I haven't written a non-crossover story in forever! I only have a few chapters written so far but this is an idea I've had kicking around for a while.
Chapter 1: The Boy Who Vanished
Bellatrix grinned in manic glee as she fired curses into the chaos surrounding her. Her black curls and equally black robes whipped around her as she slashed her wand towards yet another foe in the deadly dance she loved so much. She laughed as the curse struck its target causing the other wizard to drop to the floor and throw up his own intestines.
This was where she belonged. In the midst of a fierce battle, fighting against those who opposed the Dark and her most precious Lord. This particular battle was even more momentous than those that had come before it. Their forces had finally gained access to the last remaining stronghold of the Order of the Phoenix left in the United Kingdom. The Order of the Phoenix was the last bit of the resistance of those who still opposed the Dark Lord. Their Lord had personally joined this battle to take part in exterminating the last of the vermin. It was always more thrilling for Bellatrix to be able to fight alongside her Lord.
Tonight was the culmination of years of hard work. Tonight their efforts would finally be realized. It was oddly appropriate that the Dark would finally defeat those last pitiful few who still opposed him on a Samhain night. Tonight they would finally take complete control over wizarding Britain, and the Dark Lord would reign supreme, as it should be.
The Dark Lord had had control of the Ministry of Magic for nearly five years now. However, due to the infuriating efforts of the blood traitors and mudbloods under the direction of the doddering old fool, Albus Dumbledore, there was still a small fragment of opposition to the Dark Lord's glorious rule. But not after tonight. Tonight was the end of the muggle-loving fools.
Hogwarts had fallen to the Dark Lord's rule over a year prior. The Dark Lord had wanted it much earlier but Dumbledore's interference, and hold over the wards had kept the Dark Lord's forces out. Now, without the protection afforded by the old castle there was only a small pocket of those who opposed the Dark Lord left. All the others were dead, had fled, or conceded to rightful rule the Dark Lord.
Tonight was the end of the stain on the might of wizard superiority. It was the end of blood traitors, muggle lovers, and mudbloods in wizarding Britain.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the traitors had some advanced warning to their attack as not all of the traitors were present, and some had managed to escape before the Dark Lord could get the anti-apparation and portkey wards up. It looked like the Death Eaters also had a spy in their midst, and they had managed to tip off their enemy to the attack. Bellatrix was more than certain that their Lord would find this traitor, and their Lord would appropriately punish whoever it was.
Bellatrix's grin sharpened with vicious anticipation. The young wizard she was dueling shuddered in fear at the crazed elation on Bellatrix's face. The momentary freezing was the only window of opportunity Bellatrix needed. She cast the Killing Curse with an ease born of malice and repeated use, dispatching her opponent in a flash of green light.
Bellatrix casually swept over her felled enemy in search of the next.
"Slow down, Bella. Save some for the rest of us," Rodolphus, her husband, chided good-naturedly.
Rodolphus was a large man. He was a tall man with broad shoulders, and a well-muscled physique that wasn't common in wizards. Wizards tended to be leaner as muscle wasn't as necessary when one had magic. His hair was a thick, dark auburn hair that fell straight to his chin. At the moment it was pulled back into a low ponytail to better accommodate for the battle. He had straight almost fierce features that were a tad too sharp to be traditionally handsome. His artfully styled goatee only added to his severe appearance. The most arresting thing about him were his golden-yellow hawk-like eyes.
While Bellatrix in no way shape or form romantically loved her husband, not when all of her love belonged to her Lord, they were friends. One could even call them best friends if one was a sentimental fool. Rodolphus Lestrange's even-tempered nature was certainly the perfect foil for her own fiery passion. He kept her grounded, and she pushed him. They always watched one another's backs when in a duel, and the two of them were unstoppable together.
"You keep up," she snapped back.
