Draco paused at the gates of Malfoy Manor, staring up at the large house in front of him. Now that he had moved into a smaller manor of his own, he was always taken aback by how large Malfoy Manor really was. And with only his parents living in it, it seemed a bit much now.
With a heavy sigh he pushed through the gates and made his way up the pebbled walkway, grumbling about how far the walk was. His parents kept the anti-apparation charms up after the war had ended to prevent any unwanted visitors, but unfortunately it also included family members. But his grumbling kept him occupied and soon he was holding his wand up to the lock on the door and after hearing it click open, he let himself in.
The inside of the manor still was as dreary as ever. He had grown used to having windows everywhere flooding light into his home, and here he could feel the mood grow colder as he made his way through the house. He wondered if Mother was home...
He stopped just outside of his father's study, noticing that the door was ajar. After lightly rapping his knuckles on the door, it swung open to reveal his father. If he was happy at all to see his son, Lucius Malfoy didn't let it show in his expression. With his hair pulled back neatly and his chin lifted slightly so he could look down at his son, Draco grimaced as he felt like he was in trouble for something again at school.
"Draco." Lucius's expression didn't change with the curt greeting.
"Father."
Lucius stepped aside and nodded for Draco to enter the study, closing the door behind them as they both made their way to the large mahogany desk in the center of the room. There were papers placed in meticulous piles, which was always his father's way; everything had to be organized.
"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here on such short notice," Lucius started slowly after they both had sat down.
"Yes, considering it's a Monday in the middle of the workday," Draco answered, raising an eyebrow at his father.
Lucius said nothing in return, simply grabbing a stack of papers and tossing it across the desk towards Draco. When he saw the familiar picture of himself and Hermione smiling at each other on the front page of the Prophet, Draco couldn't help but smile before looking up at his father, who was not returning the smile.
"Might I ask what this is about?" Lucius stared at his son, leaning sideways in his chair and bringing a leg up to rest over his knee.
"I had dinner with Hermione Granger," Draco answered simply.
Lucius rubbed his face as he groaned slightly. "Why her?"
"Is there a problem with her?" Draco asked, glaring across the desk as his father.
"Son, she's not..."
"Not what?"
Lucius sighed and looked away for a moment before saying, "I don't think she's the right fit for you."
"Because she's not a pureblood," Draco said, knowing full well that was the reason.
"She's also married," Lucius said, gesturing towards the paper. "What are you doing dating a married woman? I raised you better than that."
"She filed divorce paperwork last week and he treats her horribly," Draco said quietly.
This caught his father off guard but Lucius quickly regained his haughty composure. "She's still not a pureblood."
"In case you've forgotten, neither am I anymore."
An uneasy silence fell over them as Draco glared at his father, who shifted in his chair and furrowed his brow. "You are still a Malfoy, however, and as far as the public is concerned you are still a pureblood."
Draco scoffed. "Why does it even matter what the public believes? They have no part in my decisions."
"Anything you do in the public eye is reflected upon this family," Lucius warned.
"And seeing a very prominent member in the Ministry who happens to be making great strides in the wizarding world as well as being someone our family previously looked down upon is going to make us look better in the public eye," Draco retorted. "She helped bring down the Dark Lord, and is now actually furthering the wellbeing of people like me. I doubt she will tarnish our family name in any way."
Lucius raised an eyebrow at his son. "How serious are things between you and her?"
With a shrug, Draco answered, "We have another dinner date on Wednesday and she's mentioned planning the next one. I'm not planning on making things very serious until after her divorce is finalized."
Lucius was quiet for a few moments before asking, "What happened to that American witch you were seeing? I rather liked her."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Father, Hermione is much better suited for me than Simone ever was."
"Simone was from a prominent family in America," Lucius said.
"And she had a very negative view on werewolves," Draco said promptly. "I was not going to be with someone like that."
"And the muggleborn would be any better?"
