A/N: This chapter might be a little confusing but please bear with me.
It's in Ron's P.O.V starting from six months before the first chapter with a flash back. The whole story takes off from this chapter.
Usual apologies
Disclaimer: See previous chapter
He'd been feeling off all week.
Nauseous and tired, with the strangest aches and the worst sick spells he's had in years. But he thought he could just wait it out, thinking it was nothing more than a stomach bug that would wear itself out eventually since he rarely ever got sick.
Unfortunately after he fainted on the Quidditch pitch midflight during a game he realized that he couldn't avoid the medical wing any longer. Now he sits on a cot in the infirmary with his two best friends standing a few feet away while he just stared at the mediwitch in complete confusion.
"Pregnant?" Ron gave a scoff and shook his head as he stared at the older woman in amusement, "Very funny, seriously what's wrong with me?"
Harry and Hermione stood at the end of his cot both looking shocked beyond all belief. Harry's mouth had fallen open in a wide gape and Hermione's eyes looked like they were going to fall right out of their sockets any minute.
Madame Pomfrey sighed, rubbing her temples for a moment with one hand braced on the monitor beside her that had a very distinct looking lump in the center of the magical green and black screen, "You are pregnant Mr. Weasley."
"No I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes, you a-"
"No I'm not!" Ron said with a shout as his eyes went wide at the look on the woman's face showing just how serious she was in her diagnosis and he felt a wave of panic wash over him because it's not true. It couldn't be true!
"I'm a man! I don't have a … you know," Ron gave a vague hand gesture towards the older woman's waist and she rolled her eyes as he finished, "How the bloody hell could I get pregnant?! It's impossible!"
"It is very possible Mr. Weasley and I would appreciate it if you refrained from using any vulgar language in my presence." The older woman said with a sigh and Ron's mouth fell open in a gape before he sputtered and practically screeched.
"Bu-…HOW?!"
"I'd also appreciate it if you kept your voice down." Pomfrey said as she took a deep breath, "While it's true that ordinarily a man shouldn't be able to have children, there are many cases in which a man can fall pregnant either on purpose or by accident. One could take a potion that would allow for male pregnancy to be possible by creating an artificial womb of sorts. And sometimes, in very rare cases, a male's magical core has the ability produce a temporary womb in which a baby can be conceived. These men are referred to as carriers and are actually quite rare. It's nearly impossible to find a male carrier these days especially in the aftermath of the great measles epidemic that claimed so many lives, particularly those of carriers who seemed to have a weakness to the disease. I haven't come across a carrier in… Merlin in at least twenty years… until now I suppose."
Ron's mouth fell open in a gape, at a complete loss for words while Harry and Hermione seemed to be in a similar position. Madame Pomfrey sighed wondering how on earth she was going to handle this situation until she just decided to go with what she normally did when confronted with a girl that somehow found herself in the redhead's position.
"Mr. Weasley I know this is a lot to take in and I am sure that you're very shocked and confused but it would be wise for us to start thinking of the next step. Whether you believe it or not you do have a child inside of you, you're about two weeks along now and arrangements need to be made in preparation for its arrival." Another deep breath as she waved her wand and summoned her clipboard, "For now, I think it would be best to contact the father and inform him first."
Ron paled and Harry finally seemed to have broken loose from his shock as he asked, "Isn't Ron the father?"
"I think she meant the other father." Hermione stuttered out quietly beside him and Harry frowned before Pomfrey spoke, "For male pregnancy to be possible, the parties involved in whatever sexual intercourse took place must both be male Mr. Potter."
Harry's eyes snapped over to his best friend, seeming to fill with as much hurt and betrayal as they did with shock and Ron had to look away as he stepped closer to the cot.
"Ron, you… who is it?"
"I-" The redhead sputtered for a moment as his previously pale cheeks suddenly flushed and Hermione frowned while Harry stopped by the bed and his hands seemed to clench into fists where they rested on the edge of the cot.
"Ron who's the father? Who did you sleep with?"
