Thank you for the fantastic reviews, they have amazed me as always.
I haven't had much time to check through this chapter, but hopefully there aren't too many mistakes and cock ups. Please forgive the ones that I have missed.
There was a bit of confusion over the last chapter...the line... "They were lying, of course they were, he knew it, and so he was forced to investigate"... The they is Bella, Hermione, Harry etc. This is my mistake and I apologise for any confusion caused, I should have been clearer.
Enjoy...
The trio sat still and silent waiting for the minister to deliver his verdict. His pause seemed to go on for a life time. He shuffled the papers again and cleared his throat.
Hermione held the hair pin concealed in her hand ready to activate it at a seconds notice. Harry had purposely sat at the opposite end, leaving Bella within easy reach. Should this go wrong, they would spend most of their lives on the run, never able to return home, never seeing friends and family again. But Bella was worth it.
"We, meaning myself and the ministry, find ourselves in the middle of a vicious scandal. The pubic image of the rehabilitation department and its staff has been severely damaged. It is going to take some serious PR work and damage control to sort this mess." he said pausing again to look at each of them. He shuffled the papers again and looked to his colleagues. "However, upon close inspection of the evidence given and statements taken, we are satisfied that miss Granger and miss Black are innocent of what they have been accused of. We believe that what has happened is the result of a cruel and bitter lie. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience cause to yourselves and thank you all for your co-operation." he finished, smiling at them.
"Is that it?" Bellatrix snapped a look of utter disbelief on her face after a minute of silence.
"What do you mean miss Black?" The minister asked, confusion clear on his face.
"Well, I have suffered severe mental and emotional damage from this, I believe that I may be entitled to some type of compensation. Like, oh I don't know, full use of my magic." she smirked at the panel before her. She knew it was a long shot, but she had to try.
"Miss Black, after what you said in your interview, you are lucky that you and miss Granger are not sharing a carriage to Azkaban. Just be thankful that these were the people chosen to sit in today. Any others would have taken what you said as a confession." the minister said seriously, his colleagues all nodding next to him. "Harry and I have a meeting scheduled for next week to discuss your case." he finished, gathering his papers he stood up and nodded to each of them in farewell.
"It was worth a try." she whispered to the younger pair as they were led out the door.
They made it in to the elevator and half way back to the atrium before any of them spoke again.
"I thought we were screwed." Harry admitted, letting out a nervous laugh.
"I'll admit, for a minute so did I." said Hermione as she got off the lift and made her way to the floo networks.
"How did you two ever win a war when you give up faith so quickly?" the dark woman mocked before she stood in the flames and called out her destination.
Hermione laughed and followed her through, back to Harry's house.
"Mr Potter." Harry turned to see the minister walking towards him.
"Is something wrong sir?" he asked.
"Harry, I hope you know that I trust you. I believe that you know what you are doing, and that you are acting in the best interests of the ministry and your friend's." he said patting the younger man on the shoulder.
"Er..thank you sir and yes I am." he replied wondering if the minister was feeling well.
"Make sure it stays discreet for now my boy. And keep them out of the public eye for a few days. It's obvious that Hermione is happy, just keep an eye in her." he said tapping his shoulder again before turning and walking away. He had fought alongside the youngsters and couldn't help feeling protective of them, holding a sort of fatherly affection for them. How could he deny Hermione the chance at happiness, even if it is with the likes of Bellatrix.
Harry stood shocked for a moment, mouth agape, powder in hand. Kingsley knew. He knew and was allowing it to carry on.
"Oi mate, shift it! Some of us wanna get 'ome t'night." one of the cleaners moaned as he waited for Harry to leave so he could mop up.
"Sorry." he mumbled as he threw the powder in the grate and followed the women.
As he stumbled out the other end, he saw everyone had congregated at his house to await the outcome. He smiled when his girlfriend threw her arms around his neck and covered his face in kisses.
"Luna put him down you don't know where he's been." Draco said pretending to gag at the sight.
"Fuck you Malfoy." Harry retorted then laughed.
"Can you hold out for a few hours, just until I get sensation back?" he said as seriously as he could manage, before laughing.
"How's that working out for you?" Harry asked still laughing at his old rivals predicament. He needed to remind himself never to piss Bella off.
"Wierd, I tried to have a wan...Hi teddy, when did you get here?" the blond quickly shut up when he saw the little boy run up to his grandma.
"Kreacher picked him up and brought him here. I wanted the family around when you got back." Narcissa said looking at her eldest sister.
"See, that's how you keep faith my love." she said to her witch, wrapping an arm around her waist and smiling at the blonde.
"I know, I'd make a terrible Labrador." the brunette said rolling her eyes at her lover."What did you say in your interview?" she asked suddenly remembering what Kingsley said.
