Hi, guys! So sorry for the late update! I struggled with this chapter. I did not want to publish something I was not satisfied with.

So, this is the last chapter. I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed and supported this story. Your reviews mean a lot to me. I know many of you won't like the ending, but it is my story and in my opinion this ending is the best. Tell me what you think.

chapter 28 A SHADOW

Was it a mistake?

That was the question on Hermione's mind ever since Snape left the dungeon. She knew exactly what kind of danger awaited for her, yet she refused her former Professor's help. Hermione was not stupid. She did not cover her eyes and pretend she did not know what was happening around her. She was with one foot in the grave and that terrified her. It would not be that horrible if it happened a few months ago. Maybe then she would accept death easier. But not now. Not when she finally put the pieces of her life back together and found a reason to live. And not when Lucius finally admitted her felt something for her. She was not simply a Mudblood slave. How could she die knowing that she finally succeeded in changing his view on her and making him feel something for her?

How could she leave him and escape? Hermione knew that most people would probably judge her if they knew what she had done, but she had her reasons. Her parents were safe as long as Lucius stayed the leader of the Death Eaters. And as long as she remained with him. A small voice in her head was whispering to her that Lucius would probably not hesitate to attack the Muggle World if he found out she escaped. He was not the kind of man who would take betrayal well. Not after everything that had happened between the two of them and after everything they had shared. What kind of a life would she have if she escaped? Spend the rest of it hiding and fearing for her life? Not being able to do anything?

She rather stayed in the cell, even if that meant her death. One of them would survive and most likely it would be Lucius. Hermione only hoped he would show enough dignity to keep his word even after her death. If the Muggle world stayed safe then her sacrifice would not be pointless. Besides, there was another reason why she did not accept Snape's offer. She simply could not force herself to leave. She tried to imagine life without Lucius, waking up in a different bed, falling asleep without him beside her, not being able to hear his silky voice, feel his warmth, his presence. She was so used to him by now that it was almost painful to imagine a different life. Was that love?

Hermione had never before been in love. What she had with Viktor was not even worth a mention. They were just fooling around and Hermione liked the attention she was getting from him. But it was never nothing serious. What she had with Ron was something sweet and nice. Sadly, he lost his life before they had a chance to see what their relationship could grow into. He was killed by the same man she now thought she loved. Everything was messed up.

And then there was Lucius. The feelings that rushed through her every time she thought about him were not the same feelings that she had with Victor or Ron. With Lucius it was all much darker and twisted. Much more adult. But was it love? It had to be. Of course, it was not what Hermione had always imagined to be. There was no fluff, no smiles, no holding hands or gentle caressing. No soothing words or long conversations at night. But there was just something. Hermione did not need Lucius to talk, because she somehow knew what he felt just by looking at him. There was no need for him to hold her hand, because his emotions showed in a different way. When she caught his look every now and then and it was filled with something other than hate. Or when he kissed her with passion and she felt those strong feelings inside of him through the kiss. Everything was so different with Lucius but at the same time it was real. The fact that it was dark and wrong and that they depended on each other that much, made it seem much more real than what she had with Ron or Victor.

Hermione put her head on her knees and closed her eyes as all those thoughts ran through her head. There was a complete silence in the cell and there was nothing else she could do but think. With possible death so close to her, she could not help but look back at the last few months of her life. If she were given a chance to go back, would she behave differently? Would she try to prevent what happened between her and Lucius? Hermione did not have the answer to that question.

Where is Lucius?

She was worried about him and about what was happening to him at that moment. But at the same time she felt that nothing will happen to him. The Death Eaters thought him valuable and Lucius would know how to play his cards right to come out of this situation alive.

But she herself was a complete different story. She was not naive and she knew exactly that Snape was just trying to comfort her when he said he would try to convince the others not to kill her. The look in his eyes told her everything. He was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the last time. He did not have the power to save her. If the other Death Eaters decided that she was a threat than there was no salvation for her.

ooo

Hermione was slowly loosing her mind. The days were passing by and no one had visited her. What was taking them so long? Why was she still alive? What was happening? Where was Lucius? Dark thoughts came to her mind. What if that was their plan? Starve her to death? She was a Mudblood, not worthy of a quick death. It had to be painful and slow.

It had been four days already. Four days without food, water and contact with other human being. She was becoming weaker with each passing hour. She could barely stand up without feeling dizzy. Her throat was so sore that she could hardly talk. And there was no bathroom so she had to do her thing in the corner, as if she was an animal.

Sighing, she closed her eyes, trying to think positive. It was not working.

ooo

On the fifth day someone finally came. The moment Hermione heard the doors open, she pulled herself up, leaning against the wall for support. Everything before her eyes became black and she had to wait a few long moments to be able to see again. But when he sight cleared, a smile formed itself on her dry lips.

Lucius.

It was him. And there were two other men with him. The same ones from a few days ago. One was Howard, but she did not know the other one's name.

Lucius seemed…alright. He was not beaten or starved. His robes were clean, his hair was in a ponytail. Hermione did not know what to think when their eyes connected. He was completely calm and she could not read anything from his eyes. He looked away from her and asked:"Have you not been giving her food?"

"We had other things on our mind than take care of it," Howard answered, "Besides, she seems healthily to me. A few days without food did not do her any harm."

Lucius said nothing to that. There was a strange atmosphere in the dungeon. Hermione felt uneasy, but she was not afraid. If they came to kill her, at least it would all be over. She did not want to die, but there was nothing she could do now. She wanted to ask them why they came, but then she remembered that Howard did not like it when she spoke without permission.

"Mudblood," Lucius started and Hermione's eyes snapped towards him. She noticed he was having hard time looking at her, it seemed as if even the wall behind her was more interesting than her face. Silence followed and than the other man approached Hermione. She did not move away from the spot where she was standing, not wanting to show them she was afraid.

"It has to be done, Lucius," the man said coldly.

Lucius nodded and than cleared his throat:"I understand. Our goal is all that matters."

"I am glad you finally understand that," Howard drawled, a satisfied smile on his face.

Hermione did not look away from Lucius, she was trying to figure him out. The way he was acting was unlike him. He seemed submissive. And she knew more than anyone else how dominant Lucius was.

"The power is all that matters," Lucius replied, taking the wand out of his cane. Hermione's blood ran cold at that. What was he going to do?

Howard shot her a glance:"You have caused too much trouble. You can only be glad you have lasted this long."

Hermione tried to ignore the other two Death Eaters as she concentrated on Lucius. Why was he not looking at her? She needed to see him, see what was on his mind. If she was going to die, than at least she wanted to know how Lucius felt about it. She needed to know that her last months of life were not completely pointless and that she had achieved something. She made a cold-hearted Death Eater feel something for a Mudblood he hated.

"Lucius…." she whispered as he pointed his wand at her. It was only then that he looked at her.

Hermione felt as if she could cry. He was looking at her intensely and she could swear that his lower lip was twitching. He was always like that when he could not decide about something. She knew him that well by now that she could tell when something was wrong. There was nothing either one of them could say. What could they say to each other?

Hermione waited in fear as she lost herself in Lucius' eyes. She always knew that his eyes would be the last thing she would see before death. Ever since the first day of her capture she knew she would die by his hands. But she never imagined that he would be hesitating about ending her life. Because that was what she recognized in his look. Hesitation.

Those seconds were the longest in Hermione's life and she already saw herself with Harry, Ron and the others that had lost their life. As she bit her lip and closed her eyes, she said goodbye to the world and prepared herself for the inevitable pain.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione flinched and it felt as if her heart stopped. Only it did not. It was still beating and she was still breathing. Her eyes flew open and she realized she was still alive.

But Howard was not.

"Expeliarmus!"

