The Good Life

The second Hermione got home that night, she used magic to shed her garments and fold them neatly to be laundered as she stepped into the bathroom to take a nice long, hot bubble bath. It soothed her to the point that when she awoke the next morning, she was still quite relaxed and shared a lovely breakfast with her in-laws.

After a long day of meetings, she was starting to wear down, but she knew that what may be the hardest meeting was still to come. She met Brian in the Atrium, and they apparated separately to the nearest point allowed to his childhood home. The walk up the front door was a long one, as the grounds were large. She looked up at the imposing structure in the middle of the sprawling green lawn. It was a grandiose home, but it didn't hold a candle to Malfoy Manor.

When Hermione knocked on the door, it was opened almost immediately by a house elf wearing a pink bow and a matching tea cozy. "Can I's helps you's?" the elf asked politely.

"Yes. My name is Hermione Malfoy and I have an appointment with Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy."

The elf nodded its head and had the pair follow her into an office on the second floor. The room was done in mahogany and dark blue, with marbled cream accents. When they were left alone in the room, sitting in two lavish straight back chairs, Bryan leaned over to inform Hermione that they were in the public office, which was mostly used to try to impress whoever was visiting.

They waited for exactly five minutes before the door reopened, and Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy came into the room. Both were visibly shaken at the sight of the son they had disowned so long ago, but both covered the emotion up rather quickly. Hermione stood up to shake their hands and introduce herself while Bryan sat back in his chair, absorbing the view that was his parents.

"May I ask what this about, Mrs. Malfoy?" Aiden McCarthy asked warily. He had heard many rumors over the years about Hermione Malfoy.

"It has recently come to my attention that Bryan, here, is in fact your son. Up until this, I had believed him to be a muggle. I understand that you disowned him when he chose to leave and marry a muggle, but as he is now getting a divorce from her, I have come on behalf of the Minister to ask that you reinstate him into your family."

She could see wheels turning in their heads.... one that told them that it was no one's business but their own what went on within their family life, the other one keeping a healthy fear of the Minister in the front of their minds.

She decided to explain before the first wheel came ahead and they said something that they couldn't take back. "Quite frankly, the Minister could care less about the relationship between yourselves and your son. What he cares about is that your granddaughter be allowed her heritage, rather than everyone thinking her a muggleborn. Alex will be seventeen shortly after Hogwarts lets out this term. She is an empath, and we have been working with her since she was eleven to take control of her powers. She has been bred to work directly with the Minister in his relations with foreign dignitaries. Being allowed to display her parentage would be an asset for her to make use of in her future career."

"And ... Alex, is it, knows about these plans for her future."

"Every detail."

"And she intends on following this course, rather than find her own way?"

"Yes. She is a smart young woman - Ravenclaw. She understands what an honor it is to work directly with the Minister and that should she ever leave; it would be an excellent resume point." Bryan was shocked at these revelations. He had no idea that his daughter was being trained and had already agreed to the plans that had been set out around her.

"And if we say no?" Enid asked, entering into the conversation.

"The desired result will come to pass anyway. I will just have to change my methods. I'm sure you've heard of my methods before," Hermione answered in a slightly condescending tone. In response, Enid blanched and nodded her head. Again, Bryan looked over to the woman next to him. She had said before that she enjoyed torturing people, but he was still surprised that it seemed to be a well-known fact. He had never really cared for torture; he just didn't think that most people deserved it. Well, maybe his wife, but that was a different story.

After a conversation of the eyes, Aiden looked to Hermione. "What do we have to do?" he asked in a resigned voice.

Hermione gave a flick of her wand and the necessary papers appeared before him. She instructed, "Sign those with a blood quill. Then there's the ritual, and then we're finished." He nodded his head in understanding. The ritual was short and only a small amount of blood was needed for each party, but it had been over two centuries since someone had allowed to person they had disowned back into the family. Other family members once the affronted party had died had brought back their family, but never the person to do the actual disowning. Aiden McCarthy was not happy about this forced decision.

When Hermione and the newly renamed Brian McCarthy arrived to the apparition point, a clearing in the middle of a dense thicket of trees, Brian grabbed a hold of her arm, spinning her to face him. "Thank you," he told her.

"Just doing my job," she responded with a cheeky smile. The next thing she knew, he had pulled her into his strong arms for a hug. When she tried to pull away, he held her close, one hand moving to the small of her back, the other tilting her face up to him. Without a moment's notice, his lips were on hers, his tongue searching for an entrance, which was denied, her own lips staying still as a board.

This time when she pushed herself away from him, he allowed her to take the step back. He hadn't even noticed her hand being brought back until he felt the sharp sting of a slap across his cheek. He put his hand to the red mark that was already showing up, his mouth open in shock.

"Brian McCarthy," she said to him, her voice filled with venom, "I am a happily married woman, and I will never cheat on my husband."

"I ... I thought that you were attracted to me," he stammered, his voice small as a child's after a lecture from their parents.

She looked him up and down, taking in his black hair that curled in short, tight ringlets around his strong face, his five o'clock shadow and down to his body, which was broad and muscular, a treat for any woman. "I am attracted to you. Nevertheless, that doesn’t not mean that I will go around like a schoolgirl slut and open for any man who strikes my fancy. I have more respect for myself than that. I have more respect for my husband than that."

By now, Brian looked more defeated than anything else. "So, you'll never have sex with anyone but your husband for the rest of your life," he said with a sigh. "I understand."

"I didn't say that," she responded, and his eyebrows gave a quirk. "I said that I would never cheat on my husband. There is a difference, you know." And with that, she popped back home.


** as always thanks go out to the beta, buffyxo and to the reviewers, silverserpent, snapessweetheart (i'm glad you think that i write a good bad hermione... im currently writing a time turner where she goes back in time and ends up with a bad ass regulus black and changes the future for the dark lord, rather than against him.) and kayy enn. so excited about the movie tomorrow, yay!!!!!