A/N: I always appreciate your reviews. Thank you.
Chapter Five: Bellatrix the Snakeheart
In the Para Bellum dimension . . .
"I don't understand why we need to sneak out of the castle when our leaving for an Order meeting was Professor Dumbledore's idea in the first place," Ron grumbled as he and Hermione made their way through the secret passage that led to the basement of the Shrieking Shack.
"It's that wretched Umbridge," Hermione said distractedly as they reached the end of the passage. "She is monitoring everybody and everything in the castle for any sign that Dumbledore is moving against Fudge." She pushed open the trapdoor, and both she and Ron climbed through it and into the Shrieking Shack. They were surprised to discover that the décor of the Shrieking Shack had undergone a dramatic change since they had been there a year and a half prior when Sirius had escaped from Azkaban and confronted Peter Pettigrew. Now, the Shrieking Shack was clean and felt like a normal, if slightly shabby, magical residence.
"Welcome Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger," Professor Dumbledore called to them from the shack's main room. "We will be having tonight's meeting in here, once everybody arrives."
Ron and Hermione followed the sound of Dumbledore's voice to the main room where they found him, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, the twins, and Bill Weasley seated in chairs that, while not precisely matched, were in good repair.
Peering over the rims of his half-moon spectacles, Dumbledore addressed himself to Ron and Hermione. "I've just been explaining to everybody else how the three mysterious witches fit into our current situation. You are just in time to hear what I have learned from a brief meeting with Ambassador Black. Please help yourselves to any chair."
Ron and Hermione found two chairs next to each other and sat down.
"As I was saying," Dumbledore said, resuming the explanation he had apparently been giving to the Weasley family, "I was able to meet with the so-called Ambassador Black, and in the time since I've met with him, I've considered all the possibilities and what he has said and have satisfied myself that he is completely authentic. When the rest of the Order arrives, I will delve into the meat of what I discussed with him. I've called you here early, though, because I thought you would all like to hear what he was able to tell us about Ginny's status."
Dumbledore continued. "As the triplets told Ron and Hermione, Ginny was injured. They were unable or refused to provide definite information, though. Ambassador Black tells me that Ginny is in St. Mungo's and is expected to make a full recovery."
"Did he give any specific details about the injury?" Mrs. Weasley quickly asked, holding her breath anxiously.
"Ambassador Black did not seem to know," Dumbledore sighed. "He did say that he would be happy to relay a message to her."
"If she's in the hospital, I want to go to the hospital and see her," Mrs. Weasley insisted.
Dumbledore shrugged mournfully. "We will have to wait to see if that can be arranged. But for now, perhaps you should avail yourself of the opportunity offered and prepare any sort of message you want to send to her. I do not know very much about this cross-dimensional travel. It may be unstable or time sensitive."
Mrs. Weasley was about to reply, but a knock on the backdoor of the Shrieking Shack signaled that at least one more member of the Order had arrived for the meeting that was to follow Dumbledore's interview with the Weasley family.
"I'll get the door," Hermione volunteered, leaving the room and making her way to where she had heard the knock. She opened it and found Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Tonks waiting for somebody to let them in.
"Wotcher, Hermione," Tonks grinned as she and the two Marauders walked in. Remus closed the door behind them, and Tonks continued talking. "I'm glad you're here. I hear this is going to be an important meeting."
Sirius grumbled something unintelligible.
"He was with Dumbledore when he met with the other Sirius," Tonks whispered conspiratorially to Hermione as another person knocked on the door.
The new arrival was Mad-Eye Moody.
"Hello, Alastor," Lupin said as he admitted the retired Auror into the house.
"The meeting isn't in the hall," Alastor grunted. "Let's get in main room." Everybody followed him as he marched into the room where the Weasleys and Dumbledore were still discussing Ginny's health and status.
In less than ten minutes, the rest of the Order members who Dumbledore had invited were present. As the last straggler took his seat, Dumbledore stood up and signaled for silence. "Friends and allies, tonight's subject is very sensitive. You may have noticed that not everybody normally at an Order meeting is here. I have chosen you specifically because you are trusted and wise. What we are discussing could be considered treasonous against the Ministry, so if you want to back out, I will not blame you."
"Sounds perfect to me," one of the twins said.
Mrs. Weasley directed an outraged stare at both the twins, but said nothing.
There was silence in the room.
"I will continue, then," Dumbledore said. "Some of you have heard some of these details already, but please be patient as I explain to everybody else." He then launched into an explanation of parallel dimensions and how the Black sisters had crept into their dimension and absconded with Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. He also explained the existence and presence of Ambassador Black and recounted what the meeting with Ambassador Black had revealed.
"I don't like it," Moody said as soon as Dumbledore had finished his explanation.
"What specifically do you not like?" Dumbledore asked.
Moody explained his problem with the situation: "It would be bad enough if we were just looking at a foreign dimension's Minister of Magic unilaterally deciding how this war is to be fought, but we are talking about Bellatrix Lestrange! And, how do we even know that there are really two Voldemorts?"
There were murmurs of agreement in the room.
