In the middle of the night, a young figure left the highest tower of Nidum, rushing down the stairs as fast as he could, but being careful not to make much noise. As he reached the main hall, he walked on his tiptoes towards his mother's office.

He leaned his ear against the door and waited.

"Is it done, Rabastan?" came the sharp voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"Yes, the Bones won't be a problem any longer."

"Have you done it as I've told you? Or were you careless again?"

"I followed the plan — muggle poison, no magic," Rabastan's voice held a hint of reluctance, as though the very words pained him. "All done within minutes and no trace left to bring them to us."

"Wonderful," Bellatrix said. "Such a shame, isn't it? Tomorrow the Wizarding World will be in tears for the loss of such a great pureblood family."

"Of course, I shall do my best to raise awareness of their most unfortunate situation…"

"And how was the dinner with Fawley?"

"As expected," Rodolphus muttered, clearly irritated by the mention of Fawley. "He's nearly as insufferable as a Weasley. But there's hope — his daughter seems quite taken with Barty."

"Barty? Doubt he would waste a glance at the blood-traitor," Rabastan interjected.

"She is a blood-traitor, no doubt about that. But you should remember, brother, that she's from an influential family — a family that has been giving us a lot of trouble in Wizengamot. It's not as if he was marrying a Weasley."

"Is he interested in the match?" Bellatrix pressed.

"Hard to tell — he's playing his own game as always."

"I'll talk to him in the morning," Bellatrix said, after a long minute of silence. "But, now, there's another matter we should address."

"Which is?"

"Our little spy."

At that moment, the office door swung open, revealing the seven-year-old eavesdropper as he tumbled to the floor. Quickly recovering, he stood and flashed an innocent smile, as if nothing had happened.

"Atlas," Rodolphus said, with the stern voice that always made Atlas shiver. "What have I told you about eavesdropping?"

"It isn't a proper thing to do," Atlas mumbled, staring at the floor.

"Speak loud and clearly when talking to me, boy," Rodolphus commended. "And don't act like a coward with your head down."

"Yes, sir."

Atlas could feel his anger. Rodolphus Lestrange was a harsh man, his face perpetually set in a scowl. He rarely showed affection, preferring instead to criticise and bark orders. Yet, there was one person he never dared to raise his voice to — his wife, Bellatrix.

"Leave us," Bellatrix said to her husband and brother-in-law, her eyes fixed on the kid standing in front of her.

Rodolphus looked displeased but it wasn't a request. He sent one last withering glance at the boy before disappearing with a flick of his cloak.

"Come here," Bellatrix beckoned, and Atlas quickly curled up beside her in the armchair. "What are you doing out of bed? Didn't I tell you to stay in your room until I came for you in the morning?"

"I had that nightmare again…"

Bellatrix's stern expression softened as she ran a hand through her son's curly hair, soothing him.

Once upon a time, nothing in the world mattered more to her than her great Dark Lord. But that was before she met her son — it was before Atlas. Rodolphus often claimed that the boy was her new obsession and, in a way, he wasn't wrong. She had never imagined being a mother could be so entertaining .

"What happened this time? Was that same one with the green lights?"

"Yes…"

"It isn't a nightmare. It's from the night that the Dark Lord saved you from those horrible blood-traitors — the Potters."

Atlas knew all about them, they were the scum of the Wizarding World. A blood-traitor that had married a mudblood and, somehow, had tricked the Dark Lord a few years ago and he hadn't been seen since. Their son, William Potter, was thought to have defeated him and was widely known as the Boy Who Lived. But the Lestrange's knew better than to believe in such nonsense. The Dark Lord hadn't died — he was just missing.

"Why weren't I with you, mother?"

"Oh, Atlas, you already know the story," Bellatrix said softly. "They had stolen you from me."

"But they can't do it again, right?"

"They will never — ever — get you again."

"You promise?"

"Of course, darling," Bellatrix vowed, "You're mine now."
_

Author's Notes:

A few points:

- If the idea is that Harry has a new identity, it doesn't make sense for him to keep a name similar to Harry. That's why, following the Black family naming tradition in canon, I've chosen the name Atlas.

- All the adults have been aged up a bit from canon (though this doesn't impact the story).

- There will be NO lords of Noble Houses. Whenever the Lestranges and Malfoys appear, there will be politics, but similar to what we see in canon— bribing, attempting to gain influence within the Ministry.

- If you don't like the changes, don't read it.

- Lastly, this chapter was written by an author named TheTrier. He came up with the idea for this scenario and allowed me to develop the story. I hope some of you enjoy it, if so, leave a comment.