Redemption

Chapter 11

By the time Lucius recovered his senses, he realized there was no sound coming from the kitchen. They must have left, probably off sulking in their rooms. Of course, Weasley was surely denying his involvement to his parents. He wondered how long it would take for someone to begin to suspect him? Peering through the crack of the door to ensure the room was empty, he rose unsteadily to his feet.

Heading upstairs in search of a sympathetic ear, he heard hushed voices coming from the drawing room. Entering the room, he saw Molly and Arthur speaking quietly with each other. When they saw him, their conversation stopped.

"Forgive me for interrupting. I heard some rather disturbing information, and if it is true, I would like to offer my assistance." He noticed that neither of the Weasleys was offering him information. "I heard that the Healers are having little success in treating Miss Granger. At first glance, she didn't appear badly injured, but I know there are many curses where the effects only make themselves apparent after time. I offer my knowledge and experience with Dark curses in finding a cure." He hoped that sounded sufficiently neutral. Hopefully, he would not have to explain any more to be allowed to assist.

Molly and Arthur looked at each other. After what seemed like an eternity, she shrugged.

Arthur returned his attention to Lucius. "We'll take your offer under advisement."

Lucius fought down the emotional outburst that was brewing. "Arthur, if I might remind you, there are many Dark curses that become worse over time. The longer it takes to cure someone, the less likely they will fully recover. Until I know which one she is the victim of, I cannot be sure if that might be the case." Inwardly, he was pleased when he saw Molly clutch at Arthur's arm. He had hoped he could take advantage of her maternal instinct.

Molly leaned her head close to Arthur's, and the two of them whispered back and forth several times.

Arthur said, "Let me see what I can arrange. If it is possible, you will have to conduct your visit in the middle of the night, and you will travel Disillusioned. I will find you later tonight if it's feasible."

Lucius realized he was being dismissed. Normally, this would have bothered him, but he needed to be in everyone's good graces, or he would lose access to Hermione. Having lost all interest in his laundry, he returned to his room. Once there, he mused that he could use a stiff drink. The rational part of his mind knew that he had to remain sober in order to help her. Unfortunately, his room was too small for pacing, and he moved restlessly between the bed and the desk in an attempt to subdue the frustration he was feeling.

Hours passed and Lucius could not sleep. He kept checking his clock, but time seemed to be almost standing still. He leapt out of bed when he heard a knock at his door. After taking several deep breaths to calm himself, he opened the door. "Yes?"

"Lucius, we have made the arrangements. Come with me," said Arthur.

When Lucius arrived downstairs, he saw Molly and Moody waiting for him. Moody was about to cast the Disillusionment Charm when Potter and young Weasley hurried downstairs.

"We're coming, too," said Harry.

"Harry, we've got this under control. This late at night, the fewer visitors, the better," Arthur said.

Lucius had not anticipated having to deal with the two young men.

"Another couple of eyes and wands can't hurt. This could be a dangerous situation. If there are spies at St. Mungo's, and they learn that Malfoy is there, things could get ugly. They can come," said Moody.

Lucius clenched his jaw. He wasn't sure he could endure the suspicions those two held for him. He waited patiently while Moody cast the Disillusionment Charm. He couldn't suppress the shudder as the cold wave washed through his body.

When they arrived at St. Mungo's, he followed Arthur and Molly to the private room in the Spell Damage wing where Hermione was staying. He assumed she had been given the private room because of his visit.

Before entering her room, he forced his features into the most neutral expression he could. He also steeled himself to see something horrible, knowing he must not react emotionally.

The door opened and he followed Arthur into the room. He was only peripherally aware that Molly had remained near the door. Moody, Potter, and Weasley followed him into the room, and he felt the Disillusionment Charm being lifted. Moody left the room, presumably to stand guard outside.

At first, he didn't notice anything wrong with her. Upon more careful examination, he noticed she looked drawn. Spells raced through his mind as he tried to determine which would have that effect on her.

