Harry sighed as he was rejected by yet another wand. He suspected his original had been taken by the version of himself from this timeline, and began to wonder if any of these wands would ever give in to him. The only other wand he'd been able to make proper use of was the Elder Wand that he and Voldemort had 'traded' back and forth across their many duels. He winced as Bellatrix sucked her teeth in impatience when he handed yet another dud back to poor Ollivander, and the man withered under her impetuous glare.
"Aunty Bella?" The wand maker had died in one of Harry's camps, where he should've been safe. The least he could do now to make it up to him was save him from the wrath of his overly affectionate 'aunt'. "Would you mind going about collecting the rest of my supplies whilst we keep trying here?"
"It shouldn't take this long," the woman snapped, causing Harry to flinch. "It never takes this long."
"There's never been a wizard like me before, either," he countered, and tried to ignore the pleased shiver that seemed to give her. "I'm sure it's partly my own fault as well, I won't settle for anything less than the best."
"Nor should you," she huffed. "Fine, I'll see to the rest of your things. I already have your measurements for Malkin's."
Harry blinked. When the bloody hell had she gotten those? "Alright, I'll-" he was cut off as she placed a far too lengthy kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you soon."
She gave him a nod and stormed out, her robes billowing in a way not unlike that of his former, now future, potions professor. Ollivander stole a glance away from the shelves for just a moment and Harry gave him a wink, receiving a grateful smile in return.
"I truly do apologise, young Master Black," the man said as he gave then immediately took back a wand. "It's never taken this long before."
"Just be certain that when you're reassuring future customers of their own wait times, you do it in such a way that's favourable to me," Harry joked. "You could say 'Why, the wonderful Hydrus Black took nearly five hours to find his wand, and just look at how he turned out!' for example."
Ollivander gave a good-natured chuckle. "Hopefully it won't take us that long, else we're only halfway there."
He froze up, however, as the door opened once more. Harry turned to see if Bellatrix was back but winced, holding up a hand to partially cover his face as he turned away. "Why don't you see to them, we've still got plenty of time. Do you mind if I use your loo in the meantime?"
"Oh, um, of course. Be careful not to touch anything, but just head through the back door there and it'll be on your right."
Harry quickly made his way out of the lobby, praying that his parents and the gaggle of children they had with them hadn't noticed him. The room he'd stepped into made the front of the shop look well organised by comparison. Boxes and bottles were scattered around the place haphazardly, plants that defied logic grew out of the walls and floors, and although Hydrus didn't actually see any, he swore he could smell imp sulphur.
He leaned back against the door to listen to what was being said.
"Ah! Lord Potter!" Ollivander called. "Nearly a foot of mahogany with a griffon's heart string, a real kicker that one. And Lady Potter, of course, ten and a quarter of willow with a unicorn's hair and just enough pixie dust to hold it together."
"Please, Ollivander, I'm here as a father not a lord." Harry's heart tightened at the sound of the man's voice. The only words he'd ever heard from it before were desperate screams, and ghostly whispers. "I hope we didn't scare that young man off?"
"Not at all, not at all." Ollivander assured him. "We've just been struggling to find a proper wand for him, taken nearly two hours now it has, the poor…"
The rest was too quiet for Harry to hear.
"Two hours!" a young voice cried out. "It's not going to take that long for me is it?"
"Of course not sweetie," his mother's voice said. Harry bit his lip. "I've never heard of it taking one, let alone two."
"Not losing your touch are you, old man?" James teased. "Be a shame if we have to start making trips to Ireland for our wands."
"Ha! I'd like to see the paddy bastards try and match my skill!"
"Language!"
Harry slid down the door till he was in a sitting position. All he'd ever wanted, all he'd ever needed, was on the other side of an inch and a half of oak and hinges, yet felt a million miles away.
"Anyhoo, he insisted I help you all out first given his predicament."
Harry listened as the family, his family, found a wand for their daughter. After a dozen or so attempts she settled on a nearly fourteen inch long wand made of yew and hippogriff feather. He heard the bell above the door ring, but Ollivander called out.
"May I have just a moment of your time, Lord Potter?"
