Chapter 19

Chapter 19

When Lucius arrived at breakfast, he saw a letter from Hermione waiting for him. Ignoring the rest of his morning post for the moment, he opened hers, feeling a sense of pleasing titillation course through him he hadn't felt in years. It was actually more of a note than a letter, simply asking him if he had time to get together. The tone and brevity was such that it was hard to decipher her reason for meeting, although he could surmise she needed to see him regarding pursuing her divorce from her husband, or perhaps the young man was giving her grief. No, the writing of the note looked unhurried and precise, not as would be expected if she were upset. She had clearly spent a great deal of time crafting this brief missive, possibly because she was unsure about the state of their friendship.

He set the note by his plate. This was a very busy week for him, but he would find time to spend with her since he knew that there was really no one else she could confide in. Besides, he had to continue to cultivate their relationship.

He was already planning on visiting Delilah this afternoon since most of the day Wednesday would be spent in Frankfurt as he assisted Elsa with the process of replacing her management team, and then late that afternoon he had a meeting scheduled with Reg and Jackson Davies, his Personnel Manager, to discuss the details involving several of his senior managers whose contracts were up for renegotiation. It was possible that meeting would last long into the evening, and the last thing he wanted to do was have her sitting around waiting for him, getting frustrated that he was running late. It appeared that Thursday would be his first opportunity to get together with Hermione.

He felt a little guilty about having to put Hermione off until Thursday, but he did have other obligations. He was sure that she would understand. After breakfast he would pen a reply and have it sent to her at work. As far as he knew, her husband was still staying with the Potters, but he did not want to take any chances of the wrong person seeing his letter to Hermione. His life had suddenly gone from quiet and simple to overly complicated. Of course he was bringing all of this on himself by not being forthright with Elsa.

Dinner last night had been quite tedious. Even though he had tried to moderate his behavior so that Elsa would have no reason to think he was flirting with her, it had seemed to make little difference in her demeanor. He was afraid that precedence had been set and dissuading her attentions would take some careful maneuvering so as to not completely vex the woman. He would be relieved when he was satisfied with the management and procedures at the Kesselwerks and it would no longer require his close involvement. For now he would just have to do his best to keep the relationship as professional as possible. He no longer had to remain in her good favor as much as he had before the acquisition, but he didn't want to make her feel scorned either. That was a headache he didn't need.

Lucius turned his attention to his remaining post and saw nothing else that couldn't be dealt with later. For now he had other business to attend. He was looking to continue his international expansion and had his research department looking for complimentary companies that were in a bit of financial trouble. They had a report due to him this morning, and he knew that reviewing it would occupy a good portion of his morning. There would of course be the slew of standard reports from his domestic holdings, and he had a one o'clock meeting with the Ministry. While he wasn't technically on any sort of probation at this point, they seemed to feel it necessary to examine his business transactions in excruciating detail periodically. In five years there had never been anything suspicious, yet they still insisted on these meetings.

Not that he had any interest in doing anything illegal, but if he did, it would be highly unlikely that anyone at the Ministry would uncover it. He had already learned his lesson about being careless.

With breakfast finished, he stopped in his study to pen a quick reply to Hermione letting her know that he would come by the lab on Thursday and then went to his office to begin his day.

It was shortly after three by the time he finished with the Ministry. He thought of leaving directly from there, but he felt he would be overdressed since Delilah lived on a farm. He still had a hard time imagining his prim sister as a farmer, but every indication from her letters was that she was happy. Once home he changed into something more casual than his usual bespoke robes, something that he hoped her family would find less intimidating. He then walked down to the wine cellar to select a suitable wine as a gift. It took him fifteen minutes, but he was quite pleased with his selection. It was a thirty year Barolo that he was sure would be superb.

Returning to the foyer, he prepared for long-distance Apparition. Delilah's home near Genoa was too far to go straight there, so he would have to stop in Lyon for a short while to recover. The distance was slightly more than traveling to Frankfurt, but it was still within his capabilities, if just barely. Even with the stop in Lyon, it would still be late afternoon by the time he arrived, giving him plenty of time with his sister and her family.

