Madeline Beaumont and the Castle Treasure

Prologue

On the 19th day of October 1977, desperate screams of pain and anguish could be heard throughout the castle coming from the infirmary. Professors and prefects did their best to keep their students in bed. One professor locked down the dungeons with a barricading spell as he rushed from his bed to the infirmary. His prefects were sobbing and screaming for their classmate Violetta and the younger Slytherins were in tears. When he finally reached the infirmary, his knees nearly gave out. His Head Girl was screaming in pain as his Head Boy cried in anguish. Professor Slughorn remembered in that moment Violetta Malfoy and Artem Beaumont as they were when he first met them; as children. Children caught in a war.

He felt a hand on his shoulder as another professor allowed silent tears to fall from her cheeks. The Matron did everything she could for the young woman, but as her screams subsided, so did her breath. As she quieted, her partner grew louder, desperately crying out for her as she slipped away from him.

Professor Slughorn steadied himself with great difficulty and stepped lightly toward his students. He knew he had been too hard on them. Even if they were Head Boy and Head Girl. Even if there was a war going on. They were still just children. The war outside the walls of the castle had taken too many young lives, and it was about to claim another.

The Potions Master placed a hand on young Artem Beaumont's shoulder. The young man turned to face his professor, red in the face from a mixture of anger and misery, youthful innocence slipping away. As Violetta slipped away, a new cry could be heard ringing through the castle. A tiny infant wailed as she was cleaned and wrapped in cloth. The Matron delivered the crying infant to her father, who could only sob louder.

The headmaster stepped forward and demanded to know what had happened. Violetta's body was still warm and the irate headmaster was demanding from the boy who had just lost his first love and beloved mate an explanation.

Artem, just a few months shy of his 18th birthday, stumbled through his words as Professor McGonagall rubbed his back in a motherly way. "She... she was cursed... She wasn't due for another two months!" The young alpha could still not believe the sight before him. The night had turned south so suddenly and everything had unfolded so quickly. His daughter was born two months early, she was much smaller than any baby he had seen before, and his mate was dead. They had spent dinner that night at the Slytherin table laughing about the antics of the latest quidditch match and now he would never see her smile or hear her laugh again.

"Who would dare curse Miss Malfoy?" Professor Dumbledore shouted in exasperation. Violetta was the Omega daughter of one of the Sacred 28 pureblood families that had disowned her when she chose to not join He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Her mate, Artem Beaumont, was a from a French pureblood family himself, but his family had always defied the Dark Lord.

"It was one of You-Know-Who's followers of course!" Artem couldn't say his name. Her own housemate had done this to her. "They're running around this castle as students because you let them!" Artem screamed in frustration, making the delicate child in his arms wail louder. "Violetta stood up for a muggleborn at dinner now she's dead and our daughter will never know her mother! This is all your fault!"

The hospital wing fell silent as Artem realized what he had just said. He had a daughter. He wasn't going to be 18 until December, but he was now and forever a single father. The ache in his heart as he looked upon Violetta's empty corpse didn't dull his mind as he took a deep breath to collect his thoughts for a moment.

"Professor Dumbledore I respectfully ask you to leave so that I may mourn in peace." The respect was gone from Artem's tone as the ancient wizard exited the infirmary. Almost all of the professors followed suit behind the headmaster until it was just the Matron, the deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall, Artem, and the child.

"You both deserved better, Mr. Beaumont." The strict-looking but kindhearted professor patted her star student's shoulder. "What are you going to name her?"

Without skipping a beat, Artem voiced the name of his daughter out loud for the first time. Violetta had picked out the name the moment they found out they were having a girl when Professor Trelawney did a Pregnancy Reading for the Head Girl just last week. "Madeline Violetta Beaumont."