Chapter 12 ? A Slight Miscalculation

I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read this story and leave me a review. Thanks for all of your support.

All canon characters belong to JKR.

Thanks as always to June for all of her help and suggestions.

Chapter 12 – A Slight Miscalculation

After dinner Arthur, Molly, Ginny and Lucius retired to the living room of number twelve, Grimmauld Place. They had one drink together before Arthur and Molly bid the two goodbye. Ron had managed to sneak out of the butler's pantry and into the kitchen, where he made sure to take the rest of the lasagna with him before he left the house via the back door. After all, why let good food go to waste?

In the living room, Ginny and Lucius sat on opposite ends of the couch. Lucius looked at his gift on the table and realized this was the perfect moment to give it to her.

"I have something for you." Lucius reached to the table and grabbed the gift. He moved towards Ginny on the couch, yet keeping his distance slightly.

"A gift, for me? Whatever for?" Ginny asked wonderingly.

"I realize that in the past our families have been at odds; you didn't have to help me, yet you did. I also thought this might be something useful to you." he said, hoping she would like what he'd chosen for her. It came from his library, the private one that wasn't seen by most visitors to the Malfoy home.

Ginny took hold of the gift and began ripping the wrappings. As the object started to become visible, she felt her blood run cold, and she began to visibly shake.

Lucius frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked with concern.

Ginny opened the large book on her lap. She turned the pages: they were all blank.

"Are you trying to finish what you started in my first year? How could you give me something like this?" She looked at him with disgust, and her eyes filled with tears.

Lucius looked on in horror; he hadn't meant to insult her. He honestly thought it was the perfect gift for her.

"Ginny, I thought ..." He then realized what he'd done. 'You imbecile, Lucius,' he scolded himself. He'd been so excited at finding the book in his collection that he never once thought it would remind her of Tom Riddle's diary.

Ginny shoved the book off of her lap and moved away from him. She stood and walked to the fireplace, turning her back to him.

He could see her shaking and he wanted to comfort her, but Lucius knew that she would only push him away. He stood and slowly walked towards her.

"How utterly insensitive of me of me. I am truly sorry. I...I should go. Please, forgive me." He turned and walked out.

Ginny heard the front door close and then the pop of his Apparation. She quickly wiped her tears and turned back around, now that she knew he was no longer there. Deciding to destroy the book, she began to retrieve it when Ron came into the room.

"I thought you went home," she said, turning again and pretending to be fixing the cushions on the chair behind her.

"I did, but I thought I'd come back and see if there was any food left." Ron had reached the Burrow when he realized he hadn't brought any dessert with him. When he returned to Grimmauld Place, entering through the back door, he heard the front door close and someone Apparating.

"There's some food left." Ginny made sure to stay near the darker side of the room, not wanting her brother to see she'd been crying.

"What's that?" asked Ron as he walked towards the book. He picked it up and read the cover, then opened it. "What kind of book is this? How do you use this?"

"Did he give this to you?"

Ginny cringed. Knowing Ron, she guessed he would want to chase Lucius down and duel with him for upsetting her so.

"Ron," she started.

"Ginny, this is amazing." Ron sat with the book on his lap, admiring the cover.

Ginny frowned; this wasn't the reaction she thought she would get from her overprotective brother. She came closer to the couch and looked over his shoulder, now actually taking a moment to read the cover of the book. She gasped in shock as she read the title, which she recognized from one of her classes.

Das Buch von Beschwerden und Heilmitteln (The Book of Ailments and Cures), written by Klaus Nagel in 1510 AD.

"Remember when we were small and Dad took us on that tour of the Ministry? He showed us one of these and said that there were only five known to have been made. The Ministry had one, St. Mungo's had another, I think one is in North America, and another is somewhere in China or India, I can't remember which. The location of the fifth one has never been known."

Ginny now realized why Lucius had given her the book. It was incredibly rare and something that any healer would give their right arm to have.

The book was blank until you asked it a question. If a patient came to you with symptoms you could not readily identify, all you needed to do was place your hand on the book and recite the symptoms. Once you opened the book it was filled with information of every ailment that had similar symptoms. You could also ask for different cures for an ailment. If you had a patient with a simple cold, it would give you every known option for cure and treatment, including Muggle and magical means. It was charmed to always update itself with new discoveries. The book was connected to the earth and all of the living beings on it. It was made using the darkest as well as the most pure forms of magic, two things which were difficult to accomplish at the same time. No one had ever been able to replicate the book's charms. Nagel had not left notes as to how he'd accomplished the task; he merely stated what kinds of magic had been used. While the book wasn't an absolute cure-all, a trained healer could take full advantage of the book; it was incredibly helpful for the most difficult cases.

She was a healer, and Lucius knew that the book would be precious to her in her field. He could have sold it for hundreds of galleons, but he'd given to her in gratitude. And she'd rejected him for it.

She felt like an absolute arse.

