Just an author's note: The next chapter will be the end of the first arch of this story. After this we will be focusing on Bella and her finishing out her work for the ministry. As well as focusing on her relationship with Hermoine and her sister, Andi. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
The travel days were somewhat of a blur to Hermione and Bellatrix. They had three portkeys set up between Diagon Alley to just outside of Melbourne where a small wizarding village stood. Hermione was grateful that Bellatrix had cleared their travel with the international wizard embassy which made their journey a lot easier. They had intercontinental clearance which Hermione noted was probably due to the Black ancestry and Bella's reformation. She didn't ask questions, she was just thankful to be with the older witch as she had everything under control.
The first stop was in Cairo. It was merely a half hour layover and they were off to an overnight stay in Phuket, Thailand. After arriving at the embassy in Thailand, they were told that their final portkey wouldn't be available until the next morning. Bella had been prepared when selecting the portkey locations and apparated herself and Hermione to an unknown cottage near a beach.
"Where are we, Bella? It's beautiful here." Hermione said exiting the backdoor of the cottage which let out to a small porch with a hot tub leading to a private section of the beach.
Bellatrix walked up next to Hermione and grabbed her hand, leading her down to the beach. When they got to the edge of the water, she encouraged the girl to sit down next to her. She put her arm around the younger girl encouraging her to rest her head on her shoulder which Hermione did without hesitation.
"This is a Lestrange property." Bellatrix started and felt the girl tense up. "Before your mind starts wandering, no me and my ex husband were never here together. No one besides me and well now you, have ever set foot here. I bought this place as an escape with some of the money from the Lestrange vault. Minerva encouraged me to combine the Lestrange and Black vaults and she said it might be nice to have a few properties around incase I needed an escape."
Hermione relaxed back into the other witch. "It is beautiful. Have you been here recently?"
"The last time I came here was a week before school started when Minerva told me that you were coming to teach. I needed to breathe. This seemed like a good place to wrap my head around having to come face to face with the person who hated me most in the world." Bellatrix answered honestly giving the girl's shoulder a squeeze before Hermione raised her head to look at Bella.
"Hey. I don't hate you." Hermione said looking into Bella's eyes.
"You might not hate me now but even you can't convince me that I've always been your favorite person." Bella said looking back out into the water.
"Well no but I've seen the progress you've made, Bella. You aren't the same woman who gave this to me at Malfoy Manor that afternoon." Hermione said rolling up the sleeve on her blouse exposing her mudblood scar. Bellatrix looked at the scar and ran her finger over it. Hermione shuddered at the feeling.
"I'm sorry you ever had to meet that version of me. In a perfect world, the person sitting right here with you would be the only one you knew of." Bellatrix sighed absentmindedly tracing Hermione's scar. "I want to fix this."
"The dagger was cursed, no?" Hermione asked stopping Bellatrix's finger from feeling the scar and intertwining their fingers together.
"Unfortunately." Bella sighed. "It's not impossible to fix this. I just need my original wand and the dagger."
"I turned your wand into the ministry after the war was over."
"I know. They have my dagger as well. I won't be able to get those back until I complete their program. I swear to you Hermione," Bella said grabbing Hermione's chin and stroking it softly, "I will fix this and make this disappear. It'll never take away what happened between us but it will hopefully help to aid in a fresh start after I can erase this disgusting reminder of who I used to be." Bella said quietly resting her forehead against Hermione's.
Hermione lifted Bella's chin and leaned in to place a soft kiss on her lips. Moving her hands up the older witch's arms, she gave her shoulders a squeeze as she licked along Bella's bottom lip. Bella opened her mouth allowing Hermione to explore the kiss deeper. Bellatrix moaned when she felt Hermione's tongue dance along hers slowly and with purpose. One of Bella's hands moved into Hermione's hair deepening the kiss further while her other arm snaked around the girl's lower back bring their bodies flush together and into her lap. This amount of contact made Hermione gasp. Bellatrix pulled back slightly to suck the girl's lower lip in her mouth and take a necessary inhale of air. Bellatrix placed a line of kisses along Hermione's jaw.
