Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Hermione woke up tangled in her blanket, sweaty, and completely disoriented. She looked around her room, but could see little. "Lights!" she shouted and the lights came on. Looking around again, she saw that she was alone.

"A dream. It was all a dream," she said, relieved, but also a bit disturbed that she had just dreamt about spending a romantic night with Lucius. She should have been having erotic dreams about Ron if she was going to have them.

Her head was throbbing from all the wine she had drunk with dinner, and she stumbled out of bed to the bath to find something for the hangover. How much had she had to drink anyway? As she dug through her bag for the potion, she began to wonder if she had made a fool of herself the previous evening.

As the potion took effect and her mind started to clear, she was reasonably certain she had not done anything foolish.

He had been the perfect gentleman and had walked her back to her room. Her imagination had run away from her while she slept. She blamed Ginny and that blasted romance novel for her dream.

Checking the clock, she saw that it was still the middle of the night. Unfortunately, she was now wide awake. Her thoughts drifted to Lucius and how different he was from Ron. He seemed genuinely interested in her and her intellect, something she could not always say about Ron. And he treated her so politely, like she was the center of the universe. It was extremely flattering.

When she realized she was fantasizing about Lucius, she tried to give herself a dose of reality. "Come on, Hermione, he's old enough to be your father. Draco was your classmate." But that did not really seem to have much effect on her emotional side. That side told her that Lucius filled a void that Ron had never come close to filling. And she knew that side of her was right.

She loved Ron, valued his friendship, but she was not sure that they really belonged together as a couple anymore. As much as she loved the Weasleys, she really did not fit in with them. But would she fit in better with Malfoy? He traveled in pureblood circles and some of the worst Death Eaters had been his relations. Yes, he seemed to be reformed, but she also knew that many in the pureblood circles still did not accept her kind. Was he merely toying with her?

As much as she wanted to know the answer to that question, she knew that she would never ask it. That was not the sort of question a person answered truthfully. Besides, this whole exercise was utterly pointless because she was married. Ron would be here in one more day, and she hoped that together they could use the time to work on their relationship. It had been good once.

Since there were plenty of activities, she hoped to be able to minimize her time around Lucius. Unfortunately, since they shared many of the same interests, he tended to be where she was. It seemed odd, but considering he arrived first just as often as she was, it was just strange chance. Thinking back, ever since she ran into Lucius in the library, her life was full of strange coincidences where he was concerned.

On Wednesday and Thursday she found that he was at about half the activities that she had chosen. When he wasn't there, it almost felt like something was missing. Despite her intention to dine alone, she found herself sharing dinner with him both nights. Everything had been very platonic, but she could not get out of her mind the feeling that he admired her for something more than her intellect. From the look he had given her as they said goodnight last night, she could have sworn that it looked like he wanted to give her a kiss. At that moment, she would not have refused him if he'd tried.

Of course, she was sure that she was reading too much into that look. That romance novel had clearly had an effect on her imagination. They had just been two lonely people who had found companionship at a resort bustling with couples – nothing more.

By the time Friday arrived, Hermione was completely conflicted. She had decided that she did want to work for one of Lucius' companies, but a part of her wondered if that would be a good idea given how friendly the two of them had become. But then again, it was friendly. There was nothing romantic about their relationship – that had only been her imagination. Not to mention the fact that she would merely be one of thousands of people working for Malfoy Industries – it wasn't like she was going to be his personal assistant.

She was enjoying breakfast in the garden café when he joined her at her table. "So, Mr. Weasley is joining you today?" he asked by way of confirming something he already knew.

"Unless something changes in his schedule, yes," she replied, but she did not sound at all excited, which bothered her.

"I do hope that two of you enjoy your weekend. I'll be returning to Britain shortly. If I leave for too long, I find they try to make far too many changes in my absence," he laughed softly, with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh," she said, not entirely able to keep the disappointment out of her voice, even though she knew it was for the best that he not be here while Ron was. "Well, I would like to thank you for showing me the secrets of the resort and for keeping me company. I imagine this week would have been quite boring without you here."

"You are quite welcome," he replied warmly. "Though I doubt you would have found this place boring. There are far too many activities for someone to be bored, unless that is what they desire."

