Redemption

Chapter 13

Lucius knew it was a battle of wills; one he seemed to be losing. Now that he was fighting with the evil, he knew why Hermione's pregnancy had progressed so quickly. The Dark Lord had cast the spell on her. "Hermione, help me. Fight it," he whispered. He only hoped she had heard; she was screaming and writhing in pain.

"Kill me. Don't let it live!" she shrieked.

"Fight, Hermione," Lucius urged, not wanting to divert his concentration too much from the spell he was casting on the evil within. He knew that the evil was powerful. It had a presence, a malicious presence, and was bent on its survival. He was sure that it was telling her lies as it sucked her life. "Fight, my love. Come back to me. I am here for you. Don't listen to it." He hoped his words would be enough. The lure of evil was powerful, and a very easy trap to fall into. After all, it had ruled his life for decades.

He could feel a barely perceptible waver in the strength of the evil. Her cries of pain became stronger. It was either because she was gaining control, or the evil was making final preparations for its emergence. He only hoped that the fact the evil had not been ready to be born meant it was not yet at full strength. The closer it was to birth, the harder it would be to defeat. "I can't do it alone, darling. Help me," he pleaded. Her life was only a faint spark now. "Don't leave me alone."

After what seemed like an eternity, he was thrown back when the evil was finally expelled. He saw Molly and the Healer rushing to Hermione's side before succumbing to unconsciousness.

***********

When he woke, he found himself lying on a bed. The next thing he noticed was the screaming. "Hermione." He tried to sit, but found he was restrained.

"Easy, Lucius. You were convulsing earlier," Remus replied. With a wave of his wand, the restraints vanished. He caught Lucius when the other man tried to stand. "I daresay that took quite a lot out of you."

"I have to go to her," Lucius insisted.

Remus had no problems restraining a weakened Lucius. "I'm afraid not. They've kicked us all out. Once you think you can walk, Alastor would like you to go back to Headquarters. It's too dangerous for you to be here."

"I won't leave her," Lucius insisted as he grabbed Remus' lapels. She needed him; he couldn't leave her alone.

"Lucius, you won't do her any good if people associate you with her. I know you want to be with her, and I will make sure she knows that you wanted to stay, but you really must go. It's safer for everyone." Remus offered him something to drink.

Lucius ran his fingers through his hair. "I know. But it's my fault this happened to her. I should be with her. What's this?"

"An Invigoration Draught. It should give you the strength to leave."

Lucius tried to shut out the cries that came from the other room. He wondered why they had not cast a Silencing Charm on the room. "How long was I out?"

"Perhaps twenty minutes."

Lucius had to admit he was feeling better after drinking the potion. "I'm ready to go." He wasn't really, but he knew that being out in public was dangerous.

"Thank you for helping her. The Healers believe she will survive. They could detect no trace of the spell."

"I should thank you for believing in me. Tell me, where are Potter and Weasley?"

"I believe they went up to the Tea Room. You should have the house to yourself."

This was a small blessing on a rather dreadful day. The last thing he needed right now was to face the two of them. He was emotionally drained and was sure he would say things that would only make matters worse.

When they arrived at Grimmauld Place, Lucius headed upstairs to his room. He didn't want to risk running into trouble with the others. Hopefully, none of them would come searching for him up there. On his way up, he stopped in the dining room to see if there was any more of that horrible Scotch. He was in luck; the half-empty bottle was still there.

He sat at his desk, trying to recreate what had happened when he vanquished the evil as he stared at the amber liquid in his glass. He was trying to recall anything about the fight. He knew he had urged Hermione to fight, that he didn't have the strength to defeat the evil by himself. She had been on the verge of giving up. Somehow, she must have found the strength, but he found he still couldn't remember exactly what had happened.

He was restless, but he didn't want to leave the room. It was unlikely anyone would come up here looking for him. What will happen now that they know? he wondered. At the moment of revelation, everyone had been in shock. Well, everyone except Remus. He finished off the glass of Scotch and poured another.

Now that Hermione was out of danger, he was sure they were debating what to do with him. He knew that Potter would lobby for having him sent back to Azkaban. He thought that Molly might be mildly sympathetic to him, but he wasn't positive. None of it mattered. All that mattered at this moment was that Hermione was all right. He continued drinking to push away thoughts of what he might have lost today.

***********

Hermione cried out in pain. It felt as though she was being torn apart from the inside out. Something horrible and evil was happening. She could remember You-Know-Who standing over her, grinning maliciously.

