HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's almost 1am where I am. I hope it isn't New Year's where you all are! I've been trying to get this chapter up as early as I can, but life got in the way. I hope you all enjoy it.

I really hope you are all well. Thanks so much to everyone supporting and loving this story. My editor, as always, is a godsend!

Also, shoutout to the Basement! ;)

Christmas was over and done with. New Years leapt out at her from nowhere. By the time Hermione realised she had no plans, it was already too late.

Harry, Ginny and Amelia had gone on holiday to Spain with about half the Weasley clan for Christmas. They had meant to come home on Boxing Day, but apparently they liked it so much they decided to stay until New Years.

Hermione wanted to join them very badly. It had been weeks since she'd seen them all and she missed her god-daughter very much. But Hermione knew that this would be their first proper holiday as a family together. She didn't want to intrude. Besides, Ron and Emily had gone with them and Ron's selfishness had made any sort of cordial relationship between them impossible. It was a shame, but it was for the best that she hadn't gone.

Even her parents, usually the last resort of even the most loving twenty-something year old daughter, were busy. They were going to a charades tournament at a friend's house. Hermione actually really liked charades and would have considered asking them if she could join them, but she knew exactly what would happen if she went. The party would be filled with people around her parents' age. Some of those parents would undoubtedly have brought their children with them. Her well-meaning, loving, wonderful parents, would find a young person to be on her team. Boy or girl, it didn't matter. When it came to the subject of pairing off their daughter, her parents were equal opportunists. Suddenly, Hermione would have a complete stranger to sit next to all evening while her parents made not-so-subtle efforts to find out what the two of them had in common, if anything. Careers, personality traits, backgrounds, would all be analysed under a microscope. Worst of all, she would know that her partner would be as desperate to be free of her and she was of them.

They wouldn't mean to do it, and they would be mortified if they understood how uncomfortable it would make her. They only wanted her to be happy. What they didn't understand was that Hermione didn't need their help in that particular area. She'd already found someone she wanted.

All she had to do now was work up the courage to make things official.

New Years Eve.

Hermione checked her charm-watch; ten o'clock at night. Allegedly.

The watch was a prototype she'd never gotten around to finishing. She'd been working on it on and off for years with limited success. She'd based it off the Hogwarts Clock Tower, but packing in so many enchantments to such a confined space was almost impossible. This latest attempt wasn't bad. It was usually only a few minutes off in either direction.

Either way, it didn't really matter. She had the night all to herself, and nowhere else to be. The late hour would mean most of the students would be in their beds. The corridors were empty.

Putting on the beautiful coat he'd given her for Christmas, Hermione went up to the battlements. Because it was New Years' night, she took a bottle of Firewhiskey with her. This would be her first year at Hogwarts as a teacher. She wanted to toast in the New Year overlooking her favourite place in the world.

She braced herself against the wall, looking out over the grounds. It was a beautiful sight. It was a frosty night, and windy, though the snow had melted. The moon was full, and cast the countryside with a thousand silver shadows. It might have been cold, if not for the Firewhiskey and her coat.

As it was, Hermione was perfectly comfortable. This had become her favourite place to think, and she wasn't leaving until she'd come up with some sort of idea on how to ask Lucius Malfoy out.

And she was going to have to ask him out. The sooner, the better. The idea of broaching the subject with him made her a little nervous, but their current state of ambiguity was far worse.

The issue was, Hermione didn't really have much experience in these things. In fact, she had none. She had never dated anyone other than Ron. And she and Ron had never actually asked one another out. When she sat down and really thought about it, she realised that all they had really done was be horrible to one another for a few years, and then moved straight to snogging.

That was not how she wanted things to go with Lucius. She wanted things to be perfect. She wanted to feel the right moment and take it.

Unfortunately, Hermione wasn't good at spontaneity. When would the right moment get here, exactly? Should she wait until the next time he called her brilliant or started not-so-subtly telling Tiberius how beautiful she looked in the Head Club, and then rush over to him and ask him out? Aside from the fact that she wanted things to be a little more structured, she didn't want to risk being overheard. She really cared about Lucius, but she didn't need everyone in the Wizarding world finding out about their relationship. Particularly if there was a chance, no matter how unthinkably remote, that he might actually turn her down. No. Privacy was best.

Hermione wracked her brains. Could she write him a letter? He'd probably think it was really romantic. To her it seemed like cowardice. No. She had to do it face to face.

This was where she started to really struggle. It was just so daunting, so new. What could she say?

