Echoes of Destiny: Harry and Bellatrix's Second Chance (Complete)

Harry did not even have enough time to be startled. Green light from the killing curse consumed him, and when the light faded, he found himself part of an eerily familiar scene. He was sitting at the end of a long table in a large rectangular room. Delicate-looking windows lined one of the longer walls of the room, and outside of the windows, Harry could see white fog swirling slowly. Frowning, Harry wondered why dying would bring him to a past incarnation of Malfoy Manor.

A few moments went by as Harry tried to understand. Eventually, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of sarcastically slow applause. Harry twisted around to look behind his chair and discovered the identity of his fan. It was Romulus Malfoy.

He grinned at Harry and then let out a little chuckle. "I thought my death was dramatic, but taking a killing curse and then falling off a cliff is pretty impressive."

Harry stared at his old acquaintance and realized for the first time how much he had missed his conversations and meetings with the pureblood patriarchs. "So, I'm dead, then?" Harry asked slowly.

"Not quite," came the voice of Orion Black.

Harry turned and found the Black patriarch standing with his hands clasped behind his back as he faced out of one of the windows and seemed to ponder life. Harry wondered if Bellatrix's father would appear, and suddenly, Cygnus Black was sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the table, the same chair he had sat in immediately prior to his assassination.

Harry was not sure what to say by way of greeting, but he did have questions and opted to press on with those. "How could I not be dead?" he asked.

Romulus came around to where Harry could see him without having to look around the back of the chair. "It seems that the Lord Voldemort of your original future left a horcrux implanted in your scar, Harry. Tonight, that horcrux died. We won't stop you from passing onto the next life, but we're here to tell you that you are perfectly welcome to stay among the living until death comes to you again."

"So you know about my time travelling, then?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Orion said, sounding a little bit disapproving. "We know… everything."

"Oh," Harry said, not sure how he felt about that.

"There are some things you could have done better," Orion said.

"But we realize that you were… are young. Nobody is perfect, Harry," Cygnus said, rushing to reassure Harry before his older brother could get too stern. "You've done so much. We know about the alternate future. You've made a better future."

"I suppose you are right," Harry mused. "Perhaps it would have been better to tell more people about my time travel, or perhaps I should have moved to do certain things sooner."

"What might have been is not something that even we can see," Romulus said, leaning against one of the chairs as he looked at Harry happily. "But I can tell you that no matter how well your moves could have been, there are simply some things that Fate would not have allowed you to change."

"That seems rather cruel of… Fate," Harry said, not understanding to what or whom the word referred.

"Fate helped you," Orion said. "It reshuffled the deck and gave you some good playing cards to use in our time. Of course, you would not have been able to realize that you were benefitting from a slightly different timeline. You did not know your history of our world very well."

"I suppose I cannot hold much of a grudge against Fate," Harry acknowledged.

"The means justifies the end," Orion said, "but I suspect you already know that."

"In some ways, you are so far ahead of where we were when we died," Cygnus said, sounding sad. "You're a good wizard, Harry. One of the best."

Harry felt heat in his ears as the patriarchs regarded him silently. "What now?" he asked.

"We will make our final requests of you and then wish you farewell until you join us," Romulus said.

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll do what I can. I probably owe you that."

"I don't think you really owe us anything," Romulus said. "But, we will ask anyway. If you do what we ask, I think you will find yourself in happy circumstances."

"Well then, request away," Harry said.

Orion finally turned away from the window. "The House of Black has been one of the pillars of the magical community for centuries," he said. "It shames me that you found the House in such disarray. Please allow Bellatrix to help restore it. Let her rebuild Ravenbourgh. Let her find ways to replenish its coffers so that you can be generous to those in need. But that will not be enough. For there to be greatness, there must be goodness. I depend on you to ensure that there is goodness in the House of Black."

"Of course," Harry said. He had already let Bellatrix know that he did not mind if she rebuilt Ravenbourgh. And, he could help build the Black name. There was one thing that concerned him, though. "Orion, I realize that my inheriting the title of Lord Black was legitimate in my future, but now, your son lives. I feel like I am an usurper. What would you have me do?"

