Malfoy for your mind, your heart and your soul that was willing to take a chance with me.” She smacked him lightly on the chest and snuggled back up to him, “Don’t you ever feel guilty for who you are; I wouldn’t want you any other way.”

He pulled her close and said softly into her hair, “Thank you, my love, I only wish I could be more for you.”

She giggled slightly and said into his shoulder, “If you were much more, I don’t think I could handle you.”

He laughed and kissed her neck, snuggling into his own pillow. She wrapped her arm over his chest and he felt her breathing return to its even, peaceful meter before allowing his own mind to find peace.