Circe watched as Hermione led Draco back to her door with an entire pint of milk in his hand. She saw as the blush after Hermione closed the door after him when Hermione suddenly realised what she had worn in his presence.
"Sweet Circe," Hermione exhaled as she leaned against the closed door.
"Yes?" Circe replied even though she knew that Hermione was not speaking to her.
Hermione looked at her in wide-eyed shock. "Draco Malfoy just saw me in my house robe."
"He didn't look adverse to the sight of you in your wee pink peplos. In fact I think he looked as though he wanted to rip it from your body and worship at your altar of Aphrodite."
"My –," Hermione put two and two together and laughed, dropping onto the chaise. "I assure you that he wants no such thing."
"And why not? Are you not a beautiful witch? Is he not a wizard? Unless does he prefer other wizards? That was much more common in my day I think. You English wizards and witches are much more uptight than we were in my day. In fact, once when I visited the gardens of Lesbos…"
Hermione cut her off, "You know the last story you told about the Bacchanal of Thebes was a bit much for my uptight English sensibilities and I'm concerned that this might be another one of those stories."
Circe tilted her head as she considered it, " You may be right Hermione Granger. I do not think you can handle that story. I will tell the story to Ginevra and Pansy when they come to visit you next. They will like it. Especially the part where the priestess of Artemis and I -"
"Are you quite finished?" Hermione scowled, "Discussing novels is one thing, but really how on earth did you spend nearly a thousand years in Hogwarts?"
"The children didn't try to talk to me, thank Hera, but it was exceedingly dull. I enjoy being your portrait much better. I will enjoy it even more when you have that Draco Malfoy back to take care of the needs of your woman's body. If you could do so on the chaise lounge so I can live vicariously, that would be best for me."
"I promise you that Draco Malfoy will not be shagging me in any room of this flat," Hermione sighed, throwing her arm over her eyes.
"Ah, because you will go over to his dwelling? Did he not say it was nearby?" Circe looked at Hermione questioningly, "Do you not find that exceedingly convenient? You can not tell me that you do not find him a well put together man. Things can not have changed that much since I was a living witch."
Not even bothering to open her eyes, Hermione sighed "You don't understand."
"You are correct. He looked like he wanted to eat you like his favourite sweet and you are not indifferent. Does he have a shrewish wife? Is that why?"
"No, he's divorced as well."
Hermione had spent several hours explaining divorce to Circe one afternoon when she had asked why the young witch lived alone. Circe had scoffed at the idea, recalling how much easier it was to just become a widow. Hermione had not taken her suggestions in that regard at all well. Transfiguring her ex-husband into a pig was also met with disapproval by Hermione, but Pansy had found it to be an excellent idea. Even Ginevra, who was the man's sister, had laughed, but had admitted that most people would not be able to tell the difference. Circe did not wish to meet this pathetic excuse for a wizard. She had trouble understanding why a clever witch like Hermione had married him in the first place, especially when Circe learned that there had been no dowry or marriage negotiations.
"So he has also gotten free from a bad marriage. What is to stop you from allowing his interest?"
"Circe, you have to be mistaken. There is no way that Draco Malfoy was looking at me in any sort of lurid manner. The man is heir to a fortune, he's practically a prince. And I'm just me."
Circe was sure if her portrait form allowed for her eye to twitch it would.
"Draco and I have just developed an acquaintance and I'm going to be helping with his son a little to get them both acclimated to the non-magical world."
"So he already has an heir, so there are no worries. It does not matter if you are not also royal. Although being such a man's concubine would likely be a highly sought after position. You should snap it up as quick as Hera's temper."
Hermione rubbed at her face, "Circe, there is no way on this earth that I am ever going to be Draco Malfoy's concubine of all things." She rose up, "I'm going to shower and I'll speak to you later, but this is the end of our discussion of Draco Malfoy."
As Hermione left the room, Circe determined that this would not in fact be the last time that they discussed Draco Malfoy, if she had anything to say about it.