Author's Note: This story begins during the Second year at Hogwarts, during the Chamber of Secrets and will continue as time goes on. This is my first Harry Potter fanfic and along with my friend, ElfFlame, we are writing a series of four stories, which begins with ElfFlame's story- True Revenge. All four of these stories are interrelated and for the best understanding of the characters as we see them, they should be read in conjunction to each other. As always, I own none of this wonderful world that JK Rowling has created.
Author's Note: At this point in time I would just like to say that in telling events of this story from Lucius Malfoy's point of view, I am merely showing his frame of mind. I do not in any way condone or promote the things he does.
Spoiler Warning: This story contains spoilers, both minor and major from all five Harry Potter books.
Wicked Lee: I'm so glad Renata's name meets with your approval. I put a lot of time and research in finding just the right name. The chapters are going to continue to be dark, and they will get worse before it's all over, but I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story anyway!
TavingtonRose: I'm so sorry your father lost his job and again glad I can be there to help you through a tough time. I'm so glad you caught the Alan Rickman references, they were too fun to pass up! Here's another fun chapter for your enjoyment!
Arsinoe3: I'm so happy that people caught the Alan Rickman references, they were so much fun to slip into the story! Severus is just the best, isn't he? I agree that he was the ideal person to be with her when she gave birth! Here's the next chapter, make sure to look for the hat description!
Meeting Baby
Severus was still awake even though it was very late. He gazed at the sleeping figure of Adriana, with Renata in her arms. She'd been so tired after the birth, but stayed awake for a long time afterwards, fussing over Renata. When they'd been left alone for a while, Severus helped Adriana into the nightgown that she'd brought with her, and moved her to the other bed in the room.
Severus thought he'd be all right with everything dealing with the baby, but found himself very uncomfortable when he saw Adriana preparing to breast feed Renata for the first time. He'd seen her naked before, but somehow this was different. Severus felt like he was invading some sacred ritual passed down from mother to child, and he had no business being there. Adriana hadn't told him to leave, but he turned around and looked out the window until Renata was done eating.
Adriana hadn't felt the sensation of breast feeding a child in over three centuries. She'd been nervous that she wouldn't remember how to do it right, but found all the instincts returning to help her. Renata drank greedily from her mother, kneading her tiny hands against Adriana's skin the entire time. Severus was listening to the baby feeding when he heard Adriana, gasp. "Ow, she bit me! No more biting mummy," She said softly to the baby. When she was full, Renata drifted contentedly off to sleep. Adriana had followed suit not too long afterwards.
Severus had turned out the lights and pulled a chair up to the bed to sit in. After a couple of hours, Renata had woken up briefly. She opened her eyes up, looked around the room, and saw the man sitting in front of her. Severus leaned forward, smiled and reached his hand out to pat Renata on the stomach. She had stared intensely back at him for a few minutes before drifting back off to sleep again.
When the morning had finally come and Adriana had woken to feed Renata once again, Severus took the opportunity to leave the hospital for a while. He told Adriana he would go to her property, and use Hitchcock to send a note off to Albus. Severus wrote the note before leaving, telling Albus to come to the hospital as soon as possible, and to make sure he stopped at Gringott's bank before he arrived.
But when Severus apparated to Adriana's barn, he saw somebody he hoped he'd never see again: Lucius. What the hell was he doing here? Despite abandoning Adriana, he'd come back? Lucius was looking in Adriana's kitchen windows, trying to see if she was inside the house. Severus sent Hitchcock off to Albus, and left the barn, walking quietly to the house. Lucius was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't hear Severus approaching. Severus was unsure of what to do, he obviously had the upper hand. There were so many possibilities, both magical and non-magical. Years of resentment were urging him to do something really immature, but that was so beneath him. He was an adult, a man, he couldn't allow such feelings to win out. He was just about to announce himself to Lucius, when his immature, childish side won out. Severus raised his foot and gave Lucius one very hard kick in the ass. Lucius yelped as he flew through the air, and landed face first on the ground. Quickly turning over, Lucius saw Severus laughing at him.
"Oh, you think that's so funny, don't you?" Lucius sneered.
"Yes I do," Severus replied.
Lucius made his way to his feet and brushed himself off. "Where's Adriana?" He demanded.
"You don't get to ask that. You abandoned her, remember? What do you want with her anyway?"
"That's none of your business, it's between Adriana and myself. I need to see her!" Lucius, normally very composed at all times, was finding himself unraveling at the seams in front of Severus.
Severus remained silent for a couple of minutes while scrutinizing Lucius carefully. Severus thought he sounded very desperate, what sort of trouble had he gotten himself into? A horrible idea formed in his head: Voldemort had found out about Adriana. "Tell the Dark Lord, Adriana will never join him. That's what this is about isn't it? He's pressuring you into bringing Adriana over to his side, isn't he? It won't work, you do realize that, don't you?"
Lucius looked at Severus as though willing him to die on the spot. Why didn't he use the Avada curse on him and get rid of this thorn in his side, once and for all? As much as he wanted to, he knew Adriana wouldn't respond well if he killed her best friend. Why didn't he use the Avada curse on himself and end all of his problems? But that was an easy way out, and far too below him to even seriously consider. "You don't know anything, Snape! I just need to see her, that's all."
