Chapter One: An unlikely Adoption
A young woman was running down a dark street, the hood of her cloak drawn up over her head. She shuddered every once in a while, against the cold brisk evening, and also because of her mission. She had been sent on a very odd mission by her master. She had to succeed.
She swept down the street, her hand in the air, with a long thing stick in her hand. She was waving it above her head, and with every wave, a lamp post went out. Although this might have been exceedingly odd behavior for a normal person, this woman was not a normal person.
Bellatrix Lestrange was a witch. And not only was she a witch, she was a witch with a very dodgy past, and a very strange purpose. Her master had made it very clear.
"Bring me a baby Bellatrix. Bring me a baby. A perfect baby. A baby born this night. Kill the mother. Kill the father. Kill anyone in the house except that baby. I want the baby alone. I want a perfect baby, who does not know the warmth of a mothers arms. A baby who does not know a fathers kiss. Yes…"
Bellatrix had found these orders strange an unnerving. What did he plan to do with this baby? It's not your concern. Do not question the Dark Lord.
She approached a small house and heard the moaning of a woman in labor. Quietly, she stepped into the house. There was a young man, pacing outside a bedroom. He looked up as Bellatrix entered, and before he could say a word, Bellatrix had drawn her wand, and cursed him. He fell to the floor his eyes blank, and his mouth open in surprise. Bellatrix stepped over his body and waited with baited breath as she looked at the midwife. She cut the umbilical chord and was about to hand the baby to it's mother, when Bellatrix stepped in and killed the midwife. The baby almost went crashing to the floor, but Bellatrix stopped it and floated it in the air.
The mother burst into hopeless sobs. "I knew something would happen. Please, please, just let me hold my baby!" She cried stretching her arms out for her baby.
"You knew?" Bellatrix said coldly. "How could you possibly have predicted this?" She laughed in her unnaturally high pitched laughter.
"Someone told me. They said I would suffer the night my child was born!" She exclaimed.
"Let me end that suffering then," Bellatrix laughed and a large green light flashed from the end of her wand. It hit the child's mother square in the chest and she slumped on the mattress, dead.
Bellatrix merely smirked. She turned and looked at the baby, suspended in mid air. The baby had not made a single sound. She idly waved her wand, the baby turning in slow circles as Bellatrix examined it. It had large brown eyes, and a tuft of black hair on it's head.
"Well. What are you staring at?" Bellatrix asked it impatiently. The baby merely gargled and looked hopelessly adorable as it smiled at her. It reached out it's arms at her, continuing to gargle with pleasure.
Bellatrix looked at it, and then used the wand to wrap it's cloths tighter about it. The baby did not squirm, but merely surrendered to the tightness of the cloth. She still looked at Bellatrix with a fascination. Bellatrix left the house, the baby floating along beside her. She made cooing sounds, and little laughing gargling. Bellatrix scowled, and made a faster pace; the baby of course, quickening with her.
"Would you stop making those sounds?" She hissed at the baby. The baby looked at her intently for a moment, and then didn't make anymore noises. Bellatrix wasn't sure what was more disturbing. The happy baby sounds, or no sound at all. Bellatrix looked around, touched the baby's head and then turned. There was the brief uncomfortable spell in which she felt she was being forced through a rubber tube, and then she appeared outside of Voldemort's headquarters.
She shuddered involuntarily and walked quickly up to the castle, the baby bobbing behind her.
"Ooooo…" The baby cooed. Bellatrix turned to look at it, and saw that it's eyes were filled with wonder at the large structure in front of it. Bellatrix had to hide a smirk. The baby was slightly entertaining.
She entered into the large building and made her way up the steep stairs. She trembled for a moment, and then knocked softly on a large door.
"Enter," Said a soft, deadly voice. The baby giggled.
Bellatrix put her hand on the serpentine door knob, and shuddered one final time before turning the handle and stepping inside. She saw the tall high backed chair of her master, facing the fireplace that was slowly dieing, it's embers sparking… hungry for more wood. The Dark Lord did this often. Bellatrix liked to think he enjoyed torturing the embers that were dying for something consumable, and the small newts that were beginning to shiver in the cold. Yes, he loved to see them suffer.
