She looked at Bellatrix through the window in her room. The dark-haired witch was swinging back and forth on one of garden swings, quite lost in thought too, it seemed.
The young brunette stepped over to the bed and flopped backwards onto it.
Despite how swimmingly things were going with Bellatrix on the surface, Hermione couldn't keep her mind off of what Narcissa had done, how she had acted. From crazily dancing with her for most of Harry and Draco's wedding night, to just plain listening when she got carried away talking about her potions in the fort they had built together. The fort they had built to distract Hermione, as well as to make her feel safe. It had worked too.
Hermione couldn't help compare the events of the past weeks to the muggle tales she used to read as a child. When strung together it did seem like this was some strange form of fairy tale… even including a gallant heroine coming to her rescue and all.
Naricssa chose that moment to pass down the hallway
Hermione hesitated.
"Naricssa?"
It was spoken softly, but impossible to miss in the quiet of the house.
The blonde retracted her steps
"Hermione?"
The younger witch looked at her from her position, still lying on the bed.
"I know why you did it... The night of the wedding, I mean. Dancing and talking with me, it was the smart move to avoid detection."
She trailed off, suddenly unsure of what she hoped the answer would be. She decided this was a moment to let her Gryffindor courage shine through
"But why did you come back? Why keep up the pretence of being Fred?"
Naricssa looked at her contemplatively for a moment, and then sat herself on the corner Hermione was not fully occupying.
"I wondered when you were going to ask about that"
"And…?"
She sighed "I made a promise, to protect you."
"Who would even ask that of you?"
Narcissa rose from the bed
"That's for me to know"
She tapped the side of her nose, in the gesture of keeping a secret, and whispered once she was outside the room
"And you not to find out"
Narcissa was truly glad that her eldest sister had found someone that made her happy more often… not to mention the positive changes she'd been making. Divorcing Rodolphus was a big step considering the potential repercussions there could be in dividing two powerful pureblood families…Yes, the young lady was having a wonderful influence on Bella.
And she decided in that moment, to keep it that way with whatever was in her power to control.
Even if it meant lying and keeping secrets… something she had tried vehemently not to do since leaving the control of her parents.
Besides, they belonged together it seemed…
She carried on down the stairs, deciding to go via the kitchen and collect a snack of some form along her way.
The Malfoy matriarch was partially right. Hermione did belong with one of the Black sisters, just not the one Narcissa seemed to think.
Three days earlier
Bellatrix was stuck.
Blue Raspberry Ripple or Chocolate Tornado Twist? That was the question.
A young red-haired witch wearing a Honeydukes apron saw her still deliberating a few minutes later, and chose to help out.
"It all depends on if you adore sweet things, like me"
Bella glanced up, slightly dazed at having been pulled from her highly serious and important train of thought
She thus spoke very eloquently
"Huh?"
Now she looked at her, Bellatrix recognised her as the same youngish woman who had decorated her name on a lollipop a while back. She remembered the kindly face, soft freckles and surprisingly warm blue eyes. And her red ponytail was somewhat unmistakable.
The red-haired witch glanced over the display for a moment, before plucking one from the back. She held it out to Bellatrix with a delicate flourish.
"This is the one"
That finally seemed to snap Bella out from a sort of trance in which she had, inadvertently, been staring at the other witch.
"Oh no, I was deliberating between those two"
She pointed at the front of the display where she had carefully placed the two precious lollies
The other witch kept the lollipop brandished in front of her and spoke in a whisper
"Trust me"
"Ah… Alright... Sure. I'll just take that one then please"
The red-head smiled and wrapped the lolly up for her, muttering something softly as she did.
Bellatrix left the shop not quite knowing what had just happened.
She had been coerced into buying a lollipop she wasn't sure she wanted by a near stranger…
Deciding she could think while she ate, she pulled it out of the wrapper
"Gingerbread Marshmallow Rocky Rainbow Road Sunrise with a Twist?"
…the lollipop didn't look harmful….
She took an experimental lick.
Oh my…
This was…
This was something else.
The lollipop which had started out bigger than her face, was reduced a just a plain wooden stick in seconds.
It was truly remarkable... And terribly addictive.
Bellatrix hadn't even made it two doors down the street before she was heading back to Honeydukes for another.
The red-head laughed as she came in with a gigantic grin on her face
"Another?"
