Death Eater's Child

The Day That Changed My Life

I woke up one morning with a start; I knew something was going to go wrong today. I don't see myself as a prophet or a Seer; I could just tell when things were off in the world. I would call it women's intuition; the only problem is I'm not a woman.

I'm William Lestrange, son of the infamous (and now probably insane) Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. I never knew them, though; they got themselves thrown into Azkaban a few months after I was born, and I got placed in a wizarding orphanage soon after that by my other family members. Hell, I didn't even know I had family until I came to Hogwarts and was sorted into Slytherin.

Yes, I am a Slytherin; fourth year, to be exact. I'm one year below my cousin, Draco Malfoy, and I'm glad we're in different years because we don't get along very well. Actually, come to think of it, I don't really get along with anyone. I don't mind it, though; I prefer the solitude of books over the companionship of people. In my opinion, I would have probably been happier in Ravenclaw, but I think my cousin would give me more shit than he already does.

Knowing I would probably be late if I lounged in bed any longer, I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, wincing as my feet made contact with the cold stone floor. I cursed Snape for being such a cheap bastard and not suggesting to Dumbledore that it would be a good idea to put carpets in the dormitories as I fished my slippers out from under my bed with my toe. Finding them, I padded my way to the bathroom and had my shower, thankful that my dorm was empty. All of my year mates were probably either at breakfast or in the common room.

After my shower I got dressed and headed down to the common room, tripping slightly on the hem of my slightly-too-large robes. I couldn't help it; I bought them second-hand out of the lost and found off Snape because my other robes were about four inches too short for me. I learned at a very young age that having your clothes too big was much better than having them fit properly, as you never knew when you were going to get new ones.

After crossing the empty common room, I made the very lonely trek up to the Great Hall. I went to my usual spot at the very end of the Slytherin table closest to the door, so I could get out of the Hall as soon as possible. Malfoy and his gang sneered at me, but I paid them no mind; I was far too used to it to care at this point. An owl swooped overhead and landed in front of me, a copy of the Daily Prophet in its beak. I paid the owl and opened my newspaper to the front page. The image in front of me made me spit out my pumpkin juice.

Ten black and white photographs, nine men and one woman, stared back at me. Some were jeering silently; others were tapping their fingers on their frames, looking insolent. I had heard of some of the people whose pictures were in the paper, but one stood out in my mind. The lone woman looked a little familiar, and the blood drained from my face when I read the caption under her picture.

Bellatrix Lestrange: convicted of the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom.

That's my mother? I thought as I looked at the picture. She looked nothing like what I had imagined her to be. She had long, dark hair that was unkempt and straggly. Her eyes were heavily lidded and she had retained the vestiges of good looks, but something--perhaps Azkaban--had stripped her of her beauty. I continued to read the article.

MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN

MINISTRY FEARS BLACK IS 'RALLYING POINT'

FOR OLD DEATH EATERS

The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban.

Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals.

"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped," said Fudge last night. "Nor do we thing the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person to ever break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals, and we beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached."

I placed the newspaper down with shaking hands. My mother was free? Well, not exactly, but you get my drift. What'll happen now? Will she come and find me, or is she just going to leave me in the care of the orphanage, even though my aunt Narcissa and uncle Lucius have more than enough to support me and their son at the same time? I didn't have time to ponder on this, because the bell rang and I had Arithmacy with the Ravenclaws.

***

Over the next few days, all I could hear about was the breakout. It was discussed everywhere, even though teachers couldn't discuss it with the students because of Educational Decree number I-don't-know-and-really-couldn't-give-a-fuck implemented by Professor Umbridge. My classmates ignored me or skirted me in the halls, probably because my mother was one of the escapees. Didn't matter to me, though; it just meant I had more time to myself to do what I pleased.

A few weeks after the appearance of the stirring article in the Prophet, a letter was sent to me. I was surprised; I never, and I mean never got mail. It just wasn't done. I did the first thing I could think of; I took out my wand and checked for curses. Seeing as there were none, I slit the unfamiliar seal open with a clean butter knife. The scroll unfurled, revealing neat and ordered handwriting.

Dearest William,

In case you haven't noticed, I have broken out of Azkaban. I am shocked and appalled that you didn't even consider coming to find me! I'm your mother, for fuck's sake! Well, no matter. Have your things packed and be ready to go at midnight tonight. Be sure to have this parchment with you, as it is a portkey to where I am hiding.

All my love,

Mummy

I carefully smoothed the parchment out over the table and re-read it. The one question running through my mind was how in the hell did this letter get by the Inquisitorial Squad? The Inquisitorial Squad was something that Umbridge had thought up to keep order in the school, made up of children whose parents were all loyal to the Ministry, and they were all Slytherins. Malfoy and his goons were most of them, but there were a few others that were sixth and seventh years. I, of course, wasn't even considered to be a member, but what did I care?

I went through my day like a zombie, not knowing what to expect. I think a few people were commenting on my slightly odder-than-usual behavior, but I was too distracted to notice. I sat on my bed at midnight, the heavy velvet curtains closed so that none of my housemates would go prying. Not that they would anyway. I sat there, and suddenly I felt the familiar pull of a hook just behind my navel. I was rushing through a bright tunnel of light before landing, causing me to lose balance and fall on my face.