When he arrived in Lyon, it took him a few moments to overcome his disorientation. He then perused the shops and decided to pick up a few small trinkets for his nieces and a lovely scarf for his sister while he recovered from the effects of long-distance Apparition. Thankfully the distance from Lyon to Genoa was shorter than Wiltshire to Lyon and would not be so taxing.

By the time the necklaces were wrapped and paid for, he felt up to finishing his journey. He Apparated to the muddy road where their farm was located. It had clearly rained recently, but checking the skies, it looked as though it would be a clear evening. He proceeded down the lane and turned up the drive, slightly nervous about seeing his sister for the first time in nearly twenty years, wondering what sort of reception he would receive.

He was halfway to the farmhouse when the door opened. For a moment Delilah stood frozen in the doorway, hand covering her mouth, as though she could not believe what she was seeing. As he continued to move closer, her trance was finally broken, and she started walking towards him. Life on the farm had changed her: her skin was tanned and lined from work outside, and he could see the silver glint in her blonde hair, but she still looked very much as he remembered. He couldn't help grinning broadly at the pure joy he could see reflected in his sister's eyes. He held his arms open as she neared, and they wrapped each other in a warm embrace. As she held him tightly, he could feel her crying and fought back his own tears. How could he have waited so long to reach out to her? How could he have inflicted this much pain upon them both? She had been his closest friend growing up and yet he had so easily abandoned her when his father had commanded it.

"It's so wonderful to see you," he said quietly, not quite trusting his voice.

"I never thought I would see you again," she replied as she broke the embrace.

He handed her his handkerchief, and she dabbed her eyes. "You look beautiful."

"Flatterer. I'm a mess." She fussed with her hair. "It was a long day in the fields. But look at you. You've hardly changed. Though you did let your hair grow." She touched the long strands flowing loose at his shoulders, and then laid a hand on his chest as if to assure herself that he was really standing in front of her.

"My one form of protest. He detested long hair," Lucius said, referring to their father.

"Yet you kept it after he died?" she asked curiously.

"I rather like the way it looks. And so did Narcissa."

"I'm so sorry to hear of her passing. She was a lovely woman, and I enjoyed being able to spend time with her."

He knew that Delilah's visits with Narcissa had been a welcome respite from her tyrant of a husband. "Thank you. Now, where is this family of yours? I imagine you told them to wait inside."

"I did. I wanted you to myself for a few minutes. After all the ugliness with You-Know-Who, I wasn't sure I would ever see you again. I was afraid I would lose you before we could reconcile." She wrapped her arms around him again, as if to assure herself that he was really standing in front of her.

"Thankfully, you did not. Narcissa saved us all. And I must apologize for not reaching out sooner. As soon as he died, I should have sent you a letter – not waited another decade to do so. I'm so sorry." Once again, he found himself fighting back the tears that threatened to erupt.

She released him. "Well, you've righted that wrong now, and there's nothing to be served by dwelling on the past. Why don't you come inside and meet the family. The girls speak excellent English, but Vittorio will likely use a mix of Italian and English."

"I'm sure we'll manage." Lucius let his sister lead him into the house. It was a cozy stucco farmhouse that definitely felt like a home. He could see his sister's touches everywhere and was glad that she had found happiness. His nieces were in the kitchen preparing vegetables under their father's supervision, and both turned to stare at him when Lucius entered the modest farmhouse. The older girl, who he assumed was Gianna, resembled her father with her wavy brown hair and green eyes, but the other girl, he assumed was Lucia, looked exactly as her mother had at fifteen. He was definitely glad that he had changed into something more casual; his usual attire would have been quite out of place here.

Delilah introduced him to Vittorio and the girls. Lucius presented Delilah and each of the girls with their gifts and they seemed quite pleased at the necklaces, gushing over how beautiful they were. He then placed the bottle of wine on the table. "I thought I'd provide the wine for tonight."

Vittorio looked at the wine and then picked up the bottle to examine the label more closely. "Mama mia!" he exclaimed. He then held the bottle for Delilah to read.

