Chateau Black loomed large in the distance. As it always had. Narcissa and Andromeda had come here during the summers, when the entire extended family would meet and spend a few weeks pretending like they all didn't hate each other.

Well, they tried to anyways. Usually, it would only take a day or two for some type of conflict to erupt, like that famous summer before Narcissa's fifth year when grandfather had banished Walburga from the chateau indefinitely after the woman got on his last nerve one too many times.

Arcturus Black had always been the most dignified of the Black family. A blood purist through and through, but one that at least understood respectable politics kept the peace, and that violent conflict was never good for the family coffers. He'd become head of House Black at it's absolute apex, and for most of his life, he'd continued to guide it along as the epitome of all the Ancient and Noble Houses of England.

Up until the conflict with the Dark Lord had left it all in tatters.

To his grandchildren, Arcturus was a stern, grumpy old man, which in Black terms made him a doting grandfather, especially when compared to the screeching mess of Walburga Black, the conniving, venomous harpy that was Druella, or the completely absent non-entities that Cygnus and Orion had been.

They made their way to the front gate, which opened wide as they approached.

"We're still in the wards, that's a good sign." Narcissa said as they made their way up the stone pathway.

Andromeda was much less optimistic, and she was eyeing the dark castle wearily. "Or maybe he's just happy to lure us in, so he can trap us and torture us at his leisure."

"Grandfather was never one for excessive punishment." Narcissa defended.

"I wasn't banished from the family back then."

"Andi, you know he's not our mother."

"He's a Black, isn't he?"

They were at the front door now, a tall mahogany double door with a large brass knocker molded into the shape of a manticore.

Narcissa reached her hand out to knock, but the doors swung open before she could.

Standing there in front of them, wearing a silk bathrobe and purple loafers, was Arcturus Black, looking as ancient as he always had

"Narcissa, Bellatrix." He said flatly, his cold gray eyes boring right through them.

"Andromeda, actually. Bellatrix is in prison."

Arcturus raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you cast out by that banshee?"

"Isn't it your job to know?" Andromeda challenged.

Arcturus shrugged his shoulders, leaving his granddaughters shocked. Arcturus Black never shrugged.

The old man turned away from them, heading off towards the kitchen, where a pair of House elves were preparing lunch.

"Wait, grandfather! You must hear us out!" Narcissa yelled from the doorway.

Arcturus turned his head, "Do you need an invitation? Come in, I would have slammed the door if I didn't want you here."

The sisters shared a worried look as Arcturus disappeared into the kitchen. This was not the man they remembered.

Twenty minutes later found them sitting at a small dinner table. Narcissa's plate sat untouched, but Andromeda had dug into her shepherd's pie with absolutely no compunction, letting her sister do the talking as she asked for seconds and a portion to take home.

Arcturus for his part sat and ate quietly while he let his granddaughter explain the woes of the family Black.

"And so you see, we need you to help us. We need you to override mother's decree and bring Andi back into the family, to rescind her blacklist."

"Done. Tippy, bring me my stationary." Arcturus motioned for one of his elves, who nodded excitedly as she popped away in an instant.

Narcissa stumbled, and Andromeda finally stopped eating to stare at her grandfather with eyes wide, her open mouth still filled with food.

"Just like that? No negotiation? No promise to uphold the Black name?" Narcissa asked.

"Did you crack your head open, girl? You beg me to help your sister and now you tell me why I should walk it back?"

"N-No, it's just-"

"Narcissa, have some pie." Andromeda said firmly, pushing her sister's plate towards her.

Narcissa gulped at her sister's deathly glare and nodded. She grabbed her golden fork, having the stray thought that their mother and aunt would be rolling in their graves at seeing the fine cutlery used for such a casual meal.

Tippy returned with a pop, handing Arcturus a few sheets of stationary. The old man placed it on the table, and Narcissa cringed as she saw how close the expensive parchment was to her grandfather's dirty fork.

Andromeda had stopped eating entirely. She was looking on in barely contained anticipation and excitement as Arcturus quickly drafted a writ that reinstated her into the family, signing it messily as he grabbed his fork with his left hand and continued eating.

Narcissa was going to have a heart attack. Her grandfather, the archetypal pureblood lord, was one slip-up from spilling bits of mince on a Gringotts-bound document as he hastily wrote out the cancellation of Andi's blacklist.

Both women held their breaths as the old man finished. He signed the second document with a flourish, grabbed his wand from the table and with a wave sent the letters flying into envelopes. "Take these to Firmtooth." He instructed Tippy.

