A/N 1: I'm super sorry for such a late update on this fic. First, I'll reassure you guys that the fic hasn't been abandoned by me. The reason I haven't updated in so long is because I have been accepted in Nursing school, and that my dream to become a nurse does not seem like a dream now. I'm very grateful for where I stand and for all the love and encouragement I have received from everyone. I will try to be as regular as possible to keep you guys updated and entertained. Thank you all once again! 3

A/N 2: Thank you soo much for the amazing love you've shown to this fic. It warmed my heart truly! Here is the next chapter for you awesome guys, and I sincerely hope that you like it. I do not own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!

Warnings: Drama, language.

That was not how she imagined her Sunday was going to be. Maybe a spa day with Cissy or relaxing in her bed whilst ordering the house-elves around would have been great. Hell, even bickering with Lucius to cut his luscious hair would have been a great source of Sunday entertainment. But this was torture.

Bellatrix wouldn't have imagined a situation like this even in her worst nightmares. She should have stayed in Azkaban.

Really, because what was she doing here, in muggle London?

Muggles were filthy, notorious, mere dirt beneath witches and wizards. It was infuriating how oblivious they were to the beautiful magic surrounding them. Instead, they always tried to find scientific solutions to everything, disregarding how it interrupted nature's cycle.

Muggles were dangerous. The way they had created bombs and whatnot to ensure the safety of their own kind, even if it meant putting other lives at risk.

But most importantly, muggles were scaredy little squirrels that would betray you and take you down at the most opportune moment. They feared the people in power, the ones in charge, the ones stronger than them. For that, Bellatrix didn't have to look anywhere else because Harriet's life was a perfect example of that. It made Bella's blood boil whenever she thought about Harriet, which was becoming quite an occurrence lately.

How could her own aunt treat her like that? How could she abuse her sister's child in such a cruel way? How could any sane person do that to a kind-hearted person like Harriet?

Harriet.

The reason Bellatrix had decided to visit the muggle community, despite the immense hatred she had towards those scrawny beings. And also because that was the only option before her. Bella needed to gain Harriet's trust for her and Lily's sake. For both of their protection.

Harriet and Lily.

How could anyone resist Lily's puppy eyes when she invited Bella so sweetly to meet her aunt Grace and uncle Lu?

"You are going to love the red vevet cakes, Miss Bella. And, and the chocolate cake too. Gracie makes the best chocolate cake in the entire unipurse," Lily ranted while being merrily carried in Bella's arms. Honestly, Bella and Cissa just wouldn't let her out of their arms. Harriet would chuckle at them, and often had to remind them to not spoil Lily too much.

Yup, in the past two weeks they had become really close, and little Lily had them wrapped around their pinkie. But there was still Harriet's trust to be earned to get her closer to Marvolo. Not that Bella shipped the duo, as muggles might say these days.

She had not done any research on muggles just so she could impress Harriet. Not at all.

"It's universe, baby," Harriet corrected Lily, loving the smile that adorned her daughter's face. Bella grinned as she saw Lily struggle in saying the word correctly.

"Is that so, my little flower?" She asked Lily innocently, arming an eager nod from her in return. "Then I'll just have to taste that chocolate cake."

Finally, they reached their destination after a good 15 minutes of walking. A Muggle bakery by the name of 'In chocolate, we believe'.

It was rather interesting, Bella thought. She took in everything about the little quaint shop, every single detail and knick-knack.

It wasn't a big shop, but fairly sized. The soothing pastel colours, both on the outside and inside, radiated warmth and coziness. It was clear that they wanted to give a homey feeling to their customers. A handful of tables and chairs were placed outside the shop as well, which were all occupied.

Taking a deep whiff of freshly brewed coffee and sugary sweets, Bella's reluctance downed a little.

No wonder the shop was packed, even this early in the morning. Everything smelled absolutely wonderful and delicious.

With another deep breath she looked at Harriet, who was already watching her with trepidation. Harriet wanted to make sure that Bella was not angry or such at that moment.

"They are good people, Bella. They helped us, me, when I needed it the most. Please," Harriet pleaded with her to remain calm.

"They are muggles," Bella answered as if it was a clear explanation.

"Not all muggles are monsters, Bella, just the way that not all wizards are good. Plus, we had a deal. You give them a chance, and I'll give a chance to Lord Slytherin. Remember?"

Of course, Bella remembered. She was doing it all for the sake of this little family, after all. Lord Slytherin deserved happiness, and Lily and Harriet deserved love as well. Love that Marvolo seemed to have in abundance just for his other half and his child.

