Bellatrix no longer stood idle in the mirror of Erised, and nor did her own reflection. Hermione sank to her knees in front of the mirror as she watched the hungry way Bellatrix ripped her blouse off and how her own traitor hands tangled in black curls as they kissed.
Her dreams had, at least, prepared her for the sight. The Gryffindor had woken early and with a start, feeling morally dirty among other things. The heat between her legs had subsided only after a very cold shower, and took nearly half the day to forget about once it had. Snape watched her intently through DADA, much to the disgruntlement of Harry and Ron, and to make it worse she was due right back in the DADA class room after her lunch break for the day's last lecture.
Right now however, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the scene in the mirror. Clothing was being discarded at an alarming rate and Hermione growled at herself as she felt her body begin to betray her.
This was wrong. Just because the death eater was beautiful didn't mean her crimes could be overlooked.
Hermione very slowly turned her back. The thought of what was happening behind her battered her self control.
Hermione steeled herself. Just leave. This mirror does no one any good. Dutifully she left, hugging herself as she walked down the corridors in a trance.
Miss Granger. She stopped.
"Yes professor."
Snape stepped out of the staff room door and approached her. "You will come with me to set the next class up."
So much for a break. Hermione thought. She hadn't even eaten. And who's fault is that?
She followed Snape in subdued silence back to the Defence Against The Dark Arts class room where he handed her text books to place on each desk. Hermione couldn't help but think he could easily have done this himself. Once she was finished, she stood awkwardly, awaiting instruction.
"Take a seat, Miss Granger, you're here to stay."
Damnit.
Hermione took a seat reproachfully and mourned the loss of the end of her break. Minutes later, the doors opened and students flooded in.
"Hey Hermione." Harry said, surprised to see her already seated.
"No, Mr Potter."
Harry looked up to Snape as he started to sit down. Snape was pointing disinterestedly and another desk across the room. Harry muttered something, but moved accordingly.
Feeling slightly attacked, Hermione scowled at the teacher until Ron joined, late as ever, sitting down by Harry as the desk was closest to the door.
The class began, and Hermione found herself ambling through an essay in silence, her mind drifting between the subject matter and the feeling for Bellatrix's teeth against her neck.
The professor had been mid speech about the finer points of deflective barriers, when suddenly, he stopped.
"This class is dismissed." Snape drawled abruptly.
The rest of the students murmured amongst themselves, turning to each other in confusion.
"You may all take your leave- not you, Miss Granger."
Hermione winced visibly as she put her things back down on the desk, settling back into the chair she had been half way out of. No one else seemed to pay the addition any mind, apart from Harry, who gave Snape an evil look and muttered something to Ron, who had missed what Snape had said in his enthusiasm to leave the worst lesson on the curriculum.
Everyone left in a hurry, and Hermione cursed the day she was born.
The classroom lapsed back into silence as the door closed behind the last student. "Tell me, Miss Granger. What does a young girl, on a Sunday morning, want with a boggart?"
Hermione went scarlet. "I- I just-"
"No matter, what's done is done. Instead, tell me this- when was the last time you saw Bellatrix Lestrange?"
About half an hour ago. An unhelpful voice sniped darkly in the back of her mind. More of her than you'd imagine-
"The department of mysteries, Sir." She said, half truthfully.
"Really." The reply was rhetorical, if a question at all. A musing, perhaps.
"And so, it having been so long, why did I find myself tasked with pushing her likeness into a wardrobe yesterday?"
Hermione fought the urge to smirk.
"It was too strong. I couldn't push it away, professor."
Snape made a noise of contempt. "From what I saw, Miss Granger... you didn't seem to be trying."
Hermione blushed again, all the harder this time. He saw. Of course he did, the evil-
Snape tossed something towards her and Hermione caught it, looking at her hands in confusion.
"I would keep that on your person, Miss Granger."
"What is it?" A dark, palm sized coin with script running across it gleamed up at her.
"You are dismissed."
"But-"
Snape was obviously done talking.
Before she left Hermione hesitated, something nudging her in the back of her mind.
"Sir, why did you dismiss the class? Why not wait until the end?"
"For your own good, Miss Granger. Thank you."
Hermione sighed. Snape was obviously not going to relent.
Back in the common room, Hermione evaded Ron and Harry on the premiss of a headache and curled up in bed for the hours before dinner. After fifteen minutes however, her mind wandered away from the coin in her hand and back to Bellatrix, straying further and further away from the appropriate by the second. She sat up. She refused to just lie here and get worked up over this yet again, she needed someone to talk to.
Sighing, she knew only one person who would keep her secrets beyond a doubt.
-X-
Hagrid's hut was cosy and out of sight, and the giant was thrilled to see her.
