Harry Potter and the Tides of the Moon
Disclaimer: All JKR's, not mine.
Summary: AU After OOTP- After Harry is thrust back in time, he has to contend with surviving the rest of his years in Hogwarts and living his new life around people that he knows will one day become Death Eaters. Can he find the balance between giving people a chance and doing what he knows is right or will he crumble under the pressure that comes with knowing the future?
A/N: Thanks for the reviews everybody. Oh, and review again!
S/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been a tad busy. This chapter isn't up to my usual standards, so I may go back and change a few things, but not anything too drastic.
S/N2: I think they'll probably be four more chapters, plus the epilogue. As you recall, there is going to be a long time jump, which I think will be about three to four years in the future.
Chapter 36: The First Meeting
The day after graduating from Hogwarts and proposing to Bellatrix, Harry was set to have dinner with Alphard as the older wizard had suggested. After waking up in the morning, and enjoying a day by himself in his now familiar room in the Leaky Cauldron, he prepared himself for dinner. He took a shower, combed his hair, and put on a nice pair of trousers and a collared shirt. Once he was ready, he disapparated to Alphard's neighborhood, appearing an alley down the street. He walked out of the alley and around the block to Alphard's house, arriving a few minutes after seven o'clock. He walked up the front steps and gave a loud knock on the door, before taking a step back to wait for his host. A few moments later, the door opened to revealed the roundish middle-aged man, who gave Harry a warm smile and closed the door behind him, staying on the porch for the time being.
"Hello, Harry," a jovial Alphard said, taking a few steps towards the younger wizard. "Congratulations on your leaving Hogwarts. I am very happy for you."
"Thank you, Alphard, it's good to see you," Harry replied politely, showing his happiness with a smile. "It's great to finally be out of school."
"It's good to see you as well, my boy," Alphard returned, having grown to like Harry over the past few months. "I bet it is great; it's quite an achievement for you. I also want to congratulate you on the news that Bellatrix shared with me late last night, it was quite exciting."
"She told you already?" Harry said with an amused expression on his face, finding it funny that Bellatrix couldn't keep it a secret like they had promised/
"She wanted to brag to someone," Alphard shrugged with a laugh, fully aware that Bellatrix would not be telling anyone else. "What do you say we go for a little walk?"
"Okay," Harry answered with furrowed brows, wondering what was going on. He followed Alphard to the end of the property, before moving next to him as the pair walked along the sidewalk.
Silently, they walked to the end of the block before turning to the right and going into the alley behind Alphard's home that separated Alphard's block from the one behind, the same alley that Harry had appeared in himself just moments prior. "Have you found a place to live yet?"
"Nope, but hopefully now I'll have a bit more time to search for real," answered Harry, having plans to start searching for a home to live over the next few days. He had to attend to some Order business, but outside of that, his days were free, allowing him the time to find a place to set up roots. "I really meant to get on that earlier, but with everything go on, you know."
Alphard gave a small smile at that, before walking another half a block and coming up to the garage behind his home. "We're here," He said, gesturing to large garage, where muggles would normally keep their automobiles. There was a entry door to the right of the garage doors, and he quickly walked towards it with a spring to his step as if he was excited about something.
"What is this?" Harry said, watching at Alphard turned the knob and entered the building, gesturing for Harry to follow him.
Harry walked in to reveal that it was not a garage at all. Instead, it was a small apartment, with a living room, bathroom, and kitchen on the first floor, and a loft that included a bedroom on the second. Harry immediately noticed that it was much larger on the inside than it was on the outside, similar to the way the tents had been at the Quidditch World Cup, though not nearly as expanded. Additionally, Harry saw that it was furnished quite extensively and was of similar appearance to the way Alphard's home was, with calming colors and tones. In the back, Harry could just see the makings of a doorway that led into Alphard's backyard, revealing that it was also the shed that Harry had seen the last time he had visited the older wizard, though Harry had never noticed the garage itself.
"This is your place, if you're interested," Alphard said, staring over at Harry. "Not permanent, mind you, unless you so choose, but you can live here as long as it takes to find a nice place for yourself. I'd have given you my old home, but I gave that to Ted and Andromeda as their wedding gift, so this will have to suffice."
"What?" Harry said, jerking his head over to Alphard, giving the older man a strange look, as if he didn't quite believe him. "You're not serious. You can't be serious."
"I am, very much so," Alphard nodded with a small smile, appreciating Harry's skepticism. "Like I said, I doubt it would be a permanent solution for you, but you can use it however long you need. If it ends up being permanent, so be it."
