Chapter 2: A Prophecy Revealed

It had been weeks since the incident at the Barnabus house, and Lucius had nearly put the memory of it out of his mind. He'd never imagined how much trouble went into preparing for a child, but as the time ticked by and Narcissa's belly swelled, he was quickly learning how much work went into it. He'd thought the morning sickness during the first trimester had been bad. Or the food cravings during the second. But he was learning that the third trimester had its own array of problems to worry about. Narcissa would need her feet rubbed frequently, she would suffer from aches and pains, and often found it difficult to sleep through the night with worries about the manor flitting through her mind. On top of all that, Narcissa was becoming horny all the time, and while Lucius did the best he could to satisfy her without actually having typical sex, he felt more and more ostracized in their relationship. It was strange, to feel that his unborn child was tearing his wife away from him, but that's precisely what he felt.

Lucius never was very good at sleeping through the night. Ever since he'd joined the Death Eaters, his dreams would be plagued with nightmares about the various atrocities he'd witnessed and performed. He was finding it more difficult to make it to the Ministry, especially since he was having to make time for the Dark Lord's meetings. He hadn't prepared himself for the stresses of being a father, a politician, and a Death Eater, but somehow he was managing to juggle the three without collapsing all together.

It was around two in the morning one night. Narcissa had been in bed since finally falling to sleep around eleven. Lucius had only slept for a couple of hours before he'd been awoken by his nightmares. He wished he'd gotten more of the Dreamless Sleep potion Severus had made for him last year. He hadn't anticipated needing so much of it.

Instead he wrapped himself in a sleek, black robe and made his way downstairs. He poured himself a tall glass of his finest merlot from last century. He settled into his plush leather armchair and flicked his wand, turning the hearth into a roaring fire. The heat felt good against his skin, and the wine warmed his insides. Nightmares always made him so very cold, as though even his bones were rattled.

He must have dozed off halfway through the glass, because when he next opened his eyes Severus was stepping through his fireplace, his voice pulling him from his slumber. "Lucius, wake up damn it!"

Lucius shuddered, nearly knocking the rest of his wine to the floor. "Severus. What's going on? You could have warned me you were -"

In a single, fluid motion - at least to Lucius' wine-addled eyes - Severus collapsed in a heap of black cloth at his feet, taking his hand as though he were about to begin confessing at the feet of a Father of a Church. "Oh God, Lucius - he's going to kill her! He's going to kill her, and I'm the one who told him. It's all my fault! Lucius, oh God, what have I done?"

It took a moment for Lucius to fully come to his senses and realize what was going on. He'd seen Severus in bad situations before, hell he'd even seen him when he'd lived at that horrid little house near the mill, but he'd never seen him this bad. Something was horribly wrong, and it put a hollow icy ache in the pit of his stomach. Reluctantly he put out the fire, and with another flick of his wand lit the candles about the room. If Severus had found it so easy to waltz into his living room, Lucius didn't want anyone else on the other side to see. Not when he was this bad, not like this. While he was at it, he put a silencing charm around the room and a couple of wards too.

Then he settled back against the leather chair again, feeling only mildly more at ease. "Severus, calm down. I can't help you if I don't know what the hell you're talking about. You have to speak to me."

Severus sat up on his knees suddenly, his eyes red from tears and his face flush with fear and sadness. "I heard it, Lucius. I heard the Prophecy and I told him about it. I told him everything. And I didn't even think about it. I didn't even think for a second what it would mean, or who it would mean. I'm so sorry, Lucius. I'm so bloody sorry."

Sorry? Sorry for what? Lucius felt his own heartbeat quicken with worry. Had Severus done something to compromise him? Who had he spoken to? He grabbed the glass of wine and shoved it toward him, "Drink, my friend. Drink and explain."

Severus took a long gulp of the potent wine, and sat back for a moment, wincing as the potency hit him. And then he explained: the Prophecy, the Dark Lord, everything.

#

"And then Trelawney's eyes rolled up white in her eyes, her jaw went slack and she started shuddering all over. I thought she was about to go into a convulsion! And then she started to speak, but her voice didn't seem right. It didn't seem like her own. It seemed... harder, almost like a man's but not quite. And then she gave the Prophecy." Severus paused to down the rest of the glass of wine Lucius had given him, retelling his tale as detailed as he could remember.

"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 ...

and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ..."

Lucius let out the breath he'd been holding. There was no telling how many wizarding women had children that would be born around that time. Not to mention the muggle-borns. It would be impossible to prevent all of them from being born, but that certainly wouldn't prevent the Dark Lord from trying. "Alright, so who all does that leave us with? That we know at least?"

