Fortunate Son

His mother had built such a seamless lie. Corvus thought back on all his earliest memories, searching for holes that he could now fill in with the truth. Visiting his mysterious dying grandmother was the most obvious incident. But there were others, very subtle moments…

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"We're going to be late, mum."

"Pish posh."

"Mum, it's nearly eleven," he stressed.

"I won't let us be late, Corvus," she promised him.

They were stuck in traffic, three kilometers from Kings Cross and it was September 1st 1990. His mother sat behind the wheel of their sleek red BMW. Corvus had to sit in the back; he was too small for the front seat. "I want to get a good seat," he told her. "What if we get there and there isn't any good seats left? What if I have to sit next to some weirdo, mum? I don't want that."

"No one does," she agreed. "It's a big train, Corvus, there'll be plenty of seats."

Corvus frowned and shifted restlessly in his seat. In his left hand he held his wand. It was made of ivy, 13 ½" long with a core of phoenix feather. He waved the wand, golden sparks fired.

"Corvus," said his mother, sternly, "Save the magic for Hogwarts."

"All the other kids are going to have Ollivander wands, won't they?" asked Corvus. "I bet they work better…"

"They work the same," she told him. "Besides, one day you'll appreciate that you got a wand especially made for you by Gregorovitch. He got you that wand as a special favor, he's retired you know."

"It would have been cool to get an Ollivander wand though. They say he never forgets who he sells a wand to. I didn't get to see any of Diagon Alley," he complained. "We only stayed in London for two nights."

"That's because we couldn't leave Montreal until after the house warming party," she reminded him. "The Devereux family is a very valuable client, Corvy. I very much enjoy working for them. Besides, I distinctly remember a certain eleven-year old boy having a ball swimming in the pool."

"I had fun after you made us go to the party, mum. I'd much rather have come to England. There was so much I didn't get to see, we were just rushing."

"I'm sorry, I promise next year we'll have more time."

She couldn't show her face at Ollivander's, because he would've recognized her. That's why she paid twice as much for Gregorovitch to make that wand for her son.

And when she left him waiting at Flourish and Blotts three years ago, when Corvus learned about the Stirling family for the first time, she had gone to Gringotts not the post office. She had gone into the Stirling vault to retrieve his father's pocket watch.

When he still eleven-years old and he was about to board the Hogwarts Express for the first time, Leandra knelt before him. They only had three minutes to say their goodbyes. That would be the first time Corvus ever left his mother, he wouldn't see her until Christmas. He wouldn't see her until their next Spicy Chili Marathon.

"I almost forgot," she said. "I have one more gift for you."

"Really? What is it?"

She pulled something wrapped in black silk out of her pocket. Corvus took it and pulled back the silk. It was a silver pocket watch that had a face set with diamonds and emeralds.

"It belonged to your father," she told him, her eyes brimming with tears. She brushed a wavy strand of dark hair from his face. "He wanted you to have it."

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Elphias Doge brought Corvus to the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The Atrium was rather deserted. Corvus didn't dare look at his pocket watch to see what time it was. It had to be well past midnight though. Doge and Corvus stepped out of the lift that had carried them from the second level. They past through a set of golden gates and Doge pleasantly waved to the night guard. Corvus resentfully observed the Atrium's peacock blue ceiling with golden symbols gliding over it. Maybe if he was visiting the place under different circumstances, he could have appreciated the beauty of its design.

This was the first time Corvus had ever been to the Ministry, but he had read plenty about its layout and historical significance. His stomach churned when he remembered reading about how the Stirling family built many of the department levels. They approached the Fountain of Magical Brethren.

"We'll be traveling via Floo, my boy," Doge told him in a wheezy voice. He pointed to a long hallway leading out of the Atrium proper. Corvus nodded. "I'm sure you're looking forward to getting into a nice, warm bed." Corvus scowled. "Oh but you're worried about your mother. No need to fret, my boy, your mother's clean as a whistle. The Minister's just insisting we ask her a few questions."

They came to a series of gilded fireplaces lining the left-hand side of the hallway. There was a pot of Floo Powder provided next to each fireplace. Corvus observed that there were fireplaces lining the right side as well. "That's for visitors, they're closed right now. It's well past business hours after all. So you'll be traveling through the employee network."