Bella nodded
"I won't say I told you so…"
She teased, heading over to the display to find another lollipop.
"Thank you…" Bella looked at her questioningly for a moment
"Astryd"
"Bellatrix"
The lady smiled and continued searching through the labels. When she found none of the right sort left, she turned to Bella and held up a hand, motioning 'one second' before marching out to the back in search of the rest of that particular stock.
Bellatrix took the time to wander aimlessly around the shop, but she wasn't tempted by her usual vices. There had to be something painfully addictive in that particular lollipop to have affected her sweet tooth so strongly.
The thought that Astryd had used addictive magic on the lollipop did not occur to her.
Astryd reappeared a few moments later.
"That was the last one I'm afraid"
Bellatrix's features turned to heart-broken in an instant
"Are you sure?"
"Positive… our deliveries have been delayed the past few weeks, so we're running pretty low on nearly everything… There's not much stock left to check"
Bellatrix could still taste the remnants on her tongue, and decided to cherish them for as long as she could.
Astryd caught the look of plain sorrow adorning her strong, dark features, and that was the deciding factor. She spoke softly as Bella reached for the door handle.
"Wait…"
She disappeared into the back again for a moment, before returning with what could only be her own handbag. She rifled through it and pulled out a thin box wrapped in silvery paper, covered with moving balloons softly floating across it.
"Here"
Bella gave her a slightly quizzical look
"It's… It was, for someone's birthday." She paused "But you look like you need it more"
Bella hadn't thought to process Astryd's words as she took the gift and untied the ribbon, it was an almost automatic motion. She was used to being given things she wanted.
She paused as the words registered, the end of the bright turquoise ribbon still clasped in her hand.
"Oh no… no I can't accept this. I mean it's a present! What are you going to give them?"
Although... she really did want that lollipop... and what kind of present is a lollipop anyway? It'll probably just rot some kid's teeth... No, it was much better for her to take that chance...
"Although actually, I do happen to know a really neat author, his books make wonderful presents as my sister would confirm… Rupert Atticus?"
And so, Bella told her about the last time she had been in Diagon Alley, and how that book really did make a wonderful gift.
Astryd wasn't quite convinced it was a suitable present for her eight-year old nephew, but she was too entranced with the bright sparkle in Bella's eyes that shone entrancingly as she recounted the tale.
Deciding at that moment to definitely not give her anyone she knew any book by the aforementioned author, the red-headed witch took Bella by the shoulders and steered her towards the door, and then leading her by the hand the rest of the way out the shop she had nearly finished closing. She coud have home fifteen minutes ago, but she didn't have the heart to stop Bellatrix while she was telling one story that led onto the next. While she spoke Bella looked more filled with life than anyone she had seen in a long time, and Astryd was truly captivated. Despite having attempted to engineer the situation somewhat.
They had been standing in front of the shop for a good few minutes before Bellatrix properly processed that it was dark, the shop was closed, they were standing outside in the nippy winter air.
"Sorry, I got carried away…"
It wasn't like Bella to feel embarrassed, and she couldn't remember the last time someone had made her cheeks flush...
"Don't worry about it… You're quite the storyteller you know" She winked playfully
"All I was trying to say, was that, erm, there are other things you can give as presents that are way better than lollipops"
Astryd was mock offended
"But are they better than that lollipop?"
"Well… no… But that thing is one of the most enjoyable things on the planet!"
Astryd took a daring step closer as she spoke, softly
"Just like your storytelling"
She stepped back just as quickly
"Fancy a butterbeer to warm up?"
She spoke almost mischeviously, her cheeks rosy with the cold
Bellatrix laughed
"Sure… I owe you much more for introducing me to this lollipop though"
Bella grinned at the witch, who she now realised was slightly taller than she.
"I'm sure you'll make it up to me"
Astryd starting walking, cool as a cucumber, while Bella was frozen for a moment
That was most definitely flirting
And she had a Hermione
...Hermione, who had been the last person to make her cheeks flush.
"Actually… Astryd?"
The red-head turned back
"I think I should head home… someone's waiting for me"
Bellatrix Black had very rarely apologised in her life. And it was even rarer that she was sincere in it.
But the look in her eyes was nothing but sincere as she met the other witch's bright blue gaze.
Astryd knew what that meant. She had someone waiting at home for her, too. Just not in quite the same way.
