Bit of a long one to wrap up the year, or start the next one depending on when you're reading this. I would not expect four chapters in a week in the future. It's just circumstances lined up well.

Just a friendly reminder that crossover elements will happen. Likely not as prolific as my other stories, and this story will be mostly on the Potter end of things.

Enjoy.


Sirius Business.


The entire class grew silent and uneasy. Those cold and chilling eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange landed on all of us. I wondered how this was going to go. I know there are people who will not like this.

Leave it to the Ministry to try and solve this problem with an infinitely worse solution. Still, it played into my hand very much.

"So, I've been chosen to teach you brats," Bellatrix told them. "I'm going to figure out which one of you brats is which by calling your names. So, Brocklehurst."

"Yes…"

"Parent's still blood suckers?"

Mandy looked rather confused.

"They're lawyers, not vampires."

"So, that's a yes."

Bellatrix went down the row of names.

"Davis?"

"Present."

"Half-blood, next. Greengrass."

"Present."

"Does your parents still make the good stuff?"

"You mean ice cream?"

"No, I mean we…never mind."

Bellatrix cleared her throat and moved on.

"Li."

"Present."

"Never heard of your family, likely another Mudblood. And a Chink too."

"That's racist."

"Of course it is! Make sure to tell all of your parents that Fudge and Dumbledore hired a racist bitch to teach their children! And don't forget the murdering! And the torture! And the kitten kicking! And the what was the fucking Ministry thinking?"

Bellatrix snarled and everyone grew silent.

"MacDougal."

"Present!"

"Oh, yes, I remember your Daddy went out with a smile while your Mother was screaming her head off," Bellatrix remarked. "Good times, good times."

Bellatrix casually popped her lips and continued to go through the roll.

"Patil."

"Present."

"Oh, yes, your Daddy caused my master some headaches back in the day," Bellatrix said. "Your Mum, I would go on a carpet ride with her anyday. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, know what I mean?"

I knew precisely what Bellatrix meant, although Padma looked rightfully mortified.

"Potter."

"Oh, I'm here alright," I said with a cheerful wave.

"Harry Potter?" she asked.

"Mmm, hmmm."

A long pause followed as Bellatrix looked me dead in the eye.

"Never heard of you in my life."

"Come on, you must remember me! I'm the friendly neighborhood half-blood who kicked your master out of his body. Twice!"

Bellatrix raised a hand, perhaps in anger. Before she could strike, the runic bracelets lit to life and shocked her. The power of the shock dropped Bellatrix to her knees.

"Well, that cleared my sinuses," she said. "Roper."

"Present!" Sophie said.

"Mudblood. Turpin."

"Present!"

"Mudblood," Bellatrix said.

"People might not like you saying that word," I said.

"Oh, really, Potter, well, they're just going to have to fire me if they do!" Bellatrix snapped. "Fired, implying that I'm willingly employed to this job with all of the benefits, which I'm not. No idiots want this job, working in Dumbledore's personal death trap of a school. And now Fudge and his cronies can funnel the money that would have paid a teacher into their fat little pockets with their progressive prison work release program."

Bellatrix snarled and everyone blinked looking at them.

"So, Hogwarts," Bellatrix said. "Doubt much has changed. Same teachers in the core subjects as before. Flitwick, McGonagall, Sprout. Binns is still floating around, I suppose. I think he might actually have been a living teacher in the time of the founders."

Bellatrix took a second to calm herself, or at least as much as she was going to do so.

"Ol' Sluggy still teaching Potions?"

"Ol' Sluggy?" Daphne asked.

"Professor Slughorn," Bellatrix said. "Is he still collecting underaged students? Because that doesn't sound dodgy as all fuck!"

"No, Snape is teaching Potions," I piped up.

Bellatrix raised one finger and placed it inside of her ear.

"Strange, I thought I had wax in my ear," Bellatrix said. "Because I thought you said that Snape was a teacher at this school."

"Yes."

"Severus Snape?"

"Yes."

I wondered if the bracelets were going to zap Bellatrix again while her eyes went wide.

"Dumbledore let Snape teach children," Bellatrix said in the calmest and most tranquil voice possible. "That man. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT MAN?"

Everyone jumped up at Bellatrix's sudden and manic reversal from calm to shouty. Bellatrix dropped down onto the floor and started to rock back and forth. She giggled like an insane woman.

"Maybe we should go get someone," Padma said.

"I didn't go anywhere near this one," I piped up.

Bellatrix rose up and started to laugh. Then she cried a little bit, then she laughed again.

"Dumbledore hired Snape. Snape is getting paid to teach Potions at a school full of children."

"I think Dumbledore's blackmailing Snape to teach here myself," I remarked.

Bellatrix just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Point taken," she agreed. "Five points to Ravenclaw, you brat of a blood traitor and a Mudblood."

Bellatrix moved over to the board and stared at it .She picked up the textbook which had been assigned to the class and just made a disgusted sound before dropping it to the floor.

