The ground was soft, it would have been very easy to fall asleep right there in the forest. A dull ache was spreading rapidly through Hermione's body, and her limbs felt too heavy to move. There were cuts and bruises everywhere, and blood was seeping steadily through a gash above her knee.
"Here," Bellatrix pressed a handkerchief to the wound. A second later there was a ripping sound, and she tied the handkerchief in place with a strip of fabric that had been torn from her robes.
Hermione smiled, "Thanks," she said.
Bellatrix laughed and kissed Hermione's knee, "I can't have you bleeding out."
"I guess not," Hermione winced as she got to her feet.
Bellatrix followed her, and swore loudly once she had straightened, "Hurts, doesn't it?" She scowled at the Kelpie, "I should curse you."
"But you won't," Hermione said quickly.
"I suppose not," Bellatrix said. The scowl remained on her face.
Like Hermione, Bellatrix was covered in cuts and bruises. There was a large scrape across her cheek, and Hermione's hand unconsciously felt across her own cheekbone.
"We should head back," she said to Bellatrix, who had picked up a vicious-looking stone and was considering the Kelpie, a smirk forming on her lips. "Bella! Put that down!"
"I wouldn't have thrown it," Bellatrix said, tossing it into the bushes. She picked up the two ends of the rope that was still hanging around the Kelpie's neck, "Not so brave now, eh?" She asked haughtily.
They made their way slowly through the woods. Almost there, she thought to herself once or twice, but she knew that they were at least an hour away from Hagrid's hut, possibly more.
When they reached the clearing where they first found the Kelpie Hermione felt as though she'd been locked in a room with a thousand Dementors. The Kelpie must have taken us farther than I thought, she thought despairingly.
A movement flickered in the corner of her eye, and she turned her head to see Bellatrix leading the Kelpie over to a log.
"Bella, what are you doing?"
Bellatrix didn't answer her right away. She lined the mare up alongside the log, "There's no need to walk all the way back," she said.
Hermione watched in horror as Bellatrix removed the rope from the Kelpie's neck and threw it to the ground. "You can't be serious," she said, feeling her throat go dry.
"Why not?" Bellatrix smiled and climbed on top of the log. "Would you like to ride in front or in back?"
Hermione gaped at her, "Bella, that's a Kelpie! We can't ride her all over the forest like a common mare."
Bellatrix grinned, "Yes we can," she reached out and gave the bridle a shake, "she's perfectly tame. If she weren't I would be at the bottom of the lake right now."
Hermione's mind conjured an image of Bellatrix lifelessly floating in the green waters of the lake. I let her jump onto the back of a Kelpie!
As if she knew what Hermione was thinking, Bellatrix said, "It's all right," The smile, though faded, was still on her face, "she's no danger to us."
Hermione surveyed the black mare in front of her. She doesn't look dangerous, she admitted reluctantly. The mare's head was drooping sleepily.
"Come on," Bellatrix insisted, "You can't walk all the way back in the state that you're in."
At her words, Hermione's knees gave a particularly painful throb. "Fine," she sighed, she tried to stifle her fear as she walked over and took the hand that Bellatrix offered her. "What do I do?" she asked once she'd clambered on top of the log.
"You can ride in back," Bellatrix said. "I'll take the front so that you don't have to steer her," she laughed, and in one graceful move she mounted the Kelpie.
There was no reaction other than a long snort.
"Your turn," Bellatrix said.
Hermione stared apprehensively at the shining black back in front of her, and slowly started to mount.
The mare shifted beneath her, and Hermione struggled to sit straight. She dug her fingers tightly into Bellatrix's shoulders and shifted into what she thought was the right position.
"Not much of a rider, are you?" Bellatrix asked.
Hermione detected a hint of laughter in her voice and scowled, "I've haven't had much experience," she muttered. A sigh escaped her mouth, and she looked towards the narrow path they had come from, "Let's get this over with."
Bellatrix laughed, and gathered up the reins.
Bellatrix had never been on anything so smooth in her life. Or fast. The Kelpie breezed through the forest, twisting around the trees as though she were the wind. Hermione's arms were wrapped tightly around Bellatrix's waist as she leaned far over the Kelpie's neck, exhilaration making every hair stand on end. She was dimly aware of a sharp pain somewhere around her lungs, but even that couldn't dampen the ecstasy that she felt.
