AN: Another chapter! Yay! I'm glad that you guys like it.
Chapter Three: Hermione Granger visits Harry Potter, Minister bends to their will!
It's no secret that Hermione Granger is friends with Harry Potter. What is surprising is that Miss Granger would use her friendship with the Chosen One as a bribe for Mr. Potter to use his influence in the Ministry to help Miss Granger out. It has come to the attention of this paper that Miss Granger is currently asking for Malfoy to be released for 24-hours for the funeral of his late wife, Mrs. Narcissa Malfoy, who died of a tropical magical fever. Our readers are in an outrage that a harden criminal will be released into the care of a girl whom we've provided evidence has a relationship with Malfoy. "I personally feel," said Lavender Brown, schoolmate to Miss Granger, "that Hermione is not capable of handling Malfoy. Sure, magically she's pretty powerful, but she has all the instincts of a first-year. Plus, she's willing to overlook so much when she's in love; I think it is safe to assume that she will help Malfoy escape once they clear the Aurors." This paper agrees; can Miss Granger be trusted to keep a deadly prisoner in check?
"I need an escort," she said to the person sitting behind the desk. "And I can't trust anyone else."
The man she was speaking with had turned his chair away from her and was looking out the window that looked over the Atrium at the ministry. When he turned around and his emerald green eyes made contact with her brown ones, she melted into her seat a little. It was hard to remain cold and impassive with Harry Potter. "Ron will do it," he said softly.
"I don't want Ronald to be the escort and I certainly don't trust him." She handed Harry the piece of paper that she had been clutching in her hand. "The Minister has agreed that it would be inhumane to keep Lucius from his wife's funeral, after Draco and I begged."
Harry took the letter and scanned it quickly. "Narcissa is to be buried at the Manor. Are you sure that you want to return to that place?"
Hermione looked guilty and suddenly took great interest in her emerald green peep toe pumps. "I will have to eventually, as I plan to move in there."
"What!" The clear shock written on his face was enough to make Hermione look back down on at her shoes. "Are you mad?"
"No, of course not," she said in defiance. "I've asked Ronald to go back to his mother's, and while he did as I requested, it is his house. And Draco asked me to move in, help him redecorate and rid the house of all the bad memories. He said…" she paused, wondering if she could reveal something so intimate about Draco. Thinking Harry would be the most likely person to understand, she continued. "He said he couldn't face doing it alone."
Harry nodded and a silence dropped between them. Harry had taken the money the Ministry had given him and put it towards renovating and rebuilding Hogwarts. He expressed a great interest in building a memorial to Dumbledore and Severus, but he had asked Hermione and Ron to be with him during the process. "Will you be there long?"
The question within that question was painfully apparent. "Harry, I don't think things will work with Ron and me. We are just too different," she whispered the last part mostly to herself. Although she had been thinking the thoughts for months, even before she took Lucius' case, it was an entire different thing to say it all out loud. "Ron doesn't seem to be ok with anything that I do. He hates Draco, he resents my job, and he seems to feel that his reputation is more important than my obligations. Ron wants a trophy wife and I will never be that."
"I wish you two would work it out," Harry said. "And who knows, the space might be good for you," he added wistfully. "I'll do the escort," he said.
"Thank you Harry," she added with a hug.
Chapter Four- Prison Insiders Confirm, Relationship still strong with Malfoy and Granger
As the Prophet first reported, Miss Granger has been linked to Draco Malfoy, and Lucius Malfoy. Evidence has suggested that her relationship with Lucius Malfoy has escalated to a point where they can barely keep their hands off each other. "It's really unprofessional, but they can't stay away from each other. The tension in that room is so thick you could cut it." Our insider also reports that tempers are running high about Malfoy leaving the prison. "It's not right, letting that man walk around with decent folks." The Prophet's readers agree and the Minister's ratings are suffering.
"Do you not find it odd, that my son begs you to take my case, yet refuses to come see me?" Lucius was sitting across from her.
