A/N: Hello all my lovely readers. Thank you all for the amazing reviews, I loved them all. Still working on getting back to normal around here after the snow storm, hopefully things slow down so what I can get back to posting more regularly. I haven't had a chance to respond to teh reviews of the last two chapters, but I will very soon. Anyway, in this chapter, we are still the morning after the party. Enjoy!

Special Thanks: To my beta, TabiPrewett, who worked hard to get this back to me as fast as she could. I greatly appreciate all your efforts in this story.

Chapter 17

Lucius gave Hermione a moment to get inside her own room before closing his door. He glanced down and saw her dress on the floor along with his outer dress robes and shirt.

Not having time to call to Toddle, he pulled out his wand, and he vanished it all downstairs to the elves that dealt with the laundry. Otherwise, Lucius had to try to hide it in his closet like some randy teenager. Something he didn't feel he should have to do in his own room, nor his own home for that matter.

Lucius pulled on his matching dressing robe to his pajama bottoms, and then used his wand to clear away all traces of Hermione having been with him until only moments ago. He could clearly smell her, but it was possible that after having spent all night breathing her in, he was more in tuned to her scent and it wasn't as strong as it seemed to him. Either way, he hoped Draco didn't notice.

Lucius dropped his wards and went to sit on his bed again as he called for his son to enter. Draco saw his father sitting on the edge of the bed and was curious how the man had managed to sleep so late. The elder Malfoy was always an early riser, even earlier than Draco usually was.

"Are you feeling alright, Father?" Draco asked moving into the room.

Lucius kept his face carefully neutral. "I am, why do you ask?" Did he look different after spending a night curled around Hermione? Or after having the witch in his lap while he kissed her senseless just a few moments ago? Lucius doubted it, but he found himself trying to nonchalantly glance down to see if his lingering arousal was showing. It wasn't, thank heavens.

Draco shrugged lightly, unaware of his father's thoughts. Also, thankfully missing Lucius checking to see if his pajamas were tented. "You are normally up and sitting at breakfast before now. I'm surprised is all. I even beat Hermione up which is odd, but with the party, she may have gotten in late."

Again, Lucius kept his face blank. "The party did run a bit late, yes. That could explain it, though you can't judge her normal habits based on the time she has spent here."

Draco smirked. "I'm not. I'm judging it based on all the years she spent with me at school. Annoying little swot was always one of the first ones up and in Great Hall. Even on weekends or holidays that she spent there."

Lucius decided to let the little swot comment go. They had been school nemeses for years, so it was normal for residual resentments to carry over. Even with them being friends now. Instead, he shrugged. "Either way. Now, you said you had something important to discuss with me?"

Draco nodded, moving around the room a bit. "I did. To start, I never did make it to the party. I had thought to introduce Stephanie to Hermione, since we're friends and all that, and considering they haven't met yet."

Lucius watched as son who was slowly starting to pace. Waiting to see where this was leading and hoping Draco got to the point soon. He still hadn't had any coffee, plus he'd like to join Hermione for breakfast, assuming she went down for it anytime soon. He rather hoped she didn't decide to hide after all. He didn't want to start that again.

Draco saw his father waiting and went on. "Since we didn't end up going, we stayed and talked for a good potion of the evening. Learned a bit more about each other. You'd think with us having dated for so long, I'd have known some of these things."

Lucius bit back an impatient sigh. This was going to take a while with the rate Draco was going. "Son, this is all rather fascinating and I'm glad you're taking the time to learn things about her. Now, what did you want to tell me?"

Draco took a breath. "I asked Stephanie to become my wife and she has agreed."

Lucius wasn't surprised to hear this. He had just been thinking the night Hermione showed up in his office, that he knew Draco would be asking her soon. Judging from the look on Draco's face, he expected some sort response. Whether it was an argument or him exploding from the shock, he wasn't sure which Draco expected.

Lucius smiled at his son. "I figured you would soon, congratulations, son. She'll make you an excellent wife."

