Discalimer: That's it, I give in......I'm Ms. Rowling herself.......NOT.

A/N: Jay - Don't worry about your review......it's better than no review. MiSSxMELON - Thanks for your reviews. Bless you for nearly crying....big hugs to you and read this chapter.....I got Draco in there. Harry and Ron are staying out of this, as far as their POV goes.I want it to be about Hermione and Lucius' POV's. But feel free to give me any more advice, I appreciate it. Christina - See, still updating. :-). midniteblusoccer - Happy to see you like it and find it beautiful and not weird. Isis3110 - It really is a wrong pairing but I'm glad you feel it works. Thanks for the review.My god, I can't believe this story has gotten this far with no flames.....not that I'm complaining. Glad everyone is liking it and I hope this chapter is enjoyed by you all.

Chapter Four

Hermione woke up feeling refreshed. The warm sunlight filtering through the window had woken her up. She looked around the room and the memories of the previous night came flooding back. For a split second, as she had woken up, she had forgotten everything that had happened.

Hermione sat up in the bed and took a good look around as the familiar feeling of panic began to engulf her again.

Her eyes settled on the curtains. Who had opened those? She shook her head. How could she be thinking about such a minor thing at a time like this?

She got out of the bed and began pacing wildly around the room. She shook her hands in a desperate attempt to stop the panic but it was useless. What she needed was something to occupy her. She remembered the books. But when she looked up to the top of the wardrobe, she found they had gone. What was going on with this room? Curtains open, books gone. She scoured the room for them but they were definitely gone.

Hermione stopped what she was doing and took ten deep breaths. She hadn't been awake for more than ten minutes and already she was starting to hyperventilate.

"What did you stop for?" A slow, drawling voice asked. A scream escaped her mouth as she spun round to face the voice. She found the painting of Lucius smiling at her. "Please, carry on. I've not seen anyone panic like that in a while." Hermione scowled at it. "Nice legs, for a mudblood." She looked down at her pyjamas that she had on. She dashed to the wardrobe and grabbed the first sensible items of clothing she could find.

"SPOIL SPORT!" He shouted after her as she slammed the bathroom door after her.

Lucius was sat at his desk, reading the paper, or at least trying to read it. He had read the same sentence six times. His concentration was failing him terribly this morning.

"The mudblood is awake and has already worked herself into a mess." He heard his portrait inform him from behind.

"Has she been up long?" He asked as he slowly closed the newspaper.

"About fifteen minutes." He told him in a sigh, almost as though he was bored with this game.

"Has she said anything?"

"Nope, unless growling has become a word." Lucius' head lifted up and he turned around in his chair to see his portrait.

"What've you been saying now?"

A smirk played across the portrait's lips. Lucius shook his head at its cockiness.

"I simply told her she had nice legs. Is that so wrong?" He was trying to look innocent but the smile was giving him away.

"You can't possibly be my portrait. I have never been as lewd as you." Lucius sighed. He was going to have to get that artist back. Enough was enough now.

"Come now, you know how it goes. You think it and I speak it." Lucius shook his head again. "You forget, Lucius, an imprint has been left of you in me. So like it or not, what I say, you say. You just don't say anything because you're terrified of the consequences." The portrait puffed his chest out at his little speech.

"What consequences would those be?" Lucius raised his eyebrow, intrigued by what it had to say.

"The consequences of you being rejected and hurt again." Lucius' face froze at how true the painting's words were. "See, imprint right there."

"Yes, well behave around her. I need her to be calm or we will never get to Potter." He had a hint of sadness in his voice at the memories the painting spoke about. "NOLLY!" Lucius suddenly shouted.

In an instant there was a crack and there in front of his desk was a tiny house elf.

"Yes, master." It squeaked. Lucius whirled back round to face his desk.

"Send the girl some food." He ordered without looking at it.

"Yes, master." The elf bowed so low that its nose was scraping the floor as it left.

The day was long and boring for Hermione. Her nerves seemed to settle after she had picked at the food that had been sent to her, but it didn't stop her boredom.

She had paced a little, sat in various places in various positions, picked at the lunch sent to her, and had a heated argument with the painting about him staying. Hermione won the argument when she closed the drapes around the bed, so that he could no longer see out into the room. He had shouted out to her for while but he gave up after twenty minutes.

Eventually, while sat at the desk doodling, she did the only thing that was left to do. She fell asleep with her head rested on one arm.

Lucius on the other hand had had a busy day, yet he wanted it to be over so that he could get home.

His whole day had been spent going between Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and the Ministry. He had come close to being thrown into Azkaban when he had been caught at the Ministry. He had pleaded a convincing case of being under the imperious curse and was put on probation until further notice.

In the meantime, he would have to grovel to as many people as possible to make them believe he was innocent of the whole thing. The Dark Lord was most displeased with him but Lucius didn't care just as long as he stayed out of Azkaban.

He was thankful when his last meeting was over. She had been playing on his mind all day, at the most inconvenient of times. There were 'missing' posters of her everywhere he went. The posters were always smiling and waving at everyone. He found that he would slowly start to stare at one while he was in the middle of a conversation.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief when he got through the front door of his home. He flung his cloak on the floor and went straight to her room. He knew he shouldn't and that it would be torture, but he couldn't help himself. He had no idea what he was going to use as an excuse for going to her.

He smiled a little when he entered the room and found her sleeping at the desk. Her wild hair was spread around her, half covering her face. The door silently closed behind him as he walked over to her.

