AN- bad, bad, author! i had some issues with writers block with this one (there is a 'conflict' of sorts, which im not good at because i dont LIKE conflicts but what can you do?) so forgive me for the delay! on with the jolly sport of reading!

Hermione woke up the next day, looking out her window at a beautiful brink-of-spring morning, which was slowly ruined by the sinking feeling in her stomach.

Today was the day she would be condemned or celebrated. Or both.

Well, no use hanging about in bed all day. First things first, check up on Lucius. As she dressed, Hermione thought about cutting out early this afternoon, seeing as it was a Friday and she had some Weasleys to visit.

As she exited her wing, she saw Draco leaving the family wing. "Good morning, Draco!"

"That remains to be seen," he said grinning. "Shall we go to breakfast?"

"I had wanted to check on-"

"Don't." Draco cut her off. "He won't see you. He won't see anyone, believe me."

"Why not?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Hermione bit her lip. Of course Lucius wouldn't want anyone to see him…but she did want to…really badly.

"That's what I thought. Come on, we can go have a lovely unperturbed breakfast while he is being a recluse in his ghastly chamber."

As they descended the wide staircase, Hermione grinned. "You know, sometimes you sound uncannily like-"

"Don't finish that thought. Really it unnerves me, sounding like my father." Draco shuddered. "Anyway. What have you got lined up for today?"

Still grinning, Hermione said "Well, I have to go to the office of course, be mobbed by press and public, and I might let out early to visit the Weasleys depending on how the day goes. I'm amazed there hasn't been any post delivered here…"

Draco gave a short laugh as they sat. "You really think we wouldn't have solved any issues with the mail by now?"

"Good point…a filtration system?"

"Sort of. More like a block-and-file system. Any letter deemed frivolous is sent to the depths of the manor. Worthwhile ones are kept upstairs. Although with Father being ill I don't know when we shall see them…"

"I must ask Flopsy if I can take a look at them…well, that aside, what are you looking at today?"

"Nothing. Probably bother Gabrielle all day…she's begun packing."

Hermione smirked, a rather infectious trait, and said "Aha, so the excitement is rising? It's a wonder you can focus knowing you…"

"You are a horrible, horrible person. Stop spending time with father."

She laughed (some may have said cackled) and polished off her toast. "Do you think…"

"Hermione, I am telling you he won't see you. You will only serve to make him cross."

"But might I try? Just before I go to work?"

Draco sighed. "He's your love interest." Hermione blushed. "You can try…honestly this might be fun…"

"Gee, thanks." She said dryly.

Draco grinned. "Consider it payback for your stinging comments earlier. I will wait to go until you get downstairs to see how the invalid treats his mistress."

Rising, she glared at him good-naturedly. "When he gets well again, I'm telling him everything that transpired and then he'll have some 'stinging comments' for you!"

"I'll bet."

PAGE BREAK

Hermione took a deep breath, staring at his bedroom door. She had never been around a sick Lucius Malfoy, this was highly unfamiliar territory. Steeling herself, she stepped forward and quickly rapped on the door. "Lucius?" she heard some muffled noises and continued. "I just wanted to say goodbye before I left for work…I hope you feel better…"

There was a definite muttering before a very terse "Goodbye."

Hermione pursed her lips. "I'm coming back up here after work, whether you like it or not. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop me. I am happily providing you with the rest of the day to get used to the idea." She quelled the beginnings of a rather sickly protest from the other side of the door with a sticky sweet "Goodbye, dear!" and turned, presented with the view of Draco leaning against a wall, laughing as quietly as possible. "You followed me, you sadist!"

"That was priceless! Oh that considerably brightens my entire day!" He smirked at the door. "Bye father! I'm sure Hermione will be back to give you some lovely therapeutic care!"

Hermione smacked him. "You're such a child! Shut up!" they started down the hall.

"Honestly though, you made my day. No one has done that to him before, it's almost exhilarating."

"Your support is overwhelming."

"You know you're looking forward to this afternoon. Say it."

"Shut up!"

PAGE BREAK

Hermione was more than a little distressed. She had been flooded with mail, most of which was lewd, and she had no idea what to do with it. "Sandy!" she wailed.

"Yes boss- wow…" Sandy stopped in her doorway. "I see that England has given you its response…"

"And some very disgusting inquiries from the rest of Europe. What am I to do with it?!"

"Burn it?"

"I suppose…"

"Here. Banish it to the Parchment Disposal Unit and they'll see to it."

"Will you help me? You have to fill me in on the date anyway!"

Grinning, Sandy magically lifted a stack of letters. "It was fantastic; we've got another one on Monday."

"Is that so? You certainly keep odd hours, going out on Thursdays and Mondays."

"Yeah well. She's fantastic; really, I don't know why I didn't see it before…"

"Aw, Sandy!" he blushed. She banished the last stack of envelopes and ran around her desk to give him a hug.

