AU: I do not own any of these characters except for the OC.

Chapter One

The two faces of Cerridwen

Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange carry a secret which has burned deep inside of them. On a warm autumn evening in September 1974, Bellatrix gave birth to a baby girl as the leaves on the trees outside turned crisp and began to fall. Within minutes of the birth, a small round woman had wrapped the child in a blanket and carried her away from her mother.

Because they were ashamed of the situation which they had found themselves in, Bellatrix and Rodolphus decided to leave the child somewhere, where a witch or wizard would find her. St Mungo's Hospital was where the child was taken and left by the woman.

As we know, Bellatrix and Rodolphus married and joined forces with Lord Voldemort, who they served until his downfall and long after. Caught and sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban prison for the torture of a well known Auror and his wife, Bellatrix and Rodolphus were handed to the Dementors.

Perhaps you are wondering what happened to the child, and that is where I shall begin, for the little girl would grow up and truly become her mother's daughter.

"Cerridwen if you are caught they will punish you!" A tall man hissed at a woman with black hair and ice blue eyes. "You will be whipped until you bleed to death!"

"Then they shall have to catch me Ornado!" She hissed with a flicker of fire in her eyes. "I will not stop until I have my revenge!"

"You are a twisted girl," Ornado spat in disgust as she laughed manically. "No wonder you were dumped as a baby! Your real parents saw it in you the second you were born! And you know that, that is why you seek vengeance!"

"Shut up!" Cerridwen screamed, her eyes turning black and her hair blood red. She pulled her wand out of her robe so quickly that the man didn't see it. She aimed it at his throat and he began to choke, his life slipping through his gasping breaths. She watched as he fought against the curse, but his struggling only made her giggle with glee. His face was now purple and his eyes bulging from his head, Ornado took his last gasp of air before finally dying. "I once told you to never speak of my parents like that Ornado, I did warn you what would happen. Fool on you."

Cerridwen's hair returned to its natural sleek blackness and her eyes returned to ice blue as she looked over the body of the man. Her head was tilted to the right and almost rested upon her shoulder. She seemed pleased with her actions, no remorse showed upon her face as she stepped over him and left the house quietly.

The small village of Custos had been her home for almost twenty four years after being adopted by a wealthy witch and wizard. They had been dazed by her beauty as a child and often remarked on how she would break someone's heart. And she did, more then once and often more times for fun. Cerridwen loved to see the look on a man's face as she spat out her putrid words, she gained pleasure when they would beg her to forgive them, when they cried that they would change if she gave them another chance she would laugh before walking away from them.

Of course she was an intelligent girl and often stayed away from breaking men's hearts in her village as she did not want to draw attention to herself. She had remembered a saying by one of her former teachers, who had caught her half strangling a second year girl. 'Never play those games in your own back garden.' It had stuck with her since and she often smiled when she remembered that her head of house had pretended to not have seen anything.

Custos was a strict village with old beliefs and would often hand out punishment if a member of its community was caught doing acts of great evil, that was why she chose to stay away for long periods of time. Since she left school, Cerridwen had begun a search for her biological mother and father, one which had taken her around the country four times.

Now she had a strong piece of information about a woman who acted as a midwife during the early 1970's. It was a long shot but she needed to find this woman and then find out who her parents were.

Walking out through the large metal gates which protected her village, Cerridwen turned on her heel and vanished only to reappear outside of a large building, the place where she was dumped as a baby. St Mungo's Hospital.

Quickly she hurried into the hospital and past the welcome witch. Going through a door she came to a set of stairs which she climbed all the way up to the fourth floor. She pushed open another door and entered the ward.

"Hello dear, can I help you?" Asked a kind looking Healer.

"Oh, I am here to see Alice Longbottom, I was told that it wouldn't be a problem," Cerridwen said sweetly.

"Okay, you do know about Alice's condition don't you?" The Healer smiled.

