Broken Mirror
Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't make proffit either.
Chapter 1
Three years after the fall down of the Dark Lord, the lifes of the survivers had change a lot. Ginny and Harry had started dating, and so had Hermione and Ron.
Ginny was a quiditch player, Harry and Ron had became Aurors, along with Neville. Hermione work I the Ministy too. She took care of the Magical Creatures Departement. The muggle-born witch had already created many laws, some forbiding people from treating House Elves like slaves, others giving more benefitx to creatures like Goblins.
She had climbed up her way throught the Ministry with hard work and determination, but now she felt empty. She had donne so much right now, that she didn't know what more to do. She missed having an objective. Many said that she would do an excelent Minister, but she didn't want that kind of power or responsibility. She had seen what power did to people.
She was just getting out of her office, when Hermione heard someone calling her name. Turning around to face the person, she saw Draco Malfoy running towards her. The blond boy had gotten much closer to them this past years.
Harry hadn't forgoten how he had refused to tell the truth, and hand them to the Dark Lord. So, after the war, Harry had helped te Malfoys, and none of the went to Azkaban. Not even Lucius. It had been hard, because in the beginning no one forgot what hapenned, but with time, the Malfoys were accepted in sociaty again.
In fact, now that Andromeda and Narcissa were on talking terms again, Harry and Draco spent lots of time with litle Ted Lupin. They had became very close. Ronald didn't see the pure-blood family with good eyes yet, but he tolerated them for Harry's sake.
So Draco now worked in the Ministry too. He had been jumping from departement to departement, but rcently he voiced his thoughts about leaving the Ministry for good. He didn't like paper work.
"Hey 'mione! Going to have lunch?" they started walking towards the many fireplaces.
"Yeah. Harry asked me if I wanted to get out for a while. He seems to think that I work too much." she scoffed, but after all, it had always been like that.
"Maybe that's because you do. Auch!" he rubed his arm in the place Hermione had punched him.
They walked in silence for a while. Draco knew Hermione wasn't happy, but he didn't knew how to abord the situation. Maybe the better would be a direct question.
"Are you going to leave the departement or not?" Hermione came to a sudden stop and turned to face him.
"What?! Why would you think that?!"
"Oh, c'mon. It's obvious your not happy anymore. You used to love to came here, would talk about ours about your plans... Now you almost drag yourself throught the corridors!" he pointed at her slumped shoulders and eyebags. " You're donne with this. And it's afecting your social life too. Whe was the last time you went out and had some fun, ãh?!"
"It doesn't have anything to do with my job." she really didn't want to talk about this. It was still too fresh to be shared. Even if it was with one of her closest friends.
"Doesn't it Hermione? I can see that something is wrong with you. Harry saw it too." when she didn't answered, he continued. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. But why don't we talk about it over lunch? You can speak your mind and thoughts to both me and Harry. How does that sound?"
"Fine, I suppose." it would be easier. And she would only have to tell what hapenned once.
They traveled too the restaurant in silnece. Draco was curious about what his friend would say. He knew it had to do with her job, but if it was only that, she wouldn't be so closed up about it.
Hermione was both ansious and nervous. She didn't knew what her friends reaction would be. Whar if they thought her to be wrong? What if they turned against her?
When they arrived, Harry was already there, sat at a table outside of the restaurant. It was a very nice one. It had both healthy food (for Hermione) and some not so healthy food (for the boys), all at an excelent prise.
When the dark haired boy saw them, he stood up and made a signal to where he was. Soon, they had ordered some food, and were waiting for Hermione to tell them what had hapenned, while yaking large sips in their beers.
"Alright so... I don't really know how to tell you this, but I'm thinking about changing departement. Shut up." she would not be interrupted by them. If she was, she didn't know if she would have the corouge. "I'm going to volunteer myself to the knew programe. And before you ask, yes, the one about Azkaban."
"Wait, you mean the one for rehabilitation?" the boys were looking surprised to her.
"Yes, Harry, that one. I've gonne bored with my job. There's nothing else I can do there. And it is known that Azkaban is almost full. So, if they're going to try and empty it, then I want to help."
"Have you chosen who do you want to... well, help?" the blond boy didn't like the idea of his friend be so close to a criminal.
"I did. And this is not up for discussion." she glared at the gentlemen infrobt of her, already guessing what they woulld think. "I choose this person because I need to. She changed me. I need to face her, to..." sudendly, her hands became very interesting. "I don't know. I need to know why she did those things. I need to understand, otherwise I will never be able of moving on."
"Wait... You don't mean... You're not... ARE YOU NUT?!"
"Harry, there are people staring." Draco hissed through grippe teeth, while smiling to the old couples who had turned around to see the why of the shouting. "But he is right. You think it is a good idea to be around Bellatrix twenty-four hours a day? Even my mother tried to avoid her, and they are sisters! And what about Ron?"