"Apologies." Bella's heart ached at how mature Harriet sounded. She was too young, too innocent, and alone to have endured such a pain. It also reminded Bella of how similar Harriet's and Marvolo's childhoods actually were.

"Mama, come on. I wanna meet aunt Gracie and uncle Lu. Then we have to go meet dada too," Lily interrupted their conversation, wiggling out of Bella's arms and running inside the cafe as if she'd done it a thousand times.

The bell chimed as they entered the shop. Lily ran straight behind the counter where a stout old woman seemed to be working effortlessly.

"Gracie!" Lily shouted at the top of her lungs, gaining the attention of not just the woman but also several customers, who smiled at her silliness as if it was a regular occurrence.

"Oh, my cherry pie!" The woman's eyes lit up and she picked up Lily, setting her on the hip, just as she finished with the last customer.

"Thank you fo shopping us!" Lily said to the customer with a beaming smile.

"It's 'with us', sweetheart, and it's great to have you back. We all missed you," the customer was a regular; almost everyone seemed to know who she was.

"Thank you, Grace and Lily. Will see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye Mr Petewson," Lily waved the stranger an enthusiastic goodbye, which he gladly replied, nodding a little in Harriet's direction. Bella didn't like the way his eyes lingered on Harriet.

"And how are you, my dear?" Gracie asked Lily who clung to her like a koala.

"I missed you and Uncle Lu!"

"I missed you too, cherry pie," Grace hugged Lily tighter to herself and only then she noticed the curly-haired woman standing next to Harriet. She was watching her interaction with Lily quite skeptically.

"Good morning, Grace! How was your vacation?"

"Oh, it was wonderful, my dear. I really needed that break, and Lucian enjoyed it as well. I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. Thank you for the gift, dearie," Grace gushed enveloping Harriet in her arms. She then turned to Bellatrix, raising her brow at Harriet.

"And who must this wonderful woman be?"

Bella hadn't been complimented for so long, so to receive such words made her appreciate the woman. Maybe this Muggle was an exception, and was actually a decent person.

"This is Bellatrix Black, a distant family friend of mine. She wanted to meet you and Lucian personally."

"Yes Gracie. Aunt Bella couldn't wait to twy your chocolate cake when I told her bout it," Lily interrupted.

"Oh, is that it? Then what are we waiting for?" Grace stood up with Lily in her arms. "I'll be back in a jiffy. You all get seated and comfortable please."

Harriet took Bellatrix towards one of the secluded and big windows of the cafe, where she knew they would not be disturbed. "She'll be fine, don't worry about her. I trust Grace and Lu with my life; they wouldn't let anything happen to Lily."

"I wasn't worried about her," Bella tried to lie knowing that Harriet had caught her introspecting the place.

"As you say." Harriet smiled. It was going better than she had assumed. Bella was trying really hard, she knew. She also understood her reasoning behind it. As much as it hurt her to face the truth, Marvolo was Lily's father, and Harriet would be damned if she took that right away from Lily. Her daughter had every right to be happy and have a secure future, and if Marvolo was willing to take that responsibility, then Harriet would not become a hurdle between the father and daughter.

She had to take an initial step to mend things between herself and Marvolo.

"There you go." Lucian put two cups of coffee in front of them, pulling the chair beside Harriet.

"How are you, dear? I hope you did not overwork yourself this time," Lucian joked concerningly.

"Not at all. But thank you to you two, Lucian. I really needed that break."

"We knew that, dear." Grace came back with Lily, and some delicious looking pastries with her.

"Eat up now. I just got them out of the oven." Bella was hesitant to take a bite of the buttered scone, but she still did. And it was surprisingly very good.

"Wow," Bella muttered under her breath in appreciation.

"I told you, aunt Bella. Gracie is the bestest cook ever!" Lily exclaimed while munching on her chocolate cupcake.

"Grace and Lucian were very kind to not only give me a job here, but also take me under their wing." Suddenly the chatter around the table dimmed, with only Lily enjoying her cupcake.

Harriet continued, "This was the first place that I came to when I found that I was expecting Lily. She took care of me that day and she has been doing that ever since."

Harriet fondly took Grace's hand in her own to express her gratitude to her. The love they shared was strong, Bella knew now. And she also knew that Harriet would open about her past slowly, but surely. It was already a big accomplishment that Harriet had brought Bella to the cafe in the first place.