Severus shuddered, his grief nearly tearing him apart from the inside out. "Lily."

Lucius nodded, understanding finally the horror his friend was going through. The Evans girl was the pathetic love of his life, regardless of whether or not she card for him. And in this simple act he'd practically signed her death certificate. Even though she was married to that insufferable James Potter and only invited Severus by for tea and to commiserate somehow he still found her the most wonderful creature on the planet. "You'll need to warn them. They'll need to know their lives are in danger. And you'll need to move quickly as I'm sure our Lord will be just as quick."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that, Lucius! Hi Lily, I know you're not going to believe me, but I just found out that your child will mean the death of you in three months' time. How do you think that will look? Especially if Potter's nearby, it'll become an absolute mess!"

Lucius nodded, Severus had a point. They would never believe him if he just walked up and told them. They would suspect a trap of some sort instead of finding the protection they needed. "Then you'll have to go to someone who will believe you. Someone who will relay the message for you, and someone who will know that you're telling the truth."

Severus sniffled, "Who, Lucius?"

He poured himself another glass of wine and refilled Severus' glass. If he gave this advice, Severus very well might turn on him. Though in this state, he didn't think his friend had the energy to care about sides. Lucius never had much care for the Potters, but he couldn't stand to see Severus suffering like this. It might not do any good to tell them, it might well be the worst mistake of his life. But Severus needed honest help, not political garbage.

"Albus Dumbledore. He's a renowned legimens and would be able to tell if you were lying or not. Think about it! A wizard of that power might very well save the entire family from the Dark Lord's clutches!"

Severus eyes went wide, "But Lucius, if I go to him saying such a thing, what's to keep him from handing me over to the Aurors? What's going to prevent him from locking me in Azkaban for the rest of my days?"

Lucius downed half his glass in a single gulp, coughing afterwards. "Nothing, unless you play your cards properly." Lucius pulled over a footstool and sat across from his friend, who looked so very small in Lucius' plush leather armchair. "Listen to me. If you go to him begging for help, you'll have to offer him something in return. He'll require it. If he's anything like the Dark Lord - and I've no doubt he is - he'll expect a trade of services. You have to give him something of value for her life. For their lives. Something worthwhile."

"Oh Jesus, Lucius! What do I have that someone like Dumbledore would want? I don't have money or power, hell I don't even have any pull at St. Mungo's! I'm absolutely useless to him."

Lucius bit his lip. Severus was not always so dense, but when he was upset like this it could be difficult to get even the most basic ideas past his thick skull. Especially if the Evans girl was involved. "Offer yourself to him."

Severus stared at him for a moment, his eyes slits of distrust. "Like... sex?"

"No, no! Offer your services to him." Lucius sighed, trying to still his shaking hands. "Offer to work for him instead of the Dark Lord."

That was enough to garner his attention, and Severus sat up straighter on the edge of his seat. "Are you mad? Switch sides? The Dark Lord would kill me if I went to work with the Order!"

"Then... he must never know about it then." Lucius sipped at his drink, his calm returning to him.

"I don't know about this, Lucius. I don't like this idea at all. I could be killed, put on trial, imprisoned..."

"Then do nothing. Wait for the Dark Lord to kill them as if they were muggles. I'm sure Dumbledore has already sent letters warning them to go into hiding, but he'll do no more than that. Not unless he has a good reason to."

Severus wiped his nose on the back of his robe, such a disgusting, muggle habit. "What you're asking me to do doesn't seem very much like a Death Eater, Lucius. Tell me: how long have you been working for Dumbledore?"

"I'm not." Lucius growled, "I just know that Narcissa is also three months away from having our boy. And... I understand your desire to keep the Potters safe."

Lucius didn't turn to see his reaction, but he heard the gasp of breath. "Lucius, I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

He threw a hand up to silence him, as he had done when first training him to be a Death Eater. Severus obeyed instantly. "Take care of the Potters first, and then you and I can figure out what to do for us."

"Lucius if he finds out, he'll expect you to-"

"Then he won't find out then, will he?" Lucius turned to glare at him. He could feel the heat in his eyes and judging by how taken aback Severus appeared, they must have been slightly glowing. His veela bloodline had a strange way of showing itself at times. "The Potters... there's no way we can change the pregnancy for them. They likely wouldn't trust you enough to handle their child. But Severus, you yourself said you were talented with potions - I'm sure there is something we could concoct that would induce labor before the end of July. I'm sure we can force him to come earlier if we try."

