First, I just want to say thank you to all that tried to cheer me up, you guys are awesome. Second, I want to apologize for the extremely long wait, it was ridiculous. I've just been a bit depressed lately, as we had a death in my family not so long ago and I have just been sinking further and further into my pit of despair. Also, I am very sorry if this chapter sucks, I kind of had to force myself to write it, but I hope it turned out okay. I wasn't sure about doing this chapter, but after I started it, I knew it was going to be very important to the story and that I needed it. I am having the next chapter be from Bellatrix's point of view as well, answering someone's question. And here are other questions that I shall answer right now:
Darkshadow-lord (Chapter 11): I dunno, guess!
sexyoutlaw (Chapter 11): I think so too, but…eh, I'm not saying anything. Muahahaa.
imperfectionisunderrated (Chapter 11): Since this isn't going to come out in the story, I'll tell you right now. Dumbledore didn't agree to the students not bringing their wands, he had no idea it was going to happen. When Bella went to make Snape forget what Hermione had told him, she tortured him into agreeing to do what he did. And what he did was, that night, he went to Dumbledore's office to talk to him, and obtained a hair. Then, he being the Potions Master, he brewed up a polyjuice potion with his hair in it. After distracting Dumbledore the next morning, he took the potion, turned into Dumbledore, and gave the teachers their orders to tell the students not to bring their wands to dinner. So, really, Dumbledore had no idea what was going on, and, at the dinner, Snape told Dumbledore he had to talk to all the teachers, including him, and Dumbledore took them out. I hope that clarified it a bit, though you weren't really asking lol. I also though others may ask that question, so…yeah!
imperfectionisunderrated (Chapter 12): Hermione is just barely alive because of Ginny, forcing food on her everyday. Lol that's what I thought. I was going to have her punch him again, but then I got this idea that will lead into something more in chapters to come, and I couldn't resist. And thank you so much J
idon'twaNTTO (Chapter 12): Thank you! Though I am extremely confused. Why are you researching Sweeney Todd?
Rippl (Chapter 12): XD lol I'm sorry for such a long wait! Don't track me down! *cowers*
Jordan (Chapter 12): Awh thank you so much!
JuliBee (Chapter 11): lololol that was so funny, I had to show my friend that had no idea I write! And she was like "Whaa?" XD but now. XD thank you! And yes, some INSANE stuff goes on in mah crazy brain. *hands cookie*
JuliBee (Chapter 12): Yes! I DO love cliffhangers! And awh thank you! And I DID understand most of that lol. And I know you didn't ask for one, but…NOTHER COOKIE! *hands cookie*
Eryk Lestrange (Chapter 12): I take that as a personal insult. TAKE IT BACK! :
wild artemis (Chapter 11): Maybe..
wild artemis (Chapter 12): Awh thank you!
Darkshadow-lord (Chapter 12): For just that reason. Her pride. She is too prideful to admit to herself that she misses her and go back to her.
helenabonbon (Chapter 12): Awh thank you so much!
yamiperv (Chapter 11): Awh thanks lol I had a lot of fun writing it. I believe Bella treated her that way because she is trying to deny her feelings, that she just might care for Hermione, and so she's being kinda bitchhy. I hope chapter 12 and this one help to answer that question.
yamiperv (Chapter 12): Yes! I know, I'm sorry I had to end it so abruptly, but I just love cliffhangers! What will happen between the two of them? Something should happen in the next few chapters, I guess.. Kinda.. And that KINDA happens, but not really, but then also kinda, so…yeah…just..wait. Lol it should happen in the next few chapters..
Innately Feminine (Chapter 12): XD I'm so sorry for the long wait! But this chapter is fairly long, so maybe it'll make up for it?
princessNyxxx (Chapter 12): XD I couldn't stop laughing either! And I was the one writing it! Aaaandddddd I think the next chapter will answer your question.
