Lucius waits through another lunch alone in the Clock Tower, waiting for Narcissa. Tuesday morning, he had sent her a message to meet him there, but she hadn't shown for lunch that day. He had sent her another message on Wednesday, but she had been absent again that meal as well. Thursday he had sent her three messages, just to make sure she got them (including an owl at breakfast which he had purposefully watched her receive), but she still hadn't shown. Now it was Friday and he had given up hope completely that she would come. He eats his food angrily. He rationalizes in his head that perhaps she couldn't get away, that her sister was keeping a close eye on her, but the rationalizations were running thin.

He hadn't been able to catch her alone in the hallway, either. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but it felt like she was avoiding him. But why? Lucius moans to himself. Their last meeting had gone so good. It was beyond good… She had been amazing. And the way they had moved together, talked together, kissed. Had he missed something? She had wanted him. He had been so bloody sure of that. Wanted to be with him.

He had been completely unable to focus on his homework all week. Not only that, but his concentration at practice had been wavering as well. His team depended on his instruction as team captain, and he had been worse than Rookwood this week. To be honest, he was nervous for the game tonight. It was against Ravenclaw, and maybe they weren't as much of a threat as Gryffindor, but he was far from fully focused today.

Lucius packs up his lunch with a grumble. He had brought extra just in case Narcissa showed, but it was just waste now. Maybe he'd still see her tonight, like she had promised, after the game. He couldn't help but hope for it. Things had been too good between them for her to just disappear without a word. He'd see her tonight. Of course he'd see her tonight. And she would dissipate all his fears, and the magic he had felt between them would return.

The day drags on for Lucius as he returns to his classes. He sits through them all, going through the motions, a deep scowl perpetually on his face. Rodolphus corners him before the start of the game, but Lucius shakes him off, going to get changed into his uniform.

"Hey," Rodolphus says sharply, leaning against his locker while Lucius changes. "What the hell is going on with you this week? You've been completely out of it for days."

"Nothing," Lucius replies sharply, a hint of a growl in his voice.

"No," Rodolphus replies firmly. "You've shirked me off all week, you don't get to tonight. Not when we've got the game in less than a half hour. I need to know you're not going to ruin this for us."

"I've carried this team all season," Lucius grumbles angrily. "So I've had one rough week. Give me a damn break."

"Is it Narcissa?" he asks. "Did something happen with her?" Lucius hesitates for a moment too long and Rodolphus jumps on it. "So it is Narcissa. What happened?"

Lucius sighs and sits down, pulling his uniform shirt on. "I don't know," he admits quietly. "Rods… I don't fucking know. Maybe nothing. I can't tell. God, man. We met up on Monday after class. And it was… Oh, god, Rods, it was amazing. She's amazing. And we connected. And it was physical, but it was so much more. I mean, she gets me, Rods, she gets me. She sees me in a way that no one else does, in the way I see myself, in who I actually am… And it ended good- I mean really good. We were discussing whether or not we should tell her sister about us, and, uh, well, take things further. We had plans to meet for lunch. Not definite plans since we didn't have a place to meet where Bella wouldn't happen upon us, but I found a place and sent her a message, but she didn't show. I didn't hear from her. I sent her more messages, an owl, I tried to find a moment to speak with her in the hall, but I could never pull her aside. I don't know if she just couldn't get away or if something else happened because I haven't heard a single word from her." Lucius lets out a long sigh, sinking his head into his hands. The words had come out in a jumble at first, but they felt heavy now. "I really like her. We've connected in a way I haven't before with anyone. I don't know what's happened or if I'm spiralling for nothing. And she means more to me than this game, so yeah, it's hard to concentrate right now. I just want to be with her." His whole body sinks even further, nearly collapsing.

