The first half of the week went by quickly for Hermione, whilst she was frequently catching people staring, the week had felt much like her previous time at Hogwarts. She turned up, she sat at the front of the class, her summer homework got top marks (and the extra homework she took it upon her self to write) and she could answer every question her professors threw at her.
She had so far been able to avoid Professor Black as her first doube DADA wasn't until Thursdays, she had also noticed that the dark witch would always leave as Hermione entered the great hall, or only enter once Hermione was leaving. Hermione would have been annoyed at any other teacher avoiding her but afterall that is what she asked for. She was still not happy with her walking the halls around other children but at least she was under close supervision.
So by Thursday afternoon when double DADA did come round she felt like she was walking on a thin line, part terror that she hadn't seen Black around the castle so didn't know how she was reacting, and part terror that in a few short minutes she would finally be seeing the professor.
As she left the great hall with Ginny and Neville she placed herself between the two, placing her arms behind them to hurry them along.
"We are going to defence against the dark arts now. Yes I know we will be early, Yes I know that means I have to see her sooner and Yes it's on purpose. I want to be first in so we can claim the back table. I want to be as far away from her as possible and sandwiches between you two for protection."
An airy voice called from behind them. "Neville wait up, we've got DADA together!"
Hermione quickly marched to Luna, walked behind the witch and pushed her towards the others "Brilliant, we can take the full table at the back...and your more cannon fodder to protect me" She all but whispered the final part so only Luna really heard, not that she would ever let on.
When they arrived the classroom was open but empty, Hermione not wasting any time, pushed her friends towards the table at the very back of the room and the opposite side to the professor's desk. She quickly placed herself in the middle and sat down satisfied as the rest of the class simply followed her in.
"Hermione, I think is the first class ever that you've not sat at the front."
"Yes Ginny, but I think thats because Hermione doesn't want to be Blacks teacher's pet. She doesn't respect her enough to want to please her."
"Er .. ye what luna said 'mione. But really she's been ok with me. We met in her office the other night and..."
The classroom door swung open, a spell hitting the room stealing their breath for a second which ensured all talking ceased, the words "Professor Black" appeared on the blackboard as she stroled in.
Hermione gasped. You could tell from this distance that at least visually she was a completely different woman.
No longer gaunt and thin, her teeth once dark and rotten where now straight and perfectly white. Her hair which was a bird's nest of knotted curls now coiled perfectly and tied into a bun with a few curls had failed around her face.
She still wore her famous corset and heeled boots but now below what's a pair of tight fitting dragonhide pants, a blazer clasped with a single button at the smallest part of her waist and a beautiful emerald green blouse which was cut very dangerously low.
Hermione had to admit, even to herself, the war ending had done nothing but good for her Professor. She looked good, better than good she looked... 'ok Hermione no stop that thought right there, that woman tortured you! Killed Sirius, Dobby, Tonks you will not find her attractive! This is just because you've finally come out!'
The dark witch sank down onto her desk, one leg curled beneath her, the other hanging off the table.
"Right, I'm going to say this once, and once only! I am Professor Black. Yes until recently I was Bellatrix Lestrange, Yes that Bellatrix Lestrange. Yes I was a death eater. No I am no longer a death eater and No I will not be answering any questions about it. I have been chosen as your defence against the dark arts professor because, frankly, currently there isn't anyone alive that knows more about the dark arts than me and thus how to defend against them. I am well aware there are people within this class who fort in the battle of Hogwarts, you may be a hero to the wizarding world but that doesn't make me impressed."
The class sat slightly terrified and slightly godsmacked at their new teacher. Hermione however was less than impressed with the witch and had rolled her eyes about the comments about being a hero.
"I am aware that your training throughout your time here has been inconsistent and at some times woefully neglected. As much as I dissaprove I believe most of your skill is actually from Mr. Potter and his secret society. We will start from the basics. Yes, I know you will have learnt this spell in first year but I will accept no complaints. By the end of the lesson I want each of you to be able to produce a sheild strong enough to withstand my stupify at... let's say... half its usual power. However, if anyone by some miracle can already manage to block my spell at half power they will work towards blocking a full power spell within a few lessons time. Are we clear?"
