A/N: One shot no one asked for, one shot no one needs. I finished it and didnt even want to upload it. It didnt seem worthy. It still doesnt, but my beta convinced me to do it after all. She's a gem, that one :) She read it first only to see if it was worth uploading and therefore editing - totally easing my anxieties. I dont know what I would do without her. BUT if you also think it sucks then blame her. I would have just left it in my laptop ;)

Now, this is a bit of crack, bit of smut, a lot of fluff (I know, what happened to me, right) and probably zero angst.


"So, Miss Granger, will you finally tell me why you have been coming here these past few weeks?"

Hermione took a deep breath and opened her mouth to answer only to shut it and shake her head few seconds later. It was the same scenario every week, in every session. She wanted to share. She needed to talk to someone. That's why she'd found this muggle psychologist and made an appointment after all. But now, sitting in the chair, looking around the muggle office, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

Just how exactly could she tell this doctor that the witch she loved was killed during battle? The fact that Dr. Alison knew nothing of wizarding world was the reason Hermione sought a muggle doctor, but it was also very limiting. The fact that she didn't know who Bellatrix Lestrange was, was a plus. If she told anyone in the wizarding world that she was in love with a Death Eater, they would send her for a check up to St. Mungo's. If she told anyone that her anxiety and grief wasn't just a general aftermath of the war, they would send her to St. Mungo's. If she told anyone that she despised Molly Weasley for killing the witch she loved, they would send her to St. Mungo's. So here she was, in muggle London, in one very muggle office.

She'd wanted to say "Bella's dead" so many times by now. But that would bring questions. Who is Bella? How did she die? What happened? How do you feel about it?

Hermione just couldn't answer that. Any of that. Maybe she should have gone to St. Mungo's after all. But then again, they would probably just give her a Calming Draught and send her home to sleep it off. They didn't understand she couldn't do that because of the nightmares. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Bellatrix's shocked eyes that sought hers and then she shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Hermione also saw Molly's grin o victory. Every time. The young witch woke up from her sleep and dry heaved for a good minute. Every night.

So no, St. Mungo's wasn't the answer. Plus, she could just imagine the headlines. The golden girl shattered after the final battle. She would rather avoid that. All she needed was to start talking.

"I'm afraid our time is up, Miss Granger," Dr. Alison said gently. "Same time next week?" she asked as Hermione gathered her things and stood to leave.

"Yes," she nodded. Next time. You will tell her next time.

But she never did.


Hermione made her way home and laid on the couch. She was still in a survival mode, but not because of the war anymore. Voldemort was dead, they were safe. No, she was in a survival mode because the witch that was supposed to be by her side right now was … nope, she was not saying that again. And even though she swallowed the word and refused to say it, the tears started to run down her cheeks. Yet again. "Fuck this."

If only Ginny had minded her own business during the battle. Bellatrix and Hermione were dueling each other, a practiced dance by now. Neither aimed to really hurt the other. They kept each other occupied from the raging battle. It was almost a foreplay for them. Why did Ginny have to step in? They'd planned this weeks ahead. They were supposed to survive and leave.

Apparently though, Ginny being the good friend she was, decided to help her against someone as dangerous as the dark witch. Hermione appreciated the sentiment, but she definitely didn't want Bella to get hurt. They knew they both had to be at the final battle so they came up with a plan to just duel each other. That way they could keep an eye on each other (mostly Bellatrix on Hermione, though), making sure no one would actually hurt them and they also minimalized any possible damage (well, in Bella's case).

It was working throughout most of the battle. Unfortunately, Hermione tried one nastier jinx (knowing very well Bellatrix could dodge it) so it looked like they were actually dueling, and the older witch cackled. "Nice one, pet," she praised and answered with a jinx of her own.

Hermione dodged it. "That's all you got, old lady?" she teased.

Bellatrix bared her teeth, pretending to be offended and raised her arms in the Black-family fashion to send a curse her way. Hermione got her Protego ready, but that was when Ginny decided she needed help. She started to fire one jinx after another at Bellatrix. The older witch had precisely zero problems with dodging them, but she taunted her with cackles and sent a few curses back. Much nastier than any she'd sent Hermione's way.

