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Chapter Text

Everyone knows the tale of the boy who lived. His valiant rise to stardom and eventual defeat of the Dark Lord, not once, but twice. Witches and Wizards all over the world rejoiced and celebrated, praying that such dark times would never come again. Harry Potter is the savior of the wizarding world. But what if his story had happened a little differently?

Before the young boy ever learned he was a wizard, ever learned of the world that was robbed of him, he lived in a cupboard under the stairs. Bullied by his surviving family, he wished every day that something would change, but hope died a little every day. His only friends the spiders spinning webs above his head.

Hundreds of kilometers away from the boy, something would happen that would change the boy's life forever.

A few weeks before the half-giant Hagrid came to deliver the boy his acceptance letter, far away in the North Sea, Bellatrix Lestrange escaped Azkaban. It took the combined effort of three years for her escape to come to fruition, years of planning and failure until that fateful night. Bellatrix had always been a clever witch, using her intellect and charisma to rise in the ranks of Voldemort’s army. But escaping from Azkaban took more than intelligence, it took time.

While wasting away in the small cells that made up the prison, her happiness and strength sucked out daily by the Dementors, she came to a realization. When she was younger, she remembered that her cousin Sirius had trained to become an Animagus. Supposedly it was to spend more time with his friends, but she never cared, until now. With little strength, and no knowledge, it took some time for her to figure out how to transform. Every time she got close, the dementors made her start over at step one.

Bellatrix thought of her old transfiguration professor, how she was able to transform into a cat at will. She hated her past self for not paying more attention to the lessons, hate being the only emotion allowed to fester at Azkaban. The process she followed was different from other Animagi, but it worked all the same. Magic was funny like that. Using the last of her strength, she managed to transform into a cat for five seconds. Not enough time to alert the guards, but enough time that she could gain hope. It was that hope that kept her going.

Soon, five seconds became ten, and then a minute and before long she could hold it as long as she wanted. Bellatrix didn’t get much time to taste her new abilities, due to the frequent visits from the Dementors, but she was confident that it didn’t matter. One night, during a rotation of guards, she transformed into her cat form and escaped.

Her tiny legs ran across the stone floor, weaving around corners whenever she saw someone. She absentmindedly thought about visiting her husband, or her cousin, but she didn’t have the strength. Reaching the edge, she peered over into the darkness. All that could be heard was the crashing of waves, and the sound of screaming somewhere below. Using the last of her strength, she searched for some sign of her master, the Dark Lord Voldemort.

When the news first reached her, she couldn’t believe it. The most powerful Dark wizard ever to live, defeated by a child? There was no way that could be true. But it was, whether Bellatrix wanted to believe it or not. Holding onto the hope that she was right, and the world was wrong, she magically reached out to her master and found nothing. If he was alive, he didn’t care to come for her.

Her eyes clenched shut in concentration, she wouldn’t have noticed the approaching Dementor if not for the chill that ran up her fur-covered spine. Thankfully, her efforts were not in vain. She managed to find a small trace of her master, something she could latch onto. As she blacked out from exhaustion, she Apparated toward that source. The chill of the Dementors faded away, as she succumbed to the cold of a summer's night.

The next day, Bellatrix found herself laying on the sidewalk of a small British village. Identical houses lined the road, with trimmed hedges and perfectly mowed lawns. She raised her feline head and stretched, looking around her. Bellatrix wondered why she felt her master’s presence on this street. Maybe she had failed to Apparate properly, it was nearly impossible to do without a wand. Her master could be miles away.

Using her magic to search for that presence again told her that she hadn’t failed, her master could be felt nearby. Feeling around for the source, her eyes focused on a young boy picking weeds in the front yard of his house. Many who would come to know this tale would have instantly recognized the boy who lived at number 4 Privet Drive, but not Bellatrix. She stared at him curiously, watching his thin fingers dig into the dirt.

He had jet-black hair and a wiry frame. On his face, he had circular glasses—the middle nosepiece fixed with tape—covering bright green eyes. His clothes were shabby and poor fitting, hanging off his body like rags. Bellatrix was surprised that the boy decided to wear a sweater on a hot summer’s day, but she didn’t know that he had no other clothes for outside work. As the young boy turned around and wiped his brow, her eyes locked onto the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

Anger and hatred almost overtook her. It took everything she had left not to turn back into her human form and kill him with her bare hands. Were it not for her own morbid curiosity, she might have done it. She watched as the boy continued to pull weeds, not noticing the angry cat glaring at him from across the street. Still not fully understanding what was happening, Bellatrix closed her eyes and focused on her master’s presence, but when she opened her eyes, she only saw Harry Potter.

The front door to number 4 slammed open as Harry’s aunt ran outside. She grabbed him by the ear and pulled him inside, angrily whispering quiet enough that Bellatrix couldn’t hear. Curious, she snuck closer until she was hidden in the flowers beneath their front window. Yelling could be heard from inside, but it was a useless string of insults and garbled sounds that disappointed the tired witch. Annoyed that the drama inside was boring, she found herself enjoying the cool shade she was hidden in. After curling up to get comfortable in the dirt, Bellatrix drifted off to sleep.

Snapping awake, Bellatrix felt a pair of eyes on her. She wasn’t sure how long she had slept, but she still felt tired and sore. Afraid that her animagus form had dropped in her sleep, she sprang up and turned toward the intruder. But her form had stayed, and the pair of wandering eyes were more curious than intrusive. Kneeling on his aunt and uncle’s porch, Harry watched the cat spring to life. His bright green eyes were widened by fear, afraid that he had disturbed the poor creature.

“I’m sorry for waking you, kitty. But I brought you some water, sorry I don’t have any food,” said Harry, holding out a ceramic bowl filled to the brim with water. He placed the bowl in the dirt of his aunt’s garden and stepped back. Bellatrix realized for the first time how thirsty she was. The last time she had drank anything was through the cracks in her cell at Azkaban. It rained often, so there was plenty of water to be had, if you liked the taste of dirt and rust.

Carefully slinking past the flowers, Bellatrix stepped toward Harry, her feline eyes never straying or blinking. She lowered her head and scooped some of the water using her tongue. It was cool and refreshing, a welcome reprieve from the heat of the day, but most importantly it was clean. Involuntarily, Bellatrix found herself purring as she drank, which caused Harry to smile.

After seeing the poor creature sleeping in his aunt’s garden, Harry made it his goal to befriend the stray cat. It reminded him of himself: dangerously thin with jet-black fur, dirty, and barely hanging onto life. He happily watched as Bellatrix finished the bowl before starting to groom herself. Her dark brown eyes curiously eyed the boy up and down, as if sizing him up for a meal.

All the anger and hate that Bellatrix felt before slowly turned to pity and confusion. Here was the slayer of her master, and he was giving her water after being yelled at by his aunt. He looked pathetic kneeling on the concrete porch, smiling at her own sorry state. Whatever trace of her master lived on in the boy, it did nothing to harm his spirit. Her master would have never looked twice at a stray cat, unless to torture it. It was as if Bellatrix’s entire life was turned on its head by the single kind action of a young boy.

Harry stuck out his hand, going slowly so as not to scare his new friend. As an animalistic reflex, Bellatrix hissed and ran into the bushes across the street. She watched as the young boy’s head fell as he stood up to go back inside. Crestfallen, Harry picked up the bowl, brushed the dirt off the bottom, and went back to his sheltered life.

Guilt filled Bellatrix as she watched the poor boy saunter inside. The first selfless kind action that had been done for her in a decade—maybe even her whole life—and she drove the one responsible away. If she wasn’t so tired and hungry, she might have done something to fix it. But as she was, she could only find another shady comfortable spot in the bushes and try to fall asleep. She dreamed about Azkaban and the Dementors, so she didn’t sleep for long.

For the next couple of days, Bellatrix spent all her time watching the boy. Since she had been in Azkaban, she hadn’t turned back into a human once, so she was becoming more used to her life as a cat. In the mornings, she snuck into the Dursley’s yard and drank out of the bowl Harry left for her. Sometimes he also left her a plate of breakfast scraps, those were her favorite days. Then she spent the rest of the day sneaking around their yard for any glimpse of Harry. She wanted to study him, see why he was so nice to her, and if her master ever showed in his attitudes.

One morning, while heading to drink her daily bowl of water, Bellatrix was surprised to see Harry waiting there on the porch. He watched as she stepped through his aunt’s flowers and graciously drank from the bowl he provided. She still looked worse for wear, but at least she was alive. As she drank, he tried to pet her again, slowly inching his hand towards her. Bellatrix tried to casually drink her water, attempting to ignore the boy, but her loud purring betrayed her emotions. Finally, his hand met her fur, causing Bellatrix to purr even louder.

His fingers ran over her spine, occasionally scratching along the edges, brushing her filthy fur into something presentable. Harry smiled as the stray cat he had spent so much time caring for stepped onto the porch and rubbed against his legs. Although Bellatrix told herself that this was a ruse to gain more information about the boy who lived, she couldn’t help but feel joy at how good his hand felt on her. Maybe it was the fact that she had been a cat for so long, but she could have stayed like that for the rest of time.

Carefully, Harry scooped Bellatrix into his arms. Any normal cat would have freaked out at such a brash action, but Bellatrix stayed calm as Harry brought her into the house. Apparently the Dursley’s were gone, as they had no trouble heading upstairs to the bathroom. He quickly shut the door and locked it before placing Bellatrix in the empty bath. If Harry had any idea what a normal cat acted like, he might have been suspicious at how nonchalant she was acting, but he was just happy that he was able to bring her inside.

Bellatrix was delighted to be able to get a proper bath, so excited that she almost turned back into a human. Luckily, she kept her nerves and watched as Harry pulled down the shower head and let the water turn warm. Using an old brush and warm water, Harry cleaned all the dirt off Bellatrix and fluffed up her coat. He didn’t have cat shampoo, so he used his own shampoo, hoping that it would be okay. It seemed to be, as Bellatrix was purring louder than she ever had before.

“What am I going to call you?” asked Harry. “I don’t even know if you’re a boy or a girl. Maybe Midnight? That sounds like a neutral name for a black cat…”

Bellatrix slowly shook her head, her eyes looking directly at Harry. “Alright, not Midnight. Panther? I read about them in a zoo book once, never seen one before, though. No? Not a Panther? Well, we have to pick a name,” said Harry. Suddenly his eyes grew wide as he looked at the cat, confused. “Are you shaking your head? Can you understand me?”

The blank expression on the cat’s face told him that she didn’t. But he still had some hope. Bellatrix was nervous she had revealed herself, but Harry didn’t seem scared that she was an Animagus. He was excited to have a friend that could understand him, unlike everyone else in his life.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” asked Harry.

After a couple of seconds, Bellatrix blinked twice. Though she wondered how little this boy knew if he couldn’t tell the difference between a boy cat and a girl cat. Did she mess up with her transformation? Or was he just stupid? How had the vanquisher of the Dark Lord turned out like this?

“A girl? You’re a girl? Yes? Alright then, I need to find you a proper girl’s name.” Harry thought for some time. He ran the brush through Bellatrix’s coat as he did, causing her to start purring again. The brush felt so good running through her fur that drool started to drip out. Thankfully it was in the bath, but Bellatrix was disgusted with herself for losing to her emotions so quickly.

“I don’t know many girls, other than my aunt of course. I did hear a nice name on the news yesterday. Some news reporter retired; I think. So, how about Bella? Do you like Bella?”

Bellatrix was shocked that Harry had come up with something close to her name. It was the same nickname Voldemort used. She was worried that Harry suspected something, and what would happen if anyone made the connection to her human self. But she was too happy to care. It was the first time anybody had called her Bella since she last saw her sister Narcissa. It gave her a nostalgic feeling that crushed any worries. Purring as loud as she could, Bellatrix rubbed against Harry’s arm to show that she picked the name.

Harry laughed. “Bella it is then. Would you like to stay with me, Bella? It might be better than living on your own. As long as you're quiet, I don’t think Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia will mind. Dudley might even be jealous of you, but I’ll protect you from him. You’ll just have to stay quiet until I ask them, okay?”

She nodded, continuing to brush against his arm. In all her years in Azkaban, Bellatrix Lestrange would have never imagined coming to stay at the home of the boy who lived. The one who killed her master and saved the wizarding world. Especially not as a pet. But since she left, he was the one source of joy in her life.

Chapter Text

Once he finished cleaning Bellatrix the best he could, Harry wrapped a large towel around her. He gently patted her down until she was dry enough to be comfortable. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off Bellatrix’s shoulders. She walked around the bathroom with ease, occasionally giving some extra attention to spots Harry had missed with the water.

Perhaps she should have been embarrassed to lick herself in front of her master’s killer, but Bellatrix didn’t care. She had got over her embarrassment of acting like a cat while still in Azkaban. Being clean as a cat made her wonder if her human form would be clean. Bellatrix didn’t know everything about being an Animagus, but she figured she could test it that night. First, she had to figure out how to deal with Harry’s aunt and uncle.

By chance, they arrived back home that very second. Uncle Vernon rushed to the downstairs toilet, much to the dismay of his wife and son. Dudley ran up the stairs to use the upstairs bathroom, only to find it already occupied. Harry turned toward the door as his cousin banged his fist and yelled, “You better get out of there right now! Mummy, he’s taking up the bathroom!”

Aunt Petunia raced up the stairs and banged on the door. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get out of there this instant!”

Harry scooped Bellatrix up in the towel and hid her behind his back. She knew how mean his family could be, and after receiving such a nice bath, decided to help Harry. There was no way of knowing how much magic she could perform as a cat without a test, and this was the perfect moment. As Harry opened the door and tried to run back downstairs, Aunt Petunia grabbed him by the ear.

“What were you doing in there?” asked Harry’s aunt, her eyes scanning him for any sign of indecency. Dudley glared at Harry; his arms were folded as he tried to look as intimidating as his mother. Though that just made him look fatter than usual.

Through a gap between Harry’s arm, Bellatrix could barely see his aunt. Bellatrix knew only one spell that could help Harry without causing too much damage, Imperio. It was one of the three ‘Unforgivable Curses,’ the only spells forbidden by the Ministry of Magic. Why only those three spells, Bellatrix didn’t know. There were plenty of spells that were worse than those three.

Imperio was difficult to cast with a wand. Without one, it was near impossible. Only her master, Lord Voldemort, could accomplish such a task. Still, she had to try. Closing her eyes, she focused on Harry’s aunt. In her mind’s eye, Bellatrix saw an empty void. The only sign of Harry’s aunt was a black mist a few feet in front of her.

Imperio, Imperio, Imperio.

Nothing. Bellatrix knew the spell hadn’t worked. She was weak. How could she serve the Dark Lord when she was so weak? What use would he have for her? As she thought more about her master, she felt a nearby warmth. Bellatrix focused on that warmth, trying to draw upon it for power.

Imperio.

Aunt Petunia froze. Whatever thoughts that had been running through her mind were now gone. Bellatrix felt herself gain complete control. Quickly, before she lost control, she told Harry’s Aunt to leave the two of them alone. It took a few seconds for the command to take effect. Enough time for Harry to reply to his aunt’s question.

“I was taking a bath,” said Harry, wincing as he instantly realized his hair wasn’t wet.

Aunt Petunia nodded. “Alright, that sounds nice. Follow me, Dudley” Absentmindedly, she turned away from Harry and walked down the stairs.

“But Mummy,” whined Dudley.

“No buts, let’s leave the boy alone.”

Dudley glared at Harry but did follow his mother downstairs. Harry sighed, closing the door and letting Bellatrix down. As Bellatrix landed on her feet, she purred and rubbed her body against Harry’s leg. She had done good. A feeling of warmth washed over her, the same feeling that came with pleasing her master.

She froze. Why did helping Harry give her the same feeling as helping her master? Was it because she saw a part of her master inside Harry? As Harry’s hand stroked her back, she looked up at his smiling face. Her heart raced. In the back of her mind, a worrying thought that had been pushed down came to the surface.

Her master wasn’t fully gone. A small piece of him dwelled in the boy. It wasn’t his anger; it wasn’t his hate. It was his love. Somehow, the small bit of love that had remained in her master had found its way to Harry. Bellatrix hadn’t even known the Dark Lord could feel love—even for her.

With the Dark Lord gone, there was only one path forward. Harry Potter, the boy who lived, would be her new master. Separating herself from the boy, she sat down at the edge of the room. For the second time in her life, she felt nervous. The first had been when she first met her the Dark Lord. Now here she was, meeting her new master.

Her fur shrank until it was fully gone. Pain shot through her as her body began to transform. It wasn’t like that in Azkaban, but perhaps she had already been in so much pain that she didn’t notice. Either way, she didn’t care. Bellatrix wanted to show her new master who she really was. Harry’s jaw dropped as he stared at the fully grown woman dressed in rags now sitting on his bathroom floor.

“Harry Potter,” said Bellatrix, her voice hoarse from lack of use. She spoke quietly to not alert his family downstairs. “I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Harry asked, “Bella?”

Now that Bellatrix was no longer a cat, she was dressed in her prison uniform. Some of the fabric was torn and frayed, but the origin of the black and white rags was obvious. Her skin was covered in dirt and scabs, the bath that Harry had given her hadn’t penetrated her Animagus form.

She looked down at her body, frowning at how dirty she was. This wasn’t the proper way to greet her new master. Her hands went up to her hair, tugging at the knots that’d formed. They were covered in dirt. Bellatrix had always had curly, messy hair, but this was too much. What would her new master think?

Harry took a step forward. “You are Bella, right?”

Bellatrix nodded, fighting back tears. “Yes,” she croaked before coughing up phlegm and a bit of hair.

“How is this possible?” asked Harry.

That question annoyed Bellatrix. The successor to the Dark Lord should know about magic. Yet he’d been allowed to live in ignorance, under Muggles of all things. How had this happened? Shaking her head, she decided not to worry about that. It was up to her to set things right.

“You’re a wizard, Harry,” said Bellatrix.

“I’m a what?” gasped Harry.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. “A wizard. A wielder of magic, like me. Born to rule over Muggles, Mudbloods, and all the other filth of this world.”

Harry tore his eyes away from Bellatrix and began pacing around the room. Bellatrix watched her new master for a few seconds before she stood up and stepped into the bathtub. Drawing the curtains to cover the bathtub, she undressed. Her clothes were filthy, but she didn’t have anything else to wear. So, she hung them on the curtains as far away from the water as possible.

She turned on the faucet and began washing herself. It wasn’t as pleasurable as being cleaned by her master, but it was a necessary task. As the hot water hit her skin, she felt tears stream down her face. When was the last time she’d been able to take a shower? Years. Far too many years.

“It makes some sense,” muttered Harry. “Being a wizard, I mean. I’m not sure about the other stuff.”

“How much do you know?” asked Bellatrix.

Harry stopped his pacing and shrugged. “Well, nothing, I suppose.”

With a heavy sigh, Bellatrix silently cursed the Muggles her master had been forced to live with. “A wizard blessed with the same presence as the Dark Lord shouldn’t be living in ignorance.”

She knew that Harry Potter had killed her master as a baby, but she didn’t know much more about him than that. It was clear that the Muggles he was living with weren’t his parents. Bellatrix assumed they were dead; she didn’t know the full story of Voldemort’s demise. That had to be the case, as only a fool would place the next greatest wizard to a bunch of Muggles to raise. Only one fool—Albus Dumbledore. It was clear that all of this was his fault.

“Are you a wizard?” asked Harry.

Bellatrix laughed. “Yes, but the proper term for a female wizard is a witch.”

“Why?”

Bellatrix opened her mouth like she was going to answer, then closed it as she realized she didn’t know. She’d never wondered such a thing, nor did she remember if she had ever learned the answer. Maybe in her history class at Hogwarts, but she hadn’t paid much attention then. As soon as she heard of Voldemort rising to power, she gave him all her attention.

Running her hands through her hair to scrub out the dirt, Bellatrix tried to change the subject. “You’re taking this remarkably well.”

“Well of course I am, this is a dream I don’t want to end,” said Harry with a smile.

Bellatrix frowned. “A dream?”

He nodded, then began picking at his skin nervously. “Isn’t it?”

While Harry Potter wasn’t anything like the Dark Lord she’d once served, nor was he anything like the rumors she had heard in Azkaban, Bellatrix found herself growing fond of the boy. He was cute, like an abused puppy. Sort of like her husband, who was still rotting away in prison. Bellatrix had no plans to rescue him, nor the other Death Eaters she worked with. This time, she would be the new Dark Lord’s only servant. For now at least.

“Perhaps you’re right,” said Bellatrix, shrugging.

Now fresh and clean, Bellatrix shut off the shower. She poked her head out from behind the curtains and looked around for something to dry herself off with. Harry politely closed his eyes, causing her to smile. No one in her old life would have given her such a courtesy. Especially not her former master.

The towel Harry had used to dry her cat form lay discarded on the floor. It was still wet, so Bellatrix wasn’t eager to use it again. She looked around the room for another towel, but there weren’t any. Taking a deep breath, she pulled back the curtain and reached out for the wet towel.

When she turned to look at Harry again, she noticed his eyes focused on her chest. Water droplets ran down her breasts, giving them an appealing sheen. Her nipples hardened the longer he stared. If it were any other person staring at her, she would have killed them on the spot. Instead, she let him look. It was an honor she had only granted her previous master. Not even her husband had been allowed to look at her so freely.

As that thought hit her, she realized she hadn’t explained her current situation to Harry. How could she hope to help groom her new master to power if she left him in the dark?  First, she needed to get dry and cover herself. No doubt Harry would be too distracted to listen to her if she remained naked.

“Can you go get me another towel?” she asked, holding up the wet towel.

Harry’s face flushed as he tore his eyes away. “S- sure,” he stammered as he raced out of the room.

He returned as quickly as he left, holding a pile of fluffy white towels. Bellatrix took one of the towels and wrapped her hair in it. Then she took another and began wiping down her body. Once she was sure she was dry, she wrapped the towel around her waist. It wasn’t big enough to fully cover her chest and ass, but it would have to do.

“I don’t have any clean clothes for you,” said Harry, staring sadly at the floor.

Bellatrix stepped forward and ruffled his hair gently. “That’s alright. Shall we go to your room? I have a few more things I need to tell you.”

Harry nodded. “Okay, Bella. Follow me.”

To her surprise, he led her down the stairs. His aunt and uncle were in the living room, watching TV. Bellatrix rolled her eyes, thinking of how pathetic Muggles were. Harry’s cousin was in the kitchen eating a bowl of chocolate pudding. None of the Dursleys paid any attention to Harry, nor the nearly naked adult woman that followed him.

Under the stairs was a small cupboard. Harry opened the door and gestured inside. There was no embarrassment on his face, nor any sign that he was joking. To him, sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs was as normal as sleeping in any other bedroom. Bellatrix held back her anger for the moment. First, she had to tell Harry the truth.

She sat down on Harry’s tiny bed, squeezing against the wall so Harry could get in as well. Once inside, he closed the door and turned on a light, looking up at Bellatrix with an expectant look. It wasn’t as private as Bellatrix wanted, but it would have to do. If she had her wand, she could do a bit more to fix up the place, but it would have to do for now.

Bellatrix watched Harry’s eyes carefully. “Needless to say, I am not a cat.”

“I see,” said Harry, adjusting his glasses.

“My name is Bellatrix Lestrange. I’m a witch and the former right hand of the Dark Lord, Voldemort.” She waited a second to see if he would react to that name, but he didn’t.

“Dark Lord?” asked Harry. “Like some kind of evil villain?”

“Something like that,” said Bellatrix, nodding her head slowly. She fixed her towel as she gathered her thoughts. “His goal was to take over the wizarding world, but he failed.”

“Why?” asked Harry, tilting his head.

Bellatrix shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I believe it has something to do with you. On the night he died, you were there. As were your parents. I suspect he killed them to get to you.”

“That’s not true,” said Harry. “My parents were killed in a car crash.”

Bellatrix scoffed. “No witch or wizard would die in something stupid like a car crash. That’s how Muggles die. Even your parents, traitors to their blood as they are, wouldn’t stoop so low.” She paused as she saw the angry look on Harry’s face. “Be honored, Harry, your parents died fighting the strongest wizard who ever lived.” She had no idea if they had actually died fighting, but she wanted Harry to feel better.

“If what you’re saying is true, and the wizard you worked for died because of me, then why are you here?” asked Harry, his whole body shaking. He shuffled away from Bellatrix, though he couldn’t get far with how tightly they were squeezed together.

“When my master died, the Aurors came after me. I tried my best to fight back, but there were too many of them. My husband and I, as well as several other Death Eaters, were imprisoned in Azkaban. Meant to be locked up for the rest of our days. Thanks to some magic I taught myself in prison, I escaped.”

“Aurors? Death Eaters?” Harry’s eyes glittered with curiosity.

Bellatrix waved her hand dismissively. The faint Dark Mark on her left forearm—the symbol of her allegiance to Voldemort—shimmered in the dim light. It tingled the longer she sat next to Harry. “I don’t know a Muggle equivalent.”

Harry frowned. “Ah, okay.”

“Regardless,” said Bellatrix, clearing her throat. “I left to recover and hopefully find anything remaining of my master. That’s what led me here. Somehow, I sense my master in you, Harry Potter.” She brought her face close to his, causing him to blush furiously. “From now, until the end of my days, I will serve you.”

“You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Harry. “I’m just a boy.”

“A boy with great potential. My former master was just a boy at one point, then he grew into a powerful wizard beyond his peers.” Bellatrix smiled at the memories flowing through her head. “I hope to raise you to similar heights. No, even greater. Let me serve you, and together we’ll take over the wizarding world.” She had a wild look in her eyes, her breathing erratic.

“And what if I say no? What if I don’t want to take over anything?” asked Harry, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.

She leaned back. “Then I’ll leave, and you’ll never see me again.”

That wasn’t exactly true. Bellatrix didn’t know what she was going to do if Harry said no. Her husband was still in Azkaban, as were many of her associates. She had no friends, no family that would or could accept her. No matter where she went, she would be hunted. It would be a very lonely life.

“I don’t think I can be the person you’re looking for,” said Harry, closing his eyes to avoid looking at her reaction. “I don’t want to hurt people. But, if you want to stay with me, I could use a friend.”

“Not a servant?” she asked, frowning.

“If that’s what you want to be, I suppose I can’t stop you,” replied Harry.

Shaking her head, she said, “I want to know what you want.”

“I’m not sure what I want,” muttered Harry.

“Do you want me to stay with you? To serve you?” asked Bellatrix, sitting up straight.

After a few seconds, Harry opened his eyes, meeting hers carefully. “I do.”

She smiled, genuine joy pumping through her veins. “Then, Harry Potter, I will serve you to the end of my days.”

Chapter Text

Harry turned away from Bellatrix to hide his blush. He’d never had anyone swear loyalty to him before. Especially not a nearly naked beautiful woman. “Ah, that’s settled then.”

Bellatrix looked up at the dusty ceiling of his bedroom—if you could even call a cupboard a bedroom. A spider dropped down and landed on her shoulder. She flicked it into the wall. “We need to get you a better room, Master.”

“Harry, please call me Harry.”

Bellatrix laughed. “Why? You don’t like it when I call you Master?”

“It’s not that I don’t, but if my aunt and uncle hear you…” He fiddled with his glasses nervously.

She shrugged. “Alright, I’ll keep that for private moments only. Still, I don’t like the idea of you living in this dusty hole. What about your cousin’s room? We could take it for ourselves.”

Harry gasped. “That would cause too much trouble!”

Bellatrix frowned. “It would be easy for me.”

“Well… I don’t think I could have his bedroom, but maybe his second room,” said Harry.

“Your cousin has two bedrooms and you’re living in a cupboard?” How had this happened? How had the Dark Lord’s killer been reduced to this?

“My aunt said I couldn’t have it last time I asked, but maybe you could convince her?”

“We don’t need to convince her of anything,” said Bellatrix angrily, fixing her towel again before she pushed open the door. “If you want it, I can get it for you.” She crawled past Harry to get out into the hallway.

“I do want it, but I don’t want my aunt to get mad at me,” said Harry as he followed her out.

“She’s made you live in a cupboard under the stairs all your life and yet you’re considering her feelings? Harry, don’t be a pushover.”

“I’m not a pushover,” said Harry angrily. “I just…”

Rolling her eyes, Bellatrix bent down to stare into Harry’s eyes. “Tell me you want your own room.”

“I want my own room, but Dudley…” Harry muttered.

She shook her head. “No, I want you to tell me what you want. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

Taking a deep breath, Harry said, “I want my own room.”

Bellatrix smiled. She stood up straight and ruffled Harry’s hair. He recoiled back, but not enough to escape her touch. “Good,” she said. “I’ll get to work on that. You can start gathering your things and taking them up to our new room.”

“Are you sure?” asked Harry, bouncing nervously from foot to foot.

“Positive,” said Bellatrix.

It took one trip for them to move everything into Dudley’s second bedroom, yet two hours to take all of his junk out of it. Bellatrix was shocked to see just how much junk one spoiled brat could have. She asked Harry if he wanted a bigger bedroom, since Dudley’s second bedroom was the smallest bedroom in the house, but he said no. He didn’t need a lot of space anyway. Thanks to her magic, Bellatrix was able to ‘convince’ Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon of Harry’s need for his own bedroom. Without a wand, it had been hard, but she got the job done.

