A/N: I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm pleased to involve this character. They are very important to this story and I'm looking forward to giving them some substance. I think that they are a much stronger person than they have been portrayed in the HP story. There is another little twist in this chapter that I hope you all like. SA

'And I am infinite. I continue on.

I will never fear the unknown, and I am infinite. I can continue on.

Limitless and unbreakable, the wavering wishes of man are but a whimper.

Now stand up high to come and live forever with me.

All hope is not lost.'

"Greater Distance" – The Ghost Inside

Thursday August 31st 2000

Rose watched as Voldemort turned around and set eyes upon the spirit form of the woman behind him. His eyes widened in shock, and before he could speak, the woman placed her hand upon Voldemort's chest. He gasped at the contact and stiffened, his wand falling from his grasp. He dropped to his knees, before collapsing upon the floor. Rose's eyes moved from the sight of Voldemort's still form to the woman. 'Is he dead?' She asked. The woman shook her head. 'No, he is now in his subconscious, just as you were. He will not stay there for long though.' The woman's heavy face gazed at her gently; she had a mournful countenance that seemed filled with decades of sorrow. 'Who are you?' Rose asked her. The woman reached out a hand to her face, the woman's touch startling Rose. It was like the feeling of static.

'You are such a lovely young woman...you have such spirit and energy about you.' She gazed sadly towards Voldemort's prostrate body. 'It is a pity he does not appreciate how fortunate he is to have you as his wife.' The woman let out a sigh and then returned her attention to Rose. 'I am sure that one day soon he will realise what he has.' The woman had failed to answer her question on who she was, and appeared to have some forlorn hope that Voldemort could one day become a reformed character. Rose bit back her cynicism, as there was something quite sweet and gentle about the woman.

And she had paid her a compliment too. It had been a while since anyone had said anything so nice to her. It would be rude to pour scorn on this gentle soul. Tears pricked at Rose's eyes, the woman's kind words made her feel so sad. Another sensation of static shot through her as the woman brushed a hand against her cheek. 'Don't cry, dear Rose. I would have been proud to have had a daughter like you. Keep your sorrow for later. You need to think of your son now; he needs to connect with his father.'

Rose stared at her, non-plussed. 'What do l have to do?' She asked the woman. 'Place his hand upon your abdomen and he will see the truth.' Rose nodded to the woman, forcing back her tears. She did not want to do this; she wanted to protect this tiny human inside her from evil and harm. But he'd the right to know who his father was, and they were in danger whilst Voldemort did not believe the truth. 'Okay.' Kneeling down beside Voldemort's body, Rose grasped his limp hand, reluctantly placed it against her stomach and held it in place with her own. She inhaled a breath as she felt the magnitude of the power and the magic between the three of them.

xox

Voldemort found himself stood on a vast beach. Waves rose and fell in the distance, and he felt the refreshing breeze upon his skin and heard the plaintive cry of the gulls from above. He looked across the sands and saw a boy stood alone, watching him. Curious, he began to walk in the direction of the small figure. He found the feeling of the sand against his bare feet pleasing; it was something he had not experienced since he had been a child.

As he began to draw nearer, he inhaled a breath. He thought for a moment that he was approaching himself as a child. The nose was the same as that he had once possessed. And although it now had a childish shape, it would eventually become elegantly aquiline in adulthood. Matching lips that could either curve into a charming smile or morph into an angry grimace.

It was the eyes that struck him the most. They were also the same colour to his own before he had transformed himself; changeling eyes. In certain lights they appeared to be pale green. In others they shared the same hue as the sky on a sunny, cloudless day. At times they appeared as a mixture of both colours and resembled the dazzling shade of clear, untainted sea water.

But he also spotted the differences as quickly as the similarities and knew it was not his child self. The boy had the same thick mane of hair he had once had, but it was a rich and glossy chestnut colour where his had been dark brown. As the sun came out, auburn tones shone through; the exact shade of his mother's. His face had the same delicate, heart-shape as hers and his skin the same light, creamy shade. The boy was visually striking, as he knew their child would be.

Before Voldemort could react, the boy ran to him, flinging himself against his body. He felt the boy clasp his arms around his waist. Voldemort was momentarily stunned by the child's uninhibited display of affection. He experienced a bolt of emotion transfer to him from the boy. It was the emotion that he could not feel or express; that he despised and rejected above all others…love.