Maybe a rehearsal would help? Like learning a new Charm. You didn't just use it in a fight for the first time; you got confident with it first.

Hermione knocked back the rest of her drink, set her shoulders, and coughed. She took a deep breath and fixed her gaze on the moon.

Like anything else, practice makes perfect.

"Lucius, I want you to be my boyfriend." Her voice sounded very small, so she tried to inject a bit more strength into it. "Go out with me."

Hermione winced. God. No. Too abrupt. She had to make it a little more personal, surely?

"Lucius, is there any chance you'd want to go out with me?"

This sounded a little better, but it was too vague. He'd take it as an invitation to go out on a walk together or something. And while that sounded really nice, it wasn't what she had in mind.

Her fingers rubbed the buttons of her coat. The metal was comforting, somehow. Hermione cleared her mind, and tried her best.

"Lucius Malfoy, I know you like me. I like you back. Obviously. Um… the way I feel about you is something I've never felt for anyone before. You're clever, you're interesting. You make me laugh. I think you might actually be good for me."

No. Oh God, no. How had she even said that out loud? She could never say it in front of him. Her cheeks were flaming. It wasn't just the alcohol.

She ran a hand through her hair in frustration. How did people do this? How did people know the exact right words to say, at the exact right moment? And yet, people did it all the time. Harry and Ginny had made something beautiful together. So had Hannah and Neville. They hadn't had much experience either, but they'd made it work.

Sometimes, Hermione felt as though she had missed a class. A very big, very important class that everyone else in the world had gone to. She made do as best she could with watching people and listening, but she still couldn't quite shake the feeling that when it came to things like this, everyone else knew something that she didn't.

Of course, this would all just be so much simpler if he asked her out. That seemed like the most logical thing to resolve this. She felt almost completely certain that he wouldn't do it. He had expressed his interest, his willingness, and in doing so had put the ball squarely in her court. Her instincts told her that Lucius Malfoy would happily wait for years all in the name of good manners, while she stood tearing her hair out from wanting him.

It was no use. This wasn't an essay or an exam. Rather than wait for a perfect moment, or the perfect words that might never come, it might just be better to ask him as simply and as clearly as possible. She had to trust that he would understand what she felt. Even if she wasn't as smooth or romantic about it as she might want to be.

Lucius wouldn't judge her because she didn't get it completely right. They'd been through enough together, hadn't they? He already knew. It was just a matter of setting clear, defined boundaries… Rules. So there could be no misunderstandings, no mistakes.

And with that appealing thought, she made her mind up. The stillness had been what she needed. The forced change of perspective. She took another sip, feeling it light her up from within.

She checked her watch. It was ten thirty at night. There was still time. She'd finish her drink and go find him. His hours were irregular. Unlike her, he didn't seem to spend every night at school.

She'd go down to the dungeons. If he wasn't in his office, she'd write him a letter and tell him that she needed to talk to him as soon as possible, face to face.

Hermione never got the chance. She heard the screech of the turret door opening just a moment before she heard the gruff, feminine voice.

"There she is."

Hermione turned and saw- The three of them. Her three. Lucius, Tiberius and Grubbly-Plank.

"We have been all over the castle looking for you." Lucius said, though he didn't sound annoyed in the slightest. "When you weren't in the library, I feared the worst."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help smiling.

"What's the matter?" Hermione asked, approaching them. She noticed how Lucius admired her in her coat. He might very well admire it; he'd gotten the measurements just right. "Is something wrong?"

Tiberius laughed. "Far from it. We wanted to spend the night with you. New Year's night is important for Muggles. We thought you might want to celebrate it with friends."

Oh bless them.

Hermione hadn't mentioned anything, but they must have worked it out. She sometimes forgot how observant they all were. And how kind.

"I would love that." Hermione said, smiling. "Thank you. I'm almost out of Firewhiskey though."

Lucius smirked. "Fortunately, a very wise woman foresaw this exact moment…" And he reached into his robes and pulled out the bottle of brandy she'd gotten him for Christmas.

And together, the four of them drank brandy and just enjoyed the night. Grubbly-Plank was thinking of writing another book and wanted her advice. Tiberius had a new tie to show her and Lucius… well, Lucius couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She might have upbraided him on his lack of subtlety, but honestly, it never ceased to amaze her how such a handsome, elegant man could find her so attractive. She let it pass.

The night grew later. The sound of a very against-the-rules New Year's Eve party drifted up to them from the Gryffindor Tower, which they all steadfastly ignored.

