Arianrhod's Vessel

here we are again. once more taking a dip into the perverse and dark world that is my mind. i hope you enjoy the ride. this is to let you know that, with exception of a few people and places, what you find in here is the product of j.k. rowling's imagination. i am merely borrowing them from her and will, at some point, put them back. i make no money from my humble offerings, so please don't sue me. you won't get anything.

this chapter marks the beginning of deeper and more intense sexual situations. with a character who, at the time, was underage. please be aware that i don't condone this sort of behavior. but, for the sake of the story (cos that's how the bunnies wanted it), that's what happens. if the idea of an adult and a minor together in any kind of sexual scenario offends you, please DO NOT read any further. this is your final boarding call and your final warning.

finally, if you like it, please let me know. a review isn't necessary, but its much appreciated.

Chapter Seven: Painful Memories
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Going somewhere, Nisha?"

She froze as the silky voice slid over her like cool liquid. She couldn't believe she'd been caught. Slowly, she turned to face the man who had stopped her, her face schooled into a blank mask. She stared up into the dark eyes of the tall man and allowed him to see that she didn't care what he thought she was doing. "I don't see how if I am or am not going somewhere is any of your concern," she replied smoothly.

"Lucius would be most unhappy to find you gone again," Snape told her. Nisha swore she was hearing things, because it sounded to her as if he would be happy if she were gone.

"Lucius would be unhappy to find that his chance to get Narcissa pregnant was gone," she corrected him, not caring that some of the bitterness came through in her words. "He wouldn't care if I were gone or not."

"Lucius would notice your absence," he replied. She gave him a look and crossed her arms over her chest, just under her breasts so that they popped up all the more under the fine gown. She noticed the careful flick of his eyes toward the shift in position and felt a small sliver of disappointment when he looked away without any kind of heated look passing through them. From almost the very first moment she'd met Severus Snape, Nisha had found herself drawn to him. She couldn't explain why, but her curiosity about him hadn't died over the years. In fact, if anything, it had grown.

Over the years, as she'd moved from one place to the next, Nisha had often times thought of Severus Snape and had wondered what he was doing. Where he was. If he'd married and had children. She'd decided that he was very unlikely to marry and sire children of his own. She clearly recalled the way he'd treated her when she'd been here that first time. At each of their meetings, he'd made it blatantly obvious that he'd felt she were beneath him. He had gone out of his way to treat her with as much contempt as he'd been capable of putting into words and looks.

"Only because he wishes to use me for something. For his own personal gain," she replied, not looking away from him when she said it. Despite the pain she felt for Lucius' betrayal of her fifteen year old self, she was not about to turn from Snape and make him think her weaker than she was. She actually didn't care what he thought of her, but she knew that his already low opinion of her character would sink even lower if he were to see her as a weak coward. She didn't want him to think of her as a coward. She knew she was without his knowing and rubbing it in her face any chance he was given.

"You still have not told me where you were on your way to when I stopped you," Snape regarded her with an intent stare that let her know he wasn't about to let the matter drop. Nor would he stand for anything but the truth.

"If you must know, sir," she snapped, stepping back from him. "I was planning on going somewhere that Lucius and all of his notoriety and money would be unable to find me."

"And where, per chance, would that be? Lucius has quite an extensive reach and is likely capable of finding you where ever you chose to run to," the man before her told her with a faint chuckle coloring his words. A sound of merriment that told her far better than words that he thought she was being childish and naïve. She frowned at him and turned to stride across the verdant green lawns.

"I was considering the lower levels of Hell. But, as you've just reminded me, the two of you are obviously well acquainted with that particular hiding place," her voice was like ice and she drew her robes in around her body more closely. She hated this place and she hated what both men made her into. She didn't know the person she became when she was around Lucius. Or Severus, for that matter. They turned her into some strange, foreign creature that she despised with every inch of her being. She spent far too much time already hating herself. She didn't need a reason to do so any further.

"You, child, sound as if you could stand a walk about the grounds to help cool you off," he reached out and took her arm in his hand, then began walking next to her, steering her toward a towering row of shrubbery to her right. She was about to protest, but his grip tightened and he spoke in a low voice, obviously giving her a warning. "Lucius would be bound to suspect something, should you return to his dinner table in such a rotten mood."

"I could be quick and lay the blame on my company," she replied sweetly, her tongue's edge sharp and aimed for slicing his black heart from his chest. Snape said nothing, merely steered her into an opening in the line of bushes. Nisha stared about her a moment and then realized that she was standing in the long corridor of a living maze. His hand guided her along paths, around twists and turns until they were in a dead end. The trip was not long, but it was made in complete silence. The maze hadn't been there the last time Nisha had been at Malfoy Manor. So much had changed and yet it was still really very much the same.

The alcove they came to was a small, round area with a bench and an ivy-encrusted trellis to form an arch over the long seat. With no small amount of force, Snape shoved her down onto the stone bench and towered over her, glowering at her in what she thought was a tired manner. His arms crossed over his chest as he regarded her as if she were little more than an errant child. Slowly, the seconds ticked by in near complete silence, save the singing of birds across the maze, and she began to notice small things here and there. She realized with a start that she'd visited this place before. In her fantasies and her dreams.

