Mirror, mirror
Chapter 21: That Which Survives
With the start of the school year also came the first round of monthly Rugnarok matches. It was an event most of the people of Hogmeade and the student body had been looking forward too. As the date of the first matches swiftly approached, Hermione had been starting to spend more and more time at the pitch for practice.
The big day had finally arrived, the pitch was full of cheering people and, just like before summer, Bellatrix was helping out Lily in the infirmary. However, Bellatrix spent more time watching the games than actually helping out, especially when Ravenclaw was up.
The matches up to this point had been particularly brutal and today's final round, which was Ravenclaw vs Slytherin, looked to be the most grueling of all matches today. Slytherin's interceptors were in form and moved as one on their carpets as they hunted down the Ravenclaw dodgers one by one in a relentless mallet-wielding wolf pack.
But what was even worse is that Hermione was docked a point for her team for supposedly flying too high. There were cheers, hollers and protests from the crowd, and judging from her miffed expression, Hermione was none too pleased either.
But nobody, absolutely nobody, was more enraged than Bellatrix Black. "HAVE YOU GOT SHIT IN YOUR EYES?! SHE WAS PERFECT! SHE IS PERFECT!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs. "I'M BLIND, I'M DEAF! I WANNA BE A REF!"
"Whoa!" Lily chuckled as she was done tending to the 'victims' of the last match. The Gryffindor team had been given such a trouncing that most of the team was lying on cots being tended to by Lily for numerous broken bones.
"Bastard! I hate him!" Bellatrix hissed. Outside, in the rink, Hermione had steeled herself against this disappointment and gave the avoidance of the Slytherin interceptors first priority. The Slytherin wolf pack seemed to be going after the weaker targets first and, though the Ravenclaw interceptors gave it a valiant effort, they weren't able to do much about it. One of the Ravenclaw dodgers, a girl she didn't know, made a mistake and dodged in the wrong direction. She was swiftly surrounded the Slytherins and literally punted off her carpet by a trio of hits from mallets. Bellatrix hissed when the girl was launched into the side of the rink with an audible crash after which gravity did its thing and caused her to slide down the wall. The safety net caught her, but when the goblins collected her and wheeled her into the infirmary, the girl wasn't conscious or moving.
The second Ravenclaw dodger went down scant a minute later. So now it was all up to Hermione, who had four interceptors hot on her tail and five minutes left on the clock. Those Ravenclaw interceptors still up were ignored by the Slytherins who focused all their efforts on decisively winning the match by taking down Hermione.
Still, Hermione wasn't having it. She steered her carpet through a turn so sharp, it would send lesser athletes hurtling to the ground. Two interceptors overshot her completely, giving her some breathing room. Bellatrix grinned when Hermione steered her carpet into 180 degree turn with full speed and shot back to dive in between the other two interceptors giving chase. The crowd cheered for Hermione.
Bellatrix stole a look towards the rafters. There, in the staff booth, sat Andie and Tom, apparently enjoying the match just as much as they were enjoying each other's company on their date. Still, no time to worry about that and Andie could handle herself. It was Hermione who now deserved her full attention.
Her young girlfriend changed her flight direction and swooped down towards the infirmary. Hermione zipped by and turned towards her, making a spectacle by rather overtly blowing her a kiss. In that moment, Bellatrix' heart went aflutter: Hermione had a way of making her feel like a schoolgirl again.
Unfortunately, this rather foolish bit of showboating came back to bite Hermione. As she steered her carpet upwards, one of the Slytherin interceptors blindsided her and clipped her with her mallet. Hermione cried out in pain, grasped her side and staggered on top of her carpet. Bellatrix let out a litany of curses while a hush came over the crowd... for a moment, it seemed as if Hermione would be going down.
But then she recovered, dug her heels in and commanded her carpet to shoot forward with massive speed. One minute left on the clock and, against all odds, Hermione was still standing and now more determined than ever. The first thing Hermione did was to do on the offensive: she turned her carpet and sped towards the interceptors with blinding speed. The interceptors, obviously, were not expecting this. Hermione sped closer and closer without any indication that she was going to dodge.
It was a gamble on her part. And only Hermione would decide to play a game of chicken with a Sytherin wolf-pack.
One of the Slytherin interceptors panicked and dove to one side, accidentally knocking his team-mate off her carpet and losing his mallet in the process, effectively taking himself out of the game.
30 seconds left on the clock.
