Title: Of Slytherins and Plotting (1/1)
Author: granger2malfoy
Pairing: Lucius/Hermione
Rating: T
Warning(s): Amazingly clean for this ship and mention of slash.
Disclaimer: Not mine, I only own my plot bunnies, which are for sale to a good home.
Word Count: 2,777
A/N: This is my response to LH ficathon which required: Hermione and Lucius working together. Thanks to my beta, Danielle!
"So, how do I look?" asked a twenty-one year old Hermione Granger in the entrance of the Potion Lab.
Her mentor raised his head slightly before lowering it down to continue making red slashes on the poor third years' essays on the Dreamless Draught potion. She was in her second year of being Severus Snape's apprentice after going to the best university for two years. Harry had ended the war after their seventh year and the wizarding world was well on its way to recovery. The Potions Master may still run a tight ship but it was slightly less malicious, only slightly. He also no longer had any problems taking points from his own house. There might not have been many, but there were some.
Over the course of the first year, they became reluctant friends after she showed that she was not going to take any unnecessary crap from him. From that point on, there was a mutual show of respect and friendship between the two strong characters. He said, "Why on Earth are you wearing Gryffindor red for your date?"
Hermione placed her hands on her hips as she approached his desk and stated, "This is not Gryffindor red. It is a ruby red, velvet dress. What is wrong with it?"
Snape lowered his quill and grabbed his wand as he moved around the end of his desk quickly. "Nothing if you want nothing more than to piss him off. May I?"
With a defeated sigh, she raised her arms out and closed her eyes as she replied, "Fine."
After a few flicks, Severus lowered his wand and cocked his head to the side before stating, "Much better."
Hermione opened one eye and then the other as she glanced down. Her neckline was much lower and showed the top of her bosom and there was a slit on the right that went to the top of her thigh. The dress had been changed from a red, velvet Muggle dress to black, silk dress robes. "Was all of this really necessary?"
"It is his tastes and you look … nice in it," he admitted as he retook his seat and began marking the essays again.
"Now, are you going to tell me the name of the guy you blackmailed me on this blind date with?" she asked as she straightened her silver necklace around her neck.
He smirked at the parchments and commented, "No. Neither of you know. So take some comfort in that."
Hermione picked up her purse from the last desk as she mentioned, "I'd love to know how you got him to agree to this."
Severus Snape glanced to her as she double-checked her hair, which was up in a French-twist. If he could admit it to himself, she looked like a goddess. He went back to his papers. "Let's just say he owes me big. The both of you do an excellent job of being a thorn in my side. So, it only seems natural that the two of you will get along splendidly."
"There has to be more than that for you to play matchmaker." She took a glace at the clock in the storage room and saw that she still had forty minutes until she had to be at the restaurant Snape had made reservations at. Not knowing what else to do with herself, she grabbed a couple of the students' papers and began to mark them.
"Well, you are the type of woman he likes. You're intelligent, which compares greatly to his last. You carry yourself well with authority and dignity. He also likes a woman who is willing to put up a fight for something she truly believes in." The Potions Master continued his grading not looking to his apprentice as she began working. The he added, "Plus, he is a breast man."
A smile formed on her lips as she playfully stated, "Oh you noticed that I fit that last criteria did you?"
"I may not swing that way, my dear. But I can recognize a good bosom when I see it," he remarked.
"I guess that is true. That's what Harry has said on a few occasions," she commented as she sneaked a glance at him. Her suspicions had told her that he reluctantly felt something towards her best friend. A tense of his features at the mention of Harry's name added another mark on that suspicion. She decided to change the topic before he got mad at her again. "So, you said how I am his type. But how is this mysterious man my type?"
He seemed to realize that he was not able to concentrate on her abnormal chattering, which usually occurred when she was nervous. So he poured two glasses of red wine from his nearby cabinet and then handed one to her. "Well, he is a Slytherin in the purest form. Since you have dated several of those this past year, I have a figured that you have a craving for a bad-boy. He is also quite able to hold an intellectual conversation against your cleverness. If you truly appreciate my razor-sharp wit, then you shall enjoy his even more. Now drink this down and get going."
