Author's Notes: a few notes of revision are needed for the previous chapter, and I do apologise for the many errors both in spelling, punctuation, and continuity but it was only edited with Grammarly.

In the last chapter, I had a section that read: "It was the scream that had woken him up for the past two weeks since the Battle of Hogwarts, it was the scream he was no responsible for calming." The underlined portions are wrong. 1) it has been over a month since the battle of Hogwarts and almost a month since Lucius brought her with him to the Manor, and because he decided to bring her to the Manor, he does see it as his responsibility to help calm her.

16 June 1998

Lucius sat patiently in the armchair near Miss Granger's bed, watching as Meena attended to her needs. How the house-elf did half the magic that was necessary to care for someone who was almost comatose, still shocked Lucius.

It was one of the many shocks he'd been privileged to witness over the last month since the end of the war. He knew full well just how lucky he was to still be alive, in his state of mind, and not serving time in Azkaban for all of the crimes he committed during the war. The cynical part of him that had died during the Battle couldn't even rise up enough to call Potter and Kingsley weak and naive for trusting him with the young muggle-born witch. He was grateful, eternally for the witch that was healing in his home, she was his chance, and he had spent many nights since she came home from St Mungo's realising just how critical this chance was.

He could finally become a man he could be proud of, a man his father would have beaten to within an inch of his life. But that was the beauty in death; sometimes, the people who tortured you and made you into a shell of who you wanted to be, were now gone.

A small pop sounded behind him, and Lucius drew his new wand before he could blink, only to place it back in the pocket of his silk trousers.

"Thank you, Arly," Lucius murmured to the house-elf beside him, as he took the crystal glass of amber liquid the house-elf offered him.

Arly bowed slightly, before righting himself and nodding in the direction of Meena and Miss Granger, "Her condition is not improving as fast as Mistress Malfoy's did."

Lucius swallowed the firewhiskey in one go, before he answered, uncertainty and grief plaguing him. "No, she is not. I'm beginning to wonder if she will heal completely at all. We do not have the skill of Severus to mix us potions just yet, the old cad himself is taking quite the time to heal, and Narcissa, well -." He swallowed, "Miss Granger has been hit with Dolohov's curse before, we do not know what kind of damage that did and how it will affect the long-term outcome of the healing process."

Arly nodded, and Lucius was thankful that the elf had stood by him through all the years of abuse that had been gone on between the elves, the Malfoy family members, and their guests.

The two watched on in silence as Meena continued on, sweat beads now across the small elf's forehead, as she stitched layers of epidermis and dermis back together. No one spoke, and only Meena moved until a faint buzz alerted them all to an incoming floo.

Lucius stood and wrapped his grey silk robe around his shoulders, as an older wizard in lime green robes stepped from the fireplace. The man had to be in his eighties, just beginning to grey and show signs of any age at all, but he was active and knowledgeable for that Lucius was grateful.

"Ahh Mr Malfoy, what seems to have happened?" Healer Wittcliff asked striding forward and to his patient, setting his case down on the floor beside him.

"She's burning with fever again, another infection?" Lucius asked, walking to the edge of the bed to watch the Healer work.

"Yes, I'm afraid so, look at the pink colour at the edge of the wounds and how tight they seem to be stretching the skin, that by itself is all a clear sign of infection. The last round of potions barely helped," Healer Wittcliff paused, opening his bag, the room filled with the rattle of potion bottles hitting together. "Let's try this one, for now, I'll contact a Potion's Master in Italy and see if they could help concoct something that might be a bit stronger. We haven't discussed any side effects of these potions, have we?"

Lucius shook his head, swallowing hard. It has happened with Narcissa, Snape had warned them that using such potent potions to counteract the magic Dolohov had created came with a price. Unfortunately, the War Heroine couldn't even consent to what decisions were being made on her behalf.

"Would you like me to owl Mr Potter right now, or can it wait till the morning before the discussion begins?" Lucius asked, his voice tight.

"It must wait till morning. I need to contact the Potion's Master and find out what if anything else could be done, let us set up an appointment for eleven tomorrow." Healer Wittcliff said, pulling a few vials from his bag. "I will set her up with these for now and hope they make a difference before tomorrow."

