The Seduction Game

Disclaimer: All of the Harry Potter characters and the Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling/Warnerbros. I am making no money.

A few notes to reviewers...:

crudedly: Yes, I see your point - but it’s really Lucius who’s misunderstood the situation. He thinks that Severus scared Hermione by doing what he did in the hall, and that Hermione liked it - that that’s the sort of men she likes. So Lucius believes her attitude towards him had changed because she’d fallen for Severus\'s “bad boy”-attitude, one which Lucius could easily portray for himself... And that’s what he’s going to do, believing it to be the tactic Hermione will fall for. Oh, and of course, Lucius isn’t ‘acting’ bad, quite the opposite, he’s been acting good...

Triospleasure: I know, but I think Hermione is at this point torn a bit between her good moral and her suspiciousness... Because obviously, she knows Lucius has been working for Voldemort, but at the same time she so wishes for him to have a second chance if he really WAS under the Imperius (something we of course know he wasn’t, but he’s a good talker). Also, she’s become an adult now and yet never been with a man, which I think bothers her slighty, so when she gets this kind of attention from two grown men I bet it’s a bit tempting even for someone like her... But no, she’s not stupid, and believe me she’ll prove she isn’t as well. :)

Right, and so, next chapter:
***

CHAPTER SEVEN: IN HER TIME OF NEED

The night’s approaching ball was met with high expectations on Lucius’s part. Tonight would be the night - he was going to prove to his old “friend” Severus that he still was irrisistible to women. And he was damn well going to enjoy it, too.

Ever since Voldemort was defeated, Lucius had been cleaning up his act. The desire to rape and abuse was being kept thoroughly under control, he couldn’t risk the Ministry to learn the real truth behind Lucius Malfoy. Of course he hadn’t been under the Imperius Curse, and to think they’d actually believe it was insanity. Yet, as Lucius recalled with a grin, there was nothing a nice sack of Galleons couldn’t do to help convince a Ministry official...

He had spent the day in his room, eating all his meals there and spending his time catching up with some old books - some of the few the Ministry hadn’t confiscated. Apparently, he smiled, the Imperius Curse also made its victims buy an unnecessary amount of illegal works, for some reason - even this, he had managed to convince to the Ministry of Magic of. Fools, all of them.

Going through the works, his gaze paused on a book of ancient magic from Scandinavia, more spesifically on the stories and legends of “seid” - the magic believed to be used by witches in Nordic countries back in the time of the vikings. What had ever possessed him to buy this? It was an old book, sure, but it had no particular value to him - after all, seid was a lost art. Whatever the ways history said that seid was practiced, no witch of this age had ever succeeded with it. Yet, Lucius caught himself remembering that seid was a subject very few witches and wizards knew a lot about - because, as said, it was a lost art. Maybe, just maybe, this Scandinavian work on seid could prove to be useful after all? If nothing else, than at least as an excuse to - well, yes, to do THAT...

He grinned at the thought. Yes, it was very possible that Hermione, being the hunger-for-knowledge witch that she was, would be very interested in seeing this very old piece of work on the mythical craft.

Lucius put the book aside, and got up to dress for the evening.

* * *

Severus had never really intended on going to this ball. His plan had been to stay in his room throughout the night, and thus avoid any ridiculous turn of event that could occur if he attended. However, fate had apparently wished it differently for him.

Minerva McGonagall, indeed the lady of vexatious actions in Severus’s eyes, had so far during the Conference been busy working with Dumbledore. All the things that needed to be done after Voldemort’s fall had taken up a lot of the Order and the Ministry’s time. Yet, at this particular Friday evening (the gods knew why) Minerva wasn’t obligated to work, and so she had stormed into Severus’s rooms in the late afternoon, insisting that he attended the ball with her - she would hear no excuses.

Which was why Severus, completely against his own will, found himself by the bar alongside Minerva having his - what, first? second? - fifth scotch, bracing himself to make it through the evening.

“A smile wouldn’t hurt, you know,” Minerva commented, taking a sip from her glass of red wine.

Severus gave her a sarcastic smirk. “I don’t smile, Minerva. It is not a part of my repertoire.”

“I have seen you smile,” she argued. “Once, a long time ago.”

“It must have been something you dreamed,” he replied.

“No, I believe it was the real thing,” she laughed.

Severus looked at her. The real thing? He didn’t believe anyone could describe a smile of his as “the real thing”. And he had yet to believe he had ever smiled while in the presence of Minerva McGonagall. Smirked, yes, but never genuinely smiled.

“Your old age finafinally caught up with you, it seems,” said Severus, finishing his scotch.

“Ah, look,” said Minerva with disgust, “here comes your old ‘friend’. I cannot believe the Ministry didn’t lock him up. He seems to be seeking you, Severus,” she finished, watching Lucius Malfoy approach them. “I’ll leave you to it, I do not wish to be near the man.”

