A/N: Sorry about the delay, school started back with the kids today so FUN FUN FUN :)
Tonks came into the flat with a case of beers and found Bellatrix sitting on the couch, her feet up and her head thrown back as if she just been through the wars. "How was that kiss?" Tonks asked roaring with laughter to her aunt's death glares.
"Yeah how about that? Please tell me you were the only one who saw it from your angle." Bella asked grabbing a beer from the case and cracking it open before downing half of it.
"Yeah no worries I was the only one who saw it, to everyone else it just looked like a hug and a cuddle." Tonks said chucking and opening her own beer "Fuck, bet that has never happened before in the history of the Imperious curse." She laughed again until she was coughing.
"So tomorrow you're going to have to train them with that. Help Proudfoot out, he's a nice guy but I want them properly trained." Bella said finishing her beer and grabbing another one.
"So you're going to what train them on Occulmency and that?"
"Going to have to. I can't curse her." Bellatrix sighed and rubbed her face for a moment before beginning on her second beer. "Just go easy on Longbottom until he can do it properly. You know his history."
"Yeah I know." Tonks said closing her eyes against the pressures of the day. "I bet you could curse her if you had to." Tonks said eyeing her aunt for second before closing her eyes again.
"Leave it Dora." She said stretching again, "I didn't hurt you too badly today did I?" She always felt a bit guilty when she had to curse her sister's child like that.
"Naw it was just a little tickle." Tonks assured her with a laugh, "I mean to be honest maybe you're losing your magic touch."
Bella laughed, "We can go again if you want."
"Oh no, no I had enough of your magic today I assure you. My bruises will testify to that." Tonks said finishing her beer and opening another, she noticed Bella's empty one and handed her a fresh one.
"Are you staying here tonight?" Bella asked leaning back into the couch again.
"Yeah, got to get up early to stake out again with Neville. Nice kid."
"Are you coming out with us Friday night?" Tonks asked yawning now.
"Mmmm." Was Bella's sleepy answer.
Both women fell asleep in the living room before Bellatrix woke up around midnight and moved them both into the bedroom. Tonks had taken to sleeping over during the week when she had early assignments. Bella studied her niece for a moment in her natural state and smiled, she was a beauty. She laid down and threw an arm around her waist pulling her close, she felt a familiar pang in her heart; she had promised Severus. She sighed and pressed a kiss to Tonks' neck. She had sworn.
"Well what did you do then?" Ginny asked sitting in Hermione's flat eating a biscuit. Hermione had a pillow up in front of her face and clearly wished to be buried inside it from her blood red face in retelling Ginny about her day.
"Then I- I told her she could do anything she wanted to me and I kissed her neck." Hermione then refused to look up at Ginny again as her friend stifled a laughed and then put a sympathetic hand on her back.
"It's alright, you were under a spell I am sure she didn't even notice" Ginny said trying to reassure her.
"Oh she noticed, I don't think you can miss someone saying that and then kissing your neck and tasting it."
Ginny then roared with laughter, "You left out that fine detail. You tasted her neck? Wait wait back up just a second. You licked her?"
"I am going to die." Hermione said now speaking muffled from the pillow, "It is possible to die from total humiliation right? That's a thing?"
"Nope, you just get to live with it and you are going to see this person in oh…ten hours." Ginny said glancing at the clock "And tomorrow it is going to start all over again with her putting a curse on you and you floating away into it."
"Oh Merlin did the guys notice?" Hermione thought of Ron and Harry teasing her mercilessly the next day.
"Well Harry and Ron didn't mention anything about it other than you, Harry and Neville passed and Ron has to try it again." Ginny said grabbing another biscuit. "Come on it will be fine tomorrow morning you'll see."
Hermione shook her head, "That's just the thing Ginny I don't think I threw it off she just left my head and it felt like ice water filled my brain. I think she ended the curse I didn't."
"Well-no then she would have cursed you." Ginny said thoughtfully.
"I know-I must have thrown it off then. She's fair for sure, she would have cursed me." Hermione said with a nod feeling slightly better that she had indeed been successful with the task.
