A/N: Welcome back! This is the last chapter of the technical prologue events before Hogwarts term starts other than the ride on the Express, which will be next chapter along with Nick's sorting into Hogwarts. Which House do you think I'm going for? I'm honestly up in the air at the moment lol. Anyways, hope you all enjoy and have a good rest of your day.
Chapter Two
The Warning
August 28th, 1975; Negron House..
Nick sighed, looking at the board of what seemed to his mother like gibberish, but Nick used it to track what was different. It wasn't always as simple as Lucius Malfoy being a young woman now, or Sirius and the Black sisters being one big sibling unit. There were other things, but none of it seemed to have much bearing on anything Tom was doing. The latest had been an attack on a Muggle pub, all because they saw a known wizard inside yucking it up with the locals. It was such a stupid hypocrisy, and Tom was the biggest of all, not being a Pureblood himself yet rallying for absolute control over the rest of wizard and mankind in general for them. It really would be a shame if his followers ever found out that their precious leader was one of the very things they strove to wipe off the planet. Maybe another day. He sighed again and got up from his seat at his desk, looking out into the London streets. It was chilly but sunny, so Nick donned a nice sweater before heading outside, opting to take a little exploratory walk through town. He hadn't really been sightseeing even after all this time, after all.
Meanwhile, Black Manor..
Bellatrix tamed her hair with a purple bandana as she stretched her arms, standing on the steps of Number 12 Grimmauld Place in preparation of her morning workout, something she'd decided on to assist with her stamina during a duel or if she needed to run. Ever since she'd promised herself to do something to help Nick, she had taken up jogging in the morning. Some days Sirius joined her, other days it could be Andi or Cissy who joined her, but Bellatrix preferred the days she was alone, like today. She could never hear her own thoughts running with any of her siblings, even if Sirius was a great running partner in general.
She stepped off of the bottom step, shaking her arms and pulling her legs behind her back to finish her stretching. From the front window of the manor, Arcturus smiled at his oldest daughter. Such a strong young woman. Without Walburga's influence, she will be a great Lady of the House. Unless, of course, she decides to become Lady on different terms. He chuckled. Despite the attitude the two showed towards each other since that dinner, Arcturus could see there was something there, between Bellatrix and Nick. What that was, however, seemed to be something the two teenagers would have to figure out for themselves, as polarized as Nick tried making them.
Arcturus moved away from the window as Bellatrix jogged away, off to his office to see what the latest news was.
East End, London, An Hour Later..
Bellatrix painted as she stopped, feeling her pulse. She heard a door open and close and was about to begin running again when she heard a voice call out to her in surprise. "Bellatrix? What are you doing here?"
Looking over, eyes wide in fright at being called so suddenly, Bellatrix sighed as she saw it was just Nick, sitting on the steps of the house she had stopped in front of, a cup of something steaming in his hand. Is this.. where he lives..? She glanced around at the undoubtedly Muggle neighborhood before her attention was back on Nick. "Nick? I was going for a morning run. You just about gave me a heart attack, you jerk." She frowned as he smirked.
"Well, so did you. I've been sitting here for five minutes and yet I look up now and bam you're there. You're not tracking me, are you?" He slipped his drink. "It might take a few hours, but if you do, it won't end well for you."
Bellatrix put one hand on her hip, the other arm hanging free at her side. "Who the hell booby traps tracking attempts? Wait, oh. Oh! Well, either way I wasn't. But, I'll admit, I've never come around this part of London before.."
"What? You went out for a morning run and veered yourself so off-course you wound up in the East End? No one would go for a morning run around here, except those military vets. Then again, it takes a lot to scare a member of the British military, I hear."
Bellatrix hummed. "Well, I don't know about that, but if you ever meet that idiot James' father? Ask him about war stories. He fought in the war against Grindelwald and his followers."
"Ah, old Charlus? Yes he regaled me with such stories just last night. Hopefully that's the last dinner I have to suffer through with the stuffy adults. For a while, at least."
"Is that why you've been so quiet since you were over Grimmauld Place?"
"No, that's because I was serious about you staying away from me. I can't just let anyone close to me, Bellatrix. Not with what I plan to do." He took another sip. "Why is it you are so adamant about knowing me?"
"Hell if I even know at this point. I just know that what you plan to do will get you killed without someone there for you. Asking for help isn't a bad thing, Nick."
Nick nodded. "You're absolutely right about that, actually. But, you're forgetting that you are a part of those plans I intend to put a stop to. If Tom hears you're close to me, you'll be target number one on his hit list, just to try and spite me. I won't let you get yourself killed, either."