He moved closer to her, to better see her in the dim light of the room. As he closed the distance from the door to the bed, he noticed the slight swell of her abdomen. He could not suppress the sharp intake of breath and felt fear forming a knot in his gut. No. Anything but that.

Holding his hand over her stomach, he could feel the malice within. He closed his eyes as he fought for emotional control. He knew his shoulders were slumping in defeat, but he didn't care. Never before had he considered how horrible this particular curse was.

"Do you know what it is?" asked Arthur softly.

"I do." He paused in order to regain control. "The curse is Subductum Animus, and it is incredibly nasty." He noticed they were all watching him in rapt silence, eager to hear what he had to say. "This is incredibly powerful Dark Magic, ancient and obscure. It was used during the last war." Dear spirits, forgive me for having cast this curse in my youth. "What it does is horrible, unimaginable." At least it is now. "What happens is that a powerful Dark wizard casts this spell on a pregnant woman. The malice, anger, cruelty, all the evil emotions of the caster, are melded to the soul of the child. In addition to those emotions, a drive, a will to survive, is also transferred." Why? Why did it have to be her?

After he took several seconds to consider his words, and regain his composure, he continued. "That child becomes something akin to a leech. The infusion of Dark Magic serves to accelerate the pregnancy. The child's entire life is accelerated. At this point, it would not be correct to refer to the child as human. There is no humanity left in a child born of this curse."

"Then we kill the child now," said Harry.

Lucius spun on Harry and growled, "Then you condemn her to death. Do you think Dark Magic makes the answer so simple? You cannot simply terminate the pregnancy." He had always believed that Potter was brighter this. He had thought that someone with so much experiencing combating Dark Magic would realize how complex it was.

"How long?" asked Molly.

Lucius softened his features. "I'm not sure how far along she was before the curse, but judging from her current state, I would say no more than two to three weeks." He desperately hoped they would take his word and not ask for further elaboration on how he had determined his estimate. "She will need vast amounts of nutrients to keep her alive."

"Do you know the counter curse?" asked Arthur.

Lucius shook his head. "That was never something we concerned ourselves with. I believe I may have read something about it, but I can't be sure. If I did, it would surely be in my library."

"What happens if the child is born?" asked Molly in a voice so quiet as to be barely audible.

Lucius had a pained look when he faced her to answer her question. "None of the women survived. The trauma of the experience..." He found he could not finish as he imagined Hermione as one of those women, screaming in agony, begging for death as the devil child within fought to be free. He could not condemn her to that fate.

Molly had collapsed into Arthur's arms and was crying.

Harry rushed to Malfoy and grabbed him by the lapels. "You know this curse. You've used this curse. Cure her, you bastard."

Lucius desperately wanted to grab Potter and shout at him, Don't you think I would if I could? Instead, he replied in a restrained voice, "If I knew the counter curse, I would. But I do not. I am willing to return to my home and research the cure."

No one said anything for several long seconds. Finally, Arthur broke the silence. "Gentlemen, if you please?" He indicated that Harry and Ron should join him outside.

Lucius found himself alone with Molly. She was solemnly petting Hermione's hair, trying to comfort the unconscious young woman. At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to take Hermione's hand in his, whisper in her ear that everything would be all right, that he would take care of her, and kiss her softly on the lips. Instead, he was forced to stand back and watch another bestow affection on his intended.

"Do you think you can cure her?"

It took Lucius a few seconds to realize he had been addressed. "What? Oh, I do hope so. I think it likely given the vast amount of information I have at my disposal. I only hope that I can find it in time." He was reaching for Hermione when he heard the door open, and he spun to face the men.

Arthur addressed him. "Alastor and Ron will escort you to your manor. Ron will remain until Remus relieves him, unless you find the answer before then."

Lucius nodded. It was as much as he could have hoped for, though he was not looking forward to spending time with Weasley.

"All right then. Come on," prodded Moody. His magical eye was spinning its socket, searching for potential danger.

Lucius moved close enough so that the Disillusionment Charm could be cast. The three of them slipped out of St. Mungo's, apparently no one the wiser.

