Thanks to some lovely family drama yesterday, I couldn't finish the update on time, but at least it's here now. Man, what a week! And the only thing I got out of this are two damaged ankles and an empty fridge. Ah well, I'm complaining on a high level. Let's crack open that tasty energy drink and get to work. Cheers! *gulp*
And I was joking about the smut, people, but the reactions were awesome :D

Thank you, everyone, for commenting, reviewing, your wonderful compliments and expressions of gratitude as well as giving me tips and hints about some mistakes and how to do it better next time :) It's all appreciated!

A guest asked for links for the dresses they wear, but I fear I don't have any, because I mentally designed them myself. Sorry! Otherwise I concentrated only on questions this time, because I also neglected my PMs and that's so not good, so again, thank you for your lovely words and please don't be annoyed I didn't write back!

List of Romantics: Everything is duly noted :D I actually do think of the movie actors, but not only. I think of them when I'm trying to imagine how they would move in certain moments or how their voice might sound in that scene and even to imagine what dresses they wear, but I try remember what impression I had of them from the books and that's where I draw my 'how would they react' inspiration from. You could say it's a healthy mix of books and films :)

MysticalAce12: Hehe, thank you :3 Trust me, I make looots and lots of mistakes XD But nobody is perfect and I try to improve myself along the way :) For your first question... well, I loved the Harry Potter movies directed by David Yates. I lost interest in the films after the second, but was drawn back in when a friend made me watch the fifth with them. That's when I started to become a Bellamione fan as well. So when I sat in the last movie, I had an epiphany and bam, the idea was born. I checked to see if my theory might work and it did, so I began planning and... the rest is history :) And about writer's block... well, I get it all the time. This story is officially one year old now, so I had lots of time to write and plan ahead. When I ever get a real bad writer's block, I 1. read Bellamione fic and remind myself why I love the pairing so much and 2. remind myself that I have an ending planned that I want to reach. Sometimes it helps me get back on track :)

OpheliaBlack: I just want to say: "She's been starving for affection for her whole life, and we know from the way she treated her beloved master that she always had plenty of love that she was eager to give." THIS. So true. I saw that as well, so I always believed Bella was capable of affection once she had the right person to give it to. It becomes pretty important in this chapter as well.

And another note I have to add: It seems they changed Cygnus Black's official death date. I swear by all that I own that it was a different date before, but now it's 1992, which ruins a huge part of the backstory of the fic. To say it had me frustrated and mad is an understatement, so from now on I'm running against canon, because I am so not going to change it back. Grr.
Okay, you waited long enough! Have some pure-blood party!

35. Kaleidoscope of Suns

"Hatred is increased by being reciprocated, and can on the other hand be destroyed by love. Hatred which is completely vanquished by love, passes into love; and love is thereupon greater, than if hatred had not preceded it." - Baruch Spinoza

What followed where two or three hours of restless waiting until the house-elf popped up and ushered her in the bathroom to get ready, dragging her around with an enthusiasm Hermione had a hard time following. She was terrified at the thought of what was awaiting her this night. A room full of stuck-up, arrogant pure-bloods? Thank you, no.

Seriously, the things I get myself into.

Scrubbed clean, the brunette slipped into the new underwear she had bought and nearly couldn't take a look at herself in the mirror out of embarrassment. When she finally jumped over her shadow, her heartbeat increased double time as she watched the expensive, flimsy material hug her meager curves. The last months' training had done her body good, accentuating her muscles without overdoing it, making sure that if there ever had been a rest of baby fat, it was now smooth and subtle flesh and skin.

She looked... grown up. Most of what she had seen when she looked into the mirror after her break-up with Ron, after getting her haircut, was right here, looking her in the eye and telling her to stretch her back and wear herself proudly. You are wanted. You are loved. Don't deny that anymore and show some self-respect.

Donning a robe and returning to her room with a glow of renewed self-esteem, she nearly faltered in her steps when she glanced at the dress lying in wait and spread out on the bed.

Colored a deep, dark plum that gave off a fascinating glimmer when the light of the candles hit it, it was woven and decorated with gold thread. From the front, she could see the traditional Chinese dress style that stretched down to the middle and turned into a ankle-long, smooth skirt. Her neck would be covered and her arms would be free, as the cut ended right at where shoulder met upper arm. When she inched close and held up the garment with awe spreading across her features, her fingers couldn't help but skim over the heavy material, fascinated with the cool, water-like texture. Then she turned it around... and groaned.

There was no back. The neck part could be closed a few inches below her hairline, but otherwise there was a long stretch of nothing until the beginning of the skirt that would hopefully cover her behind.

Details, eh? I so know who is responsible for this.

