AN: Welcome to the official first chapter! Thanks for all the comments and subscribes! I had amazing time writing this! I got a new computer so I should be able to post more often! I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Being born into a pureblood family had never been the easiest fate. There was a lot expected of you before you have even slipped from your mother's womb. Things like being the heir and carrying on your family's name with you hung over every pureblood son's head from the time he could walk until the time his own son walked.
Rabastan Lestrange got lucky not being the first son however. That fate fell to his older brother Rodolphus Lestrange. The two brothers were as close as ever, one would think that they were twins instead of three years apart like they truly were. Their father, Deimos Lestrange, never let Rabastan forget that he was not useful to their family at all.
Deimos believed that Rabastan was the cause for his wife Oizys' death, since she died in childbirth. Many purebloods would say that it was due to complications in birth and many other reasons, but truthfully it was because Deimos was not the name written along her left wrist. Her parents had paired her off with him because her true soulmate was a muggleborn. Deimos had secretly resented her for it, he had never met his soulmate so he did not feel the yearning for them as strongly as Oizys had felt. When her heart finally gave into the despair of not being with her soulmate, it had been shortly after the birth of her second son. Despite her children being Lestranges, she loved them dearly, she had been very excited to see Rabastan and Rodolphus was the light of her life. She just could not hold on any longer. Deimos had been quick to pin the blame on the babe and had resented him since.
Granted their father was not most loving man, both Lestrange sons were raised by their grandfather Enyalios. He believed firmly in family and would never resent his grandsons. His son was a different story all together. Enyalios had been one of the lucky ones who got paired with his soulmate through arranged marriage. Sadly, his beloved had passed a few years before Rodolphus was born. After her passing, he knew his son was never the same, only becoming crueler when his own wife passed. Enyalios was not surprised when he came back to the manor and his son had fled leaving behind his three-year-old and newborn son. He raised his boys right this time, not wanting to see them fall into cruelty and anger like their father.
Enyalios believed in the soulmate matching that Merlin had put in place, it worked out for him so why should it not work out for others? Both of his grandsons were privileged enough to have names scribbled along their left wrists. Rodolphus with 'Hermione Granger' and Rabastan with 'Harry Potter'. He had never though much to what Rabastan would think about having a man as his soulmate since it was only expected he be with him. He knew the Potters, respectable Pureblood family, though they were slowly drifting towards the light side with Dumbledore leading the way. They did not have a son named Harry though, their son was James Potter so maybe it was another generation? Ms. Granger was an entirely new name to him however, so he had to assume that she was a muggleborn or half-blood. Only time would tell.
Rabastan, himself, had always felt different with the name on his wrist. He knew, early on, that he would have to wait a long time for his soulmate to come along. The problem was not the fact he was a boy, Severus Snape had 'Sirius Black' written along his wrist and a few other of his classmates had male names on their wrists. He was even sure he saw Dumbledore with the name 'Gillert' on his wrist which could only belong to Grindelwald. At least that is what his grandfather told him. No, the problem was not that he was paired with a male, the trouble was that he could not be with him now.
The youngest Lestrange respected his unborn soulmate, but he did not think he could stay celibate until he came along. Who knows how long that would take! So, he did not let it hold him back. There were others like him who either did not meet their soulmate yet or they did not care about what fate told them. Rabastan knew that when his soulmate was born, he would be with them and without the obligation to get married, he would be able to do that easily whenever they were born. Though it was a bit strange to think that one day he could be paired with James Potter's son or grandson.
As the years passed, a new darkness had emerged in the form of Voldemort. The Lestranges were a notoriously dark family, having backed Grindelwald and early Voldemort in Hogwarts. It was only seemly that he and his brother would join his ranks. It was only a matter of time before he, Rodolphus, and his new sister-in-law Bellatrix Black, pledged their alliance to the Dark Lord and took his mark. Within months they were among the slim few that the Dark Lord's most trusted. Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape had been a few of the active members of the circle. Snape had been a surprised to Rabastan because he swore his soulmate was light yet had gone against him. Then again Snape and Black did not have the best track record, at least from what Rabastan had seen of them at Hogwarts. There were others like Crabbe, Goyle, McNair, and Nott who were there for their pure muscle and willingness to do jobs for the Dark Lord without fear of getting caught. The Lestranges were lumped in with Barty Crouch Jr in their ability to get the job done and their infamous insanity.
