Yes. I know this is late for a Valentines Day story, but suffice it to say, migraines tend to making writing really difficult. I really like the way this turned out! :) hehe
Written for the Valentines Day Prompt Challenge on the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges forum
Prompts: Lucius/Naricssa; Proposal, a ball at Hogwarts
I stood in front of the mirror in the 7th Year Girls Slytherin Dorms, smiling. Tonight was the first ever Hogwarts Valentines Day Ball, and I was ecstatic. Lucius Malfoy had asked me, and I hadn't really been surprised, we'd been dating since 5th year, and at this point were the longest lasting couple in the school. Two years. I felt so lucky, and I felt that I couldn't be happier as I spun around one more time in the deep burgundy, floor length dress robes that Bella had sent when I'd told her I'd been asked.
"I didn't know you'd been asked, Black," Harriett Nott sneered as she walked into the room, her dress robes made her look like she'd been attacked by a herd of hippogrifs, with the number of feathers sticking out of it.
"It should have been obvious, Harriett," my best friend, Jenna-Anne Bulstrode piped up from her bed, where she was pulling her shoes on. "Her and Lucius have only been dating for two years," the girl shrugged matter-of-factly. "He shouldn't have even had to ask her, it should have just been obvious,"
"Well, Lucius is a gentleman, so he asked me to be formal about it," I told them both, smiling.
"You call him a gentleman with hair as long as his is?" Harriett snickered and I glared at her.
"That's none of your business," I told her, my voice echoing the warning that was glistening in my eyes.
"Cissy, you just go down and meet Lucius," Jenna-Anne told me, also glaring at Harriett. "Someone is just jealous, because she's going with Rabastan Lestrange, the little 4th year,"
"Ew! Rabby? Rabby is my brother-in-law!" I shivered. "That's disgusting,"
"Really?" Harriett asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you didn't know that? Bella and Roddy got married barely a month after they graduated... it had been arranged during their sixth year," I shrugged, walking out the door and down the stairs to the Common Room before Harriett could say anything else. There were several couples sitting around snogging, and quite a few boys were standing around, waiting for their dates to join them.
Lucius Malfoy was easy to spot. He was tall, dark and handsome. His long blonde hair was tied back with a red silk ribbon that matched my robes perfectly. I smiled and walked over to him.
"Waiting for someone, are you?" I asked, causing him to jump a little before spinning around.
"Why, yes I am," he nodded, keeping a straight face. "You haven't seen her have you? She's the most beautiful girl in the entire school, with long blonde hair, blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and all in all she's just breathtaking,"
"Well, I can't say I have," I shrugged, with a small smile. "She's a Slytherin, isn't she?" I asked, with false thoughtfulness.
"That she is," Lucius confirmed. "Oh!" he gasped after a moment, and broke into a wide smile. "I've found her!" he announced.
"Really?" I asked, acting completely surprised as I scanned the room. "Where is she?"
"Right in front of me," he informed me and I turned back around to face him.
"Oh is she?"
He nodded, and stepped back to look me over. "And she really is breathtaking," he added moving closer again to kiss my lips quickly.
"Shall we get going?" I asked as we broke apart.
"Yes, let's," Lucius nodded, and held out his arm. I took it and the two of us made our way out of the Common Room, out of the dungeons and up to the Great Hall, where the dance was being held.
"Miss Black, Mr Malfoy, both of you are looking nice this evening," Professor Dumbledore greeted as we entered the room.
"Thank you Headmaster," Lucius nodded, smiling, but the smile was forced. Slytherins, in reality, detested Professor Dumbledore. Why? He favored the Gryffindor students, and Slytherins tended to come last in his opinion. I knew the feeling of needing something from him, and being completely disregarded because I wasn't one of his precious little Gryffindors. That was why we Slytherins tried our hardest to outdo the favored, pathetic children. We'd won House and Quidditch cup each year I'd been at Hogwarts.
Lucius led me to a table, and we sat down. "Hey! It's Lucy and Cissa!" Evan Rosier, a Slytherin first year (who also happened to be my cousin), boomed as he approached us.
"Who told you about the horrid nickname Bellatrix gave me?" Lucius demanded, looking immediately furious.
"W-what?" the kid blinked, looking confused at the anger. "I just came up with that on the spot!"
"Sure you did," Lucius rolled his eyes. "I know Bella tried to get everyone to call me Lucy,"
"Does it really matter?" I asked, sighing. "Just be warned not to call him that again, alright Evan?"
Evan looked sad. "Fine, Cissy," he nodded. I knew he wasn't afraid of me, but he was afraid of Bellatrix. Really, who wasn't afraid of Bellatrix at some point in their life?
"What are you even doing here?" Lucius asked him. "You're only eleven, do you have a date?"
"Erm, well... no. But I wanted to come, it sounded like more fun than studying," Evan grinned. "And Severus wanted to come too, so I'm not here alone. I just wanted to come say hello," he shrugged.
"Severus Snape, the depressed little half-blood kid who is always hanging around that Gryffindor mudblood, Evans girl?" Lucius clarified.
"Erm... yes," Evan nodded, shrugging. "Does it matter who he hangs around?"
"Yes," Lucius replied shortly, and took my hand. "May I have this dance, love?" he asked, a sweet smile playing across his lips.
"But of course, Mr. Malfoy," I nodded, smiling in response. "We'll see you later, Evan," I told the first year with a wink.
"Okay, Cissa," he smiled and waved. "See you later!"
"I can't remember being even near to that annoying when I was a first year," Lucius shook his head as we began to dance to the beat of the music. It wasn't a style I was familiar with, but I hadn't spent too much time studying dance styles when I'd been younger. I'd taken dance lessons, yes. I'd loved them! I just hadn't bothered to learn the more foreign dances.
