A/N: Love to signofthetimes, CB and reviewers.

Since a guest reviewer asked, I decided to go ahead and post this installment out of order. This is not meant to follow the first installment-all of these are discrete universes, AU of the original AU.

I also decided to play with Hermione's reactions to things just to see how it might be different.

Enjoy :)

Bellatrix latched onto the girl's wrist and hurried her along more quickly. She was quiet, seething with anger. The girl seemed to sense it, quietly following her mother, head down.

As soon as they were inside their temporary quarters, Bellatrix released her. The girl immediately backed away, eyes darting, breathing hard. Bellatrix marked it but charged forward.

'Well?'

'I, ah, I-'

'What did you do?'

'Please, I-'

Bellatrix's first impulse was to shake the girl until her teeth rattled. Trying to get out of the castle? Kicking that creepy little fellow that worked for Rodolphus? Not to mention a werewolf.

Hermione wrapped her arms about herself and hugged, rocking a little on her feet. Bellatrix's keenly-honed predator sense could feel her vulnerability. Her…fear. That wasn't right. Children were suppose to love their mothers, not fear them. Not so much they were making little sounds in their throats, as the girl was, and a hiccoughy noise like she was holding in sobs.

Bellatrix sat down and breathed. What would Daddy do? What would Cissy? Even Malfoy, she supposed, would be an adequate role model (solely for this purpose, and she'd kill anyone who dared imply that, but still).

'Come here, girl. No, closer. Closer. I shan't hurt you.'

The girl did it, sidling cautiously. Bellatrix forced herself to stay still and tried, after a moment, to smile encouragingly. Without much success, it must be said, because the girl went still, eyes wide.

'Girl, come here. Truly, I'm not going to eat you.'

The girl finally crept close enough for Bellatrix to take hold of her wrist, gently this time. 'What happened?'

Hermione was slowly relaxing a little, head coming back. When she spoke, her voice was more or less normal, even if a bit soft.

'We were coming to find your husband or yourself and Mr. Travers called Rinky. And I, ah, I…'

'Tried to run outside.'

'Mmm hmm.'

'Why?'

'I wanted to…they're worried about me, is all. I wanted to find them and tell them I'm all right.'

Bellatrix forced down the surge of rage. The muggles, the stupid child-stealing muggles. It always came back to them, didn't it? Even dead they were hurting the girl and the others as well.

'Why did you not ask an adult?'

'Because I have and no one ever answers me. They tell me 'we'll see'

and change the subject.'

The girl lifted her chin a little, and a tiny note of defiance crept in, as though daring her mother to contradict her. Bellatrix tipped her head back straight back, strangely pleased, nearly as pleased as she was annoyed and angry about what had happened.

'Then what?'

'Sorry?'

'What would you have done had you got out? Where would you have gone?'

Hermione's chin dropped. 'Oh.'

'I mean it, what was your plan?'

'I suppose…I thought if I could get off school grounds…'

'What?'

'I could find someone who'd help me. An adult. Usually adults will help children, won't they?'

Bellatrix patted the cushions next to her and Hermione sat, watching her closely. How did she deal with this? What could she possibly do or say?

'Some of them. But you know some adults hurt children, don't you?'

'A policeman-an auror?-came and talked to my class about it. He said not to get into cars with strange people or take sweeties. I wouldn't, though.'

Bellatrix raised a brow. 'But you'd let a strange person help you

find your muggles, girl?'

'Oh.'

'Oh.'

'I suppose…I mean…that wasn't very good thinking, was it?'

Bellatrix touched the girl's chin, vaguely aware she was supposed to do that for some reason. Hermione lifted her head, eyes big and soft and slightly damp.

'We might have lost you, girl. What would your aunt say?'

'I was going to write her a letter after.'

'A letter?'

'Telling her I'm sorry I went in the corridors without an adult. And thanking her for being so kind to me whilst I was here. She'd like that, wouldn't she?'

'She'd rather have you here with us.'

'I know. But she doesn't need me. No one here does. She has Draco and her husband.'

