Unusual Beginnings

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UNUSUAL BEGINNINGS 01- A Dark, Dark Day (Rewritten)

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Fall 1981

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Two toddlers, dressed in their cute ruffled pajamas, sat inside a reading room staring at ceiling. One would ask why these children might be fascinated by just looking at the ceiling. If one knew what was on the ceiling and who these children were, one wouldn't be surprised. You see, these children, and a few others the writer had not mentioned yet (since it is her first chapter), are special. They were born witches. But that's not the end of it. They are something else; something else that the writer would not say as to not spoil the fun for the readers.

The girls giggled as they watched their toys levitated on the ceiling, their stuffed animals dancing as if they were magically animated. The older of the toddlers stood up and turned away as everything that had levitated now dropped back on the floor with a mere thud. She then walked towards the other room while the other waddled, supporting herself with the furniture around her. When they reached the other room, their mothers picked them up and hugged these little bundles of joy as one of the fathers offered the other a cup of tea.

"So, how are you doing, Redvin?" asked the mother of the younger girl. "Have you found a job yet?"

"I haven't had any luck at all, Nell," said Redvin Raven, her brother-in-law. A look of worry painted his pale face.

"You can always stay here," offered Nell. "That's what best friends and family are for. Times are hard these days. You can all stay here until you get back in track, after a job and everything else paid. We have an extra room for you to stay in and Lorraine can stay in Natalie's room. We will just have to add a crib in there. The girls will do fine. They will. Everything's going to be alright, right Ben?"

Ben nodded but seemed unsure. Lena, Lorraine's mother, looked at her child and kissed her on the forehead before bursting into tears.

"You know we wouldn't head on here if we weren't desperate, Ben. The landlord wanted to throw us out today and...."

"It's no problem really. I am sorry I seemed a little unsure before," apologized Benjamin. "There are just so many things in my mind right now. But you are family and family help each other no matter what. I think you can stay."

"Thank you, Ben," said Lena. "Desperation leads us to do things as such. First of all, I don't understand why Red and I can't get a job. The Ministry told us that all the positions in our expertise were already filled."

"Probably by Muggles," Redvin muttered angrily. "Don't get me wrong. I don't hate them. I just wish they won't take jobs from purebloods like us."

"And then," Lena continued, "Dumbledore owled us this morning us to go into hiding. We don't know why we should since he didn't really tell us the reason. He just said 'our lives were in danger.' But I can't think of anyone who would go after us. We don't owe anyone money, Red and I do not have personal enemies. It's just---" Lena paused when she noticed Benjamin cringe. "Unluckily, we can't really go into hiding. We have nothing saved up. We can barely even afford Lorraine's formula right now and staying at a hotel or a safe-house is not an option. But Lorraine's safety is our first priority so we went here."

Ben sighed before he stood up. He walked towards Nell and took Natalie from her mother. He held her closer and rubbed the baby's back. Natalie seemed to like his show of affection since she snuggled her nose on his chest. At this moment, Ben started to get teary.

"Nell, I have something to tell you," he said worriedly.

"What is it?" Nell asked.

"I don't know how to say this but I got a letter from the Ministry myself just as I was preparing the tea."

"What? What did the letter say?"

"The letter was to inform me that I got laid off my job. A second letter came from Dumbledore also. It had the same message as Red's letter."

Nell shrieked out of shock, making Natalie jump in her mother's arms.

"I just didn't know how to break it to you," he continued. "I thought that maybe Red and Lena were only here for a visit and that they could help us themselves."

"Oh dear," exclaimed Lena. "Where are we all to go?"

Red and Ben started to walk around in circles, occasionally bumping into each other ever so often as the mothers rocked their daughters to sleep. When the children were off to peaceful slumber, the mothers placed them down on the couch and walked beside their worried husbands.

"Where should we go if we ever do plan to hide?" Ben asked Nell. "I can't think of anywhere to go."

"Maybe we all ought to find a cheaper house and go into hiding there," suggested Redvin. "There's bound to be a spell somewhere that would protect us. Ben, do you mind paying for…"

"Don't worry about it," said Ben. "Just think of a place that would be good enough."

