Chapter 21
Family Lines and
Charged Reunions
When Theo and Ada had arrived at Malfoy Manor, the first thing they heard was Lucius and Alfred having a pissing match.
"Alfred, you have no reason to be demanding the dissolvement of the contract! My daughter has done nothing wrong, nor have I or my wife and son."
"Lucius I will not have my House and Heir sullied by any sort of Muggle filth. I don't care what happened, she was raised by savages and continues to consort with them. I will not have her join my family!" Alfred sneered.
"Tell me Alfred, have you always been this stupid or was I just blind to it before today? Adhara has been nothing but a credit to my House since she was returned to me, and a credit to the House of Dagworth-Granger which her adoptive father is descended from. She is a Pureblood on all sides and the Heir to three Noble Houses. Even you can't be enough of a fool to willingly throw that away simply because she wasn't raised to be a trophy wife and socialite."
Lucius knew that the men he associated with were idiots, but Alfred Nott was the thickest man he'd had the misfortune of dealing with since Crabbe and Goyle.
As their children dropped the bombshell of their marriage, Lucius waited and was not disappointed when Lord Nott turned on him again.
"Lucius, you cannot allow this!" Alfred Nott was livid.
"I can and I will, Alfred. The binding was done legally and there is nothing we can do."
Lucius was not happy that he had missed his only daughter's wedding but mentally he applauded Theo for knowing how truly crazy his father was and taking such a step to protect his relationship with Ada.
Lord Nott whirled on his only child and snarled at the boy. "I will find myself a wife who will give me a proper Heir unless you end this farce right now Theodore."
"Father, you can threaten whatever you wish. I will not bow down to your antiquated ideals of blood purity and I will not subject the woman I love to your vicious nature.
"You killed my mother and I will die before I see you take Ada from me as well. I would rather be without a House if this is what House Nott has become."
Theo's blue eyes shone clear with fierce loyalty to his wife, his words ringing with intent to accept his loss of Heirship as he stared down his sire.
Alfred stood to his full height and glared down at the boy with unmasked hatred as he decreed, "From today I have no son. As Lord of the Ancient and Noble House of Nott I disown Theodore Alfred Nott and claim no legitimate Heir. May Magic have mercy on my House."
"May Magic see you to the end of your days, however long they may be. If there is nothing further, I believe there is nothing more for us to discuss Lord Nott." Theo replied coolly.
Before he could verbally reply, Alfred and Lucius grimaced at the same time and Lucius rubbed his hand over his left forearm. Adhara noticed the movement and immediately rose from Theo's lap to give her father a hug and kiss his cheek. Alfred exited the study without a backward glance, not bothering to speak to any of them.
"Go, Papa. Come home to us safely." Ada said and Lucius sighed.
"Much as I don't want to go to this Death Eater meeting, I'm glad I will miss the rage of Emma and Narcissa towards the two of you. I'll also alert Severus to your. . . Change in status and make sure he airs out a set of the married student suites for you both at the school." He hugged his daughter tightly before letting her go and rising from his own armchair. Theo stood and Lucius clapped the young wizard on the shoulder.
"I'm proud of you Theodore. You know your former father well and showed the cunning to do what needed to be done to protect daughter. I am happy to welcome you into my House and home as another son."
Theo struggled with the emotions he felt at that moment. Not once had his own father ever told him he was proud of him, and here within hours of going behind his new father-in-law's back he was being told that a man he respected and looked up to saw his efforts and praised him for it.
"Thank you Lord Malfoy." Theo started only to be interrupted.
"Lucius, Theodore. We are family now, I think it's only right you call me by my given name."
"Lucius. Your support means more than I can put into words. Already you have done what Lord Nott never did. I'll do my best to be a credit to your House now that I have none of my own."
"You already are, son. You already are." Lucius apparated away leaving Theo and Ada alone in his study. She walked over to her husband and gently took his face in her hands.
"I love you Theo. And no matter what my mothers and brother say in the next few hours about you and I eloping, I know we made the right choice. I wouldn't do this any other way." She kissed him gently and he wrapped his arms around her.
"You're worth every knut I just lost and more Ada. Now let's go break a couple hearts and let them rightfully jump down my throat for being such a bloody lion." Theo said when they broke apart.
She chuckled and slipped her hand into his as they walked out the door. Facing her mothers was going to suck, but at least they would be doing it together.
Severus was in no mood to deal with the bloody Dark Lord today, so when his Mark burned he ensured that his strongest Occlumency walls were in place before making his way to the edge of the castle grounds and disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. He landed in Little Hangleton at the same time as Lucius and the two brothers in arms gave each other a tight nod as they walked up to the still mostly dilapidated Riddle Manor.