Well, there goes the bra. Making sure there was no house-elf accidentally peeping, the young woman slipped out of the upper underwear with a beet-red face and quickly wriggled into the expensive garment. It was scary how close and snug the dress sat, hugging her every curve like a caress and cooling her heated skin. The slit on the thigh was higher than was proper and she had to get used to the feel (or rather, not the feel) of just air at her shoulder blades - yet Hermione could do nothing but marvel at this masterpiece.

"Mistress must not forget the other things," a squeaky voice quipped behind her, making her jump while she fastened the button at the back of her neck.

"Squiggy! Don't scare me like that!" Was she so distracted that she hadn't even heard the plop from the apparition?

The house-elf shrunk together like a kicked dog. "Uhm, Squiggy is sorry."

No instant self-harming? Odd, but good to see. "No, it's fine... I'm sorry as well. I was distracted," she quickly added, holding up her hands in a gesture that showed all was well. "What other things do you mean?"

The change in topic did its deed and the young elf perked up, quickly waddling over to the bed. He really was like a puppy, all clumsy eagerness and delightful overenthusiasm. "Here, there is cloth for Mistress' hands and some dangly things and these..." he held up high-heeled shoes in the same color of the dress in his tiny hands, the whole length of the shoe nearly equaling his own height.

After slipping on the heels that promised backache and hurting feet, she left the long gloves for later and turned to the jewelry. The team of sisters had thought about everything and the result presented her with golden earrings and a beautifully crafted bracelet, where every segment was a lily skillfully connected to the next flower. Hermione wouldn't be surprised if she was wearing enough money tonight to build a small family home with it.

Squiggy made up for lack of experience with his endless supply of energy and creative ideas, helping her get ready with her hair and carrying whatever piece of make-up she needed into her hand, even though most would be hidden behind the mask. Soon she was done, barely recognizing the beautiful woman in the mirror as herself.

You're aiming to impress tonight, don't forget that. But a good part of her was proud at herself for what she saw. Nothing wrong with making yourself a compliment once in a while. Smiling at her own features, she nodded at herself and stood up to add the last pieces.

"How much time left, Squiggy?" she asked while dragging the gloves up her arm. They fit just as well as the dress itself.

"Half an hour before the first guests arrive. Would Hermione like something to drink first?" After nearly an hour of reminding him that 'Mistress' wouldn't do and that her real name was what she wanted to be called, he finally accepted it and changed his way of address.

Her blood roared at that, whispering for a taste of wine, champagne or a cocktail... "Just water, please. And thank you," Hermione ground out, stamping down on the thing in her insides.

After inhaling the liquid through a straw as to not ruin her lipstick, the brunette paced up and down her room, hardly able to wait for the beginning and wanting to call off the whole idea at the same time. A Muggle-born beneath pure-bloods? It was like sending a lamb to the wolves dressed in their fur. No one would know, of course, as she was 'Hermia Beifong', the daughter of a very, very distant English cousin who had moved to China. There was little to no chance that anyone of the guests had connections to that branch of the family, yet there was still the little, niggling voice at the back of Hermione's mind, one that appeared to be a pure pessimist.

"If anyone tries to converse with you in Chinese, which is highly unlikely, just make up something about having forgotten your purse. I'm sure you'll come up with something," had been Bella's not-very-helpful advice about the hole in their story.

"Wish me luck, Squiggy, I don't want this to end in a disaster," Hermione muttered when she walked closer to the door.

"Good luck, Hermione," he replied with a smile, waiting at the door with a mask that he nearly vanished behind. When she picked it up, she was surprised at the beautiful structure. It would cover her whole face, leaving only space for the eyes, two holes for the nose and a small gap at the mouth so she could drink and eat. It pictured a purple moon on the left and a Venetian golden sun on the other half, both sides forming the face that was glowing in the light and adorned with intricate patterns.

They really went all out on this, she mused in quiet astonishment, donning the mask that fit her just like the rest of her garments did.

And then it was time to face the music.

When she appeared at the top of the stairs, with nerves tingling and twisting her insides, she could feel incognito eyes clinging to her body and outfit from the people mingling in the hall. There was a multicolored, shining mass in the lower floor, quiet, but animated chatter flowing up to the ceiling and mingling with the magical music that curled unobtrusively into every space not covered with human figures. It nearly smelled of decadence and old money and Hermione's head swam with the realization of where she was right now.

Then a person appeared at her side, fingers touching her elbow and dragging her eyes upward. A cat mask looked back at her, ice-blue eyes hiding behind the white porcelain with silver applications. It went well with the moss green dress. "It's me, Narcissa," the other woman whispered, glancing her up and down. "I will introduce you to a few people, just to make the facade believable. Then you're on your own."