"That is very true, but you made my stay more pleasant by recommending the best activities and providing much needed company." Her cheeks flushed slightly at the warm smile he was giving her.

He reached across the table and squeezed her hand. He did not immediately release her, but let his hand linger on hers. "Then your happiness has made me happy." He watched her for a few moments before finally removing his hand from hers. "When you return, please send me an owl with your decision. You would make a very valuable employee, and I would hate to lose you to a competitor."

"Oh, I think I've already decided. No other company can offer me what yours does," she reassured him. She had meant to talk to Ron, but she knew what his opinion would be and that would not be enough to compel her to change her mind. No other company could offer her the opportunities she would get working at Malfoy Industries.

"That is wonderful news indeed. I think that an interview will be in order on Monday. Just a formality, but it would look suspicious if I hired you without your interviewing," he said knowingly.

"I think that is a very valid point. I doubt anyone would look on Merlin's Cove as the appropriate place to conduct a job interview," she agreed.

"Will two in the afternoon be acceptable for you? I'll make the arrangements."

"I think that would work perfectly." It would give her time to catch up on anything waiting for her on her desk, and she was sure she could slip away. "Thank you again, Lucius, and have safe journey home," she replied as he rose to his feet.

"Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your vacation." He gave her a small bow before retreating.

He had just left the café and already the resort felt emptier. She knew that she would not randomly run across him in her wandering of the resort. But Ron was coming, and she had already picked out a few activities for the two of them – ones that she thought they would both enjoy. One of the reasons she was taking a vacation was to improve her relationship with Ron, and that was what she needed to concentrate on.

When Ron was due to arrive, she decided to wait on the veranda of her bungalow, knowing that he would be directed here upon his arrival. Time passed and he did not arrive. She presumed that he had to have been delayed at work, and she started to wonder for how long.

She finished her book and checked the clock. It was nearly three in the afternoon, which meant that it was eight in the evening back in London, long after Ron should have gotten off work. Rather than stay in the Bungalow, she decided to go walk the beach. The way the house-elves kept track of everyone here, one of them should be able to direct Ron to her.

The later it got, the more irate she became. If he knew he was going to be late, he could have sent her a Floo message. In fact, she realized that she had not received a single message from him since she had been gone. She knew that Ron was not normally one to write, but she had found time to send him four messages. He could have found the time to write a quick note if nothing else.

Finally at a little after six o'clock, he showed up. She decided not to hide her frustration from him. "Where have you been?" she asked, hands firmly planted on her hips and sounding a bit too much like Molly for her liking.

"It got busy at work, I'm sorry," he replied sheepishly.

"Too busy to send a quick message?" she asked as she closed on him.

"Well..." he replied and ruffled his hair.

She could not believe what she smelled as she got close to him. "Ron, have you been... drinking?"

He flushed bright red and looked away from her. "You went to a guys' night out rather than coming to join your wife on vacation?" She was outraged.

"Look, it wasn't like that..." he said defensively before she cut him off.

"Wasn't like that? How can you even say that? How could it not be like that? Did your boss tie you down and force ale down your throat?" She was gathering a head of steam.

Ron seemed to realize how much trouble he was in and tried to deflect her ire. "You know that wouldn't happen. Billingsley just got engaged, and we went out to celebrate. So I had a pint or two."

She could not believe how nonchalant he was about the whole ordeal. It just boggled her mind. She did not know where to start. "I'd wager a bit more than that. And Billingsley wouldn't have understood that you had a prior engagement?"

"Like you've never been late for something that was planned in advance," he shot back, using her past behavior against her.

She knew he was right and that's what made his statement sting the most. She was about to open her mouth to try to defend herself, but he cut her off.

"And I seem to recall you not letting anyone know that you were going to be late either," he replied defensively.

She realized she did not have much of a leg to stand on and decided to let it drop. "Okay, so we have both done stupid things in our relationship. Since we have a limited time here, how about we try to enjoy it?"

"That sounds good to me, and I think the first thing I need to do is change into something more suitable. I'm boiling!"

As Ron changed, Hermione tried to find out what he might be in the mood to eat, but it seemed that he had eaten before leaving London, and he was not showing much interest in any of the restaurants she mentioned. She finally just chose one since she was hungry.

During dinner Ron was indifferent. He had clearly had more than a pint or two and was not only not interested in conversation, but seemed on the verge of falling asleep as he pushed his food aimlessly around his plate.

