Disclaimer: I never said I owned the characters.

Chapter 4: Lucius Happened

"Eeeeek!" Hermione let out a sharp shriek and covered her eyes with her hands as Draco once again took another sharp dive from the sky and into the center of what appears to be a ring of fire with his broom. She could feel her heart drumming and racing in her chest, her poor heart hadn't been beating in fear like crazy since the fall of the dark lord. However, seeing Draco in this obstacle track that seems to invite accidents and all sorts of mishaps is enough to drive her heart into a frenzy of worried beating.

"Hermione, how do you intend to watch Draco if you have your hands glued in your eyes?" Pansy asked rolling her eyes as she pries Hermione's hands away from her eyes. "If you open your eyes at least you'll see when he falls. OH MERLIN HE'S FALLING!"

Hermione opened her eyes in a snap when she heard Pansy's exclamation, only to see that Draco is not falling and seems to be hell bent to overtake the person in brown riding robes in front of him. She glared at Pansy who stuck her tongue at her.

"He's falling behind that guy in brown." She said with a triumphant and impish look, " you didn't let me finish."

"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING KING OF FERRETS," Harry bellowed and continued. "FASTER! OVER TAKE HIM ALREADY! I placed my bet on you! Don't lose!"

A lot of heads turned to look at the savior of the wizarding world, some smiled and some grimaced as for Hermione, she's happy. Pansy is good for him, he's no longer that uncertain and tormented boy from the past, and he's noticeably more carefree now and with Voldemort gone, basks in the joys of life.

Turning her gaze back at Pansy Parkinson, she smiled. Pansy became her friend during their seventh year in Hogwarts, providing support and clues in the enigma that was Draco Malfoy. Albeit, the dark haired and blue-eyed witch's push could turn into hard shoves at times, but overall, it did help. And not only is she, the 'mudblood', friends with Pansy Parkinson, she's also in love and the girlfriend of the Slytherin prince, Draco Malfoy. The corners of her mouth curved more at the strange twists in her life and as she thought that three years ago if anyone told her that, she would have dismissed the person as mentally unstable and drop him or her in St. Mungo's psychiatric ward.

"Granger if you don't quit smiling at me like that I might actually think you're a lesbian." And getting a devious look in her eyes she added, "Am I the reason why you don't do it with Draco."

Hermione snorted at Pansy as she turned back into watching the race and remembering how Draco chance upon seeing the race advertisement while they were in the cottage. Finding out that the winner other than taking home 1000 galleons would be given a professional flying license and membership to the Professional British Flyer's Association, Draco raced for a last minute sign up and well, having the name Malfoy has its perks.

Hermione and Pansy cheered and Harry yelled as Draco stole the lead and made it to finish. Draco won, he won! Turning around and giving a sweeping look over the arena of cheering crowd, Draco found the person he's looking for and waved at her and winked. He laughed to himself when he saw the girls sitting above Hermione almost fainted and wave frantically at him.

"WHAT?" Lucius bellowed in his study upon hearing the news.

"Y-young master won at a racing tournament and is now the poster boy of Debonair Times company and it's a-also he's sponsor f-from now on Master Lucius, sir. And he's racing today at the moment at an invitational racing competition." Poor Dolly's voice quake as she repeated the news to the visibly fuming Lucius Malfoy.

"You incompetent creature! Couldn't you have told me sooner?"

"B-but Master said he's not to be distu-" The cowering elf was unable to finish as Lucius' eyes flash dangerously.

Lucius Malfoy stood abruptly from his seat and strode forcefully and Dolly screwed her eyes shut. She waited for a moment but nothing then she heard a bang, opening her eyes she noticed with a sigh of relief escaping from her that the master of the house had stormed out of the study and left her unharmed.

Lucius was still shaking when he reached the stadium with barely contained anger and a bit of fear, not that he'll admit it even to himself. His eyes immediately turned to the racing figures in their broomsticks and to his horror, he saw Draco, his only heir, momentarily lose his balance in his broom and lean more to the right as if in the motion of falling off but at the crucial point veered himself back into balance. His relief what short lived when he saw his son flocked by corneous pixies.

