Hermione sighed, "Bella, I have to tell you something and I'm not entirely sure you are going to like all of what I have to say."

Bellatrix stared back at the girl with an unreadable expression on her face. "This is it," she thought, "she's finally decided that I'm just not good enough for her." Bella visibly gulped. "Well let's be out with it then. Just say what you have to say and leave. I understand." Bella said dismissively while scooting away from Hermione and dropping her hands.

"Umm. What?" Hermione asked.

"You are here to end things with me. I can honestly say I'm a little blindsided but expected this at some point. So just get on with it, no need to drag it out longer than it needs to be."

"No. Bella. That's not what this is about. The opposite in fact. I fear you'll be mad at me once I tell you what happened today." Hermione said. Her eyes were welling up with tears.

"Me? Be cross at you? What ever for, Hermione. There's nothing you could've done to warrant such tears." Bella said scooting back in. She brought a thumb up to Hermione's cheek to brush away the single tear that escaped.

"Funny. That's what Minerva said as well," she said letting out a small sigh. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen today. It just all happened sort of quickly and I wasn't thinking. I just couldn't stand to hear the way she was talking about you."

"Dove, you are going to have to start filling in the blanks for me here. I'm a little lost. Whatever it is just tell me and we will figure it out together." Bella said placing a comforting hand on the brunette's leg.

"So you know how I went round to Harry's today?"

"Yes. Of course."

"Well he wasn't the only one at his house. I was greeted at the door by little Teddy Lupin." Hermione chanced a glance me at her partner.

Bella looked as if she was trying to recall a memory. "Lupin... why does that name seem so familiar?"

"Teddy Lupin was Nymphadora's son. She gave birth to him right before the final battle." Hermione said seeing the realization wash over Bellatrix's face. "He's a lovey little boy. Harry and I were sat down having some tea when Teddy's grandmother came to pick him up."

Bellatrix's face fell when she seemed to put two and two together. "Oh," was her quiet response. She hung her head. "Continue," she urged the girl to finish her retelling.

"Harry and I were talking about me and you. Specifically my feelings for you and what's going to happen after Hogwarts." Hermione said with a small smile. "I don't really know how it all happened. I just got so angry hearing the lies she was saying about you."

"What exactly was my darling sister going off about?"

"She said that you were incapable of change. That you would just go back to being your old self." Hermione cast her eyes down.

"What else..."

"She said that you'd be never capable of loving me." Hermione said tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Oh dove." Bella said reaching out to embrace the younger witch. "Well I should hope by now that you know it isn't true. It hasn't been an easy journey for me but at this point I had hoped that I have proved I'm capable of change."

"I know... I've seen the changes in you, Bella. It wasn't that at all. I was just so mad that you weren't there to defend yourself." Hermione shook her head. "I can't explain it. Can you please just watch it yourself?"

"You want me to go in your mind?" Bella asked for confirmation.

Hermione nodded yes.

"All right love. Here I come." Hermione felt a gentle pressure as her girlfriend pushed into the front of her mind. Hermione had the memory pushed to the front so Bella would have easy access to it.

Bella entered the room and watched Hermione sitting at the table engaged in conversation with Harry.

"Did I hear someone say my darling sister's name?" Bella saw her sister for the first time in over 25 years. She gasped at the sight of Andy. Hermione reached out in the present and offered Bella a comforting hand to hold. Bella watched as her sister taunted Hermione and she watched as her girlfriend defended her honor to her estranged sister. The confrontation escalated quickly and Bella chuckled at the fact that Harry was just sitting there with a dumbstruck look on his face. "Figures Potter would freeze at the first sign of trouble." Bella said in the present while the memory played on.

The memory continued...

"Did you know she hasn't once tried to contact me?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do know that. She's scared. She's afraid of being rejected by you and from what I can tell from our short interaction here today, she's just in her fear of rejection." Hermione said raising from her seat. "I'm sorry Harry but I can't stay here while Bella is being attacked without being here to defend herself."

"You act as if you care about her."

"I do." Hermione spat back at Andromeda. "I love her."

Bellatrix left Hermione's mind and sat and stared into the fire.

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to your sister. She just made me so mad. I promise I'll try to mend things with her so that maybe you can reach out to her one day." Hermione was rambling trying to calm herself down. "Bella please say something. I'm sorry about all of this."

"You love me?" Bella's voice was small, barely above a whisper. If Hermione hadn't been sitting so close, she was certain she would've missed the words. Hermione reached out and placed her hand under Bellatrix's chin turning her so she could meet her eyes.

