The atmosphere in the shack shifted, the fear emitting from Hermione practically palpable. Her knuckles grew white as her grip intensified. Swallowing hard, she stared at the face of the most notorious female Death Eater.
"I'd be careful with that, Granger. You might do something you regret." Bellatrix smirked, relaxing her posture and crossing her arms casually under her chest, purposefully emphasizing her bust.
Hermione's gaze narrowed and she twisted her wand around, the tip of it pointed just above Bellatrix's heart. "I wouldn't regret it, Lestrange."
Arching her brow, Bellatrix shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Oh really? And why is that?"
"You're Bellatrix Lestrange. You've killed and tortured countless people – two of them being Neville's parents! You're vile and heartless and cruel. Not an ounce of my body would be touched with anguish."
Bellatrix's smirk grew. "Ah, but that would make you no better than me, pet." She stepped forward, having no qualms about her safety being threatened. The Gryffindor wouldn't harm her. She continued until the tip of the wand rested against her corset.
"S-stay back," Hermione demanded, lips quivering. Her voice cracked, whether from alarm or something more, Bellatrix did not know.
"Or what?" Bellatrix whispered, her eyes gravitating to Hermione's lips. She'd never felt such an attraction to another person before. She reached up and clasped her hand around Hermione's wrist.
With locked gazes, the two hardly breathed as the air crackled with an intenseness that they didn't quite understand. Hermione's body shook under Bellatrix's touch and the wand was slowly lowered. It wasn't until it was nearly at Hermione's side that she snapped back into reality and broke the moment. She stepped back and raised her wand once more, the tip aimed directly at the dark witch's head.
"I will hex you, make no mistake of that," Hermione warned, her pupils dilated and hazed over in anger.
Bellatrix, accepting she might need a bit of caution, mimicked the girl's steps. "I won't hurt you, Granger. You have my word."
The brunette laughed humorlessly. "Forgive me for not taking you at your word, but you're a Death Eater. Your word doesn't mean much to me."
Bellatrix reached into her corset and retrieved her wand. She let it dangle from her fingers and grinned devilishly. "Here, girl. If you don't believe me, take my wand."
"What game are you playing at?" Hermione glared at the crafted wood as if it were a snake about to bite her.
Bellatrix offered it to her, all the while screaming internally.
What are you doing?! You're giving her a perfect opportunity to capture you and take you in! You're supposed to be earning her trust, not screwing us over.
I am earning her trust! I'm showing that I'm not going to harm her. Besides, I'm well versed in wandless magic. If she tries to attack me or take me in, I can easily take care of it.
Hermione stared distrustfully at the dark witch before snagging the presented item. "Why?"
"Why what?" Bellatrix inquired, leaning casually against the table behind her.
Hermione pocketed the wand and let hers trained on Bellatrix. She was so unnerved by the witch's cool composure and playfulness. Why was the most deranged Death Eater standing here, talking to her – a mudblood, she internally shivered at the word – giving away her wand and acting as if nothing were wrong about this entire scenario.
"Why are you so…calm? You just gave me your wand. I could easily attack you and take you to Dumbledore," Hermione reminded her, her grip on the wand slacking a little. She felt safer being the only one with a wand.
Bellatrix shrugged, "But you won't."
"Excuse me?"
"You won't attack me. You're too curious as to why I'm here – why I'm willing to put myself in a situation that could end with me locked in Azkaban." She inched closer to Hermione. "Why I'm standing in front of you, a muggleborn, and not attacking or cursing you, right?"
Hermione hated to admit that the dark witch was correct. Everything she said was true. She was so uncertain and curious about the whole thing.
"If you'd put your wand away and be willing to have a conversation without it, we can talk. I really don't want to fight you, Granger. I just want to talk."
Maybe I should put my wand down and see what she has to say…
Are you crazy? She's a Death Eater. The minute you let your guard down, she's bound to take you prisoner or kill you or torture you into insanity like she did Neville's parents. You can't trust her.
Despite her instincts, Hermione fiddled with her wand for a moment before tucking it into the waistband of her jeans.
"Fine then, let's talk. But make no mistake, you try anything funny and…" she let the threat hang, but was satisfied when Bellatrix nodded her head in acknowledgment. Walking over to the table, she took a seat and stared expectantly at Bellatrix, who opted to lean against the nearest wall. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to talk to you."
Hermione was vaguely flabbergasted by Bellatrix's honest remark. There wasn't a hint of deception or uncertainty in her admission. "Why?"
"For quite a few reasons," Bellatrix admitted, "You're the brightest witch of your age – even those of us outside the walls of Hogwarts know of you. You're the brains of the Golden Trio for Merlin's sake. You're well known, girl. I wanted to meet the girl that held such a title. To be friends with the Boy Who Lived and be the reason him and Weasel have managed to stay alive. That's quite an accomplishment."
Hermione was stunned into silence. She was receiving praise from Bellatrix Lestrange of all people. She wondered absently if she'd been sent into another dimension. Maybe my time turner broke and sent me into another time, because there is no bloody way this is possible. No one would ever believe this conversation happened. Hell, I wouldn't believe it either if I weren't sitting here… And I barely believe it myself.