The room fell silent and Madame Pomfrey said nothing as she watched the exchange until Ron let out a deep breath before he spoke.
"He doesn't matter."
"What?"
"It was just a stupid fling and it only happened once so it doesn't matter." Ron said clearly still avoiding Harry's gaze as he chose to look up at Pomfrey instead. "Do I have to tell him about it?"
The older woman paused, "Technically no, it's your body and you can choose to do whatever you want with it. He doesn't really have any official say but it would be best if-"
"Then he doesn't know."
"Ron-" Hermione started but Ron cut her off speaking clearly, "It was a mistake 'Mione. Can I get rid of it?"
"I'm afraid not. Like I said before, it's bound to your magical core, abortion is too risky to attempt. You risk your own life including the fetus."
"Just as well, I'm not sure if I-" He lifted a hand to touch his stomach before giving a sigh and shaking his head. The older woman's lips pursed together in a tight line before she spoke, "You do have other options Mr. Weasley, you could give the baby up for adoption. Children are hard to come by in the magical world, if you don't feel like you would be able to care for the child, there are many couples who would be glad to take your place."
"No, I-I don't think I'd be able to carry a child for nine months and then just give it away. For one thing mum would slaughter me alive. Giving a child away would make her angrier than just getting pregnant with one," Ron gave a snort before shaking his head, "Besides I… I don't think- I've always wanted kids-not this soon but still…"
"Ron, you can't possibly be thinking of keeping it." Hermione said as she stepped forward and Ron sighed, "I don't know… I can't give it away."
"But-"
"Miss Granger I understand that this is quite shocking for you too but this is ultimately Mr. Weasley's decision and I would hope that as his friends you will choose to support him in whatever choice he makes." The bushy haired girl opened her mouth to speak before just shrinking back into silence and the mediwitch gave a nod before looking back to the redhead. "There's still some time to decide. However, if you do intend on keeping it, then I would suggest informing the father-"
"No."
"You're going to need all the help you can get if you're going to-"
"I'll get help, just not from him. I mean I have my family, if they don't kill me first and my friends right guys?" Ron looked over at the two only for Hermione to shrink back while Harry's hands clenched even more with his knuckles going white, "Guys?... Harry-"
With that the boy that lived immediately turned around and stormed out of the infirmary slamming the large doors behind him and Hermione paused for a moment before running out after him leaving a shocked Ron behind as his chest filled with heartache.
"Harry."
Ron felt his eyes begin to sting and he quickly looked away when a hand fell on his shoulder to give a comforting squeeze, "Like I said before this is a lot to take in. As close as you three are I'm sure this will be nothing more than a bump in the road. Give them some time."
Ron nodded but said nothing as he looked down at his lap and his hands clenched while the hand left his shoulder and the older woman banished the monitor to make a few notes on her clipboard.
"In the meantime, I'll give you some potions for you to take, they'll help with the morning sickness and aches. The headmaster will also need to be informed I'm afraid."
Ron's head snapped up, "But-"
"School policy, there's nothing I can do." Pomfrey said raising her hand and Ron cursed softly under his breath as he raked a hand through his hair, "Brilliant as if things could get worse."
"They could get better if you informed the father."
"For the last time, no. He can't know anything about this."
The mediwitch pursed her lips together in a tight line again before she spoke, "Is there any particular reason why you don't want him to be informed?"
Ron looked up at her for a moment before dropping his gaze.
In all honesty, it probably would be best to tell him. But Ron can't face him just yet.
Not right now.
"It's…complicated."
The older woman said nothing as she kept making her notes and Ron growled in frustration as the complication came to mind and he remembered exactly how he got himself into this mess.
Although, if he had known that night would lead to him getting pregnant, he probably never would have left his bed.
~ FLASH BACK ~
"Relax."
Ron blushed at the deep sultry voice that spoke against his ear, silently praying that the slytherin standing right behind him couldn't see the red that was slowly spreading over his face.
