"We need the two to design the First Annual Halloween Ball. If this goes well, we may have a ball on Halloween from now on," said Professor McGonagall wearily, looking as though she was desperately praying that Hogwarts would never hold a dance ever again.
Lucius and Narcissa nodded together. Lucius looked over at the girl lazily. In the dark, sterile office, Narcissa's bright blonde hair and slick silver eye shadow clashed like a unicorn living in a swamp. Her dark azure eyes flicked over in his direction and he smirked, enjoying the curl of her lips when she saw him, knowing that it wouldn't last. No one could resist the Malfoy Charm.
McGonagall picked up a stack of papers on her wooden desk and handed them to Narcissa. "Please look over those rules regarding the decorations allowed and available for the dance tonight and you and Mr. Malfoy can hand in your completed idea on Monday. What with the Hogsmeade weekend starting tomorrow, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to design a stunning ball." Her dark brown eyes flashed over to Lucius. "Mr. Malfoy, I would like to speak to you once Miss Black has left."
Lucius winked at Narcissa as she rose, playing absentmindedly with the engagement ring that dangled on her long silver necklace. "I'll be right out," he reassured her with a smirk.
She scowled at him and strode out, back ramrod straight and heels clicked vociferously on the stone. Lucius nearly laughed; 'Resistence is futile' to quote those pathetic Muggles, he thought.
The moment his fiancé had stepped over the threshold, Lucius turned in his chair to face the professor and raised a slim blonde eyebrow lazily, managing to look utterly bored, but respectful at the same time.
"As Head Boy, you are supposed to be a role for the other students. A boy who gets a detention for hexing a younger student is not who I want the students to look up to."
Lucius shrugged and drummed his fingers on the chair. "Younger students," he draweled, "shouldn't laugh at their Head Boys."
"And exactly why was Mr. Pettigrew laughing?" asked McGonagall, sitting down at her desk, placing her head in her hands and massaging her temples.
"Who knows?" lied Lucius smoothly. In fact, he did know why, but he wasn't going to be telling the Transfiguration teacher that. Pettigrew had been laughing at a particularly sharp comment made by the lovely Miss Black. The disrespectful little rat.
"Well, next time, express yourself through words, not curses. Especially one like the Stinging Hex," she said, rising and opening the door for him.
He hooded his eyelids as he passed her and looked down on the shorter professor. "Goodbye, Professor," he said courteously. He loved seeing the annoyed look on the professors' faces when he was respectful, but condescending at the same, for no teacher could think of a reason to punish him. The door clicked shut quickly behind him as he strode carelessly towards the Head dorms.
The walls that lined the corridors were covered in various portraits. In his own mansion, portraits were limited, due to their noisy habits, but the thousands of pictures in Hogwarts gave it some of its character.
Though he wished every night and day that Dumbledore would go ahead and croak, Hogwarts had the potential to be a nice home-away-from-home. He glowered as he passed a couple of fourth-year Ravenclaw mudbloods. It would be a nice home if they had an exterminator clean out the school of all the filth.
Lucius heard her before he saw her; her curses were echoing around the stone halls so loudly that Lucius felt disappointed that he had never succeeded in invoking this much anger in her. He reassured himself by saying that her shouts were normally toned down by the close walls, and never allowed to ring freely in empty corridors as they were now. When he entered the corridor, he saw the blonde swearing loudly at the guardian portrait.
"Such language," drawled Lucius as he neared. She whirled around, looking as though she'd been attempting to pull out her hair by the way platinum blonde strands were hanging randomly over her abnormally flushed face.
"Make the bloody portrait open up!" she commanded.
"I don't like your tone, sugar," he said, leaning against the stone wall and placing a lock of his golden hair behind one ear. "Say please," he hinted with a smirk.
She turned to the portrait of the strict woman and shouted, "I'm bloody wearing the bloody ring, so will you bloody well let me in, you filthy mudblood of a portrait!"
The portrait looked at Lucius. "I saw your fiancé put on her ring when she was walking down the hall!" The woman glanced down at Narcissa. "And you'd do well to remember that good wives are seen and not heard."
That was the snapping point for Narcissa. She pulled out her wand and aimed at the portrait. "Open up or I swear to Merlin that I'll light you on fire."
The portrait raised an eyebrow and sniffed. "Even if I was scared, I'm not allowed to open unless someone gives the password!"
A blue flame erupted from the tip Narcissa's long, pale wand and she stood on tiptoe to wave it in front of the portrait's eyes. "You'll be nothing but bloody ashes when I'm done with you, portrait," she growled.
"No need to get violent," said the portrait, backing away a bit. "Well, since you do have the ring…" The portrait swung to reveal the door and Narcissa smirked over her shoulder at Lucius and went in.
The canvas closed over the door. "You know, you need to get her under control," said the portrait icily.
"You know, you need to get a backbone painted in," he sneered. "Now open up."
"Password?" she said with pursed lips.
"Narcissa, I can't believe you'll never think of this easy password; pureblood," he said.
The portrait laughed mockingly. "I told you not to get such a long password. Try again."
He took a deep steadying breath. "Narcissa, I can't believe you will never think of this easy password; pureblood. Now open up, you bloody portrait."
As the painting opened, the guardian said, "I don't know why you must abuse me so. I am, after all-" Lucius slammed the door, putting an end the annoying woman's complaints.
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