A/N: Well! There are certainly things happening in this chapter! Took me some time to steer it in the right direction, but I did it. I think. I guess we'll see. Anyway, sorry for the wait, but check out my other stories if you haven't already because they'll give you something to keep you occupied while I write the next chapter. I promise to have it up as soon as it's written, and I promise I'll try not to procrastinate with it. Someday, I will have nothing but time to sit and write (hopefully), but today is not that day, and neither is any day in the near future, probably.
Anyway! I'm pretty sure you guys will enjoy this chapter, so get reading!
"Tell me you won't leave," Bellatrix whispered, tracing the remaining letters on Hermione's arm. M-U-D-B.
"You know I can't promise that, Bella," Hermione said, brushing dark hair behind a pale ear, her fingers lingering on an ivory cheek.
Bellatrix lifted her eyes to Hermione's, easily falling into the warm brown, just as she had been doing for months. "What if it still happens?"
"You aren't her, and you won't be. Trust me," Hermione assured, getting lost in Bellatrix's dark eyes.
Bellatrix's lips parted as if she was going to say something but couldn't think of anything. She wanted to close the distance between them, to learn what Hermione's lips felt like against hers. Would Hermione want that? Bellatrix was hyper-aware of how close they were, kneeling in front of each other in the Room of Requirement. Hermione had been teaching her in secret, magic Bellatrix could scarcely comprehend at her current age. She thought she knew advanced magic compared to her peers, but Hermione was something else. The more they trained, the more Bellatrix fell for the brown-haired witch, delighting in the discussions they had, the things they taught each other. Today, Hermione had been telling her more about the Muggle world, both of them taking a little break from whatever they had been practicing prior. Bellatrix couldn't remember.
"I wish I could see it," Bellatrix said, shifting her position so she was sitting cross-legged.
"I could take you," Hermione offered, mirroring Bellatrix's new position, "We could sneak out during a Hogsmeade weekend, it's not that hard."
"Are you insane?" Bellatrix responded, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"Maybe a little," Hermione joked, "But seriously if you want to see it, I can show you. We'll be back before anyone realizes we're gone."
"Andromeda would realize," Bellatrix pointed out.
"She'll probably think we went off somewhere to train, we do it often enough," Hermione countered.
Bellatrix hummed, rocking back and forth as she chewed on her lip in thought. "Let's do it."
A mischievous grin bloomed on Hermione's face, and Bellatrix couldn't stop the little flip that her heart performed at the sight. Hermione pushed herself up to a standing position, offering her hand to Bellatrix. She tried to ignore the jolt that ran down her spine when their hands met, pulling the dark-haired witch to her feet. Bellatrix stumbled uncharacteristically, and Hermione reached out to steady her. Pale hands landed on her shoulders as Bellatrix caught herself, silently cursing herself for being so clumsy. Hermione's hands were on her waist, and Bellatrix couldn't resist the urge to lean forward and brush her lips against Hermione's soft cheek. It couldn't even be considered a kiss, but Hermione's eyes fluttered closed nonetheless.
"Sorry," Bellatrix mumbled with pink cheeks.
"If it keeps you close to me, I don't mind it," Hermione admitted, heat flooding her face and coloring her cheeks and the tips of her ears.
"Shall we?" Bellatrix asked awkwardly, her brain not sure how to respond to the confession. Inwardly, she cursed herself.
"Sure," Hermione answered, pulling out of their intimate position and heading out of the Room of Requirement.
Bellatrix forced herself into motion, taking long strides to catch up with Hermione. Hermione gave her a sideways smile, linking their arms even though she really wanted to pull Bellatrix to a stop and kiss her. She wasn't sure how Bellatrix would react to that. She wasn't sure she was brave enough to find out. So much for having been a Gryffindor. As they exited the castle, Hermione inhaled deeply, the cold air causing her lungs to ache slightly. Bellatrix adjusted her scarf, casting a warming charm over herself. She would've cast one over Hermione, too, but she was more than capable if she wanted to, and Bellatrix quickly learned that Hermione enjoyed the cold. The first time Bellatrix had cast a warming charm over both of them, Hermione had wordlessly countered it, and she hadn't realized until she realized how cold Hermione's skin felt. She had immediately apologized for assuming, but Hermione had laughed it off, appreciating the intention.
