Chapter One
Heirs of the Snake and the Lion
Six Months Before Harry Potter is Born
Voldemort stood on the balcony and peered down into the garden below him where two young girls were playing hopscotch. Even though he usually despised children, one of them was different. He watched as his granddaughter and one of his followers daughter laughed as they played together, something in his features softened as he gazed at his heir, yet his face remained impassive. Sighing he turned away, let her have a half- way normal childhood he told himself. She already is learning things that will scar her. He hated his son, that traitorous boy, who even though he was a sqib was allowed to live because of who his father was. And damn his mother as well, she too had betrayed him and had tried to leave. He had taken care of that. Voldemort had felt very little pity when he had killed her, he remembered her now, the way that she looked. She had been young she had looked at him, and through him, as if she had been trying to see the man that she had once loved, and with the look of despair on her face when she had realized that he was completely changed he had killed her.
All of that didn't matter now, he had one heir, a very powerful heir. And another on the way, he hoped that it would be a boy. Though it didn't really matter. Even though he despised his son's choice of a wife, he had to admit that the two of them had created amazingly powerful offspring, for their lack of magic. Again he sighed, it wasn't that bad the mother was from a very powerful wizarding family he knew. As soon as she gave birth and made sure that the child would survive, he would take it, and then he would kill his son and his wife. He would have two heirs, more than enough, he wouldn't need them anymore. His current granddaughter thought the world of him too, he was everything in her life. She was being immersed in his ways, he saw that she was properly educated.
As he sat in his chair he thought of the news that had been brought to him recently, of the boy who supposedly was to bring him down. Prophecies were lies every one of them, they told of nothing except impossible futures. Born to parents who had thrice defied him who could that be? There were only two possibilities the Potters and the Longbottoms. The Longbottoms were bumbling fools incapable of producing a child who could destroy him. But the Potters, the Potters might be the ones. The brat James and his little mudblood wife, they were powerful and smart, they could do it. He'd have to take care of them, and of their unborn child, and he had just the way to do it too. Voldemort smiled then, the kind of sick smile that would make anyone's hair stand on end. But perhaps... perhaps he wouldn't kill the child. It might be a halfblood, like himself, but his parents were powerful and it was the one who could destroy him. It might make the perfect follower. The child that he didn't get to have. But no, the fool Dumbledore already knew about the prophecy, and therefore would be protecting his precious little followers. No he would just have to kill the baby and his parents. The Longbottoms would have to go too just in case. No-one would challenge him, or his power. No-one.
A chime went off in the room, and Voldemort realized that it was time for his granddaughter to have her daily lesson. He went back to the window to call the child up, when he heard her softly knocking on the door. So eager, so ready to learn what I have to teach her Voldemort thought, she's always early to come and late to leave. "Come in my child, and prepare yourself, I have a very special lesson for you today." The girl acted calmly, but Voldemort could see the excitement in her eyes. Turning toward him his precious child asked if she could know what he had in store for her. He never told her what it was going to be of course, but it was usually a test, a mock duel. To see if she had properly practiced the lessons taught previously. Today however was different, today he was going to start teaching her the rules of taking power and keeping it firmly in her grasp.
