Chapter 17: The Child Slayings - Pt. 2

Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire, England

Home of the Malfoy Family

October 31, 1980

The hall was a great cacophony of noise. The portraits were in an uproar yelling at the men who had dared to intrude into the manor in the first place, as well as yelling encouraging words at Lucius and his father. He cried out in rage when he saw his father, Abraxas Malfoy, fall due to a dark curse fired by Orran Nott.

"Traitor!" Lucius cried out in his rage. A wild burst of power erupted from him and the two Death Eaters that had still been standing were blasted back against the walls. Lucius glared viciously at the fallen form of Orran Nott. The man had betrayed their trust and worse, he had betrayed Lucius father.

Abraxas Malfoy and Orran Nott had gone to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry together. They had been Housemates and best friends. When they had been twelve the two had sworn the Oath of Arden. The Oath of Arden was one of the most ancient and among one of the more sacred Oaths in Wizarding society. The Oath had fallen out of practice due to its use of blood, but it was not actually dark magic. The Oath of Arden was a Blood-Brother's Oath. The two shared blood shed from each other and pledged to forever be as brothers sharing in the others burdens and in their triumphs. Over the years Abraxas and Orran had shared many burdens together. Abraxas had been there with Orran when he mourned the untimely death of his first son, Roderick. Orran had been there for Abraxas during the dark days after the funeral of Abraxas' beloved wife Lysandra Malfoy nee Chalont.

There could be no forgiveness for turning on a Ardenvraar, a Blood-Brother. Orran Nott had come to their home and he had attacked them. He had cursed Abraxas Malfoy with a dark curse, one that was meant to kill him painfully and slowly. There could never be forgiveness for that.

Lucius was thinking of just what dark hex to use against the prone form of Orran Nott when he heard his father groan his name. Lucius immediately turned his attention away from his fallen enemies and instead rushed to his father's side.

"Father, I am here," he said gently. "I'll get you to Saint Mungoe's soon," he promised.

Abraxas shook his head in the negative, "Orran, where is he?"

"He's still here. I threw him against the wall and he is knocked out cold," Lucius insisted.

"Poor Orran," Abraxas said sadly, "If only he had told me. I never knew, never really suspected. I did not want to see it," he rambled.

"Save your strength father. Self-recriminations can wait," Lucius insisted.

He heard the crunch of glass and slowly turned trying to bring his wand up to cast a blocking charm but as it turned out it would not have mattered in the slightest. A shield charm could not block the killing curse.

Lucius heard the words, saw them leaving the lips of Orran Nott. The killing curse. "Avada Keda-" and then Lucius heard other words shouted and more swiftly then Nott was speaking. "Sectumsempra!" Lucius watched in fascination as three slashes as though cut by a sword or a claw appeared upon Orran Nott's torso. The man collapsed to his knees and then lay upon the marble floor twitching slightly and breathing heavily due to his injury sustained.

Lucius smile of relief was genuine when he turned his gaze to the man whom had saved his life, his own Ardenvraar, Severus Snape Prince. "What took you so long?" he demanded to know.

A black brow rose at the question but then Severus was kneeling down beside Abraxas and checking his vitals. "Was it Nott?" he asked even as his wand began to move in strange patterns that Lucius had never seen before.

"Yes," he answered simply.

"Good. The bastard deserves to bleed out then," he said maliciously, savagely, even as he continued to cast strange wordless spells upon Abraxas. Lucius watched in wonder as some black vapor seemed to rise from his father's chest and up toward the ceiling where it dissipated. "I cannot save him Luc," Severus said as he looked up into Lucius own pale blue eyes. "I can slow it down but I cannot stop it. He will die due to this curse."

Lucius fought against the lump that had arisen in his throat but then he clasped his hand with Severus. His father was dying due to the traitor. He wished that Severus spell did not end them so quickly. True the spell made them bleed out and die, but they bled quickly. Lucius wanted it to be slow, he wanted them to suffer. They should know this pain.

"The Auror's," Lucius said instead of voicing his thoughts. "We need to call them to the manor. "Stay with father and I will do it."

"No. You remain with Abraxas. I will do it," Severus said and he clasped Lucius's shoulder and squeezed it and then he was gone to the receiving room where Lucius could hear him calling for the Auror's and for a Mediwizard team from Saint Mungoes.