"Why the hell has he called us?" Lucius murmured as they entered. Severus gave a noncommittal hum. If anyone could tell him the mind of Voldemort he would pay them their weight in Galleons.
Entering the main dining room the two wizards waited for their Lord to speak.
"Gentlemen. For too long have we had brothers kept from us. They stayed true to our cause and have paid the price. Tonight we free them from Azkaban!" From his throne above them all he watched their faces.
The silence was deafening at his words. No one dared to question him, but they were all wondering how he planned to accomplish such an insane task. Finally, Severus spoke up.
"My Lord, when do we leave?"
Voldemort smiled coldly at his Potions Master.
"Severussss. You shall lead the charge. We leave for Azkaban immediately! Bring your brothers home."
Severus bowed his head in deference before standing and facing the rest of the Death Eaters present.
"You heard our Lord! We leave now!" He affixed his mask and was gone, the crack of apparition following him as the rest of the Death Eaters left. Voldemort sat back in his chair as Nagini coiled around him, his red eyes glowing with unhinged delight. His most faithful would soon be back at his feet.
The cold North Sea wind whipped the Death Eaters' robes around them. Severus scowled under his mask as he looked across the horizon to the dark mass rising from the turbulent water. He hated that gods forsaken island. The week he had spent there after the First War before he'd been cleared of all charges was enough to make him shudder to this day at the thought of returning. With a silent signal to his brothers their formation began speeding towards the triangular prison. Too soon their brooms reached the island and once the dementors recognized them they fled, making their job that much easier.
Severus reached the top tier of cells and cast a strong blasting charm at the stone, blowing a wide hole in the side of Azkaban. Without the dementors to contend with there was nothing to distract him from properly overpowering the spell. The Death Eaters flooded into the new entrance while Severus stood on top of the building keeping an eye out for any Aurors.
Lucius landed in front of his sister-in-law and softly called her name.
"Bellatrix?"
Her dark eyes snapped to his face and she flung herself at him. He barely had time to catch her before she started talking.
"Lucius, please take me home. Take me back to Cissa, please." She begged him. "Don't make me go back to him."
"Bellatrix, slow down. What are you talking about? Don't make you go back to who?" Lucius's voice was gentle. He had never seen the middle Black daughter so scared and it was extremely unnerving.
"I'm coming for you Bellatrix!" A voice yelled from down the corridor, and her eyes widened in terror at the sound as she whispered, "Rodolphus."
Lucius looked at her in shock. This was the right hand of the Dark Lord, his most zealous follower. The fear on her face made Lucius' blood run cold. She feared nothing and no one, but the sound of her husband's voice now had her clinging to the robes of her brother in law as if he was her last hope. Lucius wrapped his arms around her more securely as he spoke.
"Let's get you warm and showered and then you can tell Cissa and I everything." He apparated away wondering just how well deceived they had been by Lord Lestrange.
Adhara and Theo slowly walked towards the drawing room. Ada would much rather be leading him towards her bedroom where she could let her husband shag her until she forgot her own name.
Theo knew they had to face the music though, so he picked her up bridal style and let his long legs carry them down the hall.
Narcissa and Emma looked up from their conversation as the teenagers walked in. Draco glanced up from his book and did a double take.
Theo sat down across from Narcissa and Emma, settling Ada next to him on the loveseat. Narcissa raised an elegant eyebrow at the pair in a silent question.
"Lady Malfoy, Mrs. Granger, I married your daughter this morning." Theo did not mince words and the two older women both shrieked.
"You did what?" They said together, and Draco's book dropped from his hands as he stared at his best friend and his twin.
"Theo…" He growled, and Theo held up a hand to stop him.
"You are all well within your rights to be angry at me." He started, but Adhara cut in.
"At us. I agreed to marry you this morning, you don't get to shoulder all of the blame."
"You're still in school!" Emma shrieked. "And he's not even of age in either world! Hermione Jean you had better not be pregnant young lady or so help me-"
"Mother!"
"Mrs. Granger!"
The young couple spluttered in embarrassment and shock. Draco looked green at the thought of his sister being up the duff.
"Mum, I swear I was a virgin until earlier today. There is positively no way I'm pregnant." Hermione's voice was quiet and her face red. She knew that her mum wasn't likely to take it well but having her say that was just mortifying.
"Mrs. Granger, I'm on the Wizarding form of contraception. It's a potion I take once a month and we also have charms that help to prevent pregnancy before a couple is ready. There is also a charm to check whether or not a witch is pregnant. Whatever we need to do to ease your mind about this I'll make it happen." Theo said, and Emma's glare hardened.
"Wonderful! Not only could you not marry a decent boy who would wait until you're done with school, you had to choose the sixteen year old who's having so much sex he needs to be on monthly birth control! Christ Almighty Hermione, we raised you better than this."
