Keynote: The timelines won't match up between 1995 and 1926. Also this is a short chapter :D
The Credence/Obscurial nonsense will not be covered, because he doesn't need to exist in this parallel verse.
AN: You can skip the intro, but I know it's been a while and/or this plot is on shrums, so let the crazy person describe the fireflies stuck in the sky.
Timeline (YOU MAY SKIP)
*Late May 1995 - Harris arrives end of the fourth year.
*Summer Months - Harry spends summer with Sirius and Remus. Harris spends summer picking off Horcruxes, playing politics, and preparing to break Bella out of prison.
*August - Harry reveals he's been safe all summer. Sirius's trial, both Sirius and Bellatrix are freed. Bella's marriage with Lestrange is annulled. Harris is given access to the Lestrange vault.
*September - Kingsley and Amelia discover Bellatrix is freed, Dumbledore goes to visit Andromeda who is dying of an unknown disease as her soul slowly disintegrates. Bella believes she is in the afterlife. Harris and Dumbledore duel.
*October - Voldemort realises Bella has been freed and that Harris has access to his vaults, which leads him to discover his Horcruxes have been destroyed and the fate of his Slytherin's Locket. Regulus Black is freed from his stone angel curse.
*Halloween - Longbottoms have recovered and reveal Bella was tortured for saving baby Neville's life. Narcissa and Harris start their affair. Young Harry is possessed by Voldemort who attacks Snape and Poppy.
*November - Harris reveals to Snape he's an older Harry Potter. Bella kills Voldemort's soul shard and almost kills Harris in the process. Young Harry misses a few weeks of school as he recovers at Grimmauld Place.
*Late November - Andromeda speaks with Harris, both that she travelled as well and that she was dying. She did not ask for forgiveness. Harris thoughtlessly and uncaringly reveals his and Harry's past (i.e. more self-destructive behaviour).
*December - Andromeda dies, Ted and Harris meet at her graveside. Harry is tortured by Umbridge who is arrested.
*Late December - Yule happens, Narcissa admits to being two months pregnant by Harris, and the two decide, even if this pregnancy does not last (first-month miscarriages are 50-75% afterwards, upwards of 30% until the final trimester), that they will keep trying to have a child. I will not write about that happening, but I want people to understand that it is common, natural, and nothing to be ashamed of, pregnancies are huge medical endeavours.
*January - Harris starts teaching at Hogwarts. Harry and Luna walk into Grindelwald's trap. Albus reveals to Harris both the Paradox and what he discovered about Andromeda's actions due to his investigation of her.
Harris realizes he's in an alternate universe, thus meaning his family and world were never erased.
Deadly Belladonna Act I: Takes place in nine months.
Act II: The Final Death of Tom Riddle 1996 & the Rise of Grindelwald 1920s
Act III: ProfessorHarris Magnolia Black & The Return of Grindelwald
Chapter 18 - Destiny
Auror Leta Lestrange was tired. Tired of wizards, tired of the ministry, and tired of herself.
Everyone was tense. The war on the continent had not reached them in Britain, most likely due to Dumbledore, who for some reason refused to join the war.
Nor could the British join the efforts against the monster without risking their own people.
Still, with nothing to do, inaction left a foul taste on her tongue.
The shadows in her mind were growing darker and it was all she could do to keep her head above water.
She missed Newt, missed the only person in the world who loved her for her mind, her personality, and not her body or her name.
But Newt hadn't written to her in nearly a year, and the letters she had sent to him were
Leta was half considering encouraging Newt's older brother's attempts at flirtation.
She knew he was from the good sort at least.
She sighed, scooping water into her hands to watch her face. She had just reached for a towel when—
"Leta?"
She jumped, nearly spilling the basin, as she jerked back, reaching for her wand.
"Leta, are you there?"
She blinked, tabbing her face, she asked cautiously, "Newt?"
"Hi, um— Have I caught you at a bad time?"
Leta huffed, pocketing her wand, "Do I even want to know how you're doing this?" She looked into the basin in time to catch Newt's gaze before he ducked his head.
"I can give you the full description, only there's another matter of obscure magic I wished to speak with you about."
A favour.
He wanted to ask a favour, they hadn't talked since…
She couldn't remember when.
"And what do you wish to speak about?" she asked, slightly exasperated.
" What's your opinion of time travel?"
"Time travel?" she repeated, leaning over the basin. Resting her hip against the dresser. "Possible, as all things magical. But I've never heard of a proven story."
"And if I told you to have two underage Hogwarts fifth years here in America claiming to be my students, from the year 1996."
Leta stared at him, "One, what are you doing in America? Two, what will you do when the authorities catch up with you?"
Newt hummed, peering back up at her through his fringe, "I mean to go West, only there are restrictions in place. The Grand Canyon is still sacred land, even if the muggles don't respect that, I mean to. The magical representatives of the Southwestern tribes reside in New York City. I've been trying to petition a meeting with them… Only, they're rather busy, you see, things on the reservations throughout the States… Well, the indigenous plight is not positive."
She sighed, "I don't agree with Grindelwald on most things, but the muggles are rather backwards."
She knew exactly what muggles, especially those in America and Britain, thought of her skin, what they thought of people being as they are and loving who they will…
Grindelwald preached equality.
He had nearly conquered Europe, through terror, through violence…
And seduction.
Seduction of the idea that they could be better ruling and not hiding, cowering in fear to the population of the human set on their own distraction.