She also got to work adjusting the Dursley’s minds so they wouldn’t pay much attention to her presence. Bellatrix didn’t care about being a cat, but she did want to stretch her legs and move around the house freely. The process of working through their memories took two whole days—with her wand it would have taken minutes. Without Harry, she wondered if she could have performed such a magical feat at all.

Harry sat on his new bed, staring at the floor with an empty look on his face. Bellatrix sat down next to him, dressed in a robe she’d stolen from his aunt. It was small on her, but it still covered all the important bits. As long as she didn’t bend over. At least it was better than the prison rags she’d been wearing. Those were hidden away, hopefully never to be seen again.

Wringing her hands nervously, Bellatrix wracked her brain for what to say next. She’d never been a people person. “Did I do good, Master?”

He smiled. “Better than good. This is fantastic!” Then his smile fell. “I never thought anyone would care about me,” said Harry.

Bellatrix let his words linger in the air for a few seconds. “I wasn’t free for long after Lord Voldemort disappeared. But I do know that people celebrated your victory. I imagine there are many people who would treat you like a hero, or at least wonder what happened to you.”

Harry sighed happily. “Sounds like a dream.” He laid back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling with a dopey grin on his face.

Bellatrix laid back next to him. “I would prefer we lay low, but if you wanted fame…”

“Maybe later,” said Harry. He turned over onto his side. “Bella, can I ask you a question?”

Bellatrix turned to face him. Her robe opened slightly, revealing more of her breasts. She made no effort to fix it, though Harry tried his best not to stare. “Of course, Master.”

“What were my parents like?” he asked, speaking barely above a whisper.

For the first time in her life, Bellatrix felt her heart ache. Voldemort had never been vulnerable with her. When he wasn’t using her for evil, he used her body for pleasure. She loved it, but part of her wished for more. For a deeper connection. Even her husband couldn’t provide such a need. He was a sniveling coward, not worthy of her love. The only reason she’d married him was to keep the bloodline secured.

“Let me be clear, Master, your parents were not on the same side as me. We met once or twice, but only in battle.”

Harry nodded. There was a pained look in his eyes. A need to know more, no matter what that knowledge would bring. “Still, what did you think of them?”

Bellatrix closed her eyes. “They… Well, I suppose they were brave. Brave enough to fight for what they believed in. Only a fool would fight against the dark lord. In the end, you and your parents were the last wizards he ever fought. You can be proud of that.”

“I see.”

“Others would know them better than I did. When you attend Hogwarts, people will tell you more about them,” said Bellatrix, mentally bashing herself for not knowing more.

“Hogwarts?”

“It’s a school for witches and wizards to learn magic,” said Bellatrix, smiling fondly at the memories of her school years. “You’ll love it.”

Harry sighed. “I haven’t had good luck with schools.”

She grabbed the boy’s head and pulled him into her chest. Hugging him close, she remembered when her mother had done something similar to her. She had been worried that she wouldn’t get into Slytherin. Her worries were washed away by her mother’s love. Bellatrix didn’t know much about love, but if she could emulate what had worked for herself, maybe it would work for Harry.

“Those days are over,” said Bellatrix, rubbing his head gently. “You have me now.”

His face felt hot, but he liked the feeling of his head between her breasts. Her former master had always loved them. Voldemort was rough and didn’t hold back from enjoying his desires. In the past, she’d craved that. But maybe it was time for something new. The two of them fell asleep cuddling together on the bed.

Bellatrix woke up the next morning with a dry throat. She rolled out of bed, groaning as she stretched her arms and legs. Harry was still asleep. His soft breathing caused her to smile, then that smile faded. Fastening her robe, she left the bedroom and walked downstairs. The Dursleys normally slept in, so the house was silent.

“What am I doing?” muttered Bellatrix to herself.

Harry was an orphan because of Voldemort, and she had helped him rise to power. In a way, she caused the death of Harry’s parents. She’d never thought much about all crimes she’d committed for Voldemort. Torturing and killing his enemies was what her former master asked of her. It didn’t matter who, she did what she was asked, and she did it well.

Bellatrix poured herself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. A sunbeam flashed directly in her eye. Raising her hand, she tried to use magic to close the blinds but failed. Silently, she stood up and walked over to the window to close the blinds. That was how Muggles lived.

She looked down at her hands. There was still dirt under her fingernails. A reminder of the many years she’d spent in Azkaban. Punishment for the crimes she’d committed. Yet, she was free. Her husband and her followers were still in jail, but she was free. So why didn’t she feel happy?

Harry made her feel happy, but he also made her feel guilty. She took a sip of her water. The cold liquid cooled her throat. All she knew was that she needed to stay hidden. Going back to Azkaban was out of the question. It would be difficult to hide forever, especially once Harry went to Hogwarts, but she would try.

“Good morning,” said Aunt Petunia

Bellatrix flinched. She’d been so focused on her thoughts that she’d missed Petunia walking into the kitchen. Thanks to her charms, Petunia would treat Bellatrix like a family friend. A family member who wasn’t Harry, of course. It was the easiest disguise.

“Morning,” said Bellatrix.

Petunia started preparing breakfast for her husband and son. Normally it was Harry who cooked, but Bellatrix changed that. Though Harry still had to make his own breakfast, some things were unchangeable without a wand.

Blending into Harry’s family was easy, blending into the world wasn’t. Bellatrix knew the Aurors were looking for her. It wouldn’t be long before they came sniffing around Harry. She needed to figure out a way to hide herself completely. Looking down at the robe she was wearing, she decided that she needed to get some new clothes first. Harry could use some too.

“Harry and I are going shopping later today,” said Bellatrix. The old Bellatrix wouldn’t have bothered telling Petunia, but she was trying to play nice. “Can I borrow some money?” Those words felt like poison on her tongue, but again she was trying to be good.

“Okay,” said Petunia, flipping an omelet for Dudley. “My purse is by the door. Take what you need.”

Take what you need.

“Take whatever you want! Please don’t hurt my family!”

Bellatrix blinked. She was standing over a crying old woman, clutching her daughter like she was afraid she’d float off. The young girl was bawling, her whole body shaking. With a flick of her wrist, Bellatrix could kill them all with a single spell. Her wand felt cold in her hands. Why kill them quickly? There was plenty of time before her master returned. Plenty of fun to be had.

Crucio!

Another blink. She was back in the Dursley’s kitchen. Her wand was hundreds of kilometers away, locked in the deepest depths of the Ministry of Magic. “Thank you,” said Bellatrix. There was no time to think about such things.

Survival and the success of her new master, those were her new goals.

She smiled to herself as she dug through Petunia’s purse. Dementors sucked out happy memories. They feed on them. All of her happy memories were tied to torturing others or serving her former master. The years of torture she’d suffer, had it destroyed her psychotic nature? No, not all of it. But she had to be smart about it. If she hurt too many people for no reason, it could cause trouble for her master.

Returning to Harry’s new bedroom, she found him still asleep. On the way back Bellatrix had stopped by his aunt’s room to pick up another set of clothes. His aunt didn’t have much dark colored clothing that was anything more than funeral garb. So, she was forced to wear brighter colors. Not only that, but his aunt was much thinner than Bellatrix. Which was saying something, as Bellatrix had been basically starved in Azkaban.

“It will have to do,” she muttered to herself.

In the end, she put on a purple sundress with white polka dots and black leggings. She straightened her mess of curly hair as best she could and tied it into a ponytail. Then she applied a light amount of make-up, enough to hide the bags under her eyes. Harry stirred to life as Bellatrix finished.

“Bella?” he mumbled.

“Good morning, Master!” said Bellatrix. “It’s time to get up and get ready. We need to buy some new clothes.”

Harry didn’t argue. He reached up and grasped at the air for a few seconds before rubbing his eyes. Still waking up, he thought he was still in the cupboard under the stairs. Grabbing his glasses off the bedside table, he looked up at Bellatrix and smiled. She returned his smile, feeling a gentle heat on her cheeks.

“Good morning,” he said, pulling aside the covers and stepping out of bed. “I’ll make us some breakfast.” Harry quickly looked out the window. “Aunt Petunia should be done by now.”

“No, Master, I’ll make you breakfast,” said Bellatrix.

Harry frowned. “Are you sure?”

“Anything for my Master.”

Chapter Text

Cooking with Muggle utensils was harder than Bellatrix thought. In the end, Harry had to walk her through how to use everything. It was a humbling experience for her. Her entire life she’d been told that witches and wizards were greater and better than muggles in every regard. She still thought that, but now she had some doubts.

Instead of sitting at the table, Harry and Bellatrix took their food up to Harry’s room. They sat on the floor and ate across from each other. Harry dressed in his pajamas—his normal clothes—and Bellatrix in his aunt’s clothes. She sat cross-legged, making no attempt to fix her sundress as it rode further up her legs. Her leggings would cover herself enough.

“We’ll be buying Muggle clothes,” said Bellatrix, playing with her food with her fork. “But there are a few things we need to pick up in Diagon Alley.”

“Muggles? Diagon Alley?” asked Harry. He’d heard her use the word ‘Muggle’ before, but he didn’t know what it meant.

“Muggles are people like your aunt and uncle. They can’t use magic. Diagon Alley is where wizards shop,” said Bellatrix. “I can’t show my face there, all I can do is show you the way to the Leaky Cauldron, so you’ll be on your own.”

Harry didn’t argue. Even though he was supposed to be the master, as soon as Bellatrix revealed herself to be an adult and not just a stray cat, he took on a submissive role. He’d been conditioned by his aunt and uncle to obey every command an adult gave him. Bellatrix watched him finish the last of the food on his dish, ignoring the nervous shaking of his hands.

Her stomach growled. When she was living as a cat, she looked forward to receiving Harry’s scrapes every day. “Master…” Bellatrix didn’t know how to say what she wanted to say. So instead of speaking, she transformed into a cat. It was quick, taking a second at most, but that was enough to shock Harry. He’d seen her transform from a cat into a human, but never the reverse.

“Meow.” With her paw, she gestured to the plate.

Harry looked down then laughed. “Of course, Bella, here you go.”

She didn’t wait a second more. While she lapped at his plate, Harry got ready. He changed out of his dirty clothes—leaving to change in the bathroom when it came time to change his underwear. The way Bella’s eyes had sparkled as he started to change in his room had scared him a little. After he changed, he gathered up the now spotless plates and utensils and took them downstairs to be washed. Bellatrix followed him, playfully whipping her tail back and forth.

When it came time to leave, there was a problem. Neither of them could drive, and Bellatrix needed to stay hidden from the wizarding world. In a perfect world, she would use a Polyjuice Potion to disguise herself, or they would use the Floo Network. Needless to say, those weren’t going to be options. So, they were forced to take the bus. Bellatrix had to hope they didn’t run into any wizards on the way to the store. That was all she could do. At least they would be taking a Muggle bus.

To her surprise, Harry took charge as soon as they were out of the house. He led her to the bus stop and told her the proper way to board. She suggested becoming a cat again, but he disagreed. “There’s no pets allowed,” he said. “Plus, I’m too young to ride without an adult.”

“How do you know how to do all this?” she asked.

“I learned how in case I ever wanted to run away,” said Harry.

Laughing, Bellatrix thought about her own attempts to run away from her family home. They had all ended in failure. Of course, her reasons were all childish and she never had the heart to go through with it. “Did you ever try?”

“No,” he said sadly. She let the conversation end there.

Bellatrix was disgusted by the people she saw. Muggles had always disgusted her but seeing them in their natural environment only heightened her prejudice. She hated the way they walked, the way they talked. How they wore ill-fitting clothes or wore the latest fashion. Then that hatred started to subside the more she watched them. She became curious about the watches they kept looking at, or why they were so interested in the unmoving pictures in their newspapers.

Pride made her keep her thoughts to herself. She didn’t want her new master to think less of her for knowing next to nothing about the muggle world. The bus rolled to a stop in front of them. Harry led the way inside, grabbing Bellatrix’s hand and pulling her with him. Glaring at the bus driver, she waited for Harry to pay before he led her to the back. They took a seat behind an older woman.

“Good morning,” said the woman as she turned around to look at them. “Lovely day for a stroll, isn’t it?”

Bellatrix leaned forward, preparing to insult the woman for daring to speak to them, but Harry spoke first. “Great weather today,” he said.

The woman smiled. “It’s going to be a hot one this week. Make sure you help your mother as much as you can.” With a quick wink at Bellatrix, she turned back around and focused on the book she had been reading.

“What was that about?” asked Bellatrix as quietly as she could.

He gave her a confused look. “What?”

“Do you know this woman?”

Harry shook his head. “No. Why?”

Bellatrix didn’t answer him. Her ears turned red as she thought about what the woman had told Harry. Mother. Was the age gap between them so wide that strangers thought they were a mother and child? Did she care? No. In fact, the thought kind of excited her.

She sat back in her seat and stared out the window at the people walking by. Her thoughts drifted back toward reality. Though she was sure that none of them were wizards coming to hunt her down, she didn’t feel at ease. How could she? Muggles were the enemy, and she was stuck in enemy territory with very little she could do to fight back.

Her magic was strong, but without a wand there was only so much she could do.

“I’m glad I found you,” said Harry, causing Bellatrix’s heart to flutter. She forgot all her worries and focused entirely on her new master. “Last time I went shopping for clothes, we spent four hours shopping for Dudley, and two minutes for me.”

Bellatrix wrapped her arm around Harry and pulled him close. “That must have been hard. Don’t worry, Mas—Harry. Today is all about you.” That wasn’t entirely true but explaining that Bellatrix needed to get some stuff for herself would have complicated the pleasant moment.

Harry snuggled into her side, breathing in her scent. Bellatrix kissed the top of his head. It was the first physical act of affection between them. A surge of fear shot through her. She cursed herself for being so bold in public. Harry looked up at her but didn’t appear angry or confused. He was happy. She was happy. Happy to show her love to her new master.

Bellatrix kissed his head again. Then again. As she went for a fourth kiss, she held her lips against his hair. She smelled his scent, the air from her nose blowing a few hairs out of place. Adjusting herself so she could kiss him properly, she trailed kisses down his head until she reached his cheek. Harry felt a jolt of energy pulse through his body as she kissed his lightning scar.

The soft feeling of her lips tickled his skin. Ignoring the fact that they were in public, Bellatrix showered his face in a barrage of kisses causing Harry to fall over in a bout of laughter. A few of the passengers looked at them once they heard the noise, but otherwise returned to their own business. Such is the way of public transportation.

Bellatrix followed Harry, continuing to kiss his cheeks, his nose, and his lightning scar. Everywhere but his lips. She was scared to do so, even though she wanted to. Something inside her held her back. Harry wanted her to kiss his lips too, but whenever he tried to move his head, she held it in place.

Finally, she brushed her lips against Harry’s, throwing caution to the wind. It was only for a moment, but that was enough to get him rock hard and Bellatrix dripping wet. Slowly, she inched her lips closer to his. Harry closed the distance. Their kiss was quick, but Bellatrix felt as though it lasted a lifetime.

She pulled back and stared into his eyes, looking for any sign of discomfort. Harry smiled at her. A heat crawled from her core up to neck and through to her face. The bus hit a bump in the road, causing Bellatrix to fall onto Harry. Remembering that she was in public surrounded by Muggles, Bellatrix sat up and brushed her hair out of her face.

The bus pulled into their stop just as Harry sat up as well.

As they got off the bus, Bellatrix felt her heart pound in her chest. “I hope that wasn’t too much for you.”

“I liked it,” said Harry. “But I’m not sure I liked how everyone could see us.”

Bellatrix gave Harry a naughty grin. “Afraid of getting in trouble?”

“Maybe a little bit. I don’t want you to have to go away,” said Harry, frowning.

She stopped and kneeled so she could stare directly into his eyes. “Nobody will ever be able to take me away from you.” Again, she pressed her lips against his for just a moment.

Harry didn’t respond. He didn’t want to voice his worries to Bellatrix, as he was worried speaking them out loud would cause them to come true. Instead, he led her to the first clothes store he could find. There were a few in the shopping district they found themselves in, each one promising more extravagant clothing than the last.

Aunt Petunia hadn’t had a lot of money in her wallet, so they focused on the essentials. They bought a pair of summer and winter clothes for Harry, as well as new pajamas and underwear that actually fit him. Bellatrix found him a pair of warm socks emblazoned with an H that she thought were cute, so she bought those as well. Finding shoes in their budget was surprisingly difficult, but they managed.

When it came time to buy new clothes for Bellatrix, they didn’t have much money left. They still needed bus fare to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and then to get home. Adult clothes were much more expensive than clothes for children, and the fact that they were for a woman didn’t help. Bellatrix cursed under her breath as she examined the tag on a dress she thought looked nice. After shopping for Harry, nothing was in their budget.

“We can try looking in a bargain store,” said Harry.

“What’s that?” asked Bellatrix.

“It’s a store where people bring their old clothes to the store, and the store sells them to others at a cheap discount.”

Bellatrix was used to wearing fine silks and expensive robes. In her vault in Gringotts, she had so much money she was running out of space. Sure, she had been forced to wear prison clothes in Azkaban, but she was still used to the life of luxury. At least following Voldemort had allowed her to continue living that life.

She sighed. Having clothes of her own was more important. “Let’s go.”

The clothes at the bargain store weren’t that different from the clothes at the regular stores. There were a few items that were tacky or in need of repair, but mostly it was clothes people had stopped wearing for one reason or another. One thing they didn’t have was underwear, but Bellatrix was glad for that. She didn’t want to have to wear a stranger’s pair of underwear. Wearing a pair belonging to Harry’s aunt was bad enough.

Of course, she wasn’t just shopping for herself. “Master, I have a question for you,” said Bellatrix in a low voice. “There is no underwear in this store. Would you like us to go to another store, or would you like me to go without?”

As soon as she saw the blush on Harry’s face, Bellatrix knew she made the right choice by asking him. “I…” Harry licked his lips. When he spoke, Bellatrix had to lean into to hear him clearly. “Without, please.” A few second later, he quickly added, “For now, sorry.”

Bellatrix felt her heart skip a beat. She kissed Harry on the forehead. “Anything for my master.”

After paying for their items, just before they left the store, they passed be a display of baseball hats. All of them were for American teams, having been left behind by tourists from the states. Harry didn’t pay much attention to the display, but Bellatrix paused to take a closer look. She checked the tag on one of the hats, then looked down at Harry.

“We’ll need something to cover your scar.”

“Why?” asked Harry.

Bellatrix pulled the hat off the display and put it on Harry’s head to see if it would fit. “Wizards in the muggle world wouldn’t notice your scar unless they were looking for it. But in Diagon Alley you’ll bring too much attention to us.” The red Angels hat fit Harry perfectly. “I don’t care much for the color. What do you think?”

Harry walked over to a nearby mirror and examined himself. “Whatever you think is best.”

They paid for the hat then got back on the bus to get to Diagon Alley. Once they were in their seats, Bellatrix pulled Harry’s face toward her’s and gave him another kiss. To her surprise, he returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist as best he could. She wanted to rip off his clothes and show her master how much she really loved him.

But it wasn’t time. Not yet.

With a heavy sigh, Bellatrix kissed Harry on the forehead as she held him close. “I can’t wait to show you the wizarding world.”

Chapter Text

“I’m not used to wearing a hat,” said Harry, adjusting his new baseball cap. Every time he turned his hat seemed to slide off his head and show off his scar. Bellatrix had been sure his hat fit perfectly in the store, but now she had her doubts.

“Trust me, you wouldn’t like what would happen without it either.”

The bus rolled to a stop. They would have to walk a bit to reach their destination, but that was fine. It would give Bellatrix more time to warn Harry about the wizarding world. Not only was he ignorant of wizarding customs and culture, but he would also have to brave that strange new world alone. At least until they worked their way through Diagon Alley to the seedier parts of London.

Bellatrix Lestrange would turn heads walking past Ollivanders, but in Knockturn Alley she would be just another face in the crowd.

Harry thanked the bus driver as they stepped out onto the sidewalk. Bellatrix said nothing, but she didn’t glare at the man. An improvement in her eyes. Muggles didn’t deserve more than the dirt beneath her feet, but if her master was willing to be nice than so could she. Well, nice enough.

The two walked side-by-side on their way to the Leaky Cauldron. There were a few passersby, but not enough to get in their way. Bellatrix walked a little faster than she intended to, causing Harry to double his pace to keep up. Her mind was filled with ideas of how to get to her money in Gringotts, but all of them were dangerous. All it would take was one person recognizing her and she would be right back in Azkaban. She wasn’t even sure if the goblins would allow her access to her wealth, or if it even still existed.

“I’ve never been to London before,” said Harry, looking around at all the buildings they passed.

Bellatrix noticed Harry’s exhausted breathing. She slowed down, holding out her hand which Harry graciously accepted. As her fingers interlocked with his, she felt her heart skip a beat. “I’ve never walked through London before. Its… Nice, I suppose.”

“Better than dealing with Dudley,” muttered Harry. His head turned as he spotted a group of kids playing in an alleyway. Once they were out of sight, he looked up at Bellatrix. “Do you have any cousins?”

She thought of her family’s home in Islington, of the tapestry displaying her family on the wall. Not the Lestrange family, but the Black family—her real family. She couldn’t even think of a single Lestrange she cared about, certainly not her husband Rodolphus. He had been a means to an end. A way to please her mother by marrying another pure-blood, but her heart had always belonged to another.

“I have a few,” said Bellatrix. She wondered if 12 Grimmauld Place even existed anymore. From what she knew before being imprisoned, only Sirius had only real claim to the house. He was still rotting in Azkaban.

“Were they nice to you?” asked Harry.

“Not all the time, but we got along well enough.”

Harry’s head fell. He didn’t give her more than an unemotional grunt of acknowledgement. They kept walking in silence. Bellatrix wished they could have taken the Knight Bus, but she knew as soon as a witch or wizard got a good look at her she would be carted right off to jail. A block or two away from the Leaky Cauldron, she pulled Harry into an alleyway before checking to make sure that no one was watching them.

“You’ll have to do this next part on your own,” she said, fixing his cap so it covered his scar completely.

Harry nodded. “Alright.”

She knelt down and searched his eyes. “Are you sure you can handle this?” He was her master; Bellatrix was sure of that. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for him. But in that alleyway, she couldn’t help but see him for the child he was. “We can go back to the house and try again another day.”

“No, I can do this.”

“I know you can,” she said, giving him a quick kiss on his nose. Then another on his lips. And another. Before she could give him any more, she took a step back and stood up to stop herself. She had never felt for anyone like she felt for Harry. Not her former master, and certainly not her husband. Clearing her throat, Bellatrix double-checked that they were alone. “Alright, now listen very carefully…”

Harry walked past a record store displaying the latest music and stepped into a tiny pub. A small black cat followed a pace or two behind him. Her tail was rigid, hanging above her lithe body like a flagpole. The inside of the pub was dimly lit and smelled horrendous. A few people drinking at the bar glanced at Harry as he entered, but otherwise no one paid him any attention. The cat that followed him attracted more attention, but not by a lot.

A woman sitting at a long table by herself tapped Harry on the shoulder as he made his way through the tavern. She wore red robes that were stained with streaks of alcohol. “Pretty little thing ain’t she?”

He smiled as Bellatrix rubbed herself against his leg. “The prettiest.”

“May I?” she asked, gesturing to the cat. Harry nodded, stepping to the side to allow the woman access to Bellatrix. The hair on Bella’s back shot in the air, and she nearly hissed, but she held herself back as the woman’s wrinkly fingers gently caressed Bellatrix’s back. “So soft. You must be a good owner; she’s sticking to you like glue.”

Harry knelt down to scratch Bellatrix’s chin. “Something like that,” he muttered.

Once the lady had enough of petting Bellatrix, Harry continued on his path through the pub. No one seemed to recognize the Boy Who Lived, but there weren’t many people in the pub anyway. Still, Bellatrix was glad she went the extra mile in removing Harry’s glasses, even if it made it hard for him to see. Anything to keep their journey low profile.

At the back of the bar was a door leading outside. Behind it was nothing more than a walled courtyard covered in weeds and trash, or that was how it appeared on the surface. Bellatrix watched carefully as Harry stepped up to the brick wall and tapped on the right spot three times.

But nothing happened.

Harry looked at his pet expectantly. “Did I do something wrong?”

Bellatrix shook her head. A strange thing for a cat to do. Harry had done everything correctly, but he lacked a wand. If he had grown up in the wizarding world, he may have been able to tap into his latent magical ability and force the doorway open, but it was not meant to be. It was too dangerous to for Bellatrix to transform even for a second and try to open the gateway herself.

She turned to lead Harry out the Leaky Cauldron when another person stepped outside. It was an older man wearing bright green robes and a top hat. He scowled at Harry, pushing him out of the way so he could get to the wall. Harry fell, knocking his hat off his head, but the man didn’t notice. As quickly as he could, Harry covered his scalp.

“Damn kids,” muttered the man as he opened the gate to Diagon Alley and hurried through. Harry and Bellatrix walked in after him.

Harry’s eyes widened as he walked down the street. His head turned every which way as he struggled to take in everything. Bellatrix nipped at his ankles to move him forward, but his attention was drawn to a collection of cauldrons sitting outside a store. Squinting, he leaned in to read the description on the sign hanging above, but without his glasses it was impossible to see.

“Meow!” exclaimed Bellatrix angrily. She would have loved to let her master explore every part of Diagon Alley, but they had a mission to do. Gringotts sparkled in the sunlight, a towering beacon of greed that called out to every power-hungry witch or wizard.

There was just one problem. Without her wand or key, there was no way she could get access to her vault. Her key was probably being kept at the Ministry of Magic—the same place she expected her wand to be. There was no way she could break into there on her own. She doubted any of the goblins would help her get inside her vault out of the kindness of her heart, nor out of fear for her former master. Those days were gone.

Still, Bellatrix had friends in low places. If Gringotts was a bust, then it was time to cash in a few favors. Guiding Harry past colorful storefronts that all vied for her master’s attention, Bellatrix led him to a shady alley hidden behind two large trash receptacles. They weren’t far from Knockturn Alley. Sitting in a pile of trash on the ground was a ghastly looking centaur with three of his legs bent out of shape. Each of his horse-like legs were covered in rotten bandages stained with blood.

Harry approached the centaur cautiously. His feet accidently kicked a glass bottle deeper into the alley, causing the centaur’s eyes to focus on the young boy. They were like deep pools of darkness. A hearty laugh echoed from the centaur’s throat. He extended a hand to Harry, gesturing him closer. After a quick glance at Bellatrix to make sure it was okay, the two approached the decrepit half-horse.

“What a surprise. I didn’t see your name in the stars last night, Harry Potter.”

A hand shot out and wrapped around the centaur’s throat. Bellatrix’s gaze burned red hot. “Do not speak his name out loud!” she hissed.

The centaur nodded, though there was no fear in his eyes. “Understood, though I don’t understand. Why are you with him?”

“That is none of your concern, Kashi. You owe me money, and I have come to collect.”

“I heard you escaped Azkaban,” said Kashi, his eyes drifting from Harry to the passerby walking through Diagon Alley. A young woman and her son were examining the latest brooms, but even if they turned, they wouldn’t have been able to see the strange trio. “Now I understand how.”

“What are you?” asked Harry. After Bellatrix transformed, he had out pulled his glasses to get a better look at Kashi.

“A wanderer who chose to walk where he didn’t belong. Now I can walk no longer.”

Bellatrix squeezed Kashi’s throat. “Where is my money?”

“I can’t pay it all back,” said Kashi, chuckling to himself. His voice was strained, and his eyes bulged out of his skull. He gestured with his head to the pile of trash next to him. “What I kept from the others is in there. You’ll have to forgive me; I wasn’t expecting having to pay you back so soon.”

Bellatrix let go of Kashi as she moved to dig through the trash. She wondered what her mother would say if she saw her now. Then she smiled to herself. Her mother would probably see it as retribution for laying with a half-breed. “Two half-breeds,” she muttered to herself, glancing at Harry as he leaned down next to Kashi.

Harry reached out to touch Kashi’s bandages but hesitated before making contact. “I’ve been hurt too,” said Harry. Kashi raised an eyebrow as Harry lifted his pants leg to reveal a bruise inflicted by his cousin.

“I’m sure that hurt a lot,” said Kashi, but his eyes were focused on Harry’s forehead, barely covered by his baseball cap.

Glass bottles bounced across the alley as Bellatrix pulled out a sack full of coins. She eagerly opened it only to find it full of Knuts, the cheapest coins in the wizarding world. Groaning, she tossed the sack to Harry. “This will have to do.” It wouldn’t be enough to get even half of what she wanted, but they would at least be able to haggle for some Polyjuice Potions in Knockturn Alley. The cheap ones that often had disastrous side effects.

“It was nice meeting you, Mr. Kashi,” said Harry, squeezing the sack of coins close to his chest.

“Let’s go, Harry.” Bellatrix took Harry’s hand and pulled him away.

“Wait!” exclaimed Kashi. He tried to stand up but failed as his legs buckled beneath. “Please, let me make one request.”

Bellatrix sneered but stopped and turned back around. “I have no more money to loan you, and neither does he.”

Kashi’s gaze focused on Harry. “You are the savior of the wizarding world. Please…” He coughed out blood. “Kill me.”