"Why? To tell her how much you still love her? To forgive her for being Muggle-born? To show her how wrong you were? And how much you've changed? It isn't that easy, Lucius, you broke her heart, and I had to pick up all the pieces! You will not see her again, do you understand?" Severus glared at Lucius. "And if the Dark Lord wonders what to do for failing to bring her to him, give him my advice: tell him to make the world a better place, and kill you straight off."
Lucius saw there was no point in further discussion with Severus, apparated out of his sight, and back to Malfoy Manor. Severus walked around the property for a while, and managed to calm himself down somewhat, before apparating back to Adriana's room at the hospital.
Albus had received Hitchcock's note, and had stopped at Gringott's bank before heading over to the hospital. He grumbled over the fact that he had to pay Severus for the bets he had lost. Albus made one more stop before apparating to Adriana's room, to the Order headquarters, making the decision to pick up an old friend of Adriana's that she hadn't seen in a very long time. He'd thought about bringing him back into Adriana's life much earlier than this point, but given their history of fighting, didn't want that during the pregnancy.
Albus apparated to Adriana's room by himself first, to have some time with Renata before the others showed up. "May I see her, Adriana?" he said quietly, not wanting to wake Renata if she was asleep.
"Albus, I'm so glad to see you," Adriana whispered back, standing up with Renata in her arms. After walking to him, she put the baby in Albus' arms, and smiled as he rocked Renata back and forth.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother, although she doesn't really look like her mother, does she?" Albus said, smiling at Adriana.
"No, I think she's all Malfoy. She has her father's hair, what little of it she has, her mouth is the same shape, and so is her nose. And she's very demanding, like her father. I just hope she doesn't turn out like him," Adriana's lower lip began to quiver when she'd finished speaking.
Albus leaned over and drew her into his embrace. "Now, now honey, don't let him spoil your first day as a mother. Hey, I have somebody waiting to come over for you to see, you haven't seen him in a long time. Should I tell him to apparate over?"
Adriana didn't know who Albus was talking about, but told him it was all right. Albus took out a small round device and pushed the button in the middle of it. About a minute later, a man apparated into the room with a loud popping noise. A man Adriana had never seen before appeared before her, with a huge grin on his face. He wasn't a very attractive man, he was missing body parts and his face looked as though he'd leaned too far into a blender one day while it was running. One eye was larger than the other and moved independently of it as well. She looked with disgust as it rolled around in its socket. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked cautiously.
The man laughed loudly, "I told you she wouldn't recognize me Albus!" He said, his larger magic eye looking at Dumbledore, while the rest of him remained facing Adriana. "Yes, I have seen better days, I will admit, and you were there for many of them. Addie, we were the three Musketeers, remember? The Triple Alliance, doesn't that ring a bell?"
Adriana studied the man's face carefully, and noticed a twinkle in his normal eye. Awareness slowly donned on Adriana's face and she broke into a huge smile, "Alastor? Alastor Moody?" When he nodded his head, Adriana gasped and threw her arms around him. "Oh, I can't believe it, I haven't seen you in decades!"
"Now, you're not still angry with me, are you Addie? You know I had to do something to get you to go to the States the first time this was happening," Moody said, looking fondly at Adriana.
"Ah, that's ancient history," Adriana said, waving her hand. "Although, I still don't think you needed to drug me, but that was a long time ago, and I can see why you were so worried back then."
Alastor moved over to Albus who was still holding Renata, and took a good look at her. "She's a beauty, this one. You're going to have to keep a close eye on her, she'll be having all the boys coming after her," Alastor said, tickling Renata's chin. "By the way, where's her father? Do I know him? I should congratulate him while I'm here."
"Uh, well, he's not here right now. He's away on business, uh, his boss keeps a pretty tight rein on him," Adriana said, blushing.
"Oh well, I'm sure I'll meet him sometime," Moody said, still looking at Renata.
Severus chose this time to apparate back to the room. His hair was more disheveled than usual and he had a wild look on his face. Thank goodness Albus was here, but he'd brought Moody with him? Great, this should be fun. Albus smiled at Severus while handing him a small sack of money from Gringott's, and said, "So, I lost all the bets, did I?"
"You two bet on my baby?" Adriana asked. "And you didn't let me in on it?" Renata suddenly began to shriek in Albus' arms. Adriana went to him, took the baby, and sat in a chair to feed her. Lifting her shirt up, the three men stared for a few seconds as she put Renata up to her breast to eat.
Severus turned bright red, Albus cleared his throat, and Moody's magic eye raced wildly for something else to look at. "Would you look at that," Moody said, "That's a beautiful picture of motherhood, right there...A perfectly normal and natural part of life...Well I gotta go, I'll come back in a little while," With that, Moody walked out of the room, followed closely by Albus and Severus.
Severus wished he could speak to Albus alone, but Moody wasn't going anywhere. "Why is he here?" Severus asked, not trying to be polite.
"Now just a minute, why are you here?" Moody asked, glaring at Severus. "What right do you have to be anywhere near that child?" Moody asked, raising his voice and putting his hands on his hips.
