The Price of Glory

Chapter 5

As soon as Hermione realized where they were, she started tearing into his clothes and shoving him toward the bed.

"Why, Hermione? I didn't know you cared," he said playfully.

"I've been thinking of you for weeks," she replied breathlessly as she let him remove her dress. He gently kneaded her breasts and twisted her nipples, and she moaned in ecstasy, but it was not enough. She needed to feel him inside her. She pushed him onto the bed. Seeing that he was as aroused as she was, she slowly lowered herself over his erection, relishing the sensation of him filling her. "Oh, Lucius," she moaned.

As frustrated as she had been for the last couple of weeks, it did not take her long to climax. When she tried to stop, Lucius grabbed her hips and encouraged her to continue, to bring him to release. After he finished, he let go of her and she lay down next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled against him. She got lost in the secure feeling for several minutes. As she was drifting into an uneasy sleep, she realized where she was and tried to pull away. "Let go," she ordered.

Lucius continued to hold her. "Is something wrong?" he asked gently.

"Everything. I shouldn't be here." Lifting his hand, she was able to pull away from him. "What have we done?"

"Come now, darling. It wasn't that bad. You seemed quite interested a few moments ago." He rose and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Think of what it means to be a Malfoy, what you would be giving up. Meet me here Friday for lunch. Make your decision after the reception. Think about what happened today," he purred.

It was only then that she noticed that he had summoned her clothes and was holding them out for her. Why was it that she could never seem to think rationally around him? "And if I don't?"

"If you do not attend the reception, it will be noted on the gossip pages. It will cast you in an unfavourable light."

"Even though I'm pregnant?" She dressed as quickly as she could.

"My dear, the baby is not due for more than a month. There is no reason that you could not make at least a brief appearance. You know how important image is to those in power."

"And it makes you look good, too," she replied sardonically.

"I would not look as bad as you if you did not attend. Think about it." He summoned his dressing gown and casually tied it around his waist before pouring himself a drink. "You may leave from here."

Hermione's mind was in a fog as she departed the manor. She knew that he was being nice because he wanted something, but she had to admit that she stood to benefit, too. She was feeling better than she had since she had initially fled from the manor.

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

When Friday came, Hermione still had her doubts about meeting with Lucius. She knew that he would continue to weave lies and try to manipulate her. She paced her room, trying to decide what to do. She knew he was correct about the gossip. The wizarding world liked to preserve the status quo and, as odd as it seemed, her being with Lucius was the status quo.

Heading downstairs, she made up her mind. "Ginny, I'm going to head over to my parents' house. I'm not sure when I'll be back. I'll probably eat dinner there."

"All right. I'll let Harry know. Have a good time."

"Thanks." Hermione felt badly about deceiving Ginny, but she didn't need Harry finding out what she was doing.

Rather than Apparating into the house, she chose to arrive through the door.

Lucius swept into the entryway. "Hermione, how wonderful of you to join me." He embraced her and gave her a kiss on the lips. "Come, there is someone I want you to meet." He led her into the drawing room. "Hermione, this is Signora Antonia, a renowned seamstress from Milan. She has agreed to design your gown for this evening. Signora, my wife."

Antonia closed the distance to Hermione and took hold of both her hands, holding them out to the side so she could get a good look at her new customer. "Mrs. Malfoy, a pleasure to meet you. Your husband's description does not do you justice." Releasing Hermione, Antonia circled around her. "Yes, Mr. Malfoy, I believe you were correct about a nice green. It will accent her eyes, bring out the colour." With a flick of her wand, a measuring tape flew out of her bag and began measuring Hermione.

As the tape worked, Antonia took notes while Hermione gave Lucius a curious gaze. He beamed proudly at her. "Green?"

"I know you must feel partial to Gryffindor red, but I do believe you look much better in green."

As Antonia finished taking notes, she slammed her book shut. "I will be ready for the first fitting at four. Mrs. Malfoy, I assure you this will be a dress fit for a queen. No one will be your equal."

Lucius bowed. "My deepest appreciation for your work this afternoon. We shall leave you to your work." He turned his attention to Hermione. "Shall we take lunch in the garden?"

The rest of the afternoon, Lucius and Hermione chatted pleasantly while enjoying cool lemonade, surrounded by a riot of colour, a light breeze wafting the delicate fragrances of a multitude of exotic plants around them. As they talked, she forgot that she was supposed to be mad at him. He was so incredibly charming and pleasant when he wanted to be.

