Summary: A few weeks after Voldemort's fall, the Malfoy family has done an excellent job of staying out of Azkaban. That is, until some uninvited guests shake things up.
It was late November, and the rain was pouring outside Malfoy Manor. Raindrops attacked the windows, lightning crackling. Inside the Manor, it was very warm; classical music filled the space so the noise from outside wouldn't scare the occupants. Narcissa Malfoy was sitting by a large fireplace in the sitting room, holding her infant 17-month-old son, humming an old lullaby her mother used to sing to her and her sisters.
Her husband, Lucius Malfoy, sat in the armchair beside her, reading a book on the history of magic. He admiringly glanced at his little family with a gentle smile. Right now was a troublesome time for their small family; with the fall of Voldemort, Aurors were arresting his followers left and right, and they had their eyes set on the Malfoys.
Luckily, their family was smart and knew how to avoid being sent to Azkaban; throwing money at the Ministry never hurt either. Right now, they had a moment of peace. All evidence points to Lucius as an innocent man who was put under the imperious curse. Donating money to the right charities, doing an interview or two for the Daily Prophete, and they will be in the clear.
The three of them were at peace until a bright green came from the fireplace, and out walked some unwanted company: Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa's oldest sister, her husband Rodolphus, and his brother Rabastan Lestrange, and a little bundle of in Bellatrix's arms. Lucius and Narcissa stood up quickly, their guard high. These three were wanted criminals who flaunted their loyalty to the dark lord, and if it was known they were working together, then it would be bad news for their family. Narcissa held her son tighter, and Lucius stood in front of them, hand reaching for his wand.
"Come on now, Cissy and Lucius. There's no need for that. We're all family." Bellatrix laughed. She seemed giddy and excited like a child told they were going to the Quittige playoffs, which was always a red flag for Bellatrix. On the other hand, her entourage was the complete opposite, with faces stoic and unmoving like stone.
"What do you want, Bella?" The lady of the House asks her sister, avoiding eye contact. The crazed woman cackled, circling them like prey.
"Come now, Cissy. I can't pay my little sister a visit. It has been far too long since we had some tea and talked about life. Our families, children." The Malfoys stiffen, and little baby Draco starts getting a little fussy, sensing his parent's stress. Bellatrix's eyes flash with something dangerous, and she lowers her arms to show a little baby girl with dark curly hair with little strands of platinum blonde curls. "Draco has gotten so big, Cissy; it's a shame he looks so much like his father. Cece's here has grown too; she takes much more after me; she has your hair colour, though."
"That is enough, Bellatrix." Lucius hissed, finally having enough of his sister-in-law, "You storm into my house uninvited, for no reason, and pester my wife and son. Do you have any idea how much trouble you could put us in? In light of being family and not wanting to stress Cece or Draco, I am allowing you to leave without me calling the Aurors."
The two stared at each other, neither backing down. Everyone was entirely silent for a moment before Bellatrix broke the silence, "That's just like you, Lucius, running away at the first sign of trouble. Look at you betraying and turning your back on the cause. This is really who you want to give your loyalty to, Cissy."
"Lucius is protecting us, Bella. What will Draco do with his father in Azkaban?" Narcissa defends her husband; she is a strong and powerful witch, but her sister always makes her nervous.
"You know what would be good for Draco? Fighting for the cause so he will grow up in a proper world where people understand blood status. That's what I am fighting for, for Cressida's future." She defends herself, looking down at her daughter, the sharpness in her eyes never softening, "That's what I plan on doing; I will be going on a mission with Rodolphus and Rabastian to free the dark lord, and I need you to watch Cece for me little sister, I also planned on recruiting your husband."
They gasped in horror. "Are you mad, Bella? The Dark Lord is gone, destroyed by a baby. You want to risk your family's future over a ghost."
"The dark lord is not gone! He is wise and powerful and waits for his loyal followers to return him. And we will be rewarded greatly. So what do you say, Lucius? Do you want to make your family proud?"
"Bella, are you crazy!?" Lucius demanded. "Voldemort is gone, and chasing myths will do you and our family no good. Think of your daughter!"
"I already told you I am. Now, if you are going to stay here like cowards, that's fine, but make yourselves useful and watch your niece while you do. We should be back by tomorrow morning." And with that, Bellatrix plopped the 18-month-old baby in her brother-in-law's arms, and the three of them apparated away.
