A/N: Hello everyone. Thank you all for your reviews, I thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm pretty sure I replied to them all, if not, I will get to those I missed today. We will get a couple of interesting interactions in this chapter, so enjoy! FF website being a jerk again, so hopefully this isn't glitched.

Special Thanks: To my beta TabiPrewett, you are awesome lady, and I am grateful for your efforts with this story.

TO FF . net: Still giving you the finger buddy.

Chapter 8

Not really wanting to return to work to the stares or gossip that would more than likely be circulating around the office after the article over their Christmas break, she knew that she had to get her mind back in the game. She had not had much sleep and she hoped the crisp morning air would chase away any lingering sleepiness that the several cups of coffee had failed to fully do.

She stepped inside the Ministry, maneuvering through the heavy crowd. Squeezing into the tightly packed elevator, full of other workers trying to get to their offices and start their day. The air was heavy with clashing perfumes and cologne that her colleagues were wearing. Which caused Hermione's nose to itch as she fought a sneeze from all the mixing scents.

She had never been happier when she reached her floor and was able to escape the horrible smelling elevator. Taking a moment to breath in some clean, untainted air, before moving towards her office. She called out hello's or waved to different ones as she passed them. Her hands holding, not only her briefcase that she carried daily, but a small bag holding breakfast.

Once in her office, she sat down and took a moment before looking at the stacks of files on her desk, the sheer size of them making her sigh in despair for a moment. After the holidays it was always hectic and this year was no different. Accept that they still had the new year to contend with and her pile of work was already huge.

She'd barely glanced at the stacks of folders on her desk, before there was a short knock at her open door. Draco came in, carrying two coffees and his own briefcase. He plopped down in an empty chair and offered her one. Which, she gratefully took, especially after seeing the daunting task ahead of her for the day.

"So, I see your stack is as large as mine, though I think yours might just be bigger." Draco said as he took a sip of his own coffee.

Hermione scowled lightly. "Thanks, Draco. I hadn't noticed the very large pile of files on my desk yet, and it helps to know you have less work ahead of you today than I do." Her voice dripping with heavy sarcasm.

Draco smirked as he reached for the bag she'd carried in only moments before. Draco always brought coffee and she always brought breakfast. It was an arrangement they'd made ages ago and it worked out for them both. "Bad day already?"

Hermione sighed. "No...well, sort of. I got a fresh pile of howlers this morning and they almost made me late. I barely had time to get the pastries you like."

Draco bit into the sweet confection, fully chewed, and swallowed before he spoke. Something Hermione was grateful for. Ron had such bad table manners, which was why she started having her breakfast at work.

"It'll die down soon. Can't imagine how so many people can believe the tripe that spews from Rita's quill. How are you doing?" He asked, already having made sure he had a few handkerchiefs ready if she started bawling. He refused to let her get snot or tears on his hand tailored shirts. It was blend of Acromantula silk after all. Very expensive.

Hermione shrugged, not having the least bit of thought or concern about what his shirts were made of, nor any intention of blubbering into them. "Fine. Just annoyed at the stupid howlers."

Draco frowned. "Is it true? You and Weasley broke up?"

Hermione nodded, taking a sip of her own coffee. "Yes, that was the only true part of the whole article."

Draco waited, but she didn't say anymore. "So...why did you finally ditch the redheaded moron?"

Hermione smirked at the comment. "We just weren't working out any longer." Not wanting to go into details. She'd never shared much of her personal life with Draco.

Draco frowned. "Oh, come off it, Granger, I've told you all about Stephanie or any other witch I've dated over the years. Spill it. I want to know what the worthless idiot finally did to make you leave his ugly and sorry arse."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why Draco, I didn't realize you were as big of a gossip-monger as the rest of the idiots here." Taking another sip of her coffee.

Draco huffed and pulled another pastry out of the bag. Several minutes passed while he ate it before he spoke again. "I'm not a gossip-monger, I'm just curious. You two sounded fine. I never once heard you complain and suddenly you dump the stupid git. You'd be curious too."

Hermione sighed, then flicked her wand, closing her door and silencing it. "Fine, but this is between you and me. Don't go spreading this around."

