Bella watched the man from the shadows, he was alert, much more alert than her last mark. He entered a house masked by a disillusionment charm, she had seen the slight shimmer on the building when she had arrived. Her instructions were clear, isolate him, kill him, then call for the Aurors to secure the women inside the building. It wasn't unheard of these magic rings, violent brothels more like it. Women given to werewolves, vampires, depravity. Promised the world and thrown to the wickedness of monsters. Usually muggleborns, sometimes a muggle or two snatched from the street if the clients preferred that taste. She knew of pure bloods who had been caught in these rings, usually when they were addicts to numbing potions.

She leaned against the brick of the building in the alleyway opposite. She was in for a long wait.

Hermione sat quietly at her desk, she felt sick to her stomach as she flipped through the file from operative 3. The body of the man had been brutalised, his anatomy cut off and shoved in his mouth. It had not been a quick in and out hit, the body was found kilometers from the brothel in a shack. The mans body chained and hanging from the ceiling. Broken bones with black and purple bruises ran along his arms, legs and ribs.

A detailed report that Hermione could not read was sealed in the folder. The report was for Birch-Lock only, though he told her he would let her read a transcript of it later. She handed the file over and watched Birch-Lock pale as he looked through the photographs. He glanced at Hermione for a second and shifted uncertainly, he licked his lips, Bella was sending him a message with this. He would not put her name forward again for job.

"Good work Black." He said closing the folder.

Hermione was lost in thought, did Tonks know what she was training to do. What the operatives were capable of doing? What kind of person would beat a man to death like this? She had to talk to Tonks, she couldn't do things like that, she wasn't evil like this. Hermione shivered, she had been curious about operative 3 before but now.

"Why good work?" She answered disgusted with herself. "Did you see what I did?"

Birch-Lock frowned, "The operative didn't follow orders Black, it happens. You didn't do this."

"I selected that operative based on their previous work." She shook her head.

"So refrain from selecting them again." Birch-Lock said slightly relieved that Hermione was put off by Bella's style on this one. He had to admit Bella had gone too far on this one. He would have to have a word with her when she came in to discuss her fee.

"So there is still nothing for the fee." Hermione said with a sigh.

"Well the operative will be in later to debrief we'll speak then."

Hermione's mouth fell slightly open, would she be in the debriefing? She imagined the operative being a large wizard with huge muscles, shaved head and tattoos all over his face.

"Don't get excited Black, I'll fill you in after I meet with them."

She didn't hide her disappointment at being left out of the debrief. "Come on Birch, I won't talk I'll just sit in the meeting."

"Nothing doing Black, I'd lose my head if I let you sit in on that meeting. Maybe next time but number 3 is too sensitive and I'd like to keep their trust without you being a rabid fangirl."

She started to argue she wasn't a rabid fangirl and far from it. She was horrified by the violent attack on the mark but the other half of her wanted to see the person who eliminated Ron's killer. To, she wasn't sure, thank him somehow for what he had done.

Andy was reading when she got home. Bella was gone again, they hadn't spoken more than five words to one another in three days. Hermione sighed and looked around the room before making herself a cup of tea. "Is Bella home?"

Andy looked up from her book, "No, she had to go into Hogsmeade for something or other said she would be back later on tonight. Said not to wait supper on her."

Hermione sighed and dipped her tea strainer into the hot water. "Andy..."

"Talk to her." Was Andy only reply before going back to her book. She was not going to get in the middle of this more than both of them had already pulled her in.

"Did you get my message?" Bella asked with a smirk flicking her wand over the file and then laughing at Birch-Lock's face. "I thought it would be clear enough for you but I wanted to check."

"You think I'm a dickhead."

Bella roared with laughter and clapped slowly for a moment. "You got it."

"Are you finished?" He asked annoyed sitting down in the chair across from her. "You took it too far Black. It was a simple job, you were selected for your ability to work neat and clean."

Bella mocked concern as she leaned forward on the table flicking through the pictures, she wasn't smoking this time which was rare for her. "I see, so I guess you're displeased with my success at eliminating the mark and the information I gathered from him about his associates which I believe has been passed on to the Aurors office if I'm not mistaken."

She smiled, she had him and they both knew it. Despite the violence that had played out in the shack Bella had completed the full assignment. "Now there is the matter of my fee."

The cold metal bit into her arms as she heard the clinks of the chains move when she tried to pull away. She was hanging from the ceiling, the werewolf paced below looking at her with hungry eyes. She heard voices behind her but she couldn't turn around to see them. The voices mocked her, she heard the jeering and laughing as she cried. She begged to be released from the chains but the voices refused. She heard the growl beneath her, a flash of brown fur and snaps of powerful jaws. Her heart pounded, she couldn't get away, she tried so hard. Her wand was gone, snapped on the ground below her. Wandless, wandless, she had to-she had to remember what to do. She cried, she cried for Bellatrix to save her. She begged for Andromeda to swoop in. The chains broke and she was falling down towards the mouth of the werewolf. "Bella!" She screamed in terror.

Hands shook her awake, jasmine and roses surrounded her as she was pulled from the mouth of the werewolf who just missed her leg as she was pulled up and out of sleep. Dark curls covered her face as she pushed herself closer to the scent that meant safety. Her whole body curled into the arms as she shook. "He tried to eat me." She whispered against the scent. The hands soothed her silently as they pulled the blankets up around her cold clammy body.

"Shhhh." The gentle whisper in the darkness, "It's alright it was just a dream."

"Don't let him eat me." She was still fading in between the dream and reality.

"Never Pet." Bella answered pressing a soft kiss to Hermione's head as they laid back onto the pillows.

"Keep me safe." She said pressing her eyes shut against the safe darkness of Bella's curls over her face.

"Always."

Hermione sighed and fell back into sleep, the dream brighter and full of flowers, Bella's arms around her even in dreams. Soft kisses punctuated her mind and fell onto her lips even in the deepest of sleep.

"Bella." Hermione said coming into the bedroom the next morning, Bella looked up from the bed, a book of runes in her lap and parchment with a quill next to her. Her black eyes fixed onto Hermione's lighter ones with a soft sigh.

"Yes Pet?" She asked, her eyes soft as she felt her heart racing when Hermione neared the bed.

Hermione found she couldn't speak, Bella pushed the book aside along with the quill and parchment. She pulled the blanket back and held her hand out, "Come."