Lucius slowly sighed as Hermione apparated away. Of course. Well, it was officially out of his hands. Was she really that scared of anything he would do to her? That probably cut a deeper wound than her use of a love potion had. So, she wouldn't face him. That would be a problem in coming times.

When the owl came, he could only shake his head. She wouldn't listen to anything he said. He'd have to wait for her to face him. Which meant he could be waiting a long, long time. Hmm . . . at least ift would give him time to grieve. Maybe if he could put Amelia behind him, then he could move on with Hermione? He'd just have to wait and see.

"What should I do, Scorpius?"

He asked with a sigh as he looked over to his grandson. Of course all he was answered with was a tired yawn from the sleeping baby as he turned over in the transfigured cot.

"Hmm . . . good idea, I suppose."

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Hermione waited two hours for a reply and when none came she slumped back to her room at the Hogshead. A part of her had hoped he'd reply and in it confess his realisation that he did love her. Another part thought maybe he'd track her down, find her, and show her how much he really loved her but never realised until now. Logically she knew neither would happen. It wasn't realistic but her stupid heart still wished upon that damn star for something that would never be hers.

At least it would never be hers in reality. Her gaze caught the enchanted novel and all attempts to resist its temptation left her. If she couldn't have Lucius and his love here then she'd have it there. A vague plan formed in her mind of working during the day and sinking into this enchanted book at night. It was the perfect solution and would almost seem like a normal life where she came home to the man who loved her.

She picked up the romance book, opened it up and spoke aloud the incantation. The second the words had finished being spoken her eyes fell shut as the magic carried her into sleep...

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It seemed to Hermione like a second had passed when she opened her eyes, taking in the view of an unfamiliar and brand new world. She noticed she was in a busy marketplace. The time period had to have been quite far back in the past as it looked far older then anything in the wizarding world and they seemed stuck in the past most of the time.

Upon realising there was something going on ahead in the market square, Hermione headed that way. The crowd was thick and she realised a lot of it consisted of women trying their best to stand out. Even those with nothing but the clothes on their back were using whatever water available to clean the dirt from their face and hands.

Frowning she managed to find a way to the front only to gasp in shock and awe at the sight of Lucius surrounded by a heavenly glow. He looked ethereal, more so then usual, and as usual she felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of him.

What Hermione meant to say was Lucius what came out in a breathy sigh was:

"Hades..."

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Lucius probably should have been panicked as he suddenly went from Malfoy Manor to Ancient Greece, but he was far too curious to be panicked. As he gained his bearings, he could hear one thing in particular; 'Hades.' A quick glance around showed that all eyes (or nearly all eyes) were on him. Interesting.

It wasn't until he heard one sigh in particular over the collective murmurs of everyone else that it all clicked. Hermione had dragged them into an erotic fertility novel. Even more interesting. Now, after the letter she wrote, Lucius couldn't honestly believe that Hermione would intentionally do something like this. At least, he didn't expect she understood the magic surrounding the book she'd picked up to realize just what she'd done. Therefore, he couldn't be angry with her. Though, since the magic wouldn't allow him out of character or to go against the plot for even a moment, he supposed he couldn't be mad either way.

Therefore he did what he only could do. He went on with the show.

His eyes sought out the source of the melodic sigh, he quickly found Hermione amongst the crowd and couldn't help but smile. She certainly looked lovely as a Grecian woman. After stepping down from his platform, Lucius leisurely made his way through the parting crowds until he stood in front of Hermione.

"Hello, lovely. Might I inquire as to the name of such a beautiful maiden?"

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Oh my god he's coming towards me! Hermione thought, her heart leaping in her chest at the sight of him. It was stupid really. She felt like a schoolgirl who had her dream crush finally noticing her and this time nothing could go wrong - this book was a guaranteed happy ending! He was here and all hers... and here she could be all his.

"Oh m- Um, my name... my name is Kore."

