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AUTHOR'S NOTES
This fanfiction was written and edited by myself, but my best friend T. J came up with all the plotlines. He basically told me what should happen in the story and it was my job to put it on a computer screen and make it sound good. Hopefully, I did my job well.

Prologue

Harry Potter lay on his back in the smallest room of Number 4, Privet Drive, staring at the ceiling. This year had been the worst Harry could remember. His Godfather, one Sirius Black, was killed just weeks earlier in the department of Mysteries, and with him died the only chance Harry had at a normal life filled with love. To add to that, Harry’s esteemed Headmaster, the meddling old coot, Albus Dumbeldore, told him of a prophecy, a prophecy that stated "neither can live while the other survives", meaning either he must kill Voldemort or die trying.

As Harry thought about the prophecy, his thoughts quickly moved back to Sirius, tears came to his eyes, but he fought them back. Harry knew that Sirius’ death wasn’t his fault, No matter what everyone else thought, he knew and he didn’t blame himself. He blamed three people for Sirius’ death, Albus Dumbledore, for locking Sirius away, Voldermort, for sending the false vision in the first place, and Sirius himself, for fooling around when he should have been taking things seriously. Some people may wonder why Harry didn’t blame Bellatrix Lestrange for Sirius’ death when she was the one who knocked Sirius through the Veil in the first place, causing the end of his life. The fact was that Harry saw the spell she fired, it was red in colour, it was a stunner. Harry realized that Bellatrix did not want Sirius dead, just out of the battle. Therefore, Harry couldn't blame her.

Most people, Harry’s friends included, thought that Albus Dumbledore was all knowing, and all powerful. However, this was not the case. While Dumbledore was powerful, he wasn’t a great person in general. He manipulated everyone around him, Harry most of all, so that Harry would see him as a hero saving him from the Dursleys every year. However Harry didn’t know this…yet. But what Harry did know was that he would fight and win this war on his own terms. “I’ll win Sirius, I’ll win for you. For my parents, and for all the people that have lost their lives because of this war. I’ll win!” Harry said to himself before he drifted to sleep.

From her cage by the windowsill, Harry's beautiful, snowy owl, Hedwig, hooted softly, almost as if agreement.

Chapter 1

Harry Potter woke bright and early the next morning, sunshine streaming through his window onto his bed. He gave a yawn and a stretch, then reached over to his bedside table to grab his glasses. Positioning them onto his nose, he realized that Hedwig's cage was empty. "Dammit. I thought I locked her in properly." he muttered. He wasn't worried about her. She'd be back soon. She always came back. He left his bedroom to brush his teeth and take a shower. He had to wrestle Dudley to get in there first, but he managed it all the same. Upon coming back, he saw Hedwig perched loftily on his pillow. She gave him a friendly hoot and he smiled. She was his first real friend, and he loved her more than words could say. "Hey, girl." he said softly, going over to the bed to stroke her wings. "Where have you been off to?" she gave his finger a friendly n** and stuck out her leg. There was a letter there that he hadn't noticed before. "Thanks, Hedwig." he said as he untied the letter from her leg.

He opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside. As Hedwig flew to her perch in her cage, he bagan to read.

Dear Mr. Harry J. Potter,
You have been invited to the reading of Mr Sirius O. Black's legal will. The reading will take place on the 25th of August at precisely 12:00 pm at Gringotts Wizarding Bank in Diagon Alley. DO NOT BE LATE!

Sincerely: Slipknat

Head of Will and Testament Department


"Hang on... that's today!" Harry almost shouted. Panicked, he looked down at his watch. "And it's already 7:00 am!" Frantically wondering how on earth he was going to get to London on time, he threw on his wizard's robes, shoving the letter roughly into his pocket, grabbed his wand, broomstick and an old leather glove to slip over his scarred hand ("I will not tell lies" wink and bolted down the stairs four at a time to the front door. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley were sitting at the breakfast table. They stared in shock as Harry practically flew down the stairs, crashing violently into the hallway.

"Where do you think you're going at seven in the morning?" his aunt snapped at him.

"OUT!" he shouted, wrenching the door open and leaping onto Number Four's walkway. Leaving his family gawking open-mouthed at him from the house, he dashed to the side of the garage where the muggles couldn't see, climbed onto his broomstick, and kicked off hard from the ground, soaring into the morning mist, going as fast as his Firebolt could take him.

Even at top speed on his firebolt, Harry just barely made it there on time. He burst through the front doors of Gringotts and nearly collapsed, heaving, onto the main desk in the marble foyer. The goblin on duty looked at him curiously. "Sirius . . . Black . . . will reading . . . today!" Harry panted. "Been . . . invited." he gasped, taking the crumpled letter from his pocket and holding it up for the goblin's inspection. The goblin took the letter from Harry's gloved hand and eyed it closely.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. This way." the goblin said, starting to lead him out of the foyer into a wide stone hallway.

"Thanks Griphook." Harry replied, still slightly out of breath. The goblin stumbled slightly, and looked back at Harry with a look of awe on his face, but quickly composed himself and proceeded to lead him down the hall. Griphook led Harry almost to the very end of the hallway before veering left to stop in front of a large wooden door with a brass handle.

"The meeting will be taking place in here. If you'll just follow me through this door, Mr. Potter." Griphook explained. He pushed hard on the brass handle and the heavy door swung inwards to reveal a large room, completely covered in marble. At the front of the room was a massive palladian window, covered in crimson red drapes, which cast long, mournful shadows across the polished floor. In front of the window stood a solid marble podium. Leading from the podium, down two small steps, were two rows of marble benches, leaving a wide aisle down the middle of the room. Despite the gloomy shadows, the room itself was quite impressive. However, this was not what made Harry grin from ear to ear.

"Wotcher, Harry!" It was Nymphadora Tonks, with her usual wide smile, grunge clothing and bubble-gum pink hair. She was also the most brilliant Auror currently employed by the Ministry, not to mention an extremely accomplished metamorphmagus. Along with her were Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, and the entire Weasley clan. To his disgust, there were also a few people he wasn't so fond of. Narcissa Malfoy and her son, Draco, were there as well. "How've you been?" Tonks asked, obviously noticing Harry's narrowed eyes and tight lips and trying to avoid a fight.

"Not too bad, all things considered." Harry grinned at her. He wouldn't start up anything with the Malfoys, at least not right now. He had a feeling Tonks would not be happy if she had to arrest him.

He would have loved to just sit down and talk with them all to catch up on everything. After all, it had been quite a while since he had seen any of them. Sadly, Griphook seized that opportunity to interrupt their reunion. "Ahem. Would everyone please take a seat in one of the benches. The will reading has started." He walked up the two small steps to stand behind the podium, where he took a short moment to sort through some important looking documents.

