A love like Tinted Glass

A/N: Okay so it seemed that the feedback of last chapters reviewer challenge was pretty similar to each other, so I hope that ya\'ll like this chapter. It will get more explicit as the story deepens as well, I promise. Sorry this took so long to get out for you!))



Chapter 7: Sunrise with Lucius.





The Head Girl had to pull herself out of bed by force that morning. It was almost physically painful to know she\'d have to put on a smile and face Draco again after everything that had happened the day before. Her hand hurt like hell from punching him, and she was sure that he was absolutely furious. So that was why she forced herself up and onto her feet just at sunrise. She knew Draco had a tendency to sleep in on occasion, so she was hoping to get showered, dressed, and out into the school before she had to deal with him. She\'d only spent a great deal of the night crying to herself, curled up, simply holding onto the book she\'d meant to be reading. Everything was getting to be too much for her. She still hadn\'t properly dealt with the situation that her step father had created by telling her she couldn\'t come home again. And now with Draco drama... She just felt overwhelmed. Because Draco couldn\'t JUST be an arsehole. No. He had to be an all consuming prick of a drama queen who played with people and their emotions like they were toys. At least, that\'s how she had felt.



Hobbling tiredly into the bathroom, swiping her hands at her eyes to rub the sleep from them, Hermione had already started to tug at the deep sapphire blue nightgown that Ginny had given her for her birthday. It was a bit on the skimpy side for the witches taste, but it was comfortable as all else, and she did feel pretty in the color. She just managed to stop before she drew it up past the point of no return when she saw that the bathroom was already occupied. But not by either Draco, or Blaise who she would have partially expected. No, it wasn\'t even a student.



“M-Mr. Malfoy?!” She explaimed softly in surprise, her hands no longer lifting the hem of her skirt, instead tugging it down, trying to get it to cover more of her thighs without exposing her breasts. “What are you doing here?!” She demanded to know, already taking a step back, landing right back against the door she\'d just shut. God\'s, why was the death eater here? Why this particular one? And why oh WHY was he naked?! Well... Half naked. The towel on his waist kept him covered, but only just. The rest of him was bared to see. Firm muscles strained at his skin, looking as though they had been chisled right out of stone. She could make out a few scars here and there, but Merlin, the man looked like an angel. His platinum hair looked like liquid silver, wet and slicked back from his fierce, angular face. Crystalline silver-blue eyes harsh, and slightly amused. They were looking straight at her too. The intense stare brought color to her cheeks. She suddenly regretted interrupting him.



“Miss Granger... I had been informed that you were head girl... I did not, however, expect you were so dedicated to your duties, as to be such an ardent early riser. If I had known you enjoyed preparing for your day so earlier, I would have slept in quite a bit longer.” He replied, his voice cool and casual. It was infuriating to hear, and already her blood began to simmer at how he avoided her question with such a condescending look on his face.



“You didn\'t answer my question, Mr. Mal-”



“It\'s Professor Malfoy, Miss Granger. I\'m the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher here. So I would suggest you remember that, and adjust how you address me from now on.” Oh that both surprised and angered her in one fell swoop. But the difference was, was that she couldn\'t interrogate him as she would have if he were simply just \'Mr. Malfoy\' still. Gritting her teeth and crossing her arms over her chest self consciously, Hermione swallowed hard and looked away.



“Professor Malfoy. My apologies. I was not aware. But that still does not tell me why it is that I am encountering you in a private bathroom at such an hour.” She said in as even a voice as she could muster. Lucius laughed quite suddenly, turning to face her, walking closer. He held himself in such an infuriatingly self assured stance that Hermione wanted to run from him. He was as confident as if he were full clothed, even though she could see almost every detail of his body. Even his towel didn\'t leave much to the imagination.... Eyes widening, Hermione realized where she had been staring, and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will herself to stop seeing it even in her mind.



