It was a surprise when, one Wednesday before the end of term, an owl delivered the four of them some post. Reading it eagerly, they discovered that, thanks to business being so good, Fred and George had managed to procure some tickets for an England Quidditch World Cup quarter final against Italy. Dumbledore had agreed for them all to be allowed to go to the match that weekend, as long as they returned to the castle by the Sunday evening.
"Finally!" Ron exclaimed as he packed his bag hurriedly on the Friday evening. "Their business is finally paying off for me! I wonder how often they're going to do this?"
"Oh Ron shut up and pack!" Hermione chided him from where she was sat on his mattress. "We're waiting for you, if you hadn't been playing that infernal game of chess we'd be ready to leave by now."
"But I was winning!" he protested.
"Just pack!" Kathryn said sternly, throwing a pair of Harry's maroon socks at him so hard they bounced off his head.
The next morning, after having spent a very comfortable night at Grimmauld Place, they were woken by the smell of a late breakfast wafting beneath their doors and Mrs Weasley shouting at them to come down.
"I wish you lot would hurry up." She grumbled as they walked in with their dressing gowns wrapped around them and rubbing sleep out of their eyes.
"Mum, it doesn't start until three!" Ginny complained sitting down next to Harry and resting her head on his shoulder. Kathryn knew why she was complaining as it was only when they were at Grimmauld Place that she got to share a bed with Harry as they couldn't at Hogwarts. Although the girls and the boys both still had separate rooms, they generally shared most nights in the holidays. Harry's room was technically his own but he still shared with Ron, not wanting to neglect his best friend. On weekends, Harry just liked to lie in bed with Ginny for a few hours. Hermione and Ron were the same; they liked that precious time alone that was hard to get when the house was full. Mrs Weasley had been hostile to this change but had eventually had to accept that her children were all but grown up.
"Yes, and it's half past ten now," she said brusquely, putting a large salver of sausages on the table, "I'm giving you time to wake up. You don't get a lie-in in the real world."
"Well, I can't complain about the reason for getting up." Ron grinned, helping himself to sausages, toast and bacon.
"True." Hermione sighed, buttering herself some toast and grabbing a jar of Mrs Weasleys home made marmalade.
They left for the stadium at one that afternoon, after Fred and George had closed up the shop early. Their party was sixteen people in total; Sirius, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, Lupin and Tonks coming along as well as Mr and Mrs Weasley.
The match was being held in the stadium that had been built for the last Quidditch World Cup and, Kathryn had to admit, that it was still pretty impressive. She could almost see the magic radiating off it; it had so many Muggle repelling charms cast over it.
"Where are we sitting?" Ron asked above the noise of the crowd.
"Right at the top!" Fred yelled. "Just get onto the stairs and keep on walking."
"The top box?" Ron asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"We're not made of money." Fred drawled. "Our seats are just very high up." Very high up did appear to be a bit of an understatement. They seemed to be climbing for hours and, during the climb, Kathryn found her mind wandering to her plans for Easter.
"How much further?" Ron asked wearily as they climbed what felt like the hundredth set of stairs. Kathryn's wandering mind was brought back, however, by the sound of a curt voice below them.
"Put it this way," a cool, clipped voiced said from beneath them, "if it rains, you'll be the first to know." She would recognise that voice anywhere and Kathryn worked hard to keep her face impassive as she brought up the tail end of the group, cursing the fact that she found his voice irresistibly alluring.
"Lucius." Mr Weasley gave the blond man a nod before continuing on up the stairs. Kathryn noted that he was followed by his son and Pansy Parkinson.
"How many times did you have to re-mortgage your house to afford this Weasley?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Surely Gringotts would have refused such a request."
"For your information, Malfoy," George snapped, "we paid." He and Fred nodded vigorously.
"Well, taking that into account, I see that the top box was an experience you will not repeat." He said coldly, Kathryn spotting Draco looking smugly on with Pansy right behind him. Mr Weasley turned away and began to usher everyone else up the stairs. Sirius and Lupin looked as if they were quite prepared to hex Malfoy into next week. Bill and Charlie also looked well up for a fight, both of them clutching their wands tightly.
"We're here by invitation of the Minister, Weasley." Draco drawled at Ron. "It seems that you aren't in such favour."
"Don't boast, Draco." Lucius gave his son a whack in the shins with his cane. Kathryn smirked and had to resist the temptation to laugh as she saw this. "There's no need with these people."
