Title: Love Can Grow
Pairing: Lucius/Hermione
Prompt: "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" and must contain a single flower.
Rating: 15
Word Count: 413
Summary: Hermione will never love him.
Author's Notes: Written for dyno_drabbles Lucius/Hermione challenge.

“I really worsened my situation when I ran out, didn't I?” Hermione muttered, sat in the cold cellars of Malfoy Manor. Lucius had been kind enough to allow her to stay in the bedroom next to his, trusting her. Alas, the fiery Miss Granger had tried to sneak out in the middle of the night, and feeling he had no option, he had thrown her in the cellars.

“We can't have you running away now,” he said through gritted teeth; inside it killed him that she had done that. Hermione had become an obsession to him, after Narcissa had been killed he'd transferred all of his emotions to his captured prey and thought of her as a lover.

Hermione sighed. “Why not? What do you even hold me for anyway? I've been here months and nothing, you haven't even asked me any questions.”

Ignoring her, Lucius brought forward what he had been holding behind his back. “I brought you this.”

“A daffodil?” she scoffed at his pathetic attempts to be friendly.

“It's springtime. I thought you'd like it.”

“I'll never like anything you give me,” she spat at him.

Lucius looked at the ground, heartbroken. “If I can trust you, you can stay near me...”

Hermione's eyes grew wide. “Really?”

“Only if I can trust you.”

Anything to get out of the dank cellars, Hermione agreed. “Fine. Thank you,” Lucius smiled at her, “but this doesn't mean anything. I don't love you and I still can't wait for the day you let me leave.” She stood up, fire in her eyes.

“Love can grow,” he whispered in her ear before using his wand to let them out.

“Not for a murdering Death Eater it can't,” she snapped at him.

“Is that so?” Lucius had had enough, if she wasn't going to love him of her own accord, he was going to have to force her. “Stay here,” he commanded, throwing her against the wall with his wand.

A few hours later, Lucius returned with the love potion Amortentia. Hermione was no idiot, and she refused to drink anything he offered her suspiciously, so Lucius had to use the Imperius curse. The effects were instantaneous, and Lucius was going to administer the dose for as long as it took for her to love him wholeheartedly. Of course, deep down he knew it wasn't real, and she'd never love him, especially after this, but he put those feelings aside and enjoyed Hermione's new obsession. Himself.