Bellatrix laughed and let go of the younger witch. She walked away without answering the question and went over to her sisters to join in with whatever they were talking about.
"Hey 'Mione, you ok?" Harry asked bringing his best friend a drink.
"Yh great. Here you many as well have this back, we've no need for it now." she replied swapping the hair pin for a glass of wine.
"Do you think I was being over cautious?" he said pocketing the portkey.
"No, it seems that we all made our own plans. I guess I just didn't realise how much everyone actually supported us." she said smiling as she watched her fiancée make miniature fireworks explode from the tip of her wand for Teddy's entertainment.
"Yep, and you've got another supporter now. Kingsley knows" she gasped in shock "but it's ok, he's fine with it. He just asks that you keep it under wraps for a while longer and stay out of the papers for a few days." he finished, laughing at the horrified look of panic on his friends face. Harry joined Luna and the rest of the guests, laughing as he walked away.
Hours later when they had all had their fill of food and drink Harry and Luna said goodnight to their guests, having asked the Malfoy's and Tonks's to stay the night in the spare rooms.
"Miss Granger, I haven't really thanked you properly for what you have done for my sister. The change in her is truly remarkable." Narcissa said taking Hermione's hand in her own in a gesture of friendship.
"Trust me Mrs Malfoy it's been a pleasure working with Bella, and getting to know all of you." she said, trying to pull her hand back. Narcissa narrowed her eyes and held it fast.
"What is this?" she asked thumbing the ring on her fourth finger.
The brunettes face dropped and all colour drained, she and Bella had agreed to keep their engagement a secret for a while. "Mrs Malfoy..."
"This is my Great grandmothers ring." she hissed quietly. She wasn't angry that Hermione was wearing it, she was angry because Bellatrix hadn't bothered speaking to her and Andromeda first. She spun on her heel and marched over to her eldest sister. "Bellatrix Black, care to explain why Miss Granger is wearing our grandmother's engagement ring?" she snapped, the rest of the people in the room gasped.
"I'm sorry Bella, I must have let the concealment slip." Hermione said from behind the blonde. "I guess my mind wa.."
"It's fine." the dark woman said gently before turning to her sister. "Cissy I thought that it would have been quite obvious why that ring is on my witches finger." she replied sarcastically. She walked around the blond and took the younger woman's hand.
"Bella are you getting..."
"Yes Andi, we are." she smiled at the middle sister.
"You have not presented her to the family Bellatrix, you know Black family tradition states until a suitor has been accepted by us, you can not be wed." Narcissa stated, in a matter of fact tone.
"Traditions are made to be broken, besides do you really think I need your approval or permission?" she said, laughing at the absurdity of the suggestion . Nothing would stop her from marrying Hermione that included her family, the young woman was willing to give everything up for her, a life with friends and family, a well paid job, a beautiful home, Bella would do the same for her. So whether her family approved of the union or not, it would go ahead.
"That is the one tradition that has been in our family for centuries Bella. And you know as well as I, should anyone of us reject the match, ancient magic will prevent it." she explained calmly, not so much to Bellatrix, she knew the family traditions backwards, it was more for Hermione's benefit.
"You wouldn't dare, I..."
"Formally present her as a suitor Bella and we will see how things turn out." Narcissa said with a smug smirk on her face, she knew she had won.
"Fine, I will do as you ask. Remember this though, should any of you..."
"You can't threaten us either Bella, now stop being over dramatic and start planning your dinner party. And explain to miss Granger what will be expected of her." she said as she walked towards the door. She knew it was best to retire to her room for the rest of the night, out of Bellas way.
The four remaining adults watched the blond leave, then three of them turned to Hermione.
"What?" she asked, a slight feeling of panic and unease starting to settle in the pit of her stomach.
Bellatrix crossed her arms and huffed. "I'll need to see your wardrobe." she said.
"Yes." Draco exclaimed pumping his fist in the air. "I get to have some fun with no comebacks." he laughed as he winked at the brunette.
"What's he talking about Bella?" Hermione asked nervously.
'Nothing dont worry, me and his mother will keep him in check. Bella gets final approval of any formal...
"Thank you Andi, I shall explain everything later." the dark woman snapped taking her lovers hand and leaving the room.
"Bella.."
"Can we go to your place, I'll tell you what's going on." she asked, pleading the younger woman with her eye's.
"Ok, we'll go out the back." she replied frowning at her fiancée's reaction to her sisters request. Yes it was terrible that they had final say on whether they could get married or not, but she knew she got on well with all of them. There was no reason that any of them should deny their union, unless her blood status had suddenly become an issue again.
It took twenty minutes to traipse across Harry's garden and through a broken part in the fence separating the two properties. Then another twenty-five minutes for them to stumble in to the kitchen of Hermione's home.
