Hermione Malfoy bid good-bye to Draco after most of the morning spent in her Office talking about the past and old feelings that once had been alive between them when they had been in their sixth year at the School.

Draco had said it was best they never were together though as it would have ended eventually. He would have fallen in love with Sara in seventh year and she would have followed her twisted attraction with his father. He had called it.

Hermione wasn't so certain however if she had been with someone else she would have fallen for Lucius so easily. He had been the first and only man to openly take a sexual interest in her. That had been a powerful substance in the begining of their relationship. One that Hermione could never walk away from if she had tried too.

But then after she agreed to marry him upon the new act falling into place, Lucius had changed greatly. All most over night. The kindness was gone and he was hell bent on them having an heir like the ministry wanted of the new mixed marriages. Hermione wanted to put that off until after graduation was over and she was in university. Lucius feared that she wouldn't be around him much then at that point and demanded a child right away. After the first night together of trying Lucius caught her trying to take a potion that would prevent pregnancy. He destroyed the potion in a rage and then raped her. The rapes continued every night for over a month until Hermione announced she was pregnant. At least they had been like a rape. The mental abuse she endured at his will until she submitted to him had made it a rape in Hermione's mind.

Lucius had made her feel like no man would ever want her but him. He called her an ugly, mudblood witch that was worth nothing. That was why she had no choice but to marry him. Because no other man had even offered to marry her but him because she was so horrible looking.

When Lucius learned of the pregnancy he seemed happy at first. He sent her flowers often and actually begun to court her all over again. It made Hermione forget what had been happening before and she was slowly falling in love with her new husband.

But one night in her sixth month of pregnancy, Hermione found him in bed with the bar maid, Anne Jackery. Hermione had been devestated that Lucius would cheat. Especially after them growing so much closer. She had truly thought that he loved her, and in a binding fit of insane grief over what he'd done, Hermione accidently fell down the main stair case in Malfoy Manor. The fall had caused labour and her daughter was born three months early in a magical hospital.

Hermione never seen Lucius after that. Hermione had named the girl Emily Megan Granger Malfoy after her late grandmother. Emily never survived the first week in hospital. And Lucius still had not come to her.

After Emily died Hermione allowed her stepson Draco to take care of her. He was all the support that Lucius refused her. Draco moved back into the manor with her and convinced Hermione to finish university on his fathers money. Draco then met Sara and they married after a brief courtship.

Once Draco and his wife moved out of the manor, Hermione did too. The offer from Hogwarts came and she never looked back. Lucius still made no effort to contact her after losing Emily.

Until one day.

Hermione got a letter requesting that she come home to take care of their son Jackery. The son-of-a-bitch actually expected her to be the mother of the whores bastard son. That was then she read in the Daily Prophet that Hermione Malfoy abandons infant son for Harry Potter. Lucius never even told anyone about losing Emily. To him she was something to brush aside as nothing.

Hermione didn't know what hurt worse. The father of her dead daughter refusing to admit that she even was alive at all or knowing that Lucius never loved anyone but himself.

Hermione ignored all letters that came after that about Jackery and continued onward in her life at the School. She had a few brief affairs to speak of of her own. Hermione had a night of passion in a broom closet with Professor Lupin once after too much drink at a staff party. Then there was a night with Ron on the Quidditch pitch after his first day of teaching. Then there was sex with Professor Snape on his desk one night after too much fire wiskey. He never looked at her since. That was three years ago.

Hermione still continued the odd night with Lupin. When she was really lonely she turned to the new Professor Benjamin Owens. He was young and had very powerful hips.

Nothing never continued on with Ron. They loved eachother like family and wanted it to stay that way. If she had wanted more Hermione knew he was hers. But being still tied down to Lucius made Hermione fear what would happen if she tried to have a real relationship with someone or if she fell in love again.

BOOM!

Hermione turned away from the book case she was looking at in her class room and slamed hard into a firm and solid chest.

"OUCH!"

"Professor Malfoy!"

It was Serverus Snape. She couldn't believe it!

"Professor Snape, what can I do for you?"

She stepped back from him quickly upon realizing she hadn't moved yet from his steady hands. It made her hit her head on the book case. Hermione could have sworn she seen him grin. It was gone as fast as it had come though.

"Yes?"

"I wish for you to take over some classes for me next week," He told her, "I'm going to be gone nearly a week. Could you handle it?"

"You're not going to be teaching?" She asked in shock.

"I have to go to London on business."

"Oh," Hermione replied quickly. "All right, I'll do it."

"Thank you," Severus replied with a bow, "Hermione."

Then he was gone leaving a stunned DADA Professor in his wake.

That was the first time he even had spoken with her in three years.