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Disclaimer: As you will observe this is amateur work that borrows from a completely awesome work and that no sane person would pay for since it is written by an unimaginative person who lacks basic spelling and grammar skills. All credit goes to the ever more awesome people from who the awesome work originated. If you find any of the content cliche, you are being apologized to now, as stated before it was written by a very unoriginal person.
James Potter tossed and turned on the couch. It was too short for him to completely stretch out, his neck was bent at an odd angle, and the only thought going through his head was that his wife must have put some sort of hex on it because there was no way an ordinary couch could be this uncomfortable. His back hurt, and a good night's sleep was far out of his reach but at least his conscience was clear. He had told his wife about the incident.
At first she thought it was a sick joke and told him to never tease about such things again. A small voice in his head told him to just admit he was kidding, only to be out ruled by shouts that he had to be honest with his wife. It was hard convincing her of the truth as he hardly believed what he did himself and once he finally managed he wished that wizards had the power to go back in time so he could have listened to that little voice and kept his mouth shut. In the absence of time travel, he was very thankful that his wife was not the castrate-your-cheating-husband-and-make-earrings-out-of-his-testicles type of women. Although the look she gave was only slightly better. Lily Potter was not a forgiving person to those that wronged her and she certainly did not forget.
James decided that if he was going to get any sleep he would have to put aside all thought of the events that had lead to his exile to the torture device he was now made to sleep on when even if there were plenty of other rooms. It was Potter Manor after all so it only added to his theory that his wife had hexed the couch. When Sirius was the victim, he believed that his wife's vindictive side had been so adorable, now he knew how wrong he was. Yet, he felt nothing for Sirius and all the times he had suffered because he got on the wrong side of Lily. That little voice was back and telling him that none of this would have happened, his wife would not be angry at him and he would not have been cast out from his nice bed, if it were not for Sirius and this time he choose to listen to that voice.
As he finally managed to slip into a pitiful excuse for sleep, his nightmare began to replay in his mind. There was a forbidding setting, a Black family will reading, and a crazy psychotic murderer, Bellatrix Lestrange. It was not a pure recollection as the first time he did not know that his "friend" had decided to spike the punch without telling him. In his mind, he could clearly see the childish grin on Sirius' face as he did an even more childish thing. The icing on the worst night of James' life was when he woke up screaming like a little girl as an inebriated dream version of Bellatrix Lestange pushed his equally intoxicated dream self into a broom closet muttering something that sounded strangely like "Cissy is going to have a baby! Why can't I have one?"
Lily Potter had a soft spot when it came to her husband. She witnessed what an arrogant bully he could be, but deep down she knew that if the time ever came he would be willing to die for her. During the month that he spent on the couch that she had hexed differently every night, she felt no remorse. It did bother her on the nights that he woke up screaming but he would always blame it on some mysterious nightmare and not return to sleep which began to take it toll. Those nights had become less frequent after the first couple weeks yet the madness had already began to set in. It was after the Auror Christmas Party, where James had laughed like a gleeful madman as Sirius suffered from one rather nasty prank, that she decided if her husband did not have a restful night of sleep soon she would have to have him committed. That and well people were beginning to talk.
She could just not stand the shame of people knowing that her husband had cheated on her with a Death Eater. She was willing to forgive him, he'd suffered enough and proven that is was a mistake that would never happen again. As long as no one ever found out, she was okay with saying the whole thing never happened. In her mind, this did not make her week; that trying time had proven how strong she and her marriage, one built on love and forgiveness, were. If he had lied, it would have been a completely different story, one ending with her filing for divorce.
"James" Lily called out as her husband was putting the last blanket on the couch, "Come to bed, darling. All is forgiven."
He just stood there for a moment, blinked a few times and rushed for the warmth and comfort of his own bed as quickly as possible as to not leave his wife time to change her mind. Lily simply laughed after her husband as he tripped on a stair but immediately continued up the case, two at a time.
On August 28, almost exactly nine months after Lily welcomed her husband back to bed with open arms, they welcomed their first child into the world. The Potter's first born son and heir, Hadrian Charlus Potter, was one of many notable births listed in the Daily Prophet about that time, the others being: Draco Malfoy, Ronald Bilius Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Heracles Cygnus Lestrange.
Although, war against the Dark Lord was being waged all over, the home front was always safe and happy until You-Know-Who himself struck at the heart of the Potter's and The Order in an attempt to kill the one prophesied to kill him. The Order had been aware of the Prophecy for sometime and precautions had been taken to protect The Chosen One, Neville. Dumbledore himself had personally seen to the protection and safety of the little wizard. Rather uncoincidentally, the day the child really needed him, the old headmaster was called back to Hogwarts at the request of a certain potions professor, Severus Snape. The hope of every person in the Order was crushed the day the Longbottom's Secret Keeper was tortured into giving their location and every member of the young family was killed. There was only small comfort in the fact that the person who did it, Rodolphus Lestrange, was killed in the process. It also marked the day of the Dark Lord's last public attack.
As the Light mourned the death of the child they hailed as their Savior, the recently widowed Bellatrix Lestrange took great pleasure in presenting her son to her Master.
"He has grown so much. With you as a mother, I do not have to be a Seer to tell there are great things in his future." His voice echoed in the small chamber. From his place atop his throne he could see the look of utter satisfaction in the woman's eyes
Overtaken by motherly pride and a sense of absolute devotion she could not reply fast enough, " My Lord, I swear I shall raise him to serve you and be your right hand as you free are glorious brethren from the filth that infects us." She slowly raised the bundle in her arms as she bowed, " I only hope that one day you will teach him and accept him into your service. Until that day comes, I shall make certain that he is prepared and worthy of such an honor."
The Dark Lord was very thrilled to hear those words. Now that the one threat to his immortality was dead, it was time to look towards the future and he would need plenty of skilled servant to make the future he wanted. Who would make a better servant then the offspring of two of my best and most loyal Death Eaters? he thought before he spoke to the bowing figure " I was upset to hear of the death of your husband. Quite a shame the child will have to grow up without a father. Imagine all the things Rodolphus could have taught him but those Aurors had to go and kill in the streets as if he were some kind of dog."
Bellatrix did her best to contain her hatred at the mention of that bastard. Truth be told, she was glad he was dead since she was the one that killed him. He deserved worse than the quick death she gave him but too many dark curses and nobody would believe it was done by Aurors and she had put in all the work to make certain that help would never arrive. He tried to kill her precious son while he was still in her womb. Of course, the Dark Lord could never learn of any of this. If he did he would begin to ask questions which would lead him to learn that the child was not that of his faithful Death Eater but of a Blood traitor.
"My Lord," she said with a forced look of respect for her dead husband " He has already taught our son the most important lesson that it is better to die fighting in you service that running like some coward. I will make certain that he is aware that it was the Mudblood-loving Ministry that killed his father so that he can avenge him and bring honor to his name."
"You are correct as always." The Dark Lord rose and walked closer to get a better look at the baby. The Mother used to his closeness not reacting. "I still believe the child should have a fatherly influence. I will have Malfoy see to it. I might even look to it myself from time to time." The bliss at the last statement was clearly evident on Bellatrix's face.
As Voldemort looked down at the toddler clutched in his mother's deadly hands, he knew that he was looking at a weapon. The green-eyed weapon that would kill all those left to oppose if there are any once he accomplished his goal of taking over the Ministry.
Days of raids and petty assaults on muggle lovers were over. The Dark Lord had nothing but time now: time to infiltrate the ministry, time to build his forces, time to wait for the ideal moment to strike.