AN: Trigger warnings to many things are present in this story. Don't like, don't read.
I don't own Harry Potter.
All spelling mistakes are my own.
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Spells and curses soared around the Great Hall with unerring accuracy. Screams and shouts echoed in every mind in the room, the sounds carrying out into the battle worn halls. Pain and suffering were everywhere. No matter where eyes looked there was blood, pain, bodies staring at nothing and filled with so much emptiness it would haunt the survivors for years to come. Cries of mourning while spells and curses still burst from their lips, some silently while others were screamed in anguish.
Loud cackling laughter filled the hall as Bellatrix Lestrange made her presence known. She was in her element, her dueling the best in the entire wizarding world. Hermione could only grin and bear it because she refused to back down from the woman. Ginny had been knocked off her feet while Luna had been stunned enough to prevent her from continuing the duel. Hermione was on her own against the woman, her anger building as Bellatrix smirked at her, knowing that the girl was slowly draining.
Hermione let her emotions get the best of her as she began to send powerful curses, causing Bellatrix to stumble backwards in shock. It also had the adverse effect of pissing Bellatrix off. The woman surged forward, her wand movements tight and amazingly precise. Hermione could only block as she backed away from the gorgeous woman in front of her.
She had always secretly had a crush on Bellatrix Lestrange, but it was nothing more than that. Her arm flared in pain, blood beginning to pour from the cursed wound. She knew what Bellatrix thought of her. A Mudblood that didn't deserve not only magic but her life. Pureblood superiority was high on Bellatrix's list and while she could spend hours staring at the woman, watching her battle, watching her do anything, she knew the woman would kill her if given the chance.
She took the moment Bellatrix readied a spell to attack, unleashing her rage at the way the world decided to work. The curse from Bellatrix's wand and the spell from her own met in the space between them. The power of the two meeting made her wand arm shake with the force causing her to grip her wand with both hands. Bellatrix's frown reflected back at her as even she couldn't control her wand with one hand. The magic around the fluctuated, pulsing without control as spectators watched on in horror as a large colourful dome began to surround them. Silence descended on them as they were encased in their magical barrier. Their eyes locked as the force became too great and the resounding explosion blew them both backwards into a blinding white light.
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Hermione groaned as she slowly awoke, her head pounding painfully with the strongest headache she's ever had. Her body felt like it was on fire, pain cascading over every inch of skin. Her muscles were sore and pulsing, feeling unused for longer than she figured was safe. She opened her eyes slowly, squinting against the bright light in the familiar room. She frowned as she took in the Hogwarts hospital wing. It wasn't damaged, nor filled with the bodies of her fallen friends.
She felt the silent tear slide down her cheek at the thought of Fred, Tonks, even Lupin. She knew they were gone but she had been so focused on staying alive and defeating the Death Eaters that she hadn't spared them a moment of thought. Then the guilt hit, and she couldn't stop the tears that rushed down her cheeks as she forced herself into a sitting position.
Pain surged through her ribcage at the jostle, and she grimaced as she clutched her right side, her breathing coming in short gasps and her eyes closing tightly against the pain. She heard the shuffling of feet and a woman hurried to her side. She felt a hand on her shoulder as a woman's soft unfamiliar voice filtered through the pain, "Easy now dear. Lay back so I can get you a potion."
She did as she was told without opening her eyes and sighing in relief as the sharp stabbing pain slowly receded into a dull ache. She finally opened her eyes and frowned at the redheaded woman moving towards her. This wasn't Madame Pomfrey, but the woman looked startling familiar. She felt the panic swell in her chest as she was handed a potion.
"Now drink this and then I'll give you something to help you sleep again," the soft calm voice of Lilly Potter didn't sooth her one bit.
She stared wide-eyed at the woman she knew to be dead. The woman that was her best friend's mother, the woman that had sacrificed her life out of love for her son. She looked around the room quickly, her mind desperately trying to sort through this mess. Maybe she was dreaming? Had Bellatrix captured her during their battle at Hogwarts and put her in some kind of stasis?
Lilly frowned, "It's alright Hermione. You're safe here."
She shook her head, dropping the closed potion bottle on the bed and scurrying out the other side, hissing in pain as she stood, "How do you know my name?"
