Author's note
Hey everybody!
Sorry for this late update, but I have a really busy schedule, so I don't have the time to write as much as I would like. It was very hard for me not to describe Lucius' thoughts and feelings, so I plan to write the next chapter from his POV. I hope that for now, you will enjoy this one.
Lots of thanks to my beta reader defying expectations! You did a fantastic job and I hope I will improve my writing soon.
Don't forget to review!
Chapter II
Nowadays there were many types of guides. Some of them taught you how to be a good mother, others explained where to find the best food in town, but Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, had yet to find a guide that told how to organize a wedding for your enemy. And even if a book like this did exist, she doubted that it contained a chapter about how she must behave after being tortured and almost killed by him.
So, after standing in the front of the gates for almost ten minutes, Hermione summoned her legendary Gryffindor courage and touched them, waiting the ancient magic of the Manor to allow her entrance. Knowing fully well that she was in for a long ride, Hermione passed the surprisingly beautiful gardens and knocked on the door, trying to repress all past memories regarding her experiences with this family. After a few moments, a female house elf opened the door, bowing and talking at the same time:
"Good evening, Miss. Please, allow Misty to take your coat."
Contrary to popular belief, Hermione forgot long ago her dreams of freeing these little creatures, choosing instead not to exploit them and to avoid taking advantage of their kindness. Giving Misty her coat, she felt suddenly too exposed in a fitting, but still office-style, black dress.
"Miss, if you please, follow me. Master is waiting for you in his office."
Looking around as she walked through the entrance way, Hermione felt relieved that she wouldn't be forced to see again the drawing room and to remember those horrible hours of torture. Over the years, the Manor had suffered a series of major changes, starting with the choice of a more welcoming and luminous design and finishing with the disposal of the dark magic objects, all thanks to a so-called change in mentality of the Malfoy patriarch. Even if most of the newspapers wrote excitedly about these things and the Wizarding population was inclined to believe this new face of Lucius Malfoy, the majority of those who fought in the Second Wizarding War still considered him a traitor and a declared enemy.
Reaching the first floor, Misty led her between many corridors and doors, indicating the last one as the "Master's office." Watching how the little elf disappeared with a small "pop", Hermione felt again nervous at the prospect of facing alone one of her worst enemies. The tension in the air was suffocating and her head was full of questions and doubts: What if it was a trap? Why should she work for her former enemy? Was it too late to call Adele and cancel the arrangements? Engrossed in her own thoughts, she jumped when she heard a velvet voice speaking:
"Miss Granger, do you plan on staying much longer in front of my door? Do me a favor and spare me some time by entering my bureau."
Blushing like a tomato, Hermione straightened her shoulders and entered the room, where behind his desk sat a smirking Lucius Malfoy. The bureau was spacious and surprisingly light, with large windows offering a magnificent view of his gardens. The rest of the walls were lined up with huge bookshelves and in a corner sat a comfy beige couch.
During the time she examined her surroundings, Lucius was content just to sit and stare at this completely changed woman, who, together with her friends, made his life a living hell. But that was four years ago and now, in front of him stood a gracious petite woman, with soft ringlets and creamy skin, dressed elegantly in a black fitted dress. It was clear for him that his presence made her uncomfortable, one of those little things that brought him a great deal of amusement. Deciding to interrupt the silence, Lucius said with a bored tone:
"Please, have a seat."
Hermione turned around swiftly, with what could be considered the second blush that night. She took a seat in front of the desk and looked attentively at him. At first glance, he was the same person who years ago tried to kill her and her friends, but what could be considered an incredible change were his eyes. There was a time when they were dark, cold and impenetrable, but nowadays they looked open and full of life. Noticing the amusement that shined in them at her perusal, Hermione cleared her throat and decided to take the lead of this meeting:
"I thought that this is Draco and Astoria's weeding. Where are they?"
"I'm afraid that they couldn't make it, but they asked me to discuss the details with you."
Feeling like the stupidest witch on this earth, Hermione got up from the seat and said in a cold voice:
"Monsieur Malfoy, my clients are your son and your soon-to-be-daughter-in-law. I made some important changes in my busy schedule just to be able to organize their wedding, as a favor to my friend. Since they are too preoccupied to even come to a meeting which they have arranged without my agreement, then I think it is time to take my leave. I should have known that this is just a waste of time."
