A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter, but it was either that or probably risk my weekly update. Sounds like there's a bit of a tie between Regency & Dystopian Harmony? Don't worry, this one will still be the priority, but I can't pass up the Age of Potter fest. The feedback on the last chapter was fun to read. Interested to see what you make of this one. Xx

Beta love to my wonderful friend LeanaM!

Shout out to the reviewers: god of all,Pokemark17, Machcia, TheGrandDisciple, lynettecullen, lilikaco, sootypoodle, Black Banshee, Swyft17, CCBottle, storybook thumb, JuliSt, Ayr, SereniteRose, Laurentius Williame, bexis1, LightofEvolution, tezufujilove, ahhreader, mega700201, trinnyboppers, Zillawisp, Vaneesa85, betagamma, Hortensia, LoveJulianaRose, nkh1, firetemplar415, kossboss, Veronica, Mel Crooks, 372259, BROnicorn, deconneur, bob, and the guests!

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Trepidation welled in Harry's chest as he walked quietly alongside Draco under the Invisibility Cloak.

To finally be at Draco's manor after Sirius' insistence that they rest before any rescue were attempted initially brought Harry profound relief. But now that they were actually here and the plan was in motion, he was disturbed to note a tendril of dread had weedled its way in between the excitement.

There was no place for it, and Harry could not suppress the irritation flaring through him as a result. He was quite used to finding himself on dangerous missions and— truth be told— actually lived for the accompanying adrenaline rush. He had approached such things without an ounce of fear— dauntless— in the past. He could only blame his recent bout of unsettling hesitance on the cold, single-minded focus he'd set on Hermione.

He was rusty.

Having grown accustomed to playing a part so effortlessly, it now went against his nature to dredge up his old thirst for adventure. It was the only explanation for feeling something as crippling as dread, though he supposed a healthy dose of wariness would not serve him wrong. Still, being an Auror it sort of went with the job description that one needed to be somewhat fearless and numb to threats of imminent death. It was no way to face an assignment, especially given any hesitance could prove fatal.

Harry resolved to reawaken his senses, calling upon his magic and allowing it to flood through him until all of his senses were on high alert. Beside him, Draco matched his steps and walked with Harry silently. Harry could only wonder what the blond was feeling under such dire circumstances and with no sign of his parents. What had happened to the Malfoys? Had Voldemort shown leniency or had he exacted his justice without mercy? What was left of Harry's jaded and twisted heart went out to Draco. If anyone knew what it was like to lose their parents, it was Harry. Somehow, regardless of the universe, he always found himself orphaned.

His thoughts drifted to Pansy and Sirius, who even now were waiting on the outskirts of Malfoy Manor, carefully away from the stringent wards. They'd worked tirelessly that morning to come up with an escape plan. Sirius and Draco were pivotal in outlining Malfoy grounds and finding the swiftest path to the dungeons where they hoped Luna was imprisoned. There was some talk of Draco simply Apparating them to the location straight away, but Pansy brought up the concern that the wards may have been tampered with, and such an arrival might be noticed ,if not expected. The only path left was to Apparate just outside of the wards, and navigate the grounds on foot whilst using the Cloak to conceal them.

Since the Cloak was not large enough to cover the four of them, Harry and Draco were tasked to breach Malfoy Manor unnoticed. Once inside, they could locate Luna and sneak her out before anyone knew they were even there. Should they run into obstacles along the way, Sirius and Pansy could break through the wards to back them up. But either he or Draco needed to reunite Luna back with the Order.

Pansy had wondered how any of them could possibly hope to convince Luna of taking them to the Order's hideout, but Harry decided to worry about that when the time came. He would do whatever it took to gain her trust. So long as they were successful and he had the opportunity to correct his error, that was all that mattered to him. Luna was their ticket, and without her they had no hope of tracking down the Order, much less joining it.

Exhaling a shaky breath, Harry frowned when he again noted the feeling of dread surfacing… circling… and taunting him along with the other unsettling feelings dominating his mind. There was so much that could go wrong. What if Luna wasn't there at all? What if she was, but she wasn't alone? It was very possible one of the Knights could be torturing her at that very moment. It was why Harry had refused Sirius' advice that they wait another day or so to figure out the best course of action. Luna could be running out of time. What if she were in no state to show them the way to the Order? Excessive torture could wreck her brains, making the mission obsolete. And of course, Harry would be to blame.

