Disclaimer: Not mine.

A/N: okay….I am warning you that this is a Lucius/Hermione fic….if you do not like the pairing then do not read it. I will only delete those reviews that only flame me for the pairing. I am aware that this would never happen….its just fun to play with. With that said: enjoy.

Prologue

The broom closet was smaller than those at Hogwarts were. She felt his arm tighten slightly around her waist as footsteps approached. There were only a couple of inches separating them. Her heart pounded in her chest at such a rapid rate she was sure they would hear it and find her hiding in the closet with this man.

Hermione held her breath as the sound of footsteps seemed to stop in front of the door. Her senses were on edge. She could hear the slightest sound, she could taste the air, she could smell everything around them, and she could feel so intensely everything from the air surrounding them to the feel of his arm around her.

She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill down her cheeks. Never had she been so scared. The Death Eaters were roaming the house looking for them. Footsteps approached again. This time there were several large crashing sounds as someone sent things flying through the air and crashing against walls. Hermione jumped and buried her face in his chest wondering why she was doing it—he would sooner turn her over to the Death Eaters than to help her stay hidden anyway. She felt his arms wrap around her and for a moment, she felt warm as the fear lessened a bit.

Several popping sounds followed by silence told Hermione the Death Eaters had disapparated. With a sigh of relief, she pulled as far away from him as she could. The fear still lingered around her as she waited for him to open the door to let them out. He didn't though. Instead, he leaned toward Hermione. She felt his blond hair brush gently against her cheek before she heard his soft whisper mocking her.

"Where is your Gryffindor bravery, Miss Granger?"

She refused to look at him. It was too much. The tears began to spill from her eyes. Slowly, he slipped the silver serpent that sat atop the staff and acted as the handle to his wand under her chin. Pushing her chin up slightly he forced her to face him. He looked at her tear stained face. She refused to look at him though.

"Miss Granger, look at me."

His voice was soft, but held his usual cold tone…a tone that let everyone know it was wise to not disobey him.

How did I end up here?

Hermione's eyes slowly looked up into the steely grey eyes of Lucius Malfoy.