A/N: Hey everyone! Your reviews have been so kind. Thanks for keeping up with this story. Your reviews really do help me to write faster. The first part of this chapter will check in with some of our other couples and their troubles, and then back to Lucius and Lacey! Enjoy.

~o0o~

Narcissa waited until almost four in the morning in the library before retiring to her chambers. Her tea had long since grown cold and her temper only got worse and worse. It was one thing in her eyes for Lacey to be in the Manor, but another thing entirely for Lucius to disappear overnight when he knew full well she was home. What scared her more was the realization that she was jealous over it-and in ways that she certainly didn't expect. It wasn't physically, as she was perfectly, if not better, taken care of by Remus in that aspect, but it was because of her lineage. The closer the divorce loomed, and the assets divvied up in a proposal that would be presented to Lucius, the more Narcissa realized that she would no longer be a Malfoy. It wasn't so much the money, as she knew she would have enough for the rest of her life, but it was her status in question. She had grown up being the best of the pureblood witches her age, and she was never treated like anything else. She could almost feel the manor not respond as quickly to her magic as she and Lucius distanced themselves, and once again the fact that Lucius had introduced Lacey to the house elves, and in particular, Mipsy, incensed her.

She was scared that she would be forgotten, shunned by all of her friends and acquaintances, and that she would never see the inside of this house that had been half hers since she was fresh out of Hogwarts ever again.

~o0o~

"Harry, I have to go, it is really late and this is the second night in a row that I haven't come home..Si.." Ginny stopped herself before she said his name, thankful that the alcohol hadn't fully pushed it out of her lips and she set her drink down. They were sitting on the couch in his spacious apartment, drinking their umpteenth butterbeers, and she was feeling guiltier by the moment.

"Aha! You almost said his name!" Harry smirked before running a hand through his very messy hair. His eyes were a little glazed but he didn't take them off of Ginny.

"Thank Merlin I didn't because it is none of your business," she said, starting to fidget. She didn't even want to think about how mad Sirius was, and every moment spent with Harry was weakening their relationship, even if he didn't know.

"It is though, you are the love of my life, I think I need to know who you are shagging," Harry looked her in the eye and she blushed.

"You are drunk Harry, you don't mean it. You broke my heart so I don't think you have any right to deem me the love of your life. My boyfriend and I had a fight, and I just wanted to spend my night with a friend. That is all."

"But it was the biggest mistake of my life leaving you."

"Well, I am happy," Ginny said, and it wasn't a lie. She was very happy, she just hated that Sirius couldn't understand some very important parts of her like Harry could. Harry knew everything, and being in recent contact with Lucius and Narcissa had brought a lot of unhappy memories to the surface, despite how much she now liked Mrs. Malfoy.

"You don't look it," Harry frowned and reached over for Ginny's hand. She let him hold it for a second before pulling away, looking at her childhood sweetheart with adoration and love, but no longer lust.

"Maybe one day I will tell you Harry, but not now. You mean the world to me, and you've kept me from going bloody barmy tonight but I do have to go," she said, standing up. Ginny already felt that she had cheated on Sirius and she hadn't even kissed Harry, and she quickly gathered her things and moved towards the door.

"Ginny, don't leave. Stay. I'm begging you. I'll prove to you that I am sorry and that we are really meant to be. I've missed you," he looked so helpless, like a shaggy, much-too-skinny-despite-being-fed-Molly's-cooking, puppy dog.

"You'll be just fine Harry, I swear it, go take a sober-up and get your arse into bed alright?" Ginny bossed him with a smirk and after a quick peck on the cheek, was gone and back home to Grimmauld.

~o0o~

Much to Remus' intense displeasure, he was sitting across from a slightly bedraggled looking Hermione Granger at just after four in the morning. This marked the second night in a row for him that he was up when he would have rather been dead to the world, and he wasn't pleased about it. Neither was Sirius, but since Ginny had left Grimmauld he hadn't slept, so it had hardly made a difference to the very grumpy animagus when Hermione had showed up in striped navy pyjama pants and a white thermal, asking for Remus

"Hermione, before I completely lose my temper, please tell me why you are here and stop staring at me like you are about to be sick everywhere. It does nothing for my self-esteem," Remus beseeched her and rubbed his temples, trying to ease his headache. The curly-haired woman twisted around in the plum-coloured armchair for a moment before opening her mouth.