She had spent a lot of time with Hagrid when she had fallen out with Harry and Ron all those years ago, and she always felt better after sitting on one of his oversized chairs and eating a rock cake with her friend.
"Hello, Hermione! Shouldn't you still be in your lessons?"
"Hey Hagrid," Hermione greeted quietly, shuffling past him into the hut. "Snape dismissed us. And I need to talk to you."
She slumped into a seat, wondering how much to reveal about her situation.
"Oh. Well, you go on ahead, I'm not goin' anywhere." He sat down at the table opposite.
"I-" The young witch sighed deeply. "I was running errands for Professor McGonagall on saturday evening and I found something."
"Alright." Hagrid said uncertainly.
"It was a mirror. It's called the Mirror of Erised."
The Gamekeeper nodded. "I'm familiar with it. Didn't know it was back in the castle, though."
"Then you know what it does?"
A nod was the answer.
Hermione grimaced. "You promise not to tell anyone what I say?"
"I promise."
Hermione watched the floor intently, anythingt to avoid eye contact. "It was Bellatrix. Standing next to me. I left and went to bed and the next day I asked Snape if I could use the Boggart. I thought... well, I thought if I could get the Boggart to take Bellatrix's form, it might force the mirror to change its mind."
Hagrid shuffled on his seat. "And? What happened?"
"Bellatrix materialised. I couldn't cast the spell to drive the Boggart back. I suppose the mirror must have been right and I couldn't perform the spell with enough conviction. She- it kissed me. I pushed it away and then Snape came in and... well. Dealt with it. I left the room pretty quickly but then last night..." Hermione blushed hard as she realised what she was about to confess.
"Say no more, I know that face." Hagrid chuckled.
Well at least I don't have to admit I had desperate, rough sex with the worlds most notorious female death eater in my dreams out loud. Would probably make these meetings more awkward.
"I went back today to check the mirror again and she was still there. A lot more... overtly. And then there's Snape."
"Snape?" Hagrid's brow creased.
"He knows. He knows I've seen the mirror, and I'm fairly sure he knows what I've seen in it. He definitely knows what happened with the Boggart. He told me to 'keep my wand in my sleeve' and then today he gave me this, said to keep it on me but refused to say why."
Hermione handed the giant the coin and his faced changed instantly. For a long moment he stared, before saying very quietly. "Oh."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I do-"
"Hagrid?" Three loud wraps on the door caught the giant off guard.
The Game Keeper gave Hermione an apologetic look and rose to answer the door, both of them knowing who it was.
"I'd like to borrow my student, if I may."
"Professor McGonagall." Hagrid seemed to be stumbling for words.
"No." He sad suddenly.
"Excuse me?" The Scottish professor looked ruffled by the defiance.
"No, she's here and she's stayin', you can't just be takin' her away, I wont let you, I wont-"
"Hagrid, calm yourself!" The professor was glaring at him sternly.
Hermione had stood and was watching the scene in confusion. "Hagrid, it's alright- I can come back later-"
"Not this evening, Miss Granger." McGonagall asserted. "I was intending to collect you after your lesson, but Severus informed me you had been let go early."
Hermione suddenly felt like she was in trouble. Oh god, please don't say Snape told her what happened.
"He said that was for my own good, Professor." She argued, hoping to get some reassurance that whatever had transpired wasn't being blamed on her.
"Oh, did he now? Professor Snape might remember whose side he is on." The professor muttered. "Come along." Hermione didn't dare ask what that was supposed to mean.
"Tomorrow, then." Hermione said to Hagrid as she followed her summons, touching the giants arm as she passed him.
The professor said nothing else.
Hermione looked over her shoulder at Hagrid as witches made their way back to the castle, confused at his outburst and the almost enraged look he was still giving the Professors back.
Inside the castle, the Professor stopped abruptly. "Miss Granger, your wand, if you please."
"My- what?"
"Your, wand, please. I need to take it to be tested. Nothing to worry about, it will be returned in time for your trip to Hogsmede tomorrow morning."
Shit. Hermione had totally forgotten about the trip to Hogsmede. "What kind of tests?" Hermione asked shakily, handing her wand over with the sense of devastating loss.
"Nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. Now, dinner is about to begin, Mr Potter and Mr Weasley are waiting for you. Off you go."
Hermione was almost rooted to the spot in reluctance to leave her wand behind. The professor left her standing there.
The evening meal was noisy as ever in the great hall, and most of it was spent with Harry and Ron giving each other 'covertly' weird looks over the top of Hermione's head as she poked at some neglected pasta.
"Hermione… Nothing happened, did it? With Snape, I mean?" Harry attempted eventually.
"No." Hermione answered monotonously.
"It's just, you've been a bit off since he held you back earlier."
"I'm fine."
