Disclaimer: All rights belong to J.K. Rowling

Hello!

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I am quite excited to start this story. This is my first experience with Harry Potter fan fiction, so feel free to give me some advice, but keep in mind that I am new to the setting and fanfiction as a whole!

Chapter Management

Prologue I: Narcissa I

December 4th, 1980 Malfoy Manor

Narcissa Malfoy walked down the hall and headed towards one of the many guest rooms of her husband's home, Malfoy Manor. Even after many years of living in the house, she still did not feel truly at home. Though a Black by birth, she did not belong to the main line. Her father, Cygnus Black, was a second son, therefore instead of growing up in the ancestral home of her family, Grimmauld Place, she was raised in a smaller countryside chateau, along with her sister Bella. She kept a steady place as she passed by dozens of family portraits: paintings of Malfoys now long dead and gone. The animated pictures looked down up on her sternly, some turned their heads away in disappointment. This was a constant reminder of her failure to bare an heir for Lucius. They tried for years, and she had suffered two miscarriages in the past. She stared down at her stomach, a small bulge from her latest pregnancy was visible. She had often prayed at night: let the child live, let it be a boy, an heir for my husband. Then I will have done my duty. She hoped. Maybe then she would no longer feel a stranger inside these walls.

She arrived before the entrance to the guest room and stood before the heavy, oak door leaning in to hear what was going on. She heard the shrill voice of her sister calling out, 'No! I am not tired; I do not need to rest!" Narcissa lightly pushed in the door and entered the room. She found her sister standing with dishevelled hair in a white nightgown screeching at the mediwitch at the other side of her room.

Narcissa did not resemble her sister in looks. Where her own hair was a light blond, her sisters was a dark black. Narcissa's face was pretty, she had soft features she inherited from her mother's side, while Bellatrix's could be described as nothing less than aristocratic, she had a strong jaw, thin lips, and long lashes, which were placed above here grey eyes. She was a Black through and through, the ideal pureblood. Narcissa's eyes were a seawater blue, another trait from her mother. Narcissa was pretty, Bellatrix was beautiful.

Now, this was not the case. Pregnancy had left Bella in a sorrowful state. She had a sickly complexion, bags under her eyes and her usually excited eyes were dull and lacked life. Bella was never suited for childbirth. Unlike Narcissa, the perfect wife, obedient, dutiful, nurturing, and motherly, Bella was wild, disobedient with a cruel streak. A death eater, a member of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle. When she learned she was pregnant, she was forced to sit and do nothing. She was used to always being on a mission, in constant motion: fighting, killing, serving. It was torture for her to stay so still. She grew angry, terrorising healers, servants and even her own family in the process.

She had always envied the freedom Bella got. She was bold, cunning, and careless. Narcissa learned to act a true lady, learning to host parties, entertain guests and serve all the functions that might be required in her future household. In the meantime, Bella was training to duel, to fight for the pureblood cause. Narcissa knew she did not have the guts to do what her sister did. She had accepted her role in life and later deliberately never got involved directly in Death Eater affairs. Though much of her immediate family had joined, she never took the mark, even though she fully supported the cause. That is not a life for me, she had concluded.

Bella's husband, Rodolphus, was out on a mission in Eastern Europe, gathering support for the Dark Lord's cause along with Lucius. To prevent here from getting lonely and to look after her, Narcissa invited her to the Manor to spend her pregnancy with a familiar face around. She knew she would have appreciated it during hers. She calmly walked over to her sister and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Calm down Bella, listen to the healer. You are eight months along; you will deliver soon." said Narcissa soothingly.

"I don't need to sleep Cissy. I am perfectly fine!" snapped Bella. Narcissa knew she would be difficult. She proceeded to slowly guide her with her hand down back onto the bed. "Patience sister, it will be over soon, and things will return to normal." came the reply.

"A whole more month Cissy," complained Bella "I wonder if it is worth the time. I should be out fighting; the Dark Lord requires my service. I feel useless." She continued, "And the sickness makes it all the worse. I heave and throw up constantly!"

