Disclaimer :I do not own Harry Potter though I wish I owned Bellatrix Lestrange.

' ' – Thoughts

" " – Speaking in English

" " – Speaking in Parseltongue / Memory

S/N : This begins at the end of Harry Potter's 5th year.

Sirius Black's Gambit

6 : Andromeda Black

"Andromeda"

Andromeda Tonks looked at the boy who had called her raising an eyebrow. He suddenly straightened his posture and cleared his face of any emotions.

"I would like to discuss certain matters of importance with you… as the head of the Noble and the Most Ancient House of Black.", Harry said.

To say that she was surprised would be an understatement. Her old family had made it clear that they wanted nothing to do with her. Then again, Potters had always been more liberal and accepting. She nodded and then followed him to their living room.

"I am ready to reinstate both you and your daughter into the family for a price.", he said.

Andromeda thought about it. She had no use for having the Black family name other than for sentimental reasons. She had been living a happy and content life without it for the last two and a half decades. Nothing was going to change for her. The important thing was that he had proposed to bring her daughter into the family too. She knew how things worked at the Ministry. Being just a half-blood, Nymphadora's options were limited at present but if she was related to a powerful and influential family like the Blacks, she could go much further. She did not have to think much about it.

"What is the price?", she asked.

He looked indecisive for a moment.

"I was muggle-raised. You would have already realized that I never had any proper pureblood upbringing. So, I believe that I will require assistance in handling the responsibilities that come along with being the head of two prominent pureblood families. I also want to learn everything that one needs to know to be a proper Lord. Who better to ask than someone who had a pureblood upbringing?", he replied.

She understood many things now. She realized from her observation that he had learned something but he was not yet good enough to survive the pureblood society. She wondered why he never just asked her. After all, teaching him what he wanted to know was part of her guardian duties. Then it occurred to her that he was practicing negotiating deals. She decided that she will make him a proper Lord material within a month.

"I agree to the deal.", she said.

Harry Potter and Andromeda Tonks entered Diagon Alley. They first went to Gringotts.

Harry went up to the goblin teller and said, "I would like to speak with my Account Manager."

The goblin continued on with his work as if he had never heard him but Harry knew well enough to remain patient.

"Name, please"

"Harry James Potter"

The goblin then looked up and said, "We would like to confirm your identity."

Harry understood what he was talking about and extended his wand hand. The goblin took a knife and made a small cut on it. He let the blood fall on to the parchment. The wound healed itself. He saw the goblin look at the parchment and then wrote something in another parchment.

"Your account manager Ragnork will be here with you shortly.", he said without looking up and continued his work.

Soon, another goblin came and told them to follow him. They followed him to a large conference room. The walls were decorated with gold and many goblin made artifacts were displayed on a shelf. Even the chairs they were sitting on and the table in front of them were well decorated. In short, this was a room made to impress and he was sure he would not have even known of its existence if he was not a high priority customer.

Ragnork then gave Andromeda a pointed look as if asking him the reason for her presence.

"She is my guardian. I would prefer she be present.", he said.

The goblin nodded in acceptance and gave them a lot of charts to look at. Harry learned that he had shares in most of the shops in Diagon Alley and had controlling shares in many shops courtesy of both the Houses. He now understood why he had always received free ice creams at Florean Fortescue's. It would be quite silly to buy what was already his. He also saw that he was given 10% of the shares of Weasley's Wheezes which had added quite an amount to his coffers in spite of the fact that it was just started a year ago. He also realized that he had shares in many shops in a place called Leisure Alley. He did not even know that such a place existed. He looked at Andromeda who understood the silent question and answered.

"It is the place only known to the upper crust of the society. The wealthy and affluent prefer to dine there instead of Diagon Alley as the restaurants there offer the ultimate privacy and high quality food and service. It is the place where many business deals and political discussions take place. Did you really think the foreign delegates who visit our country stay in small dingy rooms in Leaky Cauldron?"

He felt really embarrassed now. He had never thought about that before.

"But, I have seen many rich families shopping in Diagon Alley. Why would they shop there when they have another Alley to themselves?", he asked.

