Pilfered Progeny - Stolen Dreams

Alerick smiled proudly, thinking he was being tested. He knew the proper answer to this one. "We are the Dark Prince and the Inner Circle. I am the consort, and they are the guardians and the enchanter…"



That sounded ominous. "Guardians…? Explain, Alerick."



He glanced at the others as if fearing someone. "We must not talk of all that here, Lord Father… the others… someone else will hear who should not and they will hurt the Dark Prince…" he said worriedly. "Please… do not ask this of me, I must never do anything that will harm my Prince…"



"Then we shall retire somewhere more private… there is a room right over there…" Lucius gestured to one of the doors and led the child across the room around the sleeping and milling children being tended by the nurses. He opened the door with a gesture of his wand and walked in, pleased to see that Alerick had followed him dutifully and entered the room with him, glancing about. It was a small office.



Lucius spoke a spell and transfigured the two worn out chairs into more appropriate furniture for himself and the child. The dumpy purple thing turned into an elegant chair with ornate woodcarvings covered in what looked to be watered green silk. He moved to take a seat, gesturing with his wand to shut the door behind them. "You can speak here; there will be no danger to you or anyone for revealing information to the wrong ears."



Alerick looked very relieved and obediently took his seat. "What do you wish me to tell, Lord Father Malfoy?" he asked, gazing up at him.



"The guardians?" He prompted.



"They are to protect the Dark Prince and me too." He answered. "There wasn\'t supposed to be two but he was a twin. They live…" he frowned a moment, then pointed due north. "They live that way." He said.



"You know where they live?" he asked the child.



Alerick frowned slightly, shook his head. "No, sir. But I know they are in that direction." Again he pointed due north.



"And the other? The enchanter…?"



"She lives that way…" he pointed southwest.



"What is her job, Alerick?"



"She makes friends." He smiled at him. "She\'s really good at it."



"Hm…" Lucius said, very careful to keep his face clear of expression though his mind was racing. If Alerick was not on their list these others would not be… and all must be rescued. These would be the most important of all to rescue: the Dark Prince and his full entourage. "Very good, my boy. You have an excellent memory, indeed." he said.



Alerick beamed at the praise, head held high. "Thank you Lord Father Malfoy."



"Tell me; where is the Dark Prince? Where have they taken him?"



"Its\' very far; it always snows there and its very, very cold. There were two babies before him but they weren\'t the real Prince. The real Dark Prince got born just before spring last year, we waited and waited and he finally got born…" he explained, though he didn\'t understand exactly what he was telling. "I went there a lot of times but I can\'t understand anyone there they talk all funny…" he said, his face now screwed up in concentration as he sought for the right words to explain.



"Who is holding him? Who dares to keep the Prince away from his rightful family…?"



"The man had an odd name and awful looking teeth… Cara-rac-a-coff…?" he said, stumbling over the name and looking irritated at himself. "I can\'t say it; I\'m sorry Lord Father Malfoy…"



"Excellent, Alerick." He corrected firmly and the boy smiled for only a moment, then his smile faded. "But… they won\'t take him too, will they Lord Father? They mustn\'t take him away from his home."



"Who shouldn\'t take him?"



"These… these PEOPLE…!" he whispered, looking over at the door. "They took me from my home, from my bower. I don\'t belong here, Lord Father Malfoy, but they won\'t let me go home. If they take the Dark Prince he won\'t be strong enough. He has to… they… they will kill him!" he said, looking very worried.



"They are not going to harm the child. You see; the Aurors work for me." Lucius smirked.



Alerick gazed at him, his worry draining away. "Truly, Lord Father Malfoy?" he whispered. "The teachers and servants watch him all the time to keep him safe, he can\'t ever be alone because he\'s in so much danger."



"Well, I shall find a way to retrieve our little Prince. Do not fear for him." He assured the boy, rising. "Now, it is time to get you out of here and properly housed. You will come to my home for the night. In the morning you will meet your father and his husband."



