Marrying Lucius Malfoy

"I suppose we got picked because everyone wanted a rematch," Draco said nonchalantly to Riley as they made their way to the quidditch pitch.

"Say what?" Riley asked, snapping out of a firm concentration. And then, just so she wouldn't have to here him repeat whatever he had said, she nodded. "Oh. Yeah. You're right."

Behind them Selina and Pamela laughed. In the past hour--which they had spend finding a headquarters (the Hogwarts library), choosing a team name (Team Titan), and voting on a team captain (Riley)--it had become more and more obvious that Draco fancied Riley. Whether it was lust or a puppy-love crush, Selina couldn't yet tell. All she knew was that when Draco looked at Riley, he looked a little bit longer than necessary, and whenever Riley cracked a joke, which was often, he laughed a little too hard.

Riley and Lucius, in fact, were the only to not to have picked up on this, and that was probably because they were too busy arguing with each other. Either Lucius was calling Riley a dip, or perhaps Riley had just made a rude face at Lucius, but whatever the cause of the argument had been, the two of them had made life very hard for their teammates. Finally, when Mrs. Chang had exploded and told Lucius to "grow up and leave the poor girl alone" Lucius had turned his wrath on Snape.

Selina had wondered, and not for the first time, why Lucius had it in for Snape. The Potions Master might be a rude sociopath, but she had the feeling that Dumbledore would never hire anyone who was adherently cruel, so what could he have done to make Lucius so upset? Just another mystery, Selina mused, that she would have to dig to find the answer.

"I'm on the quidditch team, you know." It was Draco again, and he was trying to impress Riley, who couldn't have cared less. "I'm the Slytherin seeker."

Riley gave Draco a strained smile. "In the South we didn't play much quidditch. We played muggle games such as baseball. We rode horses too."

Draco seemed confused. "How could someone not want to play quidditch?" he asked.

Riley shrugged. "The only Southern state that's heavily into quidditch is Alabama."

Draco smiled in a way that might be perceived as handsome by some. "And what state were you born in, Riley?"

Riley shot a pleading look at Selina. "I was born in Georgia," she muttered. Pointing back to Selina she added, "But Selly comes from Alabama! Talk about quidditch with her!" In the split second that Draco looked back at Selina, Riley bolted ahead to the quidditch pitch. "I'm just going to see if the captains need to do anything special," she called over her shoulder. Draco looked hurt for a moment, but then he saw Selina and Pamela watching him, so he stood up strait and began walking stiffly.

It was then that the Weasley crew appeared. They were all laughing heartily, and Selina had a feeling it was her team that was being laughed at. She saw one of the boys shoot a pointed look between her and Lucius, and then they snorted. Pamela stood up, as if in defense to her mistress, but Lucius had taken no notice of him. He, instead, was sneering snidely at the head of the Weasley's, a balding redhead man.

"Well, Arthur," Lucius was drawling, "I see that we're going to be competing against each other quite a bit today."

The balding man, who must have been Mr. Weasley, gave Lucius a very tight smile. "May the best team win," he spit out before taking the arm of his wife and entering the quidditch pitch. Everyone else, including the professor on their team, staid behind.

"Let's make a little bet," Lucius said when Mr. Weasley was out of hearing range.

"Let's," one of the Weasley boys retorted.

When neither of the professors objected Lucius gave a small smirk. "Whichever of these two teams is eliminated first has to...I don't know...give up something of great value. I'm willing to offer you my cane." Lucius showed the whole group his prized cane, a Malfoy family heirloom. "What would you be willing to give up? Assuming, of course, that you have anything worth giving up.

The Weasley's frowned for a moment, and then they formed a large huddle. Their professor, a tall woman with a tight, immaculate bun and thin pursed lips; whom Snape called McGonagall, was the only one who staid out. Instead of conversing with her teammates she glared at Snape, and he was only too glad to return the favor. Finally, after a good three minutes of debating, the Weasley's straitened up.

Their elected spokesperson, a tall, handsome man with a ponytail and a fang earring, stepped forward and cleared his throat. "In exchange for your cane," he said, "we're willing to bet our own little gem." Lucius looked expectant when the young man paused. "You see, Fred and George have been making a good deal of money with their business, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes." The man ignored Draco's chortle of laughter. "Recently they visited our brother Charlie in Romania, where Charlie works with dragons. It turns out that, at the same time, a group of nomadic wizards was passing through the camp in which Charlie and all his coworkers staid. A few of them were merchants, and one had wandered throughout Europe and beyond, seeking areas in which dragns were kept. He specified in dragon-like products and the like, and he had a few trinkets for sale."

The spokesman then produced a sloppily written receipt and handed it off to Lucius. It had been folded many times, and the writing was in a foreign language. "We're willing to bet this if we can each have a kiss from the pretty young women." He motioned to Selina, Riley, Pamela and Cho, all of whom pretended to be greatly offended but were truthfully quite flattered. "What do you say, Malfoy?"

Lucius, who seemed to understand the strange language, folded the receipt and placed it in his coat pocket. "Well, I must say, I think we're all being fairly generous, but very well. It's a deal, but I must ask that my wife be eliminated from the lineup."

The spokesman seemed to sense that he had touched a nerve. His warm brown eyes shone with mischief, and he nodded. "She'll only have to kiss me, then. Is it a deal?"

Lucius glared at the young man, but he shook on it anyways. The Weasley guffawed and hooted as they moved off towards the quidditch pitch. They seemed fairly confident, and as soon as they had disappeared Mr. Chang began to yell.

"Bets, Malfoy?" Mr. Chang asked. "We're taking bets now?"

"It's just a little fun and games. I'm the only one who stands to lose." Lucius began walking, and everyone followed him at a reluctant pace. "Do you know what he's offering? Dragon Gems! Merlin knows how a Weasley managed to get a Dragon Gem, but there's enough so that each family could have one."

Mr. Chang frowned. "I don't like your style, Malfoy; let me say that right now. The Weasley's are a respectable wizarding family, and I don't want to become their foes just because of your gigantic ego."

Lucius frowned. "You would like them though, wouldn't you? Muggle lovers, aren't they?" Both he and Draco gave Mr. Chang a strange, berating look. "Your adopted mother was a muggle, wasn't she, Chang?"

Mr. Chang's eyes darkened. "You're one to talk, Malfoy," he growled. "Everyone knows about your parents too, and your sister." Mr. Chang looked at Selina, and then at Pamela, and then at his own daughter. "But due to the innocent ears we have present I won't choose to insult them."

Lucius had no reply to that. Their team resumed walking, but he lagged behind with Draco. They both whispered together, and every so often the word "mudblood" would drift into Selina's hearing range. Selina knew that Pamela could hear too, because she would turn light pink whenever they said it. It made her burn with anger too. Riley's mother was muggle born, and Bruce's father had been a muggle. Maybe the whole Riley and Draco thing wasn't such a good idea.

As soon as Selina and the rest of her teammates stepped into the quidditch pitch all arguments were left behind. A woman who introduced herself as Professor Sprout met them at the entrance and pulled them into a small tent that had been erected for the competition. Riley was waiting for them inside, and she jumped up when she saw them.

"Y'all just made it," she drawled, striding over to her team. "Professor Sprout here has been explaining me the rules of this Scavenger Hunt. It's real simple. All we have to do is go on stage, smile and wave, and get a slip of paper from Professor Dumbledore. Written on that slip of paper is a clue in the form of a riddle. The answer of the riddle will be a location, and once we reach the location we'll find a small coin and the next riddle. The eight teams with the most coins at the end of the hour win and go on to the next competition."

Prof. Sprout looked at them all critically. "That won't be too hard for you, will it?" she asked.

"Not at all," Riley said, giving her team a proud grin. "We'll do well."

Prof. Sprout nodded and pointed to the far side of the tent where a tent flap covered an exit. "Wait until the headmaster calls your team name. Then you go out and do as your captain said."

"And last but not least, Team Titan, led by Riley Bryce!"

There was a mixture of applause, mostly from Slytherins and Ravenclaws. A few loud-mouthed Gryffindors booed, but a severe glare from Snape shut them up. Riley strode proudly over to Dumbledore and took the piece of paper. When she walked back to join her team she made an effort to stay away from Draco, and she seemed thankful when Dumbledore began to speak in a magically magnified voice.

"Now, before the teams arrived, I explained the rules to you all! The eight teams with the most coins at the end of the hour will move on. The other two teams will join you." Dumbledore turned to the ten teams. "And once more," he said sternly, "there is to be absolutely no cheating! The courses are being monitored, and you have professors with you! Cheating equals an instant disqualification! Am I understood?"

There were nods from everyone but Lucius and Draco, both of whom stood proud and haughty. Dumbledore ignored the two, though he did give Selina a 'good-luck' glance.

"On your marks, get set, GO!"

Every team ran out of the pitch except Team Titan. Lucius looked as though he wanted to be one of the several pushing, shoving teams trying the leave the entrance at once, but Cho Chang spoke up.

