The Price of Glory

Chapter 2

The manor was quiet. Phaedra and Draco had been given one hour. In a particularly generous gesture, perhaps it wasn't generous, but a way to expedite their departure, Lucius had given them the use of one house-elf. He grinned as he sipped his wine. Draco didn't know it, but at midnight, the elf would return to the manor. The last house-elf that had been in the service of the Blacks was now dead. The thought of Draco and Phaedra having to do domestic chores made him chuckle.

Realization that the manor was empty dampened his mirth. The possibility that Hermoine would leave had never crossed his mind. After all, during their episodes of wild sex, there had been times when she had indicated that she wished she were married to him instead of Draco. That was what made her behaviour so perplexing. She should have rejoiced in the fact that her wish had become a reality. His plan had been to spend the night having mad, passionate sex with her. Instead, he was alone and getting drunk.

He finished his glass of wine and glanced at the clock when it began to chime. Ten o'clock and Hermione had still not returned. He assumed that it was unlikely she would return tonight. Naturally, she was upset by the afternoon's revelations.

Rising from his chair, he began to pace, considering his options. Clearly, he needed her to return. She was carrying the Malfoy heir. The question was, where had she gone? It was quite likely that she had gone to talk with Ginny Potter. Given Harry Potter's volatile nature, he thought it unlikely that she would have stayed at the Potters. That meant that she was probably at her parents' house. He would have to visit her tomorrow, try to talk some sense into her.

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Lucius knocked on the Granger door. Alan Granger answered the door. "Good afternoon, Alan. I was wondering if Hermione is here?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Lucius assumed from the cautious tone that Alan knew something had happened, but not the entire story. "I know what Draco did, and I can imagine how much it must have upset her to learn about his indiscretions. I was hoping to speak with her, to let her know that I don't hold her responsible, that I find his behaviour reprehensible, and that she is still a welcome member of the family." He hoped this statement was sufficiently vague and would appeal to Alan's parental instincts.

"She isn't feeling well and isn't up to having visitors."

Lucius flashed his most charming smile. "Come now, Alan. I know that she isn't feeling well because of what happened. I know she must be very upset and confused about the events. I think that what I have to tell her will ease her mind."

"Please, come in," Alan said as he opened the door.

Lucius could see that Paula had been standing just out of sight behind the door. He was not surprised. Crossing the room, he took her hands in his. "Paula, I am so sorry that Draco has caused this much difficulty. The pain that he has caused Hermione..."

"I know that it wasn't your fault," she reassured.

"I must bear some responsibility since he was raised in my household. He has paid for his mistake. I am sure that you don't want to hear the details. Hermione left the manor so suddenly that I didn't have the opportunity to reassure her that I don't hold her at fault. I know that she isn't feeling well, but it is rather important that I speak with her." He hoped that they would believe he was acting as a concerned parent.

"I suppose a few minutes wouldn't hurt. Why don't I take you upstairs?" offered Paula.

"Thank you," he replied smoothly, pleased to see that he could still charm people at will. Of course, Muggles were always easier to deceive. He followed Paula upstairs.

"End of the hall on the left," she said.

"I shouldn't be long," he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder before heading down the hall. He knocked on the door. "Hermione?"

"Go away! I don't have anything to say to you," she shouted.

He tried to open the door, but found it locked. Thankfully, he was excellent with unlocking spells. "Darling, please don't say that," he said as he entered her room. Once in the room, he cast a Silencing Charm.

"What part of go away don't you understand?" she asked bitterly.

He glanced around the room before taking a seat on her desk chair. "A great deal where you are concerned. I care about your well-being. I was quite upset when you didn't return last night."

Eyeing him disdainfully, she replied, "You saw me pack, you heard what I said, and you knew I wasn't coming back." She rolled over on her bed, turning her back on him, hoping that would encourage him to leave.

He rose from the chair and sat behind her on the bed. "Darling, come now. I know that you were in shock when you heard the announcement." After a short pause, he continued, "It was perhaps a bit thoughtless of me not to consult you..."

Unable to believe that was the excuse he was giving, she shifted to sit and face him. "Thoughtless? That's the best word you can come up with? What you did was barbaric. After everything you have told me, how could you treat me like a commodity?"

He reached out to brush her cheek. "Darling, you are not a commodity. You know that is not how I see you. I was trying to spare you pain when I made my decision. I know this is what you want."

She shoved his hand away. "How could you know what I want? When have you ever asked me what I want?" It was only now that she realized how little control she had had over what was happening in her life. Now was the time to change that.

He sighed. "Darling..."

"Quit calling me that! I'm not your 'darling'." Why couldn't he take the hint and just go away?

Any hint of a smile faded from his expression. "As you wish. I care about you, and I know that you care about me. Would it be so bad being married to me?"

She didn't understand how he could be so oblivious to her needs, especially after all the long conversations they had had together. "You didn't ask me! You used me. All you see in me is a womb to create an heir, isn't it?"

He sounded aghast. "How can you ask that? After everything we have had, do you truly believe that?" He reached out to caress her arm. "You are much more than that. You are a friend, a lover. Do you truly want to throw away everything that we had together?"

Tears started flowing down her cheeks. "You should have asked me." That would have made all the difference. How could he have claimed to respect her and then do something so disrespectful?

