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Гарри Поттер

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Автор:

jerrway69

Замок Хогвартс решает вмешаться в жизнь двух своих учеников,

чтобы изменить прошлое и будущее от ужасной войны и дать паре

возможность найти в его стенах нечто большее, чем просто защиту.

История AU, Политическая ситуация, Сытый по горло Гарри, О.К.

Дамблдор.

Рейтинг: Художественная

литература M

– Английский – Драма/Романтика – Гарри П., Беллатриса Л. – Главы:

37 – Слов: 277 162 – Обзоров:

5 529

– Избранное: 9 550 – Подписок: 10 029 – Обновлено:

11.07.2017, 07:52:59

– Опубликовано:

31.07.2012, 22:12:59

- идентификатор: 8378840

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter Universe, just

playing in the sand box as it were.

A/N: I'm back with another Harry/Bella Fic! I love this pairing too

much to not do another. This is an AU/ OC fic so some of the cannon

characters will be out of character. I will post the first two chapters

together and then expect an update in two weeks. I have four chapters

already written and four more already outlined. I was going to wait

until I had ten chapters completely written but decided to go ahead and

start posting.

Description: Hogwarts Castle decides to interfere in the lives of two of

its students to change the past and future and giving the pair an

opportunity to find something more than just protection within it walls.

Passageways

Chapter 1: The Outcast

September 1, 1995, Hogwarts Express:

The gentle swaying of the heavily warded passenger compartment was

not at all comforting for the solitary occupant. His eyes stared unfocused

at the passing landscape just outside the window of the old steam engine;

the sun was high and presided over a beautiful clear blue sky. The perfect

weather however was a stark contrast to the dark and tempestuous

ruminations of Harry Potter.

He doubted that his life could get much worse, abandoned by those he

thought were friends, vilified in the daily news, and then the death of the

only family he had left. He wondered while he sat alone in his

compartment what he had done to piss off fate so badly. He had known

all of his life prior to Hogwarts what it was to be truly lonely and

ostracized. Growing up with the Dursleys had ingrained those feelings

deep within his psyche.

But when he came to Hogwarts, for the first time in his life he had made

friends and had found joy and happiness and learned how wonderful it

could be to have people that cared for you. Then it all went bad, so

terribly bad, and once again he was alone and ostracized. Not having

known what friendship or happiness was before Hogwarts was difficult,

but to have learned what it was to be cared for and liked and then to

have it ripped away from you was almost debilitating in its ruthlessness.

It had all started October 31 of last year, with the announcement of the

champions who would represent their respective schools in the historical

Tri Wizard Tournament. It had all gone swimmingly at first as the

Beauxbaton's Champion was named, and then Durmstrang's, and finally

Hogwarts which had been Cedric Diggory; a handsome seventh year from

Hufflepuff House, who also happen to be that house's seeker and a

competitor of Harry's who played the same position for Gryffindor House.

So it was with a sense of foreboding that Harry watched as a fourth name

was spat out of the ancient chalice that was the Goblet of Fire, this

primeval relic that would choose the champions from the three

competing schools, a relic that could only choose three champions.

Dumbledore had snatched the paper from the air and read the name

aloud in a disbelieving voice. "Harry Potter!"

The rest of the school year from that moment on was a complete

nightmare; Harry beat his previous record of hospital visits per year by a

landslide. He had been hexed and jinxed no fewer than sixty-two times.

Not only from Hufflepuffs who felt slighted at the attention seeking Boy-

Who-Lived, but from the other houses as well, even his own. Everyone

had believed he had cheated, even his best friends. Hermione tried to be

objective but he could tell that she was having difficulty believing him as

well.

There was a not so secret pool of when the student-body and some

members of the faculty thought He-Who-Sought-More-Fame would finally

snuff it. He thought that Hermione was finally coming around to

believing him at the beginning of the third task when she nervously

wished him luck.

But fate would not be so kind to Harry Potter. She and his former

redheaded friend had begun dating and Ronald Weasley being the jealous

berk that he was made Hermione choose between the two. A combination

of low-self esteem and a desire to be loved and accepted by others caused

the bushy haired bookworm to ultimately choose Ron and sided with him

and the rest of the school against him.

His reemergence from the graveyard with a dead Cedric Diggory clutched

in his arms, and the outrageous claim that somehow Voldemort had been

resurrected from the dead with Harry's blood, was too much for the

student body to take. Those who had been sitting on the fence about

Harry moved against him in mass.

It was now widely believed that somehow Harry had most likely killed

Cedric either on purpose or by accident, but either way they saw it as an

attempt to add to his fame, but to claim the rebirth of Voldemort as the

cause of the handsome boy's death was more than they were willing to

take. It would be the last time that Hermione and most of the school

would speak to him in any manner considered congenial.

Most of the school had already judged him a liar, a thief, and a

manipulator, adding the title of murderer was not a far leap for most. He

had been banned from sleeping in Gryffindor Tower by its residents; all

his belongings had been tossed out of the tower and had lain in a heap

outside the portrait of the Fat Lady, who had left her frame in disgust at

seeing him approach. His father's invisibility cloak and the Marauders

map were conspicuously missing from his torn and broken possessions.

He had spent the last week of school sleeping in a far corner of the

Hospital Wing. Dumbledore tried many times to pacify the school by

showing tepid support for him at best, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Since there was no hard proof of foul play against him, the school

governors could not expel him, but it was not for a lack of desire. At the

end of the school year there were many whispered plots to seek justice

against Harry on the Hogwarts Express back to London. Dumbledore, not

wanting his weapon too damaged, apparated him back to the Dursleys'

avoiding the train altogether.

Harry was stunned at the indifference that Dumbledore had shown him

the last two weeks of school. He of all people knew that Voldemort was

attempting to return and his reluctance to stand by Harry and declare

that he was telling the truth was utterly puzzling to the young raven

haired boy. Why hadn't he at least stood up for Harry during the school

year and punished those that had hexed or cursed him.

The lack of support from the headmaster and those he had once

considered friends was excruciatingly painful. Malfoy and his cronies

took advantage of the turn in public opinion; their assaults on the former

golden boy of Gryffindor were now seen as just desserts for the attention

seeking brat.

Most of the student body guffawed as Harry was blasted off the staircase

by a combined banishing charm by Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson which

had him falling four floors to the hard flagstone floor below. Harry spent

the next three weeks in and out of consciousness in the hospital wing

recovering from multiple fractures and deep tissue injuries.

This incident made a small group of students rethink their treatment of

Harry but they remained silent and did not speak out against the horrible

conduct of their fellow students. They feared the repercussions of

speaking up for the widely unpopular boy. What angered Harry the most

was that no one was punished for all the attacks on him. No one spoke up

on his behalf, not even his own head of house.

Harry was left at the Dursleys a broken and tortured young man. The

Dursleys like sharks smelled the blood in the water when they saw him.

Vernon Dursley wasted no time in physically demonstrating to Harry his

displeasure of having him in his home again.

Just one week after being dropped off at Durzkaban another piece of

Harry's heart would be ripped out of his still wounded chest caused by

the betrayal of his friends. Unbeknownst to Harry, Sirius Black had come

to visit his godson in Little Whinging to try and cheer him up, and was

horrifically overcome by two Dementors and was kissed, having his soul

sucked from his body. Harry who had been in another altercation with

his cousin at the local park had felt the presence of the Dementors and

had grabbed his cousin and fled the area.

He remembered hearing the agitated barking of a dog when the intense

cold came and then it was suddenly silenced. It would be much later that

day that Harry would be informed by Dumbledore that Sirius had been

killed by the soul-sucking creatures. Harry was inconsolable for several

days.

A week later, Harry found himself at Gringotts listening to the will of his

godfather much against the advice of the Head Master, who had strongly

suggested that Harry let him take care of it himself. He assured him that

if there was anything important that he needed to know he would let him

know immediately. This just did not set well with Harry who firmly told

the old man that he would be going.

Surprisingly, Sirius had left Harry everything including the title of Lord

Black which according to the Black family charter automatically

emancipated him because of his new status as Lord and Head of House.

This emancipation led to harry finally hearing his parents will and

receiving the Lord Potter title as well.

Not wanting to spend another moment with the Dursleys and having

several properties to choose from, he decided to leave the suburban

prison. A goblin provided port-key later and he stood in front of an old

building in a rundown urban part of London.

Harry immediately moved into Number Twelve Grimauld Place wanting

to be close to anything that reminded him of Sirius. And as this was the

former home of his late godfather, as dark and depressing as it was, it

was still a connection to the old marauder. The day Harry took

possession of number 12 Grimauld Place had been an eye opener. The

only other magical home he had been in had been the Burrow but this

was something completely different.

The Burrow was what Harry would call 'homey chaos', there was no

rhyme or reason to the modest home but it felt comfortable and lived in.

Grimauld Place however felt like a Gothic museum with its antique

furniture, ornately decorated rooms and portraits of various past family

members in almost every room. Harry jumped as he saw at least a dozen

severed heads of house elves leading up a staircase to the upper floors.

The most surprising had been the painting of a woman who he would

learn was Sirius' mother, Walburga Black. When he had first entered she

had noticed the mantle of House Black upon Harry and the Black signet

ring on his finger. She asked solemnly about her son Sirius and how he

had died. She crumpled at hearing that Dementors had taken her last

child. Harry and Walburga spoke for nearly six hours about Sirius and his

childhood that first night, and found to his utter surprise a source of

comfort in the former matriarch of the Black Family.

Walburga, Harry had learned, had never truly hated her son but had

merely disagreed with him philosophically, but that all seemed so

unimportant to her now. Although the Blacks had allied themselves with

Voldemort at the beginning of his rise they became silent opponents of

the Dark Lord's methods and had severed all ties with him when their son

Regulus had been killed by the Dark Lord himself.

In Harry she saw a chance to redeem herself as a mother and redemption

for the House of Black and began to instruct Harry immediately in how to

be the Lord Black that he needed to be, to bring honor back to the family.

Walburga went from portrait to portrait introducing Harry to the various

former heads of the family and informed him that they all would help

him to adjust to life as Lord Black. He became privy to all the secrets of

Number 12, concealed rooms, and hidden knowledge of spells, curses,

and hexes developed by the Black Family over the centuries, and of

course the powerful offensive and defense wards that only the head of

house could activate or deactivate.

Dumbledore had asked Harry if he could use Grimauld Place to hold

meetings for the Order of the Phoenix, a vigilante group Dumbledore had

created during the first war against Voldemort. Harry refused flatly after

learning that Snape and the Weasleys were part of that organization.

Harry had also exploded at the headmaster for his audacity in asking him

to house an organization to fight Voldemort when the old bastard did not

lend a hand to support him at the school.

The Weasleys had all but abandoned him and he didn't want to be

reminded of that bitter betrayal every time a meeting was held. The

public Howler Harry received in the Great Hall from the matriarch of the

redheaded family his last week in school had been traumatic, telling him

he was a disgrace to the Potter name and was not to darken her doorstep

again.

Kreacher the House Elf, receiving orders from his beloved mistress to be

the best house elf he could be to the new Lord Black seemed to snap out

of his own depression and began to get the ancient house back in order.

Dobby the House Elf somehow learned of Harry's emancipation and

figured he could use his services as well.

Harry learned from the crazy elf that he was already bound to Harry

without his knowledge when the boy-who-lived had freed him from the

Malfoy's. Harry was bemused to learn that instead of freeing the elf he

merely transferred ownership. Dobby had conveniently not mentioned

that part.

Harry welcomed Dobby officially as part of the House of Potter-Black

.Within days Kreacher and Dobby had the old house in immaculate

condition, the House Elf Winky was also added to the Black Family, her

addition requested by Dobby. Soon the old manor became a house that

was befitting of a Noble family once again.

It was Walburga that convinced Harry to return to Hogwarts much to his

objectionable tirade. She had told him that he needed a proper education

and the training that the school would provide, to be a proper lord. He

was all set to leave the school behind him and isolate himself from the

rest of the magical world, but Walburga nixed that idea quickly and tried

to instill a sense of pride and purpose back into Harry's life.

He spent two months under the strict tutelage of Walburga Black and the

other former heads of house, who was quite pleased that Harry was such

a quick study. She taught him many of the Black Family spells, spells that

were only taught to family members.

She taught him simple warding that every Black should know to keep

him or herself safe from others. She taught him occlumency to protect his

mind, which surprisingly came easy to Harry. Having the large house all

to himself, and with nothing to distract him he found it easy to focus. He

had formed a good solid foundation in the art prior to his return to

Hogwarts.

He was taught about the Potter and Black genealogy, he was surprised to

learn that his grandmother Dorea Black was actually Walburga's aunt. He

was taught about the place that both families held in Pureblood society.

He was shown the family tapestry and where his line fit on the family

tree. He felt a wave of sadness when he came to Sirius' face on the

tapestry. Apparently Kreacher was told to repair all the damaged faces of

members who had been blasted off for one reason or another.

He recognized the face of Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, but didn't

recognize the other two women who were her sisters. There was an

Andromeda Tonks, nee Black, and a Bellatrix Lestrange, nee Black. Harry

was surprised to see so many beautiful looking women on the ancient

tapestry and above average looking men as well.

When Harry asked Walburga about this she revealed to him a family

secret that had been kept for more than a thousand years. Twelve

hundred years ago, the then Lord Black, had fallen in love with and

married a Bulgarian Veela, and since then all children born with Black

heritage inherited this particular gene of beauty. It was also rumored that

some even were born with the ability albeit minimal of the Veela allure.

Walburga listed all the Black members who were still alive and Harry

was surprised that there were actually quite a few still living. He was also

worried when he learned several had been followers of Voldemort. He

received a measure of comfort though when Walburga explained some of

the special nuances associated with being the head of the Black family.

One of these nuances is that no member of the Black family can

knowingly do any harm to the Head of House. It was a spell put on each

child born into the family. But she assured him that most Blacks did not

follow Voldemort anymore but with a few exceptions.

By the time September first rolled around Harry was determined to not

let others dictate his life, and although he may not have a friend in the

world that did not mean he would hide himself away. He was the Lord of

House Potter and Lord of House Black, he came from two noble houses

with a long and infamous history and he would not be ashamed.

Walburga had taught him, "Harry, never show weakness in front of

others. There are those who would pray upon your weaknesses and try

and use them against you. Make alliances with those who will make our

house strong irrespective of which Hogwarts house they are from."

The problem though for Harry, was a heart crushing loneliness. He would

mask it with an air of indifference while at school and in public, but

beneath was a hunger to be accepted for who he was, to be believed, but

most of all to be loved.

oooOOOooo

A tall lanky redheaded wizard and a bushy brown haired witch made

their way down the corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Each had on the

typical Hogwarts robes with red piping that suggested they were in

Gryffindor House. And over the left breast of each was a shiny silver 'P'

indicating that they were school prefects.

"I tell ya 'Mione, I don't think he even has the guts enough to show up for

the train let alone come back to school." Ron Weasley guffawed as he and

Hermione Granger made their rounds.

"Well a second year Puff said that she definitely saw someone who looked

like him get on the train." Hermione replied to her boyfriend.

"Potter is too much of a coward to show his face! Besides, the House

voted at the end of term last year to ban him from the tower. He has no

place to go so why would he come back?"

"He does need to finish his schooling Ron." Hermione commented with a

huff. "And maybe we should re-vote, I mean cooler heads might rethink

what we have done, now that a couple of months have passed." Hermione

stated with a little bit of hope.

"Not likely, I'll make sure the glory hog never sets foot in Gryffindor

Tower again!" Ron stated heatedly. "Besides I doubt Seamus, Dean, or

Neville would want to share a room with a murderer, not to mention the

rest of the house." Ron snorted.

"B-but what if Harry was telling the truth? What if it was You-Know-Who

that killed Cedric?" Hermione asked softly.

"Are you joking, who would believe that Harry could best You-Know-

Who in a duel?" Ron chuckled mirthlessly. "The best dueler next to

Dumbledore and on top of that somehow miraculously escapes under the

nose of You-Know-Who and a dozen Death Eaters! Come on Hermione

use your brain, you're the smartest witch of our age! Do you honestly

think that Harry would have survived if all that he said happened was

true?" Ron spat at her challengingly.

Hermione ducked her head and looked at the floor, her shoulders

slumped. "I-I guess not." She shook her head slowly and let out a sad sigh.

"I guess I just don't want to believe that he would make all that up. He's

been our best friend since first year."

"All he did was use us Hermione! He copied mine and yours homework.

If not for me and you getting past the traps in first year the stone would

have been stolen. It was me who stopped Lockhart from obliviating us."

"But Harry did kill the basilisk." Hermione put in.

"So he says! No one knows for sure do they? He could have made the

whole thing up! Ginny was too far out of it to really know for sure." Ron

retorted.

"But something was petrifying the students, and I-I remember the

glowing yellow eyes and did the research and everything pointed to a

basilisk." Hermione tried to defend Harry albeit weakly.

"Did you actually see a basilisk Hermione?" Ron asked haughtily

"Well no, it's like I said, I just saw a pair of yellow eyes." She whispered.

"Exactly!" Ron stated triumphantly. "That could have been anything, an

illusion or glamour to disguise the real culprit!"

"But, what about all the other…"

"No buts Hermione!" Ron growled. "All Potter wants is to become more

famous and get more money! And he'll do anything to get it, even if he

has to hurt or kill others like poor Cedric." Ron stated with finality. "Now

I'm tired of talking about the git. How's about we kip off to our

compartment and you can show me how much you like to kiss me?" Ron

stated creepily waggling his eyebrows.

"We have to finish our rounds Ron! We have the rest of the train to walk."

Hermione stated in a businesslike manner.

"Fine, but afterward you're gonna have to really make it up to me." Ron

smirked lasciviously. Hermione rolled her eyes surreptitiously and the

two resumed their patrol.

Ron and Hermione had come nearly to the end of the train when she

noticed a compartment that had the shades pulled down and the door

locked. She knocked on the door to find out who had locked the door

since it was a train rule that all compartment were to remain unlocked.

"Excuse me!" Hermione called through the door. "You are not allowed to

lock your door. Please unlock it now." She waited for an answer that

would not come. Knocking again she demanded entrance.

"We are school prefects! And you will open the door now or lose points

for your house!" Again there was no response.

"Fine!" Hermone replied in a huff in exasperation. "We'll just have to

inform the onboard professor to deal with you!"

"I'll take care of this Mione, no need to get the professor. Besides they

usually sleep during the trip anyway." Ron stated confidently.

Ron removed his wand from his robes and pointed the magical foci at the

lock on the door and incanted the unlocking spell in an attempt to open

the door. "Alohamora!" Ron voiced. The spell left his wand and connected

with the lock. There was a backlash as the spell was exponentially

reflected back at the caster and threw the tall redhead back and into the

compartment across the corridor. He hit the ground with a heavy thud

and had scared a group of second year Puffs who had been chatting.

"Ron!" Hermione screamed as she rushed to the side of her fallen

boyfriend. "A-are you okay?!" She asked worriedly at the dazed redhead.

"Ugh! What happened?" Ron mumbled his head spinning from the

returned spell.

"Your spell was deflected. I'm guessing that some seventh year put a

repelling ward on the compartment." Hermione replied helping Ron to

his feet.

"That's illegal!" Ron yelled.

"Well, I don't think it is illegal, but definitely against the rules." Hermione

corrected him.

Harry had heard the disturbance and had pulled up the shades covering

the door window to see who had tried to enter his compartment. He saw

his two former best friends; Hermione was helping Ron to his feet. He felt

a pang of sadness as he stared at the two but it was quickly suppressed

when he saw the rage in Ron's eyes as his own met his former friend's.

"Potter! You'll pay for that Potter! You'll be in detention for a month if I

have my way!" Ron Weasley yelled, spittle flying all over the

compartment, yells of anger from the Puff's ended his little tirade.

Before Hermione could say a word Harry had closed the shades again and

resumed his seat. Any hope of reconnecting to his friends he felt was

truly gone. Harry reflected back on the words of Walburga on showing

weakness. 'Do not let them see you any way but strong Harry. Show strength

in your words and actions. Do not make promises that you do not keep

whether those promises are made to an ally or an enemy. You control your

destiny Harry; never let anyone tell you otherwise.'

"I control my destiny." Harry whispered as his eyes returned to the

passing countryside. "But it seems that destiny has something to say

about that. I have a madman out for my blood, and I don't even know

why. I'm alone and isolated, hmpf, if I survive another year it would be a

miracle. I don't see as if I have any control over my destiny or anything

else for that matter."

Again that feeling of loneliness rose within Harry's chest. It was a burning

ache that just seemed to grow bigger and bigger as the days went by. He

was under no illusion that he would be received warmly at the ancient

Wizarding School, but he knew Walburga was right, he needed the

education and training and he could only get that from Hogwarts.

He had become such a societal pariah that finding tutors willing to train

him along with what the Ministry and Daily Prophet were saying about

him was near impossible. In the end Hogwarts was the only option left to

him and begrudgingly he was returning.

The pounding on his compartment door resumed. He heard Ron's voice

bellowing out a command to open the door. Underneath his loud tirade

he barely made out Hermione's voice trying to calm the redhead down.

Her efforts finally won out when she had whispered something to the

prat that Harry was unable to hear.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. The train pulled into Hogsmeade

Station and Harry waited patiently while the train emptied. He didn't

want any confrontations either from his so called former friends or

anyone else. He knew that they would come soon enough and he wanted

to enjoy the peace while there was any to be had.

The noise had almost died out signifying that the train was near empty.

He slowly slid open the compartment door and made his way off the

train. There was only one carriage left, as he made his way to it he

jumped at the sight of a skeletal winged horse or something horse-like

that was attached to the carriage by a harness.

He eyed the animal cautiously but it did not seem to be hostile at all, in

fact it appeared quite docile. He reached out gently and placed his hand

on the neck of the animal. It felt cool and surprisingly very soft to the

touch. The animal turned its head toward Harry and nuzzled his shoulder

with its nose. Harry smiled at the beast and rubbed the long snout which

seemed to be the perfect thing to do, the animal let out a contented

whinny.

"Well, I guess I have one friend again." Harry chuckled mirthlessly. Harry

stepped up into the carriage and sat, it immediately made its way up to

the castle.

oooOOOooo

Harry stood just outside the Great Hall; he could hear the loud chattering

of the students within. "This is it." He sighed to himself. He took a deep

breath and squared his shoulders. He adjusted his cloak which was made

up of the finest acromantula silk. Walburga had insisted that as a lord he

should dress the part.

He took one more breath to steady his nerves and then strode into the

Great Hall with his head held high, shoulders back and a gaze of

indifference on his face. He took even strides as he made his way to the

Gryffindor table.

It was eerie; the whole hall fell silent and all eyes were upon him. The

only sound came from the heels of his custom made dragonhide boots as

they impacted on the flagstone floor. Harry came to the end of the table

closest to the door and prepared to sit. Those who had been sitting there

quickly shuffled further down the table distancing themselves as far as

possible from the deranged killer.

"Oi! Potter! We don't want your kind at our table!" Ron Weasley bellowed

but was completely ignored by Harry who did not even acknowledge that

he heard the boy.

"Potter! You're not wanted here! Dirty up someone else's table! OI

POTTER!"

"Mr. Weasley that is quite enough." Dumbledore had risen from his seat

and spoke.

"But professor he's a murderer!" Ron yelled out getting nods from several

students, including the majority of Hufflepuff.

Harry sat stoically, not looking at anyone. "Mr. Potter is no murderer Mr.

Weasley, Cedric's death was tragically caused by Voldemort."

Dumbledore stated getting gasps and squeals from the majority of the

students and not a small few of the faculty.

"You weren't there headmaster; you can't know what really happened!" A

blonde Hufflepuff named Hanna Abbott yelled glaring at Harry. Several

voices added their agreement to hers.

"All we have is his word Headmaster." Marrietta Edgecombe stated from

her seat at the Ravenclaw table. "Even if it were true, I hardly think

Potter could match an adult wizard especially You-Know-Who!" She spat.

More voices of agreement began to join the rising tide.

Amidst the continuing back and forth amongst the students and the

headmaster, one member of the staff was smirking to herself. 'This will be

much easier than I thought' she mused as she plucked a piece of lint from

her pink cardigan.

A loud bang from Dumbledore's wand brought back order to the Great

Hall as students retook their seats, but the barely restrained hostility

would not be denied for very long. And the target of that hostility was

one Harry Potter. Plans were being made by every house to take out their

anger on the fame seeking brat.

The rest of the feast and sorting was a blur to Harry, his thoughts and

attention was turned inward as he tried to push down the anxiety and

sadness and yes the loneliness that he was feeling. He was grateful

however for the extra defensive enhancements he had placed on his

cloaks and robes by Madam Malkin. The extra twenty galleons would be

well worth the price. He knew that those enhancements would soon be

put to the test.

He was brought back to his senses as he heard the scraping of benches

being pushed. The four houses had gotten to their feet and were now

making their way up to their respective dorms. Harry felt a presence

behind him and immediately stiffened preparing for an attack. When

none came he turned around to see Albus Dumbledore standing behind

him.

"Harry my boy; I wonder if you wouldn't join me in my office for a

moment. There are some things I wished to discuss with you before you

head back to the dorms.

"Of course, headmaster." Harry stated as he stood and walked out of the

Great Hall with the tall man. Harry noticed that there were several

disappointed looks at him as he walked next to the headmaster.

Apparently the impromptu meeting with Dumbledore had ruined a few

plans against the dark haired boy. Harry sighed resignedly as he kept

pace with the older wizard.

Ten minutes later Harry sat in a chair facing the headmaster who was

sitting behind his desk with his fingers steepled in front of him and his

light blue eyes twinkling. Harry knew that the headmaster was waiting

for him to speak, it was a game Harry had picked up on over the years,

he who cracked first lost the battle of wills. Harry was determined not to

lose this battle; it seemed childish but whatever victory however small

was what Harry needed to keep his spirits up.

"Harry I'm pleasantly surprised how you managed to hold your temper

during the feast, I was sure that you would have been on your feet

challenging everyone." Dumbledore stated with half a smile.

"And what would I have accomplished with arguing Headmaster? Their

opinions are what they are and no amount of me saying otherwise would

do any good. And when you consider that my closest friends have that

same opinion of me, it is very unlikely that others who do not know me

would change their minds." Harry replied flatly showing no emotion,

hiding his true feelings behind the mask of indifference that Walburga

had taught him to use.

"I'm sure your friends don't subscribe to what was said in there."

Dumbledore began.

"Are you serious Headmaster? Were you not in the Great Hall earlier?"

Harry answered in disbelief. "Ron was leading the charge against me."

"Well you know very well how impulsive Mr. Weasley can be, I'm sure

that deep down he believes you. He's just going through a difficult time.

But I'm sure you'll be best mates again by tomorrow."

"He led the group that kicked me out of the tower last year!" Harry stated

a little more heatedly than he wanted to. He quickly schooled his features

again and stared coolly back at Dumbledore.

"That was last year; I'm sure he doesn't feel the same way now, and I

know that Ms. Granger is quite fond of you and has always supported

you."

Harry stared at the headmaster without blinking. "She stands with

Weasley headmaster. She abandoned me at the beginning of last year like

the rest of the school. If she was so fond of me and supported me, then

she has an odd way of showing it. No one forced her to wear those

blasted badges, I'm sure she just radiated fondness when the 'Potter

Stinks' message flashed across the badge." Harry said softly but the

underlying anger was there.

"I'm sure it was just a momentary lapse in her judgment Harry."

Dumbledore tried to justify her actions. Harry just shook his head. "All I

ask is that you give them another chance." Dumbledore smiled, but Harry

said nothing and an uncomfortable silence soon filled the room.

"Well then, on to another topic. I'm worried about your safety Harry,

being alone at Grimauld Place is not the best place for you to be. I would

like you to reconsider returning to your Aunt and Uncle's house at the

end of the school year…at least for part of the summer!" Dumbledore

added quickly.

Harry started to laugh, it started soft and low but quickly turned into a

full on belly laugh. "There is no way, no way headmaster that I will ever

EVER return to that place." Harry stated firmly ceasing all laughter.

Dumbledore continued undaunted, he figured that the Dursleys would be

a no go but using that as his opening he was hoping that Harry would be

more pliant for the next suggestion.

"I suggest a compromise then Harry." Dumbledore started. Harry raised

an eyebrow readying himself for the line of crap that was about to spew

from the headmasters mouth. "I will allow you to leave the Dursley's and

stay at Grimauld place if you allow some of the order to stay there as

well. They will just be there to protect you and keep you company."

Dumbledore smiled magnanimously.

Harry slowly stood from his chair at met the twinkling blue eyes of

Dumbledore with his own killing curse green eyes. Harry placed both

hands on the large desk and leaned forward his eyes staring through

Dumbledore's and spoke softly but sternly through his teeth.

"Let me make this perfectly clear headmaster. You no longer dictate to

me how I live my life; you do not get to decide where I go or what I do

outside these walls. In case you have forgotten I am an emancipated

minor and seen as an adult in the Wizarding World with all the rights

and privileges associated with being an adult.

"I will not return to the Dursleys and I will not allow anyone from your

bird watching club into my current home. Any attempt to usurp my

rights as not only a legal adult, but also as a Lord to two Ancient and

Noble Houses and you will find yourself answering to the Wizengamot.

Now, if that is all headmaster it is late and I wish to retire." Harry then

turned on his heel and walked out of the door and made his way to

Gryffindor Tower.

Ten minutes later Harry arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, the

guardian of Gryffindor Tower. Harry sighed heavily as he saw his trunk

once again sitting on the floor. "I suppose I'm still not welcome into the

tower?" Harry asked the painted woman.

"As if we would allow someone like you into the house of the brave and

noble" The fat woman sniffed and then stepped out of her portrait.

"Just bloody fantastic!" Harry spat as he sat down heavily on his trunk. At

least he had put protections on his trunk to keep it from being broken

into or damaged.

"Now what am I supposed to do? Maybe McGonagall will over rule them?

On second thought 'Fuck em!' if they don't want me then I sure as hell

don't want anything to do with them." Harry spat and although his words

were strong, Harry could not help the few tears that escaped from his

eyes.

As he sat there mustering the courage to go and ask Madam Pomfrey for

a bed again in the Hospital wing he noticed a glowing light just around

the corner from where he sat. A gentle voice seemed to echo 'follow me.'

"Hello? Hello, who's there?" Harry called out but received no answer.

Harry got up quickly shrunk his trunk and placing it in his pocket he

followed the light and the voice. Gryffindor tower was located in the

west wing of the seventh floor of the castle. The light was directing him

toward the east wing of the seventh floor. It was an unused and rarely

traveled part of the castle.

"Hello? W-who are you?" Harry called out to the ethereal voice that kept

beckoning him to follow.

"Where are you leading me?" Harry asked getting a little worried. He

drew his wand from his cloak and held it tightly in front of him.

Hogwarts students were used to seeing moving and speaking portraits

and the many ghosts that inhabited the ancient school, and although the

majority were benign…well no-one knew for sure about the Bloody

Baron, but on the whole the ghost did not bother the students.

But Harry had yet to see a floating light that could speak to him and lead

him to a seldom traveled part of the castle. But Harry being a curious sort

and never afraid of an adventure followed the floating orb, keeping

himself however prepared for anything.

Harry found himself in a corridor devoid of portraits, statues or any other

form of decoration except for one solitary tapestry depicting the attempt

of Barnabas the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. The orb stopped in front of a

large section of wall.

The orb floated in front of him and spoke again in that gentle feminine

voice. "Speak thy need young wizard and three times pass this wall of

stone and I will provide thee with that which you require."

Harry raised an incredulous eyebrow at the orb and then at the wall.

"What the hell does that mean?" Harry murmured. Shrugging his shoulder

he began to pace back and forth in front of the bare wall and speaking

his need. "I need a safe place to stay and while you're at it I could use a

friend." Harry stated almost sarcastically but that was a true desire of his

heart. Yes he needed a place to stay but he desperately wanted someone

he could talk to, someone he could confide in, someone who understood

what he was feeling inside.

Harry was so lost in his own thoughts as he walked back and forth in

front of the wall, he didn't see the appearance of a large oak door until he

heard the creak of the door opening. Harry stopped and stared at the

formerly bare wall and gawked at the door that was slowly opening.

Harry cautiously poked his head through the door and saw a room very

much like the Gryffindor common room but smaller and much cozier.

There were medieval tapestries along the sides of the room a large hearth

with a fire blazing in it. Above the hearth was a large portrait but

apparently with no one in it. Two large comfortable looking chairs were

facing the fire their backs toward Harry as he still looked in from the

door and two comfy couches on either side of them.

To the left of the chairs along the wall were two other doors, he would

have to find out what lay behind them. To the right was a medium sized

table and along the wall a large bookcase with several dozen books. The

room was dimly lit and warm and inviting.

Harry stepped into the room placing his wand back into his robes. His

wonder filled eyes were roaming everywhere as he took in the decor. He

approached the two chairs deciding to take a seat in front of the glowing

fire. As he reached the chairs the door closed with a faint click which

caused Harry to turn toward the door. Harry shrugged his shoulders and

turned back around only to find a wand pointed straight at his face and a

feminine voice growling at him…"Who the hell are you!?"

oooOOOooo

2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is Chapter 2, I hope the first chapter piqued your interest

and chapter two will keep you coming back.

Chapter 2: The Rebel

September 3, 1971 - Hogwarts Express:

"You can't hide from him forever Bella."

"The hell I can't! If he so much as looks at me sideways I'll curse him into

the next century!" The fifteen year old beauty known as Bellatrix Black

growled to her younger sister Andromeda.

"Really Bella, we're all in the same house there is no way to avoid

running into him. Besides, father hasn't agreed to it yet. You know how

he is; he will look over the contract with a fine tooth comb before ever

agreeing to anything." Andromeda told her sister placatingly.

"Andi, it's a bloody marriage contract! A contract to the dumbest, ugliest,

sorriest excuse for a human being that has graced the world of the living!

Sweet Morgana! How can father even think about forcing me to marry a

Lestrange! RUDOLPHUS LESTRANGE of all people! I won't do it, I just

won't do it!" Bella was almost hyperventilating she was so angry.

"He may not agree to it Bella. I'm sure if you just spoke to father he

would listen." Andromeda stated optimistically.

Bella sighed heavily, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "I already

spoke to him." Bella told her sister with a scowl.

"And?" Andi coaxed.

"And he said it was not my place to offer an opinion. That it was a matter

to be decided between wizards! Can you believe that?!" Bella fumed.

Andromeda sat across from her sister and tried to come up with

something to ease her sister's frustration.

"Well…you still have over a year before you have to worry about it."

Andi offered weakly. Bella looked at her in incredulity.

"What?!" Bella snapped.

"I-I just mean even if he does sign it, you don't turn sixteen for a couple

more weeks and you won't have to marry until your seventeenth

birthday. S-so you have a year to convince father to…"

"To what Andi?! Once he signs that bloody contract he's locked into it.

The Lestranges will have put all kinds of penalties in the contract to

prevent any rescinding on father's part. If he signs it Andi, it's all over.

Whether it's a year from now or a week from now, once he signs the

contract I become property of Rudolph bloody Le-gag-me!" Bella's voice

strained. Andi near tears for her sister sat back hard and slumped in her

seat.

Andi looked up to see her sister with tears in her eyes, slowly one tear

drop after another rolled down her soft cheeks. It was surprising to

Andromeda to see her sister in such a state. Bellatrix was the oldest and

the strongest of her siblings. She always had an air of togetherness about

her, an inner strength that could not be bent. She was extremely

passionate in her beliefs and was not afraid to voice her opinion.

But Andromeda on a rare few occasions saw the softer side of her sister.

Bellatrix was a romantic at heart; she loved life and was a free-spirit, but

the one thing that only she knew about her sister was that she wanted a

prince charming, someone to sweep her off her feet. She was in love with

the idea of falling in love. She dreamed of finding her prince charming,

he who would rescue her and whisk her away to a life of joy and

happiness. To have the threat of a marriage contract over her head was

the antithesis of what Bella believed in and it was something that would

kill her very spirit to have forced upon her.

A knock on the door brought Bella's and Andromeda's attention back to

the present. Bella pulled her wand and cleaned up her face then

surreptitiously held it to her side in case the new visitors were

undesirables. Andromeda rose from her seat and slowly slid the door

open.

"Hi Andi! Hi Bella!" An eleven year old Narcissa Black bounced into her

sisters' compartment dragging a pretty redheaded girl with her.

"Hi Cissy." Bella replied. "Who's your friend?"

"This is my newest best friend…Lily Evans!" Narcissa stated proudly.

"She's a first year like me." Narcissa proclaimed happily.

"That's wonderful Cissy! I'm Andromeda, Cissy's sister and a third year.

This is our older sister Bella, she's a fifth year." Andromeda introduced

themselves to the eleven year old redhead.

"Evans…Evans...I'm not familiar with your surname." Bellatrix stated

tapping her chin in thought. "Are your parent's half-blood's?" Bella asked.

"Bella! What a rude question!" Andromeda chastised her older sister.

"Whoa Andi! I meant nothing by it. I was just asking." Bella held up her

hands as if to surrender.

"Sorry." Andromeda blushed apologetically.

"W-well I guess from what I've been told by others is that I'm considered

a muggleborn." Lily explained a little unsure if she had the wording right.

Bella looked at Andromeda and then to Narcissa and sighed heavily. "You

know what father would say, not to mention Aunt Walburga if they find

out that Cissy has a muggleborn friend." Bella stated to her sisters

meaningfully.

"Oh poo!" Narcissa replied and stomped her feet. "I don't care what papa

says, Lily is really nice and I like her!" Cissy stated stubbornly.

Andromeda chuckled and patted her little sister's head warmly. "That a

girl!" Andromeda said to her little sister giving her an affectionate pat on

the shoulder.

"Is there something wrong with being a muggleborn?" Lily asked bluntly,

narrowing her eyes at the sisters and folding her arms in front of her.

Bella raised an elegant eyebrow as she heard the redhead speak with fire

and strength. 'I like this girl.' Bella mused to herself. 'She has spirit.'

"Come sit down Lily." Bella offered a seat to the little redhead, Narcissa

sitting right next to her. Andi and Bella sat across from them.

"Unfortunately in our world Lily, there are people who will judge you

based on your parentage or heritage. Blood status is very important to

the "Old" families." She explained.

"Blood status?" Lily asked in confusion looking between the sisters.

"Yes blood status; there are four classes of magicals in our world; Pure-

bloods, half-bloods, Squibs and muggleborns or mud-bloods as some

unfortunately call them. It is a very derogative term that some in our

society use, it means dirty-blood." Bella continued to explain before Lily

could ask.

"What's a squib and why does blood matter?" Lily asked.

"A Squib is a person born to magical parents but has little to no magic

themselves. Purebloods are magicals that can trace their family magic

back several generations. Some believe that the older your family the

purer your blood and the better magically you are, and your social status

as a pureblood puts you above everybody else." Andromeda offered.

"Is that true though? I mean, will I be weaker magically because I'm a

muggle-born?" Lily asked sullenly.

"No, not necessarily. I know some muggle-born and half-bloods that are

very powerful. The difference is in the family magic's." Andromeda told

the little redhead.

"I don't understand…family magic?" Lily asked a little confused.

"Well, many of the old family's have their own created spells, curses and

the like that they keep a closely guarded secret from outsiders." Bella

explained.

"Well that's selfish!" Lily huffed.

Bella chuckled at the naivety of the first year muggle-born. "Knowledge is

power Lily, and the more knowledge one has the more powerful they are.

We keep our family magic's secret to have an advantage over our

enemies. Do you understand?" Bella asked.

Lily nodded. "In other words blood doesn't make you more powerful, but

knowledge of unique spells can give you an advantage."

Bella smiled at the intelligent younger girl. "A Ravenclaw for sure." Bella

grinned.

"So are you purebloods then?" Lily asked the sisters.

"We are Lily, and unfortunately our family is one of those who believe in

the blood purity thing, that, and our family is considered a dark family

because of some of our magical practices. More so because of our family

magic's than us being evil or anything like that." Andromeda told her

sister's new friend.

"Our parents believe in blood purity and that we as purebloods are better

than everyone else. My sisters and I have a different view than our

parents, but there is constant pressure placed upon us to have the same

views. I can't count the times that Bella has been punished for not acting

like a proper pureblood princess. Don't tell anyone but she's the rebel in

the family." Andromeda winked conspiratorially at Lily who grinned

back.

"Why are you a rebel?" Lily asked the oldest Black sister.

Cissy giggled. "Well for starters; she likes muggle music and clothing.

This drives mother and father spare."

"So I like the Rolling Stones!" Bella hissed. "It's better than what we have

in the Wizarding world!"

"The who?" Lily asked.

"I like them too!" Bella smiled.

"No, I mean who are the Rolling Stones?"

"Oh!" Bella chuckled. "Being a muggle-born I thought you would have

known. They're this muggle band who came out a few years ago. They're

completely brilliant!" Bella told the young girl.

"So your parents don't approve?" Lily asked innocently. Three snorts came

from the Black sisters simultaneously.

"They don't approve of anything muggle." Andromeda replied with a slow

shake of the head. "They seem to think that muggle influences corrupt are

way of life and culture. I don't agree with that though, I think we can

learn a lot from them and there are some really wonderful and amazing

witches and wizards that are muggle-born." Andromeda said wistfully.

Narcissa giggled and Bella smirked. "That's because she has it bad for

some Hufflepuff named Tonks!" Bella laughed at her sister Andi who

maturely stuck her tongue out at her."

"Oh very lady-like Andi!" Bella said holding her stomach trying hard not

to laugh.

The laughter at Andi's expense was soon cut short when the door

slammed open and five boys dressed in Slytherin colors made their way

into the compartment.

"Well, well, well, if it's not the infamous Black sisters." A tall boy of

seventeen smirked obnoxiously at the occupants of the compartment. He

had long greasy brown hair pulled back into a low ponytail, he had a

large almost bulbous nose with overly large pores, and a bushy uni-brow

topped a pair of dull brown eyes.

"What do you want Rudy?!" Bella said with distaste in her voice.

"Don't call me RUDY!" The boy spat. "My name is Rudolphus! Not Rudy!"

Rudolphus Lestrange spat indignantly.

"Yeah, yeah whatever." Bella stated dismissively waving her hand

absently at him. "What do you want Ruuudy?" Bella smirked at the

reddening face of the unsightly boy.

"I'd watch my tongue if I were you Bellatrix. As I'm sure you already

know, you soon will be mine and if you haven't learned your place by the

time we're married, I will put you in your place!" He sneered.

Bella was on her feet in a flash and had her wand jabbed underneath the

chin of the older boy. "Is that a threat Ruudy, should we find out here and

now who the better witch is?!" Rudolphus involuntarily gulped as Bella

dug her wand in.

Rudolphus glared at the raven haired witch and lowly growled defiantly.

"I will tame you yet girly girl, if I have to break you mentally and

physically to do it. You may think you have won this round but heed my

words you will be mine eventually, and you will learn your place."

"Just try it Cyclops! I can out duel you with one hand tied behind my

back." Bella replied condescendingly.

Unbeknownst to Bella, Rudolphus' friends had pulled their wands and

were in a standoff with her sisters and Lily. The two first year girls were

obviously out matched, and did not really know any useful spells but

they nonetheless stood their ground with Andromeda.

Fifth years, Rabastan Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Gregory Goyle, and

Vincent Crabbe had their wands pointed at the three girls. They were all

snickering at the useless gesture of the three younger girls. They were all

confidant that they could take them out easily.

Rudolphus slowly backed away from Bella who now had her wand

pointed at his heart. "This isn't over Bella; watch your back girly girl

because you will learn your place." With those parting words, Rudolphus

and his crew backed out of the compartment and returned to their own.

Bella slammed the door shut and sat down heavily on the compartment

seat. She lowered her head into her hands and her body began to

involuntarily shake. Andromeda was quickly beside her and wrapped an

arm around her shoulder and pulled Bella to her tightly.

Lily sat stunned at what had just occurred, Narcissa was holding her hand

telling her that everything was alright now. But Lily had never

experienced anything as potentially violent as this had been and began to

wonder about exactly what she had gotten herself into. The Wizarding

world seemed much more dangerous than she had imagined.

"If this is what I have to look forward to Andi, I don't think I can handle

it." Bella admitted with desperation in her voice. He and his peons will

just lay in wait for me, I can't deal with continually looking over my

shoulder Andi, wondering if this is the day I'll mess up and let my guard

down and be attacked and forced to…"

"Shhhhh…Bella. We'll think of something. We could tell Professor

Slughorn he could talk to them about leaving you alone." She stated

thinking of their head of house.

"Won't do any good, he can't be around all the time to watch them. I'm

not even safe in our dorm rooms. Rodolphus is a seventh year prefect and

can enter the girl's wing of the dorms anytime he likes. I'm not safe in

Slytherin anymore. I can't protect myself twenty four hours a day." She

gasped.

"Well, let's ask Slughorn if there is at least another place where you could

stay." Andromeda offered. Bella nodded weakly but she was not

optimistic.

Bella spent the rest of the train ride in deep meditative thought. She

knew that part of the reason that her father and her Uncle Orion who was

head of the Black family were considering the marriage contract were

two fold.

First, The Lestranges' were old money and purebloods, not as old as the

Blacks but they could trace their lineage back about five centuries. A

marriage between the two families would lend to a stronger Old Family

alliance within the Wizengamot and thus more political power.

Second, and this was the most difficult for Bella to admit, was because

she was seen as too rebellious and too enamored with all things muggle.

They, her family felt that she needed to be reigned in and the contract

would ensure her obedience to her husband's wishes by an old family

ritual that would bind her will to her husband's once she signed the

contract with a Lestrange family Blood Quill.

Bella feared a loss of self more than anything else she could think of. She

was an independent young woman, strong willed and passionate and

that's how she liked herself. This marriage would suppress her very

nature and she knew she would rather die than give up her freedom of

self.

Bella glanced over at her sisters and wondered what fates awaited them

in the future. Would they be forced into the same type of marriages?

Andi was always glowing after spending time with Ted Tonks, Bella knew

that if her parents found out about the relationship that she had with the

muggle-born wizard that Andi would most likely meet the same fate as

she herself was fated to have…a bloody binding marriage contract!

Little Cissy was so carefree and so full of innocent wonder, did she have

the faintest idea what their parents would say to her if they discovered

she had befriended a 'mudblood.' A snort of derision escaped from Bella

as she thought over her parent's reaction.

'There's got to be some way out of this mess. I won't lose my free will just

to satisfy my parent's ambitions and desires. I just know that there is

someone special meant just for me out there somewhere, and he damn

well better hurry the hell up and make an appearance! I swear I'll bloody

well kill Lestrange before submitting to that troll. Bella mused,

disheartened and frustrated.

The sun was nearly gone from the sky its dying rays casting the sky

above in orange and purple hues. She stood and opened up her trunk.

"We should get our robes on." She said. "We should be arriving in

Hogsmeade soon. Lily, do you need to go get your robes?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, they're in my trunk back towards the other end of the train." Lily

told the older girl.

"I'll go with you." Narcissa chirped in.

"I'll go with you to, wouldn't want the pair of you to get into trouble."

Andromeda told the two first years with a slight smile. "Be back in a mo'

sis." Andromeda told Bella as she escorted the two first years to get Lily's

trunk.

Bella had finished changing and was flipping through her DADA book

when Andromeda returned to the compartment with Narcissa and Lily.

Narcissa had a scowl on her face when she entered and Lily looked ready

to spit nails. Both girls' hair was completely frizzy and almost standing on

end.

"What happened?" Bella asked examining the two upset first years and

stifling a chuckle.

"We ran into cousin Sirius and Cousin James." Narcissa replied hotly.

Bella palmed her face in exasperation. "What did the two miscreants do

this time?"

Andromeda chuckled. "Oh they thought it would be funny to put a static

charm on Cissy's and Lily's trunks. When they reached for them they were

hit with a shock of static electricity and their hair frizzed out." The

middle Black sister laughed.

"It's not funny! Do you know how long it will take me to brush this out?!"

Narcissa griped.

"Not to worry little sister." Bella took out her wand and with a couple of

twirling passes over the head of the two first years and the hair returned

to the sleek long hair they each had. "There that's better isn't it?"

"I suppose…but those two are gonna pay!" Narcissa stamped her foot

down already planning her revenge on her cousins Sirius Black and

James Potter. Bella smirked and Andromeda chuckled at their little

sister's temper. Narcissa, although usually sweet, had a vindictiveness

about her that even frightened them.

The train began to slow as it approached the platform at Hogsmeade

station. The three sisters and Lily Evans made their way off the scarlet

steam engine. A booming voice called out "Firs' years! Firs' years to me!"

"Okay you two, we'll see you in the Great Hall." Andromeda told the two

first years.

"Oh and say hello to the giant squid when you see him!" Bella yelled out

to the two girls as she was heading for the carriages.

"There's not really a giant squid is there?" Lily asked Narcissa, her eyes

comically wide.

