Oh boy. This story took at least over a year to complete, and it has to have been one of my babies. I'm not so sure if I like the ending or not but I just wanted to finish this story. So, without further ado, I introduce you to my OC, Cadence Lestrange.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the OCs.

Rodolphus was only four years old and Rabastan was two years old when I was born. My mother was thrilled to finally have a little girl to spoil and to teach her the ways of a pureblood witch in high society. My father, well, since he had two sons to carry on the Lestrange name, didn't really care what the gender of his third child was. Although, I like to believe he was wishing for a girl just as much as my mother.

On the snowy evening of the twenty-first of February, Cadence Amelia Lestrange, yours truly, was welcomed into the Lestrange family. In Latin, Cadence means rhythm. I suppose it's a rather normal name considering my brothers names are Rodolphus and Rabastan. Sometimes I thank the high heavens that my parents didn't think of another abnormal and bizarre name that starts with an 'R' when it came to naming their daughter.

I had inherited the Lestrange dark russet hair, but I had inherited my mother's mossy green eyes.

Growing up in the Lestrange household was no different than any other pureblood family. My brothers and I were taught the morals of the purebloods, just like our parents had.

That mudbloods are scum and the wizarding world would be better off without them. To even consider tainting the family's name would be a mortal sin.

I was taught proper etiquette of being a good wife, since the mere thought of having a career was ludicrous. My brothers were taught how to become successful businessmen.

I called my brothers Roddy and Rab, since I was incapable of pronouncing their names at the age of four, and even when my vocabulary expanded, the nicknames still remained. Rodolphus and Rabastan were the perfect brothers; they would read me stories, let me tag along on their adventures, and would even play tea party or dress up with me.

Both of them were fiercely protective of me, from saving me from the monsters in my closet to wiping my tears away when I scraped my knee.

If someone told me that my brothers would practically sell their souls to the devil, torture and harm countless people, end up in Azkaban, all in the name of pureblood supremacy, I would have laughed in their face. Or slapped them.

The notion that my dear Roddy and Rab would even do such things was inconceivable to me.

Oh, how wrong I was!

It was during my first year at Hogwarts that I noticed a difference in my brothers. They weren't as friendly as they used to be – they were more cold and distant.

But I had just brushed it off as them growing up and remained ignorant of the darkness that slowly consumed their hearts.

I was too focused on my studies to worry about why my brothers didn't smile as much as they used to.

My parents allowed me to attend balls with them during the summer after my fifth year. By then both my brothers had graduated from Hogwarts and Rodolphus had his eye on Bellatrix Black.

She was beautiful, yes. But she had this aura of darkness and I always had a sense of uneasiness when I was around her. I just never realized that her dark disposition fit my brothers' perfectly.

Although I did find Bellatrix's younger sister, Narcissa, to be absolutely charming. It was at my first ball that I was introduced to her and we became fast friends.

Besides introducing myself into pureblood society, there was another, more important reason why I was attending all those balls – to find myself a husband.

It wasn't until the summer after I graduated did I find my soon-to-be-husband.

His name was Henri Malveaux.

I was seventeen and he, twenty.

He defined tall, dark, and handsome. He had dark chocolate brown hair and a pair of striking blue eyes. He was intelligent, funny, and charming. Although his native language is French, he's also fluent in English.

I was always a sucker for French accents.

Plus, he treated me like a person. That may sound odd, but most pureblood wizards thought of witches as property and they completely ignore the fact that they are a person that has ideas, opinions, etc.

He was the nephew of one of my father's business partners. My parents had only two requirements for my future husband – that he was a pureblood and respectable. He was everything I dreamed of in a man – the fact that he went above and beyond my parent's requirements was just an added bonus.

I remember when he had first asked me to dance. I had graciously accepted and throughout the dance I only had eyes for him. Even when the song was over, he remained by my side the entire night.

Thus began our courtship. He came and visited me two or three times a week for an entire month. And in between those visits, we wrote to each other.

I remember one of those visits most vividly.