Hermione had wanted to say her name instead of Kore but the book wouldn't let her. She found it surprising the words before that were all hers though. The book must allow her to say what she wished as long as it didn't go against the story and the key parts of it such as names and plot points were made sure to happen the right way. Of course despite her mind working this out quickly she was still blushing bright red at Lucius' compliment. Well, Hades but at this point Hermione was doing her best to forget this was just a fictional character and not an enchanted type of seduction scene played in real life.

She quickly dipped into a clumsy and bad attempt at a curtsey - after all she was before a God and honestly she wouldn't be surprised if Lucius really was a God back home or descended from one. One of her hands went to her fluttering heart which felt like without the touch it was going to leap from her chest.

"My lord you honour me with your attentions. Is there anything I can help you with?"

She would get her happily ever after one way or another.

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Ahh, Kore. He was familiar with this particular myth. Before Persephone, Hades loved a mortal known as Kore. After her death he immortalized her in the stars, and her defendants were rumoured to be under the blessing and protection of Hades.

"Must a man need help with something to seek the company of a lovely woman?"

Lucius asked in reply, smiling softly to Hermione - or, Kore he supposed. He wasn't too worried about what would happen during the time in the book (which though could seem like several days, was actually much shorter than real time) as he'd used a book like this before. Not with this particular plot, but a similar book none the less.

"Though I suppose I should admit I would rather enjoy you coming with me back to my realm."

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As the scene continued Hermione felt herself growing more bold. This was her world now, a place where everything that she longed for could happen and so without fear of rejection her heartbroken outer shell began to fall away.

"Well then you've answered your own question! I don't know if I should be flattered or not to be labelled as a lady of the night when I am most assuredly not."

She replied, a hand fluttering above her breast where her heart lay as she feigned insult. She was pretty sure in this day and age a man only ever asked a female to accompany him alone for sexual pleasures. Anything else usually had an escort if she remembered right, and besides for once she wanted a man to persue her. She wanted a man to work to have her. She wanted to be hunted, romanced, and swept off her feet. She loved Lucius with all her heart but here she wanted everything she couldn't have (and didn't) back in the real world. This was her chance to not only really feel what love was like, but to feel what it was like to be a real woman as well as a real woman being wanted, no needed by a man.

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"I apologize, fair Kore, I meant no offence, and I certainly did not mean to insinuate such an idea. It is quite clear a maiden like yourself would not indulge in such activities."

Lucius said in answer to Hermione, giving her a small bow of apology.

"Please, mistake me not for my brother, Zeus. I can assure you that we reside on very opposite ends of the spectrum in those aspects."

He had to admit, playing this out was amusing in its own way. It certainly distracted him from everything else that had been going on, and with the last few days, that was a godsend.

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"I believe you my lord. You can't blame a woman for being cautious though since there are many men in this world just like your brother."

Hermione replied softly and hesitantly, making sure she kept her body language submissive. She didn't want upset her Lucius after all. In order to separate the Lucius in the real world to this Lucius she decided to label this Lucius as 'her Lucius'. It was far easier this way and here, in this fictional world, Lucius was hers so it was easy to remember.

Now she was curious as to what the 'Godly realm' or Mount Olympus looked like as far as this book was concerned. Hopefully it was something beautiful...

"What, if I may be so bold, did you have in mind then when you asked me to your realm?"

Hermione asked softly, hoping her natural inquisitiveness wasn't about to get her into trouble for talking too boldy towards a man.

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"Far too many, indeed."

Lucius agreed. He couldn't help but wonder if Hermione though of him when she said that. It turned his stomach over just to think about it, but he realized he likely deserved it.

"Well, a beautiful woman should be able to see a beautiful place, even if its beauty is not half as strong as hers. Athens is a lovely city, but it cannot compare to Olympus, just as Olympus cannot compare to you."

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"Such beautiful words."

