A/N - Apologies again for being away so long. Thank you to everyone that has read the story and grateful thanks to everyone who has left reviews. While I have the complete rest of the story planned out now, it isn't written yet, so please do not expect regular updates. Lastly, I hope you enjoy it.

Bellatrix had, it seemed, been in total earnest when she had stated that this was the end, and appeared intent on ringing every last drop of passion and pleasure from them both as a consequence. It was unfortunate then, that Hermione noticed first. In retrospect her timing sucked, but the words "your arm, the mark!" were out there now and the mood was well and truly dead and buried. Bella did not reply, just stared at the writhing, slowly fading mark, so Hermione continued quietly, with not a little disbelief, "Harry's won." Her lover still said nothing and Hermione wondered what was going on behind those dark eyes. "Bella?"

It took a little time, but when it had faded to nothing, Bellatrix looked at the girl laying still beneath her for a moment, then rolled away, "Stay here."

"What?" Hermione asked, watching as Bellatrix threw her clothes back on, mumbling under her breath as the buttons did themselves up.

"I said, stay here," Bella said again when she had finished.

"No. I need to find out what's happening" Hermione said, sitting up as she realised the death eater was about to leave.

"You don't know what's out there."

"Neither do you" the Gryffindor reasoned, "but at least some of them will be on my side. If there are any of your lot still around they're going to be looking for you too."

Bellatrix knew that was true, but everything she worked for, for the last 25 years had vanished with the mark on her arm, and she damn well wasn't going to lose anymore. "Just stay here while I find out what's happening" she growled, "I'll stay disillusioned, no-one will see me."

"No." Hermione said again, feeling guilty that she'd left when she had, now that emotion wasn't coursing through her veins. "I'm going to Hogwarts. I need to find out about Harry and Ron, about the rest of my friends. I'll come back here when I'm done." The "will you?' crossed her lips before she could prevent it, colouring as she watched the pale face in front of her.

Bellatrix looked at her for a moment, but did not answer. She took in the sheet pooled around her waist, the faint flush still visible on her skin and the look in her eyes as if to imprint the memory, then vanished before she gave in to her desire and tied the mudblood to the bed to prevent her from leaving.

#~~~#

She apparated the short distance to Diagon Alley without thought for her own safety. Business seemed to be going on as usual, and with any luck, news of the outcome of the battle wouldn't be widely known yet. The building she entered still had a large hole gracing the middle of the floor, the bodies had been removed though and strangely, it seemed as full of Goblins as it had before. Now in a thoroughly bad mood and not being a patient woman in any case, she marched up to the desk of the new chief cashier, and prodded the customer standing there in the back with her wand. "Now look…" he began as he turned around, then saw who it was and moved quickly to one side without finishing his sentence, or his transaction. The chief cashier frowned.

Clearing her throat, Bella said "I wish to close my account."

"Pardon?" the goblin asked looking startled.

"Since Gringotts clearly doesn't have the security I have been led to expect from a Goblin bank, I wish to close my account" Bella said again, loudly. The customers who were trying to do their business and be on their way, as well as the ones in queues, who had kept their heads down and hoped the death eater wouldn't start anything, turned and stared.

"Madam Lestrange" the Goblin said, in as hushed a voice as he could manage, "I'm sure that we could…"

Bella glared at him, "I… wish… to… close… my… account" she said again, so loudly that no-one in the bank and quite possibly within a 500 yard radius, could have failed to hear. She thrust her wand at him and he wasn't sure whether she was presenting it or about to hex him, but there could be no doubt that this was the real Bellatrix Lestrange.

The Goblin gulped, never in the bank's history had anyone asked to close their account. They were merged with other accounts of course, with marriages, or with deaths, but closed? Never!

Of course no-one had successfully broken in and then out before either, and while Gringotts had drafted him out of retirement, he reflected, for possibly the first time ever, that he did value his life more than his job, "of course," he said, hoping that he could claim later, that his quick thinking had prevented a run on the bank.

It had taken a little time, not least because the spells had left her vault in a state of chaos, but finally picking up the two large bags that she had shrunk her not inconsiderable wealth into, and then shrinking them further, she put them in her pocket. Her next stop was her husband's manor, he wasn't there, and she wondered briefly if he'd been caught by the aurors, as she collected the remnants of her still viable potions ingredients; the smaller pieces of her equipment and the few vials that she had left sealed, wanting nothing else from this place she had hated.

