Echo Vianne Ignatia LeStrange by DarkCloaks
This story came about as a challenge that was offered on Omnicular. The challenge was "Ginny Weasley is really Bellatrix Lestrange's daughter". Reviews are appreciated !!
Of course, JKR owns it all!!
October 13, 1980
The battlefield filled with the acrid smell of curses hitting their marks, the air was filled with the brightly colored effects of both dark and light spells, and smoke threatened to overwhelm both good and evil. Bellatrix, spying a red haired gentleman who was occupied with the battle, cackled gleefully. She pointed her wand dead center at the man's back screamed, "Stupefy". Slowly, Arthur Weasley collapsed to the floor. As he lost consciousness, he heard the evil laughter of Bellatrix as she stepped up to his still form. His last thought was that of the love of his life, Molly.
Bellatrix stood inside the doorway and gazed upon the still form of Arthur. Normally she took great delight in torturing her victims before killing them during a battle, but in this instance, the only thing on her mind was revenge. Revenge upon the one person she hated most in her world, Molly Prewett
Bellatrix's thoughts went back to her days at Hogwarts. Molly "Perfect" Prewett had been a year ahead of her. Bellatrix, as a pureblood in the house of Slytherin, hated all of the Gryffindor's; but there was something about Prewett that only further enraged Bella. Prewett thought she was better than anyone, especially those that were housed in Slytherin. Whenever Bellatrix made eye contact with Prewett in the classroom or in the corridors, Perfect Prewett had a way of raising her chin, lifting her eyebrows and sniffing at Bella. Oh yes, Molly definitely thought she was so much better than Bella. Bella was not one to be looked down upon. She loathed Molly Prewett with a burning passion and did everything in her power to make her miserable. In third year, Perfect Prewett could not go to the Yule Ball because of an outbreak of boils…and Bella allowed Prewett's dream date to escort her to the ball. In Perfect Prewett's fourth year, the Gryffindors lost the opportunity for the Quidditch Cup when Perfect Prewett's broom "accidentally" caught on fire in the last few minutes of the match. Oh, how glorious it was when the Slytherin seeker caught the snitch, securing the Quidditch Cup, although most of the attention was focused on a certain Perfect Prewett's flaming broom. Bella smiled as she remembered how she had outdone herself during Perfect Prewett's Potions OWL. Bella had targeted a non-descript Griffyndor girl and used the Imperius curse on her. When the time was right and with a well placed spell, Perfect Prewett's cauldron exploded during her potions OWL.
When Bellatrix received the dark mark, she made a promise to herself that one day, one day in the future, she would exact revenge on "Perfect" Prewett for all of the slights she had endured while at Hogwarts. Now she had Perfect Prewett's beloved husband in her clutches and Bella would have her revenge. "Ennerverate" Bella whispered and Arthur groaned as he slowly came to consciousness. Putting him in a body bind, Bella straddled Arthur to gaze into his face. As a skilled Legilimen's, Bella probed Arthur's memory to find out exactly what Molly's heart's desire was. Once she had found and viewed the memory, she quietly chuckled to herself and backed out of Arthur's memories. Double checking to make sure Arthur was secure in the body bind, Bella smiled after leaving instructions with her house elf on how to take care of their prisoner, she apparated to the meeting Lord Voldemort was calling her to.
After a long and grueling evening, the Dark Lord dismissed all of his servants. Severus was exhausted—not only from the earlier attack and subsequent meeting—but also from the rigorous duties he performed as an apprentice Potions Master. Unfortunately, Severus was not going to be able to slip away unnoticed. Bellatrix sought him out immediately after the meeting.
"Severus—a moment of your time?"
Inwardly, Severus sighed but looked up at Bella, his feelings well hidden from this woman. It was well known that Bella was a skilled legilimen's and Bella had no compunction about reading anyone's mind without permission.
"I need your help. I need a couple of delicate potions and you are the only person with the qualifying skills I need. I know you will keep your mouth shut." She said stated with a significant look.
Arching an eyebrow, the potions master's curiosity was now peaked. "What kind of potions are you in need of, Bellatrix? If I remember correctly, your own skills in potion making are very advanced."
