My Last Breath

"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Chapter One: Bellona Lestrange

Song for this Chapter: Breath of Life by Florence and The Machine

The Lestrange Manor was grand, indeed. Located in the country-side, it was secluded and quiet looking. It had many willow trees on its vast property, creating a gothic look. The night air was humid and lightning crackled in the distance, a promise of a coming storm. Surrounding the manor was ten foot tall fence with spikes at the top, adding to the air of hostility the surrounded the place. Most certainly, it was not a place for children, or any type of human being, for that matter. But on that fateful night, it was filled with Aurors, searching for any type of Dark artifices, or anything of an evil nature. It was April 15th, 1981. It was the night Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange had been arrested.

Outside of the manor, all was quiet, until a sharp crack echoed in the air. Albus Dumbledore appeared in front of the manor door, dressed in a burgundy cloak. He wore a grim expression on his face as he knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door was opened, and Kingsely Shacklebolt was revealed. His eyes brightened considerably as they caught sight of Dumbledore. He smiled, albeit a strained smile.

"Albus," he greeted with a nod. "I wasn't aware you were coming."

"Neither was I, Kingsely," Dumbledore replied with a polite smile. "Until I discovered that the Lestrange's had a child. That is the reason why I am here, you see."

Kinglsey nodded, and held the door open for Dumbledore, who strided inside, looking at the house with curiosity. On the inside, the manor was even more forbidding then it had appeared outside. There was a grand chandelier casting a dim light over the burgundy walls, but it appeared to be the only light source. Paintings hung on the walls, all of which were empty. Evidently, the downfall of the Lestrange's was not a secret anymore.

"Where is the child?" Dumbledore asked, and Kingsley frowned.

"Follow me," he said, and began up the stairs, Dumbledore following him. It got progressively darker as they made their way up the stairs, so much so that the two wizards had to create their own light source with their own wands.

Kingsley led Dumbedore to a room with a closed door, and turned to him. "She won't speak," he told the wizard. "Not to anyone."

Dumbledore simply smiled. "No matter," he said cheerfully. "I do not require her to speak, Kingsley. Thank you for your assistance."

Clearly dismissed, Kingsley made his way back downstairs. Dumbledore carefully opened the door. His eyes took in the room before him; purple walls, so purple they were almost black, and a desk, with a matching chair. There was no hint that a child lived here, no drawings plastered on the walls, no stuffed animals. Albus' heart sank with sympathy for the Lestrange child. Finally, his eyes caught sight of a girl sitting on the bed in a corner, a witch sitting beside her. Catching sight of Dumbledore, she left the room quickly, but not before throwing a concerned glance over her shoulder.

She does indeed look like her mother, Albus thought with amusement. She had the same long dark hair, and beauty that commanded you to look at her, even though he had been told that she was merely three years old. But she did not have her mother's dark eyes, she had deep blue ones that demanded attention. She eyed Dumbledore warily.

"My name is Albus Dumbledore," he said. "I am not sure if anyone has told you this, but I am afraid your parents will be away for a long while."

The girl's eyes studied him, but she spoke no words.

"So I am afraid we will have to find someone for you to stay with." Still, the girl spoke no words. She only watched him with those blue eyes.

"What is your name, child?" Dumbledore asked kindly, and the girl looked down at the ground, then back at him.

"Bellona."

(**)

Dumbledore made his way back downstairs. He had left Bellona with the auror that had been with her beforehand. He felt sorry for the child, for several reasons. The most obvious one being is that she had been forced to live with two of the most dangerous dark wizards for three years, and would forever be tied to them because of her last name.

Dumbledore approached Kingsley, who was sitting at a circular table, who was reading a scroll of parchment.

"How did it go?" Kingsley asked absent-mindedly.

"She told me her name," Dumbledore said pleasantly, and Kingsley smiled.

"And what was that, may I ask?"

"Bellona," Dumbledore told him, and Kingsley nodded.

"That makes sense," he said with a dark chuckle. "Bellona was the name of the roman goddess of war. I can see why that appealed to the parents, at least."

"She seemed intuitive for her age, at least," Dumbledore noted aloud. "But alas! There is a greater matter at hand, Kingsley. Bellona needs to have a home, and while a muggle orphanage would suffice, the last child I dealt with that came from there ... never mind. I would much rather see her go to a family member."

Kingsley looked up from the piece of parchment. "I agree Dumbledore, but the only family members she has are the Malfoys."

"Not true." Dumbledore smiled. "You see, Bellatrix was not fond of her, but she had two sisters; one being Narcissa Malfoy, the other being Andromeda Tonks."

"Tonks, as in Ted Tonks?" Kinglsey looked surprised at this piece of information. "Never knew that his wife was related to.."

"One of the most dangerous witches of all time?" Dumbledore smiles graciously. "Do not fear, Kingsley. I assure you that Andromeda and her family will be a much better fit then the Malfoys."

"If you're certain," Kingsley said in a tone that suggested he was anything but.

"Oh, trust me," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I am."

End of Chapter One

Hello, guys! I'm really sorry for this, but upon reflection I realized that my original chapters were a load of bullshit. They were very badly written. How embarrassing! I assure you however that I will be updating on a daily basis, as I have already outlined the plot for the whole story, which will be separated into two books. And you also may have noticed that at the beginning of the chapter, I have a song title! If you failed to understand why the hell I put a random song title there, never fear! Simply open up youtube, and type the title in, and listen to it while reading, because in my opinion, they go with the mood of the chapters! Also, if you'd like to see the crappily made trailer I made for this story, go to my profile, along for pictures of the main characters! Anyways, please review. I've got eight followers on this story, and only one review. However, thank you for the person who did review! ScarlettBones, you rock! I'll update soon, as it's summer! Yes! I have finally graduated elementary school! Anyways, cheers!