"Show my son every courtesy and accord him every privilege you feel is wise," Orion said.

"And what about when I die? Who becomes Lord Black?" Harry asked.

Orion smiled. "Fate has already seen to that. Bellatrix will give birth to only daughters. Leo's son will inherit the title. Treat Sirius, Leo, and their families as your own."

"I will," Harry said.

"Thank you," Orion said. The window next to him opened, and Orion faded away as if the swirling fog outside had reached in and consumed him.

Harry blinked and then looked to confirm that Romulus and Cygnus were still with him. They were.

"I guess I am next," Cygnus said, drawing Harry's focus to him. "Harry, I want you to understand that Bellatrix is not entirely normal in the head. She has always been… cold. Her mother only made the situation worse. As your alternate future suggests, she has a predisposition toward insanity. Somehow, you have found your way into her heart. You are her most valued possession. Please continue to take care of her. Show her love and help her find constructive ways to exercise her ambition. If you do that, you can always rely on her to defend your interests ardently, and you can rest assured that her mind will retain its strength."

This was sobering to Harry. "I will do my best."

"Tell Bella that I am proud of her," Cygnus said, smiling as he faded away.

The room silent as Harry looked at the place where Cygnus had been sitting and pondered what his father-in-law had said.

"Now for me," Romulus said, walking over, drawing out the chair next to Harry, and sitting in it. "As you can see," he said, gesturing around the room and drawing Harry's attention to the fact that the fog was now coming in through the windows and consuming the room, "our time grows short."

Harry sighed regretfully. He would have liked to spend more time with Romulus. "I suppose you want me to restore the Malfoy fortune to your grandson."

"I think he will be better off without it," Romulus said. "Your wife has already set him on a better path. No, what I want is for you to set the magical world on a better path. If you end this war right, you can prevent the next such war for a long time."

"Obviously, I need to make sure Voldemort is dead for sure," Harry said slowly.

"Voldemort is only a symptom, Harry. You must cure the illness, too. You have to make sure that creatures like werewolves and giants are welcome and cared for, for they will always be among you. If they are not your friends, they are your enemy's friends. And, you've got to reassure the purebloods that they have nothing to fear from the Muggleborns," Romulus explained.

"I think I get the picture," Harry said. "I'm not sure how to go about doing that."

Romulus grinned. "Within the next few hours, your wife is going to have you installed as Minister of Magic."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Try to act pleasantly surprised when she tells you," Romulus said. "And be grateful. She will be bitter if you spurn this. Very, very bitter."

"I can't be Minister!" Harry exclaimed. "I hardly know anything. It isn't a very fun job, either."

"The bureaucrats will take care of the minor details. Set policies that will go toward healing the magical world and have your underlings carry them out."

"And somehow I'm supposed to think up these policies?" Harry asked.

"You should probably consult with people-particularly those whose suffering you're trying to alleviate. Or even some of the older members of our society who have gained wisdom," Romulus suggested. "And, Harry, you don't have to be Minister forever. Just a few years or until you find someone who will be faithful to your legacy."

"Even after Voldemort dies, the war continues," Harry grumbled.

"You'd be bored to tears if there wasn't some war going on," Romulus laughed.

Harry squinted. The fog in the room was so thick that he could barely see Romulus. "Will I see you again?"

"Of course," Romulus said. "But only after you've lived a long and happy life."

"Is this what dying will be like? Will you be there to lead me to where you go after?" Harry asked, suddenly curious.

Harry could no longer see Romulus, but he could hear his voice. "Harry, when you die, Bellatrix will come for you. Unless she goes to hell." A dry chuckle echoed through the fog, slowly fading.

Eventually, there was silence and the fog had thickened to the point where Harry felt wet-very wet. The chair was gone. Harry was lying on his back. He was cold, too. Involuntarily, he convulsed. From somewhere above him, he heard a startled gasp. Feeling like he was waking up from the deepest sleep he had ever experienced, Harry forced his eyes open and discovered that he was lying on the ground next to the dock at the bottom of the cliff. A very small crowd stood a ways away near the cliff's staircase. Bellatrix was sitting on the ground next to him. He looked up into her face and saw that it was wet with tears.

