Chapter Four: I Can Explain…
Lissa's last thoughts were of the many ways she was planning to torture Death. The screaming and yelling seemed to come from a distance, as though her ears were stuffed with cotton.
Her injuries garnered in the battle ached. Fortunately she healed fast. It did take a good deal of energy to heal the more serious wounds though. Lissa vaguely registered her son's magic before letting the creeping darkness consume her.
All Teddy had time to register was pain, screaming, and his mother's magic before he too was drug under in a magical exhaustion.
All around them was pandemonium.
*Minutes earlier*
It had been roughly ten months since Sirius went to Albus Dumbledore in regards to his nightmares that were in actuality, broken memories of another Sirius Black. Since that evening, he had not been plagued by any more broken memories. His wife had noticed something was going on, but had yet to confront him about it. Remus had also been shooting him strange looks. James just seemed to be oblivious towards everything not immediately concerning him or his family.
As he walked under the large archway leading into the Great Hall, he glanced at the Enchanted Ceiling. Frowning, he noticed an old sort of glow beginning to emerge from sky. Shrugging it off as the ancient magic acting up, he looked around the Great Hall as he made his way to his seat.
At the Staff table, Lily Potter sat as the Muggle Studies Professor. Snivellus, he refused to call him anything else, was the greasy Potions Master at Hogwarts. As if able to detect his less than complimentary thoughts about him, Snivellus pinned him with his black eyes. Giving Sirius a vicious sneer, he turned his attention back to his food, dismissing him as unimportant.
Hmmm, seems that I need to prank the greasy git to remind him who he's messing with.
Severus Snape tightened his grip around his fork. He was holding onto his control by a fraying thread. He was at a loss as to why his demon was so agitated, more so than usual. He hated hiding behind such an ugly form, but it was either this or a sexy one, and the less attention he received the better. He was far too ugly to be classed as a magical creature, well one that was easy to prove that is.
'They are coming…'
Severus choked. Drawing more attention than he would have liked. A chill ran up and down his spine, the fine hairs on the back of his arms and neck standing up. His demon rarely spoke, and when it did, it was always right. It was a being of pure magic and thus had a much deeper and more intimate bond to anything connected to magic. Who could possibly have his demon so excited?
'Who?'
'You'll see…'
Cackling filled his head, along with frustration. He hated not knowing things and even more so when the information was dangled in front of him only to be snatched back. As a spy, every scrap of information could mean the difference between life and death. So he was less than pleased that his own demon was refusing to let him in on the secret. He scowled, scaring the Hufflepuffs as he viciously stabbed at his roast potatoes. Dumbledore shot him an amused glance, while the rest of the staff was bemused at his even dourer than normal demeanor.
'It's almost time…'
'If you aren't going to tell me who is coming and what is about to happen, then shut up!'
Mentally yelling at the unfazed demon brought only a measly smidgen of satisfaction to him. It grumbled a few insults, but otherwise settled for anxiously pacing in his head. His skin felt tight and more uncomfortable than normal. He recognized the signs; his demon was so very close to the surface.
As a mature Incubus, he had to constantly repress his allure, not to mention his base instincts. He had yet to have a problem with it around students, well, except for the Seventh years. His mother had warned him that if his demon ever showed any form of interest in a male or female who had yet to reach their seventeenth birthday, that it had chosen that person as its mate. He would have an uncontrollable urge for physical contact of any kind with his potential mate. He would be equally possessive and protective as well. He hoped to never experience such loss of control. He was a man who prided himself on his self-control, the very thought of him losing his hard won control was terrifying.
Senses flaring in warning, Severus just managed to get a shield up in time to block an incoming hex.
Glaring at Black, who had just tried to hex him, he threw a silent and wandless jinx at the insufferable man.
"Snivellus! You rotten greasy git!" Sirius forgot in the heat of the moment exactly who was sitting next to him. Too focused on the students and other staff members laughing at his hair, which was now a nest of hissing snakes, he pointed his wand at the Potions Master, a vicious jinx on the tip of his tongue; he didn't see Minerva's stern look.
"Mr. Black! There are children present!" Ah, leave it to Minerva McGonagall to berate Sirius Black like he was still a student. Startled by her shouting, Sirius let loose an explicative that earned him stinging hexes from the two women sitting on either side of him. He sheepishly went to rub his head, belatedly realizing that he still had snakes for hair.
