[Summary] - Lucius/Narcissa [Quidditch!AU] Today, Puddlemere face off the Wasps in what is bound to be yet another gripping match between the two Dorset teams. Puddlemere's the first on the pitch, led by their Captain, Damon Crane. Crane's got his work cut out for him in this match.

A/N - This is for Rayne (Rayniekinnz); I hope you don't mind another fic from me (and same pairing, too). At least this time you actually asked for an AU :)

Also written for QL Round 13 where we got to write whatever the hell we wanted, and I had the optional prompts repeat and evasive. (I'd also like to formally apologise to any Wasps that stumble across this. You guys do not suck at all; this is not an accurate representation of your awesomeness.)

I don't really know what happened with this…

Lucius sighed, stretching his legs out under the dark mahogany desk in his office. He could feel a headache building beneath his temples, and he only just managed to stifle a yawn. He wasn't sure how long he'd been here; hours maybe? - he couldn't remember taking a lunch break - and his back was starting to hurt from being hunched over his desk for so long.

He turned on the old radio, sitting mostly forgotten behind stacks of unfiled paperwork, with a flick on his wand. It turned straight to the sports network, something he'd set it to do long ago. There wasn't anything else he was particularly interested in listening to.

He'd timed it right, and the presenter was just beginning to announce the teams playing.

"Today, Puddlemere face off the Wasps in what is bound to be yet another gripping match between the two Dorset teams. Puddlemere's the first on the pitch, led by their Captain, Damon Crane. Newly appointed, Crane's got his work cut out for him in this match; I hear Bagman's-"

Lucius narrowed his eyes at the stack of paperwork still in front of him. He was supposed to be there, supporting her. He signed the next two sheets of parchment, skimming through the text rather than giving it his full attention as he knew he should.

"And this match is the first time we'll be seeing the Wasps' newest member, Emma Vanity-"

The radio had his full attention once more at the mention of the familiar name.

"-going up against old school rival-"

Lucius scoffed; he could only vaguely remember the girl, but she had been several years younger than them and she had definitely been in Slytherin.

"-Narcissa Malfoy - here she comes now! with fellow chaser, Katrina Waters. These lovely ladies make for a formidable pair and, along with Crane, they're practically unstoppable once they've got the Quaffle!

And Braden Ackerman and Caiden Marston! Ackerman's brilliant with a bat, but we haven't seen Marston play since the-" the reporter coughed lightly before continuing "- incident two seasons ago. Let's hope he hasn't lost his touch! And keeper, Roger Caldwe-"

The crowds cheering suddenly increased in volume, drowning out anything the man might have said, the noise crackling from the old speakers.

"Shelley Rose! Puddlemere's seeker! Everyone's favourite player-" Lucius rolled his eyes at that "-She was the favourite for Captain when Saunders retired, but-"

Lucius, tired of the commentary now that he'd heard his wife's name, turned off the small radio with a flick of his wand. There was still plenty on time until the match actually began, and the man's voice - he'd forgotten his name, no matter how many times Narcissa tried to install in him a knowledge of all the 'great' retired players - was really beginning to grate on his nerves.

With one last look at his paperwork, he decided that he could always delegate it to someone else if he was still working on it tomorrow noon.

He left his tiny office - barely more than a cupboard, but better than the cubicle he'd been forced to use before his promotion - and made his way out of the building, only stopped by two brave souls who either didn't notice know any better or were incredibly stupid.

It took him longer than he would have liked to Apparate to the pitch, appearing as only an overgrown field with a dilapidated barn in the far corner unless you were holding a valid ticket. It still didn't justify the lack of security, in his opinion, but what could you expect from a team with such garish uniforms.

He pulled his blue and gold ticket from his pocket, watching the stadium materialise before his eyes; the noise was almost deafening, even from this distance, and he supposed that must mean that the game had begun.

He climbed the rickety stairs on Puddlemere's side of the stands, ignoring any complaints from people who's view he was blocking, and made his way up to the highest box, usually reserved for the team's relatives.

His sister-in-law was already there, with her husband. She quickly wiped the bored expression from her face when she saw him, instead adopting a look of annoyance.