Lilly's eyes widened, her mouth falling open in shock, "Hermione I'm your friend Lilly. Don't you remember me?"
Hermione backed away as the woman took a step closer, her mind screaming at her that this was a trick. A trap laid out by a Death Eater, by Bellatrix, even Voldemort himself. She ignored the pain in her body as she backed away from the obviously concerned woman in front of her. She shook her head, not believing anything she was seeing. It was a trick of the mind, a game made by Voldemort.
Did that mean they lost the war? Did that mean that Harry was dead? Her friends, the people she considered family?
She felt her heart beating frantically as she struggled to grip onto what she knew to be reality. She didn't even notice Lilly summoning a Patronus and sending out an urgent message, not until the Doe darted from the room with the thundering sound of hooves. Breathing became labored, every intake sharp and hot while every exhale was an electric shock of relief. Her body was injured, and her panic was only making worse.
The sounds of running feet met her ears as tears poured down her face and she looked up as the large doors to the infirmary burst open. A group of people rushed into the room led by none other than Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione felt her heart drop, her body becoming cold as the blood drained from her face. She stared at the woman in terror, the pain in her arm flaring again as blood began to spill from the cursed word carved into her arm.
"Hermione, darling please calm down," Bellatrix's voice was soft, soothing and made her body want to comply instantly.
But she refused.
She refused to listen to her tormentor. To the woman that had tortured her, who was probably trapping her in this nightmare. She backed away as Bellatrix moved towards her causing the woman to freeze, hands outstretched to her. Hermione took in the pain that flitted across Bellatrix's face, the worry, fear, and utter heartbreak. Why was Bellatrix upset that she didn't want to be near her? The woman had tortured her, had trapped her in this place, this whatever it was. Of course, she didn't want to be near her, to be touched by her.
Bellatrix frowned, not taking her eyes off Hermione even as she asked over her shoulder, "Lilly what's wrong with her?"
Lilly frowned, "She doesn't know me, Bella. I don't think she knows who we are."
Hermione could see the pain on all the faces in the room, finally noticing someone other than Bellatrix. Severus Snape looked crestfallen as his dark eyes stayed glued on her face. Minerva McGonagall's jaw dropped, a look of horror crossing her face as her hand quickly covered her mouth. Lilly looked sad, like she had lost someone that was close to her. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad Eye Moody were watching her with a frown and concern.
Bellatrix however captured her attention fully. Tears began to slide down her face, her dark eyes going darker. Anger flared as she straightened her body to her full height, "I want to know who did this."
Kingsley nodded, "We haven't found anything yet Madame Black, but I promise you we will not stop until we find whoever hurt your wife."
Hermione's heart stuttered in her chest as she looked back at Bellatrix, her voice coming out as more of a whisper, "Wife?"
Bellatrix nodded but didn't move towards her, "Yes my love. You are my wife and I promise I will make whoever did this to you pay."
The last thing Hermione saw was Bellatrix rushing forward to catch her as her mind finally shut down. The darkness consuming every last piece of herself as the word echoed through her mind. She was married to Bellatrix.
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Hermione wasn't sure how much time had passed when she jerked awake, although she sighed in relief when she noticed the pain was less than it had been before. The knowledge that she was married to Bellatrix surged back into her mind as she opened her eyes, finding the room dark and a soft candlelight emitting from the far corner of the room. She didn't want to believe that it was possible, but all their faces had been utterly convincing. Though why Snape should care was beyond her.
No!
Snape was dead, he couldn't be here. Just like Lilly Potter. She was dead and couldn't be here. This had to be some kind of Legilimen that either Bellatrix or Voldemort were forcing onto her. She slowly shifted the blanket off her body and swung her legs over the side of the bed. The stone floor was cold against her feet, but she shrugged it off while she looked for her wand. She tried to be quiet as she searched frantically but then the image of the Great Hall hit her, just as the bright light engulfed her, she watched her wand shatter into pieces.
She felt her heart drop as she eased her still sore body back down onto the side of the bed. Her wand was gone, a piece of her was gone. She would need a new one but how could she get one. If this was her mind, then she could imagine it and it should appear. She pictured her wand, every single detail but when she opened her eyes noting happened. She gripped her head with both hands.
Realization began to set in that this wasn't in her mind.
