Author's Note: As always, thanks to the lovely Mamacita for her mad beta skills

Cindy sat at the table with a cup of tea, reading the Daily Prophet. Or, more actually, she wasn't reading it. She had tried several times, but her mind kept wandering back to her argument with Andrew the previous night. Lissy had gone to stay with her grandparents for a few days, a last-minute chance to do some Muggle shopping before she went back to school, so the time had seemed right to confront Andrew about his responsibilities towards his daughter.

She had really hated lying to Lissy about why she didn't have any siblings but knew that had she told the truth Lissy would have blamed herself all the more, especially as Cindy knew she would have had trouble keeping back the bitterness she felt towards her husband for the way he had treated her in the aftermath of the pregnancy. Perhaps she could explain things to Lissy in a few years; when she was older. More, she hated Andrew for putting her in the position of having to lie in the first place. Whilst it had been some time since she had felt anything but contempt for her husband, Cindy knew that Lissy craved his affection as much as she once had, and she needed to find a way to make him give it.

When Andrew had arrived home from work, he had done his usual trick of disappearing straight into his study where he had poured himself a large Firewhisky. Cindy had followed him and, not bothering to knock, had barged in demanding to talk to him about Lissy. As usual, he was belligerent, but she explained how upset Lissy was at not getting to spend any time with her father and suggested he could arrange for the two of them to spend some time together maybe at the cinema or going for a meal, just something to put the relationship back on an even keel.

Of course, the bastard wasn't in any way interested and what had started as a respectful request turned into a major slanging match, ending with Andrew storming out of the house and slamming the door behind him, leaving Cindy in tears. Feeling thoroughly depressed she had gone to bed and had an early night, hoping to sleep it off.

But it hadn't worked. By the time the morning arrived Cindy still felt desolate and completely fed up and being at home alone wasn't helping her mood at all. Making a decision, she dressed and put on her makeup. Once she was ready she reluctantly penned a note to Andrew, assuming he was going to bother to return home at some point, telling him she had decided to go away for a couple of days. If he needed to get hold of her urgently he could contact the Leaky Cauldron.

Having sent Ru to her parents and Lissy with the same message, she packed an overnight bag and grabbing her coat and handbag, Flooed to the wizarding pub that straddled the Muggle and Wizarding worlds and contained one of the entrances to Diagon Alley. Once there, Cindy booked a room with Tom the barman for three nights. That done, she immediately headed toward Florean's, hoping a chat and an ice cream would soon help to cheer her up a bit.

Florean was surprised to see Cindy again so soon after her previous visit but quickly provided her favourite sundae and a willing ear. She told him all about the discussion with Lissy following the revelation of Draco's present and also about the ensuing argument with Andrew. Having had years of experience, he expertly also picked up on what she wasn't telling him: her confused and clouded feelings about Lucius coming back into her life.

The ice cream man had long considered Cindy like a daughter and whilst he was opposed to Lucius' choice of lifestyle he had always thought the two of them should have tried to make a go of things instead of lumbering themselves with the partners they had eventually chosen. Of course, it didn't help that he thoroughly detested Andrew — always had, even from the first time they had been introduced, long before he had been such a bastard to Cindy when she had almost died giving birth to Lissy. As far as Florean was concerned there weren't words bad enough to describe the sort of man Andrew was for blaming Cindy for not being able to have a son. He felt sure that despite all his faults, Lucius would never have acted that way. Then he wondered idly whether Cindy had told Lucius about her relationship with her husband and the cause of its breakdown.

Florean reassured Cindy that Lissy would be fine. Hopefully, the main points of the argument she'd had with Andrew would penetrate his thick skull at some point and he would see reason and do something about increasing his access to Lissy. If not, as far as Florean could see, Lissy wouldn't be missing out on much. He was convinced that her father was a complete waste of space.

Cindy couldn't help but laugh at Florean's words, knowing that he was probably being accurate. She was glad she had decided to come here. The break would do her good and relieve some of the stress that had been building up inside of her. But now she was full of ice cream she was ready to do some serious shopping.

'That's a beautiful bracelet,' Florean said as she reached out for her coat. He grabbed her hand and studied it more closely.

'Thank you,' Cindy replied. 'I haven't worn it for a very long time. I thought it was time to dig it out.'

Florean stared at her shrewdly. 'Present, was it?'

