Chapter 7

A/N: First off, my apologies to everyone who was following this story for my extended absence. RL attacked and the muses fled to Tahiti (or perhaps Hawaii where I was able to locate them after the first child free vacation since the oldest war born 7 years ago). The muses are quite refreshed and my wonderful beta, beaweasley, is graciously helping me out again. Now to pick up where we left off...

Chapter 7

Tuesday morning, she did the reef dive and marveled at the wide variety and sheer number of colorful fish. She had always wanted to go diving, though she had never envisioned it like this. Being a witch meant that you did not need all that cumbersome diving gear that a Muggle required. A simple Bubble Head Charm and to transfigure her feet into flippers was all that one needed. Now that she realized how easy it was, she knew that she would have to go diving again. Of course, this was not something that could be done around Muggles, but she was sure that the wizarding world had other diving spots that she could explore.

In the afternoon, she went on the sailing trip and was not really surprised to see Lucius was one of the other guests on the boat. For most of the cruise she avoided him, which was impressive since it was not that large a boat, and there were only about twenty guests in total on the voyage. But several people recognized her, and those who didn't did know of her by name as the famous friend of the world-renowned Harry Potter, and she found herself engaged in conversation through most of the trip, meeting some lovely couples. Near the end of the voyage, Lucius approached her as she was watching dolphins jump in the bow wake of the boat. He offered her a glass of wine, and they silently watched the frolicking dolphins.

They parted ways after the cruise, and she decided to take in the Luau for dinner. It did strike her as a little odd to be attending a Luau in the Bahamas, but it was an enjoyable evening and the others at her table provided interesting conversation.

Despite her earlier vow of trying to avoid Lucius, she found that it was harder than she thought. She had arrived at the horseback tour of the island on Wednesday and saw that Lucius had selected the same activity. Naturally he was an amazing equestrian, and he had a perfect seat: perfect balance, completely relaxed in the saddle, a light hand on the reins and seemed to have a flowing connection between himself and his horse, and he seemed to do so effortlessly. Hermione was jealous. Hermione's mother had been an equestrian most of her life, and had competed in show jumping as well as riding in the hunt whenever she could. Hermione had taken lessons since the age of seven, although she had never gained the level of competency of her mother, and they had gone ridding every summer and winter holiday Hermione spent at home.

Through the countryside, under the dense canopy of the tropical hardwoods and flora and along the edge of the swash, a breathtakingly beautiful secluded sandy beach on the south shore. She saw hundreds of birds including flamingos, hummingbirds, and other small birds and waterfowl, as well as a few lizards, an iguana and some frogs.

The riders enjoyed a light lunch under an open tent set up on the beach, and she engaged Lucius in pleasant conversation and they rode back to the stables side by side.

She decided that trying to avoid him was pointless. He was good company, and she found that the solitude was not nearly as relaxing as she thought it might be. That afternoon she took Lucius up on his offer of wine tasting. When he escorted her to the room that had been provided, she was somewhat startled. She had not expected that it would be in the wine cellar, but now Lucius' tip to bring a jumper made perfect sense.

"Wine keeps best at fifty-five degrees," he informed her as she put her jumper on. "Most reds will need to warm a little before serving, but generally you don't want anything over sixty-five degrees. Sadly, many people don't realize that and serve reds at room temperature which does not optimize their flavor. Whites are served in the forties, with the temperature varying based on how robust the wine is."

She was also a bit surprised to see an elderly wizard waiting for them and not a house-elf. Other than the personnel at the desk and running the programs, she could not recall having seen a single human staff member.

"Monsieur Demeaux, a pleasure to see you again," Lucius said warmly and presented his hand to the elderly wizard.

"Monsieur Malfoy," the wizard replied in a French accent as thick as Fleur's, "Always a pleasure to have you here. You know that I love to share my passion for vin."

"That I do, and as always I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. My friend, Hermione, is a wine novice, and I thought who better than you to educate her," he said politely.

Demeaux took hold of her hand in both of his and bowed respectfully. "Mademoiselle, it is my humble pleasure to share my knowledge of the vine with you. Come, we will begin."