"Ow! Fucking snakes." Unfortunately for him, the Slytherins heard his comment and assumed he was referring to them, even more unfortunately, Lily and Minerva noticed both of these things. While the Slytherin table gave Professor Black the evil eye and the two witches lectured a miserable looking Sirius, Severus was smirking.
The rest of the school laughed at his predicament, especially the children of the Marauders.
"Wow, dad really messed up this time." Ares Black snickered; pointing at the terrified look his father was suddenly sporting.
"Look at my mom, her face is nearly as read as her hair." Rose Potter giggled at the sight, being reminded quite vividly of all the times their father suffered the same fate.
Ares tugged on a strand of Rose's wild black hair. "Well, we all know who you resemble the most don't we?" Rose gave him an unimpressed stare.
"Do I need to enlist the help of your younger siblings? Perhaps mine instead?" Smiling in satisfaction at the horrified look gracing Ares's face, Rose turned her attention back to her steak.
"Hey Rose…" Ares trailed off, light blue eyes conflicted. Confused and curious as to why he suddenly trailed off, she turned her attention back to her friend.
"Yes Ares?" Rose prompted in an attempt to get him to continue. Her wide hazel eyes met his baby blues, breaking eye contact, Ares let out his breath in a giant whoosh.
"I—never mind. So, is your mom going to take you home tomorrow for the Holidays, or are you riding the Express?"
"The Express, I don't want to see mom and dad moping about Lissianna any more than I have to. It's been sixteen years since she died for the love of Merlin." Rose felt bad for her parents, but no amount of moping about the house was going to bring back their first child.
"Lissianna wasn't the only one lost that night." Rose winced. Her mother's parents had been killed trying to protect their granddaughter.
"I'd forgotten about that." Ares gave her an incredulous look.
"How can you forget something like that?" Rose huffed in indignation.
"Well excuse me, it's not my fault I never knew or will know my grandparents. Besides, mom and dad never talk about them, it's always Lissianna this and Lissianna that." By the time she was done ranting, everyone around them was gaping at her.
"You do realize how petty and jealous you just sounded right?" The 'I know better than you' voice grated on everyone's nerves.
Ugh, the Head Girl, Hermione Granger. She couldn't stay out of other people's business if her life depended on it. Turning to glare at the intruding Ravenclaw, Rose sized her up.
While Rose was a sixth year, she was taller than the older girl, she also somehow managed to go toe-to-toe with the bookworm magically.
"Nobody asked you for your opinion Granger." Rose heard Ares shift, likely getting ready to stand up, but another noise distracted her from saying anything else.
"Come on sis, can't you stay out of trouble for a day at the very least?" Oh great, just what she needed, her twin brothers. She was convinced the two were demons in the disguise of thirteen-year-old Gryffindors.
"No one wants to talk to you two, so scram." She really didn't want to deal with Harry and Charles along with Granger all at the same time.
The conversations in the Great Hall had grown to mere whispers, as the occupants observed the drama unfolding. Sensing trouble, both Lily and McGonagall made their way to the standoff at the Gryffindor table. They arrived just in time to catch what Rose said to her two siblings.
The Enchanted Ceiling started to grow dark, thick thunderous clouds forming, obscuring the sickle moon. Yet this went unnoticed in favor of the little spat between the Head Girl and the Lions. No one noticed as the temperature dropped, as the candles grew dimmer, no one except for Severus Snape.
"Albus?" He knew very well that the Enchanted Ceiling was being affected by strong magic. Dumbledore turned to look at him, eyes twinkling.
"Yes my dear boy, what is it?" He apparently had yet to notice the Enchanted Ceiling then.
"Look up." Dumbledore bemused, did just that after staring at the Potions Master blankly for a moment. History was then made.
"Fuck!" Dead silence, jaws gaping, everyone in the Great Hall turned to the horrified Headmaster. Severus couldn't believe his ears. Did Dumbledore just curse? No, he must be hearing things.
"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore!" Minerva, red faced marched up to the Staff table. Before she could get started on a rant, lightning illuminated the Hall, immediately followed by thunder that vibrated in their bones.
The Great Hall was plunged into darkness, the candles and torches, any sort of light having been snuffed out. Screaming, the students started to panic.
"Silence!" Surprised by Dumbledore's magically magnified voice, the students froze and fell silent. Some of the calmer few remembered that they had magic, so they used the Lumos charm, only to have it blow up in their faces, they cried out in alarm. The staff who had previously lit their wands soon found themselves facing a similar problem, Dumbledore included. Before the screaming panic could really start up again, Dumbledore intervened.
