“Lucius, if you admire me, please keep it low-key. A Malfoy would never date a Half-blood.” Even if you are outstanding.
Draco awkwardly tossed out this sentence before class ended, then hurried away as if his tail were on fire. Lucius’s face twitched, and she couldn’t help but feel speechless: This kid is so narcissistic, he’s not even fully grown yet!
However, Lucius curled her lips: That suits me just fine. I never intended to get involved in puppy love anyway.
Aren’t the Twin Brothers from Gryffindor charming enough? Or isn’t Cedric, the heartthrob from Hufflepuff, handsome?
Lucius shook her head with a wry smile and was about to pack her things and leave when she noticed Pansy, who had been gloomy for a while, striding over smugly, baring her teeth to taunt her, looking somewhat gleeful: “Riddle, even if you’ve caught Draco’s attention, you’re still not from a pure-blood family. There’s no hope for you. Sometimes, when trying to climb the social ladder, you should weigh your own worth.”
If you know what’s good for you, don’t humiliate yourself!
Pansy glanced at the empty seat where Lilith usually sat, and a heavy weight in her heart slowly lifted. Good, Lilith Nott had already lost Draco’s trust. That idiot was nothing more than a pretty face and utterly foolish—nothing to worry about.
As for Riddle, she was just a Half-blood with a bit of brains, no match for her either.
She, Pansy Parkinson, was Draco’s childhood friend, the most qualified to become the future Mrs. Malfoy.
“Miss Parkinson, you’re blocking my way.” Lucius couldn’t be bothered with her. So young and already obsessed with love and romance, her grades weren’t great, and her mind was cluttered with distractions. Besides, she had never indicated any improper thoughts about Draco, so she had no idea how these people came up with such ideas →_→
During the break, Lucius didn’t head to the Slytherin common room but went straight to the dining area. With Halloween approaching, the Great Hall was already being elaborately decorated.
The house-elves at Hogwarts were even more diligent and enthusiastic than usual. Various exquisite plates spun and danced through the air, and colorful, delicious dishes floated by, golden and fragrant.
Lucius picked up a silver round plate, added a square of tender steak still steaming hot, two bright green broccoli florets, and drizzled a spoonful of gravy over them. With both meat and vegetables, it was just the right balance of nutrition. Paired with a freshly squeezed black plum jasmine orange juice, it was delightfully tangy and refreshing.
Suddenly, her mind buzzed a few times. Lucius felt as though she had forgotten something important but couldn’t recall it at the moment. She had no choice but to set aside her scattered thoughts and focus on enjoying the delicious meal.
But peaceful and pleasant moments were always ruined by someone.
“Lucius! Why didn’t you go to the common room? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”
Young Master Malfoy stormed over like a little bomb about to self-ignite, roaring angrily. Goyle and Crabbe cowered fearfully in the distance, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
Oh, this grating voice just won’t quit! →_→
“Malfoy, did I say I was going there? You waiting is your business, not my fault. And where is your gentlemanly demeanor? Shouting at a lady in public—is this the upbringing a Malfoy should have?”
Lucius set down his knife and fork, crossing his arms with a faintly amused expression. His obsidian-like eyes gazed over calmly yet sharply as a blade, sending chills down Draco’s spine.
“Rein in that temper of yours, Draco. What is it you want?” Lucius frowned with disdain, the subtext clear: if it’s nothing important, don’t disturb his mealtime.
Draco shot Lucius an annoyed glare, an inexplicable sense of grievance welling up inside him. His inner monologue: Doesn’t he like me? Why is he being so cold? He didn’t even come to the common room after class! Is this the proper attitude for an admirer? (ω)
……
An awkward silence was broken by the panicked, stumbling arrival of Professor Quirrell: “Troll!… in the dungeon…”
Lucius suddenly realized—so that’s what he’d forgotten. Quirrell had deliberately released the troll, planning to steal the Sorcerer’s Stone for old Voldemort.
