Thank you for the reviews and favourites, they make it well worth the effort . Sorry this update took a little longer, I had a busy few weeks and inspiration wasn't striking. Hopefully I will be quicker with the next chapter when I decide which direction I want to take.
Bellatrix cackled at the sight of her, of all the cosmic jokes and this is what happens, not only for the one person she hated more than anything to turn up to a place she assumed was impenetrable, but for her to actually fall through the door. It was so funny she could just scream. It wasn't fair that that mudblood had tried to embarrass her, tried to make her pity her or feel something. Who did that FILTH think she was. A force bubbled beneath her skin, the familiar flow of magic through her veins had turned to an angry itch. It's why she came here, to soothe it so she didn't kill anyone and here was Granger trying to ruin that too. She wasn't weak, and she was going to get that through the mudblood's thick skull. With a flick of her wand Bellatrix slammed the door behind Hermione shut, the bang of heavy wood leaving a suffocating silence in its wake.
Merlin, she had made a mistake, who goes looking for someone who makes their life hell, someone with a newly renewed source of information to mentally beat her with. Although, Hermione wasn't sure that it would be verbal abuse this time, she could see a look in Bellatrix's eyes that she had never seen anywhere. Hermione slowly allowed her wand to slide down her jumper sleeve and into her hand. She was used to the odd life or death situation, after all she was a part of the golden trio. But not like this, never alone, never in a duel with someone she knew was more skilled. She knew this because she had felt the hexes and never even heard or seen them coming, but this time was different, Bellatrix had trapped her in and was pouring all her predatory attention into Hermione. The first swipe came quickly, a practised hand slashing its weapon in the air sending a flash of red at Hermione, she threw her own wand up "protego" she belted. The block had come from a place of pure instinct, but unsure of how far that would take her Hermione started to move away from Bellatrix and further into the room. Just as Bellatrix flexed her arm to throw another spell, a rumbling caught both their attention, before either could react, sparing dummies began to flood into the space around them, creating a human shield of false wooden bodies. Bellatrix furrowed her brow at Hermione's new entourage, even the building loved mudbloods she thought. peering around the mass looking for any openings the Slytherin began her carnage. Hermione heard "diffindo" rip from Bellatrix's throat and watched as her oak army tore into shreds before her. Much to Bellatrix's frustration, the chunks of wooden corpses would reform with the closest comrade to maintain the obstacle, like pulp into paper. With a scream she sent an incendio curse to the entire mutation and sent it immediately up in flames. Hermione watched helpless as the burning form suddenly turned to ash, leaving not a trace of smoke. On a desperate whim she pointed her wand at the ash and sent it flying at Bellatrix and quickly followed with an expelliarmus. Within a second Bellatrix's wand had flown into the air and back down into Hermione's hand.
They stood staring at each other, in a pressurised stalemate, the younger girl was unsure if she would be able to curse Bellatrix. But the chance never came, as Bellatrix suddenly charged and tackled her to the ground, Knocking the air from Hermione's lungs and the wands from her hands. They both rattled off towards to wall. More silence… Bellatrix had her prey's wrists trapped beneath her hands, their faces so close that Bellatrix could smell her. She smelt a slight woody scent mixed with vanilla, sweet but not sickly, warm and subtle. The smell made Bellatrix fill her lungs with air, she felt…better? So much so that she focused now on the girl caught under her weight, whose eyes were glazed with fearful tears that she was clearly trying hard to keep from rolling down her cheeks. Bellatrix felt a twist of something in her stomach and immediately took her hands from Hermione's wrists, almost as though they were molten hot. The emotion in her face amplified Hermione's eyes, they were so bright hazel, it reminded Bellatrix of the leaves that coated the school grounds in October. The twist Bellatrix had felt spread into a hot uncomfortable feeling that spread from the depths of her stomach to the back of her throat, it made her very aware of the fact that she was straddling the girl's waist. She stood and backed up, allowing Hermione room to stand.
