Zwölf
"Actually, hold on a second, Ms. Lestrange." Harry's polite yet abrupt request seemed to give Bellatrix a moment of pause. He spoke, before she could change her mind and stun him in the face, "I- I mean, since you're going to be deleting my memories anyway, can you explain what you're doing down here in the dungeons? Maybe we don't even
want to stop you. Have you considered that? Maybe if we knew what you're doing, we'd even want to help you - I know you Death Eaters are just misunderstood and want to help the magical world as much as possible. This could all turn out to be a huge mix-up."
She chuckled in amusement. Her voice was cold yet resonant, like icicles of pure crystal humming together. "I know you're an Occlumens. Not a good one, I also know, but I'd prefer not to risk giving away something a Memory Charm won't be able to... flush away. I also know you seem to possess much knowledge you shouldn't."
"You're right," Harry said with an agreeable nod. "How about an exchange, then?"
May I ask what you're doing? This is a... ridiculous farce. You're making a fool of yourself. Just end it - tell her to stun you.
Silence, Harry snapped at him.
I'm about to work out a deal of the century.
As if not completely sure that she heard him right, Bellatrix tilted her head down and to the side; an eyebrow raised, the other lowered. "An exchange?"
"Yeah. I'll tell you what I know, and how I know it," Harry said, attempting to make himself sound diplomatic and slick, but without coming off as slimy. "In return, you tell me what you're doing down here."
"I could simply
order you to tell me," Bellatrix said, and before Harry was able to blink, she stood next to him, then behind him - in a blur of movement, inhumanely fast. A cold hand landed on his shoulder, fingers pressed into his clavicle almost painfully. He was staring at darkness now, the light from Bellatrix's wand obscured by his body.
"I-" Harry swallowed nervously. He knew the spell that she was referring to. "The last time someone cast an Unforgivable Curse on me, it didn't go right."
"And yet, you're so nervous," Bellatrix continued, unafraid.
He quoted Geist, here, "Trust but verify." She chuckled in recognition, though he kept talking, "I trust in my status as the Chosen One, but I'd rather not stress its great, cosmos-altering power by getting shot, you know?" Her chuckles transformed as he spoke, into amused, low but rapid laughter. Her fingers relaxed on his shoulder.
"Mm, you're a funny boy," she whispered. "I can see why Snuffles likes you so much."
"Snuffles?"
"My cousin - what, he didn't tell you?" Her voice was now laced with subtle affront and surprise. "That he's an Animagus?"
His brain raced. "Anima-what?" He caught up with his memories. "Oh, like a guy that can turn into animals? No, he didn't say."
A silence fell between them.
"So, he's a dog?" Harry asked. "Judging from the name you used?"
Bellatrix chuckled melodically again - a sound like a steel rod gently tapping a triangle. "I enjoyed talking to you, young Harry. And I don't need you to tell me your source of information - I already have my suspicions. How about a... contract instead?"
Her wording - and the short pause - felt a bit skeevy. "A contract?"
"I'll tell you what we're doing here," she stated plainly, "and you'll swear not to interfere."
"I might find that morally disagreeable. Is there any magic involved?"
"Oh, yes," Bellatrix drawled, voice quiet like a curtain sheathing moonlight. "One does not survive by trusting in people's honor in this world. A thing such as honor is empty indeed; a vessel into which people like us spit, and idiots drink from. I'm afraid I wouldn't trust you otherwise."
"People like us? Wizards?"
"Those ruling and fighting for the world from behind the scenes. It doesn't matter. Are you in, young boy?"
Do I do it?
If you want. Geist didn't speak for a moment but ruminated.
I don't think you should be asking me for an opinion. Although I do not particularly wish to involve myself with the Death Eaters anymore, their cause is my cause. I'd like to see them succeed, so a non-interference agreement from you would suit my desires.
"I don't think your deal is fair," Harry stated.
