The flat is tiny, just one room with a small kitchen and loo that's located in the residential area of Knockturn Alley. Hermione has no idea who owns it or if anyone lives there. All she knows is that it is always empty Thursdays at eight. That’s the time they meet every week and have done so for more months than she cares to admit. She no longer really thinks about how it all began and tries not to analyze why she feels the need to meet him. There’s no point, after all, so why waste the time when it wouldn’t change anything?

She tried to stop, at first, and denied that she enjoyed what they did after an unexpected meeting in a dark pub where they both had hoped to just get lost for awhile. He never said anything after, just arched a pale brow while she muttered that it wouldn’t happen again as she got dressed. Before he left, he’d simply said ‘Same time next week’. She hadn’t intended to go, of course. She had no interest in exploring this part of herself, especially when it frightened her in a way, and she certainly had no interest in meeting him again. Her friends would put her into St. Mungos if they knew what she had done and with Lucius Malfoy, of all people, and they’d hate her if they knew that she’d enjoyed it and wanted more.

Despite her best intentions, the following Thursday at eight o’clock found her entering the seedy flat and leaving her inhibitions at the door. In the months since, she has resolved herself to the fact that she has a twisted side that enjoys what they do in this flat. It’s kinky and wicked, especially considering the fact that she’s willingly meeting a former Death Eater over twice her age who can‘t even stand her any other day of the week, but she’s not ashamed of it.

She reads books, Muggle texts about sexuality and psychology, and tries to understand what drives her to submit in this way to a man that she doesn’t even like, but she doesn’t quite fit into any of the molds, so she still has no definite answers. She just knows that once a week, she becomes someone who can let go of everything and simply enjoy the sensations and the pleasure without the stress and responsibility of her daily life weighing her down.

Malfoy’s reasons are a mystery to her. At first, she thought he had ulterior motives that had nothing to do with mutual satisfaction since she couldn’t logically explain why he’d lower himself to be with someone of her bloodline. It’s been months, though, and he’s not done anything suspicious at all, which intrigues her when she actually allows herself to analyze things. Regardless, she still has no idea what his motives are, but he seems to need these meetings just like she does. Anything beyond that isn’t really important.

It’s not as if this is anything personal or intimate in a more than sharing their bodies sort of way. They don’t engage in meaningful conversation nor do they share private details of their lives. This is about sex, about release and control and escape, and they’re both very clear about that. When they do converse, which tends to just be during periods of rest during their evenings together, it’s usually about history and politics, two topics that never fail to incite a debate, which often leads to the next round of physical activity. Fortunately, they usually focus on the purpose of their meeting or superficial topics instead of bringing other things into their twisted relationship.

It has been a long week at work with several twelve hour days and a project that is consuming all of her time. Her body is tense, and she has been anticipating tonight for days. The flat is empty when she arrives, but she’s ten minutes early. He’ll be there soon, she knows, as they’re never late for these meetings. Instead of undressing, since she knows he prefers to watch her do so if he doesn’t just undress her himself, she rubs the back of her neck and tries to ease away some of the frustration from the past few days. The anticipation of their meeting helps a lot, and soon she‘s ready to just let go and surrender to him once again.

She loves her job, enjoys making a difference in the community, and has no regrets about focusing on her professional life instead of her private. She doesn’t want a boyfriend because she knows that very few men would ever appreciate being second to a bunch of magical creatures and long hours at the office. She’s only twenty eight and sees no need to complicate her life with a serious relationship anytime soon, if ever. Why should she? She has Malfoy to satisfy any particular urges that she can’t manage to fulfill on her own, so there’s no reason to worry about relationships and the future. For now, she’s quite happy with work, friends, and Thursday nights at eight.

End