"I can't, not when Sirius is in need of a home," Harry said, shaking his head in the negative, not accepting the overly generous offer made from the man that, while their friendship was growing, he hardly knew.
"I've offered it to Sirius, he did not want it, so I gave him gold instead," Alphard replied, having already taken care of Sirius' living conditions. "It's yours."
Harry looked around the apartment, willing to concede that if Sirius was taken care of, there was no reason not to at least think about the offer. "How much would the rent be?"
"No rent," Alphard laughed, finding the idea that he was in this for profit amusing. "I'm not trying to take your money."
"What? No," Harry sighed, not comfortable living in Alphard's property without paying for his place. "Why are you helping me like this?"
"I enjoy your company, Harry," Alphard replied in earnest, willing to admit that he was relatively lonely. "I know what it's like to be alone, to feel alone. When I was your age, and I realized that my family were not good people, I felt alone until Lycoris invited me into her home and showed me that there were other Blacks, like your grandmother Dorea, that were good and that I wasn't alone."
"I appreciate it," Harry murmured, and then looked down at the floor, realizing what Alphard had said. He stared downwards for a few silent moments, making sure he heard correctly, before whispering, "How long have you known?"
"Don't be mad at Bellatrix, she was going to tell you eventually," Alphard replied, hoping that he hadn't breached his trust with Bellatrix by revealing it to Harry prematurely. "She came to talk to me during the first Hogsmeade weekend during the school year, and asked if I believed in timetravel, if I thought it was possible. We talked about it for a bit, with me saying that I said I didn't know, but I was open to the possibility since magic is wonderful like that. And then she started talking about you and after seeing you at Christmas, I took a gamble and asked if you were from the future, and she revealed everything to me. Please, if you're angry at anyone, be angry at me, not her."
"I'm not angry, I understand," Harry returned, giving a small smile as he looked over to Alphard, wanting the wizard to know that there were no hard feelings over the situation. He was not angry at Bellatrix telling Alphard about it, but instead, he was a little upset that she didn't tell him that she did, a feeling that he knew would pass with time. "You haven't told anyone, have you?"
"Of course not," Alphard said, shaking his head in the negative. "I would never, ever do that. Your secret has been and always will be safe with me."
"Thank you," Harry said, not wanting anyone else to know unless he was the one that told them. He looked around the apartment once more, gathering his thoughts as he surveyed his potential new home. Could he accept it? Was it something that he wanted or did he want to try and find something on his own? As he thought about all the questions in his mind, one question he could not answer as only Alphard could. "Would you offer me this place if I wasn't from the future?"
"But you had nowhere else to go all the same?" Alphard questioned, and after seeing Harry's nod, he said, "Yes, yes, I would. I'm not offering it to you because you're from the future or because you're Harry Potter, but instead, I'm offering it because I like you. You need a place to live, I have a place to live and would like your company, so it's mutually beneficial."
"Then...if you're sure, I'd love to move in," Harry answered finally, making his decision. While he did want to eventually find himself a real home, one that was his and Bellatrix's, for the time being, he thought that this would be a better solution than living in the Leaky Cauldron, where he couldn't cook his own meals or have as much privacy as he would like.
"Wonderful!" Alphard grinned as he slapped Harry on the back, visibly excited at the prospect of having Harry around the house. "Shall we go tour the upstairs?" He said, gesturing for Harry to walk up the stairs. "Are you able to stay for dinner?"
"You just gave me a place to live, I think I can manage to make some room for dinner, yes," Harry laughed, finding it funny that Alphard would even think that he wouldn't stay for dinner. "Plus, that was why I came here tonight, wasn't it?"
"Oh, right, yeah, you did, didn't you?" Alphard chuckled, having forgotten that was the story he gave Harry in order to get him to come by that night. "That's good, because I have a few people coming later, I'd love for you to be there."
"Who?" Harry asked as they walked towards the stairway that would lead to the small loft.
"Old friends of mine that I haven't seen in a long time," Alphard shrugged, not going into more detail than that.
As Harry was walking through his new home, Bellatrix was sitting in the Malfoy's living room having tea with her sister and her brother in law. The tone was pleasant, if not a little stoic, but they were all generally having a good time. While Bellatrix knew that her sister did not like the idea of her being with Harry, for he was unworthy in her mind, she had yet to bring it up, instead focusing her attention on how the school year went and Bellatrix's plans for life now that she was out of Hogwarts. Bellatrix knew it was only a matter of time until the conversation turned to Harry, so she milked the pleasant back and forth while it lasted.
"I should be getting my results in a week or two," Bellatrix said, taking a sip of the tea that Dobby had made for them. On the coffee table between them was a tray of biscuits and scones, while a tea kettle and some lemon quarters were situated next to it.
