Four

Many thanks to my wonderful beta melusin and my lovely alpha readers chivalric and savine_snape.

Sometimes it's better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.

~ Terry Pratchett

~~~^~~~

Hermione held on to Severus' arm as the gates of Malfoy Manor appeared before them. Surely he wouldn't mind if she stayed close to him for a bit longer? Only to make up for the unpleasant sensation of Side-Along Apparition, of course.

The Manor loomed in the distance, scarcely visible at the end of the long drive.

Pain... unbearable pain that didn't stop... Bellatrix Lestrange shrieking madly... more pain...

Hermione's legs had started to feel very unsteady as her eyes remained fixed on the drive beyond the gates.

'Hermione?' Severus asked gently. 'Are you all right?'

She clung to his sleeve; any word that tried to get out encountered a block in her throat until she'd managed to shove the images back into a far corner of her mind and put a lid with a lock and key on them.

'Hermione?' Severus asked again.

'Yeah. I'm fine.' She managed to let go of his arm.

Severus briefly put a hand on her shoulder before he advanced towards the gates, which started to swing open. Hermione followed him, her legs still a bit wobbly. When she approached the gates, they clanged shut again, and the iron coiled into snakes, hissing and spitting at her.

Both Severus and Hermione took a hasty step back.

'Look, this is a bad idea. I think I should go home.' Hermione retreated another step, causing Severus, who had been staring transfixed at the hissing and spitting coils of iron, to snap out of his trance.

'Bloody gates,' he muttered.

'Not very welcoming, are they?'

'Protection against possible intruders. I'd forgotten about it because the wards recognise me, so I can pass through them. But you can't.'

'I noticed.' She took a third step back. 'Maybe you should go on your own. I don't mind.'

'Don't be silly,' Severus snapped before he took out his wand. He went closer to the gates again. At his approach, the coils stopped writhing. He murmured something, and a translucent, silver-white bird shot out of his wand, over the gates and soared in the direction of the house. 'Someone will be down to fetch us.'

Hermione was still squinting after the Patronus, trying to discern its exact form when Severus' sentence fully registered. 'Did you just call me silly?'

'Stopped you from leaving, didn't it?' Severus didn't sound the least bit apologetic.

'You'd better come up with a better idea next time.' Hermione directed a half-hearted glare at him.

It didn't take more than a few minutes before a house-elf appeared. He peered at them through the bars and then made the gates swing open with a snap of his fingers. When Hermione and Severus approached, he bowed low. 'Welcome to Malfoy Manor.'

'Thank you.'

As they were following the house-elf along the drive, Hermione muttered, 'Couldn't we just Apparate to the front door?'

Severus shook his head. 'No, you can't Apparate anywhere within the Manor grounds unless the wards recognise you.'

'Figures,' mumbled Hermione, just as two white peacocks crossed in front of them. 'Peacocks. He's got white peacocks?'

Severus only shrugged.

Hermione stared after the two birds strutting away over the lawn. She started giggling until she was shaking with laughter. A quick glance at Severus showed that the corners of his mouth had begun to curl upward, too. That and the peacocks helped to defuse the last coils of tension still lodged in her stomach.

At least until they were standing in the hall of the manor; the house-elf had taken their cloaks, and then another had appeared, announcing, 'Master is in the drawing room. Please, follow Basky.'

Hermione's legs remembered that they were feeling shaky. Taking a deep breath, she followed the elf along the corridor. She paused again at the door before she took a deliberate step across the threshold...

...and found herself in a room that bore no resemblance to the scene of her nightmares. The afternoon light shone through two large windows; a fireplace dominated the wall opposite them. The other walls were lined with a sideboard, display cabinets and a few bookcases. A comfy-looking, dark blue sofa and two arm chairs were placed in the middle of the room. The coffee table in front of the sofa was strewn with books, newspapers, three mugs and two empty plates.