Tyrcrave Manor, East Dunbartonshire, Scotland

Home of the Macmillan's

October 31, 1980

Olivia was relaxing, staring into the flames of the fireplace when she suddenly felt a chill sweep over her. She frowned for a moment searching for the source of the cold until she realized that it was due to her connection to Malcolm through their marriage bond. Something was wrong. She arose from the sofa just as Malcolm came rushing into the family parlour.

He cupped her face and placed a chaste kiss upon her lips. "You have to go now. You have to take Ernie and go," he informed her.

"What?" she asked unable to understand him. His urgency she could respond to though because she was already moving toward the door ready to get to the nursery and obey him.

"The floo is too risky and you cannot apparate yet," Malcolm continued. "You'll need to use that emergency portkey that Lord Black gave you."

Olivia frowned but nodded anyway. "Who is here Malcolm?" she asked even as he escorted her swiftly to the nursery where their beautiful little boy slept peacefully unaware that danger lurked in his home.

"Death Eaters," Malcolm whispered and she shuddered in revulsion. She remembered then the masked men in Diagon Alley. She was grateful to Sirius for saving her, Ernie, Evelyn, Daphne, and Astoria that day. She had hoped that she would never have anything to do with Death Eaters again but it seemed that was not the case. Why where they here? The only reason she could think of was their connection with the Black family and the fact that Malcolm had stood with Lord Black and likewise vowed to be no friend to the Dark Lord Voldemort.

She scooped Ernie into her arms and he stirred slightly before he settled once more into sleep. She turned back to look at Malcolm. "Please come with me," She begged of him, "You do not have to stay here." Her heart ached with the fear of what would happen to him should he stay behind to face the Death Eaters.

Malcolm gently pushed some of her strawberry blond hair back from her face and tucked the strands behind her ear. "No my love," he said and then he kissed her sweetly. It was a gentle kiss that conveyed his love and his yearning. She loved those kisses from Malcolm. She had in fact, become quite addicted to them.

"Go," he told her.

Olivia frowned but nodded. She grasped the necklace that she wore at all times, or at least had begun to wear at all times since she had been attacked in Diagon Alley, and pressed the ruby stone. She clutched Ernest tightly to her as she felt the Portkey whisk them away from their home.

When she opened her eyes again she was in the receiving room of Ivy Hall. She felt relief race through her and she immediately set out to find Cassiopeia Black. She swiftly found her mentor in the woman's favorite sitting room.

"Olivia, I had no idea you would be visiting tonight," Cassiopeia greeted her pleasantly.

Olivia could not summon a smile in greeting. "I fear this is no real social call," she said even as she gently laid Ernie down in the baby cot that likewise held a sleeping Leonis. She took a moment to brush her hand over both Ernie's blond hair and then Leonis' black hair as well.

"Death Eaters have invaded Tyrcrave Manor. I could not convince Mal to come with me," she said referring to her husband Malcolm Macmillan.

"Stubborn fool!" Cassiopeia said then. She arose swiftly and took the floo powder that was on top of the mantle and then she threw it swiftly into the flames. "Department of Magical Law Enforcement!" she cried out. Once she was connected to a member of the Law Enforcement Department, Cassiopeia relayed everything to the gentleman.

"I see, and Lady Macmillan is with you at Ivy Hall Ms. Black?" the Auror asked.

"Yes. She is here," Cassiopeia replied.

The man nodded, "Please keep Lady Macmillan with you. We are dispatching Auror's now to Tyrcrave Manor to assist Lord Macmillan. We will send Auror's to Ivy Hall to take Lady Macmillan's statement shortly."

Cassiopeia nodded her ascent. "Very well. We look forward to the Auror's arrival," she said and then broke off contact.

Olivia slowly let herself sink into a chair near the play pen holding her two sons. She didn't realize that she was crying until Cassiopeia handed her a handkerchief. She took it with a watery smile and murmured her gratitude.

"You and little Ernest are safe here, you know that," Cassiopeia told her in a soothing tone of voice. One she usually reserved only for Leonis.