'Yes, a Christmas present. A few years ago now, though.' She gave a small laugh. 'Well, I'd better get on. I'll probably be stopping in tomorrow for another sundae, Florean. I might as well make the most of being here, after all.'

Cindy kissed the ice cream man on his cheek and waved as she walked out the door, heading across the road to look in the window of the expensive lingerie shop. For a moment she considered going in, but whichever way she looked at it the garments in there were far too expensive for her. Even if Andrew did feel guilty about the way he had treated her — and she didn't seriously expect him to for one moment — he still wouldn't be happy about her buying an expensive nightgown or sexy underwear. And it wasn't as if he would be interested in seeing her in it.

Sighing, she turned away from the window and continued down the road, not noticing that Florean had been watching her all the while.

Cindy spent the remainder of the afternoon shopping for school things for Lissy and browsing in Flourish and Blotts. For a moment she wondered whether she might run into Lucius there, but of course, they hadn't made an arrangement to meet, and he was probably far away from Diagon Alley and even London. After all, they hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms last time. She found an interesting book that could keep her company during the rest of her stay and, having bought it, headed back towards the Leaky Cauldron to dump her bags.

There were no messages for her, so Cindy got the key to her room, deposited the bags on the large four-poster bed, and having checked her makeup, made her way back down into Diagon Alley, waving at Florean as she passed the ice cream parlour. It was beginning to get dark now and the lane shone prettily as the stores lit up.

Cindy wandered around for a while, concentrating on the stalls that peppered the street. She had never really taken much notice of them on previous trips and was delighted to find some fascinating stuff. She was now much more relaxed than she had been that morning and was enjoying being on her own for once. As she walked she debated whether to go to Mario's for her evening meal. She had never been there without Lucius so it might seem a little odd. But then she remembered she didn't actually know any other restaurants in the area anyway, and since she didn't really fancy eating at the Leaky Cauldron she didn't have much choice.

Finding the place was a little more tricky in the dark; it didn't help that she had never really taken much notice of whereabouts in the street the particular alley was down which the restaurant lay. She wasn't surprised that Narcissa had never found the place. For a moment she found herself heading down a dank-looking road called Knockturn Alley, but the scary-looking people who inhabited the place soon made her retrace her steps. She wandered back towards the Leaky Cauldron slowly, deciding that if she didn't find Mario's on this attempt she would eat at the pub after all. It was only a few minutes later that she finally found the entrance she was looking for and was soon heading into the bistro.

Mario looked pleased but somewhat puzzled to see her, and for a moment her heart beat double time and a sinking feeling made her stomach roil at the possibility that Lucius was at the restaurant. Maybe he was dining with another woman. She wasn't quite sure why the idea upset her, but it did. However, Mario quickly showed her to the booth she and Lucius had previously shared and, having announced that he knew exactly what she needed, he disappeared off in the direction of the kitchen.

After a waiter had brought her a glass of dry white wine and a jug of water, Cindy pulled out the book she had bought, intent on reading while she waited for her meal. But first, she looked around the restaurant. The type of clientele didn't seem to have changed appreciably from the previous times she had visited and she certainly saw no sign of anyone with long blond hair. She relaxed and opened her book, flicking through it as she waited for her meal to arrive.

As ever, Mario didn't disappoint. In short order, he provided a thick meat stew and a plate of steaming pasta with a wild mushroom sauce. It all tasted delicious and Cindy was soon stuffed. As she left she thanked Mario profusely for his choices. The slow walk back up the long winding lane that was Diagon Alley helped to relieve the tight feeling in her stomach, and by the time she arrived back at the pub she had decided she was going to have a few more drinks before she headed off to bed. Cindy wasn't normally much of a drinker but she'd had a good day and wasn't ready for it to end just yet. Also, she knew she would probably have trouble sleeping; she always did for a few days when she went to a new place. A few drinks would help with that, too.

She ordered a glass of wine from Tom and sat down in a booth, once again reading her book. There were few other people around that evening so she felt fairly relaxed and able to lose herself in the story without needing to worry about what was going on around her. When she finally checked the time she realised she had been there for almost three hours and, according to the empty glasses on the table, she'd had three more glasses of wine.