It wasn't a conventional New Year's celebration. It was only the four of them. There was no way she ever could have imagined, back in September, that this would be how she greeted the New Year. Even so, Hermione had everything she needed.

Well, almost everything. But she had a plan to fix that. She just needed to get Lucius alone for a little while. Her eyes drifted to the turret roof, and an idea came to her in a flash.

Perfect.

"I'm going up there." Hermione announced, pointing to the roof.

They all looked at her as if she was crazy.

"But whatever for?" Tiberius asked anxiously.

"I'm scared of heights." Hermione said, as if that explained everything. And it did, at least to her. Tonight was a night for bravery. She was scared of heights? She would confront that fear. She was maybe a tiny, little bit nervous about asking Lucius out? She would confront that too.

Best of all, Wilhelmina wouldn't be able to make it up there, and Tiberius-

Right on time, Tiberius offered, "Well, if you're set on it… I'll keep Wilhemina company down here. A lady shouldn't be unattended, after all."

Hermione said nothing, hoping that Lucius would take the opportunity to offer, but the moment lengthened and Lucius only nodded and 'mmm'd'. Tiberius stared at Lucius very pointedly.

Hermione sighed. He wasn't going to take the hint. "Lucius, are you coming up with me, or not?"

Lucius laughed, then realised she was being serious.

"Up there-? Hermione. I thought you were joking. We will break our necks. I am too old to go climbing up on roofs."

Hermione decided right there and then that she never wanted to hear Lucius Malfoy call himself old ever again. It really, honestly annoyed her.

So she was perhaps a little bit snappy when she replied, "You're a wizard, Lucius. If you start falling, just float yourself back down here again."

"If you are capable of that sort of charmwork while drunk, Hermione Granger, I am thrilled for you, but I myself-"

"Lucius." She said very firmly. "You're not really going to refuse to come with me, are you?"

He thought better of it. "No. I suppose not."

"Besides," Hermione added, "If you fall, I'll catch you."

He had nothing to say to that, and so they left Grubbly-Plank and Tiberius behind. She led him inside the turret, and they began to climb.

"Hermione, need I remind you that apparition is impossible in Hogwarts? Even on the rooftops. I'll not be climbing up and out of windows, I assure you-"

Lucius was visibly relieved when she pointed up at the stone ceiling. Dimly lit in the torchlight, they could see a ladder leading up to what looked like a particularly formidable trapdoor.

"See? It's not so bad after all." Hermione said, and without waiting, started up the ladder. After a moment, she could hear Lucius start to follow her.

She pushed the door up with one hand, keeping the other firmly on the ladder. Without giving herself a chance to think about it, she climbed up and into the night, and Lucius followed her.

The extreme steepness of the rooftop and the power of the wind became immediately apparent, and she very nearly screamed as she pitched suddenly sideways. But she caught herself, bracing her left foot against the slope, and just barely managed to avoid falling several hundred feet to her death.

Hermione very deliberately did not look down. One step at a time. She was here. That was the main thing.

Look out, not down. Out, not down. And over and over again, until she felt a little bit better.

Still, this was really pretty dangerous, and she was starting to think she should have just made an excuse, any excuse, and taken him to the library instead. But then they would have missed out on this incredible view. If only it had been daylight, Hermione thought she might have been able to see all the way to Hogsmeade.

Hermione let out a thrilled laugh as a rush went through her. The special sort of feeling you got from doing something that really challenged you.

She cast a glance behind her and saw that Lucius had climbed up. He dug his cane into the tiles of the roof for purchase, and was actually standing on much surer feet than she was. Still, he did not look pleased. As far as she could tell with the wind whipping his hair every which way, at least.

In a decidedly waspish tone, he asked, "Do tell me, Professor Granger, how exactly we are meant to stay on the roof?"

She thought it over, and the answer became clear almost straight away.

Honestly. This was why he wasn't the inventor. "An Adhesive Charm to your shoes should do it."

He grumbled, but could come up with no retort.

She motioned for him to sit down, and he did, with his usual feline grace. Moments later, she'd stuck him safely in place. He waited for her to join him, but instead she crossed her arms and tried her best to look menacing.

"My plan is complete." She said. "Lucius Malfoy, you are trapped. Like a cat in a tree. Finally, the Cup is mine, and the world is free of your-"

She couldn't keep going. His eyebrows were climbing higher and higher, and she couldn't help it- she burst into laughter.

