Harry and Marvolo had just returned to their bodies, having been able to view Voldemort's thoughts and even see through the eyes of his familiar. To do so without being noticed was rather difficult and resulted in Harry's scar bursting open and knocking him unconscious.

While everyone was panicking about what to do to help Harry, with even Marvolo being stumped by the rapid change of circumstances.

"We have to make sure that there isn't any part of Voldemort trying to latch onto him." Dudley said confidently, crouching down to Harry's level. "Keep his eyes open, I'll have a look." He instructed, connecting with Harry's mind as soon as Luna cast a spell to separate Harry's eyelids.

After several minutes of searching for any sign of the Dark Lord, as well as trying to locate the issue with Harry, Dudley pulled out of his mind, satisfied that Harry wouldn't wake up as another person.

"I believe he is simply exhausted." Dudley proclaimed a moment after leaving his brother's mind.

Dudley levitated Harry to his bed and sat with him to make sure that nothing bad happened as he slept.

/_^_^/

"I understand what you're showing me, believe me I do, however I fail to see why freeing Grindelwald is the right course of events." Harry debated after being shown Voldemort's murder of the other Dark Lord.

"Only you would argue with fate. If Voldemort manages to get to Grindelwald then he will go to Hogwarts in search of Albus' corpse, which will in turn lead him to you. As he is already looking for you it makes sense to me to minimise the possible casualties of his rage." Fate responded with a smile, coming to look forward to their chats.

"You know I won't allow him to kill the children of Hogwarts, I'd sooner give my life, however there has to be a better way to ruin Voldemort's plans."

"You could kill yourself, I can't imagine he has any contingency in place for that." Fate suggested, earning a raised eyebrow from Harry.

"That is awful advice. Simply awful."

"It is, yes. But saving one man is an equally awful decision in your mind."

"How long will my Antarctica lie keep him occupied?"

"Provided you do nothing to bring attention to your presence in Britain? I'd say about three months at most."

"I have until December begins, is that what you're saying?"

"I'm saying that at best you have up to December. He will get bored of searching that frozen desert and become frustrated by your deception."

"Good to know." Harry responded and then left Fate's realm, waking up to Dudley sitting next to him.

"I'm guessing you won't be travelling inside Voldemort's mind again." Dudley joked as Harry regained consciousness.

"Probably not." Harry said simply.

/^_^/

Nora had now officially joined the Vipers and she, much like Argus Filch, was a prodigal and powerful magic wielder.

"Hey Nora, due to the fact that you never studied magic academically that means you aren't a wizard, I think the most technically correct term would be Warlock." Dudley commented one day while he and Nora were lying down together, following up with "Growing up Muggle, I assumed that Witches and Wizards were just the Female and Male names for a magic wielder, however now I know that I am considered a witch, as my main focus in life is to go into magical medicine. Have you considered what you want to do with your magic?".

"I have had a million different thoughts over my life about what I want to do, now that I have magic my thoughts are different. I wish to go into medical magic with you. I know we've discussed it, you doing the magical research, while I do the non-magical research, but now I know that I wish to heal people."

"Doctor Black and Doctor Zabini. I like the sound of that." Dudley responded, kissing Nora on the back of her head.

"By that point I won't have the surname Zabini."

"Oh?"

"I will have the same last name as my husband." Nora commented, turning to look at Dudley's face as he comprehended her words.

"A-are you asking me to marry you?" Dudley asked quietly, earning a giggle from his girlfriend.

"Of course I am, you haven't bothered to ask and seeing as we are already an odd couple so why shouldn't I be the one to ask-"

"Yes." Dudley cut her off, taking a moment to breathe and recollect his thoughts. "I will marry you."

"I can hear wedding bells already." Tonks joked, having opened the door to the living room, intending to sit down after a long day. She stepped back out the door and Dudley just knew that she was going to tell everyone in the house.

"There goes the element of surprise." He commented, earning a laugh from Nora.

/^_^_/

"The incantation is Crucio, Mr Hawthorn, if you don't wish to cast it then you will have it cast on you. Crucio!" The Defence Professor barked at Elias, having already hit him with it in their previous lesson.

Elias refused to make a sound, stubbornly refusing to break eye-contact with the bastard, and when the curse was lifted he simply rose to his feet and apologised.

"I see now, Professor, I understand the lesson you're trying to teach me." Elias said darkly, drawing his wand and aiming it at the first year that he was to torture, moving at the last moment to hit the Professor with the torture curse. "Crucio." He shouted out, catching Amycus Carrow off guard and dropping him to his knees with screams of agony.

"Release me." Was all the Professor could scream out, inspiring Elias to up the intensity.

"You've been here for two weeks and you have tortured us several times, you are a pathetic and disgusting excuse for a Professor." Elias' anger had reached breaking point, continuing to torture the Professor even after he had passed out.

It was only then that he could hear Derek shouting at him to stop, as well as feeling his hands shaking him. He dropped the curse and collapsed to his knees, the exertion leaving him exhausted.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, becoming sick over just how much he enjoyed that. "Obliviate." Elias whispered, removing the last five minutes of the lesson from the Professor's mind and rising to leave.

Nobody judged him, that was the biggest surprise to Elias, he had expected accusations of him being a dark wizard, instead he got people telling him that they would have done the same.