"Not sure, but I have heard it mentioned before." The blonde told her

friend.

"Oh dear!" Lily breathed.

oooOOOooo

The Great Hall was filled with chatter as the returning students conversed

and gossiped with their friends that they hadn't seen over the summer

holiday. A hot topic had been the whispered rumors of a political

movement of ultra conservative purebloods that popped up about four

years ago. All over Britain, both in large and small magical communities,

bully pulpits had sprung up, with a message of 'Return to Traditional

Values! – Down with Muggle Destructive Influences!"

Small riots had broken out in some of the smaller communities, it was

even rumored that there had been a few accidental deaths here and

there. A general unease had begun to spread across Magical Britain and

most of the older families were taking a wait and see attitude, while

other families including the Blacks were throwing their support to the

new movement.

The movement was being lead by a mysterious but charismatic Lord who

extolled the virtues of Pureblood society, he warned that the Pureblood

way of life was in danger of becoming polluted with muggle ideas and

corrupt values.

Bella and Andromeda had taken a seat at the end of the Slytherin table as

their fellow classmates fell in around them. Sixth year Slytherin Olivia

Rosier sat to the left of Bella her face looking like the cat who ate the

canary. "Sooo, I hear you are betrothed to Rudolphus." The short blonde

stated with a knowing smirk.

"I believe you have sadly been misinformed my dear Olivia." Bella

responded with an indifferent air about her.

"That's not what he's been telling everyone on the train. Word is he's

going to approach Slughorn about the two of you living in the married

quarters."

"What?! That repulsive bastard has a lot of nerve!" Bella spat with

aversion.

"I don't know why you've got your knickers in a twist. He's a pureblood

from a wealthy, not to mention old family. And…he is involved in

politics." The sixth year commented.

"Politics!" Bella chortled. "He wouldn't know his arse from a motion if his

life depended on it!" Bella sneered.

"I wouldn't let him hear you say that. The Lestranges have become very

active in politics of late. They are supporting the new movement that

promises those of our stature will one day be given our rightful dues!

And Rudolphus and Rabastan are officers in the youth corps of the cause.

They have actually met this mysterious Lord and they said that he will

bring back power and prosperity to us purebloods, and bring to heel all

these uppity mudbloods who think their way of life is better than ours!"

She declared with venom.

"The way you're talking it sounds like he's building an army or

something." Bella asked raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Well he's a revolutionary isn't he? The establishment wants' to keep him

quiet don't they. The ministry is suppressing our goddess given rights and

they are hiding their heads to the corruption of our society by all the

mudbloods! He needs an army if we're to make the ministry take notices

of our plight!"

"Our plight? What plight?! If I'm not mistaken the Rosier's are quite

wealthy, the Lestrange's as well, so exactly what is it that the

muggleborns are taking from us?" Bella asked in a clipped tone.

"Since when did you become a mudblood lover Bella? I know for a fact

that your father and uncle are providing funding for the movement!"

Olivia spat back. "I thought you'd be first in line to join the youth corp."

"I just don't believe all this rhetoric about muggleborns being the bane of

the Wizarding world." Bella replied tonelessly.

Olivia looked at her friend as if she had two heads. "Bella! The mud-

bloods and the half-bloods outnumber the purebloods now by almost

three to one! How long will it be before they demand seats in the

Wizengamot?! Or…or being put in positions of power within the

ministry! They would destroy our way of life! Can't you see that! They

need to be put in their place and soon!" Olivia whispered harshly.

"And how exactly does your "Great leader"…Bella spoke sarcastically with

air quotations. "…plan on accomplishing this huh?"

"With our influence, laws will be passed to restrict the half-blood's and

mudbloods from having any influence over or participation in our

government. And…eventually we may need to just thin the herd…as it

were." Olivia whispered with a smirk.

Bella stared at her friend in stunned disbelief. Did she just say what she

thought she said? 'Thin the herd!' Was she serious?! Bella immediately

envisioned what she had learned about the atrocities during the Muggle

Second World War where millions of people were put to death because of

their "blood status." Bella felt like she was going to be sick.

"Eventually Bella…" Olivia looked at her old friend, judging her reaction.

"…You will have to choose a side. The revolution is coming, will you

stand with your own kind or will you be found on the other?"

'What is it with everyone giving me these ultimatums?!' Bella thought to

herself.

"Well it's obvious you've chosen a side Olivia. The moderates in the

Wizengamot won't sit by and allow some extremist to dictate policy and

they won't stand by while two-thirds of our population is persecuted."

Bella retorted.

Olivia smirked. "Oh I'm sure that there will be some who will refuse to

see reason and try and defend the filth polluting our culture, but there

are persuasive ways to change the minds of enough that we can push

through any law we want."

Bella began to respond but was interrupted as Professor McGonagall

entered the Great Hall with the new first years for sorting. She looked at

the tiny new students and wondered if she ever looked that small. She

smiled as she saw little 'Cissy' standing next to her new friend Lily. Both

girls looked rather nervous as McGonagall placed a stool with the sorting

hat on it in front of the staff table facing the four house tables.

Bella tuned out the hat's song as she looked over all the other first years.

Her roaming eyes soon found her first cousin Sirius and her third cousin

James standing next to each other with identical mischievous looks on

their faces. Bella had to hold back a snort as she thought of the trouble

the two pranksters were bound to get in to.

She spied another dark haired boy standing close to Cissy and Lily, he

seemed to be whispering something to Lily, who, by her body language

seemed to know the hooked nose boy and was nodding to something he

had just said.

"Black, Narcissa!" Bella heard her little sister's name and hoped that the

youngest Black sister did not follow in her older sisters' footsteps of being

sorted into Slytherin. Bella and Andi hoped that their bright younger

sister would be in Ravenclaw and avoid all the political turmoil that

existed in the House of Snakes. But their hopes were dashed as the

Sorting Hat after a few minutes called out "Slytherin!"

Narcissa jumped up from the seat excitedly, but then, remembering who

she was she straightened her back and walked primly to the Slytherin

table like the pureblood princess she was taught to be. Bella and

Andromeda gave her a smile as she sat down at the end of the Slytherin

table.

"Black, Sirius!" Bella watched and shook her head in mirth as her cousin

seemed to strut up to the stool and sat down as if he was sitting on a

throne. Bella watched as McGonagall placed the hat on his head, a few

moments passed and then the hat yelled out "Gryffindor!"

Bella was gob smacked! Never in recent memory had a Black been sorted

into the house of the foolishly brave. There had been the odd Ravenclaw

but most Blacks had always been Slytherin. She knew immediately that

Uncle Orion and Aunt Walburga would be beyond furious. Sirius was the

Scion to House Black and no head of House Black had ever been anything

other than a Slytherin.

It was a heritage the Black family was quite proud of. A glance toward

Andromeda and Bella could tell that she was thinking the same

thing…'there was going to be Hell to pay!' Bella was brought out of her

musing by the next name called.

"Evans, Lily!" Bella glanced over to Narcissa who appeared to be

bouncing in her seat. Bella noticed her fingers were crossed and saw her

sister's lips repeating the word Slytherin…Slytherin…Slytherin.

"Gryffindor!" Narcissa slumped in her seat at the hats' declaration. Bella

felt a pang of sadness for her little sister who seemed to really like the

redheaded muggle-born. Bella knew as did Andromeda the enmity that

existed between Slytherin and Gryffindor House and that few friendships

ever lasted between friends who were sorted into the two opposing

houses.

The sorting continued and as expected, her cousin James was sorted into

the House of the Lions along with Sirius. She almost felt sorry for their

head of house. Eventually the sorting was finished; she noticed that the

boy that was talking to Narcissa and Lily had been sorted into Slytherin

as well. Snape she believed his name was.

After the headmaster gave his start of term spiel dinner was served. Bella

avoided any further conversation with Olivia and tried to just eat in

peace but her housemates had other ideas as she felt the eyes of

Rudolphus and his gang upon her.

She involuntarily shivered as she glanced quickly at the boy. He had a

lascivious look in his eyes and a chilling smirk to go along with it. She

surreptitiously removed her wand from the wrist holster on her left arm

and held the wand loosely in her right hand under the table. All too soon

the feast was over and the four houses began to make their way back to

their respective common rooms.

Bella held back a bit allowing the majority of her house to leave

including and especially Rudolphus and his group of rabble. She

approached Professor Slughorn who had just stepped down from the staff

table.

"Excuse me professor, but may I have a word with you?" Bella asked the

plump professor with the busy walrus mustache.

"Of course my dear, always have time for one of my potion prodigies!" He

stated with a mirthful chuckle. "You're Draught of Living Death has been

the best brewed of any student I have ever taught! And that's saying

something. You know I should really introduce you to Padraig

Kettleburn, he owns one of the largest apothecaries on the Isle. He's

always sending me a sample of his latest potion discoveries and…"

"Yes, yes professor that would be lovely, but I really need to ask you

something important." Bella cut off the rambling professor before he

really got going. It was well known that Professor Slughorn liked to brag

about all the people he had mentored or befriended over the years and it

was best to head him off before he really got going or you could be stuck

listening to him prattle on for hours.

"My apologies Ms. Black, once I get going on a topic…uh uhm, right, you

had a question my dear." Slughorn caught himself before starting to

ramble again.

"Yes professor, I was wondering if there was perhaps another place I

could stay besides in the Slytherin dorms." Bella asked seriously.

Surprised by the question Slughorn raised a curious eyebrow at the

young witch. "Are you having problems with your roommates?" He asked.

"No, my roommates are not the problem, it's just…it's just…"

"Come, come, now, whatever is bothering you I assure you I am a trained

educator and if I say so myself an excellent mediator." Slughorn offered.

"It's just, I don't feel safe sir." Bella told the older man.

"Has someone threatened you Ms. Black?" He asked worriedly.

"Well no, not threatened exactly as much as inferred in a roundabout way

that…he would put me in my place." She stated a little put out with

having to reveal this. She worked hard at portraying an air of confidence

and strength and she had no fear of taking on anyone in the school one

on one. But even she had to concede that six or more against one was too

much to ask of anybody. And she absolutely hated to reveal any kind of

weakness.

"Well I'm sure there was no malicious intent my dear, I'm sure if we sat

down with the other party we could come to an amicable resolution." He

offered.

"But sir I don't think…" Slughorn raised his hand to stop her.

"Besides, there are no other quarters available for students besides their

house dorms." Slughorn stated.

'But…what about the married quarters?" She offered hopefully.

"You are not married my dear, and thus cannot use them." He said

apologetically.

"Please…" the word came out bitterly. "Please professor I really don't feel

safe in the dorm rooms."

Slughorn sighed heavily. "I will have a word with the headmaster

tomorrow and see what can be done. But no guarantees my dear." He

stated.

Bella's shoulders slumped a bit but it was better than nothing. She

supposed that she could get through one night in her dorm room; she

would just have to ward the hell out of her bed till something else was

arranged.

"Thank you professor, I would be grateful for your help in this matter."

She told him resignedly.

"That's a good girl!" Slughorn smiled. "Now you better hurry to your

dorm room, it's close to curfew. Bella nodded and hurried out of the

Great Hall and made her way to the staircase that leads to the dungeons

where the Slytherin common room was located.

Approaching the door to the commons room she furiously realized she

had not heard what the password was.

"Merlin's bloody balls!" She hissed as she kicked the door.

"Tsk tsk, what do we have here boys?" A nasally voice whined, a voice

that suddenly sent chills down her spine. Bella slowly turned around her

wand just hidden in the sleeve of her robes to face none other than the

crux of her current problem…Rudolphus.

"Hmm…looks like we have a student out of her commons room after

curfew." Lucius Malfoy sneered silkily.

"Indeed we do Lucius." Rudolphus smirked. "What to do, what to do?" He

gestured to his friends who were all smiling predatorily at the buxom

brunette.

"I suppose we could just let her in, but where would be the fun in that?"

He mockingly asked his friends who guffawed sycophantically. "I believe

a lesson is in order for our little princess here, don't you think lads?"

"Piss off Rudy!" Bella spat maliciously.

*SMACK!*

Bella was thrown to the floor from being backhanded by the much larger

boy. Bella got to her hands and knees and then wiped the trickle of blood

seeping from a newly split lip. Her head spun a little as she tried to

quickly think of away to get herself out of this predicament.

"YOU WILL LEARN TO RESPECT YOUR BETTERS BELLATRIX BLACK!

Rudolphus roared.

Bella was roughly grabbed by her hair and forced to stand on her tiptoes.

Rudolphus' face was within an inch of Bella's. His stale and almost

putrescent breath made her want to vomit then and there. With spittle

flying in her face from the angry tirade coming from the bastard she

devised a hopefully successful escape plan.

In a swift move with all the strength she could muster she brought her

left knee up hard right into the groin of the boy that held her hostage.

The hand pulling her up by her hair immediately let go and soon joined

the other one in cupping the block and tackle of its owner who had fallen

to his knees and was currently gasping for air.

Before the other four boys could respond, Bella had grabbed Rudolphus

by the neck putting his body between her and the others. Her wand was

positioned at the neck of Rudolphus glowing with a spell ready to be

cast.

"DROP YOUR WANDS NOW! Or lover boy here will have a new

orifice below his chin!" Bella commanded the other boys.

"Do as she says." Lucius spat. Lucius, Crabbe, Goyle, and Rabastan

Lestrange all put their wands on the floor.

"Now back-up!" Again she ordered. The four Slytherins stepped away

from their wands. In the time it took to take half a breath, Bella had

banished all of their wands further down the corridor well out of reach.

"This won't go unpunished Bella." Rabastan stated angrily. "My brother

will not let this go. There is no place you can hide that we can't find you."

"We'll see!" She stated as confidently as she could, but she knew that they

were right.

'Well, so much for staying in the dorms tonight.' She thought with

resignation. Bella maneuvered herself and Rudolphus toward the

staircase leading back out of the dungeon and with a quick flick of her

wand she banished Rudolphus into the other boys. Not waiting to see her

handiwork she sped up the staircase as fast as her legs could carry her.

She made it to the first floor which was completely empty. The torch

lights were low and she found herself in semi darkness. She thought

about running out the main castle doors, but to what and where?

She slumped against the wall listening for footsteps of her attackers but

none were heard. She was fighting back the tears that threatened to fall.

This was not how she had planned her first night back at school to be.

She didn't think she could or would return back to the Slytherin dorms,

but she needed a place to at least sleep for the night.

Across the empty hall she saw something glowing, it did not look like

torch light or candle light. It appeared almost gold in color; cautiously

she stood and made her way slowly toward the light. She turned the

corner and found a floating orb of light. In all her years here she had

never seen anything like this before. The orb began to move, not knowing

why but Bella felt the need to follow it.

The orb climbed the staircases higher and higher it went till it arrived at

the seventh floor. It then moved toward the east of the staircase, she

followed it down a hallway that didn't seem to be used if the dust and

cobwebs were any indication.

The orb came to an abrupt stop in front of a bare wall. She then heard a

distinct feminine voice speak to her. "Speak thy need young witch and

three times pass this wall of stone and I will provide thee with that which

you require."

Suddenly the orb flew into the wall seemingly passing through it. Bella

was confused at what was going on but she thought to herself stranger

things have happened but couldn't think of any at the moment. So, she

began to pace back and forth in front of the bare wall and speaking her

need. "I need place of refuge to stay in, a warm bed and…and maybe an

understanding shoulder to cry on would be nice to." It couldn't hurt she

thought.

An ornately decorated set of oak doors suddenly materialized where solid

stone had been a moment ago. The door slowly opened and Bella gasped

as she saw a comfortable decorated room that resembled the Slytherin

common room a bit.

The warmth of a crackling fire lit in the hearth of the room beckoned her

in. She stepped through the doors and made her way to the fire place.

There were two large and comfortable looking chairs that sat directly in

front of and facing the roaring fire. There were also two couches on

either side of the chairs creating a nice sitting area.

She noticed several doors along the outer walls and decided to explore

them. She opened one door along the left hand side of the room from the

door and found a comfy looking bedroom decorated in a green and silver

motif with a queen size four poster-bed with forest green drapes, a small

loveseat sat at the foot of the bed. Along the left wall was a large

wardrobe; opening the wardrobe she discovered it was empty. Next to it

was a vanity table with a mirror and drawers to place her grooming

articles.

A door on the right hand wall opened to reveal a large oval shaped room

with an equally large bathtub with many knobs and levers; it looked as if

it could hold half a dozen people comfortably. A black and white Italian

marble tile floor covered the room. There were even a few Greek marble

statues on either side of the tub; one of the Venus Di Milo. On the

opposite end stood a staute of the god Apollo, in the middle of the large

bathtub stood the statue of The Three Kharites. She smiled at the stately

beauty and elegance that the ornately decorated bathroom seemed to

offer.

She quickly decided that fortune was smilingly upon her and why not

take advantage of what the castle seemed to be offering her. If she had

thought about it she probably would have been in shock that all this was

being provided to her by a building of stone and wood.

She removed her trunk from her robe pocket and enlarged it, placing it

near the wardrobe. Grateful she thought ahead and kept the trunk with

her instead of leaving it on the train. With a flick of her wand the trunk

opened and clothes, robes and other personal items found their way into

the large wardrobe.

After getting unpacked she changed into some comfortable clothes and

then decided to explore the other doors she saw when she entered the

magical room. Exiting "her" bedroom she saw another door just down

from hers. Opening the door she saw another bedroom similar to her own

however decorated in red and gold. A door to the left in the bedroom

opened up to bathroom she just saw. It appeared that both bedrooms

shared the same bathroom.

The fact that there were two bedrooms didn't seem to concern her, or she

was just too awed by the room that she didn't really give it any thought.

She returned to the commons area and curled up in one of the oversized

chairs tucking her legs beneath her. She sat there just staring at the

crackling fire and going over the events of the day and trying to

decompress.

'Some tea would be lovely about now.' Before she had even finished her

thought a pot of tea appeared on the small table between the two chairs.

"Wow! Now that's service! I could get use to this." Bella poured herself a

cup of the aromatic chamomile tea. As the warm beverage made its way

down her throat and began warming her insides she sighed heavily and

sat back heavily in the chair.

Only a few minutes had passed when she froze at the sound of a door

opening up behind her. Had they found her? Her body screamed at her to

flee but her rationale side told her to calmly wait. Producing her wand

she quietly listened and prepared her body to fight.

She risked a quick glance around the back of the chair. A dark haired boy

about her age was gawking at the room and was not looking her way at

the moment. The boy began to make his way toward her and she noticed

that he did not have his wand out. She did not recognize him but that did

not mean he was not a potential threat to her.

She heard the door click shut and saw the boy turn in the direction of the

door turning his back toward her. Now was her chance to get the upper

hand on the intruder. Quickly but silently her bare feet rushed her

toward the young man whose back was still turned toward her.

She raised her wand and pointed at the back of his head. He turned

around a look of shock on his face as a pair of emerald green eyes opened

widely and had focused on the tip of her wand.

"Who the hell are you!?" Bella roared.

oooOOOooo

A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I will try

an update every two weeks. The next two chapters are already written

with the fifth started.

3. Chapter 3

A/N:

Wow! I am humbly surprised at the response I got from these first two

chapters. Within just a few days I have received 43 reviews and

comments, 63 Favs, and 126 followers. I'm grateful for all the reviews,

some were very complimentary others not so much, but I appreciate

them all even when a review is a bit critical.

I wasn't going to post this chapter until next week but decided in posting

it sooner due to a couple of reviews, one, from my good friend N.

Flamel who has been following my stories since I began posting them

over a year ago. I have a great respect for his keen observations and

insight. I hope this chapter explains in some part Dumbledore's

character and what his goals are.

This is just a filler chapter and is short but it gives an explanation into

the mind set of some of the characters. Now just because a few critical

reviews got me to post this chapter earlier than I wanted, don't get the

idea that critical reviews will get me to post another in like manner. : )

Unbeta'd

P.S. Nick I still want you as a Beta : P

Chapter Three: The Headmaster's Folly

September 1, 1995, Headmasters office 9:00 p.m.:

Albus Dumbledore: Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and

Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the

International Confederation of Wizards, and the defeater of the Dark

Wizard Grindelwald. With various other titles and accolades the

Wizarding World saw him as a powerful leader of the Light and the very

embodiment of what was good in the magical society.

So being who he was, there were very few who would ever challenge any

decision he made. So ingrained in the psyche of every witch and wizard

who had been born since the late nineteen forties, and every witch and

wizard who had been alive during that time, it was inconceivable for the

man to do wrong.

After so many years of being heralded as Merlin incarnate, the man

began to believe in the many stories of his own legend. And as such he

began to see himself in the role of guardian even a parent to all magical

society. And as any parent he knew what was best for his children, and

they were children in his eyes. He would teach and they would learn. He

would speak and they would listen. He would direct and they would

comply. It was just the nature of things and nature must be obeyed.

Of course despite his best efforts there was the occasional child who

acted up. It was inconceivable to see a child or two rebel against the

tender nurturing that he as a doting father provided. It saddened him

that they would stray from his caring arms and choose 'darker paths' to

travel. If they had just taken his teachings to heart they would see the

error of their ways.

He loathed forcing his children to obey him, but they must be brought to

the understanding that he was their father and he did know best. It was

for the Greater Good of his society that they follow him unquestioningly,

anything less than absolute adherence to his teachings would lead to

anarchy and unnecessary suffering.

So it was, that Albus Dumbledore stood overlooking the grounds of his

venerated school through the window of his tower office, reflecting on

his greatest failure; Tom Riddle, AKA Lord Voldemort.

Albus had such high hopes for the talented young wizard, he was

intelligent and powerful and had a charisma as inviting as Albus' himself.

But the child had been able to hoodwink most of the student body of

Hogwarts and the majority of his professors as well, in to believing that

he was the model child, a prodigious student who could one day walk in

the shadow of the greatest wizard of all times…Albus Dumbledore.

It wasn't until Tom's seventh year that Albus began to have doubts about

the heart of his protégé. There was a darkness and a rebelliousness that

while buried deep within the boy, Albus was able to catch a flicker of it

every now and then. Tom's true nature would finally reveal itself during

the mid sixties as he began to teach a philosophy of Pureblood

exceptionalism and an animosity toward anything and anyone that he

considered inferior. Isolationist and Pureblood extremist began to rally to

the man who had fashioned a new name for himself, a name that would

inspire loyalty to those who shared his values and fear into those who

found themselves wanting.

Lord Voldemort arose to be a fly in the soup of Albus' dream of a

Wizarding Utopia. On many occasions over the next fifteen years the two

would confront each other. Each time Albus tried to remind the boy of

his earlier teachings and that he was being unnecessarily stubborn in

accepting Albus' counsel and turning away from the path he was on.

Tom however would not listen to reason and eventually escalated his

attacks on the rest of Albus' children. Albus did not want to hurt his

wayward children but they needed to be reeducated and brought to

remembrance of the instructions that Albus had provided them.

In the early seventies Albus formed the Order of the Phoenix to combat

the radicals members of their society. Albus saw himself becoming the

stern father who needed to discipline his children who had gone astray.

The order was to capture…unharmed if at all possible, the rebellious

children so they could go through reeducation and realize their folly.

But his efforts were to be in vain, his pacifistic stance was not providing

the outcome that he had desired. He realized that despite his best efforts

he could not allow the continuation of the raping, torturing and killing of

his other children. He began to make plans to begin his own offensive

when a serendipitous event occurred in the spring of 1980.

A prophecy was made of a child, who would be born as the seventh

month dies, to those who had thrice defied the Dark Lord and this child

would end the senseless destruction of his children. And from the ashes

like a Phoenix, Albus would restore his children to the path that he had

set for them.

On the thirty-first of October nineteen eighty-one, the prophecy was

fulfilled but not exactly how Albus had thought it would. He had

believed that Tom would have been completely destroyed, but he hadn't.

Somehow he had survived the encounter with the Potter boy.

Furthermore his other rebellious children instead of running back to him

for forgiveness like he had believed they remained for the most part

defiant.

A few like Severus Snape who had become his spy had returned but the

bulk of his wayward children remained in their lost state. It was then that

Albus realized that the role the Potter boy would play was not over with.

Albus knew that with Tom somehow managing to survive it was only a

matter of time before he would make a return and the cycle would repeat

itself. Pacifism would no longer be the answer to stopping Tom.

The Potter boy was the answer. A plan formed in Albus' mind, a way to

meet Tom and equal ground the next time he appeared. A pacifist could

not beat Tom, he needed someone or something just as terrible to defeat

him and frighten his other followers down to their very marrow, so much

so, that they would come running back into the waiting arms of their

forgiving father.

He knew that to do this he would have to make the life of the Potter boy

mirror that of Tom's as much as possible. One must know his enemy

intimately, feel as he felt, think as he thought. The Potter boy must

become in every way Tom's equal.

Was there a chance that this could backfire on him? It was a possibility,

but if orchestrated just right the Potter boy and Tom would destroy each

other in the end, thus eliminating the possibility of another dark lord.

And if one did survive they would be weakened enough where Albus

could safely subdue them and then humanely put them through the Veil.

His society must be kept free from the cancer of another evil wizard. He

knew the kind of life he was condemning the boy to, but it was for the

greater good. One or two deaths to save thousands was a price he was

willing to be for the redemption of his other children.

"…Albus…Albus! We have been waiting for the last ten minutes! Are you

going to start this meeting or should we call for tea to occupy us until

you're ready!?" An irritated Scottish brogue spoke, breaking Dumbledore

from his musings.

"Hmm…oh yes!" The old headmaster chuckled. "For give an old man for

getting lost in his thoughts." The old man chuckled, his eyes twinkling.

He moved from the window and took his seat in the throne like chair

behind the large mahogany desk and stared back at his four heads of

house.

"Now, I believe we just have new business to go over if I'm not mistaken.

Minerva what do you have?" Albus stared at his deputy headmistress over

his half-moon spectacles.

"You need to end this madness Albus; I can no longer support you in this

endeavor. For Maeve's sake he is Lily and James' son! I can't imagine how

this is going to end in any other way than horrific!" Minerva McGonagall

had had enough. She had grown quite fond of the raven haired boy and

Albus' plan to harden Harry into a warrior of the light no longer seemed

right.

She was drowning in the shame of going along with her mentor's plan in

manipulating the boy's life. Since his first year it had been a carefully

orchestrated test after test. He was pushed to the limits of his tolerance.

He was brought to the point of breaking, and then easing off, only to

start up again. She knew there would be a heavy penance demanded of

her when she met Lily and James in the next life, not that she believed

they would ever forgive her.

"Minerva we have had this discussion before. As hard as this is as

distasteful we may find it. It is what is necessary." Albus replied in his

grandfatherly way.

"HE NEARLY DIED LAST YEAR!" Minerva shouted. "HE WAS PUSHED

FROM THREE BLOODY STORIES ALBUS!

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger Minerva." Albus stated.

"I agree with Minerva, Albus!" Pomona Sprout head of Hufflepuff stated,

standing by her friend. "Harry may be the chosen one to defeat

Voldemort, but he is not immortal! You need to act like you're the

bloody headmaster of this school and reign in your students before some

does succeed in killing the poor boy! He is a student under our care and

deserves every protection we can give him!"

"Oh yes lest coddle the spoiled brat, shall we hold his hand as he goes to

potty, cut up his food for him and feed him, powder his arse. Yes, let's

give the little gob-shite a life free of responsibility and just feed his

oversized ego some more." Pomona and Minerva glared dangerously at

Severus Snape who snorted at their attempt to quell him.

"You petty, miserable excuse of a human being, you should be boiled in

your own entrails, you…"

"Enough!" Albus shouted, abruptly stopping Minerva's tirade. "We have

enough to be going on about without us fighting each other! Need I

remind you that we all agreed during Harry's first year to guide him

toward his destiny!"

"So we did headmaster." Filius Flitwick remarked. "But we did not agree

to put the boy's life in danger and to ignore his pleas for help!" The

diminutive professor squeaked.

"I know that I don't need to remind you of the horrors Voldemort visited

upon our people." Albus looked at Minerva. "I recall comforting you

Minerva when your husband was killed. Pomona how many pieces did

they find your sister and her family in, after their home was attack by

Fenrir Greyback."

He turned his gaze to Flitwick. "Your entire family was wiped out Filius.

This is what we have to look forward to, now that Voldemort has

returned. I am absolutely convinced that Harry is the only one that can

stop him but he must be hardened!

He must learn to fight, and dodging curses and hexes from his fellow

schoolmates will fine tune and enhance his reflexes. Knowing betrayal

will harden his heart and resolve. Being isolated will cause him to turn

inward, making him realize that he can only depend on himself.

Voldemort is a monster and unfortunately it will take another monster to

destroy him." Albus told the group. Severus showed no outward emotion

about what had been said but the other three wore faces of shock as they

now understood the depths to which Albus was ready to go to end

Voldemort.

"It's as if you want the poor boy to lose his humanity." Pomona stated

with a shaky voice.

"That is precisely what I'm trying to do Pomona. At least the weaker

emotions of humanity like love, compassion, kindness, loyalty. We need

to foster in him those emotion that illicit powerful feelings within him,

anger, hate, loathing. These are the emotions he needs in great supply if

he is to defeat Voldemort. Those emotions will fuel his magic to the

levels he needs." Albus explained.

"More likely you will send the boy running to Voldemort and then you

will have two powerful wizards to contend with." Filius commented.

"I seriously doubt it Filius, he sees Voldemort as the murderer of his

parents, the source of his misery and lot in life, and I've cultivated that

feeling for the last four years in him. He would rather cut of his own

limbs than join the man responsible for his miserable existence."

Dumbledore replied dismissively.

"I hope you know what you're doing headmaster." Pomona stated sadly.

"And I hope whatever deities exist will have mercy on all our souls. I fear

this will not end well." Pomona rose from her chair and walked out of the

office. She was quickly joined by Flitwick and Minerva who felt sick to

her stomach.

When the group exited the revolving staircase Minerva had come to a

decision and hoped that her colleagues felt as she did. She just couldn't

continue with the headmasters plans, for a little more than four years had

she followed Albus' but that would end tonight. She just hoped that

Pomona and Filius felt the same.

Minerva no longer cared about destiny or bloody prophecies, she had

failed her cub in the worst possible way and she needed to begin to atone

for her failure starting right now.

"Pomona, Filius…" Minerva began. "I can't…"

"We're with you Minnie." Pomona said fervently. A nod from Filius.

"But you don't know what I was about to…"

"If you are suggesting that we stop this foolishness and protect that boy

then Minerva we are with you!" Filius stated with fire in his tiny voice.

Minerva nodded to the pair in appreciation. "Let's meet in my quarters

after breakfast tomorrow and will figure out away to stop Albus." They

nodded in agreement and then parted ways. Minerva rushed to the

Gryffindor common room to find her abused cub and start to make

amends.

oooOOOooo

"I fear we may be losing the support of our colleagues Severus." Albus

stated as he crossed the room and was once more staring out of his

window.

"Possible headmaster, but I doubt they would do anything about it. They

may disapprove but they will stay the course I believe."

Albus was pensive for a moment before he responded. "Your right of

course, Minerva and I have a long history together. We have disagreed in

the past but she has never gone against my wishes. Pomona and Filius

will follow her lead I'm sure." Albus commented.

"On another note, have you cast the compulsion charms on all the doors

to the commons rooms?" Albus asked glancing over his shoulder at the

sallow faced man.

"I have tried but failed. The castles seems to repel any spell I try and

place o it., though in truth it is not needed on the Slytherin entrance, my

snakes already have a dislike for the boy some stronger than others."

Severus sneered.

"We only have to keep the majority of the student body mildly

antagonistic toward the boy. There may be a few that reach out to him

but they will be severely outnumbered and fortunately the teenage mind

seeks conformity and therefore will not want to stand out and be looked

at as…different." Albus remarked.

"I am surprised at the level of animosity the youngest Weasley boy has

for Potter, and that Granger has followed him." Snape added.

Severus noticed a widening smirk on Albus' face. "Yes well, I had a bit of

a hand in that. I need Harry to feel betrayal on the deepest level, but Miss

Granger is extremely loyal to Harry, perhaps even loves him in a

romantic way. So of course that would not do. So I have been having her

dosed with small amounts of Amortentia since October of last year

attuned to Mr. Weasley. And a similar suggestion was implanted in her

mind that Ronald was the only boy who could ever love her. The more

her heart reaches out for Harry the more assertive the suggestion

becomes." Albus explained with a grin.

"Clever." Severus admitted, which earned him a smile from the

headmaster.

"I leave nothing to chance Severus."

"So it would seem headmaster."

"As for Mister Weasley, he has always been jealous of Harry's wealth and

fame. It was not difficult to fan the fires of his jealousy into a burning

hate."

"Compulsion charm?" Severus asked chuckling.

"No actually, simply an amplification of emotion charm. It was only

suppose to last through the end of last year but it seems that it has taken

on a life of its own. It's all Mr. Weasley now. Also, as we discussed this

summer Severus, I will be informing Mr. Potter that due to his connection

with Voldemort he is required to learn how to protect his mind."

"And you will be sending him to me to teach occulmency." Severus

sported a twisted grin.

"Indeed." Albus chuckled. "I want his mind so weak and open that if Tom

sneezes Harry will feel it. Allowing Harry to feel Voldemort's every

psychopathic emotion will only speed up the boy's descent. We need our

weapon merciless Severus." Albus stated.

"You're playing a dangerous game Albus should he discover what it is you

are doing to him." Severus warned.

"Not to worry Severus, have I not said I leave nothing to chance? Harry

will fulfill his destiny in one manner or another." Dumbledore smiled.

oooOOOooo

A/N: Please read and review! No flames please but if you have a

genuine critique and suggestion I'm more than willing to give it a read.

Have a great weekend!

4. Chapter 4

A/N: So I'm posting this sooner than I said I would. Oh well! I'm

stunned at the interest this story has garnered; I find the polarity of the

reviews very interesting. Some love it while others are highly critical.

All I can say is that I'll continue to write it the way I have envisioned it

and hope that I can at least keep most of you interested in continuing to

follow it.

My vision of Dumbledore in this fic is a man who is detached from any

morality. He sees himself as above that human frailty and as such does

not see people as people but as tools and a means to an end, thus his

treatment of Harry and the manipulation of the faculty and student

body. I know this is a point where some of you have really felt that I

have "gone wrong". To me he is a little bit Caesaresque.

Well enough explaining. I hope you enjoy this next chapter of

Passageways and would kindly leave me a review on what you think!

Chapter Four: The Roommates

Harry's stunned eyes went from staring at the tip of a wand to the most

gorgeous girl he had ever seen, even though the girl had a look of deadly

determination it did nothing to take away from the obvious beauty before

him. She had long wavy black hair that cascade down her back in gentle

waves; her features were fine and aristocratic in nature. Her eyes were a

startling violet that just sucked you in. Her complexion was fair and her

skin looked incredibly soft. Harry had an almost uncontrollable urge to

reach out and touch her full red lips.

Bella forced herself not to roll her eyes at the dazed look and goofy grin

of the boy in front of her. She knew she was an attractive young woman

and had many boys try and woo her for her affections, but none had

measured up to her standards of an ideal suitor or her station as a

member of an Ancient house.

Bella gave a quick smack to the top of his head with her wand to get his

focus back on the here and now. "I'll repeat myself only once more before

I start hexing. Who the bloody hell are you and what are you doing

here?" She asked with a firm tone, her wand now pointing at his chest

just above his heart.

"Ouch! What the bloody hell did you do that for?" Harry yelled rubbing

the top of his head that was smarting from the wand lashing he just

received.

"To get your attention! Now are you going to answer my questions or am

I going to start cutting off things you might miss." She stated with a scowl

and a look in her eyes that Harry could tell she meant business.

"My name is Harry…as if you didn't already know." He replied tersely to

the raven haired beauty, his hand still rubbing the spot on his head that

she had whacked with her wand.

"A little full of yourself aren't you…Harry is it? I haven't a clue as to who

you are. I've never seen you before now." Bella responded.

"Yeah right. The whole bloody Wizarding world knows who I am, so don't

give me that tripe." Harry groused.

'Whatever!" Bella spat. "You just go back and tell Rudy and the others to

leave me the hell alone or the next time I see him I'll do more than crush

his twig and berries."

"Who?" Harry asked confusion clearly on his face.

"What year are you and what house are you in?" Bella barked keeping her

wand on him.

"You're kidding right?" Harry asked incredulously.

Bella closed the distance between him placing the tip of her wand against

his chest right at heart level. "Do I look like I'm kidding?! Now answer

the bloody question!"

"Fine! I'll play along. I'm in Gryffindor, as if you bloody well didn't know,

and I'm a fifth year. And while we're on the topic, what exactly is your

name and in which house and year are you in?" He replied tersely.

She looked at him skeptically. He was in her year and a Gryffindor but

she didn't remember ever seeing him in any of her classes she shared

with the lions. If he had been she would definitely remember him, after

all he was arguably one of the better looking boys she had ever met, and

there was no way she wouldn't remember those eyes they were in a

word…entrancing.

Bella shook her head to clear her errant thoughts, angry at herself for

letting herself get distracted by a handsome face and a pair of gorgeous

green eyes.

"You don't look like any of the fifth year Gryffs that I've ever seen in the

castle. So who are you really?!" She asked, her eyes narrowed

dangerously at the boy in front of her.

"What are you playing at?" Harry asked a bit bewildered, he could tell

from her eyes that there was no sign of recognition in them. "I've been

attending Hogwarts since first year." Bella just stared blankly at him. "I

answered your questions, how about you answer mine."

Bella stared back at the boy and he did seem to be somewhat familiar but

she could not place him. His features were similar to those of the Blacks

especially the aristocratic bone structure in his face and the black hair

that was prevalent among Blacks. The eyes were all wrong and he had

broader shoulders, males of the Black family tended to be tall with thin

builds.

Noticing he was waiting on her to say something she let out an

exasperated breath and spoke. "My name is Bellatrix, a fifth year…

Slytherin."

Harry stiffened somewhat, it did not go unnoticed by Bella. She saw his

hand jerk like it wanted to go for his wand but he did not make the

attempt. He was a typical Gryff she figured as the enmity between the

two houses was evident in his new posture.

Harry knew he had just let his emotions affect his body as the girl in

front of him had responded to his body's sudden betrayal of emotion and

was now slipping into a more defensive posture herself.

"Look, I mean you no harm." Harry told the girl in a voice he hoped

sounded sincere. "As you know your classmates and I have had our

differences. But I don't recall you ever being a part of their actions

against me. Come to think of it I can't recall ever seeing you with any of

the fifth year Slytherins, or seeing you ever in the castle before."

Bella observed the sincerity in his eyes and became puzzled herself at

who this young man was and what trouble he had with Rudy and the

others.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what was your name again?" Harry asked

softly. Something about her seemed familiar now, but he was having

trouble placing her.

"Bellatrix, Bellatrix Black." She told him.

Harry's eyes went wide as he was suddenly struck by the remembrance of

where he had seen her before. It had been on the Black Family tapestry

back at Grimauld Place. The woman in the tapestry was much older than

the girl in front of him, but there was no mistaking that it was her. But

that wasn't possible; Bellatrix Lestrange would be near forty years old

now.

Harry stared at the young beautiful witch in front of him and was at a

loss as to what to think or say. If this wasn't Bellatrix she was a dead

ringer for her. But why would she call herself Bellatrix Black though, it

did not make any sense to him. Just then something ridiculously

improbable popped into his head. 'Why not?' He mused. 'Stranger things

have happened, although I can't think of any at the moment.'

"Bellatrix…uhm…may I call you Bellatrix?" Harry asked respectfully. She

gave a curt nod in acquiescence.

"May I ask you a question that may seem a tad bit strange, but

nonetheless I think may be important?" Harry began.

Bella looked at him strangely, but she shrugged her shoulder and

motioned him to go ahead. "Uhm…what year is it?" Harry asked almost

apologetically.

"You're joking right?" She looked at him as if he were daft.

"Just humor me for a minute." He asked again.

"It's 1971 of course, what are you a simpleton or something?" Bella stated

sarcastically.

Harry fell with a thud as he landed on his backside on the floor and just

stared up at the witch who backed up a couple of feet but still having her

wand trained on the young man now sitting cross legged on the floor in

front of her.

"No bloody way!" Bella heard Harry exclaim. "No feckin bloody way!"

Harry repeated.

"What are you going on about?" Bella asked irritated. Harry rubbed his

face with both hands a few seconds later and he looked up at her.

"You're not a ghost or anything like that are you?" Harry asked her in

serious tone.

"No, I'm not a bloody ghost! I'm seriously beginning to think you are

mental whoever you are." Bella replied. Harry to her astonishment just

chuckled.

"Maybe I am, because what I'm thinking can't be sane." Harry stated

shaking his head back and forth.

"Are you always this irritatingly cryptic or is it just for my benefit." Bella

replied with impatience, tapping her left foot.

Harry laughed again. "I suppose even if I were, I'm not as bad as

Dumbledore." He chuckled.

Bella's eyes narrowed at him again. "Well!"

"Well what?" Harry replied.

"Well what the hell is going on in that head of yours! Sweet Maeve! I

should have just blasted you the moment you came through the door!"

Harry chuckled again. "Okay okay, you might want to sit down for this,

because as daft as you think I am now you're really gonna think I am

once I explain why I think it is we don't seem to know each other or have

seen each other in the castle." He grinned his patented lopsided grin,

which caused Bella's stomach to flutter for a moment surprising her

momentarily.

'What the hell was that' she thought to herself.

"Bellatrix what year were you born in?" Harry asked and then added. "It's

important."

"September 15, 1955…why?"

"I was born July 31…1980." He stated in serious tone.

Bella looked at him and raised an elegant eyebrow. As Harry had

expected she began to laugh.

"You are mad aren't you!" She chuckled shaking her head at him. "1980

you say…what are you going to tell me next, that-that you are a time

traveler coming back to right the wrongs of the world?" She grabbed her

stomach as the laughs came hard and fast.

Harry looked at her silently his eyes showing to the world that he was

serious. "Would it help you to believe me, if I gave you a wizard's oath?"

Bella sobered up instantly after Harry's statement. She looked at him

skeptically. Like most purebloods she was taught of the seriousness of a

wizard's oath and how you didn't give one lightly, it had serious

ramifications on not only your magic but your life as well.

"Are you serious? You do know what will happen if you give your oath

and you are lying?" She stated in a grim tone.

"I do." Harry replied in the same tone. "Bellatrix, for me, today's date is

September first…1995."

"That's…that's impossible." It came out in a whisper. "It's September third

1971." She affirmed.

The two teens sat in silence for a few minutes, each with their own

thoughts on how this was possible. It just didn't make any sense. Bella

spoke first breaking the silence.

"If what you're suggesting is true, how can we both be here in the same

room at the same time but twenty-four years apart, there has to be some

natural or magical law that would not allow such a thing to happen." She

stated shaking her head and gesticulating with her hands.

"I've learned to never underestimate magic or this castle. For example I

think the castle might be alive." Harry offered to a skeptical look from

Bella who raised both her eyebrows in doubt.

"Just let me explain my thought process, okay." Harry stated with his

hands up entreatingly.

"You know how the stairs tend to move of their own free will, classrooms

moving around and appearing on other floors without warning. And just

today I was lead to this room by this floating golden orb that I have

never seen before and it spoke to me in a woman's voice and told me how

to enter this room."

At this declaration Bella sat up straight. "That happened to me as well

today. I was looking for a place to be saf…ahh…to sleep. And this golden

orb spoke to me and lead me here as well. Speaking of which why are

you not in your common room?" Bella asked glaring at him.

"Oh…well…I've been sort of banished from my house." Harry grunted.

"Banished?"

"Yeah it's something I would rather not talk about." Harry stated flatly.

"What about you? Why are you not in your dorm room?"

"I'd rather not talk about it either." Bella stated.

"Fair enough." Harry replied.

"So back to your theory." Bella encouraged changing the awkward topic.

"Well…what if…" Harry paused here knowing what was to follow

sounded completely mad. If he heard it from someone else he would

probably tell them that they watched too many Sci-Fi movies. "…what if

somehow the founders created this room as some kind of time portal? Or

perhaps a place that is not affected by time maybe a space where time

doesn't exist?"

"I have not ever heard of anything like that being remotely possible.

There are so many flaws in that theory I don't know where to even

begin." Bella stated matter-of-factly.

"It was just a theory." Harry shrugged. "How else do you think it could

have happened?"

"I'm not entirely convinced that this is happening. This could all be some

elaborate prank…a prank." Bella whispered the last word to herself

looking closely at Harry again, and then it dawned on her. Harry looks a

lot like her prankster of a cousin little Jamie Potter.

"What is your surname Harry?" Bella asked suspiciously. He did look like

a mix between a Potter and a Black just like Jamie did. But Jamie was an

only child. Could there be another branch of the family out there that she

did not know about that also shared Potter and Black blood.

Harry didn't like the look in Bella's eyes and wondered what he should

reveal. Bellatrix according to Walburga had joined the Death Eaters. He

didn't think she was at this moment because she was wearing a short

sleeved shirt and there was no Dark Mark on her left forearm. And

according to Walburga all Death Eaters were branded with it.

Although she did not bear the mark didn't mean she wasn't sympathetic

to him now. 'What year did Voldemort become active anyway?' Harry

mused.

"Why is my last name important for you to know?" Harry asked

cautiously.

"Let's just say I have a "theory" and your surname could prove or disprove

that theory. Besides, I gave you my surname; it is only right and proper

that you give me yours." She asked suspiciously.

"Why would I make up a story like this Bellatrix, there is nothing that I

could gain from misleading you." Harry offered.

"Maybe, maybe not. But I'm not in a trusting mood at the moment. Now

are you going to give me your name or do I need to force it out of you?"

She threatened bringing her wand back to bear on him.

Harry went for his wand and had just clasped it when he heard Bella's

voice call out the stunning spell. "Stupefy!"

Harry waited for the red light of the spell to hit him but it never came.

He looked up at Bella who was looking at her wand in confusion. It was

all the time needed for Harry to raise his own wand and point it and

Bellatrix.

"Well it seems that we are at a stalemate. I was serious Bellatrix when I

said I meant you no harm. But since you have a hard time trusting me at

the moment I suggest we both put our wands away and discuss this like

two civilized people." Harry suggested.

Bella snorted and rolled her eyes. "My wand stays right where it is."

"Look." Harry said exasperatingly. "What will it take for you to believe

that I am not a threat to you or trying to prank you?"

"Nothing comes to mind as long as you're unwilling to give me your

surname and some hard evidence of you being from the future." She

stated emphatically.

"Fine. Can we at least be comfortable?" Harry stated nodding over to the

two chairs by the fire. Bella gestured to the chairs with a mocking half

bow and a wave of her hand toward them.

The two teens made their way over to the chairs and faced each other.

Harry warred with himself on what to disclose. On one hand he was

wondering why he was trying so hard to get her to believe him. Was it

because he was lonely and desperate for a friend or maybe it was just to

diffuse a tense situation before it got worse?

Maybe it had more to do with being Lord Black, and Bellatrix was

technically family, and Walburga had taught him the importance of

family loyalty and the Blacks were almost fanatically loyal to each other.

Should he tell her about him being Lord Black? Would that solve the

problem or exacerbate it?

Should he disclose his real surname? His parents would be first years now

if he had his dates right. What would Bellatrix do with that information?

And could she change the past concerning his parents? Also, and perhaps

the most intriguing question was, is she in his time or was had he gone

back to hers or perhaps neither? There were just still too many

unknowns. Finally coming to a decision his eyes focused on hers and

spoke.

Harry took a deep breath and focuses his thoughts. "My title…is Lord

Hadrian James…Black, head of the House of Black." Harry could tell that

Bella was about to unleash a verbal assault of impressive magnitude on

him by the way her face reddened and her eyes tightly squinted. Before

she could unleash however, Harry concentrated on the ring finger of his

right-hand. Suddenly a large silver ring with a black opal with the Black

coat of arms etched into its center appeared.

Harry raised his hand and quickly showed the ring to Bella. She froze

with her mouth open about to challenge Harry's assertion when she saw

the ring on Harry's finger. It was to her utter shock the head of house

ring for the House of Black.

"As you are undoubtedly aware, only the legitimate heir to House Black

can place the ring on his finger without dying on the spot." Harry stated

firmly.

Bella was completely gob smacked. She sat and alternated staring at

Harry and the ring on his hand. She was well aware as all members of

her family were that only the Head of House was able to wear the ring.

She had just seen Uncle Orion two days ago and he was as healthy as a

hippogriff. That meant that the impossible seemed to be true, Harry

could be from the future and…was indeed Lord Black.

Her years of Black Family inculcated training asserted itself and she

dropped to her knees in front of Harry. "Forgive me my Lord for not

believing you. I humbly apologize for my attempt to stun you and for my

lack of decorum when we spoke. I pray thee consider my ignorance to

your position before assigning punishment for my offenses."

Now it was Harry's turn to sit speechless. He looked down at Bella who

was on her knees with her head bowed low. Harry shook himself and

gently lifted Bella's chin. Bella looked up at him and saw confusion and

was it mirth?