And then Molly came to help her daughter.

Oh, this was not good. Hermione wanted to run to Bellatrix's side and fight with her against them. The dark witch could read her like an open book by now and she shook her head slightly. She could fight the old mouse, there was no need for Hermione to show them she belonged to Bella and most importantly to endanger herself.

And then Mrs. Weasley sent a dark curse towards Bella's heart and after she connected eyes full of shock with Hermione's, she died.

And Hermione's knees gave up and she fell to the floor at the same moment as some painful curse hit her ribs. The pain was meaningless compared to the pain she felt at the loss of her older witch, though.

She couldn't function. Death Eaters were flying curses in her direction and she made no effort to stop them. Ron and Ginny defended her, dragging her away from the Great Hall, even Molly came to the rescue when she saw how unresponsive she became, but Hermione wasn't really registering any of it. And then it was over, Harry defeated Voldemort and the war was done for.


Harry asked her if she wanted to spend the weekend at the Burrow, but she declined. Yet again. She knew they had really started to worry about her by now, but she couldn't care less. Hermione just couldn't face Molly, pretending everything was fine and praising her for killing the dark witch. She got sick every time someone mentioned it. And mention it they did.

"'Mione, you don't have to be afraid of her anymore! Mom killed that bitch!" Ron said to cheer her up just few days after the battle.

And Hermione just couldn't bring herself to say thank you. To at least smile. No, it ended in tears as it always did. She ran to the room she shared with Ginny and eventually stopped visiting the Weasleys whatsoever.

Yet Harry still tried. And Ron. And Ginny.

How could she explain that by now she was supposed to be with Bella in Australia, searching for her parents and being bloody happy? Well, she couldn't. There was no one she could talk to. She couldn't even say goodbye to the dark witch because there was no body left behind. Molly shattered her into thousands of pieces. But even if there was a ceremony, she surely wouldn't have been invited.

"Missed me?" came a purr from the shadow of her living room. She didn't bother with lights anymore.

"Bella?" Hermione replied, uncertain. She'd officially lost it. There was no other way to explain why she was hearing a dead woman's voice.

"Who else would you miss?" Bellatrix hissed and stepped right in front of the couch where the young witch sat.

Once Hermione registered the presence of the older witch, she stood up as if struck by a lightening and hugged her crushingly. She didn't care if her mind was playing tricks on her. One way or another Bella was right in front of her and she would not miss that chance.

"Ugh, so clingy!" Bellatrix complained, but it had no bite. As a matter of fact, she hugged the young woman back just as tightly.

"Shut up! I watched you die, I'm entitled to be clingy," Hermione replied and nuzzled into the crook of her neck, inhaling the well-known scent.

"Fine, get it out of your system," she sighed dramatically, but moved one of her arms to chestnut hair and smelled the vanilla-scented shampoo. "Ugh, I can't breathe!" she exclaimed when she registered the vulnerability of her own actions.

"You'll live."

"Apparently," Bellatrix grinned and kissed the crown of her head. "Better? Will you let me breathe now?"

"No," Hermione replied and tightened the hug to a degree where it really was hard to breathe. "You died…," she choked out. "I saw it. You…"

"Shhh, pet. Come on now, you didn't think that old bat actually killed me, did you?" the dark witch said softly, stroking chestnut hair to comfort the girl.

"But I saw –"

"You saw her hit me with a curse and I was surprised as much as you were, but it didn't kill me. I'm very much alive."

Hermione untangled herself from the older witch at that and looked carefully into her eyes. She cupped a pale face and traced her thumb over her jaw and lips. Bellatrix smirked.

"Then where have you been?!" the Gryffindor shouted and shoved the raven-haired woman in the chest. "I was a wreck, Bellatrix! You could have … you should have – "

"Pet, the place was swarmed by Aurors, I couldn't get to you just like that," she explained, a pang of guilt in her voice. "And I didn't say Weasel's curse didn't hurt me. I just said it didn't kill me. It took me weeks to recover from that and I wasn't sure I would be successful."