"The shopping options in Leisure Alley are limited. The shops there contain only imported items. If you want any imported perfume or make up kit to gift a girl that is the place to go. If you are shopping for school items or anything else, you will have to visit Diagon Alley. Also, to enter Leisure Alley, you either should be an adult or should be accompanied by one.", she replied.

"Can we go for lunch there then?", he asked.

"We can if that is what you want.", she replied.

"I couldn't help but notice that even though we are making a profit overall, one company seems to have been making a loss continuously for many years.", he asked the goblin.

"Both Black and Potter family did not have a proper head for a long time. We cannot change the investment plans without the permission from the head of the family."

"You have the permission to change the investment plans accordingly in order to generate maximum profit for us."

The goblin nodded in acceptance. Harry continued looking through the charts.

"The dowry of Narcissa and Bellatrix make up a good amount of Malfoy and Lestrange fortunes, am I right?", he asked.

"I am not at liberty to discuss the finances of other houses", the goblin paused for a moment and continued with a smirk on his face, "but I can tell you that house of Malfoy will have some difficulties without it while the house of Lestrange will survive."

Harry returned the smirk understanding the meaning very well. Lestranges would not have a problem as their money had been sitting idle for fifteen years but due to Lucius throwing money at everything Malfoys would be in deep trouble. He thought well about how to proceed. Unlike what many people thought, he was not a saint. He loved revenge as much as anyone else if not more. He had always hated the Malfoy family ever since he came to know about them but after last year he was not going to let go of a chance to destroy them.

"The house of Malfoy and the house of Lestrange have destroyed our reputation. As compensation, I would like to take back the dowry of Narcissa and Bellatrix. Also, I would like to take back 9/10th of the money in their vaults. I want all the money after the expenses transferred equally into three vaults. First vault will be in the name of Nymphadora Tonks and will only be accessible by her and those with her permission. Second vault will be in the name of Remus Lupin and will only be accessible by him and those with his permission. The last one will be in my name and will only be accessible by Bellatrix and me but she will not be informed about that vault. You can take the compensation for the expenses from that money."

To his credit, Ragnork took it in his stride but he knew that Andromeda will demand an explanation later.

"What about the properties?"

"Let them keep the properties. They are too noticeable.", Harry replied.

Ragnork nodded in agreement.

"Andromeda, tell me how to disown or reinstate someone."

"You should point your wand at the appropriate position on the family tapestry and say what you want to happen.", she replied.

"Then I believe our business is finished here. I would like to visit the Black family vault."

"The job of escorting you to your family vault is beneath my position. I will send someone who will escort you there. Also, Sirius Black had asked me to give you these letters before his death.", the goblin said giving them both a letter each.

Andromeda was about to open it but Harry stopped her.

"If it is about what I think it is, it is better to wait until we get home."

Andromeda nodded in understanding.

Soon, a goblin came and took them to the Black family vault. Harry looked at the tapestry and studied all the black marks.

He pointed his wand to the one in place of Andromeda and said, "I, Harry James Potter, the head of the Noble and most Ancient House of Black, reinstate Andromeda Tonks back into the family."

The black mark was replaced by Andromeda's name and face.

He pointed his wand slightly down and said, "I, Harry James Potter, the head of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, reinstate Nymphadora Tonks into the family."

Soon, her face and name appeared in the tapestry.

He then pointed his wand at the link between Bellatrix and Rodolphus and said, "I, Harry James Potter, the head of the Noble and Most Ancient house of Black, annul the marriage between Bellatrix Black and Rodolphus Lestrange."

Rodolphus' name and face vanished from the tapestry and Bellatrix's name was changed to Bellatrix Black.

Harry answered Andromeda's unspoken question.

"There is a clause in their marriage contract that should the husband go to Azkaban, the head of the house has the authority to annul the marriage."

"Are you going to do that for Narcissa too?", she asked curiously.

"No. She has a child from the marriage. It complicates everything.", he replied.

