Bacon, good friends, and a sharp sword; all what was needed to start a good morning.

Harry had not taken lightly to carrying such an obvious weapon about. Indeed, he had thought long and hard about all the amusing situations it could bring to his new life as a young man of fifteen. His past few years had been very hit and miss. Normally one would not consider how boring it would be to hatch convoluted plans to manipulate the world around themselves towards their own personal gain.

By the start of his third year there wasn't anyone with a Dark Mark left for him to set to prison, run out of the country, or outright kill when he found enough reason to do so. Except for Snape, who he liked having around the castle to keep things interesting. His little spats with the man had been the only fun parts of a disastrously droll third year. Being a Ravenclaw he was already expected to perform well above average at school. At times he had grown bored and and began to show off some of his innate talents. This only lead to more time needing to be spent pretending to be a teenager again.

He was off the train for two weeks before he ran out of Horcrux to stab with basilisk fangs. Besides the one in his scar. Breaking into Gringotts to steal the cup had been a much easier task than he imagined the second time. Flying Bellatrix out of Azkaban had been a particularly thrilling experience.

--

"Hello there Bellatrix, it seems you owe me quite the favor." The witch in question, still filthy and in a bedraggled prison smock, was tied more than a little firmly to a tree near the coast of Northern Scotland. He was disguised in a mask and robe not unlike a Death Eater, with the mask just being the plastic image of comedy from a muggle shop and the robe just what he had found in a wardrobe. She was silent, mostly because of the silencing hex he had placed on her. It was obvious that whatever she was trying to say was not appropriate for his young ears. "Now now, don't be so obtuse. I didn't sneak into that vile place just for fun but if you keep that up I might put you back to amuse myself." That quieted her for a moment. There was enough light from the near-full moon to see her eyes narrow before she tried to speak again. After a few exaggerated taps on his chin he shrugged and flicked his wand in her direction, ending the hex.

"What is it you want?" That was a nice start. Apparently she was only mostly insane but at least rational enough to be thinking of a way out of her situation.

"I'm hoping to make a deal with you. You see, I killed a few of your old friends last summer. They were particularly nasty fellows. I'm sure you remember Yaxley? When I found his play room with a muggle girl chained up in it, well, I couldn't contain myself. Then there was the photo album in the Carrow estate." The witch was looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Did you know," he continued, "That little Crouch Jr. was still alive? His father sprung him out of that rock and left his wife's corpse in his place."

"I couldn't give a rats arse about that little shitspittle. Tell me what you want." Harry ignored her interruption.

"Well anyway," Harry continued, "I did a little digging in his mind. I'm not very practiced in Occlumancy but his mental defenses were like parchment after so long under the Imperious. After seeing some of the things he had done I had to go back to your families library to look for a particularly fitting piece of magic as punishment. The Carrows were disgusting animals so I put them down quickly. Yaxley I dumped in the woods after a rushed gelding. He was still whimpering with a hole full of maggots in place of his crotch when I went to dispose of-"

"Enough!" She shrieked. Harry snapped a hand out and caught her throat with one hand while the other dug a wand into her dirty cheek. It's tip sizzled her skin for a moment but she barely flinched at the burn.

"I would prefer," he squeezed tighter around her throat, "If you let me monologue." She glared daggers at him but did not move. He let go and turned away. He paced for a few moments, frustrated at himself for pandering before turning back to face her. "I've done a little research on you. Quite the tragic tale." He pulled out a parchment from one of his robes pockets and unfurled it so she could read. Her eyes darted away from his after a moment and scanned the paper.

"What does that have to do with any of this?" She looked up less furious and slightly confused.

"Sixteen was young to sell off a daughter. Maybe to make a marriage contract but not to chattel you off to a man nearly twice your age." She raised her chin at this.

"It had to be done, to prove that the family was still loyal to the Pureblood cause after Andromeda ran off with that filthy mud blood." He returned the copy of her bridal sale to his pocket.

"You were okay with that then? Packed up out of your home by your own blood to be used by some stranger?" He wondered if she could even see his eyes through the mask. Her look for a moment might punch holes through stone. It softened, then her eyes dropped.

"Just tell me what you want so we can get on with it." Harry almost felt bad for a moment.

