Summary: Daphne Greengrass is a Seer, which is a gift and curse when it's her own future she can see. Even worse when your emotions are attached to her abilities. Then add a sprinkle of longing for someone she shouldn't and it can only lead to heartbreak... right? (Daphne/Lucius)

I Know

A champagne glass shattered nearby. Well, shattered would be putting it mildly. It exploded.

The holder of the now non-existent glass stared at their hand, flecks of blood popping up across their palm and fingers. "That wasn't me!" the woman said quickly, almost doing a double-take when she saw people staring. She looked around at the quiet crowd that filled the ballroom; Ministry workers saying farewell to a well-liked employee retiring. "It wasn't!"

A familiar voice whispered into Daphne's ear. She jumped and side-stepped at the same time so that Hermione wasn't able to touch her. Hermione frowned at the distance she'd put between them.

Hermione held her hands up briefly, as if surrendering. "What happened? You were laughing at your own jokes a moment ago."

The problem with being a Seer was that it made Daphne's magic very… emotional. Sometimes explosive. Bit like that glass in the poor woman's hand. They both turned to look at the crowd as chatter picked up across the vast room with high ceilings and painted murals of landscapes on its walls. Wands were out and shards of glass were disappeared while cuts were healed. Less than five minutes later and it was like it never happened.

"Well?" Hermione asked quietly into her ear.

Daphne started again. She'd forgotten in her brief stupor at the scene that she'd come to this stupid party with Hermione, who never missed a bloody thing and was too understanding for her own good. Daphne had confided a lot in Hermione over the years as they worked together over various projects at the Ministry, becoming good friends too, but she still had a secret she never dared to share. Not when she'd just seen said secret across the room.

"Nothing," Daphne finally said once she was sure everyone had completely gone back to their conversations. "Someone brushed against me. That's all."

"Too many people? Do you want to go?"

Daphne shook her head quickly. "No, poor sleep. I'm always a bit sensitive if I don't get my full twelve hours."

Hermione gave her a wry grin that said she didn't believe her, but she'd let it go because Daphne would tell her in time. Or so she imagined that's what Hermione was thinking.

She shook her empty wineglass at Hermione. "Another one?"

"Oh, watch out," Hermione said sharply. She yanked at Daphne's wrist before a large man with a rather large waist nearly sent Daphne sprawling.

"I beg you're pardon. I'm awfully sorry." He patted at his stomach with a bright smile. "It has a mind of its own sometimes."

Daphne returned his smile. "No harm done." She felt an emotion coming off him; melancholy? No, something else. Regret. She touched his wrist with the tip of her finger; when she was this emotional, it was all the contact she needed. He frowned. They could always sense something was happening, but never understood it until…

"You should go to that dinner. I promise you won't regret it," she whispered to him.

She took her finger away. He blinked, the smile gone, but understanding in his eyes. He moved on without another word.

"I hope he listened. He'll meet his future husband…" The rest of the sentence disappeared when she turned back to see Hermione's wide eyes and her hand still attached to Daphne's wrist.

Hermione let go of her when she realised what Daphne was looking at. Her mouth opened.

Daphne pointed at her. "No!"

"B—"

"No!"

"Bu—"

"Don't want to hear it!"

"You—"

"Hermione, no! I'm not discussing it."

Hermione clamped her mouth shut. Daphne dropped her hand. Hermione's eyes searched the room. Daphne shoved her glass on a passing tray of dirty glasses.

"I need some air – don't even think about it!" she warned Hermione over her shoulder.

Hermione knew when not to follow, which Daphne would always be grateful for. Even Astoria wasn't good at it.

Daphne breathed in deeply when she stepped through the large patio doors that lead to the large gardens of the manor that party was being held in; it belonged to a friend of the Minister's or something, she would have to ask… nope! She wasn't going to ask him anything.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself. She hugged herself when a cool breeze whipped the hem of her dark blue dress around her knees. She glanced back at the open doors, the warmth of the party tempting her.

She took a step back to the building but stopped when she saw the person that would be the end of her. She moved quickly before he spotted her and stomped down the path towards the entrance to a forest. Hopefully the trees would give her a little protection from the looming storm.

A little wooden signpost stood at the entrance, the path splitting in two. It had a couple of arrows attached; one pointed to the left fork of the path and one to the right. She took the left one, to the lake. Water calmed her. Even rain did and she hated getting rained on.

By the time Daphne had walked the short distance to the lake she was now more angry at her stupid shoes making her stumble over small stones on the path than embarrassed at Hermione seeing her deepest, darkest secret. Her cheeks burned as it properly sunk in; Hermione knew.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Hermione to keep her secret, it was… Shame? Yes, definitely shame. With a little bit of self-hate that she'd let this happen.

Stupid heart. Why him? Of all people!

