The End Is The Beginning Is The End

Lucius reclined in a chair that he would never describe as comfortable.  And it wasn't tasteful--it was disgustingly ostentatious.  A gift from an ally of his, reminiscent of a throne.  With a plush creme colored seat and silver serpents, decorated with every kind of emerald and diamond, glittering in the light.

  He rarely sat in it, but he was receiving guests.  In spite of his power he could not forget that there were others just as powerful as him and he did not wish to snub them by ignoring their diplomats.

He pretended to be interested in what these outsiders said but his mind was focused elsewhere.  To be specific, he was thinking of her and how, exactly, to engage her.  

He could threaten her.  Declare he would execute a hundred souls if she failed to show at least some interest in pleasing him.  But he doubted her ability to put on an imitation, and that aside he would know it wasn’t genuine.

No, god damn her, but he wanted her to truly show some desire for him, even a passing interest would please him.

It was the strangest thing.  And perhaps the worse thing to ever happen to him.  This sudden interest in her feelings, in what she thought of him.

He blamed himself.

After all, was it not he who thought it would be great fun to trick her?  What began as a ploy to gain information and finally end this affair instead achieved the exact opposite.  Oh yes, he found the resistance but his desire for her was now so deep it could only be described as an obsession.

Simply taking what he wanted…and inflicting pain had fulfilled his needs but no longer would that alone suffice.  It was as if he had spent his entire life fucking one way and all of a sudden Granger had smiled and said, ‘hey, why don’t you put your cock in my ass’.  The difference was that extreme. 

Now his mind was open to a whole new world of pleasure and exploration…and that included her wanting him.  Really wanting him.

It made him want to throw up but he couldn’t because he truly wanted it.  It was shameful and humiliating.

He smiled and nodded when whatever his name was finished his longwinded conversation.  And he silently wished him dead.

It would be three more hours before Lucius was finally free of his company and still two more hours before he finally returned to her suite.  He had with him a servant, a human, who carried a number of things he hoped might please Granger more than new clothes.  Books.  Candies.

Every woman liked sweets.

He felt like a fucking fool, but he decided that he would tell her that they were rewards for her services.  If he framed it that way he might, at the very least, retain some sense of dignity.

He came into her room, fully expecting to find her where he left her. 

Instead he stared stupidly at the scene before him.  One of the house elves was on the ground, blood everywhere.

Hermione was nowhere to be seen.