Greenhouse Effect and Dastardly Attack

Chapter 3: Greenhouse Effect and Dastardly Attack

"Where'd you get all these new plants?"

"I've been growing them for you. Herbologists have discovered a lot of new species."

She continued arranging them on all the available surfaces. "Several decades ago they started following mundane biologists into jungles and other remote areas."

"I haven't heard of it," he said.

"It's mostly the continental Herbologists ... and the Americans. And it's not your field."

'I'm not even keeping up with my field,' he thought. 'Damn war and spying.'

Draupadi had arranged the plants by their taxonomy. Severus thought she had overdone it. He would never be able to take care of them, but he reminded himself to show some humanity. "That's impressive, Draupadi."

"I don't expect you to take care of them," she said. "I wanted to show them to you. I brought all the articles about how they're used."

She placed a stack of papers on the table. They were scholarly articles about new potions using the recently discovered plants. It was a concrete reminder that Severus had been too busy spying to keep up in his field. He interrupted his gloomy recriminations to reflect on how much effort Draupadi had been expending on his behalf. "Gathering those articles was a lot of work," he said.

"Oh, you appreciate it," she said, bouncing over to sit beside him on the couch. "I didn't know what your reaction would be. I didn't realize how hard it was to track down information. You scholars must have constitutions of iron."

She was sitting invitingly close, and he had to admit that she had soothed his ruffled feelings. He put his arm around her shoulder. That too, soothed his feelings.

It was mid-morning on the last Saturday before the autumn term began. The faculty had greeted her as Draupadi made her way to the dungeon. They expected the sociable Draupadi to join them for tea. She might or might not be able to persuade Severus to join them.

She did persuade him. Severus and Draupadi walked to the Great Hall for morning tea completely absorbed by the new developments in herbs and potions. The rest of the faculty listened to her tales of trying to brew the potions described in the articles. Severus shook his head. He offered that the first procedures for a potion were usually a complicated mess. It took knowledge of general principles and much trial and error to discover simple, robust methods. He didn't contribute much to the conversation since his mind kept spinning off on brewing tangents.

On their way back to his rooms, Draupadi, still excited from the lively tea, kept stopping to look at paintings and asking what was down various corridors. Severus suggested she had forgotten most of the castle since she left school.

"I was never down here," she said. "I lived in a different part of the castle."

"I think I remember you when you were in school," he said. "You were a sixth-year Ravenclaw Prefect when I entered."

"Do you honestly remember me?" she asked.

"When I was a second-year, the older Slytherin boys pointed you out...an unattainable, golden-skinned beauty."

"Is that how I seemed?" she said. "I remember being lonely. Of course, I studied a lot. A few boys approached me, but they were the suave kind looking for another conquest. I despised them, and I despised the girls who giggled over them."

'There's a point in my favor,' thought Severus. 'I was never suave.'

"I'm not painting an attractive picture of myself, am I?" she said.

Severus was recalling how he felt at that age. He was too much at odds with the system, too much an ugly duckling, to take girls seriously, but he had thought about Prefects. A month after his arrival at school, Severus had dismissed Prefects. Their goal was to reinforce the power structure in order to gain future power themselves. He had always held Prefects in contempt: toadies.

"You're very quiet," she said. "Are you upset that I was a studious Ravenclaw?"

'Can we have an honest relationship,' he wondered. "Actually, I was thinking you were a Prefect."

She thought about it. "I represented a system that mistreated you, or at least, let you be mistreated."

'She's taking me seriously,' he thought. 'Now I feel like a sniveling whiner.'

He said, "You're right. It's only school. It was a long time ago."

She ran her fingers through his hair. "School is too much with you, Severus." She continued by asking, "How much does taking care of kids influence a person? I had one son, and it changed me. Besides, you didn't get to leave. You grew up with House rivalries and petty Prefects, and then you were thrown back into them."

'It might be best to let her think my problems are left-over school traumas,' he thought. 'Some of them are. If I told her the story, she would tell me my tormentors are dead or outcasts while I'm a professor. She would be correct. This hatred is a waste of time. What is this lady doing to me?'

Thinking thus, he reached out to hold her hand. To his surprise, the contact gave him an erection.

Entering his room, the two of them with unspoken consent proceeded to the couch. She was sitting on her legs with her knees in her lap. 'How do women do that?' he thought. His arm was around her.

"I'm a little nervous, Severus. I haven't been with my husband in a long time."

"We can wait," he said, enjoying the romantic phase of the relationship. "We can take things slow."