Gritting their teeth, Harry and Ron followed Sirius up, hanging on tight to Ginny and Hermione's hands. Kathryn was last to pass him; not knowing what would happen when she did. She wished that she hadn't made an effort with her clothes. She was only wearing a pair of dark, fitted jeans that sat low on her hips, a black top with a deep V-neck, black suede boots with flat soles and the black cloak that he had bought her, but she knew that he would find it attractive. Around her neck was one of the necklaces he had given her; the large set of rubies that matched the ring sitting comfortably on her finger. Taking a deep breath, she followed Harry and found herself standing on the landing directly above Mr Malfoy, Draco and Pansy.
"Ah, Miss Potter," he said with a smirk, "how predictable to find you here."
"The same could be said for you." She replied coolly, cocking an eyebrow at him before turning to follow Harry up the stairs.
"Actually, Miss Potter?" His voice followed her as she walked.
"Yes?" she asked curtly, turning round to face him.
"Would I be able to have a moment of your time?" she sensed Harry freeze as he heard those words. "I have a message from the Governors regarding your proposed plan for the summer term. I might as well give it to you in person, seeing as you are here. "
"Sorry, the Head Girl is off duty today." She gave him a smile, flicked her hair over her shoulder and walked away.
"That," said George, once they were out of hearing distance from Malfoy, "was quite brilliant if you ask me."
"What?" she asked; bemused.
"I have never seen anyone give Lucius Malfoy a taste of his own medicine like that." Fred explained.
"Especially someone much younger. I'm surprised you got away with it." George added.
"It was very cool." Fred began.
"And perfectly aloof," George finished, "have you been practicing?" Kathryn smiled and did not reply; knowing that she couldn't really say that she could talk to him like that because they were more than casual acquaintances. Thankfully, Fred and George then went off to talk to Sirius and Lupin.
"Maybe that's why he hangs around you so much?" Hermione whispered in her ear a few moments later.
"What?"
"Well, apart from being beautiful, you challenge him; you spar with him when others dare not." She explained.
"Maybe." Kathryn sighed, turning her attention to the stadium and trying to ignore the blond head that she could see beneath her.
The view was quite spectacular form the top of the stadium but, even as the match got into full swing, she couldn't help but find herself thinking about the man in the box below her. The England team were on form, as they had been in Dubai, but the Italians were putting up a good fight. After about half an hour spent cheering until her voice was hoarse, there was a slight cough at her right shoulder and she turned to find herself face to face with the bespectacled Percy Weasley. Wordlessly, he handed her a small piece of parchment and disappeared back down the stairs. Carefully, she checked to make sure that no one was watching her, and opened the note. It was only a few words long but was written in an instantly recognisable script.
Downstairs. Make up an excuse. Fudge would be delighted to see you…
Folding the note and slipping in into her pocket she realised that, in the brief pause whilst one of the Italian players was treated on the pitch for a rather broken nose, most of their party was looking at her.
"Fudge wants a word," she lied, "excuse me." She turned on her heel and hurried down the stairs, arriving at the entrance to the top box in minutes. She stood in the entrance and gave a small cough to announce her presence.
"Ah! Miss Potter!" Fudge bounded to his feet as soon as he saw her. "How simply marvellous to see you again! When Lucius told me you were here I was quite surprised to find that you weren't sat here."
"Thank you, Minister." She shook his hand. "I'm here with the Weasleys actually, and my brother, godfather and my friends."
"Well, I'm sure they can spare you for the rest of the match, come, sit down." He practically dragged her over to the chair that appeared directly between himself and Mr Malfoy.
"If you insist." She tried to ignore the looks Malfoy and Pansy were giving her as she approached, although they were entirely different to those Malfoy senior was giving her.
"Signor Olivetti, might I introduce Miss Kathryn Potter." A tall, olive skinned man with slightly greying hair stood from the seat on the other side of Fudge. "Miss Potter, Signor Olivetti, the Italian Minister for Magic."
"A pleasure." She smiled, taking the hand that Olivetti offered her.
"The honour is mine, Signorina." Olivetti said in heavily accented English, giving her hand a swift kiss before releasing it. The match resumed and she took her seat between Fudge and Malfoy.
"It must be Christmas when I saw you last," Fudge remarked as they watched the game, "it's amazing how time flies, isn't it."
"Yes, although I have been kept rather busy with work for our exams." She smiled. "And, of course, I have Quidditch training, DA meetings and corridor patrols to do too."
"Well, from what I've heard, you are quite a talented Quidditch player." She saw Draco's jaw twitch in anger at these words.