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

The frigid downpour that greeted them in Wiltshire dismayed Lucius. He had no interest in walking the nearly half mile up his drive in the rain, but he somehow doubted Moody would let him Apparate to the manor. In any case, he was not willing to grant Weasley the comfort of a short trip to the manor. Before he started walking, he felt Moody remove the charm. "Ron, I leave him in your care. We have other places we can research since we have the name of the curse."

The two men walked to the manor in silence. House-elves greeted them in the foyer. "Tea, if you please, Gupper," Lucius said. He saw Ron start walking to the library and cleared his throat.

"What?" asked a very irritated Ron.

"Mr. Weasley, I will ask that you either remove your muddy shoes, or clean them before dirtying my house."

Ron pulled out his wand and quickly cleaned first his shoes, and then Malfoy's. "Hurry up," he ordered.

Lucius gritted his teeth at being ordered around by a Weasley, but knew that Hermione's needs came above all else.

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

Lucius searched through the rest of the night and into the morning. He poured himself another cup of coffee in an attempt to remain alert. In frustration, he slid yet another book across the table. The curse was in one of the books; it was just a matter of determining which one.

Ron jumped awake when he heard the noise. "Look, I think maybe you should get some rest."

Lucius knew that to argue would draw the wrong sort of attention. So far, Weasley did not seem to suspect it was his fault Hermione was in her current predicament. He had to keep it that way; especially since he was unarmed. If he had his way, he would have continued working. His comfort was inconsequential when compared to her safety. He allowed himself to be escorted to his room, and found he could not wait until Remus arrived. The older man was sure to be more reasonable and levelheaded.

Once again, sleep eluded him. Instead, he mentally catalogued the tomes in his library, trying to determine which would be most likely to have the answer he was looking for.

Every time he started to drift to sleep, the screams of the women he had tormented haunted him. Abductum Animus had been a popular method for dealing with Mudbloods and blood-traitors for the more powerful Death Eaters. Unfortunately, he had fallen into that category. Of course, at the time, he had not seen anything wrong with maliciously using magic. Now, he truly understood the horrors he had unleashed.

After two hours, he gave up on sleep and was quite surprised to find that Weasley had neglected to lock his door. He took advantage of this oversight and slipped down to the library.

Ron rushed into the library, wand at the ready. "What are you doing down here?"

Lucius wanted to retort with a snide remark, but could tell that Weasley was in no mood for sarcasm. "I was awake, and rather than wasting time in my room, I chose to more efficiently use my time."

Ron looked around the room, as though expecting Death Eaters to jump out from behind the curtains. "Right. You got anything to eat around here?"

Lucius could hardly control his outrage. One of Weasley's closest friends, and someone the others claimed was his girlfriend, was lying in the hospital, victim of a fatal curse, and he was thinking about food? Lucius called for one of the house-elves and instructed it to see to Weasley's needs. He then buried himself back in his work.

He was disturbed some time later when Gupper stood before him and nervously said, "Master? You is having a visitor. A Mr. Lupin is at that gate."

Lucius could have cursed himself for being so careless. He was so intent on his research, he had not noticed that someone had arrived. "Escort him up." He was relieved that he would soon be rid of Weasley. The last thing he needed was the boy getting suspicious.

It wasn't long before Remus said, "Good afternoon, Ron."

Ron was startled that Remus had arrived so quickly. He knew it was not a short walk up to the manor. "How did you...?"

"Gupper brought him up," supplied Lucius, eager to have this discussion over with and Weasley out of his hair.

"You mean we wouldn't have had to walk up in the pouring rain yesterday?"

"It must have slipped my mind," Lucius replied dryly. "If you will forgive me, my research requires a great deal of concentration."

"Ron, I've got it. You should get back." Remus waited until he saw Ron leave and took a seat at the table. "I don't know who looks worse, you or me."

"The others may not have informed you, but time is of the essence for this cure." A part of him wanted to thank Remus for quickly sending Weasley away, but he thought that might give the impression he was trying to hide something from Weasley.

"They did tell me, and they told me the name of the curse. How can I help?"