"I helped Adriana deliver the baby last night! And I've helped her for the past nine months after--" Severus broke off as Albus grabbed his arm suddenly.
"Severus has been a good friend to Adriana for several years now, and he has the right to be here Alastor," Albus interrupted.
"That's right, I've been supporting her ever since Lucius left her. Where have you been?" Severus said, his eyes flashing angrily.
"Lucius? Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"What does Malfoy have to do with anything?" Moody asked.
"What? You didn't know?" Severus looked at Albus, who was looking at his shoes.
"Know what?"
"Uh, well, Lucius is Renata's father," Severus said slowly.
Moody looked as though his magical eye was about to pop out of his head and roll down the hall. "That monster is that adorable little baby's father? Adriana had a child with that man?" Moody broke off suddenly as he turned back to the room, slamming the door open and storming back inside. Walking as quickly as he could with his peg leg, he made his way to where Adriana was still nursing Renata. "Malfoy is the baby's father? What the hell is wrong with you? You willingly slept with that man? Didn't you know about him? Why didn't you run in the opposite direction the first time you met him?"
Adriana stared at Moody for several moments, not sure at first what he was talking about. Waiting until Renata was finished eating, she pulled her shirt back down, stood up, and handed the baby to Albus. Looking Moody in his good eye, she spoke quietly but fiercely, "You don't know what you're talking about Alastor. This wasn't some spur of the moment decision, I'd known Lucius for years before I chose to become pregnant. You will not speak ill of the man I love, especially not in front of our daughter, understand?"
"Honestly Adriana, you can be so blind and stupid sometimes! That was always your biggest problem! That's why Albus and I had to ship you off to the States the first time. You'd have done something stupid back then too!" Moody yelled at Adriana.
"What a wonderful idea of yours to bring Alastor here today, Albus," Adriana said sarcastically, looking at Dumbledore, and glaring. "Now I remember why I haven't talked to you for 20 years!" Adriana turned towards Moody.
Albus looked at Severus and jerked his head towards the door. Taking Renata with them, the two men left the room, leaving Alastor and Adriana to continue arguing. "Well, I hope they work through all of this quickly," Severus said quietly. "We need to make some plans, Lucius was at the house when I arrived this morning. He was looking for Adriana, I think the Dark Lord wants her. He's forcing Lucius to bring her to him."
Albus clutched Renata closely to him. He'd known it was only a matter of time before Voldemort found out about Adriana and tried to come after her. He knew Adriana wouldn't want to let him or the Order help keep her safe. If they were going to do anything, it would have to be in secret. "We need to have somebody patrol the property, but how to do it without her knowing?" Albus said.
"And who would be able to do it?" Severus asked.
"Tonks maybe?" Albus suggested.
"NO! I don't want that woman anywhere near Renata. She'd probably drop her the first time she picked her up!" Severus said, closing the subject.
"What about Lupin then?" Albus asked.
"The werewolf? I wouldn't trust him not to eat them in their sleep or bite them under a full moon," Severus replied, nixing that idea. "And don't even say Black, he's the world's most narcissistic egomaniacal womanizer, and he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near somebody as...important...as Adriana," He added quickly.
Albus turned around so Severus wouldn't see him smiling. Those two men had always had such a rivalry. Facing Severus once again, Albus said, "Well, Alastor and Adriana would probably kill each other, so it shouldn't be him. Maybe we should just put more charms and spells around the property. We could probably get away with that without Adriana finding out."
"And when she did find out, which she would, then what? She'd kill us. What about some sort of sensing device? Like the ones we have set up in the girls' dormitories at school. We could set something like that up around the property, that would alert the Order of any Death Eater activity around Adriana's house," Severus suggested.
Albus thought this sounded like the best option they had. Since Adriana was being discharged from the hospital in a while, he decided to break up the fight between her and Moody. He wanted to talk to Alastor alone for a while, and let him know the latest developments.
As Severus and Albus walked back in the room, they listened for a few minutes to Alastor and Adriana fighting before intervening. "You're a spoiled little brat Adriana, you always have been! Everybody else may coddle you and give you whatever you want, but not me! Somebody has to knock some sense into you!" Moody was yelling at the top of his lungs.
"How dare you call me a brat? You're being such a prick!" Adriana yelled back.
"Because you are a brat! You need to grow up! For somebody as old as you are, I'd think you'd be a little bit wiser by now. I should just drug you again and ship you back off to the States, that would solve all our problems!"
At this point, Albus walked to Alastor while Severus walked to Adriana and pulled them away from each other. Albus walked Alastor all the way out of the room as Severus helped Adriana pack up to go home.
"Albus, why do you let her get away with this kind of stuff? Why don't you put your foot down more often, she has to be put in her place once in a while. She's not the almighty princess who gets whatever she wants!" Moody said, glaring at Albus.
"If I did that, she'd cut herself off from me, and where would that get us? Nowhere! At least this way I know vaguely what she's up to. You know Adriana, she's always needed to be treated with kid gloves, and that's why I haven't told you about her until this point. I didn't need you making a mess of all that I tried to do. So, calm down, and just keep your opinions to yourself, OK?"
"Fine, if that's what you think is best," Moody grumbled.
