A/N: I can't get enough of these two.
Lucius looked at his watch for the fifth time that hour—he had now been waiting for nearly forty minutes to meet with a caseworker. As he looked up from his watch with a long sigh, he noticed that the entrance door was swinging closed. Accordingly, he scanned the room until his eyes fell on Hermione Granger, who quickly looked away from him, though her facial expression didn't change from its disapproving expression. As his eyes landed on her hair, which looked as though it had been through a windstorm, his mind immediately flashed to her writhing on the floor while Bellatrix tortured her and he did nothing.
Lucius didn't realize that the blood had drained from his face or that his hand had hardened into a fist until Hermione cleared her throat, very Umbridge-style, and their eyes met. "I'm not exactly thrilled to be waiting here with you, either," Hermione greeted him in a clipped tone, pausing before deciding to call him, like his son, "Malfoy."
Correcting her was not an option, so Lucius played along. "And what am I supposed to call you, Mrs. Krum? Or perhaps that's no longer appropriate."
"It's Ms. Granger to you," Hermione huffed, "always has been."
"Well, you'll have to excuse me, it's been a while."
Lucius realized immediately it was the wrong thing to say. Even though it had been nearly ten years since the war, he hadn't seen her since. He had practically become a hermit confined to his house or friends' houses, as he was no longer welcome at the Ministry.
"Trust me," Hermione replied in an attempt at a combative tone, but her voice betrayed more emotion that she was willing to admit, "I remember the last time I saw you."
It would have been a good time to apologize, or at least say something that wasn't biting or sarcastic, but all Lucius could manage was an uncomfortable silence.
"So…" He said after a minute. "You're here for the same reason I am?"
Hermione sighed at that, not making eye contact. "I don't like spending time in the Marriage Dissolution Office for my own enjoyment, shockingly enough." Softening slightly, she asked, "I assume the same is true for you?"
"Yes," he responded, "that's correct."
"So, how long have you been waiting here?" Hermione asked in an impatient voice.
"Nearly an hour," Lucius sighed, glancing at his watch again in hopes that it would prove him wrong. It didn't.
"Well…" Hermione responded in a condescending tone, "did you make an appointment?"
"Of course I made an appointment," Lucius snapped in reply. "I'm not a fool."
Hermione opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the first person popping out of the back area of the office. "Mr. Finnigan?" She called as her neck craned around to the waiting area.
Hermione and Lucius both glanced at each other before Hermione responded to the witch. "There is no Mr. Finnigan here"—the witch started to retract her head and Hermione spoke faster—"but there is a Mr. Malfoy and a Ms. Granger, both of whom have an overdue appointment."
The witch popped her head out again. "I don't have either of you on the schedule."
Hermione went slightly pink and looked as if she was about to yell, so Lucius cut in, not wanting the witch to disappear out of irritation. "Pardon me, but could you check again? My appointment was for ten o'clock and Ms. Granger's…" he trailed off, gesturing to Hermione.
"Ten-thirty," Hermione replied in a clipped tone.
The witch flicked through some papers out of his view, looking confused. "Let me sort this out," she responded. Lucius opened his mouth to protest, but she was already gone.
"We're going to be here all day, aren't we?" Hermione asked after a minute.
"I suspect as much, yes," Lucius agreed.
Hermione let out a breath of air she was holding, blowing a wayward lock of hair out of her eyes. "I would have asked someone how long this would take, but everyone I know is just thrilled in their post-war, hasty marriages and somehow I'm the only one who thinks it was a bad idea to get married in the wake of tragedy."
Lucius shifted uncomfortably in his seat, not really sure how to respond to the surprising honesty other than with his own. "I don't really know anyone who's been divorced, either," he admitted, still feeling like somewhat of a failure for ending up in this office with its strangely bright walls and oddly shaped armchairs.
"Not very pureblooded of you, is it?" Hermione quipped.
Lucius considered this for a moment. "It's certainly not in line with tradition," he conceded. "For whatever that's worth."
Hermione shot him a doubtful expression. "I thought it was worth everything; wasn't that what the war was about, after all?"
Lucius laughed hollowly. "Admittedly, it was for me, but that was at the beginning, many years ago. In the end, it was just about survival."
Hermione scoffed. "Was it about survival when you slipped Voldemort's diary into an eleven-year-old girl's textbook?"
And for the second time that morning, an unwelcome image filled his brain—a glance inside the hospital wing, an unconscious girl, and her furious mother—and he could feel the heat rising in his chest as he lashed out at the woman forcing him to confront these memories that generally stayed more comfortably buried. "I wasn't aware part of getting divorced was an interrogation."
"I'm sorry," Hermione replied in a low, dangerous tone. "I forgot how accustomed to avoiding consequences you are."
Lucius sucked in a breath, biting his tongue to avoid a sharp retort; it wasn't really fair, taking all of his guilt out on one of the people he had truly hurt during the war. "I apologize for snapping at you," he said in an attempt at an even voice, though it came out a bit more petulant than he had intended, and he knew Hermione agreed as her face flashed with anger and she opened her mouth to reply. "Sincerely, I am sorry. It's just that I didn't expect this today, and that's not an excuse, I know, but it's difficult to be confronted with my worst mistakes."
Hermione gave him a suspicious look but backed off, choosing to look at the blank stretch of wall next to him.
"And…" Lucius continued tentatively, choosing to follow Hermione's lead and also stare at the wall. "I have a lot more to apologize for."
"That's certainly true," Hermione responded. Her voice was still harsh, but there was a thickness to it, seemingly filled with emotion that she was trying to conceal.