It was disconcerting to experience this emotion inside of him, and he did not know how to react to it. Neither could he comprehend the strong yet gentle touch of the child's arms around his person, it was so unfamiliar to him. Voldemort grasped the boy's arms in his hands, perhaps with more force than was needed and pulled him away from his body. He released the boy from his grip, and their eyes met one anothers. The boy gazed at him with a clear and steady expression. 'Hello father,' the boy spoke the words in Parseltongue.

Voldemort shivered inwardly at being addressed as such, and felt the shock reverberate through him as the boy spoke the language of the serpent. The pleasure and pride he suddenly felt was greater than at any time he had experienced those feelings before. The achievements he had sought and gained throughout his life, his victories over his enemies and his control of the wizarding world now seemed to pale into insignificance when this child who stood before him called him "father".

Voldemort fought to master this assault of emotions that hit him. He forced his face to become an impassive mask once again. He always believed that he would be dispassionate and unmoved by his child. The child would merely be another possession of his; a physical manifestation of his greatness to be displayed to the world.

The child would only be required to follow him, learn from him, help him, evidence his virility and prove that he could produce a human worthy of being his heir and deserving of calling him father. And become almost as great a wizard as he was. He had no intentions of fostering a fatherly role with his child; he did not even know how a father would behave, never having had one. The man who had been his father had merely impregnated his mother and brought him into creation. That had been the sum contribution of his role as his father.

The boy's voice cut through his reflections. 'Mum said you would not want to be hugged, but you are my father and I wanted to greet you as I would her.' The boy continued to address him in Parseltongue. His manner and speech were more mature than his youth belied. 'She said you are not accustomed to such physical displays of affection.' Sensing the sudden presence of another, the boy let out a whoop of joy. 'She's here…Mum!' The boy yelled, turned around and now began to move away from him, running across the sands. Voldemort's eyes followed him to his destination.

She stood at the water's edge, barefoot. Her silky mane of hair was lifted away from her face by the wind. She wore a dress of Slytherin green that accentuated both her auburn hair and her delicate curves. He was startled by the sensation of his heartbeat quickening at the sight of her. Her eyes met his briefly, before they moved away from him towards the boy, devouring him. She held out her arms to him and the boy flung himself into them with such force. She picked him up and he wrapped his legs around her waist. They both laughed and hugged each other tightly,and then she spun them both around joyously.

Voldemort watched as they kissed and then both broke apart slightly to look at one another. He felt a physical stab of pain as he saw the look that passed between them. Never had she looked that way at him. Envy flared up within him, and he suddenly thought of the looks Bellatrix had bestowed upon him. She had dared to say she loved him, but her looks were fevered and maniacal; not this look of pure joy and rapture.

Thoughts of his mother made way into his head. He could not even recall the last time he had thought upon her, and he had no memories of her. Had she been given the chance to gaze upon him with such emotion before she had died and left him? It was something he would never know and would never experience. He remembered her spirit trying to make contact with him when he had studied meditation as a young man. But he had rejected her attempts to communicate with him. His anger at her for leaving him had erupted, and he had used magic to prevent her from communicating with him again. He had never seen her since that time. These considerations opened up the gaping, hollow chasm inside of him. It had been present within him as long as he could remember. All of his life he had filled the chasm with hate, anger, revenge and the quest for power.

They came up to him together, and the boy slipped his hand into Voldemort's. Again, he was startled and unsure of how to react to the contact. Despite this, he closed his long, slender fingers around the boy's hand.

The boy looked at his mother. 'C'mon Mum, take father's hand.' Rose eyes widened, and she raised her gaze to meet Voldemort's. His usual reserve was absent, as he held out his hand to her. He felt the hurt and anger flare within him as she hesitated, and he saw the reluctance in her face. Still she rejects me, he said to himself inwardly. However, she eventually placed her hand in his and he gripped it with force as punishment, digging his nails into her skin and causing her to wince.

'Father, my mum is telling you the truth...I'm your son growing inside of her. You know it and can now feel it within you. You can recognize the magic that flows between the three of us. We are now bound together in a circle that can never be broken. The blood that flows within me is yours and my mother's. I am the descendant of Salazar Slytherin and Morgan le Fay, as has been prophesied.'

The child continued to speak to his parents and requested a vow from them and Rose were both resistant to the vow that their son requested of them, and though it had its advantages, it would also bind them to a promise that neither of them wanted to keep. But they both knew that they could not refuse this promise to their son. It rankled Voldemort more so than Rose, for he did not like being bound and obligated in this way. It was not of his choosing or his idea. Part of his control and autonomy was being taken from him. Yet looking into the eyes of this child of his, he knew that saying no was not an option. Reluctantly they both made these promises to their son.