"Miss Granger," He shook her roughly, causing her to sit up abruptly. She looked around a little dazed. "It's only five o'clock. What are you doing asleep?" He asked her slowly. She looked him straight in the eye. She recoiled instantly at the coldness in his eyes while he felt the familiar skip of a heartbeat in his chest.

"Maybe if I had something to do then I wouldn't be sleeping." She had meant it to be said in defiance; however, her voice let her down and shook the whole time. She pulled her gaze away from his eyes as they suddenly seemed to be searching hers for something.

"Why are you scared of me? You've never been scared of me before." He questioned. He was confused. She hadn't even been this scared the previous night.

"That's something you'll never know." She told him sadly. 'Or myself for that matter.' She thought to herself as she got up to move away from him.

Hermione jumped a little when he suddenly grabbed the top of her arm. She stared at him in horror, wondering what he was going to do to her.

"Come with me." He commanded. She didn't have much choice in the matter as Lucius was already guiding her firmly out of the room.

She looked left then right while leaving the room. It was the same never ending corridor with many doors that she had seen the day before.

Lucius pulled her to go right and they proceeded to walk past the many doors.

"Does this corridor ever end?" Hermione asked. She couldn't help it, her learning and inquisitive nature had got the better of her.

"It's enchanted to look like this when it feels your presence." He explained to her in his usual slow drawl. She looked up at him in confusion. "It's so you cannot tell where you are." He explained further without looking at her. There was no way he was going to look at her, for he knew that if he did, he would kiss her. The urge was killing him to do it, but it wasn't going to happen. Him kissing her was unthinkable and the night before was a one off.

Lucius suddenly stopped at a door and pushed it open, causing Hermione to bump into him a little from the abrupt halt. She glanced into the room to find it was small with one tiny window. There was a desk in one corner and four large, ceiling-to-floor bookshelves at the far end of the room. Each shelf was packed with thick volumes that Hermione was itching to run over and look at.

He pulled her into the room, only letting go of her arm when the door had swung shut. They stood in silence for a few moments before Hermione spoke up.

"What is this room?" She queried nervously.

"It's Draco's study. You may choose one book to take back with you. This should keep you occupied till the Dark Lord wants you." He directed to her in one tone. She surveyed him with surprise. He turned to leave but Hermione quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. He froze on the spot, peering down at his hand that was being gently held in hers. Realising what she had done, she just as quickly let go.

"Why are you being so nice?" She mumbled just loud enough for him to hear.

"You have ten minutes to choose a book, Miss Granger." On the last note, he sped out of the room.

Twenty minutes later they were back in her room. Lucius was about to go when she stopped him for the second time that day.

"Please stay." Hermione begged. His eyebrows rose at the suggestion.

"Why would you want me to stay, Miss Granger?" He asked, clearly bemused. He slowly pivoted back round to face her. She hesitated a little before answering him.

"I'm lonely." She shuffled a little as she informed him.

"I feel touched that you would ask me to keep you company." He had tried to make it sound sarcastic, but there was more sincerity in his comment than he hoped there would be.

"It doesn't matter." She slumped down in one of the chairs by the windows. Lucius watched her for a while, fiddling with the book on her lap, before deciding, for some unknown reason, that he would stay. It was only to be for a few minutes though, he promised himself.

"Are you really that desperate for company that you would ask me to stay? You have only been here a day, Miss Granger." He asked as he sat in the remaining empty chair at the window. Hermione glanced across at him, shocked that he had stayed.

"Yes." She admitted honestly. "I'm always surrounded by people these days and it's hateful when I'm on my own for more than ten minutes." She bowed her head back down, pretending to be interested in the cover of the book. She had no idea why she had told him that. Lucius sneaked a look at her and felt that annoying pull at his heart.

They sat in silence for a while before a thought occurred to Hermione.

"Does Draco know I'm here?"

"No." He snapped without any expression on his face. "And I never intend for him to know."

"Why not?" She pushed, her confidence picking up.

"I don't know if you have noticed, Miss Granger, but my son has this annoying habit of bragging. Gets it off his mother's side. So if Draco knew then there is no doubt that you would have been found by now. He just wouldn't be able to resist getting one over on Potter."

Hermione silently agreed with his explanation.

"Does anyone know I'm missing?"

"Do you really think that an irritating, know-it-all, like yourself, would be able to disappear without a word to anyone and no one notice?" She was staring at him intently now, refusing to break her gaze on him. Lucius, however, just continued to stare straight ahead. "There are 'missing' posters of yourself all over the place, if you must know, and they're every bit as annoying as you."

Hermione felt a relief wash over her heart. People cared enough about her to be searching for her and in such a short period of time as well. She had always worried that she hadn't made an impact on anyone in school and if she did just disappear, then everyone would just see it as a blessing in disguise. Even Harry and Ron. She loved them with all her heart and only nagged at them for their own good. She made a promise to herself there and then, that if she got out of this alive, then she would relax a little and just enjoy life with them.

"Will I leave here alive?" Her voice trembled as she asked the question. Lucius peered across at her only to find that she had tears at her eyes, threatening to spill over.

"I cannot answer that question." He snapped his head back to the front and got up. He stalked across the room towards the door. Before he had reached it, Hermione had jumped in front of him. She grabbed his arm to stop him side stepping her. He halted at her touch, slowly placing his large hand over her dainty one. Hermione flinched at his touch yet didn't move.

"I don't know why I'm not in some dungeon being tortured, but," She turned her hand around so that she was now holding his hand instead of his arm. She looked up to find him staring at her intently, "Thank you."

Hermione let go of his hand and moved around him, towards the chair. She didn't have time to register what was happening as Lucius spun her round and was kissing her with everything he had.