Hermione's eyes softened at that and she looked at the place above Bella's heart where the curse probably hit her. She traced the dress with her hand, suddenly washed over with anger.

"Now now, no need to get all feisty, little one," Bellatrix chuckled. "I survived thanks to Molly. Had I fought someone with actual skills, I don't think we would be having this conversation today."

"You weren't supposed to fight anyone besides me," Hermione sighed.

"Well, unfortunately our plan didn't work out," she smiled sadly. "But maybe it was for the best. No one knows I'm alive. I'm free, pet. If we left as we planned, they would have hunted us down."

"Not in Australia," the girl shrugged and hugged the older woman again, listening to her heartbeat.

"I think they would have tried. You see, I was quite high on their criminal list," she smirked. "And imagine the shitstorm if I kidnapped their golden girl," she winked.

"Oh, I would have gone very willingly," she smirked back.

"They wouldn't know that, would they. And even if they did, they surely wouldn't believe it."

Hermione hummed in response, content where she was. All the pain she felt left. Just like that.

"You completely let your guard down," Bellatrix chastised her. "I was watching you from your living room for the past hour."

"Well, I don't need to be on the lookout all the time anymore," she shrugged.

"Hermione, there are still Death Eaters that want you dead. You do need to watch out."

"I don't care, Bella."

"Yes, I noticed! That's why I'm here," she huffed, annoyed at how careless Hermione had become.

"Only because of that?" the Gryffindor asked as she looked up with big eyes.

"No," the dark witch replied with a defeated sigh.

Hermione smiled at that and kissed her softly, not pushing her any further. She knew this was the most she would get. Bellatrix was never into sweet-talk.

"Will you stay?" the young witch asked quietly, afraid of the answer.

"You know I want to, pet," the raven-haired woman replied, kissing her softly to reassure her. "But I don't think it's safe yet. I just wanted you to know that I'm alive."

"Please, don't leave. Please," Hermione pleaded, clutching the fabric of Bellatrix's dress. "I'll put all the wards up, no one will know. You can always transform into your Animagus form in case someone comes, but I wasn't expecting visitors. No one will appear out of the blue. You could just – "

"You're rambling," the dark witch smiled fondly.

"I just can't lose you again," she murmured.

"Fine fine," Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "I'll help you with the wards. They should have been up in the first place!"

"Is this just one of your ploys to keep me protected, Bella?" she chuckled. This was their dance since the beginning of time. Bellatrix never said she cared, but she would visit with food so Hermione ate, she would fire dark curses so Hermione knew how to dodge them and was prepared for them, she would put a blanket over her if she fell asleep so she wasn't cold. And now, she threatened to leave only so Hermione would put the wards up. So she would be safe.

"I don't know what you're talking about," the raven-haired woman dismissed her as she started to put all the enchantments in place.

When that was done, they both sat on the couch and Bellatrix turned the lights on with a wave of her hand. She was sure they were now safe from any prying eyes.

Hermione laid down and placed her head on the older witch's lap. They often found themselves in this position. She closed her eyes and let the other woman consume her. "You're not allowed to leave ever again, Bella," the Gryffindor stated simply. "I just…"

"I know, pet. I know," she said and started to stroke chestnut hair.

"We could run away. Go to Australia, as we planned."

"It's not that simple," she sighed in reply. "We can't use portkeys, we can't apparate there…"

"I don't care!"

"Hermione," the dark witch said warningly.

"Fine, you'll live with me here. Every time someone comes in, you'll just transform to an animal and no one will be any wiser. Now I don't want to force you to do that every time, but I don't have many visitors to be honest. And you could also just hide, but – "

She was interrupted by a finger that pressed over her lips. "We'll figure it out, pet. Don't stress yourself too much, hmm?"

"I just… I can't lose you again, Bella. It's been hell. I – " she said over the finger that was still supposed to keep her quiet.

"I know, love. I'm here now."

Hermione smiled at that and nodded. Yes, Bellatrix was here. Alive. Very much alive and real.

"Why didn't you go to Australia? Did you manage to contact your parents from here?" the raven-haired woman asked after a moment of silence.

"No, I don't know where they are nor who they are."

"Why didn't you go then?"

