Praecantrix-Enchantress Protettore- Protector
Maddalena Zabini- Legilimency
William Weasley- Strength
Rhys Rain Lestrange, Cassiopeia Lynx Lestrange
Maddalena jerked to a stop, William stopped just seconds from running into her. "What?" he started to ask. She shushed him and cocked her head, listening closely. Taking a few steps back, she peered into an alcove in the wall. She gasped and William was by her side in an instant. Tucked against the wall was a very small boy. He had wild, curly, black hair and bright blue eyes. He was crying softly, and Maddalena knelt beside him. She slowly reached a hand out, but before she could touch him, he jumped up and threw himself into her arms. She nearly fell backwards at his weight, but William steadied her. He helped her back to her feet, as the boy whimpered into her chest. Her voice was nearly a whisper when she asked the boy if he was hurt. He shook his head so she asked another question. "What's your name?" "Rhys." he answered. He couldn't have been older than 3 or 4. Maddalena looked at William, who nodded. She spoke quietly to the boy again, "You are going to come with us until we can find out where you belong. Does that sound okay?" The boy nodded again, his curls tickling Maddalena's cheek. William removed his hand from her arm and took her free hand. "Okay buddy. We're going to run so hold on as tight as you can." William told the boy, who tightened his arms and legs around her. At Maddalena's nod, they took off at a jog. It only took a few minutes for them to exit the building and reach the camp for Headquarters.
Remus was the first to spot them. "Bill, Maddie, who's that?" he asked quietly, but still caught the attention of Kingsley, who stood a few feet away from him. William let go of Maddalena's hand, which she then wrapped around the boy again, hugging him to her warmth. "His name is Rhys. We found him a few minutes west of here." William explained quickly. Kingsley nodded, "Did you see anyone else around, who could be his parents?" William shook his head, "Although once we found him, we were pretty intent on getting him back here." Kingsley started to ask him something else, when Molly came up behind him. "Kingsley, you let them bring that child in here. Question them later." she said, in her no nonsense tone. Maddalena sent her a grateful smile. She hurried in the makeshift kitchen which was lit and heated by small jars of flame. Molly followed behind her closely, and pulled out a chair from the table. Maddalena sat and pulled the boy away from her chest. He was still shivering and Molly noticing, handed her a thick blanket. Maddalena wrapped it around him, before noticing that William was nowhere to be seen.
The room was nearly empty, almost everyone was out doing patrols. Charlie came in through the back at the same time as William coming in the front. "Charlie, I need to go out again. But Maddalena is a little preoccupied. Wanna join me?" William said as soon as he saw his brother. "'Course. Let me just grab my jacket." he answered, before hurrying out again. William, in the meantime, walked over to where Maddalena was sitting. "You good here?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. Maddalena nodded, the boy, Rhys, had already fallen asleep in her arms. William nodded as well, and stroked her cheek. "Be careful." She whispered, then repeated it louder when Charlie came back in. They both nodded at the small witch, whose bossiness nearly rivaled their Mothers'. "Maddie dear, are you hungry?" Molly asked. "No, I'm okay Molly. Thank you. Can you floo Poppy and see if she could come over and check on Rhys? Then I'll take him to our room and give him a bath. I'm pretty sure he's been in there for days." Molly nodded, a grim look on her face. She left the room and Maddalena could hear the floo come to life. A few minutes later, Molly came back into the room, Poppy behind her. "Who's this then, darling?" She asked Maddalena. "His name is Rhys. William and I found him hiding in the manor." she answered, referring to the old castle like building behind where they were staying. They had been running patrols night and day, looking for runaways or people hiding from Lord Voldemort.
The Order of the Phoenix was now more a refuge center than anything. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters hadn't attacked in weeks and the Order was focusing on training and protecting those who were targeted by Voldemort. Poppy took out her wand and waved it at the two of them. "Rhys is slightly dehydrated and he probably got too cold, as he has a small sniffle. But, all and all HE is fine." Madame Pomfrey stressed the word he, making Maddalena ask, "What is that supposed to mean?" "Well you, Missy, have three cracked ribs." Poppy scolded her. "What? That's impossible. I think I would know if I had cracked ribs." "Are you questioning my abilities?" Poppy asked, teasingly. "Me, question the best Mediwitch I know?" Never." Maddalena answered, a smile on her face. Madame Pomfrey opened her bag and pulled out some bandages. Maddalena spoke again, asking Madame Pomfrey to wrap her ribs, without her having to put Rhys down. "Lean forward. We'll vanish the back of the chair. Lay Rhys on your lap so I can get the bandage between him and you." She did so and Madame Pomfrey started wrapping the bandages tight around her ribs. Just then, Blaise entered the tent, greeting Molly, who stood at the stove, watching with a slight frown on her face. "Hey sorella. Who's the ragazzo?" Blaise asked, switching between English and Italian.
