A/N: Thank you to everyone who likes this so far! I can only hope to keep writing a story you all enjoy, as this is the most popular one of my fics has been since I wrote my Five Nights series (started, currently on hiatus) in January. Leave a review if you want, lol.

Chapter One

Meet the Blacks (And a Potter)

Four Days Later, Black Manor..

Bellatrix had never been one to feel anxious, ever, and her sisters knew it as they sat on her bed, the eldest daughter pacing the room between her closet and the boudoir, looking for an outfit to wear for the dinner with Lord Gaunt. Nick. "Seriously, Bella, you're being ridiculous." Narcissa said, amused as she was. "How do you even know he'll be looking at you. There's three ladies in this family that could use a good Lord."

"Don't even joke about this, Cissy! It isn't just any Lord, it's Nick, and he's.. different. Much different than those pricks MacNair and Yaxley. Even Lestrange." And he knows something more than he lets on about this war coming to the Wizarding world. She thought as she used a neat little charm she'd learned from Cissy to change into the new dress she had found in the boudoir.

As she looked into the mirror to check how she looked in the dress, Bellatrix knew somehow that, while the colors fit Nick much more than herself, her father would ask questions if she dressed in such a flagrant act against Slytherin House. She sighed in disappointment as she switched it with the first thing she found looking towards her closet. The powder blue, slit-leg dress with emerald green suns and silver snakes that magically slithered across the bottom seam. She hadn't put it on in.. oh, six years or so, so she was surprised it actually still fit. You usually would have to magically alter the clothes after a couple of years.

"Wow, Bellatrix. You still look way too good in that dress. Wasn't that for the winter ball from your first year?" Andromeda asked in awe.

Bellatrix felt her cheeks redden again. "Y-yeah. It is, isn't it? Jeez, I still have my first year figure then, if I can manage to pull this bad boy off." She smoothed the sides, her thoughts drifting back to dinner and how it was formal. I'm trying too hard to look good now, aren't I? Why does he get me like this? He's still such a.. stranger. Even after last night..

The Previous Night..

Bellatrix huffed as she stared at the blank (now, at least) parchment in front of her, her favored Golden Eagle feather quill- something she'd bought as a gift to herself for her first year at Hogwarts and had kept in the best repair possible since- in her hand as she tapped the tip against her other arm. I shouldn't do it. She thought. He won't answer what I'll ask, it would be too forward from what he said. He himself said he couldn't tell me.. Fuck it.. Huffing again, she dipped the quill into the ink pot on her desk, leaning over the page as she wrote.

Hi.

Wait, that's it?! All this time being so unsure of even doing this and the best greeting I can give him is a Merlin-damned hi?! Her thoughts were in overdrive, she'd never felt like this and she didn't know why the anxiousness of that reasoning spurred her further, the curious and brilliant young witch becoming unnecessarily jumpy as the page reacted.

Seriously? Just a simple 'hi'? For the brightest witch of her generation, I expected a bit more than that. Honestly, I expected the entire third degree interrogation. Came Nick's written reply as the message seemed to laugh at her as it disappeared once again. Bellatrix frowned but wasn't mad at the jab, surprisingly.

I rather like talking to people face-to-face when possible, actually. You're the mental one for sending me such a cryptic message. You had to know, writing what you had, that I would ask you everything I could about such things even if you don't want to tell me. Was her hastily thought-out reply as she sighed, leaning back in her chair. And now he's teasing me?

Bellatrix could almost hear the phantom chuckle accompanying Nick's next response. Oh, I knew you'd be curious. Maybe I counted on that, maybe not. The real question is what made you so curious in the first place.

Bellatrix's lip twitched in a half-smile. And if I said it was you in general that has me so curious? Or that your mention of the word temporal, which could only mean a very select few things, at best.

.. Ah, I figured the uncertain nature of time travel would be a subject of interest to you. But, and I can't stress this enough, I don't know what I can truly tell you or not, not yet when this whole place is still quite new to me. I hope you can forgive me for the need to withhold anything from you, but you know as well as I that things aren't going the best in the Wizarding world at the moment.

Bellatrix nodded despite Nick not being in the room with her. He had enough of a point, she surmised. I guess that's true. I feel pressed, however, to tell you that Walburga Black is my mother, but I see what you meant by hearing nasty things about her..

Again, any apologies necessary, Bellatrix. I was unaware of that particular fact, as it comes as a bit of a surprise. Not as much as those blood red curls of yours, though. Bellatrix looped a strand of said hair around her index finger. To be honest, the reason I may have looked like I had seen a ghost when we first bumped into each other was because your hair gave you an uncanny resemblance to a.. dear friend of mine. You remind me of her a lot, actually, despite the total change in circumstance.

Bellatrix could see Nick was hiding something else, about her, no less. Then why is it you seem to know me so well? Or would even go through with corresponding with me?

