Rabastan Lestrange

"ABAAAH!" cried Dyllen, as he reached up to try and grab Rabastan's nose, much to everyone's amusement. The infant was now six months old, and had already taken a shine to his parents' friends.

"Just you wait until he's bigger," grinned Merissa, as she made her way to take her son from Rabastan's arms. "Then your nose will really be in danger."

"I should hope not," Rabastan said, releasing the child. "I'm afraid of what he'll do to it, especially once he starts teething."

"Oh, he's not going to be that strong. Yet," Gillan pointed out. "Yer nose'll be safe for a while more."

Rabastan sniffed, then sniffed again, making a face.

"Excuse us," Merissa said as she hurried to the stairs leading to the bathroom.

"Good thing we've got this place all memorised, lad," Gillan mused. "Or we'd get lost in here trying to find all the rooms."

"It is rather grand," Elea agreed, smiling. It had been about a year ago since she'd moved in, and even now she was still taken aback by how fancy the home was. "Makes me wonder if you're used to living in such splendid surroundings, or if you grew a taste for them as you got older."

"Used to it. My family's holdings weren't as grandiose as some families', but it was certainly fine in its own way."

"I wish I could see it," Elea sighed, wondering what it looked like.

"Probably in the possession of the local municipality, now that the heirs of Lestrange no longer live there."

"You don't sound very said about it, lad," Gillan noted.

"I'm not. I have this place. What do I need another manor for?"

"If you ever wanted to go back to your old home, you could claim it..," Elea suggested.

Rabastan was about to insist upon not returning to his old world, when Merissa and a much cleaner Dyllen came into the room.

"We're finished," she said, wiping a little powder off her dress as she held her son one-armed. "What are we talking about."

"Rabastan's old home—" Elea began, but was cut off by Rabastan.

"This is my home now. Here. With all of you."

Dyllen gurgled, as if to agree, but Elea looked as if she knew Rabastan was keeping some unpleasant secret from her.

He would be wary of that look for a while to come.

"Do you want to hold Dyllen again, Rabastan? He adores you."

"Sure," Rabastan accepted, holding his arms out for the boy.

Merissa beamed as she settled Dyllen into Rabastan's arms.

"I'm surprised that you're not a father, the way that you dote all over Dyllen," Merissa observed. "You're a natural. Like you were born for it."

"Believe me when I say this, Merissa: I do wish I had a child. He or she would never feel unloved or unwanted."

"Oh you're so sweet!" Merissa cried, and leaned in to give Rabastan a kiss on the cheek. "Adorable! Elea, you're so lucky!"

"Yes. Well." Elea stammered, blushing. "I guess I am."

Rabastan smiled at her, as Dyllen once again tried to grab Rabastan's nose, feeling a longing build up in his chest.

I am willing to be the father, but who is willing to be the mother?

Points about pony!Rabastan:

1: Obviously from Equestria, though a slightly different Equestria than the one we all know. The Mane Six are part of it, though some elements are altered somewhat [see below].

2: Attended a special school that was exclusively for unicorns, which everyone his family has all attended for many, many moons.

3: Speaking of moons, he grew up fascinated by the tale of the Mare in the Moon, and it was this that lead to him wanting to learn more about the magics of the night and the moon that gave him his cutie mark.

4: His name is not Rabastan, but Beta Draconis [I am not sure what AU!name his brother and sister-in-law will have].

5: Has a bully-type dog named Betria.

6: Unlike canon FIM, there are elements that are similar to Potter-verse, in that there's a small group of ponies—unicorns specifically—that believe that they are better than the other kinds of pony, and one in particular is trying to establish a kingdom where unicorns rule and everyone else is either a second-class citizen or a slave. Obviously Celestia is Not Happy About This, and is trying to put a stop to it. Meanwhile Rabastan is being pressured by his brother [who has already joined the unicorn supremacy movement (not its actual name!)] into joining, but at this time, he has not, and is trying to avoid being press ganged or worse.

The day was sunny, though the air had the scent of rain in it as Rabastan and Elea walked up to the house her friend Merissa now lived.

"It's been a while since I was here last. I do hope Merissa is doing well. And her family, too. Gosh, I wonder what it is she wanted to tell me?"

Elea knocked at the door, while Rabastan stood at the base of the steps, waiting. From inside he could hear both Merissa and her husband talking, then sounds of footsteps getting louder as they approached the door.

