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It was just a word. Well under normal circumstances it was just a word and in anyone else's world It really was just a word. But at this very moment in time it was so much more than a simple entry in the dictionary. Right from the very start Hermione had had her suspicions regarding just how much Lucius Malfoy knew about what she did for a living. There was just something in his glinting eyes, in his knowing sneer and in that clipped aristocratic tone of his that had both compounded and added to those suspicions… and now with his choice of term…
If he had known all along that Hermione wasn't in the import and exports business, then their meeting was perhaps not as per chance as he'd made it out to be and could possibly have been more than a little contrived.. At what must have been her inopportune arrival, the former Death Eater had clearly set out to seduce and distract her, keep her away from what was really going on at his swanky Spa Hotel. She swept aside the fact that she had been just as complicit in any seduction but for very different reasons. Hermione bit her tongue, she couldn't voice any of this, certainly not her own complicity, well not in so many words. If Lucius only had his own suspicions, saying any of this would merely corroborate them and she would give herself away completely. He could just as easily be trying to draw her out and she was not going to fall into that trap.
They were both still on the floor at the end of his large bed, Lucius had shifted from his kneeling position and made himself more comfortable and they sat with their legs about each other just like any other lovers would do. A still totally naked Hermione shuffled a tad closer, had she been able to use magic she would have at least covered her modesty, but she would forget about her state of undress except of course to us it to her advantage.
"Mmm well I wouldn't call this unspeakable Lucius." She said, her hand caressing his leg, to accentuate the point.
"But then I don't think this is what you were referring to were you?"
The dark wizard inclined his slightly dishevelled blonde head, his eyes briefly drifting over her.
His comment aside, and despite everything else, being in such close and potent proximity with this man had the ability to side-track Hermione, and cloud her usually crystal clear thoughts. But this was more important than ever, as were the words she chose to bait him with. She dismissed everything else, including the fact that she was devoid of clothing, whilst somehow managing to maintain a seductive air, allowing her fingers to absently continue their little dance upon his leg.
"Truthfully, Lucius, I really don't think that there is a way out." She admitted with absolute candour.
"As we've already established, your room is heavily warded, I am unable to use magic of any kind and I have no weapon at my disposal, except of course my teeth, but that moment came and went as it were."
Lucius raised one of those blonde brows of his in surprise, although something told Hermione that the thought had crossed his mind or thereabouts at some point long before now.
"Realistically I would say my situation in more hopeless, than unspeakable wouldn't you?" She used the word loosely as if it meant nothing to her, again putting the onus back on him, noticing his mouth twitch.
Lucius licked his lips, making a sound as if he were tasting something or his mouth had suddenly gone dry.
"Do you have a Bertie Botts bean?" He suddenly asked.
It was Hermione's mouth that became suddenly extremely dry, his face now totally unreadable as she held his hooded steely gaze. Licking her own parched lips, her brain rushing to comprehend his words. It was an odd enquiry at any time in all honesty but given their current position it was an even more peculiar thing to ask. Except of course… Hermione studied Lucius Malfoy's face with rigid intent, even her sharp mind was struggling to understand what precisely was going on here. Was Lucius now baiting her, instinct told her he wasn't as did her very reliable gut. But surely…
"I only have marshmallow left." She responded in a carefully measured tone, holding her breath as she waited for his response.
Lucius sighed as if slightly irritated by the lack of choice, his mouth twitching and his eyes narrowing.
"Shame, I prefer the tutti-fruitti myself."
Hermione's fingers stilled on Lucius' knee, continuing to study his inscrutable face with an intent that veered from scepticism to incredulity. Part of her brain was convinced that this must be an elaborate ruse, a trick of some kind, maybe even a hex or charm, some unlawfully acquired knowledge being used against her, but the other part of her brain knew without any question that it could be none of those things.
When any Unspeakable was sent on a mission, or if like Hermione, they were resting or on leave, before being signed off for said mission or leave etc, they were given a coded phrase, known only by RM for their own safety and security. It was nearly always given in person, but under exceptional and extenuating circumstances it could be done by floo call or sent by his personal owl bearing his unique seal. If they got into trouble or difficulties of any kind, a fellow operative, Unspeakable or Ministry representative could identify themselves with unquestionable clarity and safety, to offer assistance.