Hermione tried not to let her frustration show. She had just grown used to eating with Lucius, who always found a way to make her seem important and participated in the conversation. Realizing she was thinking of him that way made her even more upset. He was going to be her boss – in a roundabout way as she was sure that she would not be working directly for him – and she should not think of her boss like that. Not to mention that it was her husband who should be treating her like the most important person in the world.

The experiences she had shared with Lucius this last week were merely because they were two lonely people who happened to know each other and have things in common. After all, he never made any romantic gestures towards her – his behavior had been calculated to recruit her to work for him – hadn't it?

Now she was becoming confused. The warm smiles, gentle touches, they hadn't meant anything, had they?

Ron disturbed her from her reverie. "Hey, Hermione, if you're done eating, I'd like to get some sleep."

She was not done, but Ron was not being much of a dinner companion. "I'm not, but why don't you go back to the room?"

He did not even protest that it would be rude for him to leave her alone to finish dinner. He rose, said, "Good night, Hermione," and then did nothing to stifle a large yawn before leaving the restaurant without even kissing her goodnight.

She could not even muster up the politeness to wish him good night in return. Instead, she ordered another glass of wine and vowed to enjoy the rest of her dinner.

When she returned to the room, she found a fully clothed Ron passed out on the sofa. He had not even taken his shoes off.

She was fuming. This was supposed to be a romantic getaway weekend, and he had ruined the start of it. She was not sure if it was going to get better, but if it was, she was going to have to calm down and give him a chance to redeem himself. Deciding the best way to relax was to take a nice hot bath, she grabbed her book and headed to the bathroom. Yes, she had already finished it, but the fiction of that book was better than the reality lying on the sofa.

The bath with its magically scented bubbles soothed away her anxieties and let her lose herself in her book. Only she now imagined herself as the heroine, Ron the overbearing and boorish boyfriend and Lucius as the savior.

When she found herself starting to doze, she dried off and headed to bed. Of course, the visions inspired by the bath returned in her dreams and she slept better than she had in days.

Hermione woke feeling refreshed. Her dreams had been liberating. She thought she finally knew what she wanted to do. And a lot of it would depend on how Ron reacted to her announcement of a career change.

She could hear movement in the front room and realized that Ron was up. Rising from bed, she went to see what he was doing. Unsurprisingly, she found him quite literally stuffing himself with breakfast and she sighed.

"Morning, 'Mione," he said around a bite of food.

Taking the seat across from him, she asked, "Room service?"

He washed down his oversized bite of food with some pumpkin juice. "Sorry. I wasn't sure when you were going to be up and didn't want to wake you."

She took a deep breath. He had missed so many opportunities. He could have woken her sweetly to at least have breakfast on their veranda if not one of the cafes. He could have brought her breakfast in bed. Instead, he had only thought of his stomach. He was so inconsistent that he continued to confound her.

She then realized that he had only ordered enough for one. Rather than deal with frustration he was causing, she said, "I'm going to go get dressed. Why don't you get cleaned up and we'll go out to finish breakfast."

He gave the food on the table a look as though she was asking him to commit a crime. She gave him a final glare, and he rose from his seat and headed for the bathroom. She could hear the water running in the shower as she dressed. Once she had her clothes on, she looked at her hair in her mirror and teased it into something somewhat respectable, knowing that Ron would get irritated if she delayed breakfast to fix her hair.

It was not long until Ron emerged from the bathroom, dressed and looking less rough than he had last night. "Ready?" he asked.

She sighed. "Ready." She had hoped for a little complement, a little something of acknowledgment. Of course, that was not his habit, so she did not know why she should suddenly expect it. Lucius' attentive behavior had definitely spoiled her.

Since she was familiar with the resort, she led him to one of the little cafes that had a beautiful view of the ocean. She was taking a few moments to savor the morning sun reflecting off the ocean and the birds playing in the surf. She looked over to Ron to see if he was also enjoying the view and noticed him staring longingly at the buffet. "Why don't we sit over here?" she said as she pointed at a nearby table that was about as far from the buffet as you could get.

Once they were seated, she placed her order for a pot of tea to the table, and it arrived almost immediately. Knowing that Ron was interested in the food, she rose back to her feet and led him to the buffet.