"No, I'm afraid I was very young when it happened and no explained to me why Aunty Alice wasn't coming to visit us anymore. My mother tried desperately to keep the truth from us, but recently she told me that I could find Aunty Alice here," Cerridwen lied whilst mentally giving herself a pat on the back.

"Oh you poor girl," The Healer gasped as she led Cerridwen to her desk. "Well, along time ago, it would have been 1981; four Death Eaters broke into your Aunty Alice's home and tortured her and her husband with the Cruciatus Curse. It sent them both insane I'm afraid."

"What sort of monsters would do such a thing like that? Its pure evil," Cerridwen gasped. "Poor Aunty Alice, she helped deliver me."

"I had heard that Alice used to help distressed women when they were having babies, she was a very sweet woman. Rumours say that Bellatrix Lestrange, one of the people who did this to Alice, had actually given birth to a child and had forced Alice into helping her, before coming back to silence Alice!" The healer said in a low whisper. "Of course, that's just a rumour. The truth is that Frank was an Auror and the four Death Eaters believed he knew where their master was…"

"There is always some truth in rumours," Cerridwen smiled softly her eyes ablaze. "Would this Bellatrix Lestrange be the same woman who escaped Azkaban?"

"The very same. Her husband, Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan along with young Barty Crouch Jr, were all charged and sentenced for it," The Healer said with a shudder. "Now, if you'd like to follow me, I'll take you to Alice."

"On second thoughts, I think this may be a bad idea, if she was tortured with an unforgivable curse then…I may make things worse for her…I best leave, I am sorry to have wasted your time," Cerridwen said quickly before exiting the ward. She was hurrying so fast she almost fell down the stairs.

Once out into the street of London, she breathed in the fresh air. Her heart was pounding as she went over the conversation with the Healer again in her head. The rumour that Bellatrix Lestrange had had a child was a lead which she need to follow, as she had told the Healer, there is always truth in a rumour.

Remembering that Bellatrix had a younger sister who was married to Lucius Malfoy, made Cerridwen turn and Apperate to the Malfoy Manor. She stood outside of the gates which led to the house and smiled inwardly as she pushed them open and made her way up the long gravel driveway.

"Yes?" Squeaked a small house elf that had opened the large grand front door when Cerridwen knock.

"I am here to speak with Mrs Malfoy," Cerridwen said as she pushed past the elf and into the large foyer of the house.

"Who shall I say is calling?" The elf asked in a nervous squeak.

"Cerridwen DeNoir," She said as the elf vanished. A moment later, a tall elegant blonde woman came out into the foyer and looked at Cerridwen with annoyance.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Narcissa Malfoy demanded.

"I wish to talk to you about your sister Bellatrix Lestrange," Cerridwen said defiantly.

"Who sent you?" Narcissa hissed.

"I sent myself," She replied forcibly. "I have some questions that you will answer."

"I will do no such thing!" Narcissa snarled. "Get out of my house immediately."

"I am afraid that I can not do that," Cerridwen said calmly. "I want to know if it is true that your sister gave birth to a child in September 1974."

"Do not be absurd, Bella has no children, now leave!" Narcissa hissed.

"Very well, but I will be back and I will tell you now Mrs Malfoy, I am not a force to be reckoned with. I have destroyed more powerful people then you," Cerridwen said turning for the door. "You do not wish to make an enemy of me."

As Cerridwen left and the front door swung shut with a soft bang, a tall woman with dark hair and heavily lidded eyes stepped out of the shadows and looked at her sister. Narcissa stared at Bellatrix in amazement.

"Bella, do you have something to tell me?" Narcissa demanded, slightly shaking at the audacity of Cerridwen.

"I did have a child Cissy," Bellatrix said quietly in disgust.

"So the rumours are true?" Narcissa gasped in disbelief. "Why give her away?"

"Rodolphus and I were not married and a child was the last thing we wanted when we had work to do for the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Did you not think that she would come looking for you?"

"No, we thought we had got rid of all the loose ends!" Bellatrix snapped. "That woman will not be back Narcissa."

