Another month passes for the two of them and Lucius is happy with the progress his relationship with Narcissa has made. Lucius's life in general was on an upward swing. Lucius Malfoy was one who got everything he desired, and this year was proving that. Not only did he have a beautiful, adoring girlfriend, but he was well on his way to becoming best boy, and the quidditch season wrapped up with Slytherin taking the house cup. As well as that, Lucius's father had written to him, informing him that he would join his father's side in assisting the Dark Lord when he returned for winter break. It was an honor and Lucius knew it.

The school semester was wrapping up brilliantly, and Lucius knew that the Winter Ball would be the culmination of it. The dress he had bought Narcissa had been delivered and he knew she'd be the shining star of the dance. They would make a stunning pair and Lucius knew they would be the eye of jealousy. He had to admit to himself that he was looking forward to it.

Narcissa had proven to be every bit the girl he had hoped she would be. As well as her natural charm and beauty, she was intelligent and sexy as hell. Most of all, however, she had proved to be utterly devoted to him. He was eager to introduce her to his parents. He was certain that she would dazzle them, but he still relied on his father's approval before pursuing her more legitimately. Once he had secured permission from his father, he could seek out Narcissa's parents. That would be easy, too, Lucius supposed languidly. There were many advantages to being a Malfoy-especially the singular Malfoy heir- and being one of the most sought-after bachelors was one of them. The Blacks would be eager to match the two of them, Lucius was certain of that.

Lucius sat in front of his mirror the night of the Winter Ball, combing his hair back into a sleek ponytail. He wore dark grey dress robes to match Narcissa's dress, and he had tied his hair back in a matching grey ribbon. His trunks were all packed and ready for the train ride home tomorrow and he had tidied his room in anticipation of bringing Narcissa back after the dance. He would be more careful with her dress this time- Narcissa had insisted on that when the finished dress had been delivered.

Lucius headed down to the commons to wait for Narcissa. He knew she'd take her time. She was often late to their dates so that she could dress up for him, and it was a compromise that, while it annoyed him, he was willing to allow. The effects were always worth it. As naturally beautiful as Narcissa was, she had a true skill of intensifying that beauty. Narcissa always knew how to dress, how to do her hair, every little detail to elevate her look. He knew she'd take an exceptionally long time tonight. She hadn't stopped talking about the ball since he had shown her the dress. He knew that the reward of it would be worth the wait. She'd be the most beautiful girl in the school, and it would be his bed she'd be sleeping in that night.

Sighing, Lucius settles in. He lets his thoughts turn to his father's note on the Dark Lord. He had met the man a few times and had been taken by the clear power that this man demonstrated. It was a great honor to be invited into his trust. Lucius had been asked to sit in on his father's discussions with the Dark Lord over the summer and he knew that this was an increase of trust. Soon, he'd prove his worth to the Dark Lord and would receive a dark mark like his father.

He remains caught up in his thoughts for ten minutes more until the delicate voice of Narcissa breaks him from his reverie. "Hello, darling," she says, leaning in and kissing his neck. "You look so sexy in that handsome suit." She slides her hands down his shoulders to his chest as she leans down behind him.

Lucius leans up from where he's sitting and kisses the bottom of her chin. "You keep talking like that and we'll never make it down to the ball."

"Mm," Narcissa considers. "No, I want to dance. Come on, Lucius. Let's go down."

"Let me inspect you first," Lucius says. "I want to see how the dress turned out."

Narcissa rolls her eyes, but steps back and slowly spins for him to get a full view. The light of the commons shimmers down on the dress as she spins, making it appear like a trickling of stars are falling down her body. She's done back her hair into carefully organized curls and wears the diamond headpiece in her hair. To finish the look, she's added shimmering eyeshadow and a dark red lipstick.

"Beautiful," he compliments. "They did a wonderful job on the dress."

"You best be complimenting more than the dress."

Lucius smirks, taking her in his arms. "Narcissa Black, you are the most stunning thing in the entire world."

