Core problems and Bella

Much later Harry woke up as the two elves popped in. "Hey guys" a sleepy Harry said. "Harry" the elves answered while conjuring a table for the food.

"What have you guys for us?" Harry asked the elves. Before waiting for a reply he got up and went to the table. Some of Harry's favorite foods were on display with pumpkin juice. The snakes each had a few pieces of raw meat.

Something that bugged Harry for some time came too light. "Why do you guys eat so much? Usually snakes eat only once a week or so?"

A moment passed before medusa replied. "I myself use magic so I need to keep my energy reserves high. The species I am is also of a nature that does not hibernate."

Harry nodded still thoughtful. "Do you have children?" Medusa stuttered before she replied. "We do, only two. We are mammals as well so there are no eggs."

Finishing the food in his mouth Harry asked the next question. "Except for the four of you are there more of you? I mean before you I have never heard, seen or read of you?"

"No we were created by Morgan le Fay right after her departure of Merlin. Unfortunately we can only reproduce males so that is why there are four of us." Medusa answered.

Harry nodded again and immediately asked. "Where are they?"

Medusa became uncomfortable. She saw her hubby as well. "They are at the temple of our creator." Harry did not see this coming. "Oh." A moment of silence passed before he continued. "We need to get them. O yeah your new name is Poseidon." Harry added to medusas hubby.

Shocked that anyone could just give a so you know answer for something that is actually quite big was not very enlightening.

The king though was not done. "What are you going to do at the temple of Le Fay?" Harry thought for a moment before he continued.

"I don't know yet let's ask Merlin. Merlin" Harry called.

A moment passed before he appeared. "Good day all. I see you have changed home."

Harry nodded.

Before another word could be said Merlin continued "You can incorporate the trunk with the castle as well. Just go to the ward room ad link the trunk with the wards. Once done the properties of the trunk will be propagated to the castle. Unfortunately the trunk will be unusable until the link is broken. The castle will change according to your needs again."

"I will do that once breakfast is done." Merlin nodded. "First of all what happened to Morgan le Fay's temple?" Harry asked.

"I think it will be more appropriate to ask what happened to her. Where to start? Well basically the way it ended was I killed her and bound her spirit to her temple and she will remain like that until someone rescue her." This he said with great sorrow.

"Will you go and release her?" Merlin asked after a moment. "Please."

Harry nodded but continued "Not yet. I first want to change Medusas core" As he said this, the scar on his head exploded with pain. Harry gripped the offender and immediately apparated out of the trunk into the castle where a dropped like a sack of crap on the floor.

Voldemort's lair…

Harry appeared in the entrance of the room. The moment he landed he started looking for Ginny but fortunately she was not there. Then he looked at the people in the room which included Severus, the two Lestranges, Lucuis and Tom.

Bellatrix was on the floor and she did not look well.

"Severus you are telling me that you have been using the strongest control potion you have." "Yes master." Severus replied.

"Lucuis have you found anything else." "No master."

Tom was livid. Walking to the prone figure of Bellatrix he kicked her savagely in the ribs. She merely grunted and rolled over.

"Bella, Bella, Bella it seems you have outlived your usefulness. After all these years you develop some defense against my control. Well then I guess it is over. Say good bye Bella." He raised his wand to use AK.

"Master a request." Tom stopped and looked at Rudolph.

"Master in our marriage contact it is stated that if we divorce she will die of severe pain. I must want it to happen and I simply need to remove the ring I presented her with."

Tom smiled. "Let's see what happens."

Lestrestrange walked to his wife and gripped her hand. She tried to fight it but she was too weak. He got a hold of the ring and with a malicious grin he removed the ring.

Immediately she started screaming blue murder. She curled into a ball.

All present was laughing. Harry stood there shocked. He walked over to her and touched her but it did not help much. If this is what he felt he could only imagine what she was going through. She momentarily lifted her head at him.

Harry looked at the one that killed his godfather. He wanted her dead but what he heard now was not what he had in mind. He knew that if she was controlled that she had little or no choice. She looked at him again and with a pleading face mouthed she was sorry.

Forming a plan he hit her with Legilimence. She started fighting and building walls. Very calmly he asked her.

"Let me in." at once the walls fell away. Something fell and Harry felt as if he was sucked in. He felt the pain that she felt and he saw from her point of view.

Quickly building his occlumency walls around the pain he kept screaming for the effects.

"What is going on Bella?" Harry asked in her\his mind? "You are currently possessing me" She replied.

"Not that. With them is what I mean. And what is he doing to you?" Harry replied.

"They cannot control me anymore so he removed the ring he gave to me at the time of our marriage. In the contract this is what was supposed to happen if certain conditions were met. Besides you know magical contracts they have a way to be very literal." Bella replied.