Draco gave her a wounded look. "Malfoy's don't gossip."

She rolled her eyes again. "Whatever. Things weren't fine, I just didn't say anything. But...I went to Kingsley's Christmas party with Ginny and went home early. I was a bit drunk and was trying to keep quiet so I didn't wake anyone that might be sleeping. Only he wasn't sleeping. He was shagging Lavender Brown in our bed, while I was gone."

Draco's mouth dropped open. What a stupid prat. You don't cheat in your own home. Too easy to get caught that way. He didn't actually voice his thoughts, he wasn't that stupid. "Wow. So what did you do?"

Hermione shrugged. "Sent a stinging jinx at both of them and stormed off. He came downstairs and said that he'd been seeing her for a while now. I said that we were done and he's been happily dating the brainless witch ever since."

Draco couldn't believe she hadn't done more than the mild hex. "So...did you kick him out?"

Hermione shook her head. "Its not my house to do so. Harry wanted to, but I told him not to. Ron's his friend and I didn't want my personal life to mess that up."

Draco frowned. "So the git is still living there and shagging the new twit? Are you really that insane? You should have kicked his arse, and then kicked him out. Or at least demand that Potter do so. I thought you had more backbone than that, Granger."

Hermione huffed out a breath. "Look, its my business. Who are you to judge me for what I did or didn't do?"

Draco shrugged. "A better friend than that prat is, obviously. I'd have left to not cause any more pain to the person I supposedly care about."

Hermione opened her mouth to call him a foul name, but stopped. She had a better idea anyway. Instead, she smiled. "Why should I care who he's shagging?"

Draco looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Maybe because you two were engaged and he's prick for cheating on you?"

Hermione shrugged, still smiling. "Lavender's welcome to him. I found someone better."

Draco paused. "Who?"

Hermione's smile grew. "Severus. He's a bloody good shag. Did you know there is this one move where he bends and twists my leg at this weird angle, and..."

Draco jumped up from his chair. "Granger, that is disgusting. Are you trying to make me sick all over your desk? Eww."

Hermione was snickering at the slight green tinge to his skin. "What? You asked. He is rather worth all four bottles of very expensive wine I bought him. More even. One for each...well...no need to embarrass you with details."

Draco felt his stomach churning. He didn't want to think of his godfather in anyway that would have him naked. Draco was about to turn and leave when he remembered Severus saying that he wasn't shagging the witch that was trying to hide her amusement, and failing miserably.

Draco cocked his head and studied her a moment. Her eyes were filled with laughter and her cheeks were a bit red from holding in her giggles at his distress. "You know, that's a rather interesting description of Severus. Bending your leg in a certain way, you say? Funny. I know for a fact you're not shagging him. So whose been bending your legs in interesting ways?"

Hermione knew she was busted and huffed. "No one, but it was rather funny to watch you turn green."

Draco smirked, feeling his stomach settle. "Too bad. Sounded like it might have been fun. So, are you alright with everything?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I realized that with me being more angry at finding out that way than actually hurt, I didn't really love him. I had been thinking about whether I really did or not before the party. This just confirmed it. I think we only got together because so many people expected it of us."

Draco nodded. "Everyone expected me to marry Pansy. Even my father did…but I couldn't do it. She had an aabsolute rubbish personality and was way too easy to get into bed. She slept with many of the blokes at school, not just me. Didn't matter what house they were in either."

Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, Draco. You're better off without her and so am I without Ronald."

Draco ran his hand through his hair. "I still think he's a wanker and should get his wimpy little arse kicked. I'll do it if you're not up for it."

Hermione laughed softly. "Thanks, but if anyone's going to kick his arse, it's going to be me. You better get to work before they catch you in here gossiping."

Draco smirked. "I told you, Malfoy's don't gossip." At her raised eyebrow he sighed. "Fine, I'll go. See you later, Hermione."

Draco left Hermione's office so they could get to work, but he could not get what she had told him off his mind. For hours he tried to work, but what she told him continued to run through his mind. Draco might have hidden his anger while talking to Hermione, but he was pissed. Damn stupid Weasley. Hermione didn't deserve to be treated like the prat had treated her. She was nice and kind. She'd forgiven him after all the years of abuse Draco had spewed at her, that alone spoke of her kindness and generosity. Bloody prat didn't deserve someone like her anyway.