"Fuck Hermione, you don't realize the things you do to me with a simple kiss." Bella groaned out as she found Hermione's ear lobe and sucked it into her mouth. Hermione let out a filthy little moan that made Bella's hip involuntarily jerk upwards toward the younger woman.
"Show me then, Bella. Show me what I do to you. Show me everything you want to do to me. Show me how good I make you feel. Touch me, Bella." Hermione whispered into Bella's ear as she picked up Bella's hand and slipped in into her shirt, placing the older witch's hand on top of her bra covered breast. Bellatrix gave the new unexplored territory a gentle squeeze. Bella could only growl in response as she moved her head down and sucked on a part of Hermione's collarbone that wasn't hidden by her shirt. Hermione could feel the slick feeling between her legs and the throb she felt between the apex of her thighs. Bellatrix saw Hermione squeeze her thighs together searching for any friction she could get to help alleviate some of her need.
"Bella," Hermione said trying to get the other woman's attention. "Bella," she said again pushing on Bellatrix's shoulder a little to get her to look up. Hermione noticed that she was staring in eyes that looked black as night. "Fuck, Bella." She leaned in and placed a final kiss on Bella's lips. The kiss was slow as she moved her lips against the other woman's. Hermione was convinced that these were the only lips she wanted to kiss for the rest of her life. She let out a shaky breath when they finally parted. Forehead to forehead, the women took a moment to catch their breath. Hermione slipped off the woman's lap and took her spot on the beach next to Bellatrix.
"I'm sorry." Bella said finally.
"For what?" Hermione asked somewhat confused.
"I got carried away. It seems that my self control is a little fuzzy when you are so close to me whispering such naughty things in my ear." Bella said tucking a couple of strands of hair behind Hermione's ear. Hermione gave Bella a coy smile and buttoned up the top couple of buttons of her shirt that came undone in their amorous activities.
"None of this is unwanted by me, Bella. I want you to be my first. I don't know if I'm ready, or if I'll be ready tomorrow or in a month's time but I know I have really strong feelings for you and your kisses do things to me, too." Hermione blushed.
"You are in control here, dove. We will only take things as far as you are comfortable going. There isn't any pressure. We will both know when it's time for us." Bellatrix said hooking her arm around Hermione's shoulder bringing her back into her side. Hermione rested her head on her shoulder and found her other hand to hold. "Whenever we do have sex," Bellatrix started and Hermione turned her head to look up at her, "It's going to be magical." The dark witch looked down and placed a kiss on Hermione's forehead.
"Come on, let's go inside and see what we can do about getting some dinner." Bellatrix said standing and pulling Hermione up. The two women walked back into the house and spent the night cuddling and preparing for their finally portkey trip that would take them to her parents.
—
Bellatrix woke the next morning to find that somehow in the middle of the night Hermione had wrapped her arms completely around her body in some sort of Koala bear hold. The younger witch had also snaked her leg in-between her own and was dangerously close to pressing on a sensitive area. Bella was able to slowly move her leg out from under Hermione's without waking her.
"There problem averted for now." Bellatrix thought with a chuckle. "Not that having a beautiful woman's left pressed against me is a problem but it's best not to start anything now that we aren't prepared to finish. I needed to bring Hermione back here this summer after school's out so we can spend some quality time breaking in this bed." Bellatrix sighed and shook her head. "No, Bella. Bring your mind back out of the gutter. We need to get up. Our portkey leaves soon and we have parents to save."
Bellatrix shifted slightly in the tight grip Hermione had on her abdomen. Hermione shifted and slowly started blinking her eyes.
"Morning." The younger witch slurred as she closed her eyes and smiled up at Bellatrix.
