Redemption

Chapter 12

Shortly after midnight, Lucius found himself standing outside Hermione's door.

"I'll keep watch out here," Remus offered, flashing Lucius a friendly smile. He checked both ways down the hall and removed the Disillusionment Charm.

Lucius slipped into the room and saw Hermione thrashing on the bed. He hurried to her side and restrained her. It took him crawling into bed and holding her. After many long seconds, she calmed. "Shhh. Hermione. Be calm. I'm here. I'm going to help you." He fought back his tears as he tried to stop her trembling, infuse her with his strength. She was mumbling, but he couldn't make out the words. What truly mattered was that his presence seemed to calm her.

As he held her, he let his hand drift down to her stomach. Not only could he feel the malevolence of the life growing within her, but he could tell that it had grown significantly. He began to believe that his original estimate was off. Now, he thought he only had a matter of days.

Not knowing if he would see her again, he held her tightly. "Hermione, I am so sorry. This should have been our child to love and raise together. True, the time was not right, but that would not have changed how I feel about you. I love you." He pulled away from her and gave her a kiss on the lips.

While he wanted to stay with her, he knew that he had to find the answer. Moving to the bedside table, he opened the drawers, hoping to find the clothes she had been wearing. They were neatly folded in the bottom drawer, and he pulled them out and looked through her pockets. He wasn't sure what he was searching for, but hoped he would recognize it when he saw it. Finally, he felt a scrap of paper. Pulling the paper out, he nervously unfolded it. On it, in Severus' cramped hand, he saw the words: Malédictions de la Mort. Curses of death, he mentally translated. The French sounded familiar. He knew he had seen it somewhere.

He stuffed the paper in his pocket, and once again turned his attention to Hermione. He wasn't sure when he would see her again. "Hermione, I will be back soon and I will make you better." After kissing her one last time, he turned to the door, determined to find the Malédictions de la Mort.

Lucius cracked the door to make sure the hallway was empty before slipping out.

"Did you get what you needed?" Remus asked.

Lucius nodded. "Yes." He waited for the Disillusionment Charm to be cast. They could talk more once they were safely away from prying eyes. As they walked out of the hospital, he was trying to remember where he had seen the Malédictions de la Mort. He was familiar with the title and thought the book was bound in red leather with silver lettering. He could not recall having seen it in his Dark library.

Once they were outside the building, Lucius reached out and grasped Remus' arm. "If you will permit me?" he asked.

Remus looked around to ensure they were alone and took hold of Lucius' arm. He soon found himself standing in the foyer of Malfoy's manor. "That's a handy trick," Lupin said as he removed the charm.

"It would be rather inconvenient for family members to have to walk from the gates." Lucius hurried to the library. Perhaps the book had been filed in the main library since it was written in French.

"What are we looking for?" Remus asked.

Lucius thought Remus was being quite restrained. It was clear that Remus had deduced that Lucius cared quite deeply for Hermione, but he had said nothing, choosing instead to focus on the more important mission of finding the cure.

"A book called Malédictions de la Mort. I believe it will be in the main library. I don't recall seeing it in the Dark library. If I recall correctly, it is bound in red leather with silver letters."

"Malédictions de la Mort," Remus repeated, committing the name to his memory. He placed his hand on Lucius shoulder for reassurance. "We'll find it."

The two men shared a momentary glance that let Lucius know that Remus understood how important this was.

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

After a day and a half with no sign of the book, Lucius was coming unglued. He knew he had seen the book, a long time ago. It had to be somewhere, and he had to find it soon.

"Lucius, I think you should take a break. We've been at this for days, and our minds will be clearer after some rest."

"There is no time for rest. She is running out of time," he said desperately.

"You care a great deal about her, don't you?"

Lucius realized he was getting emotional and moderated his tone. "She is a valuable asset to the Order. One of the brightest people I have met. Her assistance has been invaluable in working to defeat the Dark Lord."

"Lucius," Remus said in a disbelieving tone of voice. "It's your child, isn't it?"

"That's preposterous. She's young enough to be my daughter. You should question Weasley. The two of them are quite close." It pained him to say this, but he did not need that sort of attention.

"Ron insists it isn't his, and I have no reason to believe he's lying. Neither he nor Harry can recall her hanging around with anyone at school. You are the only one she has been alone with. And you are working yourself to death trying to find the cure."

"Only because I know she will not survive the birth," he replied evasively.

The two men stared at each other for several seconds. "I will keep my theory to myself."

"It is possible it is the offspring of one of the Death Eaters. She was their prisoner for nearly an hour."

"Of course. That's what the others believe. I won't dissuade that belief."

Lucius could hardly believe what he was hearing. Remus was actually showing him trust, offering to be his confidant.

Remus once again broke the silence. "Look, we're exhausted. Let's take a break, get something to eat. I don't think either of us has eaten properly in days. Maybe that will help you remember where you might have seen the book?"