This is perfect, Bellatrix thought. Her lips stretched into a grin, Absolutely perfect.
"Bella?"
Hermione's voice, breathless and nervous, pulled her back into her seat. She pulled the mare down to a walk, marveling at how well-trained she was. She'd have to ask someone how it was possible.
Hermione's voice cut through her thoughts, "Bella, did we take a wrong turn? I don't recognize this part of the forest."
Bellatrix realized with a start that she hadn't been paying attention to where they were going. Hermione was right, the trees were different here, they grew farther apart, and the undergrowth had grown denser. The rain had stopped, leaving a thin fog to linger eerily among the trees.
"I think we're lost," said Hermione in a voice that sounded more like her usual self.
Bellatrix pulled the mare to a stop. They were completely off the path. "Great," she muttered, twisting around to examine the area they had just come from. Something knocked against her back, and she heard Hermione whisper an incantation.
"It's that way," she said in a low voice, pointing over Bellatrix's shoulder.
Bellatrix urged the Kelpie in that direction, taking care to keep the mare at a steady pace.
They travelled for a while in silence. Every now and then Hermione's grip would tighten around her waist, but other than the enormous spider web that drew a particularly tight squeeze, there were no signs of danger.
Suddenly, Hermione hissed, "Look!"
Bellatrix jerked her neck around, her eyes scanning the forest in the direction that Hermione was now pointing. "What is it?" she asked, her eyes still scanning.
"Do you see them?" Hermione put her chin on Bellatrix's shoulder, peering over it. "Over there," she pointed.
Now Bellatrix could see them, a small line of illuminated wand-tips. She stiffened, "Who-"
"I don't know," Hermione sat back. "I think they're students."
Bellatrix squinted through the trees, it was hard to tell from this distance…
"No one else would be coming from that direction," Hermione said sensibly. "We must be really close to the castle."
Bellatrix had to admit that this seemed likely.
"They might be up to no good," Hermione said thoughtfully, "It could even be something serious."
Bellatrix said nothing, Lucius Malfoy sprung into her mind, and her eyes narrowed. Was this where his club chose to meet? Stupid, she thought
Hermione's eyes were trained on the figures. Her head moved, keeping them in her sight as they moved.
Bellatrix thought longingly of the warm bath that she was planning to have as soon as she returned to the castle, "Do you want to-"
"Yes," said Hermione excitedly, "I think that we could hear them if we got close enough."
"If they catch us?"
"They won't," Hermione said, "we're on a Kelpie."
Without responding, Bellatrix directed the Kelpie in the direction of the moving lights. Hermione was moving behind her as she tried to see where they were going.
"What do you think they're doing?" She asked.
Bellatrix sighed, "No idea."
They followed them for a short while, careful to stay far behind them.
The figures walked until they reached a small hollow, sunk deep into the ground. The ground above was thick with trees.
"Perfect!" said Hermione behind her, "We can hide among the trees."
They found a spot that Hermione thought was within adequate hearing distance, and settled in. The trees grew so thickly together that they had to peer through the branches at the circle of students below. They were close enough to make out the green and silver of their Slytherin scarfs.
An uneasy feeling grew in Bellatrix's stomach. Her fingers tightened on the reins.
"I can't see very well," Hermione whispered as she craned her neck over Bellatrix's shoulder, "Maybe we should get down so-"
"No!" whispered Bellatrix, with more force than she intended. "I'm sorry," she said quickly, "I just think it would be better to have a quick escape. If something goes wrong, we'll be out of here too fast for anybody to realize that we were here."
There was a silence as Hermione thought about it. "Fine," she said at last, "but could you at least move her into a different position so I can see?"
Bellatrix knocked her head on a tree limb as she moved the Kelpie, swore furiously beneath her breath. Now the Kelpie was standing with her side facing the hollow, and both girls had a clear view of the whispering students.
Without warning the students began to sit. One by one they lowered themselves onto the damp forest floor, until only one remained standing, his back to Hermione and Bellatrix.
"Friends, welcome!" Bellatrix recognized the voice of Lucius Malfoy and bent as far over the side of the mare as she dared to, trying to get a better look. The new position caused the pain in her ribs to throb.