Her gaze swept over the battle, searching for her Lord. She knew he wanted to confront Dumbledore himself but Bellatrix hadn't seen the muggle lover anywhere. It seemed the Order's brave and benevolent leader had abandoned his flock in their moment of need.
Bellatrix pushed deeper into the building. The remaining Order members were overwhelmed, and obviously only staving off the inevitable. Most of them were just trying to escape now. Not that they could possibly stand a chance to do so due to the powerful anti-apparation and portkey wards their Lord cast upon arrival. They didn't stand a chance against the greater numbers of the Death Eaters.
Bellatrix pushed through the old manor house, taking out any who were stupid enough to get between her and her mission to find her Lord. Eventually she located her Lord by catching the residual energy of the delicious darkness of his magic. No other's magic could ever compare to the rich and powerful darkness of her Lord's.
Her Lord was in one of the back rooms lazily pointing his wand at the trembling form of a brunette haired young witch. It took Bellatrix only a moment to place her: McKinnon. Marlene McKinnon to be exact, she was a pureblood but a brash Gryffindor and a muggle loving blood traitor. Bellatrix knew of her due to the fact that she was a friend of Bellatrix's disgraceful cousin, Sirius. Her cousin and all of his little Gryffindor friends had joined Dumbledore's resistance. As had her shameful sister, Andromeda. Her sister's betrayal was not a subject she wished to dwell on at the glorious moment of their triumph.
Come to think of it she had not seen hide nor hair of her traitorous cousin or any of his little band of friends anywhere in the Order headquarters. It was a little concerning. What were they up to that had led from their safe house? It also would have been nice to duel, and personally remove the stain to the Black family name.
McKinnon was standing protectively in front of a chubby toddler in a crib. Bellatrix only caught a glimpse of messy black hair before the blood traitor shifted to better shield the baby with her own body. Bellatrix grinned at the opportunity being presented. She recognized that messy head of hair. It was Potter hair.
But who was the mother? Was it McKinnon? Bellatrix didn't think so despite the young witch's protective stance in front of the baby.
James Potter had been obsessed with the mudblood, Lily Evans, since they were in Hogwarts. This hadn't changed when they graduated, and joined the Order. Evans and Potter had been seen on the battlefield multiple times together. Bellatrix had personally witnessed the care and attention that they showed one another during battles, and had attempted to exploit it for her own gain. She grudgingly had to admit they were impressive when working together much like herself and Rodolphus. They had even escaped the Dark Lord's capture several times. Not an easy feat.
Evans and Potter had been underground since they graduated from Hogwarts, which happened to be the year that the Dark Lord had taken complete control of the Ministry of Magic. The Dark Lord and the Death Eaters had been slowly infiltrating the Ministry for years before that but they had taken total control almost five years prior.
McKinnon stood tall, glaring defiantly at the Dark Lord even though the Dark Lord had already divested her of her wand. Only the slight trembling of her frame betrayed the fear she was feeling. Gryffindors, they were always so idiotically brave even at the very end.
"It seems you were left behind, Miss McKinnon. Have your brave friends and your noble, glorious leader abandoned you?" the Dark Lord drawled silkily, red eyes glittering with twisted amusement.
"They would never," McKinnon spat.
The Dark Lord's only acknowledgement of Bellatrix's arrival was a brief nod. Bellatrix was thrilled that he was going to allow her to stay to witness whatever plan he had for the blood traitor and the child. No doubt her Lord was disappointed that he hadn't gotten the chance to finally end Dumbledore, and planned to take it out on the one who was left behind.
The old fool would live to fight for muggles and mudbloods another day. Unfortunately.
Bellatrix loved her Lord with everything she possessed. He was beautiful in everyway to her. Many often got stuck on his physical beauty. Yes, his features were physically flawless with their sharp, elegant lines that provided him with an otherworldly beauty. He possessed thick, curling black hair that always seemed to be perfectly in place even in the heat of the fiercest battles. His physical form was tall and graced with powerful, lean muscles. But there was so much more to him than his physical appearance, and Bellatrix would have loved him even if was physically repulsive.
