Ch 22 pt 2

Should you so desire, I will turn the Head of House Lordship back to you," Sirius shuddered at the thought — "but not before I deal with a few problems that Lord Voldewhore has created. The first of which is that he has created Soul Anchors, horcruxes, that have prevented him from dying. Once those are destroyed, I will kill the bastard himself. It is far more complicated than I have described, but that's the gist of the situation." He stopped and took a drink of his tea.

"He's not dead?" The Wizard was appalled.

"Seriously, Sirius, no, he isn't. He currently exists as a wraith, waiting for one of his faithful followers to resurrect him. Harry defeated one such attempt last year, and I did so again this year."

Sirius sat up straight, horrified at this news.

"That's another reason why I want you back in top form as soon as possible. I need you to start teaching Harry and his friends as much as you can about defensive and offensive magic. I fear he's going to need those skills sooner rather than later. There is a dueling room in the former dungeon below. While I'm going after Voldwhore, and I intend to win, there is always the outside chance I might be removed from the scene. It doesn't have to be by a Dark Wizard either. Bloody hell, I could be hit by a bus crossing a Muggle street!

"In any event, I want Harry and his friends prepared for the worst. Once you get out of St, Mungos and we get you up to speed on occlumency, I'll tell you the full story."

"Occlumency?"

"Yes, in case you didn't know it, Voldewhore is an expert legilimens and if you even catch his eye once, he'll know all your secrets. Your only protection is to become an accomplished occlumens. And that would be a disaster of the worst possible magnitude for us. So, that's your first chore after St. Mungos clears you. When you aren't teaching Harry and his friends, you need to work on that.

"In the meantime, let me tell you a bit about myself . . . ."

Leaving Gilderoy in full, "aren't I great" form, Harry turned his attention to how he could possibly get barmy Bella to agree to help him plunder the Lestrange manor and vaults. It really was too bad that the Potter line hadn't been in the business of setting protective enchantments, because to create a protective enchantment you had to know how to take it down. Or a bunch of chivalrous thieves with copious notes on how to break protective enchantments and rob the evil rich to improve their poor selves.

The only guidance he supplied to Gilderoy was to start him off with his adventures so far this year, leaving his fake achievements for last. That this also included many stories of him pranking Harry was merely an accident.

"Oh, did you know that Harry has his own fan-club? He even sells autographed photos to his fellow students."

"What? A fan-club? A fan-club?"

(◎_◎)

Harry/Gilderoy watched Bella as she paced in her room. It was Sunday and she looked much better. She was still as thin as a rail, and her bones were easy to pick out underneath her skin, but at least she was conscious and aware of her surroundings — and she had begun to fill out slightly. Her hair was clean and brushed and her nails trimmed. He could see the beauty still hidden by her ordeal, but Kreacher's meals would quickly pack weight on her. In a few weeks, she would be as beautiful as Narcissa or Andromeda. Only if you looked into her eyes would you see the madness lurking beneath the surface. Now would be the time for this, later and she might be too conscious and not nearly as easy to manipulate.

He checked himself in the three-way mirror on the wall behind him to make sure everything was in order. He was dressed in his royal purple robes with matching shoes. His hair was perfectly coiffed. He looked every bit the dandy, as he should. He smiled brilliantly at himself, turned around, knocked on the door to her suite, and then entered.

She spun to face him, but did nothing except study him cautiously.

"I see you are recovering nicely," he said. "I'm sure you have questions, but whatever they are, they are unimportant."

She raised an incredulous, and wary, eyebrow at that.

"As you know from reading my books on the table there, I am Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award. The books don't do me justice, though, I am much more charming and personable in person." He preened as she watched, dumbfounded.

He could almost read her mind from her expressions alone: she was the most dangerous Witch in a hundred years and not only did he not seem to know this fact, he seemed to think that she would be impressed by those obviously fake stories he told in his books. Why, some of the things he claimed were flatly impossible — never mind his claim for stopping the Werewolf with a non-lethal spell, he said he fought the creature hand-to-hand! Considering a Werewolf was three times as strong as a normal Wizard that was unbelievable.