"Top scores?" Lucius questioned with a raised eyebrow, earning a small laugh of amusement from Narcissa. They were both well aware of the talent that the youngest Black sister possessed, where her inherent skill at magic overshadowed even their own.
"In most," Bellatrix nodded, expecting to have quite a few Outstandings to her name when her results arrived. She had done her best, but she knew that sometimes that wasn't good enough as there were others that were better in certain courses.
"Why not all?" Narcissa asked with a playful expression on her face, aware that her sister prided herself on being the best when it came to magic, not unlike her own pride when it came to appearances.
"Harry and Longbottom have me beat in Defense Against the Dark Arts, while Alice Prince is better at Potions," Bellatrix replied with a shrug, accepting of the fact she wouldn't be able to beat Harry in Defense Against the Dark Arts no matter how hard she tried.
"Longbottoms," Lucius sighed, shaking his head as he placed his cup of tea down onto the table. "Blood traitors, the whole lot, I say."
"That Alice Prince is no better, dear," Narcissa returned, referencing the fact that she was close friends with muggleborns and was the companion of a well-known blood traitor. The Princes were an ancient magical family, though they had since tainted their blood with irresponsible marriages in the eyes of many other purebloods, Narcissa included.
"They're both talented, regardless," Bellatrix opined, not wanting to diminish her own accomplishments by negating Frank and Alice's skills in magic. She found it funny when people downgraded others in disgust when they were beaten instead of trying to prop up those that beat them in order to make their own defeat look much better.
Just as Narcissa was about the respond, Bellatrix's eyes flicked over to Lucius as he suddenly grabbed his forearm. He closed his eyes and gave out a sigh, before he released his arm and gave a painful smile. "It's time to go now, ladies," he said, rising to his feet in an effort to rush them out as quickly as he could.
Narcissa nodded, getting to her feet and helping Bellatrix to her own. "No, no, leave it, we'll clean up later," she said, trying to get Bellatrix out of the room in a rushed manner.
Bellatrix hurried towards the hallway, and just as she was leaving the room, she heard a few pops behind her. Turning her head just slightly to see, her eyes met the back of a tall, hooded person, surrounded by about a half dozen followers, each of whom were wearing black robes and bone-like masks that blocked their identity. Lucius himself had just transfigured his silver robes black and summoned a mask, which prevented anyone from seeing his own identity. Just as she was out of eyesight and turning down the hall, the tall person with the hood finally lowered it, revealing his appearance: with blurred facial features and bloody eyes, she knew exactly it was—Lord Voldemort.
It was the first time she had been near Voldemort as far as she knew. He was shorter than she imagined, though still of great height certainly. What she did imagine correctly, however, was the aura of evil that swelled around him, a stench that went to his bones. It was as if a great pool of darkness had suddenly appeared in the room, darkening all around him just by living. It was shocking to her, but the part that scared her most was how it did not scare her, how it did not make her shiver in disgust.
"Sorry about that, Lucius' friends come over unannounced sometimes," Narcissa smiled, throwing Bellatrix from her thoughts.
"It's okay," Bellatrix replied, not wanting her sister to know that she had seen Lord Voldemort. "I should get going anyway. Give my regards to Lucius for me," she added, leaning in to hug her older sister. They both said their goodbyes, before Bellatrix disappeared with barely an audible pop.
Eventually, after spending enough time for Harry to get acquainted with his new home, the pair of Alphard and Harry walked back into former's house through the back yard. Upon entry, Harry could smell that some sort of meat was cooking, though he couldn't distinguish it other than that. Regardless, it smelled delicious and made Harry's stomach rumble in hunger. As they arrived in the sitting room, Harry's eyes met Bellatrix, who had just arrived and was sitting on the couch, seemingly waiting for them.
"Fancy seeing you, stranger," Harry said, coming over and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"I'd much rather see you than the last person I saw," Bellatrix replied, giving Harry a small smile.
"Your sister?" Alphard questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"And a special guest at the end, our first meeting so to speak," Bellatrix drawled, rising from her seat.
"Understood," Alphard nodded, with both he and Harry understanding exactly who she meant, though it did not make either one very happy to hear.
"Did you enjoy your time with Narcissus at least?" Harry asked, hoping that Bellatrix at least had some fun with her sister, even if Harry did not particularly like her for his own reasons.
"Yes," Bellatrix said, having had missed her sister since they last saw each other during her Easter break from Hogwarts. "Though, Lucius was himself, as always."
A bell rang through the house just then, and Alphard smiled and clapped his hands together. "Dinner is ready!" He chirped, heading over to the kitchen, allowing Bellatrix and Harry some time to themselves.