"Now, I want everyone to reach for the nearest person, and make your way back to your tables in an orderly fashion. I do not want any of you trying to find the exit, only to walk into something dangerous." He waited until the angry muttering and shuffling noises died out before continuing.
"Mr. Black, if you would be so kind as to lift the prank, I'm sure we would all greatly appreciate it." Angry mutters swept through the hall, the hissing sound made the Great Hall seem like there was some sort of terrifying beast, or thousands of snakes within.
"Hey! I had nothing to do with this! I don't even know how to get such total darkness, let alone interfere with any sort of magic cast." Sirius was the epitome of indignation.
"It's all Snivellus's fault!" Pointing his finger at the Potions Master, the Slytherin's hissed in anger as their Head of House was insulted by the Blood Traitor.
"Really Sirius? Now is not the time." Lily jabbed at him, her wand sending out red sparks to match her hair.
"Albus, I believe the Ceiling and the inability for us to accurately cast magic are connected. Black is right, no matter how disgusted I am for agreeing with his claims. The same magic that is affecting our magic and the Ceiling is only growing stronger."
As if to punctuate his statement, the clouds began to glow brighter and eerie blue, lightning arcing across the sky. Thunder almost continuously ripped through the room, prompting people to cover their ears. The blue turned to silver, and then white, with the storm becoming more and more violent.
A pressure filled the room, along with the scent of ozone. It was a heady magic, yet terrifying in its intensity. Breathing grew difficult as it pressed in on them, forcing their hearts to beat faster in an effort to keep them conscious.
'Yes…'
Severus, having gotten up to aid his Slytherin's, went cold at the glee in his demon's voice. By now everyone was pressed up against the walls, all thoughts of finding the door lost in the face of the magical storm.
Ki. Crack!
With a tremendous force, the lightning surged downwards all at once, striking the middle of the floor. A ritual circle sprang to life, bringing with it ghostly whispers not unlike those found around the Veil of Death in the Department of Mysteries. The voices were faint, indistinct, but carried power.
Wind kicked up, swirling at first lazily before roaring to life. Students and professors alike were clinging to anything solid. Severus was sure that almost everyone was screaming, but with the wind and thunder, nothing else could be heard.
There was a moment, a split few seconds where everything went silent. It was like all sound was turned off. With a brilliant flash of light, one so bright that it could be seen all the way in Hogsmeade, the sound came rushing back like tidal wave.
Blinded and ears bleeding, Severus barely managed to stand against the onslaught of magic. He felt like he was drowning, choking on the power being released from the ritual circle. Staggering, he blinked his eyes, thanking the gods that being a demon provided him with accelerated healing. Attempting to blink the black spots from his eyes, he decided that he was dead, or hallucinating. For there, in the center of the ritual circle were two beings that his demon had been hinting at.
His eyes hungrily roved the woman's face. He had the niggling thought that she was far too familiar for comfort. But he would remember such an angelic face. So he must have met someone who looked like her. The boy was obviously her son, but those features…
Eyes widening in comprehension, Severus felt a rush of adrenalin. Darting forward in a blur of black robes, he swooped down on the two unconscious figures. Eves roving over the boy's face, he catalogued all of the similarities he shared with his true form. The cheekbones and forehead he could see were not his. The jaw looked familiar, but he couldn't place it. He had no idea what color his eyes were, but he would find out. Silky black hair with blue highlights fell haphazardly to the tips of his ears.
It was the boy's scent that provided the greatest evidence; there was no doubt about who the boy's father was: one Severus Tobias Snape-Prince.
The last of the ritual circle's glow dissipated, and as it did so, the Great Hall was flooded with light. He started in surprise when the screaming cut off abruptly. He had grown so used to the sound that he'd forgotten that people were still screaming.
"Severus…What are you…" Albus trailed off, sucking in a harsh breath, face losing any color that it had retained in the panic as he finally got a good look at what, or rather who Severus was leaning over.
"That's impossible." He breathed out weakly, eyes looking like they might pop out of his head. The thrice-dammed twinkle was fully extinguished, meaning something terrible had just occurred. He walked forward in a daze, completely ignoring Madam Pomphrey bustling in and attending to the wounded.
"Albus? Oh good heavens!" Minerva's shout drew the other's attention, those in the Order cursing or looking about ready to faint at the sight of the woman and her son.
"What's got her fur in a bunch now?" Blaise Zabini smirked when his friend Draco Malfoy and his younger brother Roman Malfoy came to stand next to him.
