AN- i am sooo sorry! i was without the internet, i had this chapter ready for SO long and i couldnt post! BUT i am soo self concious about this chapter, it's really long (like, 17 pages on word) so its long, AND it's full of nothing. so, i recommend that you read it when you have time on your hands. i just said 'so' a whole bunch. ANYWAY! please read, PLEASE enjoy, i am SO sorry for the delay!
oh, btw, new bitter disclaimer- i dont own Harry Potter or any affiliates, etc etc. i am not Jo Rowling, and if i was i wouldve done a damn better job of keeping people alive, thank you very much.
(yes i KNOW July was a month ago, but i still get to be bitter so be quiet.)
Hermione absently picked at a snap pea. She was sitting at Ginny's kitchen table, helping her to shell said peas, and not-really listening to what she was saying.
"Hermione?"
"What? I'm sorry."
"What should I do about the guest room?" Ginny implored.
"Um…I don't know, can we go over it once more?"
"Sure."
Right then, Harry walked in through the back door, which was just outside the kitchen in a small hall. "Hello, Gin! Hey, 'Mione, congratulations on the job!"
Hermione laughed. "You've said that three times already!" Ginny beamed at her.
"Well, you wanted that job since fourth year, didn't you?"
"True."
Harry grinned, then disappeared down the hall. Ginny turned back to Hermione. "The second guest room upstairs, how should I decorate it? Should I leave it a guest room, or-" she stopped as Harry reappeared, picking up a box that had been left in the hall. "Mind you clear up that snow you tracked in!" she called. Harry laughed and assured her he would, then toted the box to his small office at the front of the house. "Or should I convert it to a nursery?"
"Well, Gin," Hermione said slowly, as if she were humoring Ginny. "You aren't pregnant yet."
"But-" Ginny said, desperately.
"Ginny! You've only been married for four months! Why don't you ask Harry? Don't you need him to complete that bit?"
Ginny flushed. "Shut up, Mio. I don't know. You're right…its only been four months…I don't exactly want to be the second Weasley clan…"
"Then why don't you ask Harry when he wants to have a baby? Make sure you make it clear that you're prepared to wait till you are both totally ready, and ask him honestly."
"Okay."
"Oh, and use that room for storage until you decide."
"What color?"
"White walls."
"Thanks, Mio."
"Anytime."
Harry ambled back into the kitchen and sat the table. "What's going on, then?"
"Well," Ginny began, tossing more peas into the bowl, "Under good advice from Hermione, I think we could keep the third bedroom upstairs as storage. With white walls until it's needed for something else."
"Alright." Harry agreed, absently playing with a pod. "How's things in the lost jungle, Mio?"
"I'm not living in the lost jungle! Things are going fine, thanks." Her subconscious frowned. Gabrielle had inadvertently planted the seed of doubt, and it was resisting all of her efforts to rid herself of it.
"Why wont you tell us?" Ginny asked.
"You don't need to know."
"Fine."
Ginny swiftly changed the subject. "Marten sent me a picture." Marten, Bill and Fleur's young son seemed to be a flourishing artist.
"Did he?" Harry said absently, picking at a pod. "He's getting good with those pencils of his."
Ginny reached behind her and tugged a large piece of paper off the counter. "It's a self portrait." The little boy had indeed gotten good with his pencils, using red and yellow together to recreate his wispy strawberry blond hair and two shades of blue for his piercing eyes. "Fleur says that one of her cousins is beginning to notice, he has sent him professional pencils. I forget which…"
Laughing a bit, Hermione said "Sebastian." Gabrielle had told them about the professional artist.
"That's the one! How did you know?" Ginny and Harry looked at her curiously.
Hermione flushed ever so slightly. "Oh…I had to talk to her…with the new job, you know? And we did a bit of catching up."
"Oh." They both sat back. "How is she?" Harry said, still picking at his pea pod.
"Fine. She's seeing someone."
"Oh? Who?"
Hermione blanched. She didn't think Draco would take so kindly to her telling people his affairs, especially after he had gone so far to conceal her. "Oh, well. I shouldn't tell. He'll make it known when he wants to, and if she has anything to do with it, it will be sooner rather than later."
Ginny laughed a bit. Harry sighed. "She's not the only one, then."
Ginny glared daggers at him, he opened his mouth, giving Hermione the impression that he wasn't supposed to mention it. "What? Harry, Ginny?"