"Of course, it will be worth it! A child is a blessing. And you are not useless! Providing heirs and furthering the pureblood lines will be of paramount importance once the war is over!" said Narcissa. "We need to replenish the wizard population with purebloods to replace those unworthy. We need children to replace all the mudbloods, half-breeds and blood traitors we kill!"

"A task that anyone can complete! I do not wish to be a broodmare for pureblooded little brats!" exclaimed Bellatrix with a disgusted expression.

"You have borne most of it, just stay put for a little while longer and it will be over!" Narcissa tried to calm her again. She then turned to the mediwitch and said, "Perhaps a pinch of Dreamless Sleep will help her relax." The woman quickly pulled out a vial filled with purple fluid and headed towards Bellatrix to administer the potion. That is not a good idea, thought Narcissa. "I will give it to her." she told her.

"My lady are- are you- are you su- sure?" she stuttered out. "I- it would be sa- safer if I applied the potion. It is a sedative, and this kind is highly potent...incorrect amounts ingested could have-um- dire consequences."

"Are you implying that I am incompetent?" flared Narcissa. Though meeker than Bellatrix, she was still a pureblood with great pride.

"No no- I would never- please forgive me- my lady!" The witch spluttered.

"Good," came the curt reply "then hand over the flask." She reached her hand out expectantly, looking down on the cowering witch with a strange sense of satisfaction. Bella always talked about the pleasure that came from other people's fear of you , she remembered. She shrugged it off then, but now seemed to agree a little more. The witch carefully placed the vial into her outstretched hand. She turned back to Bella and got ready to administer. Bella quickly began to protest but was silenced by a glare from her sister. That worked better than I expected, she thought. Soon Bella laid down on the bed and went fast to sleep.

Narcissa sighed and headed out of the room. Her patience had been tested, as Bella's stubbornness and that stupid, frightened mediwitch had come close to completely wearing it away. It prepares me to deal with my own young ones, she mused. She glanced down once more on her slightly bulging belly and with a hopeful smile walked back down the hall she came from.

January 8th, 1980

Narcissa let out a gasp of anticipation. The day had finally come. It was early in the morning when the Malfoy house elf, Dobby, had rushed to her to bring her the news: Bella had gone into labour. She rushed to pull on a green, satin robe over her night gown, with the crest of the Malfoy family visible on it. Her own baby bump had grown over the past month. She had grown increasingly hopeful as the day's past. All examinations made by half a dozen healers had shown nothing out of order. However good the news was it did little to calm her. The last time they had said the baby was healthy. It died anyway. Like the one before. This time it will be different, she stated in her head. She told herself that every night. It did little to help.

All those thoughts were side-lined as she made her way to the labour room. She went so fast that she was out of breath halfway to the room. She leaned up against the wall, lightheaded and afraid. "Dobby!" she called out.

"Yes Mistress. What does Mistress require?" came the high-pitched reply, as Dobby apparated behind her.

"Fetch me a glass of water," she commanded "and bring me a Calming Draught!" Narcissa knew it was important to not work herself up over things. It could harm the baby. It happened the last two times. She could not afford that.

"Yes Mistress, Dobby will bring you everything. Dobby is a good house elf; Dobby is a loyal house elf!" and as quickly as he came Dobby disapparated. A moment later, he reappeared bringing with him a glass and a vial. Narcissa shakily grabbed the vial and poured a small amount into the water. She did not want to take too much. She would need to be fully aware for the task ahead. The fluid turned the water a glassy blue and Narcissa gulped it all down. The potion was fast-acting, she could feel her shakes subsiding. She took a deep breath and continued on her path.

She arrived at the chamber where Bella had been moved. There was a small waiting room, or at least small compared to other rooms in the Manor. This one was as extravagant as the rest, candles lined the walls, illuminating the tapestries and other artworks, as well as the Malfoy Family Tree. Magically carved into the wall were a hundred names, ancestors, and relatives of the Malfoy Family. She found her name at the bottom, next to Lucius. If all went well soon the Malfoy line would be furthered again. She had always felt inadequate when looking at the family tree. Lady Malfoys before her could claim to have birthed a dozen heirs for their husband. Lucius' mother had four children, him and three daughters. Let it live, let it be a boy, an heir for my husband, she repeated.