"I'm supposed to teach you little tossers about how to defend yourself against the Dark Arts," Bellatrix said. "I know a lot about the Dark Arts. Things that would make your skin crawl and your eyes bug out in terror. But, yes, I do know how to defend against them. When you're the Dark Lord's most trusted servant, there is always someone who is willing to make a name for themselves."

And here's the opening I have been waiting for.

"Oh, well you're not Voldemort's most trusted servant anyway."

Everyone in the class backed away from the splash zone. Bellatrix's eyes locked onto me.

"I am you nasty little brat."

"Oh, but, you're not," I told her. "That honor belongs to Sirius Black."

"SIRIUS BLACK!?"

Bellatrix almost lashed out and attacked me again. Zap, and down she went to her knees. Her body shook like mad from the magically created electrical pulses going through her body.

"Sirius…Black…is…not…the…Dark…Lord's…most…trusted…servant!"

She slapped the floor with every word.

"According to everyone he is," I told her. "I mean, he's the one who hand delivered my parents to Voldemort. And he didn't even get even receive a trial. But, you did, therefore I think the Ministry thought he was more dangerous than you. He was the Dark Lord's most trusted servant."

Bellatrix rose up, hand on my desk as everyone backed up.

"Black didn't betray your parents, Potter," Bellatrix hissed through her teeth. "That was some treacherous, wormy, ratfuck named Peter Pettigrew. And it's a shame he got himself blown up. Because, if he didn't, I would have torn out his spleen and force-fed it to him."

"Some guy named Pettigrew was the one that betrayed my parents?" I asked her, playing innocent.

"Yes, Potter! It was Pettigrew!" Bellatrix said. "I remembered the joy in the Dark Lord's eyes when that little pissant told him about the news. Pathetic Pettigrew was made the Potters' secret keeper. No one would have thought of Pettigrew. But, he told the Dark Lord that little secret. And lead the Dark Lord straight to your doorstep…"

"When I blew him to smithereens," I told him.

"Yes, that, and I will make you pay for that, Potter!"

Zap. Bellatrix fell on her backside.

"A little more and I might start to like this," Bellatrix breathed heavily.

Way too much information.

"So, are you trying to tell us that Black never was never a follower of You-Know-Who?" I asked.

"Sirius Black would have rather died than work with the Dark Lord, and believe me, he was on the Dark Lord's to kill list," Bellatrix told me.

"But, there he is, in Azkaban, and he's getting the credit you feel you deserve…"

She howled and I smirked, satisfying that I hammered her berserk button with extreme prejudice.

"It's a status I earned!" Bellatrix howled. "And how dare they…how dare they give that credit to Sirius Black of all people! He's a filthy blood traitor! He is a stain to our family legacy! And now he's in Azkaban without a trial and has all of the credit, all of the infamy of the Dark Lord's most fearsome follower that I deserve! I won't stand it!"

"So, you're saying you're willing to testify underneath a magical oath that Sirius was never a Death Eater…"

"Potter, I'm willing to go in front of the Wizengamot and make that claim underneath an Unbreakable Vow! I won't let this injustice go a moment longer. You find a way to get Black a trial, and I'll testify that he was never underneath the service of the Dark Lord!"

Well, things had gotten interesting. And this most certainly helped move ahead my plans to get Sirius out of Azkaban.


For all of those who picked Dinner on the first night for when Augusta Longbottom stormed the gates of Hogwarts about the entire Bellatrix being made Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher thing, congratulations.

Augusta had been met by McGonagall and Sprout, and the three women had a rather hushed, but rather intense conversation. I am well versed in reading lips. Augusta is not happy, Sprout is not too happy, and McGonagall is left holding the bag, because Dumbledore and Fudge are not here to have the brunt of the fury of this angry, formidable woman.

Neville had left the Hufflepuff table and walked off with his grandmother, head of house, and his deputy head. A lot of students had been distracted by their own conversation, but some of them seemed to know what was going on. Susan likely learned about the Longbottoms from her aunt, and she closed her eyes. I heard her mutter "it's not my place" to Hannah who was asking.

"Neville doesn't look happy," Padma said.

"Mmm, I guess he wouldn't be," I said.

"Well, there's a good reason," Tracey said grimly. "Not my place to say though. It's…a personal matter."

A few people would know. Hopefully nobody would blurt it out to the entire school. Although the Hogwarts rumor mill would be rife with innuendo and rumor regarding Augusta's abrupt appearance at dinner. Thankfully, McGonagall and Sprout cut her off at the pass before too much attention could be drawn

Thankfully, Bellatrix chose not to have dinner with the other teachers. Or perhaps sanity prevailed for once in this madhouse of a school.


I arrived at the Hog's Head, face slightly obscured when I entered the bar. A few shady looking patrons were there.

"Aren't you a little young to be here?"

My head whipped around and I came face to face with the bartender. Aberforth Dumbledore, the grumpy younger brother of the Headmaster of my school. He blinked for a second and eyed me.

