Next chapter! Thank you all for your encouragement and support! Bunch of Lumione clichés in this setup but hopefully combined and told in a new way to keep them interesting! Enjoy, and please let me know of any comments/suggestions you have for the future! Again, bear with me; it might take a little while for the next chapter. I want to take my time and make it right.

Chapter 3

Hermione awoke early the next morning. Light was filtering in through a nearby window, and it forced her eyes open. She stretched before groggily rolling over on the floor. The floor?

She cast a blurry-eyed gaze around the room before suddenly bolting up in shock as memories came flooding back to her and it truly sank in where she was.

Last night…it wasn't a dream.

She stood up, her wrist still sore but feeling somewhat better than the previous night. Her clothes were dry, and the fire had burned itself out in the hearth. She pulled her cloak off the floor and shook it out. Lucius was right; she did wake up covered in soot.

She froze as she remembered her bizarre interaction with the master of the house.

Lucius…where was he?

She decided that maybe it would be better if she didn't find out.

Making sure her wand was still in her pocket, she gathered the last of her belongings and slowly crept toward the door.

Tentatively opening the door a crack, Hermione peeked down the hallway.

She couldn't see anything other than the labyrinthine halls of the Manor sprawling before her, but she believed she would probably be able to find her way out if she retraced her steps from the night before.

The hallway looked empty, so she quietly slipped out the door of the study, shutting it gently behind her. But as she made her way toward where she believed the front door to be, a voice from behind her nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Leaving so soon?"

Hermione whipped around to find Lucius, fully clothed in his usual rich attire, standing in the doorway behind her. Hermione almost chuckled to herself, realizing what a good thing this was; the sight of Lucius Malfoy in pajamas probably would have struck her dead.

Recomposing herself, Hermione spat, "I figured you would appreciate my swift departure. Sorry to have been such an inconvenience for you, but I hope that my heartbreak provided you with at least some amusement."

Lucius smirked for a moment, but then his expression grew serious, and Hermione was caught off guard. "It did not," he finally said, and Hermione was taken aback. "The Weasley boy was never a proper match for you, I believe...He was a fool to ruin what the two of you had."

Hermione was dumbstruck for a moment. When she finally found her voice, all she could manage to say was, "Yes…yes he was."

There was silence before Lucius, again in his perfectly cordial way, said, "There is breakfast in the dining room, and you have quite a long journey ahead of you, in more ways than one."

Was he…was he asking her to stay for breakfast?

Whoever this new Lucius Malfoy was, Hermione almost liked the old one better…

At least she knew what to expect from him.

Lucius didn't wait for a response and turned back into the dining room. After pausing for a moment to wonder if she really had a choice, Hermione tentatively followed.

As she made her way into the dining room, a wave of amazing smells hit her all at once, and she realized how hungry she really was. There was a wide array of different options spanning a large dining table with a dark wood finish. A house elf was finishing arranging the final few dishes on the table. Surely this wasn't how Lucius ate breakfast alone every day…?

Alone. The once exceptionally popular Lucius Malfoy now eating by himself, in this mansion full of everything except company. It was a strange thought that had never crossed her mind.

Coming back to reality, she watched as Lucius sat at the head of the table and gestured for her to take a seat.

"Are Mudbloods welcome at your table now, Lucius Malfoy?" Hermione sneered without thinking. "Last night you wouldn't even let one sit on your furniture."

Lucius froze, and his lips set themselves in a harsh line. He took a moment to compose himself before whispering, "That was strictly out of necessity. The water would have ruined the leather."

Hermione felt her temper rising. "Am I the only one that's going to be honest about your past?" She felt like they had been so falsely cordial toward one another over the last few hours, and someone needed to remind them of who they were, who they would always be.

But just when this thought crossed her mind, Lucius's response ripped a gaping hole in it. "Trust me, I am living with it each and every day."

Hermione actually felt her jaw go slightly slack. Whether he meant it or was just trying to save face, he said it, and it was shocking to her all the same.

"Now, stop resisting some simple hospitality and eat."

And, dumbfounded, that's what she did. She sat in the chair to Lucius's left and looked over the massive array of food spread before her. She wanted to try a little bit of everything, so her plate was soon full of eggs benedict, French toast, croissants, and a beautiful array of fruit.

The two ate in silence, sizing one another up through subtle glances in the other's direction.

Finally, Lucius spoke.

"So where are you heading in such a hurry? Back to the Weasley boy?"

Hermione gently set down her fork as she thought.

Back to the Weasley boy… No. There was a painful pang in her chest thinking about Ron, but going back was out of the question. Honestly, Hermione felt like she never wanted to see him again at the moment, but she knew she would have to at some point. However, now was not the time to go barging back into the apartment. So where was she going? How would she live?

Sighing and picking up her fork again, Hermione said in a frustrated, trembling voice, "You seem to be able to read me like an open book, Mr. Malfoy. If you figure out where I'm heading in all of this, you let me know."

Lucius smiled coldly. "Profound words, Miss Granger. So I take it you will probably not be able to return to your flat, at least not until things cool off."

"I'll get a room in the Leaky Cauldron or something until this blows over."

Lucius raised his eyebrows at her but didn't comment.

"And seeing as you just quit your job at the Ministry-"

"Wait, how did you know?" Hermione asked, taken aback.

But of course, Lucius had an answer, delivered swiftly and smoothly. "I still have significant connections with the Ministry, Miss Granger. I had heard much of your potential and was curious as to where your career would take you. You could have made a fine auror, to be sure…"

Hermione looked at her food with discontent. "Frankly, Mr. Malfoy, I've had enough of Dark Magic to last me a lifetime."

