Chapter 1: A Trip to Azkaban
It had been a few minutes after her friends were ushered out of the Headmaster's office. After they left, Dumbledore had seemed to realise that he had forgotten to remove her wand from her person. She didn't want to be completely vulnerable, but she had no choice. Hand over a fake wand? No chance. He would recognize it in an instant, and if he didn't, Snape would. Hex him? Hex him. Her subconscious had stooped so low. A clearing of a throat broke her concentration.
"I do believe that Albus asked for your wand..."
"Yeah, of course. It's a wonder I've kept it for this long, you know? The staffing at Hogwarts is really that terrible, is it?" A sharp glare from the scowling Potions Master caused her to role her eyes and extract a wand from the back pocket of her robes. She extended a pale hand towards Dumbledore and he deftly plucked it from between her fingers.
"The Aurors will be here in a matter of minutes, Albus." She felt scared all of a sudden. Azkaban? I'm not that brave! I'll go insane in a few weeks... Her breathing picked up, until she fainted.
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Bellatrix's cell had been solely occupied by her since her imprisonment. So when she was informed of an inmate, she was surprised. The guards refused to mention names, they didn't even tell her to her face! They slipped her a note along with her morning porridge. Even magically made it was foul. Not that she expected amazing food, she was in prison after all, but she imagined being allowed to have toast. She missed toast. It was weird that she missed it; she'd never much indulged in it when she was free. Now that she was imprisoned, she missed everything. From her arranged husband who she never loved, to torturing captured mudbloods.
Walking around to the back of her cell where the Dementors couldn't find her, she broke her stony resolve for just a moment. She allowed the tears to fall on her face for one time in forever. But as soon as they began, they stopped. She couldn't allow her new cellmate to see her in a rare moment of weakness. She straightened her back and sat against the wall, waiting.
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She recovered almost instantly, or so it seemed to her. The Aurors were just flooing in when she awoke anyway. She almost felt regret for what she had done. Almost. She still wanted revenge on Weasley and Potter for always making her feel less than perfect. Friends were meant to stick together.
"Wotcher, Hermione!" Tonks greeted enthusiastically. "So where's this new-found Death Eater we're taking away?" The last part seemed to be directed more towards Dumbledore, but it was answered by Snape anyway.
"Miss Granger," he shuddered slightly, "Is your new-found Death Eater…" Tonks and the rest of the Aurors faces was so perfect she nearly smirked despite herself. Self-control, mudblood. One Auror even raised their wand at her, but no hex flew from the wand. She didn't recognise the Auror at first, but when he winked at her, she knew exactly who it was. Lowering their wand, he turned to the others and inclined his head towards the floo. One stunned her, and she blacked out for the second time that day.
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His guise as an Auror worked, and she knew who he was. He had arranged things ahead of time so she would be imprisoned with Bella. Granger and Bella had several things in common, and he knew that Bella was fed up with being alone from all the visits he had made because of Narcissa. Bella wouldn't be too happy with sharing a cell with Granger - someone who she believed to be a Mudblood – at first, but Lucius hoped she would accept Granger eventually. Bella wasn't one to accept people, but he hoped she would put that to the side. Her and Granger were on the same side now, weren't they? Not that he thought that would cause them to get along.
He had decided earlier that he would be the one to introduce Bella and Granger. No one else would do. Bella would attack, he knew that, and he was sure that Granger would know that the second they met. Thank Merlin for their wands being confiscated. His sharp grey eyes snapped onto Granger's attire. Gryffindor robes, obviously. It would not do to be imprisoned in Azkaban while wearing them. He flicked his wand with the grace of a Malfoy and some Muggle clothes appeared. Granger's size, obviously.
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She was glad that Lucius was there for her. She never thought that she would ever be allowed to think that, but times had changed. Everyone knew, how they knew, the day after it happened was a mystery. He had kept a friendly arm around her during the Apparition to Azkaban, and even organised for her to share a cell with another Death Eater. She was also annoyed with him. Bellatrix Lestrange? A cell with… her? But she knew it was the best she could have gotten, quite possibly.
They stunned her to take her to her cell. It wasn't a surprise to Hermione; they couldn't risk her escaping, could they? Bellatrix was asleep in her cell when Hermione was Ennervated awake. Quite probably Lucius' doing, but she didn't mind. She had been asleep the entire time, so the Dementors hadn't taken a toll on her yet. Still, the second she awoke she felt depressed. Why'd you leave them? Her mind wasn't making much sense to her, but she needed to get her snappy sarcastic wit back before Bellatrix awoke for their first meeting.
It took her less than a minute to realise she was shaking in her sleep. Poor Bellatrix, was all she allowed herself to think before snapping back to her usual alert self. She could kill you with her bare hands. Without hesitation too. She shrugged that thought aside, as Bellatrix shrugged herself awake. Dreary eyes, filled with no emotion stared unblinking at her for a full minute before Bellatrix grunted and grabbed her head and pushed it towards the stony ground of the cell. So this is why no one shares cells here. Her head connected with stone and she blacked out for the third time that day.
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Her friends would die eventually, but not by her hand. The Dark Lord was to finish them off, maybe letting someone else deal with the 'Blood Traitor.' Once upon a time she did believe that she loved him, but now… It was obvious, to her at least, that it was purely platonic. For the both of them. So that was that, and she would not let emotional attachments hinder her. She did not really want her friends to die, except one thing was for certain. And she didn't like it.
Harry Potter would die.
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AN: Sorry it took so long to get this out, but I hope you enjoyed it regardless. I'd like to thank Danigirl84, MelodiDam and PAULA FOREVER for putting this story on their alert list. :D!
Until next time, au revoir!
**Edited 9/2/15 with part of another chapter – this is the new chapter one. Thanks to IllegitimatePrincess' suggestion, the previous 'Chapter One' will be a flashback in the next chapter.**