"Let's go to the Ravenclaw shower rooms," she said. "There's an exit I know of that will put us right outside the quidditch pitch." She led them to a different, smaller exit and into the Ravenclaw shower rooms.

Draco looked rather impressed. "A steam room?" he asked, and Cho nodded.

"We strategize in there," she explained as she made her way to a large door. Leaning close to the doorknob she whispered a password and the door swung open. "It's a small drop," she warned everyone before jumping down about six feet and onto the soft green lawn.

The rest of the team was soon to follow, and when everyone was outside of the stadium they all formed a huddle. "Okay, Riley, read it!" Selina hissed.

Riley produced the slip out of her pocket and began to read. "I happen once a year, twice a week, and never in a month. I am the beginning of every liar, and the end of every fool. You can find me in find, but never in seek. Put my together and find your next clue."

Lucius snorted. "Well, if that isn't the biggest piece of-"

"Put a sock in it, Malfoy!" Mr. Chang snapped. "If you weren't so thickheaded then you might be able to see that this is perhaps the easiest clue we'll get!"

Now Lucius looked confused. "I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"It might be a little clichéd," Cho agreed, "but it's all just logic. The clues all lead to letters, you see. E happens once in year, twice in a week, but never in a month. L is the beginning of the word liar, and it is the end of the word fool. Now, the last clue might be a little tricky, but I believe it's the letter F."

"Elf?" Draco asked. "The word 'elf'?"

"Of course! Elves! House-elves! In the kitchens!" Cho looked proud of herself.

As they began to make their way to the kitchens of Hogwarts Selina heard Mr. Chang take one last dig at her 'husband'. "You see, Malfy," he said in a whisper, "if you use the brain in your head instead of the one in your trousers you can achieve so much more."

~*~

In the end the Chang's were the only reason that Team Titan made it to the second round of the competition. All four had been and were in Ravenclaw, and their logical minds were able to get their team thirteen coins. The moment everyone entered the quidditch pitch again Prof. Sprout swept down upon them.

"May I have your coins?" she asked. Mr. Chang handed her all thirteen, and she pointed strait ahead. "Go right through that entrance and get onto the stage. You're the last team here again so hrry!"

The stadium began cheering when Selina and her team entered the quidditch pitch, but that was probably more out of impatience for Dumbledore to announce the winners than out of support. Team Titan took their place and Dumbledore stepped forward. Prof. Sprout had just handed him a gold envelope, and Selina could only guess that the envelope contained the eight teams.

"I understand that you're all anxious to learn which eight teams are going on to the next competition so I won't bore you with any announcements." The spectators in the quidditch pitch all applauded as Dumbledore opened the envelope. "And the eight teams going on are Team Toros, Team Red,"--loud cheers from the Weasley's,--"Team Cyrus, Team Serpens, Team Titan,"--even louder cheers from the Malfoy men,-- "Team Lamborghini, Team Jade, and Team Sires!" Dumbledore turned to the two teams that had been eliminated. "Good job on making it this far, and thank you for participating."

Both teams left the stage, and Dumbledore stepped forward to announce the next activity. "It's ten-thirty right now. The teams will be allowed a half and hour of rest before they're required to meet down at the lake for a relay race." Beside her Selina heard Lucius gasp. "Stands will set up down by the lake, and everyone is invited to join us down there. That is all for now, and you're dismissed!"

As all the teams began making their way to the exits Selina couldn't help but notice how pale Lucius had grown in the past few minutes. He seemed terribly agitated, and he wouldn't look anyone directly in the eye. His state only worsened when they arrived back at the library and found that there were twelve black bathing suits awaiting them. As everyone rushed to claim theirs the usually proud nobleman staid back, his gray eyes darting around like a trapped animal. If anyone else besides Selina noticed his odd behavior they didn't voice their opinions, and for that Selina was thankful.

As everyone else headed off to remote areas in the library to change the young redhead hung behind. When everyone was gone she approached Lucius. He still hadn't gone near the swimsuits. "Are you feeling well?" Selina asked.

Lucius's head snapped up so suddenly that Selina stepped back a few feet. "Shouldn't you be off changing?" he asked in a way that made it seem like a command.

"Shouldn't you be?"

Selina knew that Lucius despised rhetorical questions, and his anger became evident as the creases in his brown multiplied. However, he did snatch his suit--which, to her amusement, was a sleek Speedo sort of get-up--and stomp off into the 'L' section.

Ten minutes, when everyone had gathered in the center of the library, Team Titan started off for the lake. Selina, Riley, Pamela, and quiet Cho all walked in a tight bunch. Lucius, who had made it early on that he wished to walk alone, was trudging dourly at the back of the group, and his son was just a little bit ahead of him. The rest of the Chang's and the Duraford's walked in a loose crowd, asking only the occasional yes-or-no question.

This time around they were the first team to arrive at the lake. Again, it was Prof. Sprout that greeted them, and she pointed in the direction of a line of stalls. "Slip out of your clothes in those and then join the Headmaster up on the stage."

As they stepped up onto the stage Selina could see two more teams approaching. Team Red was one of them. Within minutes the rest of the teams had arrived, and Selina noted that every team had a different color of swimsuits, though not all suits were in the same style. Fred had gotten stuck with a Speedo as well, but she kept her eyes only on Lucius, mostly because he looked as though he were about to faint.

His skin had gone pallid, and he was pacing behind his team. His hands were fidgeting spasmodically, and Riley nudged her. "Is he going to die on us?" her friend asked.

"I don't know. He looks like Death, though."

"Too true, too true! He had better buck up, though. Dumbledore's about to announce the competition rules." Riley jerked her head to the older man, and both women shut their mouths.

"Welcome, everyone, to the second competition! It is a Relay Race, as I before mentioned. The rules are simple, as always, and they require only that each team get their baton,"--Dumbledore produced a glowing baton from a fold in his robe,--"across the lake. Now, there are eleven fairly large platforms out on the lake. A member on each team will be on each platform, and the twelfth member will be on this shore. The beginner on shore will have the baton, and they must somehow swim it to their awaiting teammate on the next platform. The first six teams to the far shore win. Again, there will be not cheating, and magic of any sort is not allowed. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

Riley smirked. "Crystal," she quipped, and Draco began another round of laughter. Everyone stared at the pale boy, and his father stopped pacing for a moment to give him a berating look. Draco straitened up and coughed into his hand, obviously embarrassed.

Dumbledore shrugged to himself and gave his next order. "Now, all the teams circle around. One of you from each team grab a baton and join Professor Sprout down by the water. The rest of you come and grab onto these portkeys. They'll take you out to one of the platforms, so one person from each team on one portkey."

Somehow everyone knew where to go. Riley was selected to be their starter, and she sidled up to a blue bag and snatched herself a baton. Then she walked slowly down to the lake. Selina went to one of the portkeys, and she bent down to grab a hold of it. Just before she was whisked off to one of the platforms she got a parting look at Lucius. He was facing the spokesman of the Weasley's, and his skin had gotten pastier since she had last looked at him.

"Gee, Malfoy," the Weasley man said with a chortle. "I hope you can swim!"

The look on Lucius's face bothered Selina, but she couldn't fathom why. It didn't matter, though, because the next second she was standing on a platform. It was the one nearest to the farthest shore, and she felt her stomach clamp unpleasantly as she considered the possibility that the race might come down to her swimming skills. Riley and she had always been good swimmers, of course, their old school having been on a lake, but she hated participating in races of any strenuous sort.

Across the lake the race was already in motion. Riley's powerful strokes put Team Titan in the lead, and when she passed it on to Draco they were put far in the lead. Though their efforts to win were slowed down by aging Mr. Chang and awkward Lindsey Duraford, the long graceful motions of Cho Chang and the powerful pace of Robbie Duraford assured them an almost sure first place.

However, as things neared Lucius, Selina began to feel the unpleasant clamp in her stomach again, and not because of her own silly fears. Her thoughts drifted back to the Weasley man's snide comment. The more she thought it over--"I hope you can swim!"--the more it seemed to make sense.

The reason Lucius was so nervous was because he didn't know how to swim!

It was just like him, too, to go proudly to his death rather than admitting he could not do something such as swimming. Of course, someone would jump in and save him...Or she could alert someone on the other shore...

But as the events began to unfold with surprising quickness Selina's hope began to diminish. Pamela had to baton now, but she was as slow a swimmer as her sister was, and three other teams, including a Wealsey, were hot on her tail. The race was picking up speed, and it was unlikely that anyone but herself would notice Lucius until it was too late.

"My husband can't swim!" The distressed Southerner called to Prof. Sprout, but the chubby woman had her back turned and couldn't hear. The other people on the platform looked at Selina confusedly. They would be of no use either.

Turning back to Lucius's platform Selina was just in time to see Lucius leap into the water. Her suspicions were confirmed when he began to thrash helplessly in the water, and her blood boiled when she saw a few people laughed at him.

~*~

Selina was in the water before she knew it. In the distance she heard someone scream angrily, but things had slowed down for her.

