Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to HP. It all belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Inc., Warner Bros., and any other entities involved.

Voldemort was impressed despite himself. There stood Harry Potter, unarmed in the midst of his enemy's stronghold, prisoner of the woman who had killed his godfather, and yet he remained firm.

Harry looked about confidently, weighing every option. It was obvious to the spectators that he wore the title of the Boy Who Lived not as a result of something that happened years ago, but as an expression of his inner strength. He did not look like a prisoner led to his death, but like a prince led to his wedding. There was a poise that had nothing to do with arrogance and all to do with power, the collected and unassuming power of the tides, of growth, of life.

Meanwhile Bellatrix was muttering under her breath and looking critically at her nails, and Tonks was watching the whole denouement with a bored air, or at least as bored as someone with pink hair can look. Tonks could not quite conceal a critical attitude toward Harry. Harry had a golden collar around his neck, as did Tonks, to keep them from using magic.

There was a rustling sound that announced Nagini and Wormtail. Nagini hissed to Voldemort, "The raven-haired one is exceptionally strong today, sire."

At this, Harry sharply gazed at Nagini, looked startled and smirked a little. Bellatrix also was startled out of her pensive looks towards Potter, and sneered at Nagini.

Voldemort thought, "So Potter is strong, so what else is new?" And kept his quiet.

He was amused to note that Potter was glaring murderously at Bellatrix. Generally, when he and Potter were in the same vicinity, he would be the target of such stares, but it seemed being captured by her had caused Potter's hatred towards Bella to grow exponentially.

And Bellatrix directed scorning looks at Potter, as if chastising him for letting himself be captured.

It was Tonks' actions, though, that really interested Voldemort. She looked impatiently on, gazed somewhat patronizingly towards Potter and raised her eyebrow in what looked surprisingly like a Malfoy gesture.

One of the men started talking, "You should have seen Bellatrix, my Lord. She was magnificent, she went with the older Tonks to their room and then there were two green flashes, and she killed them, and later turned up with Potter…"

Voldemort sternly interrupted, "I think I told you, Bella, that I wanted your sister and her husband alive, to play with them."

Bellatrix paled, and visibly collecting herself, said, "But they tricked me, my Lord! Nevertheless, before I killed them I made them call Potter. He came, like the good little Gryffindor attention whore that he is, and I was able to capture him."

Harry growled and advanced menacingly on Bellatrix, it was only Tonks' colliding with him that kept him from hitting Lestrange. He said, "Stupid Death Eater scum! I'm no attention whore, I'm just not a fucking coward like you!!"

Voldemort shouted, "Silence!! You will speak only when spoken to, Potter."

Voldemort took out his wand, and it was certain that he was going to cast the Cruciatus on Harry, when Bellatrix interrupted him, "If it pleases my Lord, I know how we can torture Potter."

Voldemort answered irritated, "And how is that, Bella?"

Bellatrix answered, "Let me kiss him."

There were several gasps from the onlookers, including the Dark Lord. Tonks threatened to burst out in laughter, while Harry sputtered a lot, and finally catching his breath, started to say, "No, I won't do that! I'd rather get killed! No way, no how, just no!!"

Voldemort answered, "Judging by his reactions, I think you've had a good idea, Bella. You will kiss."

Bellatrix said to Harry, "You'll have to kiss me, ickle Potty, or I will torture your miserable friend here!"

Tonks snorted and guffawed loudly, and Voldemort was mystified. He knew that the Blacks were high-strung, his own Bella was the proof, but bursting into laughter at the idea of their own torture, that was bizarre!

Harry answered, "It's you who have always been miserable, Bellatrix. Ok, let's kiss, but on your own head be it!"

Harry and Bellatrix got near and met about ten meters from Voldemort. Bellatrix was a little taller than Harry, and she put her arms around Harry's waist, while Harry put his arms around Bellatrix' neck. The onlookers thought that the kiss would last a few seconds, and the two participants would instantly turn away and start wiping off their mouths with their hands.