"You will assist me in retrieving an item given to you by Voldemort." She flinched at the name. "A cup that is held in your Gringotts Vault."

"What," she cackled for a few moments in an unsettling way, "Are we going to walk through Diagon? Please tell me we can stop for ice cream after?" Her laughter continued louder.

"Why yes," she stopped and stared up at him like he was the insane one, "That should do nicely. We will have to make you presentable first. And I'm thinking a change to being Blonde for the day might be best."

"You're bloody mad if you think I can just walk into the alley. I'm the right hand of the Dark Lord! Every Auror in the alley will know me with a glance. We won't-" Harry gave her a shush and put a finger up to the smile on his mask.

"You are going to take some Polyjuice, that will get us up the steps. Once we are inside Gringotts I have made arrangements with the Goblins." She snarled at him.

"What kind of wizard are you? Working with those filthy creatures."

"At least I did not brand myself with the mark of some pretender. A coward and a liar afraid of his own name. "Lord" Voldemort is a half-blood bastard with nothing more than vile rituals and whipped dogs at his command." She hissed at him and was about to begin screaming but another silencing spell stopped her. "You will listen to me and you will listen closely. As the Lord of House Black I command it." She raved at him even harder if just as silently until he held up a hand to show her the Head of House ring on his hand. She stared at it in shock. "I've thought about killing you this whole time but the ring is compelling me against the action. I've not found enough reason to do so. You've certainly killed many, but it was not you who tortured the Longbottoms into insanity. Every report I've been able to look at only mentions your ruthless nature in combat. That contract doesn't mention the potions your mother fed you or the compulsions placed when you were moved to Lestrange Manor. You will listen to me, you will obey my commands until that cup is retrieved, and until I sort out the truth with you there will be no more screaming. This is not a request." He removed the silencing spell again.

"Who are you? What do you care about any of this?" He pulled off his mask with a matching smile underneath. Her eyes went wide.

"Harry Potter, at your service." He gave a little bow. She spluttered at him for a moment.

"How is this even possible? You're just a little boy!" He gave her an exaggerated pout.

"I feel I'm quite strapping, after all those supplement potions." She gave him a look.

"This makes no sense whatsoever. I must be hallucinating." She closed her eyes tightly and began to murder under her breath.

"It doesn't need to make sense. All you need to worry about is playing along for the morning. As the head of your family, if only on a technicality, I am willing to give you a chance to redeem some of your actions."

"The Dark Lord is returning, you know. I can feel it in my mark now that I am free of Azkaban."

"Oh yes, he's just up the coast a ways right now trying to free you and some of his other followers. I'm sure he will be very upset to find you missing and the other Lestranges dead." She looked at him wide eyed before beginning to scream again.

"Fine," he said after stunning her, "I've had enough of the chatter anyway."

--

Bellatrix had taken up much of his summer. Retrieving the cup had been relatively easy. Most Aurors that morning had been too busy to give Harry and his companion much mind. The goblins had been more than accommodating at the bank and with her along the retrieval of the cup had been almost completely legitimate. They did not particularly care if the owner of the vault was under the compulsion charm if he made it a matter of family business. The witch was, after all, a widow now and without family. He was only acting responsibly as her Head of House to see that her vault and finances were in order.

With the return of Voldemort his godfather had begun to take his responsibilities in the government seriously. Harry was not completely sure how or why they were both seen as equal heads of House Black but it did not seem to have affected the older Wizards claim. With him being gone from Grimmauld more often Harry was left with more time to slip off to a flat where he had imprisoned the crazed older witch. It had taken several days to sort out how to get her marriage removed. In the Lestrange vault there had been more detailed contracts about the union. She had been thoroughly bound to their family through a combination of potions and enchantments. However, like most of the Ancient and Noble houses, there was blood magic involved that could not be completely broken.

A good portion of the rest of his holidays were spent helping heal her mind from the damage. She was a gifted enough Occlumens to keep her mind from deteriorating from the years in Azkaban but it was the decade before that which was difficult to mend. Even after the magical compulsions on her were lifted there was still the psychological conditioning of Voldemort in her way. It was shocking how much abuse she had taken from the Lestranges even before meeting the Dark Lord, who had further twisted her situation. Submitting to him had given her freedom from her previous tormentors.

