Lucius Malfoy tapped his fingers against the desk one more time, waiting for his visitor. It wasn't Narcissa. She'd made it clear during her last visit she was taking a holiday at the Lakes with Severus.
He briefly considered that it might be Draco. But Draco only came to visit if he was summoned, not to mention he was still honeymooning with the little tart he'd married with his father's permission.
With his wife and son not being possibilities, Lucius was at a loss. He'd been in Azkaban for the last three years and those were the only two visitors he ever received. None of the former Death Eaters bothered to keep him aware of the Cause. Lucius assumed Potter must have succeeded in killing the Dark Lord once and for all. Why else hadn't he been rescued?
To make things so much worse, his solicitors reported the previous day they'd exhausted their final appeal. The Wizengamot denied his hope for a pardon; not that Lucius was altogether surprised. That old fool Dumbledore still presided over the court. The Dementor's Kiss loomed in his near future, and his family would live on, laughing at him.
He was pulled from his musings when the door behind him opened and someone entered. The Malfoy quelled the urge to turn and see who was visiting him. The figure sat in front of him, a black hood over their head. A hand with long, gnarled fingers reached up to pull the hood back. Lucius was surprised when black, wavy hair was revealed. Since he'd last seen her, the witch had lost the look from being locked away for so long. Her entire appearance had changed – her hair no longer stringy and matted, her eyes no longer sunken into her skull. The robes she wore were fitted, revealing the curves she had regained. The curves she and Narcissa always used against him. He once considered her the most beautiful witch he laid eyes on, and now he could remember why.
It had been ten years since he'd seen her last, but Lucius remembered everything. Besides himself, Lucius considered her to be the Dark Lord's most loyal supporter. He could still remember the attack at the Ministry when Lord Voldemort had saved her, leaving the rest of them for capture.
"Bella."
The witch's mouth twisted into what was supposed to be a smile. "Luci, darling. How are you?"
Lucius sat straight up; clearly shocked she was there. "Surprised. What're you doing here?"
"I missed the place."
Her brother-in-law wasn't a bit amused. "You're lying."
"I am," Bellatrix Lestrange agreed. "I read my nephew married a Muggle-lover. Such a shame."
"He married her at my instruction." Lucius leaned forward, clearly not intimidated by the witch in front of him. "Why concern yourself with Draco?" he questioned. "You haven't seen him since he was a toddler."
"You're right. He was still suckling on Cissa's tit when I went away." She said this casually, as if she'd spent the last fifteen years traveling instead of in prison. "In the pictures, it was obvious he was a Malfoy through and through. Except for his unfortunate love for Arthur Weasley's daughter."
"Draco does not love that pauper," Lucius forced through clinched teeth. "He married her because I told him to."
"And why would you want the boy connected to such an unfortunate family?" the black-haired witch questioned. "What's in it for you?"
"I'll die knowing my son has ruined Weasley's only daughter. His precious, beautiful daughter will be bound to the one man who doesn't love her. Because he isn't capable of love – I killed that in him a long time ago."
"Die?" Bellatrix repeated. "You're not going to die Lucius. Not for a very long time."
His smirk was cold. "I'd like to think that as well. However, I know differently. I imagine I'll receive the Kiss in the next month. My last stay has been denied."
"Lucius, love, you won't spend another night in this prison."
"Bella—"
The witch held up a hand to stop him. "You'll be out by sun down tonight. I promise you."
"How?"
Her lips twitched in amusement. "I can't tell you, you know that. If the guards suspect anything they won't hesitate to use Veritasarum before you return to your cell. You'll have to trust me."
"Trust you?" the blond questioned. "I don't trust you—"
"I saw Narcissa two days ago. She and Severus were changing carriages in Bath. They looked very happy together," Bellatrix taunted him. "Does it bother you that your dutiful Malfoy bride is carrying on such an obvious affair? I can recall a time when your love for her ran deep."
"I don't love her anymore."
"Your denial only proves that you do. I can help you, Luci. I'll get you out of here and you'll be free to do whatever you want.
"Just think," she mused, "Draco and his bride will be powerless to stop you. As well as Severus – you and I both know you held much more power than he. And the Dark Lord will gladly welcome you back into his inner circle."
