Disclaimer: if you don't know they're not mine, what are you doing here?
AN: Hey you guys! Sorry to those of you who thought this was an update on To save a Malfoy... I am still working on that, but a combination of little time and little inspiration keeps me from getting anywhere at the moment. I swear to you that I have not given up on it, however. It's just difficult to give you a timeline.
I found this little HGLM snippet between my unfinished stories, polished it a bit and decided to upload it. Ths story is based on a fairytale from a book that was one of my favourites as a child. It is about a count who marries a simple peasant girl, because he is impressed with her intelligence. On marrying her however, he demands that she never is to help others when it comes to settling business affairs,; if she does, he will turn her out of the house without further ado.
I always particularly liked this story and I thought the role of the count fit Lucius like a glove :-) Not to mention the fact that Hermione, in my view, is the vengeful type. Take a look below and see how she takes her revenge on her husband :-)
Enjoy the story!
How to ensnare a smart woman
The room was a mess. There were clothes strewn about everywhere, a jewellery case was open on the dresser, its contents scattered in an attractive pile of glittering gems and beautiful settings. Books were piled in teetering columns of varying height and in the middle of it all was a tall woman with elegantly styled honey-coloured curls and amber eyes looking around at her belongings in despair.
She had been told to leave. By her husband of five years. She was to leave the manor within the hour and was allowed to take only one item. The task of choosing her favourite out of all the items surrounding her was proving exceedingly difficult however….
How could it have gone wrong so quickly? With a sigh, she sank down on the corner of the luxurious bed and stared unseeingly at the floor.
She thought back on how she and her husband had been thrown together all these years ago. It had al started with a spot of trouble Fred and George Weasley had found themselves in, concerning one of their new products. During the developmental stage, word somehow got out and before they could market their product, Zonko's came out with something remarkably similar.
Hermione had helped Fred and George formulate a clever plan to prove the product was their brain child, seeing that the process of patenting in the wizarding world was somewhat different from that of the Muggle world. It was because of the fact that the Ministry was the highest authority in the case that this matter came to the attention of one Lucius Malfoy. The head of the Malfoy family had been given a prestigious but rather unfulfilling job at the Ministry of Magic as a combined means to appease him, seeing he was still a powerful and influential member of society, and to keep an eye on him. Even though he had managed to get through the whole ugly affair with Voldemort relatively unscathed, he by no means had the same influence and power he used to wield.
The case of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes vs. Zonko's joke shop managed to catch his attention though. Being a clever strategist and business-man, not to mention a graduate of Slytherin House, the older Malfoy appreciated cunning when he saw it and the twins' case was brilliant. Knowing that, even though Fred and George were by no means deficient - much as it pained him to admit it – Lucius realised almost immediately that the defence strategy they used wasn't theirs. Intrigued by the cleverness of the case they made, he awarded a penalty to Zonko's for stealing their competitors' idea and forbid them to sell the product any longer…on the condition Fred and George told them who had thought out their case.
To say she had been surprised when she received a cordial invitation from Lucius Malfoy to join him for lunch one day would have been an understatement. It took her three hours of pacing and wondering what he could be up to in deciding whether or not the invitation was a set-up.
Fred and George, whom she consulted on the matter, seeing that they had the most recent dealings with the elder Malfoy, told her he had been very impressed with their defence strategy and was adamant to know who had thought it out.
On the basis of that information, and the fact that Lucius Malfoy was still a man whom one didn't want to antagonize without having a very good reason for it, she accepted his invitation.
Nobody could have been more surprised than Hermione Granger when he turned out to be not only a perfectly cordial host – good breeding required no less, after all – but also exceedingly good company.
How it happened exactly, she'd never be able to explain, but as their meetings grew more frequent, the two of them grew closer and it wasn't long after the twin's case had gotten tried, that she realised she had fallen in love with him.
They married not a year later during an intimate little ceremony on the Malfoy grounds and since then, Hermione'd known nothing but pure bliss. Life with Lucius was the adult version of what she had always fantasized about when she was younger. He was more than intelligent enough to keep up with her and his superior experience gave her something to look up to. Because of the fact that they were so well-matched, their discussions were heated and interesting.
On a physical level there was nothing to be desired either. The elder Malfoy proved to be a most considerate lover and Hermione greatly enjoyed driving him absolutely crazy. As truth would have it, he didn't exactly mind…
Softly she knocked on the half-open door of the library, slipping inside to see her husband in his favourite chair by the fire, a book in his hand and a glass of wine on the small table next to him. At her entrance, he looked up at her calmly.
"I hope you do not come to plead with me. I made my conditions clear on the day we ventured into this relationship together and I am not going to reconsider."
The words were spoken evenly, his voice betraying no emotion. His gaze was cool and unwavering.
Hermione allowed herself a small, sad smile.
"I know you too well to think you could be swayed, my love," she said, "I have come to ask you one last favour."
Her husband pulled up his eyebrows in enquiry. As Hermione had just said, she knew him too well. If he had been completely adverse to the idea of doing her a favour, he would have said so. His reaction however, was a clear indication to her that he was waiting for her to continue. Gathering her courage, she started crossing the long room, walking closer to where he was sitting.
