Chapter 11: XISummary:sorry for the delay on this chapter, my laptop took a shit so I had to wait. but this is 10k so I hope that makes up for it! enjoy :)
Chapter TextBellatrix could not be found the days following their argument on the Quidditch pitch, unless it was doing meals, classes, or the entire team's practice. Hermione had went early the next two mornings to the field to meet up with her, and upon her being absent both days, had declined attempting a third, forth, or fifth time. Hermione wouldn't lie and say the rejection didn't sting. She thought they were making decent progress, and Bellatrix had gone and ruined it all in just a couple hours.
It hurt, and so Hermione did the only thing she knew when it came to processing emotions.
Throwing herself into her coursework and blocking out the world.
Mid semester examinations would be next month anyway, and she had barely devoted any time to truly studying for them. Even if this was not Hermione's timeline, and she had no clue how long she would be here, she would not risk a failing grade, and so she resigned herself to putting off hanging out with friends in favor of studying for the exams.
Transfiguration was where she put most of her focus, as McGonagall's were always a bit tougher than others, and she needed to get an Outstanding. Besides, she had not had the opportunity to complete her real seventh year, and would take every chance she had at getting more information and showing her knowledge, even if in the end this would have zero impact on her actual school grades once everything was sorted out.
Daniel joined her every now and then, and he understood her well enough to know not to bother her too much when she sequestered herself in the library all afternoon after classes. He mainly kept to himself, and would occasionally ask a question about any of the topics they were going over that day or offer his own input.
A few times Andromeda had come with them to study for her own exams, and it seemed she was as dedicated to her coursework as Hermione, and still struggled only with Ancient Runes. Daniel admitted to having issues with the course when he had taken it, and offered his own advice to help the fifth year understand the topic better.
The most interesting time was when Narcissa had joined them as well, claiming one of the empty seats around their table as if she were a queen and it was her throne. She said nothing to any of them aside from a quiet 'hello', before she opened her texts and got to work. Andromeda had mocked her sister for a good while after Narcissa joined, to the point that Hermione had told her that if she didn't knock it off, she was getting hexed.
Even Narcissa had laughed at the indignant look on Andromeda's face, the sound low and gentle and short lived before she sobered up and continued taking notes, but Hermione didn't fail to notice the girl's shoulders were a bit more relaxed after that, and she continued to join the group more often than she didn't.
None of them mentioned Bellatrix's absence, even Andromeda being wise enough to make zero jokes or antagonize either Narcissa or Hermione into an argument out of boredom.
The monotony of studying so much for examinations was broken up only by going to feed Fatty every day, though Bellatrix had stopped tagging along so they could feed him together. She's sure the girl is still visiting, as there were more than a few times Hermione had arrived to find the Brownie curled into a ball fast asleep in his nest, his fuzzy face still wet with milk and the empty bottle near the wall.
During the last week of November, Hermione was not alone when she left early at breakfast to go feed Fatty, though she was not accompanied by the person her mind was caught up about. Instead, it was Narcissa who asked (politely demanded, more accurately) to tag along to the shed.
"He's big enough now that you don't really have to hold him anymore or anything," Hermione instructed as she watched the third year hand the creature the tiny make shift bottle, and then Fatty eagerly latch on and start sucking. "He gulps it down, so the only thing you have to actually do is make sure he doesn't choke himself or anything."
She was more or less rambling, unsure how to proceed with having Narcissa joining her, especially when every single one of their previous interactions had never been overly pleasant. The youngest Black had fallen somewhere in the middle of both of her sisters, never outright being hostile to her like Bellatrix was before, but not welcoming like Andromeda.
Studying so often together helped somewhat, Hermione guessed, but they were a long way from any sort of true friendship.
And not to mention the two of them have never been alone together. Narcissa was definitely the sister Hermione understood the least, and that was saying something given how enigmatic Bellatrix was. But at least her and Bellatrix interacted enough for Hermione to be able to relatively gauge her moods and intentions now. The same could not be said for Narcissa.
"So, uh, is this your first time meeting Fatty?" Hermione asked, talking more when the blonde did not respond.
"No," Narcissa said, and offered no other sort of information for when she would have come here, though Hermione knew Bellatrix had probably brought her before, as she had with Andromeda.
"Right."
Narcissa turned at that, looking at Hermione with pursed lips. She was the most aristocratic of the three of them, the most refined and elegant. Hermione had only met the grown version of the child before her a handful of times, and none of them had been overly pleasant, though Narcissa had never been overly rude, save for turning her back when Bellatrix tortured her.
But this would be the only one of them to do what was expected of pureblooded girls; marry a pureblooded son and carry on the bloodline. Andromeda would be burned from the family tree, and Bellatrix would marry a pureblood but sire no children. Only Narcissa truly did what was demanded of her, and she handled it with the utmost grace one could except. Even if she raised a twerp for a son, though Hermione had to admit Draco took after his father more than his mother.
"How is studying going?" Hermione tried again, despite knowing that Narcissa was studying as much as they all were, and had never heard the girl complain about her courses.
"It's going well."
"Right."
Fatty whined and dropped the bottle, and when Hermione went to reach to take the empty container from him he swatted at her, and she poked his fat stomach in retaliation, which earned her a high pitched shriek from the creature and a low chuckle from Narcissa.
"It doesn't seem like the Brownie is a fan of you."
"Tell me about it," Hermione grumbled as she glared at Fatty and succeeded in taking the bottle away from him. After another minute of silence she sighed and turned to face the blonde girl head on. "Why are you really here, Narcissa?"
Narcissa looked as if she smelled something particularly foul right in that moment, with how her nose was scrunched up and her full lips were pulled into a scowl. But she looked to Hermione nonetheless, and said, "I am aware I haven't been the most welcoming to you these past few months." Complete silence from both of them came after that unexpected statement. The blonde sighed and spoke once more. "It is... that was rude of me. You've been a good friend to Andy, and you and Bella are on relatively good terms. It doesn't make sense for me to hate you. I suppose we should start over."