"I do, besides, we have more important things to deal with now," Albus said. He carefully explained everything that Severus had told him and about the plan to put a detection device around Adriana's property.
In the room, Adriana was telling Severus about the conversation with Alastor. "Can you believe it? He said I was a brat!"
"That is just amazing, some people can say the rudest things," Severus said sympathetically, shaking his head, trying to hide a smile.
"Actually, that was a lot of fun, I haven't had a row like that in a really long time. This one was pretty tame compared to some of our other arguments. But we haven't seen each other in a while, I suppose we're out of practice," Adriana said.
"Oh well, I bet you'll have many more opportunities to fight with him, I don't think he's going anywhere. Come on, let's get ready to go back home," Severus picked up Adriana's hairbrush and put it in the suitcase. Together they packed and got ready to leave.
It was decided that Albus and Alastor would apparate to Adriana's house, while she and Severus drove Renata home. Before going to Adriana's house, Albus and Alastor stopped at the Order headquarters to pick up the detection devices they'd need. After finding the equipment, they went to Adriana's house. Albus showed Alastor around the property, and together they put the devices in several hidden places around the farm. They fixed them so that they would alert whoever was at the Order headquarters, but wouldn't let Adriana hear what was happening.
Alastor was quite impressed with the farm and had fun looking around until Severus and Adriana showed up with Renata. The group moved into the house, and Adriana showed them the baby's room. Renata was wearing the hat Madam Kapelo had made for her. She looked adorable in the gray plaid tam that sat jauntily on her head. All four adults stood around the crib, gazing at Renata. Albus looked down at her fondly, "She's just the cutest little thing isn't she? She looks like a bonny wee Scottish lass, doens't she?" He said, "I'm your uncle Albus, Renata. And some day, when you're a student at my school, you can sleep in the biggest room in Gryffindor house!"
"And I'm your uncle Severus, Renata. When you come to Hogwarts, and live in Slytherin house, you can stay in the biggest room there, which is much bigger than the biggest room in icky Gryffindor house," Severus said, putting his hand against hers, letting her wind her fingers around his pinky finger.
"And I'm your uncle Alastor, Reni. I can teach you spells to help you not throw up when these two men start getting on your nerves, just like right now," Moody said, grinning at Renata.
"It's Renata, Alastor," Severus said, correcting him.
"Yeah, Reni, that's what I said," Moody replied, grinning at Severus, who frowned disapprovingly.
Alastor and Albus left a couple hours later, leaving Severus and Adriana alone. Renata was sleeping peacefully, and they sat at the kitchen table eating bacon sandwiches. "Sev, how would you feel about being Renata's godfather? You've been so supportive of me and have helped me through such a hard time, you deserve it," Adriana asked, grabbing Severus' hand.
Severus stopped in mid-bite, his sandwich dropping haphazardly back onto his plate, "Her godfather? Are you sure you shouldn't have Albus be her godfather? You probably don't want me to be her godfather."
Adriana sighed, "Sev, you were there last night, you helped me deliver Renata. I know you'd be an excellent godfather, and I want you to be hers. Please?"
"But I'm not good with children, just ask any of my students. I'm sure I wouldn't know what to do. You really don't want me to be her godfather, there are so many better people out there..." Severus trailed off, looking at his hand that was still being held in Adriana's.
Adriana leaned forward and kissed Severus on the forehead. "All right, if you don't want to be Renata's godfather, then you'll just have to go into her room and tell her that you don't want the job. I'm sure she'll get over it...some day. She was so looking forward to it too. But that's OK, if you don't want to, she doesn't need a godfather..."
Without another word, Severus stood up and walked to Renata's room. Walking up to the crib, he peered down at the sleeping, tiny figure of the helpless child. All he wanted to do was pick her up in his arms and hold her forever. "Look kid, you don't want me to be your godfather. I'm not a people person. I'm not very good with taking care of children either. Albus would be a much better man for the job. He wasn't a Death Eater, he's been an upstanding citizen his entire life. I still have a lot to make up for. You deserve a better godfather than me," Severus whispered down at Renata.
Looking at her for a few more minutes without speaking, Severus sighed, "So, if I did accept the position as godfather, you'd be all right with that? Even though I might make mistakes? You wouldn't mind? I guess I do want to be your godfather, I just don't want to disappoint you, you know?" Continuing to look at her, Severus slowly began to smile. "I'm gonna be your godfather, I'm gonna be your godfather!" He whispered, then looked around to make sure Adriana hadn't come into the room without him noticing. Carefully leaning forward into her crib, Severus kissed Renata's cheek and rubbed her stomach for a minute before walking out of the room and back to Adriana. "All right, here are the conditions for my being Renata's godfather. I get to give her presents not only at Christmas and her birthday, but whenever I damn well want to. I get to come over and visit her whenever I want to. And she will come over to Hogwarts to visit me. And I want a picture of her so I can keep it in my room," Severus had sat back down across from Adriana, and was looking at her with his arms crossed.
Adriana smiled, but quickly grew serious. "I accept those conditions, and thank you for taking the position as Renata's godfather. It doesn't pay much, and the responsibility is great, but I know you'll do well with this job," Adriana said, holding her hand out for Severus to shake. Severus shook her hand, very business-like, as though closing an important deal.