Just as Benjamin brainstormed, a young owl tapped its beak on the window. Redvin noticed that it was his brown owl, Lazarus, and he hurriedly let it in. He freed the owl of the letter from its foot and opened it out loud:

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Dear Redvin Raven,

I know that you are at your wife's sister's house right now, thinking that it is a good place to hide. I had sent a similar letter to your brother-in-law and it is urgent for his family and yours to leave the house tonight.

I have caught wind that Voldemort is in pursuit of both of you and your families. I don't know the reason why nor what his intentions are. All I know is that it is not safe to stay there. You are not the only family in danger.

I do not know if either of you have anywhere else to go. If you have a place to stay, make sure to protect yourselves. I suggest the Fidelius Charm. Otherwise, I can offer your families area place of safety inside the walls of Hogwarts. Students, alumnus and their families are always welcome.

Take care of yourselves and please hurry. I worry about your safety.

Your Old Headmaster,

Albus Dumbledore

P.S.

If you are to go to Hogwarts, owl a letter so I can prepare for your arrival. Otherwise, do not reply, even as to tell me where you are planning to hide.

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Redvin was left in awe and disbelief. He felt as if things couldn't get any worse than that. It was as if luck was not with him at any time.

The ominous letter had sent everybody panicking. The mothers started to gather food and other necessities for the travel while Ben and Red started to run for the nursery and packed everything from Natalie's blankets to her diapers.

"Do you reckon we will get to Hogwarts by sunrise?" asked Benjamin. "My car flies."

"Same here. I don't think it will fly fast due to the weight of everything."

The parents carried everything could stuff it into each of the family's cars as the girls woke up from all the hustle and bustle going on around the house. They stared at the front door as they leaned at the back of the couch and watched their parents pass through. They did not cry for they knew, in some sense, that their cries would only worry their already panicking parents.

When the cars' trunks were finally filled with bags and other valuables, the parents caught their breaths as they walked slowly back into the house.

"The girls," said Lena worriedly. "Thankfully they are not crying."

"It's always the most precious ones that are loaded last," her husband assured her. "Come on. We are almost gone and this is almost over."

*****

Just as they were walking towards the house's main door, Redvin and the other parents heard loud shrieks coming from their daughter's mouths from inside the house. Within a matter of moments, the parents had taken out their wands and had sprinted back inside the house. They abruptly stopped by the door at the sight of a dark-cloaked man pointing his wands at the girls. They were crying silent tears, hanging their arms on the back of the couch, like they were pleading for their parents to pick them up.

"Voldemort!" Redvin said in utter disgust. "Let them go."

"You better pay more respect to the sorcerer who can easily say 'Avada Kedavra' right at your daughters," answered Voldemort, in his usual deep and sinister voice.

The parents were frozen in fear, not knowing what to do for every second that passed was a second less in their daughter's lives if they made the wrong decision, or even if they breathed wrong.

"We'll give you what you want. Just let them go," Ben answered courageously. "Ask us anything. You can have anything we own. Please let the girls go!"

Voldemort smirked upon Ben's remark. "I don't want to kill you, Benjamin, or any of you actually. I don't want your money either. All I need for you to do is to join me," he chuckled. "It's not a choice really. It's an order. You will join. Otherwise, I will kill them."

"Waaah! Mama!!!" screamed Lorraine, her eyes flooded with tears. Natalie started to shriek louder, her screams almost piercing to the ears.

"Are you all deaf or do you refuse to hear them?" teased Voldemort. "Give me your wands! All of you!"

Having no choice, the parents looked at their girls and held their wands tighter. What were they supposed to do? They were trapped.

There two obvious options and neither was enticing to them for they lose their lives either way: first they could refuse him, and hence the girls and them would definitely die; Second, they could surrender to him but waste their lives, including their daughters, in his service. Whichever path they choose, their daughters will have to pay the price ultimately.

Redvin held Lena in his arms as he tried to pry the wand from her white knuckles.

Lena furiously whispered back, "I'd rather have her dead than see every single one of us as his followers! No, Red, no. I'll fight him to the death if so needed."

"So?" Voldemort asked before he mumbled something under his breath. The children shrilled again, slowly kneeling down the couch that their parents no longer see them. "All you have to do is surrender yourselves to me."

