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Lucius observed his son’s lover over a glass of brandy in the library. Hermione had asked Draco if she could speak with him privately after dinner, and much to everyone’s surprise, Draco had agreed. Silently, Lucius said a prayer to the gods hoping that the meeting would go well. In the long run, it wouldn’t matter whether Draco approved of Hermione or not, but it would make things slightly easier for everyone involved if he did. Lucius had been equally surprised when Harry accepted his offer for drinks.

Dinner itself had been slightly less demanding than he had expected. Not surprisingly, Draco was shocked to see the aftermath of his punch, and while Harry had been silent, Lucius had seen the dark-haired wizard glancing over at him repeatedly. Rather than allowing the two young men to remain uncomfortable, he had started the conversation by commenting that Draco had a strong right arm, as well as exacting accuracy.

He saw that Draco had simply nodded in response, but he thought he detected a hint of pride on his son’s face. Things had gone much more smoothly after that.

“Tell me, Lucius, what are your intentions with Hermione?” Lucius bit back a smile at Harry’s tone as he sipped his brandy. Neither his son nor his son’s lover had quite learned the fine art of careful intonation.

“Completely honorable. I assure you that she is not under the influence of any spells, charms, potions or enchantments. She is here – and in my bed – of her own free will.” That didn’t exactly answer the boy’s question, but it was close.

“I mean,” Harry started, a touch of steel in his voice that drew a half-smile from Lucius, “are you going to marry her, or is she just a toy for you?”

“I couldn’t say if she will marry me or not. I have not asked her, nor have we discussed the possibility.” Lucius kept his voice smooth, despite the annoying nasal tone that his voice had temporarily acquired.

“So there is a possibility? Even though she’s not a pureblood?”

Lucius’ eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Yes. And if my son – your lover – were to accept his family responsibility of producing an heir, I would be completely free to ask Hermione to become my wife without placing any undue pressure on her.”

Lucius paused, and Harry leapt into the breach. “But you would marry her if you could?”

The older man sighed. Clearly Harry felt that he was the self-assigned protector of Hermione’s honor. Silly boy. “I am not aware of her feelings on the matter, and I wouldn’t presume to say that I would marry her if she is not at all interested. I am sure that there would be numerous, ah, complications for her if she were to marry me. Least not of which is the likelihood that a great number of her friends and acquaintances would shun her. Indeed, individuals who don’t even know her would likely cast aspersions on her character for the simple act of marrying me.”

“They’re probably going to do that anyway,” Harry muttered insolently.

Lucius began to smile and winced. “I don’t doubt that they will. It seems as though even some of her close friends are not entirely approving of the situation,” he added pointedly. “However, to society at large, the scandal for her would come with a marriage. Simply living with me would not put her as much in the public spotlight as a formal union would. If our relationship were not formalized, the assumption would be that it is not permanent.”

Harry looked slightly confused. “So, you don’t want to marry her?”

Damn it. He would have never anticipated a circumstance where he would be discussing his personal life with his son’s lover. The idea was uncomfortable on a number of levels. “Harry. I would like for Hermione to be in my life permanently. How – or even if – she wants that declared is really a decision that she will have to make. I will abide with whatever she decides.” Enough of this. “But tell me, dear boy, do you want children?” The blonde’s smile was calculating.

Harry was clearly taken aback, and Lucius tried not to smirk; it was too painful. “Er, Draco and I haven’t really ever talked about it. But yes, I suppose that at some point I would like children. Of course, we’d have to adopt.” A light of understanding dawned in Harry’s eyes.

Lucius nodded encouragingly. “Realistically, Harry, two gay men, particularly one with Draco’s heritage,” the older man allowed himself a self-deprecating smile, “and one with your fame will have a difficult, and publicity-fraught time adopting a child. However, if the child were Draco’s, and the mother had given up custody, you would have a much easier time adopting the child.”

“Draco’s not going to marry some woman just to have a kid with her.”

Lucius frowned impatiently. Was he this naïve at this age? For some reason, he didn’t think so. “Draco doesn’t have to marry her.” He’d checked. The consensus from the ancestors was that as long as there was a child. It wouldn’t matter whether the parents were married or not. These things had happened before. “In fact, Draco doesn’t even have to see her, if he doesn’t want to. There are ways to take care of these things.”

