Blow, Thou Winter Wind // Narcissa and Charity // Warming Up
What had began as a brisk walk to clear her head soon turned into scouring the snow-covered streets looking for whatever cover she could find. The cold air dug into her skin, her breath clouding in front of her in small puffs. She had spent the majority of her time trying to figure out who the Knights of Walpurgis were and if her parents were involved. Lucius, for the most part, was a clueless as her, though he had many of the same ideas that she did.
As she walked past Muggle houses, she saw children playing in the streets, making snowmen, throwing snowballs in the dying light of the evening. The sun fell below the horizon and the streets were dark, lit only by the moon whose light struggled to break through the clouds. The streets grew quiet as children fled inside to their fireplaces, their warm hearths, their families. All Narcissa had at the moment was a distant husband and a cold, empty mansion. Hardly something to be celebrated. The snowfall was what prompted her evening out. She had woken to the blanket of white upon the frozen, dead ground and a smile fell upon her face.
Ever since she was a girl, she loved the snow, particularly the untouched snow. It left everything in its wake covered in a sheet of white, concealing everything that was bad, purifying it. Snow was a different kind of magic - something that couldn't be faked or replicated. Every year, at the first snowfall, she would make a wish, staring out her window at the big fluffy flakes that fell to the ground and every year, without fail, she would go for a walk. The fall was one thing, colors every where tinting the earth in a uniform shade of orange, the crisp air not quite warm for summer, but at the same time, not nearly cold enough for winter. The winter was another thing entirely. Winter had always been her favorite, so when she woke up to the snowfall, she knew that tonight would be a nice night for a walk.
That was what she had thought, until the wind picked up, whipping snow and ice around her face, strands of her hair freezing together, every inhalation beginning to stab at her stomach with cold.
She came across a park, and at a secluded edge stood a gazebo, topped high with snow. It wasn't much, but it was something. Away from prying eyes, she could easily cast a barrier spell to create makeshift walls and transfigure a torch. It would be a place to sit and wait out the storm. She was the only one crazy enough to be out here anyways, in weather like this.
So she thought, until a flicker of movement caught her eyes. The sheet of air and snow made it hard to see anything, but she was sure that she had seen something in the emptiness of the park.
"Hello?" She called out, unsure. If it were a Muggle, the sudden warmth of the gazebo would be strange. If it were a fellow wizard, it could very well either be friend or foe. There were few paths to follow. "I know you're there!" Narcissa shouted out into the storm, false bravado coating her voice.
