21 Break up

"You look beautiful, My Own," he said finally. Hermione smiled beautifically at him and kissed him on the cheek as well.

"Thank you, Jamie," she whispered against his cheek. Sirius started slightly and turned to Hermione.

"You look amazing," Sirius said softly, his dark grey eyes on hers. She smiled sweetly at him, and her lips lightly brushed his cheek, leaving the skin tingling afterward.

Lily and Hermione met Severus and Lucius, and the boys offered their arms to their dates. They strolled slowly, talking amongst themselves as they walked toward Slughorn's Holiday Party. Lucius' eyes had flared and turned to molten silver when he saw her in her dress. Hermione's cheeks had turned pink with pleasure.

"You are going home for the holidays?" Lucius asked politely. Hermione smiled.

"Of course, mother and father always make a big deal out of the holidays. James and Sirius act like little boys. They go to sleep really early, and they wake up at 5 a.m. and run downstairs to open presents." Hermione said fondly. Lucius frowned slightly.

"Black doesn't go home for the holiday?" He asked coolly. Hermione shook her head.

"No, his relationship with his family is…strained. He usually pays his respects and then comes to our house." Hermione explained. Lucius' frown became more pronounced.

"Family is everything," he said flatly. Hermione looked up at his face, and saw a flash of that other Lucius. The one that the other her remembered. She knew suddenly with awful clarity, that Lucius' fealty to his family would be the catalyst for what would happen to him.

"Oh, look, we're there!" Hermione said brightly.

Slughorn's party was just as sycophantic as she had recalled, and she forced herself to suffer through it. It was a chance for her to spend time with Lucius away from the demarcation of the Houses, and the prying eyes of her over-protective brother. She hoped that Lucius would want to talk after the party, but he just politely escorted her as close to Gryffindor as he could get.

"Lucius? Is something bothering you?" Hermione asked with a slight frown. He had seemed on edge all night.

"I am…anxious about the holidays, that is all," he said icily, not inviting further discussion. Hermione stopped in the corridor.

"Lucius, I think that you and I need to talk," Hermione said in an odd voice. "Now."

"Hermione, I don't think that now-," Lucius began, but Hermione cut him off.

"Now is the perfect time," she said in that odd voice. She did not appear to be acting like herself. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him up and down some very strange passageways. They ended up in an unused classroom that his girlfriend broke into using nonverbal magic. Lucius' eyebrows shot up his forehead.

"Hermione, what is going on?" Lucius demanded when she shoved him in the room and shut the door behind her.

"Show me your arm," she bit out through clenched teeth, her wand pointed at him. He quirked a blond brow at her and rolled up his left sleeve to reveal an unblemished expanse of skin.

"When?" she asked through bloodless lips.

"Over the holidays," he answered coolly, staring at her.

"You don't have to do this," she said quietly. He frowned at her.

"Yes, I do," he said flatly. "If I don't, he'll kill my family."

"Family is everything," Hermione said numbly, staring at the sixteen year-old boy in front of her that suddenly reminded her of another young, blond man who was forced to make horrible choices to save those he loved.

"Yes," he said simply.

"Lucius, the choices you are going to make are going to destroy your family," Hermione argued. He shook his head.

"No."

"Listen to me, your family will be put in danger if he falls, you know that right?" Hermione tried a different approach. Lucius' eyes flared.

"I'm not going to talk about this right now," he said quietly. "I was going to talk to you…after."

"To tell me we couldn't see each other anymore?" Hermione guessed bitterly. Lucius did not deny it. "Fine, we'll talk. After.

"I really don't think there's a point, now." Lucius said, looking away from her. Hermione grabbed his arm and he turned back to look at her.

"Please. One more time, after the holidays." She asked. He frowned at her.

"I liked you," he said slowly. "Father never would have approved, the Potter family has made some dangerous decisions lately, but I liked you. I wondered what it might be like, if…"

"Lucius, listen to me carefully," Hermione whispered to him. "You are a skilled Legilimens, yes? An adept at occlumency?" He nodded.

"Never, ever let your guard down. Not even with your wife. Train your son, make sure he knows from a young age how to protect himself. You must be cunning, you must be so cunning," Hermione whispered in that strange, odd voice. "You will be given…things…to guard. They are not what they seem to be."

"Are you a seer?" He asked sharply. She frowned and shook her head.

"Don't change the subject, Lucius. Trust Professor Dumbledore, Lucius. When you are given these things to guard, you must figure out a way to inform him." Hermione begged him.

"I…," Lucius stared at her.

"To protect your family, you must do what you don't wish to do. To protect your son, your legacy, you must find a way to do what you do wish to do," Hermione said urgently.

"I don't have a son," Lucius muttered, frowning at her. Hermione shrugged.

"Your father will marry you off to one of his other supporters, I'm sure. You are bound to have a son, Lucius."

"Hermione, this makes no sense. You are talking crazy, what's wrong with you?" Lucius demanded. Hermione pulled Lucius' head down and kissed him passionately. After a moment, he responded and swept her against his chest, frantically kissing her back. His fingers slid into her silky curls and he kissed his way down her jaw. He placed a light kiss along her throat and then his lips were on hers again. His tongue stroked hers lightly and she moaned against his mouth.

"What the hell is going on?" James' icy voice came from the doorway. Hermione sprang back from Lucius, and tripped almost falling. Lucius put out a steadying hand and caught her elbow. "Step away from my sister, Malfoy."

"Put a sock in it, Potter," Lucius growled thoroughly out of patience with his girlfriend's brother.

"Hermione! Are you going to let him talk to your brother like that?" Sirius demanded from behind James.

"Merlin's Beard, Jamie! Did you bring every last damn Marauder with you?" Hermione hissed at her brother.

"Now, see here, Hermione, you are the one who is in trouble, not me," James argued. Hermione snorted. He frowned at her. "You are in a deserted classroom, at night, sucking Malfoy's face off. You are coming back to Gryffindor tower with me now."

"Well, Lucius, I suppose this is good night. I had a lovely time," she lied effortlessly, a smile on her lips. Lucius smirked back.

"And I as well, Hermione. You will haunt my dreams, tonight," He purred at her.

"Like bloody hell she will! Hermione, I forbid you to go skipping about sodding Malfoy's sodding dreams!" James growled. Hermione rolled her eyes at her brother.

"I don't have any control over that, James. Don't be an even bigger ass than you already are." She snapped at him before she stalked out of the room.