Chapter 25

Lucius had found it a bit of a surprise when Hermione had confronted him about his family's past. He had forgotten the record books were kept in the library. Of course, the contents of the cottage had been the furthest thing from his mind when he had offered it as a sanctuary to her.

He thought he had handled the situation quite admirably, especially since she had seemed to want to get into a debate about the hypocrisy of how the wizarding elite had gone from mingling with Muggles to despising them. There was so much that she did not understand about wizarding culture. As he'd tried to explain to her, marrying a Muggle had been looked down upon by the wizarding elite for as long as anyone could remember. It just wasn't done. There was too much risk of diluting magical abilities or birthing non-magical children.

As for being Muggle-born – only a fool would not realize there had to be magical ancestors in the families somewhere. The problem was that you now had people entering magical society who were completely ignorant of the wizarding customs, traditions, assumptions and conventions and trying to dilute the magical culture with Muggle technology and devices – which thankfully did not function in magical households. It wasn't just a clash of cultures, it involved simple things like not knowing magical etiquette, and if what he was seeing with Muggle society was any indication, it would soon be any form of etiquette. Not to mention Muggle-borns exposing how magic could be used to their Muggle family and friends, threating a breach of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Yes, it was possible for Muggle-borns to assimilate, but it was never simple, especially since Hogwarts didn't seem to feel that was important to teach the customs, expectations and fastidious rules of magical society like it used to centuries ago.

He sighed. If he had been as enlightened as a school governor as he was now, he could have suggested changes to be made to the curriculum to help the Muggle-born students assimilate into wizarding society. Perhaps it was time for him to petition the Ministry to be reappointed as a governor, though he knew that that task would require a great deal of apologizing and possibly groveling, two things that did not come naturally to him. What could possibly be in his favor, should he seriously entertain the idea, was the fact that in the last five years he had made it a point to hire and work closely with enterprising and gifted Muggle-borns. It was possible he could use this as leverage to convince the Ministry that he could provide advice on how to better prepare students for the world outside of Hogwarts. Especially since none of the current governors were major employers in the business sector.

The clock chimed six and he realized he was late for his dinner with Connor. He summoned his outer robe and checked himself in the mirror in the grand foyer before departing for his club. Connor was in their usual booth, enjoying a martini. Lucius took his seat and was almost immediately greeted by his usual Scotch.

"Something on your mind?" Connor asked before Lucius could apologize before being tardy.

"Many things," Lucius replied, not really sure where to start. It had been an eventful few days.

"Do you want to talk about it, or should I fill you in on the heck of a hunt you missed out on?" Connor asked.

Lucius mulled this question over for several seconds. "I've been thinking about asking to be reinstated as a Hogwarts governor."

Connor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? After what happened..."

"I realize my conduct was quite... inappropriate, but I have also come to realize there are several gaping holes in the education our children have been receiving at Hogwarts – holes that I probably should have done something about when I was first a governor."

"Such as?" Connor prompted.

"First and foremost is History of Magic. It is a disservice to everyone that Binns has been allowed to stay on as long as he has. Binns loves top prattle on about the Goblin Wars, but there is much more to our history than that, important events that he completely bypasses. It's time he was replaced. Additionally, and I realize how ironic this sounds, there should be a Wizard Studies class to help Muggle-borns integrate more smoothly into their new culture. It's all well and good having a Muggle Studies class, even though it's inept at best, but even you and I as youth had interaction in the Muggle world. We were taught by our parents how they dressed and how not to draw attention to ourselves, but no one teaches those things properly anymore. And for those who have never encountered the wizarding world until they receive their Hogwarts letters, they have no idea how how we dress, how we behave, our way of life our customs, traditions and expectations or our laws. Over the years I have witnessed that social awkwardness time and again. Even one as well-bred as Justin Finch-Flechly has at times fumbled with wizarding etiquette."

"That is true, though I know a few young folk from fine wizarding families who could probably use that as a refresher," Connor added.

