Aurelia's Story

“There's the right way, then there's my way,
there's a highway, if you don't like it you can take it.
So just talk away, I don't hear a word you say.
I'll be my way. If you don't like it you can take it.
I don't want to be the one who does everything like I'm told to.”

My Way, Butch Walker

Aurelia whipped her wand out of her robes, and faced Voldemort with her eyes blazing. “How dare you suggest that I would deliberately endanger the lives of my children?!” Lucius placed a calming hand on her arm, but Aurelia angrily shook him off. “No, Lucius, this has to be said! I love these children more than life itself, and would do anything to protect them. For him to suggest I would place them in harm…”

Voldemort interrupted her. “Then explain why you went gallivanting around Hogwarts the second your husband’s back was turned. Clearly you were up to something if you were so reckless as to run all over the country.”

Sparks flew out of Aurelia’s wand. “I went to Hogsmeade, master,” she stressed furiously, “on your orders to get information for you which you had insinuated had been slow in coming.”

Voldemort turned to Lucius. “You had best hope for your wife’s sake, Lucius, that she got me some useful information. Otherwise, you are going to have a tricky situation to get her out of, my slippery friend.”

Lucius paled. As much as he adored his wife, he knew that if Voldemort wanted to punish her he would not be able to defend her. “I have every confidence in Aurelia, master,” he said smoothly, relieved to hear that his voice did not betray the terror he felt.

“It is lucky then, master, that I have discovered a rift between Potter and Dumbledore,” stated Aurelia, before turning on her heel and stalking out of the room. Cords flew towards her from Voldemort’s wand, and whipped her back towards him, her wand flying out of her hand as she went.

“NEVER turn your back on me, Aurelia,” hissed Voldemort dangerously.

Aurelia grimaced, and the cords snapped off her. Lucius stood back, awed by the battle of power between the two of them. “Now who is endangering the children, master?” she snapped.

They stared at each, then Voldemort smiled. “Very well, Aurelia, you have proven that you are an incredibly talented witch. There are few, if any, alive who could face me as you just did. I shall not put your pregnancy in danger again, and I apologise for believing that you did not value your children’s life, but they are valuable to me and I feared upon hearing you were in St. Mungo’s again.”

“I accept your apology,” Aurelia replied coolly, and leant on Lucius for support. The wandless magic had drained her, and she was already tired.

“Now, what was that you mentioned about Potter and Dumbledore?” asked Voldemort eagerly.

She sighed. “Potter is angry that Dumbledore will not confide anything in him, and Dumbledore insists upon not telling him even the merest details, against the advice of the majority of the Order.” Aurelia yawned, and Lucius put his arms around her.

“With respect, master, can this wait?” Lucius asked heatedly. “My wife needs to rest – the babies are our most important concern at the moment.” Aurelia nodded and closed her eyes.

“Please, master,” she said quietly. “I am weary, and I need the rest. I swear I will tell you all that I can tomorrow.”

Voldemort nodded. “Oh, Aurelia has told me all that she needs to,” he said triumphantly, and Aurelia felt herself go cold as she saw the look on his face. “Take care, Aurelia, for I would be most displeased if your pregnancy were to be unsuccessful.” She turned into her husband’s chest and let him hold her tightly as Voldemort laughed and left.

Aurelia did not see Voldemort again for a while. Lucius still went to him regularly, and told her that Voldemort wanted her to rest until they were certain the pregnancy was safe, and Aurelia certainly had no objections to that. Before she knew it, it was time for her three-month check up at St. Mungo’s maternity ward. Lucius was to come with her. Aurelia was looking forward to it but with some trepidation; whilst she had had no further pain, that was no guarantee that nothing was wrong.

Lucius squeezed her hand as she lay on the bed waiting for the healer. Finally, Healer Willows came into the room. “Mr and Mrs Malfoy, lovely to see you again. No further troubles?” she asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

Aurelia shook her head with a relieved smile. “Nothing at all, I have had total rest since my last trip here, and there has been no other pain at all.”

