CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
"Fuck. Fuck!" The tears were streaming down Hermione's face and she didn't care. "Fuck !"
The stone floors were cold and uncaring as she escaped the main floor of the castle. She stomped senselessly down the hall, the only direction she intended to go was far, far away. If she didn't stop moving she knew she'd break down.
"Umpf !" Her voice sounded deranged to her own ears. The shaking extended up her elbows now.
An eager pop filled the area a few paces behind her. "Yes Missu- Oh !" Hurried pads followed her quickly. "How, huff, may Umpf help, Mis-"
Hermione spun back on the elf, the magic sizzled around her like a storm. "Get your tea."
The elf cowered at the thunder in her tone and nodded much too quickly. "Yes, Missus!"
She came down on him and Umpf feared she'd plow straight through him with her unseeing expression. Surprisingly, Hermione stopped with her hand outstretched for apparition. He gulped and took it. They left the hall in a snap.
This time, Hermione almost caught the ghost by surprise.
"Oh! Puppy, you'r-"
"Notes. I will take them home."
Bellatrix hesitated in her point of vantage. She was sat in front of the hearth, closer than any living being should've stayed for such a ferocious blaze. The younger witch had landed once again on the bed but this time, landed expertly on her feet and took off towards the bookcases.
"What is it this time ?" She swivelled around and finally noticed the elf from before. He quivered beside the mattress. "Hermione ?"
The concern fell on deaf ears, Hermione was busy snatching up sorted piles of paper from the low shelves. She dropped her boots and cloak in a dirty heap and went to work. Notes crumpled roughly in her terrible hands. She even scanned over a collection of papers haphazardly before scattering them to the ground.
"Hey ! Hey, pet .." Bellatrix called and floated over. The sheets flapped, cutting at her ears and pride. Eating the distance between them, ragged breaths could be heard from halfway across the room.
"Hey, now.. Hermione.." The voice was so soft. Hermione's vision bounced with the heavy heaves of her chest. Then her sight grew watery and blurred the world into a ruined painting. Her frustration headed. "No, no, no, fuck! Fuck." She couldn't even notice the cold that intensified around her. "Stop fucking crying.."
Mumbling under her breath she couldn't growled. She could've screamed.
No no no no no no , no ! Quit being such a brat -
There was no way to describe the shock of a warm hand touching the small of Hermione's back. She cried out, something pained, something embarrassed. When they met each other's gazes Bellatrix saw it.
Shame.
Hermione felt like she was on fire. Like she wanted to cast herself on fire. Something to ignite every nerve on her body. To give her real pain, sensible pain. Anything but this rotten feeling, like her body was running a time elapsed decomposition on her turning her to guilt, guilt, black and toxic guilt.
Even through the sustained eye contact her lungs continued to demand oxygen like she was escaping Snatchers. Her body folded and, though taller than the ghost, she contracted into something so small she wondered if she could still be a person. Her eyes pleaded and wailed but her mouth hung open in a silent scream.
Bellatrix was the calmest she'd ever seen. Eyes so dark she'd loved to crawl inside them and die. Hermione couldn't even see the flickering firelight through them.
The pressure on her back increased.
Slowly, the pair turned, the ghost as guide. The first step was the hardest. Her legs hurt. She was clenching them so bad. She was scared she'd fall.
"It's okay.."
The voice like ointment. The voice like black night.
Her leg closest buckled first, more a stagger than a step. Hermione's shoulders shook, too.
"There, that's it, pet.. Very good now."
The next step was a success. An approving nod. Then another.
"I've got you. Come now."
Step by step. They travelled. Hermione felt sick. She bet she looked sick.
Sick, sick.
A new mantra.
"Look at you. Very good." The interruption of her internal chant was rude, but the demons inside were momentarily silenced.
Slowly, the colours on her peripheral shifted. They passed the fireplace. "Excellent, pet… Excellent."
Hermione's throat was dry and tight, she imagined it was a tight braid of rope, rubbing the interior of her throat raw.
"Good, good, Hermione." The nod was so mesmerizing that Hermione almost nodded back as well. "Forgive me."
