Hermione loved the library. And bookstores. And reading. She also loved curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee in said library or bookstore. In all honesty, she loved anything to do with books and reading despite being busy at work all week. When weekends came around, however, she would find herself roaming the Manor library for something new or something she'd read before but wanted to read again.

She would have loved to pop down to Diagon Alley and look through the bookstores down there, but she was always recognised within ten minutes and the rest of the trip was spent evading people who wanted to either interview her or get an autograph. After the third time in a row of enduring such a situation, she'd given up on Diagon Alley and made it her personal mission to read through the entire Malfoy Manor library before she died.

After four years of having unlimited access to the library, she'd only just finished reading through one of the twelve sections. She would have thought of that as an accomplishment, but it had been the smallest section there was and focused on the history of magic and magical creatures. That wasn't deterring her, though, because every Saturday morning, she could be found curled up in the window with a new book.

Draco knew exactly where to find Hermione whenever he needed her on Saturday, which made things both easier and harder. Easier because he didn't have to spend fifteen minutes wandering the Manor to find her, but harder because he found sleeping after she'd left for the library nearly impossible. However, this weekend he had an early brunch meeting with a possible client so he got up when Hermione did.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he climbed out of bed with her. "Go back to sleep, Draco."

"No, I've got things to do," he said.

She raised a brow at him as she threw her hair up into a mess on top of her head.

"I have a brunch meeting with Blaise and a possible client in just over an hour."

"Tell Blaise hello," Hermione said.

Draco nodded and promised he would but before she could slip out of the room to the library, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. She smiled as he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips.

"Good morning," he murmured, kissing her cheek.

"Good morning to you too."

They broke apart; Draco heading to the shower and Hermione to the library.

By the time Draco was ready for his meeting, he had five minutes before he was due at Blaise's to quickly run over their proposal and decided to poke his head into the library just to let Hermione know he was leaving. Just like he'd anticipated, she was curled in the window seat sipping a hot coffee he assumed Poppy had brought her.

"I'm heading out," he told her when she looked up. She nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "I'll be back in three hours at the latest, though I imagine it'll be closer to two."

"Alright."

She set her coffee on the window sill and reached a hand out to him. He smiled, stepping forward to grab her hand so she could pull him closer. As she tipped her head up, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. She frowned when he attempted to pull back with a smirk.

"Did you need something else, love?" he teased.

Her eyes narrowed at him and she tugged on his hand again, pulling him back down. He chuckled as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Good luck," she whispered, kissing his cheek as he pulled away.

He could feel her eyes on him as he walked back through the library. Before he walked through the doors and disappeared, he glanced back at her to see her reaching for her coffee and resuming her reading.

* * *

Draco considered his meeting a success. He and Blaise had hardly started pitching the idea to Gainsworth before he'd energetically offered them 20,000 galleons and signed on as a donor. The rest of brunch had gone well as he and Blaise explained their mission statement and explained what Gainsworth's money would go toward. Gainsworth himself hadn't seemed overly excited about the specific project he'd funded, but he did seem interested in what future projects Malfoy Industries' would take on.

"Thank you again, Mr. Gainsworth," Draco said, shaking his hand as the small group stood to leave.

Gainsworth smiled and nodded, letting them both know he was more than willing to consult on any and all future projects.

"We'll keep you in mind," Blaise promised as Gainsworth shook his hand.

After Draco took care of their bill, they all headed out.

As it was, Gainsworth had more business to do in town, so they parted at the front of the restaurant so he could continue on his way and Draco and Blaise could apparate back home.

They walked to the apparation point, talking between themselves about how they each thought the meeting went. Draco didn't feel particularly drawn to invite Gainsworth onto all of Malfoy Industries' future projects and Blaise seemed to feel the same way. However, they both thought it would be a good idea to keep him in mind for certain projects they felt confident he'd support.

"Any afternoon plans?" Blaise asked as they neared the apparation line.

"No," Draco hummed. "Hermione's still working her way through the Manor library, so theoretically I'm free until dinner."