Bellatrix shrugged. It was pronounced enough he could tell. "My dear boy, life isn't fair. It does as it pleases with us, its dolls and toys. I've already beaten you, such that I may do whatever I please. I don't intend to hurt you, but the ritual we're performing down here tonight is too vital to disrupt. It can only happen once a year."
And suddenly, it clicks into place - I know what she's doing. Fuck her and her plans. Hey, Harry, do you want to know how you can defeat her instantly?
Yes, tell me, he thought, heatedly, while remaining calm and collected on the outside.
"I... give me a moment to think about it. It's a major decision."
"A moment, then. A very literal one - I don't have all night, here. I must be off before the witching hour." Bellatrix didn't seem patient, moving a few steps to the side, but keeping an eye and wand trained on him.
Alright. I need you to repeat everything I tell you, word for word. When I say 'stop,' then stop parroting me, and do what I command instead.
"Vee, vee," Harry said. "Vee. Cee. Bee, bee."
At his words, Bellatrix turned fully to offer him complete attention and stared at him blankly, as though he'd gone mildly insane and grown several new heads. She cast a look at the Death Eater accompanying her, who only shrugged. It took her a couple of seconds to restart.
"Aleph-Zayin, Mozart," she answered.
"Shmona. Two-seven." At Geist's explicit orders, Harry turned around, in time with his answer.
"Don't lower your wand," Bellatrix ordered the Death Eater. Her voice was resolute and harsh; gone were the notes of amusement and free-spirited mirth. She was utterly serious now, for better or worse. "I'll check, you guard. If he's faking it, you take him down."
The Death Eater nodded.
What now?
Do nothing. Allow her to 'check.'
She carefully approached Harry and pointed her wand between his green eyes. As valiantly as he could, he stared back without flinching. And then, she incanted spells, one after another; not in Latin as was the modern custom, but in ancient and esoteric languages, ones that Harry didn't know or understand. After five of these odd spells, his scar began to itch, and that feeling only worsened; gaining a burning intensity and fierce thorniness, that made him feel a temptation to scratch at his wound. He didn't, not when any movement of the sort might be considered an attempt to snatch Bellatrix's wand away. After what felt like five entire minutes, she finally moved away.
"I'll be damned," she whispered, then moved back a step and bowed lightly. "My Lord."
"Lord Riddle," added the Death Eater, with a polite inclination of the head. Although hesitantly, he said, "It's been a while since you've been around with us. We missed you greatly. Greyback and Malfoy left, you know?"
Geist supplied more instructions in a passive, casual stream.
"My wand back?"
Bellatrix handed Harry the wand instantly, not a spark or mote of hesitation in her movements. Although, down there, Harry thought he might've seen a bit of apprehension and some curiosity in her movements.
"An excellent choice, I might add," she commented. "I don't know why Ollivander would hand the crown jewel of his collection away."
"Everyone worships me like this," Harry said, putting on a moderate, chipped smile.
"I suppose..." Bellatrix muttered, with a faint note of disappointment. "May I ask...?"
"Ah. Harry Potter's still here," Harry replied, blinking. "Actually, I'm only able to possess his body for a time of several hours every day. The Horcrux was imperfect, and I am not fully present in him - but that's actually better for us, I would suppose. But you know the limitations I have on my speech, on my explanations, and their contents. All I'll say is that Lily Potter is-
was, one mean witch." His misstep was intentional, though Harry thought he made it sound perfectly natural.
"I understand," said Bellatrix with a nod. "Although... won't he remember this?"
"Kind of." Harry raised a hand, almost in tune with Geist's command, interpreting his commands almost instantly - almost faster than speech, crossing over into the territory of subconscious thought, as if they were reading each other's minds. "Fear not, I'll make sure that whatever he remembers is inconsequential. I'm actually training him, guiding his actions to academic excellence and great financial and personal independence. Always good to have some influence." Harry chuckled like a snake.
"That's..." Bellatrix looked down. "Not what you told me, last time we saw each other."
