Chapter 2

AN: I post as madeleone on LJ and at the Exchange. Written for the 2011 ss/hg_exchange for pythia_delphi. I will post the original prompt at the end of the story, as I don't want to give too much away. Many thanks go to my super, wonderful betas, Clarivoyant and SoftObsidian. Also many thanks to pythia_delphi for the awesome prompt.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I make no money here.

Hermione settled into the routine of her new job, although, at this point, she wasn't entirely sure it was what she'd hoped for. It involved a lot more administrative shite than she really cared for and far less of the real down and dirty work involved in decoding Dark Artifacts, the part of the job she really loved. A conference with Lucius revealed he felt the same way. He was a bit more willing to deal with the daily humdrum of paperwork, as he'd been accustomed to managing such things with his family businesses, but he, too, feared he would quickly come to miss the fieldwork aspect, as well.

The solution they settled on involved hiring someone to delegate the lesser, more mundane tasks to. Hermione found the perfect candidate in Percy Weasley. Ever the Ministry's man, he was more than willing to deal with the day-to-day bureaucracy and keep their department running smoothly.

They spent the morning meeting with Percy and outlining their expectations for his role in the department. Hermione felt that they had definitely made the right choice and looked forward to spending the next few days doing extensive research on some new artifacts that had been turned over to the Ministry.

After lunch, she spread her research materials over the conference table and had just settled down to her task when she was interrupted by a red-haired whirlwind.

She was grabbed up and hugged so hard she could barely breathe, then spun around until even when they stopped she felt like the room was still spinning, just like the first time she'd gone through the Floo.

"Ron! Ron, stop. Put me down," she laughed as she returned the hug. Ron hadn't changed; he reminded her of a great big puppy dog, all gangly arms and legs and full of boundless enthusiasm. "It's so good to see you. Harry said you've been out on an assignment. I'm so glad you're back."

"I know. I just now heard about your new job. Imagine that, our Hermione a department head before she's thirty. I knew you'd end up doing great things, 'Mione. I never doubted it," praised Ron. "And I hear you've even managed to tame the fearsome Lucy-Lu. Six years working with the bugger, and you haven't killed each other yet. And not a word to us about any of it. You do know how to keep your secrets; that's for sure, love."

"Oh, my God!" Hermione exclaimed, but she couldn't keep the silly grin off her face. "Ron, don't ever let Lucius hear you call him that, or you'll be hexed seven ways from Sunday."

"Oh, hell, I'm used to working with Severus; after that, Malfoy pales in comparison. He doesn't scare me," he replied with a cheeky grin.

At the mention of Snape, Hermione's enthusiasm waned, and she commented glumly, "Yes, Harry has been singing Snape's praises too. He says he's like a part of the family and that he's best buds with you both."

Ron frowned, puzzled by her reaction. "Well, yes. It's fair to say that he is a friend of all our families. Pansy's been fond of him since he was her Head of House, plus Severus and I have worked closely together for quite a while and I've gotten to know him pretty well. He's not at all like when we were kids, Hermione. So, yes, I do count him as a close friend."

Hermione merely sniffed and said, "Well, to each his own. I have no desire to nurture a friendship with the man. It looks like I am going to have to work with him, though. I'll put up with him because I'm a professional, but I don't have to like him." Turning away from Ron, Hermione straightened her piles of folders and books, organizing her research for the new project.

Ron was silent for several seconds, but Hermione could feel his eyes upon her. Finally, she heard him step forward, and his hand settled on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Well, all that aside, love, I want us to catch up with each other's lives. What do you say we go out for a bite and a drink or two after work, just you and me? Do you have plans? I want to hear everything you've been up to and tell you all about my family. How about it?"

Hermione paused to blink back the quick sting of tears. She knew that Harry meant well when he'd talked about getting together or having her over to the house to catch up. Thus far, however, he hadn't actually bothered to initiate anything, and she'd been home nearly two weeks. She knew he was busy with his job and his family, and although she'd never in a hundred years say anything to Harry, it had stung that he hadn't bothered to follow through. But Ron's immediate invitation and interest touched Hermione's heart. She hadn't realized until just that moment how very much she'd missed her 'boys.'