"They also don't mention my latest accomplishments, of course. I am currently the esteemed and beloved Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, which has given me two more books to publish! In the first one, I tell the story of how I hunted down and killed the Basilisk that's been hiding in Salazar Slytherin's lost Chamber of Secrets underneath Hogwarts. That one is coming along very nicely, it's in the final editing process and I expect the printer get it into stores by next Christmas! Isn't that thrilling? Another exciting true-life adventure from the one and only Gilderoy Lockhart. My fans will be lining up at stores all over the world!" He sighed happily.

"In the second, I tell the story of how I have scoured the Castle this last year looking for the lost treasures of the Founders, and found them! Lost for a thousand years, but I, Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defence League, five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award, and Hogwarts' beloved Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Slyer of Basilisks, am the first to find and return them to their rightful place at Hogwarts."

He started pacing as Bella stared at him wide-eyed in astonishment.

"So far I have found Slytherin's Locket, Gryffindor's Sword, and Ravenclaw's Diadem. That leaves only Hufflepuff's Cup on the loose. I must find it to complete the set. Without the last Founder's Treasure, my book will be a failure! I can't limit myself to only restoring three of the four Founder's lost treasures, where's the true fame in that? Sure, I uncovered a hidden Dark Wizard hiding at Hogwarts for over five years and saved three students from both a nest of Acromantulas and a pack of werewolves, but what about that last treasure?

"People will say, yes, he found three, but he couldn't find the fourth. If he were as great as he says he is, he would have found that fourth treasure!"

He spun to face her, holding up his index finger in triumph.

"And that's where you come in. I have traced the stories and carefully sifted the evidence. You, yes, you, have the Hufflepuff Cup!"

She looked surprised.

"Didn't suspect that did you? Someone in House Lestrange came across the artefact and never realized what the treasure was they found. Whether it is in your vault at Gringotts or at the Lestrange Manor, I know not, but with your help we shall retrieve it!"

He sighed dramatically, "I tried talking with the Goblins, first, but they were most unhelpful. They absolutely refuse to allow anyone except you or your husband into the vaults. They were quite emphatic about that. Even my extraordinary wiles were unable to move them to cooperate." He shook his head in disappointment. "And, naturally, I cannot access the Lestrange Manor without your permission and presence. Hence, the reason you are here!" He smiled at her broadly.

She stared at him, blinking. "You broke me out of Azkaban to retrieve a cup from my Manor?" She was incredulous.

"Or vault," he added helpfully.

Her eyes narrowed shrewdly, considering her options. He could feel her emotions flicking between hope, suspicion, and surprise before finally settling on a hope.

"And after? If I help you what happens to me after?"

He posed carefully, projecting calm and slight condescension — that should anger her a bit and the anger would cloud her judgement. "Perhaps you should ask what will happen if you don't. I got you out of Azkaban without anyone noticing, I can put you back."

She snorted in disbelief. "The Aurors are probably scrambling around like the idiotic ants they are in a total panic that I escaped!"

"Not at all, my dear, they think you are sleeping in your cell."

"Oh, right, I believe that!"

"Kreacher."

"Kreacher comes when Master calls."

"Kreacher, tell the truth to Mrs. Lestrange, née Black, here. She's a Pure-blood."

Kreacher stood a bit taller at hearing that command.

"Have you been monitoring the Aurors and Azkaban as I ordered?"

"It bees hard, Master, but Kreacher sneaks into Ministry. Kreacher can only watch prison shore dock. Kreacher will slam oven door on hands later as punishment."

Harry let that last pass uncommented, the self-centred twit he was portraying Gilderoy as wouldn't notice what a house-elf did as long as it didn't directly effect himself.

"Kreacher, does anyone suspect Mrs. Lestrange, née Black, is not in Azkaban?"

"No Master. The onlys ones who knows are Master, Kreacher, and Honourable Mrs. Lestrange, née Black."

She said, staring intently at Gilderoy, "How?"

He snickered, "I left a golem in your place."

Her eyes grew wide.

"So, you see, it would be a simple matter to just switch you back if I wanted."

She scowled. He could feel her anger at her predicament rising.

"But, to answer your question, I don't care what you do. With a couple of simple tricks, I can change your appearance and no one will suspect you are the dangerous and deadly Bellatrix Lestrange. You can vanish into the Wizarding world. I'll even give you a thousand galleons to hold you over until you are settled and can access you vault as needed."