"Lucius, this is far too much," she protested as she saw how old the wine was and what variety.

He waved off their concern. "Consider it a very belated wedding gift and twenty years' worth of Christmas gifts. Now, we should decant it before dinner so it has time to breathe."

Delilah brought him a wine decanter and with a flick of his wand, he sufficiently widened the base of the decanter so the wine could breathe properly. As he gently poured the wine, he observed that the color and nose were perfect. This would indeed be a wonderful wine to share. Once the wine was poured, he cast a cooling charm to hold it at the proper temperature. "That should be ready in time for dinner."

While dinner preparations were in progress, Vittorio opened a bottle of Chianti for them to share. He then proudly told Lucius all about his farm, and it wasn't long before Lucius found himself on the receiving end of a tour. Delilah came along and elaborated on Vittorio's explanations when necessary, but they two men were doing well in their mix of Italian and English. Their farm was quite successful for its size, and Vittorio was very proud of it.

When it was nearly time for dinner, Vittorio left to cook the meat on the grill. Lucius turned to Delilah. "He has no idea about our family, does he?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Why should he? When we met, I had been cut off, and it's never come up in conversation."

"I suggest you tell him before you make any visits," he said, knowing that the manor would likely be a shock to Vittorio.

"I don't know that we'll be visiting," she said softly.

He could hear the sadness in her voice. He placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's been twenty years. I would love to have you visit, and you can see Draco again and meet his family."

"What does he think of all this?" she asked.

"I've not actually told him yet," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I wanted to make sure our relationship was healed before I brought it up with him."

"Oh." There was a long pause before she asked, "Why now? Why after twenty years?"

Lucius considered his words carefully. "No good reason. I was more concerned with my own needs and business concerns and could not be troubled with anything else."

She could tell he was hiding something. "Lucius," she prompted.

Even after all this time, she still knew when he was being evasive. He placed his hand on her arm. "After dinner. It's too complicated to explain now."

During dinner he enjoyed the conversation with his newfound family. His nieces were more than happy to tell him all about their school and what courses they were taking. Gianna excelled at Potions and hoped to apprentice with a renowned Potions Master in Milan when she finished her studies next spring. Lucia preferred Charms and enjoyed helping out around the farm and trying to devise better ways of accomplishing her chores and told him about how she was researching ways to make the farm more efficient. The adults had enjoyed the Barolo over dinner, the girls were even allowed a small measure of this very fine wine, and Vittorio had told him on no less than four occasions how marvelous the wine was and how Lucius had not had to go through the trouble and expense. Lucius had insisted that it was the least he could do after the years of estrangement. He remained evasive about the nature of his work and family fortune. When Delilah was ready, she could tell her family.

When dinner was over, Vittorio and the girls retired inside, leaving Lucius and Delilah to talk.

"Now, what was the real reason you finally reached out to me?" she asked as she poured grappa for the two of them.

Lucius took a sip of his drink and admired the sunset a few moments before answering. "I had my eyes opened to how foolish I have been." He paused. "There is a witch, who is very special to me. She is ending her marriage, and it made me realize how wrong it was to ostracize you when I am considering a romantic future with her."

She gave him a suspicious look. "You didn't have anything to do with that, did you?"

"You dare insinuate that I would break up a marriage? I assure you, that marriage was broken long before she and I met." That wasn't strictly true as they had known of each other for a long time, but they had not been on friendly terms until just recently.

"But did she realize that it was broken?" Delilah asked probingly.

"Their unhappiness was obvious. The fact that she chose to act on her feelings after meeting me is not relevant." He was not about to tell her the entire truth that he did go out of his way to show her what she could have with someone other than Weasley. "And does it really matter? She is married to someone who does not deserve her, does not appreciate her. I have no doubt they will both be happier apart."

Delilah arched an eyebrow at him, indicating she did not entirely believe he was blameless.

"Don't give me that look. I have done nothing untoward. It was she who first brought up the subject of divorce. I have been a friend and a confidant to her, provided her some advice about dealing with perceptions. Nothing more."