As Bellatrix was an adult, she could live by herself. But Draco, being underage, would be his responsibility. He had more things to do than waste time babysitting the blonde ponce. He looked at the tapestry properly and made sure that there was nothing left to do. He then took some money and placed it into his moleskin pouch.

"I believe that our business here is over. Let's go."

They then went to Ollivander's wand shop.

"Ah! Andromeda Tonks. Maple wood, dragonstring core, 10 inches. Am I right?", he said.

"Yes, that would be me.", she replied.

"I assume that it is still working properly.", he inquired.

"Yes, it is. I didn't come for me."

He then turned his head to Harry and said, "Harry Potter. Holly, phoenix feather core, 11 ¾ inches. Correct?"

"Yes."

"What seems to be the problem then?"

"I would like to buy two wand holsters one for each hand."

If Ollivander felt that the request was unusual, he never commented on it. He measured each hand properly and attached the wand holsters to them.

"That would be 10 galleons.", he said.

Harry paid for it and they left the shop. They passed the second hand robe shop and reached Eeylop's Owl Emporium. From there, he bought some owl food for Hedwig. He had skipped Madam Malkin's as he had decided to buy robes when he comes to get the school supplies. They entered Flourish & Blott's and started searching for some interesting books. He bought books on wizarding culture and traditions, politics, wizarding law, ancient runes, arithmancy, warding, traps, French, German, Spanish, Italian, a muggle book called Art of War by Sun Tzu, Art of Political Maneuvering and some wizarding bed time stories. They then went to the stationary shop and he bought a few of every type of quill except the Quick Quotes quill. It reminded him too much of Rita Skeeter and her slandering. He even bought an ink bottle and a stack of parchments. They then went to Quality Quidditch Supplies where he bought a polishing kit for his Firebolt though he wondered whether he would use it.

"Andy, our shopping is over. Let's go for lunch.", Harry said his indifferent façade slipping due to his excitement.

"Of course Harry. The children these days are quite impatient.", she said with a little smirk on her face.

Even though Andromeda didn't know him well, she knew that he rarely behaved like a child. So, she felt privileged to see him acting his age. It meant that he was comfortable enough in her presence to show this hidden side of him.

They walked through the path between Madam Malkin's and Flourish & Blott's and reached a dead end. Andromeda stepped forwards towards the wall and tapped the bricks forming an inverted triangle.

"Now, walk through the wall like you do in Platform 9¾.", she said and casually walked through the wall.

Harry followed her example and walked through the wall. The sight in front of him shocked him so much that he stared open mouthed forgetting his manners.

"Harry, close your mouth. It is beneath the status of the head of the family to stare that way.", she said with a slight smirk tugging at her mouth.

He gave her a piercing glare. He schooled his features to nonchalance. He did not blame himself for losing composure. The place was a combination of best of tradition and modernity. He had no hesitation to admit that it was much better than Diagon Alley.

"In the platform, we had to run to pass to the other side. Here, we just had to walk through it.", he said.

"Actually, you don't have to run. People usually just lean on the wall and appear on the other side. There is a rule that says not to run at the wall as it attracts the attention of the muggles but most wizards have forgotten it.", she replied.

They went forward and reached the place. It was a German restaurant named Exclusiv.

"This restaurant is so busy that we would usually require reservations to dine here. But, as our family has a majority share in the shop, we always have a table reserved for our family. Whenever we go out as a family, this is where we dine.", she said.

Harry felt a smile tug at his lips to see her reminiscing. He was happy to see that she had already accepted that she was a part of the family. They entered the restaurant and went straight to their table. He saw that their table was in a special section separate from others.

"This place is so heavily laden with privacy charms that no one can even see us from outside our section let alone hear what e speak. As you can see, there are runes engraved on the wall that use our magical discharge to create a magical field that deactivates any magical eavesdropping device inside the section. There are many powerful wards around the place which protects us from any harm. We, Blacks have always being very strict about our safety and privacy.", she said.

Harry was surprised. He looked at the patterns on the wall and realized that they were runic symbols. He had never noticed it until she had pointed it out to him. Suddenly a short, blonde girl, who he assumed to be the waitress, came inside.

