Title: The Children of Fate
Summary: Harry and Kayley, even though they are the firstborns of the Potters, are maltreated and their younger brother, Nate the Chosen One, is the preferred child. Through chance, they meet Voldemort, the Lord Slytherin and Fate is twisted. UNDER REVISION
Pairings: Undecided
Rating: T
Chapter One: The Tongue of Snakes
"Harry! Kayley!"
Harry James Potter and Kayley Josephine Potter winced before they left their room to the hallway, where their once loving mother, Lily Potter, stood. They didn't even speak, they stood there silently as they awaited the next torrent of abuse or orders that was sure to come. It was a mixture of both, their mother sent them to the old forest that abutted the Potter estate to look for an ingredient that she was missing for a potion since 'darling Nathaniel has a bit of a sore throat and I couldn't find it anywhere in the house, and nevermind about the bowtruckles biting you, it won't hurt that much'.
She had loved them once, so had their father. But something had changed, a few months after Nathaniel was born, it was as if they had never been loved, as if they had never truly existed in her eyes. Their father and mother had slowly changed as if a black fog had begun to cover their eyes, poisoning their thoughts of their eldest children.
"Harry?"
"Yes Kayley?"
"I'm hungry…"
Harry looked at his younger twin, they hadn't eaten dinner in a few days because they had made mud cakes in preparation for their birthday and had gotten their clothes dirty. Both of them were thin and small for their age of five, they shouldn't have been punished with denial of food, they were just children…
"If we get what Mummy wanted, maybe we'll get to eat dinner today." Cheerfully, he spoke to his sister while knowing that they would probably get leftovers at the most. He would have to sneak into the kitchens and accept help from the House Elves, the pride of the five year old boy nearly gone.
Kayley held onto his hand, determined that today they would eat. What they hadn't realized was that they had continued on deeper into the forest, deeper than even their parents had gone, deeper than anyone had gone in a long time. It was an old forest, full of ancient trees and whispering winds that enjoyed misleading unwanted travelers.
"H-Harry?"
It was dark even though it was still midday and little Kayley clutched at Harry. She was scared of the dark, something that their parents were ashamed of. That she, a Potter, would be scared of the dark? No Potter feared the Dark, rather, the Dark feared the Potters.
"It's fine Kayley, we'll be alright." Smiling with confidence that he wasn't quite so sure as to where it came from, Harry tugged on one of the braids in his sister's hair, bringing a small laugh and a smile to her face when, unexpectedly, the head of a great serpent came into view.
/Oh? What shall I do with you? Shall I eat you…?/The rather bored looking serpent (And how does a snake, of all things, look bored?), hissed enquiringly at them with sarcasm evident in the sibilant tones.
/Please don't eat us!/Kayley and Harry both cried out, not realizing that they spoke Parseltongue, the sign of a Dark Wizard or Witch, a sign of a Slytherin…yet they belonged to the Gryffindor bloodline. Looking back on that day, one would realize that that was when the fate of the worlds had completely shifted. Had that encounter been chance or had it been arranged by the hands of Fate?
/You speak the Tongue of Snakes…who are you?/ Rather quickly, the boredom was wiped away and the snake's pink, forked tongue tasted the air.
/My name is Harry Potter, and this is my younger sister Kayley./ Without a stutter, Harry introduced himself and his sister to the awe inspiring creature that he knew, somewhere inside of himself, would never harm him.
/You're so beautiful, what's your name?/ Kayley let go of Harry's hand and walked closer to the beautiful serpent, her brother trailing behind her.
/I am called…Nagini./ Nagini felt protective of the two children as they petted and cooed at her. But her mind wandered…to think that there two Parseltongues in the Potter line, a rare gift, a rare gift indeed…her Lord would want to know of this…it seemed that House Potter was keeping secrets, deadly secrets.
/Nagini…will you come visit us?/ Kayley's shining green eyes watched Nagini, pleading; Harry's own green eyes joining in on her plead.
/Yes, snake-daughter, I will come and visit the both of you soon, my snake-children…/ Nagini watched the two children leave, laughing and running past the trees, as her form shimmered, trading the body of a snake for that of one with two feet. She leaned against an oak as her mind worked at a fast speed, already planning as to how to convince her Lord to allow her this gift. It would not take much, but it would be difficult if he did not see them for himself. She…wanted them for her own. Surely he would allow her this gift?
Thirty minutes later
"Stupid, incompetent twits!"
They had forgotten to look for the ingredient and Lily Potter didn't even pay attention to them as they tried to tell her about the talking snake. No dinner for another week. They felt miserable again, they messed up, they were useless…how could they have forgotten…?
Two days later
"Harry! Kayley! You've gotten so big!"