Both of them looked at her. She felt as if she were being scrutinized, impending doom began to wave over her body, her stomach began to feel the tiniest bit queasy. "Guys?"
"Hermione, Ron is going out with Lavender."
Hermione felt odd. Shocked, but for the wrong reason. So many different emotions circled inside her head, punching her in the stomach, nibbling at her brain. "Oh."
The only outer emotion was indifference. Glancing up, she stood. "Oh! Its after five, I said I would be home!"
Harry and Ginny stood too. "You said you would be home?" Harry said suspiciously, undoubtedly thinking that this was a thread to her whereabouts.
"Harry!" Ginny hissed. "Okay, Mio, I guess I will owl you sometime, if you aren't busy with the job." She hugged Hermione.
"Talk to him tonight!" Hermione whispered in her ear. Ginny pulled back smiling some.
Hermione hugged Harry next. "You sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine. Dinner is soon, though, I should be back."
After she had tossed her scarf about her throat and her jacket and hat placed on their respective body parts, she apparated home. Quickly she went to her room, falling into a chair.
She hadn't known that Ron would…bounce…so quickly. It had only been…two weeks? Two weeks…it had seemed like a lifetime. Now it seemed like it had only been a few hours.
He was dating someone. She hadn't even been thinking about seeing ANYONE. Not seriously. She would have really rather forgotten about the entire dating affair.
Lavender…she was a dead ringer. They had, after all, gone out sixth year. She didn't care, really.
It hurt though. Inexplicably. She shouldn't care. Hermione blinked; a tear was rolling down her face. She sniffed and stood. Still trying to regain her nose, she set off for the dining room.
PAGE BREAK
Lucius stared at Hermione. She had hardly touched her food, and she was slouching in her chair. Dinner had been especially quiet.
They had all finished eating. "Hermione," He began, Draco looking at her expectantly. "Are you quite alright?"
"Yes, yes, I'm fine…fine…" she exploded into tears. Standing, she began to leave the room; Draco and Lucius intercepted her and guided her into the parlor where she had first met Flopsy. Once she was seated, sobbing, in a chair, they crowded around her, completely perplexed.
No one was saying anything, Lucius and Draco merely looking at each other, then her face, lost.
Suddenly, the door burst open. Flopsy stood there, and without hesitating, walked into the room, hauling the alligator, which was roughly the size of her small body. She dragged it to Hermione; Lucius and Draco watching the entire process. Hermione took it and hugged it to her stomach. "Th-thanks, Flopsy." She choked.
"I is hoping you feels better, Miss Hermione!" and with that she disappeared.
Lucius realized. Bending on one knee next to her, he looked into her face, which was pillowed on the small green body. "Hermione, what is wrong?" he procured his handkerchief, then retracted it. "No, tell me what is wrong first. If this has anything to do with what I think it does, then you need to cry, and I know you refuse to."
"But it's stupid!" she wailed.
"Hermione, why do you think you are breaking down now? You need to…let it all out, I suppose you would say, otherwise you will never get over it."
"He-he…"
"Tell Draco and I what happened."
"He's going out- with L-lavender! And…and…its been two weeks…its like he doesn't even care about me-e-e!" she sobbed. "I don't…I don't really…c-care, I just…I don't know why it hurts me so! He didn't care about the breakup, he didn't care about how I would react, he doesn't care that we had something and its OVER! He just bounced RIGHT back! How can anyone DO that?! Its horrible! He just…picked her right up, and I don't know…I don't care, I suppose he's happy, and, I…cant…hold it in anymore!" she exploded, tears still coursing down her face.
Lucius relinquished his handkerchief. She dabbed at her eyes, dying sobs jerking out of her body. "There, now. Do I need to hug you again, or will that lead to more awkward questions?"
Hermione laughed a little. Lucius smiled slightly and stood. Draco looked perplexed at the end, but let it wash over him. Hermione put out a hand to steady herself, Lucius gently held her forearm, and she smiled. "I think…I'll go up now…"
"Of course."
She made her unsteady way to the door. The house was silent as she ambled up to her room. After she got in, she curled up in the chair in front of her fireplace, still clutching her alligator. Belatedly, she realized that Lucius' handkerchief was still in her hand.
