Just a Brand-Rewrite

by Aerolysia

A simple rewriting of my fanfic Just a Brand. Hermione and Bellatrix are bonded together. They have to get along to save Hermione and her little sister/daughter from her stepfather all while others plot their downfall...The story hasn't fundamentally changed just my writing I hope.

1. BR1-4

A/N; gf begged me to post this here so she could read it in the app. Also she calmly….yeah right…. Explained to me how some people don't like to read exclusively on AO3 and that I myself didn't even start using the website till a year or so ago…..so….you guys get the rewrite too….I had originally intended to replace the old one but until this is finished I will leave it up and then simply delete. Please enjoy the, what is hopefully, the better version of my

Just a Brand.

Dark clouds were rolling eerily across the moonless night as rain poured down in a torrential of ice and water. It was unusually cold for September but the dark cloaked figure stalking about the dimly lit streets didn't seem to mind the cold or the icy water soaking through the fabric of their cloak down into the clothes beneath.

Bellatrix Black, a woman who fit her name perfectly, hair falling in glossy wild rings of jet black satin and eyes, depending on her mood, could be dark as coal. Her mother named her Bellatrix because it was a star, but the name meant female warrior and none fit the name better than she did. She had always fought for something; her sisters…her students….her right to live life the way she wanted and now….now she fought her very self. Her very magic. Her very soul.

Which was how she ended up walking around the muggle streets of Crouch End. Under normal circumstances she would have never been caught on a muggle street, not walking around as if she were taking in the sights anyways. But alone, in the dark and the cold rain she took solace in it. Tilted her face to the clouds and let the rain mingle with the salty tears of frustration that were trailing down her pale cheeks.

She'd left Lily Potter's a mess, though she concealed it well enough not to arouse her friend's suspicion. Despite her outer peace she had been too angry, too stressed and anxious to safely apparate back to Hogsmeade. She had hoped a quiet walk through the barely lit muggle streets would calm her chaotic mind, she hadn't expected the swirling clouds above her head to release their pent up fury the moment she lost sight of Lily and James' home. Still she didn't let a little water deter her from her contemplating, she had a lot on her mind and until she worked through it she wouldn't be able to apparate away. She would not be caught splinching herself. She would not give her students or anyone else gossip like that. And contrary to muggle belief it wasn't like she would melt in the rain, not like in that ridiculous muggle movie Lily had forced them all to watch.

She chuckled huskily at the memory of that night. She had to admit she enjoyed the old movie, despite it's ridiculous notions of wizard and witches. What muggles lacked in the magical department they sure made up with their imagination, she could admit that much.

She glanced around and found she had wondered quite a bit away from her friend's home, she spotted a small muggle park, it was in complete disarray. Trash lay on the ground beside a disgustingly overflowing receptacle, the slide had rusted holes in it and the climbing contraption had bars falling through leading her to believe any child brave enough to climb it was risking a broken arm at best. Her eyes landed on the small two seat swing set overlooking a dingy overgrown pond. One of it's seats was handing limply, barely secured by a single chain but the other was properly swaying in the gentle wind. She crossed to it and gingerly took a seat, headless of the water that now soaked her backside.

She sighed heavily, gripped the wet chains and kicked her feet off the ground, sending the swing backwards and a prayer upwards that the creaky rusted chains didn't falter under her weight. She enjoyed the swinging motion, she had seen Lily's sons swing just like she was on their giant swing set that took up half her backyard. She hadn't ever seen the appeal when the boys were squealing for their father to push them higher. She understood now, it felt freeing, almost as good as flying. She nearly forgot the news she had received from Dumbledore just before she had left for Lily's 'beginning of term' party. Nearly.

Another year. He asked her to wait another year.

Another!

As if she wasn't already tortured enough. As if she even held any hope getting it over with and out in the open would help her to begin with.

Her hands tightened on the cold wet chains as she shoved her feet into the dirt to stop her swinging. She jerked forward harshly, her hood flying back revealing her already soaking curls to the elements. She leaned forward on the swing and let the ringlets fall into her face, dripping more water on her even as the rain slowly slackened to a drizzle. She breathed deeply, clenching her eyes tightly shut and counting as Andy had once taught her. It quieted her mind a moment, reigned back in the anger she felt at Dumbledore, the impatience she felt surging through her. She knew if she let her emotions run rampant she risked using wild magic. She hadn't been as stable the past few years as she should have been and she was not going to have any ministry officials snooping around trying to find out why she blew up a muggle park. She was a Black first and foremost, whatever that meant to anyone else it meant pride to her. Pride in her control of magic and in her strength. Her father would have never tolerated anything but perfection from his eldest heir, he would have been so displeased with her for her lack of perfection these past few years. He was not a man to displease, even so long after his death many of his lessons stuck with her. If he had still been alive….if he had somehow found out about her predicament…..she'd no doubt be dead and stricken from the family tapestry…..or worse she would have been killed. He would have demanded she do the deed herself.

