Prologue - 1974
It was a cool night in June. Screams could be heard for what seemed like miles beyond the Lestrange estate. The air was still, and dark clouds obscured any view of the stars, promising an onslaught of rain. One might have sworn the impending storm was an omen, a prediction of the events that were soon to follow. The clouds seemed poised to spill their contents from the heavens like tears.
An agonized screech cut through the otherwise quiet atmosphere. When the woman's voice reached its crescendo, the first bolt of lightning tore through the sky like a blade through soft flesh. Thunder followed almost immediately, a deafening crack that nearly drowned out the next round of screams.
Rain began to fall, the storm drawing closer to the gothic mansion as the winds stirred the carefully groomed trees and shrubs of the pristine grounds. Another shriek echoed through the house, followed this time by a voice within.
"Close the window, would you? I don't want Bella getting wet," Narcissa commanded quietly to another witch standing in the large, intricately decorated bedroom.
The brunette witch obeyed promptly, gracefully lifting the wand in her hand and flicking it. The stained-glass window banged shut, no easy feat against the winds that were now howling outside. Rain pelted against the house.
Narcissa's gaze never left her older sister, who lay in a large bronze four-poster bed, her dark hair plastered against her sweaty forehead. Quiet for the moment, Bellatrix took the few precious seconds between contractions to catch her breath. She locked eyes with her sister, looking as though she was about to say something, when a raspy cry escaped her throat.
"Now really, Narcissa. Tell me again why she refused to take any potions to help with the pain?" the brown-haired Death Eater asked, watching Bellatrix writhe in agony as the next contraction overtook her.
The blonde Black sister was about to answer when Bellatrix's cracking voice filled the room.
She spoke through clenched teeth. "There is no greater honor than feeling every moment of this. Now get out, Calista."
The brunette opened her mouth to protest, but Bellatrix had already made up her mind. "OUT!" she yelled. Narcissa quickly ushered the other woman out. Calista hurried across the threshold, looking bewildered as she joined the others waiting outside the room.
"Bella, that's the third person you've kicked out of this room tonight," Narcissa said gently, placing a hand atop her sister's arm.
"Not one of them deserves to bear witness to this," Bellatrix snapped. Her sister pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.
"Yes, of course. But making sure that you and the child are safe is of the utmost importance - "
"I would never let anything happen to something this precious - " Bellatrix began to snarl, but was cut off when another contraction seized her.
"I know, Bella, I know," Narcissa soothed. Her attention was drawn to the bedroom door as it opened. A wizard with a black beard poked his head through, not daring to enter without direct permission from the laboring witch.
"Forgive me," he said swiftly, clearing his throat as his dark eyes surveyed the room with worry. "But the Dark Lord requested that I ensure everything is going all right in here."
Bellatrix's demeanor changed in an instant. Despite her exhaustion, she managed a strained smile as her chest heaved. "Rodolphus," she croaked. "Tell my Lord that everything is going smoothly. I merely required more privacy."
"But Bella, don't you think we should have more help in here? It can't be long before the babe is born, I expect." Bellatrix's husband seemed uncomfortable being in the room while his wife prepared to give birth, but he was more concerned that he might somehow displease the Dark Lord.
"Fine, fine. Send Sofia back in," Narcissa said impatiently, gesturing for Rodolphus to leave as another contraction began to take hold. She knew Bellatrix wouldn't approve of her making the decision, but Sofia Dolohov had two children of her own and would likely be the most useful of all the female Death Eaters present.
Just as the master of the Lestrange household had predicted, it wasn't long before the baby made her debut. She arrived with a high-pitched wail, so loud that there was no need for an announcement to the rest of the house. Bellatrix was pleased by the sound of her daughter's cries, knowing that she had just fulfilled her duty to her master. She took a few moments to catch her breath, and when she finally sat up to survey the child she had birthed, she saw Narcissa wrapping her in a black blanket.
"What is it?" she asked, peering down at the squished, red face peeking out from the ebony swaddle.
"A girl, Bella," Narcissa said with a warm smile. She instinctively pulled her niece close to her chest.
"Well, give her to me," Bellatrix commanded, extending her arms. Her sister shook her head.
"No, Bella. He wants to see the baby right away," Narcissa responded, looking concerned as she locked eyes with her older sister.
Bellatrix hesitated for only a split second before waving her hand toward the door.
"Yes, of course, I'd nearly forgotten. Go. Take her to him."
Narcissa left the bedroom with the prized possession Bellatrix had fussed over for nine months.