'Your father and I need you.'

Hermione shook her head instantly. 'You've the Dark Lord. I was an accident, anyway, wasn't I?'

Bellatrix felt a surprising sort of…feeling, at any rate, at the matter of fact way Hermione said it. 'Who's taught you that nonsense, then?' She'd carve out their liver, whoever it was.

'Your sister says no one knew you were going to have me, and that's why I was born in Azkaban.'

'That's true but we still want you.'

'Mum-the muggle one-said she knew she was going to have me from the first. Why didn't you?'

Bellatrix inhaled. 'I've done a good deal of Dark magic, girl. I wasn't having my cycle anymore. I didn't think I could have a baby.'

'You never felt me move? Mum-Mrs. Granger-she said I kicked sometimes.'

'I can't recall.'

'If you'd wanted me, you'd remember.'

Were all children this incorrigible? 'I was in Azkaban. I don't remember ten years of my life.'

'At all?'

'At all.'

'Because of Dementors.'

'That's right.'

Vexingly, the girl looked sad, all big eyes. 'I'm sorry.'

'So am I. I wish I could remember what it was like.'

'You do?'

'Yes.'

Bellatrix touched her face again. The girl seemed to like it, snuggled into her hand. She was giving a very strong sense of need, need and fear. She patted the child's hair and the girl snuggled closer.

'You don't remember when I was born?'

'No.'

'It must have been scary.'

'Probably.'

The girl sighed deeply. 'It's scary for them as well, though. Mum and Dad. It's not their fault the Order took me away from your sister and Draco's father.'

Bellatrix misliked all this talk of muggles, but she could hardly change the subject without it seeming suspicious to the girl, who had, she judged, an analytical, Slytherin turn of mind.

'Would they want you to do something that dangerous, girl? Or try to attack a werewolf?'

'Scabior is a werewolf?' The girl looked interested, eyes lighting up with a curiosity that was becoming very familiar. Also quite Slytherin, noted Bellatrix, nodding mental approval.

'No, Greyback's men are werewolves. You tried to kick one.'

'He wouldn't set me down.'

'And Scabior?'

'I wanted him to let me go, was all. I didn't hurt his feelings, you don't think?'

She looked very worried about it, and Bellatrix, in answer, slowly put an arm about the girl. The girl took it as an invitation, and then Bellatrix Lestrange, most feared Death Eater in Britain, was somehow holding a child she had apparently created but had no memory of, except the few days previous. There was something wet and hot on her neck. The girl was crying.

'Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to be so bad!'

'Well, you were.'

The girl cried harder. 'I hate being bad! I just wanted them to know I was all right! Mum and Dad will be so worried!'

Bellatrix folded her other arm across the girl's back. 'Don't get

sick, girl.'

The girl bawled into her shoulder, heedless of everything else. It was actually sort of oddly pleasant. Not the crying, but the holding, and the novel sensation of soothing another person.

Finally she'd cried herself out, and burrowed in Bellatrix's neck. 'Sorry.'

It wasn't bad, this touching thing. She smoothed the child's sweat-damp hair.

'What is your father going to say about this?'

'He won't like it.'

'I don't like it. Girl, some of those men are dangerous.'

'They follow the Dark Lord, don't they?'

Bellatrix kept smoothing her hair. 'Some of them. Some are them were just criminals. A person only gets sent to Azkaban if they commit a

violent crime.'

'I thought Death Eaters had to go to Azkaban.'

'They did as well' Bellatrix said quickly 'but people who weren't political prisoners got sent too, if they hurt people.'

'Did they hurt children?'

'Some of them did.'

Hermione's eyes widened. 'Why does your husband want them to work for him, then?'

'Because there's a place for everyone in Britain now.'

'Like a second chance?'

'Something like that.'

Hermione nibbled her lip, eyes down. 'There's a rule at my house that I can't go outside with an adult, or telling where I'm going. Is that a rule here as well?'

'It is.' Bellatrix hadn't thought as far as rules, precisely, but she could hardly be more lenient than filthy muggles when it came to what the girl was allowed to do.