There were large blossoms opening within the walls of the maze, vibrant hues of all Nisha's favorite colors. All blossoms of her most favorite flowers. The predominant blooms were roses, almost all of them perfectly shaped buds. A few here and there were opened and fragrant, perfuming the air with their sweet scent. Several types of large lilies were intermingled with the roses, as well as lilac and brilliantly colored gerbera daisies. She could distinctly recall telling Lucius about each and every one of them. And here they were, springing out of the bushes as if only for her.

The path they'd traveled was made up of large, flat stones. Each one of them had been inlaid with a dragon of shining, brilliant green. The beast's wings were spread as if in flight, a fierce snarl upon it's snout. The figure was familiar to her and it took a moment before she realized why. She'd been presented with a dragon just like that a very long time ago. Lucius had given it to her, telling her that the miniature statue would stand guard over her when she slept. She could remember the very day he'd gifted her with it.

Nisha sat in the window seat, staring out at the dull gray landscape. It was raining, pouring madly while thunder shook the sky and lightning forked with evil intent across the dark of the gathered clouds. She feared storms with an irrationality that she couldn't understand or explain properly. It had always been so. Whenever it stormed, she had vivid and violent dreams that scared her badly. When he'd first found out, earlier in the week when the storms had started in earnest, Lucius had told Nisha that the only way to conquer such a fear was to face it head on. Which was why she was sitting in a window, watching the one thing that petrified her most.

She was wrapped up in her thoughts and didn't hear the door to the room open. It had been nearly two weeks since her late night encounter with Lucius and not even the memory of how he'd made her feel could drive the tenseness from her limbs or the thoughts from her mind. And she'd thought upon that night's happenings a great deal lately. But the sound of the thunder rolling and breaking against itself was more than his hands and mouth, or the ghost touches of them, could compete with. She was trying really hard to ignore the sounds of the storm and concentrate on the rhythm of the rain as it pattered on the roof of the house.

So, when a loud clap of thunder coincided with the touch of a hand on her shoulder, she jumped off her seat and gave a startled yelp. Before she could think, there was a gentle touch to her face and she found herself looking up at Lucius. There was concern on his face as he studied her own. "I'm so sorry, Nisha. I didn't mean to startle you as I did. It would seem that you haven't been able to conquer your fear of storms."

She shook her head in response, not trusting to her voice for such a task. She knew she'd likely sound like a frightened little girl if she spoke. He stared at her a moment, then his hands cupped her cheeks and tilted her face up to his. Gently, he pressed a kiss to her lips. Before she could respond, he pulled away and pressed a second kiss to her forehead. Then, stepping back, he reached into his traveling cloak and pulled out a small box. With a wave of his wand, the box grew in size. It was wrapped in gold tissue, tied with a golden-brown bow. He presented it to her with a grand gesture.

"Since my lady is plagued with demons while she sleeps, I have taken the liberty of purchasing for her a gift that is sure to take care of such problems," he told her with a soft smile gracing his face. She glanced up at him, uncertain as to whether or not he was teasing her. His look turned coaxing and she finally took the box from his hands after several moments of silence. Slowly, with a great deal of care, she undid the bow and then peeled the paper from the box.

Lucius watched her as she lifted the lid and began pushing the tissue paper aside. When she found what was in the box, she could only stare for a moment. Then a large smile spread across her face, lighting up her golden eyes with genuine surprise and gratitude. She reached in and removed his gift from the box, marvelling at it in the light of the candles through out the room. "He is guaranteed to protect you from storms and scary things," Lucius told her warmly.

Nisha stared at the dragon she held. He was about six inches high with wide spread wings and a gaping mouth. Brilliant green scales shone as she turned him this way and that to look him over. His eyes were a warm golden color that seemed to contain all the knowledge in the world. The statue was warm in her hands and she could sense a calm come over her just from holding him. She simply stared at the dragon for a long time, allowing his presence to drive out the clinging web of fear. Finally, she turned her gaze back up to Lucius' and gave him a look of pure happiness. "No one has ever given me anything before," she smiled up at him softly.

"The look upon your face is well worth it," he assured her, reaching out to stroke the silk of her hair. A faint whisper of warm desire rushed along her veins. Gently, she set the dragon down on the table nearest them and turned back to him. The two of them stared at one another and Nisha could feel the need building between them. It was always there now, simmering beneath the surface. Every time they had dinner or did something together, even if Narcissa was there, the need pressed against her. And she knew that Lucius felt the same because he would look at her with such hunger and want in his eyes.

He was leaning toward her and she closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. She wanted to feel his lips press upon hers. Thunder rolled and shook the house, startling Nisha. She yelped and threw herself into Lucius' arms, feeling safe within them. They wrapped tight around her and held her close, his hands patting her back soothingly. Without looking up at him, she sighed and chuckled. "I can't imagine why I'm such a baby about storms. I'm sorry," she managed to get out. "They've just always scared me like this. I have no idea why."