"Bellatrix there is no need for that. As far as I'm concerned we are family

and I won't have my family kneeling before me." Harry stated firmly.

"But my lord I have behaved in a most…"

"Stop Bellatrix! I told you who I was not to assert authority over you but

to prove to you that what I have told you is the truth. I am from a

different time than you." He lifted Bella up from her knees and guided

her back to her chair.

"I believe you my lord. That also explains why my spell didn't work."

Bella began softly. A member of the Black family could not knowingly use

magic to harm its Head of House, it was old family magic.

"Please Bellatrix, it's just Harry no more of this "my Lord" tripe okay."

"Yes my…yes Harry." Harry smiled an appreciative smile. Bella returned

the smile and Harry's stomach seemed to flip at the dazzling smile of the

young witch.

"What do we do now?" Bella asked.

"Well I am curious about something." Harry stated with a contemplative

look.

"What about?" Bella asked looking at him, wondering offhandedly what

the relationship was between them. Was he a cousin or a maybe a

nephew, she was old enough to be his…mother! Her eyes widened at the

possibility.

Unaware of her musings Harry answered her question. "I'm curious if I

am in your time or if you are in mine or are we in both or neither." Harry

stated scratching the back of his head.

"I hadn't thought about that!" Bella replied thankful for the interruption

to her disturbing thoughts. "How do you suggest we find out?"

"Well, when we leave the room we'll obviously find out whether it's one

time or another. But seeing as its past curfew I suggest we wait till

morning and then we can go from there."

"Seems reasonable." Bella stated.

"Now how about you show me around this wonderful room?" Harry asked

wanting a break from their heavy discussion and a chance to reorganize

his thoughts.

For the next hour Bella showed Harry where her room was and where the

other bedroom was. They discussed briefly the coincidence of the room

having two bedrooms. Harry was amazed at the size of the bathroom and

tub/pool in the center of it.

Further exploration of the room revealed many other amazing things to

the teens. For example they found a large book on a pedestal in one

corner of the room where they discovered if they wrote what subject or

book they were interested in on the blank pages, that book or a book on

the topic they desired would appear.

By accident they both discovered another feature of the room. Harry was

looking at the Gryffindor color scheme in his room and it filled him with

anger bringing to mind the betrayal of his house. He had vocalized that a

nice forest green motif would suit him better. Before their eyes the colors

changed.

That began a small game between the two, where they would ask the

room to change certain things like furniture or lighting. When this was

met with success they began to try and find the limits of the room. To

their astonishment the room could appear anyway they asked for. It

became a library with thousands of books, an armory with weapons from

every age of man. It became a forest meadow then a starry night on the

savanna.

It was nearly one in the morning, when the two tired teens sat cross

legged across from each other on the rug covered floor just in front of the

fire place. Each stared at the other, simultaneously realizing that there

were still questions that needed answering.

"Sooo…" Bella began. "..The future huh?" The curiosity was evident in her

voice.

"Yeah." Harry said with a shrug. There was an awkward pause as the two

teens tried to formulate questions that would not sound idiotic to the

other.

Bella frustratingly blew a strand of her curly locks out of her face. "This is

ridiculous!" Bella whispered but was loud enough for Harry to hear. She

was dying to get some answers and finally just decided to go for it.

"So are we related then, like am I your mother or something?" Bella asked

Harry who had a dumbstruck look on his face.

"What!?" Harry gasped, taken off guard by the seemingly random

question. "No, no you're not my mother." Harry replied shaking his head

and allowing a chuckle to escape his lips.

"Well that's a relief." Bella stated with a relieved sigh, eliciting a raised

eyebrow from Harry.

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked, feigning insult. Bella laughed

and just shrugged her shoulders and gave him an enigmatic smile.

"Seriously though…are we related? I mean I guess we have to be related

since you are Lord Black, and Uncle Orion is the current Head of House

Black in my time. So you must come through his line either from Sirius or

Reggie. Am I right?" Bella asked.

Harry was not sure how to reply to that or if he even should. How much

damage would happen to the time line by disclosing future events?

Hermione had told him in their third year that interfering too much in

past events could have disastrous results.

The events surrounding the use of the Time Turner to rescue his

Godfather from the Dementors kiss came to the front of his thoughts.

Hermione had gone on and on about not running into their past selves

that it could cause irreparable damage to the time space continuum, or

was that something he had heard from a SciFi show. Anyway it was

suppose to be very bad either way.

Deciding on just giving her the bare minimum, at least for now, that

could change…depending on what, he did not yet know, but he left it

open as a possibility.

"My Grandmother was a Black which gave me the bloodline, but there

were…a series of unfortunate circumstances that made me the head of

House Black in my time." Harry replied with a slight hitch in his throat as

the thought of his godfather's soul being sucked out by the guards of

Azkaban entered his mind.

Bellatrix Black was not just a pretty face but also extremely intelligent

and it did not take her long to formulate a scenario in her mind and she

vocalized it.

"If you're not from Orion's direct line…then something must have

happened not only to him but to Sirius and Reggie as well, as they would

be the heirs apparent. If Orion's family was wiped out somehow it would

go to his nearest sibling's family. Uncle Orion had only three other

siblings. My father, Cygnus Black, who is the youngest, Aunt Cassiopea is

the next oldest to him, that leaves Aunt Artemis just under Uncle Orion.

No, maybe another generation back." Bella was running through all the

family members in her head.

Harry's eyes widened as he watched as Bellatrix was making the

connections. He began to worry that his secret would no longer be a

secret in the matter of mere moments. How could he have been so

careless? Family was everything to the Blacks and of course every Black

is well versed in their genealogy.

Bellatrix looked deeply into Harry's eyes as she ran through her relatives'

names and who they had married. Aunt Cassie has never married but that

doesn't mean she couldn't before 1980. Harry stated that he wasn't her

child, however he could be from Andi or Cissy, but she did not think he

was. Something about him just told her that he was not from one of her

sisters or he would have been more familiar with her, at least that was

what she hoped.

Bella gasped as she looked closer at Harry's facial features, she could see

her great-aunt Dorea in his cheek bones and skin tone, but what clenched

it was that Harry had a small mole behind the earlobe of his left ear in

exactly the same place as her Aunt Dorea. The messy unruly hair looked

just like her uncle Charlus and her cousin James! James was an only

child; Aunt Dorea couldn't have any more…that meant!

"MERLIN'S BLOODY BEARD! YOU'RE A POTTER; YOU'RE LITTLE

JAMIE'S SON aren't you?!" Bella had jumped to her feet knowing she

was right and was further vindicated when Harry's face showed a mix of

fear and shock written all over it.

"Sweet Morgana!" Bella crowed. "I knew I would figure it out!" She

bounced around their commons room celebrating her superior intellect.

That was until she was forced to stop at a wand which was pointing right

between her eyes.

"Aaahhh…whats up…Harry?" Bella gulped as she saw her third-cousin's

eyes were set hard and unblinkingly glaring at her. She tried to back

away but found herself pushed up against the back of one of the chairs.

"You shouldn't have done that Bella." Harry spoke so softly that it came

out as barely above a whisper. "It was better that you did not make that

connection. That information is too dangerous to have." Harry growled,

thinking of all the horrible possibilities of Bellatrix a known supporter of

Voldemort in his time would do with that information.

"W-what are you talking about Harry?" Bella asked in confusion and

trepidation as the wand continued to be pointed at her head.

"This just complicates things.' Harry said more to himself shaking his

head.

"What is complicated? We're family Harry, why would knowing that

we're related be dangerous? Or are you concerned with what I figured

out about Uncle Orion and his family?" Once again Harry's memories

replayed some of Hermione's warnings on time travel. A little bit of

foreknowledge could completely change the past and alter the future as

well.

"Knowing the future can have unexpected…"

"Consequences." Bella finished for him. The two teens again looked at

each other, both of them wondering how to proceed. "Look…Would it

help if I said that I won't say anything about this to anyone?" She asked.

Harry raised an incredulous eyebrow at the dark haired girl. "You're a

Black Bella; of course you're going to use this to your benefit." Harry

stated, recalling one of the many lessons Aunt Walburga gave him on

using any advantage to benefit himself and his family.

Bella looked at him with interest. "I have had some tutelage in Black

Family philosophy." Harry smirked. Bella couldn't help herself and

grinned widely at Harry.

"Harry…" Bella started, not believing she was about to offer what she was

about to offer. There was just something about him that told her she

could trust him, and she trusted few people, that is to say just one

person…herself...okay maybe her sisters. So to feel this way about

someone she had just met a few hours ago was something completely out

of character for her.

Violet eyes stared into green as she considered all of the ramifications of

what she was about to do. There were so many ways that this could come

back to bite her in the arse.

"…if I give you a witch's oath to not reveal anything you tell me or any

secrets you reveal to another soul without your express permission

and…" Bella went on knowing that Harry was about to interrupt her. "Or

use said information for personal benefit unless you say so. Would that

allay your fears about me?" She asked in all seriousness.

Harry stared at her for a long moment deliberating on what to do.

Everything seemed to be moving too fast. Not eight hours ago, he had

barely gotten off the Hogwarts Express. Friendless, alone, and not

knowing what the school year would bring he made his way to the castle.

He felt all the malicious and hateful stares following him as he took his

seat in the Great Hall. Ron's outburst had not entirely been unexpected

but it hurt just the same.

Then being led to this magical room and finding it occupied with the

infamous Bellatrix Black. Although their meeting had been uneasy and a

little tense at first, it quickly moved to strange and then to almost

comfortable as they explored the room together and now back to tense.

But even so, looking into her eyes there was something that said…trust

her.

Harry wonder if there was not some higher power at work here,

something beyond reason why he was lead here and why she was lead

here. Maybe there was a purpose…'maybe he thought too much!' Harry

mused with a dry chuckle.

Coming to a decision he looked at her, shaking his head…"You don't need

to make an oath." Harry said with a half smile. "A friendship should start

with trusting each other." Bella smiled at the raven haired boy but

immediately took out her wand.

"I Bellatrix Adien Black pledge on my life and magic not to betray the

secrets of Harry James…Potter." Here Bellatrix gave him a smirking

smile. "Unless he gives me permission to do so, nor will I use information

which he may reveal for personal gain unless he gives his permission to

do so. So mote it be."

"Bella! You didn't need to do that!" Harry growled.

"I know but I didn't want you to have any doubts about me." She replied.

"I'm still waiting Harry." Bella stated waiting for him to accept her oath.

"Oh! Umm…so mote it be." A blue light flared around both teens as Harry

sealed her oath.

With the oath made and Harry's anxiety calmed the two teens seemed to

relax again. Bella began the dialogue once more and asked about Harry's

obvious anxiety about the future. It had not slipped her notice that Harry

seemed to react almost viscerally to her making the familiar connection.

She knew there must be a story there and hoped that Harry would one

day tell her about it, but until then she could only speculate why it

concerned him so.

Eventually exhaustion overcame the two teens and they retired to their

respective bedrooms. It had been a bizarre day with a lot of highs and

lows for both, and tomorrow promised to be just as interesting as well.

As the two teens drifted off to the land of Morpheus a bemused golden

orb hovered over each teen in turn. Never had it taken an interest in the

personal lives of the students before, but if it could set these two on a

path of discovery together, the evil that has and would grip the

Wizarding world for over two decades could be destroyed before it

became a real threat to wizard kind. She had set the stage but it was up

to the two protagonists now who would decide where the story would go.

oooOOOooo

Saturday morning came way too early for Harry as he stumbled out of

bed. For a moment he panicked not recognizing where he was. It

definitely did not look like his dorm room in Gryffindor Tower. It was

then that he remembered the night before, and that he was no longer

welcomed in Gryffindor House.

"Oh yeah!" Harry chuckled, as last night came back in complete clarity.

'Mysterious magical room, Bellatrix Lestrange…Bellatrix Black he

reminded himself. At the thought of the raven haired beauty his mind

began to wander where most hormone fueled teenage boys' mind would

go and had the typical early morning reaction.

"Okay stop! Stop! Stop!" Harry told himself. "You barely know the girl

and she's family…in around about way, not to mention that she is older

than your own parents. Besides that girl is way out of your league! Not to

mention she became the most dangerous witch in modern history." He

told himself.

He made his way to his water closet which was not part of the larger

bathroom that connected his room to Bella's. After his morning ablution

he exited his bedroom to find that Bellatrix was already up and dressed.

She was sprawled out on one of the large couches lying on her stomach

reading one of her text books. Her legs were bent forward hovering over

a well put together posterior; her ankles were crossed as her legs bobbed

up and down.

Harry froze at the site in front of him. The fifteen year old Bella was

wearing a pair of red short shorts that showed off a pair of extremely

long and sculpted legs that ran all the way up and disappeared into the

tight shorts that hugged an incredibly firm looking arse. To add to

Harry's loss of blood to his head was her tight black tank top. With an

arm tucked under her breasts as she propped herself up somewhat to read

her book, it left an incredible view of milky white globes of femininity

that threatened to fall out of the stretched cotton fabric.

"Flies my lord."

"W-what?" Harry stuttered.

"You'll catch flies if you leave your mouth open like that." Bella coyly

smirked. Harry closed his mouth with an audible pop.

"I-I was just…uhm…just looking for s-something." Harry stuttered,

blushing furiously and looking anywhere but at where his eyes had been

moments before.

"I'm sure you were my lord." Bella giggled her eyes full of mirth. 'Boy's

are just too easy.' She mused as she sat up placing her book down.

"I thought we had an understanding about the 'My Lord' thing." Harry

stated a bit more in control of his voice and taking a seat in front of the

lovely witch who was giving him an appraising look.

"Sorry…Harry." Bella smiled mischievously causing Harry stomach to flip

again. Harry wondered why this kept happening. He'd never experienced

this when he was around other girls. He reasoned it off; it must be just

the odd circumstances they found themselves in. She being from the past

and all and knowing of her future reputation as hardcore supporter of

Voldemort. Yeah that must be it.

"So, what is the plan then Harry?" Bella asked crossing her legs in front of

her Indian style.

"Well, I would like to know what has happened, you know how are we

here at the same time and are we in the same time together or I don't

know…it's just all a bit confusing…don't you think?" Harry rambled.

"Well I guess the only way to find out in which time we're currently in is

to leave the room and find out who's about." Bella offered.

"That's what I was thinking as well. But you should probably change into

your Hogwarts robes." Harry offered.

"Why? Don't I look good in what I'm wearing now?" She said with a pout.

"Am I that hideous?"

"What! No you're gorgeous…I-I mean you look n-nice, you're legs are…

not that I was staring! I mean…I just…Oh!" Harry blushed furiously as he

spun around feeling completely had as he heard Bella laughing musically

and singing.

"You think I'm go-o-orgeous, you want to da-a-a-te me, hug me and k-i-i-

iss me!" Bella danced around singing mirthfully, enjoying how flustered

she got the young lord.

"I did not say that! I-I was just…all I meant was…oh Bollocks!" Harry

griped, he then spun on his heel and returned to his bedroom slamming

the door behind him. Bella cackled victoriously and returned to her own

room to get dressed.

Bella didn't know why she was teasing Harry so much. She was not a

flirt…well not a huge one anyway but she just couldn't resist teasing her

new roommate. He looked so cute when he was blushing red; it really

brought out the color of his emerald green eyes.

Upon some reflection as she got dressed, she was stunned to find how

quickly she felt comfortable around Harry, comfortable enough to

playfully tease him. She was not one who made friends easily; she liked

to keep people at a manageable distance not letting them get to close to

her either physically or emotionally. But with Harry it was so effortless

that it was amazing if not odd. She would have to think more upon this.

Twenty minutes later she exited her bedroom dressed in her school robes,

although it was a Saturday…well at least in her time, many students

wore them while on school grounds. She found Harry by the large

bookcase looking over the many ancient tomes that were stacked there.

She cleared her throat to get his attention.

Spinning around with her arms out to her sides, she asked. "More to your

approval my lord?" She teased with a small curtsey. Harry rolled his eyes

and just grunted which evoked another giggle from Bella.

"Just kill me now." Harry groaned. "Well, should we head to the Great

Hall and see who's about." Harry offered.

"I suppose, since I got all dressed and everything." Bella replied with a

smirk. They then turned and approached the large door that lead out of

the room and stopped.

They both looked at the door and all the amusement and jocularity of a

moment ago was gone. Back were the harsh realities of the worlds they

came from. Harry was thinking about how he was still the outcast of the

school, exiled from Gryffindor, friendless and looked upon with suspicion

and disdain.

Bella's face fell as she remembered the attack on her person last night,

and the threat that her housemates had made. Rudolphus for all his lack

of any social graces was a powerful wizard and with his brother and the

others they were a force to be reckoned with and they did not take any

defeat lightly. They would be out to 'teach' her a lesson.

Simultaneously the two teens looked at each other, each seeing the

reluctance in each other's eyes and each wondering why that reluctance

was there in the other. Neither had given the other a complete story as to

why they were refugees in the magical room and not in their own house

dorms. It had been an unspoken agreement not to pry and so neither had.

It was obvious to them both now, that whatever the other one was

dealing with was serious enough to make them apprehensive about

leaving the safety of the room and that gave them some common ground

to perhaps come to an understanding of each other.

"Well, ready?" Harry asked turning his head to look at her.

"Yeah." Bella stated after a brief pause nodding hesitantly.

"Let's not tell anyone about the room just yet, yeah?" Harry stated.

Bella nodded in agreement, no sense in letting others no where her safe

haven was.

"To the Great Hall then?" Harry asked.

"Sure." Bella responded emotionlessly.

Harry reached for the handle of the door and pulled it open. The teens

stared out into the empty hallway and both sighed in relief at no one

being around to see them. The two of them with determined looks

stepped out into the empty corridor.

"Well here we go…Bella?"

"Harry?" Bella spun around only to find herself alone in the empty

hallway.

oooOOOooo

5. Chapter 5

A/N: I am totally blown away by the interest in this story. 54 reviews

on the last chapter alone! You guys are awesome. This chapter is over

10,000 words, typically I like my chapters between 5 and 7 thousand

words, so don't expect many chapters of this length. Not much Bella/

Harry interaction in this chapter but a lot more in the next. I hope you

enjoy the chapter and I hope you will leave me a review or comment on

your thoughts.

Chapter Five: The Mystery

Harry spun around but there was no sign of Bellatrix anywhere, the only

foot prints he could see in the corridor were his own from the previous

night. The door behind him gently closed and then vanished from sight.

Harry gave a start and turned to look at a solid wall in front of him now,

all traces of the door was gone.

"What the hell?" Harry mumbled as he pushed on the wall with his hands,

but the wall was hard, cold, and unmoving. He stood back and stared at

the wall.

"I guess the room closes up when not in use." He mused. His eyes swept

around still looking for his missing roommate but he found neither hide

nor hair of her. Suddenly a worrying thought crossed his mind. Was it all

a figment of his imagination, was it all some terrible joke? He scratched

the back of his head pondering the situation.

'The room had provided a common room, bedrooms, a large bath and many

other things. Could it have also provided the girl?' The thought depressed

him somewhat as he rather liked her, in the space of one night she had

made quite the impression on him.

He found her…fascinating, definitely dangerous and he really liked her

playful if not teasing personality. 'But why would the room go through all

the trouble of providing someone and why Bellatrix Black of all people?'

Maybe the room somehow pulled her from his mind, after all when he

had seen her image on the family tapestry he had thought she was very

attractive. Perhaps the room saw this and created her to be a friend for

him. And hadn't he requested a friend along with a place to stay when he

was first lead to the room?

'Get a grip Potter, I doubt the room could produce a living breathing person…

or could it?' He mused. 'Okay head; think logically, how would Hermione

look at this?' Immediately Harry felt as if something gripped his heart, a

heavy hand squeezing it forbidding it to beat as the thought of his former

best friend was brought to the fore.

Sadness quickly shrouded him in its oppressive cloak. He missed her, she

had always been there for him, and she was the sister he never had, a

kindred spirit. Why wasn't she there for him now, why didn't she believe

him, why was this time any different than all the other times. She

believed him in first year when they stopped Voldemort from getting the

Philosophers' Stone.

She had supported him in second year with all the trouble of being

accused of being the Heir of Slytherin and then the whole basilisk

incident, and believed him that Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort had almost

been brought back to life through his cursed diary. She stood by him in

third year where they rescued an innocent Sirius Black, and saved them

from Dementors.

What was it that made the events of fourth year turn her against him?

Was she just fed up with all the adventures of the Golden Trio of

Gryffindor? Had she had enough of being in dangerous situations, did she

fear for her life?

Thinking about all these adventures and Harry was loath to admit to

himself that maybe she did have a good reason to pull away from him.

He was dangerous to be around. For Merlin's sake he had the most

dangerous Dark Wizard in a century out for his blood.

But Hermione took it a step further and completely turned her back on

him and joined the chorus of others calling him a cheat…a liar…and a…

m-murderer. Harry swallowed a rather large lump in his throat as the

sadness and loneliness powerfully asserted itself once again. He slumped

to the floor leaning against the wall, his knees brought up to his chest

and his head resting on them with his arms over his head.

Harry tried to stifle the tears that he felt coming. Walburga would be

disappointed in him; she had tried to instill in him an air of indifference

to be above the weakness of sentiment and emotion. To look with

contempt at those who would set themselves against him. But Harry was

a creature of powerful emotions; he wore his heart on his sleeve and all

though he had gotten better at hiding them the more powerful would still

seep through.

He needed a friend, he did not want to be alone, however he knew he did

not need a love sick fan girl like Romilda Vane, or a Ginny Weasley, or

even a promiscuous girl like Lavender Brown. He needed someone that

he could be himself around, someone with intelligence, but perhaps not

as overbearing, like Hermione tended to be at times. He needed someone

who he could have a serious conversation with that didn't just involve

Qudditch or Chess or if he had completed all his homework.

Bella was perfect, maybe too perfect. She was angsty just like him,

disillusioned with what the world had dealt her, just like him. She was

intelligent but not obnoxiously so, she was fun and flirty and just easy to

talk to once you got past the wand pointing and threatening stages. She

had secrets, and so did he.

Was she just a figment of his own imagination, a representation of what

he wanted most in a companion, a friend? Perhaps, but was it that bad…

really. So what if she isn't real, she was more company than he had right

now which was none. Harry decided that no matter the case it did not

bother him, though he hoped deep down she was real.

But where was she? Why did she disappear right when they exited the

magical room? Maybe she didn't exist, maybe she had turned around for

something and was coming right back out? But several minutes had

passed by now and she still had not appeared.

A growling stomach drew Harry's attention away from his missing

companion and on to finding some sustenance. He would worry about

the mystery of the magical room and the lovely Miss Black after he got

some breakfast in his stomach.

Harry made his way to the staircase passing by the entrance to Gryffindor

tower. He quickly hid behind a suit of armor when the portrait of the fat

lady swung open. He saw Hermione emerge from the opening quickly

followed with about a dozen first years. He assumed that she was

escorting the "firsties" to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Ron was not with her, most likely sleeping in. Ron never saw the point of

getting up any earlier than absolutely necessary on a weekend. In fact it

was an affront to his way of life. Laziness was an art form and Ron was

its Da Vinci.

Smirking to himself, Harry joined the procession falling in behind a small

little blonde haired girl with pig tails. As they traveled Hermione was

elucidating the group on the finer points of hard work and earning house

points for Gryffindor. Harry silently chuckled when he noticed that all

the first years had a homework planner similar to the one Hermione had

given him and Ron for Christmas second year. Harry shook his head with

mirth imagining a whole year of mini Hermione's. 'Merlin I miss her.'

Harry thought, glancing sadly at the mop of busy brown hair in front of

the marching group.

The group had just reached the third floor landing when Harry's musings

were interrupted by a high pitched scream. Harry immediately withdrew

his wand and searched for signs of an attack. Harry turned back to the

group he was following only to see a nervous Hermione pointing her

wand at him with the entire group of first years hiding behind her in

fear.

Looking at the small cherubic faces behind his former best friend he saw

that their fear was directed toward…him. Why would they be terrified of

him?

"W-what do you w-want Harry?!" Hermione ordered, but her bravado was

lost on the tremble in her voice and her shaking wand.

Harry sighed deeply; apparently his former best friend was still following

the rest of the bloody sheep in the Wizarding World and only saw him as

some deranged psychopath. It was obvious from the looks of terror on the

faces of the young students behind her that they were informed of his

derangement as well.

"I want nothing Hermione." Harry softly spoke looking into her cinnamon

brown eyes. "I was just heading to the Great Hall for some breakfast,

nothing nefarious, nothing untoward, just going down to breakfast. I am

still allowed to eat am I not?" He asked.

"He's not going to kill us is he Hermione?" The same blonde girl he had

been walking behind asked with trembling lips. "It's just that Mr. Weasley

told us that he was a dark wizard and would kill us if he got the chance."

Harry glared at Hermione, his eyes glowing with anger. Hermione and

the group that had been following her unconsciously took a step back. A

wave of uncontrolled magic was flowing from Harry; his eyes seemed to

glow with unrestrained power.

"Is this true Hermione?" Harry asked in a low growling voice. "Is your

Boyfriend spreading malicious lies about me? Is that what you believe

too Hermione?" Harry spat.

Hermione was opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, her

brilliant brain not knowing how to respond. Harry gazed searchingly into

Hermione's eyes but did not find what he was hoping for in her eyes. A

sign of belief, or guilt about betraying him, but all he saw was

trepidation and fear.

"I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND HERMIONE! I THOUGHT YOU

KNEW WHO I WAS! OUT OF EVERYONE IN THIS CURSED CASTLE IT

WAS YOU I COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON!" Harry balled his fists in

anger; he shut his eyes tightly shaking his head back and forth.

In a quieter voice Harry continued. "You were my sister Hermione; I

loved you as if you were my own blood. You were my rock, my solace in

the craziness that is my life. How could you betray me like this, did our

friendship mean nothing to you?" Harry's voice cracked with emotion, his

eyes reflecting the hurt he felt inside.

Hermione did not speak, her eyes were wide and filled with tears, but she

made no effort to speak, to deny what Harry was saying. So conflicted

were her emotions that she was frozen. Her heart screamed at her to run

into his arms and beg forgiveness, but Ron was her boyfriend and he had

forbid her to ever speak to Harry again.

Ron was the only boy to ever show romantic interest in her and she

desperately wanted to feel wanted. She believed herself to be a plain girl

and not very popular. She did not want to grow old and alone, so she

latched onto Ron's affection like a life line. In her heart she knew that

Harry was not the monster that people and the press had painted him to

be, yet she did not have the courage to defend her first true friend. Her

Gryffindor courage seemed to have fled her.

Harry slowly nodded his head. "I see…" Harry rolled up his left shirt

sleeve. On his wrist was a friendship bracelet that Hermione had made

for him for Christmas their first year. It had been one of Harry's most

prized possessions next to his father's invisibility cloak. It was a token of

a friendship that he thought would last forever. From the day Hermione

tied it to his wrist and explained its meaning he had never taken it off.

Hermione's eyes widened in recognition of the woven bracelet. Harry

grabbed the bracelet in his right hand and with a quick and hard tug he

snapped the threads that bound it together. Harry looked at the bracelet

longingly for a moment before slowly turning his hand over allowing the

token of friendship to fall to the cold stone floor.

Without another word and without looking back Harry walked away, and

in his mind ending any hope of reconciliation with the bushy haired

bookworm. Hermione fell to her knees and lovingly picked up the

bracelet as if it were the most fragile Faberge Egg in existence. The first

years all jumped as a mournful wail echoed throughout the corridor as

they watched the fifth year prefect sob uncontrollably.

'What have I done, what have I done?" Hermione repeated as she rocked

herself back and forth on the hard stone floor. Something had snapped in

Hermione when she had picked up the discarded bracelet, her mind

seemed to come to life as she held the token of friendship to her chest.

The sudden lucidity instead of comforting her wracked her soul with guilt

as the weight of what she had done to her best friend came crashing

down upon her. She could not fathom why she had treated her friend

thusly, but the memories stood clearly in her mind judging her harshly.

Hermione never made it to the Great Hall and was not seen again until

the first class Monday morning.

oooOOOooo

Having lost his appetite Harry made his way back to the seventh floor.

The scene with Hermione played over and over again in his mind. "She

said nothing, not a word, how could she do…I don't understand." Harry

agonized.

Harry had made it to the fifth floor when he noticed a girl looking in and

out of classrooms and peering into broom closets apparently searching

for something. He almost turned to continue his journey to the seventh

floor when he noticed that she was not wearing shoes…or socks for that

matter.

Although it was September and still relatively warm, the flagstone floors

were always a bit cold. Looking closely at the girl's feet he noticed that

they appeared to be red with cold and the girl would repeatedly rub one

foot and then the other against her legs trying to warm them up.

Against his better judgment he approached the small girl. She was a good

six inches shorter than he was, with dirty blonde hair that reached her

waist. She had a thin frame and almost elfish facial features except for

her large almost bulbous blue eyes that oddly enough seemed to fit her

face beautifully. He noticed that she had interestingly tucked her wand

behind her right ear.

She wore an oversized knitted sweater with some sort of weird rabbit

looking creature with a single crumpled looking horn coming out of the

middle of its head. And a poodle skirt that came straight out of the

nineteen fifties. A necklace that appeared to be made of Butter Beer corks

and what looked like radishes dangling from her ears. It was an odd

ensemble but he had noticed that most magical didn't have the best

fashion sense when it came to muggle clothing.

Harry cleared his throat wanting to announce himself so as not to startle

the young witch. Without turning around to acknowledge him she

opened up another broom closet and searched it quickly and at the same

time spoke.

"Hello Harry Potter." The small girl stated in an airy voice.

"Um…hello."

"Have your shoes disappeared as well?" She asked now turning to face

him then looked down at his feet. "Oh! You found them…good for you! It

usually takes me till the end of term to find mine. Nargles are

exceptionally good and hiding things you know."

"Um…sorry…Nargles?" Harry queried never hearing of such a thing.

"Uh huh, they like to live in cold and damp places, so a castle is a prime

breeding environment. And with so many nooks and crannies to hide

things in they can't help themselves in borrowing items and hiding them.

I think it's kind of a game they like to play really."

Harry just stared blankly at the blonde witch, unsure what to think about

her. "We believe you by the way." She replied out of nowhere not

noticing the awkward silence coming from Harry.

"Huh?"

"About Voldemort being reborn. My father and I believe you. Oh where

are my manors…I'm Luna, Luna Lovegood." The blonde stated and held

her hand out.

"Err hi and th-thanks." Harry intelligently replied taking her offered hand.

In a swift motion Luna had gripped his hand tightly and pulled him

closer to her. They were nearly chest to head. Luna kept a hold of his

hand and leaning her head back looked straight up into Harry's eyes.

Harry uncomfortably stared back at the smaller witch who seemed to be

studying him. "As I suspected." Luna nodded. "Wrackspurts, a large

infestation of Wrackspurts."

"Wrackspurts? Harry asked.

"Yes Wrackspurts. They're tiny creatures that enter a person's brain

through their ears; they kind of make your thoughts fuzzy and disjointed

and can also cause moodiness and depression."

"Uh huh…and how does a person get rid of w-rack…"

"Wrackspurts." Luna helped.

"Yeah those, how do you get rid of them?" Harry asked humoring the girl.

"Well there are two ways. The first way is to jump into a mountain lake

wrapped in seaweed and allow the plimpies to nibble it off your body

while you sing 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.'" Luna stated.

Harry's eyes widened. He didn't know whether to laugh or run away from

the odd girl in terror. "So what is the second option?" Harry queried

almost afraid to ask.

"Butterscotch pudding. I find the second option more agreeable." Luna

stated matter-of-factly tapping her lips with her left index finger.

"What do you have to do with the Butterscotch pudding?"

"Well you eat it of course!" Luna stated looking at the boy as if he were

daft or something. Chuckling Harry agreed that the second option

sounded much more…palatable.

In an effort to change the subject Harry asked Luna about her lack of

footwear. "Well like I was explaining before, Nargles have taken all my

socks and shoes again."

"Again? Does this happen often?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, every year since coming to Hogwarts. Sometimes my shoes are

borrowed, sometimes my winter cloak and other clothing articles, on

occasion my homework disappears. Though this is the first time it has

happened on the first day back. Usually I find most of my things though

by the end of the school year. I'm sure the same thing has happened to

you."

Harry looked at the girl with a touch of concern. He had a feeling that

the Nargles were most likely her housemates stealing the young girl's

things because she was a bit odd. "No Luna that has never happened to

me. Have you spoken to your head of house about your things

disappearing?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, he is much too busy to bother with something so trivial. Besides

sometimes they're returned and if they're not I can always owl daddy for

replacements."

"Are you sure that these nettles…"

"Nargles."

"Yes, uhmm Nargles. Are you sure that Nargles are the culprits here

Luna?"

"Well…I think so, but I'm a little confused because I have anti Nargle

talismans in my trunk and I wear one around my neck." She showed the

butter beer cork necklace. "So they must have become immuned so how."

"What about your room-mates? Maybe they have had a hand in your

things vanishing?" Harry asked, a cloud of sadness seemed to pass over

Luna's eyes, but it was so quick that Harry wasn't sure that he had seen it.

"Why would they do something like that though? I mean they never talk

to me so I don't see why they would be in cahoots with the nargles." Luna

half smiled. Harry shrugged but didn't comment. Luna began to rub her

feet again on her legs in an attempt to warm them up.

"Here let me help you." Harry stated kindly. He then took out his wand

and pointed them at Luna's feet and cast a warming charm.

"Oooh that's nice." Luna commented wiggling her toes. You know, you're

not at all what they're trying to portray you as. Not that I ever believed it

anyways you have too many gilded chumlies circling you." Luna stated

with assertion.

"Is that a good thing?" Harry asked

"Oh very good! Gilded chumlies are attracted to people of noble spirit,

unfortunately they can't chase away the nargles but I can give you one of

my talismans for that." Luna offered with a large smile.

"Well I think you are probably the only one who thinks that about me?"

Harry said a bit down heartedly.

"Oh no there are many Harry Potter, some are just too afraid of the

blibbering humdingers to show their support. But the curse is what's

turning most against you. But sadly there are those who just for whatever

reason allow the wrackspurts to effect their minds."

"Curse…what curse?" Harry asked.

"The curse that the sniveling wingbat has put on the students. Well not

the students per say, but at the entrances to the house common rooms."

"Something has cursed the students to be against me?" Harry asked.

"M' huh, not a very nice thing to do, but there you are." Luna replied

picking at a loose thread on her jumper.

"If that's true how come you are not affected?" Harry asked.

"Well I'm not one hundred percent sure. It could be my necklace, but that

wouldn't explain all the others who are not affected. So I think it must be

simply a mental thing. You choose to let it affect you or you don't. I

chose not to let it influence me." She shrugged.

"So the reason everyone hates me is because of this curse?" Harry asked.

"Oh no, there are plenty of people who hate you even without it, it just

negatively affects those who have no opinion one way or another." She

stated.

"How do you know this?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well I can see it over the Ravenclaw entrance and I assume all the

common rooms have it. And because, the magic leaves a visible trace on

everybody who passes underneath it."

"You can see magic?" Harry asked in an impressed tone. Luna smiled

brightly and nodded.

"Uh huh, all magic leaves a trace whether it is a curse, hex, jinx, or spell."

Luna confirmed.

"Do you know the counter curse Luna?" Harry asked hopefully.

Luna's countenance fell." I'm sorry Harry Potter, I don't. Does this mean

we can't be friends."

"What?! No o-of course not. Do you want to be my friend? I mean with

everyone else against me wouldn't that put you at odds with the rest of

the school."

Luna looked at him sadly. "Most people already ignore me. They think

I'm kind of…odd." Luna whispered conspiratorially with a small shrug of

the shoulders. "But I would love to be your friend if you'd let me." Luna

whispered in a small voice.

Harry stared at Luna for a moment. Her voice and facial expressions were

so genuine and open that it surprised him. She was definitely unique but

that wasn't a bad think at all in his book. Dobby gave new definition to

the word odd, but Harry counted him now as a good friend. "I'd like that

Luna, I don't have many friends right now as it is, and I would be daft not

to accept such a wonderfully unique person as you as a friend." Harry

smiled at the petite blonde.

Luna's smile threatened to eclipse her face it was so large, she launched

herself into Harry and hugged him for all she was worth. Harry not

totally unaccustomed to hugs, after all he had received them from Mrs.

Weasley and from Hermione. But this hug was not the smothering kind

that he received from the Weasley matriarch or the occasional bone

breaking hug from his former bookish best friend, but it had been a hug

full of emotion and gratitude that Harry couldn't help smile in spite of

himself.

Luna stepped back from Harry her cheeks flushed pink with

embarrassment. "Sorry Harry Potter, I guess I got a little too excited."

Luna mumbled.

"No worries Luna, that's what friends do right. And please it's just Harry,

okay?" Harry offered with a smile, Luna returned his smile and nodded

with enthusiasm.

"Have you had breakfast yet Luna?" Harry asked his new friend. Luna

shook her head in the negative.

"Well, how about we kip off to the kitchens and have something to eat

and then I'll help you try and find your shoes, yeah?" Luna nodded and

soon they were off to the basement and finding the entrance to the

kitchens, Harry tickled the pear on the painting of a cornucopia of fruit.

The pear turned into a brass door knob and with a gentle turn and a push

the two new friends walked in to the Hogwarts kitchens.

The kitchens were a bit larger than the Great Hall with long tables that

sat precisely under their counterparts on the floor above. There were

dozens of house elves running to and fro setting platter after platter of

breakfast foods on the groaning tables. Once the platters were placed on

the table the immediately disappeared and reappeared on the

corresponding table above.

An excited House Elf appeared before them wearing a ruffled pink apron

with the Hogwarts Crest in the center of it. From the longish white hair

he guessed she was female. She had large blue eyes and a pointy nose

and with the typical large bat like ears that all House Elves seemed to

have.

"Howz can Ellie be'z helping young miss and young sir?" The little elf

squeaked.

"Um…we were wondering if we could have breakfast here in the

kitchens." Harry asked the diminutive elf.

Ellie bounced on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands together. "Of

course youz can!" She squealed happily dragging the pair to a medium

sized table. Harry and Luna had barely sat down when several elves

brought plates full of eggs, rashers, fried tomatoes, and pastries and

carafes of pumpkin juice and a tea setting.

Harry and Luna thanked the elves for the wonderful services they

received beaming faces in return and then returned to their other duties.

Harry and Luna began to load their plates with the delicious smelling

buffet before them. Harry had just taken a bite of his eggs as he looked

around at the busy elves. He suddenly had a thought and wondered if it

were possible.

Harry called to a passing elf and asked to speak to him. "Does young sir

need something from Tudgy?" The small elf asked.

"Um yes. I was wondering, my friend here as seemed to have lost her

shoes and socks and I was wondering, is it possible, I mean are you able

to find lost items within the castle. And if you are could you help us in

locating them?" Harry asked unsure if it were even possible.

"That is an easy thing to do sirs." The elf replied happily.

"Oh?" Harry asked.

The little elf nodded his head vigorously. "Oh yes, every witch or wizard

leaks their magic which gets into their clothing. All we needz to be

doings is looking at young miss's magic and weez can be finding her

thingses."

"Wow, I didn't realize that was possible." Harry stated impressed.

"Is young miss wanting Tudgy to findz her thingses?"

"That would be ever so lovely if you could." Luna stated with a happy

smile.

Without another word the elf popped away, within moments the elf

returned with a rather large pile of clothing, shoes, jackets, and other

clothing. Harry looked at the rather large pile and then back to Luna.

"Where did you find all thisTudgy?" Harry asked.

"Somez were in the abandon greenhouse, others were being in the trunks

of other Ravyclaws." It squeaked.

"Luna…how…why…?" Harry was at a loss for words as he looked at the

large pile that had obviously been things taken from the young blonde

since her first year. Luna looked a little embarrassed and could only

shrug. She picked out a pair of mismatched socks and a pair of shoes and

quickly put them on.

"Tudgy, could you return Luna's things to her trunk please." Harry asked.

With an animated nod the small elf popped away with the items.

"Well at least I know where to come when the nargles take my things. "

She said softly. Harry glared at her and shook his head.

"Luna, I seriously doubt that nargles are responsible for all this. You

should really speak with Professor Flitwick about this." Harry told his

new friend. Harry was nearly seething with anger at the treatment that

Luna had apparently been receiving from her House-mates.

"I know you mean well Harry, but I'm sure that he is too busy and besides

my house-mates are only having a bit of fun, I'm sure their intentions are

not meant to be mean in nature." Luna sated in a sad voice dropping the

airiness from earlier.

Harry was about to argue the point but the pleading look in his new

friends eyes begged him to drop the subject. Reluctantly he dropped the

subject and the two sat in silence while they returned their attention to

the food in front of him.

An hour had passed and the two chit-chatted about this and that until

Luna told him that she wanted to return to her dorm room and sort

through her things. There were obvious articles of clothing and what-not

that no longer fit her and she wanted to owl them home. With a promise

to meet each other tomorrow for breakfast again Luna left the kitchen.

Harry sat there in the kitchens a bit longer and tried to organize his

thoughts with his novice occlumency skills. His morning so far had been

to say the least emotionally draining. He once again thought of Luna's

possessions being stolen from her and then he immediately thought of his

own, specifically his father's invisibility cloak and the Marauders' Map.

He was about to call Trudgy again when he thought of someone else.

"Dobby, I need you!" Not knowing if this would work or if it were

possible for the odd little elf to enter Hogwarts he called for his friend.

There was a slight pop as air was displaced and suddenly an overzealous

Dobby was hugging Harry's legs tightly.

"Master Harry iz needing his Dobby! " Dobby said excitedly nearly

toppling Harry. Harry chuckled at Dobby's antics and placed his hands on

Dobby's shoulder and pried the eager elf off of his legs so he could stand

properly.

"Dobby, I was hoping that you could help me with something." Harry told

the still bouncing elf.

"Of course! Dobby be doings whatever the Great Harry Potter asks!"

"Uh huh, well I was wondering if you had the same ability to sense magic

as the House Elves here to locate some personal items of mine?" Harry

asked.

"Yes Harry Potter, all house elves can sense magic, especially of their

master's magic!" Dobby said his head nodding fervently.

"Brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. "I need you to find my invisibility cloak and

a map that belonged to my dad, it's called the Marauders' Map, and it's a

magical map that shows the castle and everyone in it. My former friend

Ron Weasley took them and I believe he may still have possession of

them." Harry said bitterly.

"I's can try and find the cloak but it could be difficult…and the map

maybe more difficult, the magic of the map may not have allowed your

magic to seep into it. And the cloak Dobby remembers as being very

powerful and also may not have let your magic in it. But Dobby will do

his best for his master." Dobby stated.

"Just do your best Dobby, that's all I ask, but I would find Ron Weasley,

he most likely will have it near him." Harry told his little friend.

"I will keep looking until I have found it Harry Potter sirs." Dobby said

and snapped his legs together and bowed then with a small pop was

gone.

Harry did not know how long it would take Dobby to find and collect his

family heirlooms from the traitorous redhead so he decided that maybe

he would take a walk outside and get some fresh air. He climbed the

stairs from the basement to the main floor. He could hear that breakfast

in the Great Hall was in full swing. The chorus of voices echoed from the

hall and out into the foyer.

Not sparing a sideways glance Harry walked past the large double doors

that lead to the eating students and walked out the main doors of the

castle and out onto the grounds. He made his way toward the black lake

to the large Oak tree that had become a favorite spot of many students to

look out over the large body of water. He sat down and waited to see if

Dobby would be successful anytime soon.

oooOOOooo

"Harry? Harry? Lord Black?!" Bellatrix was confused and she hated,

simply loathed being confused. Harry had been right next to her when

they stepped through the door and then…poof! He was gone.

"If this is some kind of prank I swear I'll hex your bits, head of house or

not…Harry!" Bella spun around as the door behind her closed and then

disappeared. "Well shite!" She growled out, as she now stared at a solid

stone wall again.

"Suppose I should just head to breakfast and see if he turns up. If he's not

there I can just return here, besides I want to know if I'm still in my time

or not." Bella spun back around and began the long walk from the

seventh floor to the main floor where the Great Hall was located.

Fortunately it was still on the early side so there were not many students

around. She entered the Great Hall and walked to the Slytherin table and

immediately recognized her two sisters, well that answered her question

of what time she was in, but her sisters were looking worried about

something.

As Bella approached her sisters, Narcissa spotted her and jumped up from

her seat and ran toward her and then threw her arms around her eldest

sister's waist and buried her head into her chest. "W-where were you?" A

muffled sobbed was heard coming from the little blonde girl at Bella's

chest.

Before Bella could answer, her other sister had arrived with a murderous

look on her face. "Do you know what we've been through?!" Andromeda

hissed in low tones to her sister so others would not over hear.

"When you didn't arrive in the common room we thought something had

happened to you! Then the bloody Lestranges and their lemmings came

in and were cursing your name and swearing they would get even!" Andi

growled. "Now will you tell us what the bloody hell is going on and

where you've been?"

Bella looked around and noticed a few eyes that found some interest in

the three Black sisters huddled up together. "Not here." Bella whispered.

"We'll talk in a bit; I need to eat a bite first." The eldest Black sister

informed the other two.

Bella led her sisters over to the far end of the Slytherin table furthest

from the door. Bella sat down pulling a plate toward her and began to fill

it. Andromeda and Narcissa sat together opposite from Bellatrix. The two

younger sisters looked at their older sibling with a 'well we're waiting'

look. Bella had just taken a bite of sausage when she noticed them

glaring. She huffed and quickly chewed the bit in her mouth.

Lazily she flicked her wand around the trio putting up some privacy

wards to keep other nosey busybodies from over hearing them. She

folded her arms in front of her, resting them on the table and then leaned

forward, her sisters doing the same in expectation.

Bella's eyes hardened a bit when she told her sisters about her

conversation with Professor Slughorn and that he had informed her that

there was no other place for her to stay unless she was a married or

betrothed student, and how he didn't seem overly concerned about her

safety.

Andromeda uncharacteristically swore and looked ready to kill when

Bella rehearsed what Rudolphus and the Git Patrol had attempted to do to

her. That explained the losers' tirade when they came through the

Slytherin entrance into the commons room. Cissy had a look of terror on

her face thinking about what could have happen to her idol of a big

sister.

The next part of the story Bella was not sure how to explain, how do you

tell someone that you were guided by some unknown entity to a room

that magically appears when asked, and then meet a boy who is

somehow from the future and on top of that the future Head of the Black

Family.

Bella opened her mouth to explain and…nothing. She could not think of a

way to start this conversation. She sat back in her seat and had a

complete stupor of thought. Andromeda and Narcissa looked at their

sister and then toward each other. Cissy shrugged in confusion. The two

younger sisters then turned back toward Bellatrix and patiently waited

for an explanation.

Before Bellatrix could start her explanation, she felt a large presence

approach her from behind. Turning slightly she saw the Slytherin Head of

House coming near. With a slight wave of her wand she dispelled the

wards that she had erected and turned fully to see him.

"Ah Miss Black, and Miss Black, and Miss Black." Horace Slughorn

chuckled at his own wit. "May I have a word with the oldest Miss Black?"

The walrus looking professor asked in his best sycophantic voice.

"Of course professor." Bella replied. "What is it that you want?" She asked

as she stood from the table and walked a small distance away from

prying ears.

"I discussed your situation with the headmaster and I have some good

news!" He smiled largely.

Bella did not respond but looked at him with an expectant look on her

face to continue. "Uh uhm, well as I was saying good news about your

request. The headmaster will allow you the use of the head girl room

within Slytherin that is currently unoccupied. That should afford you

some privacy and you would be the only one to be able to enter once you

set a password." He said magnanimously as if he had moved heaven and

earth to accommodate her.

Bella stared at the man or appeared to. Her mind was racing thinking of

all the pros and cons this would present. On one hand it would get her a

private room that only she could access and she would be near her

sisters. However she would still be living within Slytherin walls with the

Lestranges and the other dim wits that hung around him.

Then there was Harry, the raven haired boy from the future. In her

logical mind she believed that his appearance was not some random

happenstance. No there was a connection between them and therefore a

purpose for his presence. Furthermore, the castle itself had lead her to

the room. It was a mystery that she begrudgingly found to enticing to

give up. But perhaps she could have both, to accept the room but allow

Andi and Cissy to use it. That would give her sisters some added

protection and a place for her to stay if for some reason she needed to be

there.

"That's wonderful professor. I'm grateful for your attentiveness to my

situation and think that the Head-Girl dorm would be more than

acceptable. Would it be possible for my sisters to join me if they needed

to?" She asked.

"I don't see why not. I believe the House Elves can modify the suite to

your needs." He replied.

"Thank you sir! I cannot thank you enough!" Bella stated stroking the

man's ego a bit.