"Of course."
Harry breathed out a sigh of frustration but stood. Hopefully this wouldn't take long.
"I was wondering, is your son still insistent on having a spare wand around?" Harry blinked. "Or has he finally settled into the one meant for him?"
"Ah." James sounded embarrassed. "Yes, the other is just collecting dust in storage."
"I don't suppose you'd mind if I bought it back from you?" Ollivander asked. "Call it the wandmaker's touch, but I do believe it might be the perfect fit for my latest problem child."
"Oh I see how it is." Once more his father had a teasing lilt to his voice. "I say you're losing your touch, but it's actually my fault?"
"How about a bet then?" Ollivander asked. "If it does indeed choose the young master, I'll have it back for no cost. If it doesn't, I'll let the rest of your flock have their wands half off."
"Deal!" Harry blinked. Just how many siblings did he have? "Poppums!"
"Poppums is here Master Potter!"
"Could you bring me Harry's spare wand?" Harry, no, Hydrus bit his tongue. "Should be-"
"In the socks drawer!" There was a pop and Hydrus could've sworn he heard Ollivander snicker. A few moments passed, then another crack. "Here it is Master Potter!"
"Thank you, Poppums."
"Thirteen and one-half inches, yew, phoenix feather core. Same phoenix whose feather is in young Harry's wand," Ollivander said with warmth in his voice, as if meeting an old friend again. "Perhaps he and the young master will become companions. Starting Hogwarts late, he is."
"Oh?" James asked. "Is he a fourthy too then?"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Which family?"
"Whoever said he was a pure blood?" Hydrus groaned as he realised that his father wouldn't give up the chase, not now that Ollivander was evading questions. "I don't give away customer's personal information."
"Might be the fact that you keep calling him 'young master'," James said. "Come on, Olli, for a favourite customer?"
"I have no favourites." The wandmaker's tone brokered no room for disagreement. "Now then, Lord Potter, I assure you I shall uphold our agreement."
"Fine, fine," his father grumbled. "You're lucky I won't be pulling out the auror badge."
"Hmph, we both know it'll take all of one letter back home from one of yours for you to figure out whomever the newest student at Hogwarts is."
"Exactly correct." Hydrus could hear the man smiling as he spoke. "Have a wonderful day."
"You as well, James."
His father's laugh at finally being called by his name brought another wave of unhealthy jealousy up in Hydrus, but he buried that away as Ollivander called for him to come back out. After a long breath to steady himself he did so.
"I hope you weren't touching anything back there," Ollivander said. "Dangerous reagents and what not."
"Nothing at all," Hydrus assured him. "I appreciate you minding my privacy."
"Bah, it was to annoy an old friend, nothing more. Go on then." He pushed the wand-sized box towards Hydrus. "Try it out."
Hydrus opened it and took out the wand. The same wand that had murdered the parents he'd just hid from. The same wand that had tortured him more times than he could count. The same wand that had brought the wizarding world to ruin. A single wave and a touch of his magic to temper it sent a stream of harmless, green foxfire throughout the room to Ollivander's delight.
"Aha! Losing my touch indeed!" The man's smile was nearly as bright as the fading flames around them. "What do you think?"
"It's perfect," Hydrus assured the man. "Seven Galleons?"
"For saving me from having to give that discount? We'll call it four."
"Seven it is." Hydrus placed the galleons on the counter. "For patience and privacy."
Hydrus ignored the man's scoff as he pulled up the hood of his cloak and clumsily slid the wand up his sleeve, completely unused to doing the manoeuvre whilst missing a hand. He exited the store and headed towards Madam Malkin's to see if Bellatrix was there or had visited yet. When he arrived he found the store had quite a few students getting fitted, none of which were Potters, luckily.
"Hogwarts?" A frazzled but smiling Malkin asked him.
"Depends, has Bellatrix Black been here yet?" he asked. The woman shook her head, looking at him curiously. "Then yes. I don't mind waiting for my turn, but if she arrives whilst I'm getting fitted, could you let her know I'm here?"
"Of course, dearie," She gestured towards some seats and Hydrus settled in. "Be right with you as soon as I can."
Hydrus settled in to wait his turn. A few people shot him curious looks as they joined him in waiting, but most of the muggleborns were too busy staring in awe at the magical lengths of tape that seemed to float back and forth across the store until called for, and the purebloods were much too proper to gawk at strangers. When it was finally his turn he waited till Malkin had closed the curtain before removing his cloak, earning a gasp.
"Oh my," she said. "You look just like a young Sirius Black."
"So I've been told," he said bemusedly. "As you might notice as well, I'll need some minor alterations to my shirt sleeves."
"What do you-, oh!" She finally noticed his missing arm and winced. "Yes, yes of course it won't be a problem. The robes as well?"
"No," he said simply. "I prefer them to be unaltered."
"Of course, dearie, of course." She held out her hand for a measuring tape but stopped at the sound of a bell. "Oh, I'll be right back."
A few seconds passed, and when she returned it was with Bellatrix in tow.
"There you are," the woman said, smiling. "Finally all set with your wand then?"
"Yes," Hydrus confirmed. "Bit of a story there, I'll explain later."
"So long as you're all set." Bellatrix pulled out a sheet of parchment and handed it to the tailor. "Here are his measurements, make sure to hem the left shirt sleeve, but leave it open. I want the works on the robes, the usual Black set of charms. Doubles of everything, and make sure that his name is sewn into the collars, Hydrus Black. H-Y-D-R-U-S. Bill the usual Black account, and have them delivered to the address at the bottom of the list there." Finally she turned to Hydrus. "Come along, love."
Hydrus stalled a moment to put his cloak back on, flashing an apologetic smile to Malkin for the abruptness before Bellatrix practically tore him away from the store. She didn't say anything else until they were at a shop he'd never gone in, though the smell told him exactly what it was.
"We'll be getting you an owl and a familiar," she said. "I've already gotten the approvals signed off by the board for you to have a proper familiar, but we might need to find another shop for that if this one doesn't have one. The owl should be simple enough."
"Very well," he agreed. "You alright, Aunt Bella?"
The woman blinked, staring at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You just seem a bit excited.
"Oh, Hydrus." She giggled, a sound that once filled him with dread but was slowly becoming normal to his ears. "If you think this is me being excited, just wait till it's time for Yule shopping. You'll see then just how excited I can get."
Hydrus swallowed but allowed Bellatrix to push him into the pet shop. She ignored the offer for help from the shopkeeper and took Hydrus towards the owl section. All manner of the raptors were in cages that left him feeling a bit miffed on their behalf, but his eyes had already begun fruitlessly searching for the snowy white owl that had once been one of his closest companions.
"What do you think of this one?" Bellatrix asked, gesturing towards a great horned owl who seemed to be staring down his beak at them. Most of its plumage was black, with just a speckling of white and brown throughout. It was certainly a handsome bird, but…
A squawk rang out and Hydrus turned. Her cage was on the floor, tucked away into the corner along with a few other owls that had apparently gone without being sold for too long. She was exactly as he remembered.
"Her." His voice was barely more than a whisper. He ignored Bella's own 'who?' amidst the owls' chorus, and made his way over to the cage. It was magically locked, but he didn't need his wand to over power it and tear the cage door open. Immediately she stepped out and hopped onto his shoulder as he stood. "This is my owl."
The bond wasn't there, not like it had been before. Instead of a mutual feeling of understanding and almost empathy between them, it was a one-sided desperation from his own magic trying to connect with hers. The owl had still felt it though, and seemed quite pleased with his admiration for her. He reached up a hand to stroke her feathers and she rewarded him by turning her head and gently nibbling on his fingers.
"Her name is Hedwig," he said. "I… I'd had my eye on her for some time, before I came home."
"Oh, Hydrus," Bellatrix crooned. "You should've just said so."
"I didn't know if she'd already been bought." The owl had moved on to preening his hair which elicited a small laugh from him. "It's a huge relief she hasn't."
"Oh!" Both Hydrus and Bellatrix turned to see the shopkeeper had come to find them. "I see you've made a decision."