Lucius set down his goblet and weighed her in his gaze. Hermione met it bravely before declaring, "You're not the only one living with your past."

A bitter smile, without joy or maliciousness, spread across Lucius's face, and he didn't question her further.

Hermione resumed her meal, but she continued to watch him out of the corner of her eye.

Once both plates were largely empty, Lucius cleared his throat before dabbing at his mouth with an embroidered napkin and speaking, looking at the table and forcing a casual air into his tone.

"An option, should you consider it, would be to remain here for the short term."

Hermione's knife clattered to the plate as it fell from her numb hands. All she could managed was a shocked, "What?"

After taking what felt like ages to move his water goblet from his lips and set it back on the table, Lucius elaborated. "I have an extensive library that needs archiving, and I happen to remember that you have quite the affinity for books. It may be a lasting…partnership, shall we say. I would supply you with a living wage and allow you to reside in the Manor, and soon I will have a library I can finally make sense of."

"Why?"

"Because there's no one else who would take on such a daunting task for such little reward."

Hermione knew that, although true, it wasn't the real reason he was asking her to stay. Hesitantly, she tried a different tactic. It was dangerous territory, but she had to ask.

"You said last night that you were trying to be a changed man. Was that true?"

Lucius sighed heavily, as if the subject either bored him or exhausted him. In reality, it was likely both. "More for public perception than anything. As you probably suspect, people don't take kindly to you when you're on the losing side of a civil war. But what better way to get myself back into their good graces than to assist the Brightest Witch of Her Age when she needs it most?"

Hermione slowly nodded. His logic, while cold, certainly made sense.

"But what would the neighbors think? Seeing me…here…with you…"

Lucius smirked as Hermione's face grew red.

"You would have your own quarters far away from mine, Miss Granger, I assure you you would not have anything to worry about. As for the neighbors, let them talk."

"Quite a shift in tone from yesterday, don't you think?" Hermione shuddered before adding, "Rita Skeeter would have a field day."

"Let her," Lucius said. "It would help my reputation if people believed I was sympathetic to…your kind."

Hermione bristled. "And are you, Lucius Malfoy? Are you sympathetic to the plight of the poor Mudblood in today's society?"

Lucius rolled his eyes but avoided the question. "And if Rita does talk, what better way to get back at your former flame?"

This took Hermione by surprise, and she dropped her previous thread.

"You mean…?"

"If, during your stay here the rumor mill begins to…churn…let it. I sincerely think Rita would produce such a juicy story it would get under Weasley's skin and stay there. I doubt there is a candidate that would cause him more distress than I would. "

Hermione looked appalled, but a part of her did not entirely reject the idea. Imagine Ron's face when he opened the Prophet and saw a picture of her entering Malfoy Manor…

"But don't you care what everyone else thinks of you?"

"I used to. Now, I just care about regaining my power and influence, and you may be my ticket to doing so, even if a few…vulgar rumors must be involved to get there."

Hermione recoiled. "That's despicable."

"Have you ever thought of me as anything less, Miss Granger?"

Hermione was silenced at this. She tried to return to her meal but found it nearly impossible. This offer was total insanity…and yet the perfectly controlled and measured Hermione Granger was actually…considering it?

"But what about…your wife? Don't you care what she thinks?"

Lucius scoffed. "My wife is none of your concern."

Hermione bit her lip and focused on her plate.

Lucius sighed. "As it stands, she is not my wife anymore."

"Oh…" Hermione still did not look up.

So that was why the Manor felt so empty when she arrived; Lucius had lost his trophy wife. She wondered what had happened, but she didn't even have to see that dangerous glint in his eye to know it was there, daring her to ask but warning her not to.

Hermione's mind then wandered to Draco, searching for a reason to explain his absence. She figured that he, much like her, had been out living his own life after the end of the Second Wizarding War, struggling to move on. She wouldn't be surprised if he had fled the Manor – and his overbearing father – the first chance he got.

Looking back over at Lucius, she continued sizing him up, struggling to read him the way he managed to read her.

"There must be some other reason you're making this offer…" Hermione pressed, almost thinking out loud.

There was a beat of silence until Lucius raised his eyes to her, and his gaze captured hers.

"…Frankly, Miss Granger, you interest me, and I have not been interested in anything in quite a long time."

There was a moment where she was frozen, transfixed by his steely grey eyes.

Coming to her senses, Hermione ripped her gaze away and retreated into her mind.

Hermione was tempted by his offer. The rational side of herself was attempting to remind her of the ridiculousness of it and all that could go wrong – living alone in a torture mansion with a former Death Eater – but to no avail. The adventurous, scorned, and curious side of her was much louder.

"How long?"

Lucius looked up from where he had been plucking dust from his vest. "Hmm?"

"How long would this employment last?"

Lucius looked at her and smirked, like the spider when the fly dances dangerously close to the web. "…until we each get what we want, Miss Granger. On paper, it would be until the library is fully sorted, however long that takes, so if you would like to get out of here in the near future I recommend you start soon."

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Hermione rose from her seat and said, "So…where is this library?"

A flicker of shock danced across Lucius's face before his usual smirk replaced it. His cold grey eyes looked her up and down before he declared, "I daresay, Miss Granger, you see yourself as quite the Gryffindor, but you may have made a fine Slytherin."

Before Hermione could respond, Lucius rose, cane in hand, to lead her out the dining room and deeper into Malfoy Manor.