AN: This is my first HP fanfic so I hope it meet the standards of you guys! :)
Also, my name is not J. K. Rowling and as such I do not own Harry Potter.
Bellatrix Lestrange. That absolutely insane, disgustingly sadistic, sycophantic pure-blooded bigot Death Eater. It was time she paid for her crimes.
As if being brutally tortured and being permanently marked with that most hateful word wasn't enough of a reason to want retribution the madwoman had orchestrated and carried out the merciless torture and murder of her beloved muggle parents. She may not be one to condone violence or hurting people but she definitely believed in justice and perhaps in this case a little vengeance.
Now, after several weeks of deep thinking, thorough researching, meticulous planning, and careful preparation, Hermione Granger was ready to deliver the perfect punishment to the Dark Lord's faithful follower. With a surprisingly malicious grin on her face she set out to capture her target.
Hermione stared down at the unconscious witch that was now securely bound both physically and magically to the hospital-like bed in the isolated little bunker she discovered some time ago and occasionally used when she craved solitude. The bunker and surrounding area had been set up with a plethora of obscure and complex wards and charms, making it unplottable, impenetrable, and highly protective (in regards to her at least). She was very pleased that her plan to abduct Bellatrix had gone so well; it had been carefully laid out after all.
The first step had been to wait until the Order had either received word of or planned their own raid that had a high probability of having her target in attendance; that was quick and easy given the recent increase in the number of Death Eater attacks, they were getting cocky. The next step involved coming up with a suitable excuse for why she would be unable to take part with her fellow Order members and also why she wouldn't be around immediately prior to the raid; that had been a bit tricky but she had managed with some clever lies about being too distracted with grief due to it being the date of her parents' anniversary (it wasn't but they didn't know that) and wanting some time alone. Once that was taken care of she needed to prepare herself and the area where the raid was to take place, which would require a couple of hours to complete.
She apparated a suitable distance away from her ultimate destination knowing the likelihood that there were one or two low-ranked Death Eaters keeping watch and that there were a couple of wards she would likely need to bypass; it was indeed fortunate that she was an absolute expert when it came to wards. Hermione had thankfully been able to snag Harry's invisibility cloak, making things significantly easier. After carefully making her way towards the raid location and slipping through the predicted wards and barriers already in place with a quick Partis Temporus, she began the most difficult, tedious, and time-consuming step of all - becoming completely undetectable and protected against stray spells. The first part of this step involved casting layers of silencios, obliteration charms, concealment charms, and a fumos to ensure that she would not be heard or seen (although the invisibility cloak took care of that, but it never hurts to be over-prepared and this took care of any footprints left behind too). The second part was a blend of the Fianto Duri and Protego Totalum charms which would very effectively protect her from harm. The final, most important and challenging part was weaving together a highly modified Impervius charm, a variation of the Blocked Barrier charm, an altered invisibility spell, and a brilliant charm (if she did say so herself) that she created which was inspired by the Permanent sticking charm. This ensured that none of the spells or charms she had cast could be detected through any revealing spells or affected by a Finite Incantatum and similar spells. Lastly, she turned into her animagus form, which happened to be a fox, underneath the cloak as an added layer of protection against the Homenum Revelio spell that was bound to be cast upon the Death Eaters' arrival, just in case it could get by her charms. Then she waited.
It took about an hour before Order members began to trickle in around the surrounding area shortly followed by the much anticipated Death Eaters. As predicted, the mad witch let out a loud cackle allowing Hermione to locate and lock onto her intended target. Once she was sure that she would remain undetected, Hermione returned to her human form and carefully followed closely behind Bellatrix, like a shadow. From there she simply waited for Bellatrix's shield to be sufficiently weakened, pressed the tip of her wand to the witch's neck, cast Stupefy Duo, grabbed a hold on the woman, and activated the portkey she had created in rapid succession. She had also made sure at least one other Death Eater saw what happened so that Voldemort would be made aware of his faithful's disappearance.
Now that her captive was secured, wandless, and unconscious, Hermione could see to completing the final tasks necessary before the real fun could begin.
"Rennervate." As soon as the spell left Hermione's lips the older witch's lips began moving furiously but failed to produce any sound. Hermione was somewhat surprised by the witch's brief burst of energy as she should be quite weak, nevertheless she waited for a minutes for the old woman to finish her silent tirade and tire herself out before speaking.
"I would apologize for silencing you however you tend to sound like a screaming banshee when you open your mouth, not to mention I have no desire to listen to whatever hateful rubbish you feel the need to spew out."