Hermione's wine education lasted more than an hour. She lost track of the number of wines that she tried, but she realized there truly was a staggering variety. At first she had seemed horrified at the idea of spitting such fine wines out after tasting them, but as time moved on, she realized the value of doing that. If she had been taking even a sip or two of each wine, she was not sure that she would have remembered anything.

When the tasting was over, Demeaux said, "Now that you have received your education, I think it is time for you to move outside where it is warm, and I will send up a very special wine for you. I think that you have earned it."

While she had learned a lot and enjoyed the experience, she was definitely ready to move somewhere warm. "Merci, Monsieur Demeaux. You are truly an expert, and I thank you for teaching me."

"Au revoir, Mademoiselle Hermione, and it was my pleasure," he replied with a small bow.

As Lucius led her back to the warmer climes of the resort, he said, "I hope that you will not find wine so intimidating now."

"No, I don't think I will. Thank you for arranging this. I can't imagine they do that for anyone." She slipped off her jumper now that they were outside.

He chuckled softly. "No, they don't. But I am a very good customer, and they are more than happy to accommodate most special requests I give them."

"I'm sure being wealthy doesn't hurt, either," she said before she really thought about what she said.

Some of the cheerfulness left his face. "It is true that gold is a valuable tool for getting your way, but not everything can be bought. There are times when loyalty brings more reward than money."

She was surprised to hear him voice that opinion. "Really?" she asked, not hiding her surprise.

He smiled at her. "I'm surprising you, aren't I?"

"Very much so." She decided not to say anything more after already having put her foot in her mouth twice.

"I thought you were the advocate for change?" he asked playfully.

She blushed. "I am, but well... I'll just say that our past dealings have not prepared me for how much you have seemed to have changed."

"I am glad that you are able to see the change. It has not been an easy journey for me, but my eyes have been opened to the fact that much of what I learned growing up is not the truth." He gestured at a nearby table and shortly after they sat down, two glasses of wine appeared. He picked up his glass and held it in salute. "To new beginnings."

"To new beginnings," she repeated, still not entirely sure which new beginnings she was toasting.

After taking a sip of the wine, he said, "I do hope that you have also been using your time here to consider your future. Please forgive me for saying so, but you do know that your considerable talents are being wasted at the Ministry, don't you? I would hate to see you drudging your way, unappreciated, undervalued and over worked for years, making the bureaucracy your life-long career. I have to admit, I was quite... surprised. I'd have thought you'd seek employment in the world of business: international markets, company research, there is so much more to do than bonds and notes, currencies and commodities, earnings reports and foreign trade... so much one can achieve."

She put her glass down after having taking a savoring sip and sighed. "I fear that you might be right. I had such high hopes after the war, but change... Well, it's a long and involved process and so many people are resistant to change."

"Hermione, you have to keep in mind that the wizarding world has been very isolated since the seventeenth century. Yes, we are somewhat aware of the goings on of the Muggle world, but we have become very complacent in our ways. Why change something that has been working for hundreds of years?"

She leaned forward in her chair. "But it hasn't been working. Look at how contentious things are with the goblins. That has come from centuries of being treated as lesser beings. I should realize that I can't expect either side to change their ways overnight, but someone has to give first and why not us? Why does it have to be them? They have everything to lose and nothing to gain by making the first move."

"That is true, but again, while it is not perfect, the relationship we have with them functions. From everything I have gathered about goblins, they have no interest in mingling with the wizarding world. They are happy to have no more contact with us than absolutely necessary in carrying out their banking duties, mining, archeological endeavors and treasure acquisitions as well as working in their craft trades. It is a very complex relationship but one that does function. Is there something you think that goblins would want?" he asked pointedly.

She hadn't realized he was so familiar with goblins and their enterprises outside of the wizard banking services. However, his question hit on the very thing she had been trying to determine since she had started trying to normalize relations with the goblins. "I don't know, but I think that equality is a good start. At least take them out of the Magical Creatures Division. Would it hurt to have a Magical Beings Division for the centaurs, goblins, merpeople and house-elves?"

He took another sip of his wine as he contemplated her question. "Probably not, but then again, are any of those beings interested in being part of the wizarding world? Other than the house-elves, none of the others really want to interact with wizards. And it has been that way for ages. That is part of the reason it has never been changed. There has never been any need."

