The Affair

Chapter Twelve: Suspicious Minds









We are always paid for our suspicion by finding what we suspect. – Henry David Thoreau









“Talk….right, we need to talk.” Lucius said, raking his fingers through his hair agitatedly.







“Yes…over there….you go behind your desk and I will sit in the chair.” She said. “We need something between us.”







“You think it will stop this? A piece of furniture between us?” He asked, doing as directed and sitting gingerly in his chair, his erection painfully uncomfortable.







“It has to. Lucius, we can’t do this…its wrong!” She said, crossing her legs and bouncing her foot.







“It isn’t like I planned for this to happen.” He said, resting his elbows on his desk and burying his face in his hands. He shook his head slowly back and forth, his mind racing in a million directions and none of them appropriate.







“I believe you. I don’t think either of us was expecting it. But we have to do something about it, we can’t continue…kissing…I have a husband and you have a wife.” She said, not daring to look him in the eyes because she feared she would come around the desk and crawl into his lap. She hadn’t felt desire like that in ages, maybe ever. It felt as though she were burning up from the inside out.







“If that is what you want to call them. Seems like they are more like flat mates with whom we share a name and a past with.” He grumbled.







“But we made commitments to them. We can not let this…”







“Attraction?” He offered.







“Yes…attraction, get away from us. No more kissing, Lucius.” She said.







“What if we can’t help it?” So far he had kissed her twice and both times he had been unable to stop himself, it had just happened.







“We have to.” She said. “Lucius, I like being here, I like being with you and I don’t want to give that up. I don’t want to go back to sitting in that house all alone every day and I want to see this project through, but you and I have to keep our friendship platonic.”







“I didn’t intend for it to move out of platonic, it just happened.” He said.







“Lucius…”







“Am I interrupting something?” Lucius and Hermione both turned towards the door and stared at Draco as he leaned against the doorframe.







“Draco, did we have an appointment I forgot about?” Lucius asked frowning at his offspring.







“No. What are you doing here, Granger, and why are you calling my father ‘Lucius’?” He asked.









“She is here seeing to the refurbishing of my library and I asked her to call me by name.” Lucius said before Hermione could answer. “You, however, have yet to answer my question. What are you doing here, Draco?”







“Mother called me. She wants me to have a talk with you.” Draco said, his attention on Hermione. Her body language was curious. She was fidgeting and avoiding eye contact, almost as though she were guilty of something.







“You could have owled first. I was occupied as you can plainly see.” Lucius said, indicating Hermione.







“Occupied, eh? Just how were you occupied with the mudblood, Father?” Draco sneered. “Get back to work, Granger, I need to speak to my father without your ears listening.”







Hermione gasped and Lucius was on his feet in an instant and coming around his desk.







“Do not dare to come into my house and mistreat an associate of mine, Draco, you have no right!” Lucius roared. “Hermione isn’t just someone who is doing a job for me, she has become a friend and I do not appreciate your rude, disgusting behavior. Now apologize to my friend.”







“Your friend? Granger? You are actually claiming a mudblood as a friend? Oh that’s just bloody brilliant! Mother is right; you really have lost your bloody mind!” Draco scoffed.









“Apologize to my friend or you and I have nothing to discuss and you can tell your mother that her little game was all for naught because you were being a brat.” Lucius was tired of Draco being used as a weapon against him by Narcissa. Whenever things weren’t going her way she would bring Draco into it to guilt him into complying.







“Forgive my rudeness, Granger. It is very important that I speak with my father, would you please excuse us?” His politeness was clearly forced but Hermione got a little bit of a thrill at watching his father take him down a notch.







“No problem.” She said, rising from her chair. “I will see you in a few days, Lucius, I have an appointment tomorrow.”







“Do you want me to see you home?” He asked softly, coming to stand near her.







“Not a good idea.” She said, wanting so badly to trace his lips with her fingertips.







“Hermione….if you need me….”







“I know. Go talk to your son, Lucius.” He could see emotion swirling in her eyes and knew that it matched his own. She walked through the library doors and closed them behind her. Lucius stared at the closed doors for several moments before turning to face Draco.









“What is going on with you two?” Draco asked, a suspicious look on his face.







“Nothing that concerns you. She is having a rough time of things, her child died a year ago, and she is still grieving.” He said, settling in behind his desk.







“And you are comforting her? Please, you don’t know the first thing about grief.” Draco rolled his eyes.







“I know more than you can possibly imagine.” Lucius said quietly. “My friendship with Hermione is not pertinent here, what does your mother send you for now?”







“She said you have a mistress.” Draco said. “She doesn’t like it.”







“I do NOT have a mistress and even if I did I certainly wouldn’t be discussing my sex life with my son.” Lucius said tightly.







“She said you don’t talk to her or buy her things or give her extra pocket money anymore. She said you refuse to…erm…”Draco shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “…she said you refused to come to her rooms.”







“Oh dear god, your mother told you about that?” Lucius couldn’t believe that Narcissa would impart such information to their son.









“She was upset, trust me, I don’t want to know.” Draco said, shaking his head as though trying to shake the images out of it.







“I am tired of being treated like the cause of the world’s problems, Draco. I made mistakes and I have atoned again and again. I have gone out of my way seeking her forgiveness and still she withholds it. I will not beg or cower any longer. If it makes her unhappy I am sorry, but it is just how it is. As for not coming to her room…well I just don’t want to.” Lucius said.







“So there is no mistress?” Draco asked.







“No.” But there is someone who makes me feel like a man. He thought.







“And Granger?” Draco saw the exchange between them, the way they looked at each other. He knew…knew that there was something else going on.







“She is my friend and a business associate. That is all you need to concern yourself with.” He said.







“Fine…..oh, and mother wanted me to tell you not to come to the dinner table after playing with your dogs.” Draco said, getting up from the chair.







“Sometimes I would rather have dinner with my dogs.” Lucius sighed, shaking his head.







“Is it that bad, Father? Are you so unhappy?” Draco asked quietly, thinking he had never seen his father look quite so…broken.









“The grief of the parents should never be rested upon a child, Draco.”









“But I am no longer a child, I understand far more than you may think. I…I do love you and I want you to be happy.” Draco said, hoping his father would not see his admission as weakness.







“I love you too, Draco. I am sorry I didn’t tell you that more.” He said.







“I always knew.” Draco smiled. “I will try to calm Mother down.”









“Good luck with that.” Lucius said, watching his son walk away wishing he had been a better father to the boy. He sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hands folded over his abdomen as he closed his eyes and thought about the witch who had just left him. Her taste still lingered in his mouth.





















These two chapters kind of go together so you get them both at once.….Yes, Draco starts off as a bit of a twat……