Imprisoned in the Past

Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 4/24/1983, 17:42

Harry sighed as he sat at the table having to endure Narcissa's irritated looks every so often. They were having another family dinner night and Harry was expecting a row in the near future.

Cassiopeia had already transferred the funds to his vault as the terms agreed upon were carried out. She made it no secret that she was pretty hacked off with him but as Harry had told her when she came by last Friday, he completed the job as specified.

Harry knew it wouldn't be long, now that the dessert course had been served, he could tell Narcissa was dying to lay into him and the waiting was driving her mad.

Harry had just finished his chocolate cake when Narcissa confirmed his suspicion by standing to her feet.

"Harry, can I have a word in private, please?" Narcissa asked in a forced polite tone.

"Alright, let's step onto the deck," Harry answered resignedly.

They both stepped out onto the deck and Narcissa cast a whole slew of privacy charms before turning to Harry.

"Why did you change the plans?!" She demanded without preamble.

"I couldn't kill someone who is for the most part innocent," Harry said calmly watching his sister-in-law's eyes flash irritably.

"She tried to kill Bellatrix!" Narcissa snapped back stomping her high heel onto the deck angrily.

"And I will deal with her very shortly but I can not kill someone just to further Cassie's cause," Harry said flatly.

"She wanted Augusta dead, I know she would still pay a hefty sum to see that happen," Narcissa said pointedly.

"There is no price on being able to look at yourself in the mirror, Cissa" Harry shrugged.

"She will find someone who will carry it out," Narcissa argued back rolling her eyes at him.

"No she won't otherwise she wouldn't have hired me to take the job in the first place," Harry smirked.

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked in confusion.

"Anyone can carry out an assassination, she hired me to make it look like an accident just like I did for you. No, she can't have Augusta killed in an obvious assassination or it will very likely come back on her and after Rita published that article Cassie is already under the microscope," Harry explained.

"You planned this all out, that's why you wanted such a public setting," Narcissa exclaimed irritably.

"Actually, my wife guided me away from my original plan which was just to kill her and frame Nott for it," Harry chuckled at the look of disbelief on his sister-in-law's face.

"Bellatrix," Narcissa said dumbly.

"Yes, she advised me not to kill the Dowager Longbottom, let Cassie do her own dirty work," Harry shrugged.

Narcissa sighed and took a seat on the couch before looking at him, " you are going to fit in well in the Wizengamot."

"I don't want a seat on the Wizengamot," Harry said tiredly

"Tough, you will be getting an official appointment after Cassie gets elected minister. Now there is no option, you have completely unbalanced the Wizengamot with that spectacle you set up in my ballroom," Narcissa said flatly.

"I will not be one of her yes men," Harry warned.

"We know that, but you will help balance out the radical light side agenda Augusta will be pushing when she is released from prison," Narcissa shrugged.

"Great, you know I hate politics," Harry sighed.

"Then you should have killed the old bat like I suggested, to begin with," Narcissa shrugged.

"Fine, but you do realize we will be going abroad late this summer, likely for a few months," Harry pointed out.

"Why?" Narcissa asked in surprise.

"I will be studying with a magizoologist who specialises in serpents and will be taking Bella and the kids with me," Harry explained with a shrug.

"Where are you going?" Narcissa asked.

"Brazil," Harry grinned.

Before Narcissa could comment further Bella stepped out onto the porch.

"If you're done throwing your tantrum Cissa, your spawn just threw up in the sitting room," Bella said as she waddled over to Harry's side.

"What's wrong with my little dragon?" Cissa asked worriedly.

"Bella doesn't know," Bella shrugged.

"He might have convinced Sirius to give him more cake," Harry suggested hiding a grin.

"If he made my little dragon sick I'll neuter that mutt!" Narcissa hissed in a dangerous voice before stalking into the house.

"So... how did it go?" Bella asked as she took a seat on the couch.