"You did well, Madam Lestrange," Sofia said, reaching out to place a hand on the new mother's shoulder. Bellatrix shrugged it off. She was normally cold to anyone's physical affection except her sister's, and especially now, she was anxious that the Dark Lord might somehow be displeased with her. Had she had her wand on her, she might have cursed the insolent witch for daring to touch her, but fortunately for Sofia, it lay forgotten on the dresser across the room.
So Bellatrix waited in silence as Sofia began cleaning up the rags and washbasins, hoping she would soon hear the praise she had longed for throughout her entire pregnancy.
She wanted to demand that someone inform her of what was happening outside the room, but she kept her composure. Only when the door opened and her sister returned with the baby did she finally begin to breathe normally again.
"Give her to me," Bellatrix repeated. This time, Narcissa complied, handing her niece over with a smile. Bellatrix nestled the baby into the crook of her arm, pulling back the blanket slightly to peer closer at her wrinkled face.
"Was he pleased?" Bellatrix asked quietly, her dark eyes cast downward toward her child. She did not dare look up at her sister, expecting to hear that she had failed.
"Yes. He is very pleased, Bella."
Bellatrix squealed in delight like a teenager, startling the newborn in her arms.
"Now, you must put her to your breast so she can feed," Sofia interjected. Bellatrix allowed her to help position the baby, and the child latched without issue. She began to suckle, a sensation that made Bellatrix briefly consider pulling her away and handing her back to her sister. But she willed herself to keep the baby there, knowing it was up to her - and only her- to nourish the Dark Lord's offspring. It was the highest honor she could ever dream of achieving, short of giving birth to his child in the first place.
Lord Voldemort did not enter the room to give Bellatrix Lestrange any sort of praise that night.
Rather, he had taken her husband, brother-in-law, and the other wizards under his command into London to terrorize and murder a handful of Muggles. It was considered an exceedingly special night, having his heir enter the world, and a special night called for a special celebration. He allowed his followers to torture and kill without discretion or reason.
When Bellatrix heard about their activities the next day, she grew jealous that she missed them.
Bellatrix was granted permission to name the baby girl, and at first, the task made her wary. She wondered if it was some sort of test. She mulled it over, racking her brain as she tried to remember whether the Dark Lord had mentioned a name, or a family name of his that she was failing to recall.
Only when she finally spoke with him face-to-face five days after their daughter's birth did she ask for his input. She learned there were no family members he wished to honor. Eventually, she chose Cassiopeia, a family name from the House of Black.
"That is a beautiful name, my loyal servant," said Lord Voldemort when Bellatrix told him. She beamed with pride at his praise.
"I am completely, utterly humbled, my Lord," Bellatrix replied, lowering her head as best she could while lying in bed. Earlier that day, he scolded her when she jumped up to bow upon his entrance and nearly knocked over the occupied bassinet. "But I must inquire again regarding the child's name."
"What seems to be the issue, Bella?" he asked. Bellatrix's heart fluttered in her chest, as it did every time he called her by her nickname - a name that only family and close friends used with her.
"We've settled on a first name, My Lord, but I still wonder what would be an appropriate surname for her. We could use Lestrange, but since she is not Rodolphus's child, I don't find it very fitting. Unless, of course, My Lord wishes to keep her parentage quiet to keep her safe - "
"I have no intention to keep her existence a secret. My followers and the rest of the world shall know that Lord Voldemort has an heir, and they shall tremble to think that one day she will help me rule over them." Bellatrix flushed with pleasure as he spoke, a renewed sense of pride flowing through her. She delighted in the knowledge that she had made all of this possible - that she had been chosen to carry his child, and that he was now alone with her once again in the master bedroom. "As I have no surname, Black would be the most fitting. It is a name that one associates with prestige, blood purity, and loyalty to my cause."
Bellatrix did not protest his decision, even though she felt a small pang of regret that she would not share a surname with the Dark Lord's daughter, even if she had given birth to her. For a fleeting moment, she considered divorcing Rodolphus just so she could share that association, but quickly decided against it. Her desire to leave her husband of only a few years had already been refuted by her master even before they discussed producing an heir.
It had been a day in which Bellatrix had been feeling particularly brave, and had expressed her desire to enter into a romance with the Dark Lord. She was not sure whether he chose to ignore her advances or simply did not understand them, but he explained that what was important was that the Black and Lestrange families maintain their strong ties to one another. Whatever his thoughts were on her proposal, Bellatrix had felt utterly humiliated. Still, she remained as devoted to him as ever.