They stood there in shock, not quite believing what had just happened. Cressida, in the absence of her mother, started to fuss.
"It's okay, Cece. Your mum will be back soon, don't worry." Lucius tried to comfort his niece unsuccessfully. She started full-on wailing, and Draco wasn't far behind.
"Maybe she's hungry; I will get Dobby to prepare her some food." Narcissa says, trying to calm down their son, "Dobby."
POP "Mistress calls for Dobby."
"Yes, I need you to go to the kitchen and prepare applesauce and grape juice for the children."
"Yes, Mistress," and with that, Dobby was gone, and they were left with the two crying babies.
"What has gotten into your sister, Cissy. I always knew she was crazy, but I think the fall of the dark lord has finally pushed her over the edge."
"I honestly don't know. She's always been obsessed with the dark lord but has taken it too far this time. She is putting our family in danger." Narcissa was starting to stress, with the young toddler screeching in her ear and another one sobbing in her husband's arms. It was overwhelming. They didn't know what to do right now, and they were scared. Things were going so well with Lucius' trial and the Ministry that they were lured into a false sense of security, but now it was as if a rug was swept under their feet, and they were left scrambling.
Bella was delusional if she thought they would hand their niece back to her when she was done because, after all of this, one thing was clear; Cressida wasn't safe with her mother. Bella was now a deranged woman, and they were going to fight to protect that little girl; the question was how. Getting custody shouldn't be too hard; Bellatrix is currently a wanted woman. The real problem is how they explain how they acquired this little girl. It's not like they can just tell the Ministry that Bellatrix Lestrange dropped her daughter off at their home after saying she was going on a mission for the deceased Dark Lord. They could say that a family house elf brought the Lestrange Heiress to their home after her parents left her home alone.
POP
Dobby is back with two plates of apple slices and grape juice for the little ones. Lucius and Narcissa walk to a couch and sit the children on their laps, trying to pacify them. After what feels like an eternity, the two babes calm down and are content with chomping on their snacks. Hours pass, and the two toddlers calm down; some toys are commanded, and they are content to play together.
A Patronus, in the form of a Dun Stallion, flew through their living room and stopped right in front of them. The children were enthralled by the light in front of them and laughed when Natalia Black's voice came out of it. "Lucius, Cissy. The Longbottems are missing; your sister and her husband are the Auror's number one suspect. They will be at your house soon. This is your heads up." The animal disappeared, and right on cue, someone was banging on the wards, demanding entry.
The two looked at each other in worry, sensing the presence of Kingsley Shacklebolt and Alastor Moody, who was hellbent on having them arrested. They were quick to cool their emotions though, knowing their entire future rested on how well they twisted this story. They placed Cressida and Draco on the carpet to play together under some elves' supervision; they made their way to the Manor's entrance, allowing the Aurors to pass the wards.
"Mr and Mrs Malfoy, it looks like you landed on our radar once again." Moony sneers; he looks like he is ready to pounce and drag them away to cells in Azkaban.
"We have a lead we need to follow up on. May we come in?"
Asks, trying to prevent a full-on dual from happening. The four of them wall down the empty hallways of the Manor, the portraits whispering among themselves and Lucius's cane echoing. They stopped at a pair of dark oak doors that opened into Lucius' study. His office is large, dark, and intimidating, with emerald green walls and oak details. He sits at his desk, and his wife stands beside him, both tall and proud. Neither of the Aours sits, clearly not relaxed and unwilling to give their host the power imbalance.
Moody looked worse for wear, the stress of the war catching up to him. He had plenty of new scars, gashes, and bruises on his face as souvenirs of his battles. The most prominent of them all is the new fake right eye strapped to his face. The little bugger kept shifting around erratically before landing on the Malofy matriarch, and he smirked at her. "I see you noticed my new eye, like it? Your little cousin gave this to me. Before I hit him with the killing curse, that is."
She quickly Occluded her thoughts, and her husband followed, holding her hand under the desk, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb to calm her down or, at the very least, ground her. "I heard. My aunt and uncle were quite distraught over the news," She replied, her voice icy and devoid of all emotion, "Is that what you came here for? If so, I regret to inform you that I haven't had much contact with my mother's family in quite some time. Have you gone to Ottery St. catchpole? That's where Evan's twin Pandora lives; she might have more information for you."
Moody chuckles; it's loud and repulsive, as if he knows something we don't. But he doesn't know that they are the ones with the upper hand. "I'm afraid we're here for something a little more closer to home."
