Bellatrix shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure we can find something to talk about that will help the time pass quickly."
"Sure," Harry shrugged.
"Great," said Bellatrix. "Let's talk about our upcoming marriage."
Harry closed his eyes and resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall. Realizing that it was futile to debate with Bellatrix, he opted to adopt the strategy of forcing the ball to her court. "Yes," said Harry, "tell me about our marriage."
"Don't be sarcastic, Ashworth," Bellatrix said. She contemplated the subject for a few moments and then started talking. "The biggest issue that we need to keep in mind is the fact that you may already be magically recognized as the proverbial Lord Black. Or at least, 'a' Lord Black if not 'the' Lord Black."
"I thought our lack of what might be described as a romantic relationship was the issue," Harry reminded Bellatrix.
Bellatrix looked at Harry with an arched eyebrow. "Do you need another kiss, Harry?"
"I'm fine," Harry said, looking away. Her offer was strangely tempting and at the same time, slightly repulsing. Young Bellatrix had supplanted many of Harry's memories of the older, more wicked, version of Bellatrix. However, old and wicked Bellatrix was not a memory easily erased, nor were the impressions the original Bellatrix had left on Harry. There was also the fact that romancing students was completely against the rules for Hogwarts staff members.
"Anyway," Bellatrix said, "the last thing we need is you signing a marriage contract that could curtail any privileges you might already have. On the other hand, the marriage contract could formally give you an unimpeachable identity in our society and confirm your being an English subject. You would of course take the Black surname, unless of course, your real surname is better."
Harry shrugged. "I'm sure it doesn't especially matter."
"I see," Bellatrix said, frowning. "Well, anyway, it's very fortunate that my father has become Minister of Magic… thanks to your manipulations."
"Your uncle's manipulations, actually," Harry corrected.
"I think you underestimate the effect you've had on our world," Bellatrix said. "You may be older than I am, but I still predate you. Thus, I still know more about some things than you."
"Yeah, whatever," Harry said, turning his attention from her and straining to hear any sounds signifying that the pig and rooster were still alive. A faint 'oink' from the pig confirmed its status among the living.
"As I was saying," Bellatrix continued, her voice rising just enough to draw Harry's attention back to her, "my father, the Minister, will be able to pull strings. It's just a matter of you manipulating him and my uncle. They already want to give you a position in the Ministry. It won't be hard for you to manipulate them into getting you quickly promoted through the ranks. You have knowledge about the dark lord that no one has. You'll quickly prove your value. I wouldn't advise going into Magical Law Enforcement, though. I'm sure the work is rewarding, but climbing their career ladder will be tough. Don't get me wrong, you'll certainly become Minister of Magic no matter which department you start in, but I'd like that to be before you're fifty."
"Yeah, okay," Harry said, only half listening to her drone on.
"As for what I can get out of my father," Bellatrix continued, pressing past Harry's obvious disinterest in the conversation, "I reckon we could get the contract negotiated and the marriage solemnized before I start seventh-year. Summer is always ideal for weddings, and we'll have enough times to consult the goblins about your unique Black status-without my family knowing what we're doing."
Harry did a double take. "What? Are you saying we should get married this summer? They don't just let random Hogwarts students get married to former professors. And what about there being even a hint of a romantic relationship?"
"My mother is going to cause trouble for sure, though," Bellatrix said darkly, ignoring Harry's shock and statements of protest. "You're not known as being rich, nor known as being an especially prominent pureblood. Not like the Lestranges, anyway." She was silent as she ruminated upon the subject of her mother.
Harry no longer wanted to participate in the conversation, but he could also see that she was dwelling on some unhappy thoughts. "So, trouble with your mother?"
"She's a piece of work," Bellatrix said, "she and my aunt."
"I see," said Harry, thinking back to the portrait of Sirius's mother he had confronted on numerous occasions. "I always got the feeling that you weren't on the best of terms with either of them." He couldn't really say that was entirely the case, but as he thought back, he could see where he might have inferred the fact.
"You have no idea," Bellatrix grumbled.
"What did they do," Harry asked, half in jest, "beat you?"
Bellatrix gave him a very annoyed look. "The pig and rooster seem okay. Let's go look at our kill." She stood and wandered around the walls Harry had transfigured toward the basilisk.
"I'm sorry," Harry called, backpedaling as he made to follow her, "I guess that's not that funny. I'm not trying to make light of bad parents or anything. You know, my aunt and uncle raised me and they were total jerks." He rounded the wall and found Bellatrix poking the dead basilisk's head with her foot.
"Yeah, it's dead," Bellatrix said. "Its eyes are even glazed over, too, so we probably don't need to worry about that."
"Wonderful," said Harry, surveying the corpse.
Bellatrix sighed. "We got a small fortune in potion ingredients here, but I just don't have the desire to deal with it tonight."
"It's a highly magical creature," Harry said. "It'll keep."
"Good point," Bellatrix nodded. "We can leave the chamber open down here and rig the bathroom entrance to open for non-parselmouths who have the specific password. I'll come down here when I have the time and motivation to do disgusting work."
"Awesome," said Harry, beginning to be very grossed out after staring at the dead basilisk. He didn't want to have anything to do with cutting it up and turning it into ingredients for anything.
"Yep," said Bellatrix. "Grab the pig and chicken, and we can get out of here."
"You don't want to leave them here?"
Bellatrix shook her head. "They'll probably cause trouble if we leave them."
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