“So persistent, Miss Granger. And so demure... I would not have pinned you to be so innocent.... As for why I am here, I spent the night. Is it so wrong for a father to stay with his son for a night? I assure you, it was quite by accident that I ended up staying the entire night. I\'d like to assure you that it would not happen again, but I cannot promise that.” He explained finally, his hands resting on his hips. He had noticed her stare, and her reaction to herself. It was oddly endearing for the girl. There she was, her hair wild, fierce some would say, as though someone had been pulling on it all night, and in that nightgown.... Teenage girls didn\'t just have that type of negligee... It had to be a sin to look so fuckable. But then, he couldn\'t exactly voice that. Not with his reputation, and her opinion of him. And especially not with his new position as her teacher.



And the fact that he was her teacher, and a Malfoy, and so attractive was frustrating Hermione to no end. “Well, I hardly think it\'s appropriate, considering the situation it\'s put us in. If you wish to spend time with Draco, might I suggest doing so in your own quarters? I highly doubt Professor Dumbledore approves of an adult male being alone in a private dorm with two students, one of which being an unrelated female student. It\'s against the rules, and unethical.” She lectured him, swallowing her sudden, embarrassing attraction to him, raising her honeyed brown eyes to stare into his chilling orbs defiantly. Lucius didn\'t back down, balk, or show any change of emotion towards her.



“Personally, Miss Granger, I don\'t think Albus will be siding with you on that one. You see, I have a special arrangement with Draco. I\'m sure you\'ve realized by now that my son isn\'t.... quite himself this year. There are reasons to that which you are not by any means entitled to, and will not receive from me. If Draco wishes you to know, then so be it, but I will not be the one to clue you in. I will, however, say that this situation requires me to be here, and in the presence of my son, quite a few times a month. So you may as well get used to seeing me. I do hope that perhaps, we can build up a congenial relationship that would allow us to coexist in peace.” Lucius\' voice was low, but commanding, and every few words, the mans imposing figure drew closer to her a step at a time, until he stood right in front of her, with that same tell tale smirk that she saw every day on the identical face of his son.



“I know my stance on muggleborns and mixedbloods has been cast in a rather.... horrendous light for many years. But I find that my judge of character reaches past such prejudices now. Things happen, people change... And even one as old fashioned as I must be forced to see such brilliance and... power, shines beyond blood in some rare cases. Cases like yours. I\'m very intrigued by your mind, Miss Granger, and how it is that you can master witchcraft so fluently, without a speck of magical blood in your veins...” Hermione swallowed hard, staring up at Lucius, her doe eyes frightened as he reached forward, touching a single curl that fell into her face. Frowning, the older man noticed how she trembled. The girl looked like she was trying to sink through the door behind her to get away from him.



“Miss Granger I assure you I\'m not going to hurt you. I don\'t see wh-”



“I\'m not afraid of you.” Hermione snapped out in a panicked voice, jerking away from the touch of his fingertips brushing over her cheekbone. Frowning, Lucius finally withdrew his hand, looking down at the frightened girl. Simply an hour ago, if you had asked him if he could ever feel compassion for Hermione Granger, he would have scoffed in your face. But here she was trembling before him, and he felt an odd strain on his chest...



“Someone has hurt you, Miss Granger, haven\'t they?” He asked quietly. It seemed unsettling to him, for some reason. Of course, he could understand the type of anger that this particular know it all witch could invoke, but he couldn\'t see how someone would hurt the girl to the point of eliciting this type of reaction from her in a somewhat innocent trade such as the one they had been sharing. Hermione\'s eyebrows furrowed deeper, and she shook her head, her eyes weary as they stayed on him.



“No... Of course not. Why would you say such a thing, Professor Malfoy? I\'m simply.... astounded by the indecency of this... s-situation. If you are done, please leave so I can get ready for school.” She replied finally, trying to draw up her trademark strength, anc courageous stance that she was well known for. But Lucius didn\'t believe her, not for a single moment. And to prove it, he raise his hand again towards her face and before he could even blink she\'d wrenched the door behind her open and disappeared behind it, the click of the lock echoing much louder in his ears than it should have.



This was very unsettling.