A/N: I am going to give a touch of a heads up for this chapter. It's unfortunately a bit of a filler chapter, but the chapter I was writing was getting too long. I cut it off where I felt it needed to be split. The next chapter is much more exciting and a bit longer, as well. I hope you all enjoy anyway!


After the altercation in the library, Hermione did her best to steer clear of the dark-haired witch from her dreams. She did not look towards the Slytherin table, even when she felt most drawn in that direction. She refused to pick up the diary, for fear that it might pull her back to the younger witch. She hated the way she felt in her presence. She knew that Bellatrix was simply a prejudiced teenage child who would lose the war, but somehow she still managed to get under her skin.

Hermione prided herself on having thick skin. She had survived a war, for Circe's sake. She had faced Voldemort in battle and lived. She did not understand why this teenage child could wreak so much havoc in her mind.

Hermione could not stop thinking about the words that came tumbling out of her mouth before she left the library that Friday. Did she honestly believe that she should have been aborted since she was not a pureblood? Hermione's chest tightened and she squeezed her emerald eyes shut. She would not cry again. She had spent too many hours crying over that blasted girl and the woman that she would become. No more.

She had managed to avoid interacting with the witch for over a month, and she was relieved. The only reminder of the witch was her younger sister, Cissy. Narcissa Black was a young witch who seemed to bubble with suppressed energy. She did not speak much in class, but her work was always perfect. Her braids were always pristine and Hermione wondered how she managed to keep every hair in place while she practiced transfiguration.

She was the opposite of both of her sisters in nearly every way.

Where Bellatrix and Andromeda were dark haired and dark eyed, Narcissa had platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes.

Where Bellatrix and Andromeda both spoke their minds, Narcissa tended to hold her tongue.

Where Bellatrix and Andromeda expressed their unrestrained magic in their haphazard appearances, Narcissa managed to keep her appearance impeccable. Hermione noticed that the witch's hands always appeared to be moving, however. If she was not taking notes, she was doodling or tracing patterns with her fingertips. Her energy found other ways to escape her magical core, and Hermione was intrigued by the differences between the sisters.

Still, it was nice to only have Narcissa in her classes. Hermione did not believe that she could emotionally handle looking at Bellatrix in class, so it was nice to also not have her look-alike to deal with because she would be too much of a reminder.


Hermione was entering the third hour of her tutoring sessions on Friday and was pleased to know that she would be free to enjoy her weekend after one more hour. She had sent a few third years on their way a few minutes prior after helping them work through their spell work, so her classroom was empty yet again. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, patiently waiting for her time to close the tutoring room.

Although she was tired and ready to leave, she was glad that Minerva worked the tutoring sessions into her schedule. It provided her more one on one time with her younger students, but it also gave her the opportunity to work with older students on more advanced transfiguration on occasion. Hermione wished that she had the opportunity to work with Minerva one on one like this while she was in school. It was useful to have an extra hand to help the students when the professors were not available. Perhaps she would have to bring this up to Minerva when she returned to their time. It could really help the students that typically struggle because they would have access to assistance outside of their scheduled class times.

A throat cleared in front of Hermione, so the professor shot up in her chair, eyes flying open. The light eyes found the dark eyes boring into her own, and she forced a smile. "How can I help you?"

The fourth year rocked back onto her heel for a second before handing the professor the parchment that she had been clutching in her hands. "I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong. I turned this essay in to Professor McGonagall earlier this week, and she said that I did not understand the methodology required for cross-species switches. I thought I got it. I really did, but apparently I do not get it. She said that you may be able to help me today. I know you are only here for another hour, but I was hoping you might be able to help me a little bit before you have to go." Finally, the young witch stopped speaking, looking mousey as she stood before the young professor.

Hermione waited for the witch to cease her rambling before she scanned through the essay. "Okay, Miss Black, first, I want to commend you for how well the essay is written. Professor McGonagall is right in saying that you misunderstood parts of the theory, but I do not think that you are very far off." The witch waved her wand, and the desk closest to the student transfigured into a chair. "Pull up a seat, and we will work through the theories together. I think you just misunderstood bits of the formula for the transfigurations."