"Protego!"

Everything was happening so fast that Hermione literally could not move for a moment. She stood frozen and watched. Lucius and the other Death Eater were sending curses onto each other. They were both very skilled wizards and Hermione could barely hear their spells and see their wand movements.

And then it happened. Lucius flew into the wall, hitting it hard and falling down to the ground, losing his wand in the process.

Hermione had never before seen him that vulnerable. His hair was messy, his eyes were defeated and his lips were forming a thin line. The Other Death Eater took a step closer to him, his wand pointed at him.

"You have gone completely insane, Lucius," he spoke with an angry voice.

Save him.

That was the first thing on Hermione's mind when she saw Lucius being threatened. Without thinking she kneeled down to Howard's dead body and took his wand. No one was paying attention to her, she was an unworthy Mudblood after all, not capable of doing anything. Both Lucius and his former colleague were to distracted with their eye battle to notice her.

"You could have achieved so much more, but you ruined it," the Death Eater said to Lucius.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The words escaped Hermione's lips and before she even realized what just happened, the body fell to the ground with a loud thud. In a moment Lucius was on his feet again and in two strides he was beside her, taking the wand away from her shaking hands.

"Oh god…." she whispered to herself, not able to remove her eyes from the man she just killed.

"We have to leave."

Hermione could hear Lucius' voice, but it made no sense in her head. Too much was happening. She had been just seconds before death and now she killed a person. She needed time to calm down and process everything.

"Mudblood, we have to go," Lucius said to her again, grabbing her arm.

He pulled her out of the dungeon and to a place from where they could Apparate. Hermione was barely holding herself together. Her mind had trouble accepting everything that happened. She herself almost did not believe it. And the feeling of Apparition did not help either. By the time they reached the Malfoy Manor, Hermione felt sick to her stomach. Once they were in the bedroom, she escaped Lucius' grasp and ran to the bathroom, feeling as if she would throw up. But she had not eaten anything in the last few days so there was nothing to throw up. She leaned against the bathtub and closed her eyes, waiting for the sickness to pass.

She never even heard him come in, but when she felt his touch, she knew he was beside her. He said nothing as he pulled her up from the floor and helped her back to the bedroom.

"What will happen now?" she managed to ask.

Lucius decided to ignore her question as she crawled onto the bed. Hermione sent him a look and repeated her words:"What will happen now?"

He let out a tired sigh:" Nothing to concern your pretty little head with."

Hermione was too tired to argue with him and she knew he was not in a mood to fight. His expression told her all he wanted was to be left alone. With a flick of his wand a clean nightgown appeared on the bed. Without another word he left the room and again Hermione was alone.

Once the elf brought her food, she could not control herself and she ate everything in a couple of minutes. She especially liked how the glass with pumpkin juice kept refilling itself. Hermione did not know exactly how long she was in that cell, but it had to be at least a couple of days. A couple of days without food or water.

There was a strange feeling inside of her. Not knowing what was happening always made her nervous. Where was Lucius? And the other Death Eaters? Hermione was afraid to think how they were going to react once they found the bodies of Howard and that other man. The man she killed. Hermione did not know why it bothered her so much. He was a Death Eater and he was going to kill Lucius. She had to stop him. But did she really had to use the killing curse?

That thought was on her mind constantly. Even after she took a bath and cleaned herself she still could not get rid of a feeling that she was dirty and corrupted. She looked at herself in the mirror and did not notice any change. She looked the same as a few days ago, but she felt different. Something changed inside of her. She did not feel the same.

OOO

It was only in the middle of night when Lucius came back into the bedroom. Hermione was waiting for him, not able to find sleep. She wanted answers and she was decided to get them from him. He looked at her surprised as he walked in, but said nothing. Hermione licked her lips hesitantly, not knowing how to start. After a few long moments she simply let out a sigh which made him look at her again.

"Lucius," she said quietly.

"What is it, Mudblood?" he asked as he started to undress.

"Can we talk?"

He stopped unbuttoning his shirt and turned around to look at her. He simply raised and eyebrow at her, telling her to continue.

"I-I want to know what happened. You...I…we killed those two men."

He nodded:"Yes, I noticed that."

"Well?" Hermione demanded, "Are they not going to punish you for that? We escaped from that cell. Why are they not after us?"

Lucius was silent for a few long moments and then he finally spoke:"Do you remember what I said to Howard? About what matters in this world?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, her mind traveling back to that conversation, "The power. You said that is all that matters."

"You learn quickly," he smirked.

"I do not agree with it. I simply repeated what you said," Hermione shot back.

"Of course you do not agree with it. I never expected you to," Lucius replied, watching her carefully, "You are still naive enough to believe in good and evil."

Hermione felt as if the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. She would gladly discuss good and evil with Lucius, but not at that moment. There were much more important things she needed to hear from him.

She took a deep breath and asked:"Do you have the power?"

His lips curled up in a satisfied smirk:"At this moment, me and Severus are the most respected and hated men in the Wizarding World."

Hermione was shocked at how relived she felt at hearing that. She should be angry, sad and anything but glad that Lucius was the one with the power. But she could not change her feelings. She could not ease the sense of safety she felt at learning that Lucius Malfoy held the greatest power. He was not good, but at least he was the lesser evil.

"I thought the other Death Eaters turned against you," she said, confusion written on her face.

He simply nodded, not a trace of worry on his face:"They did."

She waited for him to continue, but he seemed to like keeping her in the dark.

"And?"

He took a step closer to her and smirked, confidence showing through his eyes:"Not all Death Eaters were involved in the rebellion against me. Once I left the dungeon, there were only five or six of them waiting for me."

"The others didn't know anything? They didn't know you were locked up in a dungeon?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"No," he replied.

"Then what were you doing those few days when I was left alone in the cell?" she demanded, then her voice got weaker as she looked down:"I thought they were torturing you. I even thought I would never see you again."

She was afraid to look at him, not knowing what she would find in his eyes. She was not sure she could stand it if he decided to make fun out of her because of her confession.

"We simply talked," Lucius answered and Hermione was thankful that she did not sense any mockery in his voice.

He continued:"And then we came to an agreement."

Hermione nodded and then she met his eyes:"To kill me."

"They saw you responsible for everything that has happened and the only option was to get rid of you. And if I performed that task, I would prove myself worthy."

As he finished that sentence his face changed to an angry expression.

"Those fools need to learn that I do not take ultimatums from anyone," he spat with rage.

"So…" Hermione started, thinking about everything he just told her, "We are safe? They are not coming after us anymore?"

"They would be idiots to do that. Only few have the courage to stand against me and Severus."

Hermione still could not understand why Snape would help kill Voldemort. That man was a complete mystery to her. Were he and Lucius really such good friends? How were Death Eaters even capable to have friends when they were so corrupted and evil? When Hermione said nothing for a few moments, Lucius continued to unbutton his shirt. He turned his back to her and that was the sign that their conversation was over. But Hermione could not help but say what was on her mind.

"You are not invincible, Lucius," she said quietly, "One day you will lose."

He stopped his movements, but did not turn to look at her. Hermione knew he heard her, but he simply decided to ignore her. He probably did not take her seriously. His life was slowly crashing down and he did not care. He was losing his reputation and his friends, but it did not seem to bother him. Hermione shuddered involuntarily, realizing that he was taking her down that path with him. With a sigh she lay down onto the bed and turned away, staring blankly into space. When she felt him crawl into the bed, she looked at him again, feeling the need to ask him something.

"What was-" she started, then stopped herself.

He raised his eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I was just…wondering…what was… his name?" she finally asked, her voice weak.

"His name?" he looked at her confused.

Hermione could feel her throat close up to the point where she could barely say a word. She ran a hand through her hair and noticed she was shaking. What was she feeling? Was it guilt?