Hermione's eyes were arrested by a blond boy who was busy on the floor building what looked like the beginnings of a castle, Lucius knelt next to him. At their entrance, both looked up, and Lucius rose to greet them. 'Miss Granger, Severus. It's a pleasure to see you.'

'Hi, Hermione, Severus.' Draco was sprawled in one of the armchairs.

'Miss Granger, I don't believe you've met my grandson, Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy?'

'Hello, Scorpius.'

The boy, who looked to be about five or six, had come over, too. 'How do you do.' He extended his hand, peering at her.

Hermione shook it. 'How do you do.'

'Grandpa and I are building a castle,' he informed her.

Hermione's worldview shifted some more. 'May I have a look?'

Scorpius nodded and led her over to the fireplace.

'That looks very nice. I'm sure it'll be an impressive castle when it's finished.'

'It'll be guarded by dragons so no nasty people can get in,' Scorpius said.

Draco had wandered over to them. 'That's enough, Scorpius. Come, it's time to go home. Grandpa and his friends have things to talk about.'

'Why can't we talk about things, too?'

'It's just boring stuff,' said Hermione.

Scorpius didn't look entirely convinced. He tilted his head and eyed Hermione. 'Can't you come home with us? We could play Exploding Snap.'

'That would be lovely. I'd much rather play Exploding Snap with you, but I have to stay here. Sorry.'

Scorpius looked mutinous, but didn't say anything after a stern look from Draco.

After Draco and Scorpius had left, Hermione turned around to see that Severus and Lucius were regarding her.

'He's lovely,' she said, earning her an indulgent smile from Lucius. There were still shadows under his eyes, but he was clean-shaven, and his hair looked silky-smooth again. And those robes fitted him perfectly.

Lucius had obviously caught her ogling him. 'Can I offer you something? Tea? Coffee? Or maybe something else?' His smile became predatory.

'Tea would be fine. Thank you.'

'Severus?'

'Tea, please.'

Basky reappeared out of nowhere to clear the mugs and empty plates away. A few minutes later, a tray with a teapot, three cups and saucers, a milk jug, a sugar bowl and a plate of biscuits appeared on the coffee table.

'Milk and sugar, Miss Granger?'

'Just a splash of milk, thank you.'

After he'd handed the cup to Hermione, he poured another one for Severus, adding a generous amount of milk and a teaspoon of sugar before he passed it to him, their hands touching briefly. To his own cup, Lucius added only a drop of milk and no sugar.

When they were all installed around the coffee table, Lucius in the arm chair that Draco had occupied earlier, Severus and Hermione on the sofa, Severus asked, 'Have you seen today's Prophet?'

Lucius shrugged. 'It's good to know one is still worth a headline.'

Severus looked worried. 'Do you have the Vigilans charm still in place?'

'It was renewed recently. There've been a few Howlers this morning, but nothing really sinister. And the manor is practically impenetrable.'

'I thought you weren't supposed to use magic?' Hermione asked.

'Who says I used magic?' Lucius replied, his face a perfect picture of innocence.

'Hm.' Hermione cast him a suspicious glance before she took a sip of her tea. It tasted smooth, elegant just like the man who had offered it. Not that she planned on tasting Lucius in any way, shape or form.

Lucius asked, 'Any progress on the case? Severus mentioned you'd planned to look through some of the books in the Hogwarts library.'

Hermione shook her head. 'Nothing. Not a mention of a curse that looks even remotely like the one that was used on Andromeda.'

'We thought it might be more useful to look for a motive rather than the curse itself,' Severus added.

'It seems the most obvious suspects would be former Death Eaters and their sympathisers.' After a look at Lucius, Hermione quickly said, 'I mean, those that still stick to their former beliefs.'

'Though that might be hard to ascertain,' Lucius pointed out. 'Apart from those that are either dead or still in Azkaban.'

