Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Having Hermione work for his company had not afforded Lucius as many opportunities to interact with her as he had initially anticipated. Yes, he had run into her working late one night – well, that was not entirely true. He knew that she was working late and had decided it would be a good opportunity to visit his Potions Division.

But from those few minutes together, he could tell that she still enjoyed his company. He only wished they had had more time to talk, that he could have gotten a sense of where her relationship with Weasley stood.

He laughed at how suddenly impatient he felt. It had been three years since Narcissa's passing, and now he was acting as though there was some sort of magical deadline by which he had to find a new partner.

At least she seemed happy with her work. So far, he had every indication that she was quite happy both with her new position in his company and with his company as a whole. The reports on her job performance were excellent, as he had expected, and she seemed to have adjusted to the business practices he had instituted. It would have been to his advantage if she was encouraged to work late because he knew that she was the type of person who would probably do that every night, but it would not be to her advantage to do so and he knew that. Still, he found himself paying particular attention to the Potions Division in case she ever did work over, so he could have the opportunity to see her privately again.

He pushed those thoughts aside as the receptionist informed him Frau Schwartz was ready to see him. He rose and smiled warmly as he entered her office. "Elsa, it's always a pleasure to see you. Thank you for obliging my schedule, yet again." He was quite surprised that she was alone. During their previous meetings, Herr Weiss had always accompanied her.

"The pleasure is all mine. I see that you have more questions, and I hope that I can put your mind at ease," she said as she took her seat on the sofa.

"I'm sure that you can," he replied as he joined her. "Any business merger is always a complicated process, though I believe we have already covered the major issues and are now just down to the minor details."

They spent the next hour going over some of the details. Overall Lucius was feeling quite optimistic the merger would go through. She was open to making changes, clearly wanting her company to succeed, and this would provide the type of diversity he was lacking. Not that he expected further trouble, but for the last couple of years he had been pursuing overseas diversity as insurance against further unrest.

"Forgive me, Lucius, it has been a long and tiring day, and I would prefer if we could continue this discussion over dinner," Elsa said as she leaned back and placed her hand on her chest.

Lucius unconsciously followed her hand and found himself staring at her chest and quickly looked away when he realized what he was doing. He thought it was a marvelous idea to get them out of her stuffy office and into more pleasant surroundings. "Of course. I will once again defer to your judgment on where we should dine."

She chose a very well appointed restaurant where they were led to a secluded table so they could discuss their business privately. At first the discussion over their starters of crispy baked Onsen egg with golden oyster mushrooms with cauliflower purée remained quite professional, but once all of his concerns had been addressed, it turned more personal. Half way though the main course, she enquired after Draco, which provided him the opportunity to ask her about her family. Her father had passed away rather suddenly two years previously, and she had been doing her best to hold the company together since then. Unfortunately, she had not received much business training, and those she had relied upon for advice had been padding their own vaults, not looking out for the company. She had learned her lesson and that was why she had accepted the merger offer from Lucius.

"So, there is nothing other than work for you also, ja?" she asked as he was finishing his roasted rabbit with rosemary and garlic.

"No, not at the moment," he replied simply, knowing that he could say no more, but he found Hermione drifting into his thoughts as his rhubarb kuchen arrived.

"That is the hard thing about being like us, isn't it? You wonder if someone is sincere, ja?" she asked, sampling her rhubarb with confit of strawberries and yogurt.

He had the impression she was speaking from experience. "Indeed it is," he smiled sadly. That was precisely why he had not entered the dating scene.

She considered his words and took a sip of her Schnaps before saying, "I almost married once, but thank goodness I discovered it was my money he wanted and not me before it was too late."

"I find that hard to believe," Lucius replied as he could feel the warmth of the Schnaps coursing through his body and found it quite relaxing.

"I doubt that you do. I think that is why you are still alone." She eyed him knowingly before taking a sip of her drink and then refilling both glasses. "Do you think you will marry again?"

If he had been sober, he would have thought this question was very personal, but as he had enjoyed two very heavy beers with dinner and was now on his second glass of Schnaps, he answered without thinking. "Perhaps. If I find the right witch."

She smiled warmly at him. "Are you looking for the right witch?"

Without considering the ramifications of his words, he answered, "Discreetly."

"Perhaps you need not be so discreet. She might not realize she has caught your interest," Elsa said suggestively.

