Dear Readers,

A year. That's how long it has been. So for those of you who have recently reviewed or sent me a PM (lovingly) chastising me for my unforgivable delay, thank you. This chapter has been half finished for about 11 months. Real deadlines get in the way of my "guilty pleasure" writing, and as much as I wanted to continue, I had trouble finding the time or motivation. But this chapter (as short and uneventful as it is) has me rolling again, and new chapters will follow shortly. Thank you for sticking with this through the long, frequent breaks.

Littlekat1010

It could be considered miraculous for a couple, forced together by law, separated by age and politics, to find common ground. Lucius brooded over this, forgetting about the book of essays that now rested on his lap. The girl, emotionally and physically exhausted from the day, had retired more than an hour ago, but Lucius was more energized than he had been in months. And, of course, Severus would want an explanation.

Lucius was a confident man. He knew who he was and what he wanted. He held no delusions about his faults; he simply chose to accept them, rather than bother with changing them. He was intelligent, held a good social status, and could even be charismatic when he chose. But when it came to relationships, Lucius was comfortable in only one role. It was a role Ginevra Malfoy had seen only a small piece of, and if she knew the extent of it, it was a role she would certainly reject. She would not be the first.

In the early days of his arranged marriage to Narcissa, Lucius had been often frustrated by their frequent clash of wills. Narcissa was a proud woman, raised as Lucius had been to believe her blood pure and superior. Compromise was not a strong point for either of them. But those battle had been more even footed. She was his age, and they at least had shared core beliefs. Their arguments had been laced with sexual tension and mutual respect. Of course, twenty years under the Dark Lord had only added bitterness, distrust, and regret to his character, leaving him far more jaded for his second wife than he had been for his first. Ginevra was certainly no Narcissa

When Severus stepped out of the library fireplace not twenty minutes later, Lucius was not the least bit surprised. His face was solemn as he made himself comfortable in the chair across from Lucius. "What happened?"

Lucius closed his eyes. He had asked Severus to help him, and so he owed his friend an explanation. "We argued. She saw me with Calista, and drew the wrong conclusions. I – I was angry, offended that she would expect me to break a vow."

Severus rose and poured Lucius a drink. "How did you end up with her up against the wall?""

Lucius shot the potions master a dark look. He had forgotten that Severus had taken the liberties of reading Ginevra's mind. "I don't exactly know. She accused me of be unsatisfied with her, a fact I did not contest. And then I wanted her to know. I wanted her to see me, truly see me. I thought it would disgust her, make her hate me more, cause her to be terrified of me, and I found myself not caring." He took an inappropriately large swig of his whiskey. "I wasn't out of control, though, Severus. I wish I could say that I had been, but I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew how much I was hurting her."

Severus grimaced. "Be thankful you didn't let your anger best your control, Lucius. You could have seriously hurt her."

Lucius nodded, taking the offhanded chastisement gratefully. He had expected Severus to thoroughly berate him – he wouldn't have been surprised if the man had sent a minor hex or two his way. And he would have deserved them.

"And her reaction?" Severus prodded gently.

" – was arousal." Lucius shook his head. "That was a shock, but a welcome one."

"So what now?"

A small smile lit Lucius' face. "We talked. She is – intrigued, and willing to explore. I have business in France, unfortunately, but when I return we will talk about it again."

Severus sighed. "It was an unfortunate event, Lucius, but I am glad some good came out of it." He stood to leave. "I'll let you get some rest." He hesitated before stepping into the fire. "Don't rush, Lucius." With a shout, the green flames carried him home.

LGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLG

Ginny was awakened the next morning by a knock on her door. A glance at the magical time piece next to her bed informed her that she had overslept several hours, and completely missed breakfast. She groaned softly, dreading Lucius's anger for missing yet another meal. She sat up in bed, pushing her disheveled hair away from her face.

"Come in." She called softly, although she wanted nothing more than for him to go away.

Lucius entered, closing the door behind him, and crossing to the bedside chair.

"I'm sorry I overslept, Mr. Malfoy. Lula usually makes sure I'm up, but -"

Lucius cut her off. "I told Lula to let you sleep, Ginevra, so you may stop trying to apologize."

Ginny felt relief wash over her. He wasn't angry. So why was he in her bedroom?