Bellatrix growled. "I'm not getting myself killed, I'm choosing to fight! Nick, I really don't get why you of all the people I have ever met make me feel so.. so different than I always have, but I won't stand here and say that I hate it. You're mysterious, and you should know that attitude is only going to alienate you as the broody bad boy even more. But, I know how caring you really are, even if I can't get a damn straight answer out of your shite mouth! So don't push me away, Nick, because something tells me you don't only know that pushing me away sets me further from what you want but you're anticipating it, hoping to surprise this Tom character as he tried corrupting me into that entity you say I become! Go on, tell me to sod off if I'm wrong, then."
Nick sat there, stunned mid-sip. How did she.. Fuck, they don't consider her the previous generation's Hermione for nothing. That doesn't change things, though. "I don't want you to get hurt, Bellatrix. Believe me, I'm going to do everything possible to stop you from going down that road, but whatever is telling you to be near me needs to be ignored. I won't have you dragged into what is now my fight. It's personal enough." I won't let it get any more personal than Tom and me, no one in-between.
"You're being a nutter about this, Nick! You aren't the only one who has something to protect! My father is already an old man, he isn't going to last through this war if it keeps up, and if he dies during the school year, it's my mother who will get control of the family. But you already know that, everyone can see just how evil my mother is. She wasn't always that way, I suppose, but it's all I really remember, growing up. My point is that once she has control of the family, if even for those few months before we graduate, she'll-" She gasped when she felt a rush of wind around her and she was suddenly less than a foot away from Nick, his almost six feet in height dwarfing her own five foot six, especially as she was standing now on the step below where Nick's feet stood.
Her eyes widened as Nick's hazel brown irises seemed to look straight through her, like he wasn't even there with her as he began recounting what he knew would happen, mirroring her thoughts. "Your mother will pawn you girls all off to Pureblood families who follow the Death Eater regime, you with the worst of them, as I'm sure you're acquainted already from school. I believe Rudolphus Lestrange was your match, Andromeda's was always a mystery to be honest, hence why she ran away with Ted before it could get any worse. Then Narcissa.. she wound up married to who Lucina was, and fathered a right prick of a son who took the cowards way out more than once. Rudolphus would present you to the Dark Lord who would probably use legilimens to see your skills and that's when you would lose all sense of this self and become the monster I'm familiar with. And as I've said, I'm not letting that happen. If something happens to your father, then-" He cut off as his front door opened and Neela stepped outside. "Oh, hey mom."
"I thought I heard shouting. Now, who is this beautiful young lady you're being disrespectful towards?"
Nick looked down, Bellatrix finally seeing a side of Nick she could consider normal as she spoke up, still frowning. "I'm Bellatrix Black, ma'am. And it's fine, I was just leaving, anyw- ahh!" Bellatrix hadn't finished her sentence when Neela waved her hand, her wand in her sleeve, as she wordlessly cast a summoning spell on the young girl, bringing both her and Nick to the doorway directly in front of the Negron matriarch.
"I don't think so. Now, Nick, you remember what I did the last time you were fighting with friends, don't you?" Neela said, a sweet smile on her face and an equally sweet tone in her voice, but neither were true as both teens' felt the imminent cold from Nick's mother's words.
Nick gulped. "Y-yeah, mom, I do. But that isn't going to solve th- damnit, mom!" Nick said as both him and Bellatrix felt an invisible force connect them. "Come on, I'm too old for the damned leash jinx!"
"You're never too old to learn a lesson in treating your friends equally, Nicholas! Now, the jinx will only last as long as you two decide to stop whatever argument you both have with one another. So, if you don't want to have to explain to Lord Black- yes, young lady I recognize your name- why his daughter didn't come home today, then I suggest you reconcile this shit quickly. Have a good day, loves." Without another word, Neela shut the door behind her and left the two teenagers alone once again.
Nick sighed heavily as he tried moving more than five feet away from Bellatrix, only to have his back pushed into the wall, and Bellatrix colliding with Nick's front in response. "Oof!" Bellatrix said as she slowly separated them both again, the distance holding once they were arms length from each other. "What is this, Nick?"
Nick grumbled. "My mom's attempt at telling me to stop being a jerk when a girl is interested.."
"What was that?" Bellatrix asked, her concentration focused mainly on what this magic that connected her and Nick. "What kind of spell is this?!" She asked again, starting to panic.
Nick sighed again. "My mom used to run a Wizarding day care, helped a lot with stemming damages from accidental magic. One of her most infamous spells is known as the leash jinx. Essentially, she used it primarily to keep children together during day trips or whatever, you know what I mean. Wandering toddlers isn't a joke, after all," Bellatrix nodded as yet another attempt to separate them further failed. "But, then I apparently started getting myself into fights, usually with the bullies in school of course. I only instigated the fight once, myself. So, she turned up at the principals office and cast the jinx on us. We were stuck together until almost dinner that night, and the only reason we separated was because we both liked the same magical creatures. One such being Nifflers."
"Nifflers are pretty cute, in a strange hybrid sort of way. So this is going to be a long day, isn't it? Because the root of our argument is that you won't let me help you stay alive, for reasons I can't even explain myself."
