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Lucius Malfoy ran his hand across the great black Friesian stallion’s neck, admiring the sheen of its coat. It was truly a regal beast, and at seventeen and a half hands high it rivaled the winged horses he’d once owned before the Dark Lord had destroyed them as punishment for his lack of loyalty. Lucius felt a sick, sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The Dark Lord had been vanquished by Harry Potter but still haunted his dreams
He looked up the stable alley, waiting on Cissa to join him. She was at least one thing that Voldermort hadn’t taken from him, though Draco hadn’t spoken to him since his marriage to Astoria Greengrass. Draco blamed him for everything the family had lost, and he wasn’t entirely wrong. Lucius had let his ambition cost him nearly everything: his reputation, his standing in the community, and his only child -- his son.
The appearance of his beloved wife Narcissa brought a smile to his lips. “Are you ready, my love?” he asked softly, his fingers grasping hers for a fleeting moment before he gave her a leg up on the snow-white Andalusian gelding she’d taken a fancy to.
“I thought we might ride along the shore. The weather is mild and the sky is blue. What say you, Cissa?” Narcissa smiled down at her husband. “That sounds like a marvelous idea, darling.” She watched her husband mount his stallion and with a flick of his wand, a pristine seashore was waiting for them to gallop through the waves.
The two horses trotted out of the stable and across the dunes to the shore beyond. “It’s quite different from our winged horses, though I do find this appealing,” Lucius casually mentioned as the rode side by side at a gentle trot.
“I agree,” Narcissa said, smiling over to her husband. He was in a good mood for once and those were rare since the Dark Lord’s demise. He was usually depressed, hiding away from the world in his study, drinking more than he used to. She would take every good moment she could get.
After a suitable warm up, Lucius gave her a wink. “Care for a gallop Cissa?” He knew from the gleam in her eyes, even before she took off, daring him to catch her. He urged the stallion into a full gallop, wind blowing his long platinum hair behind him. He caught up with her in short order, the wind in his face, the smell of the salt spray from the ocean, and the cry of gulls overhead made him forget his troubles.
Lucius remembered an old Muggle saying and begrudgingly agreed with it. "The outside of a horse is good for the inside of man". It was a freeing sensation, feeling his horse’s muscles rippling beneath him, the beast’s breaths coming in cadence with its hoofbeats on the wet sand, the feeling of almost flying taking his breath away.
Narcissa began to pull ahead of him again, laughing as she used to when they’d first wed. He tapped his heels against the stallion’s ribs and it sped up, closing in on his Cissa. Lucius could feel the broad grin on his face, even as hard as he tried to remain a portrait of self-control. The sun was warm on his face, his Cissa was happy, and all was right with his world.
An oddly eerie sensation of being watched made Lucius look over his shoulder and his blood turned to ice. Out of seemingly nowhere, a heavy black fog was rushing their way, and just inside the leading edge was a dark figure on a cadaverous steed. It moved at twice their speed and Lucius recognized the rider immediately.
“Cissa!” he practically screamed. “Ride! Ride for your life!” Somehow, Voldermort had returned and was closing in on him, no doubt to drag him down to Hell for shits and giggles. But instead of Lucius, the Dark Lord closed in on Narcissa, who had given her horse free rein, letting it gallop at top speed. Lucius watched helplessly as his Cissa was enveloped in the fog which vanished as quickly as it had appeared along with Voldermort, leaving only her fading screams.
Lucius charged down the beach but found no hoof prints, only pristine sand. Behind him the beach was empty, the sky was blue, and the gulls still cried overhead. He screamed for her until his voice was almost gone. He rode up and down the beach for what seemed miles, but there was not a trace of her until he saw something sparkling on the sand. He quickly dismounted to find one of Cissa’s diamond earrings and crumpled to his knees, his heart rending in two. He screamed into the clear blue sky. “Cissa!!! NO!!!”
Narcissa shook him awake from yet another one of his nightmares, drawing his head to her bosom as he sobbed unconsolably, clinging to her arms. She rocked him, trying to soothe her beloved. “It’s alright Lucius. It was only a dream. Shhh. You’re here with me. Look at me Lucius.” He lifted his tear-streaked face, letting his bloodshot eyes meet hers.
“Cissa… you’re alright.” he rasped hoarsely, seeking the comfort of her arms. “It was horrible, Cissa. The Dark Lord took you from me. I’m nothing without you. My Cissa…” Lucius buried his face against her bosom again, trying to regain his composure, still trembling from the dream.
Something stabbed his left hip, and he reached down to extract the annoying article. His breath caught in his throat. He looked into Narcissa’s puzzled eyes and handed her the diamond earring, fine grains of sand still clinging to it
The End