Hermione gulped at that. "What masks are the others wearing?" she questioned just as quietly.

"Lucius has a golden lion mask, Draco's is a copper fox. Bella will wear an onyx panther."

How fitting. Very inventive, Bella, really. "Sounds like your family went for a theme."

"Considering most of the people down there will recognize us anyway at first glance, even with our masks on, there is little sense in taking care in extra hiding. So we make use of it instead. And just because it is a masked ball, no one will really hide behind it... names will be exchanged at all points, thus your 'secret identity'." Narcissa took a glance at her guests and sure as daylight, there at the back of her head was the pale blond waterfall, a trademark sign no hair style short of a dye could have hidden. The same would hold for her husband and son and Bella... well, no mask could hide Bella. She would have to drink Polyjuice Potion and even in another person's skin there was something so unique about her it would point straight to the truth, unless a huge amount of stellar acting was involved.

"Shall we?"

Hermione clenched her hands into tight fists, then relaxed them with a deep exhale. "Let's get this over." This works both ways, Bella. I'm curious what Mr. Conning created for you. Considering Narcissa's stylish if proper dress, it would most likely be another wonder of cloth.

The whole lower floor was now fully decked out in lavish decorations, highlighting the grand, impressive manor and flattering its old design. There were richly detailed tapestries and statues, gold and silver and crystal ornaments and expensive hangings. In the dining hall the dark wood of the table almost bowed under the feast, the house elves having gone all out in cooking up all kinds of spicy, exotic food and making it up in a way that had Hermione nearly drool at the artistic and tasty display. There even was a whole pig with the obligatory apple in its mouth. Everywhere there was the sound of talk and laughter and there was wine in golden cups and the smell of money, prestige and importance.

And there was this distant, underlying note of danger, of dark aggression, that soured every aspect of the ball like a wrong note or a false rhythm in a great concert. It was enough to keep her constantly on edge, despite the obvious fact that the pure-bloods were here to let loose and party, not to scheme and intrigue.

There were so many different masks she saw, hands she shook, questions and compliments she answered and drinks she refused, that soon everything became a huge blur. The masks were actually a good help, because connecting names with the unique designs was easier than meeting the pure-bloods face to face. A paradise bird in the brightest colors here, a giraffe in an African style there, it was like walking through an extremely colorful dream in the middle of the Renaissance.

She had to give a few superficial answers about Hong Kong and her 'family', but Bellatrix had been correct. The people took less interest in her heritage once they were sure she was connected loosely to the Black family and instead became much more interested in her, herself. It seemed the dress was making quite an impression, as she had to turn down offers for dances, drinks and a walk in the garden left and right, obviously attracting the attention of every available bachelor in the room in her search for the one party-goer she was interested in.

"If you're trying to achieve getting me jealous with all the attention you're given, you've accomplished it pretty well," a well-known voice purred playfully into her ear, causing Hermione to turn around on the spot. It was only with a herculean amount of effort that she kept herself from slipping her arms around the older woman, a feat made twice as hard when her already quick to arouse libido took note of Bellatrix's dress.

Heavy, detail-laden black cloth, of course, with a deep v-neck that was like a magnet to the brunette's hungry eyes. She wore long sleeves, most likely to hide her scars, and below the same v-cut of her corset, there was a wide, heavy skirt with two well-placed cuts that showed emerald green satin on the inlay. The black panther mask, sleek and dangerous, was framed by black, shining curls falling openly over both shoulders. A heavy necklace covered her collarbones, green precious stones sparkling in the light of the chandeliers.

Hermione was quite sure those weren't made from glass.

"Don't forget, dearie. You're mine, so they can look, but not touch."

The brunette surprised herself with the low growl that rumbled in the back of her throat, shocked at her intense reaction and the need to lean forward and nip and bite at the milky white skin presented to her until it was marked, red, raw. Bellatrix must have seen her thoughts reflected in her eyes, as she could feel the victorious smirk even behind the panther's motionless expression. Instead of replying though, the raven haired woman moved past her, tightly, sensually brushing past her shoulder while her left hand and nails stroked a possessive trail from Hermione's hip to her ribs, hidden from the eyes of the one's surrounding them.

The action had the Muggle-born shivering with want for a second. She was sure her skin was oozing vapor from the inferno that sizzled inside her, every fiber of her being wanting to turn around and bury her nails and teeth into Bellatrix and swallow the heated sounds from her lips. The wolf in her howled in approval, but when her resolve broke and she had already turned around to gaze at the dark witch again, Bellatrix was already standing in a group of guests and chatting happily while nursing a cool glass of champagne.

