Hey, Soul Sister [Lucius/Narcissa]

Chapter Eight

Lucius kept silent for the duration of the walk back to the castle, attempting to tune out the chattering of his friends and refrain from pointing out how stupid most of their comments were regarding the appearance of his mark. He hadn't planned on any of them finding out so soon. He'd wanted to bring it up only when he was ready—when he'd actually determined what it meant, for starters, and on his own terms. He hadn't counted on being knocked from his broom and to the grass of the Quidditch pitch in front of all of them.

In front of her.

He'd been struggling enough with trying to understand how he felt about Narcissa without embarrassing himself by letting her see him fall and making her worry over his injuries. He hoped she hadn't noticed his shiver, when she'd lifted his shirt to inspect the damage. He'd spent years denying the possibility of viewing her as more than a friend, and now that he'd allowed the thought to cross his mind, he was finding it hard to shake.

Unfortunately, now she knew that the patronus of his soulmate had materialized, and he doubted she would easily forget that he hadn't told her about something this important personally. He'd planned to, after all. He'd wanted to ask her what her patronus was, but he'd been. Now, though, was mortified enough without asking a question that could lead to millions more and could very likely also lead to disappointment. For the moment, he needed to focus on not stumbling as she supported his right arm and Travers supported his left, helping him up the steps toward the Hospital Wing. His back and leg ached, and each movement sent another jolt of pain through him, particularly when he placed his weight on his right foot.

The list of violent acts he wanted to commit involving Thorfinn Rowle grew exponentially by the day. Lucius would have retribution for this. He swore it to himself. He didn't want to risk losing his status as Head Boy, which meant he would have to be careful, but he didn't intend to let this attack go unpunished, particularly if his injuries kept him off the Quidditch pitch. As captain, he couldn't afford to let the team down, and as a matter of personal pride, he couldn't let Rowle even begin to think he'd won.

The moment the group entered the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey began to fuss over Lucius, who attempted to downplay the severity of the pain he felt with each step.

"Here, bring him over here, please. Sit down, Mr. Malfoy, and be still."

"Just a few scratches, Madam Pomfrey," said Lucius as Narcissa and Gabriel led him to the bed the matron had indicated. "I'm sure it's nothing too horrible." Lucius let out a hiss as Gabriel dropped his arm too quickly and a sharp sting shot through his shoulder and back, and Narcissa sighed impatiently.

"He fell off his broom from rather high up," she said, addressing Madam Pomfrey, "and I think he's probably broken something. He's just too stubborn to ask for help," she added under her breath.

Lucius sighed. "Thank you," he told Narcissa quietly. "I do appreciate it." When he'd awoken after being Stunned to find that she was the one who'd revived him and had been the first to run onto the pitch to help, he'd been both indescribably grateful and incredibly embarrassed that she'd seen him in a moment of such weakness. He tried to tell himself that the fall hadn't been his fault—after all, he hadn't really fallen, he'd been blasted out of the air, which had been completely out of his control. Still, he hadn't wanted to let on to how severely he'd been hurt. He did have a reputation to maintain, and now that Augustus and Walden had gone after Thorfinn before Lucius had been given the chance to do it for himself, he wondered if that reputation had already been damaged.

Narcissa nodded, sliding out from under Lucius's arm carefully as he sat down at the edge of the bed. "Just tell her the truth so you can get better, okay?"

"I give you my word."

"Right, let's have a look at you." Madam Pomfrey bustled toward the bed, her face set in concentration as she leaned over Lucius and began examining him. The others backed out of her way, Narcissa and Gabriel joining Walden, Lenore, and Augustus near the doorway. Lucius held as still as possible as Madam Pomfrey poked and prodded him and, after several minutes of investigation, produced a clear bottle filled with a thick, purple potion, which she rested on the table beside the bed.