The next week was rather uneventful. Mina went to school, spent time with Carla and Mickey where she could and at the end of the week, left for Malfoy Manor again. Madam Collins greeted her and gave her a list of tasks for the weekend. Both Friday and Saturday, Mina did not encounter Lucius. She felt relieved but disappointed at the same time. She wondered why she cared so much. She hand a hunch but didn't want to give that option any real thought.

Her workday ended on Saturday and the rest of the staff went home, planning some fun activities for themselves, since they didn't have to stay in the manor tonight. Mina ate her dinner in the kitchen and once she was done, she made sure to stay out of the way and went upstairs to get ready. A few minutes before 8 o'clock, she descended from the stairs in the dress she picked out for tonight. It was a lilac dress, of course. The skirt reached to her knees and a silk lilac ribbon was tied around her waist. Above her waist, a sleeveless top with a sweet heart neckline, covered in a see-through lilac layer, covering her shoulders. The layer was covered in tiny little lilac flowers, giving the dress a delicate look. Mina tried on the shoes that Carla lent her and smiled when she noticed they were exactly her size. At first she had thought the shoes too gaudy, since they were silver high heels. But now that she was wearing them with her dress, also wearing a pair of simple silver earrings and a silver bracelet, it looked very classy. She applied some light make up to finish her look and gave the mirror a smile before heading downstairs.

Lucius was standing near the fireplace, looking at her as she came down. He was in awe but did his best not to show it. She looked absolutely stunning, especially wearing her signature color. The dress was not a standard dress for occasions such as this, but nevertheless it fitted perfectly for some reason. He gave her a small nod and a weak smile instead of the kiss he wanted to give her. He wanted to claim her, hold her…have her…Awkwardly he cleared his throat as he tried to ban these things from his mind.

"You eh…look well. Pretty." He finally stated and held out his arm for her to take.

Mina reluctantly accepted. "Thank you." Her voice was whisper, she was pretty impressed by him as well. He was wearing a very fine black cloak, with a silver necklace attached, that formed two snakes on his chest. Underneath a dark-red blazer with a white blouse underneath. She thought it wiser to not point out that the cloak was completely useless, since they would travel by floo and not come out in the open air.

Lucius escorted her to the fireplace and eyed her up and down. "I do not want your dress to get dirty." He murmured and before she knew it, he wrapped her up in his cloak, standing quite close to her in the fireplace. Mina's heart was pounding in her chest and she almost felt like she was shaking, being so close to him. Was she mistaken or did she hear his heartbeat as well? The moment passed as Lucius grabbed a hand of floo powder and murmured their location, sending them into the fireplace.

They emerged from a fireplace in a different manor, one that was even bigger than Malfoy manor. A huge staircase stood right across from them, with marble steps decorated with fine gold lines. Huge windows decorated with lush green curtains were seen throughout the large hall and the hall itself was furnished with long tables against the walls. On the tables were the finest white tablecloths and they were filled with delicious types of food. One table was set up for drinks, a few house elves were pouring them for the large number of guests that occupied the room. They were dressed in their finest evening wear and dancing and chatting all over.

Lucius pulled back his cloak, clearing his throat awkwardly again when he noticed a few people looking at them. He helped Mina step out of the fireplace and gave his cloak to a house elf.

"Thank you, sir. Good evening, miss." The little creature squeaked and bowed to them.

"Hello, good evening to you too." Mina replied with a smile and Lucius glared at her.

"Don't be friendly to the help, they are just servants." He hissed at her as he brushed some soot off his clothes.

"Like me?" Mina asked him plainly and left his side before he could answer. The house elf giggled behind her hand and quickly rushed off when Lucius glared at her as well.

"Miss Harper, Miss Harper!" Lucius hissed while chasing the girl, doing his best to be as quiet and as loud as he could, at the same time. "Mina!" He now growled and Mina had to stop walking, since the sound of his voice saying her name made her knees weak.

Lucius caught up to her and stood behind her, whispering in her ear.

"I'd advise you not to make a fool out of me here. It was a poor choice of words, that will be the end of it. Do not upset your benefactor, girl." He murmured in her ear and grazed the shell of her ear with his lips, making Mina gasp and swallow hard.

"I'm sorry, sir, I'll behave." She whispered causing Lucius to smirk.

"Very good, now, let's introduce you to our host. Victor!" He answered softly and said the name out loud, when a man walked up to them. Lucius shook his hand and pointed around with his cane.

"Wonderful party, old man, wonderful. Do meet my pupil, miss Harper, student at Hogwarts. Ravenclaw."