The redhead took a deep breath of the cool autumn air and wrapped his hands around the broom he stood over as he cursed himself for agreeing to do this in the first place. He bit back a squeak as two arms went around him from behind while a hard chest pressed against his back to hold the front of the broom.
Ron tried to ignore the heat of the other body that was slowly seeping through his clothes and into his skin while warm breath brushed up against his neck, making the redhead curse himself some more for agreeing to get on a broom with Blaise Zabini of all people.
"Tell me again why it is that I have to sit on the front." Ron growled in annoyance when Blaise suddenly moved forward and spoke right against his ear, resulting in an involuntary shiver to go speeding down his spine.
"Because I drive better from behind."
Ron's blush instantly darkened at that and he was about to tell Zabini off when the slytherin suddenly kicked off the ground and they went shooting up into the sky.
The night was not going the way he'd planned at all.
He was just going to go outside the castle, get some fresh air and clear his head. That's all.
Harry's been a bit, overwhelming lately and Ron was starting to feel a little suffocated.
Not that he doesn't love being around his best friend, because he does, it's just that Harry's been more intense lately and somehow Ron knew that it had very little to do with him and probably everything to do with Cedric.
He asked Hermione if she knew what was wrong but apparently the bushy haired witch has been wrapped up in her own little world lately, too preoccupied with other things to really pay too much attention to him or Harry for the moment. Although Ron couldn't imagine what the girl was up to.
Either way, Ron left the tower about an hour ago. It was passed curfew and everyone else in his dorm room was asleep while the redhead just lay staring up at the canopy over his bed. Harry lay beside him, breathing softly against the back of Ron's neck with an arm wrapped around the redhead's waist.
It wasn't really that strange since he and Harry have shared a bed plenty of times before when there was nowhere else to sleep in the burrow or sometimes when Harry just didn't want to be alone. That much was a little comforting sometimes.
They've all been through a lot. The Wizard cup took a lot out of them especially Harry after Cedric's death. Over the past few months Ron learned that sometimes it just helped having another body close by in the dead of night, to chase away the dark and painful memories.
So sharing a bed wasn't anything new. But the way Harry touched him sometimes was a little...strange.
There was something oddly possessive about the way Harry behaved around him these days and Ron couldn't really say that he was completely comfortable with that.
After staring at the arm around his waist for a few more minutes Ron decided that he needed some fresh air. He quietly slipped out of the bed and got dressed in a pair of jeans a shirt and a homemade jumper. It wasn't all that cold out so there was no reason to take his robes.
The redhead slipped through the portrait hole, through the hallways and out into the open air where he wandered around a bit, careful to avoid Filch when he suddenly found himself standing near the stands on the Quidditch pitch and he couldn't help but stare at what he found there.
Blaise Zabini is a chaser for the slytherin Quidditch team, so of course Ron knew that he was good at flying. He's seen the Italian zip passed him multiple times during a game or when Slytherin was playing a different house and they watched from the stands, but he's honestly never seen Zabini like this before.
That usual rush and urgency that he had whenever he was flying during the game was gone, all that ruthless anger and brutality nonexistent as he almost seemed to just drift through the night sky in an easy rhythm. It was odd seeing the other wizard look so relaxed. He was so completely at ease as he shut his eyes and leaned back while the broom flew forward and moved in circles and curves high above the pitch almost seeming to dance on the breeze of its own will, while it carried the wizard along for the ride. The sight was made even more foreign since Zabini was wearing muggle clothes.
A pair of trainers and dark blue jeans, with an olive green long sleeve V-neck seeming to dip low due to the two top button's he left undone, which exposed long stretch of smooth chocolate colored skin going from his neck down over his chest. The Slytherin's broom dipped down low and his back arched back at the movement before soaring up into the sky all over again, completely oblivious to the world around him.
Ron blushed, for the moment not believing that he was actually checking out Blaise Zabini of all people. Not that he's never noticed Zabini before. It would take a blind man not to notice that the slytherin was incredibly good looking, even Ginny with her insistent dislike of the older wizard admitted to Ron once that he was indeed incredibly good looking. But good looking or not Zabini is a slytherin, one of Malfoy's cronies no less.