After two hours of intense questioning, and pressure, Elsbeth left his chamber, exhausted yet triumphant. Voldemort sat in his throne smiling to himself, she had answered all of the questions correctly, even the really difficult ones that required her to make large sacrifices and take huge risks. Oh yes, Voldemort thought to himself, yes she will be an empress, of which the like none have ever seen before. She will rule with an iron fist and a face of beauty. She will maintain her power through every means possible. I will not be there to see it, because she will have destroyed me to get her power, but I know that this is her future. He sat there in the dark room imagining all that his granddaughter would be, until at two-thirty in the morning. A knock on the door awoke him from his reverie. "Enter." His voice had turned back into the cold hiss that he used with his followers. The figure hurriedly moved in front of Voldemort and bowed, asking for his forgiveness for interrupting him. Waving his hand annoyed, the whimpering man continued. "My lord, please forgive me, but the Lady Thea, she has gone into labor, my lord. Your second heir is on the way." Voldemort stood up slowly as if not to appear to be expectant, and calmly walked out of his chamber. He walked down into the dungeons, where even though it was dark was quite a comfortable place, at least in the rather large cell that his son and his wife lived in. He could hear Thea's gasps and moans and she struggled to give birth. He walked into the room and watched as his loyal female followers played midwives for the second time. His son sat at his beloved's side whipering words of comfort and encouragement. Voldemort only scowled when he looked at the boy that he had sired. He turned back to Thea, he would wait all night long After the babe had been cleaned up, and wrapped in a towel, Narcissa Malfoy brought the small bundle to him, and carefully set it in his arms. "It is another beautiful girl my lord." She told him bowing. Voldemort looked at the infant it looked back. Blood red eyes stared into black eyes that seemed to read him from the inside out. He gasped quietly, and he felt the girl's mind invade his own. So powerful with only minutes of life in you. He smiled at the baby, and then looked up at Thea and Mathom. Thea was crying silently, and his son was glaring at him yet his eyes were full of sorrow. "Thank-you Mathom, Thea even though you have been of little use to me, your children are quite the double pair. However I have been thinking and the fact is, I don't need three heirs. Two is quite enough, and the fact of the matter is that now instead of little use you have none. I will hand- raise the child, from this moment on she is mine."
He turned on the weeping pair and closed the door. Thea started screaming at him, thief she called him, baby stealer. Then different voices cried out, and then there was silence. Volemort smiled again, no longer would his son or his wife pester him with their unwanted presence. As he returned to his chamber the baby started to cry, soothing it quietly, he conjured up a bottle of milk which the little girl drank greedily. Soon she was asleep, and as Voldemort stared into her tiny face he knew that both of his grandchildren were destined to be great. With a flick of his wand a cradle made of black silk appeared near the throne, along with another, smaller throne. Setting the infant in the bed, and re-seating himself he stared into the fire, the red of his eyes absorbing the red of the fire. Now it was time to plot the demise of his enemies.
Heirs of the Snake and the Lion
Six Months Before Harry Potter is Born
Voldemort stood on the balcony and peered down into the garden below him where two young girls were playing hopscotch. Even though he usually despised children, one of them was different. He watched as his granddaughter and one of his followers daughter laughed as they played together, something in his features softened as he gazed at his heir, yet his face remained impassive. Sighing he turned away, let her have a half- way normal childhood he told himself. She already is learning things that will scar her. He hated his son, that traitorous boy, who even though he was a sqib was allowed to live because of who his father was. And damn his mother as well, she too had betrayed him and had tried to leave. He had taken care of that. Voldemort had felt very little pity when he had killed her, he remembered her now, the way that she looked. She had been young she had looked at him, and through him, as if she had been trying to see the man that she had once loved, and with the look of despair on her face when she had realized that he was completely changed he had killed her.
All of that didn't matter now, he had one heir, a very powerful heir. And another on the way, he hoped that it would be a boy. Though it didn't really matter. Even though he despised his son's choice of a wife, he had to admit that the two of them had created amazingly powerful offspring, for their lack of magic. Again he sighed, it wasn't that bad the mother was from a very powerful wizarding family he knew. As soon as she gave birth and made sure that the child would survive, he would take it, and then he would kill his son and his wife. He would have two heirs, more than enough, he wouldn't need them anymore. His current granddaughter thought the world of him too, he was everything in her life. She was being immersed in his ways, he saw that she was properly educated.
As he sat in his chair he thought of the news that had been brought to him recently, of the boy who supposedly was to bring him down. Prophecies were lies every one of them, they told of nothing except impossible futures. Born to parents who had thrice defied him who could that be? There were only two possibilities the Potters and the Longbottoms. The Longbottoms were bumbling fools incapable of producing a child who could destroy him. But the Potters, the Potters might be the ones. The brat James and his little mudblood wife, they were powerful and smart, they could do it. He'd have to take care of them, and of their unborn child, and he had just the way to do it too. Voldemort smiled then, the kind of sick smile that would make anyone's hair stand on end. But perhaps... perhaps he wouldn't kill the child. It might be a halfblood, like himself, but his parents were powerful and it was the one who could destroy him. It might make the perfect follower. The child that he didn't get to have. But no, the fool Dumbledore already knew about the prophecy, and therefore would be protecting his precious little followers. No he would just have to kill the baby and his parents. The Longbottoms would have to go too just in case. No-one would challenge him, or his power. No-one.
