Disclaimer - still owning nothing over here.

A/N - to those who were afraid Chapter Two was the last: I have no intention of leaving you hanging without a satisfying conclusion to this story. :) And to me, "satisfying" definitely has to include some Lucius/Draco interaction, as well as some more Lucius/Hermione. So this isn't the final chapter, either.

_DMHG_

While Draco was dealing with the aforementioned snubs, tedium and bodily emissions, Lucius had returned to Malfoy Manor. He quickly went in search of his wife, Narcissa. The woman had insisted he go to Honeydukes today, and purchase some Lemon Lovelies for her. Said she had a craving in the worst way. And while Lucius might seem heartless and awful to the rest of the world, he was thoroughly whipped by his wife. He'd been on thin ice with her after dragging the family into the Dark Lord's service, and he knew things were still precarious. While divorce was virtually unheard of in Pureblood society, there was nothing stopping her from taking up permanent residence in another home, and cutting off contact with him. Unlike many in arranged marriages, he loved his mate. He really couldn't stop Cissa if she wished to leave him, though. She had fulfilled her duty and provided Lucius with an heir. How were they to know that Draco would be disowned? Narcissa had not approved of Draco's marrying the Mud...muggleborn (his teeth clenched), and she had cried all day when Scorpius made his entrance into the world. Lucius, for his part, had ascertained there was nothing he could do for her, then locked himself in his study to drink and ponder the end of the purest bloodline in Wizarding Britain. They had to keep the floo turned off for weeks, and refuse to answer owls in order to avoid interview requests and false expressions of concern from families in their social circle.

It was on his way back from the playground that he began thinking about the fact that the Black family contained some powerful Seers over the years, and the trait occasionally popped up with Cissa. He found his spouse behind the Manor, curled on a bench in the garden.

"Ah, there you are, darling. Your lemon lovelies," he presented the candies to her with a flourish and a small bow.

"Thank you, Lucius. You were gone for quite some time. Was there a problem today?" She looked up at him, and he could see the calculation in her beautiful blue eyes.

"No, not a problem, per se. I ran into our son's wife, and her son. Our...grandson." The word felt strange on his tongue, but not unpleasant.

And there it was: just the slightest of smirks on her face. She may as well have posted a sign proclaiming her involvement.

"Cissa? Anything you wish to tell me, my dear?" Lucius' voice, always smooth, was especially silky as he casually examined his nails.

"Well, Husband, that depends on what happened when you met up with our son's family."

He detailed the scene in Honeydukes, and how it stole his very breath when he first laid eyes on Scorpius. He then explained overhearing that they were going to Regents' Park, and his impromptu plan to see more of the boy. It was obvious that Narcissa was doing her best to contain her glee as he told her of Scorpius getting him to play.

"Darling, I didn't play like that with Draco. I find that I regret it. I doubt that I could have behaved in such an undignified manner if I was in my own skin, but today was actually," he paused for the right word, "fun. Malfoys rarely have fun."

"We do, just not during plebian pursuits. How did Draco's wife behave during all of this?"

"Blood status aside, she really is a clever thing. Suspected something was amiss upon my arrival, and figured out my identity when I saved the boy from a fall. I suppose a wandless spell was less than subtle. And she said something about my movements being distinctive."

"She's right about that. You've always had the grace of a panther." Lucius preened a bit at this. "Once she knew who you were, did she force you to leave?"

"No, no. Something far more diabolical. She trapped me into having lunch with them. And the smile on her face when she did it? Chilled the blood slightly." He gave a small smirk at the memory, then started as he realized he was feeling something unfamiliar. Pride?

Cissa's voice brought him back to the present. "Since when is lunch 'diabolical?'"

"Since the witch had packed an all-Muggle food lunch. I'm certain she invited me, expecting me to Apparate on the spot."

"And?"

"And I sat down with them. As it happens, hot dogs, crisps and fizzy drinks are exquisite. The fizzy drinks had an effect similar to Pepper-Up potion."

"You voluntarily ingested Muggle food. You, the bastion of all that is proper?"

"I did." She was delighted to note a defiant gleam in his eyes. "And I enjoyed it."

"Then, my love, I'll answer your question. Come with me." She rose, and led her husband to her sitting room. Once there, she removed a small box from the bookshelf, opened it, and set it Lucius' lap. He was stunned to find pictures of what appeared to be Draco, going back to his infancy. He looked at his wife, perplexed.

"Look closer, Lucius. Who do you see in the background?"

He was stunned to find tears welling in his eyes, as he finally noticed both Draco and Hermione in some of the pictures. Here was something he'd never dreamt he would see.

"Scorpius? How? I know you haven't been on good terms with Draco."

"True, but our son owns a house elf. A freed house elf, which means he and his wife are incapable of compelling it the way one usually can. I secretly sent one of our elves, Bopsy, over to plead with their elf, Bitsy, when Scorpius was born. Bopsy explained that one day Young Master's grandparents may like to be part of his life, and she swore an oath that we meant neither the baby nor his parents any harm. Bitsy has been clandestinely passing pictures and status reports to Bopsy ever since."

He stared at his wife, awestruck. "Status reports?"

"Yes. Yesterday, Bopsy happened to tell me that Young Master and his mother would be going into Hogsmeade today as soon as the stores opened. I wasn't sure how or where you would see them, but the village is small, and our grandson's hair is hard to miss. So I sent you, hoping for the best. I thought that either you wouldn't be ready, in which case Draco's wife could handle you, or perhaps something more positive might occur. I'm pleased to hear it was the latter. While I was upset that our son broke with tradition, the idea of ignoring a child with Malfoy blood has been unsavory to me. Over the years, it appeared that your stance was softening, so I took the opportunity presented."

"You beautiful, underhanded, cunning, manipulative witch."

"Slytherin, darling. Slytherin." She smiled as her husband swept her into an unexpected kiss.