Pilfered Progeny - Stolen Dreams

“Are they coming soon daddy?“ Angel asked impatiently, holding Harry’s hand and gazing up at him. She was wearing one of her good dresses, one that Narcissa had chosen for her that was pale green cascading down in layers of gossamer fabrics to deep green near her knees. Tootles had taken special care of her dark hair, putting it up so it spilled in waves down her back yet left little curls about her face, with a tiara sparkling vividly with green stones against her black hair.



He smiled down at her indulgently, giving her hand a squeeze. “I know you’re excited, love, but you need to wait until they get here. Ron said they wouldn’t be long…”



She bounced on her heels a moment, her pretty little shoes making clicking noises on the marble floor. “Do I really get to have a real tea party with Rosie?”



“Yes, Angel. A real tea party, just you and Rosie.” he assured with a chuckle.



She snuggled against him with a happy sigh. “I’ve missed her… but I wish that Mimi would come too. I only got to give her that one hug.”



“She knows you care for her honey. She’s just really busy right now. She’ll come visit you when she can.”



“All right, daddy.” she smiled, then looked over with an excited gasp as the door chimes sounded. “They’re here, they’re here!”



“Yes, right on time, I see.” Lucius walked up just then, joining the two in the entryway with Draco only a step behind him.



Angel smiled up at them. “Hi Nonno and Papa.”



“Good afternoon, my Angel. You look quite stunning; are you attempting to be more beautiful than the prettiest flowers in my garden this afternoon?“ Lucius smiled at her.



Angel blushed prettily and giggled. “No, Nonno, that’s silly. I’m going to have a tea party today!”



He reached out his hand to her. “You’ll be the perfect hostess. Now, shall we let our guests in?”



“Oh, yes!” she said eagerly, releasing Harry to hurry to Lucius’ side. Draco moved to Harry’s side and they put their arms about each other, watching with amusement as their daughter and father-in-law moved to the door to open it.



In the doorway stood Ron, dressed in one of his better outfits, with Rosie. She was wearing a dress of deep blue with a matching ribbon in her red hair and a covered basket in her hands. “Good afternoon, Draco’s Daddy, Sir.” she greeted with a curtsy.



Lucius half-chuckled at the greeting. “Good afternoon, Miss Weasley; and good afternoon to your father and his brothers as well.” he said, looking past Ron to see the twins standing behind them.



“Yeah, um… good afternoon sir.” Fred and George said in unison.



“Good of you to come. If you will follow us, we have everything arranged for the girls…”



“I brought some little cupcakes with flowers on them. They’re not too pretty but I know they taste good.” Rosie said, offering the basket to Angel, who took it and then took Rosie’s hand.



“Come on, daddy says that Tootles is setting everything up for us and we get to have tea all by ourselves cause the others are still taking their naps. I have lots and lots of brothers and sisters now.”



“You do?” she asked. “I wish I had some…”



“One of them has red hair like yours, her name is Alyssa but she won’t really play with me.” she said, leading Rose off through the entryway toward the gardens.



“After you.” Lucius said, gesturing to the redheaded men who still stood in the entryway. Ron stepped in, flushing slightly, followed by his brothers and the three followed the two girls. Lucius gave Harry a smirk and strolled after the three.



Harry gazed after them in disbelief. “I never thought I’d see three of the Weasley brothers in your house at the same time…”



“Father must have invited George to come and meet Alyssa.” Draco said, giving Harry a little nudge to get him started toward the gardens after the others.



Angel and Rose giggled as they skipped together to the little table set up just for them under two of the trees still blossoming. The table was covered with a pretty little lace tablecloth and there were several trays of cookies and biscuits for their consumption as well as tea in a little porcelain teapot and all the condiments needed. The teapots and the cups all had the Malfoy crest upon them.



“I can’t believe your father invited them over.” Harry murmured, moving deeper into the garden to settle with Draco on a bench.



Draco chuckled softly. “Father’s changing, Harry. He told you he was going to try.”



Ron kept glancing at the twins as if he expected them to do something totally mental and embarrassing at any moment.



“Where’s my girl?” George asked.



“And when can we take her home?” Fred added.



“Can they?” Ron asked with a soft frown. When his brothers looked at him in surprise he went on to explain himself. “I mean, could you two really take her? I don’t want her to suffer because of this bond thing that she has with the other kids.”



“Quite an astute question, Mr. Weasley.“ Lucius gave him a rare faint smile. “Severus and I are still working on dissolving that, or altering it in some way. I don’t think you want to take her just yet, I doubt we could effectively separate them at this point. The five of them share the same room, and it is a rare thing to see one of them without the others.” Lucius said calmly, . “If you took her off I’m sure she’d vanish somehow and end up right back here.”



