Chapter 8 - Honesty

Hello all. I'd like to thank once again those who have taken the time to read and review this story. I appreciate all of your comments.

I'm loading this on my work computer, and for some reason it won't allow me to do the characters, but this is a Severus/Hermione & Lucius/Ginny story. There will at some point be a slash scene but it will be in a flashback. I won't say anything further, but I think you can all figure out what kind of a relationship Lucius and Severus had at some point and the reason for their closeness.

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks as always to June for all of her input and help in making this all read better.

Chapter 8 - Honesty

After their dinner, Severus and Lucius went into the sitting room and had a glass of brandy. Severus sent word to Hermione using Lucius' owl, Ovid, to let her know that he would be spending a few hours with Lucius and that he would return to Hogwarts to finish what they had started. Severus also used the Floo to call Albus, asking him to stop by Malfoy Manor so he could be told of what Lucius had learned.

It was basically decided among the three wizards that for now all they could do was wait until Voldemort finalized any plans for his attacks on financial institutions and schools. When Lucius left the Riddle house, the Dark Lord had still not decided who would take part in these raids and where they would begin.

Since Lucius' disclosure that he had been the Order's secret spy, Severus' near-death injuries, Lucius' escape from Voldemort's death sentence, and Narcissa's rescue of Lucius and her own death, there had been little time to just sit and talk. Tonight was the first time Lucius could fully explain to Severus and Albus that he'd realized the error of his ways long ago. He also did not want to go to Azkaban once the war ended, but was careful to let them know that his offer to help the Order wasn't because of that reason alone. Albus assured him that if and when the time came, he would vouch for Lucius, just as he had done with Severus so long ago.

After two more rounds of brandy and a round of lemon drop martinis, they all bid goodnight to one another. Albus used the Floo to go back to Hogwarts.

Severus decided to Apparate back, so he could stretch his legs with a short walk; he had to be careful to not be seen, since he was supposedly "dead." Upon reaching the dungeons, he noticed someone was in his rooms. He guessed it was Hermione; only she could figure out the series of complicated wards he had. He took out his wand and slowly walked into his rooms. He set the wards up once more and placed a silencing spell around the premises.

As he approached his bedroom, he could see the amber glow of the fireplace reflecting on the walls. When he walked in, he saw Hermione lying on his bed, wearing a simple satin nightgown.

He smiled. "You look comfortable."

She smiled back. "I am. Your bed is much more comfortable than mine."

Severus approached her, divesting himself of his clothes as he drew nearer to the bed.

"How is Lucius? Ginny said he was very ill," she asked.

"He was, but she is a very talented healer and Lucius will live." Severus had by now removed his cloak, shoes, and socks, and was in the process of unbuttoning his frock coat when Hermione got on her knees and crawled towards him.

As she did, he could see the soft mounds of her breasts as he looked down her nightgown. She then sat up on her haunches. As he finished removing his frock coat, she began unbuttoning his white linen shirt.

"Have you been waiting long?" he asked. He felt himself starting to grow aroused by the soft touches of her fingers against his chest as she worked on removing his shirt.

She looked up into his eyes. "Yes, I have been waiting excruciatingly long, Severus."

"Far be it from me to keep you waiting further," he murmured. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed her gently onto her back. With his body lying half on top if hers, he began to nibble at her lips.

Hermione sighed as she felt his hands move beneath the neckline of the satin nightgown to caress her breasts.

Severus' kisses became more insistent, his tongue gaining entrance to her mouth and touching her own lightly.

She ran her hand up his arm and into his hair, as she hooked her leg over his hip.

"Severus, I want you, but I don't want to do this if it's going to ruin the friendship we have," said Hermione, now thinking about all of the other experiences she'd had after graduating from Hogwarts.

"I treasure our friendship, Hermione." He now caressed her face. "But I want to be closer to you. I want to share more than just a friendship. I want you to know everything about my life, share everything in my life. I have been alone for far too long." He then took hold of her waist and rolled them both over, so she now straddled him.

"This war will be over very soon, I think, and I may or may not live through it." Hermione was about to say something, when he placed his fingers on her lips. "If I am to die during the final battle, then I want my last days to be spent with you."

Her eyes filled with tears. "Do you love me, Severus?"

He smiled. "I do, but how I love you at this moment will no doubt change as this night progresses."

Severus, like many people, had always felt that love had different levels. For the past several years he'd grown to love Hermione as a friend and a confidant. He knew that soon, his love for her would deepen and become one of life and death; he would willingly give his life for her, and there would be death to anyone who dared harm her.

