a/n I think it's too early for Harrison's POV, as he's a child for now, but next chapter will have Harrison's POV. For now, the POVs belong to the characters important for the story, to show Harrison from their eyes. This chapter is sort of a filler chapter, the action starts in the next one. This one is about feelings.
I'll warn you again the rating is M.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed. You make me smile :) And while I agree that Lily deserved it, it was only one mistake on her part...that cost her everything….
Info for the chapter: Magical toys cannot be transfigured, just like Firebolt and feathers for writing have to be bought.
Beta: Julie. fjad
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Family Matters
Chapter Three
Toys
The dinosaur was moving its massive jaw, biting the air around it, its magnificent body was blue and green, shining in the daylight, and he so wished to have it, he almost cried. He was allowed to watch any toys from behind the glass of the toy store, but he was never allowed to have any of them.
He had seen so many toys he had liked, and never had he gotten one from his parents. But this dinosaur was different from all other toys—it was special, and Ron was ready to give his heart away just to get this toy.
"Mom," he turned to his mother, his blue eyes shining, begging, and then filled with tears when his mother shook her head. "We cannot afford it, I am sorry, Ronald. Maybe you can find something in that basket?" Ron looked at the basket and almost cried. Second hand, reduced in price, useless toys.
"What do you mean you have only five?! Are you deaf or simply stupid? I said I need twenty!"
Ronald looked away from the basket with used toys, and focused on the screaming woman. A tall, very richly dressed woman, who had long, black, curly hair, was raging in front of a terrified owner of the shop, screaming obscene words in his face. "I will never step a foot into this dump again unless you find me twenty of those things!" The woman continued screaming while pointing a finger with long, black nail towards something behind the cashier's back. The dinosaurs! The owner of the place, the famous Garland Garrick, the manufacturer of the most famous wizarding toys in the Europe, was sweating heavily, twisting his fingers. "I am so sorry, Madam Lestrange, we only have five left- "
"That's your problem!"
"Can we go?" Ronald switched his attention to the boy who appeared near the woman, calmly taking her sleeve to gain attention. "I'm hungry, and I don't really care about those toys anyway."
The boy was dressed in richly decorated green robes with white fur trimming, his black hair styled, and Ronald for the first time felt hatred and envy towards one unknown child. He himself had Charlie's old, well-worn robe, Percy's ten times patched old shoes and a hat that was knitted by his mother. He wasn't allowed to get even a leg of the dinosaur and that blasted kid, who was no older than himself, didn't care for any of those expensive dinosaurs his mother was trying to buy? He didn't want twenty dinos? How spoilt was this kid?
Hate you.
The boy suddenly turned around and looked Ron straight in the eyes, making him shiver from the coldness in those green eyes. The boy was rich, spoilt and pretty. The contrast between black hair, green eyes and not-so-childish face wasn't lost even on him.
Hate you.
"Mother, please give me one dinosaur now, and the rest we'll pick up after we eat." The raging woman's face was full of such adoration that Ron swallowed his hate again. No one looked at him like that. Like he was special.
"But of course, my darling," the woman cooed at the boy and then glared at the cashier. "You, stupid one, didn't you hear what my darling boy said? Give him THAT BLASTED DINOSAUR! AND DO SO NOW!" The cashier looked like he was going to get a heart attack, white in the face. With trembling hands, he reached for the dinosaur Ronald had been dreaming of, and gave it over to the boy.
Next second Ronald saw the boy next to him, offering the precious dinosaur to him. "You want it?" The voice was not as cold as the eyes, but still put him on edge, and with all the pride he had, Ronald shook his head, hating himself and the boy.
The black-haired boy looked him over, a small smirk gracing his striking features. "Well then…"
The dinosaur was thrown into the air, and then it just exploded. Ron's heart froze in horror at seeing something so precious being destroyed so easily, without any remorse.
"Bravo, my darling, bravo!" The boy's mother was now clapping in joy, standing near the boy and observing the dust that used to be the dinosaur of his dreams. Ten galleons blown away just like that.
"Ronald," Ron's mother was now standing near him too, and when he looked at his mom, he saw fear in her eyes as she watched the other woman.