“Excellent,” smiled the healer. “Just relax then Mrs Malfoy while I cast the charms to check upon their health.” Lucius smiled at her proudly, and stroked her hand reassuringly. Healer Willows grinned at them. “All seems perfect, I’m glad to say. Would you like me to cast a projection charm so that you can see them?”

Lucius nodded in answer for them both, and Aurelia felt as if her heart would burst with joy as the image of their twins slowly revolved above her stomach. Lucius was clearly awed. “They’re so small still,” he said softly.

“Around 10cm, Mr Malfoy, entirely normal,” replied the healer cheerfully. “It’s too soon to tell the sex yet, I’m afraid, but they are developing well.”

“Can you tell if they’re identical?” asked Aurelia curiously, desperate for any more information on her children.

Healer Willows frowned. “I can’t say for certain, but I suspect not. You can start moving around a little now you’re safely into the second trimester, but if you get even any twinges, I would advise resting just to be safe. All being well, we won’t need to see you again for a couple of months. If you are in Hogsmeade at all, you can go and see Poppy Pomfrey at the school for a check up if you like, she has had basic midwifery training. Take care, my dear!” Healer Willows shook Lucius’ hand and left the room.

Aurelia did not get up from the bed straight away. Seeing her children like that had sent thoughts spinning through her mind. Aurelia desperately wanted to know who had fathered them, but at the same time did not want to know the answer. If it was Lucius, then she would not have a problem; Lucius was her husband, and she loved him deeply, and Voldemort would be ecstatic. However, if it were Sirius… that would not be a bad thing either. Much as she loved Lucius, she recognised that he was an evil man, and not the man she would have picked to father her child if she had free choice. Aurelia knew that if the twins were Sirius’, she would not be able to deceive them and him, and could easily see herself living with Sirius raising the twins as well. That, however, would surely mean that the prophecy could not be fulfilled. Lucius interrupted her reverie with a kiss on her lips.

“Are you ready, darling?” he asked lovingly, his joy still apparent in his eyes.

Aurelia sighed and nodded. “”Of course, my Lord. I was just a little taken aback to see them there like that – it really is incredible, isn’t it?”

Lucius nodded, and put his hands on her head. “Yes, Aurelia. Almost as incredible as you,” he replied as he kissed her lips passionately. Aurelia moaned, and put her arms around his waist. However, as they melted into each other’s arms, the insistent burn of their marks interrupted them. Aurelia winced, and Lucius groaned. “The Dark Lord does seem to know when to interrupt us, does he not?”

Aurelia laughed quietly. “Come on, darling, we can share the good news with him.”

However, as they Apparated to him, they quickly realised that they were not alone. Aurelia was in her first Inner Circle gathering. Lucius hugged her, and fell into place. Voldemort directed her into the empty spot next to himself, and waited for the rest of the Inner Circle to arrive. Aurelia glanced around in an attempt to ascertain who was around her, but they all, like her, wore their mask and cloak. Lucius she knew of course, and she believed that Severus was opposite him, but as to the identity of the others, she was clueless.

Voldemort stepped forward and silence fell across the circle. “Welcome, my friends,” he said quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the hissing of the serpent slithering around his feet. “The more observant of you will have noticed that I have filled the spot vacated by Rosier in the last war. Those of you who need to know will already know who has filled it. The rest of you will find that there is no point in questioning me, as I will not reveal her identity to you.” Aurelia trembled as Voldemort laughed coldly. “Onto business. Lucius has been studying the Department of Mysteries, and believes that it will be a simple business for a small group of you to go in and retrieve the prophecy. Is that correct, Lucius?”

“Yes, Master,” replied Lucius with a bow. “The Ministry guard is non-existent once you are into the building, and the Order are only posting one guard at a time.”

Voldemort nodded. “Excellent. However, we cannot attack yet, because we need Potter there to remove the prophecy. Thanks to some new information I have received,” he nodded at Aurelia, “I do not believe that that will be difficult to achieve. Once the plans are in place, I will alert you to be at the ready, for Potter is unlikely to be unmissed for long.”

