A/N: I don't own Harry Potter

This is for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Word count: 2387

Warning: mentions stalking and murder

Hermione looked up from the page and sighed. This was going nowhere fast. She was supposed to be working on her latest book. Unfortunately she just couldn't get this scene to work. She knew she had to murder the minister, but how?

Nothing she'd used previously worked in this situation. She pushed the sheet of parchment aside and looked over to her computer. There was an icon indicating she had a message on the bottom of the screen.

"Maybe taking a break will give me some ideas?" she muttered, spinning her chair and clicking the icon. It popped up a message from a dating site she had been looking at. This one claimed to pair together people based on their internet search history.

Hermione had hoped it would help her find another writer like herself. She hated dating people who just wanted her autograph, or wanted to ask a million and one questions about her books. Another writer would understand not talking about it, would understand how sometimes ideas needed to be kept secret because just explaining the whole thing to someone, made you no longer want to write the thing.

"Dear Kia," Hermione read, she laughed. Kia stood for know it all, something she'd been called since she was a child.

"I was matched with you based on our search histories being similar. I would love to hear from you, since we apparently have so much in common. If you'd like to continue this conversation, you know how to do so," the note was signed Master Snake. Hermione laughed slightly at the user name. At the same time, she couldn't help but be a bit curious.

"Dear Snake, I did receive your letter. I'll admit to being curious about you. I know you've also looked up several murder sites, so I'd love to hear your take on some things. Would you be interested in meeting up for coffee?" Hermione typed. She leaned back, her chair creaking slightly.

She didn't know if Snake would really want to meet up. She could see a list of some of the sites he'd visited, and some of them were the ones she used frequently in her work. She had a feeling if he really was a writer like herself, she might even be willing to discuss her latest book and the issues going with it.

The computer let out a chirp alerting Hermione of a new message. She glanced at it. Master Snake did want to meet. He was even suggesting a coffee shop she had been known to frequent. A small part of her wondered if they'd ever crossed paths before, but she quickly dismissed it. She sent a message back, agreeing to meeting him there in about two hours. That would give her more than enough time to figure out what to wear and scope out the place before he arrived.

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Hermione slid into the seat, feeling the red pleather against her skin. She had a good line of sight here. There was only one door. She wrote enough stories about murder to practice a bit of self preservation. She laughed softly at herself. She wasn't meeting a hit man or some sketchy character from one of her books. No, she was meeting some random man she'd met online, who also happened to frequent the mystery and murder sites she did.

"Get a grip, Granger," she muttered, watching the door. She knew it was him the moment he entered. He was wearing a three piece suit in the deepest emerald. He had long white blond hair pulled back in a ponytail that hung down his back. The other very noticeable thing was the cane he walked with. It was black with a silver snake head for a handle. Hermione couldn't help but appreciate the aesthetic. He looked around before seeing Hermione. His face broke in a smile and he walked over to the table where she was sitting.

"Kia?" he asked.

"Yes, you must be Master Snake?"

"What gave it away?" he asked. Hermione nodded to his cane.

"Bit obvious," she commented.

"Ahh, yes, mind if I sit?"

"It'd be quite awkward if you didn't," she answered. He laughed sliding to the seat across from Hermione. She couldn't help but notice how he moved with grace, even with the cane.

"You maybe call me Lucius, if you'd like," he said after a moment.

"Lucius then, it's nice to meet someone interested in the same things as myself. As much as I normally loathe talking about my work, I find myself a bit stuck. Maybe you might be able to help?" she asked. Lucius tilted his head, seeming to think about it for a moment.

"What's the problem?" he finally asked.

"I need to figure out a way to murder the minister, but in such a way, no one would realize it was a murder,"Hermione explained. Lucius regarded her for a moment before nodding seriously.

"I would do an air bubble injected into his veins, nearly impossible to trace," he stated after a moment. Hermione blinked a few times at just how perfect the murder would be, just how it would fit perfectly with the rest of the plot, the parts she hadn't told Lucius.

"That's brilliant," she whispered. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Is Kia your real name or is there something else you'd prefer I called you?"

"Hermione, Kia stands for know it all, guess sometimes nicknames fall a bit short, don't they?" she asked.

"I think you know a fair bit," Lucius commented, studying Hermione. She felt herself flush under his attention. This wasn't the first time a man had paid her attention, but it was the first time she'd not been expecting it. It didn't help that Lucius' blue eyes were incredibly piercing and he, himself, was extremely handsome.

"What about you, care to enlighten me about what you've been working on? I mean, if you don't want to talk about your work, I will happily understand and accept that. That's part of the reason I joined that site in the first place, trying to find someone who understands sometimes the world isn't all about work..." Hermione let her voice trail off. Lucius smiled at her.

"Yes, sometimes discussing things other than work can help the process so much more than forcing the subject. This is one of the those times, Hermione. Maybe we could put work aside for now?"

"Of course, Lucius. Do you come to this shop often? I was surprised you suggested it."

"I've been here a few times, usually fairly late at night. It's one of the few open until three, when I do most of my work," he answered.

"I do most of mine in the morning, starting the day off with caffeine sometimes help jolt things," Hermione replied, wondering if she'd read anything Lucius had written. She wasn't about to scare him off by asking outright. Hermione had just opened her mouth to say something when Lucius' phone chirped loudly. He pulled it out and sighed.

"Hermione, I'm sorry, but I've got to go. This is important, you understand?"

"I do, we could pick this back up some time, maybe over dinner?" she suggested, liking the idea of seeing more of this man, and not just because of his looks. She had a feeling he was a treasure trove of information, that they were more than just compatible. There was a strange sense of completeness Hermione felt sitting across from him.

