Hey, Soul Sister [Lucius/Narcissa]

Chapter Twenty-Four

The thought of returning to the remainder of his schedule after the day's events thus far was one Lucius didn't bother to entertain. Shortly after he'd given Narcissa the antidote, Lenore had joined them in the Common Room, and the three had taken seats and elected to avoid their next lessons.

"What are we going to do to Rowle and Carrow?" asked Lenore, drumming her fingers against the arm of her chair. "Narcissa and I could easily get into Alecto's dormitory, but Thorfinn... that might be on you."

Lucius hesitated, glancing to where Narcissa sat beside him on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the carpet. While his own first instinct after ensuring her safety had been to strike against those responsible for putting her at risk, she herself had said nothing on the subject of revenge. He'd never seen her as embarrassed as she'd been after the antidote had taken effect. It had been difficult enough for their relationship to progress past the boundaries of friendship and for the two to become comfortable crossing new lines, and he feared the Amortentia situation would serve as a hindrance to further progress. Narcissa had just begun to allow Lucius past the walls she'd constructed after years of familial repression, and if her reaction to the potion was an indication of her broader mindset, she was uncertain how far to allow those walls to fall and viewed her—however involuntary—lapse in control as weakness. Lucius had no idea how to strengthen the trust between the two of them when Narcissa's trust in herself had apparently been shaken so deeply.

"We'll deal with them in time," he said, letting out a sigh. "Right now, let's try to focus on the fact that everything is all right. Why don't we do something fun? Distract ourselves?"

"We could go somewhere," suggested Lenore, glancing from Lucius to Narcissa and back. "Get out of here."

"No." Narcissa shook her head, her lips set in a line. "I'd rather just go back to the dormitory, honestly."

Lucius frowned. He reached out to grasp her hand and give it a light squeeze. "Cissy, we don't have to leave. We can stay here with you until you're... feeling well."

"It's all right." She returned the squeeze of his hand and met his eyes steadily. "I think I just want to rest for a while." She leaned close to press a soft kiss to his cheek, and he felt a bit of his tension ease at the touch of her lips. "I'll come and find you later."

Narcissa rose from the sofa and made her way from the room, moving in the direction of the dormitories. When she'd gone, Lucius looked to Lenore, who nodded understanding before he'd had the chance to speak.

"I'll stay close and make sure she's all right."

"Thank you." He glanced once more toward the doorway. "Then I'll go for a walk. I need to clear my head, if I'm going to avoid doing something I'll regret where the two idiots are concerned."

"No one would exactly blame you," said Lenore with a shrug.

"No, but I can't afford to be sent to Azkaban before I graduate." Particularly with my father relying on me to... Lucius refused to finish the thought. He couldn't endure worrying for both Narcissa and his father at once. He stood and started for the corridor, uncertain of where his feet would take him but in desperate need of some form of distraction.

He found The Three Broomsticks roughly as empty as it had been the last time he'd visited. After Butterbeer failed to improve his mood in the slightest, Lucius ordered a Firewhiskey, which he sipped from a booth near the back of the pub. He didn't feel that being discovered here in the middle of the day would end well, and he intended to draw as little attention to himself as possible.