It had been raining all day, which had forced us to stay inside. I was sitting at the desk in the library, finishing a letter to Narcissa. Rodolphus had challenged Henri to a game of wizarding chess and he gladly accepted the challenge.

Besides the old, ancient looking grandfather clock ticking away and the steady patter of the rain against the window pane, all was silent in the room.

I stared moodily at the piece of parchment before me, as if it was the reason for the dreary weather. I sighed and stared out the window.

"Well, at least it's not pouring anymore," I thought, trying to be optimistic.

Realizing that staring longingly out the window won't change the weather, I went back to my letter. Narcissa had been singing high praises of Lucius Malfoy, whom had recently proposed to her. She wrote four pages about how happy she was, and I didn't blame her.

For I had written five pages trying to inform her of one week of events.

After signing my name with a flourish, I gazed out the window. The rain had stopped and the sun was shining. I grinned; glad that I now wouldn't have to be holed up in the library anymore.

I quickly rose from my chair, and made my way towards Henri and my brother.

"Brother," I started. "Would it be a problem if you could continue your game at a later time? The weather has changed dramatically and I wish to take a walk in the gardens," I said, giving him a pleading stare.

He could never say no to that stare.

Rodolphus looked up from the chess board and out the window. He then looked at me.

"So it has, my dear sister," he said. He then turned to Henri.

"We shall play another time, then?" he asked.

"Of course, I look forward to it. You are quite the accomplished chess player," Henri said. He had a rich, velvety voice that sent shivers down my spine every time he whispered something in my ear.

I then proceeded to practically drag Henri out of the library, much to my brother's amusement.

Walking in the gardens with Henri was absolutely my favorite thing to do. I used to enjoy walking the gardens by myself, but now that I have Monsieur Malveaux to walk with me, I enjoy it even more. We both remained silent, happy that we were spending time in the presence of the other.

"I love the smell of rain," I said, breaking the silence.

"Why?" he asked me, genuinely curious.

I thought for a minute before replying. "It soothes me. Rain brings life and renewal to everything. From a young age, I loved to watch the rain from my bedroom window," I said softly.

He nodded, taking in that piece of information, and we continued on walking in silence. We had been walking leisurely for what was about a half hour when the storm clouds rolled in and with a crack of thunder, it started to downpour.

Realizing that the house was too far away, we decided to seek shelter in one of the many gazebos littered across the estate. By the time we reached it, we were soaking wet, but laughing about our luck nonetheless.

But I soon stopped laughing when I noticed the powerful gaze of Henri. He walked closer to me, closing the distance between us. My heartbeat increased at least by ten fold.

He placed his hand on my cheek, his thumb caressing my cheekbone. My eyes fluttered shut, relishing the touch.

"Cadence," he said. I felt his breath against my lips.

"Henri," I said breathlessly. All it took was me saying his name, and I soon felt his lips brush against mine.

He pulled back, and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Marry me," he whispered, his gaze never leaving my eyes.

I smiled, and felt tears well up in my eyes.

"Yes, of course I will," I said, my voice cracking as I laughed.

He grabbed hold of my face and fiercely kissed me, taking my breath away.

I let out a yelp of surprise when he picked me up and twirled me around.

"I love you so much," he said, happiness clearly written all over his face.

My heart soared.

"I love you too," I said back.

We got married three months later, and I was falling in love with Henri more and more everyday. It was a beautiful ceremony, just how I had always dreamed it would be, and the reception was overflowing with food, wine, dancing, and well wishers.

It was well past midnight by the time Henri and I managed to say our goodbyes. With a loud crack, Henri had swept me off to the Malveaux Estate in France, and in my absence the evil that had loomed in the shadows would soon emerge.

We had been married happily for a year when I found out I was pregnant. We were both thrilled and I couldn't wait to be a mother.

But there is one thing that looms over the head of a pureblood witch, something that keeps them up at night.

To produce a male heir.

That may sound ridiculous, but it's true. Having a male heir ultimately secured the family fortune; that the name would live on for another generation.

