Author's Note: I don't own anything Harry Potter related. It all belongs to JK Rowling.

Pronouns will follow character usage.

Quick warning: Though not terribly "dark", there are allusions to mental health issues later in the chapter.

As soon as Isolt, Sirius, and Aster were back safely in Grimmauld Place, and after Isolt had stood up, complaining about how unfair magical travel was, Isolt got about making lunch for the three of them, calling out to the wizard, "Would you mind looking for a book for me, Sirius? I'd like to use it to teach Aster a thing or two, if you don't mind?"

"Nah I don't mind. What book you looking for?", Sirius replied, running a hand through his hair.

"A copy of 'The Mind Arts'. Wanna teach Aster some Occlumency, especially since this little wixen," Isolt jerked a thumb in Aster's direction before continuing to chop some vegetables, "is in the know about me."

"Hey! I'm right here, you know!" came the younger witch's reply, huffing, before she walked off to her room.

Sirius's eyes rolled as he felt a small chuckle escape. "Fair enough, Isolt. I'll go look for it. If not, we have to go to Diagon Alley soon anyway and we can grab one at Flourish and Blotts while we're out."

Allowing the tray of vegetables to go into a pot, Isolt walked over to the fridge, pulling out some meat, before beginning to cutting it into cubes. She could hear the pounding of the stairs as Sirius ran up them. 'So juvenile, so full of life, even after Azkaban. He'll make a good godfather to Aster. Just gotta get him off the hook first.'

Isolt carried on with her task, browning the meat and placing it in the pot with the vegetables, before adding some beef stock and placing a lid. Casting a Tempus charm and heating charm to the pot, Isolt had just finished washing up when Sirius came back, with a small leatherbound book in his hands.

"One copy of 'The Mind Arts", at your service! How else may House Black be of assistance, Lady Peverell?" Sirius' laughter infected the kitchen and dining room, and soon, Isolt also found herself laughing at Sirius' antics.

"Thank you, Lord Presumptive Black, you have been a most gracious host!" she called back, her face betraying the coldness with which she said her words.

"Ah, you do me justice, Lady Peverell. Shall we go fetch the young Lady Potter? I'd like to assist with this training, if that's alright?"

"Yes, I think we shall, Sir Black. And your presence will surely be appreciated. The stew should be ready in a little bit, so we have some time to start."

As the two went upstairs to Aster's room, where they figured the young wixen to most likely be, Isolt was adding things to her to-do list. 'First up, train Aster in Occlumency, second, get Sirius' name cleared. Third, get rid of the remaining horcruxes, while also getting rid of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. A-fucking-gain. I swear, this prophecy shit is just getting ridiculous. After that, who knows.'

Isolt's attention returned to the present as she and Sirius reached Aster's room, knocking on it gently, so as not to surprise the young wixen inside, the door swinging open as they knocked, and she realized that the door hadn't been closed all the way.

Inside, Isolt could see Aster had her back to the door as she looking over potion phials, of various colors and consistencies, and cross-referencing them in a pamphlet that Pomfrey must have given her.

Before they could be noticed, Isolt quickly pulled Sirius out in to the hall, whispering, "Let me handle this, okay? We'll be right out."

With a sigh that seemed almost entirely rehearsed at this point, Sirius acquiesced, "Isolt, I'm not afraid to admit that I don't really know how to help her, so I'll just be out here. But I am here if either of you need me."

Nodding, Isolt slowly walked back into the room. Gently, she called out, "So Aster. Which ones you thinking of going for?"

Apparently, the sudden voice was something Aster didn't expect, as Isolt rather amusedly watched the aforementioned wixen nearly jump out of her skin. It was rather entertaining to witness, she'd admit.

"Is-Isolt!" cried Aster, before turning around, rather sheepishly and with a blush on her face.

'Huh, had I looked like that once? That's really adorable.' Isolt shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

"S-sorry, Isolt, I hadn't expected you up here so soon. I thought you were making lunch?"