"He's alive?" Lucius asked eagerly.
"Potter didn't kill him, if that's what you want to know. Alive is something entirely different."
A guard must have appeared behind him, because Bellatrix stood. She was careful to stay in the shadows as she pulled the hood back over her hair. Lucius watched as she pushed the chair beneath the table and came towards him. Once she reached his side, she stopped. Bending down, she brushed her lips across his cheek leaving behind a trail of lipstick. "Tonight, love. You and I will be reunited tonight."
"Tonight," he repeated.
After Bellatrix was gone and he was being led back to his cell, Lucius couldn't help but smile. Tomorrow the whole world would pay. Draco and his wife, Narcissa and Severus, Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, the Wizengamot – anyone who was responsible for his incarceration in anyway. Tomorrow he and Bella would be together again, wreaking havoc against anyone in their way.
Tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginny heard the stick hit the floor with a soft thud. The noise, however, wasn't enough to penetrate her brain. Because all she could think of at the moment were Draco's lips against her own. How soft, but firm they were. His hands were cupping her face, her head tilted back to give him better access.
All she could think was that she never wanted to stop kissing him. Ginny knew she would never tire of it – of him.
"I want you," she heard his hoarse whisper. A moment later, he was lifting her onto the billiards table. With a knee, he pushed her thighs a part and stepped into her body.
Holy Mother of Circe, she hoped he never stopped. His lips left hers and started up her cheek. Draco kissed and nipped his way to her ear. "I want you, Gin."
With a nod of her head, she was agreeing. Even if she didn't know it. She wanted him too. In fact, he was probably the only man – or boy – she'd ever wanted like this. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer still.
The kiss was his reward for winning the game. After she'd lost the second game, Draco offered a wager. For every ball sunk, the other would remove a piece of clothing. Ginny hadn't taken him up on the offer. She'd settle for a compromise – if he won again, she'd give him something he wanted. The same went for her.
There were, of course, limitations. Nothing sexual had been her first rule. And nothing degrading. Draco had agreed with a gleam in his silver eyes. It'd taken him only three turns to beat her, his best game yet.
Her husband had calmly replaced his wooden stick on the wall rack and turned on her. She'd been standing there, waiting for him to say something, when suddenly he was cupping her face in his hands and his lips were on hers.
He tasted like heaven. The kiss when they married was nothing compared to this. At Hogwarts, Ginny discovered she liked kissing Draco above all others, but thought eventually someone would come along to replace him. Only, it never happened. She'd slowly given up snogging all other boys, because none of them were Draco. In just a year, Ginny Weasley had fallen for Draco Malfoy. And when he left Hogwarts behind him – not to mention her – he'd taken part of her heart with him.
It was something he never returned. Which was precisely why she should stop kissing him. Except he felt so good against her. There bodies lined up perfectly; she filled in all of his voids.
"Gin," Draco sighed. "Come to my room."
His words didn't penetrate the haze around her brain.
"Ginny." He kissed down her throat to the collarbone. "Will you?"
"What?" Tilting her head back, Ginny heard herself moan. Her hands went to his hair, intent on holding him in place.
"I…I want to be with you. Come to my room." He sucked on her pulse point, knowing there would be a love bite there tomorrow. "Please?"
His wife heard him that time. How she wanted to take him up on his offer – which was exactly why she didn't. The hands there were holding him close started pushing him away. "Draco, stop. We have to stop."
"Stop?" he repeated.
Her hands pushed a little harder against his chest. "Yes. Stop. We have to stop."
Draco's blond head fell to her shoulder as he fought to gain control of himself. He knew he couldn’t push her. "Why?"
"I…"
He looked up into her brown eyes. "What? What is it?"
Ginny could feel the blush on her cheeks. "I'm not very…experienced."
"Is that supposed to make me not want you?" he questioned. "If so, it's not having the effect you hoped for."
If possible, she blushed even harder. "Don't say things like that."
"Like what?" Draco asked. "Do you want me to say I don't want you? Because I do." He removed his hands from her thighs, placing them on the railing of the billiards table. No part of his body was touching hers, but there faces were mere centimeters apart. "I want you more than any woman I've ever wanted. I have since Hogwarts."