Never before had there been anyone like him. He was the champion of the Dark. More powerful, intelligent, and ruthless than any that had come before him. That was why he would succeed where so many others had failed. This was why Bellatrix loved him, and would always be his fiercest and most loyal follower.
"Yet, they are not here, and you are left all by yourself. Well, not entirely by yourself," the Dark Lord smirked. "Who is it that you are protecting so fiercely?"
McKinnon jutted her chin stubbornly, her lips firmly sealed.
"Let's see, he must be Potter's spawn. Who is his mother is the question. You? No, I don't think Potter would betray that mudblood of his," the Dark Lord mused.
"Don't call her that," McKinnon snarled, despite the tears forming in her eyes.
"I'll call her what I please. Now tell me, where have your fellows fled?" the Dark Lord demanded.
"Gone. I don't know where they've gone. You can torture me all you like but I can't tell you what I don't know. They'll live to fight you another day," McKinnon announced proudly.
"To die another day," the Dark Lord corrected. "Legilimens."
The brunette blood traitor screamed as the Dark Lord's spell hit her. Her body shuddered as the Dark Lord's glittering ruby eyes kept her pinned on her feet. The baby began to cry as he heard the whimpers of the witch. After only a few moments the Dark Lord released McKinnon. She dropped to her knees, her body unable to hold itself upright after experiencing the might of the Dark Lord's mind.
"You are telling the truth. You know nothing of importance. Clever Dumbledore to only give pieces, and not the entire picture. So what shall I do with you and the Potter child?"
Bellatrix chuckled at the Dark Lord's musings, drawing the attention of the blood traitor. The brunette jerked in surprise obviously not having realized that anyone else had joined them. Bellatrix smirked as the younger woman tensed further and pushed herself onto her shaky feet in order to shield the child once more.
"I suppose I will let you live, Marlene McKinnon. You are a pureblood witch, adequately powerful and intelligent. We need all the magical blood we can get. All you need to do is step aside," the Dark Lord offered, a taunting light in his crimson eyes.
Bellatrix frowned. Her Lord wouldn't really let this blood traitor live would he? No, it had to be some sort of mind game he was playing. Perhaps he was angrier about Dumbledore slipping between his fingers than he let on, and needed to amuse himself to cheer himself up.
"No, I won't let you kill my godson," McKinnon firmed her stance.
"You may live, be a part of the empire I am creating, all you need to do is take a step to your left," the Dark Lord mocked.
"Please, not Harry. I'll do anything. Not Harry," McKinnon begged.
The Dark Lord sighed, obviously becoming bored with the game almost as quickly as he had created it. The Dark Lord was known for his mercurial moods.
"One more chance. Stand aside."
"No," the brunette stated firmly.
"If you insist. Avada Kedavra!" the Dark Lord cast the spell faster than Bellatrix had thought possible. She should have known better, her Lord was always capable of the impossible.
A flash of green light engulfed the brunette blood traitor, and in the next instance she crashed to the floor like an inferi whose master had cut the spell.
The toddler with Potter's messy mop of black hair began to cry once more as he stared at the still form of his caretaker with emerald green eyes. The boy's small hands gripped the bars of the crib to hold himself up on wobbly legs. The Dark Lord turned his attention to the crying baby boy.
"Avada Kedavra," the Dark Lord cried again without even a hint of hesitation.
For the second time in less than a minute a flash of green filled the room. However, this time it was different. The curse had successfully found its target. The green spell struck the toddler. Then beyond reasoning the curse rebounded, and went flying straight back at the Dark Lord. Bellatrix could only watch in frozen horror as the green curse slammed into her Lord's chest.
The backlash of the rebounded Killing Curse caused both the Dark Lord and Bellatrix to go flying. Bellatrix slammed into the floor, her head hit the hard wood, and she lost consciousness.