Cindy got to her feet a little unsteadily and headed toward the rooms. Tom smiled at her as she left and she thanked him before climbing the stairs. She found her room, and after shedding her coat she took the glass from the bedside table and quickly filled it with water from the bathroom tap. She downed the drink, then took another. After the third glass, she headed back to the bedroom and stood, gazing at the pile of bags and boxes that covered the bed.

Sighing, Cindy began to clear them off so she could get into bed. She stopped. Wait — boxes? She hadn't bought anything in boxes. She sat on the bed and pulled the largest one towards her. It was a plain white box tied with a large black velvet ribbon. There was nothing on the outside to signify who or where it had come from. What was it doing in her room?

Cindy removed the ribbon and pulled off the lid to reveal layers and layers of pure white tissue paper. She pushed the paper aside and gasped in astonishment. Nestled within was a delicate silk chemise in a beautiful golden apricot shade and a matching lace negligee. She took them out of the box, admiring the exquisite workmanship and the beautiful quality. There was only one place these could have come from but she still couldn't work out how they had ended up in her room. Obviously, they had been sent to the wrong place. Without an address label, Tom had clearly assumed from the amount of shopping she had done that they were hers and mistakenly put them in here. She carefully rewrapped the clothes and retied the bow.

She knew she should just move the boxes off the bed and go to sleep but she couldn't resist peeking to see what was inside the others. After all, she would never be able to afford such beautiful garments herself, but at least she would get to see and feel them briefly, even if she never got to wear them.

Cindy pulled the second box towards her and quickly opened it, delving through the layers of tissue paper to discover a set of underwear, once again exquisite in detail and styling and also feeling like silk. She laughed. Surely whoever these belonged to was a Slytherin. The beautiful garments were dark green and black striped with a fine silver thread running through them and edged with pale grey lace. Cindy thought they were probably the most beautiful lingerie she had ever seen.

Again she re-wrapped them properly and then she opened the last box. This one astonished her even more. Once again it was underwear, but this time in Gryffindor colours; red and gold. There was also a matching suspender belt and the finest, sheerest stockings she had ever seen. The beauty of this particular set completely took her breath away and she wished they really were hers. To wear something of such elegance would be amazing.

Cindy was reluctantly putting the exquisite underwear back into the box when there was a knock on the door. At first, she ignored it, assuming it was probably a mistake, but then she remembered she had left word as to where she was and thinking it might be an emergency she went and opened the door, her heart constricting a little with anxiety.

To her complete surprise, it wasn't Tom but Lucius who stood outside her door, wearing an expensive green and black striped silk dressing gown and a smile. Cindy stared at him in amazement.

'What are you doing here?' she asked.

'I thought I'd get away from things for a few days,' Lucius shrugged, answering in his lazy drawl. He peered around her into the room. 'You found my gifts, then?' he asked with a smile.

'Your gifts?' The penny dropped. 'You bought those clothes for me?'

Lucius nodded. 'Of course. I couldn't believe you really didn't have any nice underwear, but then I thought of your husband and realised you actually probably didn't. Do you like them?'

Cindy looked at Lucius in astonishment. 'Like them? They're beautiful. But I really can't keep them, Lucius.'

'Of course you can. It's only a few little things, after all. Have you tried them on yet?'

'No, of course not. I thought they had been sent here by accident. I was just being nosey by having a look.' She giggled at the admittance.

'Well, get to it. I especially want to see those nightclothes just now.' Lucius winked at her. 'No point in trying on the underwear tonight; you'll only need to take it off again.' He smirked.

Cindy looked outraged. 'You expect me to get changed and give you a show, do you?'

'Well, yes. After all, I did buy them. It would be nice to check and see that they look good. Are you going to invite me in or do I have to stand out here all night?'

'I can't believe you,' Cindy replied in exasperation, shaking her head. 'I'm going to bed, Lucius, and I suggest you do the same.'

'Exactly what I was hoping to do,' he agreed seductively.

'In your own room,' Cindy added pointedly.

'Spoilsport!' Lucius whispered. He grabbed Cindy round the waist and pulled her into a hug, his lips finding hers before she had a chance to protest.

Panicking at the possibility of being seen in such a compromising position, Cindy pulled Lucius into her room and he kicked the door shut with his foot as he kissed her again, this time more passionately.

'You tricked me,' Cindy said accusingly as they parted.