"We're going to do it sooner or later," she said. "It may as well be now."

'Ah, yes, a romantic Ravenclaw,' thought Severus. 'I'm sweeping her off her feet.' Then it occurred to him that she had subtly invited herself into his bed. A Ravenclaw, indeed.

Severus gave it some thought. "I'm not ready yet."

'Why aren't I ready?' he wondered. 'She's very attractive.'

'Just her company is enough,' he realized. 'I'm in the phase where just being with her is overwhelming.'

"Are you upset?" he asked.

"I can be patient," she said, arranging herself in his lap.

Severus removed the clips that held her hair. It flowed around her face and across her shoulders. He didn't realize there was so much of it. She had always kept it tightly and severely bound. The flowing hair gave her a different, wilder look. She was an animal that had emerged from the forest. 'She's an animal for me,' he thought ... he hoped.

Time passed as they held each other. They discovered they had missed lunch.

"Let me help you get all these plants back to the greenhouse," offered Severus.

On their way out of the castle, they met the Herbology professor who recognized Draupadi. "You're Mrs. Nott. I regret Professor Snape can't get the plants he needs from the school greenhouse."

Severus detected the defensiveness that he had never noticed before. His buoyant mood because of Draupadi let him say, "It would be too much to expect one person to teach all those students and supply me with every strange plant I might want."

Draupadi joined in. "When I was a student, Herbology was a very popular course. The poor professor was overworked."

"Teaching does take a lot of time," admitted the Herbology professor. "The only help I have are some sixth- and seventh-year students."

They waved goodbye with the Herbology professor inviting them to drop over for tea the next time.

Back at the greenhouse, Draupadi was the efficient Mrs. Nott, placing all the plants in the right spot and making certain the journey had not injured them. When she finished, her demeanor turned soft. She embraced Severus and kissed him. Her kisses were relaxed and loving and inviting. The entire morning rushed up and overwhelmed Severus. "Sweetheart," he said. It was what she wanted to hear. She held Severus and moved against him and moaned. Her hair was undone, and she had a wild look in her eyes.

Severus responded to his friend's demands. Nothing seemed more lovely than Draupadi's face. Nothing seemed more erotic than Draupadi's body. He got an enormous, aching erection. He bunched her skirt up above her smooth, round bum. He slid her panties down. He ran his hand up her thighs and found his friend sopping wet. She looked at him with bright, shiny eyes. She panted, open-mouthed. She looked into his eyes and sighed as he entered her.

His entry into Draupadi touched Severus to the core. He wasn't prepared for the flood of wanting and caring. He was in someone he liked. His friend gave him her kiss of approval. And then the intimate contact drove her beyond being his friend.

She laid her head on his shoulder and looked at him. She gasped and gripped him with the rhythm of their coupling. It became more intense until she moaned and her hands grabbed his shoulders in a tight clench. He felt the contractions of his friend's orgasm...then more contractions. Then her knees buckled and she sagged against him.

He held her as he sat on the ground and lowered her into his lap. The fresh, wild smell of the greenhouse blew through him, and the animal took over. He lowered her onto the dirt floor, she spread her legs for him, and he saw his hard, pale self enter her soft, golden body. He moaned from the feel of her...the look of her...the offering of her. It was forgivable that he lost himself. He moaned as he forgave himself and lost himself and let it build and let it peak and let himself go. It was Draupadi, she was special, and she embraced him and cherished his moment with her.

She held him, happy they had finally coupled.

They recovered enough to notice they were lying in the dirt. They got up and brushed themselves off. Severus kept thinking that he should feel contrite because she was married and guilty because he had been clumsy, but Draupadi looked content and dreamy-eyed, and he felt too good to feel bad.

Severus noticed the wet spot on the pile of dirt. He was musing about its fertility when his lady love said, "My panties feel gritty."

She took his hand and told him they should shower and change.

"Do I hear knocking?" asked Severus.

Customers were at the front door of the greenhouse shop, even though there was a big sign in the window stating the shop was closed all day.

"We were hoping you might be around," they said. It was the Emersons. "We're on our way to a friend's birthday party, and we really wanted to bring her some daisies."

The Emersons looked quizzically at Snape.

"Mrs. Nott supplies the school with potion ingredients," he said.

"Professor Snape is the Potions master. We just got back and were repotting some plants when we heard you," said Draupadi.

"We were trying some pollination techniques," said Severus dryly.

Draupadi kept a pleasant, innocuous facial expression.