"That sounds wonderful, Hermione. I'll message you?"

"Great," Hermione stated, watching as Lucius walked from the shop. She sighed. He'd given her the best way to murder the minister, now she actually had to write it and get on with the darn book.

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"Hermione, if you were to hide a murder weapon, say a knife, where would you hide it so the police don't find it?" Lucius asked. They were sitting an outdoor table at this little Italian place Lucius had suggested.

"Simple, I'd make sure it was completely clean and then drop it somewhere there's known gang activity. I mean, if you were in a gang and a knife mysteriously showed up, something that couldn't be traced, wouldn't you be tempted to take it?" she asked.

"Ahh, but then what's to stop someone from using it for another murder?" Lucius asked, thinking.

"That's the point, Lucius. If they do murder someone with it, the original murder could be tied to the knife, and back to the gang member casting enough doubt on the original murderer that a jury wouldn't know who to believe," Hermione continued. Lucius smiled.

"You are beyond brilliant, Hermione. Forgive me if I'm being too blunt, but I could see a future with you, I would very much like to take this relationship beyond just a coffee here, a dinner there. I would like to officially court you," Lucius stated. Hermione nodded.

"I accept, I can see us working very well together," she added, giving Lucius a knowing look. She still hadn't been able to find anything he'd written, but then again, maybe he wasn't published yet.

He was still an amazing man, one who was slowly setting her heart on fire, as well as her works. She'd finished her last book with his help and had started on another one with only a month between the two, she'd never had that short of a period between books before. Lucius was obviously her muse, and one she wasn't about to let go of.

Dinner ended with Lucius walking Hermione to her car. They had both driven themselves and met at the restaurant. Hermione couldn't help but smile as he gave her a quick kiss before walking to his own vehicle. Dinner had been amazing, Lucius was amazing.

It wasn't until she'd started driving that Hermione got the feeling she was being followed. She adjusted the car's rear view mirror. Yes, that was the same black car as she'd seen earlier. Frowning she turned down a side road, managing to get a view of the driver.

Her heart froze when she recognized her ex boyfriend. Ron had always been possessive, almost the level of stalking. Hermione had thought she'd left him behind when she'd moved here. She waited until she was certain he wasn't going turn back around and drove home as quickly as the speed limit would allow. She unlocked her door, closed it behind her quickly, locked it and sank into her chair. Still trembling, she called Lucius.

"Hermione? Did you need something?"

"No, yes, I-"

"Are you alright?"

Hermione could hear the concern in his voice. She felt flattered that he cared so much about her.

"My ex... he's here, in the city. I think he's stalking me," Hermione whispered.

"Where are you? Are you safe?"

"I'm in my flat. I think I'm safe, but I would feel better if I wasn't alone. Could you come over?"

"Yes, send me the address," Lucius stated. Hermione nodded, texting it to him including a link with directions.

He arrived within a few minutes. Hermione nearly fell into his arms, still shaking slightly.

"It's going to be alright, Hermione. You're safe with me, I promise nothing's going to happen to you," he stated, holding her tightly.

"Thank you, I'm sorry, I'm sure you were busy but..."

"No, it's good that you called me, that you trust me. Why don't we sit down, do you have any coffee, or maybe something stronger?" Lucius suggested. Hermione nodded, making them both fairly strong drinks. Hermione managed to calm down enough to fall asleep watching the romantic comedy they'd found on the telly. Lucius smiled, watching her sleep. He could tell from her snores she would be out awhile. He slipped from the flat.

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Hermione blinked her eyes open to the sound of her flat door opening. She reached under the couch cushion, curling her fingers around the knife she kept there. She had it out when Lucius stepped through the door, holding two cups of coffee and a paper bag from a nearby diner.

"Hermione, it's just me, Lucius."

She relaxed slightly, remembering how she'd invited Lucius over last night, how she must have fallen asleep.

"Lucius, sorry!"

"Don't be, Hermione. Being able to protect yourself is important, there are always people out there with dark thoughts."

"You got breakfast?" she asked, looking at the bag.

"Two croissant sandwiches and coffee, if you're hungry?" he offered, placing them on the kitchen table. Hermione nodded, sliding into her usual seat, Lucius across from her. She couldn't help but notice that his cane was slightly askew, as if it had been screwed together in a hurry and not done correctly.

"Thank you," she said, taking a bite, noticing a small red smear the cuff of Lucius' left sleeve, almost like a drop of blood. She raised an eyebrow at it.

"Oh," Lucius said, looking down at it. "I must have scratched myself without realizing."

"I do that all the time," Hermione laughed. "Mind if I watch the news, I want to see if those two celebrities hooked up or not."

"Don't stop on my account," Lucius said. "Is it alright if I use your loo to clean up?"

"Go ahead," Hermione said, clicking on the news. The breaking story that morning was a murder that had happened overnight. Apparently someone had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, gotten caught in gang cross fire.

Hermione nearly screamed when Ron's face crossed the screen. He was dead! He'd been killed last night! The blood on Lucius' cuff, the askew cane... cane's could contain swords, she remembered. She'd researched that for a previous book.

Lucius had killed Ron for her. She smiled widely. No one had ever done anything that important for her before, made sure she was completely safe. No one would ever love her like that! She debated telling Lucius she knew, but she knew if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her. For now, she had a man who loved her, who would kill for her, and she was finally safe. Lucius had promised her that. She believed that promise with all her heart. Nothing was going to break her and Lucius apart, she would make sure to protect his secret, no matter what.