September 29th, 1976

Gryffindor Common Room

"Just- just- just tell me how it happened."

"I was in potions."

"Okay."

"And Regulus missed class because someone dosed his soup at lunch."

"Heh."

"So I partnered with him and now we're friends."

James threw his head back, disgusted. "You can't befriend my enemy, Bella!"

"God, you're fucking dramatic," she rolled her eyes at him. "He's just a teenager, same as us. Besides, I… I need his help with something."

"Get someone else's help!" Sirius threw his arms up. "Come on, Bel."

Anabella looked to Remus and Lily. "Can either of you get them to shut the fuck up about this?"

"I've just learned to not bring Snape up at all around them," Remus shrugged. "Sorry."

Lily shifted in her seat, looking deeply uncomfortable. "They're- they're being dramatic, yes, but…"

"What?"

"But maybe they're a little bit right," she shrugged. "I mean… he's bigoted, Bella. I'd know. He was my best friend for years until he called me the m word."

"I'm sorry, Lily," Anabella said honestly. "You didn't deserve that. But I have to be friends with him, and I can't tell anyone why."

"He'll get you killed," James warned.

"I can protect myself."

"What I want to know," Sirius cut in, his mind wandering. "Is why you're dating my brother. He's evil!"

Anabella rolled her eyes at him. "First, we're not dating."

"You've only been here a couple weeks and you're constantly with him, and it's like you know…" he trailed off, his eyes widening. "Anabella."

She winced. "I don't like when you use my full name."

"Tell me he isn't."

"Okay. He isn't."

He tipped his head back. "Fuck! That asshole is your soulmate?"

"What?" James looked between them, shocked out of going over his playbook. "Bella?"

"Yes, Regulus is my soulmate," she admitted with a sigh. "How'd you figure it out?"

Sirius made a face of disgust. "You two always seem to know what the other is thinking when I run into you. The only thing that would explain that is if you have a bond. It wouldn't be familial, so…"

"So soulmates really exist?" Lily wondered, looking around. When she glanced at James, he was blushing down at his book. "Potter?"

"Huh?" he didn't look up.

"What is it?"

"Just bored of gossip," he muttered. "Can we focus on studying?"

"You're not studying, you're writing your Quidditch plays. You're being weird."

James shook his head. "I'm not being weird."

"Oh," Anabella whispered, looking to Sirius. "Did you know?"

Sirius nodded quietly.

"Keep your mouth shut, Carter," James snapped at her. She laughed.

"Or what?"

He blinked. "Um."

"Don't worry, you get to handle this all by yourself," she laughed, getting up. "I have a meeting with Bertie."

"Potter, what the hell is going on?" Lily asked sharply. James grimaced.

"Okay, Lils, you remember that… date we went on last year?" he wondered.

"The one you ruined as soon as we held hands? Yes, I remember."

James winced. "Yeah, sorry about that… so, uh… when I touched your hand, I… felt something."

Lily looked disgusted. "Ew."

Anabella couldn't help but laugh, gaining glares from James and Lily both. "Lily, he's not- that's not what he means. He's saying you're soulmates."

"Bella!" James exclaimed, staring at her furiously. "You can't tell her that!"

Lily stared at him. "James Charlus Potter, you knew and you didn't tell me?"

"It's just- well… you're muggleborn, so I didn't think you'd know about bonds and stuff, and I figured it might freak you out about thinking you have no control because you like control, so I just ruined the date to… y'know, give you some space."

"That's kind of sweet in a twisted way," Anabella whispered to Sirius, who nodded.

Lily looked dumbfounded. "You were… trying to help me?"

"Yeah," he shrugged.

"Did you ever consider that by not telling me, you took it out of my control?"

"Uh. No, not really."

Lily rubbed her forehead. "That's almost sweet, Potter."

"Thanks?"

"I just… yeah, it does freak me out. If you're my soulmate, could I even be with someone else, or am I forced to be with you? I mean, Sirius isn't wrong- Bella's always with Regulus, isn't she?"

"Oh, that's by choice," Anabella cut in. "I told Sirius we aren't dating and I meant it. I spend a lot of time with him because he got past my shields and saw some shit no one should know."

Sirius spun on her, his eyes dark. "My brother fucking invaded your mind? Anabella!"

"It was a game!" she told him quickly while Remus snuck Sirius's wand out of his pocket. When Sirius went to stand - presumably to go find and attack Regulus - she tugged him down back into his place on the floor next to her. "I thought my shields were good enough. If I'd known he was a Master Legillimens, I would have told him to stop. He just slipped past, saw something, and I… told him things."

