Not surprisingly, Lucius led her to the higher end of the neighborhood. They didn't share small talk, but he did lead her along the way. Not walking in front of her or behind, but beside her gesturing either with a hand or his polished cane as to which direction she should go. She was surprised at his mildness towards her when all she'd ever received from the elder Malfoy was a sneer or dismissal of her presence. Perhaps he viewed her as someone useful due to her position in the department.
As the side walks became cleaner, the price of the neighborhood went up. She glanced around and felt out of place in her modest clothes as she turned with Lucius towards a very tall apartment building with a doorman and a valet. Lucius continued forward, nodding at the doorman.
"Afternoon, Mr. Greengrass. Got a visitor today?" the man asked, his mustache moving of its own accord. He wore what resembled the coat of a holiday nutcracker, but he wore it proudly.
"Yes, Wilfred." A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth in near annoyance. "Come along, dear." He called over his shoulder as he tugged his leather gloves off.
Hermione nodded politely at the door man, mentally noting that Lucius was operating under a pseudonym. Greengrass was the name of his daughter-in-law. Perhaps this building was owned by her prestigious family? She pushed the revolving doors just behind Lucius and looked up at the dazzling lobby room.
The ceiling went on for ages with large windows giving natural light and illuminating the glass chandeliers leaving reflecting prisms on the walls. She'd had a chandelier fall on her at the manor, but that was the most pleasant moment of the night. The marble floors were broken up by enormous plush rugs and scattered with velvet arm chairs and couches. In just the lobby, she could count four fireplaces being attended to and a half-dozen very obviously wealthy persons sprinkled around the room. She could see why he liked this place.
She shuffled to catch up behind him as he waited for the elevator, which was also attended by a hotel worker. "Fancy place." She said quietly beside him.
His grey eyes looked over at her and he let out a small chuckle, "I suppose to you it would be." Hermione rolled her eyes and let her eyes wander around the room.
A very pointed woman was reading a book titled Unfogging the Future. The name lingered on her mind for a moment and she then looked in disbelief all around the room. Every person she saw had some small tell-tale sign of being a witch of wizard. Obviously wealthy, they carried books or had their familiar nearby. One of the fire attendants held his wand in his hand as he adjusted the logs. She spun to face Lucius who was already a foo into the lift. She cantered after him and hissed, "What is this place? A wizard's haven in muggle London?"
"Where did you think I would take you, Miss Granger? The pub?" he laughed under his breath as he turned to the lift attendant. "Floor 112, please."
"Yes sir. GOING UP!" He yelled so abruptly that Hermione flung herself away from him and reached into her pocket for her wand.
Lucius laid an arm in front of her, "You are on edge. Relax. No harm will come to you here. Think of it like a wizarding hotel." He demanded, clearing his voice, and resuming his stance with both hands atop his cane.
He was right, and she willed her heart to slow down. Since she'd seen him a few days ago, she'd been as jumpy as a Puffskein probably due to the trauma floating to the surface of her mind. They raised higher and higher in the lift, Hermione having to remind herself that the building was probably enchanted like the Burrow, being so high up. The click of the elevator started to agitate her as they came to a stop.
"FLOOR 112! Have a pleasant day." the man screamed one more time. Hermione nearly jumped off the lift.
Once the lift doors shut, Lucius scoffed at her. "You're like a caged animal. Have you never been somewhere respectable?"
"Mr. Malfoy, you and I have very different ideas of what 'respectable' means." She looked down the carpeted hallway, "Which one is yours?"
Once she glanced back to him, she realized he'd closed the distance between them quite quickly, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't address me as that in this place. Just because you can see me as myself, doesn't mean others can. I'd appreciate your discretion in this matter." He walked past her and it all clicked in her head.
He had an illusion charm on him. Specifically, one that didn't work on people who already knew who he was. He was in muggle London, because no one recognized him here because they'd never seen him. No one in the building realized he was Lucius Malfoy.
She shook her head and padded after him as he stopped at his door. He withdrew his wand and held it for a moment before looking at Hermione, "Privacy, please. Security measures."
She obliged and heard him mutter something quietly. It was vaguely like a combination lock in the muggle world. It magically secured the door unless the correct wand motions open it. She heard a soft click and turned to follow him.
Not quite sure what to expect, she was surprised at the size of the flat. Not that it was small, it could easily fit five of her own apartment in it. It was probably the size of the Great Hall broken into sections for the kitchen, office, bedroom, sitting room, and various other nooks and crannies. On the marble slab kitchen slab sat three self-stirring cauldrons emitting a wispy blue smoke.
She sniffed the air and raised an eyebrow. "Are you brewing Wolfsbane potion?" The smell brought back plenty of memories of Lupin teaching her how to brew the expensive potion, and Severus trying to out the former by assigning werewolf homework when Lupin was out sick. Though the smell was horrid, it did bring up good memories.
Lucius shrugged off his overcoat leaving him in a pair of nice slacks and a white oxford shirt with a black vest. He turned and hung it on the coat hook. "Impressive. You can tell a potion just by its smell?" He held out his hand, "Coat?" Hermione hurriedly took off her parka and handed the fluffy mass to him. He shook his head as he placed it on the coat hook. "It's remarkable, but not surprising."
