A/N: & We're off to Hogwarts! Time to shine. Let the character building roll. To clarify a review - Runation is simply the making of runes and using them for magic. I always found Ancient Runes in canon to be on the theory side of the magical branch. So I'm adding Runation/Rune Crafting to the Hogwarts curriculum to overcome this shortcoming I see - the Runes studied in Hogwarts are a Nordic/Germanic form of magic that I'd assume the Saxons & Danes would have brought along with them to the British Isles before the Norman Conquest.
AU Changes: Lestranges are twins for this fic. More OC introductions. & Hogwarts Classes
The Tragedy of Harry Potter
By. Momento Virtuoso
A/N: I do not own Harry Potter unlike J.K.
Chapter 4
Misgivings and Misdeeds
The ancestral home of the Blacks was alive with guests mingling around in the large parlor, celebrating the engagement of Narcissa Black to Lucius Malfoy.
Bellatrix, felt out of place as she watched her youngest sister greet and chat with guests while on the arm of her smirking husband-to-be, the fool was just lucky to be engaged to someone of such standing like Narcissa. Bellatrix, like many of the Blacks, considered the Malfoy's to be several rungs below them on the social ladder.
The ancient and most noble family was divided recently by all the matches for marriage being put forth. Many sided with Walburga, believing it was the best for the three daughters of Black. Then there were the opposers like Arcturus, then Bellatrix and Andromeda themselves. It was only because of their grandfather that they persevered.
Walburga had been a haunting presence over her two nieces ever since Lord Black had torn up the marriage contracts in front of her, binding the woman via family magic to not propose another match for the girls.
However, Bellatrix already saw the loophole that Walburga would exploit, one way or another she'd try to cart her and Andy off to the Lestranges.
Walburga was a bitter woman when it came to the concept of marriage. She herself had been tied to her cousin in an effort to keep assets within the family and the bloodline pure for another generation. She bore little to no love for Orion and perhaps none for her own two sons.
But the woman was a prideful Black through and through, who did their duty to the House. A sense of duty that she had tried instilling into her sons and nieces; the lesson sticking for some more than others.
Soon the celebrated couple made their way back around the room towards Bellatrix.
"Bella, what are you doing all by yourself here in this corner sister?" Narcissa asked, approaching her eldest sister first. A smile bright upon her face. The young girl was enjoying being the center of attention of the room, outshining everyone else in attendance for once.
Narcissa stood out with a satin black dress that made their younger sister appear ethereal with her pale skin in contrast. One of the newest pieces of high fashion coming out of Paris that many pureblood women envied each other for.
While the youngest Black's betrothed, Lucius wore a fine green robe with his long white hair pulled back into a ponytail. A smile rested upon his face but did not fully reach his eyes like his future brides. The young Malfoy was not enamored with his wife-to-be yet, but he could see the potential that the match held for them.
Bellatrix greeted her future brother-in-law with a sneer when he approached them offering his arm back to Narcissa.
Bellatrix could practically smell the shit on his nose from whoever's ass he just had it up with last.
"Bella, you look radiant as ever," Lucius greeted the raven locked witch. His eyes passed over Bellatrix's form. While he was happy to have a bride like Narcissa, there was a small smoldering ember of jealousy for the Lestrange brother who would possess Bellatrix one day.
"And you look quite handsome yourself Lucius, more so with a flower such as my sister upon your arm," Bellatrix with false pretense. Inside her mind though, she was plotting her escape already from the pair.
"Quite so, she is a blessing upon me and my house," the Malfoy heir praised. Narcissa's face broke into a crimson blush at his words.
Lucius Malfoy was several years their senior, having been a seventh year when they had arrived at Hogwarts in 1960. He had been a mentor and early confidante to many of those back then who had found themselves immersed in the Pureblood movement now.
He was politically savvy, dangerous with his wand, and had an acumen for manipulating others. He was what many in their House had considered to be the perfect Slytherin. Bellatrix saw him for the snake he was though. Behind all his venom and fangs was a serpent reluctant to strike by himself, he needed a swarm to feel strong.
"Make sure you appreciate your blessings Lucius, you never know when they might turn to curses," Bellatrix snarked at the blonde.
"Bella! I would never do such a thing Lucius my darling," Narcissa reassured her husband from Bellatrix's veiled threat.
Her older sister simply shook her head at her.
"Oh Cissy, you really took those home making lessons from Auntie to heart didn't you?" Bellatrix said. She was saddened to see her sister fall so quickly into line for Malfoy. They weren't even married yet; she was still a Black.
Lucius though had heard enough. "If you would excuse us Bella, I believe the Minister of Magic needs a word with me about a proposal me and my father are drafting," he said with a slight edge, pulling his betrothed with him as Bellatrix nodded her consent for their departure.
She stood there for a while by herself till Andromeda approached her and joined her vigil.
Arcturus watched his family interact with the Malfoy's. The Black family head had tried to talk his youngest granddaughter out of the match but the girl had insisted that this was what she had wanted. Arcturus could see the girl had fantasized the character of her betrothed in her own head. The Malfoy heir was a boy of a cruel demeanor that Arcturus could clearly see. He could only hope that the young girl would see the error of the match before it was too late.
Sipping his own wine, the old man went back to glaring at the guests who had infested his home using his cold eyes to keep anyone seeking to produce small talk or kiss his ass away. The old man noticed his other two granddaughters huddled together away from the Malfoy guests as well. Those two would hopefully choose better for their matches Arcturus hoped.
Bellatrix and Andromeda wore matching deep purple dresses with green jewels sewn into the fabric. Andromeda wore a diadem upon her head while Bellatrix's wand hand was covered in ornate rings. Each girl wore a pair of simple silver circlets on their biceps in the shapes of serpents for their Hogwarts House.
The Black sisters always wore the usual fashion coming to Britain from cities such as Paris or Rome like many of the socialites in pureblood circles.
Bellatrix and her sister watched as their aunt showed off their cousin Regulus like he was a prize show pony to anyone who passed her by in the room.
Aunt Walburga was holding Regulus by the shoulder and praising him in front of Abraxas Malfoy and his wife, Allore. The young Black looked like he wanted to be anywhere else by his eyes and stiff posture but Regulus was a dutiful son who stood proudly with his mother, smiling and engaging in the conversation with her guests.