Hermione followed his instructions as she thought on the information that he had just given her. After the glass was empty, she placed in on his desk and asked, "Are you sure this Slytherin knows of my heritage?"
Snape replenished his glass and replied, "Yes, I can assure you he knows of your family roots but he no longer follows those views. He changed them before the end of the war, if you must know. That will be all, Miss Granger."
"Good evening, Professor Snape and I hope I will be thanking you the next time I see you."
As soon as she left, he took a seat at his desk and spoke, "I hope so too for my own sake."
Fifteen minutes later, Hermione sat at a private booth at a very expensive restaurant that she had only been to once, with Blaise Zabini. She was nursing the second glass of wine for the evening as she went over the hints about her date. Yes, it was true that she had dated several Slytherins since graduating from the university: the handsome-Blaise Zabini, the rough around the edges-Marcus Flint, and the charming-Adrian Pucey. Who else was left that survived the war?
Many Slytherins had died supporting Voldemort but several had came to the side of the light somewhere along the way. The first man that came to her mind was Draco Malfoy and may Merlin help Severus save his arse if it was. The annoying prat was living up the life as a true playboy and was just as crude as one too. But he really wasn't all that smart.
As the minutes passed, she had her list of three names that were possible from what she could come up with. There was Theodore Nott, who was intelligent. Last she heard he was seeing Neville but she knew he swung either way. The next person was Terrance Higgs but Hermione did not know much about him except that he was handsome in a way. The last was Bletchley and that would simply not do since he was rumored to have switch sides just to save his arse from Azkaban.
But the clearing of the throat behind her stopped her thinking on the matter. Hermione got to her feet and turned around with a nice smile to greet the person she had not considered. With his expensive leather glove, the man that was old enough to be her father raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Then he lowered it as he stated, "It is a pleasure to see you, Miss Granger in a much less … hostile atmosphere."
Hermione nodded as Mr. Lucius Malfoy removed his cloak and handed to the maître d' as he moved behind her to push in her chair. If she hadn't been so shocked she would have been very appreciative of it, but at the moment she was close to fainting. Mr. Malfoy took his spot across the small, round table from her and stated, "Please order my usual for my companion and myself with the best red wine in the place, not this cheap stuff."
"Yes, sir," the waiter replied as he banished the close to full bottle of wine that Hermione had ordered.
"If you may excuse me, but what is he ordering for my dinner?" she asked as she ignored his challenging glare.
The older waiter looked from her to her 'date' and then back to her and said, "For starter, our garden salad with house dressing. Then salmon served with risotto and sautéed mushrooms."
Hermione took a sip of her water and stated, "Change the mushrooms to red-potatoes and that will be fine."
The man glanced over to Lucius Malfoy for an unspoken approval, which the blond gave with a nod of his head. He left the two quiet people, who seemed to be looking each other over. She now understood why Severus had not clued either of them in on who they were being set-up with.
Lucius Malfoy had turned to the side of the light when his wife's body was found beaten, raped, and dead on their bed one night after Draco decided not to take the Dark Mark. He worked along side of Severus as spy and played a major part to the end of the war. Over that last year of the war and the few years until present, they actually had begun to talk civilly to each other. Hermione had never known if he ever gotten over the whole 'pureblood' thing. But according to her earlier talk with Snape he had.
A tall bottle of expensive wine and two glasses already filled appeared at the table. Lucius scrutinized the label before he stated, "Adequate, I suppose. Well, I can tell that this was a surprise to you as well."
Hermione tasted a sip of the wine as she took a good look at the man before her. He had not changed much from the first time she remembered seeing him in Diagon Alley right before second year. His long, blonde hair was tied back to give him an old-fashion lord appearance from the 1800's. The features on his face were handsome with a strong chin and perfect cheekbones. No, she could not deny that he was very handsome and much better than if his son had been the blind date.
"Yes, Severus only gave me a few hints about whom I was to meet," she commented in between long sips of the bold wine.
"He told me nothing except to expect the unexpected. And you, my dear, are very much the unexpected." He raised his glass as if to toast her as he began to work on his first glass of red wine. Once the glass was half-empty, he asked, "So, what hints did he give you?"