Draco frowned. "You knew? How did you know when I didn't until last night?"

Lucius chuckled softly. "Son, I've watched you grow from infancy. I know you well enough to know what's on your mind, well, most days anyway. It was obvious that Stephanie was different from the other young ladies you had courted."

Lucius stood and embraced his son. When they pulled back, both had almost identical smiles. "Have you two set a date yet?"

Draco sighed. "Not yet, I still need to tell Mother. I wanted to tell you first though. I'll be owling her..." The young man stopped when he caught the morning light reflecting off something on the floor.

Moving towards his father's bed, Draco reached down and picked up the platinum comb that he had placed in Hermione's hair just last night. He turned and looked at his father. "Why is this on your floor next to your bed?"

Lucius saw the comb and did his best not to grimace. He had forgotten that he had pulled that from Hermione's hair last night after he laid her on his bed. It had fallen, forgotten instantly, until now.

Thankfully, years of training, not to mention his Death Eater days, kept him from seeming the least bit guilty. Only the curious look on his face was all he showed his son. "Does that comb have a significance?"

Draco glared at his father. "Yes, it has a significance. I placed this in Hermione's hair last night. I told her to place it on her vanity when she was done with it and it would be taken care of. Taken care of doesn't mean your bedroom floor. Why do you have Hermione's hair comb on your bedroom floor?"

Lucius raised his eyebrow at his son. "First of all, you will watch your tone with me, Draco."

Draco raised an identical brow as well. Normally he would watch his tone with his father, but not over this. "No, first, you will tell me that you are not shagging Hermione Granger. You will tell me you are not about to try turning Hermione, bleeding, Granger, who happens to be my friend these days, into one of your mistresses that you keep every now and again since Mother left."

Lucius' jaw clenched, but he couldn't be overly angry with his son when he was simply trying to protect his friend. Something that her other friends didn't seem to understand and the same something that Lucius, himself, had been upset with her friends over as well.

Taking a breath to calm down, Lucius spoke. "Fine. I have not had sex with Hermione Granger." I've merely kissed her and a few other things, as well. Though, I intend to have her eventually. He thought before going on. "Nor do I intend to turn her into one my mistresses, a role I highly doubt she would accept anyway." My mistresses are for the purpose of sex alone and they know that from the beginning. I would never put Hermione in that role. Lucius added that part in silently as well.

Lucius took another breath, deciding the best answer for the comb was part of the truth. "As for the comb being next to my bed, there was an incident last night that required her being in my room and Severus' assistance in rectifying things. Her comb must have hit the floor after I laid her upon the bed and before I went for Severus. Had I realized it was on the floor, I would have dealt with it."

Draco frowned, any anger at his father disappearing. "What kind of incident? What happened?" If his father needed Severus, it couldn't have been for a good reason.

Lucius sighed in frustration. He wasn't sure if he would have told Draco about the lusting potion, but now it seemed he didn't have much choice. "Last night Ronald Weasley and his companion came upon Hermione alone at the party. They...or should I say his companion, though Weasley didn't do a single thing to stop her, verbally attacked Hermione. I was able to get to her side and pull her away from them. Only we met up again, and Miss Brown decided we all should toast the blasted holiday, giving Hermione a drink spiked with a potion. Once I learned of it, I got her out of the party quickly, only in my haste we ended up in here and not where I intended. So, we took care of it in here since this is where we arrived."

Draco calmly listened to all of this, but he wasn't as calm as he seemed. His fists were clenched, and his teeth were grinding. "What kind of potion? Was it a poison?" Draco had been a Death Eater too after all, so his mind also instantly jumped to that as a possibility. Especially, when you added in that his father needed Severus' help, who was not only a potion's master, but the dark man was also well versed in poisons due to his own seedy past. With his question, Draco's worry for Hermione increased.

