"Lucius? What are you—"

"I believe there's something we need to discuss."

Not waiting for an invite, he pushed past her, walking determinedly down the short hallway as she gaped in shock.

Hermione had not seen him in more than a week. Draco had explained his reaction to their ruse, and unhappy may have been an understatement.

She closed the door and took a steadying breath before following his path. He was standing in the middle of her small living room, his expression completely blank, not giving her any indication as to what he was thinking.

"Lucius, I'm sor—" she began nervously, but he cut her off.

"Do not apologise, Ms Granger, unless you mean it."

He unfastened the clip at his throat and shrugged his robe from his shoulders, tossing it unceremoniously onto the armchair. Hermione was surprised to find him dressed in the Muggle clothes they had purchased in London — the dark denim jeans he had loved, and the royal blue cashmere jumper that made his eyes bluer than the tropical oceans.

"I do mean it. I'm sorry."

"Why did you think you needed to concoct a blatant lie to speak to me?"

"I doubted you would even give me the time of day. I couldn't fathom a situation where you would consider me something more than a passing distraction in the street."

"So you thought a false prophecy was the best option?"

"Draco—"

"I'm not asking about my son," he spat. "I'm asking about you. Why you thought it a good plan to lie to me."

Hermione swallowed. She wasn't sure just how much information Draco had revealed. Katie told her Draco and Lucius had a heated argument, but hadn't told her much more than that.

No more lies, she told herself. Come clean.

"The plan wasn't to lie to you. It was to see if you…" She paused, staring directly at him.

This was a mess. Everything had gone awry and she hated that he now thought even less of her. A Mudblood and a liar. Everything she had hoped for, she had ruined of her own accord. She had no one else to blame. Draco and Katie, and Harry and Pansy had helped, but they weren't to blame. This was all on her. She went along with the ruse when she should have stopped it. It wasn't funny — not anymore. Feelings had been hurt and those feelings weren't hers.

"My feelings for you aren't what they used to be," she finally admitted. "Since I started working with Draco, I've been watching you. You're no longer the man who hated me or my kind. In fact, you seem indifferent to the whole magical world. And Draco isn't stupid, he realised how I felt when I kept asking about you. And instead of speaking to you, he — we — came up with a stupid plan to get to you talk to me. And believe me, if I had a Time-Turner, I would go back and stop it from happening."

He didn't respond, just continued to stare at her, and it took everything she had to not squirm under his gaze.

"I should have spoken to you," she said. "I shouldn't have allowed them all to convince me that a lie was the best option. I should have… done a lot of things differently."

"Yes, Ms Granger. You should have."

"I'm sorry," she repeated, her hopes of him forgiving her slipping away. "I never meant to hurt you. It was immature and unfair and incredibly thoughtless."

"It might have been somewhat deserved," he answered. "I've not treated you kindly in the past."

"No, it was not at all deserved." She dropped her eyes and shook her head. "You treated me the way you did because you were raised to believe I was beneath you. I don't believe you think that way anymore, and I should have been more considerate."

"Is it true?" Lucius' shoulders relaxed a little. "The way you feel?"

She didn't look at him when she replied. "You know it's true."

"Ms Granger. Hermione. Will you please look at me?"

She raised her eyes to meet his and was met with a much softer expression. A smile tilted his mouth and his eyes were somehow brighter with the knowledge of what she had just admitted.

"I never took you for someone who needed a ruse to speak. You've always been forward, no matter who you encounter, and I have to admit I'm caught between wanting to know more about why you thought it necessary and devouring you right here."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "W-what?"

"I have become quite fond of you, Hermione, over these last few weeks, and my romantic interest in you has grown. You are unlike anyone I've ever known—" he moved closer "—and for you to partake in such an ill-advised ploy to win my affection is something I just cannot fathom."

"So you didn't just come here to admonish me?"

"No. I came here to admit my own feelings. But I needed to hear the words from you, and not my son, before I could truly believe yours to be real."

"My feelings were never a ruse, Lucius."

"How long?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know exactly, but I've been watching you from afar for longer than you know."

