Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lucius and Hermione began searching the room for signs of their missing companions.

"Do you see anything?" she called.

"No...nothing," his voice trailed off as he began to feel something pulling at the very core of his being. "Hermione," he said softly as he moved into one of the alcoves.

"What is it?" she asked as she crossed the room.

"Don't you feel it?" he asked, his voice taking on a far away quality.

"Feel what?" she replied as he moved further into the darkness. It seemed to swallow the light from his wand. "Lucius?"

He turned and held his hand out for hers. "Come with me."

She didn't like the idea of him following some strange force that she couldn't feel. As he led her down a set of spiral stairs, she began to feel something, but she couldn't describe what it was. "Lucius," she cautioned.

"Don't you see? This is what we have to do; this is why we are here." He sounded very eager to continue on his way.

When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, they found Ernie and Luna staring at a waist high pedestal in the center of the room.

"There you are. Why did you leave without us?" Hermione asked. When she didn't get an answer, she moved toward them.

Lucius grabbed her arm. "No. Don't touch them."

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

His voice maintained the ethereal quality it had taken since he started toward this chamber. "Feel it. Let it flow through you; stop fighting it."

"Stop fighting what?" she asked, but he didn't respond. She watched as he walked to the far side of the pedestal, as if in a trance. He took up position across from Luna. Not understanding, and not liking, what was happening, she decided to find a way to get Ron and Harry into the room. When she reached the doorway, she bounced back. "Okay, don't panic. The founders wouldn't want to hurt anyone." She looked back at the others; they all appeared to be in some sort of trance, staring at the pedestal.

With nothing else to do, she decided to take a closer look at the pedestal. The four sides of the base had intricate carvings. The side facing Ernie had a mountain, Luna's a tornado, Lucius' the raging sea, and the empty side had a fire. There were no runes and nothing on top of the pedestal. She was confused. Lucius had told her to let it flow through her, but the idea of the unknown scared her.

Closing her eyes, she took a couple of deep breaths, and tried to relax.

"Come, my child. Take your place. Stand by my symbol," a masculine voice said.

She found she wanted to do as the voice asked, even as a small part of her wanted to know where the disembodied voice had come from, and took her position in front of the fire symbol. Once she was in position, a bright light emanated from the pedestal and engulfed all present.

It sounded as though four voices were speaking at once. "You have chosen to seek us and the protection we left. This is a power not to be used lightly. This power can only be used when you all work together. Together you are stronger than you are individually. Four will come together as one to safeguard that which we created."

When the voice stopped, it felt as though something hit her in the chest, but she found she couldn't move. Without warning, whatever was holding her vanished, and she collapsed to her knees.

"Did you hear that?" asked Ernie.

"What was that all about?" asked Hermione, who looked to Lucius for an answer.

He shrugged his shoulders. "My best guess is that we are somehow representatives of our respective houses."

Luna was standing at the pedestal. "What are these?" she asked as she reached for something on top of it.

"Don't touch it!" said Hermione and then moved closer to examine the new object. Looking down, she saw a silver disc that was divided into four. Each quarter was engraved with the same image that was on the respective side of the pedestal. "Earth, wind, water and fire. The four elemental powers," she whispered.

Lucius reached for the water one and picked it up. He found it had a silver chain. "It seems we are meant to wear them."

"For what?" asked Ernie.

Hermione was replaying the words in her mind. "To protect the castle. Somehow, I think we have become the Protectors. You've heard the Sorting Hat. For the last two years it has talked about how we have to be united, and how Hogwarts is in danger. It makes sense that the founders left a way to protect the school. That's why we started this search." Noticing the others had all picked up their symbols, she quickly put the chain over her head. She didn't feel any different when she put it on, which relieved her.

"Now what?" asked Luna.

Everyone was looking around the room, but it was otherwise undecorated. "I think we have fulfilled our purpose here," replied Lucius.

"The door is sealed," said Hermione, remembering getting bounced off an invisible barrier.

Ernie approached the door cautiously, keeping his hand in front of him. Once he was on the first step, he said, "Looks like we really are done here."

