"What of the child, milord?" Lucius Malfoy asked from his kneeled position at the Dark Lord's feet.
"The child?" Lord Voldemort looked thoughtful having forgotten about the child completely.
Lucius cringed and mentally berated himself for bring it up. "The Potter child, milord." He lowered his head further until his blonde hair spilled out over the cold, stone, floor. "What is to become of him?"
Lord Voldemort's face grew dark as he thought back to how his plans for the day were destroyed by the brat. "The boy will be powerful when he grows older." He began, red eyes narrowing at the thought of someday being challenged by the very boy that almost destroyed him. "Killing him would be a waste, wouldn't it Lucius?"
"Yes, milord." Lucius answered, quickly. "He could be raised to serve you?" He suggested.
"The Potter spawn raised to serve me?" Lord Voldemort smirked. "And who would undertake such a task? You?"
Lucius hesitated. "My wife, Narcissa, bore a child around the time the Potter's did. They could be raised as brothers without anyone growing suspicions."
Lord Voldemort eyed the kneeling man trying to gage his intentions for suggesting such an idea. "The Potter line has been tainted." His red eyes burned into the back of Lucius's bowed head. "The brat is a half-blood. You would raise him as an equal to your own child?"
"The Potter line was pure up until James married the mudblood. We share several ancestors, infact. The boy can be purged of his dirty blood easy enough." He was growing more confident with each passing second. This was a good idea, he was certain of that now. The boy was powerful, that was proven when he almost destroyed the darkest wizard of all time by complete accident. Oh yes, the boy would do the Malfoy name proud.
"Very well." Lord Voldemort agreed. It was better to have the boy raised to be his servant than to kill him and waste perfectly good magic. "He is your charge now, Lucius. See to it that he raised to be as loyal as you are." It wasn't a request but rather a threat.
Lucius stood, head still bowed. "Yes, milord." He turned, robe billowing out behind him, and left the chamber in search of the, soon to be, newest member of the Malfoy family. Within minutes he located the crying toddler in the care of his house-elf, Dobby. "Why does he scream so?" He demanded to know.
"Dobby doesn't know sir." Dobby tried to console the screaming child but to no avail. "The little master is upset and Dobby does not know what to do!" His large eyes filled with tears at not being able to calm the distraught boy.
"Worthless..." Lucius gritted out and gathered the flaring child into his arms which caused him to quiet down, immediately. "Well now." He peered at the child. "Looks like you're off to a fine start, boy. House-elves are filthy creatures far below us Malfoys." He rumbled as he began to climb the stairs that lead to the main floor of Malfoy Manor.
"Lucius!" Narcissa greeted her husband at the top of the stairs. "Well?" She demanded, her aristocratic features apprehensive.
Lucius tightened his hold on the child when he wiggled around to get a look at the new person. "The Dark Lord has left the boy in my care."
Narcissa smiled and reached out, gathering the boy in her own, small, arms. "Hello there, little one." She cooed to the black haired, green eyed, toddler. "What of his appearance? Surely there will be questions raised?"
"Not if he undergoes an adopt ritual. He'll look every bit the Malfoy upon it's completion." Lucius said as he entered the study where his son, Draco, sat playing on the floor with his magical blocks.
"That's dark magic, Lucius. Won't the Ministry detect it?" Narcissa asked as she followed her husband into the study. "Draco, I want you to meet your new brother." She sat the wide eyed toddler onto the floor beside Draco.
Draco, who was almost two, looked up from his blocks. He eyed the newcomer with nothing more than faint interest. "No!" This was the only word Draco knew and he used quite often. This time he was using it because the new boy was reaching for his blocks.
"I have spies within the Ministry that will see to it that nothing is detected." Lucius knew that he could trust those he implanted within the Ministry. He sat down on a nearby green, leather, couch.
Narcissa gave her son a fond look before chiding him. "Now now, my little Dragon. You'll have to learn to share with your brother." She sat down beside her husband to watch the children. "The child's name is Harry, isn't it?" She asked with distaste.
Lucius frowned but inclined his head. "Harry James, if memory serves." He eyed the boy that would become his son. "Harry after the mudblood's father and James after his own."
"That won't do at all. No child of mine will be named after a mudblood." Narcissa sneered. "He'll need a strong, proud, name." She concluded.
"And I suppose you have one already picked out?" Lucius knew how much Narcissa wanted the boy, that's why he suggested that it be him that care for him. Draco's birth had been hard and the Mediwitch had told then, bluntly, that the chances of her carrying another child to term was slim to none. This child truly was a gift from Merlin.
Narcissa gave her husband a disapproving look. "Cygnus Regulus Malfoy." She said, proudly.
Lucius had to admit that the name was quite good. "Cygnus Regulus Malfoy." He tired it out and liked how it flowed. "Honoring your side of the family, are we?"
"Cygnus was my fathers name. And Regulus is my beloved cousin. You know, as well as I do, husband, that if twins are born then both families must be honored equally." Narcissa told her husband with a glare.
Knowing that he was fighting a losing battle Lucius held up a hand in defeat. "Cygnus Regulus Malfoy is a fine, proper, name." Only then did he notice the silence on the floor. He glanced towards the children and couldn't help but smirk; if only the Potters could see their little Gryffindor now. "Malfoy's the both of them!" Delight lit up his eyes.
Narcissa looked towards the floor and raised an eyebrow. "Looks like Draco has finally met his match." She watched the two boys playing with the blocks, both working together to make a large structure of some sorts. But it wasn't that action that caught both her and Lucius' attention. It was the fact that neither boy was physically moving the blocks. At first glance it looked like the blocks were moving themselves but upon further inspection, she could see two faces set in deep concentration. "What if someone finds out?" She whispered, never taking her eyes off her children.
Lucius reached over and placed a hand on his wife's arm "No one need ever know that Cygnus was once a Potter. Everyone thinks the Dark Lord killed him so no one, not his parents, and certainly not Dumbledore, will be looking for him. He's ours now, Narcissa. And we'll see to it that has the life he'd never have gotten from the noble Potters." He spat the name out like it was acid on his tongue. His eyes moved back to the boys. He'd have to arrange the adoption ritual soon since the day of revealment was fast approaching for his family; revealment day was when a child was old enough to be presented to the world. In old Purblooded families the birth of a child was kept secret until their second birthday. On that day they would be revealed to the world and expected to take their place within it.