Lucius realized which direction this conversation was going and barely maintained his composure. "When the time is right, I will ensure that she knows." The merger was a critical juncture, and he did not want to do anything to drive a wedge in his business plans. "I find it best not to mix business and pleasure," he added before finishing off his drink. He hoped that was a non-committal enough statement to discourage her from further advances, yet not disappoint her too badly.

"That is very sound business advice," she replied, clearly trying to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Dinner has been wonderful, and I believe we have covered all the questions I had," he said as he rose to his feet and walked to her side of the table. "I will be in touch over the next few weeks to finalize our merger. As it is getting late, I think I should return home." He took hold of her hand and kissed it softly. "Until next time," he said quietly before leaving.

As he left the restaurant and walked to clear his head before returning to England, he considered that perhaps he should not have left her with the impression that she might be the right witch. But then again, to do so might sour the deal, and he had already been imparting some advice which she could use to improve the company.

No, he was doing what had to be done to ensure a successful merger. It wasn't his fault if she took his behavior the wrong way.

Lucius spent the rest of the week focusing on finalizing the debts, liabilities, properties and rights pertinent in the merger with Elsa's company. This contract was especially difficult because it was international and not only did he have to follow the wizarding law of two different countries, but everything had to be translated into both languages. Owls were flying back and forth across the channel to ensure the wording in every document was correct. He would be glad when this was over.

On Friday he finally had time to attend to his personal correspondence. He had been sorting through it during the week, but none of it had been urgent, so he had kept putting it off, but some letters did require a reply.

He heard the clock on the mantle chime and he sighed. He had agreed to have dinner with Connor and Felicia. As he had not formally declared his interest in Hermione, Felicia had invited a fourth for dinner, Venus Gibbon, much to his annoyance. Lucius was acquainted with her from the various social events and charity functions he and Narcissa had attended, and of course had been well acquainted with her late husband, Brutus, but Lucius had never shown any interest in Venus. Not that it stopped women like her from showing interest in him. Brutus had been quite the figure and well connected, but his death left behind a list of debts and half-completed projects that fell through without his lead, leaving Venus with only a modicum of inheritance, and she was said to be 'ready to remarry'. He hadn't known that Felicia was familiar with the woman except in passing.

It was one dinner, and he was quite used to this by now. Once every month or two, Felicia planned these little dinner parties. It made her happy and Lucius did enjoy the Greengrass' company, so he indulged her.

The before dinner drinks were pleasant enough. He made polite conversation with Venus, enquiring about her children and sharing information about Draco's family while mostly conversing with Connor.

For dinner they were seated at a small table in the breakfast room. Felicia seemed to believe the more intimate setting might encourage Lucius to consider his dinner companion as something more. He shared one side of table with Venus while Connor and Felicia were seated on the other. While Venus might have once shared the beauty of her namesake, the years had not been kind to her, and he found her manner of dropping names irritating. He did his best to make polite conversation during the first course, but it was mostly one-sided in Venus' favor and he was quickly losing interest.

By the second course of dinner, of roast lamb and sauté chicken lyonnaise with vegetable marrow farcis and chateau potatoes, a favorite of Connor's and one that the Greengrass' house-elves prepared superbly, he did his best not to encourage Venus, instead spending a lot of time talking to Connor about various Ministry policies. He could tell this frustrated Felicia, who would once again tell him that he would never find anyone if he did not at least talk to witches. She had no way of knowing, but he had already found the witch he wanted.

As Lucius had eaten as much as he'd intended of his Waldorf pudding and French crème éclairs with peaches in chartreuse jelly, he turned to Connor and asked, "You wouldn't happen to have any of those cigars left, would you?" He knew that Felicia did not approve of smoking and that they would have to do so outside. It was the most polite way he could devise to get out of further conversation with Venus.

"In fact, I do. And I have just acquired a wonderful new cognac you might enjoy." He rose to his feet. "Ladies, if you will excuse us."

Lucius also stood and then held Felicia's hand gently in his. "Felicia, dinner was wonderful as always. You've once again outdone yourself," he said and kissed her fingers lightly. He turned to Venus. "A pleasure having dinner with you," he said as he nodded his head slightly. Mrs. Gibbon raised her hand as if expecting the same courtesy, her expression one of womanly politeness but her eyes glinted for a fraction of a second, the only outward display that this evening had not gone as he'd hoped. Lucius merely cupped her fingertips on his open hand, nodded again and let go as he moved from the table. "Ladies, enjoy your after dinner coffee," he intoned. He turned and followed Connor from the room, eager to be out in the crisp night air and away from the piercing gaze of Mrs. Gibbon.