Ruthlessly, she stepped down on the thing trying to claw her inhibitions away and searched out the nearest cold drink - non-alcoholic. She didn't need a repeat performance of the other nights connected to any alcoholic beverage and she was sure even the slightest drop of it would cause her to totally loose control.

She's goading me. She knows I can hardly control myself and she plays with it. God, Bella, you really drive me crazy - in every way.

Bellatrix's presence caused the whole evening to pass by in a haze, as if she was walking inside a dream. Wherever she stopped, turned, walked, she was acutely aware of the dark witch somewhere in the room, never far away and yet always quite out of her reach. Hermione knew that she could hardly take her eyes off the richly dressed form, knowing the other woman was doing the same when the brunette wasn't looking. It was like a game of cat and mouse, but no one was quite sure who had chosen to become the hunter and who the prey.

But it was quite suspicious how every young bachelor that showed the slightest interest in her never returned from where they wanted to bring her a drink or stopped in the middle of requesting a dance, only to turn around and flee at the first chance. She had an inkling who might be responsible for the strange behavior.

One who was the only person on her mind all night.

Whenever Hermione caught a glance at the portrayed cleavage, at nimble fingers caressing the crystal glass filled with champagne, of a graceful neck stretching beneath the cattish mask, dark urges rose in her mind like the sweetest temptation. She wanted to bite, claw, mark, to immortalize herself on the perfect figure, to immerse herself in passion and black eyes until skin broke and blood ran. The hazy pictures of passion mixed with violence were such a strong aphrodisiac, that at times the brunette had to take hold of a table or a wall to keep herself from rushing at Bellatrix.

She felt ashamed.

Never having imagined herself capable of such vile needs, she felt like a slave to her own twisted desire, not in complete control of her own being anymore. The wolf was rearing its head, infusing her with all its primitivity. How low must she have sunk to get desire from the idea of pain?

When Hermione found herself assaulted by another wave of distasteful images from a glance at the other woman, the shame won the upper hand and caused her to flee into the masses, now fully turned prey.

It was only when a hand grasped her wrist, the touch nearly searing to the bone, that she stopped and turned.

"What is it? You've lost that pretty swagger you had tonight," a familiar voice observed with a hidden note of worry. A hidden note only those who knew Bellatrix Black well enough could uncover. "Are you unwell? Did someone say anything bad to you?" she wanted to know further and there was that characteristic rage, the violent need to protect what was hers beginning to bloom in the woman she loved.

"No. Nobody did-... I... it's just me. I'm not... it's too warm in here," she ground out, releasing the last words in a rush. The heavy mixture of perfume in the air was suffocating her sensible nose tonight.

"Let's ditch the party. Come on." The slim fingers wrapped more sure around her. Hermione wanted them to never leave, as warmth flared to life inside of her.

"What? But..."

"No buts. We did our part and everyone is too drunk now to care anyway if we are missing. Leave with me." Hearing the smile in the voice, despite the onyx mask covering every feature, there wasn't even the slightest objection the younger woman could come up with when she was taken outside into the garden, far away from the guests and the manor, which would house them until the next afternoon.

When the cool night air hit their heated skin and filled their dry lungs, Bellatrix let go of the one she dragged with her and gathered her skirt, starting to sprint through the maze of bushes and hedges with a short burst of a carefree laugh. It was so infectious, that Hermione found herself echoing it with wondrous confusion, hastening after the former Death Eater. For a moment she spared a thought for the Aurors, but they were left behind somewhere inside, overlooking the ball behind a masked disguise to make sure no Death Eater scheming was repeated.

The duo traveled the whole length of the garden, further and further away from the lights of the mansion, with not even the full moon as their guide, as the sky was hung close with a thick, dark blanket of clouds. Despite her extensive walks out here, the brunette was quickly confused by the maze and fell behind, but never so much that she lost the running figure completely. Then she reached the edge of the cultivated part of the Malfoys' property and before her stretched the wide, unruly expanse of the woods.

Two high heeled boots stood lost and alone at the edge where garden turned into wilderness. Hermione stopped to look up - and there she was, the beautiful succubus of a woman, standing barefoot between two tree trunks with a captivating smile and her mask in her hand, beckoning her Vow partner with her mere presence - wordless, motionless.

Two plum-colored shoes joined the others on the ground.

And then they were off: inside the heart of nature, uncaring about the dirt on and pain in their feet, the scratches and tears covering their expensive dresses. Whether it was a dance or a hunt, Bellatrix ran and Hermione followed, weaving around the trees and stones and creeks as if it was a game without end. The taste of coming rain flavored the air, clinging to their forms. There was breathless laughter and exhilarated shouts, disturbing the night-active creatures and their slumbering fellows.

