Hey, Soul Sister [Lucius/Narcissa]

Chapter Twenty-Nine

If Mother had seen us outside... The thought brought a smirk to Narcissa's lips as she sat in the Great Hall awaiting the appearance of Lucius and the others. Her actions beneath the Quidditch stands had been the closest she'd ever come to an inappropriate display of affection, and even then, she'd been careful not to allow anyone to be near enough to witness the kiss that still lingered like a pleasant fog over her thoughts.

"Would you quit? That look is a little too satisfied for my tastes."

"Hush, Lenny. Let me have this." Narcissa stuck out her tongue at her friend and pulled it back in quickly, unwilling to allow anyone else to see her momentary lapse in decorum before her smirk returned. I'm happy, for once. Just let it be. I humored you and Walden endlessly, and if Lucius and I ever manage to be as ridiculously inappropriate as the two of you, you'll have the right to complain. And I'll want my brain examined.

"At least acknowledge they're all being irritating, at the moment," said Lenore with a frown. "Even him. They can't possibly still be outside."

"They might've had things to discuss with the team." Narcissa shrugged.

"Which they can do later, considering Lucius can call them to meet whenever he feels like it."

"Just start eating, then, if you're so impatient." Narcissa rolled her eyes. "I won't stop you."

"No, but you'll sit there and judge me," said Lenore, casting a glance at the large bowl of potatoes sitting before her, ready to be dispensed onto their plates.

"When have I ever judged you?" asked Narcissa, raising a brow. "Wait, let me rephrase: when have I ever judged you apart from when you and Walden were snogging loudly in front of me?"

"Loudly?" Lenore repeated, blinking.

Narcissa was spared further explanation by the appearance of Augustus, who sat down across from her and Lenore, a frown set on his lips and his dark eyes fixed on the table as he folded his hands on its edge.

"Are you all right?" asked Narcissa.

"And did you lose the other two?"

Narcissa nudged Lenore's foot with her own beneath the table, hoping her friend would pick up on the fact that it wasn't the time to pester Augustus, who shrugged noncommittally.

"They'll be here, I assume," he said. "And I'm fine."

"That's not what it looks like to me." Narcissa reached out to lay a hand on his arm, but he drew backward, lowering both his hands to beneath the table.

"And you've been paying attention, have you?" Augustus asked, his mouth twisting in what looked like a cynical brand of amusement.

Narcissa frowned. She suspected Lenore's agitation was directed primarily at Walden for his tardiness and that she herself had just been in the line of fire, but what she'd done to earn this treatment from Augustus, she had no idea. "You know," she said, "I've had enough of people criticizing me for a while, thank you." She glanced toward the Ravenclaw table, distracting herself by watching a pair of younger students who'd managed to fit a Wizard's Chess board between their food-laden plates and were barking orders at the game pieces between bites of chicken.

"Narcissa, I'm sorry."

She grudgingly returned her focus to Augustus, who was watching her, his shoulders slightly more slumped than they'd been at her last glance.