"No, I don't have any plans," she replied huskily, her voice tight with emotion. "What about Pansy? Won't she expect you home? It's your first day back, and I'm sure she wants to spend time with you. Do you want to have her join us?"

"Oh, Severus and I actually got back last night. But I pushed all the paperwork off on him and took the morning off to spend some quality time with my witch," Ron explained, puffing out his chest with a knowing look, a wink, and a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Besides, Pans already had something planned with Daphne for tonight, so she won't miss me. I'll Floo-call her and let her know, though, so she won't worry. And we do really want you to come over sometime soon so you can see the new house and everything, but for tonight, it'll just be us, kind of like old times minus Harry. Is that okay?"

Throwing her arms around Ron, she hugged him just as tightly as he had hugged her before. "Oh, Ron. That sounds wonderful; I'd love to. Stop by my office at the end of the day, and we'll leave from here."

~**~

True to his word, Ron showed up just after five, warbling, "Oh, Luceeeeey, I'm hoooome," when he saw Lucius standing next to Hermione in the conference room.

Hermione was trying to gather up her books, reports, and research materials, and Lucius then snatched it all out of her arms and piled it back on the table.

Pausing only to give Ron a strange look, as if he thought the Auror might be a bit off, he admonished, "Hermione, stop! You are not taking all of this home with you. You promised Cissy that you would stop pushing yourself so hard. She'll have my head if I let you spend yet another weekend working..."

"What's going on?" asked Ron.

"My partner here thinks he can tell me what I can do with my free time. If I want to get a head start on my research for this project, then I shall," Hermione declared, scooping everything into a pile and attempting to gather it up.

"Tell your stubborn friend that she no longer needs to prove anything to anyone. As one of the youngest department heads in the history of the Ministry, she's already proven her worth; it won't kill her to relax and have a real weekend like normal people," said Lucius, grabbing at the pile in her arms.

Within seconds, they were bickering like an old married couple. Ron watched, open mouthed, as the two yammered on at each other, becoming louder by the minute. After a short time, he actually feared they might come to blows or hexes. "STOP!" he yelled as he stepped between them and physically pushed them apart.

Turning to Lucius, he spoke first, "Malfoy, you've worked with her for nearly six years, so you must know by now that for her research is relaxation. Telling her not to study or research would be like telling Dumbledore not to eat sweets."

"See," Hermione gloated, turning to gather her prize.

Ron grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand back. "No, Hermione, wait. I truly never thought I'd hear myself say this, but Lucius is right. You do work too hard; you always have. You've always pushed yourself to extremes. It's time you started to ease up. You've earned it, love."

At her frustrated look, Ron asked, "Now, tell me this, is there anything with this project that is so urgent that it needs to be done in the next twenty-four hours?" Ron looked out of the corner of his eye at Lucius, who shook his head slightly.

"No... I guess not," Hermione finally admitted softly, looking longingly at all of her lovely reference materials.

"But you really do want to sink your teeth in and get started on it anyway, don't you?"

"Oh, yes," she replied eagerly.

"Okay, here's what we'll do," said Ron. "You can choose...," he started as he looked at the massive amount of books, journals, folders and loose parchments, probably enough to fill a whole section on one of her beloved bookshelves back at Hogwarts. He glanced again at Lucius. "... five things to take home and work on over the weekend."

Her eyes widened. "Five? Are you insane? I'd be done with that in less than twenty minutes, half an hour tops. One-fourth of it, at least."

Ron looked over at Lucius again, who frowned and shook his head. "Eight things," Ron countered.

"Ronnn, be reasonable," she whined. Then realizing that wasn't going to soften him up, she snarled, "No less than twenty-five."

"Ten," countered Ron, standing firm.

"Twenty."

"Twelve, and that's my final offer. And that big, fat, ancient-looking Grimoire over there counts as two. And... you can't spend more than one afternoon on this over the whole weekend."

"Fine," she sneered, then she smiled internally to herself. She was half-angry at him for telling her what to do, but the other half was pleased to know that he cared enough, they...he and Lucius both...cared enough to tell her what to do because they thought it was for her own good.