She tried to shut those thoughts down quickly, despite knowing it wasn't possible, that he wasn't alive to demand any such thing, the mere thought of it sent her spiraling into a angry panic. They were not thoughts she needed to dwell on when she was trying to settle herself and apparate home.

Still she couldn't help but wonder, if she could still be struck from the tapestry. Who was left to do so, who still held the pureblood mindset in the Black Family line. Sirius? Doubtful, he was James and Lily's best friend. Her sisters perhaps? Andy surely not, she married a muggleborn. Narcissa was still ridiculously prejudice but she loved her sisters, even though she rarely spoke to Andy.

Their father had stricken Andy from the tapestry himself, she remember his rage the day the middle daughter had run off and Bellatrix had informed him she'd gone off to marry Ted Tonks. She had barely saved her sister that day, he meant to kill her and her soon to be husband. At least Andy had chosen him, Bellatrix wondered if her lack of choice would help her case with him, knowing that she hadn't chosen what had happened. That she hadn't chosen to be bonded.

It didn't matter. He was dead. And she was bonded. To a muggleborn.

There had been no escaping the call of her magic. The moment she had seen her, a young girl, her student. She had known instantly. Her magic had prickled her skin as if searching for a way out, voices in her head demanding she test out the connection she now felt with every breath she took. She was stronger. But her envious control slipped with that newfound strength, a trade-off she would much rather do without. Her emotions were stronger too, she had always been quick to anger but it was worse now.

Sometimes she felt what the girl felt. Felt her sadness when she was excluded her first year, felt the terror when she had been in danger far too frequently for Bellatrix's state of mind. Only distance dampened the emotions. But the distance provided another problem for Bellatrix. She traded off adolescent emotional turmoil for a chaotic mind. If she was away from the girl too long, for whatever reason her magic would turn on her. It hurt, physically and emotionally. Her skin prickled, her temper became that much shorter and the voices that had assaulted her from the moment her eyes rested on the girl raged at her night and day.

She had endured it. It hadn't been as bad the first few years. She had believed she was strong enough to endure it even after the girl would leave school. She never had any intention of sharing the bond with the child, she knew the lesser bloods weren't as affected by the binding as the purebloods.

It had taken a long time for her to accept that the bond wasn't going to be something she could just ignore. She wasn't a pureblood fascist like her father but she hadn't really believed muggleborns were as powerful as pure witches and wizards. For a long time she was angry and bitter that the girl proved her wrong at every turn, that she was just as powerful and smart as any of her peers, more so even than some of the pureblooded Slytherins.

She had searched for answers, for a while hoping if she couldn't ignore her bond then perhaps she could remove it. She had found diaries in her father's study, diaries that told her Black's who held the bond fell into madness. A curse on their family. But the only suggestions she had found on how to remove an unwanted binding was to kill the muggleborn or halfborn. She had left the books where she found them and spent another year deliberating what to do about Hermione bloody Granger. She wasn't about to go off murdering students no matter how insufferable she found them.

She blew out a breath and leaned back, holding onto the swing so she didn't fall off and stared up into the darkness above.

She had been so bloody angry in the beginning. She had made Hermione's life hell. Giving her detention for ridiculous things in the beginning, and later giving her detention just to keep her close and quiet her mind. In the middle of her third year she realized what she was doing. How she was punishing the girl for her need to have her close. How much she needed the girl close for her own sanity. The holidays were getting worse and worse for her the older Hermione got. She knew she couldn't handle it alone, knew it was only a matter of time before something would give.

She had gone to Dumbledore. Confessed everything, the bond, the madness that plagued her family when they were bonded, something she had never heard of in any other family before. Not unless the bond mate was killed.

She blinked water from her eyes and began swinging once more. She could remember the night clear as day, the way she marched into his office, the yellow muggle candy only a few inches from his lips as he stared at her intrusion with a mixture of shock and amusement. She had fallen into a chair and poured her heart out as he stared back at her over the tops of his half moon spectacles, a mix between sympathy and something abhorrently close to pity reflecting in the crystal depths.

She had tried to quit on the spot. In fact she had tried to quit several times, had even taken a torturous week off, away from Hermione before he had forced her to come back. The short separation driving the point home, she was going to have to tell Hermione or he was going to discuss it with Andy. He had gotten wind of her state of mind, of her drunken mistake and he was putting his foot down, metaphorically speaking.

She had convinced him to give her until the girl was seventeen and in her seventh year. It was most logical. She couldn't have a student with so much power over her. If Granger rejected the bond Bellatrix had no idea what she would do. If she would survive after she left. Telling the girl in her last year gave her less time to think about how to get back at the witch for all the grief she had heaped upon her. While she didn't honestly believe Granger capable of intentionally harming even herself she knew she had made her life living hell over the years.