Redvin shook his head angrily snatched the wand from Lena. "Give it to me. I am not putting my daughter's life in danger.. Ben?"

Benjamin took the wand from his distraught wife and, along with his, he and Redvin slowly walked towards Voldemort, both trembling as they handed him the wands.

"That was a very wise decision," answered Voldemort as he took the wands from the parents and placed his own in his pocket. He played with the four wands in his hands, twirling them carefully between his fingers, as he glanced at the girls who were both breathing heavily on the couch, their eyes still filled with tears, and their wan faces still revealing fear.

"You can pick your daughters up, boys. Go on, I won't take it against you."

Though Voldemort's voice sounded calm, both the fathers worriedly looked at each other as they hurriedly picked up the girls. The mothers ran towards them, taking their daughters from their husbands.

They lovingly kissed the girls, rubbing their little backs and the napes of the neck as to calm them down. Both the girls clung to their parents but Natalie starting to whimper again and Lorraine followed suit. The fathers rocked the girls as to appease them but it was as if they already knew something worse was about to happen. A derisive laugh came from Voldemort, frightening the already anxious babies more.

"They are mine now," he growled. "And you will hand them to me personally."

The mothers screamed 'no' in unison, taking their daughters from their fathers.

"You can't have them!" shouted Nell. "We won't let you."

"Give them to me!!!" argued Voldemort.

Nell and Lena, both frantic with fear, took a couple of steps backwards, starting to shuffle away from Voldemort. But the babies shrieked as He pointed their wands at them.

"Mama!!!" shouted Lorraine as she trashed about. Both she and Natalie waved their hands about and kicked her little feet as if they were both fighting an invisible enemy.

"Give them to me! Unless, of course, you want them to die under your own wands."

The babies shrieked louder as their faces turned redder. No longer being able to stand seeing the babies in pain nor hear them shrill, Redvin took both babies away from their mothers and handed Natalie them to Ben.

"I can't believe you'd sacrifice their safety like this!" he shouted at the sisters before turning towards Ben. "We are giving them to Him, Ben." Ben nodded as Redvin glared at the mothers from the corner of his eye. He then readily handed Lorraine to Voldemort. Ben followed suit with Natalie.

"Here they are," answered Redvin with a timorous voice. "Just don't hurt her anymore, please."

Voldemort took the wailing babies in his arms, who lessened their cries to loud whimpers.

"Shh," whispered Voldemort in their ears. "You will be fine soon."

He kissed both their foreheads before he turned towards the parents. He tossed their wands, all four of them, to the floor in opposite directions before looking each parent in the eye as he spoke.

"I will be back," he said before he apparated out of the room with the two girls. The fathers picked the mother's wands up from the floor and handed them to their respected wives.

"She's gone!" cried Nell. "Natalie's gone!!!"

She and Lena broke into tears, their knees buckling from under them. Their husbands held them in their arms as to ameliorate the situation.

"We'll get them back," answered Ben angrily. "We'll go to Dumbledore and he will help us. Voldemort fears him."

"Let's go," shouted Redvin as he and Ben headed towards their wand. "We'll get the girls back even if we have to take that bloody bastard out ourselves…"

Redvin's words were cut short when he picked up his wand. He found his wand heavier than usual. A rush of evil thoughts rushed into his brain as evil voices and laughter screamed into his ears. All these were coming out of nowhere, and due to the confusion in his head he felt himself lower to the ground.

As he tried to regain thought, he looked over to Ben, who was also on his knees, and noticed the Dark Mark on the handle-tip of his wand. He looked at his and saw the same thing. Normally, he would feel himself running away at the sight of it. But at that very moment, he felt like he was declined to like it. Something in his head was telling him to like what he saw though something in his heart told him to drop the wand.

As seconds passed, he felt a jolt of energy travel all through out his body. He had a sudden feeling of being omnipotent, like he had the power to do anything. His wand was giving him was power. Power that he had not felt before, irresistible and almost addicting.

"Red?" he heard his wife ask worriedly. "Redvin?"

He turned to face his wife, but he was quite indifferent about her concern for him.