"Bella," Harry croaked.

Bellatrix was startled. "H-how did you not die?" she demanded, staring at Harry, her violet eyes wide and suspicious.

"Apparently I was a horcrux from the Lost War," Harry said.

Harry had expected her to demand more details, but instead, she fell on him and began kissing him unrestrainedly. Harry found that he had very little strength, but he managed to bring his arms up and wrap them around her as her fervor continued undiminished for several moments. Eventually, she was content to lie atop of Harry in his embrace.

"Merlin's beard!" came the voice of one of the Weasley twins. "She snogging that corpse!"

Harry felt Bellatrix stiffen.

Before Bellatrix could react, though, Rose Potter's voice interceded. "If you had paid attention, you would have noticed that Harry suddenly came back to life. And, even if she had been snogging a dead body, it would be very rude to call attention to it!"

"Well, it wouldn't be very humorous to point it out if Harry was actually dead, would it?" one of the twins retorted. "Thus, the fact that we pointed it out is proof that we knew that Harry was alive."

Bellatrix sighed and pushed up from Harry. "Rose, go up and tell everybody that Harry is alive. Try to explain that Crouch's former horcrux status rendered his magic less potent or something like that. If they have not already killed Crouch, tell the Aurors to haul him to the Ministry. We might need him later. Also tell them that Harry says that the Auror Corps needs to regroup at the Ministry, call in and deputize every able Ministry employee, and prepare for battle."

"Are you going to tell me the real story later?" Rose asked.

"If you insist," Bellatrix growled. "Harry and I will be up shortly. Now take the peanut gallery and get out of here." She then fell back on Harry and gave him a long kiss.

Despite being cold, wet, and curious about why Bellatrix had borrowed his authority to marshal troops, Harry let himself enjoy the moment. He was grateful to be alive, grateful to be married to Bellatrix, and grateful to know that peace might be imminent.

Ultimately, it was Bellatrix who opted to adjourn the proceedings after several enjoyable minutes. "We need to get back to the Ministry," Bellatrix said. "I've set certain things in motion. We can defeat the Dark Lord before the sun sets again."

"That would be nice," Harry said.

There were few people remaining at the top of the cliff by the time Bellatrix had dried Harry off and hauled him up to meet his future. Alastor Moody had remained and insisted upon certifying Harry's identity through several spells and tricky questions. Moody finally left for the Ministry when Harry designated him as a Chief Auror Deputy, or some such, and asked him to go to the Ministry and help organize the extremely large Auror force that was now gathering.

Once Moody was gone, Harry found himself alone on the cliff with Bellatrix and Amelia Bones.

"You are about to be elected Minister of Magic," Bellatrix informed Harry.

Harry acted pleasantly surprised.

Bellatrix continued explaining the situation to Harry. "Almost all of the darker pureblood families that have Wizengamot seats will be voting for you. Amelia assures me that her people will vote for you. Hopefully, we'll get some other people voting for you, too, now that Crouch has been detained and considering that Prewitt's supporters have not had time to find another candidate. Once you are formally installed as Minister, certain purebloods will betray the Dark Lord into our hands. After we defeat the Dark Lord, your administration will show these purebloods that supported you every consideration reasonably possible."

"I'm not issuing simple pardons," Harry said.

"They understand that," Bellatrix said. "The other thing is that you will be appointing Amelia, here, to be your Senior Undersecretary."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said, smiling at Amelia. "Who gets to replace me as the DMLE Director?"

"I would like to nominate Frank Longbottom," Amelia said.

"What about James Potter or Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

Bellatrix smirked at Harry.