"Everything okay?" Harry asked, seeing that Bellatrix was kind of down.
"Just tired, that's all," Bellatrix said, giving him a lingering hug, closing her eyes as her head rested on his shoulder.
Breaking from their hug, the two walked into the kitchen, before being shooed away by Alphard, forcing them to enter the dinning room off of the kitchen. The table was already made and many of the sides were appearing on the table as Alphard walked into the room being followed by a roast beef that was hovering in their behind him. Harry and Bellatrix sat as Alphard placed the roast down onto the center of the table, surrounded by the rest of the dishes. "Aren't your friends coming?" Harry asked confusedly, having thought Alphard's friends would be appearing before they started their dinner.
"For dessert," Alphard smiled, taking his seat at the head of the table.
The dinner was a festive one, with Harry and Bellatrix telling Alphard about their tests. There was an air of family, one that showed that they all cared about each other in one form or another. To Harry, Alphard felt like an uncle just as much as Bellatrix considered him one, while Alphard himself thought of Harry as a nephew or even a godson. It was a strange dynamic, they all knew, but it worked for them, allowing them all to feel that they had the family they went many years of their lives not having.
Eventually, Harry and Bellatrix cleaned up the table, while Alphard waited in the sitting room for his friends to arrive. Just as Harry and Bellatrix were finishing up, there was a knock on the door, and they all walked to the foyer to welcome the newly arrived guests. Alphard was the one to open the door, and when he did, an older man and woman was standing on the opposite side. They wore normal muggle clothing and seemed as if they had gone for a stroll through the city outside before coming as their faces were tanned from the sun.
"Ah, Dorea, it's nice to see you, it's been much too long," Alphard said, greeting the older woman in front of him. "Over a decade, no?"
"Hello, Alphard," Dorea smiled as she walked inside, her eyes roaming all about the room. "I'm sure you remember my husband Charlus."
"I do," Alphard grinned, shaking the aforementioned man's hand. He moved to the side and invited them further into his house, which they willing did wearing smiles on their faces. Then, turning, he saw Harry standing in the back, an emotional look in his eyes. "Dorea, Charlus, this is Harry, he's a good friend of my niece."
"It's nice to meet you, son," Charlus said, looking over to Harry, who couldn't help but stare back in shock.
Silently, Harry continued to stare at the pair as Bellatrix came up next to him, taking his hand into her own. He gave out a cough to regain his composure, before saying, "It's...it's nice to meet the both of you too."
"And I'm not sure if you've ever met Bellatrix?" Alphard suggested, looking over to his beautiful niece, who silently stood next to Harry, a small smirk on her face.
"Cygnus' daughter?" Dorea asked, earning a nod from Bellatrix. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure to meet, no."
"I'm charmed," Bellatrix bowed her head, as the two older people gave a smile her way. While they had never met Bellatrix in person, they knew of her reputation, and were somewhat skeptical of her appearance there, as they had known Alphard to be different than the others while Bellatrix was said to be like her parents. However, they were willing to give Bellatrix a chance to prove herself, so with that in mind, they entered further into the house and intended on enjoying catching up with Alphard.
"So when you contacted me, I was quite surprised, Alphard," Dorea said, as she took a seat on the couch in the sitting room next to her husband. Harry and Alphard took their seats in the chairs across from the couch, while Bellatrix leaned against Harry's armrest.
"I thought it would be good to stay in touch with the family since neither one of us have very many we want to stay in touch with," Alphard grinned, his eyes flicking over to Harry, who was staring at his grandparents like they would disappear if he looked away. "How have you both been?"
"Wonderful, wonderful, James has grown up so quickly," Charlus replied, a happiness to his tone at the mere mention of his son.
"I bet he has, turning of age soon, no?" Alphard replied, before looking over to his guests. "What will you have to drink?"
"Some tea would be nice," Dorea replied, earning a nod of agreement from her husband.
"I'll get it, uncle," Bellatrix said, gesturing for Alphard to stay where he was, allowing the older wizard to direct the conversation. She wanted Harry to be able to experience his grandparents for himself, and since she didn't know anything about him, she hoped that Alphard would be able to use his own knowledge of the couple to elicit as much dialogue between Harry and his grandparents as he could.
"Harry and Bellatrix just left Hogwarts themselves," Alphard started, somehow reading Bellatrix's mind and doing just as she hoped that he would.
"Did you? Congratulations," Dorea replied with a smile. "Did you enjoy your time?"
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said after clearing his throat. "I consider Hogwarts a home away from home."