"You're dreaming things up! There's no potion for such a thing, and even if there were I'd probably give it to the Lily before -"

Lucius rushed over and back-slapped Severus so hard it nearly flung him from the seat. Severus' eyes went wide as his hand lingered over the red welt forming on his pale cheek. "Severus, I love you very much like a lover. I would do anything for you, and I have risked my life for you on countless occasions." He leaned forward on the footstool to stare his friend straight in the eyes, "But don't you ever put that Evans whore before your true family."

Severus nodded slowly, at a loss as to how else to react. "I'm sorry, Lucius. I don't know what came over me."

He gave a small smile, "I know. It's understandable considering the amount of stress you've been under. Now go - see Dumbledore and hurry back here once you're done. He might have you holed up there for days for interrogation, but be sure you come back here to help us."

Severus nodded, his eyes shadowed by his mused hair. "Yes, Lucius..."

Then he slinked out of the chair and back toward the floo, returning to his hovel near St. Mungo's.

Lucius took a deep breath, glancing down to the red, blotchy pattern that now covered the back of his hand. Never had he raised a hand to Severus before, and truly he hadn't intended to. But saying that he'd rather save Evans' brood before he'd help his friends was simply out of the question. Lucius didn't know what kind of pathetic love potion that woman had over his friend, but from the way she had treated him over the years, Severus certainly seemed a glutton for punishment.

Lucius sat down in his chair again, sipping again at his wine, his mind revolving around the events of their discussion. Truly he had no guarantee Dumbledore would let his friend live, or whether Severus might not be taken straight to Azkaban. But in all honesty, Severus had a much better chance of getting sympathy from the Head of Hogwarts then he did from the Dark Lord. Lucius wasn't sure if he'd ever see his friend again but, as his hands began to shake, he only hoped he'd given him the best advice possible. Dumbledore was the only man that could offer him help now, whatever help that might be.

He had other, more pressing matters to attend to. Severus had chosen his direction, and Lucius had to figure out what to do with his own family. They were fortunate, really. Narcissa was hardly showing even this far into the pregnancy, and they'd kept the knowledge a secret from even their best friends for fear of losing the child. He downed the rest of his wine and got to his feet. The world spun around him from too much heat and alcohol, but Lucius mastered his footing regardless. He needed to find Narcissa. She needed to know, and they had to figure out what they were going to do.

#

Lucius was keenly aware of the lack of heat as he made his way back up the flight of stairs. He passed by the antique grandfather clock that had been passed down for ages through his family. It was close to 5:30 already, nearly dawn. Where had his night gone? Normally the rising sun would energize him and make him feel alive and awake, but this morning he felt haggard and old. How would Narcissa react when he told her? What would she say, and would she even believe him? He let out a shaky sigh, and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He wiped at the dried drool on his chin and winced at his scruffiness. He wasn't as ready as he'd like to be to deliver such horrid news, but he didn't have much choice. They had an unknown time limit as it was.

He pushed the bedroom door open, grinding his teeth as the hinge squeaked. That elf Dobby was perhaps the most incompetent creature he'd ever owned. He'd have to take his anger out on it later. The room was flooded with the dim blues of dawn, and Narcissa looked like she'd barely moved since he'd departed her bedside late that night. He draped his robe on the chair of his writing desk, and slunk into bed beside her. Even though he'd been drinking and had spent most of his evening next to a fireplace, he still felt freezing compared to her warm body, and he nuzzled up beside her. He draped an arm around her belly, rubbing it gently in her sleep. She winced at his chilled body, but didn't seem to fully wake. Instead she wrapped her legs around his freezing feet and fell back to sleep.

Lucius smiled despite the weariness in his heart. He wished he could just let this moment last forever. He wished he never had to tell her what he knew, and he wished that their lives weren't such a complex fight for survival.

"Narcissa, love. Wake up."

She moaned in her sleep, her eyebrows furrowing as though she were arguing in silence.

"Come on now, dear. I have something important to tell you."

Her eyes flitted open slowly, dim blue agate with flecks of brown. He tried to smile at her, but his eyes were already filling with tears.

"Lucius," her voice was soft, but concern was seeping through as she left her dreams. "Lucius, what's wrong?"

He stopped rubbing his hand against her belly, and pursed his lips together. "I spoke with Severus. He... heard something that he shouldn't have. And he told the Dark Lord."

Narcissa tensed under his hands at the very mention of Voldemort. Her eyes snapping open to full consciousness. "What's happened? Is someone dead?"

