The Price of Glory

Chapter 3

Hermione was pleased that she had not heard back from Lucius, though she was a bit surprised. She had expected the house-elf back after a few hours at the earliest, but Pipsy had returned almost immediately and had no message from Lucius. Over the course of the next few days, she waited for a letter to arrive, or worse, Lucius himself, but neither occurred. She wasn't willing to believe that he had given up on her, so she remained on-guard.

Her mother had at first been apprehensive about having a house-elf, but after realizing how helpful one could be, Paula had changed her mind. Hermione decided she would concede this one good deed to Lucius. Besides, there was no way for her to send the elf back. He had been very careful in giving Pipsy her orders to ensure that Hermione had to accept her service.

She was still trying to determine what to do about supporting herself and convinced her mother to accompany her on a trip to Diagon Alley. Along with picking up a book she had placed on order, she wanted to contact some of her former classmates and learn what everyone thought about the scandal. Since it had been a few days from when the news had first been announced, she hoped to hear more honest opinions.

When she and her mother exited the Flourish & Blotts, they almost literally ran into Lucius on the alley outside the store.

"Hermione, Paula, what a pleasure to see you. How are you?" he asked jovially and kissed both women on the cheek, lingering slightly longer on Hermione's cheek.

"It's getting better," replied Paula.

Hermione glared coldly at him.

Ignoring Hermione's glare, he addressed Paula. "That's good to know. Have the two of you eaten lunch yet?"

"No," said Paula.

"We were just heading home," Hermione added quickly.

"I would be honoured if you two ladies would join me for lunch. My club serves the most marvellous dishes and it's just up the alley." He flashed them both a friendly grin.

"I think that would be a lovely idea," replied Paula.

The scowl on Hermione's face deepened. She thought that she was up to something, but since her mother didn't know the entire story, there was no way she could gracefully refuse his invitation. A part of her thought that he had planned this meeting, that it seemed too coincidental, but she knew that he was not the type of person who would lurk in Diagon Alley on the off chance she would arrive. When he offered her his elbow, she was forced to accept rather than make a scene.

As they walked down the alley, he amiably chatted about the weather and other innocuous topics that would not alienate Paula. Hermione thought that he was being quite charming, and that only served to fuel her anger.

Once at the club, Paula was somewhat overwhelmed by the reception and the surroundings. Not only had she not spent much time in the wizarding world, but she had not fully realized how influential Lucius was. Hermione knew that getting her mother on her side was probably a lost cause at the moment. There was nothing for her to do but be polite for the duration. She tried to glare at him, but he ignored her glare, instead engaging Paula in conversation about dentistry. Of course, he did not completely ignore Hermione.

Under the table, he brushed his foot against her leg. He answered Paula's questions about his business politely, claiming it was too tiresome to get into the details, giving no indication that anything untoward was happening out of sight. She was most interested in the world of magical candy, and that wizard children did not seem to be plagued with cavities as Muggle children were.

When Paula excused herself to go to the ladies room, Hermione said coolly, "You can stop that, now."

"My dear?"

"Stop playing footsie with me. It's not going to work. And charming my mother won't work either." She wanted to yell out that she knew what he was doing and that it wouldn't work, but making a scene would only hurt her. Even in his private club, word would surely make it to the press that she was distraught.

He casually wiped his mouth with his napkin. "I was doing nothing of the sort. I merely wished to have a pleasant lunch with you and your mother. In the past, I have had very little opportunity to spend time getting to know your mother. Is it wrong that I have chosen to rectify that?"

"Yes, because I know why you are doing it. They won't approve of this, so stop trying to win them over."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. We are family, and if you are going to be staying with your parents, I should get to know them better. After all, your mother doesn't seem the sort who would deny me the right to see my grandchild." He gave her a knowing grin.

"So you've changed your mind about taking the child from me?" she asked, looking over at him with suspicion.

"Those words were spoken in haste and under emotional duress. I hope that you won't take them seriously." He reached across the table and took hold of her hand. "Come home. It will be better for you."

She could see her mother returning from the loo and pulled her hand away. "I'm happy where I am," she said defiantly.

"Of course," he replied in a tone that indicated disbelief.

"That lavatory! It's the most wondrous thing I've ever seen," exclaimed Paula.