Lucius was still thrashing, but he had lost much of his strength by the time she neared him, and people were only just beginning to realize what was going on. Just a few strokes before she would have reached him he went under, and for a crazy reason unknown to her she dove after him. Luckily he hadn't sunk too far, but he didn't appear to be conscious, and his slackened heavy weight was dragging him down.

It was like some awful joke. The faster Selina tried to swim, the faster he sank. It was as if he was just a hair's width away from her reach. The glowing baton floated up past Selina, but she didn't stop to grab it. Now her energy was running low, but she knew better than to shoot for the surface. Should she turn back now she would lose Lucius and become a widow.

It was bad enough to be a bride so young, but being a widow was even worse.

Selina swung her hand out, and her hand caught a fistful of Lucius's long, white-blonde hair. Thankfulness shot through her, and she was able to grab a hold of his left hand. Her lungs had begun to burn with the need for air, but her journey to the surface of the lake was slow. Dragging Lucius up with her was a harder task than she would have thought, and his dead weight was a great handicap.

The daylight was becoming clearer now, though, but all her strength failed her just a few feet before she would have reached the surface. Selina closed her eyes despair overcoming her...But then a pair of hands had reached out and grabbed her firmly by the shoulders...

~*~

The world began to focus, and everything seemed to start moving normally the moment Selina breathed in. Cold air stung her lungs, but it felt wonderful in such an odd way. The redhead was dragged up into a sort of rowboat, and Lucius was thrown down beside her. Two men were crouched down beside the haughty pureblood, and they were doing such things as checking his pulse.

The moment the rowboat touched land Selina was hauled out of it and into a pair of thin arms. Riley was hugging her, and the young black woman was shaking all over. "Don't you ever scare like that again, you hear?" Riley hissed, and Selina coughed up a bucketful of water in response.

~*~

Idiot!

You prideful asshole!

How moronic could one be?

As Selina stalked down the hallway and to the library a million different insults tumbled around in her head. Once she caught up with that so-called 'husband' of hers then she would tell him every single one! In the twenty minutes in which she had been checked over by the Hogwarts nurse, Madame Pomfrey, her fear for Lucius's life had evaporated, only to be replaced by a fiery anger.

She had almost died trying to save him! How stupid could one be, jumping into a lake when they couldn't swim? He had only made himself into a bigger fool than he would have been had he told people that he couldn't swim...

Riley wasn't too happy with the man either. If Lucius had not been whisked away to the Hospital Wing with Dumbledore and Snape then Selina was sure her friend would have attacked the arrogant aristocrat. However, her anger had only served to spark Selina's, and in the end the young redhead had been sent to the library to wait while Dumbledore returned to the lake and announced the six teams that would be moving on.

"I don't know the results of the race," Riley whispered as Selina got up to make her way to the castle, "but don't count on us making it to the next round."

And that brought her to the present. She was entering the library now, but she stopped short when she heard to low voices--men, the both of them--whispered somewhere near the center of the room. They were arguing, but Selina wasn't fully intrigued until she heard her name.

"You prideful fool! Have you any idea how you endangered your wife's life?"

Snape...

"Of course I know! But I never would have jumped in had I known that she would try to save me!"

...and Lucius! But why were they back at the library so soon?

"Why did you jump in at all? We haven't been on friendly terms for a long time, but even I know how you despise swimming!" Snape snapped in a mocking tone.

"Oh, so I should have admitted to my son, my wife, and all my friends that I couldn't swim?"

"Well, everyone knows now!" Snape scoffed.

"Screw off," Lucius muttered, and Selina heard the sound of a chair being dragged across a hard surface. She wanted to continue to listen in on their conversation, but before anyone could say anything else the doors to the library burst open and the other nine members of Team Titan streamed in. Everyone was talking loudly and laughing, and it wasn't long before Pamela found Selina lurking behind a bookshelf.

"Miss Selina?" she asked. "Why aren't you with Mr. Malfoy and the professor?"

Selina shook her head. "I'll tell you later, Pamela. Just tell me why everyone is so happy!"

Pamela's face broke into a wide grin. "Because, Miss Selina, we came in third!"

"What?"

Pamela steered Selina over to where the rest of their team had gathered. "Well, due to the...incident...out on the lake not every team finished. Only Team Red made it all the way, and Team Jade stopped swimming at the last platform. No one else bothered swimming past the spot where you went under, so we were third place."

Riley, who had taken her position as captain very seriously, nodded. "Next all of us will be competing in a sort of art thing." She shrugged. "Dumbledore was vague."

Any talk of the competition was put on hold when a house-elf appeared, bearing food and drink. No one spoke much during the next fifteen minutes as they were all eating their sandwiches and gulping down nice, cool Pumpkin Juice. Selina did notice, however, that everyone with the exception of Draco sent Lucius at least two scalding looks. When Lucius finally took a hint and left to eat his food in another area of the library Selina decided that she couldn't be angry with him anymore. Riley alone was doing enough of that already, and besides, she could tell by Lucius's fleeting glance at her that he was indeed a sorry man. It was in his every gesture, and the young redhead almost pitied him.

Almost.

~*~

Everyone who had come to watch the third competition tittered excitedly as Team Titan strode into the quidditch pitch. All the nosey witches craned their necks to get a good look at the new Mrs. Malfoy, and many young wizards made crude jokes at Lucius's expense. No one was more obvious in their amusement than the Weasley's, though the women of Team Red all smiled kindly at Selina, as if pitying her for being saddled with such a horrid man. Their pity only made her insides burn, and she glared at them all until they glared back. By the time the last team arrived things on the stage were reaching a breaking point, and Dumbledore seemed very glad to get started again.

"Well, that was quite something down at the lake!" the old headmaster said jovially. "I have had a talk with Mr. Malfoy, and he won't be swimming anytime soon." He gave Lucius, who was doing his best to still look prideful, a stern look as if to clarify what he had just said, and Selina had a feeling that Dumbledore had given her 'husband' and earful on her account. "But now, onto more important things! When we last met I told you all that this next competition would be involving art. Now, you'll have an hour and a half to do this, and it will have some guidelines, but other than that you can use any form of art you wish--painting, sculpting, etcetera.

"You're all to create something with your provided materials that represents the most beautiful thing you've ever known. It might sound easy, but let me explain more clearly. You'll be judged on two things--quality of the work and quality of the subject. In other words, how well you present it and what it is being presented. How much thought goes into this piece of art?" Dumbledore pointed to a six tents in the middle of the pitch. "Each team will work in one of those. Don't worry--each tent is heavily charmed so that nothing that you're saying will escape. As always, cheating means getting thrown out of the games, so play clean! Teams, you have exactly ninety minutes until you present your finished work, so I suggest you get started!"

He gave a loud clap and the six teams rushed off to their tent. Riley led everyone to a black tent decorated with bright red and yellow stars. Lucius sneered at the exterior, but he entered all the same. The materials that Dumbledore had mentioned were a large canvas, a whole set of paints, charcoal, chalk, small costume jewels, and other things of the sort. As soon as everyone had sat down around the small table in the center of the people began saying their ideas, and Riley shot them all down.

"Cho?"

"How about a pretty sunset?"

"No, I'm sure someone else will think of that...Lindsey?"

"A unicorn?"

"Same as I said before! Unicorns are so pretty that someone else is bound to do one...What is it Malfoy?"

"I've always thought myself to be beautiful-"

"Oh, be quiet you! Selina, tell me you have a better idea than your husband!"

"Well, when I was growing up I always knew what the two most beautiful things in the world were." Riley nodded expectantly. "The first was the South."

"Can't argue with that one...And the second was?"

"My mother, of course."

Riley breathed in very quickly before nodding. "Isn't that true of everyone?" she asked. Everyone nodded, and a few even smiled appreciatively at Selina. Lucius looked a little wary, but no one, not even his wife, was about to pay him any attention.

Things ran smoothly after that. Riley assigned everyone a good-sized chunk of the canvas, and they all began to draw. Each person had a different style, and they were all rather skilled, but one artist stood out from them all. Where her teammates were somewhat talented in the way of drawing Pamela was gifted! Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it zipped around her corner of the canvas. She, of course, was working with her younger siblings, but early on they began to let her take over, and soon the mouth, and then the eyes, and then a long, pointed nose appeared. Pamela's mother was a kind looking woman, plump and grinning with the smile of someone who truly loved life.

Soon to follow were the rest of the mothers. Selina knew well the face of gorgeous, serene Mrs. Bryce, and she pretended not to notice the cold, perfectly featured beauty of Narcissa Malfoy. Lucius had inherited his blonde, pale looks from his father, apparently, for his mother had dark, rich black hair, equally black eyes, and a prominent nose. Mrs. Chang, of course, was drawn by her daughter and son, and both she and her husband drew Cho's grandmothers. Snape's mother was much like him with pallid skin and dark, boring eyes. Everybody became so enthralled in their own mother and doing her justice on the canvas, that they lost track of time. In fact, Dumbledore himself came to fetch the twelve of them.