Simply put, Bellatrix, I could tell you everything you do until the night you die, fighting a war that shouldn't have ever happened and is already starting right now as we speak. I could tell you of the countless things I know to happen in the Wizarding world- in one way or another- in the years to come. There are differences here, but I know what I know.

But what is all that? How do you know so much? What kind of differences could happen in a time you already possess prior knowledge of?! Bellatrix was becoming more and more confused. Nick needed to give her one straight answer. It was all she was looking for at the moment.

I'm not a time traveler, Bellatrix. Not in the sense you think. This time, it's.. it isn't the history I remember being laid out. Not exactly. There's no Lucina Malfoy, for one, replaced with an absolute pest of a man who goes on to become your brother-in-law, marrying your sister Narcissa. I also know that if the issues within your family do not get resolved the right way, your family will fall apart beginning with Andromeda's running away to be with her precious Teddy, not that I blame her. Love and compassion are probably the only things that can further save this time without sending the future into pure chaos. But, the nature in which I find myself here may also mean that history, this history we're now living, is a new slate, a new version of an old story. A revision, possibly, if you will. Again, I cannot say much more. You'll know too much and then the fluidity of time and it's passing will create an even more chaotic unknown future. This other life.. The one I've seen play out.. I don't know necessarily about these specific years but you were not the level-headed, beautiful young woman I spoke to several times earlier. Beautiful is still probable, mind you, but things were much different in this other history otherwise.

Bellatrix knew she was getting somewhere, but he was still hiding whatever he knew in plain sight, Bellatrix just couldn't decipher his clues. She didn't mind the blush that crept up her face at his compliment, however. I know you don't want to tell me, but now you have me all too curious.. What was I like? Despite feeling confident in asking him, Bellatrix couldn't fight the feeling of dread inching into her mind.

Are you sure you want to know? I only truly know bits and pieces, but even from those.. You could go insane from just knowing how you acted.. I told you, temporal matters are confusing at the best of times..

Bellatrix huffed. I don't care about all that. What I know about my own future, even if not the current one, is for me to deal with. And if you know so much then just tell me. Please, Nick.. How bad could I possibly have been?

It took several minutes before she received any form of reply, but when she did, she felt that feeling of dread explode in her stomach, making her nauseous. You were a psychotic, inhumane woman who tortured and killed countless wizards, witches and Muggles alike. You fell in some creepy, Stockholm kind of love with a man who couldn't even tell you what the word itself meant as far as a dictionary was concerned. You killed your cousin. Tortured a mother and father into permanent comatose states where they missed their entire child's life. The list goes on, Bellatrix, but I know already that you, this you, is not that woman. Not yet, at least, and I'll be damned if I'm going to let such tragedies happen a second time.

What? How could I.. I wouldn't do any of that.. Bellatrix thought, her mind racing until she simply replied. I.. I need some time to think about this. Goodnight, Lord Gaunt.

Lord Negron, please, Bellatrix. I'm sorry for dumping this all on you, but your tenacity and determination to know just about anything are still the same as I've known of, and for that I'm glad. Watch yourself, and I hope to still see you, along with your sisters and your father tomorrow evening.

Bellatrix was shocked, but she still found a smile back on her face reading Nick's ridiculously still polite reply as she scratched out a short reply. Oh, you shall, along with my twin brother Sirius and his idiot best friend, James. She giggled despite herself and went to bed. It seemed tomorrow might just be that much more interesting.

Unknown to the young Black heiress, in Nick's family home in the East End, the teenager had almost died choking on the tea his mother had made them before bed, Bellatrix's last words making him realize it was a lot more than just Lucius being a girl here that was different than the Harry Potter he had known. "Fuck! *Cough* Oh, that means I have to deal with this delicately.. He already has a good portion of his Horcruxes at this point, I know Nagini was made last before Harry became the accidental final vessel. But if I can destroy the others before that.. then I can stop Voldemort before any of that, save the worst sacrifices of the war.. But that still depends on what Bellatrix does, it seems. And she looks so much like Trixie.. I can't help but need to save her from all the shit she did in the future.. She seems so pure now.." He moved to his bookshelf, picking out a book titled Advanced Charm Crafting by M. Akit Soh. He had picked it up at the bookstore in Diagon Alley, remembering something else about his wand as he was leading through the first few pages, understanding far more than he figured he would off the bat. His wand was excellent at charm crafting, mostly because of the nature of Horned Serpent horns being good talisman material themselves hence why most Horned Serpents stayed out of sight of most anyone.

"I really hope this is just my paranoia at the whole situation talking right now.. Merlin, let this all just be paranoia." He prayed as he opened the book where he wanted, getting to work on the charm he had in mind..

Flashback End..

"..Ella. Bella! Bellatrix!" The black and red haired girl was snapped back to reality at Narcissa's voice and looked at her youngest sister.

"Hmm? What?" Bellatrix asked, hand on her cheek with no clue what her sisters had been talking to her about.

The two other Black daughters looked at each other and back at Bellatrix. "Bellatrix, we were trying to get your attention for a while, asking if that was what you were going to settle on or not. But you just kept staring at the wall with that look on your face."

