Chapter 6: House Black, Reborn

Harry looked to her, "I don't mind you being there, after all, Tonks has met Josephine, the rest of them might as well."

Harry and Bellatrix were met by the newly minted Master Griphook at the entrance to the vaults. Climbing into the Goblin made cart they prepared to be taken down to the Vault that now housed the collected fortunes of the Potter and Black families. Harry noticed that while he was doing better this time than when he came down at age eleven, Bellatrix looked more queasy.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he reached over and took her hand again. She looked to him and made what was most likely a smile of thanks, but came out looking more like a wince. That contact, along with the other little touches he'd given her since coming into Gringotts had helped her in more ways than he knew. Each touch had helped quiet the whispers that had started hissing in her brain again. When she was near Harry it seemed to quiet them, and when he touched her, they seemed to vanish entirely for a time.

A few more moments on the rickety cart found them in front of the Potter-Black House vault. Griphook reached into his pocket and handed Harry a small black key. "This, Lord Potter-Black, is your vault key. No one can enter this vault unless accompanied by you. In addition, this key is tuned to your blood, even if someone were to steal this key and use polyjuice or a glamour to take your appearance, they would be unable to use the key to enter your vault. "

Griphook turned from the pair and touched the door, Harry and Bellatrix heard the numerous magical locks disengage and the door opened.

"Sweet Maeve..." Bellatrix whispered as she looked at the collected wealth on display. She turned to Harry, "Do you realize that you could live like a king for your entire life and never spend half of this? You could leave England to Voldemort and hide yourself anywhere you wanted..."

Harry looked to her, "I could, but we both know he'd come searching for me, he would kill everyone that knew me. You heard the prophecy, either I kill him, or he kills me."

Bellatrix looked at him, this..he wasn't a boy, not anymore...he was a Lord of two houses, he had fought her former master multiple times to a draw...this young man was stronger than he had any right to be. Whatever happens Bella, you are with him now... She thought as she turned her notice back the treasure before them. There it was, sitting on one of the tables was her box. It really was Sirius's old album collection and his old player. He'd gotten the thing during a trip to muggle London with James, he'd enchanted it to work inside a magical home. Almost reverently, she walked over and took the box into her arms. She closed her eyes, and for a moment she was transported back to her childhood, laying on the carpet with Sirius, listening to music and pretending her parents weren't trying to ruin her life downstairs. She thought to a different evening.

Sirius and James were in the room with her, they had just put on a new album. It was the music from a concert they'd all three went to in southern Ireland. She and James had danced together to the music and she'd done something stupid..she'd kissed him. It was just on his cheek, but it was a kiss regardless. That evening they were upstairs when Bellatrix had been summoned by Aunt Walburga. She'd never came back upstairs, that had been the last time Sirius or James had seen her until she'd been named the Lady LeStrange.

Bellatrix blinked back tears then looked over towards Harry. He was looking at one of the Potter family books. It appeared that he would be taking it with him. "Harry?" Bellatrix called to him, "Do you mind if, when we get home, if I destroy that painting of Aunt Walburga? "

Harry smiled, "Are you kidding? If you can get that thing down, you have my blessing to do whatever you want to it." Kreacher will end up even crazier than he is now with Bellatrix back in the family. Harry thought with some amount of joy.

Once prepared to leave they were taken back up to the Gringotts lobby. Checking with a conjured mirror to make sure that her glamour was still applied, Bellatrix looked over to Harry, "Let's get back to Grimmauld Place, I really want to hear these albums again."

Harry had left her to her devices once they arrived back home at Grimmauld Place. The first thing Bellatrix had done was use a burning charm to reduce the painting of Walburga Black to ash.

"KREACHER!" She yelled out, the wizened old House Elf appeared with a pop. "Kreacher lives to serve the great hou-what has Mistress Bellatrix done to the painting of great Lady Walburga?" The old House Elf looked at if he was about to have a heart attack, but Bellatrix stopped him.

"Walburga Black was directly responsible for the death of Regulus Black, and my torture at the hands of Rodolphus LeStrange. If I could have then, I would have lit her on fire for real and not her portrait. Now, clean up these ashes and get this house set back into proper order. You have a new Lord Black again, you will treat him with the respect due his station. I am once again a Black, and I promise you, I will not brook insults to my head of house."

Kreacher looked to her, then to the ashes. Muttering about the trick the 'nasty lady Walburga' had played on to 'poor loyal Kreacher' he did as she asked. Bellatrix turned to Harry, "Right then, I'll be downstairs if you need me." She went into the basement and in a few minutes Harry could hear the strains of faint music.

After a time, Harry came downstairs. Kreacher had announced dinner would be ready shortly, so he went down to tell Bellatrix. He stopped at the doorway stunned. Bellatrix was dancing...not just dancing, but smiling as if she'd been given a million galleons. Noticing him, she rushed over and took his hands, forcing him to dance with her. The music played merrily and Harry picked up the chorus.

'Step we gaily, on we go

Heel for heel and toe for toe, Arm in arm and row on row All for Mairi's wedding.'

She kept him moving until the end of the song. She was panting lightly, she'd been dancing possibly since the first song nearly an hour ago. Their eyes locked and for a moment he forgot why he was down there.

Finally he cleared his throat, "uh..Kreacher has dinner ready..." She looked down and then back to him, "Thank you...for everything." She released his hands and they prepared to go upstairs. This time they felt the ward, someone was at the door. Bellatrix quickly reapplied her glamour and walked with him to the foyer.

Molly Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger were standing there. Tonks had apparently been busy, now Harry had three women in various stages of anger and confusion staring at him.