Chapter three
It then hit the papers like all arrests, accept this one caused quite a stir, and as the children began to see, their parents were seen very differently in society now, where once their parents were feared and respected, now nobody ever wanted to admit to knowing them.
Ceph told them, those sorts of people who didn't go looking for the Dark lord and denied being a death eater, were those who were as worse as blood traitors.
Thus, the children took a wary approach with their new uncle and guardian who really paid less attention to them than their father did.
The day of the trial of their parents came; each wore an outfit that suited them best, much to Aunt Cissy's displeasure.
Ceph and Estella wore black robes, as if one was in mourning and were scarily similar to death eater robes.
Lacerta had chosen a dark green velvet dress and matching bow, she wore it proudly and vainly.
Aquarius, was becoming distastefully expressive in his attire and behaviour, and wore red and gold robes, advertising his Hogwarts house preference.
Little Iris, was dressed by Cissy in cream and pale pink, Cissy believing it would perhaps show a light of innocence on at least one of the children, however all of them were anything but.
She dressed her own son, Draco, in baby blue robes.
The ministry took to the children with all displeasure and the children themselves felt outnumbered and kept their heads down and stuck together, even Aquarius did this and he would have done anything to not be with who he was.
Iris and Draco were being carried by auntie and Iris desperately wished she could be put down, so she could toddle along with her siblings, mother never picked her up and she wasn't used to it, she also found her dress rather itchy and would much rather be in her nappy and baby vest.
Auntie walked into a big room, with lots of people, this scared Iris and she buried her face in auntie's soft silk robes.
"Lucious, take one of them please- I can't carry both!" Whispered auntie.
"Narcissa, you know it is not a man's place-"
"You do know Iris can walk on her own." Interrupted Estella, as they all stood waiting to be ushered to their seats.
"You will do well to mind you tongue!" warned her uncle.
Sighing auntie place them on the floor and tottering slightly, both Draco and Iris, both now two and half stood.
As now the family took their places, near the front of the audience seats.
Iris getting quite bored with all the talking looked at her cousin.
"Me bored, me explore!" exploring was Iris's favourite word.
"Mama? Dada?" asked Draco looking at the adults.
"Shhh, auntie and uncle won't know!" giggled Iris.
The toddlers toddled their way through the stands, till they reached the door that was propped open, to Draco it seemed entirely strange with no one to look out for him, for Iris, it felt a lot more like home to be on her own. Out into the polished corridor the two toddlers were tired and sat down on their bottoms.
"Don't like it" whimpered Draco, starting to cry.
Iris pouted, she hated it when Draco had to ruin the fun and go cry, sighing a little, she did what her elder brother always used to do when someone cried and gave him a hard push, hard enough to make him topple onto his back and cry even harder.
"Tut, tut, you shouldn't push people little girl" said a voice that was coming from behind Iris, Iris sniffed, who was this lady to tell her, what to do.
The lady was old, older than auntie and uncle even, she was reeling along a kind of pram, that you put babies in, Iris was glad she never had one – she never would have wanted to be seen as a baby.
"Baby" she said pointing at the pram.
The old lady's expression softened a bit and Iris was ashamed to admit, it had been the nicest look anyone had given her.
"this is my grandson, Neville" she said, looking fondly at Neville, she lifted both Iris and Draco up to see and to Iris surprise he looked the same age as them and was sleeping softly.
"Neville no mama?" asked little Draco, who could never live without a mother like his.
"His parents have gone away little boy" said the old lady sadly.
Iris felt comforted, that she wasn't the only one with gone away parents.
"My mama not here" said little Iris looking around the room, as if Bellatrix Lestrange herself may appear and hug her tight.
"Well where is your mama?" said the old lady, setting the two toddlers on the ground.
"Mama going away to prison" whispered Iris, tears threatening to fall, but she must not cry, no one ever listened to you when you cried, it was the first thing Ceph had told her.
It then dawned on the old lady, just who this little girl was, the hair and heavily lidded eyes, were now unmistakable. If the old lady, had not had a child of her own to care for and knew the heartache of losing a child, she would have left both toddlers where they were and ran.
The old lady, had quietly and quickly left, them in the care of the Malfoys, neither Malfoy was paying any attention to any of the lestrange children and were fussing over whimpering Draco, thought the old lady, the children themselves seemed a sorrowful bunch, they were skinny and gaunt looking and the elder three had a dull look in their eyes and smiled with mouths only, one of them, very daringly dressed in red and gold, had a radiant hope etched upon his features and the little one, had a look of fierce determination, the elder lady, gave one last glance and knew this was not the last she would see of them and with that she wheeled Neville to the stands, ready for the trial to begin.
The trial was not revolutionary; there were no real climaxes or no real shocks. It was quick and short, as nobody could deny, that the Lestranges were the cause of it and those who did not know they did what they done, would have not put it pass 'those sort of people' in the first place.