"Thank you," Severus said shyly.
Adriana hugged him tightly, kissed his cheek, and said, "No, thank you."
Author's Note: At this point in time I would just like to say that in telling events of this story from Lucius Malfoy's point of view, I am merely showing his frame of mind. I do not in any way condone or promote the things he does.
Spoiler Warning: This story contains spoilers, both minor and major from all five Harry Potter books.
Wicked Lee: I'm so glad Renata's name meets with your approval. I put a lot of time and research in finding just the right name. The chapters are going to continue to be dark, and they will get worse before it's all over, but I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story anyway!
TavingtonRose: I'm so sorry your father lost his job and again glad I can be there to help you through a tough time. I'm so glad you caught the Alan Rickman references, they were too fun to pass up! Here's another fun chapter for your enjoyment!
Arsinoe3: I'm so happy that people caught the Alan Rickman references, they were so much fun to slip into the story! Severus is just the best, isn't he? I agree that he was the ideal person to be with her when she gave birth! Here's the next chapter, make sure to look for the hat description!
Meeting Baby
Severus was still awake even though it was very late. He gazed at the sleeping figure of Adriana, with Renata in her arms. She'd been so tired after the birth, but stayed awake for a long time afterwards, fussing over Renata. When they'd been left alone for a while, Severus helped Adriana into the nightgown that she'd brought with her, and moved her to the other bed in the room.
Severus thought he'd be all right with everything dealing with the baby, but found himself very uncomfortable when he saw Adriana preparing to breast feed Renata for the first time. He'd seen her naked before, but somehow this was different. Severus felt like he was invading some sacred ritual passed down from mother to child, and he had no business being there. Adriana hadn't told him to leave, but he turned around and looked out the window until Renata was done eating.
Adriana hadn't felt the sensation of breast feeding a child in over three centuries. She'd been nervous that she wouldn't remember how to do it right, but found all the instincts returning to help her. Renata drank greedily from her mother, kneading her tiny hands against Adriana's skin the entire time. Severus was listening to the baby feeding when he heard Adriana, gasp. "Ow, she bit me! No more biting mummy," She said softly to the baby. When she was full, Renata drifted contentedly off to sleep. Adriana had followed suit not too long afterwards.
Severus had turned out the lights and pulled a chair up to the bed to sit in. After a couple of hours, Renata had woken up briefly. She opened her eyes up, looked around the room, and saw the man sitting in front of her. Severus leaned forward, smiled and reached his hand out to pat Renata on the stomach. She had stared intensely back at him for a few minutes before drifting back off to sleep again.
When the morning had finally come and Adriana had woken to feed Renata once again, Severus took the opportunity to leave the hospital for a while. He told Adriana he would go to her property, and use Hitchcock to send a note off to Albus. Severus wrote the note before leaving, telling Albus to come to the hospital as soon as possible, and to make sure he stopped at Gringott's bank before he arrived.
But when Severus apparated to Adriana's barn, he saw somebody he hoped he'd never see again: Lucius. What the hell was he doing here? Despite abandoning Adriana, he'd come back? Lucius was looking in Adriana's kitchen windows, trying to see if she was inside the house. Severus sent Hitchcock off to Albus, and left the barn, walking quietly to the house. Lucius was so absorbed in what he was doing that he didn't hear Severus approaching. Severus was unsure of what to do, he obviously had the upper hand. There were so many possibilities, both magical and non-magical. Years of resentment were urging him to do something really immature, but that was so beneath him. He was an adult, a man, he couldn't allow such feelings to win out. He was just about to announce himself to Lucius, when his immature, childish side won out. Severus raised his foot and gave Lucius one very hard kick in the ass. Lucius yelped as he flew through the air, and landed face first on the ground. Quickly turning over, Lucius saw Severus laughing at him.
"Oh, you think that's so funny, don't you?" Lucius sneered.
"Yes I do," Severus replied.
Lucius made his way to his feet and brushed himself off. "Where's Adriana?" He demanded.
"You don't get to ask that. You abandoned her, remember? What do you want with her anyway?"
"That's none of your business, it's between Adriana and myself. I need to see her!" Lucius, normally very composed at all times, was finding himself unraveling at the seams in front of Severus.
Severus remained silent for a couple of minutes while scrutinizing Lucius carefully. Severus thought he sounded very desperate, what sort of trouble had he gotten himself into? A horrible idea formed in his head: Voldemort had found out about Adriana. "Tell the Dark Lord, Adriana will never join him. That's what this is about isn't it? He's pressuring you into bringing Adriana over to his side, isn't he? It won't work, you do realize that, don't you?"
Lucius looked at Severus as though willing him to die on the spot. Why didn't he use the Avada curse on him and get rid of this thorn in his side, once and for all? As much as he wanted to, he knew Adriana wouldn't respond well if he killed her best friend. Why didn't he use the Avada curse on himself and end all of his problems? But that was an easy way out, and far too below him to even seriously consider. "You don't know anything, Snape! I just need to see her, that's all."
