Lucius Malfoy stood solemnly by the curved archway, cloaked in a sea of shadows in a manner reminiscent of the harbinger of death. His long platinum blond hair — normally platted behind his back— cascaded over his shoulders; dishevelled. His prim-and-proper posture seemed to be forgotten as his lumber curved and pressed into the oak frame of the arch. Likewise, shoulders slumped in defeat. The man that prided himself in cleanliness was covered in dirt and foliage. His alabaster flesh littered with small scratches that bled crimson. He inhaled bitterly, and cleared his throat as his emotionless silver hues that usually swirled like liquid mercury dulled to a calculated and distant grey.

"The Dark Lord is dead…"

He croaked out in tone that penetrated the silence that the room had prior to his arrival. His plush pink lips chapped from the cold midnight breeze that drifted through the manor. His throat felt as dry as a desert while his vocal chords rubbed together in a motion that mimicked sandpaper. Each sound as painful as the last. Their supposed 'lord and saviour' was dead. Slain by a mere child.

The remainder of the troop, the supposed sheep to the herald gasped. Each Death Eater voiced their shock and horror. Most recoiled from the invisible beast that his words called forth from the darkness. None able to find their voices and utter a single word until their minds had recovered from the shock.

Bellatrix Lestrange nee Black was the first recover from the shock. Her battered appearance highlighted her disbelief as her mouth opened to voice her suspicion. Her darkened hues narrowed on the Malfoy elder while her face wore a dubious expression.

"Dead? How? That's not possible!"

She hissed in challenge to the claim. Her tone almost snake like as each constanant stressed an unseen 'S' sound. It was obvious that she loved the man — the dark lord — even more than her own husband. Her devotion went beyond any other, so it didn't surprise the 'ice-prince' Malfoy that she was the first to accuse him of a falsehood as she was most likely in denial about his defeat.

Lucius cleared his throat once-more with a shuttered cough. However, this time the man spoke without hesitation as though the claim was obvious fact — which it was.

"The Potter Boy…"

He snarled in reply. The strength of his voice encouraged by his anger with the situation. 'How could this have happened? Defeated by a child! A mere child that hardly possessed the strength to stand on their own two feet. He was the Dark Lord for Merlin's sake…' He thought to himself, in an attempt to come to terms with the news.

"I saw it myself. The boy deflected the killing curse with ease, and the Dark Lord was too shocked to respond, or even move out to the way"

He added in an almost withdrawn tone as his mind reflected on the events that occurred prior to the meeting.

"DEFLECTED!"

Roared the crowd of Death Eater's before him. However, the voices of three men stood out the most in the crowded room.

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Nott cried out in rage as his seat was pushed backwards and abandoned. A loud thump could be heard both from the chair, and the balled fists of his meaty hands as they slammed into the oak table to make a point of the absurdity.

"There must be a mistake!"

Avery exclaimed indigently. His forest-toned hues flickered around the room in hope that the others would support him, because the idea that a mere child could defeat the 'greatest Dark Lord' in history was absurd. It was impossible! Their master couldn't be dead, could he?

"No one has ever survived or deflected the curse before Lucius. It's called the killing curse for a reason. It is impossible to beat…"

Snape concurred as his inky-black hues narrowed. He glared at his fellow Death Eater, and one time friend with his usual 'Prince' scowl plastered across his face.

"This entire matter is absurd!"

He announced. He was the only one that dared to turn away from the others and head towards the door, in spite of the fact, that he'd been there too. He knew the truth. However, for now, needed to act the part of warily, disbelieving servant.

"It's true. Or do you doubt me as well, Severus. Here, I thought that we were friends…"

The platinum blond Death Eater snarled viciously in response. He glared at the back of Snape's head as the other moved towards the door only to pause as if frozen in fear. Snape twitched from his fixed position as his mind reflected on the others words, in order to contemplate his next move. In a swift motion the potion's master turned on his heel to face the other once-more, and arrogantly replied.

"Yes! As a matter of fact I am. And, we were never friends, Lucius. I am after all a half-blood, and a Malfoy never lowers himself to comply with tainted blood…"

He challenged before a turn on the heel had him headed towards the door once-more. Severus froze in between the frame, half inside the room and half out. His calloused hand clasped onto the wood for strength.

"Obviously your eyes deceived you, because you are WRONG. No Dark Lord could be defeated by a child…"

Severus empathised the word 'wrong' to stress the fact.

"The Dark Lord can't be dead, and he definitely couldn't have perished at the hands of fourteen month old CHILD! Let alone that spawn of Potter's…"

He sneered.

"I refused to believe it!" He snapped and left in a fuss.