"Everyone is afraid of something, Nisha," he told her softly, then put distance between them by drawing back from her slightly. She looked up at him and found herself ensnared in the deepness of his eyes. He began lowering his head again and Nisha once more shut her eyes, going up on tip toes to meet his kiss. His mouth moved over hers, gently prodding her lips apart so that he could dip his tongue into her mouth. She let him, opening wide and savoring the feel of him as he delved into her and drank from her. At that moment, he was her reason for living and breathing. She was the pupil, he the instructor, and she wanted nothing more than to find out what came next.

Lucius drew back and smiled down at her, his eyes gone dark with his passion. "I must be leaving. I have an important meeting to go to. But your dragon is here now. He'll keep you safe from anything that would harm you."

He'd kept her safe from the storms that rocked the house and shook it from the outside. But he'd failed to keep her safe from the storm that brewed within her own breast. She'd left him behind when she'd left. He'd had no place in her life anymore. And now, she found the image of him in the ground before her. The image of a gift that Lucius had bestowed upon her. That, along with the flowers in the bushes, told her that Lucius hadn't forgotten anything. She was doomed and she needed to get out of her before he could repeat what had happened in the past. Glancing around, she wondered just how she was going to make that happen. Her gaze landed on the man standing over her and a thought struck her.

Snape didn't like her. If he didn't like her, he obviously wouldn't want her here for any longer than necessary. Perhaps, if she worked it right, he would help her get away from Lucius and his schemes. From the madness that would take her if she allowed him to do with her as he'd done before. She just had to come up with a way to make him help her without his realizing she was using him.

~*~

Nisha fell into silence, contemplating what she needed to do next. He was surprised by her sudden quiet, seeing as she'd been only just moments before spitting at him vehemently. The girl was a strange mix of inconsistencies that, despite his better instincts, intrigued him. He was no closer to finding out just what she was, but he was determined to discover that fact for himself. There was so much vulnerability to her, despite her tough act. He could sense that, whatever had happened to drive her away all those years ago, had obviously left a mark on her heart and soul. She was sad in a way that most people would never be or understand and it was a sorrow that seemed to only grow deeper as the time passed by.

Though it was only speculation, he thought he might understand some of Nisha's reluctance to be at Malfoy Manor. He'd seen it in her eyes a long time ago and he could still see shadows of it lingering there now. During her initial stay with Lucius and Narcissa, Nisha had done the unthinkable and fallen in love with her rescuer. She still cared for him, which likely made it harder for her to be here now. As a girl of fifteen, it hadn't occured to her just how impossible things would be. As an adult, he was sure she knew that Lucius would never leave his wife. For all of his flirting and philandering, Lucius loved Narcissa and always would.

Still, his longtime friend was only human and had faults like everyone else did. And Lucius' largest fault currently sat before Severus with a lost look in her eyes and a growing aura of deep sorrow and regret. Nisha had unknowingly turned Lucius Malfoy's world on its ear. And now she was just as caught by the web of deceit that Lucius had woven as he had been for so long.

Severus gave her a curious look, though he felt she wouldn't know that by looking at him. He'd gotten so very adept at hiding his expressions from people over the years. This was no different and he was sure that she only saw the hardened face that he presented to the world. Nisha was still young in so many ways and he wondered if it was possible that she really didn't know just what her leaving before had done to Lucius. The possibility was nearly a foregone conclusion. The only thing that kept him from thnking so was that no one knew what had driven her away. One moment, Nisha had been there. The next, she'd been gone.

For some time after the fact, Lucius had thrown himself into Ministry work. He'd barely gotten near Narcissa until the pregnancy had become obvious. When his petite wife had started having difficulties getting around, Lucius had spent more time at home to offer her his assistance. The day that Draco had been born, Lucius had been at Narcissa's side the entire time. Severus had been there as well, and he'd seen the look of adoration on both faces when Draco had been brought into the world with a loud cry. He'd also seen the haunted look that swam at the back of Lucius' eyes. It was a look that said that no amount of joy could dispell the blow that the loss of Nisha had been to him.

It had been several months ago that Lucius had come to him with Narcissa's request and his concerns about the whole thing.

"You rarely come to the dungeons these days, Lucius. Slumming, are we?" Severus asked as his silver maned friend entered his private office. Lucius smiled at him and tossed his cloak down across a small table near the door. His leather gloved followed, then his cane. As if he owned the place, Lucius strolled forward and settled into the wing backed chair across the desk from his longtime friend. Severus set his quill down and gave his full attention to the other man.

"I've come with a question and a mission," Lucius replied in a slightly pinched tone, as if he really didn't want to talk about it.

"Proceed," Severus instructed.