A house-elf arrived at their side. "Master, Mistress, Signora Antonia is ready."

Lucius rose and helped Hermione to her feet. "I believe you will lose your reservations about a green dress once you see it."

"You've seen my dress?"

"Signora and I discussed the concept of your dress yesterday. I wanted to ensure that you would have the proper attire. I know how self conscious you are about going to the reception." He left her at the door to the drawing room. "Well, my dear, I will let the two of you discuss the dress and wait impatiently to see the finished product."

Hermione entered the drawing room and saw the most exquisite green silk dress on a dress form. It was trimmed in gold with a centre panel of intricate gold brocade material. The dress was embroidered with crystals and had an otherworldly shimmer. "It's...amazing."

Antonia said proudly, "And it will look even better on you. Come, I will help you dress."

When Hermione had the dress on, she looked in the mirror. The green really did bring out the colour in her eyes. "The cleavage..." she said hesitantly.

Antonia tapped her finger to her lips. "Yes, that does need some work." She made a few small marks to the dress. "This will only take a moment."

Hermione waited behind the screen as Antonia made a few alterations to the dress. When she donned it again, she saw that Antonia had done the opposite to the cleavage that she had hoped. She felt almost naked and placed her hand over her breasts.

"Ah, no, my dear, you must not be ashamed of your best assets." Antonia gently pushed Hermione's breasts up. "There, that will be perfect. A true masterpiece."

Hermione twirled before the mirror. She not only looked beautiful, but she felt beautiful, too. "It's exquisite. Thank you very much."

"Not at all." Antonia curtsied slightly.

Hermione changed back into her clothes, not wanting to risk ruining her dress. Now all she had to do was tame her hair. In her bedroom, she found a house-elf, who offered to help her with her hair. It took nearly an hour, but graceful curls, which were artistically piled atop her head, replaced the frizziness. A net of pearls helped hold it together.

Since it was nearly time for them to leave, she changed back into her dress. She was admiring her reflection when Lucius walked up behind her.

He had a broad grin on his face as he spoke. "You are truly breathtaking. There is only one thing more."

"What might that be?"

He pulled a jewellery box from behind his back and set it on her dressing table. Opening it, he picked up a truly amazing diamond necklace. The central stone was at least 5 carats, and the chain was studded with smaller stones arranged in a very intricate pattern. When he fastened the necklace, the large stone settled on her cleavage. "And of course, you will need matching earrings." He handed her two large dangling diamond earrings.

She knew she shouldn't get used to looking like a princess, but that was exactly how she felt at the moment.

"And one last thing."

She couldn't imagine wearing any more jewels. "What thing?" The box on the table was empty.

He pulled a small ring box from his pocket. "It is only fitting that you should make your debut with your new wedding ring set."

The size of the ring took her breath away. Even though it was large, it was not overly ostentatious. She was in so much shock that she didn't resist when he placed the two rings on her left hand. The band was simple gold with a vine pattern etched into it. She thought it was exquisite. "It's lovely."

Leaning forward, he kissed her on the lips, gently parting her lips, but not deepening the kiss too much. As he broke away, he murmured, "I'm glad you like it."

Hermione was breathless; his kiss, while not overly passionate, had left her extremely aroused. Once she regained her composure, she realized that he was wearing a matching ring. Once again, he was manipulating her. "It's only for the reception," she insisted, though she found she did not entirely believe her words.

"Of course," he replied. "Shall we?"

**********

When they arrived at the reception, both the British and French Ministers of Magic warmly greeted them. As she entered the main reception hall, Hermione couldn't help noticing that everyone was staring at them, and she began to feel very self-conscious. She tried to imagine what they were whispering to each other about her, and she grew concerned that it was not likely to be favourable.

Lucius leaned close and whispered to her, "My dear, the whispers are because you are the most beautiful witch present and wearing the most exquisite of gowns. I daresay that everyone here is jealous."

"Jealous that they can't have you and your money," she whispered snidely.

"Darling, please, let's be polite for the evening." He led her to a small settee. "I'll be right back with something for you to drink." Leaning down, he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

It's an act. It's all an act, she told herself. She would not fall for his words again. He didn't really care about her, no matter how convincing of a performance he put on. While she was waiting for his return, Kingsley Shacklebolt sat beside her. "Hermione, good to see you here. You look marvellous."

"Thanks, Kingsley. How are things in the Auror office?"