"Your time is up," he said, and Riley nodded.

"We're done enough, aren't we?" she asked, grinning at her team.

"Sure," Pamela agreed, standing up. "Coming, Miss Selina?"

Selina nodded and trotted after her friends. She would really have to ask Pamela to stop calling her "Miss Selina". Lucius would probably disapprove, and Ms. Laverne might have a few choice words, but Selina really would rather have Pamela as a friend than a servant. Before she could speak to Pamela, however, she ran smack dab into an object--or was that a girl?

"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry! I really wasn't watching where I was going! It's just that my team finished late and I-" The girl stopped speaking abruptly. "Oh," she said softly. "It's you. Mrs. Malfoy." It was only then that Selina recognized the girl as the bushy haired brunette that was on Team Red. The girl had been on the arm of one of the Weasley boys all day, and she had been regarding Selina and Riley rather nervously.

"Ms. Julliard," Selina said. When the girl raised her eyebrows she added, "It's my maiden name." This only made the girl look more curious. Knowing all too well that she would just be firing the fires of gossip Selina explained in more depth. "It was an arranged marriage, and I don't wish to be called 'Mrs. Malfoy'"

The girl's eyes closed, as if processing the information, and then she twirled a bit of her fluffy hair, as if she were deep in thought. "So your husband and you aren't that...close?"

Selina frowned. "I don't see how that would be-"

"Miss Selina hurry up! We're all waiting on you and...Oh, I see...You were talking with a...friend?" Draco had found Selina, and he was staring at the girl with unabashed disdain.

"No. She ran into me, literally." Selina could tell there was a past relationship between the two that would come pouring forth quite soon. Draco looked quite upset as the girl mumbled some excuse to leave and make her way back to the safety of her friends, and if the boy were anything near being similar to his father then he would be venting. Sure enough, as they walked briskly back to stage; Draco began telling her off.

"That girl was a mudblood, for Merlin's sake! My god, don't you know what being seen with someone of her stature could be like?" He looked at her, obviously expecting a long and ashamed apology.

Well, no such thing came.

"You're really something, aren't you?" Selina asked. She was too disgusted with her stepson to display any true emotion. "You think you're some big man because you're a pureblood!"

Draco actually stopped walking. He stared at Selina. "You don't feel the same way?" he asked, rather cautiously as well.

"Riley's mother is muggle-born, and my cousin Bruce was half-and-half. People in America are generally more easy going about each others bloodlines," Selina snapped shortly before striding forward and up to join the team. She ignored Riley's curious look, and she pretended that Lucius didn't exist. She kept her eyes trained on the tall, elderly headmaster and tried to forget exactly what had transpired in the past fifteen minutes.

"Well, now that Team Titan has finally joined us, we can begin the judging! Professor Sprout and I will be judges, and we will each focus on one of the two areas."

As Riley had predicted most teams did stereotypic subjects. By the time Dumbledore and Prof. Sprout were thru viewing the first four "works of art," she had grown sick of unicorns and moonlit nights. Team Red's painting was impressive--everyone but Lucius and Draco admitted it. A blend of reds, oranges, coppers, yellows, and touches of gold combined to make a beautiful, almost burning inferno.

"The fire here equals inner strength and passion," one of the Weasley boys crowed, "and nothing is more beautiful than those things!"

Dumbledore and Prof. Sprout agreed. Team Red got full marks, causing Riley to grumble angrily. She smiled brightly, though, as the two professors approached, and she drew the thick white tarp off the canvas, revealing their painting with just as much pride as the Weasley's had. However, not even she could mask her surprise upon seeing the finished article. No one could.

The subjects of the portrait had begun to move!

Selina knew that most wizarding portraits moved, but she had forgotten how they were given the ability to move about in the first place. She stopped trying to remember how and stared at the portrait. There was her own mother, giggling girlishly with Mrs. Bryce and both Mrs. Chang's. Narcissa Malfoy stood in the far corner, looking disgusted at the whole affair, while Mrs. Duraford and Mrs. Snape whispered quietly. Mrs. Malfoy, Lucius's mother, had wandered off, and so the picture was incomplete, but Dumbledore didn't seem to care.

"I am assuming these are all your mothers?" When he received a few nods, he grinned delightedly. "To a young child who could possibly be more beautiful than their mother? Brilliant choice, Team Titan! Professor Sprout and I give you full marks as well as a few bonus points for creating a moving picture." Dumbledore smiled softly. "Only a portrait in which the artist--or, in this case, artists--poured their heart into can be caused to move."

Lucius's trademark smirk was back on his long, pointed face. "Ahead by about ten points, I reckon," he muttered to Draco. Draco nodded and sneered at Team Red. Selina noticed that he purposely skipped over the brunette girl.

"Now for another break! This one lasts forty minutes! The next competition will be a quidditch match--Draco looked very pleased,--"so make sure you've chosen who plays each position! And, of course, we'll all reconvene here!"

As the teams broke apart there was an excited buzz about the crowd that had not been there when past events had been announced. As Team Titan made their way back to the library Lucius and Mr. Chang swarmed around Riley, each trying to make sure that their child was made the Seeker. Riley managed to escape the two, middle-aged men, but only to run into Draco. The young Seeker was warier of her now, and Selina could only guess it was because he had found out that she was muggle-born. Instead of going back to the library, however, Riley stopped in front of the school. Her expression was one of pure business, and the young Southerner eyed her team with critical preciseness.

"Let's see now...Who would best fit each position? All right, Snape, you're the Keeper." Snape scrunched his face up in a sinister sneer. Riley, however, didn't see, for she was eying Pamela, Cho, and Selina herself. "Now you three will be the Chasers. Don't look like that, Mr. Chang, it doesn't suit your face...Malfoy--no, not you, I meant your father--you and I are going to be the Beaters, and Draco here will be the Seeker." Turning to the three remaining Chang's and Pamela's younger siblings she said, "You five will make sure we don't mess up. Robbie, you're our backup Seeker, and Lindsey, if anything happens to one of the Chasers then you'll play, okay?" Everyone nodded. Riley smiled. "Well, I don't think we have anywhere to practice, but we might as well make some strategies!"

The next forty minutes were spent going over plan after plan. Riley had always been the perfect strategist, so she made an excellent captain, but even that couldn't quell the nauseous twinges that had been bothering Selina ever since Riley had announced that she would be a Chaser. Selina would be the first one to tell anyone that she wasn't at all athletic, and she felt betrayed in a wa that Riley would expect her to do something as big as ride a broomstick in front of hundreds of strangers. Everyone else seemed to be confident in her--Lucius might have even gone so far as to be proud--so she couldn't exactly let them down...

Even so, it was too late to throw in the towel. It was just five minutes until the quidditch game started, and Selina was pulling on the last of her gear. After striating her black shirt once more, the young redhead made her way through the muggy locker rooms to find Riley. Her friend was talking very quickly with Pamela, and it took a few moments before Selina found a pause in their conversation so that she could speak.

"Both sets of teams play at once, right?" Selina asked.

"Yes," Riley confirmed. "We play Team Jade, and Team Red plays Team Sires. From what I've heard one set of teams will play in this normal quidditch pitch and the other set will play in this pseudo-dimension pitch."

"Which one do we get?" Selina asked.

"The pseudo-dimensional one," Pamela replied. "Team Red didn't want to travel so far or something...You know, Harry Potter is on that team!"

Selina couldn't conceal her interest. She wondered to herself why exactly she hadn't been told that before, but she didn't say anything. After making a mental note to get a good look at the all-famous Boy Who Lived Selina followed an equally interested Riley out the doors. The four women on the team met up with the three men, and after everyone had double-checked whether or not they were dressed properly, they went in search of Prof. Sprout.

The tubby, kindly woman was rushing about when Team Titan found her, and she made wild motions for them to join her. "Come now, dears, you haven't much time! Take this portkey, and it'll make sure you get to the other quidditch pitch." She extended a bag to the twelve-team members--the remaining five had joined the others during their search for Sprout--and Riley dumped the clock-portkey onto the grassy ground.

"Brooms are supplied, I assume?" Cho asked as everyone leaned down to grab the portkey. "I left mine at home."

"Cleansweaps, the lot of them," Prof. Sprout said, nodding. "But please do hurry! I'd hate to see you all be disqualified for being tardy!"

Well, that got everyone moving.

In a surprisingly synchronized moment, all twelve team members of Team Titan leaned down and grabbed the portkey. Selina felt an unpleasant jerk behind her navel, and then she was hurtling through space. She landed with a thump on top of a soft patch of grass. It wasn't until the soft patch of grass moved that she realized that she had landed on a person. Snape, to be more exact. With a surprised 'meep' Selina jumped off the Potions Master, but not before Lucius saw. He gave a disgruntled snort and "accidentally" hit Snape's head with his Beater's club as he stomped past. There was an awkward silence after his departure in which Snape fidgeted uncomfortably and Selina's cheeks flushed. Riley broke the silence by telling them to both hurry, and as they entered the pseudo-reality quidditch pitch neither person would meet the others eyes.