Theo leaned forward and made sure he had firm eye contact with Emma before speaking.
"Mrs. Granger your implication towards my sex life is entirely unnecessary. Any wizard worth his title takes the monthly potion once he becomes sexually active as it not only prevents unwanted pregnancy from occurring but it also ensures that no one contracts or transmits any forms of disease.
"I'm not going around the school and shagging every woman that breathes in my direction. I may only be sixteen but I had self control quite literally beaten into me by the man who just disowned me. Before now I had only had one partner and she and I were together a handful of times before I broke things off because I knew that the only witch I wanted was your daughter.
"I also resent the implication that you don't trust Hermione's judgement. That tells me you don't trust your own parenting skills from the last ten years if you think she is the kind of girl to make such a rash decision without knowing the pros and cons of doing so. This is not some flight of fancy for either of us."
Narcissa was quiet as she studied the brunette boy across from her.
"Theodore, how much of your decision to do this was based on your father?" She asked.
"He only accelerated the timeline. When we returned to Nott Hall after the ball, he was ranting about sullying the bloodline and breaking the betrothal contract. I knew that if I wanted to keep Ada and not be forced to marry someone of his choosing that I needed to give him nothing to work with.
"I would love to have waited longer so I could have courted her properly, and I'm sorry that I took the joy of planning our bonding ceremony from you both but I couldn't let him have the chance to separate us.
"He officially disowned me about fifteen minutes ago in Lord Malfoy's study. He told me that he has no son and recognizes no legitimate Heir to his House." Theo's voice was calm but Ada saw the sadness in his eyes.
"You know I didn't marry you for your title nor your vaults Theo. I don't care about any of that."
"I know sweetheart, but it just means I can't provide as well for you as I would have liked."
"Mama, Mum, I still want to plan a ceremony with you both. I was hoping we could do something at the beginning of the summer." Adhara offered quietly in an attempt to smooth things over.
"Oh my darling, of course we'll help you! I'm frustrated that things had to happen this way because I would have loved to see the bonding, but it sounds like young Mr. Nott made the smartest decision in acting so quickly." Narcissa said.
Ada left Theo's side and hugged the two women tightly before turning to face her mum head on.
"Mum, please try to understand. I know you don't come from this world and so the idea that two teenagers can just get married is foreign and scary. I want you and Dad to be a part of my life with Theo. I want you to be there this summer and help me plan what I want to happen. Just… take the time you need and let me explain it to Daddy okay? I'd like to keep my wizard alive past the first week we're married and I know he'll go find the nearest shotgun when he hears what we've done."
"You're right that I don't understand. I don't approve of you getting married so young. I think this whole thing is absolutely ridiculous! And you will be explaining this to your father without any interference from me." Emma said, her voice unsteady with anger and no small amount of hurt. She would need to do some serious research and personal soul searching to come to terms with such a sudden turn of events.
"Yes mum. I'm sorry." Ada whispered. She knew that regaining her mum's good favor was going to take time, and her relationship with her dad would be even harder to rebuild the trust.
"I need to clear my head. Excuse me." Emma said stiffly, rising from the couch and leaving the room.
Theo was by Ada's side in an instant, pulling her into his arms and letting her bury her face in his chest. Nothing he could say would make any of this better so he simply held her close. Narcissa spoke into the tension filled silence and prayed to Merlin she could say the right thing.
"She'll come around eventually sweetheart. She's in shock and had a lot thrown at her just now. Coming into this world where she knows little of our customs and culture things are going to seem unnatural and maybe even illegal compared to what she's used to.
"I'm not saying she handled it properly, but I also see where she's coming from. As a mother it hurts knowing you missed one of the most important days of your daughter's life. However I am not disappointed in either of you. I'm proud of you for doing what needed to be done."
Adhara lifted her head from Theo's chest and smiled weakly at her mother.
"Thanks mama." She whispered with a sniffle, reaching out to grab Narcissa's hand.
Cissa snagged her daughter's left hand to admire the ring now sitting there. When she saw it, a soft smile crossed her face and she looked back to Theo with misty eyes.
"Your mother would be proud of you, Theo. She was a dear friend to me and you do her credit, may Merlin rest her soul."
Tears pricked at Theo's eyes at the mention of his mum. "Thank you Narcissa." He finally choked out. He kissed the top of his wife's head and gently pushed her towards her mother before going back to the loveseat. Draco moved from his armchair to sit next to his best friend and new brother.
"Guess your proclamation about us being real brothers finally came true eh?" Draco said, nudging Theo in the shoulder. Theo grinned at him.
"You're stuck with me now Drake."