Lucius laughed unconcernedly. 'Not at all. I was quite happy to stay kissing you in the hallway all night. Although I have to admit being in here is better.' He walked towards the bed, picked up the largest box, and handed it to Cindy.

'Here. Please go and try it on. There's no point in you keeping it if it doesn't look or feel right.' He held up a hand to stop her protests and pushed her towards the bathroom.

Once in the bathroom, Cindy wasn't sure what to do. The gown was absolutely gorgeous, but she couldn't keep it. Could she? She quickly slipped out of her drab clothes and slid the silk slip over her head, enjoying the cool feeling of it as it covered her body. She discovered that there were also a matching pair of knickers, if you could call them that. They were the tiniest things she had ever seen. She giggled as she stepped into them and then pulled on the lace jacket. She looked at herself in the mirror. The colour suited her perfectly and she looked . . . classy. God, she would love to keep this outfit, but it wouldn't be right.

'How does it look?' Lucius' velvety voice came through the door. 'Please let me see, Cindy. I was sure the colour was perfect for you.'

Cindy thought about it for a second and then took a deep breath, opened the door and walked out of the bathroom. Before her stood Lucius, looking more gorgeous than she had ever seen him, his usually immaculate hair tousled and the dressing gown partially open to reveal his chest sparsely covered with pale blond hair. The smile that lit up his face at the sight of her was breathtaking and for a moment she felt lightheaded.

In two strides he reached her and pulled her into his arms again, holding her firmly but gently as his mouth once more sought hers. This time Cindy didn't fight it, instead, giving herself completely to his embrace. One of his hands moved to run through her hair as he kissed her, and he gave a small moan of pleasure as his lips found her throat, blazing kisses down it towards her chest.

Lucius gently pushed Cindy onto the bed under him, one hand grasping her wrists and pushing her hands over her head, pinning her to the bed as he pressed against her, his lips still planting kisses on her face and neck. Cindy had closed her eyes and was biting her lip and trying not to moan but as his other hand ran up her thigh, caressing it gently, she couldn't stop herself. He gazed at Cindy laying beneath him, noting the swell of her breasts and the faint outline of her now erect nipples and smiled with pleasure. As he glanced at her wrists caught in his hand he noticed the bracelet.

'You're wearing my bracelet,' he said, his voice stilted with emotion. As far as he had been aware, she had never once worn it after he had become a Death Eater.

Cindy opened her eyes and looked at him. 'Yes. It's so beautiful and it seemed such a shame to have it locked away.'

'You're the beautiful one,' Lucius replied and bent to kiss her again.

For a moment Cindy thought of Andrew but then she realised she actually didn't care what he thought any longer and she turned her attention back to her beloved Lucius instead.

Breakfast was over and Cindy headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As she stood under the streaming hot water with her eyes closed, she thought back to the night she and Lucius had just spent together. She knew she should feel guilty about what they had done, but she didn't. She actually felt better and more alive than she had done for years; so good, in fact, that she could almost sing.

She laughed out loud at that stupid idea, then almost jumped out of her skin as Lucius' seductive voice whispered in her ear asking her what she was laughing at. His strong arms were soon wrapped around her waist and he pulled her back towards him as he kissed her neck and shoulders. It was quite some time later when they finally emerged from the bathroom.

'I hope you're going to try some of that underwear on,' Lucius drawled lazily, a small smile playing on his lips as he lay across the bed watching Cindy drying her hair with a towel. 'I guess I'm ready for you to get dressed now.'

Cindy looked at him, pursing her lips in mock outrage. 'Oh, you're ready, are you? What about what I'm ready to do?'

'Well, of course, we don't have to get dressed,' Lucius answered seductively. 'We could just go back to bed.' He reached up and pulled Cindy onto the bed next to him, his mouth finding hers in a deep kiss as he pushed her onto her back.

'I think we've spent more than enough time in bed already, Lucius,' Cindy laughed once she was free to talk. 'Perhaps I will get dressed after all.' She pushed him off her and slid off the bed.

'We've spent nowhere near enough time in bed,' Lucius grumbled. 'We've got twenty years to make up for, and I intend to claim every minute I can.' He stood and pulled her towards him once more, kissing her again. 'Although seeing you in that underwear would be good. Of course, I can't guarantee it'll be staying on long.' He waggled his eyebrows lecherously.

Cindy shook her head in amusement. 'And which set do you want me to wear?' she asked.