As Selina began to walk farther into the quidditch pitch, she began to notice various peculiar aspects about her new surroundings. The colors, for example. Everything was so vibrant, so effervescent. The sky, grass, and even the flowers were all electric shades. The white clouds in the sky swirled into actual shapes, and the woodwork that made up the stadium had constantly swirling and changing shapes moving about the surface. There were countless other things too, but Selina's attention was drawn back to quidditch match.

Riley was talking quickly with a tall woman with spiky gray hair and large, catlike hazel eyes. The woman pointed to one side of the quidditch pitch, and Riley nodded before turning back to Team Titan. "Madame Hooch says that that's our side of the pitch," she called. "I trust you can all remember that?"

"Let's just get the brooms!" Lucius snapped irritably. Selina highly suspected that all the bright colors were disturbing him.

Team Jade was getting antsy, and the captain--he was chubby, red cheeked, and had a laughable look about him--strode up and said something to Madame Hooch. The woman waved her hand at the young man--"The git's name is Ernie Macmillan," Draco whispered--and then made a motion for everyone to gather round.

"Let's keep this game clean, shall we? The rules are as always--team with the most points in the end wins! And be careful now!" Madame Hooch eyed the landscape and everything within it with distaste. "Make extra sure not to upset anything." Something in her voice was definitely agitated, if not frightened.

There was an atmosphere throughout this odd dimension that was putting everybody on edge...Lucius, Madame Hooch, even Snape...Yes, everyone here was uneasy, and everyone wanted to go back home.

Everybody but Selina...

As the young redhead mounted her broom, she couldn't help but feel bothered by her peaceful feelings. When it was so obvious that all her friends and teammates were dying to get away, it seemed wrong that she would be so at ease. However, as soon her feet left the ground, Selina managed to push aside those feelings. All her concentration went in to staying in sync with Pamela and Cho.

It wasn't easy at first. She might have known Pamela well, but Cho was pretty much a stranger, but even then getting adjusted to another's rhythms was difficult. And if there was any quidditch position that required a total fined tuned beat it was the Chasers. Finally, after a good thirteen minutes, the three girls began to get it together. Cho even scored a goal, causing Riley--who was across the field, chasing Bludgers--to let out a victorious whoop.

The game picked up from that point. Team Jade, which Pamela had whispered was comprised mostly of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, fought back with a ridiculous ferocity. Their Seeker, a Gryffindor, Selina assumed, spent more time following Draco and making snotty faces, than looking for the Snitch, but their Beaters, also Gryffindors, were ruthless. They actually flew at the Bludgers and hit them as hard as they could in whatever direction. Pamela gave a terrified shriek as one of the bludgeoning balls hurtled past her head and dropped the Quaffle. One of the Team Jade Chasers caught it, and they scored just moments later. The score was now thirty to ten in Team Jade's favor.

The aforementioned Chaser fumbled the Quaffle when it came into his possession not five minutes later. He dropped it, and in a lucky dive, Pamela was able to grab it. She soared off towards the goal hoops, her jaw set in a determined fashion, when a Bludger came hurtling her way yet again. As had happened before Pamela screeched and threw her arms in front of her face. Lucius flew in front of her in time to hit the Bludger off towards a Team Jade Beater, but the Quaffle was already falling towards the unnatural grass. It was falling slowly, as Quaffles were enchanted to do, but a Team Jade Chaser was shooting towards it and would be able to grab it with ease. Without even considering the humiliation she might cause herself Selina dove for the scarlet ball.

She reached it a few seconds before her opponent would have, and she managed to maneuver her broom properly so that she shot up and towards her goal posts, but suddenly things were happening so fast that it was difficult to do anything else. Players of all positions were circling around her, eyeing her cautiously, and Beaters tried to hit Bludgers towards her in attempts to make her fumble as Pamela did. Someone from above took pity on her, though, and Selina raced towards the goal hoops.

A rush of adrenaline shot through her veins as the wind ruffled her hair. Cho flew above her, arms outstretched, and despite her wishes to score the next goal Selina tossed the Quaffle to her teammate. Cho winked and passed the ball on to Pamela. All three Chasers were within scoring range of their three goal hoops, and in the last moment, the Quaffle was passed back to Selina. The Keeper of Team Jade, a petite blonde girl, who had been expecting Pamela to score, was taken by surprise when Selina threw the ball towards the middle hoop. She had no time to block the red ball, and Lucius, in a rare moment of pride, swooped by his 'wife' and blew her a kiss.

The kiss did not go unnoticed, and, even as Pamela and Cho giggled childishly at Selina's embarrassment, they could not guess that she was mortified not because of the public display of affection but because she had actually thought it to be sweet! Selina shot a look at Lucius--he and Riley were doing their best to work together, so he didn't notice her long and questioning gaze--before going off in pursuit of the Quaffle.

Twenty-five minutes and seven scores later (four for Team Titan, putting them well in the lead) Selina was actually starting to admit that she was enjoying the sensations of playing quidditch. The adrenaline, the camaraderie between teammates, the sheer exhilaration of flying...If she had known that quidditch could be so pleasant she would have taken it up years ago. Her mood was further improved when she saw her stepson make a dive for what could only be the Golden Snitch.

But, unfortunately, there are less pleasurable aspects of playing quidditch. Such as Bludgers flying at your unprotected belly. Selina never saw the ball come hurtling towards her, and by the time the others had it was too late. Selina had tumbled off her broom and was heading in a quick, spiraling descent.

~*~

Oh, look at her...She'll die if we don't help her!

And if we help her then we'll be the ones dying!

But she's one of-

Don't you finish that sentence, do you hear me? Talk like that can be considered treason...

Treason to whom? Our land has no rulers...Unless you think those three bigwigs! to be our monarchs! Honestly, I thought better of you!

I still don't want to save her. She's human! It's her nature to die when her time comes!

But her time hasn't come yet. She has something to fulfill. Even you must know that...

I know what she's meant to do!

Then let's go and rescue her! We don't have to appear--that'd frighten her husband half to death, wouldn't it?--but we can at least do something to prolong the crash.

Well...Maybe...

Oh, I knew I could count on you! Quickly now, before it's too late!

~*~

Draco had caught the Snitch. It had been a close, neck-and-neck descent towards the fluttering golden ball, but Draco's arms were just a bit longer, and he had snatched the ball with one graceful 'swoop'. No one was more proud than Lucius at that moment. Ironically, no one was more horrified than he when he saw, out of the corner of his gray eye, a figure plummeting towards the grass--if it could even be called grass.

With a great cry, Lucius launched himself towards his young wife, thinking only of how frightened Selina must have been when she was in his position, saving him. Lucius had always considered himself a fearless man, but he had always feared failure, and indeed failing to grab Selina in time was the most frightening of all things.

The Cleansweep he was riding, however, wasn't as fast as his normal race brooms and Selina was falling faster than he could fly. Riley was making just as much effort as Lucius to reach her best friend, but with little more success. Riley turned the handle of her broom down in a steep nosedive, and Lucius was quick to follow.

Someone had begun to scream--Lucius wasn't surprised to find that it was one of the Hufflepuffs--and just when he considered it a lost cause Selina all but froze in the air. Her downward descent, which, up until then, had been unrealistically fast, started descending as if falling through water, much like the Quaffles did.

Riley, who had been charging towards Selina, stopped abruptly, causing her broom to do a midair tumble backwards. "Good Merlin, what happened to her?"

Even Lucius was too surprised to move. Now, instead of plummeting to the ground, it looked as though someone was lowering her gently to that abnormal grass. All of a sudden, Lucius got the sense that there were people lowering her to the ground. Or maybe not people but...creatures. Creatures as unnatural as the bizarrely vibrant green grass and swirling wood! As soon as that thought entered his mind, he began shooting towards Selina, his intent on catching her reignited.

Like hell he was going to let some freak of a being touch his wife!

~*~

Selina could see things happening around her, but she couldn't do a thing. She was falling, but she was falling to fast to stop herself. She suspected that even if she wasn't falling that she would still be unconscious...Or at least unable to move her limbs.

Lucius and Riley were shooting towards her on their brooms, but they were going to slow. The ground loomed closer and closer with every second, but suddenly, without warning, two figures appeared by her side. They were beautiful people, one male and his companion female, just as exotic looking as the grass.

The female's hair was a pale shade of grayish purple, long down to the backs of her knees, and it complimented her ivory skin perfectly. Her eyes were a deep jade green, and her shape was tall--she had to be at least six-two--and willowy.

The man was just as wonderful looking. His hair was much darker, a deep shade of magenta, and his eyes were crisp and blue. He was tall as the lady was, perhaps six-six, and they both were breathtaking and regal.

The man closed his hands around Selina's right arm and the woman clasped Selina's legs. They began to slowly descend to the Earth then, as if walking on invisible steps. Selina could see Riley and Lucius and all the others staring at her in shock--she must have started to fall much slower--but then the man said something.