"Lord Black, Madam Black, it is a pleasure to have you both here. What would you like to have?", the girl said in a distinct German accent.

She left after taking their orders. He was impressed by her professionalism. If he hadn't seen her eyes widening in surprise on seeing him, he would have believed that she did not know anything about him. After the initial surprise, she treated him like any other customer. He wondered why everyone could not be like that.

"So, did you like the place?", she asked.

"Well", he said stretching the word, "it is much better than I expected."

The waitress returned with the food and left.

"So, tell me about your friends.", she said looking at him curiously.

"I have two best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. We have been friends since we met on the train. Since then, we have been doing everything together. Then there is Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley.", he said awkwardly.

"I had heard that there was Ministry intervention in school last year. Is it true?", she asked.

He didn't know how much to tell her. He thought for a moment and then decided to tell her everything. She was his guardian after all.

"We had many adventures in Hogwarts the details of which remain between us three and Dumbledore. There are some things even Dumbledore doesn't know. I could tell you everything if you want to hear.", he paused and continued after seeing her nod, "It all started in my first year. I befriended Ron during the train ride and made an enemy of Draco Malfoy."

He noticed that she became even more interested on hearing her nephew's name.

"Hermione started tagging along since then as all of us ended up in Gryffindor. It was only after we saved her from a troll that we became 'The Golden trio' as many calls us. After some sneaking around, we learned that the Philosopher's Stone was hidden inside the school protected by many traps each designed by a teacher and that someone was trying to steal it. At the end of the year, the person managed to send Dumbledore to the Ministry and tried to steal it. We passed these traps until the end when Ron and Hermione had to go back. So, I went ahead and realized that the thief was Quirell, our Defense against Dark Arts professor, who was possessed by Voldemort. I kept him busy until Dumbledore returned and the stone was destroyed.", he paused and then continued, "The second year was more 'interesting'. It began with the Malfoy family elf trying to keep me safe by preventing me from going to school. After I managed to get to school, many muggleborn students started getting petrified. A message was found on the wall that Chamber of Secrets had opened by the Heir of Slytherin. Soon, it came out that I was a parseltongue resulting in me becoming the main suspect. The situation became so bad that school was going to be closed off. Hermione got petrified trying to help us. We finally found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and went in to save Ginny who was kidnapped. In the way, the fraud professor Lockhart got the better of us and tried to obliviate me but the spell backfired as he had used Ron's malfunctioning wand. We got separated in the backlash and I went alone. I then killed the basilisk and destroyed the enchanted diary that was causing all the problems. I then learned that Lucius Malfoy hid the diary among Ginny books and it possessed her. I, in the end, tricked him into freeing his elf."

He saw her looking at him in shock. He didn't know whether it was because of what he said or because of the way he said it.

"I don't mean any offense but I find it hard to believe that a twelve year old killed a basilisk. No basilisk had ever been spotted in the last thousand years.", she said.

"I, Harry Potter, swear on my life that everything I have said after I sat down at this table is the truth."

A light came from his wand and surrounded him for a moment before it vanished.

Andromeda looked at him in shock and said, "So, everything you said is true."

Harry took a leaf from Bellatrix's book and said sarcastically, "Considering that I am still alive, it must be true."

She glared at him and told him to continue.

"In third year, I got a map called the Marauder's Map from the twins Fred and George Weasley and Hermione was officially sanctioned a time turner for taking more subjects. As you might remember, Sirius Black escaped that year due to which Minister Fudge assigned dementors to guard Hogwarts. At the end of the year, we found out that Sirius was innocent and we saved him from the Dementor's Kiss. The four year was more chaotic. I am sure you would know that the mishap at the Quidditch World Cup."

She nodded to show that she understood.