"I don't want it to happen like this," she whispered.
Her words him like a bucket of cold water. Draco removed his hands and stepped back abruptly. Bending, he picked up the stick she'd dropped. "I see."
Ginny sighed heavily. "I think you've misunderstood."
"I understand you perfectly." His words were cold; there was an edge to his voice.
"Draco."
"Can we just forget everything that's happened here today?"
"No!" Ginny pushed herself off the billiards table and went to him. His back was to her, his body full of tension. The redhead gently placed her hand in the middle of his back. "It's not that I don't want you, Draco. But I don't want to be ravished in the middle of a billiards table."
"I would have taken you to my bed."
"What was that?" she questioned.
"Nothing."
Ginny turned him so he faced her. "What did you say?"
He had two bright pink spots on his cheeks. "I said, I would have taken you to my bed."
"Draco—"
"You have to know I'm attracted to you," he admitted hastily.
His wife nodded. "Yes, but that's physical, Draco. You and I have never had a problem with the physical – we always worked that way. But a relationship is much more than that."
"A relationship?"
"A marriage is much more than that, Draco."
Her voice was so soft he was straining to hear her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean there's this great big thing between us. But it's just lust – this physical desire we have. I have too much respect for myself to enter into any kind of relationship like that. And I hope you respect me enough to not ask."
"I would never—"
"There was a time when I thought you and I might have a future. But you left. Not just Hogwarts, but me. You've already said you shagged whomever you wanted for five years. How would I know I'm not the same?"
"You aren't."
"It's not a chance I want to take. I…I can't let you take any more of me."
Before he could respond, she'd turned and walked away. Her bedroom door clicked shut. Draco knew she'd probably put several locking charms on it as well.
That hadn't gone well at all. What had started as a rather simple, pleasurable kiss turned into something entirely different. It frustrated him to no end. As soon as they started to move forward, something would come along the muck up the progress they'd made.
What Ginny didn't know was that he did respect her. Because he loved her, it would never be purely physical. Draco realized telling her wouldn't make her believe him, so he'd just have to prove to her. He wasn't in this for a quick shag.
Bloody hell. When had his life gotten so complicated?
He briefly considered that it might be Draco. But Draco only came to visit if he was summoned, not to mention he was still honeymooning with the little tart he'd married with his father's permission.
With his wife and son not being possibilities, Lucius was at a loss. He'd been in Azkaban for the last three years and those were the only two visitors he ever received. None of the former Death Eaters bothered to keep him aware of the Cause. Lucius assumed Potter must have succeeded in killing the Dark Lord once and for all. Why else hadn't he been rescued?
To make things so much worse, his solicitors reported the previous day they'd exhausted their final appeal. The Wizengamot denied his hope for a pardon; not that Lucius was altogether surprised. That old fool Dumbledore still presided over the court. The Dementor's Kiss loomed in his near future, and his family would live on, laughing at him.
He was pulled from his musings when the door behind him opened and someone entered. The Malfoy quelled the urge to turn and see who was visiting him. The figure sat in front of him, a black hood over their head. A hand with long, gnarled fingers reached up to pull the hood back. Lucius was surprised when black, wavy hair was revealed. Since he'd last seen her, the witch had lost the look from being locked away for so long. Her entire appearance had changed – her hair no longer stringy and matted, her eyes no longer sunken into her skull. The robes she wore were fitted, revealing the curves she had regained. The curves she and Narcissa always used against him. He once considered her the most beautiful witch he laid eyes on, and now he could remember why.
It had been ten years since he'd seen her last, but Lucius remembered everything. Besides himself, Lucius considered her to be the Dark Lord's most loyal supporter. He could still remember the attack at the Ministry when Lord Voldemort had saved her, leaving the rest of them for capture.
"Bella."
The witch's mouth twisted into what was supposed to be a smile. "Luci, darling. How are you?"
Lucius sat straight up; clearly shocked she was there. "Surprised. What're you doing here?"
"I missed the place."
Her brother-in-law wasn't a bit amused. "You're lying."
"I am," Bellatrix Lestrange agreed. "I read my nephew married a Muggle-lover. Such a shame."