Bella smiled and replied, "Let's meet at your place tomorrow evening—this is not the right place to discuss my… needs…. Your abode will provide the necessary privacy I require to discuss this with you. What time is good for you?"
Now truly intrigued, Severus quickly went through a mental rundown of his schedule and told Bella to stop by around 6 p.m. Apparating back to Spinner's End, Severus continued to wonder what it was Bella was up to. Having known Bella for many years, he knew that whoever had crossed Bella was now going to pay an expensive price.
A quiet knock alerted Severus to his guest's arrival. Letting Bella into the foyer, he took her cloak and led her into the dining room. An elf appeared and Severus requested tea for himself and Bella.
"What can I do for you?" he asked Bella getting straight to the point.
Bella, gazing around at the shabbiness of Severus' home and furnishings at first did not hear the question. Her mind was wondering what had happened to the Snape fortune. His was one of the oldest families in the wizarding world and had always been reported to being very well off. Her current surroundings did not seem to support that idea. Bella either ignored or didn't hear his question as she looked around.
Snape crooked an eyebrow, but did not comment on her apparent inattention. He was accustomed to visitors judging his family home and its appearance. "I've ordered tea, would you care to freshen up before tea is served?" he asked, now truly intrigued by Bella's behavior.
"No thank you, just tea is fine," said Bella as she swept down the hallway and into the dining room. Tea appeared just as Bella and Severus were sitting down. After pouring tea and retrieving a scone from the plate, Severus finally took the time to just sit back and look at Bella. Bella didn't seem particularly out of sorts and Severus wondered what was plan she had swimming in her mind. He decided to simply wait her out and let her initiate the conversation.
After several minutes of silence, Bella finally looked up and grinned evilly at him. "Severus, I need two potions from you and I will pay you handsomely for them."
Severus leaned back in his chair steepling his fingers in front of his face and studied her mien. "Two potions?" he inquired smoothly. "And what kind of potions would you be in the market for?"
"I need a potion to make sure a friend will never be able to conceive a baby girl…. And I need to a potion to make sure that I do conceive a girl the next time I have relations with a specific partner. I'm sure you can handle this easily, yes?"
Severus was grateful that he had learned long ago to hide all thoughts and feelings from showing on his face. What on earth was the woman up to? Definitely no good, but what exactly? And did the Dark Lord know of her plans or was this a personal issue? "Bella, would you care to enlighten me as to what you are up to?" Sevurus asked quietly.
"No, Severus, I would not…. And I am paying you enough NOT to ask questions, not to speculate, and not to discuss this with anyone… under any circumstances," She emphasized. "Can we come to that type of agreement, or shall I look elsewhere?"
Severus thought about it for a moment and realized it probably wouldn't affect him in any particular manner and after another moment, he nodded his acquiescence.
"Good, good… now how much are you going to charge me for these two potions?" And for your silence? The question was not necessary to voice. Severus named his price and Bella stood, ready to leave. "Give me a fortnight, and both potions will be ready. Will you want to come here to pick them up?"
Bella considered this for a minute and realized this would probably be the best place for the transaction to occur. "That would be acceptable" she agreed, "Two weeks hence will be perfect."
Arthur Weasely made one more search around the room, looking for any avenue of escape that he had missed in his previous searches. He had a terrible headache and he assumed this was the result of whatever potion he had been force fed the first several days after his arrival in this place. The room itself was bare, not at all designed for someone's comfort, but also not a place that would cause undue hardship on a person. There was a bed, a chair, a small table and chair, and a chamber pot. But a more pressing question bothered Arthur. Why was he, of all people, still alive? He considered himself an unremarkable, mild-mannered person, someone that was not particularly ambitious, someone that had been fortunate to find a lifetime partner and have a family. He could not conceive why anyone would be interested in taking him prisoner during the battle between the Order and a group of Death Eaters. He did not hold a high position in the Order and therefore did not have access to some information that others had. He was simply a low level ministry employee who believed that the wizarding world should be free and equal to both purebloods and muggleborns. So why was he here ? He provided no value as a bartering tool to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's various alliances. While sitting at the table trying to figure out who would capture him and keep him locked up in this room, a house elf popped in carrying a meal tray. He set it on the table and without a word popped back out of existence. With a sigh, Arthur lifted the cover, looked at the substantial meal and decided that although he was a prisoner, he might as well be a well-fed prisoner. After eating, Arthur went back to the narrow bed and laid down and tried to go to sleep. Between the persistent headache and the full stomach he now had, it didn't take long for him to drift off into a sound sleep. He was unaware when the door opened and Bella stepped into the room, gazed at him for a few minutes, smiled wickedly, and silently stepped back out of the room.