When lunch time arrived, Draco popped back by her office, hoping to take her out. She had to be more upset than she was letting on. However, she was too swamped to leave, which meant Draco was going to be left to stew alone. Instead of eating on his own, Draco floo'd home. He found Lucius Malfoy sitting in his office and flopped down on the leather sofa.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at his son. "Any reason you are throwing yourself down on my Italian leather sofa like a spoiled three year old?"

Draco glared at him. "I'm angry."

Lucius smirked. "Obviously. Why, may I ask, are you angry?"

Draco sighed. "I talked to Hermione this morning."

Lucius' brow crinkled. "She made you angry?"

Draco shook his head. "No, what she told me is what ticked me off."

Lucius nodded. "Ahh. So what did the witch say that has made you so upset?"

Draco stood up and paced, much like his father had at Severus' home after reading the Daily Prophet. "She told me why she broke up with Weasley."

Lucius tilted his head as he considered his son. "I wasn't aware you two were so close. You said as much just a few days ago, so why would she confide such personal information to you?"

Draco glanced up at his father. "We're not that close, not really. We were having breakfast, like we do most mornings and I asked how she was doing. That's all."

Lucius frowned. "You have breakfast and lunch with her? Sounds like more than mere acquaintances to me."

Draco sighed. "It's not like that. I bring coffee, she brings in pastries, and we have breakfast. She used to bring in breakfast even before we started eating together. I don't think she likes to eat her breakfast at home. From what I remember of Weasley in school, I wouldn't want to eat with him either. Stupid prat spits half his food all over everyone because he can't seem to swallow before he speaks."

Lucius frowned even more, but Draco went on. "We're just friends. I'm not interested in her that way and she doesn't look at me like that either. Too many years of me calling her a Mudblood, is probably part of the reason."

Lucius sighed. If Hermione wouldn't let Draco near her and all he did was call her foul names, there was no way in hell she'd let me near her either. "So, what did she tell you that made you angry?" He asked, deciding to push on and find out why his son was angry.

Draco started to pace again. "Moronic prick cheated on her, and in her own bed too."

Lucius' eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Draco stopped and looked at his father. "Weasley was going balls deep into Lavender Brown while Hermione was at the Minister's Christmas party."

Lucius scowled at what he was hearing. Realizing his son was staring at him, he quickly spoke. "Really Draco, language. I know I raised you better than that."

Lucius didn't give a damn about how Draco put it, he was trying to give a reason for his angry scowl. The scowl was because he wanted to strangle the redhead. Is he a complete idiot? Doesn't he know how big a treasure he had with a woman like Hermione by his side? That moron just heedlessly squandered his chances with the beautiful young lady too. Or with any decent woman, for that matter. No woman with half a brain would touch the daft boy now, especially, if it got out that he was a heartless philanderer.

"Sorry, father. I'm...I'm angry. Not only did Weasley cheat on her, but all she did was shoot him with a stinging jinx. She even stopped Potter from throwing the stupid git out on his backside. She's living in the same damn house as that prat while he continues to shag his new girlfriend." Draco stopped pacing and plopped down on the sofa again.

Lucius didn't bother reprimanding his son again about his couch. He understood Draco's anger, he was angry himself. Why would she continue to live there if the boy had no respect for her at all?

He didn't say a word as Draco called to an elf and asked for a thick roast beef sandwich. Lucius continued sitting down at his desk thinking, when the elf came back, and Draco ate his lunch. It wasn't long before Draco said he had to get back to work.

Lucius bid his son good bye and continued to think. After an hour had passed by, Lucius smirked. Grabbing up one of his eagle quills, he scratched out a note to someone that owed him a favor.

Later that night, Hermione came home from work tired and annoyed. Her day had been hell. She still had files on her desk and that meant tomorrow would be hell too. All she wanted to do was curl up in the library with a good book.

