Disclaimer: If you can recognize it, I do not own it. I am trying to work with Grammarly because my spelling and grammar could use some work. I hope you enjoy the story. I may be slow to update (I have a lot written but I hate editing). I apologize beforehand.

The wizarding war ended much faster then anyone saw coming. There were many battles, and even more deaths during Harry's fifth and sixth year, Voldemort coming out of the woodwork almost instantly after his rebirth. But all of a sudden it was just finished. During the final battle, where he had attacked Hogwarts, once he was killed, everyone wearing his mark just collapsed. Few were informed why and truthfully, Harry did not care. She was just happy it was finished, that nearly everyone was captured and she could finally live her life.

This is why she was extremely confused as to why Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic brought her to the Ministry. She had made it very clear she wanted nothing to do with the war or making decisions now that it was finished. It was even more surprising since Kingsley knew just how ill her godfather was ill and that she wanted to spend every moment she could with him. She was told to take a seat and there were a number of Order and ministry members present. "Kingsley," She said silently demanding an answer.

"You will know soon enough, it is not to do with you being the women who concurred," he promised as everyone settled in. "As some of you may already know, we have found an issue with the dark marks."

Harry groaned this could not in any way be good "and what exactly is the issue with the dark marks?"

"Once they faded, a lot of people became shockingly horrified about there actions, we've done some research and it was a form of slavers binding, meaning the actions under them are not completely there own doing, twisting there magic and minds."

"Ad this has to do with me how," Harry demanded since the few others present seemed to all be aware of this.

"There is a very rare option that has not been used in over fifty years," Kingsley said trying to word this correctly so she did not immediately run, "but the wizenmagot is considering it. Instead of prison, a de-aging potion."

While potions were far from her best subject, she knew enough that they weren't a solution. Anyone she had read up on was not permanent and dangerous to use. She did not see how this was a solution. "What would that do, they are temporary and are physical. It wouldn't help anything."

"This one is not, it is permanent," Kingsley said. This was a pretty big secret she was being informed of. "It's less of a potion and more of a ritual. It is to remove life or increase you have to give something, to take you must give in equal measures."

"AAAANNNND." None of this said why she was here and it was not an explanation.

"In this, it is not just there bodies de-aged but their minds," Kingsley stated. They will be at the state of their younger selves. Lose who they became. The magic world lost so many people...if we don't do something we will end up dying off. It is felt they can't afford to lose another hundred people completely. If they can be taken back to a time before they took the marks..."

"So you will have dozens of babies," Harry said trying to understand. It didn't seem like an entirely bad idea. She hated Azkaban as a whole. It would be the death of Sirius. It had taken so much from him. Yes, some people deserved to be punished but this seemed like a better option.

"And young children but that is the idea yes," a woman Harry did not know agreed. "Its a very complex ritual but that is the idea. A second chance to learn to be valued members of society."

That was all well and good but did not explain why she was here. "Okay, that sounds brilliant, but why am I here? I already made it clear, I won't be some marketing scheme for the ministry. If you want people to focus on your goals, I won't be part of it. I want to avoid all those things."

Now, this is the part that Kingsley was worried she would freak out over. "Because your Lady Black," he said. "We are picking and choosing who goes through this ritual very carefully because magic herself has to accept them. The issue becomes who falls under house Blacks control."

Harry instantly knew who he was implying. She did not know what she thought of having a say over someone's life in that manner. It seemed like a dangerous route because she wasn't unbiased in regard to the woman. "Bellatrix, wouldn't her sisters have a say."

"Andromeda refused outright, Narcissa Malfoy is not an option, she is married to a death eater, even if his crimes are minimal in comparison. she was a sympathizer. It would do us no good to have them trained and raised to become who they were," Kingsley said.

"So I need to okay whose raising her." Kingsley looked at her seriously, and she realized what he was really asking her. "Bloody hell King," she protested. "I'm 16, I don't even turn 17 for another month. You want me to raise her?"

