Chapter 05 - Regression
New Forest
The two Black sisters appeared in a forest clearing. Both wearing simple white robes, no make up or glamours nor hair charms, or any magic on them whatsoever now they had used up the port key.
"Where the hell are we?" Bella asked looking around. Despite the fact the robe she wore was her only item of clothing. She actually felt more naked for not having a wand on her. Her wandless magic was rubbish, only simple banishing and summoning ability in that area.
Cissy looked around, "I have no idea. Harry just said it was an out of the way place to do the spell."
"Why out of the way?" Bella wondered to herself, aloud.
"Because he's going to torch the place afterwards. He doesn't want anyone to sense the magic or see the magical fire."
"Why torch the place?"
"Evidence, he said."
"Harry said, he said, Harry did this, Harry did that" Bella teased humorously.
Cissy tossed her head, "I'm just saying."
"Uh huh. So did your toy boy tell you what our cover stories are going to be?"
"No, he didn't" Cissy said with a pout.
"Did you try crossing your legs at him?"
"Bella!"
Bella smirked.
Cissy looked contrite, "Actually I did. It didn't work."
"Did you try flashing some thigh?" Bella asked smirking like crazy.
Cissy blushed slightly.
"Didn't work either? Perhaps you should try spread... ow"
Cissy shook out her hand from clipping Bella around the back of the head. "You deserved that."
"Harry said I'm brain damaged. Are you trying to make it worse?" she said the 'Harry said' in a teasing tone.
"I figure that I can do what I like to you. Since if the spell works you'll be regressed. If it doesn't work it won't matter much either way." Cissy said with a smirk, that turned a little sour as she realised the truth of her words. "Come on, Harry said to come at this time. We don't want to be late."
"No, it might upset your toy... Ow!"
Cissy smirked in a superior way and walked off, head held high.
"I'll get you for that" Bella commented mildly. Walking after her sister.
-#-
Harry looked up as the door opened. His breath hitching slightly. Cissy was framed in the doorway, the light of the behind her and damn that robe wasn't very thick. He swallowed hard, and beckoned her in. Which meant that Bella walked in after her. "Damn Libido" he cursed himself under his breath. After another gulp and swallow.
"That's some heft rune work" Cissy said looking around the painted walls. Then down to the blood daubed floor.
"Looks lovely... Must get it tattooed on my other arm" Bella noted wryly. Nodding her head at the gruesome design on the floor.
Harry quirked an eyebrow at her. "I'll have you know that this is one pint of quality blood here."
"Is that the Virgin blood" Cissy asked.
Bellatrix looked amused, "Unlikey. Where are you going to find a virgin around here these days?"
Harry blushed and looked down. Bella mistook his avoidance. "Not a child! Not even I would ..." she was cut off but Cissy poking her hard.
"Harry wouldn't hurt a child Bella." she said in a low tone.
"Then where?" Bella asked in the same way.
Cissy smirked, "Have you noticed that Harry has been looking a little pale"
Bella took a second to catch the significance of that statement. "No!" she said in a voice full of disbelief. "But... but he's bloody gorgeous... surely some one... popped him at school by now"
"Why thank you" Harry said, making Bella realise she had said that a little loud.
Truth was Harry wasn't sure if he should be complimented, embarrassed or horrified. He decided on a mix of the first two. If this was going to work he had to forget the Bellatrix of old, and he NEEDED this to work. This was the biggie. The one thing his God father had asked for that really, really, rankled him. He was still halfway to wanting to kill Bellatrix. Well perhaps less now he realised she was in fact a human. That had been a bit of a shock that realisation. He had spent the best part of the night before and the next day in her company. It turned out she was quite funny actually. Somewhat twisted and given her mind wanderings... Possibly almost as much of a victim of Voldemort as the so called innocents. One too many Crucio's stacked on top of Azkaban and the Dementors... Taken in by Voldemorts charm and presence. In a way, all the Death Eaters were victims of that.
Which disturbed Harry to realise.
He returned his own wandering mind to the job at hand. "Step inside the circle. Try to miss the paint." he said.
"Paint?" Bella asked. "I thought you said it was blood. Virgins blood. Your blood" she said, smiling slightly by the end.