"Your sister and aunt have found a way to punish me," Harry answered with a sour expression.

"Really?" Bella asked curiously.

"They are planning to appoint me a Wizengamot seat," Harry said dispassionately.

"That's not a punishment, that is an honour and an elevation in station," Bella argued.

"I hate politics, it would also mean I would have to attend all of those boring functions," Harry groaned.

"There are a lot of balls we could attend," Bella reasoned.

"I like dancing with you, I have no interest in dancing with those old crones as is expected of a Lord of the Wizengamot," Harry scowled.

"Now that's not fair, Roxanne is pretty young," Bella argued.

"She is nine months pregnant," Harry pointed out.

"So am I," Bella shrugged.

"Do you want me to take the seat?" Harry asked looking Bellatrix in the eye.

"Yes, there are all kinds of privileges that go along with accepting the title of Lord of the Wizengamot," Bella said in a serious tone.

"Fine, but when I'm abroad you will have to be my proxy," Harry smirked.

"Bella doesn't mind, I can pass all sorts of nasty laws," Bella smirked.

"I can only imagine what laws you would put forward," Harry grinned.

"Sirius is in trouble," Tonks said happily as she wandered out to the deck.

"What did he do?" Harry asked amusedly.

"He left his butterbeer on the coffee table, Draco drank it and threw up," Tonks grinned.

"Poor bloke, she's going to neuter him after all," Harry said in faux sadness.

"What does neuter mean?" Tonks asked curiously.

"It means Cissa is going to cut off his-

"How's school going, Tonks?" Harry cut in shooting his smirking wife a warning look.

"Awful, I am horrible at arithmetic," Tonks pouted.

"You only have a little over a year until you start Hogwarts," Harry pointed out.

"I know, I can't wait to go so I can play Quidditch," Tonks exclaimed excitedly.

"First years very rarely get on the house teams," Harry said trying to let her down easy.

"I will," Tonks said confidently.

"What position do you want to play?" Harry asked curiously.

"Seeker," Tonks exclaimed with a manic gleam in her eyes.

"Really, I played seeker once or twice in school," Harry grinned.

"I know, but I'm going to be the best seeker Hogwarts has ever seen," Tonks smirked at him.

"Which house do you want to go to?" Harry asked finding ber cockiness amusing.

"Hufflepuff just like dad," Tonks said with a grin.

"A duffer, my niece wants to be a duffer?" Bellatrix asked incredulously.

"It's better than being a Slytherin," Tonks argued defiantly.

"Your mother was a Slytherin," Harry argued.

"Nymphadora what are you doing out here, you'll catch a cold?" Andromeda demanded.

"She was just explaining how awful it is to be a Slytherin," Bella told Andy while smirking at her niece.

"Ted has been corrupting her into a Hufflepuff," Andi sighed looking at her daughter in faux disappointment.

"How is Cissa, she never finished yelling at me?" Harry asked curiously.

"She had to take Draco home, the little tike is very sick," Andi said looking a bit worried.

"From butterbeer?" Harry asked in surprise.

"No, we think he might be coming down with a touch of the flu," Andi explained as she led them back inside the house.

"What about Sirius?" Bella asked noticing he wasn't in the sitting room.

"He took Harry home for the night, I think he just wanted to get away from Narcissa," Andromeda said in obvious amusement.

"Can't blame him there, she's on a roll tonight," Harry smirked secretly thanking his godfather for the welcome distraction.

"Yes, well I need to get Nymphadora home, she has school in the morning," Andi said not noticing her daughter scowling behind her.

"Alright, we'll see you next week, thanks for coming," Harry said politely.

"Yes thanks for coming Andi, and Nymphadora, I hope you end up in Slytherin," Bella added with a smirk right before mother and daughter disappeared into the green flames.

"Ugh, what a mess," Bella scowled as she saw the pile of sick still on the floor near the hearth.