"Sorry- I couldn't resist." And she sat next to him. She conjured them a blanket, and he charmed their clothes against the cold. Soon, the biting wind was a distant memory.

For a while, they said nothing. Just admired the stars. Even his ire couldn't withstand such beauty. His grumpiness vanished completely when she conjured him up a long ribbon for his hair.

Totally without self-consciousness, Lucius began to work his hair into an elegant knot at the nape of his neck. She had to avoid staring at him too obviously. His hair was one of the most striking, most beautiful things about him. It made him so different. Not just the colour, but the length of it. Far past his shoulders, it was much longer than the hair of most muggle boys. They'd be too insecure to wear it so long. Hermione loved it.

Lucius had left the last of the brandy down with Tiberius, but that didn't matter. They didn't need it.

This… this was perfect, actually. She had a beautiful view, and she was alone with him. No disaster looming on the horizon, no real time limit. It was such a drastic, refreshing change. No dementors, no stress. Just two normal people alone together.

Well, Hermione thought as she looked over the castle grounds, two relatively normal people.

This was a real opportunity. Not just to make things official between them, but to talk without worrying about being overheard or interrupted. Hermione had a list of things to ask him that was about as long as her arm. Tonight seemed as good a night as any to start working through them.

In fact, if they were going to be starting out on a relationship… understanding one another would be more important than ever.

A faint squawking reached her ears, and Hermione marshalled her courage enough to look down.

Beneath them, Tiberius was trying to conjure up a chair for Grubbly-Plank. He was making a good go of it but Charms just wasn't his strong suit. The chairs he made were sagging, sorry things, and he would summon up a new one only to refuse to allow her to sit on it.

It was funny to watch, but she knew that Tiberius would be embarrassed. He always tried to take special care of Grubbly-Plank, whether the stoic witch asked for it or not. Drawing her wand out from it's sleeve, Hermione watched Tiberius very carefully. She matched her motions to his, and just at the right moment-

Tiberius exclaimed with joy as the chair popped into existence before him. This one was perfect. Proudly, he ushered the Hufflepuff witch into her chair.

It was sweet to see him so confident. Well worth a little bit of cheating.

"You must not think too harshly of him." Lucius murmured. "He is a good man, and a fine wizard."

"I know." Hermione assured him. "Even if he is a little-"

She stopped herself, but Lucius finished it for her. "Silly? Yes, I suppose he is. It has not been easy for him. He is a wizard born too early and too late."

Something about the way he said it prompted Hermione to ask Lucius something she'd wanted to know for a long, long time.

Fighting the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she asked, "Lucius… where did the two of you meet, exactly?"

Lucius said nothing, and she knew.

"He doesn't seem like the type." She said, quietly.

As he looked down at his friend, Lucius' expression was unutterably sad. "Like many others, Tiberius didn't enter His service willingly. He was never allowed to leave the Manor. The Dark Lord didn't trust him that far."

Hermione said nothing. She had suspected for a long time. Voldemort had made a habit of targeting brilliant witches and wizards. Those he could not convert or at least press into service, he'd killed. It was a part of why he had been so successful.

Lucius went on. "He hates himself for not doing something. We all did, even then. That was His great gift, you see. He made us all hate ourselves for being too afraid to try. It ate us all alive. Our terror of Him, and our hate for ourselves."

Lucius grimaced. "Tiberius… he helped me stay sane. He pretended that everything was fine. I needed that. Perhaps it wasn't bravery that made him do it, but he helped me."

"Maybe you should tell him that." Hermione said. "Maybe he needs to know that he helped someone."

Lucius thought it over and tapped his fingers on the serpent head of his cane. Finally, he nodded.

Smiling a gentle smile, Lucius said, "I will. You're right, of course."

For a little while after that, they were silent. If Lucius had shown any resentment for the question, she would have felt really awful. Instead, his eyes drifted over the horizon. He was open, unguarded. Hermione admired that about him.

Still, just to be safe, Hermione moved them onto gentler topics.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense, you know. Making Viktor the Slytherin Coach."

"Is that so?"

"It is, actually. You may not have noticed it, but Viktor is… well, he's in love with me."

"How astonishing." Lucius said dryly. "Hermione Granger, Viktor Krum has many talents and many strengths, but subtlety is not one of them. Even if I were an ignorant fool with no understanding of the human heart, I would know that Viktor Krum is in love with you."