She put a modest amount of food on her plate and noticed that Ron's was heaping. She tried not to sound too judgmental as she said, "You know that can make more than one trip, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I probably will. The food here looks great. You really know how to pick a place," he said excitedly.

She forced herself to bite her tongue. She knew that Ron was passionate about food, but she had hoped the sheer beauty of their surroundings might elicit some sort of response from him. Not that his current behavior surprised her, but she had held out hope since he did occasionally have moments where he said and did the right thing. Clearly she was not going to be treated to one of those moments.

After they settled at the table and had had a few minutes to eat in silence, she realized that Ron had no intention of initiating any conversation. Instead she decided to take control and said, "I picked out a few activities I thought you might enjoy. When we return to the room you can look them over."

His fork stopped partway to his mouth. "Come on, Hermione, we're on vacation – do you have to plan everything out," he protested.

She leaned forward and lowered her voice to a harsh whisper. "Yes, we are on vacation – to a resort with a lot to offer. And no, I did not plan everything out. I've spent the week here trying to find a way to make our weekend special. And what do you do? You show up late and drunk at that. How do you think that made me feel?"

No longer feeling like eating, she rose from the table and left. Ron called her name, but she ignored him. It would take more than that to get her attention. She did not want to return to the bungalow and instead just started following whichever path struck her fancy. She listened for Ron's footsteps behind her, but did not hear them. That only made her angrier. Clearly he had decided that breakfast was more important than finding out what was bothering her.

As she walked through the winding paths and encountered the animals that lived at the resort, she started to wonder why she tried. She continually put a lot of effort into their relationship, and Ron tended to put in as little as possible. She started to wonder if when he did put effort in if it was because of his own volition or because Harry or Ginny prompted him to do so.

She finally stopped in one of the secret rose gardens and decided to sit on a bench by a fountain. Since it was a magical fountain, the sculptures danced and swam in the water in a soothing pattern. It was a long pattern, but she sat there long enough that she was able to decipher the pattern.

Hearing footsteps approaching, she glanced up from the fountain and saw Ron standing sheepishly by the entrance. "Hermione..." he started contritely.

"Took you long enough. Didn't want your eggs to get cold?" she snapped.

"Look, I didn't know where to find you," he said defensively, clearly avoiding the subject of him not immediately following her.

She glared at him. "You could have gotten up from the table and followed me. It's not like I Disapparated somewhere. Or you could have asked one of the house-elves." She could not understand his behavior. If he had truly cared about her, he should have done something to show it by now.

"Are you advocating using house-elves now?" he sniped.

"Don't change the subject," she snapped. "The point is that it took you close to an hour to find me. It shouldn't have taken you that long."

"This is a big resort and this garden isn't exactly easy to find. I did find you though." After a long and uncomfortable pause, he said, "I'm sorry, Hermione."

While she appreciated his apology, there was a lot he needed to apologize for, and she wanted to hear some more contrition. She returned her attention to the fountain.

"I'm sorry about how I arrived last night. I wasn't thinking. I had thought this vacation was about you getting away and relaxing. I knew you needed it since you've been really stressed out."

She turned to face him and replied quietly, "That was part of it. But it's also about us. When you are a couple, decisions by one person affect the other – that's just the way it is. If it was just about me, why would I have asked you about trying to get time off from work?"

"Good point. But I think we both know I can be a bit thick sometimes," he replied jovially.

She didn't think his behavior was the least bit humorous. "A bit? Ron, I shouldn't have to spell everything out. There are times I think you get what it means to be a couple, but then you go and do something like this – well, I think it speaks for itself," she replied curtly.

He picked up her hand. "I'm trying, Hermione. I really am."

"Are you really?" she asked as her eyes pierced into his. "I would think that something like going out and getting drunk when you were expected somewhere by your wife would be common sense. And what about Harry? Didn't he comment on you being at the guys' night out?" she asked pointedly.

He ruffled his hair and looked away from her. "Actually, he wasn't there. He went home to Ginny," Ron replied sheepishly.

"And that didn't clue you in that you should do the same, Ron!" She could feel her blood starting to boil again and she started counting.

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "Look, it happened. It was stupid of me, but we can't go back and change the past."