Walking towards her favorite room, the library, Hermione stopped and grabbed herself a glass of wine from the kitchen. She was parched and knew that she wouldn't want to get up again after settling down to read.

Upon entering the library, Hermione walked over and started scanning the titles until she found a book that interested her. Sitting down in one of the wing back chairs, she set her glass on nearby table and started to read.

A few minutes later, Hermione heard a soft giggle and looked up. A look of shock and disgust appearing on her face as she realized that the sound was from the couple wrapped together snogging passionately on the sofa across from her.

The eyes of the woman who was topless and wrapped around her ex-fiance opened and met hers for a second before the woman yelped and pushed Ron away. Ron, shirtless and in a daze didn't notice that Lavender wasn't looking at him any longer.

"What's wrong, babe? You usually like it when I touch you like that." Ron said.

Lavender pointed to a still stunned and speechless Hermione that had an open book in her lap. Ron glanced her way and smirked. "Hey, Hermione. What are you doing in here? Don't you have the decency to at least give us some privacy?"

Hermione sputtered indignantly. "I didn't know you were there. I came in here to read and didn't even see you two. Where is your decency in using locking and silencing spells?"

Ron shrugged as Lavender grabbed her shirt to cover her chest with. "We got carried away and then one thing led to another. You know how it is. So do you mind? You know...going away for awhile?"

Hermione, cheeks red with her anger, huffed before getting up and storming to the door. "Ron, you are a useless prat. If it was me with someone else, I'd have the decorum to at least not flaunt my new affair under your nose."

Ron shrugged. "You said you didn't care that I was with Lav, so what's it matter?"

Hermione clenched her teeth and left the room. Tears of rage in her eyes she went in search of one of her friends. Only, none of them were home.

At a loss, Hermione searched her mind, as the hurt from Ron's thoughtlessness built inside her. Needing someone to rant at and a shoulder to cry on. Tears threatening to spill, she went to the fireplace with the only person in mind that she could think of in her distress. Bending down, she threw in some floo powder and stuck her head in the flames, while hoping what she was about to do wasn't pushing the lines of their friendship.

Severus was glaring at his old friend when he heard his floo activate. Turning his head, he saw the shadowy outline of a woman's face. "Severus?" The familiar voice said.

Severus' glare turned to a look of confusion. "Hermione?"

Hermione felt the first tear fall and wiped it away. "Can I come through, please?"

Baffled as to what she'd want, the dark man said yes. In seconds she came through and marched right up to him. Severus almost took a step back with the look of pure rage on her face, wondering what he'd done to enrage the tiny woman. Instead of hexing him, like he feared she'd been about to do, she stopped right in front of him and buried her face in his chest as she promptly burst into tears.

Severus, startled by Hermione crying on him, looked to Lucius for help. Lucius not understanding what was going on shrugged and motioned for Severus to pat her back.

Feeling ill-suited to the task at hand, Severus gave her back a few awkward and unsure pats. Feeling his shirt getting soaked by the curly haired woman's tears, his uneasiness grew. "Er...there, there...it'll be...um...alright." He mumbled feeling silly. He never knew how to comfort crying females. It was one reason he was happy to no longer be Head of House. It was now someone else's problem when the Slytherin females found themselves in tears. Which they did, more often than many would think happened inside Slytherin house. Especially, considering they were not known for being the emotional ones.

Lucius rolled his eyes at Severus' feeble attempt at comfort, and walked over, gently pulling the still crying witch into his arms. Holding her to his chest and rubbing her back as she cried. Hermione's arms came around to hold him as well. Not having any clue who held her, not realizing that she'd been moved at all with her grief, simply glad that she had someone to lean on.

Lucius took a deep breath, breathing in her soft scent of orange blossoms and closed his eyes as it filled him. This witch, someone he didn't have any right to even look upon, was starting to drive him mad. He found himself thinking about her and wanting to just be around her. He hadn't even had a decent conversation with her, and yet, he wanted her.

Lucius eyes opened and he found Severus smirking at him. A look of triumph in the dark wizard's eyes at seeing that Lucius did indeed care for the young woman. Lucius glared and kept on holding the soft woman in his arms as she soaked his shirt too. Making shushing noises as he continued to rub slow circles on her back.