Hermione felt free and intense, her cursed blood rushing so fast through her veins that she could feel her heart thump from her fingertips to her toes. A shiver, the good kind, had the fine hairs on her body stand up and she knew it was the other witch that made them so, fleeting touches of their fingers and the intensity of their connecting gazes electrifying her whole body.

She didn't know how long they ran, maybe for minutes, maybe for hours, up and down, left and right, then along a hillside and following the curving line of a stream until they were on the top of the hill and surrounded by a circle of trees, the water gurgling two or three feet down below the outcrop of slate Bellatrix had stopped on.

Hermione crawled up after her, slowing down and coming to a stop with her lungs pumping in much needed oxygen. It felt like the essence of life itself was coursing through her. The other woman made no move to turn around and enlighten the younger of them to the reason of her sudden pause, even the light at her wand flickering out.

"Why did you stop?"

Bellatrix threw a look over her shoulder and just a simple glimpse of the curved half-smile on her face had the brunette's heart soar. "I like it here."

Chuckling with the little breath she had, the young woman stretched and surveyed the damage to her dress. Nothing a few simple spells wouldn't be able to mend, but despite the state it was in now, knowing how much money and inspiration had flown into making it, she couldn't feel bad. The act made her feel roguish. Daring. Alive and untameable. A rumble in the distance drew her attention and she felt a frown emerging on her features.

"Bella, it looks like it will rain soon. And dawn isn't far away... maybe we should turn around?"

"Feeling tired already?"

What kind of question was that? Energy was still thrumming its beat inside of her, senses and nerves hypersensitive to the world around her - and she had the feeling the dark witch was acutely aware of it. "No. Not at all." Even with the thick cloud covering, she could feel the power of the celestial body stretch its tendrils into her mind, rousing the animal.

"Then stay," Bellatrix suggested, her voice both soft and playful as she turned and held out her hand.

Magnetically drawn to it like the limb was her opposite pole, soft hands engulfed one another and Hermione felt her body dragged close to another warm source. Inhaling the other woman's unique fragrance, she felt it mix with the one of nature around her and found it all fitting together like an artist's masterwork.

Never had the difference in their height been more pronounced than now when the former Death Eater was without her beloved high heels. Yet the woman's mere aura was enough to present someone larger than life, strong and impregnable like a king's fortress.

Letting go of the brunette's hand for a moment, Bellatrix gently lifted the sun and moon mask, that Hermione had entirely forgotten, away from her face, dropping it on a patch of moss a feet away from her.

"Where's yours?" the younger woman asked, keeping her voice low. Not wanting to overpower the soft night sounds around them both.

"I lost it at the beginning." A pale finger ran down her jawbone. "Should have kept the idea with the masks to myself... I would have rather watched your whole, beautiful face reacting tonight."

Hermione's body flared to life once more, something she had deemed impossible with the exertion of the run still clinging to her. Ghosting her lips across plump, red ones, she cradled her love's face while trying to keep her own, almost painful need in check. The walls and inhibitions around darker desires had been run into the ground by the full moon, but her sense of self continued to hold the iron chains around them with a firm grip.

"You are so gorgeous," she whispered into the light kiss, distant thunder rolling through her like it was a physical force. The wind picked up and rustled the tree tops, a forewarning to the incoming storm. It nearly swallowed the sound of the exhale as the raven haired woman smiled against her, warm breath caressing her mouth. "And you drive me crazy."

"I have it worse," Bellatrix murmured back, fingers clinging to the dress-clad waist. "You drive me sane."

And with that she surged against the brunette, pressing their bodies close in all the right ways and claiming a kiss of passion and desire. The undercurrent of devoted need had Hermione's legs weakening and ripped a low moan from her throat. Teeth worried her lower lip and sent pulsing waves of pleasure to her most sensitive places.

Lightning flashed, even through her tightly closed eyelids. There was even a first drop of rain.

The young woman could barely pause their sensual connection for long enough to press out, "The storm...we need to-..."

"Forget the storm," was the hurried answer, between kisses to the underside of her jaw. The high neckline of her asian dress was definitely in the way. "You're all I need."

Those words would have made Hermione forget World War III if it had been erupting right beside her. Dragging the other witch back up, she moved their mouths together until the crave for oxygen had her dizzy with breathlessness.

Fingers dragged at her attire and scrambled at the high neck until cloth gave way to skin. Bellatrix attached herself to the newly freed playground, nipping at her neck above the cloth, only to soothe the abused spots with her tongue. The brunette couldn't do anything but whimper when the wandering digits crawled up her ribs, around her body and splayed flat on her exposed back, dragging them even closer together.

