Chapter 39
"...!"
A loud cry woke the tired couple from deep slumber. They were both exhausted from the earlier exertion. Sirius groaned as he tried to push himself up from the comfort of bed, however, Severus hold him back to the mattress.
Kissing him on the chin, Severus whispered, "I'll go, you stay in bed."
The Gryffindor boy smiled and kissed the latter on the lips, whispering back, "come back soon."
And the smaller boy went outside to coo the crying baby and tuck him in bed. Closing his eyes, Sirius buried his head on the soft pillow. Drowsy with sleep, the handsome young man nearly fell asleep until he felt the other side of bed empty. The sheet felt cold under his palm.
The drowsiness escaped from the dark-haired boy instantly.
He quickly stumbled out of his bed, reaching to the nursery where his lover and his child were supposed to be struggling to sleep.
No one was there.
The room was empty.
…...…...…...…...…...
He did it! He finally did it!
Peter felt gloriously proud. He never felt proud, but he was now. And no one, not even James Potter, was going to say he messed things up. Because he, Peter Pettigrew, Wormtail, did it!
The chubby boy scuttled around the captor and the captures, who struggle in the grasp of the captor. A baby was crying in another captor's arms and Snivelly was trying to get to his baby. His baby. What an abomination. Gross. Peter made a face, completely taken by the horrific notion of man carrying a child in his belly and giving a birth to it.
All those researches on male conception were extremely grotesque and horrific. Even thinking about it made him want to puke but he had no choice but to follow his mater's order.
His master, for some unknown reason, has taken interest in the subject.
Evan Rosier dragged the struggling boy towards the chair in front of their lord and tied him there securely. The unknown spell to Peter bound Snivelly tightly to the chair and soon, the skinny boy couldn't move an inch. His face was all contorted with pain and shock, his dark eyes darting from his baby to the dark lord again and again.
It was apparent that Snivelly wanted his abominable child back to his bosom.
The notion made Peter want to laugh hard.
Peter Pettigrew looked up to his great master, waiting for a compliment or a simple 'well done, Wormtail' to greet his smile. Yet, his master had fixed his gaze only to one person.
"Severus, what a delight to finally meet you again."
Regulus could not believe what he was witnessing. A child in Avery's arms and Severus Snape bound in chair and his lord smiling upon him. The minions were circling like vultures around them. It was as though he was the only one who couldn't understand what was going on in this ridiculous stage of act.
A shilling cry of baby brought him back to the reality.
Mulciber hit the child's face shouting at it to shut up, which made the child cry even harder. The dark lord glared at it with a contemptuous look. Regulus felt a horrifying terror that he might actually kill it in front of Severus Snape. The look on the latter's face made him realize the other was fearing that as well.
But then, the dark lord spoke in a soft and low voice.
"Regulus, take the child from Avery's arms."
The young Slytherin did as he was told, taking the baby swiftly from the elder's arms. It felt light and heavy at the same time. Light, as it was small but heavy as much as it was alive. He felt his usual poker face was hard to maintain at the sight of the child.
It looked exactly alike Sirius.
The bright blue eyes darted up from the baby and met with a pair of cold snake-like red eyes. The incredibly handsome man with inhumane complexion smiled gently.
"It is very good of you to visit us, Severus. I have been quite anxious to meet your son, Caelum."
His son? Regulus couldn't believe his lord.
"And it is very exciting to finally have a look on the miraculous borne; it seems to be very healthy."
Regulus looked down to the child again, who seemed to calm a bit in his arms. It did not scream nor cried loudly as it did in his peer's arms. The grey eyes resembled the ones he was familiar with looked right through his. A shiver ran down his spine.
Fearful of what his lord will say, the young Slytherin gulped.
"I imagine you'd be wondering how we came to get a hold of you and your child, my dear," the Dark Lord spoke in a silk smooth voice.
Severus eyed the clumsy Gryffindor fumbling next to Rosier. The Dark Lord noticed the direction of the boy's stare and smiled affectionately.