It was now or never, they had no time to waste.

Harry's hopes of finding the manor unsecured were rapidly dashed. Yaxley was guarding the verandah entrance, but he and Draco managed to walk past him without rousing the Death Eater's attention. Harry didn't even dare draw a breath until they were safely in the corridor. His heart sank even more when they navigated around the east gallery and they saw a flickering light coming from the parlor. Someone was in there, perhaps several unwelcome faces, and the need to keep themselves hidden rose considerably, right along with the stakes. They needed to pass by the parlor to make it to the the dungeon stairwell.

Harry breathed slowly and steadily through his nose, determined to stay quiet even as he craned his neck when they passed by the open doorway. His curiosity was piqued, and he wished badly to know just who it was they'd be fighting against should things go south. Unfortunately, Draco was as eager to see who occupied the parlor as Harry, and that would be their first hiccup of the night.

Perched on top of a small table was Bellatrix herself, the fearsome witch twirling her wand absently. Behind her stood Greyback— tall and menacing— his face twisted in an angry snarl. But it was not either of those two Death Eaters that brought Harry to pause, but rather the slight witch who lay hovering in a body bind just in front of the large hearth, her body slowly turning as little flares of wispy, blue magic shot to life over her skin—wrapping her in a tight grip of magic and effectively caging her.

Never in his memory had Harry seen the witch in such a state. Usually Narcissa's appearance was impeccable, with not a hair out of place. The way she looked now, it was clear the past forty-eight hours had been Hell for her. Her dress robes were in shambles and her hair in a state of disarray. If not for the body bind, Harry imagined Narcissa would be twitching from the after-effects of the Cruciatus Curse.

Beside him, Draco stiffened.

Too appalled and in shock to notice what his partner was doing, Harry was too slow to react and failed to hold Draco back as he lurched from under the Invisibility Cloak and ran to his mother, hand clenched tightly around his wand.

Fuck! Harry took a step after him before remembering himself and freezing on the spot.

"Mother!" Draco ran past the two Death Eaters and it was only their initial surprise that allowed him to make it so far.

They recovered quickly, however, and Draco was stopped just short of reaching Narcissa, an agonizing scream piercing the silence as he fell to the floor.

Harry winced at the sound, his wand hand itching to come to his friend's aid, but he was distressingly outnumbered. He couldn't do as Draco had done and run headfirst into danger with no plan whatsoever. Draco and Narcissa would be no help and he didn't know how many other Knights guarded the manor. They'd neglected to take complete stock of their surroundings in favor of making a quick entry.

"Draco," Bellatrix crooned, sauntering up to her nephew slowly, her black eyes wide with delight. "How did you manage to sneak inside unnoticed?"

The curse was lifted temporarily, and Draco rolled to the side, gripping his abdomen.

Bellatrix nodded to Greyback who moved to guard the parlor entry, nostrils flaring as he appeared to be testing the air for more intruders. Harry quickly stepped inside before the hulking man blocked his path completely, then cursed internally. Now he was trapped, and did he want to be? Perhaps he should take this distraction as an opportunity to get Luna and run. The mission was of the utmost importance. It wasn't his fault that Draco broke cover! The snakey bastard was more rash than Harry ever had been.

Greyback shifted from foot to foot, and Harry eyed the small space to the side of the Death Eater, calculating his best time to escape and battling his torn emotions. What would Sirius and Pansy have to say if Harry showed up without Draco? Sure, he would have Luna, but to leave behind someone so important to all of them? He wasn't sure they'd be able to accept that exchange. He wasn't sure he could. He gnawed on his lip as he struggled to make a decision.

"What was that, dear nephew?" The witch stretched her wand, and a dark, angry curse slashed through the air, colliding with the blonde wizard who lay writhing on the floor. "I asked you a question. How did you get inside, hmm?" Her expression was playful and her eyes contained barely suppressed glee. Harry was reminded of the Bellatrix from his time, despite how much more put together this version of Bellatrix was. "Come all this way for mummy, have you? How touching."