She moved toward the door, on one hand furious that for a minute she believed that this could go like a normal business meeting, and on the other hand happy that she was free to go home and take a long bath with the knowledge that she would never have to see Malfoy again. Turning a the knob, her face fell as she discovered that the door was locked with many powerful spells.
"What the hell do you think you are doing by locking me here?" she asked, turning around with fire in her eyes. But watching how Malfoy's smirk disappeared, being replaced with a serious look, made her feel like a deer cornered by a panther.
"Miss Granger, let me set some things straight: this wedding and all the other expenses made by Draco are paid solely from my money, so I think that it would be useful for you to talk to me about all these plans. I also have a contract prepared for you to sign in order to clarify some aspects." With a wave of his hand, he produced some neatly folded papers, from which he started to recite:
"By signing this, you agree to organize Draco Malfoy and Astoria's Greengrass wedding, taking into account all their wishes and requests. If you decide to renounce at this engagement, you must pay us one-hundred-thousand galleons and to present your apologies publically. In addition, you don't have the right to offer an interview to the newspapers without the explicit consent of me or my family."
"Monsieur Malfoy, do you honestly believe that I will sign this dubious contract? Lucky One is a serious company and I am a wedding planer with lots of experience. The only chance of having me organize your son's wedding is to accept the terms and conditions stipulated in my contract."
With a renewed confidence she summoned some papers, which she gave him with a relaxed smile. Two can play this game, she thought.
"As you can observe," she continued, „my contract meets your expectations, but it also offers me the assurance that we are two equal partners. Take it or leave it. Whichever way you choose, it doesn't matter to me."
They continued their stare match, until, with smoldering eyes, Lucius took the pen and signed. After she signed too, the contract vanished with a "puff."
"Miss Granger, you may be thinking that you won the war, but this is just a small battle. Do not believe for a second that you are more than a simple employer to my family. In the end, you become one of the many who let themselves be bought by my money."
In that moment, Hermione felt like she was slapped hard and fast on the face. No matter how much this man prided himself as a completely changed person, in her eyes he was the same arrogant and selfish man who tried to kill her friends. Feeling more than ready to give him a piece of her mind, she marched towards his desk and she slammed her hands on the desk. When her eyes were looking directly in his grey ones, she said in cold whisper:
"Listen closely to me, because I will only say this once. You may have more money than I could ever dream about, you may be one of the most influential men in the Wizarding World and now, after your divorce, the most eligible bachelor, but to me you are still the same bastard. Do not think that if I try to save your son's wedding, like we saved his ass many years ago, I become a lesser person than you. You are the one who should thank me for my effort and not the other way around."
During her little rant, he watched her intently, wondering how there could be so much strength in someone so small and fragile. She emanated so much power and confidence that he found himself for the first time intrigued by her presence. He stared for a while, then both of them were surprised by his son's voice, full of mirth:
"Well, I see now that this meeting is going so well."
"Miss Granger here gave me a whole speech about you not being interested enough in coming to this meeting," replied Lucius, not taking his eyes off her. „Now that you two finally arrived, I believe that it is the time to discuss the wedding arrangements."
Hermione turned around and waited patiently until Draco and Astoria took a seat on the sofa. She decided to sit in the chair, ignoring at the same time Malfoy's stare. Looking at the couple in front of her she could only describe them as a great pair: both were tall, blond, and graceful, but Astoria happened to have the same air of regality which the Malfoy family was known for.
"Miss Greengrass, I'm glad to meet you."
"Please, call me Astoria," she said with a tentative smile.
"First of all, I think that it is important to explain to you exactly which are my attributions and how our professional relationship is going to work. Lucky One is attending each of your needs: we help you find the location, the dress; we order the menus, the invitations, the floral arrangements, everything that makes a wedding perfect. We will have a number of meetings, where we can discuss your tastes, your wishes, and our progress. We already have contracts with the best companies in England, but if you change your mind or if you find something else in another country, we can discuss the alternatives. You don't have to be present at every single step, and if you want you can delegate me or another member of your family to take decisions in your name. I will be your personal wedding planer, but there will be times when we will have assistance from Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil as fashion-consultants. I usually stay in touch with my clients by telephone, so I suggest you buy one."
"Let me get this straight: you expect my son, a powerful wizard, to communicate with you through these little devices that Muggle use and which are completely inutile when you have magic?" Lucius asked with a drawl.