Thinking to what he knew of the Weasleys, Mulcibers, Goyles, Crabbes and a few others, Lucius found that he could not disagree with this. "Then perhaps it is something that should be mandatory the first year with a second year for those who need further instruction. But something needs to be done. I won't watch our way of life disappear because no one wants to speak up."

The menus arrived on the table and Lucius took a moment to peruse the day's offerings before ordering his dinner to the charger plate before him. In short order his entrée, fillet of beef with jacket potato, arrived. Looking across the table he saw that Connor had ordered grilled salmon with rice pilaf. Before resuming their conversation, they waited for the sommelier to bring them their wine.

"So what else is on your mind?" Connor asked once they had both savored a few bites of their meal.

Lucius had been trying to determine how best to discuss this with Connor. "The young witch to whom I'm attracted." He paused. "First off, I've not been following her or anything, but I have seen her behaving rather flirtatiously with another wizard. I don't believe there is anything untoward going on, she isn't that sort of person, but it unnerved me to see that, to wonder if perhaps you were right, that I was reading too much into this."

"As I don't have all the facts, it's difficult to offer advice, but have you thought of asking her?"

"Ask her what? If I ask her what her intentions toward this other wizard are, how does that make me look? It makes me look like I am stalking her. And I most definitely can't ask her how she feels about me, not yet, anyway." He tried to determine how much he dared confide in Connor. "I do spend time with her in a completely platonic context, but perhaps I am being too discrete. Perhaps I should give her some small taste of my affection for her. Nothing so forward as a kiss, mind you, but something to let her know that I would be open to furthering our relationship when the time is right."

Connor put down his utensils and leaned forward, speaking in a hoarse whisper even though it was highly unlikely anyone would overhear them at their club. "I have a pretty good idea who your mystery witch is. I presume she's the one who's been in the news this last week, Potter's friend."

Lucius had known that Connor would figure this out given the information he had revealed previously, especially with the divorce featured prominently in the news. "She is," he admitted softly.

"Merlin, Lucius!" Connor said harshly.

There was a long silence as neither wizard knew what to say next. "Speak your mind," Lucius finally said.

"Where do I begin?" Connor asked as he raked his fingers through his hair. "She's Draco's age. She could be your daughter."

"I most certainly am not her father," Lucius replied. "And it's not like wizards haven't married younger witches for as long as anyone can remember. My father was thirty years older than my mother. And let's not forget that Mellencamp married a witch less than half his age, and no one raised an eyebrow – and he's sixty-five. She's surprisingly mature for her age, and we do enjoy spending time together, so I cannot see it will be an issue."

"Her," Connor looked around, making sure no one was paying attention to them, "parents are... Muggles."

"Yes, they are," Lucius replied simply. He knew this would be something that could be socially stigmatizing. It was one thing to accept Muggle-borns into wizarding society and hire them for important positions. It was quite another to marry one; the expectations of upper-class magical society frowned on imprudent marriages, even one to such extraordinary witches as Hermione.

"I know times are changing, but... Don't you think this is a bit extreme?" Connor asked probingly.

"I'm not doing this to curry favor with the Ministry, if that's what you're asking. I truly love her. Besides, look at this latest generation of elite and tell me that our gene pool couldn't use some expansion."

"You want to have children with her? The witch who is divorcing because her husband was trying to force her to have children?" Connor asked incredulously.

"That was only one of her reasons: she wanted to wait to start a family and he did not; and the expectations of his family toward producing offspring, the sexual inequality, rigid judgmental attitudes, and their not-to-subtle machinations were weighing on her, mentally and physically. They are divorcing because they are not compatible," Lucius explained. "The timing of when to begin a family is but a small part of that. And she has mentioned that she is not opposed to children, only that she is not ready to become a mother at this time. I can wait."

"Merlin, Lucius," Connor said again, clearly at a loss for words. "And you think there might be some other wizard vying for her affections?" he finally asked.

