"Bellatrix I know for a fact there is only one person in this school that can use their wand better than you and he has defended our family continuously since he arrived" he said knowingly.
"I'm not worried for me" Bellatrix whispered furiously as her eyes flickered towards Narcissa.
Arcturus nodded his understanding.
"Then teach her" he shrugged.
Bellatrix swallowed deeply and nodded.
She would of course try to teach her sister as much as she could but she knew that Narcissa was not a duelist, she was just not that way inclined.
"That goes for you boys too" Dorea spoke up.
"Huh?" James replied dumbly.
Dorea sighed.
"I don't like it but you need to be prepared, just in case" she conceded.
Charlus put an arm around his wife and gave her a comforting squeeze. Dorea had always been intent on not teaching James the family magic, not at all anticipating or believing that another Dark Lord would arise so quickly after Grindelwald.
James nodded his understanding and looked towards Harry.
After the previous days events Harry wanted nothing more than to just protect his friends and family but he now knew more than ever he couldn't keep them out of the conflict no matter how much he wanted to. It was not his place to decide that for them so he nodded his agreement. He would rather that they were prepared, as he was, than being caught off guard without any way of taking care of themselves.
"Good" Arcturus observed happily with a clap of his hands. "Now, I need to talk to Harry so leave" he demanded of the other teens who only hesitated momentarily before making their way out of the hall. "I will visit your mother and explain everything" he added as he noticed Bellatrix hesitate at the exit.
The young girl frowned confusedly before shaking her head and leaving with the others.
After the door had closed Arcturus turned towards Harry and addressed him as gravely and seriously as Harry had seen him. "I need you to watch over them" he stated simply. "There's no one else I trust to do it so, just keep an eye on them" he requested.
Harry nodded his agreement and waited for the man to continue.
"Regulus too" Arcturus added. "I know he's getting himself mixed up with them but he will be seen as a traitor and he will need someone to help him" he explained.
Harry again nodded his understanding. He had had little experience of the younger Black boy but he would do it for the older man.
"Thank you" Arcturus returned gratefully. "Bellatrix is very capable with a wand but she has been caught out by them already and she will never ask for help, she's too stubborn, so look out for her when you can".
"I will" Harry promised. He knew that Bellatrix was certainly more than capable of taking care of herself though and knew it was unlikely that she would need him to help her in any way. From what he had seen of the girl during the battle she was a very capable witch, much more capable than any other teen with a standard education and for the first time since arriving he had seen a true glimpse of what she had become before.
"I'm relying on you to keep them safe within these walls Harry, it's not a position I would ever give to anyone else" Arcturus reiterated. "And in return Charlus and myself are going to work on the political side of things, you will need that kind of backing sooner or later".
Harry expressed his gratitude with a nod. He knew that having Arcturus on side could only be a good thing for him especially when it came to politics, something he had no interest in whatsoever. "We will also be there when you need us and it matters" Charlus cut in.
He then sighed and dragged his hand through his hair in the typical Potter manner.
"I know I can't stop you from doing what you plan on doing but I can help you, even though we just want you to be safe and have the life here you didn't get the chance to before".
"I can't have a life until he's gone" Harry whispered. "You know it has to be me" he reminded him.
Charlus nodded reluctantly.
"I know son, just try and enjoy the small things though and don't let it rule you" he advised seriously as he put his arm around the boy.
"I'll try" Harry promised.
"Good" Charlus acknowledged. "Now I think that it is time for us to leave but remember what we said". Harry nodded his understanding.
"We will see you soon for Easter" Dorea whispered as she too hugged the boy warmly. "Do stay out of trouble".
"Trouble seems to find me" Harry replied with a grin.
Dorea shook her head and led the other two out of the hall leaving Harry alone.
He shook his head and sighed before he left the hall also to return to Gryffindor tower just wanting some peace after the drama of the morning.
"Potter" a voice broke in as he made his way to the staircase.
He turned to see Bellatrix emerge from a disused classroom. She approached him and stood in front of him clearly having trouble saying what she wanted to.
"Teach me" she muttered quietly. "What?" Harry asked disbelievingly.
Bellatrix sighed.
"Teach me" She said a little louder.
Harry frowned and shook his head.
"You don't need me to teach you, you can handle yourself just fine" he returned.
"Not as well as you can" she pointed out. "Please, I just want to protect my family" she pleaded.
Harry understood her reasoning better than anyone else would but he knew that there was little he could teach the girl. She had a very impressive spell repertoire as it was.
"You just need to practice, you know more than enough spells to do that" he explained before turning away.
Bellatrix took him by the arm and spun him round to face her once more. "You're the reason my family are in this mess in the first place" she hissed angrily. "If you hadn't interfered at Christmas then we wouldn't be in this position".
"And you would be marrying Rudolphus and your sister would be walking down the isle with Malfoy, is that what you want?" Harry returned hotly as he pulled his arm out of her grip.
Bellatrix shook her head fiercely.
"I don't need you to teach me many spells, just teach me how to fight like you" she requested softly.
Harry sighed and dragged his hand through his hair.
He found himself in quite the quandary. He knew that Bellatrix was not the same person she was in his timeline but he was very reluctant to teach her anything that could one day be used against him or his friends. He sighed again as his thoughts continued.
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