Tonks and Hermione sighed, they had been called out again, the third time in a week to the Hansen farm. There had been no sign of werewolves on the last full moon but it was possible the pack had moved on.
Tonks and Hermione landed with a stagger, Jenkins was there, a man laying at his feet. Jenkins looked up at them horrified, his wand out and still pointing where he had cast the killing curse.
"He attacked me. He just-he came at me." Tonks released Hermione, her wand out and she ran over to Jenkins.
"Are there any others?" She said looking around, Hermione had her wand up, turning in all directions. She tried to steady herself taking note of how calm Tonks was.
"I think someone ran into the tree line but I'm not sure. He just came at me, just, he just ran at me."
Tonks nodded and patted his back. "Black!" She called to Hermione, who did not drop her wand but approached the pair. The formality was required on the job to avoid any claims of favoritism. "Apparate back and tell Birch-Lock we've got more than a few missing animals."
Hermione apparated out and appeared five minutes later with Vance, Birch-Lock and a new recruit named Andrews, a muggle born first week on the job. He was nice enough, a bit eager at times but nice.
"What the hell you two? Black is going to have my ass for this." Birch-Lock said shaking his head looking down at Hansen, his face frozen in anger. "What happened Jenkins?"
While Jenkins explained how Hansen had come at him, Tonks, Hermione, Andrews and Vance ventured towards the tree line, wands out and shields up. "Are all call outs this exciting?" Andrews asked dropping his shield slightly and then remembered to bring it up again.
"No, not really just seems to be our trend this week." Hermione said sighing. "Don't talk, just listen."
Andrews nodded and was quiet for a moment. "You're married to Bellatrix Lestrange."
Hermione glanced at him furiously and shook her head for him to quiet. It happened in seconds, the spell shot through the trees hitting Tonks in the leg, she screamed and went down. Hermione cast a shield over Tonks and held it as she bent down over the Auror.
"It came from over there." Andrews called excitedly.
"So get a shield up you nitwit and go look." Tonks shouted wincing in pain. The spell had taken a fair chunk out of her leg, blood oozed from the wound, Tonks' pants were burned away from the impact around the hole.
Hermione pulled Tonks back as another spell came out of the tree line just over her head and hit a tree trunk. A flaming hole was left from the jet of red light.
"Can you hold the shield while I fix it?" Hermione asked as Tonks nodded producing a shield around them as Hermione pulled the charred pants back. She sucked in her breath. "It's bad Tonks. I'll patch it up but you're going to need more than that when we get home."
Tonks nodded and braced herself for Hermione's spell. The skin glowed brightly and Tonks screamed as it burned through the wound. New skin covered the gash but it was only a temporary fix.
They heard Andrews shouting from the woods, Vance ran past them without looking down, his wand firing off a round of stunning spells. "Well we wanted exciting." Hermione said helping Tonks stand.
"Can you go on or do you need to go back?"
"I'm good." Tonks said standing on the injured leg. "It'll hold."
Hermione turned now watching the spells fire off. "We should move around this way, catch them from behind."
"Could be more of them." Tonks said shaking her head.
"No, it's just a single spell that firing, listen." They listened for a moment, Hermione was right, it was a single spell being cast and two reflecting.
Tonks and Hermione crept silently through the underbrush, they could hear the caster crashing around clumsily in the brush breaking twigs and swearing and then they spotted another person sitting casually on a log as if there was not all hell breaking lose over his head.
He sensed them and Hermione shoved Tonks out of the way as a spell came flying from his wand, it barely missed hitting Hermione in the arm as she dove down and fired back. The spell slammed into one from the second man and was sent back at her. "Fuck." she heard him shout.
