CARPE NOCTEM / A HABIT TO BREAK / CH. 8
Draco stopped, trying to comprehend the whole meaning of the words echoing across the room. He surely must have misheard because there was no way aunt Bella would suggest anything of such sort.
He shot an awkward look towards Blaise, who was sporting a matching expression, wordlessly trying to get a confirmation that Draco, too, had heard the same thing.
Crap!
"Aunt Bella?" the blond boy blurted, turning around. His eyes darted towards Granger, who was standing just a few feet away, completely frozen in time.
Double crap!
The situation did not look good and it wasn't just because of his aunt's enigmatic smirk. It was the desperate thumping in Granger's chest, resonating through his very own being like a giant drum. He moved to her side, focusing all his attention on the dark witch.
"What?" The woman lifted her eyebrow. "I don't see a reason why she shouldn't stay. It's not her fault you two prats cannot control your temper," Bellatrix nodded towards him and Blaise, who observed the scene with such a stupid expression she'd give him an award, had it been a competition. Snorting, her gaze fell back on the blond boy, who was clearly attempting to bail the half-blood out.
He gulped, resisting the urge to glance over at Hermione. 'If I don't come up with something...'
Taking a deep breath, he decided to roll with the first plan that sprung up in his head. "That seems fair," he started strategically, "but you see, Granger here, she... how to put it... she needs emotional support," Draco expounded, shrugging innocently, "I wouldn't mind staying here and just being supportive. You won't even know I'm..."
"Oh, I'm sure she's old enough to handle a private lesson on her own," Bellatrix cut in, making her point very clear, "but I understand, darling, why you're—how to put it—so protective and..."
The statement alone would paint Draco's face strawberry red, but the tone of his aunt's voice took it to the whole another level. He quickly averted his gaze, the blood in his cheeks burning imaginary holes inside his mouth.
Ignoring his embarrassment, Bellatrix took a few steps closer, placidly carrying on "...I can promise you to be very... considerate."
Hermione, who up until now seemed too hypnotised to even move, suddenly flinched because a ghost of a touch, almost like a wind, brushed against her hair. She quickly looked up, her eyes colliding with the sweetest smile forming on the woman's lips, making her spine erupt in goosebumps.
'What kind of fear is this?!'
A voice, coming to her like an echo from a distant land, finally broke her two-staged trance, forcing her to focus. "I don't know," it was Draco, sounding completely unsure, "if I could—"
Shifting her attention, Bellatrix let the strand of hair bounce back against its owner's shoulder. "No, deary, you're not going to negotiate with me."
The expression forming on Draco's face was becoming desperate. He had no clue how to save the situation. Turning to Hermione, he shot her an urgent look. "Granger, is that all right with you?"
The dark pupils dilated. 'No, no, no! Don't leave me alone with her!' Her brain screamed silent words the boy had no chance to hear.
"I," she started, not really knowing how to carry on, "I mean, I wouldn't mind Draco staying," she added after a while, keeping her eyes focused on her best friend.
"Oh, please! You're what? Fifteen? A bit too old to be in need of emotional support." Bellatrix rolled her eyes, backing away a little.
"Please...?" Draco pierced his aunt with those arctic blue eyes, hoping to melt her firm decision.
The older witch only exhaled, pursing her lips together. "All right."
"Really?!"
"No," Bellatrix snorted arrogantly, "I don't blow hot and cold, you know that very well. " She raised her eyebrow, nodding towards Blaise. "Now get out and don't forget to take that boy with you, he doesn't look good." That was true. Zabini really did look odd. Ill-like almost.
"Look," Draco tried again, but the persuasive firmness planted on Bellatrix's face silenced him quite efficiently. He gave Hermione one long apologetic look before he turned his back to her, walking out and pushing Zabini along with him.
When the door closed behind them, nothing but a thick silence travelled through the air, choking all the hope out of the girl's chest.
That's it. I'm done. Hermione thought, the nerves eating her up alive. She was afraid to even look up and meet those dark eyes, let alone interrupt the quiet.
Bellatrix, however, didn't wait for the girl to speak first. "Why so shy, dear? I don't bite," she let out, aiming for a casual, friendly tone. It cost her so much effort to lower herself like that, but if what Narcissa said was true, she'd have to bite at least her own tongue. Forcing the most genuine smile she could form, the witch moved closer to Hermione.
