Laughter in the Wiltshire countryside.
Not something that is heard very often anymore. Well, not sane laughter, anyway.
Narcissa covers her mouth, but can't stop laughing at the tingle in her toes. Now, Cissy, the Grey Lady admonishes her, you mustn't eat those berries, they are for the potion! The raven drops three more leaves into the small cauldron and smells the aroma of a potion reaching the peak of its first stage. I am sorry, Lady, Narcissa thinks, wiping her mouth, but I like them, I've never eaten them before. Narcissa's mentor nods and she drops the rest of the berries into the cauldron. Well, the Grey Lady gives a raspy chuckle, later tonight you will discover what happens when you eat too many of them. She picks up the stick she had plucked the leaves from and taps the rim of the cauldron with it, bringing the potion to a boil.
Narcissa no longer wonders how this great bird is able to do magic, and with a stick she picked up off of the ground, no less. She accepts it as part of the world she had until now closed herself off from.
Now then, the raven thinks, add the crushed coriander seeds, and let it bubble for a moment before stirring. Narcissa does as her mentor bids, then asks softly, "is it true that Muggles use this to season their food, and don't even realize what they have?" The raven taps the cauldron with her stick again as the witch stirs the potion. Yes, it is used all over the world in food preparation, even we use it sometimes, but there are some non-Magicals who understand its healing properties. As the potion simmers Narcissa quenches the little fire under the cauldron and prepares a few vials. "Lady," she says quietly, "are Muggles..." she hesitates, almost not believing she's even asking, "are Muggles really no different from Magicals?" She feels almost childish, until the great, pale grey raven gazes at her with twinkling eyes.
Cissy, I am proud of you for asking. She taps the cauldron with her stick one last time, then thinks, there are differences, but sometimes, they are very hard to see. Long ago, I had a very special student. When I first saw her, she was no more than seven. I believed her a witch, for she did things I had not seen a Muggle do before. But she was a Muggle. I watched her for a while, a year, then her parents moved to a better place and I lost sight of her. Narcissa begins portioning out the potion carefully as her mentor continues. I discovered her again several years later, much to my delight. I had not meant to approach her then, but she found me. She remembered me! She thought I was a Spirit, or an Avatar of her Goddess; she was a member of the Wiccan faith and believed Cauth Bodva had sent me to be her teacher.
Narcissa carefully pushes stoppers into each vial, glancing up at her mentor as she does. "What did you tell her?" The raven chuckles. Well, I could not very well tell her the truth; that would only have distracted her. She learned far more from me believing I was sent by her Goddess. Together they clean up and once there is no trace of their activities, the witch asks the raven, "why couldn't you tell her the truth?" The raven sighs softly and thinks, because she would have been much more interested in my past than her own future. Narcissa carefully places the cauldron and the vials inside her cloak and frowns slightly. "May I know the truth?" The raven walks to where her student sits and gently places a taloned foot on her boot, then looks up into her blue eyes.
The time will come when it is safe for you to know, but right now...I fear your curiosity will cost you dearly. You know you are being watched, Narcissa. Your sister is becoming suspicious that you've had a change of heart, and we both know how dangerous she is. The Grey Lady steps back and shakes her head. And then there is her husband's brother...There is a snap nearby and they both freeze; their charms are powerful, but even the most powerful charms can be broken. The raven picks up her stick and holds it between her middle toes and balances herself with her wings. Go, child! Go to safety! Do not worry for me, and do not look back! Narcissa rises quickly and hears in her mind her mentor saying something in a language she does not understand, then Disapperates back to the manor.
She does not know what she will do if harm comes to the raven; she struggles to maintain her self-control as she enters her home. As she steels herself she becomes aware that she is not alone. "Ah, Cissy, out for some fresh air?" Rastaban steps out of the darkness toward her, hands in his pockets, a smile playing disturbingly across his cruel lips. She draws all of her considerable defenses to the fore and counts the beats of her heart...when does she draw her wand? A hand is placed on her shoulder so gently that she almost thinks it's been there before, but she doesn't allow any reaction to give her surprise away. "Yes," says the wizard behind her, "as a matter of fact, we were." The smile on Rastaban's face melts into a mighty frown. Inside his pockets his hands clench into fists.
He says nothing more, though it's clear he has much to say; he recedes back into the shadows from which he came, and slowly she turns to face the wizard who saved her. It takes her a moment, but when she recalls him, she does not hide her amazement. Abel DeWinter, who thought it funny that a fellow Death Eater had Obliviated himself, and showed no fear or hesitation when questioned by the Dark Lord. He holds up a finger to his lips and bows slightly to her as he withdraws his hand from her shoulder. "Permit me, Madame Black, to escort you to your destination," he says softly, respectfully, and knowing her brother-in-law is lurking in the darkness, she does. As they walk down the hall and away from her enemy, she hopes in her heart that her mentor has reached her home safe and unharmed...
