A/N: Happy New Years everyone! Hopefully 2023 doesn't fuck us over like '22 did. So next chapter is the lead-up and beginning of the holiday break for our heroes/heroines. Should be fun. Also, before anyone points out it's a useless addition, I love Merula in Hogwarts Mystery. Honestly wish there was more about her so we're gonna have her alternate timeline right here. Should also be fun to do, with the circumstances going. Alright, until next time, stay safe!
Chapter Twelve
The Orphanage
Little Hangleton, One Month Later..
Being more snake than man these days, Voldemort made his way towards the former location of the Gaunt Shack, shivering even in the heating charm-wrapped coat he wore. This had been a subconscious routine for the villain as he continued meeting new resistances and betrayals from within his own ranks. All thanks to the uppity upstart cousin of his. Voldemort had been killing off top lieutenants for the past two months, ever since the news began trickling the truth about one Tom Riddle.
His followers laughed at his proposals at taking over the government these days, he knew they did, but he still had several loyal men and women dedicated to his cause, thankfully, although the number still dwindled by the week. One of these was the now exiled Rabastan, formerly Lestrange. Seeing things at odds against his brother, Rudolphus indeed took action and exiled Rabastan, making him no longer compliant or applicable in the use of their family magic, or else the boy would lose a limb or two in retaliation. Voldemort hoped to find a use for the boy yet, something to allow him to finally strike a blow against the teenager who opposed him.
The Dark Lord stopped as he reached the property, which was now suddenly fully renovated and built up as he stared with narrowed eyes at the sign that read: Tom Riddle Home for the Unfortunately Orphaned. A ridiculous name, to be sure, and sullied with the bastard of a man Voldemort's mother had drugged into having a child with. Voldemort's grip on his wand tightened until he released a roar of anger, firing several bombarda spells at the building, hoping to destroy what the boy cousin of his had built with what should have been Voldemort's money.
Unfortunately for the older wizard, Nick had seen to it that the orphanage couldn't be destroyed with anything less than goblin magic, possibly Elfen magic as well. The destructive hexes bounced harmlessly off the house, making Voldemort scramble to dodge out of the returning blasts. Deterred from his preferred target after another few unsuccessful attempts, apparating off somewhere in case someone had seen him. The Ministry had also enacted an arrest order, plus a reward to whoever managed to bring the Dark Lord in front of the Wizengamot.
Hogwarts, Ground Floor Corridor, Storage Room..
Rabastan cursed as he got another splinter in his hand, the weathered cabinet in front of him stubbornly keeping it's secrets to itself. "Damn it! How am I supposed to get this damned cabinet working?!"
It was the will of the Dark Lord that the younger, ex-Lestrange fix the two-way vanishing cabinet at the school, connecting it with the twin the older wizard had created and linked with this one back in Knockturn Alley. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to fix it, but knew he would meet his maker if he failed. It seemed like a losing battle, but if it got Nick out of the school and six feet under, then he would do whatever it took.
Quidditch Pitch..
"Oy, watch it, Black!" Shouted Rudolphus as Sirius sniggered, the Gryffindor holding the beater bat in question that had almost collided with Rudolphus' shoulder.
Nick sighed as he did a handstand on his own broom several feet away, letting the vehicle of sorts drift lazily towards them. "Simmer down, Rudolph. Sirius does that to everyone, I'm sure. We aren't here to hurt each other, we're here to bond over the almost obsessed over sport of Quidditch without any Teams to weigh us down in having fun. And without James, being captain of the Gryffindor team, we wouldn't even be able to have this time since all the equipment was borrowed from the supply that Hogwarts has available." He turned his head towards Sirius. "Ain't that right, Sirius?"
Sirius stopped his sniggering and nodded. "Tch. Yeah, 'course. We're supposed to be friends in all this, right? Although, this was also supposed to be a meeting of Lords. But one of our group is missing. And where is my dear sister, Nick?"
Nick chuckled nervously then, falling to hang from his broom instead, the others chuckling at his expense as he pulled himself to sit back up. "We had a long night, she's probably still sleeping. Or, more hilariously, is panicking over bedhead with her sisters."
"Panicking? Over bedhead? Not my sister. What's the real reason she'd be panicking, hmm?" Sirius asked, knowing Nick wasn't telling him everything.
Nick shrugged. "Meeting my mom, for one. Holiday break is coming up, and I for one am not letting Voldemort and his failings as of late deter me from enjoying the holidays with my family at home. Bellatrix said it was the same with her, and she wanted you and the girls and Regulus to help clean your house up. After everything, she thinks it may need a fresh setting up."
"So, for the record, you weren't shagging until dawn?" James said, trying to hide his immature giggling at the assumption.
Nick's eyes widened. "I can neither confirm nor deny that, but either way, she's dreading meeting my mother again. She did tell you what happened that day I inadvertently abducted her for a while, right?"
"That was the day of the Leaky Cauldron attack, right?" Nick nodded. "She told me she wound up jogging through the East End and wound up at your place, but she neglected to say she didn't have total say on the days events after that."
Nick chuckled. "No, I guess she wouldn't want you to worry more than you probably would have or did. The point is, my mom's the reason she had to be with me that day. I didn't want her near the attack, staying safe. My mom used to be a popular babysitter for the magical kids in town back home. Whenever a couple of us would start fighting each other or seemed just at odds for no real reason, she'd leash us together with a charm of her own design until we were able to break it by apologizing or what have you. That day, Bellatrix and I argued a bit and, having heard it, my mother came out and used it on us. If it wasn't for that, she would never have been at the pub when the Death Eaters attacked."
"Really? So your mother would have been the prime suspect if she had gotten hurt that day.. seems like a parental thing to do, I guess. But why would Bellatrix be afraid of that? These days she only wants to be attached to your hi- whoa!" Sirius dodged out of the path of another bludger, this one having come from the boys' left.
"Finish that sentence and I will send this bludger straight into your ribs, brother dear. Homing missile style." Bellatrix said as she flew around on another broom, probably picking it up from the small pile of supplies on the ground. She hovered by Nick, smiling. "Good morning."
"Morning, love. Get enough rest?"