"I was trying to be delicate" Harry said sourly. "Cissy, you on my lap... sorry the X, Bella..."
"On your lap too?" Bella asked innocently. As Cissy winked at him.
"On the Y" Harry said, hiding a smirk. Damn that sense of humor of hers was actually making it hard to hate her properly. He tried his level best to though.
"Shame" Bella noted wryly, taking a seat on the described Y.
"Right, there is a potion beside you. After I've done the incantation, drink it in one gulp. It's probably foul, but don't puke it up again. If you do, we're fucked. Okay?"
"Is this a long ritual?" Cissy asked.
"Not at all actually. Why?"
"I probably should have gone before I came out." Cissy said smiling slightly.
Harry rolled his eyes. It appeared, to Harry at least, that Sirius was not the only one in the family with a sense of humor. Though that did explain Tonks somewhat. She was from the same line and frankly a bit insane, in a funny way. It made sense he supposed. Cissy and Bella had apparently been better at hiding their humanity a bit. Plus obviously they held their own views on the blood issue. Harry was actually okay with that, not that he wasn't going to torture them for it.
"What's the back story?" Cissy asked, for what felt like the 100th time that day. To Harry at least.
"I'll tell you..." Harry said a twinkle in his eye.
"Harry! Eyes Up... No I don't suppose that works in this robe."
"Who said I was talking about you flashing your legs this time."
"Quick, flash your tits" Bella said with such a straight face Harry actually laughed.
Looking a bit shocked about that Harry went on to say. "I'll tell you after the spell." he promised.
"Which one?" Cissy asked glaring at her sister. Though it might be worth doing to get him to spill and end the suspense. Bella had said Sirius looked like he thought it would be fun when he had talked to her at the reading. Cissy had noted the same look of mischief in Harry's eyes when she had asked.
"The second." Harry replied.
He stood up and held out his palms face down and parallel to the floor.
Bella winced in shock as power flooded out of Harry and lit up the design he had painted onto the floor. The entire area was suddenly swimming in magic. The air thick with ozone like lightning had just struck.
Cissy looked at Harry's eyes as they started to glow with power, intentionally this time. He was channelling immense amounts of it after all. More than she had felt in a very long time. So much that she wondered, just for a moment if he truly was the one that could take Voldemort on and win. Then she realised... Yes, yes he was. The hair on the nape of her neck rose at the thought. She glanced at her sister to see what appeared to be a similar realisation. A similar look of hope appearing in her sisters dark eyes.
Harry began to chant in a low tone, so low they couldn't make out what he was saying. The power in the design began to flow anti-clockwise. Speeding up as Harry continued to chant in that low voice.
Bella blinked as she was surrounded by a corona of white light. Cissy the same. Neither could see through the bubble of pure magic. It began to contract causing them both some alarm. Then before they could even take a breath to scream it flowed into them. Crackling raw, electirc power surfused their system for a long moment. Charging their bodies ready for the change. All the while they heard the steady cadence of Harry's chanting voice.
Then he stopped chanting, just like that. Stopping dead.
The looked at him, almost euphoric with the power in their systems. But aware enough to see his single nod. The sisters reached to their side and picked up their respective potions. Swigging them back just as instructed. The taste was vile. Causing them to gag. Both stilled their reaction and forced the potion down their throats. Swallowing convulsively and making faces of revulsion.
Pain like neither had known flooded their systems, overpowering nerve endings and reactions in a blink. They slumped quickly blacking out from the pain. Bella only moments after Cissy.
Harry looked at them and began once more to chant. Now looking straight ahead. He had a feeling he would not want to see them actually regress backwards. It was unlikely to be a pleasant sight.
-#-
Cissy awoke first. Opening her crystal blue eyes and looking across at a slumped Harry. She smiled slightly. Pure Vanity had stopped her from doing it. But she had needed glasses for the last few years. Now, there was no slight blur. Nice, crisp clean edges made up her vision. If that wasn't proof enough she sat up with no twinge of pain from that wound she had gotten 'tripping down the stairs'. Or at least that was what her husband had made her say to St Mungo's. Her hands hadn't changed much in her years, but there was a difference. She looked down, all pert there and slightly smaller. She had put on half a cup after having a child. Even now she cursed breast feeding him for so long. She lifted her robe smiling as she saw her toned stomach and lower, not a stretch mark in sight. This was a damn good spell. She laughed, Her voice sounding a little alien even to her ears. Younger, lighter and more lively.
