Disclaimer: First chappy.
Thanks to all those who reviewed! As always, I really appreciate it. Long chapter, enjoy. I hope you like the one time OC that appears in this chapter.
I'm sorry about any grammar or spelling errors, I've been feeling sick and didn't have as much attention to devote to spellchecking. If anybody notices something, go ahead and tell me, I'll try to correct it as soon as possible.
Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Freedoms Delights
"Something has to be done!"
"We can't let him grow more powerful! We don't need a new You-Know-Who!"
"Just kill him already!"
"Enough!"
The members of the Order of the Phoenix slowly subsided into silence, muttering to each other unhappily as Dumbledore rose from his seat, a small frown gracing his wrinkled face. He had not expected such resistance from Harry, and he was even more surprised when he recognized Bellatrix Lestrange next to him. Or, should he say Black, for they had found her husband dead in his cell naught but a few hours ago, kissed by dementors. If they weren't involved, he was a house elf.
His last stunt had left him particularly worried, his wandless magic was very close to a branch of magic he had thought had died off many years ago. With a small shake of his head he discarded such a possibility, Harry was a Potter and they had never mixed with Necromancers, it was impossible.
"While I admit that this is worrisome, we must remember that this is Harry we are speaking of, and I am sure that he shall come looking for the friends he still believes loyal to him."
"But Albus." Interrupted Hestia Jones, a thirty year old witch with long wavy black hair. "Look at what the Prophet says." She held up a copy of said newspaper, upon which was printed
Potter breaks out of Azkaban, Carnage!
"They spoke of horribly mutilated guards, and dozens of them were kissed, Albus! Kissed!" She continued.
This brought a new wave of gasps throughout the crowd, as they eyed Dumbledore with wide, scared eyes.
"I'm not letting someone who can control the dementors near my children!" Shrieked Molly Weasley, glaring at Dumbledore.
Said man rubbed his face slowly and sighed. "Molly." He said in an appeasing tone. "I believe this is not the work of Harry, but of his associate, Bellatrix Black. While he is not without fault, I think he is being influenced. He must be found, and brought back somewhere where he can do no harm."
"Bellatrix?" Gasped Hermione, only to be cut off by a sharp knock at the door of 12 Grimmauld Place. There was a dead silence for almost a minute before wands began to appear and the whole group edged cautiously towards the door. Old habits die hard.
Dumbledore led the group, his wand pointed straight at the door. He couldn't think of anybody who was late, and the house never received visitors, thanks to it's fidelius charm.
A rough voice from the other side of the door interrupted his thoughts.
"This is Griphook, representative of Gringotts, open up."
With a confused look on his face, Dumbledore went to the door, cautiously opening it. A goblin strode in confidently, his abnormally large nose held high. He stopped in the middle of the hall and looked around the group cooly.
"What is the meaning of this?" Queried Dumbledore.
With a small cough, Griphook slowly unrolled a piece of parchment and began to read in his gravelly voice.
"The illegal vigilante group known as the Order of the Phoenix, must hereby vacate 12 Grimmauld Place, and never return. Failure to comply to this order will result in a report to the Ministry for unlawfully occupying the lands of a Most Ancient and Noble House."
"By whose order?" Said Dumbledore sharply, he was rather pale, for while the Order could relocate this was one of the safest place. Even more troubling was the fact someone knew about this place, and could let people in. With Voldemort gone, the Order was not as important, but they were still a must! They needed to watch over people like Harry.
The goblin grinned toothily, spinning on his heel and walking out. "By order of Lord Black." He called out, disappearing with a crack.
"What the bloody hell does Harry think he's doing?" Bellowed Ron angrily, kicking a stray book across his room. After being removed from Grimmauld place they had all quickly packed and left.
"We try to help him at his trial, and he repays it with almost killing my dad and Dumbledore, allying himself with Bellatrix Lestrange and kicking us out of a home he doesn't even use." He ranted on, flinging up his hands in frustration and sitting down on his bright orange bed.
"I know Ron, but we mustn't allow him to distract us. I guess Dumbledore was right about him though." She said sadly. "For now, we have to focus on Hogwarts. The headmaster promised us that we would be allowed to return to school next year if we want to finish our education. I for one have no idea why they wish to push back the beginning of the year till january though."
Ron rolled his eyes and lay back on his bed with a sigh. "They just want to be sure everything will work out well 'Mione. Besides, it gives us more time here." He grins, his previous anger evaporated as his girlfriend crawled up next to him on his bed.
"Mm...True." She says with a most un-Hermione like giggle. Leaning up to kiss him hungrily. Thoughts of betrayal and Harry fled their minds as they sook comfort in the proximity of the other.
"I still don't know why you took us here first." Grumbled a very peeved Bellatrix from under the thick cowl of her cloak.
"I couldn't wait. Call it petty revenge if you will." Replied Harry cheerily. They both bore identical black cloaks that hid them from head to toe. "And I got some useful items from the vault!"
They had just exited Gringotts after a very fortuitous meeting with the goblins. Harry smiled slightly, imagining the shock Griphook must have caused upon announcing his message.
"Good, can we gooo now?" Whined Bellatrix, grabbing his sleeve and dragging him into an obscure side alley. "Maybe mister Potter is feeling as right as rain, but I've just spent three months in Azkaban, and dear old Bella isn't in a very good state." And she was right, she was stick-thin and looked like she had just come out of one of those Nazi concentration camps Harry vaguely remembered having prowled around a few decades ago.