"Without you?" she asked, voice trembling as she opened her eyes and looked at Bellatrix.

"Pet," the woman breathed out. "You should have gone…"

The young witch just shook her head and closed her eyes again, marveling in the calm Bellatrix's presence brought her. They sat in silence for a long while, reassuring each other of the other's presence with soft touches. A part of Hermione died with Bella that day and now that part was slowly recovering when Bellatrix brought it back with her.

They were however interrupted by a knock on the door. Bellatrix immediately fished out her wand and Hermione scolded her. "Animagus! Now!"

"Who knows who's behind the door! They could be dangerous!"

"I can bloody well take care of myself! Transform!" she hissed.

"Hermione?" Ron called from the other side of the door. Bellatrix raised one eyebrow and Hermione gave her a look of bloody fucking hurry.

"One minute!" she called out as the dark witch finally transformed. Unfortunately, Hermione didn't think to wait and see which form she would take. She went to open the door and Ron just barged in without any invitation.

"Bloody hell!" he shrieked when he nearly stepped on a snake.

Seriously?! Hermione huffed and rolled her eyes at Bellatrix currently in a snake form. Ron raised his wand as the Cobra raised itself and opened its hood, baring its fangs at him.

"Don't hurt her!" the young witch stepped between him and the snake.

"Her?!" he barked out, looking at her like she'd gone completely mad.

"Yes, I adopted her recently. It's a King Cobra."

"You adopted a snake?"

"Apparently," she murmured.

"It shouldn't be let loose like that! You know how deadly Nagini was."

"This is a poisonous snake, not a python."

"Looks the same to me," he shrugged, but lowered his wand.

"Yes, because sadly nature study is not taught at Hogwarts. Only how to destroy the creatures," she sighed. "Why did you come, Ron? It's not a good time now."

"It's never a good time, 'Mione," he gave her a sad look. "Will you come to the Burrow anytime soon? We all miss you so much. I know there are things you aren't telling us, but please don't ice us out. I want to help; my whole family wants to help."

"I don't need help, Ronald."

"I know, I know," he said and raised his arms in an apologetic gesture. "We just miss you, that's all. You're alone here and we're worried. You haven't been over in months."

"I've been busy. I'm sorry," she apologized. In theory there was no reason not to face Molly now. Bella said she was alive thanks to her.

"It's just… I miss you," he said sadly with puppy eyes. It never worked on Hermione, but he tried nonetheless.

"Ron," she said warningly just as the snake bared its teeth again.

"Shit, that thing is scary! Such a hostile creature shouldn't be free in your apartment," he swallowed thickly.

"Lucky it's not a venom-spitting Cobra then," she winked, highly amused at his facial expression after this information. "And she's very nice actually. Not hostile at all, I have no idea what you did for this kind of treatment," she said and petted the snake on its head.

To Ron's astonishment the snake let her and even leaned into the touch. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, very much so," she nodded. "I'll come over next weekend, if that's alright?" she asked to get him out of the house. This weekend Hermione planned to spend with her new snake.

"That's amazing!" he cheered. "Finally. And maybe we could have a drink now?" he smiled with hopeful eyes.

Hermione lifted the snake that started to slither towards Ron and let it encircle her upper body. "Ron, I said it's not a good time now. I'm doing something. We'll catch up next weekend, okay?"

His shoulders slumped, but he nodded. "You sure this thing won't choke the life out of you?" he asked as he eyed the snake that encircled Hermione's body.

"Positive," Hermione nodded. "As I said, not a python. Cobras don't choke their prey," she added.

"I'll be going then. By the way, I tried the Floo, but I hit a wall."

"Right, I placed some wards around the house."

"Wards?" he asked and looked at her curiously.

"Yes. There are still Death Eaters on the loose."

"If you're afraid you can always stay at the Burrow," he offered. "Or I can stay here and … well, I know you don't need my protection, but – "

"Ron, that's very sweet of you, but I'm fine. Go home and I'll see you next weekend."

He sighed, but with a one last look at the snake finally left the house. She heard the apparation crack and gently removed Bellatrix from her body for the dark witch to transform back. "A Cobra, really?" she chastised when she faced the raven-haired woman again.

