(A/N- Hello! In this chapter we go back to the night where Voldemort died (for good) and the night where everyone started telling lies. This is going back in time. I had a query on the dates and to clarify- the dates are there to signify the passing of time because I'm not writing a day to day account because that would be tedious for everyone. I hope this explains some things and outlines whether this is a Lyra/Harry or Lyra/Draco story, the latter will seem a bit gross after this chapter, let's be honest. )

Chapter 7

30th of October 1981

Narcissa Malfoy knew it was coming: the tealeaves, the stars and the crystal ball had been telling her for months that the Dark Lord's downfall was imminent, and that her family were in grave danger.

It was a dark and stormy Halloween night. Narcissa had been up in the highest wing of Malfoy manor, nursing two little bairns whilst her husband, Lucius and her sister Bellatrix were downstairs. She wasn't a Death Eater, Bellatrix was an anomaly when it came to females joining the Dark Lord's ranks. She was more than content therefore to miss the meeting that was happening downstairs. All the senior Death Eaters where downstairs discussing the very important mission that would be enacted tonight-the Dark Lord himself could well even be there. They had been to the manor for important meetings many times before, Narcissa was no stranger to retiring to the heights of the house, quieting the children and praying that they did not scream. Narcissa feared for the infants' and her own lives if they made a noise which disrupted the Dark Lords meeting.

That night she knew it was different, as she rocked Draco and Lyra to sleep the noise from the meeting downstairs filtered up through the house and she knew from its tone, as she could not hear the words that it was something big.

Lyra was her eldest sister's daughter. Bellatrix had fallen pregnant before her marriage to Rodolphus -she had been brought up in secrecy as much as possible- The Blacks and Malfoys had stood by their kin and helped raised the child, offering it everything an infant could ever wish for- despite the fact Bellatrix had always refused to divulge the father of her child to anyone, ever.

Even to her present husband, Rodolphus Lestrange.

It had been a huge relief when infatuated Monsieur Lestrange had begged Bella's father for her hand, despite her being older than was the norm for pureblood marriages and already being a mother. Old Cygnus had been more than eager to offer his consent to their union as soon as possible.

As she heard the sound of her house being vacated by her husband's guests, and possibly the Dark Lord himself Narcissa grimaced and took one last look at the piles of parchment on the table, all her readings and predictions about this night. As quietly as possible she lifted one bundle of blankets and rested it on her hip, before summoning a house elf and passing the second bundled to it with some hushed instructions.

With a swift kiss to the blonde head of the child she was leaving behind she slipped through the door of the nursery and stole from the house as quietly as possible, so she could apparate out of the wards.

30th of October 1981

It was a quiet Thursday night for Sirius Black as he lounged on the sofa of his home, reading a book about Quidditch and eating chocolate frogs-Halloween special edition no less. There was nothing about this night which presumed it would be one of the worst of his life, until there was a knock on his door.

Frowning as he wondered who could be calling upon him at such an hour, he got up and leisurely went to answer. His bemused face turned to one of shock when he opened the door to a beautiful blonde woman, in sweeping, expensive emerald robes who looked extremely out of place in his humble cottage.

"Cissy," he exclaimed in his surprise.

"Let me in Sirius," she said firmly, tightening her hold on the baby in her arms. "This is urgent." Despite his usually jovial nature he nodded sombrely and welcomed her into his living room, Sirius knew from her tone of voice that something was the matter.

"For what do I owe the honour of this impromptu visit from yourself and baby Draco," he said, inclining his head at the infant in her arms, unidentifiable due to the mass of blankets which surrounded it.

"This is not Draco," she said quickly, her urgency evident in her expression. "Sit down, we haven't much time."

"What is the matter Cissy," Sirius demanded from his estranged cousin.

"The Dark Lord will fall tonight Sirius," she said bluntly, not allowing the glimmer of joy to linger in Sirius' stormy grey eyes for longer than a moment. "But James and Lily Potter will lose their lives." Sirius' look of triumph slid off his face.

"If this is some kind of sick joke Cissy-" he started angrily, clenching his fists.

"Sirius Orion Black, I will make an unbreakable vow if it is what it takes for you to believe me but I beseech you to save us the time. For the Dark Lord's reign to end, The Potters must die," she said in a surprisingly business-like tone. "I have seen it all, there is no doubt."

