Chapter 19

Eliza loved it when Lucius took her advice and she was pleased to see he had over the Christmas ball.

The Malfoy Christmas ball had been one of the highlights of the pureblood social season and had been so for centuries. Yet when the mistress of the house had died that tradition had. It was time to begin it again.

The only thing Lucius had found was the organising was so much hassle. Narcissa had made it look easy but it wasn't. Not in the slightest. There was the menus, the music, the decoration…so much to arrange. The guest list, the invites.

He sighed. Christmas when it was just he and his son was so much easier.

Draco was of course not going to be attending the ball. The night was going to begin at eight so he was going to put his son to bed at seven thirty. The night was going to take place on the 20th.

Jane and Eliza was as ever trying to help him get ready for everything but he found they were more help when they were fussing over is son than him which he knew was not much fun for Draco but at least he knew that his son was behaving himself.

He was, of course, not used to the idea of people being in the house who he did not know. Lucius had always kept people away from him as he felt his son was too good for everyone to fuss about, too precious for them all to know. So to think about opening the door of society and the pureblood community was a rather unsettling one for the young Malfoy.

"He is going to be fine. And this is the world he is going to have to grow up in," Eliza pointed out.

"I know he is but I have tried to always keep him protected."

"We all know that and you have always done that so well."

"Have I?"

"Of course you have. He is as innocent as a rose. A damn sight more so than if he's mother had lived."

Perhaps she was right . He knew his wife had been society beauty and she had loved being out .

-

"Right are you ready to go to bed son?"

It was the right of the ball and Lucius had gone to tuck Draco in before he went down.

It had been a long time since he had done anything like this.

He had to say even if it was only to himself that he felt rather nervous over the whole thing which was not unlike him.

The little boy, who was feeling rather tired that evening any way, knew better than to argue with his father over such matters and did as he was told. He also sensed his father needed him on his side that night.

Sitting on the end of the bed, and tucking his small son tight Lucius smiled..

"Sweet dreams son." he said to him.

"Have a good night daddy." said Draco as Lucius cuddled him. He wished his father could stay with him more than anything. He didn't always like the dark . He didn't want the light to go out and he did not want his father to go downstairs.

But he knew he had to .

And so he let him go.

-

Awkward was not the word for Lucius that evening he knew it. That would be a understatement. He had forgotten what is was to go out into society. He had got so used to his own company. He had to face facts: he was practically a hermit.

Sighing, he looked about the room trying to find a girl that looked as of she might be good conversation as well as pleasing to the eye. But it seemed they were either dull or ugly, nether of which he wanted to be associated with.

The women who had been invited were very excited when he came in. He had used to bloom in there company as they swooned over him. But then he had never had to take too much notice of them as he had always had Narcissa waiting for him when he went home. That was not the case that evening,

The eligible women were of course a lot younger than him now, having just been let out of Hogwarts 3 months ago or were in there seventh year. They had all heard of the famous Malfoy but since they were thirteen they had heard he was a recluse, when he had so tragically lost the love of his life. But here he was.

So handsome and young all. Some of the girls didn't think he would be. They imaged a dirty old man in his autumn. That was most definitely not the case.

He was introduced to a few of them throughout the evening.

The first girl that he met that evening was Cecilia Parkinson who he had to sat he was not very impressed with. He had known when he met any one they were going to be compared to Narcissa and they were not going to met his standards.

The second he met was Georgiana Berkstein and she was just as unimpressive as her predecessor.

But then for the first time that evening, someone caught his eye…

She was so utterly unlike all the other girls there. She was unlike Cissy.

At seventeen, Maria Pilak had come to Hogwarts all the way from Russia. She had jet black hair, which had been put up in to a bun playfully. Her striking red dress was matched by cryptic blue eyes.

"Excuse me…" he said to, Joanna was it? No…but who cared.

Maria had been watching the mingling rather than joining in. She had not particularly cared for the company that evening. Her mother had insisted she come of course. She had had too. And yet? …

As she watched her host sweep towards her though she swept into a low curtsey and kept her eyes diverted from him.

"Miss…" he greeted her.

"Sir."

"Merry Christmas to you."

"And to you."

It was only now after he had greeted her with some decree of warmness that she dared to look up to him with her elusive eyes. They didn't sparkle as his late wife's had. There was something about this girl though which he had not expected.

Maria allowed a tentative smile to play on her lips. There was something seductive about her, he could feel it in his very bones.

"I am so sorry for being rude sir, my name is Maria. And I thank you for inviting me to the ball." she said to him.

He was only too pleased that he had. The Pilaks were an old family, just as the Malfoy's were. When he had drawn up the list for that evening he had done it by blood type and Hogwarts house. They were the two easiest ways. If he remembered correctly, she was a Ravenclaw.

"All will be forgiven if you give me this dance."

When they got to the dance floor they found all eyes were focused up the lord of the house and the young Russian. Who ever they had expected Lucius Malfoy to dance with that evening it had not been her. Her beauty was so understated that if you blinked, you missed it. Why on earth when he was in a room full of the new debutantes, would he pick her? Yet against the back ground of striking, fair haired English roses she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Maria felt quite nervous as she danced with the lord of the manor. She had not seen him coming. And when she had she knew it was too late.

She was not one to fall in love easily. Yet Lucius Malfoy….

Her blue eyes revealed nothing of what her heart said. They never would. But Lucius had got on a roller coaster that evening when he had asked her to asked her to dance with him. And though he did not know it, that roller coaster was set to dominate the next months years of his life.

An: Don't you just love snow days? School got cancelled so I finally got to finish this chapter!

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