"Well, that comes from lots of practice. My bother, Ron Weasley and I did get the chance to train with the under twenty one England squad a couple of summers ago so that helped a lot."
"So you wish to play professionally?" Olivetti asked with interest.
"Well, I'd like to be an Auror really, but we'll see what happens."
"I'd be happy to put a word in for you in any Ministry department you wish." Fudge offered kindly.
"I'd rather get a job on my own merits, Minister," she replied, "but thank you for the offer." She couldn't imagine what would happen if Draco decided to repeat that to other Slytherins, hoping that, as she had refused, he would refrain from causing uproar just once.
"Of course, my dear, of course." He smiled. They sat in silence for a few more minutes as they watched the game, Draco and Pansy speaking in whispers, before Mr Malfoy leant in and spoke to her.
"In regards to what you suggested for the summer term a few weeks ago, I have spoken to the Governors and they are all enthusiastic about it."
"Good," she smiled, "now all I have to do is mention it to the others."
"When do you have to be back at school?" he asked in a whisper, although he needn't have as the cheers of the crowd made sure that he wouldn't be heard.
"Sunday evening, why?" she didn't really need to ask this, knowing why he was curious.
"Well, if you wish, you may join myself and the Minister for dinner again?"
"If you like, although I'll have to work out a way to explain that to Harry." She reminded him. "I could say that dinner was at Fudge's instead."
"Make up whatever excuse you wish."
"Will your son be there too?" she asked, unsure of whether doing such a thing with Draco in attendance was really wise.
"Yes, as well as Miss Parkinson." He replied with a nod.
"Are you sure that is entirely practical?" she asked with raised eyebrows.
"He will be far too occupied with Miss Parkinson to notice anything."
"He might notice the fact that I do not leave." She hissed as England scored.
"Do you really think that he is that observant if he has noticed nothing before now?" he replied in an even quieter voice.
"True." She sighed. "Alright then, I'll come."
In the stands above them, Harry leant as far over the barrier as he dared to try and catch a glimpse of the top box. He could just make out the front row of seats and their occupants. He saw his sister's long black hair in the seat next to Fudge. His brow furrowed as he realised that she was also sat next to Lucius Malfoy. He watched as, in the brief pause when another of the players was surrounded my Medi-wizards, Malfoy leant in to speak to his sister. It was just what Hermione had said. He watched as she smiled politely and even laughed once. He tried to relax, remembering what Hermione had said; she was just playing along, it didn't mean anything. He was relieved when he saw Fudge interrupt and he went back to watching the game.
"What are you talking about?" Fudge asked curiously over the clamour of the crowd.
"The Italian seeker." Kathryn replied swiftly, the lie coming easily. "He's not up to par considering that this is a World Cup game."
"What makes you say that?" Olivetti asked, sounding slightly put out.
"Well, he has the latest Comet, but he hasn't spotted the Snitch once, neither of the Seekers have." She shrugged.
"Well, Master Draco, you are a Seeker, are you not?" Fudge asked Draco. "Can you spot the Snitch." Draco puffed out his chest, trying to impress his father and Pansy. After a few moments of frantic searching, his face fell and he sat back in his seat.
"I can't." He said sulkily.
"What about you, Miss Potter?" Olivetti asked.
"Italian Keeper's left ear." She replied instantly. "England Beater's knee. England centre goal hoop."
"Impressive," Olivetti commented, "you should be a Seeker."
"I have stood in for my brother on occasion. Although it's a lot harder when you are actually on a broom" She replied, her eyes fixed firmly on the game. "It's in front of the England Seeker's nose!" she suddenly said, shifting right to the edge of her seat. On cue, the England seeker shot across the pitch at a furious speed. The cheering rose to an even more furious pace as the Italian seeker followed the England player like a shadow. They appeared both to be equally matched in terms of skill and it was a close fight to try and grasp the elusive Golden Snitch. Kathryn was perched on the edge of her seat as the pair of them went flying past their box.
"Go." She murmured under her breath as she watched the English seeker, James, start to outstrip her Italian counterpart. "Go!"
The stadium was deathly calm as her fingers closed around the tiny golden ball and then, as if someone had turned the volume back up, the crowds exploded with noise. The England team practically collided with each other in mid air in their rush to celebrate. The seeker waved the Snitch high above her head in celebration as they did several victory laps before landing in the top box. Kathryn, as with the last time she had seen them, found herself being pulled into a giant hug by the England team.