"How do we break it?" Harry asked. She started laughing.

Seeing the serious look on his face she stopped and became serious herself. "Well another person must accept me then that bastard needs to be killed."

"How do we do that?" Harry asked.

"Well you need to give me a ring. Once that is done there is a small ritual where you have to accept me as a slave and wife while I have to accept being your slave." She replied. Harry was flabbergasted. Ever so slowly he repeated. "Slave and wife?" She nodded. "No other way?" he asked hopeful. She shook her head.

With not so great anticipation Harry said. "Well Bella in that case are you willing? They are getting a bit antsy so do not take too long to decide."

She nodded. Recalling a ring he scooped up in his vault he concentrated on it. A moment passed and he found it in her hand. Smiling he shrewdly placed it on her finger. As he placed it he started seeing her life flash before his eyes all the things she did from childhood to date. What was important to him was the way she felt after each killing. He could see a small part of her died with it even though she was not guilty.

He saw her resolve at fighting the Imperious curses and potions wane as she lost the fight for her mind. Four people placing the curse at a time with a potion. She had no chance. He saw her working her occlumency that put him to shame but until now it never paid of enough. She was a master now. While this was happening she saw all of Harry's life as well. To say she was shocked would be an understatement

Even after all he saw he knew he made a correct choice. The words, full of love, started tumbling from his mouth. He knew her, her whole live and she his. He knew this was the case but would only be sure once they talked afterwards. "I Harry James Potter accepts you Bellatrix Black as my wife and slave will you accept my proposition." She knew she now had a chance so she started as well. She was the single person in the world that truly knew him and for that and the chance he gave her she loved him.

"I Bellatrix Black accept you Harry James Potter as my husband and master." As this conversation was playing in their mind Tom Riddle was growing impatient.

"Rudolph, how long does this last? I am growing weary of this waiting." "Usually it takes but a few minutes master." Lestrange answered with a slight frown.

Bella\Harry suddenly stopped screaming. Feeling the comforting weight of a dagger in his\Her boot Harry stuck his hand in the boot and removed the dagger. Slowly he got up.

"She was supposed to be dead." Lestrange said. Tom raised his wand and cast AK at her. As she was actually Harry now he simply summoned Tom's throne wandlessly in the path at the curse. He did not wait to see the destruction of the over dramatic chair but leaped at Lestrange with the dagger aimed and ready. He struck the fool in the hart and the magic washed over him\her to fulfill the contract.

As he fell her wand fell from his robe. Lucuis and Severus returned from the plane of shock and cast the AK at the same time.

Falling back on his haunches Harry rolled and scooped the wand up. The moment Harry felt the wand he apparated them to the castle.

As they landed Harry was out of her mind in his own. At that moment he passed out.

A bruised and bloody Bella scooped him up before he fell. Soon enough she was on her way to the ground in anyway. Winky and Dobby appeared with soft twin pops. Snapping his fingers he levitated Harry before he fell. Winky did the same for Bella.

Closing her eyes Bella felt herself be caught by the strangest sight that she could imagine, properly dressed house elves. Then she knew no more.

The elves quickly levitated both into the trunk and to Harry's bedroom. They placed them together on the bed and left for the study. Harry held all his potions that were required at a moments notice here. The elves returned with a bundle of potions each.

"Let's help her first she is in bad shape." Winky said. Dobby nodded and levitated the potions from her hands. She walked over to Bella and concentrated for a moment. She held her one hand out over the head of Bella and the other over her abdomen. She snapped both fingers at the same time.

Slowly an aura started to appear around Bella.

"Oh dear!" Winky exclaimed. Dobby's ears dropped. She was held under the Crucatious curse for a very long time and all the control potions have damaged her organs as well.

Summoning the potions Winky started to apparate the potions one after the other directly into the bloodstream of Bella.

Several general healing draughts found their way in first. Then two more potions, for the after effects of the Crucatious, were added to alleviate the stress on the nerve endings. Two sleeping draughts was added was the last things the doctor ordered. She would be out for the count for at least twenty four hours.

They turned to Harry and she did the same for him. Fortunately he only needed strength potions to help with his physical strength. For some reason the possession of another person placed a lot of stress on his physical condition.

At the lair of our favorite dark lord…

Tom watched as the female disappeared. It was surreal. Here she was basically dead on the ground screaming blue bloody murder, or was it bloody blue er red, and now she was gone and his inner circle was once again one short after he painstakingly recovered them the week after they were taken from him.

He must have voiced it because at that moment Lucuis spoke up.

"Master the only way to get out of this contract is by having a groom willing to accept the woman and kill her master. She must be willing to accept the position of his slave. As we saw what she just did, as I mean she killed him, I am not too sure of what is going on."