One of the Death Eaters stepped forward, and Aurelia immediately recognised her voice as that of Bellatrix Lestrange. “Who will be leading the attack, master?” she asked eagerly.

Voldemort chuckled lazily. “I have not decided yet Bella – but certainly not you if your behaviour does not improve. I have been most displeased with you of late.” Bellatrix hurriedly stepped back, her head bowed, but Aurelia felt uneasy.

“That is all for now. I would like you all to remain whilst I speak to you all individually though.”

The circle broke apart, and Voldemort beckoned Lucius to him. Aurelia moved away towards who she thought was Severus. “Severus?” she whispered.

He nodded, and they moved out of earshot of the rest. “Mrs Malfoy,” he said coolly. “I trust you have had no further problems with the pregnancy?”

Aurelia shook her head. “We have come straight from St. Mungo’s, actually, and the healer said everything was progressing well. But how are you, Severus? It seems so long since we last spoke properly,” she replied longingly.

Severus seemed to relax. “I suppose it is,” he said grudgingly. “But then you have been incredibly busy, Aurelia, too busy to pay your old Potions Master a visit it seems.”

Aurelia smiled. “Not out of choice, Severus, as well you know. After the difficulties I had, both Lucius and our master insisted that I rest. I should be able to do more now I am out of the danger zone though. I hope you realise that you are always welcome at Malfoy Manor though, dear.”

Severus nodded, and went to reply until Voldemort walked over and took her arm. “Come, Aurelia,” he stated. “We need to speak.”

“I have not seen you for a while, master. I hope I have not displeased you in any way?” Aurelia asked tentatively.

“Not at all,” Voldemort replied. “I merely wished to ensure that you had no further trouble with the pregnancy. However, Lucius informs me that you visited St. Mungo’s earlier?”

Aurelia nodded, and could not stop the smile that spread across her face. “Indeed, master, and we saw the twins for the first time. It was incredible.”

Voldemort smiled. “I hope you and Lucius realise that I expect you to present them to me as soon as possible after the birth?”

Aurelia paused, but had no chance to reply, for she heard a voice scream “Crucio!” Before she could react, Voldemort had leapt in front of her into the path of the curse, grimacing slightly before throwing it off. Deathly silence fell across the circle. Lucius ran over to her and shielded her from any further curse as Voldemort raised his wand. They both felt the power and anger emanating from him, and Aurelia shook with fear and shock.

“Who cast the Cruciatus curse at one of my most valued Death Eaters?” he hissed dangerously. No one spoke. “For your information, that Death Eater is currently pregnant, and that pregnancy forms a vital part of my plans for victory. I presume you all know what the Cruciatus curse does to a pregnant woman?” he asked harshly.

Severus nodded. “It causes instant abortion of the foetus, master.” Aurelia gasped and placed her hand on her abdomen, and Lucius held her tightly.

“That is correct. Now, WHO CAST IT?” he demanded furiously. Still no one replied, but Aurelia noticed Bellatrix frantically backing away. Voldemort clearly noticed as well. “Expelliarmus!” he shouted, and Bellatrix’s wand came flying towards him. “Fenrir,” he said abruptly. A tall man with matted long grey hair stepped forward. “Please ensure that Bellatrix goes no further until I have examined her wand.” Fenrir grinned, showing unnaturally long teeth, and wrapped thick black cords around Bellatrix with a twist of his wand. Voldemort raised the wand in front on him, and cried “Priori Incantatum!” and a shadow of himself rose out of the wand.

Bellatrix shrieked, and desperately tried to wriggle out of the bonds. Voldemort walked towards her, his eyes flashing with rage. “So, Bellatrix, have you any pitiful excuse to offer?”

She writhed. “Master, she is not faithful to you! And I know that she killed my sister!”

“Nonsense,” replied Voldemort. “And I did that myself, as a reward for someone whose name you do not need to know,” he said smoothly. He turned back towards Lucius and Aurelia. “I leave it to you to decide her fate.”

Aurelia felt an intense hatred for Bellatrix, and a desperate desire to protect her babies. Lucius looked at her with a fierce protectiveness in his eyes. “It is up to you, darling.” Aurelia nodded.