For a moment, Hermione was able to forget the ugliness caused by the man sitting across from her as she shared the joy of her mother's first big foray into the magical world.

************

Hermione was infuriated, though she didn't let her mother know. How dare Lucius treat her mother like that? Of course, he was being polite and friendly to a Muggle and had even invited one into his club. She was sure something like that had never occurred before. She tried to remind herself that he was only doing that because he wanted the child she was carrying, but he had apologized for his previous, callous remark on that subject, and she began to doubt her conviction. After all, he had always treated her well, showed her respect, even when Draco wouldn't. He had been a tender and thoughtful lover. Was she being too hasty in refusing him?

After a busy day with her mother, she was quite exhausted when she finally made it to bed. She was surprised to find a rather ornate, small, green jar and a note on her pillow. After a brief examination of the jar, she set it down and picked up the note, unwilling to risk exposure to the unknown contents.

Hermione,

I saw this today and thought of you. I'm not sure if it's the brand you use, but when I smelled it, it took my breath away...it reminded me of the way you smell in bed at night: soft, warm, and dare I say, sensual?

Consider this small token an apology and a peace offering. I only wish I could be there to apply it in person. Ah, to feel your warm, soft skin again... I do sorely miss spending time with you and had hoped that this new arrangement would be beneficial to us both.

Fondly,

Lucius

Cautiously, she picked up the jar and unscrewed the cap. It had a pleasant and light scent, not unlike her preferred lotion. As she changed for bed, she decided to try it. Applying the lotion to her stomach, she noticed a warm, tingling sensation that was quite pleasant. Rubbing the lotion into her skin, she began to feel quite aroused. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad having Lucius around? She began to imagine his hands gently caressing her.

Trying to push that thought out of her mind - she was mad at him and was determined to prove that she didn't need him - she crawled into bed and quickly drifted to sleep, unable to fully purge Lucius from her mind.

As sleep overtook her, the imaginary hands returned, softly caressing her body, setting her on fire. It had only been a little more than a week since she and Lucius had last been together, but she had been looking forward to his return...at least until he made the announcement.

"Don't think about that, darling," a voice whispered in her ear.

She gasped as the hand gently brushed between her legs. The only thing she could think about was the fire that his touch ignited. Every brush of his hands against her skin made her desire grow. "Oh, Lucius," she moaned. His hands explored her body and she writhed in delight. Never before had his touch felt so good. As he continued to caress her, her breath came in gasps. His touch was torture and she couldn't take it anymore.

Shoving him onto his back, she straddled him. "I need you."

A victorious grin flitted across his face. "Do you?"

Lowering herself over him, she replied in voice filled with desire, "Yes." As she rocked over him, his hands continued their dance. Her senses were heightened, she craved his touch, wished he had two more hands. Verging on sensory overload, she cupped her breasts and gently twisted her nipples. Closing her eyes, she moaned and cried out as a massive orgasm washed over her.

*************

Hermione woke, panting and sweaty with her sheets twisted about her, to the sound of someone knocking on her door. "Hermione? Are you all right?" came her mother's muffled voice.

Images flashed through Hermione's mind. Looking around, she saw she was at her parents' house, though she had the impression she had just been somewhere else.

The door cracked and Paula peeked into the room. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Fine," she replied uncertainly.

Paula whispered to Alan outside the room and then slipped inside, closing the door behind her and sitting beside her daughter. "We heard you crying out and were worried about you. Were you having a nightmare?"

Hermione was starting to piece together what had happened. She was glad that her father had not come into the room. "No, it wasn't a nightmare. It was a rather erotic dream," she quietly admitted, thankful the dim lighting would hide the fact she was blushing.

Paula smiled. "Oh, I used to have those all the time." She got lost in memory. "Your father used to like that. I would wake him up..."

"Mother!" proclaimed a horrified Hermione. She didn't need to know about her parents' sex life. "It just seemed so real. I could feel him."

"That's pretty normal. It has to do with all the hormones."

That sounded plausible. After all, she found that her sex drive had definitely increased. Perhaps being estranged from her lover had caused her to have this sort of vivid dream? She would have to place a Silencing Charm on her room in the future in case she had any more of these dreams.