"Potter," Aberforth said. "I've heard that you've been giving the Headmaster a hard time."

"Well, I've just stated my opinion, nothing wrong with that."

"I have to say, more people should do that more often," Aberforth said before handing me a butterbeer, one of the good bottles. "It's on the house."

"Thank you, sir."

"Calling me sir is like putting a luxury suite in an outdoor shitter," Aberforth said before he moved back behind the bar.

"If it isn't the famous Harry Potter."

A soft voice, as smooth as silk, caught my attention. The woman who it belonged to, wore a nice red dress, fitted to her curvy body like a glove. Dark ebony skin shined to showcase her flawless body. A generous amount of cleavage poured out of her dress, and the dress came to a point just slightly above her thighs. It gave the most tantalizing hint of what she wore underneath that dress, or did not wear underneath her dress. Silken black hair seductively framed the woman's face, and alluring violet eyes stared me down. She brought the wine glass, obviously brought from home, up to her rosy lips when looking at me, as if trying to determine something.

A beautiful woman, and extremely deadly, but only if you were married to her.

"I thought my disguise would have been foolproof," I said.

"Well, no disguise is, even the most well-placed masks slip," she commented. "My name is Katerina Zabin. You attend Hogwarts with Blaise."

"Your son?"

"Mmm," Katerina said to me. "Blaise has written much about you. And I'm very interested. You shake up things wherever you go. You question what people do not dare to question. For one so young, you bring such excitement. I have to restrain myself and remember that you are only a mere eleven years old. But, we have plenty of time, don't we?"

Katerina looked straight into my eyes. She oozed power, confidence, and beauty. And this is why she kept getting husbands despite them all dropping dead underneath "mysterious circumstances."

"Take a seat," Katerina said. "I would buy you a drink, but I don't want to get that kind of reputation."

Narcissa had not turned up yet. I humored the oh so beautiful, but oh so dangerous woman. She was no threat to me, or anyone else who she was not currently married to.

"So, what's up?" I asked her.

"Well, Sirius Black, naturally," Katerina said. "I understand you are intending to get him a trial."

"Are you interested in him, Mrs. Zabini?" I asked her.

"Oh, heavens no, darling, Sirius Black is not my type," Katerina said. "And call me, Katerina, or Kat, if you prefer."

Kat looked at me with a coy smile.

"How did you know that I was looking into…"

"Well, you caused a bit of a stir at the Ministry," Katerina said. "You asked for his trial transcripts, which don't seem to exist. Because, you see, Sirius Black was never given a trial. Such a thing, it shouldn't be done. You want to be sure when you accuse the scion of a pureblood family of being a servant of Lord Voldemort and leading Voldemort to his best friend and his family, betraying them. And he happened to blow up twelve Muggles and one wizard. Pettigrew, wasn't it?"

My non-answer indicated that she was right.

"He was supposed to be your godfather," Kat said. "And look after you if something happened to your parents. But that didn't happen. And instead you went and lived with Petunia and Vernon Dursley, at Number Four Privet Drive, in Little Whinging, Surrey."

"You know where I live?" I asked. "People can find that out?"

And here, we have a problem. If Katerina found out, others can. Hell, in the original timeline, Fudge pretty much broadcasted my home address to the full Wizengamot court.

"Well, for anyone who is willing to sweet talk the right people to look into such a thing," Kat said. "You would think they would not make the address of their savior such an easily accessible secret, but that's a flaw with the Ministry and has been for some time."

"Mmm."

Kat leaned in and she looked me straight in the eye.

"I can help you, Harry," she told me. "If you help me in the future."

I looked at her and motioned for her to continue.

"The truth is, one of my late husbands, his mother, performed a very powerful curse on me," Kat said. "The old bat dropped dead before I could get it out of her how to reverse it. But she took away my most precious treasure."

I wondered what Kat was getting at.

"Something very near and dear to me," she said.

"And you can't tell me outright what exactly happened, because of the curse," I told her.

"No, unfortunately, I can't tell you about…"

Kat's tongue locked to the roof of her mouth. She tried to write it down, but the paper burned to dust and the quill melted before she could convey.

"You can't," I said. "You can't even hint at it."

"No, I can just tell you of the curse, and that's about as far as I can go," Kat said. "I'll help you with Sirius Black. I'll make sure to help you get your day in court…"

"Mr. Potter?"

Narcissa appeared, dressed in an extravagant green robe. Her eyes narrowed when looking at my table mate.

"What are you doing here, Katerina?" Narcissa asked.

"Entertaining, Harry, while he waited for you apparently," Kat said. "Well, Harry, two women in one night, mere child's play for a sorcerer of your caliber in a few years."

She winked and Narcissa grabbed my arm and led me away to a more private area.\

"Until we meet again, Harry."

"Potter, don't trust anything that woman tells you," Narcissa told me. "And don't make any deals with her."