"All in good time my dear. I have arranged for a hiding place with the goblins, for a hefty sum. Once we have had a little..talk. We shall see about your health."
She paled a bit at this, more than a little worried by the possible outcomes of his chat. She was rather confused as to why he hadn't killed her already, for that matter. She had killed his two godfathers and a close friend, as well as tortured and imprisoned him and his companions. He seemed so different from before, aloof, arrogant and simply cold. The way he had acted during their fight out of Azkaban had made her think a bit about her deceased Master.
This caused her to rub her Dark Mark and shudder. Since her second imprisonment, she had begun to question her fanatical loyalty towards him. She had, after all, thrown away half her life for him, only to have him use her as a human shield, then learn he was far from immortal. And to top it all off, he was a pathetic half-blood.
Casting a shifty side long glance towards her companion she decided it might not be the best idea to voice that opinion at the moment.
"Ah..Well..I see." She said awkwardly, recovering herself.
Harry gave her a strange look before grabbing her arm, making sure no one was around them and disappearing in a pillar of black flame.
The instant Bellatrix and Harry stepped into their new home, he lifted his hands up and began murmuring in a soft hissing tone, foreign to her. She stood there uncomfortably for almost ten minutes before he lowered his arms and smiled at her, motioning around the hall.
"What do you think?"
"What did you just do?" She asked, ignoring his question. She furiously pushed her stinking mass of hair out of her face, giving him a suspicious look.
Harry grinned evilly. It expressed enough malice and cruel glee to rival any of her looks and sent a small shudder of pleasure down her spine. Yes, she was beginning to think she liked this 'new' Harry.
"Anybody who tries to apparate into this place shall find themselves held down by the spirits I have positioned around our home, and in excruciating mind-pain."
"But souls are insubstantial." She said in confusion.
"That is what wizards think…" He gave her a mysterious wink and turned towards the house, inspecting it with interest.
They stood in a simple entrance hall with green wallpaper and shiny wooden floors. On each side was a door, one led to a simple living room with a large fireplace, two couches and a large bookshelf. The other door opened into a library filled with various dusty books, most of them carefully set onto large warded bookcases.
They wandered upstairs and found a small kitchen with a wizards essentials, and two comfortable rooms. Both held a decent sized bed and nightstand but little more than that.
At the end of the hallway was a bathroom.
Finished with the tour of their new house, Harry turned to the kitchen, which, surprisingly was fully stocked. He took out the proper ingredients and started preparing a meal for both of them.
"You're cooking?" said Bellatrix in surprise, having just walked in, her violet eyes wide.
"No, I'm hunting down death eaters." He replied sarcastically, turning to look at her with a raised eyebrow.
She had the decency to blush. Walking forward, she looked on hungrily as he created what must have been the most beautiful thing in the world. Two plates full of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast.
"How come you can cook?"
"You can't?" He turned towards her in surprise, and she crossed her arms angrily across her flat chest, sending a vicious glare his way. Her hair fell across her face and gave her a very disturbed look.
"Since when did I become a house elf?"
"So you're calling me a house elf?"
"What? No! Just answer the damn question, Potter!" She snarled, her hand twitching reflexively towards her wand.
"Okay, okay!" He said hastily, bringing his hands up innocently. "Just teasing you, thought you could use it after a lifetime with old Tom."
"You dar-" She snapped her mouth shut and looked away quickly, cursing herself for her reaction. It had become normal for her. She could almost feel his gaze burning into her and couldn't help but be surprised when she looked back up and saw no anger in his eyes. After a long moment spent staring at each other, sickly green into pale violet, he broke it and turned back to the food.
"I was forced to cook for my muggle relatives when I was a child as Harry."
"WHAT?" Shrieked a horrified Bellatrix. She lifted a shaking finger towards him, her disgust clearly visible on her face, which was twisted into a scowl. "You mean to say some mudbloods used a noble lord as a slave?"
"What doesn't kill me.." He said with an admonishing frown. He put a plate down on the table in front of her. She barely took the time to sit down before tearing into the meal hungrily. She let out a near orgasmic moan as the first real food she had had in months entered her mouth.
"I guess they did." Pondered Harry. "Maybe I'll have to pay them a visit now that I'm not held down by Dumbledore anymore."
She nodded eagerly, a wicked smile creeping onto her face, giving her a rather comical look with all the food stuffed into her mouth. Obviously Azkaban hadn't removed her penchant for cruelty.
They spent the rest of the meal in a rather uneasy silence before heading to the living room and sitting down on two separate couches. Bella was twitchy and nervous, glancing occasionally at Harry.
Said man leaned forward, looking at her closely from across the coffee table. His intense green eyes ran over her slowly before pausing on her face. He couldn't really believe that the old Bellatrix would show such nervousness. He couldn't tell what it was, but something was different with her. She seemed much more sane, which was strange considering she had just gotten out of Azkaban, and there was just something that he couldn't quite place. It was intriguing.
"Bellatrix, I'd like to make a deal with you."
She raised an eyebrow incredulously, staring at him in surprise. "You want to make a deal with the person that killed your godfathers, killed her own niece, tortured one of your friends parents to insanity and committed hundreds of atrocities. You, Harry Potter?"