There weren't many times Hermione was speechless. She could admit she talks a lot, both in the classroom and outside of it, and after everything she's seen during her time at Hogwarts, there weren't many things left that could render her speechless. It seemed, however, that the Black sisters were exceedingly skilled at doing so, as Hermione could do little more than just stare at Narcissa.
A thin, well maintained eyebrow was raised at Hermione's lack of response, and the older girl blinked in return, before she said, slightly slowly, "Um, yeah, that sounds, uh- really nice. I'd love to be your friend."
It was clear Narcissa felt as if that conversation was finished, as she turned back to look at Fatty, who had once more quickly finished his bottle. She began to ask all sorts of questions about the Brownie. Hermione talked eagerly, discussing all the research they've discovered about the species, and mentioning how in less than a month, Fatty would be removed from their care and taken to whatever place the school deemed safest. It was a bit heartbreaking to think of never seeing Fatty again.
Though, when Narcissa put her hand into the nest and the stupid nuisance eagerly climbed onto her palm, Hermione wasn't feeling too sad anymore.
"Oh, are you kidding me?"
"Hey!" Hermione had just reached the field with the rest of her team when she heard Daniel's loud voice calling for her. As she turned to send him a confused look, she heard Bellatrix's scoff at the arrival of one of her least liked people, though Hermione gave her no reaction as she walked off to greet the Gryffindor.
"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Most of the students wouldn't be arriving for a bit still, all of them at breakfast or still waking up. Steve had pulled the team for a last minute meeting before the match, and so there was still a considerable amount of time before the game would begin.
"I wanted to talk to you before the match begins," Daniel explained, his voice holding that hint of nervousness he sometimes had when talking to her. "I just... I really like you, Hermione Potter, and, well, I was hoping-" he rambled, his words getting jumbled on top of one another before he sucked in a deep breath. "We've had fun on our dates, right?"
He wasn't inaccurate in that statement. They've gone out a few times, both to trips to Hogsmeade and hanging out around the castle grounds, and Hermione had always enjoyed the time she spent with him. However, she had a feeling he's been enjoying those times on a lot deeper level than she had. To her, there hadn't been much difference with being around Daniel than there was to being around Harry or Ron. It was that realization that led her to knowing she needed to clarify whatever was happening between them was not meant to be, but before she could even open her mouth to say as much, Daniel was talking once more.
"I really like you, Hermione," he said again, his ears flaming. "And I'd love it, really love it actually, if you'd be my girlfriend? Officially?"
This was going to hurt so much, but- "I can't, Daniel."
His nice smile fell as his shoulders slumped, and Hermione didn't miss the beginnings of tears in his bright eyes before he blinked them away. "Oh, uh, yeah, um, of course." He scratched the back of his head and looked anywhere but her face. "Can I, uh, can I ask why? Like- like, was it something I did to upset you, or-"
"Daniel- no!" Hermione frowned as she stepped forward, only to halt. He probably didn't want physical comfort after she just rejected him. "There wasn't anything you did, I promise. It's just, well-" Well what? How did she even begin to explain all the ways that this wouldn't work out well for them? Aside from the fact that her heart wasn't into this like his so clearly was, what happened when she went back to her time? Daniel could never know the truth about why she was here, and so he could never know the truth about why she was leaving.
And none of that even grazed the topic of how Bellatrix fit into all of this and-
Wait, what? Where had that thought come from? Bellatrix had no influence on Hermione's relationship, aside from being a pain in her side whenever possible, but she should not be a consideration in the slightest. Why had Hermione even thought that?
"Is it someone else?" He turned to look in the direction her teammates had disappeared to, and nodded. "I understand, Hermione, really, I do." A weak smile was on his otherwise handsome face, but he nodded his head and took a deep breath. "Thank you for being honest with me. I truly appreciate it. Uh, if it's not too weird, would you still like to go with me to Slughorn's like planned? As friends, just friends, I promise."
Still a bit thrown off by the intrusive thought of Bellatrix, Hermione took a moment to process what he had said, and then smiled gently at him. "I'd like that, Daniel," she said softly, very relieved he wasn't making a big deal out of this and had easily accepted her rejection. Though, she truly expected nothing less of him, as he had never given her any indication of acting any different.
Another voice called her name, this one louder and deeper than Daniel's, and she turned to find Steve towards the stadium, impatiently waving his hand to get her to catch up. Daniel had thrown her off, and she had entirely forgotten about the upcoming match.
"I need to go get ready for the match. You're staying to watch, right?" She felt slightly awkward asking him that, as she had just broken his heart, but that pretty smile was back and he nodded. "Good, okay, I need to go. See you tonight."
He waved her off with instructions of meeting her in one of the halls before they go to the Christmas party, and then she rushed to join her team before the match began.
By the time Hermione reached the Slytherin's dugout, the rest of the team were waiting for her, all centered around Steve, and all with their brooms in their hands. Steve gave her an acknowledging head nod before he began his pre-game speech.
"Okay, guys, listen up. Ravenclaw is right behind us in points, we all know it, they all know it, and they're gonna play like it too. Gryffindor has already proven they were willing to permanently take one of us out, let's not put it past Ravenclaw to feel the same. Everyone be on the look out for yourselves and each other."
They all mumbled their agreement, looking around at one another and patting the others on the backs, and Hermione smiled right along with them. It felt great to be a part of something like this, even if today might very well be the last time she played with them as a team. Maybe she could still join for a few practices though...
"On another note, we just have to win. It doesn't matter by how much, but of course, the more points we get, the more we further our lead, which we all want." Steve nodded his head, more to himself than any of them, before he sucked in a deep breath and gave them all a charming smile. "Look, what I'm saying is, this is a match we're going to crush. I know it, you know it, everyone out there knows it. Let's go show them why Slytherin is the house to fear!"
It was a rallying statement that would have made Oliver Wood proud, from what Hermione had learned from Harry and observed herself all of those years, and so with a loud cry of agreement with the rest of the team, the seven of them fell into formation standing over their brooms and waited for the ref to announce their house.