"I changed my mind," Harry stated, and as he continued to speak, he felt a genuine passion in Geist's voice. "They can no longer have a normal life."
"I'm not pressing you," Bellatrix said, tone far more impersonal than her initial greeting would suggest. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"Neville's already a puppet," Harry and Geist responded, though Harry was finding himself consistently more confused by his counterpart's words. "I'm confident there's no hope left, either for him or Harry Potter. No saving either of them."
Harry's confusion started to transform into a slow, building anxiety.
Uh?
Don't worry about it, I'll explain when you're older.
Geist?
Keep talking.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, looking up at Bellatrix questioningly. "Activating the box?"
"The diary."
"You picked the
worst possible Horcrux." Harry inserted as much dry sardonicism as he could into those words, in accordance with Geist's instructions.
"I know that you-"
Also with Geist's instructions, he interrupted her, "You could've hired a crack team of expert Hufflepuff analysts, paid them handsomely, and worked them haggard for a month, and then asked them to make the worst choice possible, and they would not be able to fuck this more up than you did right now." He pressed fingers to the bridge of his nose, massaging it gently, as he turned around; voice filled with exasperation, "Fucking
Christ on the cross, Bella, do I have to do everything here myself?"
Bellatrix frowned at him. All skepticism that he wasn't Voldemort seemed to have vanished. "You never change, do you?"
He turned around, finger pointed accusingly at Bellatrix. He wasn't sure how to simulate the Dark Lord's anger. He imagined the real Voldemort would've executed subordinates when he started becoming angry, but that wasn't in the cards. "You're running the biggest covert operation in Britain since the fucking Asaratus, and you can't even select a Horcrux that doesn't need a stellar syzygy to do its basic function!? I made that goddamn thing when I was... thirteen, Bellatrix!"
"I'm sorry, okay!?" Bellatrix shouted back at him. A strange, feverish gleam was building in her eyes, hard to make out in this light. Were those... tears?
Harry stopped, eyes widening a notch, and so did Geist.
"I didn't have many options! And do you know how fucking terrible it is, doing this? Potter's family died, and it's my fault! Borgin's son is dead, and it's my fault! Greyback's out, and half of us are sitting in Azkaban and there's nothing I can do about any of that! I'm working with a quarter of the resources; the Norwegians are all out! Any supporters we might've had are silent! Malfoy's out! All of it started to fall apart when you decided to leave, and then went to Hell when you died! I'm not like you, and I never could have been! All I'm good - all I've ever been good for - is fighting and sending people to their death!"
After her final shout, Bellatrix clearly couldn't bear looking at him anymore. Harry thought he saw a burning shame and guilt in her eyes. She turned away from him, to sniffle and cry; a hand pressed to her eyes. So completely unlike the composed, adult woman he'd seen before.
An awkward silence, at least in Harry's subjective experience. It was him, Bellatrix, his unconscious friends lying down in a row of sleeping bodies, and a silent Death Eater watching the proceedings with supreme discomfort.
Alright. We're in the green zone, Harry.
What do you mean, we're in the green zone?! Harry asked with mild panic.
We made- we made Bellatrix Lestrange cry!
Just follow my instructions.
"You're wrong." Harry approached her from behind and put a hand on her back. It felt a little stiff and awkward. "You're not as talented as me - that's completely true. You're not as intelligent or good at strategizing as me - that's also true. But, in the end, you're the same young girl that I met all those years ago. I taught you."
Her crying had slowed down, though not stopped.
"Leave us," Harry said to the other Death Eater.
He nodded and silently moved away, stalking into the hallway that led into the chamber.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you. Don't cry."
"I can't keep doing this," Bellatrix whimpered through her hand. "I can't. I can't do it. How did you?"
"I hardened my resolve, every day, but... It's not an easy thing to start with. No matter what you do, there are people who shall die - I told you this. And I had it much easier than you. I had the benefits of being a relative unknown, a hundred loyal Ministry agents at my fingertips, and international backing. You don't. You're a splinter cell."