"That man…I killed," she forced out.

"Why do you ask?"

Hermione looked up at Lucius and she knew he understood everything. He could see it in her eyes. Hermione was never good at hiding feelings.

"Forget it," she quickly said and tried to turn away, but Lucius caught her arm, forcing her to look at him.

"You had no choice," he simply said, his voice cold. But then why did Hermione have a feeling as if he was trying to comfort her?

"I used an unforgivable curse," she insisted, realizing how horrible it sounded when she said it out loud. It seemed more real.

"It is not unforgivable in this world," he smirked at her, not a trace of guilt or remorse in his eyes. Hermione pulled her arm away from him as if she was burnt. There were moments when she was truly afraid of Lucius and of what he was capable.

"It is an unforgivable to me," she said to him, looking deep into his eyes and showing him she meant her words.

Lucius snorted at that:"Do not say you have not killed anyone during the War."

But when he noticed the look in Hermione's eyes, a realization downed onto his face and he sent her a look of surprise and slight shock.

"You haven't, have you?" he asked, his lip curling up in a smirk, "You haven't killed anyone."

"Why do you sound so surprised?" Hermione defended herself, "Maybe you do not know it, but it is not an everyday thing to kill a person."

His smirk turned into a satisfied smile that terrified Hermione. There was something devilish in those grey eyes and Hermione could not help but wonder what he was smiling about.

"You truly did come to me completely innocent," he said quietly, observing her, "And I took away that innocence. In all aspects," he added with a smirk.

"You took everything away," Hermione whispered, her eyes lost for a moment.

"It is done. The man is dead and it is pointless to cry over it now," Lucius drawled cruelly.

"Has it ever happened to you?" Hermione asked, her brown eyes meeting his hard grey ones, "Have you ever wondered about your victims?"

He let out a short laugh:"I do not lose my time with such things. I know what I am and what I do. I never regret my actions."

"What about me? Have you ever regretted hurting me?" she asked quietly, not knowing if she really wanted to hear it from him. She tried to control her sharp intakes of breath as she waited for him to continue. Lucius obviously did not expect her question as he leaned away from her and cleared his throat.

"Would it make you feel better knowing I am sorry for the torture I have inflicted upon you?" he demanded, "Would you feel better thinking you are not living with a complete monster with no conscience?"

"Yes," it came out as a desperate plea.

He nodded:"When I was torturing you, making you cry and scream, I felt no remorse. Only satisfaction," it was said with such casuality that it sent shivers down Hermione's body. His answer destroyed her hope in an instant, leaving her in a complete despair and disappointment.

"But now," he spoke again and Hermione looked up at him in surprise. His face was hard and the look in his eyes was completely dark.

"I cannot seem to stand the thought of someone hurting you. I would kill the person who dared to touch you," it was said with such possessiveness that it actually scared Hermione. But at the same time she could not believe what he actually admitted.

"What am I to you now?" she decided to ask directly.

"You know what you are," was his answer.

She shook her head, forcing herself to sound strong:"Am I a reward? A slave?"

His silence was her answer. She could not expect him to change over night. Changing someone's opinion was hard enough, but changing someone's ideals and beliefs was almost impossible. Hermione could not believe how much Lucius changed. How much she changed him and even though he was not ready to admit it yet, his actions spoke for themselves.

"Then what am I?" she demanded again, but she got nothing from Lucius, only his intense gaze.

"Am I a…a mistress?" the word sounded so dirty to her and she never wanted to say it again.

"What is the point of this, Mudblood?" this time he sounded angrier, maybe because she was getting closer to the truth.

"I want to know what I mean to you! What are we to one another? How long is it going to last?" Hermione had so much unanswered questions and now it all seemed to explode.

"I cannot give you answers."

"Why the hell not?" she demanded.

"We should not be talking about this," he dismissed her with a wave of his hand and Hermione felt as if she had just been slapped.

She closed her mouth in disappointment and nodded. "Fine."

"What if I were to tell you that he had a family?"

Hermione's eyes snapped to his in an instant. She silently prayed that he was making it up, wanting to change the subject. She said nothing as she waited for him to laugh and admit that he did not mean his words. But he was looking at her seriously.

"You are lying," she accused him, anger slowly building inside of her. Anger at herself and at him if he was making it all up.

"Would you have let him kill me if you had known he had a family?"

Hermione could not answer that question. That man was a Death Eater and he was about to kill Lucius and then her. She almost laughed at the irony. She had killed a Death Eater to save a Death Eater.

"I don't know," she responded shakily.

"You do know," Lucius said to her with confidence, "The answer to that question is deep within you and you are afraid of it. That is the difference between you and I. I embrace my dark side."

"You don't know everything about me," she shot at him angrily, feeling uneasy at how he claimed to know her.

"I know you well enough, Mudblood," his voice got colder, "And I know you would still have sent that curse. And do you wish to know why?"

Hermione forced through her teeth:" Enlighten me."

"Because you could not stand losing me."

With those words he turned away from her and distinguished the lights. Hermione was left speechless and riddled with guilt. But perhaps it was not guilt. Hermione could feel something eating her up inside, but it could not be guilt. That man was a Death Eater and he deserved to be killed. Then what was she feeling? Was it disgust? Disgust for herself because she killed someone? She had taken someone's life.

"He did not have a family," she heard Lucius's words cut through the silence. And this time his voice was serious and not a trace of mockery was in it. Hermione knew she could believe everything he said to her in that voice.

Such short sentence but it helped her so much. She should not care if he did or did not have a family. He was a murderer and that was all that should count. But she could not pretend she did not feel better knowing that that man did not have a family.

She did the right thing. He deserved to die.

Hermione fell asleep with those thoughts on her mind.

ooo

The next morning Hermione awoke alone. He was not in the bed and that did not surprise her. Lucius was always gone before she awoke. As she took a quick bath she could not help but wonder what her life would be like. The danger was gone. The Death Eaters would not bother her and Lucius anymore. They could stay together forever. She almost laughed at that thought. Were they together?

They could not have a normal conversation and besides, he was still visiting his whore. Hermione could still remember the day when she heard him talk to her. There was respect in his voice when he promised his love to her.

As she returned to the bedroom she threw a glance at the window, wondering if she was ever going to be allowed to go out. To simply go for a walk and feel the wind and the sun on her face. Would she ever get that independence back?

As she atE the breakfast that the Elf left for her while she was taking a bath, her thoughts traveled to Lucius again. How she hated that she knew nothing about him and how he was spending his time. What was he like as a leader? What were his plans with the rest of the Death Eaters? Hermione only hoped he was a man of his word and that he would keep his promise to her. A promise about leaving the Muggle World alone. She knew it could not be forever, but it made her feel better knowing that her parents and the rest of the people were safe for the time being.

ooo

It was already dark outside when Lucius returned. Hermione walked out of the bathroom when he noticed him sitting on the edge of the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, his face dark. Once he noticed her, his eyes snapped her, but he was not looking at her face, but her body. Hermione felt uncomfortable under his gaze and she hugged herself with her arms.

"It was hers," he muttered.

Hermione understood what he meant with that. She had known that the nightgown was his wife's. Ever since she came to the Manor, she had been wearing her nightgowns. That fact always terrified her because she could not understand why would Lucius give her his wife's clothes if he truly thought she was a filthy and unworthy Mudblood.

Hermione remained silent and she bit her lower lip, waiting for Lucius to stop staring at her. She tensed when he stood up from the bed and approached her. Something was wrong, Hermione could tell it. He was acting strangely. He walked behind her and when Hermione wanted to take a step away from him, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back to him. She could not help but tense as she froze in his arms.

"W-what do you want, Lucius?"