Hermione took hold of her nightgown and pulled it off. As she did, her hair fell around her shoulders, and the firelight produced a soft orange glow around her head. She then knelt beside him on the bed and unbuckled his belt, then began to pull down his trousers, taking his underwear with it. He was already fully aroused as Hermione shoved his clothing off of the bed and inched her way back up to him. She licked the head of his penis lightly, but he pulled her up by her shoulders and turned her so that she faced him fully as he continued to lay on his back.

"No, I can feel the warmth of your mouth another time, but right now, I want to feel you here," he said, as he cupped her mound with his hand and slid his fingers slowly into her wetness.

Hermione felt a tingling sensation in her belly. She'd wanted him for so long, and it had been years since a man had touched her in any way – especially one who seemed to know what he was doing. As Severus continued to work his fingers into her, she ran her hands down his sides and gently rocked herself against him, feeling his erection prodding at her from behind.

"Please, I'm ready for you, Severus," she panted, "so ready for you." She took his hand away and straddled him again. She lifted herself slightly, giving her enough room to take hold of his penis and place it at her entrance. She slowly sank down onto him and felt his hands tightly grab hold of her hips.

Severus held her still for a moment, feeling her warmth. He pushed himself up into her, then pulled out slowly, wanting to savor the feeling of her body. His hands moved to massage her breasts as she closed her eyes and moaned. Hermione began to move her body in rhythm with his, not too slow not too fast. They both wanted to make this first time last as long as possible. She leaned forward slightly, which allowed Severus to take her nipple into his mouth. He suckled on her until it grew hard and slightly longer. He turned his attention to the next one as Hermione now began to speed her actions. Severus felt her growing wetter and wetter the more he licked and sucked on her nipples; he made a mental note that this was something she found great pleasure in.

"That feels so wonderful," panted Hermione as she looked down at him. Severus' eyes met hers as he gave her nipple one final lick.

"Tell me, what else feels good?" he asked as he continued massaging her breasts. He sat up and bent his knees, allowing her to lay back against his thighs. "Do you like this?" He then began to lightly massage her clitoris as he maintained his slow thrusts.

"Oh, please don't stop," she begged as she threw her head back and closed her eyes.

"I'll take that as a yes." He smiled as he looked down and saw his penis now coated with her wetness. As he pressed down on her clit, he felt Hermione's walls begin to flutter with the signs of her oncoming orgasm.

Hermione took hold of his shoulders and opened her eyes to see him. His eyes were hooded as he watched her reaching her pinnacle.

"I've often wondered what you would look like at this moment," he said, but before Hermione could ask what he meant, he made a sudden movement with his pelvis and she climaxed harder than she could ever remember.

As her walls convulsed around him, he suckled her breast again, adding to her now overwhelming pleasure. Feeling that she was nearing the end of her orgasm, he brought her close to him and rolled over on top of her, holding himself up with his arms so he wouldn't crush her. Her face was flushed, and she had a light sheen of sweat covering her body as Severus thrust harder and faster into her now, reaching out for his own completion.

Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed his buttocks with her hands, pulling him closer and closer with each thrust.

"AH," he cried out. "Yes, Hermione." He dropped down onto her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and waist, wanting to get as close to her as possible. Hermione lifted her hips, allowing him to drive one last deep thrust into her as she felt his own orgasm deep within her.

He held her for several moments, before her realized his full weight was on top of her. As he made to move off of her, she held him against her.

"No, not yet," she said as she tugged lightly on his ear with her teeth.

They both felt their hearts beating in sync. When their breathing finally calmed down and their hearts began beating regularly, Severus lifted himself on his elbows and looked down at her. He kissed her softly, not wanting to end the lovemaking just yet.

"Well, Miss Granger? Was I to your satisfaction?" he asked as his lips now traveled down her neck.

"More than satisfying, but how can I be sure when I have no other experience with you to compare it with?" she answered.

He chuckled and moved off of her and to her side, throwing his leg over hers.

"I see. Perhaps I should keep you here tonight, I am positive I can give you several more experiences for you to use in your comparison."

The next morning, Hermione had plenty of experiences to compare with their first.

~*~*~*~*~

After Severus and Albus had left the night before, Lucius went straight to his own bed. He knew that he was supposed to be resting, and he had to admit that he was feeling very tired. He realized that the last two days had seen too much stress in too little time.