If it wasn't in her mind then how the hell was people that were dead, that she knew to be dead, that she had watched die, there with her. Alive.
The blast.
The magical explosion that she has suffered. Was that the reason for all of this? Had it somehow put her in an alternate dimension? Alternate reality? Or was she lost in her own mind, in a deep coma that she couldn't escape from? Every one of them seemed plausible but there was only one way to find out for sure.
Library.
She needed to get to the library, to research. She needed to research what was happening. What had happened in the Great Hall. She stood again and closed her eyes, focusing on her magic. She imagined her favorite pair of jeans and a t-shirt, feeling them wrapping around her body. She ignored her feet, liking the cold stone floor, feeling like it grounded her in a way. She hurried towards the door, mindful of the movements that caused her pain to flare and trying to avoid doing it.
She stepped out into the long corridor and made her way towards the library. Thankfully Hogwarts was just as she remembered it to be. At least that hadn't changed. She slipped into the library and began to work, searching the stacks to find what she was looking for. She was hoping to be back in the hospital wing before anyone noticed she was missing but as usual she lost track of time while getting lost in the books she had spread across the table.
While the magical blast had been dangerous to both her and Bellatrix, it was possible that it created enough fluctuation to cause a temporal shift, paradox, among other things. She frowned as she stared at the words, not wanting to believe but also not able to find a reason against it. If a shift had happened and she had been blown through dimensions, then it would explain why Snape and Lilly were alive.
The only problem with that was how the hell she was going to get back to her own dimension.
She moved to another book that sat open, flipping a few pages before frowning at it. She knew the cause of the shift, the magical explosion between hers and Bellatrix's wands. The time was a little more complicated since at the time she was more focused on not dying than what precise time it was. The where was easy but the how, that was the mystery.
How the hell had they opened a temporal shift that sent her into another dimension? Had Bellatrix followed her into this one? Had Bellatrix arrived at a sooner point and was biding her time until she had shown up and was going to kill her? Blame her for this happening and being taken out of the fight?
She felt the dread enter her body, her adrenaline running through her blood as the possibilities were endless. She knew she didn't trust Bellatrix in her own dimension, but this Bellatrix was even more of a danger to her. Especially if she was the Bellatrix from her world. The woman was great at deceiving people and while she wasn't sure about this entire situation, she knew this Bellatrix was going to be her biggest obstacle.
"I thought I would find you in here," Bellatrix's voice was full of mirth.
She startled out of her chair, clenching her teeth at the pain the sudden movement caused, an uncontrollable grimace crossing her face. She hadn't even heard the woman enter the room. She eyed Bellatrix warily, taking in the woman's dragon hide corset and long flowing black skirts. She looked ever like the woman from her own world and the thought only terrified her even more as her forearm burned with fresh blood.
Bellatrix's eyes narrowed on the wound, rage building beneath the surface, "I promise I will find a way to get your memories back my love."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, "How long have we been married?"
Bellatrix's eyes darted back up to hers, the pain shimmering unhidden in their dark depths, "We were betrothed when you were in your second year. We married the summer before your fourth year."
She frowned, her mind reeling, "Am I out of Hogwarts?"
Bellatrix shook her head, "You are in your fifth year, the beginning of it. You are sixteen."
She looked back down at the books, wondering if Voldemort was apart of this world but also not wanting to sound crazy. She already knew her actions were giving off the 'lost my mind' impression and she didn't want to make it any worse. There was so much about this world that she didn't know and if she was going to survive it long enough to find her way home, she was going to need someone to explain things.
She looked back up at Bellatrix, the woman hugging her own middle as if she was trying to stop herself from reaching out to her. She could see the anguish in the woman's eyes, an emotion she wasn't used to associating to the woman before her.
No. The woman of her own world. This was already getting confusing.
She shook her head against the confusion and sighed heavily, "I don't trust anyone here." She watched the tear slid down Bellatrix's cheek silently, feeling her heart ache at the woman's pain. She frowned, "I don't think I belong here."
Bellatrix's eyes snapped up to her, panic and fear flowing through her body, "Don't say that. Please Hermione, I promised you I would never let you go down that dark path again. I swear I will do anything you need. I-"
Hermione watched the woman begin to spiral and couldn't stop herself from rushing forward, gripping the sobbing woman's shoulders, "Whoa. Easy. What are you talking about?"