"I'm not," I said. "I understand what I'm doing…"

"No, you don't, not with her," Narcissa said. curtly "Inside, please. Lucius will return from his meeting with the Minister within the next hour and a half, and I would rather not invite any questions."

"Yes, your husband obviously has you bent at his whim…"

"No, he doesn't," Narcissa said. "You wanted to speak to me. I don't know how you enlisted Kreacher's help, but we can save that story for later."

I smiled.

"Sirius Black…"

"Yes, I'll advocate for him to receive his trial," Narcissa said. "Because, I don't want House Black or anyone in it owing any favors that harpy back in the bar."

Well, Kat did have a reputation and Narcissa had not trusted her at all. Imagine that.

"Bellatrix claimed she would swear that Sirius was not Voldemort's most fearsome follower," I told her.

"I'm sure she did," Narcissa said.

"You know she's a teacher at the school?"

Narcissa very nearly hid her abject disgust at that decision.

"Yes, I do," Narcissa said. "Fudge was at dinner last night talking about his new progressive policy. Lucius did a wonderful job of inflating his ego and encouraging the Minister to do this to improve his standing."

I can only imagine.

"I'm trying to figure you out, Harry Potter," Narcissa said. "My son sees you as a worthy peer, although it appears your influence has landed Draco into Hufflepuff."

Little did Narcissa know that I had a greater hand in this than either her or her son realized.

"Do you approve of that?" I asked.

"Lucius might not, and he's been agonizing over the past couple of weeks of where he went wrong," Narcissa said with a crisp smile. "I think that Hufflepuff may save Draco from repeating some of Lucius's blunders."

Narcissa said nothing more and I let the comment speak for itself.

"Draco was scared when I told him that Voldemort was at Hogwarts last week," I said.

"Yes, I can imagine," Narcissa said. "Many of us hoped he was finished for good on that night. He had ideas at the beginning which many in pureblood society agreed with. But, he went further off of the rails and became more bloodthirsty and self-destructive. Lucius dreads his return, and I feel that it would be disastrous if he does. He's already wiped out several old families with his destructive whims."

I realized that if anyone was scared of Voldemort's return, it would be those who renounced him claiming to be underneath the Imperius Curse. Spineless cowards they were, I assumed they would be scared for a reason.

"I need your help and I may be able to prevent him from returning."

Narcissa looked shocked at this. She wordlessly motioned me to continue.

"Your husband has a diary, belonging to a certain TM Riddle," I told her. "I want it."

"It's an item which was entrusted in Lucius's care, I can't…"

"You can," I told her. "And you will."

Narcissa found herself blinking for a minute and nodding slowly.

"How, how am I compelled to obey you?" Narcissa asked.

"Bring me the diary," I repeated. "And is it at all possible to enter your sister's family vault?"

"I can arrange it, yes," Narcissa said.

"There's a cup with a badger on it. I need that as well."

"I'll do it," Narcissa said. "But, why? You're getting more out of this me, and yet, I'm the one who is telling you. You…it can't be…can it?"

"Narcissa, you will keep your suspicions to yourself," I said. "You have made a vow to serve the head of the Black household without question, although my demands are not unreasonable, are they."

"No, my Lord they aren't," Narcissa said.

"And you will get the peace of mind knowing that your son will never be used as a puppet of Voldemort. Is that what you want?"

Narcissa relaxed a little bit and nodded.

"That's why Kreacher obeyed you, and that's why I have to assist you," Narcissa said. "But, Sirius is still alive. And my aunt, she merely blasted him off of the family tapestry. She did not go through the ritual of disownment given the high price paid if one is disowned without a justifiable reason."

"No more questions," I said. "You have work to do."

"At once," she said.


I returned to Hogwarts, and practically came face to face with it.

A different location in the school, and yet that accursed Mirror is still there. It taunts me, more than ever before.

No, I'm not going to look at it. At this point, I refuse to let some magical artifact tempt me. The thought of smashing the damn thing into pieces is very promising.

"Well, what do we have here? A little Raven flew far from his perch?"

An attractive brunette girl with an olive skin complexion appeared in front of me. A prefect badge had been pinned across her chest. Gemma Farley, the fifth year Slytherin prefect flashed me a smile. And standing aside of me were two of her friends. A blonde woman with a slender, and athletic body who I name checked as Vera Nott, the older sister of my fellow first year, Theodore Nott. Then beside her was another curvy brunette named Evelyn Rosier. The daughter of the infamous Evan Rosier, who had famously taken a chunk out of Mad-Eye Moody's nose.

"Hello, ladies," I told them. "Nice night for a walk."

"Little firstie has some fire," Evelyn said with a smile.

"Careful, Evie, you might get burned," Vera joked. "Remember what happened to Professor Quirrell?"

"Oh, I think Harry's fire might be a little pleasant," Evie said with a small wink. "And the thought just makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside."

"Gives you the tingles?"

"Okay, you two, that's enough," Gemma said.