Waiting so long also gave her the time she needed. Time she could use to prepare and figure out what role the girl should have in her life should she chose to stay. Though as the years passed and the bond grew in strength, battering against her will like the waves crashing upon the shore, she found herself anticipating the day she could get it all out in the open. The day she would finally know Hermione's mind on the matter and what would happen after she graduated.

Hermione could genuinely want nothing to do with her and without branding the bond Bellatrix wasn't sure she could keep herself in check well enough to continue teaching after Hermione left. She wasn't sure she could control herself enough to live after Hermione left. Not after the drama of the girls fifth year.

Bellatrix had gone through hell that year. The bond, the pull of Hermione's magic, had only gotten stronger over the years. The girls fifth year she didn't show up for school. Bellatrix had grilled the boys for answers. She had been away on a family trip. She wouldn't be back until the following school year. All excuses, Hermione wouldn't have missed school for something so simple. Not the bookworm who valued education above everything.

Bellatrix had gone to Dumbledore once again. She requested she be placed on leave for the year, terrified of what she may do should she lose control. The bloody old fool had refused her. Told her he believed in her and that she was needed where she was. Hermione was to return the next year and all would be well.

From what she could tell Hermione would be fine, she never heard the girl complain from any side affects due to any kind of separation from her. She never complained of having headaches over the summer or winter breaks, she never mentioned to Harry or Ron that she heard voices and Bella never heard any gossip about any uncontrollable magic.

When Hermione had come back the following year Dumbledore had made the decision to put her back in fifth year, despite the fact that she was already at a seventh year level and could easily skip her missed year. At the time she had never bother to contemplate his decision. She hadn't seen how it would truly affect her. She hadn't changed her mind about telling the girl and after the year from hell she held out only to give Hermione a normal childhood, at least for as long as she could. And to delay the inevitable, to delay the rejection she was sure would be headed her way.

But it should have been ending this year. She should have been able to unload her burden, to at least have someone else to share it with. To finally know what Hermione's decision would be.

Instead Dumbledore had pulled the rug out from under her, asked her to wait another year. And he hadn't had any explanation as to why.

She ran her hand over her face again as she stopped and climbed to her feet. She pushed wet ringlets of hair out of her eyes and cast a simple wandless spell to dry her clothes. She pulled her hood back over her head and sucked in a deep breath. She felt better. No more closer to an answer on how to process Dumbledore's unexpected request but she didn't feel as angry. In any case she had no intention of staying out in the weather any longer. She had to return to the castle and prepare for the start of classes. Hermione would be in those classes. Dumbledore had assured her the girl was not taking another sabbatical. That had not been his reasoning. The thought alone gave her a marginal amount of peace…a worrisome amount.

She slipped her wand out of it's holster and spun, disappearing from the dingy park with an audible crack.

~H~

The crack of thunder pulled her from her nightmare. She screamed out a broken sound in her terror and sat straight up in her bed, shivering from the cold sticky sweat dampening her skin and pajamas. She sucked in a breath and tried to stop the trembling of her hands as she pushed the heavy comforter away. Her owl, Fallow, was kicking up a fuss in his cage by her window, his indignant squawks a plea for her to either shut up and let him sleep or close the window and keep the rain off him, probably both if she was honest.

She set her bare feet on the cold wooden floor and wiggled her toes. She loved feeling the cold on her feet, it reminded her of the stone floors at the castle, although she could never remember taking her socks off and walking barefoot on it she could vividly recall running around a dirty stone floor laughing as the dirt snuck between her toes and the smooth stones tickled her feet.

Fallow let out another shriek of indignation and she was forced to turn her broken attention back to his dilemma. She cooed softly at him as she made her way over and closed the window. She didn't have her wand but she had enough magic in her to cast a dry and warming spell over him. Wandless magic had been hard to learn but necessary to make her trips home bearable. She still wasn't very good at them but she could keep herself and her pet from freezing.

He glared at her from behind the bars until she passed him a small treat. "I'm sorry, Fallow. I forgot to close the window didn't I?" He shot her a glance and ruffled at his feathers. She sighed and made to turn away but he gently nipped at her fingers just before she removed them from his cage to let her know she was forgiven. She smiled back at him and passed him another treat. "Tomorrow we will be going back home. You can be free in the owlery and won't have to worry about me remembering to close a silly window." She murmured softly to him, she swore he nodded in understanding.

He didn't like coming home anymore than she did. More often than not she was finding herself leaving him at school, only bringing him home for summer break so she could send letters to Harry and Ron. He was perfectly fine with that arrangement although she hoped he at least missed her and Sterling. Her little sister loved to spoil the coy little bird rotten. If it wasn't for her baby sister Hermione knew neither she nor her bird would have ever returned to the house she grew up in. Not with both her parents gone and her stepfather it's proprietor.

