FicWad

Working Title - The Darkness Howls
Act 1 (Prologue) - The Marshall Child



The imposing mansion squared up to the private tree lined road like all proper pureblood mansions should. Normally the snow bedecked estate of the Ancient Marshall family would be relaxed and enjoying those relaxed familial moments that Christmas brings with much wine, feasting and afternoon sleep.

The relaxed yuletide was not what it should have been at the estate with all and sundry waiting for news of Lady Marshall and her long protracted labour. With any luck the vassals and servants would have an heir to celebrate on Christmas Day. A fitting introduction to welcome the first of many children hoped for by the prominent line of Marshall.

One of the many maids ran out to help a manservant into the kitchens below the manor with some such thing out of a car, smiling in spite of the fact that she was working over Christmas.

The manservant greeted her jubilantly even though no great rapport existed between them. Times at the Manor were just that good. Their Lord, watching them from above would have agreed with them.

Alistair, Lord of the Marshall Family, was dressed in his finest morning suit standing in the twenty five foot bay window on the second floor smack dab in the middle of the front view of the house. The only thing that ruined this perfect lordly pose was the shaking hand that held his crystal goblet of aged gilywater, the fleeing composure that preceded the hyperactive puffing on the cigarette.

Looking at his feet one would have noticed that a whole pack in the last two hours had been sucked through presumably to try and drown out some of the louder screams from down the long hall. No servant remained on this floor having fled their Lord's barked shouts and nervous tantrums since yesterday night when his beloved Cara had gone into labour now only the doctor, the midwife and the young nurse remained, all barricaded in his wife's apartment.

Louder yells then raw throat ripping screams burst forth drowning out the banging door as the young nurse fled in a hail of tears, sobs and a sickened expression covered by a shaking hand.

Alastair was shocked into just standing there having watched the nurse run past him at full pelt wondering what the bloody hell had.. now the doctor as well? Surely he wasn't going to leave the midwife all alone? His legs seemed to catch up with him long before his brain did and he found himself hurtling down the corridor through the panelled doors to see if Cara was okay, whether little Fenrir was okay, surely it was okay.. please God make it okay.

A short piercing cry of horror then his loud unbroken wail of loss, mourning, sadness and hope dashed seemed to fall upon the manor all at once. Things were never quite the same in the House of Marshall after that.

After a few weeks some semblance of normality was returned upon the House of Marshall. The child was born and had survived, the Lady had survived and was well and his Lordship also was more well tempered with the staff. Christmas continued
The rumours were rife among the servants as to why things were changing and why the Lady and the Lord were spending the winter weeks after Christmas apart and not at the Manor. The Lady was going to the Chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva and with her husband taking a sudden trip with the child to Africa on safari. No one expected the Marshall's to travel so far so soon after the hard birth of their first son and heir.

The servants had all geared up to have party after celebrity party with nearly all of Hogsmeade society invited to the big Manor to celebrate the influential man's heir being born. Secretaries had nearly flown round in the week, hair bun's all a flutter, with the news that any party at the Marshall's was cancelled due to the hard birth and they would be unavailable until further notice.

Reporters of the Quibbler and the Prophet were all trying to get an angle as to what the real reason for this societal faux paus was. A young reporter called Norman Nibbler was currently in a servant's uniform trying to get into the bedroom of the Lady in question to verify the details of the birth. He and several others were ejected by the new security detail that the Lord Marshall had hired.

Mercenaries some whispered, hired thugs some of the more practical added. Whatever the reason was and whoever they really were is lost but the servant population at the big Manor dwindled until a skeleton crew remained months later.

The Lord and Lady never returned to the mansion preferring a new life in the America's after the final weeks events laid out in the newspaper, currently being perused by the security man locking up the Mansion.


MARSHALL HEIR LOST by Norman Nibbler,
This reporter brings shocking news to the society of Hogsmeade. Lord Marshall remains saddened and shocked to have lost the heir to the Family in tragic events in the depths of Africa. Beset by Nundu's the Lord of the Great Family tried to go back for his infant son only to be dragged back by guides, several who died saving their Lord from the great fell beasts...
More on page 9...


Years after that tragic event dust still gathered on the Marshall Estate until it was pulled down and plowed for higher density housing. The happiness of the southern meadows, the frolics seen by the extensive pony school and the magnificent Marshall Christmas's all ground into dust. Twenty years later those tragic Christmas events were forgotten by all but one.