Bellatrix frowned, wand at the ready to hex her sisters for the wrong thing said. "What look?"

Andromeda smirked. "The look of a daydreaming princess, stuck in her tower guarded by a ferocious dragon. Norwegian Ridgeback, right Cissy?"

Narcissa shook her head. "Oh no. With the concentration she was pulling off? Hungarian Horntail, hands down.."

Bellatrix felt her cheeks redden in anger now. "Oh, sod off the both of you. I'm having a crisis here, and I don't even know why! I barely know him, his correspondences with me are barely revealing as it is! I barely even know what kind of spell work he prefers, a favorite charm, anything. I guess that's understandable though, since there's a lot of malcontent going around as of late."

"Oh, smashing. Our big sister really does have a crush on this boy. Hmm, Lord Gaunt is going to have his hands full with this one. Hopefully we can just get through dinner." The two younger sisters laughed, making Bellatrix wave her wand as they both flew out of her room, still giggling like hatters as Bellatrix closed the door behind them.

"Why is it so frustrating?! And why is it him?" She asked, herself more than anyone, as she heard a tapping at the window. Looking over, she saw Adria, Nick's little falcon pecking the glass with a small, slender box attached to her leg.

Opening her window, she stroked the small raptor's head. "Hello again, girl. What's this, now?" She grabbed the box, one made for a necklace at first glance and with her name scrawled onto a gold nameplate on the front. Did he.. She opened the box and gasped at the contents: a silver chain, Italian-made, attached to an orb of onyx. Bellatrix noticed, however, that the orb held the insignia of a House she didn't recognize, but soon realized must be Nick's native crest, as it morphed back and forth into that of House Gaunt when held at a certain angle. As she clasped the thin chain around her neck and let the orb dangle comfortably in the space above her cleavage, she felt the rush of magic that enveloped her, a note appearing in the bottom of the small box which read: Humor my paranoia and wear this necklace to dinner. It will protect you when you need it, and I want to see how it looks worn. It's my first attempt at a protective charm.- Nick.

Bellatrix smiled. "It's beautiful, Nick.. Thank you.. But why do you feel the need to protect me so badly? Is it because I look like dear friend of yours you mentioned..?" She heard the doorbell ring and rushed out of her room without another glance.

Downstairs, Bellatrix heard her mother shouting as her father had her levitated off the ground, floating towards the fireplace. Andromeda, knowing what was happening, pinched the powder in the small bowl above the mantle and tossed it into the fire, creating tall green flames. "Snake's Den!" Arcturus said before sending Walburga on her way as she shouted about having the right to be there whether or not their guest wanted her there at all. "Well, now we shouldn't have any distractions from dinner. Kreacher! Seal the wards from my wife, and I swear if you take them down because of your loyalty to her downright inhumane attitude I will free you."

The Black family House Elf nodded, scared of the patriarch's threat as he snapped his fingers and sealed the wards, making it impossible for Walburga to enter Black Manor until Arcturus saw fit. Bellatrix smirked at her father's actions as she went to get the door, taking a breath before she opened the door.

Unfortunately, it was only James, who stepped inside with a devilish grin at Bellatrix's downcast expression. "Aw, Bella, what's wrong? Best looking guy is finally here."

"Sod off, James! Go make sure Sirius is ready for dinner, then, if you must be here. Go on, shook!" Bellatrix waved the Gryffindor off, who laughed.

"Whats wrong with Bellatrix today, loves?" He asked the other sisters, who both smirked.

"Oh, big sis has a potential suitor, we think. She's been daydreaming about him all day, our dinner guest for the evening."

"Oh, this is going to be a fun dinner then, isn't it?" James grinned as he went upstairs to fetch Sirius.

Bellatrix frowned as she closed the door, tapping her foot impatiently on the hardwood floors, her heels clacking with every connecting impact. "Come now, Bellatrix. He'll be here. What are you so-" The doorbell rang again, making Andromeda smile at her older sister. "See? That must be him, unless Sirius plans to have Remus or Merlin forbid Peter over as well. Or maybe it's Lucina, she's been having issues with her father lately."

"Oh Merlin, no. I can't stand that insufferable brat, ever since we were twelve." Bellatrix said as she motioned to open the door again. This time, it was Nick standing on her doorstep, with a navy blue dress robe on, trimmed in emerald green and silver. "Hi." She said breathlessly, making her sisters snicker behind her at her sudden meekness.

Nick smiled as he took Bellatrix's hand, raising it to his lips in a chaste kiss of greeting. "Good evening, Miss. Black. Lovely to see you again. May I come in?" When she nodded, Nick leaned closer to her as he passed. "You look absolutely stunning tonight. I did right in designing the amulet, I take it?" He whispered quickly, Bellatrix closing the door as she turned to walk him in further.

"Yes, and it's quite beautiful. Whatever reason you had to make it, for me no less, must be worth the trouble. I can feel very advanced magic coming from the stone."