Dark magic was very seductive, but it comes with a price. Rabastan and his brother were paying for it after their many years serving their Lord. Neither succumbed like Bellatrix had, but it could still be seen through their dark eyes. The trio did not care much. Bellatrix was content with slobbering after the Dark Lord, Rodolphus needed something to distract him from his loveless marriage, and Rabastan had no other obligations, but to his Lord. Things had a dynamic and it worked this way for a long while, before something caused it to fall apart.
It was common knowledge that the Black line was heavily inbred, in attempt to keep the line pure. The inbreeding seemed to have impacted Bellatrix in a way that put the Lestrange family at risk. She could not carry any child to term. Rabastan would go as far to say she could not conceive at all. Rodolphus was in a loveless marriage where he could not even have a child to ease the growing tension between them. Bellatrix seemed ecstatic that she would not have to share her love for the Dark Lord with a child and Rodolphus was silently thankful because he could not bear for his child to have any of the Black blood in them. Now the burden had landed on Rabastan to have an heir and continue the line.
Enyalios had never wanted this for his youngest grandson, he was supposed to be happy waiting for his soulmate and have children on their own term. They did not even know if young Harry would want children. Rabastan finally felt the pressure that his brother had on him all his life and he did not like it one bit. He had briefly thought about having a child with someone else and then if Harry wanted children, he would disown them and claim his son, but he could not do that to his children. He would not be like his father and resent any child to come from him.
Rabastan lucked out, if that is what you would call it, because the Dark Lord had a new mission for them. He remembers it as if it was yesterday. Snape had come barreling into the Riddle Manor dining room, looking as if the hounds of hell were on his tail and looking as if he was crying. The Dark Lord had been as close to speechless as Rabastan has ever seen him. Snape was a rather concealed man and too see such an expression on his face must have been enough to shock anyone. Snape dropped to his knees in front of the Dark Lord, head bowed like a good servant. "My Lord, there is a prophecy," Severus said once he had gotten his breath back. Snape would not humiliate himself by sputtering without air in front of the Dark Lord.
"What do you mean, prophecy?" The cold, bone-chilling voice of Voldemort sounded through the room. The man could not make anything of what Severus had just told him. He did not like playing the riddle guessing game. Dumbledore had been very fond of them and he despised it.
"My Lord," Severus gestured to his head, wishing for the Dark Lord to look at his memories. The man did not wait long for obliging the man at his feet. Rabastan clenched his fist slightly in anticipation. He wanted to know what Snape had seen and why it had caused him so much unsettlement, or was it fear?
"Defeat me!?" The Dark Lord roared as he came out of Snape's head, rough enough to cause the potion's master to waver slightly. Rabastan briefly registered Lucius reaching out and stabling him. The Dark Lord's magic whipped around the room practically seething with anger. Rabastan had never been truly scared in the Dark Lord's presence before, but presently he was terrified. He had never seen him like this.
Once the Dark Lord had calm down enough he had told the circle of what he had seen inside of Snape's head. It was a prophet, not a very good one from the sound of it. She had predicted that end of the Dark Lord.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies..."
It filled him with anger to think that someone could possibly believe that they could take down their Lord. Especially a child at that. It still did not explain why Snape had come in here looking like a dementor had sucked all the happiness from him.
"Who could possibly believe they could defeat our noblest Dark Lord!" Bellatrix's enraged voice sounded through the chamber and made Rabastan's teeth grind together. She disgraced the Lestrange name not only by not being able to carry children, but because she would willingly forsake her marriage with Rodolphus for the Dark Lord. With a glance in his brother's direction, he noticed the clenched jaw, but otherwise he was focused on their Lord. His wife no longer bothered him.
"There are only two boys that were born at the end of July. Neville Longbottom and- "Snape paused, a catch in his throat. Rabastan shifted in his chair, staring down at Snape. So, the other child was why he had come in upset, it was personal. Snape did not have any kids however. He had a godson, but the little Malfoy was not born in July.