The vast dining hall erupted into chaos. Young wizards screamed in terror. Draco’s mouth hung open wide enough to fit an egg, his whole body trembling as he glanced around desperately, wishing he could find a secret hole to crawl into. Almost instinctively, he grabbed the sleeve of Lucius, who was closest to him, as if seeking some strength. His lips moved a few times: “Lu…cius, trolls aren’t really that scary, right?”
Lucius glanced at Quirrell, who was pretending to have fainted. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were vigilantly scanning their surroundings. He had to abandon the impulse to run over to Quirrell and stomp on that turban a few times. Instead, he pulled the trembling Malfoy toward the Slytherin line, softening his tone to reassure him: “It’s just a false alarm. The professors are all here; there’s no need to be afraid.”
“Who… who’s afraid?” Draco flushed red, letting out a disgruntled huff, but he didn’t refuse Lucius’s continued hold on his hand.
Lucius didn’t call out his contradictory words. His sharp ears caught the faint ding—his Golden Finger was back online!
A golden wheel materialized in the air before him, spinning uncontrollably before vanishing a few seconds later.
“Ding—Prize delivered. Please check the third drawer of the bedside cabinet next to bed 212 in the dungeon dormitory!”
That was his dormitory bedside cabinet!
“Draco, you’re absolutely amazing!” Lucius couldn’t help but beam, flashing Draco a huge, excited smile. The Draco Malfoy effect really worked wonders!
He wondered what the prize would be this time. Gold Galleons? Silver Sickles? Or some other surprise.
“What?” Draco was confused, blushing furiously under Lucius’s bright, sparkling gaze. His tone held a hint of uncertain annoyance: “You’re sure you’re not mocking me?”
Lucius snapped back to reality, his smile unwavering. He gave Draco’s soft, slender hand—which was trying to pull away—a gentle squeeze and said with utmost sincerity: “Of course not. What I mean is, you’re actually not so bad.”
At least the success rate of provoking him was pretty high (^ω^)
“Obviously! Took you long enough to figure it out, huh!” The proud little prince instantly emerged, puffing out his cheeks as he yanked his hand free, leaving Lucius with nothing but a view of his platinum-blond head.
The kid must be embarrassed, Lucius thought cheerfully.
“Hey, you two little ones, could you stop flirting already.” The Slytherin prefect for this year, Maximo, scolded with a stern face. As a prefect, he had to make these little snakes behave at critical moments, so he singled out the two most troublesome ones first.
“Oh, sorry, Senior Maximo.” Lucius said with genuine sincerity—she really didn’t mean it d(д)
Blaise wore an amused smile, his teasing gaze sweeping back and forth between Lucius and Draco, nearly making Draco explode on the spot.
For heaven’s sake—no, for Merlin’s sake—Lucius felt she couldn’t tease this dog about to blow its top any longer.
This seemingly turbulent but ultimately harmless incident ended with the clear rewards and punishments after the Golden Trio’s brave fight against the troll.
But Lucius knew this was just the prelude to Voldemort’s stirrings, though it wasn’t her current concern. Without the strength to protect herself, she didn’t think she should recklessly get involved. The protagonists had their own plot armor; she might just be cannon fodder. No one could say for sure, so it was best to proceed with caution.
The biggest takeaway from this incident, aside from the unopened unknown gift, was Draco’s attitude. He seemed to have officially included Lucius in their circle—the small group consisting of Blaise, Parkinson, Goyle, and Crabbe. (Lilith Nott had been removed.)
The most obvious sign: whenever the Malfoy family’s golden eagle owl delivered the high-end candies handmade by Mrs. Malfoy, whether Lucius was present or not, her share would always be set aside.
Though Lucius wasn’t particularly fond of sweets, she couldn’t help but sincerely admire: Mrs. Malfoy’s skills were truly excellent!
Seeing that Draco had some awareness after all, Lucius felt she could be a bit more tolerant of him in the future, making daily teasing easier.