"We didn't know who was behind that door. They could have been dangerous," Bellatrix shrugged. "I wanted to be prepared."

"We already knew it was Ron!"

"Oops," she smirked.

"You're terrible," Hermione laughed and made her way to the bedroom with Bellatrix in tow. "Now he really thinks I've lost it. I wouldn't be surprised if they all barged in here tomorrow and had an intervention or something."

"Intervention?" the Death Eater asked as she watched the younger woman undress and wished Hermione turned the lights on.

"Right. Well, apparently muggles do that when they want to help their friend who's indulging in something toxic."

"Boring. And I'm quite sure the Weasels don't know about it."

"You're right."

"Like that's a surprise," Bellatrix rolled her eyes playfully. "However, if you expect that they'll come tomorrow…"

Hermione looked at her with horror and the raven-haired witch couldn't look away from those terrified eyes even though the young woman was currently only in her lacy underwear. "You need to go," she simply stated with tears in her eyes.

Bellatrix nodded and closed the gap between them, pressing their bodies together. "I'll come back tomorrow after dark," she said into her ear, stroking chestnut hair with her hand.

"Or I could just go with you," the young witch suggested as she hugged the older woman tighter.

"I'm staying at Black Manor. The ancient wards would kill you, love," she sighed. "Even halfbloods have struggles to enter the mansion, let alone you. I'll try to eliminate them."

"I bet Voldy wasn't happy about that," Hermione chuckled.

"He wasn't. And when you told me about his origin, it finally made sense why he never tried to get near the property."

The young witch hummed in response.

"Promise me you won't try to use the Floo nor apparate there, Hermione," Bellatrix said in all seriousness.

"Okay?" the girl replied with a confused undertone.

"Promise me! Trying to use the Floo while the wards are in place would kill you. And it won't be easy to undo them so I don't know when exactly it will be safe for you to come. So just promise you won't try until I tell you to."

"I promise, Bella," she replied to ease the woman's worries. Bellatrix was clearly distressed by the idea, but why would she try that? Just because she learned of her location didn't mean she would now come uninvited every time she pleased. "How about you stay the night?" she asked when the topic was closed and kissed a spot on her pale neck that made Bellatrix's knees start to buckle.

"Now now, pet," she moaned, but pushed Hermione to arm's length. "We both know that if I do that, we won't sleep at all tonight until we collapse and sleep the whole day."

"Sounds pretty good to me," she replied and bit her lip.

"Fuck," the raven-haired witch groaned. At first, she was just happy to see her little witch. Especially considering she wasn't sure she ever would again. She was happy to just be in her presence, to talk to her, to touch her … now the attraction seeped through, though.

But they had to be reasonable. Bellatrix didn't fancy another stay in Azkaban. She could never touch her witch from there. Hell, she probably wouldn't even see her because visits were not something Azkaban provided. So, for the long run…

The dark witch stepped closer again and attacked soft lips. After the initial shock Hermione moaned into her mouth and melted in her arms. Bellatrix tangled her fingers in chestnut hair while she traced her tongue on the bottom lip before sucking it into her mouth completely and then biting it. When the younger witch started to pull her towards the bed, she broke the kiss. "I'll return tomorrow," she said slightly out of breath and apparated before Hermione even opened her eyes.

When the girl registered what happened, she let out a frustrated groan and cursed the woman. Just this once she wanted to be reckless and Bellatrix decided to be the responsible one. "Fuck my life."


When it was long after dark and Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen, Hermione went to take a long shower. She understood now why the raven-haired woman made her promise not to try the Floo because she was playing with the idea. If they didn't have that conversation she would probably just stepped into her fireplace and took her chances…

She was dying to see the older woman.

Hermione, dressed only in her bathrobe, made her way to the kitchen after shower to have a glass of water. However, when she was crossing the living room, she felt Bellatrix's presence before she saw her. And gasped when she noticed the blood on her arms and dress, lightly illuminated by the lamp. "Bella!" she squeaked and ran to her. "What happened?"

"Oh this? Nothing nothing," the older witch replied nonchalantly.

