A Different Life

Summary: They all thought Lily was Light. She wasn't. She was in love with the Dark Lord, and gave birth to his son. Now Erus Riddle is growing up, showing just how evil the son of Lord Voldemort can be. Of course, the Light doesn't know that fact. Slash.

Spoilers: Not so many. You need to know about Chamber of Secrets and Horocruxes. It's good if you've read all seven books though, just in case.

Pairing/s: NoirErus, SiriusSeverus

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong rightfully to Mrs Rowling; I just borrow them for the time being. Although some of the characters are mine, those you don't recognize from the books of course.

Other notes: Hermione is not Hermione. She is Cynthia, a girl who loves reading and hates Dumbledore. Harry's real, and full name is Erus Sicarius Salazar Riddle.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Parseltongue"

Visions

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IF YOU THINK MY STORY SUCKS, STOP READING AND DON'T REVIEW.

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I'm very sorry for the late update!

Warnings: Nothing.

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: Cynthia

Cygnirius looked around the café he was sitting at, feeling uneasy. Someone was watching him.

Someone from the Ministry? Impossible, then he would have noticed when he exited the place. No, this one was better at hiding and had not stalked him for that long. He looked around again, trying to spot someone suspicious. He saw no one that fit into that description.

He turned back to his tea slowly and folded up the newspaper he had bought earlier. He tried to concentrate on the words but the nagging feeling of someone staring at him made him both nervous and angry.

Ten minutes later, and he had enough. He finished the tea and rose up, making himself ready to leave. He got around two seconds warning before the café exploded.

-

Cynthia slowed down on her steps until she came to a stop. Pansy and Millicent turned around first and Pansy said:

"What's wrong, Cynthia?"

They were on their way to the grounds outside, the three girls, Blaise and Theodore. Draco was sending a letter to his parents in the Owlery, then he would join them. The two boys were carrying a basket with lunch, it was Saturday and it was a bit of a tradition to eat lunch outside then, no matter the weather.

Now the two boys stopped and turned around to look at the brunette as well. She stood completely still, head turned towards a window and face blank and pale.

"Cynthia?" Pansy walked up to her, worried. "You alright?"

Footsteps sounded in the hall suddenly, and they all turned towards the sound. Draco rounded a corner, looking out of breath as he leaned his hands onto his knees, head bowed.

"Draco? Did you run here?" Millicent asked. "What's wrong?"

He walked up to Cynthia, grabbed her shoulders and said:

"What's wrong?"

Slowly she turned to look at him.

"Uncle Cygnirius…" she whispered, and then collapsed.

-

Erus' hand stilled in his writing and his eyes widened. Locks of his raven hair hid his face from the others, but they all noticed his strangely rigid hand and white-knuckled grip on the quill.

"Erus?" Stella said, tilting her head a bit.

They were seated in the library, finishing up their last homework before going to lunch. But now they had all stopped, and waited for the Dark Lord's son to speak.

He did not. Instead he dropped the quill as his stomach twisted. One of his siblings was upset, the other worried… he could not focus on anything other than their feelings. Something was wrong.

"I have to go," he said and was up in the next moment. After a moment or two, they regained themselves and Nikolaj surprisingly moved to follow. Swearing, Dimitriv was not far behind. Abel, Cain and Stella hurriedly packed everyone's things before following.

Erus dashed through the hall. He had to get to Cynthia and Draco, he had to get to Hogwarts. It was not a weekend so they could go home, but he had to go now. It was an emergency, and if they did not let him go he would make them.

When he crashed into another person, he was ready to kill whoever it was. His eyes locked with said person, and Mori's met his own. The Herbology professor took one look at the teen and then hauled him up.

"You need to get to the headmistress?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Erus said. How did he know?

Mori helped him walk, because Cynthia's feelings began dulling his body. What was going on with her? It was like someone had died…

Realization dawned upon him. Either Anastasia or Cygnirius had gotten hurt, or someone had tried to hurt them. Cynthia was always so sensitive when it came to her uncle and aunt.

He was barely aware of the real world as Mori got him to Maria. The woman got up from her desk and said:

"What's wrong with him?"

"I think I know," Mori said. "Erus, why don't you sit down?"

The teen did not look up, nor did he sit down. Mori sighed, and gently placed Erus in a chair.

"He has blood-siblings," the Herbology professor said.

"Yes, I'm aware of it," Maria said as she crouched by the chair. "Should I call healer Sofi?"

"No, it's not physical," the man said. "I know little about this bond, but they can feel each other. When they have strong emotions and not the means to protect their siblings from it, the siblings will feel it. One of his siblings must have strong emotions right now."