"It isn't anywhere near as beautiful as you look tonight. Perhaps I'll tell you the story of why it exudes so much power, but right now there are more important things on our agenda. So, are these your lovely sisters?" He asked, changing the subject as Narcissa and Andromeda came into view in the next room, along with a younger teenage boy with shaggy dark brown hair, a trait shared with one of the sisters at least.

Bellatrix cleared her throat, realizing she had been rendered speechless by Nick's words to her as she nodded and finally managed to speak again. "Yes, My Lord. These are my younger sisters, Andromeda and Narcissa, as well as our youngest sibling, Regulus." She said, pointing to the three in turn. "I have no doubt you'll meet my twin and his friend in no time.. Ah, father! May I present Nick Negron, Lord of House Gaunt." She said, curtsying as she introduced Nick to the much older wizard.

Arcturus Black smiled at the young man, noticing Bellatrix was acting just a bit differently than he usually saw with one of these dinners. "Welcome, Lord. Dinner shall be ready momentarily. Perhaps we should retire to the dining room in preparation?"

"Yes, let's. I saved my appetite for this dinner, I hear the Black family has many delectable recipes in their old repertoire."

"Ah, you hear about my grandmother's famous dishes she used to cook personally for the Minister of Magic back in her day. I'm sure Kreacher can whip us up one of your choice for dessert. Now, tell me a bit about yourself," The older wizard led the group of teenagers into the dining room, which was more of a hall, but Nick kept his mouth shut. One day, he'd be expected to have such a room as well, he figured. "Bellatrix mentioned to me that you grew up and attended Ilvermorny in America until this past summer. Why the sudden change in scenery?"

"Did she? I wasn't aware I had been asked about."

"My apologies, Lord Gaunt. You understand, I care a great deal about my family, perhaps too much in today's ever-changing world. But, once I heard from my other daughters that their sister had been.. distracted as she was that day in Diagon Alley, I had to know about what or whomever had her so unlike herself. She's usually very.. steadfast and unwavering in her personality. She usually never loses her cool, I believe you younger kids say it these days."

Actually, we would in about ten more years, but I guess it's close enough not to gripe over. Nick thought as he chuckled. "Oh, I can believe that. Bellatrix didn't seem the type to be any bit ditzy or scatterbrained just from an initial glance. I mean, she did curse me out as soon as we met."

"And I apologized for it, already.." Bellatrix muttered under her breath as Nick chuckled to continue.

"But, anyway, it can't be all that different than growing up here in the UK. I mean, other than the primary schools for younger wizards that elected to teach all of the No-maj curriculums as well so no one got left behind in anything. Being a student at Ilvermorny is probably just about as fun as it must be for a Hogwarts student. At least in their earlier Years at least. Us older students aren't usually as impressed with magic as our younger peers."

Arcturus smiled at that. "Too right you are! Too many of the Pureblood families are still too.. embedded in their old ways of hating Muggles and wanting nothing but power these days. And that's not even taking the probable, upcoming war we may have. Another civil war, like with Grindelwald."

"You must have been nearly around Hogwarts age back then, right Lord Black? You're a very wizened man, by the look of that salt and pepper still going on in your beard."

Arcturus looked at Bellatrix. "You told me he was well-versed in Pureblood etiquette without being raised in such an environment, yes?" Bellatrix nodded shyly. "You'd never know. Now, are you the only Gaunt around?"

"In name, yes. I have a.. I believe an uncle roaming around, hiding his connection to our family as well as my mother and younger sister, the latter of which is still in America, boarding permanently at Ilvermorny until she graduates. She didn't want to leave all her friends behind, you see?"

"And what about you, then? Final year is starting soon, you must have some friends you miss back home in America?" Suddenly, the table was full of food as each plate shimmered and was then piled on with bits of everything from around the table. "Ah, perfect timing."

Nick cleared his throat to answer, fork already full of mashed potatoes as she looked at Bellatrix. "I didn't really have many friends. Even from my early days at Ilvermorny, I was a powerful child wizard. My wand, you see, is crafted from almost all Horned Serpent parts, and is even infused with venom in the scales here." He brought out his wand and pointed out the different bits. "But yes, there will always be a couple of people I'll miss. Not from Ilvermorny, mind you."

Bellatrix looked back at him, eyes shining with curiosity as Nick and Arcturus continued talking. He must mean whoever I remind him of.. She thought as her father answered. "Ah, Muggles, then? I hear America has been a true haven for relations between wizarding folks and their Muggle cousins."

"Yes, although that's not entirely true, either. It's a long, very complicated story I can't even make heads or tails of." Nick laughed as Bellatrix continued glancing over at him from her place directly next to the Gaunt heir.

"I see. Now, back in America, were the Gaunts still upheld as a respectable family due to their founding of Ilvermorny?"

"Yes, and I'm the last living heir in the Gaunt line, hence why I ascended to Lord and not my other relative. Of course, he never did seem intent on ever trying to claim it. Back at Ilvermorny, I could sense was danger was near, as the school itself and my magic were connected. Even now, I feel a tug back to America on my magic."