"Bella, I love you with my whole heart. I've been in love with you for awhile now and it fills my heart with warmth every time I think of you."

A small smile crested Bella's face as she leaned in and touched foreheads with her girlfriend. "Hermione, I love you, too." Hermione exhaled a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

Bella leaned in and brushed her lips gently against her lovers. She stood up, pulling Hermione along. "Come my dove, let me show you how much I love you."

—-

Narcissa was sat in her parlor watching as her older sister paced back and forth. "Andromeda. Stop. You are going to put pace marks on my floors. What has you so upset? You mentioned some type of altercation?"

"Yes. I feel as if I was attack." Andromeda stopped pacing.

"You've been attacked, dear?" Narcissa said showing concern in her voice.

"Yes." Andromeda started pacing again.

"Physically, magically or what Andy?"

"Verbally. I was verbally attacked." Andromeda said taking the seat across from her sister.

"Who attacked you? Was it Potter?"

"No. No of course not." Andy responded dismissing the idea. "I went around Harry's to pick up Teddy and Hermione was there."

"Ms. Granger verbally attacked you?" Narcissa said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Why do you seem surprised?"

"Well I've only met the girl once and it wasn't under the best circumstances as you are probably aware. She just doesn't seem the type to verbally attack someone. Though she did punch Draco once so you probably should be thankful that she didn't physically hurt you."

"Oh Hermione was very combative."

"What were you two fighting about?"

"Bellatrix."

"Oh..." Narcissa said smiling behind her glass of fire whiskey. "Well I suppose that's a different story. I can imagine Mrs. Granger would be rather protective of Bella."

"She was saying how Bellatrix is a changed woman and I just couldn't accept that as true."

"Andy, I know it's hard to believe but it's been over 20 years since you've talked to her. And it's been three years since Bella's been working with Minerva and the ministry. She's been working really hard to turn herself around and it might seem unbelievable but I've seen the changes in her."

"How can you be so sure she isn't just playing everybody to gain her freedom?"

"Did you know she took Hermione to Australia to help her restore her parents' memories that were taken prior to the war? Or that she restored the Longbottoms' capacity and even has had the acceptance of the two of them and Neville?"

"Hermione said that Bellatrix didn't kill Nymph." Andy's eye were welling up with tears.

Narcissa sighed. "I haven't seen the memory of what happened to your daughter. I was in the forbidden forest when that happened. However, if Bella said she didn't kill Nymphadora then I have no reason not to believe her. Bellatrix is many things but she's not a liar."

"Why would she help Hermione with her parents? Bellatrix didn't take those memories. What would she have to gain from doing that?"

"Minerva asked Bella to help Ms. Granger upon asking them both to teach at Hogwarts. I supposed Bella felt she had owed it to bother Minerva and Hermione to help. Minerva has sacrificed a lot for Bella and Bella has grown quite fond of a Hermione."

"Hermione told me that she loved Bella." Andy said looking ashamed reflecting back on the conversation she had with Hermione.

Narcissa smiled. "Well now, that is interesting. Last time I spoke with Bellatrix, she said her feelings for the young witch where the same. Who would've thought, Bellatrix Black found love with a muggle born."

"I don't know if I can fully forgive her for the way she acted when I left with Ted."

"Bella had her reasons and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to show you her memories of the events. It's her story to tell but I will say that after you left, father turned his attention on me and Bella put herself in the way of father's lessons so that I didn't have to endure it."

"I want to know what happened with Nymph. And I want to know why a muggle born when she hated Ted so fiercely. I think I'm ready for answers."

"Very well. I'll go fetch Bella and Ms. Granger and we can all work this out together or we can die in this room trying."

Narcissa walked over to her fireplace and prepared to floo into Bella's chamber in Hogwarts.

—-

Writhing against the ties binding her hands to the bed posts, Hermione felt as if she was going to die from pleasure. Looking down she saw a mass of black curls between her legs. Bella must have sensed her staring, she looked up from between Hermione's thighs and winked at her before flattening her tongue and running it the length of her sex.

"Oh fuck me." Hermione said throwing her head back against the pillow.

"That's the plan, pet." Bella said bringing her lips around Hermione's clit sucking tentatively at first than with more vigor, swirling her tongue out over sensitive bud.

"Please..."

"Please what?" Bella said looking into her lover's eyes while placing open mouth kisses on her sex.

"Bella, I need you." Hermione panted. Bella cast a wordless spell releasing Hermione's hand from the binds.

"Need me to do what love?" sucking at her clit harshly. Hermione moaned and tangled her hands into the sinfully dark curls.