Ron shrugged at Harry and continued to eat the massive piece of garlic bread he had claimed for himself.
"We were wondering if you wanted to come to the library tonight and practice charms."
Obviously concocted to try and lure me out. How original. Hermione thought irritably. "Sorry, Harry, I can't. I don't have my wand until tomorrow."
"What'yuh mean?" Ron managed through yet more bread.
"McGonagall took it for 'testing'. And no, I don't know what that means, before you ask."
"Oh." Hermione could see Harry's mind turn as he tried to piece together what he knew to make a new theory about her downcast mood. "Tomorrow then. When we get back." He declared, trying to look bright enough for the two of them.
"Yeah," Hermione said distractedly. "Tomorrow."
-X-
When tomorrow came, Hermione was so desperate to get out for fresh air and a change of scenery that she was sitting at the castle doors waiting to go when most of the students were still having breakfast. Her dreams had been just as explicit as the night before, and she felt as exhausted now as if she had really been there. She could still feel the warmth of Bellatrix's forehead pressed against her own, and it brought a blush to her face every time she recalled it.
Agitated, the brunette had decided that the aim of her trip would be to find a book that would help her work this situation out, whether it be on more focused on the Boggart or the Mirror, or neither.
She was sitting in full view of the castle in the hopes Professor McGonagall would return her wand to her before she set out.
"Hey Hermione." Luna sidled up to her airily and Hermione smiled at her tiredly.
"Hi Luna. Sorry for rushing past you yesterday."
The blonde smiled. "That's okay, I just wanted to know if you wanted to take a look at this."
Hermione took a piece of paper that was being proffered to her. It was a photograph.
"Is that… is that me?" Hermione looked back up at Luna slowly. The photo showed Hermione pressed against the door to the room that held the mirror, catching her breath after she had seen Bellatrix the first time.
"Yes, but that's not the point, look!" Luna pointed to some grainy spots on the discoloured photograph that lingered around hermione like small gnat clouds. "Those are Dhalma Pixies. They swarm in anticipation for great distress or sudden change, which they feed off. I caught them following you a few days ago, but I couldn't get a picture until I used my special glasses to see you with. Cool, huh?" Luna asked dreamily.
"Uh, yeah. That's really cool Luna." Hermione said, feeling a little nauseous. Hermione could understand something like that being around her now, but Luna had said they were there days ago- long before Hermione had seen the mirror. If they hand't gone by now, did that mean there was even greater 'distress' in store for her?
What else could possibly happen? Hermione thought, exasperation creeping in. She shook herself. Luna was a kind girl, but there was no proof she was a feeding ground for any thing, let alone sadistic Pixies. It was probably all make believe.
"Well, I want you to have the photo. Be pretty weird if I kept it, I guess. I'll see you later!"
Hermione smiled as Luna waved and left and then stared back down at the photograph, watching herself screw her eyes closed and the grey swarms hovering around her over and over.
She shoved the photo in her pocket and waited for Harry and Ron to appear, catching Harry by the arm as they did and walking down the hill in silence, listening to the happy chatter of other students as they went. She said nothing of the conversation with Luna- it was well known that she didn't give the witch's ideas much credit, and she'd only draw attention to herself if she started now.
"Okay, I'm going to go to-"
"The book shop." Both boys finished for her, grinning, as they trudged up the main street together.
"Oh very funny." She said sarcastically, smiling anyway. "I'll catch up." She added, strafing away from them.
Ordinarily, she would have gone straight for Flourish and Blots, but today she had other ideas. There was a smaller bookshop on the fringes of the village which sold more unusual volumes, and Hermione was sure there would be books there more suited to her subject.
Halfway to her destination Hermione stopped, suddenly acutely aware of an unnatural silence. Uncomfortable, Hermione remembered watching a nature documentary when she was younger about how birds all fell quiet in the presence of a predator. She tried to pull her wand from her sleeve and in a sickening moment, realised it wasn't there.
McGonagall has my wand. I forgot to wait. What was it Snape had said? Keep your wand in your sleeve, Miss Granger.
Looking behind her, she took in the empty street and was about to keep walking when a loud crack went off right in front of her. The young witch leapt backwards as two men in black cloaks appeared, regretting not going to Flourish and Blots more and more by the second.
"Miss Granger, we are here to help you. You must come with us. There isn't much time."
Hermione took one look at the man on the lefts outstretched hand, and then bolted back the way she had come as fast as she could. She may have been a Gryffindor, but she wasn't stupid; with no wand, she was in no position to hold her ground.
Looking behind her, the two men seemed in conflict about how to proceed and Hermione never saw the woman she hit coming.
Breathing hard, the Gryffindor cowered as she registered the woman before her, with one of dark witch's hands over her mouth, the other around her back, stopping her escape.
"Don't scream."