"Fine," agreed Lucius. "While you make your decision as to what you want to focus on, Mr. Weasley and I will step into my office for a moment. Please join us when you are done, my dear." Just before they stepped through the doorway, Ron noticed Lucius flick his wand discreetly at the pile. He whispered for Ron's benefit, "An accounting spell. She won't be able to cheat. Twelve is the limit."

"Clever," replied Ron with a nod.

Lucius offered him a drink while they waited, but Ron declined, explaining that he and Hermione were going out for dinner and maybe a few drinks afterward. The two made small talk about Quidditch, the Ministry, and Lucius' and Hermione's promotions. Lucius inquired after Pansy and asked about the project Ron and Severus were working on.

"Oww!" they heard from the conference room just before Hermione stepped through the door with her much reduced, Auror-approved pile of research material. "Very funny, Lucius," she said, sucking her stinging fingertip.

"Forgot how to count to twelve, did you?" he asked with a smirk.

"No, I forgot about the Grimoire counting as two," she admitted sheepishly. "Here," she continued, shoving them all to him. " Take these home for me, will you? And don't even think of shrinking them; a couple of those parchments are ancient."

"Wait," said Ron, confused. "Home? You're living at Malfoy Manor?"

"Just temporarily," Hermione explained. "Narcissa and Lucius invited me to stay there with them until I can find a place of my own."

"Now, Hermione, you know Cissy would like nothing better than to have you stay with us permanently. It's not as if we don't have the room. The entire manor has been renovated in our absence," Lucius assured Ron. "There is no longer any remnant of the Dark Lord's presence there."

"I do know that I'm welcome, Lucius. You both have made me feel at home. While the manor is beautiful, it's not really my style.

"And Cissy does tend to mother me," Hermione said in an aside to Ron. "Not that I'm complaining. I do love her, and she's been a good friend to me, but I really need my own space."

"Well, before you find that space and leave us, we must invite your friends over for dinner one night, perhaps next weekend or the one after. Cissy loves to entertain, and I am sure she and Draco both would like to see Pansy. Of course, you'll want Potter and his wife, and we could invite Severus, as well."

"I'll think about it, Lucius, and discuss it with Cissy later," responded Hermione. She'd never explained to him her animosity toward Snape.

As Hermione and Ron were riding down in the lift, Ron suddenly started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked.

"Lucius Malfoy just invited the 'Golden Trio' to his house for a friendly little get-together. Times have certainly changed, 'Mione; there's no doubt about that, no doubt at all," concluded Ron with a grin.

~**~

Hermione suggested they Apparate to Hogsmeade for dinner. "I haven't been there in years; it will be just like the old days at school," she said.

In actuality, she remembered what Harry said about Ron and Severus going to the Leaky Caldron for a pint, so she figured there was little chance that they would run into him at The Three Broomsticks. Not that she was avoiding him because it looked as if she would have to deal with the git at work and he was going to be present in her private life due to their mutual friends. But for tonight at least, she just wanted Ron to herself.

As they entered the pub, a shout greeted them, "'Ermione! Whut're ya doin' 'ere? I 'ad no idea you was back."

"Hagrid! It's so good to see you," she greeted their old friend. After a few minutes of small talk and promises to come visit him soon, she and Ron chose a relatively quiet table in a corner. After ordering the special of the day and a butterbeer for old time's sake, they sat back to catch up.

"So... partners with Malfoy, huh? How did that happen?" asked Ron.

Hermione shrugged. "There was a case in Argentina. Ancient relics were being smuggled out of the country; one in particular carried a Dark Curse that wreaked all sorts of havoc. By the time the Department of Mysteries was called in to help, three Muggles had already died. I'd just closed a case in Indonesia and was waiting for a new assignment, so they sent me. The first day I walked into the office and saw Lucius Malfoy sitting there, I thought it was some kind of bad practical joke. I knew that he was working for the department, of course, and had even heard that he'd built quite a good reputation for himself. I just never considered that I'd ever have to deal with him personally." She paused to take a long sip of her butterbeer.

"So, what happened? Were there explosions, fireworks? Did hexes fly?" asked Ron with a grin.