"I've just had a conversation with my adoring wife. She wishes to have another child," the blonde told him point blank. Severus blinked at him, some what startled by this turn of events. And very little ruffled his feathers. For over thirteen years, Narcissa had been happy with only one child. Draco was an intelligent, handsome boy who had made a name for himself in the school and with his peers. It was astonishing and puzzling to think that she wanted to ruin a good run by having another squalling brat.

"I see. And you have come to me why?" he asked carefully.

"You know I need Nisha for such an event to occur," Lucius added unnecessarily.

"Of course. And the silly chit buggered off the first chance she got. What does this have to do with me?" Severus snarled, not liking the way the conversation was going. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was coming and he didn't plan on getting involved.

"You didn't care for her when she was a resident at my house, did you?" Lucius observed casually, as if he'd only just noticed the animosity.

"You know I did not," Severus stated calmly.

"Why ever not? Other than being a child, what did she ever do to you to make you dislike her so?" Lucius pinned him with a stare that told the dark man there would be no dodging the question. Severus knew the look in his friend's eye and knew that there would be no steering him from the topic until he'd answered it to the other man's satisfaction.

"I need no reason other than I despise children. All children," Severus pointed out to him in calm, collected tones. He wasn't about to tell Lucius that he'd felt things when looking at Nisha that he felt he'd had no right feeling. She'd stirred emotions within him he'd long thought dead. Emotions he'd had no right feeling for a fifteen year old girl. Emotions he had no right feeling for the same girl now, though she was thirteen years older.

Lucius regarded him for a long moment. Severus knew the calculating look in the other man's eyes. But the Malfoy patriarch said nothing. Instead, he steepled his hands before him and took a breath, then launched into the part of the tale that Severus didn't want to hear. "As I wish to make my wife happy, I must begin a search for Nisha at once. I would like your help in this matter."

"How in the world can I be of help to you?" Severus asked with no small amount of sarcasm in his voice. Sarcasm that Lucius chose to ignore.

"I've considered all my options and have come to the conclusion that I need to hire some kind of detective to search her out. However, I know you have extensive contacts that are... shall we say, less than savory? I would like it if you would ask them to help in the search. They might have heard or seen something that would have struck them odd. We know just how special Nisha is."

"Oh yes," Severus snarled. He'd spent a good deal of time after her disappearance putting Nisha and all thoughts of her from his mind. The last thing he wanted or needed to was to be dragged down in the mire of Lucius' uncontrolable need to please his wife. "We do know how special she is. Tell me, Lucius. Isn't it enough that you put her through such a painful deception once before? Do you think she deserves to go through such a thing again?"

"She didn't go through anything, Severus. She got Narcissa pregnant. She can do so again," Lucius replied with little venom or conviction to his words. Severus could tell that he didn't really believe them. He simply wanted to please his wife and would go to any lengths to do so.

"I see. So her thoughts and feelings on the matter mean nothing. Very well, Lucius. I shall do what I can to aide you in your quest to find her. But do not think to involve me as you did previously. I will not be part of what you plan on doing."

Lucius hadn't stayed long after that, content with Severus' promise of help. He didn't care that even a man who was thought to have no feelings believed that what he'd been planning on doing was wrong. He'd gone his merry way and hired his detectives. He'd contacted Severus once a week to find out if the dark man had heard anything from his less than savory contacts. And, when she'd been found, he'd asked Severus to accompany him to the den of sin that she had been discovered in. Severus glanced at her again and realized that, if she were put through the entire mess again, it would wound her more deeply than anything Lucius could have thought to do to her. He stifled his sigh.

~*~

"This wasn't here before," Nisha finally said, staring at the flowers and shrubbery surrounding them. She hadn't noticed that Snape had seemingly been lost in thought. She'd been stuck in her own mind, trying to figure out how she was going to get out of the manor and away from Lucius. It was imperative that she go before she could be trapped again. She didn't think she could make it out this time. Not with her mind intact.

"Lucius had it built after the birth of Draco. Rather sentimental, if you ask me," Snape snarled out. Nisha glanced up at him, stunned to hear him mention the child. It would seem Narcissa had had a boy. It was what she and Lucius had wanted. And he'd been named Draco. The dragon. Nisha wanted to weep. But then a thought struck her. Snape knew about the boy. He could tell her things she'd never know about him. Things she needed to know.

"Draco?" she asked, hoping she sounded the right shade of inquisitive.

"Yes, the pride and joy of the Malfoy name. As pale as his mother and as silvery blonde as his father. The spitting image of both and yet not like either of them. There is a side to him that comes from some place else," he said, almost to himself. Nisha heard him, though, and felt her heart squeeze painfully.

"I imagine Lucius and Narcissa are proud of him," she commented in an offhand manner.

"Terribly. Spoilt little brat, that one. Smart as a whip, too. But Narcissa dotes upon him as if the sun shines from his arse. So he is, in effect, lazy," Snape replied, his tone warming even when his words did not. It gave Nisha the impression that he liked the boy, though he didn't dare admit it. She tried to hide the bittersweet smile that wanted to spread across her face. If he saw it, she knew he'd start thinking about the reasons for such a smile. If anyone could figure out what had happened, it would be Snape. She couldn't allow him to do that. Should he figure it out, she would never be able to escape. He wouldn't allow it. The scientist in him wouldn't allow it.