Amelia shook her head. "The Director of the DMLE is basically your hired wand. Right now, a significant amount of the populace interacts with the Ministry through the DMLE. You need somebody who is strong, inspiring, and well-liked. Potter and Black are good wizards and excel at what they do in the DMLE. But, Frank Longbottom is just as good at his job and more inspiring to the public as a whole. Everybody in the DMLE respects him. Purebloods will see him as a proper leader. Muggleborns will see him as a good and fair-minded wizard. Everybody will see a wizard who is mature but reasonably young and strong. They will also see somebody is untainted by politics. You will have strong support putting you in as Minister, but you will need to surround yourself with good people to keep that support so that you will have the political power needed to prove yourself a good leader."

"Longbottom it is," Harry said. "Shall we go to the Ministry?"

"Not yet," Bellatrix said. "You need to change your clothes." She looked at Amelia. "My secretary is putting things into motion. Perhaps you could go make sure she's doing things right and then organize the rest."

"Consider it done," Amelia said.

Changing Harry's clothes quickly turned into a frustrating debate.

"You cannot walk into the Wizengamot chamber wearing nothing but your battle robes," Bellatrix argued. "You are going to be the Minister of Magic."

"I'm also apparently going to lead a lot of people into a battle against the Dark Lord," Harry rebutted as he put his recently cleaned and dried battle robes back on.

Bellatrix stepped back form Harry and surveyed Harry's appearance with a skeptical look on her face. "Well, the overall black theme goes well, but you need more color. I want people to be able to look to the front of the room and know who the Minister is… or should be."

"I guess we can charm my gloves to be a bright color," Harry said.

"No," Bellatrix said. "I think that it would be best to get a modest cloak of some sort that can go over your battle robes. You can get rid of it easily, even if the battle comes to you unexpectedly. What color do you like?"

"Red."

"You are being supported by Slytherins. You should not suggest to them that you are more Gryffindor than not. Come to think of it, you probably should not wear green either. We do not need you going down in history as a being too sympathetic to these people."

Harry had already gone through this debate with himself once. "Purple," he said.

"That suggests royalty," Bellatrix said slowly. "I like it."

Harry rolled his eyes, but decided that it would be better not to comment on her apparent vainness.

"You need to write a speech, too," Bellatrix told Harry. "It is customary for the newly installed Minister of Magic to make some comments."

"If we're about to face down the Dark Lord, we will need to run some errands before I sit down and write some speech," Harry said.

"What do you mean?" Bellatrix said.

"I want to take him alive. That way, we can make sure he dies permanently and possibly even mine his mind for any information we need. It also helps us give mercy to those who might actually deserve it if we have a visible scapegoat. To take him alive, there will have to be some preparations before we launch the attack," Harry said.

"Taking him alive would be very dangerous," Bellatrix said slowly. "I suppose you could heavily dose him with potions and keep him unconscious most of the time. But, his supporters would try to break him out and might even fail to disband as quickly as you would hope."

"We can make sure we take him away to a secret place," Harry said walking through their flat and making his way into the supply room.

"His most loyal supporters will find a way to track him when you transport him," Bellatrix said as Harry rooted around in the piles of equipment he had accumulated since he and Bellatrix had taken the flat.

"Magical tracking was always a problem during the Lost War," Harry said. "But Hermione invented an untraceable portkey." From a pile of equipment, Harry produced one of the Rubik's cube portkeys.

"I am pretty sure those are traceable," Bellatrix said.

Harry smiled and then tapped his wand to the cube, muttering something under his breath. The plastic Rubik's Cube suddenly became a semi-opaque cube of dark glass. "Hermione's final invention," Harry said sadly. "The anti-portkey portkey."

"The what?" Bellatrix demanded.

"It does not travel with the person whom it transports. It sends them to their final destination. And then, it portkeys itself to an ocean and self-destructs," Harry explained. "Hermione wanted to make it so that the person's destination could not be divined from the portkey itself, but she was short on time and opted to also make it a normal portkey that went away and self-destructed. We're going to need to dig up my other emergency boxes as quickly as possible so that we can have a lot of these on hand.

"All right, so maybe we can keep the Dark Lord under control, and maybe you can transport him via untraceable means, but people are going to eventually figure out where we are keeping him," Bellatrix said.