While he appeared to be ready for a business meeting, Hermione felt underdressed in her red sweater and jeans. She kicked her Converses next to his polished black loafers by the door. Just being in his presence made her feel as though she was a schoolgirl again even though she had a child at Hogwarts.
"I could actually use your help with something." He walked towards the kitchen and she followed, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "I have enough for a few more batches, but I need more wolfsbane to complete an order. Have you any idea where I could procure it?"
"An order?" Hermione said out loud incredulously. "Are you a potioneer? And I might."
A deep guttural sound escaped his mouth as what she could only assume was a laugh. "Miss Granger, my money makes money by itself. I'm not doing this for payment. I'm doing this as a favor to an acquaintance." he flicked his wand quickly at each of the three cauldrons, their stirring wands stopping and setting themselves gently on the island. He flicked his wand towards the cabinet and a dozen glass phials lined up on the counter. "Do you know how to stopper a potion? Feel free to aid."
She took out her wand and slowly, smoothly directed the mixture into the glass phials. She stoppered them with her hands before lining them up on the far counter. With a swish of her wand, each were affixed with a paper label telling the ingredients and when it was made. Wolfsbane was a very expensive and difficult potion to make. Lucius had been in the Slug Club at Hogwarts as a student so she assumed he must have some ability, but she'd always mentally seen him sitting in a chair sipping on some form of amber liquid.
"It isn't for me, if that's what you're wondering." He took down a kettle and filled it with water before placing it on the stove. "Lacarnum Inflamare." A small ball of flame lit the stove from the tip of his wand.
Hermione smiled. That had been the spell that she had lit Severus Snape's cloak on fire when she thought he was trying to kill Harry during a Quidditch match. The tall metal barstool screech as she adjusted her weight at the kitchen island as Lucius miniaturized his cauldrons and put them away. He placed his hands flat on the island. "Did you find me or happen upon me, Miss Granger?"
His hair fell forward, and he looked her square in the eye. He wasn't threatening or threatened, he simply wanted to know how on Earth she had shown up here. She felt very peculiar in this moment, as if her entire life had led up to this moment. A sense of déjà vu crept at the edge of her mind and she clasped her hands in front of her on the cool, smooth marble.
"A bit of both." She looked down at her hand, the stray coils from her ponytail tickling her neck, making her hair stand on end. "I saw you four days ago and had started to think I was insane. And then I followed you today and you slammed me into a wall and then into the ground. And now we are having tea. Fantastic reunion." The kettle whistled on the stove and he attended to it. Two ivy painted teacups levitated themselves to the table, as if the kettle called them to attention.
He tapped the tea leaves into each cup, following with the hot water. "I hadn't meant to assault you. I believed you to be someone who has had a hard time leaving me alone lately." He dropped two sugar cubes into each cup and Hermione watched as two spoons stirred the tea by themselves.
"Rookwood?" Hermione sat up straight and put on her listening ears.
"Unfortunately, yes." He slid her teacup over and took his to the sitting room before settling himself on a plush velvet armchair. "He doesn't like being told no."
She sat across from him and lightly blew on her tea before taking a sip. "That must be frustrating for you. It was terrifying to me."
He looked at her squarely. "You are sharper than I remember. Is it simply because you're nervous?" He took a sip and savored it with closed eyes, "Like I said, no harm will come to you here."
Hermione realized she was being impolite with her quips and decided she needed to be approachable if he would be of any use to her. "I apologize for my tone. I was just caught incredibly off guard and use sarcasm as a defense mechanism." What did she just say? That seemed rather honest of her.
He took another sip before asking, "What exactly are you doing in London?"
"I'm working. I got sent here to watch over this district and keep an ear to the ground of any misgivings or issues in the local area." She overshared again. She bit the inside of her cheek. "What does Rookwood want with you?"
"Ah I see. He wants to reignite the Death Eater regime and find a new Dark Lord to follow to ensure pureblood supremacy and muggle enslavement. And how is your marriage?" He asked lightly, blowing on his cup of tea. His eye flicked to her ring finger which only sported a tan line of a ring now gone.
"I'm filing for divorce. I moved here and served him with the papers." Hermione said and then screwed her face up in anger. She threw the cup of tea on the carpet, "You truthied me, you bastard!" She pulled her wand out and pointed it at him, "Veritaserum is maintained regulated by the Ministry of Magic and banned from home use. I could arrest you right now."
"You could, but you also used it on me. So, by law, you could be held responsible as an accomplice." He held up his own cup of tea and took another sip. "I had to be sure you were who you claimed to be, or I would've had to kill you. In all seriousness. Does anyone else know that you've seen me?"
Hermione fought the truth wanting to erupt out of her mouth, but she was so mad she couldn't control it. "I told Harry I thought I saw you, but he said I was probably seeing things. If you ask me another question, I swear to Merlin I will blast you out of that chair."
"Well, since you can only tell the truth, I'll go ahead and believe you." He looked up at her frizzy hair and red with either anger or embarrassment face and took another calm sip of tea.