Hey, this is my first fic so constructive criticism is appreciated but please don't rip me to shreds (I'm a sensitive flower lol). Hope you enjoy it and if so I will do my best to upload as often as I can as I'm aiming for little and often to get a nice flow going xx
Bellatrix stood in the silent library stunned, the book that had been in her hands was now on the floor, forgotten. A hand drifted up to her face, did Hermione really see her that way? Bellatrix didn't remember the first day she saw Hermione but then, why would she pay attention to the frizzy haired girl being sorted? The ball however, she did remember. She had just finished spiking the punch when in walked all the victors, the mass of whispering made her look up to see Hermione granger on the arm of Viktor Krum. She looked like an angel, her light flowing dress, her normally casual hair now styled into a a curled half bun that left ribbons of hair curving around her glowing face. Bellatrix distinctively remembered thinking how grown up Hermione had looked, before taking large gulps of the punch and leaving early. The second after she saw Hermione she was confused and angry, she assumed it was some weird jealousy over all the attention Hermione had received, or maybe because on the arm of that moron Krum she wouldn't be able to mock Hermione all evening without causing a huge scene. But then it didn't feel like hatred, it felt like a hot discomfort in her stomach, so she had made an excuse and fled the scene. It was soon after the ball that Bellatrix has stepped up the torment, people liked to think it was because of Bellatrix's father, since it had been Granger uncovering Crouch that had ruined her father's grand plan to return the Dark lord to his former glory. In reality she could have kissed Granger for it, and that's really saying something. The truth was Bellatrix was smart enough to know that the Dark Lord could have done a lot for her as a talented pure blood, but ultimately his cause had an expiration date and she had no interest taking the fall for someone who clearly just wanted to use her. Her father was another topic all together, sure it was hard on her mother, but they could have given him the dementor's kiss in her front porch and Bellatrix would have cheered. She didn't like to dwell on the fact, but she didn't really have an exact reason to target the younger girl. Sure, she was a mudblood, but loads of students were and Bellatrix only really hated them to fit the bill as Bellatrix Black. Besides who didn't she hate, and it's not like they didn't hate her back. Well, most of them. Her mind drifted back to the images of herself in Hermione's mind. She had always known she was attractive sure, but there was just something else in the way Hermione had traced Bellatrix's features with her eyes, like she was drinking in a chapter of a good book, the thought made Bellatrix feel…strange. After a short time, Bellatrix shook herself from her thoughts and grabbed her books to leave, as she began to strut away she noticed a pile of potions volumes on the desk near where Hermione had been standing, on top was a half-written essay with Hermione's neatly written name on the top. Looking around to check she was alone, Bellatrix swiftly swept the pile into her arms with her own belongings and vacated the library with a furrowed brow and a strange warmth in her cheeks.
The next morning Hermione groggily gained consciousness, the night before immediately replaying in her head. She groaned and for the first time in her life, debated faking an illness. Its not like they wouldn't believe her, if Hermione Granger insisted she needed to stay in bed then chances are they would assume she was on death's door. It was tempting but morally she couldn't. The minute she sat up Hermione could feel the knot of fear in her stomach. I wonder how many people she's already told, maybe she'll tell everyone I'm gay. Hermione wasn't sure what she was, but she was sure she'd rather keep it private. After dragging herself into her robes, Hermione went to the common room to meet Harry and Ron, could she tell them what had happened? What would they even say to it, after all they knew she'd never really had a romantic interest in any man and simply preferred them as friends, even after her slight experimentation with Krum, so maybe they had their suspicions already. The whole thing made her nauseous, it was like disaster had sent an owl to say it was on its way.
Distracted she found Harry and Ron by the fireplace "hey Mione, late night last night?" Ron asked with a cheerful grin. The colour drained from Hermione's face "w..what?" She stuttered.
"Well you left your books and half an essay down here, so you must have been pretty tired" he chuckled "not to worry though, me and Harry have been guarding it" Harry turned to Hermione and gave her a smile, a half written essay of his own sitting in his lap that was likely very similar to hers. She sighed in relief, not even having the thought to reprimand their plagiarism. For a moment there she thought rumour had spread from Slytherin to Gryffindor already. Quickly regaining herself she went and bent over the table to grab her things. But... she didn't bring these back from the library with her? In fact, she'd forgotten them completely until just now. How could they have gotten to the common room when she hadn't been with anyone in the library? Except Bellatrix of course, but how and why on earth would she return them? Hermione considered the possibility of Bellatrix somehow breaking in to drop her things off and quickly dismissed it, she wouldn't have gotten in and even if she could she would be more likely to hex Hermione in her sleep than return her work. It must have been someone else or a house elf or maybe some oddly altruistic invisible beast that Luna had read about. Hermione made the decision to let that loose end be, since this was probably the day she was made social pariah of the year, golden trio or not.
