Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I am not related to her unless it's through some random ancestor about 50 generations back. Please don't sue.
Pairing: Lucius x Narcissa
Warnings: Very short, crossdressing.
Author's Notes: This was done as part of a challenge. It was originally going to be longer, but where it was going was highly anti-climactic.
Man of the House
Lucius stared blankly at the elaborate blue and silver silk affair hanging before him, complete with stockings, garters, and padded brassiere. "No way."
"Oh come on, Lucius." Even though the dressing screen was between them, there was a definite smile in his fiancée's voice. "I'm certain you'll look quite...fetching."
The very deliberate way in which she chose the final word loosed Lucius' hold on his tightly reigned in temper. He jerked the screen back so that he was glaring directly into a pair of startled blue-grey eyes. Indignation oozed from his pores. "DAMNIT, Narcissa, I said no! I will not; I refuse! I am a man, not a doll, and not one of your friends to play dress up with!"
All amusement faded from Narcissa's face and one, golden eyebrow arched delicately. "That is quite obvious." Her eyes roved over him, his contorted face, his squared shoulders, weighing, judging. She shrugged, an elegant twist of bone and muscle, and turned. With her hands before her she made some motion that he couldn't quite make out, then set something on the dresser and started toward the door.
Upon closer examination, the something turned out to be the delicate, gold and emerald engagement ring he'd given her two months earlier. "Narcissa!" The word was a protest; its undertone fell somewhere between shocked, appalled, and disbelieving.
"What?" She turned on her heel in the doorway, her voice cool, her eyes flat mirrors.
"You'd break the engagement over this?" Lucius stared at her, still pole-axed. They'd been dating since his fifth year, their engagement planned since his graduation. Everyone agreed they were the perfect couple, even their enemies. She hadn't given any indication of unhappiness before this. It simply made no sense.
Narcissa laughed, a formal sound, too bright with a discordant undertone. "Would you break off the engagement if I said my feminine pride was worth more than your wants and desires?" Her lips turned up in a painted sneer. "Really, Lucius, it's a dress and a little makeup. It's nothing. If you're unwilling to do such a minor thing for me, why should I expect you to do anything that's actually important?"
A wry smile stretched Lucius' lips. It was just this devastatingly cruel logic that made him love her in the first place. Oh, there were arguments, naturally - past deeds that could be called into play, past favors - but they would all appear to be nothing more than flimsy excuses compared to this fresh evidence and they both knew it. "All right, I concede. If the only other option is losing you..." He sighed and looked back toward the dress. "Just give me a moment to figure out how the fastenings work."
She smiled archly. "Take your time."
--The End--