Flick and Swish || A Harry Potter Anthology

Autumn of Foreboding by Arrow

Find more of Arrows work on her A03:

https://archiveofourown.org/users/bxllatrixx

Raindrops the size of bullets thundered on the castle windows for days on end; the lake rose, the flowerbeds turned into muddy streams, and Hagrid's pumpkins swelled to the size of garden sheds.

In the air was the almost tangible sense of anticipation that emanated from nearly every Hogwarts student. The long-awaited holidays of Halloween and Christmas were steadily approaching, and excitement could be felt in every corridor of the castle. Even the more downtrodden teachers and students could sense the change in the atmosphere.

Halloween and Christmas aside, first and foremost, it was autumn. A favorite season of many students, everyone from first to seventh years could be seen trampling around in the piles of fallen leaves that dotted the grounds. While it had been raining more than usual, they didn't let it dampen their spirits. When the weather allowed, they took every chance they could to let the autumn sunlight warm their smiling faces as they breathed in the crisp air.

It was on a day like this that someone quite a distance from Hogwarts made her way down a leaf-strewn path. The woman clutched her elegant black robes closer to her as a frigid breeze tousled her blonde hair. The tree branches that crisscrossed above her head creaked and sent, even more, leaves spiralling down towards the ground. However, instead of stopping to admire the beauty that only autumn could inspire, the woman kept up her brisk pace.

To Narcissa Malfoy, the season of autumn didn't bring the warm comforts or joy it usually sparked within her and so many others. Her shadowed eyes stared blankly at the ground, not seeing the various shades of gold and brown that littered the dirt path. No– there was no possible way she could feel at peace during this season. Could no one else tell that, underneath the facade of holiday cheer, evil was beginning to stir once more?

She remembered that night two weeks ago. She could've sworn she'd heard her husband speaking to someone in the kitchen about the Dark Lord, but, when she turned the corner, the room was entirely empty. Lucius had returned that evening and simply explained that he'd been at work. Narcissa knew he would do everything in his power to keep her mind at ease, but it was having the complete opposite effect on her. As the following week progressed, her feelings of concern only grew. She could hardly take the suspense. If the Dark Lord really was returning, and soon... how would her family fare this time? They'd made it out of the last war mostly unscathed, but would they be so fortunate this time? And now she had her beloved Draco... Narcissa couldn't bear to think about what could happen if her only son got involved.

Narcissa could only hope that he would be safe at Hogwarts. From his replies to her letters, he seemed to be doing well. Even so, she knew she must protect him from the looming threat of what could be another war. As much as she loved Lucius, she was aware that they didn't agree on certain matters. Because of that, it would be up to her to keep her family from falling apart if the worst came to pass.

She reached a turn in the path and was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard footsteps ahead, made louder by the crackling leaves. Lucius appeared around the corner, coming to a stop as he nearly ran into her. "Narcissa," he said, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to."

"Just went for a walk. The rain doesn't allow many days fit for it," Narcissa replied quietly, not meeting his gaze. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry over her. He had enough on his plate, what with work and whatever was happening in the shadows.

He simply looked down at her as he regained his composure. "Yes, it is quite nice today." Lucius glanced up at the cloudless sky above them, then back at her. "The owl post will be arriving shortly. I figured you'd want to be at the manor– won't Draco be writing back soon?"

Narcissa's heart leapt. She hadn't expected him to say something that came so close to her previous worries. But he was right, as she'd written to her son only a few days ago. She'd definitely want to read his letter as soon as possible to make sure he was alright.

As the pair began the walk back to their manor across the yard, Narcissa couldn't help but feel that strange sense of foreboding again. She came to a firm conclusion as that same frigid breeze rustled the leaves that surrounded them. She had to protect her loved ones– no matter what.