Lucius looked thoughtful. 'Good question. I can't decide which I'd enjoy seeing more, you finally dressed in Slytherin colours or just being my sexy Gryffindor.' He laughed. 'Perhaps you should surprise me.'

Cindy thought for a second. Then, quickly rummaging in her overnight bag, she answered cheekily, 'In that case, I'll go for these,' and held up her aging, boring white cotton knickers and dowdy bra.

Lucius laughed loudly. 'Oh, yes, so sexy. I don't know why I bothered buying you new stuff when you had those gorgeous items tucked away.' He pulled the underwear out of her hands and examined it, shaking his head in astonishment and horror. 'You don't honestly wear stuff as ghastly as this, do you, Cindy?'

Cindy smiled at him and picked a box at random. Ducking back into the bathroom, she opened it and discovered it was the Slytherin set. She smiled to herself. She had a feeling Lucius would be very pleased about that. Now dressed in the beautiful underwear she looked at herself in the mirror, once again amazed at how good she looked and how sexy she felt. It fit perfectly and felt luxurious on her skin, definitely not the sort of quality she was used to. After one final look in the mirror, she slowly emerged from the bathroom, suddenly self-conscious.

Lucius' face was a picture as he gazed at the beautiful woman leaving the bathroom. He erupted from the bed and flew towards her, smiling brilliantly. 'Finally, you're a Slytherin!' he announced happily and, holding her hands, he looked appraisingly at her. 'And you look completely gorgeous,' he admitted.

Cindy laughed and shook her head. 'Sorry, Lucius, there's no way I'm a Slytherin. I'm Gryffindor through and through.' She stared at the man defiantly.

Lucius looked at her, and despite the clothes had to agree. 'Yep, my true Gryffindor princess,' he said as he pulled her into his embrace.

'I do love the underwear, though,' Cindy whispered.

'So do I,' Lucius agreed, his lips finding hers.

Lucius and Cindy walked down Diagon Alley enjoying the crisp sunshine. It was clear to anyone who might be watching that they were happy in each other's company — maybe a little too happy for mere acquaintances, one could say. Fortunately for them, the only person who was watching was Florean Fortescue, who they waved to as they passed. He smiled to himself as he wiped down the tables outside his ice cream parlour.

After Cindy had left the shop the previous day, Florean had sent an owl to Lucius informing him that she was staying at the Leaky Cauldron. As he had expected, the man had arrived almost immediately and, Florean had been pleased to note, had headed straight for the lingerie shop Cindy had stared at so longingly. Florean felt no guilt at doing this. It was clear that both their marriages were a complete sham. Anyone could see they were the perfect couple, regardless of their histories, and if he could give them a helping hand to get them back together, then so be it. Cindy deserved to be happy and he would do everything in his power to achieve that.

Cindy had felt a little embarrassed as she walked past Florean's shop with Lucius, but the smile he had given them had calmed her a little. She was aware that Florean hated Andrew but she wasn't sure of his feelings for Lucius. He had never really shared those with her. Not that she had ever actually asked him. When she and Lucius had first been in love she had told Florean all about it. God, she had probably driven the poor man mad over the years with her ramblings, but she had never once asked his opinion of the boy in exchange. When things had turned bad, she had complained about Lucius and the things he was doing, but once again she never asked Florean's opinion, merely using her friend as a sounding board.

Now she wondered, what did Florean think about Lucius? More to the point, what did he think about the two of them becoming friends again? Would he caution her against getting too close? Well, it was too late for that now. They had gone way past close.

She glanced at Lucius and saw him nod at Florean. Obviously, he knew him better than she had thought. For a moment she imagined poor Florean having to listen to years of the same sort of drivel from Lucius that she had spouted but she couldn't imagine Lucius being that open with anyone. He hadn't even been that open with her and she had been the love of his life. But that didn't mean he hadn't talked to Florean.

And how had Lucius known she was staying at the Leaky Cauldron, anyway? She hadn't told him, and she was sure Andrew would never have said anything. Lissy was with her parents and was hardly likely to have mentioned it to Draco, and even if she had, would Draco have bothered telling his parents? She didn't think so. Of course, it was just vaguely possible that Lucius had been in Diagon Alley yesterday after all and had noticed her going to the Leaky Cauldron, but somehow that didn't seem quite right, either. She looked again at Florean, who was busy wiping down tables and no longer looking at them.