Everyone in the room sat down as Griphook asked. The goblin finished organizing his papers and began to read. "This legal document was written by Mr. Sirius O. Black himself. I will now read out the inheritances as follows... to my dear cousin, Nymphadora Andromeda Tonks, I leave two billion galleons of my estate, and as the last descendant of the house of Black, officially reinstate her into the Black family." he had to pause there, because Tonks had fallen off her seat in shock. When she pulled herself back up, shaking, her hair was involuntarily popping from colour to colour, resembling a rainbow. She suddenly realized what was happening and quickly set it right again.

"Oops." she muttered, looking slightly embarrassed. "Sorry. Continue, please." she said to Griphook. Griphook gave her a stern look before pressing on.

"To my best friend, Remus Blaidd Lupin, I leave two and a half billion galleons of my estate." Lupin let out a warm, appreciative smile.

"Thanks, brother." he whispered softly, tears glistening in his eyes.

"However, he only gets the money if he uses a portion of it to buy new clothes for himself, the self-sacrificing git." Everyone laughed out loud at this, Lupin amongst the loudest.

"That's our Sirius." Tonks joked. Narcissa Malfoy chuckled appreciatively, however Draco just scowled. Griphook continued.

"To Molly, Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ronald, and Genevra Weasley, I leave two hundred thousand galleons each." Mrs. Weasley burst into gratified tears and hugged her family. Harry smiled. They deserve it he thought.

"Of course, I cannot forget my godson's charming friend, Miss Hermione Jane Granger, to whom I leave ten thousand galleons of my estate." Hermione's eyes went wide and she clapped a hand to her mouth.

"Ready to go shopping for some more books?" Ron whispered in her ear.

"Oh, shut up." she replied, though she was still unable to hide a very faint smile.

"To my cousins, Narcissa Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange, I leave each of them two and a half million galleons. Also, as the last descendant of the house of Black, I hereby officially shatter the marriage contract between Bellatrix Lestrange and Rudolphus Lestrange." There was a lot of muttering after this. Narcissa looked as though she had not just recieved a tonne of gold, but was whispering in confusion along with everyone else.

"What marriage contract? Bella wouldn't marry under a contract, would she?" she muttered tearfully. It looked as though she wasn't aware of her sister's marriage agreement, either. Of course, Draco Malfoy looked extremely smug. He was definitely aware of the fortune that had just been handed to him. Griphook tapped his long, gnarled fingers on the podium for silence. The noise quickly subsided.

"May I continue?" he drawled in annoyance. Everyone nodded and Griphook ploughed right on. "And last, but certainly not least; to my beloved godson, Harry James Potter, who has been more like a son to me over the past few years, I leave absolutely everything else of my estate, including five billion galleons, number 12 Grimmauld Place and everything in it, and the two Black family mansions, located West of Ottery St. Catchpole, Stoatshead Hill."

"That's almost right beside our house!" Ginny whispered to Harry. "How come we haven't noticed it, then." Harry just shrugged. He had expected to feel some emotion when he recieved his inheritance, but the truth was, he felt nothing at all. He wasn't happy or angry or sad or jealous or ... anything. He felt absolutely nothing. In a way, it was a relief, because at least he wasn't struggling to hold back tears in front of all these people, but on another, more dark level of his heart, it sickened him. Why couldn't he feel anything for the man he had loved as his own father?

"Furthermore," Griphook continued. "As Harry's godfather, I hereby officially emancipate him as an adult. He is free to do as he wishes without his current guardians' consent. Also, as an adult, Harry is also entitled to the Potter estate, which includes Mr. and Mrs. Potter's property in Godric's Hollow, Mr. James Potter Sr.'s home also located in Godric's Hollow, as well as six billion galleons of the estate. He is also entitled to his trust fund and is free to spend it as he sees fit, rather than just the necessary school items, and other small purchases he has been restricted to." Harry couldn't believe it. He was officially an adult now. It was awesome and terrifying at the same time. Well, the first thing he would do is pack his bags and leave the Dursley's forever. Maybe he'd move into one of the houses he had just been given, he wasn't sure yet.

"That concludes the will reading of Mr. Sirius O. Black." Griphook stated. "Would all present parties exit single file through the door at the back of the room." There was a great deal of shuffling and talking as everybody exited the marble room and followed Griphook down the wide hallway back into the foyer. "Have a pleasant day." he said, as he bowed everyone out the front doors.

"Can you believe it? two hundred thousand galleons!" Bill said, shaking his head. "He really was a great man."

"I'm a Black again." Tonks said. She sounded as if she wasn't quite sure whether that was a good thing yet.

"Buy some clothes..." Lupin chuckled. "He never could pass up an opportunity to joke."

"I wasn't even family, and he still left something for me. How kind of him." Hermione was saying to Ginny.

"Bella? Marriage contract?" Narcissa was still muttering. "Draco! Stay with me, please!"

Harry walked to where he parked his broom on his own, not bothering to speak to anyone. He had thought going to the will reading would have been good for him, but it just made him feel worse. It was like it was final now. His godfather was officially dead, because he no longer owned any earthly possessions. The wave of emotion that had been absent during the reading washed oer him, stronger than ever now. Wiping away his tears, he climbed onto his firebolt and made the long journey back to number 4 Privet Drive. He wasn't planning on staying there for very long, just long enough to pack his things and find out whether any of the houses he had been given were livable. If they were, he would move in to one of them and from there... he had no idea.

When he arrived back at his aunt and uncle's house, and walked through the front door, he recieved an earful. "Where have you been all day?" his aunt demanded.

"I told you, out." he replied dully.

"Don't you get smart with your aunt, boy!" roared uncle Vernon. "Answer her! WHERE WERE YOU?" Harry couldn't help saying what he did in spite of himself.

"Sorry. I thought we weren't allowed to ask questions in this house." he retorted cynically. He ducked his uncle's furious fist and darted up the stairs to his room. Hedwig immediately sensed his distress and flew onto his shoulder to rest her head against his. He stroked her feathers softly. "It looks like things are going to change around here, Hedwig." he whispered.

Chapter 2

Upon waking the next morning, Harry Potter went down to breakfast with his aunt, uncle and cousin. They glared at him as usual, and chose to ignore him. This was perfectly alright with Harry. He had more pressing matters to think about. He was suddenly a multi billionaire, probably one of the most wealthy wizards on the planet. He owned five properties, most of them mansions, and he was a legal adult. He shook his head slightly to try and wrap his head around it all. It was a massive amount to take in, especially since he had only received all of this fortune within the time span of a few hours.