Nick nodded. "Most likely, yes. Which means that, while I have things to do, we're going to have to run my errands together." Nick said, motioning for her to follow him inside.
"But I had things to do today, too you know. I have a life!"
"Yes, well my mom only cares that I'm getting along with others, so unfortunately for both of us, were stuck together for the day. Literally." He explained further as they entered his room, Bellatrix looking at all the posters.
"What are all these?" She said, looking at a particularly dated poster of a music group in America. "What is a.. Pokémon? And isn't this Hogwarts?" She looked at Nick, who looked back at her like she'd suddenly grown a second head. "What?!"
"What are you even talking about? I'd know if any of these posters weren't what they.. are.. shit." He said, now realizing there was a strange spell laid on his room. From what Bellatrix was saying, his room was exactly the same as it was when he had supposedly died, despite it being nineteen seventy-five where none of the posters should even exist." What is this magic, though? I've never seen a disillusionment spell that worked like this, and especially not on that doesn't show the room owner what's really here. It doesn't matter, just know that those are foretelling. The one of Hogwarts, for instance, is for a movie based on one of the seven books written about this world's future. The other one.. if you love long enough you'll see exactly what a Pokémon is and why I have a poster of it."
"But, why can I see it and you can't? That doesn't make any sense at all."
"Bellatrix, if I told you nothing I've seen or encountered here made any sense even when I have prior knowledge of such things, would you believe me?"
"Yes." The girl replied swiftly and confidently as Nick looked at her again.
"Why? Why do you trust me so explicitly? I could murder you and make it look like a very bad accident, I've seen enough.. nevermind. Just answer the question, please."
"I don't know why, Nick! I just do. Something has been telling me, louder and louder ever since I tried looking into your mind-"
"Thanks for that, by the way. I now keep having more memories because of that, and I'm trying to concentrate on now, not the past."
Bellatrix stayed quiet for several moments before she spoke up. "I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have done it but can you blame me for wanting to know whatever it is you're keeping so close to your chest? Or about why you think going at this alone is the safest bet of all when it clearly isn't even a good idea."
Nick ignored her and moved about the room, picking up this and that as he tossed on a thin but long overcoat. "It doesn't matter. Now, let's go. Here. Where we're going, we need to be a little.. undercover, if you will." Nick said, passing Bellatrix a similar coat, the heiress putting it on.
"But, what about father? Your mom was right, he'll send out Aurors for me if I never show up at home."
"Fuck, fine." Nick said before he flicked his wand, a dragon made of light blue light appearing before the teens, roaring noiselessly into the air. Nick told the monstrous construct a message, where it proceeded to become a huge wisp of blue light that flew off in the direction of Grimmauld Place. "There, now let's go." Before she could say anything otherwise, Bellatrix felt a tug on her navel as Nick apparated the two of them out of the house.
Grimmauld Place..
Arcturus looked up from his paperwork and almost had a heart attack at the sight of the wispy blue Hungarian Horntail that stood in his office, realizing it was a Patronus as it began to speak in the young Lord Gaunt's voice. "Hello, Arcturus. Sorry to disturb your work and possibly give you a heart attack, but something's happened." Arcturus looked at the dragon, worried as it continued. "Nothing bad. Bellatrix wound up at my house, we got into a little spat and my mother decided to rectify that. I don't know if you know of the leash jinx, but until whatever issue between us is resolved, we cannot be more than about five feet apart, even by apparition. If she was to attempt to, she'd probably splinch herself, not gonna lie. But we're fine, Bellatrix just had to stick with me for the day. I promise, I'll have her home by dinner. Hopefully." As the message ended and the beast faded from the room, Arcturus chuckled.
"For two who say they aren't close, it seems things beyond their control are trying to push them to that point regardless. At least Nick is the courteous kind, sending a message instead of having Bella get in trouble when she gets home. He's a good kid."
Outside the door to his office, Walburga stood, fuming from what she'd just heard. Turning on her heel, she began to prepare herself for an impromptu visit to her Master.
Leaky Cauldron..
Bellatrix steadied herself as her and Nick reappeared outside the Leaky Cauldron. Or more specifically, in the back alley that led to Diagon Alley. Nick held the door into the pub open for her, Bellatrix smiling as he gestures for her to enter first with a bow. "My lady, after you."
"Why thank you, my Lord. For someone who doesn't want us close, you're awfully bad at trying to keep it up. Downright goofy, I must say." She said with a giggle as they went in and sat in a darker corner of the pub.
A server came over to them and Nick spoke up again. "Two Infernos, please."
As the server walked away, Bellatrix made an impressed face. "Infernos, huh? Bold choice. So, why exactly are we drinking in the middle of the day at the Leaky Cauldron?"