“When do we get to see her?” Fred asked impatiently. He didn’t like how Lucius was stonewalling them, he felt like they were being kept away from the girl for some reason. Why the hell invite them over to have them stand out in the garden?



“You will meet her soon; she and the others were having their nap. The nanny has firm instructions to bring her out the moment she has woken and is ready to be seen. I will introduce you then.”



“Why wait? Can’t you just wake her?”



“Be patient, George.” Ron sighed, but he himself began to walk away from them. This was between Lucius and his brothers and he would much rather hang around with Harry and Draco.



“I thought perhaps you would like to know a bit more about her, and learn of her full lineage before you met the child. You have no ordinary little girl, you know.” Lucius commented, moving to a the larger table in the gazebo which was set up for an adult tea.



“Of course she isn’t ordinary. Looks might be deceiving, Lucius, but we Weasleys are anything but ordinary and my daughter will be something special too.” George smirked.



Lucius rolled his eyes but did not comment on that, sitting down with grace. “Would you like some tea?” he asked, gesturing for the boys to sit as well. He gestured at the teapot with his wand and filled his own teacup.



The twins looked at each other, shrugged in unison, then moved to take two of the four remaining seats at the table. “So what is it we need to know?” George asked.



“As you know, Pansy Parkinson has been playing God.” Lucius sipped his tea.



“Yes, that’s how I ended up with a son.” Fred commented.



“And me two girls, counting this one.” George answered.



“That’s not how you got this child. This child has nothing to do with Pansy.” Lucius corrected. “You see, Pansy’s father was playing Zeus.”



“Zeus…?” Fred repeated.



“Her dad thinks he’s a Greek God?” George said, equally mystified.



“Father of the gods, to be specific.” Lucius answered. “The children he created, including your daughter, Mr. Weasley, are much more than simple children.”



“How the bloody hell can they be more than kids?” George asked.



“She’s what, three or maybe four…?” both the redheaded men looked confused.



“Her body is four, but her mind and her powers are far more advanced than any child I have seen save those in her circle.”



“He was making super babies?” Fred asked.



“More than that, Mr. Weasley. Much more.”



“Hey Fred, I’m the father of a little Goddess.” George smirked.



“And not just any run-of-the mill Goddess either. Your daughter was to be his Aphrodite, goddess of love.”



“Goddess and temptress.” Fred agreed, frowning slightly. “What exactly was he trying to accomplish?”



“I don’t know all the precise details, but I can deduce what he was aiming at.“ Lucius told them, relaxing in his chair as he watched the girls and their little tea party. “I know that Malcolm Parkinson was involved with the Dark Lord, although he was never marked by him as a Death Eater. When young Mr. Potter and his friends gathered together and destroyed the Dark Lord, it drove Malcolm to the brink of madness and beyond. I know he was committed to St. Mungo’s for at least two, possibly three stretches of time. At some point, he came to terms with his madness and followed its demands. He looked at young Mr. Potter and his friends as the reason for the fall of his master; and decided he would return him to our world.”



“He WHAT?!” George murmured in shock.



“He’s off his bleeding nut!” Fred mumbled.



“I’m sure he is quite dangerous to anyone he comes near, he’s quite mad. He did not only attempt to recreate the Dark Lord, gentlemen. He has created him a circle of dedicated and devoted servants, called the Dark Circle…”



“Well he’s not using my daughter for any bloody Dark anything!” George snapped.



“No, I agree with you, he will not use her.” Lucius placed a scroll onto the table, his hand resting upon it for a moment. “I can assure you that none of them will be used for their predetermined purposes.”



Fred frowned a moment. “Do you know what her purpose was to be?”



“Yes. She was to be the recruiter. The seductress. The one who could bring all the servants into the fold and keep them under control, and all under the control of her master.”



“Aphrodite.” Fred muttered.



“So who’s her mother?” George asked, now sipping his tea as well.



“She doesn’t exactly have a mother.” Lucius said, pushing the scroll toward him.



George opened it, spreading it out on the table so both he and his brother could examine it. George looked dumbfounded. “Warrington? Jarred Warrington? Why the bloody hell…?”



“Another of Malcolm Parkinson’s little ploys. Warrington should probably explain that to him on his own.”



“I don’t get it… Warrington wasn’t anything special in school, why would they pick him for anything? What would he have that be worth anything?”



Lucius smirked. “He has a surprising lineage which Parkinson decided to take advantage of.”



“I guess I’ll have to talk to him… we do share a daughter…”



“He knows she is his, I should tell you that. He has known since the girl had created, but the girl has no idea of his relation toher.”



“Good, then. That means he doesn’t want her.”



“Not precisely, it doesn’t. it’s a bit complicated; I think I will simply call him out and have him talk with you.”