Draco stumbled for words, and Harry was struck by the strange role-reversal of the situation. He could remember a time where there was another witch trained at the end of Bellatrix's wand and he and Ron were desperately planning their rescue. "Let her go," he rasped, his eyes hard and unrelenting despite the red, hot pain. "She's your sister."

Bellatrix laughed, the sound echoing inside the room. "Don't be delusional." Her head snapped to where Harry stood and for one heart-stopping moment he thought he'd been discovered. "Fenir, tell Corbin to Floo to the Ministry. The Dark Lord will be so pleased that our wayward Draco has found his way home."

Greyback gave a swift nod and left the room.

Harry stood frozen to the spot. Should he run now that his path was completely clear, or face off with Bellatrix? His rational side told him not to rush in and help, that it would be far wiser to stay the course, but his instincts rallied against the cowardly way out.

In the end, Draco's screams made the decision for him.

"That really was quite stupid of you." Bellatrix circled him, her wand trained on him as she swooped down to pick up his. Some of the mischief had left her face. "You shouldn't have run. Perhaps He would have been more merciful."

Maybe Bellatrix cared about her nephew more than she let on in front of her fellow Knight. Maybe there was more Bellatrix left in this witch, than in the one from the universe he came from. But then how could she leave her sister bound and hovering in her own parlor? Did she only feel regret, but nothing else? There was fire in her eyes, so what held her back from coming to their aid? No, regardless of which way he sliced it, Bellatrix was a foe in this world just as she was in the last. She wouldn't curse her nephew and rush to turn him and her sister in unless she was fully in with the Knights.

"Who helped you?" She had dropped the girlish voice she seemed so fond of using when she questioned her victims, and only sharp inquisitiveness remained. "I know you couldn't have come on your own. You aren't that daft. Round up some school chums, did you?" A sizzling hot spell swooped out of her wand and collided with her nephew, causing Malfoy to let out a pained groan.

Fuck it.

Without pausing to think things through like he just resolved he would do, Harry swished off the Cloak and tucked it swiftly in his robes as he strode confidently towards Bellatrix.

Her head whipped around, her gaze hardening as she broke the curse on Draco to train her wand on her surprise guest. "Harry?" Her brow lifted quizzically, and he registered mild shock on her face.

"Auntie," he greeted, holding his hands in the air slightly to show he was unarmed. "I'm the one you should thank." A lie rapidly formed on his tongue. He jerked his head towards Draco's supine form. "He came crawling to my home and I lured him here—back to you."

Her eyes quickly slid over Draco, whom Harry was happy to see had got a brief reprieve from the deadly witch's curses. "Did you now?" Her face twisted in an expression that could only be described as skeptical.

"That's right." Harry stepped further into the room, pointedly ignoring Draco lest he display even an inkling of the horror he felt to Bellatrix. "I brought him to you because he came sniffling for help, like the pathetic wizard he is, if you could even call him one."

Bellatrix studied Harry shrewdly and he tried his damndest not to shrink in front of her stare. "Awfully ambitious of you."

"Please, Aunt Bellatrix…" Draco croaked, and Harry tried not to flinch as a result. "Doesn't family mean anything to you?"

"Family?" She scoffed loudly, disbelief painted all over her face. "Toujours pur," she sneered disdainfully. "Would that my family wasn't rife with failures. Like your cowardly father, for example. The man can't even manage to protect his own flesh and blood. I always warned Cissy he was weak."

Behind her, an anguished moan escaped Narcissa's lips.

Not so different, Harry inwardly chanted. It's hardly different from how it was before. He'd played this game. He'd come out on the winning side. He could and would prevail again. So long as he remembered—there were subtle differences, but these were the same people when it came right down to it, just shaped by different circumstances.

"Speaking of family," her lips curled into a smirk. "Where is my beloved cousin?" Her brows lifted challengingly as she turned to address Harry. "I doubt very much he'd let you have all the fun without him."