He moved closer still and curled his hand around her jaw, his eyes intense as he took her in. "You are a surprise, Hermione Granger. What could you possibly want with someone like me?"

"Like your son, you have become a different man." She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch as his thumb brushed slowly over her cheek. "And I see the difference. You've been humbled. You've suffered a loss, and because of that, you see the world through different eyes. You've been given a second chance and you're making the most of it."

Hermione opened her eyes, breathing slow in an attempt to calm her racing pulse. A flicker of indecision furrowed his brow, a momentary hesitation that stumbled her heart and had her wrapping her arms around him, pulling him closer.

"Lucius?"

He chuckled softly, bending down to nuzzle into her hair. "Just making the most of it," he murmured.

The softness of his breath on her skin raised goosebumps along her spine, and the fluttery feeling she always got when she was near him filled her chest.

"I don't wish to take liberties with you, Hermione. You must be sure of this."

"You're not taking liberties, Lucius." She lifted the hem of his jumper and slipped her hands underneath, the cotton of his shirt warm from his skin. She didn't want him to hesitate again; she was absolutely sure of what she wanted.

She tilted her head to look up at him and her heart picked up again, pounding against her ribs. The scent of his cologne was subtle, deep and masculine, earthy and comforting, and the closeness of him was making her feel a little drunk.

His eyes wandered across her face, taking in every feature. His tongue peeked out to wet his lips, and her eyes dropped down to watch. He was going to kiss her. And she was going to kiss him back.

Very slowly, he threaded his fingers through her crazy mass of curls then bent to meet her as she rose up on her toes, his lips parting with a shaky exhale. Hermione's eyes fluttered shut as his lips slid over hers, kissing her slowly, sweetly. It was nothing like the way he had kissed in the hallway, but she felt the lust swirling just below the surface.

Tugging the tail of his shirt from his jeans, she dug her fingers into the edges of his spine, and he groaned into her mouth. She pressed herself harder against the solid wall of his chest, sweeping her tongue into his mouth, her own relief almost consuming her. This was what she'd wanted, what she'd dreamed of.

His lips on hers, soft and hard, demanding and giving.

His scent permeating her senses.

His groans allowing her the pleasure of knowing this was what he wanted too.

He pulled her bottom lip between his, huffing a breath at her tiny moan, then asked, "Is your fireplace connected to the Floo network?"

Hermione nodded in response and he reached for his robe, retrieving his wand and waving it at the hearth. A fire roared to life, blocking the network, and with another wand flick, the furniture shifted back and a soft rug appeared under their feet.

"Here?" she asked in surprise. She assumed he would want to be in a bedroom, with the door closed. He had promised her a proper and dignified courting, and sex in the living room wasn't something would ever have associated with him.

"Here," he confirmed. "I want to see you right here. In the firelight."

Her chest clenched. The way he spoke — so simply, so plainly — left her breathless. He was standing before her, asking for what he wanted, the brilliant blue of his eyes telling her the lie that was the prophecy was gone and what was left was real.

"I will court you in the proper, gentlemanly way, but right now—" his fingers gripped the hem of her t-shirt, tugging it upwards "—I want only to be completely lost inside you."

She raised her arms, and he was momentarily blocked from her view as he pulled the fabric over her head. His gasp was one of shock. She'd expected to be spending the evening alone; there was no need for the confines of a bra.

"Good gods," he whispered.

"Sorry, I wasn't expecting company."

He kissed her again — a quiet, reverent kiss that contrasted greatly with the fire in his eyes.

"This is your home, Hermione. You must be comfortable in it." He dragged his fingers over the upper curve of her breast. "Even if that means dressing down."

"And you're a guest in my home, Lucius. I want you to be comfortable as well."

He helped her remove his jumper, then she went to work on unbuttoning his shirt. She bit her lip when his chest was revealed, and her hopes of him having passed his sculptured genes onto Draco had come true. A copy of the shirtless display she'd seen in her friend's home was now before her.

And this time she could touch.