Doge went up to one of the first fireplaces. He grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and beckoned for Corvus to step into place. He did, begrudgingly. The Ministry was placing him in Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy's care. His mother had tactfully avoided them at Kings Cross. Again, everything was so obvious in hindsight. Corvus waited for Doge to give him further instruction.

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot," Doge smiled. "Just say Malfoy Manor, on the count of three, alright? It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Corvus Black. I followed your mother's career most avidly before her untimely disappearance."

You mean her untimely fake-death. "Right. Thanks."

"Well, are you ready? One- two- three!"

"Malfoy Manor," said Corvus in a noticeable monotone and dispassionate voice.

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Narcissa Malfoy knew who Corvus really was when their eyes met on platform 9 ¾ nearly two years ago. But she didn't want to believe it. That child was supposed to be dead along with his contemptible mother.

She remembered when Regulus and Leandra returned from Berlin in the summer of '79. Regulus had just graduated Hogwarts. His parents had sent him on a vacation to rejuvenate. Narcissa's youngest cousin had been under immense pressure. At his graduation he had been a Death Eater for a year. So visiting Berlin was meant to be a short escape. But it had been something entirely different.

Regulus and Leandra returned from Berlin married and with an eight month old baby boy. Narcissa's family went into crisis mode, everyone gathered to decide how best to fix the scandal. Leandra Stirling had been marred by constant controversy. In 1977 it was discovered that her mother, Lolita Stirling, was a Muggle-born. Dante Stirling had kept his wife's blood status a secret from everyone. This was a disgrace that rocked the Tower's very foundation. The Stirling family prided itself on its purity of blood. In fact, besides the Ministry, the Stirling Tower only catered to the elite of the magical community, the purebloods.

Dante Stirling and his offspring, Leandra and Ascanius, were disowned and removed from the Stirling will. Ascanius had exposed his father. He swore revenge. His zeal for the eradication of all Mudbloods earned him a place as one of the Dark Lord's most vital Death Eaters. Narcissa never understood how, but Ascanius managed to bribe and bully his way back into the Stirling family, he brought his sister back in with him. Soon members of the Stirling family started showing up dead, until finally in '79 the Tower went to Leandra.

Then she married Narcissa's youngest cousin after they already had a child together. It was a scandal that the whole family had to pull together to fix. Bellatrix had been particularly outraged by the reckless elopement. Narcissa had been naïve in those days; she had been inclined to accept Regulus' choice. She'd known for years that Regulus and Leandra were close. And Leandra was held in high esteem in the magical world as the first Madame Crafter of the Stirling Tower. Her accomplishments made up for her unfortunate Mudblood relations.

Narcissa also found Corvus to be an adorable baby. She didn't think it was fair to try and tear Corvus' parents apart, because in the end the child would suffer. The child was her blood-relative. Narcissa always had a tendency to be protective of her family.

"Are you absolutely certain that you want to bring him into our house, Narcissa?" Lucius asked his wife. They were waiting by a marble fireplace in the front foyer.

"He is our godson, Lucius," Narcissa reminded him. They had a rather long argument over the matter, with Narcissa winning in the end. "Leandra's an unfit mother. I always said aunt Walburga should have been given full custody of him after Regulus' death. We can be at least grateful, that now he'll finally have a proper upbringing."

"But think of Draco-"

"Lucius we've been through this," snapped his wife. While Lucius might have chosen to ignore it, Narcissa remembered Draco frequently talked highly about Corvus on his return from Hogwarts. Corvus was in Slytherin, thankfully, and he seemed to be quite popular among his Housemates. So Narcissa was sure something had to be worthwhile in the boy.

An emerald fire erupted in the fireplace at last.

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Corvus opened his eyes. The room he looked into was very handsome indeed. He was in some sitting room that was sumptuously decorated with ornate furniture and expensive carpets. Only when he took a careful step out of the fireplace did he notice his godparents.

The sky outside was pitch black. Inside of the Malfoy Manor a few candles had been quickly lit for his arrival. So Corvus only saw his godparents in faint lighting. Mr. Malfoy was wearing a black silk night robe, with black slippers to match. Next to Mr. Malfoy was his wife; Corvus immediately thought back on that brief encounter they shared two years ago. This time she wasn't alarmed by his appearance. She looked fully prepared.