"It's rather cute you think you can dodge my question, kid, but yes, I am in the process of making stew, which needs to sit for a while. You know its fine if you don't want to change anything? Several soul-swapped wixen don't undergo any potions or rituals." Isolt said with a chuckle, just so the younger her wouldn't think she was being interrogated or anything.

"Really?! I didn't think any soul-swapped wouldn't want to change their body?"

"Well, their identities, their preferences, and their choices, are their own. After all, it isn't the physical part of us that matters. It's what is in here," she gestured to her head, "and in here," pointing to her heart, "that matters. Your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, and passions. Your desires and your goals. The bonds you grow and the bonds you break. But whether you want to change anything is entirely up to you."

"Well, um, I do wanna change some things. Namely my voice and my um…bits…"

"And you certainly can. The dark purple potion there on the left will change your 'bits', as you put them, and the light green one that looks kinda thick will change your voice. They should both last for a year, which, luckily for you, is about the time you'll turn 17, which is when most wixen get their magical maturity, so you can then do the rituals, if you'd like."

"Um, Isolt, which ones did you take?"

"That is a very personal question, Aster. I know you're not asking to be rude, but that is not a question I will answer."

"Oh, that uh, that makes sense. Sorry for being intrusive."

"No worries, Aster, just don't ask anyone that question, unless they say it's okay. But come on, those potions are under some preservation charms, and we have some studying to do. Gives you more time to think about which ones you want."

Isolt gestured to the door, sending a small sprig of her magic into it, causing it to open fully. Isolt and Aster could hear Sirius arguing with the portrait of Walburga Black, down a floor, causing both of the wixen to look at each other and laugh. Walking down to catch up with Sirius, Isolt sent a Silencio to the portrait with a flick of her wrist, without even stopping her pace back down to the kitchen. Sirius just looked at her like a deer in headlights, before shaking his head and joining the girls in the kitchen.

As they sat about the dining room table, Sirius passed the book he'd been holding onto over to Isolt, who flicked through it, humming to herself every few pages. Sirius and Aster couldn't tell if the "hm's" were of approval or if they were dismissive of the information in the text. After a few minutes, Isolt passed the book over to Aster, who gingerly took the book.

"This week you will be learning Occlumency, Aster. We do have some 'errands' to run tomorrow, so you will be excused from your lessons tomorrow, but you will learn this material. I suggest you read the book after lunch. But first, Sirius and I will teach you a couple of useful exercises that'll aid you in your learning." Said Isolt, adopting a voice that Sirius had come to call "Isolt's No-Nonsense Voice".

"Uh, okay? What will these exercises entail?"

At this, Sirius piped in, "Mostly meditative exercises, scaling up in 'complexity', though none are actually more complex than any other. We'll also go over breath control though, which is useful both for Occlumency and for duels."

Nodding appreciatively at Sirius, Isolt continued, "The basic premise of Occlumency is protecting your mind from attack. I prefer to think of it as organizing one's mind so as to effectively confuse and deter any would-be mental assailants. It's how I dealt with Snape earlier. He entered into my mind, so I showed him a mental image of every way that I would like to kill him, in excruciating detail. Hence why he whimpered in pain."

"Wicked!"

Sirius laughed. "Every person's defenses are unique. Some construct maze-like defenses, some use more of an 'active' defense like Isolt here, the list goes on. There are many ways to defend one's mind. But there are other advantages to Occlumency, like memory retention and a higher resistance to spells that affect the mind."

Isolt clapped her hands. "With that, let's get started. Aster, I want you to close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Notice how it feels, how long does it take to draw breath, to exhale. Try not to think of anything other than breathing. Do this for a few minutes while I go check the stew. Sirius, if you wouldn't mind helping me?"

Aster closed her eyes, finding that focusing on just breathing, and everything that went with it, was actually difficult, as her thoughts seemed to wander every so often. 'I guess that's the point of Occlumency: to create order in the chaos of a mind.'

