Very sorry for the cliffhanger last time (not really, not really) but at least you get another chapter this soon! A longer one this time as well. Hope you enjoy, and yes, the smut is coming :D
The look of surprise that crossed Hermione's face led Bella to feel the need to explain further. She had a lump in her throat and found herself babbling and slightly unsure of her words, a far cry from her usual countenance.
"I mean, of course I know we're already engaged, but despite everything with fate and the prophecy, I still wanted you to be able to have the chance to feel like you decided this, that everything wasn't decided for you. To say yes to me, yourself. If you want you."
Hermione let out a sound that was partially between a laugh and a cry, which would have worried Bella if it weren't for the grin spreading across Hermione's face. She wiped a few tears from her face and sniffled, before pressing a gentle kiss to Bella's lips.
"Of course I will Bella! My only question is, when? I really don't want to wait any longer, I love you, and I'm ready. I want to be yours, fully. I'm nervous about Dumbledore finding out that I'm of age, I'm afraid of what he will do. He'll probably take me to Hogwarts early and lock me up there with Filch, or worse, just decide to arrange an accident to get rid of me before I cause him anymore trouble. I know once my age gets out you'll get pressure on your side as well, and I don't want to get you in trouble. I mean I know once we're bonded it won't solve everything...but once it's done, we'll be connected, and no one will be able to take that away. Dumbledore can't stop me from going back to Hogwarts after the fact, the board of Governors controls expulsions and I know the dark side controls them. I'll be stronger then too, and there's only so much he can try to pull at Hogwarts while still trying to look like the good guy in front of Harry and the teachers. Really the worst he can done once we are bonded is try to stop me from seeing Harry and the others, maybe put me in a different house and take away my prefect status."
Bella was thrilled. She hadn't quite planned what to do after her proposal, as until Hermione shared her news a few days before, she believed that they would bond the Hogsmede weekend following Hermione's 17th birthday. She and Hermione were both aware that this was not a time for a wedding, Bella still technically a fugitive from Askaban and Hermione being an incoming 6th year student. Their wedding and bonding would be private, just for them. If they wanted to have a formal ceremony or a party later they could, but honestly that wasn't either of their style. Narcissa would no doubt be upset missing the chance to plan the party of the season, but she'd no doubt find some other reason to celebrate if and when she felt the need to entertain.
"Regardless of whatever happens, I won't let anyone hurt you, or take you away from me. Hmm, I'd quite like to see that old coot try! But I feel the same, I don't want to wait, so… how about tonight? The Dark Lord expects me to claim you as soon as possible, so if I were to go to him and say that you'd just found out you were of age, he'd be inclined to do it immediately. If you want to wait though, I understand. We've not really talked about this, and I know it's not going to be comfortable for you, but it's got to be him, to do the ceremony. He's one of the only witches or wizards powerful enough to perform the ritual, and seeing as I doubt Dumbledore would be willing, he's our only option."
"Yes…let do it tonight. And I understand Bella. I know where your loyalties lie, and I'm still here, aren't I? I'm certainly more inclined to let the Dark Lord bind us than Dumbledore. I know the Dark Lord will eventually expect my loyalty, once I've bonded with you, but honestly I'd rather be involved as little as possible. I'll do what I have to though in order to protect those I love."
Bella pondered this for a moment, as much time as they'd spent together over the summer they hadn't spoken much about the upcoming war, or the Dark Lord. Bella had been busy investigating the prophecies, and had made significant headway, but the conclusions the Dark Lord had reached were still being kept a secret, for the time being.
"I'll respect whatever decision you end up making, though obviously you know which side I support. The Dark Lord and I have a closer relationship than most, and he's always been quite understanding with me, and my particular tastes and proclivities. He knows me quite well, so I'm sure that he won't be expecting to give you the mark. He knows how angry that would make me, I've always been unusually possessive of what I consider to be mine, I'd never let another mark you like that. I do think that you should speak with him though, not tonight, but at some point. There's still much more to this war than you know, and you deserve to know the full truth of everything, ugly as it may be. Both sides have an incredible amount of blood on their hands, we just don't hide ours."
