Sirius smirked at the frown tugging at the corners of his oldest friend's mouth. "Clearly, James has the 'Bad Auror' bit down pat," Sirius said cheekily to Albus, "but wouldn't it make more sense for Lily to be the 'Good Auror'? She and Bella were roommates, albeit briefly."
"Setting aside the fact that you are actually an Auror, Sirius," Albus chuckled, eyes twinkling at James' sour face, "I daresay Lady Black would expect to find collusion between a pair of old Marauders like you and James. So we meet her expectations. And she'd be disappointed in you, Sirius, as a member of the Black family, if she suspected you lacked ulterior motives."
"Whereas a wide-eyed, guileless muggleborn like me," Lily asked disapprovingly, "would somehow appear to be a perfect confidante for Bellatrix?"
"After your rescue from Malfoy Manor," Albus said to Lily, turning serious, "you do owe her a life debt, which may make her feel that she can better afford to confide in you. Moreover, as you are one of the two most brilliant arithmeticians I've ever had to the pleasure to teach," Albus added, eyes twinkling again, "Bellatrix may see you as a useful resource."
You need a new line, Albus, Lily thought to herself, annoyed with Dumbledore's overreliance on grandfatherly flattery, the Brightest Witch of Her Age has heard that one a million times. "Perhaps, Professor," Lily replied, rolling her eyes. "But please, remind me, again. Are we planning a dinner party or presiding over a war council?"
"Both, Mrs. Potter," Dumbledore said, giving his brilliant former student a knowing smile, "as you are very well aware."
"Besides," Sirius added, smirking, "in the long tradition of the Ancient and Noble House of Black, family meals have always been more a function of allegiances and betrayals than steak and roasted potatoes."
"Sharp knives and fresh meat are always on the menu, though," James muttered.
.....
Harry and Bellatrix stood across the street from 12 Grimmauld Place as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving snow-covered London to freeze in the winter night air. A myriad of delicately cast spells concealed the couple from view while they stood watch over the house that had been left mostly abandoned since Walburga Black's suicide.
"Who would even want to have a dinner party in that place?" Harry grumbled as he clenched his fists and drove them into the pockets of his coat in an effort to keep his hands warm. His memories of Grimmauld Place from his native timeline still predominated in his mind over any other memory. It had been a miserable, dirty place that he had spent far too much time hiding in.
"I recall you attending a dinner party there," Bellatrix said lightly, reminding him that the house had seen good times-or at least times when it had been in better repair. "Besides, I think the Order members keep their houses very private and secure. I do not think I qualify as a trusted friend of the Potter family quite yet."
"Yes, you kind of burned the bridges with your mother-in-law while you shared a dorm with her, didn't you?" Harry snickered, glancing quickly at Bellatrix with a smile before returning his focus to Grimmauld Place.
Bellatrix shrugged. "You cannot deny that her precociousness drove you crazy."
Harry wrinkled his nose and frowned at his wife. "It never pays to underestimate an ingenious muggleborn witch."
"Do not look at me that way," Bellatrix retorted. "You are an orphan, for Merlin's sake. If Lily Potter had raised you, it could have been a disaster. Look at Rose-she is a total creeper. As for Sidra… Kreacher likes her. What does that say about her?"
"I'll wait until I've had the chance to more formally get to know or hear firsthand gossip about my pseudo-siblings before passing judgment," Harry said stiffly, feeling oddly defensive over Bellatrix's comments concerning his family. "Besides, I was always told that the reason I survived Tom's Killing Curse as a child was somehow because of Lily's willingness to sacrifice herself for me. If that's true, it means that Lily Potter, while in her early twenties, orchestrated the destruction of Tom Riddle's mortal body, at the very height of his power, no less. No one else who ever opposed him-including Dumbledore, and for that matter, me-managed that feat."
Bellatrix arched her eyebrow in thought, impressed despite herself, even as she replied with reflexive sarcasm, "I didn't realize that crush she had on you was so mutual."
Scowling, Harry turned to look at Bellatrix, noting the thoughtful expression on her face. Realizing that his wife's tongue had yet again gotten the better of her, Harry said in an exasperated tone, "I can see your brain is engaged and working. But your mouth still seems to have a mind of its own."
Embarrassed by her lack of premeditation, Bellatrix felt her checks grow flush, even as she glared at her husband, matching Harry's scowl with one of her own. Realizing that he'd gotten his point across, Harry softened his expression and raised his eyebrows. Bellatrix's face remained stubbornly stony, making Harry smirk while Bellatrix furrowed her brows in annoyance.
Laughing to himself silently, Harry suddenly crushed his lips against hers, making Bellatrix breathlessly stumble even as she felt her body respond. I can't control this reflex either, she thought wistfully, wrapping arms around Harry and pressing herself against his chest.