Why do we whisper when we speak of the dead? Because they may be listening.

Unknown Location, 1975

Th faint sounds of many footsteps alerted the Dark Lord to the arrival of his guests. They where unorganized, furious and sounded of struggle. He allowed a faint smile to curve his lips as he ran his fingers along the thin wooden stuck in his hand. It was not often that Lord Voldemort's plans where carried out perfectly by his followers, but this assignment of upmost importance has fallen into place perfectly.

The footsteps got steadily closer until they where right outside the room he currently resided In. They did not cease as the door opened and slammed into the wall it was adjacent too. The shadowed room was flooded with light and noise as his prize and his captors entered.

"Stop struggling you insolent blood-traitor!" The shriek whipped from the mouth of Bellatrix Lestrange, The dark lord's most loyal and trusted follower. "You are in the presence of the Dark Lord!"

The prisoner at once stopped struggling and the room grew very silent. Voldemort could feel the mans's breathe catch, every muscle in his body freeze, and his eyes widen.

He relished that the man was so utterly petrified of him at this moment.

"T-the Dark Lord?" The man sputtered, barely able to put the words together, "I have done nothing against you people or your cause! P-please!"

The sound of a vicious slap to the face ricocheted off the walls. Bellatrix raised her hand for yet another, her evil eyes filling with utter insanity as she brought the back of her hand down on the mans face again.

"That's enough, Bellatrix." Voldemort whispered. He stood up, taking his time to turn around and finally survey the situation at the opposite of his long meeting table.

Bellatrix held her and firmly on the shoulder of the man, smiling adoringly at her master. On the other side of him stood the stone-face Lucius Malfoy, he holding his wands tip to the temple of their prisoner.

The prisoner himself was a very short man with dirty blonde hair that stuck out in many direction, his eyes appearing to be twice as large as they should thanks to his spectacles. He was disheveled from the struggle it took to bring him all the way, and his robes where torn and he had very large bloodstains in many places.

He was now sobbing, his worst fears confirmed as it appeared that one of the evilest wizards in history was simply a table away.

"Shut the door, if you please, Malfoy." Voldemort said, his voice laced with false, threatening politeness. As Lucius moved to do as he was told, Voldemort moved slowly closer to the other side of the black table, twisting his wand in his hands as he strolled.

"Take a seat, Mr. Trelawney." Voldemort said with a smile that revealed his lsightly pointed teeth, gesturing to the seat to his left. Before he had even finished his sentence, Bellatrix had shoved him roughly down onto the seat.

The prisoner spluttered, straightening his goggles as he attempted to right himself, though The witch continued to hold him down.

"There is no need for that, Bellatrix. He is our guest." Despite this, Lestrange continued to hold him down, glaring at him.

"Bellatrix. Do what you are told!" Voldemort barked, the patience in his voice now gone. She moved back, folding her arms and pouting.

Voldemort starred at her for a second, calculating before turning to the man, his smile returned. "Can I have Lucius get you something? Maybe some tea?" The tone in the Dark lords voice, while polite , indicated that Trelawney better not take him up on that.

Trelawney, unable to find words as he stared at the man, tears flooding down his face, shook his head. Voldemort nodded and took the seat diagonal from him, never breaking eye contact.

"Have you any thoughts, seer?" Voldemort pressed, grinning. "Feel free to speak, I will not interrupt."

Trelawney gasped and spluttered as he straightened his spectacles. He was now visibly shaking, staring at the foot and a half of space between him and the most feared man On The planet.

"Speak." Voldemort said, cocking his head slightly and tapping his wand, his gaze hardening in impatience.

Trelawney looked from Voldemort to Bellatrix, and then craned his neck to Lucius, as if weighing some odds. He turned back, eyes wide but still refusing to meet them with the unbroken stare of Voldemort's.

"I-I don't understand. I have no vital information, I have not witnessed any-"

"It's not what you've seen, Seer." Voldemort stated, going back on his previous promise of no interruptions. "It's what you see."

From his robes he produced a crystal ball, rolling it to the flabbergasted wizard until it came to an unnatural stop in front of him.

"What do you see in my future, seer? Shall I prevail over this foe prophesied by your sister?"

Trelawney could now see what the dark lord was up to. He was trying to cheat, to see the future before it happened. He again adjusted his spectacles, looking from the smoky ball and back to the dark lord.

"I cannot simply see..." He squeaked, "It's a complicated process-"

"Trelawney." Voldemort started, maintaining his patience although he was already clearly frustrated. "What do you see?"

Trelawney hiccuped once, twice, and than stared into the crystal ball through his wetted eyes. After a few minutes, his eyes glazed over and he appeared to be whispering to himself.

A few eternity-long minutes later, the seer returned to the present and he stared at Voldemort.

"You...you will get your war. Two, in fact." Trelawney whispered, "I cannot determine who,will live and who will die, but he-your foe-will succeed in something...significant."

The evil wizard's smile had been growing, but now his gaze was serious. "Elaborate."