She didn't notice that twenty minutes had gone by, just that she felt a light nudge on her shoulder as Isolt placed a bowl of stew in front of her.

"Here, eat. You've gone through a lot the past couple days; you need to get your energy back."

The trio sunk into a rather quiet lunch, the only noise being Kreacher doing the dishes as they ate, storing the remaining stew in a pot with preservation and heating runic arrays for easy leftovers later.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the trio had finished their lunch, and Isolt re-focused her attention on young Aster. "Tell me, what did you notice?"

"Well, it was hard to keep my thoughts away as I focused on breathing. Like my thoughts got bored and were trying to distract me. But the feeling of breathing was really calming. Just the feel of my chest expanding and contracting as I took breaths. Like floating in a warm pool. Once I got into the zone of enjoying the feeling, those thoughts seemed to melt away."

Sirius just gaped at Aster and Isolt. Isolt had Aster perform her first true rudimentary Occlumency shield after just a couple seconds of instruction. And it had taken Aster just a few minutes to get the hang of it. It had taken him a full week to get to where Aster just got, and several months more before truly creating his own mental defenses. At the pace Aster was at, it would take the young witch probably a week or two to master Occlumency.

Speaking of, Isolt just smiled at Aster, her eyes never really leaving Aster's. Without breaking the gaze, Isolt just said, "That's great! Now, as you're reading that book, I want you to think of how you felt just now, and keep that in mind as you practice what's in it. But first, I'd like you to see what Occlumency shields can look like. So, if you'll please take out your wand, I'm going to have you enter my mind."

Now this shocked both Aster and Sirius.

"Uh, Isolt, do you think that's wise?" asked Sirius.

"Of course. She's me! I have full confidence she can pull of the Legilimency spell with ease."

"And the fact that that's a NEWT-level spell doesn't concern you?" he asked.

"Of course not. Magic is all about intent. With that, you'll find that if you have the will and the intent, anything is possible. You ready, Aster? The incantation is Legilimens, no wand movement. Though eye contact is required."

"Um, what about the Trace? Won't I get in trouble for casting magic?" Aster asked, a bit afraid of getting another expulsion letter.

"What? Nonsense. You're in the house of an Ancient and Noble House, the Trace doesn't work here. Plus, you're emancipated. It was gone the moment the Tournament accepted you." Came the nonchalant reply from Isolt, as if she wasn't just dropping world-shattering knowledge on young Aster.

"You mean I could've done magic this entire time!?"

"Yup. Just another thing I'm upset with Dumbledore about, to be honest."

"You ever going to tell me all the reasons you don't like the headmaster, Isolt?" Aster replied with a sigh.

"Yeah. After you learn Occlumency. Speaking of, you can cast the spell, so don't even worry about it. Magic is as hard as you believe it to be."

"Oh okay." Shaking her head, Aster raised her wand, pointing it between the eyes of Isolt, and her voice rang out, "Legilimens!"

To Sirius, it just looked like the two wixen in front of him were in a staring contest. Sighing, he stood up to get some more stew. Who knew how long Aster would be in Isolt's mind, and he most certainly not going to let a good home-cooked meal go to waste.

To Isolt, she retreated to her mind, allowing Aster entrance into her domain: a massive castle, which looked a lot like Hogwarts. Aster took a look around, before Isolt grabbed hold of Aster and warped the two of them closer to the castle.

'I just bypassed us through a lot of the dangerous protections. The defenses are designed to shred apart anyone or thing that tries to get in forcibly.' Thinking hard for a moment, Isolt imagined a rabbit trying to cross the wards, and to Aster's surprised, a rabbit popped up in the mental landscape trying to cross the wards. Immediately it was ripped to shreds.

'Well that was overkill, Isolt.'

'Yeah, but it gets the point across. Also, no real bunnies were harmed. This is all in my head, you know.'

'Fair enough. Why are we here though? I don't think it's so you can brag about your defenses,' Aster inquired, looking up at her older self.