The Emersons asked Mrs. Nott if that's how she got such a large variety of plants.

Mrs. Nott said she had just begun experimenting.

After Draupadi had closed the door, she rounded on Severus. "Pollination techniques! I should kick your shins!"

They went to check on Mr. Nott who was dozing in the reading room. He woke on their entrance. "Ah, you're back. Hello, Severus. Did you like all the things Draupadi showed you? She worked for weeks getting ready."

"Good afternoon, Charles. Yes, it was impressive. It was a worthy effort."

Charles Nott beamed at his wife. "I told you he would like it. Severus knows real scholarship when he sees it."

Charles looked at Severus. "I would like to have helped her with it, but I haven't moved much since my fall last spring."

"It's best you recover, sir." Severus appreciated Charles sticking to the story of a fall even when everyone present knew better.

"Charles," said Draupadi, "I have to water some plants, and then I have to shop. Is there anything you need?"

"Ask the store to deliver more sherry," said Charles. He looked at Severus. "It passes the evenings and eases the pain."

"There are potions, sir."

"I take potions all day, Severus. My evenings are my own."

"Yes, so they are, sir," replied Severus. Severus silently cursed the Death Eaters for throwing an old man into combat.

"Keep well, dear," said Draupadi, kissing Charles on the forehead.

In the short moment Draupadi was kissing Charles, the image of her face during orgasm flashed before Severus's eyes. 'I can't do this,' he thought. He hoped nothing showed on his face. To complete his shame, he felt the beginning of an erection.

Draupadi took Severus back to the greenhouse, around to the back door of the house, and up the back steps to her bedroom. 'That's right,' thought Severus, 'I could hardly follow her to her bedroom in front of her husband.'

She stepped into the shower.

"Oh, this feels good," said Draupadi. "Did you ever try to be polite to customers when your panties were gritty?"

"Um ... no," said Severus, thinking life with Draupadi was going to open whole new vistas.

You may as well come in and wash the grit off you, too," she said.

Her plans for getting the grit off included him soaping and rubbing her back. She moaned louder than she had with sex. 'Alright,' thought Severus, 'I massaged the inner girl, and now I'll massage the outer girl. My gods, I hope her husband doesn't hear her.'

'Why is she more beautiful now?' he wondered. 'I thought familiarity was supposed to breed indifference, but I'm enjoying taking care of her.' His caring seeped through his fingertips and had its effect. The massage was interrupted several times for bouts of slippery nuzzling.

Some time after the suds and grit had vanished down the drain, Severus and Draupadi were having tea and biscuits at the shopping square.

"Have you ever thought about a family, Severus?"

"No," he said, in mid-biscuit.

"I think you would be good with a daughter."

"You can't leave your husband and live with me at Hogwarts. How are you going to explain a daughter?"

"My husband drinks. I can tell him that one night...miracle of miracles...we did it."

Draupadi smiled. "Girls take after their fathers."

"You want an ill-tempered daughter?" he said.

"Hogwarts makes you ill-tempered. That gods-forsaken place is killing you. The Headmaster prances around like some benighted know-it-all. You try to take care of the students, but you're the Head of an unpopular House. What's it doing to the kids in the House? They should disband that House and give those kids a chance. How many hours a week do you work to teach a good Potions class? Sixty? Eighty? What's your return? The students hate you because Potions is hard."

It was quiet for awhile.

"Well, it's true," said Draupadi.

Severus, secretly pleased at what Draupadi had said, went for humor: "I get to live in a castle."

Draupadi, not amused, gave him a withering look for his flimsy excuse. Severus, in a move that surprised him, reached over for Draupadi. She sighed and held his hand.

As Severus and Draupadi were having their domestic dispute, Narcissa, with Lucius in tow, arrived in the shopping square to replace her lingerie that had withered away. Lucius was certain they would last longer if they weren't such flimsy excuses for clothing.

Lucius would have preferred to spend the time in mundane London acquiring some programming manuals, and he hadn't noticed that her old lingerie had worn out. He amused himself by imagining Narcissa in really worn-out lingerie...the kind with holes in it...delectable...especially if the holes were strategically located. He knew it was possible to buy new lingerie with these holes, but the customer had to request it specifically. He was certain it would be more fun to produce the holes by ripping the garments off his wife...a do-it-yourself project. He was also running a drama through his head where he discovered a poor, forsaken Narcissa in tattered underwear. He would offer assistance. They would have to re-enact it some evening. His wife was a constant inspiration to him.