"Crucio" Lucuis fell on the ground writhing in pain. "Stop babbling." Tom was not mad. No, he was certainly not mad he was confused. "How did she apparate through my wards?" Not one of them had any idée.

"You two better start looking for wards to complete this place." He looked around the throne room and frowned at his chair. Waving his wand and muttering Conjures it reappeared.

Sitting down he looked at the two of them. "Go find whatever you can and bring it to me. If they are any good we will all three put them on separately and together. Soon we will go to Azkaban and get the rest of my servants as well as the dementors. Now go."

Lucuis swish and flicked his wand and uttered the levitation curse on the body of Lestrange. It rose and started to follow him.

"Leave him here. He will later be used in a ward." Tom riddle said. Lucuis cancelled his spell bowed again and left.

Back in Harry's trunk…

After receiving the potions Harry started moving and woke up. Once he saw Bella next to him he smiled and held her hand for moment letting his love flow to her.

He turned to the elves. "You guys did great." Both beamed at him. "I have a job for you guys what you say." They both jumped happy. "Anything for Harry."

"Poseidon." Harry called. The snake came into the room and slithered up to Harry with medusa in tow. Where is the king? He left master. Harry is the name you will use. Harry said to Poseidon.

The snake nodded. Go with Winky and Dobby to Hogwarts and collect the body of the basilisk in the chamber. Harry said to the snake. Why do you want that? Medusa asked. How can you ask the master something like that? Poseidon asked in a shocked voice.

At this all of them started laughing. He mumbled something under his breath and dropped his head. Anyway once you retrieve him the castle will provide a place for it.

The snake and the elves nodded. Dobby took Poseidon in his arms and together they popped away.

So I see you found what you needed? Medusa said more than asked. Harry looked at his hand and turned back to her. "Yes you are right. Anyway let's go and have a look at that core of yours again."

She slithered up to him and came to rest in his legs. Together they started meditating and in what felt like ten minutes they were at their cores. The door was still open and Harry saw a new one that had appeared.

That would be hers. Medusa answered the unasked question.

"Do all couples have this connection?" Harry asked. Medusa shook her head. No you need to create a bond greater than marriage to do this.

"How do you know so much about this bonds and cores?" Harry asked.

Tom was fascinated with these things. The dark mark is actually nothing but a bond. As you provide power by the link to your trunk they provide power to him as well. He just takes a lot more from them. the last part she added with disgust.

Harry nodded thoughtful for a moment. "If I understood you correctly earlier you have magic but it replenishes very slowly." She nodded before he continued. "In order to increase the rate of replenishment you need to start doing more magic." She nodded again. He continued. "Because you have a small volume of magic you cannot really exercise your magic enough." She nodded.

"How do you create a link for your magic? Or more specifically, how do I create a link to you?" Harry asked.

Because of the doorway you take you stick your hand on your core and drag a piece to my core. She replied.

"That simple?" He asked to which she nodded. And to do it to something else without a door you have to do the same to the floor but you must imagine the thing to connect to.

"Very well." With that he went to his core and took a hold of a small piece on the edge. He dragged it to her core. Holding it still he asked. "How do I connect it?"

Just imagine a connection. Remember for everything you do in here there are different rituals to do that have the same effect. In here it is merely on a more instinctual basis. She replied.

Harry nodded and imagined the extension of his core connected to hers.

No you need to think that once my magic is full it will stop giving me magic and that it should only do that while you have excess magic.

Harry nodded. Doing as she said he changed it so that he would feed her as long as his magic was at eighty percent.

Once the connection was created he saw her core, which was at about thirty percent full, to fill in less than five minutes. Mutely they watched as the connection throbbed and the magic was transferred. Three minutes later her crystal was full as well. The magic stopped flowing.

Harry smiled at her. He saw the magic start flowing in the other direction. He frowned and looked at medusa. As long as my magic is full it will transfer to you.

Harry nodded.

"How do we make your crystal larger?" Harry asked.

We will have to research how crystals are made. Medusa answered. "Won't it work on an instinctive level here as well?" Harry asked. She nodded. Yes but it will use more energy, a lot more. And the crystal can never be larger than my core. Remember whatever happens here is done with raw magic.

"Lets try?" Harry said. Doubtful she said Ok

Harry walked to the crystal and placed his hands around the crystal. "Grow!" He said with authority. Ever so slowly the crystal flickered and very slowly started growing. Minutes passed and the sweat was dripping from his brow as he concentrated.

At least half an hour passed before the crystal stopped growing by itself. Expecting the link to transfer more magic Harry frowned. He turned to ask medusa. "Why is there no magical flow?" medusa turned to see where the magic was supposed to come from but stopped in shock.