He already knew he was leaving, of that he was sure. He also knew he couldn't wait any longer to tell his aunt and uncle if he planned on getting out of there as fast as possible. He put down his knife and fork and cleared his throat. "Aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon. I'm moving out, probably later today, if I can get everyting ready in time." his family stared at him. Uncle Vernon chuckled maliciously.

"Move out, eh." he snorted. "Just where do you think a broke, sixteen year old kid is going to move to?" He sneered, as if daring Harry to retaliate.

"I'm not broke and I'm not a kid anymore." Harry replied simply. "I've been emancipated from you, and I happen to own over ten billion galleons and four mansions." His family stared at him even more intently.

"Where... where on earth did you receive all that?" his aunt whispered faintly.

"At my godfather's will reading yesterday." he replied.

"The boy's a lunatic!" uncle Vernon cried. "A RAVING LUNATIC!" Apparantly, hearing that the nephew he had always hated had suddenly turned out more prosperous than him caused something to snap in uncle Vernon's brain. He smashed his fist on the table, knocking orange juice and bacon everywhere. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE MADNESS! I WILL NOT!" he screamed.

"Vernon, please!" cried aunt Petunia. Dudley was still seated in his chair, looking anxiously from his mother to his father to Harry.

"FIFTEEN YEARS I'VE PUT UP WITH THIS RUBBISH! I WILL NOT TOLERATE IT ANY LONGER! YOU-" he was cut off by the doorbell. "Who in blazes is that?" he grumbled.

"Harry, get the door!" aunt Petunia snapped nervously at him. Harry, all to glad to be out of uncle Vernon's clutches for a few moments, sprinted to the front hallway, expecting to see the post man, or a little girl selling cookies for a fundraiser. He certainly did not expect...

"Professor Dumbledore?" he gasped. Sure enough, there on his doorstep, was Albus Dumbledore with his long sweeping robes and half moon spectacles, looking rather grim.

"Hello, Harry. I trust you are well?" he replied, unsmiling. Without waiting for Harry's answer, he swept into the hallway as if he owned the place and glided right into the living room, where he sat down on the fluffy armchair by the window. Aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon ran into the livng area at that exact moment, followed closely by Dudley. Uncle Vernon's temper had not subsided.

"WHO THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! LUNATICS THE WHOLE LOT OF THEM!" he roared. Aunt Petunia had her hands over her ears and Dudley looked close to wetting himself. "I'M LEAVING! I CAN'T TAKE THE LUNACY ANYMORE!" and with a final aggravated roar and a nasty blow to the wall, he was out of the house, getting into his car and driving away.

"Vernon! Come back!" Aunt Petunia yelled from the doorway, but it was no use, he was already two streets away. Mrs. Next Door and her daughter poked their heads out of their front window to see what all the commotion was about. Aunt Petunia gave a very forced smile, said "Lovely morning, isn't it?" then slammed the door very hard and rounded on Harry and Dumbledore.

"Alright! I want answers and I want them now!" she screeched. "First Harry announces that he's leaving with a load of gold and about umpteen mansions, and now you show up on our front doorstep and drive my husband out of his own house! WHAT IS GOING ON?" She was breathing very hard, obviously trying to contain herself. Dumbledore looked quite unperturbed.

"Well, you see Petunia, I simply came to confront Harry about just that." he replied. "As both of you already know, I arranged for Harry to live with you until his seventeenth birthday as part of a protective spell, and specificly advised him to stay here until then to maintain that protection. However, in light of recent events, I see that Harry has decided to break that agreement. I am here to convince him otherwise." Now it was Harry's turn to lose his temper.

"As I remember it, I never agreed to anything. The only reason I've stayed here this long was because I had nowhere else to go!" he snapped. "Now that I have somwhere else to live, I don't need to stay here. I won't! You can't stop me from leaving, either! I'm a legal adult now, I can do what I want for a change, and I want to get out of this hole in the ground!" he yelled. Dumbledore hung his head.

"Of course, Harry." he said. "You are right. I cannot force you to stay here or do anything else you do not wish to do, for that matter. Unfortunately, Sirius' series lack of judgement now prevents me from doing that." This was the wrong thing to say to Harry.

"Lack of judgement!" he yelled. "He was the only one with enough sense to see that I was miserable! DON'T YOU DARE INSULT HIM!" he had to stop himself from throwing something, and instead stood, shaking, over Dumbledore in his seat. Dumbledore made no attempt to stand up.

"I realize that you loved him very much, Harry." Dumbledore replied. "However, you must understand that he had a knack for making rash, uninformed decisions. Declaring you an adult was one of those decisions." Harry had had enough. He would not stand here and let Dumbledore insult his godfather like that. As wise and powerful as Dumbledore may be, Harry would not sit back and let him spoil Sirius' memory.

"HE DID THE RIGHT THING!" he shouted. Aunt Petunia jumped about a foot in the air, and Dudley whimpered and ran upstairs as fast as his porky legs would take him. "ALL YOU'VE EVER DONE IS MADE ME MISERABLE AND NEVER GIVEN ME A REAL REASON FOR ANY OF IT! I'M TIRED OF BEING MISERABLE AND I'M TIRED OF YOU!" he grabbed a crystal elephant from the mantelpiece and threw it with all his force at the wall behind Dumbledore. The tiny figurine shattered into tiny pieces, leaving a rather large dent in the wall. Dumbledore finally stood up.

"I can see that I will not be able to change your mind." Dumbledore said gravely. "I think it is best if I leave now."

"Yeah, I think so too." Harry spat. Right now, he hated the old man standing in front of him and wanted nothing more at the moment than to see him walk out that front door and never come back.

"Well, since you'll probably want to leave right away, here is the address of each of your new properties, along with the key and vault number of both your inheritances." Harry took the piece of paper and keys, but did not thank him. Dumbledore turned and opened the front door. Before leaving, he took one last look at Harry and said "I think you're making a very grave mistake, Harry." he said sadly.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, I don't care what you think anymore!" Harry retorted. Dumbledore gave a slight nod of his head and closed the front door behind him. Through the window, Harry could see him walk up the street, then suddenly vanish into thin air. He was gone.

Harry punched the closed door, causing one of the panes of glass at the top to fall out. "Sorry about the crystal." he muttered to aunt Petunia. She just stared at him, too stunned to speak. Harry dragged his feet up to his room and started packing everything he owned into his trunk. Hedwig gave him an inquisitive look. "We're moving, Hedwig." he announced to her. "But first, we need to grab a few things in Diagon Alley..."