Leaving the shop, a wan Molly collided with another witch. "Molly Prewett??" exclaimed the witch, collecting the packages that Molly had accidentally knocked out of her hands. Molly, apologizing profusely, looked up, surprised at the use of her maiden name.
"Louisa? Louisa Flatwood?" Molly exclaimed. "Why, I haven't seen you in… what? 6 or 7 years? I am so sorry, I should have been paying attention to where I was going.
"No, no, entirely my fault. I shouldn't have been in such a hurry. You're looking so good! Do you have time for a cuppa? We can catch up on old times", replied Louisa.
Laughingly, Louisa brushed off Molly's apologies and linking elbows, the two women wandered down the street to the Leaky Cauldron. Sitting in a booth, Molly and Louisa sipped tea and caught up on old times and what they had been doing the last few years.
After a period of silence, Louisa said, "I read in the Daily Prophet that your husband went missing after the last battle the Order had with Death Eaters. Have you had any news of him or any idea what has happened to him?"
With a brave smile, Molly replied "nothing… no news at all. No sign of him after the battle. I can't imagine why anyone would capture Arthur…why would they want him? It's true that he works at the ministry, but not in a position that would benefit He Who Must Not Be Named. Why would someone take him prisoner? I keep praying for his safe and quick return."
After a lengthy silence and another cup of tea, Molly excused herself to go to the loo. "Just a wee bit too much tea, I'm afraid. I'll be right back and we'll have just one more before I need to head home to the children."
As Molly disappeared through the door, Louise cast a notice-me-not spell and retrieving a small potion vial from a pocket in her robes, poured the contents into Molly's teacup and added more hot tea. In just a few minutes Molly returned. The two women chatted a few more minutes and in time Molly looked at the time and realized she was going to be late getting home. As she stood to leave, a wave of dizziness came over Molly and she grabbed hold of the edge of the table to maintain her balance.
"Are you alright dear?", a concerned Louise asked of her. Although she had been paid handsomely to "run into" Molly today and slip her the vial of potion, she truly bore no ill will towards the former classmate from Hogwarts. It was simply business and Louise had great need of the funds she just come into.
"I'm fine—just a slight dizzy spell", replied Molly. "Give me a moment and I'll be fine…." After a few moments, the dizziness passed and Molly felt fine. It must be all the stress I'm under because of Arthur's disappearance, she surmised. "It was wonderful running into you today, Louise. It was good to catch up with you. Thank you for the wonderful tea and wonderful afternoon of conversation. We need to do this again sometime."
Smiling, Louise replied "I enjoyed this afternoon, Molly. You take care of yourself and I wish you a speedy return of Arthur". Both women stepped outside into the afternoon sunlight and parted ways; one headed home to her family and the other one off to find paper and pen, needing to owl her employer of her successful afternoon.
Arriving home, Molly once again began to feel dizzy and decided to lay down for awhile. She felt strange, like something was crawling through her body. It was not painful, simply an odd feeling. The older children were able to set the table with leftovers for all of them and once fed, Molly took herself to bed. Taking a sleeping draught, she fell into a deep sleep and did not awake until morning.
She awoke to the sun shining across her coverlet and birds perched on her windowsill chirping prettily. She yawned, stretched, and realized she felt much better. Actually, she felt great and full of energy! She did not remember feeling this good in a very long time. Whatever had been ailing her the previous day must not have been serious. One of those 24-hour things that people sometimes get. Putting it out of her head, she jumped out of bed already making plans on how best to take advantage of this newfound energy. There were many projects that had been started around the house, but because of Arthur's absence, had been neglected. Whistling slightly off key, Molly dressed herself and set out to do her daily chores and started working on the uncompleted projects.