And so the baby was known as Cassiopeia Elladora Black, and it quickly became common knowledge among Lord Voldemort's followers that he had conceived her with Bellatrix Lestrange. Rodolphus, ever the devout Death Eater, freely boasted to anyone who would listen. It wasn't long before the news reached the rest of the magical population that his wife had been chosen for the honor.
The notion that Lord Voldemort had reproduced struck fear into many hearts. Disagreements began to develop within the Ministry over whether efforts should be made to destroy the child. Anticipating this reaction from the ever-skittish magical government, the child spent her first years between her mother's household and Malfoy Manor, always under the protection of the Death Eaters.
When she turned three, her father insisted she be present for some of his 'interrogations,' so she could learn from him. It was an activity that would fuel her nightmares well into her teenage years.
Bellatrix, meanwhile, was as obsessed with the father of her child as ever, and her infatuation with him only grew as the years went on. She had affection for her child, no doubt, but her priority at all times was her master's cause. She only thought to dote on her daughter when Lord Voldemort himself expressed satisfaction with Cassiopeia. With her attention nearly always pulled elsewhere, the young witch received the majority of her parental love from Narcissa.
Under her father's guidance, Cassiopeia began training in the magical arts at a very young age. He was elated that she was able to master a few charms using Bellatrix's wand by the age of four and began teaching her more complicated spells soon after. Only when she refused to use magic to torture a small field mouse did Lord Voldemort lose patience with her for the first time. From then on, he would view any hesitation to follow his commands as insubordination. His punishments were just as cruel as one would expect from the Dark Lord.
Yet, to the surprise of those who met her and knew what her parents were like, Cassiopeia remained a kind, empathetic child. The older she grew, the more accustomed she became to her parents being away on missions and raids. She grew closer to the Death Eaters who cared for her in their absence. Narcissa loved spending time with her niece outside of Bellatrix's influence, and when she discovered she was pregnant, she was more than thrilled to have an older cousin for her unborn child. Cassiopeia, who was six years old when her cousin Draco was born, had never been around other children. She loved stroking the newborn's platinum-blond hair and singing him little songs she had made up. But jealousy soon took shape when she received less of her aunt's attention. More than once, she had to be removed from his nursery when objects began to tremble and shatter-something that she rarely did on purpose.
Months after Draco's arrival, whispers traveled throughout the magical community that the bastard daughter of the Dark Lord was displaying monumental magical prowess. Rumors began to circulate that she had performed absurd feats of magic, such as forcing a dormant volcano to erupt or disarming seven wizards at once in a duel. The fearmongering of the magical population prompted action, and the Ministry attempted to take her from the Death Eaters' clutches. One night, when they knew that Voldemort was away killing Muggles with his most trusted inner circle, Minister Eugenia Jenkins sent the bulk of her Aurors to the Lestrange residence to retrieve her.
For many intense minutes, it appeared as though the surprised handful of Death Eaters would succumb to the attack. But a message had been promptly sent to the Dark Lord, and he Apparated back to protect his offspring, arriving just in time to kill most of the Aurors before any of them knew what had happened.
From then on, it was decided that Cassiopeia would always remain under his or Bellatrix's protection, with no exceptions.
For nearly a year, Cassiopeia was forced to witness countless tortures, kidnappings, and murders, as her parents were unwilling to slow their activities and lost momentum in the war. Lucius, who had begun to look at the world differently since having his son, once suggested to Bellatrix that witnessing such violence might not be good for a six-year-old. It was the first time that his master used an Unforgivable Curse against him.
Cassiopeia's saving grace, as it was for the rest of the magical community and Muggles alike, was Lord Voldemort's downfall. She was no longer subjected to watching people being maimed and killed. Her mother barely spared a few minutes to comfort her before taking off with Rodolphus and Rabastan to find their master. It wasn't long afterward that the Longbottoms were tortured to the point of insanity for information, and Cassiopeia lost her mother to a lifelong sentence to Azkaban as well.
It was not the ideal upbringing from which a morally sound, level-headed witch could emerge. But the love that she shared with her aunt gave her a fighting chance. The Malfoys were now set to raise her with her parents gone. And as luck would have it, a former inner-circle Death Eater named Severus Snape was given the task of looking after her as best he could, as he already had an amicable relationship with the Malfoys.
He had received dire warnings from Albus Dumbledore that, no matter what happened in the next several years, the daughter of Lord Voldemort needed to receive her education at Hogwarts. Otherwise, dark influences surrounding her might bring destruction to them all.