"Calming down quite a bit. We aren't seeing as many people who are claiming they are paving the way for You-Know-Who's return anymore. Truthfully, I'm surprised it lasted as long as is it did. Last time, it only took them a couple of years to die out." He glanced towards the bar. "How are you holding up?"

She tried to give him a confident smile. "I'm moving on. Harry and Ginny have been a big help."

"Good. If you need anything, don't forget that you have friends." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing. "Mr. Malfoy," he said curtly

Lucius handed Hermione her drink and shook hands with Kingsley. "Mr. Shacklebolt. I trust you are keeping all the potential Dark wizards in line?"

"As always. If you will excuse me?" He inclined his head at Hermione. "A pleasure to see you again."

Lucius followed Kingsley with his eyes as the Auror walked away. "I wish people would not be so judgemental. Would you like to rest here for a bit, or do you think that you're up to mingling?"

She wasn't entirely sure. If she was with Lucius, it would be less likely she would have people coming up to her to ask her how she was doing, but then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to be that close to him. In the end, she decided to accompany him.

At first, she felt uncomfortable being around Lucius, and she still believed that everyone was staring at her. As time passed, she became more engrossed by the conversations they were having with various Ministry officials, and she finally found herself involved in a lengthy discussion with the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She only realized that it was time for dinner when Lucius wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Are you ready for dinner, darling?"

"Oh? Is it that time already?" She couldn't believe she hadn't heard the bell.

Lucius had an affectionate smile on his face. "That it is. Perhaps you and Mr. Peterson could meet next week to continue your conversation?" He arched an eyebrow at Peterson.

"Of course, Mr. Malfoy. I will have my secretary contact yours to arrange an appointment."

As Lucius led Hermione to the dining room, he asked, "Would it really be so bad?"

She blushed as she realized what she had been doing; she was taking advantage of the Malfoy name.

Throughout dinner, they conversed pleasantly with the others at their table. And she began to realize that no one in wizarding society seemed to be judging her. Everything she had overheard had dealt with Draco and how he was good blood gone bad. Hermione had to suppress a fit of laughter when she heard that. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Lucius had served You-Know-Who twice. Somehow it seemed his incarceration in Azkaban had softened everyone's opinions of him.

When dinner ended, the soft sounds of a string quartet could be heard coming from the other room. Lucius rose and offered his arm to Hermione. "Would you grant me the honour of a dance?"

She graciously accepted and let Lucius lead her to the dance floor. At first, she wasn't comfortable being the centre of attention, but with his confident demeanour, she quickly changed her mind and began to relish the attention. When she looked into Lucius's eyes, she was surprised by the sincerity of his smile. A part of her wished she knew Legilimency, but she reasoned that he likely knew Occlumency. She found herself getting lost in those pale grey eyes. The more she looked into them, the guiltier she began to feel about having pushed him away. How could she have doubted that everything he had done had been in her best interest? The tears started welling in her eyes and she bit her lip.

Lucius stopped dancing and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Why don't we find somewhere for you to rest a bit?" He led her to a bench on the veranda and brushed the tear off her cheek. "What's wrong?"

Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her head in his chest. "I've been so hard-headed."

Returning her embrace, he kissed the top of her head. "I wouldn't say that."

"But I have. I've been terribly rude to you. And I feel so badly about it."

"You shouldn't feel badly about that. I was awful to you, as well. I should have let you know what I discovered, but all I knew was that I didn't want to risk you revealing our secret." He held her for quite some time before speaking again. "We are good together. I think we compliment each other quite nicely." She started to pull away, and he handed her his handkerchief.

After wiping her eyes and nose, she looked up at him. "Why did you encourage Draco to marry me?"

He smiled softly at her and stroked her hair. "You are intelligent, attractive, incredibly ambitious... All traits I value." After a few seconds, he added, "You are exactly the sort of woman I wanted to marry."

She couldn't help blushing. "Really?"

"Absolutely," he replied before kissing her deeply.

As she got lost in his kiss, she began to wonder how she could have been so stubborn about not accepting him. The kiss ended as suddenly as it had begun.

"I think we should get back to the reception," he said quietly.

"Oh. I suppose you're right," she replied, unable to hide the disappointment.

&&&&&&&

A/N: Once again, thank you, nota, for all your help. There's only one more chapter left, everyone. I have had a lot of fun with this story. I know that I have mentioned there will be a Draco story in this series, and I have not changed my mind, but my muses have a couple of ideas they are just itching to write that I will have to get through first. Most of them are short, so I think it should only be a couple of months before I start posting "Fallen From Glory".