"That fucking piece of shit," Sirius told her, looking furious. "He could've faked your bond."

"No, it's real," she disagreed. "I can feel it. But if I wanted to, I could go marry someone else right now and be perfectly happy. But you'll never be happier or more powerful than you will be with your soulmate, according to Avery."

"We should tell Mum and Dad we've found our soulmates," James sighed, rubbing his face. After a moment, he looked at Lily again. "Lils, I'm not going to ask you out again. I want to be with you, yeah, but you've made your stance perfectly clear. If you ever change your mind, I'll be here."

"Oh," Lily blinked at him. "Um, thank you, James."

Sirius smirked and went to say something, most likely about her use of his first name, but Anabella and Remus both slapped their hands over his mouth before he could.

"Mmk, well, that was wonderful to witness," Anabella said honestly as she gathered her things and got up, leaving it to Remus to keep Sirius shut up. "But I'm late for Bertie. I'll see you guys later."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

It was the first time she'd been able to get into the DOM again since getting there, and she was anxious. Bertie had written to invite her and Fabian back. They'd Floo'd there together and were greeted by a familiar man.

"Alphard Black," Anabella whispered his name, remembering the clear grief in Sirius when he spoke of his uncle. "It is truly an honor to meet you."

Alphard chuckled as he kissed the back of her hand. "I take it you know me?"

"You're Sirius and Regulus' uncle," she nodded. "Sirius loved you."

"I died."

She didn't bother denying it. If she planned to save people, she would save him as well. "Yes. I'm not sure how, but I know how I can save you."

Bertie hummed. "I thought perhaps you'd want to save people."

"Do you have a problem with that?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. Fabian shook his head at her.

"Maybe don't argue with the head of the DOM, Pip."

"As long as you have a well thought out plan to save them while complying with time, I have no problem with it," Bertie chuckled. "What do you know of Alphard's death?"

"I know it happened in 1980. Sirius once told me that it was one of the things that sent him over the edge. The uncle that always protected him, gone."

"Cheery."

"No body was found as far as I'm aware. It's the same for the twins," she continued. "And I was thinking about the McKinnons."

"How do they die?"

She looked at him sheepishly. "Well, Voldemort himself killed them to ensure Marlene died."

"And how do you expect to save them from that?"

"Fake bodies! I know this spell that creates a fake body, an exact and anatomical copy of the body," she explained. "So, we'll just put them there, give whoever we can a ring, and boom, they're saved."

"You think it'll trick Voldemort?" Fabian wondered, looking doubtful.

"I think so. I used the spell once to get away from Snatchers."

"What the hell are Snatchers?"

She grimaced. "They were special Death Eaters tasked with the job of finding and bringing in fugitives. That included me and my friends. It was a mixture of Snatchers, my friends, and regular Death Eaters that brought me and my friends in."

"Your friends, let's talk about that," Bertie suggested. "Who have you befriended so far?"

"Regulus, Avery, Antonin, and Snape."

"Who's left?"

"Avery suggested Rowle. They're friends and apparently, Rowle fucking hates where he's at and will take any option to get out that's presented to him. At least any option to win the war. It'll be useful."

"Okay. And?"

"There's… Rookwood. Antonin and Regulus seem to think he'll help. It's just a concern because-,"

"Because his father is an obsessive piece of shit," Fabian sighed. "If he finds out you led his son astray or some shit, he'll come after you."

"Cheery. Anyway, I want…" she grimaced, looking between Bertie and Fabian. "I want one of the Lestrange brothers."

"Bella, they're…" Fabian winced. "I don't think that's a good idea. Besides, they're deep into it."

"That's why I want one," she shrugged. "They're deep enough that, when the time comes, they can do significant damage."

"I'll help with that one," Alphard sighed. "We'll approach them at the New Year's Ball."

"Brilliant," Bertie nodded. "Anyone else?"

"Not right now, but we're going to keep looking."

"Good, but stay aware. What else are you working on right now?"

Anabella sighed. "I'm in the process of putting together a… club, I guess, where I teach the people that I know will be fighting how to fight. That includes blood magic, because it's fucking useful."

"Don't get yourself expelled," Alphard requested. "If you need help, I can come help."

"You need to get started on the spell," Bertie warned her. "It'll take some time to master, and it will be rough on you. You'll need to take breaks to heal."

"I know," she grimaced. "I'll get started soon."

