AN: All things Harry Potter belong to JKR.

AND…this fic is rated 'M'….if you are under 18, PLEASE go read something else.

Draco, Samantha and the children left the next week, and Lucius felt their loss. He badgered Hermione and Severus until they went back to work, but he missed them too.

"Get used to it old boy…they'll be gone soon enough."

He snapped at the house elves and huffed about the manor until they returned.

Severus groaned. "Sweet Circe, if I never see another pile of paperwork in triplicate again it will be too soon."

Hermione grumbled something about a long hot bath as Lucius handed his old friend a drink.

"Tansy, take Ms. Granger a glass of wine, won't you?"

The little elf nearly hopped up and down with excitement. "And some chocolates?"

Lucius grinned. "You know best…"

She disappeared without another word.

Severus was making inroads on his firewhiskey.

"Any reasonable reason they had their two best field agents filling out paperwork?"

Severus snorted at the question. "No…it's one of Peterson's petty revenges."

"Who pissed in his porridge?"

"He seems to think we did, though he ought to know I'm much more likely to slip him a deadly poison."

"Let me guess, he's offended that you took leave to care for me."

Severus tossed back the rest of his drink. "That was approved by the department head…"

"So the real problem is that Peterson was reminded that he's not a feudal overlord with delusions of grandeur."

Lucius refilled their glasses.

Severus snorted. "Oh no. Based on today's performance, I'd say he has delusions enough."

"Whatever will you do?"

Hermione entered in her dressing gown, wet ringlets cascading down her back. "I'm thinking a confundus when he's close to a cliff…"

Both men chuckled as she bent to kiss Severus and patted Lucius' arm on her way to refill her wineglass.

Severus eyed her hungrily. "I thought you were soaking in a bath…"

She smiled at her lover mischievously. "I changed my mind and took a shower. I knew that you two were down here and I didn't want to be left out."

Lucius let his pale brows rise. "May I offer you a whiskey then?" It must have been a very bad day.

She tossed back her head and laughed, the music of it filling the room. "I'll stick to wine. I didn't want to miss the snarky comments and the urbane threats of violence."

The witch sat down beside her lover, snuggled into the side of his body. Lucius pulled her feet into his lap. Severus put his whiskey down and started massaging her shoulders. Lucius removed her slippers. She was groaning within moments.

"You two can just keep doing that for the next thousand years or so."

Severus kissed her neck. "You, my darling, are spoiled rotten."

She looked absolutely smug and said nothing at all to defend herself.

Lucius raised her foot slightly as he pressed his thumbs into her heel. He kept his eyes on her face, ignoring the trim ankle and the delicious curve of her leg under the silk.

Lucius had switched his attention to the other foot when Tansy announced dinner. He joined them in the dining room after washing his hands.

Hermione was twirling pasta around her fork. "Did Draco floo-call this afternoon?"

Lucius smiled. "He and his family arrived safely…though I don't think they'll be taking the air-thing again…the twins had a burst of spontaneous magic during the flight, and Draco had to obliviate a couple of muggles."

Hermione frowned. "I'm glad it worked out…magical overload can short out all the instruments in an airplane…it could have been very dangerous." They finished the meal quickly.

Lucius nodded. "I'll be well enough to visit them next time. The healers said I could go back to work at the Ministry next month…" He grinned at them. "As soon as Peterson works through his wounded pride."

Severus snorted. "If he doesn't change his tune tomorrow he's going to damage more than his pride by the end of the week. I have no tolerance for dolts. The Ministry needs us more than we need them." Severus poured himself another firewhiskey and poured one for Lucius too.

Lucius nursed his drink but found himself tiring within an hour. He was annoyed with himself. He was going to have to start taking an afternoon nap like a child or an old man if he wanted to make it through the evenings…

Hermione noticed his drooping shoulders and nudged Severus.

She knelt in front of his chair and stroked his hair back. "You need to rest."

Lucius leered playfully at the witch. "I'll go to bed if you join me."

Severus snorted. "What do you plan to do old man, drool on her?"

Lucius grinned at his friend. "Is that what she likes? That does explain her attraction to you…"

Hermione chuckled and moved under his arm. "We'll both put you to bed or you'll never go."

Lucius smiled down. "Aw mother…five more minutes?"

Severus wrapped a long arm around his shoulders. "Not another second young man."

They were outside his chambers within moments.

Lucius looked at his friends. "Very well, you tyrants…I'll bid you both good night."

Hermione shook her head. "No you don't. We'll tuck you in properly."

The witch led the way into his rooms, rummaged through his wardrobe and handed him a bundle of nightclothes. "Do you need help?"

Lucius snorted. "Your lover will be very irritated with me if I say yes."

Severus moved closer. "Her lover would be the one helping you dress."

Lucius chuckled. "In that case, no, I'll manage on my own. Why don't you go to your own bed?"

Hermione took Severus' hand. "We'll wait outside. Call us in when you're ready."

"I hardly need a nanny." They stepped out. Lucius sighed and pulled his outer robes off. He'd been sleeping naked so he wouldn't have to do more than vanish his robes at the end of each day. Yes, it cost him in clothing, but he had plenty of gold; after nearly dying feeling self-reliant was priceless.

"Lucius, are you done yet?" He cursed under his breath and vanished the rest of his clothing. He grumbled as he pulled on the white nightshirt and matching pants. He practically fell into bed, panting slightly. Merlin, he was still weak.

He wrestled the heavy coverlet out of the way and managed to lie down before Severus walked in.

Severus smirked at him. "Are you decent?"

Lucius smirked back. "Not in the least. Why don't you let your pretty witch tuck me in?"

Hermione followed Severus into the room. She sat on the edge of his bed and stoked his head. He felt like purring.

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "You're doing too much. Are you sure you don't want either me or Severus to take a few more days off?"

Lucius grimaced. "And face the wrath of Peterson? Don't be absurd. I have an entire army of house elves my dear…"

Hermione cut him off. "And you can and do order them to ignore your best interest. You can do that to me or Severus."

"I order…you just ignore me beautifully. Are you sure you weren't a cat in a former life?"

She smoothed the blankets around his torso.

"I can neither confirm nor deny the allegation."

Severus chuckled quietly and reached around Hermione to pat his arm.

"Sleep in tomorrow morning. Don't push so hard or we'll both take off and nag you until you are better."

Lucius sighed as his eyelids drooped. "What would Peterson say to that?"

Hermione snorted. "Peterson can go hang. If you need us here, this is where we'll be."

Lucius reached up and cupped her cheek. Severus pushed an annoying hunk of half-grown hair out of Lucius' face.

"Severus, isn't there anything that will make my confounded hair grow back? It's especially bothersome at night."

His old friend looked down as he stroked his brow. "I'll check my books tomorrow…perhaps I missed something."

Lucius snorted. "As if you'd miss anything in a book."

The witch looked up at her wizard. "It does seem rather unlikely…."

Lucius made a shooing motion with his hands. "Off with you. I'm tucked in, safe and sound and I promise to close my eyes and seek my virtuous rest if you'll only leave…"

Severus pulled the warm weight of the witch away from him. He leered at his old friend. "As if your rest is ever virtuous."

"I should hope not. I wasn't a Hufflepuff after all."

AN: I'll update again this weekend. My daughter has her first basketball game Saturday so I can't be more specific than that.