However that did not happen at all. What occurred had a magical quality to it, as if time stood still, their entwined silhouettes could be seen, their raven hair a breathtaking contrast with their pale skin. Both brunettes seemed to partake completely of the kiss.

Harry felt he'd died and gone to heaven. This exhilarated feeling, this craving; this wasn't what he felt with Ginny. While there was emotion and love with her, there was not this overwhelming hunger, passion, thirst. Maybe that is what happens when you kiss your mortal enemy. He was reminded of Shakespeare, "My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!" How true.

Voldemort and the Death Eaters were shocked by the kiss, they had expected Bellatrix to bite Potter, or taunt him, not to kiss him passionately. Apparently there was something uniquely enthralling in watching such mortal enemies kissing.

While the spectators were so confused, Tonks briskly walked to the side of the room, where Pettigrew was, clutched the chain of her golden collar, grabbed Pettigrew's arm, and disappeared with him.

At first no one noticed what had happened, until Nagini hissed, "The rat and the pink-haired woman are gone, sire!" "The raven-haired one is quite more powerful than was the case in the morning."

Voldemort was growing more confused until he understood that Tonks and Wormtail must have left by portkey, but then, how could they, if the anti-portkey wards were up? He and Lucius had spent time and blood on these wards, Lucius' blood, yes…. And he replayed Nagini telling him about the raven-haired being more powerful than in the morning, when Potter had just been captured now.

Swiftly, like a snake striking, Voldemort cast a binding charm on Bellatrix. He stared at her face, the onyx eyes that he knew so well, and saw them staring intently back at him, as if measuring him, and then looking far beyond him, as if he had been found lacking.

There was only one person in the whole universe that could drive him to distraction with just one look, and this was it.

Voldemort shouted, "Sectumsempra!" and watched red lines sprouting in Bellatrix' face and blood pouring out of her body into the floor. He clearly intoned, "Crucio!" and delightedly watched Bellatrix writhe on the floor.

He heard when Bellatrix said to Harry Potter, in a pleading tone, "Run, Harry, run!!" And wanted to laugh when Potter replied, "Over my dead body!"

Nonetheless, all merriment ceased when Potter took out his wand from where it had been hidden, directed it towards Voldemort and bellowed, "Crucio!!" The spell was so charged with Harry's hate that Voldemort was thrown across the room and hit the wall very hard.

The Death Eaters were torn between helplessly staring at Voldemort and risking his ire by trying to help him.

Harry knew he had no time, so he gripped the end of the chain, held Bellatrix tightly, and spoke softly the word activating the portkey: "Camus."

Just as they were disappearing, they were hit by two green flashes of Avada Kedavra shot by McNair and Goyle Sr. from two different directions.

Where they had been, there was a slowly spreading pool of blood. Voldemort sat up slowly, and winced. He waved his wand and a blue shield appeared over the spot on the floor where Bellatrix had lain.

He said, "Well, it was not a complete loss. We've lost some players, but we've gained a key part to destroying the Light tonight, courtesy of the Little Lord."

The Death Eaters relaxed, thinking they would not be punished for their failures, but they relaxed too early. Voldemort, with a swish of his wand, closed the doors and windows, and said, "Well, it's time we find out what happened, and why 20 men were outclassed by three curs!"

Recriminations soon were followed by curses and hexes. A substantial portion of the floor was covered in blood by the next morning, but still the blue dome could be detected on the ground, jealously guarding what the Dark Lord coveted.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

Harry looked up confusedly at curtains guarding an enormous bed covered in black satin, with silver pillows. The room was enormous, classically decorated in a severe, understated way. He asked plaintively, "Where are we?"

He was answered, "We're at my room in Malfoy Manor, of course. Now would you be so kind as to use that spell that Severus taught you and ease my suffering?"

Harry huffed, "Must you be so whiny, Smart One?" "There you go, now you're as good as new."

Bellatrix said, "I think the potion's wearing off, and I feel like I'm going to barf. I'll be right back." She went and entered the door to the bathroom. Ten minutes later, Draco Malfoy got out and hopped on the bed.