Olivia's lips curved into a tentative smile. She had hoped that Cassiopeia truly had begun to like her. At first she was sure that Cassiopeia had liked the way she could stand her ground against the likes of Walburga Black, and of course that she was the mother of Leonis but beyond that, Cassiopeia really had no use for her. She had gotten to know the woman a little better during her visits with Leonis and she had come to look at the woman as a sort of mentor. Here was a sophisticated woman of high society who did things her own way without crossing the line to being considered 'Bad Society'. When Cassiopeia Black voiced her opinion at parties, then people listened. They weighed and measured what she had said. Olivia hoped that one day she would be looked at the same way that many looked upon Cassiopeia.

"Thank you," she said softly to Cassiopeia. "I do appreciate you granting me the safety of your home. I could not think of anywhere else that we might be so safe and Malcolm likewise told me to come here."

Cassiopeia nodded, "I always did like Malcolm. He is a smart man," she said simply. "So heed me Olivia and heed me well. Keep that man happy and love him. He's deserving of all the love you can give him and more."

Olivia blinked in surprise and Cassiopeia laughed, "Come now girl, just because I never found a man that I wanted to marry does not mean that I am ignorant of love itself. If there had been one such as your Malcolm when I was a fresh young thing, I would have had him."

Olivia nodded dumbfounded. She had not really thought of Cassiopeia as being a woman who had thought of marriage except to say no to the prospect. She had not realized that perhaps it was that Cassiopeia had tastes that were so refined that no real man could measure up.

She heard the soft snuffling sound coming from the playpen and she looked within to see that Ernest was awake. His little face was screwed up in agitation and she knew from experience that he would begin to wail soon. She chose to head off the screams he could make by picking him up out of the playpen and then settling him into her arms. "Someone is hungry, yes?" she said softly attempting to sooth Ernest.

"Timery, make up a bottle for the Heir Macmillan," Cassiopeia ordered her House Elf.

"It is ready," Timery said with a slightly bashful look as she brought the bottle to Olivia.

"Thank you Timery," Olivia said gratefully just as Ernie began to cry. She soon placed the bottle to his lips and he greedily began to suck on the nipple. "There you go," she murmured even as she leaned her head down to kiss the boy's brow. "That's my good boy. My strong son."

The boy had Malcolm's coloring. The boy had blond hair that was more the dark blond of his father's. Like Malcolm's hair there were hints of burnished gold, topaz, and honey brown in his hair. She gazed wistfully at her son as he fed and smiled gently. This child almost died. If he had not been so strong then he would have died due to her body going into labor so early. She was so fortunate. She had a wonderful husband and two beautiful sons. She hoped that Malcolm would come to her soon. She wished that he had come with her to Ivy Hall. She wanted to know that he was safe.

Two hours passed by with no word and Olivia was growing restless when at last Timery came to them and proclaimed that Lord Macmillan was in the receiving room with several Auror's. "For heaven's sake, bring them here now," Cassiopeia bit out. She was not normally so curt with the House Elves which told Olivia that the waiting had worn on the older witch's nerves as well.

Olivia did not hesitate to go to Malcolm as soon as he came into the room. She ignored the blood upon his clothing as she rushed to him and embraced him. He groaned slightly but when she went to move back he pulled her closer. He buried his head in her blond hair and she curved into his larger body enjoying the feel of him, solid and firm beneath her fingertips. "You are alright. You are alright," she whispered the words over and over.

"Yes," Malcolm whispered. "I am alright," he promised her. "The Auror's arrived in time and were quite useful in driving off our enemies. Unfortunately, they only managed to capture one of the Death Eaters."

Olivia shivered and slowly eased back. She stared in horror at the blood on his clothes and her fingertips began to roam over him looking for where he had been hurt. His larger hands captured hers and held them still against his chest.

"I am fine now," Malcolm promised her. "I was injured when the Auror's arrived, but Auror Thompson here has had some training to be a battlefield Medic. She healed me," he explained even as he indicated the dark haired Auror that stood a few feet to their left.

Olivia looked at the woman and smiled in gratitude. "Thank you for taking such good care of my husband," she said sincerely.

The woman blushed and stammered, "Oh..it..well…it was nothing really." She coughed once and cleared her throat. Then with more poise said, "Just doing my job Lady Macmillan."

Olivia stared at Thompson curiously during her stammering but swiftly put the woman out of her mind once she had finished speaking. She let Malcolm lead her back to the sofa and the two sat down together. "I do believe you have questions you need to ask us," Malcolm pressed.

