Harry stared at the retreating backs of his future father and godfather. What did they know? How much had Orion told Sirius and how much had Sirius told James? Probably everything he knew-and a little more besides. Shaking his head, Harry continued to his chambers and opened the door, letting himself in. He paused after shutting the door behind him to scan the room. Bellatrix was lying on the couch, apparently asleep. Deciding that Bellatrix probably needed all the sleep she could get, Harry opted not to disturb her.
"How did the meeting go?" she asked, surprising Harry. Apparently she was only lying on the couch with her eyes shut, or perhaps had been dozing only lightly.
"Well enough," said Harry. "Orion and Cygnus seem to know what they're doing. They seem to have some good plans to start on once your father's becoming Minister is official."
"What about us?" Bellatrix asked. "What are we going to be doing?"
"Not too much," Harry admitted. "At least, not so much until the term ends here. Mostly, we're going to keep an eye out for any further recruitment among the student body. We'll also let your uncle know about Professor Dumbledore's activities."
"I guess that makes us spies," Bellatrix observed as she opened her eyes and sat up on the couch. "What happens during the summer?"
"Life will get more interesting," Harry said, "at least for me. Orion has plans, and of course, I'll be free to pursue some of my own plans. I don't know what plans your family has for you."
"It doesn't matter what plans they have for me," Bellatrix retorted. "I'm seventeen. That means I can make my own plans for the summer."
"Indeed," said Harry as he sat next to her on the couch. "You can make your own plans, but should you?"
Bellatrix chose to ignore that comment. "If you're not invited to move in with my family or my uncle's family, I'm inclined to move in with you."
Harry wasn't sure how much he liked that idea. It was true that Bellatrix spent a great deal of time in his personal living quarters, but becoming roommates sounded a little too intimate for him. Fortunately, though, Harry had a way to dodge the proposal. "I don't really have a place for you or me to move into."
"I guess we'll have to hope that you get invited to live with us," Bellatrix said. "Though, it isn't all that hard to find a flat for the right price."
There was a moment of silence before Bellatrix continued the conversation. "Did my uncle speak to you about anything else?"
Harry's mind flashed back to the conversation about an arranged marriage. However, he wasn't about to bring that up with Bellatrix. "The fight against Voldemort was pretty much it."
"Really? That was all? He didn't ask about anything else?" Bellatrix inquired.
"I don't know," said Harry. "Do you know if your uncle has told your cousin Sirius very much about this fight?"
Bellatrix wasn't pleased with the change of topic, but she was also curious enough to find out why Harry would bring up Sirius. "I think he told him enough about why he's supposed to be my bodyguard," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, well, he and James Potter were waiting for me outside the door there. They assured me that I had their support in the coming 'difficulties,'" Harry told Bellatrix.
"Oh great," Bellatrix grumbled. "Uncle Orion probably told Sirius too much, not realizing that the twerp tells James Potter everything. Those other two creeps probably know everything, too."
"Interesting," said Harry.
"I think a memory charm is in order," Bellatrix said. "How good are you at those?"
"I don't think we need to memory charm anybody," said Harry, obscurely defending his father and his friends from Bellatrix's enthusiasm. "Besides, they could be useful."
"Maybe," Bellatrix grumbled.
"It's nearly time for dinner," Harry observed. "Why don't you head down to the Great Hall? We can catch up later."
.....
Bellatrix strode into the Great Hall just as dinner was served. Out of habit, she made her way toward the Slytherin table before remembering that she was now residing with Gryffindor House. Casually correcting herself, she made her way to the Gryffindor table and assumed a seat next to her cousin Sirius.
"Fancy meeting you here," Sirius said with a smirk on his face.
"Shut it or I'll hex you," Bellatrix growled. It wasn't so much her cousin's behavior that was irking her. It was the looks she was receiving from the students of Slytherin House. They were shocked that Bellatrix Black was sitting at the Gryffindor table. Even Bellatrix's sister Narcissa seemed surprised at the move. Apparently, Orion had not spoken to her. Bellatrix's other sister, Andromeda, was nowhere to be seen. Orion had probably not spoken to her either, though her reaction would have been the same either way. Andromeda had ceased from caring about Bellatrix and Narcissa's social life long ago.
James Potter, seated on the other side of Sirius, leaned forward and got Bellatrix's attention. "We're ready to help you and Professor Ashworth," he said.
"Pray tell," Bellatrix said snidely, "what did you have in mind?"
"I was hoping you'd tell us," James said, trying to maintain his dignity.
"Practice up on your killing curse," Bellatrix said sarcastically. "Next time Ashworth and I go out, we'll take you along. We might bag a few dark followers."
"You don't need to be so snippy about it," Sirius said. "James is only trying to be helpful. Right, James?"
"Yeah, helpful," James confirmed.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll let you know when I need help."
"Actually," James said pompously, "your uncle already told Sirius that you need your back watched. We'll do that gladly. We're also interested in helping you and Professor Ashworth together."
"Great," said Bellatrix, "I'll let you know when both I and Ashworth need help. Happy?"
"I guess," said James. "It's just that-"
Bellatrix held up her hand. "Be quiet. I want to eat."
Silenced reigned between the three for the duration of the meal, though Bellatrix's ire continually grew. It wasn't directed at James or Sirius, however. The whisperings of the Slytherins as they looked and pointed out Bellatrix made her angry. A twisted sort of paranoia overcame Bellatrix, and by the time the meal had nearly ended, she had concluded that they were all followers of the dark lord in training.
Bellatrix spoke up just as James and Sirius got up to leave. "I've decided that Ashworth and I need your help."
Sirius sniggered at Bellatrix's sudden change of mind, but James reacted eagerly. "Really? What can we do?"
"We're going to spy on the Slytherins and find out which ones are involved in… uh… bad business. Then we'll make their lives miserable."
Sirius, though hesitant at first to get involved, thought this sounded slightly fun. "Can we tell Remus and Peter? I'm sure they'll want to help."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Bellatrix said. "Meet me in the Gryffindor common room just after curfew. We'll draw up some plans."
.....
"I want for every witch and wizard in Britain to know that it is my goal to ensure stability in our society and government," proclaimed Cygnus Black as his echoing voice was magically amplified and carried through the halls of the Ministry of Magic. "As your Minister for Magic, I will fight to preserve what is ours from those who might usurp our rights."
Alastor Moody scowled as he stalked through the halls of the Ministry toward the main offices of Magical Law Enforcement. It wasn't necessarily the politically-motivated drivel Minister Black was spouting in his inaugural speech that annoyed Moody, it was that everyone seemed so pleased by what they were hearing. Both purebloods and muggleborns alike seemed happy with Minister Black's goals. What is stability and who might usurp our rights? he wondered.
"It won't be easy," reverberated Minister Black's voice, "but I know that with the help of each employee of the Ministry, we can maintain our goals. Thank you." Applause followed. Though not amplified, Moody could hear it coming from the main Ministry atrium in which Minister Black had delivered his speech.
Director Foxe's secretary was not at her desk-Moody had seen her in the atrium, though Andrew Foxe himself had been conspicuously absent. For that reason, Moody had come to his office to see if the Director of Magical Law Enforcement had any inside information to share.
Moody opened the door and stalked into Director Foxe's office, stopping almost immediately to stare at the disorganized condition of the office. It was strewn with half-filled boxes and rubbish bins. It appeared that Director Foxe was moving out. The man himself stood next to his window, looking down into the atrium at the crowd surrounding Minister Black.
"Andrew?" Moody asked.
....
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