"I am going to be out of town for the next few days, Ginevra. I have business in Paris, but it shouldn't take me too long."

Ginny let his words sink in. "But what about -?"

"I will be back in plenty of time to make our quota. And when I return, we can continue our conversation from last night."

Ginny could feel her face reddening. As hopeful as she had felt last night about the situation, she was embarrassed at the thought of discussing it. Lucius leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees.

"We cannot proceed without talking first, Ginevra. There are things I need to know, details we need to hash out. There is no need for you to be shy about it."

His tone was uncharacteristically gentle, and Ginny wondered if he was actually sincere in his attempt to reassure her. She nodded silently in response.

"I've left you a magically signed note of consent for Gringotts, so if you need funds for anything, you may withdraw them. Lula will see to your meals. Just notify her if you are going to eat out so she doesn't prepare food unnecessarily. I should be back by Thursday at the latest."

Ginny nodded again. "Thank you. And...have a safe trip." The words sounded too formal after the intense intimacy they had shared only 15 hours earlier. The lack of trust between them seemed to be further intensified by the sudden sexual tension. She blushed again as images of Lucius bending her over the kitchen table flashed across her mind. She wasn't sure she would ever be able to look at this man in the eyes again.

Lucius sensed her anxiety, and rose to leave. "I will see you in a few days." He resisted the urge to add, "Behave yourself in my absence." He left her, closing the door behind him, before he said anything more. He was loath to leave her alone for any extended period of time. She was, after all, only 17 years old. Severus had been correct; she was not his child. But she was young, and from what he knew of her, partial to reckless behavior. He had resisted admonishing her to be mindful of her behavior in his absence, but he had asked Lula to keep an eye on her, and report to him regularly. Lucius Malfoy was an inherently wary man.

LGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLG

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow, Hermione?" Severus asked, the finely tuned rhythm of his knife never faltering as he prepped potions ingredients for the next several days. He watched the petite brunette closely, still unsettled by her lack of focus the past several weeks. It was the reason he had told Hermione that he did not need her tomorrow, that he was taking a day off from brewing. It was an utter lie, but he was fed up with her recent air-headed tendencies. It was completely unlike her, and Severus was determine to discover the reason behind it.

She nodded unenthusiastically. "Mr. Malfoy is in Paris for the next several days on business, and Ginny invited me to spend the day with her. It will be fun, I suppose."

Severus raised his eyebrows and smirked. "I'm sure that's exactly the kind of enthusiasm Mrs. Malfoy hoped for when she extended the invitation to you."

Hermione's shoulders slumped a bit. "I'm sorry, Severus. Recently the only time – "

She stopped short, her face reddening a little, and busied herself with the ingredients, carefully separating them into labeled containers. Severus cursed inwardly, wishing she hadn't stopped talking. As it was, she had only confirmed his suspicions that there was something she wasn't telling him. It was affecting her emotional state, and by extension, her work with him. He was frustrated to the point that he had considered talking to Sirius about it, but that idea had been pushed aside as quickly as it had occurred to him. The situation would need to be significantly more dire before he would resort to asking for help from the mutt. Old habits die hard, as do old enmities.

Instead, he had decided to see if the new Mrs. Malfoy had noticed anything unusual. He would wait until after tomorrow. Perhaps Hermione would confide in her friend during her day off.

LGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLGLG

Ginny was relieved to finally hear the floo alarm sound, and she murmured the incantation to allow Hermione to floo into her bedroom, the only fireplace Lucius had given her control of. Everything else had to go through him. She was thrilled to have her best friend alone for an entire night, with no fear of Lucius or a curfew.

"Hermione!" The girls embraced, and when she pulled away, Ginny noticed the dark circles around her friend's eyes. "Merlin, Mione, you look exhausted."

Hermione nodded, a wry smile on her face. "I'm not sleeping too well these days, Ginny."

Ginny grinned. "Well then, a girls'-night-in is exactly what you need! Come on, let's go to the sitting room. Lula can bring us dinner in there."

The girls piled the couch cushions on the floor in front of the fireplace, and made themselves comfortable. Lula delivered several trays of what Ginny referred to as "chick food." There were several pastas, cheeses, fruit, champagne, and to finish it off, a mini chocolate fountain accompanied by a pile of pound cake and marshmallows. They dove right in, talking as much as they could without spewing half chewed fettuccine across the room.

