Home Is Where The Heart Is

Sadly, I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters that have a role to play in that magical world of witches and wizards.

Just a short one-shot...

He spotted her first on the tube. She was just sitting there, oblivious to the happenings going on around her. Her nose was stuck in a muggle book called Pride and Prejudice. He sat right across from her, and had the unique opportunity to study her as they faced each other with out her knowledge.

After about an hour a little beep started coming from the wristwatch she wore. She placed her marker towards the end of the book. She had started from the beginning when she first entered the tube. She put the book away in a special pocket in her purse and finally took in her surroundings.

"Mister Malfoy!" She said in surprise. Then noticed that their area was filled with women trying vainly to gain his attention. Still, it was surprising to find the pureblood supremacist riding the tube...filled with muggles...in the centre of muggle London.

The blond simply continued looking at the muggle-born witch before answering, "Miss Granger." Then, "Are you not frightened to see me?" The girl simply continued studying him as he studied her.

She seemed to make up her mind about something. "Are you lost Mister Malfoy?" She asked quietly. The man grinned at the witch sitting across from him, and the muggle women glared at the girl receiving the beautiful man's attentions.

"I ask again Miss Granger. Are you not frightened to see me?" The blond reiterated. "I am after all, supposed to be neatly locked away in Azkaban." Hermione suppressed a shiver at the mention of that horrid prison.

"You have had a little more than an hour to kill me and get away before you are caught," she said softly. "Yet you still have not." Some of the women who had been listening in on their conversation suddenly choked on air. The tube started coming to a stop.

"This is your stop I believe," the blond pointed out. She nodded, slowly standing up, gathering her belongings, and heading towards the doors that were now opening. She gave him a nod as she exited.

The next time she saw him first. He was sitting in the window of some dingy little diner. He looked a little more dishevelled than when she last saw him on the tube. She sat on the bench right across the street from the diner, pretending to read a book.

She did not notice someone sit next to her on the bench as she became more engrossed in a collection of Shakespeare's Sonnets and Poems. She realised, belatedly, that she lost track of the wizard with long white-blond hair.

"¹When do I count the clock that tells the time," his voice right next to her startled out of her realisation, "And see the brave day sunk in hideous night; "When I behold the violet past prime, "And sable curls all silvered o'er with white;" His voice was enthralling, it completely captured her attention and pulled her in as he recited the sonnet she just read. When he finished she felt the urge to clap, but gave him a wide smile instead.

"That was wonderful," she breathed. She didn't realise that her breath had caught as his beautiful voice rang out over the quietness. The acoustics allowed it to carry down the now abandoned street, further allowing it to ring in a most desirable way that would have stage actors jealous. The blond gave her one of his wide grins.

"Are you not frightened to see me Miss Granger?" He asked the question from their previous encounter on the tube. She looked about her on the empty street. They were all alone.

"We have been alone on this abandoned street for twenty minutes now," she said softly. "You have had more than enough time to kidnap me without any witnesses."

"It is getting rather late," he pointed out. "This is not a seedy part of London, but it is still dangerous for a girl like yourself to be out alone after it gets dark." She looked out at the setting sun and became slightly worried.

She hadn't intended to be out this late. Her parents would worry. If they had not gone out looking for her already. She stood up to leave, again tucking her book inside a special pocket in her purse. She smiled at the wizard before walking home.

She next saw him sitting on a bench in the park. He was leaning back looking up at the clouds drifting by. His hair had become slightly matted she noted to herself. He had also lost a slight amount of weight.

She thought back on their previous encounters. He wore the same set of clothes each time. He also had forgone wizards robes.

"Hello Mister Malfoy," Hermione greeted softly. The wizards eyes slowly drifted down to meet hers. He slowly lifted his head and offered her a small smile. She frowned.

"Why are you not in Azkaban?" She finally asked. He grinned at the witch.

"Voldemort released his Death Eaters, as I am sure you know," he answered, but her train of thought stopped completely at his mentioning his master by name instead of the Dark Lord.

"Are they searching for you?" Hermione asked. He simply shrugged. She frowned at that simple action from the high class wizard

"I managed to escape their notice when they were releasing us. By now they probably think I managed to escape before they released the others," he chuckled. Hermione's brows furrowed.

"Your wife and son?" She asked quietly. He laughed heartlessly at that.

"Narcissa has abandoned me, our marriage. Our divorce was finalised the day I met you on that thing that goes fast underground," he frowned at not knowing what it was.

"The tube," she said softly. He smiled again.

"The tube," he repeated. "I became a bachelor again that day," he laughed. "Draco. My dragon. Has chosen to go along with his mother to France. Meanwhile my Manor is over run with Death Eaters."

Hermione saw the pain he tried to hide in his eyes. She held out her hand to him. He simply looked at it curiously before looking up at the witch standing before him.

"Come," was all Hermione said to him. He looked at her hand again then placed his rough hand in her soft hand. Hermione gave him a gentle tug. He stood, towering over her, but looking down at her curiously.

She pulled him out of the park, across streets, down streets, up streets, till they stopped before a large home with lush green grass surrounding it and a white picket fence surrounding the yard. She opened the gate and pulled him through. Then pulled him into the home, into the entry hall.

"Your parents will not think it odd someone like me is here?" He frowned down at her. Hermione looked up at him sadly.

"My parents have no memory of me at the moment," she said quietly. He looked surprised at the witch. "I took away their memories of me the last time we met," she said quietly, not looking up at him. The blond used his free hand to lift her chin up to meet his eyes.

"Why have you brought me to your home, alone?" He inquired softly as he watched her tears fall.