"Weren't you the one sending him little notes saying how it was a shame he wasn't older…"

"I said enough!" Gemma snapped. "I should get you back to your common room. Clearwater would hex me if anything happened to her favorite boy."

"Lead the way," I told her, cheekily grabbing her arm.

"Oh, cutie, you just wait," Gemma murmured.

"Remember, Gemma, you want to take him to the Ravenclaw common room and not the nearest broom closet," Evie joked.

"Please, he's only eleven!" Gemma said.

"Just reminding you."

Gemma rolled her eyes and took me back to my common room. I did not need to look because I knew the mirror was gone.


Narcissa had obtained the Cup and the Diary. After taking a few moments to ensure that they were the real Horcruxes, I made my way down to the Chamber of Secrets where Rosa waited for me.

"Two more, master?" she asked me.

"Yes, I need your venom. And I think you should be rewarded. It's been a long time since you've been out, hasn't it?"

"It would be lovely to see somewhere other than this Chamber," Rosa said.

The Diary burned from the Basilisk venom. I was not sorry to see the back of it. The Cup had been destroyed next.

"There is a secret passageway which leads out to the Forest. Perhaps I can take care of that bothersome nest of Acromantula for you?"

"Lovely idea."

"Lead the way, my beloved master."

Four Horcruxes down. Two more to go.


I entered the Forbidden Forest. Nothing could harm me, and hell, I had a fifty foot Basilisk for backup. She moved about the Forest freely and zeroed in on the colony of spiders in the Forest.

"Death to these abominations!" Rosa hissed. "Death to them! They will no longer pose a risk to Hogwarts and all who live within her walls!"

Old Aragog perished first when Rosa lashed out at him. His mate did not fare any better. His children scattered in terror but Rosa hunted them down one by one. She was better than any bloodhound.

No survivors. That put a smile on my face.

I had a sense that somewhere Ron suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and relief, but he did not know why.

Hagrid might be the only one upset. But, he's going to have to get over it. Rosa returned to me.

I saw a pair of eyes in the clearing, looking at me with bright eyed astonishment. There was a strange glow in the forest.

A female centaur? No, it can't be. They're not supposed to be seen by humans, especially men. But whatever I saw, it disappeared as almost quickly as it appeared.

I followed the path for a little bit, but whatever it was, it was long gone. I stepped around the bodies of the decimated Acromantula colony.

Such a lovely night.


I saw the bloody mirror again. Just outside of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

No. Just no.

At this point, I may be excessively stubborn. I really should look at it to get it over with.

But, now it's just a matter of principle


The weeks turned into months and I am into October at Hogwarts, with Halloween just around the corner. Bellatrix is still Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, because quite frankly no one else wants that job at this moment. I feel like the last teacher burning into flames kind of turned people off of it.

Despite being belligerent, offensive, completely inappropriate, and giving children nightmares, still better than Umbridge. My standards are obviously high.

Neville is still rightfully disturbed about the entire situation. And he's not the only one. I have not seen too much of Dumbledore over the past couple of months. Every now and again, I see a glimpse of him. They are fleeting as well.

I see more of the Mirror of Erised than I do of Dumbledore. Still have not looked at it.

Today, I got the letter about Sirius's trial finally happening on November the fifth. A little over ten years since he was thrown into Azkaban without a trial. The wheels of justice move rather slowly. In the meantime, Amelia arranged for Sirius to be moved to a different location, which is heavily monitored. Smart woman, very smart woman. I hope she goes far.

I took a couple of books out of the Restricted Section of the Library. I may have tricked Bellatrix into writing me a note giving me permission. Perhaps she wanted me dead due to being a general nuisance and constantly riling her up about the entire fact I beat her master thing. Therefore she hoped that I would use the utterly dangerous and advanced magic and off myself.

Also, back to Sirius business. I have invoked my right to meet with Sirius and will be meeting him a few days before the trial. I let them assume it was because I wanted to face the man who betrayed my parents.

"You need to take a deep breath, and calm down."

I flipped through the book. No this would not help me at all. I did not want to summon a demon. I wanted to summon a person who had been trapped in Hell by a demon. How hard is that to understand?

"How does he do it? Every time. I work hard, and yet he's still the top of the year!"

"You need to calm down," Susan repeated. "Just because Harry's beating you in every class, you won't do yourself any good working yourself to death."

Huh, that's a nasty side effect. The tradeoff was not worth any potential benefits. I better keep looking.

"Hermione, no one would think less of you if you were second best…"

"I don't understand why my last essay got marked down."

And that ritual only works on witches. Apparently, there's not much of a demand for a spell which ages up the body of a wizard. Witches on the other hand, there is one. Although nothing about aging the mind up.

"You need to be more concise," Megan told her. "Don't you read their notes?"

"Yes, but I figured if I said more…"

"Less is more," Susan said. "And you might want to think about rephrasing some of this in your own words. The teachers have given you a lot of leeway. Just cut it down and use more of your ideas."

Well, that's definitely out. The blood of a hundred aborted fetuses, ugh. That's disturbing! I am surprised that the book was even kept in the Restricted section. Glaring oversight.