"Erus?" she said and he blinked before focusing on her. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go there," he said before looking around, like a delirious man and red edging into his green eyes. "She's worried, I have to help him calm her down…"

"Who is worried? Is it someone we can contact to see if she's fine?"

"Nooo, I have to go there."

Her voice began entering his mind, taking away his ability to think. Her worry was enough to make him go crazy.

"The only way I think to get him out from this state is to bring him where he wants," Mori said.

Erus' fogged mind picked that up. Yes, he would like that thank you very much.

-

Once everything was set, Mori following with him as he had to be supervised, Erus had to think up a way to get into Hogwarts without Dumbledore knowing it.

Maria and Mori watched him oddly as he bent his head, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Hogwarts?

Yes, child?

Mind helping me a bit?

How do you mean?

Take me and another person inside your wards without the old man knowing.

Communicating with Hogwarts with such distance gave him a headache, but there was not much else he could do. Hogwarts hummed, was quiet for a while and then said:

Grab onto this man. Then I shall take you both to the Infirmary. They are worried, and do not know what to do. Neither Draco nor Cynthia is speaking.

Erus looked up at them both, grabbed onto Mori and said to Maria:

"We'll be back… eventually."

Mori felt a suction and his eyes widened. Then they were both gone.

-

Poppy and Severus had their wands out when they felt the string of magic behind them. It got larger, and suddenly two people got visible. The potions master's eyes widened.

"Erus…" he whispered.

The teen staggered and Mori supported him, then looked up at one of the beds. Erus' attention was that way as well.

Cynthia could have looked asleep had it not been for her open eyes. Draco sat on the bed, holding one of her hands to his chest, rubbing it and seemingly speaking to her. Erus stretched out a hand before he began to fall, overwhelmed with both of his siblings' thoughts now when he was so close to them. It was so sudden the two had yet to notice him.

Mori caught him before he connected to the ground and half-dragged, half-carried him to the bed. With a swift movement the Herbology professor lifted Erus up and placed him next to Cynthia, then looked at the two adults and said:

"They need to be alone."

Poppy got out of her shock quicker than the raven-haired man and nodded briskly. She waved her wand, making the bed movable and said to them both:

"Help me get them into one of the private rooms."

Severus shook himself out of it, and the three wheeled the bed to a room. None of the three occupants seemed to notice, absorbed with only each other.

Once the room was warded off, Poppy turned to look at Mori.

"We didn't get anything out from them," she said. "Do you know what's wrong?"

"Erus indicated something was wrong with the girl," Mori replied. "I can only assume it has something to do with her."

Poppy was confused, but Severus paled.

"You seem to know," the man said as he looked at the potions master. The healer turned her head to him as well.

"Cygnirius," Severus stammered. "He has received threats lately but…"

"Is the girl close to him?"

"He's her uncle," Severus said, "they are very close since she only got him and Erus that are blood-relatives to her. I'm going to call Tom to find out what's happening."

"Do so," Poppy said. "And I guess we'll leave them alone for a while?"

"Yes," Mori said. "They have to sort it out on their own."

-

Voldemort was already at the destroyed café. It laid tons of rocks and wood over the trapped people, but since this was the Wizarding World it was quickly and swiftly removed.

Once he found Cygnirius' magical signal, he removed stone blocks and splinters of wood until the man himself got out an arm.

"Are you injured?" the Dark Lord asked. "Don't move; it's some heavy rock above you. Let me remove them first."

"I'm fine," Cygnirius said. "I just need some fresh air, there wasn't much in here."

Voldemort got the blocks away and helped Cygnirius out. The man had a gash in his forehead and his robe was torn and dirty but looked otherwise fine. He coughed and took deep breaths in between.

"What happened?" Voldemort asked quietly. "Quickly, before Aurors appears."

"I think it was me they, or whoever it is, were after," Cygnirius said. "I felt watched and as I made ready to leave the café blew up."

"Definitely trying to murder you? Made any enemies lately?"

"I have enough of them from the past," Cygnirius muttered. "Does Anastasia know?"

"Not yet."

"Cynthia?"

"Who would tell her?"

"She said once she might know when we were in danger," Cygnirius said. "Not knowing exactly what happened, but has a feeling that something's wrong."

Voldemort looked at him and then said:

"I'll speak to Severus. Do you wish to stay?"

"No, take us away from here," Cygnirius said and put a charm over his robes so they appeared clean and with a wave the blood from the wound had stopped and vanished. Voldemort quickly steered the way and they left as the Aurors arrived.