Chapter 3

Harry just finished packing all his belongings into his trunk. He grabbed Hedwig’s cage and went to walk out of his room, but dear cousin Dudley barred the exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he sneered.

“What’re you, uncle Vernon?” Harry snapped. “It doesn’t matter where I’m going. Get out of the way!” he reached into his pocket for his wand. It had the desired effect on Dudley. He squealed like a pig and bolted. Harry chuckled to himself as he dragged all his stuff down the stairs to the front door.

“I suppose you’re not coming back, then.” aunt Petunia said to him as he put his hand on the doorknob.

“No.” he said simply before leaving Number Four forever. It would be ridiculous to try and fly his broom to Ottery St. Catchpole with all of his luggage he thought to himself. He’d take the Knight Bus. He got to the end of the street and held out his wand hand. Within seconds, the purple double-decker bus was parked in front of him. He climbed aboard.

“Hey, Ern! It’s ‘Arry Potter!”

“Hullo, Stan.” Harry replied. He liked Stan, but he could be rather annoying at times.

“Where to today, 'Arry? Diagon Alley again?” he asked excitedly.

“Actually, I was hoping you could stop at Ottery St. Catchpole first so I can drop off my luggage, then take me to Diagon Alley. I can pay extra for it.” Stan shrieked with laughter.

“’Choo think we are? Crooks? O’ course we can take you, no extra charge needed.” Stan declared proudly.

“Thanks, Stan.” Harry said gratefully. He was glad he didn’t have to pay extra. He wasn’t sure he had enough wizard gold on him at the time to pay the extra fee. He smirked to himself, thinking of the vast riches that awaited him in Gringotts. It was enough to make Draco Malfoy's head spin. Come to think of it, he should probably find out about the marriage contract between Bellatrix and Rudolphus. That had been a shock to everyone, and his curiosity had always gotten the best of him. He'd check it out when he stopped by Gringotts. He was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts. The poofy armchair he was sitting in was slipping and sliding all over the bus from all the pops and bangs the bus was emitting regularily.

"Here we are 'Arry!" Stan announced. "Ottery St. Catchpole. Blimey, tha's a big house, eh Ern?" Stan said in awe. "Wonder 'oo lives there." Harry turned to look out the window and his jaw dropped! Standing tall in the distance was the largest, darkest mansion Harry had ever seen. His mansion. Stan obviously didn't realize this was where Harry was going to drop off his luggage, and Harry did not let him in on the secret.

"Thanks for the ride." Harry said as he dropped a few sickles into Stan's hand.

"No problem, 'Arry! Anytime!" Stan declared. Harry stepped off the bus and slowly started dragging his luggage up the winding road to the vast mansion that was now his. As he got closer, he let out a low whistle. Not only was this house dark and massive, it was gothic as well. The entire house was covered in blackened, dead vines creeping over crumbling solid stone blocks. Large gargoyles in various poses looked over the entire property. Harry could tell they were magically altered, because they turned to look at him as he passed. He could see the backyard stretch on and on for acres, with a large cemetary just barely visible in the distance. The Black family graveyard, Harry thought. He would visit it once he came back from Diagon Alley. Hedwig gave a frightened hoot.

"It's alright, girl." Harry reassured her, stroking her head. "I won't let anything happen to you." she nuzzled his wrist in appreciation. He slowly walked up to the massive stone door and pushed with all his might. The door gradually creaked open to reveal a massive front foyer, twice the size of Hogwarts Great Hall. "Wow, Hedwig." Harry whispered. He dropped his bags cautiously by the front door, and slowly started walking around the vast space.

The walls were of solid oak on the bottom, with various gargoyles carved ornately throughout the rich wood. The top part of the walls were covered in some sort of velvety wallpaper, which was peeling in some areas. The wallpaper was blood crimson, with decorative vines woven delicately along the crown moulding and chair rails. In each corner stood a massive stone statue of four women. Upon closer inspection, Harry could see that the first statue was of Druella Black (Rosier), as the plaque on the bottom stated. Harry didn't know who she was. The second was of Bellatrix Lestrange (Black). Although Harry did not blame her for Sirius' death, he still shuddered, thinking of all the terrible things she had done. He walked to the third statue, which depicted Narcissa Malfoy (Black). However, the statue that most caught his attention was of Andromeda Tonks (Black). This was because her head had been brutally blown off, rough jagged edges sticking out of the shoulders. This was where they must have lived as children, Harry thought. He wanted to explore the whole mansion, but he knew he'd be there for hours if he did. Besides, Stan was waiting for him outside, and it would take a few minutes to get back to the road.

" 'Ey there 'Arry!" Stan called as Harry walked up to the bus, Hedwig on his shoulder. "What took ya so long, then eh?"

"Long trek." Harry answered. "I need to get to Diagon Alley now."

"Right, right. I 'aven't forgotten." Stan answered. "Take 'er away, Ern!" Within minutes, the loud, lightning fast Knight Bus was parked outside the Leaky Cauldron. "'Ere ya are, 'Arry!" Stan announced. "Diagon Alley!"

"Thanks." Harry said, reaching into his pocket for some sickles. Stan evidently noticed.

"'Choo think you're doin' there? Ya already paid back in Ottery St. Catchpole, remember?" Harry suddenly remembered absent-mindedly stuffing some money into Stan's hand as he got off the bus near his mansion.

"Oh right. Sorry." Harry replied. He got off the bus with Hedwig still perched on his shoulder and pushed open the door to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hello, there Mr. Potter. Come for a bite to eat or a drink?" Tom the barman greeted him.

"Not right now, Tom. I need to pick up a few things. Maybe later." Harry replied with a slight smile. He proceeded to the back of the shabby pub and tapped the bricks outside with his wand to reveal Diagon Alley. The hustle and bustle of all the witches and wizards greatly cheered up Harry. His first stop was Gringotts, to get his gold and satisfy his curiosity about the Lestrange's marriage contract. Griphook was again at the front desk when he walked in. Harry wondered if the goblin ever took a day off. He walked up to Griphook and when he saw Harry, Griphook gave a very low bow.

"Welcome, Mr. Potter. What can I do for you today?"

"I'd like to make a withdrawal from one of my accounts." Harry answered. "I was also hoping to find out more about the marriage contract between Bellatrix and Rudolphus Lestrange." Griphook nodded attentively.

"Of course, Mr. Potter. I would advise you to make your withdrawal first to save time, however."