"Secrecy spells," Harry said. "And, if we have the Dark Lord, truth potions are going to force him to spill everything he knows about every Death Eater. Nobody will have time to mount any sort of rescue attempt before we capture them. I can have him convicted and executed before the end of the year."

"If you are quite sure that is the way you want to do it… ," Bellatrix said.

"Very sure," Harry said. "Now, let's get moving."

Dressed in finely tailored Wizengamot robes, Bellatrix passed through one of the portals that led into the Wizengamot chamber. She stopped to survey the room. The benches were about half full-an impressive showing for a pre-dawn government gathering. Of course, Bellatrix had made attendance mandatory for those under her thumb. The Dark-leaning Wizengamot members present were nervously eyeing both Bellatrix and the Aurors positioned at each exit.

Bellatrix made her way through the aisles toward the front of the room, where she had spied Amelia Bones seated very close to the spot where Harry would sit once he was installed. Feeling slightly grouchy that Amelia would be Harry's right-hand in the Ministry bureaucracy, Bellatrix took a seat next to her.

"Everything is in order," Amelia said. "There are enough gathered to make this legal-if only barely."

"What about the vote count?" Bellatrix asked.

"If your band of miscreants is all on your side, there should be enough. Let's hope that this thing gets started before too many unknowns realize that this meeting is happening." Amelia said. "I think we'll be okay, though. Foxe is being strangely accommodating. I didn't have to force the meeting at all. He issued the summons himself."

Bellatrix shrugged. The Foxes had never been the most predictable or reliable political family.

After only a couple of brief moments, the Wizengamot session was called to order as Acting Minister Foxe and Dumbledore, the Chief Warlock, entered and took their seats.

"The chair recognizes Acting Minister of Magic Edward Foxe," Professor Dumbledore said after going through the initial formalities.

Edward Foxe stood from where he was sitting. Interestingly, instead of taking a spot at the head of the room, he had taken his customary spot at one of the sides of the room next to his brother, Andrew. "Witches and wizards of the Wizengamot, there is a vacancy in the office of the Minister of Magic. As the senior official of the Ministry, I am Acting Minister. It is my right, as Acting Minister, to summon the Wizengamot to fill the vacancy. That is the purpose of this meeting." He then sat down.

"That was anti-climactic," Amelia whispered to Bellatrix.

There was silence in the chamber as everybody waited for somebody else to do something. It was customary for the Wizengamot to debate the status of the country and go through a process that involved the vetting of multiple candidates. But, everybody present knew that this meeting was for everybody present to offer a yea or nay vote on a pre-selected candidate. Moreover, the vast majority had already decided to vote yea.

Dumbledore eventually broke the silence. "I think we may as well begin the nominating process."

Amelia nudged Bellatrix.

Bellatrix stood. "I nominate Harry Ashworth Black."

"I second the nomination," Amelia called out.

The Foxes were staring at Bellatrix, confusion on their faces. It seemed they had been expecting Bellatrix to be the next Minister of Magic. The realization dawned in Bellatrix's mind that she might have been able to win a more protracted bid for the position.

Almost immediately after Amelia seconded the nomination, Amos Diggory motioned for the nominating process to end. It was seconded by another of Amelia's allies, and Dumbledore mechanically began the formal vote.

Well played, Amelia, Bellatrix thought. Well played, indeed . For some reason, Bellatrix could not summon anger. Harry was going to be Minister, Voldemort was going to be defeated, and Bellatrix would have the luxury and time to do nearly anything she wanted. Her turn would come-probably during easier time, too. When Dumbledore asked for Madam Black's vote, Bellatrix said "Yea."

Professor Dumbledore continued down the roll, calling the name of each member of the Wizengamot. Eventually, he reached the end. Harry was elected by a unanimous vote. If those who were not present had been present, Bellatrix supposed it would have been much closer, if an election had been able to proceed at all. Harry now needed to avoid giving cause to be removed. He would also have to be careful in making appointments to the Wizengamot when vacancies occurred.

