A/N: -insert smiley face here- hello, everybody *waves* welcome to the next stepping stone in Athena's journey. I can honestly say this is the story…a part of it…is what got me started writing about her. Thank you for reading.

Have to give a big shout out to korvik93, whose been helping with idea bouncing and fleshing the trickier ideas out; super big help!

p.s. this is the year that changes everything!

p.p.s. I don't own Harry Potter or any of the Easter Eggs that may or may not be scattered throughout this story.

Chapter One: Adventures Start Here…

How in the name of all the Great Divines in every pantheon that's ever been that I convinced Madam Bones to let this trip happen is beyond me. However, its' most likely because Susan Bones had a very powerful puppy dog pout. It's all in the eyes and that girl has it down pat. Even gaining Aunt Andy's permission had been a feat in of itself and came about because of a strange occurrence that made her relent. Something that no one seen coming.

This started nearly two weeks ago when I went to work with Nym for a 'career day' at the ministry. Nym had finished her training and now was a lower level Auror; meaning she got most of the paperwork for her partner, currently Mad-Eye Moody but he was due to retire soon, and playing go-fer for them. I did feel bad about sneaking away from Nym's desk when she'd gone to the bathroom and it hadn't exactly been the plan but this was something that'd been bugging for a while.

Maybe if I hadn't seen Mrs. Weasley embrace her daughter so…grateful and relieved that she was alive and unharmed at the platform in London. Maybe if Mrs. Weasley hadn't hugged me, Harry and Neville for helping Ron and Ginny, thanking us for protecting her babies. Just maybe if I wasn't surrounded with such envy-worthy mother/child relationships I would have stayed put.

Madam Bones had been sitting at her desk, working on paperwork while she chatted with Susan who was at her own desk in the corner of the room. The room was what I'd picture from Amelia Bones, efficient, well organized with spare decorations that were mostly family related. Both Bones women raised an eyebrow when I knocked on the open door.

"Miss Black, shouldn't you be with Auror Tonks and Auror Moody?" Madam Bones asked politely

I shrugged "probably but…I-I wanted to ask you something, Madam Bones and I-I don't think Nym would like it."

That made the woman lay her pen down (yes, the woman was using a ball-point pen) "oh, I see," she folded her hands together "come in then, and stand up straight with your shoulders back, girl, stop this slouching thing. How are you going to command respect if you are slouching all the time."

My eyes went wide as I fixed my posture. I heard Susan giggle as made my way to stand before her aunt's desk "umm…well, I was…I wanted to…see, I was hoping…"

"Athena, take a deep breath and ask," Madam Bones said softly "otherwise you're wasting my time and yours."

I did as she asked but closed my eyes as I spoke "I want to meet my mother."

"No," my eyes popped open to look at the woman "she's too dangerous and Azkaban is no place for a child, even if it's just a visit."

"But…but she's my mother!" I argued "I at least want to meet her once in my life. I am tired of hearing the stories and seeing the pictures and…and pretending that they were real people to me," I felt myself starting to tear up "everyone says I should miss them but how can you miss something you've never known? They don't feel real to me, they're just strangers in a picture. Please, Madam Bones, I-I don't have any expectations as to what she is going to be like. I-I…I know what she's done to earn her ticket there and I'm not asking for her to be released or anything…I just…I just want to meet the woman."

Madam Bones sighed "I am sorry, Athena but I still have to say no," my tears went away as I clenched my fists but kept my face neutral "I can't, in good conscious, let you go to Azkaban to meet Bellatrix Lestrange. She's not a mentally stable inmate and she has violent fits that are hard to predict. It's hard for even our healers to go into her cell."

"Who says I have to go into her cell?" I asked quickly "I can stand at the door."

There was a sigh from the department head as she stood and came to stand in front of me, a hand on my shoulder "my word is final, I'm sorry besides what would Andromeda think about this?"

I smirked darkly "she'd be ecstatic," pulling my shoulder away from Madam Bones, I tried not to glare at the woman "thanks for at least considering it; not like I was asking for the world."

…

Nym had thought her day with me at the ministry had been a success, especially when I met Mad-Eye Moody and he just shook my hand; normally he just yelled at people. It was a relief when we finally got to Nym's apartment where I was spending the night. Harry and Hermione had gone with Uncle Ted and Angie, who was still heavily pregnant, had spent the day with Aunt Andy for her day at St. Mungo's.

My amazing cousin had decided to take me out on the town. Mostly to see the lights of London and feel the different life of the city had after the sun had gone down. We had dinner at a small mom & pop place, seen a movie and just walked around. It was just enough to offset my mood and to make me smile again since I'd walked into Madam Bones's office.

