Fooled them all

People often forget that Luna Lovegood's mother was a Hesperia, the youngest of the 3 sisters of the British line, the middle sister marrying an Ignis and the eldest marrying a Nott.

The sisters were inseparable in their youth. Pandora, Cassidy & Marisella. Their family name was said in whispers, "beware of the Hesperia, they can heal you 6 different ways and gut you 10 ways more." It was rare to ever see the truth behind the mask a Hesperia would show, the girls were trained from a young age to seem innocent and kind, malleable and truthful despite their families sordid history, but underneath that mask, a mask so fixed and solid it seemed as if it were truth lay a monster in waiting. Vicious and unrelenting. There was a chance a person would never see the real face of a Hesperia woman. But even though it was the men that the history books wrote about, it was the woman to fear.

Pandora Athena Lovegood nee Hesperia was one of the dark lords most favoured. She was a genius, she invented some of the most vicious and sadistic curses, poisons, hexes & prisons the world would ever see. Not that anyone would know of course, only the dark lord, his most trusted inner circle and the Hesperia.

Cassidy Gwendoline Ignis nee Hesperia was a fighter. She was lethal and vicious, almost gleeful in her duelling, easily besting Bellatrix in a fight and any other member of the dark order who tried, sometimes multiple at once. No one could beat Cassidy, she could kill in less than 5 seconds but she was a Hesperia, she was a woman. She had been looked down upon her entire life by others, ridiculed and sexualised, so... She made it last. She could spend months killing you or a simple second it simply depended on whether on not you angered her.

Marisella Hera Nott nee Hesperia was the eldest and like her youngest sister was similarly a genius. A chess master, there wasn't a move a player in this war could take without her already anticipating it and planning accordingly.

The sisters were favoured and loved by the dark lord and his inner circle however as the girls were to keep their masks all inner circle members no matter how loyal were to swear an unbreakable vow to never reveal the sisters identities.

The Hesperia had a rule however, they would never harm children, much to the dark lords annoyance as they would be on muggle raids and the girls simply wouldn't kill the children, they would just obliviate them and send them away. Efficient yes, so they were never punished. Even the dark lord sometimes feared the sisters when they were together, there eyes would glow as they spoke as one or with one another silently.

But of all the sisters, Pandora was special. She could see. She knew. She could look at a man woman or child and brush away their occlumency barriers as if they were cobwebs and just know. She could read a persons entire life no matter the strength of their walls, there wasn't a force on earth that could keep Pandora out. She had already alerted the dark lord to 6 spies before his downfall.   

A year before the dark lords death Cassidy died. Her body could not handle the strain of her child birth and she passed peacefully in her sleep, but not before being able to hold her baby to her chest and whisper assurances and love, her last act before death was to name her son, Willoughby.

6 years after the dark lords downfall, Pandora was killed. She had been creating a new potion, a slow acting poison, it would have been an incredible asset but when she heard her daughters blood curdling scream, nothing else mattered to her as she ran.

A man, a work colleague of Pandora's husband had stopped by. He had temporary permission to enter the wards and had seen Luna. Clearly deciding it was now or never, he had tried to grab her, hold her down and cover her mouth, attempting to grab his wand to cast a silencing spell before Luna's scream pierced the air. The man had never expected it, he hadn't known the truth of the Hesperia woman, they say a person only sees the truth behind the Hesperia woman's mask once in their life. He was dead before he could comprehend the twisted beauty of its fury. Once ensuring her daughter safety she had returned to the lab having forgotten of the potion and Pandora was lost to an explosion.   

Marisella was different, it was a year after her youngest sister Pandora's death and she knew she was next, she wanted to believe it was all a plan, that someone was out to get them and she could save herself, and she could have saved her sisters, but the truth was simply that the world was not kind. None of the sisters fooled themselves, neither were they, but the world they lived in simply took Marisella's sisters because it could, it had no grand reason and for the eldest that is what hurt the most. Her sisters, the brightest, most vicious and most powerful witches in England were dead simply because they were, no grand reason. No noble sacrifice, they simply were.

Marisella's husband was not kind, he never tried his luck against her; although not knowing the truth his father did, and had warned him - scared for his son's life to never anger a Hesperia woman. But Thaddeus didn't listen. He tried once and failed, his bruised ego burned more than the cruciatus curse. So Thaddeus took his anger out else where, on Theodore. Their son. To Thaddeus, Theo was a disappointment, weak, a mummy's-boy.

So one night when drunk and furious he came across his son thanking an elf for bringing him his milk before bed he cracked. Marisella arrived not a moment too soon putting herself between the two, not allowing the cruciatus curse to hurt her child any longer, so when her husband turned on her, she knew. It was the end of this line's Hesperia sisters. She did not waste her magic duelling, not when the universe seemed determined to kill them all, she would not risk stray spells hurting her son. 