"It's Bellatrix Black, not Lestrange, actually," Dumbledore corrected. "I, too, am not enthusiastic about having Bellatrix or somebody not from our dimension making decisions that are going to have a profound effect on our dimension. As for whether there are two Voldemorts, I am looking into that assertion. What I have found so far does not bode well. For the purpose of this discussion, let us assume that there are two Voldemorts and that the situation is as serious as Ambassador Black has claimed."
"So, assuming that the situation is all that dire, let us ask ourselves some questions," Remus said slowly. "Can the Ministry stand up to two Voldemorts? Can this Order stand up to two Voldemorts?"
Moody snorted. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Tonks looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"I think not," Remus said. "We need Minister Black's help."
"What is that help going to look like, then?" Arthur asked. "How will we work with the other dimension?"
"Yes, that should be the main focus of our meeting tonight," Dumbledore said.
"Not the only focus," Moody said. "We need to know more about the people in this other dimension."
"That's not exactly something we can divine on our own," Remus said.
"I have already scheduled another meeting with Ambassador Black for tomorrow night," Dumbledore announced. "Anybody here is welcome to attend, if they are able."
Nearly everybody present expressed an intent to join Dumbledore in meeting with Ambassador Black. Dumbledore was forced to disappoint Ron, Hermione, and the twins by informing them that it would not be feasible to sneak them out of the castle without Umbridge noticing.
"Now, assuming that we find ourselves in a comfortable working relationship with Minister Black's Ministry, what are we going to do?" Lupin said to spark the discussion.
"Ambassador Black has already suggested that Minister Black wants intelligence," Dumbledore reminded the group.
"That's only fair," Sirius said, speaking up for the first time. "We're in the best position to obtain information, for various reasons."
"Can't we just tell this other Ministry what ought to happen and then let them bring the brute force?" one of the twins asked.
"Bellatrix will not be taking orders from us," Sirius said.
"How do you know?" the other twin asked.
"I'm going off memories of her when we were younger," Sirius said. "She never took very well to being bossed around by her parents or authority figures."
Dumbledore cut in. "It is a reasonable assumption. Unfortunately, I strongly doubt that Minister Black is going to hand over her resources and let us make all of the decisions. It might be helpful if we could get our own Ministry on board with this effort."
"Good luck," Moody said.
"Aren't you forgetting how eager Minister Fudge was to exonerate me?" Sirius asked, grinning cheekily. "Give Bellatrix's daughters free rein on that moron, and he will be doing precisely what they want within days. Problem solved."
"And then, Minister Black will be the Minister of two Ministries," Lupin said.
"Not good," Moody said.
"But the general idea is a good one, I think," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps we can suggest to Minister Black that she help us put our Ministry in order. There are good people in the Ministry, and bad. If we can get Minister Black's help to do a little pruning, we will have a Ministry that can coordinate with her Ministry in shouldering the great burden before us."
"It sounds like a good idea to me," Lupin said as the others nodded.
~!~!~!~!~!~!
In the Delenda Est dimension . . .
At approximately three in the morning, Ginny woke when somebody put a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly. Opening her eyes, Ginny squinted upwards and found a familiar face peering down at her.
"Tonks?" Ginny asked, simultaneously staring at the Auror and past her to the darkened hospital wing.
"I take it we are acquainted in your own dimension," Tonks said, giving Ginny a friendly smile before moving away from the bed and looking around the room intently, almost as if she expected to find monsters hiding in the shadows.
"Uh, yes," Ginny said as the facts surrounding her circumstances came crashing back into her memory. Now that she remembered she was in a different dimension, she could see the subtle differences between this Tonks and the Tonks of her own dimension. The local Tonks was older and possessed an air of confidence that the younger one had not yet achieved.
Ginny rubbed at her eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"My aunt has decided to move you to Ravenbourgh," Tonks said brightly.
"What, do you mean right now?" Ginny asked, slowly sitting up in the bed.
"Yes, now, this instant," Tonks said briskly. "Let's get you ready to travel."
"But the Mediwizard said I was going to stay here for a week," Ginny protested, still confused.
Tonks stopped her examination of the room and looked toward Ginny. "Do you really want to stay here when you could be luxuriating in a king-sized bed at one of the most stupendous magical residences in all of Britain?"
"Well, no," Ginny answered, "but I don't understand why Minister Black is suddenly checking me out of the hospital contrary to a Mediwizard's orders and in the middle of the night, too."
Tonks grinned. "Stubborn one, aren't you? Well, for your information, the Ministry was attacked tonight. Aunt Bella is playing defense right now. We don't know for sure, but you and your lovely boyfriend might be targets. Now, hop to, she's waiting downstairs for us."
Ginny finally was convinced. She threw off the covers, hopped out of bed, and nearly face-planted on the floor. Fortunately, Tonks was quick enough and strong enough to catch her and support nearly her entire body weight. "Steady," Tonks said, slowly letting go of Ginny as soon as it seemed like Ginny had regained her balance. "Are you okay to get dressed?"
"Yes," Ginny said, her cheeks flaming as she spied what looked like a pile of folded laundry on a table near the bed. In short order, she had disposed of her hospital gown and was in the clothes she had been wearing on the Hogwarts Express before the Lords Voldemort had attacked it.
"All right, let's go, then," Tonks said, leading Ginny out of the ward and down the hall to a lift.