With that the Auror's made themselves comfortable in the parlour of Cassiopeia Black and began to ask the Macmillan's about just what had happened at their Manor Home.


Betany Hall, Halifax, West Yorkshire, England

Home of Frank and Alice Longbottom

October 31, 1980

"I want to have some fun with the woman," the voice of Barty Crouch Jr. snarled as they entered the house through the back door.

Bellatrix was surprised by how easy it had been for Barty and Rodolphus to dismantle the wards enough to create a hole large enough for Barty Crouch Jr., Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, and herself to enter without being detected. As much as she disliked the Longbottom's, she had never thought them this stupid.

'Whatever harm befalls you tonight, you have brought on yourself,' she told herself in an attempt to feel no compassion for two people whom she was sure would feel absolutely no compassion for her.

"Bellatrix," her husband hissed her name and she turned to look at him. Rodolphus, her treacherous husband. If she could, she would kill Rodolphus Lestrange.

"Yes?" she whispered back, playing the part of the dutiful wife even while the rage boiled within her.

"You will kill the child," Rodolphus told her, "Leave the adults to us."

She inclined her head and smiled. "Of course," she said simply in way of reply. As a rule, Bellatrix did not dislike children. They were necessary for the advancement of their society after all. That the Dark Lord had wanted to kill these children had not actually mattered to Bellatrix in the grand scheme of things. A part of her might have felt a twinge of remorse that the babies had to die, but she knew that the Dark Lord would not have ordered these deaths without a true purpose. The sacrificial blood of these children would surely empower their cause.

Rodolphus nodded and then they sprang into action wands at the ready shouting spells at the house-elves. None of the little creatures were spared. Each received their deaths at the end of wizard's wands. Then the party continued deeper into the house.

They found the happy Longbottom couple cuddling together on a sofa before the fireplace. Rodolphus singled out Frank Longbottom for the Cruciatus Curse. Barty laughed maniacally as he watched Frank twitch.

Just as Alice reached for her wand and brought it to bear upon Rodolphus, Rabastan cried out, "Expelliarmus!" He caught Alice's wand in his free hand and smirked at her. "I wonder if your wand will curse you or not?" he asked of her. "Let's find out." Then he performed the Cruciatus Curse upon her and Alice Longbottom dropped to the ground in agonized screams.

Bellatrix stood back and watched the display as the older Longbottom's were tortured. She had to give Frank Longbottom some credit where it was due. He was still trying to fight them, despite the pain of the torture curse. He was a trained and tried and true Auror, so she really supposed that she should never have underestimated his strength of will. Still, she knew the sadistic tendencies of her husband. Frank Longbottom would either die this night or he would be driven into insanity. By the looks of Alice, it seemed that she was closer to breaking than Frank was.

She did not know how long it had gone on before she heard the sound of the baby wailing. She looked towards the ceiling first and then she fled the room to find the child. Her mission was nearly completed. Soon enough she would be able to return home and put this night behind her.

She found the baby in the nursery on the second floor and she smirked as she stared at the baby laying in his basinet whimpering and crying for its mother. "Brat." She snarled at the baby. She pointed her wand at the baby and found herself staring at the little being with too intelligent blue eyes. She felt a tingling along her skin and she whimpered in distress, knowing exactly what the problem was.

She paced the room pulling at her hair and murmured continuously, "No! Nooooo! No. No. NO!" She came to a stop before the crib and she glared at how the baby held up his arms, as good as demanding to be held.

"No," she hissed even as she reached forward and picked up the child. She settled him upon her hip and his little head fell against her chest. His nose nuzzled into a patch of her skin where the neck meets the head and he sighed in contentment. She closed her eyes tight and prayed for the strength to end it now, snap the baby's neck so that it would be over fast.

She held the child for a moment and the little boy stared up at her with curiosity. "I'm supposed to kill you, so stop looking at me that way," she snapped at the child. He made a cooing noise in the back of his throat and then he gently touched her hair. She stared in awe as the baby boy began to pet her hair.

She held him tightly to her and sighed. She felt it, tingling in her blood. Her blood recognized his. He was not the son of a Black but his Great-Grandmother was Callidora Longbottom nee Black. It was quite probably that Callidora had cast charms of protection over her great-grandson. Bellatrix felt it when she touched him, could almost feel each of the threads and how the protections were woven about him. She could not kill him, not a child with Black blood flowing in his veins.