It was Harry’s turn to frown. “What woman would do that? I mean, why would she want to be a, well, a brood-mare? I can’t see that happening.”

Lucius sighed. Maybe Hermione wanted children. Maybe it was time to eradicate the old prejudices altogether. Of course, that would cause a whole tangle of inheritance problems if Draco decided to challenge it. And he didn’t really relish the idea of giving money to estate lawyers unnecessarily. It would be better if Draco had a child, so that the succession would be secure. Not that if Hermione wanted children they wouldn’t be well taken care of. “Of course, she would be well-compensated, and she would have a permanent tie to one of the oldest wizarding families in Europe. While that isn’t imant ant to everyone,” he paused, “it is of importance to some. No one would be forced to do this, of course.”

Harry nodded slowly. “It’s something worth thinking about. Like I said, Draco and I haven’t really talked about children, although it’s something that I always assumed would happen.”

Lucius smiled, taking a sip of brandy. “That’s all I ask, Harry. Just consider it when you decide that you two are ready for children. Of course, I would be more than happy in assisting you in any of the logistics, if you need it.” At least Draco had the sense to involve himself with someone who had some comprehension of the realities of the world.

****

Dinner had finished, and Hermione approached her lover’s son. “Draco, we need to talk.” The blonde had glared at her, but conceded. Perhaps, Hermione thought, because both Harry and Lucius were watching his reaction.

“I realize that you’re not very happy about me being here, with your father. But he’s an adult, entitled to his own life. You want him to treat you like an adult – you’ve said so enough times over the years – but yet you’re not willing to grant him the same courtesy.”

“He’s just a fucking hypocrite. He spends my entire life following Voldemort around like he’s his lap-dog, preaches his litany of Dark Arts and family history, and then after he’s ruined my life, he becomes a turncoat and says that it was all a mistake.”

Hermione looked at Draco in disbelief. “What? Did you want him to stay with Voldemort to the bitter, gory end? Your father would be dead, and unless you got very lucky, the vaults would have been emptied, and your family homes would have been auctioned off to the highest bidder. Don’t you realize that he wanted to save the family name? Your name, I might add.”

“What the hell do you care about the family name? You’re just a mudblood. And he’s a hypocrite about that, too. Lectures me for years about the sanctity of purebloods, and yet he shacks up with you. It’s not like he’s every going to marry you or anything.”

Hermione’s eyes blazed. “Draco, if I hear you utter that word one more time, I will hex you so badly that it will make what you did to your father today look like a small bump!” She reached for her wand menacingly, secretly pleased at his terrified look. “Did it ever occur to you that you have a mind of your own – a damn fine one, I might add – and that you don’t have to accept everything that was taught to you as immutable law? Has it further occurred to you that if your father still held those prejudices that I wouldn’t be with him? I wouldn’t want to be with someone as close-minded as that, and if he really hated muggle-borns, do you think that he’d really want to be with me?” She paused, breathing hard. “It seems to me that you are the only one around here who still holds on to those old views.”

“He’s just saying that because he wants to get into your knickers. He’s not going to marry you, you know.” Draco’s voice was still bitter, but quieter than it had been moments ago.

“What I do with your father – on any level – really isn’t any of your damn business. But you haven’t explained why you are so angry at me. Or why you have been so angry at me for as long as I have known you.” She sat in one of the wing chairs. “I’m not ending this conversation until you tell me what your problem with me is.”

Draco sat opposite her, his face twisting. For a moment, Hermione was afraid that he was going to cry. The blonde must had feared the same thing, because he briefly brought his hands to his face. Rubbing his face roughly, Draco looked back at her, his eyes read, his chin trembling. His voice was deadened as he spoke. “Everything I’ve wanted, you’ve gotten first. In school, you were always one step ahead of me. You were the bane of my existence. I’d come here on school breaks, and my father wanted to know why I wasn’t at the head of the class. I’d have to come up with some sort of lie – like you were sleeping with Snape or something – to explain why you were always better than I was.”