Draco narrowed his eyes at his father. "Hermione is the Head of the Beings division in the Ministry. She works with werewolves on a daily basis, and already knows about me."
Lucius's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "She's already Head?"
"I told you she would be good for the family name," Draco said smugly. "Regardless of whether or not she and I stay together, she can only bring good things for us."
He hated talking about Hermione as if she were only an asset to him, but he knew that his father wouldn't understand otherwise. To Lucius, marriages were less about love and more about gaining power, an idea that's been passed down to every generation in the Malfoy family. But Draco made sure it stopped with his father.
"Well we shall see how long this little relationship lasts. I'd much prefer you marrying a pureblood, maybe even another in one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," Lucius said in a haughty tone that made Draco hold back on rolling his eyes.
"Is my relationship with Hermione the only reason you asked for me to visit?" He asked then, shifting in his seat.
"Your mother wants you to visit more often," Lucius answered.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Is that it?"
There was a few moments of silence before Lucius's features softened slightly. "Are you doing alright, Draco?"
That caught him off guard. His father rarely showed affection before the battle and he was showing it more often, but Draco was still having trouble getting used to it. Especially after the conversation they just had.
"I've never been better," He answered truthfully with a smile. "Work is doing well, Hermione's wonderful...things are just great."
Lucius's cheek twitched slightly at the mention of Hermione but he gave his son a slight smile. "I'm happy to hear that. And you've haven't been having any problems managing your...other side?"
"None whatsoever."
His father nodded and sat upright in his chair. "Well, I won't keep you from work any longer. Maybe you can visit again this weekend?"
"I should be able to." Draco stood up and straightened his suit jacket. "I'll send an owl to let you know."
Lucius nodded and they both said their goodbyes, which Draco always found incredibly awkward. As he made his way back out to the gates, he took a few deep breaths to try and calm down. He knew his father was a stubborn man and had lived with the idea of non-purebloods being inferior his entire life, but he had hoped things would've changed in the past five years since the war. Maybe meeting Hermione would actually spark the change his father needed.
He paused just outside the gate and looked back at the large manor. He knew if anyone could do it, Hermione could. The witch was just as stubborn as his father was, after all; they both would probably subtly insult each other until they ran out of things to say. The thought made him chuckle before he disapparated, landing in his office shortly after.
He stepped out to see that Blaise was still at lunch, shaking his head; his business partner was probably still with Ginny Potter. He could already hear Blaise correcting him, that it's Ginny Weasley. Draco rolled his eyes at the thought and shut himself inside his office to finish out his lunch.
There was an unmarked envelope waiting for him in the middle of his desk, which caused him to pause and raise an eyebrow in suspicion. Hermione had started addressing her letters to him so he knew it wasn't from her, and Blaise never left notes.
He curiously grabbed it and opened it up, his eyes scanning over the unfamiliar scrawl.
Malfoy,
Stay away from Hermione. She's still my wife and I don't plan on changing that any time soon. I knew you were going to be trouble from the moment I heard you two were "working together".
She doesn't need you interfering with her job or her happiness, and if I find out that you are messing with her feelings I will make sure you regret it. So leave my wife alone.
Auror Ron Weasley
He smirked at the title Auror and set the letter down, staring at the wall. His jaw clenched and unclenched a few times as he went over the words again in his head, trying to control the protective side that was slowly rising.
Without another thought, he folded up the letter and stuffed it into his pocket as he locked his door and disapparated, landing in front of the Ministry's visitor entrance. He grimaced the entire way through the process of entering the Ministry but smiled once he got to Hermione's floor.
He was surprised to see that the desk belonging to her former assistant was still empty as he walked by it, but he forgot about it entirely the moment he stopped in her doorway.
She didn't notice him at first as she replaced books on her shelf and grabbed two new ones, and he leaned against the doorway slightly to look at her. She was wearing a flowy black skirt that stopped at her knees and a grey blouse tucked into it, with a matching pair of black ballet flats.
