Chapter 10

Hermione was surprised, but not displeased, to see a missive from Lucius on her desk when she arrived at work that day. She waited until she'd had her coffee and opened all her other mail to address it.

She hadn't seen Draco that day, nor did she expect to. She'd nearly resigned herself to the idea that she'd been judged by him and found wanting. When she went over what could have gone wrong, she drew a blank.

But she wasn't one to dwell on things that went wrong.... Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true. But at least she'd convinced herself that it must be Draco's problem and not hers. She regretted that he obviously wasn't interested, but she had to admit, she felt a little relieved. He made her a little nervous, both with his intensity and his past. As much as she believed that he'd changed, there would always be a little uncertainty; Malfoys were notoriously good actors, and while half of Hermione was sad at the lost chance, the other half was thankful that her heart was safe for another day.

Safe, that is, unless Lucius had designs on it.

She was just about to open the letter from Lucius when a knock on her door startled her. She'd taken to leaving it shut all the time, partially for privacy from Draco, but mostly because she was embarrassed by her malfunctioning magic and didn't want her co-workers seeing her do everything the Muggle way.

"Come in!" she called, putting the letter down and folding her hands over it.

To her immense surprise and begrudged pleasure, it was Draco.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." She smiled at him. Gods, but he had an immediate effect on her. She tried to school her features, but grinned at him regardless. He returned it, and she was smitten. Ugh, control yourself, Granger. He is so not interested.

"Good morning. I just wanted to ask if you'd finished the mock-up for the new volunteer form. I was thinking about circulating it later today."

Hermione was startled; she hadn't spoken to him about that yet. "Well, yes. I finished it before I came to work this morning. How did you...?"

Draco waved offhandedly. "Oh, my father told me about it. I think it's a great idea; we definitely need the help." Hermione felt a tingle of warmth at his compliment, but she'd also felt a frisson of heat at the way Draco said, 'My father.' Something very odd was going on inside her head!

"Thanks. Well, I just need to make magical copies, and I figured we'd leave some on every floor, as well as personally visit all the previous volunteers to find out which ones want to continue. I doubt many will, but I'm hoping we can recruit some new ones." She dug around in her briefcase for the form. Handing it to him, she said, "Do you and... your father normally talk shop?"

He took the form and looked at it briefly. He answered her in a distracted voice, "Well, not really actually. Just when it concerns you." He gave her a conspiratorial wink and promptly exited her office, closing the door behind him. She was left with a feeling that she didn't quite have all the information. Why would they talk about her? Did Draco know she'd been on a date with his father? He wasn't acting like he cared.... Maybe they were right back to being colleagues and nothing more. Well, that was better than the cold shoulder, anyway.

Shaking her head and wondering when her life had become so complicated, Hermione finally opened Lucius' letter. Her eyes widened.

Hermione,

Lucius

Hermione was shocked. How could Lucius have answers to her magic problems? What did it even have to do with him? She noticed he'd left no way for her to respond to his missive. She decided instead of going to his office to confirm that she would indeed accompany him tonight, she would just wait for him to show up; he obviously expected acquiescence anyway.

And he'd signed it... yours.

Mine?

When Lucius eventually did come to her office, it was just before five. He knocked on her door, a clunking sound that made her believe he was knocking with his cane instead of his hand. How very Malfoy.

"Come in!" she called to the second Malfoy that day.

Lucius entered the room, filling it with his presence. Unlike the Death Eater she knew as a teenager, this Lucius wasn't as intimidating as he was commanding. He didn't frighten her like he used to, but she couldn't deny she was drawn to his power. It fairly radiated off of him, and, to an only slightly lesser extent, his son. It was really no wonder she was drawn to these men. She was a fairly powerful witch on her own, so it suited that she would be attracted to men of a similar magical stature.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. I trust you got my letter?" His cultured voice never failed to send a shiver down her spine, but she managed to answer gracefully.

"I did. I'd be happy to come with you. I must admit, I'm very curious to hear what you know." And not a little put out that he hadn't deigned to inform her earlier.

"I'm happy to enlighten you. I only hope you will be equally happy to be enlightened."

Hermione tilted her head coyly. "There's nothing I enjoy more than... enlightenment."

They both smiled at her flirtation, even if Hermione herself was a little shocked. Lucius put her at ease while simultaneously keeping her on her toes.

She quickly gathered the work she planned on doing that night and stuffed it into her briefcase. Donning her coat, she accepted Lucius' arm, and together they walked to the Apparition point. In moments they were outside Malfoy Manor. Hermione followed Lucius inside, and he led her to his study. Hermione blanked her mind against the sickening rush of emotion at the memory of the last time she'd been in this house. Things are different now, she reminded herself.

Similar to Draco's study across the manor, this room was completely Lucius. The dark mahogany desk was massive, and all the furniture in the room shared the same wood theme. The walls were beige, and that kept the room from feeling small. There was a brown leather sofa and loveseat, as well as a dark green wingback chair situated in front of a huge fireplace. Two walls bore immense bookcases, even though the room itself was attached to the library. He obviously felt very comfortable here, and Hermione instantly felt the same.