Taking Hermione's silence as a good thing, Bellatrix sauntered over to a chair and sat down with a grin. "Ms. Granger, you're a force to be reckoned with, so I've heard from my dear nephew. He talks avidly about how you've bested him and how you're such a little know-it-all. I think it's all quite hilarious."
Blushing, Hermione bowed her head and smiled faintly. She took pleasure in Draco's misfortune and whining. A mudblood being better than a pureblooded ferret like him… It was something to relish.
"Anyways," Bellatrix continued, "I've come for another reason as well. My master wishes to speak with you."
Hermione's head snapped up and her hand instinctively went for her wand. "Your master? Voldemort wishes to speak with me? I find that highly unlikely."
Bellatrix bit back a hiss at her Lord's name being spoken so carelessly, though she knew the girl didn't know any better. "Yes, the Dark Lord wishes to speak with you. He was some important business that needs to be addressed concerning you."
"You're mad," Hermione announced, shaking her head, "There's not a chance in hell I'd sit down and speak with him. There's no way I'd turn my back on Harry for him." She went to stand, but in a moment of panic, Bellatrix reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand.
"Wait," Bellatrix pleaded, "It has nothing to do with Potter and it's quite important."
Hermione stared at Bellatrix's pale hand in hers. It almost looked like it belonged there… Shaking her head, she ignored the thought and snatched her hand away from the dark witch.
"I won't go with you to meet him."
Bellatrix pursed her lips thoughtfully and began formulating a plan B. If she could gain the witch's trust, maybe she'd be able to convince her. It'd take a bit of time and patience, but the idea of spending more time with Hermione was something Bellatrix didn't mind. Not at all. She just hoped the Dark Lord would understand.
"Can I see you again?" Bellatrix inquired. "I enjoy your company. And I would like to get to know you better."
"Why?" Hermione whispered.
Bellatrix nearly lied, but thought the truth might earn her a little trust. "Because there's something about you. There's a pull, if you will, driving me to want to be close to you – to get to know you. I was the brightest witch of my age, too. I know it can be hard to not have someone who understands. You're brilliant, but no one really appreciates it. They're too stuck on the Chosen One. But me? I'm far more interested in the brains of the Golden Trio than the face of it."
"How do I know this isn't some trick to get me alone and kidnap me and take me to Voldemort?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed distrustfully.
Bellatrix smiled serenely, "You'll just have to trust me."
(Bellamione)
Arriving back at the manor, Bellatrix summoned the Dark Lord and waited anxiously for his arrival. Her legs bounced with nervous excitement as she sat on the antique couch in the foyer of the manor.
"Ah, Bella," the Dark Lord greeted as he apperated in, "Come." She nodded and stood, following him into the dining room.
He silenced the doors with a wave of his hand and beckoned for her to have a seat. "What news have you in regards to my daughter?"
"She wouldn't come, my Lord. But I have a plan," she hastened, noting his darkening expression. "The girl does not trust that we won't harm her or attempt to Imperius her into destroying Potter, so my plan was to earn her trust. She felt the pull to me like I did to her, so I merely suggested we start meeting secretly and get to know each other. I'll be able to gain her trust and hopefully convince her to come willingly. If she comes by force, she's more likely to lash out and not listen, driving her farther from you. She'll be more receptive if she trusts that I won't let any harm come to her. I know you wouldn't either, my Lord, but she won't know that at the time."
"And how do you plan to see my daughter?" Voldemort inquired. Bellatrix's plan was well thought out, but he needed to make sure there weren't many holes in it.
"Well, I was going to sneak into Hogwarts. You can't apparate in or out, but it's possible to sneak onto the grounds from beneath the Whomping Willow. And since I'm an animagus, I could transform and sneak to the Black Lake. Hermione already agreed to meet there at night, so we could talk."
The Dark Lord was intrigued, so he had to ask, "How'd you manage to convince her not to hex you and send you to the Aurors?"
"I handed her my wand."
If it were possible for him to feel emotion, Voldemort would have been shocked at the admission. As it stood, he was irritated that his best Death Eater had allowed herself to be in a situation that could have gone wrong had anything happened that Bellatrix hadn't planned for.
"You allowed yourself to be at the mercy of Hermione, someone who is sided with Dumbledore, so you could gain some confidence with her? That's incredibly dim, Bella. I assume you got it back once you parted ways."
Bellatrix bowed her head. "My Lord, I'm well-versed in wandless and wordless magic. I wasn't defenseless. And yes, my Lord, I did."
The Dark Lord lounged in silence for a moment before clearing his throat. "You've done well, Bella. I give you permission to carry out this mission, but if you should fail, the consequences will be harsh."
Nodding frantically, Bellatrix thanked her Lord and scurried out the room. Her mission would be daunting, but she'd be spending time with Hermione and earning favor with her master. There were worse things she could've had to do. Much worse.