She knew where this was going to lead.

Her own lips sought out the other woman's temple, reveling in the soft skin stretching there. Climbing lower, she encountered a hindrance in form of the necklace that spread across an impossibly pale neck. It annoyed her, right now when she wanted to bury her teeth into the spot where a heart rate beat erratically below the surface.

Then a dextrous hand slipped lower and squeezed Hermione's backside, hard. A red haze flickered over the wereblooded's mind and as a low growl erupted from the back of her throat, she grabbed the offending item. And ripped it off.

Precious stones and rare metal rained down on the ground amidst a growing amount of raindrops, clicking on the slate and even dropping down into the stream.

A gasp. Her own.

She had destroyed the wonderful, costly jewelry in a fit of thoughtlessness. No, worse than that, the werewolf blood was raging out of control. Shame flooded her desire. Any more of this and she would hurt the one she loved, mark her in a vicious desire to keep her close, passion overruling every sense... she couldn't do this, not now, not with-...

As she tried to take a step back, arms engulfed her and kept her in place.

"No," Bellatrix hissed into her face, but it wasn't filled with anger or frustration. It was almost... soothing. "Don't."

"I... I can't... Bella..." Hermione closed her eyes helplessly, then gazed back into those that kept her own captured forever. "God... you don't understand. The things... the things I want to do to you-..."

"...-I can take." The dark witch's wand clattered to the ground as her hand captured the back of the taller woman's neck, pressing their foreheads together. The black gaze seemed to scorch right into her soul. "Don't hold back, not with me. I can take it, this dark side. Let me take it. I want it. I want... I want everything of you." Desperation shone in her expression and fear at the realization of the naked truth.

And something else. Hermione felt tears prickle in her eyes, her breath coming in short gasps from the wave of pure emotion she could see in Bellatrix. Pure, unhidden love, for her, only her.

"Please."

That did it. Iron chains were cast away in less than a heartbeat.

Letting her actions do the talking, the brunette grabbed hold of the shoulders of the black dress and bit down almost harshly where the neck was the lowest, Bellatrix's desire-filled groan reverberating into her. Wolf and woman felt as one as the move filled them with heady ecstasy, as if the dark witch was a drug or a poison they had gotten the first taste of. One tooth had broken through and she flicked her tongue out, pure-blood touching the tip. The mix of metal and Bellatrix on her taste buds was the sweetest nectar.

As if a switch had been flipped with that, some kind of shared allowance, the raven haired witch found the fastening at the back of her lover's neck and ripped it open, now peeling down both sides of the garment. A smattering of cool waterdrops landed on her overheated skin and Hermione stepped back only long enough to lose her armband, gloves and the wand she had stored there. It joined the walnut wrought one on the ground.

The witches were breathing heavily and Bellatrix paused their hurried undressing. Not leaving Hermione's gaze, she carefully slipped the last barrier away and exposed the younger woman's torso to the elements.

For only one second the brunette had the urge to cover herself. But her pulse was beating madly and the way the other woman looked at her made her want to stretch and push forward until Bellatrix's skin was the only thing hiding her from the world. Suddenly she was glad that she had foregone the bra. They came together again, dancing tongues seeking shelter in each other's mouth as Hermione clawed and tugged at the frustrating corset over the raven haired woman's back.

Finally her insistence won and the lacing admitted its defeat. When both their dresses hit the forest floor, Bellatrix didn't give them much time to appreciate their underwear-clad bodies, instead prodding the taller woman until she stumbled backwards, sinking to her knees amidst an unending series of deep kisses. When her back hit moist moss and grass, the rain was starting in earnest.

The raven haired woman kneeled over her, legs on both sides of Hermione's hips, her upper body shielding the lying one from the falling water drops. For a long time neither moved, both women just soaking in the sight of the total surrender they admitted to. Black eyes turned golden brown, shining in the surreal half-light that filled the stormy night, when Bellatrix placed a feminine hand atop the place where the brunette's heart was thundering as strongly as the echo of the lightning above their heads, fingertips stroking the skin there reverently.

"Mine," she whispered, full of awe and love.

Hermione smiled at her, as brilliantly as the blinding cracks racing above the sky. She stretched her left arm out and pressed it against Bellatrix's, sure that the other woman could feel the changed scar rubbing against her flesh.

"Yours. Forever yours."

The sound the older woman made was somewhere between a sob and a laugh, but there was a delight in her expression no words could express and when she smiled back, Hermione was sure the world would burst open from the sheer beauty of it.