"I'm not sure, but both Dumbledore and McGonagall look like they're about to faint." Roman looked at the older boy calculatingly.
"We should inform our Lord as quickly as possible. Should we try to sneak out now or wait?" His voice was little more than a whisper, but the two older Slytherin's heard him. They looked at each other for a few moments before reaching a consensus.
"We'll wait, that way we can send memories of the entire ordeal and not risk missing vital information."
"Albus, they need medical attention." Snape tried to snap the man out of the daze he was stuck in. Pomphrey, who he was convinced, could be summoned simply by breathing the wrong way, bustled her way over to them. She was looking more frazzled than usual, something that would normally amuse him had he not been so worried.
"Out of the way Severus." Snape was shoved aside by Poppy as she began running diagnostics over the two prone forms. The list for the woman just kept growing larger and larger. Poppy's eyes popped and she almost fell over. With a shriek, she flung the list aside and began throwing some spells at her midsection.
Bending down, Hagrid scooped up the list. Dumbledore snapped out of his trance when Hagrid began cursing.
"Tha' poor lass 'as been tortured!"
"Hagrid, might I see the list?" Looking down at the man he owed his life to, Hagrid nodded, relinquishing the list to the Headmaster.
Three things jumped out of the list, shaking Dumbledore's world when he thought nothing more could surprise him.
Aveda Kedavra (3x)
Dementor's Kiss (1x)
Basilisk Venom (1x)
There were plenty of other nasty spells and injuries on the list, but those three were impossible to survive.
"Albus, what's wrong?" Rather than saying anything, Dumbledore didn't think he could even if he tried; he passed the long parchment over to the small Charms Professor.
Flitwick let out a very high-pitched squeak that really shouldn't have been possible.
"Oh goodness, oh dear me." He continued muttering, words like 'impossible' being repeated.
Severus, fed up with not knowing what had triggered the glassy eyed look in the Charms Professor, or the sudden manipulative gleam in the Headmaster's, snatched the scroll from Filius' loose grip. He never noticed that his hands were empty.
They dared to harm my mate and child!
Severus jumped, the scroll flying from his shaking hands as he saw the results and the violent reaction his demon had. For a split second, he lost his hold on the demon. That was all it took. The others remained oblivious to his predicament as they passed the scroll around, exclaiming in disbelief over it.
Knowing that to shift into their true form would likely see them killed, the demon smashed through the mental restraints, forcefully taking control of their body, while restraining the urge to shift. The only sign that Severus was no longer in control were his eyes. No longer black, they were slit like a dragon's, with red irises. Thinking quickly, the demon applied a wandless glamour and notice me-not spell over his eyes.
It was strange being the one in control for once. He never wanted to go back into the cage again. He could feel his human half bashing against the barriers he'd thrown up to prevent him from regaining control. He was willing to strike a deal with the human, so long as he didn't have to go back into the fucking cage, they could work something out.
The demon moved so that he had a better view of his mate, peering at her neck. He let out a hiss of displeasure when he failed to find a claiming mark. He sniffed, wondering if she had it somewhere else on her body. No, she was unmarked.
"Well that simply won't do." He didn't realize that he'd spoken out loud until Poppy turned to him in confusion.
"What do you mean 'that simply won't due'? If you know a better spell, then please enlighten me." Her offended and defensive tone warned the demon that he was treading on thin ice.
"I was thinking of potential healing potions, not healing spells, which is your specialty." The lie flowed like warm silk from his tongue. What else would you expect from a demon?
Harrumphing, the witch went back to working on the boy, having finished with the woman.
"Albus, perhaps we should escort the students to their Common Rooms? It is getting late and they've had quite the scare. Mrs. Potter has been healing the few wounded, and is now free to help. I would like to stay here with our…guests and aid Poppy. She may need my potions expertise." The demon drawled this as though it were a normal everyday occurrence to have two people rip through the wards surrounding Hogwarts.
Albus gave him a piercing look. After what seemed to be an interminable amount of time, the aging man nodded slowly. He put his wand to his throat, casting a Sonorous charm.
"Students, I want each of you to group into your respective Houses. Staff members will be taking you back to your dorms. Chop chop." Cancelling the Sonorous charm, Dumbledore looked at his Potions Master.