"There might not be a need or an interest, but don't you think their view of wizards might be less harsh if they knew that we considered them something other than creatures? That's such a derogatory word. It implies inferiority, but they aren't inferior, are they? They're just different, and different doesn't mean inferior." She was quite proud of this argument.

He arched an eyebrow at how well her case had been stated. "That is very well said. And I presume you have brought this up through Ministry channels?"

"Several times, but it keeps getting ignored, deemed not important, just like you claimed," she said sharply.

"Indeed I did. However, I do not know that I have heard anyone state the case quite so eloquently. You do not expect that if this change could be made that each of those races would be eager to send a representative to the Ministry, do you?"

Leaning back in her chair as she realized she had convinced him, she said, "No, I don't. But I think that change would make it more likely to gain their cooperation in the future if we should ever need it. The centaurs only helped because of the mutual respect they had shared with Professor Dumbledore." She was interested in hearing his reaction to that given his past power struggles with her old headmaster.

"Indeed. That is what I presumed," he said flatly, clearly not wanting to dredge up memories of the war and his past.

She was a bit disappointed that was all he had to say. A part of her wanted to get into a good argument with him. "So were you wrong about Dumbledore?" she finally asked when the silence became uncomfortable.

He contemplated his wine as he formed his answer. "When he was younger, he was an incredibly talented, very intelligent and outstanding wizard. And mind you, I do realize that Rita Skeeter's biography was not entirely factual, but within her embellishments there was a great deal of truth. He was human and flawed, and his flaws seemed to run deeper than most, perhaps because of how powerful he was. As he grew older, I hold by my belief that he grew out of touch with society. He became isolated in his ivory tower at Hogwarts, allowing things to continue because that is how they had always been. Do you honestly believe that you got the best educational experience you could have?" he asked pointedly.

She considered his words carefully. There were many great professors at Hogwarts, but there had also been several mediocre to poor ones. Hagrid, as big as his heart was, was not the type of person who should have been teaching. And of course there was Professor Binns who lectured more than taught and had no concern as to who his students were or whether they were actually learning anything. Aside from Snape's outward prejudice against Gryffindors, he had been a good teacher. The others – Defense Against the Dark Arts aside as that post had been cursed – had all provided what she would considered a good education – well other than Divination, but they had learned the reason Dumbledore had kept Trelawney on the staff. Replacing Binns and Hagrid would have definitely been within Dumbledore's means. As would have been regulating Snape's behavior.

"Overall it was a good education," she finally responded. "Yes, some changes could have been made, but nothing is perfect. And what's to say the changes would have resulted in a better education? Besides, you were on the Board of Governors for years, why did the board put up with something like Professor Binns?"

He raised his glass in salute. "Touché! I believe we shall call this round a draw, don't you?" he asked, clearly not wanting to continue the argument.

She laughed softly at his behavior and returned his salute. "I guess I'll have to take that since you won't cede the victory."

"You are a very clever witch, and I can see that one must be prepared to debate a point with you," he replied playfully.

"Thank you," she replied quietly, hoping she had not blushed too much at his praise. That was not the sort of thing she had ever gotten from Ron. Normally when she wanted to debate something, he would roll his eyes and give her the 'not again' body language. She actually enjoyed the process of the debate more than whether she scored a victory or not. You could sometimes learn much more by losing a debate than winning one. She finished her wine and set her glass down on the table.

"Now, my dear, I wondered if you might favor me with your company for dinner again tonight?" he asked hopefully.

"I would be honored," she replied without hesitation.

"Excellent. Now, I shall have to decide where we should eat. There are so many wonderful choices here. Why don't we take a walk along the beach while I ponder that question?" he asked and finished the last of his wine.

"I'd like that," she replied and rose to her feet.

As they walked to the beach, he asked her to mention one of her favorite things. She told him that she enjoyed reading.

"This would be more fun if you divulged things I didn't know about you. I promise to do the same. Such as..." he paused thoughtfully for a moment. "What is your favorite color?"

She thought it was rather odd and fun at the same time as they took turns picking something at random as they strolled shoeless along the surf in the cool sand. The longer they walked, the more esoteric the 'thing' became until they both collapsed into a fit of giggles when she asked him what his favorite worm was.

