Set in an AU Two years after the war ended: The war did happen, Voldemort is dead as well as Remus, Sirius and several others. Bellatrix survived as did Tonks.
Bellatrix sighed looking at the brown haired witch across the desk from her. The girl had entered the room an hour ago and they hadn't said much. The minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt had ordered tea, Percy Weasley was taking notes. The girl, Hermione, Bellatrix remembered her. The night so long ago at her sister's home.
"I am not proud of what I did Ms. Granger." Bella said finally after several long minutes. "I did what I had to do at the time."
"You killed people Mrs. Lestrange-"
"Please, Ms. Black." Bellatrix said with a sad smile, "I never wanted to be a Lestrange."
Hermione was taken aback slightly. She had come to take Bellatrix's testimony, she waited for Bellatrix to answer the question. Bella played for a moment with a wrapper on a ginger candy in front of her.
"I don't expect you to understand Ms. Granger, you're being so young but perhaps you do." Bellatrix's eyes fell to the scar on Hermione's arm. She knew the witch had purposefully worn the short sleeved shirt to reveal the word Bellatrix has carved into her arm. "What one must do for the greater good."
Bellatrix had a hypnotic soothing voice. She did not look away when she spoke, rather she looked at Hermione so intensely that it felt as though Bella were assessing Hermione's very soul.
"To answer you Ms. Granger, yes I killed people. I tortured people and caused damage that I can never undo. At the end of the day the lives that were sacrificed were so that countless others could live. I cannot undo what I have done, I can only give testimony as to what was known by Albus Dumbledore and by this Ministry and what they ordered and allowed."
"Were you always working for the Order."
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes slightly at Hermione before answering, "No. I became an Order member when my cousin was murdered by Tom Riddle. He, well he discovered something and turned traitor, the dark lord- Tom Riddle killed him himself. I had to watch as he tortured Regulus for hours. He tracked him to a village by the seaside. I watched the boy I had cared for; the baby I had held in my arms as a child slowly tortured to death. It ended for me then, when Regulus died."
"How did you seek out the Order?"
Bellatrix smiled, "I sought out Albus Dumbledore. It wasn't easy, he didn't trust me as he had ever right not to. I had to prove myself a number of times but in the end the information I provided to Albus Dumbledore proved invaluable."
"And Lord Voldemort had no indication that your allegiance had changed."
"No."
"How is that possible?" Hermione sounded sceptical.
In that moment Hermione felt her head go slightly fuzzy, her eyes unfocused and she felt Bellatrix literally pushing against her mind. Kingsley stood and the pressure released from Hermione's mind.
"I am highly skilled at occulemency, I dare say my skills at both Legiiimency and Occulumency are among the best in the world Ms. Granger. I doubt there is a wizard alive who could accurately interpret my thoughts."
Hermione was slightly breathing harder from Bella's intrusion. "Do forgive me Ms. Granger, I thought a demonstration would suit better than a description."
Kingsley returned to his seat, Bellatrix took no notice of him as she reached for another piece of ginger candy. She held one out to Hermione. "No thank you." Bella shrugged and unwrapped another piece. "I can't smoke in the office." She said by way of explanation, "So ginger candy it is."
"So Lord Voldemort couldn't read your thoughts."
"No, he couldn't read my true thoughts. They were buried quiet deep, too deep for him to penetrate."
"The Longbottoms?" Hermione asked after looking down at her parchment. "Frank and Alice Longbottom. You tortured them until they went insane."
"For which I served fourteen years in Azkaban." Bellatrix finished Hermione's statement.
"For which you did not serve your full sentence of life." Hermione corrected.
"For which the ministry released me from my sentence." Bella added.
"Lord Voldemort broke you out."
Bella laughed slightly at this and flicked through a file producing a parchment paper and handing it over to Hermione. "I think your files are missing this piece."
Hermione read through the note quickly and handed it to Kingsley who read it who then passed it onto Percy to add to the official record.
"The ministry was responsible for the breakout?" Hermione said in slight disbelief looking at Kingsley, it was two ministers before his time, during the reign of Fudge.
"In a peace treaty with Tom Riddle yes. His death eaters for the promise of no further retaliations against the wizarding community. The Longbottoms were a tragic accident. I never meant what happened to Alice and Frank. It was regrettable and I cannot undo that damage, but I did pay for that crime Ms. Granger."
"They are still at St. Mungos Ms. Black. They will not recover. Ever." Hermione said with a slightly angry tone.
"Nor will I Ms. Granger." Bellatrix's answer deflated Hermione immediately. "I envy them; they have no memory of what occurred. They live in a dream state with no fear or pain. I am aware Ms. Granger, every minute of every day I am aware of my crimes. For fourteen years I replayed those crimes over and over again." Hermione swallowed hard, she hadn't been expecting Bellatrix to be like this. To be, human.
The questioning went on for four more hours. Hermione's head ached by the end. When they were finished she thanked Bellatrix for her time and watched as she was placed back in magical cuffs and led away. Not to Azkaban, to a cell in the dungeon of the ministry. She would be granted a pardon, that was certain but the debriefing and the details of all that had occurred had far reaching ramifications for the ministry itself.