"It's possible. She is a lovely, intriguing witch, and quite desirable. I only caught a glimpse, but they were definitely flirting with each other." He thought it more than possible since she was choosing not to mention spending time with Gilles.

Connor set down his fork and took a sip of his wine. "Well, it's not like this other wizard can do anything at the moment either. And you've said you've placed yourself favorably as her friend and confidant."

"I have. But it still worries me," Lucius said as he sliced off a bit of his beef. "He is a coworker, near her age, and I have learned they lunch together."

"But you have dinners with her, presumably keeping her company in the evenings after the meal. What's your worry?"

Lucius waited until he swallowed before answering. "My worry is that she will see me as Draco's father, that our past will complicate matters. I was involved in a battle where my... associates tried to kill her." So far she had done nothing to highlight their age difference, but it was always there, the unspoken Erumpent in the room. It was why he generally did not talk about Draco or Scorpius, that would only serve to remind her how much older he was.

"But surely she has learned that you aren't that wizard anymore, and you've told me you think she might see you as a potential suitor," Connor stated and took a bite of his rice. "I'm not sure there's anything you can do other than be there for her."

"On that note, I'll have to cancel our dinner for next week. That's the day of her hearing and hopefully we'll enjoy a celebratory dinner."

Connor arched an eyebrow skeptically before taking a bite of his salmon.

"Merlin, Connor. I'm not going to try to bed her before the ink is dry," Lucius stated, setting down his wine glass. "There is still the matter of the waiting period, which I intend to honor, though I will be a bit more flirtatious near the end to woo her."

Connor shook his head. "This is really the witch you want?" he asked in disbelief.

Lucius finished the last of his wine. "It is. I haven't felt this way since I courted Narcissa. Every other witch I have met socially has bored me. But she... is special." He couldn't explain how she made him feel.

"I can't deny you have a new spring in your step since you've met her," Connor stated and ate a bite of his vegetable. "If you wait to woo her, this other fellow might move in before you do, you may have to let your intentions be known sooner than later. And you'll have to be cautious, especially in public. The timing and all. There is a chance this will be received with a large thud."

Lucius waved off Connor's concern as he swallowed a bite of his potato. "I have too much money and influence for this to be much of a scandal. Besides, she's one of Potter's best friends. Who would dare speak out against her, especially if the divorce proceeds as I believe it will? Yes, there will be whispering, but it won't last long. And what do I care if it does? You know how I feel about the social gossips."

"Indeed I do," Connor replied knowingly, eating one last bite of his dinner. "You know, this could be one of the more interesting things to happen since the end of the war."

"Most definitely," Lucius agreed as he watched as the plates cleared from the table and their after dinner cognacs appeared. "There really is nothing I can do about this other wizard, is there?"

"Since you can't tell her how you feel, you could always fire him," Connor offered half-jokingly.

Lucius tipped his head and glared at Connor. "I know you are joking, but that was not a very good one. I'm not one to waste talent, and he is a very gifted brewer. At least they don't work on the same team, and I can ensure that won't for any future projects either."

Connor laughed and tipped his glass in mock salute. "To future endeavors."

Lucius sipped his cognac to hide his smirk.

They spent the next thirty minutes recounting the highlights of the hunt. Lucius had to admit it sounded like everyone had a good time, but he knew that the time he spent with Hermione was time well spent.

When they were getting ready to leave, Connor asked, "I don't suppose you wanted to get together this weekend and see if we can track down the rest of that sounder?"

"I could come over Sunday morning. Contrary to what you might think, I don't spend all my free time with her." Lucius knew that he couldn't do that. He longed to be able to be seen with her in public where it would be easier to keep his urges under control.

"See you early Sunday morning then... unless you prefer later?"

"Early is fine. Better to track them down then. See you Sunday," he said before Connor Disapparated. He then left for his manor and to ponder what he could possibly do to discretely let Hermione know he was interested in her, especially in light of their conversation on Saturday where he tried to convince her she was nothing more than a friend.