Voldemort had praised her knowledge of the Dark Arts learned growing up with access to her families library. She was magically powerful and had been very willing to fight on the frontlines. The more Harry dig through her memories the more he drew parallels to his own previous fate as a pawn of others.

With effort, she had begun to see how she had been used. One day he found her with his wand. Only, instead of trying to escape or harm him she had cast an Obliviate on herself. The spell had not backfired so drastically as to leave her like Lockhart who was currently taking a deserved vacation at St Mungos. She had not woken for several hours and did so confused, with no idea where she was or what had happened. Which now left him a whole new problem with little over a week before he was meant to go back to Hogwarts.

"You're telling me that I cast the spell on myself? What reason would I have to do that?" Asked the witch. Between many bathes and a motley of potions she had gained a far healthier appearance than their first meeting, this time.

"I thought you were about to hex me, otherwise I would have tried to stop you." Harry did not know how he would have but he was still upset with himself for having let his guard down. "The reason why I can probably guess but I would like you to tell me what you still remember." She looked hesitant, which he was not at all accustomed to. The witch he had known kept a demeanor somewhere between manic and raving. At the moment she seemed strangely vulnerable and uncertain from erasing whatever memories she had. It took her a moment of contemplation before she gave a response.

"Since you wear that ring I can probably trust you, I just have no idea who you are or how you could be wearing it." She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a breath. "The last thing I remember is..." she paused again, "There was a forest. I think you were there but I can't be certain. Before that was a manor house, not one that I can recognize. There were Wizards there and..." she paused longer this time.

"Do you remember who you are? Try to think back as far as you can." She nodded at him.

"I'm Bellatrix Black, youngest of the black sisters. School last year had been going dreadful and mother was in a foul mood over my eldest sister having run off with some dirty muggleborn." Harry's eyes furrowed at this.

"How long ago were you at school?" He asked calmly while on the inside he could feel his blood start pumping faster.

"Just before the summer. School should be starting in a few weeks. How did I end up here? Mother said I would be meeting soon with a family about a betrothal contract but I don't recognize you at all. What has happened to Uncle Arcturus that you are the head of house? Was there an attack?" Harry took a moment to decide how he would be able to break the news to her of what had fully happened until he could sort out what exactly to do. He had not planned for anything like this. Indeed, he had been considering giving her a Draft of the Living Dead while he would be gone for a time. Kreacher would have tended to her in secret so that she did not escape off to go help her Master. "What is this ghastly tattoo!" She exclaimed, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"It is called the Dark Mark, a symbol taken by servants of Voldemort." Her head quirked and letting him know that she did not recognize the name.

"Was I abducted by this Voldemort? Or is he you?" Harry nearly laughed at the truth of her question.

"No, I am who I say. You might not have heard of him, although by now you must be the only one who hasn't."

"What do you mean 'by now'?" Her eyes narrowed at him suspiciously. Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"You are asking a lot of questions that I am unsure how best to answer." He gave her truthfully. "The easiest way for me to put it is that you were portioned and magically manipulated into serving a very foul man for several decades now. The witch I knew a few hours ago didn't remember exactly how but we had worked her out of the compulsions. We did not talk much about the things she had done but not a moment of the memories she destroyed must have been good." Bellatrix had simply stared at him as he first spoke but was now studying her hands. Hands that bore scars and wrinkles to prove the time she had been away from sanity.

"No..." she whispered, then began chuckling. Harry was making a move for his wand before the mirth turned into uncontrollable sobs.

She asked him a few questions through her tears over the next hours. He did his best to answer them. Telling the woman, now bereft of memories that spanned thirty years of dark deeds, that she was a criminal and only safe because of his protection was not easy. He was marginally prepared to help, having at least had the insight to study into mind magic and what muggles called psychology. Wizards, as a whole, tended towards some level of insanity by the standards of the muggle world. While they had their ways of managing mild cases it was an area where the extremes tended to lead to an early death or quick trip to Azkaban, if not some other form of confinement. Harry was by no means without his own problems but he at least understood something of the toll so many bad experiences took on someone.

