A/N - This piece takes place before Draco's second year at Hogwarts, and it's the first one to feature a glimpse of Hermione.

First Crush.

"Maybe we should do this when you're feeling better," Lucius said to his wife, who was tucked up in bed with a sickness bug.

"Draco goes back to school in just over a week," Narcissa pointed out. "He needs to go and get his school supplies. I'm sure the pair of you can manage to get everything on his list."

Lucius frowned, wanting to argue with his wife, but knowing it would do him no good. The trip to get Draco's school things had been arranged for weeks, and it was just bad timing that Narcissa wasn't well enough to join them on their trip to Diagon Alley. Normally, Lucius wouldn't have complained, but shopping for school things was pretty boring and he knew it was a strong possibility that together he and Draco would get distracted and forget something on the list. However, if Narcissa was there, nothing would be forgotten about as his wife would keep tight control of things.

"What if we forget something?" Lucius asked.

"Then you'll have to make a second trip," Narcissa replied. "Honestly Lucius, I'm fairly sure the pair of you can manage to follow a simple list. Just don't get too distracted by broomsticks and such."

"You mean, ignore the good stuff," Lucius said with a smirk.

"You don't have to ignore it, just don't let it distract you," Narcissa replied. "Remember you're going to Diagon Alley to buy Draco's books and things, not to buy him a new broomstick."

"That can be an added extra," Lucius said. "Maybe with a new broomstick, he can make the quidditch team this year. It would be quite nice for him to follow in my footsteps and one day captain the quidditch team."

"Just don't pressure him, Lucius," Narcissa warned. "If he makes the team and ends up captain one day, then great, but if he doesn't, it doesn't matter."

"Don't worry, there'll be no pressure from me," Lucius promised as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to his wife's forehead. "We'll be off then. You get some rest."

"Will do," Narcissa mumbled as she snuggled back down in bed and closed her eyes.

Lucius looked down at his wife with a smile on his face, before heading off to find his son. He found Draco in his room, already dressed and ready to go. He quickly explained it would just be the two of them, and checking that Draco had the list of supplies he needed, he apparated them both to Diagon Alley.

"Let's get the boring bits over with first," Lucius suggested as Draco's eyes immediately wandered over to the quidditch shop. "Do you need new robes?"

"Yes," Draco replied with a grimace. He hated getting fitted for robes, as it was dull and tedious, and involved a lot of standing around.

"Let's go and get them fitted first," Lucius said, placing his hand on Draco's back and guiding him towards Madam Malkin's.

Fortunately there wasn't a queue in the robe shop, and Draco got measured for his new robes fairly quickly. After ordering Draco's robes, which they would pick up at the end of their trip, the two Malfoy wizards left the shop and headed towards the apothecary. At least it was interesting grabbing the ingredients Draco would need for upcoming potions lessons. Then came a trip to stock up on parchment, quills and ink, followed by a trip to the pet shop for Draco to grab a few treats for his owl, Artemis.

"I think books next," Lucius said.

"It's a fairly long list this year," Draco remarked as they made their way over to Flourish and Blotts. "I'm sure we didn't have this many books last year."

"The list will only get longer each year," Lucius warned his son. "They ease you in a bit in first year, but this is where the real hard work starts, Draco."

"I worked hard last year," Draco protested with a pout.

"I know you did, and your mother and I were very pleased with your results," Lucius said, patting Draco on the shoulder. "I'm just saying that each year will require more hard work. We wouldn't want you to start slacking."

"I won't," Draco promised, pulling his list of books from his pocket and handing it to his father.

Lucius scoured the list, and after quickly picking up a few of the books, they headed up to the top floor of the bookshop to continue their shopping. Leaving Draco to find the book he needed for Transfiguration, Lucius headed to the Potions section. Grabbing the books he needed, he made his way back to Draco, to find his son standing at the balcony that overlooked the main body of the shop, very focused on something down below.

Wondering what had captured his son's attention, Lucius moved close enough so that he could also see down to the ground floor. Initially he wasn't sure what Draco was looking at, as all he could see were general shoppers, but as he followed the direction Draco was looking in, he spotted a girl about Draco's age. She had fairly wild, bushy brunette hair, and she seemed absorbed in looking at books about various myths and legends. As Lucius watched she was approached by a redheaded boy who couldn't be anyone other than a Weasley, and a dark haired boy he was fairly sure was Harry Potter. When Lucius looked over at Draco, he found his son's face had transformed into a scowl.

"Problem?" Lucius asked, making his presence known.

"No, I've got my books," Draco answered, holding up the couple of volumes he'd picked up.

"Are they friends of yours down there?" Lucius asked casually, even though he knew they weren't. Draco had said enough for him to know that last year the Potter boy had spurned his offer of friendship, due to the fact he'd already befriended the Weasley boy and clearly Arthur Weasley had passed it onto his children that the Malfoys were bad news.

"Hell no," Draco snorted. "That's Potter and Weasley. I can't stand the idiots."

"And the girl?" Lucius questioned.