Reading the owl post, Bellatrix stretched and smiled like a cat. The first part of her plan had been a success. Perfect Prewett would never have the daughter she craved so mightily. She had no doubt that the second part would also prove to be successful. Mulling over the second part of her plan, she realized she had a couple of options. Either she could make Arthur want her more than anything he had ever wanted before or she could leave him thoroughly confused about the events that would soon transpire. The guilt that the first option would create tasted sweet to Bella as she could well imagine how guilt would affect this mild-mannered man that seemed devoted to his family. Was that just enough punishment for being a pureblood family and daring to go against the Dark Lord?
On the other hand, perhaps him not really being sure, of being truly confused in the course of events might proved to be interesting especially in the future when this sort of information could be used against him inside of the ministry.
Provided she even left him alive. No one knew that it was Bella who had captured Arthur Weasley that day during the battle. Not even the Dark Lord was aware of her conquest. Nor was he aware of her plans. As far as Bella was concerned, this had absolutely nothing to do with the Dark Lord and his plans for taking over the wizarding world.
As the door clicked quietly behind Bella, Arthur lay on his cot wondering what was happening to him. Something was not quite right. He remembered ----- just what seemed to flashes of the evening. He vaguely remembered the elves bringing his dinner and for once, he was ravenous. He ate and drank everything on his plate, although now looking back, he realized that the pumpkin juice had had a strange taste to it. He had justified the taste by deciding he had had only water since his capture and perhaps he had just forgotten what it actually tasted like. He vaguely recollected a glimpse of dark hair as it cascaded around him, the smell of musky sweat. And then…. Nothing……. Another moment of something…. The tang of flesh on his tongue. As he struggled to remember what had transpired over the evening, the formless images slowly evaporated. Arthur fell into an exhausted sleep.
Bella strode down the hallway and up the stairs to her main living quarters. In a matter of a few days, she would know whether or not she was indeed pregnant. She had to be pregnant, she snarled to herself; the idea of being with that toad again was a most loathsome thought. What on earth did Perfect Prewett see in that pitiful excuse for a man? Oh well, it was none of her concern and if indeed she ever took the time to really consider it, she would have realized she could really care less.
Several days later, when Bella knew for sure that she was indeed pregnant; she put all thoughts of Arthur Weasley out of her mind. He was no longer of consequence and she had more important matters to attend to.
The months dragged on for Arthur. He had not seen anyone except for the one visit Bella had paid him when he was first captured. Everyday the elves would make sure he was fed, and on occasion, bring him a book to read. Other than that, Arthur spent his days and evenings totally alone with nothing but his thoughts to keep him company.
For Bellatrix, the months sped by. Although pregnant, she was still actively involved in doing the Dark Lord's work and creating chaos and mayhem at every available opportunity. The Dark Lord was attacking more and more of the small Muggle villages and the death toll continued to rise.
The Order was finding it more and more difficult to hold off attacks against themselves as well. Although the Order had searched high and low, they were unable to find any trace of Arthur. They knew he was alive, the Weasley clock showed him to be in Mortal Peril, but his whereabouts and who was holding him were unknown to anyone. Even capturing the occasional Death Eater and interrogating him about Arthur Weasley's disappearance served no purpose. It was if Arthur had been swallowed up by the earth.
On a warm August afternoon, after a short and non-descript labor and delivery, Bella gazed upon her newborn daughters face. She was bluish, covered with her mothers blood and cream-cheesy glop, and looking as though she had just been in a fist-fight. Bella, whose instincts were anything but maternal, shuddered, and handed the baby girl to the elf that was attending her. "Make sure you take care of her, but keep her out of my sight. When it is time for her to know who I am, I will come to her" and with that, Bella motioned for the elf and the baby to leave the room. Laying back on her pillows, Bella grinned cruelly and began to dream of how she would use her daughter to further exact her revenge on Perfect Molly Prewett.