Issues at hand

Bellatrix looked out at the seventh year Dueling class. "Good Evening. I am Bellatrix Fawkes, wife of Professor Fawkes. I will be teaching this class for the next week while my husband recovers from dueling our newest Dark Lord to submission. Let's get a few things squared away; yes, I am Lady Slytherin, yes that means Professor Fawkes is Lord Slytherin. No, he will not, nor will I give any favoritism to Slytherin students. Also no, I will not be teaching any of the curses I used at Hogsmeade. If you wish to learn those, you can learn them the way I did." A hand went up belonging to one of the Ravenclaw twins, Norrey, I believe...Bellatrix thought, "Yes? Your name and then question."

"Imoen Norrey, ma'am. My question is what way did you learn those curses?" Imoen, like her twin sister Iris, was a slender brunette witch, she was the more outgoing one, while Iris tended to be nearly silent in classes. Through her observations, watching the classes when Harry taught them, Bellatrix knew that the Norrey twins should not be discounted, they were very clever when it came to tactics.

Bellatrix smirked, "I learned them in the traditional way, having to dodge them. I wouldn't recommend that method, as you can only miss your mark once. Now then, are there any other questions?" She scanned the room absently, her mind on Harry. She had agreed to take this position while Harry rested, because he was currently on orders from Madam Pomfrey not to cast any spells. Physically he was fine, if tired, but magically he had nearly exhausted himself by casting a cutting spell with enough force to penetrate Voldemort's shields. He could have killed himself doing that... She thought, but at the same time the idea that her husband was powerful enough to force Voldemort, formerly the most powerful wizard she'd ever met, into a retreat did put a rather pleasant tingle through her core.

"Today's class will be focused on precision. To that end, I want each student to stand up and get into a single file line." As the students did so, Bellatrix flicked her wand at the center of the classroom. A short stone plinth, roughly man-sized, appeared beside her. "Each of you will attempt to cast a piercing spell at the same spot." She tapped her wand on the stone, causing a small circle roughly the size of a human heart to appear, "One shot, then move to the back. We will keep going until the line has reformed. Once you miss, you will sit down. We will continue until I am down to a final student. That student will receive as a prize, tutoring by myself."

The class progressed through the exercise. One by one each student cast their spell on the stone. One by one they were eliminated. The final three students were the Norrey twins, and a Slytherin. Bellatrix knew this Slytherin, or rather, she knew her father, Kurt Avery was a brutal, but effective Death Eater. He was the man Voldemort sent when he wanted a statement made, the statement being 'here are your entrails, watch them flutter in the breeze'. Johanna Avery appeared to be every bit the powerhouse, her father was. The dull blonde hair of the witch scarcely moved as she flicked her wrist and launched the piercing hex. Like always it hit its mark perfectly and she smirked before stepping back.

Bellatrix wondered if Johanna was familiar with this exercise. She had chosen it because it was an effective way to help a witch or wizard gain their eye for targeting. Of course, when I learned it... Bellatrix thought, there was a screaming muggle attached to the stone...

She still remembered the woman she had been taught on. Bellatrix doubted she would ever forget her. The screams, the look of terror, every moment of horror on the muggle's face was etched as indelibly on her mind as if it had been branded there. Before she had felt pride, but now?

Now the idea of hurting someone innocent filled her with disdain. Not for their sake, the old lessons of blood and purity did not vanish overnight. But for his. Harry would not like her acting like the other Bellatrix, so she didn't. She wouldn't become the woman who still gave him nightmares.

Imoen Norrey was next up, her spell veered slightly north, so she was eliminated and sent to her chair. Next came Iris.

Iris Norrey, Bellatrix knew, was a student that Harry thought highly of. As Iris Mitchell, she had been one of his agents during his war. The silent witch had been responsible for one of the largest attacks on the Death Eaters, only to die at the wand of her own sister, who had become a Death Eater.

Would I have turned on my sisters? Bellatrix didn't want the answer to that. She had murdered Sirius in that timeline. That act had probably shattered her sanity, she had already been evil in that timeline, but murdering family...

Bellatrix, not for the first time, found herself hating that her.

Iris had cast her spell perfectly, and so it was time for Johanna again. Johanna looked appraisingly, not at the target, but at her competition. "You are talented..." She said softly to Iris, "But too timid." She grinned and then sent the next spell into the stone.

Iris said nothing, instead, she waited for Bellatrix to allow her forward. Johanna brushed past her, the smell of cinnamon, and something else on her hair, "Three galleons says that you can't put a hole through the stone." The blonde Slytherin taunted.

Still, Iris said nothing. She turned and faced her opponent, "Five." She said in a near whisper, "Five Galleons."

