A/N: Huge thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed after last chapter! This chapter is extra long, and quite a few of you guessed what was going to happen...
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twelve, and be on the lookout for chapter thirteen soon!
October, 1999
Lucius apparated them to the courtyard that his flat was located in, in the Latin Quarter. Hermione was surprised by how modest everything seemed. It definitely wasn't anything like she expected a Malfoy to have.
He lead them up the stairs from the courtyard past a whole series of doors until he got to the one that must belong to him. Using his wand, he unlocked the door, allowing Hermione to enter first.
She hadn't realized until that moment just how nervous she was feeling. It felt as though her heart was going to leap out of her chest, only to have to slow when she surveyed the room. Hermione almost wanted to laugh, because this was nothing like what she expected a Malfoy would own. It was very muggle, and it almost seemed like a bolt hole.
Hermione wondered, sadly, if perhaps this was where Lucius came to escape. To be alone. She hoped that she was intruding on his privacy, but then again, he had insisted that she join him.
The flat spanned the whole building, so that one set of windows overlooked the courtyard and the other set you could see out onto the street. The flat was on the Left Bank, which amused Hermione to no end, and she wondered if Lucius knew just how pedestrian his locale was. It suited her, she thought.
The kitchen was small with just enough cooking space for one person to work at. Did he not have a house elf here? Did he cook for himself or had it just come with the apartment? The room was mostly dominated by a large table, enough for four people to sit at comfortably. Hermione set her traveling bag down on the table, and turned to face Lucius.
He was staring at her with an unanticipated intensity. It was as if he was trying to catalog her every reaction to the room. Was he nervous about what she would think of his home? Shaking her head, Hermione smiled at him. "Well, then, can I have the grand tour?" She asked.
"Of course." He murmured, walking past her in the tiny kitchen. The next room was a sitting room, with one wall absolutely stuffed to the brim with books and papers. Hermione smiled fondly at this, as it reminded her of her own apartment. Most of the titles were dominated by wizarding philosophy, but she noted one or two books on potions as well. "This is the sitting area." He said gruffly.
Hermione nodded, only feeling her fondness for the blond man grow. He was nervous that she wasn't going to like his apartment.
"And through this door, the guest room." He opened the door, and Hermione stepped inside. She felt a rush of relief at the fact that there were two beds. Clearly, he wasn't expecting her to share with him. Though, she also felt a little niggle of disappointment, as well. The bedroom overlooked the Paris streets. The bed looked fairly ordinary.
"Moving on, through this door is my room." He said, opening another door off of the sitting room. "And, unfortunately, the only bathroom is also located in this room." Hermione pursed her lips together. That could be a little bit awkward if she wasn't careful.
Lucius's room overlooked the courtyard, two huge windows across the room from the bed. This bed looked sumptuous and Hermione imagined what it might be like to snuggle into the incredibly soft looking sheets.
The bathroom was also rather ordinary, gleaming white. The only oddity was the large soaker tub. That certainly wasn't a typical feature in these little flats, and she wondered if it was Lucius who had put it in.
Turning around, Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat, as Lucius was standing just behind her. Lower lip captured between her teeth, Hermione felt as though time had stopped, wondering just what was going on between the two of them, before he finally stepped away from her. She felt a throb of disappointment rush through her body, before shaking her head, confused.
"Well, I'll just leave you to your afternoon. I was going to rest for a while, but feel free to go explore if you'd like. The wards will recognize you, if you want to apparate back here." Hermione nodded, glad to have an excuse to leave the tiny apartment. "Perhaps you'd care to join me for dinner this evening?" He asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Hermione didn't even have to think twice before she was agreeing to meet him back at the flat at seven.
She spent the rest of her afternoon exploring the city, taking the metro everywhere, and checking off sights she'd always wanted to see. The weather was not great, chilly and wet, but a discretely cast warming charm always did wonders for her.
Still, she found herself hurrying down an alley where she could apparate back to Lucius's flat, eager to get ready for dinner. Hermione thought about what she'd packed, trying to decide what to wear.
It was important that her outfit make an impression on the older man. Hermione could admit that she found Lucius attractive, and she wanted him to find her just as sexy. Still, she didn't know how she should do with the attraction. Should she act on it? She found it harder and harder to resist him, especially when the feel of his lips on his skin haunted her dreams.