"You're late," she snapped. "If I'm forced to be here, then you should at least have the decency to turn up on time and provide somewhat intelligent-" she threw a scornful look at her husband "-conversation to escape from the monotony of-"

"Supporting your sister in something she clearly enjoys?" he responded, only partially listening to Bellatrix's complaints, they were mostly for show; no one was forcing her to be here.

Bellatrix made a vaguely irritated noise of agreement, before nodding towards her husband. "And he gets to stare at that Vanity girl. Did you know she was playing? Used to be in our House."

"Yes, I heard," Lucius said disdainfully. "Old rival of Narcissa's apparently."

The crowd erupted into cheers once again as Marston aimed a Bludger directly at one of the Wasps chasers head, forcing him to drop the Quaffle as he dodged the attack. It was quickly picked up by Puddlemere's keeper.

"And Atkins drops the Quaffle!" the commentator's voice echoed around the stadium. "Caldwell picks it up, and it's straight to Malfoy!"

Narcissa raced down the pitch, flanked on either side by Puddlemere's other two chasers, leaning forward over her broom. If he were close enough, he imagined he would be able to see her eyes narrowed in concentration, lips pursed, as she focussed solely on reaching the hoops. Her cloak billowed out behind her, caught in the wind, and her hair whipped around her face where it had escaped from the binds of her ponytail.

"She keeps possession of the Quaffle," the announcers voice startled Lucius enough that he momentarily turned his attention away from his wife, nearly missing the next move. "And Gardiner - what a woman! - sends a Bludger straight for her, but Malfoy's a skilled player!" Lucius scoffed at that; of course she was skilled. "She evades the attack, and passes the Quaffle to Waters! Flawless manoeuvre ladies!"

The Waters woman passes the Quaffle back to Narcissa as they near the Wasps' keeper, a harsh looking woman who looks like she's only taken marginally less Bludgers to the head than Gardiner.

"And, yet again, Ursula Morgan is facing all three of Puddlemere's chasers. Maybe she'll be more successful this-" Morgan dives after Narcissa who backs out of the scoring area and passes the Quaffle to Crane. Screams of fanatic celebration fill the stadium as Crane scores before Morgan has a chance to even change trajectory. "And he scores!" the presenter yells with seemingly endless enthusiasm.

Lucius watches as another ten points are added the Puddlemere's already sizeable total; even if they caught the Snitch, there wouldn't be any way for the Wasps to win.

Assured of the outcome already, he mostly ignores the somewhat repetitive gameplay and instead turns his full attention to his wife.

She's really in here element out here, completely at ease on a broom in a way that belies how long it took her to even get it off the ground back in first year. He can remember how much time and effort she'd put into mastering the sport; something that he hadn't fully understood at the time - why not work on the talents you already had? - but seeing her now, he fully understood how much freedom the game gave her.

"Waters is blocked by Kelley and Atkins, Vanity coming up in the centre. Is there about the be a - Wait!" The commentator stopped mid-sentence. "Maltby's on the move! Has she seen the Snitch?" The Wasps fans are finally given something to be excited about, as the woman dives suddenly heading straight towards the grassy oval of the pitch. Puddlemere's seeker isn't far behind, but she's at the opposite side and a lot higher. "And there goes Rose! It's looking to be a close one!" It really wasn't. "Aaaand," the mad drew out the first word, but spoke the rest of the sentence in a garbled rush. "Martha Maltby has the Snitch! One-fifty points to the Wasps! But will it be enough?"

Lucius sighed, turning his attention back to his wife once more. The Wasps were still fifty points behind, despite having caught the Snitch; this man's obvious sensationalism was entirely pointless.

Narcissa touched down on the pitch, already celebrating with her teammates over their latest victory. He watched as she pushed the escaped strands of hair out of her eyes, tipping her face up towards the Puddlemere stands, eyes locking onto the box. There was no way she could have seen him, but she grinned widely regardless, holding her broom up triumphantly.

The crowds cheering only increased in volume.

He sat back, content to let her enjoy this, a soft smile adorning his features.