"My god you are so beautiful." Bellatrix said placing a chaste kiss on Hermione's lips. Hermione made a feeble attempt to deepen the kiss but she felt the other witch pulling away before it could go any further. "Spoil my morning fun." Hermione gruffed out.
Bellatrix laughed and shook her head. "Our portkey leaves in an hour and a half and I don't know about you but I need a bath and some toast." Hermione smiled up at the older witch and nodded her head.
Bellatrix went for a soak in the tub and Hermione used the outdoor shower to wash herself. It was brisk but the view of the ocean was amazing. "Hopefully one day, Bella and I can come back here." She thought as she dried herself off and put on a pair of khaki shorts, a plain black t-shirt and a pair of flip flops. She quick dried her hair with a nonverbal spell and threw it in a low ponytail. Hermione made her way back into the cottage and saw Bellatrix placing their toast on the table. She was wearing a pair of black jeans and a dark green spaghetti strapped tank top. Her hair was swept up on the top of her head with a few pieces framing her face. Hermione's mouth went dry and the sight before her.
"That outfit should be illegal." Hermione breathed out coming up to wrap her arms around the shorter witch.
"See something you like, huh pet?" Hermione knew that Bella was smirking without having to see her face.
"You have no idea." Hermione said placing a kiss on the side of Bella's neck. Bellatrix hummed in response to the sweet gesture. Hermione inhaled deeply and said "I should probably let you go because I'm having certain thoughts that would definitely make us late for our portkey." Bellatrix chuckled.
They sat in relative silence and shared their tea and toast.
"Bella?"
"Yes, love."
"Just do me a favor and hang on to that outfit when we get back to Hogwarts."
Bellatrix just laughed and winked at Hermione.
—
Hermione and Bellatrix landed in Melbourne late in the afternoon. The travel went much better than Hermione had anticipated. Traveling by portkey wasn't a fun experience. If all goes well with her parents, Bellatrix plans to get the wizarding embassy in Melbourne to link the Granger's fireplace to Hermione's in Hogwarts. The only problem would be if the Granger's didn't have a fireplace. They would deal with that problem if it occurred.
"Come on, Bella." Hermione said wrapping her arms around her travel companion.
"Where are we going?"
"We need a car." Hermione said apparating them a short walk to a car rental place. They walked to the building and Hermione was practically dragging Bellatrix along as she hesitated.
"Woah, woah. Hermione slow down." Bellatrix pulled back to stop the girl while they were still in the brush before the sidewalk leading to the rental place. "Why do we need to get one of these muggle death traps? We are perfectly capable of apparating wherever we need to go."
Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "Bella, we can't just apparate into the middle of my parent's dental office tomorrow. We are trying to be inconspicuous here. There aren't many wizards or magical people around here save for where we are staying overnight. I promise you'll be fine in the car. And I do have my driver's license so I'm perfectly capable of getting us to where we need to go in one piece."
Bella had a look of fear in her eyes. "But look!" She said pointing at a ridiculously large spider a fair distance away from them walking along the brush. "You can't tell me that thing isn't magical. Look how fucking big that beast is. Surely, we could just ride that into town."
Hermione laughed. "Oh Bella. I think that's just how big those things around down here. We probably shouldn't linger by it. It's rather intimidating." Hermione said pulling Bella away from the large spider that looked the size of a small dog.
"Okay. Fine. I guess the 'car'" Bella said using air quote, "will be fine. As long as you promise not to kill me on the way there."
"I promise. No harm will come to you while riding in the car as my passenger." Hermione said kissing Bella's cheek.
They started to walk into the rental building when Bella said, "you have to admit though. Hagrid would have loved to get his hands on that spider." Hermione laughed and shook her head as she pulled Bella inside.
—
It only took about 20 minutes of convincing on Hermione's part to get Bella into the passenger seat. She even talked her into putting her safety belt on. Bella wouldn't let Hermione even start the engine prior to her placing a cushioning charm on both of them incase something happened. Hermione tried to convey that most of the trip was through outback and not on highways but Bellatrix wasn't hearing any of it.