The first thing Lucius did Wednesday morning was review the reports on his desk. He then flipped open a folder and began reviewing the information pertaining to Belle Déesse, a French beauty product company. He had a meeting scheduled for ten o'clock with Jacques Dupré. He had reviewed the financial data and the comprehensive proposal his team had prepared, so he did not expect negotiations to be protracted. There would be the usual back and forth as Dupré tried to gain some concessions for his company, of which Lucius had several points he was willing to allow, general negations should end favorably for both parties. He always made the contract harsher than he was willing to accept so that he could look flexible and magnanimous when the terms were finalized.

He knew that this was the perfect time for this acquisition. Life in wizarding Britain had stabilized and more people had disposable income. Their main competition would be Madame Beatrice's Better Beauty. He knew that Belle Déesse products were superior, at least according to Narcissa and her friends, and could be profitably sold for a similar price. During the war, Dupré had lost his British supplier and had never tried to get back into the British market. While Dupré did sell his product in other countries, he faced more domestic competition there just as he did at home in France. The loss of the British market had weakened the company enough to make it vulnerable to takeover. Lucius' primary competition in this merger was Soulié Prachtige Cosmetica, a growing business in Charleroi that had expanded distribution in Germany and Netherlands within the last six years and had turned its attention toward France.

While it was true that Lucius could have struck a bargain for British distribution, that was not his style. When he did business with someone, he expected to be able to exert a certain level of control. He knew that Dupré was eager to reestablish his interests in Britain, and Lucius knew that gave him the upper hand in negotiations. He fully intended for this to be the only time they met in Rouen.

Lucius chuckled at the fact he had joked with Narcissa on more than one occasion that he should just buy stock in the company and here he was prepared to buy the whole company.

Shortly before ten, he went to his outer office and found Reg, one of his junior solicitors, and his personal assistant waiting for him. They all Apparated to the reception area of Belle Déesse where Dupré was waiting for them, an attractive young woman standing by his side. Introductions were made, and Lucius learned the young woman was Joséphine Dupré, Jacques' niece and company legal representative.

They then proceeded to a small conference room where pleasantries were exchanged and refreshments served before they got down to business. Dupré had seemed shocked that Lucius was proposing an acquisition and not just distribution rights. Lucius had been purposefully vague with his initial approach, although he'd implied that he knew the company faced a possible hostile takeover. He knew that someone like Dupré would be resistant to selling his company, regardless of the company's vulnerability, and would not have consented to the meeting if he had known Lucius' true intent. As a concession, Lucius was proposing a high degree of autonomy since the majority of the Belle Déesse market would remain in France.

It took slightly more than an hour, but Lucius finally had Dupré seriously considering the merger. Reg pulled the contract proposal out of his case and went through it before they left the proposal for Dupré's consideration.

When they returned to London, Lucius was reasonably certain that Dupré would agree. After all, the British market was too large to ignore and the terms of the acquisition were not unreasonable, especially since he was allowing Dupré a very high level of control, unlike his acquisition of the Kesselwerks.

On Friday Lucius was once again mired in administrative work, trying to get everything wrapped up before the weekend. He focused his attention on the acquisition of Belle Déesse. They had submitted a counter-proposal. He read through the document and made several annotations. While he knew that he would have to provide capital so they could expand to meet the demand from entering a new market, he thought the sum they were asking for was excessive. He revised it downward with a note to require justification for a higher sum. There were a few other proposed changes he questioned and made some comments, but overall he had expected many of their changes. He set the documents in his outbox where they would be delivered to Reg for further negotiations. With luck they could conclude this deal early next week.

He looked up when there was a knock at his door. His secretary looked in. "Sir, Mr. Humphries is here. It's time to go."

Lucius glanced on the clock on the mantle. "So it is. One moment."

"Yes, sir," she replied before closing the door.