The two witches rode the lift to the main floor, where they got off and proceeded down a number of side hallways to a back exit that Ginny had never seen before in her previous experiences with the magical hospital. The door opened into a dark, rainy alley, and in the alley sat a BMW, idling its engine. Lacking raincoats, the witches moved quickly toward the car. Tonks opened the backdoor and with a flourish and indicated that Ginny should get in.
Ginny hopped in and found herself sitting on the backseat next to Bellatrix Black. Ginny stared at Bellatrix, who looked nothing like the Bellatrix of Ginny's dimension. To Ginny, this Bellatrix appeared to be in her thirties and beautiful. But her face was not the face Ginny would imagine for a politician. The only clues that the witch sitting next to Ginny carried the burden of a political leader were the tired eyes and a world-weary slump to the shoulders.
Tonks slammed the door shut and went around the car to the passenger seat. Another female Auror who Ginny thought looked like Katie Bell was driving the car. "To Ravenbourgh, Minister?" Katie asked.
After a pregnant pause broken only by the sound of the windshield wipers, Bellatrix responded to Katie as she stared out the car's window into the rain. "Yes, Ravenbourgh."
It only took Ginny a couple of moments to realize that this was her opportunity to ask Bellatrix some questions, though it took several minutes of Katie's awful driving before Ginny felt comfortable enough to unclench her teeth and begin the interrogation.
"So, when are you going to let Harry and I go home?" Ginny asked casually.
Bellatrix slowly turned her head toward Ginny and established eye contact. Ginny met Bellatrix's violet eyes and stared back intently, determined to win what seemed to be a contest of the wills. After a moment, Ginny began to felt as if she was mesmerized, but she persevered in maintaining her stare. Eventually, Bellatrix broke the eye contact and looked away.
"I think I will send you back as soon as your health is stable and my daughters are able to transport you, if that is what you want," Bellatrix answered, resuming her focus on the rainy weather outside of the car.
"And Harry?" Ginny pressed, staring at the back of Bellatrix's head.
"That is more complicated," Bellatrix said, still focused on the outside weather.
"How so?"
"Your Harry is the key to defeating your dimension's Dark Lord. If your Harry dies prematurely, both our dimensions might lose the war. I am not going to let him lose the war for us like that," Bellatrix explained.
"Maybe you should sit down with him and explain the situation," Ginny said waspishly.
Bellatrix shook her head. "Not yet."
"Why not? I'm sure he would be willing to work with you," Ginny argued.
Bellatrix did not answer.
Ginny was not intimidated. "You would be foolish to not work with him," she said angrily, trying to transmit a glare at Bellatrix's reflection in the passenger window.
Bellatrix's eyes focused on Ginny's reflection in the car's window. "Then perhaps you should employ some logic and wonder what weighty concern leads me to reject what is otherwise good common sense."
"How about you just tell me?" Ginny suggested, both her curiosity and frustration piqued.
"How about you try to rest?" Bellatrix countered. "You are wasting physical energy that you will be needing in the days leading up to your next dose of potion."
Suddenly, Ginny realized she felt very sleepy. She told herself that she would take up the issue with Bellatrix later. It was only at the very moment that she slipped into blissful sleep that she realized that Bellatrix may have surreptitiously cast a sleeping charm on her.
~!~!~!~!~!
Despite having her slumber interrupted by an early-morning trip from St. Mungo's to Ravenbourgh, Ginny woke up at the first hint of sunlight shining through the window located across the room from the bed to which somebody must have carried her after she had fallen asleep in the back of Bellatrix's car. Rubbing her eyes, Ginny sat up and surveyed what she assumed was a bedroom in Ravenbourgh. Faintly impressed with the accommodations, Ginny carefully climbed out of the bed and accessed the private bathroom attached to the bedroom.
After a short shower, Ginny looked around the room and found that her clothes from her trip on the Hogwarts Express had been laundered and that a number of other articles of clothing had been added to her collection. Ginny was grateful for the gesture, but uncomfortable with the assortment of garish colors the clothes came in.
She settled on a pair of bright blue pants and a neon yellow top before leaving the bedroom and finding herself in a long hallway. Seeing that there were at least two dozen doors resembling the door to her bedroom suite, Ginny wondered which one was Harry's. Coming to no conclusion, she instead walked the length of the hallway and passed through the doors at the end. From there, she meandered through the breathtaking mansion and eventually discovered the kitchen.
In the kitchen, she found a handsome wizard spreading several hundred slices of bread across all of the counters. Ginny stopped and stared at the sight.
The wizard quickly realized that he was being watched. He looked up and grinned at Ginny. "Feeling better, I see."
"You must be Leo," Ginny said, making the assumption based on his resemblance to Sirius Black and on the information Harry had shared with her the day before.
"Yes, ma'am," Leo said, placing a final piece of bread on the counter and throwing away the wrapper in which the loaf had come. He went to one of the refrigerators and withdrew a gigantic tub of mayo. "Would you like to help me make sandwiches? Or did you want breakfast? You could have a sandwich for breakfast."
"I'll help," Ginny agreed, accepting a knife to spread the mayo from Leo. "What are the sandwiches for?"
Leo picked up a slice of bread and slapped a dollop of mayo on it. "What with recent events, the Ministry has decided to increase the security detail on Ravenbourgh. My wife thought it would be nice if the guards had access to some snacks. Somehow, that resulted in me making sandwiches."
"I see," Ginny said as she commenced with the spreading of mayo. "Harry said that you've been relieved from your old job. What are you going to be doing now?"
"For the time being, I'm in charge of refreshments for the war," Leo said absently, focused on spreading mayo as quickly as possible. "The people in charge are still figuring out what to do."
"So, Bellatrix hasn't told you much?" Ginny asked.
Leo shrugged. "I've heard things."
"Bellatrix says that I can go home to my own dimension soon," Ginny said, pushing the conversation along as she finished one slice of bread and picked up another. "She plans to hang onto Harry, though, even though she won't even talk to him."
"I see," Leo said as he gave up on spreading mayo one slice at a time. He picked up the jar of mayo and the knife and began putting a dollop of mayo on each slice, apparently intending to come back to each slice and spread the mayo later.
Ginny waited for Leo to finish putting dollops of mayo on the sandwich slices. When he finished, she took the mayo jar and did likewise while Leo worked on his bread slices. "I asked her why she won't talk to Harry, and she said she has a special reason."
"Really?" Leo asked, suddenly sounding curious, pausing from his sandwich making to shake some bread crumbs off his hand.
"Do you know what that reason might be?" Ginny asked.
Leo laughed softly. "Few there be who know the mind of Bellatrix Black."
Ginny sighed in disappointment, and the two sandwich makers continued in silence. When it looked like they were about to be done with the mayo, Leo fetched an assortment of meats from the refrigerator.
As he returned to the counter with the meat, he finally spoke up. "I wonder if Bellatrix isn't speaking to your Harry because she's concerned about . . ."
"Concerned about what?" Ginny asked as soon as it was apparent that Leo was not going to verbally finish his thought.
Leo shrugged as he began distributing the meat while Ginny finished with the mayo. "Oh, I don't know. Something that Bellatrix and Hermione mentioned one time when we were all reminiscing about the war we had in our dimension several years back."
Ginny tried not to grit her teeth with frustration. She then made a special effort to maintain an innocent-sounding tone of voice. "Can't you explain?"
Leo chuckled. "I may not even be correct, and even if I was, telling you might frustrate Bellatrix's strategy."
Ginny gave Leo a dose of the silent treatment. Eventually, it worked.
"I think we might be able to find a solution that resolves Bellatrix's concerns and might make her more comfortable with opening up to your Harry," Leo announced as he abandoned the meat and went to find some more stuff to put on the sandwiches.
"Like what?" Ginny asked.
"If we can get you Harry trained in the art of Occlumency, I think Bellatrix might not be concerned about letting him interact with her," Leo theorized as he poked around in the refrigerator.
"What if you're not right about what her concern is?" Ginny asked.
Leo grinned. "Occlumency will still be good for Harry. He needs to learn how to control his mind. All great wizards and witches must learn how to control themselves like this. In fact, I don't really care if it solves the problem that keeps Bellatrix from talking to Harry. I'm going to have him trained for his own good."
"Okay," Ginny said, wondering whether Harry would thank her for getting signed up for Occlumency lessons. "Do you suppose I could learn, too?"
"Of course," Leo said, depositing several bags filled with lettuce and tomatoes on the counter next to Ginny. "You work on the sandwiches, and I'll go make the necessary arrangements." He then exited the kitchen, leaving Ginny in charge of the sandwich making operation.
Ginny let out a sigh as she gazed at the hundreds of sandwiches that had yet to be finished. "Very smooth, sir, very smooth," she said. She walked to the refrigerator and found several large blocks of cheese in it. She withdrew the blocks, unwrapped one, and cut herself several slices. Taking the cheese slices and vegetables Leo had provided, Ginny finished a couple of the sandwiches and had breakfast before resuming the sandwich project.
~!~!~!~!~!
"Imagine the pumpkin again," Rose Potter Black said to Harry and Ginny. They were all seated in comfortable armchairs placed on the floor in the center of a spacious ballroom on the ground floor of Ravenbourgh. "You are the pumpkin. Imagine the smooth, orange skin. It is beautiful and tough."
Ginny did her best to maintain the image of a pumpkin in her mind, but it was hard. She desperately wanted to snicker at Harry's put-upon facial expression. It was taking all of her energy to not burst out laughing every time she imagined Harry's face or heard Rose's serene voice.
"Relax your facial muscles, Ginny. Relax. You are the pumpkin. Steady and calm," Rose instructed.
Harry sighed audibly.
"Remember, Harry, pumpkins don't sigh," Rose said. "They accept everything that happens because it doesn't matter. They are inanimate objects."
"I'm sorry," Harry said, "but I don't see how this is helping anything."
Ginny opened her eyes. Harry was staring at Rose, doing little to hide his annoyance. Rose was directing an infuriatingly calm and piercing gaze toward Harry.
"Harry," Rose said crisply, "you don't have to see how it is helping. You just have to do it."
Harry sighed again.
"Since you are both finding it difficult to maintain your demeanor, I am going to assign you two to work on this in your spare time, which I am assured, you have an abundance of," Rose said.
Harry stared at Rose. "Are you saying that we're supposed to sit around imagining to be a pumpkin? For how long?"