Bellatrix ignored her warming cheeks and nodded. "Enough to get me through the day, at least. I hope you boys have been behaving."
"Of course they have. I'm the only one who could stop them with the leash jinx if they did, anyway."
"Ugh, not that accursed jinx again. Are you sure-"
"My mother won't put you in it again, Bella. That was a one-time deal. Granted, as long as you don't start any arguments over dinner."
Bellatrix hummed, nodding. "I guess so. I can't believe the holidays are almost upon us. I feel like it's still early November, not December."
"I've felt like time has barely moved since start of term, to be honest. Not to mention, we have our midterms coming up."
Now Rudolphus groaned. "Don't remind me. Can we just get down to why we're really all here? We need to talk about the Wizengamot session coming up." He was right. In the aftermath of members being outed as Voldemort supporters, the Wizengamot was now almost a fresh slate, with most of the now open seats belonging to the teens themselves as they were the now Lords of their respective families. In addition to the Lestrange and Black seats, Nick had heard that Abrazlxas had been killed, and Lucina would take her father's place, still considered the heir despite the adoption agreement made between Abraxas and Nick. That made three seats in their corner, and several others stood with them like the Potter, Greengrass and Longbottom Houses, each told of Nick's exploits and machinations to get them where they now stood.
Nick waved him off. "Oh, come now, Rudolph. Nothing to worry about, there. Yeah, it'll be the first time some of us take the seats our families owned before us, but someone has to instill the change needed to stop Voldemort from gaining power. Which reminds me, Bella. You and Lily went looking in the library for anything we could use about abolishing the hate between wizards and muggles, right?"
"Yes, we did, but there has, unsurprisingly, been very little written about the study of genetics, magic, and just what they do to help each other exist in the world. But, even without that help, you should be fine. I think your analogies would help them understand what you're saying about all the secrecy stuff. Don't misunderstand me, the world isn't ready to widely know magic is actually real and all the witch burnings and shite actually had a purpose. We'd still cause chaos, but some muggles do know. The Prime Minister, for instance, usually meets with the Minister of Magic once or twice a year but no one really knows what they discuss.
"My point is that we're still years away from that utopian a setting. Where wizards can perform actual magic and muggles aren't screaming to burn those who are different. With what you're trying to tell them, though, is exactly how we ease the UK and eventually the world into a universal acceptance of magic for the muggles and the clarity that muggles are just us without magic for the elitists in our world. But you have to drill home the whole genetics aspect. You're right, when you look at some of the old families. Yes, they could be powerful, just look at Lucina. With the right motivation, she could rank high in a dueling championship or anything she put her mind to. But, her power pales in comparison to yours, which at your own admittance has been technically watered down by generations of Muggle/wizard relations and yet shines more powerfully than most wizards three times our age and experience."
"She's right. You're right terrifying when you get serious, and you haven't shown most of us here a true fraction of the full power you possess. I get it, since Voldemort is after you and from you tell me, could turn you to his side in a heartbeat under the right conditions." Rudolphus said, arms crossed. "Holding your true power hidden until you face him is a good, if not downright sneaky, tactic to use against a man once hailed as the most powerful dark wizard since Grindelwald. Now, people are beginning to call him a charlatan trying to use the Gaunt name to influence an insurrection."
"Wow, Rudolph, I didn't think you noticed that much about me in the still short time you've stood on our side of the fence. But you have a point. And that means Tom is going mental at losing prospect after prospect. Not to mention with John Lupin alive," Nick had been glad to find that Remus' father hadn't been killed by Fenrir Greyback when Remus had been bitten and instead had caused Fenrir to be on most of not all wanted lists across the country. In the aftermath, however, he saw and was working towards much more equal treatment of werewolves and the like as he saw that, like with most cursed individuals, they were still people at the heart of it, even if they howled at the moon or drank blood to survive. "The werewolves will only join him if Fenrir is involved, and he has too steep a price on his head to just show back up in the country. His giants also retracted themselves, thankfully, after our display of power during the train ride in and Azkaban is beginning to employ more human-based work so the Dementors are being handled."
"You mean ripped out of existence like ripping a tissue." Bellatrix said, shuddering at the thought of the spell she had seen used once before. "And that takes a lot of magic to do, so it's slow going in that regard. All in all, you've practically won already, Nick. We just have to destroy the remaining Horcruxes and then Voldemort himself. What are we missing there, again?"
"The diary Lucina should be able to find in her father's old library, now that Voldemort was keyed out of the wards when she put on her family ring. We already found and had the locket destroyed, as well as the ring and cup you had in your vault, love. That leaves Ravenclaw's diadem which you say you know the roundabout location of and the snake, which has been told to not have even had contact with Voldemort meaning there are only two Horcruxes left before Voldemort is left, virtually, mortal once again."
Nick nodded. "Yeah, it's a good thing Dumbledore just happened to have a hunch on where Nagini was, although I'm not totally surprised she is where she is. She's safer there, for now, anyway. We just have to make sure she stays away from Voldemort. A snake's tongue is a silver one, and Tom would have had his tongue turned into silver if he thought it would help him."
"So we're good, then? No need to worry about any more accidental Horcruxes, right?"
Rudolphus shuddered as he did every time he heard the usually forbidden word. "How can you all say that word without skiving out? And how the hell do you know Voldemort has created any, let alone.. you counted off six?"
"Be glad it's only six, or at the least that he hasn't actually tried creating any new ones to replace what's been destroyed. He feels it, every time we destroy the pieces of his soul he's let muck about, and right now for all his power he's barely a third year if he exerted himself, maybe fourth year."
"There's no way you could know where his power is resting right now, Nick. I think, maybe, we should just keep our ears open. By the way, Rudolphus, what the hell is your brother up to these days? He always shows back up at the common room with blisters and bandaged hands like he was carving wood or something."
Rudolphus shrugged. "I do not know, nor care, what that idiot is doing now. He is no longer a part of the Lestrange family, and therefore is not worth my time. Although it is suspicious you say that, because he hates such trades. Thinks his hands will win him fucking awards, he does."
"If whatever he's doing is anything similar to what Voldemort wants, then I say we need to be wary of Rabastan. There are a couple things that come to mind when carpentry-related injuries are involved."