Mina shyly stepped forward and gave the man a weak handshake. He shook hers with vigour and a smile, his big grey moustache wiggling on his face as he spoke to her.

"Ravenclaw eh, that means you have a good brain on you, that's good, that's good. I'm Victor Sandoval, nice to make your acquaintance, young lady. I can't say I know the name Harper, where do your parents work? The ministry?"

"Eh no, my mother sings at a local pub in her home town." Mina explained and wondered if Victor's eyebrows were going to fall off his face with how high he was raising them. "She is a muggle. My father is no longer with us." The girl went on, figuring this explanation about her dad was good enough, since he was indeed not with her or her mother.

Lucius made a face, she could tell that she said something wrong, but what? When Victor started to chuckle awkwardly, she knew she'd find out soon.

"A muggle-born, Lucius? A real one? You are supporting a mu…" Victor stopped speaking before he could finish that thought but Mina knew what he wanted to say. Mudblood. She was dirty to him, because her mother was a muggle.

"Victor, you will not speak about my pupil in such a way. Times have changed. I have changed. I assure you she is quite competent." Lucius said delicately and took two glasses of white wine from a hous elf offering them some on a platter. There were two reasons that Lucius stood up for Mina. The first was a little embarrassing, he was hoping that his statement would find its way to Narcissa. Who knew, maybe she'd contact him if she thought him changed. The second reason might be more embarrassing, it was because she looked so beautiful. He had forgotten all about her display at entering the house, all he could think of was her beauty, her quirkiness. Her desire for justice, how poised she looked in a room filled with strangers that thought nothing of her if they knew the truth. She was regal. That was the perfect word. Lucius offered Mina one of the glasses and gave her a slight bow as he did.

The girl blushed, touched that he stood up for her like that, oblivious to his motives or agenda. She accepted the glass and took a small sip. The wine had a deep gold color, revealing by sight that it would have no ordinary taste. And it was anything but ordinary. The liquid was thicker than usual wine, it tasted sweet and silky in her mouth, almost as if she was drinking pure honey. She swallowed with her eyes closed and hummed slightly, taking in the taste before smiling.

"That is a very good wine, lord Sandoval. Even with that bitter after taste." She commented and Victor gasped at her comment, making Lucius snort. He turned serious again and gave Mina a glare, which made her snort as well. Victor excused himself and grumbled as he walked off.

"I should be very upset with you for that." Lucius mused, smirking at the girl. Mina coyly chuckled and sipped some more of her wine.

"Go ahead." She told him with a wink, making Lucius feel things he hadn't felt in a long time.

"Don't tempt me, girl…" Lucius said in a husky voice, narrowing his eyes at her. Mina just grinned at him and finished her wine. Lucius did the same and took the glass from her hand, putting them on a tray of a house elf. Then he turned back to her and presented his hand. Mina blinked rapidly in reluctance, but accepted his hand shakily. Lucius smiled and pulled her closer to him, holding her waist carefully as he started to sway back and forth. Once they found the rhythm of the subtle music, they danced as if they had been dancing together for years.

Mina looked around as they danced and got teary-eyed. The wine was going straight to her head and the dancing caused a woozy feeling to spread in her head and body. The manor was so beautiful and dancing with Lucius was intoxicating. She wished this night would never end.

Lucius saw how touched she was and felt a warm feeling spread in his chest. It had been a long time, since he and Narcissa had a nice night out like this. Their years had been mostly colored by the dark lord's presence.

The music changed to a different song and Lucius stepped back, bowing at Mina. Mina curtsied and giggled a bit. Lucius led her towards a table and introduced her to some more people there.

"Mina Harper, meet Joanna Harris, Alby Witherton and Seamus Dormerton." He stated, gesturing at the group of people. "Meet my pupil, Mina Harper. Ravenclaw."

Mina shyly shook their hands and smiled.

"Ravenclaw? How interesting." Joanna said smugly, tilting her head at Mina. She instantly disliked the red-headed woman with green eyes.

"Yes, Ravenclaw, it's a fine house, miss Harris." Mina answered, feeling like a zoo animal.

Joanna scoffed. "I prefer Slytherin, thank you very much. At least you can be sure of the purebloods there." She said haughtily. "What about you, Lucius?"

"Mina is a very talented student." Lucius said discreetly. "How is Alistair, Joanna? I don't see him anywhere…" He added, a snarky tone in his voice. Mina wondered why he asked that, but Joanna did not answer, she walked off with a huff.

"A bit too much wine, perhaps." Lucius condescendingly noted. The others laughed and gestured for a house elf to bring them more drinks. Lucius passed Mina another glass as well, with the same wine she drank earlier.

