... For Courtney ...

Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition | Appleby Arrows | Round XI | Seasons Greetings |

BEATER 2 | Write about growing old on a winter day(s) OR youthfulness on a spring night(s).

12. (colour) yellow

14. (song) castle on the hill - Ed Sheeran

Words: 2,026

A.N.: Neither the characters nor the song used belong to me.

And I've not seen the shining stars in so long

.
… when I was six years old I broke my leg ...
.

Narcissa Black crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to get at least a little bit warmer. The unusually bright yellow dress she wore was not really the type of clothes one would wear out in the gardens in the middle of the night. Even though the nights in spring were not as cold as in other seasons, Cissa still couldn't help but shiver whenever a soft breeze of air streamed towards her.

.
… I was running from my sister and her friends ...
.

Taking in breath after breath, enjoying the cold, but lovely fresh air that stood in contrast to the thick and sticky air in the ballroom she had just escaped from.

She could still hear the music that sounded through the doors of her parents' manor, indicating that her eldest sister's engagement party was still in full swing.

She brushed a strand of curly blonde hair out of her face and continued walking on the small path that lead down to the Black Estate's rose gardens.

Narcissa wasn't sure why, but for some reason, visiting this place calmed her down. The silence that surrounded her, the smell of fresh flowers in the air and the image of the moon that reflected on the surface of the little pond.

For a moment, the youngest of the sisters just stood still and watched.

"A sickle for your thoughts."

.
… tasted the sweet perfume of the spring night I walked in …
.

Startled by the unexpected voice, Narcissa jumped around, almost tripping over in the equally yellow heels she wore.

It was dark, but the moon shone bright enough that she was able to see the young man with the platinum blond hair standing in front of her. He wore his long hair bound together in a low tail, a rather old-fashioned bow attached to it. His dress robes looked expensive, but Narcissa had not expected him to wear anything less than appropriate for tonight's occasion.

"Lucius," she replied, her features well-schooled.

.
… I was younger then …
.

They were best friends, had been for years, but Narcissa had always been a proud young woman, and she didn't want anyone to see what she really felt behind the well-built walls she had put around her heart.

"Are you alright?" he asked and stepped out of the shadows.

For a moment, Narcissa pondered about what to say to him. In the end, she turned around and sat down on the small brown bench that stood at the shore of the little pond.

Wordlessly, Lucius followed and mirrored her actions.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, Ciss?" the blond asked after a while of sitting in silence. "I can see that something's bothering you."

A bird chirping in the far distance was heard, but eventually, the witch answered.

"I feel old, Lucius."

.
… take me back to when I …
.

The laugh he have didn't help much to lighten up her mood. With a raised eyebrow, she turned her head ever-so-slightly and gave him 'the' look.

"Stop laughing at me!" she said and softly nudged him in the stomach. "This isn't funny."

Lucius still chuckled a bit as he laid his strong arms around her shoulders.

Despite everything, she leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth that came from his body.

"Ciss, why in Merlin's name would you feel old?" he asked amused. "A beautiful spring night like this and you ponder about things like that?"

The witch sighed. "It's the engagement party," she admitted and pointed verily towards the lights that shone through the windows of the manor. Once again, she was lucky to have escaped the pure-blood gathering for a little while – all the old wizards that started to socialize with her in order to introduce their sons and Merlin knows whom else to her was beyond exhausting. The rose gardens offered her the space she so desperately needed in times like these – even though she had to admit that Lucius' presence didn't ruin her moment of peace at all.

.
… found my heart and broke it here …
.

"It was about time Bellatrix and Rodolphus tied the knot, don't you think?" Lucius asked, sounding slightly confused.

Narcissa sighed and nervously fidgeted with her yellow dress. "I just – I feel like time is passing by too fast."

She gestured towards the dark green hedge at the far end of the garden. "We used to play here all the time. Bella, Meda and I. Running around, playing hide and seek, escaping the bloody pure-blood politics for just a moment."

.
… made friends and lost them through the years …
.

When another memory flashed before her eyes, she smirked. "When I was six, I even broke my leg."

Lucius chuckled and tightened his arms around her.

"Bella is engaged, Andromeda eloped…" Narcissa continued in a more serious tone and leaned back into Lucius' embrace, "and I am to be engaged to some pure-blooded wizard my parents will pick for me tonight."

The only sound to be heard was a deep intake of breath by Lucius.

.
… and I've not seen the shining stars in so long …
.

Once again she brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear and turned slightly to look into Lucius' grey eyes. "Sometimes, I just wish I could have been a child for a little while longer. To do crazy things, forbidden things, to get drunk with friends, smoke, scream, dance like there's no tomorrow, getting kissed for the first time and to be able to fall in love with a man I chose…"

Here her voice cracked and she avoided Lucius' eyes. The last thing she wanted him to know was that she had a very un-ladylike crush on her childhood friend.