"Of course Master Arcturus sir." The elf took the envelopes and popped away once more.

"There, you should be set by tomorrow morning." He told Andromeda. Then he turned to Narcissa. "What else did you want?"

"I…we need to get Bella out."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Arcturus scoffed, the crotchety old man the sisters knew returning in force.

"We came up with a plan." Andromeda said. She felt jittery, she couldn't believe that her life had just been turned around in an instant. It felt surreal, especially since none of her fantasies about her return to society had been this…mundane.

"Oh, a plan? Pray tell, what is this plan? I hope it's better than when you tried to steal my cane."

"That would have worked! Regulus just ratted us out!" Andromeda said heatedly, pounding her fist on the table.

Narcissa held her hand out to stop her sister. The blonde now wore a poker face, all business as she stared at her grandfather.

"You would come with me to Azkaban under an invisibility cloak. In the visitation room, you swap places with Bellatrix and pretend to be her, using polyjuice. Then, back in the cell, you take your own life. Your corpse will remain in Bellatrix's form, completing the subterfuge."

Arcturus just stared back at her with his same cold steely gaze, not saying a word.

"I'm an expert potion maker, grandfather. I can brew a perfect batch of polyjuice…under thirty days even." Andromeda added, thinking that to be his objection with their plan.

"You come to an old man's house, beg me to fix all your problems, and then you ask me to go to prison and kill myself?" Arcturus bellowed. "Is this some sort of scheme of Lucius'? He won't get the Black gold, not over my dead body!"

"Grandfather! We came up with this plan because you always preached about how the welfare of the family was always more important than any individual member!" Narcissa yelled back.

Andromeda snorted. "Tell me about it. Every single summer, it was 'House of Black' this and 'necessary sacrifices' that. He always told that same story about…who was it?"

"Cepheus Black." Narcissa provided.

Andi snapped her fingers. "Exactly! Cepheus Black. The Lord who threw himself into the path of a manticore so that his heir could escape its clutches. Hence the classy door knocker."

Arcturus was glaring hard at Andromeda. "You were always my most grateful grandchild, Andromeda." He hissed.

That shut Andi up, but Narcissa was still going. "So what, that was all bullshit back then?"

"Of course not!" Arcturus yelled. "I believed it with all my heart and soul! And look what it's left me with! A House in shambles! A handful of dead grandchildren! And the live ones don't even bother to visit!"

"Visit? You wanted us to visit?" Narcissa guffawed.

"Always had to be the heartless, cold and calculating Arcturus. Even as a child, I told father I was interested in baking. What did he tell me? No, Arcturus, you are to be Lord Black. Arcturus, you cannot partake in such frivolous things! And what did I do? I listened, I sacrificed, just to rear a nest of shrill women and weak men!"

"Wait, you like baking?" Andromeda asked.

Arcturus cracked a smile. "It's always been my secret passion. Well, not so secret now." He gestured towards the kitchen counter, where the sisters saw a rustic loaf of freshly baked sourdough bread, right next to a three tier cake that was halfway through the process of being covered in buttercream icing.

"So that wasn't the elves?" Narcissa asked in awe.

"You do it by hand, grandfather?" Andromeda asked as she stared at the delicious looking vanilla sponge.

The old man scoffed. "Please, don't insult me. It's the only way to ensure good flavor. Anyone who bakes through magic is an ameteur."

"Have you ever made pretzels?" Andi asked with a bit of wonderment.

"Pretzles? I have not heard of such a thing."

"Merlin, you have to make them! You coat them in cinnamon sugar and they are absolutely divine! Ted used to bring them home for me."

Arcturus looked very intrigued by the picture Andi was painting, so Narcissa was forced to clear her throat to regain their attention.

"As wonderful as the discovery of our grandfather's hobby is, may I remind you that Bellatrix still needs to be freed."

Arcturus leaned back into his seat, his excited face melting back into the cold mask that the sisters were much more familiar with. "If she is innocent like you say, and she never had a trial, why don't you just leak it to some journalist? I'm sure there are plenty that would jump at the chance to break such a story, and whoever the idiot Minister is will be forced to give her a trial."

Narcissa gasped. "Grandfather, you're a genius!"

"Or you're just a pair of idiots." He grumbled. "Now, about these pretzles…"

…

Darcia and Harry walked down the abandoned corridor.

It had taken the twins a few days to set up a meeting with the ever so secretive 'Boss Lady'. This morning, Darcia had received an owl, informing her of the time and place of the meeting and instructing her to come alone.

She interpreted 'alone' to include her slave, and so she and Harry had left the girls in the dorms as they trudged up to the meeting place on the fifth floor.

Darcia cursed under her breath as she approached and saw a Ravenclaw prefect standing by the door. It wasn't that close to curfew, but she knew the prefect would ask questions about why they were in this deserted stretch of hallway.

She was especially distressed as she got closer and recognized the prefect. Penelope Clearwater, a fifth year with wavy brown hair and a prim and proper demeanor. She'd already docked Darcia points for using magic in the hallways and for making fun of a Ravenclaw girl for being poor.

"Ms. Malfoy." Clearwater nodded as Darcia and Harry approached stiffly. She was standing right in front of the classroom where they were supposed to meet, and it was only five minutes until the meeting.

According to the Weasley twins, it was very hard to get a meeting with the Boss Lady. Darcia couldn't afford to miss this one, but what could she do to shoo the stuffy prefect away?

"You're on time, good. The mistress will be pleased."

"The who?" Darcia asked in shock.

"You may know her as the 'Boss Lady' or the 'Shadow Ruler'."

"You work for her?" Harry asked.

"I am the only one in this school blessed enough to know her identity, the only one she trusts." Penelope puffed her chest up proudly, a loving look in her eyes.

"Now, come, the mistress' time is invaluable." She opened the door and ushered them into the room.

Sitting at a large, expensive looking wooden desk was a girl. She looked sort of familiar to Darcia, but she was certain she'd never met her before. She was very sure, since she would have remembered meeting someone with a head of spiky pink hair.

The girl was tall, with a heart shaped face and big gray eyes similar to Darcia's own, though as she looked at them, the eyes suddenly shifted to an amber color.

"Mistress!" Penelope gasped. "Your identity! They'll recognize you, should you not be wearing a different face?" The prefect had both hands over her heart, worry etched onto her face.

The Boss Lady waved her off. "There's no need for that, Penny. Darcia is family, after all."

"Family?"

The pink haired girl snorted. "Auntie Narcissa never told you about your cousin? I'm not surprised,"

"Cousin? One of her sister's kids?"

The Boss Lady rolled her eyes. "Yes, that is how cousins work." She turned to look at Harry, a small smile creeping into her face as she looked the boy over. "I heard she has you doing her homework. No wonder, she's not very bright."

"Hey!" Darcia hissed.

"Mistress is very intelligent. She just suffers from carpal tunnel." Harry assured.

The pink haired girl snorted. "Right. Anyways, if you two would have a seat." She gestured towards the two plush chairs in front of her desk.

Harry and Darcia plopped down as Penelope went to stand behind The Boss Lady's chair, arms behind her back as she eyed the two of them suspiciously.

"So, introductions! My name is Nymphadora Tonks, and if you ever use that name anywhere in these halls, you will meet a very gruesome end." She said cheerfully.

The name Tonks finally set off a spark of recognition in Darcia's head. "Your mother is Andromeda, the one that went off with the mu-"

"Mudblood? Yes, the one and only."

"I was going to say muggleborn!" Darcia insisted. She had stopped using that term altogether for Harry's sake.

Nymphadora rolled her eyes, "Sure. Anyways, I'm a seventh year Hufflepuff. I'm a big fan of the Weird Sisters, and I rule this school with an iron fist."

She shot Penny a cheeky smile, which the girl returned with one filled with love and devotion, a look Darcia had seen many times on Harry's face.

"Penny is my most trusted lieutenant, the only one that knows my identity. But I have eyes and ears in every common room, even amongst the staff. Now, you want my help with something, little cousin?"

"I need to get rid of Snape." Darcia stated bluntly.

Tonks giggled. "That might be my most popular request, wouldn't you agree, Penny?"

The brunette nodded along.

"Of course, touching a member of the staff hasn't really been worth it up till now. It'd put too much heat on me, and there's not a lot of money to be made from it." Darcia's face fell. "But, I am graduating this year, and you are family , so sure, I can get rid of Snape for you."

Both Harry and Darcia's faces lit up.

"Now, about my payment."

Darcia's expression slipped into a poker face, the same mask she'd seen her father wear when the dinner guest began to talk business. "Of course, name your price." Darcia had her trust vault, bolstered by the contents of Harry's own trust vault, to draw from, so she wasn't worried about money.

Nymphadora smiled. "No worries, I don't need any money." She shot Harry a smile. "For the rest of the year, I get free, unrestricted access to your slave."

"That's it?" Darcia asked as Harry blushed.