"We aren't getting married!"

"I don't care! It's about time you found someone!"

"I'm pretty sure this counts as sexual harassment in the workplace…"

"Shut up!" she let him go, grinning. "Go do your job. And if I catch you fraternizing with that reporter while I'm around…well you'll have another dose of the same."

"Merlin forbid!" Sandy grinned and passed Harry on his way out.

"Hey, Hermione."

"Harry! What brings you here?"

He grinned. "Just wanted to let you know that Gin went to the Burrow this morning and I am to go over there for dinner, so whenever you have a chance to pop over, we'll be there."

"Do you know if Molly has read the paper yet?"

"I think Ginny was on a mission to discard it as soon as she walked in the house, but I can't say for sure."

"She thinks of everything." Hermione sighed. "Well, this should be interesting. I will probably head over around five…when will you go?"

"I get off at five every Friday, remember? We can go together. Moral support, you know." He said, grinning.

"I am going to need it…"

PAGE BREAK

Hermione was having a staring contest with her timepiece. Was it really five? Already? Did she have to go?

Sighing, she rose and grabbed her cloak. No sense putting it off any longer, Harry was waiting. She quickly walked to the apparation room, affording Harry a small smile as she approached.

"Don't look so grim. I'm sure you'll be fine…Ginny took it in stride!"

"Yeah…but Ginny has always been accepting…"

Harry marched her up the walk to the Burrow and in the front door, through to the kitchen. "Hello everyone!"

"Harry, it's so good to see you! And Hermione too, this is a surprise!" Mrs. Weasley came over to hug the both of them and Harry went to stand by Ginny. "Ron just ran upstairs for a moment, and Fred, George, Bill and Fleur will be over shortly. Come on, sit down, dear!"

Hermione took a seat at the table. She was about to ask how Molly had been when the back door burst open and the twins bounced in, joking rapidly with one another. Seeing Hermione, they both sobered for a moment. "Hey Hermione!"

"We saw the Prophet this morning-" Ginny elbowed Fred and he stopped talking.

"What about the Prophet?" Arthur Weasley said, walking into the kitchen.

"Oh, this great ugly photo of Percy on the third page." George covered disinterestedly.

"Boys, make room for Bill and Fleur."

"Hey, mum." Bill said, squeezing past everyone to kiss his mother. "Sorry we're late."

"No problem at all, dear!" she smiled at her oldest. "Hermione's dropped by for the moment, and I meant to cut out a clipping for you from the Prophet but I seem to have misplaced it…" frowning, she surveyed her kitchen.

"Mum, don't you remember? The milk spilled on it this morning and the ink all ran so we chucked it."

"That's alright mum," Bill said as Hermione and Ginny did not look at each other, "I read it this morning." He fixed his gaze on Hermione. Fleur readjusted Marten on her hip and glanced at her husband.

Hermione gulped.

Arthur glanced cheerily around the kitchen. "So everyone found something interesting in the Prophet, eh?"

Silence.

Before the shuddering crash of an overexcited Ron nearly falling down the rickety staircase. "What is the meaning of this?"

Hermione stood and turned to face her, apparently, biggest concern. "Ron-"

"Ronald! There is no need to cause such a scene! You're breaking my house and I simply will not allow you to yell around the baby!"

"What about us?!" Fred said, covering his ears in mock pain.

"Yeah! And this great bloke isn't a baby anymore." George said, tugging on Marten's foot as the boy laughed.

"Mum, if only you knew!"

"Ronald Weasley, tell us what this is all-"

"Ron stop building it up!" Ginny glowered, standing from her chair. "Honestly it isn't that big a deal!"

Molly stared at her children, scrutinizing them. Arthur swung his gaze from a defensive Ginny to a fuming Ron. "I'm sure this is easily solvable-" he began, before Fred noticed that day's Prophet clutched in Ron's shaking fist.

"Oi, it isn't that bad!"

"Calm yourself, Ronniekins!" George added, smirking.

Hermione was nearly beside herself. This is not the way she planned for things to happen. Ron had begun to defend himself and Ginny started a squabble and the Twins joined in for the heck of it while their parents were trying to figure out what had happened and Harry moved to Hermione's side, looking to her for guidance. Marten looked on curiously and Fleur gazed at her steadily. Bill stared at the table pensively before breaking in in a loud, clear voice, "Why don't we let Hermione tell us, since it's her news?"

So much for doing this quietly. The mass pandemonium quieted instantly and everyone stared at her. "Well I…" she gulped.

Fleur tossed her hair out of reach from her son and said "'onestly, I cannot see what ze problem eez. I find eet to be very…sweet."

Hermione looked at her with gratitude. "I don't have a problem with it either." Bill said. "And Ron has no reason to be upset, mum, he's being stupid."