With a sigh, he rubbed his face slowly and took a sip of water from the glass next to him. "Perhaps I should start at the beginning."
So for the next thirty minutes he explained what had happened between him and Azor in the cell, he even revealed the dream he had, which he hadn't really meant to do.
When he was done, she sat back slowly, stroking her chin. Since she didn't seem ready to say anything he continued, eager to have her understand. While he wouldn't admit it, he really did want her company around here, she had much more knowledge in terms of magic and knew the wizarding world well. Harry had never been very observative of politics, and Azor had been stuck in a cell for half a century.
"You see, I have no more friends or allies. And to be honest, while I feel like I should hate you for what you have done, I know that I have done worse as Azor. I can not blame you without being a hypocrite. I consider you a potential ally." He stopped and got up, pacing around the room. "And anyway, you have changed, haven't you?"
She was slow to answer, but finally nodded. "Perhaps. I have not felt so clear minded since the Dark Lord fell...And...and I feel less...loyal. I don't know why" Her last words were uttered with a grimace, as if they disgusted her, made her feel weak.
"Well that's good, since good ol' Tom was never loyal to you!" He said jovially "Maybe he had some sort of influence on you…" He walked over and sat down next to her with an easy grin. "So, do you accept?"
"What do you want?" She replied cautiously, her expression guarded. She took a sip of the tea cupped in her hands, unconsciously pressing it to her chest, savoring the feeling.
"To kill Dumbledore."
Bellatrix choked on her tee, spitting it out onto the floor, turning towards him in disbelief. She was beginning to wonder if some evil spirit had possessed him. Though, in a way that had happened, a small, logical part of mind told her.
"Why? Aren't you his ickle golden boy?" She said with a small sneer.
Harry answered by rolling his eyes and flicking her off. "He's the reason that I was sent to Azkaban in the first place, and Azor had a quarrel with him too.." He went slightly cross-eyed, and looked very much like he was reliving a memory.
"Anyway! Are you with me? It might take extensive planning but I'm sure we can do it." He said, snapping out of his reverie.
A malicious smile spread across her face.
"Of course, but you can't expect me to fight in this state. As stunning as I'm sure I am…"
"Don't worry Bella dear, I have it all planned out."
"I still don't know why we had to sign a contract to not harm each other." Hissed Bellatrix angrily. They were both hidden behind a few bushes near a small two story house. Light glittered inside the humble abode and voices could be heard from inside, along with a few muted laughs.
He rolled his eyes and turned to her, sitting down against the tree and crossing his arms. "I know how much you love inflicting pain on others Bellatrix. And anyway, I already told you it's temporary." He whispered.
"Aww, is ickle Potty scared of big bad Bella?" She asked, her eyebrows raised.
Harry groaned in frustration and covered his face for a moment. He slowly slid his hands into his lap and glared at her. "Do you really need to be so annoying?"
"That wasn't very nice." She said in a hurt voice, playing absently with a strand of hair.
"Yes, well. You're being annoying!" He said hotly.
She paused for a moment, opening her mouth to answer, but she was quickly interrupted.
"Let's get to it, shall we?"
"Did we really need to choose this witch?"
"Oh don't be so ungrateful." Snapped Harry. "I'm going to be restoring you to your health, and if I remember correctly, Harry didn't like her."
With a huff, Bellatrix stood up and strutted over to the door, throwing caution to the wind she sent a blasting curse at it and it exploded into splinters. A woman screamed from the room at her left, while a man shouted in surprise. Cackling madly Bella advanced upon the door. She could hear Harry entering behind her, muttering curses under his breath.
She really did have too much fun annoying her new companion, but then he was to easy to irritate, and it was the least she could do after he made her sign the contract.
With a giggle she incinerated the next door and walked into a small but cozy living room. The walls were plastered with Daily Prophet news clips, but that was to be expected.
"Bellatrix Lestrange!" Moaned the man in fear, holding his wand unsteadily. He pointed it at her chest, but was trembling so hard she doubted he would even be close to hitting her. Sniffing in disdain she turned to the woman, an insane smile spreading across her face.
"Hello Skeeter, how's life?"
"W-What do you want?" Answered Rita Skeeter in a weak voice, her eyes darting about for a means of escape. She was about to transform into her animagus shape when a voice cut her off.
"I wouldn't transform if I were you Rita, it wouldn't be nice to abandon your friend here." Harry stepped out from behind Bella and rested a hand on her shoulder, winking at the two unfortunate victims of his plan.
Bella shrugged off his hand and glared at him, her lip curling. With a huff Harry crossed his arms and tilted his head towards to the man. "Who is he?"
"No one, let him go!" Said Rita quickly, in a pleading tone of voice.
"Well if he isn't anyone important…" Bellatrix shrugged and leveled her wand at him, an evil gleam in her eyes. "Crucio."
The man fell to the ground, writhing in pain. His screams echoed through the room, pulling forth a giggle of delight from Bellatrix and a bored look from Harry.
"Really Bellatrix, you should start using your creativity."
"Shut up, Potter." She fired back rapidly.
Ignoring her completely, Harry turned towards Rita and grabbed her arm, dragging her, kicking and screaming into the dining room. "Please! I won't write anything more about you! I'll leave the country! Stop hurting Bernard!" She begged, tears streaming down her face.
"Now what good would that do to us? We have big plans for you!" Answered Harry cheerily. He removed his long cloak and tossed it onto the back of a plain wooden chair, calling to Bellatrix through the door.