"You always were the shrewd one," she finally said, a slight undertone in her voice indicating she did not believe his professed innocence.

"I had to be to survive in that household." He drained his drink and refilled his glass. "I really hate to say it, but it was a happy day when he died." While he had a few good memories of his father, they were far outweighed by the negative.

"You know I have no love lost for him. He could have supported me, made it so that I would not have had to leave the country." She waited several long seconds before asking, "Does she know how you feel about her?"

"I don't know. Aside from my extension of friendship..." He considered his drink a few seconds, "As you can imagine, I need to keep our relationship platonic. I have kept my feelings in reserve for now. Her needs must be considered foremost presently."

"Yet you think she feels something for you? Are you sure you aren't just seeing what you want? After all, it's been five years. The loneliness..."

He had seen how Hermione's demeanor changed when they spent time together. She seemed to come alive and her eyes lit up each time they met – except when she'd been truly troubled. But her smile had always seemed welcoming and sincere. "That is something to be determined once I can court her, isn't it? And I do think it is best if we keep this just between the two of us," he replied. To change the subject, "Now, something I've been meaning to ask you, your choice of Lucia's name?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

Delilah blushed. "She was so fair when she was born compared to her sister and there was something about her demeanor that just reminded me of you, I thought it fitting to name her after my beloved brother, even if he wasn't speaking to me. It's also quite coincidentally Vittorio's grandmother's name. It really does suit her, though. Her ambition really does remind me of you. She can't wait to finish school and be able to devote her time to improving the farm."

"And I'm sure she will do a wonderful job," he replied, remembering Lucia's enthusiasm during dinner. "Now surely I can entice you to visit? I'm sure that Draco would be happy to see you again. And you would love meeting Astoria and Scorpius."

She hesitated before replying. "Why don't we wait and see what happens with this upcoming divorce?"

He placed his hand on hers. "Delilah, we could keep your visit secret. It would just be family."

She shook her head. "I'm not ready, yet. I know he's gone, and I can see you've changed, but going back..."

Lucius smiled sadly. He had known that life would not return to what it had once been and that it would take time to repair all the damage years of neglect had done to their relationship. "I understand. I'll let Draco know that we've been corresponding and perhaps we can arrange a time for all of us to visit you."

"I think I'd like that," she replied. "It's not you, Lucius, it's just that I've been gone for so long and this is home now." She gestured at the fields.

"Well, I'd like you to consider it a standing offer for when you are ready. I assure you, it is nothing like it was when he was alive. Recent events... Well, after what happened, the manor has undergone a complete renovation for several reasons."

They were both quiet for several minutes. Finally, Delilah spoke. "With that... We got some news about it here. I know some of what happened the first time, and I saw that you spent some time in prison..."

Lucius really did not like to dwell on that period of his life, but he had known that she would ask. "Due to my decisions during his first rise to power, I had no choice when he returned. Well, I technically had a choice, but that choice would have been death and the death of Narcissa and Draco. Prison... I think that is what saved us all. Narcissa did what she had to in order to keep our family whole. She protected Draco, saved us." He had no desire to dwell on the fact that while he had no longer been in prison at the end, that he had still been very much a prisoner and powerless to do anything to protect his family.

"And that is what is important: that you survived." She could see that this conversation made him uncomfortable. "Even though it took far too long, my brother is finally returned to me."

To change the subject, he said, "I will admit I was quite surprised when I learned what had become of you."

She laughed softly. "It wasn't an easy transition, but Vittorio is a wonderful and extremely persistent man. I was working at an apothecary in Genoa where he was a regular customer. Eventually he convinced me to have dinner, and we married six months later. It wasn't easy adjusting to farm life after growing up in a privileged household, but I wouldn't trade it for all the champagne and caviar in the world."

"I'm glad that you have found happiness." While he doubted he could find happiness leading this simple life, he knew that Delilah was exactly where she belonged.

The two of them continued to talk late into the night, telling stories about their children, reminiscing about the happier moments of their childhood. When Lucius returned home, he fell into an exhausted sleep.