"Wow," Rodolphus says, sitting down beside him. Lucius snorts, not looking up. "No, I mean. Well. This is a new look for you. It's going to take me a second to process." He pauses for a moment. "She was smiling the other day at breakfast, you know. About you. And I'm sure for most people, that wouldn't mean much, but Bella noticed. She noticed the change in Cissa's demeanor almost immediately. Nearly gave up your guys' game because she was so happy she couldn't hide it. So I don't think this is a one-sided thing, Lucius. I think she feels a connection, too."

Lucius keeps his head bowed, but his shoulders relax at his friend's words.

"I'm sure she's not avoiding you," Rodolphus continues, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just give her a chance to explain what's going on in her head, okay? Don't internalize it before you know the whole story. I'm sure everything's okay."

Lucius breathes out but nods. "Yeah. Okay."

"Now get your head out of your ass and win this game so that you can go talk to her, okay? Girls like athletes. If we lose, you're gonna look like a bloody asshole and then Narcissa's never going to want to be with you. Nor any other girl. Especially if you lose to a bunch of Ravenclaws. You'll look like a bloody git and then you'll be alone forever."

"You're a dick," Lucius snorts.

"I know." Rodolphus grins and stands up. "Now, come on. I'll literally murder you if you lose us this game. So, please, for the love of god, forget about the girl for like two hours at most and then you can go back to moping. Okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," Lucius grumbles, but he gets up and grabs his broom.

"Good. Now let's go win this bloody game."

Lucius flies up to try and get a better eye on the game. They were down by twenty points, but he could turn things around if he could find the golden snitch. His eyes scan the field, his gaze sharp and meticulous. He tried to ignore the applause and jeering from the students. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted. He didn't want to lose to the ravenclaws. That was a disappointment he couldn't face.

A flash of gold catches in his peripheral vision and he narrows his eyes, focusing in. There it was. The golden snitch. It was his, he only had to go for it. Before he was able to go in for the snitch, however, something else golden caught his hair. Long, golden hair, shining in the low sun. Her hair. Narcissa's. She stood in the bleachers, slytherin scarf wrapped around her throat and her hair in long loose tumbles. Lucius freezes on his broom, forgetting instantly about the game surrounding him. She came. She was watching him even now, he could feel her eyes on him, watching him. She couldn't be avoiding him, not if she was here. God, she was a stunning thing. The wind caught her hair, making it flow softly around her. He felt suddenly jealous of the wind, wishing it was he who could run his fingers through her hair.

He sees her mouth twitch, a frown of concern crossing her face. Her mouth moves and his heart flutters. She was mouthing something at him. His heart pangs. She was trying to tell him something. What was it?

Lucius frowns, squinting. Narcissa was leaning forward in the bleachers, mouthing a word repeatedly at him. It took him a solid second to make out what she was trying to say. Snitch. Snitch? Lucius frowns in confusion before it all clicks together. The snitch. God, he was an idiot. He breaks his eyes away from Narcissa to see Cowell, the scrawny little seeker from the Ravenclaw team, diving desperately towards the corner of the field. It must be the golden snitch.

Lucius jolts into action, shooting through the air on his broom. He couldn't let that little halfblood Cowell get his snitch. He moves fast. He could see Cowell flinch from nerves as he sees Lucius zooming dangerously at him. Lucius grins. This was the advantage that he needed. He increases his speed, hoping Cowell will hesitate and allow Lucius to seize the snitch first.

Cowell grips his broom tightly, rushing to the bottom of the bleachers. Lucius sees it. There, fluttering about like a golden hummingbird, was the snitch.

"You're mine," Lucius growls. He comes up right against Cowell and shoves him with his shoulder. It was a dirty move, but Lucius didn't care. They were moving too fast for anyone to catch him on it. Cowell trips on his broom, spiralling out into the bleachers. Lucius grins, reaching out his hand. The snitch was close, zipping just in front of him. He could feel the wings against his fingertips. Just… a bit… further. And there. He grasped the snitch in his hand, nearly crushing it in his eagerness. He had to pull back on his broom sharply to avoid crashing into the bleachers, but a grin was wide on his face.