"A splinter cell," she mumbled, then chuckled. A sad, weary chuckle. "That's all I'm leading, isn't it?"
"Yes. And still, I have faith in you. You've always been a smart girl, Bella."
"Are- Are you with us? Against the Ministry?"
"No," he answered. "I am leading Harry Potter to greatness, but I am keeping my promise. I want him to achieve greatness for himself, and decide what he wishes to do. I don't want him to fight my battles, not when I am dead already. I'd prefer he not join the Ministry, of course, but-"
"You aren't dead!" she insisted, with a kind of desperation - like she wanted him to be alive more than he did. "Your Horcruxes are functioning, and, and-"
"Come here. I'm here for you."
After some hesitation, Bellatrix turned around, then slowly - awkwardly and stiffly, yet with a desperation like a drowning person clinging to a rescue wheel - hugged Harry Potter. Although he was slightly disgusted at Geist's instruction to do so at first, he gently stroked her hair - like a father would a daughter's.
"Go, stop the Horcrux. I don't want to be resurrected. I'm fine, Bella," he instructed into her ear. "I'll clean up here for you. After that, continue your fight, but leave me out of it. At least for now. If I ever need a body of my own, I'll arrange for it. And I'm always here for you, in your heart, or if you need me more literally, in Harry Potter."
She sniffled. "You're too good to me, dad."
DAD?!
Geist sighed.
It's somewhat figurative, Harry, in case you didn't figure. I pretty much raised her and her husband. Keep talking.
"Shhh," Harry shushed her, stepping away and smiling at her softly. "Go. Go now."
She nodded with some amount of pain in her eyes, and stood up, then began stepping away. She stopped for a moment, to leave the wands of Harry's friends on the floor with a clatter of wood, and look back at him. "I..."
Harry raised an eyebrow. More on his own, than by Geist's prompt.
"It was nice talking to you, again. After so long, I mean." She thought for a moment. "Actually, no - I change my mind. This was the fourth-worst experience of my life. And knowing that you're still leaving hurts."
"Revise your codewords," he instructed - at first, casually, but then it seemed like Geist realized something. "It took you unacceptably long to recognize what I was referring to, actually. I can see that my passing has left you completely lazy and out of practice. Do you need me to remind you?"
"No, thanks, nope! Goodbye, my Lord!" She cringed physically and left. She ordered the Death Eater in the corridor to run for it, and they broke into a sprint.
"Bellatrix!" he shouted after her, at Geist's furious insistence - although the insistence felt as though it was something a touch more personal than something done for the sake of fooling her. "Bellatrix, goddamn it! Revise your codewords! You forgot your codewords! Goddamn it, girl!"
Go after her!
Geist.
Damn it!
Geist, um, I think we achieved our objective.
God fucking damn it.
---
A crisis was averted through the power of conversation and traumatic confessions.
In the aftermath, Geist explains that he's realized Bellatrix intended to force an activation upon one of his Horcruxes - a magical phylactery - in order to resurrect him from death (or should another Horcrux have resurrected him, bring him to its location, which'd dump the ghost from the Dursley House that Geist suspects was his recovering soul attempting to pursue you as its unfinished business.) There was never an exchange that Bellatrix would've accepted with you, so this choice would've failed excepting a truly high roll, but having Geist stuck in your skull helps. Come to think of it, making that choice at the start of the Quest has really come back to save you many times now... hm.
Also, he never clarified what he meant by it when he said there's no saving you or Neville. A topic for another conversation (hopefully?)
Harry isn't sure how to feel about hugging Bellatrix Lestrange. Or having a private and embarrassingly personal moment with her, even as another individual's proxy. Geist suggests that he keep that moment to himself, never bring up the fact that Voldemort essentially raised Bellatrix to anyone who doesn't need to know and keep on living.