By Thursday evening, Lucius was feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. Three days of long-distance Apparition were taking their toll. He had found himself having to return to Frankfurt that morning. Yes, he could have used the Floo, but he prided himself on being a powerful enough wizard to be capable of long-distance Apparition. Hopefully once the new management team was installed, he would have less direct involvement. While Elsa had not overtly flirted with him, she had still made her interest in him quite clear while utterly ignoring his disinterest in her.

Checking the time, he saw that it was nearly six. With a wave of his wand, he tidied his desk and Disapparated to the Potions Research Laboratory. Unsurprisingly, the only light was coming from the lab where Hermione's team worked. He smiled when he saw her bent over her notes. While she was facing the door this time, she was so absorbed in her work that she had not noticed his arrival. "I hear that you could use a friend to talk to," he said as he walked into the lab and took the stool across from her.

She set down her quill. "That I could, though I am sorry to impose on you like this."

"It's not an imposition. It's what a friend does. If you prefer, we could relax over dinner," he offered.

"I'd like that, if it's not too much to ask," she added quickly. "You look tired."

He waved off her concern. While a part of him wanted nothing more than to go home and fall fast asleep, he knew that she needed his friendship right now. "It's nothing. Just a few long days, and since we both should eat dinner, why not enjoy it together?"

"Sure." She quickly cleaned up her work area before allowing Lucius to Apparate them to his club.

Once they were seated and had ordered, she said, "Thanks for making time for me."

"Think nothing of it. I know that you are going through a difficult period." He would do his best to put her at ease and allow her to have a relaxing evening.

"I think that's a bit of an understatement." She looked down at her hands in her lap. "It's just been so hard. I feel like such a failure."

"Hermione, a marriage does not fall apart because one person is to blame," he said, hoping to boost her confidence.

"I know, but I just wish that we had waited, really gotten to know each other without all the life and death, on the run and... Well, then after the war... the expectations. We never spent any time together, just the two of us. We never talked about the important things, what we wanted, really wanted and expected. It's just... I think that I should have known better," she admitted quietly, sounding utterly deflated.

"Over the years, I have learned that I am not as all knowing as I once thought I was." Yes, he had learned this the hard way. "Everyone makes mistakes in life. Sometimes they are small ones, and sometimes they are large ones. Unfortunately, you rarely know you are making one in the moment, and it can take some time before you are finally able to admit it." That was one thing about his incarceration in Azkaban – he had had plenty of time to think. He had had time to think about his mistakes of the past, what sort of person he had become and what sort of person he wanted to be. He had found that he had not cared much for the type of person he had become. Once he was truly free, he had gone about remaking himself into a better person, one worthy of respect and not just fear.

"That's very wise. And I think that's part of the problem. I don't think Ron has let it sink in that it was a mistake. I delivered the divorce papers to him on Monday, but I still haven't heard anything back from him." She swirled the wine in her glass, watching the red liquid change colors as it rose higher in the glass.

"I'm sure that he is merely taking his time. After all, this was not a decision you made rashly." Actually, Lucius suspected that Weasley was plotting something. "What has your solicitor said?" He still wished that she would agree to use Reg's services, but now was not the time to push her on that. She was far too independent to accept what she would see as his charity.

She sighed, leaned back in her chair, and took a sip of her wine. "To be patient. He says that this is not the sort of thing that can be rushed."

"And he would be correct. Give it a few more days, and if you haven't heard anything by Monday, there may be other avenues you can pursue." He knew that she could file it as a contested divorce without Weasley's signature on the petition, but it would be much preferred if Weasley would sign.

Their dinner arrived, and she picked half-heartedly at her fish. "I just feel so alone. I've never really had a lot of friends except for Ron, Harry and Ginny, and by association Ron's family. Even the people in our DA group stopped talking to me after the war. I've just never had much in common with witches my own age. I really do hate to burden you with all this given how busy you are."

He wanted her to know that he was there for her. "I understand your loneliness. After all, why else would we have run into each other in the library?" He smiled at her.

She laughed at his joke. "I suppose that's true, but clearly you have been having quite a busy week. I can see it in your face."

