Chapter 4 Harry Potter

: Choice of Your life

Caradoc Dearborn, a Defence Against Dark Arts teacher noticed her intense gaze and said,

"Next, Miss Black, come over here. Let's see what you make of your cousin, Sirius Black.

Your skill was admirable in your Hogwarts days. Please show your talent to the younger Slytherins and Gryffindors."

Even though Lord Voldemort ordered her to visit Hogwarts after she had graduated, in the name of Black, she wouldn't lose the duel game with a young Gryffindor, and even worse, a Blood traitor.

Her cousin loosened his gold and red striped tie and climbed on the platform. His eyes were glaring at her with loathing. She couldn't understand why he'd left Grimmauld Place. Two years had passed since she and her fellow wizards and witches had started recruiting new members to be Death Eaters secretly. She had to give most of the young Slytherin students the impression that she was the best, which would lead to a massive influx to the inner circle of the Dark Lord.

She spoke in her low seductive and provocative voice, "My dear cousin, Sirius. Show me your pride. I won't go easy on you." Then she pulled out her walnut wand.

Sirius pulled out his oak wand, swished it and chanted a disarming spell. But she was faster. Her Jelly-Legs Curse hit him and her cousin rolled around unsightly on the floor.

He tried to stand up by himself, but failed. She jeered at him and said, "I, Bellatrix Black, am very generous so I'll give you one more chance to fight back." She was very satisfied feeling all of the passionate gazes of young Slytherins on her and finished the curse. The game would be easily won.

But Sirius seemed to have prepared for the moment he was free. As soon as she released him from the curse, her walnut wand was thrown out of her hands to where the Gryffindor students stood. A messy black-haired Gryffindor student picked it up saying, "Blimey, Padfoot. You did it!"

"Thanks, Prongs." Sirius smiled.

James continued, "What shall I do with this, mate?" There was a mischievous glint in his hazel eyes.

Bellatrix held a grudge against her cousin and his friend.

She demanded to the Potter boy, "Give me back my wand."

But he didn't seem to want to hand it back to her soon, and he asked instead, "Don't you forget the magic word, Miss Black?"

"What?" her voice unconsciously turned to a high-pitched one.

"The magic word. You should say, please." Potter repeated smiling.

Sirius sided with him and said quietly, "Yes, my cousin. Manners."

She barely stopped casting an Unforgivable Curse. Potter was a Pure-Blood. The Dark Lord hadn't given up letting him enter into his inner circle yet.

Then a young Slytherin student cast a summoning charm on her wand, catching it easily. He approached to the platform with his dark green cloak trailing behind him, and held out her wand with a respectful attitude. She took her wand in her hand and gave him a radiant smile, "Thank you, Regulus. You'll accept a letter from my lord."

Regulus grinned wide and said, "With my pleasure. I can't wait to get his letter."

Bellatrix was very happy to hear some curses from her cousin, Sirius. She had won this round.

Since the discord between her cousin and her at Hogwarts, she had been obsessed with beating him and his best mate, James Potter. She looked into Potter's family history. James Potter was surely of noble birth. His father and grandfather had served to establish order in the Wizarding World. They often confronted Pure-Blood radical parties in the past.

Staring at Charlus Potter on the front page of Daily Prophet, Bellatrix muttered,'Undesirable No. 1.' She crumpled the newspaper and threw it into a dustbin in the corner. She had to consult her grandfather for advice about a poison. She had a plan for her Master. Her thought flew to the past when she lost her virginity. He was her first man. He was the mightiest wizard in the world. She was going to follow wherever he would go. She swore she would be his most loyal servant. Lord Voldemort was her all.

Then someone broke her thinking. She heard the front door open. Her husband in law came in. He was still in his pajamas.

'Bellatrix. You've already woken up.' He dropped a hint that he reproached her for being disloyal to him. Apparently, he looked dissatisfied with the fact that she didn't let him touch her on the bed.