The petite, bushy-haired witch did as she was told, clasping her hands tightly in front of her. "Of course, professor."

It took nearly two hours, but Miss Black was confident in her abilities to perform cross-species switches by the time she left Professor Mikhailov's classroom.

Hermione, on the other hand, felt less confident in her coping mechanisms after spending two hours with someone who meant the world to her in another time but currently resembled her murderous older sister.

The nineteen year old witch felt decades older as she locked the classroom door and began her trek towards the lake. She needed some fresh air, and the cold weather was not going to stop her from venturing outside today.

The older students were still in their NEWTs classes, so she did not have to worry about catching a glimpse of the woman she had been avoiding.

She wrapped her cloak around her tighter as she reached the edge of the Black lake. How strange it was that she felt so comfortable around a lake that shared a name with the teenager she dreaded seeing on a daily basis.

She sat by the edge of the water and pulled a book from her bag. She allowed herself to be immersed in the theories of time magic, but she could not find an explanation for how she arrived when she did. She was sure that it had something to do with the fact that she had Bellatrix's diary open to that day in January, but she did not understand what she had done wrong.

Sure, it was an experimental potion, but it was not merely wrong. Somehow, she had managed to send herself to a completely different time, and even the wording she initiated was not utilized. The potion should have taken her mind back to the incident. It was not supposed to take her entire body thirty years into the past.

Finally, Hermione considered the concept that perhaps the time turner sand she used was not pure. Narcissa could have easily tampered with the sand, but Hermione doubted that. It still did not explain how her entire body traveled into the past.

Hermione knew that there should have been healing effects of the potion, as well. The original potion that Bellatrix created was made to heal dark wounds, and Hermione merely altered it to heal the mind by bringing the mind back to the origin of the obliviation. She did not understand why that brought her into the past. She did not feel like she had experienced any healing, but perhaps that was still on the horizon.

"Only time can heal old wounds."

Narcissa knew that she would make a potion that was meant to heal her in some fashion. She knew that she would travel into the past. How did that woman know that when no one else seemed to remember that she had been in the past with them?

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip and set her book to the side as she leaned back against the beach, not caring that her limbs were nearly numb from the cold at this point.

What was with these Black women and interfering with her life? First, Bellatrix decided it would be a good idea to torture her, therefore altering her desires to interact with anyone in her life. Then Andromeda forces her out of her self-inflicted seclusion and gains her trust. After that, Narcissa sends her the gold time turner sand and convinces her that she is smart enough to experiment with the substance.

Now, in the past, Hermione had to deal with all three women at once, and she was not sure that she would get out of this situation with her sanity intact. She thought that she had finally been getting closer to rehabilitation, but every time she saw one of those girls, she felt herself take two steps back.

She felt like she was fighting a losing battle as long as she knew that Bellatrix Black believed that muggle-born witches and wizards were inferior and worth killing. Hermione knew that she could never convince the other witch to give up her future path, but maybe she could impact other people if she tried a little harder.

With her resolve renewed, the young professor picked herself off the floor and approached the intimidating castle.

Once inside, she made her way to her quarters, so she could prepare herself for the events of the coming days. She was done hiding from Bellatrix Black because that woman was currently a child.

There was no shame in hiding from Bellatrix Lestrange, but Bellatrix Black was not even a legal adult. Hermione would not allow herself to be intimidated by someone two years younger than her when she was a professor at one of the best schools in the world.


A/N: Special thanks go to ktbug42795, CaptainSloan, SH4D0W44, ninjacat1121, Raider5000, Tig0Bitties, and Daphn.
Guest reviewer: Thank you so much for your review. I am glad that you have been enjoying their conversation. I believe that some of your wonderings may be answered in the next chapter, so hold on tight for some excitement next chapter. I am excited to post it here shortly. My partner is having surgery in a few days though so no promises that it will be done quickly. I'm hoping that I'll be able to write so I can focus on that rather than my concerns about the surgery, but I'm not sure if I will be able to. Anyway, tata for now.