"No, no one's dead, love. But we need to figure out what to do. A prophecy was made... about someone born to vanquish the Dark Lord. And he'll stop at nothing to make sure that child is destroyed."

Narcissa sat up, her blonde curls a splay around her face. "Oh God, Lucius. Not ours..."

"Possibly. The prophecy predicted that the child would be born around the end of July. The parents are said to have defied the Dark Lord three times."

As soon as he mentioned the birth date, she put a balled hand to her lips and her eyes welled up. Lucius knew what thoughts must be flitting through her mind, likely the same as his. She swallowed hard, gripping his arm that was still clutching her belly. "No, that's not fair. We've tried too hard to have him! We can't lose him, not like this!"

Lucius sighed, forcing his throat to relax and his body not to shudder. He wanted to weep with her, to hold her body to his and melt into the despair. But Narcissa's fear and shock quickly melted to rage.

"You said Severus told you. You said he heard. Why did he tell this to the Dark Lord? Why would he do this to us!"

"Calm down, dear. He didn't have much of a choice. If he found out Severus had kept such a thing secret, he'd have killed him instantly! Besides, you aren't the only mother expecting that month."

She looked up to him, her face flushed with grief and rage. "Who else? Who is expecting?"

"I'm not sure who all is involved with this. But really it could be wizards or muggle families, love. The parents are not necessarily wizards and witches."

"Oh Lucius," she placed a hand to her forehead. "It would have to be. If they had defied him three times, then they couldn't be muggles!"

He went silent. He hadn't considered that, though now that she mentioned it that seemed a rather obvious conclusion. Narcissa was always such the better strategist than he was. He would get wrapped up in the overall plot and the overall plan, but she would separate the conjecture from reality. She kept him grounded.

"The Potters. James and Lily are the foremost ones Severus was concerned with."

Narcissa fell back against the headboard, her eyes searching the ceiling. "Of course. Lily Evans, of course she'd be expecting at the same time. And I'm sure Severus ran to her aid, didn't he? Leaving us here to fend for ourselves, the hopeless fool."

"He loves the girl still. You can't fault him that." Lucius wasn't sure why he was defending his friend, but he felt wrong allowing her to speak ill of him when he wasn't even there.

"Still Lucius, he knows better, or at least he should know better. That woman's been trouble for him ever since they met! And now it looks like she'll be trouble to the end of their days." She wiped a tear away, "Didn't you tell me he agreed to be our child's godfather?"

Lucius nodded, feeling more like the fool here than the messenger.

She laughed, sniffling to herself. "Well that's lovely. Some godfather he is! At the first sign of trouble he runs off to the whore that spurns him!"

"Narcissa!"

She wiped at her eyes again, "...I'm sorry, Lucius. I guess I'm just a bit... upset."

He situated himself next to her and put an arm around her. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he could feel the warm tears sliding down his skin. "I know you don't want to think about this dear, but we need to figure out what we're going to do. I think we've both decided that informing the Dark Lord about this is out of the question."

She managed a laugh, her voice thick from tears. "Obviously."

"I'm thinking that we'll need to find a way to make you prematurely go into labor. A month or so early so that no one suspects."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea, Lucius. But I've never heard of such a thing before. And I don't know if that will be good for the child either..."

He sighed, "Well, I think the only other option will be to pretend that you had the boy early."

"Early? But Lucius how in the world could I fake that? Perhaps if I was a metamorphmagus, that would be a cinch!"

"Now listen to me. The papers, the documents, the official records - that wouldn't be any trouble and you know it. We've tampered with plenty of documents like that in the past without too much difficulty. I don't think this would be any different."

She laughed, bitter this time as she pushed herself up to stare at him directly. "You're forgetting one thing though, Lucius. I'll still be with child! Anyone who sees me will know instantly that I'm pregnant, and quite far along as well!"

"We keep you in hiding, we keep you inside until he's actually born. But we get someone to polyjuice as you, and then I can charm up some bundle of cloth for the baby. No one will know the better!"

A smile was forming on Narcissa's face, a devious smile that Lucius had come to equate with her various schemes and wicked plotting. "Lucius, you are perhaps the most beautiful man I've ever laid eyes on."

He grinned, "Why thank you, dear."

"But... who are we going to get to polyjuice as me? Who can we let know about this?"

They grew silent. It was certainly a dangerous situation, one that would not be entrusted to anyone else within the Death Eater group. Then they realized in the same moment who would be the perfect choice, and blurted it out in unison:

"Severus!"