She heard cries of pain coming from main room. She walked to the door and slowly opened it to peek inside. She found Bella in a birthing position with a dozen witches surrounding her. She pushed it in and stepped inside. "My Lady, you should not be here, this is not a place for a noble lady." protested one of the attendants. She silenced her with a glare. She glided to her sister's side and held her hand. "You are doing good Bella, keep going, push!" she encouraged. Bella relaxed her hand in Narcissa's grip.

"Stay with me," pleaded Bellatrix, "I am so scared." as tears pooled at her eyes she asked, 'Where is Rodolphus? He said he would be back. Bring me my husba- ah- ah, Merlin save me!" she gasped out. Rodolphus had still not returned from his mission. She too prayed for Lucius' arrival.

"You're doing well Madame; we can see the baby's head!" comforted an old mediwitch, with grey hair and a grandmotherly look. She was the lead healer, according to her she had overseen births for longer than Narcissa had lived. Failure here would cost her life. Bella would not be forgiving if the birthing did not go smoothly. The healers poured Strengthening Potions down her throat and magically cleaned the blood-stained sheets. Narcissa zoned out for a long time, around her the mediwitches toiled and Bella cried out in pain.

She watched a healer apply a special contraction salve onto Bella's belly. It would increase the speed of the birth, but the effects were painful. Bella squeezed her hand hard, letting out gasps of pain. Narcissa's attention was drawn to the other side of the room, as Dobby apparated inside. "Mistress, Mistress you must come. Dobby brings news. Master Lucius has returned, along with Master Rodolphus and Master Rabastan. Dobby came as quick as he could."

"I will come at once!" said Narcissa. Her excitement was barely containable. She leaned down to Bella, "Rodolphus is here, I will bring him to you at once!" Bella nodded and Narcissa gently removed her hand from Bella's. She turned on her heel and quickly headed to the door. Outside she found her husband, Lucius, and her brother-in-law, Rodolphus. She was shocked to see the state they were in. Lucius' arm was tied up in bandages with cuts and bruises on his face. He had bags under his eyes and an unkempt beard and greasy hair. Rodolphus looked even worse for wear, he leaned on a crutch and had bandages all around his chest, visible through his ripped robes. Rabastan was conspicuously absent.

She headed to her husband and pulled him into a hug, kissing his cheek. Lucius winced as she brushed against his bandaged arm. Tears of joy threatened to spring from Narcissa's eyes, she was so relieved. Her husband came home, damaged but alive. That is all that mattered. They held each other for a long time before Rodolphus gruffly interjected, "Save the reunion for later, tell me where my wife is. Is the child born yet?" Narcissa flinched at his tone but spoke clearly, "Go through that door," she pointed to it, "Bella is inside, she was calling for you. Go, quickly the birthing has not been too difficult, but it would help if you were there."

"Thank you." breathed Rodolphus and he limped to the door, opening it with a wave of his hand. He disappeared inside the room, closing the door behind him. Once he left Narcissa turned to her husband, "What happened, was the mission a success?"

"Partially," he sighed, "we were tasked with capturing and taming dragons kept at reserves in Romania. We managed to take three, a Horntail and two Welsh Greens. But then a task force from the ICW found us. We were far from support and had to fight our way back here. I took a Reductor Curse to the arm and Rodolphus was hit by a piercing curse. Rabastan has the worst injuries, a cursed slash to the eye. He will likely lose it. We managed to drive them off, but the Horntail flew away. The Dark Lord expected an army of them, he got two, wounded and weak."

"Will there be punishment?"

Lucius looked down at the floor, flinching and said, "The Dark Lord delivered it himself. He was deeply disappointed." Narcissa gasped aloud. "After Bellatrix recovers, she will be sent on an assignment." announced Lucius.

