To Mudden a Serpent's Heart

A faint gust of wind blew through Lily's auburn hair as she sat on the wooden bench, stroking her baby's wispy, jet black hair. She sighed gladly as she looked at the sleeping child, looking so innocent under the little blanket inside his carriage. The leaves of the trees rustled lightly in the background, and the grass beneath their feet stood under a cloudy, afternoon sky. She then turned her gaze towards her husband, who was sitting right beside her, an arm over her shoulders.

"He's sleeping now," she told him quietly, placing her hand into his. "He looks just like you whenever you doze off."

James gave her a mocking smile and held her hand tightly. "And you used to look like him listening to Professor Binns' lectures," he kidded, stroking several strands of her hair that the wind had blown out of place.

She smiled back at him sweetly, and they continued to sit there, just listening to the peaceful sounds of nature and the faint crying of another baby in the park somewhere behind them.

Meanwhile, a death-eater named Lucius Malfoy stood in the darkness of an alley invisible to muggle eyes. Lucius' own eyes felt pierced by another invisible pair of eyes that seemed to live in the back of his master's head.

"What is it that you want, my Lord?" Lucius spoke solidly, but there was a hint of fear in his voice.

"You know very well what I want, Lucius," a voice hissed. It was high-pitched and full of malice, and was barely more than a whisper. It echoed in the volume of the alley, that could have sent a little chill down a muggle's spine. "Bring me the boy."

Lucius felt his neck hair stand up at being answered. "But, Master, why would he be of any use--"

"Do not question my ways, servant!" his master shouted. "You will be going to only park that rests in Crete, and you shall find a baby in a state of temporary death in his carriage. You shall take him, and bring him to me at once."

"Y-yes, my Lord," Lucius agreed, bowing his head. And, with one final glance at his master's back, he placed his hood back up and strode away towards the muggle world.

Lily looked lovingly at James as she felt a heavy mass fall onto her head. My two little babies, she thought, giggling, as she saw James' eyes closed, head resting on Lily's. She glanced at the two people on either side of her and admiringly noticed their resemblance to each other. She was about to tap James' shoulder lightly to wake him up when she heard a scream at the other end of the park.

"Help! Help, please! Give me back my baby!"

It was a woman in her late twenties, and she was running after a cloaked figure in a panic. A man, whom Lily assumed to be her husband, was following shortly behind. "Please, don't take my baby!"

Lily brought her own baby in front of her, and clutched his carriage tightly. She knew that the danger she had been hiding from was just near her, and she felt her heart skip a beat as the cloaked figure ran behind her, carrying a stolen baby in his hands.

Lucius presented the little baby he had taken from the couple just minutes ago.

"Here he is, master... Harry Potter." he uttered silently. The baby lay surprisingly quiet during the whole event, and didn't make any more than an innocent, little yawn, which made Lucius harbor a slight feeling of guilt. However, he had to bury this feeling quickly with his belief in undying loyalty.

His master did not move one muscle as Lucius spoke to him. "Void of any intentions, my Lord, but what is wrong?"

"Fool." The wizard uttered, motionless, still. "You are a worthless follower."

"But my Lord, I have brought you the boy--"

"THAT IS NOT HARRY POTTER!" His voice broke through the deafening silence. It seemed to have shaken the already blinding darkness and gave it an even more morbid atmosphere.

Lucius' hands shook as he carefully unwrapped the baby in his arms. The fallen cloth revealed a sleeping babe in pink garments. And she had a tiny bracelet wrapped around her little arm.

"It...it is a girl..." Lucius mumbled nervously, realizing his mistake. He looked back up to his master as a strong jolt somewhere inside him made his heart climb up to his neck. Lucius was unable to stifle the great feeling of fear that was now beginning to overflow. "My Lord, I apologize--"

"You are weak and pathetic, Malfoy," his master replied. "You have already failed me twice. Undoubtedly, you have not realized the danger of this brainless mistake."