Do not rest easy, however - you may have slowed the apocalypse and fooled the Death Eaters for now, but even if you roll them back, the hands of the clock never stop.
---
An anonymous participant in this quest bestowed a generous monetary benefaction upon me. Although on its own, this does not offer you any power - as I want to keep this story's progression in a state at least resembling fairness - it considerably increased your luck factor until Christmas and opens up a plethora of possibilities to you.
SELECT ONE ATTAINMENT, CHOSEN ONE.
[ ] Nebulaic Attainment -
An eon of excruciation has passed,
A hundred millennia in shadow wristed;
since the exaltation of noble Mars,
when greatness itself Hermes enlisted.
To replicate greatness many have tried,
Accumulated a thousand lightning scars;
And through the side; as they lied and died,
None can match the Child of the Stars.
An Attainment that unfolds and shakes the heavens, in more senses than one.
A conjunction of your mastery in the arts of Runology and Astrology, the Nebulaic Attainment represents their conjoinery into a single art with unified principles. It's technically beyond your means and intellectual capacity to achieve this, even in theory, let alone in practice, but the Chosen One has the blessing of the Guardians, and as such, may experience a flash of genius that's seen once in the lifespan of a species and call this, simply, an achievement of the ordinary. Before you, only the innovative genius known as Rowena Ravenclaw intuited this amazing discipline, and only through a lifetime of hard work.
Allows you to exercise the discipline of Starwriting, the subtle art and exact science of placing, removing, and modifying the course of the stars in the sky; thereby not merely predicting, but altering the workings of magic, fate, physics, and other interactions on a global scale. Although it may seem grossly unsubtle to change the sky's appearance when a thousand astronomers observe its progress every night with their devices, your sole predecessor in this art left behind a constellation that speaks a hard-coded truth into this world: "Magic shall protect its own secrets." As such, the secret of magic can never be revealed to the world at large, and so, you are safe.
However, Starwriting is extremely and utterly exhausting - even a minor, incomplete alteration drains accumulated magical power and leaves you winded. Although by their own will, the cosmic forces involved obey the will of you and your ancestors, nonetheless such manipulations are incredibly large in scope.
Harry Potter won't be able to practice this art in anything but theory until he's about to graduate Hogwarts; a fact he's likely to find extremely frustrating. Naturally, you may cheat with the Dark Arts to bypass this limitation; an option your sole predecessor didn't entirely stop to consider...
[ ] Thrice-Great Sovereign - A year in Heaven is greater than a lifetime on Earth, or such is the natural order of things. To be denied entry into eternal Heaven, therefore, is unacceptable. And what shall the arrogant sorcerer do, when in breaking Heaven's written laws, he invites censure from the gods? It should be obvious. He'll claim illiteracy.
And then invent a new language.
An infusion of excellence and greatness, to put you on the same exalted pillar as Hermes Trismegistus. Do you lament that your peers are outpacing your progress? Not anymore, young Ruler of Vessels.
*Achieve a broad and diverse excellence in your magical pursuits; all diverse fields (Charms, Potions, etc,) are treated as if under 1/4th effect from Trismegistus. A small and insignificant boost, yet one that will noticeably accrue over time, especially with your hardy work ethic.
*All three of your currently selected fields (Astrology, Runes, Dark Arts) receive a further doubling of learning speed and inherent aptitude. Do you believe that you are insanely knowledgeable and powerful for an eleven-year-old? Believe not, for you have not yet seen actual knowledge; not even dreamt of true power.
*Also become an excellent teacher. Anything you pass on is sure to stay with your students - any students you teach benefit from your greatness at half-rate.
[ ] Recaller's Pit - Allows Harry Potter to make a single wish and have it granted. It may be any wish, and its limits are truly celestial. However, be warned: it shall be Harry Potter's wish that's granted, not yours. He'll almost certainly be happier, but his happiness isn't your own, is it?