"Regulus, you poor sacrifice. It should have been any of us instead of you," Bellatrix thought grimly. Her and the rest of the family weren't ignorant to who Walburga had essentially sold her youngest son to. The young boy was not even fifteen and already much was being asked of him, one could say too much.
It sickened Bellatrix that a Black would be serving underneath someone even if that person styled themselves as a Dark Lord.
Bellatrix believed that a wizard would have to be extraordinary to pledge her service to, and frankly she didn't see any reason to do so with the pureblood movement. While her cousin Sirius had opted for outwards rebellion within their social system, Bellatrix was content to shake things up with her own forms of inner rebellion.
It was small things she only done at first by watching the muggles out the windows on the top floor of Grimmauld's Place, next came reading muggle books she managed to sneak, she listened to a odd muggle song while out in London one time, then finally came the thought crimes which Bellatrix believed that muggles were potentially more than the simple creatures her family often painted them as.
Bellatrix didn't feel much more than a curious passing interest for the muggle world outside her own, like how one would look up at the stars to fly amongst but be perfectly content with keeping their feet upon land.
Breaking from her thoughts, Bellatrix's eyes moved to her sister, Andromeda as she was given a flute of champagne by her sibling from a passing house elf.
"Careful sister dear, you're potentially going to light Aunt Walburga on fire with accidental magic if you stare at her with any more loathing," Andromeda joked.
"There'd be nothing accidental about that Andy. The woman deserves everything coming to her. Selling us all like she has. More poor Reg than any of us. We'd only have to marry the bastards…," Bellatrix gulped down half her drink. Looking down at the flute of wine in disgust.
"Couldn't you have spared me and got a flask of fire-whiskey instead?" Bellatrix begged, frowning at her sister.
Andromeda shook her head with a smile at Bellatrix's antics.
However Andromeda thought about her sister's words. "She'd have really done wouldn't she? Sell us to those two monsters —," Andromeda couldn't finish, downing her own flute of wine. Bellatrix only nodded.
The two boys were twins of ill repute. While the Lestranges could boast a long undiluted history of pure marriages, Rabastan and Rodolphus were sub par wizards in Bellatrix's opinion. Both were brutish, nasty, and had a vicious streak within them. While Bellatrix didn't mind a bit of viciousness. It was not something she would have ever wished for her younger sister, Andy.
"Bella…about yesterday —," Andy hesitated but was stopped by a hand from her sister.
"Don't Andy, frankly I don't need to know and the less I do the better," Bella assured her sister. "Just do me a favor and be safe ok? I don't want you to get hurt."
"Ted would never hurt me," Andy whispered with a shake of her head. The younger sister fumbled with the lace of her dress sleeve in anxiety.
However Bellatrix simply glanced at her sister while finishing her drink.
"I wasn't referring to your muggle-born boy-toy," Bellatrix said ominously. Like all members of the Black family there was a spark of rebellion in Andromeda. Some broke away from the family like Sirius, some simply held traitorous fascinations in their heads like Bellatrix, and others like Andy were enamored with a muggle-born.
Bellatrixs' eyes roamed around the room. There were several other family members and friends in attendance.
Uncle Alphard was boasting over some tale as he was trying to coax a laugh out of his brother Orion, and Lord Parkinson. While their aunt Lucretia spoke with their own mother, Druella.
What interested Bellatrix most was how Arcturus Black simply sat in a chair overlooking the whole room grumpily. Like a man who had seen his entire life before his eyes. Lord Black was usually a melancholic fellow but this was bordering on extreme, she noted. Bellatrix didn't miss how the man's gaze shifted to her and her sister every so often.
"Grandfather has been in a mood these last few weeks don't you think Andy?" Bellatrix asked, shifting her sister's own attention onto the man.
Andromeda looked over at their grandfather and noticed the man's demeanor. The man's expression looked much like the Bloody Baron's when he was haunting out and about the dungeons near their common room.
"It can't be an easy thing seeing your youngest granddaughter betrothed before her older siblings, even for someone like him I suppose," Andromeda answered simply. Everyone in the room was aware of the faux-pas being done to the family name with the actions of Walburga keeping Narcissa's betrothal despite pausing her older siblings.
"So what do you think about the wizard that saved you and Tonks?" Bellatrix suddenly asked, wishing she had another alcoholic drink in her hand. She could do with getting blissfully drunk but they had to endure the train ride over to Hogwarts and she'd rather not do so with a hangover.
"Evans? He came out like a guardian angel if I'm being honest. Rabastan was getting too close for comfort…I'm sure you understand," Andromeda said with disgust and a grimace.
Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, she'd have to remember to geld the bastard in his sleep when they got to Hogwarts. She intended to take his hand for touching her sister, but perhaps her aim should have been lower.
"Guardian angel eh? At least he seemed to like you well enough. He looked like he wanted to send a blasting curse my way after cutting my head off for good measure," Bella said.
Evan's anger toward her had been an interesting phenomenon to Bellatrix. She knew that going into the duel between him and Lestrange, wand waving hadn't done her any favors upon a first impression. No wizard ever took kindly to be attacked in the back.
But the spell that Evan's sent her way was one a spell created to kill. At least the snake was meant to kill, whether by piercing her throat outright with its spectral fangs or by dragging her towards her captor to finish her off more intimately. She knew not.
She had tried to rub off the fear of the attack and apologize for sending a curse his way by lifting the mind curse laid upon by Lestrange. It was this moment when Bellatrix knew the boy vehemently wanted her dead.
There were few wizards or witches alive who could keep a singular passing thought under that curse. Let alone hold a singular goal in mind to keep pushing towards. Harry Evans had definitely been out on a mission for her head in that alley.
Bellatrix wanted to — no, she needed to know why. After seeing Evan's hold his own against her and Lestrange in a way, he was not one to make an enemy out of. At least not unknowingly like she had.
The witch made it a personal mission to know exactly who was on her shit or not. However she had somehow managed to land on the young wizard's list somehow without knowing the cause.
"Did you see his wand?" Bellatrix suddenly asked her sister. Wanting to know if her sister had noticed what she had. Andromeda, while never one to express her knowledge nor ever possessed the desire to use one, was one of the most accomplished Blacks in the family when it came to Dark Magic.
Walburga had seen it as a way of trying to stem her middle niece's soft and kind nature, hoping to turn her over to a darker leaf.
Andromeda turned her head in confusion at her sister for the question. She hadn't been able to see much of the fight at all due to Ted shielding her with his body. She had been terrified that her and Ted would be hit by a spell gone awry.