"Mum? Dad? What's going on? Is someone here?" a voice called from the hallway. Corvus grimaced. The large oak door to room opened slowly, revealing a bed-haired Draco. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Who's tha-?"

He froze.

"Draco, Corvus is staying with us," said Narcissa, assertively, "We'll explain it to you tomorrow. Go back to bed, tomorrow will be stressful enough without you being grumpy."

Corvus lowered his eyes from Draco, who stared at him wildly. He desperately wished all the lights would go off and he could slip away.

"Draco," said Lucius, sharply, "You heard your mother."

"You're staying with us?" Draco asked. Corvus sighed. This is only going to get worse, isn't it?

"Merlin's beard," Lucius hissed under his breath as he stalked towards his son. He forced Draco out of the room. All the while Draco tried to keep sight of Corvus, his eyes alight with curiosity and excitement. The door slammed shut behind them, Corvus could hear Lucius telling Draco off behind it.

"The Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt, is it? He told me that your mother's arrest happened before you could have dinner," Narcissa said once the room had quieted again. "Are you hungry?"

Corvus turned to her. She was standing straight, her head held arrogantly high but her command of things was actually a relief for Corvus. He hadn't thought about anything besides his current identity crisis for the past few hours. He especially hadn't considered his stomach. But the second she asked, he realized how empty it was. It growled embarrassingly loud, answering his godmother's question before he could.

"Come," she told him. She moved at a brisk walk, Corvus concentrated on keeping up with her. They came into a long, darkened hallway. There were various portraits hung on the wall, the room was filled with heavy, rhythmic breathing. Narcissa led him right, through another large door. They entered the dining room. It was a long, high-ceilinged room with a ridiculously long wooden table, polished to shine, and several finely crafted seats to match. Narcissa pulled out a chair. "Sit."

Corvus obeyed.

She swept across the long dinning room, pushing through two thin swinging doors. She returned in a matter of seconds, holding a covered silver platter. "This will have to do," she told him as she set the platter in front of him. She removed the top, revealing a hot, steaming plate of fish and chips. "It's the quickest meal I can whip up. And at this hour at night, it's all I'm willing to bother with. So, eat."

He slowly picked at the meal. It was very good. If Corvus didn't possess restraint, he'd have devoured it in fifteen seconds flat. Don't want to make a bad first impression, he thought dryly.

"Thank you," Corvus said. He looked up at her, his eyes staring into hers again, like they did two years ago. "You knew who I was…" He wasn't really sure if he wanted to start this conversation, he had been through enough twists for one night, but he still felt he had to say it. "You knew."

"Yes," she took the seat next to him. She looked him over critically.

When she first saw him, she thought she was seeing one of her forgotten cousins again, but that was only a fleeting allusion. In Corvus you could see glimpses of his father and his mother, but all together he looked like his own person. Though his eyes reminded her strongly of Regulus.

"I'm sure they will send over your things," she told him. "Still, tomorrow morning I'll go shopping for you. I expect yours and Draco's Hogwarts letters will come by then."

So they weren't going to discuss the elephant in the room. At least not yet.

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Ascanius Stirling sat waiting in his cell, like always. He knew nothing about the news coming out of England. The hysteria gathering didn't exist for him. Though something else was brewing, something else was progressing and he was very interested in it. The Dark Mark on his arm burned stronger every day.

Click.

There had been a theory that he returned to Albania after that Halloween night.

Click.

He was probably the closest of the Death Eaters to where the Dark Lord was hiding. The Dark Lord needed him. But how could he escape this prison? This prison where they keep him so weak…

Click. Click.

He would need outside help.

Click.

The Dark Lord was alive.

o..O

O..o

Short I know, sorry, but next chapter is quite massive!! I think it will be the longest yet, and it's title, "Hotel California (Malfoy)" I love the song Hotel California, and I love the Malfoys, so there you go. Also, I took this part out, but when Narcissa gives Corvy fish and chips, she whips this meal up the quickest because it was the meal she always secretly made for herself when she was a teenager, because her parents never let her eat fatty foods. So Narcissa would magically cook the meal up for herself. I just felt you should know that, lol, because I sort of hated taking it out, but I felt it was forced when I wrote it in.

I hope all the backstory Narcissa presents wasn't too much of an overload....