Bellatrix's hands gripped her hips tightly, causing her to gasp but she was too scared of the woman's obvious panic to pull away, "I won't let you do it again. We will figure this out I promise. Please don't give up on me."
Hermione felt her heart thudding against her chest, "Give up on… Wait. Hold on. I meant that I think I'm not the Hermione from this dimension. I think I'm from a different dimension."
Bellatrix's eyes widened, "You weren't talking about killing yourself?"
Hermione's jaw dropped her eyes widening, eyebrows nearly disappearing in her hair line, "What?"
Bellatrix shook her head, "Right, no memories. You have tried… Before. You kept saying that you didn't belong and that you didn't want the pain anymore."
She frowned, releasing her grip on Bellatrix's shoulders and quickly backing away from her, "No. I would never…" She turned back to the table full of books. She refused to talk about her past ideas with this woman. She still wasn't completely convinced of her theory, but she also wasn't going to suffer the torment that she had suffered as a child again. She had put that behind her a long time ago, especially when she obliviated her parents and left them. She needed to find a way home, a way back to her own world if this was what happened.
Bellatrix's voice was soft behind her, "What's your theory?"
She froze. How was she going to explain that she was fighting to the death with Bellatrix when this situation possibly happened? She had seen the panic, fear, and pain in the woman's eyes, on her face at the thought of Hermione harming herself. What would she do if she found out about her other self, torturing and nearly killing her. She couldn't do that to a woman who obviously loves and cares for this dimensions Hermione.
Lost in thought she didn't notice that Bellatrix had moved closer until she was standing right beside her. She startled as a hand rested gently on her shoulder, flinching away from the woman. She frowned as the woman's hand fell, hurt crossing her eyes before it was quickly hidden behind a mask.
Hermione took a deep breath and moved away from Bellatrix, moving to a window that looked out over Hogwarts grounds, "I was in a battle, a war, in the wizarding war. My wand somehow connected to another's and caused a magical explosion of some sort. I think it was a temporal shift that I was blown through."
Bellatrix stood beside her, keeping a good distance between them, "It would explain why you were thrown into a wall with enough force to knock you unconscious. You were in the dueling room alone when it happened. We thought someone had been in there with you and ran." Bellatrix's eyes darted to her forearm, "We thought they did that."
She glanced down at her arm before quickly and wandlessly summoning a long sleeve t-shirt onto her body, hiding it. She looked back out at the grounds, trying to remind herself that this Bellatrix didn't hurt her. Didn't carve this word into her arm with a cursed dagger. She tried to force herself to be rational, to understand the differences between this world and hers. Though the odd sense of calm inside her was disconcerting but she figured it was because she was becoming distracted.
But the only way to do that was to find out if he existed in this world.
"Voldemort." She almost whispered the name.
Bellatrix's confused gaze landed on her, "What?"
She took a steadying breathe, "Does Voldemort exist here?" she looked over at Bellatrix's worried gaze and forced herself to say the words, "Does Tom Riddle exist here?"
Bellatrix frowned at her, "Yes. He's actually the Potion's Master."
She felt her body begin to tremble as the snakelike man's face appeared in her mind. She could just picture the Dark Lord torturing his students when they put the wrong ingredient in a cauldron.
She didn't realize she was crying until Bellatrix's soft fingers were wiping them away, "He is our friend. A good man that would never hurt you Hermione. He loves you as do all our friends."
She couldn't rationalize this soft gentle woman with the one she knew. Bellatrix was evil, cruel, loves to inflict pain. She backed away from the woman, her mind not allowing her to separate the two Bellatrix's. While she had always thought the Bellatrix in her world could be reached, she knew the woman had been forced into insanity. So far past the point of no return as the word was carved into her arm, each letter making her scream in pain until her throat was raw and sore. No words could be made because her vocal cords hurt, so much so that she could taste blood with every swallow.
She returned to the table, unable to watch the pain enter the woman's eyes, "I need to find a way back. I have to get home. The war isn't over, and I need to be there."
Bellatrix took a hesitant step towards her, "You are too young for war Hermione."
She shook her head and spun to face the woman, "You don't believe me." Pain radiated through her heart, the heartbreak she had suffered at watching her friends die only increasing.