"What are your plans now?" Charlus questioned, interested in how the younger wizard would spend the rest of his life.
"I haven't decided yet," Harry shrugged, not wanting to reveal his membership in the Order of the Phoenix or his need to fight against Voldemort.
Bellatrix came back into the room just then, a tray of tea and biscuits following behind her in the air. "Do you know James?"
"I am friends with him, yes, along with Sirius and Remus," Harry answered, not surprised that James had never mentioned his name to them. "He's a very talented boy."
"If only he didn't know that," Charlus grinned, referencing his son's well-known arrogance.
"He'll grow out of it," Harry smiled in return, releasing the nerves that had swelled inside of him and allowing himself to speak to his grandparents as people, rather than as the image he had of them growing up.
They all sat for nearly two hours, with Alphard catching up with the two Potters, while Harry learned more about his grandparents. They were kind, warm people, each of whom had a comical personality. They seemed to be young at heart, even if old in spirit and body, allowing Harry to see where James had gotten his mischievous personality. They were curious about Harry and Bellatrix's relationship, asking questions about how they met and other similarly inquiries, showing a kind interest in the younger couple, even if they had no prior knowledge about them before entering Alphard's home.
Ultimately, the greatest surprise came from Dorea, his grandmother, whom he had imagined to be similar to all the Blacks he had met up until that point. That assessment, however, was entirely incorrect as he found her to be much different than Alphard, Sirius and even Andromeda, who each still had their smug arrogance on some level even though they were the best from their families. Dorea was down to earth even more so than her husband, who himself was very approachable, and it was quite intriguing on where James' arrogance had come. Overall, Harry had to admit as he said his goodbyes to his grandparents as they left, he was happy for the experience and grateful that Alphard had put it together.
Over the next few days, Harry and Alphard, along with Bellatrix's help, moved Harry into his new apartment. Bellatrix had decorated to her liking, which Harry gratefully had to accept. Harry cooked his first dinner for Alphard and Bellatrix in his new home, enjoying the feeling of freedom that he now had. Even though it was a small apartment, it felt large because it was his and his alone, which is more than he had ever had previously. Before long, Harry was leaving his new home in order to go to his first Order of the Phoenix meeting.
After a appearing in the backyard of a house north of London, Harry entered the house and walked into his first Order of the Phoenix meeting. Unlike in the future, where they would all meet at Grimmauld Place due to Sirius' donation, the Order instead kept moving from place to place, using the houses of the members themselves. It was a system that was put in place in order to ensure that their meetings would not be known to anyone outside of the Order itself. That day the meeting was being hosted by Dedalus Diggle, an old and dapper wizard that had been a childhood friend of Albus Dumbledore.
Walking into the sitting room that held an enlarged table, Harry took a seat between Edgar and Frank, wanting to sit next to his friends for the first meeting. He moved his gaze around the table, looking at everyone that was there in an effort to see just who was included in the Order. While he recognized many, most in fact, there were still some that he had no idea who they were, which surprised him as he assumed he had known everyone in the Order. One face he did recognize was that of his former Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Regula Moonshine, who had just taken a seat across from him, giving him a large smile when saw him.
"Mr. Dumbledore," Regula said with a small nod of her head, her voice filled with delight at seeing him. She had known he would be invited, but to actually see him as an adult was something that she hadn't thought about before then.
"Professor," Harry grinned, unsurprised to see the woman in the Order of the Phoenix, having seen her courage firsthand. He knew that he had changed the future by saving her from that curse nearly a year prior, but he didn't care so long as he saved a good person in the world.
"Did I not say to call me Regula the last time we saw each other, Harry?" Regula questioned with a raised eyebrow, not wanting Harry to call her professor for the rest of their lives.
"Oh, I must have forgotten, it's been such a long time since then," Harry winked, earning an amused smile from the witch.
Before she could respond, the fireplace off to the side flashed with green flames and Headmaster Dumbledore suddenly appeared. Always eccentric, he was wearing light blue robes with shooting stars and a tall hat that matched. "Good afternoon everyone, it is good to see you all," Dumbledore smiled as he took his seat at the head of the table. He met Harry's gaze, and gave a small nod, happy to see the younger wizard. "As you can see, we have three new members joining us. Welcome Alice Prince, Frank Longbottom and Harry Dumbledore."
The three new members gave a small wave and a polite smile as everyone welcomed them, before the clapping died down and they turned their attention back to the matter at hand. "Does anybody have anything pertinent to discuss before we start?" Dumbledore questioned, wanting to make sure he did not stifle anything by rigidly keeping to his agenda. Upon seeing all the members shake their heads in the negative, he said, "Moving on then, we have gotten word that known Death Eaters are starting to funnel into Knockturn Alley for reasons unknown. We'll need someone to monitor Diagon Alley in order to see if they can ascertain any plans the Death Eaters have dealing with the alley."