"Somehow I believe her, more then I do you!" Narcissa snapped before turning on her heels and storming away from her sister.

Narcissa and Bellatrix stood beside one another as Death Eaters Apperated behind them. They were stood outside the gates of Custos. Narcissa had grown concerned about the threat which Cerridwen had made and had informed the Dark Lord of their meeting. He had ordered that she and Bellatrix along with the other Death Eaters had to find Cerridwen and show her just exactly what it meant to threaten a Death Eater.

Bellatrix lifted her wand and blasted the gates to the village open. They walked inside and followed the cobbled street past white houses and shops. The village was quiet as the Death Eaters walked along through the darkness of the night. Everyone was asleep, unsuspecting and easy pray. Narcissa lifted her head in the direction of a large town house which they believed to be Cerridwen's home.

Bellatrix once again raised her wand and blasted the front door of the house off its hinges. She stormed inside with the others closely behind. Nothing stirred in the house. All remained silent.

"Lumos," Narcissa said and her wand flicked to life, letting off a small beam of light. She scanned the room. Two dead bodies lay in front of where they were stood. A shiver went down her spine as she exchanged a look with Bellatrix. A noise from outside caught their attention and as they strained their ears to listen they heard a soft sweet voice singing feverishly.

"It's raining, it's pouring, Cerridwen came calling, you went to bed and ended up dead, oops what a morning," the voice sang sweetly before bursting into a fit of hysterical giggles. A death Eater near the back of the group stepped out into the street, his wand raised at the woman who was skipping down the street, her hair was blood red and her eyes were as black as the night's sky, she was dressed in a dark green backless top and a pair of tight fitting black jeans, a cloak hung freely around her shoulders. "Fee Fi Foe Fum, I smell the blood of my next victim."

The Death Eater screamed in pain as his wand flew from his hand, his hands grabbed at his neck as oxygen began to squeeze itself out of his body. Another Death Eater ran out of the house and shouted 'Expelliarmus!' but Cerridwen only laughed, she had no wand for the man to disarm.

"Cerridwen," Called the smooth silky voice of Severus Snape. "Did I not teach you to never play your games in your own back garden?"

"Severus?" She called out, her hair and eyes returning to their natural colour in front of the astonished Death Eaters who were now all out in the street facing her. "You're a Death Eater? Cool."

"What is the meaning of this Cerridwen?" He asked stepping forward, over the barely alive Death Eater which she had been choking and moved closer to her. "What have you been doing?"

"Playing…" She replied simply as he stood in front of her. "I was bored."

"So you killed a whole town?" Asked a rough bark voice, from amongst the Death Eaters. "You did not think to leave any for us?"

"I didn't know that I would be having guests!" Cerridwen laughed manically and her cloak fell from her shoulders, revealing nasty red marks covered in dried blood.

"What happened?" Snape demanded of her, his hand reaching out to her bare shoulder. He walked behind her and looked at the ugly whip imprints on her creamy white back.

"They didn't want to play fair," Cerridwen laughed losing all signs of calmness, her hair and eyes changed colour again. She became caught in a web of madness. "And neither did any of you! Look at you all, there must be twenty of you and all for little old me!"

"Cerridwen," Narcissa called out with a sharp edge to her voice as she pushed herself to the front of the group. "We were sent for you. You must be taught that you can not threaten the followers the Dark Lord."

"I can when I want answers!" Cerridwen hissed with madness. A bang from a small shop next Cerridwen made her turn and run straight towards it, she kicked the front door open, revealing her back to the Death Eaters. A scream came from inside of the shop and a body flew at the large window, the glass shattered and the body of a young man lay dead in the middle of the street. Cerridwen walked back into the street, her eyes dancing with a mixture of hysteria and glee. "It is them that needs taught a lesson!"

None of the Death Eaters moved as Cerridwen hovered over the dead body. Bellatrix watched in disbelief as her daughter started to sing again while jumping on up and down on the spot. She stepped forward and moved towards Snape and Cerridwen, as she walked, she lowered her hood.