"He married her at my instruction." Lucius leaned forward, clearly not intimidated by the witch in front of him. "Why concern yourself with Draco?" he questioned. "You haven't seen him since he was a toddler."
"You're right. He was still suckling on Cissa's tit when I went away." She said this casually, as if she'd spent the last fifteen years traveling instead of in prison. "In the pictures, it was obvious he was a Malfoy through and through. Except for his unfortunate love for Arthur Weasley's daughter."
"Draco does not love that pauper," Lucius forced through clinched teeth. "He married her because I told him to."
"And why would you want the boy connected to such an unfortunate family?" the black-haired witch questioned. "What's in it for you?"
"I'll die knowing my son has ruined Weasley's only daughter. His precious, beautiful daughter will be bound to the one man who doesn't love her. Because he isn't capable of love – I killed that in him a long time ago."
"Die?" Bellatrix repeated. "You're not going to die Lucius. Not for a very long time."
His smirk was cold. "I'd like to think that as well. However, I know differently. I imagine I'll receive the Kiss in the next month. My last stay has been denied."
"Lucius, love, you won't spend another night in this prison."
"Bella—"
The witch held up a hand to stop him. "You'll be out by sun down tonight. I promise you."
"How?"
Her lips twitched in amusement. "I can't tell you, you know that. If the guards suspect anything they won't hesitate to use Veritasarum before you return to your cell. You'll have to trust me."
"Trust you?" the blond questioned. "I don't trust you—"
"I saw Narcissa two days ago. She and Severus were changing carriages in Bath. They looked very happy together," Bellatrix taunted him. "Does it bother you that your dutiful Malfoy bride is carrying on such an obvious affair? I can recall a time when your love for her ran deep."
"I don't love her anymore."
"Your denial only proves that you do. I can help you, Luci. I'll get you out of here and you'll be free to do whatever you want.
"Just think," she mused, "Draco and his bride will be powerless to stop you. As well as Severus – you and I both know you held much more power than he. And the Dark Lord will gladly welcome you back into his inner circle."
"He's alive?" Lucius asked eagerly.
"Potter didn't kill him, if that's what you want to know. Alive is something entirely different."
A guard must have appeared behind him, because Bellatrix stood. She was careful to stay in the shadows as she pulled the hood back over her hair. Lucius watched as she pushed the chair beneath the table and came towards him. Once she reached his side, she stopped. Bending down, she brushed her lips across his cheek leaving behind a trail of lipstick. "Tonight, love. You and I will be reunited tonight."
"Tonight," he repeated.
After Bellatrix was gone and he was being led back to his cell, Lucius couldn't help but smile. Tomorrow the whole world would pay. Draco and his wife, Narcissa and Severus, Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, the Wizengamot – anyone who was responsible for his incarceration in anyway. Tomorrow he and Bella would be together again, wreaking havoc against anyone in their way.
Tomorrow.
Ginny heard the stick hit the floor with a soft thud. The noise, however, wasn't enough to penetrate her brain. Because all she could think of at the moment were Draco's lips against her own. How soft, but firm they were. His hands were cupping her face, her head tilted back to give him better access.
All she could think was that she never wanted to stop kissing him. Ginny knew she would never tire of it – of him.
"I want you," she heard his hoarse whisper. A moment later, he was lifting her onto the billiards table. With a knee, he pushed her thighs a part and stepped into her body.
Holy Mother of Circe, she hoped he never stopped. His lips left hers and started up her cheek. Draco kissed and nipped his way to her ear. "I want you, Gin."
With a nod of her head, she was agreeing. Even if she didn't know it. She wanted him too. In fact, he was probably the only man – or boy – she'd ever wanted like this. Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer still.
The kiss was his reward for winning the game. After she'd lost the second game, Draco offered a wager. For every ball sunk, the other would remove a piece of clothing. Ginny hadn't taken him up on the offer. She'd settle for a compromise – if he won again, she'd give him something he wanted. The same went for her.
There were, of course, limitations. Nothing sexual had been her first rule. And nothing degrading. Draco had agreed with a gleam in his silver eyes. It'd taken him only three turns to beat her, his best game yet.