"I need to go let the Aurors in, they have been hammering on our front door for a good amount of time now. I suppose the Department of Mysteries and the press will have tagged along as well. So much for a nice Holiday break." Muttering under his breath about interfering Ministry workers and for some odd reason leeches, the demon strode over to his human's Slytherins.
"Professor Snape!" They all surged towards him, shooting out question after question.
"Sir…" It was when one of the First years latched onto his robes, that the demon decided enough was enough.
"Enough." He didn't yell; he had no need to with the menacing aura that the demon was openly emitting.
He pried the little midget off of him, thrusting her into the arms of an older Slytherin. He felt vindictive glee as the girl then latched on to her next victim. There was a brief struggle where Orion Lestrange futilely tried to pry off Alyssa Nott. He gave up when she dug in her nails and literally used all of her limbs to hang on. Glaring the same glare his mother Bellatrix had taught him, he subjected his fellow housemates to it to get them to shut it. It worked rather well.
Despite himself, the demon was impressed at the glare and its effectiveness. Bellatrix still had nothing on one of his human's glares of course. He bet he could cow his human with a glare, one he practiced in a mirror that is.
Severus Snape didn't know what to do, he was currently trapped in his own mind and body by the very being that had emerged upon his majority. Giving up on getting out for the moment, he stopped to observe the demon. He could see through their body's eyes, but he had no control, thus he was stuck doing whatever the demon wanted. Severus was surprised that the demon hadn't killed anyone yet. So much for thinking that letting it out would result in a massacre. Snorting at the thought, he settled down to simply watch and wait. He would bide his time before striking when the demon least expected it.
Said demon wanted to laugh at his human side. Did the man really think he was that stupid?
Still, that conversation was going to happen sooner rather than later.
Seeing that his human's students were being led away by another staff member, the demon quickly made his way back to his mate and child's side.
"Ah, Severus, there you are. Help me get them up to the infirmary?" Pulling out his wand, the demon channeled his magic through it, concentrating on the desire for his mate to be immobile and float. With a heady rush, the magic leap eagerly from the wand, surrounding and embracing the prone woman.
Silently, the demon began plotting how to woo his mate. He would have to be careful, no one could know the truth about her, whatever that may be. He vowed to find out.
He eyed her bloodied and torn clothing with disgust. Both he and Poppy had failed to remove anything from either of the guests, so the nasty clothes had to stay. That didn't mean they weren't hit with dozens of sanitizing and cleaning spells. Making their way out of the rapidly emptying Great Hall, the injured students trooped after them obediently, not wanting to risk inciting Poppy's wrath by fleeing to their dorms.
It wasn't long before they reached the Hospital Wing, though not soon enough for the demon. The little pests kept trying to get a good look at his mate. She was his dammit! The portraits were no better, whispering like excited schoolgirls the lot of them.
He snarled when one unusually brave Gryffindor reached out to poke her when they had stopped to wait for the stairs to change.
"Potter!" Snarling at the cowering boy, the demon noted that it was Patrick, the youngest Potter child in Hogwarts at the moment. He vowed to get back at the little shit when he puffed up his chest and uttered one word that both the demon and his human hated.
"Snivellus." Potter gulped as the Professor loomed over him, his jaw ticking.
"Detention Potter…for a month! Oh, and 50 points from Gryffindor." Shaking in rage, the young Potter opened his mouth to argue when a fellow Gryffindor slapped her hand over it.
Grinning a grin that would have worried even Voldemort, the demon plotted how best to torture the little cretin for the next month, assuming he could reach a favorable deal with his human side that is.
Upon reaching the infirmary, the demon swiftly followed Poppy and copied her actions when she lowered his son onto one of the crisp beds.
"I'll keep an eye on them Poppy, you go deal with the terrors, I mean children." The innocent look was absurd on Snape's face, and Poppy laughed at the sight. The children looked nonplussed. How could you laugh with Snape next to you?
"All right Severus, I'll go take care of the children." Knowing that it wouldn't be a good idea to have Severus near the very things that were likely to set him off, Poppy readily agreed.
The demon conjured a chair, feeling the echoes of amusement radiating from his human half. Settling down onto the sinfully comfortable chair, the demon stared at his small family, a smile of contentment on his face.
If one of the students were to see Snape smiling, they would run screaming for the hills, because he was obviously going to kill them.
Albus strode quickly out of the Great Hall, mind whirling with possibilities. One thing that was clear was that Voldemort had apparently succeeded in producing an heir, one that he was hopefully unaware of. A daughter he didn't know existed, not to mention a grandson. The boy was young, though he looked to be around eleven, so Hogwarts age. He would have to look at the Admittance Book to see what his full name was.