"Stop playing around and tie him down so you can come do your part. And leave him alive, he'll be able to tell Dumbledore all about this."
With a short bark of laughter he turned to Rita, ignoring Bellatrix's grumbling. A short moment later, his eyes began to glow with an unhealthy green glow.
Rita was trembling in fear. She had never been so scared in her life. Not when she was blackmailed and threatened, not ever. But then, she had never been faced with two escaped convicts before, thought a logical part of her mind.
Suddenly she felt cold invisible hands gripping her and she was thrown to the floor and maneuvered easily until she was spread-eagled. Her eyes rolled around in terror, alighting upon the pale spectres holding her down and pulling another screech from her.
"Bellatrix, would you be so kind as to stand next to her. Or perhaps sit down, this will not be pleasant." Harry called over the din.
Said woman nodded eagerly and sat cross legged next to the weeping journalist, her whole face alight with glee at what was soon to happen.
"So you're sure this will work Potter?"
"Quite sure, I've done it many times before. You should absorb all her life force, and perhaps even her magical core. This will heal your body and unless I'm mistaken, restore it to it's former glory as well."
Bernard closed his eyes and ground his teeth together. He could hear screams from the dining room. He could hear his Rita screaming.
He'd always told her not to continue attacking people in her job, he'd always told her to be more careful. But she'd been taught by some of the most ruthless journalists to ever work at the Prophet, and he couldn't blame her.
A tear trickled down his face as he heard one last high pitched scream end in a gurgling gasp. Now they would come for him, and he would die as well. He thought of his family and wondered whether or not they would miss him. After all, he wasn't very popular for dating Rita Skeeter. But no one saw her how he did...
He looked up in alarm as the door banged open, and couldn't hold back a gasp of surprise. While the Potter boy was still as thin and pale as he had been before, Lestrange had changed completely. She was glowing with youth and energy. She bounced about happily, singing a few verses of meaningless drivel while she inspected herself happily.
Despite all they had done, he had to admit she was beautiful. Her generous curves were back, and her pale skin and black curls were now clean. They turned towards him and he closed his eyes, fully expecting a crucio or a killing curse.
Bellatrix smiled widely. She itched to use her wand on someone, to unleash some sort of dark spell, to hurt. But Harry was right, it would be amusing to gauge the reactions of the Ministry and Dumbledore in the Daily Prophet.
With a disappointed sigh, she turned towards the door and walked out, her hands ran over her breasts happily. She had prided herself with being well endowed before Azkaban. It was nice to have that back. After all, she was a Black, she was meant to be beautiful.
Harry followed behind her, a small smile on his lips. His eyes slid downwards to admire her body. He had to admit that without the hardships of Azkaban hiding it, she was a beautiful woman. Perhaps he could convince her to have a little fun sometime.
Friends with benefits, nothing more of course.
Hours later, the ropes tying Bernard down faded away and he got up unsteadily, rushing across the room towards his beloved.
He stopped and stared once he reached the dining room. Rita's body was cut up cruelly, and obscure runes were carved deep into her flesh.
What was worst of all, was her quick quotes quill which she always kept in her charmed pouch.
It was stabbed deep into her throat.
Dumbledore sighed deeply and set the newspaper down, staring across his desk at the two freshly minted members of the Order of the Phoenix. They were both looking from the headlines of the paper to Dumbledore curiously.
He simply folded the newspaper and smiled kindly at both of them. He was quite proud of them. Where Harry had disappointed them all, Ron and Hermione had both found been offered jobs in the Ministry and planned to accept them by the end of that school year.
"I trust that you have been well, Miss Granger, Mister Weasley."
"Oh yes!" Gushed Hermione. "I've already read all the books for this years curriculum and now that I'm of age I've been practicing to make sure I can take the workload! I was so disappointed when the school didn't open in September, Headmaster."
Ron rolled his eyes good naturedly and gave her a light prod in the side, earning a reproving slap on the arm.
"I've been okay, Headmaster. Nothing much to do."
"Good, I am glad." He paused for a moment and chose his words carefully. "How have you been coping with Mister Potter's incarceration."
Their smiles fell instantly. Hermione looked torn between anger and sadness, while Ron's face flushed and his hands clenched in his lap.
"He could have killed Dad!" He answered the headmaster hotly.
"But Ron, it could have been Bellatrix, couldn't it? Maybe he was under the Imperius…" She looked towards Dumbledore hopefully, clutching her handbag tightly in her lap. She harboured doubts about Harry's guilt, after all, he had always been so quiet and nice to everyone, why would he slaughter a whole prison full of guards, it just wasn't like him.
"I'm afraid it was he who was guilty of the last act of dark magic, which animated poor Alastor's body to attack us."
Another pause.
"But..But he isn't like that!" She cried out, tears budding in her eyes. Ron gripped her hands tightly and stroked them with his thumb.
"He's always been reserved, maybe he was simply hiding something from us…" He said hesitantly. And don't you remember how Harry threw off the Imperius in fourth year?"
"I'm afraid that Mister Weasley might be right. I believe Harry hid much from us, though I do not know how." Said Dumbledore softly, sliding the newspaper over to them.
Confused, both Ron and Hermione leaned towards it and began to read.
Rita Skeeter, Murdered!
