Slytherin's Heir

Chapter Twenty-Two ~ The Backstory of Zaiden Dockery (Part 1)

~~Zaiden's past—

The lights were on in the kitchen. There was a newly wed couple sitting at the counter, on either side of a small boy assumed to be their son, helping the three year old eat his dinner. The strawberry blonde boy smiled up at his mother around a mouth full of food.

Soon, a casual night of family joy would be crushed, and the boy's life forever changed.

The lights flickered in the kitchen, and it didn't go unnoticed. The boy's father had dabbled in the Dark Arts.

That was what brought the Death Eaters to their door. For the secrets the man held were the secrets much needed.

The hooded men wasted no time in kicking down the door, marching in and stomping down the short hall to the kitchen where after hearing the noise, the father had barricaded his wife and son behind the kitchen bench.

"Get out of my house!" He yelled in warning, holding a stick in front of him.

"Of course, Elliot. As soon as you give us what we want." A deep voice spoke from beneath a hood, which he pulled back, revealing a crooked smile and cruel dark eyes. He had a jagged beauty about him.

"Zyphos." Elliot snarled.

"My reputation precedes me, I see." Zyphos Clove walked slowly with a predatory gait, a gloved hand skimmed the surface of the kitchen counter as he walked around it. There were two hiding behind it. The wife and her child. The boy looked up at the man with wide innocent green eyes that made the man's lip curl.

He hated children.

"Well hello there," grinned the man. It was a sinister thing, hiding the promise of danger. With a flick of his wrist several Death Eaters broke away from the organised group and surged forwards to restrain Elliot Dockery, while another two grabbed his wife, Marie, and their son.

Zyphos stood close to Elliot's face. "I do hope you'll cooperate. For their sake."

Elliot could only glower as his family was hauled out into the open. The child began to cry as he was seperated from his mother and held back in cold, unfamiliar hands that could care less about how he felt or what he wanted.

Zyphos yelled at him to shut up, but the kid didn't stop, he kept crying and screaming, thrashing in the unforgiving grasp. He didn't like these people. He wanted them to go away.

In a bout of vicious anger at the distraught child and with a spell under his breath, Zyphos whipped out a dagger and cut the tongue right out of the boy's mouth with a wet tearing sound.

"Shut up!" he hissed, tossing the organ away.

The kid no longer cried.

Now he screamed, kicking and thrashing weakly in the grasp of a Death Eater as pain sawed through him. The screams were accompanied by gurgling sounds as the three year old tried to swallow back the blood that spilt over his lips.

Marie screamed and was backhanded for it as she wept in horror. Zyphos glared at the child as he screamed and screamed, not stopping any time soon. He surged forwards again but Marie broke free and clutched the man's arm, face streaked with tears.

"Please, don't hurt him anymore! Not my baby, he's done nothing wrong! Please, he's only three years old, he doesn't understand."

Zyphos snarled at the babbling mother and then winced as the child's screams rose in pitch. "My own son knows when to shut up and he too is three." Zyphos paused as if thinking, then. "Your boy. What is his name?"

"Z-Zaiden." Marie's voice trembled. "Please."

"An interesting name."

Zyphos turned around back to the squirming child that disregarded the man in his pain. "Well Zaiden. You're about to get a lesson in silence." The blade was in his hand and with a flick of his wrist and before anyone could stop him, he slit the boy's throat. Shallow enough that death would not become him easily, but deep enough to sever his voice.

"ZAIDEN!" Marie screamed and Zyphos whipped around, pointing his wand at her stomach.

"Avada Kedavra," he spoke. The deadly green light flew into her, illuminating her skin briefly before throwing her back against the wall. When she collapsed on the ground she lay still. Silent and unmoving. "Finally, some peace and quiet."

Elliot stared on horrified. However he might try, the iron grip of the two Death Eaters gave him no chance to escape. He didn't scream or yell for he knew the oconsequences. He choked back all the things he wanted to say.

His wife.

Gone.

His son.

The boy was still alive, barely breathing. It wasn't silence that filled the room. It was the gurgling gasps of Zaiden Dockery as he choked on his own blood. He was slowly dying from the inability to breathe. He didn't scream. He couldn't scream. Nobody would ever hear his cries for help ever again for that was his curse of silence.

Zyphos stepped up to Elliot, leaning into the man's face. "You're wife is dead. You cannot save her. Your son however," Zyphos swept his cloak aside so Elliot had a full view of the dying boy lying weakly on the floor. The Death Eaters had no fear of him running away and had let him drop. "He can yet be saved. You know the price."

"The knowledge of where we have hidden one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes..." Elliot mumbled, eyes transfixed on his son.

"Yes!" Zyphos hissed. "Where is it?"

Elliot looked like he was struggling with himself. The risk of the world or his beautiful boy who had his whole life ahead of him still.

Elliot couldn't lose all of his family tonight. He couldn't! But could he trade the world for his son? His options weighed heavily on his shoulders.

He opened his mouth to respond when the door was kicked in once more that evening. Zyphos snarled as he heard the heavy footsteps down the hall. Somebody had called for reinforcements.

"You shall keep your secrets then. But you shall take them with you to the grave." Elliot's eyes widened in realisation. His final words couldn't form on his tongue quicker than Zyphos pressed the tip of his wand to the man's chest and cast the Killing Curse.

And then they were gone.

Every Death Eater gone in a mess of flesh and cloth as they apparated away.

Elliot Dockery was dead before he hit the ground.

~~~~

~ END OF THE BACKSTORY OF ZAIDEN DOCKERY PART 1

ZAIDEN'S MAIN BACKSTORY: 1/2 COMPLETE

Too extreme?

Peace,

BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama