HP: She married Malfoy after becoming an exchange student.

After dinner, the house-elf Sparky prepared her night patrol gear in the foyer, her small body spinning around the room like a top being pulled.

"Young Master's hand warmer," Gilgamesh handed Elias a small silver pot, "and Mr. Malfoy's winter gloves!" The elf magically produced a pair of dragon-skin gloves. Draco took the gloves, his fingertips touching the snake-shaped pattern on the lining.

"And...and the patrol lights for the farm!" Shanshan skipped and hopped as she hung the copper lamp on the shelf by the door, and the flickering flame inside the lampshade immediately emitted a dim yellow light.

Elias stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, observing the sky. The mist at the edge of the Black Forest shimmered with a mother-of-pearl-like sheen. As he turned, Draco noticed that he had changed out of his school robes and into a dark green hunting suit with a high collar, the cuffs tightened, clearly for ease of movement.

"Now is the perfect time to set off." Elias picked up the copper lamp, the firelight casting flickering shadows on his sharply defined face. "The Moon Deer herd has just finished their first round of foraging."

Gilgamesh suddenly grabbed the hem of Draco's cloak: "Young Master Malfoy, would you like to bring a smelling salts bottle? Last year, a French guest sneezed after being brushed by the silver fox's tail..."

“He doesn’t need it,” Elias interrupted. “I’ll go with him.”

Draco tightened his cloak, the fabric rustling softly. He followed Elias into the snow, the glow of the brass lamps shimmering beneath their feet. The manor gates opened silently before them, revealing a dark path behind them.

"Stay close," Elias's voice drifted on the wind, "Under the snow in the farm, there are biting mints that bite unruly visitors."

Draco stepped into the snow, his dragon-skin boots sinking half an inch. "That depends on whose rules you're talking about."

Behind them, Shanshan sprinkled a handful of shimmering rock salt onto the threshold.

The snow was fine and fell slowly, as if someone were sifting it down from above. Elias walked ahead, the glow of the copper lamp circling a shimmering circle on the snow, and Draco's boots landed precisely on the edge of that circle.

The moonlight appeared and disappeared intermittently, and the clouds drifted past and then returned.

The hem of his cloak swept across the snow, making a soft rustling sound. Draco stared at the swaying hem of his cloak in front of him, then suddenly reached out and grabbed it.

"Walk slower," he said.

The sound was very soft; the white vapor mingled with the wind, swirled, and scattered in the snow.

Elias paused, not turning back, but slowing his pace. The light from the copper lamp illuminated his profile, casting a small, trembling shadow beneath his eyelashes.

They walked like that, one after the other, Draco's fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the fabric of his clothes, until the iron gate of the farm came into view. The moonlight was bright, and he realized that he was still clutching that piece of clothing, his knuckles slightly white.

Elias finally turned around. In the dim light, he saw Draco's fingers quickly loosen and his gaze abruptly averted.

Snow fell silently on the open ground between them.

With a soft creak, the iron gate of the farm broke the ambiguous atmosphere.

"Young Master," the elderly gatekeeper stood at the door with an oil lamp, his white beard streaked with snowflakes. "The Moon Deer herd is already waiting at the East District fence."

"Let's go," Elias stepped aside to make way for them.

Thick frost covered the fence of the farm. Behind the withered tree, several pairs of bright eyes were silently watching them.

When the first moon deer emerged, Draco noticed tiny icicles clinging to their antlers, trembling gently with each breath. The herd approached slowly, their hooves sinking into the snow with a dull thud.

"Their throat bones have a unique structure." Elias reached out, and one of them immediately sniffed his fingertips. "They can vibrate frequencies beyond the range of human hearing, but during a full moon..."

His words were interrupted by Draco's soft chuckle, as the largest of the deer rubbed its nose against his cufflinks, humming a variation of the Slytherin House Song.

"You taught him?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

Elias smiled slightly: "They can mimic familiar sounds."

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from behind...