"Oh, I let it slip my mind how smart you can be, Severus." His lord sneered rather mockingly. "Yes. Wormtail has proven himself useful for the last few months. He was the one who stole your lover's books, and the one who been following you and your lover for quite a while."
Quite a while?
How did such knowledge escape from his notice? Regulus frowned, perturbed by the realization. No one told him of such operation being conducted under his nose. It made him at unease. Of course, he did not expect his lord to be foolish enough to put every egg in one basket. Yet, he cannot help but feel rather neglected and shunned.
"A-and why, may I ask, were we brought here?" The boy asked in a shaky breath but holding himself embraced.
The grin in his lord's face deepened, as though expecting the question.
"You might be wondering, my dear Severus, how was it possible that a man could conceive a life in his body despite all the nature's setting." The handsome yet gruesome looking man cocked his head to side, flashing a brilliant but wicked smile.
Severus cringed, whimpering.
A male conception. Even with the amount of studies and reading Regulus manages every day, he has never heard of such things were possible. Magic may be a powerful thing, but it is not an omnipotent miracle.
It may reverse some of the nature's settings but not some things such as huge as conception. Making lives is beyond the hands of human. Some may claim to successfully produce a chimera, but such creature is not borne by the hands of human. The thing is mended by already existed creatures, like a rag doll sewn together with pieces of cloths.
So how was Severus Snape able to conceive this child, who look a very much alike with his brother?
Regulus could not help but listened intently towards his lord's words.
A wax-like complexion making his smile look like an eerie slit in his face, the Dark Lord spoke.
"It is because you are the last heir of the Princes. The last breathing, living heir."
A confusion marred the perfect face of Regulus as he could not grasped the implication. The Princes? They have been dead. Extinguished. No living heir was founded, except….
All eyes focused on one boy.
Severus Snape seemed to feel uneasy at such attention, darting his eyes around, evidently frightened. He kept shooting glances towards Regulus. No, to his baby in his arms. Regulus felt the lump in his throat.
"Do you know the tale of the Prince family?" The Dark Lord asked, yet he did not wait for the answer, "your family are the decedent of Helena Ravenclaw, a rather long list of family trees but still… the Princes are the last living decedent and you, Severus Snape, are the only surviving blood of the Princes."
A sharp inhale of breath came from Regulus' side. With a glance, the youngest Slytherin boy realized this was also news to the others. Regulus looked down upon the child in his arms, who, despite the horrible situation it has been trapped, seemed perfectly tranquil.
If this is true, if what his lord is saying is true, that this child is the union of,
"Helena Ravenclaw is your ancestor, child."
The Dark Lord spoke, and everyone fell silent, all eyes concentrated on one person. In the center of attention, the dark haired, pale faced with dark eyes stared blankly at the man before him. His bottomless dark eyes blinked as if unable to comprehend the words that have been spoken.
Frankly, neither Regulus could understand where this conversation is heading towards.
"A thousand years ago, Helena Ravenclaw had an admirer during her days in Hogwarts. She never allowed the man to be near her yet, the man was persistent. He used the woman's scholarly interest as his advantage and lured her into his room. They've established a strange relationship in which started as a terrible one but developed into something rather… peculiar," a small twist in the corner of his mouth displayed his disdain.
"Helena, together with her admirer, created a room inside the castle which could produce a miracle. She believed the magic is about creating a living organism, purely through magic's own power," another snicker adorned the perfect face, "of course, her belief is to be betrayed as no magic in the world could create a life."
It was true. Magic, despite its power, is not equal to the magic nature creates. The matter of life and death is beyond the scope of magic could distort with its potency. One may delay death through elixirs and stones, or dark magics. But nothing could eventually allow one to escape the death itself in its entirety. One must die, one way or another. Trying to fight over death is impossible and the result of such foolishness would be devastating. Likewise, creating a life through magic only is just as stupid. No one and no magic can create a life. That is how things are made. That is how things are planned.