Lucius looked up from his books and found that Remus was sincere in his offer. He pointed at the neatly stacked books. "I have not yet gone through any of those." Hopefully, Remus would prove more adept at research that Weasley had. That boy had the attention span of a glumbumble.

Remus grabbed the top book and began searching through it.

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

After five days, neither of them had found anything. Lucius was going through the last of the books from his Dark library. He knew he had seen the curse, and he couldn't imagine it would have been in a book he didn't own. Tossing the last book across the table, he saw that Remus had fallen asleep on the couch.

He had no idea what to do now. Nothing. His library had turned up nothing. He let his head sink to the table, and he fought the desire to cry. Everything had been for nothing. He was going to lose her.

Feeling something warm, he jerked upright and could feel the burn of the medallion against his chest. Pulling it out of his shirt, he saw one word: pocket. Pocket? What the bloody hell does that mean? He knew that Severus was sending him a message, but he couldn't fathom what it could mean. Rising from his chair, he began to pace, hoping the movement would help him think more clearly.

After several seconds, he realized what the message meant. He rushed over to the couch and shook Lupin. "Remus, wake up."

Remus grabbed at the couch in confusion, trying to determine where he was. "What? Oh, Lucius. Did you find something?"

"I need to see Miss Granger again," he said urgently.

Remus yawned. "What for?"

Lucius wasn't sure how much he dared admit. "I've had an idea, but I have to examine her. Please, Remus. It could be our only chance."

Remus had begun to suspect that, however unlikely, Hermione and Lucius had formed some sort of friendship. He wasn't completely surprised. He knew how much Hermione loved books and knowledge, and Remus had learned that Lucius was quite the academic. "All right. We'll go tonight."

"Thank you," Lucius replied.

"Now, perhaps you can get some rest? You really look like you could use it."

Lucius knew that wasn't likely, but he wasn't going to argue. Instead, he went to his room, sat in front of the fireplace and stared.

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

Hermione was magically paralyzed. She had been trying to move, and had not been successful. She knew the Death Eaters had her and that You-Know-Who was coming. None of her non-verbal spells had worked without her wand. She had tried to summon her wand, but they were obviously keeping it elsewhere.

"Now, now, don't struggle," she heard a softly malevolent voice say.

It wasn't long before she could see Voldemort's otherworldly face as he leered at her.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard my followers had captured one of Potter's closest friends." He reached out to touch her, and she tried to pull away, repulsed by his touch.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you...yet." He ran his hand down her body and paused over her stomach. "What's this?" He pulled out his wand.

She had no idea what he was talking about, but his tone of voice frightened her.

He could see the fear in her eyes and seemed to draw strength from it. "An added bonus. You are with child."

He is lying; he has to be lying. We were careful. She was determined to deny that his words had truth.

"I wonder? Could this be Potter's offspring? How marvelous it would be to use his child against him."

What is he talking about? There is no way he will wait for this child to grow up.

"Oh, I will wait," he replied to her unspoken question. He moved closer and his voice was almost a hiss. "But the wait will not be as long as you think." He pointed his wand at her stomach. "Subductum Animus."

She could feel something, something evil, flowing into her body and taking root in her stomach. At that moment, she realized he had not been lying. There was nothing she could do. She tried to scream out, but found her voice was not working. He was doing something horrible to her child and there was nothing she could do. She could feel the tears streaming down her cheek.

Hermione thrashed, trying to get away from You-Know-Who, prevent him from harming her baby. A part of her mind realized that she was no longer his prisoner, and that Lucius had saved her, but it didn't matter. She had to get away. As her rational mind began to exert control, she calmed, realizing she was safe.

She wondered if Lucius would be pleased to learn he was going to be a father? It would have been better if it had happened after they were married, but surely he would still be happy. Reaching down, she rubbed her swollen stomach. Their child was growing big and strong. She was sure it would be a son, a strong son who would take after his father. There was a flutter from her stomach, and she was pleased to feel the baby kick.

That pleasure turned to fear as the kicking became more violent. She almost thought she could feel hatred coming from her stomach, and she started squirming, trying to get away from the evil.