Hermione sank deeper into the arms holding her. It felt good just to be held. To be comforted while she felt rotten. When her tears started to slow, she spoke. "It was awful. He was in there with her and didn't even care that I was seeing it."

Both men were confused by her words, but she went on before they could ask anything. "Asking me where my decency was in not giving them privacy. Stupid git. He should have locked the door. I didn't even know they were in there. He shouldn't even be bringing her over with me living there. Damn prat. I would never do that to him. I would never flaunt some stupid woman in his face."

Lucius and Severus' both raised their brows at her statement.

Hermione paused, sniffling as she realized what she said. "Wait, that's not right. I would never flaunt some stupid man in his face." Making both men smirk.

Hermione sighed, breathing in the scent of the man holding her. Severus smells good. She thought, before going on. "Hell, it hasn't even been a month since we broke up. Barely a few weeks and he...he sits there, about to shag her under my very nose, and doesn't care about how I might feel about it." Weren't we at friends before becoming anything else? She wondered. What friend would do something like that to another friend?

Severus frowned and Lucius grit his teeth at hearing her sadness. They were finally starting to understand why she was upset. Weasley was being an insensitive jerk and needed to get his arse kicked for it.

"I don't care if he doesn't want me. It's not even that. I don't want him either, but, we were friends for so long. How can he not even care if he hurts me? I would never purposely try to hurt him. I would at least have enough respect to keep my affairs private." Hermione said, breathing in the wonderful smell of the man holding her.

Severus snorted, still standing beside the embracing couple. "That's because Weasley's a wanker and you're a better person than he is." An ill-mannered toad would be better than that boy, Severus mentally snarked to himself.

Lucius smirked, fully agreeing with Severus. Before he could say anything, Hermione chuckle softly before she spoke again. "Yeah, I think he is." She said.

Hermione snuggled deeper into the man holding her. She would never have guessed Severus smelled this good, or that his arms would be so strong, or feel so amazing around her. His chest firm and solid against her as he held her. Had she known she would enjoy being in his arms this much, she might have reconsidered that non-date with him.

Lucius felt her moving closer to him and sighed. "No thinking about it. A man like that doesn't deserve someone like you."

The voice that spoke made her freeze. That's not Severus. She had heard the rumble in his chest as he spoke since her face was buried so close against him. There was no rumble when Severus spoke.

Swallowing down the lump in her throat, fighting the sounds of her screams from her memories in her ears, Hermione slowly pulled away. Her eyes lifted to look at the man holding her. Then, the memories hit her full swing. The pain, the terror, but this time, she didn't feel trapped in her memories. This time she was able to try fighting it. Able to try to push it back behind the wall she'd built, to keep her memories hidden and unable to suffocate her.

Lucius felt her freeze, felt her pulling away. He looked down as her head slowly lifted. The moment her eyes met his silver ones, he saw them widen, saw the pupils dilate in fear. He saw them start to glaze over with her memories before with a shake of her head they slowly cleared again.

Severus witnessed the fear in her eyes, saw her's start to glaze over as well. However, before he had to say anything, she was able to snap herself out of the memories of her past. He watched her throat work as she swallowed again.

Lucius felt his own body stiffen as he saw how scared she was to be in his arms. His jaw clenched, but he didn't say a word. He waited to see what she would do first. He didn't want to startle her further by pushing away.

Hermione knew she needed to get out of his embrace, but couldn't get her body to move. To shift a single millimeter. This was him. The man of her nightmares. The man that had laughed as she was tortured. The man that taunted her with filthy names as his sister-in-law hit her again and again with the Cruciatus curse.

Why is Lucius Malfoy holding me? Didn't I walk over and cry on Severus? Hermione knew Severus had patted her back, but while she cried, Lucius must have switched places with Snape. Why would he do that? How did I not notice?

It took a moment, but Hermione realized she had noticed. She had felt the moment strong arms came around her shoulders. Felt Lucius Malfoy's hands rubbing against her back as she cried on him. It didn't click that it might be someone different that held her. She had just leaned into the comfort. She'd needed it and it had felt nice. Good even.