"Excellent! You can move in as soon as you like Miss Black. Oh and

expect my annual invitation to my Pre-All Hallows Eve party. I will have

the most interesting people there this year; I have an actual descendant

of Vlad the Impaler as a special guest!" The fame mongering professor

stated with a wide smile.

"Looking forward to it professor." Bella stated with a forced grin, she then

spun around and returned to the table muttering about sycophantic

imbeciles.

"What was that about?" Andromeda asked curiously.

"Slughorn just gave me the Head-Girl suite in the Slytherin dorms to use

for the year." She smugly told her siblings.

"That's great Bella!" Andromeda congratulated her older sister. "At least

Rudolphus can't use his prefect status to access you dorm room now.

"That's true but I'm not the one who will be using it." She whispered

conspiratorially. Once more Bella threw up a silencing ward created by

one of her ancestors. It was a combination of a notice me not charm and

a sound dampening charm that kept anyone from overhearing them even

with listening charms.

"What do you mean you won't be using it?" Narcissa asked in confusion.

Bella sighed. "Look, I'm going to spend as little time as possible around

the Slytherin Commons Room. And before you ask I do have some where

else I am staying and it is a safe place. And I know you want to know

where it is I'm staying, but for the moment I'd like to keep that secret, but

I promise I will let you know soon just trust me for now, okay?" Bella

asked her sisters and gave that I'm serious look that they knew all too

well.

The sisters reluctantly agreed but were not happy about it in the least.

"So why did you except the Head-girl suite if you're not going to use it?

Andromeda asked.

"Because, you and Cissy will be using it." Bella stated

"Us?" Cissy asked.

"Look, I've pissed off ole Rudy and his goons, and if he can't take out his

frustrations on me he may turn them toward you. By staying in the suite

you'll be protected at least while you are inside of it."

"Do you think he would hurt us Bella?" Narcissa asked beginning to chew

on her bottom lip with apprehension.

"I wouldn't put it past him Cissy. I know mother made sure we knew how

to protect ourselves from unwanted advances but as much as I loathe

admitting it, he is very powerful and can be rather ruthless when he feels

slighted." Bella remarked.

Cissy shrunk in her seat trying to make herself small and inconspicuous.

Andi reached over and put her arm around her sister. Bella leaned

forward and looked her youngest sister in the eyes and with a wicked

smile asked her. "Do you remember the castration spell I taught you this

summer?" Bella asked conspiratorially.

Narcissa shyly grinned and nodded her head. "If anyone tries to hurt you,

remember you are the daughter of an Ancient and Noble House. So if

anyone tries to harm you, use that spell. The Lestranges' are not an

Ancient or a Noble house so they will have no legal recourse if they

decided to press the issue of line theft. Sometimes it's good to be at the

top of our society." Bella chuckled evilly. Narcissa's smile widened while

Andromeda just rolled her eyes but her small smirk let her sister know

that she found it amusing as well.

oooOOOooo

The three sisters after enjoying their breakfast returned to the Slytherin

Commons Room to move Andromeda's and Cissy's things. Fortunately,

neither Rudolphus nor his brother happened to be there. However, Bella

would not escape complete anonymity as fifth years' Lucius Malfoy,

Gregory Goyle, and Matthias Crabbe had just entered the common room

from the fifth year dorms.

"Well, well look who it is lads." Lucius sneered. "Rudolpus was most

displeased with your lack of…servility last night." Lucius stated, slowly

walking around the three sisters like a shark would circle its prey. "What

a fortuitous moment that we should find you here, we were so worried

when you didn't return last night."

"I'm sure you were all just devastated." Bella sneered.

Lucius softly chuckled as he continued circling. "Indeed, Rudolphus was

so wanting to continue his conversation with you. He feels he may have

come off a little to…abrupt." Lucius turned a questioning look at his two

companions who began to chuckle.

"Such a pretty young Black, with golden hair even, you must be quite the

rarity in your family." Lucius stated as he slid a finger across Narcissa's

cheek which caused the young girl to shiver in disgust.

"Touch my sister again Lucy, and I'll permanently remove your hand."

Bella spat.

"Tsk tsk Bellatrix, I was merely admiring the splendid genes you Blacks

have. Besides you mar that pretty face of yours when you scowl like

that." Lucius shuttered mockingly. "Quite unattractive."

"Why don't you just crawl back into the hole you came out of smeg-

heads." Andromeda sneered. And take your bitches with you!"

Andromeda continued, glancing back at Crabbe and Goyle over Malfoy's

shoulder.

"Who you calling a bitch, you…you bitch!" Goyle stuttered out and tried

to look triumphant.

Andromeda laughed mirthfully. "I see originality is not your strong suit.

Neither is bathing apparently." Andromeda's nose crinkled in disgust as

she caught a whiff of the two oversized fifth years.

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other inquisitively and then each took a

whiff of their under arms. Each shrugged as if to say 'I don't smell

anything'. Andromeda rolled her eyes at the two boys. Many in Slytherin

were amazed that the two were still allowed in school. Their marks were

abysmal and neither had the power enough to stun a Bowtruckle.

Everyone just assumed their fathers had paid off the school board to

allow them to stay.

The confrontation began to attract the attention from the other Slytherins

in the common room. It was common knowledge that Bellatrix Black was

the current Hogwarts Dueling Champion and had been since her third

year, and her sister Andromeda was no slouch with a wand either. The

Blacks seem to always come to Hogwarts with quite the repertoire of

spells, jinx's, and curses already at their command.

"Ladies, ladies, there is no need for any unpleasantness." Malfoy raised

both of his hands showing he had no wand in them. "We are all

Slytherins here; and we are both from prominent pureblood families. We

should not squabble amongst ourselves like commoners. Our world is in

danger enough from the dirtying of our society by those who are less

than disserving of our gifts. We must stand united against the collapse of

our world." Lucius declared to the many nods of approval of those

present.

"Rudolphus himself told me that you, Bellatrix Black, could become such

a powerful force for good and a leader of our cause if you would only

open your eyes and join him as co-leaders of the youth movement. Your

parents see the wisdom in it; they know that an alliance between your

two powerful pureblood families would go far in rallying others to the

cause." Lucius stated in his practiced smooth and silky voice.

"Spoken like a true politician Lucy." Bella replied. "I have no interest in

joining your little movement, and I have absolutely no interest in joining

the House of Lestrange. I will choose who I…unite myself with, so you

can just go find Rudy and tell him to stay clear of me if he wants to

remain a whole person before he graduates." Bella smiled mockingly.

""You forget yourself…Witch!" Lucius spat, letting his cool demeanor

slip. "You will have no say in your union with Rudolphus. This matter

will be settled between wizards, you have only to obey like a witch

should do!" The longhaired blonde sneered. Lucius comment, although

receiving approval from the wizards in the room it had the opposite

effect on the majority of witches that had heard the comment.

Regaining his former air of indifference and schooling his features, he

began to speak in the tone of voice his father had taught him in dealing

with all matters of a political or public nature.

"Miss Black, our 'little movement' as you call it, is the herald of a people

who wish to only reclaim what is by right of magic ours. Your Noble

family has generously provided funding to our Lord and as a boon to

your family you have been given an opportunity to be a witch of position

and prestige within our ranks. Our Lord has been informed of your skills

with a wand and your prodigious talent at brewing. He is most anxious to

meet you; he wishes to personally explain his platform to you.

Bellatrix this is a rare opportunity afforded to few. You could very well

be placed amongst the elites in the new government that he will

establish. Just think of the honor you will bring to your family, not to

mention that your family will be heroes to our people by funding this

great cause and fighting for our traditions and culture." Malfoy declared.

Bella admitted to herself that when Lucius wanted he could be very suave

and convincing, but Bella knew Lucius too well not to know him as a

manipulator. Bella did not give any outward expression of her thoughts

one way or another. Lucius took Bella's silence as a sign she was seriously

considering what he had said and began to prematurely congratulate

himself.

"Listen Bellatrix, our youth organization will be meeting on All-Hallows-

Eve, and you can learn firsthand what we are about and have the

information you need to make an informed decision on what we are

about and the goals of our Lord." Lucius offered trying to get at least a

small commitment from her. He was convinced that once they enticed

her with some power and authority two things that the Black family had

been well known to cherish, they would have her, and then once

indoctrinated by their masters philosophy she would become a powerful

tool that his Lord could forge into an even more powerful weapon.

Bella looked at Lucius, and like a good Black decided to look at all sides

of her current problem in order to see where she could benefit. If this

movement was as powerful as they claim and their intentions true, soon

the Wizarding world would be thrown into a civil war. And right now she

knew there were many of the Old Families who were throwing their

financial support to this new Lord Voldemort.

Bella did not share all of the same ideals of the more bigoted purebloods

but she was proud of the traditions and culture of her magical ancestry.

The fragmentation of her society was evident even to the most novice of

political watchers. If this Lord Voldemort was as organized and as well

funded as she was being lead to believe, it might be prudent to at least

show some interest in the movement but not commit to anything just yet.

"Very well Lucius. I'll come to this meeting of yours. But don't for one

moment think that I will put up with the shite you lot attempted last

night. Next time it won't be a banishing charm I throw at you. The

contract between Lestrange and I has not been signed yet and as such I

do not belong to him and I will not be treated as his property! Do I make

myself clear?!" Bella hissed at the feminine looking Malfoy.

"I will relay your sentiments to Rudolphus. Speaking for myself, may I

say that you have made a wise decision to join us at our meeting. I

guarantee it will be very insightful and enlightening." Malfoy then bowed

and quickly gave a less than pure wink at Narcissa causing the young girl

to shiver. With a quick turn he walked away from Bella and her sisters,

with Crabbe and Goyle following closely behind him.

"You can't be serious Bella?!" Andromeda hissed.

"Quiet!" Bella hissed back. "Not here. The two of you go collect your

things and get back down here as soon as you can. The head-girl suite is

the door left of the fireplace. Once you get back we'll get you two set up

and then set a password that only the three of us will know, understood?"

"Yes Bella." They two younger Black sister chorused and then were off to

gather their things.

oooOOOooo

It had taken Dobby no time at all to locate the invisibility cloak and the

Marauders Map. Both were located in the trunk of the redheaded traitor

that had turned his back on his master. Dobby was sorely tempted to

curse the snoring freckled face twit but he was not sure that the Great

Harry Potter would approve. So after retrieving the stolen items Dobby

quickly popped back to his master.

Harry was ecstatic about the return of his family heirlooms and told

Dobby he was incredibly grateful. Dobby had absorbed all the praise and

was bursting with happiness.

"Dobby if I need you again I'll call. I won't be in the Gryffindor dorms

though. They sort of kicked me out of the house." Harry told the little elf

who was now planning revenge on those who would treat such a great

wizard as Harry Potter.

'I'll be staying in a place on the seventh floor. It kind of appears and

disappears." Harry stated.

"Oh! Youz is in the comes and goes room!" Dobby stated knowingly.

"You know about the room?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes Harry Potter, it is also known as the Room of Requirement. I's

was bringing Winky here when she was having too much butter beers."

Dobby stated shaking his head sadly thinking about the female elf that

had been wasting away.

"So you know how to get into it then?" Harry asked.

Dobby nodded. "Youz is just telling room whats you want and it be giving

it to you."

"So can any elf pop in to the castle?" Harry asked thinking that Hogwarts

was not as safe as everyone believed.

"No master Harry Potter sirs." Dobby replied.

"Then how did you enter?" Harry asked puzzled.

Dobby looked a little embarrassed. 'Well Although Dobby is Harry

Potter's elf now, Dobby was never formerly released as a Hogwarts Elf."

"So are you still bound to the headmaster then?" Harry asked a little

worriedly.

"No Harry Potters sirs, Dobby was a free elf while at Hoggywarts, elves

here are not bound to headmaster whiskers, elf's only bound to school."

"Really, so the elves are loyal to the school not necessarily to

Dumbledore." Harry asked and Dobby nodded. "But I imagine the elves

report everything to Dumbledore though yeah."

"Hoggywarts keeps the secrets of her students from whiskers unless they

be in danger." Dobby stated.

"What! So all the crap that I went through over the years, all the

ambushes I walked into from the students, all the curses I took, the

headmaster knew about!" Harry yelled.

Dobby nodded sadly. "I's had warned headmaster whiskers myself on two

occasions. And he was telling Dobby that he would take care of it. But

whiskers never intervened sirs."

"Hoggywarts is not happy with headmaster, she is telling all house elves

to protect students now, she is breaking vow of non-interference set by

the founders, says that whiskers has broken his oath to protect students

by allowing you to face danger within the castle and allowing you to be

injured."

"Hogwarts is alive then?" Harry asked excited about confirming his

theory.

"As long as magics is being used within her, she has life master Harry

Potter sirs, but her magics is limited." Dobby confirmed.

"Brilliant!" Harry stated. "She has already helped once, by guiding me to

the Room of requirement. I can't wait to tell Bella." Harry stated thinking

again of the young girl.

"Thanks again Dobby, you've been a great help." Harry patted his small

friend on the shoulders affectionately.

Dobby smiled proudly. "I's be comings whenever you needz me Master

Harry Potter sirs." And with a small pop Dobby was gone.

Harry donned his cloak his body vanishing from sight. He made his way

back to the room that now had a name. The Room of Requirement, fitting

he thought. He did not stop at the Great Hall or visit any other area. He

realized that Monday would be here soon enough and he would have to

deal with the student body then. No need to hurry it along he thought.

Hoping to find Bella in the room he paced back and forth in front of the

wall, calling for the room he had last night. After the third pas the

familiar wood doors appeared and he stepped through.

oooOOOooo

"This is lovely!" Narcissa beamed as she and her sisters entered the suite

set aside for a Slytherin Head-Girl. It had a small commons area with a

couple of cozy looking sofas, a fireplace, a pair of desk. The hardwood

floors were covered by various ornate Persian rugs, the walls with

medieval tapestries. It had a very warm and comfortable feel to it.

To Bella's surprise there were two bedrooms with a shared bathroom

between them, similar to the setup in the magical room that she and

Harry shared. Andromeda was drooling over the large tub and Bella

could tell from the look in her eyes that she was ready to jump in and

give it a try.

Bella speculated that the house elves somehow knew of her desire for her

sisters to stay here and had made the room accordingly. Andromeda and

Cissy each chose a room and were soon unpacking their things.

Once her sisters were settled, the three took seat on the sofas. Bella then

explained to her sisters why she had agreed to attend the meeting with

Lucius. Both Andromeda and Narcissa voiced their anxiety about her

getting involved with people who were obviously bigoted and had voiced

their animosity toward anyone who wasn't of pureblood.

"Look girls, I'm not signing up with them, just going to listen to what they

have to say. Besides, our parents and Uncle Orion have already begun to

support this movement. And I don't think that they wouldn't ally

themselves with an organization that was truly evil." Bella stated.

"I think you're just trying to justify your decision Bella. We both heard

what Olivia Rosier said to you. They are planning a hostile takeover, they

want to bring down the Wizengamot and…and kill muggleborns!"

Andromeda challenged her older sister.

"Andi, I can't see them hunting down muggleborns. There are too many

of them. Besides if they started doing that popular opinion of them would

dramatically fall and would lose support of the moderates." Bella stated,

though there was no conviction in her voice.

"So they would kill people like Lily?" Narcissa asked with trembling lips.

"She is so sweet and funny and smart. Bella you can't let them hurt Lily!"

The blonde sister shrieked.

Bella pulled Narcissa into her lap, the younger girl burying her head in

her sister's neck. "Look, I promise if there is any serious hint that they

plan on harming others I will immediately turn away from them. And

perhaps if I do find out that they are truly going to bring a war to our

people I can convince the family to stop financing them." Bella said softly

hugging her littlest sister.

"I still don't like it Bella." Andromeda told her sister. "But, if you promise

not to join if they are as bad as I fear they are then I'll support you."

"Agreed." Bella responded. The three sisters stood and put their arms

around each other. "Sisters forever?" Bella asked the familiar call to her

sisters.

"Sisters forever!" The other two replied.

The rest of the afternoon was spent just being sisters and enjoying one

another's company. Bella and Andi informed Narcissa about the various

professors, and what she could expect from each of them. After eating a

light lunch that a house elf Bella had called provided. Bella excused

herself to return to her 'safe place' and do some pre-class studying.

With kisses and hugs Bella left the suite, without looking around Bella

exited the Slytherin Commons room and made her way back to the

seventh floor. It had been an interesting day and she had much to think

about. As she walked thought of the raven haired, green-eyed boy

entered her mind. He had obviously not come out of the room with her,

so assumed he couldn't come through to her time. It was a mystery that

kept bugging her, a puzzle that she wanted to solve. Not to mention she

was looking forward to getting to know the boy better. Purely on a

platonically academic level of course, she told herself though somehow

her stomach had other ideas and was fluttering at the thought of seeing

him again.

Coming to the blank wall she walked back and forth thinking of her

request. A set of familiar wooden doors appeared and slowly opened. She

stepped into the room and suddenly found a pair of emerald green eyes

sparkling back at her.

oooOOOooo

6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See Chapter one.

A/N: Wow again 56 reviews for the last chapter! Up to 215 reviews, not

bad for five chapters! I want to thank all those who reviewed, I know

many authors say this and it is absolutely true that it is your reviews

and responses that really motivates us to get chapters out. I hope you

enjoy this next chapter of Passageways.

Chapter 6: The Room of Requirement

Saturday afternoon, Minerva McGonagall sat at her desk chronicling the

home life as well as the academic and personal life of Harry Potter since

the night he had been removed from the Wizarding World and then his

subsequent return to the same world. It was a painful study in

manipulation, engineered friendships, controlled but dangerous

conditions and methodic exploitation of the savior of the Wizarding

world.

Albus Dumbledore for some reason from the moment the elder Potters

were murdered had taken a radical stand in the development of the

Potter heir. He had shared with certain people about the destiny of the

young boy and that he would one day be needed to stop the returning

darkness to their world.

Albus knew that Voldemort had not truly been destroyed that fateful

night so many years ago, and that he would one day return. How he

knew the Potter boy would be involved in the ultimate defeat of the

worst Dark Lord in a century no one else knew, for he kept this a closely

guarded secret. But his word was taken as fact, after all Albus was one of

the greatest wizards to have lived since Merlin. He was widely respected

and held in high esteem by witches and wizards not only of Great Britain

but the entire Wizarding world.

So without reason to doubt him, many including Minerva herself had

blindly followed Albus' directions in allowing the boy to be a pawn in the

headmaster's endgame. His motivation in the tests was to place Harry in

life and death situations and determine what specific stimuli would be

the best to motivate Harry to be the weapon he needed.

In Harry's first year, the Troll incident although not planned initially, was

a welcomed event in Albus' mind. It cemented within the young boy that

self sacrifice was a noble act as he threw himself onto the back of the

Mountain Troll to save the Granger girl. It meant that the boy was

unknowingly willing to put himself in harm's way to protect another. But

Albus would need to refine it even more, he would need to narrow the

boy's view of self-sacrifice as not something that he could do but

something that he must do to gain peace and acceptance by not only his

peers but his parents as well.

The Granger girl although instrumental at the time, had unwittingly

guided Harry's character; she was a potential complication though. Harry

could not be allowed to form an attachment that could distract him from

his destiny. Emotions especially those of caring and love were

unpredictable emotions at best, but perhaps under the right

circumstances they could be used to turn the love starved youth into a

more determined martyr.

The Mirror of Erised had been the first real test. Albus needed to know

what Harry desired most. This would be the key into developing the

groundwork for how to guide him and manipulate his surroundings to

push him into the desired direction.

Albus discovered that the boy's greatest desire was to be reunited with

his parents. Of course no one could come back from the dead once they

were truly gone, but a plan formed in the old man's mind to use that

desire to slowly encourage Harry to join them…but at the appropriate

time and in the expected manner.

Minerva was instructed to only speak highly of his parents, giving hints

to the scamp that is father was and the kind person that his mother was

known to be. This would reinforce a sense of pride in his parents. She

would remark often to Harry that he was so like his parents and would

talk of their sacrifice in saving not only him but through him the rest of

the Wizarding world, implanting the concept of self-sacrifice stronger

into the young boys head.

Albus encouraged Severus Snape the SLYTHERIN Head of House to

denigrate the name of James Potter as often as possible in front of Harry,

making Harry overly protective of his father and lash out at the potions

professors. This would allow Severus to punish Harry at whim. Harry

would begin to associate the punishment and sacrifice of protecting and

defending his family name and the follow up consequences of that

defense as the norm. But it would also jade Harry further against

anything perceived to be of the dark, reaffirming Ron Weasley's words

about all evil witches and wizards came from Slytherin.

Through word and deed, would Albus guide and manipulate the thoughts

and emotions of the Potter heir. The line between light and dark would

be shown as severe. Voldemort would encapsulate all that was wrong and

evil in the world and as a Potter it was his duty and family obligation to

combat and lay down his life so that others may have the happiness that

can only come from the self-sacrifice of the few.

And so with a game plan achieved, the next three years were carefully

constructed to push the young Potter's abilities, power, and temperament.

He was built up just to be taken back down. An emotional rollercoaster of

highs and lows kept him unbalanced. Friendships and betrayals, successes

and failures, praises' and ridicule, he was being hardened, molded, and

refined.

This would be the year where Albus would really begin to press his

agenda. Voldemort had returned and Harry had been used to resurrect

him. It would not be hard for Albus to play upon young Harry's guilt and

sense of honor. As being the one to allow the Dark Lord's return it was

now incumbent upon the boy to destroy him. Harry's sense of

responsibility would call for nothing less.

But for all his intelligence, Albus had miscalculated. He had pushed too

hard, thinking that Harry would harness all this antipathy that was being

thrown at him and use it to fuel his desire to destroy what was the

intended focal point of his misery, Voldemort. Instead He had created a

Harry who was losing all affection for the world that had "rescued" him

from the horrible existence he was forced to live with the Dursley's.

Albus had hoped that with the turning of the school against him that

Harry would place the anger squarely on Voldemort as the cause of his

strife. He hoped it would motivate Harry to willingly throw himself into

preparing himself to face Voldemort to prove to others that he was not

lying. So desperate was Harry's need for love and affection he thought he

could manipulate that desire in wanting to prove himself.

Eventually Harry would come to understand that what Albus had put him

through was necessary and for the greater good of the Wizarding world.

Albus was supremely confident that his plan would indeed bare good

fruit.

A knock on her office door broke her self-reproving musings. She had

called her fellow confederates to a meeting to discuss how they would

protect Harry Potter. Minerva feared that it may be too little too late but

she had to try and redeem herself in not only her eyes but in the eyes of

James and Lily and save their son.

"Filius, Pomona, come in, come in." The stern transfiguration professor

called back to the door. The diminutive Charms professor and the plump

Herbology professor entered. Much to her surprise three other professors

came in as well. Professors Aurora Sinistra, Septima Vector, Charity

Burbidge, entered as well. Seeing the inquisitive look on the Deputy

Headmistress face, Filius spoke up.

"I've spoken at some length with them Minerva and they are as appalled

as we are at what has been happening to young Mr. Potter and are most

willing to help us in protecting the lad."

"As you know Minerva." Aurora Sinistra began. "Lily Evans and I were

study partners for our seventh year Transfiguration project. We became

quite close; I have never known such a warm and compassionate person

as Lily Evans. I feel an almost sense of obligation to try and help her son,

and payback some of her kindness." Sinistra stated passionately. Minerva

nodded at the young professor and received similar stories from

Professors Vector and Burbidge.

"Then let's get this meeting started." Minerva nodded and with a sweep of

her wand three more chairs appeared.

oooOOOooo

"Hey…"

"Hey…"

The two teens stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments before

the ever bold Bellatrix ended the staring contest with her typical frank

way of speaking.

"So are you going to tell me where the hell you went or are we going to

stare at each other and count the freckles on each other's face?" Bella

asked folding her arms across her chest.

"But you don't have any freckles on your face." Harry replied in

confusion.

With a large smirking grin on her face she slowly with a little sway in her

hips walked toward Harry. "Been memorizing my face Harry? My, my,

my, aren't we just the observant young lord." Bella purred as she traced

her right index finger across Harry's chest as she walked by. She had to

stifle a giggle as she saw the reddening gob-smacked face on her

roommate.

Harry stood there for a moment completely at a loss for words, but wisely

chose not to pursue this line of conversation. He turned and followed her

to the sitting room taking a seat across from her. Clearing his throat

which had gone dry for some odd reason, he restarted the conversation.

"Well, um…I'm still in my time apparently. When I exited the room I was

alone. I looked around for you but you were no longer there." Harry

stated as he relaxed back into the comfortable wingback chair. "I ran into

Herm…an acquaintance while I was out and knew I was in my own

time."

"It was the same for me. I stepped out with you at my side but then all of

a sudden you were no longer there. I went to the Great Hall to discover if

I was still in my time or yours. When I arrived, I found my sisters and

realized that I was also still in my own time." Bella replied. "So I guess we

are resigned to our own timeline then?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, maybe. Perhaps if we time it

perfectly and step out at the exact same time…"

"Maybe…" Bella cut him off. "But perhaps we are simply tied by whatever

force to our own time line and this room is somehow outside of normal

reality and the only place we can be together."

This thought had strangely saddened Harry. "Maybe we should try it

again but maybe holding hands this time."

Harry reddened again as he saw that saucy smirk coming from Bella,

realizing what he had just said and how Bella would likely respond to

such an opening. "You are bold my Lord, we've known each other less

than twenty-four hours and you are already trying to hold my hand!"

"That's not what I meant!" Harry protested fiercely but his reddening face

only caused Bella to give in to her giggles.

"S-sorry Harry!" Bella gasped merrily. "But it was too good a moment not

to tease you!" Bella was leaning heavily back in her chair with her arms

wrapped around her belly as she tried to calm herself down.

Harry crossed his arms petulantly and rolled his eyes. "It was just a

thought." Harry said flatly.

"It's actually a good thought." Bella stated after she regained control of

herself. It still amazed her how comfortable she felt around Harry, she

would have to give that some serious evaluation later, because she never

felt comfortable letting her guard down around anyone.

"Yeah?" Harry asked

"Yeah. I mean it couldn't hurt to try. Maybe we should try it later in the

evening though, less likelihood of running into…problems." She stated

pensively. "I…I was thinking earlier, about why this is happening to us. I

mean there has to be a reason why the castle has brought us here. I'm not

a big believer in coincidence so I have to believe that there is something

else at play here. Some reason why you and I were brought together."

Bella stated thoughtfully.

"What do you think the purpose could be?" Harry asked

"Not entirely sure to tell you the truth. It can't be coincidence that we are

related and you are the Head of House Black in your time."

"Maybe we are meant to help each other somehow." Harry replied with a

shrug. "Aunt Walburga wants me to bring honor and pride back to the

family, maybe that's it." Harry finished

Bella looked thoughtfully at Harry as she considered his words. "I don't

think the castle would interfere in our lives just to bring back a family's

honor." Bella stated flatly. "No I think it has to deal with us personally."

This got Bella thinking of her own mess of a life right now. 'Could he be…

it was unlikely that he could stop the marriage contract with Lestrange.

Although Harry is the head of my house in his time, Uncle Orion is the acting

head in mine, and it is unlikely that he would order my father not to accept

the contract.'

Another thought entered her mind…a disturbing thought. What if there

were no Lestranges' to be married to. Could she make the two brothers

simply disappear, could Harry be enlisted to help her? What would Harry

think of her for contemplating murder? She wasn't even sure where these

dark thoughts were coming from. She had never taken a life, oh sure she

had thought about it, but never seriously considered doing it.

But desperate times call for desperate measures, and she was desperate

not to be forced into this union. She had heard about the dark magic that

could be put into these magically binding contracts, and she knew that

she would most likely lose her free will once she signed on the dotted

line, such was the magic imbued in these archaic rituals.

There were too many what ifs and how's that it was not worth dwelling

on it at the moment. Even if Harry was not repulsed by the idea, there

was the matter that he was stuck in his time and she was stuck in hers, so

how could he help even if he wanted to. So why were they brought

together if not to help each other? Maybe she was just over analyzing all

this. Maybe it is just some miracle of happenstance that brought them

together.

'Nah!' She didn't believe in coincidences. They were brought together for

a reason; she just needed to somehow find out what it was. It was a

mystery and nothing attracted Bellatrix Blacks interest more than a

mystery.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked worriedly as he looked into the blank face

of the girl in front of him.

"W-what? Oh! Sorry just kinda of zoned out there for a minute. I was just

trying to answer a question in my head."

"Did you find your answer?" Harry asked interestedly.

"No, not yet, but I'm nothing if not tenacious. I'll figure it out eventually."

"So what did you do while you were out?" Bella asked as she took a seat

in the comfy arm chair that she now claimed as her own. Harry took the

other across from it. Bella kicked off her shoes and tucked her feet

underneath her as she got comfortable.

"Some tea would hit the spot about now." Bella casually said rubbing her

tired eyes with her right hand. "I wonder if the room offers room service."

"Don't know, give it a try." Harry told her.

In a firm voice Bella called out for tea, a few moments later a tea service

and a plate of biscuits appeared on the end table next to her chair.

"Brilliant!" Bella stated. "Faster than a House Elf.

"Hmm…house elves, I wonder if Dobby could come here, after all he was

never officially released from the castle."

"Who's Dobby?" Bella asked.

"One of my house elves." Harry stated.

"One? How many do you have?" Bella asked curiously.

"Um…three."

"My, my, aren't we the spoiled lord." Bella smirked jokingly.

Blushing Harry responded. "Well one I inherited, another I freed from a

bad former owner and now he serves me and another who had been

released from her family and was in bad shape so I offered her a home

with me." Harry told Bella defensively.

"Easy I'm not judging or anything, just that it's rare for most families to

have more than one elf unless they own multiple properties." Bella stated

apologetically.

"Sorry, I can be a little defensive at times. Aunt Walburga keeps telling

me to reign in my emotions but as you can see I do let them slip out at

times."

"Aunt Walburga? Orion's wife?" Bella asked in astonishment.

"Yeah, why?" Harry asked curiously.

"Is she still alive?"

"Um, no, she died several years ago. When I moved into Grimauld Place

her portrait was there and we struck up a kind of mentor/apprentice

thing. She has been very helpful and very patient in training me to be a

proper lord." Harry said with admiration in his voice.

"So do you prescribe to her ideology then?" Bella asked warily.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked perplexed.

"I mean are you a pureblooded bigot Harry?!" Bella asked accusingly.

"What!? Of Course not! I'm a half-blood for Merlin's sake! I have…well at

least had friends who are muggleborn!"

"Then why are you learning from her?! For that matter why is she

training you? She detests everything that is not pureblood." Bella stated

matter-of-factly taking note of Harry's admission of being a halfblood.

"She may have been at one time…but her opinions have changed with

the death of…"

"Yes?" Bella asked leaning forward on her chair.

Harry again was kicking himself. He again had nearly let slip information

about the future that could have serious ramifications on his present

should the information get out to the past. Bella saw Harry immediately

close down. She had struck a nerve and wondered if she had pushed too

hard and quickly decided to ease his fears or at least attempt to.

"Look…" Bella stated slowly, getting up from her chair she walked toward

the fire looking into its snapping flames. "…I'm just curious Harry; I'm

not trying to trick you into revealing something you don't want to. I just

find this whole situation extraordinarily strange."

Bella turned back around staring deeply into the young man's eyes. "I find

you extraordinarily strange. Not in a bad way…just…I'm not sure."

At his bewildered stare she continued. "How is it that you a half-blood

are the head of the House of Black, what has happened to my family

Harry? It's obvious you're guarding secrets from me. As a Slytherin I can

appreciate you being reticent about giving me any personal information

about yourself and the future. But we are family Harry, however distant

we may be. If you are a Black and have been taught even just a little

about us, you know how important family is to us." Bella paused for a

moment collecting her thoughts again before she continued. Harry just

continued looking at her, somewhere lost in his own thoughts, but

carefully paying attention to the raven haired girl.

"Why have we been brought together Harry? Haven't you been

wondering about that? I mean there has to be some reason other than the

two of us trying to escape our own individual problems." She questioned

him coming closer to him snd sitting on the arm rest of the chair Harry

was sitting in.

"I have been thinking about it." Harry finally spoke looking up at her

from his seat. "I don't know why either Bella, maybe it has something to

do with…" Harry cut himself off again, staring almost judgingly at Bella,

at the woman who became the right-hand of Voldemort, the most feared

witch to have lived since Morgana.

"Tell her Harry…you can trust her. You will need to trust each other." A

soft musical voice stated from behind the two. Harry jumped from his

seat and in a smooth fluid motion had pulled out his wand and spun

around. Bella was a split second ahead of him drawing her own wand.

Both teens spun to see a beautiful translucent looking woman with

shockingly blue eyes and long plaited blonde hair that fell over her left

shoulder and hung past her hips. She appeared to be wearing a full

length gown that trailed behind her, wide sleeves hung from her wrists,

an oddly, a Celtic torc around her neck, the braided gold weaving in and

out ending with the head of a dragon on both ends. She appeared as if

she just stepped out of the dark ages.

"Who are you?!" Bella demanded of the apparition, pointing her wand at

her. The apparition chuckled musically.

"Why so jumpy Bellatrix Black of the House of Black. I would expect a

reaction like that from young Harry, but I thought you'd be a little more

composed." The woman smiled in mirth. Bella just glared. Chuckling

again the woman continued.

"But to answer your question Miss Black…well that is a little difficult to

explain. The short of it though is that…I am Hogwarts." The enigmatic

woman stated.

"Hogwarts?" Harry asked in surprise. "How can you be Hogwarts? I

mean…I recently began to believe that the castle was alive somehow, but

you are definitely not a stone castle." Harry replied looking the personage

up and down.

"Why thank you very much Harry Potter of House Potter and House

Black." Smiling at Harry warmly.

"Let me try and explain it then. When the founders built this wonderful

enchanted castle they each left a piece of themselves within the

heartstone. The heartstone is what powers the wards of the school. Along

with the inherent magic that exists here due to the magical ley lines the

castle sits on, the wild magic released from every student that has ever

attended here also gets absorbed into the heartstone.

One hundred and fifty years later something truly remarkable happened,

with so much excess magic flowing within my walls I somehow became

sentient. The last remaining founder was intrigued by my…birth…for

lack of a better word. But because a piece of each founder that was

placed within me I knew of their hearts desires; to teach and educate

young witches and wizards and provide them a safe environment to do

so. I was then commissioned by the last living founder, Helga Hufflepuff

to be guardian over the school.

I was to keep destructive outside forces from getting in and harming the

students. They did not foresee however, that one day the danger might

come from within my very walls, but not to interfere with the lives of the

students or professors was one of my tenants, tenants I am bound by

magic to keep. But because of…extenuating circumstances I am able to

interfere on behalf of each of you."

"What circumstances?" Bellatrix asked.

"In Harry's case I'm able to interfere because vows of protection were

broken. Every headmaster of Hogwarts takes a vow not to intentionally

harm or knowingly allow harm to come to any student under his care.

The current headmaster has broken his vows on both parts. Repeatedly.

In your case Miss Black I've taken some liberal license with getting

involved but nonetheless necessary action to prevent terrible things from

happening at the school and our world in the future."

"I don't understand." Bella informed the translucent woman.

"Terrible things will and have happened within my walls children; death,

murder, conspiracy, and betrayals. Young Harry here has been witness

and victim to many of them in his time."

"Then why haven't you stopped them before now?!" Harry asked hotly.

The specter lowered her head in sorrow and then spoke with a pain filled

voice.

"Because I was restrained by magic, I could only defend the castle from

outside influences. I could not interfere in the day to day happenings

within the castle. The founders wanted the students to be able to be free

to make their own decisions without influence. I have watched for

centuries the good and the bad, the heroic and the evil that children have

chosen to act upon.

But now…now that Dumbledore has acted against a student, has

willingly put you in danger and is currently planning on putting you in

great danger this year Harry, I am unrestrained. However I am not all

powerful. I can't physically interfere but I can provide you with sanctuary

and knowledge and other resources you might need if it is within my

power."

"But why is the headmaster doing this?" Harry asked angrily.

"He has fallen prey to his own hubris. He believes you are the one that

will stop the one who has brought suffering and misery to the Wizarding

world; that you will be the catalyst who will bring people back to his

vision of the greater good. He is immovable in his belief Harry. His

objective is to turn you into his weapon, an emotionless martyr who will

sacrifice himself for the greater good."

Harry fell back into his chair gob-smacked. A million thoughts and a

myriad of emotions whirled through his tempest beset mind. Harry had

thought of the man as a mentor but now he was revealed to be nothing

more than the architect of his misery. Bella sat once again on the armrest

of Harry's chair and squeezed his shoulder showing her support.

"The depth of his manipulations extends well beyond your own sufferings

Harry. He has been subtly influencing our world for decades. He is a man

obsessed with making the Wizarding world his own private utopia.

Forcing all to follow his vision of what the world should be and in the

process taking away not only magicals' but humanities free agency as

well." Hogwarts informed him.

The physical manifestation of Hogwarts continued to explain to Harry

and Bella just what the headmaster had done and how he was

intentionally turning the students against him as well as Snape's

involvement. Harry felt utterly betrayed, anger rose within him to a level

he had never felt before. Bella stepped away from him as raw magic

appeared to arc around his very skin.

Harry stood from his seat quickly and tried to force himself to calm down

as he paced around the room. He tried to use what occlumency skills he

had to reign in his emotions but found it near impossible to do so. A

calming draft suddenly appeared on one of the small end tables near

Harry's chair, while simultaneously a calming draft disappeared from the

medical stores in the Hospital Wing.

"Harry, drink this." Hogwarts told him. "It will help you calm down."

Without thinking twice Harry downed the bitter tasting potion. Within a

few seconds Harry had visibly relaxed, he returned to his chair a slumped

into its comforting softness.

"Are you okay Harry?" Bellatrix asked in concern for the boy.

"I don't know. It's a lot to take in right now." Harry said honestly. Harry

closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, one of the exercises

Walburga had taught him to calm his mind. While Harry was focused on

himself for the moment Bella faced the beautiful woman.

"I can understand why you can help Harry, but I'm confused as to why I

am here, why are you helping me?" Bellatrix asked in an uneasy voice.

Hogwarts looked fondly at the raven haired girl.

"You have so much potential Bellatrix Black, and you were meant to

accomplish such great things, but sadly if events in your life continue

unchanged by the end of Christmas break this year your choices will be

made by someone else and it will force you to walk a path that will have

devastating effects on our world and on Hogwarts for years perhaps

generations to come." Hogwarts wore an expression of deepest sadness.

"What's going to happen to me?" She asked concernedly.

"Your mind and free agency will no longer be your own, but a slave to

someone else." The visage stated.

"The marriage contract." Bella whispered and saw the slow nod from

Hogwarts. "What will I do in the future if things aren't changed?"

For a moment Hogwarts said nothing, but watched the young girl in front

of her. Hogwart's memories only included those things that happened

within her walls and surrounding grounds. But she was made aware of

things that happened without her through the students and faculty's

conversations and the odd news article read.

So Hogwarts was aware of the horrors the Death Eaters had visited upon

the Wizarding world and the failed attack of 1978 against the school

itself. Bella had lead that engagement against the school, nearly two

dozen students were killed before Voldemort and his force of Death

Eaters were driven back.

"Terrible things Bellatrix Black, terrible." Hogwarts told her without

elaborating. Harry looked up at her words and saw the pain in Bella's

eyes. It was that moment that Harry realized that this was not Bellatrix

Lestrange the mass murderer and Voldemort's lieutenant, but this was

Bellatrix Black a fifteen year old girl who had not chosen that path.

"You are not that person Bella." Harry spoke softly. Bella turned her face

to his, her violet eyes storming with emotion. "You haven't done any of

those things yet.' Harry told her.

"I may not have a choice Harry." She stated her voice devoid of emotion.

"You always have a choice." Harry replied.

"Not if I'm forced to sign the bloody marriage contract my father has

from the Lestranges!" She almost sobbed.

"Marriage contract?" Harry asked.

"It's a pureblood custom Harry. Marriage contracts are used to form

political alliances between like minded families but also to keep the

bloodlines pure. They're magically binding and in some case can be used

to force the witch to be completely subservient to their husband. It strips

them of their free will." Bella stated morosely.

"Then don't sign it." Harry stated firmly.

"It's not that easy Harry, a refusal to sign and I could be banished from

the family or worse. To refuse would dishonor my family and have

serious ramifications to our standing amongst the old houses."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Harry asked.

Bella was silently looking at her feet for a moment before she answered.

"There are a couple of options, neither is very pleasant. The first is

hoping the Lestrange brothers die. The second option…I do."

"There has to be another option Bella. We'll just have to look for it."

Harry stated not happy with her options.

"He is right Bellatrix Black; you have an opportunity here to change your

future and I think Harry will be the key to help you." Hogwarts stated

with an enigmatic smile on her lips.

"So we were brought here to help each other then." Bella stated.

Hogwarts smiled.

"By helping each other you help yourselves and hopefully our world as

well." She told the two teens.

"May I ask you a question?" Harry asked the woman.

"Of course."

"If you are the castle how come you look like…well a beautiful woman."

Harry blushed.

"Oh, Helga would give you a big kiss for that compliment Harry Potter."

"Helga?" Bella asked.

"I took the image of the last Founder, Helga Hufflepuff. She was flattered

by my choice."

"Huh, I always imagined Helga Hufflepuff to be a large burley Viking

woman." Harry stated a bit embarrassed.

"Helga was actually born in Ireland. Her father was a Norseman, but he

took a young Irish girl as his wife. As many Norse in the ninth century

who came to Ireland they adopted the Celtic way of life and customs.

Helga's father was no different." Hogwarts stated, amused at Harry's

vision of Helga.

"So what do we call you?" Bella asked.

"Helga called me the Lady Hogwarts." Hogwarts replied.

"Lady Hogwarts it is then." Harry smiled, receiving one in return from the

woman.

"Lady Hogwarts, could you explain to us about this wonderful room and

its capabilities?" Bella asked, wanting to know the limits and abilities of

the room.

Lady Hogwarts grinned. "Of course. This room is known as the Room of

Requirement. It gives within certain limitations anything the seeker

needs. It is infused with thousands of charms, runes, and spells, too many

to go into, and many of them only known to Rowena Ravenclaw and

Helga Hufflepuff who were a Charms Mistress and Runes Mistress

respectively."

"So what are its limitations?" Harry asked.

"Well anything asked has to be already found within the castle or with

the castle wards. The room cannot create something from nothing."

"So the tea I asked for earlier…"

"Came from the kitchens." Hogwarts answered Bella's question. "And

Harry's calming draught from Madam Pompfrey's medicinal stores."

"So the burning question for me and Bella…is how we are here? Together

I mean, seeing that we're from different times." Harry asked.

"Excellent question Harry Potter. But not easily answered. As I said

before, this room can call anything that is within its walls, that includes

its students. Having the knowledge of the four most powerful and

creative wizards and witches in history running through me and some

creative magic of my own, I layered my own work with theirs.

When I finished my spell work I told the room I had need of both of you.

When I had need for the two of you the room for lack of a better word

created a hole between your time and Bella's time thus allowing you to

occupy the same space." She stated with obvious pride in her voice.

"So because you summoned us we can exist together here in this room?"

Bella asked for clarification.

"In essence yes, it's a bit more complicated than that but the whys and

wherefores are not important right now."

"So we can only be together in this room. We can't go to each other's time

in other words." Harry asked this time.

"Well that's not entirely true. The room will allow you to exit to one

another's time. However you must be touching and you will go to the

time of whoever is in the lead when you exit. I anticipated that you may

need to go back and forth, but I must warn you of the dangers of doing

so.

Already the time line has been corrupted with you two meeting, but the

real danger lies with Dumbledore. He is the headmaster in both times

and is a master occlumens, should he see you in the past Harry he will

remember you and that would create serious problems for you in your

own time.

For you Miss Black as well, you are quite the infamous witch in Harry's

time, should you be recognized it could create pandemonium in Harry's

time."

"I'm really that terrible in Harry's time?" Bella asked sadly.

"You are the nightmare of both the old and young. Your name strikes

terror across our world." Lady Hogwarts informed the young witch. Bella

couldn't imagine being so awful that she was feared by so many. "Take

extra care, young Bellatrix Black." Hogwarts counseled.

"Now, I believe I shall take my leave. I am sure you two have much to

discuss. But should you need me just call for me and I will come." With

those words spoken the Lady Hogwarts seem to dissolve into the

nothingness and was gone.

oooOOOooo

"Tell me about my future self Harry?" Bella quietly asked the boy sitting

across from her. She did not meet his eyes but kept them focused on the

low burning fire in the fireplace. She looked worried and Harry

wondered if it was a good idea to tell her the little that he did know.

"I want to know Harry, please." Bella's voice was soft and pleading.

"I don't really know much except for what Aunt Walburga told me and

the whisperings of some of the students." Harry told her honestly.

"Whatever you know Harry I would like to hear."

Harry sighed deeply looking at the witches profile in the firelight. Even

with a subdued looking face and her hair pulled back into a loose

ponytail she was stunning. Harry lost himself momentarily as his eyes

traced the outline of her forehead, it continued down the bridge of her

nose curving under to explore the supple looking sight of her full lips. His

eyes followed the path to her chin and then caressed the line up her high

cheekbones and then plunging down her long elegant neck. His eyes

traveled back up and found a pair of violet eyes staring back at him with

a speculative look in them.

There were no accusations or teasing, she just gave him a warm half

smile that reached up to her dark colored eyes. "You were going to tell

me what you have heard about me Harry." She said just barely above a

whisper.

"Oh, oh…sorry." Harry blushed in embarrassment.

"No apology necessary Harry, but please I'd like to know." Bella kindly

replied.

"Well…according to Aunt Walburga you joined a group known as the

Death Eaters who were the soldiers I guess you could call them, of a dark

wizard who called himself Lord Voldemort." Harry began.

Bella knew the name. He was the leader of the new pureblood movement

who was advocating pureblood superiority and calling for stricter

regulations against muggleborns and half-bloods.

"This Lord Voldemort is actually a half-blood by the name of Tom Riddle

who went to school here some fifty years ago."

"A half-blood? Are you sure about that?" Bella asked.

"Oh yeah, told me himself he did. His father was a muggle and his mum a

witch." Harry told her.

"Well that won't go over well if his followers found out about that." Bella

lightly chuckled.

"Suppose not." Harry agreed.

"Anyway, he began a war, loads were killed. According to Aunt Walburga

those pureblood families who refused to join him were completely wiped

out. My family included." Harry said darkly.

"The Potters were wiped out?" Bella asked in shock.

"Yeah, I'm the last. It was because of me…well because of my mum

really, that he was eventually stopped. The ministry was losing the war

badly and was near to falling.

You were one of his top Death Eaters, and from what I understand one of

his deadliest. It's been whispered that you personally killed over a

hundred witches and wizards, including…children."

Bella gasped and her eyes began to fill with tears as she collapsed in on

herself hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Harry could see her body

shuddering in disgust. Harry stood grabbing a blanket that was draped

over one of the couches. He threw the warm blanket around Bellatrix's

shoulders and pulled it around her. Bella grabbed it pulling it tightly

under her chin and dropped her head into its softness.

"You mention that your mum stopped him." Bella asked quietly not

raising her head.

Harry decided to trust his new roommate with everything he knew and

so threw caution to the wind. "For some reason he decided to attack my

family. He killed my father and then killed my mother in front of me. I

was only a baby but I still hear my mother's screams, pleading with him

to kill her and not me. He then attempted to kill me with the killing

curse, but something happened and his spell rebounded on him

destroying his body."

"Sweet Maeve, poor Jaime." Bella gasped at hearing of her cousin's

premature death. "Who was your mother?" Bella asked softly.

Bella noticed the look of extreme pain in Harry's eyes; she immediately

began to regret the question and was about to withdraw the question

when Harry responded in such a small voice she barely heard him.

"A beautiful witch named Lily Evans." Bella gasped again recognizing the

name immediately as the spirited redheaded girl that Narcissa had

befriended.

"I'm so sorry Harry." Bella's voice was sincere and sympathetic.

"I was just a baby when they died, but on occasion I can still here my

mum pleading with Voldemort to spare me and to kill her. I still can see

the green flash of the killing curse when I close my eyes and try to

remember." Harry's voice sounded so distant that Bella was sure he was

reliving that horrible night.

"Harry, I don't want to become some mindless killing monster. I'm very

happy with the person I am now." Bella told her roommate tucking

tighter into the blanket that Harry had placed around her.

"Then I guess we'll have to work on that won't we." Harry gave her a half

smile. Deciding she was done talking about morose things for the time

being and wanting to really get to know the boy in front of her and

*gulp* 'let him get to know me I need to change the mood.'

"Are you hungry Harry?" Bella asked in a cheery voice.

Harry momentarily surprised by the sudden change of topic nodded.

"Teenage male here, I can always eat." Harry joked.