Half to herself, still scowling and staring at Gilderoy's hands, she said, "I can hunt for my Lord, I can feel him! I know he's out there!" She considered her options for a while before looking up to meet his eyes. "I'll do it."

Harry/Gilderoy could feel her intent. She planned to trick him, and escape at the first opportunity. He said, "Excellent!" He pulled out his wand with one hand as he pulled a second wand out of his pocket with the other. "As you can feel, there are protection enchantments around this suite — anti-portkey, anti-disapparation, and special intent-based ones that block any magic intended to cause harm."

He tossed the extra wand to her. "Go ahead, cast a curse at me."

He could decipher her thoughts from her emotions. Shock at recognizing the wand, twelve and a half inch walnut with dragon heartstring core. It was like her familiar wand, but not quite. How had he acquired an almost exact duplicate?

He grinned at her reaction, "It wasn't as difficult as you imagine. It's just different enough, though, to get people to write it off as mere coincidence. Now, curse me!"

Uncertainty, distrust, curiosity. If the protective enchantments didn't exist, would he take such a chance as he had requested?

"Go ahead," he goaded. "You know you want to, if only to satisfy your curiosity. If you don't you'll always wonder, what would have happened . . . ."

Far faster than he expected her hand came up and a reddish light shot from her wand. Only to fade to nothing mere inches from the wand-tip. She stared at the wand, somewhat surprised that the protective enchantments indeed had blocked the reducto. In truth, they hadn't. The protective enchantments simply drained any spell over a certain strength, taking their power for its own. Low-powered hexes and healing spells would pass through unnoticed.

He smiled broadly, "Excellent!" He walked over to her and held out his wand. She tentatively held hers out to him.

"Do you swear on your life and your magic that your magic shall prevent your attacking me or any in my Houses . . . ." That would prevent her from duelling Harry or Sirius in the future.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise that he held claim to more than one House.

". . . unless you are mildly pranking someone"

That garnered another surprised look. Hey, he didn't want her to die if she got peeved at him or Sirius and sent him a harmless stinging hex for pranking her!

"That your magic shall prevent you from betraying me or any in my Houses to others. That you shall assist me in retrieving the Hufflepuff Cup and not keep it for yourself. That you will obey all my commands while we are actively involved in getting the cup and returning here to my base of operation, and for one month afterward." At each condition, a magical glow wrapped around their wands and hands.

"In return, I promise my magic will not let me surrender you to the authorities for any crimes you have committed or have been accused of committing in the past or for any you may commit while carrying out my instructions now and in the future. That it will not let me return you to Azkaban, nor any other prison or official holding facility, for those crimes after we have retrieved the Hufflepuff Cup. Any crimes you commit without my orders are your responsibility, as is the any punishment you might receive or be assigned for crimes committed after we retrieve and return here with the cup. On my life and my magic I will assist you in creating a new physical identity so you may pass in the Wizarding World without being recognized as Bellatrix Lestrange, née Black, unless you reveal that information to others yourself. That I will provide financial assistance in the amount of one thousand galleons after we retrieve the Cup. That I will allow you to leave this base, should you decide to do so, on your own at any time one month after we complete the retrieval of the Hufflepuff Cup. That you may stay here, if you so chose, under the protection of my Houses for as long as you like. That I will do my best to protect you as long as you are under my protection."

"So Mote it Be."

After several seconds to think through what she was pledging, she said, "So Mote it be." She was disgruntled at being unable to leave immediately to start her search, but she would be patient.

The glowing bands brightened, then sank into their hands.

She hadn't noticed the loopholes to his advantage in the oath.

"Excellent! Now, much as I would like to start immediately, you are in no condition for any strenuous activities. For the next few weeks, you shall stay here and recover from your horrid experience in Azkaban. Kreacher will provide nutritious meals with an eye towards rebuilding your body. I will acquire potions to help repair any mental or physical damage you may have suffered."

She nodded her understanding.

"Next week I shall open up a training room for you so you can get back into the regular use of your magic without undo strain."

