It wasn't a particularly spectacular day as far as weather goes. It was cold and drizzly; typically mid-November and it kept most students inside. All except those who were running through the courtyard between charms and potions, grumbling and cursing when they attempted to dodge the downpour, only to stand in an unavoidable puddle. Thunder cracked through the sky, distilling the clouds it was covered by and lighting the grey against the castle turrets, flickering the lights in the Slytherin common room, candle flames wavering, casting shadows along the dungeon walls.
"Hope you're still out this afternoon Malfoy -", Lucius' attention was caught over his shoulder by a tall boy, short blonde hair, vivid dark eyes; Casper Aldrich. "- or do the prestigious not fly in the rain?", he threw himself down on the leather chair next to Lucius, playfully punching him in the upper arm.
"Trying to put on a challenge?", being close friends and being on the same Quidditch team generally meant they had banter between them. Usually sarcastic and harmless. Caspar smiled and raised an eyebrow, picking up the paper from the low table situated between the two chairs. It's surface glinted in the glow of the fire, lighting bright each time the thunder rumbled.
"Nothing interesting making the headlines, as per usual", he threw the paper back to where he'd found it and it slid along the dark wood, stopping before it could fall over the edge, the images clinging to their own individual boxes as they came to an abrupt halt.
"You've got a watcher..", Caspar nudged Lucius in the direction of the onlooker, his familiar teasing smirk playing on his face, mocking Lucius who frowned at him and looked past him towards the girl Caspar had nodded towards.
"Leave her alone Casp", the seriousness in his tone led him to ward off Caspar who, in turn, got up and moved over to the other side of the common room, joining the rest of the Quidditch team around a table, negotiating tactics.
He'd seen her a few times before when he'd started his second advanced year in September and she'd started her first advanced - he found it peculiar that he hadn't noticed her before. Lucius caught her eye and she turned away from him as she got up from the small table she'd been sat at, closely missing the people behind her and leaving the room. He'd vaguely tried to catch her attention now and again, maybe to give her a passing wink, maybe to give him the opportunity to go over and speak to her. Obviously he had some indication of who she was. A Black sister. He'd noted this when he'd seen her with that god-awful, what was her name, Bella-something? The girl who had strangely misplaced and spontaneous hair in the year above him, who liked to pick on the younger ones, her little sister included.
He sprung up from sitting, following towards the path she'd taken out of the common room into the corridor. Reaching the entrance, he focused his eyes to the far end of the long hallway, catching a blur of her; usually the way he always saw her. He followed towards her briskly, breaking into a gentle jog as he almost caught up with her. As he neared her she slowed and turned around to him, seemingly startled that she'd gained a stalker so to speak.
"Sorry, er-", he scattered around for something and he found himself somewhat lost, which wasn't usual for Lucius. Being a Malfoy, confidence came with the name. His mind failing him, he held out his hand for hers and she placed one against his.
"Lucius Malfoy. Sorry, I, I wasn't following you.. Well I was.. But-l", he held onto her hand a moment longer than intended and he felt her pull it away slightly. He realised she was quizzing him with her eyes; searching his for a potential answer. He noticed the books she held in folded arms and used them as a source for some sort of conversation starter.
"Are you off to study in the library?", he signalled towards the books with his hand, the other in his pocket; attempting to maintain his casual aura, perhaps to put her at ease. She nodded, holding the reading material closer to her chest.
"How about I come with you?", she looked wary, not sure how to take this sudden attention, his motives seeming darker to her than he probably intended them to be. She turned back towards the direction of the library and he followed her, levelling his walking pace with hers.
"So you're one of the Blacks, correct?", he knew but he just wanted to clarify, yet the long pause made him look at her again. She must've nodded in response because again, she didn't speak and continued to look ahead as they continued down the corridor.
He kept the questions to himself as they reached the library, turning into the darker surroundings, she led the way to the very back of the long room. She settled herself down at the furthest table, the one hidden by a large bookcase which threatened to teeter over from the weight it held in paper. Lucius sat down opposite her and watched as she opened a book and began reading. After a few minutes, she peered up through her lashes to find him still observing her.
"Is something interesting Mr Malfoy?", it was the first he'd heard from her. The first liquid words that escaped her lips.
"I could ask exactly the same of you, Miss Black... I regularly catch you looking in my direction", she instantly flushed gentle crimson and buried her head back into the words she'd been so focused on before, pulling the book up slightly further so that he was no longer visible in her peripheral vision.
"What're you reading?", he pulled the book towards him and she gently snatched it back, but he closed it and pushed it out of her way so she was forced to look at him.
"I think I asked you first?", she raised an eyebrow and continued to look at him. Her voice warmed him, melted into his ears.
"You.", her face changed to being puzzled, "...you asked me what was so interesting?", he explained his answer further and she broke the eye contact, her cheeks lightly flushing again as she searched the space around him to find something else to focus on, but she was brought back to him.
"You don't say much do you?", his accusation made her move her eyes to the side again so that she didn't have to look at him. She felt vulnerable, she didn't know him. She knew of him, everyone knew of him and everyone, or at least the girls, tried every trick in the book to get his attention. She'd succeeded simply by ignoring him, but now he was interrogating her. Questioning her as though he had any right, like he'd known her for years.