"Simple. There's going to be an attack on the pub today." Bellatrix looked at him in shock. "I was already planning on coming here and stopping such things when you showed up at my house and got us stuck together."
"Oh, like this is hardly all my fault. If you weren't keeping so many secrets-"
"You'd think I belonged in the Mental Maladies wing of St. Mungo's if I told you all of that. It's bad enough you've entwined yourself with me so much already." He sighed. "And as for the Infernos, they boost a wizard's magic temporarily after drinking, hence why the alcohol content is actually suspiciously low. In the Muggle world, they engineered their own version of an Inferno, but theirs had.. unintended side effects. Have you ever heard of the European liquor called Absinthe?"
"Absinthe.. Isn't that the strangely glowing green liquor?"
"Exactly the same. Yes, well when a Muggle drinks too much of it, and if a wizard decides to go all out, blackout drunk on the stuff, you start seeing little green fairies that tend to insult the hell out of you. Some believe the fairies are summoned to the drinker, their reasons their own. But, my point is that Muggles are far more in tune with the magical world than any of us think. Electricity and medical sciences? For the Muggles, it's literally modern day alchemy. Hell, Nikola Tesla was thought to be a Serbian wizard when he first invented electricity, before Edison stole it, patented it and slapped it on a plastic lunchbox." He tapped the table twice with his fist, Bellatrix being confused. "Sorry, it's still far too early for that movie reference. I must admit, I won't be able to live fully quoting such things for at least another ten years. Despite growing up what would be fifty years from now, I was raised on music and movies from the eighties more than anything else. Anyway, do you notice anything off about the pub today?"
Bellatrix looked around, her eyes scanning the many patrons currently in the pub. She lingered on a table in the corner opposite them, where someone sat with a good covering their face, the already dim lighting of the pub making him even more concealed. "The guy in the far corner. It's already pretty dark in here, the hood is all too much." She commented. "Plus, I noticed a tiny bit of silver under it. The hood, I mean. Maybe a mask?"
Nick nodded. "Exactly. A Death Eater mask, no doubt. I don't know whether it's Mulciber, Theo Nott Sr. Or another one of his many followers. But, I know he's waiting for a signal to begin the attack. If I stop this, then a whole slew of kids hopefully won't be eager to join their ranks. And then we'll have less issues both at Hogwarts and after."
"Nick.. Do you plan on slaughtering whoever starts going after other patrons?"
Bellatrix sounded worried, but Nick knew why. This wasn't like him, normally. However, he also understood there was too much at stake to allow any of what transpired in one lifetime to happen again. He had felt too much like Neville, an outcast for most of his life, to let the boy go through life without his parents, even though it was the woman across from him who had in fact caused such things. Maybe that was why he felt so drawn to protecting her from that fate, other the fact she looked exactly like his best friend from before waking up in this life. "Bellatrix, I need to stop these attacks, show the world these pricks aren't in the right, especially those in power in the Ministry. Muggles aren't something to hate.. Muggleborns aren't something to loathe. One day, it may very well be a Muggle-born in your shoes at Hogwarts, considered the brightest of their generation.
"The point is that blood is nothing but just that, the liquid that runs through everyone's veins. You want to fight, Bellatrix? This is your chance. Show me you really don't believe in all this supremacy bullshit so I can consider allowing you to keep having my back."
Bellatrix was conflicted. She knew Nick had a point. She had seen talented Muggleborns in school before, but it was also hard to break through the wall of conditioning she and most Purebloods in Europe were raised by. But, even looking at Nick as he awaited her answer, Bellatrix took a deep breath as her fists balled up on her spandex (oh, the times!) leggings. "I have your back, just tell me what to do, Nick."
Nick was surprised. Arcturus had warned him (informed, more like, but semantics) that Bellatrix was a very tenacious young woman, determined to a possibly dangerous level. Even with said warning, however, Nick had expected her to actually decide to back out of what he was going to do. In a sense, he was murdering people, after all. But then again, he mused that it may have something to do with her and her family (bar Sirius) were usually Slytherin House alumni, and being ambitious to the point of ruthlessness was as Slytherin a trait as anything and might even technically endear her towards him more. Fuck, I need a plan B, then. And C through F, just in case. He thought as he noticed three more people, one a woman by the looks of the outline of her body behind the cloak she as well as her compatriots wore. They stopped in the middle of the pub, Nick seeing their hands moving to their wands. "It's about to start. You're sure you want to be involved in this? If someone sees you and recognizes you, it'll be ten times harder for me to protect you as I'm trying to."
Bellatrix smirked back at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she conjured a mask in her hand. "Then we'll just have to make sure the Death Eaters don't recognize me, won't we?"
Despite wanting to push her away with something dismissive as he'd been trying to all along, Nick found himself feeling the complete opposite. "You know, that determination is actually really hot on you." The girl blushed as Nick continued eyeing the two standing in the center of the pub. "On my mark. Oculus Nocturnal." He said, waving his wand around both of them as Bellatrix felt magic course through her corneas.