He had been shocked to see the Enchanted Ceiling acting like it had been right before the ritual really got going. Never, in all of Hogwarts's many years had the Enchanted Ceiling ever been recorded for having malfunctioned. He was dreading the coming confrontation with the Ministry. Fortunately, few knew what Voldemort looked like before all the dark rituals twisted him into a monster.
How could something so beautiful come from something so ugly? He paused, remembering a conversation he had heard two Muggleborns talking about years ago.
"The lotus is a beautiful flower, yet it grows in detritus. So tell me Michelle…"
He didn't hear the rest of the two Hufflepuffs' conversation, so he had no idea what they were really talking about, but that one line stuck with him even years later.
A lotus, yes Voldemort's daughter was like the lotus flower. The boy looked so very like his grandfather, but there was a greater resemblance to his mother. It was slight, but it was there. The slant of their eyes, the ears, chin, and nose were not from Voldemort, but his mother and someone else who he felt like he'd seen before. But who, who could the boy's father be?
He filed the new mystery in his mind for further perusal; right now he had a small army banging on the front gate of Hogwarts…literally.
He let out a miserable groan when he saw who was waiting for him.
Amelia Bones, Croaker, and…Rita Skeeter.
This was going to be a complete disaster. Walking like a man to his doom, Dumbledore gave a weak and unconvincing smile.
"Good evening…"
"Enough of the chit chat Albus, now open the blasted wards!" Croaker, not used to having to wait on people was fed up with standing outside when something remarkable was happening inside of Hogwarts.
Dumbledore's smile fell flat, his eyes closed briefly, he prayed for the strength and patience to get through the ordeal without throwing them all out on their ears.
"Very well, follow me." With a wave of his wand, the wards opened to emit the little army. Following the rabid reporter were a few well-known journalists, including, much to everyone's confusion, Xenophilius Lovegood.
"Our sensors at the Ministry detected a massive disturbance here at Hogwarts. So fearing an attack, the DMLE was sent out. Right after the last of the Aurors were sent out, Croaker here came running up in a tizzy, yammering on about some sort of rift in the time space continuum, whatever the hell that is." The Head Auror, James Potter, fell silent after the rapid explanation.
Dumbledore growled in irritation. Great, now the whole Ministry knows, and no doubt Voldemort is being alerted to the events at this very moment.
He wasn't wrong.
Far away from Hogwarts, on one of the many magically hidden islands near Great Britain, was Slytherin Castle.
Dark and ominous in appearance, the castle was a formidable building, one befitting the home of a Dark Lord.
In a room, a study actually, sat a man, if you could call such a monster a man. He was staring into the dancing flames, stroking the massive snake wrapped around him. The man tensed, going rigid in his seat when he felt a massive magical disturbance. Standing abruptly, he ignored his familiar's hiss of irritation and swept out of the room.
Searching, he eventually found one of his many loyal followers.
"Lestrange, your arm." Rodolphus Lestrange froze at the hissing voice behind him. Swiftly, he spun around, dropping into a low bow of subservience. He extended his left arm, pulling back the sleeve of his robe as he did so.
"I live to serve, my Lord." His mumbled voice was full of reverence for his Lord. Pleased with his actions, Voldemort pressed the tip of his wand to the dark mark writhing on the man's pale skin.
A few moments of waiting produced Lucius Malfoy, not a strand of pale hair out of place.
Rodolphus's brown hair felt suddenly lacking as the abnormally colored blond haired man swiftly approached them. Dropping down on his knees, Lucius kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes, only just preventing a grimace of disgust from showing at the sight of Voldemort's feet.
"On time as usual Lucius." The man shivered at the hissing tone, feeling like ants were crawling on his skin. "I want you to find out everything that you can about the magical disturbance I detected." Voldemort's red eyes pinned the man like a bug, expecting instant and unquestioning loyalty.
"Yes my Lord."
"Oh, and both of you contact your sons to see if they know anything. Dismissed." With the dismissal, both men groveled some more before sedately leaving the contemplative Voldemort behind.
In a room, that Voldemort avoided like the plague was a tapestry. But it was no ordinary tapestry, oh no, it was a Family Tree. Not only that, but it was self-updating. Little did Voldemort know was that the moment Lissianna and Teddy entered this dimension, their names appeared in a gold glow. Only the House Elves visited the room to clean it, so the secret would be kept…for now.