Hermione murmurred, finding her enchantment with the place receeding a little. Lucius had told her such pretty words and like a fool she'd believed them and thought they were proof of his love. Before the heartbreak she would have been over the moon with such words and blushed prettily in response. Now she felt her heart flinch, her sheilds go up and her body instinctively take a step backwards.

Pretty words meant nothing. She knew that now.

She tried to tell herself it didn't matter here. This was her story book, she could have her happily ever after here, but it was hard to believe that when the pain was still so fresh. Hermione cleared her throat as she forced herself to focus on the situation at hand. She would find love and enjoyment here. She had to.

"I'm afraid kind sir," She spoke louder, "that such flattery does not affect me. Not anymore."

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"Is the truth merely flattery once spoken? I promise you, my dear Kore, my words are sincere. However, if words cannot convince you, then perhaps actions will."

Lucius said, gently smiling at Hermione. As much as the words stung, it was nice to know she was still her, even within the confines of a book.

"If I cannot show you the Underworld just yet, then please, give me the honor and join me in Olympus, with the gods as my witness where I can do you no harm."

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"Its the spoken lies I worry about my lord. What no one realises is the most beautiful lies tend to hurt the most."

Hermione confided in him, not feeling at all self conscious about revealing her feelings so bluntly to her Lucius. Fictional Lucius. At least this one would love her, it was written in the book and nothing that she did or said would change it.

"I feel like I can tell you anything."

She admitted. She had felt the same way with the real Lucius.

"I used to feel that way about someone else but all he told me were lies, such beautiful well-spun lies that I gave him something precious and it was only after I realised it was all a trick based on lies. Its why I feel so strongly for you my lord. You refuse to bow down to your brother, you refuse to lower yourself to such vile levels, and you are never without honour and truth. I know you would never dare to tell a woman you loved them when you did not. You're better then that."

Hermione rambled, flushed by the time she had finished.

"I'd be honoured to see your world."

She replied to his invitation and held out her hand for him to take. In that moment Hermione vowed to let go of the real Lucius and to embrace her Lucius. Maybe when the story was over she could find a way to modify the charm so that wherever she lived in the real world she could have her Lucius there, real, solid, and devoted. No one would have to know...

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Her words made the knots in his stomach worse, and worse, and worse. He wanted to tell her it really was him and not just a book, but he couldn't. All that would come out was:

"I would never lie to you, my lady. Your trust is the most precious thing to me."

And it was true. Lucius had never realized just how much her trust in him meant to him until he'd lost it. He'd crossed the line so many times, but still she loved him. That wasn't something he could ignore even if he had wanted to - which he didn't.

As Hermione held out her hand, Lucius took it, closing his long, slender fingers around hers. If she knew it was him, would she have said anything? Would she even dare go near him outside of the stories bounds of control? He couldn't help but sadly realize how unlikely that was.

"My chariot is just out in the countryside. It will take us to Olympus with great haste."

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Hermione really wanted to believe him, and the fact that this was a story did help but of course the heart had a mind of its own. As much as her brain knew she was safe, she could not have her heart broken here, her heart was still aching and reluctant to trust again.

"I've never been in a chariot before."

She told him, a happy, little smile on her lips. After all she was always eager to acquire new knowledge and finding out about Olympus - albeit a story's version of Olympus - was interesting to her. Besides that she'd get to spend some time with her, safe, Lucius.

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Lucius' smile was perhaps a touch remorseful as he realized just how reluctant his wife really was, even in such a tightly controlled environment. He really hadn't meant to do this to her. It hurt him to realize just how much she was hurting.

"It isn't much really. Well, not a normal chariot. However this one shall take us into the heavens, and on to Olympus."

He chuckled in amusement, leading her along until they arrived at their transportation. The chariot itself was pure black, with designs depicting the passage from death and into the underworld carved around it. Two pegasi were patiently grazing as they awaited their master, their bodies and wings as black as the night, starkly contrasting to their lush green surroundings. Is they were still, and the lighting dark, they could perhaps be mistaken for shadows. There was no color to be found anywhere on them.

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