"That's fine." Harry answered. Before long, Harry was riding in one of the speedy carts underneath the bank where the vaults were until he reached the Black vault. When Griphook opened his vault, Harry almost fell to his knees in wonderment. This was more gold than he had ever seen in his life! It made his trust fund look like chump change. In fact, the entire chamber was so full to the brim with mountains and mountains of gold that there were piles of it cascading out the vault door. The vault was overflowing with riches beyond Harry's wildest dreams. He numbly walked up to the vault and scooped up all he could carry in his rucksack. When they reached the surface of the bank once more, Griphook went behind his desk and started rummaging around in his papers. After a few moments, he pulled out a rather aged, damaged document and handed it to Harry.

"This is the original copy of the marriage contract between Bellatrix Black and Rudolphus Lestrange." Griphook explained. "Mrs. Lestrange was forced into a pure-blood marriage against her will."

"Isn't that illegal?" Harry asked. Griphook shook his head.

"At the time it wasn't. You see, Mr. Potter, back when Mrs. Lestrange was married, it was customary for a witch to be wed to whomever her parents chose for her, whether the witch in question agreed with the decision or not. That law has just recently been abolished by the Ministry of Magic due to discriminatory reasons. However, if you look closely at the agreement, you'll notice that Mrs. Lestrange also became her husband's slave once they were married. Anything Mr. Lestrange ordered of her must be obeyed. She was also forbidden from doing anything without Mr. Lestrange's consent, including the most basic activities, such as brushing her teeth or eating supper, as the law stated then."

"This is disgusting!" Harry muttered, scanning through the agreement. "Hang on ... her signature isn't even on here!" he exclaimed.

"The witch's signature was not required. It was the parent's choice to sign for her." Griphook replied. Harry slammed the document down on the marble desk, too angry to do much else. If this were true (and there was no doubt that it was, since he had just read the original documents of marriage), then Bellatrix Lestrange had committed all those gruesome, horrifying acts against her will. It had been Rudolphus who had forced her to torture the Longbottoms into insanity, and fight Sirius before he died, and put Harry under the Cruciatus Curse. All of those terrible deeds had really been Rudolphus, acting through his wife. He actually felt sorry for Bellatrix now. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel if he had a daughter in that kind of situation. He thought of his friend, Hermione Granger and how angry he'd be if she were forced into those circumstances. He had to somehow get in contact with her. He had to make things right between them. After all, she was family now. He was the Lord of the Black Family.

"I hope you have a pleasant shopping trip, Mr. Potter." Griphook said as he bowed Harry out of the bank. Of course. He had nearly forgotten. He was supposed to be shopping. Well, he'd figure out how to contact Bellatrix after. For now, he needed to buy new books, not school books, but powerfully advanced magic books. He was sure Flourish and Blotts carried those.He also wanted to have his wand completely redone to make it more powerful than before. He could do that at Ollivanders. Hedwig's cage was much too small for her now. He needed to improve on that. He planned to convert one of the rooms in each of his mansions into a tropical aviary for her, so that she'd have a place of her own, no matter where they were living. He could order that at Eyelopes Owl Emporium. A new watch would be nice. A really cool magical one where he could change it to say the time, the position of the planets, and the well-being of all his friends. Harry wanted to get rid of his glasses, too. He wasn't the scrawny, shy, eleven year old Harry Potter anymore. He wanted magical contacts, but he had no idea where to get those. Come to think of it, he'd like a cool car, a tattoo and an ear piercing. He could get those in some muggle stores. He decided to hit Flourish and Blotts first.

"Well, if it isn't young Harry Potter!" the shopkeeper greeted. "Come for your school books?" Harry shook his head.

"No. I wanted as many books as you have on the Dark Arts and other kinds of powerful magic. You know, for light reading." he added unconvincingly. In fact he really wanted to use them for defeating Voldemort once and for all. He wasn't planning on facing him anytime soon, but it would be good to have a head start. He decided it was finally time to fight fire with fire. The shopkeepers face fell in puzzlement.

"O- of course. This way..." he stammered. An hour later, Harry had three big bags full of books on the Dark Arts. His next stop was Ollivanders for his new wand.

"Ah, Mr. Potter." Ollivander said. "How can I be of assistance?"

"I was wondering if it was possible to alter a wand to make it more powerful than before." Harry replied.

"Why of course, but it doesn't come cheap. You may want to save up a little more for a few years, son." he chuckled. Harry pulled out his rucksack and dumped a pile of galleons on the front desk. Mr. Ollivander clutched his chest and gasped, his mouth hanging open.

"Is this enough?" Harry grinned, Mr. Ollivander's reaction amusing him. Mr. Ollivander just nodded and wheezed slightly. The wand alteration took longer than his Flourish and Blotts visit. It was past noon by the time he left, with his new wand. It was shinier, sturdier, and more powerful than before. Harry's hand vibrated whenever he touched it. He liked the feeling. Now to order those aviaries for Hedwig.

"Hello there, dear." the woman behind the counter said to him as he entered Eyelops Owl Emporium. "Would you like some owl treats for that gorgeous owl of yours?" Hedwig ruffled her feathers proudly at the compliment. Harry chuckled at her.

"Er, yes please, and I'd like to order several aviaries for her as well." The woman gave a tinkling laugh.

"You're quite a joker." she smiled sweetly at him.

"No, I'm serious. I want to convert the highest room in each of these properties into a tropical aviary. Here are the addresses, proof that I'm a legal adult, and the gold to pay for it." The woman looked over everything with wide eyes.

"Well, I guess everything is in order." she said tentatively. "Very well. We'll send some workers over to each of these addresses to build right away. All of them should be finished within the week."

"Thank you." Harry replied. He decided to set off to find his perfect watch and his magical contact lenses. After wandering the streets for a half-hour or so, he happened upon a small little shop he had never been in before. It seemed to be one of those shops that sold just about anything and everything. As he walked in, he noticed the shelves were stacked high with completely random objects, and there was a lot of dust gathering in some of the corners. A wheezy old man was sleeping behind the counter. Harry browsed until he found the watch he was looking for. It was silver with the time and date displayed brightly, and when he tapped it, it showed him the planetary movements. One more tap and it magically showed him all his friends and family and their circumstances. He could see that Tonks was at work, aunt Petunia was at her home and Hermione and Ron were travelling. He brought it up to the old man and gently prodded him awake. He gave a start. Harry apologized and paid for his watch.

"Would you know where to get some magical contact lenses?" Harry asked.

"Well, 'o course! Righ' here!" The man said proudly. He walked to the back of the store and brought out a box for Harry. He opened it. Inside were two clear contact lenses resting on a small bed of pink silk.

"What's so magical about them?" Harry asked skeptically. They looked like ordinary, muggle contact lenses to him.

