A/N: most of the characters and ideas are the property of J.K. Rowling, I'm just borrowing them…This is my first fic, but be warned: it contains a lot of spoilers from the fifth and sixth books…Enjoy!
"Mummy, where's Daddy? He's late…," seven-year-old Celestia Dolohov asked her mother, Sacharissa.
"Your daddy's been busy at…er…his work, Celestia," her mother answered hesitantly. That is perfectly true, she tried to persuade herself. Antonin has been busy, lately.
Antonin Dolohov, Death Eater, murderer of the Prewetts, was married and had a young child; like many of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Sacharissa Dolohov was also a Death Eater, but ever since Celestia was born she had to stay home to take care of her. She was also pregnant, and her husband wanted her to stay home whenever the Dark Lord called for them while he went to the meetings. That was where Antonin was now, and Sacharissa was waiting for him to return and tell her everything that happened, there.
Celestia, on the other hand, didn't know of her parents' criminal whereabouts. She knew nothing about the outside world because she was always kept inside their basement apartment. They were quite poor and Celestia spent every day listening to the Wizarding Wireless Network or playing with old toys. Today, she was with her mother in the kitchen, watching as she prepared supper for Antonin.
"Daddy's probably out buying my birthday present. Do you think that's why he's so late, Mummy?" Celestia asked, but Sacharissa wasn't paying attention.
She read a line aloud from the book sitting open in front of her entitled Enchantment in Baking. Sacharissa bewitched some eggs to crack themselves into the bowl of pancake mix.
Celestia went to the other side of the table and brushed her blond ringlets out of her eyes.
"Can I help?" she asked.
"You don't have a wand," her mother answered without looking up.
"I know…I don't need one," the little girl said cheerfully. She picked up an egg in each hand.
"Celestia, NO!" Sacharissa yelled, but too late, Celestia dropped the eggs into the bowl, shells and all.
Sacharissa, already furious about her husband's late arrival, was now seething. She grabbed her daughter's wrists, but before she could do anything, the door in the living room opened.
"DADDY!" Celestia shouted, and bolted from the room.
Standing in the doorway, hidden under his black hood, was Antonin. Celestia launched herself at him and hugged his legs (the only part of him she could reach). Her father patted her head, awkwardly. He had never wanted a child, because, according to Lucius Malfoy, they were a lot of work to keep around, especially when they were young. But once Sacharissa was pregnant, there was nothing he could do. I'll be getting another one soon, he sighed inwardly.
"Daddy, you look funny!" the little girl giggled, pointing to Antonin's hood.
Antonin quickly yanked off the hood and removed his daughter from around his legs.
"It's my work uniform, Celestia," he said, gruffly. He and his wife had agreed early on that whenever Antonin went to meet with the Dark Lord, they would say he was going to 'work' so Celestia wouldn't get suspicious.
Antonin started when Sacharissa came into the room, holding her bulging stomach. He came over to her and, indicating her stomach, asked, "How are you?"
"Fine," she hissed back, still angry about her husband's tardiness. "What took you so long?"
Antonin inclined his head warningly toward their daughter who was staring at them intently.
"Celestia, why don't you go in your room while Daddy and I talk?" she suggested.
The little girl hung her head, feeling excluded, and went to her bedroom. She sat on her bed and turned on the WWN. The moving posters of the Tutshill Tornados zoomed in and out of sight, their sky-blue robes blurs against the picture of the Quidditch field. Her toy chest was given to her parents before she was born by the Malfoy family, but now the red paint was chipping and the hinges were rusty.
Celestia listened to the song called "A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love" by Celestina Warbeck.
Oh, come and stir my cauldron,
And if you do it right,
I'll boil you up some hot strong love
To keep you warm tonight.
She had heard this song three times already today. She rolled over onto her stomach and looked at the ceiling. Celestia could hear her parents' voices from the opposite side of the wall. How she wished she wished she could hear what they were saying…
She crept out of her room and stood by the door of her parents' bedroom to eavesdrop.
"It's all set…the Dark Lord knows exactly what to do…we'll be stationed in the Department of Mysteries…," Celestia heard her father's voice.
"Are you sure that this plan will work?" came Sacharissa's voice, quiet and fearful.
"Rissa, don't doubt the Dark Lord's plan. If he says it will work, it will work…" Antonin said sharply, though there was a slight hint of doubt in his voice.
Celestia was very confused. She didn't know who the Dark Lord was nor did she understand the 'plan' Antonin talked of.
"What if Potter doesn't show?" Sacharissa asked.
"He will show, Rissa. The Dark Lord has found a way to make him think Black is in trouble…Ever since Potter helped that idiot Weasley, the Dark Lord has found out that he is mentally connected to him. He will do anything to help Black."
None of this made sense to Celestia. Who were these 'Potter' and 'Black' characters? She didn't know, and before she could think of a reasonable conclusion, her father started talking again.
"It's set for Thursday," Antonin announced.
Celestia gasped. Thursday was her eighth birthday and Antonin was supposed to stay home for the occasion. Instead, he would be doing this 'plan' he talked of. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as she thought of how little she saw of her father. She hiccupped loudly.
Antonin must have heard the noise, for at that moment, the door opened and Sacharissa and Antonin came out. One look at their daughter told them that she had heard their conversation.
"Celestia," Antonin started sternly. He reached down and snatched his daughter by the wrist. Celestia was dragged to her room and Antonin punished her.