The woman looked over at whoever the Death Eater at the corner booth was and nodded, subtle but enough that Nick noticed the movement as he looked at Bellatrix again. "Don't panic." He said as the man stood from the booth, wand out.
"Nox Maxima!" He said as all the lights in the pub suddenly went out, sending the bar into mostly pure darkness. Nick and Bellatrix were otherwise unaffected, however, as Nick's spell had made their eyes able to see in the low light as he looked towards the bar. "Find Tom, don't worry about the jinx. Just get to Tom, tell him to contact the Aurora, tell him it's a Death Eater attack." Bellatrix looked unsure, knowing the leash jinx should knock her right back to Nick after a couple of steps. "Just go!" He whispered more urgently as he pretended he couldn't see, Bellatrix sneaking her way along the floor towards the bar. It's a good thing I wore such flexible clothing this morning. She thought as she dodged a stunning spell that whizzed too close to her head for comfort.
She reached the bar and looked back at Nick, who was now being approached by one of the two who had first been standing. Worried, she turned back around just as Nick let the rise go, a shield already formed in front of him as he knocked the Death Eater across the pub. Taking the opportunity while the other Death Eaters were distracted, Bellatrix slipped on her conjured mask and crept behind the bar, where Tom was crouched. "Tom, it's me. Bellatrix Black. Me and my.. friend are here to help, but call for the Aurors, get Head Auror Moody here now. Tell him it's a Death Eater attack." Tom, though bewildered, recognized her voice and sighed gratefully.
"Oh, thank Merlin you were here, then, Miss. Black. Consider it done." Nodding, Bellatrix turned and stood up to see over the bar, seeing more Death Eaters beginning to come into the pub.
"Damn it, and here I thought it was going to only be a couple of them." She cursed their luck, or maybe misfortune, and threw a Stupefy at the closest one, feeling satisfied as she heard the man grunt in confusion as his nose broke upon contact with the stone floor.
Nick, meanwhile, was now found out as the Death Eater he hadn't yet stunned pointed their wand at him, a sneer on their face. "Avad-agh!" He said as he was sent into the wall close by, courtesy of Bellatrix, whose masked face unnerved Nick even knowing she was fighting with him and not against. Nice shot. Nick thought to himself as he ducked from another streak of green light as the killing curse flew into the wall behind him, fizzling out into nothing as the spell had no effect on inanimate objects. "Relashio!" He cast, the offending Death Eater now on the ground, tied up like a wild hog to be put on a spit. With another flick of his wand, Nick covered the man's mouth with duct tape as he started shouting, the words muffled into coherent babbling behind the strip of tape.
Now there were only three more Death Eaters standing, the one who had first started the attack by cutting the lights off and the two newest to walk in, all three much more adequate at duelling than the ones who had already fallen had been. Nick figured they might even be the older Crabbe and Goyle, their fathers always having been told of as being just as stupid and dim as their sons had been. Nick was about to throw another curse at the instigator, an Avada this time as the doorto the pub blew open from a bombarda as an Alastor Moody young enough for Nick to almost not recognize appeared in the doorway, along with four other Aurors including- if Nick was correct- a mid twenty-something Kingsley Shacklebolt. He could have been wrong though, as Kingsley was really the only Auror of color present during anything the movies showed from Harry Potter.
"Wands on the ground, now!" Moody shouted, the Death Eaters still present attempting to cast off several last killing curses before trying to apparate away. Nick stopped the curses flying towards the Aurors, sending back stunners that missed as the last foes blinked away. "You! I said wands on the ground! Who do you think you-"
"Head Auror Moody, thank Merlin you've arrived." Bellatrix said, mask now off as she approached the Aurors and Nick.
"Miss. Black." Nodded Moody in greeting. "We would have been here sooner but someone cut off the Floo network. What in blazes are you doing out and about in the Leaky at a time like this anyway?"
"My friend here, Lord Negron of House Gaunt, and I were caught up in a bit of.. trouble by his mother. She tethered us together due to an argument and he brought me here to talk it out to undo the jinx. Unfortunately, those ruffians attacked in the middle of our drinks."
Moody hummed, inspecting Nick with intense scrutiny. "So you're the new Gaunt running around, eh? Did you do that to those few on the ground?"
"Only the one who looks like a pig to be roasted and the two laying against the far walls. The one who's head is now sporting a very bestial look," He motioned to one unconscious Death Eater who was now wearing the elk head that usually stood proud on the wall of the pub. "And the woman who probably has a broken nose now, I'm pretty sure was Bellatrix's doing. She's very apt at duelling. Dare I say Auror material." Nick didn't look at Bellatrix who blushed at his words, but Moody saw the reaction and chuckled.