"When we got married you told me that I was to never interfere in anyone's business but our own again. If I were to break that promise to you, I would have to leave the Manor within the day, being allowed to take with me only the one thing which is dearest to my heart. It would seem that moment has arrived and I find I have one request to make of you."
By now she had arrived at his chair and placed her arm on the winged back, looking down into his upturned face and having to fight the urge to tangle her fingers in his long soft hair and kiss him senseless before the opportunity was lost to her.
"On the evening of our wedding day, after the guests had left," her voice wavered for the first time since she had entered the room, "we drank wine from the same glass. Seeing that I have selected what is dearest to my heart and am about to leave this house taking only that particular item, I ask you if you would share a glass of wine with me again as…" she faltered for a moment, "…as we say farewell."
She waited with baited breath for his answer. He considered her for a moment with those cool, silver eyes of his, before he bowed his head lightly in consent.
"Your request is not unreasonable," he stated, "I will share a glass of wine with you, but then you must leave."
Hermione briefly closed her eyes and inclined her head in acknowledgement. She swallowed.
A snap of her fingers brought a House elf to her side, which she instructed to bring her a glass of wine.
Glass in hand, she kneeled in front of Lucius' chair, looking straight into his grey eyes.
"You know I love you with all my heart, cherished. Henceforth I will miss you every day and I will keep this moment in my heart forever. Thank you for sharing this with me one more time."
She bent forward and placed her lips against his in a sweet, soft kiss. It was incredibly tender and sad. As she pulled back, there were unshed tears in her eyes and before they could fall, she took a hasty gulp of wine. Then, she offered the glass to her husband, who took a generous sip, without ever breaking eye contact.
"I love you," she whispered.
Her husband's captivating silver eyes never left hers while she made that declaration and even though he didn't say anything, she could see him reciprocating by looking into those clear grey orbs. It seemed as if, for now, he was as unwilling to let go of her, as she was to leave. After what seemed like an eternity, but could in reality haven't been much longer than a minute, his eyelids unexpectedly closed over his eyes. When they opened again, the movement was sluggish and he seemed to have trouble focusing. Reflexively his mouth opened as if he were going to say something, but no sound issued forth. The long elegant fingers clasping the wineglass started to grow slack. Hermione took the glass from her husband's hand before it had a chance to drop to the floor and shatter. Straightening up from her kneeling position at his feet, she watched detachedly as he slumped forward in his chair. His eyes still tried to keep focusing on hers, their expression uncomprehending and with a glimpse of admiration in spite of himself. Eventually he had to give in, however and the lids fell closed permanently.
Hermione placed the wineglass on the mantelpiece, vanishing the contents with a swish of her wand. She opened her left hand to reveal a small, empty potions' vial, the contents of which had been dumped into the wine while she had kissed Lucius. She, of course, had taken the antidote beforehand.
Unable to suppress the urge, she caressed the smooth exposed cheek with her fingers one more time, before she snapped her fingers again to summon a House elf; she needed their help.
It was some time later that Lucius Malfoy slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he became aware of, was that he was lying on a bed and had no recollection whatsoever of how he had gotten there. As he tried to account for this most unusual situation, he recalled the disagreement he'd had with Hermione. He remembered how incensed he had been when he had discovered she had ignored his wishes and had once again mixed in business that wasn't her concern. Being brought up with the idea of women being creatures to be admired and loved but who had no business mixing in, well... business... After having been married to Narcissa Black for two decades... Lucius was quite fixed in his opinions on the matter. Strangely though, it had been her intelligence that had first drawn him to her.
In his anger, however, he had reminded her of the ridiculous condition they once settled upon. And even though he regretted it the moment the words had left his mouth, his pride prevented him from undoing the damage. He had resorted to licking his wounds in private and had retired to the library. When Hermione knocked on the door and stepped inside, he hadn't read a single word. Somehow, he hadn't been able to tell her that he was a fool though…he was unable to confess how much he would miss her after she left. He just sat there, listening to her acceptance of his throwing her out, all the while hoping against hope that she would rebel against his decision…if she made enough of a fuss, he could pretend to give in and make up in the most delightful way he could come up with…
Her request to share a glass of wine again, like they had, quite unintentionally, done at their wedding day – it was not as if the Manor was short on glassware after all – nearly broke his heart. He could not but acquiesce.
And then…nothing. He had no recollection whatsoever that might explain why he was currently lying in bed. At this point, his train of thought was interrupted by the shifting of weight next to him. Now that his attention was focused on the warmth that could only be another human body, he suddenly realised it had been there all along, at least since he first woke up. Before he could open his eyes to see who it was, he felt a hand softly comb through his long hair in a caress. The resulting tingling of his scalp told him all he needed to know. There had only ever been one person who was able to draw such a response from him with something as simple and innocent as a caress.
Upon opening his eyes, he found his suspicions confirmed. The, slightly anxious, face of his wife was hovering some inches over his, her hand still stroking his hair.
"Hello, love" she murmured and gave him a small smile. The anxiety never left her eyes though.
Lucius locked gazes with her.
"Where are we?' he asked.
"In Harry's guest bedroom."