Once they had recovered from the silliness of favorite things, he said, "I hope that you won't find this presumptuous when I say that spending time with you has made me feel years younger."

She was not sure what to think about that. It was very flattering and also quite flirtatious. "I don't know what to say," she finally replied after a silence that was quickly turning uncomfortable.

"I had come here hoping to merely escape the dreariness of England and drudgery of work – instead, I truly feel refreshed and relaxed. It has been a pleasure sharing your company," he said sincerely.

She blushed slightly at his words. "Thank you. I have enjoyed spending time with you as well. I've actually been able to completely forget the Lucius Malfoy I thought I knew."

He bowed his head slightly at her. "I am very pleased to hear that. Now, as to your future..."

Her eyes widened at those words. "My future?" she asked cautiously.

"I was wondering if you have given any consideration to changing your career? You have all the information one could want on Malfoy Industries, and I was wondering if you would consider working for me in some capacity."

She decided there was no point in lying. "I have considered it, but also several other companies as well."

"That is to be expected. But I think you will have noticed that none of those companies have the wide variety of options I do. It would be quite a simple matter for you to find a job that perfectly suited your talents given the number of holdings that I have. Another company might not offer that."

"Are there certain areas where you are hiring?" she asked.

"I am always looking for the best talent in the wizarding world. And right now, you are one of the best who is woefully under-employed. I can offer you the challenges and opportunities that you are not getting at the Ministry. And I assure you the salary I would offer you would be more than competitive."

"I'm not in it for the money," she replied simply.

"That may be true, but why not be adequately compensated for your work? I assure you, the Ministry is not adequately compensating you for the amount and quality of work you are providing," he replied definitively. "You are the classic definition of overworked and underpaid. Not to mention that you could always rejoin the Ministry at some point in the future when you have gained more influence."

She had thought that 'overworked and underpaid' was purely a Muggle saying, but apparently not. And he was right about the fact that she could always return to the Ministry if that was what she wanted down the line. "And if I agree to work for you, when would I start?"

"I leave that decision to you. If you want to take time off before starting, there is nothing wrong with that."

She pondered his words. Everything he was saying were things that had caused her to rank working for his company first on her list of potential new places of employment. "I'll have to think about it. Changing jobs is a very big step. And of course I'll have to discuss this with Ron."

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Of course. Though I do hope that you won't let his opinion keep you from doing what is best for you."

"It hasn't yet," she replied quickly and then realized she had probably said too much.

"Oh?" he prompted.

She realized she had to give some sort of answer and actually found it liberating to say, "Let's just say that Ron wants me to be more like his mother – even though that's not me. It just seems to be getting worse lately."

"That is a pity. Of course there is nothing wrong with a witch staying at home to raise children, but you have so much potential, and it would be a shame for you to give up on that potential," he replied wisely.

"That's exactly what I keep telling Ron, but he keeps telling me that once the kids are in school I can have the career I always wanted." It felt good to have someone finally agree with her viewpoint.

"Yes, well that is true, but you have to look towards your personal happiness. Not everyone is prepared to be a parent at the same stage in their life. For you, it may be something that is destined to wait a few more years."

"If only I could convince Ron of that," she said wistfully. "That's what this week was supposed to be about, but he couldn't get time off from work," she said, not bothering to hide the irritation in her voice. She sighed. "I vowed that I would relax, but just thinking about Ron..." She balled her fists in frustration.

Lucius placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Then we shall not speak of him anymore. I would hate to be responsible for your bad mood."

She relaxed a little. "It's not really a bad mood, it's just stress. And the point of being a vacation is to get away from the stress, isn't it?"

"Indeed it is. And I know the perfect place to dine tonight. We shall dine on The Wharf surrounded by the water." He led her down a path that cut across the island.

She was trying to remember having seen a restaurant on a wharf and could not.

Before they got to the opposite beach, he led her down a tunnel that had the wharf inscribed over the entrance. She had not realized The Wharf had been the name of the restaurant. And she also had no idea what it was referring to since they were underground.