"Weasleys," the black-haired woman was now smirking at them in obvious disgust. "Darling, those are the rogues of our world. The ultimate trash diggers, known as the Weasleys. You may just call them trash though, as there are too many of them to remember." The boy who she was addressing in a tone full of superiority towards them, nodded his head a few times, a mocking polite smile not leaving his face.
HATE YOU!
"Shut up, Bellatrix! You Death Eater scum!" Ronald's mother screamed at her, bringing the attention of the whole shop to them.
"Can't you read, you fat, useless uterus?" Bellatrix mockingly addressed his mother and Ron wanted to kill her. "Or too poor to buy a paper? I am proven to be innocent. The lies you traitors spew are no longer valid!" The woman's mad laugh gave him shivers and he stepped closer to his mother.
The boy looked at the mad witch and tugged her sleeve again, motioning with his head towards the exit. "I don't have the time to waste on this waste."
"Shut up!" Ron finally couldn't hold his tongue.
One black eyebrow rose on the boy's face. "It speaks!" he exclaimed and Bellatrix cackled.
"Move out of my way." The boy calmly ordered him, and Ron saw a wand appear in the woman's hand.
"Get me everything I ordered in one hour or you'll be very sorry!" The mad Death Eater screamed at the shop owner, and then simply shoved his mother to side, marching away with her nasty kid.
I hate you so much…
xxx
He heard the screams from upstairs. The wailing sounded like a house elf, and Lord Voldemort smiled a bit. He wondered what the elf had done now to deserve Bella's Cruciatus.
Last time—in the morning—the elf had brought the wrong cloak for Harrison. It didn't require much to get a Crucio from Bella nowadays.
Slowly going up the majestic stairs, Lord Voldemort mindlessly looked over the manor: at the green and silver tones present in the décor, the dimly illuminated marble floor, the silver snakes everywhere, the rich, dark wood that made the whole place feel warmer. After getting Harrison from the Potters, Voldemort had finally given the necessary attention to the manor, restoring it to its previous glory. Now the manor was simply magnificent.
Slowly he crossed the left wing—that had been destroyed thrice by Harrison's developing magic—and followed the dimply glowing path of stones that led to his son's rooms. He had decided to place Harrison's rooms opposite of his, and even though he didn't babysit his son, he was always nearby.
"Die, Mudbloods!" Bella's screech was heard from behind the closed door, and Voldemort stopped his approach, deciding to listen to what Bellatrix was up to. "The formation of Death Eaters attacks the Chicken order and destroys them all!" Well, he didn't really expect her to read fairy-tales to Harrison.
"We win!" It was again Bella who screamed.
Slowly, Voldemort opened the door.
On the sofa sat Harrison and Bella was nowhere to be seen. On the floor was a big stadium that had—five, seventeen—twenty magical dinosaur toys, all bearing the Dark Mark on their foreheads, their jaws clasped with what seemed to be hairless chicken, and below was a mash of worms, all stamped upon by the big animals. Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix and Mudbloods or Muggles.
Interesting.
Harrison immediately noticed him and a wonderful smile appeared on his boy's face. He and only he received that smile. Always.
"Papa, I think Bella is crazy," Harrison hissed quietly, motioning with his head towards adjusting room where swearing could be heard.
He didn't think Bellatrix was crazy. He knew for sure.
"Damned elves!" was heard from the other room, and Voldemort approached it with a raised eyebrow.
Well…
Soon Bella would have to build the carts system that was used in Gringotts because there was no way even a magically expanded room could hold so many toys. Everything was there—from fifty brooms to all kinds of magical toys, many of which he didn't even know how to name. In case he needed more finances for the war, he could always sell the toys and receive millions of galleons.
Who needed so many toys? Who needed fifty brooms, all in different colour? And who needed all the other trash that was inside?
Voldemort watched Bella appear from behind a huge pile of junk, levitating what seemed to be piles of magical mud, magical blood and…were those bones?
Where did she buy all that crap?
And what for? He knew Harrison wasn't a normal six year old and didn't actually need the toys at all. The boy loved magical Lego and history, and he didn't care if he had fifty brooms.
Bella was truly insane.
"My Lord," Bellatrix bowed to him, not letting the mud and bones fall.
"What is the meaning of this, Bellatrix?" He wasn't actually angry but more amazed at the level of insanity Bella was showing when dealing with Harrison. He knew she loved the boy more than her life. She babysat him day and night for five years. There was never a time when Voldemort would come to see Harrison and not see Bella.