At breakfast, Hermione was quite distracted as she tried to make sense of the dream. When Lucius had been gone on his business trip, she had dreamed about him, but never anything quite as vivid as last night's dream. She tried to convince herself that she did not subconsciously want Lucius. How could she be attracted to someone who would be so disrespectful toward her and also threaten to take away her child? True, he had apologized for that, but she wasn't about to believe that he was telling her the truth.

"Hermione? Are you feeling all right?" Paula asked.

"What? Oh, sorry, Mum. I'm fine. I'm just thinking about the future."

Paula gave her an encouraging smile. "You know you are welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"I know. I'm just considering my options." Her trip to Diagon Alley had only served to reinforce the fact that she belonged in the magical world and not the Muggle world. She would pay a visit to Ginny later and see if Harry had calmed down to the point that she would feel comfortable there. She felt bad about imposing on her friends, but she needed to be around her kind.

Of the people she had found yesterday, none of them were willing to speak to her honestly. She received the insincere 'I'm sorry' followed by her friends claiming they had important business elsewhere. Even Fred and George had seemed uncomfortable around her. While she had read the Evening Prophet story the day the scandal broke, she had not seen the Prophet since then and what it likely contained on the Opinion or Gossip pages. Judging from the reactions of everyone she encountered, she was sure she did not want to.

***************

Lucius was taking tea at his club, as usual. Quite unusually, someone joined him.

"How did the potion work?" asked Severus as he poured a cup for himself.

"Exactly as advertised the first night. I do not believe she used it last night. If she did, your reputation is just a bit exaggerated."

Severus grinned. "I assure you that my reputation is not exaggerated. As such, I would be very surprised if she did not use the lotion tonight. That sort of stimulation is very difficult to resist. I believe it will be more so for her." After a few minutes silence, he added, "If her...talent is as you say, I'm quite surprised that Draco would have done something foolish enough to lose her."

"The boy is a fool, and an inexperienced one at that," Lucius replied gruffly, not wanting to talk about Draco.

"Indeed?" Severus sipped his tea. "So, you really disowned him?"

Waving his hand dismissively, Lucius replied, "It's of little consequence. Hermione still carries the Malfoy heir." He had been about to mention that the Malfoy gene pool was better off without Draco's influence, but he remembered that he could tell no one the truth about Hermione's child. In time, this unfortunate event would be forgotten, and no one would remember that Draco was supposedly the child's father. "And if this child proves too weak, there will be others."

"Assuming she consents to the arrangement. After all, you enlisted my assistance because she left you," Severus goaded.

"She was distraught, but she will overcome that feeling and realize the stark reality that without me, there is nothing for her. And if she continues to stubbornly refuse to play the role she accepted by marrying Draco, I will still have that child." He did not like to lose and did not intend to lose this time. For a while longer, he would continue to play nice, but if she remained stubborn, she would learn what it was like to cross him.

"You could easily cast her away. There are other eligible women that would be happy to be the next Mrs. Malfoy."

He replied sardonically, "Oh, yes. I can find another like Phaedra. No, thank you. Besides, Hermione has a political weight that none of them have. Money can only buy so much political power; being a hero of the War can be much more valuable. You, of all people, should realize that."

"And if she realizes the properties of the lotion? She is quite bright and I would not be surprised if she suspected you had done something...Slytherin."

"The lotion's properties are subtle enough that she will think it has nothing more than aphrodisiac properties. I doubt she will suspect that it forms a link between the two of us. While she is good at Potions, she has not made a study of the more arcane ones as you have."

Severus scowled. "Well, I wish you luck. You may find taming her to be more trouble than it's worth. She has always been quite...wilful."

"A very good trait to have in business and politics." Lucius grinned slyly as he realized how many opportunities Draco had missed by having Hermione as his wife. Since their marriage had still been young, Lucius had not pushed. In hindsight, he should have provided Draco with more oversight, but there was no changing the past. He would take control of the future in the way one as young as Draco could not.

***********

A/N: The story is mostly done. I have completed the first draft and am in beta discussion on the remaining three chapters. Unless I have a major epiphany, this will be a 6 chapter story. I have to thank nota for her wonderful advice which has helped this story become what it is.