"Father said I'm to stay here for Christmas. He said it's punishment for refusing to quit the Quidditch team, but he has no idea that it's the only thing I want," Bellatrix said, "I'm a little worried for Andy, though."
"She can take care of herself, Bella, I promise. I'll teach her a few things before she goes," Hermione said with a wink, "Nothing dangerous."
"You should teach her dangerous things, then maybe Father will leave her alone for good," Bellatrix laughed.
"Well in that case," Hermione said, laughing with Bellatrix.
"I appreciate that," Bellatrix said seriously.
"No one should have to endure that," Hermione mumbled, "Besides, it can be her Christmas present."
"Oh? Well, what's mine?" Bellatrix asked playfully.
"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a present, would it, Bella?" Hermione sat in their usual spot near the shore of the Black Lake, which somehow never froze over in the winter.
"You're no fun," she pouted, plopping down next to Hermione and immediately regretting it when her butt hit the frozen ground.
Hermione just laughed, throwing her arm over Bellatrix's shoulder. Bellatrix scooted closer to her, their sides pressed together as they watched the gentle waves caress the shore. They didn't say anything, just took in the cold air, grey sky, and grey water, enjoying each other's company. They had no idea how long they had been sitting there, but at some point, Andromeda wandered over to them, standing in front of them with her hands on her hips expectantly.
"Yes, mum?" Hermione teased, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter.
"Have you been here all day? I've been looking for you since lunch."
Bellatrix looked at Hermione, a smirk on her face. "We were in the Room of Requirement earlier."
"Father is not happy with you, Bella," Andromeda said sternly.
"When is he, ever?" she asked rhetorically.
"No, Bella, he's not letting you come home for Christmas. Cissy will be absolutely crushed, you know she adores you."
"I'm not quitting, Andy. It makes me happy," Bellatrix said stubbornly.
"What about Cissy?" Andromeda pressed.
"I'll send her present with you. She'll understand when she's older. I don't want to be there, and I know you don't, either. Cissy still doesn't understand, but she's getting older and she will before long."
"Andy, I have a present for you," Hermione interjected, hoping to diffuse the growing tension, "I want to teach you a few things before you go."
"That's really sweet of you, Hermione," Andromeda said, her posture relaxing slightly.
"Please don't be mad at me, Andy," Bellatrix pleaded.
"You know I can't stay mad at you, Bella, as much as I want to sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes and sitting across from the two witches.
"And sometimes I deserve it, but not this time."
"You're right. I'm sorry," Andy said, hanging her head forward.
Christmas break arrived faster than they anticipated, but they were also ready for the break. Hermione had focused on teaching Andromeda as much as she could in the little time they had, so Bellatrix had been feeling a little down. They hadn't had time to go to the Muggle world, and she hadn't learned much. She was able to practice with Andromeda, which was probably the only thing that saved her from feeling completely ignored. She knew she wasn't being ignored, she was just missing Hermione's constant attention.
They stood next to each other, waving goodbye to Andromeda and their other house-mates, who had begun to take a liking to them as the top house points earners. It helped that the rumors surrounding Bellatrix weren't true, and they were finally beginning to realize that. They didn't even tease Hermione about being muggle-born, they had quickly learned not to, but they also had begun to respect her for her accomplishments. Bellatrix and Hermione were tied for number one in every class, and the Slytherin house cared more about success than they did about blood. It was a newly acquired opinion, and had taken some time for them to accept, but they'd rather struggle to accept it than get on Hermione and Bellatrix's bad side.
Hermione and Bellatrix waited until the train was out of sight before making any move to return to the castle. Everyone else had left long ago, saying goodbye before boarding the train or returning to the castle. A few people had stayed while the train pulled out of the station, but even they weren't waiting anymore. Bellatrix couldn't help the smile on her face, finally having Hermione to herself. Sure, they were the only two in their dorm, but most days they were hardly there except to sleep.
"What should we do?" Bellatrix asked happily.
"Doesn't matter to me," Hermione said, her own mood considerably higher now that it was just her and Bellatrix.
"Play for me?" Bellatrix asked hopefully. She loved listening to Hermione play the piano in the Common Room, and she still only did it when no one else was there.
Hermione laughed, grabbing Bellatrix's arm and pulling her back towards Hogwarts. "Come on, then."