Hearing the clicking of the heels, the surprised girl glanced up, locking her eyes with Bellatrix's. She opened her mouth but no sound came rolling off.
"I think we started off on the wrong foot," the dark witch began with an innocent expression, making Hermione's eyes widen even more.
'I must be dreaming.'
"Clearly, we both misunderstood each other's intentions which led to the issue we had to face these past few days," Bellatrix pointed, making the young witch frown despite all the anxiety bubbling under the surface.
'What an arrogant way to put it!' Hermione's mind objected, folding its imaginary arms.
Bellatrix, correctly guessing the reason behind the sudden scowl planted on the half-blood's face, had to restrain herself from not yelling the very daring soul out of this little creature.
Instead, she licked her lips, forming another charming smile. "You see, I've always been very protective when it comes to my family," she confessed, her gaze getting more and more intense, "and once I notice someone threatening them," the witch whispered, making Hermione's breath hitch in her lungs, "I can guarantee to rip the throat out of that someone with my bare teeth."
If what Hermione had felt till this moment was fear, what possessed her after hearing those words was complete terror. She stood there like a frozen statue, unable to move, goosebumps travelling down her arms.
"And you, my dear, were a perfect example of such someone—but," Bellatrix suddenly exchanged the haunting tone of her voice for a much more tolerant one, completely diversifying the overall mood of her monologue, "you didn't have the intentions I had expected and," pausing, she took a breath, the left corner of her mouth twitching, "I'm actually quite disenchanted I didn't notice that earlier," she finished while silently cursing every second of this conversation.
It was even more excruciating than the one with Sirius' house elf back in the day. She could still remember very clearly how she and Narcissa had decided to persuade Kreacher to tell them where their cousin kept his muggle trash so she could have a go and kindly return the 'favour' she had promised weeks ago. Being the good actress she was, she had stuffed the poor thing with so much empathy it revealed everything, and once Sirius found out his idiotic house elf had betrayed him, he almost jumped out of his skin. Mainly because his motor-something had been burned down to the last atom, leaving him with nothing but ashes shaped into a heart to remind him of Bellatrix's good intentions.
Using the memory of his furious face as a driving force to carry on with her act, her lips curled upwards. "So how about we forget about our little differences and start over?"
Hermione was in too much of a shock to be able to respond right away. Her senses had gone completely mad because this woman surely hadn't just apologised for her terrible behaviour. In her own special way, but still.
"Come on, say something." Bellatrix tilted her head playfully, knocking the breath out of the girl for the thousandth time today.
"I don't know what to say," Hermione choked out of her. "It's... I mean... I really didn't see this coming," blurting, she put her arms around herself, eyes travelling to the darkening sky outside.
She couldn't possibly forgive this woman for all the sleepless nights and stomachaches. She had put her through hell, for Merlin's sake, but,
Hey, she was doing it all to protect Draco, a calm voice inside her head pointed out, she cannot be so evil when she managed to…
But what about all the insults? a new voice objected. That surely wasn't a part of all the care.
However, she's here, apologising.
That's not an apology!
Still, the calm voice silenced the angry one, appealing to Hermione's kindness. You've always believed in the best of people, being always the one for second chances... don't be a hypocrite now.
She glanced at the witch again, inhaling.
"But sure, I... we can...ehm...start over." A blush crept into her cheeks because of her incoherent talk. That was unlike her at all, for her conversing skills have always been well put together, so why the stuttering?
"Splendid." Bellatrix's eyes gleamed with deeply hidden mischief. "So how about a little compensation?" she asked, clasping her hands together. "What do you say about learning the ancient charms of Occlumency?"
Hermione's heart suddenly leapt with excitement, burying all her doubts for good. If there was something that could make her go all soft, it was the desire to know. "Yes!" She nodded eagerly. Maybe too eagerly. "I mean, I'd love to, ma'am, if it's not a problem," she added quietly, gulping.
Bellatrix bared her teeth, completely satisfied she got the girl exactly where she wanted. "Of course, it's not a problem! It's the least I could do."
Hermione smiled shyly, still feeling like having been put into a strange dream. It was just a day ago that this woman hated absolutely everything about her, and look at her now. "So what should I do?" She reached into her pocket, her fingers closing around her vine wood wand.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, no, deary, you won't need that." Bellatrix shook her head, narrowing her eyes.
Paranoid, Hermione suddenly felt like the whole conversation was just a trick to calm her down before the woman would strike and do only Merlin knew what.