"Part and parcel of doing business. When there is something momentous happening, I can be quite busy, but there are other times when everything seems to run itself quite smoothly, and I am left with very little to do. Obviously with my latest acquisition, I find myself quite busy." He was pleasantly surprised by the concern she was showing him.

"Yes, quite," she replied shortly.

He could tell that she wanted to say more, but clearly believed that would be crossing a line. Noting that the conversation was stalling, he changed topics. "I don't know if you've seen it, but Filmore Stevens has recently released a new book on Merlin, and I found some of his conclusions quite controversial."

That was exactly the opening he had needed to start a lively debate. She was a fan of Stevens' theories because he was not afraid of taking Muggle historical information into account since he came from a half-blood family. Of course, by incorporating the Muggle view, it had the effect of making his viewpoints less popular in established wizarding academic circles.

By the time desert was completed, Hermione was looking much less downtrodden. "Please, don't hesitate to owl me if you need someone to talk to again. Don't let the loneliness consume you," he pleaded, having let it do that to him for far too long.

"I'll let you know if I hear from Ron. Perhaps you can run into me at the library one night?" she teased.

He smiled at her. "Perhaps I shall," he replied, knowing he would take her up on the offer.

She rose to her feet and he followed suit. "Please, allow me to show you out."

"Thanks, but I think I can find my way," she replied, unaccustomed to his refined, old-world manners.

It was something he would have to see she become comfortable with: one, it would cement in her mind how uncouth the Weasely boy was, and two, when the time came to court her, she'd know how a true gentleman treated the women he loved. "As a gentleman, I must insist." Noticing her continued discomfort, he added, "Besides, I should be returning home as well."

Once in the foyer, she turned to face him. "See you around."

"Until next time," he replied as he bowed his head slightly. He watched her Disapparate, noting the efficiency and economy of her action. She was truly a gifted witch.

After Lucius returned home, he retired to his study and poured himself two fingers of Scotch as he tried to determine what Weasley was plotting. He was sure that it would be nothing good. She had said that Weasley was in denial that their marriage was indeed over. More likely it was not denial, but a refusal to put his family through the scandal that would come from divorce. Perhaps he would run into her at the library tomorrow and strongly suggest that she take advantage of Reg's considerable knowledge of wizarding law. He knew she was concerned about the cost, but in reality there was nothing to be considered since he was Reg's sole client. Of course, that was not something he wanted her to know.

He wanted nothing more than for this situation to resolve itself as quickly as possible – something that was not likely to happen with her current solicitor who was clearly overwhelmed by the magnitude of this case.

Downing the rest of his Scotch, he decided there was nothing more to be done at the moment and retired for the night.

The following morning was a beautifully sunny late summer day, and Lucius opened his balcony doors before beginning his morning routine, the same routine he had carried out for the last three years: thirty minutes to conduct his morning calisthenics, followed by a leisurely shower before dressing for the day, and breakfast to prepare for the day. His preferred physical conditioning discipline exercised both mind and body.

Once his calisthenics were completed, he enjoyed a tepid glass of water while he stood on the balcony. One of the peacocks was walking through the garden. Lucius lamented this time of year when the poor birds were not in their full majesty due to their annual molting. While still striking white, they weren't quite as majestic without their trains. It was nearly time to bring them in for the winter, and come spring they would have their fantastic plumage returned. He couldn't wait for Hermione to see the manor in spring. It was always his favorite time of the year when the land came back to life.

Of course, there were quite a few steps before that would happen. First and foremost was securing the divorce. He would run into her and once again gently suggest that she should take advantage of Reg's considerable legal knowledge and skills.

As the bird strode out of view, Lucius decided it was time to shower and dress. Once he was perfectly groomed, he headed downstairs for breakfast. It would have been just as easy to take breakfast en suite, but he had always eaten breakfast downstairs, and he would continue to do so.

As he expected the paper was waiting at the table for him. He sat and poured out his tea, splashing a bit of milk in it. He then opened the paper to check the day's news and nearly dropped his tea cup at what he saw on the front page. He knew that he had to see Hermione immediately.