“How dare you!” yelled Bellatrix, pushing Harry behind her.

“My people are proud. To die in this alley would only lead to greater suffering in the next life. But if you were to kill me, I could consider it a warrior’s death.”

“So you ask a child to kill you?”

“No,” he said, still struggling to stand. “A hero. Harry Potter saved the wizarding world from You-Know-Who. Please, let him save me.”

Rage blinded Bellatrix as she pushed Kashi against the wall. “If you speak again, I will cut out your tongue.” She spoke softly so Harry wouldn’t be able to hear.

“If you do not kill me, I’ll tell everyone that you’re here with him.” His eyes sparkled with madness. “What will happen to you then?”

“I’m not going to kill you,” said Harry loudly. Were it not for the bustling sounds going on behind them, more than a few heads would have turned their way. He took a deep breath. “We’re not going to kill you.”

“Is that your command, Master?” asked Bellatrix, glancing at Harry. Kashi raised his brow at the word ‘master’ but gave no comment. Bellatrix wasn’t paying attention to him; her eyes were focused on Harry. She could see the fear in his eyes. The shuffling of his feet, the twitching of his fingers. “He knows who you are, who I am. Leaving him alive may be more complicated than its worth.”

Harry’s eyes focused on the bandages on Kashi’s legs. “I… I understand, but…” He turned to Bellatrix. “Your former master killed people. He killed my parents. If I kill this man, then aren’t I just like him? Like Voldemort?”

Kashi winced. “Please do not say his name,” he muttered.

“Do you want to be different?” asked Bellatrix. She kneeled down so she could speak to Harry at eye level. “He was the greatest wizard to ever live. Reality bent to his whim, like a god in mortal flesh. Imagine what you could do with that power. Imagine what you could do to the people that have hurt you: your aunt, your uncle, your cousin.”

“And bully others just like them? No, I won’t kill to get what I want.” Harry gave Kashi a pitiful look. “There must be something else we can do for you. Maybe we could help you get back to your people.”

Kashi laughed. “They will never accept me again.”

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. She kicked Kashi in the stomach, causing his eyes to water. “My master is trying to be nice to you, show some respect and get over your sorrows.” She extended her hand toward Harry, gesturing for the bag. Once Harry handed it over, she counted out a few coins and tossed them at Kashi’s feet. It would be impossible to afford what they needed, but Bellatrix knew this was the only way to appease her new master.

“Go buy a drink and take a bath,” said Bellatrix. She tossed the bag back to Harry then took his hand into her’s.

“Wait!” exclaimed Kashi.

“What?” asked Bellatrix, whipping her head back to glare at the centaur.

“I will try and be better, Harry Potter.”

“Keep that name out of your mouth,” demanded Bellatrix. Before either Harry or Kashi could say anything more, she hurried out of the alleyway.

The two joined the traffic of Diagon Alley, walking without purpose past the colorful displays. Bellatrix’s mind whirled with anxiety, terrified that her new life was over before it even began. Harry silently followed behind her. Once they were a good distance away, Bellatrix led them to a candy store. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves.

“Are you okay?” asked Harry. He had stuffed his glasses back into his pocket.

Bellatrix giggled, fixing his hat with her free hand. “I should be asking you that.”

“I’m okay.”

“That was very brave of you to spare him, Harry,” said Bellatrix, squeezing his hand.

“It was the right thing to do.”

She watched the boy as he turned to examine the display of sweet treats. He was nothing like her former master, yet she could feel an undeniable presence hidden deep within. Normally, the thought of such pitiful mercy would cause her to gag. Especially at the expense of money—her money. Yet she didn’t seem to mind as much when it concerned Harry. Was it worth it to mold him into a new master, or to let his nature change herself?

Since she was in her human form, it was dangerous to stand around in public. Though no one had noticed her yet. Gesturing to the candy store, Bellatrix grinned. “Why don’t you buy yourself something nice and then we’ll make our way to Knockturn Alley.” Before Harry could respond, she ducked behind him and transformed into a cat. Harry followed her inside.

A young girl with flaming red hair noticed the transformation, but her mother was too busy chasing after a horde of similarly colored boys to pay her any mind.

Chapter Text

Harry munched on a Pumpkin Pasty as he followed a sleek black cat through Diagon Alley. She stopped every few feet to make sure that Harry was following her before swiftly moving forward. Her heart felt like it was going to break through her tiny chest. Too many eyes, too many eyes watching their every move. Any one of them could be an Auror just waiting to take her back to Azkaban.

They passed by Gringotts, both of them stopping to stare for a moment before continuing on. If they had either of their keys—well, Harry’s family key—their lives would have been a lot easier. Bellatrix could buy a home for the two of them and take Harry away from his aunt and uncle. She wagged her tail like a dog as she imagined having Harry all to herself.

Before she knew it, she found herself in the dark, dank, and dangerous Knockturn Alley. After making sure the coast was clear, she turned back into a human and pulled Harry off to the side. There was still a chance she could be recognized, but the kind of witches and wizards that frequented Knockturn Alley were more concerned with their own problems than an escaped Azkaban convict. Bellatrix hadn’t even seen a wanted poster for her yet.

Plus, it would be more dangerous to have Harry walk around by himself.

“It is very important that you don’t lose your hat. If they see your scar, people will hurt you, and I don’t have a wand to protect you. Don’t look at anyone, don’t talk to anyone, just keep your head down and follow me. Do you understand?”

Harry nodded, but it was clear by his worried expression that he was still scared. “What are we here for again?”

“I’ll need a disguise next time we come here to get your stuff for Hogwarts. So, we need to find some cheap Polyjuice Potions.” She originally wanted to get some clothes as well, but that was out of their budget with only Knuts. Bellatrix checked the sack of coins they’d taken from Kashi. “Hopefully we have enough.”

She had walked through Knockturn Alley more times than she could count with her mother. Pleasant memories from better times. Before she’d fallen in love with a man with dreams of becoming the greatest wizard to ever live. Dreams he fulfilled through bloodshed and conquest. Bellatrix glanced at Harry, who nervously clung to her side. Dreams that had come to a sudden and shocking end.

Taking a deep breath, Bellatrix perused the stores and wandering merchants like a lioness stalking her prey. The narrow streets and overbearing stench elevated her spirits. This was the true wizarding world, not the whitewashed, gentrified mess of a walkway they called Diagon Alley. Harry jumped as a man frantically trying to sell a bunch of knock-off broomsticks leapt at them.

“Three for half off!”

Another man sitting on a pile of old rags threw a beer bottle at her. It shattered against the wall, splattering dark brown ichor over Aunt Petunia’s sundress. “Muggle-lovers go home!”

Bellatrix ignored them.

There were a few potion sellers walking around, but their prices were far too expensive. Bellatrix sighed as she thought about her fellow Death Eater, Snape. He would easily be able to brew a few Polyjuice Potions for her, but he had forsworn Voldemort and joined Dumbledore. And if he knew she was following Harry Potter around, he would throw a fit.

Bellatrix suddenly laughed, causing Harry to stumble on a loose stone in the road. Snape’s love for Lily Evans was well known to every Death Eater, but so was his hatred for James Potter. She had never met the couple personally, so she had no idea what to think of them. If they were anything like their son, she knew they were good people.

“Bella?”

That wasn’t Harry’s voice. Bellatrix winced, pulling Harry in front of her body. There was no doubt whose voice that was. If she had to run into anyone in Knockturn Alley, she had silently hoped it would be her. But she also knew better than to hope, and she knew how dangerous it would be if anyone caught her. As she turned to meet her sister’s eyes, Bellatrix hid Harry behind her back.

“Hello, Cissy.”

A slim, pale, regal looking woman approached Bellatrix. Her blue eyes watered as her dark green robes billowed behind her. Unlike her other sisters, Narcissa had long blonde hair, but it was clear to see to anyone that she belonged to the Black family. At one point anyway. Now she was a Malfoy. Today, she walked the streets of Knockturn Alley alone.

“I… I didn’t believe the rumors, Lucius said you were gone but I thought… And when I saw you wearing Muggle clothes, I wasn’t sure…” said Narcissa, reaching out a shaking hand toward Bellatrix. As Harry poked his head out from behind Bellatrix to stare at the strange new woman who knew his pet, Narcissa recoiled back. “Who is that?”

Bellatrix stepped closer to her sister. “Perhaps we should discuss this in private.” Her heart was racing, wondering if Lucius was close behind his wife. She hoped not.

Narcissa pulled her sister into an empty store selling various Dark items. The store’s owner didn’t move a muscle as the two sisters rushed inside, Harry in tow. Nor did he blink at Narcissa when she hugged her sister, crying into Bellatrix’s shoulder. Harry wondered if the man was even alive at all.

“I thought they killed you,” cried Narcissa.

A rush of emotions hit Bellatrix, emotions she quickly pushed down. “I’m alive. Better than alive, actually.”

Brushing the tears from her eyes, Narcissa laughed. “I can see that. You look better than I’ve seen you in years.”

“You haven’t seen me in years.”

“No, I suppose not.” Narcissa bit her lip as she looked out the store window. “It isn’t safe for you here.”

“Is your husband here?” asked Bellatrix.

“No,” said Narcissa. “What about Rodolphus? Did he escape too?”

“No, only me.”

Compared to Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus was a knight in shining armor. Lucius was a snake of a man, a coward if there ever were one. At the height of her former master’s power, Lucius had spent many nights diligently performing every whim of the Dark Lord. All so that he could one day claim his power for his own. When the Dark Lord fell, he pretended he had been bewitched. At least Rodolphus was a true follower.

A thought occurred to Bellatrix. If her husband ever learned of her current desire to groom the new Dark Lord—and learned of the hidden trace of their master hidden within Harry—he would probably give his full support. He never seemed to mind when she slept with Voldemort, nor when the Dark Lord had asked Rodolphus to watch as he pounded her pussy. A true cuckold.

Narcissa’s gaze focused on Harry. “Who is he?”

Bellatrix glanced at the store owner, who was staring at the ceiling with a blank look on his face. She cupped her hands around her sister’s ear and whispered. “Harry Potter.”

“Harry Potter,” muttered Narcissa, her eyes bulging. “W-what? How? When? Why?”

“He’s…” Bellatrix felt her throat dry up. In her mind, the situation was simple—Harry was her new master. But saying that to herself and saying that to her sister were two very different things. After all, becoming the pet of a young boy was a very silly thing for a grown woman to do. Even in desperation. “He’s my master.”

The silence was deafening.

“Oh.”

“I can explain, he’s—”

“Well, it was good to see you, Bella.” Narcissa tried to hurry out of the store, but Bellatrix grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Let me finish.”

“Finish what?” exclaimed Narcissa. “Finish explaining how you’ve gone mad?”

“I sense him in the boy, the Dark Lord. Some trace of him is trapped within,” whispered Bellatrix.

Narcissa crossed her arms and glared at Harry, who tried to hide behind a display stand. “Even if that were true, he is the reason your Dark Lord is gone.”

“Our Dark Lord.”

“Your Dark Lord,” emphasized Narcissa. “Regardless, the whole reason you ended up in Azkaban is because of Harry Potter. Now you’re saying he’s your master? He’s not even eleven!”

“I know!” yelled Bellatrix. “I know.” The two sisters caught their breath as they stared at Harry. He didn’t dare speak, recognizing the same nonverbal cues he noticed from his aunt and uncle when they argued. Bellatrix sighed. “I know he’s young, and I know it doesn’t make any sense, but he’s the one. Cissy, I’ve never been happier.”

Narcissa froze. Bellatrix knew the look well. Before the fall of Voldemort, Bellatrix and her sister had argued similarly about Lucius. Of course, their mother was thrilled to add a Malfoy to the Black family tree, but the two sisters had differing opinions. Bellatrix saw Lucius for the snake he was, Narcissa was blinded by love. They argued day and night, until Narcissa had uttered those fateful words.

“Why can’t you just let me be happy?”

Their mother broke them up after that, sending them off to separate rooms. Those words echoed in Bellatrix’s head, and it seemed they had never left her sister’s either. They made up eventually, of course, but the emotional wounds had never healed.

Narcissa walked over to Harry, forcing a polite smile onto her face. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Potter.” She spoke softly, dropping her usual cold tone of voice.

“You can just call me Harry,” he said nervously.

“Then Harry it is. You know, I have a boy around your age.”

Harry perked up. “Is he a wizard?”

She giggled. “He will be. You’ll both be entering Hogwarts together.”

“Do you feel it, Cissy?” asked Bellatrix, grabbing her sister’s shoulders. “Deep inside him?”

“I do,” said Narcissa with a hint of sadness in her voice. “I wonder if he’ll grow to be like him.”

Bellatrix was honestly surprised to hear that her sister could sense the presence of Voldemort. Narcissa had never been as close to the Dark Lord as her husband or the other Death Eaters. There was no Dark Mark on her arm to prove her loyalty, unlike Bellatrix whose arm tingled every time she touched Harry.

“I don’t want to be like Voldemort,” said Harry firmly. Even the store owner raised his brow and finally looked over at the trio. Softer, Harry said, “I just want to be Harry.”

Giving her sister a curious look, Narcissa gently touched Harry’s face. “And what does it mean to be Harry Potter?”

“I don’t know,” said Harry.

“What do you think it means, Bella?” asked Narcissa, still touching Harry’s face. A red creep extended from her touch through his cheeks and up to his ears.

“I will follow my master to the ends of the earth. Whatever he desires, I shall make happen.”

Shaking her head, Narcissa sighed. “I feel like I’ve heard you say those words before.” She stood up straight and glared at the store owner. “Not a word of this to anyone, Rudy.” The man nodded his head before wandering off through the store. “Bella, I want to help you. We’ve been apart for too long; I don’t want to see you locked up again.”

“Then swear an oath to my master,” said Bellatrix practically oozing with excitement. A stain of arousal spread through her panties as she watched her sister take a deep breath and get onto her knees to meet Harry’s eyes.

“Harry Potter, I will serve you to the end of my days.”

“O-okay,” said Harry, struggling to meet the cold ocean of Narcissa’s icy gaze.

“Kiss him, Cissy, lock in your oath,” said Bellatrix, grabbing her sister’s head and pushing it toward Harry’s.

“I’m not going to kiss a ten-year-old in public, Bella. Not even for you.”

“Just do it!” demanded Bellatrix. Narcissa gasped as she was pushed forward, her lips mashed against Harry’s. It didn’t last long. Harry pulled back, terrified that this woman he just met was going to kill him. She looked annoyed, but not angry.

Harry’s eyes trailed down to her lips. They looked like Bellatrix’s—soft, inviting. Bellatrix let go of Narcissa’s head, but she didn’t pull back. Instead, Narcissa smiled. She reached out and traced the edge of Harry’s lips. Then she leaned forward and gently kissed the young boy. His eyes rolled back into his head as his brain melted.

The tent in his pants was obvious. Bellatrix looked around for the store owner—who had gone into the back—before hiking up her dress, dipping her hand into her panties, and touching her dripping pussy. Narcissa closed her eyes as the kiss deepened. A soft moan escaping between their lips, the owner unknown but the reason clearly evident.

When she finally pulled back, Harry scanned her face for any anger. Any sign that Narcissa was just kissing him to appease her sister. A light blush graced her pale features. She practically radiated uncontainable joy. “You’re pretty good at this,” she said, caressing his cheek. “Have you had a lot of practice?”

“Not a lot,” said Harry nervously. His eyes widened as she spotted Bellatrix touching herself. She quickly stopped once they were done kissing.

“Sorry,” said Bellatrix.

“So, what now?” asked Narcissa as she stood up and brushed off her robes.

Bellatrix fixed Harry’s cap again. His lightning scar seemed to have a habit of wanting the spotlight. “Now we make sure he grows into his role.”

“And what of our other sister,” said Narcissa with such vile in her voice that it even scared Bellatrix. “Should we bring her into this as well?”

“When our new master has grown to his full strength, we can see where Andromeda stands.”

“You think she’ll join us?”

Bellatrix glanced at Harry who had wandered off to inspect a collection of dried mushrooms. “I can only hope.”

Thanks to Narcissa and the deep pockets of the Malfoy family, they were able to get the potions they needed and some clothes to go with them so they could return home. Narcissa promised to bring more money so Bellatrix could get some things to make her time in the muggle world more comfortable, but Bellatrix waved her off. Spending too much too soon would draw too many eyes.

Harry asked if they could leave Privet Drive and move to Narcissa’s home, but both of his new pets told him it was impossible. Bellatrix’s dream to take him away from his aunt and uncle was an impossible one. A quick trip to Diagon Alley was one thing, the most famous wizard in all the wizarding world leaving his home to move into Malfoy Manor would send the Ministry down on them. He wasn’t happy to hear that, but he was happy when Narcissa said she would visit them.

After a teary farewell, and a promise to meet again soon, Harry and Bellatrix returned home.

Bellatrix stepped out of the shower, her naked body dripping water all over the bathroom floor. She walked over to the mirror and wiped away the condensation. With magic she could have got rid of it instantly, but she found herself preferring to do things the muggle way. If her mother was still alive, what would she think of that?

She pulled at her cheeks. Her face was fuller, her eyes less dead. Being around Harry and eating actual food had done a lot to restore her health. She smiled to herself as he fixed her hair. Though she was well acquainted with her looks, as she stared at her reflection, she got the feeling it was Andromeda staring back at her. Her smile faltered.

“I wonder if she’s worried I’m going to come for her,” muttered Bellatrix. “I miss our talks.”

Harry knocked on the door. “Are you okay? You’ve been in there awhile.”

Her heart fluttered. “I’m alright, Master.”

“Are you hungry? I’m going to cook some breakfast.”

“Thank you, Master. I’ll be out soon.”

In a few days it would be Harry’s birthday. She couldn’t wait.

Chapter Text

What could a young boy want for his birthday? Dudley seemed to want everything. Every year his parents piled presents to the ceiling for the little brat. When it came time for Harry’s birthday, the Dursleys usually dug through their closets for whatever clothing they were willing to throw away. Bellatrix wondered why they even bothered, but didn’t care enough to ask. Her tail swished behind her angrily as she racked her brain for a gift idea.

Bellatrix laid in the flower bushes in front of the Dursley’s house, trying her best to stay out of the sun. Though she was able to move around Privet Drive and the surrounding neighborhood in her human form, she often found herself transforming into a cat and roaming the street. As a person, she would have to pretend to be polite to her master’s Muggle neighbors. But as a cat, she could ignore them and go wherever she pleased. And if she got sufficiently dirty, Harry would give her a bath.

She loved his baths.

Hissing at the air, she got up and walked down the street. She needed to focus. Harry’s birthday was tomorrow, and she had no idea what to get him. A Muggle toy? A wizard toy? Something else entirely? Digging deep through her memories, she tried to think of the kinds of presents Sirius got from her mother, but she couldn’t remember. Bellatrix hadn’t been paying attention.

Her angry wandering led her to a nearby park. Bellatrix could hear children laughing as they ran around and played. It was annoying, but she didn’t feel like heading somewhere else. It was far too hot for that. She found a spot in the shade under a tree and laid down. The grass was freshly cut, and the air had a sweet smell to it. There was no better spot to spend some time thinking.

But Harry had told her to come back soon, so her brainstorming session couldn’t last forever. After an hour of brainstorming which led to nothing, she decided it was time to go. Stretching her legs and yawning, she got up and cleaned herself just enough so her master would still have to brush her later. Once she was clean, Bellatrix tried to head home, but her legs wouldn’t move

Bellatrix panicked. She couldn’t move her head, only her eyes. Looking around, she feared that the Dementors had finally found her. There was no sign of them, nor did she feel the icy grip of fear they emanated. Confused, she focused on trying to move her body. That didn’t work. Then she tried to transform. When that failed, she resigned herself to listening to the sounds around her. That was when she heard the sound of soft footsteps.

“Bellatrix Black Lestrange,” said a gentle voice from behind her. “How curious that you find yourself in this neighborhood.”

Albus Dumbledore. Stuck in her Animagus form, she couldn’t reply to the elderly wizard. All she could do was wait for him to continue speaking. Mentally cursing herself, she knew that she was going to be thrown back in Azkaban. Once again torn away from her master. The worst part was, Harry would probably have no idea what had happened.

Dumbledore stepped in front of her, crouching low to meet her eyes. His gaze was serious and cold behind his half-moon spectacles. “How much does he know?” When she didn’t respond—because she couldn’t—Dumbledore picked her up and began carrying her. To the unaware observer, it looked like an old man wearing strange clothes collecting his pet cat who’d run out of the house. “It was a lot of trouble tracking you down. I should have known you would have come here, but I never thought you would have stayed.”

Bellatrix couldn’t cry in her Animagus form. She rarely cried in her old life, especially once she became an adult. But now, torn away from her new master, she wanted to cry. Not soft tears trailing down her cheek, but belly aching sobs of tortured pain.

“I have a few questions for you,” said Dumbledore. “If I promised not to do anything until you’ve answered them, would you speak with me?”

Bellatrix nodded, surprising herself that she was able to. There was no reason to fight against him. Albus Dumbledore was believed to be the strongest wizard alive. No one could stand up to him. Even Lord Voldemort, when he was alive, feared his old professor. Her old headmaster took her further into the park, away from any Muggles, and set her onto one of the tables there. He took a seat and smiled at her.

“We can’t speak with you as a cat, can we?”

After making sure that no one was watching, especially no Ministry Aurors, Bellatrix returned to her human form. She was glad that she’d chosen to get dressed before leaving the house. Though she wished she wore better clothes for the hot weather. Her tight jeans made it hard for the breeze to cool off her legs.

Instead of sitting at the table, Bellatrix sat down on the ground, pulling her knees up to her chin. She felt small in the presence of the much older wizard sitting next to her. Even working with the Dark Lord himself, she’d never known so much fear. Not fear for her life, but fear for the unknown.

“How did you learn to do that?” asked Dumbledore.

“I taught myself,” she answered.

He nodded, stroking his silver beard. “And how did you conduct the ritual in Azkaban?”

“I didn’t, I found another way.”

“Did you tell the others? Have you contacted them?”

Bellatrix shook her head. “No, sir.”

“I know you talked to your sister. Did you tell her?

“No, sir.” She felt like a schoolgirl again.

Dumbledore chuckled to himself. “You don’t have to call me sir. Albus is fine.”

“Are you sending me back to Azkaban?” she asked, shivering as memories of the horrible prison bombarded her mind.

“On the contrary,” said Dumbledore. There was a twinkle in his eyes. “I think you should stay with the boy.”

Bellatrix’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“You felt great love for Tom, correct?” asked Dumbledore.

“I do,” said Bellatrix. Deep in her heart, she knew her love for her former master would never fade. Too many years had been spent worshipping the ground he walked on. Too many nights spent ravaging each other in bed. Voldemort would always be special to her. Someday, she honestly hoped it would fade, but she couldn’t see that ever happening.

“And do you share that love with Harry?”

Bellatrix tried to appear aloof. How could she possibly explain to her old headmaster that she loved a ten-year-old boy. That she wanted to kiss him and touch him and let him touch her. It was clear Dumbledore saw right through her, but he showed no judgment. “Maybe not the same,” she said after a few minutes.

“But there is love there?” asked Dumbledore, adjusting his spectacles.

“Yes,” said Bellatrix.

Dumbledore nodded. “I can’t pretend to understand you, but I do see the love between you two. There is no greater magic than love. It is because of love that Harry remains alive today.”

“Explain,” said Bellatrix. After a few seconds of silence, she added, “Please.”

With creaking knees, Dumbledore sat down next to Bellatrix. He began to explain everything he knew about Harry and Voldemort. About how Harry’s mother’s sacrifice defeated Voldemort and saved Harry. Though he did leave out a few details here and there, especially concerning the horcruxes and the prophecy, as he was still in the middle of investigating those.

When he was finished, they sat in silence. Bellatrix broke it first. “I thought you were a fool, now I know it.”

Dumbledore laughed. “Perhaps. I can’t know everything.”

“His aunt and uncle are cruel,” said Bellatrix. “There is no love there. How could you subject him to such a cruel fate?” She stood up, rage building in her core. “He has bruises covering his arms and legs from his little shit of a cousin. They treat him like dirt, less than dirt. They hate him. You speak of love, how dare you! You can’t even imagine how much pain he has suffered!”

“You’re right,” said Dumbledore sadly. “Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to leave Harry with another. Or try and raise him myself. But looks can be deceiving, and what we want isn’t always what’s best. Deep down, they care for the boy. Especially Petunia. She sees her sister in his eyes. Though she would never admit it, she misses Lily.”

“Even so­—” Bellatrix started to say.

“Even so, I would rather Harry grow up with his family outside of the public eye. With all the torment he has learned to bear, rather than grow up conceited with the whole world watching,” said Dumbledore. “You may have loved Tom, but I don’t want Harry to turn out like him.”

The truth was, neither did Bellatrix. She’d only known Harry for a short time, but already she knew he was way better than her old master.

Dumbledore reached inside his robes and pulled out an envelope. It was addressed to Harry Potter, with the address line specifying the smallest bedroom in number four Privet Drive. Bellatrix had received a similar letter when she was a young girl. Now it was Harry’s turn.

“I once thought it would be better for Harry to avoid the wizarding world altogether,”
 said Dumbledore. “But it would be cruel to deny him the experience. Make sure he gets that letter, Bella.”

“I will,” she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. “Thank you.”

Dumbledore smiled, but he wasn’t done. He reached inside his robes again and pulled out a long, light beige colored wand with a silver handle. The thin piece of wood was engraved with swirls, the polished handle reflecting the harsh sunlight into Bellatrix’s eye. When Dumbledore handed the wand to her, she could feel the power echoing from within the wood.

“Silver maple with a dragon heartstring core. I was unable to procure your wand, so hopefully this one will serve you well. Garrick gave it to me as a gift many years ago, but I never found a use for it.”

“Why are you giving this to me?” asked Bellatrix, holding the wand like it would suddenly burst into flames.

“I believe in second chances.”

“That can’t be the only reason,” said Bellatrix, raising her brow.

He leaned toward her. “I want you to go with Harry to Hogwarts and protect him. There are certain dangers he will be forced to face that I fear he won’t be able to conquer alone. He needs friends, he needs love, he needs you, Bellatrix.”

“Hogwarts is always dangerous,” she said with a half-smile on her face as she twirled her new wand. “But I will serve my master well.”

“I know you will. Make sure Harry gets that letter, I look forward to seeing the both of you soon.” He started to walk away, then paused and turned around. “Oh, and please don’t hurt anyone that’s not a threat to poor Harry. I would hate to have to take you back to Azkaban.”

She gulped. “Yes, sir.”

“Call me, Albus,” he said merrily. With a wave of his hand, he disappeared. Bellatrix sat on the ground clutching the wand to her chest for a few minutes longer. Then she Apparated into the Dursley home, ready to tell Harry everything.

To her surprise, Harry wasn’t in his bedroom. Nor was he in either bathroom. She checked the kitchen, then outside, before looking in the cupboard under the stairs. The Dursleys were gone, having left for a trip to Uncle Vernon’s sister’s house the night before. Confused, and a little worried, she searched every inch of the house for her master.

She didn’t have to search long. Bellatrix opened the door to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s room to find Harry sitting on their bed. His eyes widened as he quickly tossed something under the bed. They stared at each other silently. Narrowing her eyes, Bellatrix stepped into the room and locked the door behind her.

“What are you doing, Master?”

“Nothing!” he said quickly, his eyes looking everywhere but at Bellatrix. A bright red flush covered his face. “I see you’re back from your walk.”

“I am.” She sat down on the bed next to him. “I met a very interesting man at the park.”

“Did you? That’s nice. Do you need a bath? Let’s go—”

She quickly reached under the bed, her fingers wrapping around something soft. Bellatrix lifted it up and grimaced. “Are these your aunt’s panties?”

“I can explain!”

“Were you sniffing your aunt’s panties?”

“Please let me explain!”

“If you wanted to smell some pussy you should have asked me,” said Bellatrix angrily.

Harry froze. “What?”

Bellatrix threw the panties across the room. “I can’t believe you. Sniffing your auntie’s panties. I’m right here, Master. Did you forget that you can do whatever you want to me?”

“I wasn’t smelling her panties I was smelling yours!” he said way louder than he intended.

Bellatrix crawled across the bed to look at the panties she’d thrown onto the floor. They were indeed the same pair she’d worn during their trip to Diagon Alley. Once they’d got home, she had thrown them into Aunt Petunia’s laundry hamper and forgot all about them. Now it was her turn to feel embarrassed.

“Oh, well, um, okay.”

“Sorry,” said Harry, hanging his head.

“No, no, it’s fine. I just… Why did you ask me not to wear underwear if you like smelling them?”

“I don’t know, I thought it would be, um, exciting.”

Bellatrix laughed. “Well, you’re not wrong about that.” She wasn’t quite sure what to do next. Obviously, she was attracted to Harry, and he seemed to be attracted to her, but doing anything in his aunt and uncle’s bedroom was a bit weird. But she had been looking for a present to give him for his birthday, and this seemed like the right opportunity.

“Are you mad at me?” asked Harry.

“No of course not,” she said, kissing his forehead gently. “I could never be mad at you.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m glad they were the panties I wore and not your aunt’s.”

