As the day progressed, Hermione began to regret agreeing to go to dinner. Lucius had returned her owl, informing her that he would personally pick her up at 6:30, and to make sure she wore something appropriate.
Typical of him to be concerned about what she wore. She was doing him a big favor; at least he could seem a bit more appreciative.
The fact that he insisted on escorting her made her think they were going to some very exclusive restaurant. Most of the ones in wizarding London were places she could get to on her own. She did not like being in those stuffy rich people places. They were full of conceited socialites not unlike the Malfoys, who rarely spoke to her or even noticed she was there. Arriving with a group of them would surely prove awkward.
That evening she went over to see Harry and Ginny, but she couldn't bring herself to tell them about the dinner. She'd recounted the entire event, including the proposal, but somehow she thought it best to keep her stupid mistake a secret for now.
The next day went by far too quickly, and she found herself at home getting ready for the impending dinner.
She pulled on a skirt and a dressier blouse, trying her best to tame her mess of hair. It really wasn't worth the effort, so she decided they would just have to deal with it. She grabbed a well-read book from her table and sat down to read while she waited, to prevent pacing.
Honestly, she was nervous. Even with her friends and family, Hermione rarely went out for dinner. Someone was always cooking a comfortable and relaxed home meal. Especially with the Weasleys, who probably had better food than the most expensive restaurants anyways.
There was his distinctive rap at the door, and she nearly jumped straight out of her seat. She grabbed her bag and coat and yelled that she would be right there.
Stepping into the hall, she took one look at the man in front of her and felt a chill go up her spine. Whereas he always looked business formal when coming to work on the project, tonight he was the same Lucius Malfoy that invoked terror in the hearts of many, walking stick in hand.
She thought herself better than him in general, but at that moment Hermoine felt very small next to him. When he was going all out to impress, he struck a very commanding and intimidating figure.
"Miss Granger, let us be on our way then." He held out his arm for her to take, as they were apparating.
She hesitated slightly, not exactly comfortable with the entire situation, but she didn't want him to notice she was anything but confident.
He could be taking me somewhere to kill me, for all I know.
The thought crossed her head just as she reached for his arm. This was a man who, a few years ago, actually did try to kill her, and now she was willingly letting him lead her off to who knows where.
She shouldn't have trusted him at all, but for some reason she knew his intent was not to harm her. Nevertheless, as they disappeared she held tightly onto the wand in her sleeve.
Just before Lucius had gone to retrieve the Granger girl, he sat in his office reviewing his goals and their progression thus far.
Since that first day he walked into Miss Granger's office, he knew exactly what he was going to do to get back into everyone's good graces.
The first step was lowering her walls a bit, and he had accomplished that with ease. While he could not say they were friends (he did not have friends), she certainly did not act as if she constantly wanted to murder him. He even found himself wanting to murder her less and less. It all hinged on the success of their first event. If it had failed, she likely would have put the blame on him. It's booming success would ensure an easier time going forward.
The next step was to somehow create some media attention, putting them in the spotlight. The event had also taken care of that, although their work was slightly overshadowed by his suddenly popular son.
Finally, and this was what he expected to be the trickiest part of the plan, he needed the media to believe they were an item.
As most situations seemed to turn out for him, a solution had appeared out of nowhere. Their dinner tonight would certainly start the rumours flowing, and Lucius could sit back and watch public interest in him rise. If Hermione Granger was willing to be seen with Lucius Malfoy in public, he must certainly be a changed man. It might take a bit more effort afterwards, but he was certain that once the public applauded Miss Granger and the Ministry for the success of their reformation attempts, he would be free to control society as he was accustomed to. He smirked to himself, silently applauding his own brilliance.
He ensured he was dressed in his most striking and impressive ensemble. He had a reputation to regain, and a large part of that involved fear and respect.
Arriving at her door, he again thought of what unseemly living conditions these were for a witch of such high regard. She appeared in the hall, and he silently appraised her. While she certainly did not look bad, she could use quite a few pointers on the proper way to dress.
Her slender arm apprehensively slid through his, silently affirming that she was ready to leave. It had been some time since he needed to use side along apparition. It felt odd pulling another body with him through space, and it was even more odd having to hold her up when they landed. Miss Granger certainly was not the graceful sort.
As he suspected, the streets were crowded. Draco and Astoria were waiting for them on the steps, and heads turned as the foursome made their way into the establishment. He could hear their names bouncing off people's tongues in hushed whispers. It would not take long for the news to travel.