Harry flicked his wand vanishing the vomit before chuckling, " Thanks for saving me from your sister."

"Yes, well she had already made her point and was about to circle back to the beginning of her argument," Bella shrugged.

"You heard the argument?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, I put a listening charm on your shoulder," Bella admitted unabashedly.

"Figures, still thanks for your help," Harry smiled.

"You're welcome, so what are you going to do about Augusta Longbottom?" Bella asked curiously.

"I am going to make her give me an oath that she won't harm our family or suffer the consequences," Harry answered simply.

"What consequences?" Bellatrix asked looking at him excitedly.

"If she doesn't back down and drop her grudge with you, all the evidence I planted at her home that would exonerate her of her crimes will magically disappear," Harry said flatly.

"Oh that is very Slytherin of you," Bella said in a husky voice as she took his hand and pulled him toward the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked in confusion.

"The bedroom, you have no idea how much it turns me on when you talk like that," Bella muttered.

'I'll have to remember that,' Harry thought as he stepped through the door to their room and kicked the door shut behind him.

Azkaban Island, North Sea, 5/1/1983, 11:39

Harry sat in the visitation room of Azkaban prison, it was a small twelve by twelve stone room with a small table and a chair on either side of it. Harry sat in the chair facing the door waiting on the guards to lead Augusta Longbottom into the room.

Harry had decided this was the best way to deal with Augusta, he had asked Amelia to set this meeting up so that he and Augusta could bury the hatchet so to speak.

Harry had paid the two aurors a hundred galleons a piece to give him and Augusta ten minutes of complete privacy. Harry hoped the outcome of this meeting would be beneficial to all parties involved and he could finally put this matter to rest.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts when the door to the room was thrown open. Augusta Longbottom was led into the room by two aurors, she had her hands cuffed in front of her and chains on her ankles that rattled with every step she took.

She was wearing the long grey prison robes that looked more like a long nightgown, she looked exhausted but otherwise healthy.

The guards guided her to a seat on the other side of the table and then instructed her to place her arms on tbe table. As soon as her arms rested on the table the chain on her manacles was pulled towards the table and seemed to fuse into the metal surface of the table.

"You have ten minutes, Mr Peverell," Auror Dawlish said before he and his partner left the room and sealed the door shut behind them

Harry drew his wand and began casting detection charms on the room, then cast them over himself and Augusta. After finding no listening or other spying charms he cast several powerful privacy charms before looking at Augusta expectantly.

"What do you want, Peverell?" Augusta demanded in a raspy tone.

"To talk," Harry said as he pulled a chocolate bar out of his inner breast pocket and slid across the table to her.

"Are you here to poison me like I tried to do to your wife?" Augusta asked suspiciously.

"No, the chocolate is perfectly safe to eat," Harry said pleasantly as he unwrapped the chocolate bar and broke off a piece before popping it in his mouth to prove his point.

"Fine, but we have nothing to talk about," Augusta said as she broke off a piece of chocolate and awkwardly brought it to her mouth, sighing as the chocolate helped eased the effects of the dementors.

"I believe we have lots to talk about, you see I have it within my power to get you cleared of the charges you are facing. I can also get you convicted of all of those charges and moved to the top floor with the inner circle death eaters and round the clock dementors," Harry said matter of factly as he tapped her chains to free her hands so she could eat with some dignity.

"What do you want from me?" Augusta asked in a hard voice though Harry saw the slightest touch of fear in her eyes at the thought of being sent upstairs.

"An oath that you will not harm my wife or my children by word or action on your part, we will have a live and let live arrangement between our two families. This has gone on long enough, I do not wish harm to befall my children if they were to get caught in the crossfire of this grudge you are holding against my wife," Harry said simply before taking another chocolate bar out of his pocket and taking a bite.

"You set me up, this was all you wasn't it?!" Augusta accused and Harry could see her putting the pieces together.

