Experience

Anon: What I meant was that if anyone see's a similiarity between this and another person's story... I don't want to be accused of plagiarism. Glad you like it.



Citten: Oh wow! I am one of the great Masters??? That has made my day. Cool. And hey, its you loyal readers that keep giving me the encouragement to continue honing my writing skills... so pat yourselves on the backs...



Anathema: Here's more for you to feast you're eyes on. I hope you're not too disappointed with Lucius in this one.



Mary and Pam: Here's the update.



ccrawley: Thanks. I hope it continues to remain exciting.



ShilohDarke: Again an honour to recieve a review from you, as it was your stories that bought me into this ship. AS for what the colour he was looking at.. can't tell.



MistressMalfoy: Thanks. Arthur was being a bit of a prat... don't worry... he'll get a tongue lashing.



Lisa: Yes, Harry and Ron don't like Hermione's boss at all... but thanks for continuing to like what I am writing. The Lucius Muse has taken over rather... so you never know Narcissa might get an update soon.



candymac: Aw, I don't like Ron personally, but NO! He is not going to be mauled to pieces by a manic Toaster... sorry. I have a few things in store for him though... don't worry.



BuckyKattGirl: Thank you. I so love the nickname! Anyhow here's more of Luscious.



Cecilia: Whilst I love Snape/Hermione I do like her with the other Death Eaters, somehow or other Snape always manages to have her someway or other in all my stories... got to rectify that one.



Dee Dee: Lucius is going to be showing a little more restraint in this one than in all my other stories... he is trying to redeem himself after all. Harry and Ron are going to hit the roof though.



angel: Hermione doesn't like seeing anyone suffer and in PoA she did show concern for Draco even though it was his fault... she's just kind.



cateye: Wow, calm down honey... Yes, Arthur was showing subtle hints of vengeance. And as for Snape... well, he'll show up, you can gurantee that from me... and as for making fun of him, well, Lucius was only acting the way a big brother would towards a little brother... he likes him really. As for me showing the whole picture... well, I like the whole picture.



LaBibliographe: Wowee! Another honour.... I love your story by the way... UPDATE! As for the progression of feelings, well, I'll try... but I am rather impatient as is my Muse... But I will try and make it slow... I think I've got an idea that might help it along... so, thanks for the review. As for Lucius feeling lonesome, I do see him as gregarious type liking to be around people. So, yes I do see him as lonesome if his wife and son were to be suddenly taken away from him.



skye: Thanks, and I hope the ending of this chapter leaves you tingling again.



Monday - Continued



She had got back to the Burrow half an hour earlier than Molly was expecting her to arrive. Hermione had walked in carrying bags and boxes and Molly rushed to help her immediately. Molly was surprised that Hermione was carrying all these shopping bags all marked M.M.



�I see you spent your lunch hour shopping,� Molly said with a hint of disapproval. She would have thought Hermione was above such things.



�No,� Hermione sighed wiping a stray hair from her face. �My boss ordered me to get some proper clothes.�



�That doesn�t sound like Arthur,� Molly said. �Nor does it sound like the Minister.�



Hermione sighed. What she needed was a good strong cup of tea inside her. Molly seemed to sense that and waited for Hermione to reveal whom it was that her twin sons had a bet on; she made the tea in silence. She placed the cup down in front of Hermione and sat down in the chair opposite hers.



�My boss is neither Arthur or the Minister, that�s why.�



Molly�s eyes widened slightly and she shook her head. Hermione took another sip of tea:



�Then who is it?� Molly asked.



�Lucius Malfoy,� Hermione said. Molly�s elbow slipped off the table as Hermione said the name of her old school enemy.



�My poor child!� she exclaimed, forgetting that Hermione wasn�t hers. �Are you all right? Was he horrible? I swear if he so much as touches you I�ll kill him with my bare hands!�



Hermione began smiling a little, as the image of Molly wrapping her hands around Lucius Malfoy�s throat, invaded her mind.



�Calm down,� Hermione sighed. No wonder Ron was the way he was. �He has not hurt me or made fun of me. In fact he said that if I do a good job he might not let me go back to Hogwarts. He is also prepared to pay me twelve silver sickles per hour for the next two weeks at the end of the day. So, that can�t be bad can it? And he�s bought me all these robes too.�



Hermione gestured over to the packages. �How many has he bought you?� Molly asked.