For the children however it was the biggest thing they had to face, to see their mother that was once their rock, their sole role model to be stripped bare, for the world to see their great parents caught and captured like animals in a cage, ready for the slaughter house. It was like their childish dreams of blood and installing fear into others, was taken away and it showed them, the power the other side still had. Never had each child been so singularly angry about one thing, all for quiet very different reasons.
Ceph's anger was directed to those Death eaters whom sat in the audience and nodded along with the loyal misdeeds, like they were the just.
Estella's anger was directed towards the opposing side and how so great witches and wizards could fall to a mundane Potter baby.
Lacerta's anger was directed at Bartimus crouch, that sat on a high stand, who literally and metaphorically leered down at all, judgemental and hypocritical, he looked at them like they were beneath the ground he walked his vicious boots upon.
Aquarius anger was directed, at his power loving freak of a mother, who looked so poor and helpless, yet so wicked and cruel and capable of such inhumanities, that her outside image a facade, like the love she had for them.
Iris was so angry at every one and yet not so sure why.
1984
The children never spoke of that incident ever again and what broke their make shift family apart, also brought the siblings further apart. The five children were mostly forgotten about in the Malfoy manor and spent their time thinking of a more prosperous era.
Ceph now coming to the important age of eleven, had devoured every dark arts book he had laid his hands upon and sat in corners, looking at others scornfully with his empty dull black eyes.
Estella, now eight, spent her time with Shay and Darius, when Ceph was reading; they picked upon younger children at the limited pureblood gatherings they went too and became bullies in their own right, when at home they picked upon Aquarius.
Lacerta spent her time learning the art of pureblood deception and etiquette, with Santana Rosier and Pricilla Parkinson.
And when Aquarius, whom was six, wasn't running from his bully of a brother and sister, locked himself away in one of the mannor's attic rooms and danced.
He remembered the day clearly when he found that he loved to dance, it was a dark time and he had just turned five, his uncle was in and out of ministry holding cells and Auntie distraught with the fact her husband may not come home this time. This left the Lestrange children to do as they pleased, deciding to hunt down Aquarius himself and do goodness knows what to him, they chased him every day.
It was at this point, he was near giving up all together and he knew he could run no further; it was then, with the will to pick himself up after hearing the approaching catcalls, he saw a little stairwell, small and discreet, and he was surprised to find it. It seemed to him, it was his own will to be rescued when he had no way out, that had found it for him. He climbed it, with a mixed sense of curiosity and relief.
The attic was so large and so scarily thrilling, that he revisited it to find himself drawing a map on an old bit of parchment as he went, with child like freedom exploring his way about.
It was a good couple of weeks before he found the room, he never knew he had been waiting for. It was further into the deep attic until he found it, the small room, like a glittering jewel in a labyrinth of mazes. There was a big mirror at one end and a shelf filled with books, along with a bar running all the way along the far side of the room and sat in a corner was a dusty trunk, in fact the whole room was coated with dust.
Opening the trunk, with a look of such naive wonder and care, that put most boys to shame, it revealed layers of pink chiffon tutus and silk leotards. Once he had laid them down upon the floor, careful not to rip the ancient and delicate fabric, at the bottom lay a line of ballet shoes – each lined in size order, going from small baby shoes, smaller than his little sister Irises feet to adult points, with silk ties. Gasping, he had never seen these sort of shoes, he was always told to wear big chunky boots and smart dinner shoes only. He then looked at the wall of books 'ballet dancers through history' one of them said, another 'a beginners guide to ballet' and then further up the shelf 'advanced ballet'. Looking at the, room which had been abandoned for years, he thought back to who had last been in here and how ballet was clearly their passion, and how the care put in, had now been put to waste, as dust was allowed to settle for years.
Shutting the door to the magical room, he sighed, had it been magic that he found a room, a place rather to escape, from who he represented and the long and the short of who he represented; he was the only other male Lestrange apart from Ceph and Ceph did not like that, he liked to win, he likes to grab things with two hands and take the power that was his and one day, thought Aquarius he would turn all the siblings against him and if powerful enough, mother and father too and eventually the lestrange family would devour him whole.
These sort of thoughts still occupied Aquarius today. He spent most of his days in the room, the day after he found the room (as he like to call it) he dusted and polished and cleaned until, the floor and mirror shined with perfection and then he slipped on a pair of shoes, grabbed the beginners guide to ballet and never looked back.
By now he danced all the time, when he was not with his private tutor, eating, sleeping or on the rare private outing with his siblings, he danced.
And now we come to Iris, the baby of the family. She was four and yet she already began to structure sentences in writing and spoke, with language far beyond her years and was vastly well read, for her age that was. Yes, little Iris devoured book or tried to at least, with utmost determination to do so. She also requested she play the piano, in which she spent time playing and playing scales, with her four-year old little fingers, till she got them perfect.
Now, if the Malfoys ever stopped to listen or even look, they would have realised that the lestrange children, nice or not, were in no doubt very talented children and if their mother and father had ever spared a thought on them, maybe the elder three, would not be sick ambition to please their parents and maybe the younger two would not feel so much neglect.