Hermione continued on talking all the while ignoring the narrowed and hate-filled eyes of Bellatrix. "Now I suppose you might like to know why exactly you are here and what is going to happen to you. Firstly, there was the delightful 'interrogation' session to which you subjected me and honestly I was prepared to just let that go. That's no small feat mind you, what with the thoughtful souvenir you gave me to forever remind me of our time together." She paused for a moment to focus on her breathing and to regain control of her emotions. This was the hard part of her speech and she didn't want to breakdown because of it.
"But then...then you had to go after my parents. Two of the people I cared for most in the world and you took them from me. And now I'm going to take something you care greatly about away from you." Here Hermione lowered her head so that her lips were but an inch away from the older witch's ear. Softly she spoke, "what is it that you care about Bellatrix, hmm? It is well known how greatly you feel towards a certain Dark Lord, though his demise belongs to Harry. But there is something else you cherish, isn't there? Oh yes, your precious blood. Toujours Pur - 'Always Pure'," Hermione finished with a slight sneer and stood upright again.
"Let me begin by giving you a brief lesson in muggle medicine, which truthfully is quite impressive given all of the advancements that have been made without magic. I'd explain much more if we had the time, but alas, we do not so we must stick to what is important and relevant. In this case that would be blood. When a witch or wizard loses a significant amount of blood they need only drink a Blood-Replenishing potion and they'll be right as rain; no such potion exists for muggles who suffer from blood loss. Thus, they rely on a different method to replenish one's blood and that is through a transfusion. That is to say that they use blood from donors to replenish a patient's own levels by directing into the person's circulatory system intravenously - through the veins, that is." Hermione paused then for a moment to allow her captive time to process what she had said thus far before continuing.
"Unfortunately, it is not quite as simple as taking any person's blood and giving it to someone else due to the fact that there are different types of blood, and I don't mean in regards to purity. In this case, the differences refer to the presence or absence of different antigens, primarily ABO and the RhD antigens. Generally speaking, there are eight designated blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, and O-. This is important because not all of the types are compatible with one another and if you were to give someone incompatible blood it can result in the destruction of red blood cells, kidney failure, shock, and sometimes death.
"I will hold off on going into too much detail regarding which types are compatible and will instead tell you of the two 'special' blood types, if you will. The first is the AB blood group; people with this type are called universal recipients because they are able to receive blood from any other group. Unfortunately, they cannot donate their blood to any group other than their own. The second is the O blood group, more specifically O-; while a person with O- blood can only receive blood that is also O-, they can give their blood to anyone else. Consequently, they are often called universal donors and because of this, O- blood is always in demand due to its usefulness. As it so happens, my blood is O-. A bit ironic how valued my blood is in the muggle world and yet it is deemed inferior by so many in the wizarding one."
"Prior to waking you up I drained you of approximately 40 percent of your blood, just about 4 pints worth. I wanted to do at least half, but alas, couldn't risk killing you and 40 percent is already risky. Fear not though, you weren't without blood for long." With a flick of her wrist the disillusionment charm that had been hiding an IV stand with a bag of blood hanging off of it was removed. Bellatrix's eyes widened at the sight and her breathing quickened ever so slightly; the first signs of growing alarm as the Death Eater began to make sense of what was happening.
"Oh, I see you are starting to put the pieces together now." Hermione chuckled and smiled with a darkness one would not have expected to come from a witch of goodness and light. "With the help of a couple Blood-Replenishing potions, I have generously donated enough blood to replace what I drained from you earlier. And it looks like bag number two is just about finished." With that, she set about changing out the now empty bag of blood with a full one before returning her attention to the older witch. She was exceptionally pleased to see that the fury in the witch's eyes was now mixed with horror.
"Ah, I see you are now understanding what exactly your punishment is," she smirked and pulled up a stool next to the head of the cot and took a seat. "How does it feel to have my muddy, inferior blood coursing through your veins? How does it feel to know that your generations' worth of magical pureblood has been forever tainted by that of a muggle's?"
Of course Hermione knew that that was exactly true, all traces of her blood would filter out over time. Not to mention that the so called purity of one's blood does not have to do with one's literal blood but rather with their DNA and blood transfusions do not alter the recipient's DNA. Alas, Bellatrix would technically be just as pureblooded as she has always been, but those supremacists certainly wouldn't know that and Hermione was more than happy to use their ignorance of muggle science to her benefit.