"Oh, Mr. Zabini, I was just going to look for you." Madame Pomfrey said, as she pulled down Maddalena's shirt and stepped away from her. Blaise smiled, "Did I do something?" He asked, confused. "No, but your sister did. Somehow, she has three cracked ribs without even realizing it. Walk your sister to her room and carry Rhys for her, would you? Before she damages herself even more." Madame Pomfrey told the Italian man, who by now, had reached his sister's chair. Blaise bent down, and took the small boy off her lap, tucking him against his side. He held out a hand to Maddalena and helped her from her chair. Madame Pomfrey handed her a fever reducer, and Molly gave her a cup of water and some toast. Maddalena was a bit older than Blaise, but looking at them together, one would never know. Blaise stood over a foot taller than Maddalena at his six foot height. Besides the height difference, they looked nearly identical. They both had tan skin, and dark black hair. Blaise's was cut short, but Maddalena's curly hair reached her waist. They both had electric blue eyes, and full lips. Blaise wrapped his free arm around Maddalena's shoulders and they left the main room. "Oh, Molly. You'll send William my way when he returns?" Maddalena asked, just before they left. Molly smiled, "Of course I will, dear." With that Maddalena let Blaise lead her away. As they walked, she explained to Blaise who the boy was and where they had found him. "What do you think will happen if Charlie and Bill don't find his parents?" Blaise asked his sister, who had hardly taken her eyes off the boy the whole time. Maddalena shook her head, "I don't know. I hope they find them though. Nobody should be without their parents. You know what happened to us with just one missing, imagine if we hadn't had anyone." She said softly. Maddalena touched the door to her room, which opened at her touch. "Well…" Blaise started. "He'll have you. You and Bill. He looks like he is pretty attached to you already. He finished. Maddalena smiled, "I feel attached to him too." They entered the room, and Blaise laid the boy down on the bed. "Need any more help?" He asked his sister. She shook her head, "No, I was going to give him a bath, but I think I'll wait for William to return. I think we both need a nap more than anything. Thank you, fratello." He nodded, and after kissing her head left the room. Maddalena pulled her wand out of her boot. She waved it at the boy, cleaning his clothes and changing them into pajamas.
After that was done, she took off her boots, tossing them to the floor. She undressed quickly, and pulled on an old t-shirt of Bill's and pair of leggings. She ate a piece of toast, and took the vial of fever reducer, before crawling into bed. Rhys stirred, and sat up. "I'm hungry." he whined. Maddalena sat up too, and handed him the other piece of toast. "Here, love. Eat this for now, and then we'll take a nap. After that, we'll get something else to eat, okay?" she asked softly. The boy nodded, taking the toast from her. When he finished eating, he laid down next to Maddalena, his head laying on her chest. He had drifted off before she could say anything else. She fell asleep, just moments after. That is how William found them, a couple of hours later. He opened the door softly, and smiled at the sight in front of him. His love, his Maddalena lay on the far side of the bed, the little boy was laying on her chest. Maddalena's nose was buried in his curls. William went into the bathroom to undress so he didn't wake them. When he came out a few minutes later, he was bathed and dressed in bed shorts, his chest bare. For all his quietness, Maddalena was awake when he came back into the room. It was, as if, she could sense when he was near. Her eyes were piercing in the near darkness, and William knew she was checking him over for signs of injury. "I'm okay." he whispered as he neared the bed. "But you're not." he accused. Maddalena's shirt had ridden up and he could see the bandages wrapped around her. "It's nothing, cracked ribs. It's just Poppy being over worried like always." Maddalena answered, although she did sound short of breath. William crawled into bed, careful not to jostle her too much. He laid close beside her, Rhys in between them. They both fell asleep quickly.