"Nothing?! You're late and you're bleeding!" she answered and ushered the older woman to the kitchen where she kept the first aid kit before realizing that she was a witch.

"I was trying to undo the wards and forgot about the time."

"Okay," Hermione sighed. "That still doesn't explain the blood, though."

"Well, pet, the wards are blood magic."

Hermione looked at her worriedly, but said nothing. She knew there was no point. "Let me heal the wounds then," she sighed at last and searched for her wand with her eyes.

"You can't do that. If they seal, the counter curse will stop working. But you don't have to worry, I won't bleed to death from this," she winked.

"Then stop whatever it is you're doing! It's not worth it. Don't hurt yourself because of it. Fuck the wards."

"So feisty," Bellatrix chuckled. "So, did they come today?" she asked to change the topic and also closed the gap between them, pressing the girl to the kitchen counter with her body.

And Hermione wasn't fooled by that. She narrowed her eyes, but when all she got was an intense burning gaze in return, she relented. "Yes. And it was totally an intervention even though they don't know about it."

"Oh, you must have had so much fun," the dark witch cackled.

"Bella, let me tend to the cuts," she said with urgency in her voice. "If I can't use magic, let me at least disinfect the wounds and bandage them."

"You're ruining the atmosphere," Bellatrix rolled her eyes, but when Hermione crossed her arms across her chest and gave her a look, she gave up. "FINE!" she sighed dramatically and stepped away from the girl so she could get the first aid kit. Hermione took out the disinfectant and bandages and got to work. "Ow! What are you doing, you monster?! I didn't know you wanted to torture me!" Bellatrix hissed as the disinfectant was sprayed on the cuts.

Of course, Hermione could have warned her that the disinfectant would burn, but this was more fun. "Stop being a big baby," she chuckled, highly amused.

"You're mean, this hurts!"

"You know, children can withstand it with much less drama," she said as she started to bandage the first forearm.

"I didn't know muggles are so cruel! Poor muggle children."

"Sympathy for muggle kids? Wow, Bella, you're really losing your touch. How much blood did you lose?" she teased and started to bandage the other forearm.

"I hate you."

Hermione hummed, amused and then asked: "Any other cuts I should know about?"

"Why don't you find out yourself?" the Death Eater wiggled her eyebrows.

"Oh, I will. But are you sure you want to stop whatever we will be doing so I can clean them and bandage them, too?"

"Like I would ever let you do this to me again!" she scoffed and pouted.

"It wasn't that bad, now was it?" Hermione smiled and kissed the pout off her face.

"It was," Bellatrix replied in a child's voice and pouted some more.

"My poor Bella," the Gryffindor cupped her cheeks and kissed her again. "How about this, you show me the other cuts, I'll clean them and then I'll kiss it better?"

"One is between my legs," she said with a smirk.

"Well, for your sake I truly hope not," Hermione laughed. "Be serious. This could get infected. And you can't bleed all night."

"Fine, there are no other cuts, just the forearms."

"Then we're done," the younger witch cheered and placed the items back into the first aid kit. "Now, where were we?" she asked as she pulled the pouting woman flush against her.

"You were telling me about your visit," Bellatrix replied as she attached her lips to Hermione's neck.

"Right, that was terrible. The whole Weasley family and Harry were here."

"What about your King Cobra?" she smirked as she untied the knot that held the bathrobe wrapped around Hermione's body.

"I had to tell them I got rid of it," the girl swallowed thickly as pale hands now roamed over her body and red plumb lips attacked her neck with bites.

"How heartless," Bellatrix purred in her ear and then moved back to her neck.

"If I said it's in my room, they would want to see it! And probably take it and face the problem head on," she defended, forgetting for a millisecond what the older woman was doing to her body.

"Speaking of your room," she said before she sucked on the girl's jugular. "We should probably take this there," she finished after the skin turned an angry shade of red. Hermione moaned and her hips bucked on their own volition.

Bellatrix would never bother with taking this to the bedroom. Under any other circumstances she would take her right there and then so the Gryffindor grinned. "Something tells me that you missed me."

"Shut up, Granger."

"And here I thought you enjoy hearing me scream."