"I have." Hydrus used a cold tone, one that did its job as the man winced. "It's a miracle that any of your wares are even still breathing given the state you keep this place in."
"W-, Well there's only so much space…"
"Get on with it, fool." Bellatrix snapped. "Are you going to ring us up or not?"
"Right away!"
The man practically ran away from them and Bellatrix giggled once more. "It's so fun to scare the weak ones."
"The ones who deserve it at any rate," Hydrus partially agreed. "Honestly, you'd think someone who expects to sell these animals would take better care of them, even if only to ensure they don't off themselves."
Bellatrix merely giggled once more and looped her arm into Hydrus's as they made their way to the front counter. He'd apparently distracted her enough to forget about getting him a second familiar; he was under no illusions as to what sort of creature she wanted him to have. They quickly paid a less than fair price for Hedwig on account of Bellatrix's half-threatening and half-bargaining words.
"Now then," Bellatrix said. "The rest of your school supplies should be arriving in the next few days. 'Hedwig', you'll need to head to the Black Summer Estate, in Stronsay. We have an owlery that's a bit bare, but we'll get that sorted, won't we Hydrus?"
"Yes, of course." He nodded and stroked Hedwig one more time. "Make sure to do some hunting while you're on your way, no need to rush straight home on a belly of nothing but whatever they fed you in there."
Hedwig shot him a look that seemed to say he hadn't needed to bother telling her to do that before taking off. He watched her go with a smile, warmth filling him at the sight of a long-lost friend returned to him at last.
"You really do love that silly little owl, don't you?" Bellatrix asked. "I think this is the happiest I've ever seen you."
Hydrus's face flushed at her gentle teasing. "Like I said, I'd been wanting her for a while. Its not half as easy to steal an owl as it is a book."
He'd convinced Bellatrix and her grandfather that his education had come in the form of borrowed and pilfered books, and the wandless magic he'd done to show how much he'd practised what the books taught him had left them impressed.
Bellatrix just hummed and started to pull him forward once more. "Come on, love, why don't we get some food of our own before heading back."
Hydrus still wasn't one-hundred percent sure what was behind that term of endearment, but he certainly wasn't about to sort it out here in Diagon Alley. They made their way to a restaurant that hadn't been standing in his own time, even before Voldemort's return, so he assumed it was yet another casualty of the original war against the dark lord.
Before long he was feasting on roast beef, carrots, and baked potato whilst doing his best to fend off Bellatrix's attempts to napkin off his lips before he could. The food was delicious, each bite carried strong tones of pepper and garlic but not much else. Even with the limited seasoning, compared to what he'd eaten on the run it was divine. The roast beef practically melted in his mouth, the potatoes were soft but with skins that almost crunched in his mouth, and the carrots gave wonderful sweetness to contrast the savoriness of the rest. A few bits of celery were piled in the corner of his plate, exiled away where such awful vegetables belonged. He tried pulling away from his 'date's attempts to wipe his face once more.
"Come on, Aunty," he practically begged. "Stop."
She giggled. "The more you fight it, the more I want to do it."
Hydrus tried to muster up a glare but she had already returned to taking a bite of her own dinner, leaving him hanging. He sighed and, very, very, carefully took another bite. There was a commotion at the door that he spared a single glance for before he tried to bury himself into Bellatrix's side to avoid being seen. He kept a cool expression to try and play it off however he could, but she still laughed.
"There," she started. "You're learning. If you just give me what I want from the beginning we could avoid all the silliness."
'Thank god for insanity,' Hydrus thought. 'Now just please seat them anywhere besides… just a few tables down from me.'
His silent prayers having been interrupted by spite, he was relieved when Bellatrix stood and waved for him to follow her. "Come along, Hydrus," she said, cold, hard, and just loud enough for the newly arrived Potters to hear. "The smell has gotten unbearable here."
Hydrus had already turned around to avoid seeing them or allowing them to see his face. He winced as he heard his father call back, "Good to see you too, Miss Black."
Lily could be heard muttering something disapproving to her husband but Hydrus didn't catch it as Bellatrix quickly paid for their meal and they left.