"I am not being stupid!"

"Shut up, Ron, it isn't as if you told her about Lavender!" Ginny snapped. Ron sucked in a breath of air and turned a lovely deep shade of maroon.

"Hermione, please put an end to this!" Mrs. Weasley said exasperatedly.

"Well you see the reason I came here was to tell you that I'm seeing someone and well it was in the paper because he's rather well known so it seems that most of you already know and Ron just found out, so really I'm only telling you and Mr. Weasley after all and I really don't know how Mr. Weasley doesn't know-"

"Day off." Fred and George interrupted.

"Oh! So you weren't at the office?"

"No." Mr. Weasley said good-naturedly.

Hermione resumed her small, breathless story. "Well you see, after Ron and I split up I got a lot closer to this wonderful man and-" she continued over a chorus of 'ew' from the twins and a strangled noise from Ron, "we formed an attachment and now we've gone public you might say, so I wanted to come and get your approval because you're basically my family and I love you all so I'm really glad you all seem to support me so far, except for Ron, of course."

Fred, George, Fleur, Bill, Harry and Ginny smiled at her. Marten did too, but he didn't really understand what was happening. Ron was still a peculiar shade and Molly and Arthur were still staring at her.

"Oh! Right, I've forgotten to tell you his name!" She took a deep breath, steadied by the support she was getting. "Lucius Malfoy."

The room was silent, Molly, Arthur, and Ron staring at her. The rest of the party was looking elsewhere.

Ron made a gurgling noise, seemingly in a deeper state of shock than before now that she had said it out loud. Mrs. Weasley seemed to be working on a delay system.

"You didn't tell her you were seeing Lavender?!" She thundered, turning on her youngest son. "Ronald Weasley, I raised you to be an upstanding gentleman-" here snorts from her other sons and an outright laugh from Ginny. Molly glared. "I wouldn't blame her for not telling you outright!"

"Well this only really became a formal agreement yesterday-"

Molly shushed Hermione. "I am so sorry for what Ron has done, Hermione,"

Ginny interrupted "he still hasn't told her. Harry and I did."

Ron glared as Molly's eyes flashed. "You had no right to get upset with her when you haven't mentioned Lavender!"

"MUM THIS IS LUCIUS MALFOY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"Yeah, a very wealthy, intelligent, clever man. The type of person Hermione needs." Bill interjected before eyeing his brother. "Especially after YOU."

The room silenced. Arthur finally spoke up. "Well, Hermione, I think that if you're happy, and he keeps you that way, we're all fine."

"Yeah, I didn't really find it shocking at all." Fred said.

"I didn't either. Bill put it into words." George said.

Molly looked a little helpless. "Well, I think it's wonderful that you are seeing someone."

The use of the word 'someone' spoke volumes. Bill and the twins groaned. "Mum, Bill's said it."

"He's intellectual."

"He's wealthy."

"He'll bend her brain."

"He's for mature audiences."

"He's dashing, don't you agree?" George said, as they paused their list to simultaneously wink at her.

"He has a library rivaling Hogwarts."

"He's everything Hermione needs." Bill finished for them. "Honestly mum, you know him now. Give up and be happy for her."

"I don't need to give up." Molly said, defensive, before hugging Hermione. "I am happy for you and Lucius."

"Thank you, Molly." Hermione whispered.

"Well, zis 'as been lovlee, but I feel zat zee deenair is growing cold. 'Ermione, we congratulate you and Lucius." Fleur said.

"Thank you everyone. He is actually suffering from a head cold right now, so I suppose I should go and tend to him. I don't want to disturb your dinner."

Amidst the protests about how she could never disturb them and the chorus of get well wishes, Ron seemed to be processing. Finally he brought his eyes to Hermione, who was flushed and beaming. "Hermione." He said slowly. His brothers bristled as the room quieted yet again. "They're right. I'm happy for you I suppose…it's just…well…"

"Odd. I'll see you next week, Ron." Hermione said, smiling before waving at the room and leaving.

AN- im sad i didnt really get any of my poor, ill, blond source of inspiration in this, but the Weasley confrontation needed to happen. the end was a little lame, sorry, like i said conflict/resolution, not my strong points. never fear! the next chap should be up, because i have begun it, and it will have LOADS of a very sickly Lucius because i am enjoying myself playing with his character in his condition. thank you so much for your patience, as always, and DETAILED reviews are incentives for me to guilt trip and write faster!

AN PS- uh so last chapter i took a poll asking about marriage and babies? i was a little too cryptic im afraid...i didnt mean Hermione and Lucius. i meant for others around them, lolz. i am WELL AWARE it is too soon for them, and i am not one for rushing things. big fan of the baby steps. thanks for your input though! and i have taken some advice to heart! i appreciate the fact you all responded in full force like that, it makes me feel happy inside ^^ love to everybody! until next time!