"Spit it out Snape," Barty hissed from next to him, impatient as the rest of them. They were just told that there was a possibility of their Lord being defeated and they were not happy. They wanted to know who the threats were and get rid of them. Nothing would stand in the way of the Dark Lord's agenda.
"Harry Potter," He said gravely. Rabastan's eyes widened, and if he had been looking he would have seen his brother's do the same. That was not possible. Potters had been drifting to the light, but destroying the dark all together? That was not practically and they knew it. Rabastan was more concerned with the fact that it was the name on his wrist that was destined to defeat the one purpose he had in life for the last few years.
"Is there a problem Rabastan?" The Dark Lord's voice chilled him to his core and he shook his head before correcting himself.
"No, my Lord," he replied, knowing that his grandfather would be quick to cuff the back of his head if he shook it again instead of giving an audible answer. Though Rabastan believed that his grandfather would give him a pass this once since his world had just been torn apart. The only thing he could think was that he could not let the Dark Lord kill Harry. Maybe he could strike a deal or maybe they could convince the Potters to go dark? He could not let Harry be ripped from him without a single say in the matter.
"Good. Lestranges, you will go with Crouch to the Longbottom residence and take care of Neville Longbottom. I will go to the Potters and dispose of Harry," The Dark Lord said, dismissing the meeting and Rodolphus had to pry him from the chair. He managed to keep his cool until they got back to the Lestrange Manor. That is when he allowed his mask to crumble.
"How can I do this 'Dolphus?" He said, running his hand through his hair, tugging at the long strands angrily. Why could his soulmate be someone who would not be the direct enemy of the Dark Lord. He had spent his whole life waiting and he would not even get to meet Harry before the Dark Lord killed him.
"There is nothing you can do Basti. Snape said the Potters went into hiding, but the Dark Lord will find them. He is not going to let anyone stop him from securing his survival," Rodolphus was sorry for his younger brother. He had given up on meeting his soulmate a long time ago. Once his father had promised him to Bellatrix Black, he knew all hope of ever having true love had gone out the window. He had hoped that his brother would have it, without the responsibility of the family on his shoulders, but of course Bellatrix had to ruin that aspect of it. Harry being one of the possible children to defeat the Dark Lord was unfortunate. He knew Rabastan could not choose between his soulmate and his Lord. Death would be the only outcome either way. All he could do was be there for his brother when the Dark Lord killed the infant.
It took a few short months before Pettigrew spilled where the Potters had been hiding, having made him their secret keeper so the Dark Lord would not go after Black. Snape seemed relieved about that, but also infuriated that Pettigrew gave up his once friends. Rabastan had been hoping that it would take years for the Dark Lord to find the Potters so Harry could at least know what life was. Could see his name on his wrist and know that he was out here and that he had love before he even knew what it was. The night of October 31st came and the two parties set out, one to the Longbottoms and the other to the Potters.
Rabastan had been very protective of his mark ever since the announcement that Harry was on the prophecy children. He stared at it every day waiting for the prominent black to turn a dull grey like the one on his grandfather's wrist was. The grey signified that your soulmate had passed on and you were now alone in the world. Halloween night found Rabastan standing over Alice Longbottom, the Cruciatus Curse on his lips and his eyes on his mark. Any moment he would see dull grey and it would kill him. He wondered if it hurt? His grandmother had passed of natural causes, so did it hurt if your soulmate was killed? Would he feel it in his heart? No one would believe it if they heard Rabastan's thoughts as he tortured Alice Longbottom, seemingly without a single care in the world. He was doing his Lord's work, but it was the Lord that was just about to kill his world so he could truly follow this man after he killed Harry?
When the aurors showed up, Rabastan had been too stunned to even try to apparate out of the house. The Dark Lord had left for the Potters before they left for the Longbottoms and Harry's name was still prominent on his wrist. It was not until his trial that he found out that Harry had defeated the Dark Lord, the Boy-Who-Lived. He could have cried right then and there if he was not a Lestrange. He heard from the Daily Prophet that Harry had been orphaned in the attack and had tried to write to his grandfather to gain custody. He would display his mark if it meant his soulmate got to grow up with someone who could tell him about who his soulmate was. Enyalios had informed him that Dumbledore had already ensured the boy was with people that he could have under his thumb. There was nothing he could do about it, but he would have gladly taken in the boy if he had been able to take him.