'And I wasn't very nice to that werewolf. Or Scabior.'

'No.'

'It was pretty naughty, I suppose. Scabior said it was.'

'Did he?'

Hermione nodded, still looking down. 'He said he didn't like how I was behaving, and that you would be sad to know I was being rude to him. Are you?'

Sad? No, not really. But again, clearly there were expectations here. Bellatrix made herself look portentous and nod. The girl curled up into herself a little.

'I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be bad.' Her voice was wavering uncertainly, and she finally looked at Bellatrix, forlorn and sniffling.

'This isn't the end of the world. You made a bad plan and kicked someone in the shin once or twice.'

'It was still bad.'

'It was.'

Bellatrix realized, at this point, that she was supposed to do something else. 'What shall we do about it, then?'

'I don't know. Do I need to go to my room?'

'For what?'

'I did something bad.'

'We've established that.'

Hermione blinked. 'Don't wizards do that?'

'Do what?'

'At home, when I'm naughty I have to go sit in my room. Or did-it's been a while.'

'How long?'

Hermione frowned, clearly reckoning. 'Six…six years?'

'Six years?'

'I like being good.'

Bellatrix was not wholly sure what to say to that. 'I suppose you ought to be smacked. Do muggles do that?'

'Some do. My parents didn't. My muggle parents.'

'Why not?'

'They thought it was unproductive.'

Bellatrix snorted. 'Unproductive?'

'They said it would make me afraid, instead of wanting to behave because it's the right thing to do.'

Bellatrix thought that was the stupidest thing she'd ever heard.

'What do you think?'

'I'd rather not.'

'What sort of response is that, girl?' Bellatrix bit her tongue again

to keep from laughing at how vexed the girl looked, wrinkling her nose in consternation. It was almost a shame that Rodolphus couldn't be here to see this playing out. Hermione huffed and then surprised her mother by smiling a little.

'That was a bit silly.'

'A bit?'

'Very.'

'Quite. Take off your shoes and robes and then come to my other side.'

Hermione fidgeted with the sleeve of her robes. 'Do we really have to?'

'Yes.'

'Why?'

'You were naughty.'

'But I promise not to do it again.'

'Girl' said Bellatrix, and gave her a hard, probing look that she hoped promised all manner of unspecified evils should she not comply immediately. The girl gnawed her lip and slowly unclasped her robes, stepped out of her shoes. This parenting thing, Bellatrix thought, was a good deal harder than Daddy had made it seem. She kept up her mother-glare as her daughter shuffled to her side, eyes wide.

She took the little wrist in her hand and gently tugged, bringing the girl forward so her belly was pressed into Bellatrix's knees. 'You normally don't fuss about things.'

'I know' said the girl from down by her ankle, sounding watery 'but it's not…I'm…what do I do?'

'Do?'

'I don't know you, I don't know the rules, and everything I do know is wrong. It's terrible.'

Bellatrix stiffly patted her back. 'Suppose it is, at that.'

'I thought if I could…I just wanted to know.'

Bellatrix kept patting. 'You know better than to do what you did. Would your muggles have tolerated it?'

'N-no.'

'Then they'd want to make sure you didn't do it again.'

'I suppose so. Does it have to be like this?'

'We're witches, girl. This is how our people deal with things.'

'Always?'

'Not always, but in cases like this.'

'Does it happen to everyone?'

'To children.'

'Did it happen to you?'

'Yes.'

'Your mother?'

'My father.'

'What was his name?'

'No, you don't. Don't think I don't know what you're up to.'

Hermione sighed. 'It was worth a try.'

'Indeed.'

Bellatrix took the girl's skirt up. Hermione gasped, dropping her

head. 'Can't we leave that down?'

'No.'

'Why not?'

Bellatrix brought her hand down hard on the girl's exposed thigh, prompting a squeal of surprised pain. 'Enough.'

The girl nodded, sniffling, and dropped her head. Bellatrix took her waistband and guided down her knickers (which had, bizarrely, little rabbits dancing on them) to her knees. The girl was sniffling harder, wriggling.