The next morning, Emil woke his master up promptly at nine o'clock. He wanted to make sure Lucius got plenty of sleep, but he'd also known that the young healer who called herself Ginny would be arriving again today to check on his master.

Lucius showered and dressed casually. He had breakfast, and then made his way to the living room. He thought he heard the crack signaling someone had Apparated onto the property. Knowing it would most probably be Miss Weasley, he went to answer the door himself. When he opened the door, he saw it was Draco.

"Draco!" Lucius pulled his son inside and hugged him.

The young man held his father close. Ginny had told him the night before how sick his father had been.

"Are you all right, Father?" he asked.

It was then that Lucius noticed Ginny standing just behind Draco. The two men separated. "I can assure you I am feeling quite well, Draco. Come inside."

Draco smiled and entered the house,

"Miss Weasley." Lucius gestured to her to follow him inside.

"Please, Mr. Malfoy, call me Ginny. Miss Weasley is so formal." She blushed.

"Well, in that case we shall all be informal, and you shall call me Lucius."

They walked into the living room, where Emil and Dari were already setting up tea, fruit, and scones. When Dari saw Draco, her eyes lit up.

"Young Master! You have grown so handsome!" Dari approached him hesitantly. When Draco was younger he was at times abusive with the house-elves, but like his father the young man had changed very much.

Draco smiled and bent down slightly. "And you, Dari, look quite lovely in your dress."

No one in the room had ever seen an elf blush, but Dari did so. Her ears bent slightly, and she laughed giddily.

Emil was pleased that the young master complimented her. The head elf joined the Malfoy household just after the Death Eater attack that had caused Lucius to send his son to Spain, and after Narcissa left Lucius, but Emil had heard stories from the other elves of Draco's cruelness as a youth.

As the two elves left the room after casting a warming spell on the tea, Ginny took out her wand and approached Lucius.

"I'd like to just like give you a quick check, to make sure you're healing properly, if you don't mind Mr...I mean Lucius," said Ginny.

Lucius sat and opened his arms wide. "Do what you will, Ginny. I assure you I have been resting, and I feel perfectly fine."

'And you look perfectly fine too,' thought Ginny as she waved her wand over his body.

Lucius looked over at Draco, who had been staring at him.

"Are you really well, Father?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, Draco." Lucius was touched that his son was so concerned about him. After being separated for seven years, he wondered if Draco even cared what happened to him anymore.

"Everything looks as it should be," stated Ginny. "I should be going, as I promised I'd meet Hermione for lunch." She placed her wand back in her robes and turned to Draco. "Are you coming, Draco?"

Draco looked to Lucius again. "Do you mind if I stay a bit?" he asked.

"Of course not. I was hoping you would; we have quite a bit of catching up to do," said Lucius.

Ginny kissed Draco on the cheek and turned back to Lucius. "It was good seeing you well. I'll see myself out." She blushed as she quickly left the living room.

Lucius noticed the young woman's blush and speedy exit. 'Ginny and Draco?', he wondered.

There was silence between father and son for a short while until Draco spoke.

"Is she really dead?" he asked of his mother.

Lucius sighed heavily. "Yes, sadly, she is."

"I hated her for so long, ever since she left us." Neither Draco nor his father wanted to speak directly of her choice to become Voldemort's concubine, although they both now knew she'd loved them to the end.

"I share that guilt with you, Draco. As I told you at Grimmauld Place, it was your mother who kept us both safe through her sacrifice. But for seven years, we did not know that she left us so she could deflect Voldemort's attention from you, and keep me in his good graces. She only told me the truth two nights ago, just before she helped me escape – the last time I saw her alive." Lucius' voice broke as he said those last words. He wiped a tear that threatened to fall down his cheek, then he stood resolutely.

"But she wanted us to be happy, and I want to know what you have been up to. After you left Spain I heard little of you. What have you been doing these last two years?" asked Lucius, anxiously wanting to know what his son had been doing with his life.

"Well, when I was in Spain, I ran into Harry and we talked. We both realized we were different from our schooldays together." Draco paused, and looked at his father.

"Yes?"

"We decided to let the past just be that, the past – and we struck up a friendship. Two years ago, I wrote to tell you that I would be returning to England. That's when Harry brought me to Order headquarters. I also got back in touch with Severus. Ever since you first sent me to Spain to be safe from Death Eaters, I felt you'd changed in your attitudes, but still I asked Severus not to say anything to you, so please don't blame him for not letting you know how to contact me."

Lucius shook his head.

"Draco, I understand. I'm glad Severus kept your whereabouts secret. He is a much better Occlumens than I. It was better this way, but I'm glad that you had him to go to when you needed anything."