Ron turned and looked at Ginny. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Ron, I...I've made a terrible mistake." Ginny came around the couch and sat down next to Ron. She took the book and ran her fingers across the cover. She sighed heavily. "I saw the book and thought about what happened in my first year."

Ron put his hand on hers. "If it's any consolation, I probably would have thought the same thing if I were you."

Ginny smiled, Ron might sometimes fly off the handle, but he was understanding of mistakes, since he made so many himself.

"I need to apologize to him. He must feel horrible after how I treated him."

"Well, you do what you need to do, Gin." With nothing more to say, Ron kissed her on the forehead and went back into the kitchen, now finding the dessert and exiting the same way he came. He decided a long time ago that relationships were too difficult to bother with. He'd dated Susan Bones for a while after they graduated from Hogwarts, but he found it was easier dealing with dragons; that's why he'd spent his summers for several years as an intern with his brother Charlie. Maybe one day he would find a woman who didn't drive him to the brink of insanity, but in the meantime he lived his life day by day, seeing a witch here and there. He'd also decided to stay out of Ginny's personal life. It was probably the safest thing to do knowing his sister.

Ginny looked at Lucius' present lovingly now. She smiled as she thought of him picking it out for her, and how happy he must have felt to have chosen something he knew she would appreciate.

"I really need to go see him," she said aloud to herself.

At Malfoy Manor, Lucius arrived home feeling like he'd been speared straight through his chest. This had to have been one of his greatest miscalculations.

"Master, you are home so soon," said Emil. He'd come from the kitchen to the living room after hearing the pop of his Apparition.

"Things didn't go exactly as I had hoped, Emil," Lucius said as he dropped heavily onto a burgundy chaise next to the French doors. He sighed.

"Did the young miss not like her gift?" asked the elf, his ears perking up. He felt his master's sadness.

Lucius looked at Emil. "Let me just say, I'm lucky to have arrived home with both of my testicles intact."

Emil shuddered. The young healer sounded like quite the fiery one.

Dari walked into living room. "Master, Miss Weasley has come to see you."

Lucius looked at Emil, then back to Dari. "She's here? Is she alone?" he asked.

"Yes, master," confirmed Dari

Lucius stood and readied himself. 'I'm surprised all the Weasleys aren't here. I may as well get it over with; I just hope her aim is bad,' he thought as he walked towards the door. He opened the door and looked at Ginny, who much to his surprise didn't greet him with a wand to the face.

"I'm sorry to come so late. May I speak with you?" Ginny asked quietly.

Lucius nodded and allowed her entry. Ginny followed him into the living room.

"Would you care for a drink?" he asked, hoping if he gave her something to drink she might forget about hexing him.

"Yes, thank you, I'll have a brandy."

Emil and Dari excused themselves, and the two were left alone. Lucius poured her drink and handed it to her, then poured himself a glass.

"I want to apologize for earlier," she said.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. First, for what I did to you in your first year." Lucius approached Ginny. "You were a little girl, and I should not have placed you in such a dangerous position."

"You were a different person then. I accept your apology," whispered Ginny. "But, I'm not a little girl anymore. And I should have acted like an adult earlier. I should have at least looked at the book; I would have recognized the title. What you gave me is incredible. I...I don't deserve anything that priceless."

Lucius set down his glass, and stood in front of her. He stared into her eyes. "I know you are not a little girl anymore. Believe me; Ginny I am very much aware of that."

Ginny began to shake, but now it wasn't because she was angry or upset, Ginny was trembling now for an altogether different reason. She looked into Lucius' eyes; she'd never really noticed how impossibly gray they were.

"As for being deserving of anything priceless, I think you are wrong. You deserve that book and more, and I find myself wanting to give it all to you, everything you have ever wanted."

He inched closer to her. Lucius hadn't been that close to a woman in a very long time. When he had informed Voldemort that it had been a little over a year since he'd been "properly" fucked, he wasn't exaggerating. Thinking on it while he'd been resting, he realized it had actually been nearly two years since he'd been with a woman. Not wanting to scare Ginny away – after all, he realized he was much older than her, and she was still relatively young – he stopped moving towards her.

"I have what I need to make me happy," Ginny answered shakily.

"Do you?" Lucius reached out and took hold of a lock of her hair draped over her shoulder. Her hair was soft, and its color intense, like the colors of a sunset.

"Maybe not everything." Ginny felt herself leaning towards Lucius. Her lips were inches from his, and just as she could feel his breath against hers. . .

Lucius' Dark Mark began to burn.

"Damn!" said Lucius as he moved away from her and grabbed his arm.

Back at Hogwarts, Severus felt a burning sensation against his hip. He'd been keeping Higgenbottom's skin in his trousers pocket. Just as he suspected, the Mark on his own arm had not been Summoned, since Voldemort thought him to be dead.

Hermione noticed Severus squirm uncomfortably.

"What is it, Severus?" she asked.

"He is calling Higgenbottom," said Severus as he looked at her frightened face. He approached her. "Please, Hermione, don't worry so."