'Nott's son and Jugson come to mind,' Severus said.

Hermione saw that he and Lucius exchanged a look that seemed to contain an entire conversation from which she was excluded.

'I could check the Ministry's records tomorrow,' Hermione suggested. 'But it's all very vague.'

Lucius appeared thoughtful, but then seemed to come to a conclusion. 'Of course, one might look for the curse in books that wouldn't be kept in a school library.'

'Oh?'

'For example, my own family has managed to collect a few interesting volumes over the centuries...'

Severus snorted.

'...If you think it might help, feel free to look through them,' Lucius continued.

Hermione put down her cup. 'I'd love to see them, but you do know this might not exactly help to exonerate you.' She looked at the newspaper on the table. 'But then, as far as the public and the Wizengamot are concerned, you're guilty anyway.'

'And of course, we must believe everything we read in the Prophet,' Severus added helpfully.

'Trouble is, a lot of people do.' Hermione turned to Lucius again. 'Can I see the books?'

'Come with me.' Lucius rose and motioned for her to follow him, Severus bringing up the rear. 'This is bound to be good,' he murmured.

Lucius led them down the hallway and into another room. Hermione's heart started to beat faster at the sight before her. All the walls were lined with bookcases, even around the two windows. A table with an elaborately wrought candelabra on it graced the centre of the room, a number of comfy looking chairs placed around it. In the corner, she spotted a dark green sofa that seemed to invite her to curl up with a book. Hermione let her eyes wander along the shelves, inhaling deeply. The room smelled wonderful, almost like the Hogwarts library, but more airy, more like it was used only by a select few. She had to restrain herself from not going and exploring all its treasures right away. She turned to Lucius. 'This is marvellous.'

He smiled. 'You're welcome to look around; be my guest.'

Hermione started to stroll along the shelves, noticing how the books were grouped and occasionally running her fingertips over some of the spines. She could feel Lucius' eyes on her, and the feeling wasn't unpleasant.

She had no idea how long she had wandered around the library looking at the books, occasionally pulling one out and leafing through it before she was distracted by another gem.

Someone cleared their throat. She turned around to find Lucius' gaze on her. He flicked his wand, and a couple of books floated from their place on the shelves onto the reading table.

'Ahem,' said Severus.

Lucius' wand quickly disappeared up his sleeve, and he busied himself with arranging the books on the table. Hermione pretended to ignore his display of magic.

'I take it the Malfoy collection has piqued your interest?' he asked, looking at her again.

'It's brilliant. I could spent ages in here.' She beamed at him.

'Feel free to explore.'

Hermione had the feeling that he wasn't talking just about the library.

'If you two have quite finished, could we get back to the more pressing questions?' Severus grumbled.

'I'm sure Miss Granger would agree that we were fully concentrating on the matter at hand.'

Severus rolled his eyes and picked up one of the books on the table.

'These might be a good point at which to start.' Lucius pointed to where Severus was sitting, his nose now buried in a book. As Hermione went to join him, a snowy-white Kneazle, its ears, nose and tail tinged with the faintest hint of beige, wandered into the library. It twined itself once around Lucius' legs, purring, and then briefly stopped in front of Hermione. Blue eyes looked up at her. Apparently she passed muster as she was graced with a twine around her legs, too, before the Kneazle padded over to Severus. It lightly leapt onto his knees and then curled up on his lap, purring. 'He's beautiful,' she said.

'It's a she.'

'Of course,' murmured Hermione.

'Her name's Cassiopeia.'

She watched as Severus' long fingers stroked the purring Kneazle on his lap, his expression softer than she'd ever seen it. Surely those fingers would feel nice on her skin, too? The thought made Hermione nearly purr as well.