Maddalena woke up the next morning and looked around, but both her roommates were missing. She was worried for a minute, until she heard laughter coming from the bathroom. She got up carefully, her ribs still sore despite Madame Pomfrey's coddling. She tiptoed to the bathroom door, which stood ajar. Peeking in, William was sitting on the floor beside the bathtub, completely soaked. Rhys was in the bathtub, which was filled with bubbles. His hair stuck to his head, and he was laughing out loud, as he was splashing William. William was laughing good naturedly, as he told the boy, "Let's finish washing your hair now, sound good?" The young boy nodded, a smile nearly splitting his face in two. They both looked up when Maddalena said, "Good morning." William smiled sheepishly, embarrassed at being caught playing with bubbles. Maddalena simply smiled back, her eyes alight with mirth. William washed Rhys' hair and pulled him out of the tub. He wrapped a large towel around him and Rhys ran straight for Maddalena. Through his excited laughter and rapid speaking, Maddalena swore she heard him call her mommy. When she looked up at William, she could tell that he had heard it too. Before she could say anything, William spoke to the boy again. "Come on. Let's go get dressed while Maddie takes a bath, then we'll all go get breakfast." The boy nodded and took William's outstretched hand. Maddalena ran her hand through the boy's hair as they left. She undressed quickly, pulling off the bandages as she went.
After she bathed, she dried her hair with a quick spell, and it dried in spiraling curls down her back. She dressed, pulling on the jeans and sweater that William had placed on the counter for her. Her feet bare, Maddalena hurried out into the carpeted bedroom to warm them. William was just pulling on his dragonhide boots, he was wearing dark jeans with a charcoal gray button up shirt. It warmed Maddalena's heart to see that Rhys was dressed nearly identically. He wore a gray zip up jacket and some matching tennis shoes. "Where did you get those clothes?" she asked. William twirled his wand in the air, smirking at her. Maddalena shook her head, and caught the socks that William threw at her. She slipped on her boots, and tucked her wand in the left one. She wore dark jeans, and a maroon Weasley sweater with a gray W (for William) emblazoned on it. When she looked up, William was holding out his hand to help her from the floor. Gesturing for her to lift her shirt, she did so, allowing William to bind her ribs once again. When he finished, Maddalena held out her hand for Rhys to take. They left the room, William locking the door behind them.
Hand in hand, the three of them entered the kitchen, packed with people. Rhys, scared with all the eyes staring, held out his hands, asking Maddalena to pick him up. She did so, tucking him against her hip. Blaise waved them over to the table where he was sitting with Ginny. Bill leads them over to the table, his large figure cutting a path through the crowds. Once Maddalena and Rhys were seated, he left them to go to the stove and get them plates. Blaise must have explained the situation to his girlfriend, because the red head greeted them with a smile and a hello and didn't ask Maddalena any questions, for which she was grateful. That feeling only lasted a few seconds before people started crowding the table. They were surrounded and Blaise could see the fear welling in his sister's eyes. He stood, "Oi. Don't you have something better to do? Stop bothering people while they are trying to eat." The crowd dispersed quickly, especially when they saw Bill headed their way. He sat on the other side of Rhys, and their plates and drinks landed on the table in front of them. Rhys looked surprised at the plate full of food. "Is that mine?" he asked softly. Maddalena nodded, as tears filled her eyes. The boy took up his fork and ate his food quickly, as if afraid that someone would take it away.
Once they had finished eating, Molly came up to the table, Andromeda and Teddy trailing behind her. "How's he doing?" Molly asked Maddalena. "I think he is still a little confused." Maddalena said softly, but her frown softened when she glanced over at him. William was talking to him quietly and as she watched, Ginny leaned over and whispered something in Rhys' ear, making him giggle. She turned her attention back to Molly who was asking her a question. "I'm sorry. What was that?" she asked politely. "There's a meeting this afternoon. Andy is going to sit it out so she can watch Teddy, would you like her to watch Rhys as well so you and Bill can join the meeting?" Molly asked again. Bill nodded beside her, "That would be lovely." Maddalena answered. After breakfast, she took Rhys to the play room where they had toys and books for the younger kids. He looked around the room in awe, but didn't let go of her hand. She nudged him forward, "Go on. Teddy is waiting for you." The turquoise haired boy was waving at them, and holding a toy up in the air. Rhys looked up at her again, pleading in his eyes. She nudged him again, "Go play. I'm going to sit down right over here." Rhys let go of her hand and walked across the room to Teddy. She sat down beside Andromeda, who was watching Rhys closely. Suddenly, she turned to Maddalena. "Bellatrix." She whispered, almost unconsciously. Maddalena tilted her head, confused. "He looks just like Bella did, as that age. I think he may be hers." Maddalena's eyes widened. "She had a child?" Andromeda nodded, "Two. She has a daughter too, close to the twins' age." She answered, referring to the Weasley twins.