Bellatrix frowned, "I believe in you. But you have to admit this sounds…"
Hermione slammed the book in front of her closed, holding her hand up and watching as Bellatrix's eyes widened while all the books flew back to their places on the shelves. She spun on her heel, "I will find my way home. Without you or anyone else."
She left the silent shocked woman alone in the library and made her way back towards the hospital wing. She knew she was on the right track, but Hogwarts didn't have exactly what she needed. She needed access to a darker more powerful library. She entered the hospital wing and found Lilly pacing with concern.
"Someone hurt?" She asked as she entered the room and moved back towards her bed.
Lilly spun around with relief, "Where the hell did you go? You shouldn't be up yet. Your body is still healing. What is Bellatrix going to say? Or Narcissa for that matter."
She froze, one leg on her bed and the other still on the floor, "Narcissa Malfoy? What the hell would she care?" she snapped angrily.
Lilly's jaw opened in an 'o' before groaning, "Why did your memories have to go?" She shook her head, "Hermione, you are both my best friend and Severus's sister. I love you but I really don't want to have to explain to your other wife why you think she is married to Lucius."
Hermione felt her heart rate skyrocket. Her jaw dropped to the floor, her breathing becoming erratic. Sweat broke out on her forehead, her sudden gasps for air becoming too painful.
"Oh!" Lilly summoned a potion and pulled the cork, "Drink this. Calming potion."
Hermione snatched it out of the woman's hand and downed it as fast as she could. After a few moments she felt the effect as her breathing slowed, her heart becoming quieter in her ears and her head less of a spinning mess. "I'm married to both Bellatrix and Narcissa Black?"
Lilly nodded, "Yes and you are Severus's sister, which makes you, my sister-in-law. You're also my best friend even with the age gap."
She shook her head, rubbing her forehead, "This can't be happening."
Lilly frowned and sat on the edge of her bed, "You really can't remember anything?"
She didn't want to lie but at the same time she really didn't want to sound crazier than she already did. Even Bellatrix didn't believe her theory and until she could test said theory she was at a loss. Forced to go through this life that apparently, she was doomed to lead for the time being. So, she shook her head at the woman that was her best friend in this world.
Lilly nodded, "Okay." She took a deep breath, "How can I help?"
"If I'm a fifth year, how am I Severus's sister?" She asked quietly, seeming like a decent place to start.
Lilly gave her a sad smile, "Well your parents always wanted multiple children and Severus kept asking for a sibling. By the time they got pregnant with you he was already a seventh year. They died right after he graduated Hogwarts, but you were only two."
She frowned and was unable to stop herself from asking, "Wait Hogwarts has eight years?"
Lilly nodded, another sad smile on her face, "He refused to let anyone else take you and has raised you since. When you met Bellatrix, he felt guilty because he was relieved. He had someone else to help with you. Bellatrix is the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor and your first year you were drawn to her. You hit a rebellious streak at that point because you didn't want to accept that she's your mate."
Hermione frowned, the calming potion the only reason she wasn't pacing the room, "Mate?"
Lilly smiled widely, "Soulmate. She's your other half. She can calm you when nothing else can. You are drawn to your mate uncontrollably and they to you."
She glanced up into Lilly's startling green eyes, "Sounds like you have one."
Lilly grinned, "Severus. It is rare to have more than one, but you fall into that category. Narcissa Black. I'll never forget the first time you met Narcissa and then Lucius kissed her cheek. Took me and Severus to keep you from killing the man. Bellatrix had been at a meeting and was running late to Narcissa's party. Lucius was terrified, thought you were going to curse him right there in front of everyone."
She smirked, feeling slightly satisfied at the sniveling cowards fear of her. Though she had to force herself to remember this Lucius wasn't the same man she knew. Which only made her feel guilty about feeling satisfied. She grimaced, "Are they married?"
Lilly grimaced, "Of course not. She's married to you. They are both bound to you. Lucius however is our close friend. We three keep in touch often and he's already starting to worry that we haven't contacted him in the past week."
She sat upright instantly, her head spinning slightly, "Week? I've been out for a week?" Her voice rose an octave as panic began to set in again.
Lilly frowned at her, "Hermione, the potion couldn't have worn off yet." Lilly pulled out her wand and began to run diagnostic spells.