When Daphne got to the path that ran along the edge of the lake the clouds unleashed their fat raindrops. She kicked her strappy heels off to run to the small temple dome a few metres away. She cursed every step as the stones cut into her feet and the raindrops made the lake splash up on her bare legs. Thankfully the trees still gave her some shelter so that she didn't get wet. Much.

With a shivering sigh, Daphne dumped her shoes on the floor as she checked the dome roof of the circular gazebo with its seven granite pillars. "A bench in this thing wouldn't have hurt," she muttered to no one.

"That was my thought too."

Daphne stopped rubbing the skin of her upper arms. It couldn't be. Her heart pounded heavily against her chest. He'd just been at the party. He couldn't have followed her. In fact, why would he have followed her?

"I'm sure you need it after that… what is it the Muggles call it…" There was a pause, the sound of the rain hitting the lake the only sound, and then a sharp click of fingers. "Jogging. That's it."

"I was trying not to get wet," she stated through her chattering teeth, still refusing to look at her companion. She kept her eyes firming on the many ripples appearing on the surface of the lake. The water was not making her feel calm right now.

"You know, there's this marvellous spell we use from time to time. Can be useful for getting about."

Daphne sighed. She turned around to face him. And when she saw the small smirk on his lips, amusement clear in his eyes, for she knew he did love to wind her up, Daphne wanted to punch his stupidly perfect face. Only Lucius Malfoy would look that bloody handsome when he smiles.

Barely keeping her senses, Daphne slapped her hands at her hips. "No pockets. Can't keep a wand on me when I decide to wear an impractical dress."

"Ah," he said simply. He shrugged his dark jacket off to reveal that the forest green shirt had a small peacock stitched in a darker green on the breast pocket. "Wandless magic is tricky."

"It is when your name is Daphne Greengrass."

Lucius stepped towards her. "But she is excellent at accidental magic… still."

Lucius laughed when she said 'still' with him. Sometimes she liked to think it was their little joke. The type of joke only couples have and makes them giggle when no one else understands.

It wasn't though. And of course he'd been there to witness the glass exploding.

Daphne turned around to look at the lake, the rain still coming down heavily. "I didn't know you were friends with Humphrey. Thought he would be a little bit unhinged for your circle of friends."

"Humphrey has been good to the family the last few years. Not many have since the war."

Every nerve ending told Daphne where Lucius was and right now she could tell he was about to put that jacket of his on her, like the gentleman his mother had raised him to be. She stepped forward. His shoe clicked on the wooden floor of the gazebo as he took a step towards her.

"Daphne." The inflection in his voice made her shiver for a different reason.

"Lucius," she replied.

Another step towards her. She stepped to the side this time. He let out a soft sigh.

"You're having a bad day."

A statement. Because he always knew.

Daphne folded her arms. Lucius had known before Hermione, about her Seer abilities being tied – more like throttled – by her emotions.

"I don't want you to see—" She took a sharp breath as the soft material of his jacket went over her shoulders and his aftershave overtook the smell of damp earth in her nose. She moved, but it made Lucius' finger graze the skin of her neck.

"No," she said so quietly she wasn't sure she'd said.

The image had flashed up in her mind immediately. Barely a second of contact. She knew it was enough for him to see it too.

"Daphne." He rested his hand on her shoulder, warm and heavy through the material, and pulled gently. "I know."

She let him turn her to face him. She kept her eyes firmly on that stupid little peacock on his shirt and didn't say anything. Her cheeks were giving her a great source of heat that she almost didn't need his jacket anymore.

She wouldn't look at him because she didn't want to see the look in his eyes at what he'd seen. She didn't care how he'd found out, she just didn't want to look him in the eye ever again.

Lucius moved the hand still on her shoulder to the side of Daphne's neck. The tip of his thumb rested on her jaw. It took every effort to not lean into it. He slowly leaned forward, his lips brushed against her cheek as he moved his head by her ear; this time she stopped breathing.

"The thing is," –his lips touch her ear, making her skin tingle– "I've loved you for a ridiculous amount of time that I'm quite wearing out of patience for you to tell me about this wedding of ours."

Daphne stepped back quickly to finally look him in the eye. It broke all contact with him and she could breathe again. "That wasn't the vision you saw a moment ago."

Lucius shrugged nonchalantly as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Remember that Christmas party when Draco spiked the—"

"I'll kill him!" Daphne said loudly, her voice echoed through the woods.

Lucius laughed softly. "I'd rather you did it after the wedding as I'm not sure I can find another best man."

Daphne punched him in the bicep. He laughed loudly and grabbed at her fist before she could punch him again. "And you didn't say anything!" He shook his head. "For two years!"

Lucius' smiled softened at little. "I know you better than you think I do. It had to be on your terms and no one else's… but, even for us, life is still short."

She nodded. Astoria always close to her mind. "So you know?"

Lucius kissed her forehead before pulling her into a warm hug. "I know."