"Hours, Harry, hours," Rose said as she stood up. "The only thing in your mind will be the pumpkin. Pretend to be a pumpkin. You, too, Ginny." She then disappeared with a faint pop.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Who Apparates in their own house?"
"It's a big house," Ginny said solemnly. "It's nearly lunchtime. Let's see if we can find anything in the kitchens."
"Hopefully something other than sandwiches," Harry said, cracking a grin as he and Ginny stepped into the hall outside the ballroom and made their way toward the main entrance hall.
They arrived at the entrance hall just in time to watch Leo open the front door to admit what appeared to be the alternate version of Arthur Weasley. Ginny's breath caught as she and Harry stopped and stared at the Weasley patriarch, who had more gray than red in his hair. Arthur noticed the attention and came over to them after a brief, whispered conversation with Leo.
"Leo tells me that you're from the other dimension," Arthur said, addressing himself to Ginny and gently laying his hand on her shoulder. "It must be hard to be away from your family and friends while so young."
Ginny nodded, cursing herself as she felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. "I'm worried about my family and about whether Minister Black is going to let us go home," Ginny said.
Arthur nodded sympathetically and gave Ginny's shoulder a couple of pats before he withdrew it. "Bellatrix Black is a strange witch, and there is no telling what she will do."
"Is that a warning?" Harry asked, interjecting himself into the conversation.
Arthur was already shaking his head. "I very much doubt that Bellatrix would do anything to harm you, Mr. . . Potter. After all, you are the alternate version of her own husband. As for you, Ginny, you are a Weasley and have nothing to fear. Harry Ashworth Black has always treated the Weasleys as family, and Bellatrix Black regards the Weasleys as her most valuable allies. Be patient, and I think you will find yourself pleased with the results."
"Okay," Ginny said, beginning to feel like she would win the war she had been waging against the buildup of tears.
Arthur gave the two teenagers another friendly smile. "I know that you would like me to speak with you longer, but I fear that I must meet with Bellatrix to help her make some important decisions. Hopefully, we can do the best thing for both our dimensions."
With that, Arthur Weasley left them and started his way up the stairs toward wherever Bellatrix was in the spacious manor.
Leo, who had stood a respectful distance away from the conversation, motioned to Harry on Ginny. "Come on, you two. Let's get lunch. Then, I think you might like what I have in store for you next."
The three made their way toward the kitchen.
"So, what does my dad do in this dimension?" Ginny asked.
"Arthur Weasley is a mover and shaker in the Wizengamot," Leo explained. "Basically, he ensures that Bellatrix controls a majority of the Wizengamot. If Bellatrix wants to push something through, he is the one who cracks the whip. If some forlorn Wizengamot member wants Bellatrix to do something, Arthur is the one to contact because the political favors flow through him."
"Sounds complicated," Harry observed.
"A little bit," Leo admitted. "Arthur is quite talented and respected. He contributes to Bellatrix's legitimacy. His job is easier than it could be, though. Unlike other Ministers, Bellatrix is very apathetic toward unimportant things. That gives Arthur an incredible amount of leeway to do what he must to build support. Broad consensus and whatnot."
"So why is he here today? Ginny asked as they arrived in the kitchen.
"He's going to tell Bellatrix how much political capital it is going to cost her to fight the war on her own terms," Leo said, his mouth curving into an undecipherable smile. He retrieved of the morning's sandwiches from the fridge. Seeing their looks of dismay, Leo laughed. "If you don't want sandwiches, you can help yourself to anything in the refrigerator or freezer. And, don't ever wait for my invitation. If you get midnight cravings, come down and help yourself. You might find that you're not the only one."
Harry and Ginny accepted Leo's invitation and soon found that the freezer was filled with frozen meals. Ginny was confused about the frozen dinners, but Harry quickly explained the concept as they picked out two of the dinners and started microwaving them.
"I'm guessing that the Muggle food comes from the other Harry's upbringing," Ginny said to Leo, who was thoughtfully chewing on a sandwich.
Leo shook his head. "No. The other Harry likes to cook. It's Bellatrix that ensures the freezer is stocked with frozen foods."
Ginny raised her eyebrows.
Leo continued his explanation, seeming to be laughing to himself. "You should see Bellatrix shop at a Muggle grocery store. She puts a bottomless charm on the shopping basket and buys nearly every frozen meal in the store. It drives the cashiers insane when she checks out. I'm surprised the Misuse of Magic office hasn't bothered her about it."
"She's the Minister of Magic," Harry said.
"True," Leo admitted. "If I were a Ministry bureaucrat, I would not draw her attention to myself."
Soon, the three had finished with their lunch.
"Here is what I have planned," Leo informed them. "During the war, the Harry of this dimension spent some time teaching me how to duel. After the war ended, I kept up the practice and even convinced Bellatrix to share her knowledge with me. These days, I'm pretty good at dueling."
Leo's observation was followed by a derisive snort. Ginny and Harry were startled to discover that an unfamiliar witch had come into the kitchen and was sorting through the frozen food options in the freezer.
"This is Sidra Potter Malfoy," Leo said, gesturing to the new arrival. "She's Bellatrix's personal secretary."
Harry and Ginny's eyes bugged out as they mentally made the calculation as to how Sidra was a Potter Malfoy.
"Executive assistant," Sidra mumbled as she tossed her meal selection into the microwave.
"Was there a reason you were snorting at Leo's comment?" Ginny asked politely.
"He's not 'pretty good at dueling.' He's a grandmaster duelist," Sidra informed them as she rolled her eyes at Leo. "Way to be modest, Leo."
"I suppose she is correct," Leo admitted, gesturing for Harry and Ginny to follow him out of the kitchen and toward the same ballroom in which Harry and Ginny had spent the morning. When they were out of earshot, Leo continued speaking. "I have won a few dueling competitions. But tournaments are nothing like war, let me tell you."
"Sidra seems like a little bit of a crank," Ginny said.
Leo snickered. "Yes, she has a thorny personality. Nobody takes her seriously. All you can do is avoid making her any angrier than you have to."
"You were going to teach us dueling?" Harry asked, redirecting the conversation.
"Ah, yes," Leo said as they entered the ballroom. He began casting various spells around the room. "For the next while, my wife will teach you Occlumency in the mornings, and I will teach you dueling in the afternoon."
"Okay," Harry said, clearly warming up to the idea.
Leo continued with the spell casting, apparently preparing the room to withstand what was going to be happening. "Ginny, I realize you are not always going to feel well enough to actively participate. But, if you can, you should at least watch and learn the principles."
"Of course," Ginny said readily.
"Good," Leo said. "I will start by teaching you two the basics of dueling."
"I've done dueling before," Harry said.
"You do have experience and even success," Leo admitted. "But you need the formal training. Once you've gotten the view of dueling from thirty thousand feet, we can think about honing in on your strengths and weaknesses. We can then begin to craft you a personal dueling style."
Ginny grinned as Harry nodded.
"Good," Leo said, drawing his wand. "Let us discuss how one draws and holds a wand."
~!~!~!~!~!
"Ungrateful creature! I ought to throw him out on his butt and see how he likes it."
Arthur Weasley sighed and raked his fingers through his thin, graying hair before responding. "You and I both know that firing Director Longbottom is not going to silence him. Besides, keeping him in your administration makes you look like you are confident and secure."
"We both know that I'm not going to fire him," Bellatrix muttered from her armchair. "I just wish that I could."
Arthur was seated in a matching armchair in front of the fireplace. He looked over at Bellatrix. "You can't really blame him for being frustrated. The DMLE is supposed to be the leader in wars like this. It is, for all intents and purposes, the military, and there happens to be a war. Frank just wants to do his job."
"I am trying to make it so the DMLE doesn't have to fight the war in the first place," Bellatrix retorted. "I do not want to be the next Minister Prewitt. I think there is a way to use the Department of Mysteries and a small number of Aurors to stop the problem before it actually gets to this dimension."
"But, so far, you have not explained it to the public in those terms," Arthur pointed out.
Bellatrix pushed herself up out of the chair and began pacing about the room angrily. "If I announce my strategies to the public, I may as well just send a memo to enemy, too. Is there any way that we can shut up the noisemakers and buy time while Harry and I take steps to neutralize the threat?"
Arthur shrugged as he turned in his chair so that he could see Bellatrix. "If it weren't for that attack on the Ministry last night, you could have gotten away with a lot. But now, everybody knows something is afoot. Director Longbottom or his allies might spark a no-confidence vote, and it would become a question of whether the Wizengamot trusts your wartime judgment over Longbottom's wartime judgment."
"I did more than he did to win the last war," Bellatrix said.
"Behind the scenes, yes," Arthur admitted. "But, he is viewed as a premier leader in law enforcement and has dozens of battles and confrontations under his belt. As far as the public is able to determine, you were in only one battle during the previous war and became a casualty within about five minutes."
"More like ten," Bellatrix defended.
"Perhaps if there was a way to invoke your husband's opinion in the matter without undermining your own authority," Arthur said.
Bellatrix shook her head and sighed. "If he suddenly popped his head into the Wizengamot chambers after all of these years and parroted that he had reviewed my plan and that the Wizengamot should allow me to carry it out, they would just assume he had made the plan himself. It is not as if he has ever interfered with my management of the Ministry before."
Arthur nodded. "You're probably right."
Bellatrix continued to pace while Arthur tried to think of an alternative.
"Am I correct in understanding that you have a plan already?" Arthur asked.
Bellatrix shook her head. "I only have a basic direction chosen, and I have taken some steps to protect my interest should I decide to go in that direction."
"How involved would you and Harry be?" Arthur asked.
"Probably very involved," Bellatrix said. "Harry and I are accustomed to fighting from the shadows. It could become very complicated."
Arthur nodded. "I think you and Harry will have to embrace a lot of your former wartime habits. Maybe . . ."
"Maybe what?" Bellatrix asked.
"Here's a thought," Arthur said. "You might need to appoint a deputy Minister so that you can pursue the war."
Bellatrix shook her head. "I can still manage the Ministry. That's not my problem right now."
Arthur held up his hands. "Hear me out. I'm just thinking that you could focus on fighting at the front lines and leave somebody to take care of things at home."
"No," Bellatrix said. "I am not going to surrender power. The point of all of this is that the Ministry should be able to function smoothly without my immediate supervision while Harry, I, and the Department of Mysteries take necessary action."
