Of Blood and Serpents

Chapter One-

The night the boy lived, and the child abandoned

'If I could find out how
To make you listen now
Because I'm starving for you here
With my undying love
And I, I will'

-paramore

It was a cold night when five dark figures appeared silently as if through thin air. The small crowded group at once became a triangle as they moved lithely over the muddied ground towards a dimly lit house. The one leading was as indescribable as the others, blackened robes with the hood pulled up blackening the face of the man beneath, But there was a certain gait to his walk. An aura or Power and arrogance. The man beneath, although his expression was completely shrouded in the darkness was as it usually was: cruel and empty. With malice shining in the depths of his black eyes and his lips curled as if mockingly ready to sneer. A small shape was almost invisible beside him in the darkness, keeping steady pace with his powerful gait with great difficulty. Whenever the small shape seemed to fall behind there would be a small jerk as the man pulled the child back into order beside him. The shape was clearly a child's form, though obscured as the others were the child was completely unrecognizable. Had the hood been pulled down one might see the moonlight glow against the child's almost oddly luminescent skin, the black hair pulled into two braids that rested on her shoulders and the soft rounded shape of a child's face that could not be more than six. They came to a stop as their master stepped to the door, He knocked once soundly, and was already reaching for his wand. He was not a particularly patient man when it came to simple politeness. There was no need though, for the door swung open revealing a pale young man with greasy parted hair. He bowed his head to the man and stepped back from the door to allow him to step smoothly inside.

Severus kept his head bowed, noticing the small child being pulled beside the dark lord as they passed and the white hands linking them together. He made no comment as the others slide in behind the pair, their robes rustling across the carpet. As soon as their leader entered the living room he swept off his hood, exposing his handsome (though almost waxen) face to the world. Black hair framing even blacker eyes, his mouth twitched slightly in small distaste to the room but the made no motion to comment. He turned as the others filed in behind him Severus entering last and standing in the doorway of the room waiting for his master to speak. The others pulled down their hoods, revealing an array of faces, light to dark, ugly to pretty, fair to heavy set. None made motion to speak, all eyes falling on the dark man before them with she small quiet hooded child beside him.

“Severus are you ready for your assignment?” His voice was as cold and harsh as his expression was dark.

“I simply await your bidding my lord.” Severus bowed himself again, greasy hair sweeping forward as he did.

“Very well, Leave us.” He flicked his fingers impatiently to the the group of wizards and witches who pulled their hoods up again silently and left as such.

“You've secured a position at Hogwarts successfully then?”

“Yes my lord.. Dumbledore seems... suspicious and wary perhaps but, he believes I am a reformed man..” His lord sneered bemused.

“Dumbledore always was a fool, but even fools have their uses.” His eyes glittered red in the rooms hazy glow. “For tonight Severus, I have another task for you.” He drawled eyes flicking down to the quiet thing beside him. He dropped her hand, looking pale and smooth in the light and brought it down on the child's head, sliding the hood that darkened her features and bringing them to light. He then nudged her ahead a few steps and rested his hands on her shoulders. The girl small and chubby cheeked looked up at the dark lord as if shyly questioning, then turned her head to Severus

“My lord?” Severus said, gazing questioningly at the child unsure he understood.

“You are to keep her until I return.” He answered snidely. “Unless you find a child to difficult to handle?”

“Of course not my lord.” Severus drawled respectfully, “Does the child have a name?” Voldemort's eyes trailed the girls head as if analyzing the question.

“She has yet to choose one for herself, Now leave us Severus.” He sniped dangerously, Severus issuing himself out of his living room. His back was already turned as his lord swept down onto one knee before the child and Severus did not look behind him.

Severus heard a murmur of hissing noises then a whoosh of robe moving. An instant later the dark lord appeared, his hood drawn once again as he as he disappeared into the blackness of night. Severus closed the door behind his master straightening as if he'd been relieved of some sort of pressure and returned to the room where the child waited. She sat silently on the couch, her pale face looking resigned and tight and overall very much like the dark lords. Severus's shadow loomed over her and she tilted her head to gaze at him with silent black eyes.

“Do you have a name child?” He almost began to think that perhaps the child was too young to be capable to speak or even perhaps understand him, but then the girl simply shook her head, eyes mysteriously dark and un-childlike studying him. Then raising her chin as if being defiant she spoke.

“Who are you?” she asked, voice again, unconventionally cold for that of one so young. Who was this child and how long had she been with the dark lord?

“I am Severus.” He answered blithely and the child nodded turning her head to look around the room.

“That sounds nice. Does it mean anything?” It seemed very obvious to Severus now that he did not seem to be speaking to a mere child, or rather a cool young woman. The child seemed to regard its self as such, sitting straight and talking boldly, in cold, unemotional tones. Her intellect seemed to far surpass that of a child's, her eyes reflecting this knowledge inherently.

“I'm unsure.” He replied then, felt awkwardly unsure of what to do with the child next, she seemed to answer that for him after a short silence her head snapped back to him.

“Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry.” her eyes seemed to bore into him commanding haughtiness.

Babysitting duty, Severus sneered at the thought, brusquely entering his kitchen to get the child food. His insides were a bundled mess, what could the dark lord have in store...? A shrill terrifying scream suddenly ripped from behind him. His heart jammed into his spine as he whipped around running to the room that the child was in. She was on the floor, curled into a tiny black ball, her tiny heart drumming so hard in her chest where a great pain it seemed had stabbed through her. Severus bent over her instantly, touching her back, eyes darting around the room for something she could have possibly harmed herself on. The child jerked upwards haphazardly, eyes wide, and no longer black but a deep green that sent a jolt into Severus. Her eyes seemed wide and terrified, and suddenly much more childlike, blood, trickled down from her nose to her trembling lips.

“Gone..” She wailed staring at him, hands balled into her hair, Severus held her swaying form by her elbow, crouched down beside her trying to make out the words she was whispering in a thick child's voice. “Gone.. he's all gone... disappeared...” She wailed as suddenly black figures burst into the room, a woman screeching.

“THE DARK LORD HAS VANISHED!!” Bellatrix screamed agonizingly shrill, not to Severus but to all the dark figures who were suddenly in the room.

“What has happened?” Severus jumped up in alarm gripping the child's hand in his. Lucius removed his mask and hood with a flash of his wand.

“Severus! The dark lord.. The child!” He seemed suddenly too overwhelmed to speak.

“Someone EXPLAIN THEMSELVES!” Severus blared shutting up the blaring Bellatrix and the urgent fearful murmurer around him, Severus's own heart was beating painfully fast in his chest. The child.. Lucius said the child.. did he mean lily's child? Had the dark lord found them? Lucius who always seemed pale now looked positively ill..

“The dark lord found the child,” He explained hurriedly. . “Attempted to kill him.. but simply disappeared.”

“Attempted?” Severus snapped, heart thudding. Was Lily still alive?

“He used the killing curse.. but the child...” He seemed to be holding a breath of disbelief before spitting : “The boy lived.”