A/N: Hello, hello! We are starting back off from where we left Draco and Lacey. All of your reviews have been so kind and funny, and I have loved hearing your predictions for what will happen next. We are almost at 100 reviews, and I would SO love to get there. 100th reviewer will get a shout-out!

Also, another shameless plug for VenusInHerHair and mine's story 'Sweeter than Heaven and Hotter than Hell' on my profile. I would love it if you could hop over and check it out! Thanks, now on with the drama…

**Also, see the end author's note for something fun to do!**

~o0o~

The place that Lacey did not know the name of ended up being a quaint wizarding bed and breakfast smelling of cinnamon and teeming with comfy chintz pillows on every piece of furniture. She followed Draco out of the fireplace and into an adjacent room which was set up with various tables, all mixed-and matched with flea-market chairs, and occupied by some elderly couples have breakfast. Draco led Lacey to the farthest table, one by a large window set for three people, where a handsome man was already sitting with a cup of tea. He stood up and shook Draco's hand with a refreshing energy and then turned to Lacey.

"I'm Eddie Deverill, real pleasure to meet you," he smiled at her as she sized him up. He was taller than both she and Draco and his hair was a mop of black curls that looked perfectly slapdash. He was dressed nicely, in very fine robes almost matching Draco's, but even though Lacey could tell the man came from money, he didn't seem pretentious. Eddie seemed only a little bit older than her, and looked athletic, confident, and boyish, almost the complete opposite of Draco, although they looked to be good friends.

"Lacey Delaney," she finished the introduction as he took his hand away and the three sat down, "Deverill…wait…"

"Before you finish, let me save you the trouble. Yes, that Deverill. I recently took over management of Puddlemere from my father and over drinks with Draco one night I mentioned to him that one of my best Chaser's recently sustained a terrible arm injury from a bludger and won't be back on the pitch for at least a year. None of my alternates are ready for extended play like that, and Draco mentioned you. 'Course I've watched you before on the Harpies. You are a firecracker out there and truly I thought you had already been picked up by some other team…"

Lacey was trying to process all of the information Eddie was throwing at her in his quick, distinct cadence. It was clear to her now that Draco truly was friends with some of the heavy-hitters in the Quidditch world and she was thankful that he was making good on his promise but

"Hence why we are here…" he motioned to the table and then looked up at the sweet old witch who set three English breakfasts down in front of them with a smile, "So, Delaney, what does your fall schedule look like?"

She looked from Eddie as he winked playfully at her and then dug into his breakfast, over to Draco who looked rather smug and like she owed him something for this. "Um, well, I'll have to think about it…" Lacey began, not wanting to sound ungrateful. After all, it was far from recruiting season, and this was a good opportunity, but it was Puddlemere

"Think about it?" Draco looked at her as if she had grown another head, but it didn't seem to faze Eddie, who continued. "Oh, it's fine Draco, she's just trying to seem diplomatic, like she had other options. But, we all know what the answer will be in the end…your pay is fairly negotiable, and I am pretty sure I can pay you double what the Harpies paid you."

He turned to her with a mouthful of food and eager eyes and although she was desperately trying to think of an excuse, she knew she didn't have room to be picky. Quidditch was her life, it was where she felt most at home, and she shouldn't be balking at any opportunity to get back on a broom. She hardly valued her job at the Ministry and had no real ties to it now that she was involved with Lucius…it was just the question of…

"So it's a yes then?" Eddie asked, after he swallowed. Draco's eyes bore into her, willing her to speak and not embarrass him.

"Of course, when do I start?" she smiled weakly at both men who gave her a hearty congratulations and spent the remainder of their breakfast discussing specifics, with Draco using his Slytherin cunning to get Lacey a higher salary than she ever expected.

An hour later after the bizarre but exciting breakfast in the Dorset countryside, Draco and Lacey stepped back into the Ministry.

"Can you say something please? You've been nearly catatonic for ten minutes," Draco grumbled as they walked through the atrium together, garnering stares as they did so. Lacey hardly noticed, but Draco was more than aware of how good they looked as a couple, even if it was far from what their actual relationship was.

"Puddlemere…really?" Lacey finally snapped at him, causing him to stop in front of the giant fountain.