"Yes, this one always has had a penchant for duelling. Won a tournament at Hogwarts in her second year, I was witness to the whole event. We were told this was a Death Eater attack, how did you know to get a message out to us so quickly?"
Bellatrix looked at Nick. "Nick said he had seen the Death Eater masks in the Prophet, and recognized it even in the dim light. The only reason him and I could see clearly is because he used the Eyeshine charm on us."
"The nocturnal vision spell? That's usually quite advanced a technique for a couple of seventeen year olds." He said suspiciously towards Nick.
Nick frowned. "I've always been pretty advanced, Auror Moody, sir. But, I would like to tell you a couple more things as we see just who these hidden enemies of ours truly are. I would guess as to the one who cut the Floo off being the woman, honestly. She did seem to make a sort of alohomora-esque motion with her wand towards the fireplace, and I know from Ilvermorny trips to MACUSA that the only ones capable of knowing such a spell would be inside men."
Moody frowned. "Yes, we came to the same conclusion but could never capture any of them, yet here you two are having done that five times better a job then my own Aurors." He looked at Bellatrix. "The Auror Corps would be lucky to have you among our ranks after graduation, Bellatrix."
Bellatrix shrugged. "Maybe. I haven't really decided what I want to do after graduating yet."
"Auror Moody, sir, I know of several sympathizers to the Death Eater cause within the Ministry, and I want to warn you to never allow that idiotic Imperius defense slide. Chances are, there's only one out of every ten that actually were. Everyone who follows Voldemort," The Aurors present shifted uncomfortably. "Is doing so by choice. Because they believe wizards and witches considered Muggleborn shouldn't have access to magic. Well, I want you to deliver a message to Voldemort and his followers when you bring this to everyone's attention. And I would make sure Fudge can't alter it, because he's softer than a baby crab and will eventually be coerced to working with Voldemort if things continue on the path they are. By the way, you wouldn't happen to have a Mr. Frank Longbottom with your group?"
"That would be me, Lord Gaunt." Said another man with short brown hair and a pair of glasses that hung around his neck. "What business would you have with me?"
"It's quite simple, but perhaps a bit too confidential to be said so.. out in the open. I have knowledge of things to come, and with my insight we may be able to destroy the git before he damages everything we love and destroys hundreds of not thousands of lives."
Moody looked at the boy like he should be thrown into Azkaban for such ramblings, but Bellatrix held her hand up. "He's right, Alastor. I.. I saw into his mind. He has knowledge that could save our entire culture from almost dying out. Tell him what you told me about Hogwarts attendance."
Nick hadn't said anything to the young Black heiress pertaining to Hogwarts, but he knew what she was talking about. "Oh, that. Right, by the time the next generation after us graduates from Hogwarts, there will be about a third, maybe a fourth of the total number of incoming students. That's only another twelve, maybe fifteen years depending on how early some families may start." He was talking about the Pureblood families now, the ones that married their heirs off between families at no older than eighteen and with a deadline of one year of marriage to produce an heir.
Moody nodded, the boys words ringing true to the older wizard who could sense when someone lied to his face. The boys statement before hid something, but this new testament to the future of Hogwarts and the Wizarding world at large wasn't only true, but frightening. "And all of this because of the ongoing war?"
"Yes sir. If things don't change now, you're going to have a whole lot of messes in the future, of that I can be certain."
Moody hummed then. "Longbottom, send these Death Eaters to the T&I department. Perhaps they can Garner some answers from these miscreants." Frank nodded and apparated along with the other Aurors present back to the Ministry as Moody turned to the teens. "As for you two, run along home for now. Depending on what and how many answers we get from our captives, we'll be in touch."
"Will do, Auror Moody. Please, though, preferably before school starts. I'd hate to have to explain to the Headmaster why one of his students is being interrogated by Aurors on school grounds."
Moody chuckled. "Old Albus probably wouldn't be that surprised, truth be told. Just don't leave the country, both of you."
Bellatrix put her hand on her chest. "I would never. Auror Moody, you've known me and my siblings since we were babies. When have I in particular been in big trouble?"
"I don't know, you were always one of the best, kid. Now get home. You two said you had some jinx to break, right?"
"Exactly right, sir. We'll be on our way, then. Come on, Bellatrix." Nick said, walking towards the now non-existent door after handing the Head Auror a piece of parchment with the message he intended to send to Tom. "I'll be waiting to see the announcement tonight in the Evening Prophet." While lesser known, there was in fact an evening edition of the Daily Prophet that went out four times a week, and tonight's issue would likely be a very special edition.
Bellatrix smiled as she followed after Nick, remembering something as she turned. "Have a good rest of your night, Moody!" She waved back, giggling as she turned back around as Nick apparated them back to his home.
As Bellatrix landed back on Nick's property, she turned to him. "So.. why was the jinx not acting up while we were fighting on opposite ends of the room?" She asked curiously. "Also, we never got to have our drinks."
