43 Harry Gaunt - Chapter 43

"Harry?" Bellatrix called through the darkness. "Harry, it's too dark." She stumbled across a rock, then huffed at his terrible plan. Harry was just ahead of her, insisting for some particular reason that the lights be left off.

He hadn't even let her hold his hand. "Harry, I can't see."

"That's the point," he returned finally from a few paces ahead. He was feeling his way as well, this was where Lockhart had collapsed the cave. "Just take your time."

It was quite fun actually.

"Then at least let me walk next to you," she said speeding up a bit. "Why can't we just fly through here? That's much easier." She liked mixing with Harry when he was made from smoke.

Harry sighed. He supposed that might have worked too. "I was just trying to protect us," he said as he reached for her arm. "I don't know how far it can roam."

Tom hadn't mentioned that little bit when he'd been cucking Ginny's soul out.

"It should be dead by now." Bellatrix had said so before as she held his hand. "They don't live that long. And even if it is, you can speak to it." She tried looking at him. "Right?"

Harry was a Parseltongue, they wouldn't hurt him. She'd even heard stories that snakes physically couldn't.

Harry had scoffed in her face, apparently that was rubbish as he ushered them forwards. "You're not completely wrong," he said as they inched their way through the cave. "It should really be dead by now…" He squeezed her hand. "I should have come down first."

Harry still had trouble thinking things through. He'd just wanted to show Bellatrix where he planned to work, the perfect place for his dangerous experiments with Soul Magic.

Bellatrix tripped over a rock again. "No, I want to see it with you." She stepped over it, there was a light further ahead. "We must be the first people here in centuries," she said as they arrived at a narrow passageway. "Too small for a Basilisk?"

She at it. The light was further on round a bend.

Harry recognised this bit. They were almost there. "This way," he said as he led them down. "Corvinus certainly came here, but he wasn't the last, that'd be Tom during his school years."

The walls scuffed their shoulders. Harry had been a very small 12-year-old.

"Do you think he setup protections?" asked Bellatrix as they went single-file.

"No, I don't think he did." Harry and Ron hadn't had any trouble getting in before. "Here, this is it."

A large door appeared ahead of them at the end of the passage, round and adorned with decorative snakes. Harry quickly positioned Bellatrix behind him, where she stayed with her hands against his back.

"Open."

She was eager to see as the snakes clicked back one by one. Harry moved with the door as it swung open.

Harry looked back to her. "Stay here," he said. "Wand out." He stepped away and hopped through the entrance, leaving Bellatrix to stay put beside the door. She pouted. She really needed to get better with her wand, she was hardly a witch when Harry was around.

She moved closer so she could hear.

Clack… Clack… Clack…

Was Harry throwing stones?

"Honestly Harry," she muttered with a peek round the door. "Heir to Slytherin and he throws stones…"

Clack…

He was stood by an enormous statue of a man's head. Bellatrix looked around at the beautiful place, adorned almost everywhere with effigies of snakes and serpent scales. It seemed very well preserved.

"Harry!" She shouted. "Can I come in now?"

Her voice echoed within the chamber, causing Harry to stop with his arm half-cocked. He looked back at her. "No, not yet." He threw the rock towards Salazar's eye. "Stay there."

Harry heard her annoyed huff. She stayed back. "Looks like Tom was right," he said to himself as he tossed the final stone. "It won't come until it's called." He watched the rock clatter down and land in the shallow water.

Time to see if Salazar really was the great of the Hogwarts Four. "Hello?" he hissed. "Can you hear me?"

Harry listened, waiting carefully for the mouth to drop open, hoping that it wouldn't as he prepared to looking away.

But there was nothing, until-

"Who's thereeee…"

The hiss was loud and strong. Bellatrix would have heard it too. "A Speaker?" The Basilisk sounded surprised.

"Yes, I am Harry Gaunt." Harry kept his eye upon Salazar's nose. "Lord of House Gaunt."

"Let me see you." The Basilisk demanded quickly. "Please…"

Harry heard the grind of scales against the stone, the Basilisk hissed excitedly.

"You won't hurt me?" hissed Harry. "Or my friend?"

The grinding stopped. "Your friend? Are they a Gaunt too?"

It sniffed the air. Harry could hear it.

"No." Harry shifted between his feet. The Basilisk went silent. "Hello?"

…

Harry titled his head.

"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four." The mouth began to open, the hissing from within growing bold. "None but the blood of him may step forth in here."

Harry shuffled back. The Basilisk's head was already trying to come out as the mouth opened wide. Harry promptly disappeared back to Bellatrix.