Feeling at the end of her patience, Hermione said in a dry tone:
"Yes, that is exactly what I expect. My rules are for everyone, pureblood or not."
"Father, I don't see a problem in that," said Draco. „If this way we can finally start the preparations for our wedding, than we will do as she says. I don't want another punch in my nose, isn't that right, Hermione?" he said, winking at her.
She blushed a little, remembering that incident from Hogwarts. Even if at that time Draco was a prick and that punch was a well-deserved punishment, nowadays it seemed like he was a completely changed person: he accepted to use a Muggle device, he made a joke and he even called her by her given name.
"So, from what I have heard, your wedding is on October twenty-fifth. Have you picked a location yet? "
"We were thinking to have it here, in the Manor's gardens, if it is all right with you, too, Monsieur Malfoy." Astoria said, turning around at the patriarch with a smile.
Surprisingly, he smiled back and replied in a joyful voice:
"If you want to have it here, then I am more than happy to help you decorate the gardens and to organize the whole thing. And Astoria, how many times I told you to call me Lucius or Father?"
"Thank you, Father," she replied with a smile.
Feeling a little uncomfortable at this little display of affection, Hermione cleared her throat, making the three purebloods turn around swiftly.
"Well, considering the date, have you thought if you want a themed wedding or something traditional?"
"Themed? Like with costumes?" Draco said in a slightly panicked voice.
Both Hermione and Astoria laughed, but the former decided to save Draco from his own misery:
"Not really. What I meant to say was that you can choose to have an ‚autumn weeding': to use yellow, orange, and red as the main colors, to pick up some seasonal flowers, things like that."
"Oh, that makes more sense," he said with a chuckle. "Honey, what do you think?"
"Well, it sounds like a good idea to me. What do you suggest, Hermione?"
Feeling more at ease, she conjured some scheme colors and started to describe all the possibilities:
"You should start by choosing which colors you want for the arrangements and what kind of flowers you prefer. And if you want your wedding outside, we have more details to discuss…."
Lucius watched with interest how the Muggleborn witch started to explain every single possible detail you see at a wedding like it was a thing of great importance. However, he had to admit that she had that rare confidence that made her look like she knew the secret of the universe. Maybe, what made both Draco and Astoria so fascinated with her was the way how her words and her eyes filled with passion, making everyone see that she was dedicated to her job. Even if he had hated her in the past, now he felt like this witch was a revelation, who, despite her rage, directed her temper like a true professional to the wedding arrangements.
Taking the last notes, Hermione looked up from her agenda, meeting Malfoy's intense stare. During her discussion with the couple, he was surprisingly quiet, but that hadn't stopped her to feel his dark eyes on the back of her neck. Deciding that she had enough information, she got up from her chair, trying at the same time to adjust her dress.
"So, I will work out these details and I think that at the end of this week we should go to pick up the ornaments and the flowers. If you change your mind about anything, feel free to call me anytime. I am a workaholic, so you won't disturb me," she said with a chuckle. "I almost forgot – let me give you my number."
Looking around for something to write on, she was truly surprised when Malfoy's hand appeared suddenly from her right with a notebook and a pen. His face wore one of his signature smirks, which made her slightly nervous. With a small thanks, she grabbed the things from his hand and turned around, writing down her telephone number.
"Well, it is the time to take my leave. Don't bother calling Misty, I think I know my way around."
Not even having the chance to get to the door, Malfoy's voice stopped her short:
"Let me see you out.''
Hermione thought for a second to refuse his offer, but the look in his eyes convinced her that it would be futile. Saying goodbye to Draco and Astoria, she descended the stairs, wondering what the Malfoy's patriarch wanted by doing such a chivalrous gesture. Arriving at the front door, she looked around after her coat, cursing her decision to refuse Misty's help that brought her in this situation. Caught in her own thoughts, for the second time that night she didn't observe that Malfoy held out his hands, waiting for her to take her coat. Blushing a little at her complete oblivion, she took her coat, hurrying to leave the mansion. But before she could turn the knob, he took her hand, touching it softly with his lips and whispering with a smirk:
"It was a pleasure seeing you."
Feeling slightly nervous at his change in attitude and deciding that she had enough for a night, Hermione said a hasty goodbye and disappeared in the cold night.