Terence felt his knees buckle before crashing to the floor along with the rest of his shell shocked body, he felt like throwing up and heaved his chest in and out as his brain processed Voldemort's last statement. He was the child of the darkest wizard that had ever lived… it couldn't be true… no it wasn't. Terence desperately tried to convince himself as the man in the cloak stood patiently over him with his arms behind his back and a satisfied smiled plastered across his face, his eyes burning with anticipation.

"Your mother was the grand daughter of Hephzibah Smith, a witch I had once befriended in my younger years to obtain a few important items from her. Needless to say that I killed the old hag once I had succeeded but your mother wasn't to know that was she? She believed that I was her grandmother's only true friend in her last few years of life and that I could be trusted. She tried to find me for many years as I became more and more powerful but it was only when I was at the height of my tirade that we finally met each other, she had devoted herself to the dark ways of life and vowed to pledge her mind, body and soul towards the war I was waging against the wizarding world.

She was a naive and ignorant fool but she did have her uses. Having been blighted by the efforts of a certain Simon Petalsnout who had deplete my army of followers by throwing them deep into Azkaban prison I sent your mother off on a mission to dispose of him by any means possible. In all honesty I assumed she would find herself killed instantly, of little inconvenience to me so I was most pleased when I learned that although she had not succeeded in her task to kill Simon she had in fact managed to rob him of his beloved wife Margarete, she happened to be pregnant with their child at the time which made the news of her demise all the sweeter. But this wasn't the only role she was to play in my plans.

Although I do not fear death, I could not deny that the danger I now faced was greater than it had ever been and in the most unlikely event of my demise I wanted to be certain that my bloodline was to be continued at all costs. Only someone who has the Dark Lords blood coursing through his veins would be fit enough to carry on my vision of a pure blood society and world where we ruled over the common Muggle.

Only a true heir would be capable of making sure all this happened. Rezelda was more than willing to help of course, now totally under my command and she bore me with the son I desired. Then…" Voldemorts face contorted with hate and rage as he spoke on. "I fell foal to the loathsome Harry Potter… the boy who lived. A sham and a travesty to my name that such a boy would be know as my conqueror… a mere child.

My vast legions of followers where tracked down instantly and locked away as the news spread. On the Ministry's list was Rezelda who was with you my son but ever since your birth I have made sure you were well hidden under the care of Patricia Portal and the spineless Felonious Folts who I believe you've met. It was he who gave in to their childish methods of torture and divulged to them her hiding place.

Upon my return I learned of her death but there was no news on what became of the son she was with. The truth of the blood that ran through your veins was a well kept secret between me and Rezelda but of course there would be rumours, most from the numbers of my followers who gave in to the Ministry and divulged everything they knew in hope of a pardon. I assume the Ministry armed with the knowledge of a possible heir to my lineage was prepared to do everything and anything in their power to find you and keep you from my grasp… but being connected as we are, father and son, it didn't take me long to find you and plot to have you brought back to where you've always belonged by my side.

Nothing was certain of course and I had to bide my time to make sure that you were in fact Morfin, my son, named after my uncle and your great-uncle Morfin Gaunt. It was only after receiving the memory phial I had you steal from Dumbledore's office that I was certain it was my blood that we shared."

Terence looked up in disbelief when Voldemort mentioned Dumbledore's office.

"Morfin my boy, of course I knew you were there that night in the forbidden forest, if I can find you in the deepest realms of your thoughts then it wasn't going to be difficult to know when you were only yards away. I needed that memory to be sure, I wasn't prepared to be as reckless as I have been in the past and knowing that neither I nor Felonious would be able to enter Albus' office undetected I plotted for you to go in their under my misguided hand and steal it for me. It's regrettable that I had to resort to using you my son, like some mindless puppet but you must understand how important it was that your validity as my heir was confirmed before I divulged such information to you." Voldemort stared down at the soulless boy on his hands and knees who had remained silent up until now.

Terence felt as if all the pressure that he had been building up inside him was about to burst and he clawed at the floor and bit down on his lip. "Lies." he uttered before raising his head and screaming, "You're a liar, I can't be your…" but Terence couldn't finish his words. He couldn't find the conviction within them to make himself believe what he was shouting as the awful truth of his past sunk into his mind and hit him like a hammer to his heart. He shook his head and smashed his hands onto the cold floor drawing blood from his knuckles.

Voldemort merely smirked and continued to twist the screw in. "I'm not surprised you have some resistance in you my boy but it is not a curse you hold but a gift. To deny who you are will only eat you up inside, you must see sense. The rage that lies inside you, the hatred you feel for the people who do you wrong… It's almost uncontrollable isn't it? I know how that feels Morfin as it lies within me too. A quick temper can be dangerous if not properly trained onto something that needs changing with force… but I can do that." Voldemort held out his hand to the boy still shaking on the floor but drew it back with a disappointed frown when Terence didn't respond.

"The immense power that you hold inside yourself will only go to waste if you continue this foolish repression… maybe it's time for you to see what that memory contained. You did go through all the trouble of stealing it for me after all. You need to realise that what I speak is the truth and if this is the only way for you to be able to do that then so be it." Voldemort drew out his wand and pointed it at his own head, he pulled his wand away and with it a long slither of dark red light followed, it hung suspended in midair swirling like blood collected in a glass.

"Now this may hurt somewhat but feed off the pain Morfin it's how you'll learn to survive." and with that Voldemort pointed the wand at Terence and an excruciating agony ran through his every limb. Terence screamed and gritted his teeth as his head burned like it had been scolded with boiling hot water. "Stop." Terence cried but Voldemort continued to bear down his wand with a look that showed no emotion. Suddenly the searing pain that had poisoned his body disappeared and Terence opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different room.

He was once again inside the headmasters study and he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Everything looked the same as it had done the night Terence had sneaked inside. He scanned the study but didn't have much time to react to the situation as two figures came rushing through the hole in the wall that lead to the hidden staircase. He recognised both of them immediately and gasped at the sight of Simon Petalsnout and Albus Dumbledore both looking a few years younger than he remembered.

Simon was wrapped in a long blue coat and was carrying a bundle in his arms wrapped in a green blanket. His long greying hair was matted to his forehead, his sharp blue eyes darting around the room. Dumbledore's long beard looked only a few inches shorter but his face look slightly less lined than the last time Terence had seen it. They rushed over to the desk and Dumbledore quickly raised his wand and turned an old lamp sitting on his desk into a small wooden cradle, which Simon slowly eased what he was carrying into.

"I'm sorry to just arrive unannounced Albus but I needed a place outside the Ministry that was safe enough to bring him to." Simon stared down at the cradle full of worry and then glanced towards the headmaster.

"I understand Simon, I take it you have informed the Minister that you are here?" Albus also looked into the cradle and smiled at what was inside.

Terence walked over slowly and came to the edge of the desk, his eyes fixed on the cradle which contained a small boy sleeping soundly inside the make shift bed. The child couldn't have been more than two years old, maybe even younger and was wrapped in a green shirt which Terence recognised to be Simon's as it had the Ministry's crest stitched on to it.

"Yes I have Albus, she said she was on her way over." Simon nodded and joined Albus once again looking at the child.

"His mother?" Dumbledore looked at Simon with a questioning glance.

Simon looked down and clenched his fist. "She's dead, it was either me or her… she wouldn't come quietly, too brainwashed to ever put the poor child first." He put his hand into the cradle and pulled the wrapped shirt up to the little boy's chin. He smiled and uttered quietly. "To think that Terence would have looked like this if…" his voice trailed off for a moment before regaining it's composure. "That's what Margarete wanted to call him you know, she was certain it was a boy… I'd love to know how." he chuckled to himself and continued to gaze at the boy. "It turned out she was right as always." his face remained warm but his eyes looked tortured as he dwelled on his thoughts.

Suddenly a great whoosh came from the fireplace over the other side of the room and a tall woman walked out from the soot, spotless and dressed in a bright orange robe over a smart brown business suit. She adjusted her dress and then smiled over at the two men. She had long thick black hair and bright green eyes, her sharp features hid the softness that they contained. It was only after she moved away that another man came into view, it was Robert Burtleton he looked a far sight worse than the woman and was busy brushing the black marks off his trousers.

"Millicent Bagnold, Minster of Magic here on official business. Sorry about the formalities Albus but it's all part of the job and sorry for taking away your floo network barrier without asking… we'll make sure it's as secure as Azkaban when we leave." she smiled at them again and then approached the crib.

Albus smiled along with Simon who looked very tired indeed. "Lovely to see you Millicent, I take it you've heard from Simon on what has happened?"

The woman nodded and looked down at the crib with an air of apprehension. "So this is the boy… you-know-who's son?" she once again looked over at Simon who was now leaning up against the office wall, his gaze still fixed on the infant.

"Well there's no guarantee Millicent but yes this is Rezelda's child so I assume it most likely."

The room became silent and only the sound of the torrential rain lashing against the windows outside could be heard far off in the distance, the old grandfather clock ticked away in the corner of the room and then whirred slightly before chiming out loudly twelve times signally to the gathered wizards that it was midnight.

Millicent cleared her throat as she studied the little child's face, "I suppose the most pressing matter now is to decide how best to handle this delicate situation in the best interest of the child." she turned her head and looked at the rest of the group in turn. "I was going to suggest fostering the boy but considering who his father might be I can't willingly let an unsuspecting family take in the only child of the most evil wizard that ever lived. I won't put anyone in that sort of dangerous position with out their consent. I mean what if you-know-who comes looking for the child… that is if he's still alive?" Millicent looked over at Dumbledore as if prompting for his opinion on the dark wizard's fate.

Dumbledore nodded and spoke in his usual calm manner, "Yes Millicent, I have reason to doubt that Voldemort is in fact dead and gone for good. I also agree that we need to find a family that will be able to protect the boy from his grasp if he ever were to return. Considering the fewer people who know of the boy's true identity the better I can only suggest either someone in the Ministry or maybe the Order… but there are very few left I'm afraid." Dumbledore shifted his gaze onto the other two men who had yet to voice their opinion on the matter.