"Your cryptic shite is aggravating as all hell, but somehow you always come out thinking ahead. How do you do it? A Seer's powers don't work at will and they don't remember anything they predict in the first place unless they hear it said back to them."
"Don't worry, Rudolph, we'll be fine. I'll investigate what I'm thinking myself, even. Hopefully not too late to stop something horrible from taking place."
Rudolphus clicked his tongue. "I trust you, even knowing you're still such a mystery to most of the other students. You haven't led these bumbling fools astray, after all."
"Say that again. What was that, Rudolphus?" Bellatrix frowned, arms crossed and one hand tapping her opposite forearm impatiently.
"N-nothing, Bellatrix. Sorry." Lestrange mumbled before the conversation resumed again.
Later, Slytherin Common Room..
"Ahem, Miss. Black? Mr. Negron?" Professor Slughorn said as he stood several feet away from the central couch located in the common room, where Bellatrix had initiated a making-out session with Nick.
The teacher smiled, amused as both teenagers jumped and separated, Bellatrix hiding the bottom portion of her face behind the back side of the couch. "Oh, hi professor! What brings you to our level?" She greeted him smoothly.
Slughorn chuckled. "Ah, you two together never cease to make me laugh. And feel proud of where our culture is going in the future. As for why I'm here interrupting your kissing," Both teens chuckled nervously at getting caught by their Head of House. "Dumbledore has sent for you, my boy, and there's an Aunt Euphemia here for Bellatrix."
"Euphemia Potter nee Black? Whatever business could she have with you, love?" Nick asked her, not knowing how Bellatrix got along with her aunt, James' mother.
Bellatrix shrugged with a frown. She hated not knowing things, even such trivial things as her aunt paying her a visit. It couldn't be that complicated, could it? "I'm not sure, honestly. Better see why the Lady Potter requests my presence. Go make sure Dumbledore isn't enabling Voldemort to keep going. We should really try to get rid of him before graduation. Well before it."
"I will absolutely make sure to get us all caught up in a blaze of death, not to worry." Nick said jokingly, although Slughorn's eyes widened comically.
"My word. The sense of humor on some of you youngsters these days." Slughorn said before taking his leave.
Bellatrix giggled once the professor was out of the common room. "That was so mean, Nick. You're going to give him nightmares, he knows just how powerful you could be."
Nick shrugged. "Gotta mess with the teachers now and then. Keep them on their toes, otherwise little shits that grow up to be future Voldemort's are cultured."
"Hmm, fair point. But still. Alright, wish me luck."
"Euphemia Potter is not as bad as people led me to believe before meeting her. Still, best not to keep a Lady waiting."
Shaking her head, she pressed one last kiss to Nick's cheek before bolting out of the room, Nick taking the easy way around and apparated into Dumbledore's office..
.. to a shocked headmaster and his pet phoenix, who promptly burst into flame from shock. Nick gaped at the sight even as he saw the now reborn bird shake Ash off its head. "Merlin, professor I'm so sorry." Nick apologized, even while chuckling behind his hand. "I know he couldn't possibly have been close to a rebirth already."
Dumbledore, even in his own shock, chuckled in response. "Yes, well. Fawkes was never one for surprises, I'm afraid. How are things with you and young Bellatrix?"
"Me and Bella are just fine, thanks. The real question is why did you summon me today?"
"Ever to the point. I have had some correspondence with my nephew about Nagini, and he believes that she was contacted recently by Voldemort. He says she didn't even pretend to listen to his Parseltongue, but you'd be the better judge. I was hoping you would accompany me,l to see her, just to see whether or not my paranoid claims are accurate."
Nick nodded. "Of course. I wouldn't mind that at all, it'll give me closure on how close we are to stopping Voldemort as it is."
Dumbledore nodded. "Good, then let us be on our way. My brother ensured his son would only be here for a short while." Nodding, Nick and the headmaster made their way out to Hogsmeade.
Entrance Hall..
Bellatrix reached the top of the stairs in the entrance, seeing her aunt right away standing near one of the many statues adorning the chamber. "Aunt Euphemia?" Bellatrix greeted cautiously.
The Potter matriarch turned around with a beaming smile aimed at Bellatrix. "Ah, Bellatrix! Merlin, you're absolutely gorgeous, nowhere near how James describes when I ask him."
"Well, he's my cousin and a lion, so we don't always get along, you know. What brings you to see me and not your son?"
"Ah, just needed to speak with you a little bit. The both of you. Nick isn't the only one holding back secrets, now is he?" Euphemia said knowingly, smirking at her niece. "Come now, your father surely told you he could never keep something from me."
"Of course not, you inherited the Seer genes like I did, but differently. But that doesn't answer my question. Why are you here? And what exactly do you know?"
"Oh, I know much more than even my husband knows about all this. And we know all about Nick being something of a time traveler. Or, more like I knew and had it further confirmed when I spoke to the young man after the attack on our manor." She smiled deviously. "Like I know all about your twin of sorts, the one whose mind has yet to fully integrate itself with your own."
"How do you know about me?" Trixie said, her voice leaving Bellatrix's mouth before she could stop herself.
"Ah, there she is. The cloned twin of a twin, brought to the future without magic only to be sent back home. My dear Trixie, who do you think allowed your older self to do what she did that day in the St. Mungo's maternity ward? I warned her it wasn't a stable thing to do, but Bellatrix always was a stubbornly determined one. So, I instructed her on exactly what to do to make sure nothing went wrong, where your infantile psyche instead would have been fractured and broken as you grew up."
"But why? Why allow such.. unethical shite happen? Oh, here we go with the accent again."
Euphemia giggled. "It is rather odd hearing two distinct accents coming from the niece I watched grown up, but I guess you deserve some answers as much as anybody. I did it, honestly speaking, in order to help stop Voldemort. I had already seen this Bellatrix Lestrange version of yourself and had corrected your course accordingly the first time Nick came around, or at least according to my Sight it looked that way. Hence why you and him got married, had a family, blah, blah, blah. But, that first time you all missed a crucial Horcrux, and Voldemort was allowed to be revived in the nineties anyway and you met with tragedy. The you I helped seventeen years ago was a desperate, broken soul, but I can see she meant well by how you handle yourself in this situation. Most girls, let alone people in general, wouldn't be able to cope with knowing they're only a Shadow of themselves."