"You want answers girl," She shouted. "I am your answer. ME!"

"Then I want revenge!" Cerridwen snarled. Her eyes were aflame as a soft drizzle of rain began to fall. "No one leaves Cerridwen DeNoir without paying the price!"

"Avada…" Bellatrix began to scream her wand pointed at her daughter. Cerridwen's hand flew to the left with a wave, Bellatrix's wand crumbled into ash and she was thrown backwards.

"You dare to dump me and then try to kill me!" Cerridwen screamed.

"Enough!" Severus shouted and wrapped his arms around Cerridwen's small waist and Disapperated.

Cerridwen growled at Severus as he pushed her forward, she fell to her knees and looked up into the eyes of Lord Voldemort. Loud popping noises began to fill the dimly lit room all around her. Her eyes never left Voldemort's face. Cerridwen felt no fear, her hair was still red, her eyes were still black and a sick and twisted smile spread across her face.

"Master…" Bellatrix gasped as she looked down at her daughter.

"Silence Bella!" He hissed as he pulled Cerridwen to her feet. "So you are the one who dares threaten my Death Eaters?"

"Yeah, I am," She said carelessly as the rage burned at her broken soul. Lord Voldemort looked deep into her black eyes and saw every memory which she had.

"Your power feeds off your rage," He hissed before throwing her backwards into the chest of Severus. "You have a powerful daughter Bella. One that you should be proud of."

"Master," Bellatrix began but he held his hand up, silencing her immediately.

"Will you join us Cerridwen, will you help rid this world of evil, of the people who have brought you nothing but hatred and pain?" He asked, but the question was not really a question.

"Ah, now we may have a problem," Cerridwen said cockily. "You see, if I were to join you and help rid the world of all that have hurt me and disgust me, well, you'd have no Death Eaters left. Sending twenty Death Eaters after one woman does not seem very fair."

"You dare speak like that to the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix shrieked with rage and humiliation.

"Be quiet Bella!" Voldemort hissed. "Cerridwen…"

"Yeah okay, whatever," She said briskly. "Sign me up."

The Death Eaters stared in amazement at the impudence of Cerridwen. The Dark Lord merely let out a low hollow laugh. It did not take long for Cerridwen to be branded with the Dark Mark. Bellatrix watched on in silence as deep inside her a small flicker burned at her heart, could it be possible? Was she feeling pride for her daughter? She shook her head and told herself it was just simple heart burn.

"Severus, you will guide Cerridwen until she is ready to stand alone," Voldemort instructed.

"I can already stand alone!" Cerridwen interrupted annoyed.

"In your eyes, yes, but in mine, you are not ready. You will stay with Severus until I say otherwise, do you understand?" He said, with a note of menace hanging in his voice.

"Yes my Lord," She said.

"So, you are Bellatrix's daughter?" Severus asked slightly amused. "She kept that quiet."

"Yeah well, she'll pay," Cerridwen fumed as he looked at her. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Narcissa entered carrying a large round tub of ointment. She sat on the bed behind Cerridwen and opened it.

"This might sting at little, please try not to kill us," Severus said with a mock smile that showed his yellow uneven teeth.

"Ha ha, very funny, owwww!" Cerridwen shrieked as the cold cream was applied to her back. "That is more then a bloody sting!"

"Keep still," Narcissa ordered. "Why did they do this to you?"

"Because I accidentally killed someone."

"Cerridwen you never do anything by accident," Severus laughed. "Why did you kill this person?"

"Because he said something and I had already warned him!" Cerridwen hissed.

"Was it something to do with your parents?" Narcissa asked quietly as she continued to apply the cream.

"No." She snapped.

"You know, this is hard for Bella as well," Narcissa went on.

"Hard for her? Do not make me laugh!" Cerridwen snarled. "It is only hard because she knows that she can not kill me. Now shut up."

"Manors, Cerridwen. We Slytherins must stick together," Severus said smoothly.