"Red?" she asked, touching his arm. "Redvin."

"What?" he said in a tone he had never used before. His voice was uncaring and cold and he knew it from the fear plastered all over his wife's face.

"Your eyes are glowing green, Red," she said. "What happened? One second you were standing and the next you fell on your knees. Are feeling alright?"

"Never felt better." Lena touches his right cheek but he slaps it away.

"Red, what's wrong?" she cried. "Red?"

Redvin looked away from him as he heard a distant echo of Voldemort's voice.

"Apparate," said the voice. "Your wands will lead you the way."

Redvin looked at Ben, who in turn nodded his head. He had also heard the voice. He noticed that Ben's eyes were also glowing.

"Let's go, Red," he said. "He's calling for us."

"You are not going to Him, Ben!" Nell shouted at her husband. "He already has my baby. I do not want to lose you to him either."

"Red, please!" pleaded Lena. "Don't go!"

Never did Red lose his temper on Lena their whole marriage, never his whole life actually. The impact of his hand to her cheek shocked even him, but only on the inside. He had just struck her hard on the face but he was emotionless.

Ben threw Nell towards the couch, right beside her sister.

"He is the Dark Lord, Nell," scowled "We have to follow his orders… for the girls…"

"Ben," interrupted Redvin. "He wants us now."

Ben nodded his head and a second later, both the fathers had disapparated from Ben's house..

*****

Voldemort apparated into the Death Eater Mansion and handed the two girls to trusted followers, ordering them to ready the girls. He then has apparated into the living room of Lucius Malfoy's Mansion.

Voldemort was one of the very few allowed to enter the Mansion. The Malfoys were his greatest supporters since Lucius and Ranco's grandfather was Voldemort's deceased right-hand man before committing suicide as to prevent himself from revealing any Death Eaters secrets.

Although Ranco is the older of the Malfoy brothers, Lucius was and will always be His favorite and favored him out of all the Death Eaters for his magnanimity and rather sharp and manipulating tongue.

Voldemort walked towards the mansion's den where Lucius and Ranco were both drinking. Upon setting foot, the brothers bowed stopped their idle chatter, bowed their heads to him and said, "Master."

He smiled at both of them and asked, "Where are your boys?"

"They are upstairs, Master," Ranco answered. "What of them?"

"Bring them to me. I want them."

"Why do you ask for them?"

"Did you ask me a question, Ranco? Do as you are told and bring them to me!"

Lucius shook his head at his brother before pulling him to the boys' nurseries.

*****

Ranco peeked into the nursery to find both the boys' mothers feeding and lulling them to sleep. Ranco hurriedly walked towards his wife, Leila, and grabbed Riley from her. Riley, already sleeping, was startled by his father's sudden jerk. He woke up but did not cry and rather looked at his father in confusion.

Lucius took his dazed son from Narcissa, shaking him a bit as to wake him up.

"Where are you taking him, Lucius?" asked Narcissa as she tried to get her boy back into her arms. "It's his bedtime. Let him sleep."

"Dada!" warbled Draco as he held Lucius'collar. "Wawa."

"Master wants to see the boys," Ranco informed her as he rubbed Riley's cheeks. "Wake up, Rile."

"Why not tell him tomorrow, Ranco?" asked Leila angrily. "The boys are..."

Ranco had lifted his free hand as to hit Leila but she covered her already bruised face with her hands.

"Tell him tomorrow?!?" he shouted. "You are talking about Master here."

"Let's go," ordered Lucius as he twirled out the door.

The fathers take their boys down the stairs and showed their half-sleeping faces to Voldemort. He touched their faces as either boys started to yawn and roll their fists to their sleepy eyes.

"Take them to the Death Eater Mansion," he ordered. "Move."

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Benjamin and Redvin had arrived somewhere, but they had no idea where. The room they apparated in was quite dark and the chandelier with green flamed candles did not help much with laminating the room.

"Where are we?" he asked Redvin, the only person, and thing, he could see in the dark; Redvin's glowing green eyes at least.

"I don't know," answered his brother-in-law, but Redvin was ready to change the subject right away. "I can't believe I struck Lena, Ben. I can't never even lay a finger on her. What has He done to us?"

