QLFC Round 2
Beater 2: Write about a character that goes overboard to satiate their exquisite tastes.
Optional Prompts: 3. (word) blazing, 6. (color) crimson, 15. (word) passion
Word Count: 2,086
the dark covers me (and i cannot run now)
then; 1972.
Lucius Malfoy did not fall in love. He did not go lusting after some sixth-year simply because her breasts were two sizes larger than those of the seventh-years. He had never even been remotely attracted to someone. He had dated a fellow Slytherin for about one year - Isadora Greengrass. He had seen it as a partnership, maybe a future pureblood wife to get into his father's good graces. At any rate, it turned out that she was more interested in money than joining the two families and receiving a respected husband, so the relationship had ended. Rumor had it that Isadora was now betrothed to a second cousin; strange family, the Greengrasses, but with the purest of blood.
No, Lucius Malfoy did not fall in love.
Not until Narcissa Black. He had noticed her before, of course, at family gatherings, where she was often in the company of her sister Bellatrix, but he had never really noticed her until now.
He sat in the Slytherin common room, under the pretex of doing some Potions homework, when really he was watching her.
She was bent over a pile of books and loose papers next to a boy so small he looked like he should be at home with his mother. She was clearly explaining something. How she had any empathy for the little brats, Lucius would never know. However, it was admirable.
"You're staring."
Lucius jerked his gaze away from Narcissa to see Bellatrix sidling into view.
"I'm not staring."
"I get it, my sister's pretty." Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Just don't act like a fool about it."
"I'm not interested."
"No you're not, that's why you're staring at her like an idiot." Lucius opened his mouth to protest, but Bellatrix changed topics swiftly, lowering her tone as she did so. "There's a meeting tonight. Same place, same time. Rodolphus asked me to pass it on to you."
"Very well."
Lucius returned his gaze to Narcissa, hoping her sister would get the idea and leave. But Bellatrix lingered.
"My sister would make a good wife," she said. "You two would be the perfect match."
"I'm not interested," Lucius repeated, lying through his teeth and hoping Bellatrix wouldn't notice. The black-haired girl only laughed, the laugh that always verged on sounding insane, and left in a flurry of robes.
Lucius dwelled on what she had said in the quiet that greeted him after his departure.
Maybe she was right. Narcissa was elegant, beautiful, had the same views as him on blood tolerance - and her family was part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the last truly pure-blood wizarding families.
Maybe it would do well to spend an evening with her. See what she was like privately.
Maybe it would lead to something. The marriage would do well, there was no doubt about that.
Maybe...
He was turned down.
Swiftly and without mercy.
She did not want to have anything to do with him. The way his relationship with Isadora had ended was clearly not a secret, albeit a misconcepted one.
"It was more of a partnership than a relationship," Lucius tried reasoning with her. "We didn't work well together, and we weren't going anywhere. A marriage that doesn't work could have sullied the Malfoy name."
"That's exactly my point," Narcissa told him. "A relationship is between two people who actually love each other. In a way, it's a partnership. But it's not in the sense that you were seeing it as. My answer is still no."
She left him amidst confused thoughts. He had never been said no to before. Anyone would take the chance to sleep with him, let alone go on a date, which could possibly lead to a relationship with him, Lucius Malfoy. He didn't understand it.
"I hate admitting you're right, but you are," he said to Bellatrix over breakfast one morning after being turned down for the second time. "I am interested in your sister. I asked her for a date twice. And she turned me down. Twice."
"What was her reasoning?" Bellatrix asked, reaching over him for a newspaper that lay in reach. He handed her the newspaper and she unfurled it while he answered.
"She thinks I just want it to be a partnership that leads to a marriage to make the Malfoy name look good."
"And do you?"
"No," he replied indignantly.
"It was worth the ask." Bellatrix shrugged and stood to go.
"Wait, what am I supposed to do?"
Lucius cringed as he fired the frantic question at her. He was pathetic. He had to get it together.
"Take her to dinner, in a beautiful place. I've heard Paris is nice. Escargot are wonderful."
"Paris?" he demanded. "I'm not made of money."
"Do you want her, or not?" Bellatrix snapped, and Lucius conceded. "Be romantic, be a gentleman. Show her you're serious," she went on. "That you want her, and not just her name on a wedding certificate. Bring some passion into play."
Lucius sat, deep in thoughts. That sounded like it would work. Maybe he could convince Narcissa of that. But wait…
"Wait," he said again, for Bellatrix had begun walking away again. He swung his long legs over the bench and hurried to catch up to her.
"What now? I need to get to class," she said.
"How am I going to get her to agree to go with me?" he asked as they exited the Great Hall. "She's already turned me down. Twice. There's no such thing as 'three's the lucky charm'."
Bellatrix turned and faced him, a gleam in her eyes that made even him uneasy.
"That's the difficult part. You have to really want this," she told him.
"I do," Lucius promised, and he did. He hated being so weak, and he never thought he would admit this, but he would do anything to get Narcissa with him. He had never felt so much emotion for another human being. "I do," he repeated.
"Do you want her enough to make a deal with the devil?"
