All characters from the actual Harry Potter books belong to JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing from her awesomeness.
"Liz! It looks like you have another delivery from Malfoy!" Veda called as the two exhausted fifth years entered into the Gryffindor fifth year dormitory.
"WHY can't that man take a hint?" Liz grumbled as she glared at the now familiar owl of Lucius Malfoy sitting on her bed with a package in its beak.
It had been three weeks since she and Veda had run into Lucius Malfoy, and ever since she'd gotten parcels from him at least three times a week. So far, Liz had received three different types of roses, three boxes of chocolates, three sets of jewelry. Liz threw away the roses and never bothered opening the wrapped packages, though with she would use a scanning spell to see what they were, instead opting to send them back with the note "Sod Off!" But it only seemed to encourage him more.
"Maybe you should just see him once." Veda suggested as Liz settled on her bed, ignoring the owl.
"And then what Veda? He'll just demand more. He's a Malfoy, he's married, and… what's the point?" Veda just raised her eyebrows, to which Liz blushed straight up to her scalp and begin chucking various objects on her bed at her best friend.
"Just calm down Liz! I didn't mean any offense." Veda yelped as she ducked the chucked items. Liz growled, lifting a pillow over her head.
"He obviously fancies you a great deal, which means he won't leave you in peace until you give him something." There was too much truth in what Veda was saying to be denied, so the pillow returned to its place.
"What if I agree to start this, and then I get attached to him Veda? We both know he won't leave his wife for an adolescent girl who believes in the impurity of blood. It would be far too scandalous." Veda nodded, but could think of nothing to say.
"Is it sad that we know so much about this? Really, how many girls our age wouldn't have their heads turned by this kind of attention?" Liz wondered aloud, eliciting a half smile from Veda.
"Counting you and me? One." Admitted Veda, which made Liz smirk, commenting simply, "Guess James really pounded into my head what exactly a slut was."
"HEY!" Veda declared throwing one of Liz's pillows and nailing Liz, triggering a minor pillow war until the owl's screech of outrage at almost being hit quieted them.
"So what'd you get this time?" Veda asked just a s a silence breaker. Sighing, Liz swished her wand.
"Animadverto." A blue line shot out of her wand, and washed over the package, followed by the dropping of Liz's jaw.
"Liz?" Veda asked. Liz only shook her head as she unfolded the paper from around the box and delicately pulled from the packaging a music box. It was white with tiny painted pink roses hung by painted pink ribbons across the sides of the stand. Atop it hosted a tiny figurine of a ballerina in a pink leotard with wild black hair and tiny hazel eyes. Veda stared dumbly at it for a minute. Liz turned the key and the ballerina turned in circles to the tune of "The impossible dream." When the song ended, there was silence.
"Liz, he's really serious." whispered Veda, actually looking a tad frightened. Liz, still in awe of the gift, nodded. This wasn't some trinket that a man bought to appease his whore, but a meaningful treasure for someone you loved.
"Liz, you have to do something." Finally finding her voice, Liz whispered, "What do I do Veda?"
"Dinner. That maybe enough to get him to leave you alone." Liz snorted.
"You honestly believe that?" Liz asked, regarding Veda skeptically.
"No." her friend admitted, "But as I said, he won't leave you alone unless you give him something." Sighing Liz nodded and produced a bit of parchment, while Veda found a Quill.
Liz quickly scribbled a brief note, saying that she loved the music box, and would give him a dinner, provided he could arrange things such as place, time and transportation, and it was during a weekend. As the owl, whose name it seemed was Merlin, hopped off and Veda left for dinner, Liz couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
"What have I gotten myself into?" She whispered to empty room.
Lucius Malfoy returned from a meeting for his 'special group,' he was greatly please as he walked into his office to handle some business to discover Merlin sitting on his desk not with a returned package but a letter.