"Fascinating. No one here has ever had a connection like that with Hogwarts, as far as I know, however that may be due to most of those students usually wound up a little.. disturbed.. by the end of their seventh year. I hear one such heir of Hufflepuff got himself mixed up in the Cursed Vaults almost thirty years ago."

Nick nodded. That coincided with what he knew about the late eighties and their second opening of the Cursed Vaults, having been opened once before and, supposedly, having had the curses placed on the Seven Vaults in question. "Yes, it seems many heirs to the Wizarding schools have a hard time adjusting to such a connection, although many also don't gain any sort of psychic connection like I did. I blame the fact Ilvermorny was built from magically grown trees by my Gaunt ancestor, whose magic would have been infused in the wood and stone found in that area."

Arcturus nodded as he swallowed a bite of mashed potatoes and roast duck. "Indeed. How are you adjusting to the differences in lifestyle here in England?"

"As fine as I could be, you know? But homesick, but I'm sure I'll find my niche here quickly enough."

Bellatrix wandlessly cast legilimens on Nick as their eyes met, and she knew he hadn't expected it as his eyes widened, flashes of scenes coming to Bellatrix that she couldn't understand clearly.

Nick running around a playground, a little girl chasing him with her strangely natural red and black hair bouncing around her giggling face..

The two children were a bit older, and the girl's maturity showed as she admonished Nick for doing something stupid, her cheeks flushed in a blush that said she was anything but truly angry at the boy.

The girl stealing glances towards Nick when she thought he wasn't looking, and vice-versa as they both laughed to themselves during school, which was very Muggle compared to what he was telling her father.

Nick lay motionless on the ground, this memory impossible as Bellatrix watched the girl, now the mirror image of herself, rushed towards him and fell to her knees, crying..

Bellatrix was suddenly thrust out of the memories as Nick stood up suddenly. "Excuse me a moment, Arcturus. May I use your bathroom?"

"Of course. Bella, please show our guest to the bathroom, please."

Bellatrix nodded. "Yes, father." She said sheepishly, her tone noticed by Arcturus who raised an eyebrow as the two left the room.

Once out of earshot of the door, Nick turned to Bellatrix with a deep frown. "That was low, sifting through my memories. Did you find what you were apparently looking for?" He wasn't mad, not completely. More disappointed that Bellatrix had done it without even thinking, it seemed.

Bellatrix looked down. "Honestly? I don't know. I just.. I wanted to know why you keep looking at me like that," Ever since they'd met, Bellatrix could see the pained, longing look Nick kept throwing her way, and now she thought she may have an idea as to why that was. "You look at me and all you see is her, don't you? This other girl that looks like she could be my twin?"

Nick sighed. "Somewhat, yeah. Honestly, I look at you and, as time goes right now, I don't actually know who I see more of. Everything you do, it reminds me of her. The way you act, even. It's like she was brought to this time with me, just reincarnated in a sense into you. Which, wouldn't make a lot of sense."

"It wouldn't. What was that last moment? The one where she's crying?" Her eyes were sad as they met Nick's, who frowned.

"I don't know, come to think of it. From what I remember, that would have happened after I died."

"Died..?"

"Yeah, just another piece of this jigsaw puzzle. I don't know if I can truly trust you, Bellatrix. You must understand that I want to, but I don't know how you went from this you to the one I know of."

"But that doesn't mean anything, not when you're here and know how to stop such things.. Don't you?"

Nick shook his head somberly, gingerly grabbing the onyx orb on her necklace. "I don't know if I can stop that from happening.. That's why I made this necklace before I went to bed last night. It was spontaneous, but.." He sighed. "I want to protect you, Bella. I want to make sure you don't become her. Lestrange. That woman caused too much irreparable damage to this world in the original run, let alone what you could be capable of now that I'm here, with my insider knowledge."

"Well, I'm wearing it, and I won't take it off if that's how it needs to be.. But, Nick, does that mean that you really plan to fight this git of a cousin of yours? To stop all those horrible events from happening?"

Nick nodded. "That much is clear to me. I was brought to this time for a reason, and I can only think of stopping him as a solution to what that reason is. I can't tell you anything more, Bellatrix. I'm sorry. I'm already fearful for you. Of you."

"You don't even know who I am, Nick! How can you decide that you can even trust me? You said it yourself, I became some psychotic witch hellbent on serving this asshole you seem to despise and want to kill. If I can, I'll help you, I can-"

"I know what you're capable of at this time, Bellatrix. You're a brilliant witch, best of our year, I hear. You and Lily Evans are equally matched in skill in potion making and hardly anyone can match your duelling skills. There's a lot of reasons he would seek you out for his side of this war, Bellatrix, least of all your mind. He can break you and recreate that crazy woman at any moment in any way. You know the Imperius Curse has a stronger variant he's proficient in, right? He can literally rewrite your entire mind into a sleeper agent for the Death Eaters. Several wizards betrayed the other side because of his mind meddling, and I won't let that happen to you if I can fucking help it, alright?!" Nick could feel his anger bubbling up from how stubborn Bellatrix was being, but he had expected her not to just back off from all of this.