Hermione shook her head as her mind kicked into high gear. Did time work differently between dimensions? Had it been a week in her world? Had it been longer? She needed to get home, to find a way to get home. She couldn't stay here. If the other Hermione was in her world, what was happening to her? Was she safe? Oh Merlin, was she with the other Bellatrix? The one that wasn't her wife, the one that wanted her dead. She couldn't fathom this worlds Hermione meeting the sadistic mad Bellatrix of her own world.
Her body shook violently, breaking out into a cold seat. She couldn't let the other Hermione suffer what she had. Not when the Bellatrix of this world was being so kind to her and obviously loves the other Hermione. How could she prevent the other Hermione from suffering the same fate or worse?
A hand on her shoulder yanked her out of her thoughts and she stared up into Bellatrix's dark eyes, "I can feel your panic pet. Please try to take a deep breath."
She focused on the calm that was slowly trying to trickle its way through her body. She continued to stare into the dark eyes that were pleading with her, begging her to remain calm to not hurt herself further. She frowned as she realized the words had been spoken in her mind. She grimaced as she shoved her walls into place, causing Bellatrix to gasp as she was forced out of Hermione's mind.
Hermione shifted away from the woman, "Legilimency?"
Bellatrix nodded, "I'm sorry. I forgot… It's a habit to help calm you. You find… found it soothing." Her eyes fell.
Hermione gritted her teeth, "I don't like it."
Bellatrix nodded muttering an apology quietly before backing away from the bed. Lilly frowned as she patted Bellatrix's shoulder in sympathy before moving towards Hermione, "I think we're going to need Narcissa. Bellatrix alone isn't helping to keep you calm. I think you need both of your mates."
Hermione climbed out of bed, opposite from them, needing space before speaking, trying to contain her anger, "I don't think it will help but whatever will get me out of here sooner."
Lilly's eyes brightened, "Oh. That might actually be a good idea. Take her home, see if it jogs her memory at all. Familiar things, people, settings. It might help."
Hermione felt her heart lodge in her throat, "Where is home?"
Bellatrix didn't meet her eyes before speaking, "Black Castle."
Hermione's heart dropped from her throat and into her stomach. A mudblood was going to enter Black Castle. Would she even survive going through the wards? Wasn't it a death sentence for a mudblood to step foot anywhere near the Noble House of Black's property at all?
Lilly frowned at her, "What is it?"
Hermione frowned, "But won't I be killed for even going near it?"
Two sets of eyes widened, and Bellatrix asked, "It's your home Hermione. Its where we live."
She shook her head, "But I'm a Mudblood."
The sudden silence was deafening, anger lit aflame in both women's eyes as they narrowed on her. She felt herself shrinking as she backed away from the rage, palpable in its entirety, that burned in their eyes. She felt as if she was back in Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix's anger over her as the woman shrieked at her, demanding to know how she stole the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Her body began to shake in terror which seemed to affect the two fuming women.
Bellatrix was the first to speak through clenched teeth, "You are not a Mudblood. Where did you even hear that term? Who put that on you?"
She couldn't get her muscles to work, her jaw remaining closed tightly. Her fear was too much, and she felt her body shutting down even as it shook. Lilly took a step towards her, but she was too lost in Malfoy Manor. She backed away until her back hit a wall, trying to shove herself into the corner as much as possible. Trying to disappear as she closed her eyes tightly. She could hear her own screams piercing the air as Bellatrix carved the word into her arm.
She shook her head curling into a ball in the corner, tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please I didn't…. Please I'm sorry." She looked up pleadingly at Bellatrix, seeing the woman that had tortured her in the rage burning in the woman's eyes, "I'm sorry. I didn't I swear."
She could barley hear Bellatrix's words as she turned her body to press herself more into the corner, "Get Narcissa. Tell her I'll explain later. Just get her here. Now." Hermione could hear the desperation in the woman's voice, the fear and pain coating the words as they floated from the woman's lips.
She kept begging, "I'm sorry. Please… please… I'm sorry." Losing herself in the pain that radiated from her forearm as blood flowed from the wound.