She felt him inhale deeply and when he spoke, his hot breath was on her neck:"You."

"M-Me?"

He kissed her neck and Hermione's knees almost gave away as goosh bumbs appeared on her skin. She could not understand why he was acting like that. He did not smell of Firewhiskey. She closed her eyes as his hands slowly moved up her body, caressing her and she found herself giving into the feeling.

But then her eyes snapped open and she pushed him away from her, turning around to face him.

"What is all of this?" she demanded, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think I am doing?" he asked, his face suddenly hard and angry.

"I won't play your game, Lucius," Hermione said to him, looking him in the eyes, "You can't ignore what is happening between us, you can't refuse to answer my questions and then expect that I…that we-"

She did not finish the sentence but he understood.

"I am not your whore," she threw the words at him, then added quietly, "You don't need me. You already have someone who can satisfy your needs. And she's probably much more experienced than me. I'm positive you will find greater pleasure with her."

Lucius raised his eyebrows and stared at her murderously:"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know," she barked at him, "I may be a lot of things, Lucius, but I'm not stupid."

"I seriously doubt that," he insulted her.

"I heard you. With her."

"Explain," he said shortly.

Hermione let out a tired sigh. She was not in a mood to be treated as an idiot. She knew that Lucius would never admit she was right. And she could as well get punished for admitting she left the room without his permission that day. But at that moment she did not care. For so long she carried that inside of her and she finally let it out.

"A few weeks ago I heard you talking with her. In a room across the hall. You were admitting your feelings to her, promising her never to betray her. And that no one will ever take her place."

Hermione watched as Lucius' expression went from confused to shocked then angry. The anger in his look actually caused her to take a few steps back.

"You were listening to my conversation. Private conversation," he said coldly, his voice controlled.

"It's not like I wanted to hear it! I was just-"

He cut her off:"Snooping around?"

"No! I accidentally heard it. And-and that's not the point!"

He arched an eyebrow, daring her to continue. The rage in his expression almost stopped her, but then she gathered her courage and spoke.

"I know you have … another woman. And I-I don't care about it," she lied and hoped it was convincing, "But you cannot come here and expect me to fall into your arms and let you do whatever you wish with me."

He listened to her patiently even though he had a murderous look. After Hermione finished he simply snorted.

"I do not have another woman, you foolish girl," he said to her quietly.

"Don't lie to me, I know well enough what I –"

"The room across the hall has Narcissa's portrait in it," he interrupted her and after that sentence Hermione could only stare at him, "I often go there to think and…talk to my wife."

Hermione could not think of anything smart to say. There was no chance that he was lying to her. She knew Lucius Malfoy. He would never lie to her about something such as his family.

"Oh," was all she was capable of saying.

The look of coldness and grief that he sent her was enough to make her look away from him. She could simply not stand the intensity of his eyes. And he was angry at her. He never liked to talk about his family and she had just forced him to do so.

The silence seemed to last forever and all Hermione wanted was that he would stop looking at her like that. He was torturing her with his eyes. It would be easier if he would say something, but he seemed to enjoy the silence. He probably knew how much he affected her if he simply stared at her, hiding his thoughts from her.

"And even if I did have someone else, it would be no bussiness of yours."

Hermione remained silent, realizing he was right.

Without a word he walked into the bathroom, closing the doors behind him. The moment he was not in the room anymore, Hermione could breath again. She heard him taking a shower and jumped into the bed, not wanting to be awake when he returned to the room. If she could only fall asleep and escape from everything.

ooo

But her mind turned against her as always. It kept replaying events and conversations, not allowing her to fall asleep. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut when she heard him come out of the bathroom. She had so many questions on her mind, so many things she wanted to ask him, but was afraid of his reaction. After a few minutes he joined her in the bed and turned off the lights. She heard him exhale deeply and then there was a complete silence.

Hermione was so used to his closeness at that moment that it did not bother her anymore. She even felt safer if he was beside her. Every time she was alone in the bed she felt as if something was missing.

Once she was positive that he was asleep, she turned around him and faced him, looking at his calm face. The moon illuminated the room and Hermione noticed with surprise that he looked so peaceful while sleeping. With his long blond hair he almost looked like an angel. If she hadn't known everything he did she might even have believed his innocent face.

She realized that she never took time to truly look at him. And now as she was looking at him, she found herself attracted by his aristocratic lips, his long hair. He was not wearing a shirt and Hermione at first did not want to look at his body, but after a few moments her eyes slowly traveled down. He had a few scars on his body and Hermione could not help but compere them to her own scars. Scars caused by him. His were much larger and it seemed as if he got them on more painful way. Hermione could feel her heart beating faster as she took a look at his chest. His muscles were defined, his shoulders and chest were broad and strong.

She felt the need to reach out and touch him. Holding her breath for a few long moments to make sure he was asleep, she slowly reached out and touched his left cheek. Before she had a chance to move, his hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling it away from his face. Hermione shrieked in shock, not expecting it. She did not know what to do as she stared into the suspicious eyes of Lucius Malfoy.

"Do tell me, what you were doing?" he asked in a silky voice, though there was a warning in it.

"I-I was just…" she babbled, embarrassed that she got caught, "Nothing. Let go of me."

He released her wrist, but pulled himself up into a sitting position, his eyes still on Hermione.

"Observing me and trying to touch me is not nothing," he said to her, "It is rather unusual."

"Let's just go back to sleep," Hermione muttered, trying to turn away from him. Even she herself did not know why she felt the urge to touch him. Perhaps it was because he looked so peaceful while sleeping. There was no evil on his face and Hermione could not help but touch him and make sure he was real.

"No," he replied coldly, "I do not think that sleep is a good idea at the moment."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, confusion on her face. She could only hope he was not really angry at her because of her little experiment.

Even though it was dark in the room, Hermione could still see the smirk on his face and she could only guess what was on his mind. She forced herself to stay still as he leaned closer to her until she could feel his breath on her face.

"I think I know what is it that you wanted."

"Oh r-really?" Hermione could hear her heart beating and she wanted to keep her voice calm, but she failed at that. She could not understand what his presence was doing to her. Why couldn't she remain calm when he was close to her?

Lucius was leaning closer to her and before Hermione even knew what was happening, his lips were on hers and they were kissing. There were no thoughts, no words, just feelings. That was something new to Hermione because she was used to analyse everything before making decisions. But as she was kissing him back, her lips moving against his, she could not think. She was not capable of forming a thought.

She felt his hands slowly make their way around her body, his left hand stroking her back, causing goose bumbs to appear on her skin. All she knew at that moment was that she never wanted to leave his arms. Even though her mind was screaming at her that he was a murderer, that he was evil, she could not stop her feelings. She felt safe in his arms, she felt protected. Somehow she was convinced that he could make everything alright. The feeling of loneliness disappeared when she was with him.

When the kiss ended, Hermione still had her eyes closed. Her mind was spinning and she could not bring herself to think straight and form words.

"I was right," she heard him mutter in a husky voice.

"I need..." she whispered, finally opening her eyes.

He looked so angelic and at the same time so terrifying with his cold grey eyes staring at her. Hermione had a feeling as if he could see straight through her.

"What do you need?" he asked, teasing her.

"Please-"

"Say it."

After a few long and painfully silent moments, she finally forced the word out:"You."

He sneered at that, then nodded:"I do not wish to hear any silly love declarations from you. Is that understood?" he asked with his usual cold voice.

She looked up at him and bit her lip, nodding nervously. He let out a deep sigh and then slowly traced his hand up her arm and Hermione tensed up. His touch felt like fire, but in a good way. His hand was warm and that fact always seemed to surprise her. He brought her chin up, forcing her to look up at him. Hermione stared deep into his eyes and it was then that she noticed something was wrong. He was different. There was no mockery in his eyes, no smirk on his lips. He was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the last time. Hermione could not help but shiver at the intensity of his look.

