Prickle Ⅱ

While the southern part of France is still warm, the village of Fernburgh is covered in a thick layer of snow. The chimneys have lazy trails of smoke as the windows glow a warm cozy yellow. Most of the townsfolk are inside their homes with a few stragglers wearing thick warm coats and chatting to their next-door neighbors over snow-covered fences.

Fernburgh is a rather peaceful village filled with muggles and wizarding families. The village had grown much larger with the addition of squibs and cured werewolves, who had returned to the magical world, and now were fully employed in various capacities. The safety of the community was all but assured us there was a daily patrol performed by their own local A.P.D. officers, a young man by the name of Timothy, and the senior member of one of the famous four, Smythe. It was quite an honor, and the local magical community was most pleased.

Past the home of the Chittock family and further out on the outskirts of the village is the home of the Weasley family and half a mile away is that of the widow, Juliet D'Eath. The farm home of the D'Eath widow is brightly lit for the moment. The widow Juliet D'Eath was busy getting ready and finishing last-minute errands such as ensuring the chickens were secure in their chicken coops. The chickens were unusually quiet that evening huddled close together without making so much as a peep. Worried that there might be a fox or other magical beast roaming about, Juliet cast a spell to keep predators away, before returning inside the cozy farmhouse.

The widow Juliet D'Eath loudly stomps her feet against the welcome mat shaking off the snow, before stepping into their warm home. She firmly closes the door behind her, but her eyes come to a halt upon her son, Lorcan D'Eath. Sitting on the windowsill watching the snow-covered grounds is the pale figure of Lorcan D'Eath bathed in warm light from the fireplace. The boy had been restless all day unable to pay attention to any task that he was given causing him to be much clumsier than usual.

Juliet knew that Lorcan was nervous about tonight. Her son, Lorcan had already met her suitor, Bilius Weasley upon his return home from Hogwarts. She had been rather nervous herself upon introducing the two of them to each other since her son had never grown up with a father (or a paternal figure). Her son, Lorcan had every right to be nervous, but Juliet had reassured him that she would never put him in second place. She had promised that no matter how much she might like her present beau she would rather end things with put the welfare of her child at risk. It was a solemn widow's promise, and she would rather die than break it.

Juliet's fears were appeased by her son, Lorcan's reaction to her beau. Her son hadn't been distressed but rather had been curious to meet her suitor. In turn, Bilius had been absolutely wonderful knowing when to joke, chat, and when to listen. The three of them had a wonderful time playing exploding snaps and muggle gameboards with enchanted gameboard pieces which Bilius had found absolutely fascinating. The evening had ended on the perfect note and Lorcan had more than willingly agreed to have Bilius join them for dinner every night since then.

Juliet removes her bonnet to reveal, her beautiful bouncy ringlets neatly pinned up. Despite her face being stained by time and life, she had an enchanting heart-shaped face, bright eyes, and fair skin. Even now, she was still beautiful having been a breathtaking heartstopper in her youth.

Juliet hangs up her bonnet on a rack and pauses to glance back at her son. She knew that her son had not protested his being left behind in the care of the Weasley family when the subject was brought up. Yet, maybe, she should have suggested the Chittock's since their girl, Glenda was her son's childhood friend and playmate.

Yes, that must be the case; and if it was, she'd instead ask that the Chittock's take in her son for the night. The two children had plenty of times stayed over at each other's home for the night and the Chittock's would certainly not protest. However, she would repay them for the abrupt inconvenience by bringing over a honey ham that Mr. Chittock rather liked and a cherry pie for Mrs. Chittock. That would be sure to appease her neighbors and also thank them for taking Lorcan in with such short notice.

With a backup plan in mind, Juliet hurries up the stairs to prepare herself for the ball. She had been invited to be Bilius's companion and she rather looked forward to attending the ball. She had never attended any of the pureblood balls since her own family had not come of money or of a great lineage.

The sound of Juliet D'Eath's footsteps rapidly fade away, but Lorcan does not glance upstairs towards his mother. No matter, what he seemed to be doing, he was unable to concentrate for long. He would often find his head-turning Southward before he even realized it. He could be located anywhere in the house, but he would instinctively gaze intently towards the direction without blinking. It was a strange impulse that he found he could not control nor one that he was able to ignore.

As far as Lorcan remembered, he had only done so only once before. But according to his mum, he had acted in such a manner several times as a toddler when frightened by something. The only true memory he had been when he was around 7 or 8 years old. He had felt restless all day, but later he learned it was because a forest troll had strayed far too close to their home for comfort. Thankfully, the Ministry of Magic, Beast Division had been called to stun and capture the troll. The stunned, captured troll had been successfully relocated back to the forest. Even then, the feeling had never lasted all day nor had been felt as strong as at present. And frankly, he did not know what to make of it.

The D'Eath household were not the only ones occupied that evening. With the purebloods of society away at the presentation ball, there was a large winter festival being held on the outskirts of a village called, 'Mould-on-the-Would.' It had once been the home of the Dumbledore family before the tragic event that had changed the entirety of their lives.