I will not be returning to my apartment for the next few days. I will not be going back to Lucius Malfoy anytime soon either, do not worry.

I am sorry for the way our conversation went last night.

S.

In disbelief, Ginny stared at the note she found on the kitchen table that morning. What was Snape trying to do here? And did he seriously think his apology would change anything? She would never trust him again, no matter how fabulous the breakfast he prepared for her. Because that was exactly what he had done that morning. When Ginny came into the kitchen, a warm, fresh egg was already waiting for her, along with coffee, orange juice, scones, and various spreads. Was he trying to bribe her? Did he think he could lull her in so easily? She could feel her anger flare even more at that thought.

Still, she was grateful to him for giving her space and time to consider their changed relationship.

oOoOoOo

Smiling, Hermione let her quill fly across the paper. She loved this new job and could not believe her luck at all. Sure, it was boring, mindless busywork, but still - it was just right for her. Surrounded by books, in a huge library full of old bookshelves, accompanied only by the glow of a magical lamp, she could spend the whole day away from the Malfoys.

At least, that's what she hoped. It had been only yesterday that Malfoy senior had picked her up from the kitchen and led her into his private library. His words still echoed in her mind - if she did not perform to his satisfaction, he would pull her from the task. She tried all the harder at this most welcome diversion.

She had been amazed when Lucius Malfoy had led her through the mighty door into a room filled with thousands and thousands of books. She would never have guessed that a single person could own so many books - but of course the Malfoy family had been working on this family library for generations, and so here were various works that were rare and impossible to find for people like herself, alongside quite everyday standard works.

And she, Hermione Granger, was the lucky one who was allowed to examine the entire library and catalogue each book with the help of an index card. She could not even fathom that this had never been done before, but Malfoy explained to her that his ancestors usually placed more emphasis on owning books and less on using them. And so there had never been a need. But he, Lucius Malfoy, decided that education was important, and that he wanted to know what treasures were in his possession.

To that end, he had enchanted a series of index cards. Hermione's task now was to record all the titles, note the author and date, and write down at least five keywords related to the content. The index card would then be retrievable by author, as well as by year and title, and by keywords using magic. Each index card also recorded the exact shelf and row of shelves the book was on, and updated it independently as soon as it was moved elsewhere. Hermione had to hand it to her slave master - he was smart and his system would save a lot of time once it was complete.

But first she had a lot of work - and that pleased her, because it meant that she could be alone, secluded from the rest. The danger that other Death Eaters would ambush her here, or that Draco would harass her, seemed much smaller to her.

From his armchair, Lucius Malfoy watched the girl's work. He had been right that she would enjoy it. It was remarkable how much she blossomed among all these old books. Suddenly he could see again the youthful woman who had proudly faced all dangers in the battle for Hogwarts. He did not like the shy, traumatized woman he found early yesterday morning. Severus had obviously not been gentle and had taken by force what he had paid for. Lucius still did not understand why he had done that, for he never before was under the impression that his old companion was even into that sort of thing. It was out of character.

On the other hand, Lucius could understand him. The longer Hermione Granger stayed in his household, the more he discovered her beauty. She had lively, intelligent eyes, was still proud even as a slave, and the little impertinences she allowed herself towards him showed quite a lot of courage. In addition, she had the natural body of a young woman. The fact that she showed so little fear towards him should have worried him, but the opposite was true: he enjoyed it and was much more concerned about why she was so afraid of his son.

A sudden movement made Lucius Malfoy look up from his contemplations. Hermione interrupted her work briefly to get up from her chair and stretch. Through the tight, black minidress, the master of the house could watch wonderfully how her bottom shifted against the fabric as she stretched through her back and tossed her curly hair back over her shoulders. He felt enchanted.

Hermione was startled when she was suddenly embraced by two strong arms. She had been about to sit down again when she was stopped and pulled against the warm chest of Lucius Malfoy. Anxiously, she waited to see what would follow - the images of the previous night were still fresh in her mind. But to her surprise the embrace did not go any further. Silently, the older man pressed her to his chest, almost imperceptibly stroking her upper arm with one hand, yet holding her tightly all the while.

Suddenly, without her being able to stop it, tears welled up inside her. It wasn't the silent crying that sometimes overcame her when she thought of Harry, Ginny, or Ron. No, she was crying loudly, sobbing uncontrollably. As if her owner's tenderness had broken a dam, she gave vent to all her despair, crying out her fear and anger about the night before last.

Malfoy, who seemed to instinctively understand what was happening, pulled Hermione with him to the armchair where he had been sitting earlier and turned her around to face him. Grateful for the comfort, Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest. Gulping and gasping for breath, she tried to regain control, but anger at Snape was now joined by anger at the man who had held her in his arms at this very moment.