"I don't know, Red. I am a bit more scared of what he is planning to do to the girls."

A door not far from where they were standing opened, illumined the room. Two oddly shaped figures entered and baby-like rambles came from them.

"Who is it?" Ben asked the silhouettes as he and Redvin approached them.

"I thought old housemates never forget," laughed one of the figures.

Ben wrinkled his eyebrows as to think of the face that matched the cunning voice.

"Ranco," Ben heard Redvin say. "Malfoys."

He squinted as to see more of the figures. He noticed that it were their older Slytherin housemates when they were still in Hogwarts, Lucius and Ranco Malfoy, and their young boys. The boys looked very much like their fathers and were the same age as Lorraine and Natalie.

"What are you two doing standing in the dark?" asked Lucius. "Lumos!"

The once dark room was now lit with the bright green-flamed torches. It no longer seemed claustrophobic and was rather large. But they did not realize there were only the six of them there. Rather, there was a crowd of, Ben assumed, Death Eaters. Only their faces showed up from under their hooded cloaks, and most of the strangers were staring straight at them.

"Malfoys," Red said nicely to his ex-classmates. "It's been long since we've seen you two last."

"It has, Raven, Black," Ranco exclaimed. "Are you here because you are traitorous or because you are loyal to the Dark Lord?"

"I always thought you two were against our side," snickered the older Malfoy.

"They are either, Lucius."

Ben turned towards the sound of the voice as the cloaked figures around him kneeled. The voice came from the same source as the whispering echo he had heard before he apparated into the unknown place. He knew altogether the voice was of Voldemort's.

He was carrying the girls in his arms. They were both sleeping in his arms, no longer in the pajamas they were wearing when they left Ben's house, rather, they were in lovely green frocks.

He handed each girl to their respected fathers and said, "follow me."

The kneeling crowd parted ways as to allow Him and the fathers space to walk across the room towards an empty platform. As they were nearing the platform, six playpens appeared, decorated green velvet and satin sheets. When they reached the top of the platform, Ranco, Redvin, Lucius and Benjamin respectively stood by His left side, waiting for his orders.

"Place the babies on the beds," Voldemort ordered them and they did so with no questions asked. The babies stirred as they were placed gently onto the beds. The girls woke up and yawned while the boys looked up at their fathers.

The fathers then stepped back towards the spots they were in a few moments ago and watched Voldemort approach the babies one by one.

He first stepped towards Riley. The young child looked at him in curiosity and had his hand out to him. He then approached Lorraine. He touched her hand but she pulled it away instantly. Draco was holding his hand out to Voldemort, babbling nonsense as he looked straight into His eyes. Voldemort touched his forehead and then headed towards Natalie. The baby girl was cowering in the farthest corner, refusing to come near Him. He approached her slowly then touched the crown of her head. She shook her head as to force him to stop touching her and she was successful at it. A second later, a silver mark appeared on her and the other children's foreheads.

Voldemort turned away from the children and walked towards Ben and Redvin.

"We welcome two new members to our circle," He shouted at the crowd as he pointed to each of them by his side. "They are Benjamin Black and Redvin Raven."

The Death Eaters muttered something in Latin, a language that Ben and Red did not understand as Voldemort pointed his wand on their arms. He gave each of them an evil smirk and whispered "Morsmordre."

A second later, Ben started to grasp his left inner arm. At first, all he felt was a slight tingle on his arms. Moments later, the tingle turned into mind-shattering pain. He closed his eyes in agony as to fight the pain of the initiation. He felt his knees buckle from under him. Once the pain subsided, he opened his eyes. They searched for His face right away, already seeking obedience. He felt his heart turn into ice and his blood turned cold as the Dark Mark burned on his left arm.

He felt different about everything. He felt as if he were a different men. He was once a loving husband, not to mention caring and violence-hating. But not anymore. His life, and his view of it, had changed the instant Voldemort had appeared at his house. Even just touching his wand that He had held made him and Redvin strike their wives and betray their innocent daughters. They did all this for Him and his blessings.

Benjamin no longer felt human, not after the Dark Marks. Humans would have their own persona, own decision and he has neither of those. His mind would not let him think on his own. Now, all the workings of his mind had only two purposes: to serve Him and disregard everything else..