"Well, firs', ya ne'er hafta wet 'em. They stay nice an' moist fore'er." the toothless old man grinned. "The wearer c'n also see things normal folk can't, like dark magic and dishonesty. Ya c'n see through things like walls at will when ya wear these, too! An' o' course, they act like a pair of glasses, improving yer general vision." Harry definitely wanted those! He paid the man a tonne of gold for them, and threw his glasses in the garbage can on his way out in exchange for the contacts. Harry could see everything the man told him he would, and when he wanted to see normally, he just had to think about it and he did. After he played around with the contacts a bit, he decided to exchange the rest of his gold for muggle money and get his car, tattoo and ear piercing. He stopped by Gringotts, where Griphook was all too happy to serve him again, then exited Diagon Alley for the city street behind it. He didn't have to walk far to find a tattoo and piercing parlour. He knew exactly what tattoo he was going to get.

"Hey kid." the punked-out girl behind the counter greeted him. "What'cha want?"

Three painful hours later, Harry walked out of the parlour with a medium sized tattoo on the upper right part of his back, near his shoulder. It was of a black, shaggy dog standing beside a stag. The stag had a lily in its mouth. He would treasure that tattoo always. The girl had wanted to put a gold studd in his ear to prevent infection, but Harry insisted he get a different earring. Hedwig had stayed stock still while Harry cut off one of her overgrown claws to attach to a simple silver loop. Now he would always have a part of his beloved pet with him. The last thing on his list was a car. He knew he couldn't go to a legit dealership, because they'd ask for insurance and a co-signer and he really didn't want to get into all of that. Luckily, he knew someone who could sell him a car under the table. If Mundungus Fletcher couldn't get a car for Harry, then nobody could. He also knew that Mundungus hung around this street around this time of day, because it was close to Diagon Alley and easy to scam both muggles and witches and wizards. He found him in the alleyway beside the Leaky Cauldron.

"Mundungus, I need a car." Harry said to him. "Ferrari. Red. Can you get one?"

"HA! Of course I can get a car fer ya." Mundungus hollered.

"A good one in working order?" Harry asked him quizzically.

"Whadd'ya take me fer, eh? O' course, o' course!" he chuckled. Harry used his new eyesight to seek out any dishonesty. Not enough that would alarm him. It was impossible to expect a clean scan when it came to Mundungus.

"Alright. Here's the money. Where's the car?" he demanded.

"Already at yer place o' residence." he replied. "Don' ya worry 'bout that." he greedily grabbed the muggle bills from Harry's hand and started counting. "HAHA! I'm rich! D'ya know how many galleons this'll trade fer at Gringotts? I'M RICH!"

"It better be at my house when I get back, or you're going to pay." Harry warned. You never could tell what Mundungus' plans were.

"Yeah, yeah..." he replied vaguely, still sorting through his cash. Harry walked out of the alley and stuck out his wand hand in front of the Leaky Cauldron. The Knight Bus came to pick him up immediately. His shopping trip was finished. Just in time, too. It was nearly dusk. His thoughts drifted back to Bellatrix. He was going to call a Black family meeting as soon as possible and set everything straight with her. For tonight, he was just happy to be going home to sleep.

Chapter 4

Harry woke up the next morning and reached over to the bedside table for his glasses before realizing that he no longer had them. He grabbed his contacts and put them in.

Mundungus had been true to his word for a change. When Harry had gotten back to his mansion the night before, his flashy red ferrari was sitting in front looking great. He also visited the Black family graveyard after his shopping trip. There had been hundreds of tombstones stretching for quite a long distance, some of them dating back to the middle ages, all of them as gothic as the rest of the property. He had constructed a small memorial for Sirius in the clearing in the middle of the cemetery. It was just a few rocks piled up neatly with his name and the date of his birth and death scratched into them. Underneath the inscription were the words Beloved Cousin, Friend And Godfather. He liked it. He knew Tonks and Lupin would like it, too. He allowed a single tear to escape his eye, then roughly brushed it away and headed back to the mansion. He had also allowed himself to explore his new home. The entire place needed a good cleaning, which was why he was glad to discover both Dobby and Kreacher in the kitchen cupboard. Apparently, Dobby left Hogwarts and now wanted to work for Harry for free (although Harry offered him money all the same). Kreacher was only there because he was bound to him now. Technically, he could have ordered him to go to Tonks, but he wasn't about to be that cruel to her. Upon leaving the house elves to clean, he found out that his new home was about three quarters the size of Hogwarts, complete with hidden passageways and secret rooms. The entire place was decorated in the same fashion as the foyer; dark, gothic and depressing. That's when he had decided to call it a night and go to bed. He chose the master bedroom for himself, which was slightly bigger than the foyer. His bed was big enough to comfortably accomodate a giant, with crimson red draperies hanging down from a high canopy. He could get used to this kind of living, he thought as he jumped up onto his bed and fell asleep...

Suddenly, Harry snapped back to the present and immediately headed to the fireplace in the Great Room. He grabbed some Floo Powder off the mantelpiece and instead of shouting one location, he shouted "The Black Family!" He stuck his head in the fire and immediately, his head was transported to all the fireplaces where every member of the Black family were currently residing. He announced his message "Attention all members of the Black Family! As the Lord of the Blacks, I declare an official family meeting! All Black family members must report to the Black family mansion in Ottery St. Catchpole immediately. Thank you." He was whisked back to his Great Room. He knew they'd all come. They had to. He had given them all a direct order. He also knew they'd be apparating and would arrive at any second. As if on cue, a deep knocking on the front door could be heard. Harry opened it. Tonks and an older woman were standing on the doorstep. They were the first to arrive.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks smiled. She turned to the older lady with whispy brown hair and sparkling grey eyes. "This is my mother, Andromeda."

"Nice to meet you." Harry stuck out his hand and the lady shook it.

"You too, young man. I must say I'm surprised at how young our new Black family Lord is. Then again, you are Harry Potter. I'm sure you can handle the responsibilities." She said it kindly enough, but Harry was taken aback at her abrupt words. Tonks seemed to notice.

"Mum's a little outspoken." she told Harry. He nodded and invited them all inside. Andromeda looked around the foyer, her eyes slipping from one giant statue to the next, finally stopping and narrowing on her own statue, where she frowned at her destroyed face. Tonks saw and glared at the statue as well. Harry thought it best to take them to a different room. The kitchen was the closest, so he led them there.

"Hey Dobby. You can take a break whenever you like, you know." Harry told the house elf, who was standing on tiptoe upon the countertop, furiously scrubbing the window with a soapy rag. "Get lost, Kreacher!" Harry scowled at the other house elf, who just glared at him and left the room, muttering about "mudbloods", blood traitors and half-breeds as usual. Dobby jumped down from the countertop.