He was beautiful. There was really no other word for it; his entire torso was a study in perfection. Harsh and smooth, filthy, heart-stopping, and made for sex. Her fingers traced over scars marring his smooth skin, a suggestion of what he had been through while his home had been occupied. Twisted stories that were pushed into the past and whispered only behind closed doors.

She felt the steady thump of his heart as she covered his chest with her palm, felt his shudder when she skimmed the flat of his stomach. Her core clenched when she traced the V of his hip to tease the hair on his navel, before straying lower.

"I should have helped you change in the shop." She kissed the middle of his chest, her hand coasting over the decidedly hard and deliciously thick bulge in his jeans. "I've wanted to see you like this."

"Naked, you mean?"

She giggled. "Yeah, very naked."

"And what do you suppose would have happened if you had assisted me?"

"I believe the shop assistants would have had to turn the music up to drown us out."

His shirt drifted to the floor and he pulled her against him. "Hmm, are you saying you're loud, Ms Granger?"

Tangling her fingers in his hair, she pulled him down to her. "There's only one way to find out, Mr Malfoy."

"Oh, Ms Granger, by the time I'm finished with you, the neighbours will know my name."

He bit at her mouth, nipped along her jaw, before burying his face against her throat with low groan. And for the first time in her short life, she felt the heady rush of pure, unadulterated lust. A bloom of heat spread through her, settling in her core with a throbbing ache. She was hot and wet, and only getting hotter and wetter as his tongue floated over her thumping pulse.

She heard his inhale, felt his chest expand as his lungs filled, and she became hyper-aware of all her senses.

The touch of his hands on her bare back.

The fresh, clean aroma of his skin.

The sound of his low groans against her ear.

The taste of his tongue against hers.

The sight of the lust in his eyes.

This was suddenly so much more intimate than she could have dared to imagine. There was no question regarding her want to be with him, to have him over her, inside of her. She only knew that if he didn't take her jeans off soon, she would burst into flames.

Her brain seemed to short-circuit, and before she could process what she was saying, "Lucius, please," escaped her throat.

"Please?" he murmured. "What would please you?"

"I need…"

"Tell me what you need, darling." He kissed her shoulder, his breath a huff of warmth over her skin. "I'll give you anything."

She fumbled with his belt. "This. I want this."

He chuckled and stepped back, holding her wrists in his hands. "I'll give you this," he assured her. "But I have my own request."

"Anything," she breathed.

"I have a great desire to put my mouth between your thighs and taste you, Hermione. Will you allow me to?"

She thought she would melt.

There hadn't been many men, but not one of them had asked her permission.

She nodded and wrenched her hands free. His eyes followed as she unfastened the button on her jeans, as she lowered the zipper, as she shimmied out of them and kicked them aside. He stopped her, however, when she began to remove her knickers.

"Lie down, my darling. Let me reveal you myself."

She sunk down to the soft rug and he followed, kneeling at her feet and gently prising her knees apart. He leaned over her, holding his weight on his forearms.

"I thought you were—"

His mouth covered hers, stopping her words. And, oh, the feeling of him over her, between her legs where he was pressing urgently against the damp satin still covering her sex. She understood immediately; he was wound as tightly as she was. He'd just hidden it better.

It had been years for him. He'd been on his own since the end of the war, and she knew that he hadn't been with anyone. She had to assume he'd not gone without — his hands were huge, after all — but his sudden desperation was crystal clear; he needed release. And needed it with her.

Groaning, he thrust his hips against her, the hard line of him still hidden behind denim. Denim that was causing a heavy friction between her thighs, sliding the satin into her own wetness.

And, stars above, it felt so good.

Her hands clutched at him as his thrusts became hurried and even more desperate. His kisses became frenzied; his mouth on hers, sucking on her tongue, his teeth bared against her neck, her shoulder, his lips sucking bruises into the skin at the base of her throat.

She was spinning. He wasn't even inside her yet and it was already too much. She felt like she couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but feel the exquisite pleasure that sparked with every pass of his denim-clad cock over her clit.

His breathing picked up, and his words were scattered. "You feel… under me… oh, fuck!"