She smiled sadly as she stroked his feathers through the bars, her eyes absently drawn to the alarm clock on her desk, the numbers shinning 4:45 in their bright red lines.

No one would be up yet, her stepfather would be waking soon though, he was always up around six on the day she returned to school. She left at one in the afternoon for the train and he had to take Sterling to whatever babysitter Hermione had arranged for her during the days he worked. On the days he was off Sterling stayed with a permanent sitter, an old friend of Hermione's father. Peter's absentee fathering was his best quality in Hermione's opinion and she didn't mind making sure Sterling was looked after.

He was a horrible man. Too handsome. Too charismatic. Everyone loved him. Which made it difficult for her to go to anyone about the abuse he heaped on her whenever she came home. Social workers had believed she was an errand child who didn't want to be raised by a step father and her only other options was to leave his household, to leave her sister behind. The knowledge had put a stop to anything she had ever planned to do to get away from Peter Salt. No matter what happened she would never abandon Sterling.

She had another year of school after this one. Another year of only having to see him for vacation and holidays. After she graduated she planned to run away with her sister, another continent, anywhere he wasn't. She wouldn't have the trace on her…..hell it wasn't there now. She had to finish her education, had to get enough Os to get a good job so she could support the two of them. And then they would be safe. She would be safe from him, she would wipe his memory and leave him somewhere no one knew him.

Despite all her planning, all her fantasizing, she wondered if it would truly work out the way she hoped. He took her wand when she returned and gave it back only when they were in his car and heading toward the station. She had a sinking feeling he would snap her wand her last day out of the station, before she could ever get to Sterling. Without magic she would never escape him. He wasn't a stupid man, he would know she planned to leave, probably guessed she wouldn't leave without the little girl currently nestled in her pretty princess bed. She had no idea why he wanted her to stay, he should have been happy she would take Sterling and leave him everything her parents had worked for. But for whatever reason it wasn't enough. He wanted her under his control and he knew just how to do it.

Sterling was Hermione's weakness and Peter Salt knew how to use her. He had known the minute Hermione declared she wasn't going to school so she could stay home and tend to the infant he and Hermione's mother had been neglecting. Sterling had become important to him that day, because she was more important to Hermione than even her education.

Thunder rumbled again, shaking the windows and startling her out of her depressing thoughts. Salt took up enough of her time home without her dwelling on him when he wasn't in the room.

She glanced around herself, her room was messy, she had been so busy the last few days making sure she got Sterling's schedule set and all the money the girl would need for groceries at the babysitters that she hadn't really thought about packing. She needed the distraction now though, she moved through the room pulling books off of shelves and placing them inside the trunk she kept tucked away under her bed. She needed new quills and her parchment stock was running low, she wouldn't have enough for after Christmas break.

She hated asking for money but her birthday money had only been enough to purchase the books she needed for her sixth year and Fallow's feed. She could get some from Hogsmeade if Peter gave her the money before she left, at least then she wouldn't have to endure a trip with him to Diagon alley, he refused to let her go alone although he spent the ride there and back complaining about magical people and their world.

He hated magic, from the moment Hermione's mother had explained it was real, he forbade she use it in his house. She never asked why and he never supplied an answer. He hated it so much he had forbidden her from returning to school after her mother's death, Dumbledore had sent Hagrid to persuade him to change his mind. Thankfully he had never felt brave enough to try it again, Hagrid was intimidating enough just by his size but when he is waving his sparking wand around and muttering about no good muggles he is rather terrifying. The memory actually made her chuckle.

She picked up the last book she would pack from her desk. A photo album. Some of the pictures were muggle pictures, stationary glimpses from happy moments in time. A few of them were moving ones from the magical side of her life. It was those she flipped to, smiling at the happy faces of her two best friends as they hugged each other on the bridge at Hogwarts. The boys were grinning widely, she was sandwiched between them, they had just finished their first year of school and Hagrid had insisted they snap a photo to show their parents. It had been the first magical photo Hermione's father had added to her photo journal. He had been so proud of her.

She sniffled and wiped a lone tear from her face. Dwelling on him now wasn't going to do her any good. He was gone and she couldn't change that.

She made to set the book in her suit case when her door creaked as it opened behind her. She tensed, an automatic response she couldn't control any longer. She knew who was behind her simply by the hairs raising on the back of her neck, by the ominous way the door clicked shut as Peter Salt let himself into her room.

"Its only five thirty in the morning and you're packing already?" She felt him move up behind her, he took the album out of her hand and flipped through the pages, he scoffed at the moving photos. He had never tried to take the book from her, surprisingly enough, but he had once tried to remove the magical pictures. Luckily she had been smart enough to place a jinx on them, not even she could remove them from their place in the book.

