Planning and Executing
May 1, 1982, Saturday
12:00 AM
Lestrange Manor
Drawing Room
It Happened to be around six months until Corvus and Bellatrix saw the boy again. The last six months have been terribly busy. The morning after Bellatrix had taken him and the fateful day of their lord's defeat, Rudolphus and Rabastan got arrested. They were caught torturing the Longbottom’s. Bartimius Crouch Jr. was caught with them. According to the papers, the Longbottom’s were tortured into insanity and are now permanent residents at Saint Mungo's. The Longbottom boy is now living with Dowager Longbottom. The boys were immediately thrown into Azkaban without trial. Her cousin Sirius Black was also arrested that morning, for killing thirteen muggles and Peter Pettigrew. He was also arrested for treason. According to the papers, he was the one to sell out the Potters. Bellatrix knew he wasn't.
The Aurors did come and arrest Bellatrix after a while. The remaining death eaters had a plan to escape prisonment however. They were going to claim to have been under the Imperious curse and to have woken from it the day of their lord's defeat. Bellatrix had been willing to go to Prison for her lord, as had many, but she now had responsibilities to be taken care of. Like a lot of others did, mostly family duties.
Bellatrix was held in a holding cell for a long while. When her trial started it had been pretty easy to get out of the charges. Her lawyer was one of the best in the wizarding world. It helped that Bellatrix was as Slytherin as they come. Not to mention a Black, who was notorious for getting their way. Bellatrix was also very pretty compared to a lot of Pureblood women and most of the Wizgamont was made up of men. So, she put that advantage to good use.
Corvus had gotten out before her, as the elder and as a man. Corvus was a respected member of the Wizgamont not that long ago as he had just stepped down so Rudolphus could join it. He was quickly declared innocent.
After her release, It took Bellatrix a month or so to get her affairs in order and her health restored from her time in the ministry holding cells. Bellatrix now found herself in charge of house Lestrange, which she most definitely didn't want to do or have those responsibilities. She had asked Corvus to do that but he had quickly shut down the idea saying he ‘already did it for around 40 years’ and that he ‘wasn't planning on doing it again’. She made him her proxy for the Lestrange seat in the Wizgamont. He made passive aggressive complaints for a while, but eventually got over it.
Now that they had everything done and over with it was time to figure out what to do with the boy. The Order of Phoenix and the Ministry were still searching for the boy so they had to be quick. Bellatrix and Corvus are sitting in the Lestrange Manor drawing room where they decide what to do with him.
“What are your plans for the boy Bella?” Corvus finally asked her.
“Well, do you think they would let us visit Rudolphus in Azkaban?” she responds.
“No.”.
“Right well, I plan on blood adopting him so his appearance changes. Once I do that I can arrange a meeting with the Lestrange account manager, adopt him, and change his name. After that I'll raise him as my own”.
“Sounds simple enough. Why did you want to visit Rudolphus?”
“To get some of his blood and use it to legitimize the boy.”.
“I'll legitimize him somehow don't worry Bella”.
“Good.”
“Right then. PRIAPUS!” Priapus popped into the room.
“Yes master Lestrange?”
“Bring the boy here now.”. The elf squeaked out a ‘yes master’ and brought the boy into the room. He was bigger than before, only two months shy of his third birthday. The scar on his forehead, still red and irritated, but scarred over.“Have you been teaching him to walk and speak?”
“Yes master”.
“Hand him over,” Bellatrix demanded. Priapus handed the boy to her. “Leave now”. The elf popped away quickly. “I might as well raise him right. He's the only child I'll have now that Rudolphus is locked up.” She said while staring at the child. Really, he was kinda cute. She hoped he kept his beautiful green eyes. They were her favorite color, Killing Curse Green.
“I'll contact our account manager for you Bella. We’ll do an at home meeting.”. She agrees and goes back to staring at the boy.
“We’ll need to set up a nursery. Would you like to go through some catalogs with me?” she asked the boy. He doesn't answer obviously, but she shows them to him anyway. Lestrange Manor already has a nursery but it's a little outdated. Once Bellatrix and the boy had gone through the entirety of the catalogs she owned, she sends off a couple owl orders.