"I'd be careful if I were you," he whispered, and he spoke with a pleasantly lilting accent that was not at all British. They were nearing the ground now, but Lucius had given a start and was racing towards her. The man and woman looked at her husband, his face intent and cold, and where most would have turned and run they merely laughed, as if Lucius were nothing more than an amusing joke.

"Your husband can sense us," the woman said. "It makes me wonder why he can't sense you. After all, you are-"

"___σ__," the man hissed, using a name that was as foreign to Selina as his vibrant looks. "We agreed not to say anything!"

"Say what?" Words finally came to Selina.

"Say nothing," the man muttered. He shot a venomous look at the woman, and then he looked up at Lucius, who was coming closer with every second. "Your husband can save you now," he murmured.

"Be smart, and don't tell him about us," the woman said. She looked Selina deep in the eyes. "He'll ask you about us, you can be sure about that, but just act like you truly were unconscious. Don't tell anyone you saw us."

"But why can I see you? Why can't they?"

"In that answer lays the answer to everything," the woman whispered. "At all costs you must find that answer, but we cannot begin to explain it to you."

The man reprimanded the woman by slapping her hand, but gave Selina one last soft look. "Good luck, Selina."

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Selina asked weakly.

"This isn't even the beginning of goodbye," the man said, and he snapped his fingers...

~*~

Suddenly Selina was awakening. Lucius held her tightly in his arms, and he was flying softly to the ground. When he saw her eyes flutter and open he turned around and called to Riley, who was hovering right behind him, "She's awake, and she looks all right. Maybe a bruise on her stomach, but she's not going to die." He faced her again. "You do feel all right, don't you?" He looked suspiciously around Selina. "Nothing...frightening...happened to you?"

Selina blinked, and then she picked up one the mystery woman's cue. "I don't remember...I just remember falling...And then there was blackness." Lucius looked far from convinced, but he didn't say anything else. He landed gently on the ground, and their teammates landed around them. The Team Jade captain rushed up to apologize, but Pamela sent him one cruel glare, and the chubby young man bustled off to join his friends.

"Are you all right, Mrs. Malfoy?" Madame Hooch asked. "Do I need to call Madame Pomfrey? You shouldn't be traveling anywhere by portkey if you have injuries."

Selina patted her stomach. She winced a bit--the soft flesh was still tender--but made a gesture that showed there were no real injuries. "I guess I'm lucky, huh?"

Riley nodded brightly. "You sure as hell are!" she screeched.

Lucius, however, frowned. "Let's just get back to the real world. I hate this...dimension. It's just so....disturbing."

If Selina had had any second thoughts about telling Lucius about the two strange, exotic people they were destroyed. She would find only fear from him, and she didn't expect to find much more understanding within Riley. As everyone made their way back to where Madame Hooch had said the portkeys were Selina lagged behind. A beautiful, outrageously red flower swayed in the breeze. On an impulse, Selina reached down and plucked the flower, slipping it in her pant's pocket.

"Selina! Hurry up!" Riley and the rest of Team Titan were waving for her to join them around the portkey. None of them seemed to notice that she had taken the flower, and for that, Selina was grateful. She jogged to catch up with her friends and to return to her own world...

~*~

Upon arriving back in her own world, Selina was swarmed by Dumbledore, Madame Pomfrey, and three other women who must have been acting as nurses. Apparently, someone had sent a message ahead informing everyone that she had been taken out by a Bludger. Despite her protests that she was absolutely fine she was swept off to a large tent acting as the on-grounds infirmary.

Madame Pomfrey and the three nurses ushered her into one of the cubicles. "Sit on the bed, dear, and unbutton your shirt. I'm going to attend to someone else, but I'll be back in a moment to check you over for any internal injuries."

"But I said I feel-"

"No arguments! You took a Bludger to your stomach, and you need to be checked over!" Madame Pomfrey's sweet, motherly demeanor was replaced by something that resembled a Saber tooth tiger.

With a sigh of resignation Selina sat down on the bed and began to remove her quidditch robes and unbutton the simple undershirt she had on underneath. After shrugging off the undershirt, she began to inspect the large black bruise on her stomach. She pressed the mark lightly and instantly regretted doing so. The skin began to throb, and thankfully, Madame Pomfrey returned a moment later.

"Ah, see? I told you that you needed to be checked over. Now, does it hurt much?"

"It throbs," Selina admitted. "Just fix me up, and I'll be fine."

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "No you won't. You'll stay here and wait for the Headmaster to say whatever he wanted to tell you."

Selina's stomach clenched unpleasantly. Dumbledore wanted to say something to her? "What do you mean?" she asked, squirming as Madame Pomfrey pressed a glowing wand against her belly. The nurse frowned and waved her hands for silence. After determining that Selina was indeed all right, she answered.

"He wants you to answer a few questions about the circumstances of your injuries," she said briskly.

Selina knew better. "If it's all the same to you then I'll just be on my way. I have to find my friend Riley. She'll be worried."

Madame Pomfrey opened her mouth to protest, but it wasn't her voice who replied. "Sit back down, Ms. Julliard." Dumbledore stepped into the small cubicle. The mood that played upon his face was not totally reprimanding, but Selina sat back down on the bed anyway. Madame Pomfrey made excuses to leave, and then they were alone.

"I assume you want to ask me about Lucius again?" Selina asked.

Dumbledore nodded. "Something to that degree," he said as he sat beside Selina and folded his hands. "Ms. Julliard, your husband is a...shifty man. He's done bad things, dangerous things, and I can't guarantee that you'll not get caught in the crossfire if you don't leave him."

Selina narrowed her eyes. As roguish as Lucius may seem, and as much of a bastard as he was towards most people, he wasn't an inherently bad person...And even if he was, that was Selina's business to handle! "Really, now?"

Luckily for his sake Dumbledore sensed Selina's hostility. "I don't want you to get hurt, Selina. I truly don't want you to get hurt."

"I can handle myself. I'm a big girl." Selina felt so clichéd, using those lines. She knew something was wrong, but she ignored that.

"You're right. You are a big girl. I can't make you do anything you don't want you. I can only ask you to think about what I've said." He gave her a cheery smile. "Now, you really should go and find your teammates. I'm sure that Ms. Duraford is very worried. And I heard Ms. Bryce mention that they'll need your help in the final competition."

Selina laughed nervously and stood with the headmaster. He had changed the mood quickly, and just in time. "Yes, I will thank you." She hurried out of the cubicle and almost straight into one of the volunteer nurses. After apologizing quickly and straitening her robe, she turned back to Dumbledore, a question on her lips. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is the next competition...?"

~*~

"A dance off!" Lucius roared. "I've always said that the man was bloody mad! This just proves it!"

Selina couldn't help but smirk. Since her return to the library fifteen minutes ago Lucius's mood had done nothing but worsen. Really, he looked his best when he was angry...But that was beside the point. The true point was that she had little less than an hour to put together a dance number with Lucius. Early on, she had decided that he would work best with her. Draco was too lazy, Robbie was too shy towards her, Mr. Chang didn't have enough grace, and she just didn't feel like dealing with Snape.

"And why do you get to be in charge?" Lucius asked, turning his anger on the young woman.

"Because," Riley called from a corner of the library, "she's the best dancer I know."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. His expression turned from furious to mildly interested. "Eh? Is that so?"

"My mother was a wonderful dancer. She taught me everything she knew...Waltz, tango, swing dancing...I suppose I'm well enough."

Riley gave a long, braying laugh. "Well enough? Selly, you can dance like the devil!"

Selina's face remained determined as she began to stretch. Lucius, unsure of what exactly he was to do, followed her graceful movements, but his movements were jerky and unrefined. "You're trying too hard," Selina said after watching her 'husband' for a minute. "Dancing takes trying and concentration, of course, but not with such seriousness."

She stood with one fluent motion and held up her hand, motioning for Lucius to be still in his movements. Pamela, who had been the only person to stay and watch Selina and Lucius practice, was quite surprised when her mistress pressed up against Lucius's back. Selina's arms reached up and molded over Lucius's until they could have been the same person. Slowly but elegantly Selina began to do the stretches again, only now Lucius did it along with her. At first, the redhead met with some resistance--Lucius still wanted to do things his way--but after ten minutes the two moved with poise. It was only then that Selina let go of Lucius.

She turned his back to him then, so it was only Pamela who saw Lucius smile softly and rub the back of his arms, as if he could still feel her warmth. "Now let's try to get in rhythm with each other," Selina said, straitening herself to her full height. "After that things will be easier for me to orchestrate." Lucius merely shrugged, and then he held out his arms. Selina placed his right hand around her waist and his left hand on her right shoulder. She wrapped both arms around his neck and began to sway to a tune that only the two of them could hear.

Pamela watched with interest as Selina taught her 'husband' the finer points of dancing. She told him to twirl her, and he did so effortlessly. Lucius said something in a low voice, and Selina laughed warmly. Pamela could only smile and slip away. She wanted Selina to be happy, and if everything worked out as it should, Lucius would make her very happy.