Coming around a corner, Lucius received a jolt when he saw the two Grangers at the lemonade stand. His hopes for keeping a comfortable distance were dashed when Narcissa decided she wanted lemonade. He was adjusting his calm façade when there were screams. "Death Eaters!" Without thinking, he whipped out his wand and ran to protect Natalie.

"Get down!" he yelled.

Lucius arrived in time to deflect the second round of spells from two Death Eaters. He was weaving a protective barrier when Severus appeared behind the two Death Eaters and rendered them unconscious. Lucius noticed that Natalie was sitting on the ground with a broken arm, Hermione had a bleeding forehead and was crawling toward her mother, and Narcissa had arrived.

Narcissa took in the scene and made a decision. "Hospital!" she shouted at Lucius. She grabbed the two Grangers and vanished.

Lucius then noticed that Draupadi Nott was with Severus, watching his back. The three looked around the square. People were yelling and running around, but there were no signs of a continuing attack.

Draupadi had a bruise on her face. "Was that one of your students?" she asked Severus.

He nodded yes.

Draupadi continued, "I think the student was injured. You should check on her. Was that her mother?"

Lucius watched a concerned Severus examine Draupadi's bruise.

Draupadi protested, "I'm fine. Nothing is happening here."

Draupadi finally convinced Severus he should go with Lucius to check on Narcissa and the Grangers.

The admissions area of the emergency center was busy with the arrival of all those injured, but Lucius and Severus were eventually directed to the room with the Grangers. The medical people were just leaving. Miss Granger was sitting in a chair with her head bandaged. Mrs. Granger was lying in bed, semi-conscious, with her arm bandaged.

Narcissa smiled at Lucius when he entered the room. A pain sharper than a broken arm shot through Natalie.

Hermione was respectful to Professor Snape, obviously preferring to believe that he was the one who had saved them. She glared hatred at Mr. Malfoy. She was puzzled by Mrs. Malfoy who had insisted the staff take immediate care of Mrs. Granger and her daughter and had ignored Hermione's suspicious glares.

There were screams and commotion in the hallway. The door to their room burst off its hinges.

"Get them out of here!" yelled Lucius to his wife.

Mrs. Malfoy grabbed Hermione and leaped to grab Hermione's mother. 'Gods, she's strong,' thought Hermione. She saw Mr. Malfoy and Professor Snape cut down two Dark Wizards. 'Gods, they're strong,' thought Hermione. That was her last thought before blacking out as a stray spell hit her. Or was it a stray spell?

A pack of demons stormed in behind the Dark Wizards.

Lucius aimed low to slow the advance. It took several steps before the first two demons decided they should stop and hold in their intestines. Severus had jumped to a flanking position. When the horde slowed, Severus fired two silver bolts apiece through the brains of the demons. Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. Then the four demons fell to reveal two Spectres.

Time slowed. 'By the gods,' thought Lucius. 'They're worse than vampires. I thought they were extinct.' Lucius cursed as a nurse stepped between him and the Spectres. She screamed as the Spectres pulled her in and sucked her. Lucius backed away, slashing at them. 'I can't handle two,' he thought. He was aware that silver bolts were striking them. Severus had not abandoned him. The Spectres, recognizing the greater danger, turned towards the Potions master.

Lucius felt rage. Not his friend. "You Sonsabitchin' Spectres! Eat Death!"

Somewhere in the strange, seething cauldron that was now his mind, Lucius realized he shouldn't have said that.

One of the Spectres fell to the floor in pieces under the blinding onslaught of an enraged warlock. Lucius sank to his knees, drained. Lucius watched silver bolts reduce the skull of the other opponent to powder. Not even a Spectre could survive that, and it floated lifelessly to the floor.

Lucius remained on his knees, exhausted. His nostrils were filled with the reek of demon guts, burned brains, moldering Spectre, and the remnants of the nurse. He was dimly aware of the sound of walls collapsing. His spells had done collateral structural damage. He saw a group racing to put out the fires caused by Severus's bolts.

An old saying came to mind: 'Who will protect us from the protectors?'

Lucius saw Severus approach with another question in his eyes: Who would attack a shopping square and then send five demons and two Spectres into a hospital after a mundane lady and her sorceress daughter? And why?

"Congratulations, old chum," said Severus. "You scared the pee out of those Spectres. Did Narcissa take everyone to Malfoy Manor? The hospital staff wants me to stay and help with the potions."

"I should check on them," said Lucius.