Hermione sat in the Leaky Cauldron and waited for Tonks, Harry and Ron to show up. It was their weekly night out without spouses, though Hermione enjoyed Ginny's company she often felt she couldn't truly be herself when Ginny was around.
Tonks arrived first and ordered the first round of beers.
"I read the report. How are you doing?" Tonks asked after taking a long drink of her beer.
"It's a lot to take in."
Tonks nodded, she had known of course that Bellatrix was working for the Order. She was one of the only ones who knew. Tonks had given her testimony in the first weeks after the war ended. The extent to what Bellatrix has done and experienced though, that was new to Tonks.
"Is she still in the dungeons?"
"Yeah." Hermione said peeling the label off the beer bottle. Tonks watched her for a moment. "You know what that really means right. Peeling the label off." Hermione chuckled slightly, she was frustrated but not sexually.
"They knew Tonks, the Ministry knew and did nothing to stop him."
Tonks took a deep breath, "Sometimes it is better to not know what your Ministry is up to."
Harry and Ron came in fresh faced from a day off, they came into the bar laughing and chatting loudly over the Quidditch match they had just played in the park. "I think you should go professional Harry, really."
Harry nodded, "I am thinking of trying out for Puddlemere. Oliver said he would get me a tryout if I fail out of the trials."
"Naw mate the Cannons." Ron as always pushed for this favourite team.
"We'll see Ron I have to make it through the trials first to see if any team will have me. It's not great having glasses and being a seeker. One bludger in the middle of the game and I am out of the running to get the snitch."
Tonks and Hermione moved over to make room for the boys to join them. "Wotcher Harry, Ron." Tonks said as Hermione just nodded a greeting and took another sip of her beer.
"Whoa, you look like you've been through the mud." Ron said as Harry elbowed him.
"Wha- sorry Herimone."
Hermione shook her head, she knew she looked rough, eight hours in a room with Bellatrix Black would do that to a person.
Ron seemed to remember that fact, "Oh hey yeah sorry, how did that go? Is she full of shit?"
"No she is telling the truth."
"Naw, can't be." Ron said shaking his head. "She's a murderer, no way Dumbledore employed her."
"He did Ron." Tonks said handing the boys the beers. "The greater good."
"She killed my uncles." Ron said bitterly taking a swig.
"She killed a lot of people." Harry responded staring darkly at his bottle not drinking it.
"So did Snape." Hermione said unsure why she was defending Bellatrix Black who had carved 'Mudblood' into her arm.
"Yeah but, well that's different isn't it." Ron said looking from Tonks to Hermione.
"Fraid not, it's one in the same, actually more so because she was at more risk." Hermione answered after Tonks sighed at Ron's stupidity.
"Look I know to hate the Blacks and the Malfoys is the popular thing at this table but I need to remind you that I am a Black." Tonks said with a frown, "A Tonks first and foremost but a Black as well."
"Sorry Tonks." Ron said after a beat. "You're right."
Ron walked Hermione home after bidding Tonks and Harry goodnight. They had had an early evening, Tonks wanted to get home to Teddy and Harry was eager to catch the replays of the first round of trials. His was coming in the next two weeks.
"Want me to come in?" Ron asked putting his arm up slightly to stop Hermione from running into her flat and closing the door.
"No, not, not tonight Ron. Maybe next time."
"Hermione you say that every week." Ron said moving in closer to where Hermione stood.
"I'm tired." She replied.
"You say that too." He chuckled.
"I just- work is really hard right now Ron. Maybe next time." She brushed her lips quickly to his.
He sighed heavily and accepted it, she gave this excuse every week. What had started as a red hot romance after the war ended had fizzled into drinks with friends once a week. Hermione watched and waved at Ron as he walked down the street. He didn't trust himself to apparate when he was drunk. It was a good thing, there was nobody at home to help him if he splinched himself due to lack of concentration.
Hermione turned on her record player and looked at her desk. It was thick and covered with files, all linked to Bellatrix. Hermione ran her hand over them and poured herself a glass of wine, it was her job to secure the terms of Bellatrix's pardon and reintroduction to society. She looked at the photo, not her Azkaban mugshot where she was screaming in her madness, the other one. The one the Ministry had taken two years ago when the war ended. A calm Bellatrix, a tired almost bored looking witch that seemed as though she was grateful that it was all over. The Bellatrix in the photo winked at Hermione, Hermione stepped back and looked at it again, sure enough Bellatrix winked at her and giggled.
Hermione went to bed that night with Bellatrix on her mind, the dark eyed witch invaded her dreams. Once again Hermione felt the weight of Bellatrix's body press her into the cold wooden floor, the witch's leg forcing Hermione's apart as her dark curls tickled against Hermione's face. The cold tip of the dagger scraping into Hermione's arm, the laugh and warm whisper against her ear. The kiss Bella has placed there as she carved the word 'Mudblood' Hermione's screams as she begged Bellatrix to not to stop Hermoine jerked awake, her heart raced as her pulse throbbed between her legs. Her throat was dry as she tried to pull the dream back. It was the same nightmare she always had only this time, this time it hadn't been a nightmare. Hermione had wanted it, had wanted Bellatrix to continue cutting her, to continue pushing her legs apart. She could still feel Bella's breath against her ear.