"No one told us our lucky charm was here!" one of the chasers shouted. Laughing, Kathryn extracted herself from the group as the press descended on the top box and flashbulbs began to go off. She walked over to where he was standing talking to Fudge, to say her goodbyes.
"I'd best be off Minister." She said with smile. "It was a pleasure to see you again."
"Indeed my dear," Fudge beamed, "and when will I be seeing you next?"
"I don't know."
"Tonight," Lucius said firmly, "that is, if you would care to join the Minister and I for dinner?" he asked quickly so as to appear unplanned.
"Well, I don't know," she said slowly, resisting the temptation to smirk as she saw the look that came into Lucius' eyes, "I really have to finish an essay."
"Oh come come Miss Potter," Fudge cajoled her, "I'm sure that you have ample time to complete such things."
"Alright then." She said with a smile, trying to suppress a giggle as she saw Draco's jaw drop in shock.
"Marvellous!" Fudge beamed ecstatically.
"Seven pm." Lucius told her.
"I look forward to it." She said with the briefest of smirks. "Good day." She gave the pair of them a nod before sweeping out of the doors where she ran straight into the Weasleys, Harry, Hermione and the rest as they walked back down the stairs.
"What was that about?" Harry asked as they walked down.
"Fudge heard that I was here and, well, you know how he is. He'll do anything to make a good impression." She sighed. "He's invited me over to dinner tonight too."
"Well, you'll just have to keep your ears open, won't you." Sirius chuckled.
"Yes, and it gives me a perfect excuse to go shopping," she smiled, "as I'll just have to have a new dress for the occasion." With a slight spring in her step, she followed them down the stairs.
At seven precisely that evening she knocked sharply upon the door of Malfoy Manor. A house elf opened the door and, without even looking at it, she swept through into the entrance hall; trying her best to pretend that she had never been here before.
"Potter," a disinterested voice drawled from the staircase, "what are you wearing?" she looked down at her coat. It was floor length, figure hugging and with a deep V-neck and made from heavy black velvet.
"It's a coat," she replied dryly, "are you going to take it or am I going to have to hang it up myself?" he did not move and, after staring him out for a few moments, he disappeared back up the stairs. She shrugged her coat off and laid it across the banister before heading through to the drawing room where she could hear someone moving about. Sticking her head round the door, she found Lucius uncorking a bottle of red wine by hand.
"Your son gives a wonderfully charming welcome." She remarked, stepping round the door and closing it behind her. His face lit up as soon as he saw her and he gave her a lingering kiss before stepping back to look at her dress.
"You look beautiful." He remarked. Her dress was made from ruched green chiffon over silk and was quite figure hugging. It went to about her knees, had a nipped in waist, giving it an hourglass shape, and thin straps. She had decided to wear the delicate green jewels that he had given her on her birthday and her hair hung, as always, loose down her back.
"Would I ever be anything else?" she replied coyly, giving him a small smile as he handed her a glass of wine.
"True." He shrugged, pulling her close and kissing her again.
"You son is upstairs!" she gasped as he finally stopped. "Be patient." She rearranged her hair and dress as there was another knock on the door. She heard Draco greet Fudge and, quite cheekily, offer to take his cloak. Smirking, she followed Lucius to the door. Looking out, she saw Draco standing at the foot of the stairs with Pansy behind him. She was wearing a floaty cocktail dress made of shocking pink chiffon and had her hair done up in a bun on the top of her head. Whilst she did not look ugly, she should have kept her hair in a more relaxed style as the severe bun didn't really go with her whimsical dress. Pansy looked as if she was feeling quite superior, obviously thinking herself the prettiest girl in the room.
Deciding to put an end to that, Kathryn strode out into the entrance hall. She walked in a way not unlike the way she had seen Muggle supermodels walk; making sure that she caught the attention of everyone in the room but not looking ridiculous. She came to a stop just beside Lucius, doing her best to stare Pansy out as she stood there. Pansy looked quite crestfallen as she dropped her gaze to the floor and shifted closer to Draco. Lucius, who had watched the entire silent exchange, found it almost similar to the animal kingdom; the dominant female exerting her authority over others less powerful than her. To be fair, he knew which one he would rather be sharing his bed with that night.
"Evening Lucius," Fudge smiled, handing Draco his pinstriped cloak and hat, "and good evening to you Miss Potter."
"Good evening Minister." She said, flashing her warmest smile, trying to pretend that Draco Malfoy wasn't standing opposite her.
She stood and faced Draco and Pansy down as Lucius led Fudge off into the drawing room.