She answered irritatingly, 'I told you, Rod. My Master's wish should be priority over all other things.' She ignored what he tried to say, stormed out of the room. She had regretted that she shared a bed with him once after their marriage. Married life had been a pain for her. Her sexual desire was only satisfied when Voldemort permitted her to share a bed with him. It was a pity that the only baby, her daughter was not his. Disgusted, she sent her child away to be raised by unknown foster parents, lying to her husband that she died soon after the birth.

'Wait, did she have a child?' Harry asked Augusta Longbottom.

Augusta urged them to eat scones and said, 'Yes, she did. But we can't investigate where she had been brought up and if her descendant lives or not. All vanished into the darkness after the battle at Hogwarts.' She looked satisfied when Ron praised her scones and sipped her tea. 'So we could get her sister, Narcissa Malfoy's tip about Charlus Potter's fatal symptom, but we couldn't find any certain evidence to prove. If you could find it, what would you do with it? Bellatrix Lestrange has been already dead.'

'Killed by my mother…' Ron muttered in his small voice.

'If mum had not finished her, I must have been killed.' Ginny added.

Coughing lightly, Hermione asked her. 'What poison did she use?'

'Various natural herbs that produce ill effects. They caused your grandfather cough with pneumonia like Cygnus. I suspect Bellatrix had tried murdering her own father as well. After carrying out Charlus Potter's autopsy, some illegal magical creatures' fluid was found, too.'

Ron grimaced and said, 'Gross! I'm very sorry to hear that, Harry.'

He got silent. He felt shuddered imagining his grandfather's last. He imagined his grandfather's death bed. Covered with his own blood, on his deathbed, he must have tried to tell his last will to his son, James Potter, who had rushed to him. Harry felt he was going to lose his drive to become an Auror.

Augusta had been staring at Harry with her sharp insight, and spoke, 'Are you scared to follow your grandfather's path?'

Harry was startled and stared back at her.

'You needn't fret over such trifles. It was you who beat the Dark Lord.' Augusta held up her wrinkled hands and stopped his refute. 'Oh, I know you couldn't do it without lots of help from Dumbledore or the other adults.' 'But remember there is a will, there is a way. Someone has to do it. Who can take your place? Though my grandson killed the great snake, he can't be your place. Charlus did what he could do at that time, which might have shorten his life. Cygnus might have chosen his way differently, but who knew the prediction that was coming after that? We must put the right man in the right place.' She continued, 'You have your grandfather's quality.'

'Do I?' Harry asked Augusta, who had been a skillful Auror in her younger days.

She assured him. 'Yes, you do. Frank used to tell me how he was delighted to see your father and your godfather win the duel with Bellatrix in Hogwarts DADA class. If your father was alive, he must have been a great Auror like your grandfather. '

When they left Longbottom's cottage, Ginny held his hand and asked Harry, 'Are you ready to go Auror training after this?'

Harry held her hand back. He felt thankful she cared about him, 'Yes, I think so.' He glanced back a lane they had walked from the gate of the cottage by the lake. The birds were chirping and a soft breeze was blowing. He spoke, 'I know nothing but investigating Dark Magic and crimes.'

'How about Quidditch?' Ron asked.

'Well, I like Quidditch but I knew the answer from the start.' Harry pulled out his holly wand and rubbed the surface of it. He remembered Fawkes had rescued him many times in the past and the phoenix's feather, the core of the wand saved him. His life was filled with love. 'Dumbledore showed his way of life for me. I'll follow his path.' His life would be full of not only hardship but also happiness. Next to him, Ginny was leaning her head against his shoulder. He pulled her to him and they kissed gently.

'Oi!' Ron was going to pick them on, seeing Hermione frown at him, he barely stopped.

'How about being a DADA teacher?' Hermione asked softly.

Smiling at his girlfriend, Harry contemplated for a while. And he answered, 'It's not a bad idea…' He remembered Mad Eye Moody. 'Someday after retirement, I will.'

…. Fin.