Bellatrix lounged by the fire while Hermione played, soaking up the warmth of the blaze and Hermione's music. She hummed along to the songs she had all but memorized, casting glances at Hermione's back every now and then. Satisfied with the thawing of her body, she moved to sit next to Hermione, the brown-haired witch sliding over without missing a note. Bellatrix placed her hands on the keys and Hermione shifted to the song Bellatrix had been practicing. She copied the notes as Hermione played them, her fingers more dextrous than when she had first imitated Hermione's motions. She only stumbled over the notes when she tried to play too fast, but Hermione always broke the song into pieces and taught it slower and they built up speed with practice. Hermione always smiled when they were playing together, her attention mostly focused on Bellatrix.
Bellatrix did her best to keep her focus on the keys, but they always reached a point where they both stopped playing and just smiled at each other before realizing what they were doing and forcing their attention back to the piano. She struck the keys purposefully, practicing with increased speed each time. When she messed up, she tried not to feel too disheartened and continued practicing, slowing the melody down until she felt comfortable going faster again. She had learned nearly the entire song this way, not yet putting together the parts. She still struggled over the last piece, her fingers not cooperating the way she wanted to. It didn't help that she was so distracted by Hermione's proximity. Bellatrix let her hands slide off the keys when she had enough, resting them on her knees while Hermione smiled at her and began playing something harder. Bellatrix was captivated by the way Hermione's fingers always knew where to be on the piano, eliciting each sound the way it was supposed to be and fluid like the waves of the Black Lake against the shore.
Hermione awoke before Bellatrix, something that wasn't very surprising. Most mornings, Bellatrix was sound asleep when Hermione woke up. As she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, she spared a glance in Bellatrix's direction. The witch was sprawled on her mattress, tangled in the blankets and snoring ever so slightly. Hermione chuckled, searching their room for clothes. They were a little unorganized, but not messy, and it always took some time for her to wake up enough to remember where her clothes were.
"Bella," she whispered, tossing a shirt onto her own bed, "Bella, wake up, it's Christmas."
Bellatrix mumbled something unintelligible and shifted on her bed, becoming more twisted in the blankets as she did.
"Bella, don't you want your present?" Hermione said, hoping to tempt her into waking up.
Unsurprisingly, it worked. Bellatrix abruptly sat up, the motion hindered by the mass of blankets wrapped around her. Hermione pulled on pants and her shirt while Bellatrix wriggled in an attempt to free herself, ending up half off the bed but successful. She fell ungracefully on the floor, quickly shooting to her feet and grabbing her robes.
"Definitely not that, Bella," Hermione interrupted, taking the robe from her grip and handing her a wrapped box, "Open it."
Bellatrix looked at the box in confusion, sitting cross-legged on her bed and tearing it open. She observed the clothes inside, not quite sure what to make of them. When she looked up at Hermione to ask, it suddenly clicked. Muggle clothes. Hermione was taking her to the Muggle world.
"I thought you forgot, we were so busy," Bellatrix whispered, laying the clothes out on her bed and taking them in.
"How could I have possibly forgotten? Don't pretend you weren't moping because we didn't get a chance," Hermione teased.
"I was not moping," Bellatrix protested, earning a skeptical look from Hermione, "Fine, I was a little mopey."
"Well, get dressed, because we do have to sneak out. And back in."
Bellatrix hastily dressed while Hermione brushed her teeth, struggling only a little with the strange clothes. She felt a little ridiculous in the foreign clothes, but she was too excited to care. She tucked her wand into her sleeve, wrapping her scarf around her neck. Hermione giggled at her, rolling her eyes at the decidedly childlike expression on Bellatrix's face.
"Can we go?" Bellatrix asked, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Yeah, come on," Hermione answered, tugging her out of the Common Room and through the corridors until they were outside. They half-ran, half-walked to the boundary of the school, slowing only as they approached the spot where the wards were. Hermione pulled Bellatrix close, wrapping her magic around them and slowly pushing through the wards, concentrating on not setting off any alarms. It was harder than when she snuck into Hogwarts what felt like ages ago. Bellatrix was too caught off guard to make a sound, settling into Hermione so fast she didn't even realize what was happening. Before she could process what Hermione had done, her gut twisted and she was suddenly standing in an alley, her back pressed to Hermione's front.
"Welcome to Muggle London," Hermione whispered in her ear, leading her onto the surprisingly busy street and looping their arms together.