"Granger," Draco replied, and Lucius noticed there was less bite in his voice.

"What's she like?" Lucius asked.

"A bit annoying," Draco answered with a shrug, as if he'd never given much thought to what she was like. "She's very clever, but annoying. Plus she's got terrible taste in friends."

"Clever. So she's the top student in your year." Leaning over the railing slightly, Lucius looked down at the girl with more interest. He knew a girl was getting better marks than Draco, something which his son found extremely frustrating, but like Narcissa he was of the opinion that it was good for Draco to have someone challenge him for a change.

"Yes, Granger's the class swot," Draco snapped.

"She's a very pretty girl," Lucius remarked casually.

"No she isn't," Draco protested quickly. "She has hair like a bird's nest."

Lucius smirked slightly at his son's childish insult, and the speed at which he'd denied that she was pretty. If Lucius wasn't very much mistaken, his twelve year old son was starting to notice girls. Of course he was still at the stage where he denied that he liked them, but all too soon he would accept his feelings and before Lucius knew where he was at, his son would be venturing into the world of dating.

"Can we go now?" Draco asked, clearly wanting to get his father away from the subject of girls.

"If we've got everything," Lucius replied, double checking they had indeed got all the books on Draco's list.

Satisfied they had everything, Lucius and Draco headed back downstairs. As they were halfway down the stairs, the Granger girl passed by the bottom of the stairs, and Lucius chuckled to himself as Draco froze when he spotted her, his grey eyes following her until she'd vanished from sight. Not wanting to say anything to embarrass his son, Lucius just carried on as though nothing had happened and once they'd paid for their books, they left the bookshop.

"Shall we go and visit the quidditch shop?" Lucius asked. "I was thinking a new broom could be the perfect way to start your new year at Hogwarts."

"Cool," Draco gushed, his face breaking into a wide grin.

Lucius was slightly more restrained than his son, and he merely lifted the corner of his lips as he followed Draco over to the quidditch store. In the end, Lucius bought Draco a new broom as well as new gloves, a couple of new jerseys and a broomstick cleaning kit.

"Your mother will kill me for spoiling you," Lucius moaned as they exited the quidditch shop.

"You can talk her round, you always can," Draco replied with an unconcerned shrug. He knew his father was quite the charmer, and he'd seen him talk his way out of trouble with his mother on several occasions.

"Even so, let's go home before we get ourselves into any more trouble," Lucius said, steering Draco to the apparition point.

Just as they were preparing to leave, Lucius spotted the girl from the bookshop emerging from the apothecary. Draco had obviously also seen her as his eyes followed her as she strolled along the street and entered the robe shop with the Potter boy.

"Robes," Lucius announced with a snap of his fingers. "We haven't gone and picked them up. Be a good boy Draco, and go and get them."

"You're not coming with me?" Draco asked.

"No, I'll just wait here," Lucius replied. "Go on, you're more than capable of picking up some robes."

Draco threw his father an unimpressed glare, before he skulked across the street and entered the robe shop. Lucius was tempted to follow him and spy through the window to see if his son had the guts to speak to the Granger girl, but he didn't want Draco to catch him and to be embarrassed, so he remained where he was. After a few minutes, Draco emerged from the robe shop, his new robes slung over his arm in protective bags.

"Are you ready?" Lucius asked.

"All done," Draco replied with a nod.

Taking hold of Draco's arm, Lucius double checked they had all the shopping before apparating them back to the manor. Leaving Draco to take his shopping to his room to sort, Lucius immediately headed off to check on Narcissa. He half expected to find his wife sleeping, but she was sitting propped up in bed, a book lying on the bed beside her as though she'd been reading.

"Did you manage?" Narcissa asked her husband as he gave her a kiss and sat down next to her.

"We did," Lucius confirmed. "We have everything on Draco's list."

"And how many extra quidditch bits do you have?" Narcissa asked.

"Not too many," Lucius answered, avoiding telling his wife just how much he'd bought in the quidditch shop.

"Hmm," Narcissa mumbled non-committedly. She might have been laid up, but she wouldn't be forever and it wouldn't take her long to work out just how much new stuff her son now had. "So the trip was a success?"

"It was," Lucius replied with a nod. "We had a good time, and I even discovered that our son has his first crush."

"Crush?" Narcissa frowned. "But he's twelve. He's too young for girls."

"He's still in the denying stage," Lucius confided with a low chuckle. "But he liked her, I could tell."

"Who is this girl?" Narcissa asked.

"The Granger girl, I can't recall her first name," Lucius answered. "You know the little Gryffindor that's beating him in school."

"Ooh, he won't like that," Narcissa said with a small laugh. "No wonder he's denying it. It seems like out little boy is growing up."

"He is," Lucius said with a sigh. "It's strange isn't it? I'm so proud of him, and I can't wait to see what sort of man he becomes, but it's sad that he's no longer a child."

"It's definitely bittersweet," Narcissa agreed. "But it doesn't matter how old he gets, Draco will always be my little boy."