"I really do not wish to leave you here alone." He said finally. Bellatrix was now mostly calmed and had reclined on a armchair. "However I will be missed if I am gone much longer. If you were discovered before I can sort out some of this there would be no hope for you." She was silent, but attentive to his words. "I would like you to write down some of what you remember. Just broad things, nothing you wouldn't want to share with me. I will begin what research I can into sorting things out for you and be back to visit tomorrow."

"Can I trust you?" She asked with hesitance. He gave a moment to think of a reassuring reply.

"You can trust me, and there are others I am sure I can convince to listen to your story." He decided, "But there are many who will not. Your old life, however much you may have liked or disliked it, is long gone. That mark on your arm is a type of magic that I do not think can go away. I'm not even sure how old to consider you or how old you should feel. Your situation is very bad, but I will try my best to help you."

"Why help me? What do you get out of this?" Harry was reminded she was truly a Slytherin. Daphne was at the top of his list of people to discuss this development with, minus some details.

"That remains to be seen. Yet you did already help me more than most even if you don't remember." Or did so willingly, he added internally. "For now, just consider it a debt I hope you can repay later. There is a war coming and I will need people I can trust as much as they can trust me." She nodded at him before giving him a pondering look.

"You don't look old enough to be out of Hogwarts yet, what do you mean by "was" a Gryffindor?" Harry wished he knew how to be more careful after all this time keeping his secrets.

"Maybe one day I can explain, or you will figure out the truth, but for now just consider it a secret that I would ask you to keep."

"Who would I even tell it to?" She giggled. "Fine, I'll let it go. You may leave now I should be okay for at least the night." They both stood at nearly the same time. To his surprise she gave him a brief hug before he knew what she meant to do. He awkwardly returned it before they both moved away blushing. A hug from one of the most notoriously cruel and violent witches of his age was yet another of the unique experiences he had for his list. Not as impressive as slaying basilisks or chasing down pieces of souls, but still worth mentioning.

"Try to get some rest. There is Dreamless Sleep in the potions cabinet if you need it." She gave him a curt nod as he turned to leave. Before he could reach the floo to make his way back to Grimmauld she stopped him.

"I'm soon to be seventeen, if going off my memory. Although I dread to look into the mirror. I must look like an old hag after so long." Harry had assumed as much and was somewhat prepared with an answer.

"What happened to me has left me feeling much older than what I am. Yet all the time I enjoy being reminded that I am only fifteen. If there is any troubles, call to Grimmauld through the Floo. Goodnight, Ms Black." He disappeared in a green glow.

He nearly considered taking a vial of Dreamless Sleep himself that evening but knew Sirius would know if he did. His personal stock of potions had been depleted into the safe house for Bellatrix.

--

Harry finished off the last of his breakfast in the Great Hall of Howgwarts. His hand hand went to adjust his sword to a more comfortable position before ruffling his hair in thought. Thinking back on the situation with Bellatrix had him uneasy. They were exchanging regular mail, something that did not go unnoticed by his friends, but otherwise he felt he could be doing more to help the witch. He assumed that the Bellatrix who still had her memories had considered this a reasonable plan but from his perspective it had only made things worse. His meeting later that day with Daphne to discuss potential moves forward would be an awkward one.

It was the second week of classes now and his primary companion from Slytherin had been too busy to meet privately. He tried to convince her to talk on the train and nearly every interaction since. She had been shrewd enough to keep him waiting, playing some sort of game he didn't care to understand.

He was close to reaching the doors into the Entrance Hall when his musing were interrupted by a harsh drawl.

"And what purpose do you have today for waving about that barbaric muggle weapon?" Harry had to keep from smiling as he turned around.

"I believe you've already used barbaric, sir. Perhaps you could find something more descriptive next time?" The young man decided to ignore that he was not doing anything like waving his sword. Although he had done so the week before, but that had been in private with only his friends to enjoy.

"That will be teeny points, Mr Potter." The mans sneer was well practiced. "I insist you take store that thing back in the Ravenclaw Tower unless you would like to serve a week of detention." Harry only shrugged.

"It is my right to carry a means of defense. Perhaps if the ministry would see fit to allow me the right to use magic underage I would not feel the need to carry it." Even now he could see his least favorite ministry stooge making her waddling pink way towards them. Their banter had only just began and it looked like it would be rudely interrupted.