…

Three days later, Madam Bones made a surprise visit to the Tonks house. Gran had been over with Angie because Aunt Andy had gotten her books on pregnancy. Harry, Hermione and I were in the living room playing the Nintendo and Super Mario Brothers: I'd lost the rights to play because I kept trying to sabotage Harry and Hermione. The three of us had never heard the door as Hermione had taken another castle as Luigi.

Learned about it though when Aunt Andy stormed into the living room and dragged me out by my ear. She pulled me into the kitchen. Her face was red, almost puce colored as she let me go. I rubbed at my ear as Aunt Andy tried to compose herself, everyone watching us now.

"How could you?!" Aunt Andy cried "how could you do this behind my back?! How could…why would you want to meet that…that woman after everything we've told you about her!"

"Because she's still my mother," I shrugged, I was not going to lured into an angry verbal brawl with the woman

Aunt Andy hissed then "she is not your mother, that woman in Azkaban is not your mother. I thought you understood this! Bellatrix McGonagall was your mother and she's dead. Killed when she became a Lestrange and took the dark mark! That…that person in that cell is a foul creature and I won't allow you to see her!"

I raised an eyebrow at that "you won't allow me too?" I asked "then when I come of majority I will do it without your permission, without you there to help me. I don't care if all she does is spew Riddle propaganda at me, I want something tangible. I want something real to remember," I shook my head at her "Robert and Bellatrix don't exist to me; they are just simply characters I've been told about and that I've made up in my head. I have some of their things, I know what they look like but they aren't real. I don't mourn them because how can you grieve for something you've never known?"

My aunt just threw up her hands and headed for the back door. We heard the 'pop' of her disapparating away before the backdoor swung back shut. Madam Bones gave me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she handed me a manila envelope.

"You can thank Suzie for what's in there," the woman said softly "it's an authorized permission form for you to visit Azkaban and I've volunteered to escort you personally because my niece is an extortionist. You still have to have you're Aunt's permission, though."

I chuckled as held tightly to the envelope "thank you anyways, Madam Bones and thank Suzie for me. She's a pretty awesome person that I'm grateful to call a friend."

Bones just smiled "I will let her know and don't give up just yet. That's not dated with an expiration date so just give her some time," with that, Bones looked back at Gran and a very stunned Angie "I will see you ladies on Friday in Hogsmeade."

Angie had told me that Madam Bones and a few other law enforcement officials had been busy since the end of school. Lockhart couldn't be convicted of his crimes because of his medical condition, the charges ranging from abuse of trust and authority, statutory rape and inappropriate relations with a student, fraud and plagiarism, over seven counts of violent magical crimes (using the memory charms) and five counts attempted violent magical crimes against a minor. If the man ever recovered then he'd been in for a very long stay in Azkaban.

As it happened, and because Lockhart wasn't going to see justice any time soon, Madam Bones and her fellows had pushed a secondary sentence through in a sealed Wizengamot's session (meaning everyone there was bound by magic to never reveal what happened within by any means) that convicted him something akin to line theft. It was an ancient law that punished wizards for getting young girls that they were not wedded too pregnant. The law was trying to prevent bastards who might have claims to lordship inheritance, made them pay for their children to discourage their conception in the first place.

This allowed for the liquidation of all Lockhart's personal assets from jewelry, works of art, vast wardrobe, properties and even brooms to be sold off and for the royalties to his books to put in a vault for Angie and her child to be doled out as a stipend. The account was regulated by an account manager, goblin named Thompson of all things, and Gran because she was Angie's guardian. I would assume that Madam Bones had the legal papers needed for Angie to have the vault and Lockhart's wand released to her.

Gran and Angie thanked Madam Bones as I headed up to my room with Harry and Hermione following, our video game forgotten. They didn't ask any questions as we gathered at my desk. The pair of them just looked over the paperwork with me. I was surprised to there was a list of things I would be allowed to bring to Bellatrix or Sirius; Madam Bones had included Sirius in the form.

….

A full week after Career Day, the Tonks residence received an owl from Gringotts requesting my presence for a rather important matter. I'd been staying with the Grangers for a few days to let Aunt Andy decompress while Harry and Neville were off with the Weasleys for a couple days before the Weasleys left for Egypt. Mr. Weasley had won the Daily Prophet's Grand Prize Draw of seven hundred galleons and were spending it on a family holiday to see Bill.

