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

12 || ARRANGEMENTS TO BE DONE

She nods as he holds her hand and nudges her to sit in one of the plush leather chairs that adorn his study. "I'm fine, dear, but I come with news."

"What is it?" The concern is written all over his face. He doesn't bother to hide it around his wife. She's the only person Lucius feels he can express himself fully, his confidant.

Narcissa takes a moment to think about how to phrase it but decides to let it out, "Today, I found out that our dear Lyra is dating."

"Dating?" Lucius' eyebrows furrow, and his head cocks to the side as if in confusion, even though the words were clear as day.

"Yes, darling, dating," Narcissa repeats, patting his hands in comfort. She knows he needs as much as he can get.

Lucius stays in his spot, his stare blank as he processes his wife's words. "Who could she possibly be dating? She's far too young!"

"From what I was told, it is the young Adrian Pucey," she tells him, "She'll turn sixteen in a few months, dear. She's right about there. Need I remind you both of us were dating back then."

"Is this our fault for letting them be friends? For inviting him to our home," Lucius rambles, ignoring Narcissa's words about their past.

"Oh darling, relax," the woman sighs. She should've known her husband would've overreacted, "I wanted to tell you so you can be prepared."

"I will never be prepared for this," he says outrageously.

"You do realize what this means?" She asks. It's the reason she's decided to tell him about their daughter dating.

"What?" Lucius' head snaps back to look at her.

"It's time we start thinking about possible suitors...."

Lucius Malfoy stays silent and frozen in his seat. The time has come too soon. He knows his daughter is not a child anymore, but like any other father, he is not ready to let her go even though there are still a few years to go till she gets married.

"It's far too soon, don't you think," he murmurs, squeezing her hand once he's gathered his thoughts.

"We are not making a choice now but simply assessing the situation."

"Fair enough," he sighs, rubbing his temples with his hand.

"Everything will be alright, dear," Narcissa consoles him, knowing the news are hard for him to hear.

Soon she stands to leave the room. She doesn't make it far as Lucius holds her hand and calls out, "Where are you going?"

"I have tea soon," she explains with a knowing tone seeing as she always has tea around this time.

"So you'll just drop this terrible news on me and leave me to my thoughts?" Lucius dramatically accuses her.

"Yes," she nods, gently patting his cheek with her hand.

"Fantastic," he says bitterly, grabbing the same hand and kissing the back of it.

"Oh, and darling, please don't bring the subject up. Let her come to you," Narcissa pipes up, giving him a knowing look.

»»————- ⚡️ ————-««

Giddiness is one way to describe how Lyra Malfoy feels when her date with Adrian is over. The butterflies in her stomach are going crazy, her cheeks are blushed, and her hands lightly tremble with excitement. This time around, Adrian had put all his efforts into the date. He took her to lunch at a beautiful, expensive restaurant, greeted her with flowers, and acted like the perfect gentleman.

He was much less nervous, allowing them to flirt and talk freely. It was even better because they were not surrounded by the whole Hogwarts alumni. It was only the two of them, Adrian and Lyra, as it was supposed to be.

She thought of the tall redhead that loves to annoy her for a moment. She's missed his pesky presence, not that she'd ever admit it out loud. It feels wrong just thinking about it. When she noticed she hadn't listened to what Adrian was saying, Lyra rapidly pushed George Weasley's presence out of her mind and focused on the dark-haired boy in front of her.

In the end, he walked her to the floor station, his hand delicately placed on the small of her back. As she waited for someone to go ahead of them, they said their goodbyes. This time with no one and no mysterious force pushing them apart, he softly and tentatively kissed her lips. Lyra will not deny she was left wanting more, but she resisted, not wanting to seem desperate.

Finally arriving at Malfoy Manor, she is surprised to see her father waiting for her in the vestibule where the big fireplaces are located. He's sitting on one of the ornate wooden chairs, his cane resting beside him as he reads the newspaper. Deep down, Lyra knows he's doing it all to be dramatic. She gives him a second to have his moment as she stops in front of him. The Malfoy's do have a certain dramatic flair in their blood.

"What's this I hear about a date?" He asks from behind the newspaper. She can see the flashes of a picture moving on the cover page.

"Hello father, I am well. How are you this fine evening?" She responds sarcastically, deciding to sit on the chair beside her fathers.

"Don't deflect my question Lucille," Lucius speaks, his baritone voice echoing in the room along with the crinkle of the newspaper as he closes it and lays it on his lap.

Sighing, Lyra decides to answer his question. She would've thought her mother would've taken care of the situation. That's why she told Narcissa in the first place and not at dinner with everyone around. "I was on a date with Adrian."

"Adrian..."

"You know him, your friends with his parents. He's been here for the last four summers?" Lyra adds an edge to her voice when her father stays silent for a prolonged time.

"I know who he is, but you never mentioned dating in your letters," he stares at her, waiting for an explanation. "I merely thought you two were friends."

"It's a fairly recent thing," Lyra shrugs, something her mother would scold her for because it's unladylike.

"You need to let me know of these things. I can't find out about them from other people. Imagine what people might say."

"You found out from mother, but I'll let you know from now on."

Both father and daughter stand to go their separate ways, yet Lucius stops his daughter with a hand on her shoulder. "How serious are you with this boy?"

Lyra notices the seriousness in his voice that was not there before. For some reason, it makes her nervous, "I don't know?" Everything is relatively new, not only her 'relationship' with Adrian but her dating overall. This might be a phase or the real deal, but she's not ready to determine yet. She only wants to have fun and go with the flow of things.

"Figure it out," he says with a tone of finality as he leaves her standing in the vestibule, thinking about his words. 

NOTES: 

i feel so bad that it's been months since i last updated but life sometimes kicks you on the butt and leaves you with no time. i'm working on another chapter as we speak so next week there will definitely be another chapter. this chapter is more filler-y but important nonetheless. i thought of writing adrian and lyras date but i felt like it would be boring so i gave you another perspective of the situation. next up will be the ball chapter and then they are back to hogwarts and back to georgie!