Moving Forward

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Chapter Five


The days passed lazily at the Malfoy compound. Severus hired a new aid, knowing full well that he had lost Hermione to Lucius. Mariana was a sweet witch who had a stubborn streak that even out did Snape’s. She wasn’t happy unless he was fed and he wasn’t happy unless he was left in peace. In the end, she out did him in the war of wills and Snape gave in. He had gained a much needed five pounds and looked much healthier by the end of the month.


Hermione had taken up sunning herself everyday on the Italian Riviera. She went everyday with a book, a large self-filling bottle of ice-cold water, and a beach towel. From time to time Draco went along with her, insisting that they bring food with them.


They were in the middle of lunch when Draco froze. She blinked at him, turned and saw Harry Potter walking casually towards them. She looked back over to Draco, who was now shaking with tension.


“Relax,” she murmured. “And for heaven sake stop drooling, it only makes his ego worse.”


This had Draco, flinging a small handful of sand at her and soon had them laughing. Harry stopped a few feet away, his eyes glued to Draco.


“Hi, Draco,” he said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t know you started seeing women.”


“Since when did you care whom I see?” he asked, letting a bit of the pent up anger slip through. “Fucking Zabini last time I checked.”


This had pink flooding Harry’s cheeks. “If you must know, we broke things off.”


“In that case, I best leave you two alone to talk,” Hermione said as she stood up. “Keep putting sun block on, Draco. I would hate for your pretty skin to be as red as a cooked lobster.”


“Hermione?” Harry exclaimed.


“Hello, Harry,” she said kissing his cheek. “I suspected you didn’t recognize me. And I would have said something to you, but you look so cute when you’re befuddled.” She patted her dear friend’s face, turning to look at Draco. “Bring him to the compound once your conversation is finished.”


“You’re not going back alone,” Draco told her.


“I will be fine,” she told him, patting his face. “You need to speak to him and it isn’t like I haven’t made this walk before.”


She walked for a time, buying a lemon ice as she went. Eventually Hermione walked over to Lucius who was sitting in his usual spot at a local café. He set aside his newspaper and stood up, kissing her gently on the mouth.


“You’re early, pet,” he said as he pulled out her chair. “Grow tired of my son’s company so soon?”


“Nothing of the sort,” she told him, sitting down. “Harry Potter showed up and they needed to talk.” Hermione smiled at him sweetly. “He didn’t recognize me. Have I changed so much?”


He looked her over from her sun bleached, potion controlled curls to her lightly tanned skin. “You are as stunning as you always were, my dear.”


She smiled at him, moving her chair to his. “Lucius, you are as always, a very charismatic man.” He slipped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.


They were sitting there quietly chatting when she went stone still. He noticed immediately and looked in the direction she was staring in. Two men were walking their way, both of them watching them intently. Hermione laughed and jumped up, running over to them. The dark haired man caught her, laughing loudly as he swung her around. A moment later she was in the blond man’s arms.


The blond man had Lucius nearly growling as he watched the man rubbing her back as he held her. He even went so far as to rest his forehead against hers! The pureblood wizard wasn’t accustomed to the feeling of jealousy coursing through him. It wasn’t his way. But there he was growling curses and hoping the man died a painful death for daring to touch what was clearly his.


Hermione pulled back and walked over with them to the table. She took her place next to Lucius. “I hope you don’t mind that I invited Sirius and Remus to join us, do you?”


“No,” he said casually, looking over to the men. “Gentlemen.”


“Lucius,” Sirius said in a hard voice. “I wonder just who you bribed this time and how much?”


“Sirius, please? You said you would be civil,” Hermione muttered. “That isn’t civil by anyone’s standard.”


“Pardon me, but that is as civil as I get with Death Eaters,” he told her.


“Just what have you been doing here staying at the Malfoy Compound, pup?” Remus asked her. “Ron said that you were practically a prisoner here.”


She laughed and said, “Nonsense! I am no such thing and you should know better to believe that tripe.”


He studied her a moment, but then nodded. “Yes, I should, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying.” Remus looked over to Lucius at the sound of his low rumbling growl. “Threatened by me? Good, it is as it should be.”


