P A R A M O U R || George Weasley

"Can I, mother?" Lyra asks, fidgeting with the long sleeve of her blouse.

Narcissa stares at her daughter in surprise, a piece of fabric still grasped in the palm of her hand. She's in a state of shock. The last thing she expected was for Lyra to ask if she could be excused to go on a date. Somehow Narcissa missed the moment her daughter became a young woman.

The request would explain the extra effort Lyra put on her outfit this morning and the makeup covering her already beautiful face. Narcissa hadn't thought much about it. After all, she taught her daughter always to be well dressed and presentable.

Lyra hadn't mentioned any boys in the letters she sent to her parents during the semester, so to hear that she has a date waiting for her took Narcissa out of her element. It makes sense though Lyra is 15, and in a few months, she'll turn 16; it's only natural for her to notice boys, and boys to notice her.

"So, is it alright if I go now for my date?" Lyra asks again, momentarily worried about her mother's silence.

Clearing her throat and smoothing the shiny fabric on her palm, the older witch nods. "I don't see why not. You already picked out your dress for the ball," she says, adding a small smile to hide her surprise.

"Thanks, mother. I'll see you at home." Lyra beams, hugging her mother goodbye and leaving behind the gown and robe shop.

As Narcissa watches her daughter walk away from the store, Draco emerges from behind a curtain in a new suit. He looks around, and when he doesn't find his sister, he turns to his mother in question, to which she responds. "She's gone out for a date."

"Oh, with Adrian?" Draco asks his mother, not knowing that the old witch barely knows anything about the new couple.

Narcissa's head snaps up to her son, the other person who can know enough to tell her about Lyras's love life. While the siblings don't spend much time together at school, they watch out for each other and occasionally catch up in the common room.

Lyra didn't need to say anything to Draco, though, as the shift in the relationship between her and Adrian could be seen from miles away. Not to mention, they share a few friends in common, and he's heard his sister's name be whispered along with Adrians. Besides, everyone has been expecting it for years. There's no way those two will stay 'best friends.'

"Yes, do you reckon when this all started?"

"I'm not too sure." Draco shrugs, staring at himself in the mirror. "She's been ogling at him for a while in school, but they only went on a date about a week ago."

"I see," she hums, her mind far away. Snapping out of it, she asks, "Are you done picking your robes?"

Paying for Lyra's dress and Draco's robes, they head back to the manor. Narcissa feels the itch to tell her husband the new information she's acquired. She's sure that he won't react as happy or complacent. His heart will break a little, too, considering his daughter is grown up.

It's not only that she's grown but what other things it implicates. With Lyra starting to date and going soon into her sixth year of Hogwarts, they will soon need to start looking for possible suitors. It's tradition to find a suitable man to take care of their daughter and continue the pure blood lineage.

Once in the manor, Narcissa stops in the bedroom to leave the things she picked up in the Diagon alley and then beelines to Lucius' study. She softly knocks before entering in case her husband has some company.

It only takes Lucius a brief second to notice there is something in his wife's mind. "Is everything alright, dear?" He asks, going around the desk to approach his wife.