"What are you waiting for Potter?" Malfoy drawled as she did not move.
"I am waiting for you to go." She replied, taking a sip of her wine. "I've learned not to turn my back on you." She added dryly.
"Someday Potter," he growled as he and Pansy stalked past, "someday you'll wish you never met me. I'm going to get you back for every time you opened your smart mouth."
"Oh don't worry," she replied in the same dry tone as she followed them into the drawing room, "I already regret meeting you. I've wasted too many minutes of my life listening to your pathetic threats." She turned her smile back on as she stepped through the doors, taking a seat in a chair directly opposite Lucius so that she was on full view; teasing him as he could do nothing with his son and guests present.
She was surprised to be sat on his immediate right at dinner, assuming that it would be where Fudge was sat. She and Fudge were sat opposite Draco and Pansy, who kept on shooting her scandalised looks at every opportunity she got. This, however, was becoming such a common occurrence that Kathryn found that she could quite easily ignore it.
Conversation was civil; they discussed the day's match over a dinner of fresh oysters, served in their shells, followed by a delicious main course of duck in an orange and cointreau sauce with shavings of black truffle to counter the sweetness of the sauce. She caused a small stir when eating her starter, bringing the oyster shell to her lips and letting it slide down her throat in one fluid motion, whilst everyone else ate with their knives and forks.
"Sorry," she apologised with a smirk, "I grew up in France," she reminded them, "that's how you eat oysters over there." It seemed that neither Pansy nor Draco appreciated their starter, picking at the meat with their forks and leaving most untouched.
She cocked an eyebrow at Lucius as the dessert was set before her. On her plate were two halves of skinned, slightly caramelised peach, one half with the stone left in, along with a drizzle of the sticky, caramelised juice. This sweetness was tempered by the light drizzle of bittersweet dark chocolate that zigzagged across the plate. All this was accompanied by a fruity, rich red wine that he knew she particularly liked. Kathryn made a note to take Lucius up on the subject of the dinner once they were alone.
That did not turn out to be very long, Fudge excusing himself about an hour after diner had finished; leaving her alone with Lucius, Draco and Pansy. It did not take very long for Draco and Pansy, who looked slightly flushed, to retire upstairs to Draco's room, leaving them, finally, alone. They sat in his study, he in his favourite armchair and she on one of the comfortable sofas.
"I take it you enjoyed dinner?" he asked as she gazed languidly at the liquid in her glass.
"Yes," she smiled, "it was lovely." He could tell that she was slightly uncomfortable, probably because she knew that his son was just upstairs.
"Relax, he won't know anything." he tried to reassure her. "The house has thick walls."
"I know," she sighed, startled at how accurately he had read her thoughts, "it's just difficult knowing that he is just one floor up." She stood up and wandered lazily over to his desk, leaning on the edge and looking over her shoulder out onto the dark grounds.
"I could help you forget." He offered with a smirk, finishing the last of his wine and promptly refilling his glass.
"Are you trying to seduce me?" she asked in mock astonishment, looking sharply back at him.
"Would I do something like that?" he replied incredulously. "Whatever would make you think that?"
"Well, the fact that you have fed me aphrodisiacs throughout dinner gave me some hints." She replied dryly. "I counted three; oysters, truffles and chocolate," she listed, "four if you include the wine. And I'm not including the very suggestive peach either."
"And have they worked?"
"Possibly." She shrugged, taking another drink of wine but nearly choking on it as the door to his study opened.
"Excuse me." It was Draco.
"Yes?" Lucius asked, completely unfazed by his son's appearance in the doorway.
"I came to say goodnight." He explained. "I've got to leave early in the morning; I've got Quidditch practice at half past nine." If he was in any way curious as to why Kathryn was still there, he did not show it.
"Goodnight then," Lucius replied, "I'll see you at Easter." With a silent nod, Draco turned and closed the door behind him as he left. Draining the rest of her wine and handing her glass to him for a refill, Kathryn stood and wandered around to the other end of his desk where she scrawled a note to Sirius and sent it off in a burst of flame.
"You didn't answer my question." She said as soon as she was sure that Draco was out of hearing distance and wine was back in her hand.
"Pardon?"
"Are. You. Trying. To. Seduce. Me?" she asked slowly, a smirk playing across her face as she sipped her wine. Smirking back, he stood and walked across to where she was standing.
"To put it quite frankly," he replied, slipping his arms around her waist and capturing her lips in a bruising kiss, "yes."