"Well, Evan has a lot of energy, so that makes him annoying. He doesn't know when to stop," I shrugged, wondering why we were talking about him at all. Sure, we'd been talking to him just seconds ago, but did that mean that the conversation that followed had to be about him?
"I see," Lucius nodded. "Well, enough of that. I don't see how talking about annoying cousins is a very appropriate topic for a Valentines dance, do you?"
"No, I agree with you completely. Cousins aren't a good conversation topic." I chuckled. "What do you want to talk about that's more appropriate for a dance?" I asked.
"Let's see... the weather is most definitely not a good topic, school work isn't, I don't think you like Quidditch," he listed off those three quickly, immediately throwing the ideas out.
"Come now, Mr Malfoy, I'm sure a high-class wizard such as yourself can think of something to talk about," I prompted, with a wide smile, and he switched our position to the traditional waltz form as the song changed to a much slower waltz.
"Well to be honest, Miss Black, I think, now that more couples are arriving, we might want to secure our table. You know, make sure that none of those idiot Gryffindors take it, and get some refreshments. How does that sound?"
"I think it sounds like a nice idea," I nodded. "The Gryffindors are very presumptious. They'll think just because no-one is sitting at a table, that it's empty,"
"Exactly," Lucius agreed, and the two of us walked to the edge of the dance floor, and back over to the table we'd been at earlier. "I'll be right back," he told me with a wink and a smile as he set out to get refreshments.
"Okay," I told him, smiling back at him.
"Hey! Look here! It's little Cissy Black!" an oh-so-familiar voice exclaimed cheerfully.
"You're one to talk, Siri... you're a first year! I'm a Seventh Year, and you're calling me little?" I rolled my eyes as the first, and hopefully last, Black family member who had ever been in Gryffindor as he sat across the table with his best friend, James Potter, who was also pureblood.
"Well, you are the youngest of Aunt Druella's daughters, doesn't that make you littlest?" Sirius challenged, grinning from ear to ear.
"You're really pushing it, Siri, you know that right?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Who're you here with, Narcissa?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Lucius," I answered, "not that it's any of your business, anyway,"
"Ew! He looks like a girl!" James scowled. "Have you seen how long his hair is?"
"About as long as Sirius's," Lucius drawled, sitting back down at the table, placing a glass of punch in front of me. "But his hair is curly, so it's not easy to tell,"
I laughed. "He has a point, Siri... your hair is really long,"
"Uh huh," Sirius rolled his eyes.
"Who invited you two to sit with us, anyway?" Lucius asked, dryly. "I'm sure Narcissa didn't,"
"We don't need an invitation," James shrugged. "Who ever said this was your table?"
"I did," Lucius replied, his voice remaining monotonous and bored.
"Does the table have your name on it?" the boy asked, looking smug.
"It most definitely does not, my good friend James," Sirius grinned. "But I'm sure Lucius won't hesitate to hex you if we don't move,"
"I'm sure he won't," Lucius confirmed, his wand on the table already.
"Fine... we'll leave you two boring Slytherins alone," Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes dramatically as he doged off into the crowd with James following him.
"I don't think you're boring," I grinned, looking at Lucius.
"And I don't think you are either," he laughed. "But apparently all of your male cousins have a knack for annoying us while we're in the middle of a date,"
"Apparently, but boys tend to be that way, espeically eleven year old boys," I nodded, brushing a stray blonde curl out of my face as I wondered idly where this conversation was going, as it didn't seem like it was going anywhere. There seemed to be moments like this more and more frequently throughout our relationship and I didn't understand it.
We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Although, I was well known for being overdramatic, so I knew it was going to have been closer to five minutes of silence. Nonetheless, it bothered me.
"Narcissa?" Lucius asked finally, breaking the silence.
I looked over at him. "Yes?"
"Well, I'm sorry I've been so quiet," he started. "I've been thinking, and I've finally come to a decision about something,"
I nodded, urging him to continue. I easily kept my face neutral, even though, bit by bit I was beginning to panic. Was he breaking up with me?
"Okay, well, I'm not sure exactly how to say this... so I'll do my best," he smiled, and something in his eyes told me that everything would be fine, I was simply overreacting.
Then it happened. He slid off his chair, and onto one knee, producing a ring box from the inner pocket of his robes. I couldn't help the smile that insisted on spreading across my lips as soon as I comprehended what was happening. I barely noticed that everything had literally stopped around us, and all eyes were focused on our table. I wouldn't have cared if I had taken more notice to it.
"I realize that times of war are bound to affect everyone, I realize that even for the most wealthy pure-blood familes that times will be difficult, and to be honest, I realize that I don't care." Lucius began, his voice penetrating the otherwise silent room. "I've heard that marrying your best friend is the most wonderful thing that could happen to anyone, and I'd love to be one to experience such a feeling. Narcissa Black, will you marry me?"
I stared at him, the same goofy smile on my face as tears began sliding down my cheeks. I didn't care, for once, if my makeup was completely ruined by the salty drops of water that simply refused to stop flowing.
"Ooooh! Are you gonna say yes, Cissy?" Sirius called through the crowd, before bursting into laughter. And I didn't care.
"Shut it, Gryffindor!" Jamison Avery, a Slytherin boy in my year hissed at him, angrily.
I disregarded all of them, and continued smiling at Lucius. "Yes! Of course yes!" I laughed, and he stood up, pulling me into a long, tight hug before pulling away and sliding the ring onto my finger.
"I love you," he smiled before kissing me gently on the lips.
I couldn't have been happier.