"I….wanted to be able to spend some time with Sterling before we had to separate. And I was tired of the mess." She added quietly. Fallow screeched from his cage, he was always such a good bird, unless Peter was around. Then he kicked up the most noise he could. Sometimes it made the man so angry he would put the bird in the basement, other times it served it's purpose and Peter simply left, angry and irritable that he couldn't rid her of the blasted bird yet. When she graduated she was going to give him to Ginny, just in case.

"Damn bird!" He tossed the book onto the pile in her trunk and she quickly closed and latched the lid. He didn't approve of her doing her homework either and if he inspected her luggage he would notice the parchment on wolfsbane professor Sprout had required from her sixth years.

"He's just excited to be heading back to school. I haven't let him out much this summer."

Instantly she knew it was the wrong response. Peter turned his attention back solely onto her. A glare turning his cool green eyes hard. "And what about you? Ready to escape back to the school for the freaks?"

There was no right answer to his question so she tried to keep quiet. Her hands trembled so she hid it the best she could by heaving her trunk off the bed and straightening up her bed sheets.

"It's a waste of your time," she froze as his words hissed right beside her ear, his breath sickening as they tickled the hairs on her neck. "When you graduate you won't be joining the unnatural cult their training you for. You'll be living here full time taking care of Sterling and me." She shivered in disgust and fear, he relished in it.

She prayed it wasn't going to be true. She didn't know what to do if it was. He could very well keep her from contacting anyone. Could take her magic away and hold her hostage by using Sterling against her. She had two years to devise a plan against that. If not she was going to have to come up with a muggle way to escape his possession. One that would probably see her arrested for kidnapping depending on how far she would get. Perhaps Azkaban if he somehow found her in the magical world.

His cold hand grasped the back of her neck when she offered no reply, she tensed further and tried to keep absolutely still. "You think I don't know what your planning?" He chuckled darkly, squeezed her neck until she groaned out a protest before he let go and moved away back toward the door. "You won't be getting away from me Hermione. Give it up now and just enjoy the last two years you have of that freak show you call a school."

She let out a breath of relief and sunk to her bed when she heard her door creak open and close again as he left.

She had to believe he was wrong. That he couldn't control her after she graduated. If she didn't have that small sliver of hope she didn't know how she would survive the upcoming holidays with him.

~H~

She was quiet on the ride to the station, Sterling had clung to her when she was dropped off at the woman who kept her during the school year. Hermione knew she liked staying with the woman she was always telling her stories of the fun things they did. But to a three year old the days between holidays were long and she missed Hermione more than anything. She always begged her to stay and it always made the ride to King's Cross depressing.

Thankfully Peter was silent as well. The first year Hermione had to leave her for school had been terrible. Her mother had passed a few months before and Sterling was a year old and didn't understand why her caretaker was leaving her with a stranger, with Peter, she thought maybe the girl was terrified Hermione would disappear as her mother had. She had cried and cried as they walked to the pillar and Peter had made continuous snide comments about Hermione abandoning the little girl. Walking through that brick wall knowing Peter was responsible for her well being was nearly as torturous as the cries.

"We're here."

Hermione blinked. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts and the silence she hadn't noticed he had parked. She clamored for the handle but he reached out and grasped her wrist. "Don't forget what I said." She flinched as he squeezed just that tighter before releasing her. She quickly escaped and grabbed her trunk from the boot and Fallow's cage. He wouldn't help, she had learned not to bother asking. She had the hindsight to enchant her trunk with a weightless spell before leaving school so she didn't have to struggle and drag it from the parking lot to the trolley. She felt his eyes on her until she disappeared inside, only then did she let out the tense breath and glance at her thin wrist. He had left bruises. They weren't the only bruises he had left over the summer.

She had nasty ones on her stomach and ribs from spilling the water when she was refilling the coffee pot. A few more he had given her when his shirt was too wrinkled for him to wear to work.

Some of the others she couldn't even remember what his excuse had been. It didn't matter in any case, as soon as she could she would glamour them all away, just as she had done every year since he had started living with them.

She grabbed a metal trolley and carefully deposited her trunk and Fallow's cage on it. She glanced around. She didn't see any red-haired Weasleys just yet, but where they were the Potters weren't usually far behind. They always waited for her before they boarded the train so she moved on, deciding getting onto the platform was her best bet in finding them.

A little blonde boy crashed into her trolley as he ran excitedly toward her. "Sorry!" He grinned up happily at her, straightening his own bird cage and cooing apologies to the owl inside before offering up one to hers. Fallow glared at him with his bright yellow eyes. He didn't take apologies unless they came with treats. "I'm Adam Sebastien Hallow!" Hermione wanted to groan at his enthusiasm. He had to be a muggle born, he already reminded her of herself. She had been far too excited to join the magical world her first year of school. She hadn't been so outspoken though.