Opening it and reading it quickly, he grinned. Regulus Black had been correct when he'd told Lucius Elizabeth Potter could only be won by gifts tailored to her. Taking a seat at his desk, he wrote several letters. First, one to a very nice French restaurant requesting a reservation, then one to Liz, letting her know he'd arrange a Portkey for her, and lastly one to Regulus asking for his help in letting Liz into the dormitories.
Two weeks later, Liz dressed in her best robes, a little make up , and a necklace and pair of earrings for effect, could be found slowly made her way to the wall where the entrance of Slytherin house to meet one of her least favorite persons.
Sirius' brother, Regulus Blacks.
The two had despised each other almost from their first meeting, despite their older brothers being best mates. Liz had honestly tried at first but Regulus was so stuck up, and his mother didn't much like Liz's family for 'corrupting' Sirius that Liz just gave up. Eventually, Liz and Regulus stopped talking to each other even when James dragged Liz over to the Black house or Sirius dragged Regulus to the Potter house when they were baby-sitting. Thankfully, that didn't last very long, Regulus being thirteen. Then Sirius had come to stay at the Potters permanently, at which point contact stopped altogether.
He met her, scowling. She scowled back.
"Potter." He said coolly, rubbing his left arm slightly.
"Black." She returned, "Did you do something to your arm?"
"Nothing that concerns a mudblood lover and slut such as yourself." He spat, for which he found himself facing the business end of a wand.
Elizabeth Potter was well known for her jinxes.
"Now listen, and listen CLOSELY." She snarled, "I understand Narcissa is your cousin and that you're very fond of her, but I didn't ask for this. If you have an issue, take it up with Lucius." He shuddered at the name, and Liz heard him mutter something, but she doubted it was anything she wanted to be repeated.
"May we PLEASE get on with it? Malfoy isn't the type of man to be kept waiting."
"With pleasure!" Regulus snapped, picking up a teacup. "About one minute." So Liz mentally counted down the seconds, until finally as she was about to leave, she hissed, "Bye the way, I might ask how did your cousin-in-law know exactly what to get me, hmmm? There's only one person associated with Lucius and who knows enough about me to have even a guess. So if I'm a slut, what does that make you?" Before he could curse her, she felt the jerk behind the naval, and suddenly she was whooshing far away, until her feet landed on a solid ground. She caught the teacup just as Lucius appeared, looking very dashing in robes that matched his eyes and showed off one VERY nice body
Suddenly Liz found herself blushing, even as Lucius handed her a pink rose.
"Shall we go in?" Liz nodded, suddenly very mute and unsure of herself. Thankfully, she didn't have to speak much as Lucius escorted her in, and they were seated at the "regular table." That actually made her tongue become untied, because it finally and truly hit her that this had to mean nothing, for both of them.
Making a mental note to smash the music box when she got home, Liz ordered a water, then picked at a plate of samplers for a bit.
"Something wrong Elizabeth?" He asked. She looked up at him for a minute.
"Everything, Mr. Malfoy." She finally whispered back.
"Come now! Call me Lucius." Liz looked up and met those steel eyes, and then finally decided to put everything out on the table.
"Lucius I have just one thing to ask before we continue." He nodded.
"I'm fifteen, still a student, no social status, no money of my own until I become of age. You have a wife has all those advantages a man such as yourself wants. Wealth, beauty, status. So my question is what would man like you want from me, other then the obvious?" Well at first Lucius studied her, unsure of what response to give her, silently cursing her brother and Regulus' brother a thousand times for teaching her about this sort of thing.
"And what can I give you that she can't?"
"AH! But that would be spoiling things, now wouldn't it?" He said smiling seductively as he poured her a glass of wine.
Note from The Chica: ALRIGHT! Finally done! Big thanks to Vega Sailor for beaucoup help with this. Next chapter: Lucius and Liz carry on, then the next chapter, more of the affair, then chapter nine is the split and Liz finding out she's pregnant. Until next time, review!