Bellatrix bowed down, resuming her task of putting her mouth to good use. Her hands slipped up and down the brunette's torso, teasing, caressing and inching higher each time until they finally stretched across exposed breasts. Hermione gasped into her mouth, but this time she had no interest in stepping away from this. Fire raced across her spine, spreading in her nerves until every part of her was tingling. Talented fingers squeezed and clawed at the soft mounds, then turned to their center and twisted until now never before touched nipples grew hard under the ministrations, adding oil to the raging fire in her body.

Not once had she imagined such care and calm in this scene from the once clinical lunatic.

Digging her nails into the smooth figure above her, the young woman broke their kiss to fill her lungs with cool air. Bellatrix instantly latched onto her skin, trailing down her neck and breastbone until her lips and teeth could join her work at Hermione's chest to fill the night with the sweetest gasps and moans of her lover. Distracted fumbling shed the older woman's bra, letting it litter the ground around them, all the while water pounding down from the heavens to wash away the sweat on their frames.

With the last barrier gone, Bellatrix stretched her curved body above Hermione's. The feeling of skin meeting in all the right places, of utter closeness and heat, clinging together in the oldest of all dances, had them both draw shuddering breaths. They caressed each other, lips seeking out skin and flesh, teeth and nails turning white to red and hair growing wet and heavy with rain. There was tenderness, there was blood, there was inexperienced fumbling and quiet laughs, but it all blended together in one sweet symphony.

"This would be easier if I were a man," Bellatrix muttered at one point, raising a breathless chuckle out of the younger witch and accurately expressing that neither had ever shared the bed with another female before.

"I don't think I want you to be a man," she admitted easily, sharing a smile and a kiss with the woman above, then targeting a lower place.

"Hermione," the raven haired woman moaned helplessly into her ear when a skilled tongue licked a trail down her neck, tasting water and salt as one hand clawed at a stretched back while the other clutched at a full breast. Hermione wasn't hundred percent sure what she was doing, but it appeared to work and she let her intuition and feelings direct the way. With her name uttered in that way, with that delicious voice that was like honey and vinegar wrapped in one, Hermione felt the current channeling through her run down, down, down and she rolled her body into the one above her, need pulsing so firmly inside of her.

"Bella, I want to feel you. Please."

The dark witch turned her head, pressing her nose into the taller woman's cheek and entangling their legs. "Where?" she inquired, eager to please.

Hermione dropped her gaze to the side as well, drowning in the softest golden brown that resonated in her entire being. Everything she ever wanted and needed was here, right here in her arms. This was not sex or a quick fuck - it was making love, the purest kind and Hermione knew she was the luckiest person in the world to have her first time filled with such tenderness, passion and devotion. It was everything and so much more.

The world fell away around her.

Bellatrix was all that counted.

"Everywhere."

Not just physically touched, but in her mind, heart and soul as well. She wanted to be so close to the other woman, that they might as well be one single entity, separated into two forms that longed to be whole again.

At that Bellatrix slowly slid her hand lower, across her shifting belly, caressing her lower abdomen until the fingers touched warm thighs. Pushing heavy black curls out of her lover's face, Hermione never turned her eyes away as her silken panties were dragged down first one, then the other side, until she was left bare for her one and only.

When the older woman's hand inched nearer to the apex of her legs, Hermione felt her lower lip and nerves tremble in a sudden bout of fear and insecurity, the slightest of whimpers escaping her mouth. But the woman above her was right there, pressing her mouth close and making the softest noises to calm her down, something the brunette hadn't thought the former Death Eater capable of. Her heart swelled until she thought the feelings might burst from her veins, leaving her open and bleeding beneath the storm raging across the treetops. Dragging Bellatrix down into a deep, heartfelt kiss, she wrapped her arms around her and held her as close as their position allowed.

And then the fingers found their goal.

Hermione snapped her head back, writhing on the wet slate in pure passion, the sounds that left her chest so fragile, tender, that Bellatrix couldn't help but echo them in boundless desire. She knew the older witch was watching her, drinking up each and every shameless movement as she stretched her arms above her head in her search for anything to grasp onto. Her back curved, fell back down and suddenly her skin felt too tight for her flesh. No matter what, she couldn't keep her eyes open from the overload of sensations as her lover stroked her gently.

Bellatrix worked her hand up and down between the younger woman's legs, creating an inferno of heat low in Hermione's belly and focusing the restless energy coursing through her body into a starburst at the end of her sex. When one finger entered new territory with utmost care, the brunette moaned and held onto the shoulder above her for dear life. It was strange, out of this world, to feel the older woman's digit inside of her, but her hips had their own ideas and rolled up in desperate want.

