July 31, 1970
It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of Annabel Lee;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.
I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea,
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
I and my Annabel Lee—
With a love that the wingèd seraphs of Heaven
Coveted her and me.
And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsmen came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.
E.Poe
A damp sea wind burst into the greenhouse of the Malfoy summer residence, forcing the glass doors to open. The old elf slammed the tray of tea on the table in a fit of terror and rushed to calm the raging fabric. His efforts were of little avail, but the mistress winced every time the room filled with wind, so the elf had to fight it.
A thunderstorm had been brewing over San Sebastián since the morning, stifling the small town to the point where its inhabitants could barely breathe. The heavy clouds had been rumbling menacingly over the sea for more than an hour, rolling over the cliff now and then. It seemed as if the black waters were trying to break out of this part of the country and sweep it away, along with the old white manor house that stood on it.
'What a disgusting weather,' Edwin Malfoy said, covering her bony shoulders with a chiffon cloak. She looked lovely in her dark green silk dress. 'Especially the wind, isn't it? Wind is the worst; She touched her hair and smiled nervously at her guests.
Today was an important day. Edwin had been corresponding with Druella Black for several months about the upcoming wedding of her daughter Narcissa and her son Lucius. Today was the day the future bride and groom would finally meet. Officially in their new status, of course, since they probably saw each other every day at Hogwarts. Druella must have been nervous to bring Walburga, that crazy, predatory hound. Perhaps she was afraid that she would miss something important during the negotiation of the marriage contract. Walburga paid more attention to the little things. Unable to forbid it, Edwin asked the house-elf to add a few extra utensils to the tea.
The women drank tea in the greenhouse overlooking the sea. Normally, the atmosphere here was pleasantly light and fresh, probably because of the large number of plants. But today, the mood in the room was surprisingly gloomy. Probably because of the storm.
'Oh, you're right, dear. The weather is just terrible, terrible,' Druella Black said immediately, handing her daughter a teacup and pulling on the cloak she had thrown on the couch a few minutes earlier.
Narcissa, a pale, small-boned girl with a doll's face and blonde hair, silently took the cup from her mother's hands and sat there, not knowing what to do next and not daring to breathe under Edwin's gaze.
Laughter suddenly erupted in the nursery behind the wall. The girl's blue eyes flashed immediately, and her gaze darted eagerly to the locked door.
Her face, despite her young age, had already begun to be constrained by social decorum, almost as impenetrable as the other women drinking tea beside her. Her lips were neither sad nor happy, and her eyebrows accentuated her smooth, clean forehead with a calm haze. She was as calm as a porcelain doll. Only a faint flicker of desire flickered in her eyes, which Druella and Edwin had carefully erased over the years, turning the happy and vibrant girl into the future Mrs. Malfoy.