There was no way to know how long she had been out but any amount of time was too long. She had to get to her Lord. By sheer force of will she managed to claw her way back to the waking world. Bellatrix was shocked and disoriented but she quickly forced herself into a sitting position. She had to make sure that he was all right. Her own pain and health didn't matter. Only getting to her Lord mattered.
Her eyes quickly locked onto the sickeningly still form of her Lord several meters from his position before the impact. A great cloud of writhing darkness hovered over the body of her Lord with a small tendril of darkness connecting it to the Dark Lord's body. Bellatrix couldn't fathom whether or not the cloud meant something good or bad for her Lord. Before she could make a decision the darkness seemed to condense itself and then merged with the Dark Lord's body.
For a moment everything was still. Then her Lord gasped. His ruby red eyes shot open, and he jerked upward into a sitting position.
"Bellatrix!" he rasped, his breathing harsh as he clutched at his chest.
"My Lord!" she cried, crawling as quickly as she could to his side. Her own pain meant nothing.
"The boy?" he demanded as he continued to pant, looking far more shaken than she had ever seen him. His limbs were trembling, and he seemed to be straining to stay conscious by pure force of his indomitable will.
Bellatrix glanced over. She hadn't given the toddler a second thought. Her main priority was always her Lord. But sure enough the baby was inexplicably still alive. He was unconscious but his small chest still rose and fell signaling that he still lived.
"He lives, my Lord," Bellatrix answered promptly.
"Bring him to me," the Dark Lord commanded.
Bellatrix didn't understand what had just happened or why her Lord would want the baby. However, she was always quick to obey her Lord's orders, and she wasn't about to stop now. It certainly wasn't her place to question him.
She needed to be especially quick now. Her Lord was in pain and needed her now more than ever. Bellatrix quickly ran to scoop up the boy. He was young, around the same age as her own nephew, Draco, and small enough for her to carry easily. She was back at her Lord's side within moments with the toddler.
"Give me the boy. I must return to my manor immediately. I will trust you to finish up matters here. Destroy the building, however, keep a few of the Order members alive for questioning. Some of them must have an idea of which country Dumbledore would have fled to," the Dark Lord commanded.
"Of course, my Lord," Bellatrix nodded in assent, and handed him the unconscious child.
She wanted to argue, and ask after his health, insist she bring him directly to a healer even. Bellatrix knew that thought was irrational. The Dark Lord could take care of himself better than any healer ever could even after an event as unfathomable as the one she had just witnessed. If anyone would know what to do after such an inexplicable magical occurrence it would be her Lord. He also would not appreciate her arguing with him. The Dark Lord knew best after all, and didn't like his orders being questioned.
She watched as her Lord activated his portkey specially created to allow him and him alone to pass through the wards of his home. At least he would be safe, and would be able to ascertain his health. No doubt he needed to take the boy in order to understand what exactly had happened.
Pushing the event from her mind for the moment, Bellatrix went to complete her Lord's last command.
It took a depressingly short amount of time to subdue or kill the remaining few Order members. No matter how much they were tortured none of those still living could tell them where the other Order members or their revered leader had gone. None of them knew who it had been to warn them about the impending attack. The only thing they knew was that the plan was to flee the country as quickly as they could. There were so few here at this headquarters because members were preparing their new headquarters. None of the remaining members knew which country they were even fleeing to.
Bellatrix was eager to depart, and left the remaining prisoners in Rodolphus' capable hands so that she might check on the status of her Lord.
She quickly made her way to Dark Lord's grand manor. Only the Inner Circle Death Eaters knew the location of the Dark Lord's private manor. Lower tier Death Eaters could only access the manor through a portkey made by the Dark Lord himself or when directly summoned through their dark mark.
Even Inner Circle Death Eaters couldn't just enter the manor whenever they wanted. They were only granted access through their dark marks when called for missions or meetings.