She simply allowed her magic to fill her, letting it out gently, surrounding her child softly, wrapping around him like a shield, filled with love and desperation. She allowed it all to flow to him, protecting him from the monster before them both. So when Thaddeus dealt the final blow she simply looked upon his face, the face of a man she used to love. And allowed the mask to finally slip.

And as the light left her eyes the last thing she witnessed with a sadistic, vicious grin upon her beautiful face was the pure terror upon Thaddeus'. And she knew in that moment she had won.

The elf; Tully, that had brought the milk to Theodore was still in the room, in the corner with a grief stricken look upon her face, a single tear dripping down her cheek. She had helped raise Marisella from birth. She had been with her every moment, her Missus was like her own child and she knew from the way the 3 sisters had always treated the elves that they loved them equally. Tully wiped her tear away, a determined look upon her face overtaking it, she understood her Missus final act, her missus had won.

Her ears twitched and she popped across the room towards the child, having to re-swallow her grief at the feel of her missus magic wrapped around the area before gently taking Theo's hand and popping them away. They would soon be at Lord Nott's house, with Theodore and a file in tow, Tully refusing to be looked down upon by this lord when she herself was a Hesperia elf.

She would raise Theo just as she raised her missus Marisella. And she would do her proud, but first. The ministry, it was time to prove her missus' win. A determined elf, one file later her missus had spent years creating; like a snake in the grass and a shell shocked, guilty terrified young man later and Azkaban had a new prisoner, Lord Nott had no son, a new ward, a new elf he was admittedly afraid of and grief tinged memories of the young girl raised by it.

~

People often forget Luna's mother was a Hesperia, only the inner circle who were sworn to hell and back to never reveal a syllable, knew Pandora was a Walpurgis Knight, but Luna like her mother, simply knew things, she saw. She knew how to cultivate a mask. How to fool everyone. She would take up the mantle her mother and her sisters left, and she would help bring the world to its knees.

She made a new mask, she knew the new headmaster Dumbledore thought himself clever, thought himself omniscient. She would change that. She created a persona, the things she saw become creatures, she put radishes on earrings and would wear strange clothes, she would read books upside down, and skipped down hallways instead of walked. She would be innocent and kind, but blunt and socially awkward. She would show flaws in her self to ensure her mask's validity. And it worked. For the next 10 years after her mothers death it worked. She seamlessly fitted in with the so called 'golden trio' discovering their flaws, their ambitions, their plans. Everything about them. So when the time came she would know it all. And she did.

People often spoke about their secrets and plans in front of 'Loony Lovegood' dismissing her as a threat. Believing her an idiot despite her Hogwarts house and test scores that would make Hermione Granger shake with rage and jealousy if she ever discovered them.

She met with her cousin Theo over the holidays, and finally after ten years spent recalling all the stories her mother told her about him, she met with the dark lord. Unimpressed with what she saw, she simply stood from where she was prostrating and crept forward like one would with a spooked animal. She met his crimson eyes and placed a hand on each side of his head, his death eaters and recruits looking on in shock and fear.

But as she closed her eyes and let some pure magic, touched by Lady Hectate herself through the descendants of Hesperia, flow through him their shock and fear turned to awe and terror. Where there was once a snake like man, with crimson eyes filled with hidden and restrained pain, gaunt cheekbones glistening with scales in the light, with almost translucent white skin running over a hairless frail body, there now sat a tall young man in his thirties, his dark brown hair cascading down his head in gentle waves, his eyes darkening to a burgundy framed by thick dark lashes, cheeks filled out with sharp angles, and a jaw line that could cut steel, broad shoulders and a strong body replacing its frail predecessor. She allowed her eyes to open and simply smiled a small expression. Before moving forward and whispering into his ear making him let out a chuckle and a broad grin before slinking back to where she was before and kneeling once more as if nothing had happened.

The dark lord addressed the crowd, "A Hesperia has joined once more. Only they could preform such feats, I am not surprised you are the daughter of Pandora or that young Theodore is that of Marisella. Dear Willoughby son of Cassidy is an integral member to our movement. It is good to have you home young Hesperia. Your mothers would be proud." a tear filled smile graced the faces of both Theo and Luna at the mention of their late mothers and their cousin Willoughby. A proud smile full of restrained tears on the face of Tully who was waiting in the corner, in her full Hesperia regalia. Proud of the knowledge that she had done her missus Marisella proud with Theodore and the Hesperia family proud with Luna and Willoughby.

At the beginning of 1997 the battle of Hogwarts took place, a week after the body of Albus Dumbledore was found hanging in the courtyard from his wrists, his body already decomposing from a corpse rotting curse. The dark order arrived in full power in fits of dark smoke in the Hogwarts courtyard. As the students and teachers came running out, the dark order felt true power for the first time since their lord fell in 1981 at the feeling of terror coming from the school. Voldemort or Marvolo Slytherin - now he had his full body back, stepped forward projecting his voice.