Penelope looked scandalized. "Mistress! Is that really all yo-"

Nynphadora raised a hand that instantly quieted Penny down. "Zip it, Penny." She said sternly.

"Right, mistress." Penny's head dropped, her cheeks flushed as she glared down at the floor.

"So. Whadya say?" Tonks asked in a chipper tone, holding her hand out.

"It's a deal." Darcia hurriedly shook her hand, worried the girl would realize how lopsided the deal was.

For all the talk about the big bad Boss Lady, this cousin of her's seemed like a pushover.

There was a flash of magic as they shook, and Darcia realized that Tonks' agreements were backed up by more than a mere handshake.

"Wicked! I think I'll start collecting my payment right now." The girl hopped up from her seat. Without any pretense, she grabbed the hem of her yellow and black robes, lifting it up over her head in one motion.

"Mistress!" Penelope gasped, a hand going to her mouth as she blushed deeply.

Harry's eyes widened into saucers and even Darcia had to gasp as her cousin took off her robe, revealing a matching set of lacy yellow undergarments .

Tonks grinned as all eyes were on her. "Nice body, isn't it?" She ran her hands down her sides. She was tall and slim, with a nice, pert ass and a pair of breasts that more than filled out her bra.

"Of course, I'm kinda cheating." That said, Tonks' body morphed. Her breasts grew until they were spilling out of her now unsubstantial bra, while her hips widened and her soft ass filled out her underwear. Her belly softened, losing part of its tone but still looking rather delicious.

"You're a meta…meta…one of those things!" Darcia exclaimed as Tonks walked around her desk and sauntered over to Harry.

"I am exactly that, little cousin." Tonks placed a hand on Harry's shoulders. She bent over, giving Harry a great view of her ample cleavage as her mouth neared his ear.

"I've never been with a guy before." She whispered seductively, nibbling at his earlobe as her hand moved down to his chest.

Harry shuddered, his mouth parting open as Nymphadora sat on his lap. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a rough kiss, a kiss that Harry eagerly returned. It was like nothing he'd felt before, her tongue kept shifting in his mouth, lengthening, shortening, thickening or thinning as it danced around his own.

Nymphadora pulled back with smokey eyes, now a deep sapphire blue that reminded Harry of Daphne.

"Wow…you're better than Penny." Tonks breathed out, licking her lips as she ran her hand down Harry's face.

Behind them Penelope was fuming, but the other three paid her no mind. Darcia was transfixed by the erotic sight of her older cousin slowly unbuttoning Harry's shirt, revealing the boy's bare chest.

"Someone's been having fun." Nymphadora joked as she traced the trail of love bites traveling down Harry's torso. All the girls had contributed to that little work of art, except for Susan, who always wanted to be tender and loving with Harry. Daphne had given him the most bites by far, a misguided attempt at marking territory, Darcia assumed.

"You're beautiful, Miss Nymphadora." Harry said as his hands trailed down her body, eliciting a shiver from her.

"D-Don't call me that!" Tonks slapped him lightly, blushing deeply as she tried to hide the fact that, coming from his lips, her name didn't sound half bad. It turned her on, even.

They kissed once more and Tonks began to grind on Harry's lap.

Darcia spared Penelope another glance. The brunette had her eyes closed, hand buried under her skirt as she desperately whispered Tonks' name.

Tonks' eyes almost bugged out when she felt Harry's bulge begin to grow against her ass.

"That can't be right." She rocked her bum on his shaft, feeling the considerable girth push up against her as Harry moaned. She'd never been with a guy before, but she'd seen a penis in person.

She'd been in the room last year when she'd had Gemma Farley suck Brendan Ashwood's cock so they could blackmail him with the pictures they took, threatening to send them to his betrothed.

That had been a nice little windfall.

Digression aside, Nym felt like she had a good handle on how big a penis was, and this felt way bigger than Ashwood's had looked.

Harry, the cheeky little bugger, started kissing down her neck, leaving a trail of fire that made her knickers dampen as one of his hands slid under her bra, kneading her soft breast and sending a shock of pleasure through her body.

Tonks pulled back, getting off Harry's lap, much to the boy's disappointment. His mood picked up when she knelt down in front of him and took a hold of his trousers.

Tonks made sure to hook her fingers around Harry's underwear as well as his pants, allowing her to leave him completely exposed when she pulled both garments down in one tug.

She was expecting to see a perfectly normal cock for a young boy, maybe something slightly bigger than average.