Hermione paled at his words, but Draco continued. “My father was always upset over that, and he’d punish me – he’d be all aloof and cold, looking through me, like I didn’t exist. Like you used to do at school when you were palling around with Harry and Ron. You would look through me, not even seeing me. Like I wasn’t even worth noticing. And that pissed me off.”

Hermione swallowed uncomfortably. True, she had done that, but Draco had been a complete prat at school. She nodded. “I don’t deny that. But when you spent most of your waking hours trying to figure out ways to insult me, I had to do something. And since I wasn’t allowed to turn you into a ferret,” Draco blushed miserably, “I thought that just ignoring you would be the best thing.” She paused. “Look, I’m sorry about all that, but it was a long time ago, and we were all pretty different then.”

“Even with Harry though, you knew him longer than I did, and you and he and Ron would have all these inside jokes, and for all I knew, you guys were making fun of me.”

Hermione sighed. It was probably just as well that Lucius only had one child, given what a neurotic mess this one was. “Draco. I am not sure that I’ve ever told you this, and it’s probably my fault for not saying this to you sooner. Yes, Harry is one of my best friends. We spent a lot of time together when we were at school, and we had a lot of shared experiences that we still like to laugh about. And,” she paused, gathering her thoughts, “I love Harry.”

She saw Draco’s eyes narrow suspiciously, and she hastily continued. “As a friend. And as his friend, I know that Harry loves you more than life itself. During some of the darker times, you were the one who gave Harry the strength to wake up in the morning and face the battles ahead. And if I had ever had any doubts about your being right for Harry, that completely eliminated them. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you are in Harry’s life. You make him happy, and that’s what’s important to me.”

She noticed that the blonde was beginning to relax a little, so she continued. “Yeah, Harry and Ron and I have a shared history that goes back a long way, but you touch him in ways that Ron and I won’t ever be able to. We’re not in competition here. You and I both want Harry to be happy. We should be friends, not enemies.”

Draco gazed back at Hermione, his thoughts still veiled. “You say that you don’t want to be my enemy, and yet I show up here, and my father’s paying more attention to you than he ever did to me.”

Hermione blinked in surprise. Draco was jealous of her because of her relationship with his father? She didn’t even want to contemplate how deep that jealously ran. “You’re his son! It’s not like I’m going to change that relationship in any way. You’ll always be his son. And his heir,” she added, wondering if he somehow thought that she was after his father for the money.

Surprisingly, Draco’s voice was low, almost embarrassed. “I know that. It’s just that he never paid any attention to me. When I was a kid, I al had had to make appointments to talk to him, and even then, they consisted of what I had done wrong, or how I wasn’t living up to my responsibilities.”

Hermione tried to control her frustration. How the hell could he be angry at her for how his father treated him as a child?

“I admired him, you know. When I was little, I wanted to be just like him – I liked how every one tried to please him, and how he had this almost tangible power. I wanted to be able to walk into a room and have all eyes turn to me. But he never treated me any differently than he treated other people. I wasn’t special to him. And I started to hate him because he was so wrapped up in himself, and in his own business that he never had time for me. And I hate that you could get his attention so easily, and I never could, no matter how hard I tried.”

Merlin’s knuckles. She hadn’t known what to expect when she decided to talk with Draco, but this was so far out of the realm of her predictions that she wasn’t quite sure how to respond. Still, it was apparent that she had reached the core of his problems with her. It was also clear why Lucius’ face looked the way it did; a great deal of anger and frustration had gone into that swing.

She tried to keep her voice soft, hoping that she had banished any hints of incredulity, “I don’t know how he was when you were growing up, but I think that he has probably changed a great deal since you last saw him. He’s definitely given me the impression that he misses you. I think, maybe, because things turned out the way they did, he’s re-evaluated things. And I think he’d be more than happy to spend time with you.” She paused. “I just think that he’s afraid that you might think he’s trying to pressure you – I think he’s trying hard to, uh, give you some space and some time to get used to him.”

Draco was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke. “Do you think he’s changed? I mean, he used to murder muggles for fun, you know. Do you think he’s so different now?” The insolence was gone, and to Hermione, Draco sounded sincere.