Rabastan had no doubts that the Dark Lord would come back, but when and how old would Harry be then? He would hate him. His mark had been enough drama for the Daily Prophet for well over a year. His wrist had been plastered all over the cover for months with titles slandering his soulmate and his family name. Rabastan would kill Rita Skeeter when he escaped from Azkaban. He cared nothing for his family name, people would always talk about their insanity because of Bellatrix. He cared about her dragging Harry through the dung as if she had any right to. He was a baby and he did not have a choice in this. Rabastan did not want him to be attacked for fate.
Harry was his saving grace throughout his time in Azkaban. He only made in through every day by looking at the bold black print on his wrist telling him that Harry was alive and safe. Years passed and Rabastan slowly slipped into the insanity that had claimed Bellatrix long ago. He had something to hold onto, but it was difficult being so far from his soulmate and not knowing if he was truly okay. His mark may be black, but something in Rabastan's heart told him that his soulmate was not as safe as Dumbledore led the public to believe.
The day came that Rabastan always knew would come. The dark mark flared to life and burned in a way he had missed dearly. He could tell that his Lord was angry, but he did not know exactly why. He assumed it had something to do with his diminishing followers and the ones who did not return. Rabastan could hear Bellatrix cackling loudly, the madness very much settled in her, there was no reversal of it. He, himself, let out a low chuckle as he let the familiar warmth of his mark go over him. It mark was angry red, but it was the most he had felt in well over a decade. It would be only a matter of time before his Lord came for them and he would be able to check on Harry himself.
It did not take long for their Lord to release them, perhaps months after the initial burn of the dark mark? Bellatrix's cackling was the only thing he could make out at the time. Rabastan had been ecstatic to finally see his brother after all these years. They were both very skinny and the madness that swirled in their eyes before with enhanced, but they did not look too worse for wear. It was very strange, though Rodolphus had a soulmate as well, he did not know how old she was or if she was even born yet. It still helped to have something to focus on within Azkaban other than suffering.
To say that Enyalios was surprised when his boys landed in his front room was a lie. He knew very well of the Dark Lord's plans and had fully supported it. He had gone to long without his boys and he wanted them back now. He could say that he was shocked at their appearance. Lestranges were known for being strong men and both of his grandsons looked like a stiff wind would knock them over. He would have to correct that immediately. "Ritzi," he called, not even greeting his grandsons yet. They looked like they needed to gather themselves to being outside of Azkaban.
A small house elf dressed in a royal blue dress popped in front of the head of the Lestrange house. "What can Ritzi be doing for master Lestrange?" The elf asked politely, bowing before Enyalios. He never understood why muggleborns thought that house elves wanted to be freed. They made a living serving people and would go crazy without someone to serve.
"Yes Ritzi, can you tell the house elves in the kitchen that Rabastan and Rodolphus are on a strict diet from now on and that I will send them a list later?" He said, looking down at the elf with long ears. They almost touched the ground when she bowed.
"Of course, master," she bowed once more and popped away. Rabastan rolled his eyes at his grandfather's protectiveness. Ever since their father ran from them, he had been rather protective and like a father to him and his brother. It was not surprising that their grandfather expected them, he had known the Dark Lord in school and had been one of his first supporters after all.
Enyalios nodded, even though the elf had already left. He finally turned to his grandsons, Merlin they should be considered his own sons at this point, and looked up and down. "Let's get you two cleaned up." He decided, walking out of the room trusting the boys to follow. The brothers looked at each other before quickly following him. They were gone for a long while, but they knew better than to go against their grandfather's wishes.
Months pass slowly when there is nothing to do, but get better. Neither Lestrange brother was allowed to go back to the Dark Lord until they had gotten their bodies back under control. Rodolphus seemed to have the most trouble with controlling his body. He had constant muscle spasms and they would come back from time to time, but he slowly gained control of himself. Rabastan had trouble grasping the fact that he was not surrounded by dementors anymore and that he was with his family constantly. He only wished he could see Harry. He wanted to ensure with his own eyes that he was safe and sound.