At the conclusion of the vote, Dumbledore sent an Auror to fetch Harry from Bellatrix's office, where he had been waiting and, hopefully, writing a good inauguration speech. Harry eventually entered through one of the portals, looking strangely impressive in his black and purple cloak that did relatively little to hide the fact that he wore battle robes.

"The Wizengamot has elected you as Minister," Dumbledore informed Harry. The Headmaster, acting as Chief Warlock, then proceeded to formally install Harry into the position. At the conclusion, Dumbledore asked the new Minister Black if he had any words to offer.

"I do," Harry said as he scanned the room. "But I would like to address more than just those gathered here. A large number of Aurors and Ministry employees are gathering. I would like to address all those as well."

"I'm not sure there is enough room in the Ministry for such a gathering, Minister," Dumbledore said.

Bellatrix caught Harry eye and gestured at him. He looked at her questioningly, and she picked her way through the aisles and walked up to the podium. "Perhaps you can give a speech at the staging area where we launch our attack on the Dark Lord," she whispered. "But first you need to meet with the Death Eaters that have just elected you to give them your assurances and to get the information we need from them so that we can launch the attack. That's part of the bargain. They betray the Dark Lord to you for your mercy. You also need to appoint Amelia to be Senior Undersecretary and Frank to be the Direction of the DMLE. That will grease the skids."

Harry nodded, and Bellatrix returned to her seat. He then stood silently as he contemplated his next move.

"Minister?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Harry said slowly. "My wife has reminded me that if I am not to give a speech immediately, I should probably take care of some matters of business before too much time passes. I hereby appoint Amelia Bones to be Senior Undersecretary. I also appoint Frank Longbottom to be Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Somebody find Director Longbottom and notify him of his appointment. Tell him I want him to gather the Aurors and fighting volunteers at the ruins of Ravenbourgh. Undersecretary Bones and my wife will request that some of you present remain here. If they do not request you to stay, please go to Ravenbourgh and await my arrival.

Frank Longbottom was answering difficult questions.

"If you killed him, then how is it that he suddenly came alive and tried to kill Harry?" Moody asked.

Frank and various Order members were occupying a section of the lobby on the DMLE's floor. Frank glanced around nervously. "Look," he said quietly, "Acting Minister Foxe told me that I absolutely had to hit Crouch with a Killing Curse before he left the island. He said it was too dangerous to even allow him to live because of what You-Know-Who had done to him. He said to make it look like an accident. I swear that I hit him with a Killing Curse." He produced a piece of parchment from his robes. "This absolves me."

"I don't dispute that killing Crouch was a good idea," Moody said. "But if you hit him with a Killing Curse, he should have been dead."

"He was a horcrux," Lily Potter said. "That may have somehow rendered him immune."

"That sounds ridiculous," Moody said.

"Not if you think about it," Lily said. "The nature of a horcrux, apparently, is that-"

The group was spared from Lily's scholarly explanation when an Auror arrived via the lift. "Harry Black is now the Minister!" he yelled.

This caused excitement among many of the Aurors, and some of them even cheered.

The bearer of the exciting tidings continued. "Minister Black has appointed Frank Longbottom to be Director, too."

"Well, I guess that resolves the question," Lily said, grinning at Moody as many of the DMLE staff came over to congratulate Frank.

"Well?" Harry asked as Amelia Bones and Edward Foxe returned from forcefully interrogating Barty Crouch, Jr.

"His information matches what Bellatrix was able to get out of the Wizengamot members," Amelia said. "I realize that you want to make a formal speech to those that are gathering, but you need to make it short. We don't need You-Know-Who realizing that you're about to make a major attack on his lair and escaping the country or moving to a new hiding place while you're running your mouth. Everybody who knows about your election is firmly under our control. I've seen to that. But leaks happen eventually. "

Harry nodded. "It needs to be to a big audience, and it would not be very effective if I gave it after the battle. I also want the Wizengamot Death Eaters who elected me there. I want them to feel like they were part of a big movement to do this. I want them to hear what I say and then see what I do."