"How far is she now?" Blaise asked, an amused smile making its way onto his face.

He'd been in the Manor library before and knew how expansive it was, but he'd never voiced doubt in Hermione's self-challenge.

"I believe she just finished the section on the history around magic and magical creatures," Draco replied with a smile.

He knew many of the ideas she'd come up with for Malfoy Industries had been inspired by her readings, but he wasn't terribly surprised. Most of the research for the beginnings of each project was done by her as by the time she'd presented the idea to the board, she'd read several books on the topic.

"What's she working on now?" Blaise asked.

Draco shrugged. He hadn't thought to ask before leaving the Manor.

"Well, wish her luck for me, will you?" Blaise said.

"Of course."

With a nod, Blaise pulled out his wand to apparate back to his house. Draco followed suit, appearing just outside the Manor as one of the wards he'd set went off.

* * *

Hermione was hungry. She'd realised this as she looked down at the sixteenth chapter of her book and her stomach growled. It was lunchtime, she mused, based on how light it was outside. She'd only had a scone and a cup of coffee for breakfast, so it was reasonable for her to be hungry hours later. Rather than call Poppy up to her, however, she decided to wander down to the kitchens and make her own lunch. While Poppy was a hired house-elf, Hermione still enjoyed doing some things the muggle way every now and then.

The kitchen was clean and empty when she arrived, but she didn't need to ask in order to find enough things to make a good sandwich. After she'd introduced Draco to the idea of a sandwich, he'd made sure they always had bread, meat, and cheese to make one. She was almost willing to bet he'd made sandwiches for lunch before, but she knew he'd never admit to such a thing. Seeing how little bread they had now, though, only enforced the idea.

A loud pop behind her made her jump and she turned to see Sissy, another house-elf they'd hired after the war.

"Hello, Sissy," Hermione said, smiling as she raised her sandwich to her mouth. "How are you?"

"Sissy is well, Miss," Sissy replied. "Is Miss hungry? Miss could have called Sissy to make Miss food."

"Oh, it's alright, Sissy," Hermione told her. "I wanted to make my own sandwich. Did you need something?"

"Master has returned and demanded lunch," Sissy replied, causing Hermione to frown.

Draco hadn't demanded anything of the elves for as long as she'd known him. Perhaps the brunch meeting hadn't gone well and he was in a sour mood. As Sissy started preparing an elaborate meal, however, Hermione was even further confused.

"Where is he, Sissy?"

Sissy informed her that he was in the west wing, so Hermione finished her sandwich and left the kitchen to go in search of Draco. If he was truly in a sour mood, she'd put her reading on hold. Draco, when upset, was not a fun person to be around.

As she wandered down the west wing, she tried to think where Draco would go while upset. Perhaps he'd seek her out in the library, but a quick investigation revealed the library was well and empty. She was on her way from the library to the drawing room when she saw him.

It wasn't Draco, Sissy had been talking about, but Lucius. The 'Master' Sissy and Poppy had known for years and the only one who would ever demand something from them.

She tried not to draw attention to herself, but her sharp intake of breath made him turn around. Even from down the hall, Lucius's eyes pierced into hers and pinned her in place. She couldn't look away despite wanting to run and hide somewhere far away.

There was no possible way Lucius Malfoy was actually standing in the Manor hallway. He was in Azkaban for life, so this had to be a terrible dream. Had she fallen asleep in the library? Or maybe she was hallucinating.

"Has Draco finally brought more useful pets into the Manor?" Lucius said, an amused sneer creeping onto his face as he spoke.

Hermione stood frozen in place as he glided down the hallway to stand right in front of her.

"What are—" Her mouth was too dry. Swallowing, she tried again. "What are you doing here?"

She'd tried to sound unafraid, but her voice was hardly more than a whisper. Her hands shook and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. Could Lucius hear it too? Probably. He could probably smell her fear as well and was thriving.

"This is my Manor," he reminded her. He took another few steps in her direction and she held her breath. He was within reach now and she couldn't find the courage to step away. "The question is: what are you doing here?"