"Good! Have you ever had the fantastical tasting muggle food called…

pizza!"

oooOOOooo

A/N: Had a difficult time with this chapter. It just didn't want to be

written and I'm still not completely happy with it, hence it being posted

a little later than I had planned. But this chapter was needed to lay a bit

more foundation and develop Harry and Bella budding friendship.

Harry has decided to be completely honest with Bella, but Bella will be

a little more cautious with what information she gives Harry. She is a

Black after all. Please leave a comment, suggestion or a review.

7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: See chapter one for story disclaimers.

A/N: Wow! Seventy reviews for the last chapter! You guys are fantastic.

I hope to respond to some of them and let you all know how much I

appreciate your comments and suggestions. But if I don't get to yours

just know that I read them all and am truly inspired by your taking an

interest in my story.

A little warning; this chapter is a little angsty but not overly so. Next

chapter classes begin! How will Harry deal with his classmates and

professor?!

Chapter Seven: Revelations

"Kill the spare!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Nooooo! Cedric I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Bellatrix Black did not know what to do. She had heard the screams from

her roommate's room and ran in as fast as she could to see what was

happening. She found him thrashing about like he was having some sort

of fit. He was soaked in sweat and tangled in the sheets of his bed.

As she took in the scene she realized that Harry was having some sort of

nightmare a really terrifying nightmare, and from the bits she could

understand it seemed he was reliving something, some event where

someone had been killed.

She stood at the end of his bed at a loss for what to do. He wasn't in any

danger so perhaps she should just return to her room and cast a few

silencing spells. That was probably the proper thing to do. She turned

and walked toward the door with every intention of returning to her

room, but then.

"Mum…dad…?" Bella stopped her hand just about to push open the door.

She looked over her shoulder and looked at Harry's face, her heart

dropped in her chest as she saw the look of such sadness and longing in

the raven haired boy's countenance. She didn't know why she did it; it

was just an overwhelming moment of compassion she would tell herself

later.

She returned to the side of Harry's bed, he was crying in his sleep, the

discussion last night of his parents death coming to her mind. She gently

sat next to Harry's trembling form and cupped his cheek softly caressing

it. She had done this with Narcissa many times when she had bad dreams

and figured it couldn't hurt to try it with Harry. She shushed him with

soft cooing sounds, continuing to stoke his cheeks.

"It's alright Harry." She whispered. "You are safe, you are safe." After

about ten minutes Harry noticeably calmed downed. She continued to

look at the youthful face that was already showing the striking and

rugged looks of a soon to be handsome man and then she stared at his

eyes. Piercingly green, yet behind the emerald hue she had seen that his

true age belied his outward youthful appearance. 'What had he seen in

his short life to have such heaviness reflected?' Bella wondered.

There was much more to Harry Potter than he had revealed to her yet,

and she was actually looking forward to getting to know him better and

maybe learning more about what the future held in store. She gently

stood up from sitting next to the now deeply sleeping young man ready

to go back to her own room, but then from seemingly out of nowhere she

felt an intense urge to kiss him. This feeling shocked and confused her;

she had never felt the desire to kiss anyone like the desire she was feeling

now.

Almost on auto pilot she leaned forward, her hair fell down and draped

around Harry's head. Closer she moved as she took in his strong facial

features, his scent was almost intoxicating and caused her to tingle all

over. This was wrong, she thought. She barely knew him, he barely knew

her. Yet she knew she was inexplicably drawn to him. Her lips were right

above his they looked so soft and she could already feel the warmth

radiating from them. Her heart began to beat wildly.

She couldn't do this, she was Bellatrix Black; men stumbled over

themselves to be near her, boys were putty in her hands. She was not a

slave to her emotions, she was in complete control always…and yet…she

found her heart racing when she was near him. Was it the circumstances

that surrounded their meeting each other that was so exotic, was it this

that was driving her desire? Something taboo, something so fantastical

that it was overriding her senses…possibly.

She moistened her lips as she was just a hair's breadth away from

learning just how soft his lips really were, with one final move she leaned

in and kissed…his cheek. At the last possible moment she lost her nerve

or maybe found it and turned her head slightly to the left where she gave

him a gentle kiss on his cheek. Harry suddenly stirred and she quickly

dashed from the room amazed at her obvious impropriety and a little bit

embarrassed. However, Harry would not wake and would remain

oblivious to Bella's nocturnal presence.

oooOOOooo

The Lady Hogwarts in her capacity as a school was supposed to be

neutral and dispassionate to the day to day goings on of the students and

professors that lived and studied within her walls. Every individual had

their free agency to choose their own path, to choose how to live their

lives, whether they choose to walk the path of light, darkness, or

something in between.

In her millennial existence she had watched silently as her children, for

that is how she saw every student who entered her doors, she watched as

they studied, interacted one with another, plotted and planned, hoped

and dreamed. Never interfering but keeping danger from outside

influences away from her children.

However things had changed and the danger was not only from outside

forces but from inside ones as well. Lady Hogwarts consciousness could

be everywhere with few exceptions, but she was not omnipotent nor was

she omniscient, so, plots and schemes could and many times were missed.

At best she could give reactionary assistance, such as moving a staircase,

creating walls and barriers, but never physically interfering in an

individual student's behalf in preventing incidents.

But now with the headmaster of the school purposefully endangering one

of her children and tempting the darkness that could destroy her into her

very walls, the oaths and mandates she once observed were now

discarded. Her abilities to interfere were still limited but she would do all

that was in her power to change not only the fate of Hogwarts itself but

also the lives of two of its students who she felt destiny had guided her to

protect.

Her consciousness was alerting her to someone casting spells on her

walls, spells that would affect all who passed under it, and yet it was

focused on a singular target. The spell was a powerful compulsion charm

placed on each archway of the four Hogwarts houses. This would not

stand; Lady Hogwarts would no longer allow herself to be used to harm

another. No longer would she allow her children to be harmed or

manipulated.

Unaware by the headmaster a gentle pulse ran through the ancient

edifice as the compulsion charm was removed from every stone in the

castle, and then a new ward was set in place one that would prevent such

manipulations on the school from ever being used again. Many Hogwarts

students would awake tomorrow not understanding why they had been

so antagonistic and in some cases violent towards one Harry Potter.

oooOOOooo

Harry walked into the commons area with a skip in his step; he had an

incredible night's sleep he hadn't slept better since…well ever. The night

had begun like many others had lately with terrible visions and memories

of the last year's events, but then it all stopped and he found himself

feeling so safe and secure and the dreams that followed were in no wise

scary or torturous but rather…pleasant.

Harry felt his cheeks heat up at the recollection of the steamy dream he

had last night starring his gorgeous roommate, he just hoped he would be

able to keep his emotions in check when he saw her this morning. It

wouldn't due to give his very perceptive roommate any reason to tease

him.

Harry stopped in his tracks at the sight before him, Bella had apparently

had not slept in her room last night. The dark haired girl was sitting at a

desk with her head lying on a large tome with drool sliding from the

corner of her mouth. There were books and old scrolls covering every

inch of the desk she was sleeping on.

Harry silently approached her and took in the adorable sight, smiling at

her disheveled state. His grin quickly turned into concerned tightness as

he picked up one of the books and looked at its title. Harry read: 'Binding

Magical Contracts and How to Break Them.' Picking up another entitled

'Breaking Magical Oaths: A Path to Squibness and Death' and another

'Untraceable Poisons and How to Brew Them.'

The parchment under her right hand caught his attention. He carefully

moved in closer to see what she had been writing. A loosely held quill

blocked some of what she wrote but enough of the parchment was visible

to read what she had written. 'Virginity Clauses – must be a virgin on

wedding night-violation of such clause will null and void current contract.'

Harry speculated that Bella's marriage contract must have this clause in

it. He continued to read although her arm was covering part of the

parchment. 'How to overcome the chastity spell – impossible to do, requires

head of house to cast counter spell! Wait HARRY IS HEAD OF HOUSE!'

Harry read this last part with his name underlined several times and

nearly choked on his own saliva. 'She expects me to remove some chastity

spell from her!' Harry thought to himself in surprise. Still looking at the

parchment it seemed Bella had written down the counter spell and its

accompanying wand movements. 'Huh, seems that she intends to cancel the

marriage contract by losing her virginity.' For some reason Harry had to

swallow a large lump in his throat and his mouth went a little dry.

'Obviously Bella really does not want to marry Lestrange. Not that I blame

her.' Harry mused. 'Contracts, contracts that bind free will, how barbaric!'

Harry sat down at a small breakfast table and a side bar that had tea,

coffee, juices, and an assortment of fruit and warm scones and honey. For

several minutes Harry stared at his roommate and contemplated her

situation, wondering if he really would be able to do anything about the

contract. Sure he was Lord Black and Head of House in his time, but she

was not from his time, would it even work if he tried to cast the counter

spell. A slight groan caught his attention as he watched a disoriented

Bella open her eyes and look around.

"Good morning Bella." Harry greeted his roommate and then took a long

sip of his morning tea. He had to stifle a chuckle at the disheveled

appearance of the dark haired beauty. Her hair was sticking out in all

directions, her eyes were halved closed she staggered as she stood up

from the desk and quickly gathered her books and notes together and

tried to be inconspicuous as she crumpled up the piece of parchment that

had been under her hand and tossing it into the fireplace. The bleary

eyed girl then walked to the breakfast table. She had on a long silky

black night shirt that fell mid-thigh and a pair of fluffy pink bunny

slippers.

She approached the small breakfast table and plopped herself heavily

into the chair across from Harry. Harry began to say something but Bella

forestalled him with a raised finger. She grabbed a mug and the pot of

black coffee that had appeared on the table. She took a long sip of the

steamy bitter beverage and then with a satisfied half grin sat back in her

chair.

"Morning Harry." Bella finally greeted the young man.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

Bella froze and nervously met Harry's eyes looking to see anything that

might give a clue to the meaning of the supposedly innocuous question.

Did he know she was in his room last night, was he aware of her trying to

comfort him. Sweet Morgana! Did he know that she kissed him! Looking

closely at his expression trying to discern anything from him, she relaxed

somewhat when he did not appear to be insinuating anything from the

question. "Oh…I was up and down all night." Bella replied. "How about

you? Sleep okay?" She asked quickly.

"Well, honestly it started out a little rough, but then…I don't know I

thought that someone…anyway afterward I slept pretty soundly." He

replied taking a bite of his buttered scone. He was about to say that he

thought he heard a calming voice whispering to him and that it broke up

his nightmare, but decided against it.

"Humph." Was all she said as she took another long sip of her morning

java.

"So what are the plans for today? Tomorrow classes begin and I thought

we might spend today…you know…getting to know each other better

since we might not have much time after today." Harry suggested

finishing of the remaining bite of his scone.

"Uh yeah, I should make an appearance at dinner or my sisters will

become worried about me, but other than that, yeah. In fact there is

something I want to discuss with you later if that's okay."

"Sure." Harry replied wondering if this had anything to do with what she

had been researching on the chastity spell.

A flip of a galleon to see who would get the bathroom first and an hour

later saw the two freshly dressed teens in their mutual commons room

ready to start their day. They decided to test what they had been told

about being able to visit each other's time. Deciding that they would go

to Harry's first the two teens stood at the threshold of the open door and

the hallway.

Bella slipped her hand into Harry's and gave it a small squeeze. Harry

suddenly blushed at the act much to Bella's amusement. Bella had

glamored her features to show straight dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Being a Sunday they could roam the castle without their house robes.

Bella wore a pair of straight leg blue jeans after being informed by Harry

that her corduroy bell-bottoms were a bit out of style. A light charcoal

grey jumper over her 'The Who' t-shirt finished the ensemble.

"Ready?" Harry asked receiving a tentative nod from Bella. Harry stepped

out first, gently pulling Bella's hand as she followed just half a step

behind. Unbeknownst to each other they had both closed their eyes when

they stepped through. When Harry came to a stop he still felt the warmth

of his roommates hand in his own. Opening his eyes he turned his head

to the right and saw the girl still standing next to him, she just barely

opening her own eyes. She turned to look at him and a large grin broke

out on her face.

'It worked!" She almost giggled.

"It did." Harry replied chuckling at her excitement. "Where to first?" He

asked.

"Hmm, too bad we can't go into Hogsmeade. I'd love to see if it's changed

much." Bella said.

"I don't see why we can't go." Harry replied.

"Have the rules changed? In my time there were certain authorized days

that we could go otherwise it was out of bounds." She informed Harry.

"Same now." Harry told her. "But that never stopped me before."

"My my Lord Potter, you are a bad boy!" She smirked playfully. "And just

how do you intend to get passed the gates? Only a professor can open

them."

"I have my ways milady." Harry responded with a devilish smile and half

bow.

"Well lead on them my mysterious Lord!" Bella continuing their flirty

banter. Harry extended his elbow which Bella took threading her arm

through his.

The pair made their way to the third floor coming to a stop in front of a

statue of a one-eyed witch named Gunhilda of Gorsemoore. Looking

around making sure that no one was about. Harry then looked at the

witch and said "Dissendium" Once the password was given, the hump on

the witch's statue opened to reveal a short slide into a tunnel. An hour

later the pair emerged through a trapdoor in the cellar of Honeydukes

Sweet Shop.

Bella cast a notice-me-not spell on the two of them and then quietly

made their way from the cellar to the main floor of the shop. The sweets

shop had a few customers looking around including two children of

about six and seven who were salivating over the various confections as

their parents chatted with other shoppers.

Harry and Bella stepped out into the warm autumn air and Bella took her

first glimpse of the future. The time traveler looked around with great

interest at first but them pursed her lips in disappointment.

"Nothings changed! Nothing has bloody changed. These are all the same

shops that existed in my time." She huffed, the disappointment clearly

heard in her tone.

"Perhaps, but I'm guessing that there will be the new product here and

there that didn't exist in nineteen seventy-one." Harry stated trying to

perk her up.

"Yeah, maybe." Bella agreed tepidly. 'Let's go explore." Bella dragged

Harry to the top of street, intending to go shop by shop and see the

changes (if any) to the various establishments. Bella removed the notice-

me-not spell from the two of them and with a few swishes of her wand

Harry was now sporting mousey brown hair and blue eyes his hair

forward and covering the scar. No matter what glamour she cast, the scar

always seemed to remain visible.

The first shop the pair stopped at was a clothier. Harry stood in an

absolute stupor as Bella had to look at every article of clothing in the

shop; the girl was like a whirlwind of shopping madness that all Harry

could do was stay out of the way. Despite being a completely magical

village the Hogsmeade shop had a larger than expected muggle section

with brand named clothing. Bella seemed to gravitate to the more

revealing clothing which actually Harry didn't mind so much as he was

made to sit and give his opinion as she model the various outfits she had

selected.

After a two hour eternity in Harry's opinion, they finally left the shop

with several outfits purchased by the eldest Black daughter and shrunk

down and placed in Harry's school bag that he had brought with him, her

jeans being too tight to fit the shrunken packages. Not that harry minded.

The next stop was the local franchise of Flourish and Blotts. Bella was

particularly interested in modern Wizarding history, finding a few books

on the subject she retired to a little reading corner with a couple of chairs

and sat down. Opening the book she skimmed the chapters until she

found what she was looking for, a chapter called 'The Blood War.'

Harry sat across from her and remained quite while she read. He knew

that she would most likely read about the gruesome details of the second

Wizards War. How the blood purist began a reign of extermination

against anyone who disagreed with their views and beliefs. These

murders were not restrained to just muggles or muggleborns, but half

bloods as well.

*Gasp* "Sweet Maeve, dear sweet Maeve!" Bella gasped in horror her eyes

beginning to well up with tears. "So many…so many died." An appendix

dedicated to the names of all those who were known to have perished in

the war revealed the true horror of what Voldemort visited upon the

Wizarding world. Hundreds of names, many of which she knew or had

known in this time. On the pages of the dead were several pureblood

families that were nearly or entirely wiped out. The McKinnons, the

Kilborns, the McGonagals, the Bones, the Elsegoods…the Potters, the list

went on and on.

So many friends that she knew from her earliest memories were wiped

out in Harry's time. It was hard to accept that one man was responsible

for a movement that would deprive the Wizarding world of some of its

oldest and respected families.

She looked up at Harry in morbid disbelief; all Harry could think to do

was give her a sympathetic nod of understanding. "My gods Harry! How

could the Ministry have allowed this to happen?"

"I don't know Bella." Harry commiserated with his new friend. "Blindness,

apathy, corruption, there are a lot of things that could be blamed, but I

think that initially the Ministry turned a blind eye because in the

beginning only muggles and muggleborns were being targeted. They

elites and upper crust felt no real need to involve themselves after all

they had not been affected. When Voldemort did turn his attention to the

purebloods and the Ministry he had gained so much strength that they

were all taken by surprise.

Bella set the book she had been reading aside and picked up a smaller

one. Harry happened to glance at the title just as she gingerly opened it.

"Bellatrix Lestrange: Into the Mind of Britain's Most Prolific Killer and the

Right Hand of the Dark Lord."

Harry jumped to his feet and slapped his hand down over the book. "Bella

don't, you don't need to read this!" Harry pleaded with the as of yet

innocent young girl.

"I need to know Harry. I need to know what I became." She told him

sadly.

"No you don't. This is a different person altogether, you are not her."

Harry replied a little more hotly than he wanted to.

"Yet Harry…not yet."

"You never need be Bella. Like Lady Hogwarts said, we have already

changed the timeline." Harry told her.

"The books still here Harry, that means we have not changed time

enough to change what will happen to me." She reasoned.

"But we still can Bella, we can still change this. We can save you from

this-this…fate." He stated with sincerity.

Bella smiled gently at him, staring deeply into his eyes. Although a

different color at the moment the intensity and age in his eyes was still

quite obvious. "Maybe we can." She finally relented and handed the book

over to Harry, who took it and placed it on a nearby shelf.

"I could use a drink how about you?" Harry offered holding his hand out

to her.

"I could go for a drink and maybe a light lunch." She smiled grabbing

Harry's hand in her own. He gently pulled her up from the chair and

turned to head for the door. While his back was turned Bella shrunk the

book she was about to read and stuffed it in her pocket after disabling

the antitheft charm on it.

"Excellent." Harry said. "We could go to the Three Broomsticks. Rosmerta

makes a brilliant Sheppard's Pie."

"Rosmerta? Rosmerta Peasgood?" Bella asked.

"Um, don't know her surname. We just call her Madam Rosmerta." Harry

replied.

"Is she a tall bottle-blonde with an impressive set of…" Bella held her

cupped hands in front of her chest.

"Well this Rosemerta is quite endowed, every boy at Hogwarts drools

over her." Harry chuckled. He too found the pub owner somewhat

attractive for an older woman.

"Including you?" Bella challenged not meaning to sound so accusatory.

She was surprised at the sudden spike of jealousy within herself.

Harry shrugged. "She's okay, I mean I think she knows the effect she has

on the male population at the school. But I've never ogled her or

anything. I'm not really attracted to blondes." Harry replied quickly.

"Not that I care." Bella replied casually or at least tried to, but was

nonetheless internally pleased at his answer.

Harry opened the door and the two teens were immediately assaulted by

the sounds and smells of the old Pub and boarding house. After their eyes

adjusted to the lower light of the establishment they found an empty

table near the back of the pub.

Harry took the seat across from Bella and began to take in his

surroundings; his sudden stiff posture alerted Bella that something had

put Harry on alert. She casually got up and took the seat next to Harry

and cuddled up to him as if they were snuggling. She then surreptitiously

cast her eyes in the direction that Harry was staring.

To her shock she saw an older version of Lucius Malfoy sitting at a table

in a darkened corner of the pub. He was dressed in expensive looking

black robes no doubt made of acromantula silk with silver piping and

hems and with a Slytherin green lining. The long flowing platinum

blonde hair was a dead giveaway.

She also recognized the squat looking woman that was sitting across from

him. She was currently a seventh year Slytherin in her own time, one

Delores Umbridge. She was a conniving backstabbing bitch with little

real magical talent but was a huge simpering sycophant who would do

just about anything to be amongst the popular pureblood crowd.

Sitting next to her was another man she recognized, he worked at the

ministry as an undersecretary of some department or another. She had

seen him often when she accompanied her father to the many ministry

functions. He was another one who seemed to rise through the ministry

on his knees and puckering up to anyone he thought would give him an

advantage. She had witnessed him in all his suck-up glory at the Ministry

Yule celebration last year schmoozing with Minister Millicent Bagnold.

"What's got your knickers in a twist Harry?" Bella whispered softly in

Harry's left ear. The warm breath tickling his ears sent shivers down his

body and for a moment his train of thought was completely derailed by

the sensation.

"Still with me Harry?" Bella gently nudged him.

"Huh! Oh yeah…sorry." Harry stuttered. "You see those three over there?"

Harry motioned almost imperceptibly with his eyes at the table where

Malfoy and the others were sitting.

"Yeah, what about them?" She queried.

"Well the blonde peacock there is Lucius Malfoy; he's one of Voldie's

inner circle and a right evil git. Because of him terrible things happened

in my second year, the school was nearly closed because he had a hand

in unwittingly unleashing a basilisk." Harry whispered back to her.

"A basilisk!" Bella whispered harshly.

"Yeah, nearly killed several students. But fortunately it was killed before

it killed." Harry's eyes took on a haunted look that Bella instantly picked

up on.

"There's more to this story than your telling me isn't there?" Bella asked.

Harry shrugged noncommittally and refused to say more.

"The other man is the Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge." Harry

continued.

"Minister of Magic eh, wow I guess he did manage to kiss his way up to

the top job." Bella remarked.

"Do you know him in your time?" Harry asked.

"Not personally but I know of him and have seen him at several

ministries functions when accompanying my father. He's a real or was I

guess huge suck-up, always trying to rub shoulders with the powerful and

the elite." Bella remarked.

"Huh, I guess that makes since why he would be here meeting with Lucy."

Harry replied with disgust. Bella chuckled.

"What?" Harry asked confused at Bella's smirking chuckle.

"That's what I call him in my time as well." Bella informed.

"You know Lucius?" Harry asked.

"Of course, we are in the same year at Hogwarts, he's one of Rudy's

crowd though much smoother and a lot more subtle than the Lestranges."

She confirmed.

"He has a son Draco that is in my year, we are like sworn enemies. He's

always trying to pull something. Damn near killed me last year." Harry

stated bitterly.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he and his lackeys banished me off the fourth floor landing and I

landed on the floor of the main hall. Still don't know how I didn't die."

"Were they punished?" She asked angrily.

"Nope, no witnesses. I accused them of it, but a professor gave them an

alibi, stating they were taking tuition from him at the time." Harry spat,

the venom in his voice clear.

"I see there is a lot to learn about you Mr. Potter; I hope you give me the

chance." Bella told him sincerely. Again Harry just shrugged

noncommittally.

"They witch at the table is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts

Professor. Can't remember her name though, something like ugly,

umpire…"

"Umbridge." Bella spat.

"You know her to?" Harry asked.

"Unfortunately and there is no way in Hades that she is qualified to teach

DADA. She received a Troll on her OWLS in that subject the way I heard

it. Be careful around her Harry, she's an evil bint. She will walk on

anybody to get what she wants and is not above harming others to get it."

Bella cautioned her roommate. Harry nodded.

"Hello darlings, shouldn't you be up at the castle?" The bottle-blonde

proprieter of the Three Broomsticks asked.

"We're home schooled Miss." Bella lied easily. "But wanted to come and

get a glimpse of the castle."

"Oh, well welcome to the Three Broomsticks. I'm your hostess Madam

Rosmerta, so what can I get you dears to eat or drink." The busty woman

asked with a coquettish smile at Harry. Bella tightened her grip

possessively on Harry's arm as she tried to stifle a glare toward the

blonde.

"A couple of Butter Beers please and an order of Sheppard's Pie for me

and for my…"

"Girlfriend!" Bella responded quickly glaring at the woman. "I'll have a

Prawn Cocktail." She said tersely.

"Excellent choices, I'll be back shortly with your order." Rosmerta told the

pair, winking at Harry as she left.

"Girlfriend?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow looking at the girl next

to him.

"Don't get your hopes up milord, I just didn't like the way she was sizing

you up like some sort midmorning snack." Bella replied releasing Harry's

arm and hoping that he wouldn't question her obvious momentary loss of

cool. Harry gave her an appraising look but did not pursue clarification

on her response. He shook his arm a bit to get the blood flowing again

from where Bella had a death grip on it.

"So is that the same Romerta you know in your time?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, the little tramp." Bella whispered under her breath.

"What was that?" Harry asked not catching what Bella had said.

"Yeah it was. Rosmerta is in my year but a Hufflepuff. The boys in my

time are just as interested in her…assets as the boys in your time

apparently seem to be." Bella replied with disdain.

Harry was about to tell her that he thought she was much prettier than

Rosmerta, but his attention was diverted when he heard his name being

mentioned at the Malfoy table. Bella had heard it to and looked up. Bella

pushed her hair behind her ear and tapped a diamond stud earring in her

left ear.

Harry looked at her curiously, and before he could ask her what she had

just done she whispered. "It's a hearing enhancement charm, the earring

acts as an amplifier, it's dead useful when you want to get dirt on

someone. It's Black family magic. Hush and let me hear what they are

saying." Bella told him rapidly.

Bella concentrated on the conversation while Harry was trying to strain

his own ears to hear what was being said but could only make out a word

here and there. Rosmerta returned with their orders and placed them on

the table. Bella unconsciously slipped her arm through Harry's again as

the beautiful barmaid approached. Harry grinned at Bella, but wondered

was it for show or was she truly being possessive of him and did he mind.

He let the thought slip from his mind though and turned his attention to

the Sheppard's Pie that was calling to him.

Forty-five minutes later and Harry watched Lucius stand and walk out of

the pub. Fudge and Umbridge continued to speak in hushed tones for

another fifteen minutes before they to stood and left the pub.

"Well that was a disturbing but an enlightening conversation." Bella said

as she too stood. Harry took to his feet throwing five galleons on the

table as they made their way to the exit. As soon as they exited Bella took

Harry's arm again and started them back to Honeydukes.

"So what were they discussing?" Harry asked as he walked alongside his

roommate.

"You." Was her short answer.

"What about me?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Not here let's get back to the ROR and I'll tell you the whole sordid

thing." Bella told him, he notice that she had a worried expression on her

face which got is curiosity not to mention his anxiousness up.

An hour later the pair found themselves in the alcove behind the statue

of the one eyed witch. It was nearly three in the afternoon and there

were many more students passing through the hall.

"I guess we're going to have to try and blend in with the crowds." Bella

stated to Harry not seeing a clear way of getting back to the seventh floor

undetected.

"Not necessarily." Harry smiled mischievously.

"Oh?" Bella questioned.

Harry pulled a silky looking cloak from his school bag and through it

around him and instantly disappeared. Bella gasped in surprise. Then

suddenly Harry's head appeared seemingly floating in mid air.

"You have an invisibility cloak! My, my Harry, aren't you full of

surprises." Bella laughed.

"I have a few." Harry smiled. "We can both slip under and make our way

undetected to the seventh floor."

"Are you trying to get closer to me, milord?" Bella teased seductively

pressing up against him.

"Uh…"

"Very eloquently stated milord." Bella giggled as Harry blushed scarlet.

"As tempting as your suggestion is, there are too many people roaming

the halls, the chance of being bumped into is high. We'll just have to risk

it with the glamour's." Bella suggested.

"Yeah, suppose your right at that." Harry conceded, his color still a very

impressive red. Fifteen minutes later the pair found themselves on the

seventh floor near the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. Seeing that the

coast was clear they requested their room and seconds later a door

materialized on the opposite wall and the two quickly entered.

The two teens flopped down in their now self-appointed chairs, Bella's

was the one left of center of the fireplace and Harry's the one right of

center. Bella was the first to speak as they each got comfortable.

"Harry, Harry…what have you gotten yourself into?" Bella asked,

flopping her right arm onto her forehead as she leaned her head back

against the arm of the cushy chair lying across its length with her legs

dangling over the other arm.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the Ministry is out to make you out to be some kind of lying

nutter with delusions of grandeur." She said glancing at Harry from

underneath her arm.

Harry sighed heavily. "Doesn't surprise me. After the Triwizard

tournament fiasco Fudge all but called me a liar when I informed him

that Voldemort had returned." Harry told the witch who abrubtly sat up.

"The Triwizard tournament! They brought it back?" She asked stunned.

"Yeah. Last year, that's when the whole school turned against me." Harry

said morosely as he picked at a loose thread on his jumper.

"Back up a moment Harry, I think it's time you told me about your life.

You've let slip a few things and I can tell there is much more you are

keeping to yourself or hiding." Bella stated.

"I don't like talking about my life Bella; it's not something that I find easy

to do." Harry softly spoke, looking down at his hands.

"If we here to help each other…" Bella began. "…I think we need to be

open and honest with each other. Don't you think?" Bella asked sincerely.

Harry leaned heavily back into his chair and closed his eyes. For several

minutes he said nothing, but Bella could tell that he was fighting within

himself, trying to decide how to proceed. He didn't walk off so Bella saw

this as a positive that maybe he would open up.

Several more minutes passed when Harry suddenly sighed heavily again.

He opened his eyes and stared right at her. But she could tell that he

wasn't looking at her but at something far in the past, something painful

for his eyes held unshed tears just on the verge of cascading down his

face. She stood and slowly walked toward him and then knelt down in

front of him. He seemed to not have noticed she had moved. Bella

reached up and gently took both of his hands in hers. The physical

contact seemed to break Harry out of whatever place he had been. He

looked down at her face, searching green eyes meeting violet.

"On Halloween 1981 my life was turned upside down…" For the next

several hours Harry told his story to a captive audience of one. Bella by

the end of it was emotionally exhausted. She had felt sadness, anger,

rage, horror and a myriad of other emotions that wreaked havoc with her

ordered mind. On some kind of impulse she gathered herself off the floor

and crawled into Harry's lap and pulled his head to her shoulder as he

wept. It was a soul cleansing cry that Harry had desperately needed.

Neither seemed to be in any hurry to let the other go, they were just

content in holding on trying to take what comfort the other had to offer.

Finally Harry's gripped around her waist loosened and she reluctantly slid

off his lap and sat on the floor cross legged in front of him.

"Feel better?" She asked gently. He mutely nodded. "You are a remarkable

person Harry. To have gone through so much and still remain as

grounded as you are. It takes someone with a strong character to go

through all that and not go insane. You are sane aren't you Harry?" Bella

half smiled, giving him an over the top inquisitive look that made the

fifteen year old boy give a chuckle.

"Yeah, for the moment anyway." Harry teased back. Bella gave him a

spectacular smile.

"Good, can't have my head of house being a nutter can we now?" She

teased.

"S'ppose not." The tension in the room all but vanished as Harry looked at

Bella fondly. "Thanks." Harry told her. She just smiled and gave him a

quick nod.

"Morgana! It's six o'clock! I've got to meet my sisters for dinner Harry.

Sorry but I have to run." Bella told him hurriedly. Without thinking she

kissed his cheek and then ran from the room. Harry stood there in a daze

as he touched the cheek she had just kissed.

"Merlin's beard! I forgot about Luna, I was supposed to meet her for

breakfast." Harry chastised himself for forgetting about the quirky blonde

he had met just yesterday. Harry sprinted to the bathroom where he

washed his face quickly trying to rub away the splotchiness from his face

from his emotion cleansing. Dashing for the door he grabbed his bag with

the Marauders map and his cloak.

oooOOOooo

Bella entered the Great Hall and immediately spotted her sisters sitting

together just filling their plates with the evening meal. As she

approached Andromeda looked up and gave her a 'Where the hell have

you been!' look. Sheepishly Bella took her seat across from the other two.

"Sorry, I kind of lost track of the time." Bella apologized.

Andromeda looked skeptical at hearing her sister's excuse but decided to

let it go. "So what have you been doing all day?" Andromeda asked.

"Just doing some research and stuff." Bella replied as she plated some

roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding on her plate.

"What kind of research could you be doing? Classes don't start until

tomorrow." Narcissa asked in confusion.

Bella looked around the table before leaning forward her sisters

mimicking her. "Research on avoiding contracts." Bella whispered.

"Bella are you wearing men's cologne?" Andromeda asked after getting a

whiff of a musky scent from Bella.

"Then who is the boy you been snogging?" Andi smirked. Narcissa eyes

widened in excitement.

"You have a boyfriend?" Narcissa squealed.

"Cissy shush! Keep your voice down and no I do not have a boyfriend."

Bella denied.

"I can smell a man's cologne on you dear sister, so fess up who's the boy?"

Andi pushed.

Bella sighed. "He's not my boyfriend and before you ask I have not been

snogging with him. I gave him a hug and I guess his cologne spread to

me." Bella whispered resignedly.

"Is he cute? Narcissa bounced in her seat eyes sparkling with interest.

"Well, he's not ugly…yeah I guess he's kind of cute." Bella relented.

Narcissa squealed again clapping her hands in excitement.

"Who is he?" The middle sister asked.

"No one you know miss busy body." Bella

"Well what's his name then?" Andi continued.

"Look, not to be difficult but I'd rather not give you any details about my

love life." Bella replied tersely.

"Oooh you love him?!" Narcissa asked with wide eyes.

"I didn't say that Cissy! Can we just drop it please?" Bella glared at her

sisters.

"Okay, Okay." Andi lifted her hands in surrender.

"So you mentioned contracts." Andi asked. "Am I correct in assuming you

meant Marriage Contracts?"

Raising an annoyed eyebrow at her sister Bella replied. "Possibly."

Andromeda softened her features as she looked at her sister. "So you

think you may have found a way out of yours?" Andi asked sincerely.

Bella relaxed realizing that her sister was trying to be supportive. "Yeah, I

think so."

"That's wonderful Bella!" Andi stated with a warm smile.

"Yeah that great sis!" Narcissa added.

"It is but…it's a little complicated and I'm going to need the help of

certain…person." Bella quietly revealed.

"Who?" Narcissa asked curiously. Andi's eyebrows shot into her hairline

as she saw a blush forming on her big sister's cheeks.

"You mean this mystery boy of yours don't you?" Andi leaned in and

whispered accusingly. The increased level of red in Bella's blush was all

the confirmation she needed.

"What exactly does he have to do?" Andi asked suspiciously.

"None of you business." Bella retorted hotly. "Besides, I'm not completely

sure if he will even be able to do it or that he would want to." Bella

sighed heavily resting her head on her arm that was on the table.

Andromeda rested her hand on Bella's arm, her sister's outburst not

fazing the more levelheaded Black sister. "So how does this affect the

contract before it's even signed?"

"If he is able to help me, it would violate one of the pre-stipulations

required in the contract." She replied. "An important pre-stipulation that

if violated would prevent the magic in the contract from binding my will

to the Lestrange's." She added enigmatically.

Andromeda had a pretty good idea what her sister meant, but would not

voice it out loud in front of Cissy. "Whatever it is you're trying to do

Bella…just be careful…okay." Andromeda told her sister with concern.

"I will, and like I said, he may not be able or willing to do it." Bella

grimaced sadly.

"Lily!" Narcissa suddenly squealed jumping up from the table to hug her

new friend who had approached the Slytherin table.

Bella turned to see the hesitant first year Gryf approaching the table,

many of the older year Slytherins were giving the redhead menacing

stares. Bella gave the redhead a welcoming smile. "Hello Lily won't you

join us for dinner?" Bella asked the first year warmly.

"Thank you." Lily said nervously glancing down the table at the affronted

looks of the others at the table. Bella took out her wand and placed her

hand on the table pointing her wand toward the other students and gave

them a 'don't provoke me' stare. The others quickly returned their attention

back to their meals.

"Excited for classes to start Lily?" Andromeda asked kindly.

"Oh yes! I still can't believe that all this is real and that I'll actually be

learning how to perform magic." Lily enthused.

"Mudbloods!" Someone further down the table sneered. "Not worthy of

having magic."

Lily shrank into herself and cast her eyes down. "Don't do that Lily!" Bella

stated firmly to the redhead, who snapped her head up at the forceful

tone from her friend's sister.

"You have every right to be here, you are a witch and I have a feeling

you'll be a powerful one! Always keep you head up and eyes firm. Don't

let these wankers intimidate you, always show strength and

determination understand?" Bella told her firmly. Lily nodded her head.

"And if anyone messes with you!" Bella spoke just loud enough for the

others at her table to hear. "You come to me and I'll make them wish they

were never born." Bella turned a hard glare toward her housemates and

in not so many words had declared the first year Gryffindor as

untouchable. Her housemates knowing of her prowess with a wand were

not in any hurry to test her declaration.

"Thank you…um…"

"Bella, you can call me Bella."

"Thank you Bella." Lily Evans smiled warmly her green eyes filled with

gratitude. Harry's eyes Bella noticed. That thought brought back the

conversation that she and Harry had just prior to her coming to dinner. A

wave of sadness flowed through her as she had been made aware of the

terrible fate that awaited this vivacious redhead.

Lily and Narcissa put their heads together as they were both comparing

their class schedules; they shared four classes together and had planned

to sit together if allowed. Bella hoped that Cissy and Lily would remain

friends; she decided that they were good together. She had never seen

Narcissa take to anyone outside of her own family as she had with Lily

Evans and it brought a warm feeling to her heart. She would have to ask

Harry if the two remained friends through their Hogwarts years. As close

as the two girls appeared now it was hard for her to see them drift apart,

but the house system was hard on friendships between those of different

houses.

"So are you sleeping in the dorms tonight or are you going back to your

secret hiding place? I wonder if this secret boy knows where it is." Andi

asked with a smirk.

"Back to my hiding place, and maybe he does." Bella replied cheekily

sticking her tongue out at her sister.

oooOOOooo

Harry pulled out the Marauder's map and tried to locate his friend Luna

on the map but was not having any luck. She wasn't in the Great Hall;

she wasn't in the library or in Ravenclaw Tower. Frustrated Harry shook

the map and said; "Where is Luna Lovegood!"

To Harry's surprise the map change and an image of the black lake

appeared with the trees boarding the north side. There at the edge of the

forest was the name Luna Lovegood. "What is she doing way over there?"

He mused. Reentering the room he spoke clearly. "I need a broom."

To his surprise his Firebolt appeared. He figured Ron had kept that as

well, but then he remembered that the room could call anything from

within the castle. He smirked when he thought of Ron's reaction when he

discovers that the cloak, the map and now the broom were gone. A quick

shrinking charm shrunk the broom. Harry stuck it in his pocket and then

made his main to the main entrance.

Harry ignored the stares and the hurried whispers as he made his way

through the castle. If he would have just paid a little attention to the

conversations, he would have heard many trying to apologize to him for

their behavior as he walked by. But Harry was focused only on finding

Luna and apologizing himself to the blonde Ravenclaw.

Once outside the castle Harry removed his broom from his pocket and

enlarged it and within half a heartbeat had jumped on it and he was

streaking through the sky heading to the north end of the Black Lake. As

he approached the tree line he saw a glimpse of light blonde hair. As he

got closer he noticed her situation. His blood boiled hot as he sped up to

reach his friend quickly.

He landed to find his friend stuck to the tree most likely with a sticking

charm about six feet above the ground. She had no shoes or socks on her

feet and was just dressed in a thin t-shirt and a short skirt. Her feet were

blue as were her lips that were chattering.

Harry countered the spell and caught her in his arms; the lithe blonde

was shivering from the cold. He cast a warming charm on her and then

began to massage her feet and legs to get the blood flowing again and

then moved to her hands and arms.

"Luna, Luna are you alright?" Harry asked with concern. Luna's shivers

began to subsided after Harry had cast a second warming charm and her

teeth stopped chattering.

"Oh, I'm okay I think. I'll just return to the castle." Luna said quietly not

looking at Harry and attempting to stand up.

"Luna stop." Harry told her as he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced

her to sit again. "What happened Luna?" She didn't answer and refused to

look at him.

"Luna, please talk to me. Who did this to you?" Harry asked again

pleading with her to talk to him.

"I-I thought we were friends Harry?" Luna whispered, it was so quiet that

Harry nearly missed it.

"Of Course we're friends Luna. Why would you say that."

"Y-you never came to breakfast this m-morning and I looked for you and I

couldn't find you anywhere. I th-thought you were avoiding me and that

you d-didn't want to be friends anymore." This all came out in a rush as

Luna pulled her knees to her chest.

Harry removed his cloak and put it around the small girl cinching it up

around her neck and sat next to her against the tree. "I am so sorry Luna,

I-I just forgot about our breakfast date, I know it's not a good excuse, but

it was unintentional." For a moment Luna said nothing but then laid her

head on Harry's shoulder.

"Am I forgiven?" Harry asked soflty. He felt her nod on his shoulder. She

scooted closer to him for warmth and Harry put his arm around the girl

and pulled her closer.

"So…who did this to you Luna?" Harry asked again.

"It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done." Luna replied meekly.

"It does matter Luna, no one should do this to another person. You could

have died of cold out here." Harry stated a little heatedly.

"I'm sure they would have come back or the spell would have ended

soon." She responded snuggling deeper into Harry's side.

"Where's your wand Luna?" Harry asked wondering why she hadn't

reversed the spell herself.

"They took it from me and threw it over there through the trees." Luna

pointed her hand barely coming out of the cloak to point out the

direction.

Harry took out his wand and concentrated. "Accio Luna's wand!" A few

seconds passed and then a wand came racing toward them from the

foliage. Harry deftly caught it in his hand and gave it back to Luna.

"Thanks Harry."

"No problem Luna. Now will you please tell me what happened?" Harry

turned his head to look at her.

"My roommates were furious with me. They said I had gotten into their

trunks to retrieve my things. No word about why my things were in their

trunks. I tried to tell them that I didn't get into their trunks, but they

refused to believe me." Luna explained.

"Did you tell them that it was a house elf that retrieved them?" Luna

nodded.

"They still refused to believe me. The next thing I remember is opening

my eyes and an older Ravenclaw is levitating me up to the tree and

another girl casting a sticking charm." She said.

"They stunned you?!" Harry asked in shock. Luna shrugged.

"Don't know for sure, but I don't remember leaving the tower or how I got

here. Anyway Marietta had my wand and walked over to the trees and

then threw my wand into the forest."

"So how long have you been out here?" Harry asked.

"Well, it was about an hour or so before lunch when my roommates

confronted me, so whatever time it is now is how long I've been here."

She stated.

"Luna! It's nearly seven o'clock! That means you've been out here alone

for nearly eight hours! We need to get you to the hospital wing to make

sure everything is okay." Harry stood quickly lifting Luna easily off the

ground.

"No Harry, I'll be fine. I'm just a bit cold. I am hungry though, I haven't

eaten anything today." She said sheepishly.

"Let's go get something to eat then. We'll head to the kitchens again,

okay?" Harry asked receiving a nod from Luna. After casting one more

warming charm on Luna, Harry mounted his broom with Luna straddling

the broom behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

Twenty minutes later the pair were in the kitchens warming up with

some hot chocolate as the ever helpful and eager elves had loaded up the

small dinner table with enough food for a dozen. After they had eaten

their fill Harry decided to try and convince Luna to speak with her head

of house she was reticent to do so but eventually agreed that she would

mention it to Professor Flitwick.

Harry walked Luna back to Ravenclaw Tower where she gave him

another warm hug before entering her common room. Their conversation

at dinner had been interesting and enlightening, as Harry learned a bit

more about his quirky friend and her father who was the editor of a

magazine called the Quibbler. She had promised to get him a free

subscription to the magazine; she called it the friend rate.

But, as quirky and odd as she appeared at times, she was incredibly

insightful and saw the world through very different lenses than most

people. Which in Harry's opinion; gave her a unique perspective on

things in general. She reassured him that he had more support than he

thought in the castle and that things were not always what they seem to

be.

She had also told him that the castle had healed itself and that the curse

of the Sniveling Wingbat had been removed. She could no longer see the

magic on the entrances anymore but also notice that the castle seemed to

have changed somewhat, the vibrations as she put it had changed giving

the castle a friendlier feel.

oooOOOooo

Harry entered the ROR just a bit after curfew and heard someone crying

hysterically in the direction of Bella's bedroom. He quickly made his way

there but nearly fell to the floor when he had tripped over something

carelessly tossed on the floor.

Harry bent over and picked up the discarded book. Harry sighed deeply

and rubbed his face with his hands in comprehending frustration. It was

the book from the bookstore detailing the life and murders of Bellatrix

Lestrange. He had thought that she had left it at the shop but apparently

had clandestinely taken the book with her.

How was he going to deal with this he thought? How terrible would it be

to discover that you would become an insane mass murderer responsible

for the death of men, women and…children? He could think of no

soothing words of comfort to give her.

With resignation in his heart he entered her room quietly, hoping that

something would come to him to comfort the distraught witch. It donned

on him that this would be the second witch that he would try and

comfort today and this one had comforted him earlier, the day just

seemed to come full circle.

He saw Bella curled up in the fetal position on her bed, like Luna he saw

that she was trembling but not from cold but most likely guilt and or

fear. Two emotions he knew quite well. He sat down gently on her bed,

Bella giving no indication that she was aware of his presence. She was

facing away from him and perhaps not felt the bed move.

"Bella?" He called to her softly. She froze but didn't turn around. He laid

his hand gently on her shoulder and gave a soft squeeze.

"The person in that book is not you Bella; you never have to become her.

That is Bellatrix Lestrange, you are Bella Black a strong, intelligent and

independent young woman in control of her own destiny." Harry warmly

rubbed her back in small slow circles.

"I'm not her yet, Harry. But I could be by Christmas." Bella choked out

between sobs.

"Does this have to do with the contract?" He asked. She looked back at

him and nodded with watery eyes.

"If what I read in that…that book." She growled. "I'll be married by this

summer and not return to Hogwarts again until 1978 when I'm storming

the school and killing anything in my way!" She sobbed.

"I won't let that happen, Bella, we won't let that happen. Remember what

the Lady said, she brought us together to change things. Not just for the

school but for us as well. The future for you can be unwritten and…

maybe…my past as well." Harry told her, the truth of his belief evident in

his eyes. Bella turned over and threw her arms around Harry's waist and

hugged him to her.

She pulled Harry down until he was lying flat on his back on her bed. She

cuddled up next to him, laying her head on his shoulder her right arm

over his stomach and holding on to his waist pulling him tightly against

her. Her body had finally stopped trembling and she had gotten her

crying under control as well. They lay that way for what seemed like

hours until Bella broke the silence.

"Harry…" She whispered. "If…there was away, to assure that I didn't have

to marry Lestrange, away to get out of the contract…would you help

me?" Bella asked quietly but not looking up at him.

Harry took a moment to consider how to answer, although he already

knew, that yes he was willing to help her, he was just slightly afraid of

where this all would lead and how this would affect him not only on a

personal level but how this would affect the timeline. Hermione's

warning of the dangers of messing with the past came to his mind. But

wasn't that already happening with just Bella and Harry meeting. And

that is why the lady brought them together…to change things.

"Yes, Bella I'll help in any way I can. What is it that you need from me?"

He asked softly.

Bella slowly lifted her head from his chest. She sought out his eyes,

looking deeply into them. It was not for the first time that she was

amazed at how fast she had come to trust this boy from the future. How

fast she was actually…falling for him, and what she saw reflected in his

eyes she hoped was him falling just as hard and fast for her.

Three impossibly short days did not seem near long enough to develop

feelings like this for someone, but there was no denying that she had

indeed fallen for the raven haired boy. But then again was it her heart

telling her that she wanted him or was it her Slytherin brain telling her

that he was a means to an end to get her out of an unwanted marriage

contract, and if it was did it matter?

On this one thing Bella was willing to give her heart the benefit of the

doubt and allow her emotions to make the decision for her.

"Harry…" She called to him, her heart beating wildly. She looked lovingly

into his eyes allowing her emotions to flood her body. Her voice was soft

and low as she spoke her next words;

"Harry…make love to me."

A/N: I know, I know! Its an evil place to leave this, but I've already

written over ten thousand words and if I kept going to where I want to

take it, it would have probably reached over fourteen. And I personally

don't like really long chapters; around seven thousand is usually where I

like to keep them. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter though and would

be so kind as to leave a review or a comment, reviews are catnip to

authors so please feel free to send some catnip my way. : )

8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: 92 Reviews for Chapter 7! Freaking amazing! Thanks to everyone

who made that the most reviewed chapter I have had in any of my

stories! I'm sorry for the wait but this chapter kept getting longer and

longer and I was still adding more to it. I decided however to split it so

here is the first half, the second should follow next week. Thanks again

for all the amazing reviews!

Chapter Eight: Decisions

Last time:

"Harry…" She whispered. "If…there was away, to assure that I didn't have to

marry Lestrange, a way to get out of the contract…would you help me?" Bella

asked quietly but not looking up at him.

…"Yes, Bella I'll help in any way I can. What is it that you need from me?" He

asked softly.

…"Harry…" She called to him, her heart beating wildly. She looked lovingly

into his eyes allowing her emotions to flood her body. Her voice was soft and

low as she spoke her next words;

"Harry…make love to me."