Thinking that the chaser was sexy or even just the slightest bit attractive was completely unacceptable.
And yet even through all these thoughts Ron couldn't stop himself from staring. Fortunately that only lasted until Zabini made another turn on his broom and caught sight of the red head standing at the side of the Quidditch pitch staring with hazy eyes and flushed cheeks. The Slytherin arched a brow at him and Ron instantly snapped out of it, going one shade deeper when he realized that he'd actually been caught staring and that the other was headed right towards him.
He wanted to run, the urge to turn tail and get as far away from the other as humanly possible was incredibly strong in his veins but Ron kept still. Running would make him look guilty, like he was doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to be doing. Which he wasn't, so Ron kept still, determined to not let the Slytherin intimidate him as he flew down so he was hovering just in front of the redhead, a few feet off the ground.
Zabini said nothing just stared at the red head for a few moments with those dark brown eyes dissecting him, almost like he was trying to read the Gryffindor's mind and Ron did all he could to avoid shifting awkwardly in front of the other.
"Weasley." The slytherin finally said and Ron nodded as he answered, "Zabini."
The other continued to watch him for a few more moments before he spoke again, "What're you doing out here?"
"I was out for a walk."
"Here?"
"It's a free country." Ron answered defensively but Zabini barely did more than tilt his head before he spoke. "So you were out for a walk and you decided to stop and enjoy the show?"
Ron had to fight back against the urge to blush and stutter since he's really been caught out only for the Slytherin to let out a breathy chuckle, "Don't worry about it Weasley, lucky for you, I enjoy being watched."
Don't blush, don't blush, don't blush-
WHY WOULD YOU EVEN WANT TO BLUSH ANYWAY?!
"Although, I'm surprised to see you without your… friends; Granger usually seems to keep you on such a short leash."
Ron bristled at the insinuation, "I have a life of my own, I go wherever I want."
"I'm sure you do." Zabini said with a snort as his broom moved forward a little before moving back. "What about Potter? He's usually lurking around you these days."
"I-why do you care?"
"I don't, I'm just curious."
"It's none of your business."
"Then why were you watching me?" Blaise asked smoothly as his broom made a turn before coming back again with those dark eyes never breaking contact and Ron resisted the urge to squirm.
"Why are you out after curfew?"
"That's somewhat obvious isn't it? Besides I asked you first." Zabini countered easily and Ron turned red as his hands clenched earning a barked laugh from the Slytherin.
"Feeling a little flushed?"
"Oh piss off."
"I was here first." Blaise said with a shrug and Ron hissed in frustration, "If anyone should be pissing off here it's you. Plus you still haven't answered my question. Why are you here and not with Potter? Trouble in paradise?"
Ron's clenched fists tightened and he could feel the nails biting into his skin. What he wouldn't do to wipe that smug look off of the slytherin's face, despite the fact that Zabini hadn't actually done anything to earn it other than get on his nerves.
But it wouldn't do to start a fight now, they weren't even supposed to be out at that time so the redhead made a surprisingly mature decision and turned around to walk away.
Unfortunately for Ron, Blaise on the other hand had other ideas as the dark teen flew around him and came to a stop right in front of him.
"What?!" Ron snapped and Blaise's head gave a tilt.
"I never said you could leave."
"I never asked for your permission."
Blaise laughed, the sound was so warm and bright Ron almost paused from his anger when the slytherin suddenly landed and stepped off his broom to move closer to him. Ron stepped back on insitinct Blaise just moved along with him.
"What're-"
"You know, you don't look half bad when you arent trialing after the golden boy and his little know it all."
Ron glared hard, "And you don't look half bad when you aren't crawling after ferret face."
Instead of getting just as angry as he was Blaise only smirked, "Ferret face. I'll have to remember that one."
The redhead paused, for brief moment caught of guard. "What do you want Zabini?"
"I asked you first."
Ron growled. How is it possible for one human being to be this frustrating? Blaise chuckled.