But then he kissed her again, his lips moving commandingly against hers. He was rougher than before and Hermione had trouble keeping up with him. His tongue gently nudged her and her lips immediately parted, granting him access. He pulled the nightgown down her body and Hermione shivered as the cold air hit her skin. But then he pressed himself against her and she could feel the warmth from his body. She moaned lightly as he touched her, his hands seemed to be everywhere at once. She was not controlling her body anymore. Her hands were moving up and down his chest and then he broke the kiss, whispering something. Hermione froze as the word registered in her mind. She could not be sure, but it seemed as if he whispered her name. Not Mudblood. Hermione. Did she hear him right or was her mind playing tricks with her again? Her left hand reached around his neck and pulled him back to her. His tongue hungrily, almost desperately, dove into her mouth. Her fingers tightened in his hair as his hand covered her breast lightly.

"Lucius-" she moaned, "Please…"

She did not know what she was asking for, her mind was a complete mess, but apparently he knew what she wanted. Her hands slid across his back in the thin layer of sweat that now coated them both. Her hands did not move lower from his waist, she was still not ready to touch him that way. And thankfully he did not expect her to.

The rest of the night was a big blur to Hermione. She did not remember her thoughts, her words. All she could remember were the feelings that traveled through her. The feeling of connection when he was slowly moving inside of her. His eyes staring deeply into hers the whole time. She could remember the pleasure on his face, his mouth slightly parted as his tongue licked his lower lip. She could remember the moment when she lost herself completely, crying out his name as pleasure exploded within her and she held onto him as if she was afraid he might disappear.

Sleeping with the enemy. It was strange how something like that disgusted her in the past, but now gave her comfort and the feeling of safety. She was looking for comfort in the arms of a monster.

ooo

Hermione could not remember when she fell asleep. Everything was confusing and unclear. As she woke up in the middle of the night, she could not remember what happened. But then she felt something warm underneath her. She held her breath, listening carefully. Her whole body tensed up as she realized her head was resting on Lucius' chest. It was then that all the memories came flooding back to her and she blushed, remembering everything. He was asleep, that much she could tell. But why were they together? Why was her head on his chest? Did they fall asleep like that? Why did he not push her away? Hermione could not understand why would he want to be that lose to her after they… why would he still want to touch her? It was shocking that he would even allow them to fall asleep in that position.

There were so many unanswered questions, so many things that needed to be explained, but Hermione was too tired to think about that in the middle of the night. The logical part of her knew that the right thing would be to get away from him, from his body, from his touch. But for some unknown reason she could not bring herself to move away. She could feel his heartbeat and his chest moving up and down with each breath that he took and it made her feel safe. She had been so lost and alone for the past couple of months, with no friends, no contact with other human beings. As she thought about it, a realization hit her. Maybe what she felt with Lucius was not love. She simply needed him. She needed him to feel something. It did not matter anyway. She would never leave him. He was the face she was going to look at for the rest of her life.

With those thoughts in her mind, she closed her eyes and lost herself in a dreamless sleep.

ooo

Hermione yawned and opened her eyes. Sunlight filtered through the window, a beautiful day was outside.

Hermione felt good. For the first time she could say that she felt almost as if everything was normal. She smiled weakly and closed her eyes again, deciding to stay a bit longer in bed. But then she flinched in shock as she heard someone clear their throat. Her eyes flickered to the man in the corner. He was there, dressed as usual. He even had his gloves on, that meant he was either going somewhere or he just came back from somewhere.

She blushed deeply, realizing she was still naked under the sheets. But when their eyes met, her lack of clothing was the last thing on her mind. Something was wrong. Hermione could read it on his face. He was completely serious, his dark look sending shivers down her body.

"What's wrong?" she whispered the question.

"There are some matters I would like to discuss with you," his voice sounded cold.

Hermione could feel her throat close up with anticipation. She knew something was wrong, she knew he had some bad news for her.

"You should…" he started then cleared his throat again before continuing, "You should get dressed."

Hermione followed his eyes and noticed he was looking at the end of the bed. Something was there. She moved forward so she could see better and her eyes narrowed in confusion as she realized what was there. Clothes. But not a nightgown as usual. There was a shirt and a pair or jeans. Hermione needed a few moments to gather her thoughts.

When she looked up at him again, her voice was a bit shaky:"W-What is this all about?"

"We still have half an hour before Severus arrives."

"Snape? Why is he coming here? What is going on?" Hermione raised her tone as she demanded an explanation.

"He will take you home, to the…Muggle world," he spoke the last two words with disgust, but other than that there was no emotion evident in his voice.

Hermione was left speechless. She could not understand what was happening. Was she dreaming? Was he playing games with her?

"He will…what?" she managed to say.

"You are…" he struggled with words, "I am letting you go. From this day on you are free."

"I don't understand," her voice was soft and a little shaky.

"What is there to understand?" he asked, "Get dressed and get ready."

"Why?" she demanded. She felt the anger rising inside of her.

"We cannot go on like this forever," he replied, looking at her coldly, "What did you expect? Something had to happen. Sooner or later."

"But why? Did the other Death Eaters-"

He cut her off:"It has nothing to do with them. This is the decision I myself have made."

Hermione wrapped the sheet around her body and got up from the bed. Her hands were shaking and she was afraid her knees would give up.

"You are sending me away?" she could not believe what she was saying. Never in her life had she imagined that it would come to this. Lucius was silent, but Hermione could read the answer in his eyes.

"You-you don't want me anymore?" she was ashamed of how weak her voice sounded. But she simply could not hide the shock she felt. They stared at each other for a long moment. When he spoke again, it was the same cold tone.

"You are not good for me," he simply said, "Not as a slave, not as a reward, not as a…mistress."

Hermione flinched at his words. They stung her like a slap across the face.

"Oh," was all she could say at that moment. She actually felt tears welling up in her eyes, but she would not let him see it, so she turned away from him. He was letting her go. If he had said something like that a few months ago, she would take the offer immediately, without a second thought. But why was she having doubts now? Why was there a strange feeling in her chest?

She heard footsteps. She could feel that he was close to her now.

"Mudblood," he spoke quietly, "I expected you to be glad."

"How long…" Hermione started, "How long have you known about this?"

"Does it matter?"

She turned around to face him, rage boiling inside of her. She felt her courage returning, the courage she had lost such a long time ago. "Tell me something. Was it before of after you shagged me?" the moment the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. She never used such language and she did not want to start now. She noticed anger flash in his eyes and his lower lip twitched, but his voice remained controlled as he spoke:"What do you want to hear?"

"I want to know why! I want to know why I feel like a…a whore. I want to know the reason why you used me last night if you knew you will send me away anyway. I want to-" she broke off and looked down, not able to handle to pressure of his look.

"You are wrong."

It was spoken so quietly that Hermione barely heard it. She looked up at him again:"What?"

He looked at her oddly as if he wanted to say something, but did not know how. When he spoke, it was slowly and carefully:"I know you more than anyone else. Perhaps even more than you know yourself. And you are many things. You are a Mudblood, but you are not a whore. Believe me. I would not lower myself enough to having something with a whore."

Hermione was lost for words for a few moments. She could not believe what he had just told her. Of course he knew she was not a whore. He was the first and only man she had been with, but she never expected him to say that out loud. She always got only insults from him. Hearing him defend her was strange, even though he did call her a Mudblood.

"I can't leave…" she whispered.

She was afraid. Seeing her parents again seemed like something surreal. She missed them and seeing them again would be the greatest gift, but she was afraid. Afraid of leaving, afraid of the world outside.