�One for each day,� Hermione said. �He�s also prepared to pay for a set of dress robes. He say�s that as his secretary I should attend any private function he has.�



Molly nodded. �That is the protocol.�



Hermione sipped at the tea. �He even helped me pick out the colours and stood there watching me get pinned and fitted.� Hermione creased her brow. �You would have thought he would have had better things to do, wouldn�t you?�



Molly sighed. �I suppose he feels that as he�s lost his wife and son all the importance has gone out of his life. I remember when my brothers were killed; I didn�t eat or do anything for days. Arthur was at a loss as to what to do with me. I couldn�t carry on.� Her eyes narrowed shrewdly. �Why did he buy you those robes?�



�He said I was a Witch and should dress like one,� Hermione replied. Molly noticed a slight tinge adorning the younger woman�s cheeks. �I mean there�s nothing wrong with this, is there? My own mother would wear this and not feel ashamed?�



�Get up, dear,� Molly said. Hermione did as she was instructed. Molly checked the length of the skirt and realised the problem. �He�s a leg man. Always liked slender legs. Your legs were the problem. He probably feels tempted so therefore wants you covered up so that he can�t be.�



Hermione chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully.



�What do you mean by �leg man?�� she asked.



�Some men like breasts, some men like bottoms and some men like legs. Lucius is a leg man. Arthur is a breast man.�



Hermione gagged at Molly�s openness about her husband�s preferences. Molly looked as if she had said nothing wrong. She sipped her tea casually, whilst Hermione felt slightly odd and felt that she wouldn�t be able to look Arthur Weasley in the face again.



Hermione had just recovered from that bout of shock when the front door was banged on smartly. Molly looked at the clock, as did Hermione and they noticed Harry�s hand had landed on HOME. Molly went to open the door. Kingsley Shacklebolt deposited Harry back at The Burrow. He blushed when he spotted Hermione and went all shy around her. Harry looked at Kingsley... he then looked at Hermione; she was pretty, he observed. Prettier than she had ever been; he shook his head. He had a perfectly wonderful girl waiting for him in the Castle. Ginny Weasley was perfection as far as Harry Potter was concerned. Kingsley bowed in acknowledgement to Molly but sighed before he said goodbye to Hermione.



Hermione giggled. �I wonder what sort of a man he is?� she asked outloud. Molly laughed.



�There�s only one way to find out,� Molly said.



Harry shook his head. �When did you get back, Hermione?� he asked.



�About half an hour ago,� Hermione replied. �So, what was your day like?�



�Fun,� Harry moaned. �Apparently I need to work on my Potions. All day I kept hearing from Kingsley that �if only Snape were here...� Don�t people get that he killed Dumbledore for crying out loud.�



�And don�t you get that he is still an intelligent, clever, Wizard. One that we might actually need?�



Harry grumbled. He was about to sit down when he slipped off something. He turned around and was just about to ask what they were when a voice roared:



�Bloody hell!�



Hermione turned around. Ron and Arthur had just appeared outside The Burrow, and the first thing Ron spotted was the boxes and bags of shopping.



�What are all these, Hermione?� Arthur asked.



�Suitable attire for Lucius Malfoy�s secretary,� Hermione replied. �Paid for by the man himself.�



Molly pecked her husband on the cheek and hugged her son. She then went to the bags and boxes and flicked her wand at them so that she could organise them in Hermione�s room.



�So,� Arthur said to Hermione. �He hasn�t made you cry yet?�



�No, and I wish you lot would realise that he�s different now,� Hermione said warmly. �Okay!�



�Hermione, we worry because we care for you.�



Hermione sighed. She knew that they cared for her. It�s just that � well � she wished that they didn�t care for her so damn much!



�He gave me the responsibility to answer his mail using my own words. He went through them and pointed out what I had done right, and what I had done wrong. The first job is to re write them using his corrections.�



�Sounds like homework,� Ron muttered.



�You�re forgetting that I don�t mind homework!� Hermione exclaimed. �Anyway, he walked in on my choosing the garments and he stopped me buying blacks, navy�s and greys. He said he didn�t think that I was eighteen going on forty, and he also said that I should make the most of myself as I might meet prospective husbands.�



Molly had come down the stairs with a dew-eyed smile on her face.



�I�ll say this for him,� she sighed. �He has style.�



Hermione tried not to giggle. �Which one is your favourite?�



�I can�t wait to see the green ones on you, Hermione.�



�I liked those mint green ones,� Hermione said. �I wonder though if he�ll expect me to keep them?�



Molly blinked. �Why wouldn�t he?�



�Well, what if at the end of two weeks he expects me to hand them back?�



Molly laughed. �What an absurd thing to say. Malfoy is not one to waste money frivolously. Did he ask those kids in Slytherin to give him back those broomsticks?�



�Not that I know off,� Hermione mumbled. She felt a little awkward still at accepting the robes. She felt that, that should have been her parent�s responsibility.



