Prologue

Cursing at the intrusive knock, he left the shadowy depths of his bed, growling "Enter." The curse on the woman was strong enough; he need not worry that she might repeat his conversation.

"Master, you wished for an update on the search for the Potters?"

"That is correct. How does it go?" From the man's body language, he felt the news would not please him.

"Not well, I'm afraid, master." The man behind the mask was shaking, no one liked reporting failure to the master; punishments were severe. "W-w-we have not made any progress since the last report, master." As soon as the words left the Death Eater's mouth, he hunched up as though preparing for a blow or curse to be flung his way.

"What did you say?" The quiet, calmly spoken words were meant to hide his displeasure, but the man crouching beneath him had been working with him long, and understood that this was far worse than any shouting.

"We," the man took a deep breath, as though fortifying himself to face his doom and then began again, "We have found no trace of the Potters, master." The last word was spoken in a fearful, hesitant whisper. The man did not flinch away, but merely closed his eyes as though this was what he'd been expecting from the moment his knuckles brushed against the door to the outer chamber. As his master's wand arm came up his lips moved in a last, silent farewell to the world, and then in a flash of green light, it was all over.

"It seems I shall have to head the search myself, for the boy may not be allowed to live." With that, Voldemort went back to his king sized bed and his unwilling consort, resuming his pleasures where he had been interrupted moments before.

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When he left her that night he forgot to renew the Imperious Curse. Lying back on the downy pillows, she thought back to the first time she met Voldemort. She had been vacationing in Bulgaria with her school friend. Alyena had gone to bed early that night, leaving her alone at the bar where she had a celebratory drink of butterbeer for passing her N.E.W.T.s with mostly O's and a few E's.

While she sat there thinking how wonderfully she had done, the door opened, and though it was not a chilly night, she shivered. In walked a tall man with jet-black hair and steely blue eyes. He glanced around as though expecting someone. She saw a flash of some emotion that from such a distance she couldn't recognize. However, she did know the look of displeasure that remained even after his eyes had become impassive again.

Then he turned slowly toward her as if he had felt her eyes on his face. As their eyes met, his features smoothed out and he put on a small friendly smile. Not many years later, she would curse herself for ever trusting that smile. After that night, he continued to come to the Broken Broom Inn, seeking her out while she finished off her vacation.

Hearing his name the first time she had thought nothing of it, he had not yet openly employed illegal means to achieve his ends. She hadn't known then just how far he was willing to go. They had gotten along fine discussing their views of muggles and the muggle-born witches and wizards. She came from a prominent pure-blood family and was proud of the fact, she thought there should be some distinction made between the different wizarding families. Similar views, a handsome face, a charming personality, she couldn't help being lured into becoming more than merely friends. She should have realized it was an unnatural charm, like that of a snake charming a bird from its nest. When she was supposed to end her trip and return to England he convinced her to stay with him instead, "help his cause."

But never in her wildest moments had she thought his cause worth killing for. When she discovered his darker side and tried to break things off with him he had been furious. In his rage, steel blue eyes glinting with his anger, he placed the Imperious Curse on her for the first time. He moved her to a windowless chamber and forced her to give the impression that she never wanted to leave her rooms. For several years this continued, him renewing the curse each night as he left her, to insure she never slipped his control. She tried to fight, as her Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had instructed, but Voldemort was powerful, and she couldn't throw the curse off.

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But tonight, tonight he had forgotten. She had thought in the foggy recesses of her mind, that perhaps he would forget. He had seemed preoccupied in the few hours he remained in her company.

She lay on the ostentatious bedding savoring the feel of minor control over her own actions and thoughts. That night she began to form a plan to escape the Dark Lord, the man she once thought she loved.

Today was Rosier's turn to guard the lady's apartments. Although this duty brought no recognition from the populace, not the way the killing curse did, it was still a sought after position. Only the Dark Lord's most valued men were trusted with watching his lady.

When he took her lunch in to her that day he noticed that she seemed more lucid than she had the last time he had had guard duty, four months previous. As he had tried to explain to his master the next morning when her rooms were found empty, he could not have recognized this as a warning of her pending escape.

Prostrating himself on the carpet covered stone floor at his master's feet, he accepted the interrogation and the pain without question, but at the back of his mind he thought, 'Why did he not warn us the violet eyed witch might flee? Had I but known…perhaps I would not now face my death.'

But Voldemort did not stay to kill his negligent Death Eater, he still needed to find the Potters, he had no time to deal with this distraction. Knowing his pet must have slipped his curse, he set Malfoy to search for her-without the curse she might leak information to the Order- and to keep an eye on Rosier, that man was no longer to be trusted.

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Relief and giddy happiness came over her in sweeping waves as she rested at Alyena's apartment above the rare ingredient shop she ran. She had been running from Death Eaters for a month now and had finally found a safe place to regain some of her strength. She had been feeling sick lately, puking frequently.

Alyena returned with the Healer she had run for. The two women had not seen each other for several years, but Alyena was a true friend and did not turn her away when she turned up in the shop that afternoon. As the Healer began his examination, Alyena went to make tea.

The Healer looked up sharply after only a few moments. "You are not ill, ma'am, you're pregnant. Twins or I didn't train under Healer Gaddleputz."

There was the sound of broken china from the kitchen. She looked at the Healer, horrified, and quickly said, "Thank you sir, you may go." She waited until she heard his footsteps on the outer stairs before calling for her steadfast friend.

"Alyena, what am I going to do? If Voldemort finds out he's going to be a father…" she ignored her friend's jump at the name of the Dark Lord.

"He can't find out. That's all. He just won't find out."

"This means I can't keep them. But, who will look after them? We can't kill them."

"Well, Celeste, I could look after them. That way they would be close to you…" she trailed off when she saw the expression on her friend's face. Celeste had changed, that look of fierce determination, and Alyena thought she saw a trace of hatred, was more worthy of a Gryffindor than a Ravenclaw.

"We have to split them up. They'll be more likely to survive if they aren't together. But who will take the second twin? No, never mind, I will think of someone, as long as you don't know where the other is, you cannot be tortured into revealing the information if the Death Eaters find you and the first."

Alyena's sight blurred and she felt herself swoon.

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well that's my first try. i warn you all now that i am not good at keeping up with things i start, that's actually why i decided to post here in the first place. either way i would be writing this story, but it would have a chance at getting done, maybe, if people yelled at me for not updating it. so you know what that means because you're a smart person and can figure things out......please review!