It took Bellatrix a lot not to roll her eyes. "Don't be so scared." She tried for a calming tone. "Nothing bad is going to happen, all right?
Hermione only nodded, pursing her lips together. "All right, but please, I need to know what to do."
"Goodness, you hate being clueless, don't you?" Bellatrix tilted her head, making Hermione fold her arms protectively. "You see, that's the first habit we need to break," she went on. "You have to detach yourself from the matter and travel through the unknown, otherwise, you'll never experience the power of true, real magic," Bellatrix whispered in a silky voice, "it is as simple as that. Vulnerability."
Hermione glanced towards the floor, embarrassed.
"Now, let's try, shall we?"
Hermione, however, couldn't help it. She looked back at the witch. "So.. I... I'm just going to stand here and do nothing?"
Of course, Bellatrix was supposed to tell the girl to empty her mind, to try and fight her, but why bother when it was so much easier this way. "Exactly. We need to build trust," Bellatrix fabled, taking out her wand, "or everything goes in vain."
This is rich. She wants to build trust after everything that has happened...
"I'm going to enter your mind and what I want you to do is to stay still, nothing else," the woman instructed briskly.
"Wait! Are you going to see my thoughts? My memories? Everything? I don't know if I—" Hermione backed away.
"Don't be so timid," Bellatrix interrupted her, trying her best to remain patient, "this is the only way to do it. Now, do you want to learn or not?" she asked in a detached tone, raising her eyebrow, "because I don't think you'll have another opportunity."
"I do! I'm sorry, it's just— I," Hermione blurted quickly, contradictions fighting inside of her. She looked at Bellatrix, who was waiting for her to stop mumbling. "Nevermind," she let out finally, "it's okay, we can try."
"Good. Now, take a deep breath, I'm sure I won't see anything you should be ashamed of—it is all just about perception, my dear." Bellatrix lifted the left corner of her mouth.
Gulping, Hermione inhaled as if for the last time and braced herself for the worst.
Bellatrix's smile widened. She backed away a little, stopping about eight feet away from the girl. "On the count of three... One."
Hermione watched as the witch pointed her wand at her.
'Oh. Merlin. Help. Me.'
"Two..."
Gulp.
"Three—Legilimens!" Her vision became blurry the second the spell hit her face. It was like being sucked in by a vacuum cleaner into her own mind. She lost the sight of the witch as the images started flowing in front of her eyes like a movie—or dreams—except there was a slight pressure of someone else's presence there, which didn't feel entirely unpleasant but it surely wasn't the best experience either. One's mind wasn't designed as a sharing tool, after all.
Hermione's focus shifted towards the images taking shape in front of her eyes. She saw her mom baking a cake for her dad's birthday but the memory disappeared quicker than it came, leaving space for another one.
There she saw Mina, her childhood friend, but just as before, it faded before she could catch anything but her face.
The images kept flying with such a speed she couldn't even keep track until one particular appeared, slowing everything down.
She was looking into Ginny Weasley's widened eyes.
"I don't know what happened, Hermione! I swear! I wanted to throw the diary away, I really did, but it has always found its way back to me and... I'm afraid that when I wake up tomorrow, it would be there, laid on my table, waiting for me... and I'll be doing those things again! "
"Ginny, no! There's nothing to be afraid of! Harry destroyed the diary with a basilisk's fang, it's not going to get back. Ever!"
And there was a pull, trying to push further, but Hermione's will suddenly awoke, closing around the dream like a shield. The same odd feeling as before pushed her out of the strange place, making her snap out of the trance. She found herself kneeling on the stone floor, clutching her head. Opening her eyes, she searched for the older witch and found her standing a good few feet away, looking completely astounded.
"What was that last memory?" Bellatrix asked in a quavering voice, doing a really bad job at hiding her excitement.
"I don't really know... It was just a dream I had a long time ago." Hermione stood up, explaining, feeling a little exposed.
Now, this was unbelievable. Narcissa was right—the girl really had a sixth area planted inside her mind while having no clue about it. Bellatrix composed herself, trying to keep her feelings under control. Pointing her eyes at her, she exhaled loudly.
"Have I done anything wrong?" Hermione asked slowly, completely misinterpreting Bellatrix's expression.
The woman furrowed her brows. "Well, yes and no. You skipped the trust thing and pushed me out without any instructions."
Widening her eyes, Hermione quickly apologised. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!"