Bellatrix looked at the place she'd swatted. It was quite pink, very dark against the girl's pale skin. Still, she didn't think she'd hurt her. She almost wished Rodolphus was here to do this; he had a grasp of these things that she simply lacked.

Well, waiting wouldn't fix matters, and the girl was apt to start squalling from sheer nerves. Bellatrix tugged her tighter against her ribs, holding her so she couldn't fall. She felt like she was supposed to say something, scold or lecture, but it seemed rather pointless.

The girl knew what she'd done and now she was paying for it, was all.

The first slap was loud. Hermione, who knew what to expect, yelped, feet coming up a little. Bellatrix laid down a few more, curious and worried about being either too soft or too hard.

It would have been easier, she reflected, had her daughter been acting more like her usual self. There was something about Hermione's waffling and pleading that was very…it made her feel…Bellatrix grunted to herself and kept smacking. Perhaps this sentimentality was just indigestion or something.

'OWW! STOP!'

She ignored it. She remembered shrieking like a banshee when Daddy punished her, so probably this was normal. And proof the girl was hers, just as Jugson had teased. The girl squirmed, gasping and wriggling as her mother smacked her.

'OWW! NO PLEASE THAT'S ENOUGH!'

Bellatrix ignored that, too. She could see colour coming to the girl's skin but she wasn't really acting distressed, physically of all people knew what that looked like. She held her girl tighter and kept on, determined to make sure this didn't happen again.

Hermione was kicking hard, head down as she cried out, and then cried. It was oddly comforting-the girl was acting childish, and that was all right. Her maturity could be a bit, well, eerie from time to time.

'IT HURTS! PLEASE STOP IT HURTS!'

Bellatrix stopped for a second. The girl's chest was heaving against her legs and she was sobbing hard, feet kicking. 'Elf! Fetch my hairbrush.'

'NO NO NO! PLEASE DON'T! PLEASE DON'T!'

'Almost done, girl.'

'IT HURTS IT DOES NO MORE PLEASE NOT THE BRUSH!'

Bellatrix took the brush from the elf that had appeared and pressed the girl down. One hand stole back and Bellatrix tapped the girl with the brush.

'Move it.'

'Please don't!'

'Girl, right now.'

Hermione sobbed but inched her hand out of the way. Bellatrix held her more tightly and made herself keep going.

The first swat from the hairbrush made the girl cry out, a loud high wail. She kicked violently, trying to move off her mother's lap. Bellatrix pretended not to notice. Twelve, she thought, eleven more and this is over.

'MOTHER! OWWW! OW, NO, NO! HURTS! NO!'

It was harder than she might have thought. Bellatrix liked pain, but she didn't like this. The child was sobbing pitifully, wailing with every smack of the brush, legs working, head down as she bawled.

The last two were hardest. The girl had stopped kicking at ten, and Bellatrix made the last couple light and quick. Relieved, she almost threw down the brush, which the elf took at once. The girl was still sobbing like her heart was breaking, crying pitifully into her arm.

'Sorry! Sorry! I'll be good.'

'I know.' Bellatrix petted between the girl's shoulder blades. Hermione had called "Mother". It felt funny, not quite right, but also…nice? Sort of cosy, she supposed. Shame it had to be like this.

'Hurts, ouch!'

'I know. Can you…do you want to stand up?'

Hermione nodded, still crying. Bellatrix held her about the middle as she rose, hands flying back to rub the sting away. She hopped a bit in place, sobbing with huge gulping breaths.

'Hurts! Hurts!' Then, improbably, she was somehow in Bellatrix's lap and Bellatrix had put her arms round her.

'Hush, girl. It's done now.'

'Sorry! I was so bad!'

'It's taken care of.'

'I hate being bad!'

'You've been punished. Means it's done with, girl. Breath, calm down.'

Hermione nuzzled closer, crying more softly. 'Didn't like it.'

'I should hope not.'

Bellatrix stroked her hair, thinking that might calm her. It seemed to help, a least a little. Hermione's crying was slowly tapering off, but she made no move to relinquish her hold on Bellatrix's neck.