Hermione nodded, agreeing to this. It wouldn't hurt to learn more, and she could always make her own conclusions with the information she was given, or look into things on her own. She trusted Bella completely, and as long as Bella came with her, she would feel comfortable enough speaking with the Dark Lord. Despite Bella's loyalty to the Dark Lord, she had already proven herself to put Hermione above her duties to him, being as she hadn't told him about Hermione coming of age and had known about it for a few days now. If she had told him, no doubt they would already be married.
"It's settled then, we will travel to Malfoy Manor this evening. I'll floo call Narcissa and let her know to expect guests, and to pass along the message to the Dark Lord. As much as I'd like to come back here afterwards, I suspect that after the ritual our magic may be a bit uncontrollable so long distance apparation will be out of the question. I do however have a private set of rooms in Malfoy Manor, if you are alright with that."
Hermione blushed at the implications, not missing Bella's emphasis on the word private, her mind immediately going into the gutter as it was prone to do when it came to Bella, imagining all the delightfully naughty things that they would no doubt get up to that night. She was nervous, yes, but mostly excited. And horny. She was only a teenager after all, and Bella was more than tempting.
Bella recognized the darkening gaze and blush for what is was, arousal, and with a growl she pinned Hermione against the balcony, reacquainting herself with the delicious taste of the younger woman's tongue. Bella took charge of the kiss immediately, plunging forward to claim her territory before pulling back teasingly, grinning as Hermione instinctively followed her lips, before learning down again and capturing Hermione's plump bottom lip between her teeth, biting just hard enough before sucking on it gently and releasing it slowly, relishing Hermione's slight whimper as she stepped back from her body.
"There'll be plenty more of that tonight. Now, let's enjoy being here while we can. Fancy a dip?"
Within seconds Hermione found herself quite scantily clad in a dark green bikini, she looked down at herself and chuckled at Bella's persistent loyalty to her house colors. She couldn't help but admit that the color did quite suit her creamy complexion. She looked pale, but not in a bad way. She wondered whether she would ever grow out of her own penchant for burgundy.
Her train of thought stopped in its tracks as she caught sight of the similar ensemble which now graced Bella's curves. It was black, of course, and quite frankly exposed more skin than it hid. She was pulled into Bellatrix's arms, her head conveniently ending up right above Bella's cleavage, and she enjoyed the view as they apparated directly into the ocean.
The afternoon passed more quickly that Hermione would have liked, but it was wonderful to get to spend time with Bella alone, just being themselves, not trapped in the confines of her bedroom. Away from England and the pressures and responsibilities there, Bella was unusually playful and lighthearted, laughing loudly and more freely than normal. She loved to swim, and spent her afternoon not so subtly copping a feel of Hermione as they played together in the waves.
Far too soon the sun began to wane, and both witches reluctantly left their positions in the sand to make their way back to the manor in order to prepare for the evening to come. Hermione, rather awkwardly realized that she only had her muggle clothes, not ones she would want to wear to Malfoy Manor and certainly not to be married in. Bella gave her a wink and in an instant a beautiful set of white dress robes appeared before her.
"I had these made for you, I wanted to surprise you when the time came. I hope you like them…"
"Thank you, Bella." Hermione grinned, pleased that Bella continued to be so sweet and thoughtful, sharing a side of herself that she knew most others were not privy to. The two sides of Bellatrix were almost in direct contrast to the other, and if you knew just the one side you'd likely not believe that the other side existed.
More than anything, Bella was what made Hermione be willing to listen to what the Dark Lord had to say. Yes, she didn't trust Dumbledore and he had wronged her by lying about the prophecy and messing with her memory. But the light side always depicted the dark as one-dimensional, evil witches and wizards with no morals that thrived on unleashing the darkness within. Knowing Bella made Hermione realize that there was likely another side to all the death eaters, a side that had family, children, and wanted to fight for what they believed was best for them and for wizarding society as a whole.
She certainly believed that the Ministry with Fudge in charge had done a shit job governing the country, and couldn't imagine what Umbridge would have done had she gotten the power she sought over Hogwarts. She knew that with Dumbledore or one of his people in power things likely wouldn't change a bit. According to Hermione's research, Bella was right, and standards at Hogwarts continued to fall ever since Dumbledore took over from Headmaster Dippit. The Ministry was no different. After all, the Dark Lord had been gone for 13 years and none of the things Dumbledore claimed to support had come to pass.