Narcissa smiles, leaning against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. "That's a good start. Keep going."

His chest ripples with a long laugh. "I thought you wanted to dance."

"I'm willing to wait for a proper compliment."

"Narcissa. You're stunning. Let's go dance."

Narcissa sighs and pulls away. "You're terrible. I hate you. But fine. Let's go. I do want to dance."

Lucius grabs her arm and pulls her back, kissing her deeply. "Narcissa," he says softly. "You look absolutely enchanting. Truly. I am certain that you are the most beautiful girl in the world, and tonight, everyone else will see that, too."

"Better, my love," Narcissa says. She slides her arm around and pulls him towards the door. "Now let's go. I haven't gone dancing in too long. And you have yet to prove to me your skills as a dancer. Which, I must stress, are incredibly important. I will be forced to break up with you if you are not the picture of perfection when you dance."

Lucius scoffs. "I'm an excellent dancer."

"Well, you're going to prove it tonight." She rushes him all the way down to the Great Hall, which Lucius has to roll his eyes. She had made him wait while she got ready but now she was in a hurry. All the same, however, he was just as eager to get to the ball.

He calms her when they reach the room, pulling her back so that they can make a dignified entrance. She beams up at him as he leads her into the Great Hall. The moment the light from the thousands of dangling candles hits her dress, it begins to ripple with cascading light. It was a waterfall of twinkling from the beading and Lucius had to smile to himself. It was an impressive effect.

The effect wasn't wasted on Lucius alone, and as they walked into the heart of the room, he could see quite a bit of attention was being turned to them. Narcissa took no notice, her eyes solely on Lucius. Lucius, however, took note of every set of eyes that turned to him and Narcissa. There were a few girls, looking over Lucius with a bit of longing or at Narcissa's dress in jealousy, but the majority of the stares came from the boys of the school. They looked over Narcissa intimately, taking in every detail of her body.

At first, this pleased Lucius, the idea that Narcissa was the desire of nearly every boy at the school but she was here in his arms, with eyes only for him. He liked the idea that he owned a precious piece that everyone coveted. But as the night continued and Narcissa spun around with him, the fervent eyes began to frustrate him. She was his. How dare they look at her with such open and uninhibited lust. He pulls her in even closer as they dance, restricting her against him.

"Is everything alright, darling?" Narcissa asks, reaching up and resting a hand on his cheek as they sway. "You seem distracted tonight."

Lucius breaks away from glaring at Augustus Rookwood, one of the more uninhibited starers, to look down at Narcissa. "How could one not be distracted when I have you in my arms." He holds a hand on the small of her nearly-naked back. "You look beautiful, my dear. All eyes are on you tonight."

Narcissa lets out a light, unaffected laugh. "Don't be absurd, Lucius. There aren't any eyes on me at all tonight. Not even yours, it seems. You keep looking away from me. Has something else got your attention tonight? And after all this work I put into presenting the beautiful dress you got me…"

"You look beautiful," he says absent-mindedly, his eyes darting threateningly to some of the more lascivious looks. The music and dancing bodies shift around them, making Lucius feel both alert and suffocated.

"Lucius?" Narcissa asks, frowning. Lucius doesn't respond, staring around the ballroom. "Lucius Malfoy. Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" Her voice is serious and angry.

He looks down at her. "I'm sorry, Cissa."

"What is going on with you tonight?" she says with a deep frown. "I thought you had been looking forward to tonight."

"Of course I was. But you're drawing too much attention, Cissa. I don't like the way you're being looked at."

Narcissa's mouth drops in shock. "Drawing too much attention? I'm doing nothing but dancing with you, Lucius."

"It's the way you're dressed," he says gruffly.

"The way I'm… Lucius Malfoy, I'm wearing the dress you chose for me."

"I know that."

Narcissa shakes her head, breaking from his arms. "I don't understand, Lucius. Are you angry at me for wearing the dress you bought for me?"