"Harry Potter is too kind to poor Dobby..." he said as he bowed slightly to him. Harry brushed off his comment with a wave of his hand. Dobby then turned to Tonks. "Dobby is delighted to see Miss Nymphadora Tonks again. Miss Nymphadora Tonks is also very kind." She laughed.

"Thanks, Dobby, but it's just Tonks." she smiled at him. Dobby nodded respectfully before walking out of the room. Tonks turned to Harry. "Why did you call a family meeting, anyway?" she asked. "What could be that important?"

"I'll tell you when everyone else gets here." Harry replied. He didn't think it was a good idea to mention her aunt Bellatrix to her just yet, especially since she still held her responsible for her cousin's death. Just then, he heard knocking on the front door again. He left Tonks and Andromeda in the large kitchen to get the door. This time it was Narcissa and Draco.

"You called?" Draco scowled at Harry derisively. Narcissa frowned at her son.

"Draco, be polite!" she snapped. "Hello Harry." she said. He could tell the greeting was genuine, but he noticed she didn't smile as Tonks or Andromeda had. He led them both to the kitchen. Upon seeing her sister, Andromeda's eyes widened and she took a step closer to Narcissa. Narcissa did the same. "Angie?" Narcissa whispered.

"Cissy." Andromeda replied. "It's been a long time." Tonks sighed and scowled at her aunt and cousin. Narcissa turned and smiled hesitantly at her.

"Don't expect me to call you aunt!" she spat. Narcissa's face fell and Draco rounded on Tonks.

"How dare you speak to my mother that way, you worthless bloodtraitor! At least my father isn't a filthy muggle!"

"Draco! Apologize!" his mother commanded, but it was too late to diffuse the situation. Tonks was screeching various profanities at Draco, and Andromeda was furiously trying to whack him over the head with her wand for insulting her husband. Harry was about to go in and stop the fight, but thankfully, the knocking on the front door quieted everyone down. Once again, Harry made his way to the foyer to open the door. Standing on his doorstep was the reason he had called this meeting in the first place. Bellatrix Black was wearing plain black robes with no trimming. Underneath was a long grey skirt and a navy button-down blouse. Her cheekbones were hollow, her eyes dark, with lank black hair falling down to her shoulders. She looked extremely depressed. The moment she saw Harry, she dropped to her knees and began to cry.

"I'm so sorry." she sobbed. "All the h-horrible things I've done ... I'm so so sorry." Harry knelt down in front of her and looked her in the eye, just to make sure she was truly sorry. She was. He could only see small, whispy amounts of purple around her. It was the same amount he could see around almost everyone else.

"I believe you. I don't blame you for anything you've done, either." he replied simply. He stood back up and she looked up at him in amazement.

"You know, then." she whispered. Harry nodded. She was obviously talking about her arranged marriage. "I refuse to use that as an excuse for anything I've done." she told him severely.

"That just shows you're a good person." he replied. Harry suddenly realized that he had grown up a lot these past few years. He helped her to her feet and led her to the kitchen. If Harry had thought the last outburst had been bad, this was absolute chaos. The second Tonks saw Bellatrix, she fired a hex that Bellatrix quickly deflected.

"YOU KILLED MY COUSIN!" she screamed with tears in her eyes. "YOU KILLED HIM! I HATE YOU!" She fired another stream of hexes at her aunt. Bellatrix made no attempt to harm Tonks, but merely just deflected the spells that were being fired at her.

"TONKS! STOP!" Harry finally roared. She looked at him with venomous fury in her eyes, then slowly lowered her wand. "How could you invite her here?" she choked out. "She murdered your godfather, my cousin!" She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him to compose herself. Tonks wasn't the kind of woman who showed displays of emotion in front of others.

"You know I wouldn't have invited her here without a good reason." Harry replied calmly. "Let's just wait until the rest of the family gets here. Then I'll explain everything." Tonks glared at him, but nodded all the same.

"If your reason isn't good enough, Harry, I swear I'm arresting her and locking her away in Azkaban where the dementors can feast on her soul." she threatened. Harry was about to protest when Bellatrix interrupted.

"No Harry. She has every right to feel the way she does. I think that's fair." she said quietly. Tonks raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Pretty soon, the rest of the Black family showed up. Some kind, like Tonks and Andromeda. Some hostile, like Draco and some still on the fence, like Narcissa. Harry was introduced to many people and he introduced himself about a dozen times. Once he had moved everyone to the vast sitting area and was sure that everyone was there, he cleared his throat and stood up in front of them all. The meeting had started.

"Well, a lot of you probably know that I've just recently become the Black family Lord, and I also know that a lot of you aren't happy about that." he began.

"At least you're right about one thing, boy!" a crotchety old man shouted at him.

"Oh, shut-up!" Tonks snapped. Harry ignored the interruption.

"I'm not sure if I like the situation myself, to tell you the truth." he admitted. "I do know that I have a duty to this family now, though. Whether any of us like it or not, this is the way it is, and I'd like to start upholding my duty by getting the truth out." There was much whispering around the room. Many people were wondering what this "truth" was and how it affected them. Harry paused to let them whisper to each other for a few moments, then continued. "Bellatrix. Can you come up here?" She looked up at him, terror in her eyes. He knew she was frightened of how everyone would react, even wondering if anyone would believe her. He gave her a reassuring nod, and she slowly rose to her feet and walked to the front of the room to stand beside Harry. She took a deep, shuddering breath and began.

"Before I tell you why I'm here, I need to apologize for all the terrible things I've done. There's no excuse for what I did and what I'm about to tell you is not an attempt to gain pity or cover up my actions with innocence. It doesn't change what I did and how many lives I destroyed. What I'm about to tell you is merely the truth... nothing more, nothing less." she was trembling, and stopped for a moment to regain her courage. The entire room was hush silent. You could have heard a drop of water on the other side of the mansion. Even Tonks raised her eyebrows in curiosity. Bellatrix sighed and continued.

"I was forced into my marriage with Rudolphus Lestrange. My parents wanted a pure blood marriage for me. I had no say in the matter. I was bound by a contract and could not defy it or Rudolphus would have had the authority to punish me as he saw fit. I still tried, but his punishments were painful." she stopped and looked down, trying to stem the flow of tears that were slowly leaking from her dark eyes. "I hate myself for giving in to him, but I did. The contract made me his slave. He ordered me to become a Death Eater and destroy all those innocent people's lives, and I obeyed because I was afraid of what he would do to me if I didn't." she could no longer stop her tears, which were now flowing freely down her hollow cheeks. "I'm so ashamed of myself." she whispered. She had finished her speech. Narcissa stood up and threw her arms around her big sister, crying just as freely as Bellatrix. Andromeda did the same. They stood like that for quite a while before Harry cleared his throat to break them up. He had said all he needed to say, and so had Bellatrix.