"It's been too long," he sounded rehearsed as he addressed the assembled students, "since the Muggles have forced us into hiding. We cater our lives around the fact that we must remain hidden from the Muggles, when in fact they should be hiding from us! We are the powerful ones, and yet the majority of the world rests in the hands of-" he broke off as if there wasn't a word powerful enough to describe the inferiority of the Muggles. "But we know about the weakness of the Muggles. They are easy to recognize, easy to overpower. No, the larger problem lies in the heart of our own community."
There was an uneasy rustle amongst those seated before Lucius.
"We are the victims of a great injustice," Lucius continued smoothly, "for too long we have been forced to dirty ourselves with the filth of the unworthy." His smooth voice cracked with fury, "From the moment that Godric Gryffindor decided to allow Mudbloods,"Bellatrix winced as Hermione's nails bit into her shoulder, "into a wizarding school, our kind has been oppressed."
He smoothed his hair away from his face and began pacing back and forth before the group, "Salazar Slytherin, the champion of our kind, tried to prevent this. And what did he get?"
"Chased off!" came the dull roar of one student, several other voices joined in, all of them male.
"Exactly," Lucius said, "He was banished from his own, beloved, school. Banished by his closest friend!"
Hermione snorted, now leaning as far over the side of the Kelpie as Bellatrix was.
Below them, Lucius continued his rant, "Gryffindor brought the Mudbloods to us! He opened the door so that the undeserving scum of the wizarding world could infiltrate our classrooms and eventually our homes. Wizarding blood grows murkier each day, polluted as pureblood witches and wizards give in to the illusion that the Mudbloods are our equals."
He laughed loudly, and, after a second had gone by, the others in the circle joined in. "Some of our kind have even consented to marry Muggles!"
There was more laughter, and Lucius strode powerfully along the row of students, "Some among us," he said, his voice deadly low, "have been tainted already. Their blood is streaked with dirt. Yet the pure blood of their ancestors runs through their veins, and we will not punish them for the crimes they did not commit. They will rise up, as strong as any of us, and help us stamp out the pestilence that is among us."
"This is disgusting," breathed Hermione. Bellatrix nodded, her eyes still focused on Lucius.
"Most of you know of the Dark Lord," Lucius said, a murmuring rose from the students in response, "good, good. As we speak he is meeting with a few trusted members of his circle."
Bellatrix imagined the self-important smirk on his face, and felt the urge to jinx him.
Lucius returned to his original position in front of the students, "The Dark Lord wishes to deliver us from this injustice," he said, "he wishes to take control over the Muggles, rid ourselves of the unworthy, and replace the Pure to their rightful station."
"How?" called a student.
Lucius laughed, "With our help, of course. A revolution is stirring, and soon-" he stopped speaking and jerked his head up, scanning the trees.
Bellatrix stiffened and felt Hermione do the same.
"He's spotted us!" Hermione whispered.
Bellatrix started to nod, and then froze. "No," she said, "No, it's something else."
Through the trees came the unmistakable sound of hoof-beats.
"Oh no," Hermione moaned.
Bellatrix straightened on the Kelpie, whose ears were pricked in the direction of the noise. "What is it?" she asked Hermione. The undergrowth began to rustle in the distance, and Bellatrix quickly pulled out her wand.
"I think it's," Hermione's heavy breathing was warm on Bellatrix's neck, "Centaurs."
Sure enough, two sleek centaurs burst into sight, their sleek forms plummeting towards them.
"Put it away!" Hermione hissed, pushing down Bellatrix's wand.
"Have you lost your mind?" Bellatrix hissed back. She tugged on the reins, but the Kelpie refused to move.
Below them, Lucius Malfoy led his group up the path towards the castle. A small flicker of amusement flared up inside Bellatrix as she watched Lucius slip and fall into the mud. He was up in a heartbeat, sprinting even faster ahead of the scared throng of boys.
"They won't hurt us," Hermione said, and Bellatrix flickered her eyes back to the Centaurs, "We've done nothing to them. But if you insist on pointing your wand at them-" she pushed on Bellatrix's wrist again, "they might decide that we're a threat."
Bellatrix reluctantly slid her wand back into her sleeve, but kept her fingers wrapped around it.
Two of the centaurs slowed as they grew nearer to the Kelpie. A third followed Lucius and his group, though at a leisurely trot.
"Good evening," the first centaur said. He stepped close, and Bellatrix fought the urge to shrink from his penetrating stare.
