55DIsclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Reminder: Simon - Sirius from the future
Five months
Five months. That was how long she'd been here. Five months and no word of anyone trying to find her. But at this point she couldn't bring herself to care, because if she was honest with herself she would admit that at least here she felt more appreciated.
Flashback
Her whole body was totally numb, screaming for rest. She would have happily agreed, except that, once again, her magic was controlling her body. Lord Voldemort was nothing if not determined to get answers from her about these 'time-travellers' he'd heard of and was subjecting her to dose after dose of the Cruciatus Curse. Of course, her magic was acting instinct so her body shield was constantly up, despite her body's protests.
She heard Voldemort grunt in frustration and knew that he had failed to get past her impenetrable shield. "How are you doing this?!" he demanded. "Where is your power coming from?! No one can conjure a shield strong enough to block the Cruciatus curse!" Leslie was too tired to answer him. She took one deep breath and collapsed.
Then something surprising happened. She heard someone run up to her fallen body and gently gathered her into a sitting position. Leslie subconsciously rested her aching head on this mystery person's shoulder and caught sight of a lock of blonde hair. This person's arms were warm and comforting, and Leslie could feel a pregnant belly, informing her that this was a woman.
"Narcissa!" a voice barked, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Ah! So it was the infamous Narcissa Malfoy who had rushed to her aid. That was unexpected!
"My Lord," Narcissa pleaded, "This girl's magical levels are non-existent, yet she is still able to conjure a full body shield. An impenetrable shield nonetheless! She may be of some use to our side if we are able to persuade her. Let her reside in my quarters at Malfoy Manor, under my close supervision. I will nurse her back to health and persuade her to join our cause, and if she is one of these so-called 'time-travellers' then maybe she will reveal her secrets to me if should she come to trust me."
Voldemort seemed to consider this idea. Leslie could almost hear his brain working and, for once in her life, thanked whatever gods there were for her freaky powers. "Very well, Narcissa, you will be responsible for the girl until she decides she will give me the information I want. I want weekly reports on your progress."
It seemed like that was the end of the conversation, until Lucius opened his big mouth. "But, my Lord, my wife is due our first child in a few months! I am not sure that she is adequate enough to harbour a prisoner-"
"Lucius, really, did you honestly think I hadn't thought about that!" Narcissa interrupted. "I am perfectly capable of nursing a wounded prisoner and a baby at the same time. If I find myself overwhelmed, well that's what house-elves are for!"
In the end, even Lucius couldn't dissuade his wife from caring for Leslie. The young mage had no clue as to why the blonde female from the Black family would want to take her – a stranger – into her home without having some ulterior motive.
000
Surprisingly, Narcissa didn't even ask her who she was, where (or when) she came from and what her purpose was. Leslie had been endlessly suspicious of this. Wasn't Narcissa an evil, blood-obsessed, typical, stuck-up pureblood who followed the Dark Lord like a lost puppy? Or had that been Bellatrix? Her father always gave similar adjectives to all his relatives, it got confusing. But either way, Narcissa was a Malfoy AND a Black; she shouldn't be trusted just yet, right?
This question had puzzled her for such a long time. Finally she got the courage to ask the Malfoy matriarch just what exactly her intentions were.
Narcissa had simply given her a warm, motherly smile and said "Because you're family, and despite what your father may have told you, I'm not an evil hag who cares about no one but herself. Family is the most important thing in the world, to me."
Leslie stared at her, wide-eyed, in shock. "But… how did, how do you…?"
"You do look an awful lot like Regulus," Narcissa smiled, "But you are just as stubborn and wild-tempered as both your parents."
End Flashback
Leslie would not have believed it unless she had seen for herself how the blonde woman acted with her son. Draco Malfoy had been born in February(1) and he was a beautiful blonde baby – the most beautiful baby Leslie had ever seen (though to be honest she hadn't seen many). It was actually thanks to baby Draco that Leslie had not gone insane. The young mage was very fond of her baby cousin and she would often baby sit him when Narcissa was summoned. But of course, even though Draco was still a baby, he was also a Malfoy!