"Drink?" the girl asked as she walked to the kettle and flicked it on.
The dark woman nodded and sat on the chair at the dinning table. "Thank you." she said nodding her head.
There was a moment of silence while Hermione made the drinks and brought them over. Sitting down next to the woman, she slipped a hand on to her knee and squeezed gently.
"What's got you so worried Bella?" she asked gently.
"I'm not." she answered, quickly standing up and pacing the floor.
"Of course you aren't." The brunette tried to joke, laughing when Bellatrix rolled her eyes.
"Are you sure you want to marry me?" she asked sitting in the edge of the chair and grabbing the girls hands.
"I'm a hundred percent sure Bella, I couldn't imagine my life with anyone but you." she answered and smiled, she leaned in to give the agitated witch a kiss, but before she could connect their lips Bella was out of her seat, pacing once again.
"Bella I swear if you don't stand still I'll put you in a full body bind." she snapped.
"Show me the clothes in your closet."
"Why?"
"Because Cissy will be expecting formal attire, and it needs to be in the Black family colours." the dark woman explained, waiting for Hermione to stand and lead her upstairs.
"And where exactly is this dinner to be held? I can't imagine Harry being too happy about being snubbed in his own home." she asked quickly losing patience. There was only so long that she would allow herself to be bossed around on such little information.
"You are going to have to tell Potter." she said quickly carrying on at the look of anger on her womans face. "You need someone to represent you."
"Here, what colours are you looking for?" she asked pointing to a large walk in wardrobe, it was more like a dressing room really. There were racks and racks of beautiful dresses hanging on the wall. Shelves upon shelves of shirts, trousers, jeans and skirts. There was a little room off to the side of the closet housing the uncountable pairs of shoes, heels, boots and trainers
"Blacks, dark blues and deep purples." she replied as she looked through the formal and evening gowns. "We'll have to get you something new." she said despairing at the red's, greens, pale yellows and every other colour but what she was after.
"Right that's it, enough. I'm doing nothing, absolutely nothing until you explain exactly what's going on and why you are in such a state over a bloody formal dinner with your sisters." Hermione shouted her frustration at the woman "Is it because you know they are going to reject me because im not a pure blood?" she snapped ripping a dress from pale hands.
"Blood status has nothing to do with their decisions." the older woman replied, walking out the closet and sitting on the bed.
Hermione took a deep breath to calm herself and followed. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked gentler than before as she sat next to the dark witch.
"This dinner, is to present you to my family as my intended. You will be paraded in front of them like a prize horse, then if they approve of your physical state, you will be asked a barrage of questions. Passing that then takes you into the requests part, this is the part that has me in a state. My family can ask for anything from money to murder and everything in between from you, a rejection or denial will automatically trigger the magic that will separate us. In a Blacks eye's, there is nothing you shouldn't be willing to do for your spouse. I do have final say on their requests, but, even if I forbid them to ask, doesn't mean they wont." she explained resting her head in her hands and sighing.
Hermione couldn't understand why this would upset her so much. The only reason she could think of was the irritation that was her fiancée's nephew. "Well if Draco asks for sexual favours, we are going to have to find a way around this magic, because I won't sleep with him." Hermione giggled a little it was an attempt at humour, trying to calm Bella's over active mind.
"It's not him I'm worried about, he wouldn't be stupid enough to ask for such things. It's Narcissa that has me worried, I already know what she wants." she sighed quietly, looking at her lover. "I've seen inside her head. What she wants, is impossible."
"What could be so bad that it's put yo..."
"Lucius." she interrupted, instantly shutting the younger woman up.
"I can't, the ministry hasn't even signed you off or made a decision about the future of the rehab department. I don't know...
"She doesn't want him on the rehab scheme, she just wants him out of prison, home." she corrected Hermione.
"Well there is no way in hell that's going to happen." the brunette said sarcastically "He is the second most dangerous death eater left alive. The ministry won't allow him to just go free, not without going through the same channels as you did. It's impossible. Does she not want us to be together, for you to be happy?" the brunette said, tears starting to sting her eye's. Why were things always so hard for her and Bella, she wondered as she angrily brushed a tear drop from her cheek.
"She does, but she is lonely and unhappy, if she had something to distract herself with she might...I dont know, not miss him so much." she said, trying to justify her sister.
"And what about Andi? Would she like something as impossible like me to raise the dead?" the young woman snapped angrily, she knew the words were harsh but she couldn't help it.
"No, she just wants to be happy again."
"And what would make her happy exactly?" she asked wiping away more tears.
"Her family around her." she replied simply.
"Well that's something else I can't do." she thew her hands up in defeat.