Hermione and I had been in the Granger's back garden when Aunt Andy arrived, driving instead of using magical means of transporting. We were laying under their small tree, Hermione using my middle for a pillow, which I was very much enjoying despite my brain saying not to, with my fingers combing through her thick hair. We were discussing what all Hermione should do on her family's upcoming holiday to Spain. Madrid was fun and Barcelona had loads of magical attractions and history.

"Wish you could go, Hammy," Hermione pouted a little "you could play tour guide."

I shook my head as I watched another cloud float by "nah, when I was there we were chasing a rouge werewolf. Wasn't much time for Kaylee to show me about because the wolf was a runner and took us up all the way to Munich."

"Did you have time to explore Munich?" Hermione asked rolling her eyes at me

I chuckled at her "a little, it was beautiful with a lot of old buildings."

Hermione's reply was cut off by Mrs. Granger and Aunt Andy coming from the back door. It'd been two days since I'd last seen Aunt Andy but she looked better, she must have seen her therapist. Mrs. Granger was smiling at us, bidding us not to move as she sat down in the grass next to us, Aunt Andy following.

"So, what were you girls talking about?" Mrs. Granger asked curiously

Hermione spoke before I could "Spain," she answered honestly and shook her head at me when I grunted disdainfully "really, Hammy? Not every answer needs to be a smart-arsed remark."

I smirked "you need your sense of humor checked, Myne," I told her as I started poking her in the side, making her squirm away and giggle at the same time. Hermione blew a raspberry at me as she sat up, I just shook my head and sat up as well "so, Aunt Andy, how are you feeling?"

She smiled "better," the woman nodded "I didn't want to bother you girls but a letter Gringotts for us…Athena…you haven't purchased anything expensive have you or done something that requires my input, have you?"

I shook my head "no…wait, now that I think on it there was that three ringed circus that…hey, now!" I cried as Hermione swatted at me "geez, mean monkey you are!" I said wrinkling my nose at her before turning back to an amused Aunt Andy "due to peer pressure I must say that, no, I have not done either."

Aunt Andy sighed "then I wonder what we'll be walking into tomorrow."

"A bank?" I offered and Mrs. Granger threw head back laughing while Hermione gave me a playful little shove.

…

I stayed the night with the Grangers and helped Mr. Granger work on a classic motorcycle that he kept in the detached garage. It was a 63' Royal Enfield Bullet 500 that he'd bought off a junker that had had the thing rusting away in a back garden shed. Mr. Granger had a love affair with motorcycles, he had a new model Royal Enfield Bullet and a 1946 Indian Chief from the States.

Mr. Granger beamed as I helped him, getting greasy and learning from him about how to fix what we were working on. Hermione was more of bookworm girly-girly who really hated getting greasy. As Hermione was an only child, Mr. Granger had never had a motorcycle buddy before. He even promised to teach me how to ride and help me get my license; laughing when I told him that Uncle Ted had already told Harry and I that he was going to teach us how to drive a car.

Mrs. Granger and Hermione both rolled their eyes at the state of me and Mr. Granger when we came back in for the nightly news program. There was grease on our faces and even in our hair and never mind my hand marks on my clothes…oops. After a shower, Mrs. Granger took clippers and scissors to my hair; the woman was a big fan of Meg Ryan so my black hair came out fluffy and no longer than the bottoms of my ears. Plus side, my head felt lighter.

"You have such beautiful hair, Athena," Mrs. Granger grinned running her fingers through her finished work "not saying that Hermione doesn't but she was cursed with Richard's family hair. Very puffy and unruly, seen her hair break a pair of scissors once when the stylist got a little too enthusiastic. Hasn't let anyone try and cut her hair really short since."

Hermione scowled and stuck her tongue out at her mother from her spot at the kitchen table where she was reading a book, shocking right? Mrs. Granger just chuckled and started brushing me off with a towel then shooed Hermione and I away to bed so she could sweep of the kitchen.

…

Mrs. Granger dropped me off early the next morning on her way to work. Her husband and daughter had a father/daughter day planned as the parents were alternating days now that Hermione was home for the summer. Aunt Andy and Uncle Ted grinned when the saw my hair, both approved and sent me on my way to my room to get ready for Gringotts.

Aunt Andy had laid out a very formal over robe (black with lavender accents and silver piping) with black slacks and a shimmery purple button up blouse. She'd even laid out dress shoes for me. Mrs. Granger had left by the time I came back down stairs and Aunt Andy was scowling at my pants as they were just a bit short at the ankles.

"You are growling like a weed, look your chin is already at my shoulder," she frowned measuring me against herself "I fear that you'll need all new pants by the end of summer and tower over the rest of us like your grandmother does."