When they were seated, she realized that Lucius had quite literally meant 'surrounded by the water' since The Wharf was a restaurant under the ocean in a bubble with the fish swimming all around them. It was a circular restaurant with each table having a view of the water on both sides, as well as above and below. "You sure know how to pick the right place to cheer a girl up," she replied.

"I thought you might enjoy it here. Narcissa did not much care for it because of the water. While it is perfectly safe, she still did not like the idea of being underwater for so long. I presume you have no such phobias?"

"Oh, no. It's lovely. It's even better than taking the dive because you don't have to get wet and you get to enjoy a nice meal at the same time," she replied as she watched the fish darting around and investigating the patrons.

"That's wonderful to hear," he replied. "Naturally, this is a seafood restaurant, and I'm sure you will be pleased with the cuisine."

"I have no doubt. I have yet to be disappointed by anything here," she replied cheerfully, thoughts of Ron pushed from her mind.

Dinner was wonderful and Hermione both ate and drank too much. After dinner, Lucius walked her back to her bungalow, and she found herself leaning against him for a little support, her arm hooked in his.

When they arrived at her door, she leaned against it and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"I should be the one thanking you," he replied softly, gazing deeply into her eyes.

Her heart beat faster at the look of longing he gave her. He started to pull away, but she squeezed his hand, not wanting him to leave.

Slowly he leaned towards her and gently brushed his lips against hers. When she did not try to turn away, he pressed his lips more firmly, intensifying the kiss. Her head soared as her pulse quickened and without thinking, she parted her lips, tasting his lips with her tongue. He responded, his mouth opened slightly and their tongues met. Every nerve in her body seemed to react and she placed her hand on the back of his head as she deepened the kiss.

He eagerly responded, pressing his body against hers, urging her to take the advantage while at the same time submitting to her lead. It was heady indeed, Lucius Malfoy, one of the most influential wizards of the age, powerful, capable, undeniably masculine, suave and yet potentially dangerous, was allowing her, Hermione Granger, swot extraordinaire, to take what she wanted without reservation. There was no struggle for dominance, no hurried rush, no pressure, just the soft caressing of lips, the sensual exploration of mouths and light brush of warm breath on her cheek and the feel of his silken hair in her fingers as his fingers stoked her hair in kind.

Lust consumed Hermione's thoughts. Wanting more from him, she reached back and turned the doorknob, leading him into her room. Once the door was closed behind them, she started unbuttoning his shirt, eager to run her hands on his muscular chest.

He reached behind her and unzipped her dress. Letting it drop slowly to the floor. He then expertly unhooked her bra and gently fondled her breasts, his touch sending shivers of anticipation through her body.

Neither of them said anything, but at this point words were not needed.

She slipped her hand past his waistband to rub his throbbing erection, eliciting a moan of pleasure from him. He reached down and unfastened his trousers, letting them fall to his feet. She was slightly surprised that he had not been wearing any underpants. As he stepped out of his trousers, he slowly pushed her backwards, towards the bedroom.

When the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed, she allowed him to lower her to its surface. He pinned her arms next to her head and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. She could not remember the last time she had felt so alive, so desired.

He looked into her eyes, the longing clear, and she felt she could spend a lifetime lost in their depths. Gently he shifted her so that she was fully on the bed and began caressing and teasing her body. His soft touch elicited moans of desire and the throbbing between her legs was becoming unbearable.

She took his hand and placed it between her legs, showing him how much she desired him. He grinned playfully as he used his fingers to stimulate her. She rolled her hips, helping him find that magic spot.

She became lost in her physical desires until she felt herself rushing towards orgasm. She wanted to feel him inside her, wanted them to come together. Reluctantly she pushed his hand away, softly asking, "Please?"

He took his moist fingers and seductively licked them, fueling her desire even more. "As you wish," he said, positioning himself over her, and he slowly entered her moistness.

She moaned as he filled her. This was exactly what she wanted. She wrapped her legs behind his, pulling him deeper. While a part of her did not want this feeling to end, the rest of her knew that she could not hold back much longer. Urging him to thrust faster, she raised her hips, wanting to feel him deeper inside her. She exploded around him, rippling waves that crashed and rolled, repeating and repeating under and around him.