1985
Both Malfoys agreed that it was best for Ceph to be sent away to Dumstrang, by saying that both Malfoys agreed, was entirely incorrect, no, the correct saying was that Lucious demanded and Narcissa obeyed, but regardless to how the decision was made – Cepheus Rodolphus Lestrange would be going away, far away.
And my, wouldn't his parents be proud had thought Ceph, he wouldn't just attend and do well, no he would rule the institution and he would demand respect. He shouldn't have been thinking about this, especially at eleven, he should have been thinking about chocolate frog cards and quidditch, like most but since when did any of the children land in the broad group of most.
A few days before Cepheus was to be sent to Dumstrang, Cepheus and the twins sat outside, on one of the Manors large patio's in childishly animated discussion.
"I can't believe you are actually getting a wand!" exclaimed Lacerta.
"think of all the spells you will be able to do and if you think about it...you could even do one of the-" started Estella.
"One of the unforgivable's, I know" finished Ceph, though he was distracted.
"What are you doing here Iris?" asked Lacerta surprised, as iris never really said much, even though the elder three were never horrible to her.
Iris ignoring her sister stared at her brother with a calculating gaze for such a little girl.
"Do you think getting a wand would prove yourself to Mother and Father when they are free?" although Iris never said much, it was something worth noting when she did.
Although Ceph would never admit it, he was impressed as to how she could guess his thoughts exactly. He said nothing.
"You know it won't really, work." She said blatantly.
"What?" thundered Ceph, turning around, all to suddenly – the twins sent their warning looks. "Mother told me, personally, she would be very proud of me if I fought on her side." He spat at her.
Taking careful steps back, Iris continued only a little bit put off.
"Don't you see? Adults do it all the time, Aunt Cissy say's I'm the prettiest thing in the world, but it's all just lies – if it's anyone, it's Lacerta. The same with Mother, she expects you to do so when the time comes but she will never love, I don't think she is ever capable of something like that." She explained.
Angry and furious, Ceph slapped her across the face, knocking her to the ground.
Tears pricking her eyes, he sighed – he couldn't keep punishing her for her naivety.
"I know, you think cruel actions like that can silence me, they can't, I can still think and nobody can steal that away from me." Iris said trying not to sob.
Lacerta took a rare sense of pity on her.
"We would never hurt you, we just don't want you to lose your way, and we want you to become a good pureblood unlike Aquarius." Comforted Lacerta.
"Well, let's face it, Aquarius was never one of us to begin with, he was to different, he didn't have the Lestrange streak, but you have got the Lestrange streak, that's what makes you one of us." Added Estella.
Tearfully Iris nodded.
"Where's Aquarius these days anyway?" asked Ceph.
Walking over to where Ceph was standing. She replied "yes, I never see him now either, it's no fun playing without him"
Iris bit her bottom lip and kept quiet, she knew where he was of course and she was too good of a person to rat him out...yet.
Chapter three
When the Malfoys, along with the five Lestrange siblings returned from Diagon alley, Ceph brandished his wand and the children gathered to see.
"Well, at least it isn't like some of those pathetic wands that only mudbloods get." Estella remarked.
"They aren't very pretty, the short, bendy ones, that are as good as useless, this one however is-" said Lacerta
"Long, dark and excellent for dark magic" boasted Ceph proudly.
While the elder three examined the wand with wonder and the Malfoys doted upon their darling son, the two youngest children walked away up the stairs to the attic.
"The pirouette, it's my next challenge, Iris" said Aquarius to little Iris, who was sitting on the attic floor watching him practise.
"You're awfully good at ballet...you should go to a ballet school." Said Iris and she was right, Aquarius had a clear talent for ballet.
"Ballet School?" asked Aquarius.
"Well, Ceph is good at dark magic and he is going to Dumstrang, and you're good at ballet...so you should go to a ballet school, even if it is a muggle one." Explained Iris.
"You know auntie and uncle would never allow me, Ballet isn't for boys they would say...now for the pirouette..."
"Aquarius, what if you're sorted into Gryffindor?" Iris questioned.
"You do ask some funny questions, but I suppose I wouldn't mind it really – I think I would get on well there." Aquarius remarked.
"I wouldn't want you to be sorted in Gryffindor..."
Aquarius stopped what he was doing and sat down next to his little sister.
"Why's that Iris?"
"Because then the other won't allow me to talk to you, they already say you are a blood traitor"
"I haven't even tried to fit in with what they thought was right, Iris."
They sat in silence for a while.
"I don't blame them for calling you a blood traitor, I think Ceph wants to make Mother and Father proud more than anything and Lacerta and Estella go along with what he says, because they are scared – even I'm scared sometimes...sometimes I agree and stop fighting just so he doesn't hurt me..." she said licking her lips nervously "But, you're brave, you don't let Ceph tell you what to do."
Aquarius looked thoughtful for a second or two.
"you must be the most insightful four year old I have ever met, but I do get scared, I just learn to hide it, so they don't think they are winning and it seems to me, that even though Mother and Father are not here, it still seems as if they are telling us what to do. I think it will be better, when Ceph goes off to Dumstrang." Replied Aquarius.