"I have to help them," Sirius said jumping to his feet in a panic.

"Sirius. Sit down!" Narcissa commanded in a demanding tone.

"If you try and interfere the blame will rest with you and you will go to Azkaban," she said.

"Better that than not try," Sirius said brusquely, making toward the door.

"And what will little Harry Potter do when his sole guardian is rotting in a jail cell?" Narcissa asked in a loud voice. Sirius stopped on his way to the door and turned on his heel slowly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Tonight," Narcissa started to explain. "James and Lily will sacrifice their lives to protect their son, in trying to kill Harry the Dark Lord will fall. If you go and get involved it will have disastrous consequences. The child needs you Sirius."

"Why should I trust you? You're a Malfoy now," Sirius accused, eyes narrowed.

"I am and always will be a Black, Sirius," Narcissa said strongly, lifting her chin. "And Black's protect their own. The Dark Lord's demise means a safe world for my family, for my son."

Sirius nodded once and fell back into the armchair, resting his head in his hands.

"So all I can do is wait to hear the news of my best friends' deaths," he said, emotion making his voice waver uncontrollably.

"No, you must take Lyra," Narcissa said, stroking the sleeping babies hair.

"Trixie's daughter?" Sirius confirmed, looking up in confusion once more.

"Bellatrix is an unfit mother Sirius, you and I both know," Narcissa said ashamedly. "You must pretend Lyra Black is your own daughter."

"Trixie loves the kid, the only thing she does- besides You Know Who- she's not going to just let you give her to me," Sirius pointed out.

"Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan will get an Azkaban life sentence before dawn," the witch replied gravely. "Very few people know of Lyra's existence. She cannot grow up as the daughter of a psychopath Sirius; think about what it will do to her to know what her mother is. She would never be accepted into society. You must pretend to be her father."

"I cannot look after a child, my job…" Sirius reasoned.

"I know you are always on auror work, but you're also the Potter boy's godfather. I will look after her all the time if necessary once this is all over, the both of them at the manor whenever you are away with the auror department," Narcissa said. "Please Sirius, don't condemn my niece."

"You love her very much don't you?" Narcissa bit her lip and nodded surely. "She's just like a daughter to me." Sirius let out a long suffering sight and buried his head in his hands once more.

"I'll do it," he agreed.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief. "I will take care of Bella."

"Padfoot!" Came a shout from the fireplace. Narcissa gasped and ducked out of view as the face of Remus Lupin appeared, egg shaped and crackling in the fireplace.

"Moony," Sirius said, sliding onto his knees by the fireplace.

"You-Know-Who," Remus said breathlessly and desperately. "He's got Lily and James. They're dead Sirius." Sirius' face contorted into one of pain but Remus continued. "Dumbledore and the Order have gone to Godric's Hollow. The advanced aurors have sieged Malfoy Manor, you'll be getting a call for back up at any minute but we have to go get Harry, he's alive."

"I'll meet you there in two minutes Moony" Sirius said quickly, voice choked and tears swimming in his eyes. Remus gave one nod and disappeared from the hearth.

"Draco," Narcissa said frantically rising from her hiding place and quickly passing the still sleeping baby to Sirius. "He's at the manor. I have to go to him, he could be hurt." Sirius nodded his understanding, whilst looking with a concerned expression at the girl in his arms.

"Lyra Elladora Bellatrix Black," she rushed, placing a kiss on the baby's forehead and then on her cousin's cheek. "Be good to her, I will be back when this all blows over. I'll sort everything out no one will know about this switch. I must go to my son."

31st of October 1981

Azkaban was not a place Narcissa ever wanted to visit, but with three of her relations currently incarcerated within its walls, she had very little choice. Besides, she had to see her sister.

"I'll give you some privacy with your sister Mrs Malfoy ma'am," the guard said bowing his head to her as they reached the bars of Bellatrix's cell.

"Cissy," the dark haired witch exclaimed delightedly as she rushed toward the bars. "I will be out of here by bonfire night, I'm sure I can sway the jury at the trial." Her speech was just as articulate and blasé as ever and her eyes still shone with intelligence and wit. Her face still beautiful and full of life. "Cissy… why do you look so pale… what on earth is the matter?"

Narcissa averted her blue eyes to the floor, not bearing to look her eldest sister in the eye.