Bella was having a similar revelation. She stood easily to stand beside her sister. "I like this spell" she said. Then lifted her robe a bit too. "No scars" she said with a smile.
"Oh bloody hell ladies." Harry said waking up and looking at them. "Are you trying to kill me." he said looking away like the gentle man he was. Or tried to be at least.
The two sisters laughed happily, letting their robes fall. "Thank you" Cissy said.
"Yes, thank you Baron" Bella added. Amazed, "It really worked... this won't go away?"
Harry smiled tiredly, "Only as you age from this point." he told the happy sisters. Trying not to notice that Bella was what could only be described as fucking hot. Or that Cissy was pretty much a goddess. But as far as Harry was concerned she already had been. The changes were just that much more defined on Bellatrix. She'd had a hard life. Full of wear and tear on her body. And her looks. She was so astoundingly changed, he doubted even without the other spell people would've been able to recognise her.
He blinked a bit, clearing his head.
"Are you okay to do the second spell?" Cissy asked with worry. For Harry, not about the spell.
"Done it" Harry replied, standing up. "Clear out I'm going Pyromaniac on this place." he said with a wink.
Cissy grabbed Bella by the hand and the two virtually skipped out of the small cottage. Harry walked out after them. Looking more than a little worn around the edges.
"Do you want us to do this?" Cissy asked.
"Well Cissy, unless you're hiding your wand in a place I'd like to search... You can't"
"Oh I forgot that." Cissy admitted, spinnign aroud with her arms in the air. "So how do I look?" she asked.
"About the same." Harry said, causing her to stop dead. "Beautiful" he finished.
Cissy smiled at him devastatingly.
Bella smirked, "And me?" she asked doing a spin as well.
"Honestly?" Harry asked.
Bella stopped spinning, "I was joking, I figure you wouldn't... like me much."
"Miss Black, you are stunning" Harry said with a smile. Surprisingly effected by how sad she had looked when she had said that. "Pretty much the sexiest bird that will be Hogwarts I reckon" he said with a wink. Then turned back towards the building. Missing Bella's surprised, touched, and happy smile. Though she'd have to hit him for calling her a bird later.
Cissy was wondering how she ranked, but got rid of that thought quickly. She KNEW Harry thought she was sexy. He certainly made no secret of the fact. Bella at the age they looked, had always been more popular because of that sultry brunette thing. Oh and the fact she put out probably had a lot to do with it. Cissy smirked to herself at that thought.
Harry took a breath, and lifted his arms. Cissy and Bella backed away quickly as an exceedingly hot flame started burning one the bottom floor of the cottage. Then as he continued to raise his hands the fire rose. Until finally the entire building was encased in green flame.
Then he held his arms high for about 30 seconds and then lowered them.
Cissy and Bella were both shocked to find that once he had put his arms by his sides again, there was virtually no sign that a cottage had ever existed. Only the foundations seemed to be in place. Charred but there.
"Nice spell" Bella complimented.
Harry smirked, "Wasn't a spell." Then he took her and Cissy by the hand and aparated them back to Grimwald place.
Once they arrived he and Bella jumped apart.
"What was that?" they said.
"Oh not this again" they said.
"Damn it" They repeated.
Harry stopped talking as he noticed through the flimsy material that whatever the hell it was had a similar effect on Bella as it did him. "Stupid Libido" he muttered turning and walking out of the Kitchen. Bella smirked a little, but looked confused. Cissy grabbed her hand and led her out of the Kitchen and in pursuit of Harry.
"Back story time Harry!" Cissy called out.
"Living room then" Harry said, a wicked smile on his face.
"I do not like that smile" Cissy said.
Bella smirked, "I dunno, I kinda liked it."
Cissy rolled her eyes and dragged her sister in to the living room to find Harry sat on his favourite chair. Or it appeared to be, because he sat in it every time he entered the room. They sat opposite him on the couch, beside each other. Looking at him curiously.