"I need to do this Draco. And if everything goes well, your familly will be totally complete after this. AndIbrokeupwithRonbecausehewascheatingoneme."
"Wait, reapet that again." Harry couldn swear he had heard Ron's name. She tried to relax. This were her friends. They will be on her side. So she repeated them more slow this time.
"I broke up with Ron because he wascheating on me." she looked away embaressed. She couldn't believe he had donne that.
"With who?" Draco had never like the Weasley, and the only thing he needed to beat him was a reason.
"It doesn't matter. He said he had been doing this for months now. He said it was my fault for being so bossy and such a know-it-all, that Ididn't knew my place, that I was just a mudblood and..."
She couldn't continue because of the sobs. It was painfull to remember, but she knew she couldn't keep those stuff for herself.
When Harry and Draco stood up and went to each one of her sides, she knew she had donne the right thing. Talking about that with her friends helped her think more clear. Ron being a jerck wasn't the end of the world, It wasn't even knew. She should have known it would never work.
"So, you really want to do this?" Harry finally said, adressing the issue of Bellatrix.
"Yeah. Anyway, it is already too late now to refuse again."
"What do you mean with that?"
"I already sign the papers. They're taking Bellatrix out of Azkaban right now." she grabbed Draco's wrist to see what time it was. "In fact, I need to be home in one hour."
Mean While in Azkaban...
Cold. Cold and wet and dark. Azkaban was all that and much worst. Even without Dementors, the life of the prisioners in there was miserable. Principle in cell number ninety three.
After the war, all the remaining Death Eaters were sent to Azkaban. All except the Malfoys. They had been the lucky ones. And her? She had been shipped of to Azkaban.
Nothing had gonne as planned. She should have died. That was the least. When she saw that Weasley getting ready to fight her, she knew it was the moment. She had nothing to live for. But the fact was, she was still alive.
She had woken up hours after. Still at Hogwarts, surrounded by other corpses. She had tried to move herself, tried to understand where she was... She hadn't got the time. A member of the Order (or so she thought him to be) found her and stunned her. Next thing she knew, she was back in her cell.
Sometimes she wondered if it had all been a dream. If she never had actually never brocken out of there, if she had just knocked herself and it was all imagination. If she really had gonne mad. But it couldn't be. Now, her mark was just a scar. It wasn't just faded like it had been before.
But now, she didn't have anything either. She would never get out of there. At least before she would spend most of the time passed out because of the memories that were played on her head when the Dementors came.
So there she was now. Her cell had one litle window, but it didn't let in much light. There was no bed, only a small matress on one of the corners. There was a toilet too, but that was it. There was nothing else there! She hadn't taken a shower in three years. Or seen a person.
Her meals, that consisted in a boul of cold watered soup, would came in throught a little hole on the door. No one would ever talk to her. If it wasn't for the sound of the see and the screams, she wouldn't even know where she was.
In conclusion, she was tired. Tired of her life. Tired of being there. Tired of her familly, who hadn't bothered to do say goodbye, even after everything she did for them. Tired of there. Tired of being outside of it. She only wanted it to be over.
"Stand up, Lesrange!" she had been so absorted in her thoughts that she hadn't seen the door openning.
The light coming from outside of her cell hurt her eyes, but she could see three tall figures standing in the doorway. She tried to stand uo, but her muscles didn't obey. They walked closer to her. She wanted to tell them to go away, to leave her alone, but her voice was arsh and she couldn't make words with it, and she could only stuter and cough. She wanted to do something, but the last thing she saw was a red flash, and then was over.
Later that day, Harry and Hermione went to her home. After their breack out, Hermione had went back to her parents house, but she couldn't keep a stranger there. So now Hermione was showing Harry the ways around. He would pop there everyday to make sure Hermione's knew "friend" didn't cause any trouble.
"So, when is she going to get here?" they sat in her living room, waiting for the Aurors.
Hermione was druming her fingers on her leg. She looked at the scar in her arm. That day plagued her nightmares.
Harry was nursing a drink. He knew he would never forgive for what she did to Sirius. Only if Draco was there, things would be easier. Ron had been acting like a jerk, much like what he had donne to Hermione. However, Bellatrix was not alowed to see her familly, so Draco couldn't help.
"Their bringing her at three o'clock. From now on, I'll only have to pop in the Ministry once or twice a week. The rest of time, I'll have to look after her."
"You're nervous, aren't you?" a supr optimiste Hermione was a synonim for nervous Hermione.
"You have no idea."
They spent half an hour talking to lighten the mood. When the pointers showed three o'clock, the doorbell rang. They stood up, and while Hermione went to open the door, Harry tried to let the living more presentable.
"Good morning. How can I help you?" at the door were three tall strong men, all whering the Ministry symbol in their robes.
"We are here to deliver your knew warden, Miss Granger." the strongest of the three spoke. He had brown dark hair, and his face looked like it was freezed in a eternal frown.
"Uhm... Yes. Of course. Come in." she openned the door to let them in.