“Why thank you,” said Severus, “being the one who dragged me out in the first place it is only fair that you should be the one to leave after a total of fourteen minutes.”

Minerva gave a quick laugh and left him, just as Lucius reached his old companion.

“I am really looking forward to the day when you will not seek me out three times a day during social events,” said Severus to Lucius, asking for yet another drink.

“You know there are very few other people here I could seek out,” smirked Lucius. “We know very few approve of me, after all. There is one, though...”

Severus shot him a nasty glance.

“Tonight,” said Lucius, taking the seat Minerva had abandoned, “is the night. The night when you will have to admit that you were wrong. In fact, I should even advice you to hang around outside my door, only to hear the noises that will confirm it all.”

Severus’s mind jerked. What the...? Lucius was going to get Hermione into bed - tonight? He really thought he’d have more time to find a way to stop this madness from happening. Lucius had to be bragging - Severus couldn’t believe that a girl like Hermione would just jump straight into bed with Lucius. Yet, there was of course the disturbing matter of Lucius’s ways of getting the things he wanted - he usually succeeded.

Not this time, though, thought Severus determined. Not if he could help it. “Hang around outside my door,” Lucius had said. He might just do exactly that, only to be around when trouble occurred - for he knew it would.

“Ah, there is my victim now,” smirked Lucius, turning his and Severus’s attention to the woman entering the lounge.

Indeed, it was Hermione, followed by the Weasley daughter.

Severus couldn’t help but staring. Hermione looked amazing. He’d never thought she would be able to dress up for a night like this - he always figured she’d practically do what he did, seize the nearest set of robes and get it overwith as fast as possible. No, she totally looked the part. The long, dark green silk dress suited her body perfectly, revealing the curves Severus so far only had been dreaming about - not even the dresses she’d worn during dinner would match up to the display she produced with this. And, she’d pinned her hair up to reveal the gorgeous silky skin of her neck, shoulders and back, leaving only a few curls to hang loose from the clip controling her normally uncontrolable hair.

Lucius was watching her too. “I can understand why you wish to be protective, Severus,” he commented. “Wouldn’t want to share her with anyone? Well, I’m afraid you’ve already lost your chance. You had her accessible for seven years - and I believe she looked quite exquisite in the last two, at least - and you did nothing. Now, she’s my little project.” Without waiting for Severus to reply, he left off and caught Hermione almost the second she’d entered, offering her his arm to dance. She took it.

Severus downed his scotch. He was definitely going to need it.

* * *

Their dances had been frequent and many throughout the night - Hermione had actually lost count. Lucius was dazzling, charming, sweet, caring... Just wonderful to her. He’d spent the entire evening with her, and it had been great.

Getting off the floor after their last dance as the evening grew late, he bought them both drinks and they took a seat by the far end of the bar.
“I’ve got to thank you, Lucius,” said Hermione, taking a sip from her glass. “I’ve really enjoyed myself this evening.”

“Nothing to thank for, my dear,” smiled Lucius. “It was my pleasure.” His hand stroke her thigh lightly, and she blushed. “Hermione, I was wondering something, I must admit - I remember you telling me that you wanted to learn more about magical litterature - the knowledge of the books, their accuracy and so forth...?”

“Yes, that’s right,” smiled Hermione.

“I found a book in my room earlier today that I thought might be of interest to you. It is rather old - from somewhere around 1200 AC, I’d say - about the magical art of seid - have you heard of it?”

“Of seid?” asked Hermione. “Yes, I have, but I know almost nothing about it. I’ve always been fascinated, though. Seid was the magical art performed by witches around 500 to 1000 AC, isn’t it?”

“I am not entirely sure of the time period,” smiled Lucius, “but yes, I would say that is the basics of it. The legends say that even the Norse gods turned to the witches practicing seid for help during those times.”

“I would love to see that book,” said Hermione reluctantly. Was this right? should she be asking for this? Yet, it was only a book, right...? And it sounded interesting. As always, she found herself unable to turn down the possibility to explore within a new field.

“Certainly,” said Lucius. “It is in my room. Will you join me?”

“To - to your room?” Hermione repeated. Now wait a minute - was THIS right? To his room, that surely couldn’t mean... could it? Suddenly, the words of Professor Snape rang in her ears: “Believe me, Miss Granger, whenever Lucius Malfoy befriends someone like you, his reason is always the same. And if you don’t watch your step, you will soon enough learn for yourself what I’m talking about.”

But Snape had been trying to scare her, right? Of course he wanted to keep her away from Lucius, the two of them didn’t exactly get along any more. Hermione somehow felt that she’d know if there ever was a time to fear Lucius’s intentions. It didn’t feel like now... This felt okay. Safe.

