Unconditional Love (Theseus Scamander)

Prologue

Prologue

Ministry of Magic, Death Room

"Avada Kedavra!" Bellatrix shouted throwing the curse at her Master's nuisance only for her stupid cousin to see it and jump in front of the Potter Brat.
"NO!" Sirius roared, jumping in front of Elspeth upon seeing the deadly curse flung at her by his deranged cousin. As he turned to smile at his daughter, to assure her everything will be alright, the curse struck his chest dead-on; stumbling backwards as he fell towards the Veil located behind him. As his soul left him, the last thing he saw was his daughter's eyes widened and filled with tears as she raced towards him, a heart-wrenching scream tumbling from her lips.
"NO! NOOO! Daddy! DADDY!" Elspeth screamed, sobbing as she raced towards him, no one noticing her movements except for Remus.

"Elsie!! Elsie nooo!" Remus screamed, running towards the Dias causing her friends to turn from the battle they were watching between Moody and Rabastan Lestrange. Their eyes widened in shock, horror plastered across their faces at the drama that had unfolded in a matter of minutes. It was as if their eyes were glued to the scene and their feet to the floor as they helplessly watched Sirius pass through the Veil, their hearts breaking at Elsie's heartbroken screams as she followed after him, and Remus, who raced towards her as if his life depended on it; throwing away all who tried to stop him with a careless flick of his wand, not caring what happened to them nor did he care about who they were. Friend or Foe, it all mattered very little to him at the moment.

But his efforts were in vain; as he put a foot onto the Dias, launching himself towards Elsie, she followed Sirius through the Veil of Death and disappeared from this plane. This time, it was Remus who sank to his knees with a heartbroken scream as his Cub was pronounced dead, he was the lone survivor of the Marauders and he hated it. He didn't care about anything any more, why should he? He'd lost everything thanks to this war and the world could burn for all he cared. He'd even help it burn. With that Remus heaved his shaking frame from the ground, racked with sobs he left them in the Ministry. Ignoring the shouts of his name as he left the Wizarding world altogether.

***

Unbeknownst to everyone Elsie was in fact not dead. She was in the in-between, a place that was all white and looked like the library at Grimmauld Place; having a conversation with Death. The In-between, for Elsie anyway, was a place she had actually developed some good memories, treasured memories with her blood-adoptive father Sirius Black.
"Where am I? Am I dead?" Elspeth asked, looking around at the very familiar setting despite it all being white.
"You are in your in-between, Mistress." A gruff voice stated, turning around Elspeth noticed what appeared to be a man in his late thirties dressed in a black suit so dark he seemed to create shadows out of nothing, cropped chocolate brown hair and a fringe that fell into ice-grey eyes that could weigh your soul with one look.

Elsie also noticed that dark and commanding aura this man - being - had; her magic seemed to sing at his presence to such an intensity that she immediately, but confusingly knew that this was Death.
"Thanatos." Elsie whispered, staring - not in fear, but in wonder. The man, Death or Thanatos, chuckled - a gleam in his icy grey eyes and a pleased look on his face.
"That is correct my Mistress. You remind me so much of my dear friend - and your ancestor - Ignotus Peverell. He too, like yourself, was not afraid to face me, like his brothers and so many others that have been before and after him and have yet to come. Instead he embraced me as if I was a friend he'd not seen in a long time, much like you yourself. I can see your souls, dear child." He added, noticing Elsie's confusion.

"What happens now? Will I get to be with my parents now?" Elsie asked with unsuppressed hopefulness, a hope that Thanatos would have to kill, something he didn't relish in doing, this time anyway.
"Unfortunately, it is not your time to pass on and join your loved ones, Mistress." Thanatos said regretfully. "In your effort to save your Godfather, you willingly accepted your death which activated the inheritance in your blood that stems all the way back to Ignotus. That cloak of yours was what I gave to Ignotus passed down through the Potter line whereas the other items the Elder Wand and the Resurrection Stone have been marred in blood shed which is a disgrace to the gifts I had bestowed Ignotus's older brothers. The inheritance has been dormant in your bloodline until someone worthy came along to claim the title Master or Mistress of Death, and that is you." Thanatos explained. 

"But that doesn't make the person your actual Master or Mistress, does it?" Elsie asked critically. "It just makes them your equal."
"Correct again!" Thanatos beamed, white teeth gleaming in the light. "It is why your magic sings in my presence. Now, to business, as the Wizarding world has become so corrupt they'd wilfully lead a child, let alone my Mistress, to slaughter I have decided not to send you back to that correct time but instead send you back to before Gellert Grindelwald, and the start of the corruption. You'll join the Lestrange family and become the younger twin sister of Leta Lestrange, if you accept. Before you make your choice, however, I must inform you that your father is a cruel man but you will have the fierce, fiery and overprotective love of your older sister, older half brother Yusef Karma, and any others you come to care strongly for." 

Elsie was stumped, that was for sure. Blindly she sat in the armchair as she thought it all over, weighing her options.
"I'll get to have a family." Elsie whispered reverently, as if she didn't believe what she was hearing but knew it was true. "I'll do it." Elsie agreed.
"Excellent." Thanatos beamed, standing from his seat opposite her, he waved his hand over chanting in old Latin that not even Elsie understood. Suddenly a bright white light surrounded her and the last thing she heard was, "You'll remember your past life and this conversation once you reach your current age of fifteen, Mistress. Remember, enjoy those around you, live, learn and love." before she succumbed to darkness.

***

September 3rd 1897.

Ten minutes later, a second piercing wail of a newborn babe joined the eldest child's cries from across the room.
"Congratulations Lord Corvus Lestrange you have a second daughter." The midwife congratulated the child in her arms. She was beautiful. She had a light mocha complexion that was slightly tinted red from birth, dark chocolate downy hair on her head and bright green eyes.
"What of my wife?" Corvus asked, looking disinterested at the child. 'Why couldn't my wife have given me two sons instead of two daughters?' He thought angrily to himself.
"I'm sorry my Lord, she passed away after naming the children." The elder midwife apologised.

"And what did she name my useless daughters?" Corvus sneered, disappointed and angry as he would now have to look for a second wife to bare him a son.
"You eldest daughter, who is ten minutes older, she named Leta and this little one she named Lisette." The younger midwife explained.
"Fine. Hire someone to look after them and dispose of the body, send it back to her original husband for all I care." Corvus snapped, storming out of the Lady Lestrange suite and to his office to search for another, more suitable wife, a wife who will actually do her duty and give him the sons he desired, while drinking away his problems.
"I'm sorry little ones." The elder midwife, Madame Helga Trumane, whispered, placing little Lisette beside her elder sister.

Immediately the crying of the two babies stopped as they settled down to sleep, their Twin Bond solidifying. In their slumber they knew not of the hard and troubling life they will lead and the trials they will go through. But throughout it all they will always have each other and that will make them stronger, braver, resilient and formidable as long as they stay true to each other.

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