On this particular occasion Draco had found his mother's jewellery and was having a grand time of making a mess on the floor of the guest bedroom – which just happened to be Leslie's room. Needless to say, Leslie's temper was close to causing an explosion. "Draco Abraxas Malfoy! Stop making such a mess!" cried the young witch/mage while picking up handfuls of expensive pearls.
"Ah! Who am I kidding? You just like doing this 'coz you like annoying me!" Draco blew a little raspberry in response to this, which Leslie interpreted as an agreement to her statement. Leslie 'huffed' in exhaustion. "Alright then, mister, your fate is sealed."
And with that she held out her arms and levitated the small baby into her arms. Draco squealed in excitement as he found himself flying through the air. Leslie smiled too, and she tickled the blonde babe under his chin.
"You know, I probably shouldn't be using you as a practise dummy for my levitation skills. Merlin knows what your mother would do if she found out!"
"She would probably take you to his father and let him use the Cruciatus on you for putting her baby in danger!"
Leslie froze at the sound of Narcissa's voice. She turned around slowly and to her surprise, found that Narcissa was sporting a small smile on her face. Leslie smiled, sheepishly.
"I'm really sorry! I would never hurt Draco, you know I wouldn't but he was just –"
"Hush, child! You don't have enough faith in your powers, they won't harm anyone if you don't want them to."
The Malfoy matriarch stepped towards Leslie and gently took her son into her arms. Draco protested a little, not quite ready to say good-bye to his favourite baby sitter. His mother's smile grew even wider. "I swear, he loves you more than he loves me! I won't be surprised if he starts calling you 'Mama'!"
The two women sat down on the bed after Narcissa called the house-elf, Dobby, to come and clean up the room. Leslie had revealed her secret to Narcissa two months ago after ensuring there would be no betrayal on Narcissa's part. Leslie had started to look at the woman as a mother of sorts (despite being only 5 years younger) and Narcissa herself had found herself growing a soft spot for her future niece. It was because of Narcissa that Leslie had found out more about her Black heritage and she had discovered that Narcissa, Andromeda and Bellatrix were very distant cousins of her father's (they shared the same great-great grandfather)(2) and that the mage gene could also be found in the Black ancestry – however diluted (which could explain why she was slightly more powerful).
"So what was the meeting about?" Leslie asked.
"Nothing important, really. At least, nothing that Lucius thinks is important enough to tell me," Narcissa rolled her eyes at this, "But Severus seems worried. Something seems to have shaken him up and he's reluctant to reveal this information to ANYONE! And Regulus has been acting rather distant lately."
Leslie perked up at the mention of her uncle. "How so?"
"Well, he's becoming less interested in the raids, but if I'm being honest I'd say that was actually a good thing. What really worries me is that he looks so tired these days, as though he hasn't gotten any sleep in a while, and he's very tense. Whenever someone approaches him unexpectedly the poor fellow jumps a mile in the air before calming himself down. But the most worrying part is that he seems to be more… defiant of the Dark Lord… more reluctant to take part in hunting muggles and mudbloods."
"Well… that's good isn't it? You'll have someone who feels the same way that you do. Maybe now you won't have to keep your feelings to yourself – so long as both of you practise Occlumency."
Narcissa shook her head, nervously. "No, my dear. He's up to something… something big! He's planning something to do with the Dark Lord… I'm worried that this will cost him his life…"
Narcissa bit her lip to stop it from wobbling. Leslie reached and gently took Draco from his mother's shaking form. Narcissa loved her Regulus dearly – he was like a younger brother to her – she didn't want to see him hurt.
"Cissa… maybe you should talk to him. You could tell him everything; how you really feel about being on this side of the war; how you wish you'd never agreed to marry Lucius; you could tell him the truth about me! If he's really planning on leaving the Dark side maybe you could help each other." Leslie hated seeing her aunt in this state. She knew how Narcissa really felt about having to kneel down to a psychopathic megalomaniac who was lying about being a pureblood. The only reason Narcissa was on the dark side was because she had an obligation to her husband and she was worried about what Lucius would do to Draco if she betrayed him. The only reason she married Lucius was because he parents had made a marriage contract between the two of them which she had been forced to fulfil.
Narcissa took a deep breath to stop the sobs that were likely to come. "I can't. It's too risky, for me and for Draco. Lucius has more rights to Draco as he is his son and heir. If I left and took Draco with me Lucius could charge me with kidnapping regardless of the fact that I am Draco's mother. And suppose Dumbledore didn't believe me? What then? I won't be accepted on the Light side because of who my husband is and by going to Dumbledore for help the Dark Lord will know that I betrayed him and give the order to have me killed! I would much rather live in misery and fear than die a free woman and leave my son to the clutches of his barbaric father."
Narcissa took her son back and stroked his soft head, as though reassuring herself that they were both still alive and safe. "Lucius does not know how to be a father. He won't let Draco be a child after his sixth birthday, he will start combing him to be the perfect pureblood heir and he will beat out any good trait that I teach him. He won't care how much he hurts Draco in the process, either." Narcissa looked Leslie right in the eyes. "He will take my son from me and prepare him to be a heartless killer and there will be nothing I can do about it. The only thing I will be able to do is tend to my child's wounds and remind him that no matter what his father tells him, he can still be a good person."
There was silence in the room for about four minutes, Narcissa just holding her baby close to her and Leslie gazing at them, wondering what it felt like to be held in a mother's arms.
"However," Narcissa continued, "I will talk to Regulus and tell him of you – in secret, of course. Whatever he is planning, he will need help. I can think of no one better than an extraordinarily powerful mage. Besides, it's about time you met your uncle and judged him based on what you think of him and not what your father tells you."
Despite herself, Leslie felt excitement and anticipation build up inside her as she thought of finally meeting her uncle. Narcissa had described him as a bit of an outcast in the Black family, so Leslie felt some sort of connection with him. Also, Harry had shown her the locket and the note that he and Dumbledore had found at the end of his sixth year. Leslie had a sneaking suspicion she knew who R.A.B was.
"Do I even want to know what you're planning in that head of yours?" Narcissa asked.
"No," Leslie busied herself by playing with young Draco's fingers. "It's probably better if you don't know."
"Leslie, you shouldn't keep things bottled up inside. Your powers feed on your emotions and that's why you're having trouble controlling them. Plus it's not healthy; you could become depressed if you don't talk to someone."
"Don't worry, I will." Leslie would have left it at that but she couldn't withstand Narcissa's persistent look. "Alright, alright. I won't tell you everything, but I was just wondering if I could change someone else's fate."
Narcissa smiled at her niece. Leslie might like to think that she was tough and independent (and she was) but she wasn't as cold-hearted as she would've liked to think. She was a true Black – she cared about her family and would do anything for them, a trait Sirius hadn't learnt due to the way his parents treated him. "Leslie, dear, you know you can't save everyone. Sometimes it's just someone's time to die – no matter how young, successful or powerful they are."
"But how do we really know if it's someone's time? What if it turns out they were taken too soon?"
"Well I guess we can't," Narcissa agreed, "But in your case it'll be somewhat easier, I expect."
Leslie perked up. "What do you mean?"
"If you know someone who died in your old timeline and you know you have done everything in your power to save their life in this timeline and they die anyway, it is a sign that death was always waiting for them."
"…I couldn't follow that."
Narcissa chuckled, causing Draco to squirm a little. "Let me give you an example. Your mother died in your old timeline, am I right?" Leslie nodded. "If you tried your hardest to save her life in this timeline and she died anyway, you'll have to accept that she was meant to die. However hard it may be."
A sudden 'crack' startled the two women. They both turned to see Dobby standing sheepishly on the floor. "Dobby is sorry, Mistress, but Master is home and is wanting to talk to Mistress. Master is sending Dobby to fetch Mistress and tell her to go to the drawing room."
"Thank you, Dobby. Tell Lucius that I will be there shortly." Dobby did a little bow and disappeared. Narcissa looked at the floor and sighed. She seemed to be hugging Draco a little tighter. "Well I guess I'd better go and see what he wants. Will you watch Draco for me?" The young mother didn't wait for a reply before she placed her son into Leslie's arms. Not that the young witch minded, but she could see the sadness in her aunt's eyes – these meetings with Lucius and the Dark Lord were taking away precious time with her son.
"Aunt Cissa," Narcissa paused at the door to show she was listening. "I know you've done a lot for me already and I really appreciate it but…could you try and find out if anyone has been trying to find me on the other side?"
Narcissa turned and smiled at Leslie, though this was a sad smile. "I'm sorry, child, but I haven't heard anything. I will carry on keeping my ears open, though." (3)
A brief moment of silence passed between the two women, expressing the disappointment they both felt at the way their lives seemed to be turning out – Narcissa was stuck in an abusive marriage to a man she had no love for, she was forced to follow a monster who called himself a pureblood and she could hardly find time to spend with her own son. Leslie seemed to have been abandoned for the hundredth time in her short life and now she had to face the possibility of finishing her mission alone.
"It'll all be okay, Aunt. I promise." The two shared a small, sad smile before Narcissa left and closed the door behind her. Leslie sighed and looked at the small baby in her arms. "You don't know how lucky you are, little one." Draco's response was a little hic-cough.
000
Harry stumbled into the Potter living room, nursing a leg cramp, a bruised abdomen, a face that resembled a child's play-doh, several scars (some of which were still bleeding) and a dislocated shoulder . Ever since Leslie had been kidnapped he'd buried himself in learning duelling and self defence so he would be ready to hunt down any Death Eaters with information of her whereabouts. Unlike a majority of the Order he refused to believe she was dead and never coming back. His parents were worried about him and always insisting that he take a break. 'You're no good to Leslie if you can't stand on your own two feet long enough to take down one Death Eater' they'd always tell him. Occasionally Harry would do as they asked (if only to get them off his back) but the only thing he did was list down any possible places where Horcruxes might be.
Being in a different time line made things slightly trickier because he wasn't sure if Nagini was a Horcrux at the moment and he also wasn't sure if Voldemort had entrusted Lucius Malfoy with the diary yet. The locket was also a challenge; even though he had finally figured out the identity of R.A.B and he was fairly certain that Regulus had not yet switched Salazar Slytherin's locket for the fake one, he still had to figure out how he would retrieve the locket without needing to poison anyone.
"Harry! Is that you?" Lily Potter came waddling out of the kitchen to greet her son – the same son that was growing inside of her at the same time (confusing isn't it?). Lily's eyes widened at the state of Harry. "Oh Merlin! What happened to you?!"
"I told Mad-Eye to make the training slightly more challenging. He caught me off guard several times and threw me against the wall twice and he got in a few cutting hexes. I may have cracked a few ribs," Harry responded, sounding like he was just talking about the weather. He ignored Lily's horrified stare and walked towards the fridge to get a cold drink and an ice pack.
"Harry, are you trying to work yourself to death or something? Because the way you're going you're headed for an early grave!" Lily scolded.
"I've been headed for an early grave since before I was born, or did you not hear the prophecy? At least if I train properly I actually have a shot at surviving to see my 'golden years'," Harry brushed past Lily and sat on the sofa. His aching muscles seemed to sigh in relief. Lily was about to argue with him a bit longer but the door opened again to reveal James and Sirius (both of them not nursing any bruises as Lily was relieved to note).
"Hi honey," James said as he walked over to his wife and kissed her. "How's our little man?" he asked, kissing the fairly large bump.
"I'm brilliant, thanks for asking!" Harry commented. Unfortunately this drew unwanted attention to himself. Sirius and James both jumped in horror at the sight of the young Potter.
"Sweet Merlin! Harry, what happened to you?!" Sirius asked, leaping over to his side. "You look like several Death Eaters found you and decided to play 'catch'!"
"Wish it had been. Maybe I would've found out where they're keeping Leslie?" Harry commented. James' eyes went wide and Sirius just froze in his tracks.
James took a deep breath and continued. "Harry, can you stop being so morbid for a second and just tell us what happened."
"Apparently he got Mad-Eye to beat him about harder than usual." Lily informed her husband. "He's nursing a dislocated shoulder and he's told me he's broken a few ribs from being thrown at the walls!"
"I said I may have cracked a few ribs! And I never said it had anything to do with the walls-"
"WHAT?! Well what else could it have been?" Sirius interrupted. "I'm going to kill Mad-Eye, he should know better than to listen to you when he's training you! I'm gonna march right up to him and teach the REAL meaning of Constant –"
"How did you crack your ribs?" James interrupted Sirius' rant before it could get any further.
"Mad-Eye aimed a 'Bombarda' at me, I dodged it but it hit a wall behind me and the wall broke into several pieces – one of which hit my ribs. But then I got him with a stinging hex!"
After several minutes of staring at the teen as though he were insane James finally asked what everyone was thinking. "Harry, do you have a death wish?"
Harry glared at each and every member of the room. "Excuse me for trying to make sure that I'm prepared to face any death eater I may meet and also for making sure I can kick old Moldy-Voldy's ass when he and I eventually cross paths again. In case you hadn't realised, destroying his Horcruxes is only part of the job. I'll still have to duel him."
"That's all very well Harry, but we all know the real reason you're doing this and I'm telling you – again – that you're not doing her any good by working yourself to death!" Sirius argued.
"Well I don't see any of you doing a damn thing! I know that you and James have pregnant wives and jobs to think about but even Simon hasn't lifted a finger to try and find his DAUGHTER!"
No one could argue with that last statement. It was true that Simon had been more distant since Leslie's disappearance, but not in the way a grieving father would. It was as if he had forgotten about Leslie altogether.
Flashback
It had been two weeks since Leslie's kidnapping. Lily had finally convinced Harry to come out of his room and the young wizard walked into the kitchen to find Simon making a lunch that was large enough to feed the entire Ministry.
"Um…Snuffles?" Simon jumped and looked at Harry. He gave him a wide smile worthy of a Stepford housewife – cheerful, yet surprisingly eerie.
"Hello Harry! Glad to see you up and about, I hope you're hungry."
Harry couldn't stop gaping at the size of the meal. "Snuffles, I appreciate the gesture but I don't think even RON could eat all of this!"
Simon chuckled. "Don't worry. It's not all for you; most of it is for Bridget and Lily. They need to keep their energy up since they're eating for two. They're getting so big now, don't you think?"
Harry calmed down slightly upon finding out he wouldn't have to eat this enormous meal. Then he walked closer to his godfather and lowered his voice. "Listen, Sirius," he whispered, going back to his godfather's real name. "I know I promised Lily that I would take it easy, but I can't stand back and do nothing while she's out there and in danger, I mean, you know what Death Eaters are like. So I was wondering if you and I worked together then maybe we could stand a better chance of finding her-"
"Finding who?"
Harry paused. "Leslie. Your daughter-"
"I have a daughter?"
Harry stared at his godfather, looking for any sign that this was all some sick joke. "That's not funny Sirius!"
"I'm not trying to be funny Harry! Last time I checked I don't have a daughter and my wife won't be giving birth for several months."
"Stop messing around! Your wife died in our timeline! You have a daughter who is my age! Don't joke about this, it's just sick!"
"Harry, listen to me," Simon said, as though he were addressing a five-year-old, "I don't have a daughter… at least not yet" he added with a smile. "Now if you'll excuse me I have two pregnant women to feed." As Simon walked away, Harry could only stand in shock at his godfather's new form of reality. (4)
End Flashback
The reaction of the occupants was predictable – Lily was horrified and upset that Simon had forgotten his child - his flesh and blood - James stood in disbelief that some part of his best friend could forget his own daughter and Sirius was just disgusted. Though he knew what his future self had gone through, in Sirius' eyes there was nothing in the entire universe (magical or otherwise) that could cause a parent to forget their child.