Harry smiled lazily. "Names are the same. Obviously, the spell handles just about everything for deleting you from your old existence's. It spreads and comes in contact with all I do. Have you heard the Muggle theory of three degree's of separation... No of course you haven't. Basic terms, each person is three people away from knowing everyone in the world. SO the spell will spread like wild fire, in fact faster than that. I'm going to be going on a bit of a tour tomorrow. For that you two need to stay here. After that... We start building your cover stories believability a bit."
"A cover Story you seem to delight in not telling us" Cissy said.
Bella nudged her, "Try crossing your legs again." she whispered in an aside. Cissy smirked at her and rolled her eyes. It looked like she was right and so was Harry. Cissy had through Bella's playful side might come back, and she appeared to be focusing just fine.
"That's not a short skirt. Or one with a split. It won't work" Harry said. Surprising them both. He smirked at their looks and tapped his ear, "Works pretty well." he said. He took off his glasses, "My eyes too. The control problem I've been having. Not so much a problem apparently." Harry said with a smirk. He was hedging a bit. But his glasses gave him a headache these days. He needed an excuse to loose the damn things this was as good as any.
Bella and Cissy seemed to take that in their stride.
"Not so unusual then?" Harry said.
"I've heard of it during the Magical maturity phase. Childhood ailments disappearing and things like that. You know magic helps your healing and resistance to illness don't you?" Cissy said.
"No" Harry admitted. "Don't tell Hermione, if she doesn't already know. She'll want to do a study on that too." he commented wryly. "Okay, that aside... The cover story..." he said trailing off and yawning.
"Oh no" Bella said pointing at him, "No you don't"
Harry smirked, "It was worth a try." he said. "Alright Cover story, and I dither because you are going to HATE this. I've made some changes but I swear the premise is Sirius's alone."
"This is sounding a little ominous." Cissy said.
"Hit us with your best shot" Bella said with a sigh.
"You are Blacks. Born of a squib line. One thought dead. They went Muggle. So you are Narcissa and Bellatrix Black. Muggleborn's."
Bella had frozen, Cissy looked like she wasn't sure if she should laugh or get mad.
"Sirius thought this would teach you a lesson of humility Bella. Cissy has jut gotten caught up in that. But I don't think it will hurt any. So to that end, you are going to have to learn to be Muggle"
They both glared at him.
Harry smiled charmingly at them. "You've both been in Hogwarts as long as I have. Sorted into the same house. We've only recently met after your parents moved to the continent. Leaving you in my care when they found out I was a Black and the head. They didn't realise how old I was. No one told them either. So you've only been living with me for a few days so far. Which is about right anyway. You've both graduated with good marks from Hogwarts so repeating two years should be no struggle for you. You know your way around, and they give out passwords at the start of the year. Stick with me all you like and I'll help where I can. You were a little insular, not many friends but know of me via Hermione. Another Sirius twist I swear to you. So she will be friendly to you, and I expect you to be the same back. This means you will know everyone and they will know you. The Insular thing means you don't have to be overly chatty to anyone. But you can obviously make friends from this point on." Harry said.
Then he took a long breath. "All that is easy in my opinion. What's hard is the Muggle bit. This is a bit typical of Sirius's pranks" he said with a smirk. "He laid the smack down on you but didn't think it through. Making you a Muggleborn is great in theory but you are a pure blood. Meaning you don't know tidily squat about Muggles."
"True" Bella said, "I'm not entirely certain I wish to either."
"Tough" Harry said seriously. "Because, the spell is powerful enough never to break. That said make too many people wonder what the hell is up with you and eventually someone may piece it together. I did put in some protection that Sirius had left out to help with that, but there is another way around it. They may think Bella and Cissy were replaced with Death Eater sleeper agents and deal with you that way. Your shielding is okay both of you. Bella needs to shore hers up a bit, but no surface scan will work now. After the spell I tried it. The damage was repaired so I couldn't bypass your shielding. The spell itself protects the memory of your real identity to a great extent in your minds. But Veritiserum could bugger that." Harry told them seriously.
"It would be a lot easier if you just learned." he said in summation.
