Returning to Malfoy Manor was like waking up from a blissful dream to find yourself thrust into a cold reality. The dream ended almost immediately upon waking up. Tom was already up and in the process of donning his black robe by the time her eyes opened. He gave her a smile followed by a good morning kiss before informing her that it was time for them to return.
Gone was every ounce of color and comfort that Hermione had grown used to at Gaunt Manor, her whole world shifting back to darkness.
As they stepped through the front door and made their way out towards the apparition point, Hermione couldn't help but glance back to take one last look at the house. Of course it didn't look like much from the outside, but knowing what lied hidden inside made her view it with a certain fondness. She was already starting to consider it as her home.
She hoped it wouldn't be too long before they returned.
"Are you ready?" Tom asked her, extending an arm towards her.
No, she wasn't ready to leave, but instead of saying that, she nodded her head and took hold of the arm he offered.
In a flash, they were off, their bodies spiraling momentarily through a void of empty darkness. Hermione had never particularly liked apparating, but had still appreciated it as an effective means of transport. Apparating with Tom was something different entirely. She wasn't sure if it had to do with Tom himself or if he had somehow tweaked the spell to add his own twist to it, but the darkness that met them during the moments in between had a way of making her feel as though they were pressing in on her, threatening to swallow her whole.
Needless to say, it didn't make her like apparition any more.
A few incredibly long moments later, the darkness cleared and she found herself standing before a set of familiar black iron gates, the tall, imposing structure that was Malfoy Manor just barely visible through the veil of mist that seemed to constantly hang over the grounds.
She had often thought that it would make the perfect setting for a vampire film. With the glowing red eyes and skin as pale as death, Tom was practically a vampire himself. She might have been convinced that he was one had she not heard his heart beating in his chest and explored every inch of his mouth with her tongue. There were no fangs to be found.
No sooner had they reached the gates then Hermione stopped dead in her tracks, half tempted to turn right around and apparate straight back to Gaunt Manor. Tom must have noticed this, as he tightened his hold on her.
"Welcome back, My Lord," Bellatrix greeted with a toothy grin, leaning herself deliberately against the iron bars in a position that gave them both a direct view of her breasts, as she went to open the gates. "I'm sure you must be thrilled to be back with us."
Hermione clenched her jaw, willing herself not to rise to the bait.
You're better than that, Hermione, she chastised herself. You're the Dark Lady. She's just jealous of you.
"While it is always a pleasure to be at Malfoy Manor, I can't deny that I do look forward to returning home once more," Tom replied, leading her through the gates, never once even glancing in Bellatrix's direction. "Wouldn't you agree, my dear wife?"
Hermione held her head up high as she passed the witch, unable to suppress the smirk that tugged at her lips. "Yes, I enjoyed our time together immensely."
Bellatrix shot her a particularly nasty glare.
The gate slammed shut behind them with a loud clang moments later.
Without delay, they started for the manor with Bellatrix following shortly after, the tell-tale clicking of her heels echoing behind them. Hermione couldn't help but be on guard, her hand remaining close to her wand in case the need should arise to defend herself. She didn't think Bellatrix would try and attack her from behind, not with Tom as close to her as he was, but still, she didn't trust her.
As always, the Malfoy's stood waiting for them, each standing perfectly straight in a line with Mr. Malfoy in the middle and his wife and son on either side of him, bowing upon their entrance.
"Welcome back, My Lord… My Lady." Mr. Malfoy greeted, the latter be it rather reluctantly.
"Has there been any news during my absence?" Tom asked.
Mr. Malfoy opened his mouth as if to speak, only to hesitate and close it once again.
Hermione wasn't a fool, and neither was Tom.
"Out with it," Tom snapped.
Mr. Malfoy gulped visibly, but instead of speaking, pulled his hands out from behind his back and handed him a copy of the Daily Prophet.
Alerted at once by the headline, Hermione leaned in to read alongside Tom..
The Daily Prophet
- April 7th, 1998 -
THE CHOSEN ONE AT GRINGOTTS
Just yesterday the goblins at Gringotts Wizarding Bank were alerted to a disturbance in the lower levels of the bank vaults where none other than the infamous Boy-Who-Lived was caught attempting to break in. Unfortunately he and his comrades were unable to be apprehended and managed to escape on the back of the dragon that had been standing guard. The vault in question belonged to Mrs. Bellatrix Lestrange. A thorough investigation was conducted by the owner as well as a team of specialists where it was revealed that a priceless artifact was in fact stolen…
Hermione felt her heart skip a beat as the realization dawned on her. Not only had Harry broken into Gringotts but he had done so successfully, the first wizard to ever truly do so. From what she recalled during their first year, Tom had tried as well, but failed, if only because that which he was after had already been removed.