“I see no point in killing her, master,” she said strongly. “After all, she could still prove useful to you. Instead, I suggest that you do to her what she attempted to do to me, and perhaps she should undertake an Unbreakable Vow to protect my children and I.”

“Excellent,” replied Voldemort. “In that case, I will ask you to undertake the first part of the punishment before I act as bonder for the vow.”

Aurelia blanched. She had never cast an Unforgivable curse before, and held no desire to do so now. However, the image of her twins rose in her mind, and an uncontrollable rage exploded as she realised how close she had come to losing them. “Crucio!” she roared, and Bellatrix screamed as she contorted with pain. Aurelia held the curse until Voldemort rose his hand.

“Very impressive, but unfortunately she does have to be conscious for the bond to be formed,” Voldemort said with a high-pitched laugh. Aurelia nodded, and struggled to catch her breath. “Come here and grasp her right hand with yours,” he said softly. Aurelia did as he asked, and he placed the tip of his wand on their hands. “Ask what you demand of her, Aurelia.”

“Bellatrix Lestrange, will you do all that you can to ensure that no harm comes to either myself and my two children, both before they are born and afterwards?” Bellatrix nodded, though the hatred in her eyes did not abate, and a rope of flame flew out of the wand and encircled their hands. “And you will lay down your life if it is necessary to defend us against harm?” Bellatrix nodded again, and Aurelia inclined her head to Voldemort. A second rope of flame joined the first, and burned brightly.

“It is done,” said Voldemort. “Be thankful that you are still alive, Bella.” He pulled his wand back and turned his back on her. “Lucius, perhaps you should take Aurelia home to rest,” he said quietly, for Aurelia was still standing where he had left her. “This must have been stressful for her.” Lucius nodded thankfully.

“Do not fear, master, I shall take good care of her.” Lucius scooped her into his arms, and they Apparated away. Aurelia was asleep in his arms before they were through the door, and Lucius took care not to wake her as he placed her into their bed.

She slept through the rest of the afternoon and evening, and did not wake until early in the morning when an owl fluttered through her window. It was not one she recognised, and she frowned as she slit the scroll open and read its contents,

“My dear Aurelia,

I hope this will reach you away from prying eyes. Firstly, you will no longer find me at Hogwarts. The Ministry has sacked me, and I am on the run from the Aurors. Do not worry though child, for am I enjoying myself immensely. My only concerns are for you and the school. On that note, Severus told me of what happened yesterday. Whilst I regret that you had to go through what you did, it seems that you acquitted yourself well, and the children are unscathed, which is the main thing. As for the school, your dear friend Dolores Umbridge will be named Headmistress later in the day – entirely Fudge’s doing, of course.

Most importantly, I will be calling an emergency Order meeting next week, and I do request your attendance. It will be at Headquarters on Thursday, and you shall see me there. It is vital that you attend.

Take care, my child.

Albus Dumbledore.”


Aurelia did as her uncle instructed and went to Grimmauld Place early that day. She felt nervous about seeing Sirius again for the first time since Christmas, but she could not let that stop her. Remus Lupin opened the door and pulled her inside, a grin on his face. “Great to see you, Aurelia!” he said as they embraced, then held her at arm’s length as he studied her critically. “Merlin, you can already tell that you’re pregnant.”

“The joys of carrying twins,” Aurelia replied with a grin. A soft grunt behind her caught her attention and she spun around. Sirius was stood there, clearly unhappy.

“Malfoy must be delighted that you have become his breeding mare,” he stated, his lips pursed.

Aurelia gasped, and fought hard to stop Sirius seeing how his indifference was hurting her, but knew she was failing. “Lucius is very happy that we are expecting, Sirius, as am I.” Her lip trembled. “I have missed you these past months, Sirius,” she said pleadingly.

Sirius exhaled angrily. “You have had your husband to keep you company, Aurelia. I have had no one. Even one visit would have been appreciated.” Remus slipped out of the corridor warily.

Aurelia moved towards him, and Sirius took a step back from her. “And how do you think I would explain that? See you later, darling, I’m just going to spend the day with the other man I love?” Her eyes flashed with anger.

