Thank you all for your encouragement, especially from Saki31, girlX901, cares 1970, zeeksmom, and purplehedgehog13; I read every review, and your comments really made my day! Here is the next installment: enjoy! Bit of a tense chapter, but there are better things to come! Please continue to write me and tell me what you think!

Chapter 5

Hermione wandered the halls, feeling desperately lost. She was afraid to open any doors due to what she might discover behind them. Plus, Lucius probably wouldn't appreciate her rummaging around the Manor.

Hermione sighed and muttered, "Looks like I'm never finding my room."

But then, with a slight pop, a small house elf appeared at her side and offered her a timid smile. "Dipsy is here for you, Miss. She heard you needed assistance. Would Miss like to be shown to her room?"

Hermione sighed with relief. "Yes, if you please."

The house elf beamed, clearly not used to this kind of polite treatment and happy to help all the same, and she escorted Hermione down the stairs and through two separate corridors to her room.

Lucius was certainly right; she was as far as away from him as humanly possible in this house. The thought should have comforted her, but admittedly, it did make her feel a little lonely.

As the elf struggled to push the heavy wooden door open, Hermione noticed that she had bandages on her fingers. She was reminded of the cruel treatment Dipsy's master had given his previous elf, Dobby, and she felt her temper flare.

But as the door swung open before her, Hermione was distracted, completely taken aback by the opulence of the room inside.

The king size bed in the center of the room was covered in fine green silken sheets, drapery and tapestries hung from what felt like every possible place, and there was an en suite bathroom tiled floor to ceiling with white marble off to her right.

"Dipsy will leave you now, Miss. Unless there is anything else you require."

"No, Dipsy, thank you," Hermione said, still awed by her new abode. The elf disapparated on the spot, and Hermione wandered into the bedroom.

The walls were a dark shade of green, and the floors were covered in a dark wood finish, so although some light filtered in through the windows, the room still felt dark somehow.

She ran her fingers along the intricate wood carvings surrounding the mirror of the vanity and wondered at the craftsmanship. Next to the vanity, she found a wardrobe and cracked it open tentatively. There were a few dress-like robes inside, all of them made from exquisite fabric and perfectly tailored. Hermione removed a plain pink robe and held it up in front of herself, sizing it up. It looked like it would fit, but it was obviously tailored to fit someone with a larger bust and curvier frame than hers. Regardless, she draped it over her arm and planned her outfit around it.

As she explored the vanity, Hermione realized the drawers were filled with jewelry: sparkling rings, dazzling necklaces, and beautiful bracelets. Was she meant to wear them? She didn't dare touch any jewelry tied to Dark Wizards, especially after Katie Bell's encounter with the cursed locket. There were powders and shadows of all varieties as well, but Hermione didn't want to waste her time doing her makeup. Instead, she wandered into the bathroom where she froze in surprise before she felt a smile breaking out over her face.

Waiting for her on the counter next to the sink was a bottle of shampoo and a hairbrush.

Once Hermione's hair was under control (or as controlled as she could make it) and she was content with her outfit, it was nearly six o'clock. Not wanting to get lost again, Hermione called out for Dipsy to escort her to the dining room.

Hermione entered the room tentatively. Lucius was already there, at the head of the table, looking suave as usual. Black robes with a red vest and white button down shirt. Always the perfect gentleman, he rose when Hermione entered, and Dipsy, seeing that she was no longer needed, vanished.

There was an uncomfortable silence. Lucius did nothing to break it, merely gesturing to the setting next to him. Hermione approached and took her seat, unsure of what was going on. She looked at his face hopefully, but it was stony and unreadable.

Then, Lucius ate.

Hermione followed suit, and the only sounds were from their cutlery and the occasional sip from the sparkling goblets in from of them.

Finally Lucius spoke.

"…Did you find the room met your requirements?"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you for having it prepared for me."

"The robes fit, I see."

"Yes, more or less," Hermione offered. Silence fell again, and Hermione dared to ask, "Mr. Malfoy...whose are these?"

Lucius completed ignored her question. "Did you see the jewelry in the vanity? And the makeup?"

"I saw it."

Lucius weighed her in his gaze, and Hermione felt her face flush.

"Why, do I need it?" she asked defensively.

"…It wouldn't hurt."

Hermione felt her jaw drop in spite of herself. Who in their right mind would ever say something like that, especially out loud?

But this was the "new" Lucius Malfoy she was talking about; whether or not he was in his right mind was certainly up for debate.

Feeling a flush creep over her face, Hermione snapped, "You know, Mr. Malfoy, if you're going to play along with this crazy charade – a charade of your own design, I might add – you should at least act like you find me attractive."

"That is a talent I will save for the cameras, Miss Granger."

Hermione could do nothing other than stare at him in complete and utter shock before making a hurt "humph!" and cutting her food with vigor.

What the hell happened to hospitable Lucius? And why did it matter if he didn't find her attractive? Why did she want him to?

Thinking through her haze of anger, Hermione composed herself slightly to ask, "Do you do this on purpose?"

Lucius looked up from his meal innocently. "Do what?" The corners of his lips threatened to twitch into a smile.

"Wind me up and try to get a reaction? Because it may be fun for you, but it isn't for me."

"Isn't it?"

"No!" Hermione cried. "How about we go back to whose robes these really are and then see how funny you think it is?"

Hermione crossed a line. She knew it the moment his grey eyes flickered, but she kept going.

"Let's talk about your wife, Lucius. How you act like you're fine when in actuality you're so lonely you let a Mudblood stay in your Manor for company."

A pink hue began to take over Lucius's pale face. "My wife is none of your concern…or mine for that matter."

There was a beat of silence.

"That's a lie…that you don't care for her." Hermione murmured. "You still do, regardless of what happened."

"What happened is my wife could not take the scrutiny that comes with being married to a man who lost everything!" Lucius roared, and Hermione shrank back into her chair. Regaining composure but only slightly, he added sharply, "We were engaged in a mutually beneficial partnership, and when it was no longer beneficial, we parted ways."

"I don't believe that for a second…" Hermione said, afraid of his wrath but excited to have the upper hand. "I think you loved her, Lucius. At least in some way, at some point, you did. You acquiesced to her wishes when she wanted to send Draco to Hogwarts rather than Durmstrang, didn't you? If you were really the heartless tyrant you pretend to be, you would have overruled her and done what you wanted with Draco. But you didn't-"

"Enough!" Lucius stood up from his chair, his eyes glinting dangerously and his jaw set firm. "Enough…"

The hand holding the head of his cane twitched, and Hermione was suddenly sobered, remembering that his hand was mere inches away from being able to inflict unbearable torture. And by the livid look in his eyes, Hermione wouldn't be surprised if he tried it.

But he did not draw his wand. Instead, he let out a slow breath and glared at Hermione with a mixture of anger, surprise, and almost bemusement.

"Miss Granger…may I suggest in the future refraining from discussing my former wife or my son. They are both gone and not coming back any time soon, so there is no point in talking about them any further. Is that understood?"

Averting her eyes, Hermione just nodded.

"Dipsy!" Lucius barked, and the elf appeared with a frightened squeak.

"Y-y-yes, Master?" she stuttered.

Casting one last sneer at Hermione, he muttered, "Clean this mess up."

Dipsy immediately set to work, and Lucius purposefully snatched up his cane and swept out of the room, leaving Hermione to stare at his empty chair.

Years ago, there would have been nothing better to Hermione Granger than managing to make Lucius Malfoy so upset. Now, Hermione had expected to feel triumphant, but she found that all she had done was ruin her appetite.