Once they were seated in the garden, Connor asked probingly, "So, Venus could not compare to your mystery witch?"

"I know that Felicia finds dinner for three awkward, but I think it would be less awkward than to be the widow of the month for an uninterested dinner partner," Lucius replied dryly as he snipped the end of his cigar before lighting it. "Or to be the widower of the month or counted as one of the most eligible in Witch Weekly's bachelor of the month list." He hadn't meant to sound bitter, and he gave his friend a sympathetic smile hoping he'd excuse his behavior.

He wasn't at all disappointed; Connor could be quite perceptive. "So, it's not going well with your witch?"

Lucius took a puff of his cigar and watched the smoke float away in the moonlight. "Our relationship will unfortunately be progressing slowly."

"Anything you want to talk about?" Connor prompted.

That is exactly what Lucius wanted. "Can I have your strictest confidence on this? I don't even want you mentioning it to Felicia."

"I think you know you can trust me. I've not told her that you are interested in someone," replied Connor seriously.

And yet she still felt it necessary to try pairing me up with society's most eligible and marriage minded socialites, he thought scornfully. Lucius looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around. "Let me start at the beginning. I literally ran into her in the library – or perhaps she ran into me, it doesn't really matter. We only had a couple of minutes of conversation, most of it apologizing, but I felt something. It was unexpected, and at first a little disconcerting, but she intrigues me like none other has in a long while."

"Do you believe in fate?" Lucius asked, interrupting his own tale and looking Connor in the eyes.

Connor considered the question a moment. "Not particularly, of course I've not really encountered anything that would make me believe one way or the other."

"I hadn't believed in it either, but over the course of the next couple of weeks, we encountered each other a few more times. This is someone who I had not seen in five years and suddenly she seemed to be wherever I go." After a moment of consideration he added, "She was the one at the resort."

"So you spent a week with this witch you think you might be fated to be with and nothing happened?" Connor asked in disbelief.

"It's complicated and I'll get to that." He took a sip of his cognac. "I wouldn't say 'nothing happened'. There was some flirting and a deep emotional connection made." Lucius thought back wistfully to their time at the resort and how he had fought the temptation to do more with Hermione.

"Lucius, I know it's been a long time. Are you nervous about having another partner?" Connor asked gently.

Lucius chuckled. He was not in the least bit concerned about his sexual performance. "No, nothing like that. I do have your word that you will tell no one, correct?" he asked seriously.

"On my mother's grave, I will tell no one," Connor replied solemnly.

He steeled himself for Connor's reaction. "The reason nothing has happened is that she is married."

"Merlin, Lucius! You could have any witch you want, but to go for a married woman!" Connor said in utter shock.

"I didn't plan this. I never intended to develop feelings for her – it just... happened. And before you accuse me of anything, I would not call her marriage happy," Lucius replied defensively.

"So what are you doing now?" Connor asked cautiously, concerned his friend was playing with fire.

"Very little. Over vacation I gave her a taste of what life with me would be like, but I kept it platonic. Not even so much as a goodnight kiss, though Merlin knows it required all the restraint I possess." He paused and savored his cigar. "There is little more that I can do other than conveniently run into her now and again, which I have, innocently of course, and nothing untoward."

"And you think she has feelings for you?" Connor probed, clearly wondering if this was something Lucius was perceiving.

Lucius was about to answer when he heard the door open behind him. Both men looked over their shoulders' to see a rather irate Felicia approaching him.

"Lucius Malfoy, I hardly know why I go through all this effort for you if you are going to be so rude," she said angrily.

"I was hardly rude. It's merely that I had very little in common with Mrs. Gibbon." He took a draw on his cigar and leaned his head back to blow the smoke straight up in the air.

"Felicia, dear, I know you mean well, but Lucius will find someone in his own time," Connor offered, trying to deflect his wife's ire from his friend.

She crossed her arms. "Oh, he will, will he? It's been three years, and he still does not attend social functions. How exactly is he supposed to find someone if he sequesters himself in that manor of his?"

"I'm right here," Lucius offered since they were talking about him as though he was not there. "And I do get out."

She finally turned her attention back to him. "Oh, yes, your Tuesday dinners at your club where you make no effort to socialize. Or perhaps a business trip..." Her voice trailed off before her face lit up hopefully. "Oh, Elsa Schwartz! Of course, I should have realized it earlier. Had you said something..."

Lucius tried not to choke on his cigar as she jumped to the wrong conclusion, and he took a sip of cognac as he quickly tried to decide whether he should correct her or not. "I have always liked to keep my private life private."