Lucius shook his head seeing the concern in his son's eyes, but still keeping his answers vague. "No, son. It wasn't poison, but as to exactly which potion it was, we're not one hundred percent certain. It wasn't meant to physically harm, only to embarrass. With a dreamless sleep potion, she slept through it until the rest of the symptoms passed."

Draco sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin for that. Is she alright now?"

Lucius gave him a small smile, hoping it settled the young man's mind. "Yes, though I believe she might still be a bit embarrassed by it. I'm sure she either already has gone down for breakfast by now, or if not, then she will be down shortly. She should be fine today without any residual effects too."

Draco nodded before a new thought hit him and his eyes darkened to steel like his father's when angry. "Did Weasley know his brainless bimbo was going to slip Hermione a potion? If he did, I'm going to kill the ruddy little bastard."

Lucius smirked. Get in line, son. Between Severus and me, we don't need you, though I still might let you help. They won't ever find the body either. "I'm unsure at this point. When we went to confront them last night, they were not home. I thought it best to discuss this with Hermione first, before we go barging in ready to string him up."

Lucius moved to his closet, glad he didn't hide her dress in there with Draco standing so close and with a perfect view of it. "Now, I'm going to dress and go down for breakfast."

Draco nodded and left his father. Lucius didn't take long to dress. A quick cleansing spell, something he normally didn't do, but he had waited long enough for his coffee. Another to clear away his overnight growth of whiskers. A splash of his cologne he'd had made years for himself ago, one that blended with his natural body chemistry and never faded until washed off. Then, he was done with a final grooming spell.

Lucius made it downstairs in half the time it normally took him, but he didn't have a single hair out of place. Opening the dining room, he found Hermione sitting down already, talking with Draco.

Hermione's eyes met his and he noticed they warmed fractionally, but he received nothing more than a simple good morning from her. He smiled and wished her a good morning as well before taking his seat at the head of the table between the two.

Hermione's heart rate had sped up when he came in, but she did her best to act normally. When he sat, his cologne surrounded her, making her mind a bit fuzzy again. To hide her reaction, she picked up her cup.

"Hermione?" Draco said several minutes later.

Hermione met his gaze that matched his father's, but for the hint of blue that Lucius' didn't have. "Yes?"

Draco waited, but she didn't say anything more. "Are you going to finish, or what?"

Hermione searched her mind for what he was talking about, but with it still a bit fuzzy, she was at a loss. "Pardon?"

Draco sighed and turned to his father. "I think you're wrong, Father. I think there are still lasting effects from the potion. She's never forgotten what she was saying mid-conversation before."

Hermione's startled eyes met first Draco's, then Lucius' as heat filled her cheeks at thinking Lucius had spilled all the details of last night. The thought of Draco knowing she'd tried to shag his father's brains out had her mentally cringing and fighting the need to run from the room in humiliation.

Lucius sighed for the umpteenth time that morning, but Draco spoke again. "There's no need to be embarrassed, Hermione, it wasn't your fault. It was that twat, Lavender's, for giving it to you." Making Hermione's gaze fly back to Draco, not realizing her coffee cup was starting to tilt towards her.

The color grew in Hermione's face, as her cup began to tilt more with her shock and chagrin over the whole thing. Lucius thought about hexing his son once again, as he quickly reached over to take her cup before it spilled hot coffee in her lap.

Thinking quickly as he set her cup down on the table, Lucius spoke. "Draco is right, though he lacks any tact whatsoever. There's no need for embarrassment that she slipped you the potion. Severus was able to get you the sleeping potion, so you didn't feel the effects and now that it's out of your system, all should be well. It's too bad we didn't find Mr. Weasley or Miss Brown to find out what potion it was that she gave you."

Glad that she had a very intelligent mind, fuzzy or not, Hermione was able to piece all of that together and figure how much Draco didn't know. Mainly that it was a lust potion and that she did her best to try to get Lucius to shag her last night.