"There's always other chances. But, as for the jinx.. I extended it so we could effectively fight those bastards off."
Bellatrix looked at him in angry shock as she spoke. "So you mean to tell me you knew how to alter the spell and still kept it active?!"
Nick shrugged. "That's the beauty of my mother's personal favorite jinx. You can alter it while it's up, but it can't be broken until we actually meet those requirements."
Bellatrix attempted to move further from him again but after two steps backwards she went face first into Nick's chest. "Ugh! We haven't broken it yet?"
"Nope, because the point of those drinks was to work it out and break the jinx. Unfortunately, the pub is now indisposed and I don't feel like apparating to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade at the moment. So, instead, we're going to do this here." He said, conjuring up two small glasses with never-melting ice cubes in them and a bottle of a deep red liquid that seemed to flare like a fire, despite being an entirely different medium of matter. The label read Inferno and behind it was the depiction of a Chinese Fireball, fitting for the name in Bellatrix's opinion.
She crossed her arms then, smirking. "Oh, so you want me to get drunk but not drunk here in your bedroom, is that right?" She looked at the walls, where she could still see some of the posters that shouldn't exist. "And you say you want me to stay away from you."
Nick rolled his eyes at the flirty statement. "I still want you to, but I know you're probably not going to listen to a word I say unless I agree to your help, aren't you?"
"Not even one."
"Fine, then. If it'll please you to help me, for whatever reason, then I'll let you. But, you don't stray far from me unless necessary, got it?"
Bellatrix mimed crossing her heart. "Just give me the word, master." She giggled as Nick groaned.
"Please don't do that."
"Fine, fine." Bellatrix replied, still laughing. "Then, I have a request for you."
"Oh, Merlin. What is it?"
"I want to see what you know about my future.." Nick frowned at her. "It's been plaguing my mind, Nick! I need to know why you're so scared of what I could become. I just want you to let me in."
"I've told you before, Bella. Nothing you could learn from those memories of mine would be good for you, not really. I might give you nightmares from it, actually."
He's seriously deflecting it with that excuse? She thought as she frowned. "I don't give a dragon's asshole about all that, Nick! I want to know, whatever happens."
Nick sighed. This is going to wind up being a really bad idea.. He thought as he looked at Bellatrix's increasingly sad eyes and knew he couldn't keep saying no, not when the face that looked back at him was one he'd looked at all too often over his seventeen years of life.
"Fuck.." He sighed out. "Fine, but I am not to blame if you have a damned mental break. I'm serious, some of this shit will scar you." He closed his eyes for a moment, clearing his mind of everything other than the old Bellatrix. "Alright, go on, then."
Bellatrix nodded, wand at the ready. "Legilimens." And suddenly, Bellatrix found herself overwhelmed.
Sometime later, Bellatrix came back to reality gasping for air like she had become a mermaid suddenly and now had gills. She fell to the floor on her hands and knees, vomiting all over the carpet of Nick's room. Nick sat at his desk, somehow finding his way there while Bellatrix was walking in his mind. "Now do you see why I didn't want you seeing any of that?"
Bellatrix regained her wits, sitting down while vanishing her mess from the floor. Panting, she nodded with a gulp. "That was.. That was really me?"
Nick nodded. "The you my time remembers, yes. Or world, honestly I don't know whether I hopped dimensions or through time more than the other, because both explanations are pretty viable."
Bellatrix was lost in the memories of a time she'd loved yet hadn't. "I killed him.. Siri.."
"Yeah, the pain hurts worse because of your relationship here. You killed Sirius Black your cousin, not brother. But, you see why I need that to erase itself from time now, right? That was you if your personality was wiped clean and replaced by what he wants. And I promise you, Bellatrix.." Nick went over to her and helped her up, their eyes never leaving each other's. "I'll die before I let that madman turn you into that monster a second time over."
Her hand had found its way onto the center of Nick's chest again, balling the fabric of his shirt. "Nick.." She felt like she was going to cry. "Why all this for a girl you feel so afraid of.. to get close to..? It doesn't make sense to me."
"It doesn't make much sense to me either, Bellatrix.. but now I've seen this.. less homicidal side of yo-ow! Really? Too soon?"
"Honestly. Ugh, boys."
Nick smiled, chuckling despite himself. This Bellatrix in front of him, even if she acted more like and even looked like a mirror image of Trixie, was so much like Hermione in the books that Hermione really could have been Bellatrix's daughter like some fanfictions read as. "Well, I'm just saying, I kinda like this spunky, more rebellious Bellatrix than the old one, by far. You already don't seem to mind people like James.. Gryffindors, I mean."