"I am no one's shadow! Bellatrix and I may be the same person on a mental level, even a physical one when I still had my body, but we are different!"
"Really? Because it seems to me that you both are much more alike than you truly think. Take your shared love for Nick, which before this summer should only have been your affections, had you both not been the same person. The fact that, even as a separate entity you were still drawn to your future husband when you had no knowledge of such a future in the first place is telling. Even across time and space, Bellatrix Black and Nick Negron are, now that the loop established itself the way it did, soulmates, whatever versions of yourselves that manifests as. My point, Trixie, is that I knew you would eventually be present in this time, whether it was due to Nick's planning or not."
"It was all mine.. well.. my mom's planning, really. She went back to her own birth and created me, she raised me in an environment I shouldn't have even existed in for seventeen years. Where, may I add, I was happy, despite not dating Nick. Then he died. In my arms. I don't doubt that you know what it feels like to lose family, auntie, since I was present when my father, your brother died. But, that should have been it, I should have just moved on with my life, live it the way Nick would have wanted. But that wasn't even possible as not even a month later, my best friend decided to tell me she wants me to check out his room, to make sure there wasn't anything I wanted to keep because Nick's mom was going to pack it all away. Then I found those damn books, ones I had read over and over again, but different than ever before. Nick was in them, so much so the series could have been about him, not your yet to be born grandson! That was when something cracked, apparently being the seal on my magic and, with the added stress, my best friend cast a spell on me. I passed out and the next thing I knew, I was watching myself live in a totally different time period, location, everything! This situation is so unorthodox that I'm surprised Bellatrix isn't fucking nuts."
Euphemia frowned. "Grandson, eh? Odd, because I've been seeing nothing but girls in my family's future lately. No doubt another thing Nick's meddling has changed in the long run. Tell me, then, what you intend to do since you're stuck here, as you believe."
Bellatrix huffed. "Isn't that obvious, auntie? I'm going to make sure Nick, me, and the family we lost during the first cycle of this time loop survive and can be happy. After the heartache, stress, mind-boggling revelations, all I want is peace. I want to be with the boy I fell in love with when we were just Merlin-damned toddlers. What I intend, auntie, is to fight fate once again, but this time I'll win. No matter the cost."
Euphemia giggled. "Good. Just the kind of answer I'd expect from my niece. I have an offer for you, then, Trixie. You don't have to accept it, it's your decision. You don't even have to worry about it while you're here at school. Not really, at least."
"What do you want, aunt Euphemia?" Bellatrix asked, taking back control of herself.
"Simple, Bella dear. I want you and your lovely boyfriend to join us at the manor during your holiday. I believe your uncle would like to know just why I've been Seeing things about you lately. That is, if Nick thinks me and Fleamont can handle such.. explanations."
"You already know plenty about it, how does your husband not? And what about me?"
"Oh, Fleamont is more of a battle mage, not a thinker. He knows Nick is some kind of time traveler, but not that it's his death that originally brings him back here. As for you, dear, you've been a big part of my visions as of late. So much so that I thought it pertinent to speak to you before the holiday break. Now I see that it's because you're finally whole again, although I told your older self there was no guarantee the spell to reverse her cloning nonsense would in fact do the same as your beloved's spirit had. I'm glad it did, for I'd much like to know how your older self was, as you knew her. She truly wasn't in the best mind when last I left her."
Bellatrix was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, Trixie's good for that, if Nick wants to. It's technically Bellatrix's first formal meeting of the enigma that is Neela Negron. And Trixie already wants to interrogate her about whether or not she knows about all this time travel shite."
Euphemia nodded, smiling. "Yes, she does seem to be another constant of these new times. Alright, I'd better get going, then. Say hello to Nick for me." The older witch giggled at Bellatrix's sour look and walked out of the school, leaving the seventeen year old alone.
How much do you think she really knows? Trixie asked her other half mentally.
Bellatrix sighed as she went to go find something new to distract herself with until Nick came back from Dumbledore's. "If she's really the one who showed our older, much more broken self how to make the two of us exist in the first place? Euphemia Potter knows a fuckton more than we do already."
Dinner, Great Hall..
Bellatrix gasped and screamed slightly as her eyes were covered, a raspy but familiar voice whispering in her ear. "Guess who?"
Despite the chuckles of her sisters and younger brother sitting directly around her, Bellatrix felt embarrassed to the extreme at her reaction as she realized who it was playing around with her. "Nicky! Honestly?"
Nick laughed as his hands uncovered her eyes. "Couldn't resist. I missed you." He said, giving her a peck on the cheek as he sat down.
The girl smiled. "I missed you, too. Where have you been?"
"To see Dumbledore's nephew about a certain snake. All good on that front, by the way. How'd your talk with Lady Potter go?"
The other Black sisters looked at Bellatrix. "Auntie Euphemia was here?" Andromeda asked before regretting it, covering her mouth as she gagged. She had been feeling sick for several days now, but no one knew why- except possibly Nick and Bellatrix- since no one else had shown signs of ill health otherwise.
"Yes, she wanted to invite Nick and myself to the Potter manor for dinner over the holidays. I would have to iron out whether or not you lot can come as well, but you're family and we all know how James' parents are about family." Bellatrix looked over in Sirius' direction, knowing he would spend quite some time with the Potters anyway, having had his own room there- and sufficiently used it- for years already.
"That was all? Doesn't make sense with Euphemia. She had something else to speak to you about, didn't she? Something private?"
Bellatrix nodded, Trixie sighing about how easy it was for Nick to know what was bothering her in their mind. "Yes, nothing to worry about, though, promise. On another note, is everyone ready for their midterm exams? I'm honestly a bit nervous about them this year."
"Bellatrix Black is worried about her academics? For once? Oh no, mate, looks like you've been a bad influence on her." Regulus said from his spot, surprising the others due to his usual quiet nature during meals.