"Now you two," ordered Voldemort. "Let's go get the Potters and then to the Muggle World. Peter, you're coming!"

Peter Pettigrew, a stubby little man, pushed amongst the crowd.

Little did he, or anyone else, know that this was the final mission they would have while Voldemort was still alive and in power.

Before apparating out of the room, Benjamin glanced at Natalie and noticed that her eyes glowed like Redvin's before. He took a huge gulp out of fear before disappearing.

*****

"Stay by the door and keep watch," Voldemort ordered his two newest cronies to keep watch while he and Peter Pettigrew entered the Potter house at Godric's Hollow.

"I wonder what Master wants from all of us, you and I and the Potters I mean," Redvin thought out loud. "I can't figure it out."

"Me neither," added Benjamin. "But why did he have to go after the girls?"

"I suppose to get us to come. Let's not think of it anymore. He's our Master now. We should not doubt or ask what he wants of us."

"You're right. But do you think Potter will…"

A loud cry of pain was heard from the top bedroom adjacent the fathers. A second cry, much louder and more feminine, followed.

"Bad choice, Potter," joked Redvin. "Bloody shame."

"It is. He was a trusted acquaintance…"

A second later, a blinding white light illuminated the neighborhood followed by a discharge of energy that blasted towards the direction of the two fathers, knocking them unconscious. If they were only awake, they would have felt their Dark Mark burn, telling them that their Master was pronounced dead.

*****

Benjamin heard worried voices as people hovered above and near him.

"Are they alive?" he heard a woman ask. "They were probably both knocked unconscious. I'll go get some ammonia."

"Benjamin! Wake up!"

Benjamin slowly opened his eyes before sitting up. He could tell that he was back at the room where he was initiated. When his eyes focused he realized Natalie by his feet held by Lucius.

"Dada!!!" she warbled as she tugged on his trousers.

Lucius helped him up and led him towards a seat before letting him take Natalie. Benjamin held her close that she hugged me back and rested her head on his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" asked Lucius. "Redvin is still out of it. I think he hit his head on the pavement."

"What happened?" asked Benjamin. "One minute, Redvin and I were outside the Potter's house, then there was this blinding light and… everything just went dark from there."

"Lord Voldemort is dead, Benjamin," said Lucius sadly. "The Dark Lord is gone."

"What? How?" asked Ben, as Natalie yawned and buried her nose on his shoulders. Draco, who was held by Lucius, stared straight at Tali as she slept.

Lucius, with his very cold voice, then glowered at him and said, "You tell us."

Draco reached over to Natalie and grabbed her hand. Natalie woke up stared at him before hitting him on the arm. Benjamin rubbed the nape of Natalie's neck and waited for her to go back to sleep.

"He killed the Potter family, that's for sure. Couldn't somebody else have been in the house with him? Peter Pettigrew was there. Maybe he did it."

Of course, they were scattered remarks. One of the Death Eaters just tapped him on the shoulder.

"Peter is also dead, Benjamin. He wasn't in the house when it collapsed but when Sirius Black saw him running into the Muggle World, he killed Peter." There was a moment of silence. "But it wasn't Sirius or Peter who killed the Dark Lord. It was that little Potter boy, Harry."

*****

That same night, or should we say early morning, the fathers of the Voldemort-blessed children wrapped their children as to keep them warm before heading off into the streets as to watch owls hovering above them, busily carrying letters on their feet while the people celebrated the discovery of Voldemort's weakness. People were dancing about, singing and drinking as if it was the best thing that happened for a long time.

Lucius, the opinionated one, had something to say.

"Stupid people!" he shouted but nobody really heard him. "It's not like He's dead. He is just buying some time."

When no one looked twice at him as he shouted yet again.

"Everyone! Inside! NOW!"

*****

When less than a third of Death Eaters who were out on the streets with them reappeared inside the main room of the Death Eater Mansion, Lucius knew that those people who were not in the room with him thought that all hope of Voldemort's return was lost. But there were still people who refuse to believe His death.

