JK Rowling owns the Harry Potter Universe. I make no money from these efforts and appreciate the opportunity to borrow her characters. Please read and review. I enjoy constructive criticism. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I appreciate all of your comments. You all keep me motivated! This was a tough chapter to write. I cried... I'm sorry, but it ends on a slightly higher note. (Chapter Title – Live: Lightening Crashes)

Under Your Spell

Chapter 10: Lightening Crashes

Severus was awoken in what seemed only moments after he had gotten back to sleep. After feeding their son, his wife had put him back in his crib and promptly taken in him hand, literally. It had been a most pleasurable night. However, once they had settled down, his wife had placed his son in the bassinet by the bed, and every two hours, she woke to feed him.

Severus, by nature and by design, was a light sleeper. He heard every peep the child made and felt the bed move every time his wife sat up. He sighed, all in all fatherhood was not nearly as bad as spying on the Dark Lord. There it was, that banging. He stood and threw a robe on his nightshirt, belting it and nudging on his slippers. His wife was beginning to stir, and he was halfway to the door when the impertinent person decided to bang again. Hadrian began to cry and Severus heard Elizabeth slip out of bed.

Severus opened the door do a very angry Lucius and quickly cast a silencing charm so that Lucius outburst would no longer upset the baby.

The older Wizard's face was set in a frown, brows lowered and hair askew. Severus stepped back to allow the blond man to enter. "Your blasted owl nearly cost me my life!" The blond man yelled. Severus noticed the rents in Lucius' robes.

"Lucius, I highly doubt that a wound from the school owl would have been mortal, but I cannot imagine that one of those wretched animals did this." His fingers ran over the precise rips in Lucius heavy robes. "These cuts are too precise. What on earth happened?"

Lucius took a seat in one of the wingback chairs and Severus sat in the other. The blond man huffed, "You look dreadful, Severus." The older frowned with distaste.

"Well, if you had given me some notice before you barged in, I would have dressed for the occasion." He sneered.

"Your blasted owl must have waited outside all evening. I set up the wards to keep everything out, owls included, after someone had poison delivered to my son. Can you believe it?" He ranted. "I had a meeting early this morning. I have been scheduling things at odd hours to throw Bella off. The Aurors still haven't been able to find her. So, I left early this morning to visit my solicitor; he said had urgent business he needed to discuss. No sooner did I get out of the gate than that blasted owl accosted me! Unable to make his delivery, he had sat there all night waiting. And there I was with feathers in my face when I got hit by a slicing hex by my beloved sister in law. I haven't even had time to read your letter!" Lucius used his fingers to try and tame his long flowing locks.

Severus watched the blond man's eyebrows rise, "Well, I can honestly say that this has made it all better."

Severus turned to see that his wife was not exiting the bedroom. She currently had one hand clutched at the top of her robe, the other around Hadrian. Her eyes were open wide with shock and her mouth was agape. She was showing quite a bit of leg. "Oh!" She squeaked, "I didn't hear anything so I assumed . . ." She turned with a fetching flurry of robes and went back into the room to dress

"Lucius," Severus drawled, "you're bleeding on my chair."

The dark haired wizard stood and muttered the counter curse healing Lucius' skin and repaired his robes.

Lucius inspected the pristine fabric with a look of frustration, "You know they are never the same once they have been repaired." He said drolly.

Severus rolled his eyes and turned toward his room, "Give me a moment while I dress," he said over his shoulder.

"Of course and feel free to send that lovely wife of yours out here to keep me company while I wait." He smiled charmingly. "I know, I know . . . fuck off. I really wish you would quit being so crass, Severus."

The dark wizard smirked as he walked away. He entered the bedroom to find Elizabeth feeding Hadrian.

"Oh, Severus, I had no idea anyone was here! I'm sorry for intruding." She whispered loudly.

"It's all right, dear. It's only Lucius. I need to speak with him about an important book that he has in his possession."

He dressed quickly while she attended to the baby. "Please join us when you are through, and call Motty to watch Hadrian, if you would like" he nodded to her as he left the room.