His shivered. “I would never.”

“Good.” Bellatrix got off the bed and kneeled in front of Harry. The bulge in his pants twitched as she rubbed his thighs. “I’m sorry for interrupting you, Master,” she said seductively. “Would you like me to make it up to you?”

“H-how?”

“I can think of a few ways.” She reached up and hooked her fingers into the waistband of his pants. “Once I do this, Master, there is no going back. Do you understand?”

He nodded. “P-please.”

Taking a deep breath, she looked into Harry’s eyes as he lifted his butt to allow her to pull his pants down. Though she was not familiar with his parents, she had seen those eyes before. Lily Potter was a threat on the battlefield. Her bright green eyes were iconic, fierce, and now they were his. As his cock popped out of his waistband and smacked against his skin before pointing straight up, Bellatrix wondered if Harry would be as powerful.

His uncircumcised cock flexed and twitched as it reacted to the air. Bellatrix had never seen such a perfect thing. She reached out and touched it gently, causing Harry to let out a low moan. Slowly, she pulled back the skin, revealing a cute, little, pink, mushroom-shaped head. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed it. Her tongue flicked out to taste him.

Salty, but not unpleasant.

Where Voldemort’s cock was loud and proud, Harry’s was subtle and unassuming. Bellatrix only had experience with her husband’s and her former master’s, so she didn’t have a lot to compare Harry’s to. Surprisingly, it was larger than Rodolphus’ but it was smaller than Voldemort’s. Harry was only a child, so she knew it would grow with time.

She wasn’t disappointed though. Bellatrix thought it fit her master’s body perfectly. “Have you ever had anyone touch you here?” she asked before swiping her tongue across his glans.

“N-no,” he said, his voice breaking each time she teased his cock.

Bellatrix worked her way down his shaft. The more and more she licked and kissed his penis she found her love for Harry growing. She hadn’t considered herself a nonce, but she couldn’t explain the complicated feelings surging through her brain. While pleasuring Harry, she reached inside her pants and rubbed her clit.

After running her tongue up and down his cock a few times, she wrapped her lips around his balls and took them easily within her mouth. Her cheeks went concave as she sucked. Harry threw his head back and groaned, his fingers digging into the sheets. Bellatrix popped his balls out of her mouth and made a show of kissing every inch of them.

“You’re so hard, Master,” said Bellatrix as she tickled his balls with her tongue.

Harry groaned. “Please…”

“Please what?”

“S-suck it.”

She smirked. “As you command.”

With one final kiss on his sack, Bellatrix gestured for Harry to move back onto the bed. She crawled over him, staring at the young boy with a predator’s gaze. Memories of her first time with Voldemort flashed through her mind. He had ravaged her that night. Taken what he wanted without a care for her needs. For Harry, she would do the opposite.

Her shirt hit the door, then her pants. Just as Harry had requested, she wore no underwear. Harry’s eyes followed her breasts as they swung in the air like a pendulum. Bellatrix grabbed his hand and brought it to her tit. He squeezed, causing her to let out a low moan. In order to give him proper access to her breasts, she laid down next to Harry.

Her hair draped across his legs as she gently kissed the head of his cock. Slowly, she let his shaft slide past her lips into her mouth. He grabbed her hair and tried to force her down, but Bellatrix resisted. She went slow, teasing the boy as he tried to hump her mouth desperately. Humming softly, she finally reached the bottom. She gave him a naughty look as her lips pressed against his groin. If it were an adult cock, it would have been an impressive feat, but Harry was impressed all the same.

As she gently sucked his cock, Harry stroked her hair like he was petting her cat form. It was the soft kind of love Bellatrix had never experienced in her life. Voldemort’s idea of sex was never soft. It was hard. A rush of pleasure and pains that shocked the senses. She much preferred lying next to her master and pleasing his penis.

With a loud pop, she let his penis fall out of her mouth. She stroked him slowly with one hand, running the other across his stomach. Occasionally she reached up and played with his nipples. Harry reciprocated in turn. Bellatrix stared lovingly into his emerald eyes. “Does that feel good, Master?”

“Yes,” he groaned.

“Did I do good?”

“Yeah.”

“Call me a good girl,” whispered Bellatrix.

“Good girl.”

She smirked as his balls tightened. “Would you like to cum, Master?”

The throes of pleasure were too much for the poor boy. All he could do was hump Bellatrix’s hand as she pumped him faster.

“Where would you like to cum, Master? My face? My mouth? My breasts?”

“Mo-mouth,” he breathed out, closing his eyes to hold back his orgasm for as long as possible.

“As you wish.”

She swallowed him to the base, twirling her tongue around his shaft. Harry grabbed her by the hair and humped her lips. Bellatrix closed her eyes and let her master set the pace. A few seconds later, the first few salty shots of his cum hit the back of her throat. She sucked as hard as she could, trying to draw out as much of his cum out of his cock as possible. When he was finally finished, he let go of her hair and laid back with a happy sigh.

“Thank you, Bella,” he said happily.

It wasn’t the largest load she’d had to swallow. That honor surprisingly belonged to her husband. But she was happy to swallow her master’s cum all the same. She cleaned off his cock before trailing kisses up his body. When she reached his lips, she forced her tongue inside his mouth, giving Harry a taste of his own seed. He didn’t complain. The two kissed and cuddled for a minute or two before laying back and staring at the ceiling.

“I wasn’t sure what to get you, Master,” said Bellatrix, hugging Harry’s face closer to her chest.

“What do you mean?”

“What do I get for the boy who should have everything? How can I possibly make up for a lifetime of abuse and neglect? I hope this was enough.”

Harry shuffled around so their bodies faced each other. “I’ve never had a real birthday before. Not like Dudley or the kids from school.”

She frowned before kissing his lighting scar. “I know, and I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “But I do. I mean, your parents, all the people I’ve hurt, the people I will hurt. Maybe I’m not to blame for all of it, but some of your pain is because of me.”

Harry hugged her closer. “And every bit of happiness I have now is thanks to you.”

“Master,” she whimpered as she squeezed him as tight as she could. They cuddled on the bed together until they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter Text

“Happy birthday!”

Harry grinned before blowing out the candles on his cake. It was the first cake he’d ever had on his birthday, at least for as long as he’d lived at the Dursley’s. Narcissa cut out slices of cake while Bellatrix grabbed some plates from the kitchen. They had prepared a vanilla cake with creamy vanilla frosting for Harry’s birthday. The Dursleys were still gone on vacation, giving the strange group a welcome reprieve from their Muggle antics.

But perhaps the strangest guest at Harry’s 11th birthday party was Bellatrix’s nephew and Narcissa’s son, Draco Malfoy.

Narcissa had yet to tell her husband about her new master. Bellatrix had strongly urged her against it. Not just because Bellatrix didn’t trust Lucius, but also because she feared adding more members to their group so quickly would put Harry in danger. Her conversation with Dumbledore had heightened her anxiety. Now she wasn’t just looking behind her back for the Aurors, now she was keeping watch to make sure her master stayed safe.

Draco licked his lips as his mother passed him a slice of cake. He’d had his 11th birthday the month before. From what Bellatrix heard; Malfoy birthdays were more reserved affairs. Lucius had invited a few friends from work and boasted to them about his child’s many accomplishments. It was a sharp contrast from the kinds of birthday parties Bellatrix and her sister had celebrated in their youth.

Closing her eyes, she fondly remembered sitting around the table with her sisters and cousins as her father transformed her birthday card into a massive three tier cake. After eating, the adults talked around the table as children ran through the halls playing and laughing. Besides the children of Lucius’ coworkers, Draco’s party had none of his friends. No other family to visit and spend time with him on his special day. This was the first time he’d met another one of his family members from the Black family since his birth.

When Bellatrix heard about Draco’s poor birthday from Narcissa, she invited the two of them to come to Privet Drive.

“It will be good for our master to spend his special day with another wizard around his age,” Bellatrix had told her.

“I don’t disagree,” Narcissa had said. “But Draco can be a bit… Don’t get me wrong, I love him dearly, but…”

“I’m sure it will be fine.”

Seconds after arriving at the Dursley’s home, Draco complained. “These Muggle houses are so drab, aren’t they, Mother? Wait until Father hears about this.”

Narcissa grabbed her son’s shoulders and squeezed him. “We aren’t going to tell your father about this, remember? This is just between you, me, and your aunt.”

“And you better be nice while you’re here,” said Bellatrix. “Otherwise, I’ll tell your father to beat you a little harder tonight.”

“Bella!” exclaimed Narcissa, covering Draco’s ears and giving her sister a horrified look.

Bellatrix gave her sister a wink before ushering her nephew closer to the door. He had gone silent after hearing his aunt’s threats.

Draco had been less than happy about keeping secrets from his father, but Bellatrix and Narcissa were able to calm him down enough to meet Harry. The more time she spent with her nephew, the more Bellatrix compared him to Dudley in her head. Both of them were brats raised by parents who thought too highly of themselves. Bellatrix blamed Lucius more than her sister.

Harry and Draco’s first meeting had gone surprisingly well. Harry had greeted Narcissa and Draco at the door, allowing Narcissa to introduce her son to her new master. Of course, she didn’t tell her son that she was now sworn to serve another boy, but that information eventually reached Draco’s ears anyway. Draco moved like a practiced noble, carefully fixing his blonde hair which hung over his pale, pointed face before extending his hand to Harry.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Harry.”

“Same,” said Harry, smiling as he shook the boy’s hand.

Harry showed Draco around the house while Bellatrix and Narcissa prepared lunch and cake. As they ate lunch, Harry asked a whirlwind of questions about the wizarding world which Draco and Narcissa were more than happy to answer. Some of their more problematic views made Bellatrix wince—which surprised her—but it was a pleasant gathering all around. The first happy meal Bellatrix had shared with her sister in many, many years.

“Tomorrow, we’ll take you boys to Diagon Alley to pick up everything you’ll need for Hogwarts,” said Narcissa.

“What do I need for Hogwarts?” asked Harry.

“Didn’t you read your letter?” asked Draco. When Harry gave him a look of confusion, Draco laughed. “Maybe it got lost in the Muggle post.”

Bellatrix groaned. “No, it’s my fault. Hold on.”

She ran up the stairs to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon’s room to grab the letter off the floor. After talking with Dumbledore, she had put it in her pocket and forgot about it. Bellatrix had been distracted by a certain rod between her master’s legs. It was a nice distraction, but Bellatrix wasn’t any less embarrassed. Her face had a red tinge as she returned to the kitchen and handed Harry his Hogwarts’ letter.

As he opened the letter, a small key engraved with the symbol of Gringotts bank fell into his lap. Bellatrix took the key from Harry and put it in her pocket, making a mental note not to forget it this time. “We’ll stop by your vault while Draco and Cissy are picking out Draco’s wand.”

Harry nodded. He read through the letter carefully, absorbing every inch of ink like it was the last thing he’d ever do. “It says I can bring an owl, a cat, or a toad.”

“If you’d like, you could use our owl,” offered Draco. Narcissa and Bellatrix shared a quick look of surprise at the generous offer.

“I’m not sure who I would send letters to,” muttered Harry.

“Then that’s even more of a reason not to buy your own owl, if you can even afford one.”

Bellatrix cleared her throat. “Be nice, Draco.”

“Sorry, Aunt Bellatrix.”

Harry took a bite of his cake, staring at his letter as it lay open on the table. He spent the rest of the day sitting on his bed and reading the letter over and over again. Bellatrix cleaned up once Narcissa and Draco left—with the help of her new wand, of course. The wand didn’t fully accept her, but it was good enough for her purposes. Once she was done cleaning, she sat on Harry’s bed and took the letter from his hands.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said, forcing a smile. “Thank you for everything today.”

Bellatrix tapped him on the forehead. “You can thank me by telling me what’s wrong.”

His smile faltered. “I’m excited to go to Hogwarts, Bella, I really am, but… What am I going to do without you?”

She ruffled his hair. “Is that what’s got you upset, Master? Relax, I’m going with you.”

“You are?”

“Of course, I am.” She transformed into a cat, waved her tail in his face as she crossed over his lap, and then transformed back into a human. “They said you could bring a cat, remember?”

“But you’re not really a cat,” said Harry.

“That’s true,” said Bellatrix. She shrugged. “But I have a good feeling we’ll be able to make it work.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”

She kissed his head, breathing in his scent as she held her kiss for a few seconds. “Of course, I am. Now get to bed, you’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

Diagon Alley was packed full of aspiring witches and wizards dragging their parents or guardians to each store to pick up everything they needed for the school year. It was overwhelming. Narcissa pushed through the crowd of students, dragging Draco behind her with an iron grip. Harry followed behind her, and Aunt Petunia behind him. She looked totally out of place in her Muggle best surrounded by fancy robes and pointed hats.

Harry glanced back at his aunt. “Where to first, Bella?”

Aunt Petunia clicked her tongue. “Auntie, call me Auntie.”

“Sorry, B-sorry, Auntie.”

Bellatrix Lestrange, disguised as Harry’s aunt thanks to a Polyjuice Potion Narcissa had helped them procure, checked the supply list. The four of them stepped to the side, so they didn’t block the heavy crowds. “We need to go to the bank to see how much money you have.”

“If you have any,” said Draco, snickering to himself.

Narcissa jerked her son’s arm. “Draco! How many times do I have to tell you to be nice!”

“How was that mean?” whined Draco.

Bellatrix shook her head. “Cissy, why don’t you go get Draco’s wand while we go to the bank. We’ll catch up to you later.”

“Alright, come along, Draco,” said Narcissa. Bellatrix and Harry watched the two weave their way through the crowds before working up the courage to dive in themselves.

This time, they had decided to forgo Harry’s hat on Narcissa’s recommendation. If they were going to build Harry into a proper wizard, one in which they would be happy to serve, then they needed to get him used to fame. Each wandering eye that focused on Harry terrified Bellatrix. She felt like she was surrounded by Aurors just waiting for her disguise to slip so they could send her right back to Azkaban.

“Is that…?”

“Merlin’s beard! Harry Potter…”

“Mummy, why is everyone looking…?”

By the time they reached the snow-white towering structure of Gringotts, Bellatrix felt like she’d run a marathon. Sweat drenched her back. She wanted to use her wand to clean herself off, but Aunt Petunia wasn’t able to use magic. Taking a deep breath, Bellatrix ignored the stares of witches, wizards, and goblins alike as she pulled Harry to a free goblin counting coins behind a long counter. The vast marble hall echoed with each step they took, drilling into Bellatrix’s brain how risky their current mission was.

“Good morning,” said Bellatrix, bowing her head to the greasy looking goblin. It pained her to be nice to goblin scum, but there was no way they’d respect a rude Muggle. He sneered at Bellatrix before turning to look at Harry. His eyes widened, then a nasty grin stretched across his face. Bellatrix cleared her throat to draw the goblin’s attention. “We’ve come to make a withdrawal.”

“Mr. Potter, I presume?” asked the goblin. His voice was deep and scratchy, sending shivers down Bellatrix’s spine. She’d never been a fan of goblins.

“Yes, sir,” said Harry.

“Sir, he says,” said the goblin, chuckling. “You have his key, I presume?”

Bellatrix pulled Harry’s key out of her purse and set it on the counter. “Right here.”

The goblin took it and examined it closely. “Very well.” He turned, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Griphook! Take Mr. Potter and his guardian to his vault.”

“What an honor,” muttered Griphook. He was another goblin, though less greasy than the one they were talking to. “Follow me.” Bellatrix grabbed Harry’s hand as Griphook took them to a door further down the hall.

As Griphook led them into a stone passageway with a small track cutting through the middle, Harry clung to Bellatrix’s side. She bent down and kissed his head while they waited for their cart to take them deeper. “It’s okay, I’m right here.”

She expected to see fear in his eyes as he looked up at her. Instead, they were sparkling with joy. “This is brilliant!”

Their cart rolled up to the three of them, stopping suddenly with a loud screech. Harry climbed in after Griphook, turning back to extend his hand to Bellatrix. She took it and let him help her in as a heat burned in her core. “My little gentleman.”

“Hold on tight,” said Griphook, ignoring the goo-goo eyes his guests were giving each other.

The cart shot down the track, achieving max speed within a few seconds. Bellatrix gripped the side of the cart as they swerved around each corner. Gritting her teeth, she tried to appear calm for Harry’s sake, but it was impossible. One wrong turn, one misstep, and she would be caught and sent straight back to Azkaban. Wizards weren’t very religious, but she prayed to whatever god listened for her and Harry to make it out together.

Gringotts imposes a number of security measures to keep their vaults safe from thieves. Some of them require nothing more than a key to determine identity, such as Harry’s vault. Others employ more dangerous tactics. A burst of heat hit Bellatrix’s face as they rounded a corner. Somewhere nearby was a dragon, and it was angry.

No one knew each and every different method goblins used to protect their hoarded wealth. That was partly the reason why they made no attempt to access Bellatrix’s vault. The last time she had traveled down to it, they had used a special kind of magic waterfall to wash away all magic spells affecting the people in the cart. Thankfully, the journey to Harry’s vault avoided any traps like that.

When they finally stopped in front of Harry’s vault, Bellatrix took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She hadn’t realized just how terrified she was. Griphook hopped out of the cart and unlocked the door. Green smoke billowed out of the vault, but it cleared before reaching the cart. Harry had already jumped out to look inside.

“Woah!” he exclaimed. “Is this all for me?”

Glittering stacks of gold Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts covered the vault floor. Bellatrix gasped. She had never expected the Potters to be so rich. Sure, she had enough wealth to last several lifetimes, but she had stolen most of that money. Stepping out of the cart, she helped Harry gather all the money he’d need­, and then some more, into his aunt’s purse.

As they rode back up to the entrance, Harry couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ve never had my own money before. I’m not sure what to do with it all.”

“After we get your stuff for school, you can spend what we put in my purse however you like. The rest we’ll keep safe down here until you need it,” said the Bellatrix. The cart stopped suddenly once they reached the top, causing both of them to jerk forward.

“Please come again,” said Griphook, gesturing for them to get out. Bellatrix shot the goblin a nasty glare as they got out.

“Come on, Harry,” said Bellatrix, taking his hand into her’s. “Let’s go get you a wand.”

Chapter Text

Draco and his mother were still inside Ollivanders. Stacks of paper and broken shards of glass littered the floor as Bellatrix and Harry walked in. A bell chimed to alert Mr. Ollivander of their arrival, but he was busy pulling out boxes of wands from the endless shelves that made up the walls of his shop. A cloud of dust hovered in the air, billowing out with each box pulled from the shelves.

“No, not this one…” muttered Mr. Ollivander as he pulled out another box.

“No luck so far?” asked Bellatrix.

Narcissa gave her disguised sister an exasperated look. “I don’t remember it taking me this long.”

Bellatrix shrugged. “I went through a few wands before I found the right one.” She spoke quietly so Ollivander wouldn’t hear, but he wasn’t paying attention to their conversation anyway.

“Ah yes, how about this one. 10 inches, hawthorn, unicorn hair…” He bent the wand slightly. “Reasonably springy.” Mr. Ollivander climbed down from the shelves and handed it to Draco. Narcissa winced as the boy waved the wand through the air, but all that happened was a cloud of green smoke shot from the tip. Bellatrix clapped.

“Is that the one?” asked Narcissa.

“I should think so,” said Mr. Ollivander, nodding his head. “How does it feel, Mr. Malfoy.”

Draco shrugged, giving Harry a smug look. “I suppose it will do.”

Mr. Ollivander laughed. “You won’t find a better wand; I can guarantee you that. If you’ll let me, I’ll wrap it up for you.” He closed the wand back inside its box then wrapped it in silver paper. Narcissa paid for it, and then the two sat and waited for Harry.

“Hullo,” said Harry, stepping up to the counter.

Mr. Ollivander chuckled to himself. “I thought I would be seeing you here someday soon. Feels like just yesterday that I helped your mother and father with their wands.” He turned to Bellatrix, curiosity flashing in his wide eyes. “But I don’t recognize you.”

“I’m his aunt,” said Bellatrix, extending her hand politely. “Petunia Vernon.”

“No magic?” asked Mr. Ollivander, letting her hand hang in the air.

She frowned. “No, but—”

“Let’s see, let’s see.” Mr. Ollivander ducked behind his counter and pulled out a measuring-tape. “Hold out your wand arm for me, Mr. Potter.”

Bellatrix Lestrange had never been ignored before. As a young witch of exceptional beauty and talent belonging to a powerful wizarding household, she turned heads wherever she went. How dare he treat her like a something unworthy of his time—like a Muggle. She turned to say something to her sister, but Narcissa was focused on watching Harry. Draco was busy turning his wand over in his hands, having already ripped it out of its packaging. No one cared about the grave injustice Bellatrix had suffered.

The worst part was that Bellatrix couldn’t do anything about it. She couldn’t threaten Ollivander, that could lead to her back to Azkaban, nor could she complain. What use was the opinion of a Muggle in the wizarding world? If she dropped her disguise to complain, then it was right back to Azkaban for her. And why should she complain, wasn’t this how she thought Muggles should be treated?

Her head hurt and she wanted to go home. She could barely force a smile onto her face as Harry finally found his wand.

“Curious, very curious…” muttered Ollivander.

“How so?” asked Narcissa.

“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold,” he said, putting each of the boxes he’d pulled out back onto the shelves. “The phoenix who gave the feather for that wand gave just one other. The wand chooses its master, Mr. Potter. It is curious that you would be destined for that wand, when it was its brother that gave you your famous scar.”

Bellatrix felt her heart drop. Harry’s wand, and her former master’s wand, they were twins. She should have been overjoyed. Another sign that Harry was fit to be her new master. Instead, she was terrified. Part of her still wanted to groom Harry into becoming a new Dark Lord, but another part was growing rapidly. That part wanted Harry to be different. To continue to be the special little boy who brought her so much joy. Who she loved with her whole heart and soul.

She didn’t speak much as they paid for Harry’s wand and left to get the rest of his supplies. Bellatrix let her sister guide them from shop to shop. People stared, they whispered between themselves, Bellatrix barely noticed. How deep did the connections between Harry and Voldemort go? When she closed her eyes and focused, she could still feel her former master’s presence within the boy. It hadn’t grown or shrunk. But her opinion on it had changed, if only by a small amount.

“Come on, Draco, Harry, let’s go get some food and then we can go home,” said Narcissa, leading the boys into a small café. She turned back to look at her sister. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” said Bellatrix, stepping past her sister. “Just a bit overwhelmed is all.”

Narcissa nodded, but the look of concern didn’t leave her face. “Very well.”

The boys blabbered on and on about what they’d seen, what they’d bought, what they hoped would happen at Hogwarts. It was very exhausting to listen to. Bellatrix loved Harry, she did, but she didn’t have the energy to answer his endless questions. Thankfully, Narcissa was willing to pick up the slack. She always had.

“I’ll be sorted into Slytherin, of course,” said Draco, puffing out his chest.

“They’ll probably put me in Hufflepuff,” said Harry sadly.

Narcissa had explained the four houses to Harry a few minutes ago. “Doubtful,” she said. “You’ve got too much potential to be sorted with the riffraff.”

Harry looked at Bellatrix. “What house were you sorted into?”

“Slytherin,” she replied.

“Me too,” said Narcissa.

“And my father was as well,” said Draco proudly.

“Oh.” Harry took a bite of his sandwich. He chewed it thoughtfully.

“Your parents were sorted into Gryffindor, as was our cousin Sirius,” said Narcissa.

Draco gagged. Wet crumbs of foot spat out of his mouth onto the table. “How dreadful. Is that why I haven’t met him?”

“You haven’t met him because he’s in Azkaban. I’ll make sure they put you in with him if you don’t clean up your mess,” said Bellatrix sternly.

“Yes, Auntie,” said Draco, brushing his crumbs onto the floor.

“Why is he in Azkaban?” asked Harry.

Bellatrix and Narcissa exchanged a quick look. “We’ll tell you later.” They didn’t want to get into the complicated history of the death of his parents in the middle of Diagon Alley. That would be too much for the poor boy. He knew the story of course, but only the most relevant parts.

Narcissa drummed her fingers on the table. There was a hungry look in her eyes. She glanced at Harry, then leaned toward her sister. “Can you do me a favor?”

Bellatrix raised her eyebrow. “That depends on the favor. I’m kind of limited in what I can do right now.” She gestured to her Muggle clothes.

“Can you take Draco to Madame Malkin’s and have another set of clothes made for him.” She passed her sister some coins. “I worry what would happen if he only had one set.”

Bellatrix took the coins and put them in her purse, being careful not to mix them with Harry’s. “And what are you going to do?”

“Oh, I think Harry and I will take a walk, give him some time to get used to everything. How does that sound, Harry?” asked Narcissa. Harry nodded, and Draco tried to appear aloof, but it was clear he was worried about being separated from his mother.

Bellatrix gave her sister a dirty grin. “Just a walk, hmm?”

“Is that alright with you?” asked Narcissa, doing her best to mirror her son’s look of nonchalance.

“Will you be okay for a bit while I help Draco?” Bellatrix asked Harry.

He looked between the two women, trying to read the strange looks on their faces. “I’ll be fine.”

Bellatrix leaned over to whisper in her sister’s ear. “Next time, I get to watch.”

Narcissa laughed. “Very well.”

Once the boys were done eating, Bellatrix took Draco to Madame Malkin’s and Narcissa and Harry ran off in the direction of Knockturn Alley. Bellatrix had an idea what her sister was going to do, but she trusted her sister not to do it without Harry’s consent. He was the master. Whatever he wanted, she would move the world to make happen. If only she had that power.

Waiting for Draco to get fitted for another pair of robes was driving Bellatrix insane. Had her mother been this bored when she’d taken her sisters to get their Hogwarts supplies? Bellatrix was surprised that she thought of her mother so often now. When she served Voldemort, she thought of nothing but how to serve him best. If he wanted her to kill, she would kill. If he desired torture, then she would make his enemies suffer.

Now she was giving her nephew a thumbs-up to try and make him feel better about getting school robes that were a size bigger than he needed. The Malfoys could afford self-resizing robes, but for a spare set of robes it was cheaper to go without costly enchantments. Draco whined and complained as he was fitted for another pair of gloves.

Bellatrix missed Harry. She missed him a lot. Just being in his presence brought her indescribable joy. It made her not want to strangle her annoying nephew who wouldn’t shut the fuck up. Whose fault was it? Was it her sister’s? Lucius? How had they raised such a brat? Not even the Dursleys had fucked up that bad, and Dudley was pretty bad.

As soon as Draco was done, Bellatrix headed straight for the Leaky Cauldron. She was tired, angry, and anxious about all the wandering eyes headed her way. Damn her sister. Bellatrix had found Harry first, she deserved to run off with him to have a little naughty fun. At least spending some time with Draco convinced her that she wasn’t a regular nonce. Only Harry caused her heart flutter.

“What was Azkaban like, Aunt B­—”

“Draco, don’t you dare finish that question. And I told you to call me Auntie or Aunt Petunia.”

“But I want to know what it was like.”

The Leaky Cauldron wasn’t too busy, but it was busy enough that she didn’t want to risk speaking without caution. Any one of the wizards sipping their dirty mugs of ale could be Aurors. Still, no one seemed to hear what Draco had said, and Bellatrix was bored out of her mind, so she decided to humor her nephew for a bit.

“It was terrible. The worst thing you can imagine. Stay on the straight and narrow, Draco. Or be a rat like your father.”

“My father is not a rat!”

“A snake then?” she teased. “A pig? Which animal would you prefer.”

“Do not insult my father,” he said, brimming with anger.

“You father should have been rotting in a cell next to mine,” Bellatrix whispered. “But he wasn’t. Do you know why? Because he sold out his friends and sucked up to the people above him. Just as he’s always done. Bewitched? Give me a break. He knew what he was doing. Be better.”

“My father is powerful. Maybe he stayed out of jail because they couldn’t catch him. Maybe he was too strong to be held in Azkaban. Did you ever think of that?”

Bellatrix snorted. “Yeah, sure. Whatever you say.”

All the fire burned out of Draco’s eyes. He crossed his arms and slouched in his chair. A poor look for the future head of the Malfoy family. “Why are you even hanging around Potter anyway?”

“Why the change in subject?” asked Bellatrix, arching her brow.

“Answer the question, Aunt Petunia.” He said her fake name in a mocking tone. Childish, but not unexpected for her nephew.

“Jealousy isn’t a good look for you.” She drummed her fingers on the table as she tried to think of a good answer. “He’s… Well, he helped me out of a rough spot. He’s still helping me.”

“Father says Potter is lucky to be alive.”

“That’s true, though I wonder how much was luck, and how much was inevitable. You-Know-Who grew desperate in his last days. I never knew why—believe me, I used my tricks to try and learn—but he never told me. Either way, Harry is alive and You-Know-Who is gone. That’s the world we live in now.

“I’ve said too much, Draco. Let’s just wait for your mother.”

“But I want—”

“Shut up!” she yelled, her sudden outburst causing a few heads to turn. Bellatrix rubbed her temple. Damn her sister for leaving her with Draco. Damn Voldemort for keeping secrets from her. Damn Draco for being such an annoying brat. People returned to their conversations. Leaning back in her chair, Bellatrix stared at the door leading to Diagon Alley.