"I've figured it out you know," she said quietly, looking suddenly down at her lap when his head perked up. She grabbed the end of one of her wild curls and twisted it between index and thumb, "I know why you left me so suddenly. I haven't been able to sleep. I've barely eaten. I thought being with Charlie would take it all away and it did for a while, but it always came back. I wondered why I wasn't good enough. I thought we got on so well. I thought you loved me…"

"Hermione, I did love you," he admitted.

"Let me finish," she snapped, and when he caught the glare she was giving him from under her eyelashes, he slumped back in his own chair, his pulse racing, "You know, I would have been much happier if you would have just married Tonks. But I guess it all worked out…you stayed in the family, after all…"

It was now Remus' turn to look sick. He blanched the color of fresh parchment and took a deep breath, as he hadn't remembered to breathe in the moments prior.

"How did you figure it out?"

"Have you so quickly forgotten what I was like when I was your student?" she asked, finally looking him square in the eye, "I know our relationship was rather taboo, considering the age difference, but it is nothing when compared to having one with a married, Slytherin, pureblood maniac, Death Eater's wife! Oh, and did I mention married?"

"Hermione…"

"After all we worked and fought so hard for in the war? For you to fall for her? And don't even try to blame in on an Imperious Remus because I have checked you for one," her eyes were fiery and quite honestly, rather scary.

"Hermione please calm down… I can explain it to you…" he pleaded, trying to stop her from raising her voice any louder.

"Really? Can you? I'd love to hear why I didn't make the cut in favor of Narcissa fucking Malfoy," Hermione spat. Remus could count the number of times Hermione ever cursed on his left hand, and he was shocked at her fury, although he knew it was warranted.

"Things happen and we can't always control them alright?" he was frantic, frustrated, and desperately searching for a way to calm her down.

"Oh! Oh, is that so?" she spat sarcastically, her perfectly prim voice making each scathing word sound even more biting.

"Now hold on one second Hermione, you are making this much more than it needs to be, I know you are hurt but…"

"Hurt? Oh yes, I'm bloody hurt. I've cried myself to sleep over you. I've nearly gone mad!"

"Please, come on, let's talk," he got up and put his strong hands onto her shoulders, trying to ease her back into her chair but was unsuccessful as she fought against him, "I have never in my life seen you so judgmental without hearing the full story Hermione, what makes this any different?"

"Because I am in love with you!" she cried out, her big brown eyes filling with tears, "I'm in love with you and I wish it was anyone but her!"

It was at that moment that Remus knew she had broken past her anger, and her true sadness overtook her. He sat down in the chair and pulled her much smaller body close to him, hugging her tightly as she cried onto his shirt. He held her gently and patted her curls in what he hoped was a comforting way before she sniffed back her remaining tears and looked up at him.

When he saw her red eyes, the few little freckles on her face, and her sad smile, he wished that Narcissa had never walked into his life. He knew Hermione would have made him a happy man, but what was done was done, and there was no turning back now, he knew that.

"I want to know," she told him.

"And I want to know how in the world you figured it out."

"Brightest witch of my age Remus, come on now…" she gave a smirk and he was happy for the break in the tension.

He extracted himself from the chair, moving back to his original one and Hermione curled up her legs against her body, looking even smaller than she did before.

"'Mione, we need to make an Unbreakable Vow if I am going to tell you. You know what would be at stake for me if this came out prematurely."

"I was never going to tell anyone Remus, I just wanted a good row with you to let it out and get closure, but I'll make one just the same," she nodded, wanting him to at least trust her if she could have nothing else from him and reached out her arm. He laughed a little at his jesting, his small chuckle that never failed to put a smile on her face and she pulled back her hand, blushing.

"You just have to promise me it stays in this room Hermione, no Unbreakable Vows necessary, now," he placed the tips of his fingers together, staring at her contemplatively, "When did you have this revelation?"

"About a half hour ago, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting here in the middle of the night," she shrugged, "I wouldn't have been able to wait till morning."