"What about his wand?" she questioned, wondering about her sister's train of thought.
Bellatrix shook her head at her sister. "It just has an interesting look," Bellatrix responded with a shrug of her shoulders. If Andromeda didn't see what she had then it wouldn't do any good to bring it up.
It was best not to tell her sister that her hero had cast potentially some very nefarious magic with his wand if its corruption was anything to go by.
Even Bellatrix's own walnut wand was beginning to show the signs. It was stronger with curses and jinxes than other spells. The walnut wood was beginning to show a slight darkness to its tint. In a few more years it'd be visible to anyone who saw the wand from a small distance.
The two sisters stood silently together for a while.
"I'll have to corner Evans when we're on the train at some point," Bellatrix thought glumly. She just couldn't shake the look behind Evan's eyes as he had pressed his wand against her heart. The man had looked near ready to murder, and that always interested her.
September 1st came quickly for Harry as he managed his affairs and structured his new life. In the month gone by since his death in the Forbidden Forest and arrival to the past, Harry had become well adjusted to 1977.
In the month that passed Harry received outstandings, exceeding expectations, and acceptables on all of his O.W.L.S examinations. Dumbledore had let him have his pick of the classes offered for whatever N.E.W.T.S. Harry wanted to pursue his final year.
The Headmaster had also sent him a letter explaining how to get to the platform for the Hogwarts Express and that Harry would have to undergo the sorting process with all the first years much to his embarrassment. Not that Harry was ignorant to either of these things.
Harry had finished his month by passing his apparition exam and finished his school shopping for supplies. Harry had purchased potion supplies, herbology equipment, and even a rune kit for the new class he was going to take. Harry managed to fit all his new belongings within a trunk he cast the Undetectable Extension charm upon for the unlimited space.
He bound the trunk with a rune he had been practicing, the rune was reminiscent of two X's sat over the other, with a straight line through their center. The description of the mark stated that it would prevent thievery by deterring anyone other than himself from entering his trunk.
Harry had found a passion for the branch of magic, he had spent many nights studying the valuable etched craft. Moreover, the Time-traveling wizard had discovered that he had a talent for it, with many of the shapes coming to him quite easily.
Harry was curious what had happened to the class between now and 1991 for it to be removed from the curriculum of the magical institution with only Ancient Runes being offered by itself in Harry's previous timeline.
It was probably the class he was most excited for next to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
While Harry held many hopeful thoughts for his upcoming final year at Hogwarts with his parents and all the figures he had only ever heard stories of. His mind was also embroiled on what he had to do with the gift he had been given by time for all of this.
Harry had been given an opportunity to stop Voldemort during his first rise to power…he could prevent so much pain and suffering. However, he couldn't just walk up to anyone and reveal his secret of origin.
He was to be alone of sorts in this endeavor, at least not as the destined figurehead for the side of Light this time around. Harry would just be another foot soldier in the Order or Merlin forbid, the Ministry.
Harry wouldn't let Voldemort know about the prophecy this time around. He would need to handle Snape when he could, he thought grimly, unable to decide what to do with the man who would sell his childhood friend to the Dark Lord.
Harry thought of the spy who was his former potions master. When Harry had entered Hogwarts at age eleven in 1991, he had wondered who the man was. Harry had foolishly believed him to be a dark force out to see him dead. Yet, in his departure from that life in 1998, Harry had learned that Severus Snape was the bravest man he could have ever possibly known.
That thought resolved Harry to save the man from his fate in the Shrieking Shack. Nobody deserves to perish the way Snape had in the Shrieking Shack.
The resolution brought back the parting words that Dumbledore had exchanged to him before the jump to the past; ringing loudly in his head once more like a mantra.
"By returning, you may ensure that fewer souls are maimed, fewer families are torn apart, that even those beyond current redemption have a hand held out to them in their darkest moment."
Maybe this had always been his duty? Perhaps his purpose was always to die and travel back to this time. Harry considered time-travel being 'power the Dark Lord knows not', that the prophecy spoke of but he wasn't going to bet on that hippogriff for that race.
The lines of fate were vague for reasons that smarter men than Dumbledore had tried to untangle.
Looking over the contents of his trunk, Harry departed from his room in the Leaky Cauldron for the last time departing for King's Cross Station to catch the train to what would be the rest of his life.
The scarlet train which delivered students to Hogwarts every year, the Hogwarts Express, sat stationed in Platform 9 ⅓ Quarters with parents and family ushering kids onto the train in hurried, emotional goodbyes. Students waved to their families from the open windows of the train while those left on the platform returned the gestures with fervor. The whole station filled with a symphony of voices.
Harry moved his way through the crowds, trying not to think of the Weasleys or the Order members who often accompanied him to the platform at the beginning of his terms at Hogwarts.
More than ever, Harry felt alone now. He had no family to see him off to Hogwarts; even in a world where both his parents were alive.
Soon the train's whistle produced the loud notice for departure, its interlocked gears began to spin along the track, picking up momentum as they went.
Harry wore simple muggle clothes of a t-shirt with trousers underneath his open wizard robe, a style that he began to favor as it was suitable among muggle and wizarding communities. Boarding the train, Harry maneuvered around students in the carriage halls, looking for an empty compartment for the journey to the castle.
Spotting a carriage solely occupied by a young man with scars upon his face, Harry's eyes widened in recognition at the boy's features. Behind the screen door was a young and slightly less drab Professor Lupin. Remus's hair had not yet totally grayed showcasing his brown locks with blonde highlights.
Knocking on and opening the door, Harry immediately grabbed the werewolf's attention as Remus flinched at the noise from his entrance.
"Excuse me, do you mind if I join you? Every other place is full," Harry asked, opting to go the Ronald Weasley approach for his introductions. "
Remus gulped and nodded his consent. The young werewolf was still nervous around people despite all the years he had spent socializing at Hogwarts.
Harry held his hand out for the werewolf to shake. "I'm Harry Evans, it's nice to finally meet someone who didn't close a door in my face," Harry joked.
"Remus, Lupin," the scarred man said. "You're a new student, and an Evans at that?" Remus questioned in a slight shock. He had never heard of a transfer student ever attending Hogwarts yet it was the latter which intrigued him deeply.
"Yeah, I'll be in the seventh year," Harry admitted, ignoring the question on his chosen surname. Harry set his trunk on the rack above both boys' heads before taking a seat across from Remus at the window.