She felt hands on her, and she struggled as much as she had that day. On the cold marble floor of Malfoy Manor, she had fought until her body couldn't fight anymore. Her screams had faded with the final two letters because she knew it wouldn't stop and the screaming only caused more pain.
Her sleeve was lifted, and gasps were heard before a new voice entered her spiraling mind, filled with a rage she was all too familiar with, "Who did this to her?"
She fought against the strong arms that were wrapping around her, two sets pinning her between two bodies. She tried to shove them away, tried to kick her legs wildly, needing to get away from the pain, from the anger. The arms only tightened, and a soft voice whispered soothing words into her ears.
"It's alright my little one. Calm down. You're safe now." The voice continued, whispering softly, trying to calm her.
Bellatrix's voice was in her other ear, "We've got you. We won't let anyone hurt you again. You're going to hurt yourself my little witch. Please try to relax."
She found it wasn't the words that were beginning to sooth her, but the voices. The bodies pressed tight against own. The hold that felt soft, familiar, strong…. Safe. She felt safe in the arms that were holding her. She could feel the calm creeping into her mind, body and oddly, her soul. It was as if she had never been safer, never been comforted before. It was confusing but it was also pleasant.
She never wanted the feeling to end. She didn't want to move from her new favorite spot. She didn't want the arms to stop making her feel safe. Her eyes felt puffy as the tears began to slow and she found herself clutching at the woman in front of her. Found herself leaning back into the body holding her from behind. Her breathing slowed to a normal pace, a soft sob escaping every so often. She was pinned between the two holding her, but she didn't want it to end, couldn't let it end. Her fingers hurt as they tightened even more on the silk fabric in front of her.
Long straight blonde hair smelled of vanilla while the black curls smelling of cinnamon intermingled, calming her more than she thought possible. The two scents combined were overpowering but it only increased the feeling of safety she felt. Her body slowly relaxed as the smell surrounded her mind, shielding it from the pain and desperation that had quickly claimed her through memory alone.
The voices in her ears didn't stop, continuously trying to sooth her, to comfort her. She focused on them, focused on the fear in the tone, the comfort in the words. She focused on the presence she could feel surrounding her. She could already feel the bonds in her chest, her heart reaching out to them in an unnerving and unknown way. She had never experienced this before, the overwhelming desire for someone to comfort her, to make her feel safe.
She hated feeling vulnerable but, in this moment, in this never-ending nightmare she needed it more than ever. She didn't care if it made her appear weak. She didn't care if people loathed her for it. There were plenty of things people hated her for, plenty of things she hated of herself but this… This would not be one of them.
She listened to the voice around her as her body began to relax, exhaustion taking over, "I can't stand seeing her this way. We need to find out what happened in there."
"She was alone in the room when everything took place. No one saw or heard anything Severus. How are we supposed to chase a ghost."
Snape's voice was vicious when he snapped, "I don't give a shit what we have to do. I will tear this castle apart to punish whoever did this to my sister. She has been through enough Minerva. Look at her arm! She's not even a Mudblood for Merlin's sake."
Lilly's voice was soft, obviously trying to sooth her mate, "Sev, we'll figure this out. You know that term has been outlawed for a reason. We'll figure this out and help her in the process. I noticed she reacted to our anger. The moment Bella and I got angry she lost it. Specifically, Bella's."
Bellatrix's soft quiet voice was in her ear, being the body behind her that was soothing her, "Earlier I found her in the library. She was looking into temporal shifts. She believes she's not from this dimension, but from another. She mentioned the name Voldemort and then asked about Tom."
There was a moment of silence until Minerva McGonagall spoke, "What the hell does Tom have to do with this?"
The body pressing against her chest, the body that the shirt she was clutching at, shifted slightly away from her, "Tom has always been into Hermione, since her first year. He's pissed that she's ours and not his. I wouldn't put it passed him to do something like this."
Hermione whimpered at the loss of the woman in front of her uncontrollably. The warm safety she had felt, was slowly disappearing the further the woman moved away.
Without warning the woman was back against her chest tightly, lips brushing her cheek lightly, "I'm here my little one. I'm not going anywhere. We'll figure this out, I promise you. Sleep now."
Bellatrix's lips brushed the shell of her ear, "Sleep little witch. We've got you."
She felt her body relax again as exhaustion finally claimed her mind, the darkness encasing her menacingly.