Summary: All Daphne has ever wanted is to be swept off her feet at a ball, but she never expected her older crush to be the one to do it.

One romantic, divinely glamorous moment

Daphne circled the outside of the ballroom. She clutched her champagne flute to her chest, the drink still untouched, and worked around the few people chatting by the walls. She hated these Ministry events. Well, that was not quite the truth. She loved the getting dressed up bit, the finding the perfect dress, getting pampered… all that. It was always the party that was the let down.

It was the romantic part of Daphne that was disappointed, which was the biggest part of her. She came to the events thinking that this one will finally be the one where she's whisked onto the dance floor by some unknown stranger and the chemistry is instant. Then he would kiss her at the end of the night before declaring he must see her again. Just once she'd give anything for someone to do this to her. Even if there was no relationship at the end of it. All she wanted was one romantic, divinely glamorous moment that she could tell her grandchildren.

Instead, by the end of the evening, Daphne would have kicked her shoes off (usually losing them), and bid her only friend (Hermione) goodnight, then gone home to her empty flat. She didn't even have a cat or a dog due to her job being so unsociable. Fulfilling but unsociable. That's why she relied on the parties for that one moment she would dream about it every night.

Daphne watched another person be asked for a dance as she passed them. She sighed heavily as she watched the couple smile nervously at each other. Then nervousness turned into joy as they found their rhythm with each other.

She took a large gulp of her drink and tried not to feel bitter.

"If you continue to frown in that manner you'll start to age yourself prematurely."

Daphne stood up straight, the familiar voice talking in her ear as she was about slouch against the wall behind her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight – actually, I never expect to see you at these things."

She turned to face Lucius, keeping the champagne flute lifted near her face in case she needed to take a quick sip, for lack of anything else to do to hide her nerves at his sudden appearance. She felt her pulse thudding away in her neck and wished she'd worn a polo neck jumper instead of the strappy, silky number she was currently wearing. Black tie dress code be damned.

Lucius gave her a small smile that was the tiniest of lifts at the corner of his mouth. He reached out to passing tray to get a tumbler of whisky. "Call it boredom."

"Only you could be bored in a home like yours," Daphne said with a light laugh.

"Talking of my home, Scorpius is missing his aunt. You know you're still welcome at the Manor, Daphne," he said earnestly.

Daphne shifted from foot to foot, the heat in the balls of her feet from standing in her heels suddenly becoming too much. She could feel his eyes watching her every move as she stared at the dancers. "You called me a nuisance."

"You're denying that you aren't one?"

She didn't need to look to know he was smirking properly. "You also said I destroyed the peace of the surroundings with my singing."

That one had hurt. She loved to sing. It was like second nature and so freeing. And then Lucius Malfoy, her long-time older man crush (a secret Astoria had taken to her grave), had told her to desist because she was scaring his peacocks.

"I did say that. That one I'm sorry for."

Daphne looked at him. He looked a little shamefaced. Well, as shamefaced as Lucius could ever look. It was in the eyes, but you had to be as close as she was to see it, and even then you could miss it for he never held on to the expression for more than a second or two.

"Is that why you're here? To get me to visit Scorpius? Because I told him that he could visit me whenever he wants," Daphne said quickly, trying not to stumble on her words. That one gulp of champagne on her empty stomach was already taking affect.

"Actually, I'm here under threat from Miss Granger," Lucius said cryptically. She watched him look across the room, his height giving him an advantage to spot her over the dancers. He raised his glass to her.

Daphne caught a quick glimpse Hermione through a gap in the bodies and saw her tapping her wrist, as if telling Lucius he's running out of time. But for what?

"Why would Hermione want you here? She hates you," Daphne told him bluntly.

Lucius didn't answer. He took a sip of his drink as he reached out to take Daphne's drink. Both of them, unfinished were put on another tray floating by.

"As I'm here, shall we dance?" Lucius held his hand out to her.

Daphne lifted her hand and was about to put it into Lucius when she realised what was happening. "She told you, didn't she?"

"Who?" Lucius asked. Damn his ability to act innocent.

But who indeed. Astoria knew about the crush, but Hermione knew about the romantic dream.

Lucius seemed to realise he'd approached this wrong. Daphne dropped her hand at the same time as Lucius. They watched each other for a moment. Just when she was about to give up on the evening and go home, Lucius coughed, straightened his suit jacket and held one hand out to her while the other went behind his straight back.

"Daphne, may I have this dance?" he asked politely, like she was a debutante.

Daphne felt a flood of embarrassment rush through her veins, heating her up. She was so embarrassed about what he might know, so ashamed of the pity he was taking on her. She stared at the hand that she desperately wanted to take for so many reasons, but her pride wouldn't let her.

"No," she said quietly, shaking her head. "Please tell Scorpius I said hello."