He frowned. How, after having no recollection of even having fallen asleep, did he find himself at the Potter residence? When realisation hit him, he flew upright.
"you drugged me…" was all he managed to croak out, before an all consuming wave of nausea swept over him. Clamping his mouth shut, he blindly grabbed onto her upper arms.
"Lucius? What's wrong?" Hermione asked in alarm. He threw her a scathing look.
Comprehension dawning rapidly, Hermione grabbed a mug from the bedside table and transfigured it into a small basin. And not a moment too soon either, because her beloved lost his lunch as soon as she held it in front of him.
As the heaving finally subsided, he rinsed his mouth with some water, then fell back onto the pillows, quite clearly exhausted and feeling horribly weak. Hermione vanished the mess and conjured up a cool cloth she used to wipe her husbands brow lovingly. The look in her eyes was quite anxious and her hand trembled ever so slightly.
"Would you care to explain," her husband started without bothering to open his eyes, "what this is all about?"
The cloth that had been pressed against his forehead was suddenly withdrawn and he heard the soft splashing of water, indicating that she was rinsing it out. Recognising the delaying tactic for what it was, he continued: "You were obviously not trying to poison me, since you are too smart to either hang around and wait for me to die or to bring me to one of your friends' houses after a failed attempt, seeing both actions would tie you to the crime…not to mention the fact that if you did want to poison me I'd doubtlessly be dead….so what is it, wife of mine, that you are trying to do?"
"I wasn't trying to poison you!" Hermione responded heatedly
"We've already established that," interrupted Lucius patiently.
"I would NEVER poison you!" she exclaimed, jumping up from the bed, the towel thrown none too gently on the bedside table. Despite it being a double bed and him lying in the middle, Lucius imagined he could feel droplets of water hitting his face.
He lazily opened one eye, feeling much better now that that awful nausea had passed and watched his irately pacing wife. Dear Merlin, but she was beautiful when she was all steamed up with righteous indignation as she was now…. Where the hell had his brains been when he threw her out?
Before the blond wizard could get his train of thought back on track, Hermione suddenly sat down next to him again and took his hand in hers.
"Look…" she said, "when you told me I had to leave –Lucius felt a sharp pang of regret at those words – I have spent over an hour trying to decide what item I would take with me. I considered my silver necklace, since it was the very first gift you ever gave me. I considered my engagement ring, since the day you proposed to me was one of the happiest of my life. I considered taking those wonderful Italian silk dress robes we bought when we were vacationing in Florence."
Lucius listened to her, while his heart twisted in ever growing regret. How could he have been so stupid as to let this woman get away from him? And why was it so hard to swallow his damn pride and beg her to forgive him? As she mentioned all those things, the memories that overwhelmed him made it all the more clear to him what he had lost through his own sheer stupidity.
"No matter what I came up with though, it was never good enough," Hermione continued quietly, looking into the swirling silver eyes of the man she loved. "No matter what I would have taken, no matter how wonderful the memories attached to any particular item, I knew that when I would be separated from you all they would do is remind me of what I had lost. Each and every one of the possessions I gathered while I was your wife would emphasize that I no longer had you in my life."
Her voice had become very quiet now, near whispering and very timid. But he had no trouble whatsoever in hearing everything she said.
Hermione stared at their joined hands for a moment, as if to draw strength, before she lifted her head to meet his gaze once again.
"And then it came to me," she said softly.
"That which was dearest to my heart, the one thing I would take with me…"
Lucius felt his heart twist painfully in his chest at this admission that she was truly leaving; for the past couple of minutes he had been hoping that she hadn't been able to choose and would ask him for more time to consider her options, in turn giving him the opportunity to come up with a way to right this grievous error he had made.
And then she looked at him with unshed tears shining in her eyes.
"You."
For a moment, Lucius was absolutely stunned. Then, he began to laugh. It started out as a low and pleasantly melodious chuckle deep in his chest, but it resulted in a hearty, joyous laugh.
Hermione stared at him, slightly puzzled by his reaction. Was this good or bad?
Seeing her anxious look, Lucius sobered up quickly.
"My love," he said softly, "have I told you lately how much I adore your intelligence?"
A spark of hope ignited in Hermione's heart as she tentatively shook her head 'no'.
Lucius sat up and took both her hands in his, looking deeply into her eyes.
"Dearest, I love you," he said earnestly.
A careful little smile lifted up a corner of her mouth at that declaration and the look in his eyes.
"I love you," Lucius repeated, "and I thank Merlin for the fact that you are too smart to allow me to end the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me out of sheer stupidity and damned pride."
At this, he softly pulled Hermione towards him and their lips met in a kiss.
Pulling back she whispered: "Does this mean you're not mad at me for choosing you as the thing dearest to my heart?"
"How could I ever be mad at you for that?" asked Lucius. "It is nothing more than what I deserve for trying to outwit a smart woman."
At that, Hermione laughed out loud. "You'd better remember that, the next time you're being stubborn," she teased him.
The silver-haired man on the bed smiled at his wife as he pulled her closer.
"I promise," he whispered, before their lips met again.
Finis.
AN: leave me a review, please:-)