"Deal," Johanna said, bringing her wand up, but keeping its point lowered. The two tapped wands, a bargain marked between them.

The spell went true, Iris' piercing spell penetrated the stone, before striking the wall behind it. Johanna nodded, drawing her purse from her pocket and counting out the money. She palmed it, placing it in Iris' hand. "Meet me during free period tomorrow...I think you and I should practice together." Johanna turned and cast her own spell, intentionally going slightly higher. The spell missed its spot and so she sat down.

Bellatrix had watched the exchange silently. She didn't trust Johanna, she wondered if her father had decided to place her in the position of recruiter. "Final lesson for today, how to spot if someone has placed a compulsion charm on an object in the dueling circle. Now, traditionally there should be nothing in the circle but duelists. However, never assume that your opponent is honorable. Something could be there but glamoured to be invisible." She stood beside Iris, "Miss Norrey, please place your winnings on the my desk. Since you were just given something, you will be my guinea pig."

Iris did as she asked, setting the five coins down. Bellatrix swished her wand down. The coins remained inert. "Good. Had there been a charm of any kind, it would have glowed. Red for compulsion, yellow for confundus, bright blue for a time-delayed portkey, etcetera." She looked at the students, "Class is dismissed. Study your Charms textbook. When we meet again I will be expected more from you."

Once her classroom was empty, Bellatrix left it, making her way towards the infirmary.

Scene Break

Andromeda hated being pregnant. She had begun to show now. She was sore, she was tired, and worst of all, Ted Tonks was in her waiting room. She'd managed to shift his case to one of the others. Meeting her former husband while she was carrying his child that she was claiming as another man's, after divorcing her husband for cheating, was not how she wanted to spend the day.

In fact, she was quite ready to pack it in and go home.

She sat in her office, scratching out a treatment plan for her current patient. Richard Travers, aged 44. The patient came in with injuries consistent with mauling by a manticore. Recommended bed rest, blood replenishing potions, and travel by floo exclusively for the next week. Poison from the wound was treated by switching charm, replacing bad blood with fresh...

She looked back up from her work. This was basic stuff, the kind of thing she could do in her sleep. So why was it so hard right now?

Sighing, she folded her notes and set them onto the outgoing mail box. After a moment the paper folded itself into a plane and took off through a tube in the wall. She was irritated at the world. She was especially irritated at Harry. What's wrong with Nymphadora? I think it's a beautiful name... She wasn't sure how she knew she was carrying a daughter. But she was. In her minds eye, she could see Nymphadora Fawkes, a beautiful, graceful child. Perhaps she would take her mothers interest in dance and become a performer in a ballet troupe...perhaps she would be a gifted healer like her mother and aunt.

But Harry was sure of two things; that the child would hate the name Nymphadora, and that she would prefer literally anything else. He'd even suggested just Dora, a suggestion swiftly vetoed. The nerve of him! It's not even his baby! Ted would have let me name- Best not to go down that road. Ted would have let her name the child whatever she wished, but Harry would never cheat on his wives.

There was a soft knock on her door, "Enter." She said, watching as the Floor Matron walked inside, "Yes Madam Curtis?" Andromeda asked her.

"I wanted to see how you were coming along today." The Matron said, "Thomas said that you practically threw a case into her hands."

"I did. Jeanette told me who my next patient would be, I couldn't see Ted. Not so soon after the divorce. I asked her to take him." Andromeda sighed softly, "It's still too raw for me to be able to do my job properly."

The Matron nodded softly, "Perhaps you should take the rest of the day off... You have finished your last scheduled case today. We've all heard about Hogsmeade, maybe you should go see your family..."

Andromeda rose from her seat, "I will do that. Harry left the floo open for us, so I can use that." She left her office with Madam Curtis following. She would use the private floo to head into Harry's office.

Scene Break

Amelia Bones sat at her desk, a paper cup of what the canteen had charitably referred to as coffee in one hand and the Daily Prophet in the other.

ATTACK ON HOGSMEADE LEAVES MINISTRY SHOCKED

'Heir of Slytherin' fights terrorist leader

Barnabus Cuffe

Terror gripped the heart of the Scottish village of Hogsmeade when a group of wizards led by the self-styled 'Dark Lord Voldemort' and a creature described by our contact in the Department of Mysteries as an 'abomination' attacked on Sunday.

Aurors Amelia Bones and Diana Spencer were unable to breach the wards to call for backup and were forced to rely on assistance from Hogwarts professor Harry Fawkes and his family.