~~~^~~~

Hermione put the heavy volume aside. Her eyes were burning, and her stomach felt queasy. A look at her watch showed that it was well past dinner time. She stifled a yawn. 'I should really go home. May I have another look at these tomorrow?' She pointed at the books on the table.

'Of course.' Lucius looked at her in away that made her feel tingly all over.

'Thank you.'

'I should go to,' Severus said.

'Maybe a light supper before you leave?' Lucius asked.

'Thank you,' said Severus.

'That would be lovely,' Hermione added.

Lucius led them over to what turned out to be a fairly formal dining room where the table had been set for three, offering them the choice between three different pies, lentil salad, tomato salad, a green salad and assorted nibbles.

'A light supper, eh?' Hermione muttered to Severus when Lucius was out of earshot.

'Pure-blood etiquette,' Severus answered.

~~~^~~~

Afterwards, as Severus and Hermione were walking back to the gates, she said, 'He seems to be coping well with the situation.'

'Hm. He wouldn't let you know if he wasn't .'

'What do you mean?'

'You'd have to know Lucius pretty well before he'd ever let you see any weakness.'

Hermione cast him a speculative glance, but refrained from asking the obvious question. 'He does seem to like having people around,' she said instead.

A brief look of surprise crossed Severus' face. 'It is that obvious? He's a bit lonely now that Narcissa's moved out and Draco's got his own family.'

'Once this is over, I'm sure there'd be any number of women who'd be happy to keep Lucius company.'

'He may not want any number of women. Especially not the kind who would be attracted by his alleged reputation of perpetual Death Eater.'

Was it just her impression or had Severus' tone soured?

'Shame. One more reason to get him cleared of the current accusation.'

'If only to get him some female company.' Severus' voice sounded decidedly icy.

This time, they passed the gates without incident.

'Goodnight, Severus.' Hermione wondered if she'd get away with another kiss, and then decided what the hell and reached up and pressed her mouth to Severus'. His lips felt warm and surprisingly soft. She pulled back, holding his gaze.

Severus' hand came up, and his fingers traced along her jawbone, her temple and down the side of her neck. Hermione could feel his touch all through her body; her heart started to beat considerably faster while she kept looking at Severus and closed the distance to his mouth again. He responded by trailing his tongue over her bottom lip, causing a little sigh to escape from her. His other hand sneaked around her back, drawing her nearer to him. She pressed herself even closer to his warm body while their tongues became very well acquainted with each other.

Hermione didn't want the kiss to stop, and it was very nice having Severus so close, but it wasn't close enough. She wrapped her arms firmly around him, closed her eyes and concentrated on the image of her bedroom.

A fraction of a moment later, they were standing on the edge of her bed, their mouths still locked. The change in surroundings and the sensation of Apparition had obviously registered with Severus as he broke the kiss and looked at her, one eyebrow wandering in the direction of his hairline. Hermione wriggled against him. 'It's more comfortable than outside, don't you think?'

'Indeed,' he replied and closed the distance between their mouths again.

Both shrugged out of their cloaks without breaking the kiss, though Hermione nearly stumbled over the bundle of fabric as Severus was manoeuvring her towards the bed. They tumbled onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs. His hand wandered under her robes, stroking her back and shoulder, sending pleasant little shivers through Hermione that pooled in her lower belly.

She tilted her head sideways, intending to kiss along his jaw. Instead her nose made contact with Severus' much larger one. 'Ow,' she said, then started to grin.

'Sorry.' Severus looked sufficiently apologetic, but the corners of his mouth were tilting upwards, too.

Hermione placed a kiss on his nose while her hand proceeded to open Severus' robes. She sighed when she could finally feel his bare skin. After having ascertained that her nose was elsewhere, Severus started to place little kisses along the side of her neck before he started to nibble at her earlobe. His hand was now exploring her breast, sending more shivers through her and producing another sigh. Hermione let her hands roam over his back, and down to his bottom and then to his front. She wrapped her hand around him and started to stroke him. Severus felt perfect in her hand, and judging by the noises he was making, he rather seemed to like it, too.

Hermione pressed himself against him, wanting to feel more of him. There were definitely too many layers of cloth between them. Reluctantly, she stopped her explorations and started to tug at his robes to get them off. Severus seemed to be in agreement as he tried to divest her of her own clothes at the same time. It took a bit of rather undignified fumbling and almost falling off the bed before they finally got rid of their clothing.

Finally naked, they just lay there for a moment, catching their breath until Severus pulled Hermione on top of him, his mouth searching hers again. His naked body felt wonderful beneath her; nothing existed but their kiss, his smell and his arms around her. She could feel Severus' hand gliding between her legs, her body turning to liquid fire at his touch.

Hermione spread her legs further and glided onto him, enjoying the way he filled her. She met his thrusts when he started to push upward and felt the heat building inside her until her world drowned in sensation.