Voldemort and Rose both looked at one another. They could both feel the unbreakable bond that had been created between the three of them. It frightened the both of them and they desired to pull away, to break the connection. But they could not and they both knew it. Between them they had created such power. They were truly bound together now.

xox

'He knows the truth now,' Rose said to the woman, removing Voldemort's hand from her abdomen and allowing it to fall to the floor. She looked at him lying there. It was unnerving to see him so still, and almost peaceful. She had never seen him asleep; he was always awake before her or had left the room when they shared a bed together. 'Will he remember any of this?' The woman spoke again. 'He will remember all that has just occurred between the three of you, but he will not recall me or our interaction. However, the influence I have planted within him will hopefully begin to germinate. You must tell him that he collapsed unexpectedly.' The woman did not elaborate upon this "influence" that she alluded to. Rose felt that it was something that would not bring harm to herself or her baby...well she hoped so. She didn't know who she could trust in this screwed-up existence that was now her life.

The woman moved closer to her, and unexpectedly drew Rose into an embrace. Once again the gentle feeling of static pulsated through her, but more intensely this time. Rose felt soothing comfort from the contact. After some time, the woman withdrew from the embrace, but her hands remained on Rose's shoulders. 'May I give you some advice?' Rose nodded. 'Don't react to his cruelty and his anger. I know it is hard to bear, but your anger becomes a weakness when you allow it to react to his. You must learn to control it, and not let it control you...you will be the stronger for it.' Rose sighed and the woman gave her a sympathetic look.

'I know my temper gets the better of me...look at what happened earlier.' She shivered, thinking how her anger had almost cost herself and her son their lives. 'Okay, I'll try to keep myself composed and not goad and trade insults with him. But I can't promise that I won't hit back if he twists the truth, or tries to manipulate me.' The woman smiled at her. 'All that you can do is try...I admire your strength and your courage.' She touched Rose's abdomen gently and her plain features became almost beautiful as a loving expression appeared upon her face. Rose felt her son begin to move as the gentle static sensation reached inside of her. 'He feels your touch,' Rose said, 'and he likes you,' The woman's smile lit up her face. 'He does?' Rose nodded. 'I had a son,' the woman said wistfully, looking at Rose's abdomen. 'I can still remember the feeling as he grew inside of me as if it were only yesterday.' Her hand remained upon Rose's stomach, but her eyes looked up at the young woman. 'It is such a special time for you...savour every moment of it. There are no words to describe the bond between a mother and her child, and the love you have for one another. I pray that you have a happier outcome than I did...' The woman's voice trailed off and her eyes glistened with emotion.

'What happened to your child?' Rose felt drawn to this woman; there was something quite lovely about her. The woman shook her head. 'No, dear Rose. Let us leave that for another time. We have more important matters to discuss now. We need to talk about Morgan.' Rose stiffened and felt her anger begin to fire up. 'Where is she?' Rose asked, her voice hard. 'Morgan left the grounds of the old manor after your duel with Bella. Once he had changed location, he then created a shield around these new headquarters to prevent spirit forms from entering. I was within the boundary of the shield...that is why I am still here.' The woman paused before continuing. 'I need to tell you that Morgan has been keeping important things from you.' Rose let out a dark and angry laugh. 'That does not surprise me.' The woman sighed and then continued. 'You must brace yourself, Rose...what I shall tell you will not be easy to take.' Rose felt a prickling unease creep over her. It must have been evident in her face, for the woman herself looked uneasy.

'No,' she said, 'I think you have had too much to deal with already today. I will tell you of what I know another day, when you have rested.' She looked over to Voldemort's body. 'He will awaken fairly soon. I will leave you now, Rose.' The woman began to move away, but Rose was not being left wondering what information she had. 'No!' Rose cried out. The woman turned back. 'I want you to tell me now what you know...I've had enough of the truth being kept from me!' The woman sighed. 'Very well. I'm not sure where to begin.' She paused and seemed to be considering her words. 'I am a spirit,' she said after some moments, 'the energy of a person who has died, but has unfinished business with a living person. I can't...I won't leave and transcend until I know they are...saved.' Rose was intrigued now. Who was she talking about? But the woman did not elaborate. 'Morgan is an entity,' the woman continued. 'A very powerful and dangerous one.' Rose interrupted the woman. 'Aren't an entity and a spirit the same thing?' The woman nodded. 'In some ways, yes. But an entity has not remained in the world of the living to tie up loose ends with an enemy or loved one. They want to remain in the world of the living and return to human form.' Rose exhaled a breath. 'I don't like the sound of that.'