Felicia turned her attention to Connor. "And how could you not tell me?" she asked with hands on hips.

"I'm sorry. Lucius swore me to secrecy," Connor replied, playing along with Lucius' deception.

She momentarily glared at Lucius before moving to give Connor a quick kiss. "If you had told me, I would not have invited Venus tonight and gotten her hopes up."

"My apologies to you and Mrs. Gibbon for that," Lucius said penitently. "There is nothing official at the moment, perhaps just hopeful wishing," he added wistfully, referring to Hermione and not Elsa, though Felicia would not know that.

She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Then I shall wish you the best of luck and look forward to a day when you bring your own dinner companion." She smiled warmly before leaving the two of them in the garden.

After a few moments, Connor said, "Well, that's a pretty pickle you've left her with."

Lucius waved off Connor's concern. "I left her with a romantic dream. And if everything works out as I have planned, I doubt she will concern herself with who I have chosen and just be happy that I have finally chosen someone."

Connor leaned over the arm of his chair, wanting an answer to his previously asked question. "Now, we were talking about your married witch. You think she has feelings for you?"

"Those are the signals she has given me, and my instincts tell me I'm right about her. Everything depends on her actions. If her marriage truly is over – and I have the feeling it's spiraling, falling apart... But she will need to be the one to end it." He was almost positive she felt the same way he did. She had positively thrived in his presence, and her reaction the two times he had seen her at work reinforced his belief.

"Even if she divorces... Well, your sister..." Connor said, unsure of what exactly he wanted to say.

Lucius knew that Connor was alluding to the events that had led Delilah to flee the country. But circumstances were different where he and Hermione were concerned. Whereas no one had shown Delilah any support and the media attention, the accusations and Ministry investigations had been unbearable because of her name, he would ensure that didn't happen to Hermione if he could help it. After all, he did still command a certain level of clout and power. That and he intended to be there for Hermione if she chose to divorce, to be her rock and confidant should she need him. "I do realize that. I will continue to nurture our friendship and hope that she will confide in me if she makes that decision. I can help guide her through the process in a manner that should keep her reputation intact. After that... Well, I would then be free to bestow her with my affections."

"That's a dicey proposition of you offering her advice and then swooping in," Connor offered.

Lucius finished off the cognac and poured a second glass. He knew precisely what Connor was thinking as he had had that same thought. "It will all be on her terms. I plan to be careful about not offering judgment or pushing her one way or the other. In other words, I will be the perfect friend, and yet I don't plan on completely hiding my attraction. I was in Slytherin; I did learn the art of subtleties."

"But you are going to let her know how much better it could be for her to dump the other guy and choose you." Connor did not completely keep the disapproval out of his voice.

He had known this would be a very touchy subject. There had always been a chance that Connor would assume Lucius was trying to ruin her marriage. Without going into specifics, there was little he could do to assure Connor that the marriage was already failing by the time Lucius had met Hermione. "To put it bluntly, yes. She married beneath her. He is not worthy of someone like her. I can only presume that it was one of those highly emotional, post-war weddings, or one that everyone around her expected," he said defensively. While he could not tell Connor the details, he knew that Hermione and Weasley had been close at school and had worked with Potter extensively to bring down the Dark Lord. And of course there had been the articles exalting the marriage of two school sweethearts and war heroes. From reading post-war articles it seemed there was a definite pressure for the two of them to wed.

"That is quite the conundrum," Connor finally said. The two men smoked in silence for several long minutes before Connor asked, "Any kids?"

Lucius considered whether answering this question might give away her identity. Finally he replied, "No, thankfully. I know that will make the divorce, should it happen, easier to obtain."

"And you're set on this witch?" Connor probed.

"I am. I've waited three years to meet her." He stared off into the night, watching the smoke from the cigar illuminated by the moonlight. He knew there was no one else.

"And what if her marriage isn't falling apart?" Connor asked pointedly. "Will you push your case?"

Lucius sighed. "You know I can't. It would draw too much attention." He wouldn't push, but he wouldn't let it drop. By treating her like a princess, he would convince her of where her place really was. He was Lucius Malfoy and he did not lose – and definitely not to a Weasley.

A/N: As always, my undying gratitude to my beta, beaweasley2, who is always there to nudge me in the right direction when I forget that the story must exist not only in my mind, but in the written world as well. And for those who were pining to hear from Lucius, I hope this helps. :) The current plan is to flip flop points of view in successive chapters.