"I am not foolish enough to admit to anything of the sort, all I will say is that you're are being detained due to a horrible misunderstanding and two wrongfully acquitted death eaters died in the process," Harry said conversationally.

"I see, so why not just kill me instead of going through all of this effort to frame me, hypothetically of course?" Augusta asked shrewdly.

"As irritating as you have been since my wife was acquitted, you have done nothing to deserve such a fate and the wizarding world has already lost enough good people to the last war. There is also the fact that Cassiopeia Black is about to be elected as minister of magic and you are needed to oppose her in the Wizengamot," Harry answered candidly.

"What of Neville, who has been taking care of my grandson while I have been in here?" Augusta demanded, changing the subject long enough to consider her options.

"Arthur Weasley and his wife," Harry answered undeterred by her tone.

"That's something at least, what assurances do I have that I won't be sentenced by our new minister regardless of what we agree to here?" Augusta asked.

"There is a rookie reporter out there who has a gift for digging up the deepest of secrets. Between you, me, and the walls she's an unregistered animagus and bedding an auror but still very successful at getting a scoop. She has been using this story to boost her career but as a happy byproduct, the public is on the fence about your guilt or innocence in the Easter Ball massacre. This case will have the eyes of the wizarding world upon it, Cassiopeia Black cannot afford to unjustly imprison someone of your standing especially when the evidence of your innocence is irrefutable," Harry explained with a knowing smirk.

"So all you want from me is an oath that I will leave your death eater wife alone?" Augusta asked irritably.

"Yes, give me an oath that you will let this grudge go and you will be free on the date of your trial," Harry assured her.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Augusta said resignation clear in her tone.

"Of course, you have a choice, I just hope you make the right one," Harry said as he pulled his backup wand out and placed it on the table.

Augusta stared at the bone-white yew wand for a moment before picking it up and holding her wand arm over her heart before chanting.

"I Augusta Martha Longbottom, do hereby swear on my life and magic that I will bring no harm by word or action to any member of the house of Peverell unless acting in the defense of myself or house Longbottom, So mote it be!"

Harry watched as she was engulfed by a golden light as the oath took effect, Augusta looked a little woozy from the discharge of magic and shakily set the wand back on the table.

"Excellent, I brought you a few more of those chocolate bars though Amelia assures me the dementors should be moved from your floor by this evening," Harry said as he holstered the wand in his left arm holster and slid a stack of half a dozen chocolate bars across the able to Augusta.

"Well played Peverell, as long as our armistice stands we shall live and let live but we shall never be allies," Augusta stated firmly as the door to the visitation room banged open and Dawlish and his partner entered the room.

"That is all I ask, Madam Longbottom," Harry said bowing his head respectfully.

"Times up Mr Pevetell," Dawlish said as Harry stood from his chair.

"Thank you Auror Dawlish, I shall take my leave, good day to you all," Harry said as he gave the aurors a respectful bow before striding out of the room.

As Harry made his way across the dreary courtyard of Azkaban towards the dock he couldn't help but think that today's trip had been very productive.

Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 5/5/1983, 16:38

Harry was going over a few new books he had purchased on magical serpents of South America. Newt had suggested he read up on as much as he could before he apprenticed with the magizoologist who specified in serpents. Mr Patil was a world-renowned expert on magical snakes and like Harry a parselmouth, so he wouldn't be impressed if Harry expected his gift to be all he needed to work with magical snakes.

From reading the first book, Serpents of the Americas by: Samuel Krait, Harry learned there were thousands of breeds of snakes in Brazil many of them poisonous. The more he read, the more he could see the wisdom in understanding as much as he could about the snakes that he would be interacting with.

Harry was surprised to learn that all snakes were magical in one way or another, otherwise, parseltongue would not be possible. Snakes did not vocalize to communicate with one another.