He organized his desk and straightened his robes. This should be his final visit to the Schwartz Kesselwerks. Everything seemed to finally be coming together. Elsa had a competent management team who understood their advisory role. They also understood their responsibility to report to him.

In his outer office, he found Mr. Humphries sitting patiently, waiting for him. Humphries was his production expert and was a capable second set of eyes to evaluate business practices at the Kesselwerks.

When they arrived at the gates, they were met by Herr Strauss, one of the new managers. "Guten tag, Herr Malfoy. We are ready for your review."

Lucius liked how Strauss always got right down to business. He was very efficient. "Danke, Herr Strauss. I trust that everything is running as it should."

"It is. Everyone has settled into their new positons and the new manufacturing process has been fully refined."

"Excellent. Will Frau Schwartz be joining us?" Lucius asked, somewhat surprised that she hadn't met them given her interest in him.

"She is meeting with one of our suppliers and will be joining us when she is finished."

Lucius would take any reprieve he could get, though she was generally very professional in front of others.

About halfway through the factory review, Elsa joined them. She added a few things to what Strauss was telling them, but let him do most of the talking. When the factory review was completed they adjourned to her office where they discussed how the new management staff was working out, and Elsa proudly informed Lucius of the favorable terms she had made with their copper supplier.

"I cannot thank you enough for the assistance you have provided, Lucius," she said, smiling at him in a rather predatory way.

Her demeanor made Lucius uncomfortable, especially since Strauss and Hughes were in the office with them. "Well, it was beneficial to us both. I have cleared the final hurdles and there should be no problem importing your cauldrons into Britain. I have with me an order for fifty standard size 2 cauldrons from Potage's Cauldron Shop in Diagon Alley, and one from Bleasdale's Pewtersmith Works in Hogsmeade for sixty." He pulled the purchase orders out of the inside pocket of his robes and handed them to Elsa. "If Bleasdale is satisfied with the quality, he is amenable increasing this number to four hundred and to stocking our specialty cauldrons in his stores. If he does, Potage will follow suit. The marketing is in place to convince wizards this is a superior cauldron, and I have high hopes." Including the hope that this would be his last visit to Frankfurt for some time, since both major sellers of cauldrons in England were willing to do business this him. All that was left was for the marketing team to lock down the shops in Wales and Ireland.

"That is excellent news." She smiled at him again. "Gentlemen, could you give Lucius and me some privacy?"

He did not like the way she was looking at him and that she had asked to speak with him alone. Well, for the most part their business was concluded, so he would be free to tell her he was not interested.

"I supposed this will be the last of your visits?" she asked, not hiding the disappointment in her voice.

"Everything is in order here and my attention is required elsewhere," he replied professionally.

"Would you then consent to dinner tonight, as friends, not as business associates?" She grinned seductively at him.

"I'm afraid I can't. I already have plans for the evening." He had been prepared for this.

She leaned forward against the table, exposing her cleavage. "You could cancel them."

"I'm afraid not." He decided it was best to stop this now. "Elsa, you have made no secret of the fact that you are attracted to me, and I do find you to be a very beautiful and enchanting witch, but I do not see us as a couple."

"You can say that without giving it a chance?" she asked, clearly not willing to give up.

"Oh, but I have given us consideration, as you well know, and although I do find you attractive, I'm afraid that my feelings have not grown in that regard. Ours will be nothing more than a business relationship." He saw that she was about to protest and raised his hand. "It has nothing to do with the distance. I simply don't feel that way about you. I apologize if I have led you to believe otherwise." He had thought of telling her that he just wasn't ready to get involved with someone, but he knew it would only be a matter of weeks before word of his interest in Hermione was revealed to the public. He rose to his feet. "As our business is concluded, I bid you good day." He gave her a gentle handshake before departing and meeting Hughes in the outer office for their return trip to London.

Hopefully this was finally behind him.