"What's so bloody funny?"
"You are actually. I'm waiting to see how long it takes you to figure out that you just complimented me."
Ron felt his cheeks flush and spoke before he could stop himself, "You did it first."
"Yes, I did." Blaise said with his smirk growing just a bit more and Ron couldn't help but blink in surprise before the Slytherin continued, "For the record, I couldn't sleep and flying helps me relax."
Ron shifted a bit awkwardly, "Good for you."
"Do you want to try?"
"What?"
"I'm asking you if you want to go for a ride." Zabini said smugly as he held his broom upright and leaned against it. "I don't trust anyone behind the hilt of my broom except for me so, you'd have to ride with me but I'm willing to take you for a ride."
Ron suddenly felt absolutely bewildered, "Why?"
"Why not? I'm bored and you're entertaining enough to at least keep me a bit occupied."
The redhead glared, "Yeah well, I'm not here for your entertainment."
"Oh, loosen up Weasley. It's just one ride, what're you scared?"
"Of you?" Ron scoffed, "Don't make me laugh."
"Well if you're not scared then let's go," Blaise smirked as he held his broom ready and stepped over it.
Ron's first instinct was to say no.
Hell no.
And he would've said hell no, but…
"Exactly where would we go?"
"You'll see." The Slytherin then held out his hand, "C'mon."
Ron stared at the hand stretched out for him to take, looking up at the Slytherin before him before giving a brief glance back towards the castle. The redhead then looked back to the other teen and took a deep breath.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fear, fear fear. So much fear.
Its said that animals can smell fear. They can sense an easy target a mile away with very little effort as all, they can sense prey as easily as breathing. Its said that some people could smell fear. The more dangerous the individual the stronger and less restrained they are, the easier it is for them to sense an easy target, the easier it is for them to take advantage of every and any hidden weakness.
Lee hoped for his sake, that this whole idea on smelling fear was nothing more than a myth.
The young wizard sat at the only table in the middle of the room. The scent of mould, sweat and blood practically clung to the grimy walls of the room around him, the grimy walls which were lit up dimly by the soft orange glow of the torches arranged against the walls. He just kept flipping through his notepad with a quill and ink pot placed to his right. He would have just charmed them to take notes the way he usually did whenever he went out to do research on a story but, his wand was taken when he entered the large prison walls.
"You're absolutely safe of course, this is just a safety precaution." The warden had said when he took Lee's wand away and placed it in a safe in his office. Lee had only given a smile and a nod, insisting that he understood and that he didn't mind being locked in a room alone with a notorious Death Eater with absolutely no way to protect himself. There was no reason to have protection anyway.
"We've set up several charms and spells around the prison. He won't be able to touch you let alone harm you in any way. Plus, he'll be restrained as well so there really is nothing to be worried about."
Lee just nodded politely as he was led through the dark prison halls. Silently berating himself for accepting when his editor asked him to go and do a story on Azkaban of all things.
Lee was on his second month on the job. Up until that point he'd only ever been sent to do puff pieces for the radio station. You know; witch weekly's annual pageant, stray owl saves wizard from chocking, local wizard creates award winning pumpkin pasties recipe. The kind of stories that weren't really meant to garner any negative publicity. Believe it or not, Azkaban was meant to be a similar story.
There had been stories going around ever since the Triwizard tournament. The rumours on the return of he-who-must-not-be-named. These rumours were generating a lot of negative attention for the Ministry of Magic and so to put the public's mind at ease, they called for every newspaper and radio station in the wizarding world to do some sort of story on the prison. They were meant to talk about how safe the facility was and how secure, make sure the public was set at ease and they wouldn't constantly be concerned about the hundreds of angry and vengeful Death Eaters just waiting to escape and wreak havoc upon the unsuspecting public. The radio station that Lee worked for was meant to do the same thing, though Lee's boss Abbey wasn't really one for following the rules.
"I'll tell you the same thing I tell everyone else that works for me. Write only the truth. If the ministry has nothing to hide, then they have nothing to worry about."