By the time they could hear the stadium filling, the crowd loudly chanting the house names and conversing to one another, Hermione had long since forgotten about rejecting Daniel, or the party tonight, or anything at all that wasn't annihilating Ravenclaw during this match.
Well, that, and Bellatrix, who was in the row ahead and directly in front of Hermione.
Had the girl always looked that good in the uniform? Hermione had to admit Slytherin did have the nicest outfits, and the tan pants hugged all of her muscled curves nicely. Bellatrix was well formed, even Hermione had to appreciate that, and the dark witch had visibly worked hard for all of her muscles.
Of which there was a lot.
Hermione had not been blind to the girl's body, even from the beginning, and every time one of their arguments would turn physical, she could feel all of those many, many muscles working hard to get the upper hand.
None of those had anything on the kiss in the lake, when both of them were so very hardly dressed, and there had been nothing stopping Hermione from feeling the way Bellatrix's muscles had tensed and twitched under Hermione's curious hand and-
Stop. What was wrong with her and these thoughts all of the sudden? She needed to focus on the match, not admiring Bellatrix.
As if sensing the attention on her, the one in question turned her head to the side to look behind her at Hermione. Upon discovering the brunette's gaze already on her, the corner of Bellatrix's wicked mouth jerked up, and she winked (winked) at Hermione, as if they had been fine all this time, as if they hadn't not interacted with one another one on one for some time now.
To make it so much worse, Bellatrix said, too low for anyone but Hermione to hear, "Knock them dead, dragon-rider." She promptly turned her head back to the front, and a moment later the ref was announcing Slytherin to enter the pitch and begin the game.
Right from the very beginning Ravenclaw made it clear they were not here to lose. Their beaters were aggressive, their chasers determined, and their keeper refusing to let any balls through. Only twice now did Slytherin manage to score a goal, and that left them in the lead by only ten points.
Hermione was panting hard as she flew through the sky, on the look out for flying bludgers while also keeping an eye on the Ravenclaw seeker. So far, both teams seekers remained high above, searching for the little golden ball that would end the game, though neither player made a move to signify they had seen it.
It didn't help that it was bitingly cold outside today, and Hermione could see her ragged breathing coming out in puffs of visible air. The bat was heavy in her hand, hanging limply against the side of her broom as she rushed through the air. Ryan flew by her occasionally, looking just as annoyed as she felt at the slow progress of the game, and Steve was shouting at them all constantly to not lose focus.
It was definitely hard, when they were more than thirty minutes in and at a stalemate, with still no sign of the snitch. Hermione had whacked the other team a few times now, even going as far as knocking two of them chasers into one another, but that had been the most exciting part for her so far.
Was this truly how her last match would go? Slow and boring, neither team truly scoring until the snitch was found?
As she thought it, it was as it the universe was now determined to prove her wrong, because Bellatrix finally got the Quaffle in her hand, and darted off faster than Ravenclaw could keep up. Hermione stayed near her, keeping guard to ensure no rogue bludgers knocked the girl from her goal, until they reached the posts and Bellatrix lofted the ball with all her might through the middle goal.
"10 POINTS TO SLYTHERIN!" The announced yell, and their house went wild, as they were now up by twenty.
The new points rejuvenated the team, and the two other chasers became more determined to score as well, and before Hermione could even catch up, they soon were up by fifty.
One of the Ravenclaw chasers was obviously not thrilled at the new development, and motioned for their captain to call a time out. Slytherin took the moment to catch their breaths on the ground, Steve giving a quick pep talk, and soon the whistle was blown again.
It very quickly became clear that Ravenclaw had one goal in mind, similar to Gryffindor's during Hermione's first match. Instead of her being the target this time, the opposing team had decided Bellatrix was the biggest threat, and focused much of their attention on her.
Well, that wasn't going to stand.
Ryan and Hermione unanimously decided they were done pulling any sort of punches, and started attacking Ravenclaw and defending Bellatrix with a renewed rigor.
For her part, Bellatrix was furious to be targeted, and had to be warned by the ref three times that screaming insults at the other players would not be tolerated. By the fourth, the ref yelled one more and she would be done the match. It was enough to keep Bellatrix quiet- barely, and so Hermione was determined not to let any of the Ravenclaw's close to her teammate.
Eventually, one of the beaters got too close for comfort, and Hermione swung the bludger as hard as she possibly could in their direction. They were able to swerve to avoid it, but the message was received nonetheless, and the beaters backed a bit off of Bellatrix for the time being.
Tony must have caught sight of the snitch then, as he suddenly dipped low beneath them all and flew by. Ravenclaw's seeker trailed him closely, either having spotted it or blindly following him to try and catch it first.
The new movement provided enough of a distraction that Victoria scored another goal, and Hermione sent a bludger to one of Ravenclaw's chaser to keep him away from Slytherin's post. The ball hit him hard in the side, and he took a steep dip before regaining control.
Time passed quickly after that, with Hermione staying close to Bellatrix and keeping guard, and had hit the other team more times than she could count. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky, and Slytherin up by eighty, did they finally hear the announcer yell out, "SLYTHERIN WINS!"
Hermione hadn't even realized Tony was once again on the move, as she had gripped the back of Sebastian's cloak to jerk him downwards as a flying bludger barely missed them both. His back had been turned, focused on tracking the Quaffle, and would have taken the ball directly in the back of the head.
He nodded his thanks multiple times as they both dipped to the ground to throw their arms around Tony, who looked less than thrilled at the contact but held the golden snitch up proudly as the rest of their house rushed the field.
Andromeda and Narcissa were there, both of them expressing how they viewed the game, and the youngest even took a minute to claim Hermione had played impressively. It was the only compliment she gave, but given their new status as Narcissa no longer despising her, she would take it, and smiled happily back, even as Andromeda crushed her in a hug.