"You must know everything there is to know about him," she said, picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her skirts.

"I know as much as his parents do," he drawled, watching the movement of her hands. She smoothed a line and looked up at him with a faint smile tilting up the corner of her lips.

"Perhaps you could tell me about him on our walk back up to the main house?" she suggested. When she lifted her eyes to his, he had her pinned with his gaze. She could swear he was trying to see into her head, to figure out what she was thinking or doing. She did her best to look unassuming and innocent.

After a long while passed in which he simply stared at her, he heaved a sigh that sounded as if he'd been suffering for a very long time. Motioning back in the direction from which they'd come, he started up the stone lined path. Holding back her own sigh, Nisha followed him. A few minutes ticked by before he drew a breath and began speaking. Nisha remained behind him, lost in the sound of his silky voice as well as the images his words brought to mind of a young boy that should have been hers.

~*~*~*~*~

"There you are, Nisha," Lucius smiled when she was escorted into the dining room. Snape had his hand curled around her arm tightly and wasn't about to let her go. When they'd entered the house, she'd tried to slip away and go to her rooms but the sour-faced teacher wasn't about to let her. He'd hissed something in her ear about not letting her get away that easily, then had steered her toward the doors leading into the family's dining room. Narcissa looked up from her place at the table next to her husband's seat, a beautiful smile upon her face. Nisha knew why she was smiling so prettily and drummed up something that might have been considered a smile. Lucius came over to them and took her arm from Snape's grasp. "When Tildie told me you weren't to be found anywhere in the house, Narcissa and I immediately became concerned."

"I'm sorry," Nisha murmured, ducking her head as if ashamed. "I thought I should go for a walk around the grounds. I've been cooped up inside for so long and the wounds on my back are finally healing. I didn't see the harm. I simply forgot to let anyone know where I was."

"Its perfectly understandable, Nisha," Narcissa purred as she stood and moved to stand by Snape. "This old house is terribly empty and dreadfully boring with out the sound of childish laughter to fill its halls. Severus, so lovely to see you. I'm pleased you could join us for dinner."

"The school was serving something that I would never dare torture my palette with. So I am here at your tender mercies," he replied with little inflection. His gaze flicked to where Nisha stood by Lucius. Though her head was still bowed, her back had gone rigid and he was sure she had reacted to Narcissa's detestable comment. "I stumbled across Nisha on the lawn. She was on her way toward that silly maze of yours, Lucius."

"Yes," he nodded. "Draco's maze. I'm sure she found it quite stimulating. The boy used to love playing hide and seek in it when he was young."

"Of course I walked her through it," Snape continued, his gaze still locked on Nisha's bowed head. "I was of the opinion that you would not wish to lose your guest within the maze."

"You're absolutely right, of course," Narcissa said sweetly as she began steering Snape toward his place at the table. Lucius glanced from Nisha's bent head to his wife's face. He was certain something was going on. Silently, he ushered Nisha forward, helping her settle into a chair across from him at the table. That put her between Severus and Narcissa. Giving her hand a gentle squeeze meant to reassure, he moved to take his place at the head of the table, then clapped his hands to let the House Elves know that it was time to serve the meal.

~*~

The meal was in full swing when Narcissa began asking questions in earnest about Draco and his classmates at school. Severus spoke in his usual clipped tones, which could indicate anything from boredom to complete hatred. He answered each and every one of her questions, though, without complaint. Through it all, Lucius remained silent and watched. Narcissa was terribly animated and moved her hands excitedly as she spoke. Severus was more sedate, his gaze empty of any discernable emotion as he told about Draco and the school. Nisha, however, remained with her head down and barely looked from the plate before her. In fact, she barely ate from the plate before her and he had to wonder, not for the first time, if this had been such a good idea after all.

The fire was burning low in the hearth, casting dull light across the floor and the shoes Lucius wore. Shoes he was presently staring at. He'd had a miserable day at work, having had to listen to some idiot prattle on about the state of affairs within the magical community. Everyone was scared, the twit had said. Scared because of the threat of the Dark Lord. Lucius had, in his most snotty tones, told the little prick to shut it and leave off. His mind was in no mood for the foolishness of others. It was locked on the image of Nisha as she had been in his arms earlier that day.

She'd been so thankful for the gift of the dragon. He'd been sure that, had he pressed the issue, she would have fallen willingly into his arms and allowed him to do whatever it was he'd wanted. And he'd wanted. He'd put her from him so that she'd not known about the raging hard on he'd developed from merely kissing her. For the two weeks that had come since their first real encounter, he'd stayed away from her. He'd wanted her to come to him in need. But he was losing the fight with himself.

