Severus had stolen glances at Lucius now and again during the Slytherin versus Ravenclaw match - Slytherin's by two hundred seventy points - and squashed a few smiles at Lucius' small expressions of pride, nerves, and enjoyment.
Even Lucius had grinned at the end, and the graceful dive Draco had executed to win.
Draco might go brash faced with Potter, but he was certainly an exceptional flyer - Severus might not have the Quidditch Cup in his office, not that he much cared, but that was down to Potter excelling, rather than Draco's weaknesses.
After congratulating Draco - with a brief hug, a display unexpected in public from the reserved elder Malfoy - Lucius had accepted Severus' invitation for tea.
He was surprisingly distant, however, once there. Severus watched him thoughtfully, then smiled, sitting on the arm of Lucius' chair, leaning to kiss his neck. "You were once quite an impressive flyer yourself, as I recall, pet." Severus murmured, straightening.
Lucius twitched. It was quickly stifled, and his expression was calm when he turned, but it had been enough to confirm Severus' guess.
"Yes, well. . . Thank you, but it is hardly relevant any longer, is it?" Lucius countered, leaning against Severus' side companionably.
Severus frowned. "Not exactly- Lucius," he paused, brows drawing together, "does Draco even know?"
Lucius took a deep breath, looking away, shifting as if to rise until a restraining hand clasped his shoulder.
"You know what worries him most is that you might be disappointed in him, for any reason." Severus reminded. "And he is of the opinion that you don't see Quidditch as a worthwhile usage of his time, despite his love for it."
Lucius met Severus' gaze with obvious surprise, then closed his eyes. "Oh, Merlin. How was I so stupid, Severus?" he murmured, dropping his head to Severus' lap.
Happy New Year! (One of my own minor goals for 2016: to post fanfiction (and original fiction) more frequently.)