"Hogwarts hosted the Triwizard Tournament that year. Those wishing to participate had to write their name in a parchment and throw it in the Goblet of Fire. A new rule was introduced which stated that only those aged 17 and above can participate. Dumbledore himself drew the Age Line around the Goblet. But, still, my name was chosen as the fourth champion. There were three tasks. First task was to take a golden egg protected by the dragon. Misfortune stood beside me again as I got the most dangerous one, Hungarian Horntail. I summoned a broom and used my flying skills to get the egg. The egg was the clue to the next task. The next task was to save a friend from the merpeople. I used Gillyweed to breathe under water and managed to save Ron. The third task was to get to the center of the maze and be the first one to take the cup. Cedric and I decided to take it together as we are both Hogwarts champions. We were instantly transported to a graveyard where he was killed. I was tied to a statue and using a ritual Lord Voldemort was resurrected. He tried to kill me but as our wands were brother wands, I managed to escape using the same port key that brought me here. After I reached the school, I learned that the traitor was Barty Crouch Jr. who was polyjuiced as Alastor Moody, our Defense against Dark Arts professor. He tried to kill me but Dumbledore reached me in time. The traitor was given Dementor's Kiss immediately afterwards."

He saw that Andromeda had gone pale. He knew that if it was not for her pureblood upbringing she would not have been able to keep it together.

"Does your fifth year get better?", she said tentatively as if fearing the answer.

He gave her a lipless smile and said, "My fifth year was the worst year in my life."

"What is worse than him being resurrected?", she asked shocked.

"You don't want to know.", he replied.

"You are right. I don't want to hear about it now. You can tell me about that later.", she said.

"Thank you for listening. I feel better now.", he said.

"Don't thank me. I am your magical guardian after all. It is not like I have anything else to do. So, tell me, what do you do in other times?", she replied.

"Well, I play Quidditch. I have been the seeker for the Gryffindor team since my first year. I play chess with Ron sometimes but I always lose. I also play Gobstones and Exploding Snaps.", he replied.

"What about your romantic life? I am sure you would have had a lot of girls lining up to date you.", she asked with a mischievous expression on her face.

Harry had to try hard to keep a blush from coming on to his face as he was reminded of someone else. It was quite difficult with the witch in front of him looking just like her.

"I didn't have much of a romantic life. The only romantic thing I ever did in my life was to go on a date with Cho Chang which turned out to be a disaster. I had rather not talk of it.", he replied.

Harry was relieved that she had asked about his romantic life and not about snogging and sex. He did not have to lie. After all, there was nothing romantic between Bellatrix and him. He saw a victorious expression on her face and knew that she will hold this over him for the rest of his life.

"What else is there in this alley?", he asked in curiosity.

"Well, at the end of the alley, there is an escort agency or, in simple words, brothel. I am sure you would be quite interested in it.", she said.

She saw that his eyes widen in shock and he was looking down to cover up his embarrassment.

"No need to be so embarrassed, Harry. You are a teenager after all. Women, at least pureblood women, are supposed to keep their virginity until their wedding night but men don't have such restrictions. So, they will be expected to put up a good performance during their wedding night.", she said particularly enjoying the blush creeping up his face.

Due to her pureblood upbringing and her career as a lawyer, Andromeda knew well how to get the intended reactions from convicts and witnesses using well chosen words. She had always loved a good challenge. She had to admit that he was good for someone who did not have much training in that area which made her victory sweeter.

"Alright. I can see that you are uncomfortable with that topic and I will not bring it up again. For your information, the escorts here only serve the upper crust of the society and are thus expensive but you can easily afford them. You will find a brothel in Knockturn Alley, if you go deep enough, which serves the commoners.", she said smirking.

"You told me that you will leave the topic alone.", he said groaning.

"No, I didn't. I told you that I will not bring it up again. I can still continue talking about it.", she said giving him a sweet smile.

She smirked when she saw that he was trying to restrain himself from pulling out his hair in frustration.

"I won't be able to come here on my own anyway. I am underage."

He said it quietly but she still heard it. He blushed when he saw her raised eyebrow.

"Legally, you are underage. But, you participated in a tournament which was only for adults. So, there is a chance that magic considers you as an adult.", she replied.

"Is there any way to check it?", he asked.

"When we return, you should try opening the barrier. If it works, then we know that magic considers you as an adult.", she replied.

