Too much [Lucius]

[Narcissa V Black]

It might seem fun and games being in fifth year, Narcissa thought, as she sat alone in the Slytherin Common Room, books scattered carelessly on the table before her, but it truly wasn't. She had thought that being a Prefect might bring some relief from the workload, that she could perhaps get away with not doing some homework, but it actually just piled on the responsibilities. That evening she had the Prefects watch duty with Lucius, patrolling the corridors looking for little first years. She'd longed for that ever since she'd caught her cousin out, hoping that one day she'd be able to get Sirius for something like that. As it turned out, now she had the power, she couldn't seem to spot him in the corridors at night, and it had been months since she'd been able to land him a detention.

Now that the lessons were picking up the pace, and the months to the exams were growing shorter, and closer, she'd been given such copious amounts of work to do that she thought it rather unbearable. She'd managed to flutter her eyelashes and get out of doing Slughorn's work, but McGonagall was ruthless, and, as far as Narcissa could tell, the woman wasn't going to fall for the same tricks as Slughorn did. Maybe if Narcissa wore tartan it might help, but then she wouldn't want to stoop to that low level.

She pushed her final essay away as she finished the last line and lay back, exhausted, on the leather sofa. She stretched her arms out and relaxed now, glad to be finished, and closed her eyes as a relieved smile formed on her face.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Unbeknown to anybody that wasn't involved, there were a close knit network of boys in the Slytherin house who met regularly in the evening to socialise and to discuss certain events that were happening outside of the school. They could have done this in the Common Room, but there was rarely a time when they had the space to themselves, and it was easier to meet elsewhere. Using Lucius' power as a prefect, they were able to meet virtually wherever they pleased, as long as they were careful. If they ever got caught, Lucius could use his authority as an excuse and claim that he'd been about to escort them back to the Common Room at once.

After the meeting that evening, as Lucius made his way back to the Common Room with some of them, he thought only of what they'd discussed, and about what his plans were for when he finished Hogwarts.

He knew he would be successful in whatever he set out to do, but the problem was choosing which area he'd give the most attention to. He did not want to stretch himself too thin and end up achieving nothing.

With all of these important decisions racing through his mind, schoolwork was the last thing he was considering. This was especially the case when he saw his favourite girl sat in the Common Room, seemingly waiting for him.

"Up late, I see," he commented with a smile, as he walked straight to where she was sat, and settled as close as he could to her.
He took no notice of the books that were spread around her.

[Narcissa V Black]

Rather naively, Narcissa had assumed that most people would have gone up to their dormitories by now, or would be out late somewhere. She hadn't expected anyone to be coming back, and the sudden appearance of a number of boys walking through the entrance to the common room alerted her to the fact that she had been there longer than she'd intended. Thankfully, as she straightened up, most of the boys headed off and she watched them go, but turned her head when she was spoken to.

In her shock, she hadn't noticed Lucius amongst the group and she watched him sit down, still not having replied to what he'd said. There was a smile on his face, and something in the way he sat close to her, that made her smile as well, though she straightened out her skirt and glanced nervously at the work on the table.

"Oh, well I thought I might as well. We're going to be late tonight anyway, what with corridor duty," she shrugged, settling back into the sofa. "Besides, I could say the same about you," she teased, raising an eyebrow and inclining her head towards where the boys had gone. "I hope you weren't out making too much trouble. It would set a terrible example to the little ones, don't you think?" she continued, with a tone that suggested she didn't give a Merlin's toe about what example they set, other than that it was one that promoted pureblood supremacy.

[Lucius Malfoy]

Lucius didn't reply directly to what Narcissa had referred to, and only smiled.
"I think our first years have learnt how to be respectable little Slytherins, don't you?" he asked with a lofty air. "We're ahead in the house points once again, and there are three Gryffindors in the Hospital Wing."

He stretched his arms out across the back of the sofa, inadvertedley getting a little closer to Narcissa.
"What were you up to anyway?" he asked though he didn't sound that interested.
He finally took notice of the books and parchment, and remembered that he hadn't written his essay for Potions yet.

He didn't let it worry him though. As with Narcissa, Slughorn was lenient with Lucius, and he knew that if worst came to worst he'd be able to get an extension. Regardless of what he handed in, he'd get a good mark anyway, so it really wasn't anything to fret over.

[Narcissa V Black]

Oblivious to Lucius' attempts to get close to her, Narcissa glanced from him to her books, and hurriedly piled them up. "Oh, this, nothing. Just an essay. It's always best to retain exceptional grades. Mother doesn't think so, but I'm convinced it's best for me," she said without thinking, rambling on in her own little world as she stacked them up and shoved them further away from the two Prefects. She only realised what she'd said when she leant back and felt her head brushing Lucius' arm.

She hoped he wouldn't think her odd for this opinion, since it seemed to be the general consensus amongst the male members of her family that an education for women wasn't important. Narcissa disagreed, partly because she wanted to learn and partly just to be a bit rebellious. She sometimes found her parents' views ancient, though she agreed with them for the most part, and was- unfortunately- sure she'd end up being just like them when she was older, though she hoped not, since she didn't want to look like her mother.

"Not that grades are the only thing that matters," she added hastily, with a sort of nonchalant shrug, or at least an attempt at one. "There is, of course, much more to life than essays, but it's always a good start to graduate well. I'd like to think I can achieve as much as my mother, if not more. And besides, if we're to continue an ideal pureblood race, where is the logic in not learning the magic that makes us superior? If we aren't careful, some might even end up forgetting their magic and failing at it altogether."

As she spoke, her tone growing slowly more passionate and honest, she looked up at Lucius as though he weren't a boy she quite liked, but as though he were just a friend. He could have been anyone, though she wouldn't have confided her views in just anyone.

[Lucius Malfoy]

"I wholly agree with you," said Lucius who had been nodding as Narcissa spoke.

He agreed with Narcissa that they had to ensure the practise of learning magic didn't disappear, or lose its importance, but he did have a few old-fashioned views. In truth, when it really came down to it, the grades that the girls got weren't really going to help towards anything. After all, what were they going to do with it, other than domestic duties? But he decided not to voice this particular strand of his opinion, because he knew that she would probably react negatively.

"Though it is a shame about those mudbloods in our classes. Professor Dumbledore is far too liberal, there is no excuse for allowing that filth into this school." He said, almost growling. “It’s unfortunate that we cannot do a great deal to get rid of them.”

Whether Lucius meant getting rid of them from the school, or from existence in general, he did not elaborate.