"What?" Bellatrix snapped the second she yanked open her door. "Draco, Blaise. What do you want?"
"The Dark Lord sent us." Draco informed her, not bothered by her rude manner. She was his aunt, he knew her well and the crazy bitch act was just that. An act. She really wasn't that bad. If you were family, that is.
Her entire expression changed from pissed off to serious and slightly excited. "Come in." She led them into her room, allowing them to sit on her black couch and seated herself across from them in a matching armchair. "Now, what is it that Dark Lord sent you here to do?"
"Apparently you have information that could be of use to us." Blaise said, slightly nervous. Despite his earlier banter with Theo, the powerful witch scared the hell out of him.
"Oh?" Bellatrix arched one fine, black eyebrow, "What could I possibly know that the Dark Lord doesn't?"
"Well, it isn't that he doesn't know. Its just that you know the story better, according to he Dark Lord, anyway." This peaked her interest.
"Well, get on with it then!"
"We identified a hidden Pureblood child. A girl, age sixteen and complete unknowing of her heritage." Draco said, though he never could have anticipated her reaction.
Bella's face took on a sad expression of pure loss mixed oddly with hope. "You found her?"
"Who? We found out that Hermione Granger, well-known best friend of Harry Potter, is actually a Pureblood. Though how, we don't know. We were hoping you could tell us."
"Sweet Salazar, how could I have missed it? She was right there, so very close in the Department of Mysteries. She looks just like… holy hell." Bella whispered more to herself then to Blaise and Draco.
"Who have we found?" Draco pressed, startled. He had never seen such a soft vulnerability in his aunt before.
"My goddaughter." Bella said, looking up at them with shining eyes. "Sixteen years ago, my best friend was murdered in one of the attacks that would start the First Wizard War. Christina Prewitt was her name. No one knew who the father of the child was, or where she ended up. It was one of the most tragic losses in Pureblood society and is rarely spoken of. It happened at Hogwarts, where we thought we would be safe at the end of her pregnancy…"
"Christina was incredibly gifted. Smart, cunning, and powerful. A true Pureblood. She was also my best friend, practically my sister. During the summer before our seventh year, she came to me, weeping and told me she was pregnant. I begged her to tell me who the father was, but she refused. For the next nine months, we went about our seventh year as normally as possible and doing our best to hide her condition. Sadly, in the end of her eighth month of pregnancy, the war officially began. A huge battle took place at Hogwarts. The stress caused her to go into premature labor." Small tears traced their way down Bella's pale face. "I stayed with her, delivering the baby myself. I handed that beautiful baby girl to Christina as the battle raged around us. Your parents, Draco, and yours, Blaise fought to try and protect Christina and the baby. They couldn't hold back the onslaught of wizards and witches that came after us. Someone cast Sectumsempra. It caught Christina in the stomach, slashing one of the baby's ankles as well. Christina screamed at me to take the baby and run, that I was her godmother and I had to do everything in my power to protect her daughter. I never stood a chance. Frank and Alice Longbottom cornered me and took the baby. I've always believed that they had specific orders to get her, because they left me broken and screaming for Christina and the baby on the ground. Years later, I found those foul people who took her and I tortured them with all the fury and despair that had been in me since that day that I failed my best friend and her newborn daughter. I have never forgiven myself."
No one spoke. Bella sobbed, shoulders shaking violently as she relived her tormented past. Blaise and Draco looked at her with new eyes. Finally, an explanation for the way Bellatrix Lestrange was and why she always fought with such a mad fury against the Order of the Phoenix. She looked up suddenly, face streaked with salty wet tracks and eyes glowing with desperation.
"You have to find out if its her. Her ankle… no magic, no glamour can cover up the scars of Dark Magic. The scar will be there. If it is, I want her brought here, to me. I want to see her. Know her. Tell her of her mother and everyone who fought so hard for her. Explain to her why we haven't been there for her throughout her life. Explain to her why I haven't been there."
"There's more…" Blaise trailed off unsure. Draco nodded, indicating it was okay to continue. "She's sick. We think she's been cursed. She's…"
"Go on." Bella demanded.
"She's obsessed with me." Draco finished for Blaise, "She's weak and emaciated. She won't eat and she can't sleep. Someone's cursed her to have thoughts of me plague her."
Bella's expression changed from sadness to one of the utmost fury. "We're going to get her. Now."
"We cannot, Dear Bella." The Dark Lord hissed from the doorway, startling all of them. No one had heard him approach.
"My Lord! I beg you-!" He held up a hand, silencing her.
"This is a delicate matter. We must first identify the girl and then see what it is that causes her to obsess over young Mr. Malfoy before we can proceed. Then, we must get her healthy and attempt to break the curse. This will take much time and energy, especially on the part of Blaise, Draco, and Theodore. I take it Theodore stayed with the girl?" Draco and Blaise nodded in confirmation. "Good, he can monitor her health. We may have a chance to bring this poor, young girl back to her family where she belongs. Now, Draco, Blaise you must return to Hogwarts. It is, after all, only your first day. Draco, your previous mission is no longer a concern. Focus on the girl from now on." Draco bit back his protests as the Dark Lord handed them a cork, or, more accurately, a Portkey. The second it touched his hand, it began to glow blue and Blaise's hand shot out, placing a finger on the top of it.
"You keep her safe, boys!" Bellatrix shrieked, just as they both felt a jerk behind their navels.
Room of Requirement:
"Well, you best get started then! You do realize you missed an entire day of classes, right? If this didn't seem to be such a precarious matter, I'd simply send you off to the Headmaster right now. As it is… just tell me what is happening and I will try to make some sense of it all." Snape sighed, shaking his greasy black head.
"You see Professor…" Theo took a deep breath, unsure of how to continue.