"Then let me help! Merlin, Nick, I.. I can't explain why, but ever since you've come into my life, I've felt.. distracted. Conflicted. Confused.. Like nothing I believe is right, anymore. But one thing persists: you and the.. compulsion to help you, and all I want is to know why."

Nick shook his head. "I couldn't tell you. You already know my reasons for protecting you, or at least trying to."

Bellatrix surprised both herself and Nick as she moved closer to him, his back making a light thud as it made contact with the wall. She hadn't pushed him, but she did place her hand on his chest and, looking up the slight angle into his eyes, she huffed. "Then let me make my own decisions and help you! Please, Nick.. Something tells me you need someone to watch your back."

There was something in Bellatrix's eyes that, even as Nick identified it, made him turn away from her. "I can't. Just keep up your grades, your head down and stay the hell away from any Death Eaters." He gently pushed the girl back despite the growing frown on her face from the action. "And stay away from me. Chances are, I'm already a high priority target for my cousin to come after." He said before walking back past her, back towards the dining room.

Bellatrix stood there, stunned. He'll protect me, but not let me at least return the favor? Is he mad? He even admits to having nowhere enough power to stop his cousin, but he'll fight him if it keeps me safe? She thought, her fists balling in anger. "No, I won't! You may want to play the martyr, but I won't let you get yourself killed." She was all alone, but even then, she felt something react to her promise as she shivered and looked around, thinking she was being watched. Seeing no one, she started making her way back to the dining room as well. Dinner wasn't finished, after all.

When she opened the door to the dining room, she hadn't expected to see Nick pinning both James and Sirius to the floor, a head under each arm, even as he greeted them. "Cheers, James, Sirius! Illegal Animagi." That last line was whispered, only for the two to instantly calm down. ",No harm done, I hope? Bellatrix warned me you two could be.. troublesome." He said then, getting up and helping the other two teens up.

James rolled his shoulder. "I'm good. Still in fit enough shape for Quidditch. You must be the Lord Gaunt, right? Wasn't expecting a teenager like us." James said. "Do you play?"

Nick ignored the last question. "Yes, well I'm the only male in the line, you know? Gaunt line descends in the men of the family. My maternal grandfather would have been the last Gaunt before me, as far as that goes."

"Ah, odd how that works. Did your ancestor know that her family could still live on through her children, despite no other connection to the name?" Sirius asked, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"I have no idea, and would be unable to ask her. But if I ever figure it out, Sirius, you'll be the first to know." It was then that Nick looked over and saw Bellatrix had rejoined the others at the table, the ebony-haired beauty glaring at him, her look telling him that she wasn't done fighting for wanting to include herself with Nick in whatever he chose to do, despite his protests.

Damn it. Does she ever give up? Nick thought to himself as he went to sit back down next to her. He turned to Arcturus. "Thank you again. Lovely bathroom, by the way. Marble or is that something a bit more exotic than the average Muggle material?"

"It was carved from a dried up lava bed. I believe I heard mention of a.. Mount Saint Helens, maybe?"

"I know of it. Been to it, actually. Beautiful scenery around there. Must be charmed to hell, that lava bed is actually quite brittle, even at the thicker portions."

"You're right, and we make sure it's kept up every six months or so, just in case."

The dinner continued without a hitch, Bellatrix staying silent unless her father asked her something, which was how her sisters knew when it was time to extract her from the table. "Excuse us, father, but we must be getting to bed. Busy day for the three of us tomorrow."

"Yes, you're quite right. Off to bed with you, then. Regulus, Sirius, that means you both as well. James, my boy, say hello to your parents for me, will you?"

James saluted the Black Lord. "Yessir. Sirius, until tomorrow, then?"

Sirius nodded. "Of course. I'll be over in the morning so I miss my mother's next rant." Sirius laughed as he and James left the room as well, leaving Arcturus and Nick alone.

The elder wizard sighed. "Children, such a handful at times. I'm sure you'll find out about that in due time. Now, my boy, Lord Gaunt.."

"Nick, please. Or Lord Negron once I start attending Wizengamot hearings. As soon as possible, it'll be my official Lord title, anyway, with Gaunt being a subtitle to it."

"Jolly good. So, let me ask you, what are your plans? Finish school and go off working how you see fit? I can tell you were the one who made that necklace my daughter was wearing. It seems she's quite fascinated by you."

Nick chuckled nervously. "Yes, well. I just happen to know a great many things and some of those are particularly bad with Bellatrix at their center. I'm only doing what I can truly do to try and stop that from happening. She.. bears an uncanny resemblance to an old friend of mine, you see. But I fear.."

"What is it, Nick? Is she being her bookish self again? Always prying in matters that do not necessarily concern her?"