Harry looked up and saw Draco, and beamed. "I must say, it's wonderful to see you, Draco."

Draco answered, "Let me add, it's great to be back."

Harry replied, "I could tell you that I almost had a heart attack a while back. I had been listening to you talking with Tonks, where you talked about literature and the Black family, and then you said you were creating a portkey." "Of course I thought that you were going gallivanting all over the place and getting in trouble, and honestly I could not leave you or Tonks alone, I had to help however I could."

"So I rushed in with my Invisibility Cloak, grabbed someone's hand, got tugged in the navel in a portkey trip and when I look up, who do I see but the awful Bellatrix Lestrange?"

"Draco, it was horrible, and you did not make it better. You had to cackle like a madwoman and say, 'ickle Potter, I've finally got you!'"

"Thank God that Tonks was there and explained about the Polyjuice Potion, though I still don't know how you managed to get Bellatrix' hair."

Draco replied, "It's a Black secret," sneering.

Harry continued, "Anyway, it was good that I brought the Cloak. We were able to approach the Tonks' house undetected, supplant Bellatrix and portkey the senior Tonks from there."

Draco commented, "I hope they are happy with the accommodations provided by Mother. I know she misses Aunt Andromeda terribly. They can stay here as long as they like."

Draco went on, "Also I found a message left by Tonks in the bathroom. I think you would like to read it:"

Dear Harry and Draco:

I'm sorry I left in the middle of the kiss of the century, but I had to get Pettigrew out of there. He's bound now and I'm taking him to the Ministry to be interrogated. I'm sure they'll clear Sirius' name after this. I also told other Aurors where to find the real Aunt Bella, though I must say Draco, that you make a much more appealing Bella to me (and probably Harry).

Tonks

Draco saw how Harry's face fell when he read about Sirius. He knew the Gryffindor would probably start berating himself for his godfather's death, and get depressed, so he decided to distract him.

With a wave of his hand he summoned a small vial of Blood Replenishing Potion, after having been hit with Voldemort's curse, he had lost a lot of blood and felt somewhat dizzy. Harry noticed and asked interestedly, "I saw that, you can do wandless magic, Draco?"

Draco replied, "It's not really wandless magic, I just have the ability to summon small things from the Manor, if I know what they look like."

Harry asked, "Can other Purebloods do that?"

Draco answered, "Not that I know of. Not every Malfoy can summon things, though. I know my father couldn't, which is why I did not tell him I could."

Draco stated, "You can Floo to the Burrow, Harry. You need to rest."

Harry answered mutinously, "I don't want to go, Draco. They'll start questioning me and they will never let up! Can I stay with you tonight? I'll sleep in that sofa if you want. I just don't want to sleep alone, not after what we've gone through."

Harry looked at Draco with woebegone eyes, shining so sadly that Draco had to give up, and he replied, "Ok. I'll just let them know you are safe here. And Harry, you can sleep in the bed too, no big deal."

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

In the morning they were woken up by an exuberant Tonks, who found two disgruntled, sleepy teenagers glaring concertedly at her.

After having breakfast, Tonks decided to accompany Harry to the Burrow for his last day there, for Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins were spending the last of their vacation at the Manor.

They were going to walk to the Apparition point and go to the Weasleys'.

After Tonks and Harry were gone, Draco went to his room, entered the bathroom and stared at his reflection. He closed his eyes. When they opened a moment later, the visage of Harry Potter was looking back, one blink later, and the face peering out of the mirror was that of Bellatrix Lestrange.

It said, "I'm grateful for cousin Nym, for her quick thinking in telling Harry about a Polyjuice Potion. Both he and Voldemort think it is only Polyjuice. Thank Merlin they do not have the imagination or knowledge about genetics to think I might be a Black Metamorphmagus." "If either Voldemort or Dumbledore knew this, my life would be hellish and short."

In the mirror, Bellatrix looked weary and haunted as she closed her eyes and transformed back into Draco Malfoy.

tbc