"Talking about legality, I have noticed that both the Houses don't have any existing contracts with any law firms. I was hoping that your firm will handle the legal matters until the end of the war after which I can make a proper decision on the choice of the law firm.", he said.

"Are you sure about that? It is a big decision.", she said.

"I have no reason to take the risk of trusting a complete stranger when a family member can take care of it, especially now.", he replied.

"Then, I will get ready a temporary contract which you can sign at your earliest convenience. I believe it is time for us to return home.", she replied.

They both walked back the same way they came. Harry tapped the bricks this time and was happy to see that it opened. They returned home quickly.

Harry took the mirror in his hands and said, "Bellatrix Black"

Soon, Bellatrix's face came up in the mirror. He got a feeling that she was not happy with him for some reason.

"What happened, Bella? Is there a problem?", he asked.

"Problem? There is no problem at all. Someone, whom I will not mention, thought it was a good idea to take off with all my money and leave me as broke as the Weasleys.", she said sarcasm rolling off her tongue.

He was confused for a moment and then it suddenly occurred to him. He berated himself for forgetting that.

"I did not take off with all of your money. I only transferred some of it to a secret vault only we both can access. It is vault no. 3634.", he replied.

"For your sake, I hope you are telling the truth. You wouldn't like the consequences otherwise. Anyway, what about Narcissa's money? Did you put it in another vault too?", she asked.

She saw that he was not meeting her eyes and guessed the answer.

"What exactly did you do?", she asked.

"Well, I reinstated Andromeda and Nymphadora into the family. Then I took the dowry money of both of you and 9/10 of the money in the private vaults of you and Narcissa and transferred it equally into three vaults one each in the names of Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin and me. You can access the vault that is in my name. I also might have annulled your marriage.", he said.

"WHAT!"

She then composed herself and asked, "Why did you annul my marriage?"

"I thought you didn't want to be married to him.", he said.

Bellatrix sighed and then rubbed her forehead in frustration. It was true that she didn't want to be married to him. She had a suspicion that the Hufflepuff's Cup that was in the Lestrange family vault was a horcrux. She had run many tests on it and was planning to run more tests to confirm it. Now, due to the annulment of her marriage, she would not be able to access the Lestrange vault thus making the retrieval of the potential horcrux nearly impossible.

"You are right. But the situation is more complicated than that. There is a chance that, in the long run, your decisions might turn out to be the right one. There is also a chance that it will backfire on us. Next time, before making any important decisions, consult me.", she said.

"Are you saying that I am incapable of taking decisions on my own?", he asked with an edge in his voice.

"No, Harry. I am saying that I want to have a say in it considering that it affects me too. I am proposing that in the future we will discuss everything properly before making a decision.", she said.

He felt guilty now. He had always felt angry when people thought that they had the right to take decisions in the matters affecting him without bothering to consult him. Now, he had done the same thing to her.

"I am sorry. I acted recklessly. I should have asked you first before making a decision.", he said.

"Don't worry. No damage had been done yet. At least, I did not have to fake my surprise or fury when we got the letter from Gringotts. From now on, we will discuss everything and come to a decision together. After all I am not the one who has to endure an irate Narcissa Malfoy ranting about how the arrogant and spoiled Boy-Who-Lived took off with all her money and how her family has sunken lower than the Weasleys due to an outsider becoming the head of the family. Then again, you wouldn't mind being in my place. After all-"

"I do not have a crush on Narcissa Malfoy.", he said quickly knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"It looks like someone is in denial.", she said with a smirk on her face.

"I am not in denial. I had fantasized about her in my fourth year. That is all.", he replied.

He knew that she was purposefully baiting him. He wondered why he always rose to it.

"Whatever, Potter."

"What is happening on that end these days?", he asked.

"Nothing special. It is just me teaching my incompetent nephew Occlumency and some basic dueling.", she replied.

"I know that it must be hard to tolerate him after having the privilege of teaching the most handsome, talented, intelligent and powerful wizard ever.", he said.

