The Shell Seekers
Written for Shipping Week on Morsmordre
Prompt: spiral
Pairing: Barty Crouch Jr/Les
Les combed the beach with her husband, searching for seashells in the sand. Their children were playing nearby, with Chastity watching over them as they worked on building a sandcastle.
"I never would have thought this could be so relaxing," said Barty, his hands in his pockets as he casually strolled along. "You'd think it would be boring, parading up and down the beach all day. But I suppose it makes a difference, being here with you and all."
"Time spent with your loved ones is always enjoyable," said Les. "Even though we've been looking for seashells all morning and haven't found anything yet."
Barty stooped and seized his wife by the ankles, reaching under her cloak and holding on tight. "Come on then. Let's try a more effective method, shall we?"
At first the dementor was surprised by this sudden movement, her fingers disappearing into the sand as he lifted her feet off the ground. She then began to laugh, and started suctioning the sand, running along the beach with her feet in the air.
Barty steered her away from the rocks, guiding her towards the tide pool where she inhaled several small fish and a crab. He too began to laugh, their voices mingling, carrying across the beach. And all the while Chastity sat and stared, watching from afar as the happy couple sprinted over the sand.
After a few minutes they came to a stop, resting in the shade beside an outcropping of rocks. Les slumped against the base of a palm tree, its fronds gently swaying in the breeze. She then produced a cloud of sand, expelling these fine particles from the depths of her dementor belly.
Barty looked at her and grinned. "What have you got, ay? Anything good?"
His wife coughed and spluttered, then up came a marvelous seashell with a spiral pattern on its side.
Les turned the shell over in her hands. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"It is." Barty nodded in agreement. "Though not as beautiful as you are."