The remaining interceptors were after her now, but Hermione was smarter. Two interceptors were easier to avoid than four and she had effectively broken their strategy. No more showboating, no more trick moves... all she did was to simply outrun them and stay out of range. It was over and they knew it.
The clock struck and the match was called. Ravenclaw had won the day and Hermione had brought them their victory.
The crowd sheered and Hermione loved every moment of it! She threw her arms in the air and let out a cheer. Bellatrix felt her chest swell with pride as she watched her girlfriend fly towards the dug-out near the infirmary. She immediately excused herself to Lily and rushed over.
When she arrived, a laughing Hermione was already being hoisted up in the air by her cheering teammates while others were spraying her with a bottle of champagne. That make Bellatrix bristle: only she got to pour wine over Hermione's skin... preferably when they were both naked in bed and it would have to be licked off her toned abs!
Still, she let Hermione have her moment. She was their star player, the team's most skilled asset who outshone them all by a country mile. The others simply could not compare to her in any way.
"Bella!" Hermione shouted over the chorus of cheers. "Put me down, lads!"
Hermione was put down on her feet and she rushed over to her girlfriend. In that moment, Hermione was panting, drenched in sweat and champagne, but she still looked absolutely gorgeous. Bellatrix wrapped her arms around her kissed her on the lips.
"I see you've taken a liking to Rugnarok," Hermione chuckled when gloved hands found her curly mane.
"Only when my girlfriend is playing," the dark witch smirked. "Ready for the big day tonight?"
Hermione looked over her shoulder to make sure that her teammates were out of earshot. "You have no idea how hard it has been to keep this quiet. Tonight the world is going to change, Bella. And we'll be on the front-lines of it all."
"Not sure how I feel about that yet," Bellatrix grimaced. "It's going to draw a lot of attention to us."
"You've got nothing to worry about, Bella," smiled Hermione. "Nobody is going to steal me away from you."
"It's not that..." Bellatrix replied. "My socialite and my battle-witch days are over. I rather enjoy the quiet life."
"Who says that will change. I..." Hermione suddenly hissed and grabbed her side.
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes and reached out to fiddle with Hermione's Rugnarok armor. A sly grin came over her. "What? Right here? In front of everybody?" Hermione smirked. "Kinky! At least drag me over the showers for some privacy..."
"Hush," Bellatrix returned, not in the mood for flippancy. "You're clearly in pain."
The dark witch lifted Hermione's uniform to just under her breast and hissed when she saw a large dark bruise on the side of her girl's chest where the interceptor had hit her with her mallet.
"Just a bruise," Hermione grimaced. "I've had much worse..."
Bellatrix pursed her lips. "Infirmary."
"Bella, really, I'm fine!"
"Infirmary! Now!"
A few moments later, Lily was examining a prone Hermione by roving her wand over her bruise and came to a swift conclusion. "Two of your ribs are broken," said Lily. "After taking a hit like that, it's not surprising. Here, drink this..."
A potion of skele-grow was put to Hermione's lips and, the moment it was emptied, Hermione seemed much more comfortable. "Bellatrix? Will you apply some ointment to heal the bruise? Seems only fair since she's your girlfriend."
Bellatrix nodded, took the ointment, rubbed some on her hands and then gently massaged it onto a blissfully smiling Hermione's skin. Her young girlfriend closed her eyes and was groaning contently. "Hmm, I should break my ribs more often."
"No, you don't," Bellatrix spoke through clenched teeth.
"You two have come a long way since your arrival, Bella," Lily said. "And Severus can't stop talking about the amazing discovery you've make."
Bellatrix snorted while massaging her now purring girlfriend. "I didn't expect Snape of all people to have loose lips."
"Hmm..." Hermione closed her eyes and grinned. "You keep this up, Bella, and I'll have to drag you somewhere private for a quickie."
Next to her, Lily let out a snort. "Pansy always gets a lot of business selling contraceptives to the Rugnarok teams after a match," she smirked. "Lots of pent up aggression needing relief."
"So that's why I spotted her underneath the rafters," Bellatrix muttered while Hermione's purring had turned into groaning.
"We'll need to get ready for tonight," Bellatrix pressed.
Hermione's expression could best be described as one of cheeky euphoria. "We'll need to shower, though. Hmmmm..."
That made Lily laugh. "I'll, uhm, give you two a moment."
"Right," returned Bellatrix. "See you tonight, Li..."
Her sentence was cut off when two storm arms moved to encircle her waist to pull a surprised Bellatrix onto the cot.