Minus a few exceptions (mating, food, and hibernation) snakes were solitary creatures and avoided other snakes for fear of being eaten. But a snake's innate magic allowed it to communicate with a parselmouth, it boosted their intelligence enough to understand commands they were being given, and overrode their fight or flight instincts so they did not attack a speaker.

The snakes' wizards considered magical; basilisks, runespores, horned serpents, and the like were another matter altogether. They were very intelligent and would not simply bow to a parselmouth, you had to earn their allegiance or suffer their displeasure.

No, being a parselmouth wouldn't make working with magical serpents any safer, he still had to know how to approach these animals respectfully and how to avoid being attacked.

Harry was pulled from his reading as Bella came onto the deck carrying an official envelope with a ministry seal.

"I believe your exam results have arrived, husband," Bellatrix said as she waddled over to take her seat beside him on the outside couch.

"You have got to be the prettiest mail owl I have ever seen," Harry smirked as he accepted the letter and hastily broke the seal on the envelope before pulling out the exam results.

Mr Harry James Peverell,

We are pleased to inform you that you have earned your Mastery in Care for Magical Creatures/ Great Britain and Scotland.

The following are your scores for your written and practical exams as well as our determined score for your thesis which has been published under your name in the ministry archives.

Please note that the scoring system for Mastery exams is graded in per cent out of one hundred.

Practical-99%

Written- 97%

Thesis-100%

On a personal note, it was a pleasure testing you. On behalf of myself and my colleagues at the wizard examination authority, we wish you luck as you pursue your career in magizoology.

Sincerely ,

Griselda Marchbanks

Senior examiner for the Wizard Examination Authority

Harry reread the letter three times before grinning appreciatively and was about to put the letter back in the envelope. When he picked up the envelope he felt something sliding around inside it, reaching in curiously he pulled out a tiny rectangular framed document.

Harry squinted at it for a minute before shaking his head at how silly he was being before touching the tiny frame with the tip of his wand.

The frame expanded to an eight by ten framed diploma which read.

Harry James Peverell has earned his,  Mastery in Care of Magical Creatures  in Great Britain and Scotland, on the day, third of May nineteen eighty-three.

Below this was the wizard examination authority seal that had an etching of a wand and quill crossed on top of an open book and the signature of every examiner that oversaw Harry sitting his mastery exams. The frame was a deep walnut, it had tiny magical animals etched around into the wood. Harry grinned and passed the diploma over for Bellatrix to see.

"Well done, Harry," Bellatrix smiled proudly before pulling him in for a kiss.

When Harry pulled back he grinned at her before flicking his wand at the diploma causing it to float over to the wall above his writing desk and hang itself proudly for all to see.

"I will have to visit Newt tomorrow but I believe this will make me a certified magizoologist," Harry grinned before pulling Bella in for another kiss.

"That means you can wait on me hand and foot until I pop out these sprogs," Bella said with a grin.

"Agreed," Harry grinned as Bella snuggled into his side.

'Hopefully, that won't be too much longer,' Harry thought to himself as his wife started running her fingers through his hair.

Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 5/7/1983, 14:29

Harryand Bellatrix were just coming back inside from a walk on the beach, the weather was nice today and Bella wanted to get out for a bit.

The last few days had been laid back for both of them. It turns out that Newt had been alerted by Griselda Marchbanks before she had even sent Harry's results out, so Newt had Harry's credentials as a certified magizoologist waiting for him when Harty had arrived at his mentor's house yesterday afternoon.

So he was officially done mentoring under Newt Scamander, though Newt had encouraged him to stay in touch and visit as often as he could.

Harry had been very surprised to learn that Newt had hired a caretaker for his collection of animals who would also double as his assistant when he went into the field. Harry had done a doubletake when he learned the assistant was none other than Rubeus Hagrid.

Harry was pleased with this news, Hagrid would be a valuable asset to Newt as he was very good with animals and could manhandle all but the largest of animals if the occasion called for it and it would give Hagrid his fill of deadly monster to cuddle with.