What she got nearly poked her eye out as it slapped her in the face. This thick, girthy monster was not a child's cock, it was even beyond being classified as a grown man cock.

"Not so cool anymore, are you cousin? Did my slave's cock leave you dumbstruck?"

Nym shot her bratty cousin a cold glare that managed to make her blanch in fear. Satisfied, Nym looked up at the cute raven haired boy, who was looking down at her with a slight blush. How could such an innocent boy be carrying this monster around?

Speaking of said monster, it was letting off a deep musk that wafted up her nose and left her intoxicated. Tonks took a deep whiff, letting it overwhelm her senses as she gazed at the beautiful stick of man meat.

One of the reasons she'd never been with a boy was that she just didn't find men and their bodies attractive. She much preferred playing with the soft curves of a woman. This thick piece of flesh was making her rethink that.

Nym stuck her tongue out and placed it at the base of his cock. With confidence, she ran her tongue up his shaft, coating it in slobber as she reached the head.

Harry moaned. Tonks' tongue swirled around his head, the salty taste of his pre-cum driving her crazier still as she wrapped her lips around the crown and began to suck.

Harry placed a hand on her head as Tonks began to bob on his cock. Behind the desk, Penelope's eyes were open, and the girl couldn't help but stare open mouthed at the sight.

Tonks lengthened her pink hair, allowing Harry to run his hands through her thick locks. She pulled back and heaved her heavy bosom, slotting Harry's cock under her bra and squeezing it between her large udders.

Harry moaned at the feeling of the older girl's soft breasts around his shaft as Tonks slid her tits up and down his length, lengthening her tongue enough to swirl it around his cock head, thinning the tip enough to be able to slot it through Harry's slit.

"Oh! Oh Merlin!" Harry exclaimed, having never experienced something like this before.

Tonks grinned up at him triumphantly, letting her breasts grow just a little bit more, enough to make her bra snap and fall off of her, unleashing her gorgeous breasts in all their glory.

It felt good, incredibly good to have him writhing in pleasure due to her ministrations. As the thinned out tip of her tongue explored his urethra, it became absolutely drenched in the precum that was surging through his cock. Tonks' eyes crossed as she was hit by a concentrated dose of his exquisite taste.

She wanted him to cum, to flood her tongue with his batter and blast away down her open mouth.

'Business before pleasure' Tonks reminded herself. She allowed herself a few more seconds of her special titfuck before she pulled back, retracting her tongue and getting on her feet.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with eyes filled with lust. "Say my name." She whispered.

"Miss Nymphadora." Harry answered, his hard cock standing at attention.

Darcia had her knickers down to her ankles, a hand playing with her pussy as she watched on with anticipation. On the other side of the room, Penelope continued to do the same, already on her third orgasm.

Tonks slid her knickers down, letting the yellow material drop to the floor before she stepped out of them.

"I hope you're ready, Harry, this is going to be the ride of your life." She said, though internally she knew she was speaking to herself more than to him.

She stepped over onto the chair, lining her sopping wet pussy up with his cock, which was dripping precum like a leaky faucet.

Nym didn't give herself time to consider the size of the object she was about to shove into her body, she just sat down and impaled herself on Harry's flesh monster.

"Goddds!!" She screamed out as she was filled completely. She tried adjusting her insides to fit him better, but her mind was nowhere near functional enough to do it properly. Instead, her pussy began to spasm around Harry's shaft, giving her a mini-orgasm before she was even ready.

"Fuck her hard, Harry!"

At his mistress' words, Harry's arms wrapped around Tonks' waist. He buried his face into her tits, kissing and licking every little bit of soft flesh he could find.

And then his hips moved. Tonks had been hoping to recover, at least enough to adjust to his size and make herself a bit more comfortable. Then maybe she could set her own pace.

Instead, Harry's hips began to slap against her skin as his cock stabbed her delicate walls with little care. Nymphadora tried, but the more she tried shifting, the worse it got for her, as her silky walls were only able to mold themselves tighter and tighter against Harry's savage club.

There was a loud squelch as a flood of juices escaped her battered snatch, making Harry's next few thrusts even louder as her own fluids betrayed her. She could only hold on for dear life, enduring his assault on her pussy and breasts as he captured a nipple and began sucking hard, making Nym feel like a cow being milked dry.

She felt an orgasm approach and tried in vain to control it somehow, to mediate it's impact. But instead, it washed over her like a tidal wave, knocking something loose in her brain as the horsecock below her continued battering her pussy with no end in sight.