His partner gives him a warning look, not wanting this to end in disaster, before turning his attention back to Lucius and Narcissa. "What do you know about Frank and Alice Longbottom?"
"Not much. I'm afraid," Lucius answered with an air of indifference, "They are from old pure-blood families; they were in the same year as my cousins-in-law. They are Aurors who fought against you-know-who. That's all, really."
"No information about their recent disappearance?" Moody asks them, leaning on the desk, both eyes fixed on them.
Narcissa squeezes Lucius's hand for support. "This is the first time we've heard of it. We don't get much information from our Manor." The fact that it was because there were always guards around their home was left unsaid.
"Well, Frank never came to work this morning; Alice went to look for him and hasn't been seen since. Whispers on the street say that the Lestranges have been, keeping tabs on the Longbottems before their disappearance."
It's now or never. "Well, that explains what happened this morning," Narcissa tells her husband, feigning surprise, and watches from the corner of her eye as the Aurors perk up.
"Explains what exactly, Mrs Malfoy?" Moody asks, hand on his wand.
"This morning, the Lestrange family elf dropped off our niece, Cressida. Poor thing was distraught, saying that her masters left the house ages ago and left the baby unintended." Lucius spun the tale about how no one had seen Bellatrix, Rodolphus or Rabastan since before Halloween, how the little baby was crying and hungry, and that as soon as she was settled, they were going to contact the Aurors. "Cece was all shaken up; who knows how long she was left home alone. We were just about to floo before you two apparated in front of our wards."
"That seems like a very convenient story, Malfoy." Moody sneers, not believing a single word the dark wizard says. "Why did the elf wait so long to bring her?"
"Meep told us that her Bellatrix and Rodolphus said they would be home soon and not to leave or let anyone in the estate," Narcissa explained, doing her best to deceive the Aurors, "After days went by, she started fearing for her young mistress health and thought it would be best for the families heir to be brought to us, as her next of kin. With everything happening, we were planning on starting the process of becoming her legal guardians."
"Where is this house elf now?" Moody asks, snooping around the room like it was hiding somewhere.
"Unfortunately, Meep left as soon as Cece was settled," Narcissa tells them.
"Can't you summon her?" Shacklebolt asks them.
"No, we can not. Meep is bound to the Lestrange family magic." Lucius explains. "It would be different if it was Kreacher because he is bound to my wife's family. At last, the only ones who can order Meep around are your missing suspects and an 18-month-old baby. If you truly need answers, I can summon you when she speaks full sentences." He adds the last part with a hidden smirk, mocking the two wizards.
"And you're sure the girl can't speak yet?" The one-eyed wizard growls out.
"I'm afraid she doesn't like talking to strangers." The blond wizard replies.
"Well then, if you have any more information, please let us know."
"Of course. We want nothing more than all of this to be solved as soon as possible." So that you will finally get out of our business.
"Well, now that that is settled, we will be out of your hair. Please tell us if anything happens." Shacklebolt says, making his way to the door.
"And will be back the second we hear anything that puts you back on our radar."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure. Now, if you please, it's been a long day, and we have two toddlers to put to bed." The two Aurors are escorted out, and when they leave the family wards, Narcissa and Lucius allow themselves to relax.
"We need to make sure they cannot question those elves, Cissy." He tells his wife, still holding her hand.
"I know, I have a plan. Kreacher!"
With a pop, the old elf is in the room, bowing deeply, "Mistress called."
"Yes, Kreacher, Lucius, and I need you to silence all the Lestrange family elves; I don't care how. Can you do that?"
"Of course, Mistress", and with that, the elf was gone. By tomorrow, no one in the Ministry can confirm or disprove their story. By the end of the week, Bellatrix, Rodolfus, and Rabastan will be sentenced to Azkaban for torturing respected Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, with whispers of a fourth accomplice slipping away. In 10 years, Cressida will go to Hogwarts and will carry the heavy burden of her family history and will have to make tough choices. None of that matters right now, though; the little family of four was at peace getting ready for the night and knew that no matter what, they would be safe as long as they stuck together.
notes: please to sell my work I own nothing except my OC's. This includes the mention of some Slytherin Skittles dynamic. I love Rosier Twins' headcanon
Also, I have some future plans for BCJ that divert from canon a bit. This series will include Rosekiller and Dorlene. I don't particularly ship Jegulus, but if inspiration strikes or someone asks, I might write it in.
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