Bellatrix was relieved that she still had access to the manor. The large double doors to the mansion swung open as soon as she approached. Once in the foyer Bellatrix wavered for a moment. Her desire to check on her Lord warred with the knowledge that her Lord would not appreciate being burst in on.
The sharp cries of a child helped to make her decision. Following the sounds of the crying she found herself standing outside the Dark Lord's office. The door was open, and inside her Lord was sitting behind his grand mahogany desk reading a piece of parchment. He appeared unharmed. The Potter boy was standing up in a crib that the Dark Lord must have transfigured, as Bellatrix was certain that before now a crib had never graced the Dark Lord's manor before.
Tears were still leaking from large emerald green eyes but the sobbing had mostly stopped. A small floating snake that her Lord had conjured entranced the boy, and had halted his cries. An angry red wound, bizarrely in the shape of a lightning bolt, sat on the small child's forehead where there hadn't been one before. It must have been the spot where the Killing Curse had struck the half-blood boy. The questioning of the remaining Order of the Phoenix members had confirmed Potter had married the mudblood Evans to produce the child. Harry Potter was the boy's name.
"My Lord?" Bellatrix murmured timidly.
The Dark Lord lifted his head from the papers he was reading, not appearing at all surprised to see her.
"Did you get anything out of the Order members?" the Dark Lord questioned.
Bellatrix quickly relayed the small amount of information they had received from the remaining Order members.
"We left three alive, if you would like to interrogate them personally, my Lord," ended her report.
"Have them brought to the dungeons. We will have to contact our allies in the neighboring countries as soon as possible to see where our wayward members of the Order of the Phoenix have flown off to," the Dark Lord said tapping his fingers across his desk.
"Not very Gryffindorish of them, my Lord," Bellatrix dared to point out.
"No, certainly not."
Bellatrix was thrilled to see that her comment had inspired a small smile to form on her Lord's lips for a brief moment.
The Dark Lord's gaze strayed to the form of the Potter boy in the crib. The boy was still enthralled with watching the little conjured snake, and was attempting to grab at it with his chubby hands. Bellatrix wanted to ask what had happened, how the boy or her Lord had survived the ordeal but she did not dare intrude in her Lord's private business. He would tell her if she needed to know. She was just pleased to see that her Lord was all right.
"Bellatrix?" the Dark Lord called, not removing his eyes from the small boy.
"Yes, my Lord," Bellatrix responded.
"You are one of my most loyal servants. While still young you have quickly worked your way to top of my ranks. You have never failed in any mission I have given you. You are a powerful and knowledgeable dark witch who has never wavered in your conviction and support of me," the Dark Lord stated.
Bellatrix felt a spark of warmth surge through her at the Dark Lord's plainly stated words. Never before had he so obviously praised her, and it left her feeling slightly light headed.
"Thank you, my Lord. I am simply thrilled to be a part of the grand empire you are crafting," Bellatrix managed to get out without her voice trembling.
"Your loyalty and dedication is why I know I can trust you," the Dark Lord's eyes were now solely focused on her, and it left her breathless.
"Of course, my Lord, I am your loyal servant. I will happily do anything you ask of me," Bellatrix swore.
"I know you will, and this is why I am going to share this information with you," the Dark Lord explained. "The Potter boy, you witnessed what occurred between us."
Bellatrix nodded even though it hadn't been a question.
"What happened was a magical anomaly, nothing more. It will never happen again."
Again Bellatrix nodded. Of course it was an anomaly. There was nothing that a half-blood infant could have consciously done to survive the Killing Curse cast by the most powerful wizard in history.
"The incident allowed me to test my own methods of immortality. It was successful of course. However, it has had an unfortunate side effect. It has irrevocably tied the child and myself together. I am not going to tell you the specifics. Not because I do not trust you, it is simply something that I am not willing to share with any other living being.
"The child and I are bound together. I cannot kill the boy without causing harm to myself. In fact his protection and wellbeing must be ensured. At first I was uncertain in how to proceed as children are certainly not my forte. However, I have come to the conclusion that it would be unwise to simply lock him away when he can be used," the Dark Lord's eyes were still focused on her.