-

A few calls later through a two-way mirror and Voldemort and Cygnirius was smuggled inside of Hogwarts. Severus led them quickly through the empty corridors, it was a nice Saturday and therefore most students were out. Plus it was a Hogsmeade weekend, meaning most students in third year and up was in the village. The younger ones stayed in their dorms or perhaps in the library.

The potions master closed the doors to the Infirmary after them and the two waved away the spells that had kept them hidden. Mori looked up from the book he was reading and tilted his head.

"You are Erus' father," he pointed out.

"Professor… Mori was it?" Voldemort asked.

"Yes."

"How long have they been in there?" Cygnirius asked Poppy.

"Two hours, but you're not going anywhere until I've gotten a look at that wound."

She promptly sat him down on a bed and one glare was enough to keep him quiet.

"Never say against Poppy, Cygnirius," Voldemort said to the man. "It will end in ugly consequences."

"How ugly?" the man asked as she cleaned the cut.

"… Ugly," the Dark Lord said.

"Sit still, young man!"

"I'm not sure I can be considered young," Cygnirius deadpanned but kept quiet when she directed her death glare at him again.

A few minutes later she was done and now turned to Mori.

"Do you think it's okay to walk in there now?" she asked him. It seemed like he was the one who knew the most at the moment.

"You can try. If they don't want us to come, they will probably let us know," the man said.

-

They opened the door carefully, Voldemort and Cygnirius hovering just behind Poppy. Severus was busy contacting Lucius and telling the man about what had happened. Mori looked over Voldemort's shoulder at the scene.

All three looked asleep, curled up around each other, their magic pulsating as one and their minds connected to ensure no one suffered alone.

Cynthia was in the middle, spooned up against Erus who had one arm underneath her head and the other holding Draco close to them. Draco himself had thrown one leg over both of his siblings' hips, his own arm covering both Cynthia and Erus. Cynthia's head was positioned in the crook of Draco's neck.

A disturbance by the entrance doors brought their attention and they saw Blaise trying to keep Amber from running inside, but he was quickly loosing the fight. Pansy stood next to him, a small black creature in her arms.

"Let them in," Voldemort said, waving the two children in. Blaise let go of Amber and the panther raced across the room until she got to the door, where she pushed everyone aside so she could get in.

Curiosus enlarged but Mori did not even raise an eyebrow. He silently moved so the creature could float into the room and it did so quite hurriedly.

"If Vates is still in Italy, he must be frantic by now," the Dark Lord muttered.

"No need."

Sirius untangled the Basilisk from his shoulders and said:

"I didn't get much when Vates hissed, but Maria told me Erus had gone to his blood-siblings. So I took Vates with me and came."

"How did you enter the grounds?" Severus asked.

"Hey, I'm a former Marauder!" the man exclaimed as Vates slithered over to the entrance of the room. "I know Hogwarts better than Dumbledore."

"Bragger," the potions master scoffed.

"Oh, but I'm your bragger," Sirius said and pecked Severus on the cheek. "How are the kids?"

"They seem fine now," Severus said. "We'll know more when they wake up."

"The wards are not going to hold forever," Poppy said. "And with this many powerful people…"

"Don't worry, Hogwarts will hold the wards," Voldemort said to her.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"She told me." And then the Dark Lord walked into the room.

Mori watched this all happen, and did blink this time. Erus' family, if they could be called that, certainly seemed interesting.

-

Erus began to wake up slowly, sleepy responses from Draco and Cynthia and there was coolness against his throat. He felt the snake skin and concluded it was Vates. He opened his eyes.

Amber was lying as close as she could, constantly nuzzling at them and giving out a sort of low, whiny noise. Curiosus hovered over them, giving out odd sounds, touching Cynthia's hair as if afraid to wake her yet wanting it.

He slowly began to move and felt Cynthia waking up. Draco snapped his eyes open and looked around. Erus did as well.

It was Voldemort, Cygnirius and Lucius in the room. All three came up to the bed once their children began to response.

"Dad?" Erus asked. "Isn't Dumbledore going to find out you're here?"

"Hogwarts is a very nice lady and keeps all the wards we want up," Voldemort said. "More importantly, how are you three faring?"

"Cynthia was worried about you," Erus told Cygnirius. "She stopped reacting to the outside world."

"How do you know it was me she was worried about?" Cygnirius asked.

"Draco told me. She said your name before she collapsed," the teen said.

They all looked at Draco.

"I talked a bit with Blaise," Lucius said. "He said you came running, Draco."

"I felt something was wrong with Cynthia, and ran down to find out what," the teen said with a shrug. "Amber, we're fine. Easy girl, easy."