.raven. (Chapter 12): XDD I have NEVER heard that expression, "The shit in this story has hit the fan!" what does it mean? (Excuse my stupidity). Honestly, I don't even know where I plan on going with this story. I have a few ideas for MUCH later, but that's about it.
Okay. Finally done with questions XD. That is probably the longest author's note I've ever written lol and the chapter is long enough as it is! Now! On with the chapter!
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Bellatrix had been plagued every night by the same dream in the months since… that night.
In her dream, Bellatrix always saw herself. It began in a rose garden, always, a huge one at that. The sky, by an outsider, could be considered strange, a soft red with lines of pink and gold, cloudless. An open expanse of nothingness. But to Bellatrix it was so familiar it was almost more normal than the sky of reality. The roses, in stark contrast beneath the sky, were bright white, glowing with a golden hue. Each was as beautiful as the last, all in full bloom, the size of her fist.
It was through this garden that Dream-Bellatrix paced, sticking to a cobble-stoned path. Her strides were controlled, but not by Bellatrix, for she could not change the dream, merely watch, spectating; she observed Dream-Bellatrix as an outsider, from the sidelines, knowing what was about to happen and being helpless to stop it. Merely an entity without a body, a voice, a parasite of Dream-Bellatrix's who soldiered down the path, lined on either side by roses. The roses soon began to get higher and more convoluted, a torturous labyrinth of petals and stems and thorns. They themselves formed walls, walls of a maze in which Dream-Bellatrix entered, and, unable to still the feet of the apparition, Bellatrix followed.
Though Bellatrix knew the exact route by now, Dream-Bellatrix did not seem to. She looked left and right at a fork in the maze of roses, taking the far left path.
In her bed, Sleeping-Bellatrix shivered and turned over, gripping the sheets.
The path turned off onto another, on Bellatrix's right, and then another to the right, and then to the left, the middle, right, left, middle, second from the right, middle, left. She knew the way with precision and could determine which way Dream-Bellatrix would go before she did. Another left and down this path Dream-Bellatrix carried on, the roses becoming thicker on either side now, both sides curving upwards to create a graceful arch which blocked out the sky. They were walking - or just floating along as a disembodied presence - in silence for what felt like many hours. There didn't seem to be an end, and the rose bushes were becoming thicker, blocking out all light. Dream-Bellatrix began to pick up her pace, a faster stride, before breaking into a slow run when the end was not coming into sight. She was trapped, for either way the light at the end was a mere pinprick and no matter which way she ran, it did not get any nearer. Dream-Bellatrix was panicked, Bellatrix could see it on her terror-stricken face, chocolate eyes alight with hysteria (for even though the archway caused pitch darkness, Bellatrix could still see all). Dream-Bellatrix began sprinting downwards, toward the end of the path, arms and legs pumping wildly. She always moved as easily as she did when she was a teenager, in these dreams, and seemingly did not breathe at all; there was no labored panting from Dream-Bellatrix, no complaint at the bones and muscles which were not what they once were protesting, no sound at all, in fact.
Sleeping-Bellatrix turned over again with a soft groan, fisting her sheets and squirming her legs, as though in a running motion.
What seemed like hours later, still, Dream-Bellatrix emerged from the extensive cobble-stoned passage into the light of the red sky, which had turned a bright crimson in her absence. The roses were still present everywhere, always glowing that bright white which stung Dream-Bellatrix's eyes after being in the darkness. She shielded her gaze as she approached the center of this clearing - the very center of the maze, Bellatrix knew.
Here, standing proud and tall, was another rose bush, thick with flowers. Again, they were white with that golden hue, and again, the blossoms were huge. Beautiful. But not perfect. By far not perfect.