"Hermione Granger." She offered when it became apparent he expected an introduction.

He fidgeted. She fought the urge to ask him if he needed a loo. "Ummm….well….I noticed you have an owl and uh… well I didn't see your parents so I thought maybe…..maybe you know where platform nine and three quarters was?"

She stared at him blankly for a moment. "Ummm. No one told you?" He shook his head. "The teacher who brought you the letter didn't tell you?"

"I… well no. Some Uncle I never met picked me up. He took me to get my things and gave me some money but I guess he forgot to explain the rest. He ran off a little while ago, said he had something more important to do."

Hermione wondered. McGonagall had delivered her letter. Had explained everything to her parents, shown them a bit of magic and gave her detailed instructions on how to get to Diagon Alley and exchange money for gold and then how to get into the platform. She had never asked but she had always assumed that a teacher did that for all muggle borns.

"An uncle? So you're not muggle born?"

His little face scrunched up. "I….No but I don't have any family beside my Uncle and I was put in one of their orphanages when I was seven. I remember mom and dad were both squids."

"Squibs." She corrected automatically. It bothered her this little magical boy had been swept under the rugs and left to muggles to raise. It hit close to home. Brought back words she had heard that left a bitter anger burning in her chest. Magic didn't interfere in Muggle affairs. It seemed magic didn't interfere anywhere unless it suited itself.

"Right. Do you…can you show me how to get to the train?"

He was staring up at her with ridiculously innocent blue eyes. And she knew he wasn't sure if she was going to brush him off or help him. That was what adults had done to him. It was a simple request, something necessary, and he wasn't sure she could be bothered to help him. Not even when it would cost her nothing but a few moments to explain.

The world was a cruel and unfair place. The entirety of it.

"I can help you. We just need to get closer to the wall between platform nine and platform ten." She led him over and stopped a few feet from it. He stared at it determined and she couldn't help the small smile. "Are you nervous?" He shook his head, his long blonde locks curling around his ears. She gazed down at him until he looked up and reluctantly, sheepishly, nodded.

"I was too, my first time. I'm muggle born, my parents couldn't come in to see me off." She turned her gaze back to the forbiddingly solid wall. "You have to run through it you see, and I was terrified I was going to crash."

"But you didn't right?"

"No." She chuckled a bit. "But second year my two friends did. They were late and the gate sealed itself. Their parents were rather cross, they are seventh years now and they still have to be walked into the platform by their dads."

He laughed a bit. "Can….can I go in with you?"

She nodded. "Ready?" He gripped his trolley tightly and nodded. She didn't run but she did set a fast pace, mindful to keep him beside her and stay a little ahead so they would both fit at the same time. She heard his small gasp when they flew through and barely had time to reach out and grab the back of his shirt as he flew through the other side. A few Slytherins shot him a nasty look as he had nearly collided with them in his run. He laughed it off easily.

"That was so cool!" She laughed at his exuberance, he may have been a little daunting at first but she felt lighter than she had when she first arrived. His happiness seemed to be contagious. She had just the right way to thank him.

She moved them off to the side, catching sight of green eyes and messy black hair she waved and held up a finger to signal she would only be a second. "Over there is a friend of mine," she made sure he saw Harry before she drew his attention further down the line. "And over there is a boy who should be starting school this year too. I know his brothers, Collin and Dennis Creevey, you should go and introduce yourself. It's never too early to make new friends." He grinned widely at her.

"Thanks, Hermione! I hope I'm in your house. I bet your in Ravenclaw."

She laughed, "I was almost. I'm in Gryffindor. But whatever house you're in will be lucky to have you."

"Still….thanks a lot." He waved happily at her, she watched him introduce himself to the Creevey family with the same gusto he did to Hermione. Harry moved over toward her, following her gaze and grinning at her.

"Who was that, I think he has a crush on you already." He laughed as she swatted at him. "Just kidding."

"Don't jinx me." She had enough idiot boys chasing after her since her fourth year. Collin Creevey had asked her out, Fred had, though she was pretty sure he hadn't been serious. Victor Krum had taken her on a disastrous date after meeting her at the Quidditch world cup. And there had been a few Hufflepuff boys she didn't know the names of. But the worst of all had been and still was Cormac McLaggen. She did not need a smaller version of Cormac running around.

"Where's Ginny and Ron?" They moved to the train, Harry helped her store her luggage and owl before they clamored aboard.

"Told me to get us all a cabin, Ginny had prefect stuff to do before she can join us but I think Ron was chasing Lavender Brown." He chuckled a bit. Ron and Lavender had a love hate relationship trailing back to their fourth year. At the time she had only wanted to snog the life out of him any chance she got and he had wanted a relationship, his first ever. He had broken it off with her and then got back together before the summer, that time he was the one only interested in snogging and she was the one who has wanted commitment. They'd had an off and on thing ever since.