She reached up to trace a lingering tear, thinking about how she would return it. Whatever, she could give it back at breakfast. There was that scent again…she hadn't really had cause to notice it before. The handkerchief left her cheek to slide under her nose. As she stared out of her windows into the dark night, she deeply inhaled. It was a sweet smell…
After a moment, she had dozed off. Flopsy poked her head in the door, and, seeing Miss Hermione asleep, smiled. Bouncing into the room, she held her small spider-like fingers out to her. Hermione gently lifted in the air, then was set upon her pillows. Flopsy came over to the bedside and tugged the blanket over the sleeping woman, making slight clucking sounds. Hermione stirred, Flopsy shushed her, and she rolled over. The elf smiled at her, gave her shoulder a slight pat, and popped away.
PAGE BREAK
Hermione groggily opened her eyes. Where was she? She remembered, she had fallen asleep in the chair. Pulling her hand out from beneath her comforter, she pressed the back of it to her eye. A soft piece of cloth tickled her nose. She shifted slightly and her alligator nestled deeper in the crook of her arm. How did she get to be in her bed?
Vaguely, she remembered small hands on her shoulders. Flopsy, perhaps?
She would have to thank her specially, today. And Draco and Lucius…
Hermione got up, then showered. Afterwards she got dressed and headed for breakfast, the square of white cloth still in her hand. Upon entering the room, she smiled at both blonds as they looked up at her. Sitting, she stared at the food in front of her, then from Lucius to Draco. "Look, I just wanted to say thank you, um, I don't generally-"
"Hermione," Lucius cut in smoothly, "You needed to. You don't express your feelings enough. If I do recall, the day you came here, you only cried once, perhaps another time before you fell asleep, but I have no notion. You don't dwell on them, and unfortunately for you, self-pity is important until you can get over things."
He was right. Hermione hated self-pity, and wallowing of any sort. Except other peoples'. She preferred to worry about theirs rather than hers. "Well, in any case, thank you both. And, I have your handkerchief." She held it out to him, but Lucius shook his head slightly.
"Keep it," he smiled briefly. "I have more." He produced another, this one with LM embroidered on the corner.
Hermione smiled and moved her handkerchief to her lap. After a moment, she said "I notice there were no middle initials on that." She turned her gaze from straight ahead to look at his face.
Lucius smirked at her wry smile. "No indeed."
"What?" Draco, who had been virtually silent during all this, detected something that he could, potentially, hold against his father.
Hermione opened her mouth, but Lucius cut her off with a superior smile. "Nothing, Draco."
"He hasn't told you his middle names?" Draco said with a grin.
"No, he hasn't!" Hermione grinned also.
"Oh, Father, you are a grown man, there is nothing to be ashamed of!" Draco chuckled.
"I am not being childish!"
"Yes, you are!"
"He's right! Just tell me."
"No! They are my affair, and mine alone!"
"Fine, fine." Draco conceded. Hermione looked at him oddly; Lucius prudently stabbed a piece of sausage. Draco leaned towards Hermione. "What Father doesn't realize is now I can threaten him with this ridiculous nonsense."
Hermione appraised him. "Well, Draco I must say," she turned and they both looked at Lucius. "That is quite the delicious plan."
"It is a sad, sad day when a man's only son resorts to blackmail." Lucius said placidly.
"Yes, well you are childish and refuse to say your middle names, An-"
"Dra-CO!"
"So close."
PAGE BREAK
Hermione spent most of the day doing nothing; owling work a few times, exploring the bookshelves in her room, spending a little time with the masters of the house.
She was surprised to discover that it was nice to think about Ron. She could do her daily affairs and still have the slightly pulsing hurt in the back of her mind. She found that by the end of the day, the throb had lessened. It probably also helped that Hermione had managed to feel cheerful and laugh a few times that day.
As she read through some titles in her room, one sparked a memory of a text she had seen in Lucius' library. She quickly stole through the house, and upon reaching the room, paused. Hermione shrugged, then gently tapped on the door. When no one answered, she opened the door and stepped in. Lucius had, after all, said that since she lived there she had the freedom to walk around.
The library seemed so much bigger with one person in it, and the fact that it was still light outside helped. She slunk across the floor, for some reason feeling as if she were doing something she oughtn't. Realizing that she was at the wrong shelf, she scurried to the next, then slid the book from its place. Flipping the large book to the first page, she walked to the chair she typically sat in and scrunched into it sideways.