'Girl?'

'Mmm?'

'Cygnus. My father was Cygnus Black. He was a very good father to me.'

Hermione nodded, still sniffling off and on. 'Do you miss him?'

'Every day.'

'I miss my muggles, too.'

Bellatrix made herself nod. 'Understandable, I suppose.'

'What was he like?'

'Daddy? He was very kind, and very clever. He was…he loved us.'

'Your mother as well?'

'No.'

Hermione slowly raised her head. 'It hurts.' It wasn't a question.

'Not anymore.'

'I'm sorry it's…I'm sorry.'

'It's nothing you did.'

The girl pressed her head to Bellatrix's chest. 'There's a lot of terrible things in the world, aren't there?'

'Loads. But none of them will hurt you whilst we're here.'

'Are my muggles dead?' She sounded very calm, almost casual, but Bellatrix could feel her heart beating harder. She squeezed experimentally, hoping this was the right thing to do.

'Girl, if I knew I would tell you.'

'They didn't…theydidntleavemedidthey?'

'No, of course not. They love you.'

'They why haven't they written if they're alive?'

'Don't know, girl.'

Hermione sighed, snuggling closer. 'If you find something out, do you promise to tell me?'

'I promise…I promise to make sure you know what you need to know.'

'What does that mean?'

'That I won't have you upset.'

'I'm not a baby.' She actually managed to sound both slightly stroppy and sleepy, which negated what she'd just said slightly. Bellatrix gave her a stern look and a pat on the bum as a reminder.

'I mean, it won't upset me.'

'Trust me about this.'

Hermione nodded reluctantly. 'But if they are, you'll tell me?'

'If I find anything out about it, I will.'

'Promise?' Hermione put her head up and Bellatrix pushed it back down.

She obeyed the unspoken order and closed her eyes.

'Promise.'

The door opened. Rodolphus came inside and started to speak before he took in the scene. He closed his mouth, eyes widening, and sat carefully next to the ladies. 'Darling?'

'Shhh, Rodolphus.'

He nodded, and began to stroke Hermione's back gently, almost absently. He raised a brow and Bellatrix nodded once; she'd explain later. The girl was starting to doze a little, breathing deeply.

'H'lo.'

'Go to sleep, darling. That's the girl, just right to sleep.'

She nodded, making small sleepy grumbles. Rodolphus waited until she was sleeping, limp and warm, before he carefully lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom. Bellatrix tugged back the covers and they put her under, transfiguring her clothing. Hermione rolled on her side and sighed softly. Bellatrix swished her wand at a pillow and transfigured that as well, into some sort of little plush creature. It

was sort of a cross between a kneazle and a bear; she wasn't concentrating as well as she could have.

Back on the divan, the two adult Lestranges looked at one another.

'I hear there was a problem?'

Bellatrix explained. Rodolphus nodded slowly. 'It was inevitable, I daresay.'

'Yes. She did very well, all things considered.'

'Was it difficult?'

'Yes.' She wasn't sure she could put how it felt into words. 'It hurt her, Rodolphus.'

'You knew it would.'

She nodded. 'It was the right thing to do.'

'I think so. And she was certainly affectionate with you.'

'Called me "Mother", too.'

'Did she?'

Bellatrix nodded and then Silenced the area they were in. 'She's

guessed about the muggles.'

'Has she?'

'We need a story.'

'Perhaps, if we simply don't mention them…'

'No. She needs to know they're dead.'

He steepled his fingers. 'I'll see what I can do.'

'Thank you.'

The elf popped in, bowing and crying. 'Miss?'

'Idiot! She nearly ran off because you weren't watching her!'

'Rinky is sorry! Master Travers called Rinky!'

'Go to her, and God help you if you aren't there the second that child wakes up!'

Bellatrix stood, taking her wand. 'Will you stay, Rodolphus?'

'Of course. Where are you going?'

'To maul Travers.'

'Ah' he said, and settled back with a magazine, as she closed the door to go hex Metellus.