And even though I knew Henri would love whatever the gender of our child was and although he never admitted it, I knew he was hoping for a boy.

I, however, had the distinct feeling that our baby was going to be a girl – it was a gut feeling.

It was eight months and three weeks later, in the dawning hours of the day, we welcomed Dacia Eloise Malveaux.

The look on Henri's face when he held his little girl for the first time brings tears to my eyes still to this day. She had him wrapped around her finger as soon as he had laid his eyes on her.

We were both extremely happy, each taking a major role in our daughter's life. If there was one thing that we both hated about our childhoods was that we weren't as close to our parents as we would have liked.

It was after Dacia had turned a year old, I noticed some small changes in Henri. He was keeping something from me, I knew it. He would stake out in his office for hours on end, so he wasn't having an affair, for that I was certain.

He was involved in something that he didn't want me to know about, and that scared me.

Throughout the years, I still maintained correspondence with Narcissa. Narcissa's marriage was strained, to say the least. Before Draco was born, Narcissa had miscarried three times, and I didn't think Narcissa, or Lucius, for that matter, could handle the heartbreak of another miscarriage.

The years before Draco was born, Narcissa would vaguely mention this Dark Lord and his group of followers. I really didn't think much of it – since there had been several "Dark Lords" that had unsuccessfully risen to power.

I saw Rodolphus one night. Dacia was being restless, so I decided to take her to the kitchens to get her a bottle of warm milk. I came across him in the hallway near Henri's study.

I wasn't aware that my brother had been visiting – it was blatantly obvious that they were meeting in private – in my husband's study.

I was then beginning to wonder why he was here having private meetings with my husband, but all I had to do was look at my dearly beloved brother's face.

He wasn't the same brother I knew - his mere presence was dark. He also had a crazed look – which made me wonder what Rabastian looked like.

And then everything clicked into place.

The Dark Lord that Narcissa would vaguely mention, he was serious business, and I should have known that Bellatrix would follow him. This, in turn, meant my brother would.

He was here trying to convince Henri to join this so called Dark Lord, but if I was going to have any say in this, Henri Olivier Malveaux would not become a Death Eater.

"You've been seeing my brother," I stated flatly the next morning at breakfast.

Henri looked up from the newspaper, and stared at me for awhile.

"Yes, I have," he said quietly.

I slammed down the knife I was using to butter my toast.

"Have you eyes? He's gone mad!" I yelled.

"I'd beg to differ," he said, trying to let me hear his piece.

Reluctantly, I let him speak.

He spoke about the Dark Lord that Narcissa had mentioned and how Rodolphus wanted him to join. It also appeared that each time Rodolphus visited, Henri was more and more willing to join. After he finished proving his point, he stared at me silently.

I didn't reply for awhile, this was on purpose. I wanted him to squirm. I narrowed my eyes.

"Then you will have to decide. Your family, marriage, or the Dark Lord," I said coldly, swiftly leaving the room and going towards the nursery.

"Cadence? You have Dacia with you? What are you doing here?" Narcissa asked as she hurriedly rushed into the front hall of the Malfoy Manor.

"I'm so sorry to be an inconvenience, but Henri and I had a fight," I said, trying to not let the tears fall.

"I couldn't think of any other place to go to," I whispered. I was quickly losing my composure and Narcissa knew this as well.

"Tinky!" Narcissa said as an elf appeared right before our eyes. "Could you please take Mrs. Malveaux's bags to the blue guest bedroom?" she said.

"Yes, Mistress," Tinky bowed, taking my luggage.

"Now, let me hold my godchild," Narcissa said as I handed Dacia over to her.

"Let's go to the parlor. I'll get us some tea," she said as she led us to the parlor room.

Compared to the rest of the house, this room was a lot brighter with mint green walls and white furniture.

Completely disregarding propriety, I laid down on the couch. Narcissa, knowing all too well what kind of mood I was in, remained ignorant to the fact that I was sprawled out on one of her parlor couches. Closing my eyes, I slowly regained my composure.