The boy looked hesitant. "I… I don\'t have a father… only Lord Father McNair… and you, sir…"



"Not only do you have a father, you have a family." He clarified.



"I can\'t have. Its not… I mean… Lord Father, family makes you weak." he said, clearly repeating what he had been taught by repetition.



"Nonsense. Come along; you have been taught much and will need to unlearn some things. You will have the best of families; for you, my boy, are a Malfoy." Lucius said proudly, his hand resting a moment on the boy\'s soft hair for a moment.



The child stiffened at the touch, then looked up at him confused when the hand was drawn away without striking him. "Yes of course, Lord Father Malfoy…" he murmured.



"Severus…?" Lucius moved out again into the main room. Severus and Tonks were standing near the door talking; the room had emptied in their absence and only a dozen children remained. Even the pregnant young ladies had been whisked off somewhere. Those remaining had blonde, brown or spiky black hair; the redheads and most of the dark-skinned children were gone. "I will be taking the Potter and Malfoy children to the manor; they will be staying with us." He said firmly. "And young Alerick here will have a special room until our little Dark Prince is found and returned to us…"



"Dark Prince…?" Tonks repeated, hoping she was just tired and had heard wrong. "What…?"



"You heard me. The Dark Prince has not been found; neither have the guardians, nor the enchanter."



"Four more." Tonks murmured, glancing at Snape.



"Exactly as Mrs. Weasley stated we needed to find." he commented.



"Three of them live near us; the fourth, the most important, is in Bavaria. Somewhere near Durmstrang, I believe."



"Merlin…" Tonks said thoughtfully.



"And they may have been alerted…



"We have to move immediately to get them all…"



"You do and the child will vanish. Don\'t be a fool." Lucius snarled.



"He\'s going to vanish if we don\'t!" she snapped back at him.



Lucius took her by the arm and led her forcibly out of the room.



She shook her arm free, glaring at him. "Don\'t you treat me like a child, Lucius Malfoy!" she snapped.



"Then stop acting as one! I would have thought that Severus would have taught you to use your head!"



"We took twenty seven children out of their homes tonight! What makes you think that they won\'t spirit these other four out of their happy little nests and hide them from us…? Or, what the hell, why do you think they won\'t KILL them?!"



"Because they are their chosen ones. The Dark Prince is the one who survived. He is the one they have waited for. They will never do anything to harm him." He sneered.



She fell silent a moment, struck by that news. Hermione had said they were killing the children who did not survive their tests… that they were trying to make a perfect child. "We have to go in covert and get them… damn it all! I know we didn\'t miss anyone on the list…!"



"No, you did not. These children are not on those lists. You heard Kingsley; it was mere coincidence that they found Alerick at all. They were hidden from the very start."



"How will we find him, then? How will we find any of them? We don\'t even know the age of these children, much less where to find them beyond the country that they live in…"



"The Dark Prince is a baby, so I have been told…"



"Ought to be really simple to find; a dark-haired baby in Romania." She said sarcastically. "How in the bloody hell is that supposed to help find him?" she asked caustically then sighed. "I do have some contacts there." She said thoughtfully. "I don\'t want to wait on this, Lucius. If what Hermione said is true, we can\'t afford to lose track of him or any of the others…"



"I agree; we must work with haste but we must also move quite carefully."



"Then we will work together and get this done. I don\'t want to leave a single child in their control."



"We will not be able to do anything tonight. These children need to go home and be tended and cared for. A warm bed and good meal in the morning is in order for all of them."



"And they need to be safeguarded as well." She agreed, though she was clearly unhappy with the delay. "Severus told me that he thinks that the young boy who looks like Draco has had rites performed upon him… they\'ll want him back for certain."



"Oh; this I know. They will try to retrieve their second." He agreed. "They will stay at the manor. I have special protections upon my home that have been reinforced generation after generation; no one will reach them without my consent or knowledge."