"Good, because I'd be most disappointed if you weren't." She kissed him back hungrily, deciding that she couldn't give two figs about whether Draco was just upstairs; he would be too busy with Pansy to notice anything anyway. Taking her hand, he led her out of the study and through the hall to his bedroom. She noted that, once again, all of the portraits were covered; his wife might be dead but they could still whisper to his son.
"You know," she said softly, linking her arm with his, "I'm surprised that you dare do this."
"Well, I don't think it particularly wise, but I need something to distract me from the noise upstairs." He said with a grimace. "The sound of my son and the pug-nosed girl, er, fornicating, is not what I want to hear whilst trying to get some sleep."
"Well, I'm glad that you choose me as your distraction." She smirked as she crossed the threshold, slipping her shoes off and removing her jewellery. His hand found hers as she reached for the zip of her dress and she let him slide the fabric slowly off her shoulders and down her sides until it pooled on the floor at her feet.
"Delectable." He murmured as she turned to face him in her dark green underwear.
"I should hope so," she replied dryly, "considering how much my dress cost." She slipped his jacket off his shoulders and tossed it onto the back of a chair before she deftly undid the buttons on the front of his soft, white shirt. In the quiet there was a low moan that sounded like it was coming from upstairs.
"Oh dear lord." Lucius groaned, kissing her hungrily as if that would block the sound.
"Thick walls eh?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "You know, I caught them at it once," she gasped as they crashed onto the mattress, "when I was patrolling the corridors, they were in a cleaning cupboard." Lucius actually laughed out loud at that image. "It wasn't a pretty sight." She groaned. "Apparently Pansy's a screamer."
"To be fair," he murmured back, throwing the rest of her underwear onto the floor, "I distinctly remember making you scream."
"That was in completely different circumstances though." She reminded him as her back arched to his touch. "That doesn't exactly count." She gasped, her hands tangling in his hair.
"True." He murmured; kissing his way down her neck, nipping the skin in places that she knew would bear bruises in the morning.
As he had earlier implied, he did make her cry out as they lay there; pushing her to the brink of pleasure again and again without care for his son that lay upstairs. She assumed that his dinner preparations had worked as a single touch from his hand was enough to make her come undone.
"Please," she whispered, "stop tormenting me."
"But it's so fun to make you squirm." He replied with a smirk.
In the end, she completely forgot that Draco was upstairs and she found him muffling her cries with kisses as they lay entwined beneath the dark sheets. Perversely, she found herself wondering, as she lay next to him, how his son would react if he caught them together. She doubted that it would happen though; it seemed that Draco knew not to disturb his father, especially as he had said he would be leaving early in the morning. To her, that had suggested that she would be getting a nice long Sunday morning lie-in in her favourite bed. Of course, it was practically a guarantee that no one would find out about her being at Malfoy manor for dinner as Draco would never mention such a thing in public for fear of damaging his reputation in the Slytherin common room. That meant that the fact that she had stayed until, to Draco's knowledge, past midnight, would never reach her friends ears.
That morning, she found herself being woken by someone lightly kissing her face.
"Go away Crookshanks." She groaned sleepily, rolling over, having forgotten where she was.
"I am most certainly not Crookshanks," he whispered in her ear, "and I am most certainly not going away." Remembering where she was this time, she tried, groggily, to sit up but found that she was being pinned to the bed by his arms.
"Not now," she moaned, not yet properly awake, "I have to get home."
"Yes now." He relied with a smirk. "And no, you are not going home until at least mid-afternoon." He informed her, crooking his leg over her thigh so that she knew what he wanted. "I am getting at least breakfast and lunch out of you."
"Fine," she sighed, "I'll send a note after breakfast as it is a habit of mine to leave before you are even awake. I think I owe you a lie in." She did not speak further, instead letting out a low moan as his hands started to caress her in all the right places; her hips bucking off the mattress.
Once he was, again, satiated and lying lazily next to her running his hands through her hair; she pushed her glasses onto her nose and grabbed her wand. Conjuring a sheaf of parchment and a quill, she dashed off a note to Sirius.
Sirius
Fudge let me sleep in and has invited me to stay for lunch (he has important Ministry men coming I suppose, anything for a good impression). Will try and get away as early as possible. Tell Mrs Weasley not to panic, I bet she'll be in hysterics. See you later.
Kathryn.
"There," she sighed, rolling over to lie against him once she had sent the note, "I'm yours for the afternoon."
"When do you have to leave?"
"I'll probably have to be gone by three," she replied, "we're leaving for Hogwarts at four you see."