'We'll have to get an ice cream later,' she told Lucius, who smiled.

'It's January!'

'So? Anytime's good for ice cream. You don't just eat it in the summer, you know.'

Lucius rolled his eyes. 'I'd forgotten about your love of ice cream. It hasn't diminished over the years, then?'

Cindy laughed. 'No, absolutely not. It's an essential food group. Lissy and I have to have ice cream whenever we come shopping. Anyway, I promised Florean I'd be stopping in for one.

'—I'm sure he's surprised to see us together.' She looked at Lucius, all innocence.

'Actually, I spoke to Florean just before Christmas,' Lucius said carefully, his voice giving nothing away. 'I had to visit Gringotts and he told me you were around. That was the day I became your pack horse.' He shook his head ruefully. 'Perhaps I shouldn't have looked out for you,' he said laughingly.

'You haven't spoken to him since?' Cindy looked at him sharply. 'I didn't realise you were friends with Florean. You never talked to him much when we used to come here.'

'I could never get a word in,' Lucius replied, laughing. 'I think Florean was as much in love with you as I was, and the two of you were always chatting on about something. Always in secret too.'

'Usually, I was talking about you,' Cindy admitted, blushing. 'The poor man heard me spout so much crap about you over the years, Lucius. I really don't know how he put up with it.'

'We might as well go in there now, then,' Lucius said. 'I can get a cup of tea while you freeze to death on ice cream. Unless there's anywhere else you need to go first?' Cindy shook her head and they started to walk back towards the ice cream parlour. 'We're not sitting outside, though,' Lucius added quickly. 'It's far too cold for that.'

Cindy laughingly agreed and soon a smiling Florean had shown them to a table inside, near the fire.

'A pot of tea for me, please, Florean, and whatever Cindy's having. I assume it's still the largest ice cream sundae in the shop?' Lucius' voice was light and amused.

Florean laughed richly. 'Of course. Cindy has always loved ice cream. Her daughter Lissy takes after her completely.'

He looked at Lucius meaningfully.

'Yes, I met Lissy at the station back in September. She is the spitting image of her mother,' Lucius replied conversationally. 'Narcissa and I were there dropping off our son, Draco. It was his first day, too.'

Florean nodded. 'Yes, Lissy did mention something about that to me when I saw her over Christmas. I understand she and your son rather hit it off.' He smiled widely. 'Anyway, it is good to see you and Cindy getting on so well again.' He headed off to sort out their order.

'I have no idea how you can possibly eat that much ice cream,' Lucius said as Florean placed the huge sundae in front of Cindy. 'It always amazed me when we were at school, too.'

'I told you, you can never have too much ice cream, Lucius. I love the stuff. I could give up eating everything else and just eat ice cream,' Cindy replied with a laugh.

'Healthy!' Lucius responded. 'And worse still, teaching your daughter the same bad habits.'

'Ice cream isn't a bad habit,' Cindy said defensively, 'it's a pleasure. Anyway, I don't get to have one too often. I limit myself to only having one at Florean's. It's only been recently that I've been spending what seems like a lot of time here. Until September I only used to visit Diagon Alley once or twice a year.'

Lucius looked at Cindy seriously. 'I would bring you here every day if it made you happy,' he said quietly.

Cindy laughed. 'I think I'd go off ice cream pretty quickly if I really did have nothing else to eat. And while I've enjoyed having ice cream a couple of days in a row, I think a third one tomorrow will be more than enough to tide me over for a few months.'

'Does that mean you won't be coming to Diagon Alley again for months?' Lucius asked seriously.

'No, it just means I won't be having a huge chocolate sundae when I do come.' Cindy chuckled.

Lucius was stroking Cindy's hand again. 'Good. I thought maybe you were going to go into hiding again. From me, I mean.' He gazed at the beautiful woman opposite him.

'No, I don't think I'll be doing that,' Cindy mused, and she gripped his hand more tightly for a moment before picking up the spoon and starting on her sundae. Lucius poured them both a cup of tea and for a while, they sat in companionable silence, the only two customers in the shop.

'I thought maybe we could go to Muggle London for a while,' Cindy said quietly as they finished their tea. 'I saw just about everything I wanted to see in Diagon Alley yesterday.' She looked at Lucius, trying to gauge his reaction. 'I thought it would make a nice change,' she finished lamely.