"People are wary about who they will trust raising certain individuals," the same women from before spoke. "If she as one of the faces of the death eaters is in someone who is trusted, care, there will be less out roar and she is a member of your house."

"I'm 16." How could they possibly think this was a good idea? She knew nothing about caring for children. She practically was one herself.
This was where Kingsley had to be clear. "And if you say no, they will return to Azkaban."

"They?"

"There is no Lord Lestrange, through vessel ship and marriage, you are the only one allied and able to have both Lestrange brothers."

This was getting even more insane than ever. There was no way she could care for three children. "Bloody hell."

"We wish to offer the option to Sirius as well," Kingsley stated.

Harry inhaled at that. He was not able to care for children. He was sick and Kingsley knew that. She then realized what he could be implying but she had to be wrong. Sirius wasn't a death eater. Why would they de-age him? "What?"

Kingsley spoke again. "Sirius is my friend as well. He is not going to survive much longer, dementor damage. It is not fair because he is a good man who has done nothing to deserve it but he is dying."

Harry flinched, "I'm aware of that."

"But if he is de-aged, the damage will be gone, he will be given a new start."

Harry had no idea what to say about any of this. It seemed entirely insane. "Go home, think about it," Kingsley said. "Talk to Sirius and get back to us. I know this is a lot to ask anyone, Harry. I know you've already given up enough but I won't lie to you. We want this to go through and you are our best option."

Harry returned to Grimwald Place in a fog. This entire thing was insane. It should have been impossible. The idea was terrifying but her mind was focused on Sirius. Losing him was killing her. She did not want her godfather to die. But if he was de-aged he wouldn't be her godfather anymore.

Sirius seemed to know what she was thinking the moment she entered the room he was resting in. "Kingsley finally got you to go in did he?"
Harry nodded sitting down. "Yeah. I don't know what to do Sirius. He is asking me to make decisions on people's lives."

Sirius nodded, it was too much to ask of such a young girl. Especially, one who had been through so much. "Did I ever tell you Bellatrix was my favorite cousin," Sirius asked causing Harry to look surprised. "I loved her to death. She was my favorite."

"Really?" Harry could hardly believe it. They seemed like opposites. After all, it was Bellatrix. But Sirius rarely said something he did not mean.
Sirius nodded, lost in the memories. "She was funny, she had the best sense of humor, she loved pranks...but most of all, she was protective of us. Of her sisters, of me and Regulus. She did so much for us and we never realized until it was too late. She is five years older than me, but I was so young I never saw her twisting. I never saw when she stopped being our Bella and became Bellatrix as we know her now"

"Twisting? Black family madness," Harry asked. She had heard the phrase before. Mostly in Snape's mocking of Sirius.

"Her father used to beat her senseless, her and both her sisters but Bella, she was the strong one. She'd take the beatings for them. Sometimes for me too with my parents. What I didn't know is that it was worse than beatings, including sexual abuse. He forced her to use dark magic, punished her by cursing her with the cruciotus. Bella by the time she was thirteen, was no longer our Bella. I believe that is when the death eaters began converting her. One of her first actions as a death eater, trained by Voldemort himself was to have her father killed. She hated dark magic, but cast it because she had no choice and certain magics, diving too deep, too young causes insanity. She was my favorite cousin Harry. My best friend growing up in the hell that was these walls. My protector. My Trixie died before she was thirteen and Bellatrix is what she became."

Harry had no idea how to take that. Bellatrix was the thing of nightmares but the way he spoke for her. There was love there. "What about the Lestrange brothers?"

"Rabastan wouldn't have hurt a fly, he was a quiet caring boy but Harry, the way we were raised, I ran and was kicked out. I left out of pure desperation to escape absolute hell. They never got out. They didn't have your dad to save them. I can't save them, or I would raise them as children should have been. I'd raise them in a home that knows love and happiness. Smiles instead of fear. They never had that. They never got to go live with the Potters and learn about friendship and family. They were raised to become monsters. Tortured until it happened. I don't know if anyone is truly born bad. I doubt even Voldemort was born evil. People say some are...the three of them were not. They were turned that way."