From the moment he'd first laid eyes on the girl, he'd been captivated by her. The second she'd looked at him with those large golden eyes of hers, he'd fallen head first into the deepness of them. One look at Nisha and Lucius had been lost. He hadn't realized it until today, though. The softness of her in his arms and the way she tried to please him so readily. He knew he shouldn't be feeling such things for her. She was a mere child. But he couldn't help it. He could see the beauty of her soul in her eyes and the woman that she was destined to be. That, above all else, held him captive like nothing could.

He lifted his glass and took a deep swallow of the firewhisky in his snifter. He'd chosen a more potent drink in an attempt to drive from his brain the demons that pushed him on. Right now, that demon was a golden-eyed temptress hiding in the body of a mere girl. Though she'd only been in his home for little over a month, she'd some how managed to worm her way into his icy heart. If he were a real man, he'd admit that he had feelings for her. Feelings that ran deeper than simply wanting to help a needy child. Not that he looked upon her as a child. She was, to him, a woman grown and he'd been so patient.

Tossing back the rest of this drink, he set the glass carefully on the table near his chair and stood. He should find his bed and sleep off the stupor he was in. Not one of drunkenness, but of lust. The only thing that had been going through his mind for some time now was an image of Nisha laid out before him like a feast, naked and quivering with need. His cock throbbed painfully in the tight confines of his trousers. He needed release. He should find his wife and use her body for the physical fulfillment he was seeking.

But Narcissa had been crying again. And he didn't want her. He wanted Nisha.

Silently, he climbed the stairs toward the upper floor and the wing where he and his wife slept. Where Nisha slept. He told himself he was going to go to the room he shared with Narcissa and take a cold shower. He made sure to give the proper directions to both his brain and his feet. But his manhood, damnable thing that it was, had other ideas.

He found himself pushing the door to Nisha's room open silently. The curtains over her windows were pulled back, allowing the silvery light of the moon to filter in through the lace panels that covered the glass. Her bed, between the two floor length panes, was hidden in shadow. Lucius stood there for a long time, simply staring at the bed. His erection was urging him to cross the few feet of floor between him and the huge four poster that she slept in. His mind was screaming at him to leave and go on his merry way. He'd never been good at listening to the more rational side of him.

The door closed behind him as if on air instead of hinges. He pulled his wand and cast a locking spell on the panel, then another spell to silence any sounds that came from the room. His mind was over ruled by his raging hormones. Slowly, as he crept closer to the bed, he slipped from each item of clothing he wore. His gaze was still locked to the bed and he halted when the soft figure upon the mattress shifted positions. A kick of her legs and the blankets were shoved down toward the foot of the large piece of furniture.

He wanted to light a candle, so that he could see her face. But he didn't dare. He didn't wish to wake her. Not yet. This was his night. For him. He didn't plan on taking her yet. He still wanted that to be her idea. But he wanted to touch her. To feel her soft, silken skin beneath his hands as he touched her. He wanted to hear her moan in her sleep. He wanted to see if he could make her mewl and beg. He wanted her so badly, it was like a mantra that made his blood pump in his veins. His body was too tight with a need that he felt he'd break and shatter if he were to touch anything other than her.

It was dark near the bed, but the moonlight that flowed into the room was enough to allow him to see her face. It was pale in the silvery illumination of her windows, relaxed in deep sleep. Her hair, dark as night against the pillows, was spread out about her head like a halo. She was clothed in one of the long nightdresses Narcissa had picked for her. Something innocent that looked inviting on her form. The skirt was hiked up around her thighs, exposing the soft expanse of her long, supple legs. She was simple perfection. His fevered brain could only think one thought.

With a flick of his wand, her nightdress was gone. It left Nisha laying on the bed with naught but a pair of cotton underpants on. He magicked those away, too. He watched for a moment, transfixed by the sight of her. She shivered a bit as the cool night air blew over her. His eyes were locked hungrily to her nipples as they firmed up. The color was indistinguishable in the darkness, but he could see them standing up at attention. She had a perfectly formed pair of breasts that were mere mounds at the moment. When she was a bit older, he knew they would be large and full, the kind of breasts that a man would want to suckle and bury his face in.

Lucius set his wand down on the bedside table, then reached out with one hand to touch a peaked nipple. Nisha shifted slightly as his fingertips grazed the puckered flesh. He reached out with the other hand and touched her other nipple. She sighed this time, her body moving again. He saw her eyes flutter as if she would wake. He didn't want that. He reached for his wand once more and cast a very light sleeping spell on her. It would be enough to keep her asleep but not too much to disallow her the feel of what he planned on doing to her. He returned his wand to the table, then gently sat on the edge of the bed.

Nisha was a vision of perfection and beauty laying on the sheets. Her limbs were long and supple, her waist trim and narrow. There was a light triangle of hair growing between her thighs that was as dark as the hair upon her head in the shadows of the room. Reaching up, he ran his hand through the silky mane of tresses that covered her head. She shifted her face into his palm as it touched her cheek and a smile spread across her lips. He stifled a moan at the thought that it would be so easy for him to take her. Even though she was sleeping and would remain that way, she would welcome him. Her body would allow him entrance into that most sacred part of her.