Hermione's nose wrinkled in confusion. "So why make him Coach? If I asked him to, he would do everything he could to make sure Gryffindor would win."

He raised an eyebrow at this bold question. "Why on earth would I tell you that? It rather defeats the point of setting it all up, doesn't it?"

Feeling cheeky, Hermione said, "Because I want to know."

"I see." Lucius smiled in a flash of white teeth. "Well then, of course I will tell you." Conspiratorially, he leaned closer to her and said. "There were two factors that led me to ask Viktor Krum to Coach the Slytherin team."

"I'm listening." She prompted. She was grinning. He had a way of turning anything into a story.

"The first, of course, was his remarkable flying. I could think of none better for the position. He is, I think, one of the few fliers I have ever seen who could best Ginny Weasley."

"Just because he's a better flyer than her doesn't mean he'll be a better Coach."

"Of course you are right. Time will tell whether his leadership and teaching abilities can equal hers. Still, I stand by my choice as him as the obvious candidate."

Hermione certainly agreed with that. "And the other reason?"

"Quite simple, I'm afraid. Viktor Krum is in love with you."

"How could that possibly help Slytherin win?"

Lucius thought for a few moments before answering. "There are wizards in the world who will make fools of themselves to make the women they admire laugh. Viktor Krum is no such man. He will want to prove he is worthy of you. He will do everything within his power to show you his cleverness, his strength, his honour. He will work night and day without tiring. That is the sort of man Viktor Krum is." His eyes grew a little sad, and Hermione worried. Surely Lucius didn't think that she would ever choose Viktor over him? Just as quickly as it had come, the sadness passed and he was himself again.

"As for what you mentioned before… yes, bringing him on was a calculated risk. It's true that Viktor would throw every game in the world at one smile from you. But you are a woman of honour. You would never use a man's love for you to further your own interests. And so you see, between Viktor Krum's love and Hermione Granger's sense of right and wrong, I have every confidence that Slytherin will be victorious." His gaze settled on her, and she felt something jump, right beneath her skin.

Now, it was his turn to give a cheeky smile. "And that, I believe, is checkmate, Professor." They locked eyes. Hermione's heart was racing.

Hermione scoffed. "It most certainly is not. There's still one game left in the season for each of us. Our points are nearly equal."

"And now Viktor Krum Coaches the Slytherin team. I should count myself lucky Tiberius doesn't care for Quidditch. He would not be my friend any longer, after Slytherin crushes Ravenclaw in the last match of the season."

"And Gryffindor will beat Hufflepuff."

"I am sure you will, but fortunately for me, Hufflepuff are better flyers this year than Ravenclaw. Ginevra will have to come up with something truly remarkable, even by her standards, to bridge the gap."

Hermione said nothing and finally tore her eyes away from his.

Far beneath them, Grubbly-Plank and Tiberius were chatting. Hermione couldn't hear the exact words they were saying, but she didn't need to. They were animated, cheerful.

Hermione asked quietly, "We've done pretty well for ourselves, haven't we?"

"You are too generous. We both passed the torch to better candidates after our very first match."

"I don't mean in Quidditch." Hermione said, sounding crosser than she really was. She waved a hand at the castle. The sky. Them. Everything. "I mean with this. Everything's turned out so much better than I thought it would."

"You sound almost disappointed."

"I'm not. Just… surprised. This is all I ever wanted, but I never thought I'd have it. What about you? This can't be what you planned. Toasting the New Year with me. I know I didn't expect any of this when I first came back."

"No, I suppose not. Like you, I consider myself very, very lucky."

"Do you, though?" Hermione found she could not lift her eyes up from her feet, all of a sudden. "Don't you regret…"

"Regret what?"

"Losing, I mean. The war."

Lucius said nothing for a moment.

Tiberius and Grubbly-Plank had been shooting the pair quick glances ever since they'd gone their own way. Unfortunately, the angle made the couple almost impossible to see without being too obvious about it.

In a low, urgent voice, Tiberius remarked, "I say, Wilhelmina, haven't they been up there for a long time? What on earth could the two of them be talking about?

"Hush, Tiberius." Grubbly-Plank said, and Tiberius was immediately quiet.

Meanwhile, Lucius had collected his thoughts.

With complete conviction, he told her, "Hermione, I don't consider myself as having lost at all. I believed myself to be on the same side as you for some time. Powerless, useless, but on the same side. The day Harry Potter defeated Him, we all won. I have nothing to regret, except having supported him in the first place."