"Good evening," said Hermione in a faint voice. Her arms were clamped tightly around Bellatrix's right arm.
"Hagrid has been worried about you," the centaur stated in a rumbling voice, "and for good reason. It is not safe for foals to wander around in the forbidden forest."
What did he call us? Bellatrix wondered. She opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Hermione.
"We're sorry for trespassing," Hermione said politely, "We'll be on our way immediately."
The centaur shook his head, "We have decided to escort you back to his hut. We would like a word with him, and it is not safe for foals to wander around in the forbidden forest."
"Oh," said Hermione, a hint of anxiety in her voice, "Ok."
There was a long silence as the two girls waited for the centaurs to move. When they didn't, Bellatrix met the nearest centaur's eye and said "Well?"
"We are waiting for you to remove yourselves from her back," he said, indicating the Kelpie with a jerk of his chin, "she has done nothing to warrant the dishonor of being ridden by a human," he stamped his back hoof, "she is a beast of dignity, not a common mule."
Bellatrix, who had stiffened at the way the centaur had said human, shook her hair indignantly, "Dignity?" she spat. She was aware of Hermione moaning "Bellatrix, no," in her ear, but continued anyway. "She would have killed us if we hadn't managed to get the bridle on; we have earned the right to ride her."
The centaur watched her, his face unreadable.
"And," Bellatrix said, through gritted teeth, "Hermione is injured. She can't walk all the way to the castle, so unless you want to give her a ride…"
The other centaur, this one much fairer than the first, approached the two witches. He gently pushed the Kelpie so that he could get past, and bent his face over Hermione's sore leg.
"It's a deep cut," he said, in a light voice, "I'm afraid she's right," he jerked his head at Bellatrix, "It would be unkind to force her to walk in this condition."
The first centaur swished his tail irritably. He gave a long, considering look at the pair of them, and Bellatrix met his gaze with her own, unflinching one.
"Very well," he said, "We will allow you to ride on her, but you will not touch that thing," he shot a dirty look at the bridle, "she is quite capable of finding the way on her own."
Bellatrix dropped the reins.
"Good," he said. He directed his next comment to the pale centaur, "Back to Hagrid's."
The Kelpie stepped, unbidden, behind the dark centaur, who led them into the forest, away from the path that Lucius had taken.
The pale one gave Bellatrix a kind smile when he noticed where she was looking, "Not all paths are the correct one," he said, "but your friends will be fine. We sent Dobiel to make sure that they found the path alright."
"They're not my friends," Bellatrix hissed.
Hermione poked her sharply in the ribs. Spots erupted in Bellatrix's vision, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out.
The centaur did not seem annoyed. He merely smiled, and gazed up at the stars as they trudged along. "The clouds have lifted," he said softly as the trees began to thin.
They were met at the edge of the forest by a very anxious Hagrid.
"Thank goodness!" He cried, rushing forward to help Hermione down from the back of the Kelpie.
Bellatrix refused the hand he offered to her, and dismounted quickly. The mud was soft around her feet, and she fought to maintain balance as her legs trembled with exhaustion. The pain in her ribs was nearly unbearable.
"You're hurt!" Hagrid said in horror. Hermione was gripping his arm in an effort to remain standing. The moonlight illuminated the numerous cuts and bruises across her face. Dried blood gave her face a gruesome appearance. Judging by the look Hagrid was giving her, Bellatrix guessed that she looked no better.
"It's all right Hagrid," said Hermione kindly, though her voice was faint. Beneath the dried blood, her skin was ghostly pale.
Bellatrix glared at Hagrid, "It's not all right!" she said scathingly, "what were you thinking, sending us into the woods after a Kelpie. We might've died!"
Hagrid's shaggy head drooped. Bellatrix marveled that a man of such immense size and strength could be reduced to submission by a student.
"But we didn't," said Hermione quickly, giving Bellatrix a firm look that clearly said shut up.
Bellatrix decided to ignore it, "I suppose you didn't think, did you?" Bellatrix lifted her chin and felt generations of breeding pour from her mouth, "Your kind never do."
There was an intake of breath, and Bellatrix expected an angry "Bellatrix!" from Hermione, but none came. The other witch was simply gazing at her with round, shocked eyes.