“Yes, is there some problem?” smiled Lucius, offering her his arm.

“No - no, not at all,” she finally replied, and they stood up to leave. Hermione looked quickly around the lounge for a sight of Snape, but he was nowhere to be seen. Discharging her thoughts of him, she went off with Lucius out of the lounge, off the long corridor and finally into his room.

Entering, Hermione instinctively looked around - this was definitely a room rented to Lucius Malfoy. It was big, with dark and old-fashioned furniture, an enormous book shelf undoubtedly put there for the occasion and of course a large nicely made bed.

Hermione’s gaze turned quickly to the book shelf, and she found herself examinating the rows of works, checking the titles and authors as she went. It was really quite a nice collection, and all of it seemed to be of legal nature.

Pausing for a moment on a book about magic conducted against vampires of Transylvania, Hermione then felt the presence of Lucius behind her, he was very close. Suddenly, his hands were on her shoulders.

“Find anything you like?” he asked silkily in her ear.

“Sorry, I just get so caught up,” she answered quickly. “You wanted to show me a book...?”

“Never mind that,” whispered Lucius, and Hermione was caught in surprise as she felt his soft lips brush against her ear lobe.

Hermione found herself smiling slightly, it was a nice feeling... Though for some reason, she didn’t feel completely safe, being caught between Lucius and the book shelf in his room, all on her own. And Lucius didn’t help prevent the feeling as he, his hands still on her shoulders, turned her around and stroked her upper arms whilst pushing her up against the shelf.

“What are you -?” Hermione began nervously, but she didn’t get to finish. Lucius’s mouth caught her own, and his tongue was eagerly parting her lips, exploring with intensity.

Feeling even more unsafe now, Hermione pushed slightly at Lucius’s hands, feeling his grip was a little too strong. It only tightened, and he was smiling as he pulled away from her lips, only to turn his attention back to her ear lobe, biting and licking.

“Severus found your weak spot,” he whispered into her ear, “but he doesn’t know how to use it... No need to worry, my dearest, I do.”

Without a warning, he bit down, hard, just below her ear and then again further out on her shoulder. Hermione yelped in pain and surprise, and found herself struggling more. She didn’t want this! Didn’t he understand she couldn’t take it?

“Lucius, stop,” she muttered, trying to free her arms from his grip.

He seemed to be enjoying her begging. Using his entire body to hold her in place against the shelf, his hands started to travel her body, feeling every curve and groping where he felt it proper. Her fighting against him just caught her tighter between him and the shelf, and the hardness of the shelf against her back was agony.

“Stop, now!” she exclaimed, but his lips caught hers again, even more eager than before. He seemed unstoppable. Wasn’t he listening to her pleas at all?

Hermione’s terror increased as his hands started to pull the length of her dress up her legs. It had to stop! He was going to rape her if she didn’t do anything. Pushing her hands hard against his chest, she finally broke free of his kiss.

“Please stop!” she begged him, catching his eyes for the first time since they’d entered the room.

His hands caught her wrists, and pushed her arms back against the shelf. “Is this your idea of fun?” he smiled, his gaze filled with lust. “If you like to fight, that’s fine, it makes it all the more amusing for me.”

“I’m not fooling around!” said Hermione furiously, trying desperately to free her wrists, but his grip was firm. “Let me go!”

He was silent for a short while. Then, finally, he spoke. “You are serious?” he smiled. “I really believed you enjoyed a bit of a row. Naughty girl, giving Severus that impression and hence giving me it, too.”

“I never gave Snape that impression!” Hermione said, writhing.

“Hmm... I got it all wrong, then?” asked Lucius, more to himself than to Hermione, still holding her firmly. “He will enjoy telling me I failed. Yet...” He glanced at Hermione, still caught in his room and his arms, unable to escape. “Yet you have left me so unsatisfied...”

Without finishing his sentence, he returned to his acts, now kissing her throat as his hands returned to pulling the skirt of her dress up her legs, still pinning her against the shelf with his body.

“No, please,” Hermione begged, “stop. No, STOP IT!”

Miraculously, her cry must have been heard, for the door slammed open two seconds later.

Lucius’s hands and lips instictively left Hermione’s body, and she jumped two steps away from him the very instant, desperate to get away from his terrifying touch.

“Why, Severus,” said Lucius to the man in the door as he straightened up, “right outside the door were you? I take it you took my advice then.”

***
There we are! I\'d love to get some reviews on this, and I swear I\'ll sort a few matters out in the next chapter... There\'s a few loose ends here, after all...! And I know a lot of people out there adore Lucius and would love to see him get the girl in the end - but nothing\'s decided yet! Just because Severus is the man of the hour doesn\'t mean anything... Lucius was just a spot too eager here, he couldn\'t help himself... :)