Dream-Bellatrix approached cautiously, looking around as though for some unknown enemy, some obstacle which may strike her at any moment. There was none, and she reached the rose bush without problem. Pushing her hair back with one hand, she reached out with the other, beginning to pull the petals from one rose. She could make it shapelier, she knew she could. With her deft fingers she could make the pale, delicate creation into a thing of unadulterated beauty. Or so Dream-Bellatrix thought. From behind her, screaming without a voice, Bellatrix watched, knowing what was about to happen and begging her to stop, but being powerless to do anything more.
Dream-Bellatrix peeled more petals from the rose, examined it, and peeled more again. They drifted to the ground, to the cobbles beneath her feet, and lay with nought in their future but imminent death. To dry and shrivel beneath the scarlet sky, use their youthful glow and vigor and be killed by the hands of such a ruthless woman. She kept tugging the petals, but was never happy. Never. It was just not perfect enough. She began to get more frenzied, more erratic, blaming the flower for being so flawed with every layer she tore from the blossom. Eventually, she was left just with a tiny spherical object in the palm of her hand. With the very heart of the rose, a diminutive thing, like a crystal ball for a tiny doll. It was pounding in her fingers, Bellatrix could fell it, but it was made of a shiny, clear, and cold substance. Glass.
When Dream-Bellatrix dropped the little heart, it smashed into a thousand miniscule pieces, shining dully under the bright red sky. Unfettered, she moved onto the next rose, while, in reality, Sleeping-Bellatrix writhed and fought with her covers.
Dream-Bellatrix steadily carried on pulling apart each rose in strive for perfection, letting the petals and leaves flutter to the ground, allowing the frail hearts to smash when she reached the core of the blossoms. She soon began getting more frantic, hectic, ripping the roses apart in an attempt to find perfection within them. She pulled at the stems in order to prune them, see if it would help, but the thorns callused her hands as she ripped the stems away from the overgrown rose bush. They punctured her fingers and palms, blood staining her hands and the petals as Dream-Bellatrix continued tearing the roses apart, breaking their hearts now covered in her blood.
The sky began to get darker, turning a deep grey above her with each rose she devastated. The petals scattered on the cobbled path, instead of shriveling and dying, became a deep crimson, as though the sky's color was falling down into them. The rose bush was thinning, such was Dream-Bellatrix's relentless annihilation, and a dark shape contained beneath the bush was becoming slowly more evident; black, hunched, moving. Blood was dripping to the ground from Dream-Bellatrix's hands as she gripped the thorns hard to tug them away from the bush, trying desperately to make it perfect. Her dark brown eyes were panicked, filled with terror-stricken tears.
She continued until nothing was left. Only a few fragile stems winding around the dark shape which was hidden in the center of the once flourishing rose bush. Dream-Bellatrix fell to her knees, scarlet rose petals scattered around her, staring up at the shape. Above her the sky was turning steadily pitch dark, the petals glowing crimson, so much so that the glow rose up, higher and higher - no, not glow, flames. The petals had combusted into flame, the tiny glass fragments reflecting the flickering light. Around her, everywhere, the walls of the maze ignited into blaze, furious fires created seemingly from nowhere to consume the roses. Except they did not die, only burned, seemingly endlessly, to black any chance of Dream-Bellatrix's escape. Bellatrix watched as her apparition's clothes caught fire from kneeling on the igniting petals, skin blistering and melting as the fire crawled up the material of its new fuel.
Sleeping-Bellatrix let out a soft whine which would never be heard in the daytime and twisted around in her sheets, creating a tight fetal position as though for protection, a thin film of sweat plastering her hair to her forehead.
Dream-Bellatrix ignored the encroaching flames which ate at her skin like it was wax, however, looking up with a blank gaze to the thing which had hidden from the world, from her world, for so long, now rising from the confines of its thorny prison to slowly straighten, take in a great, shuddering breath and turn its gaze upon Dream-Bellatrix. As the figure stepped into the dimming light, soft brown eyes were revealed, containing a darkness Bellatrix had never seen, along with a lightly tanned face, framed with light brown curls, and a smiled which Bellatrix did not recognize, which did not suit the face it was resting on.