Lucius would never understand what thrill racers talked about and found in flying as if challenging death himself in the face while being pestered around by different creatures and going through various obstacles along the track but most of all, he'll never understand why his own son, dared to join this death defying stunt. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he saw a young woman with long brunette ringlets and tried to gather all the contempt into his eyes, burning a hole behind her head and Hermione getting the uncomfortable feeling of being watched turned around. She saw Lucius Malfoy looking at her with eyes full of hatred for reasons she knows not and she was unable to stop the involuntary shiver that went through her, satisfied that he successfully instilled fear at the girl he flashed her his cruel smile.

'Why of course, my son is doing this because of this pathetic excuse for a witch is instilling rebellious ideas in my son's head!' He knows deep inside that this was not the case but for the sake of his sanity he believed it as the truth and he looked at her angrier than he was seconds ago.

The race ended with Draco as the winner and after the awarding ceremony, Lucius made his way down to the racer's lounge and to his ire, saw his son and his 'girlfriend' in each other's embrace. His hand was itching to blast the insolent girl off his son but refrained weighing that the consequences would not bode well to him. So, instead, he cleared his throat and immediately they parted but they were still too close to one another for his taste but he bite tongue and said nothing.

"Draco," He began deceivingly calm. "I've heard of your foolish activities lately. What could you have been thinking? Risking your life like that for a couple of galleons and to have your face in endorsement of a watch company when you could have all the money you want and all the publicity you want if you take your rightful place as the next head of our business?"

"Father, it's not like that—"

"Enough!" Lucius cut him off from defending himself, "I thought you'll never push through with this idea but it seems like I've underestimated Miss Granger's powers of persuasion." He said as he repeatedly looked Hermione from head to foot.

Draco pulled Hermione behind him, shielding her from his father's view, "father!" He said warningly, "you will not insinuate things like that to Hermione and I've told you, flying is one of my passions, so please understand father!"

"Understand?" Lucius looked down his nose at his son and snorted. "Well then I hope you understand the necessary steps that I've taken to insure that upon my demise my heir would still be alive and breathing." With that he turned around but after his fifth step from them he abruptly turned around and strode towards Draco who tensed at his father's approach. He then reached out with his gloved hand and pulled Hermione from behind his son, bent down and whispered, "Everything that happens to my son is your fault. I've given you a choice and you've chose the wrong one, remember this, all you can do blame is yourself." With that he was really gone and both she and Draco breathe in relief.

"Well, that's over." He said as he turned towards Hermione and enveloped her in his arms. "What did he say?" she just shook her head and basked deepen into his embrace. Draco took a deep breath and sighed. "I wonder what he means about necessary steps."

"Draco let's go back." Hermione said quietly still pondering over Lucius Malfoy's words, Draco complied and apparated themselves back into 12 Grimmaulds Place.

Upon arriving at the house they were greeted with the sight of Pansy and Harry lip locked in each other's embrace on the couch. Draco couldn't stop the impish smile that grazed his face as an idea hit him, with a flick of his wand the couch vanished and the occupants fell to the floor with a start.

"What the heck?" Pansy screeched startled looking at Draco and Hermione's direction and at Draco's offending wand. Harry looked more put together and Draco have to congratulate him.

"What no celebrations Ferret?" Harry asked as he picked himself up from the floor and offered his hand to Pansy.

"We had a run in with my father." Draco said nonchalantly as if saying that is saying the whole tale all together and Harry and Pansy then had this enlightened look upon their faces that seems to convey…

'Lucius happened…'

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter, I was down with cold so please forgive me. I know it isn't much but this is more of a filler chapter, the next chapter would be more.. ermm.. Eventful, so tune in. and in the chapters to come expect a mean Lucius and a bit mean Astoria, sorry to those who like her. Thank you for all the reviews. Gotta go my head still hurts.