By, Lee Jordan
It is with great regret that we must announce the death of one of our most famous and talented journalists to the wizarding world.
Two days ago, in what can only be classified as an act of extreme cruelty, Rita Skeeter, 35, was killed in her own home where she was spending some time with her boyfriend and fiancee, Bernard, 39.
Surprisingly enough, Bernard was left alive by the killers. He identified them as none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. (Now Black, due to the recent death of her Husband in Azkaban. See more on p.10)
And Harry Potter!
Both were recently escaped prisoners of the maximum security cells of Azkaban. While details remain blurry, a contact told us that 'It was a massacre, mutilated corpses everywhere. I could follow their path to the gates by following the blood!'
Through his tears, Bernard was able to explain that they were on her living room couch, talking, when Bellatrix Black blew open their front door, and marched into the room, closely followed by Potter.
He claims to have been put under the cruciatus, and believes that Black would have ended his life. However, he states that Potter then said 'Stop playing around and tie him down so you can come do your part. And leave him alive, he'll be able to tell Dumbledore all about this.'
We urge all those who have had close relations with Potter before to be on their guard, for it seems like he is on a personal vendetta. It is well known that Miss Skeeter and Potter were on less than good terms.
You-Know-Who is gone, but has another Dark Lord risen? All we know now, is that already one good person has fallen to him. Will there be more?
Hermione had finished reading long before Ron did, but she stayed silent. She was deathly pale and her hands shook slightly in her boyfriends tight grip. Her eyes kept running down the article, not quite believing what they saw.
How could her Harry, her best friend do this? How could he be so evil?
"The bastard…" Growled Ron, grinding his teeth together in anger. "Doesn't he, more than anyone else know that we suffered enough?
"I shall use all my resources to track him down. I am sure we can reason with him, he will see sense in leaving. Nurmengard is a very comfortable establishment despite the fact it is a prison. With Gellert dead, I am sure he will do what is best and go there."
Deep down, Dumbledore suspected that he might be wrong in his assumptions, but he could not kill Harry in cold blood without first trying. Harry was not far gone, he would listen to reason, but he must find him fast to halt Bellatrix's terrible influence on him.
"Now, I have a few calls to make, I thank you both for your time. I felt it to be my duty to inform you personally about this." He smiled sadly at both of them, the twinkling in his eyes barely there. It had rarely been present since Harry had escaped, he was still haunted by the look in his eyes, and the magic he used. It was so close to what he had seen...No, he couldn't even imagine such a terrible thing happening. The last one to use the evil art of Necromancy was dead.
"Of course Headmaster." Muttered Hermione shakily as she got up and walked towards the door. Ron hastily rose after her, still red-faced. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and guided his sniffling girlfriend out of the office.
Once the door closed, Dumbledore turned to the fire and tossed some floo powder in, calling out. "Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's office."
After a few dizzying moments spent in the dark the haggard looking face of Amelia Bones swam into focus. "Ah, Amelia, do you have any more information on Harry's mysterious cellmate?"
"I'm afraid not Albus. I'm not even sure if it's worth investigating. I wouldn't even bother if it wasn't for the fact he had such powerful wards around his cell, however most were fried when he escaped."
"Call it a matter of personal interest my dear. Though it truly does matter a lot to me."
She sighed and rubbed her eyes slowly. She was beginning to regret keeping the job after Voldemort's fall. She had expected it to be peaceful apart from the occasional fanatical Death Eater. Yet here she was leading a huge manhunt across Britain to find Black and Potter. Unfortunately for her, she knew nothing about the goblins removing the Order from their base. After all, it would not do to have the ministry aware of Order hideouts.
"Well, I might have found something in the department of Mysteries. Something about a prisoner transport to Azkaban after he was analyzed. No names attached though, only the same year. They are being extremely tight-lipped about it."
"Ah, well, thank you my dear. I shall lead an investigation on my side. I hope you know you are helping the world be a better place." Dumbledore smiled once and pulled his head out of the fire, allowing it to turn back to it's normal warm orange color.
Nodding stiffly Amelia rose and rolled her eyes. That man always had a flair for the dramatic…
Harry lay in his bed, browsing a book entitled "Necromancers: The Art of the dead". The silken green sheets lay loosely around his midriff, revealing a pale and bony chest with an ugly scar right above the heart. He chuckled softly, running a finger along a line of text.
It never ceased to amuse him how people misunderstood necromancers. The only reliable books were either destroyed or hidden where no wizard could ever reach them.
His brow creased into a frown. Had he been Azor, and only Azor, even thinking about wizards would irritate him. He had always looked upon them with disdain. Weak people who used sticks to do magic, were lazy, complacent and corrupt. However, many of Harry's memories had mellowed him in that regard.
He didn't think he'd ever have decided to take Bella with him if he hadn't. Rubbing his forehead he carefully closed the book and set it to the side. It was so confusing, his mind so different from before.
He knew Harry would have left Bella to rot, however Azor liked her in a strange way. She was tough, didn't back down and had a lot of talent. Needless to say, the fact she was beautiful played as well. He had only seen her a few times before he had freed here. Namely when she had been imprisoned and when Voldemort freed her and gloated over him.
Needless to say, he got the last laugh, he thought with a snort. However, it was rather disappointing when he thought of it. He would have loved to kill Voldemort himself.