Lucius found his wife in the kitchen giving Miss Granger a strong tea.

"Oh, Lucius," said Narcissa, grabbing him. "I should have come back to help. Who was that? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay. Severus was there," he said.

Narcissa returned to tending Hermione.

"Mum's asleep," said Hermione in a zombie tone of voice.

Narcissa placed her hand reassuringly on the schoolgirl's shoulder. "Drink your tea, dear. We'll go see your mother."

Lucius sat on the couch in the guest room while his wife made certain Mrs. Granger was comfortable. Hermione sat down on the couch beside him. Narcissa left to get bedding for Hermione.

Hermione looked forlorn enough that Lucius put his arm around her. Hermione crawled into his lap, put her arms around his neck, and went to sleep. 'That was strong tea, Narcissa,' thought Lucius.

The room was warm. Lucius was aware that Hermione was sweating, and that made it obvious she needed a bath. It was too much. He tried not to think that Hermione had the same sweet nature and restless, inquisitive mind that Natalie had. He was not successful. He felt his erection grow against her thigh. 'All I need to complete my embarrassment is for her mother to wake up and my wife to return,' thought Lucius.

"Sometimes she acts like she's twenty, and sometimes she acts like she's twelve," Lucius heard Natalie say.

Mrs. Granger was propped up in bed, smiling at the two of them and apparently happy that her daughter had found comfort and security in Mr. Malfoy's lap.

Recalling the recent attack, Mrs. Granger said, "I know she's been in danger at school. She tried to keep it from us, but we could tell." Natalie reflected on the last several years. "It would have helped if she had had a wizard who offered advice and protection. It was one of the things that bothered her father ... that drove him away. His daughter was in a different world, in danger, and he couldn't do a thing."

Lucius became aware of another arena of pain and sorrow and loss. 'The mundane-born need our help. What am I thinking? I'm in shock.'

Natalie seemed to accept everything as a comfortable domestic scene.

'If I'm a surrogate father, perhaps I should warn Hermione about Severus,' thought Lucius. 'Yes, I'm in shock.'

"Oh, good, she's resting," Lucius heard Narcissa say softly from the doorway. "But she's too warm."

Narcissa deftly removed Hermione's cloak and brushed Hermione's hair out of her eyes.

'It's been a crazy day,' thought Lucius, as he imagined Narcissa with a daughter.

Narcissa sat on the bed beside Natalie. "It's late. I think it best if the two of you spend the night here. We can get you home tomorrow morning."

She looked at her husband, "What do you think, love?"

"I'm pinned down. I'm not going anywhere soon," he said.

Narcissa and Natalie gave him a big smile.

'It's amazing what entertains women,' he thought.

Mercifully, Lucius slept most of the night and spent little of it alternating between fatherly affection for the admirable girl in his arms and illicit lust for the admirable female in his lap.

Very early in the morning, Lucius woke as Hermione sat up.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're safe. Your mother's here. She's safe."

"I asked where I was," snapped Hermione.

"I'm telling you," said Lucius. "First things first. You and your mother are in a safe place. It's called Malfoy Manor."

Hermione hopped to the floor. "What am I doing in your lap?"

"You crawled in and fell asleep. You were in shock and under the influence of powerful sedatives."

"I must have been," said Hermione.

"You're heavy and you fidget. My legs are cramped, and you drooled on my shirt," said Lucius. "At any rate, here is the lavatory and bath. Your mother has the bed. The couch is comfortable for sleeping even when I'm not on it."

Hermione glared at Lucius. "If you'll forgive me, I must check on my mother, and I have certain things to attend to."

"Of course," he said, turning to leave the room.

"When will you let us go?"

He turned back towards her. "It's not a matter of 'letting you go.' We'll take you home this morning...after breakfast."

He left her glaring at him.

'If I'm a surrogate father, should I warn Severus about Hermione?' he thought.

They didn't leave immediately after breakfast. Natalie had admired the oriental rugs, and Narcissa was showing her the rest of the house. Lucius recalled that Mr. and Mrs. Granger were professionals who probably had both the wealthy and the artistic among their acquaintances. He could hear the two women in the next room arguing about the chandelier. Natalie had circled the room and commented on it, but declared it impractical for her house. The light would get in her eyes while she was reading. Well-placed lamps suited her better.

Lucius interrupted Hermione's boredom and glaring by asking about her sixth-year subjects. Hermione was proudly describing how much she had already read. In her enthusiasm, she complained about not understanding an Arithmancy exercise...the mid-point of the ladder problem.