"That's fine." He lay back and closed his eyes again, as if about to go back to sleep.
"Well, I'm not spending all of the day in bed." Extracting herself form his arms, she climbed out of bed and wandered off. Moments later, he heard the jet of the shower against the tiles.
"You don't mind if I borrow some clothes, do you?" she asked a little while later, emerging from the bathroom with her hair in a turban and a large white towel wrapped around her.
"Certainly." He nodded, deciding that he should really get up too.
Once he was showered and dressed, Lucius found her sat on the edge of the balcony, her legs dangling precariously over the edge, drinking a cup of tea. She was wearing a pair of his black trousers, presumably charmed so that they now fit her, and one of his shirts that she had shrunk and changed to a deep plum colour. He noted that, although she had shrunk the clothes, she had not altered their cut. He was loath to admit it, but they looked great on her.
"How come my clothes suit you as well as they do me?" he asked, slipping his arms around her waist.
"Because you're just so effortlessly stylish." She replied with a smile, kissing his cheek. "And I can get away with anything."
"There must be one thing that you cannot get away with." He mused, stroking her neck and kissing it lightly.
"This." She said softly, taking his hand and kissing it. "This is the one thing for which I will never be forgiven."
"Only if found out."
"The day will come." She sighed. "The day will come and I will loose everything."
"And if I told you to go and never come near me again?"
"I would refuse."
"But if that means sacrificing your reputation?"
"I'm in too deep to go back now," she shook her head, touched that he didn't want to see her damaged by this, "I might as well see it through to the end."
"You are willing to do that?" he asked in disbelief, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Yes." She replied simply. "I might as well get the most out of you that I can." She added with a cheeky laugh.
"Speaking of which," he said mysteriously, covering her eyes with one hand and digging in his jacket pocket with the other, "I found this the other day and I though it might suit you." He placed something in her hand and uncovered her eyes once more. In her hand lay a necklace made up of three long strings of large, characteristically misshapen freshwater pearls that were all a pale grey colour.
"It's beautiful." She breathed, blushing slightly as she examined them in the light. "You have to stop doing this you know." She added as she slipped them round her neck.
"But I see no reason not to buy something that suits you."
"People will wonder whom you are buying for as you no longer have a wife." She reminded him with a raised eyebrow.
"I think people generally expect me to marry again." He shrugged. "Although I have my heir, I think people believe that I will eventually find a need for some kind of companionship."
"And what if I am photographed wearing what you have bought and it is seen by the person you bought it from?"
"Many of the pieces I have bought you have come from jewellers abroad." He explained. "I picked that up in Paris last week, from the same jeweller that made your birthday gift."
"Those necklaces were custom made?" she asked in a surprised tone.
"Of course. Such a rare colour of stone would not be made into a single set like that. I had to buy the stones raw and have them cut and then made into jewellery of my own specifications, it's not like I was going to just choose something off the shelf as a birthday present."
"Wow." She looked quite stunned at this information. "So why were you in Paris anyway?"
"I was picking up a new suit and a set of dress robes for Draco." He explained.
"I didn't know you had a tailor."
"Oh I have several," he shrugged, "one in London, one in Paris and one in Milan." He listed. "Each one has its own different style."
"So, what about this suit?" she asked, pulling at the material of the trousers. "Where is this one from?"
"That would be Milan." He told her. "Made by an extremely talented man by the name of Giuseppe Argorosso."
"Not bad."
"His family has been working for the Malfoy family for generations."
"I shall have to pay him a visit." She mused. "Anyway, what do you plan to do today, seeing as you have my undivided attention?"
"I thought I might show you the gardens." He shrugged, sipping his tea.
"I've seen them," she reminded him, "I've wandered through them loads of times."
"You haven't seen the rest of the gardens then." He rephrased. "They are a lot larger than this I assure you."
"So where's the rest, I've never seen any path?"
"You have not looked hard enough." He replied with a smirk.
"Ok, now I'm intrigued." She said with a sigh, turning around to face him. "Show me." Finishing her tea, she followed him through the house and out into the gardens.
"You'd better not be leading me on." She warned as he took her right to the edge of the gardens.
"I told you that you weren't looking hard enough." He reminded her, leading her to a patch of trees that the outer wall ran though, or so she had thought. He walked straight through them and, looking down, she could see the barely visible lines of a path. They continued walking as the trees started to thin out and he stopped as they cleared completely.