They were welcomed back to the inner circle with open arms. The Lestranges had never forsaken their Lord with his minor disappearance. They did not sell out others like the other death eaters did to save their necks. They took full responsibility for their actions and took it with pride for their Lord. Rabastan missed being in the presence of the Dark Lord. His magic was as powerful as ever, though he had adopted a snake-like appearance this time around. Rabastan would not be surprised if Pettigrew had been the reason for their Lord not being returned to his entire glory. The traitor was always a sniveling little rat with no backbone of his own.
Rabastan looked around at the familiar faces in the room and the new ones. It seemed that many had come to join his ranks when they heard of him coming back. Dumbledore had forsaken the Light with talk of 'the greater good'. The youngest Lestrange could not help, but smirk at the thought of mudbloods following Dumbledore and not understanding that his favorite phrase was something that one of the darkest wizards in history used to say as he killed mudbloods. Grindelwald knew all about the so-called greater good.
"I would like to welcome back my most faithful, the Lestranges, who never once gave up hope," Rabastan silently preened at the acknowledgement. Many, like Malfoy, had plead that they were Imperious'd to take the mark and do the Dark Lord's bidding. He had heard about the punishment that those who had done so had to go through. It sounded worse than Azkaban.
The meeting went on like any other, the Dark Lord talking about his plans and threats while his snake Nagini slithered around on the table menacingly. Rabastan listened half-heartedly, already knowing what he was talking about. Muggleborns were coming into the wizarding world and rewriting their customs and Hogwarts was doing nothing to educate them. The Dark Lord did not want to kill them, every magic child was sacred, he wanted to educate them however to keep their world safe. Dumbledore wanted everyone under his thumb and twisted the Dark Lord's words around to make him the villain.
"Inner circle stay, the rest of you are dismissed!" The death eaters not in the inner circle were quick to leave the room. Rabastan had a feeling he knew what this meeting was going to be about. The Dark Lord had wanted one thing since his return and that was to know the full prophecy. Malfoy was supposed to retrieve it since he worked within the Ministry and had Fudge under his thumb. He had so far not succeeded, at least from what he had heard from Bellatrix who had been the only one of the Lestranges allowed to return.
The Dark Lord waited for everyone to clear and made sure that no one was around to over hear them. Then he turned and those red met Rabastan's dark blue eyes. "Do you have something to tell me, Rabastan?" The red eyes flickered to his wrist where Rabastan had religiously worn a leather bracelet to cover his soulmate's name. He could see Rodolphus move next to him, a very big brotherly move that would get him killed if he acted on it. Rabastan looked down at his own wrist and back at the Dark Lord. Of course, he would have to know if he was asking about it. No point in hiding it from him.
Rabastan slowly removed his bracelet and held his left arm out for the Dark Lord to inspect. He could hear an intake of breath from the other side of the table and glared at Snape and Malfoy. They had no reason to judge him. They had soulmates that were alive and they could be with them. "My soulmate is Harry Potter, my lord," he said, his deep voice sounding too loud in the quiet room. He winced when the pale hands grasped his forearm, thumb pressing against his dark mark as he inspected the soulmate mark. The Dark Lord hummed, before nodding and releasing Rabastan from his hold.
"Has anyone told you about how I came be again?" The Dark Lord asked, his 's' slurring a bit reminding Rabastan of a snake. The youngest Lestrange shook his head, his fingers tracing Harry's name as if it would protect the boy somehow. "Pettigrew took Harry's blood for a ritual," Rabastan resisted the urge to whip around and kill the quivering rat. He had hurt Harry. Granted it was for a good cause, but he still hurt his soulmate. "Before you kill him Rabastan, I must inform you that my current appearance is because of Harry. It seems that the young Potter does not consider himself to be my enemy." The Dark Lord continued, amused by the emotions Rabastan showed on his face. His soulmate was his beloved Nagini, yet it was not a sexual bond. It was a familiar bond that they shared, a friendship.