She shook herself out of her deep thoughts, there would be time for that later, now she needed to get dressed and do something with her hair, which was now drying curlier than normal due to the salt from the waves. She changed into her new robes quickly, unsurprised to find that they fit her beautifully. They were made of a white shimmery material which was incredibly soft, she had no idea what it was made from, but it seemed to be some sort of silk. The bottom layer was quite like a strapless dress, which hugged her body snugly until the hips where it straightened and fell almost to the floor. She managed to use her magic to lace up the complicated back of the dress, and she was pleased to see that it accentuated the small curve of her breast nicely once laced up. The robe which went over the dress was floor-length and made of the same material, with a hood and long, flared sleeves. It clasped together just above her collarbones with a silver fastening, hiding very little of the dress underneath, save for the back.
Hermione wasn't nearly as skilled with beauty charms as Lavender and Pavarti, but she knew enough to be able to control her curls so they fell down her back in messy ringlets versus looking like a large owls nest. Looking in a large ornate mirror, she deemed herself presentable, and made her way back to where Bellatrix was waiting for her.
Bella had floo'd Narcissa again, filling her in that they would soon be on their way. Her sister promised that everything was ready and the Dark Lord was aware of their imminent arrival. The ceremony required quite a few specific things, but Bella had prepared for it months ago, so she needed only instruct Narcissa to what was required.
Bella pulled her head out of the fireplace just in time to see Hermione enter the room, and her breath caught in her throat as she took in her witch. Save for her Hogwarts uniform, Bella had only seen the Gryffindor in muggle clothes, and to see her dressed in an expensive set of dress robes like the pureblood witch she really was, well, it definitely did things for Bella. She groaned as she caught a glimpse of the back of the dress, her mind immediately thinking about exactly how she would go about tearing it off later.
"You look stunning, love. Ready?"
Hermione nodded and happily stepped into Bella's embrace, already becoming more and more comfortable with apparation, at least with Bella anyways. She closed her eyes and tried to relax through the sensation of being pushed through a small straw, and soon enough they arrived outside of the gates of a large, imposing looking manor home.
Malfoy Manor was exactly as Hermione would have imagined it. The Manor itself was tall and imposing, made of a grey stone and exuding wealth and status. The grounds were immaculate, not a twig out of place with hedges and sculptures and fountains littering the impressively laid out front garden. Hermione swore she saw a few albino peacocks, and she laughed a bit to herself, wondering if that was where Draco learned his strange sort of strut he used to use walking around the castle in the first few years they were at Hogwarts. Bella gave her a funny look, but Hermione shrugged it off, not wanting to explain her silly thoughts.
Bella grasped Hermione's arm formally and they walked straight through the wrought iron gates and up the main entranceway of the Manor, Hermione unsurprised to see the doors open magically in front of them, Narcissa sweeping effortlessly through a hallway into the entry at just the right moment. Bella chuckled to herself, knowing how much effort Narcissa really put into looking the effortlessly perfect pureblood hostess.
"Bellatrix, Hermione." Narcissa greeted them both with a nod, and Hermione was surprised at the use of her first name, before she realized that likely the purebloods would be avoiding any reminders of her muggle upbringing in light of her becoming a new member of the Noble House of Black. It was just as well, as she would be a Granger for a few more hours at most.
"Come, the Dark Lord awaits." Narcissa led them through the foyer into a hallway and then to a large room that looked like it served as a ballroom, though now it was mostly empty except for the Dark Lord, and a few items on a desk. Hermione took a deep breath and tried to settle her nerves, and Bella squeezed her arm slightly in silent reassurance.
When Voldemort turned to look at them and Hermione got the first glimpse of his face, she failed to hide her shock but managed not to react verbally. She had heard Harry's descriptions of course, and seem him briefly at the Ministry, but to be standing in front of the man, if he could even be called a man, was a very different story. Despite his snake-like appearance, he seemed anything but weak, standing proudly and projecting an aura of power. Hermione had always been able to sense powerful magic users around her, and there was no mistaking the raw energy that buzzed in Lord Voldemort.
