Warning: References to death and child abuse.
Chapter 1: A Fateful Halloween, Part I:
"Fred, do think Mum will be angry that we came here by ourselves?" little George Weasley asked his brother with excitement.
"Probably, but she doesn't have to find out now does she!" Fred beamed at his twin. The two four and a half and one month year olds had decided to visit the Muggle village near the Burrow. They wanted to see how the Muggles lived and what kind of tools that they used. But they really wanted to visit houses and get candy like the Muggle children.
The two little children could see the Muggle village coming into their view. The innocent children laughed happily and bounced toward the street. George wasn't looking where he was going and bumped into a rather large man, who looked about as friendly as a rearing dragon. He said something unintelligible. George immediately apologized, but the man suddenly hit the red headed child.
George's head bounced off the ground. Fred was frozen for a moment when the man started to stomp on little George's rib cage. Once…twice…thrice…and before the man's foot could come down a fourth time, the man fell to the ground in silent screams. George was lying on the ground making gurgled breathing noices and was sobbing.
Fred's eyes were also filled with tears, and he wished that the man would burn for forever. Around the two little twins was a wall of fire. That seemed as hot as Fred's rage. He went to his twin and held George's bloody hand. George moaned a little as some of his ribs tried to slide back into place. Neither of them noticed an approaching figure until the stranger made a sound.
"I really do hate it when these filthy creatures try to touch children…" the figure sighed. Fred would have been afraid of him. But this man had something that made him feel more safe than anything else. The man had a wand.
"Can you help him?!" Fred asked with pleading tears. The man looked down at the boy and then back to the man that was still writhing in pain. The man knew that he could very well take the life of an even younger child than the two before him at that moment. The hooded figure had done a great deal of thinking and he still wasn't sure if he was going to kill a three month old child.
"What are your names?" Voldemort asked as he began to help the injured twin heal. The uninjured one was shaking so hard that Voldemort thought he could be a leaf that was being blown in the wind.
"Fred…and George…"the little boy pointed to himself and then his brother. "Is George going to die…?" the boy cried tearily. Voldemort thought about how children could be so trusting. He wondered if he was as trusting as them when he was that age.
"He'll be fine," he said as George's breathing became more even and sounded less like he was choking on his own blood. Slowly George's wounds stitched themselves together. The boy was even able to look at his twin and the stranger with clear eyes.
When the healing was done, George was helped up by his brother. Voldemort spoke again, "I want the two of you to listen to me very carefully. I want the both of you to go straight home, and do not come back to this filthy village again without a strong wizard to protect you." The twins nodded feebly.
"T-thank you," George said squeezing tightly on Fred's hand.
"The two of you should be more careful. You should always be able to get in and out of any situation without being seen." Voldemort lectured. The twins nodded feebly. Their eyes were round, and there was no way Voldemort couldn't see how the twins desperately admired him now. "Do the two of you know who I am?" he asked knowing full well that the did not.
"You saved us," the twins said in unison. "We'll always remember you! You're our hero!" the two said with unadulterated innocence. Voldemort pulled his hood down to show the innocent pair who he was. White skin, noseless face, and blood red eyes did not deter the redheaded twins from admiring him.
"I am the Dark Lord Voldemort," the man said narrowing his eyes at the boys. The two of them looked at each other and had a seemingly speechless conversation. When they looked back at the Dark Lord, they had determination plastered on their faces.
"We'll never forget this," Fred said.
"And we'll always be thankful," George said next, and together the said, "We promise to serve you always."
Voldemort knew that the pair of children didn't understand the full extent of what they were saying. What child would willingly volunteer to commit murder. But then the twins held out their left arms. This stunned Voldemort into speaking.
"I will not Mark you. I do not take anyone who hasn't been properly trained. When you go to finish your schooling, you will have to find a way to contact me and prove yourselves to me before I will even begin to think about Marking you." Voldemort said surprising himself. "Now, the two of you need to go home. I'll deal with the Muggle."
A moment of shock rose on the boys faces, but they nodded and scurried off. Voldemort knew that the two red headed boys didn't go far. He knew that they wanted to see what was going to happen to the Muggle. He knew that this could potentially scare them for the rest of their lives. But none of this stopped him from using the fire that was caused by Fred's accidental magic to burn the Muggle until he was nothing but bone and marrow.
Voldemort looked in the direction of the twins. Who when they saw that he was looking at them finally ran back to the safety of the Burrow. Voldemort was impressed that the two of them could stomach such a scene. He thought of how much potential the two of them had. There was little doubt that they could one day be Marked. The red headed twins' innocence weighed heavily on his mind as he Apparated to the Potter residence. Where could very well kill a child far more innocent.