"I can do it," Harry immediately volunteered, finding it very suitable as a first assignment. While he would not be living there any longer, it would give him the chance to get out of his new house as if he was going to work. "I have a reason to be there so it won't look out of place or noticeable."
"What reason is that?" Many asked, wanting to know what Harry was alluding to with his words.
"I've lived in the Leaky Cauldron for nearly three years," Harry answered with a shrug, not believing that his continuous appearance within the alley would arouse any suspicions. "Most of the vendors know me and see me on a relatively daily basis."
"That'll be a lot to take on in addition to what we have already discussed, you know," Dumbledore said cryptically, referencing Harry's on-going pursuit of Tom Riddle's horcruxes, which he hoped would be the younger wizards most pertinent assignment for the Order.
"I'll have plenty of time regardless," Harry waved off Dumbledore's concerns, knowing that he had most of the research done for the horcruxes and was just needing to narrow the locations down. He hoped to be able to actually search for the horcruxes within a month or two with the goal being to have them all found by the end of the summer.
"Very well," Dumbledore nodded, accepting Harry's offer. He saw the intelligence of Harry being the one to keep an eye out on the alley, rightfully believing that he could hide in plain sight. "Anybody else?"
"I can, as well," Another voice said, though Harry did not know who it was. It was a woman that had wiry brown hair and brown eyes, and looked vaguely similar to a third year wizard that Harry had seen in Hogwarts.
"Thank you," Dumbledore agreed, happy that he had gotten the people he needed for the new assignment. "Alastor, would you like start with an update on the Ministry?"
The rest of the meeting passed with many of the members giving progress reports on various projects or happenings. Harry did not know what any of them were talking about, including the members of the Order that he had interacted with numerous times in the past, which surprised him a bit, showing him that he really did not know much about the first war. What he did get a sense of, however, was the disorder and the chaos that the outside world found itself in, with attacks happening randomly and without much warning. It made him want to help as much as he could, though he knew his greatest addition to the war would be his secret mission of finding Voldemort's horcruxes.
When everything was wrapping up, Harry quickly went to introduce himself to the woman whom had volunteered earlier and found out that she was Dorcas Meadowes. He hid his shock at having not remembered her appearance from Mad-Eye Moody's photo, before explaining his plans for the assignment. Dorcas agreed with his ideas and promised that any contact they had while in the alley would only be in emergency situations in order to prevent anyone from noticing their communication. Harry concurred and with a good luck, returned to his seat as the meeting came to a proper end.
"What are you doing now?" Edgar questioned Harry and Frank when the members started to gather their things to leave.
"I'm meeting Bellatrix's parents," Harry answered, looking over to his friend with a half-grin. "I'm having dinner with them, actually."
"You serious?" Frank asked with a neutral expression on his face, weighing whether Harry was sincere or not.
"You sure you don't want to stay here and fight Voldemort some more?" Edgar questioned, not envying Harry's position if the rumors about the Black family proved true. While he had grown to like Bellatrix and trust her, those feelings of goodwill did not travel to the rest of the Blacks, whom Edgar had known to be the darkest of dark.
"I wish," Harry sighed, dreading what he knew was about to come. "At least with him I have a chance of survival, but with Bellatrix's parents? I'm not so sure," he finished with a laugh.
An hour later found Harry knocking on the chipped black door of 23 Dungient Place, waiting on the stoop for the door to be answered. Within a minute, Bellatrix swung the door open with a large smile on her face, happy to see Harry after going a few days without seeing him. She was wearing long purple robes that brought out the violet in her eyes while her long black hair was straight, framing her pointed face. Overall, she was quite stunning in her appearance, someone who many would consider splendidly beautiful especially Harry.
"Come in, come in," she smiled, pulling Harry inside as nervous excitement for the night swelled inside of her. She closed the door behind him before ushering him into the sitting room that was off to the side, where her parents were standing, waiting to be introduced to the wizard that had captured their daughter's heart.
"Mother, father," Bellatrix started, gesturing towards Harry, who was standing just next to her with a smile on his face. "This is Harry. Harry Dumbledore. Harry, these are my parents, Cygnus and Druella Black."
"Mrs. Black, it's nice to meet you," Harry said politely, bowing his head in respect. Then, turning his attention to the wizard, he reached out his hand towards him. "Mr. Black, I've heard so much about you."