Lucius settled himself down next to her, simply basking in her presence for a moment. His eyes roved her bared frame in the shadows, studying the hills and valleys of her form with intense pleasure. Lucius had never thought of children as anything sexual. But he didn't really see Nisha as a child. She was a young woman in his eyes. A beautiful, desirable young woman that he wanted... no, needed with every ounce of his soul. He wanted to possess her and fill her, to make her need him as no one ever could. As no one that came after him ever would.

Slowly, with no small amount of hesitance, he reached out and cupped his hand around the curve of her breast. She made some soft, airy sound in her throat and arched slightly into his palm. The move offered him encouragement and, while his hand kneeded the mound of flesh, his lips dipped down to capture the puckered tip of her other breast. It firmed up even further in his mouth, prompting him to suck on it rather hard. Something like a sigh filled the silence of the room.

Her shifting body and the slight noises she made gave Lucius the excuse he needed to move on. While his mouth continued to ravage her breast, his lips and teeth working the peak and the flesh surrounding it, his free hand slid down over her flat belly. A slight quiver started along her skin, letting him know that she was enjoying his attentions. That she was anticipating what was to come, even in the midst of slumber. Slowly, with reverance, he combed his fingers through the curls guarding the entrance to her most intimate regions. To what he felt would be the very gates to Heaven itself.

One of his fingers touched the seam of her lips. It drew a sound from her throat and her back arched slightly. Gently, the digit probbed the opening. Her legs fell apart for him, allowing him easier access to her delights. Lucius lifted his head and shifted it to her other breast, paying it the same tender care as he had the first one. Then he gently nudged her nether lips apart to find the little nubbin of her clit.

He was surprised to find that she was already wet for him, as if she'd known he was coming. His finger pressed on the tiny bundle of nerve endings and she arched beneath him. Bringing a second finger up along side the first, he split them and caught her clit between the two. Slowly, he stroked them back and forth so that he worked it and, with it, the rest of her body. She responded with a near silent gasp and another arch of her back. Lucius lifted his head so that he could look at her face. Already, there was such rapture there. And he hadn't even begun to torment her.

Leaning back down, he began pressing kisses to the tissue around her nipples, covering her breasts with them. Then he began the journey lower, trailing more kisses across her ribs and over the plane of her abdomen. She was still quivering, only harder this time, her body tightening with his gentle caresses. He stopped at her belly button, taking a moment to admire the small, delicate shell of it. An image of her belly, swollen with his child, slammed into him with such force that he had a hard time for a few minutes distinguishing between fantasy and reality. He laid his hands on her abdomen and then his head, turning it to the side so that he could press his ear to her skin and hear the life within her. The idea was frightening and natural. So natural that it saw him jerking away in shock.

Lucius groaned. He knew it could never be. But the mental picture he'd had was so enticing and so erotic. He could picture laying with her when she was large and swollen and beautiful in the latest stage of her pregnancy. He could see himself making love to her in the gentlest of manners, slowly and steadily pistoning his erection in and out of her accepting body. She would be so warm and wet and tight around him. So welcoming. The image was so intense that he nearly lost his head and came on her like some undignified teenager with his first prostitute.

The image could never be. He drove it from his head and instead concentrated on the here and now. His hands smoothed their way down her thighs to her knees, prodding them wider before sliding back up to once more gently tease the rapidly swelling flesh of her nether lips. Drops of dewy moisture were already beading up along the seam, telling him she was so ready for him. It took every ounce of his self control to keep himself from driving his cock deep into her body and taking her then and there. Said member of his anatomy throbbed painfully as if arguing with his self control.

With long, shallow strokes, he dragged his fingers up and down the length of her hot pussy, allowing only the tips in past the initial layer of flesh. It was pure bliss and absolute torture, but he didn't stray any deeper or try to insert any other part of him. Nisha was undulating on the bed ever so slightly, her hips moving in a wicked and wanton manner. Soft moans and animal groans rolled up her throat, painting the room with the sounds of her pleasure. She was such a sensual creature, so full of passion and desire. And it was for him. Lucius felt a surge of desire and power so intense that he nearly crumpled to the bed.

Slowly, he withdrew his fingers. Nisha whimpered in her sleep, her hips arching up as if to seek out the now missing appendages. He lifted his hand to his nose, inhaling the sweet, musky odor of her passion. He wished she could see him as he brought his tongue out to taste of the juices coating his fingertips. She was sweet as spring rain and pure as a mountain stream. She tasted of innocense and youth and passion and pleasure. That simple taste wasn't enough.

Using one hand, Lucius bent the leg farthest from him and pushed it up and away from her body. The motion opened her to him slightly. He left the other leg where it was and then lay down upon the bed. His cock, so full and painfully rigid, was resting against her calf. He shifted his hips slightly and rubbed his erection along her leg. She murmured something in her sleep, her head rolling from one side to the other. He smiled and lay down over her so that his mouth was centered over her weeping core. He was mere inches from her and stopped to inhale the scent of her once more. It was like breathing in the finest of brandies or a fragrant rose. The scent went straight to his hardened length and forced him to shift his hips once more.