"Velocity is a vector," pointed out Lucius.

"That's right," said Hermione, lighting up. "It has both horizontal and vertical components."

Yes, the Malfoy Manor had pencils and paper. Hermione couldn't recall all the details of another exercise, but Lucius found his old sixth-year book, and they soon located the brain-buster. "Try solving for the intersection of the two surfaces first," suggested Lucius.

"It's too bad they don't teach Advanced Numerology anymore," said Lucius.

Hermione asked what it was, and Lucius retrieved the book written by Hadley. He read the famous problem:

"One morning the prince was galloping through the marketplace when he knocked over a basket of eggs. The prince immediately stopped and offered to pay. The shop girl, hoping the prince was as charming as he was dashing, said she didn't know exactly the number of eggs but when she counted them by threes she had two left over. When she counted them by fives she had three left over, and when she count them by sevens she had two left over. The prince, who was as charming as he was dashing, spent a pleasant morning with the shop girl determining the number of broken eggs."

'What a wonderful story,' thought Hermione.

They were getting started on prime numbers when Lucius glanced up to see two women standing in the doorway and looking impatient. "Whenever you two can tear yourselves away," the two women said.

"Oh, Mum," said Hermione.

"I know you're having fun, dear," said Mrs. Granger, "but I have to phone the surgery and tell them I'll be out with a broken arm...the sooner the better."

Mr. Malfoy persuaded Hermione to take the Hadley Numerology book with her. 'Why did I think she was a bushy-haired ugly duckling?' he wondered.

A shock awaited them at the Granger residence. The house had been burgled.

Mrs. Granger phoned the dentistry she would not be in, said she couldn't see that anything valuable had been taken, and decided to wait to phone the police. If something valuable was missing, she would phone the police to have a record of the theft for the insurance claim. The Malfoys waited while the Grangers searched the house. The only things they couldn't find were Hermione's Arithmancy books.

Mrs. Malfoy and Mrs. Granger were bewildered and even disgusted. "Why in the world would anyone steal Arithmancy books?" They clearly thought the thieves would have done better to walk off with the garbage.

Lucius was thinking about the attack. 'It's possible the target was Hermione, but she had been a known threat to the dark forces for five years. The recent change in the Granger household was Mrs. Granger's acquisition of wizard texts. What had she bought? She hadn't bought Arithmancy books. What is going on?'

After they left the Grangers, Narcissa turned to Lucius. "What did we just do, love?"

'We just saved a mundane and her Mudblood daughter instead of capturing them and torturing them,' he thought. 'Let's see if I can explain this without talking about Natalie.'

He bent the truth for a good cause. "Severus was talking to one of his best students and her mother when someone attacked the shopping square."

Narcissa nodded. It was starting to make sense to her. "Of course. Severus protected a student ... and her mother. You ran to help Severus. I ran to help you."

"The student and her mother were injured," he said.

"I didn't think about it," she said. "I grabbed them and took them to hospital."

"Mrs. Granger is a mundane," he said.

"Yes, but her daughter is a witch," replied Narcissa. "I thought she would respond to wizard treatment, and she did."

Reflecting on the recessive nature of magic, Lucius wondered what combination of inbreeding and incest had produced Hermione Granger.

More mundanely, he said, "The hospital was attacked. You took them to the Manor where they would be safe."

"Once they were guests in our home, we treated them like guests," she said.

'Much to Hermione Granger's astonishment,' he thought.

Narcissa was still puzzled. "I think the Grangers were the target. That was a full-scale attack. Are the Grangers that important?"

"I don't know," he said.

"Why would anyone steal a schoolgirl's Arithmancy books?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said.

"Have you met Mrs. Granger before?" she asked.

'I should have known I couldn't keep anything from Narcissa,' he thought.

"I was just remembering," he said. "That day I found that box of old books, Mrs. Granger was in the bookstore buying texts for her daughter. She had a lot of packages, and I helped her with them."

"You're such a gentleman," she said.

'Was that sarcasm?' he thought.

"You must have made an impression on her. She's quite attracted to you."

"Not that I know of," he said.

"Maybe it's because you saved her life ... and her daughter's life."

Narcissa continued. "She was immensely pleased by how well you treated her daughter."

"Guests in our home," replied Lucius.

Narcissa was quiet for a while.

"Perhaps you should have a daughter," she said in a joking manner.

Lucius was not fooled. He had seen the fond and envious looks Narcissa had given Natalie's daughter.