Prior to leaving RM's office, what seemed like forever ago, Hermione had received the instruction from her boss, her own coded phrase to use, should she find herself in any kind of trouble whilst recharging her wand. A Ministry official or fellow operative would securely identify themself by asking if she had a Bertie Botts bean. Her response to this was to be that she only had marshmallow left, to which her contact would reply that they preferred tutti-fruitti. RM had as always made her repeat the key words, in this instance the flavours of the confectionery to ensure she had them right and there would be no misunderstandings or problems.
Her brain still struggled to grasp the enormity of the former Death Eater preferring tutti-fruitti over marshmallow, although the exact phraseology, like the aforementioned beans was much more colourful and far less ladylike.
"What the fuck?" She found herself uttering out loud.
One of those dark blonde brows again rose slowly but none the less sharply, Hermione's stunned brain still finding the time to wonder how in Merlin's name could he do that. The fact that she'd actually said the words aloud seeming somehow irrelevant.
It wasn't the first time she'd used such crude vocabulary but using it as an expletive rather than in a sexual way appeared to shock him, laughable considering the state of affairs thought Hermione, coming back to his astonishing revelation.
"What the actual fuck?"
She repeated her question with additional emphasis, not that it was needed. Trying to shift her annoyingly nude body to give her words more gravitas but only succeeding in pressing herself harder against him. The fact that she was still completely naked really not helping her cause in any way.
The blonde man appeared decidedly more distracted by her movements than her words or rather her question, inhaling deeply as clearly agitated, her body brushed against his.
Under normal circumstances, whatever they were these days, Hermione would simply have accepted the contact and move on to whatever came next, if she kept pressing herself against Lucius like this it was more than likely going to be him, she was however too gobsmacked and in all seriousness had absolutely no idea what came next. Her brain and her body were running a gamut of emotions and sensations like never before. Her body was thrilled with Lucius's disclosure, whilst her brain didn't know whether to be relieved or furious, Hermione suddenly feeling the insatiable urge to smack that smug pale face of his. One half of her brain pointing out to the other that might not be the best course of action and that she was only mad because the dark wizard had fooled her so completely, not once but twice, her ego was well and truly bruised. Being taken in by Lucius Malfoy initially had been bad enough, being subjected to an Incarcerous conjunction had been even worse, but not having the slightest inkling that the man was also working for RM and the Ministry of Magic was almost beyond belief, incomprehensible. He was certainly very good at what he did, her brain also had the audacity to concede, which at the moment was more than Hermione was, a realisation which battered her already sore ego even further and fuelled her anger. A small consolation was however the fact that it did account for that niggling suspicion Hermione had had all along about him knowing more about what she did for the Ministry than he should. She channelled her anger and soothed her self-esteem with that very small quantum of solace.
"Hmm" She murmured, her brown eyes narrowing as she took in the consternation that continued to linger on his face, at her colourful choice of words.
Lucius crooked his head questioningly to one side, now keeping his eyes firmly fixed on her flushed face. He and his unrelenting body were all too acutely aware of the fact that she was still naked; She was incredibly close, her hand was resting upon him and her legs were invitingly about him, he only had so much self-control. He had to admit he'd been expecting more than just a "Hmm" quite a lot more if she'd had her wand, but definitely more than just the mumbled sound, especially after the initial "what the fuck" outburst. As well as being aroused, Lucius was also a little disappointed with the usually feisty Miss Granger.
"Hmm?" He repeated trying to give the sound a stern questioning inference.
"Hmm" Hermione uttered again, noticing the consternation on his face vanish and if she wasn't mistaken see a little disappointment settle in its place.
It was a tiny victory, but she'd take it. She would not give Lucius Malfoy the complete satisfaction of knowing he'd got one, possibly even two over on her and in such a way.
"Well it certainly explains the nagging feeling I had from the very beginning about you, knowing that imports and exports weren't exactly what my job entailed."
"Aha, I see, so I didn't have you completely deceived."
"Oh Merlin's teeth no Lucius, what kind of fool do you take me for…only 99.9%" She admitted with flat, self-deprecating humour.
Mentally, despite her bruised ego it would have been churlish and quite frankly ridiculous to say anything else and after all, it would appear the man was on her side. Physically, despite that same battered ego it was also nice to know she hadn't thrown herself at a complete bastard.