"But it's a case of trust Albus." piped up Robert straightening his tie, "This boy shares the same blood as you-know-who which makes the risk he poses on our society very great indeed,"

"Now hold on a minute Robert." Simon stood up and walked forward to join the other three, "He's only a child for heavens sake, to claim that he is destined to turn out to be just as bad as his father because of the blood that runs in his veins is preposterous. If he is raised right and in a protected environment he would turn out no different than any other young wizard and you know that." he frowned hard and stood firm, "I haven't saved the life of a killer Robert, I've saved the life of a child."

"Very well for you to say that now Simon…" replied Robert looking slightly taken back by the mans outburst, "but come eighteen or twenty years from now when he's burning down the houses of every Muggle family in London you won't sound so confident."

Simon looked disgusted with the man and shook his head in disbelief, "Don't tell me you agree with him Millicent?" he turned his gaze onto the woman stood next to him who was pondering the matter carefully.

"Well yes and no. I don't believe the boy poses any immediate threat at all but I do still agree with Albus that he needs to be kept under the watchful eye of the Ministry, we can not afford to be careless and just assume that you-know-who will never come looking for him." Millicent sounded certain of her opinion and rubbed her chin as she thought on.

"What about a state orphanage then? Somewhere in London near the Ministry's headquarters, give him a different name and no past and nobody would suspect a thing. Cut him off from our world completely and let him live peacefully and happily there until we are certain that he is as safe as Simon seems so convinced he is." Robert announced taking another look at the boy sleeping soundlessly in the crib.

It was Dumbledore's turn to speak up now as he walked around the desk and sat at his chair. "I do not believe that crudely sweeping the child's entire existence under the blanket of the state would be the wisest choice if we are to keep the boy's best interests at heart. I have seen what places like that can do to a boy. When I met the young Tom Riddle there he was filled with nothing but anger and confusion, without a hand to guide him down the right path we would be risking the same fate for this child." Dumbledore gazed down at the crib and smiled warmly. "He deserves a family, even if it's not as perfect as we wish it to be. As long as he is given a proper chance I think we could expect great things from him, he is after all the son of one of the most talented wizards I've ever met." Dumbledore sat back in his chair and clasped his hands together resting his chin on his index fingers.

"I'll take him." Simon suddenly spoke and looked over at Millicent. "I owe it to the child, I've killed his mother and robbed him of his family."

Millicent didn't look so sure and neither did Robert who looked at Simon as if the idea was a joke.

Sensing their reservation Simon confidently continued. "Please Millicent, I'm prepared to do this. Think about it, can you suggest anyone he would be safer with?" he looked sure of himself as he stared back at the Minister.

"But Simon so soon after losing…" Millicent trailed off slightly. "Then there's the fact that you killed his mother, surely the boy would be an instant target if he's considered your son."

"I know but that gives me all the more reason to take him in, I've put his life in danger at my own hands. This boy has done nothing wrong and deserves to be treated no different from any other child left abandoned… it's selfish of me but it would be my chance of in some way making up for what I've done.

I know Margarete would agree with me if she were here now. If my son had been left without anyone to care for him I'd like to think there was someone who would protect him from the harshness of the world he was born into. I'll admit I'm uncertain how good a father I would be but I would never let him come to any harm, I'm certain of it." Simon's voice was shaking and he wore the guilt he felt over killing the boy's mother on his sleeve.

"For me to do such a thing and not take responsibility for it is unthinkable, I know I can do this Millicent. I will not let him follow in his fathers footsteps, if I let that happen then I would be as much to blame for his crimes as his father would be." Simon pleaded with Millicent and remained silent as she decided on a response. "I suppose it would be a safe place, under the eye of the Ministry… Albus what do you think?" she glanced over at the old headmaster who looked down at the child and then at Simon.

"I believe it an appropriate suggestion and I don't doubt the resolve of Simon's conviction that he will protect the boy and treat him as his own. If he were to study at Hogwarts in his later years I believe I have people here that I can trust with this information who can also keep a close watch over the boy… I can think of no better option at this present time." Dumbledore smiled at Simon and nodded. Millicent looked convinced and turned to face him. "Are you certain that you can handle this Simon, I know you feel responsible for him but he is the son of the woman who… killed Margarete. Are you sure you can deal with that fact appropriately and remain a good father to the boy?" she stared hard into the man's eyes.

"I'm certain. I am doing this as much for her as I am myself. Margarete could never have let this child be shipped off to a state home away from a caring family and neither will I." Simon looked determined as he glared back at the woman who nodded satisfied and held out her hand. "Then it's agreed for now, he will become your son and take your last name. We will need to arrange the appropriate forms and back stories and nothing must go unchecked, if you-know-who was to ever discover the boy's true identity then we could all face another tragedy at his hands."

Simon shook her hand under the watch of a pleased looking Albus Dumbledore and a disgruntled Robert Burtleton. They then proceeded over to the crib on the desk and peered down at the slumbering infant. "You know you'll have to think of a name for him Simon, we can't very well let him remain as Morfin, a poor name for a child if you ask me anyway."

Simon looked down into the bed and smiled, "Don't worry I think I've got a name in mind."