Her husband had calmly replaced his wooden stick on the wall rack and turned on her. She'd been standing there, waiting for him to say something, when suddenly he was cupping her face in his hands and his lips were on hers.
He tasted like heaven. The kiss when they married was nothing compared to this. At Hogwarts, Ginny discovered she liked kissing Draco above all others, but thought eventually someone would come along to replace him. Only, it never happened. She'd slowly given up snogging all other boys, because none of them were Draco. In just a year, Ginny Weasley had fallen for Draco Malfoy. And when he left Hogwarts behind him – not to mention her – he'd taken part of her heart with him.
It was something he never returned. Which was precisely why she should stop kissing him. Except he felt so good against her. There bodies lined up perfectly; she filled in all of his voids.
"Gin," Draco sighed. "Come to my room."
His words didn't penetrate the haze around her brain.
"Ginny." He kissed down her throat to the collarbone. "Will you?"
"What?" Tilting her head back, Ginny heard herself moan. Her hands went to his hair, intent on holding him in place.
"I…I want to be with you. Come to my room." He sucked on her pulse point, knowing there would be a love bite there tomorrow. "Please?"
His wife heard him that time. How she wanted to take him up on his offer – which was exactly why she didn't. The hands there were holding him close started pushing him away. "Draco, stop. We have to stop."
"Stop?" he repeated.
Her hands pushed a little harder against his chest. "Yes. Stop. We have to stop."
Draco's blond head fell to her shoulder as he fought to gain control of himself. He knew he couldn’t push her. "Why?"
"I…"
He looked up into her brown eyes. "What? What is it?"
Ginny could feel the blush on her cheeks. "I'm not very…experienced."
"Is that supposed to make me not want you?" he questioned. "If so, it's not having the effect you hoped for."
If possible, she blushed even harder. "Don't say things like that."
"Like what?" Draco asked. "Do you want me to say I don't want you? Because I do." He removed his hands from her thighs, placing them on the railing of the billiards table. No part of his body was touching hers, but there faces were mere centimeters apart. "I want you more than any woman I've ever wanted. I have since Hogwarts."
"I don't want it to happen like this," she whispered.
Her words him like a bucket of cold water. Draco removed his hands and stepped back abruptly. Bending, he picked up the stick she'd dropped. "I see."
Ginny sighed heavily. "I think you've misunderstood."
"I understand you perfectly." His words were cold; there was an edge to his voice.
"Draco."
"Can we just forget everything that's happened here today?"
"No!" Ginny pushed herself off the billiards table and went to him. His back was to her, his body full of tension. The redhead gently placed her hand in the middle of his back. "It's not that I don't want you, Draco. But I don't want to be ravished in the middle of a billiards table."
"I would have taken you to my bed."
"What was that?" she questioned.
"Nothing."
Ginny turned him so he faced her. "What did you say?"
He had two bright pink spots on his cheeks. "I said, I would have taken you to my bed."
"Draco—"
"You have to know I'm attracted to you," he admitted hastily.
His wife nodded. "Yes, but that's physical, Draco. You and I have never had a problem with the physical – we always worked that way. But a relationship is much more than that."
"A relationship?"
"A marriage is much more than that, Draco."
Her voice was so soft he was straining to hear her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean there's this great big thing between us. But it's just lust – this physical desire we have. I have too much respect for myself to enter into any kind of relationship like that. And I hope you respect me enough to not ask."
"I would never—"
"There was a time when I thought you and I might have a future. But you left. Not just Hogwarts, but me. You've already said you shagged whomever you wanted for five years. How would I know I'm not the same?"
"You aren't."
"It's not a chance I want to take. I…I can't let you take any more of me."
Before he could respond, she'd turned and walked away. Her bedroom door clicked shut. Draco knew she'd probably put several locking charms on it as well.
That hadn't gone well at all. What had started as a rather simple, pleasurable kiss turned into something entirely different. It frustrated him to no end. As soon as they started to move forward, something would come along the muck up the progress they'd made.
What Ginny didn't know was that he did respect her. Because he loved her, it would never be purely physical. Draco realized telling her wouldn't make her believe him, so he'd just have to prove to her. He wasn't in this for a quick shag.
Bloody hell. When had his life gotten so complicated?
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