Hermione groaned as they found and empty compartment and fell in. "We will have to listen to all that drama again this year. I swear if they end up married I'm refusing his owls."

Harry shook his head. "I doubt it'll go on outside of school. I don't think he's all that serious about her, I think she has just become his comfort." He blushed a bit at the quirked eyebrow she shot him. "I think he's just afraid of asking out who he really likes because he's afraid they will reject him."

Hermione hummed, turning her attention out to the families still saying goodbye on the platform. She hadn't heard their other friend had even liked anyone else. Though she had to admit she wasn't as close to the boys now that she was a year behind them. They still asked her for homework help but their free classes no longer matched up.

"And what about you," she asked casually, not even bothering glancing back his way. "You serious about Ginny? After school ends and all?"

Harry cleared his throat before he answered, she didn't have to look to see even his ears were red. "Yeah, I….I don't want to be too confident, or rush anything but…I'm pretty serious about her."

She hummed again. Honestly in the beginning of their relationship she hadn't been for it. Harry was so hung up on Cho Chang the year before and Ginny had always had a crush on him. She had been afraid the girl was going to get her heart broken. Now though they seemed to compliment each other, far better than she could have ever imagined. Ginny calmed down the jokester side of Harry that he inherited from his father. Softened him up a bit and got him serious about studying to become an Auror. She wondered if anyone could do that for Ron.

The compartment door slid open and Luna and Neville popped in. "Blimey, nearly every car is full. I think they need to extend the train if they plan to keep accepting so many students." Neville complained, flopping down on the plush seat beside Harry. "Why's your face all red? You feeling alright?" Harry waved off his concern and muttered about being hot. He shot Hermione a meaningful look and shucked his jacket.

"You have several Wrackspurts around your head Hermione, more so than usual I expect. Are you terribly worried about something? That does tend to attract them." Hermione turned back and smiled at her dreamy blonde friend as she took a seat beside her.

"Nothing more than usual. It's hard saying goodbye to Sterling."

"Right, I can only imagine. Jasper is bad enough with his crying, he is only one and he knew what it meant that I was packing my bags. He kept unpacking all my stuff when I wasn't looking. He sure got hold of his magic faster than I ever did." Neville complained of his young nephew.

"So no throwing him off the balcony then?" Harry chuckled good-naturedly.

Neville grinned, "Na, he's gonna have a good bit of magic in him I bet. He was swiping cookies from his mom and getting it blamed on his dad when I left."

"How was he doing that?"

"Levitating them from the cookie jar, made sure the crumbs went back up to where his dad was reading the paper though. Smart little bugger he is." Hermione couldn't help the grin, Neville always sounded so proud of his baby nephew. He hadn't always been too friendly with his adopted sister so it was nice to see them working on their relationship for little Jasper.

She wished she could tell them more about Sterling. They knew she had a baby sister of her own but like many others believed she missed her fifth year because her mother was ill. She didn't know how to tell them about everything going on in her house. Didn't know how to tell them she was raising her stepsibling.

The shrill sound of the train horn marked the hour. Anyone not on the train already was rushing to climb aboard before it left them behind and students were rushing about the hallway trying to find space in the compartments or friends to sit the ride with.

Hermione turned her attention back out the window as Harry and Neville started talking about Quidditch. She watched as the view outside sped up until she had to focus to see more than just shades of color passing by.

She let the dulled conversation flow around her, barely listened to the boys excited chatter and the occasional punctuation of Luna's airy voice. It was a good half hour into the trip before their door flew open with force and the two Weasley children strode in, demanding she turn her attention back to the people around her.

"Heya Hermione." Ron grinned at her, pronounced dimples and messy red hair. And of course the usual endearing speck of dirt, he always had dirt on his face when they boarded the train.

"Hey Ron, how'd it go with Lavender?" He frowned and sank down beside Neville.

"She wants to date Seamus. He's not even interested, he even told her so. He's after one of the Patil twins." Hermione bet Seamus didn't even care which one. She sighed, boys were crazy drama.

"How was your summer, Hermione." Ginny smiled at her as she squeezed herself in between her and Luna. Ginny had become a fast friend when Hermione had been forced to complete her fifth year while her classmates moved on to their sixth. She was glad to have had her but it still saddened her that she had never felt comfortable divulging the truth to the girl. Ginny knew her better than anyone and she still had secrets from her.

"It was okay, nothing really eventful." Except maybe a few cracked ribs but there was no point saying that aloud.

