So I was surfing through tumblr's headcanon tag in a rather Dramione mood when I found this one posted on Hedwigcanon: 166) Harry Potter's children were never able to see Thestrals. At least not for a long while after they graduated Hogwarts and began independent lives.
Disclaimer: Well look at that. I own nothing.
Strolling through the Manor grounds, Hermione rested her head on her husbands shoulder watching as their son explored every nook and cranny of the expansive forest accompanied by his loyal beagle, Dalim.
It would be dark soon. The soft breeze of dusk had picked up and Hermione shivered when goosebumps trailed up her arms.
"It's getting cold," the deep, baritone voice of her husband spoke. "We should head back to the Manor soon least Fornax catches something."
Hermione nodded her agreement; their son hadn't a very strong immune system, something as harmless as a common cold left the boisterous child bedridden for weeks.
Unnoticed by his parents during their discussion, Fornax Malfoy ventured deeper in the forest, pursuing Dalim who had caught a rather an unfamiliar scent, disappearing completely from their view.
"Fornax. We're going home now," Hermione called. "Punny has made your favorite- roast beef."
Scanning the area Hermione's blood ran cold as she realized her son was no where to be seen.
"Fornax!" she cried franticly, detangling herself from her husband's grip she rushed forward shouting his name.
Draco followed her lead, though visibly less anxious. "Relax, love, Dalim with him. That dog won't let anything happen to her boy."
The shouts of his mother escaped his conscious as he brushed past thick branches, his loose cotton shirt snagging on a bush before reaching a field.
It was empty. The trees obscured the sun's rays leaving the field dark and the grass dewy, Fornax's lime green gumboots squelched as he walked.
Dalim halted mid-stride, giving Fornax barely enough time to stop. The hound sniffed the air and growled, baring teeth.
"Dalim? What is it, girl?" There was a presence in the paddock that made him unsettled and he wanted nothing more than to turn around and run into the safe arms of his father, but no matter what he did Dalim wouldn't divert her attention and began to bark.
Draco and Hermione were a few meters ahead of the bypass Fornax and Dalim had taken when they had heard the barking.
They traced their son's steps and the sight that beheld them stupefied both.
The last time, Hermione remembered, the last time she'd seen them was after the war. Freaked by the disturbances of war, the creatures had bolted from their safe haven in the Forbidden Forest and taken refuge in the ruins of Hogwarts after the Dark Lord had fallen and the violence had ceased.
For some it was their first encounter with thestrals, the beasts of death. For others it was reunion with old friends. For everyone it was a reminder of what they had endured.
She approached her son. "Fornax? Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"
He turned around to face her and she could his brow fuzzed, the little lines on his forehead formed a quizzical expression.
"Is there something there, Mummy?" he asked innocently. "I think Dalim can see something. I can't see anything"
She faltered, death wasn't a topic her son would be familiar with, and it was just her luck when her husband came to her rescue.
On bended knee, uncaring of the damp ground, he lowered himself to their son's eyelevel.
Draco's hands reached up to cup his cheeks. "Behind you is a flock of thestrals."
His father's explanation did nothing to quell his confusion, only prompted more questions.
"What are the- thee-
"Thestrals," Draco repeated, he swung Fornax around and his little back comfortable rested against Draco's taunt chest. "They're a bit like horses, but they have wings and reptilian facial features."
"Do you see them?" Fornax asked, swivelling his head to catch his father's nod. His mother's hand provided a reassuring touch when she brushed a piece of his hair back. "Why can't I see them?"
Draco took a deep breath, battling the screams of his enemies and friends that echoed throughout his head, revisted him over and over again in his nightmares. "Because you're a lucky one."
Fornax being young only saw not being able to see them as a disadvantage. "I wish I could see them," he huffed, folding his arms.
Draco body became tense, the boy didn't even know the full meaning of his words. "I hope you never do."
Not giving him the chance to disagree, Draco plucked him off his feet, kissed him and sent him on his way.
Grabbing his mother's hand and beckoning his loyal dog to heel, the little wizard stored his father's words and the memory of his time in the not-so empty field in the back of his mind.
Draco glanced at his wife and they shared an understanding look. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he took in the sight of the magnificent steeds for the last time in his life, vowing never to step foot in that part of the forest again.
...
It was a few years- he was a Hogwarts student- before he discovered the secret behind the ability of seeing thestals and he understood why his mother looked so miserable that day and his father's hesitation. It was an even longer time until Fornax Malfoy could actual see the winged-beasts for himself. When he returned to the field he found the thestrals again. Beautiful and frightening, they were just as his father had described. Frolicking in the moonlight, attending to the flock's new young.
Fornax sat and watched for what could have been an age, wishing he was still a lucky one.
Dalim is one name for the constellation Fornax's brightest star. I thought was fitting that every member of the Black family had astronomy related names- even the pets.