But Leta knew that to be a fantasy, knew it was inviting death. Magic couldn't fix everything, there weren't enough of them, and the muggle's Great War —the War to End All Wars— had proven that a full out war between the magical world and the mundane one —would end in carnage.
And she didn't think that once fully exposed the magical world could be easily forgotten.
"Yes, so I may be here for some time, you see. I thought of contacting Dumbledore but this… I suppose they are wards of the state now, I just don't know if it's doing right by them."
Leta cocked her head, "They've earned your respect, already? Your trust."
"They've proven themselves trustworthy. I don't really care what their back story is, I've committed to helping them. But it will take time and I don't know… I don't know if my brother will take my side, their side, Harry and Luna's that is. Nor do I know if Dumbledore gets involved… Well, he'd have the final word, I think."
She raised a brow, "You think I could outmanoeuvre Professor Albus Dumbledore?"
He smiled at her, and it was like the sun bursting from the clouds, "It wouldn't be the first time."
She rolled her eyes, Theseus Scamander might be the more bold and confidant, but Newt was the charmer. "And the Americans?"
"We're currently rooming with an American Auror who is on probation, and not currently allowed to submit evidence of outside investigations to her assigned tasks within Congress."
Leta shook her head, "Only you. I'll come, stay out of trouble for a day."
As if on cue, someone screamed, a man sounding near panicked, "Newt, your platypus got out again!"
Followed by two younger voices calling, "We have him, Professor Scamander!"
Then a woman's vote, arid and high, "It is quite cute, isn't it."
"It's illegal is what it is!" another woman snapped.
"He," the youngest female voice said, "Not it."
"I should probably go," Newt said. "But you'll come?"
She smiled, "I have some vacation time."
Something crashed and Newt looked away.
"I'll be there," Leta said. "I'll see you tomorrow. There are some benefits to working for the Ministry of Magic after all."
Like free transport to foreign countries.
"I would hope," Newt said, scrunching his nose a bit before his expression softened and he held her gaze. "And thank you, Leta. Thank you."
Something else crashed.
"I've got to go—" he said, the water basin going clear before she could say goodbye.
Leta smiled to herself.
Funny, with everything that stood before her —lying to her superiors and Theseus, participating in a conspiracy that could lose her job and risk American/British relations, and possibly going against Professor Albus Dumbledore with two of his students— she suddenly didn't feel tired at all.
Narcissa was pleased with life, pleased with Harris, her family, and most of all her children.
She was petrified that she would have another miscarriage, and lose another piece of her dreams fade away.
But as the months passed and her stomach grew, so did hope.
She began to let herself nest, she rarely left Grimmauld place, cleaning the place up had been one thing, childproofing it was another.
And then there was Regulus who needed to be reminded to eat, to sleep, and Sirius too for that matter. But both her cousins were excited about the baby.
Not nearly as excited as Harris though, who fussed over her more than any man she had ever heard of doing so.
Any adore between them had cooled, aside from humorous barbs they sniped at one another. There also remained intimacy between them more than a brother yet not as passionate as a lover.
Harris cared more for the baby than her, which was fine because Narcissa felt the same way.
That was fine with her, more than suited her in fact.
Narcissa craved respect, as well as a father for her children, but romance…
Lucius had been her first love, and she neither the energy nor did she have the inclination to give her heart away again. If she wanted more children, which she did, Harris would help her, if she needed to be held, Harris would help her, and when her children, including Draco, needed help or guidance, she trusted Harris to be there for them.
It was more than she had trusted Lucius… she had hoped when they married, but that was long ago.
And now, here they sat, across from one another, a paper between.
"You cannot be serious," Lucius drawled.
She arched a brow, "You're broke, Lucius."
"When we win the war—"
Harris scarfed, "Your dark lord has barely has a fraction of a soul left, he's insane. And if you mean to side with Grindelwald, may I remind you in a decade or so, he's liable to die of old age."
"I will not sign this paper to sign away my own child—"
"We both know the child is mine," Harris said. "And so will the next one. It's not as if you would be able to hide it. The chances of the child will be born with white-blonde hair would be exceedingly extraordinary, red hair would be more likely by way of my own mother."
Lucius's face twisted at the idea of a bastard siring a child with his wife.
Narcissa grinned. Leaning forward, she said sweetly, "You are broke, and the only thing then being cuckolded is being divorced."
"I could divorce you," Lucius snarled.
Her lips curled further, "Go ahead. No one will believe it wasn't my idea and you wouldn't be able to afford the court bills, would you? Which means you wouldn't just be losing your honour, you would be losing your son."
"You've already taken him from me," Lucius snapped.
"I've kept him safe, away from the Dark Lord, which currently, yes, means away from you. But Draco is a Malfoy, and he loves you still."
Lucius snarled, "And yet this child will be a Black."
"Either take this deal or I will change Draco's name and you and I will be enemies."
"Aren't we that already?" Lucius asked.
She shook her head, "I despise my enemies, I pity too greatly to hate you."
Lucius jerked the parchment over to himself and signed away his rights to all future children to the House of Black.
Narcissa didn't look at Harris as Lucius rose to his feet scorned and hurting.
Knowing that he would suffer more than she, hurt more than she, and Narcissa was ever so glad of it.
She was a mother, and she was free.
There was no greater pride than to own their own life. For she was master of her own destiny.
Foreshadowing: How did Queenie and Grindelwald know they could get at Harry through Luna? Queenie befriends Luna over the summer but she wasn't Harry's friend before fifth year, they hadn't even officially met yet.
AN: Short chapter, I know, but thoughts, chameleons, or feedback, pretty please?