Lucius had the impression that he was about to be blackmailed if he didn't agree and acquiesced.

While Lucius was nibbling on a piece of toast, he had an epiphany. He slammed his hand against the table. "Of course. I should have remembered. It's in my father's study." He took off down the hall at a trot.

Remus followed, hoping to learn what Lucius was talking about.

Lucius was panting, both from the run and from the excitement. "I should have remembered. I closed this room up after the old bastard died. I'd completely forgotten about his small collection of books." He looked around the room, trying to remember where they were hidden. "I'll need your wand."

"You could let me know what spell to cast where."

"It wouldn't work. This spell is attuned to Malfoys. Please. We must hurry," he pleaded.

Remus paused a moment before handing over his wand.

Lucius quickly cast the spell that would reveal the hidden compartment. Rifling through the books, he desperately sought the red one he needed. He was beginning to fear that the book was gone, that some how the old man had gotten rid of it. Finally, from underneath the other junk, he saw a flash of red. Throwing the other stuff to the floor, he grasped the book and pulled it out of the compartment.

It was the book he was looking for. Turning around, he placed the book on the desk and began searching through the pages. Now that he was skimming through it, he knew this was the book. He only hoped there would be a cure, and if he was truly fortunate, a way to save his child's soul.

He stopped when he found the chapter he was searching for. Peripherally, he was aware of Remus moving closer, but ignored the other man. The first pages of the chapter were a verbose discussion of the history of the spell and how it worked. He didn't care about that. He wanted to know about a cure.

He stabbed the book with his index finger. "Here. Here's the chapter."

Remus looked at the page. "Sorry, I don't read French."

Lucius skimmed through the chapter. "Yes. It does have a counter curse. We can save her."

"Good. Let's get this back to Headquarters and inform the others. They will want to take a look at it before we see Hermione."

"Of course." He watched Remus send a Patronus message.

When Lucius and Remus entered Grimmauld Place, Lucius found himself physically assaulted.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" growled Harry.

Lucius raised his arms, trying to fend off the attack as Remus tried to place himself between Lucius and the boys.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Molly as she came to investigate the commotion.

Ron pointed an accusatory finger at Lucius. "He raped Hermione."

"Ron!" shouted a shocked Molly.

"I did no such thing," said Lucius defensively.

"Then how did she get pregnant?" Harry asked.

"In the usual way, I would assume. I do not pretend to know what sort of social life she leads." He hoped that his deception would be believed. This was exactly the sort of reaction he had expected. Surprisingly, it did not seem that they had shared their theory that the child was his.

"Hermione would never do that! She's not careless or irresponsible. You had to have raped her and altered her memory. I'm sure you've done that in the past," accused Ron.

Lucius knew he couldn't deny who he had been. "That was then. I am no longer the same man. I have repented my sins and chosen an honorable path."

"An honorable path that involves taking advantage of people," spat Harry.

"Gentlemen, please. We don't have time to argue," interrupted Remus. "Lucius found the book with the counter curse. You will remember that we are trying to save Hermione." He ushered those present down to the kitchen.

Lucius was careful to keep the table between himself and Ron and Harry. He placed the book on the table and opened it to the applicable chapter. "This chapter explains the curse and how to counter it. I can translate for you," he offered.

"No thanks," growled Harry. He looked at the book. "Who here knows French?"

Tonks stepped forward. "I do." She sat at the table and began slowly reading.

No one said anything, and Lucius began pacing impatiently. Obviously, if she knew French, she was not fluent.

"This... This is horrible," she whispered.

Lucius bit his tongue. "Yes, it is. If you could translate the counter course, Tonks?" he prompted.

"Yeah, right." She began reading the translation of the section on the cure.

Lucius stood over her shoulder and interjected when she mistranslated.

"Malfoy!" warned Harry.

"Do you want the proper translation or not? I thought you cared about Miss Granger's safety?"

"I do. And that's why I don't want you involved."

Lucius scowled at Harry. The boy understood nothing. Lucius had already lost his family once. He wasn't about to experience that again.

"Harry, Lucius, please. Go on, Tonks," Remus prompted.

When she finished, Harry said, "All right. Write that down, and we'll go help Hermione."

"And who is going to cast the spell?" Lucius asked.

"I'll do it. I have loads of experience countering Dark spells," Harry said.

"You can't cast this spell," Lucius insisted.

"And why not? The book says it has to be someone that loves her. Well, I love her. End of discussion."

"And you think that's all it will take? You have no understanding of this spell. I do. And yes, it is because I have cast the curse in the past. I will not deny who I was, but that is not who I am. You need me to cast the counter curse."

"That's not going to happen. I don't think you know anything about love. I do. Tonks, we'll be upstairs." He spun on his heel and rushed up the stairs, Ron following close behind.

"Almost done," she replied.