"So soon?"

"It is the Dark Lord's will. He has received unwelcome news from Hogwarts. A spy, inside the school overheard a discussion about a prophecy. This year a boy will be born, one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord. Or so the prophecy says. If you ask me, it is a joke. The witch who made it, Trelawney, is a fraud, not a true seer. But the Dark Lord deems it of utmost importance. The boy is said be born at the end of July to a family who have thrice defied the Dark Lord."

"That narrows the search down, not many face the Dark Lord and live."

"If he finds the people who the prophecy speaks of, they won't survive a fourth time. We have information that two couples inside the Order of the Phoenix are having a child. Longbottom and Potter. The Dark Lord has been unable to kill them multiple times. They have gone into hiding, but we will find them. Bella will be sent to deal with Longbottom and the Dark Lord will personally deal with that vile blood traitor, James Potter. It would be a shame if the Longbottom child had to die, he is a pureblood of an ancient house. I will not weep if the half-breed Potter brat will be killed. Better for us all I say!" said Lucius with a disgusted expression.

"Who is the spy? You have not told me about him."

"My own protégé, a young boy... Snape-, he took the mark a while ago. Strange boy, but good with potions, one worthy of sponsorship. Pity he is a half-blood."

"Half-bloods have their uses even as long as they know their place."

"Let us stop talking of such depressing topics. I am tired. How is the baby? How are you feeling?" queried Lucius, gently cradling Narcissa's bump.

"It is well, I pray it is a boy to please you. A strong heir for our family. I am well enough; Bella has been a pain these past months. She refused to stay put, it has been stressful." spoke Narcissa.

"Very well," muttered Lucius, "let us check on the child, it must have been born by now." He is right , thought Narcissa. Giving birth was a shorter process for witches then for muggles, magic was used to speed up the birth. That is proof of our innate superiority , she theorised. Muggles had no idea what they were doing, she concluded. The moment they began to walk towards the room, the mediwitch in charge burst from the room to announce the birth was successful. "A boy, it is a boy Madame!" she said when Narcissa asked for the baby's gender.

They entered the room to find Bellatrix cradling a small bundle with Rodolphus smiling down upon them. Rodolphus lovingly stroked her hair, while Bella beamed. Narcissa smiled and could not wait for when she was in the same position. They stepped closer to the couple to look at the child. "Congratulations, Bella, Rodolphus, you have a son, an heir." Lucius said first, as Narcissa was temporarily lost in thought. Bella smiled up at them and quickly went back to looking at her child. Narcissa had never seen her this happy, except when she was praised by the Dark Lord for a task well done. After a few minutes of silence, Rodolphus took child from Bellatrix and held him himself. He turned him around for all to see. Narcissa stared at the child. He was healthy-looking, robust child a mix of Bella and Rodolphus. He had a few tufts of jet-black hair, Bella's nose and ears. He shared features with his father as well, he had his aristocratic mouth and most importantly his eyes, icy blue and piercing.

After a few more pleasantries were exchanged, Bellatrix spoke "We have decided to name the child Corvus, it is a traditional name for the Lestrange family. Corvus Cygnus Lestrange VI, Cygnus for our father. Now that Regulus is dead and Sirius, that filthy blood traitor, was disowned, he has claims to both Lestrange and Black titles and holdings."

"We will leave you to rest Bella. I hope you sleep well; you had a long day." declared Narcissa. Lucius took the hint and they both bid farewell to Bellatrix and Rodolphus and left the room.

"It will be interesting to see those two raise a child!" laughed Lucius, "They will be away half the time. I suspect you know that you will be stuck with the child for most of the time!" Narcissa sent a deathly glare at her husband but knew there was truth in his words. None were as devoted to the Dark Lord's cause as those two.

They returned to their rooms and Narcissa spent the rest of her day writing letters informing all of the birth of the Lestrange heir. She knew Bella would find it tedious, but it had to be done. The world must know. So, she set to work, counting the days until her own pregnancy would come to closure.