"There you go, all done," Narcissa said before getting off the bed and handing the tub to Severus. "I will be downstairs with Draco and Bella."

"I take it from that she means, keep away or I'll kill you," Cerridwen cackled.

"In a manor of speaking, yes, I suppose it does," He said before leaning forward in his chair. "Now, how about we try to get you to calm down. It is not good for you to stay in the rage that you are in; it won't do your powers any good."

"Yeah well, I don't know how to…Switch it off," Cerridwen admitted.

"And that is why the Dark Lord placed you here. So that I can help you master the power which burns within," Severus said and Cerridwen stuck her tongue out.

It was an hour after Narcissa had smothered Cerridwen's back in the cream and since Severus had began to help her control her power and emotions. Very slowly, Cerridwen's eyes began to turn back to their ice blue state and her hair was once again becoming black when someone knocked at the bedroom door. Bellatrix walked into the room.

"Ah Bellatrix, how lovely to see you," Severus said and quickly looked at Cerridwen whose hair and eyes began to change colour again. "Now Cerridwen remember what I have said!"

"I wish to speak to my daughter," Bellatrix snapped.

"Well you don't have a daughter," Cerridwen hissed before giving into the rage within her. She divided from the bed and ran from the room. Running down the cold hallway and down a flight of concrete stairs, Cerridwen ran outside of the house where she would be staying. She tried to breath, her chest was heavy, and only one thing was on her mind. She had found her mother, now she wanted to find her father.

"Cerridwen," Narcissa hissed running out of the house with the others. Cerridwen turned and bowed to the group before Disapperating.

"Draco come with me," Severus ordered and the two men Disapperated also.

Severus surveyed the broken wall of Azkaban prison and listened carefully through the hole whilst being exercising caution as not to be seen. He could hear Cerridwen inside, screaming like a banshee. He sighed inwardly as he realised he was in for a long night.

"Take me to Rodolphus Lestrange!" Cerridwen screamed in the ear of a small wizard who she had held tightly against herself. The wizard pointed up to a cell near the bottom of the prison and she pushed him forward. Taking his chance, the wizard elbowed Cerridwen in the stomach as hard a he could and tried to break free. He was almost at the end of the prison when he felt his throat tighten. He dropped to his knees and looked up at Cerridwen who was bearing down fast upon him. "Big mistake!"

A cheer rose through the prison as she killed the wizard. She looked around at the faces of witches and wizards who had been locked away. Who had been taken from their families. Anger burned hard inside of her when she saw the face of a tall man with long blonde hair and grey eyes.

"Very nicely performed," He clapped as she moved to his cell door.

"What's your name?" She demanded.

"Lucius Malfoy," He replied proudly. "Now how about you be a good girl and let me out?"

"How about you be a good boy and tell me where Rodolphus Lestrange is," She asked sweetly whilst fluttering her eyelashes at him.

"Certainly, he is two cells down," Lucius smiled and started to flirt with her. "What do you want with that old goat? Could I not satisfy your need?"

"No, you couldn't," Cerridwen laughed before walking away. She came to an abrupt halt outside of Rodolphus's cell. "Hello father."

"No! It can not be!" He said in shock, Cerridwen looked at him hard and Rodolphus began to choke.

"Cerridwen NO!" Severus hissed pulling her away from the cell. "Your master will not be pleased if you kill one of his Death Eaters."

"Severus old chum," Lucius called from his cell where he had his head pressed between the cold bars watching Cerridwen. "Do you know this fine vixen? She thinks that I can not satisfy her."

"Father!" Draco snarled

"Hello Draco, how is your mother? Do you know the name of that enchanting woman? I would love for us to get better acquainted," Lucius drooled as Draco looked at him with disgust.

"Snape! What is going on?" Imprisoned Death Eaters asked. Cerridwen looked at Draco and the other imprisoned men and women and waved her hand. The doors to the cells sprung open and they were released. Cerridwen turned on her heals and headed for the hole in the wall which she had created. The others followed her.

