It is summer and it is hot around to the point that melts brains. So to keep cooler I went back to an old story about snow and some of my favorite toys from the toy chests of J.K. Rowling and Notwolf. The toys are all theirs, the fun is all mine and I hope you will enjoy it as well.
February 9th, 2002
It was a bright Saturday morning and even the weather was cooperating with Narcissa's plans. The huge orangery was in full bloom with rare exotic orchids that she loved collecting, their fragrance slightly perfuming the air. The Eastern Wall was washed by Sisidy to the crystal perfection the original architect had put in the intricate wroth-iron lace holding the hand-cut pieces of glass. The rising sun was reflecting in their diamond-cut edges forming tiny rainbows on the white marble floor. Narcissa had come several minutes before the guests to be sure that all was perfect for Jacinta's big day. The ceremony would be performed before selected hundred only guests, while the other invited friends would be watching it on the big screen in the central hall. Regulus had arranged that Muggle device and they had tested it the previous night. Narcissa sighted contentedly, re-adjusted a pot of particularly lovely ghost orchids and two of the silver-and-green padded chairs. The hostess sighed again - she had heard the spirited exchange between Glenna and her daughter, Jacinta insisting that she needed more space and time, Glenna calming her that it was a case of bridal nerves, a very common malady among the ladies to be wed. Narcissa thought that for Lucius she would have waited until the end of the world or stayed in a closet for the rest of her life, if that was the space she was given to be with him. But all was well, as she had just seen the bride in her splendid pale tea rose dress, silver slippers and a crown of life roses and baby breath. Oh, she would steal the show, as it should be, both her daddy and papa would lead her to the small altar that was put close to the magnificent latticed East Gate. It would be a day to remember.
"It was a brief fling and it did not mean anything to him!" Jacinta murmured to herself.
"Yeah, sure, so why he offered you to marry him and you cannot stop thinking about it?" sad a tiny voice inside her head.
"Shut up! I am not thinking about it?"
"Sure you are not, absolutely not, so you sent that owl without thinking first thing at dawn?"
"I was an idiot! I am going to marry Theo! I love him!"
"Seems to me someone is trying to cheat herself, never mind her gut feeling!"
"I don't cheat!"
"You may call it as you wish but you did not roll in the hey with him only because he did not allow it over there in Bulgaria on Christmas!"
"I don't want to remember!"
"You cannot forget!"
"I cannot forget that he rejected my most sincere offer?"
"No, you cannot forget that he gave you the chance to first clear your head and then make an informed decision. You cannot forgive him that he did not make it easy for you. Basically you cannot forgive him for not doing the dirty work for you."
"What dirty work?"
"Going to Theo and breaking this engagement. And don't you dare trying the nonsense that the cake was ordered and the bridal dress was made, it won't cut."
"It is bad, isn't it?" A third voice broke in and Jacinta swirled horrified.
"Fred! Was I not talking to myself?"
"Oh, you did, and you were even answering yourself, my sweet! So my brother is a better man than I thought and I think highly of him as you know." Fred was smiling from his portrait. He had insisted that she should bring his portrait with her to the wedding to have at least one honest person who would tell her if her dress was crumpled on the back. Before leaving for an extended vacation to Bulgaria with Charley, George had left the portrait with her for safekeeping, he had said. Fred did not call it a vacation but a running away and had argued with his brother up until last Monday that he should come back and claim his woman. George had not told neither him nor Charley about the hey, but he had put his family photo face down and had not lifted it again since Tuesday. That was not good, Fred was so frustrated he could pop a blood vessel if he were alive.
"I know what you think Fred, but it will stay where it was left, in that freezing mountain over there. Would you like to see the wedding?"
"I would not miss it for the world! Will you arrange it?"
"Oh, for such a good portrait, I will bring you there myself!"
Fred smiled at her and a tiny regret shot through the young bride. She would miss the banter with him when she would give him back to George. May be she would be able either to buy it or make a copy before he returned. Jacinta hugged the frame with the easel and rushed to the orangery.
"Arthur Weasley and Molly at the third row? You gave them the place of McNairs?" Narcissa was looking with horror at the sheet.
"I have no other chance, my love! You see, Theo had made several attempts to get a job at the Ministry of Magic and finally yesterday Arthur agreed to give him a shot and signed his appointment. So they had to be at the ceremony, Arthur is the boss of his boss, it should help advance his career. I spoke with McNair already, he understands and he also wants what is best for Theo."
"If you say so, my dear, but please, no more surprises!"
Theo was adjusting his tailcoat and thinking that it was the best day of his life. His entire family was there to witness it, under polijuice potion, of course, but they were there. He had a new job and Jacinta was about to be his forever. The young man fleetingly looked at the empty frame immediately to the left from the priest who had opened his book already at the first few strains of the beautiful music. Then Theo concentrated on Jacinta coming on the hands of both Jack and Severus, both clad in identical charcoal robes. It was a little bit odd, as if she had trouble walking and needed to be supported on both sides. However there was no way that either of the two men would relinquish the honour of bringing her to the altar and she had chosen not to choose.
According to her mom, it was a bad case of bridal nerves, but Severus was sensing something else. His otherwise vibrant girl was looking like through a thin veil of uneasiness. He wished Aline would read her, but Jacinta had refused to be hugged "to keep my dress free from wrinkles for the photo". It was not like Jacinta would not care for her frock, but not to that extend. He had tried subtly to reach her mind, but she had caught him and blocked it. Severus sat next to his wife at the front row and smiled at Draco who was the best man.
"Don't you dare to run now or I am bound to marry your bride to save her from the scandal!" Draco whispered in Theo's ear. The groom giggled and took Jacintha's hand. The priest started reading. It was a magic picture - the soft rays of the winter sun were bathing the couple in golden light, the melodious voice of the priest was carrying the timeless tale and only the delicate sniff of the bride's mother could be heard above the sea of parade robes. The priest stopped and asked the sacramental question, "If any one among the present knows of a reason why the bride and the groom should not be joined in love, let him say it now or be silent forever!"
"I do!" The startled eyes of the entire wedding were glued to Fred Weasley's portrait.
"Fred, it is not a time for pranks!" Arthur Weasley was mortified.
"Dead people cannot object!" Molly seconded.
"Mom, the priest asked anyone among the present, he did not asked about the present and alive. Anyway, I object to this marriage."
"On what grounds, young man?" The priest was so flabbergasted that he did not pay attention that he was talking to a portrait.
"The bride does not love the groom." A collective gasp almost drowned Fred's voice.
"She shared this precious information with you only?" Draco was advancing menacingly.
"No, she did not."
"Pray enlighten us then how you got the message?" Draco was a step closer.
"My brother told me. And he will be here any minute to tell you this himself. Jacinta, George got your letter, he is coming for you!" Fred ducked under the slash that Draco inflicted to his painting. "He loves you, Jass!" A second slash left him a small corner on the top of the frame. "He really does!" Draco tore the canvas completely out of the frame but Fred was already gone.
Something else was gone also - the sunshine. An enormous black cloud was shielding the sun and the orangery plunged in semi-darkness. It was like a black cupola hanging over and rapidly coming close. Few seconds later the horrified wedding guests saw that it was not a cloud, it was a dragon. Its shier size defied logic, he was taller than Malfoy Manor and his wingspan was exceeding the sprawling gardens. The beast landed soundlessly around a hundred yards from the orangery in the tick white snow. It looked with interest at the small glittering toy and blew only a tiny flame from his nostrils the size of millstones. The flame melted the snow and scorched a baked earth path to the East Gate of the orangery. The steam from the melted snow was rising like morning mist above it and obscuring the figure that was running toward the gates. "Alohomora!" opened them and in ran George Weasly, his red hair in disarray from the ride.
"I am sorry Theo!" he said. "But she is mine and I am hers and it is not contestable."
George turned to the speechless Jacinta. "I love you and it was a mistake to let you go in December! I won't do it again!" He plucked her bouquet from her limp fingers, handed it to the stunned Theo and snogged the bride. She snogged him in return, then let him go and hugged Theo. "I am truly sorry! I should have made up my mind earlier!" She turned to the speechless guests, "I apologize. Thank you for coming anyway!"
"Lead the troops!" she said to the beaming George.
"Not so fast!" Severus Snape was standing next to his daughter.
"I am sorry for the timing, Professor!" George swallowed.
"Your timing was always bad, Weasley, but if you take good care of Jacinta, I may be lenient! Get this and be out of here before the rest wake up!" Snape handed to George the wedding rings, kissed his daughter and did something that they spend half their journey discussing whether that had happened for real or they both had had a hallucination - he winked at them.
Jacinta grabbed George's hand and ran towards the dragon. A small rope stairs was leading to the tiny gondola attached to his collar the links of which looked like doors in size. There Charley Weasley was arguing with a tiny pocket portrait of Fred. "I cannot tell you what happened as Draco rolled my portrait! But they are right behind you, why don't you ask them?"
"Later!" Jacinta yelled over the fiery breathing of their transport. "Now lift up this nice little birdie and let us get out of here. I don't know how long Papa will be able to keep them at bay!"
"This little birdie as you call him is the biggest species of dragon ever heard of. Few people had the chance to see him at all!" Charlie was indignant.
"There are about a hundred that are going to chase him very soon then!" The bride of five minutes before was trying to detach her huge train.
"What do you want to do with it?" George was helping her.
"I want to throw it!"