Lucius fought the urge to kick furniture and instead sat across from Tonks. "If you have any questions about the translation, I can assist."

"I think I've got it now," she replied.

Once the others were gone, Lucius slid the book across the table and began to read through it again. He had made Tonks read the translation back to him, and she seemed to have remembered all the changes he had suggested when she had read that passage aloud.

Remus sat at the table and passed Lucius a cup of tea. "Harry and Ron really do love her, you know."

"I just have the feeling that won't be enough," Lucius replied as he reread the entire chapter. He paled when he saw something they had previously missed in their rush to translate the cure. "Remus, we have to stop them. Platonic love is not enough."

"Are you sure?" Remus asked.

"Yes. We have to leave now." He rose and hurried up the stairs.

"Lucius, hold on," Remus said. "We don't want anyone to see you."

Lucius arrived at the hospital and didn't wait for Remus. He hurried his way through the crowds in the lobby and ran up the stairs, not willing to wait for the lift or risk revealing himself. Bursting through the door to Hermione's room, he shouted, "Stop!" Numerous wands were pointed at him because he was still invisible.

Remus rushed into the room, breathless. "Lucius?"

"Here," he replied, waiting for the spell to be removed.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked.

"I have come to stop you before you do permanent damage."

"You just want to see her die!" accused Harry.

"No, Potter. I want her to live, that's why I'm here. There was more information about the curse in the book. The counter-curse can only be cast by someone who loves her."

"We know that," Harry replied condescendingly.

"Platonic love is not enough. It must be romantic love."

"Then Ron will do it. He loves her."

"That is not enough. The love must be reciprocated, and she does not love Weasley."

"Oh really? And how would you know that?" Ron asked defensively.

Lucius knew that what he was about to say would probably cause him to lose her. "Because she loves me," he said quietly.

There was stunned silence from all present. Remus finally spoke, "Harry, let him cast the spell."

Harry turned on Remus. "You knew? You knew and you didn't tell us? How can you believe him? Isn't it obvious that he tricked her, put her under some sort of spell?"

Lucius was losing patience. This was taking far too long. "And how did I do that? I haven't had my wand; I have been closely supervised. I did nothing to her. We simply learned that we are fated for each other." Hermione's life hung in the balance, and all they could see were their prejudices and petty jealousies.

"So you did get her pregnant, didn't you?" Harry asked.

He had been dreading this question, but knew there was no longer any point in lying. "Not intentionally, but yes, I believe so."

Harry and Ron both lunged at Lucius. Remus, Arthur, Tonks, and the Healer worked to restrain the two.

"You bastard. How could you? That's disgusting. You're old enough to be her father," Ron shouted.

"We are both adults, and what we do with our personal lives is our business." Their argument was interrupted by Hermione moaning. Lucius shoved past the others, moved to her side, and picked up her hand. "Darling, I'm here. I'll make it all better." He kissed her softly on the lips before placing his hand over her heavily swollen stomach. "As you can see, we are running out of time. I will need my wand to cast this spell."

Arthur, still in a state of shock, said quietly, "I'll send a message to Alastor."

Remus said, "Harry, Ron, let's wait outside." The young men fought against him, unable to believe he had kept that information from them.

Once they were alone, Molly asked, "Do you really love her?"

"I do. It was not something I had anticipated happening." He looked up and met her eyes. "If she will have me, I intend to ask her to marry me. Of course, that assumes that I will be free. I fear that the fact I was blinded by love may make that more difficult."

"I don't know that it will," Molly replied. "What of the baby?"

He shook his head sadly. "I don't know. The book was not clear. It says the counter curse will neutralize the evil infused to the child's soul, but there was no mention of whether or not the child would be healed." He was beginning to wonder if he was destined to hurt all those that were close to him. She looked so frail; he was surprised she was still alive.

Molly placed her hand on his arm. "I hope so. I always hate seeing the innocent become victims."

"Thank you, Molly," he replied. He really didn't know what else to say, kindness was not something he was used to receiving.

Moody stumped into the room, both eyes firmly fixed on Lucius. "So, you're the father?"

"I believe so." Lucius had the feeling the magical eye was seeing the very fiber of his being. "May I have my wand?" he asked cautiously.

Moody continued to stare at Lucius for several long seconds before handing the wand over.

Lucius faced Hermione. "She will need to be restrained." He watched the Healer conjure restraints, and he positioned himself next to Hermione, placing his wand over her stomach. He placed his left hand on her stomach to draw the attention of the evil spirit within.

As he began the counter curse, he could feel the evil fighting against him. Not only that, but he could feel it gathering strength. Hermione's stomach began to throb as the devil child fought for survival. He forced himself to focus on the spell, and ignore Hermione's cries of pain and Molly's sobbing.

He could feel the child gaining strength and Hermione slipping away from him. He drew on his inner strength, his feelings for Hermione, hoping that his love was enough.