Shock spread across Sirius’ face. “You love me?”

“I thought you knew that, Sirius! I would not have spent the night with you and risked everything otherwise. As it is, the Dark Lord knows what happened that night already. If I cross him at all, he has threatened to tell Lucius. It is a fine line I tread, Sirius.” She sunk back against the wall, and Sirius hastened over towards her.

“Aurelia, I did not realise,” he said apologetically, tears in his eyes.

She shook her head. “I have told no-one else of that. All of that, and the worries about the twins as well; it has been a difficult few months.”

They embraced, and the tears fell from her eyes. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Auror from Hogsmeade, came into the corridor. “Oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting?” he asked jovially. “It’s just that Dumbledore is ready to start the meeting now.”

Aurelia hastily shook her head. “Don’t worry, Kingsley, it is fine. While you are here, I must thank you for your help in Hogsmeade when the stray curse hit me. Even a minute later and I could have lost the twins.”

He beamed. “You are more than welcome, Mrs Malfoy.”

Sirius held her hand tightly for support as they walked into the main room where the Order was gathered, and she sunk into a chair with a sigh of relief, smiling as she caught sight of her uncle chatting quietly to Severus. He rose as he acknowledged her. “Welcome,” he said, waving his hand around the room. “I appreciate you all taking the time to come here today, I know it was not easy, but I believe this meeting is vital in order to plan our strategy taking into account the events of the last few weeks. Now, I presume most of you here know that I am no longer Headmaster. Kingsley, seeing as you were there, perhaps you could update us on events?” he said with a chuckle.

Kingsley rose. “Fudge has been uneasy all year, stuck in the belief that Dumbledore wished to usurp him. Miss Umbridge found evidence of a student defence group run by Harry Potter, styling themselves Dumbledore’s Army” - Sirius and Aurelia beamed at each other upon hearing that – “and that was enough evidence for Fudge to send myself and some other Aurors to remove Dumbledore from the school. I am pleased to say though that Dumbledore put up a worthy fight and managed to escape our clutches,” he grinned.

Albus smiled and resumed the narrative. “Unfortunately, Dolores Umbridge has been put in charge, but Minerva McGonagall is doing an admirable job of taking care of the children in my absence. Now, Severus and Aurelia, if you could update us on Voldemort’s actions.”

Severus raised his eyebrows at Aurelia, and she rose unsteadily. “There was a meeting of the Inner Circle last week, at which Voldemort made it clear that the only thing which matters to him at the moment is gaining knowledge of the prophecy. Lucius has reported back to him and they have planned how to gain access to the Ministry itself, but that will not happen until they have tempted Harry there, as Voldemort is unwilling to go himself, and obviously one of them needs to be there to remove the prophecy.” She sat, and Severus took the floor.

“Further to what Aurelia has said, I believe the actions of Bellatrix Lestrange need to be discussed,” said Severus smoothly. “Her behaviour has been increasingly erratic of late, and at last week’s meeting she attempted to cast the Cruciatus curse on Aurelia. I do not know if she knew of Aurelia’s pregnancy, but it did not matter as Voldemort himself intercepted it.” There were gasps around the room. “As you can imagine, she is desperate to regain her place in the Inner Circle, so she could resort to desperate measures.” He sat down, and Dumbledore stood again.

“I do not doubt that Voldemort will attempt to lure Harry out of school. Did he give any indication of how he would do this?”

Aurelia winced. “He is aware of Harry’s thirst for information, and I believe he will tempt him with that. Uncle, I really believe that Harry should be informed of that which pertains to him. Keeping him entirely in the dark helps no-one.” Aurelia’s statement was met with numerous nods of agreement from around the room, but Dumbledore shook his head.

“No, I have made up my mind. Harry does not need to know yet,” he said decisively.

Sirius rose angrily. “Albus, I agree with Aurelia. I am Harry’s godfather, and I think he should be told!”

Albus raised his hand warningly. “Enough, Sirius. I have said what I think, and that is final.” Aurelia shook her head softly, but pulled Sirius back down into his seat next to her.