Trelawney appeared to be suppressing the urge to bolt. He fidgeted uncomfortably and now refused to even look at the Dark Lord at all.

"You are not immortal, Tom Riddle." Bellatrix snarled at the short man for using this name, but Voldmort held a hand to silence her, his face now emotionless as he stared at the seer before him.

Trewalaney gulped and opened his mouth to continue, "No matter how many hiding places you find, no matter how well you strategize, he will destroy every piece of soul you've hidden."

The room fell silent and all eyes fell on Voldemort. He was clenching his jaw, a storm brewing behind his eyes. Lucius and Bellateix began to brace themselves, predicting that their master would not hold back his displeasure.

They could not have been more right.

"Repeat that." Voldemort whispered, now slowly getting to his feet.

Trelawney, now absolutely terrified, began to scoot as far from the dark wizard as the chair would allow.

"SAY IT AGAIN!" Voldemort shouted, bringing his wand down, shattering the chair the seer sat in.

The seer began to scoot away from the Dark lord, crawling backwards as fast as he could before his back hit the door. He fearfully clutched one of the legs of the chair he had sat in, holding it in front if him, as if it would defend him. "He will destroy all your horcruxes! It cannot be stopped!"

Voldemort screamed loudly, vocalizing his rage into a single spell as he jabbed his wand at Trelawney. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The green light illuminated the room for a split second before hitting the poor soul that was Redalious Trelawney, draining his life in an instant.

The Dark Lord was still not satisfied, however, and he whipped his wand around to Lucius. "Crucio!" Voldemort hissed.

Lucius let out a blood curling scream. Falling to the floor, he writhed about as wave after wave of pure pain assaulted every nerve he possessed. It was only a few seconds before the Death Eater passed out, although Voldemort kept his wand on the twitching body for a few more moments.

He whipped around to face Bellatrix, who flinched visibly, bringing her hands up to cover her face as she backed into a corner. Voldemort stopped short however, relaxing his snarl and lowering his wand.

Bellatrix, after waiting a few seconds, peeked between her fingers. Her beloved master was now simply staring at her, the gears in his head turning, his cat-like eyes calculating

"There must be another way.." He whispered, locking red eyes with the violet ones of his second-in-command. "To live forever..."

Lestrange Manor, 1996

Bellatrix was no stranger to pacing. She had done it a million times over; she lived a very stressful life.

But today was different, today was worse.

She had failed the Dark Lord for the last time. This was it, she was sure.

She sat herself into one of the rocking chairs that faced the large window that exhibited their luxurious garden. This often worked in the way of calming her down, but it was of no avail.

She stared for a while, before she began to notice something peculiar. Smoke was rising from her garden. It was just a small heat, the grass fifty feet out singing. She rose slowly, unsure of what to do.

She heard the footsteps of her husband behind her, but she made no move to greet him as he stood next to her, clearly trying to find what she was looking at.

It didn't take long. "Bloody Hell!" He yelled, "Our Garden is on fire!" He made a move to the large double front doors a few feet away, but Bellatrix caught his arm, pointing.

They stared as the small flame exploded. Literally exploded. It transformed into a larger blaze before dispersing in all directions, in its place was a wizard, his dark red robes billowing in the wind. He stared directly at where The husband and wife stood before he began a brisk walk for the door.

"My god, it can't be.." Rudolphous whispered, disbelief evident in his face.

"Go!" Bellatrix barked, pointing to the door. "Be ready to answer it, do not keep him waiting."

He complained, running to their large doors and stopping, his hand on the handle.

It was an eternity before a soft knock sounded from the other side of the door.

Rudolphous swung the door open, moving aside to allow the wizard in. "Come in!" He said, trying his best not to show his fear. However, the wizard did not move, he simply stared into the eyes of Lestrange.

Lestrange found himself unable to escape the glare of this red eyed man. He stepped backwards slowly as the wizard stepped in, never breaking eye contact. Finally, after a moment, he smiled. "Good evening Rudolphous. I am here to have a private word with your wife."

Lestrange nodded quickly, pointing in the direction of Bellatrix. Keeping eye contact, the younger wizard smiled wider. "Excellent." He moved out to the side, gesturing out the open door. "Have a pleasant evening."

Rudolphous did not question being kicked out of his own house by this man, he put his head down and took his leave hurriedly.

The new arrival closed the door slowly and smiled at Bellatrix. "Hello, Bella."

Bellatrix took a seat in her rocking chair, swiveling it so it was facing the Young man. She tapped her wand in the air and a small table appeared.

She leaned backwards as the man took off his cape to reveal a simple set of Matching blood red robes. He was taller than her by a few inches, and head wavy dirty blonde hair. Many would say he was handsome, with his angular face and well muscled physique.

"Well, well. I suppose this is not a surprise visit?" She sneered.

"A wizard cannot drop in to see his dear mother?" The wizard asked, his sarcasm mirroring hers as he swiftly approached her, stopping just before the table.

Bellatrix smiled, cocking her head and leaning forwad onto the table. "So are you here to capture or kill me, Arctucus?"