She was left incoherent, her head pressed against Harry's own as he continued to rut into her. She whispered into his ear while he abused her tits. Words without rhyme or reason.

She told him she loved him.

She stuck her tongue in his ear hole as his cock tore another orgasm from her. Her pussy was completely clamped down on his shaft, welded to his meat. This led to an unearthly amount of friction. The type of friction that destroyed planets and begat universes, friction that sent her careening over the edge of sanity.

Finally, mercifully, she felt herself sink down once more, she felt an explosion of hot molten lava as she was filled with what must have been a gallon of vital fluid. She was stuffed to the brim as his cock expanded as it pulsed, stretching her poor little pussy to its limit.

When she returned to the land of the living, she was still on Harry's lap. She'd left a trail of drool on his shoulder.

Glancing around, she first saw an extremely smug looking Darcia.

That little brat. She would savor the moment she wiped that stupid smirk off her face.

Penelope looked like she'd survived a massive earthquake. Her lip was quivering as she looked at Tonks with worry and at Harry with something akin to apprehension.

Nym placed a kiss on Harry's cheek before she carefully got up from his lap. Her metamorph abilities meant here balance wasn't great most times. Add on the absolute reaming she'd just received, and the result was her falling onto her ass.

"Mistress!" Penelope gasped, running over to assist her.

"Are you alright, Miss Nymphadora?" Harry asked with an equal amount of worry. Darcia looked like it was taking all her willpower to hold back a snide remark.

Tonks took Penny's offered hand as she stood. "That'll be enough for today. I'll be calling on you periodically for my payment. In about a week, I'll have an answer for your greasy bat problem."

She held strong as the two first years left. Harry shot her a smile and it took every ounce of her willpower not to rush over to the boy and wrap him in her arms. He should be with her, chained to her bed day and night.

'Focus Tonksie.'

A few minutes later, a still recovering Tonks was having her pussy licked by Penelope. She was not in the market for another orgasm right now, and so the Ravenclaw girl was just lovingly licking and kissing at her outer lips.

"Mistress, may I speak freely?"

"Just spit it out, Penny."

"Shouldn't you have charged the girl more? Much more?"

Nym snorted. "Do you see how that kid left me?"

Her face turned more serious as she tried to let the pleasure fade away. She needed to focus. She had plans, after all.

"When have you seen me make a bad deal, Penny?"

"Never, mistress."

"Then trust me on this one." She said with finality. "And don't let any of that cum leak out of me."

…

Rita looked rather jittery as she sat down in front of Narcissa. She seemed unable to stand still, and she kept tapping her fingers on the table as her coffee arrived.

"Everything alright, Skeeter?" Narcissa asked as she took a sip of her tea.

They had met at a coffee shop next to Fortescues' . It was mid-morning and the place was practically empty.

"Oh…yeah…everything's fine." She was drumming her fingers hard on the table. "I thought…maybe…a certain young Mr. Potter would be here?"

Narcissa couldn't help but laugh.

She'd been going through the same withdrawals as Skeeter, being away from Harry for such an extended amount of time had wrecked her. She cursed the fact that her daughter wasn't allowed Hogsmeade visits yet, and she'd spent much more time than strictly necessary staring at the calendar by her bed that counted down the days until Christmas break.

The only reason she was able to keep her composure better than Skeeter was how busy she'd been ever since she'd started her crusade to help Harry and free her sister.

Plus, she had a stash of Harry's cum saved up to keep her even. Drinking it from a vial paled in comparison to receiving it straight from the source as the source pounded her quivering pussy raw, but it was better than nothing. Rita was going cold turkey, she felt sorry for the witch.

"Harry is at Hogwarts, Rita, as you should know." She said with a hint of amusement.

"Of course, of course. M-Maybe I should ask the Headmaster for an interview." She said absently.

"I have a scoop for you."

That seemed to kick the woman into gear, as her posture became more business-like. She adjusted her gaudy glasses and her eyes had that signature Rita look, like a vulture who'd spotted a particularly rancid bit of carrion.

"A scoop? And you're willing to just give it away?"

Narcissa shrugged. "We have a working relationship, don't we?"

"And I'm sure you won't benefit at all from this little scoop." Rita said as she pulled out her notepad and quill.

"Bellatrix Black is innocent." Narcissa said bluntly.

Rita dropped her tools as she shot Narcissa a withering look. "The mass murderer, Dark Lord's right hand, who happens to be your sister? That Bellatrix Black is innocent?" She shook her head. "I don't know what kind of fantasies-"

"She never received a trial. You can look it up in the Ministry records. A pureblood heiress, sent to Azkaban without trial. I'm sure you can keep pulling at threads and find much more." Narcissa said calmly.