"Harry!" She grabbed a hold of him as he swung the door closed. "Are you okay?" She checked him over.

"Yes." He turned back and picked her up. "We need to go."

She panicked as he hoisted her up. "Is it coming?" She felt him nod against her chest. She held on.

Crack.

They disappeared to the sound of a head butting against a metal door. Then they appeared in the bathroom again, the journey back taking Bellatrix's breath away. "Tha ha -that didn't go as expected." She put a hand against the sink as Harry steadied her, he'd rushed it. "What happened?"

It had been going well from what she'd been able to tell, right up until the mouth started to open. "It was angry."

But Harry didn't answer, someone else did as Myrtle drifted up from her cubicle, looking mad. "Who are you two?" She demanded. "Ah! A boy."

She swept towards. Myrtle looked disapprovingly at Bellatrix. "Is he your husband?"

Harry was already walking away.

"N-no, sorry. I've got to go." Bellatrix hurried off, leaving Myrtle to moan and disappear down her toilet.

Bellatrix caught up with Harry.

"We'll talk about it later," he assured as they descended the stairs. "I'll have to go back later on my own."

Harry had expected to anyway, even if Bellatrix didn't like the sound of that. "I should be with you Harry," she said quickly. "What if something happens?"

"It'll be fine. I've dealt with them before." Harry dismissed her concerns. He needed to find Sirius.

"Wha-" Bellatrix pulled them to a halt at the bottom of the stairs. "When?" she demanded pointedly. "How?"

Harry looked at her strangely. "It happens. It was only once before," he assured. She was giving him a strange look of her own. "What? You think I am lying?"

That was a first as Bellatrix crossed her arms. "I find it difficult to believe," she rebutted. "Prove it."

"I've already told you," said Harry testily. "I can't." He tried to move away before Bellatrix tugged him back.

"You don't have to tell me everything, just…" She looked into his eyes. "Show me. I know you can, I've seen you do it."

There were moments where Harry would stare into another's eyes, and in his face, learn something new. "I was bound to notice," she added. "You're a Legilimens, aren't you?"

She was right. Harry grumbled, he'd hardly used it since coming back. "Why do you look so happy?" he asked suspiciously at her growing smile. "I am not showing you." He tried to turn away again.

Bellatrix crept up on him. She wouldn't let him go. "Oh yes you are," she smirked playfully. "Because if you don't, I'll assume you haven't faced one, and are therefore fibbing about how amazing you are." She touched a delicate finger against his chest. "Besides, I just want to see it. Is that really so bad?"

Harry looked at her carefully. "Yes."

She raised a brow.

"And no," he finished tiredly. "You've never doubted me before."

Bellatrix nodded. But that was before, not now. "Just show me what it looked like," she pleaded. "Did you fight one?"

Harry fought the urge to run away. "Yes."

Bellatrix had a look that was strangely entrancing. "Was it beautiful? Did you speak to it too? Did it tell you anything?" She wiggled her body into his, she wanted Harry's hands around her. "I read that they were intelligent, akin to House Elves and Centaurs."

She looked to him for an answer. Harry took a breath. "If they live long enough, then yes."

"And their eyes?" Bellatrix smiled as she looked into his. "I suppose you never saw them, thank Merlin." She hugged him.

"A sickly yellow," said Harry. "And I never saw them. They'd been gouged out." He felt Bellatrix squeeze him softly. "It was pitiful. You don't want to see it."

She looked up at him. "Please, for me, just this once." She touched his face. "I-I don't mean to force you, but… I am not letting you go until you do." She grinned at him.

Bellatrix wanted a piece of his past to hold onto, not just stories and little lies. She wanted something real, and since they didn't have a Pensieve, this was the next best thing. It had been knowing at her for quite some time as she felt Harry shift away from her, his face set in stone. "No-"

Bellatrix took his hand and headed off. "This way," she giggled. "Let's go outside." She tugged him along through the corridors before he could deny her again. "We've not been to the lake yet. There's a good spot where we can skim stones."

The green as they came outside was littered with first-years on their brooms. They were floating about while a woman barked at them from below, the weather bright and perfect for flying. Harry looked at them with nostalgia, he hadn't realised he'd slowed to a stop.

Bellatrix watched him. She had to know as she gently squeezed his hand. "Do you want to watch them?" Harry's eyes had that look again, that lost and absent gaze. "They won't mind."

He flicked his gaze to her. "No, lead the way." He shook it off with an easy smile. He'd gotten better at dealing with whatever it was, something she credited herself with as she tugged him along around the green.