“Call him? You mean that git is here too?” Fred asked, scowling. He only remembered Warrington as a pimply-faced prat living in Slytherin House back in school, before he and his twin had shucked it all to go into business for themselves.



“Yes he is, Mr. Weasley.” Lucius answered with a disapproving scowl.



“Yeah… yeah, okay.” George sighed. “Call him out.”



Lucius called for a house elf and when it appeared he sent it off again to fetch Warrington. Once the elf vanished, Lucius sipped his tea again. “I have Warrington working on a project for me, here in the mansion. It’s quite important that he have everything available to do what he needs to complete his work…” he said, taking his time to choose a cookie. He gazed at the childish smear of frosting on the cookie and smiled, remembering just how messy both he and Angel had gotten making these silly things. Silly, but quite tasty. “But he should not take long to put things on hold.”



“You have HIM working on a potion for you?” Fred asked.



“Braver than I am.” George snorted, then changed the subject. “These people who had the girl; how did they treat her? She was cared for, right?”



“She, and the others of the circle, have little idea of what it is to be a child. When I found them, they each spent four to six hours a day training. And I can tell you without a doubt that Alyssa has been abused…”



“Why abuse her if she was part of their little plan?”



“She was being conditioned. Her abuse was both physical and sexual; they had her convinced without a doubt that it was Mr. Potter who was abusing her. She still cannot look at him without a reaction of fear, though we are working on alleviating that.”



“Why have her afraid of Harry?”



“How better to get her to avoid any relationship with him of any sort? How better to ensure that she hated him once she was grown?” Lucius asked. “She was meant to be the supporter of Mr. Potter’s greatest enemy.”



“These people are completely mental…!” George whispered.



“Were.” Lucius corrected with a wicked smile.



“Master Malfoy, can’t this wait?” a voice from the doorway caught their attention. Jerrod moved out into the dazzling light of the late afternoon, his hair pulled back by a hair clip, wearing old robes with the sleeves shorn off and a stained and pockmarked leather apron. “I was right in the middle of… oh.” his voice drifted off when he realized who was at the table, stopping yards away from them.



George rose. “Um…hello, Warrington.” he said, thinking that this fellow didn’t much resemble the idiot he remembered from school. He’d definitely grown up and had taken care of himself. “Won’t you join us for tea?” he offered in a formal manner.



“Actually, I’m really busy, and I…” he started but Lucius interrupted him.



“Nonsense, Warrington. You have time.” he said, nibbling on the cookie. “You know as well as I did that you set a stasis spell over your potions before you left the potions room.”



“Yeah… Yeah, I guess I did.” he admitted reluctantly.



“Come then, and have a seat. Don’t be rude.” Lucius scowled at him. Jerrod trudged to the table and took a seat beside Lucius, leaving a chair between him and the twins. He looked tired and his hands were as stained as any potions masters were typically; he’d clearly been working on something.



“You’re Alyssa’s father?” George asked.



Jerrod grunted softly with laughter. “Me? No. No, you are. Your genes were dominant in her creation. Mine… well, they were used but only because of who and what my mother was.” he said, slipping his hands off the table and into his lap. Lucius gestured and the teapot filled his cup, sugar cubes dancing about the edge of the sugar bowl before leaping into his tea with a plop.



“Why? I mean, why you and me? That doesn’t make any sense.”



Warrington looked at George with a faint grin. “And you were always so sharp in classes.” he teased lightly. “They didn’t really want your seed, but no matter what Pansy did she couldn’t get Ron’s…”



“Why would they want Ron’s over anyone else’s?”



“He was part of Harry’s circle of friends. Who better to put as support for the circle than one of the ones who helped bring the Dark Lord down?”



“Oh.” George frowned.



“So why use just Ron? Why not Hermione? She was one of Harry’s good friends too and supported him just as much as our baby brother did…” Fred asked.



“Simple. She’s a mud blood. Can’t get anything useful out of a mud blood.” he shrugged. “And since they couldn’t get Ron, they figured that any Weasley would do.” he added with a smirk.



“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Fred scowled.



“ANYWAY…” Warrington spoke over the objection. “They wanted me because of what my mother had to offer. You see, my mum was a siren.”



“Just because she had siren in her doesn’t mean it will breed true.” George said, disgruntled now.



“My mother didn’t ‘have siren in her’; she is a siren.” he corrected, eyeing the twin who’s genes had contributed to his daughter’s existence. “I take it you haven’t met her yet.”



“NO, not yet. Is that supposed to make some sort of difference?”



“She wasn’t made by just slapping our DNA together and hoping something they wanted came out of it all. She was created. She was designed. She was engineered to be exactly what they desired.”



George scowled. “You’re saying they designed her like a potion? Trial and error?”



“Exactly.” he agreed.



“What happened to the ‘error’ children?” George asked pointedly. He wanted to know if there were more children out there.



