Dark Beauty *Newly Updated Chapters*

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Chapter Two: Infancy

Lucius pushed the house-elf out of the way when he heard the official voices of the Aurors at his door. There Mad-Eye Moody and a dark man that he didn’t know stood, the darker man holding Calligenia, his niece in his arms. The look of shock was very real. Could Bella and Roldophus have taken one too many risks? Did the Aurors have them in custody or where they already soulless husks, subjects for the Dementor’s Kiss?

“Good evening, gentlemen.” Lucius managed to say. “Could I ask what you’re doing with my niece?”

Mad-Eye groaned and his magical eye, a new addition after one of his fellow Deatheaters cursed his from the socket, swerved to Calligenia. He looked, was it possible he looked a little uncomfortable being near the baby? Of all the things, Lucius thought, if we’d known he was afraid of babies we could have locked him in a nursery.

“Yes, there’s been, what I mean to say is your sister and brother-in-law were apprehended just an hour ago.” The dark man said, shifting Calligenia to his other arm. Was it just him, Lucius wondered, or did the child seem to be following the conversation? He shook that thought from himself. She was only a few months older than Draco and he didn’t recognize a conversation for what it was.

“For what, precisely?” Lucius asked, his eyes still on the babe.

“For torturing the Longbottoms,” Mad-Eye answered. “You’re the next of kin, well your wife is, so the-“ He looked at Calligenia. “Baby is to be your responsibility. Unless you’d rather she go to an orphanage.” He looked like that would be his course of action. So much for being fearless.

“Torturing the Longbottoms?” Lucius hoped his voice was filled with shock and not glee. “I’m sure I don’t completely understand. Are you quite certain it was Bella and Roldophus?”

“There were witnesses, seen them leaving the scene of the crime as it were.” Mad-Eye grunted. “So will you be taking the-“ He motioned toward the baby as though he had a hard time saying the word.

“Of course,” Lucius said, reaching toward Calligenia. “She’s family, after all.”

The dark man handed her over rather gratefully. What on earth did this child do to these men? He was surprised by how light she felt in his arms. Surely Draco weighed more. Perhaps it was because he’s a boy.

“Is there anything else?” Lucius asked, his free hand on the door.

“Her things,” Moody said, motioning toward the child again. “If you want them, you’ll have to have an Auror escort as the house is under our inspection currently.”

“Ah, yes.” Lucius said, looking down at the quiet child in his arms. She still looked as though she were following the conversation. “I’m not really worried about the things she’s left behind, but should my wife think that her familiar things should be brought I’ll most certainly go through proper channels. If that’s all...”

Moody looked like there was something on his mind, but taking another look at Calligenia he thought better of it and nodded his head. He waited until the door was closed before turning his back on it, ordering his companion to keep his guard up.

Lucius turned his back on the door and the two men as soon as he shut it. He wasn’t stupid, he’d never be caught attacking an Auror so openly. He wondered, however, how Bella and Roldophus could have let their own guard down and allowed themselves to be seen at the scene of such a crime.

“Lucius, who was at the door?” Narcissa’s voice called from the drawing room.

He walked into the room and heard her gasp at the child in his arms. He held the baby out for his wife to take. Narcissa held Calligenia as tenderly as she had the night she was born, looking down at her dark eyes and soft, dark curls.

“What’s happened? Why is Calligenia here?” She asked, taking in the growth and changes in her niece, a child she hadn’t really seen since her birth.

Lucius poured himself a Firewhiskey and sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the fire. He sighed and considered how the Lestranges’ failure would affect his own livelihood. The Dark Lord would not be pleased at losing his most fervent supporter.

“Lucius?” Narcissa asked, sitting Calligenia on the floor near where Draco played.

“Your sister and her husband were caught after torturing the Longbottoms.” He said, looking up at her. “Since you’re next of kin, and your sister is indisposed at the moment and can’t provide a suitable home for Calligenia, she’s now our responsibility.”

Narcissa gasped and looked down at the solemn child who watched Draco suspiciously. Bella was caught? That couldn’t be right. Bella never got caught. She heard a soft sigh and looked at her husband, but realized that it hadn’t come from him. She looked back down at Calligenia and then heard the sound of tapping. There, on the bookshelf in front of the babies, books began to dance as if puppets. She looked at Lucius, who looked from her to the child at her feet. Calligenia was doing this? Another little sigh escaped from the baby and suddenly there was a bottle in her hands.

“Lucius,” Narcissa whispered, watching the child. “Did she just...”

Lucius nodded, shocked himself. Of course Draco had done wandless magic, but usually his happened during a fit and it was more or less uncontrollable. But his niece had just controlled her magic and performed a trick to entertain herself, not to mention the bottle. Dear Merlin, could she be more powerful than Bella?

As they watched, Calligenia turned her head and looked at each of them with her heavy lidded eyes.