"Why?" she asked, her voice full of anger and accusation. Why had he sold her? How could a human being treat another's body in such a way? She clenched her fists and lashed out at him, hit him again and again with the power of her own frustration.

Lucius Malfoy let it happen. Without ever telling her to stop or even showing the slightest hint of disapproval, he endured her anger. It wasn't until her punches grew weaker that he caught her fists and held them tight.

"Hermione," he whispered, "come on, calm down. It's all right, it's over. No one is hurting you anymore."

The quiet but serious words of her owner made Hermione stop in her tracks. She suddenly became aware of her situation: she was crying on Lucius Malfoy's lap, seeking comfort from him, and beating him. And he allowed it, comforted her, and just let it happen. Confused, she looked up at him and tried to blink away her tears.

The tear-blurred look Malfoy got from Hermione made his heart skip a second. For several moments, he could only look back wordlessly, captivated by her brown, large, questioning eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head, bringing his face very close to hers - and remained in that position.

An incredulous blink from the young woman on his lap brought him abruptly back to reality. What by Merlin's beard was he doing? Before he could find an answer to the question, he removed his arms from Hermione's back and pushed her off him.

Hermione was grateful for that. She quickly got up and sat down in her chair at the table. With hasty movements, she brushed the tears from her cheeks. She had just cried in the arms of a Death Eater. She had sought comfort from someone who had no problems enslaving another human being. From Lucius Malfoy, who stood like no other for everything she rejected. A brief moment of tenderness had been enough and she had turned into a weak, weeping girl - before the eyes of a poisonous snake. Whatever he would make of this moment of weakness on her part, it was not good. Unsettled, she turned around, sought eye contact with the master of the house - and was surprised to find that he was no longer sitting in the armchair.

A soft click of the door told her that Lucius Malfoy left the library. Relieved, she sighed. At least for the moment, she was completely alone.

oOoOoOo

Agitated, Lucius paced back and forth in his study. For a moment, whatever he once thought of Granger and Muggleborns in general had not mattered anymore. All he could see was a vulnerable young woman on his lap who held nothing back and was completely open to him. For the longest time, he had admired Narcissa for her ability to hide her emotions. But now, in that brief moment, he felt as though someone who was open and honest was so much more attractive.

It was nothing more than a short moment of confusion and being overwhelmed in the face of a crying women.

But he knew it was useless to lie to himself. He had been on the verge of kissing Hermione Granger. That innocent stare, that helplessness, the flushed cheeks, her arms buried into his chest - all of it had affected him like an aphrodisiac. His protective instinct had awakened and with it the desire for the body of a young woman.

He stopped in his tracks and cursed.

He was the last person who could afford to be indulgent toward a slave. Especially this one. She was Hermione Granger. Until a few weeks ago, she had been the greatest threat to the Dark Lord after Harry Potter. Any form of generosity towards her would look suspicious.

Was that why Draco looked at him so full of suspicion and hate? He had no idea what his son thought about the Dark Lord. He had been ordered to kill Dumbledore and had failed to do so. After that, he had become irritable and aggressive.

Contemplating that idea, Lucius Malfoy sat down at his desk. When he thought about it, Draco had changed since Dumbledore's death. As if he knew only hate, contempt, and distrust. And since Hermione Granger lived in their house, his hatred seemed to be directed against her in particular. But why? He himself had no reason to hate her. Yes, she was a Mudblood and a former enemy of the Dark Lord. But now she was a slave and thus should at most cause contempt and amusement. So why this hatred?

It would be easy if he could just talk to his son, but that was no longer a possibility. If he suddenly came across as a good father now, Draco would only become suspicious. He was already suspicious after the incident in the bathroom and started questioning his authority. He couldn't afford to have Draco suspect anything.

Lucius Malfoy had to admit to himself that he was not free in his own home. His wife never wanted to join the Death Eaters and had turned away from him more and more over the years. At the latest since Hermione Granger had appeared, she had also thrown jealousy at him. And he did not know what his own son was passing on to others. Could he really afford to live so carelessly? He had no idea which of his family members and friends would stay true to him. He did not know who was honest with him and who was just waiting to let him walk into an open knife.

He hated himself for having changed so much. In the past, he had been confident and sure of his position right by the Dark Lord's side. Back then, he had not cared if anyone lied to him or betrayed him, because the Lord was one hundred percent sure of his loyalty and nothing anyone could have said could have carried any weight against him, against Lucius Malfoy. And now? Today, he had to watch his words at all times and always wonder who was being honest with him. The probability of everyone deceiving him was high.

Except Hermione Granger. Granger, of all people, was the only person in the world who had no reason to lie to him.

And suddenly Lucius Malfoy realised why he had liked having the young woman around so much lately.

I'm back! I will finish this story by the end of 2022 and I appreciate every single one of you who stuck around or who waits for it to be finished. Thank you for reading my work!