Nick smirked lightheartedly. "Yeah, maybe I have a little. Although, it's her own fault for falling behind in the first place, she studies like most Muggles do for university exams: way too hard and stressful without breaks. Hence why I take her out of the school-"
"Don't play that shite, mate," Laughed Severus, another surprise for Nick. "You took her to see a Quidditch match in bloody France last week. And you both came back much past curfew. You just enjoy playing hooky with Bellatrix."
"I don't see her complaining about going off school grounds. But, you are right in that I should have at least invited a couple more friends for the game."
"At least he acknowledges that." Came Sirius as he approached the table. "I mean, surely just your brothers-in-law, at least."
Bellatrix scoffed. "Not like you missed much. The two worst teams in the league matched together is still a horrible game to watch. Scenery was nice, though." She conceded, looking between her textbooks, notes and the plate of dinner in front of her, piled higher than Nick remembered Bellatrix ever eating before, but not a certain other young woman.
He leaned in close. "Trixie? Did you two merge minds together when I wasn't here today?"
Bellatrix just nodded. "Sounds splendid, love. Maybe tonight? There's been a few things you've been wanting to try, right?" She said mischievously, Sirius turning red at the insinuation.
"And I believe that's my cue to leave. Alright everyone, see you all tomorrow." Sirius said and promptly rushed back to the Gryffindor table, where both Nick and Bellatrix watched him tell the story to the other Marauders, all three laughing at his assumption
"That was dirty."
"He's my brother, he shouldn't be all up in our business, whether it's about our date to France or not. And to answer your other question, hon, yes. Was quite sudden, actually. Not long after Euphemia left. How could you tell? I thought I was playing my original self pretty well. And so did Bella."
Nick's eyes narrowed. "You're both still conscious?"
"Mhm. Kind of like an actual Jiminy Cricket situation, without a physical cricket obviously. We can switch between each other at will it seems, as well. Are you going to keep interrogating me on this right now or are you going to enjoy things as we always have in this time?"
Nick frowned but chuckled. "Alright, I get it. Just.. how did it happen?"
Bellatrix shook her head. "Later, hon. I'm kind of starving so can I just eat?"
Nick rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'm holding you to that explanation, though."
"Of course, dear." Trixie slipped back into the normal Bellatrix persona as she smiled at him. "So? How did your talk with the Lost Dumbledore go?"
"Good, actually. I spoke with Nagini, she's absolutely resolute about not leaving Aurelius' side. Apparently, they formed a familiar bond while she was still human, and Voldemort breaking that bond would have allowed him to otherwise force Nagini to be his familiar. So I also set up the same shields I did on my orphanage in Little Hangleton and-"
"Hang on. You built an orphanage? In the town of Voldemort's birth?" Nick nodded slowly, like he hadn't just said it. "Why the fuck?"
"Oh, it's where the old Gaunt Shack used to stand. I had it rebuilt and made an orphanage, named after Voldemort's father, too. In ironic mischief to Voldemort, of course." He smirked. "And as beneficiary of said establishment, I had to set up the wards. Voldemort can't do much as scratch the shields on that building. Well, property, really. Had to protect the children, the future of wizardry and all that."
"You're begging him to come kill you, Nick! You need to stop egging him on like this, at least for now. Wait until after you finish finding them." Bellatrix whispered the last bit, Nick nodding.
"Alright, alright, fine. How long until Holiday break?"
"Um.. another week and a half? Give or take a day."
"Alright, so that gives me time to catch up on those assignments I'm behind in. Starting tomorrow, of course. It's already been a long day."
Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix finished her plate, Nick straightening up in his seat as he had just looked at a full plate in front of her. "Where the fuck did your food go?"
"I ate it, obviously." The girl replied in a very Hermione voice. "Honestly, Nick, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings." She couldn't keep the impression going, breaking down into giggles as Nick finished his own food.
Andromeda and Narcissa looked at the couple, both girls sighing. "I wish Teddy could be here." Andromeda said.
"You chose to date an upperclassman, Andi. You'll be out of here in a couple years, you're a sixth year now."
"Yeah, I know, but.." She trailed off, drumming her stomach slightly. "No, you're right. Once I graduate, it'll be cake being with Ted." She smiled. "How about you, though. Severus and you were quite cozy at the Samhain Formal."
Narcissa blushed. "Well, I.. uh.. I don't know. Severus is nice, but he doesn't.. What's the word..? Oh, he doesn't really get compassion, yet. I want to try more, but-"
"Ah, go talk to him about it, then. Knowing Severus as long as we both have, he's probably as nervous as you are to say something. You know he's never been the most emboldened boy." Both sisters laughed. "He is good for you, though. I can see the appeal a Potions Master could have for you."
"It's not like that. I like Severus because he's actually really sweet. He only put on the nervous act because he was never really sure about joining in the Death Eater crowd. He's.. glad Nick talked him away from it all."
"Yes, as is the same with Rudolphus. It's strange seeing our sister and him near each other without wanting to rip each other's throats out."
"It really is. But, it's just more proof that Nick at least knows something about what he's doing. If you really believe him about it, that is."
"Oh, I know he's practically winging it every other day. But- as we've told him and Bellatrix- they're secrets, whatever they may be, are theirs to tell us when they feel we're ready. Which, honestly may not be anytime soon. Or, it could come as soon as he decides to take Voldemort out once and for all."
"I just hope he doesn't get killed. You remember what they told us about how that could potentially affect Bella.."
"Yeah.. What are you so worried about, anyway, Cissy? You're only a fifth year. You still have so much time to look forward to here at Hogwarts." Andromeda's tone switched from thoughtful to teasing, much to the annoyance of the youngest Black sister.
"Andi! You know I don't much care for the castle these days. Maybe once this Death Eater nonsense blows over, if it ever actually does."
"It will." Andromeda said, rubbing her stomach again. "It has to." For all of us and the future..
After Dinner..
"Andi, wait up!" Bellatrix said, quickening her steps to catch up with her sister.
Andromeda groaned as she stopped. "What, Bellatrix?" The middle Black sister had been crying, which had led Bellatrix to follow her out of the Great Hall, surprisingly ahead of the herd of other students.
Bellatrix frowned as she approached. "What happened? Why are you crying?"