Tonks was very still watching from her hiding spot. Hermione's heart pounded as the man stood looking at the underbrush trying to find them again. A spell floated on the tip of Hermione's wand waiting. It was a stunning spell, red in colour. He spotted it, a smile on his face as he locked eyes with her. Fear flooded Hermione's body, she saw the spell, green, menacing, death was coming for her. She screamed, she felt someone grab her hand and then felt the spell or rather saw the spell leave her wand.A huge ball of white flames whipped from it, the green death spell shattered over her. The white fire slammed into the man surrounding him, he shrieked in terror and fell to his knees as his soul tore from his body. Hermione watched as the flames seemed to eat the man's energy until he was just a shell that fell empty and unfeeling to the ground. Everything went black, the last thing she saw was Bella over her pulling her back to her feet.
Hermione woke, she was in the clearing near Hansen's lifeless body. Her hand bandaged, blackened fingers poked out from the bandages. Tonks was getting her leg properly looked at. Hermione turned her head, Andrews was laying next to her, a bandage to his head but otherwise fine. Hermione sat up, leaves and twigs stuck in her hair.
"Who are they?" She heard Tonks ask, the two bodies they had pulled from the woods carried no identification and the wands were not from England.
"Don't know, nasty pieces of work though." Vance said examining the wands. "Olivander can't id the wands. Still, the last spells were all killing curses."
"Hi Pet." She heard Bella's voice from behind her, she pulled a twig from Hermione's hair and examined her hand. "Sorry about your hand."
"What happened?" Hermione asked, her fingers throbbed as Birch-Lock and Vance walked over to the pair. They regarded Bella carefully but she was absorbed in Hermione's hand.
"It's going to leave a scar Pet. I'm sorry." Bella said covering her fingers back up.
"What happened out there Black?" Birch-Lock asked now avoiding Bella's glare as she looked up at him.
"I don't know." Hermione said standing up slowly now. Her fingers felt so burnt she could swear they were cracking. "We were under fire and then Bella came and- I don't know I don't remember."
"Black?" Vance said looking at Bella now who was flicking a leaf from Hermione's hair.
"If you put my wife in danger I will always show up as it is, I'm done with this, no more. She's done. Not even one day a week." She fought to keep her voice calm. "That's three times I've nearly lost her, no more."
Hermione thought she was going to vomit her fingers ached so badly.
"We're not done with the questions Black." Vance said as Andrews approached.
"You're Bellatrix Lestrange."
"Bellatrix Black, I know." She replied stepping back from him slightly.
"Oh Merlin, you really are and wow, you still have a dark mark and, " He tilted his head around to look at the tattoo on her neck showing her Azkaban number. "And wow, can you not have that removed either?" He nearly reached out to touch her neck, Bella smacked his hand away rather hard.
"What the bloody hell." She pulled Hermione back with her.
"I'm sorry, sorry I just. I've admired you for so long."
Bella looked at Hermione and then back at Andrews. "I don't want it removed thank you." She responded wary that he would reach out again towards her.
"Alright Andrews, back off, I need to ask Bellatrix some questions, why don't you go process the bodies."
Andrews looked disappointed but he walked away careful to keep in earshot of the conversation.
"What was that spell Black?"
Bella shifted slightly and looked down at Hermione's fingers and then licked her lips. "It's my own spell." She commented after a moment, "Not registered obviously."
Both men frowned.
"It's not like I could walk into the ministry and register my killing curse now could I? Really, it's not an issue. I never planned on using it, you left me no choice."
"It counters a killing curse Bellatrix."
Bella shifted again slightly. "I know what it does, I created it." She went back to examine Hermione's fingers again and pressed a kiss to them.
"What does it actually do?" Vance was fascinated by the spell.
"What you saw it do. It kills, isn't that the point?"
Both men shook their heads, it did more than kill, it consumed.
"Where does it go? The energy?" Birch-Lock asked and Bella shifted again, Hermione frowned at how strange Bella was acting about the spell.
Bella shrugged, "Does it matter? The bad guy died."
Andrews came back over to the conversation when Tonks joined them.
"How's your leg love?" Bella asked looking at the charred remains of Tonks' pant leg.
"Sore as hell, but it'll heal. Hermione saved me." Tonks said with a smile at Hermione.