What did you expect? Bellatrix wanted to hiss, but she kept her mouth closed. A curious sensation was building in the pit of her stomach, and it took her a minute to recognize what it was. Shame.
She wanted to be angry. It wasn't her fault, after all, that the giant oaf had decided to endanger their lives. He deserved to be yelled at, punished even. But the shock in Hermione's eyes was slowly changing to hurt, and Bellatrix hated herself for that.
"Hagrid," called the dark centaur in a neutral voice, "we will stay with the Kelpie while you take your students back to the school. We would like a word with you when you return."
Hagrid nodded gruffly, and started off towards the castle, his whole body stooped to allow Hermione to grip his arm.
Bellatrix started to follow him.
"Bellatrix Black," the voice of the pale centaur caused Bellatrix to stop.
"Bellatrix Black," he continued, "a word of warning, you cannot keep what you have borrowed."
Bellatrix turned around in confusion, "I haven't borrowed anything," she said.
The centaur gazed at her, "Perhaps not yet, but you will, and when you do," he flicked his tail, "that which you have borrowed will be the end of your future."
Bellatrix blinked incomprehensively, "Do you mean-" her heart thumped painfully, "I'm going to die?"
The centaur merely gazed at her.
"You better catch up to Hagrid and the other," the dark centaur said, "go on now."
Bellatrix didn't want to leave, but the pale centaur had now turned his back on her. Without another thought, she turned and ran towards Hagrid and Hermione, slipping and sliding in the mud, her heart pounding violently.
Madam Pomfrey was livid when she saw the state of them.
"A Kelpie!" she snarled at Hagrid as she helped Hermione onto a bed, "Never in all my years… Sit down!" she commanded Bellatrix, pointing to the bed beside Hermione's. "Pringle does a fair number to his students, I've sent hundreds of complaints to Dumbledore… But he has never put a student directly in harm's way!"
Bellatrix slid onto the bed, panting from the effort of walking up to the castle.
Hagrid, whose eyes had not left the toes of his scruffy boots since they had entered the Hospital Wing, sniffed.
"We'll be all right, Hagrid," Hermione said.
"Yes, they will be," Madam Pomfrey affirmed, "But I suggest that you find a different way of handling your detentions from now on. Something that may give a them a little more security, especially if you intend to go galloping around the forest." Her tone was indignant, but she gave Hagrid a small pat on the arm as she passed him.
"Well, I, er," Hagrid's eyes flicked to Hermione's, and then returned to his boots, "I should go. I never meant for-" a sob burst out, and he scrubbed the sleeve of his coat over his eyes. Bellatrix heard him mutter an anguished "sorry."
"It's ok Hagrid," Hermione said earnestly. As Hagrid sniffed again, Hermione's eyes met Bellatrix's, and widened meaningfully.
"Madam Pomfrey will take care of everything," Bellatrix said awkwardly. As he turned to pass her, Bellatrix suddenly blurted, "Maybe you should get a dog. You know," she blushed as Hagrid and Hermione stared at her in surprise, "for protection when your students have to go somewhere you can't."
"Yeah," Hagrid said, and Bellatrix thought she saw a flicker of a smile on his face, "maybe I'll do that."
He left, and Bellatrix noticed with relief that Hermione was smiling at her. The shame that she'd been feeling lessened, "I'm sorry, for what I said," she whispered as Madam Pomfrey re-entered the room.
Hermione sighed, "I know," she said, "it's just-" her gaze was penetrating, "never mind."
Bellatrix wanted to push the issue, but at that moment Madam Pomfrey dropped a tray of bandages at the foot of Hermione's bed, putting an end to the conversation. Bellatrix kept her eyes on Hermione as Madam Pomfrey treated the worst of her injuries, and then lowered her head onto the soft pillow of her hospital bed.
"Drink this," Madam Pomfrey commanded, thrusting a vial of emerald liquid into Bellatrix's hand.
Obediently, Bellatrix swallowed the contents of the vial, and sighed in relief as the pain in her ribs lessened to a dull ache. The taste of mint filled her mouth, and she was aware of how comfortably warm the Hospital wing was. Her eyes grew hazy as Madam Pomfrey explained something to Hermione and then they closed heavily, sending her into a dreamless sleep.
A/N: Please Review and let me know what you think!
To everyone who has reviewed- THANK YOU! You guys are awesome. =)