"But think of it this way," Arthur said. "If the Department of Mysteries is taking care of the problem, you can let Frank do whatever he wants that makes him feel good. The DM and the DMLE are separate entities. You can fight your battles, and Frank can do all sorts of stuff to make sure everything stays safe. If you win the war, Frank never sees any action."
Bellatrix shut her eyes and let out a calming breath. It did not seem to work because her next comment was sarcastic. "Well, great. Bellatrix the Snakeheart goes to fight the Crusades against infidels while Prince Frank bravely defends the country from the occasional drunk Apparater.
Arthur grinned. "That's why you leave behind a deputy Minister to boss Frank around and make it look like everything he is doing is your idea."
Bellatrix strode to the window, crossed her arms, and stared outside.
After about five minutes, Arthur's patience ran out. "What do you think of the idea?"
"How would you like to be the Vice-Minister of Magic, Arthur?" Bellatrix asked.
"Not very much."
"Too bad," Bellatrix retorted. "Start making the necessary arrangements to make it happen, but do not tell anybody. I still want time to think before committing to this course of action."
~!~!~!~!~!
In the Para Bellum dimension . . .
"What in Merlin's name is this?" Moody grunted as he, Tonks, and Kingsley Shacklebolt approached a lamppost onto which somebody had glued what appeared to be a wanted poster. "Is that one of Minister Black's daughters in the picture?" he asked.
"Looks like it," Kingsley said.
Tonks read the poster. "Wanted: Ivy White, for the crimes of seventh-degree rape and grand theft locomotive. Also wanted for questioning for her potential involvement in the recent preschooler riots. Reward: Five expired lotto tickets."
Kingsley smiled. "It is somewhat funny."
"It's frightening," Moody said, shooting paranoid glares up and down the shadowy street and nearby, dark alleys. "Do you honestly think those smart alecks went to the trouble making up this poster for jollies? This poster is some sort of ward or detection device. They know we're here. Constant vigilance!"
"Let's just get to the meeting," Tonks said. "I think we're close."
The trio quietly made their way toward the pub Ambassador Black had chosen for the meeting with Dumbledore and the key Order members. On the way, they found another wanted poster for Ivy and one for Holly. It seemed that Holly was wanted for poaching ducks, forging parking tickets, and unauthorized road construction. The reward for information leading to her capture was paltry: a bowl of turnip-flavored jelly.
When the trio arrived at the pub, they discovered that Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Exonerated Sirius had already arrived and were speaking with Ambassador Sirius. They were all seated around a dusty table. The pub had gone out of business. However, Ambassador Sirius had cleaned things up somewhat and brought along copious amounts of food. Upon seeing the new guests, Ambassador Sirius gestured for the new arrivals to have a seat and help themselves. The new arrivals sat down, but did not immediately help themselves.
"Where are those triplets?" Moody demanded as his magical eye spun around, surveying the premises.
Sirius shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I told them about the meeting and asked them to take security precautions. If anything bad happens, I can only hope that they will do something."
"We think they've set up warding devices in the form of bogus wanted posters," Kingsley said, addressing himself more to Dumbledore than to Ambassador Sirius.
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Bogus wanted posters?"
"The bogus posters come from a prank game they played one summer a while back," Ambassador Sirius reminisced. "They were trying to see if the Muggle police would arrest them or not. I don't think it turned out to be as fun as they hoped."
"I hope the Muggles captured them and taught them a lesson," Moody growled.
Ambassador Sirius shook his head. "I'm afraid not. In the end, the triplets had to report themselves to authorities before they got noticed. And when you know the authorities are coming for you, it is just too easy to escape. Although . . . ," Ambassador Sirius trailed off before letting out a small chuckle. "Now that I think about it, I seem to recall the triplets getting caught off guard when Bellatrix tipped off the cops that they could be found at a Muggleborn friend's birthday party one night."
Everybody laughed.
"Got anymore funny stories about them?" Tonks asked, curious about the new pseudo-branch of her family.
"Endless stories," Ambassador Sirius said. "But you should ask them. They tell the stories better. They might even make you part of a story."
"Do the triplets realize that they would be quite welcome at this meeting?" Dumbledore asked.
"Actually, I was hoping they would attend," Ambassador Sirius said, reaching toward the pile of food and drink and extracting a bottle of butterbeer. "They know more than I do about a lot of things. Unfortunately, they are not willing to be seen in public with those black eyes they got at the press building fight."
Dumbledore conjured a plate and began filling it with some of the more unique food items Sirius had provided. "Tell them to drop by Hogwarts anytime," Dumbledore said. "I would love to have a chat with them."
Ambassador Sirius winced. "I would tell you to take that statement back, but it's probably too late."
"So, you're saying that they are probably listening in on this meeting?" Moody asked.
"It seems probable," Ambassador Sirius replied.
"Then listen to this, you little wankers!" Moody roared. "If you ever prank me, I will tan your hides!"
Ambassador Sirius buried his face in his hands. "Why did you do that? Why?"
"I'm drawing the line right here, right now," Moody declared.
Exonerated Sirius snickered. "I think I'm going to enjoy watching this. Do you mind if I tag along with you for the next few days, Mad-Eye?"