"Mr. Malfoy, I don't know what you want but, I really don't know you...", he caught a glimpse of what he perceived as fear in her eyes. Of course, they'd never spoken before and he'd followed her into the library to the darkest corner. It wasn't really the friendliest of places for a first conversation; it was more sinister if anything. As people started to leave the library, presumably for their next lesson, he made a more innocent offer.
"Let me walk you to your next class?", he began to stand so that she could make an easier decision; follow him or let him leave.
She gathered the books back up from the table and cautiously followed him, not sure if what she was doing was right; they'd exchanged only a few words, but it seemed the people who saw them walking together had more to say than they had done to each other and as they whispered, she caught the syllables of her name.
As they reached the classroom and people began to push past them in a hurry to be the first there, his paced slowed and she kept behind him slightly. As the people cleared into the classrooms, he turned to her so that she had her back against the wall, the books in her arms keeping a perimeter between them.
"I have open Quidditch training later, if you'd like to come along?", her continued silence suggested that he was perhaps being too forward and so he pulled back the offer slightly, "only if you want to..", he stepped back and it echoed gently in the corridor.
"I have to go..", she began to walk towards the classroom door, not really wanting to give him an answer, because really, she'd be more than happy sat in the common room watching the rain droplets race down the window panes. Her gaze snapped back to him as he held her arm and then let go.
"Sorry.. I'll look out for you.. Narcissa", he smiled playfully as he began to continue down the hallway, leaving her to go to Charms but she watched as he reached the end and turned the corner out of sight.
She trudged across the field, her scarf wrapped up around her neck, the green clashing against her contrasted hair. She nuzzled her face down into the knitted threads barricading her porcelain skin from the cutting wind. The Quidditch pitch grew bigger as she gained on it, the stands skeletal and bare, lacking any team colours.
She reached the entrance of one of the stands wondering to herself why she'd even come out here. She'd never had any previous interest in him and even though he had been rather out of order earlier with his quizzing and following, she suddenly found herself compelled by him. And like he'd pointed out, she'd found herself looking his way more than just a few times the past few weeks. She kicked herself inside; she'd never been one of the girls that had been falling at his feet or stumbling over herself every time he made an appearance, but something had recently drawn her in. Her heart nervously fluttered but she quickly controlled it as it sputtered down to a regular beat. She slowly walked along the far wooden beams of the stand which were hiding her from the direct view of the team and her eyes instantly sought him out amongst the clash of robes.
"Fancy seeing you here..", the familiar voice spun her around to see Caspar, leant against a wooden beam. His smile playing at the corners, his eyes bright, playful. The sudden break in the silence had caused her to take a step back, unfortunately landing her head into the path of beam; the bump radiated a pain around to her forehead as she tried to quickly forget about it.
"Oh, I was invited?.. By your friend.." she walked over to him and leant on the beam opposite him, relaxing slightly into the conversation, twisting her head gently to the side and back to as hopefully relieve herself of the headache.
"Who? Lucius?", he snorted gently, shaking his head slightly and dropping his gaze to the ground before looking at her again.
"Ah, typical Lucius, always going after the pretty ones..", she rolled her eyes at him as he summarised his friend. That's how she'd first heard about him, Lucius. Her's and Caspar's parents had known each other for years and naturally, they'd too become quite close friends. Caspar, being in Lucius' year at school (one ahead of Narcissa), had fondly told her about their Quidditch games whenever they happened to see each other.
"What do you mean?", her expression was puzzled, not quite sure what to make of what he'd just said. He'd never made any such comment before and she could 't understand why he would do so now simply because another boy had been brought into the conversation.
"Never mind", his smirk stayed clear on his face and they were interrupted.
"You came..", Lucius was walking towards them, eyes smouldering in her direction, blonde hair catching in the wind.
"I'll leave you two to it", Caspar playfully hit Lucius in the shoulder and he pulled Narcissa into the shelter of the stand just by using his very presence.
"Do you know him? Caspar, I mean", he turned to her as she was nodding. The headache had begun to subside and she could properly focus on what the conversation was.
"Our parents know each other..", he was quiet for a moment or two as he processed this. He felt a pang of jealousy, perhaps wishing he'd known her longer too. Caspar always seemed to get one ahead on him.
"Well, I best get pitch-side, don't want to keep him waiting; he's not one for patience is Caspar.. As you probably already know..", he turned away from her and began walking, leaving her feeling pushed back. Maybe he didn't want to know her now that Caspar was suddenly 'on-the-scene' so to speak, not that they'd ever been or ever would be romantically involved. The way he'd turned away from her almost confirmed her thoughts as he'd been hurried to get away, as though he'd suddenly lost all interest in her. She couldn't work out why she cared though, it's not like she was expecting him to suddenly want to know her; they'd only just met.
She took this as a sign to leave, knowing she shouldn't have braved the weather to come out to see him. But that was it, she had wanted to see him, even though she kept telling herself it was stupid. Something about him this afternoon had completely intrigued her and she found herself suddenly wanting to be in his company; to see what all the hype was about that surrounded him. But now she felt rejected by his earlier advances, if you could even call them that and so she resigned herself to returning to the castle alone.