author's note: this is part two of Make Them Gold and it's very important that you read that first! That being said I hope you enjoy part two of Asterope's Story!

warnings: This book deals with topics such as PTSD, depression, anxiety, dissociation, mentions of abuse, mentions of suicidal thoughts and destructive behavior, sexual assault, canon-typical violence and discussions of Sexuality, LGBT+ relationships (Bisexuality, Homosexuality, GirlxGirl, BoyxBoy, etc...) and LGBT themes and they are a big part of this book so if any of these things trigger or bother you, please be careful reading this book!

ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅ | ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅ | ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅ | ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅ | ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ɢᴏʟᴅ

PART TWO ( NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY ) PROLOGUE:

00 || The Girl Who Should Not Be

circa december 1979 . . . fifteen years prior

x

THE PREGNANCY TEST was positive, it was Muggle-made because Bellatrix Lestrange could not go to any witch or wizard about this. If anyone found out, she wouldn't be pregnant for much longer. Of course, the child was the Dark Lord as she had not been with Rodolphus in three months, she could only be a month or so along which would match up with the last time he . . . Bellatrix shakes her head, ignoring the thought of that man. And the worst part of it all, his wife knew — his scorned wife who had lost two of her children to him. Esrom Riddle stands before her, but instead of taunting Bellatrix, she's giving her advice.

"What," Bellatrix chokes, her hands pressed to her flat stomach, she looks at Esrom through her lashes.

Esrom's sly grin turns bitter "Think about it, Bella, it's a perfect way to hide her from, Tom, he'll know if you don't and you know what will happen if he knows."

"Her," Bellatrix says breathlessly, her grimace turning into a small smile and she looks down at her stomach. The smile is short-lived and happiness at the thought of having a daughter like she always wanted is replaced with dread, Bella sniffles, "He'll kill her, just like the others — why are you helping me?"

"I need her," Esrom says simply, "She can help take down my husband, she's not vital but she is important which is why I'm helping you, I need this Riddle to survive."

"How long have you known I was pregnant," Bellatrix whispers, pushing herself into the wall behind her and edging herself closer to the other door in the room.

"Give or take twenty-three years," Esrom replies nonchalantly, "It's gotten more clear the past year but I first saw a glimpse of you with a lovely child and your beautiful wife. Together happy as a family and my husband was dead. At first I thought that your child was the cause of his death but it's changed over the years and I believe she will help whoever is responsible in killing my husband and she's vital to it."

Bellatrix gasps, her chest burns and she tries to breathe but it's as though someone had taken all the oxygen in the room "You —"

Esrom waits patiently for her to collect herself, Bellatrix stares at her, her icy eyes going through a series of emotions — confusion — hurt — betrayal — grief — anger — and finally realisation.

"You knew . . . Everything? You knew when I was eighteen and I was scared, he had me cornered and I had nowhere to —"

Esrom cuts her off "These things had to happen in order for me to get what I wanted —"

"I didn't want it," Bellatrix says and her voice cracks "I didn't want any of it!"

"It doesn't matter what you want. This child needs to be born to further secure my husband's death," Esrom says dismissively.

"You're sick," Bellatrix growls as hot tears slide down her reddened cheeks. Her chest heaves with every breath, her hands shake as she keeps them at her side "I was a child, he was — he was thirty — thirty seven when he first took interest of me and not only did you let it happen, you encouraged it! And — and what? Just for some revenge scheme?"

Esrom stares at her patiently, keeping a calm expression on her aging face which angers Bellatrix further.

"If he finds out and he kills her like he did with Tybalt and the others, it will kill me and what will you gain then? Besides death, Esrom, because don't think for one second that I won't throw you under the bus if I have to."

Esrom smiles at this "He won't find out. He wants Greyback's loyalty and it's the perfect way for you to fall pregnant. Tommy will not question you, he trusts you too much to even suspect you'd ever betray him."

Bellatrix raises her chin "How do I know you aren't luring me into a false sense of security?"

Esrom laughs coldly "Bella, I want my husband dead for killing our son and even though your daughter won't be the one to kill him she's going to play a role in it and that role might be bigger as her fate unravels. Nothing would thrill me more than for Tommy's deepest fear to come true and for him to perish thanks to it."

Bellatrix stares at Esrom horror-struck.

"You will be happy Bella, with this child, you'll have a family. A son, a daughter, and a loving wife. And you're daughter will be quite powerful for the Half-Breed everyone believes her to be. Fate is fickle, Bella, but not this. This was foretold years ago, changing ever so slightly, but always certain in some aspects. Maeve Macleod and the child you carry was always written in your fate — someway, somehow."

"I was . . . I was only five when you first saw this," Bellatrix whispers, tears blurring her vision.

Esrom doesn't seem bothered by this disturbing fact "Aye, and there is going to be a baby prophecised before his birth that he is meant to kill my husband. Heavy fates don't care about age."

"Clearly neither do you or your husband," Bellatrix says flatly.

Esrom softens slightly but she shrugs after a moment. She did what she needed to do to cement her husband's death at the hands of his own child just like he feared — the reason he killed their Tybalt. And she still wasn't done, there was still some tampering Esrom would have to do to ensure that it goes from being the Boy-Who-Lived killing him to the Girl-Who-Shouldn't-Be that puts an end to Tom Riddle for once and for all.

Bellatrix inhales sharply, folding her arms over her chest "What do I have to do to ensure that my daughter survives?"