Limply, Cygnus shook Harry's hand, but stayed silent. Mrs. Black stared at Harry for a brief moment, silently sizing him up, before turning her violet gaze over to Bellatrix. "Shall we start dinner then, dear?" She questioned, motioning towards the doorway, where the dinning room was located.
They all walked into the dining room to reveal a large oak table that was able to sit about a dozen or so guests. On the table was an assortment of side dishes, while each of the four individual plates held a medium-sized steak. They all sat in their respective positions, with each couple sitting across from their opposite. They silently made their plates and poured their drinks from the pitcher of pumpkin juice that was on the table, with Harry inwardly squirming as time began to move slower and slower.
"This looks great," he said politely, hoping to ease the tension that he was starting to feel in the room. He had no idea if Bellatrix's parents prepared the meal themselves or if they had an elf do it for them, but he figured he'd rather be safe than sorry and compliment them even if it fell on deaf ears.
"It does," Bellatrix agreed next to him, as they both took their first bite into the food.
Mrs. Black gave a small smirk, but changed the subject without answering. "So, dear, did you hear that your cousin got a job down in..."
"Yeah, I did," Bellatrix nodded, interrupting her mother from finishing her sentence. She had learned about her cousin's new position from Narcissa the week before, but had not given it a second thought since. "That's good for him."
"Which cousin?" Harry asked, aware that it couldn't be Sirius or Regulus that they were referencing, but not knowing if they were talking about Evan Rosier or someone else entirely.
"Evan," replied Bellatrix, cutting off another piece of her steak. "He apparently did well enough on his exams, which is surprising."
"Why do you say that?" Mrs. Black questioned, wondering why her daughter thought so low of another pureblood. In her mind, it wasn't the purebloods that did poorly on the exams, but rather the mudbloods and half-bloods that taught the purebloods that forced them to do poorly on the exams. If Hogwarts hadn't hired non-pure teachers, all purebloods would have done extremely well on their exams, while the half-blood and mudbloods struggled.
"He didn't pay much attention to books," Bellatrix answered, having witnessed Evan forgo studying in order to torment others numerous times. There would be nights where he would completely forsake his homework so he would have the time to experiment in the dark arts.
"And Harry did?" Mrs. Black inquired, turning a raised eyebrow Harry's way as the wizard swallowed his food.
"I did what I could, yes," Harry nodded, answering the question as truthful as he could. While he was not Hermione, he did make the effort to do all the work and learn as much as he could, even if the things that he was learning about were not taught at Hogwarts. Mrs. Black stared at him before taking a sip of her drink, giving him a mocking smile as she put her glass down and started on her own dinner.
The rest of the dinner was awkward—not much was said between the Blacks and Harry, though Harry did not know if that was common at the table. While her mother discussed family matters dealing with the Rosiers, her father would only speak briefly, answering anything that was asked of him but not really adding anything to the conversation. Most of the dialogue was between Bellatrix and her mother, with Bellatrix trying to aim the direction of the conversation towards Harry, but failing in that endeavor as her parents would not take the bait. Harry tried to listen on as much as he could, but he found himself dazing off only to be brought back to the conversation by Bellatrix.
"I brought this for dessert," Harry said, producing a bottle of strawberry wine from his pocket after everyone was finished with their meal. He had shrunk the bottle to be the size of a lighter only to have it regain its normal size in his hand the second it left his pocket with the hopes that he would be able to show the Blacks that he did indeed have magic as great as theirs, even if he was a lowly half-blood in their eyes.
"That was a brilliant charm," Bellatrix gasped, acting a little more excited than she probably normally would in an effort to have her parents do the same.
Unfortunately, the plan did not work as both of the Blacks simply gave a small nod of their head, neither one showing that they were impressed. Bellatrix and Harry both gave a smile at that, before starting on their own dessert, a piece of cinnamon raisin bread pudding with caramel sauce.
Eventually, the night came to an end, and after saying his goodbyes, Harry found himself walking towards the Leaky Cauldron with Bellatrix in order to enjoy the rest of their night. The couple was silent as they walked the block, Harry inwardly hoping that he hadn't tanked the night and Bellatrix pondering what she wanted to do. She had seen the effort he had put in the night, how he tried as hard as he could only to e shot down by her parents before they had even met him. She had told them about her relationship while she was still in Hogwarts, but had wanted to wait until she had left school in order to introduce them to Harry, thinking it would be better. However, now that she had done it, she couldn't help but feel that it was the wrong decision and introducing them sooner would have been better.
"Do you still want to get married?" Harry questioned, wondering if she would have second thoughts now that he had finally met her parents.