"I'm angry about how they're looking at you," Lucius growls, putting a hand on her back again and guiding her off of the dancefloor to the side of the room.

"Who?" Narcissa demands, looking around the room. Clearly, though, she was overlooking what Lucius saw. The hungry looks from a few choice boys. "Lucius, I don't understand what you want from me… I want to dance with you. To enjoy the evening before we have to leave for winter break." She stops him, placing her hands on his chest. She kisses his chin, trying to calm him. "Come back and dance with me, Lucius. There's nothing to be so concerned about."

"You don't understand, Cissa," he says gruffly. "You don't see it."

Her brows furrow. "You're right, I don't understand. I don't know what you want from me."

"Nothing, Cissa," he shakes his head. "Come on. We should just go on back to my room." He tugs on her hand but she stops him.

"We just got here!" she complains. "I don't want to leave yet, Lucius. I want to dance. It'd be such a waste of this beautiful dress if we left now."

"We should go."

Narcissa shakes her head. "Let's get some air," she says, taking Lucius's hand and pulling him to one of the outdoor alcoves. "We're causing a scene."

Lucius lets himself be led outside, angry that their little tuff was causing even more eyes to turn towards Narcissa. Her bare back was beautiful and delicate in the candlelight and her body moved elegantly even now, but that was a sight for him alone. She was his. He glowered. They should all know it. They should know that Narcissa was his. His to look at and his to hold.

Narcissa turns back to him once they're alone on the balcony. "Lucius, what is going on tonight? You've barely danced three songs with me and you already want to leave. And I can't help but think that you're angry at me, though for the life of me, I don't know what I've done wrong."

"You've just drawn too much attention," Lucius grumbles.

Narcissa holds up her hands in dismay. "I don't understand what you want from me, Lucius. I dressed for you. I spent hours getting ready just for you. I'm wearing your dress. I wanted to look nice for you, but now I'm just feeling foolish."

"I just…" Lucius growls, shaking his head and walking to the bannister. "Do you have to look so sexual?"

Narcissa lets out a splutter of insult. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" she demands. "I look too sexual? And are you not planning on sleeping with me tonight, Lucius? Having sex with me?"

"Well, yes, but that's between you and me. The rest of the world shouldn't see you like that. You're mine, Cissa."

"I'm not… advertising to the rest of Hogwarts if that's what you're accusing me of."

Lucius tightens his hands around the bannister. "That's not what they're going to think, Cissa."

Narcissa shakes her head, spluttering in frustration. "Go get us drinks, Lucius. I need a moment to process this."

"Cissa-"

"Go, Lucius. I'm angry at you. And I don't like feeling angry at you, so go get us drinks so that I can have a moment to process all of this. Can you give me that? Just five minutes alone."

"Fine," Lucius says angrily, knowing that he needs a break as well. He shakes his head and strides to the door, slamming it behind him. He wasn't angry at Narcissa. Of course he wasn't. She looked spectacular tonight and he was enjoying dancing with her. But those looks from all the male students sent pulses of anger down his spine.

He enjoyed their jealousy. He enjoyed their lust, even. The problem was that they looked at her like it was a possibility that they could touch her, that she could be theirs. Narcissa was his. He had to do something to make them all see it. It wasn't enough that she was his girlfriend. The sooner he could put a ring on her finger the better and this night was making him realize it.

A sudden fear grips him. Two years. There would be two years while she was still in school and he'd be out, starting work at the Ministry. One more year of school together and then two separate. Three years before he could marry her and end these looks forever.

Lucius grumbles as he heads to the punchbowl. There had to be a quicker solution. Some more permanent way to let people know that she belonged to him. He'd think of something. Perhaps over the winter break. Lucius grabs two drinks but sits down for a minute. He had to get his head on straight before returning to Narcissa. He was taking his anger out on her and he didn't want that. He didn't want to start their break off with them fighting, not with her coming over to his house. He finishes his drink and sits back, closing his eyes. He'd go back out soon. As soon as his head was clear.