By now it had been three weeks since Hermione's successful transport and the experiment had been one of the best guarded secret in the wizarding world. Paperwork had to be done first, which had been a joint venture between Snape and Narcissa. Patents were filed, contracts were signed, deals were made and Snape had done a lot of lobbying in the background. Naturally, he was hoping that after tonight, Hogwarts would be on the forefront of teleportation research.
Bellatrix found herself standing in this world's Ministry of Magic, located in Edinburgh. A place she hadn't been ever since those ill-fated days in the Department of Mysteries, she found the place as dull and dreary as the Ministry back home. Still, it was oddly freeing to be able to move through the Ministry, especially in a courtroom where in another world almost a lifetime ago, she had been condemned to Azkaban for the rest of her life.
Then, she had been battered, bruised and chained to a chair. Now she was standing here wearing the finest of clothing, along with her family, as she was about to participate in a demonstration which would literally change this world forever. Quite a change.
Humbling, really. To literally change a world which wasn't even hers.
Though Bellatrix supposed she should stop seeing this world as 'not hers'.
In truth, her family never looked neater, all clad in dress robes and the traditional pointed wizard hat. It had been while since she had worn one, to be honest. The only anomaly among them was Hermione, whom had elected to wear her lovely evening gown. The gown, however, did not match well with a pointed hat and since headwear was expected during a session of the Wizengamot, Bellatrix had given her her black baret to wear tonight.
Lucius was one big bundle of nerves. He looked through the curtains as the Wizengamot was going through their scheduled program. They'd be up in less than five minutes if the current discussion didn't run late. "What if we fail?" Lucius muttered. "What if something goes wrong? I..."
"Lu," started Narcissa. "You can't fail. Charms have been set. You've been doing test runs all week. We've all rehearsed this so many times."
That much was true. Hermione had gone through the teleport at least twenty times so far. At this point, Bellatrix was no longer concerned because this form of magic was now a proven concept. Luna adjusted her robe. Draco drank from a glass of water while Hermione shifted from one foot to the other, not really used to walking on high heels all that much. Bellatrix herself wasn't really all that impressed; she'd already handled the toughest crowd in existence during her own show trial. This would be a cinch.
Finally, the curtain fell and the teleportation setup was revealed. The Grand Warlock announced them, but unfortunately Lucius looked to be a deer in the headlights. Again, the Grand Warlock motioned for him to speak.
Silence.
"Uhm, mister Lucius Malfoy," pushed the Grand Warlock. "You may speak."
More silence
Until Bellatrix gave him a less-than-subtle kick to the side of his leg.
"Ah, uhm, yes," Lucius gulped. "Esteemed gentle-wizards and lady-witches of the Wizengamot and the gathered press. I am Lucius Malfoy and I am here to share with you our success, recently patented with the Ministry. First all of, these are the members of the team responsible for this new wonder of magic. Myself, of course. My son Draco Malfoy and our friends Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Black. I'd also like to thank my wife Narcissa and my sister-in-law Andromeda behind the curtains for their unwavering support, and the official Ravenclaw house-ghost Bella who could unfortunately not join us today. We've all been working hard for years to bring this branch of magic, of which many said it could never work, to reality."
Bellatrix stole a glance at Lucius, finding him to be sweating like a pig. Quickly, everyone took their positions while the Wizengamot looked on in silence. An apple was placed on the departing platform, Bellatrix and Luna cast the necessary spells and the apple was swiftly transported to the receiving platform.
Murmurs started to go through the gathered crowd as Ministry observers started to examine first the apple and then the device.
Then, it was Hermione's turn. She stood on the platform and apparently couldn't resist doing a little bit of showboating. She took on a heroic pose, thrusting her chest forward and adopted a rather dapper expression. "Energize!" she yelled over to Bellatrix and Luna. Bellatrix wasn't sure if she or Luna rolled her eyes the hardest, but the two witches got to casting regardless.
Hermione disappeared with a magical crack, and instantly reappeared on the receiving platform. The murmurs turned to gasps as Hermione jumped off and stepped back to stand next to Bellatrix, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"No trickery," shouted one of the observers. "Genuine magic! It works!"
Murmurs went to silence. Then, almost as one, the members of the Wizengamot stood up to give the gathered group of researchers a standing ovation. Instantly, journalists rushed forward and the blinding lights of the many flashing cameras kept going and going and going.