"Completely ruined the mood," Bellatrix said with a scowl. "Honestly, I can't believe your father gave up our family for him." Then she sighed and looked at Hydrus before playing with his hair, not unlike Hedwig had been doing a short while earlier. "At least Sirius did something right."
"Were you two close?" he asked, suddenly disturbed that perhaps he was Bellatrix's second choice of family members, and the whole new layer of wrongness that seemed to add to the situation. "You and my father?"
She scoffed. "Hardly, that boy was always an improper fool. I just never thought he'd go that far with his disturbances."
That was… a relief? It still left Hydrus with a strange taste in his mouth about the whole situation, but at least it wasn't worse than he thought.
"Now come along, love," the woman said. "It's been a long day, and you've been a good boy. Once we're back home you can play with your wand and show off what you can really do with it."
"Oh come on," he snapped aloud, to his own surprise, and to a fit of giggles from his 'aunty'.
"Come along!"
Sirius landed his broom, panting and scowling as his godson settled down beside him, snitch in hand. They were in the Potter's quidditch field playing catch the snitch, which hadn't been going well for him, as usual.
"What's that then?" Harry asked with his father's grin. "A hundred to none? Two hundred?"
"Laugh it up, brat." Sirius finally straightened up. "I'll tell your parents you were a menace while they were away."
"And who are they gonna believe?" the boy asked. "You? Or me, your baby sitter?"
"Hey!" Sirius began to chase the boy but by the time he'd managed to catch and grapple him into a headlock they'd nearly toppled into Lily who was looking down at them both, only half amused.
"Mum!" the boy cried. "Save me!"
"You dug your own grave."
She shook her head and made her way towards the den. Sirius cackled as he started to drag the boy back to the yard until the voice of his best friend cut him off.
"Get him, Potters!"
The next thing he knew he was at the bottom of a dog pile of his god children, his best friend, and even their house elf Poppums. He struggled to break free but they were relentless, especially the little ones who had death grips on his ankles. Time for his trump card then.
The sound of breaking glass elicited gasps from the entire bunch who ran off, except for Poppums who was still clinging to his wrist even as he stood. He'd only just managed to break free of her grip and brush himself off as Lily came bursting around the corner, murder in her eyes.
"What did you break?" she demanded.
"Nothing." He smiled and waved his wand, eliciting another sound of broken glass, then repeated it twice more for emphasis. "I just happen to know the only way to scare off a Potter is an angry Evans."
Lily snorted, but was appeased by the half-compliment. "Harry behave himself?"
Sirius followed her back into the den where she'd begun sorting out school supplies. "Of course he did. You know he'd never do anything I wouldn't do.
She levelled him with a stare that told him exactly how much that meant to her before getting back to work. This year they had Harry in his fourth year, Iris in her second, and Dahlia starting her first. Their twins, Remus and Sirius, names that had left their namesakes horrified, were still two years away from starting their own Hogwarts journey.
'Hydrus might be starting his fourth year,' Sirius thought morosely. 'If he's already able to apparate, maybe he's not too far behind.'
He still hadn't told any of his best friends about the child. He still wasn't sure if Hydrus was even his son. Sure the boy looked like he was and wore Sirius's scion ring without any issues, but maybe…
"By the way," Lily said. "Does Bellatrix have a son?"
"What?" he asked, startled and mildly worried that Lily might've been practising some legilimency without telling him. "No. She doesn't. Why do you ask?"
"You sure?" Lily doubled down. "We saw her today."
"I'm sorry," he said, not needing to know more for the apology to be warranted. "I hope she wasn't too horrible."
"Well, if she doesn't have a kid," James's voice chimed in, and Sirius turned to watch his friend enter before clapping him on the shoulder. "Then she might just be a cradle robber."
"Is that right?" Sirius asked, neutral as he could manage. "Why's that?"
"Looked like she had a kid 'round Iris's age hanging off her," James said, bemused. "Didn't get a good look at him, but she certainly seemed affectionate. Called him Hydrus"
Sirius ignored the man wiggling his eyebrows at him and stole a glance at Lily only to grimace and look away, too slow.
"Sirius Orion Black," Lily started. "What aren't you telling us?"
