XIV
Lunch went quite smoothly, Lucius took the burden of the conversation, so Hermione stayed silent for the most part. The food at the restaurant was great, but her stomach was tight and she had only eaten a few bites. On the contrary, she had tasted a lot of wine, and both men noticed it.
At some point, Blake and Lucius walked over to the bar and Hermione was left alone with Nicolas, who she was afraid of the most.
"What do you have in common with Lucius?" This very direct question was asked in a deceptively casual tone between bites. Hermione choked on her wine and looked at him, slightly shocked at Nicolas' undisguised interest.
"Work." She choked out and he rolled his eyes. She didn't think he believed her.
"Only work?" He raised an eyebrow, and she felt herself getting hot. The man could not have been more obvious in his intent..
"Yes, only work." She confirmed through her teeth, which Nicolas acknowledged with a broad smile.
"Excellent. Then I can invite you on a date and you'll agree. " He put another bite in his mouth and began to chew.
Hermione was shocked at his audacity and couldn't answer anything meaningful, which Nicolas took advantage of.
"Is next week good for you?" He offered as he sipped his wine. Hermione felt herself turning beet red and was about to grunt when Lucius and Blake returned to the table. Blake sat down, and Lucius looked at Hermione and realized that something had happened between her and Nicolas.
"You don't mind Hermione going on a date with me?" This time, Nicolas turned to Lucius, and Lucius struggled to keep his straight face.
"Pardon?" His eyesight hardened, and Hermione knew Nicolas was playing with fire. But he obviously liked to do it and was not afraid of daring maneuvers.
"I ask in advance to confirm you both have nothing in common except work." His innocent expression did not match the words at all, and Hermione really wanted to throw a Stupefy at him. But of course she couldn't.
"I guarantee, nothing more." That dry sentence made Nicolas applaud and he turned to Blake. "Maybe we'll have a double date, how about that, Blake?"
Blake tilted her head and took a sip of her drink. After a moment of silence, with a smile, in a teasing tone she said to Lucius:
"Would you like to accompany me one night next week?"
Lucius was furious when they showed up at Malfoy Manor, and he directed his steps straight to the bar. Hermione was also angry, and as he poured himself a whisky, she asked for a glass herself. He didn't comment on it, just poured her a solid portion and gave it to her.
"We are not talking about this." She warned him as he handed her the glass, but he just shrugged.
He drank the alcohol in one gulp and poured another dose. Hermione drank more at dinner, so she resisted this urge.
She fell onto the sofa and closed her eyes. It was to be a double date at the theater next Friday.
"Do you like him at least?" His dry question forced her to open her eyes. She looked at him and tilted her head.
It was a good question, and she didn't know the answer. Yes, Nicolas was very handsome, dark hair, and a gleam in his dark eyes. But was it enough for her, since his character was...
She took a sip of her whisky and enjoyed the bittersweet aftertaste. Lucius was leaning against the bar, she could see he was upset. His body was tense as she could clearly see from the vein pulsing in his neck. He stared at her and she had the impression that he was ready to attack—something. She noticed once again that his usual mask was not so tight anymore.
"Do you like Blake at least?" She mirrored his question and watched closely as his face hardened.
Yes , it was shaky ground, but she couldn't deny herself this pleasure.
She saw that he had drunk the second glass to the bottom and set it down with a snap. She saw that he only gave her a dark look and left the room.
Hermione licked her lips and closed her eyes again. The alcohol circulated pleasantly in her body, causing her ears to ring and her head to spin.
Not knowing when, she fell asleep.
The coldness and the darkness woke her. She was freezing because she had no blanket, and judging by the hour, the nap lasted a long time. And she was wearing only a thin dress. She rubbed her eyes, and as her vision cleared, she got up from the sofa.
She was a little hungry, so she headed to the dining room. She was surprised to discover that Lucius was eating dinner. And in addition, he was accompanied by Draco.
When they saw her, Draco only threw "Granger" at her, and she nodded in response.
Lucius was silent and didn't even glance at her.
She poured herself some tea and took a few sips because her throat was dry from the mixing of wine and whisky. She scooped up some scrambled eggs and began to eat it, which was commented on by Lucius:
"No toast today?"
The younger Malfoy raised an eyebrow as that was a strange remark in his father's mouth.
Hermione didn't comment on the remark, just ate in silence, listening to what they were talking about. Of course it was about the company, but by some strange coincidence, Lucius didn't even mention the date .
When she finished her portion, she got up and looked at them, wanting to say something.
"Go ahead, Miss Granger. I know you like to stick your nose into others' affairs." Lucius had an enquiring look and she sighed.
"Get lost, Mr. Malfoy."
And she left, leaving Draco in shock.
With no other responsibilities at the moment, Hermione started looking through the library, still hoping to find the book. Unfortunately, she found nothing on the shelves, but noticed that there was a safe in the room. And it was closed by very strong spells.