Harry sat speechless at the side of the bed of the intoxicatingly beautiful

dark haired witch. His heart was beating so hard and fast he swore it

could be heard echoing throughout the room. Her violet eyes were moist

with recently shed tears and looked so vulnerable and yet so hopeful. Her

hair was wild and framed the delicate but refined features of her face.

She was the very image of a damsel in distress and was looking to him to

be her rescuer, her knight in shining armor.

When he had read over what she had been researching through the night

as she slept at the desk this morning, he knew that she was trying to find

a way out of being forced to marry Rudolfus Lestrange and that she

wanted or needed him to be a part of it. However reading her written

thoughts and then having her ask him to make love to her was complete

synapses overload for the teen.

He had avoided thinking about what he had learned all day, not giving it

any real weight. Beside it was just Bella brainstorming ideas…right? But

now faced with her petition he was in a word…stupefied. He did not

know how to respond to this. He was a virgin and completely clueless

when it came to the fairer sex. Did she really want him to have sex with

her! Why? What was so important about her losing her virginity anyway?

This was just all wrong, it didn't make any sense. They barely knew each

other! Three days ago all he knew of Bellatrix Lestrange was that she was

one of Voldemort's most feared followers, and now sitting in front of him

was a fifteen year old Bellatrix Black, still innocent, hands not bloodied

by the heinous deeds of her future self or her potential future self.

She was beautiful yes but also intelligent, passionate, and he felt all

funny inside when he was around her. But she was also a Slytherin,

cunning and ambitious. The Slytherins he knew were not above using

others to get what they wanted and then disposing of them. Was she just

using him, was he her means to an end? He did not know. Looking into

her eyes he saw vulnerability though…was it real?

"Bella…I-I don't know how to…to respond to this." Harry quietly spoke

while trying to hide the blush on his face. "We barely know each other

and I…"

"Harry, please listen to me and let me explain." Bella interrupted, she sat

up on her bed and folded her legs Indian style. Her hands were in her lap

and she was looking down, trying to decide how to explain all this to

Harry. She idled with the thought of just seducing him and manipulating

him in to doing what she wanted. But, she did not want to do that to

him, not to Harry, who she was genuinely becoming fond of. She did not

want to risk losing the budding feelings that the two were developing for

each other. She had to be honest and upfront. Not a very Slytherin way of

doing things but sometimes you just needed to be a Gryffindor and

charge right in.

"Harry, you know about the marriage contract I have with the

Lestranges?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, I know." He replied.

"And you know that if I were to sign the contract, I would become bound

to Rudolfus. Not just by legal means but by magical as well." Again Harry

nodded.

"My will, my freedom to think and act for myself will be stripped from

me." Bella stated swallowing hard not to let her emotions get away from

her.

"You mentioned that, but, I don't understand how that is possible. How

can a simple contract take away who you are and your ability to think for

yourself?" Harry asked genuinely interested.

Bella took a deep breath and let it out raggedly. "When a girl is born into

a pureblood family, especially a family who follows the old ways, blood

is taken from them, several vials in fact." Bella began.

"Blood?!" Harry gasped in surprise. Bella nodded.

"You may or may not know this, but blood is infused with a person's

magic it is a part of them, inseparable. You've heard of blood magics?"

She asked and received a nod from Harry.

"Blood magic is an arcane but powerful branch of magic; most rituals of

this sort have been banned by the ministry classified as dark. However,

some blood rituals, minor ones anyway, are still used today by not only

old families, but by the Ministry and also by the Goblins." She told him.

"Okay, so I'm assuming that the blood of infants is used in some kind of

ritual?" Harry asked.

"It is." Bella nodded. "In my case and in the case of many girls born into

my type of family, the blood of the girls is used to perform a chastity

binding." Bella blushed but continued. "It is also used in the creation of

betrothal or marriage contracts."

"I still don't understand." Harry replied cocking his head and trying to

meet Bella's eyes that were looking down.

"A chastity binding is performed by the head of house; in this case my

Uncle Orion. Before a girl reaches puberty a vial of her blood is used to

draw runes across her body. These runes are activated by the magic in

the blood and by the House magic of the head of house."

"But why is it the head of house, why can't it be anyone else?" Harry

asked confused.

"There is an anchor rune drawn on the body of the girl, it corresponds to

a rune that is etched into the head of house signet ring. Thus only a head

of house can activate or remove the binding, because only the accepted

head of house can even put the ring on without dying most horribly." She

elaborated.

"Oh…okay I get that. So you think that because I am the head of the

Black family in my time I can remove the binding?" Harry asked, as the

gears in his head began turning. "But, how can you be sure that I can

override your uncle's binding. He is after all, still alive in your time and

your head of house."

"True, but I think that there is a good possibility that here…in this place,

you would be able to do it." She replied a hint of hope in her voice.

"What happens if I try and it doesn't work?" Harry asked.

Bella looked reluctant to answer; again she would not meet Harry's eyes.

The consequence she knew would be terrible, not for Harry but for her.

She could wind up barren or something much worse.

"Bella, what are you not telling me?" Harry asked his concern ratcheting

up and her sudden silence.

"It…it could cause me some…damage." She quietly stated.

"Damage?! What kind of damage?!" Harry asked in a tone that came out

harsher than he intended.

"It could make me infertile or it could…kill me." Bella whispered the last

part so softly that Harry almost didn't hear it, but he had.

"No! No way am I going to attempt some spell that could kill you!

Absolutely not!" Harry was on his feet and yelling at the cringing witch.

"Harry…Harry! Please listen to me. I'm almost certain that it will work.

You are the head of the Black Family." She argued.

"IN MY TIME!" He rebuked.

"Then we'll go somewhere in your time to perform the ritual!" Bella

argued back.

"But there is still no guarantee that it will work Bella! You could be

throwing your life away!" Harry shot back.

"ITS MY LIFE HARRY! AND I'D RATHER DIE AT AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP

MY FREEDOM, THAN BECOME THE MINDLESS SLAVE OF A BASTARD

WHO WILL WHORE ME OUT TO HIS FRIENDS AND BECOME A BLOODY

KILLING MACHINE FOR SOME PSYCHOPATH!" Bella roared jumping to

her feet and standing toe to toe with Harry, her chest heaving up and

down. The fury and desperation was clearly evident in her tense face.

Harry staggered back a few feet and turned away from her. He closed his

eyes tightly wondering how this conversation had devolved into them

shouting at each other. He understood where she was coming from. She

was facing losing her very self. He knew that if he was in her place that

he would choose freedom over servitude as well.

"Bella, I just…I just don't want anything to happen to you. I don't want to

be the cause of…harming you." Harry's voice was soft and yet heavy with

emotion. He lowered his head, his hands coming up to rub away the

frustration.

"Harry…" Bella whispered and gently touched his shoulder. He slowly

turned to face her, and suddenly found himself in a gentle embrace.

Harry was surprised at the sudden demonstration of affection. Bella

rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want to die either." She softly whispered. "But I…I want to be free

to choose my own path. Do you understand that?" She asked in a low

voice. She felt him nod his head as he tightened his hold on her slightly.

She liked the feel of his arms around her; she loved his scent and the

warmth his body provided.

"Please do this for me Harry; you're the only one that can help me." It

was a heartfelt plea that melted Harry's heart instantly.

Harry felt her heartbeat against his chest and was drawn in by the

warmth of her body pressed against his own. He became slightly dizzy as

her scent flowed through his senses. His decision made, he let out a long

cleansing breath.

"Okay Bella…I'll do it." Bella's arms tightened around his waist as she

buried her face into his neck.

"Thank you." Her breath was warm against his flesh.

He reluctantly released her from his embrace and took a step back. He

met a smiling face and couldn't help but return it. Bella grabbed his hand

and pulled him back to her bed where they sat facing each other again.

"I was able to find the ritual that was used on me and what runes were

used as well so you can draw them. The problem is getting another vile

of my blood." She stated.

"W-What, what do you mean draw the runes and a vial of your blood? I

thought all I had to do was release the binding?" Harry stuttered.

"Well yeah, you have to reverse the process and that requires that my

blood and the runes need to be re-drawn with the addition of the

cancelling rune." She stated staring at a worried looking Harry.

"I-I don't know how to d-draw runes or activate them." Harry explained.

"I can help you practice them before we perform the ritual and your own

magic through the signet ring will activate them."

"And where exactly do I have to draw these runes?" Harry asked fearing

the answer.

Bella blushed but kept her eyes locked with Harry's. "You'll have to draw

them on my body, Harry. I'll have to be…disrobed for the ritual." Her

blush deepened at the thought of Harry seeing her in such a vulnerable

state.

Harry's brain froze again as he processed what he thought she was

saying. Seeing his frozen terrified features Bella nearly chuckled.

"You mean you have to be…you know…"

"Nude Harry?" She asked with a humorous smirk. "Yes Harry I'll have to

be nude." She was rewarded by a nearly catatonic Harry who's eye went

completely unfocused.

Bella took his hands in hers. "I trust you Harry. And believe me I'll

probably feel more embarrassed than you will." She chuckled. Harry just

numbly nodded.

"Now, Uncle Orion would have stored my blood somewhere at Grimauld

Place. I'm sure there will still be some there. They took about six vials of

blood from me after all, you know just in case they needed it. The Blacks

never dispose of anything that can be of value.

"Can't you use some of your own blood…you know from you now?"

Harry asked.

"No, it has to be from the blood that was first taken from me. Don't know

why, but that's what the text said."

"That could be a problem them, seeing as how I'll have to wait till the

Yule break before I can return to Grimauld Place." Harry sighed.

"What about calling your house elves? As head of house you should be

able to call them to you?" Bella offered.

"Do you think it would work through Hogwarts Wards?" Harry replied.

"Well the lady has been pretty accommodating so far, perhaps she'll let

them through." She offered.

"Well, no harm in trying I guess. Kreacher! I need you." Harry yelled out.

A few seconds later there was a small pop that had both teens turning to

see an ancient looking elf bowing so low that his pointy nose was

touching the floor.

"Young master is calling for Kreacher." The high gravelly voice intoned.

"I was, good to see you Kreacher. How is the mistress?" Harry asked the

diminutive elf.

"Mistress is missing you already and is hoping you are representing the

family well here at Hogywarts." Kreacher informed Harry.

Kreacher then realized that there was another human in the room. His

eyes widen as he recognized the young witch.

"Mistress Bellatrixi! What is you doing here and why is you appearing so

young? Did you escape from the wizard prison?" The startled elf stated

wringing his tea towel toga he was wearing, and looking worriedly at

Harry and back to the dark witch.

"Hello Kreacher." Bella said kindly.

Kreacher looked up at her and had a confused look on his face. "Miss

Bellatrixi is having Black Family magic again. How is it possible, she

marrying nasty Lestrangy, and Black magic gone?"

"What do you mean Kreacher, about her having Black Family magic."

Harry asked.

"When Miss Bellatrixi is bound to Lestrangy, she loses Black Family magic

and inherits Lestrangy magic. But she has the noble Black Family magic

back. How is this possible?" The elf looked accusingly at Bella.

"It's a little hard to explain Kreacher, but this is not the Bellatrix of our

time, but from twenty-five years ago." Harry explained.

"Kreacher is confused but her magic tells me she is Bellatrix Black."

Kreacher approached Bella looking closely at her.

"Harry is telling the truth, I am Bellatrix Black." She confirmed to the old

elf.

"It is good seeing you again Miss Bellatrixi. So what can old Kreacher do

for you young master?" He said turning back toward Harry.

"Kreacher, do you know where Orion Black has placed the blood vials of

the Blacks?" Harry asked hoping Kreacher knew of what he was speaking.

"Kreacher is knowing where all the vials of blood for the noble House of

Black is kept." He replied looking at Harry oddly. "Why does young

master want to know this?"

"I'm trying to help Miss Bellatrix and I need you to bring me the vials

containing her blood." Harry informed him. "Can you do this for me?"

"Aye, Kreacher can do this but Kreacher is curious as to why?" The old elf

asked.

"All you need to know is that it is to save her from a terrible fate." Harry

told him sternly. "Now go and bring back her vials please. And thank you

Kreacher."

"Kreacher lives to serve the most Noble and Ancient House of Black."

Kreacher bowed low and with a soft pop was gone.

"Well that went well." Bella stated as she sat back down on her bed.

"Yeah." Harry replied sitting in front of Bella again.

"Thank you again for doing this for me, Harry." She told him warmly.

"I just hope I don't…well you know hurt you in anyway." Harry grimaced.

"I know it will work Harry, I have a good feeling about it." She told him

grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.

They jumped when Kreacher suddenly appeared carrying three vials with

a red liquid substance in them and an empty picture frame.

"Here is Miss Bellatrixi's vials master." Kreacher handed the vials to

Harry.

"What's up with the picture frame?" Harry asked curiously.

"Mistress was wanting Kreacher to bring her spare frame to you. She is

curious about what you and Miss Bellatrixi is doing."

"Um…okay. Is she in it right now?" Harry asked with some trepidation.

"You's be needing to tap the frame with your wand to activate it and then

call her to you, master." Kreacher informed him.

"Okay then." Harry said distractedly. "Um…I'll be sure to call her up

presently." Harry told the elf.

"Is young master needing anything else." Kreacher asked tiredly. "All this

popping about is tiring poor old Kreacher."

"No Kreacher, nothing else. Go back home and rest. If I need anything

else I will call Dobby." Harry told the old elf and jumped when the old elf

spoke to him.

"Is young master not happy with Kreacher's service! I am old but I still

takes care of the House of Black! I is not helpless master!" Kreacher

argued.

"Kreacher I did not mean to offend you. You have been an excellent

servant and caretaker to our Noble House, and one day I will proudly add

you head to those of your predecessors who have honored our house and

whose heads are displayed for all to see." Harry replied getting an

amused smirk from Bella.

"Forgive poor old Kreacher, Kreacher not yet use to other elves in my

mistress's home. But I is always willing to serve." Kreacher bowed and

with a pop was gone.

"Wow, he hasn't aged well." Bella commented on the state of the old elf.

"Well he was alone in the house for quite some time. I'm sure that had to

have had an effect on the poor thing." Harry defended.

"So what are you going to do with Aunt Walburga's portrait?" Bella asked

looking at the large ornate frame.

"Don't know. Guess I'll hang it in the sitting room, but I don't see a reason

to do it right now, maybe tomorrow or…next week." Harry chuckled.

"So um…I have the runes diagramed for you on some parchment and the

incantation you will need to memorize." Bella told him nervously turning

around and pulling some parchment from a desk. She handed him the

instructions and nervously pushed some loose hair behind her ear as she

looked up at him.

Harry took the parchments and looked at the runes." They seem

complicated." Harry worriedly commented.

"Not too difficult Harry, I'll help you practice them until your confident

enough to draw them on your own." She offered reassuringly.

"How long do you think it will take?" He asked sorting through the

parchments.

"I hope to have you ready by next weekend." She bit her lip nervously.

"By next weekend?!" Harry gasped. "T-that s-soon?" Bella nodded

vigorously.

"You can do it Harry, I know you can." She reaffirmed her belief in him.

"So after we um…after we do this, you will be free of the contract?" He

asked taking a seat on her bed and facing her. She took a seat in front of

him and took his hands in hers; she looked down at their clasped hands

and answered his question.

"Not quite, Harry." She began and took a steadying breath. "That's just the

first part of what needs to happen. With the binding broken then I can…

do the most important part that will invalidate the contract." She softly

spoke.

Harry apprehensively asked. "What does the second part entail?"

Bella fidgeted a bit as she plucked up her courage to continue. She knew

that this would not be easy to ask. And logically she knew that anyone

could fulfill the second part but she wanted it to be Harry. She did not

know why, but she knew, she knew that somehow Harry's and her life

were somehow intertwined. Her quick feelings for him were evidence

enough for her that he was someone special and she wanted to pursue

those feelings further.

"Harry…it has to do with what I asked you to do for me when you first

came in. Harry…I need you to…no, no, I mean I would like for you to

make love to me." Her voice was again soft and pleading. She saw the

look of shock and confusion on his face and needed to explain to him

why.

"Harry, please listen to me. The-the contract is a binding magical item.

The parchment it is written on is called Blood-Parchment; it is infused

with my blood. The blood acts as a catalyst to activate the runes

imbedded within the parchment. The runes are for a compulsion charm

so strong that it is similar to the Imperious curse. It blocks the free will of

the person whose blood is added to the parchment. My blood Harry."

"But how does the act of us making love change that?" Harry asked a bit

embarrassedly.

"First let me tell you how it binds me to Lestrange. When Rudlophus and

his father sign the contract Rudolfus will use a blood quill. It is a quill

that magically uses your own blood as ink." Harry gasped in horror.

"Now, when he signs, his blood mixes with the Blood-Parchment but the

runes under where he signs creates an ownership bond with my blood. It

allows him to literally control me and my magic. This can only happen

after I sign my part and my blood soaks into the parchment and then

activates all of the runes within the document."

"I still don't understand Bella, how does it changes things if we…you

know." Harry asked again.

Bella scooted closer to Harry until they were sitting knee to knee. She

held his hands in her lap and continued looking deeply into his eyes.

"Because Harry, the blood in the parchment, has to be identical to the

blood of the signer. It's part of the binding magic. If we were to make

love…and you would need to…um finish in me." Bella blushed profusely

but continued.

"When we make love our…fluids will mingle and cause a slight chemical

change to my blood chemistry. This change, though small, will be enough

to not match the blood in the parchment. Thus the binding will not

activate, and it will invalidate the contract further by me not being a

virgin as stipulated in the writing." Bella finished looking hopeful for

acceptance in Harry's eyes.

"So…um…so if we make love, you'll be completely free of the contract

and Lestrange?" Harry stuttered.

"Yes Harry, yes! I will then be free." Bella told him expressively.

Harry looked down at their clasped hands deep in thought. Her hands

were soft and warm. He squeezed them gently and half smiled as he felt

her squeeze back. Harry felt like his head was spinning, so much

information seemed to be warring inside his mind. She had literally

dropped a bomb on him and he did not know if he was up to the task.

Rituals and spells, contracts and blood, it was just so overwhelming.

He really wanted to help her, not just because he was beginning to fancy

her, he realized it while they were walking in Hogsmeade with her arm

in his, but because it was the right thing to do. No one should be forced

against their will to do anything, especially having your free will taken

from you.

Taking a steadying breath he made up his mind, he knew that this would

definitely change the nature of their relationship once they had freed her.

He was also aware that this would be the first big change to the timeline

and briefly wondered what the repercussions would be. He gently

squeezed her hands again and then looked up into her deep violet pools.

"I know this can't be easy for you, and I know that to lose who you are

Bella would be a great loss to not only you but to…me as well." Harry's

gentle words and blushing face made Bella smile.

"When I first found out who you were, I admit I was a little worried and

was waiting for something awful to happen." Harry chuckled softly. "But I

have come to see you for the remarkable person that you are and never

in a million years would I have imagined wanting to get to know

someone more than you Bella. And I would hate to lose the opportunity

to get to know Bellatrix Black much better." Harry grinned.

"What I'm trying to say, however awkwardly, is that…I willing to do

whatever it takes for you to keep your freedom." Bella with happy tears

in her eyes launched herself into his arms hugging him tightly and

without thinking crushed her lips to his. Bella's forward momentum

pushed Harry over landing on his back on her bed with Bella lying right

on top of him.

The hard kiss soon softened and then became searching as Bella explored

his lips with her own. Slowly, gently she moved her lips over his and

soon Harry was responding in kind. There was no thinking no wondering

there was only raw emotion that was driving the two teens to explore

what had up to now been undiscovered territory as the both enjoyed

their first real kisses from a member of the opposite sex. It was only the

need for air that broke the two apart finally. Bella's forehead was resting

on Harry's their eyes locked on each other.

"Wow!" They chorused simultaneously. They lay there just staring at each

other for several minutes, neither in any particular hurry to move until

Harry became aware of a growing problem. Harry was saved however as

both of them jumped at hearing a loud buzzing sound. The two red-faced

teenagers look to the source of the noise and found the picture frame that

Kreacher had brought vibrating madly.

"I guess aunt Walburga wants to talk." Harry shook his head. "I better

hang her up before she gets too upset." Harry stated swinging his feet off

the bed and picking up the empty portrait.

"Why don't we hang it in the sitting room above the mantle of the

fireplace?" Bella offered standing up and straightening out her clothes.

"Good idea." Harry told her as they left Bella's room, Bella slipping her

hand into Harry's as they walked. Harry grinned blushingly at the gesture

which pleased Bella immensely.

With a sticking charm in place, the gilded portrait frame had been hung

just above the mantle. Harry took out his wand and then looked to Bella.

"Ready for this?" He asked.

"Let's say hello to the old woman." Bella smiled. Harry tapped the frame

and then stood back. Bella took his hand again and stood closely by his

side. He raised his eyebrow at her.

"I'm staking my claim to you milord." She smiled warmly. "And I'm sure

once she discovers what we plan to do she might be more accepting of it.

In my time line she thought very highly of the Lestranges, her own sister

had married into the family. So she was accepting of the contract

between our two houses."

"So you think she will be happy about us…being together? Are we

together?" Harry asked timidly.

Bella smiled beautifully and brought her lips to his again in a soft but

loving manor. "I'm in if your in." She stated the smile reaching her

sparkling eyes.

"I think I'd like that." Harry replied with a goofy smile.

"Then its official." Bella stated. "You're all mine milord." She giggled

demurely.

"Aunt Walburga!" Harry called out. A second later a tall salt and

peppered haired woman with gray eyes and sharp aristocratic features

appeared and sat in a large wingback chair.

"Well it's about time young man. Kreacher has been back for more than

an hour! What took you so long to…Oh!" The former mistress of House

Black said now taking stock of the two teens in front of her.

"Bless my soul, is that really you Bellatrix?" The portrait asked.

With a small courtesy, Bella responded. "Yes Lady Black, it really is me."

Bella informed her respectfully.

"Amazing!" She said. "I did not believe Kreacher when he informed me,

but here you are. And from the past no less." The Black Matriarch said in

an astonished voice. She then saw the teen's intertwined hands.

"And what is the meaning of this?" She asked petulantly pointing at their

joined hands."

"It's a long story Aunt Walburga." Harry began.

"I have all the time in the world Harry, so explain yourselves."

For the next two hours the teens explained everything that had happened

to them from the moment they had entered Hogwarts three days ago. To

say Walburga Black was stunned was a serious understatement of the

obvious. She had listened to the couple only interrupting when she

wanted clarification, time travel or whatever this was, was beyond her

comprehension but she couldn't argue the fact that a teenage Bellatrix

was standing in front of her.

In the end and after much persuasive arguing the teens convinced her to

support them in their cause. She also told Harry that she would be

continuing his education as Lord Black and his instruction in Black

Family magic and of course strengthening his mind with training in

occulumency. Bella unsurprisingly we quite adept at the skill and

volunteered to help as well.

It was nearly one in the morning when the two teen returned to their

bedrooms after a quick ten minute goodnight kiss. Tomorrow was the

first day back to classes for both of them and neither was looking forward

to it.

Harry surprisingly slept well. His dreams for once didn't involve the re-

birth of the Dark Lord or the death of Cedric Diggory, but surrounded the

raven haired witch that slept next door. He could still taste her lips on his

and smell the lingering scent of the flowery perfume she wore.

He rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He opened up the

door and froze as he watched a wet and very naked Bella stepping out of

the large pool sized bath tub and reaching for a towel. Her back was to

him and he did not see anything inappropriate as he watched her wrap

the large fluffy towel around her torso.

Bella happened to glance back over her shoulder and noticed Harry

staring in a daze at her. Her blush went from her face and down her neck

and chest. Fortunately for her she was facing away from him and he

could not see.

She smiled shyly at him and walked to her door; she opened it and

walked in only pausing for a moment to send him a quick wink. The door

closed behind her and she fell against it hard her face burning from

embarrassment at being seen in the all together.

Harry finally came to his senses when the echo from the door alerted him

that she had left the room. For a moment he replayed over and over

again in his mind what he had just seen. The most perfect derriere that

he had ever seen. Well to be honest it was the first and only naked

derriere that he had ever seen…and it was spectacular.

A half hour later, Harry was finally bathed and dressed in his school

robes and was headed to the sitting room where he was greeted by a still

blushing Bella. Though blushing, Bella couldn't resist a chance to tease

Harry.

"Did you see anything you liked this morning milord?" She asked

mischeviously.

Harry's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he tried to

formulate words, but the reintroduction of the image he had seen earlier

was now foremost in his mind. It took a minute or two but Harry found

his voice.

"I saw the most spectacular thing I have ever seen." Harry replied with a

glazed over look. Bella giggled at his reaction.

"What is this? What are you referring to dears?" Aunt Walburga asked,

suddenly announcing her presence and looking suspiciously at the two

teens.

"Oh nothing Aunt Walburga, just teasing Harry." Bella replied to the

portrait.

"Impertinent youth." The Black matriarch grumbled. By the matching

blushes she could see on the two youths she could just imagine what they

were talking about.

The two enjoyed a light breakfast, neither really looking forward to the

day but determined to get through it. Harry received some last minute

advice from Walburga who told him to walk tall and proud and put to

heal all those who would challenge House Black. This advice got a

chuckle from Bella who remembered receive the same advice from her

parents.

Hand in hand they walked to the door that opened up on the seventh

floor. Harry pushed it open but neither teen moved. They stared

nervously at the empty hallway, schoolbags on their shoulders. The

silence seemed to stretch.

"Wish we could just go together." Bella spoke breaking the uncomfortable

silence.

"Me too." Harry replied with a sad smile.

"Maybe it is something we should look into." Bella told him turning her

gaze upon him.

"I think if the 'Saviour of the Wizarding World were to just up and vanish

it would cause quite the uproar." Harry smirked.

"To hell with them Harry! It's not like they have treated you well, you

don't owe them anything." She replied squeezing his hand.

Harry was pensive for a moment. 'What if I did just leave?' He mused. 'No

one in Bella's time knows me; I'm not even a twinkle in my parent's eyes

yet. I could probably find away to get a fake identity. I could load up

enough Galleons from the Black vault in my time and just disappear into

Bella's.' It was an interesting idea.

But then Harry thought about what he would leave behind. His friends.

'What friends? They abandoned me.' He amused. 'There is Luna, she is a

sweet girl but I really don't know her that well, but I'd feel bad if

something happened to her.' He tried hard to think of some other reason

to stay but for the life of him he could not find one. The only scrap he

could find was what Luna had said the day before that he had more

support than he realized and that there was some curse that had been

turning the student-body against him.

Maybe he could give it a couple of weeks, and if things hadn't improved

maybe he could just go to the past. Although, Voldemort is on the rise in

Bella's time and would soon throw the Wizarding World in to a brutal

civil war. Either way he knew deep down that he and Voldemort were

destined to confront each other. In the graveyard Voldemort had

mentioned a prophecy about the two of them and that Harry would not

be allowed to live. So he knew that the evil wanker would not leave him

be.

But what if he could stop him before he got powerful enough to start the

first war? With his access to the past and everything about the first war

documented including where attacks occurred and battles fought. It could

save a lot of lives, maybe even his parents. Going to the past was looking

better and better the more he thought about it.

Harry turned to look at Bella with a mischievous grin. "What if I did do

just that Bella, just go to your time?"

"Are you serious Harry?" Bella asked in surprise. "I was thinking of

coming with you to your time. I would be free from the Lestranges and

all the drama with my family that will be created once we break my

binding and foil the contract."

"I guess we both have reason to escape our own times. Either way, we

will still have Voldemort and Deatheaters to deal with. I was just

thinking that if we concentrated our efforts in the past we could stop

Voldemort before he ever causes a problem." Harry said.

"Are you daft Harry? Why would you want to even get involved with that

monster? I say we just head off to America or the continent, and leave all

this behind."

"Bella, we could save a lot of innocent people from getting killed

including…my parents and Sirius. And besides Voldemort has a personal

interest in me and I don't think we can run far enough away that he

would not find us. And in the past he doesn't know I exist yet." Harry

argued.

"I don't know Harry." Bella sighed.

"Also, remember, Hogwarts brought us together to try and changes things

from happening the way they did. Voldemort is the cause of trouble in

both our times, and I'm sure us packing up and leaving isn't going to

change the past from repeating itself."

"Oh sure, guilt me into agreeing with you." Bella glared at the boy.

"So I guess for now, I need to continue to go to my time and get as much

information on the first war that I can." Harry sighed.

"Well I know several in Slytherin House right now who are either

members of Voldemort's movement or sympathizers to his cause. I can

keep my eyes and ears open for anything else of interest. In fact, I've been

invited to a meeting of his youth supporters on the eve of Samhain." Bella

told him.

"What?! You're not going are you? It could be dangerous." Harry asked

with worry.

"It's just kind of a recruitment meeting I think. They want me to join it

fairly badly, so I don't think they'll do anything to me or try and do

anything that will turn me off from their little group." She told him, but

Harry didn't look happy.

"Will the Lestranges be there?" Harry asked her.

"I suppose he will. He is actually the leader of the youth movement at

Hogwarts." She replied.

"It sounds like it would be a perfect opportunity for him to try and get

some payback for what you did to him the other day." Harry observed.

"I know how to take care of myself Harry. I've been doing pretty well

defending myself for some time now." She snapped back a little harsher

than she intended.

"Look, I know you can take care of yourself…just be careful is all I'm

saying." Harry apologized.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so curt." Bella replied wrapping her arms

around Harry. "We better get going or will be late for our first class. We'll

talk about this later okay."

"Sure." Harry replied. They hugged each other tightly again and with a

quick peck on the lips from Bella they stepped through the door.

The first class of the day for Harry was Transfiguration with the

Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs. Trudging to the class room he noticed

the looks he was receiving as he passed. Some were still hostile while

others were…remorseful?

He entered the classroom and decided to take a desk at the back of the

room closest to the door. He looked around the room at the many

students who were already there. Not surprisingly he noticed Hermione

at a desk in front of the room. Her hair seemed to be a lot bushier than

normal, like she hadn't brushed through it in days.

She must have felt his gaze on her because she turned around to look at

him. He nearly gasped at her appearance. She was pale, very pale except

for the raw looking skin around her eyes which was red and blistered like

she had been crying non-stop. She had a pained look in her face that

screamed regret and sadness.

She looked like she was about to say something to him but her mouth

just opened and closed several times before she seemed to give up on

what she wanted to say in frustration. Oddly enough Lavender Brown

and Parvati Patil took seats on either side of Hermione. Lavender put her

arm around the distraught bookworm and leaned in to whisper

something into her ear. Hermione nodded jerkily.

Hermione then proceeded to gather her things up and stood from the

desk. In her hand she had a rolled up piece of parchment. She walked

straight up to him and placed the scroll on his desk with a watery but

hopeful smile before exiting the classroom. Harry picked up the scroll

and watched as Hermione seemed to burst into tears and left the

classroom. Before he could read whatever was on the scroll, is other

former friend walked in followed by one of his former roommates

Seamus Finnegan.

"What did you say to my girlfriend Potter?!" Ron spat at his former

friend.

"I have no idea what you're on about Weasley. What girlfriend?" Harry

replied with a mock look of confusion.

The redheaded boy placed both hands on Harry's desk and leaned

forward menacingly. "Hermione, that's who! I know you spoke to her the

other day Potter. And since then she hasn't said two words to me and has

been in a right state ever since! So what the bloody hell did you do to

her?"

"I have done nothing to her Weasley, so go pester someone else." Harry

said lowly with his own menacing look.

"I want answers Potter!" Ron roared pulling out his wand from his robe.

But before Ron could clear cloth Harry had pulled his own wand and was

now pointing it straight at Ron's chest. Ron's body blocked the view of

Harry's wand from the rest of the class and was unobserved when

Professor McGonagall entered the room from her office.

""Mr. Weasley! Take your seat this instant! I will not have you starting

fights in my class, fifteen points from Gryffindor, and a detention this

evening Mr. Weasley." The stern transfiguration professor informed the

redhead.

"This isn't over Potter." Ron threatened lowly.

"Bring it." Harry replied back.

Ron and Seamus took seats two desks in front of him. A body all of a

sudden took the seat next to him. A sheepish looking Neville Longbottom

glanced at him. "Mind if I sit here Harry?" The timid boy asked.

"I suppose not." Harry replied getting a weak smile from Neville.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Harry shrugged.

Professor McGonagall started the class with a speech on the importance

of the Ordinary Wizarding Level exams or O.W.L.S. A syllabus was

distributed to the class which included a lot of revision along with

learning new theories and concepts as well as a heavy practical

component to the class. She also announced that this year they would

have a Profession's interview with their Heads of House where they

would discuss future career paths.

An hour and a half later the class mercifully ended. They spent most of

the class going over what they had learned over the last four years and

demonstrating their transfiguration skills. Harry was impressed with

himself; he usually struggled with transfiguration but all the training he

did for the Tri-Wizard Tournament had sharpened his skills

tremendously.

"Mr. Potter, a word please before you head off. You have a break this

period yes, since dropping Divination?" McGonagall called to him as

everyone was packing up their things to go to their next class.

"Yes Professor." Harry grimaced and wondered why she wanted to speak

to him. As the last student exited Harry made his way up to the front of

the class.

"Come up to my office Potter, I think we should make ourselves

comfortable." She told him. Now he knew something was up. He had

never been invited to her private office before. He wondered what he had

done now to be singled out like this.

Harry entered the office and found to his amazement that the office was

warmly decorated with personal effects placed all around. Several

pictures lined the walls; he saw one of a much younger McGonagall being

embraced by a rather striking man with dark blonde hair, bright blue

eyes and wearing dark blue Hit Wizard robes on her left, and embraced

by another man on her right in red Auror robes. He was much younger

perhaps late teens or early twenties.

Suddenly McGonagall was behind him. "That one on the left was my

husband Robert McGonagall." She sighed heavily. "He was a Hit Wizard

during the first war, such a powerful wizard, but more than that he was a

wonderful husband and w-wonderful f-father." She choked up. Harry was

stunned he had not known she was even married or that she had a son.

"The other young man…" Minerva continued with a shaky voice,

reverently touching the image on the photo. "…is…was my son Richard.

Robert was a Hit Wizard, a team leader, and Richard was a second year

junior Auror." Minerva suddenly looked so much older than she usually

did.

"W-what happened to them?" Harry asked but winced when he saw his

hard as steel professor begin to leak tears in steady streams down her

face.

"They were killed Harry. They were both assigned to Hogsmeade village

back in 1978. I was thrilled that they were so close to the castle. I got to

see them every weekend." She smiled warmly in remembrance, but then

the smile quickly disappeared as she continued.

"It was June 1978; the school year was nearly over. There was a Death

Eater attack on the school; You-Know-Who led the attack. The Hit Wizard

and Auror contingent in Hogsmeade were quickly dispatched to aid us. It

was a brutal assault, many students were killed. It had been a beautiful

warm day and many students were enjoying themselves outside the

castle. They came three hundred strong out of the forbidden forest.

Shooting indiscriminately at anything in front of them."

1978, Harry remembered what Bella had said from reading the book she

had on herself. It was 1978 and she was in that battle and had stated that

according to the book she was responsible for many of the deaths that

occurred that day. His heart sank knowing what Professor McGonagall

was about to tell him.

"My Richard and Robert fought valiantly. I had been fighting next to my

son when I noticed a first year cowering behind the fallen body of

another student who was obviously dead. I left my position next to my

son to assist the young girl. While I was gone two Death Eaters had

surprised my son coming from the position I had just left. They didn't

even give him a quick death, they slit his throat and he slowly bled out.

When I returned to him his eyes were frozen wide open in terror."

"I'm terribly sorry professor." Harry whispered.

"I failed to protect him Harry, and because I failed him he perished. The

Death Eaters were finally driven back and they fled. I later found my

Robert, killed by the killing curse. But he took nearly a dozen of them

with him before he died; from witnesses that saw him fall he had taken

out ten Death Eaters before he was faced with Bellatrix Lestrange. She

was just too fast for him. She toyed with him for several minutes, cutting

away pieces of his body before she finally killed him."

Harry was speechless; he did not know what to say. Why was she telling

him all this. It obviously was not something she was comfortable with.

"Come sit down Harry." Again she called him by his name and not by

Potter or Mr. Potter. Harry had never seen this side of her and it made

him a little nervous. Harry sat in a very comfortable armchair as

McGonagall sat in a similar one right across from him.

"I know you're wondering why I asked you here Harry. It's simply this. I

have failed you Harry as sure as I failed my own son I have failed you. I

have not been by your side when you have needed me and I have

allowed you to come to harm because of my foolish, foolish belief in

someone I use to hold in high esteem, who said it was for the greater

good.

But, no longer Harry. I know that you have no reason to believe or trust

me. But I will take a witches oath before you right now that I will do

whatever it takes to protect you and keep you from being placed in

harm's way. There are other professors who feel the same way and are

willing to swear an oath as well."

Harry wasn't sure how to respond to this. In years past she had ignored

his pleas for help and when he had come to her when he was being

targeted last year she had never defended him. Remembering all the

times she had dismissed his concerns and pleas were sparking his anger

and it was ready to burst free.

Harry stood up abruptly and unleashed a torrent of anger fueled

accusations and incriminations for the next half hour, and Minerva

McGonagall sat there and took it all without complaint or excuse. Her

face showed her remorse and shame for her part in Harry's treatment

over the last four years. Harry slumped back into his seat with his hands

covering his face when he finally ran out of steam.

Minerva remained silent as she watched the young man in front of her.

He looked so much like his father, but in that moment she saw the fire in

him that was definitely from his mother. She had witnessed more than

once the unleashed temper that the redheaded Lily Evans had and you

immediately felt for the one on the receiving end of it.

"Professor, I don't know if I can trust anyone but myself anymore. Those I

thought friends have turned their backs on me. I don't think I have it

within me to trust anyone." Harry calmly spoke, the hard edge in his

voice audible.

"I understand Harry, but nevertheless I swear on my magic that I will

always do my best to protect you." Minerva glowed a soft white for a

moment evidence of a magical oath sworn.

Harry gave her a small nod and then exited her office; he stopped short

of the classroom door that leads into the hallway as the ghostly visage of

the Lady Hogwarts appeared.

"My Lady." Harry gave a short bow.

"You can trust her Harry; she is serious about helping you and regaining

your trust. I've seen her in conference with other professors; they are all

willing to defy the headmaster on your behalf Harry." She informed him.

Harry sighed heavily. "But where was this help before?! Huh? Why are

they now so interested in helping me?!" He angrily spat.

The Lady taking no offense at his outburst explained. "They were blind

Harry, manipulated by one they all held as a leader of the light. But their

eyes are now opened and they are repentant. Allow them to help you

Harry. You and Bella cannot accomplish your goals without the help of

others and that means trusting again." She explained.

"I don't know." Harry sighed in frustration. "I just don't know if I can

allow myself to be that vulnerable again."

"Try Harry, it is important that you don't close yourself off to those who

want to help you." She tried again.

Harry let out a frustrated breath. "I'll try my Lady, but I won't promise

that it will happen overnight." Harry told her.

Lady Hogwarts smiled warmly at him. "That's all I can ask Harry."

Harry had just five minutes to get to his next class; he had been in

McGonagall office longer than he thought. The next class was Defense

against the Dark Arts with the Slytherins. "Bloody fantastic!" Harry

grumbled heading for DADA classroom. 'I wonder what kind of professor

this Umbridge woman will be?' Harry thought as he entered the

classroom.

oooOOOooo

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the chapter! It was actually over 14,000 words

so I decided to split it into two chapters. That means that expect the

next chapter to be out sooner than my normal update time. A lot of

information was given in this chapter and I hope it has you on the edge

of your seats for the next.

Please leave a review or a comment and let me know your thoughts

about the story so far!

9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: See Chapter One

A/N: Okay so here is the second half of the last chapter. It's not as long as

the first but it sets up the next chapter to come. Thanks for all the

reviews! Only a little over sixty this time but I'm posting this chapter a

lot sooner than I have on the others. Next chapter will be much longer.

This one is just to whet your appetites!

Chapter 9: Washroom Foreplay

It had been a long day and Bella was anxious to get back to the ROR and

unwind with Harry. The new status of their relationship was very

exciting to the young witch and she was looking forward to developing it

further. She was also anxious to begin going over the runescape that

Harry would need to learn in order to perform the unbinding ritual and

the spell work associated with it.

The other part of her foiling the marriage contract was also weighing on

her mind. On one side it terrified her. We're talking about her virginity

after all. It was a precious gift she knew she was giving him. But to her

family it was a tool to form political alliances between other likeminded

families. So not only was she giving up something sacred to someone she

was beginning to have feelings for, but also eliminating a family

bargaining chip.

What it all came down to for Bella, was that she was being true to herself

while at the same time defying her family and its outdated dogma. And

oddly, she was very okay with it, knowing that the fallout would be huge

once her family discovered what she had done, she felt at peace with her

decision. Just looking into those emerald pools and Bella felt that she had

found a soul mate. No, she didn't believe in the literally joining of souls

but more like a kindred spirit, a familiarity that made her feel complete.

Then again it could be just her teenage hormones and Harry was rather

hunky she mused…nah!

The morning had started out okay; she had not run into Rudolfus or his

minions except for Lucius who was in her Ancient Runes class. Lucius

surprised her, out of all Rudolfus' friends, Lucius by far was the most

intelligent, not the most powerful Rudolfus had him beat in sheer

magical power but Lucius was clever and calculating. Which begged the

question, why Lucius wasn't running the youth movement for Voldemort?

Maybe he was more of a behind the scenes individual, it would make

sense it fit Malfoy's personality. Needless to say that Bella was more leery

of him than any of the others.

Lunch saw the relatively good day turn sour, beginning with post from

her parents. Apparently word had been sent to them about her less the

hospitable interactions with Rudlofus. The letter had been scathing, her

parents had been severely critical of her behavior in an almost over the

top manner, they chastised her for her barbaric display which was

beneath her station. They went on to express the disappointment from

the Lestranges, who commented that they were shocked that a daughter

from the Noble and Ancient House of Black would act in such a manner.

Bella was about to torch the letter but stopped when she noticed a small

red dragon in the left hand corner just at the bottom of the parchment. It

was a mark that told her that there was a clandestine message hidden on

the parchment. It was a means by which secret messages were passed by

members of her mother's family the Edevane's. They were an ancient

Welsh house.

Her mother being of Welsh descent spoke the language fluently. Bella and

her sisters were also taught to speak the ancient language. Bella tapped

the image of the Welsh dragon with the tip of her wand and then spoke

the Welsh word "datgelu" meaning reveal. A message written completely

in Welsh appeared, but the letter still seemed to be written in code. The

letter warned of the DIEITHRIAID and the TYWYLLWCH in bold letters

and she was told to watch over her sisters closely.

Dieithriaid, was the Welsh word for strangers and tywyllwch meant

darkness. Why would her mother emphasize these particular words and

why not the others. Could her mother be referring to the Lestranges and

Voldemort, could she be warning her about them for some reason?

Why would she warn her though? Her mother never praised the contract,

but neither had she protested it when Orion brought it over for her father

to read and approve. Her father more or less bowed to the wishes of his

older brother who was the Head of House for House Black.

Could it be that she may have an ally in her mother? But even if she did,

Orion was still head of house and could force the issue and there was

nothing her parents could do but acquiesce to his will or be tossed from

the family. It seemed that at least her mother was becoming aware of the

coming darkness and was warning her. She would have to think on what

she read and perhaps send a reply to her mother asking for clarity.

Every where she went there was someone spouting off the rhetoric that

Voldemort was pushing with his Magic for Magicals, Beware the

Muggle Threat, and a pamphlet on Muggleborns: The Inconvenient

Truth. Its premise was that there was no such thing as a muggleborn, it

was muggles who had found away to steal magic from real magicals in an

effort to destroy the Wizarding World from the inside.

Her friend Olivia Rosier was one of the worst. Not only had she talked

her ear off with the hateful rhetoric but also kept talking up Rudolfus,

and how important he was in the Movement, and how he would be a

rising star in the new government and how he was a beacon to whom all

young purebloods should flock to.

Bella had simply rolled her eyes at her friend's ramblings and at one

point of absolute annoyance told the girl if she was so infatuated with

Rudolfus she should convince her father to write up a contract for her,

and that she, Bella, would gladly step aside for the enamored girl.

There was a definite unease in the castle. The half-bloods and

muggleborns were quickly becoming aware of the antagonism directed

toward them. Of course Purebloods only made up about a third of the

student population but they were by far the most vocal.

Narcissa's friend and Harry's future mother had been a victim of a nasty

prank from some third year Slytherins. While walking to the greenhouses

she was assaulted by the three Slytherins who covered her from head to

toll in mud. They had told her that she should feel at home in the mud

since she was a mudblood.

To Narcissa's credit when she found out she cursed the three boys with a

blistering boils hex at their genitals which had the three literally crawling

in pain to the hospital wing. Bella congratulated herself for having been

the one to teach Cissy the spell prior to coming to Hogwarts. Some boys

just needed to be put in their place she thought with a smile.

Bella had decided to take Lily under her wing and like Narcissa, she

would teach the young first year the subtle art of pain compliance spells

when it came to bullies. They were a mix of hexes, spells and curses

meant to torment a certain anatomical appendage of the male species.

Bella had made sure that everyone knew you did not mess with the Black

sisters; she would do the same for the muggle-born Lily Evans.

Lunch in the Great Hall had been very educational. She had noticed

Rudolfus and Lucius holding court at the opposite end of the table with

their usual sycophants. Rudolfus had produced a small satchel and was

pulling rings out of it and then distributing them to those around him,

about fifteen students in all including a couple of Ravenclaws. Olivia was

among them.

In her potions class Bella got a good look at the ring that Olivia was now

wearing. It was a silver skull with an emerald looking snake that made up

the band that wrapped around the finger with the head of the snake

coming out of the mouth of the skull. She recognized the motif from the

book she had read about herself. It was the tattoo that all the Death

Eaters had branded on their left arms. So it seems that the youth

movement had a good foothold within Hogwarts, she figured that it most

likely did, but now here was some physical proof. She would have to

make a list of those she saw wearing the rings and bring it to Harry.

"Interesting ring Olivia." Bella commented to her potions partner.

Olivia looked at her friend since before Hogwarts with something akin to

caution. "Oh…yeah." She began hesitantly. "It's just a ring of solidarity,

you know amongst the pureblood students."

"Solidarity?" Bella asked with curiosity.

"Well…yeah, so we know who we can trust." Olivia replied.

"Do all the purebloods have one?" Bella asked, knowing that she and her

sisters had not been given one.

"Well, um…not yet but I assume they will eventually. Well those who

aren't traitors to their own kind that is." Olivia shrugged. "I heard

through Malfoy that you'll be attending our gathering on Samhain. It's

about time Bella, I was beginning to worry that you had turned your back

on your family name and your own kind." She added a little bit more

friendly.

"Yeah, I thought I might as well find out what all the excitement is about.

Have you met this Lord Voldemort yet?" Bella asked, not revealing her

true feelings about this so called lord.

"No, but not many have. He is very careful not to come out in public. The

muggle loving ministry would love to arrest him on some trumped up

charge and throw him in Azkaban! Can you believe that?! They'd lock

him away for only telling the truth about the mudbloods!" She whispered

harshly, keeping an eye out for Professor Slughorn who was roaming the

classroom inspecting the progress of his students.

"I don't think Minister Bagnold could legally do that without some

evidence that Lord Voldemort has committed a crime." Bella reasoned to

her friend.

"Don't you believe it Bella! The ministry is corrupt and is pushing a pro-

mudblood agenda. Soon they'll be turning over the Wizengamot to these

magic usurpers." Olivia hissed again. "I wonder how they do it."

"How who does what?" Bella asked.

"How the muggles are stealing our magic! Do you think they are

kidnapping magical babies and sacrificing them? That's what I've heard."

Olivia told her friend. "Some say they even drink the blood of magicals

they've slaughtered to somehow get their magic."

"Are you serious Olivia?! That's the most ridiculous thing that I've ever

heard!" Bella told her friend. Bella was shocked at the horrible rumors

that were being spread amongst the purebloods.

"I don't know Bella, who knows what the muggles are capable of." Olivia

replied with a significant shrug.

The rest of the class went by without incident as did her charms class and

later in her History of magic class where most of the students took

advantage of the class to catch a quick nap before dinner. Bella made her

way to the Great Hall to meet up with her sisters and have a bit of

dinner.

Bella made her way to the Slytherin table and noticed that Andromeda

was already there. Andromeda had her head down and was reading a

piece of parchment. As she got closer she noticed the large smile on her

sister's face and the pink tinge in her cheeks. A small giggle then left the

middle Black sister's lips as she looked up and looked across the hall.

Bella followed her gaze to a handsome boy at the Hufflepuff table who

was smiling back at her sister. 'Ted Tonks', Bella surmised. He was a cute

boy; she had to give her sister that.

"No flirting at the table." Bella whispered in her sister's ear causing her to

jump in surprise.

"Bella! You shouldn't sneak up on people!" Andromeda hissed.

"Sneak up?" Bella replied indignantly. "I walked straight up to you.

