Hermione suppresses an unexpected squeal and turns her head, nearly colliding with Bellatrix. She smiles a quiet smile a brushes a stray tuft of disarrayed midnight-black hair out of the other girl s eyes for her. Hi.
Bellatrix releases her grip, allowing for Hermione to pivot around and face her fully. Miss me? she asks, eyebrows raised in anticipation of an affirmative response. She hunches forward in her usual sitting position, cross-legged with hands folded neatly over the black nearly knee-high combat boots she spent so long saving for.
Course I did. The hazel-eyed girl sits with her legs folded beneath her in such a way that every once in a while, Bellatrix feels obligated to ask if perhaps she s a mermaid in disguise. How bad was it? she questions, lips drawing back in an empathetic wince.
The other girl snorts. Mum s got it into her head that Rodolphus and I were simply made for each other, she sneers. I, however, beg to differ.
Hermione lays a hand across Bella s knee, bare where part of her robe s slid off and rests on the grass. Bellatrix wasn t exactly expecting the motion, and, caught off guard, glances down to see her girlfriend rubbing her gently. It ll get better, I m sure, soothes Hermione. Casting Bellatrix a reassuring smile, they lock eyes for a moment. Besides, are we really that obvious?
Bellatrix giggles a terribly girlish giggle, highly out of character in the eyes of anyone besides Hermione. She grasps her lover s hand in her own, running a thumb over bony knuckles and raising it to her lips. Hermione blushes deep scarlet as Bella s lips press against her skin. She can hear one of the jocks laughing, images he must be pointing the scene out to the rest of the Quidditch team, but tries to block all self-consciousness from her mind at the thought of how much courage it must ve taken Bellatrix to perform the act publicly, what with so many of her relatives present at the school. Yeah, I think it s pretty clear now, love, Bella breathes, lowering Hermione s hand a glancing briefly in the direction of the laughter before dropping her gaze to her lap, grinning impishly, hair falling over her eyes.
Mm, murmers Hermione, trying to hold a straight face. You ve a lot of nerve, Mistress Black.
Bella snickers. Would you have me any other way?