If looks could kill, Hermione and Ginny would have died a slow and painful death. Hermione fidgeted nervously under Draco's formidable glare. Ginny only smiled sheepishly. (A smile which she had inherited from Fred and George; the same smile that they used when they had been caught doing something they shouldn't be.)

"Well?" Draco asked impatiently. "What the hell is going on here? Why was my father's patronus so...affectionate with you?" Hermione opened and closed her mouth, somewhat like a goldfish, trying to summon the words to explain the situation. Draco sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Is..is anything going on between you two?"

"Nothing's going on Draco, I promise. And if there was, you'd be the first to know." Ginny huffed indignantly at the statement. "Apart from Little Miss Nosy, of course." Draco still looked uneasy. "Besides, if there was something going on, then do you really think she'd be able to keep her mouth shut?" Hermione said, gesturing to Ginny.

"Yeah...that is true. If Mione and Lucius were going out, then the whole wizarding population would know by now." Ginny said cheekily.

"If, er, if something did happen, would you hate me?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Well, no...I mean, if it makes father happy...He hasn't been with anyone since mother left, so... As long as there's not too much physical affection while I'm in the room." He added as an afterthought.

"How did I get a friend like you?" Hermione said, relieved, as she hugged Draco tightly.

"By pestering me constantly about homework, I think." He replied cheekily. Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled.

"It's not my fault that you thought Quidditch came before revision."

"Anyway," Ginny cut in, "We're not the ones you should be telling this to." Draco opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Lucius needs to know that you're okay with whatever this is, and what it could become."

Draco shook his head. "No. Way. I can just imagine that conversation now; Hi father, yeah sorry about nearly killing you and all that, but I just came to let you know that you have my permission to fuck Hermione."

"Draco!? It's not like that at all!" Hermione exclaimed, offended by his brash words.

"And how would you know? It's not like you've actually asked him! He's probably just acting on lust, goading you for a quick shag, and then he'll just pretend that you don't exist until the next time he feels like it!" Draco was shouting now, and Ginny was for once speechless.

Hermione stood up, the anger building inside her. "And you know him so well, don't you!? And of course, I'm just some slut that is stupid enough to get into bed with anyone who looks twice! I can't believe you! You said you were fine with it! And you wouldn't know either! You said he hasn't been with anyone since Narcissa!"

"I meant not seriously!" Hermione's face dropped.

"What? You think he's just gone celibate for three years!? There's this little thing called 'one night stands' Hermione! Just don't come crying to me when you realise he wants it 'no strings attached!'"

"And I told you, Draco fucking Malfoy, that it wasn't like that!" Hermione yelled. She stormed out of the room, magic sparking the air.

"Well done." Ginny said sarcastically.


Hermione stormed down the hallways, blinking back the tears, until she reached Lucius' study. She pushed the heavy door open, not caring to knock. Lucius was stood by the bookshelf, searching for anything to take his mind off recent events. He lifted his head sharply at the sound of his door being opened.

He noticed Hermione's tear streaked face and frowned in concern. She crossed the room and headed straight towards him.

"Hermione, are y-" Lucius was cut off abruptly as she grabbed his shirt roughly and crashed her lips onto his. He was taken aback at first, and it took him a second to respond. Hermione poured all her anger, passion, and lust into the kiss. Her tongue found his, and all of their unbridled emotions flowed into it.

Hermione's hands made their way across Lucius' firm chest, and back up to weave through his silky hair.

As much as Lucius was definitely enjoying the experience, he still had a touch of sensible thought left. He pulled away from her, bracing her shoulders when she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Stop." He panted, as they were both out of breath. "Hermione, stop."

"Why?" Hermione asked angrily, trying to resume their heated exchange.

"Because you are obviously upset, and I am not going to take advantage of you in this state." Lucius said firmly, pushing her further away from him.

"What if I want you to take advantage of me?" Hermione asked, running her leg up the back of his.

"You don't." Lucius said, stepping away from her. "You're confused and angry, I can see that. I suggest you stop now, before my self-control evades me."

"No. I'm not confused. I know what I want." Hermione replied, whilst tugging at the buttons on Lucius' shirt.

