"Your family?" Harry glanced at her oddly.
Bellatrix looked startled and Harry caught her faint blush. "Nothing," she caught herself quickly. "Other students will be arriving soon. You better get to it."
Harry was suspicious, but decided not to call her on it as she walked back to her chair. A few minutes later the remainder of the students arrived, and a brief look around the room told Harry that he was going to have his work cut out for him. A lot of the faces were familiar here, too - though not so much from family photos, but the battlefield.
Remembering that he had fought - and won against-some of the people in his class in the future helped Harry gather the determination to appear every bit the caustic, hard, and strict teacher that Snape would turn out to be. "Welcome back from your holidays," he announced. "This second half of the year will be run a bit different than what you may be used to. We have a number of potions left for this year, and it's my responsibility to drill them into you to get you ready for your NEWTs. You'll be split into groups, and I will assign each group a set of potions to study, master, and make. You will then present your findings and the potions you made to the rest of the class. Presentations will begin Monday of next week. Since that is relatively short notice, I am willing to accept volunteers for that group and award extra credit."
The students seemed to think that this was a decent idea and class was soon off to a good start. Harry felt quite productive as he divided up the potions and class periods and then assigned them to each student. There was soon a productive hum coming from the students as they worked in their groups to master their assigned potions.
This might not be so bad after all, Harry thought.
.....
Professor Binns droned on and most of the students slept. Bellatrix, on the other hand, was taking the opportunity to write a carefully worded letter to her father. She had been able to take some time to consider her conversation with her father on the train platform and had concluded that her father and uncle's concern of Harry associating with the wrong sort probably indicated that they were considering the possibility of bringing him into their confidence.
While Bellatrix was wary of allowing Harry Ashworth to become a pawn of Orion Black, she had nothing against the opportunities a Black-Ashworth connection would bring her. For one thing, she could play her games from within the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, as well as through Harry. There was also the change of her becoming privy to things that not even Orion shared with her father. Of course, this all hinged on Harry cooperating with her.
With Orion Black behind him, Harry could do great things-and if one were to take into account the fact that Harry had mentioned he had inherited the entire Black estate in the future, it would only help to get in on what the old man might be up to.
Thus, Bellatrix was now penning, or rather, scratching out with her quill, a letter of recommendation of sorts. The key was to prevent her father from realizing that it was such a letter. Her goal was to come off as being a disinterested daughter duly, though perhaps prematurely, carrying out a father's request for information.
Dear Father,
With regard to Harry Ashworth:
The Headmaster seemed a little chuffed at Ashworth being added to the staff, but no one else really seems to mind. Ashworth generally comes off as being a rather mild and agreeable chap, despite everyone remembering or being reminded of his interfering with that fight back in Diagon Alley.
It does not appear that Potions is Ashworth's forte. Fortunately though, he seems to have gotten into the rhythm of things. He is able to teach the younger years with little trouble and the fourth and fifth years with only moderate difficulties. For the sixth and seventh years, he has turned the learning experience into more of a team effort. Doing this has not made the class easy, but he seems to have gained respect from at least the wiser students.
As far as Ashworth associating with the right sort, I don't think you have to worry. I seem to be the only person he knows-all the other students and staff being only acquaintances that he treats neutrally.
I shall try to keep you updated between my schoolwork,
Your daughter,
Bellatrix
....
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