Harry cringed remembering her own childhood. It was a horrible one. But Hogwarts was her escape. Would it have been one if she was a Slytherin, surrounded by others raised the same? Would she have had a chance if instead of just being abused, she was forced to cast curses and taught to hurt people? "Are you going to take the deal, Sirius."

He cringed, he had not been sure if Kingsley would mention that to her or not. "I don't want you to be responsible for me, more pressure on you. You've been through so much, and we are already asking too much of you. I won't put more on your shoulders."

It was very clear he thought she should take the others in. But the idea of losing Sirius, it made her ill. He was all she had. Even if he was a child, it would be better then living in a world without him. "And if I was willing," Harry asked. "I don't want you to die Sirius. I want you to be here. If I was willing to take you in, would you take the deal?"

He was hesitant to answer. It all came down to how young she was. He would take the deal if it wouldn't hurt her and he knew she knew that as well. "Your 16."

Though that had been her main objection to this all, the more she thought of it, she wasn't a normal sixteen-year-old. She didn't know how she would manage but could she really have a normal childhood anyways? She was nearly an adult and she had been through too much to just ignore it. If it gave him a chance, she would do anything. "But am I really," Harry asked. "I've fought the dark lord and his armies. I'm considering taking custody of someone, three someones who tortured me, Sirius. I'd raise you."

It wasn't just the idea of being dependent on the girl he should have raised that was the issue. "I'd forget James."

"Not if we put memories in a Pensieve," Harry offered. She could understand that hurting the Marauder but the more she thought on the idea...even having Sirius as a child would be something. Giving him an opportunity to have a childhood without his mother hurting him.

"Your...considering this."

"I'd give you a good childhood, I'm not sure if I'm mom material but I'd love you, I'd raise you properly."

Sirius was silent a moment. "Take some more time, think about it. It is a lot to decide on. Give yourself some time okay?"

Harry nodded curling up beside him. Neither said anything else on the matter, they were just left to there own thoughts.

She decided that besides Sirius, there was one other person she really needed to talk to. The one person in the world, that the Lestrange's hurt more than anyone else. He deserved to have a say in there fate. The final decision should not be up to her. "Neville, I need your advice," Harry said as she met him at his place. Happy he was so willing to meet up with her with barely any notice. "And your opinion."

"Okay," he said really confused. "What's going on Harry? You seem stressed."

Taking a break, Harry carefully explained the problem and everything it entailed. When she was finished, he was silent. Finally, after some time had passed, he spoke, "Do it, Harry," He said shocking her. She had not expected that response.

"What...don't you want them to pay in Azkaban for what they've done."

Neville shook his head. "There has been enough death, enough suffering Harry," Neville said. He sounded tired and much older than his sixteen years. "This is better revenge in the end. You save them. You will raise them to be someone they'd have sooner hexed. You'd raise them to be tolerant, loving, caring. You would kill the people who tortured my parents. They'd never exist. I think that is an act of better revenge. I'm tired of the fighting. I think we need a chance to rebuild. This is a good opportunity to start that."

Harry took in his answer and realized that he was right. But she also thought of Sirius. His situation was different but if it could take back the damage from the Dementors, maybe it could help others. Including two people who were very important to her friend. "Nev, what about your parents, if this is possible, bringing them back to children, I know they wouldn't be your parents but they'd get a second chance. They wouldn't be in a hospital bed anymore."

His eyes widened, that idea had never dawned on him. "Do you think that would work? I mean its Crucio damage."

"I think they think it will work on Sirius. I don't know why it wouldn't work on them."

"Do you think they would be willing to let them," Neville asked. "I'd do it without a second thought."

Harry nodded. If they didn't agree automatically, Kingsley was asking a lot of her. She could make sure he would agree to that. She didn't like using her status, but the expression on Neville's face at even the idea of it would be worth it. "I'm sure I can talk to Kingsley."