Lucius tumbles off of his broom, landing on his feet, but the grin remains. He holds his fist up high into the air to show the snitch. The Slytherin section of the bleachers erupts in cheers, deafening out the complaining and sniveling Ravenclaws.

Rodolphus nods with satisfaction as he sinks to the ground as well, but Lucius's eyes were only interested in one person. He scans the audience to the spot where Narcissa had been only minutes before, but the seat was empty now. A huge crowd of fans were cheering, but Narcissa no longer seemed to be among them. All the pride and celebration that Lucius had been feeling only minutes ago flees his body, draining from him and leaving him empty. His fist falls with a heavy thud, the snitch falling to the ground.

Soon the field is flooded with celebrating students and Lucius is caught up with the flow of the crowd as they push about their way, cheering and complimenting him. Rodolphus clamps his arm around Lucius's shoulder, yelling happily, and Lucius lets himself be led off the field. The Slytherins make their way back to the commons room, the partying beginning before they even reach the room. Feeling dissociative and grey, Lucius lets Rodolphus take the reins, putting a drink in his hand and leading him through the increasingly wild Slytherins.

Eventually, Lucius pushes Rodolphus off of him, downing his drink and going to get another one. And when that one is finished, another one. Four drinks later, and Lucius makes a decision. He was going to talk to Narcissa. He wouldn't stand for this feeling in his gut any longer, this deep anxiety. It was unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She owed him an explanation.

Lucius searches through the crowd. She'd be here, he was certain of that. Not in the center of the party, but he was certain that she wouldn't miss this night, even if she was on the fringes of it. He watches carefully, a bit deterred by the alcohol he's consumed, his eyes scanning and dismissing a list of blondes before he finally catches a glimpse of her, tucked into a corner of the party, observing. She breaks from the crowd, an emotionless look on her face as she heads to the stairs. Lucius hurries towards her, pushing drunk students out of the way until he can reach her.

"Narcissa," he says roughly when he reaches her. It was more a command than anything else and he can see her stiffen for a brief moment from the firmness of his voice.

She pauses for a moment but doesn't turn, keeping her body cold as she maneuvers around a snogging pair to get to the stairs.

"Narcissa, wait," he growls, reaching out and grabbing her arm. She turns back to him, an angry look on her face as she stares at the hand on her arm, but he doesn't let go. "You owe me a conversation."

"I owe you nothing, Lucius Malfoy," Narcissa says, her voice an icy blast. "Now remove your hand from my body."

Lucius frowns, his suspicions confirmed. "No," he says simply, grasping her arm tighter and pulling her towards him. She gasps in angry surprise, but he takes no heed, holding her close against him as he pulls her towards the commons room door.

"Let me go this moment or I will scream, Malfoy," Narcissa hisses, tugging against his hard grip.

"No one will hear and no one will care," Lucius says threateningly, determined to get her alone and to the bottom of her behavior. "You owe me a conversation and we will have it."

Narcissa's eyes gape in angry surprise and she opens her mouth to make good on her promise and scream, but Lucius uses his other hand to cover her mouth. He hauls her towards the door, eliciting some odd looks from a couple of students, but the crowd was much too distracted and intoxicated to give them much attention.

Lucius drags Narcissa out of the common's room and into the hallway, letting go of her mouth but still keeping a tight grasp on her.

"Let me go, you bastard," Narcissa screams at him, elbowing him hard in the stomach and trying to pull herself away. She twists in his arms until she's able to face him. Raising her hand, she moves to slap his face, but Lucius catches her wrist. He lets go of her arm to hold onto her other wrist, looking down to her.

"Will you bloody calm down?" he demands, growling in frustration.

"Let me go!" she orders again, tugging against him. "God damn you, Lucius, let me go." Lucius's hands loosen around her wrists as he sees a hint of tears in her eyes.