“As for a plan, I shall contact those of you who will form the response party should Voldemort lure Harry out of the school,” said Albus firmly. “That will be all for now, thank you all.”

Sirius stormed out of the room and Aurelia and Remus followed him. Remus laid a placating hand on his arm. “Sirius, we agree with you about Harry, but there is no point in arguing with Albus.” Sirius shook him off, and hit his head with his hands.

“I just feel so damn useless, Remus!” he said angrily. “I’m his godfather, for Merlin’s sake, and I have no say in what happens to him.”

Aurelia hugged him. “Sirius, how do you think I feel? I am his cousin, and I cannot even tell him. I want to protect him, and I can barely even talk to him without raising suspicion.” Sirius seemed to calm down, and he sighed.

“I have to go now Sirius, before Lucius misses me, but I promise to try to at least make it back here once before the birth. If you ever want to chat, call me on the mirror, and if I possibly can talk back, I swear I will,” she said, kissing him on the cheek. “Take care, Remus,” she said as she left and Apparated back to the manor.


May passed with no further incident for Aurelia Malfoy, and they were already a week into June before anything of note happened. She had been awake all night, as the babies would not settle, and were causing her no end of discomfort. It was now early evening, and they had finally calmed down. With a sigh of relief, she settled into a chair in the study as Lucius stood behind her massaging her shoulders. “Better, darling?” he asked sympathetically.

“Yes,” she nodded. “They seem to have drifted off now, though I do not know how long that will last for.” The door swung open, and Lucius whipped his wand out and turned to face it.

Voldemort waved his hand. “Lucius, it is only I. How are you both?”

“Tired, master,” replied Aurelia with a wry smile. “I did not realise how difficult it would be carrying twins.”

Voldemort nodded. “Lucius, would you mind waiting outside whilst I speak privately with Aurelia before I talk to you together?”

“Certainly, master,” he replied agreeably. Voldemort waited until the door was firmly closed before turning back to Aurelia.

“Aurelia, I am afraid I shall be borrowing your husband tonight. I have reason to believe that Potter will be in the Ministry, and we shall need to attack.”

Aurelia’s eyes widened. “Can I assist in any way, master?” she enquired, trying to calm the thumping of her heart.

“Yes, Aurelia. Whilst I would not ask you to go in your condition, I would like your advice as to who should lead the attack.”

Her eyes widened, and she thought fast. “Bellatrix, master,” she said decisively. “She has a point to prove, and I believe Potter fears her above the rest.”

Voldemort considered what she said. “I believe you may be right, Aurelia. She was a talented witch, and she does wish to regain her position.”

“Master?” said Aurelia hesitantly. “Please… bring my husband back to me tonight. I cannot bear the thought of managing without him. I swear, if you do, I will do anything you ask of me,” she begged recklessly.

Voldemort nodded. “I will grant your request, Aurelia, but be mindful of the debt I will collect for guaranteeing it,” he said coolly. “Lucius!” he called loudly, and Lucius came swiftly back into the room.

“Yes, master?”

“You are to leave with me now to lie in wait for Potter in the Ministry. However, you must ensure that your mask remains in place at all times. I shall be severely displeased if you were to be captured tonight.”

“Of course, master,” said Lucius eagerly. “I am honoured to be given this task. May I enquire as to who is to lead tonight’s mission?”

Voldemort smiled cruelly. “Bellatrix. She is on her last chance, though, I assure you.” He turned back towards Aurelia. “You do not seem as pleased about this as I would expect, my dear.”

Aurelia quickly forced a smile onto her face. “I apologise, master, but I did not sleep last night. The babies kept me awake all day as well.”

“In that case, let me cast a sleeping charm on you. It will stop you from worrying until Lucius returns as well,” said Voldemort, raising his eyebrows.

Aurelia panicked. She had to get word to the Order. “That is not necessary, master, honestly.”

“Nonsense,” he replied, and with a wave of his wand she sank back into the chair fast asleep. Lucius kissed her forehead before he and Voldemort left the manor.