She looked at him in shock for a moment and then composed herself.

"You must be really happy these days. That is the first time I have ever heard you say something good about yourself. Anyway, what is happening at you end?", she asked.

"Andy read the letter. She sat in shock for some time and then just went off without acknowledging anyone. Next day, she was back to normal.", he replied.

"Oh! When Sirius learned the truth, he had fainted. Andy seems to have a better tolerance for shocking news.", she said smirking.

"The education part is going well. She is now teaching me how to find loopholes in every law. She will be teaching me the art of political negotiations next.", he said.

"That is good. I would have to go now. Tell her to teach you apparition too. As I had already told you before, the earlier you learn the better. Give her my best wishes.", she said and her face vanished from the mirror.

It was his third day of apparition lesson and they were standing right outside their wards. Andromeda had conjured many hoops and placed them in such a way that they formed the letter H. He was standing inside the first hoop.

"Harry, just remember the 3Ds : Destination, Determination and Deliberation. Continue practicing and you will eventually get it.", she said.

He had just talked with Bella yesterday. She had told him a different technique. She had compared apparition to transfiguration. She had told him that it would be easier if he kept the destination firmly in his mind and concentrated on the feeling of being squeezed through a tube that he had gotten when he had apparated with Dumbledore. He concentrated on the location of the next hoop and imagined being squeezed through a tube which connected his location and the next hoop. The next thing he knew he had landed inside that loop.

"Good job. Now, I want you to continue on to the next hoop.", she said encouraging him.

He continued the same way and he completed the H.

"If you can do the same two more times consecutively, we can move on to the next stage.", she said.

He did it two more times and asked, "Now, what is the next stage?"

"I will apparate slightly away and I want you to apparate right in front of me."

She apparated a fair distance away and nodded to him. He concentrated on the location and the feeling of apparition. Soon, he found himself standing right in front of Andromeda.

"You are a quick learner. You have learned to apparate within three days.", she complemented.

"I believe that is because I have a good teacher.", he complemented in return.

Andromeda smirked on hearing his flattery.

"I am going to apparate right in front of the Leaky Cauldron. I want you to follow me there.", she said and quickly apparated away.

He concentrated on the location. Soon, he saw his surroundings blur and felt as if he was being squeezed into a tube. A moment later, he was right in front of Leaky Cauldron.

"Did Bella teach you to apparate?", Andromeda asked.

"No. She wanted to teach me but there was no time. Why?", he replied.

"When you apparated here, I almost attacked you thinking that you were a Death Eater. You apparated just like they usually do. You came in a black smoke and landed silently. I didn't know how to do that let alone teach you.", she said raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't apparition that way?", he asked confused.

"In apparition, people suddenly appear in a place making a loud pop or crack sound. You never made any sound at all.", she replied.

"Well, Bella told me that it will be easier and more effective if I forget the 3Ds and concentrate on the location and the feeling of apparating. That is just what I did. Does it matter?", he asked.

"As long as no one else sees you doing it, it is alright. You do know how people are.", she replied.

"I know."

Patsy : Thank you for the details. It has been years since I read HP and so have forgotten the little details.

I don't know from where you got the idea that I consider Harry as an idiot and completely unmotivated. I thought chapters 2,3 and 4 of my story proved otherwise. Let me explain. Harry is a passive Slytherin. He can be quite hardworking and intelligent but he will only show these qualities if he deems the cause and the result worth it. Every example of Harry's success proves it. He learned Patronus only because the dementors constantly attacked him. He picked out the name Hedwig because the owl was his first friend and was thus special. He did not learn Occlumency because he did not understand its importance. He never understood why he was asked to close down a link which not only gave him the kind of information OOTP can never hope to get but also helped him save Arthur Weasley. He never worked hard in Potions until Slughorn came because he knew that Snape will always be biased against him. It is said in books that he only passed in many subjects because he copied from Hermione in exams. So, Harry is not an idiot or unmotivated. He is just a selective person. As Hat said, he would have done well in Slytherin.

others : I will consider all options. Please continue posting reviews and suggestions.