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Hermione held tighter than necessary to her husband’s arm as the two stepped into the Great Hall which resounded with the sounds of over one hundred people
who awaited them there. She felt almost timid as she surveyed them all, arranged at about ten long tables arranged in rows below the Lord’s table, which was
set above them all on a dias. It looked positively medieval.
“Ah, I see the Lord and his bride have finally arrived,” said Egremon loudly as he ostentatiously stepped forward to bow before them in such a manner as to
make it clear to everyone who was observant that it was Lucius to whom the gesture was directed, and not to the woman at his side.
Hermione wanted to kick the man in his self-righteous teeth, but instead she graciously stepped in front of her husband, bowed slightly forward, and said,
“You may rise, Egremon. We are pleased to be here. Greetings to you all, good subjects. Please, be seated. I’m certain all of you must be hungry. We shall
delegate ceremonial nonsense for the end of the meal, at least this once.”
Lucius watched, amused, as Hermione held forth her hands to the entire assemblage and strode with great authority to take her rightful seat to the right of
his own. He cast Egremon a challenging glance as he gazed after her, and only when she was sitting did he politely incline his head as well and ascend to
his chair. He stood before it and raised his glass to them all.
“I am well pleased to see my wife is so at home with her new station,” he told them all. “For I must make myself quite plain, here and now, Lady Hermione
is most definitely not going anywhere. She will not be cast aside, as some have suggested, in favor of another woman. She alone will bear my heir, and I
will brook no argument on the matter. Any man or woman here who disagrees, feel free to leave my castle this instant and be welcome here no more.”
Of course, no one there moved a muscle.
“Very well, then,” said Lucius as he sat down. “Then let us eat.”
An orchestra struck up some music, and a veritable feast was begun. The first course was brought in on seven silver trays, with one swan upon each roasted
in its plumage and surrounded by potatoes and carrots and other vegetables, followed by all manner of other such extravagant dishes. Hermione was so full by
the third round of the festivities she didn’t know how she could continue for another twelve when she heard that’s how many more were coming.
“This is insane,” she told Lucius.
“Just nibble, my darling,” Lucius suggested. “It’s mostly all for show, for the other Lords and Ladies in attendance—to prove that we have the wealth to be
able to put on this big of a feast in the first place.”
“Do we?” she inquired curiously.
“I’ve no idea,” he admitted. “I won’t be able to find that out for another day or so, at best. There are too many other matters to attend to first.”
“And what am I to be doing during all that time?”
“Making certain the household is in proper order, the linens are to your liking, the servants are doing as you would want them to be, that sort of thing,” he
explained. “I’ll obtain a lady’s companion who will be able to instruct you in such matters, so you will feel more at your ease. I know this is a big change
for you, but I’m sure you will be able to muddle through. And, of course, we shall also be working on getting an heir—that’s a very important task, too.”
Hermione blushed, and said, “Oh, yes, that’s something we’ve absolutely got to work on during the next couple days while trying to settle in. Can’t possibly
neglect that one.”
“No, not at all,” he agreed with a grin. “That’s the one that makes the rest of it easier to bear.”
Hermione squeezed his knee beneath the table.
“None of that, now, or I shall have to ditch this whole feast in favor of getting started on that heir right now,” he commented dryly as he leaned forward
to sip at his wine.
“Mmm, not a bad idea, that one,” she answered sweetly, then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Egremon was sneering in her general direction. She wondered
what he was saying to the young woman at his side, who also seemed to be looking at her with distaste. Nudging Lucius’s arm, she said, “Who is that girl?”
“Hmm?” Lucius said, glancing over. “I’ve no idea, sweetheart. Probably the old coot’s paramour, no doubt. He always was a bit of a lecher.”
“She certainly seems keenly interested in me,” Hermione pointed out. “She hasn’t really taken her eyes off of either one of us since we got here. It’s kind of
creepy.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” Lucius admitted. “Must be that dress you’re wearing. Excellent cleavage you’ve got going on there, Hermione.”
“Would you stop, you horny goat?” Hermione complained, slapping his arm and giggling. “There’s court intrigue going on here, and all you care about is bit
of my anatomy.”
“Well, that’s because your anatomy is much more important to me than their silly court intrigue, my dear,” he pointed out. “Most especially when my anatomy
is so very close to it and wants to be even closer.”
"Lucius, did this Egremon have a different wife selected for you instead of me when he wanted you to get rid of me?” Hermione inquired as she looked over at
the young woman speculatively. The girl’s eye met hers in blatant challenge, and Hermione raised a brow at her, letting her know the behavior would not be
condoned.
“I have no idea, love,” he said, following her line of thought. “But even if he did, I could care less. I’m not giving up my one true love for some silly
little skirt, no matter what the man thinks.”
Her heart clenched at his words, and she finally turned away from the distracting girl. “One true love?” she repeated softly, as if he’d breathed the incantation
that would open the doorway to her innermost soul.
“Yes,” he answered softly as he took her hand and brought it to his lips. “From the moment I first saw you, till the moment I take my dying breath, you will
always be the heart of me—you, Hermione Granger, Muggle-born witch who has taken the world by storm, and who is destined to do great things, and to be the
mother of all Malfoys of the future, only you forever. Did you not know that?”
“I—I knew you loved me, of course,” she answered shyly, drawing his hand to her lips now. “But I was uncertain how deep the regard might be. But do you know what,
Lucius? I’ve been giving my own regard a lot of thought since I realized it existed, and I can say with great certainty now that it is equal to your own.”
“Truly?” he asked, his voice cracking with the emotion behind it.
“Definitely,” she answered, and regardless of all the eyes upon them the two kissed each other and then shared a heartfelt, mutual gaze that lasted for quite
some time, the spell broken only by the arrival of the noises made by the arrival of the next course when it arrived.
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