"Elea!" Merissa almost shrieked as she embraced her friend. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Me too! How was the vacation? And your parents?"

"Excellent! You really should go - the food is marvelous! And my family is just fine! In fact, they wanted me to tell you 'Hello' for them. Oh, hello Rabastan. Come on in. We were just about to put some tea on, and I hope you'll have some."

He nodded, and went inside. The scent of tea leaves and something fruity wafted out of the kitchen, and he secretly hoped there would be more than just tea today.

"Rabastan! Good to see you, lad!" It was Gillan, Merissa's husband, heading over to give Rabastan one of his trademarked bear hugs. "Althena bless you, you're looking thin! Merissa? Think you could throw something in the oven and feed him up so he doesn't starve?"

Rabastan chuckled; this was becoming a favourite joke between them. Merissa laughed, too, and headed into the kitchen, with Elea tailing behind her.

"I'll help."

"Come, lad. How's about you take a seat in the sitting room while the ladies catch up over tea?"

He'd barely sat down, when the impulse to eavesdrop on Elea and Merissa came to him. Gillan hadn't gone into the sitting room, but instead to the wine cellar to get himself a glass of spirit.

That meant he was alone. For now.

"You're kidding, right?" he heard Elea exclaim. "Really? Oh, this is wonderful news! We'll need to throw a party for you! And Gillan as well."

Party? What for?

"How long has it been? When did you find out?"

Now he knew what the answer would be before Merissa said it.

"Just over three months, and I only found out about a fortnight ago when I saw the healer for what I thought was just a regular illness."

"Well, it's certainly not some 'regular illness', is it?" Elea ribbed.

So. Elea's best friend and former roommate was in an expecting way. Which meant he'd have a new baby to fawn over and spoil.

It was something he couldn't help. Children always brought out the paternal in him.

He smiled to himself and stopped listening in, just as Gillan entered the room.

"Y'know, it's not polite to listen in on private talk," the beastman said, startling Rabastan back to awareness. "Here. Have a drink. The tea ain't ready yet."

Rabastan stammered something, then took the glass. It had a heady scent of spices, nuts and a vague hint of honey.

"Bought it while we was on vacation. Locals are real proud of this here liquor. Say that it was the best year they'd had in ages." He paused. "G'on. Drink up."

It was. Well. He was certainly going to remember this one for a while yet. Not that it was unpleasant, or bitter, or sweet. Instead, it was something he couldn't put his finger on, but if he ever had it again, he'd know it at once.

"Good, huh?"

Rabastan nodded, and handed over the empty glass, feeling the alcohol work its way though his body.

Must be one of those "one glass" drinks, unless you're of strong constitution. And Gillan certainly is.

Alone again, and despite Gillan's remark about poor manners, Rabastan found himself listening in to the conversation in the kitchen. Merissa was busy chopping up something, while Gillan rinsed out the cups and began looking for something in the pantry to add to the meal.

It looked like Rabastan and Elea were staying for dinner. Which pleased him. Merissa was a fine cook, and he always enjoyed supping at her house.

"Gillan? Could you go outside to fetch some herbs from the garden?"

Rabastan knew what that new tone meant, and Gillan was to excuse himself while Elea and Merissa talked about something only the two women were supposed to talk about. A word of agreement, and Gillan headed down the hallway, past the sitting room, and then out into the gardens behind the house.

"Oh, I don't know," Elea's voice began. "It's just... Well... I don't know if that's a choice I want to make just yet."

"You're not getting any younger, and neither is he. Especially he. And you've been together for a few years now, too."

"Yes, I know, but..."

Her voice trailed off.

Getting old? Being together? What was it they were talking about that made age and time together such a big deal?

"I've always known you as the most decisive person, back when we were still sharing a house together with the others. Anything you set your mind on, you went after. I don't see this as anything you would ever hesitate on."

"We're talking about a major decision, Merissa. Everything else I chose to do or not do weren't even half as big as this. I just don't want to decide now."

"And when do you plan to decide? The longer you wait to ask him, or for him to ask you, the less time you'll have to make any decision at all."

Things got very quiet for several moments, and Rabastan thought that Elea or Merissa weren't going to talk about it any more, but...

"Merissa, you know how I feel about these things. With minor decisions, there's always the option of changing your mind. But this isn't some minor decision. And I want to be sure—absolutely sure—when I make it that I'm making what will be the right choice for me. I don't want to find myself, ten or twenty years later, wishing I'd thought about it more."