Severus spoke with Lucius about his current situation. The blond man was shocked to hear that Miss. Granger had tried to harm his wife and even more astonished to hear that his infant son had produced a substantial shield charm.

"Merlin, Severus, you've given birth to the next Overlord." He chuckled.

"Lucius, don't ever repeat that!" He hissed.

"So, you believe Bella placed this spell on Miss. Granger? It is quite likely. She was a very talented witch, if a little imbalanced. Which brings me to my next point, Severus, I noted something peculiar as I dueled her this morning. Admittedly, I was not at my best; however, Bella was quite sloppy. Now, it could be due to the stress she has undergone, but I've known Bella all of my life. I have never seen such shoddy wand work from her."

Severus pierced Lucius with a riveting stair. "Has she ever said anything?" He asked.

"No, come to think of it. We received a note. It was clearly written with a dictating quill as it was not Bella's handwriting. The Aurors currently have it. It contains a list of the wrongs we have committed by not fulfilling our obligations and our status as blood traitors. Save for the accusations of traitor, the other faults she lists seem a bit thin. I've also never known Bella to send a letter; she's more into . . . direct confrontation."

"Yes," Severus replied. "That hardly seems like Bella."

"Yes," Lucuis agreed.

Both men were in deep thought when Elizabeth walked in dressed in a lovely, simple woolen amber gown. The boat-neck gown was edged with small amber crystals that caught the light as she moved. She wore a simple, gold chain around her hips which trailed down the front of her gown and ended in a charm of crystals near her knees. The full dress floated around her as she walked giving peaks of a silky under dress of cream lawn.

She went to the kitchen to fix a pot of tea. She shuddered as she returned to the room and sat on the sofa. There it was again. She looked at Lucius curiously. His magic had a similar feel to the aura that virtually swathed Hermionie. The sensation around Lucius was less pronounced, but it was there. She had begun to identify these strange tingles, and she knew without a doubt that something was wrong. She set down the steaming pot on a tray with biscuits and began to prepare tea for their guest when a frantic Elf popped into their quarters.

"Master Malfoy!" The little Elf squeaked. "Please sir, please come home. Mistress needs you!" The little creature bounded from one foot to another. "Mistress says she hurts. Codger is gettings the Healer."

Lucius stood abruptly, "Severus," he looked up at his friend worriedly, "Would you come?" His voice was high and tremulous. "And Elizabeth? Please come. I know Narcissa would enjoy your company. Bring the babe. She has spoken of nothing else since seeing him." He turned in a rush and strode to the door. Elizabeth collected Hadrian and a shoved a few necessities in her bag for him and ran to the door where Severus waited with her cloak. They followed Lucius to the gate. The Wizards drew their wands and readied in anticipation of an attack should one come. Lucius preceded them and Severus held on to Elizabeth and Hadrian and apparated them to the Manor.

They followed the blond Wizard as he raced to the Manor, threw open the door and climbed the stairs. Severus turned to Elizabeth and bade her to stay there. Codger appeared and ushered her into a cozy sitting room where she waited.

Severus followed Lucius up to the master suite and waited outside of the doors. He could hear Narcissa's sobs.

"Is there nothing that can be done?" He heard Lucius shout.

There was a quiet pause, and Lucius appeared escorting a very sad, very frustrated Healer. "I'm sorry. I told you Mr. Malfoy that this was likely to happen again." The elderly man replied.

"Yes, but you have yet to identify what is going on." Lucius yelled.

"I'm sorry, sir. Please call if she changes her mind about the sedative." The Healer turned and left dejectedly.

"May I speak with her, Lucius?" Severus asked.

Lucius looked up at his friend with tears in his reddened eyes. "Yes," he whispered harshly, "Of, course". The blond man slumped in an ornate chair, his head in his hands, and cried silently.

Severus walked into the dark room and spied Narcissa lying amidst a bevy of fine sheets and velvet comforters. The heavy, green bed curtains had been pulled back. Narcissa, though not a large woman, had always been rather larger than life to him. She was tall, statuesque, and her presence was often overwhelming. But she lay amidst lush fabric in the flickering light of the fire, and she looked so very small and frail.