"Why? To tell her how much you still love her? To forgive her for being Muggle-born? To show her how wrong you were? And how much you've changed? It isn't that easy, Lucius, you broke her heart, and I had to pick up all the pieces! You will not see her again, do you understand?" Severus glared at Lucius. "And if the Dark Lord wonders what to do for failing to bring her to him, give him my advice: tell him to make the world a better place, and kill you straight off."
Lucius saw there was no point in further discussion with Severus, apparated out of his sight, and back to Malfoy Manor. Severus walked around the property for a while, and managed to calm himself down somewhat, before apparating back to Adriana's room at the hospital.
Albus had received Hitchcock's note, and had stopped at Gringott's bank before heading over to the hospital. He grumbled over the fact that he had to pay Severus for the bets he had lost. Albus made one more stop before apparating to Adriana's room, to the Order headquarters, making the decision to pick up an old friend of Adriana's that she hadn't seen in a very long time. He'd thought about bringing him back into Adriana's life much earlier than this point, but given their history of fighting, didn't want that during the pregnancy.
Albus apparated to Adriana's room by himself first, to have some time with Renata before the others showed up. "May I see her, Adriana?" he said quietly, not wanting to wake Renata if she was asleep.
"Albus, I'm so glad to see you," Adriana whispered back, standing up with Renata in her arms. After walking to him, she put the baby in Albus' arms, and smiled as he rocked Renata back and forth.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother, although she doesn't really look like her mother, does she?" Albus said, smiling at Adriana.
"No, I think she's all Malfoy. She has her father's hair, what little of it she has, her mouth is the same shape, and so is her nose. And she's very demanding, like her father. I just hope she doesn't turn out like him," Adriana's lower lip began to quiver when she'd finished speaking.
Albus leaned over and drew her into his embrace. "Now, now honey, don't let him spoil your first day as a mother. Hey, I have somebody waiting to come over for you to see, you haven't seen him in a long time. Should I tell him to apparate over?"
Adriana didn't know who Albus was talking about, but told him it was all right. Albus took out a small round device and pushed the button in the middle of it. About a minute later, a man apparated into the room with a loud popping noise. A man Adriana had never seen before appeared before her, with a huge grin on his face. He wasn't a very attractive man, he was missing body parts and his face looked as though he'd leaned too far into a blender one day while it was running. One eye was larger than the other and moved independently of it as well. She looked with disgust as it rolled around in its socket. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" She asked cautiously.
The man laughed loudly, "I told you she wouldn't recognize me Albus!" He said, his larger magic eye looking at Dumbledore, while the rest of him remained facing Adriana. "Yes, I have seen better days, I will admit, and you were there for many of them. Addie, we were the three Musketeers, remember? The Triple Alliance, doesn't that ring a bell?"
Adriana studied the man's face carefully, and noticed a twinkle in his normal eye. Awareness slowly donned on Adriana's face and she broke into a huge smile, "Alastor? Alastor Moody?" When he nodded his head, Adriana gasped and threw her arms around him. "Oh, I can't believe it, I haven't seen you in decades!"
"Now, you're not still angry with me, are you Addie? You know I had to do something to get you to go to the States the first time this was happening," Moody said, looking fondly at Adriana.
"Ah, that's ancient history," Adriana said, waving her hand. "Although, I still don't think you needed to drug me, but that was a long time ago, and I can see why you were so worried back then."
Alastor moved over to Albus who was still holding Renata, and took a good look at her. "She's a beauty, this one. You're going to have to keep a close eye on her, she'll be having all the boys coming after her," Alastor said, tickling Renata's chin. "By the way, where's her father? Do I know him? I should congratulate him while I'm here."
"Uh, well, he's not here right now. He's away on business, uh, his boss keeps a pretty tight rein on him," Adriana said, blushing.
"Oh well, I'm sure I'll meet him sometime," Moody said, still looking at Renata.
Severus chose this time to apparate back to the room. His hair was more disheveled than usual and he had a wild look on his face. Thank goodness Albus was here, but he'd brought Moody with him? Great, this should be fun. Albus smiled at Severus while handing him a small sack of money from Gringott's, and said, "So, I lost all the bets, did I?"
"You two bet on my baby?" Adriana asked. "And you didn't let me in on it?" Renata suddenly began to shriek in Albus' arms. Adriana went to him, took the baby, and sat in a chair to feed her. Lifting her shirt up, the three men stared for a few seconds as she put Renata up to her breast to eat.
Severus turned bright red, Albus cleared his throat, and Moody's magic eye raced wildly for something else to look at. "Would you look at that," Moody said, "That's a beautiful picture of motherhood, right there...A perfectly normal and natural part of life...Well I gotta go, I'll come back in a little while," With that, Moody walked out of the room, followed closely by Albus and Severus.
Severus wished he could speak to Albus alone, but Moody wasn't going anywhere. "Why is he here?" Severus asked, not trying to be polite.
"Now just a minute, why are you here?" Moody asked, glaring at Severus. "What right do you have to be anywhere near that child?" Moody asked, raising his voice and putting his hands on his hips.
"I helped Adriana deliver the baby last night! And I've helped her for the past nine months after--" Severus broke off as Albus grabbed his arm suddenly.
"Severus has been a good friend to Adriana for several years now, and he has the right to be here Alastor," Albus interrupted.