"That's all right. It was quite impressive, actually," Bellatrix gave the girl a searing look, and the latter blushed at the sudden compliment. "But that's not what we're aiming for, is it? Now, let's try again."
Hermione, seeing it wasn't so bad, straightened her shirt, locking her eyes with the woman once more.
"Right... one.. two... " Bellatrix entered her mind. Just as before, she kept flicking between the thoughts and memories like a hurricane, trying to find a particular one. It wasn't even two seconds when she found herself being pushed out for the second time in a row.
"Again," Bellatrix ordered before the girl had a chance to compose herself, but it was of no use anyway. Hermione kept pushing her out without even meaning to.
This wasn't good. What if...?
Bellatrix turned to Hermione.
"This is going nowhere. You're not listening to anything I say." She let out, feigning disappointment. "Where's trust?"
The poor girl, dreading nothing but failure, opened her mouth in penitence. "I'm so sorry! I swear, I'm not doing it on purpose!"
"That's even more deplorable!" Bellatrix lamented, enjoying her acting.
Hermione blushed furiously because the worst nightmare of hers was just coming to life. "Sorry..."
Bellatrix shook her head. "You have to focus! I can see you shielding yourself and even though it's the whole purpose of Occlumency, you can't just not know how you do it because once you need it the most, it will stab you right in the back," she let out coldly.
Biting her inner cheek, Hermione was doing her best not to cry. She had never been criticised for lack of discipline by anyone before. Not even professor Snape.
"I think you remember I told you to detach yourself, but what you're doing is nothing else but plain resistance to give up the control. We'll try again!" Bellatrix ordered in the same icy tone.
Hermione looked up, trying to push the tears back. On the other hand, Bellatrix couldn't be more satisfied with the results of her scolding. The girl was getting distracted, making it much easier to access her mind.
"All right..." The older witch exhaled loudly. "Close your eyes."
Perplexion flew across Hermione's face but seeing Bellatrix's risen eyebrow, she quickly did as she was told. Her stomach wrung upon hearing the sound of clicking heels approaching. Closer, very close.
Her eyes snapped open, seeing the pale face of the woman right in front of her.
"What did I say?" she whispered in a dangerous tone, making Hermione shut her eyes tight. Her heart rate increased rapidly—and Bellatrix, oh, so knew that. She was aware from the very beginning the little one was afraid of her beyond understanding and it would be such a shame not to make some use out of it.
"You're too... tense." Hermione heard the woman inch even closer.
Suddenly her nostrils filled with an unusually appealing perfume. A mixture she couldn't quite place. A scent slightly sweet and earthy, with a hint of something... something dark, reminding Hermione of the dangerous nature of the woman.
She heard the older witch clear her throat, trying to get her back to reality. Hermione swallowed, her whole body numb from the proximity.
"Now... open your eyes and just... let me in," Bellatrix whispered, making the girl shake with fear. Because this must have been fear.
Hermione opened her eyes, losing herself in those dark depths gazing back at her with such intensity she couldn't even blink.
"One..." Bellatrix counted slowly. "Two... Three... Legilimens!" Just as she anticipated, images, much more vivid, started forming inside her own mind. She roamed through thousands of thoughts, purposely trying to find the fume with a similar vibration she'd felt before. Coincidentally, there it was, the very same one as before.
"What difference does it make?"
"Ginny, basilisk venom is one of the most powerful substances! You saw what it did to Harry! Hadn't it been for Felix, he'd ..."
"Oh, Merlin! I cannot believe I was that stupid!"
"No, stop! You couldn't have possibly known it was dangerous. It's not your fault, all right?! Look, it's all over—just like You-Know-Who, so don't worry, Dumbledore's got the diary now—and if there's someone worth our trust, it's him."
That was all Bellatrix needed to see. She easily pulled out of the girl's mind, quickly stepping away. She really had a little venor floccus in front of her, however unbelievable it might seem.
"Well, that was certainly a progress," the older witch commented, intrigued, "finally, we're getting somewhere."
Hermione looked at her, rubbing her temples. Her lips formed a small but sincere smile, showing her modest joy about the fact that she finally did something right and pleased the woman.
Bellatrix flashed a much wider smile, making the girl glance to the floor. 'Oh, now this is sweet, the little half-blood is starting to admire me.'
"Well, I think this is enough for today. I'm sure you must be exhausted." She pitied her with a puppy-like expression. "We can continue tomorrow. The Ministry won't be against the idea, I'm sure."