"I said stop!" Lucius shouted. Hermione snatched her hands away from him and hung her head in shame. She sniffed, trying in vain to keep her tears at bay. They trickled down her already wet face, and Lucius reached out, brushing them away with his thumb.

"Hermione, I.."

"No, you're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I should go." Hermione turned to leave, and stopped by the door. "I think it would be best if I just got on with my project. Away from you." Lucius did up the top buttons on his shirt, gathering his whereabouts.

"Yes. I agree. Whatever this is, it stops now." He said firmly.

"Right..." Hermione said as she left the room.


A week had passed since 'The Incident', as Hermione was now mentally calling it. She had done exactly what she said she would; arriving at the Manor, completing a day of filming, research, and writing, without so much as a glance at Lord of the Manor himself. Though she tried her best to deny it, Hermione was going out of her way to avoid Draco and Lucius. Of course, it was rather hard to avoid Draco, seeing as she lived with him, but Hermione resulted to the rather petulant and childish method of the silent treatment. Not that it affected him much. Draco was perfectly happy to wait until she had finished her little hissy fit, and was in no way going to waste his precious time trying to talk to her.

Lucius, however, was even harder to avoid. It seemed as though wherever Hermione went, Lucius was there as well! When she was researching in the library, he was there, reading or doing paperwork for the ministry. When she was filming in the garden, he was sat under some tree or another, looking completely irresistable dozing in the sun. Hermione was going as far as turning down a wrong corridor just so she wouldn't have to pass him in the hallways!

During one of her more stressful days of project-making, (During which the camera broke twice, her parchment got blown away in the wind, and she very nearly got cursed by a book, but thankfully Lucius nabbed it out of her reach before Hermione could touch it) she was walking down one of the Manor's endless tiled hallways, when she saw Lucius step out of a room.

"Shit!" Hermione whispered to herself. She acted on instinct and opened the nearest door to hide. Lucius turned from closing the door, to see the door to the broom closet close. "Shit." Hermione repeated. She tried to take in her surroundings, but it was pitch black. She realised it must be a broom closet, as it was an extremely tight squeeze, and judging by the broom that fell on her head, there wasn't much chance it could be anything else. Hermione held her breath as she heard Lucius' sharp footsteps getting closer.

The footsteps stopped, and the door to the closet creaked open. Hermione opened her eyes slowly, to come face to face with the man she was hiding from.

"And what, may I ask, are you doing in my broom closet?"

Hermione released the breath she had been holding and tried to think up an excuse. Quick! Now's your chance! Grab him inside and snog him senseless! Hermione's inner voice said excitedly.

Hermione quickly gagged it mentally and returned to the unexpected circumstance before her. "I was just...I was simply...Trying to find the toilets, and opened the wrong door..." She said, rather unconvincingly. Hermione then gave herself a mental slap for the crappy excuse.

Lucius smirked and held out his hand for her to take. Hermione took it gingerly and stepped out from the cramped closet. "You wouldn't, by any chance, be...avoiding me, Hermione?" He said slyly.

Hermione took a step away from Lucius and tried to look surprised. "What? No, no, of course not! Why would I be avoiding you? I mean, what reason do I have to avoid you anyway? Well, other than the fact that I'm finding it harder and harder to resist you, and I'm sure we're not on the best of terms, and Draco said that you only want me for a one night stand, and I am not a one night stand woman, and-" Hermione stopped at the large smirk that had grown on Lucius' lips. "What?" She said hotly, getting infuriated by his arrogance.

"I don't believe that you thought before you spoke there, Hermione." She looked confused for a moment, and then thought back to what she had actually said.

"Oh god no." Hermione said as her cheeks took on a charming blush.

Lucius stepped closer. "Oh god yes. And if I am becoming 'harder and harder to resist'," He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "then stop resisting." He enunciated each syllable slowly and clearly, sending a shiver down Hermione's spine. Lucius' hot breath trailed a path to Hermione's lips, his almost touching hers.

"I can't." Hermione choked out, before running back down the hallway, this time leaving a confused and irritated Lucius.