"You are seriously the most ungracious bitch. You wanted a try-out…and you ended up with a spot on a great team in less than an hour. I got you out of Weaslebee's dreary office and back doing what you love because I am thankful for what you did for me. You saved me from a horrible life with a horrible girl, so please, at least try to seem appreciative…" Draco sneered at her, reminding Lacey very much of his father.

"I know, Draco, and it's honestly quite impressive that you did what you said you would…but of all the teams…" Lacey squirmed uncomfortably, looking around at the people walking by who were giving them inquisitive looks. Draco knew what she was getting at, but Puddlemere had been the only team with an opening.

"Look, I do read the piece of shite we call the Prophet, and I know it's a bit of a sore spot with you that Wood is engaged, but it really shouldn't matter. Suck it up and play with the git. For 75,000 galleons, it should be rather easy," Draco stared her down. He had done his own snooping on Lacey when he had found out about her and his father and he knew Oliver Wood was an ex of hers, but he felt suddenly protective of his dad, wondering why she would care so much.

"You are right," Lacey sighed. She could plainly see he was trying to induce guilt on her and she was surprised at herself in the first place that it even bothered her and tried her best to immediately shake it off, "It was just a weird morning, that's all. When you said I was getting a promotion, I really hadn't expected that."

Draco seemed to soften at her explanation and they continued walking towards the lifts, "Well, what were you expecting?"

"I thought your father was going to pull some power-trip, take me out of the Auror office, and hire me into his office…" Lacey laughed heartily when they stepped into the lift, but she missed how hard Draco tried to hold his own laughter back.

"About that…" he smirked as he pressed the button for the level of Office of International Muggle Law.

"Oh," Lacey jumped onto a tangent, oblivious to what Draco was currently finding so amusing, "And you also promised Ginny a try-out as well. Let's not forget that."

As the lift shot up, Draco gave Lacey a scathing look, "As I said a moment ago, I do read the Prophet, and I doubt Weasley is going to want to be back in the limelight anytime soon." He had been shocked to find out that Ginny was dating Black and made it particularly easy to avoid doing anything nice for the red-head, "I already pulled a lot of strings for this morning, alright?"

The doors slid open and the pair stepped out, with Lacey finally realizing where they were in relation to her own office. The second thing she noticed was that the blonde secretary that usually sat behind the half-circle desk was gone.

"I'll just leave you to my father then. I'm sure I will see you soon Lacey," now Draco couldn't hide his mirth, and began snickering as he got back into the lift, precisely the same moment Lucius strode out of his office with a purpose.

"Fuck! Draco!" Lacey turned and hissed to him as the lift doors closed and obscured him, before she turned back to her lover with a forced smile, "Did you need something Lucius?"

Lucius gave his mistress a small smile and with a swift, calculated move, had his hand on the small of her back and was leading her into his office with her barely realizing they were moving, "I thought, since you were so worried about getting to your job this morning, which ultimately deprived me of time spent with you, that you could work as my secretary. You can go into work whenever you deem fit and the only person you have to answer to would be me. Besides, this office could use a beautiful face and I know I would enjoy it," Lucius explained as if there was nothing out of the ordinary about firing your perfectly capable secretary in hopes your lover would take the position.

Lacey was so taken aback that she was sure her mouth was hanging open unattractively as she looked around his office with wide eyes. She had been in there before only briefly, and it seemed so long ago.

"No," she blurted out suddenly.

"No?" Lucius voice seemed amused, as if he was sure she would say yes but was only teasing him.

"Yeah, you heard me. No way in fucking hell," Lacey repeated and watched his face turn dark with annoyance.

"And why ever not?" he straightened his posture and stared down at her as if she was a child in need of discipline, "I thought this would make you happy."

"Happy?" Lacey nearly laughed at how ridiculous the statement was, "News flash, Lucius, I kinda hate my job as a secretary already and there are a few really good reasons why I am saying no. The first is that I'm playing Quidditch again, thanks to your son, and the second is that I refuse to work for you and thus be under your control day in and out. Nope, not happening."

The way her face flushed and how she said her words with so much hostility immediately affected Lucius. He thought back to the conversation he had that morning with the portrait of his closest friend as well as the conversation with his wife. Was he stifling Lacey by suggesting this? Was he that blatant in his attempts to keep her? He was panicked, "It is not supposed to be a punishment, Lacey. And I had no idea that Draco was helping you play Quidditch again…not that I am surprised, knowing his friends…but…well, I am pleased for you."

