Thank you for all of your positive reviews and your comments! It really encourages me to keep writing. It's going to be a slow build, but I think that's the only reasonable way this story could unfold, and it will make the conclusion so much sweeter. Anyway, be patient, friends. Chapter 4. Enjoy. PS: there's a cheap crossover moment here, but it was too perfect not to include.

Chapter 4

Lucius wound through the twisting hallways of the Manor with Hermione at his heels. Hermione's head spun; there were so many corridors and doors she was sure she would be lost within the Manor forever.

Lucius stopped when he finally reached a pair of heavy wooden doors at the end of the west wing of the Manor. As he pushed them open, Hermione let out a small gasp in spite of herself.

The library was beautiful. Bookshelves lined all of the walls, and there were some tables and chairs arranged around the room. Books, parchments, maps, and old candle stubs were scattered throughout the place, and although the books seemed like they were in relatively good condition, there was no filing system whatsoever.

Lucius gestured for her to enter, and Hermione took her first few tentative steps into the dusty space. As she spun around to face him, Lucius was taken aback by the new light in her eyes. "This is fabulous! Are all of these yours?"

"Between my family's collection and the Black's, there is quite the history contained here."

Hermione wandered deeper into the library, looking up the massive wooden shelves. Some books looked newer, while others had faded covers and nearly crumbled with age.

"Some of these must be a hundred years old…" she breathed.

"The eldest is probably closer to two hundred, actually."

As she turned to look back at Lucius, Hermione was struck by the ridiculousness of the situation, and her look of awe dissolved into giggles. Lucius raised an eyebrow at her bizarre change in mood.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "This whole thing just reminds me of a Muggle story my parents used to read to me as a child."

"Indulge my curiosity again, Miss Granger, what exactly is this fairytale you have deluded yourself into visualizing in this scenario?"

Hermione laughed again. "A story where a girl chooses to take her father's place to be locked in a castle with a…man, of sorts. She always loved books, and he shows her to his library as a gesture of…kindness."

"I believe the title you are looking for is 'Beauty and the Beast,' Miss Granger."

Hermione's laughter died away, and her face flushed in embarrassment. How did he…?

"It is not just a Muggle fairytale," he said, reading her mind. His gaze toyed with her, enjoying her discomfort. "The comparison is somewhat accurate. But just as you are still wondering why I invited you here, I am still wondering why you actually chose to lock yourself up in this castle…in any event, I doubt the motives are nearly as noble."

He smiled at her expense before adding, "You may stumble across a few…ahem, darker volumes during your explorations. Be careful; the books know the difference between a Pureblood and…you."

And with that, he was gone, leaving a shocked Hermione alone in the library.

Hermione wasted little time in getting to work. It would take her mind off both Ron and Lucius, and she couldn't wait for her thoughts to be hers again.

However, that didn't mean that her thoughts were peaceful.

What did Lucius mean about her motives? He was simply a means to an end, offering her a temporary job to help her get back on her feet and a dose of revenge for her cheating fiancé. It was that simple. Of course it was, and if Lucius thought otherwise, he was kidding himself.

But as for Lucius, there was still the question as to why he had offered her the position in the first place. It wasn't as if Hermione really believed that he had done it strictly from the kindness of his "changed" heart, but then what were his motives?

But perhaps most importantly, what the hell was she doing? Hermione Jean Granger, agreeing on a whim to take up residence with a former Death Eater for a little bit of money and get back at her cheating fiancé? She was smarter than that!

Apparently not… she thought as she continued to take books off of the nearest shelf and set them heavily on the table. Although a part of her wanted to run, a part of her also wanted to stay.

She really had nowhere to go, anyway.

Harry would offer to live with him, of course, but Hermione didn't want to make him choose between his two best friends. She also couldn't take his pity. Honestly, even the Weasleys probably would have taken her in; they had loved her as a daughter for so many years already. She would go to Ginny's, but she was away, playing traveling Quidditch matches in the Holyhead Harpies. Even so, Hermione was amazed that she hadn't already heard from her.

As if on cue, the doors behind her let out a groan as Lucius forced them open, letters in hand. She recognized her friends' atrocious penmanship from across the room.

"Well, your owl found you easily enough," Lucius noted. He extended the letters to her, and she took them from him, unfolding the first.

My Dear Hermione,

Ron's a right git! I have half a mind to fly through the night to shove my broom up Lavender's arse and throw her out of your house.