Hermione placed her hand on Lucius' arm, holding him back while Ernie and Luna climbed the stairs. "Why couldn't I feel the magic like the rest of you?"

"I'm not sure. It could be because you are so analytical."

"What?"

"You approach everything as a puzzle to be solved. The rest of us approach things more emotionally. I think that's why we were more receptive. We should go before the others start getting worried." He escorted her up the stairs.

When they emerged from the hidden chamber, Ernie and Luna were relating what had happened.

"So you're the Protectors?" asked Ron.

"That's what they told us," replied Ernie.

"Who told you?" asked Harry.

"I believe it was the Hogwarts founders," said Hermione. "Everything in that chamber pointed to the founders having put it there. There needed to be four of us; there were representations of the four elemental powers. And each house corresponds to one of the elements." She noticed they were staring at her blankly, and she quickly explained how the houses corresponded.

Harry asked, "So what does that mean? You being Protectors."

"I don't know. We were told that we are to act together to safeguard what they created."

"So there will be a battle here," said Harry.

Lucius replied impatiently, "That is what I have been trying to tell you. I have told you that the Dark Lord is interested in Hogwarts. He has been researching ways to break past the protective wards."

"Fine. So you did," said Harry shortly.

"I think we should tell Professor McGonagall. She needs to know about this and who the Protectors are. Maybe as headmistress she knows something more about it?" said Hermione.

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

Not long after they emerged from the secret chamber, McGonagall arrived in the hallway. "Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing about the corridors?" She gave them all a disapproving look.

"I believe Miss Granger can explain it better than I can," he replied.

Hermione quickly related the evening's events.

When she finished, McGonagall said, "Mr. Macmillan, escort Mr. Malfoy back to the Room of Requirement; Miss Lovegood, return to your dormitory; you three, follow me."

"But Professor, I need to help Mr. Malfoy translate his book," protested Hermione.

"You can do that later," McGonagall replied sternly.

As Ernie led Lucius back to the Room of Requirement, he kept giving Lucius suspicious looks. Lucius knew that he would be fighting his reputation for some time.

After a few minutes, Ernie asked, "Do you think we will have to fight?"

"I would not be surprised. Though I believe it will be more in the defensive capacity."

"Oh," replied Ernie. After a few seconds, he continued, "And you're really on our side now?"

"I am. I learned that I was wrong in the past, and I wish to atone for those mistakes. Do you think the magic of the founders would have allowed me to be chosen if I wasn't sincere?"

"I suppose not," Ernie replied. They finished their walk in silence.

When Lucius entered his room, he was quite surprised to find dinner waiting for him. He had expected Dobby to not be anywhere near as cooperative as he was. It was a welcome relief.

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

After giving Professor McGonagall a full report on the evening's events, Hermione, Ron and Harry were sent back to the dormitory. While she really wanted to discuss what had happened with Lucius, she was forced to go back to the dormitory. She wanted nothing more than to go up to her room, but Ron and Harry started asking her questions, trying to get more details about what had happened in the chamber.

Finally, she managed to excuse herself. Unfortunately, it was still quite early and the common room was quite full. She knew it would probably be a couple of hours before everyone went to bed. For the first time, she wished she had Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

As she heard her roommates enter the dorm, she did her best to feign sleep, but she found she was having a hard time remaining still, anxious to see Lucius. Once she thought it was late enough, she slipped out of bed and down the stairs. Peering around the corner, she could see that the common room was deserted.

It didn't take her long to reach the Room of Requirement from the common room. Slowly opening the door, she saw that the room was dark and quietly slipped in. She could hear Lucius' gentle snoring and crawled into bed with him. Nuzzling against him, she felt him wrap his arm around her. She continued snuggling against him, trying to wake him up.

"Not now, Cissa," he mumbled.

She shoved him onto his back and crawled on top of him. "Guess again," she whispered.

He opened his eyes, and in the dim light of fire's embers, he focused on the woman in bed with him. "Hermione? What a pleasant surprise."