"You're not explaining it very well, but I get the picture," Amelia sighed.

"I might have a solution," Edward said.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"I can send Unspeakables to put heavy anti-transportation wards in the area. Very heavy. The Department of Mysteries has some very powerful tools."

"What happens if the Dark Lord notices that portkey and apparition does not work?" Harry asked.

"He'll know you're coming," Edward said. "But there is nothing he can do about it."

"He can prepare for a siege," Amelia said.

"Yes, but I don't think that will make much difference," Edward said. "The Dark Lord has chosen his position well."

"We don't have to make it hard," Harry said. "We just communicate to the Death Eaters inside that they can kick him out the front door into our hands. If they don't, we blow the place to bits and burn the rest with Fiendfyre."

"I would discourage Fiendfyre," Edward said.

"I'm afraid it is necessary," Harry said. "But don't worry. Edward, see to it that those wards are put up as soon as possible. I will go and help Director Longbottom organize the finer points of the attack and then give my speech."

Edward nodded. "It shall be as you wish." He departed, ostensibly heading for the Department of Mysteries.

"Let's go up to the DMLE and check there before heading to Ravenbourgh," Harry said to Amelia.

"I was hoping we could talk about something else first," Amelia said.

"What?" Harry asked.

"You don't want people to think that you're taking orders from your wife," Amelia said.

Harry looked at Amelia questioningly. "Are you talking about when Bellatrix reminded me to appoint you and Frank?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Amelia said. "The last thing you need is for anybody to suspect or think they have proof that you are a puppet of your wife. The pureblood families would no doubt be thrilled, but you would lose the confidence of those who have survived this war."

"I'm not afraid to take good advice when it is offered," Harry said.

"But the public needs to be able to see for sure that you are taking good advice-that nothing else is happening," Amelia said. "The fact that you are going to be giving some sort of leniency to former Death Eaters will also have to be handled carefully."

"What do you suggest then?" Harry asked. "You can't just raise concerns to me without having something in mind."

"I suppose it will be okay if you and Bellatrix make bargains with former Death Eaters. Compensation for damage they did, public service, etc. But you also have to be seen as throwing the book at some of them. It has to be clear that you are willing to punish some Death Eaters to the full extent of the law."

"Good cop, bad cop, then?" Harry said.

"What?" Amelia said.

"It's a Muggle thing," Harry said slowly. "So, you're concerned that Bellatrix is going to be seen as having too much influence over me and that she risks making my election look too much like some sort of twisted pureblood victory. You're also concerned that the leniency thing could blow up in my face."

"Sort of," Amelia said.

"So, we're going to have to have public trials for these Death Eaters," Harry said.

"Yes."

"How about I appoint Bellatrix to be the Chief Prosecutor of Death Eater Crimes," Harry suggested. "It will be her and her underlings' job to accuse Death Eaters, investigate them, and argue for the harshest punishments possible. Regardless of her feelings, I know she can come off as being rabidly against all of them. These Death Eaters will have defenders who will make sure that we aren't unfairly sticking it to people and who can help these Death Eaters perhaps bargain for lighter sentences. If Death Eaters bargain, I could make bargains that are subject to approval by the Wizengamot. Nobody would find fault there, would they?"

"Well, something like that could work," Amelia mused. "The only problem is finding someone who will be willing to help defend Death Eaters that everybody already knows are guilty."

"We'll make it a Ministry job," Harry said. "Easy."

"Yeah, and what bureaucrat is going to be so exacting about his or her extremely unpopular job and see the grand importance of it?" Amelia said.

"I believe his name is Percy Weasley," Harry said.

There was a long pause. "I do believe you are right," Amelia finally said.

"I'll see to it that he gets a good promotion after the bulk of the trials are over."

"Well, let's focus on taking down You-Know-Who first," Amelia said.

Under the supervision of Director Longbottom and Professor Dumbledore, an army gathered at the ruins of Ravenbourgh. Aurors, Ministry employees, Order members, and the occasional family member made up the crowd. Rose Potter fit into the latter category. She and Leo were with Sidra and Lily. James and Sirius had been called away to help supervise some groups of Ministry employees.