He pulled his eyes away, staring at his cup. “They were… they died.” he said bluntly.



“How many of them?” George asked quietly.



“And how did they die? Were they just not born alive?” Fred asked probingly.



Warrington looked really uncomfortable, eyes on his hands. He knew exactly how each of those children had died but he didn’t want to have to tell the story to anyone but Lucius and that damned interrogator from the Ministry. “There were two before Alyssa was born.” he answered. “And… and they were born alive.”



“What killed them?”



“Not what. Who.” Lucius corrected, getting a glance from the twins who then returned their gaze back to Warrington.



“All right; who killed them?”



“Malcolm Parkinson. He wasn’t trying to kill them, just trying to test to see if the siren bred true…” he began.



“What did he do?”



“He fed them a potion made from dragon’s blood and dragon root.” he answered in quiet voice. He really had no idea when he’d brewed that potion for Malcolm that it would be fed to babies.



“What?! That’s insane! No one could drink that and live even if they were adult!” Fred scowled at him.



“Not true; sirens can withstand it.” he said softly. “Alyssa is half siren, that is the only way she was able to survive taking the potion.” he picked up his tea and gulped it; he was immediately sorry as the hot liquid burned his tongue. Wincing, he went on. “Just listen to her voice when you meet her; you won’t have any doubt.”



“You seem awfully proud of her…” Fred began.



“…for someone who doesn’t want her.” George finished, eyeing him. “Why don’t you want to claim her? She’s your kid too.”



“She was never meant to be mine.” he said, shrugging and not raising his eyes. “What would a loser like me do with a little thing like her?”



“I don’t care how ‘special’ or ‘engineered’ she is, damn it, a kid needs parents.” George scowled at him.; “And you’re as much her father as I am!”



“I know that, but…” he sighed. “You don’t understand…” he glanced at Lucius as if asking for help but saw nothing there that would give him any assistance at all. Lucius simply gazed back at him with a slightly inquisitive look. He dropped his eyes again. “She was never meant to be mine. She was never meant to have fathers. She’s only had me in her life as a servant and a teacher.”



“Serving and teaching is part of parenting.” Fred commented.



“I wouldn’t have any idea how to be a dad to her. She’s…”



“Nobody knows how to be a father until fatherhood is thrust upon them” George countered.



“And she doesn’t like me anyway, not really.” he said. “I’ll help support her as much as I can, but I don’t give myself much hope for good earning potential…”



“We don’t need financial help. She needs to know her family. You’re only a year younger than us, didn’t you ever get married? Didn’t you ever have a family?” Fred asked.



“Did you?” he countered challengingly, throwing the question right back at them.



“We were building our business…”



“And I was tending to business of my own.” he answered, refusing to allow them to ruffle him. “She just deserves better than me…” he said, eyes drawn to the door.



A nanny in a crisp black dress with a white apron came to the door, holding the hand of little girl. It was Alyssa, and she looked like a perfect little pale porcelain doll, her hair in ribbons and curls, her face sweet and unblemished, dressed in pink satin, clutching a toy of some awful green tones in her arm as she gazed at them with wide eyes.



“Look at her Fred.” George whispered.



“She’s beautiful, George.” he answered.



Alyssa half-hid behind the nanny, but the woman continued to lead her over to join them at the table. She pulled her hand free a few feet away and stood staring at them, rubbing one eye sleepily.



“What in heaven’s name is that thing she’s holding?” George asked.



“It’s her ‘Thulu.”



“What’s a “thulu”…?”



“Chthulu.” Warrington clarified. “You know; H.P. Lovecraft’s novel? He was the High Priest of the invading godlike armies.”



“I don’t read much muggle writing…” George answered.



“I think I’ve read it.” Fred answered. “Weird.”



“Yeah. Weird, but cool.” George agreed.



“Warrington gave it to her when she was an infant, and she refuses to sleep without it.” Lucius put in, ignoring the glance from his bondservant, whose expression was begging to be left out of it.



“Yeah? Well, it’s good to know what she needs to sleep with.” George said, starting to rise.



Lucius rose as well as Alyssa reached the gazebo. “Ah, there you are Alyssa. Come; we have a seat saved for you. There is someone here you need to meet.” Lucius waited as the nanny gently got prompted her to moving up the steps and to the last open chair. The others rose as the girl sat down, then gazed at them with sleepy and unsure eyes. “This is Alyssa. Alyssa, this is George Weasley. This man is your father.”



She turned her eyes to George, looking at him a long moment. “Are you sure he’s my father, Lord Father Malfoy?” George found that he had no doubts at all about Jerrod’s claims right now, the little girl had a very musical and charming voice, soft and lilting.



“Absolutely certain, my dear.” he said firmly.