Truth be told Bellatrix didn't like this at all: the reaction felt a little too rehearsed... too choreographed. No doubt there was more than one of these vulture-politicians scheming to use this new school of magic to their own advantage. They'd have to be on their guard.
Meanwhile, Lucius was overwhelmed by it all, tears in his eyes.
"Look at him," smiled Hermione, raising her voice to be able to speak over the volume of the applause. "That's the face of a man who's finally gotten the recognition he's always wanted after thirty years of trying. I'm so happy for him."
"Hm," Bellatrix replied softly. "Remember this moment, Hermione. Our lives will never be the same."
"Fame and fortune isn't your thing?" Hermione gave her a smirk.
"I've had my fair share of wealth and infamy. Others can have it," said Bellatrix, a smile on her lips. "All I want is you."
It was then that Hermione kissed her on the lips, not caring about the gathered crowd or the many journalists taking photos.
"So much for discretion," Bellatrix grinned and promptly kissed her back.
The next few moments had been a flurry of madness as all of them had been stormed by journalists, politicians and academics alike with thousands of questions ranging from the inane to the insanely detailed. Though she did her best to field any questions aimed at her, Bellatrix was starting to feel a mite claustrophobic as she was being swamped and surrounded by hundreds of people. Hermione was in much the same state, bombarded with thousands of questions about what she had experienced during the teleportation itself.
There was one particularly vexing woman whom could only ask questions about personal relationships between the group of researchers, once more proving the old adage that when an astronomer pointed at the sky, the wise man looked at the stars while the fool looked at the finger.
Thankfully, she and Hermione saw chance to escape and quickly rushed away from the small army of people. Hermione expressed some guilt at throwing the others under the bus, but that quickly passed as it was obvious that, Lucius at least, was having the time of his life trying to explain teleportation mechanics in a vastly over-complicated way to an overwhelmed crowd of journo's.
They excited the building and found themselves in the oldest part of Edinburgh, where the Ministry was located. Together, they strolled through the winding streets among the old buildings. Hermione's lovely evening gown... and, of course, her lovely body inside of said evening gown... was attracting a bit of attention here and there, and Bellatrix had to silence a few passersby with the deadliest glare she could muster. Hermione, for her part, didn't seem to mind as much.
They rested at small park next to the Waters of Leith, the main river running through Edinburgh. Leaning on the wall with the calm waters flowing towards the sea below them, they both enjoyed a cigarette.
"Bella," Hermione spoke softly after both had finished their cigarettes, her hand on Bellatrix's shoulder. "You don't have to do this, you know?"
"Yes," Bellatrix replied. "I do."
In the palm of her hand lay the silver pendant shaped in the skull of a jackdaw. It was one of two things she had brought from her own world, the other being her wand. But it was this pendant which held the most meaning. An ancient family heirloom almost a thousand years old, passed from mother to eldest daughter, it stood as a symbol of purity and the strength and power of the witches of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.
It was gifted to her by her mother when she'd come of age. She had worn it when she first attended the clandestine meetings where she had first met the dark lord. She had worn it with pride when he had bestowed the dark mark upon her. She had worn it during her wedding. She had worn it during raids, wore it with pride while torturing the Longbottoms. After Azkaban, she had worn it again in the second wizarding war, worn it during the assault on Hogwarts, worn it... while viciously torturing the Hermione Granger of her own world. The girl next to her, the same and yet so different, who was now looking at her with loving eyes.
The pendant had become the symbol of everything which had gone wrong in her life. Now that she was rebuilding her life, now that she was healing, it felt wrong to continue to wear it.
She tilted her hand slightly, letting it slide off her palm. The pendant fell, meeting the Waters of Leith. It quickly disappeared beneath the water, as did the ripples it had caused, until there was no sign of it left.
Bellatrix didn't think she'd feel as relieved as she did. A circle had been broken, in a way. She turned to look a smiling Hermione in the eye. The younger witch stood closer to her and lay her head on her shoulder. "Remind me to buy you something nice to replace it," Hermione spoke softly. "You know, as soon as I have something resembling an income."
"Hah," Bellatrix muttered. "Judging by the raving politicians back at the Ministry, I don't think you'll have to wait long. Your name's on the patent too, remember?"
"As is yours," smiled Hermione. "Funny, really. I didn't think my life would take this many sudden turns."
"You want to talk about lives taking sudden turns?" Bellatrix raised an eyebrow, causing Hermione to giggle. She then lay her head on Hermione's shoulder, enjoying her closeness.
Together they stood at the riverside, watching the water flow calmly towards the sea.