Prologue

Unusual Beginnings

The Dark Lord sat in a unadorned black chair, a long table spread before him. All of the seats were empty, except the one across from him. There a young woman with big eyes watched him. She watched him steadily even as she fidgeted around.

"Bellatrix."

The woman snapped to attention. "Yes m'lord?"

"It has been shown to me, that having a child may be to my benefit."

"Would you like me to bring you one from a certain family. I will kill the family, and bring it to you."

"No Bellatrix." Bellatrix sank back into her chair, sulking under his reprimand. "I meant a child born of my own flesh."

"Why?"

"Do you question me?"

"No! Of course not m'lord. But..."

"Bellatrix. I will have no more words of argument from you."

"Yes m'lord."

"As I said, a child would be beneficial to me, one that I could control. And for this to happen, there must be a woman." Bellatrix sat straight up in her chair, looking as though someone had stabbed her with a burning poker. "You are the only one, even slightly worthy of such a honor." Bellatrix blinked, but then seemed to understand and her eyes grew larger.

"My lord, I..."

"Silence. I will give you one opportunity to say anything you wish. One. It is now."

"I would do anything for m'lord!" She gushed

"Then we will begin now."

"Yes m'lord." Bellatrix stood from her chair and bowed her head toward her lord before cautiously approaching him. She was nervous, but pleased to be chosen. The Dark Lord rose from his seat and she flinched slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to back down. But she straightened her back and followed him out of the room.

Bellatrix felt disgust at the thing growing inside of her. Narcissa was constantly tell her that is was "her child and she should love it." But Narcissa was always glowing as her own stomach grew. Whenever Narcissa came over, she would speak of names. Narcissa soon decided that should her child be a boy she would name him Draco, a girl would be named Adrena. Narcissa soon picked out names for Bellatrix' child, after seeing Bellatrix' disinterest. A boy would be Hader, and the girl would be Willow. But everyday after seeing Bellatrix unresponsive, she would go away again.

No one outside of the Dark Lord knew that the child was his, and Bellatrix kept that secret deep in her heart even as she glared at her own stomach. This hatred was only tempered by the daily visits of her Lord. He came to her nearly daily and was always checking on the thing, laying spells across her stomach.

Months passed, and Bellatrix felt only bliss. Her mind had grown used to the thing inside of her, and even as it punched and moved inside her, she felt a growing interest to see the child born of her and her Lord. Now her Lord visited her a few times every day. But the day Bellatrix was tortured with the pain of the upcoming birth, the Dark Lord was away. He was looking for a prophecy.

As the child neared it's birth, the Dark Lord stormed into her birthing room. Bellatrix looked up to him with hope and saw only fury in his face.

"M'lord?" Bellatrix gasped between the contraction. "What is wrong?" Fear curling at the base of her spine.

"Get out!" At first Bellatrix thought that he meant her, but then the others scurried from the room.

"What is happening m'lord." Bellatrix began to rise.

"Do not move." The Dark Lord glared at her stomach. "I should not have listened to him."

"Who? What about..." Bellatrix gasped in pain. "...the prophesy?"

"It spoke of a boy who would destroy me."

"No!" She half screamed it with the pain of the contraction.

"I may have created..."

The silence stretched for a moment, and then Bellatrix arched her back trying to dispel the pain. "M'lord!"

The Dark Lord watched her for a moment before turning and letting the other women back into the room. "Summon me when the child is born." And he apparated away.

Four sets of speculative eyes turned toward her. "If you do not help me," Bellatrix gasped "I will kill you all." The eyes turned away and went about birthing the child.

When the cries of the baby could be heard and the birth complete, one of the women pressed against her dark mark and the Lord appeared. He took the child from the woman's arms. "A girl." He handed the child to one of the women in disgust, then apparated away again.

There was a moments pause, and then "Lady Bellatrix, your child."

Bellatrix flicked her wrist refusing to touch the baby. "Take care of it."

"Yes Lady."

Willow was a beautiful child, everyone who saw her thought so, though none would say it. Her black hair was full and her dark eyes seemed to draw everyone into it's depths. It was well-known that this child was born from Bellatrix Lestrange, the child even looked like her, and yet Bellatrix never came anywhere near the child. But the Death Eaters were most interested in that the Dark Lord seemed to find the child fascinating. He would call the child to him nearly every day.

Martha Scoozie, the woman in charge of taking care of Willow, hardly ever left the child's proximity, leaving only when the Dark Lord ordered her to. Scoozie soon had suspicions about Willow's father, but chose to keep them to herself as the other three women who had helped her birth the child had all disappeared. Scoozie soon grew very attached to Willow, considering her own, though she was still loyal to the Dark Lord. One day the Dark Lord summoned her, and sent her off to aid in the battle against some of the Order of the Phoenix. She gazed at the 4 month old in her arms.

"Give her here. She will stay with me." Reluctantly Scoozie handed the child over and saw the Dark Lord handle the child with care, but for some reason it didn't' look like someone holding a child, but rather someone holding a fortune. Scoozie shook the thought from her mind and apparated.

When she returned after failing to capture any of the Order, she was handed Willow from the Dark Lord, who had cared for the child for hours. Scoozie felt her mind figuring out why her Lord, the dark and uncaring soul that she followed, would possibly care for such a child, and the pieces fell into place. And as she left the room she couldn't help glancing back and spotted the Dark Lord watching Willow with an almost hungry look.

When Willow was 6 months old, the Dark Lord seemed to become obsessed with finding the child of the prophecy, and no longer called on Willow. Scoozie was grateful because the child had become very solemn, never smiling or crying. She worked hard on trying to make the child show emotion, but after 6 months of the constant attention of the Dark Lord, Scoozie was afraid the child wouldn't show any emotion.

Only weeks later the Dark Lord summoned all best followers and for some reason Scoozie and Willow were called in as well. Scoozie wondered if she was only called because she cared for Willow.

"Followers, I have found the source of the supposed prophecy. A young boy, born of the Potter's. I know where they are. I am going to destroy him." A cheer rang out and Willow's happy gurgle joined in. "When I return, there will be no one who can stand against us, and no hope that such a person could exist!" A cheer rang out and the Dark Lord apparated. Most of the group apparated. Scoozie walked quietly from the room, an odd dread in her stomach.

He was gone. Scoozie felt it deep within her. The Dark Lord was gone, and as she felt this, the baby beside her began to cry. She looked at Willow who weeped with all the conviction of 6 month old, and held the baby to her breast a deep sadness in her heart.

A few days later, her home had been first invaded by Bellatrix who attacked her and the child. "It is all this thing's fault!" Bellatrix threw curse after curse to the baby, but Scoozie deflected them all. Then the Ministry of Magic had appeared. The had attempted to grab the baby, as as Scoozie reached the door, she felt her spine tense up in fear and saw green around herself, before she fell to the ground. Dead.

Most of the Ministry Aurors who grabbed Bellatrix, took her away not looking back, but one saw movement out of the corner of his eye and he approached. He found the child wiggling under the weight of a dead woman. He picked up the child, and quickly looked around for sign of who the child was, and belonged to, for it could not have belonged do this Death Eater, as there was no resemblance. He quickly found a name on a letter to Bellatrix, it spoke of the child named Willow. The letter also named Bellatrix the mother. Shock filled the man, but he stuffed the note into his robes and picked up the child. "Willow" He said as the child's beauty overtook him and stole his heart. "I will raise you as my own." And with that he left the house.