Chapter Text
July 1981, Malfoy Manor
With a pop! Bellatrix Lestrange appeared before the house of her sister and brother-in-law. She glanced around, clutching her closed hand to her chest, a delicate chain wrapped around her fingers. It was her jewel, her precious crowning achievement, pulsing with the heartbeat of the darkest magic. It was with both exhiliration and fear that she knew she had to keep it safe.
The safest place she had ever known was with her sister. Narcissa was close enough to the cause to be sympathetic, but far enough away from it to not look suspicious and help keep her brown-nosing husband's image clean. There was no one she would trust more completely, save the Dark Lord.
She stalked up the pebbled mosaic walkway, eyes darting around suspiciously as if someone might come and steal her prize at any moment, destroy all her hard work. At the door, she rapped sharply three times. The great piece of black painted oak creaked open and the huge, batty ears of their house elf greeted her before his long, thin nose.
"Mistress Lestrange," he squeaked, immediately lowering his eyes. "I shall inform-"
"Out of my way, you miserable cretin!" she snapped, shoving him aside and pushing her way in. She didn't know why her sister insisted on using her husband's house elf when Mother had offered her Kreacher. Kreacher was a proper elf who knew his place and liked it. Dobby was a weakling not fit to brew her tea.
She glanced around again, still waiting for someone to appear and stop her, but who would? A better question, she thought with a grin, was who could? She went straight for the stairs, knowing that if her sister were anywhere to be found, it would be in her room or in the nursery with her son. She envied that child. What a world he would get to grow up in! A world the Dark Lord had molded to his will, where blood was pure and muggles bowed like house elves-! If she closed her eyes, she could almost see it. Taste it.
She stopped in the upstairs hallway, hearing voices, neither belonging to her sister yet both familiar to her. She remembered then that Lucius was under investigation at the Ministry. She was a suspected Death Eater. Panicking, she glanced around. She couldn't, wouldn't let them have it! She spotted an opaque cabinet of dark wood in the corner. She hurried, opening the door and shoving in the pendant, quickly untangling the chain from her fingers as it clattered onto the shelf. She closed the door quickly, turning just in time to see her brother-in-law, Lucius, and Frank Longbottom turn the corner and head her direction. Frank was an Auror and had previously raided the Black and Lestrange houses on unfounded grounds.
Lucius stopped when he saw her, blood draining from his face. She couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips at the thought of the awkward position that her presence put him in.
"Bella," he greeted finally. "I wasn't aware you were here. I must have a word with Dobby."
"Your elf is a bit sub par, isn't he, dearest brother," she said, her voice like silk. "I was here to visit my sister."
Frank, rather obviously on official business, eyed her suspiciously. She gave him a toothy grin.
"She's in the nursery with Draco," Lucius anwsered quickly. "I'm sure you know the way. Please let her know if you'll be staying for supper."
"How generous of you, brother." The word dripped from her lips like poison and she offered her most sickly sweet smile. "I'll be on my way then." She slipped passed them with a glance back at the cabinet, hoping they didn't need in there for anything. They continued on their way and she released the breath she had been holding when they walked past it and down the stairs. Lucius shot her a warning look before he disappeared below the bannister and she turned quickly, making her way to the nursery at the end of the hall.
As expected, Cissy was inside sitting in a rocking chair with the one year old child in her arms. She was reading him the Tales of Beedle the Bard. It struck Bella in that moment how much motherhood suited her sister. She experienced an odd sensation of jealousy toward her sibling and nephew. She brushed it off with a sneer- Cissy had never had anything that Bella wanted, nevermind a brat to coddle when there were mudbloods to kill.
"Cissy," she said excitedly.
Her sister looked up, almost alarmed and mouthed to her to shush. Bella blinked in response. Cissy returned to the story, finishing off the tale as the child's eyes drooped closed, not even minding the presence of a new person in the room. Carefully, Cissy closed the book and set it on the table next to her chair before standing up. She made her way to the crib, soon to be replaced by a bed, and gently lay the boy down. Tiptoeing over to Bella, she made a shooing gesture and they both left the room.
"Bella, what are you doing here?" Cissy demanded after the door was closed behind her. "A man from the Ministry is here. Lucius says he's just a visiting a collegue, but I think he's doing a secret inquiry." Her blue eyes were trained on a point down the empty hallway as if expecting the man to come around the corner with her husband in custody. She was wringing her hands. Bella had never seen her so uncomposed, but there were greater things at risk.
She reached out and grabbed Cissy's hands, half in excitement and half to still their unsettling motion. "I have to show you something!" she hissed. "I need you to protect it!"
Before Cissy could ask anymore questions, Bella dragged her down the hall toward the stairs, heart thumping in her chest at finally revealing her secret.
"I had to hide it," she said as she came up to the cabinet. "That snivelling husband of yours and his friend were coming and I couldn't let them see it." She opened the cabinet, but the shelf was empty. Frantically, she searched into the far reaches of the dark cabinet, feeling her hand around everywhere. "Where is it?!"