Bella hugged Hermione close. "Good girl." she whispered.
Hermione winced as Bella cleaned her hand at the table.
"Sorry Pet, it's my fault."
Andromeda watched on from the side holding Hermione's other hand. Hermione bit her lip as Bella rubbed oil into the burn. She buried her head into Andromeda's shoulder and fought a scream. Her fingers ached, it burned up her arm from the pain. Bella picked out little bits of wood from Hermione's finger tips The blast from Bella's spell had shattered Hermione's wand and it had splintered into her hand. Bella's wand lay on the table, a slight glow on the surface of the polished wood. Hermione eyes locked onto the gleaming wood of it to focus away from the pain. The wand seemed to twinkle at her, the wood flashed slightly in the light, it pulled to her, Hermione frowned towards it. She had never really looked at Bella's wand very carefully before. It was beautiful, black like Bella's hair, bent slightly from the hilt, it shone in the light of the kitchen. There was a delicate design around the edge of the handle, Hermione couldn't make it out, was it thorns or flowers? The wand shook slightly and Bella glanced at it, "Careful Pet, don't call to my wand." She said gently pulling the wand away and going back to Hermione's hand. "She doesn't play nice with others."
The words broke Hermione out of her thoughts and returned her to feeling the pain in her hand. She tried to pull back but Bella held it tightly.
"Would you rather Andromeda do it?" Hermione nodded. Bella released her hand and got up from the table snatching her wand up.
"I'll be back." She said suddenly and was gone in a flash with no other explanation.
"She'll be back" Andromeda said taking over where Bella had left off. She carefully removed the piece Bella had been working on before soaking Hermione's hand in oil again.
By nightfall Hermione's hand was almost as good as new and Bella had not returned. Hermione bathed and fed Maia. Read her a night time story and still Bella was not there. She sat in bed watching the clock tick away the hours. Bella showed up around two in the morning, she smelled of wine and cigarettes as she entered the room and left again to shower. Hermione laid in the darkness listening to Bella muttering to herself in the shower and swear when she dropped the soap.
She felt the weight of Bella when she got on the bed, her hands reaching out to examine Hermione's fingers that were no longer bandaged. She felt Bella trace her fingers slightly before feeling them pressed to her mouth. She opened her eyes now, Bella sat over her, her long hair falling slightly onto Hermione's chest.
"Bella." Hermione whispered into the darkness.
"I'm here Pet." She replied, her mouth kissing again on Hermione's fingers. "Let me taste you?" She asked gently, her fingers slipping down over Hermione's breasts to her stomach and finally between her legs. Hermione moved slightly to allow Bella what she wanted. It was so gentle as she pressed her mouth against Hermione pulling her in. "Let me do what I want?" She asked, her fingers pushing into Hermione's hips slightly. Hermione nodded as Bella, who usually smiled in anticipation of fucking her wife just stared at her. Her wand in her hand, she slowly ran the tip of it over Hermione's stomach, the wand trembled in her fingers as it left gold traces where Bella moved it. The lines Hermione realized where actually runes that Bella was writing onto her skin, as they faded into her Hermione felt herself falling into a daze. She could hear Bella in her mind, the soft whispers telling her what to do as Bella assaulted her gently with her tongue. Bella had complete control of her, every movement she made was because Bella told her to, Hermione groaned feeling Bella brush against her thoughts. Bella watched with hungry eyes as Hermione touched herself and then brought her fingers to her lips to taste her sex.
Hermione fell into the surrender of Bella's thoughts. She let herself drown in the mix of colours as Bella moved over her, her hair tickling Hermione's stomach as the darkness began to fade into sunrise. "Stay with me." Bella whispered as the room lightened to morning. Maia would wake soon and pull Hermione's attention away from Bella's thoughts. "Stay. Let Tinkie get the baby." Hermione nodded as Bella lay over her again no longer as gentle as before.