The panther nuzzled her head into his chest. Cynthia's eyes opened abruptly and she sat up, wide eyes on Cygnirius. Draco and Erus held her close suddenly and the blonde said:

"Calm down, Cynthia, your heart is racing."

Cygnirius sat down on the bed and gathered her in his arms, the two teens slipping away to give them some time alone. Voldemort placed an arm around Erus and drew him close.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Erus said. "First strong reaction we've ever had of our blood-bond. I was surprised."

There was a knock on the door and Mori entered quietly.

"We should be heading back to Santuario," he said to Erus. Then he looked at the Dark Lord and continued, "If you are ready I mean."

"Let them say good bye to each other first," Voldemort said and released Erus so he could go to his blood-siblings.

Cynthia simply sat in Cygnirius' embrace but turned her head when Erus came back to the bed.

"You have to leave, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. I don't exactly go here," the raven-haired teen said.

She took his hand and squeezed it hard.

"Draco."

The blonde grabbed her other hand. Mori's eyes widened as he felt their magic rumble together, become one for a short moment with their eyes giving way to an ethereal shining light and then they were three again.

It was their way of saying good bye.

-

Erus sat down on his bed a little while later, feeling tired. The ordeal had made him exhausted, despite he had slept for a while.

Cynthia's worry still made his insides twitch, her fear for her family making his head swim a bit. And soon he was going to meet his friends and explaining why he suddenly left.

He lay down on the bed and felt his eyelids growing heavier. Vates slithered over his body and grew until he could lay behind the teen. He used his tail to grab a blanket and spreading it over Erus' body.

Within minutes, the teen was asleep.

-

Cygnirius was reluctant to leave Cynthia but finally could not avoid it any longer. It was time for him to go home, Anastasia had not been able to come but she sent all her love to the girl through the two-way mirror, promising to visit as soon as she could, stupid Light people be damned. No one doubted she actually would.

Cynthia was now sitting in her own bed, Curiosus by her side and Pansy and Millicent both asleep. The Dementor floated around for a bit before shrinking and curling up in her lap. She held it gently in her arms and closed her eyes. She stretched out her mind, connected it with Draco's sleepy one. He responded yet they were not complete.

It was impossible for them to join with Erus, their minds that was, and now it was like a split soul cried out for its missing piece. She felt tears well up but pushed them down. She instructed Draco to hold the bracelet that marked them as siblings, and clutched her own. It gave some warmth, some of Erus seeped into them and before long they were deep asleep.

-

During the next few days, Erus walked around in a daze, barely hanging onto reality. On Monday his first class had been Herbology but Mori had seen he clearly was not focusing. Before the teen could hurt himself the man had sent him on his way to healer Sofi.

In the end Miss Profeta had to help Erus walk to the Infirmary because he was so dizzy. Healer Sofi had immediately placed him in a bed and told him to just relax. He had slept for the rest of the day.

During Tuesday he was getting a bit better but now much. The words in the books swam before him from time to time and he was not entrusted to do any spells. Cynthia was still in his mind, his heart felt incomplete without her, without Draco, his soul was crying out for them.

"Erus?"

He looked up at Invisus during Dark Magic class and the man saw the raven-haired teen clutched his bracelet.

"I want you to go to your room and get some rest," Invisus said. "You can't do much here anyway."

Erus stared at him for a little while, like the man had just spoken Chinese to him. Then he got up and swayed on the spot. Invisus steadied him and said to the rest of the class, small as it was:

"Class is over."

He helped Erus to the room and Vates looked up from his spot the moment the door opened. He enlarged until he was twice the size of Erus and let the teen curl up by his side. The Basilisk got a blanket and spread it over the teen before looking over at Invisus.

"I see you have everything under control," the man said. "Keep him safe."

Vates bowed his head a bit to show he understood and that he would.

-

That night Erus dreamt.

Her face was pale, lifeless, dead. Her eyes were open, blank, the soul behind them gone. A string of dark blood trickled from her mouth down her cheek. Her body was stiff, post mortem, one her hands curled lightly around a bracelet.

Screams in the background, people running, towards her or from her? It was night, the moon shining on her corpse, a lake in the background, she was on the shore, lying on a bed of rocks.

He had to stop her from walking there, he had to wake up and stop her, stop her, stop her, stop her now, he had to, he had to, HE HAD TO!

Cynthia.

Erus screamed.

Tbc…


I'm really terrible sorry for this short chapter, but I got no inspiration at all for A Different Life right now. I squeezed this out from me so I could show you this story was still living.

It's out though. Hallelujah, lucky me.

Chapter 40: What exactly happened to Cynthia? What will the others do?

Until later,

Ja,

Tiro