Hermione's POV
My breath stilled in my throat, my entire body frozen. The cold tiles beneath my knees, the acrid scent of cleaning potion, the damp cloth that had slipped from my grasp—it all faded into the background. The only thing I could focus on was the sickening presence behind me.
Lucius Malfoy.
His body pressed against mine, firm and deliberate.
My stomach twisted in revulsion.
I forced myself to move, to breathe, but my limbs felt locked in place, paralyzed by the sheer wrongness of the moment.
Then, as if nothing had happened at all, he shifted back.
"Careful, Miss Granger," he murmured, his tone far too casual, like we had merely brushed shoulders in passing. "You're quite… distracted today."
I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat. My fingers clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms as I willed myself not to react, not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.
He stepped around me, pausing just as he reached the door. I kept my head down, eyes fixed on the soapy water pooling against the grout.
"You're doing an excellent job," he added smoothly, his voice laced with mockery. "Keep at it."
And then he was gone.
I sucked in a breath so sharp it burned my lungs. The second the door clicked shut, I scrambled backward, pressing myself against the cold, hard wall. My hands were trembling, my vision blurring with the force of my rage and disgust.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to run. But where? There was nowhere to go.
Nowhere safe.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady the rapid thudding of my heart.
This wasn't the first time Lucius had pushed boundaries, but this? This was different.
This was a warning.
A reminder of how little power I had.
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. He wanted me to feel helpless. He wanted to see me crumble.
I wouldn't give him that.
But as I sat there, my back against the wall, my chest rising and falling in sharp, uneven breaths, I realized something chilling.
Draco had been gone all day.
And Lucius had waited for that moment.
Had he known? Had he planned it?
I squeezed my eyes shut, my fingers curling into my sleeves.
For the first time in weeks, I found myself wondering when Draco would be home.
Because for all the ways I told myself I couldn't trust him, there was one thing I knew for certain.
I trusted him more than I trusted this house.
And that terrified me.