Once the chaos had died down, and Hermione was able to leave the field, she caught sight of Bellatrix leaving with Rodolphus, not a word to any of her teammates, and ignored the sharp twitch of pain Hermione felt in her chest. Bellatrix couldn't even stick around when this was Hermione's last game?
"C'mon!" Victoria laughed and grabbed Hermione's hand, forcing her from her depressing thoughts, even as he eyes remained glued to Bellatrix's retreating form. "We're going to celebrate in the common room!"
Daniel was waiting for Hermione in one of the halls near the courtyard, wearing black dress pants and matching suit jacket, with a burgundy button down and slim black tie below. His sandy hair was pushed back away from his face, showing off his strong jaw and dark brown eyes. In his hands was a small red flower, which he held out to her when she neared him.
"Whoa, you look... amazing." His eyes were wide as he spoke, and helped Hermione tuck the flower behind her ear as he kept staring at her.
Andromeda had dressed her once more, now in a silver long sleeve dress with a high neckline and hem that ended a bit over her knees. Her hair was half up and half down, and she had even let Andromeda put a bit of lipgloss on her, after she had snuck into Narcissa's dorm to steal some of the younger girl's make up, as she was the only one of them to occasionally use it.
Hermione and Daniel matched well enough, she supposed, as he offered her his arm and they walked down the hallway, the only sound her flats tapping against the stone floor. Andromeda had tried to suggest heels, but that was promptly shut down by Hermione, and so flats it was.
By the time they had reached the hall where Slughorn's office was located, they saw many others also making their way to the party. Everyone they saw dressed in their finest outfits to impress the professor and other students gathered. They ran into a Ravenclaw Quidditch player that Daniel seemed to be on friendly terms with, and so they stopped to talk about today's match. The Ravenclaw student had accepted the win good-naturedly, and aside from a few jabs at Hermione and the other Slytherin beater playing rough, the three of them got along well enough as they all walked into the spacious office.
A spell must have been placed on the room to expand, as it was much larger than Hermione remembered it, and decked out in reds and greens, and a few golds sprinkled here and there. Tinsel and banners hung from all visible shelves, and floating candles were spelled to shine alternating Christmas colors. In a few corners and on select surfaces, laid snow, once more spelled to stay cold and frozen to avoid melting into wet puddles.
Overall, the entire decor was gorgeous, and Hermione allowed herself to get swept up into the ambiance of the event. She was running on a high again from Quidditch, and nothing would be able to bring it down, not even the confusing actions of Bellatrix before the match, or hurting Daniel. The former had disappeared right after the game with Rodolphus, and had not stayed to celebrate like usual, and the latter was acting completely fine, which did make Hermione feel a tad better about the whole situation.
Thankfully, the party and winning the game were enough to keep her spirits high, even as she subtly continued to look for a certain dark haired witch as they made their rounds and said their hellos. Slughorn came up soon, and the three of them, as well as a few other seventh years, soon fell into a light hearted discussion about unicorns.
Before long, Slughorn had to move on to another group, and left them to their own devices.
There were a handful of other Slytherins a part of the Slug Club, and Hermione immediately found Steve against one of the far walls, Lilith on his arm as they talked to some others. Hermione hadn't had much time to interact with Lilith or Amelia in recent weeks, too caught up in everything having to do with Bellatrix, but finding the girl at the event did bring a smile to her face, and she walked over to talk.
Lilith smiled brightly when she noticed Hermione by her, and didn't hesitate to pull her into a tight hug that Hermione eagerly returned. When they pulled away, Hermione looked her friend over, and found her in a flattering pink dress that just looked lovely on her, and she said as much.
"You're one to talk, wow! I'm not used to seeing you so dressed up," Lilith joked, and dragged Hermione away from the group of boys Steve was with, over to the food table for some light eating. "I saw you come in and was about to go say hello when you came up to me. You're really here with Daniel Corbin?"
"Yeah, we're friends." Hermione looked over the array of cheeses, meats, salads, and breads, before she settled on bread and cheese, and a glass of butterbeer. Slughorn had managed to procure a large amount of the well loved drink, and nearly all of the students in attendance had a glass in their hand. "I didn't know you and Steve were together."
Lilith shrugged as she gathered a small salad on her plate. "He just asked me to come with him to this event last week. We didn't really talk much before, but I certainly wasn't saying no to Slytherin's captain! I can't wrap my head around you being friends with Gryffindor's. Isn't it a bit uncomfortable?"
The idea that Hermione would ever be uncomfortable dating a Gryffindor was laughable. It was too bad no one but herself would have gotten the joke. Ron would have found this entire thing hilarious, and would have teased her without hesitation over it all. "Not really," she said with a soft smile. "He's very nice."
Lilith started to say something to Hermione, but it was as if she was listening while underwater. All of her attention immediately honed in to the two newest arrivals, who still stood by the door of Slughorn's office, talking to the professor.
Her glance at Rodolphus lasted only long enough to take in his all black suit, finely tailored and form fitted to his body. His wavy hair was tied into a neat bun at the back of his head, and during the last few weeks he had allow a bit of facial hair to grow in, all well kept and suited his face nicely.
None of that could hold a candle to the young woman who stood beside him.
There had been many, many instances where Hermione thought Bellatrix looked beautiful. It was hard not to think that, really, but every other single time paled in comparison to looking at the witch right now.
In Slughorn's last party, Bellatrix had been in a dark red dress, and tonight she had once more forgone her typical style of all black in favor of a deep green. Like Hermione's, it was long sleeved, but that was wear the similarities between their dresses ended. The front of Bellatrix's ended at her knees, while the back went on to trail against the ground slightly, and the top part was cut in a tight v-neck that showed off her prominent collarbones and just the barest hint of the top and middle of her breasts. Her heels were black, high enough to make her only slightly shorter than Rodolphus, and her ensemble was complete by her hair, pulled into an overly messy bun with a few strands falling down to outline her face.
Holy Merlin, her face.