"Herms, deep breath," Megan gently said. "I can help you with this. My Dad taught me how to cut down my words to the essentials. It's not that hard when you get the hang of it."

'It's fine, Megan, I can…"

"No, you're struggling," Susan said.

"We're helping," Hannah insisted. "Because, you're going to work yourself into burnout if you don't."

"Fine!"

Mmm, I feel like this conversation going on over here should be interesting to me for some reason, but I have other things that I am focusing on.

The Mirror of Erised somehow found its way into the Restricted section. I am still not looking into it. I almost backed up into Neville. He jumped a little bit.

"Hey, Neville," I said. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, I'm doing fine," he said. "I'm just doing the essay for um…Professor Lestrange?"

"Oh, you're attending class with her?"

"Well, Gran wasn't too happy, given she's…a Death Eater," Neville said. "But, there's someone keeping an eye on her. That's the best that can be done, although Professor Sprout had to talk with Gran all night And there's that shocky thing if she gets too much out of line?"

Neville made an excuse about needing to find his toad. And I moved across the library, to see Penny waiting for me in the corner. She had been looking at the group of first-year Hufflepuffs.

"I hope she grows out of that phase, for her sake," Penny said.

"Who?"

"Hermione," Penny said.

"Oh, Granger," I said. "Only have Potions with her…is she a problem?"

"Well, she wants to prove she knows the answer to everything," Penny said. "And since you're at the top of your year, she's going at it a lot harder. Geraldine, she says that she had to literally force Hermione to go to bed, because otherwise she would be studying all night."

Geraldine Smith, the Hufflepuff fifth year prefect, for those of you were wondering. No relation to that douchecanoe Zacharias.

"She's eager to learn," I said.

"Well, nothing wrong with that," Penny said. "But, she feels like she has something to prove."

"It seems like the teachers have a problem with how long some of her essays are," I casually remarked.

I noticed Flitwick's kind but constructive feedback on the essay he left out. Megan, Susan, and Hannah had been helping Hermione with her Potions essay. I suspect Snape's feedback would be less kind and constructive.

I don't recall the teachers ever having a problem with how much Hermione wrote in the old timeline. But, things changed, I guess when she lost that "friends with Harry Potter" privilege, teachers treated her work like they would anyone else. Still it would do her some good to slow down. I was not really paying too much attention to her circumstances, it was just the Hufflepuffs happened to be studying where I was today.

Best of luck to her roommates.

"A lot of first-generation students go through that phase, trying to overcompensate for their lack of head start," Penny said. "Although, she's a bit more excessive than some of them."

"Did you?"

"A little, although not that hard," Penny said. "A little bit of knowledge can be dangerous. Too many people think they know it all because they read a few books. And she's drawing a lot of unwanted attention to herself by always being first to answer questions. That's not really helping anyone else learn."

No it's not. Yet, maybe there was hope.

"She'll be fine, Susan's working with her," I said. "And Megan and Hannah. She'll be fine."

"For her sake, I hope you're right," Penny said. "So, Sirius's trial…"

"On the fifth," I said. "He'll be out. Between Bellatrix's testimony and Wormtail."

"What about your relatives?" Penny asked.

"Amelia's getting ready to nail them, although she wants the Sirius trial done first,' I said.

It had been a long time coming, but the Dursleys would get everything they had coming to them and then a little bit extra.

I caught a glimpse of Hermione writing out something on a piece of paper and handing it over to Megan. Megan looked it over, smiled, and made a couple of notes before handing it back to Hermione. Hermione's brow crinkled when she looked at it and nodded.

She'll be fine.


A whoosh and I hit the ground, along with the young Auror trainee who had been escorting me onto the premises. A stumble, a bumble, and I landed face first into a soft pair of chest pillows. At least the landing was soft.

"Whoops, sometimes I get disoriented," the young Auror said. "It happens when I'm using my powers a lot although I'm a lot better than I was. Besides all of your fingers and toes are there and at least the lasting was soft, right?"

Bubbly personality and a distinct lack of coordination, this could only be the only and only Nymphadora "don't you dare call me Nymphadora" Tonks.

"It's alright," I said. "It's not that bad."

"Gives you plenty of practice for later being on top of a woman," she teased me.

"Yes," I said. "Lot of girls are saying that they wished I was a few years older."

"Mmm, I can imagine, you're the closest thing we have to a teen idol, although you're not quite a teen, and that messy hair and those enchanting green eyes are going to turn a few heads, and when you hit your first maturity, well…I hope you know some good defensive spells," she said, growing serious at this last point. "And that fifth-year Ravenclaw is rather fond of you."

"Yes Ms…I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."

"Tonks."

"Tonks?"

"Yes, Just Tonks," she said.

"Well, a pleasure to meet you, Just Tonks," I said. "Meeting with the Sirius Black today. I have to say, I'm excited and a bit nervous."