So, when the Dark Lord said the woman actually believed this admirer, telling her to create a life through a room, Regulus could not help but doubt her sanity.
"However, things have turned out disastrous, as I am certain you can imagine," a hint of amusement glint in his dark red eyes.
"The secret of the room was revealed, Ravenclaw was devastated that she was unable to create a potent magic with her brilliant mind. She stole one of her mother's charm in frustration and ran. She was not to be seen afterward until…"
The Dark Lord paused and took a step towards Severus. The young man shuddered as he met the pair of red eyes with catlike slits as pupils. He gulped when the ghostly white hand reached his chin.
"Like I said, the admirer was persistent man. He chased her down to whatever place she was hiding. He asked her to return to the castle, to the place they've built together."
A low, silky voice whispered smoothly.
"Helena refused, she said she could not trust the man anymore." The hand that was holding Severus' chin traced down the boy's neck where large veins were. "The admirer stabbed her in a fit of rage."
Regulus suddenly felt ill upon hearing this, quickly fastening the child's blanket over its head. He tightened his hold on the child.
"Her blood gushed out of her, tainting the man. He was soaked with her blood when she collapsed to the cold forest ground. Can you imagine what happened next?" His lord tilted his head in a rather mischievous manner.
Severus Snape could do nothing but stare.
A sly grin split the man's perfect face.
"He killed himself," whispered the Dark Lord.
His white hand now wrapped itself around Severus skinny neck. He smiled, a genuinely brilliant smile, and lowered himself over the boy.
"But not before finishing off his task in his room. You see, child, he did not constrict the magic to the room, unlike Helena believed it to be. He laid the magic upon their blood, chained its potency to their flesh and blood so that anyone with their blood could produce the magic they've created together."
A low whisper filled the silent room, ringing in their ears. Regulus felt sick even more. He could see that Severus was about to go into a state of shock, his thin body shaking madly.
"The magic is to create a union of the two, a union which the admirer could not attain in his life, but he wished he would have one through his blood. Now, I have told you that you are the Ravenclaw's last living blood. Who would be the admirer's?"
Like a teacher giving out a simple yet amusing quiz, the Lord's voiced was laced with amusement. Now all the eyes in the room went to Regulus Black.
With difficulties, Regulus managed to brace himself unfazed. But inside, he was screaming with disgust.
"The fruition of the admirer and Ravenclaw would be an excellent trophy to my cause. The admirer put all his power into its creation and therefore it contains a potent magic within its blood. It will be of great use to me, in every sense of the word."
The Dark Lord flashed a brilliant smile, his red eyes now focused on Regulus. The youngest Slytherin felt the urge to retreat, sensing the danger in his position. He prayed the man's words did not mean what they seemed to imply. Right before Regulus gave himself to the urge to run, his lord turned his gaze back to Severus Snape.
"And what a coincidence it is that I have everything needed to create another fruition."
A miserable sob escaped the prisoner's lips. It was the long period training to withhold emotions that kept Regulus from doing the same.
"Regulus, take the child to the care of your mother," the Dark Lord suddenly addressed him without raising his gaze from the captured boy.
Frozen on the spot, Regulus could not do as he was bid. The large pair of blue eyes were widened in horror. He looked at Severus, who was shaking and looking up at the Lord transfixed.
"For the sake of decency, I will not harm your bastard child. However, the boy is an encumbrance that I cannot have it here."
The smile disappeared in his face, which was not in complete placid and cruelly blank. He leaned forward once more, whispering something in Severus' ear. No one seemed to comprehend what the Lord has spoken but when he straightened himself, a fat drop of tear ran down on the capture's cheek.
His Lord gave a warning glance towards Regulus, who was awakened by the threat underlying. With a polite nod of surrender, the youngest Slytherin walked out of the stifling room with a child in his arms. The baby suddenly started to cry as if to realize he was being taken away from his parent. Regulus waved his wand to muffle the sound, hurriedly escaping the manor.
Once he was out, he could not hold his guard anymore and collapsed into the ground, his whole body shaking with horror-stricken cry.