I like my tea in a mug
July
Hermione held a mug out to Lucius. He stared at it like it had personally offended his ancestors.
"What is this?" He moved his head back a fraction as though Hermione was about to throw the contents over him.
"Tea." Hermione pushed the mug close to him. "Do you want the drink or not, Mr Malfoy?"
"One does not drink tea from a… mug," he said sharply.
"It's that or nothing, your highness." Hermione put the mug down on her desk and moved to her seat. "So… what can I do for you?"
Lucius leant forward to look at the tea for a moment. His nose wrinkled ever so slightly before he sank back in the seat. "I need my library cataloguing. To prove to the Ministry that everything in there is above board."
Hermione gave him a withering look. "Why are you in my office? Do I look like a librarian to you?"
"It was Draco's idea. Someone the Ministry and I can trust," Lucius stated simply. "I'll make sure you're compensated for your time."
"It's not the money that's the issue."
"I've already spoken to the Minister – in fact, he suggested you."
"It's not that either."
"I can assure you that better tea will be served at my home."
"You've not even tried the tea I've made you," she said indignantly, folding her arms.
Lucius slowly crossed his legs and clasped his hands together on his lap. "I have a house-elf that you can dote on."
Hermione sighed. "Find someone else."
He didn't leave. Instead, Lucius held her gaze firmly.
Hermione rolled her eyes. She stood with her own mug of tea and grabbed her pile of folders. "Do close the door on your way out."
August
"Another week and you're in my office," Hermione stated wearily as she stood in the doorway. "People will start to think you actually like me."
Lucius remained silent until she took a seat, noting how she always left the door open when he was here. He couldn't blame her. He'd never given her reason to trust him in the past.
"What's the offer this time?" she asked in bemusement. She picked up a quill and began working through her papers.
"I have had the fireplace in the library connected to the Floo network so you do not have to walk through the Manor to reach it," he stated.
Lucius spotted the momentary pause of her quill, the ink causing a smudge in her signature. She continued without saying anything.
"Draco apologised… you and your wife never have," Hermione said quietly. She didn't look at him or stop signing her forms. "Don't bother."
Lucius had his mouth open ready to say the words she apparently wanted. He swiftly closed it. "Will Fridays suit you?"
"I like my tea in a mug," she said pointedly, effectively dismissing him.
September
Hermione held the book with a gloved hand and shook it at Lucius. "How can you have a first print run of Pride & Prejudice and have never read it?"
She was on her fourth week of visiting Malfoy Manor's library and had barely finished the bookcase. It certainly gave Hogwarts' library a run for its money. And like the other weeks, Lucius seemed to linger in the room; either to check she wasn't stealing a book or to explain away any… questionable books.
"It's Muggle fiction," Lucius said like it was obvious why he wouldn't read it.
"Why is it on your shelf?" Hermione had to quickly put the book back on the small pile she was dealing with before it was thrown at Lucius' face.
"It's an investment. Why else would I have it?"
Hermione smiled sweetly at him. He took a step back. "Of course. An investment. How could I have been so stupid?"
Lucius pinched the bridge of his nose, dropping his head slightly as he did. "What's this going to cost me?"
Hermione picked up her bag and cloak. "I'll return once you've read the book."
"Of course," he muttered with a grimace.
October
"No. There is nothing romantic about Jane Eyre. Edward Rochester locked his wife in the attic and attempted to commit bigamy," Lucius argued, holding the book in question in his hand.
"At least I can be safe in the knowledge that if I lose my senses, I won't find myself relegated to our attic," Narcissa said with a tinkling laugh as she left the room.
"I never said I found it romantic," Hermione said in exasperation, scanning her wand over the next book. "I said it was considered one of the most popular romantic classics. If you wanted another romance, then you should read the rest of Austen's works."
Lucius handed the book over to Hermione, taking the gloves off as soon as it was out of his grasp. Since she'd found out he'd never read a Muggle classic, she seemed to be taking great pleasure in holding Lucius to ransom over reading these irritatingly well-written novels. Not that he would admit it aloud to himself that he enjoyed them, let alone say a word to Hermione Granger.
And Narcissa had somehow gotten involved, making sure he read the bloody things like a schoolboy being forced to do his homework.
Hermione held another book out to him. "Try Wodehouse. You might relate to Wooster."
He didn't like that devious look in her eyes.
November
"One does not drink tea out of a teacup," Hermione said in a familiar tone.
Lucius rolled his eyes, refusing to remove the cup and sauce away until she took it. "Don't be a beast about the situation, Miss Granger."
Hermione gave him a smug look as she took the teacup from him and sank back on the small couch by the fireplace. Lucius frowned at her as he sat by her side.
"I'm agreeing to the teacup, I'm not sitting up like I'm Eliza Doolittle. My back is killing me today." She slapped his hand away when he tried to reach for her elbow to pull her up. "I am not your pet."