“Hmm what should we rename you boy?”. She was obviously going to continue the black tradition of naming their children after constellations. Which was a little difficult since stars were hardly ever named an acceptable name. Okay then she's going to name him after a whole constellation instead! She thought about the names Cepheus, Cetus, Eridanus, and Hydrus. Cepheus meant ‘Father of Andromeda’, Cetus meant ‘Sea Monster”, Eridanus meant ‘River’, and Hydrus meant ‘Water Snake’. Bellatrix quickly eliminated Hydrus and Cetus. They were good names but very overused in her opinion and Cetus meant ‘Whale’ too. She loved the name Eridanus but Cepheus was very close to her heart. Andromeda was the name of her sister she reduced to speak too. She was blasted out of the family when she married that mudblood. Bellatrix hated her for that, but Andromeda was still her sister, her little sister. She still held a space in her heart.
“Okay. Cepheus Rudolphus Lestrange it is.”. She said proudly looking at him. “Well then now that we got that sorted out, I should get that ritual done”. Bellatrix took the boy to the ritual room. The ritual for Blood adopting someone was pretty simple. All she had to do was cut herself and the boy, mix their blood, and mutter a few words in Latin and it’ll be done. It was just very taxing on the magical core and could cause magical exhaustion.
Bellatrix sat her and him down in the middle of the ritual circle and pulled out her ritual knife. Slicing a small cut on her finger and then on his finger as well. She touched his finger with hers, mixing their blood and said the incantation. “FILLIUS AUTEM MAGICAE, VENTUS AUTEM EIUS, VOS VOLUNTAS ADIUNGO MEA SANGUINE SICUTI SI MEA AGNOSCO. EGO VOLUNTAS ADSCIO VOS Si MEA AGNOSCO.”. She says this three times and then finishes the Ritual.
Once she's done she heals the boy and herself, panting a little, and watches and waits for the changes to happen. His hair immediately starts changing to small strands of blond like Bellatrix's sister, Narcissa. His hair also gets curlier. Which she's grateful for, The Potter hair is a very recognizable trait. The boys’ facial structure shifts very slightly and you can tell Bellatrix is his mother now. His skin tone also lightens quite considerably. The blacks are all alabaster white and the Potters are very tan. The thing she's most happy about is the beautiful green eyes that stayed the same. The scar stays as well. She examines it for a bit. Sowilō. Hm. It’s not the worst.
“Now that is the blood of someone worthy of the name Cepheus!” She exclaims happily. She Picks Cepheus up and spins him around. He giggles happily, which is the cutest thing she's ever heard. The rest of the day she keeps him close by while writing letters to important family and families she has connections to. Later she realizes she needs a new birthday for Cepheus. Today is Beltane so it's perfect.
“Okay Cepheus! Today's your birthday! Your gifts were being given worthy blood and a worthy name of course!”. The boy giggles at her again. She is quite proud of herself if she says so! She adopted him, gave him a new name, gave him a new birthday, and gave him 2 gifts all in one day! The cute little Cepheus starts babbling. It’s very adorable.
“Well you can’t speak very well can you Cepheus… I guess we did put a filthy little house elf in charge of you…”. Bellatrix pours a little. “Well then! I’ll have to teach you myself!”.
Bellatrix has a couple hours until her appointment with Gringotts and she’s never been good at the waiting game. So, she sits down right there and starts trying to teach him to speak.
“Come on little Cephei!” She starts making the ‘A’ sound with the boy. He just looks at her funny. “Hey! I’m trying my best here!” She slings a small stinging curse at the boy. Cepheus breaks into a wail.
“No shh! Shh!” She picks him up and starts rocking him. “You can’t be a baby little one! If you can’t take a little bit of torture you can’t be my kid okay!”. He doesn’t stop crying. She growls in frustration! “PRIAPUS!!!”
The house elf pops in and covers her ears immediately. “Y-yes mistress?”
“Take him and calm him down! I don’t want to see him until the Gringotts representative comes!”
“Yes ma’am!” She squeaks and grabs the toddler. Rocking him a little, she pops away.
Bellatrix grabs and pulls at her hair in frustration! She hates kids, especially babies! She only took in the little fucker for her lord! She stands and growls at herself and the stupid baby. She turns around and stomps out.
Corvus somehow receives blood from Rudolphus and uses it to adopt him with Rudolphus. Cepheus is now a legitimate Lestrange!
Hours later during the Gringotts meeting, with a considerably calmer Cepheus, Bellatrix and Corvus legally adopt the child. The blood adoptions cement their claim on the boy. They also changed his name to his elegant new name! Of course it was a little difficult to convince the goblins of their sincerity; they soon recognized it (they were bribed to keep their mouths shut).
Cepheus Rudolphus Lestrange was officially theirs!