~*~

Oh, but god, was Selina nervous! Team Red had won the quidditch match, "with the help of Saint Potter", as Draco had grumbled earlier. She had no idea how good her opponents were, or but she did know that they were desperate to win. One of the Weasley boys--they all looked the same to Selina--had come by not ten minutes before the competition started. Selina had been around the corner, so she had only heard the snipe snicker about how they were all "going down!"

Now it was just minutes before Team Red's act would go on. Dumbledore was standing in the middle of the quidditch pitch, on top of a large, shiny stage much different from the ones that had been there earlier in the day. "Welcome, everyone, to the final competition!" Dumbledore cried, and the entire stadium cheered with him. "As you may well know, this competition is a dance off." A wave of snickers overtook the crowd. It was apparent enough that no one took this seriously. They had probably just come to see who won: the Weasley's team or the Malfoy's team. "The dance off, unlike the other competitions, allows only two participants. Those two participants will have six minutes to present you all with a dance number that they have worked out before this. They will be judged by the reaction of the reaction of the crowd."

Dumbledore glanced down at a card he held in his hand. "Team Red will be going first. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger will be representing their team." Dumbledore's face creased into a smile, and he joined in the clapping as two figures, the first a tall, gangly redhead and the second the girl Selina had been speaking with, took the stage. The both of them were dressed in robes of deep blue. The girl, Hermione Granger, looked very nervous, but as soon as the soft, melodic music began and the boy's arms went around her then she instantly relaxed. It was evident to all that those two were a very happy couple.

The Weasley boy and his girlfriend were clearly not dancers. They merely swayed together, not bothering to truly dance, simply enjoying the moment. Every so often, the boy would twirl the girl, and she would giggle girlishly. Whatever they lacked in dancing skills, they made up for in the mood they put their audience. Everyone was entranced, and their constant claps and cheers continued into the last spin, after which most everybody, Slytherins not included, burst into an approving applause.

"Oh, Riley!" Selina whispered, feeling a hand upon her shoulder. "We'll never beat that!"

"Yes, we will." Selina jumped when she heard Lucius's voice purring in her ear. She supposed that he was trying to be seductive, but she was too edgy to care.

"But everyone loves them! Everyone can see that they love each other! We don't have anything anywhere near that!" Selina knees were shaking, but that could be credited to the fact that Lucius was massaging her shoulders, and not because she was chilly.

"We," Lucius whispered, and Selina could practically see him smirk, "have something far more interesting. If they are everything perfect, Selina, then we are everything imperfect. Our faults make us stronger. Our arguments make us wiser."

Selina had turned to look him in the eyes, for she had a feeling that her 'husband' was driving at something deeper, but then Dumbledore stepped up on stage." Splendid! That was simply splendid! All in all, you racked up a nine-point-eight!"

From somewhere behind her Selina heard a hissing voice whisper, "Try and beat that!"

To which Lucius replied, "We don't even have to try!"

"Now it's time fore Team Titan to present their number! Their captain tells me that Lucius Malfoy and his wife Selina will be performing, so please, give them your attention!" Dumbledore began to clap, while others began to make rude noises. The lights in the quidditch pitch went out, as Selina had requested, and she stepped onto the stage in almost complete darkness.

~*~

The music started before the lights went back up. For a few moments, all the onlookers knew was the sweet, slow, dreamy song. It serenaded them, almost as much as the woman standing in the middle of the stage when light flooded the pitch again. She was pretty, though in a way all her own. Her hair was a swirl of unruly red curls, her eyes were green and lively, her smile as sweet as it was strange. Her dress was black and bordered on scandalous. The skirt of her dress swished about right below her knees, but a slit in the skirt came to halfway up her thigh, exposing pale skin and a few freckles. The younger men in the crowd, especially the married ones, found the pale skin surprisingly arousing.

The woman began to dance, and it became apparent that dancing was her passion. The way she arched her body during turns, the way her legs moved smoothly and so intricately, the way her whole body seemed to become a part of the song, and the deep look on her face showed how much she was enjoying herself. Before the crowd could fully take in the woman, however, there was a 'pop' and a man appeared directly behind her.

Lucius Malfoy and his wife Selina...

~*~

Selina did her best to mold into Lucius as he wrapped his body around her from behind. With careful movements they became one, twirling slowly and dipping with style. He buried her nose in her red curls, and had they been anywhere else, Selina would have snarled at him to stop sniffing her. But somehow, at that moment, it all seemed perfect.

"All right, Lucius," she whispered as he twirled her around in a full spiral. "The music's going to pick up in three...two...one!"

Right on cue the tempo changed from sweet and dreamy to fast and Latin. The emphasize the change Lucius actually flipped Selina over his arm. The surprised young woman landed squarely on her feet, but she had little time to stare at her husband before they were off again. They became part of the music with their twirls, dips, and fast-paced footwork. Selina and Lucius had agreed on no real plan because they had been confident enough that they would find their own.

For the first time in her life, Selina was actually glad to be with Lucius. No other would have been able to dance with her like he did. As much as she regretted to admit it no one else would have made her feel so alive. As Lucius pulled her close to his body the moment inspired him to kiss her right on the lips, in front of everyone. Also caught up in the moment, Selina allowed him to.

It was only when the music ended that Selina realized that had forgotten to watch the clock. Their six minutes were up, and they were still kissing. Disgust at her 'husband' for being so forward and disgust at herself for allowing him to seized her body. Oh, lord, what Riley must think of her...With as much dignity as possible Selina broke the kiss. She bowed once and strode off stage, leaving Lucius to stand stupidly in the spotlight.

She was ashamed of herself!

She had been drunk on the attention, or some such thing, and she had allowed him to kiss her! The very man she had been avoiding! The kiss would, of course, lead to a deep conversation, and he might possibly command her to sleep with him.

"Miss Selina?"

Selina froze. It was Draco. Of all the people to catch her after so obviously ditching Lucius it had to be her stepson. Oh, he must think her to be some sort of floozy...

"You were magnificent out there." Draco's tone was measured, as if he wasn't sure exactly what to say, but his face showed how impressed he really was. Riley crept up behind him, and she looked impressed as well.

"He's right. Can't you hear them?"

Selina shook her head. "No, Riley, I can't hear a thing. No one's cheering, no one's roaring, and no one's applauding."

Riley gave Selina a brilliant smile. "That's my point, Selly. You shocked them into silence!"

The other members of Team Titan were appearing around Selina. All but Lucius. She suspected that his wounded pride would not allow him to resurface until it was time to leave. Everyone was staring at her in shocked awe.

"Oh, Miss Selina! You were so beautiful," Pamela whispered, and Selina didn't even bother to correct her friend. Besides, she had a feeling that even if she wasn't really beautiful that everyone else believed she was so. Perhaps it was an enchantment that would only last the night, in which case Selina had only six hours left.

"Thank you, Pamela," Selina said softly. Suddenly she had an urge to escape the crown surrounding her. She knew that she was supposed to be with someone else.

"We're going to win, you know," Riley was saying now, and her smile had changed to a victorious smirk. "I just know it! Did you see their faces?"

"I must admit, Malfoy did come through." Mr. Chang looked reluctant to admit that Lucius Malfoy could be credible at anything, but he also looked strangely proud to be a part of such a team.

"Did you see the way he was looking at Selina?" Cho asked her mother. She thought Selina couldn't hear her. "I don't care what Daddy says. He loves her, Mum. In his own, weird way."

Mrs. Chang shushed her daughter. "Don't talk about such things! Selina Malfoy and her husband have a right to be left to their own affairs!" Mrs. Chang's voice dropped a notch then. "But he did look at her as though he wanted to eat her up, didn't he?" Selina saw Cho nod in the darkness, and all wishes to attend the masquerade fled her. She and Lucius would be the most talked about people after that dance. She didn't want to deal with the probing eyes.

"Pamela?" she called in a near silent voice that only her friend heard.

"Yes, Miss-"

"Just plain Selina, please."

"Well then, Selina, what do you want?"

Selina looked over to where Dumbledore was discussing something with Prof. Sprout. "I'm going to go into Hogsmeade, all right? I'll find Lucius there, and we'll spend the night in some hotel. Separate rooms, of course."

"Of course," Pamela repeated.

"Just make a few excuses for me, will you?"

"Certainly, Miss-er-Selina." Pamela waved as Selina as the young redhead slunk over to where Dumbledore was. Once she was sure that her new friend was out of earshot she muttered, "Separate rooms? Ten galleons say they make it to bed before midnight."

~*~

Lucius had been utterly and completely humiliated, more so then the swimming incident earlier that day. He had kissed Selina--God strike him down with lightening for doing a thing such as kissing his wife--and she had walked off stage as soon as she could! She had left him there, standing in all the blinding lights, looking like a lovesick schoolboy. If anyone had doubted that there were troubles in his new marriage, now then that display had made them believers.