"You said that you remember the last time you saw me; I do, too, and it's one of my biggest regrets among many from the war. I truly am sorry, and there is no excuse for my inaction. I'm not saying this in any expectation that you would forgive me," he hurried to add, still avoiding her eyes.
"Well," Hermione said in a choked voice, "that's not what I was thinking of, actually. I don't mean to say that I forgot you were there—that day is burned in my memory, I assure you." Hermione laughed bitterly. "But you didn't seem…" she trailed off, not finishing her sentence, and looked down at her shoes.
"I didn't seem what, Ms. Granger?" Lucius pressed, looking at her until she could no longer avoid the force of his stare, and returned his gaze.
"It's just that you didn't seem like you had much control over the situation, so it's not something that's on the rather long list of things I blame you for," she finished lightly, but it was obvious to Lucius that—despite correctly noting his abhorrent treatment of her over the years—Hermione felt bad for him. He felt simultaneously touched and embarrassed.
"Well, thanks, I guess," was all he could manage, despite being entirely self-aware of the fact that he was letting his pride get the best of him.
"Sure," Hermione responded awkwardly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What did you want me to apologize for?"
Hemione shook her head. "It doesn't matter; I didn't come here expecting an apology. I just want a divorce."
"Why?" Lucius asked impulsively; he had seen pictures of Hermione and the Quidditch star in the newspapers. Viktor had always looked at her adoringly and mentioned her in every interview. Although, thinking about it now, Hermione had always looked a bit overwhelmed. Lucius had always thought she simply disliked the publicity, but perhaps there had been more to it than that.
Hermione sighed. "I ask myself that question all the time. Viktor is incredibly sweet, intelligent, and rather perceptive. It's just that…" Hermione paused, seemingly searching for the words to continue. "There's always been something missing that I told myself I didn't need, and I was wrong. The worst part is that I wasn't the one who realized I needed more; it was him. Sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself, but I think I just needed someone to force me to confront it."
"Ah, the elusive 'something more,'" Lucius mused, thinking of his own relationship with Narcissa.
"You know something about that, too?"
"Yes," Lucius agreed. "Unfortunately, I do."
The witch poked her head out and called Lucius in. He gave Hermione an awkward wave as he went to the back offices for his appointment; by the time he re-emerged, the waiting room was full, but there was no Hermione.
"You never apologized to me," a familiar voice half-slurred behind Lucius. It had been about six months since he had bid goodbye to her—since he had gotten divorced.
Lucius turned around and took in the slightly disheveled state of Hermione Granger, wondering what she was doing at a stuffy restaurant that primarily served old, pureblooded families. He was there to meet Draco and Astoria, but he had arrived a bit early even though he knew that they were always late. And so he had determined to wait at the bar until they arrived, which was where Hermione had snuck up behind him. (Sneaking was a generous term; her shoes had clunked and skid across the floor quite noisily.)
Still, despite being fairly red in the face, she looked attractive in a black dress that was covered every inch of her, but was rather snug. And whether it was the dark color of her dress or the low light of the bar, he noticed for the first time how bright her brown eyes were. Lucius realized he was staring slightly and felt embarrassment wash over him; Hermione was gazing at him questioningly and he wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't said anything to her since she had walked over or because he was still staring.
"Can I get you something to drink?" He asked as she slid into the seat next to him without asking. Once the sentence was out of his mouth, he wished he could take it back; she had seemingly had too much to drink already, but he had offered out of habit.
"Trying to get me drunk?"
Lucius didn't know how to respond until Hermione laughed, an uninhibited, too-loud kind of laugh that couldn't help but loosen him up.
"I think you've already taken care of that yourself, Ms. Granger," Lucius quipped, earning a smile that he couldn't help but return.
"It's Hermione," she said, "Her-my-own-knee."
"I know how to pronounce your name, Hermione."
The bartender wordlessly placed a glass of water in front of Hermione, giving her a disapproving look before shuffling away.
"That was rude," Hermione observed, dutifully drinking her glass of water regardless.
Lucius opened his mouth to agree, but was interrupted by Liam Crabbe, the youngest and most irritating of the Crabbe children. "You're not in the bathroom," he said to Hermione accusingly.
"Spot on," she agreed, barely looking up from her water glass.
"We're in the middle of a date. Here I am, giving you a chance despite your ill-breeding—"
Lucius waited to see if Hermione would respond, but she just looked as though she had stopped listening. He internally wrestled with himself; it seemed disrespectful to Hermione to jump in, but she didn't seem to want to do anything and he couldn't just let the Crabbe boy continue to insult her. (Liam had continued talking, though Lucius had joined Hermione in tuning him out.)
"Liam," Lucius cut in. Even though he didn't raise his voice, Liam immediately ceased talking. "You are being incredibly rude. Please leave and stop embarrassing yourself."
"Mr. Malfoy," Liam argued, clearly taken aback. "We're on a date and she didn't even excuse herself."
At this time, Draco came in with Astoria, walking over to the three of them. "What's going on, Father?"
Liam explained quickly and Draco shot Hermione a nasty look. "She's not worth it, Liam," Draco said in a low voice. That seemed to calm Liam down. Liam must have said something about Lucius's comment, because Draco shot his father a withering stare. Lucius looked between his son and Hermione for a split second, trying to determine his next move.
Hermione scrunched up her face and bounced off her seat. "Malfoys, Liam, thank you for the fascinating evening." She seemed to be considering something for a moment, but whatever it was, she decided against it and waved as she left the restaurant.
Astoria began to talk, trying to restore peace between Lucius and his son, but Lucius excused himself and walked out of the restaurant. The entrance area was entirely empty.