"Oh, thank you, sir, I am so glad you are happy for me," Lacey's tone was impertinent and sarcastic, and she knew that in any other situation with him, she wouldn't have been able to get away with it. As it was, from the way his mouth moved into a frown, she knew she would pay for it eventually.

"I simply wanted to give you more freedom, Lacey," Lucius finished with his reasoning, but was not happy with the way she was currently pouting, "But as it stands, the Quidditch season is not upon us and I really do need the help," he was so desperate that even though he rationally knew he was suffocating her, he couldn't help but firmly say, "You are my mistress and you don't have a choice in the matter."

"Oh, how convenient. I am your mistress when you want to force me into something, but this morning you wanted me as your girlfriend!"

"You gave up rights for an argument on that topic the moment you left my bedroom. If you are going to act like naught but a mistress to me, then you will be treated as such. And if you are my mistress, it extends to well beyond the bedroom," Lucius' voice dipped low and he nearly growled out his threat but Lacey stood her ground.

She wanted so badly to yell at him, to truly scream her lungs out and tell him that she loved him, but she couldn't without messing everything up for herself and tried her best to keep quiet until she gathered more nerve and finally spoke, "Look, the answer is no, Lucius. Sorry."

With that she gave him a sad smile. With her anger checked, she desperately tried to convey her true feelings with her eyes, even though she knew he couldn't possibly understand.

"Where are you going?" he asked coldly when she moved towards the door to his office.

"I'm going downstairs to quit my job and then I'm going to see Ginny," Lacey added the second part as an afterthought when she saw a folded up and seemingly un-read copy of the Daily Prophet near the corner of Lucius' desk. She took a few steps back from the door, picked it up, opened it, and threw it poorly at his feet, causing some pages to flutter out elsewhere in the room, "And by the way, I wasn't lying when I said Sirius and I were just friends. And I'm not coming back to the Manor tonight."

With Lucius looking at the moving picture of Sirius and Ginny walking hand-in-hand, Lacey strode out of his office and slammed the door as hard as she could behind her.

~o0o~

A few hours later, Lacey was holding Ginny's hand for moral support as the two girls sat with Sirius and Remus on either side of them on the couch in the Burrow's living room.

After an awkward and hasty conversation with Ron about quitting her job as secretary for him, Lacey tried to floo from the Ministry into Grimmauld but found it blocked. Annoyed, but understanding why, she apparated a few streets away from the townhouse. When Lacey had approached, she found a slew of photographers, no doubt from the Prophet, staking out the residence. With a quick full-body disillusionment charm, Lacey managed to sneak past them and knock on the door and with some coaxing of her best friend, finally managed her way inside.

Ginny had led her to the library where Sirius, Remus, and Narcissa were sitting. The sight of Lucius' wife immediately set Lacey on edge, thus she was completely stunned when Narcissa stood up from her perch on the armrest of Remus' chair, strode over to Lacey, and hugged her like she was her daughter. The embrace had lasted for a few uncomfortable moments and Lacey could have sworn Narcissa was crying softly into her hair. Over the woman's shoulder, she widened her eyes to her best friend who just shrugged and rolled her own. Whatever Narcissa was on about, Lacey figured it had to do with Malfoy's always wanting to be the center of attention. In reality, Narcissa had just been emotional from her encounter with Lucius that morning and was extremely grateful for what Lacey was doing for her in allowing her the opportunity to be with the man she loved. She was realizing she hadn't been as kind as she could have to Lacey, and was trying to make up for it, but all it had come across as was ill-timed sentiment.

When Narcissa had pulled away from the hug, she wiped her eyes daintily, "So good to see you Lacey, it feels like it's been forever."

"Right, um…so…" Lacey pushed past her towards Ginny, not wanting to linger on Mrs. Malfoy's emotions, "What's the word from your family?"

Sirius had jerked his head to the coffee table in the middle of the room, where several opened red envelopes were laying. Howlers. Lacey grimaced, knowing that Howlers from Mrs. Weasley were a fate she wouldn't wish upon anyone.