"You're not our mother, Bellatrix, I don't have to tell you what's bothering me all the time."
That made Bellatrix mad. "I may not be our mother but she wasn't worthy of raising us for most of our lives! I was the one who took care of you, Cissy and Reggie when you were all sick. I'm the one who went out for the things all of us needed for school because Sirius was already basically living at auntie Euphemia's. I only ever have looked out for you and the rest of our siblings and you want to give me a shite attitude?!" She shouted, fuming.
Andromeda flinched back, her sister was never upset at her siblings unless she felt it was truly warranted, and maybe Andromeda had been a bit out of line. "I'm sorry, Bella.. things are.. tough to figure out, right now." She said, looking down.
Bellatrix frowned until she saw her sister rub her stomach. "Ohh.. I see now.. You're scared, aren't you? About the baby?"
Andromeda's head snapped up to look back at Bellatrix faster than lightning, eyes narrowed. "How do you..?"
"Please, if you keep rubbing your stomach like that, the whole school will know even before you actually start showing. Not to mention, Nick may have mentioned something about it happening around now. Why are you scared, sis?"
"Why shouldn't I be scared, Bella?! There's a war going on outside this school, and it's only seemingly drawing nearer the further along the year progresses. How can you or Nick guarantee this baby will even get a chance at life with all the shite that should be stressing you out even more than it is me going on around us?!"
"Because Nick has seen your child's potential, Andi. He knows there's a future, now for more of us than he thought possible before meeting us."
"That's another thing. How do you not find it suspicious that Nick walks into our lives and now everything that's been established in our lives is falling apart and being rebuilt like there isn't a chance he's actually the bad guy here? You, of all of us, who should be the most wary about him?"
"Nick has only helped us, Andromeda! He saved you and Narcissa from being married off to would-be Death Eaters. He saved me from being fucking raped on school grounds. He turned most of our society against the madman who had been gaining traction and is still somehow expecting to come out of this war on top. Yes, I'll admit he has knowledge of things he absolutely shouldn't." As do I. "But he has only ever used it to help stop his cousin. Even if he did something for personal gain," Like having me.. "I would still trust in him and his word to keep us safe as he has. Without him, the train ride into school may not have ended so well, and you fucking know that."
Andromeda sighed, nodding. "I know, alright? It's just.. There's so much new going on this year. Everything is changing, sides are being flipped.. Even you've changed this year. Add in the fact I'm going to be a sixteen year old mother.."
"Andi, I'm going to say this once, so please just listen. The teenage mother thing may seem like a problem, I get it. But, I'm glad it's you that wound up pregnant first. You're the best choice to be a mother right now, out of us three sisters."
"How do you figure that, Bella?"
"Simple. You're the most level-headed out of us. Cissy is smart, but she's still just a kid compared to us these days. Then there's me, I'm just mentally unbalanced right now, from father's death still. I'm not ready for a child, even if it is Nick's. Not yet. But you've already been proven to be a great mother, so stop doubting yourself and your situation. Honestly, even Nick says it becomes a bit of a problem in the future. I believe he used the phrase babies making babies."
That made Andromeda laugh. "So this isn't the worst thing that could happen to me, then? This baby?"
Bellatrix shook her head emphatically. "Not at all. The worst decision you could make would be to end that life before it could begin."
Andromeda sighed, nodding. "Alright, Bellatrix. I get it. I'll keep this baby, but you or Nick better spill those fucking secrets of yours eventually. At least to your family."
"We've been talking about it. You'll all see how insane the truth sounds soon enough. But, if anything does bother you, please come talk to me."
Andromeda smiled and hugged her sister tightly. "Of course, Bella. I'm sorry for snapping at you."
"Aw, it's alright little sister. It's just your hormones being out of control. Now, let's get back to the common room, eh? You can't be overstressing yourself."
"You're right.. Teddy doesn't know, yet.."
"He'll be ecstatic, love. I know it." With that, the two sisters continued making their way back to the Slytherin common room.
Nick's Room, Shortly After..
"Alright, alright. There's not much to really tell of.." Bellatrix said as she began recounting how she found herself fully together as both the Bellatrix and Trixie half merged into one unexpectedly.
Earlier That Day..
Bellatrix had just found herself in the courtyard, having left the entrance Hall and her short meeting with her aunt. She thought she heard Trixie say something, but that was drowned out by the sudden, deafening ringing Bellatrix began to hear. Without realizing, she collapsed onto one of the stone benches.
When she opened her eyes shortly thereafter, she realized she wasn't just herself. No, it was like she'd never even opened her eyes before as she looked around and suddenly knew much more about the castle and what could happen in the small semi-enclosed space she currently was. "Wait, why do I know about that? That hasn't.. happened yet.."
I think we merged. Suddenly, but that's the only thing I figure makes sense. Came Trixie's voice. Which means that now my voice shouldn't sound like it's going through the worst megaphone in the world. But how.. "Do we do that? Oh!" She covered her mouth. "Oh, this is trippy. Bella? You're still there, right?"
Of course I'm still here, what are you.. Oh.. Well, Nick's going to have fun with this, isn't he?
"Probably, if anyone's going to have fun with this, though, it's us. I think I can pull off a pretty good impression of you after these last few months stuck in your head, hearing and seeing everything."
I don't think.. Trixie, in total control of their body, ignored Bellatrix's insistence this wasn't a great revelation as she made her way towards the library. Bellatrix did tend to study quite a bit, after all..
Flashback End..
Nick just sat there, confused. "So it was literally like you passed out and then you were merged together? And now you two can basically swap each other out at will like flipping a switch?"
Bellatrix nodded where she sat on his bed, legs crossed. "Exactly. Although I'd explain it more as switching your gun out in one of your video games. I would think eventually we'll both settle into some kind of balance where we're just both.. us. At the same time. Instead of jumping between personalities at random or, more likely, under extreme stress to one mindset or the other."
Nick looked at her hard. "I.. seriously can't even tell whether it's actually Trixie I'm speaking to right now or Bellatrix. This has made the whole situation even more odd, hasn't it?"