The challenge lay heavily in the air and before Harry could coat his mouth with saliva and hope to answer the witch, footsteps echoed behind him. He spun around to see Percy Weasley entering the parlor, dusting Floo powder off of his Ministry emblazoned robes and flanked by Fernir. The former Hogwarts prefect startled upon seeing Harry, but quickly schooled his surprise and narrowed his eyes before addressing Bellatrix. "The Malfoy traitor and Potter to boot. Impressive, Lady Lestrange."

Lady Lestrange. Harry found the title somewhat jarring, but he supposed the shift in between universes would prompt the victors to pass out titles among each other.

Bellatrix scoffed loudly. "I don't need praise from the likes of you."

Percy bristled.

"You're just a messenger boy. And now tell me—has the Dark Lord received my message?"

"I was unable to relay your message," Percy said through gritted teeth. "The Dark Lord isn't at the Ministry."

Bellatrix's dark eyes narrowed. "I find that hard to believe given our plans," she said cryptically. Harry's brain worked frantically to guess at just what plans she was referring to. "And why are you so delighted to find Harry here, hm? He's done nothing wrong."

Harry was surprised by the vote of confidence from his aunt, since she'd just questioned him quite fiercely. He was even more surprised by the unabashed hatred in Percy's eyes when he spared Harry a glance. "He happens to be responsible for a most malicious attack on my brother, and—."

"Ah, I see," Bellatrix interrupted, the gleam returning to her black gaze. "Spurned you, has he? Can't say I'm surprised. The Weasleys do have a habit of producing disappointments."

Percy tore his stare away from Harry and glared angrily back at Bellatrix. "Need I remind you who my brothers are? Fred and George have produced a variety of inventions upon the Dark Lord's demand. Charles is one of our Lord's brightest, most exceptional soldiers—."

"And what of the other one, William, was it?"

Percy visibly seethed at the second interruption and the mention of his oldest brother. It was clear to Harry that this version of Percy was used to being groveled to, not mocked.

"Certainly not so much of a success story there, is he?" Bellatrix's lips curled up in satisfaction when her statement rendered Percy silent. "Arthur's all too lucky to have some of his offspring prove useful."

"There's always a bad apple," Percy relented, seeming to have somewhat recuperated from Bellatrix's verbal lashing. "And as I was saying before—Potter's unnecessary attack on my brother isn't the least of his crimes. I happen to know he hasn't been answering his summons. The Dark Lord is not pleased."

"You slimy git." Harry could no longer stay silent and let his name be dragged in the mud. Percy's eyes narrowed to slits at the insult but Harry held his piercing stare. "Has poor Ronald run home to daddy to tattle on me? Is that why you're conniving to bring up these ridiculous charges?" He didn't know what answering a summons meant, but he figured it was best to deny it rather than play dumb.

Bellatrix seemed satisfied with this answer. "There, you see? All fabrication, like I suspected."

"The two Aurors who came to his godfather's home reported him missing, him and Lord Black, as well." Percy smirked maliciously at this bit of information. "They both failed to come when called."

Looking up sharply, Bellatrix pierced Harry with a searching look, her prior glee transforming seamlessly into rage. "Is that true, Harry?"

Okay. Scratch the former plan. Maybe playing dumb was all he had. "Summons…" he frowned in mock confusion, "what does that mean, auntie? How will I know if I'm being summoned?"

"You'll feel a pull on your magic. You'll know," she answered definitively.

Shit. How had he not felt it? Was he too numb to feel anything? How had Sirius failed to warn him, or felt it himself? He wondered if the man had drunk himself to oblivion enough times over the past two days that he would hardly feel anything at all. "Perhaps," he started uneasily, attempting to appear sheepish, "I missed a summons or two. It's all still so new… this Knight business."

Percy pounced. "Everyone knows Malfoy is his best friend. If anyone were to help the traitor, it would be Potter. Talk about families with bad apples —his line is riddled with them."

Bellatrix appraised him in such a way that had Harry shifting uncomfortably. There was a curious, almost hungry look in her eyes and Harry did not like it one bit.

"Wouldn't be surprised if he corrupted his uncle too," Percy drove on, looking to all the world as proud as a strutting hippogriff. "It would explain Lord Black's absence in all this."