Knowing that it was all up to him to keep the rest of the Death Eaters to not turn tails, Lucius assumed Voldemort's 'throne' right away. With Draco in his arms, he stood on the podium where Voldemort usually took his place when he recited his usual sermons and concerns before he looked down at the rest of circle

"I'll assume that you have all heard of the news of Master's supposed passing away," he said loudly. "And I would like to say that I do NOT believe the news. The Dark Lord might look like he had been defeated, but he was not! He could never be defeated by a little boy no older than my own son! There is a possibility that He had been hurt but since we have no knowledge of his whereabouts, I find it wrong to make conclusions about Master. I… I---"

There was mumbling amongst the crowd, and this made Lucius quite anxious. Still, he continued.

"I don't---" his voice trailed off as he looked at the other three fathers looking up at him. They hurriedly walked towards him and patted his back, as if channeling their hopes to him.

"You can do this, Lucius," advised Ranco. "Just tell them the truth."

Lucius felt his breathing steady again so he cleared his throat and spoke to the audience again.

"Since we don't know where he is, my brother, our two new members and I will take over for him."

There were consents, oppositions and utter confusion but Lucius cleared everything up for them.

"Earlier today, you were all invited tonight as to experience for yourselves our Master's ultimate success but it seems like tonight's agenda fell apart. We were to celebrate the peak of Master's greatness for tonight, He had originally planned to fulfill a prophecy that he had foreseen. He had prophesized that six children, the four you see here and the other two that he had sought for tonight, were to be our His strongest supporters in the future. He said that once they are old enough, once they are taught well of our ways, they would help Him reach our ultimate goals: To finally rid the world of Mudbloods and Muggles and those who oppose Him.

"Master has not told anyone but my brother and I of his eventual plans. He did not tell the rest of you because he feared that someone in our midst would compromise everything. Hate him not. Master did it as a safety measure for all of us.

Since none of us know for sure whether our Master's absence is imminent or just a hoax and that only he and I are the only ones who know what should be done, I believe, being one of the fathers of the children that our Master had chosen, that the other three fathers and I should make sure that the circle remains intact. My brother and I will keep the knowledge about the boys from everyone else until we decide that it's time to reveal."

There were more whispers from the crowd, but this time, more seemed agreeable with the plan.

"Keep all your eyes open, my fellow Death Eaters. We are to continue to find Master. We will not lose hope! He is out there and we will find him!!!"

The crowd readily agreed as slowly, one by one, the other Death Eaters disapparated out of the room. Little by little, the crowd dissipated and Ranco walked over towards Ben and Red, handing thick, sealed envelopes into their hands.

"Come to my mansion," he said. "Bring the children with you. I'll arrange cribs for them to sleep in while my brother and I discuss our Master's plans for you."

The two fathers readily agreed and apparated their two children with the Malfoy brothers and their young to Ranco's Mansion.

*****

After the children are settled down to sleep in the den which they had magicked into a nursery, the Malfoys led Redvin and Benjamin into the bar. Ranco prepared their drinks while Lucius explained the contents of the envelops..

"To sum it all up that's fifty million galleons for each of you and a mansion."

"This is for us?" asked Red, his eyes revealing his disbelief and surprise. "I can't believe this."

"And Lucius forgot to mention about what Master expected from your daughters," added Ranco as he handed each father their drinks. "Your daughters, like our sons, were apparently, as Lucius said before in the congregation, included in a prophecy. They supposedly would help Master in his quest for world domination."

"But what have they to offer him?" asked Benjamin. "I mean, they are just babies for now. No one can tell if they are to become witches. For all we know, they could be Squibs."

"They are not Squibs," reassured Lucius. "Your girls are much more than witches even."

"I don't quite understand."

"Yeah," added Redvin. "Neither do I."

"It is all in those envelopes," said Lucius. "Don't worry about it. Now your daughters have bright futures ahead of them. No more thinking about your next paycheck or wondering if you are to pay the rent on time. Master had provided it all for you and all he wants in return is to fulfill whatever he expects you to do."

"We will!" answered Ben and Red, their excited eyes still fixed on the pieces of papers.

"Let's make a toast gentlemen. To the return of Lord Voldemort, to our children, to the Death Eaters and to all our successes."

"Cheers!"