I.
Six years later...
The child at her breast cried piteously, sensing the tension in the room. Her husband was frantically attempting to ward the house against the impending attack. She bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to soothe the sobbing child.
"Hurry, please," she murmured.
"We still have time, Felicity," he told her curtly, waving his wand about almost recklessly.
"How do you know?"
"I just do!" he snapped. "Can't you make her be quiet?"
She didn't answer as tears welled in her eyes and she softly hushed Cecil. But the child would not be comforted. She knew what neither of her parents were willing to voice.
The Death Eaters were coming.
* * *
There was a hesitant knock on the heavy wooden door. Severus Snape looked up, his black eyes hooded with lack of sleep. Voldemort had kept him most busy the past few weeks. Along with his regular duties of brewing whatever potion He desired, Severus had also been planning raids ever since the last person to hold that position had... displeased the Dark Lord.
He desperately needed rest, but he would rather save his hide. "Come in already, dammit."
A young Death Eater, no older than Severus had been upon entering His service, stepped inside. They kept getting younger and younger, it seemed. Of course, they didn't stay young for long. Voldemort made certain of that. He started them out now killing children, mere innocents. But that was none of his concern.
He brushed his long, lank hair away from his sallow face. "What is it, boy?"
"Should our forces strike tonight?"
Forces... strike... like they were some bloody military, for Merlin's sake! He glanced at a piece of parchment buried under the others. Ah, yes. The Robbins family. Michael Robbins had unwisely divulged information to the Auroras about the identity of one of the Death Eaters. Now he and his family would be forced to pay dearly for that decision. No one opposed Lord Voldemort and got away with it. No one.
"Yes, tonight. Before they can attempt to escape." Not that it would make any difference. But people could be foolish. They could make themselves think that they could hide from the forces of the Death Eaters, that they could actually be safe for one night in their beds. Fools, the lot of them.
"Shall we kill them all?"
He pondered this for a moment. "Bring the woman back first. I'm sure uses will be found for her." He had long since grown used to the Death Eaters' habits of pleasuring themselves by means of the female captives.
Severus himself even took part in such activities from time to time. It wasn't as if he had time to go through the laborious process of courting a decent woman, and this way it was simply easier.
"And the child?"
He waved his hand in dismissal, returning to his work. "Kill it." There would be no purpose for a mere babe here, not even for the most perverted of the Death Eaters.
"Yes sir." The boy hurried off, leaving Severus in peace. Peace... it was amazing how one could get so used to dictating the deaths of strangers.
Better them than him, after all.
* * *
"Michael... come on."
He shook his head furiously. "They are not destroying this house. This is ours. Ours!"
"It's not worth our lives."
With a growl, he turned to her, his blue eyes holding a fierceness and determination she had never seen before. "I am *not* leaving our memories, our past, to them. Do you understand me?"
She bowed her head. "Yes." Cecil began to whimper again, a foreboding of the raid that was about to crash down on them.
Out of the following silence came a loud, echoing blow to the front door.
She jumped, clutching her child closer. The girl wailed and she shifted positions. The child was really getting to be too big to carry around anymore, but she needed to have her close. "Michael, we have to go."
"No!" he thundered. "I am not letting them destroy this!" She clutched at his coat sleeve, but he pushed her away. "Get to safety. Whatever you do, do not come back for me. Do you hear me?"
She nodded, fresh tears streaming down her face. As her husband ran from the room, she gripped her wand and Apparated from the house, Cecil held close to her body.
The pair reappeared in the middle of the dining room of her cousin Sara's house. Sara and her family were Muggles who did not exactly approve of Felicity's wizarding blood.
But it wasn't as if she had a choice. If she was never to see her child again, she at least wanted her with family.
She pressed the now-sleeping Cecil into her surprised cousin's arms. "Take care of her... please..." And with that she Apparated back to her home. Her husband would not stand alone against the Death Eaters. Not as long as she had breath in her body.
