Downfall | Lestrange

Prologue

[Prologue]

The sounds of bird calls filled the air as one of the warmer days of summer had left them all feeling quite excited as they didn't have to endure another day of heavy rain. Bright colours used to attract mates fluttered from tree to tree, decorating the branches like ornaments around Christmas time. But among the birds, another soul was enjoying the warm weather, a young man by the name of Roderick Lestrange that took to the outside stairs to have a smoke. Thankful that he didn't have to take to sitting near a window to blow the smoke out of the home, Roderick kept the cigarette between his lips and inhaled the smoke through his nostrils that brought about a sense of calmness to wash over him. 

His hands began to tremble less and for a moment, he forgot that his mother was inside with a group of Healers, barely on her last leg of life. 

An owl had been sent earlier in the day to notify his oldest brothers that their mother was not looking to be in the best condition. After a long and constant battle with Dragon Pox, the elder Rabea Lestrange was losing the fight and they were very well looking at their final days with the woman. Dragon Pox had already taken their father's life the year before and as much as they hated to admit it, it was no surprise that the illness was about to take their mother as well. The group of Healers sent from St Mungo's came to the conclusion that there was nothing else that they could do for her except make her comfortable for her final days.

Roderick, not wanting to get in the way of them inside, claimed he was just going to head outside while they worked and when they were finished, he would return. For the time being, he was simply enjoying the satisfaction of being able to smoke freely without his mother condemning him and telling him that it was bad for his health. Nothing was worse for his health than the amount of stress that he had been experiencing in the recent weeks. 

His mother's fading health had left him stuck with sleepless nights and growing anxiety as he was the last of the Lestrange boys within the household. His brothers had long gone out on their own, one married, another soon to be, and Roderick in his own arrangement once he left Hogwarts. Arranged to a person that he hardly knew and if that didn't keep him up at night, his mother nearly coughing up a lung certainly did. He was glad to be home for the summer so that he could take care of her to the best of his abilities, but knowing that there wasn't much time left, he felt quite useless.

Sitting on the front stone steps of the home, Roderick heard the sound of the door leading outside open, bringing him to look over his shoulder. He caught sight of his oldest brother, Rodolphus walking towards him after the man closed the door behind himself. He was alone, no sign of their other brother, Rabastan in his company or Rodolphus' wife, Bellatrix. He didn't look his best either, his usual darker skin appeared pale and his brown eyes seemed to hold a tiredness about them with some red irritation. 

Roderick wasn't sure if it was from his brother's work or the stress of their family situation, but more than likely it was both. To lighten the mood, Roderick removed the cigarette from between his lips and called out to him.