“I am.” George agreed. “And this here is your Uncle Fred, and that runt over there by Harry and Draco is your Uncle Ron.”



“I can hear you, George.” Ron said sourly, but George ignored him.



She gazed at Fred, then back at George. “You’re twins.” she said, her stuffed toy held close to her. “Erik and Erin are twins too.”



“Erik and Erin? Are they your friends?”



“Yes, sir.” she answered. “They’re the guardians. Erin is my friend, but Alerick is my best friend.”



“Friends are good to have.” George smiled. “Fred there is my best friend.”



She smiled ever so faintly, then looked down, her expression distinctly unhappy. “Why do you have to be my daddy?” she asked softly.



“I don’t have to be, little one. I AM your daddy.”



“But I don’t want you to be. I want them to be.” she said, looking over at Harry and Draco.



“Why?”



“You’ll take me away from them… I couldn’t bear it if I got taken away again…” she murmured softly.



“You don’t have to leave here, you know. Mr. Malfoy needs you to stay with the others for now.”



She looked up at George again, eyes shining. “Really…? I get to stay…?” she asked hopefully.



“Well, for now, yeah.”



She smiled and gave him an upper-body formal bow. “Thank you, Lord Father Weasley…” she said, her voice holding even more musicality now that she was pleased.



“I would still like to spend some time with you, Alyssa.” George smiled.



“Will you be my new teacher?” she asked him, looking quite a bit happier than he had so far. “They’re not giving us any classes or lessons here. Master Warrington isn’t even teaching any of us anymore…”



“I’m too busy, child.” he said softly.



“Lessons? But you’re just a little girl. What lessons could you have to be taking?”



“Well, herbs and plants, wand work and spells, reciting and chants, and deportment and manners and how to talk and how to use my powers…”



“But… but you’re what, four?” George looked dumbfounded. “You should be playing and enjoying being a kid. You’ve plenty of time for school.”



She hugged her toy close, looking crestfallen. “I like school, sir. I’ll be five in January I’m not a little baby.”



“Well. I’ll talk to Mr. Malfoy about it. I’m sure we can work something out.”



“We all miss our classes, Lord Father Weasley. The Dark Prince; I mean Mallek; he’s supposed to start classes too he’s big enough now.”



“Dark Prince?” George looked sharply over at Lucius.



He wasn’t ruffled at all. “I told you they were different.”



“Can I go now?” Jerrod asked quietly.



“No. You will stay put.” Lucius answered cooly. Warrington sighed and slumped in his seat.



“That’s quite an unusual friend you have there, Alyssa.” George grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything quite like it.”



She hugged the plush toy. “He keeps me safe. If I lose him I always have really bad, horrible dreams.” she said, then she turned the creature about and let George have a really good look at him. The stuffed toy was even more ominous on close inspection; there was nothing cute or fuzzy about the beast. It looked threatening, with batlike wings sprouting from the middle of its back and eyes of red. There was one feature on the beast that it was obvious Alyssa must have added; there were red bows tied upon the tips of each of the wings, and one on one of the tentacles.



“Well, if I was a bad dream, I wouldn’t dare come around him.” George grinned.



She giggled softly at him. “He’s strong and he eats bad dreams.” she said, reaching for a cookie.



“Does he have a girlfriend? I have bad dreams sometimes and I could use something like him to keep them away…”



She laughed, the sound charming and sweet. “No, that’s silly too. He’s just mine. But…” her mirth faded and she got really serious. “But maybe if you needed to really bad you could borrow him and he would eat up those bad dreams…” she offered in a soft voice.



“That’s sweet, Alyssa.” George smiled, quite happy with the offer. Indoctrination or not, this child was giving her most treasured possession to help someone else. Nothing dark there! “I think he needs to stay with you.”



She nibbled at the cookie, smiling at him, leaning over to rest against Warrington’s arm. He looked a little stiff and nervous, clearly having no idea whatsoever what to do or even how to react.



“She ain’t gonna bite you, Jerrod.” George smirked at his reaction, and Alyssa giggled softly.



“I know that. She hasn’t bit anyone since she was a year old.” he answered with a smirk.



“So why are you so nervous around her?”



“It’s cause they have me practice on him.” the little girl answered for him, not relenting or giving him any space.



“Practice? Practice what?”



“Attraction and enthrallment spells.” she said with a purely innocent little smile. Jerrod simply turned a bit red.



“Enthrallment?”



“Uh-huh.” she nodded. “They said he was hard to put spells on but I could do it anyway when I learned the right words.”



Lucius smirked, gazing at Warrington. “Interesting that you never mentioned that bit.”



“It’s not something I care to advertise to the world, Master Lucius; I’m not too thrilled that a four year old can put me under her power.” he grumbled.