Hermione had been reading for a while, and the light outside was graying as it does in winter. She was completely absorbed in her book.
Lucius shut his bedroom door behind him, thinking about the item of reference he needed in the library. His room was a few doors down the hallway on the opposite side of the library, and he crossed the distance in no time, absorbed in his thoughts.
The door opened silently, and he stopped, leaning on the doorjamb. There she was, curled in a chair. He raised his eyebrow with a smile; a small white cloth was half tucked in the pocket of her jeans. The spell for the light made no noise as it crossed his lips; Hermione jumped slightly as they turned on and he crossed to his desk. "You of all people should know that reading in the dark is bad for eyesight."
Hermione resettled herself in her chair with a smile. "I didn't even realize the light was fading."
Lucius opened the right hand drawer of his desk and pulled a small, thin, old book out of it. "Well, I- what are you reading?"
"Bourgeot's A History of Forest Beings."
"Ah. Fine author." Lucius slapped the book on his palm. "Well, can I ask you to put it down? Dinner should be ready in a few minutes."
"Of course." Hermione checked the page she was on, then shut the book.
"Just allow me to deposit my book in my room, and I will accompany you down."
"Sure." Hermione stood and walked to the door with him. He crossed the hall, Hermione paused, then followed. He turned to look at her as she came up to stand near his door, smirking slightly. Hermione flushed a bit.
"Countless women would die if they could get in here."
Hermione was now blushing furiously. How anyone could say that with a straight face she didn't know. "No! I just…I was going to wait here while you put the book away." She trailed. Lucius raised one eyebrow, smirking still. Once in his room he snickered softly.
Hermione glared at the carpet. He was mean. And completely manipulated her. Pricelessly.
Lucius walked back out of his room smiling slightly as he shut the door. With a half bow, he gestured for her to lead him down the hallway.
"Anyway," Hermione began.
"Overlooking previous impudence," Lucius interrupted.
Hermione laughed a little. "Right. Well do you mind if I read that book?"
"No, of course not." He said. "Please, read it."
"Thank you. I didn't think that you would mind, I just wanted to make sure."
"No, I am glad you are investigating the library. Draco doesn't have much time to read, either that or he doesn't know how, so I am really the only person in this house who spends his free time there. But please use it, I am afraid I never give it as much time as it deserves."
"Thank you." Hermione for some reason felt like smiling. Gabrielle's words came back to her. In the silence of their walk, Hermione admonished herself. She wasn't upset with Gabrielle, she was fascinated with what she had said.
This was ridiculous. He was merely a benefactor. Or, friend. Perhaps.
But he was very nice to her this, the second time, she had been in tears. And the library. She recognized the small smile as feeling special about the use of the library. Oh, but the subconscious is infuriating!
As they descended the stairs, Lucius spoke again. "Well, Hermione, now that this day is closing and we are about to throw ourselves into the work week, do you think you will be able to survive?"
Hermione laughed a little. "I suppose. My wing is far, far from Ron's. Otherwise, the only thing I have to worry about is Harry caring too much."
"That is good."
"Earlier I was debating actually going up to Ron tomorrow and telling him congratulations."
Lucius laughed a little. "That would be most amusing. However, you have no idea where that conversation would leave you. Most unfortunate."
"What do you mean?" Hermione said, laughing.
"Well, what would you say to any number of his responses?"
"I left that vision as me saying that then skipping away before he could say anything." Hermione said.
Lucius laughed again. "Skipping literally?"
"Oh yes," she said, laughing at herself, "no other way to do it."
PAGE BREAK
Hermione was writing a several page issue in her office the next day when Sandy rapped on her office door.
This office, unlike the previous one, was large, bright, and professional. She even had a desk fern, for pities' sakes.
"Come in!" she trilled, before frowning and concentrating on ridding herself of a lingering French accent from an earlier transaction that day.
Sandy pushed the door open and leaned against it, grinning. "Hey, boss, just wanted you to know that there is a looming state dinner in the next few months, just an early warning. Also, the Council of Three in Guinea wishes for a hall for a lecture on their forgotten bush magic sometime in the next month, and I believe the Italian consulate has an appointment with you this afternoon at four."
Hermione blew a few strands of hair out of her face (they had been artfully left out of her tight twist that morning, leaving her looking very professional.) "You warn me this early about a state dinner? That seems a bit foreboding."