And since Harrison needed someone capable to have around when outside, Bellatrix did not take part in the official raids anymore. Thanks to his influence and Malfoy's money, after three year old political fight, Bellatrix Lestrange was now officially innocent. She was no Death Eater according to the Ministry, and had no Dark Mark to show.
He didn't actually take away the Mark—it was impossible—but instead he had used a Parseltongue glamour on it. It was only possible to remove the glamour by Parseltongue, and Voldemort didn't know anybody who would do that. He and Harrison definitely not.
"My Lord, we are learning about the history of magic."
With piles of mud, blood and bones? Bella, Bella…
"I'm taking Harrison for the rest of the day," he informed the now sad Death Eater, and turned around, facing his son. "Take your cloak and come with me, son."
Harrison was already standing and Voldemort almost rolled his eyes as Bella ran to his son, holding three cloaks. "Blue would be perfect." She actually cooed…Dear Merlin, what was it with women and children? Both Black women were really insane when it came to the children. Well, not all children, Voldemort mused.. He still remembered how Bellatrix had Crucio'ed three brats on the playground and then Obliviated everyone present because the small imbeciles threw toys and sand at Harrison when he was around three years old. He knew Bellatrix thought of Harrison as her son as well.
After that accident Voldemort had added Barty Crouch to Harry's entourage and regretted it deeply. The next time some children were nasty towards Harrison, there was no one left to Obliviate. Barty and Bella simply killed everyone present.
It was funny, in a way. The wonderful power of love.
xxx
The Dark Lord was sitting on his throne, observing them with glowing red eyes.
"You disappoint me. Again."
That didn't sound very promising, and Severus shifted a bit on his feet. Only the Inner Circle was present, and it looked like someone had done something stupid. Again.
"Why did you let the girl live?" The Dark Lord asked in a bored tone. "Answer me, Avery!" that part was almost a scream of rage, and Severus was very glad he wasn't Avery.
"My-my Lord." The stammering idiot couldn't even look at the Dark Lord, and Severus sneered.
"Look at me, Avery." It wasn't a request, it was a command Avery had to obey. Severus knew what was next.
The Dark Lord pointed his wand at the shivering Death Eater and entered his mind.
"Muggle parents, bookworm, buck-toothed, ugly Mudblood spawn...Why did you let the Mudblood live?!" That was going to hurt, Avery. "Crucio!"
He was almost always right.
A loud explosion was heard from somewhere above, and Severus barely held back a smirk when he heard Bellatrix' mocking voice.
"Come and play, you filthy rat!"
While he had always thought Bella to be insane, Severus had started to like her—a bit—after he witnessed one of her playtime with Wormtail. While Bellatrix seemed to simply have ignored the rat before, now Wormtail had one hell of a time, running around the manor, trying to save his sorry arse.
Harrison was a major surprise, and while Severus was still unsure whom his loyalty actually belonged to, he couldn't find any fault with the boy himself. Had he not taken the Vow, like all Inner Circle had done, he still wouldn't have told Dumbledore about the Dark Lord's son. The boy was so unlike other imbeciles he had to teach, that Severus actually liked him. Calm, smart and very polite, the boy was a joy to teach Potions to. He didn't expect a child of the Dark Lord and Bella to be so…wonderful.
Avery was now panting on the floor, the curse being removed as the Dark Lord smirked a bit.
"Wormtail, run faaaaasteeeeer!" That was definitely Harrison's voice, and Severus finally allowed himself to smirk a bit as well. Wormtail used to be one of the Marauders, and now he was getting a fine treatment from the Slytherin trio—Harrison, Bella and Nagini. The rat was bruised every single day and Severus loved it. It was his luck that the boy seemed to hate Wormtail and therefore entertain the Potions Master with the rat's screams.
Hissing was heard from his right, and Severus turned his head to see a huge transformed basilisk slithering after a quickly running rat. After the basilisk appeared Harrison with Nagini at his feet and then Bellatrix, who was throwing several Cruciatus curses, trying to catch the rat.
It was a fine game that he wholeheartedly approved of—who would get to the fat rat first?
Lord Voldemort seemed to forget about his displeasure with the Death Eaters as he watched the scene with interested eyes.