A pause, and a deep sigh.

"I just don't know if it's the right time or the right choice yet."

"Just don't wait too long, then."

The chopping sound resumed as the back door opened, and Gillan came inside. Rabastan quickly adjusted his expression to that of someone studying the room they were in, but Gillan didn't peek his head in to see what his guest was doing.

"Hope these are what you want, love," Gillan said from the kitchen. "'Cause I ain't goin' back out. There's a storm comin'"

"They're perfect, dear. Set them over here, please."

"Should I ask Rabastan to help out?" Elea inquired.

"No. I'll be done soon. Why don't you go join him in the sitting room while I finish up? I'll call you when it's done, if Rabastan's nose doesn't tell you both first."

Using the time it would take for Elea to reach the sitting room, Rabastan got up to look at one of the bookshelves for something to read.

"Find anything interesting?"

"Not yet."

He heard her sit down, and try to exhale as softly as she could in the hopes that he wouldn't hear.

"You sounded excited earlier. I take it that whatever Merissa said was something good?"

"Better than good. She'll be having a child soon, and I know how much you adore children."

"That is good news."

Giving up on finding anything in the bookcase that would serve as distraction, he moved over to look out the window. Sure enough, the sky had darkened, and the first rumbles of thunder could be heard even by people with normal hearing.

Elea must feel as if there's a storm inside her, given what she and Merissa were talking about...

Speaking of Merissa, the sounds of her footsteps told him she was heading their way.

"We're almost done. How's about you two come to the kitchen now, and we can talk about my big news there?"

Both grateful for the distraction from having to start a conversation, they left the sitting room to join Merissa and Gillan for dinner, while thunder growled overhead...

From the start, it looked like this October was going to be a decent one.

Nothing bad had happened. Everything was fine. And even the increase in leaves and decrease in daylight didn't dampen his mood.

For once in his adult life, he was going to have an uneventful October.

Or so he thought.

The calendar on the wall in his room read "October 31". Halloween. Samhain.

No big deal. Later that day he and Elea could get dressed up as per the Earthen custom.

Tonight he'd just sleep.

Well, he was asleep.

Because now, suddenly, he was wide awake.

He looked about the room.

Elea was beside him, fast asleep. The blanket beginning to slip off her bare shoulder.

He looked towards the window.

There was a mantle of leaves on the other side.

So far, everything seemed normal.

He closed his eyes. What on Earth would have him suddenly awake?

Sitting up, he ran his hand through his hair.

Well if he was going to be awake, he might as well do something until he got tired again.

A sound. A laugh. A woman's laugh. Cold. Cruel. Mocking.

And another sound. One that turned his guts to ice. A slow drawl that hid menace in its seemingly lazy tone.

He looked about. Where?

"Over here," said the cackle.

He turned his head so sharply his neck began to twinge in pain.

"Awwww... The poor liddle pup has an ouch?" said the woman's voice.

"Pay it no mind. Any pain he gets is tithe to me this night."

"What?"

Standing before him were two semi-transparent figures.

He recoiled in shock and fear. Not because he was afraid of apparitions—after all, he'd spent his youth in a school full of ghosts and spirits—but because of who they were.

It was his brother. And his sister-in-law.

Paying him an unwanted visit.

"Don't look so surprised to see me again," Rodolphus said, looking rather bored. "You know that you can't keep us away forever. Everyone dies sometime."

Bellatrix cackled.

"How about the two of you go back to where you came from, and allow me to enjoy my living years in peace?"

"I'm sure you'd like that, but it's not happening just yet."

Rabastan gave a snarl.

"Ah. I see the wolf in you has grown stronger. I'll bet even good ol' Greyback will be pleased."

"Your little attempt on his life didn't quite go as expected, and yet, this turn of events is intriguing."

Bellatrix turned to look at Elea, still fast asleep. Comfortably oblivious. This visit was not for her tonight.

"Ooh, I see you've found yourself a little whore?" she sneered. "Couldn't find anyone proper to lie with?"

"Shut your mouth!"

"I think not!" She paused, giggling silently. "How much longer before the big bad wolf devours his pretty young lover?"

"It's in your eyes, brother," Rodolphus added. "Not a good sign when eye colour changes. You're turning more feral."

"Shut up! I can control it!"