Granger behaved very politely through dinner, engaging in lengthy discussion with Astoria, and even with Draco. She hardly turned towards him the entire evening, but he honestly did not care. He discussed politics and the state of wizard communities in Europe with his son, and politely asked Astoria about her family and her job, but for the most part he stayed silent. Constant banter was not something he found enjoyable.
As the women slipped into wedding discussions, Lucius asked his son where they intended to have the wedding. They still were not sure, although it was family tradition to use the Manor grounds. Draco was unsure if the guests would be comfortable with it. Lucius assured him that it would not be long before everyone was willing to return to Malfoy Manor.
It had been a decent evening overall, better than Lucius anticipated. As they were leaving, Lucius noticed the packed and noisy streets become hushed for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man hiding around the corner with a camera in his hand. He turned his head and smiled slightly, knowing what he could expect in the morning.
"Hermione Jean Granger! What exactly is the meaning of this?"
Hermione woke from what had been a very peaceful sleep with a start. She had actually enjoyed her evening, and managed to avoid any real socialization with Malfoy Sr. In fact, the older man seemed to be on his best behavior, and barely said anything at all. Her memory of the evening could have him completely cut out, and be reflected on as a pleasant dinner with new friends.
That was until she heard a certain redhead arrive in her living room at 7 am.
"What are you doing here Ginny? It is way too early for whatever this is about." She grumbled as she crawled out of bed.
"Oh I don't think it is. I cannot believe you didn't tell me, even when I was joking about it before We tell each other everything! And aside from that, are you BLOODY NUTS?! I know I said get back out there, but this wasn't what I had in mind."
The younger girl finished her rant just as she arrived in the bedroom. She was holding a popular wizarding gossip magazine in her hand and waving it about, but on the cover Hermione distinctly saw a familiar looking bushy head.
Oh shit.
She read the column, which really didn't fabricate much, but it certainly would have some serious consequences. From an outsiders perspective the evening did seem like a double date. With them having to work so closely on the project, it would be very difficult to dispel the rumours.
It took her quite a bit of explaining to finally convince Ginny she wasn't secretly dating Lucius Malfoy. Even when the girl believed her, she seemed rather disappointed.
"You have to admit, he's quite attractive. Here I thought you had finally shelved your old spinster goals."
"He is horrible, and I thought you said I was nuts?"
"Well I was angry, wasn't I? My best friend had a secret older lover and didn't even tell me."
"I promise you that the day I find a secret lover, or a man of any sorts, you'll be the first to know. But for now, I need to go to work and sort out what will probably be a weeks worth of media fiascos."
She wasn't wrong. All morning people were walking by and giving her knowing glances, or would stop talking the second she came around a corner. It felt like being back at school, where something was always being spread around about them.
Despite her best efforts to prove otherwise, everyone seemed to believe what they had read, and her denial was their proof that she was just ashamed her secret got out so soon.
He showed up in her office that afternoon, making heads turn and causing more whispers.
If any of her efforts had worked, him coming by for a visit just reversed them all. She had a mind to hex him into next week, and she told him so.
He sat very calmly across from her, which only fed her rage. This was terrible slander for both their reputations, yet he seemed quite fine with the situation. How could a person act like nothing phased them?
"I would appreciate it if you refrained from doing so Miss Granger. You see, despite the amusingly unbelievable rumors that have been spreading, we still have quite a bit of work to do. We are business partners after all."
He smirked as he said the word unbelievable. What a complete prick, insinuating that it was laughable for him to be seeing someone like her.
He most certainly wasn't politely acting as if he was out of her league. It was news to no one that he was so self-absorbed he assumed all women fainted when he walked by.
How dare he stroll into her office and insult her like that? She was most certainly good enough for the likes of him. In fact, she was much too good.
"I can assure you that we are not business partners, or partners of any kind, Mr. Malfoy. You are the one assisting me, and it would do you well to remember it."
She stood up and decided the rest of her work could be finished at home.
"When I no longer feel like smashing your arrogant face in, I will owl you to inform you of our next step in the project. Enjoy your day." With that, she stormed out and left him sitting in her office.
She hoped Ginny was free that evening, because she needed a drink.
A/N - And all the motives finally come out. Thank you to all the wonderful reviewers and readers! I haven't replied in a while but one of these days I will sit down and do it. More to come soon (but probably not as fast as this one).