"To help bring you up to speed on current events, Kreacher will bring you selected Daily Prophet issues from the last year." A tremendous stack of papers appeared in one corner of the room. "If you wish to contact me, Kreacher can relay your requests.

"Also, once we have acquired Hufflepuff's Cup I will acquaint you with my Houses and their significant members so that you don't accidentally violate your oath. In the meantime, I bid you adieu!" He turned and left the room.

(◎_⊙)

It had been six weeks since he visited with the Headmaster and it was time to check in again. Dumbledore had yet to mention if he had made any progress regarding the horcruxes, either in figuring out possible items or where they might be hidden. Harry/Gilderoy was more than a little worried about that. Had he determined that the ring was the next logical item? Had the old bastard gone after the ring himself? If not, then it was time for Harry to fetch it. He didn't dare wait any longer. He had to get rid of it before he and Bella went after Hufflepuff's Cup.

Gilderoy thought he looked rather dashing as he strode through the corridors of the school just after Monday's dinner, his golden locks framing his face perfectly. He wore an azure robe set today that brought out the blue in his eyes. He looked every inch an important and powerful Wizard as his cloak billowed dramatically behind him. The Witches almost swooned as he went by them, he could practically see the stars in their eyes.

There should be just enough time before his first afternoon class started to get the answers he wanted.

Soon he was bounding up the escalator to the old fraud's office. Moments later, he burst in not bothering to knock, and caught Dumbledore off guard. "Albus," he called out cheerily.

The Headmaster was just pulling his right sleeve down to hide his hand.

Harry went ballistic at the sight of the withering curse afflicting the Wizard's hand.

"Expelliarmus!" he screamed, catching the Headmaster completely by surprise. The spell smashed him against the wall behind his desk as the wand in his pocket leapt into Harry's hand. The moment he grabbed it with his right hand he knew it was the Death Stick. Damnit! Now he owned one-third of the Deathly Hallows, two-thirds if magic thought he co-owned Harry's Invisibility Cloak.

"You stupid, pompous, arrogant, ignorant, venal old fool!" Harry raged at the Wizard, still sitting on the floor amid the wreckage of his desk's chair, dazedly staring up at him. "Are you completely off your trolley?" Harry loomed over the desk glaring at the stunned Wizard. "You're going to die because you are too stupid to ask for the help I was willingly giving you. I can't believe you are so self-centred as to believe you can do no wrong, and are immortal and can't die! Well, now you know you're wrong, don't you! You aren't immortal. You aren't infallible. And you aren't the smartest Wizard alive, you aren't even the cleverest Wizard alive! No matter your delusions of grandeur, your conceit has killed you!

"And for what? A stupid cursed ring! That you knew was cursed! Tell me was it worth it? Trading all your plans, all your schemes, the fate of the entire Wizarding World, just so you could talk with your sister for five minutes?" The Wizards stared up at him, shocked. "WELL, WAS IT?" Harry screamed.

The Old Wizard blinked and slowly shook his head.

"If anything proves you are incapable of being in charge, this does it! Give me that bedamned thing before you cause any more trouble!" Harry held out his hand as Dumbledore pulled his right hand closer to his body in reflex.

"Give it to me or I'll accio it, and your finger, right off your hand!"

Dumbledore stared up at the irate Wizard. He had never suspected that Lockhart had such power, his magic glaring brightly around him and his eyes glowing a menacing bright green. With his magic battling the curse, the old Wizard knew he could not win a battle against the younger Wizard, especially without the Death Stick.

But the ring!

He saw Lockhart pointing the Death Stick at him and he knew he had lost already. Even at his most powerful, he couldn't defeat the younger Wizard as long as the other held the undefeatable Deathly Hallows wand in his hand ready to use. Slowly, mournfully, he pulled the ring off his hand. It had had no sooner cleared the end of his fingernail when it jerked out of his hands and flew to the other Wizard.

The blonde-haired Wizard stared at the ring a moment, "Well, at least you got rid of the horcrux. Thank god for small favours, at least I don't have to do that as well." Almost as an afterthought, he casted, "Incarcerus," and ropes appeared wrapping themselves around the old Headmaster. A quick stupify followed. He didn't want any sneak attacks while he was distracted.