"Soon you will bear the instrument of Potter's defeat. The child growing within you belongs to me." He rubbed her stomach longingly before wiping a tear from her cheek in an uncharacteristically kind gesture. "Don't cry, Mudblood. You should rejoice. You are performing a valiant service for the Wizarding World. This is all that people like you are good for."

"Kill me," Hermione whispered with all the strength she could muster.

"Hermione, dear, concentrate on my voice. It's Molly and you're safe. Do you know where you are, dear?"

Hermione tried to bat away the hand that was touching her, thinking it was a Death Eater. After You-Know-Who had cast the spell on her, they had once again started the discussion about raping her. "Get away. Don't touch me."

"Hermione, you're in St. Mungo's. Can you hear me?"

She started to focus her eyes on the speaker. "Mrs. Weasley?"

Molly smiled warmly. "Yes, dear. I need you to focus on me. You're in labor." Her tone of voice indicated this was not the first time she had told Hermione this.

Hermione shook her head and gritted her teeth as she experienced a contraction. "You have to kill me. You can't let the child live."

Molly sponged off Hermione's forehead. "No, dear. The curse has been lifted."

Hermione felt the evil settling in her stomach. Once it took root she felt it reaching out, drawing strength from her. She tried to fight it, tried to suppress it, but it was too strong. As it drew her strength, she could feel it growing.

She both loved and hated the evil. It spoke to her, told her it was her child, and that it needed to be protected. When it told her it was scared that others would try to hurt it, she comforted it. She would rub her expanding stomach; tell it everything would be all right, and that it could take what it needed. Not once did she find it odd how quickly her baby was growing. It reassured her that was the way it should be.

She remembered feeling weak when it drew from her, but others were taking care of her. They would give her food, and tell her everything was going to be just fine. She knew that already. It told her the same thing, and she believed it more the others. It told her to eat more, always to eat more. She was aware of the others talking to her, but it told her not to listen, not to respond, merely to eat more. It told her the others really wanted to take it away, but if she protected it, it would save her from the others. She comforted it, and told it she would never let them have her child. It was pleased.

Hermione fought against Molly and the contractions. "NO! It's too early. The baby can't survive." They were trying to trick her, to take her baby. It had warned her they would do this.

"Dear, it is time and it isn't too early. We can't stop it. It's time for the baby. Here, drink this, it will help."

She turned her head away from the cup, fearing what was in it. "No!" she insisted. She wouldn't let them hurt her baby.

It had told her the others would lie. That was what was happening now. They were lying to her, hoping to hurt her baby. She started to panic when she realized she couldn't feel it drawing from her. It had been her constant companion and now it was gone, she had failed as a mother.

One of the others had tried to hurt it. She remembered him coming. He pointed his wand at her stomach like the other had, but this time, the man wanted to hurt her baby, not make her baby better.

It talked to her, told her that the other was trying to kill it, and that it couldn't let that happen. It asked for help. She told it to take what it needed. She knew that the life of her baby must come first. It drank deeply from her, and she could feel it growing powerful, resisting the other. It hurt, but she knew it was good pain. The pain was necessary for it to live.

She remembered the other calling her, telling her to fight. It told her to ignore the voice, that it must survive. She finally recognized the man's voice and listened to him.

"Lucius!" Hermione cried out. She tried to get up, but found she was restrained. "Where is Lucius?"

"Hush, dear," Molly said.

She remembered him banishing the evil. Everything she had remembered was all a memory. It was gone. All that was left was her child. "I want Lucius here. He should be here when his child is born."

Molly did what she could to calm the hysterical woman. "Hermione, dear, that's not possible. We can't risk him being seen. He's already taken far too great a risk."

Hermione cried out at another contraction. She suddenly had newfound respect for Mrs. Weasley. Why women would do this more than once was beyond her.

"Dear, please, drink the potion, it will help with the pain."

"It won't hurt the baby, will it?" she asked nervously. She knew that many Muggle medicines were bad for babies, but she had no idea about potions.

"No."

Hermione drank the potion, wanting the pain to stop. "When can I see him?"

Molly had a pained look on her face. "I don't know."

"He didn't do anything wrong," Hermione said, thinking she knew what the problem was. The others probably assumed he had coerced or tricked her. What if they thought he had got her pregnant with the intention of turning her over to the Death Eaters? She started to panic. "He's a good man, now. He doesn't want anything to do with the Death Eaters anymore. He didn't do this on purpose." Once again, she cried out. Her contractions were getting closer together.