A chime went off in the room, and Voldemort realized that it was time for his granddaughter to have her daily lesson. He went back to the window to call the child up, when he heard her softly knocking on the door. So eager, so ready to learn what I have to teach her Voldemort thought, she's always early to come and late to leave. "Come in my child, and prepare yourself, I have a very special lesson for you today." The girl acted calmly, but Voldemort could see the excitement in her eyes. Turning toward him his precious child asked if she could know what he had in store for her. He never told her what it was going to be of course, but it was usually a test, a mock duel. To see if she had properly practiced the lessons taught previously. Today however was different, today he was going to start teaching her the rules of taking power and keeping it firmly in her grasp.
After two hours of intense questioning, and pressure, Elsbeth left his chamber, exhausted yet triumphant. Voldemort sat in his throne smiling to himself, she had answered all of the questions correctly, even the really difficult ones that required her to make large sacrifices and take huge risks. Oh yes, Voldemort thought to himself, yes she will be an empress, of which the like none have ever seen before. She will rule with an iron fist and a face of beauty. She will maintain her power through every means possible. I will not be there to see it, because she will have destroyed me to get her power, but I know that this is her future. He sat there in the dark room imagining all that his granddaughter would be, until at two-thirty in the morning. A knock on the door awoke him from his reverie. "Enter." His voice had turned back into the cold hiss that he used with his followers. The figure hurriedly moved in front of Voldemort and bowed, asking for his forgiveness for interrupting him. Waving his hand annoyed, the whimpering man continued. "My lord, please forgive me, but the Lady Thea, she has gone into labor, my lord. Your second heir is on the way." Voldemort stood up slowly as if not to appear to be expectant, and calmly walked out of his chamber. He walked down into the dungeons, where even though it was dark was quite a comfortable place, at least in the rather large cell that his son and his wife lived in. He could hear Thea's gasps and moans and she struggled to give birth. He walked into the room and watched as his loyal female followers played midwives for the second time. His son sat at his beloved's side whipering words of comfort and encouragement. Voldemort only scowled when he looked at the boy that he had sired. He turned back to Thea, he would wait all night long After the babe had been cleaned up, and wrapped in a towel, Narcissa Malfoy brought the small bundle to him, and carefully set it in his arms. "It is another beautiful girl my lord." She told him bowing. Voldemort looked at the infant it looked back. Blood red eyes stared into black eyes that seemed to read him from the inside out. He gasped quietly, and he felt the girl's mind invade his own. So powerful with only minutes of life in you. He smiled at the baby, and then looked up at Thea and Mathom. Thea was crying silently, and his son was glaring at him yet his eyes were full of sorrow. "Thank-you Mathom, Thea even though you have been of little use to me, your children are quite the double pair. However I have been thinking and the fact is, I don't need three heirs. Two is quite enough, and the fact of the matter is that now instead of little use you have none. I will hand- raise the child, from this moment on she is mine."
He turned on the weeping pair and closed the door. Thea started screaming at him, thief she called him, baby stealer. Then different voices cried out, and then there was silence. Volemort smiled again, no longer would his son or his wife pester him with their unwanted presence. As he returned to his chamber the baby started to cry, soothing it quietly, he conjured up a bottle of milk which the little girl drank greedily. Soon she was asleep, and as Voldemort stared into her tiny face he knew that both of his grandchildren were destined to be great. With a flick of his wand a cradle made of black silk appeared near the throne, along with another, smaller throne. Setting the infant in the bed, and re-seating himself he stared into the fire, the red of his eyes absorbing the red of the fire. Now it was time to plot the demise of his enemies.