It was not long before Hermione was looking back at me in the mirror. I smiled and took a deep breath, then put on muggle clothes- a tight fitting pair of boot-cut jeans, a t-shirt with long sleeves and an ankle-length black overcoat (all of which I had stolen some years previously from a muggle woman I used to know). Then I accessorised with a pair of vintage earrings. They were silver and held within each of them a pearl of jet. For the final flourish I transfigured Hermione's bedraggled converse into metallic ancle boots with laces along the side rather than at the front.

I collected the young witch's wand and cast a silencing spell on the bed so that Hermione wouldn't be disturbed, then, leaving the house, I cast a protective charm to keep the hollow out of sight.

Good. That's all the preparation. I walked around the hollow casting the charms silently while I mused. It is a pity she doesn't wear any make up though. I used to love making myself up as Bellatrix. The theatricality of it all.

I smiled, my work complete and apparated to the entrance of Malfoy manor.

There was a low fog resting, both unsettled and stagnated above dying rose gardens and below the shining windows of the manor. They glinted with the gold of the morning sun as I approached and I could hear beneath my feet, the shaded gravel pathway that captured all my body heat and drained the colour from my petit Gryffindor frame.

Show time.

I approached the gates to the manor with all the impertinence, rage and naïve bravery that I knew Hermione would possess in the face of such darkness. I spat as a snivelling Pettigrew called out to whomever would hear him "It's that Grange-"

I threw the gate into a cloud of smoke and walked through it, stupefying the pathetic man before re-forming the gate behind me. Then snatchers, five of them, ran toward me, licking their lips as though I was dinner. I smiled as I vanished the ground beneath their feet and covered it over them again, burying them alive. I paused. Oops, that wasn't very Hermione. I raised their heads to the surface of the ground so that they could breathe and cast a quick silencing spell on each of them, turning to face my next threat, Grayback, Lucius and Rodolphus, who had just burst through the archaic entrance.

It was Lucius who spoke first: "Granger- my, my." He gestured to the six disarmed wizards that surrounded me, "what a performance. I didn't know you had it in you."

"Out of my way Lucius, I am here for my friends!" I shouted, surprised by the strength of the woman's vocal capability. She was fierce.

But the men simply laughed.

"Confringo!" I cried, the spell moving straight past the men who continued to laugh until the stone archway to the front of the manor fell forward in shards of ancient stone and crushed Rodolphus dead.

I didn't care about the whole 'no killing' thing in that moment, I had been waiting for an opportunity to end that man's life since I was 19.

Grayback charged toward me, his craws digging into the softened ground before him. Lucius too began to throw all manor of nasty curses in my direction. Not amused anymore? I blocked the spells with ease and with my other hand, smashed a window, drawing the fallen blades of glass into the back of the predator. Of course, I knew this would not be enough to slaughter the beast, but in his momentary lapse of concentration, his primal flinching in pain, I shouted, "Petrificus totalus!"

His body fell to the ground and I forgot I was being pursued by Lucius, a cruciatus blazed past my cheek and I cried out, reflexively throwing a killing curse in his direction. I missed thank merlin. But the man, now startled, ran off into the manor. I collected up Pettigrew's wand and that of Rodulphus, I placed them into the band of my jeans where they were securely glued to the side of my thigh. I then walked over to Grayback who was paralysed, laying on his front. I kicked his body over, the ground pushing the glass deeper into his back, and transfigured his teeth into dolly mixtures and his claws into liquorish wands. I then pulled them all out simultaneously with my wand and burned them in a ball that I levitated just above his head.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" I spoke, my body trembling from fatigue and my face scarred beneath the cheekbone.

I turned on my heel and walked into the manor, knowing surely that I would be met by a barrage of curses- a cocktail of unforgivables. But it did not come. Instead, there was only Narcissa and Draco, wands raised in anticipation.

I fought my impulse to grin at their cowardice and instead spoke clearly in Hermione's startlingly British accent, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I am here for my friends."

