The Last Horcrux

Raking Leaves

The back garden at Spinner's End was strewn with brown and yellow leaves. One afternoon Sev and Remus corralled the boys, armed them with rakes and they all headed out into the yard to clean up. It was a crisp fall day, the sky an impossibly clear azure, with the black branches of the trees etched against it.

The boys raked diligently for about 15 minutes but once the leaf pile got big enough the situation quickly evolved into a leaf jumping party. Sev and Remus stopped raking to watch them. Remus leaned into Sev with an indulgent smile on his face. Sev put his hands on the bump and pulled Remus close against him. The baby turned. The full moon was coming, and Sev caught the scent of the wolf rising from Remus, felt his animal warmth. Remus shifted back, pressed in, and Sev felt a flicker of desire.

Remus twisted his head back and they kissed. He reached around and gave Sev's bum a possessive squeeze. Remus was always more sexual before the moon.

"Tonight," Remus whispered. He started raking up the leaves and throwing them at the children.

"More, Moony, more!" Oakley squealed in delight.

"Leaf fight! Leaf fight!" yelled Gavin, throwing an armful of leaves in Remus' face. Remus, laughing and pink cheeked in the cool air, responded by dumping a huge armful of leaves over Gavin's head.

Sev stood basking in the late autumn sunshine and watched Remus frolicking with the children. He watched his arse moving inside his trousers, the slight waddle of late pregnancy. Remus was lost in the moment, throwing leaves at the kids, his face alight with happiness. Sev felt a warm glow of anticipation.

After a lifetime of near celibacy he found himself in a deeply committed relationship with an overly fertile werewolf. He had never looked back.

********

Narcissa sat in a cafe, nursing a cappuccino. She didn't really want to go home to Lucius and she had nowhere else to be. Surreptitiously, she removed a scrolled parchment from her bag. She reread it for the hundredth time. It was a letter from her sister Andromeda.

Dear Cissy,

I hope this finds you well. I was wondering if there was any way we could talk. As you know, Ted and Dora are both gone, and I find myself beset by a grinding loneliness. I do see Draco occasionally, and he seems to be doing well, although I suspect he misses you. Perhaps we could forget the past, and find a way to comfort each other. Bella is gone, and you are the only family I have left. I miss the closeness we once had.

In hope,

Andy

Narcissa reread the familiar words. With a sigh, she scrolled the parchment and placed it back in her bag. She took a sip of her coffee and looked around. Recently, she had noticed strangely dressed people in the village. They were all in black and white, with just a splash of red - a scarf, a pair of gloves, a ruby necklace, a single rose pinned to a lapel. Many of these people met and greeted each other excitedly, or quickly introduced themselves and were soon chatting like old friends. It had been going on for days. And everywhere, a consistent whisper of excitement. The circus is coming! It should be any day now!

Today they filled the usually sleepy cafe, chatting loudly, ordering glasses of wine or cups of coffee, plates of cheese and baskets of bread. These people were Muggles, but they didn't act like Muggles usually did. There was an air of mystery about them. They seemed to be part of a secret society.

Narcissa sighed with annoyance. She finished her cappuccino and left the cafe. She went to the tiny library in the town square, her only other retreat. She found a table in the back, among the towering rows of dusty books. The happy conversation of those strange Muggles, their festive air of excitement, had made her realize how lonely and desolate she felt. She pulled out Andromeda's letter and read it once again. Then she got out a clean piece of parchment and a pen.