The man in question was surprisingly quiet. "You can still have everything you want, Ciss."

"Oh, really?"

There was more than a bit of sarcasm in her voice. After all, they both knew that once a marriage was arranged between two families, the bride-to-be was in no position to break that union.

"You said you don't want to feel old, didn't you?" Lucius asked, skilfully avoiding to answer the 'real' question she had been referring to.

"I'm of age now, Lucius," Narcissa replied with a sigh, "my youthful times are over now."

.
… I know I've grown ...
.

The smile that appeared on the blond's face was filled with a boy-ish mischief that Narcissa knew he was up to something.

"I knew you'd say that," he said, got up and positioned himself in front of her. "Let me show you something. Do you trust me?"

"There's no one I trust more," Narcissa answered and once the words had left her mouth she felt her cheeks blushing in a bright crimson colour.

"Splendid."

.
… but I can't wait to go home …
.

Before she knew what was happening, Lucius looped one of his arms underneath the small of her back and the other one under her feet and scooped her up in the air.

Pressed tightly against his chest, Narcissa giggled – trying in vain to get her yellow dress back into place.

"Lucius," she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck in order to feel a bit more secure while being carried around at the shore of the pond, "what in Merlin's name are you – "

"Hold you breath."

"What?"

"Hold your breath. One. Two. Three."

SPLASH!

.
… and I miss the way you make me feel, and it's real …
.

Narcissa screamed when their bodies fell through the pond's cold surface and water immediately spilled into her mouth. She felt her yellow dress soaking and she started moving her arms and legs in order to get back to the surface. One her head was back out of the cold water, she took a deep breath and reached out to get a grip on Lucius.

Luckily, it wasn't very deep, and being a bit taller than her, Lucius had no problem standing. He opened his arms, allowing her to come closer and held her tight.

"Why did you do that?" Narcissa asked, unable to avoid the laughter bubbling out of her.

.
… fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes …
.

Lucius brought one of her yellow sleeves back into place before he grinned at her. "You wanted to feel young again," he explained simply, "jumping into a pond fully clothed is part of that."

Narcissa giggled. "My mother would kill me if she saw me like this. The dress cost a fortune to make."

The blonde continued to smile. "Well, there's always a bit of collateral damage, I suppose."

The witch laughed and snuggled closer to him – the longer she stayed in the water, the warmer it got. Luckily the soft spring air wasn't too cold. "I think that's the most childish thing I did in…"

"Weeks?"

She blushed sheepishly. "Years," she admitted.

.
… running from the law through the backfields and getting drunk with my friends …
.

"Ever since Meda destroyed the family reputation, Mother was eager to prepare me for my future duties. Which includes tonight's event of meeting my future fiancé and – "

Instantly, the smile on her face disappeared and she looked down on her soaked yellow dress. "Holy Morgana, I've ruined it all!"

"What do you mean?"

Despite her best efforts, tears started to form in her eyes. "Lucius, don't you understand? No matter how much I loved – liked – being with you tonight, it cannot happen again."

.
… had my first kiss on a Friday night, I don't reckon that I did it right …
.

She tried to escape out of his embrace, but he still held her. "The efforts my mother took in order to gather all these men around tonight… how am I supposed to greet my future fiancé looking like this?" she asked and gestured towards her soaked dress. "As much as I detest the idea of being forced to marry someone I don't even know, these people raised me and I owe it to them."

.
… but I was younger then, take me back to then …
.

Lucius opened his mouth to say something but Narcissa continued without even noticing.

"How can someone take me serious looking like this? There's no way a man will marry someone like me – a grown woman who still longs to be a child."

"There's nothing wrong in taking a break from being an adult from time to time, Ciss. And every man is lucky to get you. Yes, a damn lucky guy."

More tears spilled from her eyes.

"You're my best friend, Lucius, you're only saying this because – "

"Because it's true. Because I'm a damn lucky guy."

.
… and I'm on my way, I still remember …
.

It took her a moment to realize the real meaning behind his words. Still stuck in his arms, she turned her head in a neck-breaking speed to stare into his grey eyes. The plain honesty and the small evidence of fear that was written in his features almost left her speechless when her mind put the pieces together.

"You?" she stuttered rather helplessly, "You – My mother has chosen you to – to – "

"To be your husband, yes."

.
… when we did not know the answers …
.

Narcissa opened her mouth a couple of times but no words came out.

"I planned on telling you tonight, but I couldn't really come up with the right words," he admitted. "I couldn't believe my ears when I was told – I mean, who are the odds that I'm matched with the only girl I ever loved – liked."

Narcissa's eyes widened – of course she had heard his little slip.

"Love?" she asked, trying not to be too hopeful.

The moon was still illuminating the warm spring night and she saw Lucius smiling down at her lovingly before he pulled her closer, cupped her cheeks, touched her lips with his own and gave her the first kiss she had always dreamed of.

.
… we watched the moon shine over the castle on the hill …
.