"Mudblood," he said in a hard tone, "Do not make things difficult. I have decided."

"I've never expected it to be like this," she paused for a moment, "Since the end of the War I believed I would die here. I felt my life would be ended here and that your face would be the last face I saw. I never dared to think I would be free again."

Lucius stared at her and then took a deep breath through his nose:"It is no use to dwell on the past. You should get dressed-"

"Why don't you kill me?" she suddenly asked. She was aware of the fact that she was walking on dangerous grounds, but she did not care. She needed to hear him say it.

"Get dressed," he ignored her question.

"No!" Hermione raised her voice at him, taking a step closer, "No more games, Lucius. This ends here. Why don't you simply kill me?" she was trembling from head to toe.

He let out a cold laugh before speaking:"Why do you expect me to say? That I love you? Love does not exist."

"I know you don't love me," Hermione nodded, "But there is something. You can't deny it anymore. Why else would you let me go? I simply need an explaination from you. Nothing else."

He was silent, but did not look away from her. It was as if he was afraid to speak, afraid to say it out loud. It would make everything much more real with that. But his eyes and the silence told her more than words ever could.

Hermione nodded:"It was all I needed to know."

"You are a Mudblood. You are not good enough for a Pureblood. You are….nothing to me," it was said in a convinced tone, as if he needed to hear it for himself. Hermione did not believe a word that came from his mouth. Not even he himself believed it. As she accepted everything that was happening, she could feel a strange feeling of loneliness returning to her. She unconsciously tightened her hold on the sheet around her body.

"When…when did all this start? When did we stop being just a prisoner and a master?" she asked quietly.

Lucius did not say anything to her, but he knew exactly the moment that changed everything. And it was their both's fault. The memories came flooding back to him. The memories of the day when he gave her the choice to live the Manor or stay and share his bed.

"I know you care about me. You want me. Maybe it's some kind of affection-"

"Affection? For you? I would rather die that feel anything for filth like you!" Lucius could not believe her. She dared to think he would feel something for filth like her!

"Tell me the truth for once!" she demanded.

"You want the truth?" he asked, the rage inside him growing. The Mudblood was becoming more and more disobedient and he felt the urge to show her her place.

"Yes!"

He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her with him. He said nothing to her as he dragged her out of the room and down the stairs. Hermione struggled, but he simply tightened the grip on her arm, making her gasp in pain. She was so fragile. Lucius knew he could easily break her arm if he decided to.

"Where are you taking me? Stop!"

"I will show you just how much I care for you," he mocked her as he kept dragging her down the long hallway. A plan was forming inside his mind. He did not need her, nor the troubles she was causing. When they finally reached the front door, he opened it with a flick of his wand and then he dragged her though the doors until they were outside. He roughly pushed her down and observed as she slowly realized where she was. Confusion was written on her face as she touched the grass beneath her, trying to understand what was happening. Lucius could not help but feel pleased at her fear and confusion.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hermione asked after a few moments, pulling herself from the ground.

"I will show you just how much I care about you. I care about you much that I will let you leave my house," he spoke calmly. He had two options. Either he let her leave and got rid of her, or he let her stay and made her useful. All she did was stay in the room all day and the torture was beginning to get a bit boring. And Lucius was a man with needs. His wife had been dead for a few months now and he needed to release some pressure. There was a young girl in his house, a girl he could have all to himself. No man could refuse that. He would simply had to ignore the fact that she was a Mudblood. And besides seeing her in pain and embarrassment would overcome the fact that she was a Mudblood. It was a perfect punishment for her and a perfect pleasure for him.

"Leave?" she asked with disbelief.

"Yes. You are free. Go. Run," he said, even though was not as calm as he thought he would be. He was not sure he would actually let her leave if she decided to.

"What are you playing?"

"Nothing. I am giving you back your freedom," he said innocently.

"But-"

Lucius interrupted her:"Of course, how impolite of me! I should bring you back where I found you."

He moved towards her and pressed her against himself.

"No!" Hermione screamed and pushed him away from her.

"What is wrong? You don't want to go to the Battle Field? Maybe I should Apparate you to the Diagon Alley?"

Hermione shook her head:"No!"

He smiled with satisfaction. He had her exactly where he wanted her. She was completely at his mercy.

"You forced me to do this, Mudblood. You insist I have feelings towards you and I feel the need to show you how wrong you are. There is no other way," he said smoothly and made a step towards her. When his hands touched her again, she took a step back.

"Don't."

"You surprise me. I never thought you wanted to stay with me," he chuckled coldly, enjoying his dominance over her. She seemed so confidant when she accused him of having feeling towards her. Now he would show her just what his feelings truly were.

"How can you expect me to-to go outside? There are Death Eaters everywhere," her lower lip trembled, "You know what would happen to me."

"I do know," he said quietly. He knew exactly what would happen to a young girl like she was if she stepped outside. His colleagues knew no mercy. And neither did he. "But it's all your fault. Now, give me your hand so I can Apparate us-"

"Please."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Please," she repeated stronger this time, humiliation making her blush.

"What do you want now, Mudblood? You have wasted enough of more time already," Lucius drawled in a bored voice, knowing he had her completely. He was enjoyed playing with her, watching the fear, disbelief and shock on her face and knowing he was the once causing it.

"You know I can't go outside."

"You can. You just know that it's not a very good idea, considering everything that is happening outside," he then took a deep breath, "What do you want me to do?"

"Let me stay here."

He smirked, pleased with himself. He had succeeded in humiliating her, but that was not enough. He wanted more. She needed to be punished for even thinking that he felt something other than hate for her.

"Why would I do that, Mudblood?"

"Because..." she didn't finish that sentence, not knowing what to say.

"You being here has been nothing but trouble. And I cannot stand trouble."

"Please," she started again, "I will...I-"

"Yes?" he teased her.

"What do you want from me? I will do anything," Hermione whispered, tears in her eyes. Lucius noticed it and for a moment he almost felt remorse. He could not understand what was with that girl that made him act like that. He had never felt guilt or remorse. What was that girl doing to him? He felt anger at himself and decided to take it out on her.

"Well, you do have some attributes that I would find...pleasurable," he said in a silky voice, his eyes traveling down Hermione's body. She did not look like a grown woman, but her body was developed enough. She was not a child. No matter how much she seemed to be. He felt the urge to possess her, to own her. His own thoughts scared him.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked and hugged herself with her arms.

He made a step closer to her and leaned down to her:"You are old enough to know what I mean."

"But you said," Hermione started, her voice shaking, "You said you would never lower yourself enough to have anything with me in that way. That I don't have to be afraid, because you wouldn't ever force yourself-"

"That's true. I said I was not like my colleagues and that I would never rape you."

He noticed that she winced at that sentence. Lucius did not lie when he told her that. He did not like forcing himself on someone like he was an animal. He was much more sophisticated for that. If Severus Snape was a Potions Master, Lucius Malfoy was the Master of manipulation. He enjoyed playing with people's minds and turning them against himself. And that was exactly what he was doing with Hermione.

He continued:"And I always keep my word. I am not forcing you into anything. It is your decision to stay here or leave."

Hermione's throat started to close up, but she managed to ask:"To stay and...share your bed?"

"It will not be bed all the time, Mudblood," he mocked her, "I tend to experiment. Sometimes it will be on the floor or against the wall-"

"Stop!" Hermione swallowed hard, then took a shaky breath, "I can't...I can't take this."

"Decide, Mudblood."

"I-"

"I am warning you- If you choose me, you will have to show your appreciation tonight."

He observed her and noticed she was quite pale. Perhaps everything was too much for the Mudblood. He did not want her to faint, because then he would have to carry her. If she only knew how easy she was to read. He could see every thought on her face.