Lucius smiled at her. 'If that's what you want to do. I have to admit that apart from occasionally walking to the Ministry of Magic, I haven't been there for a while.'

Cindy looked at him interestedly.

'Well, actually not really since we split up,' Lucius admitted. 'I did go once. After school finished. I wanted to come and see you, to ask you to reconsider. I started off at the Ministry, but that git . . . Andrew told me you were at home. He gave me directions.' He shook his head and laughed. 'But I got confused with that underground train thing and couldn't remember exactly where it was you lived, so I gave up. It was probably lucky I didn't see you and your parents, I was in a really foul mood by the time I got home.'

Cindy stared at Lucius in astonishment. She had never known that he had come looking for her. Andrew had never once mentioned it. 'He never told me,' she whispered.

'No, of course not,' Lucius replied only just hiding his belligerence. 'He didn't want you knowing I'd tried to see you. I'm sure he sent me off in the wrong direction on purpose, knowing I was uncomfortable in Muggle London and expecting I'd end up losing my temper. He was probably hoping I'd end up hexing you or your parents. That would have really capped it, wouldn't it?'

'I'm sorry, Lucius,' Cindy said quietly.

'What are you sorry for? It wasn't you who sent me off on some mystery tour around Muggle London; it was your . . . husband. Gods, Cindy, I still have absolutely no idea why you ever married that man. He was always a complete tosser!'

'I'm beginning to see that,' Cindy said unhappily. 'Although to be honest, it wouldn't have made any difference. I wouldn't have wanted to see you. I spent almost the whole of the last year of school trying to avoid you.'

'I know. But it didn't stop me wanting to see you. And then things got dangerous and I didn't even dare look for you . . . .' Lucius' voice trailed off.

This time Cindy stroked his hand.

'So how did you know I was at the Leaky Cauldron?' Cindy asked curiously as they sat in the café in Embankment Gardens having another cup of tea.

'A little bird told me,' Lucius said vaguely, looking around uneasily at the Muggles all around him.

'A little bird sent by Florean Fortescue by any chance?'

'Hmmm, you worked it out, then?' Lucius looked abashed.

'Well, there wasn't really anyone else it could have been unless you were already in Diagon Alley or the Leaky Cauldron and saw me, and I didn't think that was the case. And Mario seemed surprised to see me when I turned up there,' Cindy explained.

'You went to Mario's. Without me.' Lucius looked upset.

'I was on my own, Lucius. I needed somewhere to eat. I didn't fancy the Leaky Cauldron and I'd already had my ice cream for the day.' She grinned at him. 'I got lost trying to find it and ended up in a dreadful place called Knockturn Alley, but luckily I did find it eventually. Mario was so surprised to see me, I thought for a minute you were there with another woman.'

Lucius glared at her. 'I told you I've never taken anyone else there, only you. And what in blazes were you doing in Knockturn Alley?' He looked horrified now. 'For Merlin's sake, Cindy please don't ever go down there again. It's not safe. Not for anyone, but especially not for you.'

Cindy flushed unhappily at the rebuke. 'I didn't mean to go there,' she said petulantly. 'It was an accident. I was looking for the alley for the bistro and ended up there instead. As soon as I saw some of the people there I turned round and went back to Diagon Alley. And I'm sorry about going to the bistro, too!'

Lucius brushed her hand with his fingertips. 'I'm sorry for getting annoyed, love but you panicked me about Knockturn Alley. It's a place of Dark magic, Cindy and if they found out you were Muggle-born you'd be in serious trouble. Believe me. I know what I'm talking about.'

Cindy shuddered at the desolate sound of his voice.

'As for the bistro, I don't mind that you went there. I'm glad you like the place so much. I was just disappointed that I wasn't there with you.' He laughed ruefully. 'I had to eat at the Leaky Cauldron. I needed to make sure I was there when you returned to your room. Of course, I hadn't expected you would sit downstairs drinking all evening.'

Cindy laughed apologetically. 'I'm sorry, Lucius. But then, I had no idea you were there.'

'That was the idea. I didn't want to give you a chance to get away again.' Lucius grinned at Cindy. 'The kissing in the hall was a great idea, though. I just knew you'd have to get me somewhere more private.'

'Yes, you really tricked me with that,' Cindy said.

