A/N: Hey guys, here it is, chapter 3! Thanks for all the favorites and reviews, they make my day! And sorry if updating takes a while – the school year is winding down and things can get pretty busy. But never fear, I will definitely finish this story! :D
Hermione stopped dead as Lucius spoke the words "sexual conquest."
"Is this some sort of joke?" Hermione asked him, her voice rising dangerously. Sexy abs or not, she was NOT about to be used in relation to the words "sexual conquest," and he had definitely just crossed that line.
"Miss Granger, please. Come inside and I shall explain everything," Lucius smirked. Hermione narrowed her eyes but followed Lucius inside the tall, black marble doors of his manor. She found herself in a familiar foyer, with slick dark marble floors and an ornate chandelier hanging overhead. An arched doorway in the wall to her right led to a parlor, which housed several uncomfortable-looking black leather couches and an elaborate glass-fronted display case, which Hermione was sure contained all manner of dangerous dark objects. Lucius motioned for her to sit on one of the couches, and perched himself on a high-backed armchair.
"Now, Miss Granger, I do not know whether you read the gossip section of the Prophet, but you may be aware that Narcissa and I separated some years ago. Being from a very traditional pureblood family, she did not agree with my increasingly tolerant attitude towards Muggles and Muggle-born witches and wizards. She left me when I was in Azkaban, a few years after Voldemort's defeat." Lucius looked at her out of the corner of his eye, as though judging her reaction, but Hermione kept her face studiously devoid of emotion. "Well, the Black family, as part of Narcissa and my… oh, what would it be called? A suppose a Muggle would refer to it as a prenuptial agreement. But, without my knowledge, they placed a spell on this house and on me so that if I ever brought a woman other than Narcissa here with… romantic intentions, some rather disturbing and dark events would take place. Well, their spell did not allow for divorce. Although we are now, in the eyes of the law, divorced, the spell is still in place and I would rather like to be moving on with my life. Now, as I am the one upon which the spell was cast, I therefore cannot lift it. I have found what I believe to be the counter curse, but I would like you to do some investigating before you undertake it, to confirm my research. Would you be willing to accept this proposition?" Lucius Malfoy said, his eyes piercing hers as though he could see into her mind for her decision.
"Yes, I will try. But, before… what sort of 'disturbing and dark events' have happened?" Hermione asked, feeling mildly uncomfortable at discussing the events that took place during Lucius' one-night-stands.
"It's different every time," Lucius said, looking utterly at ease. "Oh, how rude of me – Bippy!" He called, and a house-elf appeared with a pop. "Please fetch Miss Granger here anything she needs during her time here. Would you like any tea, water, coffee, anything?" Lucius arched an eyebrow at Hermione.
"No, thanks," Hermione said, and smiled at the house-elf. Bippy disappeared again, and Lucius turned back to Hermione.
"Now, where was I? Ah, yes, the events. Well, the first one took place… oh, about a month ago. I brought a woman named Sarah home with me, and as soon as I… made my intentions clear, the floor beneath her feet dissolved, and she fell through three stories and ended up on the marble floor of the foyer with two broken arms, a shattered pelvis, and two dislocated shoulders, not to mention a stay in St. Mungo's for some apparently very disturbing visions that she experienced just before the incident. I disregarded this as some sort of mistaken spell, but about a week later I was with a young woman. We were outside in the gardens, in the maze, and once again, after things progressed to a certain point, thorny brambles shot out of the ground and hedge and sucked her down into the roots of the nearest hedge. I was able to free her, but she sustained permanent brain damage from near-suffocation, not to mention the blood loss from the numerous bramble cuts. Once again I disregarded it as a simple accident; there were spells on the hedges to protect from deer and suchlike – I thought that perhaps one of them was malfunctioning. And then, a mere three days after that, I was leading a girl up the stairs and they cracked beneath her feet, sending her tumbling down into an unused air shaft beneath the basement. She had broken her spine in four places and was in there in the darkness for several hours before we managed to locate her with magic and the workers from St. Mungo's were able to extract her. It was miraculous that she wasn't killed. So after this, I knew that it was no coincidence. And so here I am."
Hermione pondered this for a moment, and then asked Lucius for the research he had done. He extracted a heavy tome on ancient magic from one of the bookshelves lining the walls. Hermione read the passage he had indicated. It was quite complex, but it made sense. She told Lucius as much, and she stood to walk out of the room.
"So, when should I come back to take care of it?" Hermione asked. "I can get off from work at pretty much any time, and I don't really have any other engagements, so I can come at your convenience."
"Indeed. Am I to understand that a young… bright witch such as you has no amorous commitments?" Lucius said, his icy eyes dancing with amusement.
"Sir?"
"No husband, no fiancé, not even a boyfriend?" Lucius Malfoy asked her, smirking.
"Well, I don't – it's not – you mean that – no. No, I don't have a boyfriend," Hermione said, flustered. "What exactly are you implying, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing, although her heart was beating faster.
"Oh, nothing at all, my dear," Lucius said, widening his eyes in mock-sincerity. "I certainly didn't mean to imply anything."
"Good. Then I shall be here at noon on Wednesday, if that's convenient. Or if you have a prior engage – oh!" Hermione said, her breath whooshing out of her as she tripped over the edge of the rug in the foyer. She fell forward and instinctively grabbed what was closest, which happened to be Lucius Malfoy.
Her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, her face just beneath his. He automatically grabbed her waist as she fell, pulling her upwards at the same time as she fell forward, so that her body was pressed against his. She gasped as his body hit hers. Her fingers clutched at the silky material of his shirt, and she looked up into his ice-blue eyes, her own golden-brown eyes wide with shock. With another little gasp of shock, Hermione stood up again so quickly that she nearly toppled over again.
"Those shoes are hardly practical for a work assignment," Lucius said, smirking at the shiny four-inch heels as he led Hermione out the door. "No matter how devilishly sexy they might be," he said, practically leering at her. With that, he shut the door and Hermione was alone, still trying to catch her breath.