"I hope you understand, but if you want Lily and myself in your lives, then Gracie, Hermione, Remus and Lucian would be part of the family too. I'm never going to leave these people behind. They are my family."

"I wouldn't have imagined it otherwise, and I'm perfectly fine with it," Bella replied earnestly.

"Okay then, I am ready to meet him." That was all Harriet had to say, and that was all Bella had wanted to hear.

"He's nervous," Narcissa muttered in Lucius' ears as they watched Marvolo pacing around his patio fervently.

"You think?" Lucius replied.

They had been present at the Manor when Bella had informed them about Harriet's decision about meeting Marvolo. To say they were happy would be an understatement. The manor had been polished from every corner, every inch.

They might be arriving at any given moment now, and Marvolo wanted everything to be perfect. Thus, Marvolo's obvious nervousness.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, My Lord."

Marvolo gave one look in reply that told he believed otherwise. He didn't want to take any chances this time. He felt that whenever he tried to meet Harriet, things seemed to go downhill. Fate had a bad sense of humor.

But now, he was determined to prove fate wrong.

He would make sure that everything went smoothly this time; that he got to spend some quality time with his daughter and if permitted, make some memories with her too.

He wanted to see that beautiful smile on Harriet's face and he also wanted to become the reason for her happiness. Was that too much to ask?

Marvolo was so prepared that he had already bought some ice cream and snacks for Lily. He really hoped that she liked his surprise.

The Floo suddenly chimed and Marvolo halted in his steps. They had finally come. Harriet had finally come!

Marvolo rushed to the other room, never even checking if Lucus and Narcissa were following behind or not.

He reached the room just in time as his guests dusted the floo powder off their clothes. Marvolo too, straightened his robes and ruffled his hair.

As soon as he saw his daughter though, all the worries went flying out of the window and all Marvolo could feel was the beaming smile spreading across his face.

"Daddy!" Lily too was shocked to see him. It seemed that it was a little surprise for her.

Marvolo crossed the room in three easy steps taking her in his arms, holding her as closed as possible. His magic easily surrounded her in a protective embrace.

Bellatrix, upon seeing that the little family needed some time, ushered out of the room with Lucius and Narcissa.

Meanwhile, Harriet stood there not far away from the duo. It warmed her heart seeing the genuine happiness on Marvolo's face upon holding Lily.

But she was also feeling a warm sense of comfort pooling in her stomach on seeing Marvolo. It was the bond, she knew. With each passing meeting, she could sense the bond getting stronger.

It felt like fragments of thread intertwining with each other.

Her eyes met Marvolo's burning gaze, and just like that she was embraced in his magic too.

Harriet never saw Marvolo putting Lily down and rushing towards her instead. The feeling was so foreign to her that she immediately stiffened at the unknown contact. Her hands went to push him away in reflex, but Marvolo simply tightened his arms around her.

"Please….please let me hold you for a little while." That was all he had to say. That was all he could say, and Harriet stopped trying to push him away. Just as she had thought before, it was the soul bond between them.

The feeling of belonging and comfort was persistent. The feeling of being at home, where no one could harm her. And just for a moment, Harriet allowed herself to relish in that feeling.

On the other hand, Marvolo couldn't control his actions. All rational thoughts had left his mind as soon as he saw Harriet. He missed Lily, yes, but he craved Harriet's presence.

Holding her close to him and breathing in her scent was enough to keep his insanity at bay. This was the most whole he had felt since he had made his first horcrux, at the tender age of sixteen. From then onwards, Marvolo had been hollow.

That was until Harriet.

His Harriet.

With much resistance, he pulled away slowly, lovingly gazing at her still.

He frowned when Harriet fidgeted on her spot, feeling very uncomfortable and out of the place

Only then he realized what he had done and backed away in horror. Harriet's face showed a mixture of relief and hurt.

Marvolo was flabbergasted by his actions. He started sputtering apologies.

"I'm sorry….I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to.."

"It's okay," Harriet interrupted curtly. "It's okay, I understand."

She understood, she'd said. Did it mean that she had missed him too? Or did it mean that the bond affected her as much as it did Marvolo?

Hopefully, he'll find the answer soon.

Marvolo took Harriet to the patio room instead of the large living room; he wanted their meeting to be more comfortable this time.

The snacks were already laid out for them when they reached the gorgeous patio room. The ceilings were made of glass allowing plenty of sunlight to filter inside, the beautiful indoor garden was perfectly kept, and right in the middle of the room was a fountain of fresh water.