Bellatrix arrived to work late that morning on purpose; the trainees were already in the training room when she arrived. She had picked up their usual coffee and nodding towards Hermione holding it up. Hermione smiled and mouthed thank you, she felt a little better from the sick feeling she had that morning when Bellatrix had been late. Bella watched from the bench on the sideline with Dawlish and Tonks. Proudfoot had them lined up in height order and was blasting them with Imperious one by one.
"Build up a mental wall, get angry at the person cursing you, don't listen."
"What if they're hot?" Ron said nudging Harry in the ribs with his elbow as he laughed loudly.
Proudfoot smiled and shook his head, "Even if they're hot Weasley."
Three Hours Later
"Again." Bellatrix called from the sidelines while Ron lay on the mat panting from the strain of trying to throw off the curse.
"I-I'm trying." He whined pathetically.
"Throw off that curse or so help me I will Crucio you into St. Mungo's." Bellatrix said getting off the bench and walking to the mat. It had been hours, she was hungry, tired and irritated at this point. Neville had left with Tonks an hour before; Potter had left with his Auror. Hermione was reading over defensive spells in the corner while Proudfoot raised his wand to curse Ron again."Come on Weasley, everyone is being held back because of you. We've been at this all morning." She threw the spell at him and Hermione closed her eyes to sound of Ron's screams.
"Stop it!" Hermione shouted and jumped to her feet, "He can't do it, can't you see?" Bellatrix lifted the spell and turned to look at Hermione, the brown haired witch faltered slightly as Bella stared at her with those black eyes. .
"Auror you are out of line." Bellatrix said very calmly, her eyes not leaving Hermione's. "if this is too much for you to stomach perhaps you'd like to read in a quieter setting or go to lunch."
Hermione did not move or look away; her jaw was set as she could see Ron panting on the mat out of the corner of her eye. She was shaking like a leaf, what the hell was she doing? "He can't do it Bellatrix."
Bellatrix folded her arms over her chest and studied the witch for a moment, "You're right, he can't, I think Crucio isn't enough of an incentive." She flicked her hand and Hermione felt herself being pulled towards the powerful witch. "Auror Weasley, if you cannot throw the curse off, Auror Granger will be receiving your punishment. Enough incentive now?"
"What? No!" Ron shouted from the mat, Hermione's mouth went dry as she stared at Bellatrix in horror.
"It's life or death out there Mr. Weasley. Your actions can either save your fellow Aurors or get them killed. I will not send anyone out into the field unless they are ready for anything. Whatever game you think you're playing at in training Mr. Weasley I can assure you that those wizards and witches out there are not playing it with you. Now, I'm going to curse you Auror Weasley and if you do not remove the Imperious curse, Proudfoot is going to Crucio Auror Granger. It will be your fault and you will have let her down. When you let an Auror down you're signing their death certificate. Is that clear Auror Weasley?"
Ron was now moving up from the mat able to take deeper breathes now; his eyes were fixed on Hermione as he shook his head. Hermione opened her mouth to speak and Bellatrix looked back at her, "Auror Granger if you were in a duel or under heavy fire in a tight spot would you want someone like Weasley or someone like me covering your back?"
Hermione looked from Ron to Bellatrix but stayed silent. Ron looked surprised and Bellatrix smiled, "That's what I thought, I wouldn't want Weasley watching my back either." She stepped away from Hermione and flicked her wand at Ron and waited. Hermione's mind swam in fear that any moment she was going to be cursed and twitching on the ground screaming. She didn't want that, she didn't want to feel it or have Bellatrix see her like that. She tried to back away from Ron and Bellatrix but she felt herself rooted to the spot. After five tense minutes Bellatrix stepped back from Ron and sighed, her fingers running through her hair, she frowned at Hermione.
"Do us a favour Auror Weasley if this is such a joke to you go join your brothers in their joke shop. You're dismissed. Clear out your desk by this afternoon." Bellatrix turned and left the room leaving Ron standing on the mat and Proudfoot red faced as Hermione followed her mentor from the room.