She failed to take them off, but she became very curious about them. She just didn't have a chance to ask Lucius about it. And certainly today wasn't the best day to ask either. She preferred to avoid him because he might curse her. Or she might curse him.
Knowing that night was approaching, she picked up one of the books and headed to her chamber.
Once in it, she tested the Sleeping Draught, but decided it needed another night to be ready. Hermione considered whether to lie down without taking anything, but eventually, after a short moment, she asked Lissy for another bottle from the Manor's stock.
She drank it, lay down and fell asleep. She woke up in the morning knowing only that she hadn't dreamt about anything.
She passed the next few days virtually unnoticed, as Lucius stubbornly ignored Hermione, and she stubbornly ignored him. They continued to look offended at one another. In the end, Hermione couldn't take it anymore and exploded.
"I'm doing it for your company," she drew out, and Lucius didn't even look up from his papers.
"Really?" He didn't even bother to form a longer sentence, which irritated her even more.
"You're an arsehole." She slipped out, and he put down the papers and looked at her for the first time in a week for more than two seconds. She hadn't expected him to get up and walk towards her, but he did. She stood up in advance, but had few options for escape.
Lucius Malfoy had always been perfect at trapping people and crushing them with his coolness and pride.
As he approached her, she took a few steps back, until she felt the wall. He did not stop until he was bending over her, inches apart.
Hermione smelled his cologne and it made her realize how uncomfortable she was.
His eyes bored into her, but she wasn't about to give up without a fight. She looked defiant, and he was furious. His eyes were blazing, glistening, wild. As if she had moved a very sensitive thing.
"If I'm an arsehole, Miss Granger, you can go to Shacklebolt and beg to be taken away from me. I am certainly not stopping you." His voice was icy, and their noses were almost touching. His right hand landed beside her head on the wall. "I'm afraid though," he articulated each word as he pierced her with his eyes, "that he might turn out to be a bigger arsehole."
Hermione swallowed and tried to escape, but his left hand caught her arm.
"Than me." She could feel his breath on her cheeks, and knew he was doing all this to surround her, intimidate her. He had tried to do it before.
"Please step back, Mr. Malfoy, or I will..." She trailed off as she saw a dangerous gleam in his eye.
"You like to play with fire, Miss Granger." His fingers tightened on her arm, and Hermione knew the bruise would probably appear.
"You don't care what's happening to me, admit it. I'm just a ball and chain around your leg," she replied, feeling his anger pour over her. Her irritation grew with each passing second. "Why are you so incensed? I was not insinuating myself into the interests of your damn company. It's not my fault that you are dependent on me."
The last word made Lucius wince and loosen his grip, but he didn't let go of her. He tilted his head and watched Hermione's breathing hard, her chest waving. How her lips were parted and her eyes shining with fury. Hermione licked her lips involuntarily, and that was the stupidest thing she could do.
He stared at her, and she felt more and more awkward.
"Come on, Miss Granger," he whispered, and there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "I'm waiting."
What was he waiting for? More importantly, what was her next move? She could lash out at him verbally, spit in his eye, kick him and run or ... distract him in a different way, because he kept his face close to hers all the time.
She swallowed hard and decided she had to do something. So she leaned towards him, and when their lips were millimeters apart and their eyes met, she kicked him hard in the calf.
He released her with an exclamation of surprise and she ran out of his office.
Her heart was pounding as she had had to do something stupid once again to regain control of the situation. To make matters worse, she had been inches away from kissing Malfoy.
Absurdity.
All weekend Lucius avoided her and they didn't even meet for a moment. Hermione enjoyed the prospect of taking books from the library once a day and reading them in her bedroom.
Having slept all night thanks to the potion, she felt refreshed, which, in turn, made her less stressed apart from the tension with Lucius.
Now, sitting on her bed, she heard an owl knock on the glass; she let it in and read the note. She immediately got up and went down to the dining room, which was empty. The same went for his office or the library. This meant that Lucius was in his chambers.
Not having many options, she went to his wing and stood in front of the bedroom door. She knocked and waited for a response. After a while she heard footsteps and Lucius opened the door.
He was very surprised when he saw her.
Hermione looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Due to the late hour, Lucius wore baggy sweatpants and a T-shirt - it seemed completely off to her.
"If you've finished examining me, to what do I owe this late visit?" He greeted her sourly, and she gasped and narrowed her eyes.
"We have to arrive in central London tomorrow morning. I need to meet with someone. " She said dryly, and he didn't suppress his retort.
"With Nicolas?" She snorted in response and shook her head.
"With Ginny." She bit her lip as she debated whether to reveal more. But she skipped the deeper explanation. "At ten o'clock, be ready."
