Hello, as with my other stories – I'm not looking for critics. This is just an outlet for me to write. hope you enjoy the story! I own nothing but my story and characters.

The loud and annoying voices of people waiting in line to see Gilderoy Lockhart waived up the staircase and bustled in the open space of the bookstore. The first floor was packed - witches and wizards lining the sides and squished in together as they got out their copies of books. He peered down to look at the squabbling characters eagerly anticipating the arrival of the blonde-haired buffoon. Lucius Malfoy turned away with a smug look on his face. He sighed, walking away from the bannister of the staircase.

Idiots, the lot of them he thought to himself.

Lucius ambled around the second floor, a much quieter place. It seemed as if nobody else was up here with him until he saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. Footsteps walked away from him on his right and Lucius turned to see an empty aisle. He heard the shuffling of feet followed by books being put back on the shelf. It was coming from the next aisle over. Lucius slowly approached the end of the aisle and peered around the corner. A green cloak trailed the floor and Lucius's eyes widened as he took in who wore it.

He thought she looked delightful. A young woman stood overlooking a row of books, her pale hand reaching out and closer inspecting some titles. She had dark brown hair waved to her mid back. Deep hazel eyes peered at the books she had been holding now. The young lady smiled to herself as she put them in her shopping bag. It was an immediate draw towards her - his interest peaked in the pretty lass all alone on the second floor.

Lucius stepped forward as she moved to look at books behind her - oblivious to his approaching. Now standing next to her, he cleared his throat and pretended to look at the same row of books. The young woman grabbed another book and read its contents as he drew even closer.

The young lady quickly eyed the man next to her as he peered at books. She blushed and looked back down at the book in her hand, trying to concentrate on the words on the pages, distracted by his presence.

"And what is a young lady like yourself doing up here? Shouldn't you be awaiting the arrival of the glorious Lockhart? All the other young ladies certainly seem excited" Lucius asked in his slow and aristocratic tone.

Lucius looked down to see the woman smile to herself as she continued look at her book, her rosy lips curling up. She was significantly shorter than him and quite petite. He wondered if her delicate stature matched her personality, as he found it often did. When he turned away she replied back to him.

"Well then it is such a shame I missed the owl about fussing over a dandy."

He smiled to himself in amusement of her statement and looked down once more to see that she had shut her book and was walking away from him. Desperate to keep her attention her called out to her.

"Do you want my autograph instead?"

The woman turned to look back at him and smirked. Her eyes gleamed with mischief.

"No…. I'll take the dandy's though" the woman replied softly. She turned back around now, heading down the stairs that led the main part of the bookshop. He watched her disappear as her green cloak trailed behind her on the wooden floor.

He followed in her steps and peered over the railing. The mystery woman was gone. However he caught sight of his son, Draco, talking to someone. Lucius leaned in further to see that it was Harry Potter.

Lucius walked down the stairs and approached his son.

After the rather dull confrontation with the Potter boy and the Weasley's, the Malfoy family stepped out of the bookstore. Draco startled him as he called out to someone in the distance.

"Miss Gardinier!" his little boy exclaimed. Lucius watched as his mystery woman turned to face them. She pushed her velvet green hood back to her shoulders and approached Draco with a warm smile. Lucius straightened up and held his chin in the air, greeting her with a small smile.

"Draco! How nice to see you! How's your summer been?" said the young woman to his son.

"Excellent, Miss Gardinier, I hope you enjoyed yours?" asked Draco. The young lady nodded and continued smiling. She looked up at Malfoy senior under her dark eyelashes; her cheeks turned a slight pink.

"Draco, please introduce me to this lovely young lady" said Lucius to his son as he shifted forward.

"Miss Gardinier, this is my father, Lucius Malfoy. Father, this is Nurse Gardinier. She came to Hogwarts in the middle of last year."

"Oh yes, I remember now. I was one of the many who accepted your application to work at Hogwarts. Very impressive, might I say" Lucius said.

He extended his hand towards her. "Miss Gardinier." She took it.

"Please, call me Isabelle. It is a pleasure to meet Draco's father. I've heard much about you" she replied. Lucius brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. Isabelle's eye's widened as he kissed her hand. His gaze was piercing and she looked down in shyness. She withdrew her hand and her cheeks turned pink.

"Have you gotten all your books Draco?" she asked Draco, hoping to steer the attention away from herself.

"Yes, he has. We are headed to purchase new cloaks for school, aren't we Draco?" Lucius Malfoy interrupted.

"Yes father" replied his son.

"Off you go then, we have other engagements to attend to, say goodbye Draco."

Isabelle was startled by their sudden departure. The Malfoy boy bid her goodbye and hurried over to the shop next door. Lucius watched his son enter the shop and then turned to Isabelle. He saw her carrying a copy of Lockhart's book.

"Ms. Gardinier, I hope we meet again…soon." He gestured at the book in her hand. "Ah, I see you've gotten your autograph." He gave her a flirtatious smirk and raised an eyebrow.

All while continuing to look him in the eye, Isabelle inched closer to him. He looked down at her curious as to what she was doing. Her hand slipped the book into his pocket robe. He barely felt it until she backed away.

"Nonsense, Mr. Malfoy. It got it for you." Isabelle sweetly said and gave him a mischievous smile as she backed away. She put her green hood up and walked the opposite direction, not turning back to see Malfoy senior wide eyed and staring at her with his mouth slightly opened.

Lucius smiled to himself when she turned the corner, delighted and surprised by the chemistry they had. As he entered the clothing shop, he wished he would run into his mystery woman once more.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.