He lifted his hips off her, and his hand fumbled between them. The clink of his belt, the sound of his zipper, the low groan as he took himself in hand brought her back from her haze. He braced one hand beside her shoulder and she lifted her head to watch as his other hand flew over his cock, pulling his orgasm to the edge, then spilling it onto her belly.

Hermione didn't have time to think. Lucius immediately shifted down, pulling her knickers from her body and dropping down to cover her with his mouth. He traced every part of her, tasting, sucking, his tongue teasing like he'd done this to her a million times before. He knew. Somehow he knew her.

He spread her with his fingers, the pad of his thumb sliding back and forth over her clit, while his tongue slipped inside her. Her hips rose to meet him, rocking in time with the strokes of his tongue.

"Lucius…" she started, her voice catching on a heavy gasp.

He hummed into her wet skin, circling his thumb and licking up with his tongue. She reached for him, finding his free hand, needing him to anchor her; she was fearful she would simply float away. He squeezed her hand, his mouth and thumb not hesitating in their joint task.

Her thighs began to shake, her body clenched, and her breath caught in her throat. She arched sharply from the floor, her orgasm hitting her with a sudden, violent force, trembling through her body. She slumped to the floor, her hand blindly finding his head, her fingers sliding into his hair.

He glanced up at her, a wicked smile on his face.

"Ms Granger, you weren't nearly loud enough."

Allowing her a moment to regain her senses, Lucius stood and fully removed his jeans, tossing them aside. As soon as he was completely naked, he dropped back down and ran his mouth along her thigh, his tongue and teeth teasing her from knee to hip before mirroring his ministrations on the other side. He knew she had more to give and he planned on taking all her pleasure.

Pressing his palms to her inner thighs, he decided to see how she reacted to instruction. "Spread your legs wider, darling. Let me see all of you."

Even though she didn't reply verbally, her body complied, her legs fully dropping to the side. As a reward, he gave an open-mouthed, sucking kiss to her clit, making her hips jerk off the floor and pulling a choked moan from her throat.

"Hands on the blanket beside you," he said, his arm banding across her hips to hold her down. Again, she silently followed his order, and he smirked against her skin. It had been too long since he'd had a witch in his thrall, hungry and desperate for release that only he could give her. "Now, hold still."

His tongue ghosted over the length of her slit, dipping into her entrance to taste the renewed arousal flowing from her and then sliding up to her clit, making her try to rise up, to prolong the contact.

"Don't be greedy. You'll get what you need in time, darling," Lucius cooed. "But, for now, do what I say and lie still."

With his free hand, he slipped a finger inside her cunt and then his tongue rubbed roughly at her clit.

"Lucius," she breathed, her voice filled with need. "More."

"Hmmmm," he hummed, adding a second finger and sucking her swollen bud between his lips. The vibration made her cry out louder and, once again, she tried to buck, not used to being under order to keep still. He pressed down harder, keeping her arse flush with the ground. He crooked his fingers inside of her and rubbed.

"Oh gods!" she screamed, the sensation overtaking her.

He continued licking and sucking, collecting every bit of wetness that seeped out around his fingers, already addicted to the taste of her.

When she started to tremble, he immediately stopped, leaving her on the edge of the precipice. She cried out in frustration as he blew a stream of hot breath over her needy flesh.

"Did you need something?" he asked, teasing her with the gentlest of touches and smiling when she managed to stay still. "Ms Granger, answer me."

She whined, but she didn't speak.

Pinching her clit between his thumb and forefinger, he said, "Tell me what you want."

"Lucius, I want you. I need you to…" She trailed off as he released the pressure.

When he looked up at her, he saw her fingers toying with her nipple and groaned. The peak of her breast wasn't the same pink as before. No, now it was red and hard and he couldn't resist it. He surged up, forgetting all about teasing her until she was a puddle on the floor, and sucked the reddened flesh into his mouth.

"Fuck!" she screamed, arching her pelvis into his.

He'd forgotten that he'd come on her stomach and his spend smeared between their bodies, but he didn't care. He moved from one breast to the other, ravaging both with teeth and tongue while she squirmed beneath him. Hermione's hands had moved back into his hair, holding him to her chest, and he wondered if he could make her come from nipple stimulation alone.