Of course, she immediately knew what he must have gone to retrieve. They had discussed it at great lengths before she and Ron were captured, trying to come up with different possibilities for where the remaining horcruxes might be. And seeing as they already had Slytherin's Locket, Gryffindor's Sword and Ravenclaw's Diadem, she could only assume it was Hufflepuff's Cup that they had stolen.
She wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or frightened by this piece of news.
The newspaper slid from Tom's pale fingers, only to be incinerated moments later as he cast Incendio. No sooner had the flames begun to engulf the paper, then he spun on his heel, pulling away from Hermione as he slowly yet menacingly advanced towards Bellatrix, who to her credit, looked properly frightened.
"My Lord, I…" Bellatrix began to speak, but never got the chance to finish.
In a flash, Tom's wand was raised and before anyone could comprehend what was going on, Bellatrix collapsed in a heap, her body writhing like a worm on the floor.
No one moved so much as an inch to stop what was unfolding. Not even her own sister, though Mrs. Malfoy didn't appear to be particularly comfortable with the sight as evidenced by the way she stiffened, her fists clenched, bleached white bones making an appearance behind her naturally pale skin.
Hermione, on the other hand, couldn't bring herself to feel even the smallest ounce of sympathy towards the crazy witch who had tortured her, engraving the crude name into her arm. Just thinking about it made the wound let out a dull throb. Instead, she felt an oddly overpowering sense of satisfaction well up inside of her, and she had to fight against the smug smirk that tried to tug at her lips.
Tom let her suffer for a considerable amount of time before finally retracting his wand, thus releasing her from the curse. Her body slumped pitifully back against the floor where she laid for a few minutes before attempting to lift herself up on shaking limbs.
"You have failed me yet again!" Tom roared. "I entrusted you with its protection and you let it fall into the hands of those who wish to destroy me!"
"P-Please," Bellatrix rasped, her voice damaged from all the screaming. "F-Forgive me, M-My Lord."
"That is not for me to decide," he said, as he turned away from her and returned to stand at Hermione's side. "It is the Dark Lady who will decide whether or not you deserve my forgiveness."
Bellatrix gulped, her body trembling uncontrollably as she slowly turned her head towards her, a flash of something that looked like fear flooding her eyes.
Hermione let the smug smirk spread across her face. Let herself revel in the fact that for the first time in her life, she was the one in control, holding the fate of the crazed witch in the palm of her hands.
"I'll have to think about it for a while," she said. "For now, I think it's only fair that she should be punished by helping the house elves. Without her wand."
Bellatrix let out a sharp gasp. "N-No… M-My Lord, a-anything but that!"
"It will be as you wish," Tom said, completely ignoring the witch's pleas. Reaching out his wand once more, he summoned her wand to him before turning towards the Malfoy's, who had yet to move since their arrival. "Lucius, take your disgrace of a sister-in-law down to the kitchens and inform your house elves that they are free to order her around as they please."
"Oh, and make sure that she can't access anything potentially dangerous," Hermione added. "We wouldn't want her poisoning our food."
Mr. Malfoy nodded a bow and stepped past them to haul Bellatrix out of the room. However, not before Bellatrix could manage to shoot a particularly murderous glare in her direction.
Hermione waved goodbye to her, the smug grin still stuck to her face.
There was no way Bellatrix was going to be sticking around. Not unless she had a death wish, which she didn't. No, she was going to have to find a way to get rid of her once and for all.
A few particularly fascinating ideas came to mind.
"Draco, escort the Dark Lady to her room."
Draco stepped forward. "As you wish, My Lord."
Tom then turned to address Hermione. "There is an urgent business matter that I must attend to," he informed her. "I should be back by tomorrow, provided there are no more unexpected turns of events."
She nodded her head, understanding that whatever business he was referring to must have to do with the disappearance of yet another horcrux. Leaning in, he pressed a kiss to her lips and not knowing how long it would be before she got the chance to do so again, Hermione reached up on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck, her body molding against his as she deepened the kiss. Her lips parted at the prodding of his tongue to allow it access.
A small moan of pleasure escaped her as she felt his hardness press against her core. This only made it all the more difficult for her to let him go, as it was clear that their bodies were clearly craving each other.
"Do you feel what you do to me, Hermione?" he pulled away just enough to whisper in her ear, pressing kisses along her neck.
"You're not the only one affected," she assured him. "I'm fairly certain you've just ruined my knickers."
Carefully so as to remain out of sight from their witnesses, he slid a hand down her leg and under the skirt of her dress, searching until he came into contact with the undergarment that was, true to her word, very much soaked.
Tom let out a low chuckle as his fingers briefly toyed with the fabric before making their unfortunate retreat. "In that case, I shall try to be back by night."
"Please do."
With one final kiss, he stepped back and started back through the front door, leaving her standing there with the two remaining Malfoy's.