"I think I said something like, 'No fucking way,' and stormed out of the room. Unfortunately, our supervisor was waiting outside the door to push me right back in. Lucius wasn't any happier than I about the assignment, although I misjudged his reasons."

"How so?"

"I assumed he didn't want to work with me due to my being a Muggle-born. And to be completely honest, I still thought of him as a Death Eater, even though I knew he'd been acquitted."

"Well, I can't say I'd have reacted any differently if it had been me," said Ron. "In fact, the first few times I had to work with Severus, it felt really weird. I kept expecting to hear, 'Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, and a detention with Mr. Filch,'" Ron imitated Snape's voice to a tee. "But you said you'd misjudged Malfoy? So, what was that about?"

"Well, he didn't want to work with me anymore than I wanted to work with him. But his reason wasn't because I was a Muggle-born, as I believed, but because he felt I was too young to know enough about Dark Artifacts to be effective. However, I'd been working in the field for four years at that point and on some really complicated cases. I figured I could hold my own, and so did our boss. He told Lucius he was underestimating my capability and he should give me a chance.

"We both tried so hard to get out of that assignment, or get a new partner. I must have Floo-called Kingsley twenty times, and I think Lucius was contacting him every other day, too," Hermione said with a chuckle.

"So, how did you finally come around to working together without killing each other?" asked Ron, pausing to pass the plate from the server to Hermione, before taking his own. "Thanks, love," he murmured in an aside to the girl.

"Believe it or not... Draco."

"Draco? You're kidding me. Okay, there has to be a story there, so let's hear it."

"Well, I'd come across some information critical to the case, and it couldn't wait, so I Floo'd to Lucius' office at his home. It was supposed to be secure. There shouldn't have been any interaction between Lucius' family and myself. Just as you guys didn't know who my partner was, neither did his family know about me. But somehow, Draco was in the office instead of Lucius when I arrived. He was shocked to see me, to say the least.

"Granger?" gasped Draco."What are you doing here?"

Lucius entered the study just then, and it was like a Lumos went on in Draco's head as he made the connection.

"This is the partner you've been trying so hard to get rid of? Are you mad, Father? You made her sound like some piece of pretty fluff who wouldn't know her wand from a candlestick. This witch was hunting bloody Horcruxes and breaking into Gringotts when she was only seventeen years old. It doesn't get much darker than that, does it? If you would want anyone at your back...anyone at all...it would be Hermione Granger."

Draco turned on her abruptly and snarled, "I really don't give a damn about you, Granger. But my father I do care about. His work is very dangerous, so I would prefer that his partner to be the best there is. That's you, whether I like you or not."

"It was just about then that Narcissa showed up. From that point on it was like a three ring circus. His office was supposed to be secured, but both Draco and Narcissa bypassed his wards at will. I wanted to Obliviate them both according to procedure, but Lucius absolutely refused to let that happen. We finished our business that night regarding the case, and Cissy insisted I stay for dinner. Somehow, from then on, I gradually became part of the family."

"Seriously?"

"Honestly, it's true, I swear. Since I couldn't Obliviate them, the department made them swear a wand oath for security, and Lucius and I have been partners ever since. Cissy sort of adopted me; like I said earlier, she tries to mother me. It seems she always wanted a daughter, and for some reason, she just took a liking to me, or perhaps like Draco, she figured Lucius should have someone reliable backing him up," Hermione explained.

"And as for my reservations about him, I learned over time that though Lucius had long been an advocate of preserving pureblood traditions, he never actually wanted to eliminate Muggles and Muggle-borns. That was lip service to protect his family during Voldemort's reign. Cissy had a strong influence on him, as well. Although most people think of them as pureblood supremacists, the Blacks were clearly divided politically; if you analyze it, it's easy to see. Andromeda was married to a Muggle-born, Sirius was friends with both a werewolf and Harry's mum, and Regulus turned against Voldemort in the end. Certainly not the typical old-school purebloods that we'd imagined them to be," Hermione concluded.

After considering for a moment, she added with a smirk, "So, I guess in a weird, twisted sort of way Draco is now like my own bratty little brother."

Ron snorted and nearly choked on his food.

Pounding him on the back, Hermione said, "So, enough about me. Tell me what's been going on in your life, Ron?"