Someone had to have helped with her makeup, as there was no way Bellatrix, who never tended to wear anything, was that skilled at applying the products. She had darkened her eyebrows, and thick kohl lined her already dark eyes, the edges smudged to create a smokey look that surrounded her eyes. Hermione thought that if she herself had tried the technique, she would have looked like a wet raccoon, but the chaotic look worked in the best sort of way for Bellatrix.
All of the guys in the room were trained on every single one of Bellatrix's movements, and Hermione couldn't even focus enough to be ashamed to be staring right along with them. Everything about her was screaming Bellatrix Bellatrix Bellatrix. Her very heart beat was pumping the name through her, and before she had even consciously been aware of what she was doing she started walking in the direction of the couple.
Rodolphus spotted her first, and gave her that cocky grin as he watched her approach. Hermione dismissed him right away. Bellatrix was still deep in conversation with Slughorn, but Hermione would have bet money the girl was aware of her approach.
"My father advised me to thank you once more for the recommendation letter," Hermione caught Bellatrix saying, her tone overly sweet, clearly sarcastic but Slughorn didn't seem to catch on. "My family greatly appreciated you writing it, and so early too."
Finally, finally, those eyes unlike any other slid to look at Hermione, that slightly subdued smile she was using with Slughorn shifting to something far nastier and infinitely more attractive.
"If you'll excuse me," Bellatrix said to their professor before slipping her hand around Rodolphus' arm and walking away.
Ignoring Hermione entirely.
Someone came up beside Hermione, and it took her a moment to process that it was Daniel. He had two cups of butterbeer in his hand, and when he handed one to her she gulped it down greedily. She hadn't even noticed how dry her mouth and throat had become.
"Are you okay, Hermione?" Daniel's voice was laced with concern as he looked down at her, and she forced herself to suck in a deep breath. Was it really that hot in here, or was it just her?
She turned to look at him and plastered on a painfully fake smile that he thankfully didn't notice, and grabbed his hand. "Let's mingle."
Daniel continued to watch her, as if not quite believing she was perfectly fine, but Hermione refused to talk about it, refused to really acknowledge how much everything about Bellatrix was weighing on her. But he let her lead them far away from that part of them room, and to where a small group of Gryffindor's were talking. They eyed her apprehensively as she approached, though kept their mouths shut about her house as Daniel and her started talking.
That was how the first hour or so went for Hermione, moving from group to group, talking and laughing and not at all thinking about the annoying witch somewhere in this room. The last time Hermione had looked for her, she found Bellatrix in a corner with a pretty blonde girl, both of them completely focused on the conversation.
Something about the sight infuriated Hermione nearly as much as seeing Bellatrix being touched by Rodolphus, and it was only made worse when whatever the blonde said made Bellatrix laugh, truly and honestly.
"Hermione?" Daniel's face came into her line of sight, his eyebrows ruffled and his mouth in a frown. He was concerned over something. "I've been trying to get your attention, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said quickly, and pulled on his sleeve when he tried to follow her line of sight to Bellatrix. "Are you hungry?"
He once more didn't push the subject, and trailed behind Hermione as she went to the food table, well across the room from Bellatrix and with her back to the two witches, and forced herself to start having fun, refusing to think anymore of Bellatrix or the blonde.
The party this time around was not nearly as terrible as it had been when in her timeline, though she credited that to no Cormac's trying to kiss her, no Draco's sneaking around the hall, and no Harry's trying to figure out their professor's secrets. This was normal, and mundane, and Hermione was actually a bit bored, even as she stood in a circle with Lilith and a couple girls from Ravenclaw. For the most part they talked about their classes, and for a bit Hermione discussed Quidditch, and how she had grown to love the sport, but overall their conversations didn't delve below the surface level, and she found herself counting down the minutes until it would be acceptable to leave.
Daniel popped in and out, but he had been swept up into a conversation with Slughorn well over twenty minutes that showed no signs of ending anytime soon. It was unfortunate that she couldn't pull him away to try and escape with her, but a tiny part of her was revealed he was distracted. They had been running out of things to talk about, and he still hadn't entirely forgotten her acting off when Bellatrix first arrived.
Speaking of which-
Hermione scanned the crowd to find the girl in question, but could spot her nowhere. Rodolphus was easy to find, in the center of the room with the other Slytherin boys, dominating the conversation and laughing about something. But Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen. Hermione frowned. Did she leave already? It wouldn't be out of character for her to just leave the moment she became bored of this, but to do so without Rodolphus?
"Hello, traitor."
The voice was directly behind her, and Hermione spun around quickly to find Bellatrix standing closely, her dark colored lips pulled into a grin that showed too many teeth. "Looking for someone?"
"Daniel," Hermione lied, despite knowing he was in her vicinity. Bellatrix knew it as well, and didn't hesitate to call her out on it.
"I don't think so."
"I don't see how it's any of your business." The girls around Hermione picked up her aggravated tone, took one look at Bellatrix's face, and suddenly found any other place more interesting to stand and talk. Lilith threw her a look before she walked away as well, though Hermione was too enveloped with Bellatrix to process it.
"As we both know you were not looking for Daniel, I do believe it is my business," Bellatrix shrugged in a way that she knew sent Hermione's teeth grinding. "But so long as you would like to play stupid, by all means, continue."
"Or, we could talk about you," Hermione hissed, and resisted the urge to shove the girl backwards. Who did she think she was to act so hot and cold towards Hermione all this time, and send her head spiraling with each thought? Why did she get to remain so visibly unaffected by not talking to Hermione, and yet Hermione herself couldn't say the same? Besides, why was everything on her terms?
Bellatrix smiled, and gestured to one of the recently empty couches in the corner of the room before she walked- sauntered, more like it- to it, leaving Hermione with no choice but to follow if she wished the conversation to continue.
Once they had sat down, Bellatrix sitting as if the seat were a throne and she the queen, with one leg crossed over the other, Hermione needed a moment to pull her eyes away from the pale skin now visible from the movement. When she did finally manage to jerk her eyes upwards, Bellatrix was grinning at her, as if she knew every single thought going through Hermione's mind.