"Not for forever, you can't," replied Rodolphus, his lazy voice showing a hint of interest now. "Greyback told us they all fight it, but they lose out in the end."

"I won't!"

Rodolphus chuckled. "Oh, you think so?"

"Big eyes to see with. Big ears to hear with. Big teeth to eat with!" sang Bellatrix.

That was it. He was out of bed, on his feet, not caring about whether he was dressed or not.

"STOP THAT! STOP IT NOW!"

"And just how do you plan to make us, brother? Magic's not going to work on us, now."

"Shut it! Shut it up, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear. But if I were you I'd think about what this display of temper might cause."

Rodolphus smiled in his own wolfish way.

"You never trusted that trinket that god gave you. Better not trust it now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, only that it might lead you to doing something you'll regret."

He shifted his gaze to his hand.

"You don't know. You have no idea whether it's dangerous or not."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. But if you want to stay sane and your little trollop to stay alive, you'll watch what you say and do, and more importantly, feel."

Rabastan advanced, but Rodolphus made no move.

He was, however, becoming more and more transparent.

"Think about it. I know you'd never take advice from me, but maybe this time, you should listen to your dear older brother."

"Fuck off. And get out of my house!"

"We're leaving anyways. Go to sleep, pup."

And the two vanished.

His heart pounded in his ears as his nostrils flared with heavy breathing.

It was just a Halloween prank. A bad dream.

Of course it meant nothing.

Didn't it?

Telling Elea about his illness put a huge weight on his back.

His otter experiment had lifted it, and, more than that, improved things between them by a great deal.

Seeing that Rabastan was not going to turn into some ravening monster and hurt anyone around him gave both a sense of relief.

He was not dangerous. Not dangerous at all.

It made him smile. Feel happy inside.

Even Gavin's chill attitude towards Rabastan couldn't put a damper on things.

Everything was fine again.

Two weeks after his little experiment, he'd arranged to take Elea out to the place where, prior to his revealing of his state of health, he'd run and flew in his animal forms. Where he was certain that no one would see and investigate. And thus, come to no harm from someone wanting to turn the creature they saw into some exotic artifact or beast of burden.

They flew out to the site on the carpet Rabastan had recently purchased, Elea snuggling against him while she held the picnic lunch in her lap.

It took about an hour's flight to reach it.

Once landed, Elea quickly set up everything, spreading out the blanket and taking out food and drink from the basket, before turning about to take in the scenery.

"I can see why you come here, love. This place is beautiful. All those trees. That hill over there. The flowers. Even that little stream we just passed. Lovely."

He smiled. His choice in coming here had less to do with how it looked and more to do with how well it suited his animal selves.

But, now that he thought about it, it was lovely.

"I could stay out here all day. Just lie on the grass, and feel the sun shining down."

Well. That was one way to pass the time out here. He was starting to think of other things they could do out here, away from everyone. Lots of them.

He quickly looked away. His imagination was getting the better of him.

Elea had noticed, though, and gave him a sly wink.

"So. You brought me out here because you wanted me to see your animal forms. This place seems appropriate enough to do that."

He nodded.

"I will show you them as they actually look," he said, "but I think first, it would be better to show you them in a way that might not be so intimidating."

"What's more intimidating than this wolf form you take?"

Before he sat down on the blanket, he pulled out a small envelope.

Back at the bar, he'd gone through the library to find pictures of the different animals he could be. With some spellwork he made copies of the ones he'd liked, placed them in the envelope, and brought them home.

"Here," he said, handing it over to Elea, "have a look."

"What's in that—"

The photographs slid out onto her lap.

"Oh!"

Scooping them up, she began to look at each one in turn, though now, they were slightly out of order.

"What manner of creatures are these?"

"Well, that one you are looking at now, is called a 'horse'. People on Earth keep them for many things, like riding, or work, or even just pets," he explained as she looked at a picture of a horse running in a field. "Some of them are big, like that one, and some are smaller. The smaller horses are called 'ponies'. I have no idea why."

She nodded, taking in all the details. The mane and tail were whipped up by the wind created by its movement.

It was, the more she thought about it, rather majestic.

"Do you look like this one?"

"Oh no. I look very different. See, that one is brown. When I'm a horse I'm all black."

The picture was placed back in the envelope, and she continued looking at the ones with horses in them, until she came to a picture of a tiny bird.

"And this animal is?"

"That is a swallow. It's as small as you think it is. Very fast, catches insects, and migrates when it gets cold."