Maybe he hadn't been getting the papers in Azkaban. Perhaps he didn't know she and Draco had gotten married. Either that or he was purposely ignoring that fact and trying to torment her.

How was she supposed to safely answer his question? Anything she said could anger him and she did not want to be on the receiving end of Lucius Malfoy's anger while alone in the Manor.

"I suppose Draco has finally decided he needed more uses for his servants than house-elves could provide."

Was she breathing? Her lungs were screaming at her, so she must not be. How did one breathe, though? Why couldn't she remember?

"Tell me, Mudblood, how often does he make you scream?" Lucius taunted, reaching out for her face.

She flinched hard at the movement as she remembered the last time she'd seen him, only his hand froze suddenly and his face darkened.

"Don't touch her."

She could suddenly breathe again, recognising the voice as Draco's. Air filled her lungs and she almost choked as the cold feeling filled her chest.

"Draco," Lucius mused, still frozen in place.

Hermione couldn't take her eyes off Lucius, but the reassurance that it was Draco behind her calmed her. She doubted one could ever be truly calm in the presence of Lucius Malfoy, but she was breathing now and that had to count for something.

"How did you get out?" Draco demanded.

Hermione felt long fingers wrap around her wrist and soon after, she was being pulled away from Lucius. Her eyes tore from Lucius's face and she looked up to see Draco fuming beside her. His hand was still tight around her wrist and she knew he didn't mean to hurt her, but his grip was tightening by the second.

She twisted her arm out of his hand and laced her fingers through his before he could panic.

"Oh, I suppose you haven't heard," Lucius said.

He clasped his hands in front of him and Draco tensed at the movement. Hermione wrapped her free hand around his arm, eliciting a glare from Lucius. Draco tried to subtly push her further behind him, but Hermione was certain Lucius had seen the movement.

"I'm on probation from Azkaban. Because of my good behavior, the Wizenmagot has seen fit to release me on several conditions. One of them being that I confine myself to the Manor and not leave."

Draco was shaking under her touch, but she knew it wasn't from fear. He was angry and Hermione wasn't even tempted to calm him down.  If there was ever a good reason to be angry, this was it.

"The Wizenmagot is mistaken if they think we would accept you into our home," Draco snarled.

Lucius's eyes narrowed.

"If I remember correctly," he replied, his voice low, "I am the man of Malfoy Manor and you have no control over who comes and goes."

"That may have been true years ago," Draco ceded, "but it is not true anymore."

How Lucius Malfoy had been released from Azkaban without the papers hearing of it, Hermione had no idea. She knew Draco had resources to move about the wizarding world without news of it making the papers, but she'd assumed Lucius would not. At the very least, the Wizenmagot should have known to inform the world a Death Eater had been released on probation. How come they hadn't at least told Draco or Narcissa?

"What are you and your Mudblood going to do about it?" Lucius sneered.

Draco's grip on her hand tightened and his wand snapped up to Lucius's face. He pointed it right at his father's forehead, but Lucius didn't flinch. The room crackled with magic energy and for a moment, Hermione worried Draco would harm Lucius. Despite how horrible his father had treated him over the years, Hermione was sure killing him would also kill a part of Draco.

"Don't call her that," Draco hissed.

Lucius sneered at him and no one moved. When Lucius unclasped his hands, Draco didn't even think before stupifying him.

As Lucius dropped to the ground, Hermione felt her entire body sag with relief despite herself. Draco sent another curse to immobilise his father until he lifted it himself. He was sure the stupify he'd sent at his father was strong enough to keep him unconscious for hours, but just in case he woke up unnoticed, the extra curse would keep him out of their way.

With his father no longer glaring at either of them, Draco turned around to face Hermione.

He pulled his hand out of hers and began to check her over desperately. She tried to catch his hands in hers as they flitted over her, touching her wrists, her shoulders, her face, and anywhere else he could reach. Finally, she managed to grab hold of his hands and stopped their desperate search over her.

"Draco, I'm okay," she said, urging him to believe her. His eyes were wide with worry and she could tell he was itching to keep running his hands over her.