"Shhh. Don't think about that now. You need to concentrate on giving birth." Molly began to coach her, hoping to calm her to make the delivery easier.

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

Hours passed and no one came. He was becoming more drunk and distraught, and he thought about seeking out Remus, but decided he preferred solitude. That and he had no idea if he would run into Potter or Weasley. He looked up when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in," he said hoarsely.

When the door opened, he first saw Remus. "Hermione?" he asked hopefully.

"She is recovering," Remus said soberly.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. When he opened his eyes, he noticed two shapes behind Remus. Tonks and Kingsley, the two Aurors, both wearing their official robes. "What's this?" he asked nervously. They couldn't be taking him back to Azkaban. Not after all he had done for the Order, for Hermione.

"Come with us, Mr. Malfoy," ordered Kingsley.

He shook his head and backed up against the wall. "No. Not back to Azkaban. I haven't done anything wrong," he insisted.

"Lucius, please don't fight them," said Remus.

Lucius felt betrayed. He had thought the two of them were forming a friendship. Remus had kept his secret, and now... "I haven't done anything wrong! I have been helpful. I saved her," he said defensively.

Tonks pulled out her wand and conjured manacles. "It will go easier if you come quietly."

He knew there was no point in struggling and shot a malicious look at Remus as the Aurors led him out of the room. The only emotion he saw in the other's face was anguish. As they led him downstairs, his gaze fell to the floor and the fire left his spirit.

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

Hermione woke and found that she was very sore. At first, she couldn't remember why. Her mind was quite fuzzy. As she became more aware of her surroundings, she realized she was in a hospital room. The baby. Where was the baby? She tried to remember the birth, but found she couldn't remember much after Mrs. Weasley had given her a potion to drink.

"Hey, Hermione," said Ginny as she took hold of Hermione's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Ginny?" she was still trying to make sense of everything.

"Yeah. Mum stepped out for a bit. I think Dad wanted her to get some rest. She's been with you the whole time. So, how are you?"

"Very tired and very sore."

"Here, drink this," Ginny offered.

Leery of receiving another potion that would dull her senses, she asked, "What is it?"

"Just some water. I thought you might be thirsty." She propped Hermione up with some pillows.

After drinking half the glass of water, she asked, "Ginny, what about the baby?"

Ginny licked her lips nervously. "With the Healers."

"Ginny?" Hermione probed.

"That's really all I know. Mum didn't let me in the room for the birth."

"Lucius?" When she asked, she could see the distasteful look on Ginny's face.

"They took him back to Headquarters."

"I want to see him, Ginny," Hermione insisted.

"Why? What could you possibly see in him? I mean, I thought you and Ron..."

"It's hard to explain. I just learned who he really is, and I love that man. He's changed; he's not who he was."

"That's what you keep saying, but I don't see it."

"How are you feeling, Hermione dear?" asked Molly as she entered the room and saw that Hermione was awake.

Hermione forced herself to smile. "I think I'm myself again."

"That's good. It was a rather nasty curse, and we were concerned about you. Sometimes you didn't seem sure about where you were." Molly pressed her hand against Hermione's forehead. "Yes, I think you'll be fine."

"Mrs. Weasley, how's the baby?" Hermione asked tentatively.

Molly picked up Hermione's hand. "I think first we need to concentrate on you getting better. I'll get the Healer. Your body was under a lot of stress, and we need to make sure you are all right."

Hermione grasped Molly's hand. "Please? I need to know."

"We just don't know," Molly finally admitted. "The best Healers are on the case, don't you fret."

"I want to see my baby."

"In time, dear. In time. Right now, the Healers need to work."

Hermione bit her lip, trying to stop the tears, but it didn't work. She was afraid she was going to lose her baby without ever holding it. Even though the child had been touched by evil, it was still part of her and part of Lucius. "I want Lucius," she whispered.

"It's too dangerous to bring him. We don't know if there are spies here, and Alastor doesn't want to risk him being discovered," cautioned Molly.

"Then take me home. I want to be with him. I don't want to be here alone." She could no longer control the tears. All she knew was that she felt safe in his arms. He had said he would protect her, and she wanted to feel that protection. "I want Lucius."

Molly tried to comfort her. "You aren't alone. Ginny and I are here for you. I can send her to get Ron and Harry."

"I don't want to see Ron and Harry! They hate him and I'm sure they hate me. I just want Lucius. He loves me."