Lucius remained silent, not wanting to anger his master even more.

"Lily Potter saw you, fool! The Potters will now have another chance to escape!"

Lucius' heart began to beat violently, his face flushing in shame. His hands continued to shake in his nervousness.

"You do not deserve to be among the death-eaters' ranks. Your loyalty has recently been faltering. I will get back to you in the future, Malfoy. And it will not be a pleasurable experience."

Just at the moment, another figure shot out from the darkness that surrounded the Dark Lord. "In the meantime, I have someone else to replace you."

The figure nodded at him at this introduction. Lucius thought he saw a thumb missing, but he figured it might just have been the effect of the dark.

"Go, now, Malfoy, cower and hide in fear. I am in no need of your assistance at this moment."

And with that, Malfoy fleed back into his manor, carrying the soundless baby in his arms.

Lucius entered the his manor in a bit of a rush that evening. As he walked on the beautiful, marbled floor, past the golden chandelier and through the spiral staircase, he felt tricklets of sweat slide down the side of his face. Once he had entered his luxurious room, he spotted his wife standing by their son's crib.

"Oh, my... what's wrong? You look so stressed--- agh!" She screamed as she saw the bundle in his arms. "Oh, Lucius, you---you got her back..."

Lucius looked at her seriously and spoke. "No, it's not her, Narcissa, it's--- it's a muggle..." he said, still slightly shaky from his encounter with the Dark Lord. "I'll be returning her tomorrow, early morning. I just passed by the couple who owns her on my way here--"

"No, please, don't," Narcissa said, voice slightly desperate. "L-leave her here. She reminds me of Divitiana--"

"Divitiana is dead, Narcissa! We're never going to have her back again!" Lucius exclaimed. His voice shook so violently that their own baby shifted slightly in his sleep. Seeing his wife with a saddened expression on her face, he took a deep breath and lowered his voice down.

Divitiana was their first child, a blonde-haired little girl with silvery eyes. However, the year their youngest, Draco, was born, the Dark Lord Voldemort had attempted to take the child away from them for some reason. Lucius and Narcissa had completely refused to give her away, and in return, Voldemort took the child's life. It left a horrible scar inside the both of them, and now they had recently become very protective of the only baby they had left.

Narcissa took the little baby in her arms and took the blanket off her face. "Yes, just like my little girl," she said, stroking the baby's cheek. "Divitiana..."

"It is an unsightly disgrace for any pureblood family to be having any of these-- muggles staying in their homes," Lucius replied coldly. "We-- we must return her, Narcissa."

"Give her a few days, please. Just a few days." Narcissa pleaded.

At first, Lucius looked scandalized at the thought, but then, his eyes shone as he remembered his daughter. "Alright... just a few days more."

The few days they vowed to have the baby girl stay in soon extended to weeks, and then months. Both Lucius and Narcissa had gotten to love the baby as their own daughter, setting aside the fact that she was a non-magical being, a mere muggle. However, after almost a year of this illegal adoption, rumors had begun to erupt from here and there, saying that the Malfoys had adopted another girl.

Lucius sat down beside his wife one morning, and decided with a heavy heart to finally return the baby. "Narcissa, we've had her long enough," he began.

A tear fell from Narcissa's eye. "I-I knew this time would arrive... I just knew it.."

Lucius merely nodded with a less-than-happy twinkle in his eyes, and took the baby from the crib beside Draco's. As he carried her, he noticed a paw-shaped birthmark in the inside of the girl's right arm.

He wore his black cloak once again, and went outside into a circular garden lined by innumerable plants at the edges. He made sure nobody was watching as he apparated from his manor to a two-story house near the park he went to.

I'll be missing you, child..., he thought, as he looked into her little, rosy-cheeked face.

He walked slowly towards the doorstep, and placed the baby on the front porch. He kissed her forehead, took one last look, and walked by the mailbox that said 'Granger' before he apparated once more back to his manor.