Eventually, I sat up and readjusted my skirt. Looking up at Narcissa, she gestured for me to pour myself a cup of tea which was sitting on the coffee table. Just breathing in the smell of the tea comforted me.

I gazed down at my daughter, who had Henri's hair and beautiful eyes. Dacia had fallen asleep in Narcissa's arms. I noticed she had a wistful smile on her face, and I chose not to call her out on it. It was only a few months before when Narcissa had miscarried – for the second time. I knew she was dying to be a mother, and it pained me greatly that my best friend hasn't experienced how wonderful it is to be a mother.

"What was the fight over?" Narcissa asked softly.

I stared down into my teacup, "Rodolphus has been meeting with Henri about joining the Dark Lord, and he didn't tell me about it. It took me seeing Rodolphus come out of his study for him to confess what he has been doing in his study," I replied.

"I'm going to assume that you're not finished explaining," Narcissa said.

I nodded before continuing. "Have you seen Rodolphus recently? He's gone mad, absolutely mad. He isn't the same."

She agreed, and urged me to continue.

"I don't want my husband to be like that. I told him he had to choose. Our marriage, our daughter or the Dark Lord; he can only have one or the other," I said.

Narcissa sat there, stunned. Quietly, she called for another house elf, and asked it to take Dacia to the nursery. It nodded, before slowly walking out of the room.

Narcissa stood up from her arm chair, and came over to the couch. She held my hand and I squeezed it, reassuring her that I was alright.

She closed her eyes, "Lucius and I have been fighting over the same thing. I've just never had the courage to be so blunt with him."

I nodded, knowing that this was where we were different. Even after our marriage, Henri still treated me like an equal. In Lucius and Narcissa's marriage, it was apparent who was in charge. Cissa only needed something to give her the courage to tell Lucius off.

"We've compromised, though. I'm allowing Lucius to join the Dark Lord with the promise that none of our children would be involved," my friend said.

I smiled sadly, knowing that she wasn't really all that pleased about her husband joining the Dark Lord.

"I just hope our marriage and Dacia means more to him than the Dark Lord. I don't want to leave him," I whispered.

"And what if he chooses the Dark Lord over you?" she asked, holding my hand tighter.

"Then I would have to leave him," I whispered.

It wasn't until a week later, at ten o'clock at night that Henri made his decision. I had been reading The Tales of Beedle the Bard to Dacia in the parlor while Cissa was catching up on her correspondence.

Suddenly, the parlor door burst open, and Dacia being scared of the loud noise, started to cry. I quickly closed the book and stood up to try to calm my daughter down. When I turned to look at the doorway, I saw my husband and an irritated Lucius standing behind him.

Cissa stood up from her desk and rushed out of the rooms toward her husband.

"I told him to wait in the study," I heard Lucius say before the door was closed.

I looked at my Henri, and what I saw pained me. He hadn't shaved in days, looked like he hadn't slept much either. In fact, it looked like he hadn't changed clothes. I remained silent, waiting for him to break the silence.

"I've made my decision," he said. His voice was rough, like he hadn't used it much over the last week.

"Oh? And what is your decision?" I said, devoid of any emotion. This was one of those times where those Slytherin masks became so handy.

He slowly came towards Dacia and I, and paused within arms reach. I kept my emotions in check, not wanting to get my hopes up.

"I choose you, Cadence, my love, my life. I've been a fool for taking so long to decide. The past couple of days, not feeling your presence, not hearing Dacia's laughter, I've realized I'm nothing without you both. Please, forgive me," he said.

I stared at him, barely realizing he had repeatedly switched from English to French in those few sentences.

I smiled at him and closed the distance between us. He enveloped his arms around me and our daughter.

"Time to go home, mon cher," I said to Henri and he smiled.

"Dacia, ma cherie, don't put that in your mouth," I called to my daughter as I held my newborn son, Felix, in my arms.

"Cadence, my love, would you like to switch? I think Linette would like to see her mother," Henri smiled.