Wow. was the very un-snakelike answer. Harry followed her gaze and froze in shock. His core was less than third full. "Yeah."

"Let's see if Bella is in her core center?" Harry said to medusa. She nodded and started for the door. Harry took the handle and opened it.

As it was opened another part of his core separated itself and flew and connected to Bella's core. Harry stood shocked again but accepted it.

He saw the magic start to flow and "felt" the connection. It would work up to thirty percent. He walked into the room and saw that her Core had a radius of only a meter. What bothered him though was the fact that the exit funnel was almost purely black.

"Master, please help me! Tom is draining my magic too fast!" Harry swore and ran forward.

He saw Bella on her knees trying to fight with the connection. When he reached her He saw that the line was connected to the floor. On the floor the tile was black with the skull. She was ripping at the connection with all her might. It wasn't even straining.

Harry sat down next to her and removed her hands in his.

"Do you trust me?" He asked her. Without hesitation she answered "With my life."

He nodded. "I do not know how to break the connection but in here everything is on an instinctive level." She nodded. "I tried to break it mentally but it did not work."

"Now try to change it. Imagine that the connection goes to me instead of Tom." She looked exasperated for a moment before she did as told.

Closing her eyes she started seeing the connection and changed it. Immediately the tile connecting the floor was changed to his face.

Harry took her head in his hands. As she felt the hands she opened her eyes. She saw the connection. "It worked!" She exclaimed stroking the new connection.

Harry smiled at her. He closed his eyes and felt the new connection. "Let's see what it looks like on my side."

She nodded. Getting up Harry took her hand and pulled her up. Together, hand in hand, they walked across.

The moment they entered his core center she whistled sharply. "Bloody hell master you are powerful." Harry frowned at the statement. "I am Harry. Not master. I accepted you and from now you will treat me as a person not master. That is my first order. If I tell you to do something and you don't want to, inconsiderate of the reason, don't. Use your free will freely and that is my last order." He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, not possess you."

Bella looked back at him and felt the love emanate from him. Grabbing him in a bone crushing hug she said "Thank you. I will always love you too."

They could feel a subtle shift in the magic but that was all.

Standing like that they both hoped that they could stay like this forever.

A few moments passed. Harry released her and said. "Let's see what is going on with the connection."

Looking for the connection on the floor Harry saw nothing additional. The roof silly. Medusa said. At this Bella laughed. "You can hear her?" Bella nodded.

You may know a lot Harry but there are a lot more to learn. Medusa replied.

Harry looked up. He saw the single connection. 'Feeling it" He saw that it would take any magic over eighty percent. Closing his eyes he started to dismantle it. Bella felt the tug and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Leave it there." Harry opened his eyes and looked at her. "Not necessary. This one exists already." He added while indicating the newly created one.

Closing his eyes he made the other connection to have the same properties as the one to medusa. He then broke the connection that used to be Tom's.

Opening his eyes he asked medusa "So he can only have as my servants as tiles?" As he said this he indicated the roof. Yes and no. What he does to correct that is to have the new servants connect to his inner circle that in turn is connected to him. So the magical back wash is his anyway. Bella nodded before she added. "The reason he keeps it at eighty percent is because your body wants to fill its magic it continuously produces magic."

"How come your magic does not flow faster than mine. I mean you exchanged a lot more magic than me?" Harry asked.

Medusa giggled. Magic is not stupid. It knows that the magic is in effect stolen so you it won't help you 'grow' so to speak. Harry nodded but asked. "What about our connection? Won't it have the same limitations?"

No. Medusa said shaking her head. It is because of the way the connection in created. Ours connect directly, not through the floor or the roof.

Harry nodded. "We will have to do something about your exit funnel." Harry stated.

"What can you do about that? Once black you have to do a lot of light magic to get it gray again." Harry smiled.

"Let's test that theory." Once again he sat next to it. Using his magic he created a new funnel for her as well. This one would only work when the magic that was required would be of the purest or not at all work through the other one. This way she could still do light magic and dark magic all the same. "Amazing." Bella exclaimed. "That should be impossible.

Tiredly Harry got up and swayed slightly. Bella grabbed onto him and held him up. "Maybe we should return and sleep sum more." Bella said. Harry nodded. Looking around he spotted another door. "What door is that?" Harry asked.

Bella looked as well. "It was never there before." Bella answered. Poseidon. Medusa said simply. "Oh yeah I forgot about him." was Harry's sheepish reply. "Me too." Bella answered.

"This whole memory transfer is quite useful." Harry stated as a fact before they left the huge center.

Falling back on his bed Harry unconsciously rolled next to Bella and spooned her. Its about time he find someone. I just hope that everything that happens to him will not be with such dramatics. Medusa though to herself as she left in search for Poseidon.