Again she hummed happily when she tasted the golden liquid, she just couldn't help herself. She wasn't used to riches like this, after all. Like before, the wine went straight to her head and she felt the tension leave her body. When Lucius asked her for another dance, she eagerly accepted.

They twirled around the dance floor as if they were lovers, causing the other guests to point and talk about them, but Mina didn't care. Lucius noticed, but the overwhelming feeling of happiness was too good to give up.

Around midnight, when a good part of the guests had already left, he suggested they would head home. "It's getting late after all, you have an early day." He casually told her and laughed when a look of shock came over the girl. "Just kidding, you can sleep in." He whispered to her with a wink. Mina laughed relieved, it was so nice that he was being silly with her.

The butterflies in her stomach were far too wild for her to ignore at this point. She knew she was madly in love with Lucius. And she had a hunch that he felt the same way. Why else would he make such a big deal out of this evening?

After getting his cloak back from the house elf that hung it up for him earlier that evening, the wizard grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace, holding out his free hand for her to grab onto. "Malfoy manor." He said firmly and they were off. They arrived back at the manor and Lucius helped Mina to step out of the fireplace. The house was empty, as Lucius requested from his staff.

Mina felt herself get giddy, she just knew that Lucius was going to kiss her. How could he not after the perfect night they had?

Lucius watched her, biting that lip again as she did when she was nervous. He could see how excited she was and he suspected to know what it was. He had felt the butterflies as well, the happy feeling when they danced, their banter….but how could he do this? The second that he'd kiss her, he'd want more.

"I eh…" He started to say as he took off his cloak and hung it on a nearby coat rack. The girl stared at him wide-eyed, fumbling with her hands. Again he was stricken with her beauty. He stepped closer and firmly planted his hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him without giving her any room to escape. There was a hint of fear in her eyes, but it was overwhelmed with desire and need. It stroked his ego and he felt his manhood swell in his pants. With his free hand, he wiped a lock of hair out of her face and stroked her cheek with a finger.

"Sir..I.." Mina started to say, she felt herself get wet for the man, a feeling she hadn't experienced often in her life. The girl was no virgin, there had been a charming Slytherin boy in her fifth year that was able to sweep her off her feet, but it didn't last. It was ironic that she was now again in the arms of a Slytherin.

"Hush, girl." Lucius stopped her before she could go on and leaned in, tilting his head. Mina closed her eyes, a small gasp of anticipation falling from her lips. This was it, he was going to kiss her. Lucius glanced over Mina's shoulder and saw a familiar face staring back at him, with that same familiar disapproving look. It was the picture of Narcissa, that he forgot to remove from the mantel above the fireplace. The image narrowed its eyes at him and shook her head. Malfoy felt his stomach turn, his wife…ex wife….seeing him kiss a muggle…a muggle-born witch….he stared at Mina's lips again and suddenly felt like he was taking advantage of the girl. She was sixteen years old…this was wrong…this was illegal…

"Miss Harper, I expect you to take care of breakfast tomorrow morning, since the rest of the staff is not here. No later than 9'o clock, I have an appointment at 11. Am I making myself clear?" He stated, with a sudden lack of interest.

Mina opened her eyes, staring at him as if he had suggested she'd take a bath with slugs. "What? Breakfast? I eh…"

"Yes, breakfast, you are hired here to help around the house after all." Lucius replied with a certain shortness in his voice.

This made Mina frown, he was sending a myriad of mixed signals. For starters, he still hadn't let go of her waist, so he was keeping her in place, trapped in this awkward moment of rejection. The girl tried to pull herself loose, but it only made him grip her tighter, as if he was mad at her for his own choice of not kissing her. With his free hand, he grabbed her right arm and squeezed it.

"You're hurting me…" Mina said in a tiny voice ,wincing when h brought his face closer to hers. And it was true, he was squeezing her arm rather hard at this point. He was also hurting her heart but she wouldn't admit that to him.

"Stop trying to seduce me, miss Harper, it's not very becoming." He told her firmly, narrowed his eyes at her.

"Isn't it?" Mina fired back, heavily annoyed that he was prolonging this torturous moment for her. "Because I get the impression that you desperately want this." She added, narrowing her blue eyes at him as well. For a moment, Lucius was speechless by her cheek and Mina relished in the moment of pure shock and anger she saw in his eyes.

"Go to your room, girl." Lucius hissed at her and let her go. Mina shook her head.

"I turn seventeen next month." She said without looking at him, heading for the stairs to go to sleep.

It would be his choice what he'd do with that information.