"No trial? And you're sure of this?" Rita asked cautiously.

"Like I said, check the records. She was never even interrogated."

"This could be huge! This could make my career!" Rita began to sound excited as she collected her things, ready to rush off to the ministry.

"Once you've gathered your information, I'd like to have a meeting before you write the article."

"Of course, of course." Rita wasn't even looking at her, clearly writing the opening lines of her bombshell expose as she made her way out of the café.

Narcissa smiled as her little soldier went off on her mission. She tipped a little vial with a thick, viscous liquid into her tea, letting a few drops in before she took a sip.

Her stash was running a bit low, she needed to ration it out.

…

"Yes?" Darcia asked as a fourth year Ravenclaw boy approached their place in the Slytherin table.

The boy wasn't looking at her, he was looking at Harry with a nervous expression on his face as he wrung his hands together.

"I'd uh…I'd like to apologize." His face reddened as everyone in the vicinity looked on with interest. The boy looked like he'd rather be anywhere else but there.

"Apologize for what?" Harry asked curiously. "I'm…I don't think I've met you."

"Oh don't worry! I just…erm…I made a joke about you the other day. A joke that was very insensitive. An I'd like to say I'm sorry."

The girls all glared at the Ravenclaw as his words registered, but Harry was completely nonplussed. "It's alright. Thanks for the apology."

"Why didn't you apologize to me? I'm his owner." Darcia insisted.

"I was told-I mean…I-I wanted to apologize to Harry directly." He rubbed the back of his head as he glanced around the other house tables, "Well, I'll be going then."

The boy walked away, leaving a trail of murmurs behind.

"That was interesting." Tracey mused.

"Why do you guys think he just apologized to Harry like that?" Susan asked as she placed a hand on the self-same boy's lap.

"He probably realized that insulting Harry might lead to problems with House Malfoy. He decided to apologize in deference to my future ladyship." Darcia posited.

The girls shot her incredulous looks.

Pansy snorted, "Or maybe it has something to do with that Boss Lady you met?"

"What kind of despicable piece of garbage would say a bad word about Harry." Daphne was glaring over at the Ravenclaw table, where the fourth year boy was now trying to ignore the looks that were being shot his way.

"Maybe we should get the twins to prank him?" Tracey suggested.

"Or push him off a stairway." Susan said, receiving a conspiratorial nod from Daphne.

"How about we make a new rule? No more openly discussing murder in the Great Hall?" Pansy suggested, shutting the discussion down immediately.

…

Lucius Malfoy was making his rounds.

No matter how emasculated he had felt at home recently, here, he was in his element. He traveled from department to department, making sure his puppets were all dancing to his tune and his tendrils were still fully entrenched in every possible pot.

He'd just left the Department of Magical Games and Sports, where Bertha Jorkins had shown him a first draft of a proposed regulation that would severely restrict the types of wood open for use to broommakers. Lucius and his associates had joint ownership of a patch of forest filled with ash trees, the only viable broom-making wood that wouldn't be banned.

He was now headed off towards the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Not on business this time, he just wanted to fling a few insults at Arthur Weasley. That always picked him up when he was feeling inadequate.

"Mr. Malfoy! Pleasure to see you."

Lucius directed his superior sneer towards the voice. He didn't recognize it immediately, which meant the person was beneath him.

It was a relatively young man, wearing cheap, worn robes that were certainly not tailored.

"Yes?"

The man lost a bit of his confidence at the expression on Lucius' face. "Sorry, sir. Names' Ernest Bollard…we spoke at that Ministry function a few months ago?"

Did this fool think that somehow narrowed it down? Lucius attended dozens of Ministry events every year and had inane conversations with scores of blank faces at those events.

Bollard was definitely not a name of noble standing, so Lucius must have been forced into niceties with the urchin due to the public setting.

Usually, mudbloods understood that they were not actually liked nor accepted by their betters, regardless of any public gestures. Clearly, this mudblood was a bit dumber than the others.

"Of course, Mr. Bollard. I'm afraid I have business to attend to." Lucius tapped his cane on the floor as he continued to strut, not sparing the man a glance as he left.

"Oh…err..right! See you Mr. Malfoy, send my regards to your wife."

Lucius spun back around in an instant, a look of burning rage on his face as he glared down at the mudblood auror. "What did you say?" He spat.