"Well? Get on with talking about me. I do love to hear about myself," the girl teased, seemingly not caring at all that she had Hermione bothered by anything.
"You've been ignoring me for weeks. You only talk to me in class or practice."
"And what of it, traitor?"
"I told you to stop calling me-" Hermione's voice raised, and it gained the attention of a few of the surrounding students. She blushed from the sudden multiple looks in her direction, and dropped her voice to barely above a whisper. "You know I can't stand that. I also can't stand that you've been ignoring me so much recently and don't even seem to care."
Bellatrix's head cocked to the side, parts of her hair falling in front of her dark eyes, and Hermione tracked the movement of her shoving it back behind her ear. "I hadn't realized you cared so much if we talked, Potter."
"I-" What did she say here? She did care, that much was obvious, but it was one thing to imply it, and another entirely to voice it, especially to Bellatrix of all people, who looked for anything to make fun of with Hermione on a daily basis. It didn't matter, and Hermione was tired of denying it. "I do care, you stupid witch," she growled as she crossed her arms, and had to hold back the smile at the noise Bellatrix made, a cross between a laugh and a surprised huff.
"Perhaps I should stop ignoring you then," was the quiet reply, Bellatrix's gaze anywhere but on Hermione, her lips slightly pursed and her eyebrows furrowed. "As you can't seem to survive without my attention."
The obvious joke had done its job of breaking the odd tension between them, and Hermione even let out a quiet laugh. "You're incorrigible."
"Perhaps."
It was much too easy for them to fall back into this roll, even after weeks of Bellatrix going out of her way to avoid Hermione. It felt as if none of that had even happened as they moved into a simple conversation, sometimes the topics lapsing but never once feeling awkward or uncomfortable.
Hermione didn't bother to question why Bellatrix was spending so much time talking to her when she could be with Rodolphus or anyone else, if only out of fear the girl would get up and walk away. In this moment, Hermione was echoing having Bellatrix's attention on her for so long.
Bellatrix's arm was thrown around the couch as she shifted to face Hermione, none of the other students in the room paying them any mind as they remained in one of the corners. Hermione had long since lost track of Daniel, mingling somewhere with the other Gryffindors and a few Hufflepuffs, most likely. Last she saw of him was moments before Bellatrix pulled her to the couch, and he was deep in conversation with another boy from his house.
"Are you enjoying Slughorn's party?" Bellatrix asked, her voice low enough to be nearly tuned out by the music playing. Hermione had to inch closer to properly hear her.
"It's okay. Are you?" Hermione replied back, and found she was actually interested in whether Bellatrix was having a nice time or not. She seemed like she was, with how much she had been talking to the other Slytherins, especially that pretty girl from earlier.
But Bellatrix shrugged. "I'm bored."
Hermione couldn't keep the words in as she breathed, "Do you want to go somewhere else?"
"Where?"
"Anywhere you want."
It didn't take any convincing to get Bellatrix standing and grabbing Hermione's wrist. They told no-one they were leaving, and Hermione ignored the pang of guilt she felt about not telling Daniel goodbye. He had been sweet and fun the entire night, and she couldn't even remember the last time they had talked during this event.
Of course, the moment Bellatrix turned to look at her as they walked down the empty hall, a wicked grin on her pale face, Hermione forgot all about the Gryffindor, and allowed Bellatrix to keep pulling her until they reached the fourth floor and stopped at a closed door.
"It's an empty classroom the school hasn't used in years," the dark witch explained as she pushed the door open and stepped inside. It was dark and a bit dusty, the room full of empty desks that looked as if they hadn't been touched in years. Bellatrix walked over to one and sat on the top, her boot clad feet dangling off of the ground. "I come here a lot," she confessed as she looked around the room. Her nodded towards one of the large windows lining the wall. "Take a look."
Hermione did as ordered, and when she stepped to the wall, she let out an audible gasp. The classroom overlooked a portion of Black Lake, the view completely beautiful as the full moon reflected against the darkened water. Hermione was mesmerized and couldn't look away.
At least, until Bellatrix spoke and distracted her once more. "Narcissa is always finding me here whenever I'm not in class or Quidditch." The corner of her mouth turned upward. "Or arguing with you."
"You have such a busy schedule then, hm?" Hermione joked back, moving once more to stand beside the other girl. It was like the last month and a half never happened, as if they had not gone that long without interacting save for practice or classes. They had so easily fallen back to where they were before, before Bellatrix was dumb and spiteful and Hermione had gotten defensive and aggressive.
"You were impressive today," Bellatrix said, her voice lower than usual as she watched Hermione. "Steve doesn't think we would have been able to win without you."
That boosted her self-esteem, just to hear that the captain of their team valued her addition and skills. She didn't doubt Steve would have said as much, and figured the rest of the team felt similar, as she had performed exceptionally well during the match today, but... "What about you?"
Bellatrix's eyes were darker than before, completely trained on Hermione, and for a long heart beat she said nothing. "What about me?"
"Would you have won without me?"
"We've managed to win many matches for years before you arrived, now haven't we?"
Oh. Hermione didn't know why, but all she was hoping for in that moment was a bit of praise from Bellatrix, and her slumping shoulders must have signaled that, as Bellatrix sucked in a soft breath and spoke again.
"You never cease to surprise me, Hermione," Bellatrix's voice was low as she spoke, but not too quiet that Hermione missed what she said, and was left with her cheeks feeling much too hot.
"Oh."
Bellatrix stood up then, the action bringing them very close together, and Hermione felt herself suck in a quick breath. This close, the height difference between the two was very noticeable, as Hermione had to look down to make eye contact, and her breath caught entirely at the sight of Bellatrix staring up at her.
How had they gotten here once again? Only hours before Hermione had been fuming that Bellatrix was being her typical, stupid self, and now they were- they were doing this thing. And it was nice, and Hermione couldn't imagine being with any other person in the world right now, or hearing those words from anyone else.