The rat suddenly screeched at being thrown towards the ceiling, hitting it with quite some force before being dropped to the floor, banging against it before hitting the ceiling again.
"I win!" Harrison threw a fist into the air, and with a bit of shock—he still hadn't been able to get used to the fatherly side of his Lord's personality simply because he had never thought it existed in the first place—, Severus watched his Lord applause the boy.
"Wonderful display of wandless magic, my son." Even his voice was full of pride.
The boy bowed to his father, grabbed the motionless rat from Nagini's jaws and ran towards the doors. "One more round!"
Bellatrix' cackling was heard even after the doors closed, and Severus wished the dirty werewolf and the flea-bitten mutt had been Harrison's playthings as well. Maybe later? One could always hope.
"Now, where were we?" The Dark Lord's voice brought him back from day dreaming, and then Avery was screaming again under a new portion of Cruciatus.
He was very lucky the boy seemed to like him, Severus mused as he watched his fellow Death Eater trash on the floor and Wormtail wail from somewhere upstairs.
xxx
He threw Bella out and seated himself in the comfortable chair, facing sleeping Harrison. It seemed like just yesterday his son was small, and fit in his arms, wearing his fluffy overalls. Now, Harrison was already six, and Voldemort didn't know where the time went. His child was already a big boy, who could talk like an adult and understand everything he said, bringing amusement and joy into his life. When he took his child away from the Potters he had never expected to become attached to the child, worrying about his well being and wishing his son only the best future.
He was very protective of Harrison, and very proud. He didn't know what he would have done, had his child turned out an imbecile, but he never needed to worry about it, as his Harrison was extremely bright and powerful.
It was a joy watching his son grow, his magic getting more and more powerful, and knowing it was his child. His and only his. His blood.
The black hair fell into the closed green eyes and Voldemort gently moved it back. He would often find himself in Harrison's room at night, looking over his only child.
The rage he felt when he thought about what Dumbledore would do should he find out about his son was stronger than ever before. While he had heard Bella explaining Hogwarts to Harrison, he never bothered to tell her his son wouldn't be going to Hogwarts.
Did she take him for a fool, thinking he'd send his only heir to Dumbledore's lair of his free will?
Never ever.
The war was getting bloodier and more violent with each passing year, and Voldemort didn't doubt there would be hordes of light wizards who'd want revenge on him through his son.
Harrison was to stay a secret before the boy learned everything there was to learn, and then, and only then, he'd stand at his right-hand side, demolishing their enemies. He had seen it in Harrison almost immediately—the darkness was even more prominent than it had been in him at Harrison's age. His boy was probably going to surpass him in several areas and Voldemort was elated.
Ruthless, smart and extremely powerful and loyal—that was what he saw in his son and it was wonderful. Harrison liked Bella— he could even say loved—but the child's loyalty belonged him and only him. The boy was only six now and that was the reason he'd hide Harrison instead of unleashing him on their enemies.
If the secret came out, despite the Vows, he wasn't really sure what to do then. He'd have to send his child away from wizarding Britain, and he hated even the idea of not seeing his son as often as he liked.
No one would harm Harrison.
Or the world would burn.
xxx
Slowly breathing out, Albus tried to keep calm and not just tell the woman to get lost. He wasn't Tom, he always gave second chances.
"Sybill, I am afraid I will have to decline your services as a future Divination Professor," Albus Dumbledore slowly started his rejection speech. "I am very confident that one day your grandmother's powers will blossom in you, but at the moment I find myself at loss at what you could offer."
His grandfatherly voice soothed the rejection, if only a bit, and Albus smiled a sad smile. Even he couldn't employ someone like Sybill Trelawney, a total fraud who couldn't predict anything.
Her blue eyes, hidden behind huge glasses, filled with tears and Albus didn't know how to console the distraught witch. His elderly hand went for some calming tea, when he noticed Sybill's blue eyes turn white.
His insides froze in anticipation when she opened her mouth and gave a real prophecy.
"The darkness is here, strong and happy, growing every day. The light will stop the darkness from spreading. Should the light be gone, the darkness will strike, unstopped and uncontrolled. The ground will burn if darkness has no leash. The heir of serpents will surpass his ancestor if there is no light. Be aware and be in fright. The darkness needs its light."
Dumbledore didn't catch Trelawney, who fell onto the floor, his blue eyes no longer grandfatherly warm, but cold as winter peaks.
