"Bloody hell, Rookwood," Lucius yells at the boy. He holds onto his broom, angrily observing the quidditch play that he had spent hours working on fall to pieces before his eyes. "If you don't learn to fly straight, I will slit your throat. You're going to cost us the bloody game."
Rookwood mutters something Lucius assumed was a crude remark and Lucius shoots him a chilling glare.
"Let's go again," Lucius calls out to the team. "We will do this until it's perfect."
The team groaned, but they all got in position to run the play again. It was better the second time around, but it still needed perfection. Lucius knew he was a bit obsessed with perfection, but perfection got results. Under his leadership, he had turned the shoddy Slytherin quidditch team into the best of the school, and if they were going to win again this year, it would take Lucius's commitment to perfection.
"Again," Lucius calls out, ignoring the tired moans of his team. He'd keep them out all night if he had to.
After the fifteenth time through the play, Rodolphus flies up to Lucius. He was covered in mud and looked exhausted. "Look, Malfoy, if you keep pushing everyone like this, you're going to kill a few of the younger ones. We can work on this play again tomorrow. Let them go get some sleep. Or do some bloody homework, for Christ's sake. If Rookwood doesn't get his Transfiguration scores up, he'll be kicked from the team and we'll be short a player. Don't be short sighted here."
Lucius mutters, annoyed that the play wasn't quite perfect yet, but nods. "Fine. We'll go again tomorrow." He didn't listen to the advice of many people, but Rodolphus could be trusted. He saw the bigger picture of things that Lucius often lost sight of. "Get some sleep," he calls out to the team, waving his hand in dismissal. "But we will work tomorrow until this is perfect, however long that takes. I won't let us lose to a bunch of pathetic Gryffindors."
The quidditch team was too tired to put up much complaint and they all started towards the locker room before Lucius changed his mind.
Rodolphus lets out a breath of relief and lands his broom next to Lucius. "You'd be a hell of a dictator," he notes.
"They're slacking," Lucius snaps back. "We could have had this down hours ago if Cragge and Rookwood weren't idiots."
Rodolphus snorts. "C'mon," he says. "Let's go join the others. Merlin knows I need a bloody shower."
Lucius shakes his head. "I'm going for a walk. I've got to clear my head."
"Too much Circe on your mind?" Rodolphus prickles, grinning at the blonde boy.
Shooting daggers with his eyes at Rodolphus, Lucius shakes his head, taking off in the opposite direction of the locker room, towards the lake. "I'll see you later, Rods," he mutters. He doesn't listen as he hears Rodolphus laughing and joining up with his younger brother as they head inside.
Being back at Hogwarts was always satisfying and Lucius liked the feeling of power he felt as he walked through the halls, but there were times that he felt suffocated by the other students. They rarely challenged him, rarely rivaled him, and rarely made him feel anything other than distaste.
Of course, Circe was on his mind. Perhaps he should stop going to her. Truly, the only satisfaction he felt in his time with her was purely physical and he knew he was wasting his time. It was clear Circe was waiting for Lucius to change his mind, to come to some sort of illumination that she was the one for him, but that wouldn't happen. Circe bored him. To others, he was sure, she was a perfectly nice girl, but when they talked, Lucius was ready to hex himself to end the monotonous conversation.
Lucius walked along the edge of the lake, his mind clouded as he focused on his own thoughts. He knew he was nearing the edge of the Forbidden Forest and should probably head back, but just as he was about to turn around, he heard a small splash coming just behind the trees. Curiosity brought him forward. Some student had crossed into the Forest, and it was his duty as a prefect to see who it was. Lucius smiles as he uses this excuses to cross into the quiet forest. Here was a bit of interest and he wondered who dared enter the Forest just for some privacy.