Bellatrix was thrilled at being the focus of his attention for so long that it took her a moment to absorb the information. The very idea of her Lord being tied to the half blood child of Dumbledore's little followers left her sick. It made her want to destroy the child yet the Dark Lord said it would harm him. She would never do anything that might harm her Lord.
"I mean to raise the boy as my own child," the Dark Lord stated.
"My Lord?" Bellatrix gasped.
This was the last thing she had ever expected the Dark Lord to say.
"I am going to raise the Potter boy as my son. He carries a part of me within him. I have decided the best way to ensure his safety and loyalty is if I raised him myself," the Dark Lord steepled his fingers.
"Of course, my Lord. No one would be more capable of raising him to be a great wizard," Bellatrix rushed to reassure him even if she herself couldn't understand how he could even possibly consider it.
Bellatrix and her husband had discovered that they were both incapable of having children. She had not mourned this fact. Being a mother meant taking more time away from her Dark Lord and their cause. Rodolphus, while dedicated to their mission, had been greatly disappointed. He had tried to hide it. But Bellatrix knew her husband, and she knew he would have liked to have a child. She supposed it would have been nice to have someone to pass on her knowledge and ideals to. Someone to continue her fight after she was gone.
"Yes, I will raise him to be loyal to the Dark, to me. After all he is merely an infant. There hasn't been any time for his foolish parents to fill his head full of their muggle ideals and the supposed evil of Dark Magic. You could help me raise him to be a great asset to the Dark. I can think of many things you would be able to teach him," the Dark Lord crooned in a silky voice.
Bellatrix was surprised the Dark Lord had suggested she help in rearing the boy. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of it. The Potter boy held a piece of her Lord inside him. In her eyes it easily elevated him beyond the status of his dirty blood. It made him someone important, someone worthy. If there was any child she could find within herself to care for it would be the child who contained a piece of her beloved Dark Lord.
Bellatrix could see it all now. It would provide her with further glory to raise a boy who was so closely linked to her Lord. It would elevate her status when her Lord saw what good care she took with the child he had entrusted her with. The child needed to be protected in order to protect her Lord. Bellatrix didn't want to be a mother. But the thought of anyone else getting to raise and care for the child who was part of the Dark Lord left her seething. Helping the Dark Lord raise the child would be akin to having a family with him, which was a dream from her most secret fantasies.
For her Lord she would help him raise the half-blood child of blood traitors. She would instruct the boy in becoming an incredible asset to the Dark in order to deserve the gift of having such a connection to the Dark Lord.
"I would be grateful for this honor, my Lord. I will care for the boy and teach him all that I know. I will foster in him loyalty and passion for the Dark," Bellatrix vowed.
"Wonderful. Now, go. Speak of this to no one. I will tell those I choose when I choose of this development. Place the prisoners in the dungeons. Tell the others we will reconvene for a meeting tomorrow promptly at three to discuss the events of today and our plans for the future," the Dark Lord climbed to his feet.
"It will be done, my Lord," Bellatrix promised.
The Dark Lord nodded his approval.
Bellatrix didn't wait any longer. She turned on her heel and quickly left the manor behind. She apparated back to the former headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix where the Death Eaters were still sweeping through the house, searching for clues and taking note of those who had been slain. The only notable deaths were Frank Longbottom and one of the Prewett twins. They weren't sure if it was Fabian or Gideon. The other members hadn't been as active or as much of a threat.
Bellatrix quickly gathered the Death Eaters and relayed the Dark Lord's orders. She joined her husband and the two of them returned to Lestrange Manor.
This final victory was cause for a great celebration. Unlike the others, Bellatrix couldn't allow herself to join in the merriment. Her thoughts were with her Lord, and the child who was now irrevocably connected to the most powerful man in the world.