By Saturday Lucius had decided to see how important his presence was to Hermione. Dinners during the week had been pleasant and they had engaged in two more chess matches, one of which she was able to win. She had seemingly let the matter of his family's behavior before the Statute drop and their conversations had returned to more magical subjects such as her latest academic acquisition on Charms. He longed to show her some of the books in his library. He knew that she could easily spend a lifetime poring through his collection.

He glanced to the window as though checking the weather while they were finishing up breakfast. "It's far too nice a day to remain inside. This would be a good day to winterize the garden." He knew the weather would be temperate and sunny, and that those days would be coming to an end as autumn set in.

"You garden?" she asked, not hiding the shock in her voice.

He knew she would find it shocking that he would do something so mundane. "I find it relaxing. It's a hobby I have undertaken since Narcissa's passing. She always loved the flowers, so I do it in memory of her." He thought fondly of the afternoons when he would watch her working in the garden from the window of his study and how happy that simple act had made her.

"I think that's lovely," Hermione said, but she felt that sentiment was not adequate to describe his action. "Sadly we never had a garden, so it's not something I got to do."

"Well, if you feel the need to get your hands dirty, my garden is at your disposal," he offered, curious as to whether or not she would accept his offer.

Clearly she was caught off guard by his suggestion. "Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude," she replied, obviously thinking that the gardening was his private moment in memory of Narcissa.

"It wouldn't be intrusive. I would enjoy the company, and I think you would find it therapeutic," he said in way that was hospitable, yet not pushy.

"I... don't know. Your house..." She shuddered at the thought of returning to the manor, and wrapped her arms around herself for comfort.

Realization dawned on him. The last time she had been at his house, she had been subjected to the whims of his deranged sister-in-law, not to mention he'd been desperate to regain the Dark Lord's favor to keep his family safe, and his own actions had been reprehensible. He had tried so hard to put the ugliness of his past behind him that this had completely slipped his mind. "Ah, yes, of course. Forgive me for not having considered that. That was horribly inconsiderate of me."

She smiled weakly. "It's not something I prefer to dwell on, but I don't know." She looked away from him and stared out the window at the late summer day.

"Well, I will keep it a standing offer so that if the day comes..." He paused, not entirely sure what he could say to make it more palatable. He feared that he had ruined the moment.

Hermione was clearly debating the pros and cons of his offer and finally, she said, "Though, this is work in the garden, so I wouldn't actually have to go in the manor, would I?"

"If that is your wish," he replied simply, hoping he didn't sound too eager. She was choosing to spend time with him, not trying to get him to leave so she could see Gilles.

"Let's see how it goes," she replied, managing a timid smile. "Give me a moment to change into something better suited to digging around in the garden." She flashed him one last smile before leaving the table.

He took this as a measure of how much she valued his companionship. And of course, this was a small step in the right direction for their relationship. After all, if they were going to have a formal relationship, she would have to spend time in the manor. As many horrible memories as there were in his manor, it was still his family home, and he did not feel right abandoning it.

He grinned. This was all looking very good for him. Now he just needed the opportunity to let it slip to her how special she was to him.

Hermione and Lucius had an enjoyable morning of preparing his garden for the winter. She had a passable knowledge of gardening from Herbology, though she had never really cared for the more mundane plants found in a typical garden.

Many of the plants were being dug up for compost, but a few varieties were to be placed in pots and would be brought indoors for the winter. The others would be trimmed back and freshly mulched for the winter. And then finally there was the planting of the bulbs. Lucius did not expect them to finish the work in a single day, but they could make a good start.

Hermione brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I've finished digging up the petunias, now what."

"You can help me with the peonies," he offered.

She looked at what he had been doing by trimming down and dividing the peony bushes and looked as though she was not sure she wanted to tackle something that difficult right now. "Isn't there something else that needs digging up?"

"I'm afraid not. All the annuals have been taken care of. It's time to work on the perennials. Come, I'll show you how to divide one up." He gestured for her to join him. She knelt next to him, and he talked her through dividing a peony bush.