"You are being petulant, Bella. Seriously, it's only a 45 minute drive to the hotel." Hermione said smiling at the woman as she finished her charm.
"All set. Let's go before I change my mind and apparate us directly into the bed." Bella said putting her wand back in the backpack Hermione had placed by her feet.
Hermione sighed loudly and started the car. She looked over and saw the uncomfortable look on Bella's face. She turned the radio on to a classical music station to try to get Bella to relax. Hermione thought it best to try to take her mind off the driving.
"So are you ready for tomorrow? I can't believe I'd going to see my parents again. Whether they remember me or not, I will see them for the first time in almost 3.5 years. It's crazy to think about. Your consultation is the last appointment of the day. That might be best because I know my parents send all the staff home at the end of the day. You should be able to to whatever you need to do without any interference."
"I think I'm going to put a sleeping charm on them to see what's in their memories. It'll probably be easier to do it if they aren't awake. I have a plan and I'm confident it'll work but you'll have to stay outside the room."
"Okay. I can do that. I'm nervous, excited and scared. I hope that if they do remember me, they aren't mad at me for not only altering their memories but for taking so long to bring them back. What if they don't want to come home? What if they love their life here?" Hermione asked with an undertone of fear in her voice.
"They'd be foolish to not want to be wherever you are." Bellatrix said finally letting go of her death grip on the seat and reaching over to squeeze Hermione's thigh. "Plus, if they give me a hard time, I can just conjure that spider and scare them with it. We don't have those in England well except in the Forbidden Forrest but what your parents don't know can't hurt them."
"Who are you going to tell my parents that you are?" Hermione questioned.
"Well I was going to start with either a professor or coworker. I mean, I am going to be 48. I don't think stating my intentions with their 20 year old daughter is the best way to make a first impression. We can leave that conversation for sometime in the future. I've never had to introduce myself to anyone's parents before."
"Bella. It doesn't matter to me that you are 28 years older than me." Bellatrix made a wincing face at the age difference. "Seriously, you are amazing and look no older than 30. My parent's know that witches and wizards live longer lives and age at a slower rate. They won't even think that you are in your 40s."
"We shall see." Bella said giving her thigh a gentle squeeze.
"Not to be that girl, but what are we?" Hermione asked looking at Bella quickly before turning her eyes back to the road.
"I'm unsure of what you mean? I am courting you. At least I'm trying to but we haven't had much of a chance for me to take you on a date. I'm not even sure how to court someone. I've never taken anyone on a date before."
"Courting me? That sounds very pureblood." Hermione snickered.
"Well what would you call me? Dating? What do the kids say… hanging out? Whatever that means." Bellatrix stared daggers at the other woman.
"Well, if I were talking to Ginny or another friend, I would say that you are my girlfriend. Though I don't know if we are allowed to have any sort of public relationship at school since you still are my professor."
"No, I suppose we wouldn't be allowed. Though I think it might be worth talking to Minerva about at some point. I do wish to pursue this with you and I don't want to wait until after you graduate. I can be discrete. None of the other students will find out. Unless of course you tell Red because I know she won't be able to keep her mouth shut."
"Hey, I can be discrete, too. Ginny won't tell anyone. I'll threaten her and tell her you'll take care of her if she tell anyone. And we can also bring that spider back to put in her bed." Bellatrix and Hermione laughed together at that thought.
The women stared at the road and listen to the music as their trip in the car was coming to an end. They pulled up outside the hotel and Hermione parked the car. Bellatrix let out a sigh of relief and quickly undid the cushioning charms.
"Bella?" Hermione said looking over and grabbing Bellatrix's hand.
"Yes, love." Bellatrix said smiling back at the girl.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Hermione asked with a blush creeping up her cheeks.
"More than anything." Bella responded pulling Hermione towards her and crashing their lips together.