Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Harry Potter. It belongs to J.K. Rowling… unfortunately.
Notes: This is the final chapter.
17 November 1978,
"Lucius! Get in here! Bella's going into labor!" shouted Narcissa as she helped Bellatrix stand.
Lucius ran into the room and froze at the sight in front of him. Bellatrix was holding her stomach while Narcissa tried to help her stand. A puddle at their feet and spilled tea on the table.
"Lucius! Don't just stand there, help me take her to the fireplace. We need to get to St. Mungo's," Narcissa said.
"Right, of course." Lucius nodded, but made no move to help his wife.
"Lucius!"
Finally snapping out of his stupor, Lucius rushed over to help Narcissa. Together they lead Bellatrix to the fireplace. Narcissa step in with her the two flooed to St. Mungo's. Lucius was again reminded he was supposed to find Rodolphus who was supposed to be helping Rabastan.
Bellatrix and Narcissa arrived at St. Mungo's and were immediately helped towards the maternity ward. Bella's contractions continued to arrive at brisk pace and by the time they had her on a bed, she was screaming about the pain.
"Bloody Hell! Someone stop the pain!" shouted Bellatrix.
While Narcissa did her best to calm her volatile sisters, Lucius and Rodolphus burst through the door fighting with some interns.
"Move out of my way you incompetent fools! My wife is in labor!"
"Get your hands off my you blundering idiot!"
The commotion distracted Bellatrix and Narcissa long enough for a nurse to hand over a potion to dull the pain.
"I can't let you in here! This is not-"
"Let them go, you idiot! That's my husband and brother-in-law!" shouted Bellatrix.
The interns looked from Bellatrix and Narcissa to Rodolphus and Lucius and quickly recognized the famous and influential families.
"Our deepest apologies, we did not recognize you sir"
"Just get out!" Bellatrix ordered.
The interns nodded and quickly left the room.
"Mr. Lestrange, Mr. Malfoy. I understand you desire to be present, but I must ask that you wait outside. Only one person is allowed with the mother," said the healer.
Lucius and Rodolphus looked at Narcissa and then Bellatrix who was glaring at them both. They shared a glance before stepping out of the room. They knew that Narcissa was the best choice to be there with Bellatrix.
Outside of Bellatrix's room, Rodolphus paced the halls while Lucius tried ineffectively to calm him down. Every couple of minutes a scream would pierce the air, some were Bellatrix, while others were Narcissa's, neither really wanted to know why the blonde would cry out. Finally, after what felt like hours, a baby's cry could be heard. After a moment, Narcissa and the healer stepped out and smiled at the two weary men.
"Everything is fine. You can go in and see her and the baby," said Narcissa.
Rodolphus nodded and slowly moved towards the room. He found Bellatrix looking down at the blue bundle in her arms. Her downward focused eyes seemed slightly worried. Rodolphus moved to stand next to her and looked down at the boy. He pale and barely had hair, but what was there was black like his mother. His eyes trained on his mother were blue, like Narcissa.
"He's beautiful," he whispered never taking his eyes of the boy.
"Yes, he is," said Bellatrix.
Lucius and Narcissa entered the room with an intern.
"My apologies, but we need to know his name," said the intern.
"Rigel Arcturus Lestrange," answered Bellatrix. Rodolphus turned to her. That was the same middle name as Regulus. The look on Narcissa's face told him she knew that too, though Lucius seemed to have missed it. He thought to ask what that meant; they had never discussed Bellatrix's feelings regarding his death. Despite his questions about the name, Rodolphus let it got. Now was a happy time. He had a son.
The intern had left and Narcissa was now holding her nephew with Lucius standing next to her. The intern returned and stepped up.
"Sorry for interrupting again, but there are two men here to see you, but we do not allow more than three visitors at a time," he said.
Rodolphus turned to the others and said, "I'll go and see who it is."
He left the room and found his Rabastan and Snape waiting.
"Rod!" Rabastan exclaimed. "How's the boy?"
Ignoring Rabastan, Snape explained, "We finished the mission without you, but we came to remind you that you are still expected to be there later tonight when we report to the Dark Lord."
"Of course, I'll be there." Rodolphus nodded to Snape and turned to his brother. "He's fine. We've decided to name him Rigel." With a final nod, Rodolphus return to his wife and son.
Bellatrix and Rigel were released a couple of hours later and were already set up at the Lestrange home when Rodolphus left for the Death Eater meeting. As he walked to their meeting place, he wondered if it would ever be easy for him to leave his son and wife alone at home.
When Rodolphus returned home, he found Bellatrix and Rigel asleep. Watching his son sleep, he thought back to what his master had ordered. Bellatrix was to return to the Death Eaters within a week. Rodolphus wondered what their lives would be like now that Bellatrix was expected to return to the Death Eaters. He went outside and started walking around the gardens searching for a clue about what would happen.
He had rounded the gardens again and still had no answer other than to let things be. There was no out option for Death Eaters, once you were in you were stuck there, not counting death or Azkaban. After what had happened with Regulus and the Dark Lord's punishment for both himself and Lucius, Rodolphus found that the best he and Bellatrix could do was continue under the Dark Lord. If they could win the war, they would be rewarded for it. Bellatrix was essentially the Dark Lord's most trusted lieutenant and with him in power, they would have it easy. All they had to do was win the war; it was the only way to protect their son. They couldn't run away, even if Rodolphus and Bellatrix were cowards, they couldn't leave Lucius and Narcissa alone.
By winning the war, they would be insuring their son's future. He wouldn't have to be a soldier if the war was won by the time he grew up. It was risky, but not more so than trying to defect from the Death Eaters. For all the risk their jobs posed, they were doing for the right reason: securing the future of purebloods, most specifically their son.
Rodolphus had yet to talk with Bellatrix, but he knew she would agree. They had no other realistic options. They would use their talents for dark magic to save their son from a war. They would do whatever it took to keep their son safe. For all of the risks that came from using Dark magic extensively, Rodolphus thought it was worth it. They would risk everything for their son even if it killed him. Besides with both of them entrenched in the Death Eaters, Narcissa was the only one not working with dark magic, and they trusted that if anything happened to them, she would take care of Rigel.
I want to end the story here. I don't want to change the canon as it relates to the First Wizarding War and Voldemort's defeat. I don't have an interest in a baby Rigel because he wouldn't have much to do and I'm more interested in a how an older Rigel would interact with the world we see in the books.
I have started working on a story that would focus on Rigel starting with the end of his 6th year, which would be Harry's 5th year. It would have loose stuck to canon in that Neville's parents were still tortured, but because Voldemort sent his most trusted lieutenants to take out the Longbottoms while he went to the Potters. That way he would be meeting his parents for the first time after being raised by the Malfoys.
So, let me know if you're interested in a sequel that focuses on Rigel at Hogwarts.