"Mum wants us all at the Burrow tonight for a family dinner, and I s'pose we have no choice. Sirius and I have to face them sooner or later," Ginny had simply said, and that was how they had all come to be sitting in the Burrow, sans Narcissa of course, staring directly at a fidgeting Arthur Weasley.

The Weasley patriarch normally had the utmost respect for Sirius and counted him as a close friend, but now he was staring at him murderously, seeing him only as his beloved daughter's much older, leather pants wearing, and flying motorcycle driving boyfriend. Mrs. Weasley was in the kitchen, trying to distract herself by making dinner, and cursing quite a bit, which was quite odd for the woman.

"Sirius…" Mr. Weasley began, red in the face when he saw his daughter's other hand dart out and grab the Animagus'.

"Arthur…" Sirius replied, trying to look calm but inside he feared for his life, especially for one particular male appendage of his.

"Dad, come off it, it's really not that big of a deal," Ginny jumped in, which caused her mother to come out of the kitchen screaming even louder than any Howler, "Ginevra Molly Weasley it IS a big deal. You kept this from us and lied to your own family. You broke poor Harry's heart. And Sirius is twenty years older than you!" with her final words Molly looked at Sirius as if he were some sort of pervert and fled back into the kitchen in a huff. Extremely loud clanks of pots and pans ensued and Lacey could only imagine what it was going to be like when everyone else arrived.

"So him being forty-four is disgusting, but when Hermione was with Remus, it was alright?" Ginny was furious, and even though Sirius was scared shitless, he looked at his girlfriend in awe, both proud and touched that she was fighting for their relationship. Remus, however, winced at his name even being brought up into the conversation.

"Hermione is not my daughter," Arthur used as his reasoning and Ginny looked ready to send her famed bat-bogey hex her own father but was saved when the door to the Burrow opened and in piled Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna, Fred, and George and Angelina. They looked like a mostly ginger angry mob, which would have been comical if not for the situation.

"You bastard!" Harry yelled immediately when he spotted his Godfather, and leapt towards him, barely restrained from tackling the older man by the twins grabbing his arms and pulling him bacl. Both Sirius and Ginny stood up, with Ginny throwing her arms out, as if she was guarding her boyfriend from harm.

"He didn't do this to hurt you Harry, if you have an issue, you can take it up with me," Ginny said bravely, her face that of a warrior. Lacey and Remus stood up as well, wanting to be ready if Harry pulled his wand or did anything stupid.

"You left me for my fucking Godfather?" Harry's had stopped yelling and struggling against the twins, but it was plain he was heartbroken. Mrs. Weasley emerged from the kitchen with a dishtowel in her hand and everyone else stood still as Ginny let go of Sirius' hand and walked fearlessly towards her ex-boyfriend.

"We broke up because you cheated on me and decided to go back and screw everyone from our graduating class, sorry Mum," she looked over at her mother, who was shocked at that revelation, and then continued, "And you didn't treat me right. It's obvious that you care about me, and you will always be my first love, but I wasn't dating Sirius when I left you. Nothing was because of him. I can't help who I fall in love with but I love him with all of my heart. I get that it puts you in a weird place and I am sorry you are hurt, but I won't apologize for being happy in this relationship" Ginny told Harry softly, but no one spoke when she finished and she looked back helplessly at Sirius.

"Harry, I know this isn't the best case scenario, but nothing is going to change, and it doesn't mean you aren't family to me and I love you," his voice was choked up when he stepped forward to Ginny's side, trying to convey the true depth of his feeling for his Godson, but Harry shook his head resolutely.

"I don't care Sirius, I don't. I love Ginny and the two of you are making a mistake. Honestly, it's really pathetic that you can't find someone your own age that you had to go after my girlfriend…"

"EX-girlfriend," Ginny corrected him quickly, narrowing her eyes at the shaggy-haired man.

"Harry, stop, before you say something you regret," Sirius begged him.

"No!" Harry was yelling again, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, "I won't regret anything because I mean it when I say you aren't my family anymore."

Ginny grasped Sirius' hand and leaned on him, almost as if she needed physical support to keep going in the presence of everyone she loved, "This is all complete bullshit, we're leaving."