Hermione stepped into the open and smirked at the weakling that was Dream-Bellatrix. The glow from the flames lit up her face, and Bellatrix felt her heart break, simply seeing her again. Hermione slowly raised her wand, held casually in her right hand by her slender fingers, a twisted smile plastered on her perfect pink lips, and pointed it at Dream-Bellatrix. Her eyes on Dream-Bellatrix, she opened her mouth, and spoke.
A flash of green, and Sleeping-Bellatrix, no longer sleeping, shot up in bed, screaming at the top of her lungs and choking on her tears. Her sister had stopped running in after about the first two weeks of her waking up this way. Her fingers were balled tightly in the sheets, her knuckles white. Her heart raced and she ached for Hermione. She gasped for breath and slowly managed to calm down enough to let go and lay back down. Trembling, she put her hands over her face and took deep breaths. She had to fight to hold back her powerful sobs.
She blinked back her tears as she sat up, knowing she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and stretched, joints cracking and muscles complaining after barely being used in hours. She stood and rubbed her eyes before walking over to the desk in the corner. She opened the second drawer on the right and set her gaze upon a discarded pile of letters she would never send. Her heart immediately sank and she closed the drawer, unable to look anymore.
She stood again and decided to take a walked. She crept to the door and slipped soundlessly into the hall. The familiar wood flooring creaked weakly in protest under her bare feet as she padded along. She nearly jumped out of her skin as something soft brushed against her exposed calf. At her downward glance, however, she realized it was only her sister's cat, appropriately named Snowflake. Narcissa had received the cat as a kitten on her fourth birthday and, Snowflake being a magical being, he was still the same as the day she had gotten him.
She smiled softly, a hint of sadness in her eyes, and bent down, scooping up the white ball of fluff. She held him close and scratched him fondly behind the ears as she continued down the hall. Normally, she wasn't a cat person, really, she wasn't, but she had grown to love Snowflake, as he had been in her family for nearly forty years. When she finally reached the living room, she set him down and exited through the back door into the large rose garden behind the house. The moonlight illuminating her face, she slight, cool, early April breeze on her face, she began to walk.
As she walked, she remembered. She remembered Hermione's sweet smile, her curly brown hair, her bright brown eyes. The way she walked, the light sway of her hips. Her laugh. Bellatrix shook her head, struggling not to think about her.
After about an hour of walking, thinking of anything and everything but Hermione, Bellatrix decided to return to her room. With one last glance back at the garden she knew and loved, alight with the glow of the moon, she turned the handle on the back door and stepped inside. With a quiet click, the door closed behind her, locking itself (a precaution which Lucius had bestowed upon the house).
As she started across the room, toward the marble staircase, she heard a sound that was all-too-familiar. The loud crack of someone Apparating. She spun instinctively in a circle, though she knew Lucius had also put up a spell that stopped anyone from Apparating into the house, and drew her wand from her robes. "Lumos," she whispered into the still darkness. The tip of her chestnut wand lit up and she spun around again. She saw no one. But then she heard the unmistakable click of the lock on the door unlocking.
She raised her wand and faced the door as it opened, prepared to hex whoever dared enter her sister's house without permission.
"Auntie Bella?" came a familiar voice.
Bellatrix dropped her wand. "Draco?" she whispered. "What are you doing here?"
"I have some.." Draco said, loudly and unashamedly, as he walked in, "business. That I need my father's help with."
"Why aren't you in school?" Bellatrix asked in a whisper.
Draco smirked. "What did I just say?" And with that, he swept past her and up the stairs to his room.
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Idk if anyone caught the metaphor in the dream, but if you did, I am impressed. You would have had to look hard to notice it. If you did, review and tell me you did! I'm having a sort of contest (no prizes (unless you count imaginary cookies as prizes)) of who finds it!
Review and cookies with be delivered!
XOXO iLuvJohnny