It was a lie, they hadn't grown. They had, amazingly, gotten smaller and thinner. Or was it since they had seen the Weasley and Longbottom boys and the stark difference once again hung before them? Remus and Sirius saw it and worried, were they still favoring Nathaniel over Harry and Kayley? It didn't matter that Nathaniel was the Chosen One according to the Prophecy, couldn't they show some love to their older children? They would have to inform Peter about it…this….this had stop!
"Moony! Padfoot!" The twins jumped at them in delight, he and Uncle Sirius were their one ray of light in the miserable excuse of a life that they led since the fog took residence within their parents. They laughed and smiled as the twins chatted away happily, Kayley in Sirius's arms and Harry in Remus's. Then, they were set down on the stone steps that led to the mansion's entrance, Sirius and Remus both wore solemn expressions. Harry and Kayley were worried that they had done something wrong again. Remus broke the silence first.
"Now, it is in my knowledge that in our absence, you two have turned five. Is that correct?"
The twins nodded and Sirius spoke. "Well, doesn't that mean that we owe you a gift?"
Sirius and Remus each pulled out a pendant from their cloaks. The pendants were red and gold, the colors of the House of Gryffindor, a sword etched in red stone was encased in a golden cage and hung from a delicate, golden chain. Unbeknownst to the children, the pendants were encased with enough protective charms and spells to prevent the fog, the fog that none knew of, from harming them.
The children were stunned; they had gotten a gift from the adults! They had gotten something from their three year old brother and they cherished it…but a gift from the adults!
"Remus!Sirius!"
It was James Potter who spoke, the father of the twins who had come out of the mansion with outstretched arms to his childhood friends, to his flesh and blood he merely said to "go put your cloaks on and wait by the entrance".
The twins silently left, too happy to be daunted by the uncaring words of their oblivious father.
Several hours later
"Harry…are we lost?" Kayley's small voice was scared as she held onto her brother. They had been sent to buy some more toys for Nathaniel, but the World Cup Stadium was just so big! Even if they found the toys, they would never make it back in time to see Nathaniel open their present! Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius were mad about something when Daddy had sent them to go find the toys, but they left before anything else could be said. Harry and Kayley both knew to just do whatever it was that Mummy and Daddy wanted before they got mad and the black mist covered their eyes even more.
"No Kayley, we're not lost. We're at the World Cup Stadium." Harry puffed out his chest and spoke confidently to his timid sister.
"Look Harry! It's Nagini!"
A beautiful silver and green serpent slithered on the ground not too far from them in between the legs of the wizards and witches. Kayley pulled her brother along, getting past all the people and going through small holes, she was smaller than he was after all. Harry allowed himself to be tugged along by his smaller sister through the crowd, not paying attention to the pandemonium that began around them. They only had eyes for the serpent.
"Death Eaters!"
Red and green bursts of magic flew all around but the Twins were too preoccupied in trying to catch up with the elusive Nagini. Chaos ensued throughout the Stadium as the Death Eaters attacked, wizards and witches fell dead as cackling, black hooded beings swooped in and out of the Stadium.
/Wait! Nagini! It's us!/
When they had finally caught up to Nagini, they paused at the sight that they found. A tall and pale, almost cruelly handsome, man in robes the color of midnight stood with the giant, entrancing serpent.
/Oh? And what have you brought me, Nagini?/
/There you are Nagini! Why haven't you visited us? You promised!/
Harry and Kayley both held onto Nagini when they finally caught up to her, not paying any attention to the Dark Lord that stood before them.
/Who are you, sir?/ Young Harry Potter looked up at the crimson eyes of the Dark Lord Voldemort and innocently asked his question when he took notice of the strange man present.
The Dark Lord bent down with a cruel smile on his face. /I am Voldemort./
A flash of green light headed towards the two young children.
/Tom!/
"Harry!"
"Kayley!"
An overwhelming expanse of beautiful emerald light was the last they saw as voices caused pandemonium within their minds.
The Chosen shall be birthed
By… Fleur-de-Lys
As the seventh month dies
Marked by….Sky
The Celestial….shall… the Destiny
The…..shall be the….
Of the Darkness that threatens
The world
….. and…..ensues
As the seventh month dies
The Chosen shall be birthed
By….Fleur-de-Lys
….the…month dies
One in love and love beloved
…forgotten by all…..
To save your broken hearts
…..own hearts…broken
As the seventh month dies
In love and love beloved
…..by all
Author's Note:
I'm not really pleased with how I first wrote this, and now that I look back, I can see major mistakes in the plot in the first five chapters, so this whole story is going to go under revision. Seriously, I could fly a C130 through the holes in the first five chapters, totally not acceptable. I'll be trying to get them down to F22 size, with a bit of luck. I hope that you guys enjoy the rebooted version of my first Harry Potter fanfiction.