�He won�t expect them back,� Arthur said. �Although, why he bought them in the first place mystifies me.�



�He bought them because my legs distracted him,� Hermione said. She looked down at her legs. Ron and Harry peered down at them and both shrugged their shoulders. Harry was a breast man, and Ron preferred bottoms. Arthur looked at her legs too. Understanding suddenly appeared in his brown eyes. Instead of finding it funny like his wife he found it immoral. �He also said that I should dress like a Witch.�



Arthur shrugged his shoulders. Molly went towards the kitchen and was about to start cooking dinner when the fireplace flashed green. Ginny poked her head through the fireplace. Harry noticed immediately and ran towards it almost knocking poor Ron on the floor.



�Ginny,� Harry breathed. Molly decided to switch her hearing off. She liked the idea of Harry and Ginny talking over the floo network, she sighed mumbling something like; �just like me and Arthur!� Arthur blushed and decided to escape the teen mush by going to the shed. Ron decided to follow his father:



�Dad, do you think Hermione�s beginning to fancy Malfoy?�



Arthur turned around and regarded his favourite son. He sighed.



�Ron,� he began. �Lucius Malfoy has many nicknames and one of them is Luscious. It�s Luscious for a reason. For some odd reason young women like Hermione begin to fancy him. Don�t worry, son, the glamour will wear away.�



�What if it doesn�t?� Ron asked moodily. Thrusting his hands in his pockets and kicking at an inoffensive stone.



�Well,� Arthur sighed. �We stick by her. She�ll need us at some point. We wouldn�t be true friends if we deserted her because she likes someone we don�t.�



Ron had thought that�s what his father would say. He grumbled moodily kicking more stones out of his way as he made his way back to the house. He walked in and he heard Hermione talking to Ginny animatedly about her first day at work.



�Be careful, Hermione, you know what he�s capable of.�



�I know, Ginny, but you didn�t see him,� Hermione sighed. �Or hear him talking about his family. He even asked me why I defended him!�



�Why did you defend him?� Harry asked.



�Because what Arthur did was wrong,� Molly replied. �And I will have words with him about it later.�



Ginny giggled. She loved it when her parent�s had �differences of opinion� they called it. She never saw any difference between their �differences of opinion� and her and Ron�s arguing... she supposed adults could call it what they wanted.



Harry got fed up with Hermione hogging Ginny away from him and shoved her out of the way. He wanted time with his girlfriend and he made his point by giving Hermione a thoroughly nasty look. Hermione threw her hands up in the air and was about to leave when Ginny screeched.



�Harry, I almost forgot! McGonagall said that those of us who have siblings and, er, friends on Work Experience�s can spend this Saturday�s Hogsmeade trip with our families instead. It�s the first time this has ever happened. I am so psyched to be spending a day with you, Harry.�



Harry smiled benignly. �Now you have given me something to look forward to, Gin.�



Ginny leant forward and puckered her lips. Harry blushed as he leant forward to. Their lips met in a hungry, fierce passionate kiss. Harry wrapped his hand around the back of her head and almost pulled her through the fireplace.



�Saturday, Harry,� Ginny breathed heavily.



�Can�t wait.�



Then she was gone. Hermione watched them kiss with her heart beating fast for them. She had banged Harry on his head when he had �dumped� Ginny for her own protection. She lectured him so much that eventually he got so fed up with it he sought Ginny out and kissed her warmly in front of the whole school. Hermione�s mantra was �Job Satisfaction!� and that day she truly felt as if she had fulfilled it.



Ginny had later walked up to her and they both winked at each other. Both had concocted the plan to get Harry to realise what an ass he was. Harry saw the wink and wanted an explanation. They told him that it was their plan for Hermione to nag him until he could bear it no longer and do something to stop it. Harry muttered something about �women� and both Hermione and Ginny were collapsing on the floor in a fit of giggles. Harry thanked Hermione the next day, however, as he had his first happy dream in a long time that very night.



Hermione sighed. She and Ron had tried dating on and off throughout the year, but every time she thought that they could spend some time together alone; Professor Slughorn needed her for this. McGonagall needed her for that. Even Blaise Zabini interrupted on occasion and Ron got so fed up with it that he stormed into the Gryffindor Common Room; he grabbed Parvati Patil and snogged her in front of the whole Common Room. Hermione had walked in on that very moment and screamed!