"Oh, Bella," Cissy said softly. "This is a Vanishing Cabinet. Lucius and I haven't been able to figure out where anything goes, yet. It's no matter, we're selling it to Borgin and Burkes soon. If too many more of these Ministry people keep snooping around, we'll be selling a lot more."
"No matter?" Bella slowly closed the door and turned to her sister with a wild glare. "NO MATTER?! That was my crowning achievement in there! My life, my soul! And it's just gone?! Where is it, Cissy? Where did it go!" She gripped her sister's arms, nails digging deeply into the fabric of her long sleeves.
"I don't know, Bella!" she insisted, resisting the urge to wince in pain. "There is a twin somewhere, but we don't know where it is! That's part of the reason we're selling it!" With a jerk backward, she finally released herself from Bella's grip, taking a firm step back and putting herself out of arm's reach. "I'm sorry. I will check it everyday until we sell it. Sometimes the things come back."
Bella stared at the dark cabinet, her chest rising and falling with the panic coursing through her. Surely she could find it? It was part of her. She began to calm down, already sensing that wherever it was, it was safe. She took a deep breath and turned back to her sister.
"I believe I was invited to dinner?"
April 1996, Hogwarts
Graham Montague stepped out of his Charms class for morning break, chest puffed out with arrogance rather than pride as he tried as much as possible to show off his Inquisitorial Squad badge. The tiny silver "I" looked even smaller than most on his wide chest, but he was determined to make sure people knew his position of authority. He smirked as students slipped past quietly with their heads down like they were afraid of him.
Except for Fred and George Weasley. The twin gingers stood at the end of the hall, arms crossed and glaring at him in fierce defiance of his power. They pushed off the wall they were leaning on and went around the corner. Graham sneered and made to follow them, rounding the corner just in time to see them slip down another hallway. It was like they were trying to escape and that made him all the angrier.
Finally, he came to the deserted hallway and there they stood, talking quietly to one another. Graham glanced around, making sure that no one else was in the hall to hear him.
"Well, well, well," he said slowly, smirking as he stepped closer. The brothers looked over their shoulders at him with bored disdain. His smirk became a scowl. "Look at the two trouble makers."
"He's got us there, George," said Fred.
"I know that, but how was he smart enough to figure it out?" George replied as they turned to face Graham, arms crossed again. "We aren't making trouble now, so why don't you try being inquisitive about your homework? If you're lucky, you might even pass your O.W.L.'s this year."
"Third time's the charm," Fred agreed.
Graham wasn't going to stand for this. "How about I discourage any future mischief endeavors by taking fifty-"
Before he could finish, the twins had him by either arm, one using their wand to open a nearby cabinet.
"Sorry, we don't really feel like being in trouble today," said one.
"Better luck when you get back," said the other.
With a heave, Graham was shoved head first into the space where he barely fit and they shut the door behind him. Immediately, he began to squirm and push at the door, trying to get out. His fingers tangled in some sort of chain and suddenly he tumbled out onto the floor, something clattering out in front of him.
"Fifty points from Gryffindor!" he cried, pounding his fists. "Each!"
He glanced around, prepared to fend them off this time when he noticed that the floor was not rough stone but rather high polished with strange geometrical designs on it. Ahead of him, just out of arm's reach, was a strange looking necklace. He could barely make out what looked like a family crest underneath the affixed stone from his angle.
Graham scrambled to his feet, heart beating wildly as he realize it was the Vanishing Cabinet they had pushed him into. No one knew where it went. Surely all he had to do was get back in? He spun around, the same cabinet sitting quietly in the corner, door open. He went toward it and paused when he heard voices.
"-pretty sick and tired of these Inquisitorial bastards. Can't we just shove them all in there?"
It was one of those twins! They were going to get it when he got back! He stepped into the cabinet.
"This one is a fine piece," said a completely new voice. It certainly wasn't one he could ever remember hearing at school. "We've traced it back to former Headmaster Phineas..."
Graham quickly shut the cabinet door behind him and waited. He opened it back and he was still stuck in the same room. That's not how these are supposed to work! he thought frantically. He shut the door again and opened it. Same room.
Suddenly, a door on the other side of the room opened. A young, pale woman with dark hair and strange robes walked in. Her head was bowed and she carried a bowl with both hands.
"Please!" he said frantically.
The woman gasped, looking up at him with fearful eyes. She almost dropped her bowl.
"Please! Help me!"
Immediately, she turned from him and went back out the door. He could barely hear her voice as she cried, "The gods! The gods have sent a messenger!"
"Come back!" he cried. The door closed.
Graham had failed his Apparation License test last year. He was in the course of going through training again this year, but he still wasn't licensed. Still, this was an emergency. Swallowing hard, he concentrated, trying to remember the rules and tips given by the annoying trainer. He turned on the spot and disappeared.