"And how did you find out?"

"It's been a bit of a process really," she started, rather embarrassed that now she would have to admit to how invested she had become in the search, "I knew there had to be someone new and I started ruling people out strategically, most everyone we know is married or seriously together, and I knew of no relationship troubles. And then of course Tonks wouldn't go back to you, so I had to search outside our friends. I thought it was Lacey for a while, as she was always here when I popped by, but it just didn't add up. You didn't seem to be interested in her, and then…well…"

"Then what?"

"Then it was all a bit too easy. The first time I had come by after we broke up, I remember smelling this really unique perfume. I didn't think much of it at the time, but I found it strange since I didn't think Ginny or Lacey wore perfume. But it was gardenia and a hint of something spicy, like fresh pepper, and very lovely but it smelled very expensive and it just clung around the air in the hallway," Hermione continued on and Remus nodded. It was the heady smell of Narcissa that he loved so much, fresh gardenia. He was so used to her being around that the smell, even with his heightened senses, seemed normal in his presence.

"And today, I was out in the shops and I passed by Narcissa Malfoy coming out of Twilfitt and Tatting's positively laden with bags and something about her as she passed clicked in my brain. And I spent nearly the rest of the day trying to figure it out and then, as I said, I was lying in bed and it hit me-the gardenia. She smelled exactly like the hallway did on that visit. I knew there was a possibility, albeit small, that I was wrong, but the look on your face confirmed that I was right rather quickly," she finished. Remus was rather shocked that it had all been rather simple, but only Hermione would have had the desire to figure it out, simple or not.

"Well, I am both impressed and flattered, in an odd way…" he mused, slightly nervous that it hadn't been some grand unraveling of their relationship, just perfume.

"How did it happen?"

"I was in a very strange mood and I was walking down Diagon Alley, completely in my own little world in my brain and apparently Narcissa was as well. It was early on a Monday morning and we ran smack into each other. I was so intimidated. Her purse fell and everything spilled out and I was reaching around like a mad man trying to rectify it, completely forgetting I was a wizard of course," he smiled sheepishly at the memory, "and when she looked at me, I saw something different there, it was like a cry for help. I asked if I could take her to the Leaky for a drink and to my utter surprise, she said yes. Everything happened so quickly and four hours later we were still talking like old friends. Never in my life would I have thought a woman like her would spend a minute talking to a scruffy werewolf like myself, let alone hours. I can't explain it fully Hermione, and neither can she, but we found each other in the way everyone wishes to."

Hermione's face became drawn as the story progressed, wishing he felt that way about her still, but she also saw the intense sincerity in his eyes and knew that he was deeply happy, "She's changed?"

"Well, I think she has been changed since the final battle. After all…she did help save Harry's life…"

"That was a play to save her family's hides, not for Harry," her temper flared again.

"Whatever you believe Hermione, she is different. She may still dress and look like a Malfoy, but I do believe she has reverted to the new-age Black side of things, her maniacal sister excluded. She doesn't value blood supremacy anymore, in the same way Andromeda didn't, and she is more intelligent than you give her credit for. She wants more in her life than status and piles of money," Remus concluded and Hermione had no choice to accept it.

"But what about Lucius? I'll take what you say into consideration and when I see Draco out I try to be polite, but Lucius Malfoy…he did terrible things to muggles…to Ginny…" she was almost crying now, even though she had no idea what really happened to Ginny, just that he had given her the diary, "And he is a complete coward!"

"I don't disagree with you Hermione, but trust me when I say he is being taken care of," Remus told her and they both heard the slam of the front door and the patter of feet taking the stairs two at a time.

It was Ginny and her heart was banging against her ribcage so hard she could barely breathe. When she reached the landing to the second floor, she yanked Sirius' bedroom door open and flung herself onto the bed, nearly scaring the man half to death.

"Gin?" he asked in a raspy voice. He was half-drunk, tired as hell, and more than surprised to see her, especially since she was taking her clothes off frantically, kissing him hard and silencing him.

"I've missed you and I'm sorry," she apologized, her eyes wet as she pulled back from her boyfriend, ran her hand over his stubble and down his jaw.

