I had wanted to get this out to you guys last week but my beta was busy until today. But here it is! Enjoy!
Three months have passed since the end of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Cedric's murder. In other words 90 days since The Dark Lord had been brought to life again, making it 129,600 minutes since anyone last seen or heard from Bellatrix.
Hermione sat under a tree in the park near her house, a book in her lap forgotten as she stared off in space, right hand rubbing her left arm. Ever since Bella disappeared with The Dark Lord her arm would hurt and random bruises would appear then fade within hours. Hermione knew it was what ever happening to Bellatrix and Le Lien du Sang was causing it to rebound on to her. Hermione didn't understand why though, the book said nothing about this happening.
She's only been home for a month and she already wanted to go back to Hogwarts. Her school work provided enough distraction so she didn't miss the absence of Bellatrix.
Pain shot through her arm again follow by anger and frustration. Hermione let out a sigh as she looked up at the leaves of the tree.
"What's happening to you Bella?" Hermione questioned quietly.
XxXxX
Bellatrix let out a cry of pain as she was slammed against another wall. She clutched her ribs as white-hot shearing pain told her she broke a few more are them.
"My dear girl, you are going to have to do better than that if you are to be my wife."
Bellatrix glared up at Voldemort who stood on the other side of the room untouched and not even showing signs of fatigue. Using the wall as support, Bellatrix pushed herself back up to her feet, her left arm wrapped around her ribs. She used her wand hand to wipe the blood dripping into her eye from the gash on her eyebrow. Her black dress was burned in various places, rips and tears scattered on it as well.
Voldemort clicked his tongue at her and turned away.
"That will be all for today's session. Clean yourself up and tomorrow we'll work on the rest of your inaccurate dueling skills."
Bellatrix growled as he left the room, but once he was out of sight she slid down the wall to sit, letting out a groan of pain from her broken ribs.
"Evie." She grasped out her house elf name.
A pop sound next to her revealing a small elf with oddly bright blue eyes.
"Yes Mistress Black?"
"My ribs...are broken..I need you..to...heal them please." She panted out. Her breaths were coming as short gasps as she could feel herself slipping close to unconsciousness. With a snap of her elf's fingers, Bella was able to breathe deeply and normally again. All her cuts, burns and bruises vanished as well.
"Thank you Evie."
The blue-eyed elf smiled at her Mistress kindness.
"Evie is happy to help Mistress Black!"
Bellatrix smiled at the little elf as she stood shakily to her feet. She all but stumbled to her room where she fell on her bed in exhaustion. For the past three months she's been dueling with The Dark Lord to improve her skills as his 'ideal bride'. Though she was more powerful than Voldemort, her reluctance to using the Dark Arts caused her to lose and be beaten over and over again in each duel with him. She sighed as she knew tomorrow she was going to have to use the spells and curses she's read about or her next duel with The Dark Lord was going to be worse.
Rolling over to lay on her side, Bella cradled her left arm to her chest, the warmth of the arm was now her only comfort.
XxXxX
Hermione gazed out of her room window at 12 Grimmauld Place. She's been there for the past couple of weeks with the Weasley family and various members of the Order of the Phoenix which included Harry's godfather and Bella's cousin Sirius Black, who surprisingly wasn't shocked or sad by Bellatrix turning to the dark side.
Hermione rubbed the cool skin of her left arm, a habit that formed when she was thinking of Bellatrix. The pains and bruises stopped the day she visited the park so many weeks ago. She feared why they stopped though, since that day the darkest and most chilling feelings surged through her arm now.
The brunette walked away from the window allowing the thoughts of Bellatrix fade to the back of her mind. As she got closer to the door it suddenly was open by Harry.
Hermione pulled Harry into a hug the minute she saw him.
"HARRY! Ron, he's here, Harry's here! We didn't hear you arrive! Oh, how are you? Are you all right? Have you been furious with us? I bet you have, I know our letters were useless - but we couldn't tell you anything, Dumbledore made us swear we wouldn't, oh, we've got so much to tell you, and you've got things to tell us -the Dementors! When we heard - and that Ministry hearing - it's just outrageous, I've looked it all up, they can't expel you, they just can't, there's provision in the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life-threatening situations -"
"Let him breathe, Hermione." said Ron.
Still beaming, Hermione let go of Harry. She winced when anger bubbled in her arm. Since her separation from Bellatrix her ability to tell when the emotions were geared towards her developed. And right now Bella was angry at her sudden burst of feelings.
'Oh they probably distracted her again.' Hermione thought, softly rubbing her arm.
This kind of thing has happen before, Hermione distracting Bellatrix from whatever she's doing. But Bellatrix wasn't any better, waking Hermione up in the middle of the night with bursts of anger, fear, and loneliness. As she focused back to what was happening in the room she caught the end of what Harry said and Ron was left speechless.
XxXxX
"Yes! That's it My Bride!" Voldemort's glee for Bellatrix's rage and hatred filled curses excited him to the point of lust for the young girl.
Bellatrix snared him and growled out another curse.
"Fiendfyre!"
The flames exploded out from the tip of her wand and instantly formed a raging dragon. The fiery beast roared as it moved to The Dark Lord with the intent to kill him. Voldemort smirked as he unleashed the same curse, his fire formed what appeared to be a basilisk.