With a sigh, he turned away from such wishful thinking and lay down in the bed, a finger trailing down the scar on his chest. He had many memories to sort through and it took time. He had just begun reviewing Harry's earlier years when a scream echoed through the house.
Bellatrix.
Jumping up he darted through the door and pushed her own open quickly. His eyes glowed brightly and he was able to distinguish her in her bed, thrashing about, her eyes closed.
Had she not been in such obvious torment he would probably have enjoyed the view.
She was in a short nightdress, her thick locks splayed out around her, resplendent in her own noble way. Her room was already adorned with various snakes based pieces of art as well as a few vases and some jewelry on the night table.
He hurried over to her side and put a hand on her bare shoulder, shaking her. "Wake up!" He said loudly. "It's just a nightmare!"
However, she didn't. What she did was gravitate towards the source of comfort and curl around his hand, gripping it tightly. Hissing in annoyance Harry tried to back out, but she held on firmly, her cries subsiding into whimpers that slowly faded into nothing.
Grumbling, Harry sat down on the edge of his bed and resigned himself to a long night…
Bellatrix woke up five hours later, her eyes cracking open slowly. She hadn't slept very well in the few days they had been here. She felt something warm clutched in her hand and pressed against her belly. Frowning she opened her eyes fully and looked up at an annoyed and tired looking man. Unable to make out his face due to fatigue, she did the only sensible thing and grabbed her wand. "Avad-" She choked on her words, unable to say them.
Jumping off her bed, she looked closely at the man and slowly he came into focus. It was Harry.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Do you always kill the people who wake you up."
She huffed and put her wand back down on the table, glaring at him balefully. "House elves wake me up, Potter, and to answer your question, no. A little cruciatus curse in the morning means they can still work later…" She smiled wistfully, remembering all the delightful screams she had caused.
The death eaters had simply begun to wake up when the screams came from Bella's room by the end of the second war.
Suddenly, she spun and advanced upon him, glaring evilly. She paused to pull on the hem of her nightdress, she wasn't one to bother with modesty and loved showing off her body, but there were limits. When her gaze fell back upon him he sighed and got up.
"I'm sure you have a reason for looking at me as if you were thinking of every way you could hurt me. It's disconcerting."
"What were you doing in my room, touching me?" She growled angrily, her hands on her hips. She looked rather impressive, though Harry was focused on her eyes. They looked dark and stormy, full of promises of agony to come. He could understand why she had been called the Queen of Pain.
"You had a nightmare, I came to wake you up, you didn't and grabbed my hand. You wouldn't let go. Who was I to deny you? Besides, you calmed down after that." He shrugged and looked a tad confused, for a moment he resembled Harry more than he had since Azkaban. Bellatrix wasn't paying attention to that though, for her cheeks had colored from pale to rosy. Darting back to her wand she snatched it up again and shouted "Cruc-" Only to be halted again.
Screaming in anger she threw the 'borrowed' wand across the room and turned towards the door. "I don't need your help you filthy half-blood!" She spat, slamming the door so hard it cracked.
"What did I do now?" Muttered Harry to an empty room.
When Harry went back downstairs he found Bellatrix sitting curled up in an armchair, holding a cup of tea in her hand. She had a brooding look in her eyes and didn't even look up when he walked into the room.
Harry sat down in another comfortable chair, took out a book from the shelf and began to read studiously ignoring Bellatrix.
He was a bit confused by his reaction, had he been Harry from before he was sure he would have tried to make a weak apology and made everything even worse.
Azor however had a lot experience with women. Comforting them and mending disputes wasn't his forté but he knew enough to get by. Once again Harry congratulated himself for accepting his cellmates offer. Apart from the rare nightmare he was faring very well. He didn't even think about his increased uncaring for human life, it already was natural for him. Perhaps he had always harbored a dark side.
"I'm sorry." Mumbled Bella, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"I said I'm sorry." She snapped. "I've always been in a world where weakness was something to be eradicated quickly. I guess I over-reacted."
"You're forgiven." Replied Harry smugly, a small smirk on his lips. "I'll make sure you never try to cuddle me in your sleep again."
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and gave him a murderous look, his fists clenching. "I'll bet ickle Potty is hoping I'll do it again, is silly old Bella the first woman Potty ever touched?"
It was Bellatrix's turn to smirk triumphantly when Harry's cheeks reddened. He got up quickly and glared at her, grabbing a heavy hooded cloak from the backrest of the sofa. "We should get going if we want to get you a wand today."
Cairo's version of Knockturn Alley stunk at any moment of the day, however the smell intensified exponentially at noon when the sun was highest. The smell was particularly hard to bear for one of the two cloaked figures that had just slipped out from a tiny side alley.
The person held an arm around their face and muttered a continuous stream of expletives towards the second person, who payed no attention to the smell or his unhappy companion.
"Would you care to explain to me why we are in a stinking alley in what appears to be Egypt, Potter? I need to find some mudblood bitch to curse or I'm going to explode. And why did you portkey us? Illegally! It's easy to go around international security. Oh, and while we are at it, care explaining why we didn't do your fancy black fire apparating? I'd ask why you aren't bothered by the smell, but living in close proximity to mudbloods must have made you adapt to it." Ranted Bella, hiding her face in her cloak sleeve, choking on the vile stench.
All around them were piles of trash and dozens of shady people. Bellatrix couldn't hide a sneer of disgust at the sight of their shoddy robes and frightful hygiene. She'd have killed for dressing like that in the Dark Lord's days.