The woman nodded in agreement. 'Morgan has more than likely regained human form many times over the centuries, using various methods, but has then lost it again. Despite her corporeal form, she still has some limited power, hence why she has been able to block her presence from him...' The woman gestured to Voldemort, before continuing '...And perform the magic that she did when Bellatrix attacked you. She has also prevented me from appearing to you before now.' Rose was shocked. 'You have been here all this time?' The woman gave her a sad smile. 'I have been here for many years, but that is for another time. I need to tell you the truth of Morgan, whilst I can. She prevented me from appearing to you when she was here, but she could not stop me from learning some of her secrets. Even I still have some power.'

Rose nodded. 'Okay...tell me everything you know.' The woman continued. 'Using her limited magic has drained Morgan's energies and she desperately wants to be mortal again, so she can regain her full powers and fulfill her plans.' Rose swallowed. 'Do you know what her plans are?' The woman's expression was nervous. 'Not exactly, but I know that she wants your son.' Rose breathed heavily as her son moved inside of her. She moved to the bed and sat down, resting her hands upon her stomach. The woman joined her. 'Are you alright for me to continue?' Rose nodded, the prickle of unease beginning to deepen into fear.

'She wants to take control of him and his upbringing. If you allow her to do so, then I believe she will let you stay with him...as long as you do her bidding and follow her orders. If you are not compliant with her taking control of him, then I believe she will take him by force and banish you from seeing him. She will not kill you, as you are of her blood...unless you obstruct and challenge her.' The woman looked to Voldemort again. 'She will try to kill him of course, for he is a major obstacle to her aims.' Rose felt her anger rising. 'But I am not an obstacle? Does Morgan think I'm not able to stop her taking my son?' The woman nodded. 'She does not think you are strong enough, despite being of her blood.' Rose flew from the bed and stormed across to the window. 'He underestimates me! And now Morgan thinks me weak and unable to fight for my son! How dare she!'

The woman drifted to her side. 'Please, Rose! I understand your anger at their attitudes. They have become so used to controlling, dominating and being unchallenged, that they underestimate the strength of everyone else around them. That is their weakness and your strength, and it means that when you strike back it is unexpected. In my lifetime I often found myself underestimated, and in death I still am. I use it to my advantage.' The woman smiled, and continued. 'Morgan must be human if she wants to regain her full powers, and she has had several other options available to her. But she decided how she would do so and waited patiently for the opportunity. She waited for someone specific to help her... you.' Rose began to breathe heavily. 'Why me?' she asked. 'You are of her blood, you have inherited her magic and you have the power to help her regain human form.' the woman answered her. Rose's mind went into overdrive. 'What power? How does it work?''

The woman looked at her warily. 'It is a very old, dark power, but only a few people throughout history have had what is needed within them to be able do it, Morgan being one of them.' Rose was feeling seriously unnerved now. She sensed that she was going to be told something that would shatter her world more than it had already been. 'He had heard of this power.' The woman gestured to Voldemort again, who still lay silently upon the bedroom floor. 'He, who has travelled so far and scoured all the corners of the earth for the knowledge to regain human form. But this power of Morgan's that I speak of was something he could not learn or attain.' She gazed at him sadly. 'He never gave up his search and found another way eventually.' Rose knew that she needed to know the truth, however horrific it was going to be. 'Tell me, please. I want the truth. I want to know what Morgan has kept from me.' The woman inhaled a breath before continuing.

'A living person can only have the power to take the life and the magic from another if...' She paused '...If they have demon blood within them.' Rose's legs gave way beneath her and she crashed to the floor. The woman rushed to her, a look of concern and anxiety. 'Rose, are you okay? It is not the child is it? I'm so sorry...this is why I wanted to wait to tell you.' Rose began to retch violently; her body rejecting the water she had consumed earlier. She felt her body begin to shake with the shock and the woman's hand came to rest upon her brow. She breathed deeply and felt the static sensation from her touch begin to work it's way through her body. Her shock began to abate, and eventually she began to feel calmer, though the woman's words still reverberated through her. 'How...how can this be possible?' Rose found her voice again, she needed to know everything, however hard it was to hear.