At five to ten, Hermione appeared at the stairs and Lucius was already waiting for her. He didn't say a word, just nodded and held out his hand. Hermione gave him her hand and with a CRACK! they landed in London, in one of the cafes she knew from her childhood. Hermione decided a Muggle location to be a much better choice, especially since Lucius' presence was still sensational.
Ginny was already seated at the table and stood up as they entered the bar. Hermione smiled and hugged her while greeting. Lucius just nodded and said, "Miss Weasley."
Ginny looked a little scared, but replied, "Mr. Malfoy."
They sat down and placed an order when the waitress approached them. Hermione noticed Lucius was uncomfortable and gestured to a table nearby.
"The morning paper is at that table over there;give us a moment."
Lucius huffed, but he stood up and she could see clearly that he was relieved. He sat down nearby and began flipping through the pages of the newspaper. But from time to time he glanced in their direction.
"Wow." Ginny was a little shocked, but Hermione waved her hand.
"Long story. I can't be nice and polite all the time; I would go crazy."
Ginny tilted her head and smirked, "You don't have to explain to me. I just never saw anyone talk to him like that." Hermione rolled her eyes and told her what she had done during their discussions. Scratching and kicking made an impression.
Ginny's eyes widened as saucers and she started laughing uncontrollably. Out of the corner of her eye Hermione noticed Lucius's face tighten, his hands were tightening on the newspaper. Finally, the redhead managed to control herself and took a box from under the table.
"I'm not sure if this is what you meant." Hermione opened the box and quickly closed it.
"It was supposed to be modest, Ginny." The redhead chuckled in response.
"And it is, I only had a few hours to look for it because ... I think Harry wants to propose to me," she choked out, and Hermione squeaked in response.
"That's amazing, Ginny!" she exclaimed and Ginny lowered her head slightly, flushed.
"Nothing for sure, but I know he's up to something. And I think Harry is in league with my mother."
Hermione grabbed her hand and smiled. "I'm glad you are getting along."
She swallowed hard and sighed. The smile on Ginny's face began to fade away and Hermione could tell her friend was going to ask the obvious question as her gaze slid over to Lucius.
"How are you doing?" she asked the question she couldn't have asked during Hermione's last time at the Burrow.
Hermione smiled weakly and replied softly, "Sometimes better, sometimes worse. It's not an easy relationship, but I can handle it. "
She couldn't tell Ginny what it really was. That every day she fought with herself, with Lucius, with Kingsley and sometimes the whole world.
"Fingers crossed, how many months have you left? Three?"
Hermione was going to answer her, but the waitress came up to them with the order, so she was silent for a moment.
"Ten." She took a sip of coffee and Ginny choked on hers. Hermione shrugged.
"But..." Ginny tried to collect her thoughts. "That's inhuman. How are you going to bear ten more months?"
It was a good question Hermione didn't know the answer to.
That Monday evening, she sent the same report as the last time and waited for Kingsley to lose his patience and summon her. By Friday, it still hadn't happened, and Friday was a date day.
A date neither she nor Lucius wanted. But they both had no choice because a lot depended on it.
Hermione unpacked Ginny's dress and ran her hand through the smooth satin. It was elegant but balanced. Perfect for the theater. At the bottom of the box, she saw the necklace and bracelet and a note from Ginny.
Good luck xx G.
She took a bath, arranged her hair gently and all she did was a little mascara and lip gloss. She didn't want to give the impression that she cared. Because she didn't.
And she certainly wasn't going to hit on Nicolas.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, applying lip gloss, she sighed.
Where was her life heading?
She took her coat in her hand and went downstairs.
As always, Lucius stood there ready and waiting for her.
"Ready for the evening, Hermione?" It was the first time he called her by name in private, and she raised an eyebrow, not sure what that meant. Maybe he was just practicing saying her name for the evening.
"Your question has no correct answer, Lucius," she replied defiantly, and he grimaced.
"You could make a little effort. You know very well, Miss Granger, that tonight will be a feast of pretend. We have to play along. "
"I'm not going to pretend for you anymore, Mr. Malfoy." She threw her coat over her shoulders and shook her hand, even though he didn't stick his out.
He looked at her and she parted her lips and said arrogantly, "I'm going to have a great time."
She was lying, but it wasn't the most important thing right now. Her hand was in the air when he finally grabbed her and pulled her to him. He stared at her for a few seconds and leaned in so that they were just millimeters apart.
A shudder ran through her as she felt his other hand on her back. She had not expected this at all.
Her heart pounded in her chest and he stared at her with a hard, wild look. She could smell his perfume and warm breath. It felt like he wanted to kiss her.
She licked her lips, and at the same time he slid down with his left hand, which was now on the line of her back, just above... She involuntarily arched towards him, making their lips practically touch.
And at that moment she heard CRACK! and felt a familiar tug.