Her eyes ran over her companion again. She had begun to re assess him since their break out. He was obviously not the weak boy she had met in the Department of Mysteries or the Battle of Hogwarts, in which a fluke of nature had saved him from her previous masters ire.
No, this Harry was harder and much stronger. However much she hated to admit it, she believed he might even get the upper hand on her in a fight now. The green fire he fought with was devastating, and she was sure the necromancer had other tricks up his sleeve.
He didn't even react to the word mudblood anymore, much to her joy. Perhaps he'd begin treating them like they deserved soon. This caused a small smile to flick over her lips, she'd enjoy playing around with him. She wouldn't go so far as to say she trusted him, but he was pleasant company none the less.
Harry sighed and turned towards her, his hands on his hips he gave her an irritated glare. "By Hades, do you ever stop whining?"
All he got in return was a cheeky smile. Bella bumped her hip against his and winked. "Aw, don't get all angry Potty, just asking some questions, is all!"
He grumbled something under his breath that she could have sworn was 'bitch' before rolling his eyes and turning around, walking off. She hurried to join him in time to hear him say.
"Well, to answer your questions, If he's still alive there is a very talented wandcrafter near here. Feel free to go hurt someone. I portkeyed because last time I tried to Spirit Walk very far I fell into a coma for three months. I did it illegaly to not take any chances, you never know. I'm not bothered by the smell because being around rotten corpses for decades does dull my sense of smell. Happy now?" He growled, his eyes flashing.
"Yup!" She said happily, sauntering ahead of him with a triumphant smirk on her face.
"Insufferable bigot." Harry muttered under his breath. However much she irritated him though, she was still a surprisingly buoyant person in her own twisted way and had kept his spirits up, or distracted him from dark thoughts throughout the week, even if it was by annoying him more than he thought possible. The Azor part of his mind also reveled in the fact that she didn't seem to be concerned in the least about his powers, nor did she try to get them for herself. She must have been the first to act like that in a very long time. She really was beautiful too.
They walked in silence for the rest of the way. Soon they were in front of a broken down shack with an ancient sign above it, stating in both english and various other languages:
"Ahmed Assiri's Wands"
"Excellent!" Cried out Harry, hurrying to the door and pushing it open. "I wasn't sure if it was still standing."
"It hardly is." Grumbled Bella, following behind him into the dank interior. The inside was even less flattering than the outside, with a few moldy chairs and a rickety desk for only commodities. There wasn't a wand in sight nor any Ahmed.
"Ahmed!" Bellowed Harry, kicking a chair across the room noisily. "We have a business offer for you!" He turned towards Bella and muttered quietly. "Whatever you do, don't attack him. His manners are coarse but he is the best of the best."
For a few moments nothing happened, until they both heard cursing and the distinctive clunk of a cane coming from behind a door in the corner. The door itself had a surprisingly well maintained golden engraving representing a cobra and a wand on it.
A couple seconds later it burst open and a wizened old man leaning heavily on a cane stomped in, glaring furiously at both of them. He instantly stopped when his eyes flicked over to Harry's. His tanned features paled slightly and his lips parted as he sat down heavily on a fragile chair.
"Those eyes." He said in heavily accented english. "I know them anywhere. You are son of him? Yes?"
Harry simply smiled and stepped forward, putting a hand out. He kept his other out in the open. Bella was not so trusting and held her borrowed wand tightly, pointing it straight at Ahmed suspiciously.
"Ahmed, good to see you again! About the body..Let's just say me and the host struck a deal and now share it."
"Ah..I see. You here for girls wand? Stupid girl to point unbonded wand to me, Witch think she good? Ahmed show her."
"Hey! Watch who you're calling stupid, you old wreck!" Shrieked Bella angrily, an angry glow forming at the tip of her wand.
Harry quickly stepped between them and put a hand on Bella's arm, giving her a warning look. He turned back towards Ahmed and smiled charmingly.
"As astute as always Ahmed, yes, we are here for a wand. I couldn't have her just take any old wand from Ollivanders. As much as I dislike those tools, I thought it would be best to come to you. I'm quite relieved to see you still standing."
"Ollivander stupid oaf, not know how to make good wand. Make pathetic wand for pathetic wizard. Ahmed make you strong wand, for strong wizard. You come with me. Call me old again Necromancer, I beat you with stick till no children come from you."
Bella giggled, earning a glare from Harry as they followed Ahmed back through the door and down a crooked stone staircase. Despite his lack of respect for most ancient and noble purebloods, he had an air of authority and power despite.
Ahmed pulled open another door and neither Harry nor Bella could hold back their gasps. Where the entrance was shabby, this room was shocking in it's cleanliness and grandeur.
Black pillars marched down the long room, separated by high bookshelves full of a plethora of different items and books. In the middle of the room stood a high table with a few chairs around it and many tools set upon it.
The whole room was heavy with latent magic and the smell of varnish and wood. Bellatrix had always imagined the wandcrafters to have shabby shops and small closet like rooms in which they worked. This was a far cry from what she imagined.
"Ha! You think I work in shit hole like entrance? I not letting authorities find me, I pretend to not exist, they stop looking for me. People who know, they come. I stay rich." A creepy smirk spread across his face and he ushered them forward, sitting Harry down at the table. He began plucking various items from the shelves and setting them in front of Bella, muttering in arabic under his breath.