She sighed. "All right, I know he\'ll be safe there…" she said softly.



"Does Severus know what rites were performed upon the boy?"



"No; he didn\'t… but he has ways to find out. All the rites leave their mark upon the body somewhere. Shall I send him to see you?"



"In the morning." He nodded. I think it is time we get these children home and settled… I will leave you to find proper quarters for the children of the other fathers." He said, turning back into the room.



Alerick gazed up at him with worry on his face. "Lord Father…? Is something happening to my Dark Prince?"



"Not yet, young one. Tonight we sleep. But soon we will go and rescue your Dark Prince and bring him home where he belongs."



"I get to live with my Prince?" His eyes lit up. "I feel so happy when I\'m with him!"



Lucius smirked. "Yes, young Alerick. You will be living with him and with me as well. Come now; it is time we go to our home." He stated. "Mimsy!" he called out sharply. With a muffled \'bamph\' a house elf appeared at his feet, bowing low.

"You is needing Mimsy, Master…?"



"Yes. Gather the Potter and Malfoy children. Have them fed if they wish food, bathe them and settle them into rooms in the manor. Use the east wing rooms, they should be more than suitable. And prepare my son\'s old room."



The house elf gazed about, eyes wide. "Many children… yes, oh yes Master Malfoy…!" he agreed.



"Very good." He said sighing with weariness. "Come, Alerick. It is time for you to see your new home."



"Yes, Lord Father Malfoy." Alerick answered, moving to his side.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.



Angel was curled up in Lucius\' favorite armchair before the fireplace, dozing lightly when Lucius stepped through. The soft noise of the roused her and she opened her eyes sleepily, pushing herself upright slightly. She sat up sleepily, smiling when she saw him, reaching out her arms to him. "Nonno!" she murmured.



He gave her a soft smile and reached to scoop her up, holding her in a hug for a moment. "Hello, my little Angel…"



She settled against his shoulder with complete and innocent trust. "I had a bad dream… Nona said it was all right if I waited for you out here…" she murmured, half asleep on his shoulder as kissed her hair tenderly.



"Everything is all right, little one. Let\'s get you to bed…" he said, glancing at Alerick. The boy gazed up at him expectantly, clearly exhausted but willing to do whatever was asked of him. Lucius indicated with a nod that the boy should simply follow.



He carried Angel back to her bedroom and settled her in her bed, murmuring soft and soothing words to her as he tucked her back in, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Sleep now, little one. Sleep deep and peaceful." He said, straightening. She was already asleep by the time he stood. He watched her a moment then turned to see Alerick standing by the door, looking unsure.



"Is something wrong, Alerick?" he asked as he moved out the door and led the boy onward.



"No, Lord Father, of course not. But… who is that girl?"



"You will learn all in the morning, lad. Now is not the time for long discussions and conversation; now is the time to rest." He said. The boy followed him silently through the quiet entryway to the east wing, turning right into the first door. "Here is the room you will be staying in." he said, opening the door.



Alerick stepped into the room furnished in a very ornate, traditional style. The furniture was dark-toned carved wood complimented by rich green velvets and silks. Heavy drapes hung on the windows; there was a tall bookshelf full of books and nicknacks and other items.



Centered between the two windows sat the bed; it was the most unusual thing that Alerick had ever seen. The mattress was circular and clearly feather and silk made up its covers. The headboard was no mere board; it was the form of a protective guarding dragon. It lay curled about the bed with its head low over its foreclaws on the right side and its tail curling about the left. One wing was folded behind it, but the forward wing was extended and made a sort of canopy over the mattress. The carved creature was silver-white and scaleless with huge blue eyes that seemed to sparkle and swirl.



Lucius smiled as he gazed at it; he had paid an artisan specially to design this bed for his son; Draco had spent many peaceful nights sleeping in the protective dragon\'s embrace. Lucius had reinforced its perceived protections with real protections; anyone who the bed was not tuned to could not even reach a hand over the mattress without the carved beast keening an alarm loud enough to wake the dead.