"Yeah, well Black doesn't seem too dangerous," she said. "Mum thinks there was something fishy about the entire thing. But, given Dad, her opinion isn't worth anything. Although Aunt Narcissa…"

"Oh, you're related to the Malfoys?" I asked.

"Yes, and they don't like it anymore than I do," she said. "But, Aunt Narcissa, she went to bat for Sirius, and I'm surprised Lucius went along with it. And there's Katerina Zabini, she pushed strongly and I think she's the one who got this trial to go up. Between you and me, that woman scares me."

I wonder if Kat blackmailed someone. Knowing her, likely. And she scares a lot of people, Nymmykins.

"You're not the only one," I said. "Well, thank you Just Tonks."

"You have an hour before I have to take you back," Tonks said. "The Minister doesn't like it, but Madam Bones insisted."

"I bet Dumbledore didn't either."

"No, I heard he insisted that you shouldn't do this," she said. "Good luck. I'll be out here if you need anything."

I smiled and moved off. I walked to the containment cell which Sirius had been kept in. Sirius looked up and walked up to the dividing wall of the cell. He placed his hand up to the glass and smiled.

"Harry?"

"Well, the famous Sirius Black," I said. "I've read a lot about you, but I bet a lot of it isn't true, is it?"

"No, I would rather die than betray your parents," Sirius said. "And Amelia Bones told me that Wormtail was living as a pet rat for ten years. And you found him."

"I'll tell you more later, when your trial happens," I told him. "But, don't worry, everything will be okay. Bellatrix is going to testify on your behalf."

"I can't believe she would do me any favors," Sirius said.

"Well, you've been accused of being Voldemort's most feared and notorious follower. That didn't sit well with her when I brought it up."

Sirius chuckled at the thought.

"No, I figured it wouldn't," Sirius said. "You look so much like your father, although you're so much like your mother, and you have your eyes. Really the best of both of them"

"And I'm my own person."

"Oh, of course," Sirius said. "Sorry."

And he did mean it, I felt.

"There's a lot of people who have questions, there are holes in the story," I said. "The Auror out there, her name is Tonks…"

"Oh, that must be Andromeda's daughter, Nymphadora," Sirius said.

"Nymphadora, eh?" I asked her "Nice girl, although a bit clumsy."

"That's her, alright, from what I can remember," Sirius said.

"She told me that her mother never believed you to be guilty. But the Ministry refused to hear her out, at least until now. And then, Narcissa is advocating for you. And Bellatrix is in her own way. So you have the three sisters on your side."

"Imagine that," Sirius said. "But, never mind that. How about you? We have ten years to catch up on, ten years I missed. I hope you can forgive a foolish man for thinking with his heart instead of his head. It's just, Hagrid insisted that you would be taken somewhere for your safety and I guess to check you out, and I didn't want to hurt you by fighting with Hagrid. I thought I would grab Wormtail and take him to Dumbledore, although that didn't happen the way I planned. It never does."

I figured about as much.

"But, you turned out alright," Sirius said. "Natalie must have raised you right."

Oh, yes, my godmother, and one of Lily's old friends. This delves into long story territory and we are dipping a toe into the territory of crossovers right now.

"If you mean Natalie Logue, she died in a car accident. Drunk driver got her."

There's more, but I really did not want to delve into that territory right now. The truth was, Natalie and her daughter, Astra, lived down the road from the Dursleys from when I was five to about when I was nine. I was this close with Natalie legally acquiring custody of me. And things improved at the Dursleys in the meantime when Natalie's friend Johnny had a nice discussion with Vernon and Petunia which left them quite shaken.

But some idiot who had too much to drink got behind the wheel and ruined it. I had hoped it was due to someone's manipulation of trying to mold me into their perfect weapon, but this actually was some idiot drunk driver. Which somehow makes things worse.

Three days later I saw my best friend get dragged down by a demon. Then, Dumbledore wiped my memories, and I returned to the cupboard despite not living there since I was five.

I wish I had gone back in time a little bit further, so I could prevent this from happening. But fate decided to dump me before my first year at Hogwarts and not before.

"I'm sorry to hear about that, she was a good person, although that Laughing Magician she hung around with was kind of a wanker," Sirius said. "The Longbottoms would have been next, although what happened to them, it's worse than death. And you didn't seem to know Nymphadora until today, so Andromeda is out"

Oh, Sirius, I don't like where this is going. And you might not either.

"Moony couldn't unfortunately, because of his monthly problem," Sirius said almost growling in agitation at that thought. "Diggory?"

Oh, yes, Cedric and his family, well that would have been better. Amos might have been rather bombastic and prideful, but he was just a man proud of his son. His wife seemed nice enough. Must be where Cedric got it.

"No."

"Okay, the Woods?"

"Like Oliver Wood, that Quidditch fanatic fifth year?" I asked.

"Oh, little Ollie takes after Phillip," Sirius said with a chuckle. "Not them I take it?"

"Not them."