"We could always call off the engagement for a couple of months until we can get Lucius on the rehab program. Cissy won't have a choice but to change her mind then." she said, hoping that by some miracle an answer would fall into her lap with in the next thirty seconds. She didn't want Hermione to take the ring off, she loved knowing that the girl was all hers and that she would be tied to her forever, because of that little gem encrusted circle of metal.
"If you think that is best." Hermione whispered, voice breaking with unshed tears as she slipped the ring from her finger and placed it in the older womans hand. She turned and kissed Bella on the cheek, stood and left the room.
"Damn you Cissy." she hissed as she heard the woman she loved with all that she was, sob her way down the stairs. Her own tears silently falling.
She sat there for what felt like an age, racking her brain, trying to find a better way to stop her sister. She decided that she would have to speak to Andromeda about it.
The dark woman stood and made to leave the bedroom she wanted to check if Hermione was alright. Walking down the stairs, she preyed that Andi had a solution or even a suggestion to help them. Thinking of what she would say to her sister she suddenly stopped in her tracks, a smirk formed on her lips. She hurried towards the library where she knew the girl would be. "Hermione, I think I've got it." she exclaimed excitedly as she practically ran to the sofa.
"What are you talking about Bella?" the brunette asked groggy, she had come here among her beloved books and cried herself to sleep, the older woman's shouts had just woken her.
"We don't have to call the engagement off." the dark witch said smiling down at the sleepy woman.
"Why, has Lucius broken out of jail?" she asked sarcastically as she turned over to face the dark woman.
"No, but if we distract Cissy for a few months, we could get him on the program and have him out properly." she said laying on top of her lover and resting her chin on her hands.
"How do you intend on distracting your sister?" she asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"Its simple really, we should have thought of it before. I honestly don't know why between the two of us we didn't..."
"Bella." Hermione growled, fed up of the older woman's teasing.
"Ok, we get Andi and Teddy to move into Malfoy manor." she said grinning at the genius of her plan.
"And that would work?" the brunette asked disbelieving. "It can't be as simple as that. You said your sister wants her husband because she is lonely. Obviously she has other needs that Andromeda can not fulfil." she said widening her eyes a little, hoping Bellatrix would understand what she ment.
"Sex?" she understood. "She's fine for that trust me. She's been screwing one of Draco's friends for the past few months." she giggled at her lovers look of shock and disgust. "She wants company."
"She's cheating on..."
"No. They have an agreement, he knows of her lovers, she knows of his. Dont judge Hermione. It works for them." Bella said frowning. It was a similar arrangement that she and her husband had.
"What about Andi?" the girl asked, changing the subject slightly, hoping to avoid an argument.
"I don't think she's seeing anyone." she replied pulling a thoughtful face, thinking they were still on the same subject.
"No, I mean, will this make her happy, moving in with Narcissa and Draco?" she asked, rolling her eyes at her lovers one track mind.
"Ecstatic, Teddy would have a male to look up to and teach him all the manly things." she said waving her hand "And Cissy will have two people to look after and fuss over." she smiled again at her brilliance.
"Ok." Hermione said nodding her head. "It can't hurt to try. How are we going to do this? Just come right out and ask?" the brunette asked, sitting up as her lover moved from her.
"Gods no. Cissy is too proud to admit to being lonely and Andi is to stubborn. No, we have to be clever about this. I can put the dinner off a week or two until we have them living together." she said tapping her finger against her chin as she started pacing the floor, mind already working on a plan.
"What did Draco mean, when he said he could have fun with no comebacks?" she asked, a little worried about what he would ask for.
"Don't panic, he's after memories, ones with me and you. I'll have a quiet word with Andi, she and his mother will set him straight. If they don't on the night of the dinner, he will be unexplainably detained elsewhere." she replied, an evil grin spreading across her face.
"Do I still need a new dress?" Hermione asked, after a moment of quiet thought. She walked over to her woman and kissed softly but fully on the mouth.
"Mmm...right now you need less clothes." she whispered, wrapping her arms around the brunette and pulling her close. She loved the way her body responded to the girl's slightest touch.
Lady Bellatrix black Lestrange- Aww *blushes* thank you. Im glad you are enjoying it so far. I hope you enjoy the rest of it xx
xAngelofthenorthx- You didn't think I'd be to mean to them did you? Lol glad you enjoyed the sex scene. I'm allowed to be a tiny bit mean to the readers aren't I? No.. Ok sorry about the cliffhanger I'd like to say it wont happen again but that would be a lie. lol xx
hw- a friend's mom is from Lithuania and gave me word. Did I use it right? X
Secret87- I forgive you for being a twilight fan, I mean Alice... Mmm... I'm glad I brought you back though lol. I hope you enjoy the rest of my story xx
Thanks again everyone..
UntiI next time...