"You are well aware that you are allowed to use magic here in the Castle. If anyone here needs to defend themselves it will be from you and your…" The older wizard gave a calculated pause, "Exploits." From him that was almost a compliment.

"Hem-hem." Interrupted Umbridge as she interjected her self into their day. Harry ignored her.

"My exploits? I believe it was Heir Longbottom who caused the most commotion last term. I was merely a bystander." He could swear there was a hint of a smile on the greasy gits face.

"Hem-HEM!" The Toad tried again to make her presence observed. Snape followed Harry's lead and continued on as if he didn't notice her.

"Up until you decided to race off into that maze on your broom. That does not even begin to cover your escapades with the Acromantula colony the year before, or the dead Basilisk you had displayed on the lawns." Ah, Harry mused, good memories. "What was that for again? School Spirit, I believe you called it."

"Mr Potter!" Finally shrieked Umbridge, not able to remain ignored any longer. "You will put away that weapon immediately or I will see you expelled. Such dangerous behavior is unacceptable in a place of learning." Harry nearly rolled his eyes at her.

"Walking to class is all I was attempting to do. I don't remember being stopped like this yesterday on the way to Defense." Her face shriveled although she brought back her simpering tone.

"Nobody would stop you from being a student. We," Her implied compatriot looked marginally more sickly, "Only wish to make sure that our students are safe as they travel to class."

"Professor, what if I find the need to defend myself?" Harry replied.

"Then you can call upon a professor, such as myself. I am also an employee of the ministry. Aurors would be there to defend you only shortly after myself." Harry could only scoff at her. Despite doing his best at being a child there were certain interactions that he could not hold back from.

"Hopefully they do not hop about like a toad then. Although," He exaggerated putting a fist to his chin as if in thought, "The next Basilisk might be distracted from eating me by the sight." The students at the closest tables could no longer contain their laughter. Umbridge was a shade of red to match the Gryffindor colors.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" She sloppily pulled out her wand and held it in an undisciplined fist. "You will hand over that weapon immediately! We can discuss your behavior this evening in detention, and for as many more as it takes for you to learn your place." Harry considered that her threat was somewhat welcomed. This would provide the opportunity he was waiting for to destroy her. However he had no wish to actually go after her at this time. He had already suggested to others to begin their own private study of Defense so that her incompetence did not hold back their education. Her authority had yet to build up past her role as a professor and what intimidation her status as Under Secretary was able to intimidate the less informed.

"I think," he began, "You may want to retract your empty threat. You have neither the authority or the power to take away any of my means of defense. If you attempt to do so I will defend myself against such a blatantly unlawful and unjust attack on my person." She raised her wand at him.

"That will be-" Harry easily snatched the wand from her hand and tossed it to Snape, who looked at it as if it made the hand that snatched it filthy. She was shocked speechless at the action.

"Furthermore," He continued as if nothing had happened, "I am far too busy to spend time pandering to your ego this evening. If you find a solid reason why I deserve a detention, and Professor Flitwick agrees with it, I will gladly serve however many detentions are needed to satisfy you. Good day." Harry gave Snape a nod as he turned and stormed out of the hall. Just a little touch of wandless magic had his cloak billowing not dissimilar to the Potion Masters own parlor trick. He could hear her sputtering, then screeching for her wand, while he rounded the corner.

The rest of his day went by well. He apologized to his Head of House later for having sent Umbridge in his direction. The short man only chuckled and told him it was his pleasure to deny the woman her wish to see Harry expelled. Apparently she was even set to meet with Dumbledore over the matter. Harry was, however, given detention grading papers later that week for having talked back to a professor no matter how justified it may have been to do so. It seemed inconsequential as not only was it a light punishment but he found grading papers to be enjoyable. He was almost sad that there would likely not be a need for there to be a "Dumbledores Army". Maybe he could get permission for an official Defense Association, what with the bodily return of Tom Riddle.