She wore a crimson dress underneath a Muggle coat. The slit in the leg made Lucius's mouth go dry. Her black hair was curled over her shoulder. Lucius could just imagine showing up to a Death Eater meeting with her on his arm. She was the most perfect thing he had ever seen.
They met outside the school gates, and Lucius had to keep from staring as he offered her his arm.
"Where are we going?" Narcissa asked softly, accepting his arm and following his lead when he began walking down the spiraling path.
"It's a surprise until we get there," Lucius answered. "I hope you enjoy it."
He had arranged for a Portkey to be set up in the Hog's Head, so that was the direction they walked in, in a comfortable silence as they did so.
Lucius pushed the door open and let her enter first, nodding at the bartender who had caught his glance as the couple entered. At the exchange between the two men, the bartender reached under the bar and pulled out a slightly large, sparkling goblet. It was considerably cleaner than the mugs that drinks were normally served in.
"A Portkey?" Narcissa questioned, glancing first at the goblet and then at Lucius.
"Yes," he replied, placing a hand on the small of her back and guiding her over. "Thank you, Aberforth." He granted Dumbledore's brother another nod. "Ready, Narcissa?"
"Yes." It was her turn for short replies, and was it his imagination, or did her voice tremble slightly as she answered? No matter. He shook his head. And the two placed their hands on the grip of the goblet together.
"Paris," Narcissa said, a wondering look in her eyes as she turned slowly, taking in the sights around her. The Portkey had landed them in close view of the Eiffel Tower, and she fixed her gaze on that now.
"Paris," Lucius agreed, a small smile spreading onto his face as he watched her stare at the Eiffel Tower in awe. "Have you been here before?"
"No, but I always wanted to," Narcissa whispered, and Lucius's smile grew wider.
"So it was a good choice?"
"Oh, yes! Thank you!"
It was clear that Lucius had indeed made a good choice in choosing to take her to Paris, and as she accepted his arm and they began strolling along, he patted himself on the back for it, for she quickly became comfortable in his presence and he became even more enthralled with her as they walked and talked, topics ranging from anywhere.
They went to dinner at a five-star restaurant, the best of the best, something that wasn't cheap, but necessary in order to awe her even more.
It turned out Narcissa spoke fluent French, and after laughing at Lucius's attempts to order a bottle of wine, she took over and ordered for him.
"French sounds good coming from you," he told her. "It sounds very elegant."
Narcissa blushed and looked down at her lap, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Mother and Father insisted that we learn at least one foreign language, so Bella, Andromeda and I had a French governess since birth."
"It's very impressive."
Conversation slowed as the food arrived, but picked back up over wine, at which point Lucius set his glass down and suggest they move on to the hotel he had booked for them, which was equally as fancy (and expensive) as the restaurant.
Narcissa agreed willingly, and he suspected she was beginning to get tired, especially the way she leaned into him on the way up the stairs.
This idea was swiftly banished as he turned from shutting and locking the hotel door to see her standing there, having shed her dress.
"Narcissa…" His mouth went dry. He swallowed and spoke again. "I was going to offer you a second bed if you wanted it, but…"
"Come here," she said softly, a blazing look in her eyes.
He did as ordered.
She pushed him onto the bed and straddled him.
"Lucius."
"Narcissa."
She leaned down and kissed him.
now; 1980.
Lucius thought about the deal he had made with the devil now, sitting in a tall-backed armchair in Malfoy Manor, drink in his hand, watching his wife with their newborn in her arms in front of the fire. She was reading aloud from a newspaper while rocking Draco.
"Do you remember Paris?" he asked suddenly, interrupting her from her reading.
She looked up, smiling.
"How could I forget Paris?" she asked. "It was most romantic."
"Why don't we go back?" he suggested. "We can take Draco, or leave him with Bella. It doesn't have to be for long, just a day. Like last time."
"I wouldn't leave my son with Bella if you paid me a million Galleons," Narcissa laughed. "But you're right. We should go back."
All of a sudden there was a knock on the front door, which echoed through the large entrance hall into the living room.
"Should I get it?" Narcissa asked, already starting to get to her feet.
"No, my love. Stay." Lucius stood himself, placing his drink on a small table and moving over to his wife. She looked as beautiful as she had when they began dating, almost ten years ago. There was no sign of age on her face, and her eyes had never lost their sharpness. He pressed a gentle kiss to her head and turned to go to the door.
Life was good right now. He and his family were stable, and although the war was a pressing matter, the Malfoy name would always save him from any sort of persecution.
It wouldn't save him from this though.
He opened the door to see nothing but a black figure. Alarm bells went off in the back of his head, but he remained calm. He had known this would come to pass eventually.
"Lucius Malfoy," the devil croaked. He hid his face in a black cowl, like he had the day Lucius had traded his soul for an evening with Narcissa Black. "You know what I am here for."
Lucius nodded gravely and stepped outside, shutting the door behind him. The time had come.
He did not beg. He did not plead. He remained proud, stood tall.
And that look remained on his face when his wife, concerned about the length of time he had been gone, discovered his crumpled body on their front step.