"There's no one else I'd want it to be, mate."
"Narcissa!" Lucius roared, carrying a now unconscious Bellatrix. "Cissa, come quickly!"
The group leapt from their seats and ran out of the room to meet him. Draco skidded to a halt at the sight of Bellatrix in Lucius's arms.
"Father…" He started but was interrupted by a choked sob from behind him.
"Bellatrix." Narcissa whispered, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
The last time she had seen her sister had been the day before the Dark Lord vanished. Fourteen years was a long time and Narcissa was not prepared for such a sight.
Adhara however was not swept away by the sudden reunion. She took one look and immediately pulled her wand and trained it on her father.
"Papa, what the hell are you doing with her?" She growled, her arm steady as she looked at the pair.
"Adhara Narcissa Malfoy, you lower your wand this instant and let me explain my evening. I'm going to lay Bella down in the nearest room and then we'll talk." Lucius glared in warning at his daughter before turning on his heel and walking up the stairs to the family wing of the Manor. He gently laid her in the bed in the room next to Draco's and called one of the family elves to keep an eye on her.
He returned downstairs to the drawing room and saw Adhara sitting next to Theo on the loveseat, still gripping her wand tightly. He took the seat next to his wife and took a deep breath before he began speaking.
"The Dark Lord's summons was to inform us that we would be breaking into Azkaban earlier this evening.
"Once we got there, I found Bellatrix's cell. We heard Rodolphus call for her from a few cells down and she looked at me in fear at the sound of his voice. She begged me to keep her away. Do you even remember the last time time begged for anything? As crazy as it sounds, it's like her time in Azkaban healed her."
Adhara scoffed. "Or she's just playing everyone because she was left to rot for fourteen years. Bellatrix Lestrange fears nothing but displeasing You-Know-Who.
"For Merlin's sake, she aided in the torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom! They're forever trapped inside their own minds in Saint Mungo's now in case you all have forgotten. Don't even recognize their own son!"
The derision and venom in her tone made Narcissa gasp and Lucius growl in anger.
"Adhara, don't talk about a woman you know nothing about. She wasn't always that way." Lucius snapped.
"I don't think she was ever going to be on this path had she been forced to marry Rodolphus." He muttered just loud enough for his wife to hear.
"Lucius, what makes you say that?" Narcissa whispered. She had dearly missed the sister of her youth and if there was any way to bring that witch back she would do whatever it took.
"Call him." A soft voice came from the doorway. Adhara was immediately on her feet again, her wand trained on the woman standing there.
"Adhara stand down!" Lucius shouted, and Bellatrix shook her head.
"No Lucius, she is right not to trust me. I have to earn that right, especially from her. Call him, he can verify everything. He fought for me when I was arrested, I know he did. He wouldn't have left me, even though I had to leave him. Will that satisfy your distrust, Miss Malfoy?" Bellatrix addressed Adhara and the girl sneered at her aunt.
"It's Mrs. Nott," she corrected with a sneer. "Who is he? And why would I believe anything this man, whoever he is, would say about you? Why would anyone for that matter? You have many sins to answer for Aunt."
Bellatrix gave a small smile at the ferocity of her niece. She turned to Narcissa and tried to keep her voice light as she said, "Well, she certainly got the Black temper didn't she Cissa? It's almost like I'm looking in a mirror."
Narcissa practically leapt from the couch to get to her older sister. She grabbed Bella by the shoulders and searched her face, and whatever she found there had tears falling down her cheeks as she crushed Bella in a hug. Bella hugged her baby sister back just as fiercely, burying her face in Cissa's neck as she cried for all the time that had been stolen from them.
Lucius slipped out and called his personal elf. When he came back into the room he was met with the tear stained faces of his wife and sister in law, along with the look of suspicion his daughter wore as she kept her attention trained on her newly freed aunt.
"L'as-tu appelé ? As-tu envoyé ma lumière dans les ténèbres?" Bellatrix asked him.
Did you call him? Did you send for my light in the darkness?
Lucius closed his eyes against the question. Time in Azkaban had not erased the French that had been drilled into Bellatrix Black Lestrange by her tutors, and the term of endearment she used had only ever belonged to one man in her life. He did not want to do as she asked, but this was a guest in his home, and she was family.
"Her light in the darkness?" Adhara questioned. "Papa, who is she referring to?"
Before Lucius could answer either witch, Severus appeared with a thunderous crack, his face drawn tight with his signature upturned scowl.
"What the fuck is so bloody important, it couldn't wait until morning?" He demanded in a slow, put upon drawl.
His steps and sullen mood faltered however as he rounded the chair he favored only to find Bellatrix in it.
His dark eyes went wide as he stumbled over his words, "Trix… Is it really you?"