She sighed. That was one of the most profound statements he had made in a long time. "No, we can't, but we can change things going forward," she replied in a resigned voice. After a long pause, she said, "I've been thinking about my job at the Ministry." She watched him perk up.

"Are you thinking about quitting it?" he asked hopefully.

"I am, but..."

He wrapped her in a tight embrace. "Oh, Hermione, that's wonderful news," he said.

She gently pushed him back. "Ron, that doesn't mean that I'm going to stop working. The last couple of weeks I've been looking for a new job, and I think I've found one that will be perfect for me. My talents will be better appreciated, and there will be more challenge."

"Which means longer hours, right?" he asked, utterly deflated of his earlier elation.

"Not necessarily. Because I'll be in a position better suited to my skills, I won't have to try so hard to get noticed. The Ministry is a bureaucracy, and as such a lot of it is based on seniority and not necessarily competency. The private sector is based more on competency."

"Will the pay be better?" he asked.

She had been prepared for him to ask that. "Yes."

"How much better?" he asked eagerly.

Hermione couldn't believe that Ron only seemed interested in the money. She was talking about finally having a job where her talents would be appreciated and she might be able to do some good and instead he focused solely on the paycheck. "I'm not sure yet," she replied shortly. "I haven't exactly interviewed for the job. I was going to do that when we got back home. But I have been assured that I will be paid more than at the Ministry."

"Well, there is that. But you know that you don't have to work," he suggested.

"Yes, I do know that. But I told you that it's something I want to do. I know I can contribute to making the wizarding world better, and that's what I want to do for right now."

He smiled forlornly at her. "I know. I was just hoping you might have changed your mind."

She placed her hand on his knee. "In time, Ron. I just want to do this on my schedule."

To change the subject, he asked, "So where are you thinking of working?"

"I was looking at Malfoy Industries..."

He jumped to his feet and shouted, "Malfoy! How can you possibly be considering working for him!"

Having anticipated this reaction, she said, "Because his companies are some of the most influential and numerous in Britain. There my talents can be used to their fullest, and I will have the most opportunity to make a difference. Besides, don't you think I would have done some research about where I wanted to work? I have looked into Malfoy's record since the war, and at least outwardly, he has changed his beliefs. He has quite a few Muggle-borns in senior positions, including Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"And that's enough for you to want to work for him? He has personally insulted you. Draco has personally insulted you," Ron reminded her.

She sighed. "I am aware of both of those facts, but I have spoken with Malfoy..."

"You spoke with Malfoy? When?" he demanded.

Knowing how it might look to mention the fact that she had spent most of the week with Lucius, she opted for only telling Ron what he needed to know. "I ran into him at the library when I was researching companies, and we had the opportunity to talk about his businesses. That's how I got offered the job interview."

He still did not seem convinced. "I just don't know. Before you commit, can you let Harry and me look into this?"

She was irritated by his lack of trust. "Ron, I'm an adult. I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, and I think I am a better judge of character than you. I will not wait for you and Harry to approve my decision. It is my decision to make, and I have made it. I'm going to interview on Monday, and I'll probably start in a couple of weeks if I get the job."

"And if you don't get the job?" he prompted.

She knew that interview on Monday was formality, but that would involve her going more in depth about her relationship with Lucius. "I prefer to think positively, but there are a couple of other companies I've been considering."

"Then why not take a job with one of them, instead? That way you wouldn't have to work for Malfoy."

"I already told you: his companies provide the best opportunities for me. You are just going to have to trust me that I know what I'm doing." She crossed her arms defensively, letting him know that she had made up her mind.

"I guess I have to," he replied reluctantly, knowing that she would not be swayed. "You have always been the voice of reason, so I really don't have a reason not to trust you, do I?"

"No, you don't," she stated, somewhat pleased by his response, though not entirely trusting the sincerity of his words.

"Though it's not you I don't trust, it's him. It's just that he's lied and deceived his way for so many years that it's hard for me to believe that he really has changed," Ron replied simply.

"At the first sign of questionable behavior, I'll quit," she said, hoping that would placate Ron, but a part of her believed that he would still recruit Harry to dig into Lucius' past since the war, just to make sure he wasn't deceiving Hermione.

A/N: Again, many thanks to my wonderful beta beaweasley2 who has provided invaluable help.