Looking back over to her captive she prepared to make her next blow. "Oh my, I've just realized something! What will the Dark Lord think of you now? Oh dear, I can't imagine he'd want to contaminate himself with you now. Don't worry, I do not believe he will blame you for new condition, pity you perhaps, but not blame so I wouldn't worry about him punishing you. Of course he most certainly will never want any sort of romantic entanglement now that your blood has been sullied. Such a shame, that."
Hermione was relishing this moment as she watched the once formidable witch beside her finally broke. What little color that existed on her face had drained completely and from the corner of her eye a large tear escaped and journeyed down her cheek before disappearing into her mass of hair. With that Hermione went to attend to other matters while she waited for the third bag of blood to empty and left Bellatrix to stew in her thoughts.
An hour and a half later Hermione returned and silently replaced the emptied bag of blood with the fourth and final unit. Once finished she left the room only to come back soon after. In her hand she carried the cursed dagger that had previously been used to mark her body by the very person now in her custody. It had been easy enough to acquire as she had explained that she wanted to study the curse it carried in hopes to figure out a way to heal her scarred arm. Of course no one objected to that. Unfortunately, she already knew that the possibility of actually being able to heal the wounds caused by the dagger was virtually nonexistent. It was no matter, she had other plans for it and in a way it would still be aiding in her healing, just not physically.
Hermione took her seat beside Bellatrix and brought the dagger into the witch's view. "I'm sure you recognize this. It is the very same one you used to carve that hateful word into my arm. You know initially I thought I was big enough to let that go and not let it get to me, however that is nearly impossible when I have to see its ugliness taunting me every day. Thus, I have decided to return the favor."
Without another word, Hermione set to work on Bellatrix's right forearm (the Dark Mark was, of course, occupying the left). To her credit, the Death Eater made not a sound as the cuts were made aside from an occasional hiss. She was methodical in her work, taking care to ensure the each letter was clearly formed. When the last letter was completed she stored the dagger away and retrieved a damp rag to wipe away some of the blood so the she could admire the finished product. A sigh of satisfaction escaped her lips as the three neatly inscribed words stood out against the pale flesh that was now their permanent home.
"You must be curious as to what I decided your brand should say. Obviously I didn't mark you with 'mudblood' as you did with me since that would not have as great an impact on you as it has on me. It had to be more personal in order to have the same effect . Thinking back to my original inspiration and your family's motto I came up with what I must admit is really a stroke of genius. 'Pas plus pur,' which of course translates to 'pure no more.' What did I tell you, genius, right?"
Hermione looked at the blood bag hanging on the IV stand beside her to assess its progress and determined that it would be about 40 more minutes before the transfusion was done. It was the perfect amount of time for her to take care of some remaining preparations and to deliver the final blow to the wretched witch. It simply wasn't enough for the notoriously vicious Death Eater to be broken; she need to be shattered.
Pulling out the 12 1/2 inch walnut wand from her pocket, Hermione waved it in front of Bellatrix's deadened eyes to make sure she had her attention. "There really is something special between a wizard and his wand. I mean other than the fact that it allows us to control our magic. It's more intimate than that, it's that connection you feel when it's in your hands, like a piece of yourself that you never knew was missing has returned. Just think of all the wonderful and amazing things our wands allow us to do. However, you have rather abused yours over the years, haven't you? I do not think you truly appreciate it or your magic, therefore I believe you don't deserve to have it."
A loud, sharp snap rang out breaking the silence of the room as the dark witch's wand was broken into two pieces. The natural bend in Bellatrix's wand made it even easier to break, almost as if the wand was always destined to be snapped in two. Hermione pulled out a long leather cord and proceed to wrap it around one of the pieces of the broken wand. Once it was secured she retrieved a small vial before bringing her own wand to her temple and pulling out a silvery wisp then sealed it in the vial. She then duplicate the stored memory, placing the original in her pocket and securing the copy with the leather cord. Finally, she grabbed a rolled up piece of parchment which was addressed to Lord Voldemort and charmed so that only he could open it, securing it with the leather cord as well. With that completed, Hermione took the leather cord and tied it around Bellatrix's neck treating it like a necklace, the three objects resting on the witch's chest like pendants.
"I thought I would be kind and let you keep part of your wand in case you're the sentimental type. You'll have to excuse me though, I'm keeping the half with the handle for myself. A little souvenir of our time together which is coming to its end." Though it was probably unnecessary to do so at this point as Bellatrix was very much despondent, Hermione stupified the witch before preparing her for her drop off.
She apparated the both of them as close as she felt was safe to Malfoy Manor. Hermione made quick work waking Bellatrix out of her stunned state, it wouldn't do to dally. The subdued witch's hands were bound behind her back and were tied together with her bound ankles, forcing her to remain in a kneeling position; though it was likely not needed as the woman was clearly in shock, she had been gagged as well.