"You might laugh," she frowned, but he just raised and eyebrow and gestured for her to continue. "I do not know why, but I feel as though I can trust you with anything, and you would not break that trust," she said quietly, her wet eyes never wavering from his.

His breath caught in his throat at her sweet sweet words. Never had anyone felt as though they could trust Lucius Malfoy, pureblood supremacist. Especially a muggle-born. He just had to look away from her pure trusting eyes, but he could not bring himself to do it.

"Thank you," he choked. She offered him a smile of her own, then pulled him out of the entry hall, through the house and into the kitchen.

"Do you have your wand?" Hermione asked softly. He shook his head at the floor and tried not to looked ashamed. The witch...the sweet sweet witch lifted his head and placed her own wand in his hand.

"I am going to make us some lunch," she said quietly. "You can wash up if you like. My father left some of his clothes behind in the closet if you want them. You can use my wand to adjust the clothes to your size."

"Thank you," he said for the second time in his thirty-eight years of life, and tried not to choke again. She smiled softly, seeming to understand.

"Everything is in the last room at the end of the hall that you might need," she smiled encouragingly. "Would you like beef soup and some bread for lunch?" She asked.

"That would be lovely," he smiled just as his stomach growled his answer. She laughed softly.

"That must be a definite yes," she grinned as she pulled out ingredients, vegetables, and some meat for their lunch. "Go on then," she smiled at him as she chopped and diced. He stood there for a few seconds more admiring the witch before climbing the stairs in her home.

He looked down at her wand in his hand after adjusting some clothes to fit him. Amazingly the wand worked perfectly for him even though it was not his own. He used it to dry and untangle his long mane after his hot shower, and still did not encounter any problems with the witch's wand.

"Thank you," he said softly as he handed the witch back her wand. She smiled and placed it between them at the table.

"I have not any problems with sharing," she smiled at him softly. He could only smile back at the witch's generous heart as they ate their lunch together.

"I have not had soup that good since I was twenty-three, Miss Granger," Lucius grinned at the witch.

"You may call me Hermione if you like," she said quietly. "Have you ever had Jello?" She asked suddenly, before he had a chance to reply.

"I have not heard of that till now," the blond frowned, then smirked. "Hermione," he added at the end. She smiled across the table at him, then got up and opened a silver door and pulled out a red jiggly thing on a small plate. She laughed at his expression and handed him a spoon.

"Go on," she encouraged, "try it." He frowned and poked at it with his spoon, then watched as she scooped some of the red jiggly stuff and ate it. She laughed again as he watched.

He scooped some of the jiggly stuff and bravely brought the spoon up to his mouth. He looked down at it before bringing the spoon the rest of the way into his mouth. Hermione held back her laughter as she watched him go cross-eyed as the spoon stopped right before his mouth and he looked down at it. His faced brightened as some of the sweet delicacy melted in his mouth, and the rest broke up with his tongue.

"I have to say this muggle concoction is delicious," he grinned as he brought his spoon down to scoop yet more Jello, and frowned when his spoon hit an empty plate. Hermione laughed openly when he realised he ate the whole plate.

"I have one more of these moulds cooling. We can have it for dessert after dinner or you can eat it now," she offered. He grinned as he helped her take their dishes to the sink.

"You would like me to stay for dinner?" He asked. She smiled up at him.

"Of course Mister Malfoy," she said as if he should have known.

"You may call me Lucius, Hermione," he offered. She smiled.

"These past three weeks have been lonely," she said looking up at him sadly. "Can I ask you something that may be too forward?" He nodded and waited for her to gather her courage to ask what she wanted. "Would you stay with me and keep me company?" She asked shyly.

He smiled down at the suddenly shy witch. "How long would you like me to stay?" She looked unsure of herself. He frowned at that.

"Perhaps until it is safe for my parents to come back into the country," she said quietly, almost whispered. He laughed softly at her sudden timidness. He slowly wrapped his arms around the witch. She didn't back away from him, nor remove him when he had her fully wrapped against him. It felt right to him, it felt like he was finally home.

"I will stay for as long as you will have me," he answered softly as he looked down into the witch's honey eyes. She wrapped her arms around his torso then. He sighed inwardly revelling in her touch.

"Thank you," she said quietly. He sighed as she began running her fingers through his hair, lightly scratching his scalp just the way he liked it. No one ever did this for him. He sighed audibly this time as he opened his eyes to find her own staring up at him in wonder.

He slowly brought his head down till his lips hovered just above hers with only a hairs width between them. "No one has ever bothered to do that," he whispered, his lips brushing hers. He heard her breath catch as he spoke. Slowly he moved his lips over hers.

He nibbled on her bottom lip and slid his tongue inside when she gasped. He backed her against the counter trapping her between the cabinets and himself. She mewled softly when he ground his hips against hers, showing her what she was doing to him.

"Lucius," she gasped softly when he released her mouth. He bit back a growl when his name fell from her sweet lips.

"Perhaps we should stop," he suggested before things became more heated. He bit back a laugh at her glare. She pulled his head down and kissed him the way he kissed her, and he groaned.

"Show me," she said softly, lifting her leg and placing her thigh on his hip and ground against him as he did to her.

"Are you sure you want this," he asked almost harshly in his aroused state. "Once we do this I am not letting you go," he growled in her ear. "I will spoil you for any other man. I will make you mine forever!" He growled as he ground his hips against hers again. She moaned and verbally accepted his demands.

As his seed continually filled her womb all afternoon and night, all he could think was that he was finally home. He found his home in this muggle-born witch. Months later, as he held his hours old son and daughter, all he could do was thank his bride continually for bringing him home to her heart.

¹Sonnet 12 from Shakespeare