Lucius didn't call him the Dark Lord any more, Hermione realised. It was a deliberate avoidance. He couldn't quite bear to call him by his name, but he wouldn't show him the 'respect' of granting him his title either.

"Can I ask you something that might be a bit private?" She asked.

"You have seen me at my worst and at my best, I think. I expect you may ask me anything you like."

"If you felt like that, if you really wanted him to lose so badly, why did you do it? Why did you join up with him?"

Once, such a question would have put him on edge. It probably would have broken any intimacy between them. As it was, it only deepened it. She was taking a step forward. It was up to him to come to meet her.

He hesitated, and she could see that he was trying to find the words.

"Was it because of your upbringing?" She asked, reasoning that this would be the safest bet. It only made sense that he would have been raised, as Sirius had been, to despise Muggleborns. To believe that he was a superior being.

"Not in the way you'd think." Lucius said eventually. "They didn't lead me to the Death Eaters by the hand. That idiocy was my own choice."

"They?"

"My mother and father." Lucius folded his hands in his lap. The pain in his voice was plain to hear, and she almost told him that it didn't matter. She didn't need to know. Not really. She knew that he had changed. That would be enough.

He must have seen what she was thinking because he shook his head and went on, "I won't have you thinking they forced me into it."

This was a real surprise. "Your parents believed in Muggleborn rights?"

"No. At least, I know my father did not. I learned my beliefs of Pureblood Supremacy from him, that much is true. I don't mean to say he wasn't a bad man. He believed in everything the Death Eaters believed in. But to actually join them? To throw the whole of society into an uproar, persecuting millions of people? He would never condone anything so crass. My father… my father considered Him to be nothing more than an upstart and a madman. If nothing else, it was a mercy that the Pox took him before my involvement with the Death Eaters became public knowledge. I think the shame of what I had done would have been a far crueller fate for him."

Hermione frowned. "If your father didn't want you to join the Death Eaters… did you do it to spite him?"

"No. Far from it. I thought I was doing the right thing for our people. Madness, now, but then I believed it. I believed in it as I have rarely believed in anything."

The way he spoke made Hermione understand something about Lucius that she'd never understood before.

Slowly, she said, "You thought you were a revolutionary."

He smiled. It was a bitter, twisted thing. "I did. For years, I truly did."

It wasn't easy to put it into words, but she tried anyway. "I don't understand. Did you hate the Secrecy Act that much? Did you hate muggles that much? If you'd been caught, it would have meant Azkaban. Why would you risk everything you had to join the Death Eaters?"

"No. The Secrecy Act was only a part of what motivated me. Hate played its part too, but it was more than that." Lucius went quiet for a little while. "I don't mean to offend you, but I want you to understand. Let me tell you a story of the first muggle my great-grand-father, Brutus Malfoy, ever met."

"My great-grandfather was being taken by his father to meet a Muggle of some wealth who was a mutual business partner. My family, as you may have guessed, had no qualms with violating the Secrecy Act if it would increase our fortunes. He invited Lord Shacklebolt, who back then, was actually his superior in Pureblood society, along with him. It promised to be a very profitable meeting."

"This muggle was quite taken with Lord Shacklebolt. Almost as soon as they'd met, he asked my great grand-father where he had gotten his slave from. Said that he was remarkably good stock, and wanted to breed more like him. Offered him a great deal of money for him, as a matter of fact."

Hermione was so ashamed, so appalled, that she couldn't speak for a while.

"My father loved that story. He told it to me countless times. I was a good listener. By the time I was a young man, he'd told me many stories like it. I learned how the Suffragettes were imprisoned and tormented merely for resisting the tyranny of muggle men. There were… many other stories I will not repeat now. I considered all muggles to be barbarians. The idea that at any moment we could be exposed to them, that they would pollute our society with their ways, absolutely terrified me."

Very quietly, she finally said, "Muggles have done awful things."

"As have wizards. I don't mean this as a slight against you, or any muggle still living. It was no excuse to do what I have done. I wish I had looked beyond those stories to see what muggles are like now, as a whole. I would have been a better, wiser man. It is only in recent years that I have begun to practice the art of thinking for myself."

Thoughtfully, Hermione said, "Muggles say that most hate comes from ignorance. If that's true, it makes sense that knowledge is the cure."

"I am inclined to agree with you. It would explain why you are above hatred; you are too clever."

"That's not what I meant." Hermione said. She hadn't been fishing for a compliment. "I just mean- I think it's why I became an inventor. I wanted to make the world a better place without getting into politics or becoming an Auror."