"No, thank you. That won't be necessary. Your warden will be apareted inside your house. Kyle, Josh, do that. Have a nice day, Miss Granger." with that, they left.
Hermione went back inside slightly confused. She met Harry in the livin room, staring at something in the couch. When she got closer, she was in shock with what she saw.
"She just apeared here from nothing. Where are the aurors?"
"They said they would aparet her inside. She looks awfull, doesn't she?"
She was pale and her skinny. You could see all her bones, and her breathing was dificult. They even doubt she was alive.
"Yeah... Do you need help?" he would help her with anything she needed. She was her bestfriend after all.
"I'm gonna need some potions... Many potions... Could you go and ask Draco what are the best potions for this... situation?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll tell Draco you said HI." and with that, he left.
Hermione sat on the couch. She didn't know what the Aurors had told Bellatrix. But before, she needed to wake her up. Hermione strock Bellatrix's face.
"Mrs Lestrange... Mrs Lestrange... Wake up..." the older woman started moving in her sleep. Hermione gently pushed her, and finally she openned her eyes. She looked confused, very confused. When the Gryfindor saw the woman eyes, she almost screamed. Her pupis were huge! With a wave of her wand, she closed all the curtains in the room.
"Where... Am... I?" the older woman's voice was hourse thanks to the lack of use.
"Uhm... you're at my house, Mrs Lestrange. Don't worry, why don't we go instale you in your knew room?" Maybe I should stop strocking her face...
"My... knew room? What am I doing here? Who are you?" she was shivering, tried to stand up, but loose what strenght she had, and if it wasn't for Hermione, she would have hit her head on the ground.
Now Hermione had a fainted wich in her arms, and the all problem of carrying her up. She placed the wich carefully on the ground, and with her wand, she levitated up stairs and to the spare room.
First thing to do was to clean the woman in her care. She started filling the tub and then went to undress her warden. The clothes she had were all riped and dirty, so Hermione decided to throught them in the fireplace later. Anyway, she doubt Bellatrix would want to keep souvenirs from Azkaban.
When she saw Bellatrix's exposed body she almost felt sick. It was covered in... something? It was so disgusting. Principally the smell. Her skin was brown almost black in some places thanks to the lack of cleanning. Her ribs and ribcage stood out.
Hermione levitated her to the tub, testing the water to be sure it wasn't to hot. She then started scrubbing the other woman. The more she scrubbed the darker the water got. When she started washing her hair the water was almost black.
That was the biggest problem. Her hair was full of knots, all tangled. She thought about cuting it, but she didn't want to do anything without the other woman agree. It wouldn't help their relationship to start from the beginning to infuriat the woman.
So Hermione tried to do the best she could. In the end, she decided to cut the hair anyway. It was too long. She left in with length enough to reach the middle of her back.
The Gryfindor decided to ask Draco for something to treat the woman scalp too. When she was finally donne, Hermione had to clean the water at least three times.
Back in the bedroom, Hermione started examinating Bellatrix with bigger detail. She already knew the darkness had damaged the woman eyes, but if she kept the curtains closed, there would be no problem, and Bellatrix would recover completely.
She was way too skinny. She probably had anemia, and her teeth were rotten. She saw some dark spots here and there. If she had been sent to Azkaban right after the batle, she probably didn't have any medical help with her injuries. Wich only meant that she probably had some infections. What if the skin had grown, covering the infection? That would explain the spots. If that was true, they would need more time then Hermione had planned.
Her breathing was what worried her the most. It was difficult and loud. She worried there was some injury in the lungs. She would have to check that later.
She decided to give her some skeel-grow now that the wich was assleep. She hoped she didn't feel the pain. It wouldn't do to have her waking up. For the bags under her eyes, Bellatrix hadn't slept in years. She would all the sleep and rest she could get. Sadly, they wouldn't have all the time in world.
She would need to elaborate a diet and prepare some exercises to help the other woman with magic. She was one of the most powerful witches ever, and three years without magic was a lot. She was concerned about how the woman was going to react to be "teatched" by a mudblood. Or being bossed around by one. Or being the warden of one.
She decided she would do what exams were left later, and leave the woman to rest now. She pulled the covers up to her chin, and lit the fireplace. Azkaban was a cold place. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if Bellatrix had hypothermia.
She then closed the door and left. Hermione had at her care the most dangerous and powerful witch of all Britain. Bellatrix was about to have a second chance, but what for? The lives of both women were about to change.
A.N.: Hei guys! I'm soryy for any mistakes you might find. I'm portuguese and only fifteen, so I'm still learning. By the way, I have another Harry Potter fanfic, called The Strenght of Our Roots. I won't give spoilers, but if you liked this one, you will probably like the other. I also have one about Hunger Games (Effie x Haymitch), Alice in Wonderland (Red Queen), Reign (Catherine x Henry) and Winx ( Trix past and familly). Adeus.