Severely lacking in the same loyal followers this time around, Harry was surprised that the man had gone through with nearly the same plan as before. It seemed to be that when the head of one viper was cut off there were other Blood Supremacists waiting to take their place. Harry had manipulated events to see Neville chosen as the fourth Triwizard Champion, giving his friend more than a little help against the competition. Neville and himself had been transported to the graveyard leaving a surprised Cedric Diggory behind. When they were greeted by the shriveled Dark Lord and a henchman, some squat wizard with an Eastern European accent, the two boys had jumped into action to defend themselves. Harry had convinced Neville to take the cup and go for help and then allowed himself to be captured a minute later. Again Voldemort had rose looking like pale snake-man and summoned followers to watch him "duel" with Harry. Even having just returned from a state of near death the older Wizard was a fair match for his skills. The maniac had even thanked him for coming so quickly instead of having his spy at hogwarts take him in the commotion caused when they sent back Neville's dead body.

Harry had hoped to draw the man into a struggle with the brother-wands again and use the distraction to deal an underhanded blow with his second wand. Yet it was just at that time the Triwizard cup returned with a dozen robed Aurors, a few moments later to be joined by another dozen that apparated in when they had gotten the location of the portkeys destination.

There was a brief exchange of spells before Voldemort cast some spell that covered himself and the Death Eaters in a black smoke that carried them away over the darkened line of trees. One of theirs had died and was left on the ground while three Aurors were incapacitated in some form. Harry was deeply upset at this and his anger towards the Headmaster for not coming himself was only placated when he learned two people had been killed trying to apprehend a disguised Death Eater. The German wizard was apparently a former follower of Grindelwald and cast the Dark Mark above the maze when Harry had been transported away. Dumbledore had personally incapacitated the man while Aurors had assembled to go after Harry.

Because of The-Boy-Who-Lived actions in disposing of free Death Eaters there were now enemies he was less familiar with. They may not have the same public authority but much of the wealth was just the same. Only Bellatrix and Yaxley had been particularly deadly combatants, with Voldemorts forces having relied mostly on surprise tactics and brutality to wage their war. Now he had next to no idea who he should target directly and the Minister was just as adamant that the Dark Lord had not returned. Even with his direct connection to Madame Bones there was little more done than interrogations of known "former" death eaters.

Harry shook his head at the memory of it all. Fudge was not nearly as successful in getting the public on his side but was still in charge of the government. Maybe things would change sooner on that front with Sirius rallying sympathetic families to keep the ministers office in check.

By the end of classes that day he was in a much better mood. Daphne, despite her often cold demeanor, was always a good conversationalist. Her sister was now dating a now less-annoying Draco, who had not said a word to Harry since he had blasted off the arm of his father a few years ago. Nobody could fault Harry as he had been in the process of casting the Killing Curse at him in public. Because he had not succeeded, and the arm was so thoroughly obliterated by Harry's rushed Bombarde, the Wizard was only fined and sent off for a short stay at Azkaban. Upon his release he was forced to leave the country and had not been seen on the Islands since. Harry had tried to track the man down but he had seemingly vanished soon after landing in France and made no further contact with his wife or son. Narcissa had even visited Grimmauld a few times to talk with Sirius over family matters. Draco had been fairly silent since the whole ordeal. Daphne had informed him he was somewhat of a pariah within their house now; no longer shadowed by his two lackeys or speaking much to anyone. It would seem the blonde had at least re-thought about his opinions and current standings in the wizarding world.

His mood was somewhat shifted to anger when he returned to his quarters to find Hedwig waiting with a letter and ruffled feathers. He did not need to guess that Umbridge had assaulted his companion to spy on his mail. He had thought she would wait to begin her campaign against him to this level. The letter was from Bellatrix who had only some mild news about her day. If it had been read it would seem to only be a normal exchange between friends. Although he knew that it might seem suspicious he was conversing with a friend that was not at Hogwarts.

"You seem upset. Anything worth mentioning?" Daphne was straightforward as always. At least she was not so intimidating and cold as she had been when starting Hogwarts. It seemed to be a trait from her mother as her Father, who visited Grimmauld on business with Sirius, was a cheerful man. A Ravenclaw, Lord Oswald Greengrass was the primary supplier for potions ingredients towards his godfathers shop.

"Umbridge assaulted Hedwig, likely to spy on my mail. If I had proof she would be croaking to Aunt Amelia." Daphne rolled her eyes at his pun.