She walked away from him, tears of shame threatening to fall as they blurred her vision. She got outside the room, the coolness of the corridor a welcome feeling against her hot skin. She took a moment to kick her shoes off, she used on hand on a nearby wall to keep her balance, breathing hard as a tear fell on the marble floor. She sighed, staring at the little splash.

The door from the ballroom opened, it brought a rush of music and chatter, and then it dulled again as the door was shut. "Why are you running away?" Lucius asked.

"Because I'm embarrassed," she sniffed, using the back of her hand to wipe another tear away. She snatched her shoes up, lifted some of the dress so she wouldn't trip over the trailing material and continued on as Lucius neared her.

"Daphne." He managed to gently grab her elbow before she was too far away. He pulled firmly to make her stop walking. "I don't understand."

Daphne dropped her shoes and stared up at the ceiling, her other hand still tightly holding the material. It's going to crease terribly, a stray thought popped into her head that sounded much like something Astoria would've said to her. She let go of the dress and rubbed her palm against it, trying to smooth out where she'd been holding it.

"Look, I don't need you to feel sorry for me because of something Astoria has told you and I don't need you doing anything out of pity because Hermione's… well, Hermione's probably been Hermione and thought she was helping." She turned to look at him. He was nodding at her comment on Hermione. "I just want to know why you did it?"

"I'm not sure what you think I've been told," Lucius started, taking a step closer to her, "but I came because Miss Granger came to the Manor this morning to ask Draco if there was anything she could do to cheer you up as you'd been a little down recently. Draco wasn't home, so she discussed it with me. I offered to come to this ridiculous ball the Ministry insists on holding to talk to you about visiting and she told me to make sure I stay for at least one dance with you.

"On my honour, that is all we discussed. And maybe a blanket threat if I didn't appear."

A different kind of embarrassment rushed through Daphne. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came. Lucius continued on, almost thinking he was cutting in before she could say something.

"I also came because we miss your presence at the Manor."

Embarrassment turned immediately to disappointment. It felt like a stone in her stomach it hit that quickly. "We?"

"Yes. All of us," Lucius said simply.

"You mean Scorpius?" Why was she doing this to herself? Of course he meant just Scorpius, he was being polite for his grandson's sake.

"I mean we," Lucius said firmly. "As in Scorpius, Draco… and myself."

"It's fine. I'll visit Scorpius, you don't have to be polite or lie. He is my nephew, after all, and I have been missing from his life for a few months, which isn't fair—"

"Daphne."

"— on him. It's bad enough his mother's gone and now I've just abandoned him because you hurt my feelings over some stupid singing. He probably hates me, doesn't he? No, don't answer that, I know he does."

"Daphne."

"I'm rambling," she said quietly.

"You're rambling," Lucius agreed.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

When Lucius hadn't said anything, she lifted her eyes to meet his after staring at the snake pin on his jacket for too long. He smiled – a proper smile he didn't give to many people and had graced Daphne with it once when she'd hugged him tightly after Narcissa had left him. Slowly he lifted his hand a brought the thin strap of her dress back onto her shoulder, having not realised it'd slipped down. His fingertips grazed her skin, it made her shiver.

"You look sensational this evening. Blue suits you." His hand rested on her shoulder, warm and comforting. "Are you going to tell me what it was I had been told?"

Daphne shook her head quickly, it made some of her hair come loose from the delicate bun it was in. "No, I don't think I will."

"Daphne," he said coaxingly.

She did love the way he used her name, she always had done. Even when she shouldn't – she still shouldn't.

"You'll laugh at me."

"Never."

"You will. You always made fun of my love of romance stories in your library."

Lucius laughed quietly. He moved his hand to cup her face. "Because you read the poorly written ones."

"I like happy endings. I want a happy ending," she admitted. She started to step backwards. She couldn't think with him that close or with the way he was touching her, so affectionately. He'd never done that before.

"I don't know anything about happy endings," he said, reaching a little so that his hand trailed down her arm as she moved away. He caught her hand and pulled her back. "But how about we start with that dance I asked you for? Shall we see where that takes us?"

Lucius waited, only holding her hand until she said, "Okay."

With a wave of his hand, the door they'd come out of opened a little, enough to let the music float out to them. The same hand then wrapped around her waist, the finger tips trailed across her bare back, the dress daringly low.

Daphne finally got the dance she'd dreamt of, but instead of a stranger, it was with Lucius Malfoy and it was more than she could have ever dreamt of.

Word Count: 1,987

Written for:

Seasonal

- Days of the Year - 13th January - Write about a dream coming true

- Hobby Month - 7. Dance

- Bird Day - 6. Dunnock - (trope) Miscommunication

- Play God Day - 60. Charmer

- Dragon Day - 15. (word) Endings

- Wedding month - 16. (drink) Champagne

Yearly

- 365 - 245. (word) Romantic

- Insane House Challenge - 853. (trait) Charming

- Musical - Cheesy - We Like To Party/Vengaboys: Happiness is just around the corner (used as inspiration)