Bella frowned, but nodded. Harry looked at Cissy who had a similar look on her face, but she too nodded at him.
"Good. Because for the rest of the summer we're going Muggle ladies." Harry told them with a smile as they groaned at him. "And let this be your first lesson." Harry added, with a shark like smile. "Muggleborn's don't use that word out there" he said with a wave.
"In the Kitchen?" Bella asked.
"Has she got curse damage still?" Harry asked.
"No she's being factitious" Cissy put in
"Oh, that I can relate to" Harry said with a grin at Bella's scowl. "No out there we don't use that word. Why would we? To us they aren't Muggles. They're just people. For instance. Someone insults you, a Muggle what do you say?"
"Go away Mudblood scum" Bella replied automatically.
"That's actually more mild than I would've thought" Harry admitted, "No, you say Fuck off. Now repeat after me... Fuck Off"
"Fuck off" they intoned.
Harry smirked, "I dunno why but that kinda turned me on" he said with a smirk. "Now you have to gauge it to the insult. Fuck off isn't for all occasions. A more mild insult would warrant... Piss off"
"Piss off" they intoned together. Smirking slightly.
"You're just getting us to swear for the hell of it now aren't you?" Cissy said her eyes alive with humor.
"No this is for real." Harry told her with an honest expression. "Now for a very mild insult, or someone that doesn't annoy you THAT much we say ... Bugger Off"
"Oh for merlin's sake Harry, we use that one" Bella said.
"There's another one. Depending on how vulgar you want to be you could say, "For Fucks Sake!... Or perhaps, Bloody Hell. Or even For gods sake. Or for the really mild, For Goodness Sake." Harry said. His eyes twinkling madly.
Bella rolled her eyes at him. "What do I say to a prat that's annoying me again?" she asked.
"I'm not falling for that." Harry replied.
"Damn"
Cissy laughed.
"This stinks" Bella commented, Cissy nodding in agreement slightly. She had not expected to be made a bloody Muggleborn.
"You know this could be a lot worse ladies" Harry said with another wicked smile.
"How?" Bella asked with disbelief.
"Well... I did think of changing the spell. Making Cissy my girl friend and you my indentured bitch."
A surprised laugh bubbled out of both Cissy and Bella.
-#-
Bella begged off to bed, and Cissy went to follow her but Harry stopped her. His eyes telling her not to make mention of it. "I'll be up in a minute" Cissy said, calling after her sister.
"Alright, I'll see you both in the morning" Bella called back.
Cissy sat back down and looked at Harry, "She seems; lighter." she noted.
"Good eye. That's what I wanted to talk about. Being as though you're the only other one that knows. I wanted to make sure you didn't bring it up." Harry said seriously.
"Why is that?"
"While you were both out like a light. I urh... Snuck in and did a little repression." Harry admitted.
Cissy looked surprised at the news, but not angry. Harry took that as a good sign at least. "Why would you do that?" she asked.
"A couple of reasons." Harry said.
"I'd like to know what they are" Cissy said in a serious tone.
"For one, if I'm going to do this. I have to try to forget what came before. To try to treat her properly, not like the monster I used to see her as. Truth is, I don't any more. It's been a very confusing couple of days for me" Harry admitted with a chuckle, "Big bad Bellatrix LeStrange is fun to be around? That did not gel with my image of her. It's then I realised in a way she's a victim too. That obviously doesn't forgive her, her sins. It is just something I had a bit of a eureka moment about."
"Go on"
"I also realised, and this one is partially selfish and self protective in a way. If she's going to make a go of this, if the spell is to work properly she needs her memories to be repressed. It's all still there, this isn't a oblivation or anything. It's just in order for her to act normally she can't have all that shit in her head. The things that woman has gone through" Harry shivered, "And done" he added with a confused sad and hard expression. "There is no way she would act like a 16/17 year old young woman. We're going to be in the common room with the son of two people she sent insane... That is bound to have an effect on her."
"Is there more?" Cissy asked, her tone still neutral.
"I was asked to look after her. She is my responsibility. Without years of therapy that no one will be able to give her... There is no way she will be able to function. Guilt would've gotten her eventually." Harry said, "If I didn't do something about that, I wouldn't be looking out for her would I?"