You never cease to surprise me, Hermione.
She could count on one hand the amount of times Bellatrix had used her first name, and hearing it now was doing things to her she hadn't been prepared for.
Obviously, the atmosphere became much too serious for Bellatrix, as she grinned and said, "I mean that in the most insulting way, of course."
"Of course," came Hermione's quiet reply, though her focus was completely on Bellatrix's mouth. For just a moment, her eyes dipped lower, taking in the dark striking green of her dress. Part of the fabric had stuck to Hermione's, and for the first time she realized they represented the house colors of Slytherin.
Any thought of their clothing was wiped from Hermione's mind when she felt Bellatrix's warm mouth pressed against her for the second time in her life. The first, she had been drunk, and hyper focused on the girl, and now, she had been distracted, and the kiss came out of nowhere, and so a surprised gasp left Hermione's mouth.
Bellatrix did not waste that opportunity to slip her tongue into Hermione's now opened mouth, her hands finding easy purchase on Hermione's waist, while Hermione wasted no time in tangling her hands in Bellatrix's dark hair. The kiss may have come as a surprise, but she would not let this opportunity disappear as she kissed back harder, loving the feeling of Bellatrix taking control.
Hermione's back hit the desk when Bellatrix put pressure on her to move, and she did not hesitate to slide into a sitting position on the furniture, Bellatrix now squarely between her thighs. The dark witch's hands slid from Hermione's waist to rest on the top of her legs, stunted nails digging into the cloth of Hermione's dress, which had bunched upwards from being lifted into a sitting position.
It seemed the girl was a bit impatient, as while she continued to deeply kiss Hermione, their tongues brushing against one another, Bellatrix's hands moved downwards, scraping against the silver fabric until they reached the hem, and then going under and upwards once more, only to reach mid thigh, dig her nails in deep, and rake them down again.
The action caused Hermione to moan loudly, her mouth opened wide and Bellatrix took that opportunity to suck on her bottom lip, pulling it away from her mouth before letting it go with an audible pop. In the split second that they broke away, Hermione took in the sight of Bellatrix, her hair more messed up than usual, and the small amount of lip gloss on her mouth now smeared. Hermione could feel the sticky substance on her own mouth as well, and couldn't help but swipe her tongue across it to try and wipe some of it away.
That was enough to have Bellatrix diving back in again, her hands still splayed against Hermione's now stinging thighs and her tongue once more working inside Hermione's mouth. Merlin, it felt indescribable, and became even worse when Bellatrix pressed her body as tightly against Hermione's as possible, once again forcing her nails tightly into the brunette's skin, hard enough she would be surprised if there was no blood.
Bellatrix moved then, shifting so she kissed a trail down Hermione's jaw, until she reached her neck and-
Holy-
That was an indescribable sensation as Bellatrix's hot tongue licked a line along Hermione's neck, before she bit down roughly, and Hermione could do nothing more than buck up against her, her eyes rolling in the back of her head and breathing out a loud, "Bella."
One of Bellatrix's hands came to grip the other side of Hermione's neck, keeping her still and in place as she bit and kissed the abused skin, and Hermione just rolled her hips against the other girl's, nothing at all on her mind save for how good and how right this felt.
They had to have been kissing for minutes or hours or days, Hermione completely lost track as she grabbed Bellatrix's face and forced her to kiss her once more, this time she was the one who sucked on Bellatrix's lip, and even bit it gently.
The moan Bellatrix gave at that went right to Hermione's core, and she wanted nothing more than for Bellatrix to-
To what?
Logical thoughts were trying to break their way through the haze that was covering Hermione's mind, but the longer Bellatrix kept kissing her like that the harder it became. But ones she couldn't possibly ignore, despite how good she was feeling right now, kept pressing against the front of her brain.
And then when Bellatrix's other hand went to move to grab Hermione in a new place, she brushed against the scar glamoured on her arm, and it all came rushing back.
How could Hermione do this right now, when basically everything Bellatrix knew about her was a lie? She didn't know the real her, not really, and now here Hermione was, desperately wishing Bellatrix would just move her hand lower and-
"Bella," Hermione tried, but the girl must have taken it as another signal to keep going, as she just mumbled a wordless response and kissed harder. "Bella, wait-"
Bellatrix pulled back at that, her eyes dark and her lips swollen and wet, and it took all Hermione had not to kiss her again and let whatever was destined to happen play out. But she couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't.
"We- we can't do this here and-" Hermione's mouth was dry, her neck ached in the best way, and her thighs burned. All of it was still fighting her brain to keep going. "We need to stop."
The other girl's chest was heaving as she sucked in much needed air, but she took a step back, ranking a hand through her overly tangled hair. It would do nothing to tame the mess Hermione had created, but it seemed more of a way to keep her hands busy and her away from Hermione than anything else.
Words were hard, harder still when the ones she needed to stay did not want to come out. She breathed deep, and swallowed spit to soothe her dry throat. "It's late and- well we should-" Embarrassing rambling was all that was coming out, made worse by Bellatrix just looking at her like that.
She couldn't help but wonder how she looked now, was her eyes as wild, her eyes as dark?
"Right," Bellatrix groaned out, her voice more raspy than Hermione had ever heard before. "This- we would- I'm-" words seemed to be just as much as a struggle for her, but her response to the situation was to just turn and flee the room in the most un-Bellatrix like way as possible.
Hermione couldn't find it in herself to be offended, her brain already struggling to process what had happened, as she slid off the table and straightened her desk. First thing, to the bathroom to see the damage Bellatrix had created, and then to bed, to sleep this all off and deal with everything else in the morning.
Slughorn came around to ask the Slytherin students which of them would be staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, and when Hermione put her name down, she noticed she was the only one in her year to do so. It wasn't a surprise, given that most everyone had been talking about going home for the brief vacation to see their families, and more than a few of the wealthier Slytherins had been discussing their travel plans.