What was taking her sister so long?

Chapter Text

The prim and proper maternal head of the Malfoy household had no idea what had come over her. Something in her brain had changed the day she’d been forced to kiss Harry Potter. When her sister explained that she’d become the boy’s ‘pet’ Narcissa Malfoy had found the idea ridiculous. Of course she did. No one in their right mind would swear allegiance to a boy. Even if he’d caused the fall of the Dark Lord.

Yet the longer she spent around him, the wetter her panties became.

How had this happened? She felt no lust for boys his age, certainly not after dealing with her son every day. Her sex life wasn’t bad. Lucius was a sweet, sensual lover. He went to great lengths to make sure she felt as good as he did. Narcissa had always loved that about him. It drove her to do the same, leading to many fun nights in the bedroom which hadn’t slowed as they got older.

But that damn kiss…

Dragging Harry through the crowds, she took him to Knockturn Alley. It was no place for a boy his age, and certainly no place for the boy who lived. A few people stared, but Narcissa was used to their gaze. She had always been watched, always been judged. Her mother had drilled in her the importance of appearing above it all. Even as the Black family fell to ruin, her mother swore that it was up to them to keep the ideals of a pure wizard society above all else.

“Where are we going?” asked Harry.

Narcissa stopped. Harry was doing his best to appear brave, but it was clear he was terrified. Why wouldn’t he be? A strange woman he’d only met once was dragging him into a dark alley. In her haste, she’d forgotten the most important part of her new master. He was a boy. A young boy with a virile cock that she wanted to spray semen down her throat.

“How much have you done with my sister?” asked Narcissa. If he had no experience, then she wouldn’t push him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She bent down and whispered into his ear, “Sex.”

His face turned bright red. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a jumbled mess. Narcissa almost turned around to bring him back to Diagon Alley, but then he muttered, “A little bit.”

A dirty smile stretched across her cheeks. “Oh? And how much is a little bit?” She could see the growing bulge in his pants.

“She, uh…” He looked around, but Knockturn Alley was surprisingly empty. “She put my penis in her mouth.”

“Did she suck it? Kiss it?” Narcissa was breathing heavy. Harry nodded. “A blowjob then? Very well, I won’t go much farther than that. Come on, let’s have some fun of our own. We don’t have much time before Draco gets antsy.”

Knockturn Alley was no stranger to sex. People fucked in the street, they fucked on the roofs, they fucked in the stores. The more prim and proper types went to the short-stay hotels built above the various stores lining the street. Narcissa led Harry to her favorite: the Iced Unicorn. The Iced Unicorn was known for their confidentiality.

The young woman sitting behind the check-in counter in the lobby perked up as Narcissa and Harry walked inside. Narcissa recognized the girl from her last visit, but didn’t know her name. Without the need for any words, the woman stood up and led Narcissa and Harry down a dim hallway to their room.

At the door, marked number 934, the woman bowed and gestured inside. “Please enjoy your stay, Mrs. Malfoy.”

Narcissa dropped a few Galleons into the girl’s hand. “Not a word.”

The girl’s eyes nearly popped out of her head as she looked up and recognized Harry. She stayed bent at the hip, only allowing herself to watch them enter the room and shut the door behind them. At any other hotel, there would be gossip for weeks. Not at the Iced Unicorn. That girl would keep Narcissa’s secret to the grave. For she was magically bound to silence.

A floral scent filled the room. Red shag carpet covered the floor, sparking a sharp contrast with the plain white sheets on the king-sized bed. There was a wooden closet pressed against the wall, and a small table next to the bed. No windows, no visible sources of light. The dull pink lighting seemed to come from every corner of the room.

Narcissa sat down on the bed and sighed. Even though she’d been expecting to do a lot of walking, she always made sure to dress her best. Her bright green robes were cut at the neck to show off her pearl necklace and cut above the ankle to shoe off her emerald high heels. She was a woman of fashion—not a hair out of place and earrings sparkling.

Harry stood by the door awkwardly. Narcissa pulled out her wand and pointed it at her clothes. With a single flick, the magical fastenings holding her robes together undid themselves. No bra, lace white panties, pure white skin. Her clothes floated off her body, flying through the air until they hung themselves in the closet. For her many pieces of jewelry, she had them land neatly on the bedside table.

Narcissa stretched, drawing Harry’s eyes to her chest. With a naughty grin, she flicked her wand at Harry, causing his clothes to fly off as well. They flew into the closet, leaving him standing in front of the door with only his briefs to give him any protection. With one more flick, her panties and his briefs made their way to the closet as well.

When Lucius and Narcissa had first got married, they’d spent their wedding night in the Iced Unicorn. Narcissa turned and grimaced so Harry wouldn’t see. It hadn’t been a very fun affair. They were both so tired that they fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed. She wanted to give Harry something better than that, but they didn’t have a lot of time.

Turning back to Harry, she was surprised to see his hand stroking his cock. Compared to her sister, Narcissa’s body was thin. Her breasts, not too small but certainly smaller than her sister’s, were topped with tiny pink nipples. Under her right nipple was a small mole that Lucius loved to aim his cock at when he orgasmed. As Harry rubbed his cock, Narcissa spread her legs to show off her meaty vulva and the blonde curls covering it.

“Well, how do I look, Master?”

“You’re beautiful, Mrs. Malfoy.”

She crossed her legs, hiding her pussy from view. “You don’t need to speak so respectfully to me, Master. Call me Cissy, or just Pet if you’d like.”

“Cissy,” he moaned, stroking his cock faster.

“Thank you, Master,” said Narcissa, standing up from the bed to give him an exaggerated bow. His eyes followed her breasts as they swung like a pendulum. Then she straightened her body and shot Harry a nervous look. “Can I ask you to do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Someday you’ll meet my husband. Don’t tell him about this, or Draco. They might not understand.” She sat back down on the bed. “When I think about you, and what we’re about to do, I can’t help myself.”

“I won’t tell a soul.”

She curled her finger at him. “Come here, Master. Sit down on the bed.”

Harry sat on the edge of the bed while Narcissa got on her knees. Her hands massaged his thighs. Without a second of hesitation, she brought her face close to his cock and inhaled. When she exhaled, Harry could have sworn her eyes rolled back into her head.

“Fuck,” she muttered. Pressing her nose against his balls, she inhaled again. “You smell so good, Master.”

Precum dripped from the head of Harry’s cock onto Narcissa’s face. If she noticed, she didn’t care. She was too focused on smelling the young boy’s balls. Gently, she grabbed his shaft with two fingers and held it away so she could get a better angle. Harry squirmed, trying his best to stay still but unable to stop himself from shaking.

“Cissy…” he groaned.

She looked up, her half-lidded eyes beaming with list. When she spoke, Narcissa whispered into his balls, rubbing her soft lips against them. “Five more minutes. Just give me five more minutes.”

Harry jumped as she began laying soft kisses onto his balls. They were so light and gentle he wasn’t sure if they were real at all. Then she lost her mind and focused entirely on kissing. With a quick glance to make sure Harry was okay, Narcissa took his testicles into her mouth and sucked on them. She loved his scent, his taste, everything about him.

His toes curled. Narcissa let go of his balls with a loud smack before continuing to kiss and smell them. Her kisses trailed up his sack toward his penis. With a wild look in her eyes, she licked up his shaft and kissed the tip of his cock. That was too much for Harry. He threw his head back and groaned as his cock exploded.

Cum coated her face in a misty white ooze. Instead of pulling back, she stuck out her tongue and tried to catch the droplets in the air. Spurt after spurt erupted out of him until there was nothing left. When he finished, Harry laid back on the bed and nearly fell asleep. Narcissa took her finger and wiped some of the cum off her face.

“Still smells like you,” she said as she stuck it into her mouth. While Harry recovered, she licked up the rest of the cum from her body.

“Brilliant,” Harry muttered.

“Oh, we aren’t done yet.”

Patting his legs, she held her breasts together and set Harry’s cock between them. Even though they weren’t that big, they were enough to surround the boy’s penis in soft, heavenly warmth. His cock rose to the occasion, growing to full length within seconds. Narcissa grinned, squeezing her breasts together even more. Without waiting any longer, she moved them up and down his shaft.

Harry’s hips seemed to move on their own. He followed her movements, starting slow before quickly picking up speed. Narcissa bent down and took Harry’s cock into her mouth. She slowly sucked on the head, her tongue teasing the tip. It was like a cat drinking from a bowl. Perhaps the sisters were more similar than they thought.

Though they were running out of time, there was no hurry in Narcissa’s movements. They were practiced, sensual. She wanted Harry to feel every second of pleasure to the fullest. Wrapping his legs around her back, he pumped his hips into her breasts and her mouth. Narcissa giggled at the desperate attempt to maximize his own pleasure.

A glimmer of gold caught Narcissa’s eye. It was her wedding ring. A golden band ordained with an expensive diamond. She was promised to another, and yet here she was sucking a young boy’s cock. A boy younger than her son. The same boy who caused the defeat of her husband’s master. Narcissa paused to take off her ring and put it on the table.

She pulled her lips off Harry’s cock. “I’m yours, Master. Forever and always.”

If they had more time, she would have showed Harry just how deep her lust for him went. But they didn’t. All she could do was take his entire length into her mouth and swirl her tongue around it. He bucked his hips, sending another wave of semen down her throat. Narcissa sucked as hard as she could until she swallowed every last drop.

Her pussy dripped onto the floor, but they had run out of time. Quickly, she dressed the both of them. Putting on her ring felt like putting a chain around her finger, but she had to keep appearances. Her mother had instilled in her the need to keep appearances. After making sure they were both were clean and presentable, Narcissa led Harry back to Bellatrix and Draco.

His eyes were glazed over, and he had a dopey grin stuck to his face. Narcissa wasn’t much better. Bellatrix and Draco were waiting inside the Leaky Cauldron. It was clear they were very bored, and perhaps a bit tired of each other. When Harry entered, Bellatrix jumped up from the table she was sitting at and hugged Harry tightly.

“Did you have fun?” Bellatrix asked Harry.

“Yeah,” he murmured, practically falling asleep in her arms.

“And you, Cissy?”

Narcissa laughed. “More than I’ve ever had.”

Chapter Text

“Master, are you ready to go?”

“Almost,” he said, rushing past her to the bathroom.

Bellatrix giggled. “Alright, I’ll be waiting in the car. Don’t take too much longer.”

The time between their trip to Diagon Alley and the start of Harry’s Hogwarts journey passed in the blink of an eye. He’d become obsessed with poring over every detail of his textbooks, trying to learn as much as he could about magic. Bellatrix found it cute, but she was a little upset Harry hadn’t put aside any time for pleasure. She spent every night fingering herself to the memory of sucking his cock in his aunt and uncle’s bedroom.

Now he was going to Hogwarts, and it would be nearly impossible to find time for the two of them to be alone.

Her thoughts drifted to her former master. He had always made time for her. Bellatrix’s life was a whirlwind of sex and suppressing the resistance against her master’s Dark whims. After a fight, they’d return to their base and fall into each other’s arms. They used to fuck for hours. Well, they used to. Near the end, everything changed.

In his final days, he’d been keeping something from her. She thought they shared everything together. Bellatrix had told him all of her secrets, though looking back she realized they weren’t all that interesting. What did the Dark Lord care if she masturbated to the thought of murdering people? Of torturing a man to such a degree that he was unable to speak or move, and then riding his cock till she was satisfied.

Why had he attacked Harry and his family that night? In the aftermath of his disappearance, she had tortured the Longbottoms for information. They told her nothing, so she made sure they could never think again. Did she feel regrets? She wasn’t sure. The old Bellatrix never did. Had she changed? She wasn’t sure. Why had he attacked Harry?

Did Dumbledore know?

Bellatrix shook her head. He had told her everything. If Dumbledore had known, then he would have told her. Right? She got into Uncle Vernon’s car and slumped in her seat. Aunt Petunia sat perfectly still behind the wheel. Her eyes focused on an empty space in the air in front of her. Perhaps it was cruel to use the Imperius Curse for a short drive to the station, but Bellatrix didn’t want to take the bus. Besides, Aunt Petunia deserved it.

Harry jumped through the front door, racing to the car. All his stuff had been packed and ready to go for hours. Once he was properly buckled, they drove to King’s Cross Station. Bellatrix listened as Harry explained for the fourth time all the differences between a troll and a giant. She loved the sound of his voice. Loved the way his eyes lit up when he discovered something new about the world that had been taken away from him.

By her.

“Don’t forget, Master. I won’t be able to accompany you to the station.”

“But you’ll still come with me, right?” asked Harry, giving her a look that reminded Bellatrix of a sad puppy.

She smiled. “Yes, but I’ll have to stay in my cage until we get onboard. Your new friends would find you weird if you followed your cat around.”

“New friends,” he repeated as he stared out the window. “What about Cissy and Draco?”

“They’ll be there, don’t worry. You’ll get your chance to say goodbye to your pet.”

“I wish she could come with us too,” said Harry.

Bellatrix laughed. “Was your little tussle really that fun? Maybe you can go for round two around Christmas.”

His ears lit up like a stop light. “Okay.”

The drive to King’s Cross Station didn’t take long. Aunt Petunia helped them get everything out of the car and onto a trolley, then returned home with a smile forced onto her face. Once she was far enough away, the effects of Bellatrix’s magic would wear off and she would be back to her old bitchy self.

After making sure the coast was clear, Bellatrix transformed into a cat and entered her cat carrier. They had bought it the other day to make sure that she could enter Hogwarts safely. For the final touch, Harry attached a collar with her nametag around her neck. The collar was enchanted to be able to transform with her. Bellatrix had added that little touch as a gift to herself.

Harry bounced with excitement as he made his way to platforms nine and ten. There was a skip in his step, a happiness Bellatrix had yet to see from her master. They passed by crowds of Muggles, and a few wizards hurrying to the platform as well. One of those groups Bellatrix recognized. A plump woman and her five children with flaming red hair raced past Harry on their way to the platform.

Molly Weasley and her children.

They stopped in front of an unassuming pillar between the platforms. The youngest—and the only girl in the group—clung to Molly’s side, whining about something that Bellatrix couldn’t hear over the sounds of the station. “Alright, hurry up now. Percy, you first.”

Taking a deep breath, the eldest boy gripped his trunk tightly before running straight at the pillar. Bellatrix watched for Harry’s reaction. He gasped as the boy disappeared from view. Then the two Weasley twins ran after their older brother. Harry took a few steps closer to the group, causing the youngest girl to turn and gasp.

“I know you,” she said. “You’re the boy with the cat-lady.”

Bellatrix felt her heart stop. She thought she had been careful, but apparently not as careful as she needed to be. Molly gave her daughter a confused look before giving Harry a once-over. “Are you all by yourself, dear?” asked Molly.

Harry glanced at Bellatrix, then nodded.

Molly gave him a motherly smile. “First time at Hogwarts? Don’t worry, it’s Ron’s first time too.” She gestured to the youngest of her sons, a tall, thin boy whose body was growing at an uneven rate. Ron gave Harry a quick nod of acknowledgement, but his relief at seeing someone else who was inexperienced was clear to see.

“Harry, Harry! Over here!”

All heads turned to see Narcissa and Draco running over. Draco was pushing a trolley of his own belongings, his family owl hooting insensately as it tried to bite its cage. Instead of stopping to talk, Draco rushed past them and disappeared into the pillar. Narcissa stopped to catch her breath. She smiled at Harry, then her smile fell as she realized who he was talking to.

“Molly,” said Narcissa coldly.

“Narcissa,” said Molly through gritted teeth. “You know this boy?”

“Bloody hell, you’re Harry Potter!” exclaimed Ron.

He winced as his mother grabbed his ear and pulled. “Don’t be rude!”

The youngest girl shuffled closer to Harry. “I’m Ginny,” she said, fluttering her eyelashes at the confused, young boy.

Molly pulled Ginny away from Harry, grabbed Ron’s shoulder, and guided him to the pillar in one smooth motion. “Why don’t you help Harry onto the train while I talk with Mrs. Malfoy.”

In sync, Molly kissed Ron’s forehead while Narcissa kissed Harry’s. “Goodbye, dear,” they echoed. Only Ginny noticed Narcissa’s kiss, but once again her mother wasn’t listening as Ginny pointed it out.

“Oh, you’ve got some dirt on your nose, Ron,” said Molly.

Before she could wipe it away, Rona and Harry raced off to platform nine and three-quarters. The last thing Bellatrix saw before passing through the barrier was the angry look exchanged between the two mothers. She had no doubts her sister could deal with Molly Weasley.

The train whistle caused the whole platform to shake as it called for the students to climb aboard. With the help of the Weasley twins, who were surprisingly already aware of Harry’s fame, Harry’s trunk and Bellatrix’s cage were loaded onto the train. Ron and Harry found an empty compartment for themselves and got to talking about everything and yet nothing.

Before they’d left the house, Bellatrix had been worried that Harry would struggle to make friends. He hadn’t done a very good job of it before they met, and he failed to impress Draco. Though perhaps that was for the best. Her nephew was pretty annoying. Thankfully, it seemed Ron and Harry got along better than she could have ever imagine. Perhaps too well.

The Weasleys were traitors. Pure-blood wizards who worked for the good of Muggles, rather than accepting wizard superiority. Bellatrix wished Harry would leave Ron and go find Draco, but she also didn’t like Draco much either. It was a cruel thing for an aunt to dislike her nephew, it made her feel like Aunt Petunia. Since there wasn’t much else to do besides listen to the boys talk about Hogwarts, Bellatrix laid down for a nap. If only she was able to fall asleep. There was too much excitement.

Ron’s pet rat squeaked as Ron tried to change him yellow, but the spell failed. Bellatrix glared at the rat, wondering why it looked so familiar. She didn’t make a habit of remembering rats. That would have been a strange thing to do. Yet something about poor, pathetic Scabbers tickled her brain in a way she didn’t like.

The boy’s ordered food from the trolley lady—well, Harry ordered food and shared it with Ron. Then a sad, round-faced boy came to ask about his missing toad. Again, Bellatrix was hit with a strange sense of déjà vu. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember where she knew the boy from. Bellatrix flicked her tail against her carrier in annoyance.

Just before Bellatrix could try again to nap, there was another interruption. A young girl with bushy, brown hair and large front teeth opened the door to the compartment. She spoke in a bossy, know-it-all tone of voice. Unlike the boys, she was already dressed in her school uniform. She asked if they’d seen the round-faced boy’s toad, then her eyes lit up as she spotted Bellatrix.

“You have a cat?” asked the girl, sitting down next to Ron.

Harry smiled as he reached his finger through the cage to scratch Bellatrix’s chin. “Her name is Bella.”

“I’ve always wanted a cat, but my parents said I’m not old enough.” She stared at Bellatrix fondly. “She’s so cute!”

Bellatrix purred as Harry pulled her out of the cage to pet her properly. “My name is Harry, what’s yours?”

She grinned, showing off her oversized front teeth. “Hermione Granger. You must be the Harry everyone’s talking about. Harry Potter. I’ve read all about you.”

“I’m Ron,” the flaming haired boy said softly. “Ron Weasley.” Hermione either didn’t hear him or ignored him entirely.

“Can I hold her?” she asked.

“Sure.” Harry carefully lifted Bellatrix up and passed her to Hermione.

The girl’s hands were cold, but she was careful. Bellatrix allowed herself to be placed in Hermione’s lap, even letting out an unintentional purr as she was stroked from head to tail. Her pathetic attempt at petting wasn’t as good as her master’s, but… It was clear Hermione was taking great care to get Bellatrix to like her. Perhaps she would make a great pet for her master?

No, Hermione was too loud, too bossy. She ordered the boys around, making them clean up the compartment and get ready to change into their uniform. Of course, she couldn’t stay while they were changing, so Hermione reluctantly let go of Bellatrix and stepped out of the compartment. Bellatrix walked right into her cage. They would reach the castle soon.

“See you later, Harry.” She waved at Harry, then scrunched her face as she looked at Ron. “Ron, right?”

The freckled boy breathed a sigh of relief. “See you later Hermione.” As soon as she left, Ron shut the door and turned to Harry with a goofy grin on his face. “She’s mental, but I think she likes you.”

Harry laughed. “What makes you think that?”

“Is this your cat, Harry? How soft! How cute!” said Ron in a poor imitation of Hermione’s voice.

“Bella is cute,” said Harry. Bellatrix purred in her cage.

“Not that cute,” said Ron. Then he gave Bellatrix an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

“Maybe Hermione likes you. I mean, she did sit down next to you.”

Ron shook his head. “Nah, she could barely remember my name.”

By the time they were finished changing, the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade. The boys were instructed to leave their belongings on the train, so Ron left to join the other first years. Harry hesitated. He gave Bellatrix a nervous look. Since she was in her cat form, and unable to do more than nod and purr, she did both. Her heart raced as she watched her master leave.

The sounds of the station outside disappeared into the night as the students headed off to Hogwarts. Bellatrix tried her best to relax, but she couldn’t help but be excited for her master. He was finally at Hogwarts. This was the first step to making a great wizard she would be happy to serve for the rest of his life. Of course, she was already happy to serve him. But it would be helpful if he could cast a single spell.

Her eyelids struggled to stay open. Curling into a ball, Bellatrix let herself slowly drift off to sleep. She woke up a few times as the house-elves moved her to the dormitories, but she fell back asleep quickly. A few hours later, she woke up in a strange bedroom she’d never seen before.

Since her cage was unlocked, she stepped out into the darkness to stretch her legs. Only the moonlight from the windows provided any light. Even in the dim light, she could barely see the coloring of the sheets and various decorations hanging from the rafters. Red and gold. Red and gold…

“Gryffindor!?”

Chapter Text

Had Bellatrix really thought about it, she would have concluded that Harry was always going to be sorted into Gryffindor. It was the same house his parents had been sorted to. A home for the brave. She had hoped he would be sorted into Slytherin like she had, but Gryffindor was good enough. Plenty of powerful wizards made their start in Gryffindor house.

She jumped as the door opened and five young boys stomped into the room. They barely noticed her scrambling under Harry’s bed as they all changed out of their uniforms. No one seemed in any mood to talk, but it wasn’t a somber mood. Bellatrix remembered the night after her sorting. All the girls had stayed awake gossiping about the boys and talking about their families. Harry poked his head under the bed, his glasses barely hanging onto his face.

“Goodnight, Bella,” he said reaching his hand out to pet her head. She purred loudly at his touch.

On the bed next to Harry’s, Ron fed Scabbers some food he’d taken from the Great Hall. It was hard to see in the dark, but it seemed like the rat was watching Bellatrix. That wasn’t such a strange thing for a rat to do; after all, cats eat rats. What was strange was how humanlike the rat watched her. Almost like he thought she was human as well. Which was a silly thing to think, he was just a dumb rat.

“Scabbers! You got crumbs everywhere,” whined Ron, tossing his rat onto the floor. It scampered out of the room.

Yes, just a dumb rat. Bellatrix curled into a ball and laid her head on the floor. After a few minutes, everyone said good night to each other and tucked themselves into bed. She could hear her master shuffling above her. Once the other boys were asleep, she decided she would crawl into bed with him. If only she could do it as a human.

An hour later, Bellatrix peeked her head over the bed. Harry was fast asleep. He looked so peaceful it made Bellatrix’s heart ache. She moved to jump into bed with him, then paused. Scabbers was still missing. Her stomach growled. With nothing else to do besides sleep, and not feeling tired herself, she decided to investigate Ron’s pet rat. Maybe she would find something tasty for herself to eat as well. Not a rat, she wasn’t that barbaric. The way to the kitchens was engraved in her mind from many late-night food runs. After a quick stretch, she snuck her way out of the room.

Harry would be waiting for her when she got back.

Just outside of Gryffindor’s common room, she caught Scabbers’ scent. Her animalistic senses drove her to it. She followed the scent through the empty halls of Hogwarts. It seemed to dip inside classrooms, up and down the stairs, and disappear for long stretches of time before she found it again. He had been one busy rat in the brief hour since she’d last seen him.

All the paintings on the wall were fast asleep. A reminder that she should have been asleep herself. Bellatrix almost gave up her search, the hunger in her stomach nearly overpowering her. That was when she spotted him. Scabbers was sticking to the wall, periodically looking behind him as if he were afraid he was being followed.

Which of course he was.

He climbed onto a nearby windowsill and slipped out through a gap between the window and the wall. Her prey had disappeared into the dark of the night. Bellatrix paced the floor, illuminated by a sliver of moonlight. The gap was far too small to fit through, and going around would take too much time.

What was she doing? This was just Ron’s pet rat. There was no reason for her to follow him instead of getting some food for herself. But why did he intrigue her so much? Was he escaping, or heading somewhere in particular?

She quickly looked around to make sure that she was alone. It was hard to see in the dark, even in her cat form, but she was sure the nearby paintings were still asleep. As fast as she could, she transformed into her human form and opened the window. Before she could be seen, she returned to her cat form and jumped out. Thankfully, the window was at ground level, so the fall on the other side wasn’t that far.

After what seemed like another hour of sniffing around, she was able to pick up his scent again. She followed it far outside the school grounds until she found herself just outside the perimeter of the Whomping Willow. It stood motionless in the cold night air. Confused, she carefully inched closer to the tree. The tree made no attempt to stop her. Bellatrix froze as she heard footsteps.

A figure shrouded in the darkness of the night crawled out of the roots of the tree. She couldn’t see anything to make out who the figure was, but they appeared to have a very round head. No, it wasn’t their head. It was a hat. A beam of moonlight hit the figure’s face. The beam illuminated a man wearing a turban muttering to himself as he walked back to the castle. Once he was far enough away, Bellatrix continued on. Her heart pounded against her chest as she reached the base of the tree.

Hidden amongst the roots she found a secret path. The scent was stronger down there, but there was another scent mixed in. One which she was very familiar with—Voldemort’s. Bellatrix looked back at the castle. She could ignore her instincts and return to her master. Harry would miss her dearly if something went wrong. But something inside her told her she must discover the secret of Ron’s rat. Taking a deep breath, she entered the hidden path.

It seemed to be never-ending. Each turn that hinted at an exit only revealed another hundred meters she had to walk through. Dim light peeking through a patch in some rotten wooden boards was the only sign that the tunnel had an exit. Muggle sirens blared in her ear. This was too dangerous.

She turned to leave, deciding her life was worth more than her curiosity. Then she heard it. On the other side, she could hear panicked muttering. Her name. She heard her name repeated a few times. Bellatrix squeezed through the opening, finding herself within the Shrieking Shack. All she could see was a dusty room with boarded up walls and broken furniture. Hunched in the corner, was a very short, grubby, plump old man.

Bellatrix was so shocked she transformed into her human form automatically. “Peter Pettigrew!” she exclaimed. The man’s small, watery eyes darted over to her. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same,” sneered Peter. He took a step toward her. “Why is the Dark Lord’s lover hiding as his murderer’s pet?”

All the color drained from her face. “How did you know?”

“He told me. Said he sensed you entering the castle. On the train, I thought you were too calm of a cat, enjoying pets from our master’s killer. But then I thought, surely no self-respecting wizard would demean themselves to such an extent.”

Bellatrix stood to full height. He cowered as she towered over him. She pointed her wand at his face. “Do not take such a vile tone with me.”

“Do not be mistaken, Mistress Lestrange,” said Peter, taking a step back. “I am merely curious if you are acting under our master’s wishes.”

“Our master is gone,” said Bellatrix, but she was starting to believe that wasn’t true. Even in the Shrieking Shack, she could smell him.

Peter smiled and shook his head. “No, he is alive. I spoke with his servant.”

“Yaxley?” asked Bellatrix excitedly. Corban Yaxley had always been her favorite Death Eater. Besides her master, he was the only follower of the Dark Arts who shared her sense of humor. Well, her old sense of humor.

“No,” said Peter, giving her a confused look. “Quirinus. I just spoke with him.”

“Quirinus?” Bellatrix asked. She didn’t recognize the name. Though she had only cared for Voldemort when she worked for him, she did make a point to learn all his followers’ names. That way she could properly discipline them when they fell out of line. If only it had been Yaxley. Wait, if what Peter was saying was true…

“Professor Quirrell. He’s here at the school,” said Peter. “He found our master on the verge of death.”

Bellatrix turned away from Peter. She didn’t want him to see the shocked expression on her face. It couldn’t be true; she couldn’t believe that her former master was still alive. If that was true, Harry was in grave danger. Not just Harry. Because she’d chosen to ally herself with Harry Potter, Voldemort would come after her as well.

Was this the danger Dumbledore had warned her about?

Sweat dripped down her back and pooled on her forehead. “Where is he now?” asked Bellatrix.

Peter snorted like a pig. “Our master has taken over Quirinus’ body. He plans to use the Philosopher’s Stone to restore himself to full strength.”

Bellatrix had no idea what the Philosopher’s Stone was, but she didn’t want Peter to know that. He was already looking pretty smug. Nodding her head, she paced around the room as if she was deep in thought. As soon as she could, she had to find out more about this stone and where it was.

“And you know this how?”

“I told you, I spoke with him,” said Peter. “I had the strangest feeling like I should come here, and there he was. He was very pleased that I remained loyal to him. Which brings me back to my previous question, why is the Dark Lord’s lover hiding as his murderer’s pet?”