He got up from his chair and picked up his son, and managed to place Linette, Felix's twin, in my arms. Both had inherited my russet hair and Felix had inherited my mossy green eyes while Linette had Henri's eyes.

We were sitting in the garden, watching our daughter play with the flowers.

"Are you happy, my love?" Henri asked me.

"I'm blissfully content, but," I sighed.

"What, my darling? What is it that is making you not blissfully happy?" he questioned.

"I miss England, my dear. I miss not seeing Narcissa on a regular basis. I miss London," I said.

Henri and I bought an estate in Derbyshire. Oh, how wonderful it was to be back in England!

Walking through our new home, I sighed contentedly.

"Are you now happy, my dear?" Henri asked me as he wrapped his arms around me.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, my love," I said.

"As long as you are happy, then I am," he said as he kissed me.

These were dark times, but I wasn't living in fear, knowing I didn't have to run for my life. Our family was neutral, and thus we were safe.

June 5, 1980

"Stay strong, Cissa darling. In a few moments you shall see your darling son," I said to my best friend as I gently moved a strand of her golden locks out of her face. She nodded fiercely and gripped my other hand tighter.

I knew my presence here meant so much to her.

A few hours later, I walked into Lucius' study with a bundle in my arms.

"Lucius, meet your son Draco Cygnus Malfoy," I said as I walked up to him.

I noticed his cold features soften as I placed his newborn son in his arms.

"Thank you, Cadence, for accepting to be his godmother," he said, still staring at his so n in awe.

I smiled warmly, "The pleasure is all mine. I'm thrilled to have another child to spoil," I said gazing down at little Draco.

"Draco will certainly have many playmates, that's for sure," he said.

I knew he was referring to my four children. Only three months prior we had welcomed Beau Armand Malveaux into the world.

"Of course, and he'll be in the same year as Beau, so he'll always have someone to talk to," I said.

Lucius smiled at this. For some reason, he found that comforting.

The Dark Lord had fallen. It was safe again to go to Diagon Alley and not worry about being attacked. I was able to finally raise my children in England in peace and safety.

My brothers were sent to Azkaban, along with Bellatrix. I had been so ignorant about to the extent of the evil doings of my brothers. Now that I look back on it, it shouldn't have surprised me; but it had.

The years went by and the Wizarding World settled into their normal lives again. I kept busy with raising the children. Henri and I remained a dynamic duo and although he wanted our children to attend Beauxbatons, he conceded and agreed to let them attend Hogwarts.

I always believed that Hogwarts was a better school than Beauxbatons, anyways.

It was in 1991 that I was sending my last and youngest child off to Hogwarts.

It's always a bittersweet time, sending your children off to school. Dacia and Felix were sorted into Ravenclaw while Annette and Beau had been sorted into Slytherin. Henri and I were both proud of all our children as both Houses were respectable.

It was only a few years later that the dark times descended upon us once again.

My brothers and Bellatrix escaped from Azkaban and I truly was frightened. There was a reason why they were sent to Azkaban and I was concerned they would target us.

Much to my relief, my family and I had been forgotten and we weren't made a target. There was a reason why I had been forgotten after i had moved to France. It was because I no longer associated with my brothers, their inner circle and most of all, it was because I didn't have the last name Lestrange.

However, now as the Second Wizarding War approaches, I know for a fact that we will become a target.

My family, instead of being neutral, will be fighting for the light. It was during our children's years at Hogwarts that changed our minds about blood status. Dacia's best friends were half-bloods and we didn't learn that bit of information until after they spent a few weeks of a summer holiday with us.

The two girls were absolutely charming and I realized that if half-bloods weren't horrible, then muggle-borns must be the same.

Our children would be fighting this war. Henri and I decided that in order to stay together as a family, we would have to fight as a family. Even if it meant we would be estranging ourselves from what family we had.

Fin.

A.N So what did you think? I do realize that the ending was rather rushed, but I felt like I didn't want to truly write about Cadene's entire life. Then the story would never end. Feedback would be appreciated. :)