"Well? I do not have the whole day. It's already quite late."

"I would like to stay here," she finally let out and her answer did not surprise him. He knew exactly what her decision would be like.

"You do realize what comes with that, Mudblood?" he asked, serious.

"I do."

After a moment of silence, he nodded:"Good. I hope you realize this was your first and last choice of leaving from here. You will not get it ever again."

Hermione said nothing and he noticed she was fighting back tears. Silly girl, he thought. He could not understand why she felt the need to prove herself to him. It was obvious she was at the edge of the tears and she achieved nothing with holding them back.

"Now, I believe we have some things to do this evening," he said almost seductively and took her hand.

That was the moment everything changed. Their relationship became psychical from then on and it was never again the same. He never looked at her the same way again. And he was positive she never saw him in the same light from then on. Things would have been a lot different if she had decided to leave the Manor that day. And if he had let her leave.

Hermione tried to control her sharp intakes of breath as she tried to gather her thoughts.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked, meeting his eyes.

"Why would you wish to see me again?"

"I-" she broke off and looked down again. What could she say? There was no logical reason why would she want to see his face again. After everything he did to her, people would expect she wanted to stay as away from him as possible. But she did not.

"Do you realize that you are making a mistake by letting me go?" she asked him, her voice stronger, "You know I won't just wait with my arms crossed? I will try to find a resistance and destroy…you."

He smirked slightly, no fear evident on his face:"I never expected less."

They were a complete opposite. Like fire and ice. Slytherin and Gryffindor. Good and evil. Everything was clear at the beginning. Not anymore. All Hermione knew at that moment was that they were hurting each other. They were not good for each other. No matter how attached she was to him, how much she somehow needed him, it was not healthy. If she wanted to survive, she needed to get away from him. She had lost too much already. He had taken too much from her.

But one question remained inside her head. A fact that terrefied her.

Am I too lost to be saved?

After a long moment of silence she asked:"What about your promise?" That was now her main worry. She needed to know if he planned on attacking the Muggle World. His mouth twitched as he thought through his answer. Hermione observed him, not wanting to miss any sign that he might be lying to her.

"I have given you my word, have I not?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"You can understand that your word means very little to me," Hermione could stop herself, "After all, you are a Death Eater."

"True," he nodded, "But why would I lie about such a thing?

Hermione remained silent, simply watching his face. He seemed serious and it she could not help but believe him. But he could easily be lying to her. Everything was so confusing. How could she believe a Devil? And why would he be telling the truth to her? Lucius obviously noticed the doubt on her face, because he walked closer to her, grasping her chin and making her look up at him. Hermione hugged herself tighter and tried not to tremble before him. Once again she was left completely speechless by the intensity of his grey eyes.

"I do not see you as a threat. I would not care if you knew I was planning on attacking your world," he explained coldly, "You can trust me on this."

His voice left no room for argument. They stared at each other for a long minute and Hermione realized with surprising calmness that she believed him. It was not logical to believe a man who murdered that many people, who destroyed her life, who was evil. But she felt as if she could believe his words. She knew him enough to know when he was lying. Or at least she hoped that.

Lucius cleared his throat and backed away from her, his emotionless mask returning.

"Get dressed," he repeated.

Again, Hermione felt the shock returning. She was leaving the Manor, leaving him. It seemed like a dream.

"Can I…" she swallowed hard and then continued, "Can I take a bath?"

"Is that necessary? Severus will be here in a few minutes and I would hate to keep him waiting," he said in a distant voice.

Hermione had a feeling he wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible and it hurt her inside.

"I have to clean up after….last night," she spoke in a low voice, hoping he heard her, because she really did not want to repeat it. She did not want to speak of last night. She wanted to pretend it never happened. It was unbelievable how things could change in one night. Just a few hours ago she had hope again. Hope that things were not as dark as she thought they were. And now everything was destroyed. The new life she had built for herself was destroyed.

Lucius looked away from her and nodded:"Alright. Be quick."

Hermione grabbed the clothes he left for her and hurried into the bathroom, closing the doors behind her. She did not know how she managed to even clean herself, confused as she was. There was no shock or sadness anymore. She felt numb. Everything Lucius said to her made no sense anymore. Was he really sending her away? That was something she never imagined would happen.

As she dried herself with the towel, she took a look at her new clothes. Muggle clothes. The last time she saw jeans was a couple of months ago. It felt weird putting those clothes on. It somehow did not feel right. She was not the same Hermione Granger as she was when she wore those clothes. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized she did not recognize herself. She seemed the same as a few months ago, only a bit thinner and paler. Her hair was longer, she noticed. And it was not as frizzy as it was. But she felt different.

With a tired sigh she left the bathroom. She found Lucius in the same position as he was when she left. He seemed to be in a deep thought, but was pulled out of it as he noticed her.

"I'm ready," she said, stumbling over the choked words.

Lucius nodded:"Follow me. Severus is waiting for us downstairs."

He turned and left the room with Hermione following. She stopped for a moment and took one last look at the bedroom. The room where so many important things happened. Where she lost herself completely. Where she was tortured and hummiliated. Where she was caressed and kissed. The room where she left her innocence and youth. The room which she would probably never see again.

She took a deep breath and walked out of it. There were no words as they both walked through the long corridor, then down the stairs. Hermione remembered the stairs very well. It was there where she risked her life to save Lucius. She could still feel the bruises she got when Phillix pushed her down the stairs. As they reached the end, Hermione could already see him. A man in dark robes, with dark hair and even darker look. Severus Snape. She never figured him out. Snape nodded as they approached him.

"Granger," he said in a cold tone.

Hermione said nothing to that. She was too absorbed in her own thoughts. There was a long pause and an uncomfortable silence filled the hall. So many different feelings were fighting inside Hermione. Happiness and relief at the fact that she would see her parents again and fear because she was leaving. She was leaving a life she had built for herself. The only life she had known for months.

"I suppose we should go," Snape's voice cut through the silence.

Her heart sank slightly then, now that the goodbye was closer. She still could not understand what was happening. It was too much at once. Just an hour ago she was sleeping, for the first time in months actually in peace with everything that had happened. And now the world was crushing down onto her again.

"Give me your hand," Snape said, prepared to Apparate them.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To your home. I believe Lucius has already explained everything to you."

Hermione looked at the man next to her. The man whose face was the only one she was allowed to look at for the last months of her life. He was not looking at her. His cold eyes were fixed at something in the distance, his face was hard.

"Lucius…." she said quietly, not knowing what to do. She wanted to stay because she was afraid of leaving, afraid of the life outside, but at the same time she wanted more than anything to see her parents again.

Lucius took a deep breath through his nose and then looked down at her, not saying anything. But there was something in his eyes. Hermione could see it in his look that he was not as calm as he appeared.

"Take her, Severus," Lucius said to his friend, but still not moving his eyes away from Hermione. She had a feeling as if he was afraid to look away.

There was a thin line between love and hate. At that moment Hermione knew she was standing right in the middle of it. She did not hate Lucius anymore, but neither did she love him as she thought a few days ago. What she felt towards Lucius was a mystery to her. But there was something. A powerful emotion. Something dark and twisted, but they both needed it.

Hermione could feel Snape's hand on her arm and panic surged in her chest for a frightening moment. That was it.

No words. No goodbyes. Nothing.

The grey and cold eyes of Lucius Malfoy were the last thing Hermione saw before they Apparated.

ooo

Hermione had Apparated many times in her life, but this was the first time she actually thought she might throw up. She had to sit down, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. The sickness was not only because of the squeezing feeling of Apparition, but because of all the feelings bottled up inside of her. It seemed like an eternity before she had the courage to open her eyes again. And then she realized where she was.