Hermione, who was busy filling out paperwork, did not look up at him. "Not really," she said, "Draco barely escaped prison. I assume that he is merely scared of this place."
"I raised my son to fear no one…"
"Except you and your Lord," she added scathingly. "Please do not speak to me of Draco in a negative manner at all. I will not tolerate it."
"What are you doing?" He asked quietly.
"Filling out the forms that will make it necessary to take you to your late wife's funeral," she said with a sigh. "There is more red tape involved in this than I thought."
"But Miss Granger, you have to make sure that the big bad Death Eater doesn't manage to kill everyone." He smirked at her and for a minute she forgot that this man was accused of some of the worst crimes imaginable and she was supposed to be keeping an emotional distance from him.
She felt the heat rise up in her cheeks at the sight of the smirking man. Shaking her head, she returned to her paperwork. "There are new security measures in place at the Manor in preparation for your arrival. The entire house is being locked down so that you will not be tempted to run inside and… what did it say… oh yes; retreat to an impenetrable fortress." A small frown came upon her face as she looked at the next sentence. "You will also be handcuffed magically to me."
"What!" Lucius leaned forward and ripped the piece of paper out of her hands. After reading it and realizing that she was not lying, he threw it back with a look of disgust. "They cannot do that to you, the rumors will never end."
Hermione placed a hand over her heart and leaned back. "My, my be careful there Mr. Malfoy or I might have to think you have started caring for me as more than a means to an end." Lucius looked as though he was about to say something, but she cut him off. "It will be fine," she said. "I can handle the rumors, I've done well so far and they are about to get infinitely worse."
Lucius raised one eyebrow and leaned closer to her. "Do tell Miss Granger," he whispered to her.
Hermione looked up and smirked. "I guess you will have to wait for the papers like everyone else."
"Assuming of course that I don't know better than to believe the Prophet," Lucius countered. "So please, inform me Miss Granger, what are you going to be doing now to cause scandalous rumors?"
"I'm moving in with your son," she said, placing three papers in front of him. "Sign the bottom of those pages."
The quill he had picked up dropped to the table and she looked up to see something close to anger written on his face. "Why would you do that?"
Hermione felt uneasy for the first time since she started this job. Even their initial meeting hadn't met with the unease that she felt now. "Draco wants to move back into the Manor, but he doesn't want to face all those demons alone. And since I broke things off with Ron, I need a place to stay."
Her words were met with a steely silence for a few minutes, his cold eyes scrutinizing her. "You broke things off with the Weasley boy?"
"Indeed I did," she said softly. "Ron isn't as mature as he should be at his age and I could no longer hide my feelings of annoyance in such matters."
Lucius picked up the quill and signed his name, keeping his head down to avoid her seeing his smirk. So she's broken up with the Weasley boy, he thought to himself, this means she will be vulnerable. "Moving into the Manor is a big step, are you sure…?"
"I won't tell you again, there is nothing going on with your son and me." Hermione took the papers he had signed and placed them in the folder. "The funeral is scheduled from tomorrow at noon. I will be here around ten in the morning to make sure that they release you in a timely manner and that they allow you the decency to bathe and dress appropriately. I will bring you robes that your son has ordered for you."
Lucius watched her stand up but he remained seated. Looking up at her, he noticed that she was growing more confident each day, really becoming a remarkable woman. Or maybe she was only remarkable to him because she was helping him. "Thank you Miss Granger," Lucius said in a soft tone. "I doubt anyone else would have done as much for me as you are doing now. I will be forever in your debt."
Hermione looked down at the regal man that she was defending, that she was helping. And it struck her that she had come to care how he was treated, what he was allowed, and ultimately that he was let out. Not because her job depended on it, but because any fool could see the Lucius Malfoy was no longer the same man he was before. "I do have a heart Mr. Malfoy, and please…" she paused but gathered her courage, "call me Hermione."
He watched her walk away, the tapping of her heels covering his words, "Goodbye Hermione."