After making a hasty exit on the opposite side of the stage as Selina, Lucius had tromped on down to Hogsmeade. He had made his way to the Three Broomsticks, and there he proceeded to get drunk on cheap wine, for Malfoys never got drunk on anything as common as beer or the strong whisky that Hagrid downed. Madame Rosemerta looked as though she wanted to stop sending him alcohol, but he did give generous tips, and the money won out. It wasn't until the seventh glass of wine that the intoxicating red liquid stopped coming.

Lucius tried to flag down one of the barmaids so that he could take the matter up with one of them, but all of them avoided him like the Black Plague. Eventually Lucius was able to find the source of the liqueur drought. Mind you, all he saw was the back of the woman's head, but he was sure as anything that the short, curvy redhead speaking with Madame Rosemerta was his wife.

'Damn her, with all her gutsy American ways...Thinks she can leave me hanging and then comes down and tells the bartender not to give me anymore wine!' Lucius glared at his wife, who was sharing a good laugh, probably at his expense, with Madame Rosemerta. She turned around for a second, and her laugh was cut short when she saw the dour look on his face.

"Thank you so much for the offer, Rosie,"--since when did she know Rosemerta enough to call her Rosie?--"but I think Lucius here needs to get up to our room as soon as possible." Selina pursed her lips in a haughty manner, but her eyes were shining with mocking and mirth. "After all, who knows who might see him in this state? He might damage the Malfoy name!" She was mocking him! The little Southern vixen...

"Need any help, honey?" Madame Rosemerta looked mildly worried. "This one has a nasty temper."

Selina put her hands on her hips. "I can hold my own, Rosie. Room ten's for us?"

"Best in the house, and it's on the house. Anything for the daughter of Esme Julliard." Madame Rosemerta tossed Selina a golden key and winked.

"I'll say goodbye in the morning when I leave," Selina promised as she made her way to Lucius. Lucius noticed that Rosemerta was standing nearby, despite Selina's assurances that she would be all right. The pretty bartender had a deep scowl on her face, directed towards Lucius, just daring him to make trouble. Lucius decided not to give her the satisfaction of being right. He allowed Selina to help him up from his booth, and he did his best not to stumble after her.

Selina walked briskly--Lucius knew she did that just to vex him--towards the back of the Three Broomsticks. There was a simple wooden door in the back--Lucius had never noticed it before--and she stuck the golden key in the lock. "Room ten, Selina Julliard and Lucius Malfoy." The lock jiggled for a second, and then the door swung open with a small 'click'.

"Come on, Lucius. You don't even need to walk up the stairs. Rosie says that they move magically." She grabbed his shirt--he was still wearing the black ruffled V-neck silk shirt she had forced him to wear for the dance off--and dragged him onto the first step. As she had said, they began to move upwards, towards the second floor, magically. When they reached the top of the stairway, in fact, the floor moved them down the hallway until they reached a door with a silver ten on it.

"This is it?" Lucius asked.

Selina nodded and wordlessly stuck the key in the door. She pushed it open and stepped inside. "There's only one bed, and then there's a couch. I'll take the couch, okay? Unless you want the couch. I think it might be closer to the bathroom, and you might be making some runs in the night."

Lucius frowned. "I insist that you take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch." He followed her into the inn room and found the couch, which was in the small room right off the kitchen.

Selina, however, continued down the hall and into the bedroom. Just before closing the door to the bedroom, she gave him a strange look. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but her pride was getting in the way. Finally, she shut the door, leaving Lucius hanging once again.

~*~

So, the game's on, isn't it? Now it's not just you I'm after--it's your husband.

Do you really think that he jumped in that lake of his own free will? No, he needed a little...encouragement.

Don't worry, I didn't want to kill you...No, I just wanted to mess with your mind...But I didn't mean for that Bludger to take you out. And I definitely didn't mean for those two dolts to save you.

Make you mistake, honey. Those two won't be giving you any hidden messages any time so. I'll make sure of that...And I'd make sure that, if I were you, that I wouldn't go looking too deeply into their little riddle...

Their kind isn't too popular in this world, and the deeper you look, the more you'll find out about your kind...

As always, Selina, sweet dreams...I'll be watching you...

~*~

Lucius was having one hell of a night. The couch was lumpy and the material was scratchy, and the thin blanket that he had found in the closet was no help with the drafts that breezed through the inn room. Around midnight he got up to go and fetch another blanket. As he passed in front of the bedroom door he heard a cry--Selina's cry, to be more exact.

At first Lucius thought that she was merely talking in her sleep. He continued on to grab his blanket, but his hand froze when he heard another cry. This one was much more anguished than the last, and Lucius was suddenly reminded of Selina's stay in the hospital and how pale she had looked. Without a second moment's thought, he rushed down the hall and into her room. When he saw his wife's state he was momentarily floored.

During the course of the night Selina had thrown off her covers. She had entangled in the dull white sheets, and she was writhing within them, as if someone was physically attacking her. Great, terrified sobs escaped her lips, and a coat of sweat plastered her hair to her forehead.

"No, no, no! Oh, please, no!"

A string of petrified words escaped Selina's mouth. Lucius's stunned spell was broken, and he rushed to the bed to awaken her. Taking her in his arms, he shook her gently and then harder when she wouldn't wake up. Her condition wasn't much different when she finally did awaken then when she had been asleep. If anything it worsened.

"Where am I? Where am I? Oh, god, it's watching me!"

She began struggling in Lucius's hold, and when he wouldn't let her escape she began shrieking as loudly as she could. Afraid that her cries would bring other guests or Madame Rosemerta herself, Lucius began to soothe Selina by rubbing her arms and whispering, "It'll be all right." Eventually--and thankfully--Selina's shrieks were calmed to quiet sniffles. Only then did she truly awaken. Lucius saw her eyes flutter in the dim lighting of the room, and she looked around her wildly, apparently confused as to how he had gotten there.

"Is it gone?" she asked in a voice that was barely her own.

"It? Who's it?"

Selina looked around her again. Her green eyes had narrowed, and she even looked at Lucius suspiciously. "It haunts me. It wants me." She sounded childishly afraid and alone. "I must sound crazy to you." She pulled her knees up to her chest and sighed deeply.

"I don't think you're crazy." Honestly, Lucius didn't know what to think about Selina's nightmare. He pretended, though, that he meant what he said. He kept rubbing her arms, and after a while, he even chanced kissing her bare shoulder. Selina shivered, but that only caused her to begin shaking. "You know, a good shot of vodka always calms my nerves." Selina looked up. She looked intrigued, and Lucius continued. "Rosemerta should have some liquor around here. Wait for a second, and I'll get you some."

He stood from the bed and made his way to a cabinet he had seen earlier. Sure enough, he found several bottles of alcohol. He selected a large purple bottle and a small glass from the cabinet and returned to the bedroom. Selina had brought her legs up to her chest, and her hand reached for the glass as soon as Lucius had poured the amber liquid. She coughed as she downed the first glass, but after the second and third--Narcissa had always been a girl to hold her drink, so he didn't think to deny Selina booze--she seemed to be in her own. It was only too late that Lucius realized that Selina was the type to get drunk after only a few sips of alcohol.

Her new smile was too big, she giggled too much, but the moment she leaned over and kissed him, Lucius stopped caring...

~*~

Selina was awoken the next morning by a gentle breeze. She lay in bed, enjoying the cool air on the back of her neck, until she realized that the cool breeze was actually warm, and that it wasn't actually a breeze but someone's breath. Memories from the night before began streaming back slowly. She had had too much to drink--Lucius kept giving her glasses of that booze that had burned her throat so wonderfully--and she had gotten an urge to taste Lucius's lips, to see if any alcohol from earlier that night still clung to his lips. One thing had led to another and now...

Selina could only remember that their coupling had left Lucius sated and sleepy and her feeling empty but tired. She had felt no real pleasure, and she had rolled away from him as soon as he was done. She had fallen asleep soon after him, but somewhere in the course of the night, his arms had found their way around her waist. In the struggle to free herself from his embrace, Selina awoke Lucius. He gave a groggy groan, sat up, and put his hand to his forehead.

"Bloody hell, I've got a hangover," he muttered. He groaned again, and then he rolled over to the opposite side of the bed. Selina, who had just started to feel the pangs of her own hangover, thought that he hadn't noticed her until she tried to go to the bathroom. "Last night..." he said, trailing off in hopes that she would finish his sentence.

"Was a mistake. I was drunk. Under the influence. Don't you think the same?" she turned around to face Lucius. He had stood to his full height, which Selina was reminded was a good nine inches taller than she, and a dark, stormy looked crossed his face.

"I suppose it was," he muttered, and Selina could not truly find any reason for him to be angry. Still, as she stepped out of her shower twenty minutes later, she found all traces of him gone. He had left only a note, written in a hurried scrawl, that he and Arielle would be going over various documents and that he would be back at the manor late that evening.

'Arielle DeSanders...What a cheap hat trick!' As the young Southern girl tore up her 'husband's' note, the steam practically coming out of her ears, she denied herself any grief. So Lucius Malfoy wanted to play dirty and make a fool out of her? He had no idea with whom he was fighting...