James immediately began to scoot away from him, the coward. Sirius sighed. "It, er, he… He might be my son."
"What?" James asked, mouth agape.
"I don't know!" Sirius threw up his hands. "He just showed up out of the blue, I have no idea!"
James looked like he was going to tear into him for more information, but to both men's surprise it was Lily who came to his rescue. "When did you find out?" she asked in a gentle, understanding tone. "Why didn't you tell us?"
Sirius ran a hand through his hair and sat down on a couch, refusing to meet either one of his friends' eyes. "Just a few days ago. Kid shows up in my apartment in the middle of the night, waits for me to wake up, then tells me to introduce him to my family. I… I just panicked. Gave him my old scion ring and before I could even warn him what would happen if he weren't actually a Black he stuck it on and… And it fit. God he looks just like me." Sirius buried his face in hands, finally letting loose the stress that had been wearing down on him this past week or so. "He… He said his mother's dead. Never met her, nothing. I didn't even know he existed and he wants nothing to do with me."
"Oh, Siri." Lily had moved over to sit beside him wrapping him a hug. "Be honest with me, did he really say that?"
"He might as well have."
"Sounds like he didn't." Lily said, rubbing small circles along his back. "I'm sure this is a lot for both of you."
"Us too," James chimed in. "Can't believe we're already grandpare-, OOF." Sirius had managed to snap out a smack that caught his best mate directly between the legs, forcing him to wheeze out a, "Bastard."
Sirius snorted. "You were done having kids anyways."
"Unlike you apparently," James shot back.
"I'd say that was a low blow, but turnabout and all that."
They laughed, or at least, Sirius laughed and James made a squeaking sound that resembled laughter as he took a seat beside him. Sirius took a few calming breaths and nodded his head as Lily pulled back.
"His name is Hydrus, right?" Lily asked. "What was he like?"
Sirius shrugged. "Like I said, he looks even more like me than Harry looks like James. The whole time we talked he just seemed… I don't know, bored? Like how we would act when Binns would ask a question and we'd make up some answer on the spot. I think he might be missing one of his arms, but when I asked him about it he told me to budge off."
"How old is he?" James asked. "Like I said, he seemed around Iris's age."
"Around there, I think. Maybe a little older." Sirius shrugged. "He said he grew up homeless, so maybe he's just small for his age."
Lily hummed. "Is he magical? If he was in Britain, shouldn't he have gotten a Hogwarts letter? There's no Blacks enrolled."
"He's definitely magical. Even did some wandless magic, a bit of levitation."
"I wonder…" James started. "The Blacks get on fine with Ollivander?"
Sirius shrugged. "Buy their wands there. He was always polite."
"You think he's the one who was stuck there?" Lily asked. Seeing Sirius's confused expression, she explained what happened at the wand maker's. "And what did he say to you afterwards anyway, James?"
"He asked if he could have that spare wand we got Harry back." James said, scratching the stubble on his chin. "Said he thought it might be a good match for that kid."
"It would certainly fit." Lily laughed. "Only you two idiots' sons would have brother wands."
Something about that made Sirius smile, and he hoped it were true.
"I hope not," James contradicted. "We made a bet that if it weren't a good fit, he'd give us half-off on the twins' wands."
Lily cocked an eyebrow at him. "And what exactly did you gamble in return?"
"Just that if it were he wouldn't pay us anything to get the wand back," he said. "Considering he shouldn't have sold it in the first place, I didn't think it was a bad risk."
"This is why I handle our investments."
The two began to playfully banter back and forth while Sirius thought some more. 'Money. Power. Connections.' Sure he had much, much smaller amounts of those things, but he could've tried harder to win the boy over. Why couldn't Hydrus have shown up after Sirius had had his morning coffee?
"Alright there, mate?" James asked.
Sirius just nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about… everything. Did he seem happy?"
"Didn't really get the best look at him," Lily said apologetically. "He was kind of…"
"Clinging to Bellatrix like a koala?" James supplied, bemused. "Maybe he's just a momma's boy."