She knew that she shouldn't at once think the worst, but she couldn't help it. Every thought she'd had that day concerned Severus. He was so much a part of her life now that it was difficult to imagine him not being with her forever.

Severus kissed her, and then gathered several bottles of Polyjuice and some strands of hair from Voldemort's former potions maker. He also gathered the robes he'd prepared earlier. Since Samuel Higgenbottom had been a minor Death Eater, his robes were not as elaborate as other more high-ranking Death Eaters, so Severus had transformed one of his older robes into something that he'd seen Higgenbottom wear in the Pensieve.

"Let Albus know I've been called," he said as he walked through the tunnels he'd always used while spying.

As he readied himself to Apparate, he took out the first bottle of Polyjuice and added the hair and drank it down. He then Apparated away with the help of the Dark Mark, now securely attached over his own Dark Mark by way of a Sticking Charm.

When he arrived at the Riddle home he immediately sought out Lucius. Once he spotted the blond man, he began to slowly make his way towards him. As he was doing so, he noticed he was being watched by two other men. One was Antonin Dolohov; the other was Rodolphus Lestrange, who was now staring at him in wonder.

Rodolphus looked from "Higgenbottom" to Lucius. While he'd guessed that the Pensieve and hair Lucius had asked for were maybe to be used as a means to impersonate the former potions maker, he now wondered who it was taking the man's place, and why that person was here.

'What are you up to, Lucius?' wondered Rodolphus to himself.

The meeting began and much to Severus' displeasure it was as if he'd never left. Other than a few new odds and ends, nothing had changed. Watching the grass grow was more exciting.

At the end of the meeting, Voldemort motioned towards him, calling his potions maker "Higgenbottom" to his side.

As Severus approached to stand next to the Dark Lord, he made sure to keep his distance, as the other man had done.

Voldemort leaned close to his ear. "You need to strengthen my stamina potion. I need to prepare for the final battle, and what you have given me so far lasts for too short a time," hissed the wizard.

"Yes, my lord." Severus had spent hours with Hermione and the Pensieve, learning to imitate Higgenbottom's voice.

"You can develop something stronger, can't you?" asked the Dark Lord. He knew full well that his current potions maker was not even the shadow of what he'd once had. Severus was one of the top potions makers in the world. Of the twenty some odd potions makers scattered around the world, Severus was one of the top three. Voldemort knew that Higgenbottom was just a regular potions maker, more an assistant than an actual developer of potions. But he'd needed someone after Snape's death, and the man was already a Death Eater. As long as Higgenbottom could follow instructions found in the potions books in the Dark Lord's extensive library, Voldemort would have to make do with the man.

"I can work on developing something stronger from the current potion. I...have read several articles as of late and believe something can be made."

"Then do it." Voldemort then turned and walked away. Before he left the room, he grabbed hold of Dolohov by the neck. "I want you to leave him be until he finishes developing that potion. Do you understand?"

Dolohov nodded. "Yes my Lord."

Voldemort pushed him away roughly. "You can torment him once he is finished." He then left the room.

Dolohov looked towards the potions maker and smiled.

Severus noticed the other man smiling at him and briefly used Legilimency. 'Ah, so Dolohov has been told by Voldemort to leave me alone until the stronger stamina potion is developed.' He thought to himself. It would take Severus very little time to make the potion stronger, it was very elementary for him. But he and Hermione had already discussed ideas for a potion that would erode the Dark Lord's magic in time for the final battle. Severus now wondered if that idea could be combined with this stamina potion – perhaps create a new potion that only gave a false sense of strength. He would have to talk to Hermione about it.

As Dolohov left the room, Severus turned towards the potions lab. He would make a slightly altered version of the current stamina potion to give the Dark Lord tonight, and then work on a new potion with Hermione once he arrived back at Hogwarts. Just as he entered the hallway that led to the potions lab he looked back at Lucius, who had been watching him. They nodded towards one another ever so slightly; no one else noticed.

Lucius stood in his usual spot, knowing he was to wait for the Dark Lord's shopping list of "necessities." As he waited he was approached by Rodolphus.

"I said I would ask no questions, but I find myself wondering just what you are up to, Lucius," said Rodolphus.

Lucius looked at him, his face emotionless. "Don't bother yourself with what I am up to, Rodolphus. It is best for all of us that you know nothing more than what you already do."

"Bellatrix has told me that he plans on invading one of the major wizarding institutions before the end of the month. I know not if it is educational or financial. But he plans on taking prisoners." Rodolphus walked away, leaving Lucius in shock.

Again the Lestranges had surprised him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'd like to move things along so I may skip ahead a couple of weeks.

Also, I used an on-line translator for the title of the book. If it is incorrect, I had no other resource and welcome any corrections from those who speak German.

I also got the idea for the book from the final season of Angel. Wesley had access to a library of books that would answer his questions in much the same fashion. I thought it would be something interesting to have Lucius give Ginny a book like that.

Thank you for reading.