This man was a danger to her master. Were they outside of Hogwarts, she would kill him without a second thought. However, circumstances being what they were, she had to be more tactical. If she failed to kill him, or was caught in the attempt, it was all over. Swallowing her pride, she decided the best course of action was to lie.

“I’m preparing him for our master,” said Bellatrix.

Peter tilted his head. “How?”

She glared at him, causing the rat-like old man to recoil back. “That is none of your concern. If you see our master again, tell him I’m patiently waiting to enjoy his presence once again.” Bellatrix winced before the words had even left her mouth. That was a mistake. She wanted her former master nowhere near her.

What a strange thought to have after years of devotion.

“Of course, My Dark Lady, I meant no disrespect, of course,” said Peter, practically curling into a ball as he rubbed his hands together. He licked his lips. “Ron will be waking up soon, I must go.”

“Do not speak to me again unless our master wishes it,” said Bellatrix.

Peter nodded. Without another word, he transformed into a rat and ran down the hall. Bellatrix waited a few seconds, then transformed into her cat form. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had to warn Harry, but not yet. He needed his rest. At the very least, she needed to return to his side to protect him.

Voldemort was back.

The words echoed in her head over and over as his scent overwhelmed her senses.

He was back, and he knew she was at Hogwarts.

Racing through the halls to get back to Harry, she saw a dim light approaching from around a corner. In her panicked state, she thought it was her former master come to kill her for her betrayal. It wasn’t thankfully, it was Argus Filch, Hogwarts’ caretaker and resident Squib. The floors were too smooth to stop properly, so she was unable to stop herself from sliding into the greasy caretaker. He stopped and stared at Bellatrix, then smiled and reached inside his coat. Kneeling down, he held out some stale cat food.

“Here, Kittie, Kittie,” he said, waving the food in the air toward her.

Bellatrix’s stomach growled, but she had to get to Harry. She ignored Filch and continued on toward Harry’s room.

“I’ll get you on my side,” said Filch. “Just you wait.”

The painting blocking the entrance to Gryffindor common room was still awake as Bellatrix reached it. All she needed to do was meow and it opened up—no password required. Poor security, but Bellatrix wasn’t going to complain. Not today. Scabbers—no, Peter Pettigrew was no doubt already with Ron. Bellatrix started to head that way as well, when she noticed a figure curled on the couch in front of the fireplace. Faint whimpering noises echoed around the room.

Bellatrix approached the figure cautiously, her mind on high alert. At first, she thought it was Peter again, but it was too thin, too small to be him. Then she wondered if it was Harry. Maybe he came down to look for her after she left. No, Harry didn’t have such long, bushy hair. Once Bellatrix got in front of the figure, it was clear who it was.

Hermione Granger, her rosy cheeks stained with tears, cradled her knees to her chest as she cried quietly.

The sad sight disarmed her. Bellatrix glanced at the stairs leading to the boy’s rooms. A more emotionally stable woman would probably try and comfort the girl. Bellatrix Lestrange wasn’t anywhere close to emotionally stable, nor did she have the energy to care about anyone other than her master. As she turned to leave, her stomach growled.

“Hello?” Hermione muttered, wiping her tears from her cheeks as she looked around the room. She spotted Bellatrix, who was so annoyed with herself that she forgot to move. “Bella? What are you doing out here? Did you get locked out as well?”

Locked out? Bellatrix meowed, tilting her head at the young girl.

Hermione sat up and sniffled. “They said I was asking too many questions.” Her voice cracked as the tears started flowing again. “I thought if I got to know them better, they would want to… they would want to… want to…” Whatever she wanted to say never came out. Burying her face in a pillow, she kicked her feet and cried as hard as she could.

If a cat could sigh, Bellatrix would have sighed harder than she ever had before. Being around Harry had changed her more than she thought. She was feeling sympathy again. When was the last time she felt sympathetic for another person? Bellatrix couldn’t remember. Hopping onto the couch, Bellatrix meowed and rubbed against Hermione’s body. Her loud purring caused the young girl to lift her head.

“Thank you, Bella.”

Hermione hugged Bellatrix, being very careful not to squish her. Bellatrix looked longingly at the stairs to the boy’s rooms. Her master would be safe for the night, that was all she could hope. For now, it was best to help him gather allies. No matter how pathetic of allies they were. Making a mental note to check on Harry once Hermione feel asleep, Bellatrix allowed herself to be pet and cuddled until the two of them fell asleep on the couch.

It had been a very long day.

Chapter Text

The two of them jolted awake as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. It was Harry. He usually woke up early, a habit from when he cooked breakfast for the Dursleys. Bellatrix had put a stop to that real quick. As his servant, pet, and lover, she vowed to make sure he would serve them no more. Hermione took a second to get her bearings while Bellatrix bounced out of her lap and up to Harry. She purred as Harry reached down to scratch behind her ear.

“I had the most amazing day, Bella. There were ghosts, huge feasts, a man as tall as a building! Everyone seemed to know who I was, but they weren’t rude. Well, Draco was a little rude. I don’t think he was happy that I got sorted into Gryffindor. He’s a Slytherin now, just like he wanted.”

“Good morning,” muttered Hermione, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Harry jumped. “Oh, good morning, Hermione. What time did you wake up?”

“Just now,” said Hermione. She stood up and stretched.

“Did you sleep down here?” asked Harry.

Hermione’s cheeks turned pink. “Well, I…”

“Bella kept you company, didn’t she? Good girl,” said Harry, giving her another round of scratches. Bellatrix purred. She rubbed against Harry’s leg, meowing loudly each time he stopped petting her. It was a bit pathetic for an adult witch, but Bellatrix didn’t care.

Her thoughts were elsewhere.

There was no way she would spoil the boy’s good mood by telling him what she had learned. No, the matter of Peter Pettigrew and Professor Quirrell was for Dumbledore only. She would have normally tried to deal with the matter herself, but that was risky. Voldemort was incredibly powerful. Even at a fraction of his full strength, it was dangerous to challenge him alone. The worst part was he knew she was at Hogwarts. If he suspected any sign of betrayal, it was all over.

Hermione knelt down by Bellatrix and scratched under her chin. “Thank you, Bella.” Then she stood up and climbed the steps to her room without another word.

As more sounds echoed down from the dorm rooms, Bellatrix gestured for Harry to follow her out into the hall. She led him past a wall full of yawning paintings to the bathroom. As soon as he was inside, she transformed back into a human and pushed him into an empty stall. Bellatrix had enough mind to lock the door behind them, but just enough for that. Grabbing his shoulders, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him as hard as she could.

“I love you so much,” she said, laying kisses all over his face.

“Bella, Bella! What’s gotten into you?”

In the brief amount of time since she’d stayed with Harry, it was like a fog had lifted from her mind. The years spent serving Voldemort seemed especially dark and dull in her memories. Now, thinking of her former master made her sad, not joyous beyond all belief. For the first time in her life, she felt some regret. Only a little. Well, maybe more than a little. Knowing that Voldemort was alive made her rethink everything. There was a chance for her to be with him again, and she wanted nothing to do with it.

Bellatrix hugged Harry, resting her head on his tiny shoulder. “I’m sorry I didn’t sleep with you last night.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” said Harry, awkwardly patting her back. “What happened with Hermione?”

“I felt bad for her,” said Bellatrix. That was true. She did feel bad for the bushy haired girl. Although Bellatrix had never had trouble making friends, she could relate to feeling alone. Feeling like the whole world was against you. In Bellatrix’s case, the whole world had been against her, and for every good reasons. Bellatrix pulled back from Harry and stared into his eyes. “She would make a good pet.”

“I don’t think I need any more of those,” said Harry, his ears turning red.

“Do you think she’s cute, Master?”

“I just met her!” exclaimed Harry.

“You know I don’t mind you looking at other women.” Bellatrix kissed his neck. “As long as you love me above them all.” She knew she shouldn’t leave a mark on his skin, but the thought was tempting.

“Of course I love you, Bella. I just—”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as the door to the bathroom open. Loud steps echoed off the walls. Harry winced as the hinges on another stall door screeched loudly. Bellatrix whispered into Harry’s ear, “Go get ready for your first day. I love you.” Glancing down at his waist, it took everything in her not to tear off his pants and show him just how much she loved her master. She kissed him one last time before transforming back into a cat and darting into the hall.

There was a line already forming in front of the girl’s bathroom. Bellatrix rolled her eyes. She was very grateful that she had spent the final weeks of her fourth year memorizing the location of every bathroom. But now wasn’t the time for worrying about such things. Now was the time to speak with Albus Dumbledore and defeat her former master before he could regain his strength. It took a few tries for her to find the right path, but soon she was standing in front of Dumbledore’s office.

Instead of going inside, she decided it was best to wait until he passed by. Certainly not because she couldn’t figure out how to get in. After an hour of waiting, she wondered if he left through his office door at all. It was possible he Apparated around the school, even though everyone knew that was impossible. Still, he was the headmaster. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten since yesterday, but it would have to wait until she spoke with Dumbledore.

“Would you care for a fruit jelly?”

Dumbledore bent down to wave the sugary treat in front of Bellatrix’s face. Her nose twitched. She had seen a display of Muggle treats while helping Harry shop for clothes, but she had ignored it at the time. Pride had held her back then. After spending more time with Harry—and going a whole day without eating—what little pride she had left was long gone. Bellatrix followed Dumbledore into his office. She was a little confused on how he snuck up on her, but the promise of candy was enough to make her not worry about all that.

Once the two of them were safely inside, she transformed back into a human and took the candies from his hand. Dumbledore walked behind his desk, sticking a few fruit jellies into his mouth. Bellatrix sat down in a chair and chewed loudly as she looked around the room. It had been some time since she’d been in her old headmaster’s office. Nothing had changed much. The Sorting Hat watched her from a nearby shelf.

“I quite enjoy Muggle sweets from time to time, though they don’t often agree with me,” said Dumbledore. He folded his hands and looked at Bellatrix expectantly. “I don’t imagine you came to me just to get a sweet treat.”

“The Dark Lord is back,” said Bellatrix, her eyes falling to her lap. She picked at the dirt in her fingernails. “And he’s here at the school.”

Dumbledore took off his half-moon spectacles and set them on his desk. “Are you sure?”

“I spoke with…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to find the right words to say. Peter Pettigrew was believed to be dead. She had thought he was dead. How could anyone believe that he’d been hiding as a rat for nearly ten years? “Peter Pettigrew.” The words fell out of her mouth like undigested food.

For an unbearable amount of time, Dumbledore stared at Bellatrix silently. She tried to meet his eyes several times but found it incredibly difficult. It was like he was trying to look inside her soul. What was there to see inside there but darkness? But then what was she so scared of? For most of her life, she’d lived and breathed darkness. Finally, she looked up and saw the shook on Dumbledore’s face.

“Peter Pettigrew is alive.” It was hard to tell if he was asking Bellatrix that, or just repeating what she said.

“I spoke to him in the Shrieking Shack. He has disguised himself as one of the student’s pets. He’s working for the Dark Lord.”

“Why are you telling me this?” asked Dumbledore, glaring at her. He picked up his glasses and walked around the desk. “Is this a trick? Do you take me for a fool?”

“Please,” begged Bellatrix. “You have to believe me! I’ll take Veritaserum, I’ll do anything you want! Harry’s life is in grave danger.”

Dumbledore took a deep breath. His expression softened as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I do believe you, even as unbelievable as what you’re saying is. Tell me everything.”

So, she did. Not just about Peter and Professor Quirrell, but about all the Death Eaters she knew, all the secrets Voldemort had. She confessed to her own sins, no matter how petty no matter how serious. What she did know was very helpful to Dumbledore, but she didn’t know everything. There were secrets Voldemort kept even from herself. Had she known them, Voldemort would have been permanently slain that very evening.

When she was finally done, half the day had already gone by. “Thank you,” said Dumbledore. “I will have to make my own investigation into these matters. For now, watch over Harry and report anything suspicious to me.”

“Every second we waste is a second my master could be killed!” yelled Bellatrix.

“I do not believe Peter or Professor Quirrell will act in haste. They believe you are working for them, and they believe that they are still hidden. As far as we know. Until that changes, we should act carefully as well. I have my own spies who will investigate as well.” He took the last fruit jelly and chewed on it thoughtfully. “These really are quite good.”

“Thank you, Albus,” said Bellatrix as she slouched in her chair.

“Do not look so glum. I’ll have some food sent up to your room so you can rest and recover. When I know more, I will call for you.”

With nothing else to do, she thanked him again and returned to the dormitories. Weeks went by without incident. Bellatrix became used to her new life at Hogwarts, pretending to be Harry’s cat all hours of the day. At night, she would sneak down to the kitchens to eat. The house elves only ever gave her cat food, but she didn’t complain. Food was food. When she returned from her little night trips, she would find Hermione tossing and turning on the couch. The poor girl could never sleep comfortably until Bellatrix was there to keep her company.

During the day, she lounged around the common room. Sometimes she chased the other kids’ pets. Other times she sat by her master while he did his homework. He had become great friends with another student, Ron Weasley. In the brief amount of time they’d known each other, the two had become inseparable. Of course, Harry was friendly with all of his fellow classmates. Even Hermione, who the other students tended to avoid—until they needed help with their homework.

Bellatrix grew antsy as she waited. But there was nothing she could do to help Dumbledore. As long as Scabbers, Peter Pettigrew, didn’t suspect she was working against the Dark Lord, then all she could do was wait. It wasn’t the waiting that was killing her, it was the feeling of uselessness. She was a great, powerful witch in her own right.

So why did she feel so powerless?

Flicking her tail back and forth, Bellatrix watched as Harry, Ron, and Hermione did their homework. Bellatrix laid on the floor by Harry’s feet. It killed her that she couldn’t enjoy being by her master’s side in her human form, but there was nothing she could do. At least she could still be near him. When he got confused, and needed a second to think, he would reach down and pet her stomach.

Ron leaned back and sighed. “Bloody hell, Snape is trying to kill us.”

“You wouldn’t be having problems if you’d just done the other assignments,” said Hermione.

“But you had so much fun doing them for me,” said Ron, grinning. Ron was not a good student. Once he had learned Hermione enjoyed doing homework, he made sure to take advantage of that fact whenever he could. “I wouldn’t dare take that pleasure away from you.”

Harry set down his quill. “It is rather hard.”

Ron gestured at Harry. “See? He gets it.”

Hermione frowned. She ignored Ron as she leaned over to examine Harry’s work. “What part are you having trouble on?”

Harry’s eyes were drawn to the collar of Hermione’s shirt as she leaned toward him. As the winter months drew nearer, the weather changed constantly. Some days it was overbearingly hot, and others it was frigid cold. Bellatrix hated it. Today was cold, yet the girl had chosen to wear a thin button-up that was a size too big for her body. The more she leaned over to examine Harry’s work, more of her skin was revealed to the horny young boy. He pretended to stretch as he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of her bra.

As the friendship between Hermione and her master deepened, Bellatrix had been a little jealous of Hermione. It had got so bad that she stopped sleeping with Hermione at night, but that didn’t last long. Bellatrix felt too bad for the poor girl, who was still struggling to make friends. Still, she didn’t like how much time Harry was spending with her. Sure, she was frumpy and a bit of a know-it-all, but underneath all that Bellatrix thought she was cute. Bellatrix only got a few moments here and there in her human form.

Dumbledore’s investigation was taking longer than she liked.

After spending more time with the stuck-up know-it-all cry-baby during the day, Bellatrix’s jealousy had waned. She knew Harry preferred her adult body to Hermione’s preteen design. Her master could look at other girls all he liked; at the end of the day, he loved her more than anything. Wagging her tail back and forth, she got up and paced around the room excitedly. Harry had promised her quite the night. It had been a while since they’d been able to do anything together.

Ron tossed his quill onto the table and stood up to stretch. “I give up.”

“You’re not even half-way done,” said Hermione.

“Maybe we should take stop here for tonight,” said Harry, packing up his books. “This isn’t due until next week anyway.”

Hermione clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she started packing up as well. “Alright, but first thing tomorrow morning I want to see you both down here so we can finish.”

“You’ve already finished,” said Ron.

“Do you want my help or not?”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Whatever you say, Mum,” he teased.

Hermione picked up her books and pushed past Ron as she stomped up to the girl’s dormitory. Ron and Harry exchanged a quick look, then a shrug as they decided to let the moment pass. Bellatrix knew that neither of them considered Hermione to be a close friend. A friend, sure, but they were still annoyed with her bossy attitude.

“Goodnight, Harry,” said Ron. He stifled a yawn as he stumbled up the stairs.

“Goodnight, Ron.”

Harry sat down on the couch. Bellatrix jumped up and sat on his lap. The two of them waited until every other student made their way upstairs, and the sounds of them dissolved into silence. It was risky, but Bellatrix and Harry were unable to wait any long. Both of them were extremely horny.

Transforming back into a human, Bellatrix trailed kisses down Harry’s forehead, past his lips, and down to his neck. She was already naked. Her bosom heaved as she sucked in air. Harry’s fingers dug into her breasts, kneading the soft flesh like dough. Bellatrix rubbed her pussy on his leg. Tonight was the night they would finally take the next step.

Tonight, Harry would lose his virginity.

But first, it was time to have some fun.

Bellatrix laid down on the couch and smiled at her master. Harry undid his pants and dropped them to the floor. After glancing at the stairs to make sure that they were really alone, he climbed onto the couch, climbed on to Bellatrix, and positioned his cock so it was touching her mouth. His penis was fully erect. It twitched energetically in the air, smacking against Bellatrix’s lips with each breath Harry took. Using her tongue, Bellatrix guided her master’s cock into her mouth.

Gripping the edge of the couch to keep himself steady, Harry pumped his hips into Bellatrix’s mouth. She lazily sucked on Harry’s penis, her eyes rolling into her head as she enjoyed the feeling of his balls smacking against her chin. Bellatrix used one hand to play with herself and the other to grope Harry’s butt. Her fingers dug deep into her pussy, splashing her fluids all over the couch.

After a few minutes of this, Harry buried his cock inside his pet’s mouth, holding it there as his whole body shuddered. Misty white cum spilled from her lips. Bellatrix tried to swallow as much as she could, but Harry had been saving up for a week. It was more than she could handle. He thrust into her mouth a few more times before pulling out. Her tongue followed, trying to coax him back between her lips.

He slapped his wet cock against her cheek. “Do you want more?”

“Please, Master,” she begged.

Harry wasted no time. He smacked her cheek one more time before thrusting inside her again. She closed her eyes, rubbing her clit faster and faster with each thrust of his hips. The sounds of her wet pussy echoed throughout the room. They were risking so much, but they didn’t care. All they cared about was their own pleasure.

Both of them jumped as they heard a gasp behind them. “Harry?”

In her haste to spend some time with her master, Bellatrix had forgotten who ruled the common room at night.

Harry jumped off the couch, his cock swinging in the air. A trail of spit led from her lips to his cock before it snapped in the air. Bellatrix whipped her head around. Hermione was standing at the foot of the stairs, her whole body shaking. Harry’s eyes bounced between Bellatrix and Hermione, his mouth hanging open. They were lucky no one else was around to hear Hermione, but that was all the luck they had.

They had been caught.

Chapter Text

Since Harry was stunned into silence, it was up to Bellatrix to try and alleviate the situation. Her clothes were up in Harry’s room, but she had been smart enough to bring her wand downstairs ahead of time. It was hidden under the table, tucked just out of view. Bellatrix stood up straight—ignoring her nudity—and glared at the much younger witch. “You’re a smart girl, so I’m sure you know that calling for a teacher won’t help anyone.”

“Who are you?” asked Hermione. She slowly reached for her wand, tucked in the curls of her hair. Bellatrix leaned down to grab her own wand from under the table.

“She’s my cat,” said Harry, jumping between them.

His cock was now soft, swinging in the air as he frantically waved his arms to try and calm his friend. Hermione’s eyes followed it like a pendulum. Shaking her head, she tried to tear her gaze away, only to find herself entranced by Bellatrix’s naked body. Her face was colored a deep scarlet.

After a few seconds of tense silence, Bellatrix laughed at the absurdity of his statement. She shrugged. “I’m his cat.”

A look of recognition passed across Hermione’s face. “I’ve seen you before, you’re Bellatrix Lestrange!”

“I am,” said Bellatrix, nodding.

“You’re a murderer!” exclaimed Hermione.

Bellatrix winced. “I am.” Since meeting Harry, she hadn’t murdered anyone. Even the people she wanted to murder the most, like Snape, who bullied the poor boy incessantly, or his aunt and uncle who had done the same. Or her former master who threatened Harry by his mere presence. The urges never really went away. Once a murderer, always a murderer.

“What have you done to Harry?” Hermione quickly grabbed her wand out of her hair and pointed it at the much older witch. Bellatrix moved at the same time, ducking behind the table and pulling out her wand.

“Hermione, stop!” hissed Harry, trying his best to speak firmly without yelling. He didn’t want to wake the others.

“Get out of my way,” said Hermione firmly. “She’s bewitched you.”

“No she hasn’t,” said Harry.

“Can we at least get dressed?” asked Bellatrix. She tried to appear casual on the surface, but truthfully, she was terrified. There was a lot Hermione could do to ruin everything, even without casting a single spell. “Then we can talk.”

“I’ll… I’ll…” Hermione bit her lip as she glared at Bellatrix. “I’m going to tell Dumbledore.”

“He, uh, he already knows,” said Harry. Bellatrix made sure to tell Harry about her meeting with Dumbledore. She hadn’t told him about Peter Pettigrew, nor Professor Quirrell. That was still too risky. Harry was a little impulsive at the best of times. Though she did warn him to be careful around his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor.

Hermione pointed her wand at Harry. Tears welled in her eyes. “And you knew? You let a murderer sleep with us?” If only she knew about the other murderer sleeping in Ron’s bed.

“I’m not that person anymore,” said Bellatrix softly. “I’m Harry’s pet. Nothing more.”

“How can a grown woman be an eleven-year-old boy’s pet? That’s disgusting,” said Hermione.

“Can we please get dressed so we can explain?” asked Harry, he covered his cock with his hands, his face as red as Ron’s hair.

Hermione glared at the two of them, then stuffed her wand back into her hair. “Fine. Fine. I’ll humor you. But only because…” She glanced at Bellatrix, making sure not to look lower than her neck. “I owe you. But if you don’t come back down as soon as you’re done, I’m marching straight to Professor Dumbledore’s office.”

Once the two of them were dressed, they all sat around the table. The fire crackled, spurting hot embers into the air. It was still cold. Harry had changed into his pajamas, while Bellatrix wore her robes. Hermione was already dressed in her pajamas. The smokey smell coming from the fireplace was no longer comforting, it was stifling. She crossed her arms and gestured for Harry and Bellatrix to begin.

Bellatrix spoke first. She told Hermione about her escape from Azkaban and how she’d found Harry at his aunt and uncle’s house. Leaving the out more sensual parts, she told the story up until they arrived at Hogwarts. Harry added his own details where he could. Hermione was shocked to hear how bad Harry had been treated. She asked about Bellatrix’s life before Azkaban too, but Bellatrix wasn’t keen to answer those questions.

“I’m sure you can find my criminal history in those books you love so much,” she said.

“Don’t be rude, Bella,” said Harry.

“My perfect night is ruined, why shouldn’t I be upset?”

Hermione played with her hair as she worked through her thoughts. “So, if you ‘serve’ Harry because you feel You-Know-Who inside him, then why do you want to… You know, do all of ‘that’ with him?”

“Sex? Sucking his cock? Letting him cum in my mouth? Be more specific, dear,” said Bellatrix, smirking. Hermione’s cheeks turned bright pink as Harry turned red.

“Bella!” he exclaimed.

Bellatrix laughed. “Because I love him.”

“He’s eleven,” said Hermione.

“I’ve killed people younger than him,” said Bellatrix, picking at her fingernails. “Tortured them until all they could do was beg for their parents. I used to find great joy in that life, now I try to forget. But I can’t. You said it yourself, Hermione, I’m a murderer, a criminal. This is just another criminal act, isn’t it?”

“And you’re okay with this, Harry?” asked Hermione.

“Bella is the first person to treat me like a person. Not a pest, not something to be ignored. At school, the teachers favored Dudley over me. Even here, everyone treats me like a celebrity, like they’ve known me my whole life. But they haven’t, not the real me. Just what they think I should be.

“Sure, some of the things Bella says or does makes me nervous, but…” He cleared his throat. “When I think about my life without her, and my life now that she’s here. I never want her to leave.”

Hermione put her hands on the table. “Okay. I’ve heard enough.” She looked at Bellatrix. “I don’t understand it, but I’d like to. I’ll keep your secret, but, uhm… I think I’ll sleep in my own bed from now own.”

“About time,” said Bellatrix with a smile.

Before she turned to leave, Hermione said, “I want to trust you, Bella.” With those final words, the young witch made her way up the stairs.

Harry and Bellatrix sat in silence for a while. Neither of them were sure what to say next. Whatever happened in the coming days with Hermione would be determined by the conversation they had just had. Bellatrix wasn’t sure it went as well as she would have liked. She looked over at Harry, who was busy cleaning his glasses with his shirt. Smirking, she crawled over to him.

“Shall we continue were we left off?” asked Bellatrix. She slipped her robes off her shoulders.

“Are you sure?” asked Harry. “What if someone else catches us? Or she comes back down?”

“I thought you were a Gryffindor,” teased Bellatrix as she pushed her master onto the couch. “I’ve been waiting for this night for so long.” She grabbed his pants and pulled them down his legs. “Be brave for me.”

Clothes flew into the air. There wasn’t any more time for foreplay, it was time to get serious. Since they’d first arrived at Hogwarts, Bellatrix had fingered her pussy everyday imagining sticking her master’s cock inside her. Now was the time. Harry had a determined look on his face. He helped remove her clothes, then held onto her ass as she straddled his hips.

She lined herself up with his cock. Rubbing her labia against his head, she looked into his eyes and smirked. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” he moaned.

As his cock slipped between her lower lips, Bellatrix threw her head back and gasped. “Fuck me, Master!”

He put his hand on her mouth to stop her from waking the others. Slowly, he worked himself up to a comfortable speed. Her breasts flopped back and forth with each movement. Bellatrix could smell the faint smell of soap on his hand. She kissed his fingers, taking them into her mouth and sucking on them like they were his cock. They were just as soft, but they didn’t taste as good.

Harry latched onto her nipple, sucking her breast with wild abandon. The sounds of their sex echoed throughout the common room. It was stupid to try again after they had already failed the first time. Hermione probably wasn’t even asleep yet, but they didn’t care. All they cared about was the touch of the other’s body. Bellatrix’s toes curled as the first waves of her orgasm rocked through her body. She felt her vagina squeeze Harry’s cock, milking it for everything he had.

To her surprise, he held back his own orgasm. He pushed her back onto the couch and hugged her waist as he fucked her as hard as he could. She wrapped her legs around him. “Fuck! You feel so good!”

He flicked at her nipples with his tongue. “I love you.”

“I love you!” she repeated.

With the angle he was fucking her at, his balls smacked against her anus with each thrust. She bit her lip to keep herself from screaming. Blood dripped down her neck. When Harry looked up and sucked on her lip to keep it from bleeding onto the couch, she experienced her second orgasm. Then a third. As each one waned, another started. It was too much for Harry. He bottomed inside her and filled her womb with his seed.

It was like a moment frozen in time. All the memories of her time with Voldemort were swept away by each shot of cum. All she could think about was Harry. His face, his voice, his smell. She thought about the way his eyes lit up when he learned something new about the wizarding world. He made life worth living.

They kissed, their tongues dancing in the air as Harry let his cock go soft inside her. When he finally pulled out, it dripped down her ass onto the couch cushions. To their surprise, the cum disappeared instantly. Self-cleaning cushions was not something Bellatrix expected to see at Hogwarts, but perhaps she should have. After all, they were surely not the first to fuck in the Gryffindor common room.

“Cuddle with me for a bit,” said Bellatrix. His hot skin felt amazing against hers.

“Someone might come down,” said Harry, but he made no move to leave.

“Hold me, Master.”

After a few minutes of gentle affirmations of love and soft cuddling, Bellatrix let Harry get off her. They gave each other one last kiss before gathering their clothes. It was very late, but thankfully tomorrow was the start of the weekend. Her master would have plenty of time to sleep in.

“I’ll meet you up there, Master,” said Bellatrix, adjusting her robes.

“Alright,” said Harry. “Thank you, Bella. This was brilliant.”

“It was everything I hoped for,” said Bellatrix.

While Harry walked up to his room, Bellatrix sat by the fire for a little longer. The fun they had couldn’t exist for long. It was her fate to love and lose often. Yet, she swore to herself she would do everything in her power to protect Harry. Not just Harry, to protect the people close to him. For her master, she would become a better person.

Chapter Text

After Hermione discovered Harry’s little secret, Bellatrix expected either animosity or hatred from the young witch. But the opposite was true. Whenever Hermione found herself with some free time, she tracked down Bellatrix, dragged her to a private spot, and had the much older witch teach her all the magic Bellatrix knew. Bellatrix was happy to help, if only to make sure Hermione stayed quiet.