She didn't have a moment to wonder what that meant. Her foot caught air not stone and Hermione plunged into the small pool of water. Suddenly, all air was now occupied by cool touch. The pressure of water around her. Her weight seemed confused and pulled oddly all over. The temperature, though the same as the room above, felt like sweet cool prickles over every inch of skin. The view was complete darkness. She blinked and felt the water move away and against her eyes again.
Then a burning.
She couldn't breath.
Air.
Her brain sparked to life. Limbs back online and now struggling to push herself upwards.
It only took one mighty coordination of arms and legs to force herself upwards far enough to break the surface. She gasped for air.
Next was finding the rim of the pool. A short search, but Hermione was surprised that the dimensions of the pool weren't limited to just the circumference of the pond. Irritation bubbled with the knowledge that she could've gone under and gotten trapped beneath the floor. "F-fuck !"
"I've told you my thoughts about a foul mouth." The gentle drawl came for the opposite side of the pond.
"You-ou-ou bitch !" The words stuttered out. Her jaw spasmed. The air was noticeable colder now that she was soaked to the bone.
"Well, that's just mean."
Blinking away the blurriness she swiped her hand across her wet face to rid the water. Her arm surfaced heavily from the weight of Neville's thick, waterlogged sweater sleeve. Bellatrix came back into view. She was sitting cross legged on the rim of the pond with her skirts bunched up on her lap.
"Welcome back." The tease wasn't as dry as her past deliveries. In fact, if Hermione wasn't neck deep in an unexpected swim, she might've laughed. "W-wha ..? Why.."
"You were panicking, I think." Her lip pouted slightly in thought and her large eyes wandered the rest of the room nonplussed. "You better not go on me again, you hear ? This trick only works once, so if I lose you again, I'm pushing you into the fire."
Hermione's breathing had calmed significantly but her blood flow redirected to her cheeks as realization set. "Oh, Jesus."
"Yes, Jesus." Bellatrix nodded. "Jesus, indeed."
Hermione shook her head and groaned. "Fuck me.."
"Ew."
Hermione ignored that and turned around to try and crawl her way out of the pool. The deed was ungraceful and demeaning. It was all the more difficult with the lack of walls to push off of and the water soaked cashmere and wool she was wearing was unbearably heavy. Several efforts were paused to ensure she didn't lose her pants in the process.
Bellatrix watched it all with masked delight. Muddy could turn the brightest of reds.
Once she had gotten her tummy and tops of her thighs out of the water, Hermione tiredly rolled over and out of the pool, water sloshing after her. She lay there, limbs spread, suppressing her pants.
"Woo! Ten points for Gryffindor !" The ghost cheered and clapped.
"Shut up, I could've drowned !" Hermione yelled hoarsely to the ceiling hoping to guilt the ghost.
"You're a witch, are you not ?"
Hermione could've slapped herself in the face.
A chuckle descended from above that seemed to indicate that Bellatrix read her mind. "Ah.. poor wittle Mudblood."
"Fuck you."
"My, my, twice an offer in one day. Maybe, I won't refuse a third.."
Hermione's eyes snapped open and she sprung up on an elbow to find the damned ghost. She found her picking up the papers by the bookshelf.. Her face flushed again and averted her eyes from the exaggerated bend at the waist. Her skin was tightening from the cold and she dismissed the heat that burned in her middle. One hand cast the water from the clothes while her other tried to smooth the sweater over her breasts. Calm down, you two.
She rose back to her feet and approached the ghost who continued to sway busily. The cold wasn't helping her unruly nipples in the slightest. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry.. I.."
"It's fine, you can't stop those."
Hermione opened her mouth to say more, but stilled.
Looking at the ghost who completely ignored her presence, she couldn't help but wonder if she'd experienced panic attacks before herself. Her mind answered. Of course she hasn't - she's Bellatrix LeStrange and of course she had - she's Bellatrix LeStrange at the same time. She was nowhere near confident enough to ask.
Bellatrix had gathered all the sheets from the cobblestone and was now patiently reading enough of each paper to sort them back to their correct home. She couldn't help but stare. The volume of her curls were so luscious and effortless. The profile of her face, a pointed chin and straight nose. Sculpted brows above such attentive eyes. Eyes that saw everything. To remain beautiful forever. The thought drifted slowly by and she wanted to shiver. Hermione noted the way her eyebrows would jump once she'd recognize the text and where the page was to go. Hermione swallowed as she mapped the smooth plain of her throat as cords moved below the untouched skin. Didn't she have a tattoo there ..?