"My Lord." Bella nodded her head respectfully and greeted her master. Hermione wasn't quite sure what to say, if anything, so she stayed silent. Luckily it didn't seem to bother him at the moment, at least not visibly, and he returned Bellatrix's greeting. The Dark Lord had been quite pleased to hear of the news via Narcissa, unexpected advantages were always welcome. He had been unsure whether Bellatrix would be successful in bonding with the girl during the term at Hogwarts, and was pleased that now he would be able to commence many of his plans much more quickly.
"Kneel, so we may begin." Bella met Hermione's gaze and bid the girl to trust her, and she did, mirroring Bellatrix as they knelt on the cold stone floor, facing one another in front of the Dark Lord. Hermione looked down to realize that they were kneeling within a rune which had been created on the floor with a fine white powder of some sort. She didn't recognize the rune, but it didn't worry her.
Bellatrix reached out and clasped her hands on Hermione's opposite forearms and Hermione mimicked her, grasping her fingers tightly around Bella's wrists, catching the reassuring smile that Bellatrix gave her. She could imagine that from above, their linked arms would look like the inner parts of the infinity rune.
Hermione hadn't seen a wizarding marriage performed before, but she was quite sure this was going to be different. Bella had mentioned that they would be using one of the older ceremonies – a traditional ritual that had been used to bind soulmates since the time of Merlin. The Dark Lord began to chant in a low tone, his words unrecognizable to Hermione but fascinating just the same. Tendrils of white, black and silver magic wound their way around their joined arms, binding them tightly together. Some burned slightly, while others were ice cold, and the mix of sensations combined with the powerful magic made Hermione's head spin and her hair stand on end. Her breathing sped up and she tried not to get carried away by the feeling of her magic rising up so strongly in her body.
Bellatrix held Hermione's gaze, feeling the powerful magic sweep through her and wanting to help ground her witch, knowing that it was no doubt overwhelming for the younger girl, especially since she was unaware of what was to come. In hindsight, she should have explained the ritual first, but it wasn't exactly like she had been planning things to happen quite this quickly.
She ground her teeth together when the magic cut into their right wrists, which were placed in such a way so that the blood mixed and fell down on their joined left hands before dripping to the floor beneath them. She could feel some of her magic leaking out with the blood, eager to meet with Hermione's. The cuts weren't deep but they bled profusely from such a vulnerable spot in the body, especially when heightened by magic. With another heavy word from the Dark Lord the magic pulsed again at the cuts burned sharply and the bleeding stopped.
The blood on their left hands started to move, gathering together and then splitting into two lines, finding the ring finger of both witches and wrapping around. Another pulse of magic and the blood solidified, turning into a ring made out of a black crystal similar to that of Hermione's engagement ring. The tendrils of magic loosened themselves from Hermione and Bella's arms. Bella loosened her grip and pulled back, and as she did so Hermione felt the Black house ring heat up. Instinctively, she slid it off of her finger and slipped it back onto Bellatrix's right hand where it belonged.
Bella's gaze was heavy on Hermione as they waited for the last bit of magic to settle, her eyes dark and full of promise. Hermione felt herself heating up and it had nothing to do with the remnants of magic that still swirled around in the air. She could feel something was different, slight bits of Bella's magic were in her now, but she yearned for more, her body instinctively wanting to complete the ritual.
The Dark Lord nodded slightly in satisfaction, his role was finished. The magic had been particularly powerful, he had witnessed one binding of soulmates before and it hadn't drawn as much energy as they had. He would be interested to see how their abilities would grow in the next coming months. "Congratulations. Bella, I trust you know what to do. Finish the ritual, tonight."
"Of course. It will be my pleasure." Bella's voice was as husky as Hermione had ever heard it, and she knew if she hadn't already been wet before, she would be now. The Dark Lord left the room silently, leaving Hermione and Bella staring at each other hungrily. Bella rose, and Hermione followed, their eyes still locked. Bella held out her hand, eyes full of dark promises as she stared at her wife. "Come, Mrs. Black."