Lucius could feel Draco's eyes on him, scrutinizing his every move. He didn't bother hiding anything, though. It was too late for that. Draco obviously thought the worst of him already.

So Lucius didn't hide the way he made sure Hermione was comfortable before he sat down. He didn't refrain from letting his arm rest on the back of her chair, so that she could lean into him if she needed it. He didn't deign to care if they noticed the way he kept glancing at her to make sure she was all right. Let them see. What did it matter as long as she didn't throw him out?

Potter apparently didn't have Draco's cool nerve. He had barely sat down when he exploded with questions:

"What's he doing here? Has he hurt you? Why haven't you been to work? Why did you disarm us? And – and why the hell do you keep touching him?"

The last was said with a look of horrified disgust, upon seeing Hermione lean into Lucius's side and gently touch his knee to make sure he stayed calm in the midst of Harry's offensive questioning. She didn't need to, though. Keeping a neutral face was second nature to him by now. Hermione did an admirable job as well, though Lucius could tell she bristled at Potter's final question: "Is he manipulating you in some way?"

"You have got some nerve, Harry," she finally said with a voice cold as ice. "And you have apparently forgotten that Lucius is in fact the only person in this room whom I have actually invited."

"Sounds bad when you put it like that", he muttered.

"Yes. It does," she ground out. "Don't I have some right to know what made the two of you make the questionable decision of coming here in the first place?"

"We're worried!" Potter said, waving his hand toward Lucius. His boyish agitation was amusing, but unfortunately this wasn't the time to show it.

"About what?" Hermione asked, apparently determined not to give anything away. "And how did you know Lucius was here in the first place?"

Potter grimaced at her casual use of Lucius's first name, but looked pointedly at Draco. Lucius watced his son suspiciously as he cleared his throat uncomfortably and turned to Hermione.

"I, uh, I had been trying to get a hold of my father and when I heard you weren't at work, I thought he might be here."

"How did you make that connection?" Lucius asked curiously.

"You talked about her last Christmas. It struck me as... odd."

Lucius was surprised. He had talked about her? Perhaps he had. But he couldn't remember saying anything odd.

Draco continued. "Look, I just had a feeling that something was going on. I didn't go to Potter straight away, I... uh, I looked in your window."

"You what?"

Lucius was man enough to admit he was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of the look Hermione gave Draco at that moment. He held back a chuckle. They were really just boys, Draco and Potter. He couldn't determine whether they were more brave or stupid in this instance. Draco had the sense to look a little ashamed of himself, but Potter of course had to stick his nose in.

"Yeah, but Draco saw him hurting you!" he accused.

Lucius looked sharply at his son, who looked even more embarrassed. "I told you, I couldn't make out what I saw," Draco mumbled to Potter. Then, with impressive courage, Draco looked Lucius in the eye. "What I did see was you pinning Granger to the floor, even though she was bleeding and crying."

"And?" Lucius prompted with a scowl. "Did you see what happened before that? Or after?"

"Not before," Draco admitted. "But afterwards you seemed to comfort her. I couldn't make out what I saw, so I felt I sort of had to... check on her."

Lucius clenched his teeth. Draco looked rather pale when their eyes met. As well he should, given what they were implying. Lucius again felt a soothing touch upon his legs and forced himself to relax slightly. Hermione sighed beside him. "What you saw was correct, Draco. Lucius did hold me down – but not in spite of my crying, but because of it."

"That doesn't make sense", Potter stated. "Why would he hurt you if you were already upset? Unless he's –" Potter had the good sense to stop his sentence there.

"He didn't hurt me, Harry", Hermione said gently. "What Draco didn't see was that I was having a panic attack. I had trouble breathing and thinking straight and fell, breaking a vase in the process and cutting myself. Lucius came in a moment later and made sure I couldn't hurt myself any more. He helped me calm down."