"You're staring, puppy.."
It wasn't quite a growl but tingles raced across her body nonetheless. Hermione sniffed guiltily and turned away, missing the smile that grew on the ghost's face. "Ahem. Th..ank you. For helping me."
She was still. The witch turned soundlessly and Hermione was certain that even if she was alive, she would've made just as much noise. "Here." She had to step back quickly to see the pile of papers Bellatrix hovered in her hands. When did I get so close ? "Notes for the week. I expect you to return them to me in the same, if not, better condition then they are in now." Her voice lowered. "Am I making myself clear ?"
"Yes." It almost fell out of her mouth like an impulse.
Bellatrix gave her a crooked smile and Hermione forgot to breathe. "Excellent." Bellatrix gilded right past her and Hermione felt the raised lace of her sleeve catch on the fabric of her own. "Right. Now take Minty and get lost."
Hermione felt a slurry of emotions before casting an inquisitive glance back. Only then did she finally notice the poor elf still present in the room. "Umpf !"
"Quit looking at my rear then, Granger."
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head from the joke but chose not to speak until she was safe and out of the Room of Requirements, far enough that a certain undead Death Eater couldn't over hear her.
Umpf had kindly apparated the two to the hallway before the Griffin statue and Hermione went down on her knees to give him a hug. "I'm so sorry I frightened you earlier."
Umpf stayed still in the embrace but was far from tense. "No trouble, Missus, no trouble at all."
"No, please. I'll ask Minerva to import a shipment of some very special tea for you. I've heard that Jamaican Mint tea is so strong, the smell alone will ease your feet."
Umpf smiled like a sock puppet. "Missus is truly wonderful."
She placed a kiss on his head and the elf preened before popping away.
Hermione sighed, ready for the day to be over. Trudging back to the Griffin, he wordlessly moved aside to allow her passage. Entering the Headmistress' Office she took in Severus reading by the hearth with Minerva's feet in his lap. ""Ermione !" The witch had half her back bent over the arm of her chair and a cup of water clutched to her chest. "We didn' 'xpect to see you back !"
She shut the door behind her and looked questioningly at the tired man. "Elfish wine for dinner." He recited.
"Ah.." She made her way in. "Do you need any help getting back home, Sev?"
Crossing the floor, she helped put Minerva to rights and she squealed in delight from the dizzying adventure. "I think I will stay until she's sober. Can't have her rummaging about looking to find where we hidden the Goblin made Spirits."
"We 'ave more ?" The question came out scandalized and Hermione laughed and Snape's mouth twitched happily.
"Thanks, Sev. I love you, Min." The older witch burst into a cascade of giggles while Hermione summoned her bag once more. "I'm gonna head out, I think."
Severus ignored Minerva's teasing expressions and raised a brow. "Is everything alright ?"
When it comes to Severus, that's as close as it gets to a hug. "Yeah.. just a long day is all."
He said nothing but dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Very well. I've gotten wino to sip her water so you are free to go."
"Wino !? 'Ow 'bout min-own business." Minerva shouted much too loud then laughed even louder at her own joke. Hermione touched Severus' shoulder in a thank you and then moved over to give Minerva the Hermione special. Which was just a very long hug.
"I'll see you later, Minnie."
"See my ass. 'M gone !" Minerva wriggled in Hermione's embrace and managed two flailing arms around her former student. "Gone, I-say."
"She'll be out for interviews, but she'll be back before the party."
Hermione was shocked at how quickly the day had come. "If not, we just dress you up as Headmistress for the weekend." She supplied.
"Don't be absurd." He massaged a stocking clad foot in his large hands. "How do we explain her staggering drop in age ?"
Minerva must have been further gone than expected, seeing as her only response was to hunker down into her armchair and grumble sleepily. Hermione smiled at the pair and grabbed some floo powder in her hand.
"Oh and Hermione ?" She turned back to see Snape hiding a smile. "Are those Professor Longbottom's clothes ?"
Hermione flushed hard for the millionth time that day and chose to leap into the green flames rather than waiting to explain herself after Minerva finished her raucous cackling.