Both beast roared and fought each other fiercely. The grass beneath the flaming monsters burned and churned in seconds, plants and trees soon caught fire but neither Bellatrix nor Voldemort seemed to care or notice as they both focused on controlling their fiery creatures.
Bellatrix winced as her left arm shook with feelings of joy, guilt and worry. She grind her teeth as Hermione's distracting emotions caused her to almost lose control of the battling dragon. She instantly felt Hermione's apologetic feelings as she yelled out forces more energy into the dragon allowing it to overtake the basilisk and stand before Voldemort baring its teeth of fire at him.
"Excellent My Bride. Truly excellent."
Bellatrix released her hold on the curse, the burning dragon faded into smoke. With a wave of her wand the fire that started to spread on the Black Manor grounds vanished as well.
"I believe you are now ready to hear of my plan to acquire something to help us rid the world of Harry Potter."
Bellatrix hid her cringe as Voldemort placed his arm around her waist as they walked into Black Manor.
Bellatrix paced in her room as she thought of a way to warn Dumbledore of Voldemort's plan to steal the prophecy about Harry and him. She bit her lip and twirled her wand between her fingers as she moved from one end of the room to another. She came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the room when the idea hit her.
"That's it!" She whispered out. " I'll get in the same way I left during the ball." She grinned in triumph.
It was when the witching hour started that Bellatrix started to add more wards to her door to keep The Dark Lord from entering her room. Bellatrix stopped her actions and closed her eyes to shake the memory of a few nights ago when Voldemort had come into her room late one night waking her up when he ran his icy hand through her hair, he smirked at her before saying 'Soon My Bride' and strolled out of her room. Bellatrix shivered at the thought of what he meant, after that night she warded her door to keep him out. But tonight she need more to make sure he couldn't come in.
"Evie." She softly whispered out.
With a snap Evie was standing in front of the raven haired girl.
"Yes Mistress Black?"
"Evie I need you to add a Anti-Disapparition jinx to my room. Please make sure that only you and I can apparate to and from here."
"Right away Mistress!"
Bellatrix watched as Evie did as she was told, smiling at the elf once she was finish.
"Thank you Evie. I need you to go Albus tell him I'm on my way. I'll be home sometime early this morning okay? If The Dark Lord ask for me tell him I'm bathing, don't tell him about he wards to my door and that I left okay?"
Evie smiled up at her owner, "Yes Evie will go now and Evie won't tell a soul Mistress!"
Bellatrix thanked the little elf again before she dissapparated, landing outside of the back of Honeydukes. She turned into a wolf and was running towards Hogwarts in seconds. She stalked around the edge of the Forbidden Forest before she found the way in all the cats of Hogwarts used. In her cat form she prowled the halls of the school to Dumbledore's office. She paced outside of the stone beast guarding the door for a few minutes before it open for her. She easily walked in and to the door of the office, turning back to normal she pushed the door open. Once inside she saw Dumbledore's sitting at his desk with tea ready for them.
"You got my message I see."
Albus smiled at the slytherin girl," I must say your house elf is a sweet one."
Bellatrix smirked as she sat down,"She's a good little elf. But let's get down to business Albus."
Dumbledore chuckled quietly,"Alright Bella alright. What is so urgent that you need to tell me in person."
"Voldemort is after the prophecy about him and Harry."
Dumbledore's once cheerful face fell and grew into one of a serious old man.
"This is grave news . This could change the outcome of who will win this war. I'm sure he's told you how he's going to acquire it I'm sure."
Bellatrix leaned back in her chair throwing her legs over he arm of it.
"But of course Albus I'm his bride." Bella spit out the end.
"Remember how I told you of the connection between Voldemort and Harry earlier this summer? Well that is how he's planning on getting it and Harry all in one go."
The next hour Dumbledore and Bellatrix planned on how to keep the prophecy from Voldemort and to keep The Golden Trio safe. She walked out of his office as a cat and to the grand staircase where she went up instead of left. She sneaked into the Gryffindor Tower like nothing. Once in she made her way to the girls dormitory where she easily found Hermione's room. She creeped in and spotted Crookshanks and Rigby sleeping on the girl's bed. Jumping on the bed she swatted at Rigby to wake her up. Rigby stared at Bella for a heartbeat before jumping off the bed and hiding under it.
Bellatrix grinned mentally at her cat's cleverness. She stalked up the bed to where Hermione's head was and watched the girl sleep. The ears of her cat form drooped signaling her sadness. She sat wrapping her tail around her paws as she thought of how tomorrow Hermione will start her new classes the excitement she always had on the first day of school. She turned her head away looking out of the window near Hermione's bed. She sat like that for a couple of heartbeats before jumping off the bed and running out of the room. Bellatrix raced through Hogwarts to the forest where she turn into the wolf on the spot letting out a howl of woe.
XxXxX
Hermione shot up in bed at the sound of the wolf's howl. She stumbled out of her blankets and looked out of the window to the forest.
"Bella?" She murmured. Her hazel eyes looking wildly at hopes to catch a glimpse of the black wolf she know was out there.