"I'd like that," Hermione replied timidly.
"Same place, same hour." The dark witch moved towards the door. "And bring those two along." She smirked, leaving a puzzled Hermione behind.
"I still refuse to believe you're alive, Granger. Are you sure you're not just a ghost?" Draco poked her arm, testing whether she's still skin and bones or just a smokey substance.
They were walking back to the, as they had started to call it, training room, the very next day, Zabini dragging himself behind them. Since yesterday, the boy wasn't the same, they could tell. He barely reacted to Draco's moderate teasing, settling with a namby-pamby scowl at the most.
"You and me both," Hermione confessed, opening the door to the room to see that just like yesterday, they arrived before Draco's aunt did.
"Zabini, my friend, cat got your tongue?" Draco turned to the boy once they were all inside, waiting for the woman to come. "Or are you starting to choke on your own bullshit?"
"Draco, just leave him be!" Hermione snapped, annoyed. She hated when he acted this way.
"But Granger, clearly he's not even going to respond, so why not hit the punching bag when it doesn't hit back?" he asked, smirking.
"Because it's pathetic and immature. That's why," she retorted, wiping the smugness off Draco's face. Frowning, he folded his arms, not saying another word.
The girl didn't really mind, though. He needed to start acting according to his age and stop bullying people just for fun. Even though it was Zabini she defended, who was just as much of a bully as Draco, she saw he wasn't really there and probably didn't need any more teasing. Something must have happened, she'd never seen him like that.
"I hope you'll last more than five seconds today." A deep voice interrupted Hermione's thoughts when the heavy door opened and Draco's aunt entered, carrying herself like a goddess of wit.
"Merlin, what's the matter with you, boy?" she paused upon looking at Blaise, who was obviously not himself.
"I don't feel very good," Zabini responded after a moment of silence. His dark skin was much paler, looking oddly unhealthy.
"Why bother to come then?" Bellatrix asked coldly, clearly annoyed he was wasting her time.
Blaise opened his mouth, not really knowing how to respond.
The dark witch only rolled her eyes. "Just go see Narcissa, she'll give you a potion or something." She waved him off and shifted her attention towards Draco and Hermione, who, on the other hand, watched the boy drag himself out of the room, not quite sure if it was a good idea to let him go on his own.
"I'm here if you haven't noticed." Bellatrix suddenly clasped her hands together, making both of them flinch. She clearly didn't share the same sentiments as they did.
"Right, hope you didn't forget anything you learnt yesterday." She nodded towards Hermione, making her stomach jump.
'It's probably going to take some time not to get scared anytime she speaks to you,' the girl thought, trying to justify the strange feeling inside her belly.
"Most certainly not," she responded with a small smile, rubbing her hands together.
"Great, come along, then," Bellatrix ordered, beckoning the girl to come closer with a quick motion of her hand.
"What about me?"Draco queried ambivalently. He didn't like being pushed aside.
"You'll wait." Bellatrix barely looked at him, too preoccupied with her nails.
"Damn." The boy murmured, folding his arms.
An almost unnoticeable wave of the wand sent a simple spell in Draco's direction, flicking his nose. He yelped, rubbing the place with such a scowl that it made Hermione giggle unconsciously. The dark witch looked at her with a risen eyebrow but hesitantly moved her lips as well.
"What was that for?!" Draco asked with widened eyes.
"You're not going to swear in my presence! Haven't my sister taught you anything, damn it?!" Bellatrix lectured with amusement lacing her words.
"But you've just sworn yourself!" Draco objected, throwing his hands into the air in frustration.
"I can do whatever I want, I'm an adult, you know," she pointed smirking, shrugging her shoulder. "Now, sit over there and try not to be such a baby. I'll be with you sooner than you think," she promised, turning her back to him.
"Take out your wand," Bellatrix ordered as she glanced over at Hermione. It was about the time to repay her for the valuable information she had given her the day before. "Since you were doing so well yesterday," she went on, "I thought I should probably let you really fight me this time—so once I try to break in, you do whatever you can to get me out, understand?"
"You mean... like attacking you?" Hermione gasped shyly.
"Sure," Bellatrix confirmed in a matter-of-fact tone. "Try to empty your mind. Let go of all the emotions—fear especially, in your case," she pointed in a silvery tone.