Then I heard footsteps behind me and the door slammed shut with such force that the ground of the entrance hall tremored.

Bellatrix.

"Well, well, well!" her voice mocked from behind me. "What have we got here?"

Narcissa spoke next. "Bella, stay back, she is more powerful than-"

"This little scrap? No- she wouldn't hurt a fly." Bellatrix's proximity was becoming minorly unnerving, I imagine that Hermione, in this position, would be paralysed in fear. She leaned in to press her lips to my ear and I slowly took a second wand out of my jeans, holding in my left hand while my right was still aimed seemingly haplessly, at Narcissa. "Would you Mudblood?"

Lilith couldn't help but smile in that moment as she finally felt she had cause to kill at Bellatrix's foul word. I silently attempted to disarm Bellatrix but of course the witch was too fast for me, even if she was surprised by my use of Rodolphus' wand. She shot back a plethora of horrific curses as she realised, I had killed her husband, and I in turn, defending myself with Hermione's wand and casting with the other, I had managed to disarm Draco within moments. He, like his father, ran off soon after.

I levitated his wand into my jeans. And was met now with the challenge of overcoming both Narcissa and Bellatrix in a duel. Even I was not arrogant enough to believe that would be an easy task.

"Enough!" I cried as I pointed both wands toward the ceiling and threw it down onto the witches. "Where are my friends!"

Bellatrix threw the ceiling right back at me before it could hit the ground. I had to think fast and transfigured it into thousands of chocolate frogs. They sprung all about the place and in that moment of chaos I stormed past them, running with desperation toward the dungeon. "Harry! Ron!" I called out. "Stand back!" I melted the stone cell door into a puddle of molten rock, then froze it instantly. Throwing Ron Draco's wand.

"Hermione!" Harry cried. "Bloody hell!" was the phrase that followed, then Ron paused. "What are you wearing?"

I rolled my eyes and called to the rest of the prisoners "Follow me if you want to live!" With that I sprinted up the stairs.

Bellatrix was there to greet me; I knew then that my cover was blown…

She grabbed my arm and, in that moment, I thought that the stars might be wrong, that perhaps, it is here and now that I would die, finally, condemned to an unrestful eternity with my dark lover.

Harry snatched a protruding wand from the band of my jeans and began to duel the witch. Startling me. I realised then that Potter was indeed an asset. I might be able to do this. Meanwhile, Ron and his band of other prisoners ran for the exit but found that they couldn't get out the door. "Hermione! The door, it's cursed!"

Do I have to do fucking everything!

That's when Bellatrix penetrated my mind. My eyes locked with her own.

This is what tore you apart last night wasn't it? You saw what you must do, save potter and his freaks, defy the dark lord, defy me?

She was making minced meat out of the Potter boy; I knew he would not last much longer.

Her eyes blazed.

The Dark Lord will surely kill you if you harm the boy.

Bellatrix smiled at that and stopped exhausting herself unnecessarily.

You're right Lilith, it's you that I want.

I shuddered- genuinely. "Harry, go!"

"No- I am not leaving you again!"

"Protago maxima!"

Harry's body was enveloped in a globe of protection, but this magic is incredibly difficult to sustain. I threw the orb he was suspended in at the great door but while Harry and his friends were now free, I was beaten, the polyjuice was now losing its effect, Harry had taken Pettigrew's wand and Rodolphus' was in Narcissa's hand.

"Looks like your time it up Lilith" Bellatrix cooed.

I laughed; reassured that the witch still loved to play with her food. "Oh Bella, my reign has not yet begun." With those final words I transformed into my Animagus, and leaped through the nearest window, out into the rose garden. Bellatrix screamed in frustration and in her rage, set the garden entirely alight. I too, screamed as I transformed back into my human form, shed my overcoat and ran. The skin of my legs burning, smoke clogging my lungs until found that I could no longer breathe.

Thick black smoke turned to solid black and I felt my body collapse into the ground. Darkness, finally it seemed, had taken me.