"I had to come see you." She started showering him with kisses.

He eagerly returned her affection and pushed off her nightgown. "Feel free to wake me like this anytime." Rolling over so that he was on top, he quickly stripped out of his nightclothes and returned his attention to Hermione. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for this."

He captured one of her nipples in his mouth and let his hand drift down her stomach. She moaned and writhed at his touch. For months, he had dreamed about being with her. That dream had involved hours of luxurious lovemaking. He realized that he wasn't going to last that long, at least not at first. Though, from her behavior she wouldn't last that long either. Now, it was about primal urges. Later, he would take his time with her.

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

Lucius woke to someone tugging on the blankets on his bed. He heard a squeaky voice imploring, "Master Malfoy? You is needing to wake up, sir."

Finally, he registered that the voice belonged to Dobby. "What is it?" he muttered. He and Hermione had been up until the early hours of the morning. She had been insatiable, not that he was going to complain. Though, he thought he remembered having to beg her off so he could get some sleep.

"It is time for breakfast, sir."

When he tried to get up, he found that his arm was pinned. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Darling, it's time for breakfast."

"Not right now," she mumbled.

"Yes, right now. I believe you have class this morning."

"Class? Oh no! What am I going to do?" She saw the light streaming in the window. "I can't go back to the dorm like this." She started panicking.

"Dobby, would you fetch clean robes for Miss Granger?" Lucius asked. Once the elf was gone, he turned back to Hermione. "We'll eat breakfast together, and then you can clean and dress for class. There's no need to panic. No one need know you spent the night here. In fact, I like this little arrangement. We'll have to do it more often." He flashed a sly grin.

Realizing his plan sounded feasible, she slipped on her robe and joined him at the table for breakfast. "I don't know that we should do this more often. If I start missing meals, they will start asking questions."

He reached across the table to hold her hand. "Let them. They already know how you feel."

"I just think it's too much right now. No one else gets to do this, so I shouldn't either." She was embarrassed that she had so completely lost control last night.

He chuckled softly. "You are sorely mistaken if you think none of the older students are doing this. This is a very large castle."

In her duties as prefect, she had caught people, but always before it progressed too far. "It's just..."

"Darling, you should not be ashamed. We are affianced; even if they aren't willing to acknowledge that fact, it is hard for them to ignore that we have a child together." He paused a moment. "Will you have time later today to help me with the book?"

"I don't have class after lunch. I'll come by then."

Dobby returned and said, "Miss, I has brought your robes."

"Thank you, Dobby. Put them in the bath." She turned back to Lucius. "If you'll excuse me."

He rose to follow her, wrapping his arms around her before she made it to the bathroom. "I could join you," he offered playfully.

She pushed him back. "If you do, I'll be late. I'll see you after lunch."

"Have lunch with me," he offered.

"Tempting, but I do have to put in an appearance at the Great Hall. I really do need you to let me go."

Reluctantly, he released her.

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

Hermione tried not to act flustered as she took her seat in Charms. She had nearly been late since Lucius had joined her in the shower.

"Where have you been?" whispered Harry.

"I had to run to the library first thing this morning. I had some ideas last night," Hermione lied. But she knew it was the one thing the two of them were likely to believe.

Harry waited until Flitwick explained the day's charm before casting Muffliato. "Are you sure? You look kind of odd."

"Odd? How can someone look odd?" She hoped that they wouldn't suspect anything because Ron was now examining her, too.

"I don't know. You look more energized."

"She does," agreed Ron.

"Well, I finally got a good night's sleep last night. Now, I think we have an assignment we should be doing." She turned her attention to the board and practicing her charm. She was shocked when she successfully performed the charm on the first try.

Flitwick saw Hermione's fire dancer and exclaimed, "Well done, Miss Granger!"

She barely heard him as she watched the small figure. Something had happened to return her magical powers to normal levels. She just didn't know what.

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

Lucius had spent the morning trying to make sense of the runes in the book. They were an obscure variant, one that he was not familiar with, so he had made little headway. Unfortunately, none of the books he had from the library were rune dictionaries.