Malfoy half-chuckled at that comment. “No, I guess you wouldn’t want that made too public.“



George studied the little girl a few moments, silent. Able to enthrall a full grown half siren at age four…? This girl was going to be a lot more powerful than he thought even Parkinson had planned for! The angelic little girl just cuddled close to Jerrod and nibbled her cookie, looking every inch innocent and harmless.



Warrington found himself looking at George and not liking the expression on his face. “Alyssa?” he said softly. “Go and find the others, will you? I think Mr. Weasley and I have to have a grown-up chat.”



“Can I take my cookie?”



“Yes. Go on. Fetch your nanny and find the others.” he told her gently.



She gave him a hug, then slipped down and moved to George, giving him a perfectly executed formal bow. “It was nice to meet you, Lord Father Weasley, and you Lord Uncle Weasley.” she said, giving Fred the same bow.



“Nice to meet you too, Alyssa.” they answered and the girl moved off.



Warrington watched her go. “If you’re thinking you’re going to take away her powers, you need to stop thinking it.”



George looked at him, frowning. “What? I thought you didn’t want any part of parenting her. That isn’t your decision if you aren’t her parent.”



“You aren’t taking her powers from her.” he repeated stubbornly.



“You’re mad, Warrington.” George scowled. “That girl can put you under her power and you’re half-siren. What’s to keep her from doing it to every person she sees?”



“…or everyone who might disagree with her?” Fred added, his scowl matching his twin’s.



“Maybe she can, but if you’re going to be making decisions about sirens you better find out more about their physiology.” Jerrod scowled right back at them. “If you block her powers like any normal wizard you’ll kill her!”



“What are you talking about?”



“She’s not your average human witch!” he growled softly at him. “I won’t let you or anyone else kill her by trying to block her powers.”



“I don’t want to KILL the girl, just stop her from manipulating people!” George growled back.



“Her ability to do that is not just a power. It’s part of her. Blocking it…” he scowled, pushing his chair back and rising. “Go read a damned book about sirens and find out what the hell you’re about to do to her before you try anything.” he said, turning away.



George rose as well, scowling. “You just wait one damned minute!”



“Enough!” Lucius interrupted them both. “I told you, Mr. Weasley, we’re working on modifying their capabilities; yes, WITHOUT harming them Warrington. Severus Snape has been studying the children and as we speak he is working with one of the children to determine the extent of their bonds.”



“Yeah, yeah, I know. Alyssa don’t like him either.” Warrington grumbled, refusing to turn back to the table.



“She doesn’t have to like him.” Lucius shrugged. “But he and I have both been working with the five.”



“Can we help?” Fred asked quietly, and both Lucius and George looked at him with surprise.



“I can tell Severus you have offered your assistance, Mr. Weasley.” Lucius gave him a smile.



“Just keep clear of me.” Jerrod grumbled.



“That won’t happen, unfortunately. Like it or not, Warrington, we have a kid. And she needs us both no matter what you say.” George said, still angry.









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“…so the baby is you?” Ron said softly, gazing at the baby. He’d asked to seen the others and Harry and Draco had escorted him inside. Draco, unable to resist the charm of the cheerful yet demanding little tyke, had moved to a chair and sat near where the children were playing; Mallek immediately moved to be beside him, beaming up at the blonde man.



“Yes and no…” Harry said, unsure of how to explain it all.



“But if he was made like the others but with only your genes, Harry, he’s you.” Ron said reasonably. “Your powers, your basic needs… you know the Ministry is going to have a field day with him. And they’ll never let you keep him.”



“I know.” Harry sighed. “I want to have his future secured before anything gets out.” He watched as Mallek would point at a toy and one of the twins would fetch that toy and bring it and Mallek would offer that toy to Draco, who would try to show the baby how to play with it.



“Is the boy the same? The blonde that Snape took out of here?”



“Yes, he’s Draco all over again. Quite the little charmer too.” Harry said with a soft grin.



“What are you doing with him?”



“There’s nothing to do. He’s Lucius’ son. Plain and simple.” Harry’s smile grew, and Ron’s smile grew to match.



“Brilliant; no worries there, then.” he said. “Just that little dark-haired one.”



“Yes; Mallek. Severus is here, I was thinking of asking him.” He admitted.



“Severus with a baby?” Ron looked rather worried.



Harry had to laugh. “You never saw him with Teddy. He’s not so bad, really, once you get past all the sneers and snide comments…”



“Never could get past all of that…” Ron admitted with a grin.









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Alerick moved into the room, glancing about him with more than a little trepidation. “What… what is it that I am to do, Lord Master Snape?” he asked, his voice betraying his nervousness. He didn’t like this room, it reminded him of the room where he was tested. It had only one chair and a bed in it, the rest of the room had been cleared of any content.



