Hermione grabbed her wand. Was it slightly overboard to bring her wand to a parent-teacher conference?
No. Hermione knew for an absolute fact that she was going to capture the last Death Eater in existence. Well, the last of the originals. Slipping her wand inside of her jacket, Hermione steeled herself in front of the school door.
If she was correct, her daughter has been spending a multitude of days with a homicidal, insane woman. That thought made her curl her hand into a first. God, how did it take her so long to figure it out?
The private Muggle Academy she has been sending her daughter to always seemed okay. It had good reports, a solid staff and her daughter seemed to like it enough. The corridors inside were covered with posters advertising programs and clubs. Looking for the Arts hallway, she came across a bulletin board.
Arts Student of the Month.
The drama teacher had one up, as well as the art teacher, but the one that Miss "Ridley" chose was none other than her daughter. Hermione ghosted her fingertips over her daughter's frozen face.
"Miss Granger! I am so happy to see you!" A chilling voice called behind her.
Hermione spun around and was staring at her. Hermione was a few inches taller, and she didn't remember the witch being this short. A small voice in the back of her head reminded her that this may not be her.
"Please sit, sit." The other woman spoke in a sickeningly sweet voice. God, it didn't even look like she has aged a day.
"To start off, your daughter is doing amazingly in my class. No need to worry about her in my class!" She laughed. "It's just whenever she mentions she is always... unnerved, so to speak. I don't think she has been speaking to you about things. For example, she will be starring in the school's musical and-"
"Stop lying to me." Hermione bit out.
The other woman didn't seem surprised. She gave Hermione a horrifying smirk. Bellatrix slowly leaned over the desk and drummed her talon-like nails on her wooden surface.
"So the little Muddy has caught me? Huh?" She mocked in a baby voice. "What are you gonna do? Kill me?"
Hermione quickly pointed her wand at Bellatrix's throat. The dark witch looked up at her with hooded eyes and smiled. She was still sitting in her desk chair, while Hermione stood.
"I am the Minister of Magic, and I will get you arrested and put in Azkaban forever."
"No need to be so bossy, pet. Am I really causing any harm? Do I really need to go away?" Bellatrix whined, sticking out her lower lip in a pout.
Hermione pushed the wand deeper into the witch's neck. She had the upper hand here, and she will seize this opportunity.
Bellatrix wrapped her hand around the wand pointed at her neck. Hermione didn't realize till then that her hand was shaking. The dark witch pulled the wand down.
"Why don't we talk like adults? Would you do that for me, Miss Muddy?"
Her enemy now stood and went in front of the desk, Hermione's arm was limp against her body. She was surprised her wand was even in her hand.
Bellatrix grabbed her chin and smiled.
"You may ask yourself, why did she reveal herself? Wasn't very smart? But, you see, it doesn't matter." Bellatrix paused and gave Hermione another bone-chilling look.
"Obliviate!" She screeched, and Hermione only felt blank. She swayed for a bit and crumbled to the ground.
"I gave the charm something more. Do you like it?" Bellatrix whispered to her passed out companion.
Hermione was walking home from the teacher's conference. She couldn't believe she was wrong. But it was a silly theory wasn't it? Molly Weasley killed her years ago. She was glad to get rid of all the complicated writings on how she thought Bellatrix could be alive. But in the back of her head, there was a small voice protesting as she threw out the last paper.
Christmas was coming up, and like always, they were going to spend it at the Weasleys. She felt uneasy with how Scarlett has been acting. Christmas should be a happy occasion, but with the walls, Scarlett is building, Hermione doubts this year will be as fun.
``
Hermione smiled as Hugo chased James up the stairs. Harry was sitting in a well-loved armchair with Lily in his lap, and Ginny was fussing with her dress. Albus was sitting on the sofa, a letter he was writing in his lap. George was in the kitchen helping Molly, and everything was serene. Ron was sneaking food out of the kitchen to eat, and every now and then Molly would smack him in the back of his head.
Thoughts of murderous witches and the issues with her middle child didn't plague her today. No, today was a day for family and friends. Hugo finally caught up with James, making both of them tumble down the stairs.
"Oi! Watch it!" Molly yelled at them. They both apologized, laughing and panting in between each word.
"Al, dear, will you go get Scarlett? I am afraid she has been upstairs the whole time!" Molly asked.
Albus huffed, and he started to angrily put his letter away. Hermione could the beginning of a scene taking its shape. Scarlett didn't like to be disturbed; neither did Albus. Scarlett didn't like her grandmother very much and she loathed Albus. Hermione was about to tell Albus that she was gonna go get her when a loud crash was heard from where Hugo was.
"What have we told you about roughhousing in the house!" She scolded. They were both red in the face.
"Sorry, Mum!"
"Sorry Aunt 'Mione."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Boys will be boys. Albus was already climbing the many stairs and she didn't have the energy to stop him.
Settling down into the loveseat, she stretched her arms up until she heard the audible pop in her back. Hermione started reading the paper with a content sigh. The papers at her home were still missing, so this was the first time she has read one in a while. Loud yelling made her jerk her head up from her reading.
Hermione dashed upstairs to the spare room Scarlett locked herself into the moment they arrived. In front of her was a terrifying scene, Al pointing his wand at her daughter.
"Stop lying! I saw you use a wand! Who are you? Stop Lying!" He repeated. Scarlett was standing ramrod straight.
"Mama!" She called out pleadingly. Hermione heard her little girl again, the one she has been missing for a while. She wanted to inch closer, help her baby, but something stopped her.
Albus inched closer, but they were now surrounded. Everyone in the house was in a tiny hallway.
"She had a wand. She was doing magic. That is not Scarlett." Albus' voice was eerily calm.
"Oh, I am Scarlett alright." Gone was the begging tone, instead, she sounded cold and calculating.
She grabbed a chain around her neck and slammed into the wooden floor. Black smoke arose from the pendant.
Her ruby necklace.
The smoke billowing out was taking shape of a person, and everyone took steps backward when none other than Bellatrix Lestrange was in front of them, arms crossed and looking slightly disgruntled.
"This better be good, girlie. I gave that to you for emergency purposes." The dark witch's hooded eyes scanned the room with mild curiosity.
"He caught me." Scarlett pointed to Al accusingly. "He caught me practicing."
Hermione felt like she was frozen. Everything she thought was true. How did she not figure this out back at the teacher's conference?
"I obliviated your mind, Muddy. Is that what is going through your mind? You found out too quickly. Girlie over here didn't have it yet." Bellatrix looked over to Scarlett, her face softening marginally. "I trust that you have it? If you don't-"
"No, I do."
Scarlett extracted a wand Hermione hasn't seen in years. She thought she had kept it safe in her office at the Ministry.
Bellatrix smiled a toothy grin as she snatched the wand away from Scarlett. Turning the wand over in her hand, Bellatrix whispered,
"Back with Mommy. The bad little Muddy took you away."
Almost everyone seemed grounded to their spots, and Molly stepped forward, her face blanched in horror.
"I killed you! I killed you!"
Bellatrix ignored her and held her arm out for Scarlett. Hermione's daughter gave her one last dead eyed-stare and Apparated away with the Death Eater.
Hermione fell to her knees and broke down crying.