How are you doing? Don't do anything I wouldn't do! Write me soon, and I'll come see you when I can!

Love,

Ginny

Hermione smiled and shook her head. After folding up the note, she moved onto the next letter,

Hermione,

Just talked to Ron. He said you never returned last night. Are you okay? I know he's an ass, Hermione, and you were right to walk out on him, but he's worried about you. I am too. Where have you been? Where are you staying? Are you doing alright? You know my home is always open, regardless of what's happening between you and Ron.

Please write me.

Harry

This letter did not put a smile on Hermione's face. She felt involuntary tears well up in her eyes at the mention of Ron worrying over her, but anger and frustration quickly replaced it. Harry was sweet, and he meant well, but she could handle herself.

"May I have a quill and some parchment, please?" Hermione asked, and Lucius obliged, setting it down on the nearest table. Hermione sat down and dipped her quill.

Ginny,

I am fine. Seriously. I've got another job lined up and a place to live, for the time being. But I would love a visit from you. Just let me know when you intend to arrive; I'm not sure where I'll be living at that point, but I'll be sure to keep in touch!

Love,

Hermione

She folded the parchment and set it away from her on the table, conscious of Lucius's proximity and the ease with which he could read over her shoulder. Trying to casually shield her paper – a technique she used many times in school during exams – she moved on to the second piece of parchment.

Harry,

I'm alright. Sorry to have worried you. I have a new job and a place to stay, although your offer is quite generous and I really do appreciate it. As it stands for now, though, I'll be fine on my own.

And tell Ron not to worry about me; I can take care of myself.

Hermione

Her response was curt, but she meant it to be. She loved Harry, but he was like an overprotective father sometimes.

Satisfied, Hermione passed the papers to Lucius and said, "Please, post these for me."

Lucius nodded but did not leave. "My guess is that one of those letters I from Mr. Potter, offering you a place to stay until you are back on your feet, am I correct?"

Hermione nodded.

"You know, Miss Granger, this is not a binding contract. You did not make an Unbreakable Vow to finish cataloguing my library. You may leave at any point, should you wish it."

The truth was, Hermione did not wish it, and she knew Lucius could read that on her face. There was too much to explore, an exhilaration, and a rebelliousness best left in teen years that she felt taking on this task, and the job of coexisting with Lucius Malfoy, which was a job in and of itself.

"I understand…but for now, I will choose to remain here."

Lucius smiled a self-satisfied smile Hermione wanted to smack right off his pointed face.

"Dinner will be served at 6 pm. You may join me if you like, or your meal can be brought to your quarters."

"Quarters?"

"Yes, you will take over one of the former servant's quarters on the lower level. The room will be yours to use as you will."

Hermione nodded.

"And if you're not going to get new clothes, I'll have one of the house elves scrounge up something. If I already have to see that mess of bushy hair every day, I'd at least like to request clean clothes. If that isn't too much to ask."

Hermione felt her face flush again. She was still in her disgusting robes from the other day, and her unkempt hair was even bushier than usual from drying by the fire the previous night.

Hermione let a frustrated breath out her nose. Lucius was a chameleon, constantly changing his colors to blend in with what he most wanted to be. And it aggravated her…

But it also presented a challenge.

"I'm sorry my appearance is so displeasing to the eye," Hermione shot back. "Provide me with a hairbrush and some shampoo and I'll try to remedy the situation."

"I think it will take far more than a hairbrush to tame that beast." Lucius gestured to her hair, and she had the sudden urge to smack his hand away.

"If you don't want to look at me, then all you have to do is leave," Hermione said harshly.

Shrugging, Lucius did just that.

Hermione exhaled shakily and grew increasingly frustrated with this new version of the man she had once feared. He had the same fanaticism, though maybe not to the same extent. He had the same arrogance, the same pride, and yet there was a side to him she had never known. He had a sense of humor, though it was dark and often at the expense of others. He had not harmed her since her arrival, had actually been more or less congenial, and it seemed he was set to make her…dare she say it…comfortable in Malfoy Manor.

Was it all a ruse? Still, why was he even allowing a Mudblood into his house?

Hermione couldn't help but feel like she was walking into a well-baited trap. But regardless, she ceased her work in the library around five and began to wander the corridors, searching for her room to prepare for dinner with Lucius.