Darkness…There was only one who fit the criterium.
Tom...
xxx
The richly decorated room was dark, with a bit of light coming from the moon outside. The peace and tranquility of the night was interrupted suddenly by a blown out door, making both blondes in the bed quickly wake up, wands at the ready.
Narcissa's sleepy eyes became alert quickly, and she was now watching her sister, who stood in the blown away, damaged door frame, her normally shiny eyes looking simply mad.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Bellatrix? Get out!" Lucius had his wand pointed at the dark haired witch.
"Shut up!" Bella suddenly shouted at Lucius and then quickly came closer to Narcissa, tugging her sharply out of bed. "Come with me immediately!" Bellatrix's voice was so urgent that Narcissa quickly got up and put a robe on. Her sister had always been not all there in the head, but this was something Narcissa hadn't seen before.
"What the hell is going on?" Lucius asked after making sure his robe was on, looking between Bella and Narcissa.
"Harrison." The word was breathed out, and both Malfoys immediately understood the urgency.
Something had happened to the Dark Lord's son, and Narcissa, being a Healer, was needed. While the blonds knew Bella wasn't the real mother, they didn't know who the birth mother was. Not that it mattered in any way.
To know who the boy's father was, was enough.
xxx
The entire left wing of the Slytherin manor was in debris, walls had holes in them, and even the air was charged with magic. Quickly following her sister, Narcissa entered Harrison's room, with Lucius behind them.
On the bed was the boy himself, trashing in the Dark Lord's arms.
Alert red eyes were trained on them, and after bowing, Narcissa approached the Dark Lord.
"My Lord?"
"He has extremely high fever, shivers and he's in delirium. Do something!" Narcissa almost kneeled over when magic level rose up in the room, and only then she noticed that her Lord was restraining Harrison both physically and magically. The symptoms were similar to Fire-Flu—a very nasty virus magical children sometimes caught—but it didn't explain what was happening to Harrison's magic.
Casting a monitoring spell, Narcissa's eyes grew wide, which didn't go unnoticed by the Dark Lord.
"Speak!"
While she had always felt afraid in the presence of the Dark Lord, then now Narcissa was simply terrified. She had never seen her Lord like this—the red eyes looking similar to Bella's but much more scary—rage and conflicting emotions swirling in their depths.
"My Lord, Harrison indeed has Fire-Flu, like I suspected. We need Ice Serum, but I am afraid we don't have it in the Malfoy Manor." She actually shuddered at the look her Lord was giving her. She hoped she lived until tomorrow, as the Dark Lord looked like he was ready to kill her. "But it's not his body that is fighting the virus, it's his magic." Narcissa breathed out when understanding crossed Lord Voldemort's face.
"Bella, hold Harrison. Lucius, give me your arm." The Dark Lord got up from the bed, leaving the child without his hold, while pointing his wand at Lucius' Dark mark.
The next second Narcissa felt a sharp pain in her head, only to understand that she was on the floor, having slid down from the wall opposite of Harrison's bed. Lucius lay near Bella while the whole room shook with magic. The only one unfazed was the Dark Lord.
Swallowing hard, Narcissa looked at the now fully trashing child as if under the Cruciatus curse. Merlin, if before, seeing the damages done to the wing she suspected had been caused by the Dark Lord, then now she understood who the source was. Just how powerful was the boy? To have blasted them all away with such force...
Suddenly everything calmed down, the only sounds in the room were heavy breathing from Lucius and Bella, and soft hissing coming from the Dark Lord, who once again held the child.
When Severus appeared with the potion, Narcissa was even more relieved than the Dark Lord and her sister. Harrison seemed to possess extreme amounts of magic that responded to the Dark Lord's magic only. Should anything happen to the Dark Lord, Narcissa was afraid to imagine what would happen to Harrison. Now, even at six years old and the Dark Lord's control over him, the boy was dangerous. Elder and with no control, the boy would be a terrifying force to deal with. No matter the side you were on.
Leaving the Slytherin Manor, Narcissa looked at her husband, and smiled a tight smile at him. Lucius was thinking about the same thing as her.
The Dark Lord's son.
And his uncontrolled, destructive magic that only one person could hold under control.
It was really unsettling.
Too powerful.
xxx
Please let me know what you think. Next chapter- Harrison!