The door to the compartment opened before Harry could ask Remus about his time at Hogwarts to learn more about the man and Remus about whether or not Harry knew a certain Lily Evans.
A young man with shoulder length black hair, high cheekbones, and a handsome jawline. The black haired boy looked aristocratic but held himself with a devil-may-care attitude.
Harry looked over, unable to hide the shock from his face at seeing his godfather alive and well, even if he was only seventeen now.
"Moony mate! You've bloody missed it, I just saw James snogging a fine -", "Oh who is this strapping chappie?" Sirius cut himself off, looking Harry over with a passing eye.
Sirius Black was every bit as loud and boisterous as the stories proclaimed him to be in youth.
Harry was staring at his future godfather. The image of the man who fell through the veil conflicting with the one before him. He knew rationally that he would see Sirius again upon his return to the past but he had never mentally prepared for the moment.
The Sirius Black before him was not gaunt and starved but rather lithe and seemingly muscular. He bore no visible tattoos, gray hair, or madness from thirteen years in prison residing in his eyes.
"Think he's got a permanent case of langlock eh?" Sirius joked to Remus as he sat next to his werewolf friend across from Harry, leaning forward and waving his hand in front of the boy with glasses.
"Sorry, I just spaced out there. Name's Harry Evans," Harry offered his hand to Sirius to shake.
"Sirius Black, from the Dusty and Most Pitiful Noble House," The dark haired man said, grasping Harry's hand firmly.
"I'll say mate, you looked like you've seen a ghost there. You'll have some trouble at Hogwarts if that's the case, we've got more hauntings than a Ministry waiting room," Sirius smirked, his eyes darting to Remus in question at Harry's surname, the communication passing between the two marauders wordlessly.
"Behave Sirius, he's new. Probably just overwhelmed is all - especially by you at the moment. You remember how we all were that first year," Remus chided his friend, pulling the Black into the seat next to him.
Unbeknownst to both though, Harry was indeed beginning to feel overwhelmed. He hadn't expected to make either man's acquaintance so soon; he had been fretting about this day since it sunk in the previous month that he was in this timeline for good. There was even a part of him that feared he wouldn't even be sorted into the same house as his father and friends.
"You're right in a way, I suppose," Harry joked to the two boys and internally to himself.
"Say Harry mate, you wouldn't happen to have a sister, cousin, or wife named Lily? Or a brother named James perhaps?" Sirius asked with an eyebrow raised in question. Remus hit Sirius in the side with his elbow for the latter end of the question about Lily.
"Ow! Fuck you, Moony! It's a valid question. He has her last name and the same bloody eyes for Morrigan's sake! Hell he even looks a bit like James!" Sirius cried indignation pointing at the werewolf
Harry should have realized he would have run into this problem when he told the current Dumbledore his name last month but in truth Harry had only realized the implications of his decision days after the fact.
Like Hermione had always said, Harry opened his mouth without thinking and really put his foot in it this time.
"Sorry, the names don't ring any bells," Harry had to lie trying to keep his nerves composed.
He didn't know how he would react meeting James Potter but Lily Evans was probably the most anxious person he was about meeting.
Soon however, like the bad luck from seeing an Augurey. The girl and boy in question flew into the compartment pulling a flustered James Potter behind her.
"God- I mean Merlin, you three wouldn't believe what this dunderhead almost walked into. He practically had the Lestrange twins, Flint, and Mulicber about to claim his head for a trophy," Lily sighed.
She was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes. On the crest of her robes was a pin labeling her as Head Girl. James wore the same pin but on a red sweater instead of his school robes.
However both her and James stopped when they noticed Harry in shock.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought you were our friend Peter for a moment there," Lily apologized. Holding her hand out to Harry, "My name is Lily Evans,".
Harry's face scrunched up at being compared to a rat like Peter Pettigrew. Clearing the expression of his face quickly or else it be mistaken for something else, Harry shook his future mothers hand.
"Harry Evans, it's nice to meet you. Remus and Sirius were just telling me about you both I think,"
Lily smiled, her green eyes shining. While James looked on oddly at the man seated in their Marauders Compartment. Stepping forward to offer the newcomer his own hand in greeting.
"James Potter, I'm Head Boy, and Lily's new boyfriend," he announced smugly to the whole group, his eyebrows dancing at his two friends who simply stared like water deprived fish.
Lily smacked him on the arm for the comment while Remus tried to rein his surprise and Sirius let out a loud wolf whistle ringing through the carriage compartment.
"Speaking of Peter, who is our fourth friend by the way, Harry, you'll meet him later I suppose," James told Harry.
"Where is Wormtail? Have any of you seen a hide or tail?" James asked Sirius and Remus. Both boys shook their heads at their friend. Peter was oddly absent, their fourth friend had always rode with them to Hogwarts since second year.
"I'm sure Peter will join us eventually," Lily said diplomatically. The red head sitting down next to James who was seated next to Harry.
"Merlin, it's like double. If I didn't know better I'd say it was Polyjuice gone bad or I was hit with a confondo," Sirius choked looking between Harry and James.
"Who exactly are your parents, Harry?" the Black family outcast inquired.
Harry simply shrugged. Despite the two being very much alive at this time and sitting next to him, it was almost natural for him to respond as he always would.
"I never knew them," Harry answered naturally. "They were killed by a Dark wizard when I was a baby, so I grew up as an orphan."
The whole compartment sat in silent shock at the tale of Harry's admission. Finally one broke the eerie silence.
"Holy Harpies, that's intense," James insensitively said about his own future murder unknowingly.
"So that explains the scar then?" Sirius asked. Pointing up at Harry's forehead where the lightning shape rested.
Almost reflexively Harry moved to cover the lightning shaped mark with his hair.
Harry nodded at Sirius. "Yeah, I received it the same night when I was a baby,". He figured the best case was to stick as close to the truth as possible.
"Figured as much. I recognized it as dark magic whenever you sat down but I didn't want to judge too harshly yet. Thank merlin I didn't," the Black laughed thinking of the tragedy behind the boy's early life.
"How did you know what it came from?" Harry asked curiously, he always had people speculating about the mark but never did someone immediately have any certainty like Sirius had. Harry couldn't even remember the older version of the man ever saying as such.
"Well I'm a Black you see, we make dark magic our literal family business. I was trained to notice the effects of dark magic and what it does to people," Sirius said with a lack of tone.