Potter and Draco stared at her. Draco was looking increasingly uncomfortable, while Potter didn't seem to be able to credit her straight forward explanation.

"He was already here?" Harry asked.

"I've had quite a few attacks the last couple of days. I need Lucius's help, and he is kind enough to stay here and offer it."

Lucius couldn't stop himself from squeezing her hand lightly. Draco saw it, but Potter was still staring incredulously at Hermione.

"Sleeping in your bedroom?"

"Yes, Harry," she said sharply. "Right next to me, holding my hand." The look she gave Potter dared him to go any further. Lucius didn't know if he was more relieved or disappointed that the boy had the sense to let that topic go. It would have been amusing to see him trying to handle Hermione's full wrath.

"Sorry", he mumbled, then looked pleadingly at her. "But Hermione, I just don't get it! How on earth would he be the person to turn to in the first place? You've got real friends, like Ginny or I."

Hermione was struggling to stay calm. "You are my friends. But when you're having a panic attack, it's not always the logical or simple solution that presents itself. Lucius and I had some business last summer, and when the memories got worse my mind wanted him to help me – and no one else."

"What business?"

Lucius had been quietly listening for some time now, annoyed at being referred to in third person but all right with letting Hermione handle the boys. She seemed to know what she was doing. But now, it was time to intervene. He knew how horrible she was at lying and there was no need for them to hear the full story. "I have agreed to help her with her research on the Cruciatus-curse, Mr Potter. I was reluctant to, at first, but about a week ago, I decided I ought to do what I could to help, and contacted her. It was a matter of timing that I visited when she was in need of my assistance."

"And you are helping her out of the goodness of your heart, I suppose", Potter scoffed.

"No, Mr Potter," Lucius said sternly. "I help her because she is suffering and I seem to be the only one at present who can."

"This is ridiculous!" Potter shot up from his seat. "He's got to have done something to you, Hermione! The way you keep so close to him – it's not right! Come with us, we'll take you to St Mungo's or to my place or something!"

"Stop it, Harry," Hermione snapped. "Lucius hasn't done anything to me. If anything, I'm the one using him. He can scarcely go to the bathroom without being called back because I'm so helpless. He's the reason I've been able to sleep at all, or eat or stay sane at all. If you're really my friend, you won't take that away from me. Not now."

Something in her tone of voice, or the desperate look in her eyes, made Potter deflate slightly. He sighed, raking his hand through his hair again. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be an ass. It's just –" He seemed to struggle for words for a moment, before continuing with a pleading expression. "Look, if I'd told you six months ago that you would be having Lucius Malfoy as a house guest, would you really have been okay with that idea?"

It was Hermione's time to deflate. "Fair point", she said. Hermione glanced up at Lucius with a half-smile before turning back to Potter. "You're right, I would have told you to go to St Mungo's and get your brain checked." She sighed. "Look. I realise this is weird for you – for the both of you, I guess. I'm not asking you to like it. But if you really want what is best for me, you need to accept that right now, this is how it's going to be."

Potter looked at her thoughtfully. Lucius could practically hear the clogs working in there. Thinking did not come very easily to that boy, did it? He could tell Draco had already come to terms with things - for now, anyway. Lucius hoped that this meant their relationship might not be worse off than it had been a couple of weeks ago at least.

"If you could just explain how you went from hating him to... cuddling him..." Potter pleaded. "I mean... does Ginny know about this?"

Hermione blushed. "She is aware of some circumstances, but I'm sure she'd be as upset as you are about this." Since all three wizards stared at her, she was more or less forced to go on. "She, uh, knows I had conflicting feelings about someone this summer. But she doesn't know it was Lucius."

Now was not the time, but Lucius would have loved to tease her about that. Conflicting feelings. What was one way of putting it. Draco and Potter kept staring at her, probably trying to discern if they really wanted to know what those feelings were. Since neither pursued the topic, he concluded they didn't. He did, but preferably not in the present company. He doubted they'd appreciate his usual questioning methods. And, he told himself sternly, neither would she, given the state of her.