'No, though I figured a practical demonstration the best way to learn. That's how I always learned best. Reading is all well and good, but experience trumps reading every day, in my book.'

Isolt chuckled at her own words, before continuing, 'I wanted to show you the Library. It's where I store my memories. I find that if you sort through them and organize them, the information in them is recalled much faster, and better, than if you leave them unsorted.'

Taking hold of Aster's hand, Isolt 'apparated' the two into her mind's version of a library, which Aster noted looked very similar to the Hogwarts one.

'Are all your defenses based off Hogwarts?' Aster asked, unable to contain the mirth in her voice.

'Yup, pretty much. It's the only place I ever felt home. Anyway, here are all my memories, from my very first one that I can actually remember, the one Christmas we spent with mum and dad, all the way to right now.'

Aster noticed that there was a counter, with a few books on it, and as she looked about, she noticed that there was what looked to be the Restricted Section in the far back.

'Isolt, what are those books on the counter?'

'Those are my memories I haven't sorted yet, or that I need to put back.'

'Oh, that makes sense! What about the Restricted Section over there?'

Isolt stopped in her tracks, a twinge of fear and guilt running up her spine, threatening to consume her. Instinctively, Isolt ran her hands over her wrists and arms, feeling the ice that was in her veins pump from her heart into her hands and fingers. Aster could hear the shelves and books in the 'Restricted Section' rattling, threatening to break free.

'Those, Aster, are my repressed memories.' Isolt's voice was cold, unfeeling, devoid of the warmth it usually held when Isolt was talking to Aster. 'They are the things I've buried deep, behind rows and rows and shelves and shelves of memories. They consist of my fears, my regrets, my guilts, my traumas, amongst other things. It was the first thing I built in this room. If I hadn't, I would not be who I am today, or even be alive.'

Aster could tell that Isolt was holding something back, after all, the Restricted Section looked to be about a third of the size of the regular part of the library. She had noticed the scars running up and down Isolt's arms and neck. She herself had a few of them. Deciding to change the subject, lest Isolt get lost in repressed memories, Aster walked over to Isolt, wrapping the older wixen in a hug. Not one like earlier, that one had been bone-crushing, but a warm hug that conveyed warmth and joy much better than words ever could.

'Thank you for trusting me, Isolt. And for helping teach me. I think I understand what you wanted me to see, and I really appreciate it.'

Isolt could only nod, choking back tears, and ran a hand through Aster's messy black hair, remembering how hers had once been this shade.

'Have you thought of which, if any, of the potions you want to take, Aster?'

'Yes. I will be taking the voice changing potion and the one to change my parts. Though I do think we'll need to go shopping today to get some new clothes. I really wanna surprise Hermione and Ron.'

Laughing, Isolt scruffed Aster's hair a little more, 'Perfect! We'll make a Marauder out of you yet. If you want, I can teach you some cosmetic spells, so you can alter your hair color and texture, and maybe do some make up if you want. But before we can do that, do you think you can pull us out of my mind?'

'Um, maybe? And that would be great!'

'Of course, I really don't mind teaching you. And it's really no hassle. Just focus on leaving, letting your magic guide you. Easy as pie, really!'

'Pfft, yeah, okay. Says the wixen who drops massive amounts of magic like it's a plaything.' Aster laughed.

'Oi! Don't forget, I'm you! Or, are you me? It's one of the two, I think. Maybe both? Or neither? Ah fuck, how did Hermione do this in third year?' Isolt's laughter added to Aster's, and shortly they both found themselves rolling on the floor, laughing to themselves as they recounted some of their favorite moments of Hermione in their third year. Though, at the top of both of their lists was when Hermione sucker punched Draco Malfoy.

It took several moments for them both to get their laughter under control, before Isolt reminded Aster that she had to get them both out. Which Aster had the good sense to blush a little in embarrassment as she'd forgotten.