"Bella," she started. "I'm so sorry."

"Cissy," Bella said, a slightly pleading tone to her voice, her pale fingers curling around the bars. "Tell me, what has happened."

"The Manor was sieged by aurors whilst you were being arrested," Narcissa said in a small voice. "Curses and explosions everywhere… I … I couldn't stop it."

"Is my daughter safe?" she whispered, eyes wide and fearful. "Is Lyra safe?" Narcissa swallowed the lump in her throat and lifted her head, locking eyes with her sister.

"Dead," she said simply.

Bellatrix froze, she stayed like that for many minutes. Narcissa was just about to call someone to look at her when she noticed how white her sisters knuckles were, she was squeezing the bars with every ounce of her strength.

"Bella," the words came tumbling from her lips in a sorrowful tone, but she could not finish.

It started deep in Bella's chest like a strangled sob, but soon escalated into a bloodcurdling shriek of anguish which pierced Narcissa's ears and reverberated on the bare stone walls.

"NO, NO!" Bellatrix screamed, her face red, eyes manic and hands tearing at her long, thick hair. "Not her, not her." She kept repeating the phrase over and over, each time pacing around the bare cell, ripping at her hair and uniform and hitting the rough wall until her knuckles bled.

Narcissa took a deep breath and pointed her wand at her sister.

"Stupefy," she breathed, watching her sister fall to the ground unconscious, where she couldn't further injure herself. Narcissa went and informed the guards that Bellatrix needed some sort of restraint after one last glance at her big sister.

5th of November 1981

Prison officals would visit Narcissa in coming weeks, telling her about how her sister would spend all day sobbing and screaming and cursing.

Apparently she would scream for her daughter, which according to their records she did not have. They would ask Narcissa about it, and she would confirm that indeed, Bellatrix does not have a daughter and they would nod in understanding and tell her that her sister was going insane. But it didn't really matter, because everyone goes insane in Azkaban… in the end.

And after they left, Narcissa would take little Draco and visit Sirius and Lyra and she would hug her niece and be comforted by the fact that although her murderess-sister was suffering in Azkaban for now, her niece, so innocent and pure could grow up happy, with a loving father.

Narcissa Malfoy cried after her sister's trial, she had sat in the chair with an insane glint her eye ranting about how all she did, she did in the Dark Lord's service. When she believed her daughter to be alive, she had said she would go free, but now she had nothing left to live for she wasn't even trying to walk as free woman again. It was like she wanted to rot in Azkaban.

10th of August 1985

"This is my mother," Narcissa said, pointing to an old photograph of a stern looking woman in expensive pearls. Three small children each of five years old were gathered around her.

Her own son, Draco, with his smooth platinum blonde hair and grey eyes sat next to her, looking at the old leather bound book. On her other side sat a messy haired young boy named Harry, his scar hidden under his fringe and his glasses sliding down the end of his nose. Sat comfortably in her lap was a small girl, her long dark curls were wild and framed her pale face and heavy-lidded eyes. She was the spitting image of her real mother- who had been locked up in Azkaban prison for years.

Narcissa turned the page of the family photo album.

"That lady looks like Lyra," Draco said pointing a finger at Bellatrix who was stood next to Narcissa on her wedding day.

"Yes," Narcissa said slowly. "You remember Andromeda don't you? Saw her last month." Andromeda and Narcissa had been on good terms in the past few years and Narcissa insisted that both Harry and Lyra called her Aunty.

"I remember Aunty Andy," Lyra piped up. "She gave me these shoes," she said, flicking her ankles so that the sparkles on her gift flashed in the light streaming in from the arched window.

"Cousin Dora tickled me and gave me chocolate milk," Harry said, with a wide smile as though he was extremely proud of himself.

"Yes," Narcissa said, closing the book with a soft thud. "How about I have the elves set up some brooms for you, you can all practice your flying."

It was extremely obvious that she was just trying to change the subject, but to three five year olds with a love of flying this was gone unnoticed.

"But Mama," Draco whined. "You won't let us play on proper brooms."

"That's because you're not big enough to play with full sized ones yet Draco," Narcissa scolded, rolling her eyes, though inside her heart was pounding that she had been so careless as to forget that a single photograph of Bellatrix was still inside the manor where the children could find it.