Arctucus smiled, producing a wand from his sleeve and twirling it. "Strictly speaking, I amhere to bring you in." She nodded carefully before she also produced her wand. Avius raised a brow as she layed it on the table and carelessly rolled it towards him.

He made now move to catch it and it fell to the floor, continuing to roll before coming to a stop at his feet. Arctucus smirked, stowing his wand away in his sleeve in a swift motion. "You'd give up that easy?"

She shrugged, examining her nails. "I'm prepared to die. Running from the dark lord would simply prolong my death." Arctucus lowered his eyebrow and stopped to pick up the wand. "I am not here to follow my Father's orders. I'm feeling a bit rebellious tonight."

It was her turn to raise her brow at him. "Come again?" She asked. Arctucus leaned forward so he put most of his weight against the table. "I need your help, Bella. Judgment day is upon us. I must gain an edge."

Bella showed no reaction to this, only leaning back in her chair and cocking an eyebrow. "Is it now? But does the Our Lord not have many good years ahead of him? He is, after all, only 70." She examined her nails cooly, bieng very skilled in the art of staying calm. "Tha child surely can't be this close to killing him yet."

Arctucus stared at her a moment, narrowing his eyes. He was trying to figure her out, to see past the mask she had put up.

"I don't have use for your quick tongue tonight, Bellatrix." Arctucus barked, maneuvering to her immediate right. His patience was spent, he was now conveying a threatening demeanor. "You are not the favorite pet as you used to be, you have no authority to be a sarcastic brat."

He spat the last words before grabbing her roughly by the collar and bringing her face within inches of his. She gasped and tried to struggle away, but his grip held firm. "Listen to me, you ungrateful woman." He snarled, staring her right in the eye as she tried to struggle out of his grip. "You are still alive only because of me. He was going to come here, kill you himself, but I volunteered to do it for him."

He then threw her down to the floor, standing over her menacingly as she propped herself on her arms, staring at him defiantly through the one eye not covered by hair. Arctucus glared at her for a moment, the anger practically radiating from his gaze. However, seconds later, the rage was drained from his eyes and he smiled yet again.

"I'm here to make a buisiness arrangement." He drawled, again producing his wand and began twirling it.

She simply glared back at him, her mind clouded with images of the brutal revenge she would love to take. Arctucus walked slowly over to a shelf which held many, sinister looking tools. "My father has an obsession with the Potter boy." He deadpanned, picking up what appeared to be vampires teeth.

He held them to the light, examining them for a moment before placing them back on their stand. "My father has his war carefully planned out." He continued, curling his lips to a small, sinister smile. "He has the next two years planned down to every tick. He knows exactly when and how he will kill the boy."

Arcturus now procured a chair with his wand and sat down, crossing his legs, never breaking eye contact. "It is a simple face down, a duel, not unlike the one that occurred at my grandfathers grave two years ago." He now leaned forward, propping himself on his knees by the elbows. "It's foolish and stupid. He will lose us the war."

Bellatrix frowned. It was not like one of the four to assume ill of their master, let alone speak out rightly against him.

"Harry Potter has trumped my Father time and time again, in this very setting." Arctucus continued, his smile now gone. "And he will do so again. He was a Slytherin. He should know how to be sneaky, how to manipulate potter in a way that will render him weak, not give him equal ground to stand on."

"I believe that, with your help, we can...educate ourselves on our friend." The young wizard now spoke in a low voice, as if afraid of being listened to. "We know a sorely little of him. We need to know him if we are to beat him."

Bellatrix was now standing, rubbing the dirt off of her robes. "The dark lord has a connection with potter. He can see-"

"I'm well aware of this." He stated. "It is not enough. You would not judge a person's appearance based solely on their right arm."

She strode over to the shelf he had been messing with earlier and straightened the vampire teeth. "What's in it for me?"

Arctucus grinned. "A fair question." He said dramatically. "It would extend your life." He stated.

She raised an eyebrow expectantly, urging him to go on.

He took the hint and elaborated. "I mean to say, once I felt you have given me the information I require, you'd return. I'd vouch for you, and I would gain my fathers favor in the judgement, and you'd return among our ranks."

She laughed at this. "Are you not here on orders to kill me, Arctucus?"

"Yes. The simple excuse is that you got away."

"He will find me."

"I will make it my personal mission to see that he does not."

"You will fail."

His eyes flashed in anger as the stubborn woman effectively pushed his buttons. "Bellatrix! Do as you are told!"

She froze, staring at him for a moment, tightening her jaw. He continued to glare as the rage he felt swirled inside of him.

After a moment he yet again relaxed, running his hand through his wavy brown hair. He switched tactics, now approaching her and grabbing her by the shoulders. "Mother, I know you desire for nothing more than redemption. To be a part of the glorious world he will make for us. This is your best and only chance."

She moved back from him, glaring defiantly at him. After a few seconds, however, her lower lip curled and she bowed her head to hide her face as tears began to flow.

Arctucus smirked, a sinister smile taking shape. "So we have a deal?"

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