She emerged from the bedroom around noon, bruised and happy, Bella's scent on her skin, her body ached still to be held. Bella had lifted the runes from her skin much to Hermione's disappointment as it meant she couldn't feel Bella like before. "We have all night tonight Pet." Was the whispered promise.
_
"When did you develop this spell?" Vance asked as Bella sat across from him tapping her nails against the tabletop.
"I don't recall."
"What's the exact incantation?"
Bella shrugged, "I don't recall."
Vance was slightly frustrated, "Look Black you're not in trouble it's just, well it's an unregistered spell that...well it blocks a killing curse."
"I am aware of what my spell does."
Andrews walked in and handed Vance a file. He stared openly at Bella who scowled at him. Vance read over the file and looked up at Bella before sliding it over to her. She did not acknowledge it and rather let it sit there.
"Don't want to see the results?"
"I know what the spell does." She repeated peeling the label on her ginger candy. Her head hurt from the previous night's wine consumption. The portraits at Black Manor would never recover and neither would the wine cellar.
Andrews left the room as Bella flicked the wrapper across the table at him. Hermione entered the room with a smile. Bella stopped tapping her nails in surprise.
"Black will be handling the questions, I'll be observing from the other room." Vance said getting up, a smirk on his face as he went through the door.
"What are you doing here?" Bella asked.
"My job." Hermione replied reaching for the file to flick through it. She paused somewhat at the photographs, she glanced up at Bella who sighed heavily and rolled her wand over the table.
"I thought you quit yesterday." Bella said.
"No you told them I quit, I never quit." Hermione corrected her. "Now, that aside, when did you develop the spell Bella?"
Bella laughed and shook her head, "Oh Pet, really?"
"We can sit here all day or you can just make my job easier and tell me."
"Ah but I so love our time in this room together, so many memories." She wiggled her eyebrows at Hermione, "So many yummy thoughts I have about you on this table."
"Bella." Hermione said glancing at the door. "Just answer the questions."
Bella stretched, "I created it around the time Dora was born, a little after I think."
"Why did you create it?"
Bella rubbed her temples, "To see if I could."
"What is the nature of the spell?"
Bella stared at her fingers resting on the table top, "To kill obviously."
Hermione shook her head and slide the file back over to Bella, open this time. "No Bella, it does more than that." The image showed the shrunken shell of the man Bella had struck with the spell the day before. He looked like a dry husk of a man as if the wind would blow him away.
"I don't recall." Bella said after a moment, her eyes locked into Hermione's, an almost imperceptible shake of her head caught Hermione's eye.
"What does it do Bella?" Hermione asked that afternoon when she had arrived home. Bella frowned and rubbed her head, the pain was still there from her hangover.
"The spell? Why does it matter?"
"What does it do?" Hermione asked frustrated, she had spent most of the morning arguing with Vance and Birch-Lock around the spell.
Bella shifted nervously and took her wand out. "It's a variation of the killing curse and the soul part of a horcrux spell."
"So it's a hybrid spell, that's fine." Hermione said slightly disturbed "So it just kills and what? That wasn't just a normal killing curse Bella."
"Well no, it consumes a person's soul in its entirety. A killing curse separates a soul from the body, my spell consumes a soul."
"Where does it go?" Hermione asked already worried she had the answer.
"It absorbs into my wand." Bella said not meeting Hermione's eyes. "I didn't think I would ever have to use it again but I saw that curse coming towards you and I didn't know what to do so I-I used my spell."
"That's, wow, I mean that's so wrong but it's such an amazing spell..." Hermione couldn't wrap her head around it at first the complexity of the spell.
"I don't want people knowing it, it's an evil spell Hermione. If the Ministry got a hold of it." She shook her head.
"No, no I'll make something up to tell Vance and Birch." Hermione said offhandly. "How many times have you used it, the spell I mean?"
Bella looked thoughfully, "Forty two after yesterday."
Hermione's breath caught, forty-two souls, she eyed the wand, a thing of beauty yesterday that called to her was just sinister looking now.