The more time Bellatrix spent with Hermione, the more she saw herself in the young witch. Both were driven with a perfectionist mindset. It was that mindset that unfortunately led Bellatrix to Voldemort. He promised her greatness, and she fell for him hard. Bellatrix didn’t see Hermione devoting herself to Harry anytime soon, but she knew it was a possibility. So, she decided to get as close to the young witch as she could.

In the meantime, Harry was having the time of his life. He had joined the Quidditch team, becoming the youngest seeker in a century. Plus, he’d made a new friend in the half-giant Hagrid. The two had become very close, spending many Friday afternoons together at his hut drinking tea and chatting about the week. Sometimes Hermione and Ron joined him, but Bellatrix never could. Not because of her criminal history—though that played a part—but because cats made Hagrid sneeze.

Still, even with all the fun Harry was having, and all the homework his teachers piled onto the poor boy, he still made time for her. During the evenings, if Harry had some time after dinner, he’d take her outside for a walk along the lake. Harry would tell her about his classes and complain about whatever annoyed him. Most of the time, it was either Snape or Draco.

“I don’t think I like him very much,” said Harry. “He’s too much like Dudley.”

Bellatrix meowed in agreement.

“I know he’s Cissy’s son, and I should be nice to him, but… I mean look at the way he treats poor Neville.”

Another mention of that boy. Every time Bellatrix saw Neville she got a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn’t figure out why. He was very clumsy but seemed harmless. At least when he pet her he tried his best to be careful. One time he stepped on her tail while she was napping, but she was willing to forgive him for that. Something in her told her she had to.

“And then there’s Snape. What did I ever do to him? I asked Hagrid about him—hullo Fred, hullo George—but Hagrid wouldn’t even look at me.”

Bellatrix looked behind her to see the Weasley twins pull out a map before slipping under a thick bush. They always gave her strange looks and refused to be around her for long. Of course, they acted the same way around Scabbers. So Bellatrix assumed they just didn’t like animals. Unless… No, her disguise was perfect. None of the teachers had even noticed she was actually human.

They stopped. Harry looked around to make sure the coast was clear before sneaking into rickety shed built onto the castle foundations. It was filled with broken broomsticks and buckets of slug repellant. Besides Harry and Bellatrix, the only other people who used the shed were older students looking for a private place to snog. Which, of course, was what Harry and Bellatrix used it for.

After Harry locked the shed behind them, Bellatrix transformed and kissed every inch of Harry’s face. “Damn that Snape,” she muttered between kisses. “He’s just a sad sack of shit.”

“I know that. Everyone knows that,” said Harry, pulling open her robes to massage her breasts. He was always so fascinated with them. “Doesn’t mean I like it when he takes away house points for no reason at all.”

“And don’t worry about Draco. I’ll write a letter to his mummy so she can crack the whip on that dumb brat.” She licked his cheek. “You’ll have to send it to her.”

Harry laughed. “With his owl? Isn’t that a little cruel?”

“Maybe,” said Bellatrix. “Now, pull out your cock so I can—”

They jumped as someone knocked on the shed door. “Bella? Are you in there?” It was Hermione.

Groaning, Bellatrix quickly opened the door and pulled Hermione inside. The young witch gasped as she was thrown into a pile of broomsticks. After quickly locking the door again, Bellatrix glared at her admirer. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Hermione glanced at Harry, her eyes flickered to the bulge in his pants, but only for a moment. “You said I could ask you for help on my Defence Against the Dark Arts paper.”

“Not now!”

The poor girl’s lip quivered. Her cheeks were pink as she tried to look anywhere but at Bellatrix and Harry. “Sorry, I didn’t know you would be doing, well, this.”

“Why else would I be in here?” asked Bellatrix, throwing her hands up.

“Actually, I also need a little help,” said Harry. He recoiled back as Bellatrix gave him an exasperated look.

“You too? Is Professor Quirrell scared of teaching? How is it that his two brightest students know nothing about his subject?”

The two students shrugged. With a heavy sigh, Bellatrix unlocked the door and transformed back into a cat. She was really starting to hate staying at a school. Gone were the days of sex in the streets of London with the Dark Lord herself. Wild, heavy sex with lots of cuts, bruises, and no limits. Bellatrix preferred softer loving now, but she always enjoyed any sex at all. Getting pussy-blocked every few seconds was really getting on her nerves.

It wasn’t just the lack of sex that was making her so annoyed. It was the lack of information from Dumbledore. His little investigation was dragging on much longer than she preferred. A few times she’d gone up to go see him, but each time he was either gone or busy with the teachers. She was having doubts that he was even looking into Professor Quirrell and Peter Pettigrew at all.

Damn it! She needed some cock! Glaring at Hermione, she walked behind them as they wandered through the castle looking for an empty classroom. That was what they usually used for their tutoring sessions. Bellatrix was more than happy to help Harry with his homework, but for Hermione she was less than thrilled. Her incessant need for knowledge was endless.

Bellatrix’s tail went rigid. A wonderful idea had popped into her head. She had been thinking about bringing the little bushy haired witch into her master’s harem, and now she had the perfect idea on how to do it. If she were a human she would laugh, instead, her tail wagged like a dog as she followed the two unsuspecting students. Oh yes, it was time for some fun.

Hours later, Bellatrix sat inside Dumbledore’s office waiting for the wise old wizard to get back from fetching the other teachers. He had finally finished his investigation and was ready to move forward with the plan to stop Professor Quirrell. Bellatrix was in her human form. She picked at her fingernails as she waited. This would be the first time she would be willingly showing her human form to anyone besides Harry. Well, since she gained Animagus powers at least.

Sitting on Dumbledore’s desk was a small glass cage covered by a pillowcase. The glass had been magically enchanted to be unbreakable, and to stop anything inside from changing or transforming. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape had been working on it for weeks. Originally, the design had been for a trick cauldron that would change anything brewed inside it to plain water. Now, it was made to bind Peter Pettigrew.

Bellatrix jumped as Dumbledore appeared suddenly in front of her. He reached out and lifted the pillowcase to peer at Scabbers trapped underneath. The fat rat was sleeping. Gently, he lowered the pillowcase and took his place behind the desk. His eyes sparkled with whimsy. Bellatrix was not having quite as much fun.

“How did you do that?” she asked.

He chuckled to himself. “Being headmaster has its perks. Professor Snape will be arriving soon. Are you ready?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Dumbledore gestured to Scabbers’ cage. “Then please remove the covering.”

Bellatrix ripped it off. The sudden appearance of light caused Scabbers to jolt awake. He sleepily looked around for a few seconds before noticing the watchful gaze of Albus Dumbledore. It was hard to imagine a rat experiencing shock, but somehow all the color drained from Scabbers’ tiny face. Were the circumstances not so serious, Bellatrix would have found it amusing.

Scabbers clawed at his cage. He looked pathetic, but if he got out there was no telling what could happen. Catching Professor Quirrell and by extension Voldemort, relied on Peter Pettigrew’s testimony. Bellatrix stood up and paced around the room. She had only felt this anxious one time before, the day her former master has disappeared. Dumbledore pulled out his wand and clutched it so hard his knuckles turned bone white.

Both of them jumped as the door to Dumbledore’s office opened. Severus Snape marched into the room, his cloak billowing behind him like a shroud of darkness. His wand was drawn as well. The other held a green bottle filled with a clear liquid that Bellatrix recognized as Veritaserum—truth serum. A look of surprise flashed across his face as he spotted Bellatrix.

“What are you doing here?” he spat out.

“She is the one who informed me of our little rat,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Treat her as an ally until we know more.”

Snape glared at her. “Very well.”

Bellatrix was surprised to see how quickly Snape had backed down. They weren’t the best of friends when they served Voldemort together, especially not once she learned of his betrayal. Her opinion of him had only lessened as she learned of the harsh way he treated Harry in class. Still, there was no one else she would rather have around as they interrogated Peter.

“Now we wait for one more,” said Dumbledore, stroking his beard.

“What? One more?” asked Bellatrix.

“I am more than capable of handling this on my own,” said Snape.

Dumbledore chuckled. “I know you are, but there are others who deserve to hear the truth firsthand.” He turned to Bellatrix and gave her a sympathetic look. “I tried to bargain for Sirius’ release so he could be here too, but the Ministry was less than helpful. Apparently, all their resources are focused on finding you.”

She hadn’t even heard that they had started looking for her. How far could they really get without a public search? But perhaps they were trying to keep things under wraps so as not to cause a panic. Afterall, if the wizarding world found out that someone had escaped from Azkaban and the Ministry was unable to find them, the populace would lose trust in the government. Bellatrix made a mental note to herself to be a bit more cautious wandering around the castle.

“Who else…” Realization dawned on Snape’s face. He groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t invite him.”

“We are here to find the truth, Severus. It would not be helpful for me to lie.”

The doors opened once more. A thin man with light brown hair wearing ill-fitting clothes stumbled into the room. He smelled heavily of alcohol, and his clothes were stained, torn, and patched poorly. Bellatrix wondered if a breeze would kill the poor man. Remus Lupin kept his head down as he passed Bellatrix and Snape to sit down in an empty chair in front of Dumbledore's desk. When he looked up, he smiled.

“Two Death Eaters and two members of the Order. What a group to solve a mystery of ten years, eh?”

“Remus,” said Snape through gritted teeth.

“You look well, Severus. And is that really you, Bellatrix Lestrange? Last time I saw you, you and your husband were heading off to your trial. How did that go?” asked Lupin. His tone was humorous, but it was clear by his expression that he was seconds from a blind rage.

“Relax, Remus, we are all here to learn the truth,” said Dumbledore.

“Shall we begin?” asked Snape, gesturing to Scabbers. He had taken to playing dead while everyone was talking.

All eyes turned on the rat. Dumbledore waved his wand. The glass cage shot into the air, transforming into magical shackles. Snape flicked his wand at Scabbers before he could move. Peter slowly transformed before their eyes. He was quickly bound by the shackles. Before he could say anything, Snape pulled out Peter’s tongue and poured out a few drops of Veritaserum. His eyes darted wildly around the room, tears forming at the edges.

“What is your name?” asked Snape.

Peter bit his tongue to try and avoid answering, but the magic of the truth serum was too strong. “Peter Pettigrew, Scabbers, Wormtail.”

No one spoke. The only sound in the room was Peter’s whimpering. Lupin stood up. He nearly fell as he stumbled over to Peter, but Bellatrix caught him and held him steady. Out of everyone in that room, it was most important for Lupin to see the truth. All the color had drained from his face. His lip quivered as he tried to put his thoughts into words.

“Did Sirius Black betray Lily and James Potter?” asked Lupin.

“No.”

“Did you betray them?”

For a brief moment, it seemed like he had fought the serum and wouldn’t answer. But then his eyes bulged out of his fat head, and he was forced to say, “Yes.”

Dumbledore stepped forward. “When did you start working for Voldemort?” Everyone winced.

“Not long after I joined the Order,” said Peter. He struggled to break free of his bindings. “Please! You have to understand, I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“Hurt anyone? People died!” yelled Snape. He grabbed Peter’s ear and pulled it like he was a misbehaving student. “You killed her!”

“Severus! Calm yourself,” said Dumbledore. “Tell us everything, Peter.”

So he did. The words left his mouth like vomit. He explained how he joined Voldemort’s side and became his faithful follower. As he talked about betraying Lily and James Potter, Snape became so full of rage that his pale face turned bright red. Then he told them about his fight with Sirius, his faked death, and how he eventually came to stay with the Weasleys. When he was finally done, everyone turned to look at Dumbledore.

The wise old wizard sighed. For the first time since Bellatrix had seen him, Dumbledore looked his age. He turned to Lupin. “Remus, could you say with honesty that the man before you is indeed Peter Pettigrew?”

Lupin nodded his head rapidly. “Yes, yes I can.”

“Would you be willing to testify to that fact in front of the Wizengamot?” asked Dumbledore.

“It would be my honor,” said Lupin.

Dumbledore turned to Snape. “And you Severus?”

He glanced at Bellatrix. “As far as I can tell, this man is Peter Pettigrew.”

“Would you testify to that fact?”

“I would.”

Then Dumbledore looked at Bellatrix. “I cannot promise your freedom if you wish to testify against Peter. The Ministry of Magic won’t take your escape from Azkaban lightly, no matter how many Death Eaters you turn over. But if you do decide to move forward, I will do everything in my power to help you.”

“Traitor!” growled Peter.

“Oh, shut up,” said Lupin.

“The Dark Lord will never forgive you!”

Dumbledore clapped his hands, causing Peter to cower in fear. “We are nowhere near done with you, Peter. According to Mrs. Lestrange here, you informed her that Quirinus has been harboring a Dark secret. Peter, is Quirinus Quirrell a faithful follower of Lord Voldemort?”

“Yes,” squealed Peter.

“And has he been harboring a piece of Voldemort’s soul, helping him find the Philosopher’s Stone so he can become whole again?”

“Yes,” said Peter so quietly no one was sure they had heard him.

Lupin laughed. “Well, this has been quite the fruitful night, hasn’t it? But what now? Won’t this Professor Quirrell run and hide once he knows he’s been discovered?”

“Professor McGonagall is currently observing him from a safe distance,” said Dumbledore. “Once we are done here, I would like the four of us to join her in confronting him.”

“The four of us?” asked Snape. “Can you really trust either of them? One is a werewolf, and the other—”

“I trust you,” said Dumbledore, cutting off Snape. “Mrs. Lestrange has shown her complete cooperation in my investigations, and Remus has just transformed a few days ago. He will not suffer again for quite some time. He is a valued member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

Snape shook his head. “Be that as it may…”

“I will not discuss Remus’ loyalty anymore, thank you,” said Dumbledore.

“Then what about her’s?” asked Snape, pointing his wand at Bellatrix.

“I am curious as well. How did she discover all of this?” asked Lupin. He walked around Bellatrix, his hand clutching his wand. “Let’s not forget who she is. Who her master is.”

“Voldemort is not my master,” said Bellatrix, proudly. It rolled off her tongue easily. “I serve only Harry Potter.”

Chapter Text

Hermione Granger had always struggled to make friends. Even before she learned she was a witch, she had always had an enlarged ego due to her intelligence and strong work ethic. All her teachers loved her, and her parents doted on her whenever they could. She was never spoiled, but she had let all the praise get to her head. It made it hard for her to be around people she considered beneath her.

But she was kind. She tried to treat everyone politely, even if it frustrated her. In her worst moments, people would call her bossy, annoying, or a know-it-all, but that was about as insulting as it got. That was still enough for Hermione to cry herself to sleep at night. The girl craved friends that would accept her for who she was. When she received her letter telling her that she had a place at Hogwarts, she dreamed of meeting people just like her.

Unfortunately, life isn’t so easy. On her first night, her fellow classmates had kicked her out of her own dorm room, forcing her to sleep on the couch in the common room. It wasn’t her fault. Her mind worked faster than her mouth sometimes, and she couldn’t help asking each of the exhausted girls about their parents and when they first learned they were witches. That would have been fine, but then she started asking about when their parents first learned. And then their grandparents. And then…

Even thinking about it now brought a tear to her eye. But things were getting better. Now, as long as she was quiet, they would let her sleep in her own bed.

It hadn’t been all bad. That first night she’d found Bella, Harry’s cat, in the empty common room. To her surprise, the sleek black cat had cuddled with her all night long. Hermione loved cats, but her parents would never buy her one. Cuddling a cat as cute as Bella had been a dream come true. Then that dream continued night after night, until Hermione eventually learned the truth—Bella the cat was none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, loyal follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

To say that Hermione had been terrified to learn that fact was an understatement. She had thought she was going to die. It was quite the shock to not only find a mass murder in the Gryffindor common room, but to also see her naked. Harry was naked as well! They were having… They were having…

Hermione didn’t like to think of that word. Sex—she shuddered—was for adults. Not children like Harry. Her parents had tried to give her ‘The Talk’ before she left for Hogwarts, but she’d managed to avoid it. Everything she knew about… that, had come from books. That was good enough for her. Still, seeing Harry’s penis had given her some nasty thoughts. And thinking about Bellatrix’s naked body made her feel hot and bothered.

She wondered what sex felt like.

“Let’s go in here,” said Harry, opening the door to an empty classroom just before the entrance to the dungeons.

Clutching her Defence Against the Dark Arts textbook against her chest, Hermione followed Harry and his cat inside. She locked the door behind them. It was a practice she had got used to the more time she spent around Bella. If the truth about her identity got out, Bellatrix would be forced to go back to Azkaban. Hermione didn’t want that. Bellatrix had become something of an idol to the young witch.

Where Hermione was intelligent, but Bellatrix was confident. Prideful. She knew exactly what type of person she was, and she wasn’t going to let anyone disrespect her. Hermione longed for that self-confidence. Bellatrix transformed into a human and moved to push together a few desks for Harry and Hermione. Shivering with excitement, Hermione set down her book and helped her tutor. She loved Bellatrix’s tutoring sessions.

But she could have never expected what kind of lesson she was going to experience today.

Bellatrix double-checked that the door was looked. She pulled out her wand and cast an Anti-Alohomora Charm to make sure that no one would disturb them. Hermione scooted her chair next to Harry and opened her textbook. They had been learning about advanced defensive magic, but both students were struggling to properly put their lessons into action. After making sure that she was on the right page, Hermione looked up to ask Bellatrix a question.

Her eyes widened. “Why are you naked?”

Bellatrix smirked as she flung her robes across the room. With a wave of her wand, she dimmed the candles in the room. The flickering light illuminated the curves of her body. “Today, we’re going to have an anatomy lesson.”

Hermione’s jaw hit the floor. Ever since that first day when she saw Bellatrix’s body, she hadn’t been able to get it out of her mind. She dreamed about it. The way Bellatrix’s ample bosom rose with each breath. How her pubic hair—which Hermione was jealous of—covered her full vulva. Her curvy figure, wide hips, smooth skin, playful smile; the list went on and on. It was a body Hermione wished to have for herself someday.

“Go ahead and undress so we can get started.”

“What!” exclaimed Harry and Hermione in unison.

Bellatrix laughed. “Don’t pretend you aren’t excited by the thought.”

It was true. Hermione was dripping wet. She looked over at Harry. His bulge was obvious to see. Taking a deep breath, Hermione decided to just go for it. This was a lesson like any other. Yes, this was just like school. She loved school. Surely, she wasn’t doing this because she touched herself to the memory of Harry’s cock when she thought everyone else was asleep. No, this was just another lesson from her favorite tutor.

Harry moved faster than she did. His robes were already off and neatly folded. He had plenty of experience undressing quickly. Hermione openly stared at his cock. A small bubble of precum dripped off the tip. Shaking her head, she remembered that she was supposed to be undressing too. She pulled off her robes but struggled to take her underwear off as well. Her hands were shaking as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties.

“It’s okay,” said Bellatrix softly. She gave the young witch a kind smile. “You can do it.”

“R-right,” said Hermione. She took another deep breath, then let her panties drop to the floor. Her hairless pussy was out in the open. It took everything in her not to cover her privates. Harry wasn’t covering his, why should she? But it was soon too much for her to withstand. Hermione covered her chest with one arm, and her pussy with the other.

“Well, at least you tried,” said Bellatrix. “It’s a shame to cover it though, you look so beautiful right now.”

“I do?” asked Hermione. Her face was bright pink. She’d never been proud of her body. Other girls her age already had budding breasts and small tufts of hair above their vaginas. That was something to be proud of. The signs of a real woman. Why should she be happy having a flat chest, and no hair down below? Those were symbols of childhood, something she desperately didn’t want to be reminded of.

“Come stand over by me, Harry,” said Bellatrix. He nervously stood up and walked over to Bellatrix. “Your friend is less experienced than you and me, so we’ll start with a male anatomy lesson first.”

Bellatrix knelt down and pointed at Harry’s quivering cock. “This is a penis. See how it’s all hard and shaking? That means Harry is sexually aroused.” She flicked at the head of his cock, drawing some precum onto her finger. “This is cum. Well, this is what leaks out before a boy cums, but it’s basically the same thing.”

Hermione leaned forward, unaware of her hand slowly massaging her labia. “O-okay.”

Bellatrix licked her finger. “It’s salty, but oh so delicious. Good girls love cum, always remember that Hermione.”

“Good girls love cum,” Hermione repeated softly.

Standing up, Bellatrix grabbed her chest and squeezed them together. “These are boobs, breasts, tits; whatever you want to call them. You’ll get them when you’re older. Boys love playing with them and painting them with their seed.” Then she reached down and pulled apart her lower lips. “Do you know what this is called?”

“A vagina,” said Harry when Hermione didn’t answer.

Bellatrix ruffled Harry’s hair as she laughed softly. It sent a shiver down Hermione’s spine. As he leaned into her hand, Bellatrix said, “Not exactly. There are many different parts to a girl’s reproductive organs. There’s the clitoris, the urethra, labia minora, labia majora, and the vaginal opening.” She touched each section as she named them. “A boy’s penis, like my cute master’s cock, goes inside the vaginal opening and spurts all his seed. That makes a baby.”

“Wait,” said Harry. The color drained from his face as he stared at Bellatrix’s pussy. “Does that mean I’m going to be a dad?”

Bellatrix laughed. “No, there are spells to prevent unwanted pregnancies. I’ve been using them since we’ve been fucking.” She turned to Hermione. “Have you had your first period yet?”

Hermione shook her head. “No.”

“Then we don’t need to worry about you getting pregnant.”

“You don’t mean…?”

Bellatrix walked over to Hermione’s robes and plucked her white panties off the ground. Hermione gasped as Bellatrix threw them over to Harry. “What are you doing?”

“My master’s pets shouldn’t wear panties,” said Bellatrix with a dirty smile on her face.

A heat rose in Hermione’s chest. “I’m not his pet!”

“You are now,” said Bellatrix, grabbing Hermione’s chin. She caressed her cheek while staring into the young witches’ eyes. “Don’t pretend that you haven’t been staring at his cock all lesson.” Grabbing Hermione’s hand, she dragged her over to Harry.

“Wait!”

Bellatrix pushed Hermione onto her knees. “Now, give your master’s cock a kiss.”

“What? Hold on!” exclaimed Hermione.

Bellatrix pushed Hermione’s face into Harry’s crotch. “Do it!”

There was no point in resisting. She wanted this, she had wanted this since she first saw his cock. Maybe even since she first met him. Hermione puckered her lips and closed her eyes. Slowly, she inched closer to Harry. Both of them were breathing hard. The closer she got, the more she felt moisture between her legs. She knew this was wrong, that they were too young to do such things, but she didn’t want to stop. His smell drew her closer. Finally, she pressed her soft lips against his twitching erection.

Smooch.

Heaven.

Hermione was in heaven.

When Hermuone was a little girl, she had snuck into her parent’s bedroom to look through their bookshelves for another book to read. She did that often. Her parents could only take her to the library so many times a week, so she always ran out of books to read. That was when she found her mother’s smut books. The lewd descriptions had never made much sense to her until that moment. Grabbing Harry’s waist, she kissed his cock over and over again.

Bellatrix knelt down beside Hermione. “Good girl,” she said, holding Hermione’s hair so she could properly kiss Harry’s cock.

Growing bolder, Hermione let her lips slide down Harry’s cock to take him into her mouth. A young boy’s cock for a young girl’s mouth, it was a match made in heaven. She struggled to fit him inside as she was unused to having anything of that size in her mouth all at once, but she did her best. Unfortunately, her best wasn’t really that good at all.

“Teeth, TEETH!” yelled Harry.

Hermione spat him out, coughing as she tried to catch her breath. “Sorry.”

“Use your lips more,” said Bellatrix, guiding Hermione back to her master’s cock. “You’ve got big teeth, so you have to be extra careful. Suck, but don’t bite down. Pretend you’re sucking a cold lolly.”

For the next three minutes, Hermione did her best to suck Harry off. It was a valiant effort. Spit dripped down her chin as she worked him into her mouth. Her soft lips slid down his shaft, her eyes gazing into his. The sounds of her blowjob bounced off the empty classroom walls. As she sucked him off, Bellatrix teased Hermione’s pussy. The Dark witches fingers ran up and down her lower lips.

“Stop,” said Bellatrix, pulling Hermione back by her hair. “It’s the main event.”

“Wait!” squeaked Hermione as Bellatrix guided her onto her back. Harry moved into position. He was well practiced on how to fuck by now.

“Just relax,” cooed Bellatrix.

“I don’t think I’m ready,” said Hermione shaking her head. Her heart smashed against her chest.

Bellatrix slid her hand across Hermione’s bare stomach. “Your skin is so soft.” The young witch’s tiny nipples were hard, like tiny pencil erasers.

“Bella… I’m scared,” said Hermione, staring into Bellatrix’s eyes.

“I know, but I promise you’ll feel good.” As Bellatrix rubbed Hermione’s stomach, she slowly trailed her hand down to the young witch’s pussy. Bellatrix grinned at Harry as she pulled apart Hermione’s labia to reveal her glistening vagina. “Go ahead, Master, she’s ready for you.”

Harry lined himself up, rubbing the head of his cock on her lower lips. “Just say the word, Hermione.”

She took a deep breath. For the first time in her life, her head was empty. Hermione could only feel a heat bursting from her core. “Fuck me, Master.”

As her hymen burst, Hermione cried out in pain. Tears fell down her cheeks like two mini waterfalls as she sobbed. Bellatrix held the girl close, whispering sweet words into her ear. At first, Harry was hesitant to continue, but once Bellatrix told him everything was okay, he worked himself up to a slow pace, barely going half his total length inside her. Hermione’s tears and cries of pain slowly turned into moans of pleasure.

She was tight, impossibly tight. Harry groaned as he pushed deeper inside her. Hermione twitched, she felt her body shutting down from the combined pain and pleasure of her first time. Her eyes rolled back into her head. Stroking her head, Bellatrix’s eyes met Harry’s. There was a crazed look in her eyes.

“I think you can go a little faster.”

Going deeper was impossible, so Harry pulled out to the tip. A long, quiet moan escaped Hermione’s lips. Then Harry pushed forward, and she sucked in air. In and out, in and out. Hermione wrapped her legs around Harry, pulling him closer. All her senses were tuned to eleven. Everything from her own quiet whimpers to the fullness of Harry’s cock, to the blood dripping down his dick violated her brain.

Hermione shivered. Something deep inside her was clawing its way to the surface. She looked up at Bellatrix and cried, “Something’s happening!”

“That’s an orgasm, my dear. Just let it happen.” Bellatrix squeezed the girl’s hand tightly.

“I’m going to cum,” grunted Harry.

“Cum together,” said Bellatrix. “Now!”

As the waves of pleasure washed over her, and Harry’s cum shot inside her virgin pussy, Hermione passed out. Then her consciousness returned, and she was still in the middle of her orgasm. She passed out again. In and out like Harry’s cock. He pushed himself all the way inside her. Hermione had never felt so full. When it was over, she struggled to think. All she could do was revert to her base instincts and moan.

Cum dripped down her leg as Harry pulled out. He moved up so he could wipe his cock against her mouth. She sucked him in, cleaning every inch with her tongue. When he was clean, he sat down on the ground and laughed. “That was brilliant, Hermione.”

She lay motionless on the floor. Hermione had never experienced pleasure like that before. Sure, there was some pain, but it hadn’t lasted for long. Turning onto her side, she reached out for Bellatrix and latched onto her breast. Bellatrix stroked her hair as the young witch sucked on her nipple.

“Sweet girl, precious girl,” murmured Bellatrix. She brushed the young witches’ bushy hair through her fingers. “You did so good. I’m so proud of you. You’ll be a wonderful pet for my master.”

“Our master,” corrected Hermione, as she switched to Bellatrix’s other nipple.

“Yes, our master.”

Chapter Text

“Did I hear that right?” asked Lupin. He glanced at the others. “You said you serve Harry Potter?”

“I do,” said Bellatrix. Her heart pounded against her chest, but she knew she had to tell the truth.

“He’s a boy,” said Snape with a look of disgust on his face. “A child.”

“Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t worship him if he looked like Lily Evans instead of his father,” said Bellatrix. Snape flinched, but he didn’t give a retort. “It’s thanks to him that I’m here at all. I will serve him to the rest of my days.”

“And what does ‘serving him’ entail exactly?” asked Lupin.

“We’re getting off track,” said Dumbledore, waving his hand. “All of us here want to protect Harry. The best way to do that is to deal with Voldemort.”

Silence. Everyone struggled with the reality that they would have to fight the Dark Lord once again. He was weaker, he was leeching off the body of a pathetic Hogwarts professor, but he was still Voldemort. Bellatrix wondered what she would do once she was in his presence. Since arriving at Hogwarts and learning that her former master was back, she had made sure to stay away.

“It’ll be four of us against one of him,” said Lupin.

“Five of us,” said Dumbledore. “Professor McGonagall will aid us.”

“What about the students?” asked Snape. “Should something go wrong…”

“I have taken measures to ensure the students’ safety. Should we all perish in the fight, they will be taken away to Hogsmeade and eventually their families,” said Dumbledore. “Shall we?”

There were no further arguments. Everyone knew what they had to do. After securing Peter, they left to find McGonagall. The walk to Professor Quirrell’s office was agonizingly long. Bellatrix felt like every shadow was the Dark Lord come to punish her for her betrayal. What would she do once she saw him again? It wouldn’t really be him after all, just what was left. Maybe she could hold back her darkest desires to aide him in his quest for a new body.