Whenever she was with Lucius, it seemed that he just guided and steered her into doing whatever he wanted. Daphne did it to her as well, Hermione thought with a scowl. It must be a Slytherin trait. They were all so rich and all so used to getting what they wanted. But did it really matter when Hermione wanted it to?
Stepping out into the kitchen area, wearing a little black dress and some tall black heels, Hermione thought that she looked very chic and parisian. Lucius seemed to agree if the surprised look on his face was anything to go by.
He quickly schooled her features before offering his arm. "I know a delicious place not far from here. It's just a short walk up the Seine, if you don't mind."
"Absolutely. A walk would be lovely." Hermione said, her small hand resting against his arm tightly. They left the apartment together, walking along, taking in all the beautiful lights and sights. Hermione was blushing the whole while, thinking that this seemed an awful lot like a date so far.
Lucius greeted the maitre'd at the restaurant in French, before leading her to a table next to the window, with a great view of the Eiffel Tower. Hermione gasped when she saw it. "Oh, Lucius! It's so gorgeous!" She told him, her heart beating faster, thinking of how romantic a setting it was.
The waiter brought them wine right away, and Lucius asked if she would mind him recommending a dish for her. "I've tried everything on the menu here, so I think of myself as somewhat of an expert." He told her.
Months ago, Hermione would have thought his words were snobby and annoying, but now, she could see the warmth and excitement he was trying to share with her. Those Malfoys were so stoic, but you could still find hints of emotion in them, if you knew how to look. Happily agreeing, Hermione listened as he chattered in French with the waiter as well.
Before long, the other man skittered away, leaving Lucius and Hermione alone again. "What did you do today, Hermione?" He asked her, taking a long sip of some wine.
She blushed. "Oh, I am sure you'll find it rather boring. It was all...in the muggle world." There were pockets of wizarding people in Paris, and so far it seemed like Lucius did stray from those.
"I am not sure I could find anything about you boring." His gray blue eyes looked alight across the table, flickers from the votive candles that littered the table.
Hermione was unable to keep his gaze any longer. "Well, I went to the catacombs, La Sorbonne, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur. I went all over today. I didn't get a chance to get the Louvre, though." She told him with some disappointment.
Their food arrived, and Hermione was impressed to see the spread that Lucius had ordered for them. They had a baked Camembert which hearty French bread to share. For himself, Lucius had gotten mussels in a rich white wine sauce, and he'd ordered her rich duck dish, with fresh roasted vegetables. She could practically feel her mouth watering.
"If you'd like, I can show you around the Louvre tomorrow." Lucius offered, looking out the window. "I have visited many times, and I'll be able to show you everything worth seeing, and nothing that's not."
Hermione gasped. "Lucius! I am sure that everything in the Louvre is important in some capacity."
He smirked at her. "Don't pretend that certain things don't interest you more than others." Hermione gave him a stiff nod, thinking of things like Quidditch. There was probably a Quidditch museum somewhere, but that didn't mean that she wanted to visit it. "I can even show you the wizarding wing of the museum."
Hermione's eyes lit up at that. She wasn't even aware that a wizarding wing of the Louvre existed. "Alright, I'm sold." She said, excited with her plans tomorrow. It was odd how easily she got along with Lucius. She couldn't tell if they were kindred spirits, or if he was just trying to get her to like him.
When dinner was finished, Hermione found herself not wanting to leave his company yet. But, she was saved by a generous offer from the blond man. "Shall we take bottle of wine with us? I have some creme brulee in the chilling cabinet, if you'd like dessert?" Feeling her cheeks heat up again, Hermione nodded, excited to continue her conversation with Lucius.
The creme brulee was just as delicious as dinner had been, Lucius using his wand to melt the sugar on top, creating a pleasant sugary shell. The whole time, she'd been nervous and excited, trying to figure Lucius out. She always expected more out of his actions, but so far he'd seemed to have no ulterior motives.
She moved with him to the couch, having her second glass of wine out of the second bottle, her head dizzy and warm, but it felt pleasant, like she was wrapped in a blanket. "Hermione, why are you here with me this weekend?" He asked her finally, his cheekbones seeming severe in some way that they weren't usually.
Hermione felt herself color as it was something that she'd asked herself more than once, and honestly, she didn't have a good answer other than that she wanted to. "I don't know." She said, hating the way she sounded so meek.