* * *
Voldemort stalked angrily in front of the woman. "Where is the child? I don't want to ask you again."
She shook her head, a weary motion that was barely noticeable.
The Dark Lord pressed a hand to his forehead. "This is no time to be brave, silly woman. Your husband is dead and you are not far from it. Tell me where the child is, and it may go better for you."
She choked up a mouthful of blood, spitting it out at him. "Never."
I grow weary of you. Keep that in mind." He stalked towards the door, throwing a curse over his shoulder at her. "Crucio."
Voldemort blazed into Snape's office. "I want that child!" he bellowed, green eyes flashing dangerously.
Severus rubbed his forehead. "Forgive me, my Lord, but it is a mere infant."
The dark wizard leaned over Snape's desk, his jagged nails digging into the wood. "Children are dangerous, Severus. Never forget that."
"Yes, my Lord," he murmured.
"That wretched woman will only last so much longer. I want the potion to trace where she Apparated to and I want it by tomorrow. Do you understand me?" he hissed.
"Of course. I will complete it tonight." How he would do that, he did not know. He was still working on discovering all the correct ingredients for the mixture, not even mentioning the fact that he had yet to work out the procedure. What he wouldn't give for a Time Turner at this very moment.
But, Time Turner or not, it would get done, or it would be his neck in exchange. And he wished to avoid that if at all possible.
"You had better do so, Severus. I do not take kindly to failure." As if that wasn't obvious. He set aside the scroll he had been studying as the door slammed shut after Voldemort's departure. Time to get to work. He had a long night ahead.
END CHAPTER ONE
Author's Notes: I don't have much to say besides tons of thanks to Individual-9086 for your wonderful compliments and for reviewing so darn many of my fics. It made me most happy. Thanks again!
By the way, I happen to like the idea of the Death Eaters wearing white masks (see prologue) while on raids and such. *shrug* I saw it in an awesome picture online and the idea kindof stuck with me. Just a fyi.
Six years later...
The child at her breast cried piteously, sensing the tension in the room. Her husband was frantically attempting to ward the house against the impending attack. She bounced on the balls of her feet, trying to soothe the sobbing child.
"Hurry, please," she murmured.
"We still have time, Felicity," he told her curtly, waving his wand about almost recklessly.
"How do you know?"
"I just do!" he snapped. "Can't you make her be quiet?"
She didn't answer as tears welled in her eyes and she softly hushed Cecil. But the child would not be comforted. She knew what neither of her parents were willing to voice.
The Death Eaters were coming.
* * *
There was a hesitant knock on the heavy wooden door. Severus Snape looked up, his black eyes hooded with lack of sleep. Voldemort had kept him most busy the past few weeks. Along with his regular duties of brewing whatever potion He desired, Severus had also been planning raids ever since the last person to hold that position had... displeased the Dark Lord.
He desperately needed rest, but he would rather save his hide. "Come in already, dammit."
A young Death Eater, no older than Severus had been upon entering His service, stepped inside. They kept getting younger and younger, it seemed. Of course, they didn't stay young for long. Voldemort made certain of that. He started them out now killing children, mere innocents. But that was none of his concern.
He brushed his long, lank hair away from his sallow face. "What is it, boy?"
"Should our forces strike tonight?"
Forces... strike... like they were some bloody military, for Merlin's sake! He glanced at a piece of parchment buried under the others. Ah, yes. The Robbins family. Michael Robbins had unwisely divulged information to the Auroras about the identity of one of the Death Eaters. Now he and his family would be forced to pay dearly for that decision. No one opposed Lord Voldemort and got away with it. No one.
"Yes, tonight. Before they can attempt to escape." Not that it would make any difference. But people could be foolish. They could make themselves think that they could hide from the forces of the Death Eaters, that they could actually be safe for one night in their beds. Fools, the lot of them.
"Shall we kill them all?"