There was silence for a few moments.

"I'll make us some tea," Lucius suddenly offered. Draco looked surprised, Potter positively shocked.

"Thank you," Hermione said politely, as he stood and went to the kitchen to put the kettle on. Manually. He sighed and at the clock – two a.m. It was a good thing it was Saturday tomorrow and no risk of her imagining she was fit for work.

When Lucius came back a few moments later, the tension seemed to have lessened. Potter appeared to be less hostile when he wasn't around. What a surprise. He and Hermione were talking quietly, with Draco looking rather uncomfortable beside them. Lucius could guess he just wanted to leave.

Lucius set a tray with cups, a kettle and some buiscuits on the table.

"Here, Draco", he said. "It's Tilly's biscuits."

"Thanks".

Draco took one, but didn't seem to have much of an appetite. Perhaps that was what happened when one spied at your father through a window, broke in to a woman's flat in the middle of the night and made a fool of yourself.

"You should ask her to bring some more over", Draco said. "She's moping because hasn't been allowed to be of use to you this last week."

Lucius nodded, and filled everyone's cups. He caught Potter eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not trying to poison anyone. Apparently, I'm too clever to be caught in the act."

Hermione rolled her eyes, and sipped her tea.

"What were you talking about?" he asked as he sat down.

"I was filling Harry in on the anxiety attacks... and the memories." Hermione made a face. Lucius saw the slight tremble that wasn't unusual whenever she alluded to the subject, and put his arm around her back, squeezing her upper arm. She took a deep breath. "Thanks."

He nodded.

"I think... I need to talk about it," she whispered.

Again, he nodded. There was no good time to do it. Why not now? All he needed to do was to keep his own thoughts and feelings on the subject to himself.

"I want Ginny to be here", she said.

"I'll get her", Draco volunteered and stood, brushing the crumbs off his hands. "I was the one who jumped to conclusions anyway, it's the least I can do."

Lucius looked at Hermione. "Perhaps you and Potter could go get some more biscuits in the kitchen? I'll see Draco off."

When Hermione had given him his wand back and she and Potter had disappeared into the kitchen, Draco found himself face to face with his father. Lucius had a serious look upon his face, one that made him feel like a little boy again. To be sure, Draco had grown quite as tall as Lucius, but in moments like these – when he knew he'd done something that was wrong, it didn't feel like it.

Still, he tried to keep his back straight as he looked his father in the eye. He'd known the spying part was a bad idea from the start. "I'm sorry", he said.

Lucius nodded thoughtfully, simply looking at him for a few moments. Draco had expected a harsh reprimand like those he'd received in the past, so the lack of hostility surprised him.

"You put her well being first, I cannot blame you for that", Lucius finally said. "You are a good man, Draco. And perhaps this was all for the best. She needs to talk about it. And you ought to know where to find me."

"You'll stay here for a while then?" Draco asked, cringing. Why did he prolong this conversation when he had a perfectly good reason to leave?

"For a while."

Draco nodded. There was a moment when he wasn't certain if anything else needed to be said or done. It didn't feel like a hand shake moment. So when Lucius said nothing, Draco we went over to the fire place, taking a handful of the Floo powder Granger kept in a tin box on the mantelpiece.

"Just one more thing, Draco."

Draco looked up and was faced with as stern an expression as he could ever have expected from the old Lucius. He swallowed nervously.

"Do not spy on her ever again. Do you understand me?"

"Perfectly," Draco said. But as he stepped into the fireplace, he couldn't help but to add under his breath: "I wouldn't want to risk seeing anything worse than I already did."

"What was that?" Lucius asked sharply.

"Nothing."

As he spoke Ginny Weasley's address and was engulfed by the green flames, Draco thought he saw a smirk on his father's face. Just please don't make me call her 'mother'.