A few of the first-years took note, the teacher as well as she turned slightly around. But she did nothing as Bellatrix and Harry headed off towards the lake.

"Miss, where are they going?" asked a young girl bobbing on her broom. "It's lesson time." She hovered with difficulty beside her Madam Hooch, not wanting to go too far from her.

"They're not supposed to be wondering off," tutted Hooch with a whistle in her hand. "But when you're a descendant of Salazar Slytherin, some rules don't always apply to you." She blew her whistle, gesturing the other students to return.

Miss Thomas was a Hufflepuff, a half-blood too. "That's Lord Gaunt?" she asked with an excited bounce. "Awesome!"

"You're not to move Miss Thomas," ordered Hooch as her broom inched forwards. "Now join the others."

"Aww." Miss Thomas moped as she did so reluctantly. "I just wanted a closer a look."

Hooch blew her whistle again. Didn't they all.

~~~~~~~

Harry recognised the spot Bellatrix had led him too, where big stones flat as plates seemed to clutter the ground by the shore. They weren't far from the lake, you could see it all as the sun shined above it.

Bellatrix let go of his hand and picked up one of the smaller ones. "See?" She adjusted her grip. "They're perfect."

Harry hummed. "Indeed, very nice."

Bellatrix threw it across the water, making a great splash on the third bounce. "Andi's the best at this," she said with melancholy. "She tried to teach me, but no joy."

Harry touched her back as he moved beside her. "You have to get lower," he advised. "Like this." He picked up a stone and with a simple toss, skimmed it across the lake about a dozen times or so.

Bellatrix tried again. Then made a cute little noise when it sank to the bottom. "Don't laugh Harry," she said with a smile. "It's hard. And you cheated." He'd used magic, she was sure of it.

"I only used a little bit of magic," he admitted playfully. "Barely a finger's worth." He picked up another stone and gave it a powerful toss.

They watched it bounce for what seemed like forever. Was there anything Harry couldn't do? Was there ever a time in his past when he couldn't toss stones like it was second nature?

Bellatrix didn't know, nobody did and that was the problem as she watched him throw another. She didn't know. "Harry, I did mean what I said before, about not prying into your past."

Harry nodded. "I know." He tossed another stone. "But it's hard for you. I know it is." He looked down at the stone on the floor, searching idly for a good one. "It's only natural that you'd want to know more about me, and for me too, it's hard to keep…" Harry hesitated. "Though, what does it matter." He kicked a stone into the water. It didn't matter how difficult something was, that had never stopped him before from achieving his goals. "Forget it."

Tom had to die. That was it, appeasing Bellatrix's curiosity and need for closeness wasn't his priority as he turned to look at her. And yet, there she was, standing there with a gaze he'd never felt before. She looked at him lovingly, like all she wanted was exactly that, all of him. So that's what this was about as he tugged a hand through his hair. This was an impossible situation.

"It won't change how I feel." Bellatrix said to him. "It won't. Everything I don't know about you, won't change that." She took a step towards him. "Please know that."

Harry's face reflected how he felt. He tried to look away.

"No, look at me." Bellatrix gently took a hold and guided him back. His eyes were anguished. "I trust you. I trust you Harry, show me-" She kissed him softly on the lips. "-show me what you cannot say."

Bellatrix could understand if he let her see, she'd understand why Harry was the way he was, why he looked so broken and alone when she was right here, so completely in love with him.

"I don't know what to do Bellatrix," he said to her quietly. "I never thought this would happen. I had a plan." He reached up to a strand of her hair, moving it gently from her face. Her eyes were moist with tears. "I was never meant to be here. I should be dead, yet here I am."

Harry gestured like him living were a curse, a gift from Death when he should have just finished it, put an end to Harry's pain. But instead he'd been sent back here, only to be given a second tortuous chance at life again. Bellatrix didn't deserve to carry the same weight he did, she was too good for it - and the rest that he'd committed in the future.

He lowered his gaze.

"I love you." Her words shattered his resolve. "I love you Harry, please, I l-love y-you..." Her voice became cracked as she stared into his eyes.

Harry looked up, he wondered if she'd still feel the same as her world went dark. She was in a cupboard under the stairs.

AN

Exciting stuff, and I think, necessary if we want Harry and Bellatrix to have a functional relationship. He can't keep hiding the truth from her, not now we really start to get into things. We'll also see a bit more of what Harry was like in the past, shed some light on the things he got up to and how became how he had. But it'll just be Bellatrix that knows, that won't change. I don't like having Lily and James being all parental or anyone else knowing, and you'll see in the next chap that Harry doesn't show her everything.

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Till next time!