The door opened again and the woman returned with several people, but the messenger was gone. All that was left was a necklace on the floor.
"He was just here," she insisted.
A man pushed by her and collected the piece of jewelry. "This is proof, there is no doubting," he replied, assuring her that they believed her. "They must have only chosen to show themselves to you."
"He asked for help."
"Then you will help him by protecting the gift the gods gave him to leave behind." He walked over and fitted the chain over her head, pulling it down until the pendant rested on her chest. "This is your charge, Reyn."
She wrapped delicate fingers protectively around the pendant. "I will protect it with my life."
December 2001, P3R-781
Major Griff stepped out of the stable wormhole and onto the raised stone landing surrounding the Stargate. He was flanked by captains Pierce and Casey with Dr. Warren bringing up the rear. He glanced around the perfectly normal looking planet, often times finding it hard to believe that he wasn't on Earth. He glanced up to the clear skies, spying two moons fading into the blue as if to let him know this wasn't home. It seemed strange to admit that he was used to all the strangeness.
"Alright, team, you know the drill. Pierce, Casey, secure the gate and set up a perimeter," he ordered. "Dr. Warren, do... The science-y stuff."
Warren rolled his eyes and went toward the nearby tree line.
While SG-2 was a capable team in it's own right, often going on solo missions, this was a routine trip to secure the area for SG-1 and make contact with the locals. Dr. Jackson had taken a particular interest in this planet due to it's closeness to Earth, not unlike Abydos. He and Major Carter had detected a strange readings connecting the planets similar to some alien transporter technology.
"At least it's warmer here than in Colorado," Casey said, removing his pack and kneeling next to it on the ground.
"C'mon, Casey," Pierce said, grinning. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas back home."
"Bah humbug," Casey grumbled.
Major Griff chuckled and turned away from them, about to venture further out when he was startled by the appearance of a woman. She was very pale and dressed in black, her dark hair kinky rather than curly. She wore a necklace with an ornate pendant hanging from the chain. Her hands were behind her back and her head was inclined in what looked like a rather uncomfortable angle.
"Hi," the major greeted, smiling at the strange woman. She smiled back and it made the hair at the base of his neck stand on end. "I'm Major Michael Griff from Earth."
"You came through the ring," she stated. Her voice was silky, her tone almost sickly sweet.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a nod.
"They say only gods come through the ring," she said. She walked forward, each step slow and deliberate. One hand slipped into view, twirling a stick between her slender fingers.
"We are men, not gods," he said. That was always the first thing to nip in the bud, especially after what happened to Captain Hanson and SG-9 on Avnil four years ago. The Stargate program was just starting back then. "We come from another planet and we would like to form peaceful relations with your people."
She had reached Griff by this time, slowly moving around him, close but not touching; sniffing. She was very beautiful, he noted, her quirkiness almost adding to the allure. He kept a firm face, only arching an eyebrow as she moved on from him to his men. Her fingers kept twirling the stick, never once dropping it. She approached Pierce and Casey as she had the major- almost as if she were studying them.
"We're just here setting up. Tomorrow, another team will come. You can take them to meet your leaders or see your town..." He trailed off. She didn't seem to be interested in what he had to say.
"Did you know there are no magical creatures here?" she asked as she stepped carefully around Pierce.
"I'm sorry, ma'am?" Griff replied, frowning.
"So hard to find a good core substitute," she continued. "They do have a rather interesting indigenous animal. Venomous. I make do."
"You could speak to Dr. Warren on the matter- he will be cataloguing flora, fauna, and taking soil samples while we're here," he said, nodding to the tree line.
"Warren is gone," she said simply. She stepped toward Casey and her eyes came alive with excitement.
"I'm sorry?" the major asked.
"You." She leaned down and breathed Casey in like he was intoxicating, her eyes practically rolling into the back of her head. "You are a Squib."
Fear flashed momentarily across Captain Casey's features. "A- a what?" he stuttered.
She laughed- cackled, really. She pressed the tip of her stick to the spot between Casey's eyes and this time the fear stayed. The next word she spoke was almost said lovingly.
"Crucio."
Casey fell to the ground, writhing in pain with the most blood curdling scream Major Griff had ever heard. He lifted his gun and trained it on the laughing woman, Pierce doing the same behind her.
"Stop it!" he ordered. "Stop or I'll shoot!"
Casey stopped screaming, but Griff and Pierce's gun also flew out of their hands, turning to aim themselves at their owners.
"My people worship the one true Dark Lord," she said, her voice much louder than before, no longer soft or sweet. She kept grinning down at the panting captain as he tried to recover from whatever she had done to him. "Bring him to me, little Squib, and your Dr. Warren may be returned alive. No promises on his mind, though." She cackled again as if she had told an amusing joke.
"Who?" Casey managed to ask. "Who is he?"
"Even a Squib like you should know him," she replied, leaning back and crossing her arms. "Lord Voldemort."