Draco was relieved. He knew that the two men were good friends, and he didn't want their friendship to be broken by the fact that Severus hadn't informed Lucius about him.

"Is there anyone special in your life?" asked Lucius, wondering about the kiss Ginny had just given Draco.

Draco now began fidgeting. "There is someone...um...quite special, actually. I...we love each other."

While he felt happy for his son, Lucius wasn't quite sure why he felt a tad jealous. Intellectually, he knew he shouldn't feel jealous. He hadn't even seen Ginny Weasley in years; he had no claims on her. Also, this was his son's happiness, something he should not envy.

"That's wonderful then. So am I to understand that I will at some point have a wedding to attend?" he asked his son.

"We're waiting until after all of this business with Voldemort is over and done with." Draco now stood and approached his father. "And besides, we can't really get married, not legally that is."

Now Lucius was confused. Perhaps he was wrong about him and Ginny. "Not legally?" 'Good lord, who in the world is he in love with, a Centaur?' he wondered.

"It's Harry, Father. He's the one I'm in love with."

Lucius eyebrows shot up in surprise. When Draco was in school he'd been so enamored with all of the young women at Hogwarts, even those outside of his house.

Draco took his father's silence to mean disapproval. He immediately regretted saying anything.

"I'm sorry; I know you're disappointed in me. I shouldn't have said anything." The young man turned to leave but was caught by the arm and spun around by his father.

"And what, you would have preferred to live a lie around me? Draco, I am not disappointed in you. I am very proud of the man you have become. I never would have said this to you years ago, but we have both changed." Lucius let go of Draco's arm and stepped back slightly.

"Besides, son, I can't very well be disapproving of what you are doing, as it would be hypocritical of me."

It was Draco's turn to be surprised.

"You?" he asked. "With another man?"

Lucius laughed. "Well, yes, that is generally the way

homosexual male relationships work."

Realizing the absurdness of his comment, Draco laughed

as well.

"I was around your age, more or less; I can't recall

exactly," Lucius said as he sat down on the couch. "It

was not long after your mother and I married, but

before you were born. The Dark Lord's first war was in

full throttle. I had a friend who had just joined the ranks. We were sent out many times on raids together. One raid in particular stands out in my memory; the two of us almost didn't make it back alive. We took refuge in an abandoned cottage just outside the village that had been raided."

Lucius shook his head as he remembered the carnage, much of it done by him and Severus.

"Did it just happen? I mean, were you always attracted to him? Did you know you were gay?"

"We'd been friends for many years; and no, I was not gay. At least, I can't say that I have ever wanted to be with any other man before or after him. There was always something else there with us. Something..." He looked at Draco straight in the eyes. "Something I'm sure you can understand."

Draco nodded. He'd never felt the need or inclination to be with a man before Harry. And he didn't look at other men with any interest.

"It's Severus, isn't it?"

Lucius was quiet, knowing that it was not his place to give Severus' secret away. Besides, he did not know if Severus had disclosed it to Hermione. Lucius himself never told Narcissa.

Draco tilted his head. "You don't have to tell me, but I think I know."

Lucius poured their tea, thankful that Draco had taken the news well.

"Was it just the one time?" asked Draco, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"No," answered Lucius. "Although we have both moved on in that aspect. But there is and always will be something very special between us."

Knowing that was all his father would say on the subject, Draco asked no further questions. He spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with his father. Then together, they honored Narcissa's life by sharing photos and memories of happier days – her years at Hogwarts, courtship and marriage to Lucius, Draco's birth and childhood, family events. The two men would always harbor strong feelings for her. But while she'd only been dead for two days, as far as Lucius was concerned his wife died seven years ago. He had grieved for her then, and had moved on with his life.

When Draco finally left, Lucius walked to his library. Now that he knew that Ginny was not his son's girlfriend, and he was legally free to remarry, he found himself thinking more and more about Miss Ginevra Weasley. He felt the need to do something for the young woman, to thank her for helping him in his time of need. He realized things might not have been easy for her after the incident with Tom Riddle's diary during her first year at Hogwarts.

Perhaps this time she could appreciate a real book, one that would help her in her chosen career as a healer, instead of the evil object he'd slipped into her cauldron when she was just a child. Yes, that would be a good start.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I hope the lemons were satisfactory. For the first time I felt pretty good about them. I also hope you all enjoyed Lucius' honesty with Draco. I think they needed that talk.

Thank you for reading.