Bella was soon fidgeting and looking around impatiently. She had very little patience and what reserves she possessed were gone.
"Why are you hiding?" She asked with forced politeness, a sweet smile on her face. She toyed with a lock of her hair and leaned down to give the old wandmaker a generous view of her assets. How she loved flirting, it was so fun to embarrass men, and then when they made a mistake she could generally punish them. She enjoyed hurting those silly males.
But even her full attention didn't faze the surly old man. He glared at her murderously and slammed down the last item on the table in front of her.
In the background she saw Harry bring his palm up to his eyes and hide his eyes, groaning.
"English wench think she make me attracted? I Ahmed Assiri, not young stupid boy. I hide because ministry hunt me. Now, you pass hand over materials and say which attracted too, you are." He snapped, crossing his shriveled arms over his chest.
"But this isn't wood." She said in a surprised voice, crushing her fury at being insulted her eyebrow raising. She saw Harry frantically shake his head when she opened her mouth to speak, then beat it on the table slowly, each hit accompanied by a dull thud.
"English bitch think she know job better than me? Think she make better wand? Wood for weak, wood break easily!" yelled Ahmed, flailing his stick at her angrily, his black eyes full of anger and annoyance. Bella almost took a step back, it was quite unnerving for such a dead looking person to pack such a punch. She had stood firm against many monsters but this little man held a different sort of aura about him. She was not sure why, but he felt dangerous to her.
"Erm..no." She answered quickly.
"Then she shut up and do as Ahmed says!"
Bellatrix sighed and grit her teeth, turning away from him to focus on the materials set in front of her. There was something that looked suspiciously like a bone and other mysterious items set in front of her.
She ran her hand over them slowly, feeling the occasional tug but nothing significant. It was at around the middle of the line that she felt something pull her hand down against her will till it clamped around a sharp white tooth the size of her fore arm. Surprisingly, it was curved in almost the same shape as her old wand.
"Hydra Fang choose you. Maybe good choice, maybe not. It represent cunning and pain. Hydra kill prey with poisonous breath, very bad death."
Bella grinned, he hadn't insulted her that time, that must have been a stellar compliment from him. She also liked the idea of her wand being made of that, it suited her.
"It suits her." Echoed Harry with a smirk. He was currently leaning back and contemplating the scene with mild interest. It was strange to not hate most wizards as he had before. It must have been a side effect of merging with one of them. The wandmaking process really was interesting when you approached it with an open mind. He might have to retrieve his wand some day to inspect it. He didn't know why, but he was sure it wasn't snapped.
"You'd know it baby." Bellatrix winked suggestively at him and turned back to Ahmed, who was now glaring at the two of them. It was as if he was furious that anyone was joking in his own shop.
"Now you choose core, one core. Do same as before." He grunted, limping over to the most comfortable of all chairs and plopping down, running a finger along the ridge of the Hydra fang slowly, a thoughtful look on his face.
Bella repeated the process, eyeing every substance curiously. None of them resembled any of Ollivanders, though she supposed that with the apparent level of disdain Ahmed held for him, he wouldn't be using any of his materials to make wands. Once again, her hand was suddenly pulled down to grip a plain wooden box no bigger than her palm.
She picked it up and looked at Ahmed inquisitively. He stared back at her, a calculating look in his eyes. Very slowly he got up and took the box from her, setting it next to the Hydra fang.
"English woman choose Cherufe heartstone. English woman make intriguing choice."
"What is a Cherufe, Ahmed?" Asked Bella curiously, doing her best to act respectfully and politely.
He scoffed at her, a sneer crossing his face. "English is stupid. Cherufe is beast that lives in volcano. It evil and destructive. Makes many things burn unless virgin is fed to it, then it sated. Hydra fang and Cherufe heartstone. English's wand be very powerful but very dangerous."
An evil gleam lit up Bella's eyes and her hands clenched slowly. "Just perfect." She cooed softly, delight coursing through her body. She couldn't have imagined a more appropriate wand. If what Ahmed said was true then she would forgive him for his insults and wouldn't kill him the moment she was sure her wand worked. He really was very rude and she wouldn't be able to stay polite for very long.
Ahmed snatched the two valuables off the table and hussled off towards a door in the far corner of the room. "English leave, I make wand and send it to English. English pay me two hundred Galleons." He called over his shoulder quickly slamming the door behind him.
"Two hundred galleons?" Screeched Bellatrix in shock. "Even the best wandmaker doesn't charge more than fifty!"
"Yes, well, Ahmed is a very good wandmaker as far as I know, and what's two hundred galleons to us? I'll even buy it for you!"
"How sweet!" Purred Bella in a deceptively soft voice. "If you weren't using Black money, which is mine too, Dimwit!" Her wand twitched and Harry looked at her warily.
"You really need to control your emotions Bella." He deadpanned.
"Aww, ickly Harry scared of me? Does Harry need another wittle contract to protect himself?"
"Oh shut up."
AN: Before I forget, while I haven't gone into it much at the moment, I will be basing my Necromancy upon an excellent fic I read a long time ago (Which I can't remember the name of) and various sources such as WoW's Death Knights.
Be warned, I don't really like the quality of the next few chapters. (Writers block maybe?) So tell me if you don't like it and I'll do my best to edit them until they are satisfactory.
Review please!