Bellatrix whirled. "You would accuse my cousin of treachery, Weasel? Your pride and joy of a brother is nothing more than a glorified soldier following orders. My cousin is a bloody general." Her voice rose shrilly and Percy flinched away. "How dare you?"

Channeling her fury, Harry whipped out his wand and trained it at the now cowering Weasley, relishing in the comforting feel of the familiar willow wood. "First you insult me, then my godfather? You go too far, Weasley."

He'd much prefer siding with Bellatrix to get out of this horrible mess than the alternative of standing against her. Harry didn't doubt his own prowess, but his supposed aunt was a fearsome witch and he'd really rather not.

Percy backed up hastily, his eyes shooting between them wide and panicky.

Harry grinned viciously at the man's clear unease. Apparently the Weasleys were quite a force on the Death Eater side, which was too mad a concept for his adrenaline-fueled mind to make sense of. Well, all except William who Harry assumed had to be referring to Bill. He hoped against hope that Bill was working with the Order, against his family's wishes.

It was becoming clearer each day that the Order was not as useless as the Ministry made it seem. Bill would be an exceptional addition. The wizard reminded Harry of Remus in a way, and wouldn't it be nice to deal with someone as calm and clear-headed as his favorite DADA professor?

He didn't know the comfort of Remus' friendship in this warped and twisted world— though he hardly knew if Remus would be a friend or foe had he remained in the realm of the living— but at least he'd gathered the information that Bill might be a viable option should he chance upon him in the future.

Oh, the hubris.

Harry didn't have a future.

To his utter horror, Greyback would see to that.

"The Weasley doesn't lie," said the gruff wizard guarding the doorway. "Two of my Wereguard have reported to me directly. The Potter-whelp and his kin haven't answered a single summons, nor have they been at the Black ancestral home. The Ministry believes them to be on the run."

Harry swallowed convulsively before he could help himself.

He felt the wave of Bellatrix's dark, angry magic before its effects. Instantly, his wand was ripped from his grip. He could have stopped it, had he not made the split-second decision to let her. His innocence game was the only game he had, outnumbered as he was.

"Where's Sirius?" she asked, voice deathly chilly. "Where's that Parkinson-bint? She's been missing too. We can only assume she fled with Draco."

Harry was about to deliver an Oscar-worthy answer, when suddenly his knees buckled underneath him and he slid to the floor. Shear determination kept him from screaming out in pure agony. That bitch had jinxed him! And just when he was beginning to warm up to her, too. It wasn't the Cruciatus, because Harry could still process what she was saying and he believed his mouth could form answers to her probing questions if he tried. It must be a curse of her own creation.

"She's his girlfriend, yes?"

A test, he warned himself. She's only testing you. Stay in character! Even though it wasn't as excruciating as the Cruciatus— likely selected only so she could continue interrogating him— he still found himself hard-pressed to keep his cover under the onslaught of pain.

"She used to be yours, didn't she, this Pansy," Bellatrix continued as if discussing something as inconsequential as the weather. "Before you started playing in filth, that is."

Harry saw red at the derogatory reference to Hermione.

Percy and Greyback looked on impassively, and Harry tried hard to remember everything he was supposed to be holding onto. It was a tough feat, when every instinct screamed at him to dismiss her curse and fight.

"Is that the reason, Harry?" Sinister green sparks flew from the tip of her wand. "Has the Mudblood filth tainted you? Is that where your real allegiance lies?"

His mind jerked in rebellion against her sadistic words. Fuck you, Bellatrix Lestrange. Aunt or no aunt. He saw there was no winning to be had. His only chance would indeed be to fight. There were three of them… in the immediate vicinity, anyway. And there were three on his side. Though Narcissa was hardly worth counting. Even Malfoy seemed to be of no use to him, though part of Harry wondered if it was all an act. Regardless of the constantly shifting variables, he wandlessly and nonverbally summoned his wand, a charm he had mastered in seventh year, and quickly stood against the strength of her expertly wielded curse, conjuring a strong shield charm to render it ineffective.

"You're mistaken, dear Aunt Bella." he stepped sideways and dropped into a defensive pose. "I'm not used to how it works, that's all."