His face was solemn as if he was remembering something unpleasant.
Sirius withdrew his wand and traced a rune on the windowsill. Harry saw the rune was one that distorted images, with a tap of a wand Sirius made the world outside fade behind the fogged glass. With another tap, the Scottish highlands returned to their vision.
Thinking on the man's words about his family's generality for the Dark Arts, Harry noted that may have been why Bellatrix's face had taken such an interest in his features when he held her at wand point in Knockturn Alley all those weeks ago.
She was a Black just like Sirius, so it was entirely possible she could spot dark magic scars easier than even he could.
Soon the conversation moved on from Harry's parentage and his scar as the Marauders began regaling him with stories of their exploits while at Hogwarts, attempting to impress and humor the new seventh year.
However the laughs from their compartment had attracted attention as the door suddenly slid open to reveal Bellatrix Black staring towards the back of the compartment at her prey.
Bellatrix Black stood in the entryway, wearing a black dress, corset, and arm sleeves embroidered with star constellations that went up to her mid arm. Her hair was pulled tightly into a bun on top of her head but curls of night still framed her face.
She had been stalking nearly every carriage looking for the wizard who had saved her sister in Knockturn and nearly taken her own head off for her aid.
"YOU! What the fuck are you doing here bitch!" Sirius snarled, drawing his wand on his cousin. He pointed the offending piece of wood in Bellatrix's face just below her nose.
"Sit down you mutt. I'm not here for any of your lot. I'm here for Evans back there," Bellatrix said, gesturing with a wave of her hand at the boy in the corner.
Harry simply stared at Bellatrix with no emotion at being called on by her.
"And what would Harry have to do with a slimy cut throat snake like you?" Sirius sneered, not backing down from his blood relation.
Bellatrix raised an eyebrow at her cousin's tone.
"Careful now Cousin dear, if this lot didn't know better - that'd be quite the string of compliments you've given me." Bellatrix pushed Sirius's wand away from his face earning a growl from the dark haired man for her audacity. "Besides, he isn't sorted yet. Perhaps I'm just here to meet a future housemate of mine? Regardless though, I have business with him. So scram,"
James, Lily, and Remus watched on warily. Each one subtly, waiting for Sirius to explode and they have to rein him back away from his cousin.
"Sirius, it's ok. I can handle her," Harry said, standing up. He pushed Sirius back next to Remus into the seat he had leaped from.
"Whoa Harry, you don't know what you're dealing with! She's my cousin! Bellatrix is as demented and twisted as any of those lot," Sirius said. He hoped the boy he had just met would meet some sense but it appeared not to have penetrated.
Harry shook his head.
"I've had the privilege of meeting her before. She knows better than to cast an unwarranted spell my way. Isn't that right Bella?" Harry asked with a grin. He knew he had thrown the girl off balance in their last duel.
Harry also knew that was a one time event with Bellatrix. She was not the kind of witch to be taken by the same surprise a second time - at least her future self wasn't.
"You'll deserve the next curse I launch at the back of your head. I assure you," Bellatrix flirted with her eyes showcasing her annoyance at Harry for mentioning he had got the better of her in a subtle way.
She had an image to maintain, especially in front of her cousin and his squad of goons.
"I'll be right back," Harry nodded to everyone before following Bellatrix out of the compartment.
Sirius looked at James. "Get out the cloak mate, we're following them. She's gonna poison him or something I swear," Sirius accused.
James shook his head at his life-long friend. "Sirius no, let's give Harry a chance here. I say we see what the guy is made out of eh?" James asked, looking at his friends and new girlfriend.
Sirius reclined back against Remus who simply looked down at his friend questioning.
"Stupid git….bitch…hope he curses her if she tries a damn thing," Sirius grumbled under his breath causing everyone watching to shake their heads at his antics.
Bellatrix was nervous as she led Harry to an empty compartment she had scared the occupants out of earlier. They both stood facing each other neither wanting to take the risk of turning a back or sitting down in front of the other.
She had thought of everything she had wanted to ask the boy and had drawn blanks on how to approach anything subtly.
"So what's this about Black?" Harry asked, opting to use her surname to distance himself from the girl.
"I don't like leaving things unsettled, Evans. You saved my sister, and nearly murdered me in the process. You have some interesting things about you and I'd like some answers," Bellatrix said, returning the favor of name choice.
"She's after something…but what?" Harry thought. The Bellatrix he knew wouldn't approach anyone for small talk not even if it was a form of torture for them.
Harry had to remind himself though that this was not the Bellatrix he once knew…not yet at least.
"I don't need a reason to give Lestrange a beating. He had it coming and I'd like to think of the same mind on that matter. So cut the bullshit Black. What do you really want to know?" Harry asked.
"Your wand and magic," Bellatrix said simply.
Harry was taken aback, shock clearly on his face from not expecting that line of questioning to occur.
"My wand and magic?" He asked stupidly with wide eyes. After his visit to Bulgaria to purchase a second wand. Harry had decided on not sharing his gorgon-wand's explanation with a soul.
"You were able to cast lethal magic and even some of a dark variety. So you've been able to study dark magic so you're potentially involved with some of the nastier pureblood families." Bellatrix said smugly.
"Since you can even do dark magic at all during a fight. That tells me you either got the limiting enchantment lifted by the goblins or you have a second wand. And you don't have the family connections to bribe a goblin to perform that illegal trade for you. I looked you up," Bellatrix said with sharpened eyes staring at Harry looking for any slight tell that he would withhold information.
"You researched me?" Harry asked. He was uncomfortable at the idea of someone like Bellatrix or any Black asking questions about him. It was already bad enough that he was effectively the second lord of the family and usurped their heirs.
"Yeah, but not a lot of good it did me…You're practically a ghost. All I got was an angry goblin in my face and a hushed up Ollivander," Bellatrix grumbled, crossing her arms.
What Bellatrix said about the old wandmaker interested Harry. While the goblin had been paid off, what would have kept Ollivander from talking?
"I'm a man who likes my privacy. You won't find much about me Black," Harry replied diplomatically. He didn't want to threaten Bellatrix off the chase; it wouldn't work. So Harry opted to just be seemingly disinteresting.
"And your wand?" Bellatrix asked, pointing at the wood that was holstered to his arm. How she knew where it was a mystery to Harry.
"What about it?" Harry asked defensively.