The others from the inner circle stared at the door in shock. They had never seen Severus attack or accuse Lucius of anything like that before. However, they couldn't deny that Snape had a point. The idea that a child could defeat one of the most powerful wizards in the world was preposterous and most likely untrue. Well, they hoped it was untrue. After all, if it wasn't, could they really say that Voldemort was truely a Dark Lord?

The silence was impregnable and eery as the group stared at the door with blank and unreadable expressions. Most of them waited for someone to speak while others waited for the Dark Lord to return, but nothing happened.

8 months later

The fair-haired pureblood rested by the fire-place in his study. His watchful almond-shaped orbs fixated on the yellowish-orange glow that radiated off of the wood that burned under the heat of the dancing flames. His head was inclined towards his desk as his hues flickered towards the folded letter that sat expectantly on his desk — It begged to be opened. An owl had delivered it several hours earlier after the Potter Will had been read. It had been addressed to him and sent by Lily Potter nee Evans. Obviously, there had been a mistake of some kind. After all, the pair had been on opposite sides of the war, and rarely spoke while at Hogwarts. However, in spite of plausible deniability — there was no mistake — which begged the question…

…Why had Lily written and sent him the belated letter?

Lucius had pondered this for several hours. He'd thought about it throughout dinner — and now with drink in hand — questioned it. He cursed his curious nature as the 'need-to-know' won out. The man summoned the letter with little effort — no more than a flick of the wrist and observed the aged piece of parchment in hand. He made sure that the piece wasn't cursed and didn't hold a hidden hex as that would be quite unfortunate. Once the parchment had been approved the man slowly unfolded the letter, and scanned the text hidden on the page.

Dear Lucius,

You must be surprised to receive this letter. Especially from me. However, there is something I must tell you. I had wanted to tell you sooner — However, I had been bound by a promise to withhold the truth until death.

Twelve months ago, the Order of the Phoenix raided your manor in hope of catching the Dark Lord. Several sources had claimed that he'd set up residence in your household — and conducted his practices within the confines of the manor. However, when the order arrived there was nothing incriminating. No Dark Lord. No Death Eater's. James and Sirius had been furious. They believed that the raid would — and I quote — 'put an end to the darkness'.

Lucius smiled at the thought — as the man had been tipped off hours before the raid and hidden the Dark Lord elsewhere.

Although, the group never found the Dark Lord. They did stumble across two sleeping babies. One with an unusually large magical core. Dumbledore had been the one to suggest the brutish idea — which of course — James and Sirius backed in their anger. Lucius…

…Orion Serpens Salazar Malfoy didn't die that night but was instead stolen. Dumbledore charmed a pillow to look like the babe and started a fire in the nursery. James fled with Orion while Sirius claimed to have saved Draco. The three of them had planned on killing the child until Dumbledore had uttered a false prophecy that claimed that Orion would be the one to defeat the Dark Lord. Of course, he'd planned on training the child to be a weapon of mass destruction to defeat the Dark Lord — and be killed afterwards.

Dumbledore had arranged it with James so that Orion would be charmed to look like a mixture of James and myself so that we could raise him as our own until he'd reached the age of eleven — from there he'd be turned into a weapon. I only agreed as my own child — Harry — had died of wizard influenza a few hours before. I wanted someone to replace him — someone to love and cherish. I know it was selfish of me but I needed someone to fill the void.

It's wrong of them, of us to do what we did to you and your family, and I begged your forgiveness, though I don't expect to receive it. It was an unforgivable crime. I am truly sorry, but please understand that if you receive this letter it means that James and I have been murdered; and if by chance Harry Orion is still alive. He will no longer have a guardian or someone to fend for him, unless Dumbledore states a claim to him - Which I am sure you would not want. Please find him. Please love him.

Lily.

The letter slowly slipped through the elders fingertips as his shoulder slumped forwards and body sunk back into the worn leather chair he'd deposited himself on earlier. While he'd felt rage at the start of the letter, and shock thought the middle — all the man felt now was happiness. 'Orion was alive. My youngest son was alive'. The thought echoed throughout his cranium for some time as his mind attempted to recover from the shock and calm down. He let out a withered breath. One the man didn't know he'd held onto since the start of the letter. He could hear his heart pound inside of his chest as his mercury-toned hues brightened several shades. The pair of orbs flickered towards the small moving photo stationed on the book shelf in the corner of the room. It was the last photo they'd taken of Orion before he'd died. No — Not died. He'd been stolen.

HE. WAS. ALIVE.

It was the last thought he'd had before his body moved on instinct. His mind gushed with happiness as his form flickered to the other side of the room and down the spiralling staircase. He crossed the living area to the floo in all but a second.

"I'm coming, Orion…"

He cried out in earnest as his hand reached out for the flow powder in the silver pot urn beside him. Without hesitation, the platinum blond wizard stepped into the fire place and banished the powder with a shout—

"PRINCE MANOR"

He exclaimed before disappearing in a band of green flames.