All the way II: And Even Further

Annie could hear Lucius following her and Pat. She would not look round at him. He was a manipulating slimeball and she was never going to talk to him again.



"Excuse me," he said to Pat as he leveled with them, "but would you mind going away? Your cousin and I have things to talk about -"



"Did you hear something grunting Pat? Or was it just my imagination?" Annie said loudly.



Annie rounded the corner and found herself alone with the blonde. She made a mental note to ask Pat where she placed her loyalties when she saw her next.



"Look..." Annie was pleased to hear he was sounding uncomfortable, "The other day... I didn't mean to -"



"To what?" she said coldly, "Use me to piss off your dad?"



"It wasn't like that -"



"Then what was it like?" They stopped. He was silent. Annie nodded slowly, "I thought not."



She walked away. He didn't follow.



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After dinner, and countless attempts to corner Annie, Lucius admitted that he needed help and left his common room.



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There was a knock on the door. Hermione pushed Eileen off her lap and answered it.



"Lucius?" She smiled, "What are you doing here? I thought we sorted everything this morning?"



"I'm not here about him." Lucius said as he entered the living room.



Hermione sat on the sofa next to Eileen and Lucius sat the other side of the girl.



"Why are you here then?" Hermione asked. Lucius sighed and muttered something. "Didn't catch that."



"I... I need advice... on... girls..."



Hermiones jaw dropped momentarily, "You... you don't want the talk, do you?"



"No! Lucius yelped, "I'm nearly seventeen! Not eleven! No... I mean... on..."



"Asking them out?" Hermione asked shrewdly. Lucius nodded. "Well, it would help if you had a certain person in mind..." Hermione knew he was talking about Annie, but she wanted him to admit it. She was disappointed when he shook his head, "Right... well, there are lots of ways to make a girl like you; Of course it helps if she already likes you, but... Anyway, some men try and seduce women, while some ask them out right, some just drop hints and some just go straight for the physical stuff and hope it works out."



"If you were An -" Lucius stopped quickly, "I mean... which one did you prefer?"



"Hmmm..." Hermione thought, "Well, I suppose Severus sort of... I guess he was more of a physical being at the start -"



"Yeah, well, I don't do the 'Me Tarzan. You Jane.' stuff." Lucius smirked.



Hermione laughed, "No... But in the end he was very sweet."



"Snape? Sweet?" Lucius scoffed.



"It's true!" Hermione said indignantly.



"Whatever!"



"However," Hermione said seriously, "some girls would like to be told out right before anything physical."



"What if they won't listen?"



"Ok, then it's time to get physical."



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"I'll meet you in the common room!" Annie called to Pat as she headed back to the changing rooms.



They had been to Quiditch practice and Annie had left her necklace behind. It was special to her because her auntie Ginny had given it to her and she just loved it.



The changing room was open and she slipped in. She found the necklace and went over to the mirror to put it on.



Annie jumped as the old door creaked shut and she spun around. When she realized who it was, she straightened her shoulders and started to walk to the door.



As she made to pass him, Draco grabbed her arm and swung her back into the room.



"What are you doing?" She frowned angrily.



"I'm trying to tell you that -"



"I don't want to hear it!”



"Just listen -"



"What part of the letters N and O don't you understand, Malfoy!"



There was silence for a moment and Annie tried to go again. She got to the door, but it was locked. She pulled and pulled on the handle. She turned, intending to scream at him to let her out, but -



"LET ME - ! Mmph -"



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"DADDY!" Eileen ran over to Severus as he entered the room. After dinner he had gone to his office to grade some papers that would have been better use on a fire.



"Daddy," Eileen whispered this time, "You have to be quiet. Mummy's asleep!"



"Asleep?" Severus frowned. She couldn't be that tired; she had been in bed ages this morning.



As Eileen ran off some where, Severus went to the bedroom. Sure enough, Hermione was lying on the bed, fully clothed and asleep.



Silently, he went to sit by her on the edge of the bed. She was so beautiful, as always. Gently, he touched her cheek. It was warm and soft, like skin got when you slept in the day.



After watching her for a while, Severus decided that after last night she deserved a good rest. He could understand why Draco Malfoy would want her - why any man would -, but that didn't mean he had to like it. And he didn't.



So many people tried it on with her, but most of them were ex-students, so all he had to do was glare and they scattered like ants. If it wasn't happening to him it would have been funny to watch.



But now, most people knew that she was his and he didn't share, and that any man who suggested it would most likely be hunted down and murdered.



Severus knew he owed Hermione big time, even if she laughed it off. She had given him everything he could ever want and more. A wife. A daughter. A life out of Azkaban.



He shuddered at the thought of the prison. The only thing he was glad of was that the Dementors had been exterminated before he arrived there. His worst memory was too bad for nightmares even.



Well, some time they were nightmares. Severus often found himself reaching for Hermione in the night and got disorientated when she was not there; when she was with Eileen or getting a drink.



But she always came back and everything was alright. At times like that he felt like a child.



