Chapter 1

They had saved her for last.

The only female among the fallen Death Eaters. The beautiful witch. Her long dark wavy hair fanned out around her head... and her midnight black robes a contrast to her fair skin. Her only color was the streak of scarlet blood on her cheek.

She looked like she was merely asleep… her lovely features more peaceful in death than they had ever been in life.

The tiny house elf reached out tentatively to touch her… as if worried the she would suddenly open her eyes. She flinched and pulled back at the shock of finding the woman's skin was warm. It shouldn't be warm still. Impossible… unless…

The elf's large bulbous eyes widened when she saw the witch's chest rise and fall almost imperceptibly. Slowly… she leaned in… wrapping her tiny fingers around the woman's wrist. A pulse beat under the pale skin… ragged… barely there… but unmistakably a pulse.

Bellatrix Lestrange was still alive.

…...

The morning after the battle Harry Potter awoke in his own bedroom at number 12 Grimmauld Place. He blinked… confused as to where he was. He hadn't slept in an actual bed in months.

Relief washed over him as he remembered why he was there. The war was over. Voldemort was dead.

It was hard to believe that his greatest enemy was finally defeated. After so long it was going to take time to adjust to how light his shoulders felt without the burden of being the chosen one.

He felt so comfortable… but the enticing smell of bacon was wafting up the stairs. He jumped out of bed and pulled on some clean clothes. His hair was its usual unruly self but he couldn't be bothered to make it lie flat. Not when his stomach was reminding him loudly how long it had been since he'd last eaten.

He walked briskly down the hallway. As he got to Phineas Nigellus's portrait the venerable old man appeared in it. "Potter! Excellent timing. I have news from the Order" he said in a rather sombre voice. "News?' Harry asked curiously. "Can it wait till after breakfast?" he added as his stomach rumbled audibly. "Afraid not. Minerva was most insistent. The Order has captured a Death Eater" he finished self importantly.

"What?" said Harry surprisedly, thoughts of breakfast forgotten momentarily. "But I thought all the surviving Death Eaters fled or gave themselves up when Voldemort was defeated?" he said confusedly.

"It would seem that one of the fallen Death Eater's… wasn't… quite… dead… only unconscious…" Phineas said, his tone that of someone who's about to say something they know the other person won't like.

"Which one?" Harry asked warily. He had an unpleasant feeling he knew who it was. Molly hadn't used the Avada Kedavra… and he had only seen her fall… not die…

"The one who killed my Grandson…" Phineas said with an edge of anger in his voice. "Bellatrix Lestrange" said Harry through gritted teeth.