"Good evening young ones, I know you are scared and for that I am sorry. We are not here to harm you. We are the dark order and we are here to restore our world to its former glory. No longer will magic be punished by the ignorant, human beings be discarded in inhuman prisons and from this day forth no child of magic will ever suffer at the hands of another again" the crowd of Hogwarts students and teachers were shell shocked by terror and fear, some even crying believing their death was imminent. 

"My loyal friends who stayed behind enemy lines for me, I apologise for my absence but I applaud your tolerance...Please return to your families, I am sorry you couldn't sooner" with that said in an almost fond voice no one had expected the dark lord to possess, Severus Snape stepped away from the school leading a group of Slytherins to the Dark order who were instantly descended on by their parents and led to the back of the group.

Filius Flitwick and Aurora Sinastra was next to the shock and pain of the crowd, leading a smaller group of Ravenclaw's and Hufflepuff's than Snape's Slytherins, Aurora shaking the dark lord's hand with clear affection, as Filius embraced a masked death eater, them both then joining the crowd, the children once more being led away by hugging and affectionate parents.

And then finally the person no one was expecting, a person who when they stepped away from the crowd left a deep gaping hole of agony in the golden trio's chest. Minerva McGonagall stepped through the assembled children as if simply getting a closer look before stopping dead and letting out a croaked whisper that sounded like a shout with the way it was carried through the wind in the silent courtyard. "Tom?"

"My dear Minnie, I am he-" The dark lord was never able to finish his sentence as Mcgongall had ran through the courtyard as if the devil was on her tail, running straight into his arms where she embraced him tightly. He seemed to whisper in her ear for a minute before she nodded leaning her forehead against his for a moment with a glorious grin before she stepped away, he kissed her forehead with her joining the assembly of death eaters a moments later, her robes turning black with silver finishes in a simple blink and you'd miss it moment.

The Hogwarts student's felt as if there was something they were missing. They felt as if the rug was pulled out beneath them and they were to die.

Harry Potter steeled himself before shrugging off the arms of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley who were holding him back before he stepped forward. There was no Dumbledore left, only him and he had to protect the school. He stepped in front of every student and looked Voldemort dead in the eye. It was disconcerting, all this time he was this snake like monster but now, he was a handsome, tall young man radiating strength. "I will not let you do this Voldemort. You want me don't you. Leave the rest of them alone" he spoke pretending he couldn't hear the tremble in his voice.

"Oh Harry Potter, despite common belief we do not hurt children. I am not here to kill any of them. It is so noble of you to sacrifice yourself to me, what would your dear Dumbledore say? You know what, I think he would be quite pleased he has after all been conditioning your sacrifice since your birth."

"DONT SAY HIS NAME, DUMBLEDORE WAS A HERO AND YOU KILLED HIM" Harry shouted, all sense of self preservation abandoning him.

"I wish I did mister potter, after everything he did to me I wish it was I who saw the light leave his eyes but I wouldn't want to take the credit..." as he said this the masked death eater who professor Flitwick had embraced stepped forward.

Harry only now noticed the elf stood beside them, in a clean and pressed uniform clearly made of some kind of dragon hide with a proud and almost sadistic expression on its face as Voldemort spoke, the pride over taking when the death eater stepped forward. Harry presumed it was a woman, they had long silver hair cascading in waves behind them making him instantly assume a Malfoy before he noticed the Malfoy family stood not so far away un masked, with Narcissa holding her son with an expression filled with love as she whispered to him making Harry's chest ache with unwanted longing. 

The masked death eater with the long silver hair had a high neckline gown on, the fabric above the corset to the high neck and covering the arms was a beautiful lace, the corset was tight and showed a beautiful thin figure, it was tied with thin but sturdy silver chains instead of ribbons, the skirt billowing out beneath it, moving like thick smoke as the figure came closer and closer before they were stood slightly behind the dark lord to his right.

The mask was intricate. A black so dark it seemed to suck in light around it but left the almost glowing bright pureness of the hair alone. It had intricate details engraved in it swooping in swirls of silver but before Harry could study it more, it melted away like mist.

The face beneath the mask made Harry choke out a breath and stumble back because they were the same dark eyes he had seen ramble about things he wasn't sure even existed, and now with a vicious look within them she gazed at him from where she stood willingly from beside the dark lord.

Her face was still beautiful and seemed the same but the paleness that used to be almost innocent was now cold, the thin lips that were always curled up in a serene smile were now smirking dangerously, the seam of them tinged with blood. The pale and light dusting of blush that used to cover her cheeks and nose as if she was permanently sun kissed now seemed as if she was truly and honestly sadistically excited at the prospect that was going on.

Harry felt his legs give out as his fell to his knees as a pained whimper tore through his throat like a wounded animal, because Luna Lovegood was supposed to be their friend and she had fooled them all.