Nick began to nod but then shook his head. "Somewhat, but I can handle her, possibly. I have quite enjoyed a challenge or two in my childhood. And I know she's a stubborn little thing. I'm surprised she wasn't born a Taurus like I was."

"Ah, but she was most likely conceived as one, so there's that." Arcturus smiled. "Enough talk about my daughter and her.. prerogatives. You didn't answer my question. What are you planning to do, with all this talk of war and shite everywhere?"

"I'm planning on destroying this so-called Dark Lord at his roots and stop countless tragedies from even occurring. Stop needless sacrifices made with the best intentions only to be twisted and denied success. And I have a feeling that you are of similar mind, Arcturus. You don't want him risen into power, not truly. You may be Pureblood, but that doesn't mean you don't see the idiocy that you and so many others were raised on for generations. Us American wizards and the No-majs? We live in harmony, no one out to kill or hunt us down to steal the secrets of our magic. Not in a few decades, at least. Not since Grindelwald trying to raise that big stink back in the.. thirties? Twenties? Sometime around there.

"What I'm saying is, I'm not letting it get to that point, and as much as I tell her I need her to stay away from me and any danger heading my way.."

"You fear Bellatrix is just as much in his sights, or soon will be, once he learns of how close the two of you have been so far. Although, might I ask something personal of you, My Lord?"

Arcturus seemed nervous, and Nick hadn't the foggiest idea why. "Of course, but please, we're of equal title. No need to address me as Lord unless needed, you know." Nick tried laughing it off, but Arcturus held up a hand and spoke up.

"I am but an old man now, Nick, an aging sentiment in changing times. As you know, all wizards and witches grow in power naturally as they age and practice their craft, but there does come a time when that power also begins fading from our magical cores. I have been growing weaker and weaker by the year as of late. Two years ago, I could have duelled a Master and come out alive with my wits about me but now? I've found it harder to even hold my wand at times, as rare as it has been."

Nick nodded in understanding. "Your wife.."

"Yes, I'm afraid it's the only choice that makes sense. Walburga is the one intent on turning this family down that excuse of a man's path, not I. But, it seems Bellatrix has already made her mind up. You know how she'll choose, even unsure about everything else, don't you?"

"I do, and I know what you want to ask me, Arcturus. I refuse to put myself into a marriage contract, not even one where it could save lives. It's bad enough I can't stop her from doing it with anything less than an Unbreakable Vow and I don't want to put her life in danger like that."

"Yes, Bellatrix would figure her own way around the restrictions put in place by an Unbreakable, just to get herself hurt. But, Nick, I am not asking you to force yourself into a marriage with Bellatrix. She would make both our lives hell, for that you can be sure. No, I wanted to ask that you continue looking out for her, in any way you can. As her father, and with her being the oldest and my heir, I want her removed from this situation as a whole, even though you make it seem like she will be targeted just for being close to you."

"That's what will happen, Arcturus, if Riddle decides she isn't worth trying to have with him. And trust me, that decision will come quickly once I begin my work on stopping him. Lord Malfoy already tried pawning his daughter off to me to keep her safe as well." People weren't objects to own or keep hidden, even though he'd said pretty much the exact same thing to Bellatrix.

"Ah, Abraxas means well, I think. He was one of the first to go with this Riddle character you keep mentioning, if he is in fact the same Dark Lord my wife seems to worship."

"I can assure you he is. I shall consider you an ally, Arcturus, but this fight is being fought on my terms. And if that means I need Bellatrix to stay away from whatever I'm doing, or else I risk losing her to the same shit she fell to originally- and I'd rather that not happen- then she needs to stay away." Especially if I stay alive after fighting Tom and still lose her to their side.. Nick could have called him by his preferred name this whole time, but he didn't risk activating a taboo trace just by uttering Tom's other name.

"Just consider it then, Nick. Bellatrix is a smart girl, you know. Some say she can be anything she desires once school is out for her, and they're more than right. I see what you're saying, about protecting her and the value she carries, but I think you know Bellatrix will never just sit back and allow others to fight for her. Work with her, that's all I ask. You never know when another mind can help you, and from the sound of it, you're going to need to raise an army in less than no time."

"Let me handle that. How, I don't know but I'll think of something. At least, something better than using the Imperius on a bunch of people." Not that I can do that sort of magic.. I think..

"Well then, would you like to retire to the study and continue this talk a little further? I understand if you have any prior engagements to handle tomorrow."

"Fortunately not, except to register my wand into their system at the Ministry, as useless as that actually is. Maybe you can tell me some more about something I am quite curious about." Nick said as the two got up from the table and went towards the study.

Meanwhile, Bellatrix's Room..

The four older Black siblings (Regulus had decided to go to bed early) were all seated around Bellatrix's bedroom, Bellatrix herself on her window seat as her twin brother sat in a transfigured armchair. Narcissa and Andromeda were sitting on Bella's bed. "What's this all about, Bellatrix?" Asked Andromeda. "You haven't called a sibling meeting in years."