"Jint," she called out the name of her personal House Elf.

"Mistress calls," Jint answered after a few moments hesitation.

"Yes Jint, this is Neville Longbottom," she introduced the little House-elf to the young wizard. "He shall be your new master," she informed the Elf.

The elf seemed stunned. "New Master, but Missy Bella knows that I can only take one master or mistress."

Bellatrix nodded. "I order you to bond now with young Master Neville while I shall cut my ties with you. You will watch over Neville, keep him safe always and you will abide by his wishes, but you will not let him become too spoiled."

Jint had tears in his eyes as he nodded his head, "Yes, Mistress Bella."

"You will never follow any of my orders ever again Jint, do you understand?" She asked of the little House Elf.

Jint nodded and little tears rolled out his eyes even as she brushed fingers through little Neville's hair.

"This better work," Bellatrix murmured to herself even as she began to enact first the short ritual that would give Neville some of her protection and then she wasted no time enforcing the bond between Jint and Neville. Then she severed her own tie with Jint. She was forced to the floor then and panted through the pain. She gritted her teeth to keep from screaming as she felt her deep seated bond with Jint pulled away. She reached out blindly with one hand even while the other kept Neville secure in her grasp. The free hand was trying to grasp an image of a man walking away.

"Jint is being bonded with young Neville," Jint informed Bellatrix.

Bellatrix smiled. That was good news that she felt was long overdue. "This is your final order from me Jint. Neville is not safe here. I need you to take him to Callidora Longbottom nee Black."

"Jint obeys one last time for his Bella whom he loves." Bellatrix felt for a moment as though her heart would break. She watched as the little House-Elf disapparated leaving her alone in the nursery. She swiftly transfigured one of the child's old and worn stuffed animals into an exact likeness of Neville himself. Then she took out her knife and proceeded to stab and cut the child. Fake blood oozed from the body. She slashed the babe's throat causing a great deal of blood to spurt up and shower her clothes as well as the inside of the cradle.

She continued to stab and cut for some time before she felt the presence behind her. She was momentarily stunned when chains suddenly wrapped around her. She screamed in aggravation and irritation as she finally whipped around to see that there were three Auror's with wands trained on her. She sighed. It was over.


Potter Cottage, Godric's Hollow, England

Home while in hiding of James and Lily Potter

November 1, 1980

Sirius Black nearly tripped over the splintered wood that had once been the front door of the little cottage. He stumbled over the wood and moved further inside. Every instinct he had was screaming at him that he would not like what he was about to find but he could not go back. He had to know why it was that James and Lily's cottage was now viewable. How had the Fidelius been broken?

"James? Lily?" Sirius called out into the darkness. His wand was lit before him with the lumos charm and he froze at the entrance of the parlor. He stared in horror at the scene before him. A great battle had taken place in this room. The wallpaper throughout the room was singed in various places where spells had bounced. Only ashes and springs remained of the sofa that he had sat on just a few months ago holding Harry for the very first time.

He felt his heart stutter to a sudden halt as he stared at the body lying on the floor. "James," he breathed and then rushed to his fallen friend. He gently touched James face with shaking fingers and he ran his wand over him repeating diagnostic spell after spell and each one told him that same thing. James Potter, his best friend, was dead.

"James," Sirius whispered again, his voice breaking with his grief as he gathered the dead body of his friend into his arms. "James. James. James." He kept repeating as his grief mounted, stabbing him over and over. "No…" He moaned, an inhuman sound issuing forth from his mouth.

He remained like that for many minutes mourning the death of his friend before he forced himself to let go of James' body. He arose slowly and looked down at his fallen friend one more time before he turned away and left the parlor. He searched the bottom floors and found no other signs of combat or damage. He then slowly began to make his way upstairs. He cautiously searched each room and at last he made his way to the nursery.

He ignored the open door and for a moment stood stock still staring at the horror of the room. He then heard the whimper coming from the baby cot and he turned his full attention toward it. "Harry, oh thank Merlin!" he breathed as he moved toward the baby. He swiftly scooped Harry up into his arms and held the baby close. "Oh Harry, I thought you were dead or worse taken," he murmured as he held the little baby boy close. "Come on little one. We cannot stay here. Not with the ceiling like this," he said, noting that the ceiling had been partly blown out.