"Its my fault." Hermione said, "Ever since the incident between Draco and I last year, I've been somewhat…obsessed with him. It came on so suddenly, one night I had a dream of him that woke me up shrieking. Then he was on my mind all the next day and so on."
"When you say incident, I assume you refer to the on between yourself and my godson the day he captured you for Dolores Umbridge, correct?" Snape asked.
Hermione blushed and nodded. "Who told you, Professor, if you don't mind me asking?"
"The Headmaster informed me."
"Of course."
"That explains your lack of sleep. It does not, however, explain why you are starving yourself, nor why there are several scars marring your forearms." Snape told her curtly.
Hermione pressed her lips together in a thin line and something stirred in her tired eyes, but both were gone as quickly as they had come. Her expression was carefully blank, but her voice held raw pain when she spoke. "When you suddenly lose control of your own mind, its nice to have something you can control. And it's nice to be able to feel, everyone once in a while. You have to understand, I don't want this! He hates me and I have no choice but to love him and its killing me to know he'll never think I'm good enough for him, never think I'm pretty enough for him, never skinny enough, never, ever pure enough." She shook and one small tear traced a wet path down her left cheek. She was begging them to understand, pleading for their help in the only way she could. The part that wanted Draco forever and always, no matter how impossible it was, demanded that she speak of her love for him and nothing else. But the small part of her that was still free begged to be released, to know that she wasn't condemned to a lifetime of pining for someone who would laugh in her face every time she couldn't help but say what was always, always in her mind, whether she wished it, or not.
"Well that was just touching." Draco said from where he leaned up against the wall by the doorway. Blaise was by his side, staring at Hermione pityingly.
Of its own accord, Hermione's face lit up at the site of Draco. "Hello, Draco." All of her previous thoughts and feelings were gone. There was only him, so close she could run over and touch him if she knew he'd allow it.
"Evening, Princess." He grinned icily at her. Dark Lord's orders or not, he would never care, so why pretend?
"Draco, Blaise. Take a seat. We need to bring this matter to a close for the night and do it quickly." Snape said, glaring at Draco. It was his opinion that the girl had been cursed. There was no other explanation for her erratic behavior, her ridiculous reaction to Draco.
"Of course, but first, Granger? Let me see your ankles." Draco said, kneeling down beside Hermione, who immediately gave him access to her legs. On her right ankle, a thick white scar wrapped around like an anklet. Draco could feel the taint of Dark Magic coming off of it.
"Son of a bitch." Draco muttered.
"Miss Granger, tell me you did not do that…" Snape said uneasily, looking at the nasty scar. He could feel he Dark Magic radiating from it, as well and knew she would have to be truly insane to do such a thing to herself. It would never go away and barely fade throughout her life.
"No, I've had that for as long as I could remember." She said, staring in awe at Draco's hand on her leg. Tingles were shooting through her and she longed to place her hand atop of his just as she had done last night in the hallway when he'd been choking her. As if sensing her rapture, Draco dropped her ankle, a disgusted look on his face. Hermione pushed back the hurt feelings that stemmed from his rejection. No use in protesting it, she knew how he felt about her. It didn't mean it didn't hurt terribly. Still, she stared at him with a small smile.
Doing his best to ignore her, Draco turned to Snape. "I trust you've thought of an adequate excuse for why we all missed our first fucking day of classes."
Snape's irritated expression turned into one of dark amusement. "Of course. The four of you will be taking an extra Defense course with me, twice a week. I spent the entire day interviewing and testing all of you both separately and together to see if you could handle it. You can."
Blaise groaned. Theo dropped his head into his hands, exhaling loudly. Hermione's mouth dropped. Draco simply glared at his godfather before turning his wrath on his least favorite person in the room.
"Granger, what the hell have I told you about having your mouth hang open like that." Her mouth immediately snapped shut.
"There will be no protests, whatsoever. You got yourselves into this mess; I am getting to you out. See to it that you are in my office every Monday and Friday night at 7 to train. I will owl all your teachers the information tonight and you should have no problems tomorrow. I trust you can get yourselves to bed without any other incidents." He stood and swept out of the room, having made short work of their ridiculous amount of problems.
They all sat there for a few moments, mulling over the nights events. Finally, Blaise spoke. "We need to go to bed. It's late. And Hermione…well you could use the rest."
"I think I'll sleep here tonight. I feel…safe." She told them.
"Someone should stay with her." Draco said, startling everyone.
"I'll do it." Blaise volunteered. "Theo, you need to talk to Draco. Besides, you already stayed with her once and there's no way Draco will do it, even if it was his idea."
"Good point. Let's go." Draco smirked and turned to leave. "Night-y night, Zabini."
"Don't be a prat, Drake." Blaise snarled.
"Come on," Theo gave Draco a little push towards the door just as Hermione, unable to help herself, called out,
"Goodnight, Draco."
He rolled his eyes. "Goodnight, Princess."
And that's all she wrote…for now. I'll probably be back at my laptop in fifteen minutes typing away again. A shit-ton of readers and no reviews? Sad day, at least let me know how I'm doing! Don't worry, though. It won't discourage me. This is way too therapeutic a story for me to stop writing it. I'm definitely drawing off of personal experience with a lot of this (pffft I chill with sexy Slytherins and the Dark Lord like, ALL the freakin time…no seriously.) Anyway, I've never been one to beg for reviews or threaten to not write until I got a certain number of them because writing is just too fun for me. So thanks for reading, I guess. Also, check out my old profile, Seleen, which I stupidly locked myself out of! I'll probably be reposting and editing a lot of the stuff on there to this new account sometime in the future. Which, for me, 'in the future' means like sometimes next fall… All well, it'll happen. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this ridiculous babbling excuse for an author's note… R&R-
Seleen.