"Okay, the Lovegoods, maybe?" Sirius asked. "Sure, they're not conventional, but the fact you're questioning everything that the Ministry and people in authority says points to it."

Well, growing up with the Lovegoods, that would have been an interesting alternate reality. Too bad I could not have saved Luna's mother. Did not go back quite far enough. I shook my head.

"Well, who did Dumbledore put you with…oh no!" Sirius yelled when he realized exactly what he was talking about. "He put you with Lily's sister and her walrus of a husband, didn't he?"

I nodded. Sirius took several deep breaths and remained tranquil, but I could tell he was angry by his eyes.

"The one place which Lily was insistent you did not go, he put you there," Sirius said. "Damn it, why did I insist we switch Secret Keepers? None of this would have happened if we had just stuck to the plan and not tried to pull a fast one.

I could tell Sirius had been holding onto this guilt for a long time.

"You thought Peter was your friend," I said.

"Yeah, well that thought ruined your childhood when you were put with the Dursleys!" Sirius snapped. "Dumbledore knew that Petunia didn't like our kind. The Malfoys would have been better. Hell, Snape would have been better!"

"Snape?" I asked. "Oh, Snape teaches Potions at Hogwarts."

Sirius blinked and placed a finger into his ear as if checking for earwax buildup.

"I'm sorry, but I could have sworn that you said that Snape was a teacher at Hogwarts," Sirius said. "But, that can't be right. Can it?"

"He is."

"What the hell is wrong with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked.

I chuckled, although it was not exactly funny. Dumbledore's questionable decision making screwed over a lot of people.

"I've asked myself that question a few times," I said. "Although, Snape doesn't want to be there, anymore than the students want him there. I think Dumbledore's blackmailing him."

"Oh, that doesn't make things much better," Sirius said. "I swear, if I learn much more about Dumbledore and some of his choices, I might get put back into Azkaban."

"Which is what we're trying to avoid," I told Sirius. "Things are bad, but they'll get better. I will get you out of prison. And put the Dursleys in, if there's justice. Dumbledore won't be a problem, and Voldemort won't be a problem either."

"Voldemort? I thought he was finished on that night."

"He didn't die completely," I told Sirius. "I met him a couple of months ago at Hogwarts. He was on the back of the head of another teacher."

Sirius looked like he wanted to belt out all seven words in succession and he would be well in his rights to do so.

"There's something else going on," Sirius said. "That you're not telling me."

"There is, but we'll deal with it after you get your day in court and you're a free man," I told him. "Focus on the good times. Surely, you must have a funny story about my parents you can share with me? Either of them, or both."

Sirius smiled, and seemed to appreciate the destruction.

"Fifth year. James was completely burned out between studying from OWLs and Quidditch. So he slipped up and called McGonagall, 'Mum'."


"So, your name is really Nymphadora?"

"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT MAN!"


I returned to Hogwarts after my little meeting with Sirius, and I hoped I put him into good spirits. Even though a few things got dragged up, I tried not to let that get me down.

I am going to need some really good spirits dealing with all of the alternatives my parents gave for my living arrangements, and yet I ended up with Petty Petunia and Vernon the Vermin.

Hey, look, it's the Mirror of Erised, yet again.

"You are the clingiest stalker I've ever had, which is covering some ground," I said. "Look, fine, you win! I'll gaze into you like a vain wanker. Are you happy now?"

Obviously the mirror did not speak back. Because it was a mirror.

I gazed into the mirror. I saw precisely what I expected. Surrounded by all of my loved ones. I am astonished that the mirror managed to find a way to fit everyone in. That is some really powerful magic and I am surprised it did not blow up.

My newest working theory is my collective may have hit critical mass and busted reality due to the sheer number of women I had been bonded with. Thus sending me back to my eleven-year-old body.

I'm going to have to try and be more selective with my choices. Although women are flocking to me without any input on my part. So that's going to be easier said than done.

I stared into the mirror for a good long minute. Okay, I hope it's done punching me in the balls and taunting me of the happy life I lost by sending back into this madhouse. I'm going to need to look up my good pals Jack and Jim for some therapy after staring into this mirror and being reminded of the fact I had the best life. And I ended up back here.

Fading, fading, fading.

I stopped and blinked. The mirror should have only reflected my reflection and nothing else. And yet, I looked into the mirror, seeing that there was one lady who remained, although she time-shifted into her younger self. Tall, dark skin, curly brown hair, who had been staring directly into my eyes. A combination of relief and also frustration.

"What the bloody hell?"

"Yrrah!" she hissed. "Emit gnikcuf tuoba! Reknaw nrobbuts uoy!"

Okay, she's in a mirror, so obviously from my perspective, she's speaking backward. Thankfully, I knew someone who performed magic by speaking the incantations backwards.

That was actually accurate. I kind of was one.

I slowly pieced this messed up jigsaw puzzle together. And I had a theory. An insane one but a theory.

"Astra? How in the bloody hell are you in the mirror?"

To Be Continued.