Bertie nodded. "Head on back to school. Work with Fabian, continue growing your collection of Death Eaters."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

October 1st, 1976

Library

"So your plan is what?"

"To find it."

"A spell to bring someone back to life."

"If you want to simplify it, I suppose so, yes."

Avery reached out and put his hand on the book she was reading. "This is a dangerous path you're going down, ace. You can't bring someone back."

"Maybe you can't, but I fucking have to," she snapped. "Are you going to help me, or not?"

He looked exhausted with her, but he picked up a book. They read together for a few silent moments before he spoke again. "Who?"

Anabella looked up, startled. "What?"

"Who died?"

"Oh," she breathed, her face falling. "It was Sirius. I watched him fall into the Veil of Death. He- he was good to me then and now. I can't- I don't think I could handle a future without him, Avery."

"Your sentimentality will kill you," was all Avery said before he got back to work helping her find what she needed. "You've been spending quite a bit of time alone with Regulus."

Anabella rolled her eyes. "Yes, and?"

"And it's clear you're starting to fall for him."

"The horror, falling for my soulmate."

Avery looked at her sharply. "It isn't funny, Carter. He's already in love with you, but one day, you'll go back to the future and he'll be left here, without that bond you're carelessly indulging in, raw and influenced by the Dark Lord. And then, as you've had a horribly awful time hiding, he's going to die. Alone, presumably. And you're treating it like a fucking joke."

Anabella looked at him, a mixture of horrified and ashamed. "What do you want me to do, Avery? Avoid him?"

"No, because I know you just won't. I want you to be aware of what you're putting him through."

"I can't even have one wonderful, beautiful thing without pain following it, it seems," she said, shaking her head. He looked somewhat sympathetic.

"Just be careful, ace. Someone's heart is going to be broken here, even if it's just for a while."

"Yeah," she muttered. Whatever else she'd been going to say was cut off by a familiar voice nearby.

"Get away from me," Mary said sharply. There was a bit of shuffling and then she exclaimed, "Give that back!"

"Look a little lonely here, MacDonald," Yaxley said. Anabella's blood went cold at the sound of his voice. She got to her feet, Avery following quickly behind her, and followed the voices until she found them.

Yaxley had spun Mary's chair around and was leaning over her, his hands on the arms of the chair to keep her there. "Why don't you come back to my dorm?"

"I told you to get the fuck away from me," Mary snapped, a horrible and even mix of furious and terrified.

The second Yaxley reached out to touch her, Anabella's wand was trained on him. "Yaxley."

He spun around, his face darkening at the sight of her. "Carter, you fucking bitch-,"

"Mary, go to your dorm. Tell Lily what's happened," she ordered. Mary shot up and ran out of the library. Once she was gone, Anabella raised an eyebrow at Yaxley. "We have some talking to do, Yaxley."

"Bella, leave him," Avery requested, putting a shield up in front of her as she prepared to hex or curse the seventh-year Slytherin boy. "Let's go back to my dorm."

Yaxley stalked closer to her until her wand poked his chest and he loomed over her, staring down darkly. "Avery, I would suggest you leave. Carter and I have some talking to do."

Avery snorted. "Yeah, no. Bella, how'd you piss him off?"

"The bitch turned me to stone," Yaxley told him sharply. "It was hours before anyone found me."

"If that's the only punishment you get for what you did, you more than deserve it," Anabella told him quietly, doing her best to keep her voice from shaking. "If I ever see you threatening or even attacking someone else, I'll do so much worse than turn you to stone. Stay away from me, stay away from Mary. Understand?"

Yaxley's face twisted in fury. She caught the sight of him moving his wand arm up toward her, so she stunned him and he fell to the ground. Before moving to leave, staring down at him furiously, she sent a stinging jinx at him as well.

"Behave, Yaxley, or I'll take this to my Auror friends," she snarled before throwing her bag back over her shoulder, sheathing her wand, and making her way out of the library.

Avery trailed behind her as she made her way toward the Gryffindor common room. "Carter, you're fucking insane. You just threatened him."

"You've no idea what he did to deserve it," she told him quietly. "I have to check on Mary. Can you go tell Reg to meet me in the Room? I- he- I need to talk to him."

Shaking his head at her, Avery split off and ran down the stairs as she reached Gryffindor. She used the password that Sirius slipped her and stepped inside, looking around. It didn't take long to find Lily and Mary. They were surrounded by the rest of the girls and the Marauders.

Sirius saw her first, and he stared at her in shock. "You're fine."