Focusing her will and intent into her magic wasn't something that Aster was entirely unfamiliar with. She had felt it a few times before, like when she first cast a fully corporeal Patronus, or when she had been 'dueling' Lord Voldemort in the graveyard. Most of the spells she had cast thus far really required no more than a few attempts to nail down, and so she had hardly had to apply much will into them before.

Buckling down, Aster put her hand on Isolt's, pulling magic around her, before allowing it to pull her out of Isolt's mind.

The two opened their eyes, hearing the familiar sound of Sirius Black clapping and cheering Aster on.

"Wow, good job Aster! A full on Legilimens on your first try! Maybe you have a gift for the mind arts?!" he laughed.

"Ugh, maybe. Do you have anything to help with the grogginess, Padfoot?" Aster rubbed her temples, feeling her senses return to her slowly.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Look down!"

She complied, spotting that she had a brand-new bowl of stew in front of her. She had been hungry earlier, and had quickly devoured her first bowl. Digging in, she glanced over at Isolt, who wore a warm smile on her face, before Isolt turned to Sirius.

"Well, Sirius, looks like a trip to Gringotts is coming up. We'll need to withdraw some money for young Isolt to get a new set of clothes. Plus, we'll need some other supplies."

"Ah yes, I have a few items I'd like to get too, though, I don't think the most wanted man in Magical Britain should be seen walking around Diagon Alley, eh?"

"Of course not Sirius. Which is why you should send a letter to your account manager directly. They can provide us with a portkey directly to their office, and from there, Aster and I can go to Diagon, and we can pick up whatever you need. They are bound to neutrality, after all."

"While you send the letter, Aster and I will be in her room. I think it's time for some girl talk, wouldn't you agree Aster?"

Giggling a little, Aster grabbed hold of Isolt's hand, leading her away and out the dining room, and Sirius could hear the sound of feet running up the stairs. Groaning, he muttered to himself, "This is going to be a long day."

It hadn't taken long to write a letter to Gringott's, and even less time for them to reply with a brief letter granting Lord Presumptive Black's request for a meeting, with the letter itself acting as the portkey.

An hour later, the Potter-Black-Peverell trio found themselves in Account Manager Ironclaw's office, in the London Branch of Gringott's. Though Isolt had had to stand up after she fell down again after landing from the portkey.

"May your gold ever flow and prosper, Master Goblin." Isolt called out, standing up and dusting herself off, before giving the goblin a slight bow.

Sirius and Aster followed Isolt's footsteps and gave the goblin a bow as well.

"Ah, yes. And you are?" Ironclaw turned his stare from Lord Presumptive Black to the wixen who had fallen down.

Not blanching like most wizards would have at the terse tone the goblin spoke with, Isolt responded, "I am Isolt Peverell, last of House Peverell, as far as I am aware. Lord Presumptive Sirius Black and Aster Potter are my associates, though I believe you are already acquainted with the former."

"There is no living Peverell. That line has lain dormant for nearly two centuries. Now I ask again, who are you?"

'Geez, this goblin is insistent. Ugh, guess I'll have to pull out the big guns.'

"Again, as I have answered before, my name is Isolt Peverell, last of House Peverell, as far as I'm aware. Do not ask a third time. This is who I am, both by blood and choice."

Sirius and Aster paled a bit. It had only been that morning when Isolt herself had used the same trick to force Albus to admit to information that he clearly did not want to part with. They could both see that this is a situation that required delicate maneuvering, and both of them knew that none of the three of their group was subtle. Unless you counted a sledgehammer subtle, that is.

"We haven't had a living Peverell for two hundred years, Miss. I would prefer not to take drastic action to this pitiful attempt at line fraud." Snarling at her, the goblin snapped his fingers, and from the door to their right came a retinue of ten goblins, with various weapons, all aimed and pointed at Isolt. She could only really remember the names for about half of the weapons, but one didn't need to know the name of a weapon if its purpose was rather clear: sharp pointy things were for stabbing, bladed things for slashing, and blunt objects for bashing.

'Well, this isn't good.'