A/N: I'm so pleased that so many people are liking this so far! Many thanks to Krissy, SweetTale4U, and Muggle Jane for helping me out with this story. Don't know where it or I would be without you all.

Disclaimer: The characters and canon situations in the following story belong solely to JK Rowling, Scholastic and WB. I am not making any money from the publishing or writing of this story.


Chapter Two

Nine o'clock came way too fast for Hermione. She had barely finished her morning cup of tea when there was a knock on her office door. Mentally, she cursed Lucius for his punctuality. She stood from her chair and made her way to the door. Bracing herself for a morning full of Lucius, she opened it.

"Good morning, Hermione," Lucius said, smirking down at her. He froze when he looked at her. "What are you wearing?"

Hermione blushed. "My clothes, I'm not leaving my office or classroom, so I saw no need to put on heavy robes."

Lucius watched as she turned and walked away. She was wearing Muggle clothing, which he did not mind one bit. The jeans hugged her shapely thighs and showed off the curve of her arse. Rather plump, he mused. She turned to face him, giving him another look at the way her tee shirt stretched across her breasts. They appeared small, yet pert. A perfect little handful.

"So, I was thinking we could start by organizing the books," Hermione stated, completely oblivious to the way Lucius was checking her out. "What do you think?" she asked when he didn't say anything.

Focus, Lucius! This is no time to lose yourself. You can check her out later, he reminded himself. "Hermione, that sounds fine. I'm yours to command." He gave a small bow.

Hermione flushed. "Er, yeah, we'll just stock the books. Come on, I've already levitated them to the classroom."

She led him to the Muggle Studies classroom through the door that connected her office to the classroom. "I was thinking we could put them on the shelving beneath the window," she said, motioning to the bare shelves.

Lucius nodded. "Where are the books?"

"Here." She gestured to five very large cardboard boxes. "I'd like them to be in alphabetical order by author's last name. You can start with A and I'll start with Z. We'll work from there."

He looked over the boxes. "And what are these books?" He sniffed disdainfully, glaring at the obscene amount there.

"A library of sorts. They're all Muggle books. I plan on having my students read some of the literature here."

"What's wrong with Hogwarts's library?" Lucius asked her as he opened a box. It was a bit dusty, and as he looked inside, he saw that despite the age of some of the tomes, they were in good condition.

"The library here is in wonderful condition," Hermione replied, sitting down on the floor. She began to sift through the boxes. "I just wish there was more Muggle literature there. In fact, there's really nothing Muggle there."

"But why do we need Muggle literature when the magical literature is more than sufficient?" Lucius inquired. He, too, took a seat on the floor and began to sort out the books.

Hermione sent him a glare. "That's exactly why. People like you assume that since it's Muggle, there's no need for it. While there are some benefits to magical literature, it doesn't mean that it's better than Muggle literature. In fact, in some areas, the Muggle world is far more advanced."

A small smirk crept onto Lucius's face. He glanced at Hermione, noting that her chest was heaving and her face was flushed. Utterly delectable, he mused. He had heard from both Draco and Severus that Hermione could be quite a headstrong woman, but this was just lovely. It was nice to see a woman so passionate about something, even if it was the Muggle world.

"Nothing to say?" she pressed. "No uncouth comment to make about the Muggle world?"

Lucius shook his head. "I was simply admiring your dedication to the Muggle world. I'll admit that, as a Pureblood, I do not have much knowledge about Muggle things. I'll admit that I'm out of my element here."

Hermione flushed. She hadn't expected Lucius to admit to something like that. She floundered for a moment, quite unsure of what to say to him.

"You know, Hermione, it seems to me that you are always looking to pick a fight."

"That's not true!" she said quickly. "It's just…" she trailed off.

Lucius arched his brow at her. "No, I'd like to know. For the past two days I've been nothing but nice to you, yet you continue to be rude to me. I'd like to know just what it is I did to justify this type of treatment."

Hermione huffed, casting her eyes downward.

"Well?" Lucius prompted.

She shifted on the floor, frowning. "Well, I suppose I just don't like you."

There was dead silence for a moment. Hermione was afraid to look at Lucius, knowing that he would probably have an angry expression on his face.

She was startled when he starting laughing. Glancing at him, she saw he was grinning. He looks nice like that, she thought as she smiled herself. She quickly shook her head, pushing that thought away.

"If you don't like me, I suppose I'll just have to try harder," he said once he finished laughing. "I do enjoy a challenge."

Hermione scowled. "Try harder? A challenge? Is that what I am to you? Some sort of project?"

Lucius sighed, shaking his head. "Why are you so insistent on making me a villain, Hermione? Can't you just see that I'm trying to be helpful?"

"But you're a Slytherin," she reminded him. "You never do anything without motivation."

"I've had enough of this," Lucius said. "Do you want me to help you or not?" He stared at Hermione as he waited for her answer.

She frowned, knowing that she was being rather rude to him. She just didn't trust him, and after their interactions during the war, who could really blame her?

"Hermione," he said softly, startling her out of her thoughts. She met his piercing gaze. "If you want an apology, then all you have to do is ask."

Her mouth was suddenly dry. She flushed, not knowing what to say. Eventually, she narrowed her eyes at him. "I shouldn't have to ask for an apology, Lucius."

Lucius tilted his head to the side, observing her. "Then I'll offer one of my own free will. I apologize, Hermione, for my atrocious behavior during the war. What I did was unforgivable, and I apologise."

Hermione frowned, casting her eyes downward. "You let her torture me," she whispered. "You let me lie there, bleeding out on your drawing room carpet."

"I am sorry," he said once more. "My hands were tied then and I know that's no excuse, but it's the truth. I know you suffered during the war, but I did too. You cannot imagine what it was like having Him living there. My deranged sister-in-law was always trying to get my family and me in trouble. I suffered more times than I would care to remember."

Hermione frowned, looking at him. As much as she didn't want to feel bad for him, she did. "I accept your apology," she muttered after a moment. "And I'm sorry for being so rude to you today and yesterday. You're being a perfect gentleman, and I was acting childish. Forgive me, Lucius?"

He grinned, nodding. "I accept your apology, Hermione. Now that we've cleared the air, why don't we focus on these books?"

She nodded, and the two of them worked in silence for the next two hours, sorting the books in alphabetical order. It was a comfortable silence, and Hermione didn't feel pressed to make small talk. Time passed quickly.

Hermione was startled when Lucius cleared his throat. "Yes?" she asked, looking at him.

He held up a book in his hand. "Is this good? I think I remember hearing about it before."

She smiled when she saw what was in his hand. "Pride and Prejudice? It's a classic. You can borrow it if you'd like."

Lucius nodded. "I think I will. Would you care to discuss it with me once I finish?"

Hermione blushed. "Yes, I would."

"Over dinner?" he pressed.

"Let's not go that far," Hermione said, laughing. She tilted her face forward, so that her curls hid her blush. "Well, I suppose we're finished." She stood up, brushing the dust from her jeans.

"Yes, I suppose we are," Lucius purred. "Well, if that's all, I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of your day."

Hermione gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your help, Lucius. I appreciate it."

"I enjoyed helping you," Lucius said. He took her hand and placed a kiss to the back of it. "Until next time, Hermione."

"Good-bye, Lucius," she replied. She watched as he left her classroom, the door closing behind him.

She leaned against a desk as a sigh escaped her lips. Lucius Malfoy was certainly a piece of work. Half the time she wanted to punch him in the face, and the other half she wanted to snog the living daylights out of him.