Title: Tidal Waves
Chapter:
Characters/Pairings: Lucius/Narcissa, Juliet
Spoilers/Warning: R
Summary: His proximity has always had way of affecting her; whether it's causing her to have homicidal thoughts or, more recently, giving her butterflies. - L/N at Hogwarts
Disclaimer: Not authorized, prepared, approved, licensed, or endorsed by J. K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any other individual or entity associated with the Harry Potter books or film. All Harry Potter logos, trademarks, names, characters, and related indicia are the property of Warner Bros., J. K. Rowling, and/or their respective owners. I do not claim any affiliation with those who own Harry Potter and would like to make it clear that no copyright infringement is intended in the publication of this story.

I practically float through the next month. Life as I know it has suddenly taken a turn for the better. I had very nearly sworn off men altogether after my disastrous date with Evan, but when Edmund Harper had shyly and quietly asked me to lunch that following Saturday I couldn't help but say yes.

Edmund isn't like the boys I usually date. Most of the time I stick to the flashy guys who throw their money around in an attempt to wow me with their never-ending cash flow. Unfortunately for them, I also have a never-ending cash flow (or I did until last week when my father got the bill for my third Aurora skirt in just as many days (luckily for me, most of my favorite designers have offered me an open tab policy which he's yet to discover)). Edmund is quite the opposite. He's very sweet and has managed to fly under my radar even though he's the captain of our dueling club and has an incredibly sexy shag cut. But he's quiet and I tend not to notice anything unless it's vibrant like Versaci or sleek like Prada.

But Edmund isn't the only change I've experienced over the past month. Three nights a week I head to the potions lab for my tutoring sessions with Greg and Billy. I've found these sessions to be quite enjoyable and I'm actually very surprised at how far the two of them have come. Greg can now create potions at a fifth year level and Billy hasn't nearly destroyed the dungeons in at least three weeks.

The most surprising thing of all, however, is my relationship with Lucius. I know, I know. I said I'd hate the bastard for all eternity, but he's actually quite agreeable when he isn't surrounded by the rest of his lackeys. His smile is contagious and the way the corners of his eyes crinkle when he's concentrating is adorable. I've even started to look forward to spending time with him.

Of course, Juliet thinks I've been possessed.

"But he's Malfoy," Juliet says and scrunches her nose with disgust. She shakes her head as if to shake his image from her thoughts. "He's the bane of our existence."

"He's really not so bad," I tell her.

"Oh?" Juliet raises her eyebrows as she peers over the rack of dress robes. "What about The Kissing Incident?"

"He was just trying to rile me up," I say and shrug. It's really not all that big of a deal. So what if I can still remember the smell of his cologne or the heat from his body. Nope. Not a big deal.

"Which is a bastard thing to do." Juliet throws her arms in the air.

"We're just friends." I pull a pair of silver dress robes off the rack and hold them up to my chest. I look up at Juliet and raise my eyebrows.

"No."

I sigh and place the robes back on the rack. "Lucius is actually kind of sweet when he's not surrounded by all of his friends."

"Egh." Juliet grimaced. "The words 'Malfoy' and 'sweet' should never be used in the same sentence. And when did you start calling him Lucius?"

"It's his name," I say defensively and frown. "I don't get why it's such a big deal."

"It's a big deal because you spend more time with him than with Edmund and me put together," Juliet says angrily. "I'm beginning to think you have feelings for him."

Me? Feelings? For Luci- Er, Malfoy? Really, I've never heard anything so stupid in my life. I tell Juliet so. "I've never heard anything so stupid in my life."

"Oh really?" Juliet asks, her hands on her waist. "You were humming your Date Song last night before you went to tutoring."

"I was not!" Was I?

"Yes you were," Juliet says. "And all you talk about is how good Malfoy is at potions. You're good at potions Cissy. Who cares what Malfoy is good at."

"Look, Lucius and I are friends," I tell her. "End of story. If you've got a problem with it, then too bad."

"Fine," Juliet snaps. "But when he hurts you, don't come crawling to me."

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Later that night I'm still angry about my argument with Juliet. She actually had the nerve to turn on her heel and leave me at the shop all by my lonesome. In eleven years of friendship Juliet and I had not once argued to the point of abandonment. There was that time we got into a screaming match at Hermes is Paris, but the saleslady was finally able to talk us down. Oh, and the Pump Incident of '73. And we nearly came to blows over a gorgeous Fendi bag that weekend in Milan. But still; neither of us had ever been angry enough to leave the other cold, lonely, and without a wingman.

It was all that damn Malfoy's fault. It's always his fault.

"Open to page seventy-two," I growl as I stalk into the lab. I slam my books on Slughorn's desk and allow a small smile as the books snap loudly against the table. I turn around to find Greg and Billy staring at me with concern. Malfoy, on the other hand, crosses his ankles on top of the table he's sitting at and leans back. He looks like the cat who'd just eaten the canary.

"Jeeze Black," he says with wide, mocking eyes. "Did you and your little boyfriend have an argument?"

"No," I tell him, my eyebrows narrowing. Why does he always feel the need to bring up Edmund? "My best friend and I got into an argument because of you."

Malfoy's whole aura slowly wilts and I feel a smidgen better. "Me?"