Nisha's body bowed up off the bed slightly the moment his tongue touched her clit. A groan filled the silence. He couldn't be sure if it were hers or his. He only knew that he'd never tasted anything so sweet in all his life. She was hot and moist, pure and addicting. Slowly he began to drag his tongue along the stiff bit of flesh, stimulating her with his gentle ministrations. Each touch of his tongue had Nisha moving more and more, like a wanton temptress trying to charm her suitor out of his clothes and his soul. Lucius knew he was already lost to her, but the motions of her hips was the greatest of aphrodisiacs to him. He could no more stop what he was doing now than he could simply let her go.

Gradually his tongue moved further south, until he was licking and laving the very center of her. She was so wet for him, her honeyed juices flowing with ease and filling his mouth with the proof of her desire. He could also, as his tongue delved deeper into her sex, feel the tightness of her muscles that bespoke of her virginity. She was like the sweetest of wines, intoxicating him with her innocence and driving him to want more. To need more. He drove his tongue into her body, relishing the feel of her muscular walls fluttering around him. It was such a heavenly feel. His hips rocked against her leg slowly, driving his weeping erection up and down the smooth surface to create the friction that his body craved.

Little mewling sounds now filled the darkened room. Nisha's hands clutched at the sheets beneath her. He could feel her need to release building. It was so easy to bring her to the very edge of insantiy. She was so close. He wanted to prolong her climax, to make her work for it. But his body couldn't hold out much longer. So he lapped at her with more ferocity. His tongue slipped in and out of her channel quickly, laving in all the right places to ensure that she would orgasm. He'd had to put his hands on her hips, to hold them down. She's been arching and bucking them so rapidly that she'd nearly thrown him off.

Positioning one hand across her abdomen, he brought the other down to rub at her clit once more. All the while, his tongue lapped at her moist walls rapidly. It didn't take her long to fall over the edge. He kept tonguing her when her entire body went tense and spasmed. He kept massaging her clit when she gasped out her climax. He drew her release out, making her writhe and moan beneath him. When he heard the moans turn to soft cries, he finally drew away from her. Nisha collapsed onto the bed limply and lay there panting a moment. Then, as if she'd only been dreaming, she rolled over onto her stomach and presented him with a spectacular view of her backside.

Lucius moaned as he stared at her arse. It was perfect. Round and firm, it looked like an upside down heart. Her legs were parted slightly, her body still trembling from her release. It was more than he could stand. He moved himself up until he covered her frame. He arranged himself carefully, so that his cock, now aching and straining for release, was positioned between her thighs. Ever so slowly, he lowered himself until he was laying atop her. His erection was trapped between her thighs, ever so slightly between the still swollen flesh of her lips so that he could feel her moisture slicking up the top part of his shaft. While it wasn't inside of her body, where he wanted to be, it was a damn sight better than his own hand.

With short, firm strokes, Lucius thrust his hips against hers. The top of his erection rubbed against her clit with each up and down motion. She was already moving beneath him again, faint moans sliding out of her parted lips. The friction was exquisite and his hips increased their tempo. It didn't take him long to find his own release, his cock buried between her legs without being inside of her body. His muscles trembled as he felt his seed spill into the sheets. He wished he was filling her body with his release, wished he was planting a child within her womb. Nisha sighed in contentment beneath him.

Lucius slowly climbed from the bed and stared down at the sleeping woman in the bed. Soon, he would do what he wanted to. Soon, he would take her completely. Soon, he would make her his for all eternity.

Narcissa was still chattering on about Draco when Lucius climbed out of the memory. His groin was tight, prompting him to seek out Nisha on the other side of the table. Her head was bent as if she were caught in prayer. For a moment, he thought that might be what it was. Then he saw the subtle rise and fall of her shoulders and realized with a shock that she was crying. He'd never seen her cry before and he had to wonder just what had set her off. He casually glanced over at Severus and noted that he, too, seemed to be watching Nisha. Narcissa seemed the only one unaware of what was happening.

There was no reason for Nisha to cry. They'd done nothing wrong to her. They hadn't treated her poorly. And yet, something was bothering her. Something, or someone, had made Nisha cry. He hated to see her weep. And he'd do anything to put a smile on her face again. If only he knew what made her so sad, he could fix if for her. Lucius knew that he would get to the bottom of this, no matter what it took.

end chapter seven.
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many thanks to my posse of wenches, and a few rogues, who constantly believe in me. even when i don't believe in myself. they help keep me going and they help inspire me. i love them all to death and i wouldn't be able to do this... any of this... without them. mucho thanks to Onyx and my Kitty Cat for their honest opinions about this chapter. they read it and proclaimed it damn hot.

please excuse any errors you might find. i pretty much beta myself and, while i try to catch things as i go along.... my eyes are bad and i occasionally miss something. please don't hurt me.

again, if you like and can be bothered, please let me know.