I grinned hearing the telly click off in the living room "now I can get the biscuits from the high shelves."

"Nope, those are mine, kiddo," Uncle Ted swooped in from the living room "are we ready?"

Uncle Ted apparated us to Diagon Alley, keeping a hand on my shoulder as we made our way towards Gringotts. The alley wasn't a busy as it normally was, probably because it was only late June and school letters had yet to be sent out yet. It was just really weird and gave an ominous feeling to the place.

The guard goblins gave us a nod of the head as we passed by them and entered into their domain. Been a while since I'd been here last but it was just like I remembered as Aunt Andy directed me towards one of the open tellers. When the teller heard that we were there to meet Griphook, he didn't lead us to the goblin's office but a familiar conference room.

Griphook was conversing with a tall and slender wizard and a kid who had to be the man's son because of how much they looked alike. Long, wavy brown hair that was tied by with pale ribbons, grey eyes and wide jaws. The older wizard wore a closely trimmed beard and the boy was a stubbly but couldn't have been no older than myself.

"Ah, Miss Black and Lady Tonks nee Black, you're right on time, and Mr. Tonks," Griphook hadn't been expecting Uncle Ted "let me introduce Lord Philippe Lestrange and his heir Pierre. They are the ones who requested you be here today."

"Err…Le-Lestrange?" I raised an eyebrow, leaning back into Uncle Ted unconsciously "forgive me but do you mean like Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange?"

"Zhe former head of our house, oui," Lord Lestrange nodded, he had a light French accent "but that honor passed to me when he and his brother, Rabastan, went to Azkaban with no heirs. I assure you zhat my branch of the zhe family do not hold zhe same values as he's did."

"Alright," Aunt Andy said slowly "then why did you ask us here?"

Lord Lestrange held his hand out towards the conference table "let us sit and start zhis off zhe right way, non?" he smiled softly "I promise thaz you will want to 'ear what I have to say."

Aunt Andy bowed her head first "introductions then, I am Andromeda Tonks nee Black, proxy for Lord Sirius Black," she bowed her head to Lord Lestrange again "this is our heir Athena Black," I copied her bow of the head "and my husband Edward Tonks."

Uncle Ted smiled and bowed his head as well, before moving to the low oak table. He and Aunt Andy placed me in the middle of them and watched the Lestranges sit down on the other side of the table with Griphook at its head. The goblin looked like he was being entertained immensely.

"First off, zhank you for taking up my offer," the French wizard sighed "I will not play games with you, I am here to pay a debt and avoid a blood feud."

That surprised all three of us on our side of the table "umm…what?" I asked confused

Lord Lestrange smiled at me "I know what my cousins did your mère, your mother," he started to explain "and it is a shame upon my family. Zhe English branch of zhe family fell to darkness a long time ago and to be honest, I had 'oped to avoid this meeting," he shifted in his chair, resting his interlaced hand on the table surface "but zhen you purchased Maurice's Clothes and Robes at the beginning of the year," oh, that was news to me "they are our biggest clients for zhe enchanted cloth that my family produces."

"Oh, I see," Aunt Andy nodded "you were afraid that the move was done to hurt your business?"

"Oui, at zhe beginning but you did not make a move," Lord Lestrange shrugged "zhen Gringotts contacted me about our English holdings. As the vault had not be touch since my cousins went to Azkaban, well…" he fluttered a hand dismissively "it has been left long enough. It was Pierre who offered a solution to our…debt to you, Miss Black."

"To me?" I frowned and then I realized what he meant "oh, you are worried that I will call a blood feud because of what your cousins did to my parents, the killing of my father and mind raping of my mother?" I asked and the man and his son both shifted uncomfortably "what exactly are you proposing?"

Pierre slipped a small stack of parchment across the table "we want to be friends, of a sort," the young man said, his voice cracking a bit "business friends as we are your main suppliers for the moment," he explained, his accent was lighter than his father's "I…we propose that we split what is in the vault below our feet. We will take the coins and all other items are yours as are all property holding 'ere in England. We will pay the transfer fee."

"That…that is a very generous offer," Uncle Ted admitted as he was overlooking packet of parchment Aunt Andy had handed to him "but as a solicitor, I can hear the pending 'but' you've yet to give voice to."

Lord Lestrange nodded "oui, we want to renew our contracts with Maurice's and expand our textiles sales to the United Kingdom. With your help we can do zhat."

"That is a very big offering just for that," I admitted, shaking my head "I mean, I'm not going to start a blood feud-thingy with anyone. I already blame the people at fault, one has had an ambiguous death, not sure if he stayed dead though and the other two are in Azkaban."