Hermione had been planning on working quietly and unnoticed in her DADA classes but the witch really did rub her up the wrong way, the way she assumed that non of them could block her curse even at half power when they had beated voldemorts whole army.
Her hand shot into the air. Bellatrix quirked an eyebrow seemingly suprised that there would be comments on this but motioned for Hermione to go ahead.
"And what if we can block your spell full power first try?"
The dark witch cackled, she had truly not expected anyone to be so stupid to believe that a 7th year could block one of her spells full power. At least not for a while under her tutoring but then Hermione did have something to prove, if only to herself.
"Oh Miss Granger. I believe you of all people should know how my spells feel. But I will make you a deal. I will hit you with my full force stupify and if you can successfully block it then I will allow you to leave my lesson right now. However if you fail to block my spell you will have gained yourself a detention. Do we have a deal?"
Neville and Ginny where looking at Hermione like she had gone insane and frantically tried to persuade her not to accept the deal, but they where too terrified of Black to actually use words. Luna however peaked her head out from behind Neville and said "I think you can do it Hermione." as if it was the most simple thing in the world.
Hermione stood "We have a deal"
Bellatrix waved her wand and the desks (with the students still sat behind them) wooshed to the edges of the room, leaving a large clear area in the middle, her next spell set a protective bubble around the other students so they would not be hurt by any misfired spells. Bellatrix casually stood up and walked over to Hermione with a sway in her step.
Hermione took in the sight of the women up close from her shapely legs, her waist wrapped in the corset, her breasts pushed towards the heavens but on display with that dangerously low neckline. She finally slipped past blood red lips and to eyes as dark of night. As she reached the eyes she saw in them the same fire that had burnt within them when she lay under the witch at Malfoy Manor. Hermione gripped her want tightly.
"I'm not scared of you"
The dark witch cackled again. The two began a slow and calculated circle around each other. "Keep telling yourself that dearie, your still the scared little witch that begged me to stop. Oh and don't worry they can't hear you, that spell is soundproof. If you where not afraid of me you would have spoken to me like your good friend Mr longbottom. Believe me dear I may be here by my own choice and I may have left my lord but I am still the same witch. And I can still hear your delicious screams in my ears. So, shall we do this so I can get on with my class and plan your detention?"
"Yes let's, I've got nearly two hours of free time suddenly come up!"
"Get ready muddy, here I come!"
She raised her wand and cast the spell, the read beam moved towards Hermione with small red trails spiraling around the main beam.
Hermione was ready. She set her jaw and cast her protegro, she could feel the strands of her magic swirling into the sheild and she was confident that she could block the spell.
The attack made contact with her sheild, slowly initially but her sheild was not strong enough to fully stop the curse. It lazily hit her in the chest, at a vast reduction of power, in fact the curse hardly hurt when it hit. But hit it did.
The bubble around the students dissapeared.
"Colour me surprised Miss Granger. You do indeed have a powerful protego. However as I did still manage to land my spell please kindly return to your seat and I will see you tomorrow at 7 for your detention.
Hermione in complete disbelief quickly returned to her chair. She had not expected the spell to hit but even more she had not expected praise from the witch. She couldn't help but me impressed by the sheer power of the witch.
"Good try 'Mione, you nearly had her" Neville said helpfully.
"Right, I want you all in a line. I will hit you with a half powered spell and you will throw up your strongest sheild. If you can take my half power spell you will start a group to your right, if you do not the group to your left. Now we begin!"
The class class slowly stepped forward one by one each being hit by the spell from the dark witch, most did not manage to block the spell. The ones who did only did it through determination as the spell slowed to a crawl and lazily floated back away from them.
Neville, Ginny, Luna and annother girl from ravenclaw all successfully managed to block the curse. The only witch left standing was Hermione.
"Would you like to join the group to the left Miss Granger or would you like annother shot."
"I will be joining the group to the right. I've got this! Half power!"
