Prolog

***Day after the battle***

Bellatrix Lestrange laid as if lifeless on the ground, in a pile with other death eaters until her breathing started again. She listened carefully before she felt for her spare wand and was surprised to find it still there. Opening her eyes she looked around carefully, barely moving and when she was sure no one was around she pulled herself free of the corpses. Everyone was dead, husband Rodolphus, she had never really loved the man but his death meant she was truly alone. She turned to see if her brother in law or little sister where there but she couldn't tell. There was a popping sound and a hiss as a gas pocket burst in the fire that they were burning bodies in. She closed her eyes and apparated. She had her orders; she would not fail her Lord on his last order. She put her hand over stomach as she appeared on a small island. She was to raise her child now; the Dark Lord had commanded that. She closed her eyes remembering that moment.

"Bellatrix, my dear." Voldermort said walking to her and caressing her cheek, as the woman fell to her knees before him.

"My Lord… my sweet lord."

"I've called you today because I know you are with child."

"What? How can that be?!" Bellatrix said in shock, she'd only slept with her brother in law once a few weeks ago, it had been completely unplanned and neither had thought to perform any spells to assure a child would not come of their heated union.

"I'm sure you don't need me to explain how a woman comes to this condition." Voldermort said his eyes narrowing at her.

"No my lord."

"Good, I've summoned you here because you are pregnant. I know you will follow my orders without question as you always have. You are one of my most loyal followers." He'd said calmly "It is for this reason I'm going to let you live."

"Live my lord?" She said for the first time scared that her pregnancy might actually cause him to be mad. Surely, he knew that she didn't care about this child more than him, her sweet dark lord.

"I know you would cut that child out right now to please me," He said as if he were reading her mind. "However I want you to live, I want the child to live. Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, do you think any of those buffoons are smart enough, cunning enough to carry on Salazar's grate work? No my dear, you will live and you will raise your child and ensure that we are not the end." Voldermort said. She'd never heard him talk like this, as if he knew he might die.

"My lord, make the child your vessel, I offer my body for your protection." She said without thinking. He smiled at her; it was the greatest gift he could ever bestow on her.

"No my dear, I cannot afford to slice myself again. Perhaps after tonight, for now I want you to take a potion that Snape has made. If you are killed, it will make your body seem dead; while you're in this state, you will neither hear nor see nor feel anything that happens. If your body is intact when this wares off you will return to the living. If we are dead I want you to go where no one will find you and raise the child." He said she nodded tears coming to her eyes. She would do anything he told her and everything he asked.

Slowly she registered a scream cutting through the sky, one of anger and sorrow. She'd always had her dark lord and her fellow death eaters, but now what? There was nothing for her, save this last order. It took her a moment to realize the terrible sound was coming from her own throat. She screamed until her throat was raw, until no sound came from her. Then she fell to her knees sobbing, as the skies above her opened up and icy rain fell soaking into her cloths. Until she was chilled to the bone, and suddenly she heard Voldermort's voice in her head.

"You will live and you will raise your child and ensure that we are not the end." It was a hard cold command, but it cut through her grief, through her pain and she nodded to the voice.

"Yes my lord." She said and stood up and started to build a house on the small stone island that was maybe the size of the great hall of Hogwarts.

A/N: This story started as a companion to "Our time" by SilverSpiritWolf.