"That's right, I've been supporting her ever since Lucius left her. Where have you been?" Severus said, his eyes flashing angrily.
"Lucius? Lucius Malfoy?"
"Yes."
"What does Malfoy have to do with anything?" Moody asked.
"What? You didn't know?" Severus looked at Albus, who was looking at his shoes.
"Know what?"
"Uh, well, Lucius is Renata's father," Severus said slowly.
Moody looked as though his magical eye was about to pop out of his head and roll down the hall. "That monster is that adorable little baby's father? Adriana had a child with that man?" Moody broke off suddenly as he turned back to the room, slamming the door open and storming back inside. Walking as quickly as he could with his peg leg, he made his way to where Adriana was still nursing Renata. "Malfoy is the baby's father? What the hell is wrong with you? You willingly slept with that man? Didn't you know about him? Why didn't you run in the opposite direction the first time you met him?"
Adriana stared at Moody for several moments, not sure at first what he was talking about. Waiting until Renata was finished eating, she pulled her shirt back down, stood up, and handed the baby to Albus. Looking Moody in his good eye, she spoke quietly but fiercely, "You don't know what you're talking about Alastor. This wasn't some spur of the moment decision, I'd known Lucius for years before I chose to become pregnant. You will not speak ill of the man I love, especially not in front of our daughter, understand?"
"Honestly Adriana, you can be so blind and stupid sometimes! That was always your biggest problem! That's why Albus and I had to ship you off to the States the first time. You'd have done something stupid back then too!" Moody yelled at Adriana.
"What a wonderful idea of yours to bring Alastor here today, Albus," Adriana said sarcastically, looking at Dumbledore, and glaring. "Now I remember why I haven't talked to you for 20 years!" Adriana turned towards Moody.
Albus looked at Severus and jerked his head towards the door. Taking Renata with them, the two men left the room, leaving Alastor and Adriana to continue arguing. "Well, I hope they work through all of this quickly," Severus said quietly. "We need to make some plans, Lucius was at the house when I arrived this morning. He was looking for Adriana, I think the Dark Lord wants her. He's forcing Lucius to bring her to him."
Albus clutched Renata closely to him. He'd known it was only a matter of time before Voldemort found out about Adriana and tried to come after her. He knew Adriana wouldn't want to let him or the Order help keep her safe. If they were going to do anything, it would have to be in secret. "We need to have somebody patrol the property, but how to do it without her knowing?" Albus said.
"And who would be able to do it?" Severus asked.
"Tonks maybe?" Albus suggested.
"NO! I don't want that woman anywhere near Renata. She'd probably drop her the first time she picked her up!" Severus said, closing the subject.
"What about Lupin then?" Albus asked.
"The werewolf? I wouldn't trust him not to eat them in their sleep or bite them under a full moon," Severus replied, nixing that idea. "And don't even say Black, he's the world's most narcissistic egomaniacal womanizer, and he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near somebody as...important...as Adriana," He added quickly.
Albus turned around so Severus wouldn't see him smiling. Those two men had always had such a rivalry. Facing Severus once again, Albus said, "Well, Alastor and Adriana would probably kill each other, so it shouldn't be him. Maybe we should just put more charms and spells around the property. We could probably get away with that without Adriana finding out."
"And when she did find out, which she would, then what? She'd kill us. What about some sort of sensing device? Like the ones we have set up in the girls' dormitories at school. We could set something like that up around the property, that would alert the Order of any Death Eater activity around Adriana's house," Severus suggested.
Albus thought this sounded like the best option they had. Since Adriana was being discharged from the hospital in a while, he decided to break up the fight between her and Moody. He wanted to talk to Alastor alone for a while, and let him know the latest developments.
As Severus and Albus walked back in the room, they listened for a few minutes to Alastor and Adriana fighting before intervening. "You're a spoiled little brat Adriana, you always have been! Everybody else may coddle you and give you whatever you want, but not me! Somebody has to knock some sense into you!" Moody was yelling at the top of his lungs.
"How dare you call me a brat? You're being such a prick!" Adriana yelled back.
"Because you are a brat! You need to grow up! For somebody as old as you are, I'd think you'd be a little bit wiser by now. I should just drug you again and ship you back off to the States, that would solve all our problems!"
At this point, Albus walked to Alastor while Severus walked to Adriana and pulled them away from each other. Albus walked Alastor all the way out of the room as Severus helped Adriana pack up to go home.
"Albus, why do you let her get away with this kind of stuff? Why don't you put your foot down more often, she has to be put in her place once in a while. She's not the almighty princess who gets whatever she wants!" Moody said, glaring at Albus.
"If I did that, she'd cut herself off from me, and where would that get us? Nowhere! At least this way I know vaguely what she's up to. You know Adriana, she's always needed to be treated with kid gloves, and that's why I haven't told you about her until this point. I didn't need you making a mess of all that I tried to do. So, calm down, and just keep your opinions to yourself, OK?"
"Fine, if that's what you think is best," Moody grumbled.
"I do, besides, we have more important things to deal with now," Albus said. He carefully explained everything that Severus had told him and about the plan to put a detection device around Adriana's property.