She turned and fled the Room that very moment to the Room of Requirement. She had done so at great emotional cost. Blaise Zabini followed her and took advantage of her. Hermione woke up the next morning: alone, cold, and no longer a virgin. She was never to hear from Blaise Zabini again. She had patched things up with Ron; on one condition that they would never try to date each other again. It was too painful. Ron had been successfully dating Parvati since, although Hermione felt awkward around her.



Harry was oblivious to all this as he had his sights on Horcruxes and Ginny. Both took his attention and time away from his other responsibilities. He had even given up Quidditch to free up more time to being the Chosen One!



Hermione hadn�t told anyone whom it was she had lost her virginity to and she felt it was nobody�s business but her own. Pansy Parkinson had sniggered at her a few times whilst looping her arm smugly through Zabini�s as if to say... �He�s mine!� Zabini turned out to be every bit as horrible as Malfoy.

Hermione walked upstairs to be alone. She walked into her bedroom and saw them all hooked up and she walked to her robes. She loved the light pastels that he had chosen. She picked up the lilac one and pressed it against her body. She had argued with silk being too fine for work when Malfoy had taken his jacket off and made her touch his sleeve. He wore silk, so why shouldn�t she?



Hermione did not know how to take this Malfoy. She would almost prefer it if he hadn�t taken such an avid interest in her on her first day. She would have preferred it if she didn�t feel like she was being singled out so much, in fact, she would prefer it if he just went back to being the big bad Death Eater that she knew. THAT Malfoy she could handle. This one, however, she couldn�t.



She placed it back on the wardrobe, and then she picked up the mint green. She couldn�t believe that she even got matching shoes. Her mind went over the conversation about those.



�But, Mr Malfoy, no one will be looking at my feet.�



�Who told you that?� Malfoy had asked.



�My dad, when he bought me a pair of shoes I hated.�



�Your father, if you don�t mind my saying so, is an idiot. You are scrutinized very thoroughly at the Ministry: From your hair to your toes. Which reminds me, you have to have your nails done. Your hair, as long as it is clipped back is all right.�



�Who�s the secretary here?� Hermione snapped. She immediately wished she hadn�t. But he smirked.



�Put it down on your To Do List,� he answered back smartly.



Hermione laughed. He had a point. He was only trying to help after all.



�But matching shoes?� Hermione asked.



�Yes,� he replied. �Matching shoes!�



Hermione picked up the boxes. Magic truly was wonderful; she had told Malfoy that in the Muggle World this would take days, maybe weeks. Malfoy just smirked smugly at that.

~*~*~



Lucius Malfoy had returned home, and for what and why he still couldn�t fathom. He had thought of just going back to his office to finish those letters but he realised his secretary might not be too happy about that. She seemed eager to please. The old Lucius would have tried to explore her limits of that. The new Lucius was quite happy with the way things were.



He hadn�t had as much fun since he and Narcissa were newlyweds. She always insisted that he be with her when she was buying robes as she wanted to please him and she didn�t know if he�d be pleased if he wasn�t there to show his pleasure. The idea bored him at first. He thought that there would be nothing worse to do on a Saturday morning. He soon changed his mind, however, as he realised she was giving him full control on what she wore and how she looked. She was his to mould, shape and carve.



He had supposed, at first, that Narcissa was a stupid wench that could not tie her own shoelace without his permission. But the blow to fell when Draco was born; suddenly it was Narcissa that was in charge; it was Narcissa that made all the decisions. Narcissa wanted Draco to go to Hogwarts. So, Draco went to Hogwarts. Narcissa decided whom to dine with, and who to have as dinner guests. It was Narcissa that decided exactly what fitted her, and what suited her. And Lucius grew bored.



He loved his wife dearly and missed her. He walked into his own office. He had a photograph on his desk of them when they were younger, and happier. Without the Dark Lord to hang a shadow over them. He was so stupid urging Narcissa to tarnish her beautiful skin with the Mark; he was foolish to want his precious only child to join the fray. He stroked their faces:



�I�ve failed the both of you.�



He placed the photograph back on his desk and walked over to the whiskey decanter and poured himself a glass of the amber liquid. It wasn�t just Narcissa and Draco he had failed either. In a moment of compassion he took a young boy by the name of Severus Snape under his wing and introduced him to the scum of the earth and dragged the poor wretch down. He had failed the only person he considered good enough to be a younger brother.