Instead, he resigned himself to searching for clues in the rest of the book, even though he had read it multiple times. As he perused the book, he realized he felt...different. It wasn't something he could quantify, though. He wondered if it had anything to do with being named a Hogwarts Protector.

By the time lunch arrived, he had a few incomplete ideas. Whether there was anything to help his daughter in the book or not, there was quite a bit of useful information. He had already organized much of it onto several sheets of parchment that Hermione could give to the others.

He was just finishing lunch when Hermione entered the room. She was pacing nervously. He knew enough to wait for her to be the first to speak.

"Do you feel...different?" she asked.

"How so?" he asked, trying to control the excitement that he felt.

"I don't know, exactly. Have you tried any magic today?"

"I rarely have occasion to use magic. Why?"

"Well, I was in Charms today, and I had no problem doing the difficult charm that was our assignment."

"That's good news, isn't it?"

"Normally, yes, but I don't know. I just...don't feel quite right. Not in a bad way, though. Just...different. With the problems I've been having lately, I shouldn't have been able to do that spell so easily."

"Perhaps it has something to do with what happened in the chamber last night?" he offered.

"I thought that at first, but I managed to track down Ernie and Luna, and they don't feel different or have any special powers."

"We don't have special powers, either." Wondering if his magic was also fully restored, he once again tried to Transfigure his footstool. This time, he successfully produced a cocker spaniel. He watched it run toward Hermione and jump for attention. "Perhaps whatever happened there restored our magic, counteracted whatever spell we were feeling the effects from?"

Hermione pet the dog a few times before restoring it to a footstool. "I don't think so. If that had been the case, we shouldn't have felt different, should we?"

"No, I suppose not. Well, I don't know that dwelling on it will gain us anything. I have parchment and quill ready for you to work on your translation. I was unable to make much progress." He helped her get situated at the desk before he took a seat by the fire and began going through some of the books he had borrowed from the library.

As he tried to concentrate on the book, he became aware of the unique scent of Hermione's shampoo. He could see himself touching her hair, playing with the unruly curls, feeling the soft tresses slip through his fingers. Realizing his thoughts were counterproductive, he tried to push them from his mind.

Hearing the scratching of the quill, his mind began to drift again. He imagined her delicate, though firm hands running across his body, touching him all the places that excited him. He took a deep breath and adjusted himself for comfort. Concentrate on the books, he chided.

He was just starting to shut out the distractions that she was causing, when he felt her hands on his shoulders.

"You look tense," she purred.

The small bit of resolve he had built up crumbled around him, and he leaned back relishing her touch. After a few seconds he jumped up and moved across the room.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"This."

She moved closer to him. "What's wrong with this."

He continued to back away. "Think, Hermione. Don't you find how you are acting odd? I knew I should be concentrating on the books, but I found my mind wandering to you, I couldn't control it. Even now, it is hard for me to control my desires."

She raised her hand to her mouth. "You're right. What's happening?"

"I don't know. I think you should take the book elsewhere and work on the translation."

"But we have to be near each other in order for our magic to work. If I stay away from you, it will hurt us both."

"It's vital you translate those pages. Severus claims that what is in that book will help us. Perhaps it will provide and answer to what we are experiencing, but we need to know what is in that book."

"Right. I know. I was just thinking ahead."

He moved closer to her, wanting to comfort her. As he closed the distance and reached for her, he found he had an overwhelming desire to throw her to the sofa. Wrapping his arms around her, he found he could barely control himself. "We must do this for our daughter. You must go...now," he whispered as he gently pushed her away.

"I'll come back when I've finished the translation."

After she was gone, he cursed the Dark Lord, the founders, Severus, anyone that came to mind. If there was one thing he detested, it was losing control and that's exactly what was happening to him.

A/N: I hope that you are enjoying the story. I have it pinned down to 24 chapters and an epilogue, which is nearly complete. As long as I remember, I'll be updating this rather frequently.

I'd like to thank Mimy for being my beta and nota and Giton for providing a sounding board for my ideas.