I really need to stop jumping to conclusions about Lucius. Hermione thought before clearing her throat and speaking. "Yes, well...you're both right of course. How you did you find out about it, Draco?" Thinking it better to ask than assume. Proud that she thought of that before barking at Lucius, while assuming he'd told his son everything.

Draco smirked. "I found the hair-comb I loaned you next to Father's bed."

Hermione didn't blush, though she had no clue how she managed it. "Really?" Doing her best to feign surprise at it being there, even if she'd forgotten about it until Draco had mentioned it.

Lucius spoke again, seeing the tense set of her shoulders and knowing she didn't know what he'd told Draco. At least not all of it. "Yes, it must have fallen out or was knocked out after I laid you down and went to get Severus. You really were not yourself last night, my dear."

A hint of pink tinted her cheeks, but otherwise, she kept her the majority of her blush at bay. "I didn't even realize I lost it, nor did I think about it this morning. Really, I'm normally very good at taking care of things that are loaned to me. I'm sorry, Draco."

Draco scoffed. "I don't care about a stupid comb and I doubt Father does either."

Lucius smirked. "The comb was the furthest thing from my mind at the time, to be honest."

A nervous laugh escaped Hermione at Lucius' words. Of course, it was, I was almost naked, and in his bed, while wrapped around him. "Alright then." Hermione said, moving to pick her coffee cup up again.

Taking a sip, she saw Draco giving her a funny look. "What?" She asked.

Draco sighed and shook his head. "Are you mad?"

Hermione paused. "As in angry? Not right this second, but I was this morning. Bloody hell, was I ever pissed off." Lucius smirked again knowing full well that she had been a bit more than simply pissed off.

Draco rolled his eyes before barking. "No, mad, as in, insane."

"Draco." Lucius said. "No need to raise your voice at her."

Hermione frowned, used to Draco snapping at her at times. "Why would I be insane?"

Draco sighed. "You...do you even comprehend what this means?"

Hermione glared. "I'm not an idiot, Draco. I'm well aware of what happened."

Draco nodded. "Yes, but do you know what this could mean later?"

Lucius saw Hermione's eyes slide to him for a just a moment, and seeing her swallow nervously before looking away. He smirked slightly before he spoke. "I'm sure she has an idea, son." It means I'm going to get that sweet little morsel back in my bed very soon and nothing is going to stop me from having her when I do.

Lucius paused in his thoughts of what exactly he wanted to do to the scrumptious little witch, and glanced back at Draco, as his smirk faded. "But, out of curiosity, what exactly are you referring to?"

Draco looked away from Hermione to his father. "Her poncy ex's new hag is the one who did it. Hermione still lives with her poncy ex, so said hag will be around, I'm sure, a lot. What's to stop her from slipping another potion into her food or drink? Maybe next time a more harmful one."

Lucius wasn't smirking anymore as what his son said really sank in, but Hermione rolled her eyes before speaking. "First off, when I get my hands on Lavender Brown, that witch is going to wish she'd never met me. By the time I'm done with her she'll be too frightened to even come near my home again. Second, I'm not dumb enough to eat or drink anything she gives me a second time. Give me some credit, please."

Draco scoffed. "Hermione, you are the world's biggest pushover."

When Hermione made to argue, Draco held up his hand. "Listen. Weasley and Potter treated you like dirt all through your school years, yet you were their best friend. You never once did anything more than tell them off now and again."

Hermione glared. "You really want to talk about who treated who like dirt while we were in school?" Now it was Draco's turn to try to argue, but she did the same thing to him that he did to her.

Hermione held up her hand to make him stop. "No, you listen now. I'm not excusing what they did, but you weren't perfect either, Draco. We were kids. Kids are mean and cruel sometimes. Yes, they were my best mates, because while you saw all the nasty things that they did that made me cry, you didn't see all the good things they did that made them my best mates."