Further conversation was interrupted as the Weasley clan arrived and Ambassador Sirius found himself being interrogated by Mrs. Weasley. She was disappointed by his complete lack of knowledge. Soon, the group was discussing the main topic of the meeting. By prearrangement, Lupin acted as the spokesperson for the group.
"We're willing to suppose that things may be as serious as your people believe," Lupin told Ambassador Sirius. "The thing is, we don't want Minister Black moving in and taking over our world. We're thinking that we can coordinate with Minister Black to get your help to weed out the nasty factions in our Ministry. From there, we will have a native government with more ties to the conflict than your government. The two Ministries can work as allies to ensure that our worlds are preserved from the Dark Lords."
Ambassador Sirius nodded. "I see. So you're hinting to me that my approaching your Ministry at this point might be unprofitable?"
"Well, Minister Fudge is unwilling to admit that there is one Dark Lord, let alone two," Lupin said. "Our attempts to show him the truth have resulted in him making choices that put the Ministry in a bad position."
"I will transmit your proposal to Minister Black as soon as possible," Ambassador Sirius said solemnly. "In the meantime, you should start compiling a list of Ministry personnel that are likely to be helpful and unhelpful in the coming conflict."
Mrs. Weasley took this opportunity to produce a pair of letters—one for Ginny and one for Harry. "Please pass these along, too," Mrs. Weasley requested.
Ambassador Sirius accepted the letters and pocketed them. "Of course."
"When are you going to next make contact with your home dimension?" Dumbledore asked.
"Very soon, I think. It is up to the triplets. They are the ones that do the traveling. When they return to here from my dimension is up to Minister Black . . . and her husband. From what I hear, Harry is not thrilled that his daughters are on the front line of a war that is about to happen."
"Believe me, I understand," Arthur Weasley said.
"I think that concludes our meeting," Ambassador Sirius said. "I will send word to you as soon as I have news. In the meantime, don't hesitate to communicate. I enjoy socializing as much as the next wizard or witch."
"As much as I would like to linger, I have made some appointments with old contacts," Moody said as the meeting began to break up. He stood up and waved goodbye.
"Constant vigilance," Ambassador Sirius warned.
"You don't need to tell me that," Moody said, heading for the pub entrance.
When Moody put his hand on the doorknob, an explosion of light filled the room. When everybody's eyes had recovered from the sudden burst of light, they found that Moody was now dressed like a Muggle hooker—miniskirt, boots, and makeup included.
As Moody roared in anger, Ambassador Sirius shook his head sorrowfully while Exonerated Sirius laughed uncontrollably as he rolled around on the floor.
~!~!~!~!~!
In the Delenda Est dimension . . .
After dinner, Harry and Ginny made their way upstairs to the guest wing. Leo had managed to pack a lot of basics into one lesson, and it had left Harry and Ginny exhausted and mentally overwhelmed. Like his wife, he had given them homework. Harry had wanted to get started on the homework, but Ginny had begged off, saying that it would be better if she could get a full night's sleep first.
Harry dropped Ginny off at her bedroom. Feeling restless, Harry opted to explore instead of going to his bedroom suite to turn in for the night. He found a pair of doors at the end of the hallway of the guest wing. Harry opened one and discovered that it led to a small balcony at the end of the house. He was surveying the Ravenbourgh gardens when a small voice startled him.
"Hello, there . . ."
Startled, Harry looked toward the voice's origin and found an older version of himself staring back. "You're the other me!" Harry said after gaping for a moment.
"Yes," Harry Black admitted, tilting his head as he studied the younger version of himself.
"How did you get onto the balcony? I didn't even hear you," Harry Potter said.
"I'm not really here," Harry Black replied. "It's a talent I developed during the last war. Dead useful, you know."
"Then where are you?" Harry Potter demanded.
"In my and Bellatrix's bedroom. I'm getting ready to go on a trip to buy some equipment and whatnot." Harry Black said.
"Can you teach me how to do this . . . thing?" Harry Potter asked hopefully.
"It would take more time than you probably have," Harry Black said. "And, I'm not sure that you have developed your power enough to make it economical. But don't worry, Leo assures me that he is going to help you find some special spells to give you an edge in fights."
"I like Leo," Harry Potter told the other Harry.
"Me, too," Harry Black said.
"I'm not so sure that I like your wife, though," Harry Potter said to Harry Black.
Harry Black laughed weakly. "Not many do. I like her a lot, though. We've been through a lot together, and I would miss her if anything ever happened to take her away from me."
Harry Potter shook his head. "I don't think I will ever understand."
"You would have had to have lived through it," Harry Black said. "Nobody is going to force you to marry the Bellatrix of your world, Harry. You might find yourself growing fond of Ginny Weasley, though."
"Oh, really?"
"She was my first love," Harry Black admitted. "Before she was killed. Before I traveled through time."
The two Harry's sat in companionable silence.
Eventually, Harry Black decided to end the meeting. "Leo is going to look after you, Harry. Learn everything you can from him. As for my wife, you can trust her to not get you killed. But, for certain reasons, I think you will not develop a very close relationship with her. It's not you; it's her. I could explain, but I don't think it is really relevant."
"Wait," Harry Potter said.
"Yes?" Harry Black responded.
"My parents . . . ," Harry Potter said.
Harry Black nodded. "I understand. I will do what I can." With that, he gave Harry Potter a smile before fading away.