"She's a dangerous woman. At least in the political realm. My mother says she is best to be avoided here. The woman is here for heads, in particular it seems yours is one of them." Harry waved a hand at this.

"I'm not concerned about that woman actually accomplishing anything. I had plans to remove her but I thought I'd let her take her time. If she insists on being so hostile I will just move things forwards."

"Don't get too far ahead. Unless you catch her with something serious and solid she might get away."

"That won't be a problem, I already know she has an illegal object here at the Castle. It's just a matter of keeping her from using it on anyone but me." Daphne raised a well manicured eyebrow.

"You seem awful blasé about being hurt by dark magic after last year. Should I be worried that incident in the graveyard has left an impact on you?" Harry sighed, although inside he felt appreciation. Neville was similarly vocal about his concerns over Harry. Hermione was not so bold towards him as previously, Ronald had been boyishly innocent but supportive, and Susan nearly smothered him to death with hugs and tears. Sirius attempted to finish the job while Remus had been somber with cooled advice. Their camping trips had been especially welcomed. Harry was grateful for the many people in his life and was all the more steadfast in his resolve to finish off the dark lord.

"If anything it's just made me more averse to the Dark Arts. In this case I should think it will only take minimal exposure to it for me to get her ousted." Daphne gave him a calculated glare.

"You are doing that thing again." Harry put his head in his hands, knowing what was coming. "Where you know far too much of what is going to happen, and then wrap yourself up in all the danger of it. You're not using a Time Turner, are you? Unless you are incredibly careful they will degrade your mind. You wouldn't be the first-" Harry held up his hands and interrupted her.

"I'm not using a time turner, and I don't mean to worry you. I'm reasonably sure I know what I'm doing but I'll be sure to involve you before I do anything drastic. Is that acceptable?"

"Very well." She huffed. "Now, what is this particular meeting supposed to be about? I assume it is some similarly upsetting scheme?" He could not help but feel guilty. Despite the girls maturity, some of what he got up to and things he needed were above what a girl her age should be responsible for. He pulled out a letter from his documents pocket that was for her, from Bellatrix. They had both agreed it would be best if the person in question needing help did the asking.

Daphne read it in silence. Harry paced about the unused classroom they had hidden in, double checking that there was no magic being used to spy on them. It took a few minutes for her to finish as he assumed she read it multiple times.

"One day, and this is a promise," She began, "I am going to call in a great debt from you. Why in the world did I ever involve myself with you, Potter?"

"I assume my charming looks and immense wealth?" He gave her a cheery smile, which was returned with a glare.

"This could land you in Azkaban. Merlin, if I don't report this it could land ME in the hot water." Harry kept up his smile.

"Actually, the water is quite cold around the Island." He let up his cheer under her heated glare. "Fine, no more jokes. But I know I can trust you and I have no idea what to do. I've done some research but such situations are uncommon. Legally, there are routes for me to resolve her problems without a fanfare. I assure you she is not legally accountable for her actions. My only holdup is what in the bloody hell do we do about a girl of her current mind in a body decades older?" Daphne took her own turn to hold her head in her hands.

"There are witches and wizards that can de-age a persons physical appearance. It's not unheard of but I doubt there are any in Britain." She looked back through the letter. "That may be a good way to go about this, as well as whatever legal routes you wanted to take. Oh, this is just awful." Harry rarely saw the girl so distraught, if he ever had.

"Surely it's not that bad. I can get her cleared and help her back to living a normal life." She scowled at him.

"Just the idea of what was done to her must be devastating." She stood and grabbed his arm hard. "You've left her alone, in that body? With all this on her shoulders?" He could only nod. "Then we should go get her now. It must be devastating dealing with all that."

"But it's Hogwarts, and-" She thumped his shoulder hard.

"I know you sneak out all the time, Potter. I will need to grab a few things from my dorms before we go. I expect you to have found some contact within the week for a makeover mage, should she want to go that route. If you haven't gotten her cleared legally by the end of the quarter I will hex you. Is that clear?" Harry nodded. "Good, I'll meet you back here in twenty minutes." She stormed from the room, breaking the silencing enchantments.