He pulled her closer. "I realize that now. My decision that Draco should be the one to tell you was perhaps not the proper one."

For a moment, she considered accepting his apology, but then she realized he was spinning a web of words and pulled away from him. "Just, go away. You don't understand me at all."

He started losing his patience. "I understand a great many things. What are your plans for the future if you don't return to the manor?"

"What do you mean?" she asked suspiciously.

"I just want to make sure you think your decision through before you do something rash." When she didn't respond, he continued. "You see, I know that you are a very independent woman, I know that living with your parents is not your first choice. As you are independent, I somehow doubt you would accept my support. Where does that leave you? It is very unlikely that anyone would hire you in your current condition. That means that you would be living off your parents' welfare. And after the child is born? Then what?"

"What do you mean?" she asked nervously.

"Both of your parents work. I presume that you would seek employment of your own. It's clear that this would not be the environment the Malfoy heir should be raised in..."

"Get out, you monster!" She couldn't believe what he was implying.

Trying to hide his frustration, he said, "Hermione..."

She interrupted, "I am not letting you take my child."

"A child you don't even want," he retorted, letting her anger feed his.

"I said that I wasn't sure, not that I didn't want this child. We'll manage without you," she said defensively.

"When you realize that I am right and that you have no choice, I will be at home." Hurrying out of the room, he nearly slammed the door.

She knew it was only a matter of time before her mother knocked on the door, and she did her best to compose herself.

"Hermione, dear? Are you all right?" asked Paula through the cracked door.

"I'm fine, Mum. Come on in." She knew that hiding from her mother would only make it worse.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"Not really." There was no way that her mother could ever understand.

"He wasn't trying to convince you to forgive Draco, was he?" Paula asked suspiciously.

Hermione couldn't suppress the nervous laugh. "No, he most definitely wasn't." Deciding to tell her mother a little more of the truth, she continued, "He has disowned Draco and assured me that I won't have to see him anymore."

Paula was shocked. "He disowned his son?"

"It was pretty bad, Mum. There would have been very bad publicity if he didn't. I really don't want to talk about it."

Paula wrapped her arm around her daughter. "I'm sorry. Why don't we go out and get some fresh air? I know a nice quiet place we can stop for tea."

She liked the idea of getting out of her room. She could still smell Lucius' cologne and wanted nothing more than to get him out of her mind. She still couldn't believe he was threatening to take away her child.

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When Hermione returned to her room that night, she was startled to see a house-elf. "What are you doing here?"

"Master sent Pipsy to serve Mrs. Malfoy," the elf replied and held out an envelope.

She took the letter from the elf and slowly opened it.

Dearest Hermione,

I know we didn't part on the most amiable of terms today. I'm dreadfully sorry that I lost my patience with you. I was concerned when you didn't return home last night, and it was wrong of me to lash out at you.

I would have come to apologize in person, but I believed that you would refuse to see me.

To ensure that you are taken care of, I have sent Pipsy. She will assist you in whatever way necessary. Additionally, I am prepared to send you the nursery furniture if you decide to remain at your parents' house.

I do hope you believe that I am sorry. I never wanted to do anything to drive you away. The manor is quite empty with you gone. Your absence is most noticeable at night. The thought of having you in my bed, for the entire night, where I could bestow my affection upon you is quite appealing. The feel of your warm body against mine is something I long for. I had hoped that you felt the same.

If there is anything else I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.

Yours truly,

Lucius

Momentarily, she considered crumpling the letter. Instead, she placed it on the bedside table thoughtfully.

"From Master," Pipsy said as she held out a small pouch.

Hermione took the pouch and opened. Inside were some galleons and several hundred pounds. She closed the pouch and thrust it back at the elf. "You can return that to Mr. Malfoy and tell him that I have no need of your service or his money."

The elf started quivering. "Pipsy can't do that. She was told that under no circumstances was she to allow Mrs. Malfoy to refuse."

Hermione didn't want the elf to start hurting herself. "All right, all right. It's just that this house is no place for a house-elf. My parents wouldn't understand. Can you take a letter back to Mr. Malfoy?" She hoped that she could get Lucius to be practical and take the elf back.

"Oh, yes. Pipsy can do that."

Once Pipsy was gone, she contemplated her predicament. She knew that her child would likely be magical. Remembering how different she had been from the other children, how she had found solace in her books, and how hard it had been for her to make friends and Hogwarts, she knew that she couldn't do that to her child.

She would stay with her parents long enough for Harry to calm down. She knew that he and Ginny would welcome her for as long as she needed a place to stay. As much as she hated to do it, she thought that she might be able to use her friendship with Harry to regain some respect in the wizarding community. It was very Slytherin, but he was the one person with more clout than Lucius.

And she was sure that Harry would not mind. She probably wouldn't even have to ask him for any help. After everything they had been through, they would do whatever they could to help the other.

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A/N: After an attack of real life, I have finally been able to put the finishing touches on this chapter. I may have a few minor changes to later chapters, but nothing that should cause too long a delay. I do hope to have subsequent chapters up a bit quicker. I'd like to thank nota for being a wonderful beta and giving me someone to bounce ideas off of. She catches me when I try to get too sneaky. I'd also like to thank Sinaz for her help with the first few chapters of this story.

Again, if you leave a review and ask a question, I will reply there as I generally have chapters in the queue when the most recent is posted.