"Its just so you can find a wardrobe." His grin widened.
"Oh, no, Sandy, don't say that!" Hermione sat back in her chair, looking comically distressed. "Can't I take you with me on my fashion excursion? You know how to do everything else!"
Sandy laughed. "I don't know whether to be flattered or offended."
"Please be flattered. Honestly, I have no idea why they gave me this job."
"You don't give yourself enough credit, you are actually doing very well. Oh, and I got a page from Minister Shacklebolt. He says he wants you there when he meets with the Namibian Minister."
"When?"
"The fifth of next month."
Hermione nodded. "I'll send him a note of acceptance."
"Do you want me to?" Sandy said, gesturing at the issue scattered all over her desk.
Hermione grinned. "No, now I get to harass him about how this is going to be the only time I have seen him in months."
Sandy laughed and began to shut the door. "Oh, and boss," the fair haired man said turning slowly, "I believe you have a very distinguished visitor, unless I am mistaken."
"What?" Hermione said, standing slowly.
Sandy grinned, shrugged and turned back to the main office.
"Sandy!" Hermione called in mock outrage. "Aren't you going to tell me?"
"No!" Sandy said, smirking mightily. "Excuse me, sir, are you here to see-?" an unintelligible reply must have come from somewhere, because her assistant nodded and smiled his best subordinate smile. "In here, please."
Turning, he returned back to his normal self by smirking mischievously and heading down the hall. Hermione shook her head, smiling sarcastically. Sandy had quickly become one of her friends, and in the workplace (because when working with foreign relations, you can afford to be affable most of the time) they were able to treat each other as such.
When Hermione had finished rolling her eyes, she curiously turned towards the door. Her face brightened upon seeing her visitor. "Lucius, hello!"
Lucius Malfoy, dressed, as always, in his perfunctory black, allotted her a small smile and strode into the room. "Hello, Hermione. I hope I am not disturbing you, I happened to be in the wing, I thought I might step in to see the great lady at work."
Hermione laughed. "No, not at all," she idly waved a hand at the parchments spread across her desk. "I was just working on this issue, incredibly boring, but I am almost done, so I can afford a break."
"Your Alexander has a good head on his shoulders." Lucius condescended, taking a seat after Hermione gestured to it.
She raised her eyebrows. Even though he was considered less of an evil maniac nowadays, praise from Lucius was hard to come by. "Really? Lucius Malfoy, I must say I am amazed."
"Well," he said, not looking at her but at her desk, smiling like a mischievous boy who had just been caught doing something good for once, "I have been hanging about this department for quite some time," Lucius paused, then said with the volume of his voice increased, "I remember when he was being trained and his supervisor referred to him as Sandra."
Hermione bit her bottom lip, grinning, as Sandy halted his walk in front of her door, looking petrified. Turning, he grinned fondly at Lucius. "Thank you for the memory, Mr. Malfoy." Clearing his throat, he nodded to the both of them and pressed ahead. Lucius grinned cheerily at his retreating back.
"You are quite evil." Hermione said coyly, still attempting to stash away the grin. "How did you know he was there?"
"I listened." Lucius said.
"You can tell apart the footsteps of my staff, now, can you?" Hermione said. Briefly, her mind leapt to where this conversation might lead. He had been working with this department for years, it was entirely possible he had memorized footsteps for the…
Thinking fast, she brightly said "So you were in the wing? Well, not surprising, you have no idea the number of times your name comes up in papers and conversations."
Lucius looked amused. "Is that so? Checking up on me?"
Hermione flushed. "No, what I meant to say was that you have cropped up somehow in almost everything I do! The Italian Wizarding Commission even has a type named after you! I can't pronounce it for the life of me, but it basically means the perfect diplomat."
Lucius was looking very smug indeed. It was sort of aggravating, but pleasantly so, if that is possible. "Ah. I remember that particular retinue with astounding satisfaction. Lovely people the Italians."
"You only like them because they flatter you."
"That and they have impeccable taste."
"In flattering you?" she asked wryly. Lucius merely looked smugly at her desk. "Ah. So you popped by the Ministry, did you have any word that the Italians were coming at four?"