"It's corrupted. That wand has been practically tortured into performing dark magic. It happens to every wand naturally eventually but some wands need to be forced to perform the magic. This quickens the corruptive damage almost tenfold," Bellatrix explained.
"I didn't corrupt it if that's what you're asking. Nor am I affiliated with any of the darker pureblood families. I simply retrieved it, that's all," Harry said with a growl, relieving more than he meant to the girl in his anger.
"I'm just curious as to how a wizard like you came to have a wand as such. Wand relationships are quite interesting, don't you think Evans?"
"Like all our wands, it just chose me is all," Harry firmly stated not elaborating on his answer, his tone snappish. Harry's whole body was tense, not appreciating the girl's interrogation.
He didn't understand the girl's motive. The Bellatrix that he knew was devoted to the Pureblood movement and to Voldemort on an absurd level. She didn't do small talk, and while she didn't know his origins; Harry knew Bellatrix would rather cut her own tongue off than speak a civil word to a half-blood like him.
However the tension in his shoulders finally met their breaking point before Bellatrix could ask the next question upon her lips.
"Look Black! I don't know what you're looking for but stop," Harry expressed. His agitation showed fully.
Bellatrix simply watched him quietly waiting for Harry to finish.
"I only saved your sister because it was the right thing to do. I'm not a dark wizard nor do I perform dark magic. I"m not even a pureblood for crying out loud," Harry shouted at the raven haired girl.
However, the flinch that he was expecting from Bellatrix at his final confession never came. She simply watched him albeit a little darkly.
"I wasn't expecting anything from you for any of that. You saved my sister from Lestrange in a way, even if I finished that fight for you; that puts me in your debt –," Bellatrix started.
"Don't," Harry insisted, interrupting the girl quickly. "You nor your sister owe me. Nor do I wish for you to be in my debt," Harry said.
While holding the girl to her supposed debt would be a large benefit to Harry. He didn't want anything to do with the eldest Black sister however, the image of the older and more crazed Bellatrix still resting behind his eyes most nights.
Bellatrix saw the wizard standing before her, emotionally closing himself off through their conversation, nodding her head, turned around and made for the door, but not before the entry to the carriage compartment opened itself.
Six boys already dressed in their Slytherin robes blocked the doorway, each one held a sneer or grin for the two they had cornered.
"Bella my darling, what a sight you are," Rodolphus grinned as he stepped into the small carriage towards the witch.
"Rodolphus, what the hell are you and your ilke doing here?" Bellatrix asked. Her posture was straight as her demeanor shifted into the pure blood princess she had been raised as. As a Black she was above all others, especially within her own house where such standing was celebrated and respected.
"Well my brother here saw the upstart who stepped between him and his betrothed to be," Rodolphus said, his gaze shifting to Harry.
"So, you're the bastard who assaulted my brother behind his back a few weeks ago," Rodolphus Lestrange sneered. Next to him stood his brother Rabastan, Harold Flint, Joseiphus Avery, Brutus Mulicber, and tucked in a corner behind all the others, nearly missed by Harry was Severus Snape.
However, Snape seemed not to care for the shakedown that they had come to give Harry. He simply looked off to the side uncaringly. For once in Harry's existence, Snape wasn't invested in his torment.
"I hope I wasn't too much trouble to find but if it took six of you looking then I'm glad you went through that trouble," Harry said sarcastically.
Seven Death Eaters in a carriage with Harry Potter - It felt like the beginning of a bad joke to him.
The tension could be felt hanging from a chord across the train's carriage. Harry felt the reassurance of the gorgon wand within his sleeve, his holly wand safely tucked in its holster along his leg. He slipped the former into his hand, hidden in his robe.
"What's your fucking name you cunt. I want to know exactly whose grave I'll be pissing on this year," Rodolphus growled. He was a curt man, with the beginnings of the beard that Harry had seen his older self with.
The Lestrange Brothers both dressed the pureblood part with fine robes hanging over their bodies. Rodolphus' wand was resting casually in his hand. When the man had pulled the magical medium out, Harry didn't notice.
"My name is Evans, if you must know. Now I'd appreciate it if you left me alone," Harry said tensely. His green eyes sharpening on the figures before him. He had fought every one of them at one point or another during the war. He wasn't afraid of their schoolboy selves.
Bellatrix too had pulled her wand out, standing alongside Harry. He looked over at her with surprise on his face, "Why is she standing up to them, I know she isn't keen to be betrothed to him but their allies aren't they?" Harry thought.
"Standing up for this fool Bella? Didn't peg you to be a blood traitor," Avery sneered but was soon silenced by Bellatrix's wand level at his face. Her eyes ablaze at the insult.
"One more word you swine and I'll leave you for the trolley maid to sweep up," the witch hissed. Harry's hand twitched at the girls sudden change of demeanor, almost instinctively drawing his wand on her but Rodolphus mistook his intentions.
With a snap just as fast as Bellatrix's, Rodolphus had his wand drawn on Harry.
Taking initiative and advantage of their close quarters, Harry quickly closed the distance between him and Rodolphus. Harry revealed his own gorgon wand with its blackened tip pressed against the Lestrange twin's neck.
Immediately Mulicber, Flint, and Rabastan had their wands staring down on Harry and Bellatrix. Snape kept his wand holstered and took a step back from his comrades, opting to not get involved in this confrontation.
Harry and Bellatrix could feel the weight of their situation at once. They had their backs to the proverbial wall. Outnumbered and at a disadvantage of surroundings.
"Try it. Come on Lestrange," Harry growled, leaning closer to the man's ear. "What does a little Death Eater like you got up your sleeve?" Harry whispered in an aggressive low tone, like a wolf snarling at its dinner.
The air got tenser at Harry's words slightly overheard by the few close to Rodolphus.
However Bellatrix was none the wiser. "The broad daylight approach fellas, tsk tsk. You lads wouldn't know subtle even if it put a wand up your nose," Bellatrix cooed at her and Harry's adversaries.
The witch was just as skilled at goading her opponents as she was taking them down. Her wand hand never solicited even as much as a subtle twitch as her mouth broke into a grin.
Everyone waited for the first spell to be cast. However it never came.
'Oi you lot break it up! Or you'll be in detention before you even attend class," Lily Evans shouted at the group.
She was followed closely by James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black. Each one subtly toying with their wands. Ready to step in at a moment's notice.
However the time-traveler was unmoving in his grip on Lestrange's collar. He wouldn't be the first to blink in front of this lot. His green eyes drilling a hole through Rodolphus' own.