Harriet was in awe of the room when she laid her eyes upon it.

"I thought perhaps you'd be more comfortable here," Marvolo's voice drew her out of her thoughts. "And that Lily would like it too."

His hurried statement felt that he wanted to hide his concern for Harriet.

"It is, thank you." Harriet spoke genuinely. And she did appreciate his efforts. "As for Lily, why don't you show it around here?"

The surprise passing upon his face was unnatural. For a moment, Marvolo could not comprehend what Harriet had spoken.

"Are you sure?"

"It is only fair that I give you a chance when you have given me no reason to doubt you as of now. I know that you love Lily and you care for her, but as her mother I would always protect her."

Marvelous remained silent when Harriet voiced her thoughts.

"But it is also my duty to do what is best for her. So yes, Lord Slytherin. I'm sure about my decision." Harriet breathed a sigh of relief as she spoke, hoping in her heart that the leap of faith she'd taken wouldn't harm her daughter.

"Marvolo."

"I'm sorry?"

"It's not Lord Slytherin for you, it's Marvolo." He looked at her with such an intense emotion that she could not breathe for a second.

"I would really like it if you called me Marvolo." With that, he left the room leaving a flustered and confused Harriet behind.

"Marvolo." Harriet whispered in the lightest of voice, practicing his name on her tongue for the first time. She liked the name Marvolo; it suited him more than the name Tom.

It was as unique as him.

Within no time Marvolo was back with Lily in tow. The others were not far behind.

It did not take much time for everyone to immerse themselves in the delicious and fresh cookies that the house-elves had made specially for Lily.

While Harriet was sipping on her sweet tea, Marvolo passed her a pristine looking letter, and to her utmost surprise, it was from the Japanese Wizarding School — Mahoutokoro.

"Miss Granger had told Draco that you were looking to put Lily in muggle primary school. I did not like this idea, so I did some research of my own. I hope you will look into it too. If not, we can look into some other suggestions too."

Harriet was surprised; she did not know on which news she should react first—the fact that Marvolo wasn't ordering her around and actually wanting her opinion, or the fact that Hermione had been talking to Draco.

"Mahoutokoro? I've heard of it, but not much." Harriet replied honestly. At this point, all the adults in the room were focused on the conversation while Lily was munching on her fruits.

"Mahoutokoro starts wizarding education from the age of four years, unlike Hogwarts. Plus, they do have day boarding facilities for students from 4-10 years of age. When the students turn 11, then only they have to stay in hostel premises if they wish to continue schooling from there." Marvolo explained gently. He wanted to make sure that all the points were clear to Harriet so that both of them could make a fair decision for Lily's benefit.

That was a great start, Harriet thought as she opened the letter. Inside were all the details regarding the admission process as Marvolo had requested the school to send them.

"I appreciate your efforts, but I would like to go through it properly."

"If you want, I can plan a visit to the school." Marvolo casually said while having coffee. "The current Principal is a good friend of mine, I would talk to him if you say so."

Of course the Principal was his friend. He was Lord Slytherin after all.

"That's a brilliant idea." It was the first time Bellatrix had said something since they came in. Her only thought was Harriet and Marvolo spending as much time together as possible.

"Bella's right. I'm sure Lily would love to visit the school." Narcissa piped in.

The person in question had no interest in their conversation whatsoever.

"Lily?"

"Yes, mama," she replied sweetly.

"Would you like to go on a vacation?" Harriet asked her daughter. Honestly, she was a little excited too about this impromptu trip idea.

"YES!" Lily exclaimed all too loudly. "Where we going, mama?"

"Japan, my darling," Marvolo replied, pulling her closer to him.

"Japen?"

"Japan," Harriet corrected her.

"Are there going to be dragons?" Lily asked earnestly, looking intently at Marvolo with her doe eyes. He did not understand his daughter's obsession with dragons.

"I'm not sure." Marvolo was well-versed on how to hold a conversation with a 4-year-old for now; it would take time, practice and a lot of patience, he believed.

"But we can always find out." The smile that had started fading away, glimmered again on Lily's face. That was all he wanted.

"We going to see dragons!" Lily all but pushed away from him, running around the room manically.

Harriet gave him a slight smile—it was both a reassuring and a sympathetic one.

"Looks like we are going to see dragons." Bellatrix chirped happily.

Oh boy, it was going to be one hell of a vacation.

-A/N: Let me know what you guys think about this one! Reads, followers, favorites and reviews are always appreciated! Good day to all! :)