It was to be Lee's first serious story and he was determined to make it count, to make a name for himself and find the truth.
So, he went to Azkaban and took a different approach.
He was supposed to do a story on the prison, on the guards and the security measures around Azkaban.
"Make the public feel safe and secure."
But Lee decided to take a different route and decided to focus his attention on the prisoners instead.
Thanks to the ministry, getting authorisation to get into the prison to conduct the interviews wasn't half as difficult as it should have been. Though it took a tremendous amount of negotiation to get them to let him interview a Death Eater.
"How about this, you let me do an interview with the nicest one you have yes? Whoever's the most well behaved and most cooperative, that's who I'll speak with."
"I don't understand why it needs to be a Death Eater-"
"Because the Death Eaters are the ones everyone's worried about. Just think about what it could mean for Azkaban, all those dangerous individuals, safely secure behind the walls of an impenetrable prison." Lee offered and the man seemed to consider his proposal for another moment and the boy had to fight back hard against the urge to grin, "It's an opportunity for you to really shine, for all the wizarding world to know what a truly fantastic job you're doing, for you and your sacrifice to finally be acknowledged."
Eventually the man agreed.
And now, Lee sits in a chair, in a dimly lit room alone with one of the wizarding world's most dangerous criminals sincerely regretting his decision and cursing his Gryffindor courage for encouraging him to do something so utterly foolish. Because on the other side of the table, sitting chained to a steel chair was Rabastan Lestrange.
Lee had almost had a heart attack when he was ushered into the room and saw the brunette just sitting there staring unblinkingly right at the entrance where he stood. Not that he was all that sure who he was expecting to be on the other side of that door, he just wasn't expecting-
Apparently, Rabastan Lestrange has been an exemplary convict during his time of incarceration… you know, compared to the others. He was always on his best behaviour, barely ever kicking up a fuss or starting any trouble with the guards, unlike most of the other inmates that were incarcerated along with him, including his brother and sister in law. So, when selecting a prisoner to take part in the interview they decided that the younger Lestrange was the safest option to go with and probably the most likely to be at least partially cooperative.
At least as far as Death Eaters went anyway.
So now Lee thinks, trying to collect his thoughts and keep his heart under control as he tried to think of how to proceed. The seconds kept ticking passed, the guards closed the door on them already.
Lee flipped through his notes again subtly taking in a deep breath to calm himself when the man on the other side of the table suddenly spoke.
"Are you going to spend the whole night staring at the parchment or are you actually going to ask me something?"
Lee's head snapped up and he found piercing dark eyes staring back at him, still unblinking, not moving an inch, he didn't even seem to be breathing. It was deeply unsettling.
The boy looked back down at his book, "Why? Do you have other plans for the night?"
Lestrange gave a snort, but otherwise didn't say a word. Lee took one more deep breath and forced himself to look up as he spoke.
"For the record your name is Rabastan Lestrange, correct?"
"Yes."
"And you are a Death Eater?"
"Yes," the man paused, "Are you a muggle born?"
Lee's eyes snapped up to lock onto the man and narrowed down ever so slightly, a flash of defiance lit up inside of him. "Yes, what of it?"
Rabastan said nothing, he only stared back. Lee held back a sigh of frustration as he pushed forward.
"You've been incarcerated for roughly 16 years?"
"Yes."
"Under what charges?"
"Crimes against humanity apparently."
"And what does that entail?"
Rabastan was silent yet again. Lee looked up at him and the man kept staring, those dark eyes seeming to bore right into him before he finally spoke, almost like he was waiting for the boy to look at him before he answered.
"Murder, torture, abductions. Half-bloods, muggles and muggleborns mostly… a few purebloods that dared go against the dark lord." The older man's head gave a slight tilt, "Personally I preferred hunting mudbloods." Lee couldn't stop himself from glaring at the word the man's head tilted to the other side, "Most of them were weak, pathetic but a few of them… some of them were interesting, filled with so much spirit. They make the loveliest prey."