Bellatrix giggled. "Oh, James is a special case. See, the girl he likes? Well, adores, really. She's Muggleborn, but very bright. Her and I tend to tie in most of the subjects we shared throughout our tenure at Hogwarts. And she's a Gryffindor too, mind you. But neither of them give much of a dragon's arse to give a shite about House borders. Plus, it isn't so bad. Most Houses eat together at lunch with no problems. Unless someone talks ill of Lucina's hair, of course."
Nick hummed. "Well, you and this Lucina sound close. I've yet to meet the Malfoy that would replace that sorry excuse for a human being." Memories of what Lucius had done, the people he manipulated into Voldemort's puppets on orders from Riddle flashed through Nick's mind as he spoke, and he shook his head of the thoughts. "But, perhaps she'll surprise me like you have. You know, her father tried to pawn her onto me like I was a saving grace for him, just adopting her into my House. I.. honestly haven't decided because I told Abraxas I wouldn't agree unless I met with her and we interacted to see how she is, gauge this version's perception of who she is, you know?"
"Lord Malfoy asked you to adopt Lucina into your family? Just to keep her out of harm from whatever will happen with this war?" Nick nodded. "Hmm. More caring a father than he lets on. Most people think Lucina reminds Abraxas of her mother too much and that's why he shuffles her off for a lot of House duties. Funnily enough, Lucina and her mother's resemblance is oddly similar to my own with this Trixie you once knew."
"I could see that. But, either way we shall see once the term begins, I think. She'll probably be seeking me out on her father's advice."
"Either you or I, my Lord. I.. I must be going. Are we..?"
Nick laughed. "Yes, the jinx is broken. Go on now, and I'd tell your father what happened before he finds out by other means."
"Yes, I should probably try to lessen such punishments for my actions today, shouldn't I?" Bellatrix didn't move for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something else until she turned and left his room. "Goodbye, Nick. This morning was.. fun. Kind of." With another giggle, the girl was gone, Nick having heard the door close moments after her disappearance.
Nick sat back down and leaned back, chuckling. Oh, now I'm really playing with fire. Hogwarts isn't ready for me..
"So, when can I expect your girlfriend back around? Christmas break?" Came Neela's voice from the doorway as Nick jumped in his seat, scared.
"Mom! Damn it! Gonna give me a fricking heart attack. And Bellatrix isn't my girlfriend." He grumbled, making his mom giggle as she moved away from the door.
"You can't extend the leash unless you have feelings for the other involved, Nick. I made the damned thing, remember?" She outright cackled as her voice faded down the stairs, making Nick sigh as he looked back out his window, the sun high over London and looking as peaceful as anything.
Of course I fucking remember that! It's gotta be because she reminds me so much of Trixie.. But that still doesn't make any sense! Frustrated, he sat at his desk and contemplated how the train ride to school would be. Eventful, since someone's parent or parents would have been involved with the attack on the Leaky Cauldron and it would be put on his and maybe Bellatrix's heads as to blame..
Late That Night, Black Manor..
Bellatrix found herself bolting upright in bed, her sheets drenched in the same sweat that made her hair stick to her shoulders and her face, disrupting her vision as she took in her bedroom as the memory of what she had just been witnessing as she dreamt replayed in her head. What are these.. are they her memories..? She thought as she looked outside her window at the moonless sky, wondering if Nick had trouble sleeping because of knowing so much about this time period despite being from another.
Then she remembered the warning Nick had issued the Dark Lord by way of Auror Moody. Tom, you are a disgrace to everything you yourself are and I'll be damned if you'll take anything over. I'm here, I know all your tricks. I know what you'll do decades in advance. As the only other Gaunt alive, it falls to me to stop your mucking up of literally everything in the Wizarding world. Your days are numbered. See you soon, Dark Lord of Nothing.
You're starting a war of your own, Nick. And this is going to be a hard fight, especially after seeing that Bellatrix in action.. She thumbed the onyx pendant of her necklace, a small smile on her face. It doesn't matter. Nick won't let me become that bitch, and neither will I. I just hope school doesn't become a big obstacle..
Elsewhere..
Voldemort had been unapproachable since the announcement in the Evening Prophet inserted into the article about his failed attack on that damned Muggleborn haven of a pub. And outdone by two teenagers! It was unheard of, and when Voldemort got his hands on this teenage Lord and his little friend, he'd make them both wish they'd never even been born.
Malfoy Manor..
Abraxas sighed in relief at the letter from Lord Gaunt, offering his acceptance at taking Lucina into his family if something were to happen to Abraxas. Lucina wasn't going to like it, that was definitely true, but she would get over it. Especially after she read the note he was about to leave inside her school trunk, concealed until his imminent death.
A/N: Abraxas was the one responsible for the attack, and Voldemort is one mistake away from ending him, so there's that foreshadowing lmfao. Again, thanks to everyone who's enjoying this story it's been a blast to say the least to write but I'm happy others are enjoying it as well. Until next chapter!