- Prologue -

Hermione rolled over, feeling oddly well-rested and content to conclude it was a Saturday and her job at the ministry would have to spare her for a weekend. Stretching out, her eyes fluttered open and then widened dramatically as she noted a familiar face in bed next to her. Lucius Malfoy was sleeping soundly, his nose twitching and one arm tucked under her neck.

The brunette swallowed hard and started to slowly inch her way out of the bed she quickly realized was not her own. They were at the inn above the pub they had gone to the night before. Searching her foggy memory, she tried to figure out how it was she ended up in bed with a co-worker, let alone a married man.

Her toes touched the frigid floor and Lucius shifted in the bed, retracting his arm and adjusting it under his head, but not waking. The cold breeze let in through an open window alerted the drowsy witch to the fact that she wasn't wearing any bottoms. Grabbing at the fabric covering her torso, she noted she had on a loose-fitting button-up that most certainly didn't belong to her. As quietly as she could, she bolted into the bathroom to assess herself in the mirror.

Her curls were wild around her head, her makeup smudged a bit but still mostly intact. Her breath was horrid, even she could taste it. She groaned, feeling a shiver run over her flesh as the cold of the winter seeped into her bones. Pressing her palm to her forehead, Hermione tried desperately to recount her evening.

The last thing she could remember was sitting at a table for six in the corner of a pub with Lucius, Severus, Akhtar, and Helena. Hermione had managed to secure an invitation to Akhtar's 28th birthday celebrations as the only one from her department in the ministry. Akhtar was good friends with Helena and his two bosses, Severus and Lucius, but Hermione had managed to weasel her way into his friend circle with her humour and unyielding kindness.

Hermione often felt worried she would fall for her friend, as she had just spilt up with Ronald. Akhtar seemed to be the opposite of her ex. He was book smart and witty and cared deeply for people, which made him much more alluring. Dangerously so, as he was engaged to be married to Parvati Patel, a family friend of his growing up. He was an only child of pureblood parentage but was incredibly progressive politically, always catching himself and others in prejudice behaviour.

Akhtar and Helena were close, having worked together for a number of years before they both left to join the ministry. She was a fiery woman, about ten years his senior, married with a child. Hermione was hesitant to befriend her, but after a while, she began to see how much Helena reminded her of Ginny. Ever since the younger girl's wedding to the chosen one, she had been harder to reach, and with Hermione's busy schedule at the ministry, she never found the time to try and set up lunch or tea.

Lucius had secured his position in the ministry through his deep pockets and creative bargaining. He had repented, apologized to all he had hurt and made significant investments of both his time and estate into the repairs of Hogwarts and the ministry itself. The wizarding world eventually came to forgive him and offered him a position as director of Medical Services. He'd changed his appearance, opting for a shorter cut that made him look younger somehow, and more reserved robes. He no longer desired to stand out for his wealth and preferred to fade into the background.

Severus survived the attack in the final battle through some mix of potion mastery and deceit that Hermione hadn't yet figured out. He, out of all the wizards at the ministry, caught her attention the most. He hadn't changed his appearance one bit from the time he was a professor. Though the battle seemed to have aged him slightly, his hair was still scraggly and black, framing his face with the constant scent of potions following him through the halls. His robes still had a million buttons that Hermione had fantasized about undoing. She allowed herself this one crush, as he was 19 years her senior and had once been her professor, so there was no reason for him to ever reciprocate the emotions. He had softened since his time at Hogwarts, seemingly able to let go of whatever it was that haunted him through all those years. He no longer had students to bother him and was strictly in charge of the potion supply and research for the wizarding hospitals. Akhtar was a shared assistant between Severus and Lucius.

Hermione interviewed for her role when she was fresh out of University, having completed a degree in Magical Politics, at the young age of 21. Lucius would frequently joke about how she was the youngest witch in the ministry, which always elicited an eye-roll from Severus. She could never tell if it was because he hated being reminded of how young she was or how old he was. She'd hoped that perhaps the age difference was of interest to him, as it was to her.

At the head of the table, her back to a wall, she watched as her friends enjoyed many rounds of drinks, some offered by strangers as celebrations for Akhtar's birthday. Hermione paced herself but enjoyed the less censored humour that came with each beverage consumed.

Helena leaned into Hermione, "I think Akh needs to head home, want to cab with us?" Hermione checked her watch, noting that it wasn't even past midnight and shook her head.

"Actually, I'd like to stay," she answered contently. "I'm having fun!" A new drink had appeared next to her hand and she took it gladly, downing another sip of the beverage that Lucius had insisted she keep drinking.

"Hermione? Having fun?" Akhtar chimed in. The boy looked her up and down then glanced at the two older men across the table from him. Lucius knocked back the last swig of his dark rum beverage. Severus was working hard on keeping his glance from trailing to witches' backsides as they walked back him, which irked Hermione more than anything. "Well, don't do anything stupid," he added sternly.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she hiccoughed. "I never do anything stupid." With a wink, she slipped out from her seat and flung her arms around the shoulders of Lucius and Severus. "Shall we dance?" The two older men agreed without hesitation.

Hermione glanced back to see Akhtar gathering his coat and following Helena out of the pub. "Happy Birthday!" She called but noted he likely didn't hear her.

After what seemed like only minutes of dancing, Hermione's feet began to ache from the lively tunes and settled down against a railing beside Lucius, who promptly offered her his beverage. She took the final sip, placing it on the table beside her and then leaned into the man, resting her head on his shoulder. Her gaze landed on Severus, who was still on the dance floor and had taken a particular interest in a witch older than Hermione but still notably younger than the professor.

"I wouldn't have thought Severus to be the kind of man to go after every girl he saw," Hermione mused, watching as Severus attempted to offer the witch another drink. The woman laughed politely but shook her head, making Hermione's heart bubble with a mix of jealousy and relief.

"He's lived a life bound by the love of his childhood. I can't blame him for moving on now that he's been given a second chance at life," Lucius responded wisely though in a slightly slurred tone from the alcohol.

"No, I suppose you can't." Hermione sighed. Lucius then wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in closer, a finger slipping under her shirt and brushing against her skin. An electric shock ran through her, but she ignored it, not daring to look up. Instead, she nuzzled in closer, relishing in the security of the embrace. She wrapped her arms around him too, clasping her hands together on his other shoulder and exhaled again. Her eyes began to close and the scene before her started to melt away.

A knock at the door shook her from her memories and she nearly fell back from the vanity. She reached for her pocket, where her wand would ordinarily be, but felt nothing but the skin of her thigh. "One second!" She called as she desperately tried to flatten her hair or brush it back, to no avail.

Defeated, she opened the door to Lucius looking at her worriedly.

"I am afraid I made a mistake."

You know when you have like 5 other stories you started to write that have chapters waiting for you to finish, edit, and upload, but then you start reading other fanfiction and a new pairing comes to mind and you want to write it so you pretend those other 5 projects don't exist and write a prologue? Too specific? Let me know your thoughts. I have a feeling it's going to get messy.