"Look," he says softly, lowering her wrists and taking her hands instead. "Will you just talk to me? I've been feeling like a fool all week because of you. What the hell is going on, Cissa? Why have you been avoiding me?"

Narcissa looks away from him, not fighting him anymore but not willing to make eye contact with him, either. "Let me go, Lucius," she says again, although she could easily break from his loose grip now.

"What's going on?" Lucius asks again, nearly begging her. He lets go of one of her hands and reaches to her face but she shrinks back away from him. "Cissa… please."

"Stop," Narcissa pleads softly, turning even farther from him. "Please just… stop, Lucius. Can't you just leave me be?"

"I thought things were going good between us, Cissa," he continues, pressing on. He reaches to her, turning her chin towards him, but she quickly flinches away, trying to hide the tears on her face. "What did I do? What happened? Cissa. I'm going to keep after you until you tell me what's going on."

"I found out about you," Narcissa says sharply, turning to him and giving him a freezing look. "About you and your lies and your games, Lucius. And I don't want to play. So let me go this minute or I'll scream until a teacher comes and sees the horrid behavior you've been presenting, dragging me from the dormitories so you can abuse and scream at me…"

"What lies? What games?" he asks her, ignoring the rest of her complaints. "Cissa, please tell me what's going on." His voice drops, soft and soothing, almost like a caress. It was gentle enough to see a flash of hesitance cross her face.

As quickly as the flash is there, however, it's gone again, burnt up with some stroke of rage. "I know about her," she hisses, pulling away from him fully. "About your girlfriend."

"My what?"

"Enough," Narcissa snaps at him. "Enough, you lying ass. To think, I let myself be vulnerable with you. I trusted you. Told you things I've never told anyone ever before… Let you touch me. I'll hate you forever for that, Lucius. I hope you realize that. I will hate you with every ounce of my body until the day I die."

She turns from him again to leave, but he takes her arm again. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Don't you dare continue to lie to me," Narcissa seethes at him. "I won't stand for it. I've played your little game for long enough and I won't let you toy with my emotions any longer."

He holds onto her arm tighter, gripping her. "Narcissa Black, I don't have a girlfriend. I don't know who told you that I did, but they were providing some grossly inaccurate information."

"Enough, Lucius," Narcissa says wearily, shaking her head. "I know about Circe. My sister told me. So, please, for the love of god, Lucius. Can't you see I've had enough? If you have any compassion in that empty black heart of yours, you'll let me go now."

"I can't let you go," he says softly. "If I was a better man, maybe, but I can't let you go, not with you believing that I've hurt you so badly. Yes, Circe was my girlfriend, but that was months ago, Cissa. We broke up in the summer. And yeah, we've hooked up a few times since then, I'll admit that, but I swear to god I'm not dating her and I haven't so much as spoken to her since I asked you out. I don't know where your sister heard that nasty little rumor from, but I promise you that Circe and I are not attached."

Narcissa shakes her head. "I know you're after one thing, Lucius," she says. "Despite your fervent claims otherwise. Circe or no, you're just going to… use me up and discard me and then I won't have a single prospect in this world. You'll ruin my reputation, like I was always scared you would. I can't trust you. Just let me go, Lucius. I'm begging you." The tears are back in her eyes, spilling over her beautiful long lashes.

Lucius pulls her in, holding her tightly against his chest. "If I was a kinder man, I could let you go, but I'm not, Cissa. I'm selfish and arrogant and possessive, and I won't let you go. Not for something like this. We belong together, Cissa. Surely you've felt that already. We have a connection. We're alike. We understand each other, deeper than this. I won't let your sister and her little stories tear us apart, not when I know what I've felt about you and know the astounding potential we can have. I'm not here just to sleep with you, Cissa. I won't deny that yes, I clearly want to sleep with you, but that's not my main priority in pursuing you. You're beautiful, but you're also warm and brilliant and charming. You challenge me but also make me feel seen. So I'm not going to let you go. I'm not going to let our anxieties ruin this. I see you, Cissa. For who you are. And I'm here. For the long haul. Because I see something in us. Just give me a chance to prove my honesty to you. Please, Cissa. I'm not dating Circe and I don't have any intention of ruining your reputation. I just… like you. A lot."