"That creature has as much maternal instinct as a rattlesnake," Sirius said. "I just hope she isn't trying to seduce him."
"Sirius!" Lily said, aghast. "She's your cousin and he's half her age!"
"We're Blacks," he muttered. "We've married closer. See my mother, for example."
"Shame they don't all have the sense of Aunt Dorea," James said, referencing Dorea Potter nee Black who had married James's uncle Charlus. "Now there's a woman who knew how to pick 'em, right Lily?"
"Why don't I talk to Albus," Lily suggested, obviously desperate to get away from the topic of statutory incest. "See if we can find out more about the boy, see if we can get him enrolled."
"If he's getting a wand here in Britain, chances are that he already is," James said. "Wait till he finds out his Aunt Lily is his Charms teacher."
"Assistant, Charms teacher," Lily corrected. "Filius isn't retiring any time soon."
"Three Potters, half a dozen Weasleys, and the son of Sirius Black, with another two Potters on the way?" James asked, mockery in his voice. "We'll be lucky if he makes it past yule break!"
"I'll miss you," Bellatrix whispered in Hydrus's ear, pressing her chest against his back as they lay in bed. She pitched up her voice and asked, "Are you going to miss your Aunty Bella?"
Hydrus shivered. "Yes, Aunty Bella."
He really wished she would make up her mind between seducing and mothering him. Thus far her less-than-clothed late night cuddling and the occasional kiss on the cheek were all she'd done, but every once in a while it felt like she was about to eat him alive the way she stared at him. Unlike in his past life, there wasn't any actual cannibalism behind it these days.
The woman had been trying, and failing, to get a position at Hogwarts. First trying for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, and then just about any other. It seemed in this timeline the board of directors was slightly less corrupt, which was almost as incredible to Hydrus as the lack of Voldemort. It was certainly less believable.
"Be honest with me," the woman said. "Do you wish that I wouldn't do this?"
Hydrus hesitated. "I don't mind."
"You don't mind, or you enjoy it?"
Did his fourteen year old body enjoy having a beautiful and well endowed woman cuddled up to him in the nude? Yes. Did the thirty-some-odd year old dark lord slayer enjoy the companionship? Yes. Was it still giving him the heebie-jeebies? Absolutely yes.
Bellatrix hummed and spoke again, "I just want you to know that no matter what you want." She ran her hand along his chest. "No matter what you need." Her hand began to drift a bit lower. "I'll be there for you."
Hydrus took hold of the hand, not wanting to risk her slipping it beneath his waistband. "How about just a friend?"
Bellatrix whined.
"To start." He swallowed. "I've gotten on fine enough without a mother all these years, I don't need one now. Nor do I need to start my first ever year of schooling on the backfoot because of rumours that I've gotten engaged to my father's cousin."
The woman giggled. "Already thinking of marriage, huh?"
"Doesn't…" Hydrus sighed. "Doesn't the fact that I'm a fourteen year old child bother you?"
"Hmmm…" She traced a finger from her free hand up and down his chest. "It's not ideal, but I'm not here for your body. It's your power. I've felt it, practically tasted it. That's what makes me want you."
Hydrus shivered. 'Definitely done straddling that line then.'
"Besides, it's not like I'll be your only wife."
"Wait, what?"
Bellatrix giggled. "We'll be lucky if I manage to have a child of my own, especially if we wait until you're legal to be wed. You have a duty to this family to ensure an heir, and better yet, multiple descendants."
'Oh god,' he thought. 'She's going to…'
"Don't you worry," she purred into his ear. "Your Aunty Bella will make sure to find only the best for her little Hydrus."
'Smashing idea, Harry,' he complained to his past self. 'Make yourself into Sirius's son, that way you can take over the house and use the connections and wealth to put a dent in Voldemort's followers. No way that'll backfire. No way that'll put Bellatrix LeStrange in your bed. No way that'll get you entangled in multiple marriage contracts. No way that'll-'
Bellatrix had leaned over and kissed him, on the lips this time. He froze up. Luckily she had enough restraint to keep her tongue to herself, but still. Finally she pulled away. "Good night, sweet dreams."
"Good night," he managed to whisper back.