"What have you done to my father?" Draco demanded as Lucius tripped over himself trying to get to Cerridwen who was now outside of the prison.

"Nothing, he will be fine in about ten minutes," She replied carefree as Severus once again scooped his arm around her waist and Disapperated.

"You found her, where was she?" Narcissa asked as Severus reappeared at the house.

"Azkaban," He replied curtly as he dragged Cerridwen upstairs to what was her room.

"Lucius!" Narcissa gasped as her husband appeared with Draco.

"Hello Narcissa, Bellatrix, where did Snape take that charming young lady? I must see her at once!" Lucius said as he turned his body on the spot, looking for Cerridwen.

"Bella!" Rodolphus said roughly as he appeared. "What is going on?"

"She found me!" Bellatrix hissed at her husband. "And she is very powerful!"

"Draco, what is wrong with your father?" Narcissa asked worried as Lucius began storming from room to room.

"She did something to him, but she said he would be alright in about ten minutes," Draco said exasperated and at that same moment Lucius stopped still in the hallway and shook himself. "Father?"

"What on earth was I doing?" Luicus demanded. "What did she do to me?"

"That is one good question," Narcissa muttered.

Upstairs in Cerridwen's room, Severus was foaming. He had to forcibly hold her down on the bed until she stopped kicking and swearing. His face had scratch marks off where she had dug her long unpainted nails into his skin. Cerridwen went quiet, her hair returned to its usual Black and her eyes to their ice blue.

"Are you quite finished?" Severus demanded.

"Sorry," She muttered.

"I have never seen you lose control of yourself as much as you have tonight!" He hissed getting off her. Cerridwen sat up as he sat down in the chair. "You must control yourself!"

"I said I was sorry," She snapped. "And I did try!"

"Not hard enough," He snarled.

"I said I was sorry!" Cerridwen shouted. "What more do you want! It is hard trying to fight with every ounce of emotion inside of me!"

"I understand that, but you will be of no use to the Dark Lord if you burn out!" Severus said calmly. "You used to be able to control it Cerridwen, I remember! What happened?"

"She is what happened! If my mother and father had not told me I was adopted I would have been fine! If they had not told me how I was heartlessly dumped in a hospital, I would be fine and if I could wreak my revenge upon those two down there, then I would be fine!" Cerridwen said.

"So you behave like this, you let your anger take control, all because you were adopted?" He asked in disbelief.

"It is not just because I am adopted Snape," She hissed and he looked a little taken aback. "It's about not knowing who I really was, where I came from, did I truly belong in Slytherin, that's what it is all about."

"Then you are not as intelligent as I once believed."

"What do you mean?" Cerridwen demanded. "I am intelligent!"

"No you are not. An intelligent witch would know that she truly belonged in Slytherin; a truly intelligent witch would know who exactly she was without having to go in search of answers to questions which she already knows the answer to," He said fervently.

Cerridwen was silent for a moment; she looked down at her hands, not daring to look him in the eyes. The room was still as neither moved; the atmosphere was calm and collected. Severus moved from his chair and onto the bed, he took hold of her hands.

"Eight years ago Cerridwen, a beautiful and confident young witch burst into my office and declared that she alone would change the world by getting all Outstanding's in her OWL exams. Then two years later that same witch blew my classroom door off its hinges and declared that it was party time," Severus said quietly.

"Yeah, well, I grew up," Cerridwen said defiantly.

"That may be so, but the witch I once knew and taught, would never have allowed anger to destroy her," He said as he looked into her eyes. "Are you seriously going to let your emotions be your biggest weakness Cerridwen?"

"No, no I am not," She replied weakly. "You're right, I allowed the anger to over run me, but I enjoyed it! I love the feel of the power as it flows through my vains, I love knowing that I, one person, can take on hundreds and walk away still alive."

"And you can still achieve that feeling Cerridwen, but you must learn to control it."

"I will learn," She said determinedly.