It was all too much. Bellatrix's skin clinging against her, their breath mingling, the high-pitched sounds emanating from her own mouth when the older woman found a rhythm of moving in and out, the cold rain clashing with the fire in her veins, the wolf thundering freely through her insides, the palm rubbing against her bundle of nerves and sending lightning into her with every touch...

And then. And then. A whisper against her lips that was louder than the storm in the sky.

"I love you, my darling."

Earth proved to be not restrictive enough a place to keep Hermione from flying high to touch eternity.

Waves of undistilled emotion crashed into her with the energy of a thousand suns and the world tilted with the intensity, making her hang onto her lover with desperation as she arched off the ground. Sparks exploded behind her eyelids, painting reality in one million colors of light that all spelled one and only one name, which left her mouth in a freeing cry of release. Somewhere at the edge of her consciousness there was a flicker of pain marring the ocean flooding her body as the other woman went past an irreversible barrier, but it was drowned in the utter depth with which she could feel Bellatrix touch and engulf her.

Time held no meaning in this state, but at one point she folded her wings and returned to where she belonged, still clinging to Bellatrix with all her strength. Only when her conscious thoughts were back in order did she loosen her trembling hold, realizing in passing that she had clawed a spot above the pale shoulder bloody.

"Bella," was all she could gasp in the first moment.

The older woman was looking at her, with a sense of wonder, open and vulnerable, like a child that was seeing something beautiful and fleeting for the first time.

Overcome with emotion that just seemed too much for one human being, Hermione burst into tears, murmuring "I love you, too, I love you," and repeating it from there over and over as if shouting it to the heavens and beyond.

After a minute, Bellatrix dragged her soaked body close and captured moving lips in an attempt at silence. Overhead, the storm roared ahead without care for human or nature and after they parted, the dark witch stretched out to the side to touch her wand, enacting a warming charm across their bodies before they could start to shiver as they cooled down.

Draping her frame once more across Hermione's, the older woman purred softly against her neck. "You are most delightful in the throes of arousal, my love."

Hermione, warmed to the core of every cell in her body by more than magic, chuckled softly and buried her nose in the black curls beneath her chin. The mixture of fragrances assaulting her senses nearly had her reeling. Caressing the flesh beneath her fingertips, she never wanted this feeling of utter happiness and contentment to end.

At the touch of Bellatrix still nuzzling her neck and lightly resting a possessive hand above her right breast, the young woman cleared her throat.

"Thank you. For the wonderful night. Uhm... don't you want me to... you know," she carefully began, slightly mortified that even her first time hadn't been able to clear her of her prudishness in that regard. "Return the favour?"

"No," Bellatrix sighed, rolling over until she was pressed against the taller woman's left side, hand running up and down her abdomen. "I'm sure we have all the time in the world for that later. I just...," her eyes flicked from side to side in a rare show of fragility, "I would like to stay like this for a while."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

Smiling tenderly, the brunette blinked away the rain and trailed her fingertips along the side of the pure-blood's face. "Okay. If you'd like to."

There is silence after that, but not inactivity. They gazed upon another, with the curiosity of new lovers, the wonder of 'how did this happen?' and the satisfaction of being wrapped up in each other without barriers keeping them apart. They shared caresses, they shared kisses and somewhere along the way the tempest had raged itself into the ground. When the woods calmed, they fell asleep on dried moss for a while, tangled up in each other and stirring just early enough to watch the sunrise stretch itself tentatively through the fractures of clouds that littered the morning sky, painting the world in pastel and a golden glow.

And when it was time to leave the place they had made their own, they covered their passion-bruised skin, mended their clothes and wandered back to where reality called. But the night would be forever remembered, imprinted firmly into their memories and hearts.

Along the whole way back, Bellatrix kept her fingers firmly tangled with Hermione's.

So. Uhm. ...Thoughts? My first 'smut'. I hope you aren't disappointed. I'll just go crawl into a corner and hide full of embarrassment and uncertainty. I have no idea if this works well, because I spent months on this chapter and I still don't feel like it works like it did in my head (does it ever?). That's it for today, I have chapters to catch up on. My buffer chapters are nearly gone. Which means - PANIC MODE: ENGAGE!

Oh, and let me just tell you: Cheap Chinese curry noodles and energy drinks do NOT mix well. Don't try it at home. Urk.

Update that hopefully will be seen by some not following me on Twitter: I'm having severe trouble with the next chapter. Other than that, I only have this and another chapter written in advance, so I'm way, way behind! I am SO sorry for the lateness and the long break, but I really, really need the time! I can't say when the next update will be exactly, but it WILL be before August. Thanks for sticking with me and please, don't be mad... _