"Yes," Bellatrix replied, turning her lips towards him and kissing his cheek tenderly. "They'll come around eventually. And if not, then so be it."
"I'm not asking you to leave them behind..." Harry said, not wanting her to have to cut out her parents. He knew how important her family was to her, how she insisted on keeping them in her life even though they went against her new desire in life, so he was devoted to trying to find a fair middle ground seriously and would not force her to avoid her family unless he absolutely had to do so.
"I know you're not," said Bellatrix, taking his hand and stopping their walk before sitting down on a nearby stoop. "Your birthday is only a month away."
"Yup," Harry nodded, watching a group of muggles walking on the opposite side of the street, inwardly wondering what she was planning. While he did not want a huge affair, he did want to celebrate this birthday bigger than any other as it would be the first birthday he experienced outside of Hogwarts, which he thought would be quite special.
"Perhaps we can get married before then?" Bellatrix inquired in a tone that was a mix of hope and excitement.
"Wait, what?" Harry gasped, as he jerked his head and turned to face her. "Seriously?"
"Yes," Bellatrix nodded, meeting his gaze all the while. "The dinner just assured me that it's the right thing to do."
"I don't think your parents would come," Harry said confusedly, believing that her parents would refuse to show if they were to get married before he managed to win them over.
"I know that," Bellatrix said, staring upwards at the sky, where the stars shined high above them. "I'm not even going to invite them. Or let them know about it. Nor even Narcissa, for that matter. We'll keep it small, just a few of your friends, Alphard, and hopefully Andromeda and Ted. Maybe even Sirius."
"Why?" Harry questioned confusedly, wondering what had changed her mind on the matter. Over the course of their relationship, she was always hesitant to disregard her family, but now she was seemingly doing the exact opposite of that in wanting to get married without her family around, save for Andromeda.
"Because I love you Harry Potter," said Bellatrix, answering him truthfully. "And I'm not going to let anyone stop me from marrying you."
"You're serious?" Harry reiterated, wanting to make sure that it wasn't a spur of the moment decision and that she was actually contemplating what she was saying. "Don't tease me with marrying my soulmate."
"Deathly," Bellatrix nodded, making up her mind as emotions stirred in her chest. There was something that she needed, nay wanted, to say, something that had been born after watching Harry try with her parents. "You're not my soulmate, such a thing doesn't exist. Being a soulmate implies that we were meant for each other, that we were born to love one another, and I can't help but laugh at that idea," Bellatrix said, as she took his hand into her own. "Loving you is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I have to wake up each and every day and tell myself that I will make you happy, and you bet your ass I struggle to keep on the straight and narrow for you. But I do it, because I love you. Not because you're my soulmate, not because we were destined to love each other, but because I want to love you. Not that I'm forced, not that the world wants me to, but I want it. We struggle for one another, and to say that we're soulmates completely takes that away and transforms it into this magical thing when it's really just two people that love each other on their own. It's about hard work and dedication, not some natural force."
"Did you just write your vows?" Harry questioned with a smile, finding her romantic side pretty cute.
"I think I did," Bellatrix grinned, slapping his arm playfully. "So do you want to do this?"
"Okay, if that's what you want, if you want to do it, and you're okay with it, then yes, we can get married before my birthday," Harry nodded, bringing her hand up to his lips and giving it a gentle kiss. "I just want you happy, and if this makes you happy, then I'm obviously happy with it."
"I'm happy with it, too," Bellatrix agreed, fully onboard in going through with the idea of marrying before his birthday. It wasn't necessarily because of his birthday that she choose that date, but rather, it served as a nice target, a definitive day that would allow them to aim towards in order to accomplish everything they needed to do before the day they did indeed choose.
"But be sure that's what you want, okay?" Harry said, biting his lip with a pensive expression on his face. "I will wait however long we need to wait, so long as it's you that I'm waiting for."
Bellatrix brought her finger up to his lips, stopping him from speaking. "Maybe we can even have it in Alphard's backyard, that'll be big enough, I think." Bellatrix smiled up at Harry, thoughts about the wedding suddenly popping into her mind. "I'll start planning it tomorrow."
"You know, when we get married, you'll be Bellatrix Dumbledore, and not a Potter, right?" Harry whispered, knowing that he would be a Dumbledore for the rest of his life, or at least for the near future.
"Only to the rest of the world," Bellatrix whispered back, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning into kiss him. With a loud pop, she disapparated them both away, leaving the area they just were to reappear in Alphard's backyard. Quickly, she led them inside Harry's new home, closing the door behind them for privacy.
A/N: As is tradition, a new chapter on my birthday! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, the next chapter will be their wedding and the pursuit of the Horcruxes.