"Wow." She breathed, taking in the view. This section of the gardens was practically hidden by the way the moors dipped at this point so she had never discovered it. Below her were rolling acres of trees and large shrubs; creating secluded areas as well a large, open lawns. There appeared to be a small stream running through, ending at a small lake with a stone bridge that crossed to another part of the garden. The water was dotted with lilies that were not yet in bloom and a weeping willow hung over one end, its long, tendril-like branches skimming the water.
"I thought you might like it." He said with a smile.
"Why didn't you show me this before?" she asked with slight annoyance, following the curving path down to the bottom of the garden. The leaves on the trees had all begun to show and the garden was awash with various shades of green as well as reds, yellows and purples. Winding paths disappeared into the trees and she could well imagine spending an entire day here just getting lost.
"How big is it?" she asked as they reached the bottom.
"Well, the house is set on about four thousand acres of land, and this part of the garden is around three hundred acres."
"Wow." She said in a quiet voice.
"The house and the other part of the garden are on about two hundred acres." He continued to explain.
"So what is the rest?"
"The rest of the land is the moors and farmland around the house."
"You own a lot of Wiltshire then." She commented. "What about Stonehenge?" she asked curiously. "You're so close, is that on your land too?"
"It used to be, but I gifted that land to the Ministry to ensure its preservation."
"Dear me," she sighed, "aren't you the charitable one. No wonder the Ministry is so nice to you."
"Well, I must keep up my image as a stalwart member of society." He said with a smirk.
"Like I must pretend to despise you and everything that you stand for." She sighed. "Well, at least the second part is true." They walked in silence for a little while longer, until they were standing on the bridge.
"The Governors were quite amenable to your idea for some sort of event in the summer term." He told her, relaying the message that he said he had the day before.
"Good." She smiled, climbing up onto the stone balustrade and sitting with her legs dangling over the edge. "I'll just have to decide what to do." She was surprised when he sat down next to her but did not complain as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"You know, this is where I used to play when I was little." He told her. "In the winter you could skate on the lake and it was great for snowball fights. In summer, you could climb in the trees and swim."
"But then you had to grow up." She finished. "You had to behave with the sensibility that is expected of the Malfoy name."
"My childhood ended when I was eleven, when I went to Hogwarts."
"Let me guess, you had to be friends with the right people and dislike the right people too."
"Yes. Much was expected of me seeing I was the heir to the family name; I had to get the top marks and make my parents proud."
"And did you?" she asked.
"I think so." He shrugged. "I was Quidditch captain for a while; I played Chaser, like you do."
"I didn't know you even played."
"I haven't for a long time."
"So what else were you?"
"I was a prefect and then Head Boy."
"So you were quite like me then." She laughed. "Although I think I got a slightly longer childhood. It ended when we were fourteen, for Harry and me," she explained, "when the Dark Lord returned."
"I can imagine." He nodded. "Not the most pleasant way to realise that you have to grow up very fast."
She stayed with him until mid-afternoon, knowing that if she was gone any longer her absence would be suspicious. They shared dinner after they were forced indoors by the rain and then spent an hour or so entwined on one of the sofas in the library as he read to her. She barely noticed the slight movements of his hands as he unbuttoned her shirt. Silently, he set the book down as her hands returned the favour. She softly kissed her way up his chest as his hands removed what was left of her clothes. She stopped him as he made to change position and instead knelt poised over him as her teeth pulled lightly at his bottom lip.
"Minx." He muttered as she lowered herself down into his lap and rocked slowly back and forwards. Nothing more was said as she slowly tormented him, making him gasp. He let his hand drift downwards and elicited a cry from her too.
"Do you have to go?" he asked as she got dressed again.
"Oh, you'll see me at Easter, don't fret!" she laughed, throwing him his shirt. "It's not that long." he watched as she summoned her green dress and jewellery from his suite and folded them into a neat pile. "What's more important is how I am to get all this home. Opening a drawer in one of the cabinets, she pulled out a sheaf of parchment and, with a few flicks of her wand, had transformed it into a bag. She put everything into it, putting her shoes on and removing the string of pearls from her neck. Buttoning up his shirt, he followed her downstairs as she pulled on her long coat and slung the bag over her shoulder.
"Well, you're welcome to come and stay over Easter as Draco is remaining at Hogwarts." He told her, tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear.
"I'll be here, somehow." She smiled.
"I don't doubt that, just be careful."
"Am I ever not?" she asked with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Not replying, he kissed her for a long time, trying to hold onto her for as long as possible. With a final smile, she readjusted her bag and then disapparated with a pop.