Hermione paused a moment as she remembered all the many things that made both of the boys her friends. "You didn't see all the times that they saved my life. They started saving my life my first year at Hogwarts. We were eleven, Draco. They could have bailed on me and left me alone with that damn mountain troll, but they didn't. They came and saved me. They did more over the years than just save me from the troll. They were always there for me when I needed them most. No matter if what I needed put them in danger, or if all I needed was a kind word, or even just a hug. So, you don't get to call me a pushover for choosing them as my friends."

Lucius had sat back simply listening, while drinking his coffee and while he didn't know all the details, she had a very valid point. "Well said, Hermione."

Draco looked at his father in surprise. "You are taking her side?"

"That children are cruel and mean and can't be blamed for the rest of their lives for what they did as children, yes. That she feels she has a valid point for them being her friends, yes. They did hurt her at times, but that wasn't all they did, apparently, and she's fiercely loyal, if you hadn't noticed." Lucius said. "I haven't heard anything other than that one point made yet."

Draco inclined his head as his father who went back to drinking his coffee and listening. Only, the young man wasn't finished yet. "Fine, they earned your friendship then, but what about now? I'm talking about you being a pushover now. You let Weasley get away with cheating on you. Did you ever once do anything about it?"

Hermione smiled. "Yes, I did. I left him. Even half-drunk that night, I still sent a nasty stinging jinx his way. Pretty sure it hit his bare arse too." Chuckling softly at recalling Ron yelping in pain over it. The sound of her laughter causing Lucius to smirk as well in amusement. At both her words and her mirth over it

Draco rolled his eyes, not the least bit amused. "A stinging jinx. Hell, you at least punched me. You didn't even do that to Weasley."

"Well, you were snot in our third year. Which goes back to my kids are mean point." She said picking up her own cup of coffee.

Draco shook her head. "But you didn't do anything. You stopped Potter from trying to kick him out. I'll bet you even let him bring his new girlfriend over, the one that he cheated on you with, while you're there."

Hermione shrugged. "I don't care enough about them to do anything. They're not worth the time or effort it would take to do anything about it. I did the one thing I wanted to do. I left him." She put her cup back on the table.

Lucius smirked. "Well said again, my dear."

Draco looked at his father in exasperation. "Are you planning on taking her side in everything she says?"

Lucius shrugged. "Then, make a valid point. You've yet to make one and she has made one twice now."

"My point is that it isn't safe for her to be living there while Weasley is still living there and bringing his girlfriend over." Draco said.

Lucius nodded to Draco. "There you are, now you've made a valid point."

Hermione threw up her hands. "How is that a valid point?"

Lucius sat forward, resting his elbows on the table. "She could do it again and this time hurt you. You can't watch every move she makes. She doesn't have to hand you what she spiked, she could let Weasley do it or either of the Potter's do it. Would you second guess anything that either of the Potter's gave you to eat or drink?"

Hermione frowned, knowing she wouldn't think anything of it. If Ginny handed her a plate or a glass, Hermione would just eat or drink because she trusted Ginny. Same with Harry.

Draco saw her hesitation at his father's words. "See? Point." His eyes showing his triumph, as did his gloating smirk at her.

Hermione glared the smug prat. "Shove it, Malfoy."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm a Malfoy too, my dear."

Hermione sighed. "My apologizes, Lucius. Shove it, Ferret Boy. Better?" Giving Lucius a pretty smile with her question.

Lucius chuckled softly, even as she excused herself. Both stood, though Draco did so grudgingly.

"Oi! Granger?" Draco called when she was at the door.

She turned. "Yes, Draco?"

"I thought we agree there was no more Ferret Boy." He said.

Hermione smiled. "If only it were true." Then, she turned and walked away. Leaving a glaring Draco and a still chuckling Lucius behind.

A/N: I know, it's kind of short, but it couldn't be helped. I love how Draco and Hermione just bicker back and forth sometimes. I'm glad Lucius sees that with them having been enemies before their friendship that some old animosities still pop up from time to time and let them hash it out on their own. More coming soon. Take care and please leave me your thoughts.