Harry looked coldly at everyone in the room. "You guys may have been fighting Death Eaters since you left school but I've been fighting Voldemort since I was a baby. My friend is out there, possibly being tortured or worse. Simon may have forgotten her and left her to die, but there is no way in hell that I am going to stand by unprepared to find her and fight Death Eaters to get her back here safely." The Chosen One limped out of the room and left the grown-ups to mull over the new revelation.
000
"There must be something big going on if you've resorted to asking for my help. Last time I saw you, you said it would be a cold day in hell the next time you involved me in your life."
Bridget shuddered, though whether it was in anger or fear she didn't know. "Believe me, if there had been any other option you would still be in that hovel you call a home and wasting what little life you have left, trying to interpret the future."
The woman chuckled. "Yet, that is the reason you have called me here, isn't it? The uncertainty of the future is scaring you and you need my gift to either put you fears at ease or confirm them. Come now, Kumari, I thought you'd now by now that your mother knows everything."
"My name is not Kumari!" Bridget sneered. "I've put that life behind me now!" (5)
"Yes. And look where it's got you. Your life may seem perfect, but you are involved in a war that is not your fight – it's your husband's fight!"
"It's the fight of the Wizarding World therefore it is my fight!"
"You are a mage. We are above the petty fights of wizardfolk. You have a duty to protect yourself and your magic during your pregnancy, Kumari."
"Bridget. That is my name. Use it. And you need to get off your high-horse and accept that we have wizard-blood and as such we qualify as witches. There is no such thing as a 'pure mage', Mother and the sooner you accept that the sooner you can accept me."
There was a brief silence as the two women regained their composure. Bridget took a deep breath and addressed her mother. "You said I needed to protect myself and my magic during my pregnancy. What do you mean?"
Rosemary looked at daughter, as though x-raying her. "Have you been using your mage powers throughout your pregnancy?" Bridget shook her head. Rosemary lowered her gaze and sighed sadly. "What is it?" Bridget asked.
"When a mage gets pregnant she shares her magic with her baby through the blood," Rosemary explained. "The problem is that if we neglect to use our magic during pregnancy then more of our magic is given to the foetus in preparation for its birth. In the more severe cases all of the magic is given to the foetus and once it is born the mother is left without any magic whatsoever…"
Bridget's blood went cold. "…And a mage without any magic cannot survive…" she whispered. She stared intently into her mother's eyes. "Is it too late to do anything? It's only May and judging by the future I've seen then I'm due in July! I have time, don't I?"
Rosemary took her daughter's hand. She grasped it firmly and closed her eyes. Two minutes later she opened them with a gasp. Bridget watched her intently.
"The future has been changed," Rosemary whispered. "Some events were meant to happen and they will be repeated. Others have changed, some for the better, some for the worse."
The middle-aged woman stood up and went to walk away. "That's it?!" Bridget demanded. "That's all you're going to tell me?! Do I survive this time? Do I get to see my daughter grow up? Tell me, Mama!"
Rosemary turned to look at her daughter. Tears of desperation were falling down her cheeks. "I will be there at my granddaughter's birth, but I cannot reveal the events which are yet to come. I'm sorry Kumari."
After her mother had left, Bridget collapsed on the chair and sobbed uncontrollably.
(1) I don't the exact date of Draco's birth so that's just how it's going to be
(2) The way I see it J.K Rowling never specified how closely related Sirius and the Black sisters really were so since this info may be essential to the plot I'm going to keep it this way regardless of whether its true or not
(3) In case you're wondering, Narcissa is not lying, she's just being kept out of the loop due to Voldemort's paranoia
(4) This is actually also relevent to the plot. If you think about it, Sirius has been through a lot since his friends died, he spent 12 years in Azkaban going insane, then two years of freedom but on the run and then another year being help prisoner at a home which he hated, not to mention another year in the Veil where he was almost dead. On top of that he's had to, literally, confront his past and deal with some mistakes he wasn't ready to confront. He is not mentally stable so it may be easier for him to pretend he never had a daughter than to admit that it might have been his fault that she was kidnapped
(5) Bridget's home life will be revealed in later chapters, sorry if you're confused right now