He pondered this for a moment. "Bring the woman back first. I'm sure uses will be found for her." He had long since grown used to the Death Eaters' habits of pleasuring themselves by means of the female captives.
Severus himself even took part in such activities from time to time. It wasn't as if he had time to go through the laborious process of courting a decent woman, and this way it was simply easier.
"And the child?"
He waved his hand in dismissal, returning to his work. "Kill it." There would be no purpose for a mere babe here, not even for the most perverted of the Death Eaters.
"Yes sir." The boy hurried off, leaving Severus in peace. Peace... it was amazing how one could get so used to dictating the deaths of strangers.
Better them than him, after all.
* * *
"Michael... come on."
He shook his head furiously. "They are not destroying this house. This is ours. Ours!"
"It's not worth our lives."
With a growl, he turned to her, his blue eyes holding a fierceness and determination she had never seen before. "I am *not* leaving our memories, our past, to them. Do you understand me?"
She bowed her head. "Yes." Cecil began to whimper again, a foreboding of the raid that was about to crash down on them.
Out of the following silence came a loud, echoing blow to the front door.
She jumped, clutching her child closer. The girl wailed and she shifted positions. The child was really getting to be too big to carry around anymore, but she needed to have her close. "Michael, we have to go."
"No!" he thundered. "I am not letting them destroy this!" She clutched at his coat sleeve, but he pushed her away. "Get to safety. Whatever you do, do not come back for me. Do you hear me?"
She nodded, fresh tears streaming down her face. As her husband ran from the room, she gripped her wand and Apparated from the house, Cecil held close to her body.
The pair reappeared in the middle of the dining room of her cousin Sara's house. Sara and her family were Muggles who did not exactly approve of Felicity's wizarding blood.
But it wasn't as if she had a choice. If she was never to see her child again, she at least wanted her with family.
She pressed the now-sleeping Cecil into her surprised cousin's arms. "Take care of her... please..." And with that she Apparated back to her home. Her husband would not stand alone against the Death Eaters. Not as long as she had breath in her body.
* * *
Voldemort stalked angrily in front of the woman. "Where is the child? I don't want to ask you again."
She shook her head, a weary motion that was barely noticeable.
The Dark Lord pressed a hand to his forehead. "This is no time to be brave, silly woman. Your husband is dead and you are not far from it. Tell me where the child is, and it may go better for you."
She choked up a mouthful of blood, spitting it out at him. "Never."
I grow weary of you. Keep that in mind." He stalked towards the door, throwing a curse over his shoulder at her. "Crucio."
Voldemort blazed into Snape's office. "I want that child!" he bellowed, green eyes flashing dangerously.
Severus rubbed his forehead. "Forgive me, my Lord, but it is a mere infant."
The dark wizard leaned over Snape's desk, his jagged nails digging into the wood. "Children are dangerous, Severus. Never forget that."
"Yes, my Lord," he murmured.
"That wretched woman will only last so much longer. I want the potion to trace where she Apparated to and I want it by tomorrow. Do you understand me?" he hissed.
"Of course. I will complete it tonight." How he would do that, he did not know. He was still working on discovering all the correct ingredients for the mixture, not even mentioning the fact that he had yet to work out the procedure. What he wouldn't give for a Time Turner at this very moment.
But, Time Turner or not, it would get done, or it would be his neck in exchange. And he wished to avoid that if at all possible.
"You had better do so, Severus. I do not take kindly to failure." As if that wasn't obvious. He set aside the scroll he had been studying as the door slammed shut after Voldemort's departure. Time to get to work. He had a long night ahead.
END CHAPTER ONE
Author's Notes: I don't have much to say besides tons of thanks to Individual-9086 for your wonderful compliments and for reviewing so darn many of my fics. It made me most happy. Thanks again!
By the way, I happen to like the idea of the Death Eaters wearing white masks (see prologue) while on raids and such. *shrug* I saw it in an awesome picture online and the idea kindof stuck with me. Just a fyi.