Lord Lestrange's smile was a genuine one as he said "zhen zhat makes you a better person than most of zhe nobles, here and in France. Please, Athena," he leaned forward and caught my eye "let us do zhis for you, zhe Lestranges have lost a great deal of 'onor since zhey came to zhis country. It would be nice to for us to regain even a little of it through zhis."

I let out a long breath and looked up at Aunt Andy as Uncle Ted finally spoke again "the paper work all in order and true to their word."

Aunt Andy leaned down and whispered "this would be yours alone, Athena, separate from the Black vaults."

I scowled a little at that and then grinned as I looked back towards Lord Lestrange "you wouldn't happen to know anyone who teaches swordsmanship, do you?"

That caught both Frenchmen off guard "why?" Lord Lestrange asked raising an eyebrow

"Because I want to learn and I have heard that many successful duelists are at least trained in the art of fencing. Helps with forms," I explained with a shrugged "I like dueling and the sport in general."

Pierre grinned then and lost all decorum "which duelist is your favorite?"

Woot! Fellow fanatic "if I had to choose it would be Elena Romanoff of Prague. She's wicked fast and I loved her hooded dragon leather jacket, it's so intimidating."

"I prefer Otto Vanders, myself," Pierre counter "he's like a graceful swan but brute strength…"

Lord Lestrange chuckled as he laid a hand on his son's shoulder "perhaps dueling talk after zhe meeting has end, oui?"

Aunt Andy nudged me as Pierre nodded "no swords or training until you're older," she said pointedly and smirked when I pouted "you're not even fourteen yet, I'm not letting you have a long, sharp pointy object until your old enough to drive."

"Spoil sport," I huffed and looked back to an amused French Lord "I guess then we have a deal as it seems my efforts to get a sword have been dashed once again."

….

With papers signed and a new vault under my name alone was establish. I was given a little silver key on a gold chain that went to Vault 394. Lord Lestrange signed a few papers that would start the transfers, the coin to their vaults in Paris and everything else to me; the properties took a bit longer though.

Uncle Ted sat with me and Pierre as Aunt Andy went over the paper work with Lord Lestrange and Griphook. The three of us looked over the properties in the UK and Ireland. There were maybe six in all, scattered all over the place; seriously and there even more worldwide. The list of locations for mine included in County Kilkenny, Scotland and four around England. There was very beautiful, if you believed the pictures, of a stately wizarding manor near Ipswich that had a fat little tower attached to it.

Pierre and I were discussing shielding constructs by the time that his father and Aunt Andy had signed the last of the papers. Uncle Ted was grinning at me as the French men left. He was teasing me about Pierre having taken a fancy to me, the man laughed when I made a face of eww at him. The man was still chuckling to himself as Griphook took us down to my new vault.

The place was filled with shelves that contained bejeweled potion flasks, goblets, a plethora of jewelry and loose gem stones. There were creature skins draped over stands that gave me the willies; I felt like they were watching me and asked Griphook if he'd sell them for me first thing. The goblin shivered at the sight of them and nodded.

There was only one thing in the whole lot that made me uneasy. It was cup, a very nice up that had a badger engraved on the side with finely wrought handles and several small jewels colored red, yellow, blue and green around it. It made me think of Hogwarts and I reached out to pick it up but stopped quickly. The thing had sent my left palm to tingling very unpleasantly, last things that had done this was Regulus's locket and Riddle's diary. What was my luck to find a third one?

Yea…I was done looking around then and asked Aunt Andy who was looking at a skull wearing an ornate crown if we could go. My stomach was telling me we'd missed lunch and I really wanted to get away from the cup. Aunt Andy nodded as she slipped an arm around my shoulders and called to Griphook who was with Uncle Ted.

…

We were at a little sandwich shop in a pocket of Diagon Alley, happily munching away on sandwiches and crisps. Uncle Ted and I were chattering randomly, I was really interested in that Ipswich house and somehow our conversation had turned to Mr. Granger's motorcycles (apparently Sirius had one that flew) when Aunt Andy started nodding to herself. She'd been really quiet since we'd left Gringotts.

"Alright," she said suddenly, putting her barely touched sandwich down "I agree."

Both Uncle Ted and I were confused "err…what?" he asked "agree to what, love?"

"Athena meeting her mother," Aunt Andy said softly, surprising both Uncle Ted and I "it's only fair that Athena actually know the woman for whom the Lestrange family would go to such lengths to avoid a blood feud over. I'll write Madam Bones when we get home."