"Why would you choose a small form? Why not bigger?"

"Small can be very useful," he said cryptically.

She gave him an inquiring look, but said nothing and continued on. There were only a couple swallow pictures to look at before she came to another one of a horse.

As Rabastan had pointed out, horses came in small, and so she figured that this one was a pony, rather than a full-sized horse.

It was cute. Just like that little bird.

More pictures of horses and birds, before she came to one of a much larger, much fiercer-looking bird.

It looked like something that would eat the poor, tiny swallow.

"And this one?" she asked, feeling sorry for any poor creature that came near it.

"That is an eagle. It's part of a group of birds people from my world call 'birds of prey', because they hunt other animals." He grinned, suddenly. "It's also one of my school's mascots."

"This thing?"

"Yeah. I like this bird. It soars high, and while it's not as fast as a swallow is, it can see and hear for miles around, because it has amazing eyes, and surprisingly good ears."

And it makes him look regal, the way the horse does.

Apparently he'd had something of an unrealised streak of vanity, or perhaps it was an instinctual recognition of a noble animal by someone from a noble parentage.

"Don't worry. It's not dangerous. Unless you're something small and furry."

Elea gave him a look that indicated she didn't see the humour in what he'd said.

More pictures. More swallows, more horses, more eagles. There were also some otters amongst them, and these she spent more time looking at.

She found that, despite the initial surprise at seeing it, she rather liked him as an otter. Small, furry, and rather adorable. The thought of something like an eagle carrying off the small, wet, slippery creature made her want to cry.

She came to a picture of a wolf, and Rabastan explained that his wolf and that one in the photograph were not exactly the same. The build was different, for one, but it was a good approximation of what to expect should she ever see him in that form.

They both silently prayed that if that ever happened, it would not be during an eclipse, as he had told her that the animal only experienced aggression during the time it was supposed to appear. Outside the time of change, it was rather docile.

Finally, when she was close to the end of the pictures, she came upon the last form.

"It looks like it could be a distant relative of Nall. Only... It's a lot bigger. And has spots."

"That, love, is a jaguar. It lives in something called a 'jungle', which is a bit like a normal forest, only hotter, wetter, and with all manner of strange plants and trees. And the animals are very colourful."

"I should like to see a jungle some day," she mused, examining the big cat.

"Maybe I will take you."

"You would? Oh, that would be wonderful."

She paused.

"Tell me about this animal."

"Well, it's a cat, and it lives in warm places, as I'd said. It's a predator, and eats other animals, and the people who live where it does revere it and consider it almost a god."

It seemed to him that Muggles tended to do that with large, powerful animals.

A few more photos, and then they were replaced back in the envelope.

"Now that you've shown me, what next?"

"First? Lunch. After that, I will show you in actuality an animal or two."

It did not take long to finish the first, and, having plenty of time left in the day, and soon, they were strolling around, taking in the scenery.

Rabastan picked a flower and, like someone half his age or younger, put it in Elea's hair.

She laughed and gave him a kiss.

"I have shown you in pictures," he'd said as he sat by the stream. Elea had kicked off her shoes and was splashing about as if she were a little girl. "What animal would you like to see first?"

A good question, she seemed to be thinking. He had a short list of animals, but picking one from the list wouldn't be easy.

"I'll stick with something that moves on the ground, first," she concluded. "I would like to see that jaguar. I want to see how much it actually does look like Nall."

Rabastan smiled. He'd warned her that the changes were weird, but unlike last time, she watched in fascination as he assumed the spotted form.

"Ohhhhh..."

Her tone was breathless.

"I can see why people hold it in high regard. You're so ... magnificent."

He rumbled his approval, and flicked his tail slightly.

Before he knew it, she was kneeling right next to him.

"You are beautiful like this," she whispered.

I'm glad you like this.

"You can show me the other animals another day. I think I should like to look at you like this for the rest of the day."

No horses or swallows?

She stroked his head.

"Maybe tomorrow. Or the day after."

He rumbled again.

Elea put an arm about his shoulders, and in response, he gave her the gentlest swipe of his rough tongue that he could.

"Come on, love," she said, getting up after several minutes. "Let's get back to our walk."

He gave an amused sound, and, as she got up, fell into step at her side.

He wished, for a moment, that there was someone else there to take their picture.

Elea and the jaguar.

It would be a wonderful addition to his photo album.