As she sat up from her position on the floor she tried her hardest not to blink, she knew it would push the tears down her face and this had been awful enough. Once on her feet she turned her back to her attacker, a seemingly foolish move but, she knew that it was over. She quickly wiped her face and took in a deep shaky breath, she wasn't going to give Bellatrix the satisfaction of her fear anymore. Hermione had come here looking for some form of closure, evidence that the incident in the library wasn't some strange nightmare. It made her insides burn to think she had chosen to come here alone, knowing what it was she was intending to find. Slowly Hermione walked over to the corner of the room where their wands laid and picked them both up, listening intently for footsteps. Then she turned around and walked back until she was opposite Bellatrix again, this time a little closer than when she had first stood.
"what, didn't want to lower yourself to muggle combat" Hermione spat out, "or were you worried I had an advantage"
"Well… I wouldn't say that I suspected an advantage" Bellatrix replied, there was no anger in her voice now and she had adopted a more casual stance as she fiddled with her nails.
"What is wrong with you, really, please explain to me why one second you're psychotic and trying to kill me inside of Hogwarts and then the next minute you're back to your aloof annoying self" Her face was growing pink with every word she threw, how could she stand there looking almost sheepish after nearly tearing her to shreds.
"Look mu…Granger, I come here to avoid killing people, to unwind you know. So, imagine my surprise when someone, who I know hates me, bursts in here without warning, what else was I supposed to do? ". Bellatrix didn't look directly at Hermione, but instead scanned the room around her. It was the easiest thing to do considering the gurgling guilt within her.
"hates you? You…still think I hate you?" Eyebrows raised she stared at her attacker, "so, we weren't in the same head, in the same library? Or are all pure bloods this ignorant" she knew she was overstepping, but since this was probably the last time she would ever have Bellatrix unarmed, she might as well push her luck.
The pure blood glared "you mean that pathetic little attempt at tricking me, at making me pity you or something? At what point did I lead you to believe I was capable of such useless emotions." Bellatrix wished she had her wand, that way she could leave and maybe even seal the door on her way out.
Initially Hermione wanted to laugh, but then she thought about it. Bellatrix really thought that the most likely explanation was a mean trick to play with her emotions? Her anger was replaced by a jolt of pity. It was easy to guess that Bellatrix probably hadn't had loads of positive interactions with others. Considering her father and most of her friend's parents were death eaters, life for her must have been cold… "It wasn't a trick". Hermione knew she was giving up her dignity to make her long-term bully feel better, but in that moment, she didn't really care. "I was waiting for you to torture me over what you saw and tell everyone. When it didn't happen I came looking, I guess I just wanted to know rather than keep waiting. I don't really know why I came alone in the dark though, since I know you can be pretty ruthless, obviously…since you just tried to kill me and turned all those dummies into saw dust". Hermione scanned the debris littered around them and looked awkwardly away from Bellatrix's piercing gaze and terrifyingly unreadable expression.
Granger wasn't as smart as her, but surely she wasn't that stupid. She threw her mind back to the imagines she had seen of herself in the younger girl's head, the focus that had been on her features, logically it only alluded to one thing. "So, you were just…ogling me?"
"ogling, I wasn't. no NO, of course I wasn't ogling. I was just looking at you, that's just how I look at you. For whatever illogical and self-destructive reason. It's not like I meant anything by it, it was you who decided to look through my head with zero warning, who even thinks to do that for no reason" growing flustered the words came tumbling out of her, she should just throw Bellatrix's wand and run, what is wrong with her.
Bellatrix felt a warmth in her stomach and chose to ignore it. "Granger, you certainly get yourself into some sticky situations. So, what I read your mind, I didn't expect to find out you were a raging pervert." Bellatrix now had her signature smirk back on her face.
Hermione's face on the other hand was now bright red and burning, she should have expecting humiliation. A naïve part of her had wondered if telling Bellatrix the truth might have revealed a hidden part of her, soften her somehow. Either she was wrong, or she wasn't pushing enough. "I suppose that's why you ran off and hid from me for a week then, that really makes sense". Hermione tried her best to throw a smirk back.