Bellatrix smiled widely, displaying two rows of perfectly, pearly white teeth and chose to ignore the threat of his duelling stance. "Simple—you come when your Master calls like a good boy. We all have roles to play. That's yours. That's all yours will ever be."

Harry rebelled against such a notion with a visible jerk. Hadn't he spent the first half of the school year vowing to not repeat his past and fall into the role of a hero? Yet at the very first threat of that option being stripped from him, the need to fight against the overwhelming odds he faced was so strong, it devastated him to imagine any other path. "Master?" he queried, voice deathly low. "I don't have a master," he sneered, dropping all pretenses of the perfect Pureblood he was trying to be. "You'd do well to remember." And without warning, he threw a strong jinx at the witch.

She parried the blow, but not without stumbling backward. Her eyes glowed with the promise of retribution. "You Gryffindor children are so bold, aren't you? Living up to house expectations." As he backed his attack with a stunning spell, the witch flicked her wand and a bright, golden light ricocheted through the room, causing him to step back when it shimmered through him. It felt like a wave of pure energy, and before Harry could wonder at the unknown spell's origin, he heard cries in the distance.

She'd alerted her back-up.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Think you're in a position to give orders?" Giddy laughter escaped her lips, but it was the sound of echoing footsteps that made him cringe. "As if you were wizard enough."

His eyes quickly scanned the parlor. He saw a bound and still hovering Narcissa Malfoy, her son still clutching his stomach and rolled onto his side. How could Harry grab them both, grab Luna, and get out of there alive? The odds were against him. Especially when Knights started spilling into the room at an alarming rate.

Bellatrix swiftly disarmed him, and he was left with no choice but to let her. He only had himself… against ten Knights? He wasn't that stupid.

"Your mother, now there was a witch," Bellatrix went on, gleefully noticing the resigned expression on his face. "Tripping and trapping your father like it were nothing." The way she circled him reminded him of the basilisk's winding movements. He was well and truly her prey. "We all warned poor James. Why sully yourself with a Mudblood, when you might have the purest of witches? But your father didn't like adhering to orders… it's why he made such a horrible Knight… it's why he died. Perhaps if he'd listened to the sage advice of his very best friends he'd still be here today, and you wouldn't be such a failure."

Rage boiled to the surface as a result of her incessant taunting. How dare she insult his father! He wasn't even Harry's father, in the strictest sense, but that did nothing to temper his rage. He was acutely aware aware of Knights closing in on him, and wondered if he could don the Cloak and make a run for it. Better to stay alive another day and come up with a better plan than die right then and there or worse—be tortured.

Bellatrix's Numbness Curse put any hopes of escape to rest.

The searing, white light hit him squarely in the chest and just as he was about to gear up in protest, the most horrifying sensation clamped down on his body with an unrelenting grip.

"Don't be daft, boy," he heard her say, her voice floating around him as if from some distant place. "You know better… I know you do."

Everything went utterly black. Dark as night inside the recesses of his mind. He felt like he was being compressed into nothingness. He couldn't feel… couldn't see… couldn't smell… couldn't breathe. He just couldn't. He was being closed into some infinitely small space and there was nothing else. The nothingness caused him to panic even more than the lack of feeling. Just as he thought he might go mad, the feeling vanished and he was left drained of every ounce of energy he'd formerly possessed.

A voice wafted into his ears… inside his head. "Poor, ickle Harry." The voice circled around him… through him. He felt largely disconnected from reality. Was he hovering? Feeling gradually returned, but none of it made sense. "I'm very surprised with you… very surprised indeed. What to do with you? My favorite nephew." Her presence ebbed, but never quite left him as he lost a few seconds, minutes, hours? When he came to, it was as if the voice had never left him. "Could it be the Mudblood's influence?" Desperately, he reached out for some semblance of reality and control over his precarious situation, but it eluded him. "I do wonder."

With those words, he finally lost himself to the darkness.

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Thoughts? Was Draco too rash? Remember, his character is a little different based on the difference in the world he's grown up in. Harry is fumbling to keep up with all the changes. What do you think of Bellatrix? How do you think they'll get out of this one? If you're still with me, see you next week for the conclusion of this chapter Xx