Just then, Rhys walked back over to where they sat, Teddy behind him. He held a book in his hands. He held it out to Maddalena, "Sissy used to read this. Where Sissy?" he asked, beginning to cry. Maddalena pulled him into her lap, "I don't know where Sissy is. But we'll find her." She promised.
She took the book from Rhys, and started to read. Teddy sat cross legged on the floor in front of her, and soon enough, Rhys was squirming, wanting to be put down. She did so, and he curled up on the floor as well. She heard somebody stop at the door, and looked up. Blaise and Ginny were standing there. "The meeting is about to start." He said. Maddalena nodded, "Okay, boys. Andy is going to keep reading to you. I'll be back soon, Rhys." Rhys nodded, unconcerned, as Andromeda had summoned two Teddy's stuffed toys and blankets, and given them to the boys. They were both nodding off, eyes heavy with sleep. Maddalena kissed them both and left the room. Blaise had Ginny's hand in his and Maddalena slipped her arm through his. They hurry down the hall, to the meeting room. They entered the room and Maddalena dragged her brother and Ginny over to where William was sitting. Maddalena transfigured a few empty glasses on the nearby table into chairs. They took their seats just as Kingsley stood at the front of the room. He was sitting at a long table with the higher up Order members, while everyone else just found space around the room. Minerva, Sirius, Remus, Molly, Arthur, Tonks, Severus, and Kingsley sat around the table now.
Kingsley cleared his throat and Maddalena turned her gaze from Bill to the dark skinned man who stood before them. "Fred, George, and Lee are on their way in from a patrol, so we will wait to start officially until they arrive. For now, is there anything anybody wants to report?" he asked, his deep voice imposing in the quiet room. Remus stood, "I've been in touch with several rogue werewolves in the area. Most of them are asking to stay neutral. They don't want to join us in case Voldemort wins, and they don't want to join him in case we win." "Cowards." Sirius muttered, although he was loud enough for everyone to hear him. Maddalena had to nod in agreement. "Maddalena, Bill, how is the boy settling in?" Kingsley asked when Remus finished his report. Bill spoke beside her, and she could almost hear the smile in his voice. "He's doing just fine. He's a little skittish, and we still need to find out who his parents are and if they are still alive." Maddalena was about to speak, to let the Order know what she and Andromeda had discussed, when there was a commotion near the door. George and Lee pushed the doors open, and stood aside for Fred to enter. Maddalena's heart dropped at the sight of him. He was holding the arm of a woman. She looked to be injured badly and very dirty, but she still stood defiant. Maddalena could tell that Fred wasn't holding onto her tightly, but merely laying his hand on her arm. It was, as if, he trusted her already. "What's the meaning of this? Who is this girl?" he asked, his Auror training kicking in. "We found her just a few minutes from here. She is badly injured and I think she was looking for someone." George answered. As soon as Kingsley looked at the woman, she straightened her shoulders, and stared back at him. "Who are you?" he asked.
The girl answered automatically. "Cassiopeia Lynx Lestrange." Her voice was loud, but had a tinge of fatigue. The room immediately broke into whispers. Maddalena ignored them, wanting to hear what the girl said next. "I am sorry to have intruded on your space. I'm looking for my brother and am desperate for help. Have you found a little boy, is Rhys here?" her voice broke when she said his name. Maddalena could tell that Kingsley was about to start interrogating the girl and obviously she could too, because she spoke again. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. Give me Veritaserum or perform Legilimency, I don't care. Just please, is he here? Is he safe?" the girl asked, nearly panicked. "He is safe." Bill called from his spot, when Kingsley stayed silent. The girl nodded gratefully, before she passed out in Fred's arms. He swept her into his arms, "Don't wait on me. I'll take her to Madame Pomfrey." He was out the door before Kingsley could protest.
He hurried down the hall, shocked at how light the girl in his arms was. Thankfully, Madame Pomfrey was at Headquarters, restocking her stores. Madame Pomfrey hurried over when Fred pushed open the door. He carefully laid the girl, Cassiopeia, on the nearest cot. Poppy cast several diagnostic spells before lowering her wand. "Weasley. Which one are you?" she asked brusquely. "Fred." he answered. "Right. I need towels, and hot soapy water." Fred left the room, headed to the bathroom just down the hall. He got what Madame Pomfrey asked for and hurried back down the hall. She promptly closed the curtains around her, closing Fred on the outside.