Aurora Rosier & the Year of the Snake

The Dragon & the Dawn

"He'll want to meet him, of course."

Lucius furrowed his brow, the dark possibilities slipping as he turned to face his sister-in-law. "Who?"

She laughed at this, a sharp bark not unlike the thunder that had rocked the house before. It was gleeful, almost delirious, as she clasped her hands to her chest.

"He'll want to meet the both of them, now that they're born." Bellatrix slinked around Lucius, moving towards the rain-pelted window. At Lucius' silence, she glanced over her shoulder to meet his eye, the sly grin on her face bigger now. "Why, the Dark Lord, of course."

At the mention of their master, Lucius felt a tingle on his left forearm, almost like the start of an itch. He stepped forward to join Bellatrix at the window, peering into the darkened sky for any sign of the Dark Mark. But the sky remained as dismal as it had been moments before, the rain falling as hard as ever.

"Have you thought of mentioning to Narcissa any of this?"

"Merlin, no! But imagine how thrilled she'll be when she hears!" Bellatrix laughed, spinning away from Lucius as he took another threatening step toward her. "The reunion of the Malfoy and Rosier line has been planned for years. And now He finally has a matching set. With your son and Evan's daughter, He'll be able to usher in a new world with an entire generation at His side."

Another wail from inside the chambers made Lucius pause, a reminder that his wife was waiting. His beautiful, powerful wife, who had just brought his heir, their Draco, into the world.

A world that was destined to become better because his son was going to help shape it.

"Go to her," Bellatrix whispered, putting a hand on Lucius' arm in a rare moment of tenderness. Lucius nodded back numbly, all of his senses now focused on his awaiting wife. "I would be more than happy to deliver the good news, personally."

And then she was gone, in a sharp snap of apparition.

The future can wait, he told himself, taking a deep breath. Without anything to distract him, Lucius turned on his heel and entered his chambers.

He had a son to meet.

June 25th, 1980

In the dead of the night, two figures arrived before Malfoy Manor in a gust, a man and a woman, illuminated only by the pale moonlight that shone through the trees. The man placed his hand on the woman's lower back, steadying her as she shifted the five-month-old in her arms, cooing at the half-awake child before it could begin to wail.

Together they made their way down the gravel path, dense hedges towering on either side as they slipped through the gates and into the front gardens. A lone alabaster white peacock strutted nearby, eyeing them cooly. The manor itself was completely dark in the night, barely a silhouette against the sky. The only source of light came from a candle flickering in the downstairs window, a signal that their meeting was to proceed as planned.

As the pair approached the stately front door, it swung silently inward, as if it had sensed their arrival. Waiting just beyond stood Lucius Malfoy, his hands folded stiffly on the snakehead of his walking stick. If it were not for the inky bags under his bloodshot eyes, it would be nearly impossible to guess that he had become a father mere weeks ago - he looked as put-together as ever.

"He's waiting."

The man - Evan Rosier - nodded in acknowledgment, stepping through to the foyer, clasping Lucius' shoulder in greeting as he passed. His wife - Amalthea - followed close behind, tilting her head, keeping the small child tucker preciously to her chest.