Hermione considered his words, reflecting on the conversation she had had with Lucius in the library a few days ago. “Yes, I do think he’s changed. I think his priorities have changed significantly. Of course, he’s older, too, and so I think that’s helped. Give him a chance, Draco. Wasn’t that what all that was about between you and him today?”

The blonde reflected on her words. A small grin came to his face. “Actually, I’d just really wanted to hit him for a very long time. But yeah. I did say that I’d give him a chance.”

Hermioneded ded encouragingly. “Do that. Give him a chance. You’d be surprised, I’ll bet. And you really have nothing to lose. If you decide that he’s no different than how he used to be – or not anyone that you want to spend time with, you know that you’vven ven him a chance.”

Draco’s eyes became less trouble, and another small smile curved on his lips. “I can see what my father sees in you.” He paused. “I just don’t know what the hell you see in him.”

The silence enveloped them for a few moments before the blonde stood up slowly, “Do you want a drink? I’m feeling a little parched, myself.”

Hermione grinned. “Sure. A scotch please. Neat.”

Draco nodded. “I’ve got to ask; did you drink scotch before you came here, or is this something new?”

Hermione raised her eyebrows quizzically. “I’ve always liked good scotch. I just didn’t drink it often. Lucius is generous with his scotch, and he’s got a great wine cellar.” Her face flushed. Of course Draco already knew that.

Draco eyed her speculatively as he brought her the crystal glass filled with amber liquid. “You two might actually be suited to one another.”

The brunette witch cocked her head questioningly. “What? Were you afraid that I wasn’t going to be good enough for him?” Instantly, she regretted her words, as they sounded sharper than she had intended.

Much to her surprise, Draco responded by laughing. “No. I was just worried that he might not be good enough for you. But maybe if you can get him housebroken, he might turn out to be alright in the long run. And if anyone can do it, Hermione, it’ll be you.”

Hermione smiled at his words. Maybe Draco was coming around.
“Because Merlin knows that my mother never gave a damn about him, or anyone other than herself, for that matter,” Draco muttered darkly.

Hermione glanced at Draco’s downturned face. Some of the reasons behind Draco’s behavior at school were becoming even more clear. “It must have been hard for you, growing up in a house like this,” she murmured sympathetically.

“Yeah, it did suck.” He paused, focusing on Hermione’s face, his expression lightening surprisingly. “Look, I’m really sorry that I’ve been such a git for so long. I really didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m happy with Ha and and, hell. If you’re happy with my father, well, then I’d say you’re crazy, but I guess even sociopaths need love.” Draco smiled. “It’s a bit of an adjustment for me, but, like you say, if you make him happy, I guess that’s all that matters.”

“I’ve got to say, though, I’d have never thought that you and him would, uh, find each other interesting.” He cocked one eyebrow, “Of course, if you’re into his brand of, uh, entertainment… It’s always the quiet ones, isn’t it?” He grinned wickedly.

Hermione blushed deeply and Draco giggled. “Er, um. “ She took a sip of scotch before trying to say anything else. “Look, I’m sorry. I guess could have done more – been friendlier, trusted that you weren’t going to hurt Harry. I’m sorry I didn’t. But if I can, I’d like to put that behind us and try again.” She took another sip of her scotch. “Because we’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other.”

Draco stood and formally red fod for her hand. “Peace?”

Hermione tried to keep from smiling. “Peace.”

~~~~
A/N: Yeah, Draco has some issues. And so but but lin line ‘even sociopaths need love’ just struck me as too amusing to take out!

Again, thanks for all the lovely reviews, and I am glad that you liked Hermione’s special ‘treatment’ for broken noses! There will be some more smut coming up before this thing ends, although I haven’t gotten it completely planned out yet.

In other notes, I think I am going to have to curse GeekGoddess. (Well okay, not really!) She made some innocuous comment about doing another Hermione/Lucius pairing, and my first thought was, ‘Naw, I don’t have any good ideas for another one,’ and then within about 2 minutes, I had this idea for another story. I’ll probably outline it, and then put it on the back burner to finish this and start outlining another (original) story.

Thanks for the reviews – it always makes me smile to see more reviews!