A thought for another day.

Reaching up, he grabbed her hands, wrapping his large hands around her delicate wrists and tugging. He shifted further up her body and met her eyes.

"I have another request," he stated, and she gifted him with her full attention. "I find myself rather… overwhelmed by your touch. And I do like to be in control during sex."

Hermione nodded, listening intently.

"I'd very much like to hold you down, but I can understand how that might be uncomfortable for you," Lucius said.

"It's fine," she replied, her eyes filled with lust. "Do what you want. Take whatever you want. I'll tell you to stop if something isn't okay."

Lucius lost control.

Immediately, he moved to kneeling between her thighs. He draped her legs — her long, shapely legs — over his shoulders and leaned forward, thanking Merlin she was flexible. Sliding inside of her, he groaned and she moaned at the stretch. Hermione extended her arms above her head, and he reached forward, lacing his fingers through hers to anchor himself.

And then he snapped his hips. Hard.

"Ahhh!" Hermione moaned, pressing up against his palms as he held her in place.

He did it again, testing her, and she looked up at him, eyes blazing.

A few more thrusts and she was trying to find leverage, trying to find a way to increase their pace, but she was completely restrained by his body alone.

Lucius looked down with each swivel and snap of his hips, watching her tits bounce and his cock disappear within her.

"More," she gasped. "Lucius, fuck, more!"

"More?" he asked, speeding up and making her moan. "How much more, darling?"

"Harder," she whined, surprising him. "I want to feel you for days."

Lucius chuckled. "I don't think you realise," he began, releasing her wrists and sitting back on his haunches, flipping her over so she was on her hands and knees before him. He leaned forward, pressing his cock inside of her and his chest against her back. "If you feel me for days, it will be because I'm fucking you for days."

And then he pulled her up so they were both kneeling, her legs bracketing his, and wrapped his arms around her tightly, one of his hands toying with her breast.

"But I'll oblige. Are you ready, Ms Granger?"

Her head dropped back against his shoulder and she flexed her thighs, tentatively moving.

"Has anyone ever had you this way? From behind like this?"

"No," she breathed, her voice trembling.

Lucius was pleased that he'd be the first. He murmured a spell and conjured a mirror beside the fireplace, desperate to see her face. Their eyes met in the glass and she arched as much as she could, fully displaying her tits for him.

"Watch," he commanded. "Watch me while I fuck you."

She nodded, signalling that she would.

"Arms back, around my neck," he told her, slowly starting to move, keeping his eyes on the mirror.

Immediately, her arms raised and tipped back, her fingers threading into his hair.

"Good," he praised, his fingers toying with her nipple as he rocked his hips.

Her stance widened, dropping her lower, allowing him to sink just a little bit deeper, and he groaned, turning to kiss her neck. When he nibbled the column of her throat, she started panting, fisting her hands in his hair.

"Do you like that?" He bit her a little harder. "My teeth against your skin? Bruising it?"

"Yes," Hermione moaned. "Gods, Lucius, look at us."

His eyes snapped back to the mirror and his free hand snaked down her abdomen to the apex of her thighs. As he watched her reactions in the mirror, his fingers rubbed gently at her clit. Her eyes fluttered shut and her movements stuttered, switching from being in sync with his hips to desperately rubbing against his fingers.

"Ahhh, that's what you like best?" he teased, making sure his breath brushed against her ear. "You like how my fingers feel?"

"All of it," she screamed, eyes still locked on the mirror. His fingers sped up and he felt her clenching around him. "Lucius!"

He moved faster, his hand and hips moving in tandem. Her body pulled tight and then started to slacken. After a hard pinch to her nipple, he released her breast and wrapped his arm around her more tightly, holding her up so he could pleasure her further. Her cunt was still rippling around him, and she was nearly sobbing in relief.

Honestly, after almost a decade of celibacy, Lucius was happy that he still had it, that he could make a woman half his age come this hard.