"Is this my room, Lord Father Malfoy?" he asked softly, gazing about.



"It is. Do you like it?"



"Yes, Lord Father. This is even better than my bower." He said, moving over to the bed. "Is this a real dragon?" he asked innocently, reaching up to touch the intricately detailed headboard.



"No, nor is it designed after any dragon ever seen in our wizarding world." He answered. "But I can assure you; it will protect you while you sleep."



Alerick gave him a soft smile. "Thank you, Lord Father Malfoy." He said.



"Toodles!" Lucius called.



Almost before he had finished calling for her, the energetic little house elf appeared before him, bowing low. "Master Malfoy is needing Toodles…?"



"Yes. This is Alerick. You are to tend to him tonight and ensure that he is comfortable." He ordered.



"Yes master, Toodles is doing." The elf looked at the young boy who was easily two inches taller than she, looking quite eager to get to work.



"I will see you in the morning, Alerick." Lucius said, turning to leave.



"Sleep well, Lord Father." The boy said with a perfectly executed formal bow.



"You as well, young man." He said, moving out. He knew that Toodles would take every precaution to protect the young \'consort\' and would ensure his safety for the remainder of the night.



He glanced out a window as he made his way to his own room; false dawn was lighting the sky. He sighed wearily but did not go directly to his bed. He moved into the nursery and went to check on the infants. He could not help but smile as he gazed down at the two sleeping so peacefully there. Their little faces were softly illuminated by the streams of moonlight still filtering through the window. They were such beautiful babies…



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Severus Snape stepped out of the fireplace, dusting himself off fastidiously. It was early, but he wanted to get a better look at these children. Especially that little doppelganger of Draco; what was his name? Ah, yes. Alerick. He suspected there was something more going on with that boy than met the eye. He called for a house elf and sent it off to find Lucius and alert him to his presence if he was awake.



It was not long before Lucius moved to join him. Severus found it extremely irritating how Lucius Malfoy could look resplendent with every hair in place even with only three or less hours of sleep. "Here rather early, aren\'t you Severus…?" he asked, glancing out at the sky. It had the faintest pink glow of impending sunrise.



"I don\'t think we should delay in the search for the other \'special\' children." He said quietly. "Dora has only just now fallen asleep; she has worried herself to exhaustion about them, although I doubt she will sleep more than an hour or two. I could not convince her that there was nothing we could do as we had no leads."



"What has she done to begin the search?" Lucius asked.



"Mrs. Weasley is certain that Pansy\'s father is deeply involved in all of this. The appearance of your grandson looking so similar to Draco sent her into motion to see if perhaps Parkinson had returned to her home. She sent a team to the Parkinson\'s home and it turns out there is no one living there. They had bewitched the lights to continue to turn on and off at random times, so those watching the house were certain someone was home. It has been very recently abandoned with very little of value left behind." Snape said, slowly pacing as he spoke.



"Somehow that doesn\'t surprise me." Lucius said sardonically.



Severus frowned. "The trouble is, now we have no lead."



"On the contrary, my old friend. We have a very solid lead."



"We do…?"



"Yes. Alerick."



He scowled at him. "That boy…? What can that boy know?"



Lucius smiled softly. "Plenty, it seems. He can, for example, tell us which direction each of the others of the \'inner circle\' resides." He replied.



"And when did he reveal this to you?"



"Last night." He answered, moving to get both of them a cup of very strong tea. "There seems to be a bond of some sort between them. Alerick is to be the consort, and he may well be the perfect one to use for an old-fashioned scrying to see if we can locate the others."



"Old-fashioned is right. I\'m not even sure I have the supplies necessary to do such a thing…" Snape frowned softly.



"Between my galleons and your knowledge, we will have everything ready to perform by luncheon." Lucius smirked, sipping his tea.