'No, I really didn't,' Lucius replied shaking his head. 'As I said last night, I would have been quite happy to have spent all night kissing you in the corridor. I don't care who sees us. It's only you who's trying to convince everyone you're happily married.'

Cindy frowned.

'I told you, Cindy, I'm completely in love with you, and I meant it,' Lucius continued passionately. 'Always have been, always will be. Nothing that has happened or will happen can ever change that. It seems pointless for us to pretend things are otherwise.' He looked at her, smiling now. 'Especially when I know that you enjoyed last night just as much as I did.' As ever, he was holding her hands, something he did as much as possible.

Cindy blushed but didn't say anything. She knew she should tell Lucius it couldn't happen again, but she didn't want to. She had enjoyed being with him again. Eleven years in a barren and unloving marriage had actually increased her desire beyond anything she had ever remembered, and Lucius had fulfilled her every need. Nothing could make her leave him again but she also knew that as things stood she couldn't be with him openly.

'I can't rush this, Lucius,' she said quietly. Lucius nodded, his look saying that he understood.

A few minutes later they left the café and headed towards the tube station, Cindy eager to go shopping in Oxford Street before returning to Diagon Alley. They had ended up having a meal in Chinatown and then a few drinks in a pub just off Leicester Square before returning to the Leaky Cauldron. They both went immediately to Cindy's room, no longer needing any pretence of being there separately. Once again Lucius got to admire the underwear he had bought, although this time only briefly.

The following day saw the two of them heading out once again into Muggle London. Cindy was pleased to see that Lucius had made slightly more effort to blend in today, transfiguring his robe into black jeans and polo neck jumper and his cloak into a heavy winter coat. His hair was tied back with a black velvet ribbon. She thought he looked gorgeous and happily leaned over to give him a kiss as they sat on the tube.

They were heading for the Tower of London, Cindy having expressed an interest in going sightseeing. They spent a happy, if somewhat chilly day with Cindy showing Lucius places he had never even dreamed existed. By the time they arrived back at Florean's for that last minute ice cream, both had aching feet and were ready to sit down. As a history buff, Florean was interested in discussing with Lucius the places they had been, and Cindy sat contentedly eating her sundae, watching two of her favourite men in the world discuss Muggle warfare, something she would never in a million years have thought would happen.

Too soon the ice cream was gone and they were heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, Cindy promising to see Florean again soon and Florean telling her quietly how good it was to see her happy again. With Lucius, he exchanged no words, just a look and a handshake, which said everything it needed to.

For the meal that night, their last before they went back to their respective partners, Lucius intended to take Cindy to a very expensive restaurant. Cindy however, had other ideas. She wanted to go to Mario's. Lucius explained that he wanted to take her somewhere special, and Cindy countered that Mario's was special. It was their place, and she couldn't imagine having a better meal than there.

Of course, that covered up the fact that although she now had beautiful underwear she didn't have a decent dress to wear over it. She had not brought anything even remotely dressy with her as she hadn't been expecting to dine anywhere other than Mario's or the Leaky Cauldron. But it was also true that she loved Mario's and enjoyed being there with Lucius. She was sure she would have a better time there than in some fancy place where she would spend all evening worrying about being seen.

So they spent a long relaxing evening at the bistro. Mario seemed to have gone out of his way for them, producing some magnificent food, and Cindy had the best evening she could ever remember. When they finally left the restaurant to walk slowly back to the Leaky Cauldron, Lucius pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.

'I really wish tonight wasn't our last night together,' he said sincerely.

'Me, too,' Cindy agreed as she pulled his head down for another kiss.

'Perhaps we could run away together?' Lucius laughed.

'I don't think so,' Cindy was shaking her head. 'Real life isn't like that, Lucius.'

'No, I know. It doesn't stop me thinking about it, though.'

'I've had a really good time with you,' Cindy continued as they walked up Diagon Alley. 'But of course I always did,' she admitted.

'Well, it isn't over yet,' Lucius replied mischievously. 'We have all night yet.' Cindy laughed as they made their way into the pub. 'Do you want another drink?' Lucius asked.

'No, I've had plenty. I think I'm just going to call it a night.' Cindy's face held the same mischievous grin now.

'Yes, I'm feeling rather in need of a lie-down myself.'

Lucius winked at her and the two of them headed for the stairs, each saying goodnight to Tom as they passed.