"How are they repressed?" Cissy asked, "Repress memories, as I understand it, always come out eventually."
"Not these they won't" Harry said sounding sure.
"How can you be so sure?"
"They're locked down tight, buried so deep under a key phrase they're never coming out." Harry admitted.
"What's the phrase? Is it likely to be accidentally trigged in conversation?"
"No, nu uh, not a chance" Harry said. He was fairly sure the phrase, 'I knight thee Mistress Bellatrix MacTaffyKnickers of Lickydickysucky.' Was unlikely to come up in normal conversation. "I think I thought of something fairly unusual" he said.
Cissy noted he looked highly amused, but didn't comment on it. "It's a rare thing to see someone take their responsibilities or oath so seriously." she commented.
Harry shrugged, "I'm not some ridiculously noble figure, but yeah... My oath means something to me. Plus... I honestly am coming to like her."
"You'll like her a lot more soon." Cissy promised. "Without all that crap weighing her down, she will revert to who she was... I would imagine. She was a lot of fun back in the day."
"Now, in a way, is back in the day now" Harry said with a smirk.
"Very well. I won't mention it."
"More is needed than that" Harry said, "We need to never talk of this ever again. So if there is more you want to know... you'd better ask now. Because from this point on, I won't mention it."
Cissy nodded, and thought for a moment. "I think you explained yourself well enough" Cissy said, Then moved quickly towards him, kissing him and backing away before his mind and clicked into gear. "Thank you for protecting my sister" she said smiling slightly.
Harry blinked and smiled back, "Any time, now I should probably ask... Is there anything you want tucked away?"
Cissy shook her head, "Unlike my darling sister. I have perpetrated no heinous crimes. There are things I'd rather forget. Yet, at the same time. I think they help make me who I am. I won't be having nightmares about them though."
Harry nodded, "One more thing on Bella's mind I should tell you"
"Oh?"
"I stole Voldemorts hide out locations... Just so you know. Didn't want her to have the dilemma of wondering if she should tell them to me."
"That's... naughty. Why would you want to know? By time you are ready to move against him, they will be useless."
"There is one other thing I wanted to discuss with you" Harry said, just plain ignoring that implied question.
Cissy frowned at him. She'd known him long enough to know he wouldn't say if he didn't want to. No crossing of her legs would get around that. She didn't like the thoughts that came into her head when he dodged her though. Like, 'What is he planning' and 'He's planning it soon'. "Go on" she said.
"The spell. I think it's important you realise something... but it might hurt you. I don't want to do that. But better now than later."
"Oh dear, go on."
"It was designed for Bella. I changed it to include you. Which means I've had to make up some of the story line, as it were. Certain aspects of the spell will be random. But this I made sure wouldn't be so I could tell you flat out."
"Harry..."
"Draco, he will think and so with Mr Malfoy. That his mother died in childbirth. That it was never you, for obvious reasons. That said you ARE his biological mother. This is a spell of the now, it doesn't change the past. Only erases from various means, paper, memory and other records. Changing as it goes along. Which is why I'll be a little worn for the next week or two as I'm charging it. But this one thing in particular. It was a moral dilemma for me. In the end, I thought the Band Aid approach was best."
"I don't like my son." Cissy said, "That said, I do love him."
"I understand. I'm sorry, I couldn't think of a less painful way of doing this." Harry said looking down.
Cissy moved forward again and tipped his head up, "Why do you think I am angry at you?"
"Aren't you?"
"No, I am angry at my husband for forcing this to happen. Partially at Draco for not taking me up on my offer. A little at myself for allowing it to get to this point. But not you for trying to help me. For making sure myself and my sister will be safe." she shook her head with a smile. "You act so confident, but you're not are you?"
"In some things, I am. In others no, not so much really" He admitted with a ironic smile. "I thought this was just the best way of doing it. That you wouldn't want to see someone else being mum. Lucius never remarried by the way. At least that's the way the spell was set up."
Cissy nodded, and smiled slightly. "If there's nothing else Harry. I think I need to sleep." she said.
Since she was obviously holding back tears Harry nodded, and smiled. "Sleep well Cissy."