Bellatrix imagined that by now, all the official portkey stations had been closed down, still, where she was going that hardly mattered and, wand out, she apparated to a barely noticeable side gate of the muggle Swiss Embassy. Making sure there was no-one around, and taking out a small key she always carried on her person, both for it's protection and hers, she placed the head on the elaborate ironwork and waited. Presently, a door appeared, and then opened, in the wall nearby and pulling her key away again, she walked through it.

"Madam Lestrange" a voice said courteously, as a being even shorter than the goblins, came forward through the gloom. "We are very sorry to learn of the death of your husband" he continued, and Bellatrix quashed her surprise and nodded regally. Her husband's family had banked with the Gnomes of Zurich for centuries and obviously the bank would know of his death, their ledgers would tell them.

"You will be making a withdrawal?" he asked solemnly.

"No" she replied, "a deposit". The gnome's eyes lit up as she continued, "My husband's family always valued your bank highly and I have decided to move my funds here as well". The gnome was now visibly glowing, and she thought quickly and altered her original plan to open a separate account, "I do however request that our account, since it is no longer a joint one, be changed to the name of Black".

"Of course" the gnome replied, "it shall be done immediately, please come this way Miss Black". He escorted her to a lift in the wall, waited until they had both taken a grip on the handles placed for the purpose, and pressed the only button.

When the door opened again, it was into a vast lobby with many lifts and gnomes running here and there. "This way please", the gnome she had come with said, and she followed him to a car, much like those at Gringotts. She left her final request until she had made her deposit and got as far as saying, "My husband's key —" before the gnome interrupted her.

"Will not be recognised, whoever presents it" he reassured her. "We have very strict policies Miss Black, only the living, named owner of the account can access the vault. As of today only your key will be recognised."

"And official requests for access?" Bellatrix asked.

"Will be considered of course" the gnome replied, "it is required under the articles of the Magical Banking Convention, that all monetary establishments were forced to recognise before the Goblin Wars. Indeed I believe that any requests we have received since then, are still being considered."

Bella nodded, then wondered what to do next. If she was caught by the Ministry, it was likely she wold get a swift trial and the kiss, assuming the aurors didn't kill her first. If she was found by any death eaters who had escaped, her future would likely include torture and a slow, lingering death and that was the best outcome. Her immediate thought therefore, was to head straight for her husband's property on the Amalfi coast, as he clearly wouldn't be needing it now. It would be perfect at this time of year and since she was already in Switzerland it wouldn't take long. She could send the mudblood an owl and a makeshift portkey from there.

Knowing that her wards on room 5 had not yet been breached however, turned her thoughts back to Hermione. The gnome, their business complete, coughed discretely and then pointed towards another standing behind a desk on the far side of the room, "just tell the porter when you wish to go back to London Miss Black," he said "he will ensure that you get to your destination." Bella scowled at the thought, the gnome, unperturbed, bowed and, his duty done, walked away. Bella, ignoring the concern she felt for Hermione, turned and followed the small trickle of customers changing galleons into Swiss Francs, before leaving the bank via the main doors, a free woman for the first time since her wedding day.

#~~~#

Hermione meanwhile had stared at the spot where Bella had been standing for some time, before she even thought to get up.

The light had won.

Since she had first known of the magical world, only at the beginning of her first year at Hogwarts had she not been aware of, fighting even, Voldemort in some form, and now it was over, he was finally gone, Bella's disappearing mark testified to that. The possibilities were endless. She could finish her NEWTS; go to university or perhaps go travelling; find her parents; all the things she had put off planning for, never knowing if they might ever happen, if there was a future. Now that she knew there was...

Now there was Bellatrix. Hermione had not thought, when this had begun, that she could ever develop feelings for the woman, yet now, she couldn't imagine not having them. The thought that Bella could be put back in Azkaban, or worse, was terrifying, and much as she loathed Divination, Hermione wished at this moment that she could see into the future.

Suddenly she shivered, and realised she was still sitting there naked in bed. Shaking her head to clear it, she got up, got dressed, tidied the bed, then looked around the room one last time before leaving. Trying to quash the voice in her head, that said she would never see her lover again.