"Are they?" Lucius said with mild interest. "Well, I suppose that they have been in England for their business with Shacklebolt and for the reveal." (Some ancient frescoes and runes had been discovered beneath Rome, and the stone blocks were on tour, as to the reveal Lucius had spoken of.)
"Correct! You know their affairs better than I do."
"I did say that I liked them."
"So you are an honorary Italian?"
Lucius smirked. "Expensive wine and early hours were involved."
Hermione groaned and collapsed back into her chair, grinning. "Despicable."
"Speaking of despicable, have you seen Ronald?"
Hermione pursed her lips. "No. I have decided to leave things until I see him next."
"A wise decision." Hermione laughed a little. "What?"
"I think that it is so odd that you can go from relationship therapist to drinking diplomat."
Lucius' reply was to merely raise his eyebrow. Hermione sighed and said resignedly "The many sides of Lucius Malfoy."
Lucius smiled and said "And there are many sides yet to see. Now, what time is Ricci arriving?"
"You aren't on first name terms?"
Lucius smirked at her. "He is only Alphonso when the setting is more relaxed."
"After the first glass?"
"Not necessarily!" Lucius protested.
Hermione laughed. "I'm sure! You should have revealed this entire affair that night Draco went to Gabrielle's."
"I suppose that I should have mentioned…but I didn't think of it, we so happened to be conversing about France."
"True. Well, Ricci will be here at four, to answer your question."
"Thank you."
"Alphonso Ricci. You have to wonder what his middle name…is…" an idea had suddenly sprung on Hermione, she paused as it finished forming.
"Its Horace, actually, bit of a twist there."
Hermione stood suddenly, making Lucius raise his eyebrows. "Birth records!" she exclaimed excitedly before making a dash out the door. Before she could make it too far, something closed around her wrist.
Sandy, standing down the hall at the cluster of desks, got a confusing view of his boss dashing out the door and then being spun back through it.
Finally spinning to a stop, Hermione found herself nose to chin with Lucius. His eyebrow was classically raised. "Now just where were you going?"
"Nowhere." She said innocently, trying to ignore their proximity and his hand, which was still grasping her wrist.
Lucius smiled coolly. "So you were leaving the room to go nowhere."
"Um…yes."
"How very innocent you sound." For some mysterious reason, Hermione felt the need to grin, but she managed to keep her angelic smile. "I do recall you saying something along the lines of 'birth records'." Hermione looked at the silver buttons running down his clothes, flushing slightly. "And," he said brightly, "weren't we on the subject of…let me see, ah…middle names?"
"Its quite possible." Hermione said agreeably, feebly figuring a way to escape.
She was close enough to his chest to feel the laugh before it managed to make its way into the air surrounding them. Hearing the short burst, her lips twitched into a small smile of her own. "Ah. So you planned to skip off to the records department and look up my middle name?"
Hermione decided to shoot for the easy way off the hook; making him laugh again. It definitely wasn't just so she could hear it again, oh, no. "Me?! Running off to do illegal things?! And cheating for information!?" Hermione looked properly abashed. How could he think such things?
Lucius couldn't help but smile down at her, as she looked up with shocked brown eyes. Once more she felt the slight snicker before it crossed his lips. "Hermione, Hermione, Hermione!" he shook her slightly for emphasis. "You wouldn't run out on a guest, now would you? Now, go sit down."
Hermione withdrew herself from his grasp and slid past his shoulder to resume her seat, Lucius smirking at her all the way. He sat as well, while Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "Stop smirking at me like that."
Lucius' smirk widened. "Quit it!" Hermione whined crossly.
"Temper, temper." He responded coolly, still smirking.
"GAH!" Hermione said, standing. "What is with that!"
"Goodness, Hermione, you do take defeat seriously."
"It isn't defeat, you are just sitting there, smirking away, foiling my plans and being over protective about your middle name! I have never seen anyone get so defensive in all my life! And about a name, for Merlin's sake!"
"Well, Hermione," Lucius said, grin seemingly growing as her tantrum went on, "I do believe that it is my middle name. Now be a good sport, as they say, I daresay you are a very clever girl, you can come up with another plan to find out this ridiculous affair."
"How can you do this? You go straight from Relationship Therapist to diplomat to drinking partner to detective to infuriating!"
The more irritated she became, the more excited he seemed to be. His smile grew and grew, mimicking her aggravation. "And you smirk! You sit there, ignoring everything and you grin and raise your eyebrows and pretend you are hearing some scandalous piece of gossip!"