"Bloody hell, this champagne is fantastic!" Hermione exclaimed, downing her glass with very little propriety.

"Hermione Jean Black, watch your mouth!" Ginny scolded, grinning. It was delightful to hear the usually uptight Hermione so foul.

"Wrong season for strawberries, though." Hermione continued as though she hadn't heard Ginny. "They taste like arse." With that final syllable, several pieces of said strawberry flew across the trays into Ginny's face.

"Gross, Hermione! You spit arseberry in my eye!"

Both girls dissolved into laughter, and for a moment it was almost as if they were back at Hogwarts, drinking contraband champagne in the prefects' bathroom. Ginny shrugged off her sweater, laying down and resting her elbows on the floor.

Hermione stopped laughing suddenly. "Ginny, what happened to your back?"

Ginny's face reddened, her breath catching suddenly. She had forgotten about the yellowing bruises on her upper back, evidence of her last encounter with Lucius. She fumbled for words for a moment before muttering a pathetic. "It's nothing."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "He hurt you. Tell me Gin. Now."

Ginny closed her eyes in mortification. What was she supposed to say? Yes, Hermione, he did, but it's ok. I ended up liking it. Got off on it, actually. And I can't stop thinking about it, or wanting it, and it's freaking me out.

"No, Hermione. He didn't hurt me. It was just-" She paused, scrambling for something that would satisfy her concerned friend. "It was a moment of passion, that's all." There, that would do it. Close enough to the truth, without the sordid details. Ginny was still uncertain of how she felt about the incident; mostly she fluctuated between shame and excitement. She was not ready to share it with Hermione.

Hermione relaxed, but her eyebrows rose. "Passion?" She giggled. "With Malfoy?" The champagne was clearly going to her head. She flopped onto the floor and started giggling hysterically.

Ginny grinned, partially in relief. "Shut up, Hermione. I'm stuck with the man, I might as well make the most of it."

That sent Hermione into another fit of laughter, and it was several minutes before she had calmed. "I wish I had moments of passion."

Ginny felt a stab of pity for her friend. Hermione was quite clearly unhappy. "Still nothing between you?"

Hermione shook her head as she poured herself a fourth glass of champagne. "Nothing. It's not bad, mind you. He's a decent shag, always makes sure I get off."

Ginny grinned. Champagne had always been Hermione's weakness.

"But it's just so...mechanical. Everything we do, in the bedroom and otherwise. We literally have nothing in common. There are days when I wish we at least fought once in a while, but there isn't even enough spark to fuel an argument. We just kind of coexist."

Both girls were quiet for a moment. "This is depressing." said Ginny. "Come on, this is girls' night. Take your mind off of marriage and tell me something happy. How's the internship?"
Hermione finished glass four and poured a fifth. "Brilliant, Ginny. I hope that when my 6 months are up Severus offers me a permanent position. I enjoyed potions before, but now I am obsessed. Severus is a genius. He rarely follows any potion recipe exactly, because he has such a deep understanding of what each ingredient does. He adjusts to make the potions better. I keep telling him to write a potions manual of his own, but he says he doesn't want to share his secrets with everyone. I can't believe I used to think he was mean – Merlin, I just love him!'

Hermione stopped gushing when she realized what she'd just said, and her face reddened. "I didn't mean it like that."

Ginny instantly knew better. "Hermione Black, you did too mean it like that! You've fallen for Snape. I knew it! I knew it from the way you talked about him the day we went shopping, and now you've admitted it. "

Hermione dropped her head in her hands. "Don't tell anyone, Gin. I would die if he knew! And Sirius too...please keep it to yourself?"

Ginny nodded. "Of course, Hermione. But be careful. You are married to Sirius, probably forever. You are going to have a lot of heartache if you let this crush go too far."

Hermione sighed. "I know, I know, I am just being silly. I mean, even if I weren't married, I would never tell Severus. He would probably curse me and cut off my internship. It's just a phase."

Ginny patted Hermione's hand sympathetically. "Come on, Mione. Let's look at books. That will make you feel better."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Really, Gin? I've been wanting to browse since I got here, but I didn't want to spoil our night with books if you didn't want to..."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "One hour, Hermione, and then it's back to champagne and gossip."

Hermione grinned. "Deal!"

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