"I need you to fuck me. Show me how much you love me." Hermione panted between moans.

"As you wish, pet..." Bella replied while entering her lover's sopping pussy with two fingers.

Hermione cried out as her pleasure started to build at an incredibly quick rate. "Yes... right there..." Hermione chanted while Bella worked her fingers in a summoning motion within her walls. Hermione couldn't hold back. She grabbed Bella's hair tighter and started to grind her hips into Bella's face after Bella started sucking on her clit again.

"Don't stop..." Hermione was practically screaming.

"That's it pet... take what you need." Bella growled against Hermione's bud.

Hermione's walls started to clamp around Bella's fingers and with three final thrusts, Hermione exploded around Bella. Bella felt an excess of liquid flee from her witch and she wasted no time in lapping up every last ounce of Hermione's orgasm.

"Fuck, Hermione. That was..."

Just as Bella was removing herself from between Hermione's thighs, the bedroom door swung open announcing the arrival of an unexpected and at the moment unwanted guest.

Bella quickly grabbed the bed sheet and threw it over her girlfriend trying to ease what she expected to be a very awkward encounter. Looking over her shoulder, she saw her baby sister standing there with a look of shock on her face. Bella chose not to cover herself up and stood from the bed wearing only a pair of lacy knickers.

"Well I suppose knocking never has been your style. What do we owe the honor, Cissy?" Bella said in a playful tone while crossing her arms in front her pushing her naked breasts together in a way that made the both of the other women in the room blush for different reasons.

Narcissa diverted her gaze looking anywhere but at her naked sister. "I wasn't expecting to open the door to this and I apologize for not knocking. Trust me when I say this will never happen again. My apologies, Ms. Granger. Lovely to see you again."

Hermione's face lit up as red as a tomato and pulled the sheet up over her head in an attempt to hide herself away from the rest of the conversation.

"That doesn't answer why you are here, Cissy. If you just popped by to say hi to Hermione, you can come back later. I was in the middle of something very important." Bella ran her thumb over her lip collecting the last of Hermione's juice and brought her thumb to her mouth and sucked on it.

"Always so crude..." Narcissa said in a disgusted tone. "Actually I'm here on Andy's behalf."

Upon hearing these words, Bella held out her hand an a silk black bathrobe flew into it. She wrapped it around her body and responded, "Andy?"

"Yes, apparently Ms. Granger here had some sort of altercation with our lovely sister today and she came to the manor in a fit. I managed to talk her down and she wishes to speak with you, Bella."

"Andy wants to see me?" Bella whispered looking nervously between her sister and her lover. Hermione looked shocked and shrugged her shoulders waiting for Narcissa to continue.

"Yes, she is interested in finding out what happened to her daughter."

"Of course," Bella said walking into the living room. She returned with a vial of glowing liquid. "Here's the memory Cissy. You don't need me for that. Give Andy the closure she wants." Bella placed the bottle in her sister's hand and started to walk back over to Hermione with a look of hurt on her face.

"Actually, she also wishes to speak with you about Hermione and your relationship. I told her how far you've come and the changes you've made. I'm not sure if she believes me or not but she wants to have a chance to speak with you and decide for herself."

Bella turned to face her sister. She was processing the information. Andy had requested to speak with her. "Okay. When?"

"Get yourselves together and in an hours time, come to the manor for some tea. We will be waiting for you both." Narcissa started to turn and walk away, "I hope that this finally puts an end to the petty rivalry and blood status bullshit once and for all. I'm ready to have both of my sisters back in my life."

Narcissa left through the floo as quickly as she had entered the room.

Hermione got up from the bed and made her way over behind her lover. "Are you okay?" She asked wrapping her arms around the older witch and placing a delicate kiss under her ear.

"I don't know. I'm afraid she won't accept me but at the same time I'm not afraid because you'll be there with me to ground me. I feel stronger when you are around." Bella said turning in Hermione's arms to face her. "You drive me sane, pet." Bella leaned in and kissed Hermione's nose. "Tell no one of that." She smiled and wrapped Hermione into a warm hug.

"An hour hmm..." Hermione said reaching down to loosen the tie of Bella's robe. Taking a step back from Bella, she fixed her girlfriend with her best sultry smile. "Whatever can we do in an hour..."

"I like the way you think, love." Bella chuckled removing her robe and stepping forward to push Hermione down onto the bed. Hermione put her arm out to stop Bella. Bella pouted. "What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing's wrong." Hermione smiled. "It's just my turn." Hermione pushed Bella softly backwards onto the bed. "Now, panties off and on your stomach, my love. We only have an hour."