"On the contrary, Hermione Jane, I find this very interesting! You are quite amusing when you are angry…"
Hermione's face had a mini-explosion of its own. "What?! You are SO vexing! I don't believe…you…AMUSING!? HOW…how…this is ridiculous, and you are despicable, and aggravating and irritating and vexing and leering and horrid and-" Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And you have graciously lent me your home and I go and talk to you like this."
"Please, continue, I rather like you when you become so…uppity." Hermione's shoulders slumped. Since when did Lucius A. Malfoy say uppity? Lucius stood, and she noticed the happy glint in his eye for the first time. "It creates much fun, but, I fear I have stayed too long. It was quite an enjoyable afternoon, yet I fear that it is nearing four, so I must away."
And with that, he gave a half bow and exited. Hermione finally pulled herself together and realized that she wasn't half finished with him, and that he had left. She growled furiously, balling her hands into fists. He was so cursed polite, and conniving and manipulative. Hearing voices, she stopped her furtive thinking. The extravagant Italian greeting was delivered smoothly, and received loudly. The second voice she knew belonged to Senor Ricci, so the first voice must have been…
The voices laughed and continued, followed by an assurance to stay in touch and a farewell. Hermione restrained herself from bursting into the hallway to scream at Lucius.
Instead, she took a deep breath, smiled her best, winning smile, and glided into the hallway issuing a warm welcome and glaring at the back of the exiting blond head. As the short, mustached ambassador flew into a rapid fire of speech, Hermione managed to catch Lucius turn and smile fondly at her. Satisfied at seeing her face twist, he laughed slightly and exited.
PAGE BREAK
Hermione ate her dinner with perfect posture and countenance. She refused to look at Lucius. After some time, Draco decided that the dithery smiles his father was throwing at the poor, impassive girl were something to check on. "So, Hermione, what happened today?"
"We visited!" Lucius gushed.
"Never come to my office again."
"Father, have you been naughty?" Draco said, grinning at his father like one does when teasing a small child.
"It is entirely possible."
"You are disgusting."
"Was it really that bad?" Draco said, laughing.
"Yes. No." Hermione shook her head. "Never come to my office again! The entire day after you left I couldn't do anything right!"
Lucius smiled gleefully and Draco smirked. "I see Father has done his damage."
"And I haven't seen you in the entire time I have been installed in that department."
"I work too, you know!"
"I'm sure."
"I'm sure you're sure."
"I'm sure you're sure you're-"
"Alright, I might have behaved like a child today but this is quickly getting old."
"But father, we didn't even get to the fourth chorus!"
Hermione, deciding that this was payback time, quickly conjured a slip of paper under the table. Using her wand, she spelled a message on it and shot it onto Draco's lap. He managed it discreetly and jotted down a response.
Hermione glanced at it under the table. Lucius watched her grin expand and instantly became wary.
"What?"
"I know something you…know!"
"Wha- Draco you didn't tell her!"
Draco shrugged, exaggerating innocence.
Hermione beamed. "I want to hear you say it."
"Never."
"You might as well…"
"I refuse."
"Please?" Hermione looked at him beseechingly.
Lucius groaned and tossed his napkin on the table. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, he said "My name is Lucius Androxias Malfoy."
"Thank you. If it's any comfort I think it's beautiful. Oh, and," Draco pushed his chair back and leaned forward. "You just told me of your own accord, by the way."
"What?"
"Draco didn't tell me!" Hermione said gleefully.
"Run, NOW!" Draco said, and they both dashed for the door, laughing hysterically as Lucius whirled into the hallway behind them. They shot up the stairs and Lucius glared after them contemptuously.
"I think its beautiful." He mocked to himself. This action was more to mask the fact that, suddenly, his middle name didn't seem quite as bad.
AN- okay, phew. well, that's that, the next chapter is in the works, (it should be shorter, not the great American Novel or something.) i SHOULD have the internet for a while now (it fades...in...out...unpredictable, really) so i will definitely keep you posted! and there was something else i wanted to say, but i have completely forgotten. which sucks. oh, and i am TOTALLY proud of Lucius' middle name. cant you just hear him say it?! -squeal!- ahem. well, moving ahead, i shall post ASAHP (as soon as humanly possible) and...right...well...AB FAB! later!