“Nothing, Alerick. And please do stop calling me Lord Master anything. If you must call me something respectful, call me Mr. Snape. All right?” he suggested.



“As you wish, Lord Snape… I mean, Mr. Snape…” he murmured softly.



“Sit down, Alerick. I don’t care where.” Severus said, moving to open the drapes on the window to let in the natural light.



The boy hesitated, then moved to the chair beside the wall and took a seat, his nervousness growing. Snape did his best to project total calm and lack of concern; he could almost feel the fear rolling off the child in waves as it disrupted the normal flow of his powers. He allowed the child to settle in his seat and not paying any attention to him. He turned toward the boy finally. “All right, we will begin.”



“Doing what, sir?”



“I want you to do one thing and one thing only; focus on being open.” he answered, drawing his wand. “I am going to perform a spell called Legilimency upon you. Do you know what that is, Alerick?”



He frowned at the question. “Yes, sir, Mister Snape… it means you’re going to try to open my mind and get things out of it. Why do you need to do this sir?”



“I need to examine your bond. I wish to understand it completely so that we can see what can be done to ensure the safety of all five of you in the future.” Snape answered with complete honesty. “There should be no pain to you. Simply relax.” he instructed.



“I will try, sir.” Alerick said quietly, gazing up at him.



Severus determined there was no use in delaying, so he proceeded with the spell. “Legilimens.” he spoke the spell firmly.



Nearly ten minutes passed and Snape was growing frustrated; this child had was a natural Legilimens himself; he was blocking the wizard’s experienced attempts to break through with no conscious effort.



Alerick shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling something welling up inside him. “Master Snape, please, I… I don’t want to do anymore, I’m tired…” he murmured.



“Patience, child.” Severus said firmly, continuing to press his leglimency spell further and to wend his way past the natural defenses into the mind of this child. He was so close to breaking through…









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A wave of pure power blasted outward from the room that Severus had taken Alerick into like a pulse of panic and uncontrolled fear. Harry’s first impulse was to look at Draco who looked stunned but unharmed; he instantly lit out toward the door with Ron close behind him. By the time Draco got to his feet, Mallek was babbling angrily, halfway across the room and Lucius and the twins had burst into the room as well. The children in the playroom, with the exception of Mallek and his little guardians, were crying. Erik beat Draco to the room; he and his twin were there just moments after Harry.



Harry found Alerick curled up in the corner, whimpering softly; Severus Snape lay beside the opposite wall, crumpled where he had fallen. There was a clear impact mark where he had been smashed into the wall, both head and body impacting hard upon it, and his robes were clearly smoking as he attempted to push himself to his elbows. The drapes were smoking and the window panes completely smashed out, and there were splinters in the center of the room as well as the remnants of a chair’s cushion.



A quick glance at each other and each of the men who arrived first knew exactly who to go tend to. “Severus! What happened?” Harry asked as he rushed to his side while Ron ran over to Alerick.



“I… triggered his… defenses.” the dark haired wizard’s left side of his face was beginning to blister and he was in clear pain though he fought to show nothing.



Ron knelt beside the boy in the corner, attempted to get Alerick to talk; the boy absolutely refused to even respond to him and curled up tighter.



“Leave him ALONE!!” Erik snarled, the power flaring into his hands in a heartbeat as he lunged toward Ron.



“NO!” Draco cried as he watched in horror. Erik, slight as he was, lunged into Ron and the power in his hands blasted both of them apart. Ron instinctively sheltered Alerick from any of the damage from the attack, and he was thrust head-first into a wall and thrown off sideways. Erik was thrown into the other wall but was back on his feet in moments and positioned himself to guard over Alerick. Draco found himself with his back against the wall where he had fallen to a seat, stunned by the power of that attack. Lucius and the older Weasley brothers burst in to assist.



“What the bloody hell?!“ George murmured.



“Help now, wonder later!“ Lucius snapped, pausing by Draco.



“I‘m fine father. Help them…” he insisted immediately.



“Come on Draco, you don‘t need to be in here.” Fred said, offering Draco his hand. Draco took it gratefully, feeling pain lance through him as he got to his feet. He did not argue with the insistence that he leave the room though he cast a worried look behind him as he was led out.



George‘s first impulse was to go help Ron, but Lucius caught his arm. “I will tend to Erik, you go tend to Severus and check Harry.” he ordered, locking eyes with Erik. The boy was in pure defense mode at that moment, his hands still glowing, Ron slowly stirring on the floor in front of him. Once again his face was completely devoid of emotion, his hands glowing.



“Erik! Erik stop this immediately, there is no danger to Alerick here!” Lucius snapped in his most commanding tone. The boy blinked which let Lucius know he had penetrated the boy’s mind, but he showed no other reaction nor compliance. “Erik, you must let us tend to Alerick, he is injured and we must have him tended to!”