Perhaps if you weren't sneaking longing looks over at your secret

boyfriend you would have seen me coming." Bella smirked playfully.

"I was not sneaking looks, I was just…I was just…oh just mind your own

business!" Andromeda pouted crossing her arms over her chest as Bella

couldn't help giggling at her sister's embarrassment.

"So where's Cissy?" Bella asked looking around for the youngest Black

sister.

"Over at the Griff table with her friend Lily." Andromeda told her

glancing toward the far end of the hall at the Gryffindor House table.

"Really? Brave of her." Bella replied impressed with her little sister's

daring.

"Yeah she wanted to be with her to show her support of her non-Slytherin

friend." Andi said with pride in her voice for Narcissa.

Bella watched curiously as little Jamie Potter was starring at the pretty

eleven year old Lily Evans. Bella had to smile to herself knowing that

theses two would eventually get together. But then a sudden sadness as

she remembered what fate awaited them and their future son. That

thought leaped frog to another as she sought out another face. Alice

Singleton, the future Alice Longbottom. She had read how she tortured

the future Lady Longbottom and her husband to insanity leaving their

young son for all intents and purposes an orphan much like Harry was.

"Are you alright Bella?" A concerned Andromeda spoke gently, laying a

hand on her sister's arm.

"W-what? Oh um…yeah…just got lost in thought for a moment." Bella

replied shaking the depressing thoughts from her mind.

"So, how goes the secret romance?" Bella asked with a grin, effectively

changing the subject.

"Just fine, and what about yours? Are you going to tell us who this

mysterious boy of yours is?" Andromeda replied flipping the conversation

towards her older sibling.

Bella's eyes unconsciously sparkled as the thought of Harry entered her

mind. The softening of Bella's facial features did not go unnoticed by her

astute sister.

"My, my Bella, if I didn't know better I'd say you've fallen for this

mysterious boy." Andromeda smirked.

Bella blushed hard and blustered. "You have no idea what you're talking

about Andromeda, he's…he's just you know…a friend!"

Andromeda's jaw nearly fell to the floor as she starred hard at her sister,

who continued to blush and look anywhere except at her sister. "You

have fallen for him!" She gasped. "Bellatrix Black has fallen in love! Is it

possible?!" Andromeda amusedly teased her sister.

"I'm not in love with him!" Bella protested in a harsh whisper quickly

looking around to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation.

"Deny it if you like Bella, but I can see it in your eyes and on your face,

you're in love or at the very least falling hard and about to."

Bella sighed heavily. Andromeda always had a gift for seeing the truth in

others, it was a gift she had since she was little. It was a gift that Bella

was extremely jealous of, how easy would it be to know whether or not

someone was being honest with you or not just at a glance. Bella's father

successfully had used Andi's gift several times when dealing with other

business men he was debating on getting involved with.

So it served no purpose to deny what Andromeda already knew

instinctually. Yes she had fallen hard for Harry and only in the space of

three days. She was stilled amazed at just how fast it had happened.

Andromeda noticed Bella's resignation and smiled.

"So does he love you in return?" Andromeda asked conspiratorially.

"I think so." Bella replied hopefully. "He's…something special and

unique." Bella smiled warmly.

"So did he agree to help you with uh…your problem?" Andi asked.

Bella's smiled enlarged reaching her sparkling eyes. "Yes, yes he did."

Andi grabbed her sister's hands and gave them a warm squeeze.

"That's wonderful Bella, I hope it all works out. I do hope we get to meet

this mysterious boy soon though." Andromeda looked meaningfully at her

sister. "He has to receive the Sisters Black's seal of approval you know."

Andi smirked raising a haughty eyebrow and then grinned at her older

sister.

"I hope you'll get a chance to meet him soon, Andi. But things are a bit

complicated." Bella told her sister.

"Complicated? How?" Andi asked.

"I can't explain it to you just yet, but I promise that I will as soon as I

can." Bella explained cryptically.

A disruption at the Gryffindor table caught Bella's and Andromeda's

attention as they witnessed their cousins Sirius Black and Jamie Potter

rushing out of the Great Hall but quickly being pursued by Narcissa and

Lily who were both now sporting purple hair. Both Andi and Bella

chuckled at the sight, to Bella's right a first year Slytherin boy also ran

after the four that had just left.

"I wonder why little Severus is running after then?" Andromeda asked.

"Don't know, but I think he and Lily are friends." Bella told her sister with

a shrug.

oooOOOooo

Harry had returned to an empty ROR, figuring that Bella had not

returned yet. He went into his room and pulled off his school robes

tossing them into a corner. He noticed that a scroll had fallen out of the

pockets of the robe. He bent down and picked it up, and then

remembering that Hermione had given it to him prior to her leaving

Transfiguration. He had seen her in his other classes and she had kept

giving him furtive looks but never approached him or spoke to him.

Between all the stares and apologies and the occasional insults and

sneers, Harry had completely forgotten about Hermione's note. He looked

at the rolled up parchment and debated with himself what to do with it.

The angry and betrayed part of him wanted to through the thing in the

fireplace and be done with it. But the noble and forgiving side of him

wanted to reconnect with his onetime best friend if it were possible. He

truly loved Hermione, he saw her as family a sister that he never had. In

the end it was his longing to have that relationship again that won over.

Sitting at the small student desk in his room he took the scroll in hand

and broke the seal on it. He unrolled it and laid it flat on the desk as he

began to read.

'Dear Harry,

I've started this letter at least a dozen times and a dozen times have thrown it

out in frustration. How do you put into words the indescribable shame and

pain that I feel in my heart and soul? How do I express the bitter sorrow I feel

for what I have done to you. I betrayed my brother, the only person outside

my parents that has ever shown me any love or kindness.

I know you think that I am with Ron…but I never truly was…at least

willingly. I can't explain it Harry, but the last two years has been like living in

a fog I did things and said things that I would never say or do in a million

years but somehow found myself doing them.

When we confronted each other on Saturday something happened to me it was

like suddenly I had awakened from a bad dream and had control of myself

again. I know you have no reason to believe me and I would not blame you,

but please Harry, I love you and would never willingly betray you!

I tried to speak to Ron about you and what had been going on with everything

after you left me in the hallway, but he would not listen to me no matter how

much I argued that we needed to sort things out with you. He said awful things

about you and when I tried to argue he stormed away muttering something

about me needing more treatment! I think I have been controlled somehow

Harry; it's the only thing I can think of for the way I've behaved toward you.

Please Harry, I need to talk to you in person and try and fix the damage I

caused between us. I'm all alone now and I need my brother. I ended things

with Ron, I don't think I ever really wanted to be with him, it's another oddity

about all this, Harry, I never fancied him, we are polar opposites I think that I

may have been artificially been influenced to be attracted to him as well.

Please Harry, please give me a chance to fix this, and please don't push me

away. I need my brother.

Love,

Hermione.

Harry stared hard at the letter, did he believe her? Is heart wanted to, his

head wanted to just be done with the traitorous slag. But because there

was a doubt in his mind to her having acted on her own free will, he was

willing to at the very least meet with her and decided where to go from

there. He would send her a note with Hedwig tomorrow with an offer to

meet and discuss things.

Harry finished removing his school clothing and threw on a pair of

comfortable sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt and returned to the sitting

room with the parchments that Bella had given him earlier with the

runes he would need to learn for the unbinding ritual.

He sat heavy in his chair and got comfortable. A tea set suddenly

appeared on the small table next to the chair and a plate full of biscuits.

He looked at the runes but had no idea what they meant or what they

did. 'Wish I had a book that could explain this to me.' The thought had

barely left his mind when a book appeared on his lap.

Harry chuckled at his own slow wit, 'of course Hogwarts would have a

book on the subject!' He mused. It took over an hour but Harry had

identified all the runes, twelve in total that had been used to bind Bella's

virginity. He was appalled at what some of them did. They were actually

punishments and/or curses that the female would be afflicted with

should she try and remove or circumvent the binding.

One rune would cause sterility, another would cause insanity and yet

another could kill her. It was barbarism the likes that he had never

known could exist between family members. How could Orion Black

place such heinous curses upon his own niece? It was unconscionable! He

wondered if this was the cause of Bellatrix Lestrange's insanity. Had

Rudolfus or someone else not want to wait to partake of the beautiful girl

and had their way with her before the binding was removed?

It was a possibility. But it no longer mattered to Harry; he realized that

this Bellatrix would never be that Bellatrix if he could help it. This gave

him the incentive to learn these runes and perform the unbinding as soon

as possible. The longer it took to learn added to the likelihood that

something or someone could harm his Bella.

It was a knee deep in parchment Harry that Bella found as she entered

the ROR. She had to stifle a chuckle at the sight of Harry's hands and

face. His fingers were stained in ink; he had a rather large smudge of ink

that ran down the length of his nose. She saw dozens of sheets of

parchment covered in runes. He had obviously been hard at work

practicing.

It warmed her heart that he was so involved and dedicated in doing this

for her. She walked toward him and surprised him as she took him by the

shoulders and led him to the bathroom.

Uh, where are we going Bella?" Harry asked in confusion as she pushed

open the bathroom door dragging him along with her.

"You are in a right state milord, ink everywhere! We need to get you

cleaned up straight away." She said with a smile.

Still confused but not objecting he allowed her to direct him to the large

marble sink. She turned on the tap and allowed the warm water to flow.

She grabbed some soap and lathered up her hands. With a warm smile

and soapy hands she grabbed Harry's left hand between her own two and

slowly rubbed the soap into his stained skin.

Bella spent a lot of time slowly working in the ink removing cleaning

agent into the palm of his hand, she then moved to the top of his hand.

Her fingers massaged the skin tenderly and determinedly. Once the top of

his hand met her cleanliness approval she moved to his fingers taking

each finger individually and slowly massaged.

Bella's eyes never left Harry's as they stood there facing each other in the

low warm light of the shared washroom. Her ministrations were slow,

one could even say seductive, as her fingers slid in and out of Harry's,

distributing the sweet smelling soap between each finger and then

spoiling each finger with individual attention as she washed and

massaged it. It took Bella nearly twenty minutes just to finish one of

Harry's hands.

Once she finished his left hand she moved on to the right, giving the

same wonderful attention to that hand as she had with the last. Harry

was lost in the violet colored eyes of Bellatrix Black as she worked her

magic on his hands. His breaths became short and shallow as the

intensity and the intimacy of the moment caught up to his teenage mind.

Harry noticed Bella's breathing and the large dilated pupils looking back

at him, it was almost overwhelming the self-control he was barely

holding onto.

He did notice as she had finished with his right hand and then gently

took hold of both his hands and couple with her own rinsed them under

the warm water. She continued to rub his hands under the running water

making sure all the soap was washed off. Their bodies were pressed

against each other as Bella's ministrations continued.

Once his hands were clean she turned into him and gently pressed her

chest against his. He wasn't sure what to do but the decision had been

taken from him as she had taken a warm wet wash cloth and gently

cleaned the ink from his nose. She was so close that he felt her warm

sweet breath against his cheek. He was nearly trembling now as her

bodily continued to move against his as she washed his face. His eyes

closed on their own volition and a low moan escaped his lips. He heard

her chuckle softly at his unintentional sigh.

The cloth on his face suddenly disappeared, he felt almost disappointed

until he felt and tasted the warmest and sweetest pair of lips being

pressed ever so softly against his own. The kiss was slow and tentative at

first but quickly became more sure and searching. The tender kisses gave

way to more expressive kisses which turned to passionate.

Harry did not know nor did he care how long they had remained there

but he definitely felt the loss when they finally broke apart to take a

breath of much needed air.

"Hi." Bella whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder and draped her

arms around his neck. "I missed you today."

"I missed you to." Harry whispered back, wrapping his arms around her

slim waist.

"Good day?" She asked.

"It was…alright." He shrugged. "You?"

"It was a little eye opening, to tell the truth." She replied not moving her

head from Harry's shoulder. "We can talk about it later; I just want you to

hold me for awhile."

"Can't think of anything I'd rather do at the moment." Bella giggled at his

cheesy reply, but it worked for her.

"My room." She whispered hotly in his ear. Harry quickly scooped her off

her feet and made his way to Bella's room carrying her bridal style. He

placed her gently on the bed but she did not release the hold around his

neck and in a sudden display of strength pulled the dark haired boy down

on top of her for some proper snogging.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Now review, review, and review! Stay tuned for

the next chapter!

10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

A/N: Again you guys have been fantastic with all the reviews. Sorry for

the delay of this chapter, I've been a little under the weather. Hope you

enjoy!

Chapter 10:

Harry awoke from a blissful night's sleep to the scent of sandalwood and

jasmine and unfamiliar warm weight upon his chest. Groggily blinking

his eyes open, he discovered that his vision was blocked by a mass of

black curly hair. It only took Harry a few moments to recall the night

before and for a large grin to split his face. He had never snogged a girl

before Bella, but he couldn't imagine anything being better.

His lips felt slightly bruised but he didn't care in the least, in fact he was

reveling in the lingering taste of her lips as his tongue ran over his own

lips to capture any essence of her he could find that remained. As his

brain finally began to fully engage he realized that he was in Bella's bed!

With Bella on top of him! He rushed through his memories of the night

before fearing that he may have done something completely stupid. He

hadn't…they hadn't…had they?!

Harry's hands went to his own chest…he no longer had his sweater on!

'Sweet Circe!' his mind raced. His other hand that was wrapped around

Bella felt bare skin as well 'shite! shite! shite!' He couldn't believe he had

been that stupid…what if they had…what about the curses?!

Harry's hand drifted further up Bella's back, he sighed as he felt the lacy

fabric of a bra underneath his fingers. He allowed his hand to slid down

her back, there was someplace else that he needed to check, he hoped he

was right and that nothing…er umm…happened between them. His hand

felt nothing but warm skin as his hand slowly made its way to the small

of her back. Further down he traveled and…he little out a breath he had

not realized he was holding. He felt the heavy cotton fabric of her skirt.

"A little further south milord and I would be expecting an engagement

ring from you." Harry blushed, turning beat red as Bella's low sultry voice

broke the silence with a slight chuckle.

'S-sorry I was worried we had…well you know…umm." Harry stuttered

and Bella giggled musically.

"No Harry, we didn't have sex." She spoke amusedly as she turned into

him and propped her chin on his chest, looking up into his emerald eyes.

"Not yet anyway." She teased. "You know you're a pretty comfy pillow, I

should keep you around." Bella told him thoughtfully.

"Oh really?!" Harry challenged as he tickle attacked her exposed sides.

Bella shrieked as she struggled to get away from Harry's ten finger

assault. The thrashing only caused the two to become entangled more in

the sheets of Bella's bed and Bella accidentally pulling harry on top of her

as she fell to the floor.

Harry suddenly found himself in the blood pumping position of being

between Bella's toned legs that were at the moment wrapped around his

waist. The two stared at each other as the giggling and laughter slowly

died away only to be replaced with heaving chests and wanting eyes.

They were silent for a few hormone fueled moments, just staring

longingly at one another.

"Harry." Bella whispered softly. "I-I think we should um…maybe just

get…uh…ready for the day."

Harry tried to quickly unravel himself from limbs and bed sheets. Bella

giggled once again at his antics. His face was beet red from

embarrassment as he tripped over himself several times in his attempts to

get up. Finally freeing himself he brushed his hands through his hair

nervously as he searched for the sweater he had been wearing when he

entered her room last night.

Giving it up as a lost cause he stuttered out an apology and made his way

to his room through their shared washroom. Bella couldn't help herself

and laughed at the retreating youth. She laid her head on the floor and

stared up at the ceiling. "That was so intense!" She whispered to nobody.

"Sweet Maeve I hope I can hold out till he completes the ritual." Erotic

images of her and Harry floated through her imagination as she lay there

on the floor.

Two hours later the couple was dressed and ready to start their second

day of class for the school year. They both stood at the open doorway

again looking out to the empty corridor. Bella vocalized what they were

both feeling at the moment.

"Its getting harder isn't it? Separating I mean." Bella whispered reaching

for Harry's hand.

"Yeah." Harry agreed with his crooked smile.

"Have you thought anymore about what we talked about?" Bella asked.

"About choosing a time for both of us?" Harry asked already knowing the

answer. Bella nodded.

"Yeah, there's just… so much to think through, for both of us." Harry

replied with a heavy sigh.

"If it helps…I think you were right about using both timelines to help us

in fighting Voldemort. There are already many supporters in the school

right now, in my time. If we can determine from your history who really

went on to become Death Eaters, we may be able to stop them before

they ever get that far."

"It's definitely a thought." Harry replied, tugging at his collar and wincing

a bit.

"You okay?" Bella asked raising an eyebrow at him.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, it's just my neck is a little sore." Harry replied

grinning at her.

"Oh?" Bella asked confused. "Did you hurt yourself with all the wrestling

around we did?" She grinned.

"Nope, it was from last night I believe." Harry replied.

"Last night?" She asked.

"Uh huh, it seems my girlfriend decided to give me a nice chain of

hickeys all around my neck." Harry chuckled, pulling down his collar to

show her what her tender mercies had done to him.

Bella smirked at him. "Well, I was just marking my territory milord." She

chuckled.

"Well I'm definitely marked." He grinned.

"So, see you after dinner?" Bella asked, admiring her handiwork with a

satisfied grin.

"Unfortunately, no." He replied with an apologetic shrug.

"No?" She asked in confusion.

"Yeah, well it seems my DADA instructor and I had a bit of a

disagreement yesterday and she gave me a detention tonight and infact…

the rest of the week." Harry grimaced.

"Oh Harry." Bella sighed shaking her head. "First day of term and you got

yourself a detention. That has to be a record of some kind."

"Well Umbitch had it coming! Called me an attention seeking liar for

claiming Voldemort returned, in front of the whole class and hinted that I

may have had a hand in Cedric's death! She just fanned the flames on

that particular issue! There was no way I was letting that slide! And

besides that, she is teaching us absolutely nothing! Says all we need is to

learn the theory and nothing more! " Harry fumed. "It's like Aunt

Walburga told me…we crush our enemies, we don't allow an insult to

ourselves or our house stand." Harry recited Walburga's mantra.

"Harry I warned you about her! She's a conniving backstabbing bitch, and

from the conversation I overheard between her, Fudge and Lucius, this is

what they want, to make you out to be some sort of delusional

psychopath who needs to be put in Azkaban!"

"What should I have done then?" Harry fumed not sure why she was

getting angry with him. "Do I just do nothing as she drags my name

through the mud and incites the students against even more than they are

now?! I will not be a walking target this year Bella, I absolutely refuse!"

"Of course not!" She rebuked. "But there is the Gryffindor way, which

seems to be your specialty…" she huffed folding her arms accusingly. "…

and then there is the Slytherin way." Bella replied with a smirk.

"Then please enlighten me oh sage of Slytherin, how am I to respond to

this?" Harry smirked getting a raised eyebrow in warning from Bella.

"With subtlety, Harry, with subtlety. I know it's a foreign concept to most

Gryffs, but I have high hopes not to mention expectations for you." She

bantered back. "Now, I'm guessing that her tactic is to discredit you, yes?"

"Yeah, her and the entire Ministry." Harry groaned.

"Well then we turn the tables on toad face. I doubt she has the

prerequisite NEWTs not to mention OWLs to even teach Defense Against

the Dark Arts. I'd start there. Just whisper it around about her lack of

credentials and believe me by lunch time it will be all through the school.

And then sit back and watch as letters from students flood home.

Personally I'd start with the Ravenclaws, there the most uptight about

their marks especially those taking OWLs and NEWTs this year. I

guarantee that by the end of the week the school board and Ministry will

be dealing with a lot of angry parents calling for her removal." Bella

assured him.

"But until then what? Do I just suffer the abuse?" Harry shook his head.

"I'm not telling you to not defend yourself. Just be smart about it. Be

creative and ruthless to those who would persecute you, Harry. But do it

in such a way in your position as a Lord and head of an Ancient and

Noble House. Use your title and the weight it brings in doling out your

revenge; use their own laws against them. You be surprised what the

head of a noble and ancient house can get away with." Bella added with a

menacing smirk.

"Right, guess I need to release my inner Slytherin then." Harry mused,

earning a grin from his girlfriend.

"Now, give us a kiss or we're going to be late for class." Bella teased as

she planted a toe curling kiss to lips. "See you after your detention then,

and Harry, remember control, patience, and subtlety."

"Yeah, yeah." He replied as they both crossed the door's threshold.

oooOOOooo

Albus Dumbledore was pacing in his office in frustration. He performed

every diagnostic spell in his very extensive repertoire and yet could not

figure out why the silver tracking devices were not functioning. The

enigmatic headmaster was positive that they were all in working order

but for some unexplained reason did not report on the target to which

they were enchanted. Harry Potter.

One instrument monitored his health another provided his location, and

still another monitored his magical core strength, and still another yet,

monitored the strength of the spells that had been placed on the boy. So

it was with no small amount of anxiety that had the headmaster wearing

a hole through his carpets having lost all magical means of tracking the

boy.

Even the wards of the school no longer provided the ancient wizard with

the knowledge of the boy's whereabouts. And the portraits and ghosts

had out right refused to spy for him any longer. How was he supposed to

manage a school full of teenagers without the cooperation of the portraits

and the ghosts? And what had happened to the house elves? They had

reported that the castle had instructed them not to spy on students as

well but only to report when there was trouble afoot. The castle told

them?

To make matters worse, Severus had reported that the castle had rebuffed

any attempt to charm or place spells on any wall, door, or any other

surface where the student population were prone to go. It was if

Hogwarts herself was turning against him. But that wasn't possible, was

it? He was the headmaster; he controlled the school…right?

Albus felt a tingle in the wards on the circular staircase that lead to his

office. "At least that ward is still working." He mumbled to himself.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Come in Severus." Dumbledore called from behind his desk just taking

his seat as the dark haired potions master glided in.

"What have you determined Severus?" Dumbledore asked his confederate.

"A complete reversal headmaster, which shouldn't be possible, even if the

compulsion charms had failed, there should be a slow degradation of the

charms effects. But in every student I have tested the compulsion has

completely vanished." Severus Snape reported with his usual sneer.

"Interesting." Albus stated, drumming his steepled fingers together. "This

is an unexpected turn, but not necessarily a detrimental one. And I admit

that it was not one of my more brilliant conceived ideas, turning the

student body against him. I need him malleable not broken and I may

have let it get out of hand last year. We need him to experience what

Voldemort experienced without actually turning the boy dark. He must

understand Voldemort in order to beat him.

But I need him to turn to me Severus, but so far he has not sought my

help or council, and I'm afraid he has become more headstrong than I

could have anticipated. Damn Sirius and his blasted will! Who

emancipates a fifteen year old and then makes him Lord of House Black! I

would have thought that Lucius would be fighting tooth and nail to

challenge the will." Albus in his frustration let his emotions get the best

of him.

"Not to worry headmaster, the Malfoy attorneys are already making plans

to challenge the mutt's sanity and overturn the will and the lordship. I'm

confident that Draco will be the new Lord Black by the end of term if not

sooner." Severus smirked.

"I'm not sure that would be a better option. I shiver to think what Lucius

could do with the Black fortune. He would give Voldemort a huge

financial advantage over anything the Order or the Ministry could come

up with. It would be better that the Black fortune laid dormant and the

House of Black to slip into oblivion." Albus remarked popping a lemon

drop into his mouth.

"That is unlikely to happen, headmaster. Even if Draco is denied the

Black lordship, Narcissa is a Black and the only Black remaining that

could legally take possession of the fortune. And I need not remind you

Albus that she is not a political novice, she is very astute and she will not

be denied what in her mind is legitimately hers." Severus remarked,

brushing off a stray piece of lint from his midnight black robes.

"I'm not a political slouch either Severus, and there are ways to tie things

up in the legal system that it could take years to unravel all the red tape

that would allow her access. And by that time our problems will have

been resolved." 'I hope' Albus thought to himself.

Albus then brought the discussion back to his main concern. "An

independent Harry Potter is not what this world needs Severus. To bring

order and stability back to our world he must be a willing martyr, only

then will Voldemort be beatable."

"If Potter's death is all that is required to defeat the Dark Lord, I could

always arrange a mishap for the pampered prince." Snape grinned an evil

smile, relishing the thought of ending the Potter line. He would finally

have his revenge over James Potter by ending the line once and for all.

"No Severus, it must be Voldemort that delivers the killing blow. The

prophecy must be fulfilled in order for him to be beat. And Harry must

face him willingly. Afterward Voldemort will be vulnerable, unwittingly

killing a piece of himself when he kills the boy, thus weakening him

greatly."

"I still find it remarkable that his soul was split in two when he attempted

to kill the boy." Severus shook his head in reluctant belief.

"A remarkable happenstance to be sure, and the only reason he was able

to return. A portion that was ripped from him went to the only other

living thing in the room and thus anchoring him to this existence, while

the other half fled to parts unknown. But once he has been dealt with, I

will be able to get things back to the way they should be." Albus smiled

thinking of his perfect wizarding utopia.

Severus managed not to roll his eyes at Albus' naiveté at believing he

could actually unite all magicals under one standard. There were too

many egos and ambitious people for that to ever happen. Even with all

his manipulations of their society and his elevated status, it was just not

possible to sway everyone.

oooOOOooo

Harry approached the Potions classroom in the dungeons where many

students were already lined up to enter. You had the normal split of

students, Slytherins on one side and the Gryffindors on the other. Harry

sighed at the division the House system instilled in its students. Nowhere

was the animosity greatest than between the House of Lions and the

House of Snakes.

According to Bella, even in her time the animosity between the two

houses was deeply ingrained. Harry wondered briefly about when the

hostilities began and what caused them, or was it always the case since

the beginning?

"Hey scarhead!" Harry cringed as the familiar drawling voice broke into

his thoughts. What was it with Malfoy, did he have some sick and twisted

thing for him? 'Well I think it's time to take this rivalry in a new

direction.' Harry mused.

"Malfoy, I'm becoming truly worried about your behavior." Harry spoke

with a concern laden voice.

"About time that you admitted you fear me." Malfoy laughed, inspiring

Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle to join in, the other Slytherins

realizing that Potter had a small smirk and was setting the blonde ponce

up for something.

"Oh, I said nothing about fearing you Malfoy, although I am concerned

about this…abnormal obsession you have with me. I mean if I had a

girlfriend as gorgeous as Miss Parkinson, I would be giving her all my

attention and not…uh…chasing after other boys." Harry gave a

concerned look at Draco and a quick flirtatious wink to Pansy.

"I just don't fly that way Malfoy, so if I were you, I would direct your…

deviance toward another wizard, there's a good lad. " Harry gave him an

apologetic look and fought hard not to burst out laughing at the

completely gob smacked look on the ferret's face. It seemed Pansy on the

other hand was fighting dueling emotions, she wanted to defend Draco

but at the same time her cheeks flushed at the compliment the golden

boy had just paid her.

Crabbe and Goyle just didn't grasp the word play and so did not know

how to react one way or another, and surprisingly the rest of the

assembled Slytherins gave muted chuckles at the expense of the Malfoy

heir. Maybe they weren't all sheep. Harry mused.

The door to the classroom opened suddenly to reveal the ever so pleasant

countenance of the potions master. He quickly took stock of the amused

faces on his Slytherins and stifled laughs of the Gryffindors, his eyes then

turned to his godson who was spluttering but not forming a coherent

word and then swung his gaze to Harry who had a look of complete

innocence on his face. That innocent façade alone was enough for the

greasy haired professor to know where the source of the muted jocularity

had come from.

"What are you waiting for?!" Snape growled. "Take your seats!" The

Slytherins entered first, walking in single file. Harry was shocked to

receive a couple of approving nods from the Slytherin group as they

walked by him.

Harry entered in with the rest of his fellow housemates and took a seat at

the table at the back of the class. He was soon joined by none other than

Hermione Granger who gave him a timid half smile as she took her seat

next to him. Harry gave her a curt nod but gave no other form of

greeting.

"Today, some of you with at least half a brain cell will be brewing a

sleeping draft; this will be one of the potions you will be tested on for

your OWLs. It is a complicated and temperamental potion that requires a

steady hand and precise measurements and constant monitoring of heat

distribution to your cauldron. As such I don't expect many of you to

complete this assignment…unscathed." Snape finished forebodingly.

With a wave of his wand the directions and ingredients needed for the

potion appeared on the large chalk board at the front of his class.

Students left their seats to gather the ingredients that they would need

from the supply cabinet. Hermione had gotten up quick to retrieve her

items while Harry decided to hold back until the crowd around the

cabinet thinned.

"I got your ingredients for you Harry." The hesitant voice of Hermione

came who was looking longingly at Harry for some sort of positive

interaction.

"Thanks." Harry said dryly as he prepared his cauldron for use, Hermione

doing likewise.

Each had begun to prepare the individual ingredients in an

uncomfortable silence. It was too much to bear for Hermione and so

decided that she would have to break the silence. Harry was stubborn

enough to go the whole class without saying a word.

"I'm so sorry Harry." Hermione whispered her voice full of emotion.

There was a brief pause where Harry seemed to not hear her. "I know

Hermione." He finally spoke.

"Did-did you read my letter" She asked softly.

"I did…I was meaning to write you back." Harry stated calmly; that

statement nearly caused the girl to break down in tears of joy.

"You were?" She choked out and received an affirmative nod from Harry.

A lone tear flowed from her left eye and made its way down her cheek.

Harry saw the tear and felt a tug at his heart strings, the heart strings he

thought he had cut for the bushy haired girl. Without thinking he gently

brushed away the tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb.

Hermione's watery brown eyes turned toward him and though he had not

said it to her, she could see the forgiveness in his eyes as he stared back

at her. She was about to throw her arms around him but a stern look and

a raised hand from Harry let her know that now was not the time for

reconciliations. Hermione gave him a jerky nod and another watery smile

and returned to her potion.

Harry had reached the third stage of five for the potion and had reached

a perfect lime green color which was exactly how it should have looked.

It now needed to simmer for twenty minutes while the Belladonna extract

was completely infused into the crushed Valerian.

"Tsk tsk Potter, allowing Miss Granger to do your work for you is

cheating and I will not allow cheaters in my class." Snape's sneer was

almost approaching what some would be considered a smile. "Gather

your things and leave my class, I will be informing your head of house

about your expulsion."

"No." Harry said in a calm flat voice.

"What did you say?" Snape asked dangerously.

"I said no, your accusation is baseless and completely without proof. If

you believe I have cheated then you must provide evidence." Harry

replied with the same even tone.

"Why you…just looking at your potion I can tell it is not your own work!"

Snape growled.

"Again I asked for proof and not assumptions. This is indeed my own

work and as you can tell by looking at Miss Granger's potion she is still

one step behind mine. So again, I ask what hard evidence you have that I

cheated." Harry asked looking straight into his professors eyes.

"You arrogant little sprog, I am the ultimate authority in this class and

my word is law." Severus spat his lips curled into a condescending snarl.

"Speaking of the law professor..." Harry replied over emphasizing the last

word. "According to the Hogwarts bylaws all disputes between professor

and student are to be brought before the headmaster and the

disagreement is to be heard by a quorum consisting of the headmaster

and all heads of house. Should the involved professor be a head of house,

another member of staff will take his place during the dispute

proceedings.

Severus was momentarily shocked, he expected Harry to lose his

infamous temper and go off on him, allowing the professor to deduct

points and perhaps give him a detention or two. He hadn't expected the

boy to remain calm and have knowledge of the school rules regarding

disputes.

"The headmaster hardly has time for your whining Potter." Severus

retorted getting a snicker from Malfoy but the other Slytherins remaining

oddly quiet. The Gryffindors whether in stunned disbelief or still feeling

the shame from their treatment of their housemate stayed silent except

for Hermione who was giving him a look of awe.

Harry smiled a little eerily at the Potions Professor. "Is it my

understanding then professor that you are refusing to fulfill your

obligation as a contracted professor of this institution in taking our

disputation to the headmaster?

If that is the case professor, then I'm forced to remind you that by doing

so you are violating my rights as a student and by subverting the only

form of arbitration at this school, I will be forced to act in my role as

head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black and bring formal charges

against you in the only other place of arbitration left to me and that

would be in front of the Wizengamot, where I will call in to question you

fitness to teach and impartiality or lack thereof as a professor." Harry

glared at the man.

And there it was! Harry had forced the professor into a corner where he

either had to face Dumbledore and the other House heads and prove his

case, where he had no delusions that the other professors would side with

him, or be brought before the Wizengamot where the outcome was far

less certain. The older houses and even many of the younger ones would

side with Potter just to get into the good graces of a very politically

powerful family even if Potter did not realize it yet.

Either way he would have to face humiliation at the hands of the person

he hated just slightly less than James Potter. The thought sickened him,

but he had done this to himself. 'When did Potter get a brain?' Snape

seethed. He looked at the boy with a murderous stare and though

wandless at the moment looked poised to strike at the green eyed boy.

Harry noticed the posturing of his potions professor and wondered should

he push him just a little bit more to see the man completely unravel or to

let it go for now. With a calculating smirk he continued.

"If you push me professor I will destroy you publically to such a degree

that you would be lucky to get a job squeezing pus out of a bubertuber

pod. You have pushed and intimidated me for the last time Snape. The

line has been drawn…cross it at your own peril." Harry warned the

hateful man.

The entire class gasped at the not so subtle threat, and was completely on

the edge of their seats to see how this power struggle would end. Snape's

lips twisted and curled as he attempted to speak, with some painful

looking facial distortions he finally broke his silence.

"Headmaster's office, now!" He growled out slowly and then Harry

watched the overgrown bat sweep from the classroom presumably to

Dumbledore's office.

"Oh my god Harry, what have you done? " Hermione gasped fearing for

her friend.

"What is within my rights, Hermione, I thought of all people you would

have known that clause." Harry stated with a raised eyebrow. Hermione

demurely shook her head.

"I'm sorry I was not aware of it, if I had known about it I would have

suggested back in first year." She stated apologetically. "Is there anything

I can do for you know?" She asked hesitantly.

Harry turned to her and gave her a small yet warm smile. "Yeah would

you mind finding Professor McGonagall and let her know what happened

and to meet me in the headmasters office."

"Of-of course Harry." Hermione replied the left heading for the

Transfiguration classroom. Harry then made his way to Dumbledore's

office.

oooOOOooo

"Bella, did you see the Prophet this morning?!" Andromeda Black asked

her sister in a hushed whisper after finding her in the Library buried

behind a mountain of books.

"Hmm, what?" Bella mumbled absently as she was writing something

down that she had found of interest in the current book she was studying

from.

"The Prophet…have you read it today?" Andromeda asked in frustration.

"No why?" Bellatrix responded tersely, annoyed at the interruption.

Andromeda forced the periodical on top of the parchment Bella had been

writing on and pointed to the first page.

"Read it Bella, something terrible has happened to the Hemingways."

Andromeda sniffled. Muriel Hemmingway was a close friend of

Andromeda's, a third year in Ravenclaw. The Hemingway's were an old

Pureblood family, not as old as the Blacks but could trace their family

magic back six hundred years.

Bella looked down at the paper which showed a modest size Victorian

manor house with significant structural damage, but what grabbed her

attention immediately was what was floating above it a large greenish

skull with a large animated snake slithering from its gaping jaw.

"The Dark Mark!" Bella gasped quietly.

"The what?" Andromeda asked, hearing her sister mumble something.

"N-nothing Andi." Bella replied without looking up from the article she

was reading.

"…Six members of the Hemingway family were all found dead this morning.

The Prophet has learned through an anonymous source within the auror

department who informed this reporter that all members of the family except

for a Muriel Hemingway, who is currently attending Hogwarts, were all

subjected to the Cruciatus curse before being killed in very grotesque ways.

Lady Regina Hemingway, according to medical sources, had been raped

repeatedly before being disemboweled. Two older people believed to be the

parents of Lady Regina both were both hit with the Killing curse, no other spell

signature was found on them. Two younger children ages of 10 and 8 were

also found in the family room, their bodies dismembered.

Lord Hemingway was severely tortured and was hung above the family

fireplace with a spike through his head anchoring him to the wall, another

large metal spike was driven through his chest with a note attached to it which

read: 'DEATH TO ALL BLOOD TRAITORS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.' "

Bella couldn't read anymore, her stomach threatened to revolt and spill

its contents on to the table. Pushing the paper away from her she took

several deep breaths and slowly pushed them out in an effort to get

control of herself. She looked up to see a teary eyed Andromeda.

"Muriel's Aunt and Uncle withdrew her this morning; I didn't even get a

chance to say goodbye. What is happening Bella? Why are all these

horrible things happening? I've been hearing all these whispers in the

common room about mudbloods and blood traitors. I'm not sure what to

make of it all." Andromeda looked to Bella for some kind of answer to the

insanity.

Bella let out a heavy sigh before turning to her sister. "Terrible things are

coming Andi, much worse than you can imagine. We are spiraling toward

an all out blood war that will rip our world apart. Muggleborns are going

to be…targeted." Bella mournfully spoke.

"Does-does this have to do with the new movement your friend Olivia

was talking about?" Andi asked.

"It does. Andi…how serious is your relationship with that Tonks boy?"

Bella asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Andi asked narrowing her eyes.

"I mean no offense Andi, I'm just curious." Bella kindly told her sister.

"Well we're just barely fourteen, so as serious as two fourteen year olds

can be. I mean we haven't pledged undying love to each other, but we do

like each other a lot." Andromeda confessed.

"Then you need to be extra careful Andi, and keep this relationship as

secret as possible, don't tell anyone that you don't trust with your life.

Understood?" Bella told her sister in a very serious tone.

"You're talking like something will happen to us if people find out."

"If the wrong people find out about it, something could." Bella warned.

"What do you think mum and dad would do if they found out about me

and him?" Andi asked a little fearfully.

"I'm sure that father would insist you get the chastity binding as soon as

possible. Mum has been able to postpone it up until now and fortunately

Uncle Orion hasn't forced the issue yet. But once they find out it will be

over for you and Cissy as well." Bella told her.

"Not if I do something about it first!" The middle Black sister said with

determination."

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked her sister slowly and with

suspicion.

"You have found a way out of your situation or soon will, and I know

away out of my situation as well." Andromeda stated, crossing her arms

over her chest in defiance.

"You're not thinking of having…Andi your fourteen! Do you know what

mum and dad would do to you when they found out?!" Bella shrieked

getting a stern look from Madam Pince.

"I didn't say I was going to go out right now and have my wicked way

with Ted, but it's an option if it comes right down to it. And don't get all

self-righteous on me Bella, I figured you are planning something similar. I

just don't know how you're getting around the ritual. Whatever it is will

most likely be dangerous, so don't lecture me on what I should and

shouldn't do. I'm supporting you and I'd like to think I have your support

in return!" Andromeda replied shortly.

Bella grimaced and rubbed her face in exasperation. She stared at her

younger sister long and hard for a few moments but could not argue her

points. She herself was planning to do something that had the potential

of causing great harm to herself, but her freedom was worth the danger

involved and had to concede that her sister had every right to choose her

path as well.

Sighing in defeat Bella nodded her surrender. "Just be very careful Andi."

Bella finally said.

"It's not like they would disown me or something." Andromeda grinned.

"Mum wouldn't allow it."

Bella smiled albeit weakly. "Alright Andi."

Bella gathered up her research and placed it in her bag, if Andromeda

had been more observant she would have notice that she had several

books from the restricted section, many dealing with curses and how to

create a chain curse that would affect one linked object to its other parts.

The idea had come from Harry although he had no idea that it had.

Harry had informed her that the Dark Mark from what he was able to

gather was a form of not only identification with confederates but a way

of communication as well. A Protean Charm.

Bella suspected that perhaps the rings that Rudolfus had distributed to

the other assumed youth Death Eaters was in fact a Protean charm used

to communicate to each other. If that were true she might be able to use

the rings as a way of distributing a curse to all those who wore one. If it

were possible she could take down every student who wore one in one

swift blow. In as much as the rings were in constant contact with the skin

it was plausible. But how to get the curse to piggyback on the signal was

the problem.

She would have to figure out a way to weave it and the transmission

together. She was okay with charms but this was well above her level of

expertise. She would need to work up an arithmetic charm and obtain

one of the rings to see if she could decipher the charm lattice used on the

ring. Once she knew the lattice on the ring she could begin

experimenting on her piggyback charm.

The plan was taking shape but she needed more advanced charms,

arithmancy, and runes books to help her research. Perhaps the ROR could

provide what she needed. The next problem was getting a ring. It would

be obvious if she tried to take a ring from someone already wearing one,

which meant she would need to find the satchel that Rudolfus had and

steal one from there.

And there was little doubt that he would have it in a safe place or on his

person at all times. But then again this is Rudolfus Lestrange and his one

weakness was his arrogance and he may not of even thought of someone

trying to take one, after all who would dare try something like that

against the prince of Slytherin House.

She would have to keep her eyes and ears open, and perhaps get Harry to

loan her his invisibility cloak for some late night reconnaissance into the

boy's dorm rooms. She left the library feeling confident that her plan

could work. It would certainly deprive Voldemort of his assets within the

school, and if successful could be used on the Dark Mark itself.

oooOOOooo

Harry was waiting at the gargoyle statue that hid the staircase to

Dumbledore's office. He was not foolish enough to walk into the

headmaster's office without his head of house. If she truly was on his side

now he could definitely use back-up before confronting both Snape and

Dumbledore.

Harry heard footsteps and smiled as he saw Hermione leading not only

Professor McGonagall, but Professors Flitwick, Sprout and Sinestra.

Minerva had told Harry about the other professors desire to make

amends as well and were firmly in his corner.

"Thank you professor for coming, all of you." Harry told the assembled

group. "Did Hermione tell you what happened?"

"Aye she did Mr. Potter, and I must say that you conducted yourself

brilliantly, a move worthy of your mother." Minerva McGonagall replied

with a look of pride in her eyes.

"Well should we get this show on the road?" Pomona Sprout stated.

""Yes I think we should. That will be all Miss Granger." Professor

McGonagall told the bushy haired bookworm who looked for a moment

like she was about to protest being dismissed, but a stern look from her

head of house quickly changed her mind and she headed to the Great

Hall for lunch seeing that the afternoon classes had just ended.

Harry, Minerva and the others rode the spiral staircase up to the

headmaster's office. Harry centered himself for the upcoming

confrontation and mentally told himself to think before speaking and

remember what Aunt Walburga and taught him about being a Lord and

Head of House.

"Ah Harry, come in my boy, come…" Albus began before seeing the

procession that followed the Potter boy.

"I was not aware of a staff meeting Minerva." Dumbledore spoke turning

toward the Transfiguration professor.

"We do not headmaster; I am here at Mr. Potter's request, is this not a

disputation resolution meeting?" Minerva asked tightly.

"I see, well I really don't believe all this is necessary. It seems to be just a

misunderstanding and one I believe can be sorted out without convening

a quorum." Albus said with his grandfatherly smile. On the inside he

wanted to get harry alone so he could recalibrate his tracking devices,

but he would need a sample of Harry's blood to do so, and taking

someone's blood was an extremely serious matter not to mention illegal

in the way that Albus wanted for.

"I don't think so professor. Snape accused me of…"

"Professor Snape, Harry." Dumbledore corrected.

"That's Lord Black, headmaster, and he accused me of cheating in front of

a classroom of my peers without any proof of said act but his own

assumption." Harry spoke in a hard and commanding voice.

'Why you arrogant…"

"Severus!" Dumbledore warned the potions master. Snape glared

loathingly at Harry but kept his tongue still.

"I'm sure you just missed understood him Harry." Dumbledore smiled

warmly.

Harry bristled. "Again sir, while this is a formal meeting you will address

me by my official title." Harry glared at the ancient wizard.

"Is that absolutely necessary Harr…Lord Black." Dumbledore corrected

himself after receiving an icy green stare from Harry.

Dumbledore sighed heavily

"It is sir, now I would like to formerly accuse Professor Snape of slander,

and to demand a public apology for his baseless accusation of cheating.

Furthermore I wish to petition the quorum that it begin an evaluation of

Professor Snape's teaching ability and his professors pledge of non-

favoritism and creating a conducive learning environment for all

students." Harry added.

"What?!" Snape snapped out.

"According to the school bylaws every professor is required to take an

oath, vowing that they will cause no harm to students under his tutelage,

to be fair and unbiased and provide a learning environment that is

conducive to learning. Amongst other stipulations and requirements, if

these vows are not met the professor in question may face disciplinary

action including dismissal from his position." Harry finished with a

penetrating look at the greasy haired man.

Severus chortled. "Nice try Potter, there is no such oath. Once again you

show your ignorance and utter stupidity."Dumbledore nearly palmed his

face in exasperation. This was about to get painful for his spy and

confidant.

"What!" McGonagall nearly shouted glancing at Severus. "There is most

certainly an oath! Every professor is suppose to take it before they ever

start teaching!" Minerva's Scottish brogue roared through, she looked at

her fellow professors for confirmation and received nods from Flitwick,

Sprout, and Sinestra.

"Would you care to explain to us Albus, why he has not taken the oath?!"

Minerva directed her ire onto the headmaster.

Albus knew that any explanation would be met with opposition if not

open hostility from his deputy headmistress. Of course he knew why he

didn't have Severus take the oath, he needed his spy unrestrained to do

the things he might be asked to do…all for the greater good of course.

"It seems that in my advancing years I may have let that slip my mind

Minerva." Albus decided to mislead his deputy headmistress.

"Well I think that needs to be resolved here and now professor!" Minerva

told the old man.

"I don't think now would be the best time Minerva, we have so much on

our plates and I believe this is one thing that can be taken care of at a

later date." Albus told her authoritatively, but it did not have the affect

he was hoping as Minerva's famous Scottish temper flared.

"It's the perfect time Albus! As we are here discussing Severus' apparent

lack of decorum in his own classroom. And let me assure you it is not

only Mr. Potter who has claimed that Severus' classes are hostile toward

anyone not in Slytherin! We will take care of this now or the quorum will

move for a suspension of Professor Snape until it is taken." The other

assembled professor voiced their support of Minerva.

"Very well, Minerva." Albus stated suddenly looking tired. "Severus lift

your wand."

"You can't be serious headmaster, this is an…"

"Severus lift your wand and repeat after me. I Severus Snape do hereby

promise on my magic that I will…" Albus continued and reluctantly

Severus made his oath, which was sealed by magic. Albus had lost a tool

at the school, one that had been free from the consequences of a

professor's oath. Things would now be a bit more difficult in

manipulating Harry through antagonism. But there were other ways.

"Well if we are finished with our business here…" Dumbledore began.

"Not yet headmaster." Harry interrupted. "I demand an apology and an

inquisition into Professor Snape tenure here at Hogwarts.

"Harry…I mean Lord Black, with Severus' oath you should see a change

in his teaching. I ask that you leave it alone and allow Severus a second

chance. Everyone deserves a second chance Lord Black." Dumbledore

replied.

Harry wasn't happy with this and would have continued to force the

issue, if he had not remembered the saying; keep your friends close and

your enemies closer. Perhaps it might be wise to know where the slippery

'former' Death Eater is at all times.

"I will agree to this on one condition Headmaster and that is a public

apology from him." Harry decided to see what he could still get.

"I will not apologize to this…" Snape began to protest.

"It is an acceptable condition Severus!" Dumbledore cut him off. Potter

may have neutered his pet but he still had uses and would rather keep

him at the castle. "He will apologize in your next class, Lord Black."

"At dinner." Harry responded curtly.

"Excuse me?" Dumbledore asked. "Why at dinner?"

"Because everyone who was there are now at lunch telling all their

friends about it and knowing the rumor mill the whole school will have

heard about it by dinner. So that is where I demand the apology be

made." Harry stated with all seriousness with a look that said this is not

negotionable.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. 'Very well, it shall be as you asked."

Snape looked gob smacked and the turned an impressive shade of red.

Snape glared at Harry and then swept angrily from the office.

Dumbledore shook his head and gave Harry a disappointed look.

"If that is all, I would like to speak to harry alone." Albus said looking at

the other professors and dismissing them with his eyes.

"Is this school related headmaster? If it is I request that my head of house

remain." Harry asked.

"Nothing like that my boy, I just thought we could have a friendly chat."

Albus tried to smile warmly to the boy.

"Perhaps another time headmaster, I really want to get to lunch before

my next class." Harry informed the old wizard and quickly exited the

office, followed by the other professors who excused themselves.

'Harry is becoming to defiant and to independent. I need to do something

to reel him back in.' Dumbledore mused. 'And how did he know about the

oath and the disputation quorum?'

Albus steepled his fingers in front of his face as he pondered over what

he had just seen. 'He was too well prepared, there is only one person he

knows with the intelligence to educate him in such matters. Granger! I

will have to do something about this.' The ancient wizard thought to

himself and then began to realize a plan where he could kill two birds

with one stone.

oooOOOooo

Bella was curled up on the couch reading when Harry returned to the

ROR just after curfew. He was staggering a bit and was rubbing the top of

his right hand. Bella got up and wrapped an arm around his waist and

helped him to the couch. Bella noticed that his eyes were slightly glassy.