"Well dear Bella, this is where we part ways. For your sake I really do hope there is still a taboo on your master's name, otherwise it may be a while before they find you," Hermione did one final walk around the broken Death Eater, admiring her work. After placing a seemingly sweet kiss on her forehead and a condescending pat on the head she spoke, "please, give my regards to Voldemort," then immediately apparated away.
Lord Voldemort was angry; he hated not knowing something. His servants had informed him immediately after the most recent raid of Bellatrix's mysterious disappearance. It was going on 36 hours that she had been missing and none of his spies had any information of her whereabouts. Not to mention that she had never before not come when summoned. If she had been taken by the Order Snape would have known, if the aurors captured her then the Daily Prophet would without a doubt have mentioned it, and she would never abandon him. The hesitant knock on the door and trembling voice of Peter Pettigrew broke him from his train of thought.
"My Lord, snatchers have found Bellatrix. It is unclear was has happened to her, sir, but it doesn't look good."
"Take me to her!"
The Dark Lord did not know what to expect when he saw his loyal follower but it certainly wasn't this shadow of a once fierce and ruthless witch. Never in all her time serving him had he seen Bellatrix look so fragile and vulnerable, it was disturbing. After looking her over he noticed the items hanging around her neck: half her wand, a letter addressed to him, and what looked to be a memory. Taking the letter and memory, he retreated back to his study hoping to find some answers as to what happened and who was responsible.
"Dear Tom,
How are you? Me, I'm positively delightful, for several reasons really. Firstly, it's not often that one has the opportunity to take justice into their own hands and deliver appropriate punishment to those that have wronged us. In doing so I have found some measure of closure, for which I am most grateful.
Furthermore, this whole process has also been a bit of a journey of self-discovery and refection which forced me to reevaluate my own moral code and to accept the harder truths of our current reality with a more open mind. You see, I tend to believe in karma, natural law, the 'golden rule', and the like; borrowing Newton's Third Law of Motion in that for every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction, I believe that for everything we do, good or bad, we will face consequences of equal measure. Moreover, I put my faith in nature, trusting that the forces of the universe will execute necessary events to restore order and balance, and that trying to interfere with these forces by seeking your own form of justice was, in a way, attempting to 'play god' and would inevitably turn out poorly for you. However, following the events of my parents' deaths I developed an almost overwhelming compulsion to seek retribution and in turn began to question my previously adamant refusal to meddle with nature's course.
Given this strong drive to take matters into my own hands, I wonder if perhaps it is in actuality a universal force seeking out a way to deliver the appropriate consequences for recent relevant events, merely using my person as its conduit.
Upon accepting this opportunity to be the deliverer of justice, I was then faced with the challenge of determining what the perfect punishment would be. Of course, the initial thought was to give her a taste of her own medicine, so to speak, and give her a healthy dose of the Cruciatus Curse that you and your toadies seem so very fond of but quickly dismissed that thought. That's not to say I thought myself incapable of properly casting it, mind you, because I assure you I very much wanted her to experience pain. No, truth be told I thought using the 'torture curse' as the means of punishment to be rather pedestrian, especially given the frequency with which you use it to reprimand your subordinates. That in and of itself is just a bit disappointing if I am to be honest. One would think you'd be more creative than that if rumors of your immense intelligence are to be believed, but I digress. The perfect punishment for dear Bellatrix needed to truly befit her crimes and that required taking from her what she values most combined with some substantial pain (in this case, primarily of the psychological sort).
I have to assume that you have chosen to read this letter first before viewing the attached memory. If this is correct, then allow me to verify that the memory depicts what exactly happened to your loyal follower as words simply could not do it justice. This brings me to my final reason for being in such a delightful mood. Throughout developing and carrying out what is really a most brilliant bit a of revenge and embracing that little bit of darkness that resides inside myself, I have enjoyed myself immensely. In fact, at least to a small degree I think I can understand why you do what you do. It's all rather invigorating, isn't it?
Be seeing you,
Hermione Granger
By the time he finished reading the letter he was fuming but nonetheless curious to see what the memory contained. Once finished watching it he was shocked by the different things he was feeling. Though furious that a mudblood dared to insult him and capture one of his Death Eaters, he was mildly amused by the fiery little witch and he hated to admit it but just a touch impressed by her chosen method of revenge. There was no denying that it had been effective. It was a shame, he thought, if not for her unfortunate bloodline she would have the potential of making a great Death Eater.