Sweat trickled down his back, down her neck. Her hands left his hair to grip his forearm, the one that was banded tightly around her ribs.

"Lucius," she cried again. "Fuck, I need to move."

"What do you want, Hermione?"

"Let me go," she pleaded, and he released her, his hands falling away.

Immediately, she leaned forward and he slid out of her. Her thighs were quaking, but she kept her arse in the air, even as she braced her forearms on the blanket. She was presented to him, her pussy grasping for something that wasn't there. Tilting her head up, she said, "Are you going to fuck me or what?"

He didn't need to be asked twice.

Grabbing her hips, he slammed back into her, watching his cock disappear into her body. She moved with him, arching and pressing back, meeting every thrust. Her arse was perfection, especially when it met his hips. Moving a hand, he grabbed a handful of it and she hissed. Testing her again, he gave her a slap and her cunt clenched.

"Oh, you're a surprise," he said, leaning forward and running his tongue along her spine. Grabbing a fistful of her curls, he tipped her head back and met her eyes in the mirror. "Are you enjoying this?" He thrust hard, jolting her forward. "Do you like it when I'm rough with you?"

She was spasming again, her mouth gaping. He could see her breasts swaying in time to his thrusts. Her eyes nearly rolled back, and she came again, shaking with pleasure.

Slowing, he let her recuperate, watching her face. When her eyes fluttered open, she said, "I've never… Not like that. Gods, Lucius, I—"

Her voice cracked.

"Shhh, darling," he soothed, a hand stroking up and down her back. "We'll talk after. Are you okay? Do you need to switch positions?"

Hermione nodded and he pulled out, looking to her for direction now.

"Lie on your back, Lucius," she said quietly.

He positioned himself on the blanket and she crawled towards him, looking more alluring than he had even imagined.

However, much to his shock, she didn't straddle him. Instead, she moved between his legs and licked along his shaft, one of her hands cupping his balls.

"Hermione," he groaned, a harsh sound. "Oh, fuck."

"Is this okay?" she asked, her lips gently closing around his tip.

Rather than speaking, he thrust up the tiniest amount, and she smiled around him, sinking down further. Her tongue teased him, the tip flicking along as she hollowed her cheeks and sucked. His hands threaded into her hair, holding on while she swallowed around him, taking him deeper.

"Shite," he said as he felt her throat muscles around his head. "Holy fuck."

She squeezed his sac and felt his release drawing nearer.

And then her mouth was gone and she was peering up at him, the most endearing flush on her cheeks.

"How would you like to finish?" Her hand wrapped around him, twisting and stroking.

Even though she'd taken control, she was giving him the choice, and he felt his heart swell.

She understood him.

"I want to come inside you," Lucius replied. "Whether your mouth or your cunt, I really don't care."

"Mmmm," she hummed, acting like she was thinking about it. "I think I want to taste you. Are you close?"

"So fucking close."

Her lips encased him again, her head bobbing fast with her hands still occupied, one around the base of his cock and the other fondling his balls. She was lavishing attention on him, making him feel like the most powerful man in the world, especially since he hadn't even had to ask.

His cock swelled, nerves sparking along his length, her tongue setting them alight and his spine tingled. And she must have been able to sense his climax; she started sucking and swallowing, waiting for his seed.

Trying to control himself, he fisted the blanket on either side of his hips, even though he longed to hold her head in place while he came. With another stroke of her hand and flick of her tongue, his eyes squeezed shut and his hips jerked up. She captured every drop, licking him clean.

When he'd regained his senses, he pulled her up his body, cradling her against his chest and kissing her. He thrust his tongue into her mouth and she willingly parted her lips, letting out a gentle moan.

"So good," he praised. "I need to know where you learned your tricks."

Hermione laughed in his arms. "I'll never tell."

"Oh, darling, I'm sure I can find a way to make you spill your secrets," he said, his teeth grazing her pulsepoint.

She countered by sliding her hand over his half-hard cock.

"Lucius, if I told you, I'd have to kill you," she teased.

Kissing her again, he flipped them over, settling between her thighs. "After today, I think it's likely you'll do that anyway, Ms Granger."