Authors: Lyta Padfoot
Category: General
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling. Characters and situations are used without permission, no infringement is intended.
Summary: A collection of four drabbles concerning Ravenclaws and the times of the year they love.
Author's Notes: The autumn piece was loosely inspired by an incident in my childhood where a friend convinced me piles of raked leaves were bear nests. Being young and gullible trusting, I believed him and wouldn't venture into the yard for days.
* * *
"Spring"
Penelope favored spring over all other seasons. She'd always been one whose internal furnace ran too well and suffered through summers. Winters were dreary, and she'd never developed an appreciation for fall – though that might have been her father's influence. As the owner of a gardening company he saw the fiery colors as the herald of work raking leaves.
Spring was a balm after stark winters. It was a time of renewal when anything seemed within reach. The green leaves were never so bright nor the fragrance of flowers so heady. Spring reassured her of the cyclic nature of life.
* * *
"Summer"
Summer was Padma's favorite time with no classes, tests, or assignments; just two months of glorious sunshine. She spent her holiday at the beach, reading book after book of her own choosing. She searched the beach for shark's teeth, black daggers cast off by the ocean's top predators. In her pocket was an extinct shark's tooth. Strange that only Muggles knew these ancient monsters - and the fist-sized teeth were among their only evidence.
Perhaps she'd write a book about the ancient sixty-foot shark Carcharocles Megalodon someday. Wizards would classify it fiction, but it would be accessible to those who understood.
* * *
"Autumn"
Autumn with its crisp air and fiery colors was Terry's favorite season. As a child, he'd loved to make leaf piles and jump into them, laughing as his hard work scattered. Once, he'd convinced a neighbor girl the piles were bear nests and they'd share an afternoon adventure rescuing her cat from bearland.
Now autumn has another significance; in September a new year begins at Hogwarts. Terry is a closet romantic and savors his memories, understanding time does not to repeat moments. Soon his Septembers will not include Hogwarts, but autumn will always contain laughter, memories, and of course – leaves.
* * *
"Winter"
Luna loved winter. The earth without its green coat seemed laid bare for her personal perusal. Most creatures slumber or migrate during winter, but some things stay on awake. Interesting things like bears and fire-spirits. Dragons hibernate and are very irritable if roused - Luna approved of the Hogwarts motto; tickling a sleeping dragon was never wise.
It snowed in winter; turning a dull gray and brown landscape into a wonderland of deadly cold. Snow and ice kill; but allow for sledding and snowball fights. Winter is beauty, joy, and danger combined, and Luna appreciated the strange blend of the season.