He approached silently and called lightly, "Cissa?"

"Yes, Severus," she sniffed. "I'm awake. There is nothing that can be done. I've . . ." her weak voice trailed off.

Severus pulled a leather pouch from his pocket and enlarged it. "Did the healer give you anything?" He asked.

"No." She whispered.

"Let me give you something to help the pain." He pleaded.

"I don't WANT to forget the pain!" She yelled. "It's all I have," she cried.

"Cissa." The tall, gaunt wizard approached and looked almost macabre in the strange light. "You will help no one with this behavior, least of all yourself." He chided.

"Here," he said briskly as he slid his hand under her back and helped her to sit up more comfortably. He held a vial to her lips. "Drink." He ordered in his best Potion's Master voice.

He tilted small glass container and she drank obediently. He gave her several more to restore blood, heal, and cause her to relax.

"You are so lucky Severus. You have such a beautiful son." She mused. "He is going to be a handsome boy, like his father." She smiled.

Severus scoffed, "Really, Cissa, I gave you no hallucinogens. And if you continue to give my son delusions of grandeur he will be completely impossible by the time he grows up!"

She chuckled. "You know. Bella was always enthralled by you. She thought you were very striking; I think she fancied herself a little in love. She and Rodolphus had not yet gotten engaged when you joined the Death Eaters. She told me once that it didn't matter that you were a half blood. You were, are powerful." She mused.

"Well, that explains it. I was always at a loss as to why she was always touching me and throwing herself at me. She was quite forward. I had heard from Lucius that she was quite the man eater, and I wasn't about to let her get her claws in me. Macnair told me once that she was a vicious hell cat, a bighter." He shuddered.

Narcissa chuckled, "Yes, Bella was wild, but you were different for her. How did you eventually dissuade her?" She asked.

"I endured her propositions for years and complained to Lucius. Finally he handed me a way out. He said, 'just tell her you're my lover.'" Severus Laughed. "I didn't want to do it, but Lucius finally told me that if I didn't tell her, he was so sick of hearing about it that he would tell her. He promised to keep the charade going should Bella ever confront him. So, I finally told her that I was intimate with Lucius and no other. It solved several issues, explaining why I did not take part in the rape of Muggles and why I seemed to be uninterested in women." He looked into the waning flames remembering the past and thankful for the present.

"That is interesting, she told me once that Lucius didn't deserve me and didn't deserve to have a family. I suspect she never told me about that little secret between you and Lucius because she didn't want to hurt me. She was always trying to protect me. She told me that she was going to hex his bollocks off; he had everything she wanted and had taken the one thing she had desired most. I didn't understand what she meant at the time, but I suspect it was you." She shifted and turned to look at him.

Her eyes narrowed, "She was in such a rage Severus. She attacked Lucius, you know. He told me later that my mad sister had cut him up viciously. He kept it from me, too, for a while, and only mentioned it offhandedly one day after another argument with her." She smiled. "They were always keeping things from me."

"Bella always felt that she had to settle for Rodolphus. She never spoke of wanting his child. She was absolutely furious after Draco was born. She had been with me through all of my miscarriages, comforting me. She begged me to forgive her, and she loved Draco dearly. But she loved to goad Lucius about the fact that he could produce no more heirs. She constantly slandered his manhood." Her slender fingers were pleating the sheets as she stared at the man across from her.

Severus looked into the woman's dark eyes and tipped his head back, looking down his nose at her. His eyes went wide, "Narcissa," his voice was filled with understanding. "Your sister has always had a talent for blood magic, hasn't she?" His voice was strange and low.

"Yes," the blond woman nodded speculatively. "But, she wouldn't have . . . ; she didn't really hate Lucius. It was just . . ." she seemed like a lost child at that moment.

Severus watched as her eyes filled with tears of betrayal. "She wouldn't have done that . . . to me?"

Severus held her small hand gently and patted her fingers, "Bellatrix was deranged, Cissa. You cannot pin a rational explanation on this. In her own way, she loved you, but she was a very disturbed woman."