"I'm not sure I understand," she said as she stared at the bush before her.

He shifted behind her, took her hands in his and guided her through dividing that bush. As he did so, he could feel his heart racing, libido reacting to being so close to her, to feeling her pressed against his chest, taking in the subtle scent of her soap. He longed to wrap his arms around her, kiss her tenderly. Somehow he managed to guide her through dividing the plant. "That's all there is to it," he whispered softly into her ear, not trusting his voice to speak clearly at anything louder than that.

She slowly turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, and their eyes locked for several seconds. He started slowly moving closer to her as though he was going to kiss her. Just before their lips touched, he released her hands and slowly backed away.

"I... think I've got it," she replied, but her eyes did not leave his.

He smiled warmly at her and moved to a different part of the flower bed lest he lose complete control of himself. It was supposed to be a little taste, something that would appear as though he had let his emotions get away from him, but he just couldn't push the boundaries of acceptable behavior.

They worked in silence for the next half an hour, but he did catch her stealing the occasional glance at him. His heart had been beating so fast when he had shown her how to work with the peonies that he was sure she must have heard it.

She knelt next to him. "I've finished with the peonies," she said softly.

He looked up and saw that she had. "I think that perhaps we ought to break for lunch," he said, not entirely sure of giving another gardening lesson at the present.

"About what happened earlier..." she started.

He glanced at her quickly and looked away, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Forgive me for that. A foolish indulgence by someone who should know better."

She took hold of his hand. "I wouldn't have minded," she replied. "You make me feel like I'm the most important person in the world."

He did his best to keep his emotions in check now that he had confirmation of how she felt, that she did reciprocate his feelings. He finally looked up into her eyes. "To do so now... it could ruin everything." He pulled away from her and rose to his feet. "Hermione, while we may have feelings for each other, we cannot act on them." He found that he could not meet her gaze. "It would put everything at risk."

She sighed and sat back on her heels. "I know. I just... I wasn't sure that's how you felt."

"For now it doesn't matter. We must bury our feelings for each other – at least until your divorce is final."

"And even then it's not a good idea to rush into anything, is it?" she asked as she rose to her feet.

He smiled at her as he realized she was finally starting to understand the complex and aggregate rules of behavior of the magical community. "It must not look as though this is a relationship that was developed prior to your divorce. For now my friendship with you has been kept very low key and private, and it would be wise to keep it as such. But we must be careful, especially since your husband has expressed a suspicion that there is another wizard. Any impropriety, perceived or based in fact, could seriously ruin your and my reputation, although mine has seen far worse. I'd hate for you to feel the consequences. We must maintain the position of merely companionable friendship and that there is nothing imprudent in your behavior...nor in mine toward you." He reached his hand up and brushed her cheek, looking softly into her eyes. "I think it would probably be best if you left for now, put some distance between us." He could tell that she was just as conflicted as he was.

"You're probably right – like you always are." She laughed softly. "I do want to thank you."

"For what?" He was confused.

"For helping me realize that I don't belong with Ron. At the time I didn't know that I wanted, that I wanted to be with someone like you. But you made me realize that people like you existed, and that I didn't have to settle for someone like him." She smiled at him. "I'll see you later."

He watched her walk down the path that would take her to the front gate where she could Disapparate. He did not know whether to cheer or to curse. She had admitted her feelings for him, but now that it was out between them, what would happen? He knew that the more time they spent together, the more likely it was that something would happen between them to turn their friendship into something more, something that Weasley could use against her. Something the judgmental web of magical society could use against her.

He did not want to abandon her in her time of need, but he also knew how precarious their situation was. This was a time when he needed to proceed very carefully.

A/N: As always many thanks to the wonderful beaweasley2 for her input and helping me clean up the grammar and punctuation. And also many thanks to those who have taken the time to let me know what they think of this story. It has been a real joy to me to see others enjoying this tale.