The young witch looked determined, she dearly wanted to impress this witch. She also really wanted to be in a group with her friends. She nearly took the full powered spell. She could do this!
The spell once again shot towards Hermione, significantly dimmer than the previous spell, Hermione shield thrummed in her hand as she pushed her magic into it. The spell hit and rebounded instantly! It shot back towards the dark witch who with a smile side stepped it allowing it to slam into the blackboard.
"Very well Miss Granger, to the right then."
Bellatrix then set them into pairs to practice. Hermione was about to partner with Ginny when Blacks voice came out "Granger with me. Let's work on that full power."
"Good look 'Mi" Ginny said "Rather you than me. I don't think I could take two of her spells in a row, I barely managed to block the first."
Bellatrix was once again sat on her desk, this time with one leg crossed over the other leaning back on her hands.
"I am going to place a bubble around us miss Granger. I believe we will be having multiple spells rebounding and I would like to protect the class. If you have any issues with being muted from the rest of the class for a prolonged period of time please say so now."
"No, that's fine. Like I said I'm not scared of you."
"Of course your not Pet" The protective bubble once again sprang up around them but this time with a much smaller surface area. The rest of the class where busy shooting spells at each other which most where struggling to block. The classroom would be in ruin by the end of the day but thankfully all was fixable with magic.
"I know you've been hiding from me, You are never in the great hall when I am, you leave as I enter or enter as I'm leaving."
"Miss Granger I was informed by the headmistress that you did not wish to see me outside of the classroom. I was trying to be accommodating. I hide from no one. Now let's begin. I would also like to work on the strength of your Stupify whilst we are here so we shall take turns in attack and defence. You can attack first. No holding back on my Granger."
"Stupify!" She curse bounced straight off Black's sheild and was absorbed by the bubble.
"You are woefully unbalanced. Your defence is adequate but your attack is weak. How you ever managed to survive the war I will not know. Stupify"
The full powered curse this time catching Hermione unawares, she quickly threw up her shield but she had not had enough time to concentrate her magic and the spell slipped through quite quickly, it hit her in the elbow. Her shield strong enough to save her from being knocked unconscious but not enough to stop her from being pushed back and hurt by the curse."
"Concentration Granger! You of all people should know there is no sportsmanship in war! Now stun me!"
Hermione could feel her anger growing at the witch. Why did she have to antagonise her! Wasn't Black trying to turn over a new leaf, join the good side, hell she had wanted to heal her scar just weeks ago!
Hermione lost her cool, feeling the magic flowing through her fingertips she pointed her wand at her Professor, the woman who had tortured her not even six months ago, she released all her anger and hurt into her magic and giving out an almighty scream of agony she fired a non verbal stupify at her Professor.
Professor black lazily cast her shield waiting for the spell to bounce back but the spell shot through her shield like it was made of paper and hit Bellatrix squarely on the chest. The protective bubble charm she had cast failing upon impact as professor flew back into the blackboard. The rest of the class turned to see Professor Black lying unconscious in a heap having slid down the blackboard to the floor.
"Bloody hell Hermione what happened?!?" Ginny looked at her in shock and awe.
Hermione looked from her unconscious teachers face to the faces of her classmates and bolted out the door. She didn't want to be her when the witch woke up. She fled towards the astronomy tower finally dropping to her knees as she reached the final step.
The tears flow unending from her eyes and her breathing stalled as her body was wracked with sobbs. She just assaulted a teacher ...again. How had she broken through her sheild. Her first attempt hadn't even had an impact how had she sent such a strong spell. What was going to happen when her Professor woke up and learned she had run. She had already earned herself one detention today, doubling the amount of detections on her record and shattering her record of being detention free since May of her first year.
But surely Bellatrix would have her in detention for a month after this.
She lay on her side and curled herself up into a ball, this year was meant to be easy. Schoolwork and exams, library time and toast by the black lake. No more death eaters, no more danger, no more boys dragging her off into trouble. Why did she have to be in Black's class and why had Bellatrix insisted on pushing her.
Hermione lay in the tower until her tears dried and her body relaxed her into sleep.