Narcissa hesitates, her body rigid in his arms, but then she collapses against him, sobbing. He wraps his arms around her, holding her tightly to him and lets her cry. Her body quakes for a full minute before she is able to recompose herself again. "I'm sorry, Luce…. I just… What Bella said…"

"Your sister was misinformed," Lucius says firmly. He tilts her head up and kisses her forehead, not sure if she's ready yet for him to kiss her lips. "Little star, I'm not here to play games or lead you on. I wouldn't be fighting this hard if that were the case. I care about you. I haven't been able to get you off my mind all week."

Narcissa looks up at him, her skeptical eyes searching his face. His brows furrow as he sees more tears returning to her eyes. "I believe you," she moans, grieved by the realization. "Oh, merlin, I believe you… If you're lying to me, you'll break me, Lucius. Do you understand that? If I trust you now and you're lying to me…. It'll destroy me."

"I'm not lying," he promises her, leaning down and kissing her deeply. Her lips are hesitant at first, unsure, but he was determined to convince her through his lips alone. He knew he could, that she'd see his honesty in his kiss. He kisses her deeper, feeling her crack, her lips parting and inviting him in deeper. She was softening against him and when she reaches out for him, pulling him even closer, he knows she's forgiven him.

When their kiss ends, he pulls her close, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "Narcissa," he breathes out softly. "I only have one girlfriend, and that's you, little star."

"Oh, I'm your girlfriend, am I?" Narcissa says with a bit of a strangled laugh.

"You're mine," he promises her, kissing the top of her head. "And it's time we told your sister so that we can be out in the open with our relationship. I want everyone to know that you're mine, and I want you to know it, too. I'm serious about us and I want you to see that."

"Is that the case or do you just want to tell my sister so that you can sleep with me without repercussions?" Her voice is scathing and cold once again.

"No," he says nearly forcefully. "Cissa, we can wait as long as you need. I'm still going to be here. If you want to wait to tell your sister, I can respect that, but I don't like her filling your ears with stories about me without me being able to defend myself. And I want to be with you in public. I want to sit with you at meals and take you to your classes and kiss you in public."

Narcissa nods but her face scrunches as she thinks. "I understand, but I think I want to wait until I know I can fully trust this before we tell everyone," she says softly.

"Okay," he tells her softly. He reaches out and caresses her face. "But let me start proving it to you. Let's slip away for a while. Like we had planned to before all of this. Spend time with me."

"Not tonight," Narcissa says with a sigh of exhaustion. "I can barely think straight right now. But… Tomorrow. We can spend the day together tomorrow. I won't be worth much tonight… I need to settle my head."

Lucius nods, disappointed but determined to convince her tomorrow. He leans in and kisses her softly. She doesn't protest, but she also doesn't increase the kiss. "I'll let you get some sleep," he says softly, pulling back away from her. "But, Cissa…?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you came to my game. Even though you hated me."

Something flickers across her face that he can't quite read and she nods. "Goodnight, Lucius. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Noon," he tells her. "Meet me by the astrology tower."

She gives him the smallest peak of a smile and nods again before slipping back into the commons room.

He watches her go, heavy emotions settling in once she's gone. He hated to see her like this, and feeling like it was his fault. She looked at him with such betrayal, it made his entire body feel weighty and slow. He would do anything to erase that look from her eyes. He had to. If he was being honest with himself, the feelings he had towards the blonde girl were much farther along than just interest. He would do whatever he had to to get them back to where they were before, and he believed he could too.

After all, she had come to his game. Had called out to him to help him, even when she claimed to have hated him. Even when she believed he had betrayed her.

And as Rodolphus had said, she had been smiling.