Not letting go of her hand, Lucius sat Hermione on the loveseat and took his place beside her, sitting close enough that their thighs touched. The fact that he chose the smaller loveseat over the more accommodating sofa did not go unnoticed by Hermione.

She smiled warmly at him, wanting him to tell her everything he knew. When he placed his hand on her knee, she couldn't refrain from shivering. His touch inspired something within her. His hand was warm and reassuring, and his smell assailed her. It was spicy and musky and made her want to lean forward and breathe him in....

"Hermione..." His voice was impossibly low. The warmth of the room and his closeness intoxicated her, and she raised her face to meet his.

He searched her eyes for a moment, but she closed them in silent permission. When she felt his breath against her lips, she leaned in to close the distance with a kiss.

His hand immediately cupped her cheek, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Her mouth accepted him immediately, not playing any of the games she usually enjoyed. Now, she only wanted him.

When his tongue stroked hers, it was like a piece of her soul settled. An anxiety she'd hardly known she'd been feeling lifted, and she felt free and complete. She sighed in contentment, and he swallowed her sounds. He pulled back slightly, kissing her lips lightly a last time before pulling back. She kept her eyes closed, not wanting to forget the sensation, but when he whispered her name, she had to see his eyes.

They were the darkest she'd ever seen them, and a look of lust crossed his features before he contained it. It was almost as if he was afraid she'd be frightened by his passion...and she was anything but. She'd waited all her life to see passion like that, and she'd only ever witnessed it in one other eerily similar pair of grey eyes.

"Gods, you are stunning. I could kiss you for days." He looked amazed, possibly because of what he'd said, but more likely because what he'd said was true.

But as much as Hermione was enjoying his talented attentions, she had to know what he knew.

"Lucius, you need to tell me about my magic."

He nodded solemnly. He'd decided to use much the same words he'd said to Draco the night before. And like with Draco, he did not hesitate, but told her all he knew about the magic mates, and the triad, and how he believed it involved the three of them. He barely paused to register her reactions, and when he was finished, he clamped his lips shut.

Hermione was sure her face was a comic mask at this point. She had never felt more incredulous in her life. Lucius Malfoy...former enemy, Death Eater. Bad Guy...was telling her that he believed she was destined to be in a relationship with him and his son, Draco Malfoy...Death Eater-in-training, arch nemesis, Junior Bad Guy. She wanted to laugh, but her expression was frozen.

"I think I should probably head home, Mr. Malfoy." She lurched unsteadily to her feet, but didn't take a further step. The problem wasn't that everything he'd said was wrong. Oh, no, that would have been much easier to cope with. The problem was that everything he'd said felt so damn right. The more he'd spoken, the more she felt everything fall into place. The magic, the feeling of emptiness she'd had before, the lack of guilt she'd experienced when agreeing to see Lucius even though she was seeing Draco. Her dreams.

Lucius held onto her wrist, and it felt impossibly small in his large hand. "Please, stay for a few moments. Talk to me. I know it's frightening; it's all quite a bit to absorb. Draco did not handle it very well, either."

"Draco knows?"

Lucius nodded, and Hermione sat back down, trying to ignore the heat of his thigh against hers. "Yes, I told him just last night. The way he's been avoiding you... it wasn't you. It was his instincts. The magic between the three of us was telling him to give me time to make you aware of my intentions. If you'd chosen him completely, you never would have considered me, and all of our power would continue to revolt."

"Does Draco... want this, as well?" Hermione congratulated herself on keeping her voice steady. She was certainly not unaware that some couples engaged in sexual encounters with more than one partner. She even knew that some people maintained relationships with three members. It was not entirely unheard of...slightly more common in the Wizarding World than the Muggle world, but still not very prevalent.

"Draco doesn't know what he wants at this point. But that isn't to say he's ruling it out. To be perfectly honest, I believe he will keep his cards close to his chest until he knows what you want. He won't pursue anything if he suspects you are hesitant. I don't know if I have the same qualms." His voice lowered, and Hermione instinctually leaned toward him. "I know exactly what I want."

His lips descended quickly to hers, not giving her a chance to deny him. His hands held her face lightly, and he kissed her with the passion she was beginning to associate with him. He certainly did nothing by halves. She moaned into his mouth, all thoughts of triads and magic mates fleeing her mind while he learned her mouth with his tongue.

Hermione gently touched his cheek, but was compelled to card her fingers through his silky hair. It was long, past his shoulders, and the same silver-blond as Draco's. She tugged lightly on his tresses, and he growled into her mouth, deepening the kiss even further.

But just as quickly as it started, Lucius pulled back. "Now you know everything I know. And you know what I want. I hope you make the right decision, for it is all up to you."

Catching her breath, Hermione nodded slowly. "I can only promise that I will think about it, Lucius. I won't say No right away, but all this... it's a little scary. I'll have to..."

"...Research?" Lucius smirked, raising a silver eyebrow ever so slightly.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm so predictable. You know, there's nothing wrong with covering all your bases and making an informed decision!"

"Of course not, pet. Just remember, your heart should have as much say as your head." And with those rather sage words, Lucius led Hermione to the Floo, through which she travelled to her suddenly very empty-feeling living room.