"Oh, I do," Bellatrix breathed out. "But you're not really screaming, love, are you?" she asked as she pinched a rosy nipple. "The bedroom. Now," she hissed at last, marveling in the whimper and choked breath she got in reply.

They managed to make their way to the bedroom between hungry kisses and urgent undressing. It was easy for Bellatrix as she only pushed the bathrobe off Hermione's shoulders and the girl was left completely bare, but the Gryffindor only managed to untie the leather corset before she was shoved onto the bed.

"Turn the lights on," the raven-haired woman breathed out as she climbed on top of the girl.

"No," Hermione shook her head.

"Yes," she hissed and bit her collarbone in warning. "I want to see you when I fuck you, pet."

Hermione moaned at that and searched blindly with her hand for the button to turn the bedside lamp on. "Get rid of your clothes," she urged as the soft light illuminated the bedroom.

Bellatrix groaned and sat on her heels to undress herself. At first, she held eye contact as she shed the layers of her clothes, but then her eyes started to roam the naked form and she froze mid-step. "Who did that?!" she growled when her eyes landed on fresh scars. One was above the Gryffindor's heart, similar to her own. Another, nasty red scar was across her ribs. There were also multiple smaller scars all over the petite body she's grown fond of.

"I don't know," Hermione shrugged.

"What do you mean you don't know? Who hurt you?!"

"I got them during the battle, Bella. I don't know who exactly cast the curses my way."

Bellatrix hissed and huffed, mumbling something about murder and revenge while she leaned down to softly kiss every inch of the scarred skin. She paid extra attention to the rib scar as it was deep and wide, her hand fisting the sheet from anger. Then she moved to the scar above Hermione's heart and tried to kiss it better.

"Bella," the girl whispered, suddenly very overwhelmed by emotions. She had done this dozens of times for the older woman after she was allowed to because Bellatrix was covered in scars. Most of them were from Azkaban, some she got in duels, others were a testament of Voldemort's cruelty. She wanted to show her they didn't bother her and that she was beautiful. And the Death Eater always got emotional when Hermione did that. Now she understood why. She also understood Bella's reasoning for not letting her touch them at the very beginning because this was very intimate and therefore overwhelming. Especially for someone like the older witch.

"I will murder them," the older woman hissed when she stopped kissing the scar and moved to look Hermione in the eyes. "Every and each one of them."

"Now there's the Bella I know," she smiled and lifted her head to kiss her, bringing her back down with her. When the kiss got heated, she performed a wandless spell that undressed the Death Eater and they both moaned into the kiss upon feeling their skin touching after a very long time.

"I shouldn't have taught you wandless magic," the raven-haired witch murmured before she attacked Hermione's neck again.

"You shouldn't have," she agreed and pushed Bellatrix's head downwards to a place that needed immediate attention.

"Mmmh," she moaned in reply and spread the girl's legs open only to kiss her inner thigh. Bellatrix sucked on the tender skin there until she left a mark. Then she moved onto the other thigh.

"Are you seriously teasing me right now, Bellatrix?!" Hermione groaned as her hips bucked. "I don't need more teasing."

"Oh, I can see that," the older woman smirked. "You're dripping, pet," she husked out as she licked her lips and dove into her favorite meal. Bellatrix moaned when the familiar taste assaulted her taste buds and Hermione's hips bucked from the pleasure. They maintained eye contact until the girl couldn't take it anymore. It was always like that. The raven-haired witch crossed her arm over her hips to keep her secured and got to work. Her other arm snaked to a neglected chest and started to play with the hard nubs.

It really didn't take long for the first orgasm to wash over Hermione. Months of pent-up pressure and Bellatrix's skilled tongue were her undoing. She whimpered when she realized that the older woman wasn't really just helping her to ride out the orgasm, but rather increasing her efforts to bring her to another one. She lost it again when the hot muscle left her clit and entered her. Her back arched and she screamed so loud the whole neighborhood must have heard her.

The Death Eater hummed against her and withdrew from the hot core. "Always so responsive," she husked and entered the young woman with two fingers. They slipped in easily, something Bellatrix was sure about considering the amount of Hermione's juices dripping down her chin.