The man yelped, putting his hands up defensively. "I'm so sorry, sir…lord…I didn't mean any insult. I escorted your wife to Azkaban the other day, that's all, I swear!"

"You did what?"

"Your wife, she went to visit her sister."

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "Bellatrix?"

"Anyways, sorry to bother you sir, have a good day!" The man gave him a quick nod before he turned and left hurriedly, disappearing off into the crowd.

Lucius' feet moved on their own volition as his mind churned through the implications of this new discovery.

Narcissa had not been content with flaunting her dalliance with the slave. Now, she was paying visits to her accursed sister?

Narcissa talking to Bellatrix could never lead to anything good. The fact that his wife had even gone to visit her at all was concerning. If Narcissa uncovered the truth… no, he couldn't let this go on.

He'd been soft for too long. He'd bent and broken, but no longer. He was Lord Malfoy, and he would have to remind his wife of that fact before she got too big for her britches.

Lucius found himself in front of a familiar office. It was the highest office in the land. In all ways that mattered, it was his office.

He strode in with purpose. The toad-like woman that was Fudge's secretary glanced up from her desk, immediately straightening up when she realized who it was.

"Lord Malfoy! We weren't expecting you today. The minister is in a meeting-"

"He can reschedule, I have urgent business."

The woman pursed her lips. There was a beat where Lucius simply stared at her expectantly, and she finally acquiesced. "Of course, you may go through, Lord Malfoy."

Lucius scoffed. As if this woman had the power to grant him permission to enter the Minister's office. Lucius was beginning to tire of these niceties he still paid Fudge.

He opened the door to see Fudge reclined back in his chair, having a conversation with some bureaucrat or the other.

Fudge's brow furrowed as he saw Lucius strut in.

"Lucius! What a surprise! I'm in a meeting with Mr.-"

"I have urgent business, Minister." Lucius drawled. "If it's not too much of a bother."

Fudge and his guest shared a look. The ministry worker began collecting the paperwork he'd laid out.

"No, no, of course! Peters, we can reschedule for tomorrow, give you more time to iron out the wording."

"Of course, Minister." The man stuffed his documents in a satchel, getting up from his seat in a rush as he made a beeline for the door, avoiding all eye contact with the Malfoy Lord.

The door closed behind them as Lucius took a seat.

"Lucius, my good man. What is so urgent you couldn't schedule a meeting?" Fudge asked.

Lucius' eyes narrowed, the man's words sounding dangerously close to a reprimand. He would need to remind Fudge of his standing soon. If he harbored any delusions of grandeur, Lucius and a few of his friends would need to remind him who the true power was in their society.

"It's about my ward."

Fudge blinked. "You mean…young Mr. Potter?"

"Indeed."

"I thought the boy was at Hogwarts? I have not heard of any incidents, though Dumbledore is famously tight-lipped when it comes to his precious school."

"The boy is at Hogwarts. But, recently, he's been having…nightmares, violent events. He would sometimes wake up screaming loud enough to disturb the entire house." This was a complete fabrication.

"That is unfortunate. But I don't see-"

"Let me finish, Minister." Lucius bit out. Fudge looked taken aback, it had been a while since Lucius had used that tone with him.

Yes, it was clear. He needed to remind them all who lord Malfoy was.

"Right, right, go on Lucius."

"I took it upon myself to inform the boy about the events surrounding his parent's deaths-" another lie. "Obviously, he was very distressed. But what seemed to make him most upset was when he found out about his parent's betrayal at the hands of that vile woman."

"Bellatrix Black."

Lucius smiled, "Exactly. The boy screams her name, he seems obsessed with thoughts of revenge and retribution, thoughts that are not healthy for a child."

Fudge began to understand where this was heading. He didn't know why Lucius wanted to do this all of a sudden, but he'd learned long ago not to ask questions. "You have something in mind that could help the boy? Something I can assist you with?"

Lucius chuckled. "Got it in one, Minister. I believe nothing would help the boy heal more than finding out true justice was dispensed to the one who betrayed his parents. In fact, it would help us all heal as a nation, if our great Minister closed that shameful chapter of our past…"

"By administering the kiss. You want Bellatrix Black to receive the Dementor's Kiss?"

They had dropped all facades by now. Lucius smiled that slimy, machiavellian smile that made Cornelius' blood run cold. These were the moments, fleeting as they were, where he regretted getting into bed with men like Lucius Malfoy. But the moment passed as quickly as it always did.

In for a penny, in for a pound, as the muggles liked to say.

Besides, what was the life of one dirty, rotten, wicked Azkaban inmate after all.