"Yeah?"

"You threatened Yaxley and you're fine?"

"That cunt is only good when he has the element of surprise," she shrugged, moving to kneel in front of Mary. "Hey, you okay?"

"Thanks to you, yeah," she confirmed. "He didn't actually do anything, just was about to. Thank you, Bella."

"Anytime," she smiled, winking at her. "I just wanted to check on you real quick. I have to get to the seventh floor in a second here."

"What'd you do to him?" Mary wondered.

Anabella shrugged. "I threatened him, stunned him, and sent a stinging jinx at him. He was well and truly out by the time I left the library. I wouldn't have done anything, but he raised his wand at me and I doubt it was an empty threat. He wants to kill me already, anyway."

"He does?" Marlene asked, brow furrowed. "What happened?"

"I gotta go," she told them, getting to her feet. "I'll see you guys at dinner unless I get detention or something."

"Careful, Bel," Sirius requested, frowning at her. "He'll be after you now."

She smiled at them. "Better than after Mary. See you guys later."

With one last wave, she made her way out and up the stairs again, taking them two at a time until she reached the seventh floor. When she reached the tapestry to pace in front of, she found a room had already been made, so she walked in and scanned the room until she found Regulus. He was pacing behind the couch, looking very stressed. When he caught sight of her, he paced over and grabbed her arms just a little too tight. "You cursed him?"

"He was about to hurt Mary!" she defended, trying to shake off his arms, but he held her tight. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Not that!" he threw his head back. "Ana, he already wants to kill you."

"He was mad, yeah, but-,"

"I am not exaggerating," he interrupted sharply. "He walked into Slytherin yelling about how he wants to fucking kill you. Slowly. He's dangerous, Ana, and you just instigated him."

Anabella ripped her arms out of his hands furiously. "What, like it's my fault? You saw what he- what he was doing to me. You think I could stand by while he potentially did the same to my friend?"

"I think you should do what keeps you safe."

"Not if it means someone I care about gets hurt!"

"You're going to get yourself killed," he snapped. She scoffed.

"If he kills me, that has nothing to do with me and everything to do with him," she insisted. "God! I can't believe you're being like this!"

"'Being like this'?" he looked pissed. "Anabella, I am trying to keep you safe!"

"Keep me safe after I protect my friends!"

"You're infuriating," he glared at her.

"You're maddening," she snapped back. "How dare you assume I'm so selfish that I would leave her in danger? Clearly, you've learned nothing about me." Regulus was staring at her with a look on his face that she couldn't quite decipher. It almost made her angrier. "I mean, I've spent my entire life since entering the wizarding world keeping Harry safe! It's what I know, keep the ones I love safe. I mean- I mean, I'd do the exact same thing for you if you weren't being such an arse."

Regulus strode forward, closing the space between them, and took her face in his hands. "I have never been angrier at someone for putting themselves in danger."

"If this is your definition of me putting myself in danger, get used to it," she whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at him. They were so close, she could feel his soft breath on her cheeks.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he warned her. He gave her a moment to pull away before he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Both of them relaxed slightly into the kiss, feeling their bond ignite brightly, bouncing between them until it settled beautifully in the middle. Neither of them knew how long they'd been like that when they finally parted.

"You're awful," she whispered, her lips nearly touching his. "Horribly, terribly irritating."

"Anabella," he said softly. She nodded a little, waiting. "Anabella Carter, I swear my wand and magic to you. I will keep you safe if I can."

Anabella gasped at the tugging of a new type of bond within her - fealty. Regulus had just sworn fealty to her. She backed up and smacked his chest. "Regulus Arcturus Black, you fucking idiot!"

"Yes?" he asked, smirking a little at her. She smacked his chest again, hard enough that he grabbed her wrists when she tried to do it again. "You're a bit violent, Ana."

"You can't take that back!" she screeched at him. "You swore magical fealty to me, you fucking idiot! You cannot take that back!"

His smirk turned into a full grin. "I don't want to take it back, Little Lion."

Her eyes narrowed. "What did you just call me?"

"You may be a snake now, but you certainly have a stupid little lion in you still," he told her, laughing as she huffed out angrily. "I think this is the best solution to our little problem, don't you?"

"I think I'm going to hex you," she huffed. "But since we have a soul bond and it would hurt like hell, I'm just going back to Gryffindor. I'll see you at dinner, Regulus."

Well aware that there was no stopping her, he nodded. "Be safe, Ana."

OoOoOoOoOoOo