Soon sneers and laughs had sounded at Lily's requests. Finally a realization hit one of the Slytherin boy's on the head.
Turning his head at the sound of the red head's voice, "Evans? Are you related to this mudblood?" Avery asked Harry, keeping his wand trained on Bellatrix but straining his neck to look at the newcomers who had entered the carriage hallway.
Immediately the three Gryffindor boys brought their wands up with a fury written across their faces. Snape flinched at the slur leaving his fellow housemate's mouth.
"If I was, would that be such a bad thing? Unfortunately, Evans is just a common surname," Harry said angrily at the boy who insulted his mother unknowingly.
"You're a dirty fucking mudblood too ain't ya then?," Rodolphus sneered at Harry. Grinning at the boy who still had him by wand point at the throat.
"Harry, let him go. I can't let a full on magical brawl break out on the way to Hogwarts," Lily said, her tone stern with the authority of her position.
"Hell, sounds like the best way to start the school year if you ask me," Sirius chuckled, his eyebrows dancing in mirth. Even James cracked a smile at his friend.
"I still got to pay you lot back for earlier, what was the deal with preventing us from patrolling the Slytherin carriages anyway?" James asked, his eyes boring into the boys who had tried to draw their wands on him earlier as well.
Harry pulled his wand from Lestrange's throat and shoved it into his chest instead. Harry focused on his magic as he quickly placed a rune that glowed a low light and disappeared. No one but Bellatrix noticed, the witch only queried her head at the sight.
"Any other day Lestrange," Harry promised the future Death Eater, pushing him back into the bodies of his companions who caught the stumbling boy.
The Slytherins cursed Harry with their gazes barring Snape. However the odds were even against them now, and they weren't willing to take on two people like Bellatrix or Sirius Black who had learned to duel since the moment they could effectively walk as Blacks.
"You watch your fucking step Evans, you won't always have your Gryffindor friends or attack dog to help you out," Rabastan spat at him.
It seemed the man had taken his beating extremely hard in stride. However Harry could see the warm glow of his hand which had been cursed. He had unfortunately not lost the limb to Bellatrix that day.
"I'll fucking carve your tongue out of your head Rabbie, perhaps I'd send it to Andromeda for a present this Yule?" Bellatrix said with a smirk, tapping her wand against her chin. Her eyes had adopted a crazed look in them once again.
Flint, Avery and Mulicber held the Lestranges back as they pulled from the compartment and hallway. Severus Snape followed closely behind them, the entire time during the exchange the young man's eyes never left the intertwined hands of Lily Evans and James Potter.
Bellatrix turned to Harry but stopped her train of thought at the glare the boy was now leveling at her.
"Really Evans, you need to stop sending me those death glares every time I assist you from a snake. You'll send the wrong signals to a girl," Bellatrix flirted with a grin trying to be off putting and not show the slight hesitation that she felt when those green eyes stared through her.
"Save him from a couple of snakes before then, have you cousin? I find that hard to believe" Sirius barked. His wand now leveled at her with the departure of the other Death Eaters.
Bellatrix glared at her blood relation but didn't make a move against him like she had done to Avery. He was blood still to her, and that was important.
"He saved Andy from a compromising situation with Rabastan Lestrange in Knockturn earlier last month," Bellatrix told her cousin, hoping that would get him to lower his wand.
It had worked as she plotted. Sirius shared a look with Remus and James, all their eyes moving towards Harry.
It was no secret amongst them that Sirius and Andy were in contact despite his excommunication from his family. The two cared deeply for one another as they felt like outliers in the House of Black.
Harry's hard stare soon turned into one of indifference rather than its previous venom. He had too many questions rolling around in his head about the girl's strange actions.
Why did she stand against her housemates? Harry knew that was keen to political suicide in Slytherin. He had seen it before in a few of the Snakes of his own timeline.
"You're welcome for me having your back again Evans," Bellatrix said flatly, crossing her arms.
"What was this boy's problem with me?" the Slytherin girl thought. First he's murderous, then self-righteously angry, and now indifferent? Evans was running out of emotions to use on her.
Alongside Harry's glare though she could feel the hard looks from Sirius and his friends barring the scarred boy in drab clothing.
"Ok ok, I'll go. I can see myself being a snake as well. I'm not wanted. And Sirius' cousin dear, please write to Andy when you get the chance," Bellatrix asked her cousin. Looking over to Harry one last time.
"I'll be seeing you Evans, I'll be most interested in your sorting, prove me wrong why don't ya?" she added.
With a twirl on one heel, Bellatrix turned and departed to her own carriage with Andy and her beau, Ted. Harry Evans indeed had an impressive character about him in a few ways, she was curious to his ambitions through…his wand spoke of dark ones but the boy seemed to be a bit too moral as of yet.
Bellatrix hadn't missed the rune he had placed on Rodolphus, while she hadn't seen the mark to discern its purpose. The rune had definitely glowed with magic before disappearing entirely.
After Bellatrix departed from their company, Lily dragged all the boys back to their compartment of meeting. Sitting down next to James with a huff.
"Who the hell does she think she is?" the redhead grumbled.
"The princess of Slytherin," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, leaning back against Remus who simply looked down at this friend, attempting to push him off.
"Well she did just hold a student at wand point without getting into any trouble," James said sheepishly. Ignoring the fact that everyone in the carriage had done exactly the same thing.
They had all been worried about Harry being alone with someone of Bellatrix's reputation. They had heard several rumors over the years of people who had gotten on the wrong side of her wrath for one reason or another.
Lily and Sirius had about damn near dragged them all to find him when they came across the two in a stand off of sorts with some of the darker natured Slytherins in their year. James had felt the need to step in with Lily as head boy but he also wanted to see the kind of man Evans was. The Potter wasn't disappointed in what he saw.
The head boy in question had started to play with a snitch he had stashed in his pocket. The small golden ball would zoom around the cabin before it came too close to its owner who quickly snatched the quidditch ball from the air only to be released again when he opened his palm.
Sirius however held a sober face as he looked over at Harry, who was back in his seat by the window and watching the Scottish countryside pass them by.
"Harry mate. Though you don't know the kind of person my cousin is, if Bellatrix is interested in you, that means trouble for you. I should know, she's my cousin. The girl is practically mad as a Victorian hatter. I wouldn't be surprised if she tortured Bowtruckles for fun. She's barking barmy," Sirius warned.