Bellatrix tried to hide her awe, but she was pretty sure she wasn't doing a great job at it. Thankfully, she wasn't acting so weird that they drew the attention of everyone around them. Her head followed the contraption- car, she corrected- driving alongside the sidewalk. The streets were decorated with bright lights and garlands, wrapping decoratively around lampposts and arching over the road. Bellatrix fiddled with her scarf with her free hand, the other resting on Hermione's bicep. She felt warmth spread through her and sent Hermione a grateful smile. They wandered through London, Hermione only guiding her when she had something in mind to show her. By lunch, they were sitting on a bench in Trafalgar Square, looking up at the enormous Christmas Tree.
"Is it possible that it's bigger than the one at Hogwarts?" Bellatrix whispered, leaning closer to Hermione to avoid being overheard.
"Bella, there's no way," she whispered back, descending into a fit of laughter.
"It's a serious question, that is a big tree!" Bellatrix immediately looked around, breathing a sigh of relief when no one looked at them.
"Yeah, but the one at Hogwarts is huge," Hermione said, leaning closer and whispering directly in her ear, "And it's magic."
Bellatrix fought the shiver that threatened to work its way down her spine and stood from the bench and offered her hands to Hermione. "Now it's my turn to give you your present."
"Bella," Hermione protested. She hadn't received a gift in such a long time, she was unsure how to react.
"Don't even start. You gave me the best present I could ever hope for, it's my turn now. Come on, don't be shy," she said, teasing Hermione playfully.
"Fine," she grumbled, placing her hands in Bellatrix's and allowing the witch to pull her to her feet.
Bellatrix linked their arms with a satisfied smirk, pulling Hermione to an abandoned part of the park. Hermione glanced around a few times, making sure there was no one around before apparating them just outside the Hogwarts wards. She pulled Bellatrix against her once more, gently pushing their way through the intense magic protecting the castle. Sneaking in remained easier than sneaking out, and before long, they were already entering the castle, Bellatrix pulling Hermione across the grounds and through the corridors, much as Hermione had that morning. When they entered the Common Room, Bellatrix went straight to the piano, taking a steadying breath and beginning to play Liebestraum No. 3, the piece Hermione had been teaching her. Bellatrix knew it was Hermione's favorite, and as her fingers danced over the keys, she hoped she wouldn't mess up.
Hermione stood by the couch, her eyes watering as she watched Bellatrix play. She had to have been practicing without her, and Hermione could only assume that it had been at night while she was asleep. She always woke Bellatrix up when she woke up, and she had never complained, even though she stayed up long after Hermione had fallen asleep. She had put so much effort into learning the song so she could play it for Hermione. All the words in Hermione's head left her, and she was stuck standing by the couch, watching in awe as Bellatrix poured herself into the piano, the notes ringing out the way Hermione imagined they were meant to. When she finished the song, she turned to Hermione shyly, immediately jumping to her feet and rushing to the brown-haired witch when she saw the tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she started.
"That was beautiful, Bella," she whispered, her voice catching, "Thank you so much."
Before Bellatrix could respond, Hermione had enveloped her in a crushing hug, pressing her face firmly into her shoulder. Bellatrix rested her chin on Hermione's shoulder, wrapping her arms around her waist.
"I don't remember the last time someone gave me a present," Hermione mumbled, her breath tickling Bellatrix's neck.
Bellatrix's face flushed red, the color deepening when Hermione pulled her head back to look at her.
"Fuck it," Bellatrix thought, leaning forward and pressing her lips softly against Hermione's in a shy kiss.
Hermione felt her heart stutter, threatening to stop as time seemed to slow down the moment Bellatrix kissed her. She kissed her back gently, slowly, familiarizing herself with the lips she had been longing for. Bellatrix stifled a gasp when Hermione began kissing her back, fireworks going off in her body in celebration. Shyly, she broke the kiss, her cheeks still burning red.
"I'm so glad you had the guts to do that," Hermione whispered with a laugh, "I've been kicking myself for not being brave enough. Maybe you should've been in Gryffindor, instead."
Bellatrix leaned her forehead against Hermione's, chuckling softly. She tilted her head, pressing her lips softly to Hermione's again. Hermione wove her hands into Bellatrix's hair gently, feeling the tingling sensation of another letter disappearing.