"Have you always been this pretty when you were working?" He asked, smirking when he made her jump in surprise.
"Draco! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She exclaimed as her face split with a smile.
"Couldn't resist," He laughed. "Though I'm surprised you didn't notice."
"Did you forget I practically disappear into my work?" She asked, setting the books down on her desk and tucking a piece of hair back behind her ear. "What brings you here?"
He shrugged and pushed himself off the doorframe as he stepped inside her office. "A few reasons."
He stopped next to her desk and Hermione smiled, raising an eyebrow at him. "And those reasons would be?"
"Well..." He looked over at her roses and grinned. "For one, I wanted to make sure you didn't secretly throw out my bouquet along with the others."
She laughed. "I would never!"
Draco laughed as well before continuing: "Two, I wanted to see your beautiful face in person because there's only so many times I can look at it just in the Prophet."
A wave of crimson spread over her face and she looked down at the floor, unable to hold back a smile. "Draco..."
He grinned and gave her forehead a quick kiss. "And three: I was told by the Auror Ron Weasley to stay away from you, so I decided to do the complete opposite."
Her head shot up and she stared at him with wide eyes. "He did what?"
Draco silently pulled the note out of his pocket and held it out to her, not even flinching when she snatched it from him and quickly opened it up. As her eyes scanned back and forth, he watched as her brow furrowed and any trace of her smile was now gone.
"I can't believe him!" She exclaimed as she glared at her office door.
"I'm guessing he saw the Prophet today?" Draco asked simply.
"Yes, because he came and confronted me about it first thing this morning!" She looked back down at the note and then up at him. "When did you get this?"
"It was on my desk when I got back from lunch," He said, running a hand through his hair. "I wasn't quite sure what to do about it."
"He seriously can't get it through his head that I'm not staying," She muttered under her breath, rereading the note before sighing and setting it down on her desk. "I don't know what to do."
He reached out and gently placed a hand on her arm and gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll figure it out, don't worry. I'm not at all worried by his note."
She returned the smile but he noticed it was only halfhearted before she looked down at the floor. "It's not the note I'm worried about. He's already said this morning that he's not going to sign the paperwork, and he's stubborn as hell. He's going to draw this process out for as long as possible to wear me down and make me stay."
Draco felt his jaw clench again as he could hear the sadness in her voice. He wasn't used to seeing this side of Hermione; she rarely ever gave up on anything.
He squeezed her arm again and pulled her in for a hug before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure if that was the right move until he felt her practically mold against him and wrap her arms tightly around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. They stayed in that position for a while, simply enjoying each other's company in the quietness of her office.
After a few minutes though she pulled away and gave him a shy smile. "Thank you."
"For what?" He asked curiously.
"Comforting me," She said. "I'm sure this is an awkward situation for you; I just really appreciate your support."
"Of course I'm supporting you," He said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I support and comfort you when needed?"
"Well..." She cast a glance towards her door and pulled away slightly. "Maybe it isn't a conversation for my office."
He frowned slightly. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes!" She said quickly before regaining her composure. "Yes, sorry. I'm not trying to worry you; honestly, I'm just not sure what kind of relationship this is and it's probably too soon to talk about how serious we are but I don't want to drag you into a messy divorce if this isn't more than a fling."
He nodded after a few moments, still smiling. "How about we discuss this later this evening?"
"I thought you said no surprise outings during the week?" She asked with a grin.
Laughing, he shook his head. "I wouldn't call it a surprise outing so much as a last-minute rendezvous?"
She shook her head and laughed. "They're practically the same thing!"
"Either way..." He shrugged before giving her forehead another kiss. "Just let me know when you want to chat, and where. I'm happy to host you or come to your house."
She nodded and he left her office with a smile on his face.
A/N: Hi loves! So I know I've decided to take a slightly different turn with Lucius and Narcissa in this story (don't worry, she'll appear very soon!), and I really hope you all enjoy it. Hope you all are still enjoying this story! Love you all! <3