Rabastan did not know what to think about what the Dark Lord had just told him. Harry did not consider Voldemort the enemy. Did that mean that he stood a chance to be with his soulmate, should he ever meet him? Rabastan let a little content smile slip on his lips at the thought of his young soulmate being too wise for his age. He relaxed, his fingers lightly tracing the mark still. "Thank you for the information, my Lord," he nodded, humming slightly.
"Yes, if you could convince Potter to be dark or at least neutral, that would be ideal. Another business we have to take care of is the prophecy," and the meeting continued as such. They would break into the Ministry and steal the prophecy. It would not mean a great deal if Harry did not think of the Dark Lord as the enemy, but he still wanted to hear the entire thing.
It was supposed to be a quick in and out job, no one was to know they were there. Until Malfoy noticed a group of children walking around through the globes apparently looking for one.
"Harry, this one has your name on it," a vaguely familiar boy said, pointing at a globe in the direction where the Dark Lord's prophecy was. Rabastan froze at the boy's name. Harry. Was this his Harry? They watched from the shadows as the boy reached out for the prophecy, wanting to know what his destiny was. That is when a familiar phrase rang out in the dark hall:
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches..."
There was no doubt in his mind who that boy was. That boy was his soulmate. He was gorgeous with his wild black hair and thin face. He looked a bit malnourished, but not like he had been in Azkaban. Like he had missed a couple meals. It made Rabastan's teeth grind, someone had been mistreating his Harry. He would be sure to kill anyone who so much as made him up.
Rabastan must have zoned out because soon enough he heard Bellatrix's cooing voice as she taunted Harry. She knew he was Rabastan's soulmate, but she was also crazy. He just had to hope that she did not say anything to truly hurt his soulmate. His eyes widened when the tall boy next to Harry threw a stunned at Bellatrix and she identified him as Neville Longbottom. He had thought for sure the boy was a squib. After the stunner was thrown, it did not take long for things to escalade from there.
The youngest Lestrange ended up with a girl with bushy hair in his arms, his wand pointed at her throat. She struggled against him at first, but stopped when she realized her attempts would be in vain. Even with his time in Azkaban, he could easily overpower her in his strength and his magic. It did not stop her from cupping her hands over his forearm. His eyes caught a familiar name on the inside of her left wrist and his eyes. "Rodolphus," he whispered, his brother standing on the opposite side of the veil. The girl, Hermione Granger, went rigid against him. She knew very well who was on her wrist.
Rabastan continued to hold her, though a bit looser since Rodolphus would kill him if he hurt his soulmate in any fashion. He watched Malfoy with Harry very carefully, ready to step in if needed. Though he knew Malfoy would not try anything since all members here with inner circle and they knew Harry was his soulmate. They would not dare touch him with Rabastan here.
"Just give me the prophecy Potter and no one will get hurt," Lucius said simply, holding his hand out of the misty blue orb. He need it to get back in the Dark Lord's good graces and protect his son from the dark mark. Granted if Draco wanted to take it, that was his choice, but he did not want him to be forced to take it.
Harry looked to be considered his options before holding the orb out to the elder Malfoy. He pulled it back suddenly, biting his lip. "Release my friends first," he said, looking in Rabastan's direction, though he could tell that the look was not for him, but for the young girl in his arms.
"Of course, Mr. Potter. Rabastan?" It seemed like time stopped when he heard his name slip from Malfoy. He released the girl and looked at Harry dead on, feeling the piercing green eyes upon him. He gave him a brief grin to reassure him that he was who Lucius said he was. Harry handed over the orb, his eyes still glued to Rabastan. This was their first time every seeing each other in person and both were mesmerized.
"Later, Basti," Rodolphus voice sounded from next to him. Rabastan looked sadly at Harry wishing he could stay or take him with him, but the Order was coming and he did not fancy Azkaban. With one last look at Harry, he apparated away. He swore that he would find Harry Potter once more.
AN: I hope you like it! The next chapter will be from Harry's point of view! I have a quick question, should I do m-preg or should I have them adopt? I usually do m-preg, but I know that is not everyone's cup of tea and it is fun to switch it up! Please leave me a comment if you liked it!