Ron updated Hermione on the rest of the Weasley clan's news. He told her all about his and Pansy's life together. He was quite enthusiastic about their new home...recently remodeled and decorated by Pansy...in Ottery St. Catchpole. It was not far from the Burrow and Harry and Luna's home, the former Lovegood residence.

"I'm very glad to hear that you and Pansy are so happy together, Ron. I must admit that I had my doubts about you two together in the beginning, but it seems that saying 'opposites attract' has proved true in your case," said Hermione.

"Yup, we just seem to fit. I really love her so much, 'Mione. We've decided to start a family," he confided.

"Oh, Ron, I'm so happy for you two," cried Hermione. She threw her arms around her friend in a tight hug.

"Well, to tell you the truth, we've already started. Don't be angry at me for not telling you sooner. I meant to, but you know I'm not much good at writing and keeping in touch and such," Ron said with a guilty look.

"Just how far along is Pansy?" asked Hermione suspiciously, pulling away to glare at Ron.

"She's due in a couple of months, actually," he admitted.

"Two months? Ron, were you even going to bother to tell me at all?" asked Hermione, feeling left out and somewhat hurt.

"Course I was. In fact, Pansy and I have discussed it, and we want you to be our baby's godmother."

"Me?" gasped Hermione. "You want me to be your baby's godmother?"

"I just said that, didn't I? Please, Hermione. I know I haven't been a very good friend in the past few years, but you're still one of my best mates in the world. It would mean a lot to me and to Pans, too, if you'd agree." He sounded truly contrite. "Please, Hermione."

"Yes, of course, Ron. You know I'd love to; I'm honored," said Hermione. "I wish we'd managed to stay in touch better than we have, but now that I'm back here, I hope that will change. I can't wait to see the house and Pansy and spend time with both of you."

"That's great, Hermione. Thanks so much, love. It means a lot to me that two of my closest friends will be my child's godparents. Let's celebrate! We need something stronger than butterbeer. Rosmerta! A round of firewhisky for us over here!"

After a couple of rounds there, they decided to move on to the Hog's Head for a few more. It was quieter there, plus Hermione wanted a chance to say hello to Aberforth.

~**~

As he entered the Hog's Head, the first thing to catch his eye was the good looking brunette standing at the bar. She dropped her napkin, and as she bent to pick it up he got a glimpse of the most gorgeous arse he'd had a chance to ogle in a good long time. It was wonderfully rounded, firm looking and just waiting for him to run his hands all over it and give it a good tight squeeze or two. She didn't look at all familiar to him, but he certainly wouldn't have minded getting to know her better and getting his hands on that arse. It stood to reason, if she was hanging out in the Hog's Head unescorted, she must be looking for company.

He'd had a few too many drinks already, but he figured that he wasn't so far gone that he couldn't take advantage of an opportunity for a free shag if it was offered. Hell, even if she were a lady of the paid persuasion, that could be arranged as well. To him she looked like she'd be worth any price.

Staying in the shadows by the door, he observed her from behind and hoped that the front of the package was as nice as the rear. He figured he just couldn't be so lucky; she probably had the face of a gargoyle. Still, he hadn't been with a woman in awhile, and he could always keep his eyes closed, or just fuck her from behind if she turned out to be too horrible.

Sidling up to the woman, he heard her say something to Aberforth, but he wasn't paying attention to her words. Slipping up close to her, his body practically rubbing against hers, he ran one hand over that luscious arse, giving it a pat and a little squeeze while the other hand roamed down her arm, his fingers drawing little runes along the way. He leaned in and whispered a thoroughly obscene suggestion into her ear.

Her body stiffened, and he instantly got an intensely bad vibe. She stepped back and turned to face him, with fury in her eyes just as Ron Weasley appeared behind her.

They all spoke simultaneously:

"Snape!"

"Granger?"

"Severus!"

Not even bothering with her wand, Hermione drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. "How dare you, you slimy bastard! Keep your hands to yourself and stay away from me, Snape!" she shouted as she stormed out.

He held a hand to his stinging cheek as he watched her stomp out of the pub and thought to himself, Sweet mother of Merlin, she's magnificent.

TBC