The girl twirled her strand of red hair around her finger- Bellatrix's quirk- as she giggled. "Of course it has. Now, whether I'm Trixie or Bellatrix at any given moment shouldn't matter, should it? Right now, what is rather important to both sides of myself is kissing my betrothed." She giggled again.
"You are incredibly cute when you're trying to psych me out, actually. But, as the lady wishes." Nick chuckled as he leaned in and kissed her as she pulled him down into the bed, giggling all the while.
The Next Morning..
Nick woke up with a terrified yelp at the sight of a small house elf poking him, which awoke Bellatrix. "What? What the bloody hell- Dobby?! What are you doing here?"
"Mistress Bellatrix! Dobby was sent by Mistress Lucina from the Great Hall." Explained the elf, Bellatrix nodding for him to continue. "Master Nick has a letter and his falcon was very adamant about getting it delivered. Mistress Lucina was unable to coax the bird from parting with the letter, so she sent me to fetch the Master."
Nick groaned. "Ugh, when did I become the most ridiculously thorough villain from Doctor Who? Alright, thank you, Dobby. I'm sorry I yelled." He apologized as he got up to climb out of the bed. "Are you coming, love?" He asked Bellatrix, who nodded.
"Of course. Dobby, you may go. Tell Lucina we'll be around in just a minute and to give Adria treats. Little glutton won't calm down for anything less." Nodding, the house elf apparated from the room, allowing the teenage girl to get out of the bed herself, revealing she was out of the nightie she had been wearing just the night before.
Nick turned away, now realizing he really technically was looking at his oldest and closest friend naked bar the panties she wore. "Bella.." He managed to squeak out.
Bellatrix looked at herself and both sides of herself mentally screamed. "Oh, shite. I'm sorry, I'm usually first up and out of bed so you never see I sleep this way all the time. Now, explain to me why Trixie is dying of embarrassment because it is how she sleeps, too." The look on Nick's face answered her question as he was now the same scarlet as the Gryffindor crest. "Oh! Bloody hell that's a bit awkward then, innit?" Nick just left the room, still undressed but holding his clothes under one arm, making Bellatrix sigh. "What's so wrong with it? You were pretty hands-on last night!" This only added to Nick's embarrassment as the door closed behind him.
Great Hall..
Nick's embarrassment hadn't worn off by the time he reached the Great Hall, and the Marauders noticed his face as he sat down with the other Black sisters, Bellatrix still nowhere to be seen as of yet. "Looks like Bellatrix and him did something. He's as red as our house!" James cackled, even Sirius joining at the sight of Nick, red-faced.
At the Slytherin table, Narcissa giggled at Nick's face. "What did big sis do to you?"
"What makes you think Bellatrix did this?"
"You're obviously embarrassed, idiot. Like, enough to make even a little kid laugh at how red your face is. So, what did Bellatrix do to get you so worked up as such?"
Nick just turned away. "I plead the fifth, ask Bellatrix." He muttered as the sisters looked at each other.
"Baby, I'm sorry I surprised you like that." Bellatrix said, thankfully now fully clothed as she sat next to him. "I didn't realize you hadn't known yet. You're always so grabby of my womanly bits."
"Bella! Please stop talking! My embarrassment is already to the sun." Nick said, throwing his head down onto the table as Adria made her presence known, pecking at the top of his head. Hard. "Ow, fuck! Adria, down girl."
The small falcon stopped and dropped a letter in Nick's open palm, the boy looking at it for a moment before he recognized the handwriting. "It isn't already time, is it?" He asked himself as he opened the envelope and gazed at the contents with a sigh. "Fuck.."
"What's wrong, boo?" Bellatrix asked, her sisters nodding along and all three girls with identical worried frowns.
"It's nothing big. I told the head of the orphanage I founded when a child with a certain last name came into the system, knowing she would be routed into the orphanage itself since it's the only place compatible for orphaned children of wizards inside the country. There must have been a raid recently resulting in her parents' death. I wasn't expecting it for a few more years."
Bellatrix nodded. "Alright, but what's so special about this girl?"
"I don't think much, really, but she was a big source of trouble here in the castle when she attended in the eighties. You already know who I'm talking about, actually."
Bellatrix but her lip as she mentally asked Trixie what he was talking about, followed by a quick succession of memories to explain the answer to her question. "Merula? Wait, why does Snyde seem so familiar?"
"Snyde? Wasn't that the name of the couple that father had business with a few years ago? The ones who worked in the Auror Department?"
Bellatrix perked up at the mention. "Oh, yeah! They wanted to reverse engineer that gadget they have for finding articles of dark magic."
"The very same. It seems there really were moles in the Auror Corps. Surprised Moody hasn't gotten in touch with you about it, Nick."
Nick put his hands up. "I only told him there were moles. I didn't know exactly who they were." It wasn't a total lie, after all. "I didn't know the Snydes were even part of the Corps. But, now I have to go talk to that little girl.."
Lucina frowned from her seat, flipping her blonde hair behind her shoulder. "You're adopting the kid, aren't you?"
Bellatrix- more like Trixie- looked at him. "Nicky.."
"I have to, Bella. No one knows for sure what happened to Merula after she finished school, but most believe she spouted off Voldemort propaganda soon after and was imprisoned in Azkaban, dead by Dementors soon after. I'd rather not have that happen, I'm interested to see where a Merula raised better can go. But, I need to talk her out of getting revenge for her parents, first. It's the main reason she became just as much trouble as she did." Nick explained, folding the letter back up. "Guess it's another day missing out on study prep."
Bellatrix got to her feet. "Not alone, you don't. I'm not missing out on seeing you talk another would-be bully into a better person."
"Of course. Just remember that I have no idea what we're in for when we get there."
Bellatrix nodded. "That's fine, just take us there, dad." She giggled at Nick's now once-again red face.
"Your sense of humor is what's going to kill me, fuck Voldemort." Nick mumbled in response as he went to alert the headmaster about his and Bellatrix's trip to Little Hangleton.
"I give up! She's stubborn as all shit, even as a toddler who doesn't know better." Nick said, walking out of the small interview room, Bellatrix giggling.
"Let me guess, she thinks too highly of her parents and doesn't understand what they were doing wrong or why it was really wrong?"