"I don't understand what is wrong with all of you. We have all been through the darkest times imaginable, and any news of love or joy is something to be thankful for," Sirius looked around at the group surrounding Harry before putting a protective arm around the woman he loved and left with her. It took a few moments for anyone to speak again, but it was Mrs. Weasley who first broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Well, since you are all here, you might as well stay for dinner!" she tried to act cheerful as she wiped a lone tear with the dishtowel. There was a mumble of agreement and the group huddled by the door around Harry began to disperse to help set the table or sit down by the fire. Everyone tried to establish a sense of normalcy, but Lacey didn't get off unscathed. The second the Burrow filled with low chatter, Mr. Weasley asked her to follow him into the kitchen, where she was met by Molly, hands on her hips.

"Did you know about this?"

"Not until really recently, just a couple weeks ago, but it really was Ginny's decision of when to tell you guys, and I support her," Lacey said with a small voice. When angry, Molly was one of the few people that frightened her, possibly because she had been Lacey's surrogate mother since she was eleven.

"You are her best friend, you know her better than anyone else, what in Merlin's name is she thinking?" Arthur's voice was the calmest of the pair, and he was looking at Lacey imploringly.

"She's in love, and you can't fault her for that. To be honest, I did think the age thing was a big deal when I first found out, but since then…" what Lacey really meant to say was 'since I have fallen in love with a man even older'…but she didn't, "well, I've changed my opinion. She and Sirius work well together. He takes care of her and she is happier than I have seen her in a long time."

Lacey truly meant every word, but even if she had disapproved, she knew she would still back Ginny up. Ginny was nothing short of a sister to her, and she would fight every one of her battles if she could. But before either of Ginny's parents could respond, they heard yelling from the living room and Lacey ran out to find George sprinting out to the backyard after Fred. Without hesitating, Lacey followed and found Fred, George, Remus, and Hermione in the fairy-lit backyard. It was clear Hermione and Remus were having a conversation that was interrupted by a seething Fred, and George was desperately trying to figure out what his twin was so upset over.

"I know!" Fred kept saying over and over, looking at Remus, and when the red-head caught sight of Lacey standing a little off to the side by the flower bed, he turned the same words on her.

"What the hell are you going on about Fred? Have you gone bloody mental?" Lacey shouted back at him, searching his eyes for what he might be feeling and she found sadness in spades.

"No, I've just figured out who it is that you are seeing. I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" he looked around at the other three, "If my little sister is with Sirius, then it's obvious that you and Remus have got a thing going on. It all makes sense-why you are always at Grimmauld, why you don't want to talk about it to anyone, why you hate Hermione…."

"I do not hate Hermione!" Lacey interjected as Remus groaned. Hermione made a helpless peep of a noise, but it got lost in the yelling.

"…and why you won't go out with me. It has to be him!" Fred finished and Hermione looked desperate to say something. She looked exactly as she used to in class at Hogwarts, nearly bursting with the answer. Remus shot her a look of warning, begging her to not blow his secret. To everyone but the Twins, it was clear that Lacey and Remus couldn't be in a relationship, but Fred looked devastated.

"It's absolutely not true. There is not a single bit of truth in it whatsoever, right Remus?" Lacey looked at her friend and former Professor, and she could tell he was thinking hard about something. Hermione was practically beside herself with anxiety over the situation and George simply looked sorry for his brother. Fred hadn't stopped trying to figure it out since he had kissed Lacey in her apartment, and Remus knew (as it was glaringly evident) how much of a crush Fred had on Lacey and also knew he wouldn't stop until he had an answer. Against his better judgment, and for more selfish reasons to ensure Narcissa stayed a secret, Remus smiled what he hoped was endearingly at Lacey and walked over to her.

"It's fine, Lace," his words were stilted as he tried to feign more that the friendly familiarity they had, "We might as well tell them that it is true and not hide it any longer."

A/N: Uh oh! Do you think Remus made a mistake? What do you think about the Weasley's and Harry's reaction to Ginny and Sirius? Are you happy for Lacey's new job-and will things only get rockier for her and Lucius? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Also, I think this would be fun…I want to re-do my cover image for this story, so if there is someone you picture (an actress, etc) while reading Lacey, tell me who it is! The person I agree with the most gets a shout-out next chapter and their 'vision' will be my new cover image. Go!

And also check out my other new story! Thanks a billion!