The fear began fading as Hermione realized the blond man wasn't trying to hurt her, that instead he was trying to comfort her, and she slowly relaxed again. She could think about all of this later. Right now her brain couldn't function properly to do so.

Hermione's feet finally started to move as she stepped away. "Excuse me. I...I didn't realize you had company, Severus." Her voice scratchy due to her tears. Unsure how she was able to speak or even form the thought.

Severus frowned, and so did Lucius as well when she spoke. Neither man had expected those words from her mouth. Glancing at Lucius, glad to see he wasn't the only confused one, Severus cleared his throat. "It doesn't matter. Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded slowly, looking at the dark-haired man. Afraid that if she looked at Lucius again she might slip back into her memories. "Yes. I just...just needed to vent, I guess. I should be getting home."

Severus frowned more as Lucius sighed. "Actually I was on my way out. You stay and talk to Severus. You look like you could use...a friend." The blond aristocrat said.

Hermione met his silver gaze, not sure why he would leave for her benefit, and she was surprised at the offer. "Er...thank you, Mr. Malfoy."

Lucius felt his jaw clench at the use of his last name while she called Severus by his first, but he nodded and gave her a small smile. "No, thanks is necessary, Miss Granger. Have a pleasant evening." He gave her a short bow, before moving to the fireplace and leaving them.

Hermione turned to Severus, a frown of confusion on her face. "What just happened?" Still confused on how exactly she ended up in Lucius Malfoy's surprisingly strong arms.

Severus sighed. "He and I were talking. Then, you showed up and cried all over me, I don't deal well with with crying females, you know. Lucius knew this and knew you needed someone to actually comfort you, so he took over. You didn't seem to mind until he spoke. Knowing you came here in obvious need of a friend, he left to not make you more uncomfortable."

Hermione frowned more. "But…why would he do that?" Still confused.

Severus rolled his eyes. "Lucius isn't a monster, Hermione. I know your memories paint a completely different picture of the man, but he's a good man. Lucius made some bad choices in the past, but so did I. You've obviously forgiven me, maybe you should think about doing so for him too. Everyone deserves a second chance in life. To prove that they've changed."

Hermione cocked her head. "I thought you said it was up to me to make that choice and not let anyone tell me otherwise. Even you."

Severus growled and threw up his hands in annoyance. "Oh, damn and blast, woman. You asked me what I thought when we went to dinner."

She bit back at soft laugh at his mild blow up. "I know, but you were right. Its up to me to decide what I want to do. I haven't decided yet."

Severus sighed. "Fine. So what do you plan to do about the wanker?"

Hermione snorted out a small laugh. "I thought you said he was your friend?"

Severus glared at her. Weasley isn't my friend, nor will he ever be. He opened his mouth, about to give her a scathing remark, when he realized she was referring to Lucius. "I meant Weasley, not Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione sighed. "Oh...I don't know."

Severus groaned, this woman was too bright to be answering with 'I don't know' so many times. "Might I suggest a few nasty stinging hexes to his nether region, followed by a shrill ranting about him being a bloody prat. I seem to remember you being rather good at ranting as a student."

Hermione snickered. "Stinging jinxes to his nether region? Isn't that a bit much?"

Severus shrugged. "For normal men, yes, but Weasley is rather thick headed and would probably need it to realize that you're even angry."

Severus has a point, Hermione decided. "I should go. Thank you, for...letting me come through your floo and for talking to me. I'll see you later."

Severus watched to go to leave and stopped her. "Hermione, Lucius is the one who comforted you when you cried. That should at least be a mark in his favor. He could have just ignored you or simply left when he saw it was you."

Hermione frowned a moment in thought before nodding. "You're right. I need to think about everything you've told me."

Severus bid her farewell and went back to the invitation Lucius had delivered along with asking a favor. The dark man hated parties. Severus also hated the fact that he knew he would agree to what Lucius asked of him.

Severus sighed. Maybe Lucius is a wanker too.

A/N: Teehee…that last line had me giggling. Plus…she likes Lucius' strong arms. Yay! More coming soon. Take care and please leave me your thoughts.