"As you all know, there's a war brewing in our community. And, as obvious as it may seem, our mother is fighting on the side that would destroy our world as we know it. Father isn't going to be able to keep us off the battlefield forever, and I for one am not going out without a fight."

"Bellatrix, what's really going on? Did Gaunt-"

"His last name is Negron." Bellatrix snapped, cutting Narcissa off. "We all know the Gaunt name is as cursed as the family that became the Quintapeds, and Nick even says he hates the name itself. And he told me to stay out of it, actually."

The others all looked at her like she had lost her mind. "Then why are we even talking about it? Nick is a very powerful wizard, we can all determine that, so if he says to stay out of something, shouldn't we?" Sirius asked.

"If I told you Remus was going to die in the next year because of this war, or Peter, or James? Would you still stay out of it?" Sirius gave no answer. "I thought so. But, that's why I have a plan, and Nick can go fuck a manticore if he has a problem with it."

"Harsh, but I like the confidence as opposed to the cringing mess you were before dinner.. Oh, you did something, didnt you? You pissed him off and that's why he came back looking like someone had just shot his dog." Andromeda pressed, making Bellatrix look down again.

"Fuck you, Andi! That is none of your business. This meeting is over, you can all go now. I'd like to get to bed." Bellatrix said although she didn't move from the spot in the window, instead pulling her legs up to her chest as she stared sideways out into the night.

Looking at each other, the three other Black children present got up and moved to leave the room. Narcissa and Andromeda were out the door with Sirius standing in the doorway, holding the door while looking at his twin sister. Sighing, he closed the door gently and went to stand next to Bellatrix, nudging her shoulder playfully.

"What's up with you lately? Ever since you met the guy, you've been pretty off, sis." Bellatrix just looked at him, frowning. "Oh, jeez. What's got you so upset, then?"

"Siri.. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"Huh? Uh.. I mean, I guess so. That's a bit of a hard question to answer."

"I know, but.. if that's so, then me and Nick meeting wasn't just a big coincidence, right? I mean, what are the odds, really, that I would bump into him? Out of all the people it could have been.."

Sirius hummed. "I can't really tell you all that, Bella."

A sigh. "Do you think reincarnation is real? Or that it could work in some weird form of reverse?"

"I don't know.. Bellatrix, what's with all this philosophy all of a sudden? Nick really got to you, didn't he?"

"Ugh, I don't fucking know, you tosser! Let me level with you, since you're the only one I think I can trust saying this, but.. Nick is nowhere near ordinary. He.. he knows things no one possibly could. I.. I used legilimens on him.."

"Shit, Bella.. Weren't we always told never to do that on someone unless we had reason to?"

"I had a reason, idiot. Every time he looks at me, Nick sees someone else. He says it's an old friend of his, someone special it seems.. but he also knows what I will do in the future, and by those words, I'm scared. The things I do.. that I can do.. and I don't know what else to think, really."

Sirius sighed. "Look, Bellatrix. Even as your twin, I'll admit I only really know what's going on in your head sometimes, and right now? This whole existential crisis thing is getting you nowhere. Nick told you to back off, right? And you have no intention to, for whatever reason you have?" Bellatrix nodded. "Then just go talk to him. If Nick has the answers you want, then you need to go get them. But, I suggest getting some sleep, first. Really think about what you're going to do, because I don't think you want to rush out of the manor right now dressed in nothing but a nightgown. Good job changing without any of us even seeing you."

Bellatrix rolled her eyes with a smile. "You prat." She got up and threw her arms around Sirius. "Thank you, baby brother."

"Hey, it's what family is for, right?" Sirius said, returning the hug before he went to leave her bedroom again. "Goodnight, Bellatrix."

"Night, bro." Bellatrix said as Sirius closed her bedroom door behind him, the mechanism clicking into place as Bellatrix waved her wand, locking the door as she felt the wards get lifted, meaning her mother was home. Oh joy.. She thought as she found it hard to get to sleep easily for the next couple of hours until sleep would eventually claim her.

Meanwhile, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Scottish Highlands..

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore walked into the forbidden forest, sensing the danger before it made itself known. As the trees seemed to close in around him, swarms of Acromantula began crawling towards him, all different sizes as it seemed a wave of beady, black lifeless eyes barreled towards the elderly wizard. Albus knew exactly what was going on in the forest, and whatever was going on with Tom and his upcoming war wasn't as important as Albus figuring out who triggered the Forest Vault's reopening. And during the summer months, no less. If he couldn't at least stem the Vault's influence, then the upcoming school year would be more than treacherous to say the least. The last time the Vault was opened, when that Hufflepuff went Dark and cursed the vaults in the first place, the Acromantula and the strange siren song that had lured students deep into the forest only to be eaten by the Acromantula colony had caused far too much damage even then. I'm getting too old for all this shite. He thought as he began hurling spells at his foes, spiders flying into trees left and right.