"You're staying at Hogwarts?" Andromeda asked as she sat beside Hermione in the common room hours later, a book for Transfiguration opened on the table before the her as she rapidly took notes.
Hermione nodded, her attention on finishing the sentence she was in the middle of.
"My parents are away," she said easily, thinking back to the lie she had told the Slugclub members weeks ago. Her parents were supposedly employed by Gringotts to study containment spells, and them being abroad did provide a nice cover story for while she would remain her. It also saved her from thinking about the truth, that her parents didn't even know who she was anymore, and she knew nothing of their new location save somewhere in Australia. Or that, should they even survive the war, Hermione had no clue how to bring back all of their lost memories.
She continued with, forcing her voice to stay calm and level, "Doesn't make sense to go home and be there alone, when I can just stay here and study."
And stress over what was happening with Bellatrix at Black Manor. And stress over what had happened between the two of them. Again. This time now sober.
Dumbledore's words were still fresh in her mind: "Bellatrix will be faced with a very terrible choice, during which if she completes it, her fate will be sealed, and nothing you can do can change it". Of course, he had never told her what that choice would be, or how she was supposed to stop it, given that she would be at the castle and Bellatrix would be home.
There were so many things that could happen at the manor during the two week break, none of them promising. Dumbledore had been very specific that if Bellatrix was allowed to go through with whatever Voldemort had planned, it would solidify her placement as a Death Eater. More than likely she'd receive the Dark Mark that very night, and there would be no going back from that.
But what was it? And why Christmas? She had too many questions and no answers.
"What if you came back with us?" Andromeda began, watching Hermione for her reaction.
"What?" There were a million reasons, probably more, for why that was a terrible idea. "Go to Black Manor?"
"Yeah," Andromeda spoke as if it was the most simplistic thing she had ever said.
Even though that had been an idea that Hermione had considered often over the past few weeks, she found herself scrambling to find excuses on why she shouldn't do that. "Uh, wouldn't your parents be angry?"
Cygnus and Druella Black would most definitely not be happy at having a muggle-born in their home, even if they didn't know she actually was one. And then there was the problem of if Hermione was unable to stop whatever Death Eater initiation was going to take place, then would she be around to somehow get involved in it if it continued?
Even more nerve-racking was the threat of what if Voldemort himself was at this event?
The logical part of her said that was a highly unlikely scenario, but just because it was improbable did not make it impossible. Bellatrix would go on to become his lieutenant, surely he would have taken some sort of special interest in her early on, right?
Andromeda was unaware of Hermione's internal struggle as she kept talking. "Our parents are going to be away for most of the break. They're only coming home for the 24th and 25th, and then they're leaving again that night."
The fifth year stuck her bottom lip out in what had to be the most pathetic excuse of begging, and Hermione couldn't hold back her laugh at the sight. "I think Bellatrix would kill us both if I went home with you." She tried that tactic instead, knowing Bellatrix's opinion of Andromeda was important to the girl, and hoped it would be enough to convince her of how rash this decision was.
Hermione did not take into consideration how much Andromeda loved to annoy her sister.
"I know," she laughed. "That's a benefit, not a negative. She's been so moody with everyone recently. This break could be good for both of you if you come."
"And why is that?" Hermione challenged, and watched as Andromeda wrinkled her nose and hesitated to say anything. "Andy."
"Well, it's just, you know..." Andromeda waved her hand as if that explained everything. She must have read the look on Hermione's face properly because she sighed and blurted everything out. "Honestly, Hermione, I know something is going on between the both of you, and it's driving me bloody mad having to watch the mess that is you two interacting."
What in Merlin's name does that mean?
"Something going on between the two of us?" Hermione pressed, even as her heart skipped a beat and her breath got caught in her throat. Her neck still ached, the deep red marks hidden by another glamour, and her legs had faired no better. Bits of skin had been broken, and Hermione had had to wipe blood off after she took of her dress that night, but thankfully their uniforms had covered that part. "I don't know what you're-"
"She told me the two of you kissed."
The Black sisters were definitely very skilled at leaving Hermione speechless.
Now the question became, which kiss did Bellatrix tell her sister about?
Andromeda sucked in a resigned breath and leaned her head against the back of the couch as she started talking. "She'd kill me if she knew, but... the other day I found her drunk in the field with Rodolphus and his friends. She was screaming at him when I got to her, so I made her leave. She spent the entire walk ranting about him, and then about our family, and you of course, and then she said you kissed, and really, I thought she was talking about Rodolphus and thought that was odd, because they've kissed before and all."
Hermione held in her cringe at that, but stayed quiet to listen.
"So I didn't understand why she'd be talking about it like that, but then she said your name, and well, it all sort of fell into place after that..." Andromeda's cheeks were tinged a bit red even as she grinned as she stared at Hermione, who could feel her own cheeks rapidly heating up. "I have no clue if she even remembers telling me. She was... pretty drunk."
"When was this?" Hermione frowned, trying to place a day Bellatrix could have had time to drink so heavily. None were really coming to mind, though she admittedly hadn't been around Bellatrix as much recently, and for all she knew the girl could have found any time after school or on the weekend to drink with friends.
"After one of your practices." Hermione could guess which one; a few days prior she had found Rodolphus waiting at the end of practice, an uncommon sight, and Bellatrix had said nothing to anyone before she followed him away from the field and towards the forest. At least it would have been the drunken kiss, and not the one in the classroom, where the two of them had gotten so close to- "Really, Hermione, it's gotten a bit painful to watch the two of you chase the other around like a pair of horny dogs."
"Andromeda!"
"I'm just saying," Andromeda laughed as she threw her hands up in mock surrender, before she quickly continued speaking. "Even if you don't want anything to happen with Bella, I do think coming with us would be fun. We haven't done anything together recently. So if won't do it for her, consider doing it for me, please?"
At that she stood, and told Hermione goodbye before heading back of the common room and leaving the seventh year with too many thoughts. At that she stood, and told Hermione goodbye before heading back of the common room and leaving the seventh year with too many possibilities.