[ ] Forsaken - Make no choice here. Instead, boost your luck to an insane degree for the rest of this year.
---
Here's your coursework for
November.
Astronomy -
*(Irrelevant, you've mastered everything for this semester and beyond. Assume Harry has perfect knowledge of the solar system, down to minutiae like the circumference and approximate weight of Venus and the orbital velocity of Mercury, as well as some factoids about constellations and other things.)
Charms -
*Hovering Charm
*Tickling Charm
*Softening Charm
*Fire-Making Charm
*Free Practice (Essentially, you sit in a room and cast Charms you've learned so far to practice them better for the duration of the lesson)
**Private Tutoring w/ Professor Flitwick (Charms + Dueling; advanced applications of Levitation Charm and Jelly-Fingers Curse; Deflection Charm)
DADA -
*Ghosts
*Ghosts of Hogwarts
*Evil Ghosts and Banishing Them
Herbology -
*Betony - A mundane herb used to heal magical and mundane maladies, can be used to lessen werewolf bites in raw form
*Centaury - A plant similar to Betony but with slightly different properties
History of Magic -
*Stonehenge
*King Arthur and Merlin - A telling somewhat different from what you saw in your vision
*Avalon - A supposed magical island where fairies and elves used to reside, though there is no evidence of this place existing
Potions
*Honeywater
*Asphodel - Students get the hang of powdering Asphodel Root, just right.
Transfiguration
*Transformation Formulae
*Free Practice
Now, is there anything that you'd like Harry to focus on or expand on?
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Maintain Standard Coursework - A balanced spreadsheet of skills.
[ ] Focus Astronomy - Never enough! Keep practicing.
[ ] Further Your Occlumency - A difficult thing to learn on your own, but you might make a breakthrough.
[ ] Learn Legilimency - Although not exactly eager, the latest incident has convinced Geist that you might be marginally safer if you can tell what people are thinking.
At the moment you have
7.5 Gnosis.
[ ] Double Trouble [2 Gnosis] - Allows you to learn at double the rate for a single chosen subject, spell, etc. Applying this to anything will make Harry actually study it, should he have otherwise ignored it.
[ ] Thrice-Great [7 Gnosis] - Allows you to learn three different subjects, spells, et cetera, of your choice at 2.5x the rate. Applying this to anything will make Harry actually study it, should he have otherwise ignored it.
Make up to
three (3) selections
[ ] Homework - A dedication to your studies and student duties; not only do your homework, but go an extra step and a half for every assignment, and then do some ahead-of-curriculum reading for the topics involved, simply to be prepared and ahead of the curve. If picked another three times, you'll start learning the second-year curriculum.
[ ] Experimentation - Play around with magic you know, as well as magic you barely know; either produce novel results or learn to cast spells you know in slightly fresher and more interesting ways. Alternatively, burn down your desk for nothing as you miscast, but at least it'll verify what
doesn't work.
[ ] Chill - Always an option. After all that you've been through, you deserve to relax and stare at the idyllic landscape for a few hours every day.
[ ] Attend Extra Classes - A handful of supplementary classes are offered to First Years. Maybe you'll learn something new?
[ ] Practice Quidditch - Although your talent for the broom is middling from what you've seen, there is yet hope that you might be allowed on the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team. It's a fascinating sport, and the earlier you begin training, the better!
[ ] Write-in (As a few other examples of potential activities: explore the castle, sneak into the kitchen, familiarize with student body, etc.)
As per usual, make a decision on the Inner Circle - although given the thread's attitudes, this part of the vote may be something of a foregone conclusion.
[ ] Hold Off For Now
[ ] Join Inner Circle
---
Here's a
character sheet for this quest.
As a reminder, you can join
Discord here for discussion, as well as alert pings to let you know an update is going to come out in a short while. All discussion on Discord counts partially towards your Gnosis progression and offers boosted rewards if relevant parts of discussion are reposted in the thread.
