As the days went by Lily saw more and more of Lucius and a change swept over the 4th years at Hogwart's. Lily Evans was no longer someone to be ignored. People who before had just looked scathingly over her head began to stop and talk to her in the corridors. The charms club had never been more popular and no one dared call her names anymore. Lucius and his motley crew had a kind of dark glamour within the castle, an air or mystique. Lucius was now barely ever seen without Lily near him or on his arm. As she got to know him better, Lily liked him more and more, but she still compared his charms and manners to James' complete disregard for either.
"So are you going to the Quiditch match on Saturday," questioned Lucius lightly kissing the top of her head. They were nestled in an armchair in the Slytherin common room discussing the upcoming match. "I have to support Gryffindor you know," replied Lily absentmindedly turning her teacup into a toad. "
I know, but you will watch for me, won't you?" Lucius was playing as chaser for Slytherin, it was not his first game, but he still wanted Lily watching out for him, rather than James Potter. He had never felt this way about a girl before; he wanted to protect her and keep her by him constantly, away from James Potter. Lily denied it but he knew that she had feelings for James, the thought of which made him more than a little nervous. "Of course, I know you will score lots of goals. I'm sorry but I've got to go now, Snape wants to see me, he is helping me with potions." Lucius lifted his arms and Lily clambered out of the armchair, "I'll see you for dinner right?" he asked.
"I think so," Lily replied whilst leaning over to peck him on the cheek before she rushed off.
Meanwhile James had not been so lucky in love. Brooding did not become him, besides Sirius was wonderfully oblivious to how he felt about Lily and he couldn't tell him, not yet anyway. Remus seemed to have some idea of how he felt as a vague little knowing smile always crossed his face when he saw James staring off into the distance. And Peter, well Peter was spending most of his time in remedial potions and transfiguration. Rather than spend time moping, he devoted himself to Quiditch, ideas of winning the cup revolved around winning Lily back. Lucius was a nasty piece of work and Lily would find out sooner or later, but for now he was content to wait and prove himself to her.
James was not the only one trying to spilt up Hogwart's new golden couple. Narcissa Black was one of them. She was related to Sirius but they were poles apart and despised one another. At school they tended to disdainfully ignore each other, but once in a while they would have a fight and it generally got very ugly. Years ago her family had mentioned a possible blood match with the Malfoys and ever since she had thought of Lucius as her own and she had more efficient ways to break up a couple than James. "So where is dear Lily at the moment?" questioned Narcissa sliding into the seat Lily had vacated earlier. Lucius shifted in his seat to increase the distance between them. "She's with Snape, something to do with potions, he's helping her out," Lucius shrugged hoping to keep this conversation short.
"Oh" said Narcissa sounding surprised "are you sure that that is all they are doing? You know Severus, you can't trust a half blood" Narcissa added maliciously.
"What have you heard?" Asked Lucius quietly, hating himself for questioning Lily, but at the same time curious Snape had a dark side, he more than anyone else knew that. "Well," Narcissa leaned in, possibly to add dramatic emphasis thought Lucius "I heard that they were, getting very close in the potions lab, now I know that Snape likes her, I heard him talking about her to Notte."
"Yes, I'm interested, what did he say?"
"Just that, she was clever and pretty etc, I don't know, she's not really that pretty but, anyway he doesn't seem to think that she is that into you." Finished Narcissa with a smile "I've got to go, come to me if you need to talk, bye"
Lucius looked in disbelief at her retreating back; he had some serious thinking to do.
It wasn't often that Narcissa was right, but this time she had hit upon something. Snape did liked Lily, completely and desperately he always had. She was the only one who had talked to him as an equal and she shared his love of potion making. However Lily was completely oblivious of all the unwonted attention she was receiving. "Oh my god," she huffed, finally returning to the common room after a long day of charms, DADA, potions and Lucius. "How are you, it feels like I haven't seen you for ages" she asked Helen. "Well funny you should say that" replied Helen "because you haven't seen me at all, ever since you got with Lucius you've had no time for your friends!"
"Really, is it that bad?" Lily paused "I'm sorry, its just Lucius takes up so much time, he just likes to be with me."
"It's alright, I'd just like to see you once in a while"
"You will, do you want to go with the Quiditch match with me, we could make a whole day of it?" Asked Lily.
"Lucius won't mind"
"No! At least I don't think so."
They giggled as fellow conspirators
Over the few days, Lily had softened towards James, he hadn't tried to talk to her but went around wearing a hurt look on his face, and no matter what he said or hadn't said he was still her James, it was a definite struggle to think of Lucius rather than him. They had exchanged a few words in the corridor and he had made her laugh with his impression of himself falling off his broom, he had briefly touched her on her arm, a sort of reconciliatory gesture, and she still felt a tingle when she thought about it, which more often that she would have liked to admit. The day before the Quiditch match, temper were getting the best of people and fights broke out between Gryffindors and Slytherins, but this was all normal in the run up to a big match. The difference was Lucius Malfoy's absence from the violence or at least his appearance of peace, however his actions proved quite the opposite when Lily was not around to see. James bore the brunt of his temper, as Lucius had seen them in the corridor, and could feel that he was losing Lily. She had become distant and no longer kissed with the same passion.
"So what's Lucius really like?? You know is he really as bad as they say?" asked Helen when she and Lily were snuggled up in their dorm rooms the night before the match. "It's hard to say, he is so sweet to me, he sends me flowers almost every day, and he stops people being mean to me, some Slytherin girl in his year barged into me deliberately and hexed me so I couldn't stop falling over, well Lucius did something to her; she came and apologised!!!!"
"I don't know about him, I've heard some really dodgy rumours…"
"Go on," replied Lily curiously
"You know the bruises that James has been getting at the moment?"
"Yeah, he keeps practising beating with Sirius, only he's not too good at it," said Lily smiling. "No, that's not it, Lucius keeps jinxing him in the corridors"
"Don't be silly, why would he do that, he wouldn't jinx any of my friends!"
"What about Severus, haven't you wondered why you haven't seen him for a while?"
"What do you mean?" said Lily shrilly.
"Don't ask me, ask Lucius"