"Maybe I didn't want to risk you trying anything, wouldn't want filth touching me" Bellatrix was getting heated gain. Her buttons were being pushed and she knew it, but her temper had a much more imbedded grip on her than logic.
"You really believe all of that pure blood rubbish? To thing we're meant to be competing for brightest witch of our age" Hermione forced a laugh, hoping it was convincing.
"You're the Mudblood with hots for a pure blood and yet I'm the one being stupid?" Bellatrix made a loud "ha" at her opponent and did so with a step forward, testing how brave Granger wanted to get.
Hermione tried to control her reaction to the slur, it struck her every time, less so with time but still, it always managed to upset her. "oh please, just because you're nice to look at doesn't mean I feel anything for you, I'd have more fun flirting with a troll." She maintained her stance, refused to step back in fear.
"You are such a liar, I've seen inside that frizzy head of yours. If it wasn't a trick like you claim then you must have some sort of masochistic crush on me and you are simply trying to brush it off, so I can't use it against you. Not sure if anyone has told you this Granger but you're as bad at lying as you are at duelling."
"It wasn't a trick but that doesn't mean I have a weird crush on you or anything, perhaps you just want to believe I have feelings for you, that's vain even for you Black" Controlling the colour from spreading to her cheeks was hard but Hermione produced the words smoothly.
"Just admit it Granger, you can't lie to me"
"Why do you care anyway hm?" Granger was running out of things to say
"I just want you to say I'm right because I know I'm right" Her voice growing louder
"whatever Bellatrix believe what you want, I'm going to bed"
"For Merlin's sake just admit it" Bellatrix's train of thought was lost, all she felt was an urgent need for Hermione to admit what she felt, the desire was without logic, all she knew was that the drive for it was impossible to ignore now.
"what is with you" The façade of confident indifference had fallen, and she was now beginning to feel uneasy at the way Bellatrix was insisting on a confirmation on her strange attraction, that she herself was yet to figure out.
"Fine… I'll prove it" Bellatrix closed the distance between them, her smooth porcelain hands moving to firmly cradle Hermione's face. Without hesitation, she planted her lips against Hermione's, a calming scent filling her nose once again. On instinct she aligned her body, so she was close enough to feel the warmth of the other girl without them touching beyond lips and Bellatrix's hands, one still against a warm cheek, the other now resting on the younger girl's shoulder.
Mind blank, Hermione was frozen, eyes wide she felt soft lips pressed against her own, they were warmer than she had imagined, and softer than she could have ever anticipated. For the first time ever, Hermione reacted without thought and returned the kiss, her eyes falling closed to submit to it. Her body buzzed with emotion, but her hands remained as fists around their wands, stiff at her sides. She felt Bellatrix's hand move to her shoulder and with the increased proximity the kiss deepened, the meeting of lips now becoming faster with playful nips of teeth and swipes of shy tongues. Suddenly the hand from her face dropped and pulled her into Bellatrix by the waist. The fast union of bodies jolted Hermione's senses and she pushed Bellatrix back by the chest, trapping Bellatrix's wand between her palm and the older girl. They both heaved in the tense air, maintaining unbroken eye contact.
After what seemed like many minutes Bellatrix spoke, "told you, you like me", it was uncharacteristically quiet. Her hand drifted up and clasped the wand held against her, her fingers brushing the edge of Hermione's palm.
With the contact The Gryffindor darted her hand away, "we better get to bed" she finally averted her eyes from the witch across from her and turned towards to door. When they were through to the other side they looked once more at each other in the now dark corridor. Without words Hermione began to walk away, her heart thundering in her chest.
"Granger" Bellatrix whispered.
"yes?"
"Goodnight", As soon as the word was out she turned and headed the opposite way, back towards the Slytherin dorms.
Hermione's pulse was in every muscle of her body and the heat that radiated from her smiling cheeks felt capable of warming the whole castle. She watched the older girl stride away until she was no longer in sight before turning and heading to her own dorm. By the time she laid down to sleep her cheek ached from her persistent grin and her fingers lightly touched her lips as she thought back to the kiss she had shared with the older girl.