The next few days were awkward for everyone. Meals were eaten in relative silence, Draco and Harry spent as much time away from the manor as possible, and Hermione, Lucius, and Severus hardly left the master bedroom, not only because they could do as they wish without sneaking around but also because it gave them the chance to really get to know each on a level much deeper than just sex.

Hermione snuggled deeper under the covers. It was two days before Christmas and the temperature outside was nothing short of freezing. She smiled as she felt Lucius' arm snake around her middle and pull her closer.

"You think it's cold now…wait till we get to France." He whispered

Hermione smiled, "We are wizards you know, warming charms were created for a reason." She replied

"As usual, you are correct luv." Lucius said with a yawn. "Pity we can't just stay in bed all day as I am quite comfortable."

"As lovely as that idea is, Christmas is in two days and we have shopping to do. France is the logical choice as we have a better chance of not being spotted by anyone."

Lucius half grunted. Things would be so much easier if she was graduated and they didn't have to worry about what others thought or their reputations, but that just wasn't an option at this point. His reputation was still shite, hardly anyone trusted that he had really seen the errors of his ways and really did realize the Voldemort was a nutter. They would also never believe that Hermione Granger, muggleborn, had shown him that the ways of his past thinking were just all wrong within a few short days of being within the order.

Severus? His reputation was better but only just. No matter what anyone said to defend him or the actual proof of his work with the order, made people believe that Severus was indeed a good man. His sour personality towards people probably wasn't helping his case much either.

And then there was Hermione. Her reputation thus far was golden. She was loved by many and people would go above and beyond for her as she was still seen as a hero. Besides that, Hermione had a heart of gold, yes she was a witch to be reckoned with, but her soul was pure.

It did bother Lucius to think that her involvement with them would most certainly result in people seeing her in a different light. It was something they would all have to talk about eventually as she would be graduating and everything would likely change. His goal was to make sure that one way or another, they could all be together.

Lucius felt the bed shift and snapped from his thoughts.

"Come on; time to get up you two." Hermione stated as she sat up and stretched.

She was actually quite excited to be getting out for a bit, especially to go shopping in France.

Severus opened one eye and mumbled something about, "too bloody cold."

Followed by an "agreed" from Lucius.

Hermione rolled her eyes. It was going to be a long morning

….

It had taken a while, but they had finally made it. Hermione had her list ready to go with ideas marked down by each name. Severus only intended to buy for her and Lucius so his list was quite short, and Lucius only had them and Draco…he also decided to buy something for Harry since it was obvious that Draco was smitten with him.

"So what does one buy for Potter? I don't know the boy well enough to have even the foggiest idea." Lucius asked

Hermione smiled, "Quidditch… anything relating to that is good."

"Easy enough." He stated as they continued to walk through the busy streets of Wizarding France.

The shopping district in Wizarding France really wasn't much different than Hogsmeade. There were bookstores, Quidditch shops, pet shops, little bistros, a few pubs, and a collection of other little shops scattered between the bigger stores. It had everything they would need to get their shopping over and done with.

Despite the cold, Hermione was chipper. It was really the first time that the three of them could be out in public and not have to worry about who was watching them. The way she figured, very few people would recognize any of them, and if someone did, they wouldn't know enough about the situation to report it to anyone, much less make a fuss about it.

So they walked, she had one arm around Lucius and the other around Severus and they did get a few looks. It wasn't every day you saw a young witch on the arms of two older wizards, but none of them cared. It was freedom for all of them.

The first place they stopped was a little café that was snuggled between two competing bookstores. It was small compared to most, but it was warm and the atmosphere was cozy. The café it seemed had decided to gear its décor to fit its neighbors. The tables were made of rich mahogany. The chairs, also mahogany, had seats that were made for long periods of sitting. Tiffany style lamps were scattered around on random tables, and wrapped around the entire store were 2 shelves, fully stocked with books that a customer could pull down and read while they ate.

"So what's the plan?" Severus asked as they found a table in the back and made their selves comfortable

"I've got Draco, Harry, and the two of you to buy for so it won't take me too long to get everything I need." Lucius replied.

"And my list is rather short as well." Severus added

Hermione glanced down at her list and chuckled, "My list has 23 people on it… but I already know what I'm buying so it won't take me long at all."

The men looked at her and shook their heads along with a few comments about buying for everyone she ever knew.

The three ordered breakfast and continued to chat about the day's plans and everything in between. None of them were paying attention to anything around them as they were in their own little world away from the stresses of normal life.

If they had been paying attention, they would have noticed the witch in the corner with her hair in a tight bun and wearing glasses. The witch also came with a strong Scottish accent and was fuming at seeing Hermione Granger cozied up with two of her most unlikely coworkers. There would be a meeting after Holidays were over. She would get down to the bottom of this, she just had to figure out the best approach and come to terms with what she was seeing as well. She knew they would try to play it off, but seeing Lucius and Severus each give Hermione a kiss as they waited for their meals was not something they could play off easily.