"What did he do? What did he say?" he asked, pulling free of her grip and wrapping one arm around her waist. He pulled her as close to him as he possibly could and reached up with his other hand to cup her face.

"He didn't do anything," she answered, turning her head to kiss his palm. "He assumed I was a servant, but he didn't have time to do or say anything before you arrived."

Draco looked at her carefully, clearly trying to detect a lie. If he knew she wasn't telling him everything, he didn't say.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, drawing her to his chest and dropping his head onto her shoulder. Hermione hugged him tightly, trying not to look at Lucius's unconscious body on the ground.

"You couldn't have known," she told him.

Lucius had made sure the entire thing was private and she couldn't help but worry he'd done it to intentionally harm them both. Luckily for them, they had connections at the Ministry and Hermione was a war heroine, so the odds of getting Lucius put back in Azkaban were better than if they were normal wizards making the request.

"I'm going to make sure he's gone by tonight," Draco promised, pulling his head back to press soft kisses across her face. "I have a friend in the Wizenmagot. I'll make him recall the vote."

"Draco," Hermione interrupted, reaching up to cup his face gently. "We're friends with Harry Potter and I'm Hermione Granger. I'm sure he'll be gone by dinner."

Draco made a face and she looked at him curiously.

"It's Malfoy," he told her. Hermione was confused for a second before she rolled her eyes in realisation. "Not Granger; it's Malfoy now."

"Yes, well with that reasoning we should have this fixed by mid-afternoon," she teased.

They made sure Lucius was well stupefied and immobilised before taking the Floo to the Ministry and storming into the Wizenmagot to demand they take back Lucius's probation. Of course, the Wizenmagot was not fully in session and they had really just stormed Kingsley's office with the demand, but they got the attention they demanded.

"Remove him from our home now," Draco ordered without preamble.

Hermione had barely gotten through the door of Kingsley's office when Draco was ordering the Minister to heed his order and remove his father from the Manor that night.

"Mr. Malfoy, I know you are Miss Granger's husband," Kingsley said, clearly not used to Hermione's last name being Malfoy despite it being over four years now. "But you cannot demand things of the Ministry."

"With all due respect, Shacklebolt," Draco said tightly, "allowing Lucius Malfoy to appear in our home without warning is ridiculous and unacceptable."

Hermione grabbed Draco's hand and gently pulled him back. They may be friends with Kingsley and have close ties to others who worked in the Ministry, but it was rude to burst in and order someone around. Draco was fuming, though, and Hermione knew he wouldn't calm down until Kingsley removed Lucius from the Manor.

"Your father promised me he had informed you and received a proper invitation to stay," Kingsley said.

Before Draco could argue and make things worse, Hermione squeezed his hand and cut in to explain.

"Neither of us knew he'd been called in for a retrial," she said. She explained how he'd showed up to the Manor unaccompanied and uninvited. He'd demanded food from their house-elf and treated her like scum. "At the very least, you could have sent a letter asking us as friends if we approved."

"I do apologise for how things happened," Kingsley said. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione tugged on his hand to stop him. Kingsley was still speaking and interrupting him would do nothing good. "I will send Aurors to bring Mr. Malfoy to the Ministry until we can review his retrial with you both in attendance."

"You'll do it properly," Draco told him.

Hermione had no hope of reprimanding him as he made Kingsley swear they would invite witnesses and inform the whole public of the trial as their safety would also be at risk with Lucius's release.

"He was no longer my father the day he struck Hermione and he will not be given special treatment or privilege as if he is."

"I understand," Kingsley said kindly.

He sent a memo to the Auror department and when he dismissed Hermione and Draco, Lucius was already being levitated to the dungeons below. He was still unconscious and the Aurors ordered Draco to remove the immobilisation spell for when he did wake up. Grumbling, Draco did as they said before he and Hermione stepped into the Floo to return to the Manor. At least Kingsley had agreed to set the retrial review for that week and they were likely to get Lucius sent back to Azkaban. With the papers reporting on it and Harry testifying again, Lucius Malfoy didn't stand a chance.