Narcissa sniffed, "Severus, is Elizabeth here?"

He shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, both she and Hadrian are here."

Narcissa smiled, "I'd like to see them."

Severes' brow furrowed. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea, and he hoped that holding the babe wouldn't upset her.

Severus stepped out of the dark room into the bright hallway where Lucius waited. He looked up, distraught.

"Lucius I think I may have an idea concerning your . . . issues." It was a poor, unintended pun, and he grimaced hoping his friend did not take offence.

The blond man never noticed his gaff and instead became frantic with hope. "Is it something that can be helped? Why did you never figure it out before? What is the cause?" He said in a rush.

Severus hung his head and hissed softly, "Bellatrix."

"I'll kill her!" Lucius grabbed his friend's arms and gritted his teeth. "I'll kill that vicious bitch if I ever get my hands on her!" He thought of the times, for what felt like years, holding his wife and consoling her for loss after loss. It was only after a miracle potion that Severus had given them that they had been able to conceive Draco, and that had only been effective once.

He slid down Severus until his knees hit the floor and he cried as he held on to his friend. He could not lose Narcissa. He would do whatever he could to make her happy. He would rip his own heart from his chest and give it to her, but he could not lose her. She was his life.

"Please, Severus," the blond man begged.

Severus stood with his arms outstretched looking down sorrowfully at his friend. He gripped him steadily and pulled him away while kneeling next to him. "Lucius," He spoke softly, "I want to prepare you. If this is what I think it is, there may be no going back. The damage may already be done. I will, of course try all that I can to help, but I can make no guarantees, my friend. I am heartily sorry." He looked into his friends eyes with a furrowed brow. HIs heart ached for them.

Lucius studied the dark soulful eyes in front of his and wondered how anyone could have ever thought Severus thoughtless. He grabbed him around the shoulders and squeezed him while his soul seemed to wrench out of his body. Severus held the weeping man and patted his back, soothing him. "I promise, Lucius, we will find a way."

He heard soft footfalls and turned his head to see Elizabeth and Hadrian at the head of the stairs with a House Elf, who had evidently been sent by Narcissa to collect her.

"I am sorry. . . " She pleaded lightly, "I didn't mean to intrude."

Severus stood and helped Lucius up. The blond man brushed off his clothing and tried to gather some semblance of control, "Please, Elizabeth, come."

She drew forward and he gave her his arm. The tears had dried on his cheeks and his smooth skin was flushed with the burnish of pain. Her heart ached for him, for them both.

As her arm touched his she shivered.

"Are you well, my dear?" He asked solicitously.

Elizabeth looked askance at Lucius, "I . . . " she paused, "Well, I'm rather sensitive to magic, or so I'm told."

Lucius looked quizzically at her, "I thought you were a Muggle?" He looked to Severus for confirmation.

The dark haired Wizard replied, "It's complicated, but she is quite sensitive to the magic around her."

They walked forward into the dark room, and Hadrin began to coo lightly.

"What is it that you feel?" Lucius asked as he drew her near the bed and seated her in a chair near Narcissa while he and Severus took the comfortable lounge chairs against the wall.

Elizabeth smiled at Narcissa, who reached for the babe. She sighed contentedly when he was placed in her arms. She cuddled him close and placed her cheek on the inky down on his head. The child squirmed and seemed to giggle as she trailed her fingers over the back of his head and neck. The blond woman smile and closed her eyes.

Elizabeth sat back and turned her attention to Lucius, "Well, it reminded me of the same discomfort I experienced near Miss. Granger. You have a similar feel; though, it is much less pronounced with you."

In the silence, the fire crackled and their faces looked eerily mobile, as if they had a life of their own.

Severus spoke and his voice, though soft, seemed to expand in the darkness. The rich timber flowed like the weaving of silk, "Lucius, after speaking with Narcissa, I believe I understand what may have occurred. Elizabeth's discomfort seems to confirm these suspicions. Narcissa tells me that Bellatrix was enraged with jealousy after we contrived that story for her - the one involving our nonexistent love affair. Your wife confided in me that Bellatrix believed herself in love with me. I suspect that, in a pique of jealousy, she devised a plan that would render you incapable of producing offspring." He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Do you mean that I am sterile?" He bridled.