"I think that's going to be the end of the meeting. If anyone has any questions, they can ask me. If not, everyone can go back to their lives." he said quietly. This meeting had given him a lot to think about. Nobody really had too many questions, and the ones they did have were stupid in Harry's opinion. Once almost everyone had been shown the way out, he pulled both Bellatrix and Tonks aside.

"Look, I know you two don't get along, but I still want you both to stay awhile." Harry said to them. Tonks gave a sideways look at Bellatrix, then sighed and nodded. Bellatrix nodded her head also, but looked down at the ground. "It'll be good to catch up with you, Tonks, especially since the last time I saw you wasn't exactly a happy occasion. Bellatrix, I know you're still wanted by the Ministry, so you're welcome to stay here here until your name's cleared and you can get your own place." Tonks looked livid.

"WHAT!" she demanded. "I don't believe this, Harry! First you invite her to this meeting to defend her, and now your offering your home to her? What's next? Are you going to marry her as well?" Harry glared at her.

"I'm sixteen!" he exclaimed. Tonks looked rueful but held her tongue. Bellatrix remained silent. Harry turned to Bellatrix. "Would you like to stay here?" he asked her.

"Yes, thank you Harry." she almost whispered.

"Good. That's settled then." he replied. "Why don't you go upstairs and scout out a room for yourself. There's lots to choose from." He said this before realizing that she obviously knew that, since she used to live here and felt slightly foolish.

"I'll go and see if my old room still looks the same." she said with a slight smile. She left the seating area to go up the vast staircase to the upper levels. Now Harry had the chance to talk with Tonks alone. He had a feeling she wasn't too impressed with him at the moment. He looked at her just in time to see her scowl at him.

"Look, I didn't do this just to make you miserable, you know." he told her rather heatedly. "I don't want to be in this position, but I am, and I'm just trying to do the best I can for all of us. Can't you at least understand that?" he nearly shouted. She was about to open her mouth to retort, but then her shoulders slumped and her eyes moved to the dusty stone floor.

"Yeah, I understand that." she said. "I just don't understand how you can accept her with welcoming arms when she killed Sirius. He was my mother's favourite cousin, you know and mine, too. You make it seem like you're the only one who misses him, but you're not." She didn't say this as an accusation. In fact, she seemed quite sad. Harry really felt bad for her. He suddenly had an idea.

"I want to show you something. I think you'll like it." He walked out of the sitting area. Tonks shrugged and followed.

A few minutes later, they were standing in the Black family graveyard, looking down at Sirius' memorial. Tonks looked at the inscription, her lips moving soundlessly as she read. Her eyes filled with tears, but she quickly blinked them away and nodded.

"It's nice." she admitted. She sat down on one of the other tombstones and looked at Harry. "How's life been for you lately?" Harry decided to allow the change of subject.

"Better, now that I'm not with the Dursleys." he replied. She smiled faintly in response. "What's been going on with the Order?" Tonks' face fell.

"Sorry Harry. I've been forbidden to tell you anything about that. Dumbledore's orders." she bit her lip. She obviously knew he wasn't about to accept that as an adequate answer.

"Excuse me? Dumbledore's orders?" Harry yelled. "Dumbledore is the only person keeping me out of the Order! I could join now if I wanted to, but he runs the entire operation and makes sure that I can't, is that it?" Tonks reluctantly nodded. "Well, who fought Voldemort at the age of eleven and lived? Who killed a fifty foot basilisk at twelve? Who conjured a coporeal patronus to chase away a horde of dementors at thirteen? Who dueled Voldemort and transported Cedric Diggory's dead body back to school at fourteen? Who saw their godfather die and still manage to fight a pack of Death Eaters off at fifteen? Did Dumbledore? Did you?" he was shouting now.

"No, Harry." Tonks sighed. "We all know you did all of that. I really want to tell you, I do, but Fudge would fire me for sure if I did."

"What if you spied for me?" Harry blurted out. Tonks looked thunderstruck.

"Did you not hear what I just said? I'D GET FIRED!" she shouted as if Harry were deaf.

"No one would have to know!" he protested. "Please Tonks. I've earned the right to know what's going on. I won't force you to do it, but I'm asking you as a friend and I guess family member now. All you'd have to do is go to the meetings and participate in the Order like you've been doing, then tell me everything you guys talked about." Tonks seemed to contemplate this for a moment.

"Alright. I'll do it, but only because you begged." Tonks grinned. He was so happy he could have hugged her.

"Great! You're the best!" he replied.

"I know." she said simply.

Pretty soon, Tonks left and Harry was in the kitchen trying to figure out what to make for dinner. The entire place was now spotless. Dobby and Kreacher had done a good job. They were now working on Harry and Bellatrix's rooms. He had told them to work on their own rooms before his. (He had given them each their own bedrooms), but Dobby had insisted on doing Harry's first.

Harry looked in the pantry. Dobby had also gone out and bought a tonne of food. The trouble was, he wasn't sure if Bellatrix would like any of it. He was about to go find her when she walked into the kitchen. "I was just about to ask you what you wanted to eat." he told her as she pulled out a chair at the mahogany table and sat down.

"Anything is fine with me." she yawned. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I know it couldn't have been easy for you to get past my involvement in Sirius' death. I really never meant to kill him, you know." she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I know." Harry replied. "I don't really like talking about it, though." She nodded.

"Of course. I understand." she said. She looked over his shoulder into the pantry. "That can of chili looks good." He knew she changed the subject on purpose, and he appreciated it.

"Yeah. I'll make that." Harry told her. When the meal was finished, they sat at opposite ends of the table with their bowls of chili. They had a couple of short, meaningless conversations, but nothing terribly riveting. As Harry ate another spoonful of his dinner, he thought about how odd it was for him to be sitting here with her. She had done terrible things, some too gruesome to speak of. He had spent the majority of his life hating her for all the evil she had caused, and yet now he could not hate her anymore. Knowing how much pain and torture her husband had put her through, his perspective of her was completely different. He no longer saw a cruel, evil woman who would stop at nothing to destroy as many lives as she could. He saw her as a frightened woman who had no self-esteem left from years of abuse and who hated herself for what she had been forced to do.

"Is something the matter? You looked dazed." she told him. He suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." he replied. She just shrugged and continued eating her supper. Harry had a funny feeling that things were going to get much more complicated in the future.