"Well, Harry is certainly taking his time, isn't he?" Sidra grumbled.

"I'm sure he's doing his best," Lily said.

"If you did not actually give birth to him, he's not your son," Sidra said, rolling her eyes. "Besides, you don't even know for sure that the you in the alternate future gave birth to him."

"It's the only logical explanation," Lily said serenely. "Once this is all over, we'll have a family dinner with Harry and Bellatrix to sort this out."

"Besides," Sidra continued, "if Harry is our family, why didn't he appoint Dad to be the Director of Magical Law Enforcement instead of Longbottom?"

"Your father loves fun a little too much," Lily said. "Or at least, he used to. Harry gave him a detention once, you know."

Rose and Leo looked at each other and laughed.

"That would explain why Dad wasn't eager to buy the theory that Harry could be his son," Rose said, still snickering.

Further conversation was cut off when a ripple in the crowd signified that Harry had arrived. Rose and her family strained to see him, but were not able to see him through the crowd until he climbed up onto one of Ravenbourgh's ruined walls with some other witches and wizards. The sun was not entirely up, but there was just enough light to make out the people standing on the wall. Harry was especially obvious. His battle robes and the bright purple of his outer cloak made him look different than those standing near him.

"Attention!" came Frank Longbottom's amplified voice. "Minister Black has arrived. He wishes to say a few words before we march to end You-Know-Who's reign of terror."

After a brief moment, Harry's amplified voice washed over the crowd. Rose strained her eyes to make Harry out as he stood on the ruins of the once impressive manor of the Blacks.

"Many years ago, the Dark Lord Voldemort made himself known to those who were dissatisfied with the state of the magical world. I think many of those people were hurting for what were perhaps valid reasons. But Voldemort did not come to heal. He rubbed salt into both real and imaginary wounds and, from those angry with the government, raised an army to conquer."

Harry paused for dramatic emphasis and then continued in a more docile tone. "He failed to conquer, however. And, many of those in Voldemort's army have realized that Voldemort cares little for their welfare. Had Voldemort been successful, he would not have made a world that anybody could enjoy, for his only goal was self-gratification. He dictated that people who disagreed with the goals and visions for society set by his lusts were to be tortured, killed, or otherwise ostracized. Anyone who impeded his progress was to be killed-even loyal followers who fell short. Let us be grateful that the Ministry was able to hold its ground as well as it did and mourn for those who were senselessly killed or otherwise put under Voldemort's power."

Harry continued his speech, speaking more loudly now, and gesturing with his hand that was not holding his wand to his throat. "This morning, I have been elected to serve as your Minister of Magic. Those who elected me include both those who realize they made a mistake in supporting Voldemort and those who have suffered these many years. In large part, I feel that you have elected me because of your perception of my prowess on the battlefield. I vow to you that I will end Voldemort's reign of terror. Moreover, I vow to you that I will help rebuild the magical world. Victims of this war will be cared for. Those who wish to do anyone harm will be prevented from doing so. The Ministry will do its best to honor the claims of justice."

"Our magic is our universal birthright," Harry declared, now sounding conversational. "Those who have it belong in our community. That fact is paramount. To the descendants of pureblood lines, I promise that you shall be able to preserve many of your traditions so long as they do not harm the community or exclude those entitled to inclusion by their magic. To those of you with a non-traditional magical heritage, I promise to preserve your place in this world, but you must realize that while we welcome your ideas and innovations, you have much to learn before you can demand certain changes. For those of you who are not average wizards or witches or who are not wizards or witches at all, I also promise you a place in this world and accommodations for what burdens plague you so long as you are good citizens. Most of all, I promise that I will pay attention to your needs. That which is important to your welfare and to the future of our community will be what guides me."

"Now," Harry declared as the sunrise finally made it easier for many in the crowd to see him. "let us bring an end to this bloody and tragic chapter of our community's history and lay the foundation for a world in which everybody with magic is welcome and in which they can happily find a niche with their friends and family."