"Exactly on the nose." Nick sighed.
Bellatrix looked towards him and then the door to the interview room. "Let me try. I am the daughter of another whose goals once aligned with those of her parents."
Nick waved his hand. "Fine. Can't believe my negotiation skills are negated by a child."
Bellatrix giggled. "Oh, Nicky. Be right back." She said and entered the interview room.
She was met with a small child of no more than four, obviously devastated over the loss of her parents. Her emerald green eyes shine with tears both she'd and not, and it looked like she had tousled her shorter, more of a pixie-cut chestnut brown hair, one bang hanging over one side in a lighter brown. The little girl grimaced at the seventh year Slytherin. "Who are you?"
Bellatrix smiled softly at her. "My name's Bellatrix Black, sweetie. What's yours?"
The little girl sniffed. "I'm Merula. Merula Snyde."
"Such a pretty name for a pretty girl. I'm sorry to hear about your parents, Merula. But that's sort of why I'm here." The girl narrowed her eyes. "See, your parents came to my father about some work a few years ago. Both me and my boyfriend, the boy in here before, just want to help you without the system making your life even more difficult than it is already. If you'll let me explain?" Bellatrix clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture as she asked, giving Merula a sweet smile.
Despite her hurt, the little girl found the older woman somewhat mesmerizing and nodded not long after. "O-okay. Then.. tell me why your friend told me my parents were bad people? They were the best parents ever!" Merula was sobbing again.
Bellatrix frowned. "Oh, sweetheart. Of course they were. But just because someone is a good parent doesn't mean that they're a good person. Your parents believed in a world where wizards were the only people in the world, no muggles at all. Unfortunately, and I agree with this, my boyfriend knows that's how the world of magic goes to die. Poof, gone from the world. And I know you couldn't possibly know why because you're so young. Would you like me to explain it? It's the only way you can really decide whether staying here or going home with me and my boyfriend is your best option."
The little girl snorted. "You two don't live together, you're barely old enough to be adults, even. You're both still in Hogwarts robes."
Bellatrix leaned back from the girl slightly, realizing this little girl was smarter than it would seem. She giggled lightly. "You would be correct about that. However, we're in our final year and Nick's family as well as mine are very well off. We'll have our own place by the end of next summer, even if he decides to build it himself. And because he knows me, it'll be a nice, spacious manor." She giggled again. "But in the meantime, you would go to live with Nick's mother. Seeing how she raised her son, you couldn't do much better with your current choices. But again, it's up to you."
Merula crossed her little arms and Bellatrix had to hold back how utterly adorable the girl looked. "Maybe I'll think about it. But, only if I think I can trust your reasoning behind why your boyfriend seems so sure about my parents being the bad guys."
"Understandable. Now, how much have your parents taught you about blood?"
"They told me families like ours deserve to rule over other wizarding families of lower status. Those with their power lessened by allowing muggle blood to sully them."
"You know, you have an impressive vocabulary, Merula. However, they were totally wrong. See, my boyfriend is very powerful. And, while he runs an Ancient and Noble House at our age, he has more power than even Dumbledore. In fact, it's quite possible that he's more powerful than his cousin, who I'm sure you've heard of from your parents in passing. Voldemort."
The little girl's eyes widened, looking at the door out of the room. "You mean.. that boy is.. related to the Dark Lord?"
"Yes, but he doesn't believe in any of that snake's promises. If there are no muggles left, Magic that exists naturally in the world, from which all witch and wizards get their power, needs fresh blood to fuse with in order for it to thrive in our world. Voldemort wants no more muggles and, if he succeeds, then magic itself will die in the world. Whether that means for both creatures and humans, we couldn't possibly foretell. Nick just wants the hate to end. He's a Muggleborn, you know. His ancestor in America where he's from married a muggle and it traces down to Nick now. And with his power, he stopped the giant attack on the Hogwarts Express in August."
The little girl gasped. Good, she knew of the incident. "By himself, mostly. Us other students only assisted in his plan.
"So you see, what your parents believed in, why people follow Voldemort, it will only make things worse for our kind. Take my family. We're Purebloods of the highest caliber, but we're not perfect or the most powerful out there. I'm a force to be reckoned with, and so are all of my siblings. But we were lucky. The generations of having children with our cousins, uncles, aunts, siblings, it's all paid a heavy toll on our magic, in different ways. Most Pureblood families only have one child to call an heir and it'll only go further down if they keep doing what they're doing. Do you understand what I mean?"
Merula nodded. "I think I do. But, why does your boyfriend care about me, then? I'm not special.."
"Of course you are, everyone is in their own unique ways. Take me, I'm mentally unbalanced in all reality, but you can't tell because both sides of myself are in sync, both with what we want and choose. Nick wants to save an innocent child from becoming someone who deserves to be thrown in jail instead of respected. I won't lie and say things will be easy, but Nick and I are still students, as you said. Either way, this is up to you, honey. You don't have to start a new life with me and him, and our ever-expanding family, but I would consider itore than your alternative. Some of these pricks out to adopt aren't looking out for the children, after all, even if they seem to."
Merula was silent for several seconds before speaking again. "I'll think about it. Can I at least do that?"
Bellatrix beamed, mentally cheering for herself. "Of course, sweetie. You just let them know to get in touch with Nick as soon as you choose, alright? He needs to know, since even though he owns this orphanage, he's not exempt from the process.
Bellatrix left the room, leaving a stunned Merula standing there. He owns this place? And he wants me out of all the children here..? Mama, papa, should I?
Outside the room, Bellatrix released a sigh. "That bad?" Nick asked from his seat nearby.
"No, she actually said she'd think about it all. I think I scared her a bit, really, telling her you're the owner of the orphanage."
Nick chuckled. "Brilliant. Scare tactics may not be your thing anymore, but it'll most likely still work. So, shall we get back to school?"
"Yeah, let's. This place isn't bad, but it still gives me a weird vibe."
Nick nodded. "Agreed. It seems the goblins could only remove most of the darkness that clung to this property. Hopefully the orphanage can work towards that darkness receding for good." Without another word, Nick apparated the two of them back to Hogwarts.