Professor Fawkes, most notable for the previous article where he saved the life of one Apolline Dubois, dueled the man known as Voldemort, eventually destroying his wand and wand hand. More interesting than the duel itself was the proclamation of Professor Fawkes that he was the Lord Slytherin, named by long-dead Founder, Salazar Slytherin himself!

Humbled, Voldemort left his dead soldiers via portkey. Our contact in the D.O.M had this to say: "Most likely, the portkey was connected to the wards that prevented anyone from leaving. He activates the portkey, the portkey drops the wards."

Further research into Harry Fawkes has discovered that he has married the Widow Lestrange and that she has been named the Lady Slytherin. One this is for sure, this will cause a shakeup among the Houses most closely associated with the Dark Arts.

Amelia frowned, They made it sound like Diana and I did nothing! She put down her paper cup and began to ball the paper up in her hands. We did a hell of a lot more than nothing! Diana caught one of the bastards with a cutting curse that took his legs off! I got one of them with a conjured spear to the stomach and they're just going to ignore us?

It might not be Harry's fault, but she was still angry. Moody though, he'd been thrilled. The continued interrogation of Lucius Malfoy had revealed much. That Voldemort bastard's already losing supporters thanks to our own raids. But we've been picking up small fish. The big ones are hiding somewhere and Malfoy can't or won't tell us...

Suddenly a blonde witch sank into the chair opposite her. "Can you believe those fucking duffers at the Bullpen this morning? 'Hey Spencer, Bones, are you planning on letting a Professor do all your work?'...fucking Hell!" Diana Spencer was many things, Amelia knew, she was talented especially with Charms, she had a mean right hook as many of their fellow Aurors discovered during unarmed drills, but she was not ladylike. That her father was a Muggle Lord and her mother the daughter of Celestina Rowle had done nothing to make her any more socially appropriate.

Amelia chuckled at her friend's outburst, "Yes I can believe it. The Prophet makes it sound like you and I were playing exploding snap the whole time." She handed the paper over to Diana. The other witch began to smooth the paper out and read it. Amelia could see the anger growing in her eyes.

"That miserable, stinking, bloated, goat-loving, manticore-licking, gnome-sucking bastard! I can't believe I let him touch my quaffles when we were dating!" Diana spat, the paper catching on fire from a burst of unintended magic. "I have half a mind to go over to the Prophet and fling Barney out of his window!"

"I have no doubt that you would. But now it's premeditated so you can't." Amelia said quietly, "Besides, all that would do is prove him right."

Diana curled her lip in anger, "So, I know what let's do. Let's go see Professor Fawkes, he can force a retraction." She rose and grabbed Amelia's hand, "Come on, our shift in Hogsmeade starts in an hour, we can go to Hogwarts early and talk to him!" Diana began to tug her along.

When they arrived at the Hogwarts Infirmary, Amelia and Diana found that Harry was busy. Bellatrix and her sisters, along with the Veela, Apolline Dubois were already there. Bellatrix turned to see them, "Auror Bones, Auror Spencer, what can we do for you?"

"I would like Harry to write to the Prophet. The hack who wrote the article has painted Amelia and me as useless twits." Diana said angrily, "If he wrote to them, telling them of our actions, the Prophet would have to print a retraction."

"So, were you planning on saying 'Please' or did you think you could demand something of my husband?" Bellatrix asked the woman. Diana to her credit looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Please."

"Please what?" Bellatrix pressed.

"Will you please write to the Daily Prophet and tell them to fix their damned article?" Diana practically spat at Harry, "Merlin's hairy sack, do you think this is how I wanted to spend the time before my shift? Coming up here to ask your husband to fix this? I was more interested in getting some lunch and then flirting with the cute bloke in Regulations!"

Harry sat up on the bed and laughed softly, "Alright. I'll do it, then you can go flirt. I'll even make you sound suitably heroic, maybe tell them that I slipped and you helped me up...now, I was having a nice conversation with my family about the fact that I just pissed off one of the most dangerous wizards I've ever seen. Would the two of you please, go away and bother literally anyone else?"

"He wasn't that bad was he? I mean I know he has followers, but surely he's no-" Amelia began, but Harry stopped her with a single look.

"Amelia, Tom Riddle hits like the Knight Bus, his spells can puncture wards like a hot knife through butter, he is ruthless and he is merciless. He will kill anyone for any reason at any time." Harry said softly, his voice low and serious, "He hates you for being a blood-traitor, me for being a half-blood like him, and he hates muggleborn students for being muggleborn."

Harry squeezed Narcissa's hand and continued, "Now he knows that I have the position in our society that he covets. His followers will start to talk, and when they do, he'll be driven to do something to prove to them that he is the strongest." He sighed softly, "I'm afraid that I may have spurred him on to a worse act."