"I only mean, I saw that Ginerva Weasley and Harry Potter were having an engagement party this weekend. It seemed odd that you should not attend." Lucius said, leaning back into the couch, his arm draped over the back, close to her body, but not touching.
"Oh, that." Hermione said with a sigh. "The three of them have been acting...well, it has just really hurt the way that they've treated me. Ron can't understand how anyone would want to date me, and has the gall to say it to my face, and then, Harry and Ginny just stand by and do nothing." She pushed her curly brown hair over her shoulder. "I am not ready to be around them yet."
"Ah. You miss your relationship with the Weasley boy." Lucius said.
Hermione scrunched her nose and shook her head. "No! I can't even believe he and I ever thought we could work." She said with a laugh. "No, it hurts more that as my friend for the last however many years, he can still think and say those things about me. I don't understand what changed."
"Well, perhaps it's because you returned to complete your studies, and Potter and Weasley had a year to grow closer. They've changed, you've changed, and it's not going to be the way that it was." Lucius responded.
Hermione's eyes widened, and she wondered when Lucius had had so much time to consider her relationship with Harry and Ron, but she thought he hit the nail on the head perfectly. Ginny would probably just go along with whatever Harry said. "Enough about them." Hermione said, plastering a smile on her face. "I had a very nice time tonight."
"As did I. I think you are a remarkable woman, Hermione." He said, his voice strained, as though he were unused to giving compliments. He reached across the couch, grabbing her empty wine glass and banishing it to the kitchen with his own, before letting his fingers touch her wild curls.
Hermione felt herself being pulled towards him by some invisible force, her mouth slightly parted and her eyes fluttering shut. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to kiss him. Luckily, he had the same idea and leaned forward, meeting her in frantic kisses. He let his tongue slip into her mouth, memorizing every moan and sigh that she made.
She let her arms wrap around his neck and her fingers to delve into the silky hair at his neck, needing to pull him closer against her body. His fingers ran up and down her arms, ghosting over the flesh that her dress didn't cover.
Before long, Hermione was pulling herself up on her knees so that she could straddle his lap, groaning at the feel of his hard cock between her legs. His hands fell to her waist, pressing her against him, so that he could grind against her covered core. She let her head fall back, and sighed again when he covered her neck with kisses.
Then she felt his fingers playing at the zipper of her dress, waiting for some kind of reaction to the movement, making sure that she was alright with this going further. Hermione stilled, thinking for a moment if she wanted it to go further than she already had. The last two times she hadn't wanted to stop kissing Lucius, but she'd talked herself out of it, felt guilty for it.
But now...now she wanted to be bold.
She stood from the couch, grabbing his hand and helping him stand up, before leading him to his bedroom, unzipping her dress while she walked, until it dropped in a pool around her feet, leaving her in just her knickers. Turning to face Lucius, she was surprised to be picked up and nearly tossed to the bed. Her breath left her in a fit of giggles, until she watched him unbutton his shirt.
In her mind, she knew that Lucius was quite fit, but she hadn't imagined to this degree. She was too shocked to do anything until he was crawling up the bed, leaving his pants behind, covering her body with pale flesh.
He was so warm, but he was giving her pleasant shivers up and down her spine, every time his lips pressed against her bare skin, capturing her hard nipple between his teeth, before soothing it with his tongue, the other hand palming her breast.
When his hands abandoned their task, instead trailing down her sides to remove her underwear, Hermione was using her own hands to release him from his. It didn't take long before they were equally naked, Lucius pushing a finger inside of her again and again, before rubbing the wetness around his cock.
Hermione's breath caught in her throat when she felt him at her entrance, but relaxed quickly, letting him inside her, moaning as she was filled by inch after velvety. Hearing his own masculine groan had her head spinning, drunk with the knowledge that she could make Lucius come undone like this.
She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down for another kiss, eager to take him fully. He grabbed her hips, pulling her against him again and again, while he pistoned in and out of her again and again, each of them eager for release. The way he was pressed against her had Hermione closer than she'd ever been during sex, and before she knew it, she was snapping, her core clenching around him as she came, his name on her lips.
Lucius followed not long after her, his hips stilling for a few beats before he rolled over, pulling her to rest her head on his chest. Utterly sated, Hermione stretched her toes, before curling around him and letting herself drift to sleep.