In the room, Adriana was telling Severus about the conversation with Alastor. "Can you believe it? He said I was a brat!"
"That is just amazing, some people can say the rudest things," Severus said sympathetically, shaking his head, trying to hide a smile.
"Actually, that was a lot of fun, I haven't had a row like that in a really long time. This one was pretty tame compared to some of our other arguments. But we haven't seen each other in a while, I suppose we're out of practice," Adriana said.
"Oh well, I bet you'll have many more opportunities to fight with him, I don't think he's going anywhere. Come on, let's get ready to go back home," Severus picked up Adriana's hairbrush and put it in the suitcase. Together they packed and got ready to leave.
It was decided that Albus and Alastor would apparate to Adriana's house, while she and Severus drove Renata home. Before going to Adriana's house, Albus and Alastor stopped at the Order headquarters to pick up the detection devices they'd need. After finding the equipment, they went to Adriana's house. Albus showed Alastor around the property, and together they put the devices in several hidden places around the farm. They fixed them so that they would alert whoever was at the Order headquarters, but wouldn't let Adriana hear what was happening.
Alastor was quite impressed with the farm and had fun looking around until Severus and Adriana showed up with Renata. The group moved into the house, and Adriana showed them the baby's room. Renata was wearing the hat Madam Kapelo had made for her. She looked adorable in the gray plaid tam that sat jauntily on her head. All four adults stood around the crib, gazing at Renata. Albus looked down at her fondly, "She's just the cutest little thing isn't she? She looks like a bonny wee Scottish lass, doens't she?" He said, "I'm your uncle Albus, Renata. And some day, when you're a student at my school, you can sleep in the biggest room in Gryffindor house!"
"And I'm your uncle Severus, Renata. When you come to Hogwarts, and live in Slytherin house, you can stay in the biggest room there, which is much bigger than the biggest room in icky Gryffindor house," Severus said, putting his hand against hers, letting her wind her fingers around his pinky finger.
"And I'm your uncle Alastor, Reni. I can teach you spells to help you not throw up when these two men start getting on your nerves, just like right now," Moody said, grinning at Renata.
"It's Renata, Alastor," Severus said, correcting him.
"Yeah, Reni, that's what I said," Moody replied, grinning at Severus, who frowned disapprovingly.
Alastor and Albus left a couple hours later, leaving Severus and Adriana alone. Renata was sleeping peacefully, and they sat at the kitchen table eating bacon sandwiches. "Sev, how would you feel about being Renata's godfather? You've been so supportive of me and have helped me through such a hard time, you deserve it," Adriana asked, grabbing Severus' hand.
Severus stopped in mid-bite, his sandwich dropping haphazardly back onto his plate, "Her godfather? Are you sure you shouldn't have Albus be her godfather? You probably don't want me to be her godfather."
Adriana sighed, "Sev, you were there last night, you helped me deliver Renata. I know you'd be an excellent godfather, and I want you to be hers. Please?"
"But I'm not good with children, just ask any of my students. I'm sure I wouldn't know what to do. You really don't want me to be her godfather, there are so many better people out there..." Severus trailed off, looking at his hand that was still being held in Adriana's.
Adriana leaned forward and kissed Severus on the forehead. "All right, if you don't want to be Renata's godfather, then you'll just have to go into her room and tell her that you don't want the job. I'm sure she'll get over it...some day. She was so looking forward to it too. But that's OK, if you don't want to, she doesn't need a godfather..."
Without another word, Severus stood up and walked to Renata's room. Walking up to the crib, he peered down at the sleeping, tiny figure of the helpless child. All he wanted to do was pick her up in his arms and hold her forever. "Look kid, you don't want me to be your godfather. I'm not a people person. I'm not very good with taking care of children either. Albus would be a much better man for the job. He wasn't a Death Eater, he's been an upstanding citizen his entire life. I still have a lot to make up for. You deserve a better godfather than me," Severus whispered down at Renata.
Looking at her for a few more minutes without speaking, Severus sighed, "So, if I did accept the position as godfather, you'd be all right with that? Even though I might make mistakes? You wouldn't mind? I guess I do want to be your godfather, I just don't want to disappoint you, you know?" Continuing to look at her, Severus slowly began to smile. "I'm gonna be your godfather, I'm gonna be your godfather!" He whispered, then looked around to make sure Adriana hadn't come into the room without him noticing. Carefully leaning forward into her crib, Severus kissed Renata's cheek and rubbed her stomach for a minute before walking out of the room and back to Adriana. "All right, here are the conditions for my being Renata's godfather. I get to give her presents not only at Christmas and her birthday, but whenever I damn well want to. I get to come over and visit her whenever I want to. And she will come over to Hogwarts to visit me. And I want a picture of her so I can keep it in my room," Severus had sat back down across from Adriana, and was looking at her with his arms crossed.
Adriana smiled, but quickly grew serious. "I accept those conditions, and thank you for taking the position as Renata's godfather. It doesn't pay much, and the responsibility is great, but I know you'll do well with this job," Adriana said, holding her hand out for Severus to shake. Severus shook her hand, very business-like, as though closing an important deal.
"Thank you," Severus said shyly.
Adriana hugged him tightly, kissed his cheek, and said, "No, thank you."