It was when he turned that he noticed the still and unmoving body of Lily. She was lying on the ground at an awkward angle and Sirius felt the grief burn him once more. "Lily," he whispered. "No. Not you too, Lily," he said softly, "Not you too." He held Harry close and tried to comfort the child when all he wanted to do was track down the secret keeper for the Potter's. The Potter's secret keeper had been Peter Pettigrew. Could it be that Death Eaters had somehow captured him and tortured the information from him?

Sirius fled from the House with Harry in his arms only to come face to face with Rubeus Hagrid. He was surprised to see the Half-Giant there but he listened as Hagrid explained that Dumbledore knew the wards were gone on the house and that he had feared the worst had happened. Dumbledore was requesting to see Harry and have him examined by Madam Poppy Pomfrey.

Sirius clutched Harry closer to him, his arms a protective barrier between him and Rubeus Hagrid. He knew that Hagrid would never hurt Harry, but he was not sure he truly trusted Dumbledore's intentions. Dumbledore had played his cards too close to his vest, not letting the rest of his team know his plans. Due to that he had waited until almost too late to tell them about the Prophecy. Even now the majority of the Order still did not know about the Prophecy. He had also convinced Lily that they were better off, safer in Godric's Hollow. Sirius nearly snarled when Hagrid tried to coax him into giving up Harry.

"Sirius, the little guy has a gash on his head. He needs to see a healer," Hagrid begged him.

Sirius looked down at the wound on Harry's head. It was caked with dried blood but he could already see the lightning bolt shaped scar that remained. He slowly relented. Hagrid was right. Harry needed to be looked after. He slowly and reluctantly gave Harry into Hagrid's keeping. "I am going to check on Peter and then I will go to Hogwarts. Tell the Headmaster I will see him there."

Hagrid nodded his head and then seemed at a loss for how to get back to Hogwarts. Sirius sighed and then offered him the use of his motorbike. Hagrid happily accepted and Sirius watched him leave with Harry before he chose to apparate away in search of Peter Pettigrew.

He was beyond angry when rather than talk to him, Peter bolted from his flat and then apparated away. It took Sirius but a moment to track his signature and he apparated after him into Muggle London. He saw Peter just down the street ahead of him. "Peter stop!"

Peter whirled on him. "It's all your fault that Lily and James are dead!" Peter cried, "You killed them!"

Sirius felt the accusation like a blow to the chest. "No. I did not kill them." He insisted firmly. "I would never…not James…never James."

They were drawing a crowd but Peter did not care. It seemed suddenly to Sirius that he wanted a crowd of onlookers. "Why Peter? Why did you betray James?" he roared.

Peter glared at him and then he drew his wand. Sirius was caught by surprise. He really had not expected Peter to draw his wand in front of Muggles. He would not have expected Peter to draw a wand against him ever. He also never would have expected him to betray James to Voldemort. Apparently he had always been wrong when it came to Peter Pettigrew.

He felt the spell hit him and he felt his touch with reality slip away. Then there was an explosion that knocked him to the ground. After what felt like moments, but could have actually been hours for all he knew, he was hauled up to his feet by two Auror's.

"Sirius Black, you are under arrest for the betrayal of James and Lily Potter and being an accomplice in their murder, and in the attempted murder of their infant son Harry James Potter." He heard the Auror tell him why they were arresting him and he could not help the hysterical laughter that bubbled up. He had not been the secret keeper, had not betrayed James in that way, but he had been wrong about Peter Pettigrew. He had been wrong to demand that Peter be the secret keeper instead of himself. He would have died to protect James, Lily, and Harry.

The Auror's looked at each other and sighed. "Samhain always leaves us dealing with crazies. Let's get this guy taken in." With those words they dragged Sirius Black to a nearby alleyway and they apparated away to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where Sirius was placed in a holding cell for a few hours.

Just two hours later, Sirius was released from his cell. He had been positive that Dumbledore had sorted out the confusion as to who was the Potter's secret keeper but he soon learned that this was not the case and that he was in fact being transported to Azkaban as was the new policy with Death Eaters until they could be given a trial.