He was being baited, Lee knew this. Which is why he just ignored the man's ramblings, ignored his rising anger and kept pushing on.
"I assume that means that you don't regret any of your crimes?"
This time Rabastan looked away, looking up at the ceiling in an almost contemplative manner, "What is there to regret? Standing by my beliefs, fighting for what I believe is right?"
"Harming innocent people."
"How do you know they were innocent?" the man asked glancing down at Lee from the corner of his eye, "Because they were killed you assume them to be innocent. Because they were harmed you assume them to be victims, though you didn't know any of them."
"Did you?"
The man's head fell back to the side, "No person muggle or otherwise is free from sin. It's naïve to think that anyone would be."
Lee frowned, "And that gives you the right to execute judgement over them?"
Rabastan chuckled dark and low, "No, of course not-"
"Then why-"
"Why not?" The brunette said looking Lee right in the eye as he spoke, "Tell me boy, if given the choice between killing me and letting one of your little muggle friends die which would you choose?"
Lee blinked, for a second caught off guard by the question, "You can't exchange one life for another."
"But if you had to choose, you wouldn't choose to spare me, would you?"
Lee didn't answer him and Rabastan chuckled again, "What makes you so different from me?"
"Those people you hurt were innocent-"
"As far as you know."
"I-…" Lee took a deep breath, wondering why he was even having this argument with a Death Eater, he really shouldn't be so surprised. The boy brushed back a dreadlock behind his ear, he looked down at his notepad as he made a few notes and carried on to the next question. "According to reports, Death Eaters take the dark mark at an early age. How old were you when you took the dark mark?"
"Fourteen."
Lee couldn't help but pause, "Fourteen?"
"You seem surprised."
"The rumours surrounding Death Eater practices claimed-"
"You take the mark when you're sixteen?" Rabastan scoffed, "So naïve. You probably think all death eaters are Slytherin as well."
Lee looked up, "Aren't they."
Rabastan smirked, leaning forward ever so slightly. "Would there be so many of us if we were?"
"How many are there?"
And then Rabastan leaned back in his seat, "I'm curious, how did you discover your magic?"
"Excuse me?" Lee asked, a little bewildered at the sudden change in topic. The man just kept his eyes locked on the boy.
"Did you suddenly receive a letter from Hogwarts or did your magic present itself in some way."
"I don't really see how that's any of your business."
"My life isn't any of your business either and yet here we are. If you want to continue this interview, then I'll need to get some information of my own. Tit for tat."
Lee's jaw clenched, his hand tightened around the quill between his fingers before he spoke, "Accidental magic, I levitated some of my toys in my room when I was ten."
"Did your parents see?"
"Yes."
"And how did they react?"
Lee looked down at his notepad, resisting the urge to tense when the memory suddenly came back to him, "They're muggles, they reacted the way any human being would when faced with something seemingly impossible."
"They feared you." Rabastan started to smirk, "Wretched things treated you like a freak, an abomination-"
"My parents love me, alright." Lee snapped back knowing that he was sounding defensive but not caring either way, "Once they understood what was happening, they made sure I had all the help and support I needed."
"Would you like to know how my parents reacted to my accidental magic?" Rabastan asked and Lee let out a deep breath, "Fine."
"I set fire to my bed and they celebrated." Rabastan said sounding almost proud, "Nine years old, I set fire to our house and I was ushered in as a true Lestrange."
"What if you never did any magic? What if you were born a squib?" Lee asked with an arched brow and the man's eyes narrowed down ever so slightly, "Would they have celebrated then? My parents may have feared me at one time, but they never abandoned me and they never would have." Lee bit out as he looked down at his notepad, "Maybe you should think harder about who the wretched ones are-"
Suddenly a loud clank rang against the walls. Rabastan's face was mere inches away from his own, glaring with rage, the only thing keeping him from moving closer were the shackles wrapped tightly around his wrists binding him to the chair. Lee couldn't help but gasp before the man hissed out.