He was pulled from his memories and thoughts when his wife sighed and turned over on her side. Severus waved his hand and the door closed. He moved around to the other side of the bed and settled down next to her, pulling her gently into his arms. She sighed again. Severus smiled. Eileen would be alright alone for a while...



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When Annie was allowed to breathe again, she shoved Lucius away from her.



"You..." She gasped, "You think you can do that and everything'll be alright?"



"No -"



"Well, it won't!" She yelled, "I will not be treated like! You used me to get back at your bloody father and I deserve better!"



"I know you do!" He tried desperately, walking forwards again, "And I am trying to -"



"I don't care what you're trying to do!" She exploded, "I don't need you! I never did! I don't even know why I went after you, when I saw you outside my classroom! I have had other boy friends and I know it's you that keeps attacking them! Well, it won't work any more! I'm nearly seventeen and, if I have my way, I have a life ahead of me that DOESN'T INVOLVE YOU!"



Annie spun on her heel and threw herself from the room.



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Lucius watched her go. She didn't mean what she said. She couldn't mean it! They were teenagers - young with hormones all over the place. She didn't know what she was saying.



All the same, he tore after her.



He ran over the grounds, finally coming close enough to grab her around the waist, sending them tumbling to the floor.



Lucius rolled them over, until he was on top, holding her wrists over her head. She made a noise between a growl and a scream and started to struggle, her flaming hair whipping about her face in the wind.



"GET OFF ME!" She screeched.



"Not until you listen!"



"I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN!"



"Why?" Lucius raised an eyebrow, "Is the big brave Gryffindor scared, maybe?"



She stilled, tense, "I'm not scared of anything. Especially you."



"Me, perhaps not. But what I could say...?" Lucius knew he had her know.



He had always had a way of working out people strengths and weaknesses, and using things against them. Perhaps that could actually do something good this time?



Again she said softly, "I'm not scared of you."



"I never said you were," His voice was unusually gentle.



He leaned down as the wind died and her red hair settled around her head like a fire.



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He kissed Annie like she would never have expected. It was not rushed like every other teenage snog. It was different. Weird different. Nice different.



Annie only found out Lucius had released her arms when one of his hands stroked gently down her cheek. She raised her own hand, trailing it up his arm and around his neck. It rested there until the blond pulled back a little to gaze down at her.



The slate grey of his eyes seemed to move like clouds, swirling around and around, but remaining locked on her.



Annie had never felt so... light. She was floating, flying, soaring. Of course, she had snogged before, many times, but never like that. She had been snogged, but never kissed.



Indeed, this was her first proper kiss.



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Lucius could see her thinking by the look in her incredible eyes. He only wished he knew what she was thinking about.



She had kissed lots before. Was she silent because he was terrible and she was trying to spare his feelings by thinking up some lie? Had he been that bad?



She was just staring.



Say something, he urged her, anything!



"I..." She whispered finally, "You... What...? Oh whatever!"



She gave up and dragged him back down.



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Hermione jerked awake when some one tugged sharply on her hair. She wriggled from the arms surrounding her and turned over to face her daughter.



"Mummy," the girl whispered through the dark, "Will you come and tuck me in?"



Hermione smiled and said sleepily, "Of course, darling. I'll be there in a second."



Eileen left the room as Hermione sat up and stretched. She slid from the bed and trudged into her daughters’ room. Eileen was wriggling down in her bed. Hermione leaned down and kissed her, then pulled the covers up around her chin.



"There you go," She said quietly, "Night, love, see you tomorrow."



"Night night, mummy. Tell daddy as well."



Hermione nodded and turned the light off as she left the room.



When she was back in the bedroom, Severus was gone. She changed into her night dress and slid into the welcoming sheets, stretching out on her back. A few minutes later, the light went out and the bed weight shifted.



"Eileen says good night," Hermione said tiredly.



Severus grunted to tell her he had heard and threw a leg over her one of hers. A large hand took hold of her small one and Hermione turned her head to try and look at her husband through the darkness.



"Anything wrong?" She asked quietly.



"We are alright, aren't we?" he asked.



"Yeah, of course! Why?"



"I just... I didn't mean to shout at you. I was just trying to make you understand that Draco Malfoy is dangerous. I didn't intend to make it sound like you would let him near Eileen or that you were a bad mother."



Hermione smiled into the darkness, "Don't worry about it. I know you didn't mean anything like that."



"And..." he took a breath, "I'm sorry for last night."



Hermione giggled, "Why? I had the impression that you were enjoying yourself."



"No," He sighed, "I let some stupid words get to me when they shouldn't have and for that I’m sorry. You didn't deserve that."



"Again, don't worry about it. I knew Draco had said something and I didn't stop you, did I?" Hermione reasoned gently, "Don't worry about me. I can look after my self."



"Don't say that," Hermione felt him place a kiss on her temple before he carried on quietly, "What ever you think, I can't stand there and watch you get hurt."



"I won't get hurt," She told him.



Severus snaked his arms around her, "Famous last words,"