…
It had been a week, a whole week of lessons, a Hogsmeade trip and even a stupid Quidditch game and there hadn't been a whisper of anything. Not even a funny look in a girl's bathroom or a comment behind her back. She had practically been sweating bullets all week in anticipation for what she imagined would be school wide torture. Ron and Harry had been asking her almost every day what was wrong, but she insisted it was just the work load getting to her now that it was O.W.L examinations year. This wasn't exactly a lie, it was stressful and getting stuck in early was priority, but the real reason still had to be hidden, she wasn't ready to have that conversation. Not yet.
So the question was, where was Bellatrix? They usually came across each most days since Bellatrix liked her daily dose of tormenting Hermione, but suddenly it was like she'd turned to smoke. If this had of happened a year ago then Hermione would have thrown a party, but now it just put her on edge. It was mostly because of scary unknow of what Bellatrix had planned, but also it was just routine now to see Bellatrix every day, watching her swing her hair back as she sauntered away after making some remark, or seeing that bored "shoot me now" look on her face when someone made an announcement at dinner. Merlin, she had to stop paying that girl so much attention. It really wasn't helping her case.
It had been a gruelling week, it had gotten to the point where Bellatrix's dormmates had abandoned their shared room just to escape the wrath of her record short fuse. It had only taken a day to send the message that she didn't want to talk about her new-found level of isolation, after that people let her be. She knew she was being stranger than usual, but she had needed time to think and in doing so had allowed a rage to grow inside her. I bet this is the mudblood finally getting her own back by playing mind games, any fool knows you can alter memories and she thinks I've been fooled. Bellatrix let out a huff as her cheeks burnt, so she had been fooled briefly, so she had coaxed a first year out past curfew to leave Grangers books in the common room, big deal. It wasn't like she genuinely believed Granger really looked at her that way. No, she'd just found an unexpected angle thinking it would throw Bellatrix off and then…? And then for Bellatrix do what? Turn around and say she felt the same so Hermione could expose her in front of everyone? Bellatrix had never even hinted at such disgusting ideas. So what if she noticed that Granger wasn't exactly ugly or dumb. It didn't mean she liked her! Bellatrix felt a familiar niggling voice in the back of her head hinting at something otherwise, "SHUT UP" she forced through gritted teeth. The stupid know it all was going to regret making her even think about this crap. With some slammed doors and frightened peers in her wake Bellatrix stormed out of the Slytherin dorms and made her way to the 7th floor, at least there was somewhere she could cool off without actually killing anyone.
Harry's words rang in Hermione's head "well if she's not on the map, where could she be?", she had asked to look at the marauders' map to search for Bellatrix, claiming she was heading to the library and didn't want a run in. Harry had always insisted Hermione report Bellatrix or let them get their own back, but she always insisted she preferred to handle it herself. After another attempt to change her mind Harry had sighed and searched the map with her, where Bellatrix was nowhere to be seen. Now here Hermione was, actually looking for Bellatrix Black, she never had been patient, but this was pure insanity. It's not even like she could get in even if Black was hiding in the room of requirement, and yet here she was sauntering about the 7th floor. Eventually Hermione walked to the large gap in the corridor wall where Harry had shown her a few times, it had never actually opened for her, but then she'd never really thought to try it alone, since she was always with the boys, and what would them three need it for? With a sigh Hermione leant back against the wall and allowed her eyes to close for a moment, she should probably get back to bed before Filch starts his rounds. She firmly pushed off the wall intending to leave, only to find the surface supporting her was no longer firm brick, but a wooden door that had unfortunately come free from its latch. Hermione's feet caught on the lip of the door and with a wave of her arms she slumped backwards through the newly appeared hole in the wall and thumped loudly against cold hard floor. Flustered, she scrambled to her feet and quickly darted her eyes around her new environment. It was a majestic room covered floor to wall in grey marble, with a large, black fireplace roaring in the centre of the back wall. The space in the room appeared to be filled with demolished sparring dummies, bits of wood littered across the floor and small patched of burn marks blemished the marble. Suddenly movement caught her eye and out of the far dark corner of the room walked Bellatrix Black, the light of the fire showed the light layer of sweat on her face, and her hair was pulled up in a rushed bun. She was still in her uniform, but she had removed the top layers down to her shirt and loosened her tie. It looked as though she had been in a fight, as her wand was out and firmly in her grip, unfortunately for Hermione it was now pointing directly at her.