"Did you do what I asked of you Bellatrix?" He asked. Bellatrix suppressed a shiver and nodded.
"Yes my lord," She said bowing as low as she could without falling on her face.
"Bring it to me," He said. Bellatrix flicked her wand, and the baby floated through the air. The baby seemed to realize that silence was crucial, for it hadn't made a noise since they had entered the room. Voldemort looked at the baby, and reached and took it out of the air. Bellatrix could immediately tell that he had removed the Hover charm with a simple flick of his hand.
Bellatrix watched in amazement, as Voldemort wrapped his arms around the baby lovingly, and gave it a gentle kiss on the forehead. He seemed to care for the child, or was rather good at fooling Bellatrix. She watched as the baby looked at Voldemort. She did not seem to fear him, nor loath him. She seemed to have an admiration for him.
"You have done well Bellatrix," He murmured softly as he stroked the baby's face. "A baby girl," He whispered. Bellatrix was hard pressed to believe that this, was her cold, unfeeling master.
The baby continued looking at Voldemort.
"She will need food. Fetch some immediately," Voldemort snapped. Bellatrix immediately took to the door, and flew down the stairs. She ran into their makeshift kitchen, and saw her sister Narcissa nursing her own child, Draco.
"What do you feed babies?" Bellatrix asked coldly. Narcissa looked up, surprised by the question.
"Milk naturally," Narcissa said.
Bellatrix walked over to their cold storage and pulled out a large jug of milk and poured some into a cup.
"Surely you do not mean to feed a baby?" Narcissa asked, setting her son in a cradle.
"Yes I do," Bellatrix said, heading out of the room.
"Bellatrix, come back. That is in no way fit to feed a baby," Narcissa said. She summoned the cup from her hand, and the warmed the milk with her wand, and conjured up a bottle, in which she poured the milk.
"Where is this baby?" Narcissa asked.
"Upstairs," Bellatrix said, in her usual harsh voice. Narcissa handed Bellatrix the bottle, and before Narcissa could say another thing, she swept out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind her. She walked up the stairs, and knocked softly before re-entering the room.
Voldemort was now standing, closer to a freshly fed fire, gently rocking the baby back and forth in his arms.
"Have you ever fed a baby Bellatrix?" He asked.
Bellatrix was rather stunned by the question. "No my lord."
"I thought not," And Voldemort swept past her, and opened the door. He walked down the steps, his cloak billowing behind him, the baby cooing in his arms. He walked into their kitchen, to find Narcissa admiring her son, now asleep in his cradle.
"Narcissa," Voldemort said. Narcissa immediately stood up and bowed.
"Yes my lord?"
"You have taken care of babies before. Take care of this one as well. She is my daughter," He said, without any hint in his voice that he would explain what he meant by that. Narcissa took the baby girl into her arms.
"Oh my lord… she is beautiful," Narcissa said rocking the baby softly.
"You do not need to love it," Voldemort said harshly. Narcissa looked at Voldemort and nodded.
"Yes of course my lord. If I may ask one question?" She said rather daringly. Bellatrix, whom had just walked into the kitchen looked at her sister, her eyes widened.
"If you must," Voldemort said.
"What is her name?" Narcissa asked.
Voldemort looked almost taken aback by the question. He took only a moment to regain composure.
"Cygnus," He said. Narcissa nodded, and took the bottle that was slack in Bellatrix' hand.
"This will serve the purpose," She said smiling. She slipped the bottle into Cygnus' tiny mouth, and she began suckling happily. Bellatrix though, was not watching the baby Cygnus, but her master, Voldemort, who was smiling. He did not utter a word as he took the baby from Narcissa and began feeding Cygnus himself. He rocked her back and forth for a few moments, before walking back out of the room with her. Bellatrix and Narcissa didn't dare utter a word to each other as they heard the stairs creak.