She watched mesmerized as the girl trashed and panted, fisting the sheets to ground herself. The Gryffindor was always a sight when in the throes of pleasure. The older witch pumped her fingers steadily and dove back down to suck on the erected clit. Hermione nearly sobbed, she wasn't sure when the second orgasm ended and third started. When Bellatrix replaced her tongue with her thumb and said "come for me, pet,", Hermione was assaulted by a blinding white light and overwhelming pleasure that left her trembling.

When she came back to her senses again, the older witch was hovering above her, sporting a shit-eating grin. "Just give me a minute," Hermione said as she tried to calm her racing heart and convince her limbs to work again.

"Oh, I think I ruined you for more than a minute," Bellatrix answered, very proud of herself. Hermione, being a true Gryffindor, was however determined to wipe that smirk off of her face. She shoved the older witch onto her back and got on top of her. "What do you think you're doing?!" Bellatrix hissed.

"Fucking you," she simply replied. Then her eyes softened when she noticed a new scar above Bellatrix's heart and she started to kiss the scarred skin. She wasn't bothered by the woman's scars, but this particular one irritated her because it was a reminder that her witch nearly died. When Bellatrix whimpered under the soft kisses, she started to descend down her body, but the older woman stopped her. "No, stay here," she said with big eyes full of vulnerability. "Kiss me," she whispered.

And Hermione could never say no to her. She kissed her with all her might, her free hand touching any pale skin she could find. She toyed with Bella's nipple because she knew by now how sensitive the older witch was in that area and then her hand ventured lower between their bodies, past her navel and between the older witch's legs.

She moaned into Bella's mouth at the amount of wetness that greeted her and wasted no time before entering the raven-haired witch. Bellatrix broke the kiss to let out a moan of her own and then attacked Hermione's lips with renewed fervor. Their tongues danced together as the girl was steadily building pressure in her lower belly. Bellatrix felt like she couldn't get enough. She was kissing her madly; afraid she would lose her mind if she didn't. This feeling always washed over her when she was with her witch. Just when the pressure started to become almost painful, Hermione added a thumb to her clit and Bellatrix came with a scream that was swallowed by bruised lips.

Just as Hermione didn't stop kissing her, she didn't stop the hand from fucking her either. "I owe you two more," she husked when the raven-haired woman wanted to protest.

"I don't keep count, love."

"But I do."

"Of course, you do," she snorted and scratched Hermione's back from top to bottom when the Gryffindor hit her G-spot.

When Hermione settled the score (well almost because Bellatrix brought her to another orgasm by having her ride her fingers), she collapsed on top of the older woman, utterly spent. They laid in silence for a long while, just breathing out and marveling at how their bodies fit perfectly together.

"I would have given up if it wasn't for you, pet," Bellatrix said quietly to the ceiling, stroking chestnut hair.

The raven-haired woman always got vulnerable after sex. Hermione knew it was post-coital bliss and it was the only time the Death Eater said things aloud. When it happened for the first time, she kicked the girl out of the bed, cursing. It took a long time for the Gryffindor to show her she would not exploit these moments of vulnerability. Like ever.

"I don't believe that. You're a fighter! You would push through either way."

"But what for?" she rasped out. "What did I have left worth fighting for? Nothing. Voldemort was dead, my family hates me – "

"They don't hate you. Narcissa surely doesn't hate you from what you told me."

"I think she blamed me for what happened to Draco."

"As a matter of fact, I know she didn't. She hates Lucius. If anything, you helped her son. You taught him things, did you not?"

"Of course, he was a weakling."

"Just like me before I met you," Hermione smiled.

"You were never a weakling, pet."

"Same as you. That's why I know you would have pushed through."

"No, I wouldn't have. The pain was unbearable and I was ready to let it consume me. But then I realized I would never see you again, so..."

Hermione lifted her head to look into bottomless onyx eyes and waited until the older witch returned her gaze. When she did, the girl cupped her cheek and softly said "I love you too, Bella," and she leaned down and kissed her to shut out any protests she knew were about to come out.


A/N: also, if you're on facebook, find Bellamione Land group and join! :)