When she was gone he could only sigh. Maybe, just maybe, he should have thought a bit more about the witches feelings. Hermione had never needed much in terms of support and Ginny was very straightforward about things when they had dated. He put it on his list of areas where he needed more expertise. Certainly he could have been a bit more proactive with how he handled the situation.

Bellatrix was a nervous wreck when they came through the floo. He had told her Daphne would want to meet her and she had seemed excited by the idea.

"Welcome to, well..." She trailed off nervously. Daphne was quick to draw the older body of the witch into a hug. Harry was somewhat surprised by her immediate compassion, but then again she did not have memories of the crazed witch.

"Don't worry about formalities, Bellatrix. I'm Daphne, one of Harry's friends. When I have time later I'll hex him sore for having left you here all alone." Harry could only stand by awkwardly.

"Don't be too harsh on him, he has done his best to make me comfortable. It is a relief to see someone knew though." Bellatrix had a pleasant smile now and Daphne looked less upset towards Harry.

"Why don't you go for some food while we get acquainted." Harry looked to see if Bellatrix was okay with that. Although he did not know which of the two witches he should be more worried about. "Perhaps that muggle food we had at yours and Neville's birthday? Get some of that fizzy drink as well." Harry could guess she meant pizza and soda. It had been a big hit amongst the purebloods within his friends group.

By the time he got back he was surprised by the smell of several potions and faint odor left behind by transfiguration spells. Daphnes handbag was emptied of nearly a dozen bottles of various variety. She was waving her wand around the girls hair and as he made his way into the kitchen he was momentarily shocked to see that Bellatrix had seemingly lost thirty years worth of age. Both girls gave him an expectant look. He covered an awkward cough with his elbow and placed the hot food and bag of canned drinks on the counter. While he was walking back he had remembered a few dates with the girl from the diner. Ice cream, according to her, was a necessary food item with this meal. He placed the treat to re-freeze in the otherwise empty ice box.

"Would you like me to serve?" He asked while already going to grab clean plates from the cupboard.

"That goes without saying." Daphne responded, her wand putting a final curl in the other witches hair. Harry found himself paused in the motion of plating slices of food when Bellatrix met his eyes. He had, for the most part, not been overly annoyed by the hormones of being a teenager again. Most of the females in his life were far to young to attract him and he was caught off-guard by the attractive young woman in the room. Daphne noticed his pause and gave a roll of her eyes.

"Since when are you attracted to girls, Potter? I've seen half the witches at Hogwarts make a pass at you." Harry would say that some had done more than make a pass.

"I was just surprised, is all. I thought you said it would take a specialist to make her look so young. That's besides you using magic outside of school."

"I'm competent enough to do some of the transfiguration, if only temporarily. I had to borrow some of the beatification salves and potions from housemates. What did you think I needed to go to my dorms for?" Harry shrugged after setting down food in front of the two witches and tried to come up with a response.

"Transfiguration magic on humans is generally frowned upon." Daphne narrowed his eyes at him. "However I am more than humbled at the results." Bellatrix blushed at his praise and he turned similarly red. This was not at all like his normal behavior and he wondered how exactly to get out of this with some dignity.

"Thank you, Mr Potter. I'm very impressed with Ms Greengrass's spellwork. Transfiguration has never been one of my strengths."

"It won't last very long, and someone actually practiced will do an even better job of it. I'm surprised you didn't ask Potter to look into this sooner."

"I was not sure if I wanted it, if im being honest. My memories..." The girl took a deep breath and glanced at Harry nervously. "I'm starting to remember things. Sometimes it is hard to remember who I am. I'm sorry that I did not say anything." Daphne set her plate of food on the living room table and went to sit by the girl and pet an arm around her shoulder. Harry had the notion to do the same.

"There's nothing to apologize for." He stated while ignoring a glare from Daphne. "If anything it is my error for not acting sooner." Their conversation paused there, the three teens taking a few minutes to eat in silence.

By the end of the evening Harry was feeling much better about the entire situation. Daphne was no longer so angry with him, Bellatrix was all smiles, and he went back to Hogwarts with a convincingly forged letter from the Greengrass elders to slip to the youngest of their family that excused Daphne for the weekend.