'The root of this is in Morgan's inception, and it has been hidden from the world for centuries. Only one other knew of her truth, as they shared the same secret she did.' Rose felt her curiosity awaken again. 'Who?' she asked. 'A sorcerer whose name is synonymous with Morgan's...Merlin.' Rose placed her head in her hands as it throbbed painfully. 'Like Morgan, Merlin was a Cambion; a person sired by both human and demon blood. Her father was not Gorlois, as history believes; her true father was an Incubus...you will have heard of them?' Rose removed her head from her hands and stared at the woman, nodding in affirmation, and the woman continued. 'Incubi and Succubi only rarely procreate with humans, that is why so few children of these demons exist. Cambions inherit the power to steal the life force of another, and the gift of alluring, enticing and seducing. You have also inherited this gift to some degree. That is part of the reason he is so drawn to you and cannot pull away.'

Rose ignored that the woman had said Voldemort's attraction to her was only caused in part by her inheritance. Instead she focused on the lies that Morgan had told her. 'She told me that she'd taught me how to take a person's life from them, and that this gift of seduction was just a power that I had, something that could be controlled...why did she lie to me?' The woman sighed. 'To keep control over you...she is an expert at twisting and withholding the truth, just as he is.' Rose knew the woman meant Voldemort, even though she did not speak his name. 'When you intentionally use this power of seducing...well you have seen the result of it with him. Even when you do not use it, people will still be be drawn to you in some way.' Rose shook her head, desperately trying to fight this truth. 'But how could I have the ability to take Bella's life force from her? You said that only those who are born of Incubus or Succubus blood have that power? There are centuries between myself and Morgan! The demon blood would have long since been diluted, wouldn't it?'

The woman's gaze was sympathetic. 'I do not know. There are theories that demon blood is far stronger than human blood, and its affects pass down through many generations. Other historians have suggested that Incubi and Succubi will seek out humans that have remnants of their blood within and mate with them. I wish I had an answer to explain why you have this power.' The truth opened up a multitude of questions, tearing apart who she thought she was. The power of the Incubus blood could simply have travelled down the generations to her, and she would rather this was the case, because if not, then the questions were many. Was her father really her blood father? Or had her grandmother been impregnated by a succubus? Or had it happened several more generations ago? She felt her stomach contract and a lump of dread festered inside her chest. Are you okay, Mummy? The sound of that small voice from within was both comforting and heartbreaking.

'Morgan was using you.' The woman's voice cut through her thoughts again.'Taking someone's life force will prolong the life of the living person who takes it by many decades...but at a price. Doing so damages and corrupts the soul. That was why Merlin never used this power, and he warned Morgan to never do the same...I do not think she heeded him. Morgan was prepared to allow your soul to be corrupted in the process of taking Bellatrix's life to give to her. Once you had, she would have been human again, her powers fully restored, and able to steal the life of many more people to unnaturally prolong her own. But you stopped yourself from taking Bella's life and your soul is not damaged.' Rose shivered with both fear and anger. 'What would she have done if I'd not been able to protect myself from her?'

'I believe she would have taken the next step available to her...she would have possessed you. This would have been a last resort, because possessing a human being against their will is difficult, even for someone like Morgan. It uses a great deal of energy and the results can be unstable, especially if the person is of a strong will and spirit. They will fight the entity for control of their body, and if strong enough, can cast them out. I feel that Morgan knew possessing you would not have been easy...not with the combined strength and magic of you and your child. However, if Morgan can find someone to offer their body willingly for her to use, then she will be better able to possess and control it.' The woman sighed. 'This is far from over, Rose. Morgan will return eventually and if she regains her mortality, be even more dangerous.' Rose huddled herself further into the corner, pulling up her legs protectively against her body and wrapping her arms around them. Her head was shattered...so was her life. 'I don't doubt it,' she replied, her voice hollow.

'I'm sorry Rose to burden you with this, but I think you should know the truth.' Rose nodded at the woman with a tortured and bereft expression. 'Thank you for telling me,' Rose managed to force out the words. A slight movement from Voldemort startled them both from their thoughts.. 'I must go, he is beginning to stir,' the woman said. 'Does he know this about me?' Rose asked the woman, indicating to Voldemort. 'I do not think so,' she replied. 'Okay,' Rose said, and rested her chin on her knees, looking thoughtful. She looked up at the woman again. 'Please will you do one thing for me before you go... tell me who you are.' The woman looked hesitant. 'I think you have had enough to deal with today...perhaps I should tell you another day.' Rose got up from the floor and stood in front of the woman. 'No, please tell me now. Don't hold back the truth. The time for that is over.' The woman looked hesitant, but nodded. 'Very well, Rose. I told you earlier that I have been here for years. What I should have said is that... wherever he has been...' she turned to look at Voldemort, before bringing her attention back to Rose '... I have been there too...in the shadows, watching and waiting. I am Merope Riddle...his mother.'