"Harry, have you been drugged?" Bella asked worriedly, pushing open his

eyelids and looking at his pupils which seemed to be dilated. She grabbed

his hands and quickly released them after Harry winced. She gently took

his right hand and looked at it. She saw that something had been carved

into the top of his hands. The sentence read: I must not tell lies!

"What the hell is this Harry, who did this to you?!" Bella asked shaking

Harry gently.

"Lines." He whispered. "I must write my lines, I must write I must not tell

lies." Harry said mechanically as he reached for a nearby quill and

parchment. Bella knocked the items away from his hands and forced him

back on the couch.

"What is going on dear?" The voice of Walburga Black interrupted.

"I think Harry has been drugged Aunt Walburga. I think he was made to

carve into his hand." Bella replied.

"What?!" Walburga screeched. "Who dares to assault the Lord of our

House!"

"I don't know Auntie; I can't get Harry to focus." Bella's voice hitched.

"Kreacher!" The portrait bellowed. Within moments the ancient elf

appeared with a soft pop.

"Mistress is calling Kreacher." The old elf asked the portrait hanging

above the mantel.

"Yes Kreacher, I need you to go to back to Grimauld place and bring the

restorative draught in the potions lab. It will be on the middle shelf on

the back wall; it will be in a pear shaped green glass bottle. Hurry!" With

a pop Kreacher was gone.

"The draught he is bringing will flush out any remaining potions or toxins

in his system dear. Make him drink it all when Kreacher returns." She

instructed Bella, who nodded absently while she continued to try and get

harry to talk to her.

Kreacher popped back into the ROR and was instructed to give the bottle

to Bella. Bella uncorked the bottle and gently pressed it to Harry's lips.

Harry's instincts seem to kick in because he automatically opened his

mouth and Bella began to slowly pour the elixir down his throat. It took

several minutes but finally Harry had drunk the entire contents of the

bottle.

"Lay him back dear. It may take several minutes for the draught to work

and he'll need a bucket…this won't be pretty." Walburga told her niece.

A bucket materialized on the floor next to the couch just in time as Harry

began to convulse. Bella managed to turn him on his side and a moment

later Harry began to empty his stomach into the receptacle.

The evacuation of Harry's stomach lasted for about five minutes before he

was finished. Bella vanished the contents of the bucket, and then cast an

air freshening charm for the room and a mouth cleansing charm on

Harry.

Harry began to moan and cradle his hand while he lay on the couch only

semi-conscious. Bella conjured a cool wet flannel and used it to gently

dab at and sooth the inflamed hand that had been carved on. She then

cast a numbing charm on the hand as an after thought.

"Harry…can you hear me?" Bella asked gently.

"Ug…Bella?" Harry asked groggily.

"Yes Harry, it's me. Are you all right?

"I feel like my insides are all twisted up." Harry replied gingerly touching

his stomach.

"That's normal dear, the draught is a little rough, but it does the job."

Walburga added.

"What happened to you Harry?" Bella asked.

"Not sure exactly. My day was a little intense but everything went well

considering. At the end of the day I went to serve my detention." Harry

explained.

"Your detention with Umbridge?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, I sat down and she offered me some tea. I drank it and we talked

for a few moments. I began to feel a little strange or maybe tired…I don't

remember. She then told me I would be writing lines. I pulled out some

parchment and a quill but she said she had a special quill that I had to

use.

I asked for ink but she said it did not require ink. So I shrugged and

began to write I must not tell lies! The toad face! Well I wrote a few lines

and noticed that the ink appeared to be red, but I also felt the back of my

hand itch. I soon realized that the ink was blood and it was coming from

my own hand!

The lines I was writing were being carved into my skin. I protested but

she told me to continue writing till it had sunk in. I don't know why, but

I could not get myself to stop, it was like my brain wasn't listening to me

and I had to do what she said. I know it wasn't the imperious curse

because I can throw that off." Harry said.

"A Blood Quill!" Walburga shrieked. "That hag was torturing the Lord

Black with a blood quill! Blood feud on that cow and her whole family!"

The Black matriarch was wailing.

Bella was unusually quiet, but her body had stiffened noticeably. She rose

from her seat and entered Harry's bedroom. A moment later she exited

with his invisibility cloak in hand. Harry noticed the look on her face and

it was one he would not want directed at him.

"Bella where are you going?" Harry asked wincing as his stomach was

still tender.

"Kreacher! Stay with Lord Black, I have something to do."

"Bella, what are you going to do?" Harry asked in concern for his

girlfriend.

Bella looked at him resolutely and spoke in a voice that promised pain.

"Toad hunting." Bella then turned and quickly exited the Room of

Requirement.

oooOOOooo

A/N: What did you think? Leave me a review or a comment on how you

think the story is going. I hope all my friends state side had a great

Thanksgiving!

11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

A/N: Another first! Chapter Ten received 110 reviews! First time I have

had a chapter break 100 reviews. You guys are great! I am truly

humbled by the interest in this story. I love hearing back from you all

and reading your thought and comments. So without further ado here is

Chapter Eleven of Passageways. Hope everyone has a Wonderful

Holiday! Merry Christmas!

Chapter 11:

Harry stared at the disappearing back of Bellatrix Black as the door to the

ROR closed behind her. Her last statement caught the raven haired boy

slightly off guard. If this were the Bellatrix of his time he would

definitely be suspecting the premature death of the newest Defense

Against the Dark Arts professor.

But she had left without him, meaning that she was going after the

Delores Umbridge of her time. Bella had told him that she was not the

nicest of people but he doubted she had done anything yet to deserve the

wrath of the girl who would one day become the most dangerous witch

in recent history.

"Uh…Aunt Walburga you don't think Bella will…you know…do anything

permanent do you? Harry asked as he felt another wave of nausea hit

him.

"Whatever she does Harry, it will not nearly be severe enough." Walburga

sniffed contemptuously. "She has tortured the head of our family and that

does not go unchallenged!"

"In my time Auntie, not in her time." Harry tried to reason with the

portrait.

"Bella will not see it that way dear, and Bella also has another motivation

as well." Walburga grinned.

"What other motivation does she have?" Harry asked.

"Why you dear. She is very taken with you and she will take that

woman's attack on you as an attack on someone she cares deeply for, as if

it had happened to one of her sisters, she will take it quite personally."

Walburga explained.

"Oh bugger!" Harry exclaimed as he dived for the rubbish bin and

relieved his stomach of what remained inside of it.

oooOOOooo

The castle seemed eerily quiet as Bellatrix slowly made her way from the

seventh floor down to the dungeons where the entrance to the Slytherin

commons room lay hidden. The quiet in her travel did nothing to

diminish the roaring fire she felt in her chest. No one attacks the House

of Black like that, no one tortures her Harry.

It struck her as she walked beneath the invisibility cloak just how quickly

she became possessive of Harry, almost obsessive. She had always been a

passionate person; though she kept up a cool mask of indifference to

those she did not consider her family. But Harry brought out a whole

new level of passion within her, one she was most willing to explore. She

felt she could be herself around him and that in and of itself was

something Bella prized above all else.

She could not really be herself around anyone else and that was why she

was so selfish in keeping him secretly to herself. She was not ready to

even share the knowledge of him with her sisters either…not completely

anyway.

Bella was shocked to see that she had already arrived at the Slytherin

entrance, her mind had been so focused on what she was going to do to

the toad faced pygmy puff, she had not realized the passage of time. She

gave the password and silently entered the den of the snakes. Fortunately

no one had paid attention to her entrance not that they would have seen

her while underneath the cloak, but she thought at least someone would

have looked up to see who had entered with the doorway opened.

Bella looked around the dimly lit commons room and noticed that there

were still a few small groups lingering at the few tables and couches that

adorned the room. A shock of blonde hair drew her attention to a group

of four boys huddled together near the fireplace. It seemed that Malfoy

was holding court with a few others including Rabastan Lestrange,

Rudolfus was oddly not there.

Her curiosity got the better of her and she made her way carefully over

to the group. They did not seem to be too concerned with others hearing

them as they were not speaking in hushed tones. It was the top-dog or

alpha-male syndrome Bella sneered to herself. The knowledge that you

are the master of your domain; hence you do not fear the presence of

others or deem them a threat.

It wasn't very Slytherin in Bella's eyes. Never give a potential enemy any

ammunition that can be used against you no matter how inconsequential

you may deem it. Bella moved to within just a few feet of the group and

tapped her earring that she had used at the Three Broomsticks to listen in

to another conversation where an older Malfoy was present.

"I tell you she just disappeared!" Gregory Goyle spat.

"Need I remind you that apparition is impossible within the castle?"

Malfoy asked in a condescending tone.

"I am well aware of it Lucius! But nevertheless one moment she was there

and then she wasn't!" Goyle reiterated.

"Did you see her disapparate?" Rabastan Lestrange asked.

"Well no…I was following her as ordered right after dinner. She headed

up the grand staircase so I followed. She went to the fourth floor and

turned a corner, but when I got there and rounded the corner there was

nothing there but a wall." Goyle explained.

"A wall?" Vincent Crabbe asked with a confused look.

"Yeah a wall!" Goyle spat.

"Where were you on the fourth floor?" Malfoy asked the upset boy nearly

the size of a young troll.

"I was following her down the south corridor from the Library and she

took the first left, and then she was gone and there was this wall about

five feet down that corridor."

"Were you drunk Goyle! There is no wall there, that corridor runs to the

exterior east wall idiot! There is a large plate glass window there that

looks out toward the Quidditch pitch!" Lucius fumed.

"I tell you there was a wall there!" Goyle spat, jumping to his feet with

his fists clenched.

'Well that's unnerving.' Bella thought. 'They have been trying to follow

me, bastards! The wall being there is a little odd though." Bella reflected

on it for a moment before grinning. She would need to thank the Lady

Hogwarts next time she saw her.

"Calm down Goyle!" Rabastan growled. "This bickering isn't helping.

Rudolfus wants to know where the bint is sleeping and what she is up to.

She hasn't been in the dorms since we returned."

"Why does he care so much?" Crabbe asked looking bewildered. "It's not

like he's lacking for company at the moment." He chuckled.

"That's not your concern or any of your business!" Rabastan glared

menacingly at the bulky sixteen year old. "Your orders are to keep track

of her until told otherwise. Or need I remind you that the Dark Lord has

made Rudolfus his personal representative here and he has a personal

interest in the Black Family and wants to know their every move."

Rabastan hissed under his breath.

Crabbe swallowed hard and nodded his understanding. "W-what about a

tracking spell on her?"

"No good, I've tried." Malfoy commented. "She must have some sort of

repelling charm on her."

"Maybe we should ask her sisters." Crabbe opined.

"Not likely mate." Goyle replied. "That Andromeda has a wicked temper

not to mention casts a nasty scrotal enlargement charm. Last bloke who

hit on her had bollocks the size of coconuts for a week!" All the boys

shivered at the comment.

"What about the youngest sister…Narcissa? She's not a bad looking bird

for a first year." Lucius hummed. "I'm sure I can sweet talk her into telling

me whatever I want. I do have my ways with the ladies." He smirked

while licking his lips lasciviously. Bella would have unloaded a barrage

of hexes on the blonde ponce right then and there if she was not already

on a mission. But she would not forget and Lucius just made it to the top

five of her "hit" list.

The topic of the conversation turned to the latest conquests of the blonde

haired dandy, which turned Bella's stomach. While the goon squad was

thusly engaged in conversation, Bella thought it a good opportunity to

scout the seventh year male dorms for the satchel with the rings. If she

were lucky maybe she could get hold of one tonight.

She made her way to the stairs that lead down to the male dorm rooms.

Arriving at her destination she cast a silencing charm on the hinges of the

door and then slowly opened it. The first thing to reach Bella's senses was

the sound of a wet slapping. It was quickly followed by a female voice

moaning and panting. Bella entered the room and silently closed the

door. What she saw nearly made her puke.

Her friend Olivia was naked and straddling an equally naked Rudolfus

Lestrange. Her fingernails scratching into the seventh year's chest leaving

red marks with a trickle of blood in their wake. Olivia was bouncing up

and down on top of the oaf while Rudolfus was lying motionless with his

eyes closed and his arms folded underneath his head with a stupid grin

on his face. Bella's gag reflex threatened to expose her as she fought off

the stomach turning horror of seeing the hairy Sasquatch looking boy

getting his rocks off with her "friend".

She averted her eyes and began cautiously looking for the satchel she had

seen earlier. Five frustrating minutes later she finally saw it under the

pillow the uni-browed oaf was lying on.

'Shite! How am I supposed to get at it without lover boy knowing? I

suppose I could stun them both but I'm sure they'd figure that out once

they came to and that would be the first thing he would check.' Bella was

about to give it up as a lost cause for the night when suddenly Rudolfus

began to breathe faster and his hands flew to Olivia's bare hips. He began

to thrust in to her with abandon and within a few moments was releasing

his seed into her.

He fell back catching his breath as Olivia continued to grind on him, but

he had already softened and Olivia would get no satisfaction tonight.

"Get off wench I need to shower and get your stench off of me." Rudolfus

callously spoke shoving the girl off of him. Olivia looked like she was

about to cry as he dismissed her like a common whore. She gathered up

her cloths and stormed from the room. Bella heard the girl begin to sob

as the door closed behind her.

Bella was furious and wanted to kill the Lestrange scion right where he

stood, not for her sake but for all womankind. No one should be

subjected to the presence of such an arse. Bella in her rising anger was

not watching her surroundings and bumped into a small desk in the room

while she was moving away from the door.

Rudolfus stopped what he was doing, startled by the sudden noise. The

eldest Lestrange brother took stock of the room but did not see anyone.

But Lestrange was not a simpleminded fool like many wizards and knew

just because you couldn't see anyone did not mean there was no one

there.

As casually as he could he reached for his wand that was also under his

pillow. He spun around with his wand coming up. "Homenum Revelio!"

He cast the human revealing spell. Bella nearly wet herself as she thought

she would be discovered and a fight would ensue that would surely alert

others.

A few seconds passed by and…nothing. Rudolfus had a confused look on

his face as he slowly pivoted around to take in the entire dorm room.

Bella realized that his spell had not worked. It did not reveal her. Bella

wondered if it had been Harry's cloak that defeated the spell. But what

she knew of invisibility cloaks told her that a cloak could not defeat that

particular spell. That's why Rudolfus had cast it. It would reveal any

hidden person whether disillusioned or under an invisibility cloak.

Whatever happened, Bella was relieved, but she was still not out of

danger yet. Rudolfus after casting the spell two more times, finally

relaxed, figuring something must have fallen when Olivia had slammed

the door behind her. Rudolfus grabbed a towel from his trunk and

entered the adjoining washroom to take a shower.

Bella did not move for a few more minutes just in case Rudolfus was not

truly gone but listening for anyone in the room. Taking a chance she

moved toward the satchel under the pillow. She cast a silent revealing

spell to check the bag for any spells, jinxes or wards. Surprisingly she

found some sort of blood ward on the locking mechanism. It would take

someone's blood to open it, most likely keyed to Rudolfus' blood. It was

pretty advanced magic for Rudolfus. Someone must have set it up for

him.

'Damn! Now what!' She raked her mind for an answer to the problem, but

none came to mind that would not raise suspicions. 'Wait Olivia

scratched his chest! It may not be much but there may still be some of his

blood still under her finger nails. That is if she hasn't showered yet and

washed her hands.

Bella moved quickly to the door but had to jump out of the way as it

suddenly opened. Bella pushed herself flat against the wall as Rudolfus'

dorm mates entered in. Before they could shut the door she managed to

get out. She wasted no time and headed to the fifth year girls dorm and

entered. She saw Olivia's clothes thrown unceremoniously on the floor,

but no Olivia. Just then she heard the girls' showers running. Panicking

she ran to the showers.

On the floor underneath the spray of the water sat Olivia, she was curled

up into a ball sobbing. Olivia's hands were soaking wet and were

entwined in the girl's hair which seemed keen on ripping it all out. The

girl began to rock herself back and forth and was mumbling angrily at

herself.

Bella would have felt sorry for the girl if she hadn't been so frustrated by

the loss of the blood. But Olivia had brought this upon herself Bella

mused. She, like many pureblood girls, and especially those brought up

with Slytherin values, aspire to attach themselves to the politically or

socially powerful, and the Lestranges were a politically powerful family.

To Olivia, Rudolfus Lestrange was a means to bring her social and

political status in this new regime that she like many other purebloods

believed would replace the current magical administration. So it was

hard for Bella to feel any sympathy for the girl, who even knowing about

the existing contract between the Lestranges and Blacks attempted to

seduce the seventh year troll.

Olivia's renewed screaming shook Bella from her musings. Bella looked at

the blonde who seemed to be struggling to pull her right hand from her

hair. A closer look showed that the blonde's hair had become knotted in

the Dark Mark ring. With a sharp yank Olivia managed to free her hand

but had pulled out a large clump of her hair at the same time.

Olivia cursed as she stood and went to a sink. She pulled the ring off her

finger and pulled the clumps of hair out of it. She set the ring down on

the sink and began to run her fingers through her hair to see the damage.

Bella saw an opportunity and quickly neared the sink. With the cloak still

firmly around her she was able to grab the ring with barely a finger

becoming visible. She moved to the door and before she left cast a silent

charm on the sink pipes which caused then to clink as if something had

fallen down the pipes.

The noise had its intended effect, as Olivia spun around looking for the

ring fearing it had fallen into the drain. She screamed as she desperately

tried to force her fingers down the drain in a vain attempt to find the ring

that was now securely in Bella's robes. Bella exited the washroom and

only briefly wondered what the consequences of Olivia losing the ring

would bring down upon the blonde Slytherin.

It was getting late and Bella had one more visit to make and that was a

visit to the toad, who was due her comeuppance. Bella entered the

seventh year girls dorm still concealed beneath Harry's cloak. Umbridge's

bed was easy to spot as its bed curtains were a gaudy pink in color. At

first Bella wondered if there was a bear in the bed the snoring was so

loud, and wondered why her roommates weren't cursing the squat witch.

A quick revealing spell made it all clear. Her roommates had placed

silencing wards around their own beds. That would make things easier

for Bella; she would not need to worry about anyone hearing her in the

room.

Bella hadn't really thought through what she wanted to do to the toad,

she just knew that she wanted her to suffer pain and humiliation, and

maybe something worse. A stray thought of just killing the girl came to

mind…it would be so easy to immobilize her and then smother her. She

would never get the chance to hurt anybody…ever.

Bella suddenly heard an echoing cackle that came out of nowhere and yet

it shook her to her very core. It sounded so evil and unhinged that it

caused her to involuntarily shiver. The voice sounded eerily familiar it

sounded like…her!

Bella gasped as the images of her future self filtered into her head. A

cackling mad woman killing students indiscriminately as she stormed

Hogwarts castle along with a hundred other black cloaked and masked

individuals. She saw herself covered in the blood of the innocent, their

voices crying out for their mothers as they lay dying on the bloodstained

earth.

Hundreds of faces, both young and old swam before her vision in frozen

horror. She saw herself shooting killing curses at fleeing first years,

mocking them with a baby voice as each one fell to the ground never to

rise again. It was horror on a scale she could not imagine, yet she knew

that in Harry's world they had already happened.

Bella collapsed to the ground and wept bitter tears at what she had done

or would do. Agony like she had never felt welled up in her chest.

Suddenly a hand rested on her shoulder though it didn't startle her, but

she felt comforted by its touch.

Bella looked up to see the spectral form of the Lady Hogwarts, looking

down upon her with a sadness that a parent shows for a child whom they

must discipline for an indiscretion. But there was compassion and

understanding in her gaze as well.

"I needed you to see Bella…I needed you to understand that allowing

yourself to even contemplate the killing of another could lead you down

a familiar path. With just one act of murder Bella, you could set yourself

on that path that you have sworn not trod." Hogwarts counseled.

Bella hung her head and sniffed back the tears that threatened to fall.

"She tortured Harry." Bella softly whispered.

"No Bella, she has not. Not yet. You must not punish her for a crime that

she has not committed."

"But she will milady, she will. And she has in Harry's time!" A distraught

Bella replied.

"Think Bella, you do have an opportunity to stop her, but there are other

means in which to accomplish your goal. Harry is not the first or the last

to have suffered from her less than tender mercies, and I am confident

that you will find a non lethal way of making sure she never gets the

chance to repeat history.

Defend the ones you love Bella, but let the punishment fit the crime and

only use deadly force when you must. There is a difference between

killing in self-defense or to protect the life of another and murder." The

ancient manifestation counseled.

"What can I do to stop her then?" Bella asked pulling herself together.

"Are you not a daughter of the Blacks? Do you not possess the gift that

has been in your family for generations, passed from mother to daughter

since Morgana." Lady Hogwarts smirked at the shocked face of the raven

haired girl in front of her.

"Yes I know your line my dear. I know you have the blood of the first

enchantress in your veins Bellatrix Black of the House of Black. The gift

of enchantment runs rich within your veins. No mere spell, jinx or curse

has the permanence of a strongly placed enchantment. The true

knowledge of enchantment may have disappeared from the Wizarding

World, but a thousand years ago those of your bloodline were the most

feared of magicals. Use your gift now and have your justice." The spectral

form declared and then faded from view.

Bella was standing in the dark room digesting everything the Lady

Hogwarts had shown her and told her. The vision of what her future self

had done was more than enough to sober her up and rethink her strategy

with dealing with Umbridge.

Of course she knew she was an enchantress, every girl born of the Black

line had been blessed with the gift, but the incantations took a lot more

time than a simple spell and required more power to do so as well. That's

why she assumed the practice had been forgotten by others who

possessed the gift, given up because spells with a wand were so much

easier and quicker and enchantments' were heavily driven by intent and

emotion.

Bella breathed in deeply to center herself and collect her thoughts on

how she wanted to proceed. An evil smirk spread across her face as she

thought of the appropriate punishment for the toad. She moved to the

head of the bed and hovered over the contorted face of the snoring

seventh year.

Bella slowly unsheathed a silver dagger that had been hidden at her

waist. The blade gleamed in the soft artificial moonlight that came

through a spelled portrait that showed the night sky similar to the Great

Hall ceiling but on a much smaller scale.

She placed just the very tip of it on Umbridge's forehead and made the

shallowest of cuts. The blades razor edge sliced the skin as if it were

made of warm butter. Umbridge did not even stir, she remained oblivious

of her attacker presence and what she had done. Bella then brought the

knife to her own left thumb and poked the pad of the thumb and watched

as blood began to well up.

She positioned her bleeding thumb over the small cut on Umbridge's face.

Bella let three drops of her own blood fall onto the cut and smiled

devilishly as the blood was drawn into the cut. Her own blood would

anchor the enchantment making it impossible for anyone else to remove.

Bella then began the long incantation that would be triggered by the

cows own hubris:

Through your hate will your magic be bound,

your words of bigotry shall force you to ground,

on your belly will you crawl,

in the mud and marsh shall you sprawl.

Let your loathing become the croaking

that echoes through the night…

Bella continued for another ten minutes before the incantation for the

curse was complete. She felt herself sway not use to the amount of power

needed to perform this type of magic. She was satisfied however that it

would be Umbridge herself who would cause the curse to initiate. She

just hoped she was around when it happened, she would love to see

everyone's reaction to the…um, changes to the girl.

It was nearly two in the morning when Bella returned to the Room of

Requirement, but Harry had obviously awaited her return seeing him

sitting in a chair facing the door. Before he could ask her anything about

what she had done she had curled up on his lap with her arms draped

around his neck and her head on his shoulder and with a couple heart

beats was sound asleep. Chuckling softly to himself he stood with the girl

in his arms and made his way to her bedroom. He carefully placed her on

the bed but her arms refused to release his neck. Sighing good naturedly

he laid down on the bed with her.

He didn't know if she was truly asleep or feigning it but as soon as he had

stretched out on her bed she instantly cuddled into his side and wrapped

her arm around his waist pulling him tight to her. He kissed the top of

her head and with a swish of his wand the comforter covered them and

another flick and the lamps were extinguished. He could get answers

from her tomorrow, but right now sleep did sound pretty inviting,

especially with a beautiful girl on his chest.

oooOOOooo

When Harry had awakened the next morning Bella was already gone. She

had left him a sweet note explaining that she had gone to the owlery

early to send a letter to her mum, she also asked him to meet her back in

the ROR at lunch time and that she had something important to show

him. Harry had a free period this morning and so didn't need to be up if

he didn't want to but his rumbling stomach had other ideas.

He decided to check on Luna to see how she was doing so he quickly

showered and dressed and headed down to the Great Hall to see if he

couldn't find the quirky but sweet Ravenclaw. He was still upset that her

fellow housemates had treated her so poorly just because she was a tad

odd. But Harry knew all too well the feeling of being ridiculed and

bullied and felt a kind of a kinship for the small blonde.

Harry entered the Great Hall and immediately found Luna sitting by

herself at the Ravenclaw table eating what appeared to be three slices of

French toast stacked on top of each other and covered in oatmeal topped

with a fried egg and a sausage that seemed to be cut to look like the Eifel

Tower coming up through the middle of all of it. Harry just chuckled as

he took the seat in front of her.

Good morning Harry Potter. Are you my Harry Potter or are you the

other Harry Potter?" Luna asked airily, not looking up from her creative

breakfast masterpiece.

"Huh? I'm the only Harry Potter as far as I know Luna." Harry replied,

confusion in his voice.

Luna looked at him and tilted her head to the side as if deep in thought.

"You could be my Harry Potter, yes, I think you are. But I fear the other

will be here soon and I would have lost my Harry. I hope he will be as

nice as you have been when he comes." Luna stated with a resigned sigh,

and then returned to her breakfast.

"Um…okay." Harry shook his head, he did not know what she was getting

at, so decided to change the subject. "So how have you housemates been

treating you lately?"

"Much better, I think Professor Flitwick spoke to them, either than or the

wrackspurt infestation in our commons room has been cleared out. But

I'm rather inclined to suspect the former. It is very difficult to get rid of

an infestation of wrackspurt without a generous supply of orange

marmalade to tempt them with, and I haven't seen any orange

marmalade lying about."

"That's good to hear Luna, but just remember if your things go missing

again the elves will help you get them back." Harry told his friend.

"Yes they've been quite helpful." Luna smiled.

"Luna…who's that man sitting next to Professor Sinestra?" Harry asked

seeing an unfamiliar face at the head table.

Luna gave Harry a concerned look at his question. "That's the Defense

against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Hedgeburn. Are you okay

Harry, I don't see any nargles around you but sometimes they're even

invisible to me."

"What happened to Professor Umbridge?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Who?" Luna asked.

"Professor Umbridge…you know the pink cardigan wearing toad." Harry

stated with a look of disgust.

"Harry, even I know a toad can't teach DADA, they would be much better

at Herbology I would think." Luna replied.

"No Luna, Umbridge is that ministry employee that began teaching here

this year." Harry tried to remind her but she still had a blank stare on her

face.

"Oh dear!" Luna exclaimed.

"Oh dear? Oh dear what Luna?" Harry asked.

"Are you sure you're not the other Harry? No, no I don't think you are."

She corrected herself. Harry was getting a bit confused.

Suddenly Luna's face lit up, oh I have heard of an Umbridge though. My

dad told me something about a Delores Umbridge who was a seventh

year when he was a sixth. It was the first story he wrote for the Quibbler,

it was its inaugural publication. Let's see…what was the story about? Oh

yes! It had to do with Professor Slughorn creating his own toad army to

conquer Wales."

"Huh?" Harry felt a headache coming on from trying to follow his friend.

"Well according to father, Umbridge was undergoing some sort of

breeding regime to produce a master race of human-toads, when

something went wrong and she turned into a rather large toad the size of

a large dinner plate in the Great Hall exposing the conspiracy. She was

quickly gathered up by the professors and never seen again." Luna retold

the story as best she could.

"Do you have your DADA book with you Luna?" Harry asked curiously.

"I do!" Luna said pulling the book from her bag. I was the same book as

the one Umbridge had passed out. So this Hedgeburn must also be

following the same orders as Umbridge had, but he wondered if he was

as nasty as she was.

"Luna, have you had this class yet?" Harry asked her handing her book

back to her.

"Yesterday." Luna replied taking the book and putting it back in her bag.

"How did you like him as a professor?" Harry asked trying to get what

information he could get about the new addition to the staff.

"Well…" Luna began looking thoughtful. "He is a little timid for a DADA

professor, and he doesn't have a very strong magical aura. It's a little

frustrating that there is no practical wand work for the class. If you ask

me I think Fudge is planning on taking over the school with his army of

Heliopaths and he doesn't want us to learn how to defend ourselves. But

fortunately I know how to defend against them." Luna stated.

Harry couldn't resist so he asked. "And how do you defeat a Heliopath?"

"With fizzy drinks of course. The sugar attracts them but the bubbles

create a natural gaseous toxin that his deadly to the Heliopaths causing

them to explode. You see they can't belch the bubbles back up." Luna

whispered conspiratorially.

Harry grinned at his friend. "Maybe I'll have to buy a case of fizzy drinks.

Just in case." Luna smiled at Harry and nodded her head.

Harry stared up at the head table wondering if this subtle change in the

time line would have any serious repercussions or if it was small enough

to not have really made a difference. It was odd though that if

Hedgeburn had been here since the start of turn he had no memory of

him. Would his memories not change?

Harry leaned back on the bench he was sitting on with a pensive look.

"Bella what did you do to Umbridge that changed the time line?" Harry

looked down at his right hand where he was forced to carve the words "I

must not tell lies" and noticed that they were still there. Harry frowned at

that.

'If Bella somehow changed the future why do I still have the cuts in my

hand?' Harry thought to himself.

"Are you feeling well Harry?" Luna asked, worried about her friend's

sudden pensive appearance.

"Uh…yeah Luna, I'm fine. Just thinking." Harry replied mechanically. "Uh

I need to go Luna, I need to look into something." Harry stood from the

bench and turned to go but was stopped as Luna called to him.

"Harry…" Luna began softly; her eyes looked wide and sorrowful. "I will

miss you when the other Harry comes. I hope that I don't forget you

though when he does."

Harry gave her a concerned look and grabbed her hand. "Luna I'm not

going anywhere okay. I'll talk to you later right?"

Luna jerkily nodded her head and smiled tearily at him. "Okay Harry, the

other you may not be here for awhile yet anyway. I just wanted you to

know." Harry gave her a confused but sincere smile and then left the

Great Hall. Harry made his way back up to the Room of Requirement

deciding to skive of his first class. He was hoping to ask the Lady

Hogwarts some questions about the time lines.

oooOOOooo

Bella entered the Great Hall with Lily Evans by her side; she had run into

the first year Gryffindor after she had sent an owl to her mother and

invited the vivacious redhead to join her for breakfast. Bella was

beginning to really like the intelligent girl and could see why Narcissa

had become such quick friends with her. She was warm and unbiased and

was so open to this new world she had been introduced to that you

couldn't help being drawn in to her enthusiasm.

"Lily!" Narcissa waved from her seat next to her sister Andromeda. The

redhead waved back and joined her friend. Bella took a seat across from

her sisters and began to plate her breakfast.

"Have you heard about Olivia?" Andromeda whispered across the table.

Bella looked up at her sister. "No, what happened?" She asked in interest.

"Apparently she fell down a few flights of stairs this morning, was hurt

pretty bad from what I've heard. She was sent to St. Mungos about an

hour ago."

"Really?" Bella asked looking down the table looking for Rudolfus but not

seeing him.

"Yeah, odd that though." Andromeda added.

"Oh?" Bella asked.

"Well Madam Pomfrey is one of the top healers in the country. It's odd

that she wasn't able to take care of her here." The second eldest Black

sister mused.

"Maybe she was just being overly cautious and wanted to make sure there

was no permanent damage." Bella offered.

Andromeda shrugged. "Perhaps, anyway I thought since she was your

friend you might know more about it."

"No, I don't." Bella looked down at her plate, pushing her eggs around.

"But thanks for letting me know."

Bella knew that Rudolfus would most likely be furious with Olivia if she

had informed him that her ring was missing. And maybe she was being

naive or maybe just didn't care what those repercussions were at the

time, but now she was feeling a little guilty. Not much, but perhaps a

little.

"What is the Noble House of Slytherin coming to when a mudblood is

allowed to sit at our table?" A simpering voice vocalized for the table to

hear.

Lily cringed and lowered her head. "Don't do that Lily!" Bella order the

redhead, getting the first years attention.

"Lift your head, be proud of who you are, don't let people make you feel

inferior." Bella told the girl, who nodded with a watery grin before

straightening her back and glaring at the witch who made the comment.

"Oooh look the mudblood thinks she…*croooaaak*". The short curly

haired witch blushed.

"I-I don't know where that came from." She embarrassedly grinned.

"My Delores what big EYES you have." Bella cooed.

Students around the arrogant witch watched in fascination as her eyes

seemed to slowly grow to twice their normal size. They were literally

bulging from her eye sockets. Some students began to scoot away from

her at the sight.

"Oh my Delores what a big mouth you have." Bella continued in mock

concern.

Delores Umbridge's head began to flatten and elongate and her mouth

grew impossibly wide. Her hair began to fall out in large clumps leaving

a smooth bald surface exposed, the smooth surface then began to sprout

large brown warts. Students torn between running in fear and watching

in morbid fascination at the sight in front of them were frozen in place.

A large fly that had landed on the table was suddenly grabbed by a rather

large and sticky tongue. Students who hadn't moved away before

suddenly jumped in shock as they watched one of their own swallow the

pest in a loud gulp.

"Wha-wha-wha is going…*croak!*"

Delores Umbridge was in a full panic as her body was slowly morphing

into something reptilian, she brought her hands in front of her face and

witnessed as her thumb shrank back into her hand and the four

remaining fingers separated and elonganted.

She was feeling cold now and seemed to be shrinking, her neck all but

disappeared into her shoulders her legs folding underneath her. Her

shoes popped off revealing long scaly toes. The disturbance had finally

attracted the attention of the professors at the head table. Dumbledore,

Slughorn and McGonagall raced to the scene.

"Oh my, is that Miss Umbridge?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes professor." A Student in Slytherin robes informed her in a voice that

hinted at shock and wonder.

"Finite incantatem!" The Scottish professor cast to no avail. "It's not a

spell Albus." She told him in a worried tone.

"Perhaps a potion?" Horace Slughorn tested all the food and drink where

she had been sitting finding no potions.

"Fascinating." Dumbledore remarked with an impressed raised eyebrow

as they watched the transformation of Delores Umbridge complete.

Before them, on the bench, surrounded by student robes was an

extremely large greenish brown toad with dark oozing warts. It was as

large as a dinner platter and probably weighed at least twenty pounds.

Students looked on with mixed emotions on their faces. Some were of

shock, other of disgust, but no one seemed to notice the triumphant

smirk on Bella's lips.

Movement overhead alerted all in the hall that the post had arrived as

dozens of owls swooped into the Great Hall to deliver their parcels and

posts. The large toad did not go unnoticed by the owls that had in many

cases traveled long distances and were a bit famished. Toads being a

natural food source for owls brought a lot of attention to the rather juicy

looking toad. Dumbledore sensing an approaching feeding frenzy quickly

shielded the toad.

"I think we should take Miss Umbridge to Poppy. She may be able to

determine what has happened. If not I'm sure the perpetrator will come

forward and undo what has been done." Dumbledore told the other

professors.

'Not likely!' Bella thought to herself.

oooOOOooo

Several minutes later Harry was entering the ROR, and too his surprise

stood the Lady Hogwarts smiling at him knowingly as if she already knew

his mind and what he wanted to discuss.

"Come, sit Harry." She gestured to one of the chairs in the familiar

commons room that he and Bella shared. Harry sat in the offered chair

and the Lady sat in the other.

"You have questions for me." It was a statement not a question as the

beautiful spectral image of Hogwarts in the image of Helga Hufflepuff

began their discussion.

Harry cleared his throat and opened his mouth but then closed it a

moment later. He wasn't entirely sure how to ask what he wanted to ask

or what to ask truthfully. He folded his hands in his lap and looked down

at them. Seeing the scars on his right hand gave him reprieve and he

began by lifting his hand.

"Milady, something has changed…in my time." Harry stated in a rush.

Hogwarts looked at him to continue.

"Well, Umbridge is no longer there, I mean here anymore. I think Bella

did something to her." Harry stated.

"Indeed she did." Hogwarts chuckled. "Very inventive of her I must say."

"She didn't…you know…kill her did she?" Harry asked.

"No Harry." She reassured him. "Though it was a close thing." Hogwarts

didn't elaborate further.

Seeing no further answer from her, Harry continued. "So anyway,

apparently Umbridge never came to teach." Harry began to rub his hand

feeling the raised scars. Hogwarts noticed the action.

"And you are wondering how it is you still have the scars on your hand if

in your present she never was your teacher?" Hogwarts asked him and

received a nod.

"And why do I still remember it and I don't have any memory of the other

professor?" Harry asked with a furrowed brow.

Hogwarts stood and swept her arms around the room. "Harry, the

enchantments that I placed on this room has made it in a word "outside"

of time. While you remain in this room when changes are being made

your memories will not be altered. You and Bella will stay the same

while everyone else around you will have changed."

"So, I don't understand. If Bella or I alter the past, my present –her future

is changed but no one else will know about it? How is that even possible?

What if we stop people from being killed in the past? Will they suddenly

be alive and what about all the missing years in-between will they just

magically be filled in. What if…what if we stop my parents from being

killed…will I just know them and have new memories of them? I don't

understand the logic behind it, is there logic behind it?"

Hogwarts countenance fell as she looked upon the boy that fate had

treated so poorly. She had hoped that she would have more time before

she had to tell him, to tell them the full truth about their unique

situation. She needed to explain things to the both of them and she

expected that she was going to have a pair of irate teens on her hands.

But it needed to be done and they truly did have the potential for a

wonderful future together. It was one of the possibilities she had seen at

least.

Harry jumped as the entrance door suddenly opened and a winded Bella

came running in. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing heavily

like she had just run a marathon.

"Are you okay Harry?!" Bella asked looking between him and Lady

Hogwarts.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The question is are you okay? You look like you were

being chased or something." Harry told her.

Bella stood as straight as she could but seem to have a stitch in her side

that she was holding with her left hand. "I was in class when I felt this

extraordinary strong need to return here." Bella related.

"I apologize for the alarm Bella, but it was I who summoned you."

Hogwarts told the panting girl. "I needed you here to explain a few things

I neglected to tell the two of you earlier. Please take a seat." Bella

grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him to sit next to her on the couch.

The Lady stared back at the two teens who's hands were interlinked and

drew strength from the bond the two had already formed, and it gave her

hope that what she was about to confess to them might not be as

unwelcomed as it could be.

"You both know that I brought you two here for your protection and to

help me protect the school and its students by changing the events that

would lead to so much death and sorrow within and without my walls. I

have seen your future Bella, all the atrocities' and horrors committed by

Bellatrix Lestrange. I know how your mind fell into madness. But I also

see an alternate path, one that leads to a long and happy life." Here she

glanced knowingly over to Harry.

"Harry, I have also seen your future firsthand. I know what becomes of

you; how you meet an untimely end through treachery and deceit by

those you had trusted most on these very grounds. You were the lamb

brought to slaughter, unprepared, you blindly, though bravely went out

to confront a monster who would show you no mercy. But the path is not

set in stone.

And I have seen my own near destruction; it was because of so much

magical blood spilled on my grounds that I was able to create this place.

Through siphoning every bit of released magic from that horrible battle, I

was able to collect enough power to create this room. And thus bring you

together.

However, time is a fickled thing, and every change creates a ripple. Those

ripples are impossible to predict. For example when you cast a stone into

a calm lake you create a distinct pattern of ripples that begin to spread

out, but in a way you can still somewhat predict.

However, now if you toss another stone and yet another stone, all those

ripples begin to collide and distort and the original ripples are completely

lost, and you have something completely different. Do you follow me so

far?" Hogwarts asked. The two teens nodded their understanding.

"The past and the future have already begun to shift and even I am not

completely sure what the end result would be. So this room creates a

constant to the chaos. From the moment you stepped into this room you

no longer belonged to time. You exist outside of it. This room shields you

from the ripples.

These ripples won't affect Bella as much since we are working forward

from her time. But it will have a very significant affect on you Harry and

your time. And this is why I must ask you Harry to forgive me." Hogwarts

apologetically spoke.

"I don't understand, I knew there would be changes. Why would you need

to apologize?" Harry asked with a furrowed brow.

"Should you continue on this path? And succeed." She gestured to him

and Bella. "You, the Harry of your world will cease to exist. The person

you are right now will have never been."

"What, do you mean… am I going to disappear or something?" Harry

asked in a panic, Bella paled and tightened her grip on Harry's hand.

Hogwarts placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "No Harry, you will

not vanish. You, as you are now will continue to exist. But the world you

come from will not know you; it will have its own Harry Potter. One that

has not lived the life that you have, a Harry who has not suffered at the

hands of his relatives, one that has not faced the horrors and dangers that

you have faced.

This creates a dilemma, a paradox if you will. There cannot be two Harry

Potters that exist in your time. Eventually Harry, you will have to make a

decision. And this is where I have not been as forthcoming as I should

have been Harry, and why I must ask your forgiveness for not telling you

before you started this journey.

And that is, whether you stay in your time or whether you go to Bella's,

you will no longer be able to be Harry Potter."

Harry was stunned; he didn't know whether to feel confusion, anger,

sadness, betrayal, or manipulated. So instead he settled for numb.

"So who will I be or become? I don't understand why didn't you tell me

this before?" Harry asked tightly.

"I have no excuse Harry, in the future you were heading, saw you dying

at the hands of Voldemort at the age of seventeen. Dumbledore in his

arrogance believed that a battle between you and Voldemort would

weaken him enough that Dumbledore could step in after you were killed

and kill Voldemort himself. He didn't…and our world was cast into

darkness.

"Harry, it may not mean much to you." Bella quietly spoke. "But, I prefer

creating a new future with you than becoming the evil I might have been

had you not come into my life. And had the Lady not brought us together

I'm sure I would have. And for that, I am grateful to her for bringing you

here."

Harry looked at Bella warmly. "Funny thing is, I should be furious, but I

find myself okay with it. Being the Boy-Who-Lived has been more of a

curse than a blessing anyway. I think I'd like a shot at happiness rather

than an early death." He half smiled. Bella kissed him tenderly on the

lips.

"As to who you become it is completely up to you Harry, there are many

extinct lines within the Potter and Evans family that you could restart."

Hogwarts stated.

"The Evans?" Harry asked.

"Your mother is the first active magical in a long line of squibs, Harry.

The name was changed to Evans from Eveningshade in the early

eighteenth century." Hogwarts continued.

"I've heard of that family!" Bella gasped. "They were a dark family weren't

they?" Bella asked the ancient lady.

"More a dark shade of gray. They are an ancient house Harry, not a Noble

and Ancient house like the Potters and Blacks and hold no titles, but they

are just as old." Hogwarts informed him.

"So I guess I still have some time before I have to give up being Harry

Potter right?" Harry asked

"It all depends on how fast you and Bella work. It could be a year or two,

maybe more, before the new Harry makes an appearance." Hogwarts

estimated.

"I wondered how she knew." Harry suddenly chuckled.

"How who knew what Harry?" Bella asked.

"Luna Lovegood." He replied. "She said something this morning to me

that at the time made no sense. But now it does."

"What did she say?" Bella asked inquisitively.

"She said, that she hoped the other me was as nice as I was. And that she

hopes she remembers me." Harry said with an impressed look.

Lady Hogwarts smiled. "Yes Luna Lovegood, I have watched her on

occasion. She has a unique gift. Not the first in her family either."

"Is she a seer?" Bella asked.

"No, not in the traditional since. She is a magic reader. She can see and

feel magic around her; sense its ebbs and flows. It speaks to her. Magic

however is not linear it flows through space and time forwards and

backwards, side to side. Again it is partly why this room can exist. She

must have felt a change in your magic or the magic of the possible you. It

would seem similar to her but different and she could sense that it was

you but not you."

"Sounds confusing." Bella said with a shake of her head.

"It can be, she is trying to make sense of not only what her five senses are

telling her but what her magical senses are telling her as well. And

sometimes the two are at odds with each other, and why she seems so

odd at times. That is why most people avoid her unfortunately."

Hogwarts told them.

"Anything else that you want to know?" Hogwarts asked the young

couple.

"Lots…" They chorused.

oooOOOooo

The next few days seemed to fly by for the couple. The change in DADA

professors in Harry's time did not seem to have made any difference in

the current time line. Harry went to his classes and although the glares

had almost completely stopped there was still an air of discomfort for

many of the students who shared classes with him.

He had not really spoken to Hermione except in the classroom and

usually just about class related topics. During his free periods and in the

evenings he continued to practice drawing the runes and practicing the

incantation for the unbinding ceremony, and receiving lessons in

Lordship from Walburga.

They only distraction from the norm was the occasional request by

Dumbledore to visit him in his office. But Harry had managed to avoid

the request so far by.

Bella had not been idol either. She had informed Harry about the Death

Eater rings and her theory about them being a communication device and

the possibility of placing a curse on one ring that could transmit it to all

the others.

Harry was excited about the possibility, however Bella was having no

luck so far in trying to figure out the arithmancy behind the rings

operation and the charm work was well above her understanding. But

Bella loved a challenge and she would not relent until she discovered its

secrets. Then the next daunting task would be to weave her own curse

into the rings spell lattice.

She had a working premise on how it could work. But it was all theory

for now, and it would continue to be until she unraveled all the

protective spells on the ring itself and bean to experiment. The danger

came from accidentally destroying the existing mechanism of

communication in her attempts to understand it. If the ring became

inoperable it was back to square one, and somehow getting another ring

seemed was not a pleasant thought.

Bella was sure that Rudolfus had made an example of Olivia to impress

upon the others who had a ring not to lose them or let them out of your

sight, or they could face similar consequences.

oooOOOooo

The time had finally come to attempt the unbinding ritual and Harry was

a bundle of nerves. Walburga had tried to calm the nervous boy, but no

words of reassurance could ease his frazzled nerves. He was about to

perform a ritual he had never done before that could cause permanent

damage to the girl he was quickly falling in love with. One simple miss

stroke on a rune or a mispronounced word could be disastrous.

The only thing that kept him from falling apart was the faith Bella had in

him. They had spent the night together holding on to one another. He

had expressed his fears to her that night and she had told him that she

knew that she was in good hands and trusted him completely. The reams

of parchment he had gone through drawing and redrawing the runes was

a testament to his dedication on getting it right.

She had distracted him from his obsessive musing by making sure his lips

and mouth were to deliciously occupied to think of anything else but

exploring her lips and mouth in return. But now that the moment was at

hand those same nerves were threatening his confidence.

"The room is ready milord." Kreacher informed Harry who had been

pacing in his room. Harry nodded and took another deep breath to center

himself.

Harry exited his room into the commons area. He noticed that the

couches and chairs were no longer there, but a large alter dominated the

center of the room. It looked like shiny black onyx, he could see his

reflection in the surface of it. He ran his hand down it and to his surprise

found it warm to the touch.

A simple medical cart with wheels stood next to the altar with three vials

of Bella's blood and what looked like several old fashioned fountain pens

which would be used to draw the runes by dipping the head of the pens

in the blood.

Harry twisted the Black signet ring around his finger nervously and

began to recite the incantation in his head. He would not mess up, he

continued to tell himself as he paced. The room was warmly lit by the

roaring fire in the hearth, and several torches lining all four walls, and

four bluebell flames hovering above the altar illuminating it in soft light.

A door opening to his right caught his attention. He turned to see Bella

step out of her room. Her long curly dark hair was piled up on top of her

head to keep it off her shoulders and neck. She was wearing a forest

green silk robe that clung sinfully over her feminine curves. The robe was

pulled tight around her by a silk belt that just accentuated her femininity.

Bella gave him a shy smile as she made her way slowly to him, her own

nerves for the first time visible in her violet eyes. She pressed herself

against him as his arms encircled her narrow waist. They stood silently in

each other's embrace for a few moments, each gathering up their

courage.

"I know you can do this Harry." She whispered, her head tucked under his

chin.

All Harry could do was nod; he did not trust his voice not to expose his

nervousness at that moment. She needed to feel that he was confidant

and he would be that for her. She stepped back but still in his arms and

gently kissed him.

"I'm ready Harry." Bella told him. Not breaking eye contact with him she

stepped out of his embrace and pulled the silk belt loose and with a small

shrug the silken robe slid to the floor pooled at her feet.

She stood before him in all her vulnerability. Harry lost the power to

think or speak, for the very first time he was seeing her, all of her. He

was sure at that moment that not even Aphrodite could match the beauty

that stood before him.

Bella reached for his hand and pulled him with her as she approached the

altar. The altar lowered itself to just above Bella's knees. Still holding on

to Harry's hand she sat down on the edge of the altar and with Harry's

gentle help, she lay back and stretched out on the black shining surface.

As soon as she was completely reclined the altar rose again to allow