Her brain started to work more like an Unspeakable once more, a plethora of questions now whirring about inside her head. Her now not so annoyingly naked body on the other hand was very much in feminine mode, especially now the Quidditch posts had been moved, questions could definitely wait.
"Hmm"
Lucius openly smirked at her use of that word once again.
"Hopefully, some things haven't changed with this astonishing revelation of yours."
His disappointment at her lack of reaction evaporated. He'd seen a familiar angry fire ignite in her brown eyes, but that had shifted into a very different fieriness. Instinctively Lucius knew he wasn't about to get the third degree, not yet anyway, although it would most definitely come later, he was certain of that. There was so much that Hermione Granger wanted to know, but evidently at this moment she had something else on her mind, and he was happy to play her games.
"As far as I am concerned my dear, except of course for the obvious, nothing has changed. Did you have something particular in mind?" His tone was as teasing as it was sneering. Knowing full well what she had in mind.
Lack of clothing aside, there was something quite threatening about the way Hermione moved into the dark wizard. Lucius loved it. He had no doubt whatsoever that his astonishing revelation, as she had called it, had angered her. He'd seen that reflected in her sparkling eyes too and felt the tension radiating in her sensual body. Of course she was relieved, but she was also angry, and she had every right to be on so many fronts. Verbally; he fully expected that was something else that would come later, along with a barrage of questions. Bodily however he felt he could well be about to suffer her wrath.
Hermione had stayed remarkably restrained considering her vulgar words, she might have been precluded from using magic, but he'd been sure there would be some physical retaliation for having been kept in the dark and deceived in such a way. Lucius recalled those sharp teeth of hers on his skin, she was right, they would have been a lethal weapon in their own right and he breathed a sigh of relief that his exposé had come after that, certain that her need to escape would have paled against her anger at his subterfuge, and his cries of ecstasy would have turned very quickly to cries of pain. A little prickle of apprehension danced up and down his spine as he again wondered what the ever feisty Hermione Granger might have done to him had she had wand or been able to perform any kind of magic. However, without the aid of either, something deep inside him couldn't resist a little taunting, no cajoling. Making him pay for his deceitfulness now… that darker side of Lucius Malfoy positively thrilled at the prospect, instinct telling him it was going to be most enjoyable.
"Of course my dear I too hope that nothing has changed with my astonishing revelation. Although I feel that perhaps the tables have turned a somewhat."
With their carefully scripted exchange, something had definitely changed, they were once again back to their duel of words and innuendos.
This time it was Hermione who raised a brow but with not nearly as much skill or menace as her companion.
"I am not entirely sure why you would think that Lucius. I am still unable to use magic of any kind, I am still wandless in your heavily warded room and in case it had escaped your notice I am completely naked."
Hermione added the last part out of pure devilment, of course it hadn't escaped his notice, but she was curious as to how he would react. She was treated to a lascivious appraisal as he spoke.
"All very true my dear, and all of which despite being on the same side, I am eternally grateful for. Along with the fact that those razor sharp little teeth of yours are no longer about my person…well in certain respects at least." His eyes twinkled at that particular recollection.
"As for your state of attire or rather lack of it, it had completely escaped my attention."
His perfectly modulated tone, dripped sarcasm, his grey blue eyes remaining locked with hers.
"Nevertheless, I have been on the receiving end of a much younger Hermione Granger's wrath, I am sure you will have something in store for me. You will certainly not allow my duplicity to go unpunished as it were."
Hermione felt his words were more of a hopeful demand than a statement. She shifted into him, her sexuality her only quite lethal weapon of choice.
Lucius silently cursed the fact that he remained clothed, his body screaming to feel her skin against his own. Despite his years, he had never been subjected to angry sex. When his former wife had been mad at him, it always involved one or other of them sleeping in a different room and unfortunately, the ex-Mrs Malfoy had never taken her anger or frustrations out sexually on her husband.
Hermione wrapped her legs about the dark wizard, the material of his trousers rubbing against her bare flesh. She could feel his powerful arousal beneath both the fabric and her body, rubbing herself against him she tightened them about him.
"Oh Lucius rest assured your duplicity will be punished. I don't for one moment expect you to resist, I just hope you have the stamina…"