Nodding in agreement to the Black. Harry didn't need to be warned off from Bellatrix; however, he knew just how crazy the woman could potentially be.
"I watched her kill you in cold blood. She murdered her cousin and gloated about it. She cheered it on and reminded me of it every time I saw her," Harry thought grimly at his godfather.
He knew just the kind of woman Bellatrix was. He didn't know what her act was currently but he would never be fooled by the dark witch.
"Alright you lot, get out. I need to get changed into my robes and so do the rest of you afterwards. We're almost to school," Lily ordered them out of the compartment.
James looked over at Harry and Sirius in a grin, "nothing like a inter-house spat to make a train ride pass eh fellas?" James joked as his new girlfriend pushed them all out of the compartment to preserve her dignity.
Earlier & Elsewhere on the Hogwarts Express
Peter Pettigrew was not the bravest man there ever was. In this moment though, he wished he had been a true Gryffindor, standing up for himself over the summer when he had been approached by rather unsavory characters.
Pettigrew sat in a compartment with the likes of Regulus Black, only a fourth year but somehow commanding the silent respect of his older peers in the compartment. Then there was Brutus Mulicber and Jaxian Parkinson. The two latter Slytherins were in their seventh year at Hogwarts, but unlike all their peers they were not worried about exams.
"You understand what we're asking of you, Pettigrew? Are you sure you can make good on your promise?" Mulicber growled, eyeing the shaking boy in front of him. He didn't know why Nott and Lucius had visited this slime ball to coerce him into aiding their mission but he had been told to make sure Peter complied.
"Yes..yes. I U-u-under-st-and," the cowardly Gryffindor stuttered. Looking towards Regulus who simply sat in silence watching the whole affair stoically, resigning himself to what was being plotted.
"You'll be happy with what I deliver, I can get it for you without anyone knowing," Peter assured the quiet boy.
Regulus nodded his head. He didn't want to use his estranged brother's friend for his mission but it was an unwilling alliance of sorts. He needed Peter's ability to smuggle items of importance into the castle and Peter needed to be in their good graces or else Lucius would visit his mother in St. Mungo's while she was recovering from her accident.
"You'll have to begin delivering by next week. We're on a tight timeline. We can't miss a single one or else the Dark Lord will come down on all of us," Parkinson reminded their unwilling partner.
Peter nodded in confirmation. "I'll begin immediately.
"And what of my brother and your friends? Will they be suspicious of you?" Regulus asked, breaking his silence finally. His dark gray eyes bore into the Rat across from him. To make an impressive show of himself, Regulus drew his wand. It was a dark cypress wood with the core of a phoenix inside.
"N-no, They won't be. They n-ev-never notice me any-more. They'll t-think I'm doing this for myself. They'd never assume I was working with an-any of you," Peter stuttered.
"See that they don't. Or else," Regulus said, leaving the threat unstated. While they were being brave talking about their plot in such an open setting. One could never be sure if the walls had ears and it would not be a good sign to be caught threatening another student before term began.
"Get out of here Pettigrew. We have our own business to discuss," Regulus said, dismissing the Gryffindor from their presence.
Peter scurried from the compartment quickly, fearing any reprisal for overhearing something he should not.
The young Gryffindor was broken inside. He didn't want to betray his friends…but what choice did he have? His mother was in danger. He had always been taught that blood was the most important thing...
The Sayre Journal
Chapter 13 - The Magic of Runes
Runes are an old and ancient branch of magic which many believe cannot be expanded upon. That we as a society have discovered, translated, and unearthed every rune known to the world.
These are the words of fools who are content. They do not seek to push the boundaries of magic because they believe they can exist comfortably within its current walls.
There are those like myself who know otherwise, that the cure to the next aliment is simply hidden inside the mind of a witch or wizard and waits to be released into the world through the tip of a wand.
It is simply old and outdated writing systems that we have progressed forward from. However, this is not all. Runes are magic. They are the words of our magical language made manifest.
To write a rune is to speak a spell. Runes however are timed, triggered, and nearly everlasting. There are tombs in this world from the dawn of civilization with their runes still actively feeding the wards they host.
Runes can be used for a multitude of studies such as wand lore, curse breaking, and most definitely enchantment.
Runes can be first categorized by their alphabet of origins. Magical societies in northern Europe generally use a Proto-Germanic or Nordic base while societies around the Mediterranean use scripts such as Egyptian Hieroglyphs that the priests formulated or even Minoan Linear A from the wizards of Ancient Crete.
Once memorization of a runic alphabet has been completed. It is simply up to the imagination of a wizard to what they can produce magically with the knowledge.
There are few runes which do not transcend between the various languages. However, there is more variety within the Germanic and Nordic rune systems. While those of Alkebulan, the Orient, and even further in the Far East would possess more powerful and specific runes for their systems.
A wizard from then on will only be limited by the method in which they produce their runes.
Most wizards will never advance past a runic table in which they carve the rune into a stone to enact the magic. Some will be able to produce the rune through their wand tip onto the surface of what they want to enchant.
Very few will learn the art of inscription, writing multiple runes on mediums such as clay or parchment. This method can quickly lead to disaster if the practitioner is not careful with the power that they embed. Runes that are overloaded with magic become bombs larger than even a muggle gunpowder engineer could fathom.
If you one day achieve the talent which I have achieved in your lifetime, then you can produce a rune anywhere. I could write a rune in the air with my wand using the incantation, 'Flagrate'. When one can use their own magic to stabilize the base of the rune itself as the medium for its area of effect instead of a physical object - You have mastered this branch of magic.
The limits to this branch of magic are few. The only rules that exist are those of the natural world and even they can be negotiated with if one is determined enough.
Many believed that it was my transfiguration and charm work where my danger and power resided but it was within this magical branch that I crafted out the image that so many feared visiting their villages, cities, or kingdoms.
A/N: It's a late update. I've split the chapter I was writing into two smaller halves, but furthermore I've written out the entire plot and a set of journal entries to end every chapter with. Like always, if any of you see any mistakes please let me know and I'll edit them out.
I'll be in Brazil for two weeks going forward but chapters will still be written & posted on a daily/weekly basis. It's still a Harry/Bellatrix story - but you folks are in for a long burn...I couldn't make these two get along in a few chapters even if I wanted to.
BETA READERS ARE STILL NEEDED. I'm editing this by myself, and I need help. Please leave a PM if you'd be interested.