Eric seemed to snap out of a trance, looking a little confused as the power faded from his hands. “He… he’s injured…?” he murmured.



“Yes, now step aside!” Lucius ordered, moving forward. Eric gazed up at him, then stepped back against the wall.



Alerick was trembling, curled up against the corner, head bowed.



“Easy now, Alerick… its all over now. Are you hurt, son?” Lucius asked softly, kneeling beside the boy, touching his back.



“Go away, I don’t to hurt you Lord Father, I didn’t mean to do it I don’t know what…” he whimpered, flinching away.



“You won’t hurt me, son. I just want to make sure that you’re not harmed…” he said soothingly, resting his hand on the child’s back gently. “Come, now, come out of the corner and let us have a look at you.”



He raised his head, gazing at him, trembling. He had a small mark on his cheek and looked horribly pale. “I… I don’t know if I’m hurt, I…” he lifted his hands that were starting to turn red and angry as if they were burned, then looked over toward Snape. “I hurt that man, Mister Snape… I fell down, and… and I hurt him…”



“We will take care of him; you have nothing to worry about. Let’s get you all patched up.” Lucius maintained a gentle tone. Alerick responded obediently, coming slowly to his feet.



“You okay Ron?” George asked, helping his brother to sit up.



“I’ll live…” he murmured, wiping at his forehead, his hand coming away bloody.



“You’re bleeding, Ronnikins.“ George said, concerned.



“I thought there was something to that red stuff... Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Forge." he said, saying the name wrong on purpose. "I said I’ll live… is the boy all right? And Snape…?” he asked



Harry had moved Severus up onto the bed with a levitation spell and was shocked to see how many burns the man had over the front of his body. He had heard Ron‘s statements and couldn‘t help but smirk. “Typical Gryffindor… Get my bag, Potter. It’s on the windowsill; I had it shielded. Give the boy a healing potion and that fool friend of yours one as well…” his voice was a shaken whisper.



“You need one too.” Harry said, scowling.



“Must I get the bloody things myself?” he asked, grimacing in pain as he started to rise on his own.



“Don’t be daft, lay back down!” Harry snapped, rising from the bedside. Snape subsided on the bed, quite content to simply lay back and be still.



“I really didn’t mean to do it, Lord Father…” Alerick whispered softly, gazing at his hands. “I… I think I hurt my hands… and my arm…” he gazed at Lucius, who is kneeling beside him now.



“It won’t hurt for long.” Lucius said comfortingly, calling for a house elf to bring his bag to tend the child’s injuries.



Harry looked over to see Fred moving back in with Mallek in his arms, the child highly agitated and worried. Mallek pointed at Alerick and said firmly “Mine!”



“Yours, is he? All right, let’s get you over there so you can help take care of him, all right?” Fred said, moving over to join Lucius.



The toddler watched as Lucius spread a cream onto the boy’s hands, his face very worried. Alerick gazed up at him. “It really doesn’t hurt that much, my prince…” he said, trying to make the boy feel less worried about him.



Mallek scowled angrily over at Severus Snape. “BAD man!” Mallek said angrily.



“Your little follower is the one that attacked, not I.” Severus said as Harry returned to him with the bag.



Harry opened the bag and frowned. “You only have two bottles.”



“I didn’t plan on your friend getting in the middle of an assault; I told you; give it to them…”



“Give Snape his potion. Alerick will be fine.” Lucius corrected. “I have a healing potion here, you take your own, Severus!” he directed. Severus finally acquiesced, accepting the bottle but not until after Harry had moved off to give the potion to Ron. His hand shook slightly as he drank down the potion.



Alerick took the healing potion as Lucius instructed, then gazed a the older wizard, his bright blue eyes shadowed with fear and worry. “I don’t want to do that anymore, Lord Father Malfoy, please… I won’t have to, will I?” he asked softly.



“I don’t know, son. I will see if there is any other way to do what must be done.” he said, stroking the boy’s cheek with a soft touch.



“It scares me; I don’t want to…”



“Mine!” Mallek said again, squirming to be put down and Fred acquiesced, setting the toddler down on his feet. He hurried over to Alerick, who fell to his knees to hug him tight. Mallek stroked Alerick’s hair and the older boy buried his face in the toddler’s chest, who glared back over at Snape once more. “Bad man. Bad!”



“I think we need to have a change of scenery.” Lucius said, rising. “Come, Mallek, Alerick. I’m sure Draco would love to read a story to you two while we sort all of this out…”



“Nonno!” Angel ran through the door, worried and breathless. “Daddy, hurry! Papa says his tummy is hurting really, really bad and I can’t help him…! Please hurry!”



Harry was on his way to the door before she even finished her sentence, his heart in his throat.



Draco had gone into labor.