I glare at him for a moment and then shake my head. What am I thinking? It's not Lucius' fault that Juliet and I have argued. She's un-rationally jealous of the time we've been spending together even though it's all for the greater good. Without our combined forces, the entire potions lab would have been blown to smithereens during last week's exam.

"It's nothing," I sigh. "Let's just get to work."

"It's not nothing," Lucius says. I'm touched at his concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I say, smiling hesitantly. "She's just angry at the amount of time we've been spending together."

"I see." He rounds the table and hops up next to where I'd perched myself on Slughorn's desk. "You know, if I had it my way we'd be spending a lot more time together than we already do."

"I love Juliet," I say and lean into his shoulder, "and I really care for Edmund." Lucius stiffens beside me. "But we're friends and that really means a lot to me." I chuckle. "Never thought I'd say that."

"Me neither," Lucius murmurs. He sighs and places his hand over my own. "Why don't you go make up with Juliet? Hm?"

"Oh, but-"

"I've got these two."

Lucius nudges my arm until I reluctantly gather my books and start towards the Slytherin Common Room. I stop at the lab's door, my hand hovering over the doorknob, and then turn around. With a grateful smile I tell him, "You know, you're a really great friend."

I'm only a little surprised that it's true.

He nods and echoes, "A great friend. Yeah."

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

But I didn't make up with Juliet because she never came back to our room that night.

I never thought it was possible for Juliet to stay angry at me for more than twenty-four hours. We're of the 'sleep on it and everything will look rosier in the morning' school of thought. We have our spats (often) but, like an old married couple, we're always back to giggling and gossiping by lunch time.

This is why I'm staring at her sullenly at dinner the evening after our fight while she laughs the night away with Anita Greengrass. I really don't have a problem with Anita (even if she is a best friend stealing bitch) but the way she keeps sneaking glances at me with that look of superiority makes me want to jump across the table and slam her face into her own mashed potatoes.

Wow. This violent streak is not becoming (even if it would be funny as all hell).

I'm still imagining the way Anita's face would look covered in potatoes, a dreamy look on my face, when Edmund sits down beside me. It takes him a few tries, but he's finally able to snap me out of my highly amusing daydream.

"Sorry," I mutter, turning to him.

He smiles that megawatt smile of his and I nearly turn to goo. "What's the matter babe?"

"Nothing," I say and lean into him. I take a deep breath and grin at the smell of his cologne. It's intoxicating and makes me want to throw my leg over his lap and snog him until the sun comes up. Hmm, come to think of it, I'm pretty sure it's the same cologne Lucius wears.

"She'll get over it," Edmund says, gesturing at Juliet over the top of my head. "You want to 'study' with me in my room tonight?"

His air quotes are adorable.

"Sure," I say automatically and then mentally slap myself. "Wait, I can't. We have a potions exam tomorrow and I've set up a last minute cram session with Greg and Billy. I'm sorry."

"No problem," Edmund says with forced cheer. His jaw has set. "Will Malfoy be there?"

"I'm not really sure," I tell him honestly. I ran it by Lucius earlier in the week and he'd agreed, but with the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match quickly approaching he's been running our team ragged on the practice field and tonight is prime practice time. "He may have-"

Speaking of the devil…

I stop right in the middle of my sentence as Lucius pushes Ewan Hamilton, my fellow sixth year, to the side and takes the seat across from me for himself. This action is extremely out of the norm (his sitting with sixth years, not his pushing someone out of his way) and draws the attention of half the table.

"Cissy," Lucius says and swats at Ewan when he attempts to grab the plate Lucius has forced him to abandon. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"I thought you would have practice," I say, and with good reason. Lucius has his broom (the latest model) in his hand and is dressed in his scrumptious practice uniform. Just looking at him makes my mouth water. I'm a total sucker for a man in uniform and that, paired with the predatory look he's throwing at me, makes me want to gobble him up.

Whoa.

I shake my head and look down at the table to get that picture out of my head. Because, though it's as entertaining as my potato mashing fantasy from earlier, it's just plain wrong. Lucius is my friend and I make it a practice to never picture my friends naked.

"I do," he says. He glances at Edmund, challengingly. "But you're more important. I've moved it up so I can still study with you tonight. I'll meet you in the Common Room at nine and we'll head to the lab together."

I'm about to nod when Edmund's arm snakes around my shoulders and pulls me close to him. It's a possessive move, one that Edmund has never used before. I look up at him and am completely surprised by what I see. Edmund's eyebrows are narrowed, his eyes are blazing, and his jaw is clenched so tightly it looks painful.

"Actually," I say slowly, turning my attention back to Lucius. "I think I'll have Edmund walk me to the lab. He's got an exam in ancient runes tomorrow and could study for that while we work on potions."

Lucius looks disappointed for a millisecond before a smirk replaces it. "I'm sure we can find a corner for him somewhere in the lab. As long as he doesn't interrupt us while we work."

I nod.

"Until then," Lucius says and swings his legs over the bench in one fluid motion. He nods at Edmund, winks at me, and sets off leaving me to look from his retreating backside (and oh, what a backside) to Edmund's angry face and back again.

Okay, what the hell just happened?