"You are back and that is all I care about," he wove his fingers through her fine red hair and pulled her close once more, the pair falling back onto the bed.

~o0o~

The next morning Lucius sat with a thick manila file folder on his desk and stared at the name neatly printed on it.

Lacey Delaney

When he had dropped the hint in front of his secretary that she was possibly looking at a raise if she might be a little bit more timely with his tasks, the folder had appeared on his desk not but an hour later, signaling to him that Narcissa had gotten to the girl first and probably asked her to delay files of women he seemed to be interested in. He chuckled darkly, knowing that all it took for most people to cave was a little bit of gold.

Except for Lacey herself, he mused, she wasn't so easily swayed by him.

He had spent the night in her tiny apartment and snuck away just before Diagon became populated once more, leaving a simple note on her bedside which he hoped she would be finding right about then. He didn't feel too horrible about leaving when she was still asleep, as she had done it to him, and he was all about tit for tat.

But what had been running through his mind were the last words she had spoken to him: But you belong to me too.

At the time, he wasn't quite sure what to make of them, so he gave her an imperceptible nod and crushed his lips against hers, which lead to a deliciously wild fuck. But when he woke up, it had become clear what she requested. She wanted to be his equal.

He finally opened the folder in front of him and started to read. He was limited on knowledge about her when it came to hard facts, but he felt as if he knew her thoroughly already.

Age: 24

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Lucius surprisingly did not cringe in a way he knew he previously would, which he marked as a bad sign. It mean that he was already too far gone if he didn't give a damn if she was a half-blood. He had curbed his pureblood fanaticism significantly since the war, but none of his mistresses had ever been anything other than purebloods.

Occupation: Secretary for Ronald Weasley (Head Auror) at the Ministry of Magic; Clerk at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes

Residence: Apartment above Slug and Jigger's Apothecary, Diagon Alley, London, England

Family Residence: 312 Primpton Rd., Killarney, Ireland

Mother: Siobhan (MacMillan) Delaney (Pureblood) (Deceased)

Father: Liam Delaney (Muggle) 54

Brother: Colin Delaney (Half-blood) 30

Sister: Aislinn Delaney (Half-blood) 16

N.E.W.T.S: 5, All E's.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at the last bit of information. He hadn't known she had gone back to Hogwarts to complete her 7th year, let alone done so well. He couldn't understand why she was a secretary to the Weasley oaf if she had done so well on her exams, but realized Quidditch was probably her first love.

He moved past her basic information and further into the file, searching for something more personal. He knew Ministry files were just as intrusive as a skilled Legillimens and smiled when he pulled a sheet of paper out of the stack.

Romantic Relationships:

Anthony Goldstein: 2 years (1997-1999)

Oliver Wood (currently engaged to Katie Bell): 2002-May 2005

A little bit of further snooping confirmed to Lucius that she had been with Wood up until his engagement and he wondered if that was why she had seemed so hesitant about anything romantic as from what it looked like, the engagement seemed to come out of nowhere. It seemed that she didn't have much experience in the way of relationships, but she was experienced enough in the bedroom, and he was momentarily thankful that the Ministry didn't keep track of one-night stands. He swallowed back a bit of jealousy at the thought and closed her file. He found what he needed and nothing, despite his quiet hope that he would and it would save him the heartache, deterred him from her.

~o0o~

When Lacey awoke and caught sight of the time, she instantly scrambled out of bed. She only had a few minutes before she would be exceedingly late for her job and realized that being shagged thoroughly two consecutive times was not conducive to waking up early. Her body protested against her because it was so sore, but she forced herself to get ready as quickly as she could. When she bent to slip her heels on, she noticed the small folded note on her bed stand and her stomach lurched rather pleasantly when she saw Lucius' handwriting.

On your lunch break, please meet me here.

-L

It was then followed by an address she could use for the floos at the Ministry. With the excitement and anticipation of seeing him again so soon, and considerably less anger from waking up alone, she left her apartment for the Ministry.

A/N: Where do you think Lucius is taking her? Do you think Sirius and Ginny will fully make up? Will Narcissa change her mind? I would love to hear your thoughts!