Severus met the blond man's icy gaze, "No, not in the traditional sense. She used blood magic, so it would involve both yours and Narcissa's blood. I suspect that she altered your blood so that any legitimate offspring you would attempt to sire with Narcissa would fail to . . . come to fruition."

Elizabeth, her brow puckered in thought, interjected, "So, you mean, that she changed his blood so that it would be incompatible with Narcissa's and cause her to miscarry? But, she had a child, didn't she?" She queried.

"Yes, we have a son, Draco." Lucius replied.

"I read, during my own pregnancy," Elizabeth began, "of an issue that can cause problems with conception and even issues after birth. It deals with Rh incompatibility. Essentially, your blood chemistry is all wrong, and it can cause women to miscarry. Could that have been caused by magic?" Elizabeth directed her question toward Severus.

Severus nodded, "Yes, quite possibly. I don't know why Your Healer wouldn't have checked this. All of the new journals suggest thorough blood tests for conceiving couples. I would assume that this is routine." He looked at Lucius.

"Our healer has been with the family for years, and I doubt he has altered his methods in consideration of new developments," Lucius sneered. "We will need to employ a new Healer. I've been a fool."

"The issue remains that, given this spell was put in place so long ago, the effects of the magic are likely irreversible." Severus paused, "I'm sorry."

Elizabeth turned to look at Narcissa, who held her son so tenderly. These people were Severus' friends; they loved him and treated him like family. They had been nothing but kind and welcoming to her, and she knew that there was something that she could do for them in return.

"The issue, if indeed we have the right of it," her voice was soft yet confident, "is the incompatibility between your bloods. It causes a problem when the mother's body fights off the creation of the child because of the danger it possesses. However, if you placed the fertilized egg in another womb, one without an Rh factor, that woman would be able to carry the child to term without issue." She looked at them and then at Severus, who swallowed thickly.

"Where would we find such a person, and is it possible to place the fetus in another woman's body?" He asked.

"When I was pregnant, I was worried that Rh incompatibility may present a risk for both myself and my child, that is, until the doctor told me that my blood type was O negative. He said that I have no Rh factors in my blood. I could carry your child if this is the issue, and even if there are other explanations, I would be happy try. I would be honored to carry your child," She said as she turned to look at Narcissa, whose eyes filled with tears.

Lucius stood and walked swiftly to kneel at her feet. He took her hand and he took Narcissa's hand. "Is this possible?" He looked from Elizabeth to Severus.

"Yes, it is possible through invitro fertilization. Doctors fertilize several of the mother's eggs with the father's sperm and then implant them in the surrogate's uterus. It is a costly procedure, but there are many . . . Muggle . . . doctors who could perform the operation." She looked down at him earnestly.

"Money is no object." He said as he rubbed her soft fingers. He looked into her kind eyes and saw hope. His eyes filled with tears as he looked frantically at Severus, "You . . . would you? Are you sure?"

Severus' throat constricted with emotion, and he felt his eyes burn with it as well. Unable to speak, he nodded his assent. He would gladly have carried a child for them if he had been able to. He would never have spoken for Elizabeth, but he was truly humbled by her gift to his friend. He was in awe of her compassion; she truly was a beautiful woman.

Lucius bent forward to place an earnest kiss on Elizabeth's palm before turning to his wife and placing kiss after kiss on her tearstained face.

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On a side note. I am co authoring another fic called the Charm of Making with Peppernator0817 It is not copied we are just choosing to post on both accounts. This story is based (in part) on an RP from a site that can be found on google, merely search One More Time, One Less Lie. We portray only Severus and Arianna our lovely OC as well as a few others that may be dropped in from time to time. One More Time, One Less Lie is a Proboards run Roleplay site owned and run by Peppernator0817(Joyce). We are currently accepting applications and welcome all levels of experience. If you are interested google the name or visit onelesslie DOT proboards DOT com - just take out the spaces and place dots where needed.