"And so you became a teacher. I understand."

Hermione smiled. "I promised myself I would do it. There are all sorts of different ways to bring about change. I thought teaching would be the most efficient way."

Was that why Lucius had come to Hogwarts? To teach Pureblooded students a better way? Whatever his reasons, she was glad he'd come. Thinking about what her life might be like him made her shudder.

Not bad, or sad, necessarily. She'd been happy for many, many years before she'd found him. Just… less colourful. Less joyful. She might not have ever realised what she was missing, but her life would still have been all the poorer without him.

Beside her, Lucius was lost in his own thoughts. "So. An inventor, a teacher, and one day…" He turned to her with a challenging expression, "A Headmistress?"

Shocked, she refused to answer. He chuckled at the look on her face. "Why so embarrassed? It is a fine plan. I look forward to seeing you accomplish it."

Still, Hermione said nothing. It was indeed her eventual plan to become Headmistress. She wanted to shape the world, to make it a better place for children like her. Being Headmistress was one of the best ways she could do that. Of course, if it never happened, that would be fine too. She would be perfectly happy with being Charms Professor. She was good at it. She loved it. But if she could be more, do more…

"I don't like talking about it." She admitted. "People want to give me things the second I ask for them. Because of what happened in the War. The way that some people look at me..."

It was disturbing. She had shut herself in for months after the War. She wasn't exactly a perfect person, and if she was totally honest with herself, a part of her enjoyed being looked up to. Being admired. But the extent to which people had taken it… it had been totally overwhelming. Hermione could only imagine how Harry must have felt. How he must still feel.

It had been one of the biggest factors that led to her becoming a full-time academic, in fact. She couldn't bear the idea of working directly with others. Luckily, things had calmed down now. Somewhat.

Lucius cocked an eyebrow. "Is it so wrong that people should want to give you your due?"

"But it isn't my due. Not in the way that people think. What we accomplished in the War was something a lot of people did altogether. I can't skip ahead. I want to earn what I have."

"A noble aspiration."

"You don't agree." She said.

"I'm afraid not. You undervalue yourself. Consider what you've done. Your creations are already recognised as some of the most valuable contributions to wizardkind ever made, and those were made after the War. Flattery and sycophancy didn't help you make the Joy Stone-"

"And that's exactly my point. Weaponising the Joy Stone was your idea. I didn't save the world, Lucius. You did. But because people won't listen when I tell them, they think it was my idea, they think you're making it up-"

"Hush."

Hermione looked down at her leg, where he had laid his hand on hers. She realised her voice had been growing shrill.

He didn't remove his hand. She seized her courage and entwined her fingers with his.

He was very calm when he spoke again. "This only upsets you. Don't think on it."

"But it's not fair-" Hermione said. She didn't care that that made her sound naive. It wasn't fair. "You should care. I don't know why you haven't said anything. I know how much reputation matters to you. If people knew, it could change everything for the Malfoys."

"What do you want me to say to them, Hermione? That I was so enraptured by your creation, that it was so powerful and beautiful, that it overcame me? That is all I can lay claim to. That is the last thing I can remember before I lost myself. You are like you imagine your admirers to be; you lay the credit where it doesn't belong. Besides, it is my own fault. If I hadn't over-stated what I had done, they might have believed."

"But-"

"Hermione, please. The creation is yours. Anything I did with it, I did by mistake. Let's leave it at that."

Feeling very angry that he refused to let her help him, she said nothing. His hand squeezed hers, very gently. When she looked up at him, she saw nothing on his face but patience, and his feelings for her.

The sheer, authentic tenderness of it… it was just otherworldly. How could she ever have considered him duplicitous? In every way that mattered, Lucius was honest to a fault.

"I believe that muggles have a tradition." Lucius said firmly, putting the issue of the Joy Stone to one side. "Of making resolutions for the year to come. Have you any of your own?"

"I'm going to become Deputy Headmistress." Hermione said, without thinking, and immediately regretted it. In five years time? Perhaps. But in her very first year teaching-? Impossible. She'd do it anyway. "What about you?"

"I want to spend more time with my family." Lucius said. "As much time as I can."

Hermione only squeezed his hand, but what she was thinking was; I'm here.

"What I have done has left its mark on Draco." Lucius said. "I know that. I should be grateful even to be allowed to see either of them at all. But I am not a grateful man." Lucius sighed ruefully. "I have more than I could ever rightfully wish for, and still I want more."

