Lucius sat in his office awaiting the arrival of the witch who had brain washed his son and destroyed everything. He had sent Narcissa away for the afternoon, not wanting his wife's emotions to get in the way of what had to be done. The documents which had been drawn up by his lawyer sat in front of him on the desk, a magical quill lying in wait.
He found himself thinking of the last time he had interacted with the muggle witch, during the war when the snatchers had brought Potter and her in. He remembered the way she had screamed when Bellatrix had tortured her, the way even he had cringed every time the mad witch etched another letter onto Granger's fore arm. No matter what anyone else thought, he was not a cold hearted killer and the sight of the torture had made his stomach churn. The return of Voldemort had at first seemed like a gift from the heavens, everything would once again return to the way it should have been. Purebloods given their rightful place in the Wizarding society but of course Lucius hadn't contended with the fact that the powerful wizard he had worshipped since he was a boy was in fact mad. The massacres he had witnessed had made it more and more obvious that Voldemort did not actually want what Lucius wanted and that even purebloods were at risk of being slaughtered alongside muggle borns. It seemed ironic to him now that he as head of a prestigious pureblood family had thrown in his lot with an insane half-blood wizard. But that was all behind him now, there was no use in regretting one's past after all.
Blinky the house elf appeared in the door way, her eyes downcast.
"Ms Hermione Granger is here sir" She announced.
"Show her in" Lucius ordered, rising from his seat.
Hermione Granger stepped inside the office, a defiant look on her young face as she held her head high, clearly wanting to show him that she was his equal.
"Thank you for agreeing to come today, Ms Granger, have a seat" He gestured to the provided chair opposite him.
She looked a little taken aback by his manners, but quickly sat down.
"I'm a little confused as to why I'm here" She admitted maintaining eye contact.
"I've asked you here today to sign a few documents..." He began.
"I won't leave him for money" Hermione interrupted.
"I'm not asking you to do that" He replied, a little irked that she had interrupted him. This was exactly what was wrong with the world today when a mud blood could disrespect a pure blood in his own home.
Hermione nodded for him to continue.
"As you know Draco is my only son and Heir, disinheriting him would mean the death of the Malfoy line" He stopped to see if she had anything to ask.
She simply nodded at him again.
"Therefore I have decided to allow him to keep what is his by birth right, including his position within the company. On the provision that you sign away all your legal rights to his fortune" Lucius revealed, watching for any reaction that would hint at how she would reply. He had decided to do this so that she wouldn't be able to touch his son's money but also in the hopes that she would refuse, revealing her for the gold digger he believed her to be.
"Done" She replied, remaining still.
Lucius arched an eyebrow at her, confused by the speed with which she had agreed.
"You will be signing away your right to share anything that belongs to him including any property purchased with his name" He warned.
"I understand where do you want me to sign" She said, picking up the quill.
Lucius slid the papers across to her, watching her carefully as she signed every page.
"Was that all?" She asked, as though she hadn't just signed away her life.
"Yes" He replied gruffly.
"Then I best be on my way"
She rose from the chair, exiting through the doorway without a backward glance, leaving Lucius Malfoy to brood about the type of mud blood she was.
Pansy had witnessed much of her best friend's life as they grew up within elite wizarding society. She had seen him wield immense power over the other Slytherians at Hogwarts but had also seen his downward spiral as the war approached. Being young and clueless she hadn't realised that behind the mask he wore, Draco was actually dying a little inside every time he acted on the dark lord's orders, some of which she only knew of. At the time she had actually grown a little scared of him until his mask had dropped and they had both realised the terrible mistake they had made. Thankfully she had been too young to take the dark mark, that decision which at the time she would have taken willingly, would have sealed her fate forever. Even though the Parkinson's had joined Voldemort neither of her parents had taken the mark which served them well after the war, insuring that her family did not receive the same treatment as other known death eaters. She saw the way people still looked at Draco or Blaise as though they had never done anything to regret in their lives. It angered her that these same people had committed atrocities also but in the name of defeating the dark side, therefore it was ok. When she'd first heard that her best friend might be dating Hermione Granger she had instantly been repulsed by the idea. The girl had been an insufferable know it all during Hogwarts, placing herself on a pedestal as some kind of champion for the light. She had enjoyed taking the girl down a peg each time she laid eyes on her, relishing the sadness she had invoked. Of course she wasn't that person anymore but the idea of Granger and Draco getting together had seemed absurd at first. Then she had spoken to Draco, seeing firsthand the love he held for her, the way his eyes lit up when talking about her. After she'd had the chance to speak with her at the ball, she'd also realised that this Hermione Granger had also grown up. Her thoughts on the witch were confirmed further when her mother had revealed that Hermione had signed contract documents which Lucius had forced upon her. The idea that the witch was willing to swallow her pride so that her lover could have some kind of relationship with his family had filled Pansy with respect for her. Meeting Draco at his request outside her grandfather's shop, she'd also caught on to the fact that he was completely oblivious to all of it.
"So why am I here?" She asked, deciding to keep the information to herself.
"I wanted a woman's opinion" He fidgeted a little awkwardly.
"Don't you have a girlfriend for that?" She laughed.
"I didn't want her to know about this" He disclosed, giving her an odd look.
"What could you possibly want to hide from G...?" She stopped in midsentence a sudden shocking thought entering her mind. "Are we here to pick out an engagement ring?"
She stared at him as though he had grown two heads, just because she had warmed to the muggle witch did not mean she thought marrying so soon was a great idea.
"I know what you're thinking" He grinned.
"That you've lost your mind?" She shot back.
"Pansy, I love her therefore I see no reason to wait" He shrugged.
"I'll give you a few" She began. "How about the fact that it hasn't even been a year since her divorce from Weasely?"
"I don't intend on marrying her the day after I propose Pans" He shook his head.
"Well how about the fact that your family can't stand her, shouldn't you give them a bit more time to adjust?"
"You were the one who told me to turn my back on them" He pointed out, a little angry.
"Look, I have no right to interfere with your life Draco, so if this is what you really want then fine, I'll help you pick out a ring that will knock her socks off" She conceded.
"This is what I really want" He told her.
"Well let's go then, I doubt grandpa has ever sold a ring intended for a muggle born" She said cheekily, without malice.
Hermione was reading her fifth edition of wandless healing, when she was overcome with a wave of dizziness. It had come on so suddenly, she dropped the book, closing her eyes and holding onto her head in an effort to stop it. As quickly as it had come, it disappeared, leaving her breathless and with a mild head ache. Rising from the couch slowly she made her way to the kitchen, filling a glass with water. As she drank she wondered if the dizziness had been brought on by her sudden loss of appetite. She had missed lunch that day and had yet to eat anything of real substance. Placing the glass in the sink, she walked over to her bedroom, intending on taking a nap. In the last few days she had been overcome with nausea every time she ate just about anything, it was becoming a little annoying. Laying down she cast a quick darkening spell, plunging the room into darkness before closing her eyes. She had almost fallen asleep when she felt Draco slide in beside her, his arms encircling her waist and bringing her in closer to him.
"Everything alight Love?" He whispered into her ear.
"Just felt a little tired" She nodded.
She hadn't said anything about her upset stomach to him yet and didn't feel the need to now.
"Feel up to a little adventure tonight?" He asked, caressing her face with his knuckles.
"It doesn't involve more Slytherians does it?" She smirked.
"Just you and me" He promised.
"Alright, as long as I can have a nap" She smiled, closing her eyes.
"I'll come back tonight" He whispered, giving her a quick kiss before leaving her to sleep her tiredness away.