"I hope you choke on your tea," Lucius muttered, lifting his own cup to his lips.
"I hope you go bald!"
Lucius turned his head sharply to Hermione. "You take that back."
Hermione was already apologising as she sat up. "You're right. I took it too far."
He was gingerly patting at the back of his head, moving slowly down to the black tie that kept it in place.
"It's all there, I promise." Hermione pulled at his sleeve to make him stop checking.
Reluctantly, Lucius brought his hand down. He glanced at Hermione a couple of times. "Back ache?"
"What about it?" she asked defensively, leaning over to put a spoonful of sugar in her tea.
"There's a bathroom next door that Narcissa keeps fully stocked," he said quietly, not quite meeting her eyes.
"Fully stocked?"
"That's right." Lucius promptly stood up with his tea and left the room.
December
Hermione looked around the library. It was her last week until the New Year and she was only halfway through the Malfoy's books. There'd been a few she'd made him hand over to the Ministry, even when he argued that they were never touched and that they were 'an investment.' She was surprised how much she enjoyed doing it. How much she enjoyed arguing with Lucius. It was even better when Narcissa was in the room. The man was a master manipulator, but put more than one woman against him and he lost his senses. And his words.
"Miss Granger?" Narcissa called from the door as Hermione picked up her cloak. She smiled at the woman of the Manor, dressed elegantly for the party they were holding that evening. "Lucius asked me to give you this."
Narcissa walked over to her, holding out a small gift wrapped in silver. "It's from all of us really, but Lucius is mainly behind it."
"You didn't have to do that." Hermione could feel a lump in her chest at the gift. "I haven't gotten you anything."
Narcissa waved her off, already stepping to the door. She paused for a moment, a conflicted look on features before she went ahead with what she was thinking. "Lucius… he's had his moments, but he's a gentle person really… I wouldn't have married him if he wasn't."
"Okay." Hermione wasn't sure what else to say to that.
"He really values your friendship. It's not something he's had before – a person he can talk openly with that isn't family."
"I— He thinks we're friends?"
Narcissa laughed. "If you weren't, do you really think you'd get away with threatening to cut up his ties?"
June (the 8th, to be precise)
Six months later and Hermione was finally finished with the delightful (and arduous) task of cataloguing the Malfoy's library. The Ministry were not fully aware of all unsavoury books, which had now been handed over (reluctantly), and the Malfoys now knew exactly what was there. Hermione had even created a coded system for them to find books.
And over that time, Narcissa's words before Christmas had stuck with her.
In some ways, Lucius Malfoy had changed for the better. He managed to keep a sneer off his face when Hermione spoke about her parents and didn't hate the idea of Draco marrying someone that wasn't a Pure-blood. In some ways, he was still the same in that he liked to scheme if he felt crossed by anyone.
So Hermione tried to push Lucius' buttons. For research purposes, of course.
It started with threatening to cut his hair after he said he hoped she got fat when she had her first baby. Lucius actually laughed and said it was sweet how Hermione thought she'd be able to get near enough to follow through on the threat. When she asked Harry to say it (research, of course), Lucius had jinxed Harry so fast that no one had time to blink and Harry was no sporting vibrant green hair.
It didn't go away for a month.
Hermione said she would marry Draco to spite him after he said he hoped she never retained a piece of knowledge ever again. He muttered 'interesting' and left the library.
When Ron (begrudgingly) told Lucius that he wanted to ask Draco to marry him, Ron couldn't walk without skipping for two days. Draco then wouldn't talk to Lucius for dictating his love life and Ron wouldn't talk to Hermione for abusing their friendship like that before vomiting.
And before Hermione knew it, they were sending each other notes – comments, if you will – about the books they were reading, before having a full-scale book club meeting on the Fridays she was at the library.
It almost seemed fitting that Hermione spotted on her calendar that it would be Best Friends Day on her last day there to go through the final ten books. Lucius was waiting for her, almost pacing with anticipation, and acting like one of them was dying.
"I have a gift for you, to remember the time I've spent here," Hermione announced, shrugging off her cloak and pulling out said gift from her bag.
Lucius frowned at the small box and took it from her. Hermione could feel a giggle building in her chest. He lifted the lid and sighed heavily when he saw what it was. Pulling out the mug, letting the box drop to the floor, Lucius' withering look quickly turned to one of amusement.
Across the mug read the words: Hermione's Best Friend's Mug.
"Now you have to drink your tea out of a mug or you'll offend your best friend."
Summer Seasonal
- Days of the Year & Religious Events - 30th July - Write abut a new friendship
- International Body Piercing Day - 42. (word) Pleasure
- International Beer Day - 3. (trait) Stubborn
Yearly
- 365 - 331. (setting) Malfoy Manor
- Fantastic Beasts - 18. Bahamut - (character) Hermione Granger
W/C: 1,944