Hermione struggled. In the end, her hopefulness won. "People can forgive. You've changed. He'll see that."

She didn't know if that was true, but stranger things had happened. Draco wasn't stupid. There was a chance that he might put aside the past and move forward with his father. She also knew that no matter how likely that was, Lucius would need to hold onto it.

Indeed, Lucius did seem reassured. "I would love to introduce you to Scorpius one day. He is a sweet boy. I know you would love him."

"I would love to meet him." Hermione said emphatically.

Lucius gave a pleased little hum, and leaned back a little to take in the stars.

Looking into his eyes, Hermione knew that this was it.

Her skin felt cold, clammy. Nerves. She still didn't know the right words to say. Hopefully, it wouldn't matter.

Just do it. Now or never. Come on, be brave, be brave, be brave...

"Lucius," Her stomach was tying itself in knots. Some of that was the whiskey and the brandy. Only some. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

His eyes widened in surprise, but only for a moment. He turned back to her with a tender smile.

"Hermione, I thought you would never ask."

In that moment, the sheer drop beneath them was nothing. Hermione felt a powerful, reckless urge to jump up and cheer.

Instead, she took the slightly less risky option and scooted over. It wasn't very dignified, but it gave the Adhesive charm something to stick to and prevented her from falling to her death.

The difference between their heights made it impossible for her to lay her head on his shoulder. She laid her head on his arm instead. At least, she did for a second. His arm went around her waist and pulled her against him and Hermione's heart could have burst.

Lucius opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a terrible, ear-splitting yelling.

"Ten! Nine! Eight!"

The sound had come from the Gryffindor Tower. It was so loud that Hermione started, even though she'd been expecting it. Lucius jumped near out of his skin.

"I have heard of this tradition." Lucius said, relaxing. "And of one another."

As he said it, Lucius Malfoy's eyes fell to her lips and Hermione's heart stopped beating.

Did he mean…? Kissing in the New Year?

More youthful voices took up the countdown. "Five! Four! Three!"

Her mind was racing, racing, as all sorts of visions came to mind. His mouth on hers. Her fingers entwined in his beautiful, moonlit hair. His arm pulling her in closer. Her hand on his throat again...

"Two! One!"

Midnight. The Gryffindor Tower erupted into cheers. They banged on the windows and, by the sound of it, let loose a small elephant in the Common Room.

The moment passed, and Hermione still had not moved.

She couldn't do it. A social convention as their first kiss? What if he felt obligated to do it? It would be totally unethical.

While she was deep in thought, Lucius Malfoy bridged the gap and kissed her.

The kiss was soft and simple, and it drove her out of her mind. Her eyes closed. Her whole world narrowed down to just the rooftop, just the two of them. Just his lips on hers, and his hand cupping her cheek-

Lucius pulled away. Hermione took a long, shuddering breath.

"I hope that wasn't unwelcome." He said. "I thought, well- given the circumstances…"

She didn't even try to fight the goofy grin she could feel spreading on her face. His face creased in a dear, answering smile, and he rested his forehead against hers.

Just how good is this adhesive charm, anyway? She thought to herself.

There was only one way to find out. Hermione Granger was, at her heart, an academic. It was practically her duty to find out.

The Gryffindors threw open the windows and set off one firework after another. It was mayhem. Flaming cartwheels, showers of sparks, roaring lions. Lucius Malfoy was lit up in gold, violet, and every colour of the rainbow. He was laughing in open wonder at the display. She couldn't hear him amidst all the noise, but it didn't matter.

Hermione didn't think she'd ever seen anything so beautiful.

She pulled him in for another kiss. This one was all passion. All longing. Her fingers traced his cheeks and she deepened the kiss. Somehow, he pulled her in closer, and she breathed him in...

In the sky, a fiery dragon danced. The witch and the wizard didn't notice.

They had other things to be thinking about.

Well, what did you think?

I honestly could have worked on this chapter forever. It's just one of those. But I knew that if I kept fiddling with it, I'd never stop!

As I've mentioned, this chapter is the end of Part One, and I won't be updating for a few weeks at least. I love this story, and I adore you all, but I need a bit of a break. I also need to write some lovely new chapters, which I think you are all going to get a real kick out of!

Thank you for reading, reviewing, leaving Kudos, subscribing, bookmarking... everything. You guys are just the best.

I hope that this year is better for everyone, and that you all stay well until I see you again for the first chapter of Part Two!