Not something that is heard very often anymore. Well, not sane laughter, anyway.
Narcissa covers her mouth, but can't stop laughing at the tingle in her toes. Now, Cissy, the Grey Lady admonishes her, you mustn't eat those berries, they are for the potion! The raven drops three more leaves into the small cauldron and smells the aroma of a potion reaching the peak of its first stage. I am sorry, Lady, Narcissa thinks, wiping her mouth, but I like them, I've never eaten them before. Narcissa's mentor nods and she drops the rest of the berries into the cauldron. Well, the Grey Lady gives a raspy chuckle, later tonight you will discover what happens when you eat too many of them. She picks up the stick she had plucked the leaves from and taps the rim of the cauldron with it, bringing the potion to a boil.
Narcissa no longer wonders how this great bird is able to do magic, and with a stick she picked up off of the ground, no less. She accepts it as part of the world she had until now closed herself off from.
Now then, the raven thinks, add the crushed coriander seeds, and let it bubble for a moment before stirring. Narcissa does as her mentor bids, then asks softly, "is it true that Muggles use this to season their food, and don't even realize what they have?" The raven taps the cauldron with her stick again as the witch stirs the potion. Yes, it is used all over the world in food preparation, even we use it sometimes, but there are some non-Magicals who understand its healing properties. As the potion simmers Narcissa quenches the little fire under the cauldron and prepares a few vials. "Lady," she says quietly, "are Muggles..." she hesitates, almost not believing she's even asking, "are Muggles really no different from Magicals?" She feels almost childish, until the great, pale grey raven gazes at her with twinkling eyes.
Cissy, I am proud of you for asking. She taps the cauldron with her stick one last time, then thinks, there are differences, but sometimes, they are very hard to see. Long ago, I had a very special student. When I first saw her, she was no more than seven. I believed her a witch, for she did things I had not seen a Muggle do before. But she was a Muggle. I watched her for a while, a year, then her parents moved to a better place and I lost sight of her. Narcissa begins portioning out the potion carefully as her mentor continues. I discovered her again several years later, much to my delight. I had not meant to approach her then, but she found me. She remembered me! She thought I was a Spirit, or an Avatar of her Goddess; she was a member of the Wiccan faith and believed Cauth Bodva had sent me to be her teacher.
Narcissa carefully pushes stoppers into each vial, glancing up at her mentor as she does. "What did you tell her?" The raven chuckles. Well, I could not very well tell her the truth; that would only have distracted her. She learned far more from me believing I was sent by her Goddess. Together they clean up and once there is no trace of their activities, the witch asks the raven, "why couldn't you tell her the truth?" The raven sighs softly and thinks, because she would have been much more interested in my past than her own future. Narcissa carefully places the cauldron and the vials inside her cloak and frowns slightly. "May I know the truth?" The raven walks to where her student sits and gently places a taloned foot on her boot, then looks up into her blue eyes.
The time will come when it is safe for you to know, but right now...I fear your curiosity will cost you dearly. You know you are being watched, Narcissa. Your sister is becoming suspicious that you've had a change of heart, and we both know how dangerous she is. The Grey Lady steps back and shakes her head. And then there is her husband's brother...There is a snap nearby and they both freeze; their charms are powerful, but even the most powerful charms can be broken. The raven picks up her stick and holds it between her middle toes and balances herself with her wings. Go, child! Go to safety! Do not worry for me, and do not look back! Narcissa rises quickly and hears in her mind her mentor saying something in a language she does not understand, then Disapperates back to the manor.
She does not know what she will do if harm comes to the raven; she struggles to maintain her self-control as she enters her home. As she steels herself she becomes aware that she is not alone. "Ah, Cissy, out for some fresh air?" Rastaban steps out of the darkness toward her, hands in his pockets, a smile playing disturbingly across his cruel lips. She draws all of her considerable defenses to the fore and counts the beats of her heart...when does she draw her wand? A hand is placed on her shoulder so gently that she almost thinks it's been there before, but she doesn't allow any reaction to give her surprise away. "Yes," says the wizard behind her, "as a matter of fact, we were." The smile on Rastaban's face melts into a mighty frown. Inside his pockets his hands clench into fists.
He says nothing more, though it's clear he has much to say; he recedes back into the shadows from which he came, and slowly she turns to face the wizard who saved her. It takes her a moment, but when she recalls him, she does not hide her amazement. Abel DeWinter, who thought it funny that a fellow Death Eater had Obliviated himself, and showed no fear or hesitation when questioned by the Dark Lord. He holds up a finger to his lips and bows slightly to her as he withdraws his hand from her shoulder. "Permit me, Madame Black, to escort you to your destination," he says softly, respectfully, and knowing her brother-in-law is lurking in the darkness, she does. As they walk down the hall and away from her enemy, she hopes in her heart that her mentor has reached her home safe and unharmed...