"Watch your tongue. Don't think that just because I'm being civil with you that I've suddenly forgotten your place or mine. You would do well to mind your tongue-"
"And you'd do well to get out of my face." Lee said resisting the urge to swallow hard and instead meet the man's gaze as he glared back, "I know my place, get back in yours." Lee said eyes flicking to the man's seat. The older man didn't look away, he didn't move. Just continued to glare and the teen steeled his nerves together.
"I said-"
"Lee Jordan is it?" Rabastan asked and Lee frowned in suspicion but didn't say a word as the man spoke, inching his head and tilting it so he spoke against the boy's cheek and Lee could just barely feel the man's breath against his cheek, smell the sweat and grime off his skin. "Spirited mudbloods have always been my favourite. They can't keep me here forever. I'll have you soon enough."
A shiver ran down Lee's spine as the man slowly sank back into his seat hands resting loosely on the arm rests while Lee stared back at him before swallowing hard.
"You don't scare me."
Rabastan smirked, "Any more questions?"
Lee sat up a bit more in his seat, "For some time now there has been news on escalated activity among Death Eaters suggesting that your… Dark Lord may still be alive. Has he-who-must-not-be-named returned?"
Rabastan's smirk grew, "How badly do you want to know?"
Lee frowned when the door to the room suddenly opened and the guards stepped back into the room.
"Time's up." One of the men said while two others stepped over to stand by Rabastan's sides "The warden said you can come back tomorrow to continue."
Lee blinked up at the man beside him, "Right." The teen quickly collected his things and got up from his seat when Rabastan spoke, this time with his head down cast.
"Goodbye, Mr Jordan."
"Lord Lestrange." Lee said turning to leave the room, resisting the urge to stop and turn back when the man started to laugh instead following the guard out the room and down the winding hall. He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling relief wash over him as he brushed a dread lock back.
"I know it doesn't seem like it." The man walking ahead of him suddenly said and Lee's head snapped up to look at him, "But he really is the most… pleasant Death Eater among them."
"Really?"
"Compared to the likes of his brother, this one's practically a saint."
Lee sighed, "Somehow I believe you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The boy was dragged into the large looming building, clothes torn and bloodied as he repeatedly kicked and punched at the figures that held him, whining and sobbing pathetically. His face was flushed and tears streamed down his cheeks, snot leaked from his nose but he barely seemed to notice as he screamed for the men that held him to let him go. To take him back home.
They didn't listen.
Instead he was dragged down a hallway, suffering the indignant humiliation as hundreds of students dressed in grey uniforms watched him go by. No one tried to help him, no one even looked like they were willing to try. Hell, some of them laughed and giggled at him. Down two flights of stairs, down the hall to one that was more vacant and into a room at the end of the long dark passageway.
The raven hit the ground hard as he was tossed onto the stone floors. He didn't even bother acknowledging the pain as he got up and tried to follow the cloaked men that had dragged him in there to begin with, but the door quickly shut behind them and the boy was left to scream and shout and bang his hands against the door.
"Let me out! Let me go you freaks! I shouldn't be here! I don't belong here-"
"Oh, I beg to differ." A dark gruff voice said, and the boy froze as he immediately stilled his panicked movements. He turned to face the voice only for him to be levitated up into the air before he was dropped, and he hit the ground even harder than he had before. The raven groaned in pain, whimpering as he wondered why he was being punished so harshly. Wondering what he'd done to deserve all this when the voice spoke again, this time much closer and he looked up to find a pair of heavy black boots right in front of his face. "Are you done making a fuss?"
Looking up he saw a tall man with dark hair but ice-cold eyes. The teen froze not saying a word as the man went down to a crouch to lock his gaze with that of the boys and his lips twitched up into something dark and cruel.
"Good. You're going to need to learn to behave if you're going to survive here." The man said as his head gave a tilt before he reached out and aimed a long pointy stick right between the teen's eyes.
The raven's eyes went wide when he realised what it was.
The man's smirk grew, "Dudley Dursley. Welcome to Durmstrang."
A/N:
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