Hermione's cheeks turned red immediately. 'How does she know? Was it so obvious?'
"Ready?" Bellatrix's voice brought her back to reality.
"Wait! What kind of spell should I use, I've never—" The girl panicked, clutching her wand.
"Improvise." The witch replied simply, taking her position, but this time much farther from her than the last time. "Empty your mind."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione was trying her best to push everything out. Her eyes opened, locking with the dark witch's.
"Legilimens!"
Draco calling her names. Professor Snape making fun of Ronald. Her, crying over Ronald's kiss with Lavender Brown.
'Oh, Merlin!'
Hermione was suddenly back, blooming red with embarrassment. She didn't have any feelings for that boy. It was just another memory of her bizarre dreams.
"Oh deary, let it be, you can do better." She heard Bellatrix's voice. Looking at the witch, she saw her smirking, which made the poor girl turn an even darker shade of crimson.
"It's not like..." she started but the woman interrupted her, raising an eyebrow.
"Tell me, do you know how you managed to push me out?"
Hermione swallowed audibly. She kept quiet because she had no clue.
"It's your unconsciousness," Bellatrix explained simply. "You're almost there... The only thing you need to do is become aware," she whispered, having Hermione hanging on her every word.
"Again, one—two—three..."
Hermione focused all her attention on the blankness but the images appeared anyway—however, not so clear or particular. She was doing her best not to attach herself, just perceive them with no interest or emotion, as if looking at something tedious. Instead, she put all her strength into finding the force standing behind this state. She felt an alien presence but couldn't quite place it. All she could do was detach herself from seeing the thoughts but not grasp the very essence of Bellatrix's mind. After a few moments of unsuccessful roaming, she felt herself being pulled out without her own endeavour.
"Are you trying to get lost inside your own head?" Bellatrix's voice echoed somewhere above her. Hermione opened her eyes, finding herself lying on the floor with Bellatrix leaning over her.
She quickly moved backwards, leaping to her feet, rubbing her forehead. "I couldn't leave," she admitted, a little dazed, a sharp pain pulsing through her skull.
"Of course, because you were trying to get to me through your own mind, which is not really a wise move. You can't reach something that's not actually there." Bellatrix explained again, licking her lips. She glanced at the girl, noticing her face faltered. "But that's all right! You can learn so much more through failure than success." Bellatrix couldn't believe what'd just left her mouth. She had become so wrapped into teaching her that she'd completely forgotten about her distaste towards the girl.
On the other hand, Hermione put on a sincere smile, clearly grateful for the words of support. Bellatrix could almost feel the increasing admiration radiating from the young witch's eyes.
"Fine, let's try for the last time," she let out, her voice suddenly a few degrees colder, "just focus on getting yourself out. Once you're not there, I can't be either."
"All right." Hermione nodded determinedly.
"Legilimens!"
It was blankness, complete blankness graced only by Bellatrix's presence, but Hermione wasn't looking for its source this time, she simply tried to ignore everything and focus on waking up from this trance. Trying to become aware of her body, the temperature in the room, anything, really, and... it worked.
Suddenly her vision became sharp again, taking in quite a satisfied-looking witch.
"Congratulations, darling!" She forced a smirk up her lips.
Hermione smiled herself, but more genuinely, with excitement bubbling under the surface. "Did I manage to get it right?"
"You did," Bellatrix responded, playing with a curl of her long dark hair.
"Can we try again?" Hermione blurted before she could stop herself.
"Another time. I'm afraid I cannot stay any longer." The woman tilted her head, making Hermione's smile slack. There was an odd emptiness taking place inside the young girl's chest.
"But hey, here's Draco, he knows the spell, you can practise together," Bellatrix suggested, looking over at the quite annoyed boy, seated on the floor with his back leaning against the cold wall.
"Oh, suddenly you remember me," he called from across the room, making the witch laugh.
"Oh, sweety, how could I forget about my favourite nephew!" she said with a charming smile.
"I am your only nephew." Draco raised his eyebrow as he strolled towards them.
"Exactly my point." She met him half-way, softly touching his cheek. "Now, don't make me disappointed I don't have any more of them," Bellatrix advised, leaving the two kids alone.
I hope you enjoyed the early update, mostly because of the Bellatrix/Hermione interaction. Don't be shy to leave a message or review! I'm so excited to hear / well, read / your thoughts - wait, does it make me a legilimens? Sorry, that was lame - but I actually laughed.