“Remus!” she exclaimed. “I swear the three of you are being completely unreasonable.” She stood up, tossing her napkin. “I’m going to the loo and when I get back, have this resolved. I don’t expect perfection, but at least be civil.” With that last word she was looking straight over to Sirius and walked into the café.


Lucius looked over to Remus and muttered, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you.”


“She’s like a daughter to me,” Remus told him.


“She might as well be by daughter as well,” Sirius said with a hard edge to his voice. “Now you tell us why we shouldn’t kill you.”


“Hermione wouldn’t consider that civil behavior,” he said dryly. “And she would be very upset by my passing.”


“Why is that?” Remus asked him.


“She is to be my paramour and later perhaps my wife.”


This had both of the other men blinking at him in shock. Lucius Malfoy wasn’t one to throw out such statements least of all about a witch he thought beneath himself.


“I could care less about her status,” Lucius said. “She’s unique and special.”


“That my pup is,” Remus murmured. “But since when did an old Death Eater such as yourself care for a girl like her?”


“Like I said, I don’t care,” Lucius muttered, seeing Hermione stop to smell some flowers on her way back to the table. A swarthy man went up to her and was saying something that only had her shaking her head no and joining them at the table. Slipping his arm possessively around her, he whispered, “What was that about?”


“Nothing,” she replied. “So have you three behaved?”


Hermione smiled at the waiter and quickly ordered her light salad along with an Italian orange soda. She absently weaved her fingers through Lucius’s as the others ordered their meal.


Once the waiter was gone it was Sirius who asked tightly, “Why him?”


“I could ask you why not, but I fear that you would have more answers than I or anyone else would care to hear,” she answered lightly. “Sirius, you are just going to have to trust me when I say that he paid for what he did. It wasn’t in the traditional sense.”


“Not by any imagination,” Lucius whispered. “But I paid.”


It was Remus who said, “You didn’t!”


“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hermione answered, feeling a blush bloom in her cheeks as she spoke the outright lie.


He sunk back staring at her. “You did, didn’t you? I told you what that could have done to him!”


“He’s fine,” she said coolly. “Lucius was under the care of his personal mediwitch. Just as I knew he would be. There was little to no risk and why am I justifying this to you?” She barely kept from jumping up. “Did you want him punished or not? You cannot have it both ways.”


“Yes,” Remus growled. “You should have let him be taken to Azkaban!”


“Oh, so you think that he was going there? Because allow me to tell you as a person that went to every single one of the trials that he would not have served a single minute there! None of them did! Not even Greyback, Remus! You know what memory I gave them via the pensive, what evidence you yourself gave them, and they did nothing.” She stood up. “Overcrowding, my ass! So do not play the morality police with me over what I choose to do in the face of my anger.” She looked over to Lucius and murmured, “I’m going back to the compound…”


“Wait a moment,” he whispered, standing up and walking her off. “Calm yourself, love. You need to eat.”


“That I do,” she said quietly. “I am so tired of fighting, Lucius.”


He called the waiter over and got another table inside for them. Lucius went over to the two and said tightly, “She’s had enough. If you wish to speak to Hermione, you will do so later.”


“Wait just a moment…” Sirius started only to have Lucius whip out his wand and press it to his neck.


“I said,” the blond wizard growled. “That she has had enough.”


It was Remus that was the voice of reason, pulling Sirius away from the other man. “Can we come and visit your compound?”


“Of course,” he said, putting away his wand. “In fact, allow me to offer you lodging. But let me warn you now that if you upset Hermione, you deal with me.” With that, Lucius snapped around and went inside to where Hermione was waiting for him.


The two watched as Lucius went over to Hermione and slipped into the chair next to her. The man pulled her closely to himself, speaking to her as he watched her intently.


“He’s protective of her,” Remus said quietly. “If I didn’t see it…”


“Yeah,” Sirius whispered. “Makes me wonder why.” But he shook that off as he looked over to Remus. “And you, why were you so hard on her?”


“What she did was unethical as well as amoral!” he exclaimed.


“Look in that café and tell me that she hasn’t paid for what she did, Remus,” he said to his friend. “Go on! Look!”


Remus turned back and saw Hermione sobbing against Lucius’s shoulder.


“She doesn’t need you to be reminding her about what she’s done,” Sirius whispered. “As smart as she is, she always has herself.”


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