He sat down on the chair and images of Hermione�s face floated in front of him. He could not help but stare at her legs. He liked women�s legs and feet, and she had the best pair he had seen since Narcissa. She was much like Narcissa had been when they were first married. She was a blank canvass. She had great potential; all she needed was to be moulded, shaped and taught about what it took to be a strong Witch. She needed to establish herself early on in the Ministry.



She had the bright sunny exuberance of youth, and she had the eagerness to learn. She also had empathy, compassion and loyalty. Damn! He�d been waiting for a secretary like her to come along for a long, long time. She was also clever. But the fact that she seemed to forget that she was young bothered Lucius. He was forced to grow old quick; he never had the chance of a proper youth as his father died when he was just eight years old and he had to learn to manage an estate and family at quite an early age. In that regard he actually felt sympathy for Potter. He was not going to let the same happen to other young people. Hermione was the one he�d tackle first of all. Once he gained her complete trust she would surely convince Potter.



�I must be desperate,� he snorted. �If I am beginning to think of training, Potter, of all people!�



He fairly rarely ate. He had a good lunch at the Ministry. Hmm, that is a point. He should be seen with his secretary in the other lunching place. The one that Ministers and Heads of various departments lunched in. He would show her what could be hers if she put her mind to it. And did she have a mind! He briefly touched upon it during the day and what he saw boggled him. He would not be bored with her as a wife.



WIFE? Don�t go there Lucius Malfoy! You�ve only known the chit for a day, and already you�re thinking of marrying her? He needed to get out and socialise more. That was the main reason for the soir�e that he was planning on Saturday. It was to prove to the world that Lucius Malfoy was managing perfectly all right without Narcissa.



He felt he was. He had convinced himself that he was. He smiled at the thought of showing Hermione off. He shook his head, and he sighed again. Even if he did make a move on her she�d be disgusted. He couldn�t make her do something against her own will; or even feel things she didn�t want to feel. Besides, he growled to himself, she�s probably with Weasley�s brat.



The thought of that irked him rather. What any right-minded girl could see in that young dolt was unclear to him. He had the ambition of a sloth with matching intelligence. He was probably going to be only slightly richer than his father. But other than that the girl would have more children than galleons. Hermione deserved so much more than that.



He drank down another glass of firewhiskey and shrugged his shoulders. He decided to walk upstairs and have a bath and go to bed, tomorrow was going to be a tiring day of resisting urges that he normally would satisfy. He walked past the portraits when one stopped him.



�So,� she sighed. �How�s your day been?�



Lucius turned towards the portrait of his wife.



�Fine, darling. The Work Experience thing I told you about has started this year. I have Hermione Granger as my secretary for the next two weeks.�



�Good,� she said. �She�s the young girl that Draco rather liked isn�t she?�



�Yes, she is, but I am not going to tell her that.�



�If she�s any sort of woman she�d know anyway,� Narcissa�s portrait sighed again. �Sometimes I wished I wore my green and silver gown for this portrait.�



�You look lovely, darling,� Lucius said.



�It�s a shame we never got round to painting Draco,� Narcissa said.



�He never reached the age to have it done,� Lucius replied with regret in his voice.



�Have you eaten today?� Narcissa asked.



�Crikey, woman, your dead and you�re still nagging me.�



�I still care for you, Lucius. You need looking after you know that.�



�I am perfectly capable of looking after myself.�



�This Hermione Granger...� Narcissa began. �Pretty and clever. I suppose she has nice legs to?�



�They�re not bad,� he replied. �NOT that I was paying particular attention, Cissy.�



�Oh relax, Lucius, I wasn�t going to judge you. You are free to look at whomever you like now. I can only watch.�



�No one can replace you, Cissy, you must know that.�



�No, but you must find a way to love and smile again soon, Lucius. You�re beginning to look thin and old. Get some joy in your life again. For my sake, please?�



Lucius sighed. His heart grew heavy again. The word joy wasn�t his favourite word at the moment. He bid his late wife goodnight and went to bed. Whereupon images of Draco being mutilated beyond recognition and a weeping; broken, and weak Narcissa kept troubling him � but there was another image interspersed between these two. And that was the image of Hermione Granger taking his hand and leading him to a beautiful garden... what it all meant he could not say.



A/N - Thanks gals for the overwhelming response you have given the first chapter of this story. I love you to, and I hope that you all enjoy this next slice. Please review!