After deciding not to let this strong man intimidate her, Hermione sat up straight and slyly smiled as she replied, "He mentioned before I left that the man was a Slytherin to the core, very intelligent, which was something that he also liked in his women, a sharp tongue much like the Potions Master's, and that you prefer women who carry themselves with authority and dignity."
"Would you say that you do that?" Lucius asked as he gave her the once over.
"He obviously thinks I do and I would say I am that and much more. Oh, that does remind me of another thing. He mentioned that you are breast man," Hermione commented and wore smirk upon her lips when she finished.
He leaned forward and placed his forearms on the table as he said, "Did he now? I guess he knows me very well. Stand for a moment."
"What?"
Lucius's stare turned predatory as he spoke slowly, "Please stand up for a moment to let me admire your evening attire."
Hermione pushed back her chair as she stood and stepped to the side of the table to allow him a clear view. She mustered up all the self-confidence she could and made an elegant pose and then raised her thigh to let the skirt fall to each side at the slit. He got up from his seat and walked around her to pull out her chair, but this time his free hand rested on her hip as she sat back down. He then leaned down to run a single finger down her bare neck and then whisper in her ear, "I completely approve …Hermione."
Lucius then moved to his seat and the first course appeared. As he picked up his fork, Lucius stated, "Severus might be on to something. But this whole business of a blind date needs to be dealt with so he does not attempt it again. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Yes, I do indeed, Lucius. I might have some ideas in mind to 'teach' him a lesson."
The next afternoon, there was a staff meeting and Severus was already there speaking with Dumbledore when Hermione arrived. He glanced up and was surprised to see a seemingly pleased Lucius directly behind her. After the war, he had been reinstated on as a school board governor but usually did not attend staff meetings. The Headmaster saw the couple come in and greeted them, "Oh, good to see you, Hermione, and you as well, Lucius. What do we own the occasion, Mr. Malfoy?"
He pulled out the chair next to Professor Snape for Hermione as he stated, "I was already here and decided to sit in, if that is not a problem, Albus?"
"No not all please take the empty seat on the other side of Miss Granger," Dumbledore offered as Severus looked like Slytherin just won the House Cup. The headmaster noticed it and the 'up-to-no-good' faces of the new arrivals but decided to ignore them.
About halfway into the meeting, Severus was being asked about a possible addition to the curriculum and he replied in a singing tone, "What do the simple folk do?"
He shut his mouth very quickly and the rest of staff appeared confused except Lucius and Hermione, of course. The Potions Master opened his mouth again but a different tune came out. "If ever I shall leave you, it-"
At that point several people began to chuckle. Mr. Malfoy cocked his head to the side and said, "Whatever is the matter, Severus? Are you ill?"
Snape snarled and appeared to be able to yell at the other man but it turned out being, "I tell you what the king is doing tonight."
Hermione couldn't stop her smile, as she commented, "No, I don't think he is ill. I have heard of cases like this where a person all of the sudden starts singing show tunes. But it usually from a potion administered in a drink, like water for instance, and is completely tasteless. No fear, Severus, it should wear off in oh, I'd say eight hours. At least the songs are from my favorite musical, Camelot."
"Could be worse, old man," Lucius said as he took Hermione's hand in his and then continued, "She originally wanted to do songs from something called 'My Fair Lady.' But I talked her into something that at least had to do with Merlin. I wouldn't be arranging any more blind dates if I were you. It was hard enough not to talk her out of turning you into a woman for a week as it was."
Hermione smiled brightly as Snape eyed her but smirked before he bowed and made his exit. The whole staff room broke out in laughter as soon as the door shut. Albus had to wipe his eyes as he stated, "I guess he made his exit stage left. I would watch my food for next few weeks if I were you, Hermione. But I would still think that it was worth it. Now, let's move on the next order of business and get back to Severus later."
Lucius kissed her hand as the meeting began again and Hermione felt quite pleased with herself. Not only had she finally one-upped the Potions Master but she also was starting an exciting new relationship with a handsome and intelligent Slytherin. Who, would always be up to more plotting with her by his side.
The End