Lucius walked towards the end of the bed, waiting patiently for the Healer to finish so he could close the Floo access once again. His grey eyes watched as the Head Healer showed his house-elf the different potions that would be in use, and instructed her when to administer them. Lucius knew it was highly unorthodox to have a house-elf in charge of the care for the muggle-born witch, but Meena knew more about the healing process then even Lucius, and he had sat bedside three times following Dolohov's curse.

The first wizard, Rowle had dared challenge the Russian genius in a duel and had come out much worse. The Russian had sure known some nasty pieces that would render even the greatest of duelers helpless, but the Dark Lord had been displeased to lose Rowle and had instructed the Malfoy family to find a way to help him.

He and Narcissa, thankfully Draco had been at school, had called upon Severus, who was at the Manor for a meeting, and together they had stopped the advancement of the curse. Rowle had screamed the whole time, the great blond wizard cursing at them while Severus experimented with many different charms and counter-curses until he made some headway with the counter curse for one of Snape's own curses. It with the aid of many potions could actually bring someone back from the brink of death.

Lucius had then witnessed the curse being turned on another wizard, someone whose name was forgettable, but they had stitched him back together as well, potions and wand movements leaving the man with only a puckered scar across his back as a reminder of the wrath of the Dark Lord.

It hadn't been until Narcissa herself had the wand used on her that Lucius had learned himself the potions and the spells it would require, he had leaned heavily on Meena who had stood next to Severus through the whole process with Rowle and the other wizard. Severus hadn't been on hand when Narcissa had been cursed, as it had been Dolohov who lost control, and not the Dark Lord who ordered the attack. Lucius had sent Arly to collect Severus from Hogwarts, and thankfully with Severus as Headmaster, he had been there within minutes.

Lucius had watched his wife slowly bleeding, and he had realised in those moments that though there had never been romantic love between the two of them, there had been companionship, friendship, and a shared love of their son. And though he now recognised it, those moments had started the thawing of his heart, he realised the danger he had put his family in by following the Dark Lord.

At the end Severus had done his job, Narcissa was stitched back together, a scar along her right side the only sign of the curse, but it had left her weak. With only three months left of the war, Narcissa's health had diminished, and the Cruciatus that was used on her during the final battle had been too much. She had died just two days after the Battle.

Lucius was pulled from his thoughts when Healer Wittcliff snapped his bag closed and walked towards him, "I'll owl you in the morning, please let me know if Mr Potter is available. If not we can of course reschedule."

The blond wizard nodded and walked the Healer to the fireplace, waving his wand over it when the emerald green flames had died inside of it.

Take a deep, steadying breath he moved back to the bed and slumped into the chair. "Well?"

Meena spoke, sitting on the edge of the bed, next to the muggle-born witch, "She is healing, it seems some fluid was built up in her abdomen. Mister Healer Wittcliff thinks more aggressive potions will help, but her blood loss is much better Master."

Lucius nodded, thanking Merlin for that, the witch had practically lived on Blood-Replenishing Potions for the last month.

"Master," Meena's quiet voice alerted him to the change in conversation. His grey eyes looked up, the little house-elf twisted her dress between her hands, nervousness clearly etched on her face.

"Yes, Meena."

"Master, it's just Missus Granger has not had a proper shower since she came home, her hair, sir it needs washing. I cannot soak Missus, the wounds must not be soaked, I am not sure what Master wants Meena to do."

Lucius stared at his house-elf, the one who had cared for Draco through his childhood, and knew she was distressed. He hadn't honestly thought about the state of the witch's hair, as it was kept up and off her face.

"Are charms not acceptable for hair?"

"I have been doing them, Master, but hair is cleaned best when the scalp can be massaged, and the hair let down."

Lucius' eyes moved to the witch on the bed, his brain whirling to life, as he realised the limitations the house-elf was under. He knew of one way to clean the girl's scalp, but he was loathe to do such a thing on someone so innocent.

Steeling his nerves and beginning to put mirrors up around his mind, Lucius looked back at the small house-elf, "Meena in the future if there is anything you cannot do, or need help with in regards to Miss Granger, you are to let me know immediately. Understand?" Meena nodded, as Lucius stood, "Arly, please go run the water in her shower, Meena, please change Miss Granger into a chemise."

To be continued. . .