a deadly, poetic infection (sappholococcus) wrote in hp_traditions, @ 2008-05-27 12:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | lucius/hermione/severus, nc17 |
Happy Traditions, everyone!
Title: Unlikely Bedfellows, Part 7
Author: cmwinters
Gift For: all fest participants! [original recipient] wanted hurt/comfort, D/s with spanking and femmedom, threesome, Eastern Europan Summer Solstice/Festival of St. John the Baptist, Saturnalia/Yule, Lammas/First Fruits, anything Jewish and/or anything Christian. Er, I tried.
Pairing(s): Lucius/Hermione/Severus, Lucius/Severus
Summary: Hermione finds herself in a strange alliance with the Malfoy family when it's discovered that Snape is alive and in desperate need of immediate medical attention
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: BDSM, hurt/comfort, slightly dominant female, threesome, some homosexual themes although I wouldn't strictly call it "slash"
Author's notes: I hope the beginning isn't too entirely boring. I tried to set it up for something plausible. The muse went on the warpath here. *stabs her with a rusty titanium spork*
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
A couple of weeks after the NEWT celebration party, Hermione received an urgent summons by owl from Narcissa. She knew there was another party planned for later in the month, and assumed that it had something to do with the coordination, and Apparated straight away to Malfoy Manor.
Doddy brought her to the master suite, where a harassed-looking Narcissa was rifling hurriedly through the armoire. Another elf Hermione hadn't yet met was bouncing from foot to foot looking quite harried. "Mistress should let Dilly help," the elf squeaked in protest.
"Oh, FINE!" Narcissa, snapped in exasperation. She spied Hermione in the doorway and strode over to her. "Oh, Hermione, thank Merlin you're here!" she declared with relief. "You are coming to the party, right?" she asked with a worried expression.
"Erm, I was planning on it, yes," Hermione replied, rather concerned about the urgency of the question.
"Oh thank goodness. Please, may I ask you an enormous favour?"
"I guess . . ." Hermione said, not wanting to commit herself without knowing the terms in advance.
"This party; it's for family only so it's going to be an entirely witch and wizard gathering. But I can't be there, and Andromeda can't be there — our cousin in Italy is very ill and we're leaving immediately. Could you possibly stand for me?"
Hermione blinked in confusion. "I beg your pardon? 'Stand for' you? I'm sorry, I don't know what that entails."
"You'd have to welcome the guests and make sure they're taken care of and if anyone is too inebriated to leave, you'd show them to a room and, well, you'd act as the hostess and basically do everything I would do as the lady of the house. There are toasts and traditions that have to be followed but don't worry about that, Lucius will lead. Make sure the decorations are done properly and the preparations are made and display the gifts, and you'd have to be ready early, before any guests arrive, so you'll probably need to stay the night before. It sounds like a lot, but it's really not. We've been hosting this party for years and the elves know what to do and they're preparing the meal. It's honestly more ceremonial. You'll be a bit in the spotlight, but it's not that bad."
Narcissa was right, Hermione thought, it did sound like a lot.
Narcissa sensed Hermione's hesitation. "It's a necessary part of the party; without someone to stand for me, we'd have to cancel it, and it's in three days. I actually don't have anyone else I can ask."
"Um," Hermione began, "who's going to be there?"
"Well, Lucius' family, of course, and the Greengrasses, and the Weasleys and the Longbottoms have all accepted. I think the Macmillans and the Bulstrodes may be coming, and I think your friend Harry Potter. Severus and his cousins have been invited but I don't know if they're attending or not. The rest of my family is going to be in Italy."
Hm Hermione thought. Well, that doesn't sound so bad. "All right," she said, with poorly disguised apprehension.
Narcissa looked at her sharply. "You do realise that your attendance at this party at our invite effectively announces that the Malfoy family considers you a member, correct?"
Hermione blinked. She hadn't known that. "It's not 'official'," Narcissa continued, "not the way a Ministry binding ceremony would, but . . . everyone at the party will know that I asked you to take my position, because the magic of the house wouldn't allow you to do so otherwise. I would expect some of the guests to be a little surprised, given our past history, but no one is going to speak against it or challenge you or anything. It's just . . . when you walk in with Lucius, I would expect to see some wide eyes."
"Er, okay. Um . . . what does that mean for me?" Hermione asked. Favour and unofficial adoption or otherwise, she was not severing her ties with any of her Muggle family.
"Nothing," Narcissa assured her. "You'll just be able to claim all the privilege that I would for the night, and honestly, we're a prominent and affluent family. Accepting is likely to elevate your standing in the community, but you don't lose anything."
Hermione couldn't help but think there was something more to it than that, but she didn't see a graceful way out. "All right," she agreed. "I'll do it. But I'm going to have to go home and make some arrangements for the extra time here."
Narcissa smiled warmly. "Of course, and thank you so much. I know you'll take good care of my guests. And since I won't see you again before then, Happy Christmas, Hermione."
"Happy Christmas to you to, and to Andromeda and Teddy. And give my regards to your cousin," Hermione said before leaving.
As the door closed behind her, Lucius stepped out of the bathroom. "Did she go for it?" he asked his wife, who was gazing at the closed door with a triumphant expression.
"You know, I do believe she did," Narcissa replied.
"Excellent," Lucius said with a conspiratorial grin. "Although, I'm quite sure Severus will be quite furious."
Narcissa scowled. "Well Severus can just go bugger himself," she snorted.
"Ah, no, my dear. I'd far rather do it for him."
"I'm sorry I'll miss it," she said, enveloping her husband in an embrace. "You may have to show me in a Pensieve when I return. Are you sure she'll do it?"
"I think she can be persuaded," he demurred. "Besides, I'll, ah, give her some encouragement. Severus is not the only competent brewer, you know."
She grinned.