Snape had Apparated them both behind her house, where they were hidden from the curious eyes of her neighbours. Everything seemed the same as it was when she was last there. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that she was home. Her body was shaking from anticipation as she slowly got up from the ground.

"It is Sunday," Snape suddenly spoke, "Your parents are at home."

Hermione could feel her heart jump a little at that sentence. She was so close to them. So close to her mum and dad. She was barely resisting the urge to run inside and hug them after such a long time.

"But they don't remember me-"

"Their memories have been returned. They are expecting you," Snape explained.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock:"How much do they know?"

"They are aware of the fact that there was a War in the Wizarding World and that you have not returned from it for a few months. That is all."

"How long have they known?"

"They received a letter yesterday. From you. You were informing them about your arrival today."

Hermione nodded, slightly surprised at all the work that had been done just so she could come home. For a moment she wondered why would Lucius want to go through all the trouble. She had so many questions. But it was not time nor the place.

Turning to Snape, she asked calmly:"You know why he sent me away?"

"You know it as well."

"No, I don't. He could have killed me. It would be much easier. What will the other Death Eaters say when they find out about this?"

Snape did not seem worried by that as he slowly answered:"They do not care about you. All they want is that Lucius does not lose the sight of the mission."

"And I was distracting him?" she asked, confused.

"You are a smart girl, Granger. I am positive you have noticed Lucius has been acting strangely ever since he got you as his reward. He seemed to have forgotten what our main goal is."

"To take over the World and get rid of all the Muggleborns?"

Snape nodded, not saying anything.

"What…." Hermione started, then paused for a few moments, "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Live your life. Recover. Forget," Snape replied. All Hermione wished was that she would be able to forget. But it was impossible. She might recover, but she would never forget everything she had been through.

"I will be leaving now," he informed her, then added in a dark tone, "I do not think it is necessary to warn you about what you can and cannot tell your parents."

"I know what I can tell them," she answered, "And besides, I wouldn't want them to know what is happening in the Wizarding World."

"Good," Snape nodded and then opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something. Hermione noticed the change in his attitude.

His voice was almost a whisper when he finally spoke:"You know many things that might endanger us. We would not want those pieces of information to come into the arms of the people who oppose us. There are still organizations that are plotting against us."

Hermione listened carefully as Snape spoke. At first she thought he was warning her to keep her mouth shut about everything, but the more he spoke the more it seemed as if he was trying to tell her something. Something he was not allowed to say directly. What shocked her was that there were still organizations against Death Eaters. She believed it was all destroyed. Lucius himself had taken care of the last resistance. But that was a few months ago. Many things could happen in that time.

"Why are you telling me all this?" she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"All is not as it seems. Remember that, Miss Granger."

Hermione did not understand what he meant by that but she did not have the patience or time to dwell on it. She would never understand Snape and his intentions.

"We will see each other again," he said to her, but before he could leave, Hermione stopped him.

"Wait!" she called out, "How…how is Ginny?"

The last time she had seen the redhead witch was when she tried to kill herself. Even though Lucius had given her the option to visit her, Hermione refused. She was just hurting Ginny with her own feelings and thoughts. Ginny did not need that. Her life was difficult enough without Hermione's problems.

"Ginevra is fine. She has been asking about you."

"She has?" Hermione could not hide the weak smile and hope that appeared on her face.

"You do not need to worry about her. Nothing will happen to her while she is with me," Snape reassured her and Hermione could not explain why she believed him.

Ginny was safe for the moment. As safe as she could be in the arms of a Death Eater. But what Snape could not understand that the greatest danger did not await for Ginny outside. Ginny was an enemy to herself. Just as Hermione was at the beggining. Only time could change that.

"You better go inside," Snape said to her, looking at her house.

Hermione struggled with words:"Can you…tell Lucius…"

Snape raised an eyebrow at her:"Yes?"

There were so many things she wanted to say, but at the same time she could not form a sentence.

"N-nothing," she muttered, looking down.

She took a deep breath and licked her lips hesitantly, thinking of her next words. But when she looked up again, she was alone. Snape was nowhere to be seen. How could he simply disappear? Looking around, she realized she was alone. He was gone. Everything magical was gone with him.

Hermione turned towards her house, hear heart beating uncontrollably fast. She was afraid to enter. What if they would not like her anymore? What if they noticed she was different? What if they would be disappointed of her?

Trembling violently, she forced herself to walk to the doors and then enter.

ooo

Hermione was laying in her bed and observing her room. She had been home for two days already. Her parents could not be more happy to see her and have her home again. She could not explain what she felt the moment she saw them for the first time after months. Without thinking she ran into their arms and they simply stood there, hugged, for several minutes. Hermione could not stop crying and neither could her mother. They were together again.

They did ask questions as she had expected. She told them some things, but not the whole truth. They understood when she said she did not want to talk or think about it. All that mattered was that it was over and that they were together again.

Everything was as it was before she left. Things were where she had left them. As she stroked Crookshanks who was sleeping next to her, a realization downed onto her. Everything was the same, only she was different. She had changed.

ooo

It was hard without him. There were times when she could swear she heard his voice. Sometimes when she walked into her room she could smell him as if he was there. The first few days she woke up screaming at night, but it was not Lucius who was there for her, but her parents.

A few times she even closed her eyes and pretended that she was at the Malfoy Manor, in his bedroom. She had so many memories of that place. A lot of times she caught herself looking at her scars and remembering how she got them. The scars on her wrists from the first day when he forced her to call herself a Mudblood. Then the scars on her back when he hurt her on Voldemort's commands.

Those scars were her secret and no one was allowed to see them. They were her reminder of him. That it was real. That the last months of her life were not just a dream. It truly happened. And she survived it.

She did not miss him. That was not the right word. She missed her friends, her loved ones. Lucius was someone she needed. He was like her drug. The bond that formed between the two of them could not be broken. She often wondered if he thought of her. How was he? What was he doing? Did she cross his mind every now and then? No matter how horrendous it sounded, she was his, and she even had the marks to prove it.

The nights were the hardest. She could not even count the number of times she woke up in the middle of the night because of the nightmares. She dreamt of Dolohov and Phellix and the man she killed. And everytime she woke up she expected to find Lucius next to her. But she was alone. He was not with her anymore. He was far away from her. But why could she not get rid of the feeling that he was watching her?

Two weeks after her return she once again woke up in the middle of the night. This time it was Dolohov who was chasing her in her dreams, torturing her. She did not like to think of those times. When she was in Dolohov's dungeon and when he almost succeeded in breaking her spirit. As she brushed the hair away from her face, she looked around the room and noticed it was still completely dark. But then something caught her attention. In the corner, next to her closet, something moved. Hermione pulled herself into a sitting position, her eyes fixed on that corner. Something was moving in the shadows and she had that feeling. She could almost feel his presence. With a shaky breath, she made a move to get up and check, but then she stopped herself. She did not want to know what was in the corner. She was too afraid that she would find no one in the shadows and that she was in fact alone in the room. She went back to sleep with a thought of him. With a thought that maybe at that moment he was in the room, watching her. He was a shadow in her life. Just the thought of his presence made her feel safer and within minutes she was asleep again.

It was not the end yet. Hermione was not planning on spending her life as a Muggle. She was a witch and she knew that the Wizarding World existed. There was magic and there was evil. Evil that had to be stopped. Death Eaters had to be stopped. Even if that meant stopping him. Even though it was not easy, Hermione accepted that fact. One day they would meet again. And then only one of them will walk away alive.

A/N: The end! I was thinking of maybe doing a sequel to this story, but not just now. I need to take a break from Lucius and Hermione for a while. :) Tell me your opinion.