Harry led Bellatrix to the couch and helped ease her into a comfortable position before taking a seat beside her looping his arm over her shoulder.

"That was nice, but the walk up those stairs was awful," Bella whined as she kicked off her shoes.

"It won't be much longer now," Harry grinned before leaning in to kiss her.

Bella eagerly responded her fingers carded through his hair as she kissed him back, their kissing had just started getting heated when Bellatrix gasped in shock and pulled away.

Harry could hear a steady dripping sound on the floor, he also noticed the couch they were sitting on was now very wet.

"H-Harry, I think my water just broke," Bella said quietly.

"R-right, I'll send for Cissa," Harry said before sending his cobra patronus to get Narcissa here.

Harry was starting to freak out, he had no idea what to do right now and was just about to get up to call Andromeda when the fireplace lit up in green flames and Andromeda and Narcissa stepped out one after the other.

"Her water just broke," Harry said in a panicked voice.

"Calm down Harry, it will be alright, if you want to wait outside we can handle this," Andromeda said in a calming tone.

"No, he put them in me, he will stay with me during their birth!" Bella stated before grimacing in pain as she felt her first contraction begin.

"She's right, I'll stay with her," Harry said as he stole his nerves.

"Very well," Narcissa said she flicked her wand at the couch transfiguring it into a reclined bed with stirrups, before transfiguring Bella's robes into a hospital gown.

Harry stayed back as the sisters got Bella comfortable, once she was situated Harry took a seat beside her and took her hand to try and calm her.

"Drink this, Bella," Narcissa said as she tipped a tiny vial of pink potion in Bella's mouth.

"What was that?" Harry asked curiously.

"It was a potion to accelerate the body's processes and speed things along so to speak," Narcissa answered distractedly as she squatted down between the stirrups and cast a diagnostic spell on Bella.

Suddenly Harry was pulled from his observations as Bella's hand squeezed his own like a vice and she let out a guttural scream.

"Just breath," Bella Harry said soothingly.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU EVER TOUCH ME WITH THAT THING AGAIN, I'LL RIP IT OFF AND FEED IT TO YOU!" Bellatrix shrieked angrily as a powerful contraction tore through her body causing a burst of accidental magic to explode out of her, shattering every window in tbe room.

"She doesn't mean it dear," Andromeda said soothingly but Harry saw the look of amusement on her face.

She is fully dilated now," Narcissa said from her position.

"Alright Bella, it's getting close to-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bella shrieked in agony as she experienced the worst contraction so far.

The next few hours were a bit of a blur for Harry as Bella began the process of giving birth. Harry tried his best to calm his wife and hold her hand, coaching her as he had seen on the telly. This had mixed results as his wife was very angry at his manhood at the moment, she uttered angry threats against his bits that sent a shiver down his spine. There was also no doubt that a few of the bones in his hand were broken from how powerfully she gripped him but he ignored the pain and just focused on helping her through this as best he could.

'I hope we don't have to go through this again anytime soon,' Harry thought as the wailing cry of a baby echoed through the room.

Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 5/7/1983, 19:56

Harry sat in a chair beside their bed, Bella was sound asleep at the moment and Harry was watching over her and the two babes sleeping in the bassinet.

Bella had given Birth to Ignotus James Peverell at six twenty-three, he was a small babe with tufts of raven hair and violet eyes.

Their daughter was born at six twenty-eight, they had named her Carina Lily Peverell, she also had raven hair though Harry could already make out the unmistakable ringlets just like Bella's hair, Carina had emerald green eyes and chubby little cheeks that Harry found simply adorable.

The road to get here had been a long one but now he officially had a family of his own, his children were absolutely beautiful and he swore to himself then and there that they would grow up in a better world than he had. He was going to end Voldemort and anyone else that stood in his way.

'We sure made some pretty babies,' Harry thought as he watched his little family sleep.