“Think of Harry,” she muttered. “Just think of Harry.”

Lupin walked in sync with her. He spoke softly to keep the others from hearing. “I don’t trust you.”

“I know.”

“What you did for all those years, all the people you hurt, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I know.”

“But,” he said, glancing at Snape and Dumbledore behind them. “If you help us, and I mean really help us, you’ll have my respect.”

Bellatrix laughed. “And what would I do with your respect?”

He grimaced and pulled back. Bellatrix bit her tongue. Harry had told her to try and be nicer, but it was so hard when he was the only person she talked to. Well, him, Hermione, and Dumbledore. Three people were not enough to practice her weakened social skills on.

“Well, it’s about time,” said Professor McGonagall as they quietly approached. She was standing outside Quirrell’s office, wand drawn and ready to go. “Do you have a plan, Albus?”

“I do,” said Dumbledore, fixing his glasses. “We will confront Professor Quirrell while Mrs. Lestrange here finds his wand. I have it on good authority that he puts his wand in his office after he’s done teaching for the day.”

“Why?” asked Lupin.

“Harry thinks he’s scared of it,” said Bellatrix, smiling at the thought of her master. Her true master.

“Even if the information is false or misleading, it is in our best interest to check. I have no desire for a long, drawn-out duel.”

Snape stepped up to the door. “Whenever you’re ready, Headmaster.”

Dumbledore looked at his fellow teachers and Lupin. Bellatrix transformed into a cat, ready to slink inside while the others charged in. This was it, hopefully the final charge against Lord Voldemort. If they caught him, the wizarding world could finally rest. If she helped catch him, Bellatrix could argue for her freedom. The chance to spend a day freely at her master’s side. That was a chance worth fighting for.

“Begin.”

Snape blasted down the door. While the others stormed in, Bellatrix waited a second before following. Professor Quirrell was in the middle of wiping some sort of black sludge off a student’s desk as they made their way inside. Once he saw all the teachers approaching him with their wands drawn, he cowered behind that same desk. Bellatrix noticed there was no fear on his face, only anger.

“W-what brings a-all of y-y-you to my classroom?” asked Quirrell, tugging on his sleeve like a schoolboy forced to wear something nice on picture day.

Bellatrix snuck under the desks. Her paws were silent beneath the noise of the arguing professors. All she had to do was get into his office and find his wand. Put Voldemort on the backfoot. Show Dumbledore and the others that she had changed, that she could do something good in her life. All she had to do was defeat her former master and protect Harry. If they couldn’t defeat him here, as weak as he was, they had no hope of doing it in the future.

“Take off your turban for us, Professor,” said McGonagall, waving at his hat with her wand.

“W-whatever for?”

“Just do it,” demanded Lupin.

Bellatrix could smell her former master. It was especially strong around Quirrell, but it lingered around the whole room. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on other smells, but her animalistic senses were too strong. Think of Harry. The door to Quirrell’s office was open, so she slipped in without a sound.

Once she was inside his office, she transformed back into a human and searched his desk. He had books on vampires and other magical creatures, but nothing connecting him to the Dark Lord. No wand. Frantically, she searched his shelves, every book for any hidden Dark artifacts. There were a few that seemed interesting, but nothing that would help him protect himself. Inside a hollowed-out book, she found a vial of unicorn blood, but she left it inside.

Gripping her wand tightly, she snuck up to the door of his office and waited for her chance to strike. Dumbledore had his wand pointed at Quirrell’s head. The nervous, bumbling professor stared at it with a great hunger in his eyes. Slowly, he reached up and unfurled his turban. It fell to the ground with a soft thud, drawing all eyes but Dumbledore’s.

“Tom,” he said gently. “What have you become?”

On the back of Professor Quirrell’s head was the face of Lord Voldemort. Bellatrix felt her stomach turn, she stumbled out of the office, temporarily drawing Quirrell’s gaze. Wands were waved, spells were cast, but in the span of a few seconds, only Dumbledore, Bellatrix, and Voldemort were left standing.

Using Quirrell’s body, Voldemort held his wand like he was disgusted by it. How he had pulled it out so fast, Bellatrix didn’t know. She held her own in front of her face, ready to cast all the protective charms she knew. Dumbledore moved in front of her. Quirrell’s face seemed to morph into a face Bellatrix knew all too well. Her former lover focused his attention on her.

“How long has it been since we were last united?” he asked. He took a step toward her. A burst of water shot out of Dumbledore’s wand. It splashed against an invisible barrier, dissipating into green smoke. With another wave of his wand, Dumbledore cleared the green smoke, but Voldemort had already cleared the distance. He shoved Dumbledore to the side and grabbed Bellatrix’s chin. “Your beauty has not diminished.”

“Let go of me!” she screamed, pushing against him. He was unmovable.

A flaming snake shot out of the fireplace, wrapping around Voldemort. It burned off his clothes, revealing a scarred body covered in Dark tattoos. Bellatrix was pulled back by Snape, who controlled the serpent with unwavering focus. Not wanting to be a burden to her allies, Bellatrix ran to Lupin and helped him up before checking on McGonagall.

Voldemort laughed. “A reunion of old friends!” he yelled.

The serpent was absorbed into Voldemort’s wand before being shot out as a wave of hot magma. Bellatrix countered the spell by conjuring a pewter cauldron that sucked in the magma and turned it to steam. Lupin turned the steam into heavily armored knights who charged at Voldemort. Their swords glowed with vibrant purple light. One slashed at the Dark Lord, its sword acting as a whip that wrapped around his leg. McGonagall turned the floor beneath Voldemort’s feet into quicksand, but he simply floated above it.

One flick of his wrist, that was all it took to send Snape and Lupin spiraling across the room. Voldemort set the fireplace ablaze again. It created an unbearable heat. He pushed this heat into McGonagall, burning her skin and countering the spell she was going to cast before she could even finish casting it. For Dumbledore, Voldemort cast a spell that stitched his lips together. Then he used the Cruciatus Curse to make the old man crumble to his knees.

In the end, it was just Bellatrix and her former master who were left standing. Voldemort sighed. “Even you would betray me, My Love?”

Her Dark Mark burned. “Don’t pretend you loved me. You’ve never known love.”

“Only from you,” he said.

Bellatrix felt the pain in her heart, but she ignored it. “How did you return?”

“I never left,” Voldemort snarled.

“I’m going to kill you.”

“When you fail, I promise to show the boy some mercy.” He circled her like a predator waiting to move in for the kill. “A gift for all the years we shared together. Or perhaps I’ll torture him until he breaks.” He licked his scarred lips. “Who do you think he’ll call for, you or his parents?”

In unison, former master and servant screamed out, “Avada Kedavra!”

The Killing Curse requires the intent to kill to be effective. For Bellatrix Lestrange, the spell had always worked. She didn’t mind killing. It was something one did to get what they wanted. The pain and suffering inflicted on the people around those who were slain never registered in her mind. Not until she met Harry Potter. A green bolt of light flashed by her as she stood still. Her wand produced nothing.

Voldemort, expecting Bellatrix’s spell to succeed, dove to the side. It was that expectation that caused his own spell to miss. She wanted to hate him, but all she felt was pity. This wasn’t the master she once served, this was the truth. Tom Riddle was a pathetic snake with dreams of power. A bully like any other. The look of confusion on his face was burned into her mind as Bellatrix pointed her wand at him and yelled, “Expelliarmus!”

Snape caught the wand out of the air, quickly tucking it into his robes. Behind him Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin pointed their wands at Voldemort. No one moved. All of them knew Voldemort was powerful enough to easily kill them without his wand, but the second he tried they could respond back with greater force. Bellatrix took a step closer to Voldemort, her eyes lit by the fire in Quirrell’s fireplace.

Quirrell grabbed his face and screamed. A flash of light burst from his body. Voldemort’s laugh echoed through the room. Bellatrix was overwhelmed by the smell of brimstone and ash. Those that were looking at Quirrell covered their eyes to block the light, allowing Voldemort’s spirit to fly past them. By the time they realized what had happened, it was too late. Professor Quirrell’s body lay dead on the floor, and Voldemort was nowhere to be seen.

“What was that?” asked Lupin.

“He left,” said Bellatrix, falling to her knees. “We had him, and now he’s gone.”

McGonagall silently left the room to give chase. Snape crept closer to Quirrell’s body. After confirming that Quirrell was dead, he joined his fellow professor. Lupin rifled through Quirrell’s clothes as Dumbledore crouched down by Bellatrix. She looked at her former headmaster and fell into his arms to cry.

“Do you know how he could have survived all this time? Where he could be going to?” he asked as he rubbed her back gently.

She shook her head. “I… I…

“I don’t know.”

Chapter Text

Classes were canceled the next day.

The teachers searched the grounds in teams of three, with Bellatrix joining Dumbledore’s team with Lupin. No matter where they searched, they couldn’t find any trace of the Dark Lord. Bellatrix couldn’t even find his scent. Thankfully, they still had Peter Pettigrew in custody, so it wasn’t a total failure. But they had still failed to stop Voldemort once again.

“He did not find the Philosopher’s Stone and now we know for sure he is alive,” said Dumbledore as he poured tea for Bellatrix and Lupin in his office. “All the students are safe, and the Ministry is coming to take Peter in for questioning.”

“You make it sound like we won,” said Bellatrix.

“There is no winning or losing in such affairs.” Dumbledore sipped his tea as he watched his phoenix stretch his feathers. “I suppose the only real loser here is Nicolas Flamel.”

“Who?” asked Bellatrix.

Dumbledore chuckled. “A few centuries ago, that question would have been considered ridiculous. He created the Philosopher’s Stone to extend his lifespan, but with the knowledge that Voldemort is after it, we’ll have to destroy it.”

“Once news of Voldemort’s return gets out, there’ll be panic,” said Lupin. “And it will get out.”

Dumbledore nodded. “I know, I have already prepared a statement for the Minister. He will be hesitant, but it will be easier to track Voldemort down while he is weak than let him grow stronger. Even he should be able to see that.”

“And if he doesn’t?” asked Bellatrix.

“Then I will convince him,” replied Dumbledore. The sparkle in his eyes disappeared. “There is another matter we must discuss, the matter of your imprisonment.”

“Should I leave?” asked Lupin.

Dumbledore shrugged. “If you wish. It was a pleasure to see you again, Remus.”

“Likewise, Albus.” Before he left, he hesitated at the door before turning to Bellatrix. “If it’s alright, could I see Harry before I leave?”

Bellatrix’s eyebrow shot up. “Shouldn’t you be asking him?” she asked, gesturing to Dumbledore.

“He’s your master, isn’t he?” asked Lupin with a smile.

“Go ahead, but if you hurt him in any way, I’ll kill you.”

His smile faltered. “You shouldn’t joke about that.”

“I wasn’t joking.”

Lupin adjusted his collar as he left, muttering something to himself about members of the Black family. As the door closed behind him, Bellatrix turned back to her old headmaster. He looked tired. Like years of his life had been washed away in an instant. Dumbledore watched his bird as he sipped on his tea, a pensive look on his face. Bellatrix waited for him to say something, but when he never did, she decided it was up to her to move things along.

“You wanted to speak with me?”

“I’m considering how. After our little adventure, I spoke with the Minister. He wasn’t happy about what I had to say.”

“About me?”

He nodded. “About you. He had hoped you had died, since he hadn’t received any reports about you tearing up the countryside. When I told him that I knew where you were and what you were doing, he insisted that I turn you in immediately.”

“What did you say?” asked Bellatrix. She picked at her fingernails, her unwavering gaze drilling a hole into her old headmaster’s face.

“I told him you had changed your ways.”

Bellatrix couldn’t help herself from laughing. “I imagine he didn’t believe that.”

Dumbledore cracked a smile. “No, he didn’t. Which is why you’ll need to report to the Ministry of Magic for questioning. Don’t look so afraid, all they want to hear are the same things you told me.”

Anger surged through her as years of her torturous imprisonment in Azkaban flashed through her head. “And what if that’s not good enough?” She slammed her hands on his desk, spilling her tea. “What if they drag me away in chains? I’m not going!”

“You will,” said Dumbledore calmly. He pulled out his wand and flicked it at the spilled tea. It disappeared without a trace.

“They won’t let me stay with Harry,” she said sadly.

“Perhaps.”

She wanted to strangle him. It took everything in her not to reach across the table and wipe the smug look off his face. How dare he even entertain the thought of ripping her away from her new master right after she’d been forced to fight her old master. Shameful, disgusting, idiotic, heartless. Bellatrix should have never trusted him.

“I will be right there with you,” said Dumbledore. “Would you like to see Harry before you go?”

“You want to leave right now?” asked Bellatrix.

“The sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner you can rest easy. I have complete faith in your ability to charm them, Bellatrix. All they want to know is how you escaped and who may attempt to harbor Voldemort.”

That didn’t sound that bad. It was a risk to reveal her Animagus status to the Ministry, but word would get out eventually now that other people had seen her transform. She didn’t care about revealing the names of the other Death Eaters. Some, like Lucius, she would be cautious saying too much about because of his connection to her sister, but the others she could say whatever she wanted. Bellatrix had no intentions of returning to that group. Not anymore.

“Alright, I’ll go, but only if you swear that I will not go back to Azkaban.”

“I cannot swear an Unbreakable Vow on such a thing,” said Dumbledore sadly.

Bellatrix glared at her old headmaster. “Then just promise or something. I want to know that you’ll help me properly.”

“Then we’ll do it the Muggle way,” said Dumbledore, holding his hand over his heart. “I promise that I will do everything in my power to help you. Once we are finished, I will return you back to Harry Potter.”

She nodded. “Good, he gets antsy when I’m gone for too long.”

Dumbledore stood up with a half-smile on his face. “Him and Ms. Granger.” He extended his arm out toward Bellatrix.

“How did you—” Before she could finish, the two of them Dispparated out of Hogwarts.

They reappeared in a plain prison cell located deep within the Ministry of Magic. Two Aurors with their wands drawn grabbed Bellatrix’s hands and cuffed them behind her back. Another stepped forward to cover her mouth and eyes. She tried to scream, to fight back, but Dumbledore’s voice kept her from getting violent. Just like he said, he was right there with her.

“They’re transporting you to an interrogation room for questioning,” said Dumbledore. “Just relax.”

How could she relax? This was everything she feared. Tears welled in her eyes, staining the cloth rag they’d used to cover her face. Someone pushed her forward, while two Aurors hooked their arms under hers and dragged her. After what felt like an hour, they shoved her into a chair. No one bound her to the chair, but she knew if she moved there would be consequences.

“Ungag her.” Bellatrix recognized the voice as belonging to the Minster for Magic, Cornelius Fudge. It was unusual to have the Minister directly involved in an interrogation, but Bellatrix assumed this was Dumbledore’s doing. “Keep her blindfold on.”

Someone pulled the cloth away from her mouth. She stretched her jaw. Nothing seemed injured. When she was first captured, after the defeat of Voldemort, they’d treated her much worse. Perhaps it was the presence of her old headmaster that stayed their hands. Whatever it was, Bellatrix was grateful.

“Are you Bellatrix Black Lestrange?” asked Fudge.

“I am.”

“Tell me everything you know.”

So, she did. There were a few things she left out, like the exact nature of her relationship with Harry, and anything that would incriminate her sister and her family, but otherwise she was an open book. From somewhere close by, she could hear the frantic scribbling of quills as they recorded every name she gave, every person she tortured or killed. Bellatrix knew some of those names were unknown until that very moment.

When she was done, Fudge asked a few more qualifying questions, then whispered to the Aurors around him. Bellatrix wished she’d been allowed to see the people questioning her, but she understood their caution. She was a killer. Had been since she was young. To pretend otherwise was foolish, even if she believed she had changed her ways.

“We will conduct a special hearing tonight to discuss the terms of your release,” said Fudge.

“You’re letting me go?” asked Bellatrix, filled with hope for the first time all day.

“We will discuss it. I cannot promise you that will be our final conclusion. At the very least, should the information you’ve provided be proven truthful, we will reduce your prison sentence. And there will be consequences for your escape from Azkaban, mark my words.”

“My client is more than willing to accept those terms,” said Dumbledore. Bellatrix didn’t even try and speak against him.

“I’m sure, Chief Warlock,” said Fudge. “For now, Mrs. Lestrange, you will be kept here while we prepare for your hearing. Do you understand?”

“I do,” said Bellatrix. What else was she going to do? This was the path she’d chosen to walk.

“Then we will see you tonight, Mrs. Lestrange. I hope for your sake that this information is correct. Good day.”

They gagged her once more, then moved her cuffs so she was bound to the chair. Once everyone had left, all she could do was sit and wait for her hearing. To pass the time, she thought of Harry. He was probably wondering where she was. Bellatrix hoped she would be able to return to him, or at the very least be able to see him often.

Maybe he could visit her in Azkaban. That was the most she could hope for.

Time passed quickly when there wasn’t anything to do but wait. She slept when she wasn’t thinking and thought when she wasn’t sleeping. A few times people came in to give her time to stretch and let her eat and drink. Then it was right back to the chair. Bellatrix didn’t struggle, she didn’t complain. All she could do was wait.

When the waiting was finally over, a crowd of Aurors came to take her to the hearing room. She was actually sleeping when it happened. So, it was quite the shock when she woke up to find herself sitting in the middle of an empty, round room. Set in the middle of a pit, there were benches lining the walls that climbed several levels. Facing her chair was a podium marked with the symbol of the Ministry.

There was a flash of light.

A chill seemed to wash down from the stands like a waterfall. Bellatrix shivered. She was illuminated by a light with no visible source. The bright light made it hard to see who would be seated above her in the stands. Perhaps on purpose, she mused. In addition, the benches seemed to grow even darker, like they were cloaked in a veil of darkness.

Memories of her childhood flashed through her mind. Of her mother scolding her for playing a prank on Sirius. Of waiting outside Dumbledore’s office, tears streaming down her face as she waited for her punishment. She had broken another boy’s wand on a dare. Though the emotions of the memory seemed fresh in her mind, she couldn’t remember the boy’s face or who gave her the dare.

A hand gripped her shoulder, causing her to jump. “Nervous?” asked Dumbledore.

“Of course not,” she replied, pushing away his hand and sitting up straighter.

“I suppose there is no reason to be,” said Dumbledore, moving around her. “You’ve done everything I’ve asked, and they know it.”

“What do you think they’ll decide?”

His eyes appeared dull behind his glasses. “I shouldn’t speak it aloud. All I will say is that memories of the pain you have caused is still fresh in their minds. Few witches or wizards would come to your aid.”

Bellatrix dug her nails into the palms of her hands, not enough to draw blood, just enough to calm her nerves. “So, the best I can hope for is Azkaban?”

“No, you should always hope for more than eternal punishment. You would be surprised to hear how much sway your new ‘master’s’ opinion holds. He spoke at length about you. People see your rehabilitation as a sign of hope.”

“They spoke to Harry?” asked Bellatrix.

“They did, but only for a little bit. I didn’t want him to get too worried. He said you were a good person, one who had worked hard to change.”

Bellatrix nodded. She was glad Harry had defended her, as if she was worth defending. She chuckled to herself. “I’m not sure I’ve changed all that much.”

“We need to hope they see that you have.”

“What do you think, Albus? Do you think I’ve changed?”

He stroked his silver beard. “Less than I would hope, yet more than I could ever have imagined.”

There wasn’t any time to ask him what he meant by that. Though Bellatrix couldn’t see it, the stand above them filled with members of the Ministry. Fudge took his spot behind the podium. Dumbledore conjured a chair for himself to sit in right next to her, showing everyone that he was on her side. It was the best defense a witch or wizard could ask for.

“Let’s bring things to order,” proclaimed Fudge.

The hearing of Bellatrix Lestrange had begun.

Chapter Text

“We are gathered here for the hearing of Bellatrix Black Lestrange concerning her recent escape from Azkaban and the chance for a blanket pardon. For the purposes of the hearing, members of the Wizengamot and the Ministry may refuse to have their name called during the roll call. This motion has been granted to ensure the safety of those in attendance. They may still remain in the chamber, but they must move themselves to the shaded section on the East end of the hall. We will pause while they do so now.”

Bellatrix could hear the shuffling of feet, but still couldn’t see into the benches to see who had moved. She could only see Fudge standing behind the podium. After a few minutes, the noise died down. Dumbledore reached inside his pocket and pulled out a watch to check the time, giving a chance for Bellatrix to do so as well. It was late at night. Fudge cleared his throat, looked through his papers, then stared down at Bellatrix.

“I, Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge will act as Chief Warlock for this hearing. Special witnesses include: Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Severus Snape, Edward and Andromeda Tonks, Augusta Longbottom, and Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy.”

Andromeda? Cissy? Bellatrix winced at the mention of a ‘Longbottom’ but she had expected something of the sort. She squinted her eyes to try and peer through the darkness just for the chance to see a glimpse of her sisters. Why had Andromeda come? Confused, she turned to Dumbledore, but he was busy listening to Fudge drone on about a few other members of the court and the rules for the special hearing.

Before she knew it, it was time for the hearing to really begin.

“Mrs. Lestrange, we have been informed that during your time in Azkaban you learned of a new way to become an Animagus, is that correct?”

“Correct.”

“And you used this method to escape from Azkaban, is that correct?” asked Fudge.

“It is.”

“Would you be willing to register yourself in the Animagus Registry?” he asked, adjusting his glasses.

Bellatrix nodded. “Yes.”

A voice rang out from another section of the courtroom. It was deep and sounded distorted. “How did you escape from Azkaban?”

Bellatrix explained, leaving no details out. Several members of the court gasped when she mentioned the presence of Voldemort in Harry—Dumbledore looked upset as well—but she ignored them and continued her story. There was further questioning about the specifics of her transformation, but since she wasn’t sure of all the details herself, she was unable to answer.

“After you escaped, you Apparated to number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, the household where Harry Potter resides, is that correct?” asked Fudge.

She smiled at the memory. “It is.”

“Did you have any intention of harming Mr. Potter?” asked Fudge, leaning forward in his chair.

“The thought did cross my mind, but after seeing the cruelty inflicted on him by his family, and the kindness he showed me, I decided it would be better to protect him.” Albus had told her to leave out any mention of Harry being her master. She had agreed. It would not have helped her case to say she served the boy.

Some voices rang out in anger at hearing that Harry was treated poorly by the Dursleys, but Dumbledore reassured them that he was handling the matter. A woman’s voice echoed from the West side of the chamber, “We were made aware of the use of magic in the Little Whinging area around the time of your testimony. Are you declaring yourself as the source?”

Before Bellatrix could answer, Fudge turned to that side of the chamber and asked, “We were aware of this? Why wasn’t this brought up to me?”

“We have always monitored the situation around Harry’s residence after the attack by You-Know-Who. Once he started to show his own aptitude for magic, we decided it would be easier to leave the investigation of such matters to Albus Dumbledore as Mr. Dumbledore was already monitoring the situation himself.”

“And I was not made aware of this?” asked Fudge.

“You were. The report was placed on your desk four years ago. Don’t you remember signing it?”

Fudge grunted, waving his hand dismissively. “Regardless, let’s continue. Mrs. Lestrange, you chose to stay with Harry Potter, is that correct?”

“Yes.” Bellatrix continued her story, explaining how she stayed with Harry and helped him get ready for Hogwarts. She even confessed to using Dark Magic on the Dursleys, which caused quite a stir in the chambers. Then she talked about heading to Hogwarts with Harry and finally their battle against Professor Quirrell.

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?” asked another member of the court.

“In a weakened state,” said Dumbledore. “This is not the same Lord Voldemort Harry Potter defeated so many years ago, but the matter of his return must be dealt with swiftly.”

“At another time,” said Fudge, shaking his head. “I will now allow the special witnesses to give their statements next.”

The Weasleys spoke first. Molly spoke about seeing Harry in King’s Cross Station and Arthur spoke about the letters Ron often sent them from Hogwarts. There wasn’t a lot for them to say, as neither of them knew about Bellatrix being at Hogwarts until they heard about the hearing, but it was still positive for Bellatrix. Once they finished, McGonagall gave her statement.

She talked about the fight against Quirrell and how Bellatrix had assisted in both catching Peter and fighting against Voldemort. “Without her, I can’t imagine what You-Know-Who would have done to my students without our knowledge,” said McGonagall in a shaky voice.

Next was Snape. “I will not repeat Professor McGonagall’s statement, though I will reaffirm it. Bellatrix has only been helpful, not at all as she was before she met Potter.”

Then it was Augusta Longbottom’s turn. “How dare you!” she screamed. A wrinkled hand shot out of the darkness, pointing directly at Bellatrix. “She tortured my son, destroyed my daughter-in-law’s mind. I know some of you worked with them. How dare you bring this- this- bitch into here and pretend she’s anything but what she’s always been—an insane murderer!”

“Please refrain from any foul language, Mrs. Longbottom,” said Fudge.

“I will not refrain from anything,” said Augusta. “Only now am I hearing that my grandson has been in close quarters with the bitch who took his parents away from him, and the one man who was supposed to protect him has known the whole time. Albus Dumbledore has willingly put our children in danger!”

The courtroom was silent. Albus crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair. He stared over his glasses at the darkness. Bellatrix wondered if he could see past the veil. If anyone could, it would be him. She kept her head down, knowing that saying anything or showing any emotion other than guilt would only make things worse for her.

“The record shows that Bellatrix Lestrange in coordination with three other Death Eaters tortured Alice and Frank Longbottom to the point of insanity. Bellatrix Lestrange admitted as much during her first trial and has admitted that fact to us again during her interrogation before this hearing,” said Fudge.

“If it’s true that she is a danger to our children, then why hasn’t she attacked any of our children at Hogwarts this year?” asked Molly Weasley, her voice clear and steady.

“How do we know she hasn’t?” asked Augusta.

“She participated in the fight against Professor Quirrell and Lord Voldemort,” said Dumbledore. “Regardless of her past actions, she has made an effort to change.”

“I don’t care, she’s—” Augusta began to scream out.

Fudge cut her off. “This will be a civil hearing, Mrs. Longbottom. Since you cannot remain civil, you will be escorted out.

There was a disturbance in the stands as Augusta refused to leave, but Arthur and Molly Weasley quickly calmed her down. Her time to speak was still cut short. Next, Lucius Malfoy gave a rather boring speech detailing their long, shared history and how he’d always known Bellatrix to have a good side buried somewhere deep within. Bellatrix wondered if his speech had even helped her at all it was so boring.

“My sister is troubled,” said Narcissa once her husband was done. “But she’s trying. Yes, she’s hurt people, and nothing can change that. But I believe that she has changed. The Bellatrix I knew is long gone. My sister is better. She’s better, and I couldn’t be more thankful to Harry Potter for helping her change.”

Bellatrix had never agreed with her sister more.

Edward Tonks gave up his chance to speak, saying that what he had to say had already been said. That just left Andromeda. Bellatrix sat on the edge of her seat as she waited to hear her sister’s voice for the first time in years. Too much had damaged their relationship for her to ever dream of being friendly with her again. But no matter what Andromeda said, Bellatrix was just happy that her sister had come to see her at all.

“I love my sister,” said Andromeda. Bellatrix wished she could see her sister’s face. “But like Narcissa said, Bellatrix is troubled. I have never known her to be capable of change. When I heard what she did to the Longbottoms, I wasn’t even shocked. She was evil, truly rotten to the core. She was. Now I’m not sure.

“I won’t defend her actions, because I can’t. And I’m not sure she deserves to be in proper society again, but…” Andromeda took a deep breath. “If there is a chance that my sister wants to change, then I say we should allow it. The Bellatrix I once feared is gone, Harry Potter saved her just like he saved all of us from You-Know-Who.

“Thank you.”

A few more members of the Ministry spoke, but Bellatrix didn’t pay much attention. Everything they were saying had already been said or wasn’t worthing hearing. She tried to talk to Dumbledore, but he was focused on the hearing, offering rebuttals whenever it was necessary. If only she could see the faces of the people above here, or at least dim the light shining right on her face.

“We’ll take a vote. Please wait for our verdict,” said Fudge,

“Already?” asked Bellatrix.

“They don’t want to drag this out,” said Dumbledore. “The sooner this is over, the sooner they can pretend it never happened. I imagine whatever they decide won’t leave this room either.”

Bellatrix wasn’t sure what to think of that. She waited patiently for her fate to be decided. After a few minutes, the veil of darkness lifted. Only Fudge, standing behind his podium remained. A shame, as Bellatrix really wanted to see Andromeda. It had been years since she’d laid eyes on her sister. Far too long.

“We have decided to give you a probationary release into the custody of Albus Dumbledore,” said Fudge. “Until we can be sure that you won’t harm the innocent, you’ll be within his care.”

“I’m free?” asked Bellatrix, tears welling in her eyes.

“If you don’t hurt anyone, then you won’t have to go back to Azkaban, but you are not free yet. One wrong move, and it’s the Dementor’s Kiss for you, understand?”

“Yes, yes! Thank you so much!” exclaimed Bellatrix, jumping for joy. She was free! Free to spend as much time with Harry as she pleased. Free! Free! Free! Bellatrix was so overjoyed that she grabbed Dumbledore and pulled him into a hug. He returned her hug, patting her back kindly.

Bellatrix Lestrange was finally free.