She apparated just outside the gates of Hogwarts, unsure whether the wards had been put back up, the state of the grounds, or how many of Voldemort's followers were still around. Wand drawn and prepared to fight, she saw no-one and uneasily pushed the gate open and started towards the castle. Somewhat surprised at making it to within sight of the entrance before seeing another living soul, she wondered at the lack of security. The sole guard, a man she didn't recognise, though he was dressed as an auror, had to mean something, didn't it?

"Stupify" dispatched him to the ground before she could think about it, and she briefly wondered if she was being justifiably cautious, not wishing to be seen first by someone she didn't know, or merely channelling Bella. Noting that no-one came to see what was going on, she cautiously headed for the Great Hall, as the place everyone would instinctively congregate. There, Hermione discovered the remaining teachers, some of her classmates and a few civilians, but could not see Harry or Ron. Someone shouted her name, which alerted everyone to her presence in the doorway, and she found herself regarded with astonishment by the general assembly.

"Miss Granger, thank Merlin!" the Headmistress said recovering first, coming over and practically dragging her to Kingsley, "see" she continued, "it could be a coincidence, they could just be bluffing!"

"They might, but I'll believe it when a few more of them come wandering in through the doorway unexpectedly," Shacklebolt replied cryptically.

"Hermione" Molly said, rushing forward and hugging her, leading Hermione to suspect that no-one had told her what had happened during the battle yet, "have you seen Ginny and Ron?"

Hermione frowned, "No, why, what's happened?"

Kingsley passed her a paper he had in his hand which read, 'If you want them back alive, we require free passage out of the country. You will be contacted again.' It was signed the Knights of Walpurgis, which Hermione knew was just a tarted up way of saying death eaters.

"Who's missing?" she enquired.

"Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, Miss Weasley, Miss Lovegood and Mr Longbottom" the Headmistress replied, "and we thought you as well, since you were all apparated away with most of the wards being down. Although obviously there, we were mistaken…" she looked like she was about to say more, but was interrupted by Kinglsey, who finally pulled the wand he'd been surreptitiously inching into his palm since it was freed of the letter.

He pointed it at Hermione suspiciously and asked "what form was the portkey, that took us to the Burrow the night we moved Harry?"

"A coat hanger" Hermione replied frowning, "why?"

"And where is Bellatrix Lestrange?" he continued, not letting his wand drop.

Hermione eyed him calmly, clearly they originally thought she too had been kidnapped. As it was obvious now that she had not been, she briefly wondered at her own stupidity. Realising that until this moment, it hadn't occurred to her that anyone else might have perceived her earlier behaviour as a little odd. She eyed the wand again, and amended the last part of her thought to, potentially traitorous.

"I don't know" she replied, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Mrs Weasley had started to go very red, and looked as if she was about to explode. She ignored it and continued addressing Kingsley, "and if you saw what happened, you'll know she risked her life trying to curse Voldemort. Why aren't you out looking for Harry and the others?"

She started moving back towards the doorway but was stopped by McGonagall's voice, "Stay where you are Miss Granger, the aurors that can be spared are out looking. Now you're back, your staying. I'll not have them catch anyone else wandering around".

Hermione turned, "but Headmistress…"

"This is not a discussion, sit down Miss Granger" McGonagall replied sharply, "you can best help your friends by not getting caught with them."

Hermione looked again around the room, what were left of her classmates were sitting despondently in a corner with Professor Flitwick. She noticed for the first time that his wand was in his hand, and wondered if they too had been prevented from joining the search. The others in the room were talking quietly in small groups among themselves, and Molly she noted was now looking apoplectic. She sighed and moved to sit on her own, far away from all of them, and as close to the door as possible. It was only then that McGonagall's words finally sank in, and she wondered guiltily if the stunt she'd pulled with Bella, had given someone else the idea in the first place.

Moments later Dawlish ran in, to report on the Ministry and informed Kingsley of the state of the auror on the main door, he was given extra guard duty for his trouble. Kingsley looked at Hermione sharply and then came over and quietly, but in a voice that brooked no argument, demanded her wand. Which with everyone looking at her, she realised she had no choice but to surrender.