"Another time, perhaps" Astryd smiled but didn't wait for a response before turning and walking briskly down the street. It didn't occur to her to apparate from where she was. It was only a few streets away anyway, and she liked the walk. The snow made everything just that little bit more magical that usual.
"Another time"
Bella whispered almost mournfully to no one but the chilly air, instantly wondering why those words in that tone had left her mouth.
Three days later
"Hey you"
Bella smiled at Hermione's greeting, she wanted to lie down and think, but it seemed the brunette had already beaten her to it.
"Hey"
She lay next to her
It felt awkward for a moment, but both brushed it off as less than it was. They were, inadvertently, becoming quite good at that.
Hermione reached for Bella's hand, and they lay like that. They were together in a sense, yet each adrift in the sea of their own thoughts, joined simply by the touch of fingers loosely entwined
Bellatrix finally broke the silence
"How was your day?"
"Oh the usual, work, reading… Luna came over and told me all about little Cassiopeia. Ginny's so proud. Although that baby girl has quite the name to live up to!"
Hermione smiled, turning her face to look at Bellatrix as she did.
She found Bella gazing back at her softly, as though she were studying her features. Trying to recall memories of a time when she'd stared at those features, seeing the personality of the woman she loved shine through them while Hermione slept, and thought only that the gods themselves couldn't have carved anything more wonderful in this life or the next. She was trying to remember what it used to feel like, rather than looking her objectively, as she currently couldn't seem to stop herself doing. It was a strange feeling, to look at her partner, and though nothing had really changed on the outside, Bellatrix did not quite see her as she once did.
"How was yours?"
Hermione gulped, she wasn't used to seeing Bella look so serious… playful, happy, pouty, tantrums… Bella ran through them all. Sometimes all combined in the space of three seconds. But serious? That wasn't one that came up often. Ever... as Hermione could recall.
It took a moment before she responded.
"It was fine… Went out for some new robes for the Yule ball and ended up Christmas shopping for Draco"
"Plus the usual Honeydukes trip of course?"
Hermione meant it teasingly, she loved Bella's incurable sweet tooth.
Bellatrix finally looked away, and up at the ceiling quickly.
There was no way Hermione would know she'd been going to Honedukes every day for the past three days. Astryd was a completely distinct part of her life.
"Yeah. That too"
Narcissa walked in three seconds later to find them, lying down facing the ceiling, still loosely holding hands.
She knocked on the open door
Hermione sat up slightly to look at the door, and her heart skipped a beat.
She paused for a moment, well that was weird.
But again, the young witch dismissed it easily
"Ladies, dinner?"
Bellatrix groaned and flopped an arm over her eyes dramatically.
"You could send a house elf Cissa…"
Narcissa's lips pulled into a smile, eyebrow raised.
"Have you forgotten every time I did and you simply sent them away. Or on some utterly meaningless time-consuming task?"
Narcissa never failed to bring up the one time she really didn't want to get up on a Saturday morning. I mean who needs breakfast before noon anyway? The house elf sent to wake her was fairly new to the household and the task, and so had gone along with Bella's request to fetch her a red rock from the bottom of the grand canyon, which she had told the elf was essential to her waking up process. The elf had gone missing for four days and refused to talk about what happened. To her complete surprise it had, however, returned with the requested rock.
House elves were nothing if not stubborn.
Bella spared a glance towards the mantelpiece where the rock still stood, years later as a kind of reminder to keep herself in check (or so she had Cissy believe. It was mostly there because she still found it funny. Plus it had started a house elf war between her and Andromeda which had had hilarious... if... unforeseen, consequences). She glanced back to the doorway, and sent Narcissa a cheeky grin.
"I totally needed that rock…"
Narcissa sighed
"Next time I want a family meal, I'll just send a bucket of ice water to drop over your head…"
She started to turn away.
"You wouldn't dare"
Bella retorted smugly.
"Watch me"
The aristocratic blonde very graciously stuck her tongue out at Bellatrix, before winking at Hermione and heading off down the hall.
"She wouldn't dare…"
Bellatrix suddenly sounded a lot less certain.
Hermione only heard her very faintly. She was still smiling at Narcissa's retreating form. This was a new side to the blonde, and it was one she definitely liked….
It took her a few more moments for her to realise Bellatrix was staring at her oddly.
"So are we going or?"
"Oh... yes! Right. Definitely."
Get a grip Granger…