"Better not! Up there it is freezing and George got me out even without a coat. We can sit at least wrapped in it as a blanket with all the material that is wasted on it! Now sit quietly the two of you!" Charley closed his eyes and it looked like he was saying an incantation but no sound came from his moving lips. The dragon whinnied, spread his mind-boggling wings and silently lifted up. He even had the nerve to waggle its tale to the crowd that ran out of the orangery to see it flying away. That caused the gondola to shake a little bit and Jacinta fell in the waiting arms of George Weasley, but may be the shake was not the real reason. For Charley's sake she pretended that it was, but who was she kidding...
"Stop them!" Glenna shrieked. "You are all wizards, do something!"
"It was her choice, my dear!" Jack was doing his best to reason with her.
"Draco, you went for your dragon training, hypnotize the bastard back here!"
"Mrs. Mulciber, this is not an ordinary domestic dragon, I am sorry." Draco was so pale his veins were visible.
"What was this one, my dear?" Narcissa was acutely aware of her son's distress.
"It was a thoroughbred Black Omen! I was never allowed to work with him as it is incredibly dangerous one. The Black Omen of Death is very rare, very strong and listens to only one master if he likes him well enough, of course! Charlie the bastard never told me that he also can have control over a dragon's mind. It is his own pet." In Draco's voice there was a hint of admiration and envy. Suddenly he smiled and looked at his mother.
"Mother, you will have a very difficult task this spring. You will have to conceal a bare patch the form of a dragon's rear end!"
"Draco, it is impolite to speak to your mother like that!"
"I am not being cheeky, Father! The problem is that nothing grows for at least an year at a place where the Black Omen lands. We should consider ourselves lucky that he did not care for a walk around the garden."
Yes, they were lucky, Narcissa thought, and yes, it was a wedding to remember.
"Darling, would you like to pay the priest while we close the doors to save what is salvageable from my orchids and we would continue with the celebration. As far as I can see, Arthur Weasley is about to ask for Jacinta's hand. Well, somewhat late, but better late than never!" She kissed her husband and hugged Draco. "Now you, young man, as you are relieved from the duty to marry eventually the bride, go and get the jilted groom drunk to drawn his shock!"
(festivities to celebrate the non-wedding)
February 9th, 2002, afternoon, Durmstrang
"Mr. Weasley, I appreciate your motives and the urgency of the matter but to take Omen out of the protective charms zone is irresponsible! Moreover, you have used the major commercial aircraft routes! The minister had to fight several reports of pilots claiming they have seen a dragon! Of course, it was explained with a hot air meteo balloon done by imaginative young meteorologists, but still I believe you need to be punished for that despicable breach of rules!"
Durmstrang director Tanassov was in sour mood. Not only the minister had been loose with his expressions but the director himself had to deflect a few quick journalists who had followed the happy couple almost as soon as the news about the crashed wedding had spilled over Britain. Sure Tanassov had been advised immediately by his peer, the snickering Snape trying to keep decorum for the sake of the people present around. But Charlesy had definitely gone overboard with it. Tanassov was thinking about withdrawing the talassams' help in cleaning the stables for few days.
"By the way, I think I have a saying!" boomed in his mind. Omen was not only big, he was loud as well even when thinking."I needed some exercise as my left wing was grazed by these stupid charms over Samovila and needs proper stretching. Charley took me out as it should be! And now if you touch him, I promise that I will personally sit first on the front lawn and then in the herb garden and you Mister Headmaster will be eaten alive by this sweet lady!" The black dragon was hovering over the cobblestones but the garden was right behind him.
"Which sweet lady?" Tanassov responded automatically trying to block the dragon's Occlumensy. It was as easy as trying to shut the gates while a tank was ramming through.
"She is coming right behind you!"
Mrs. Klyucharova the chatelaine was all smiles. "Omen, you my good boy! How is your wing, my dear, do you need more carbs to patch it? Here, I have something for you!"
The woman produced few sugar cubes from her purse. She deftly spun a huge cloud of cotton candy and tossed it to the monstrous front paws.
"And you don't touch my candy either!" hissed Omen in Tanassov's mind while making a show of caramelizing the cotton candy in the air and catching the fiery sugar drops with his tongue the size of a ceremonial red carpet. Some of them sparkled and Mrs. Klyuthcharova promptly tossed a protective charm above the humans. A good chatelaine must know a sure source of heat in winter - the good boy would cough few times and voila, the entire Durmstrang had hot water and the water heating was chasing the chill from the fortress. Lugging sugar cubes bate lugging charcoal mountains. Not to mention that the herb garden was safe and if all the rest failed in protecting the school, she could always count on the pet. Just tell him that the dementors are after his candy and look what will remain of the cold stuff! Mrs. Klyucharova was an exemplary chatelaine, no doubts…