"Bill brought home a girl to meet mom and dad." Ginny smiled wickedly at her brother. "She's part Veela, oh Hermione you should have seen Ron-"

"Hey! You swore not to say anything!" Neville and Harry grabbed Ron as he made a break for his sister. He was beat red all the way to his ears. Hermione could only imagine what had happened.

Ginny only chuckled. "Well, he made Bill jealous but it wasn't really his fault. Veela have that effect on men. I think even dad was a bit affected."

Ron crossed his arms and grumbled, apparently he didn't find if comforting that his dad was affected too. "I wasn't that bad."

"You yelled across the dinning table that she should marry you and not Bill. He swears you ruined his proposal."

Ron blushed even harder. "I couldn't help myself." He elbowed a snickering Neville. "And he hasn't even proposed yet, he just mentioned he might." Ron mumbled. Hermione vaguely wondered if the Veela was the girl Harry had mentioned earlier. She hoped not, she couldn't see it ending well if Ron really wanted his brothers girl.

The trolley witch pulled their door open and poked her head in, giving Ron a much needed break from all the teasing. "Anything for you dearies?"

Harry and Neville bought the treats, both boys coming from well off families, though they never rubbed it in or flaunted it like the Malfoys.

They spent the rest of the ride avoiding the topic of love and confessions while they munched on their snacks. Luna let a chocolate frog bounce around the room until Trevor, Neville's toad, popped up from his robes and ate it. Neville had stared down at his pet in horror.

"You reckon it's bad for him?" He asked Hermione a bit in a panic. She shrugged. He picked up the road and moved toward the door. "I'm going to ask one of the kids from the choir. They should know." Hermione did have a vague recollection of the choir kids having toads as backup.

"I've got to be going too," Ginny told them some time later. "We are nearly there and I need to help make sure the first years don't get trampled." She leaned over and kissed Harry quickly before waving at the others. Ron grimaced and elbowed Harry until the dreamy smile fell off the boys lips.

"Can we just pretend you're not snogging my sister." He grimaced.

"I like snogging your sister." He 'oomphed' as Ron elbowed him harder.

"Disgusting. I'm going to try and catch Seamus." Hermione had no doubt he was going to try and conspire with the boy on how to get Lavender back. Honestly she didn't see the appeal. Harry just waved him off and bit the head off his chocolate frog. He pulled the card out and gazed down at it for a moment.

"Merlin." Luna sidled on over to his side of the car and peered down at the rare find.

"Lucky."

"Yeah, uh…don't tell Ron." Hermione smiled to herself and turned her attention back outside. They were slowing down. She could see Hogsmeade in the distance.

"Want to hang around a bit till everyone gets off? We can ride back with Ginny then."

Hermione pulled her attention away from the vista and nodded. "Let's get off though, I want to see the first years."

"The boy?"

"Just want to make sure he made a few friends." She remember how lonely she had been her first few weeks before she finally made friends with the boys.

"If he's met you, Hermione, he's already made a friend." She stared at the blonde girl in silence for a moment before she nodded, a small upturn of her lips the only real sign that she appreciated Luna's words.

They all turned their attention to the window at the sound of squealing brakes. Hogsmeade station. Just a short carriage ride away and she would be back inside those castle walls, safe from Peter Salt even if not from the worries he brought.

Harry grabbed his jacket and tucked away his valuable card. "Come on or we will miss seeing them off." They could already hear Hagrid's booming voice, a trait which explained why he had been chosen for the job of shuttling the first years across the lake to the castle.

Hermione followed him and Luna out of the compartment, grimacing as her ribs and aching body was jostled by the other students as they hurried off, ready to stretch their feet and eat until they dropped.

She didn't have to look to hard for little Adam Sebastien Hallow, he seemed to be searching the crowd for her too. He waved excitedly at her and elbowed the boys next to him and pointed toward her. She smiled and waved in his direction, glad to see him getting along so well with others already.

"Told you." She shot Harry a glare at his reference to the boys crush and stalked off toward a irritated looking Ron. Harry patted him on the back when they got closer. "Didn't go well then?"

"Ugh. Women. I swear. She was in his car making love eyes at him. Doesn't she have any pride?" Hermione was wondering the same about him.

"Yeah, mate." Harry laughed. "Women. Speaking of. I'm going to find Ginny. I think Hagrid's got all the first years. Grab us a carriage would you, before the empty ones start to head back and we have to walk." That had definitely happened their third year. Of course it wouldn't have if Harry and Malfoy hadn't gotten into it and Harry hadn't gotten caught trying to play a prank on the boy from under his father's invisibility cloak. A cloak which Malfoy had politely let him keep after knocking him immobile with a body binding curse. It had taken forever to find him.

She and Ron walked a bit, she let him head to carriage and tie the lead of the horses he couldn't see to the light pole while she moved to where she could see the castle in the distance. It looked foreboding and magical lit up against the furiously dark sky. It's reflection in the Black Lake made it all the more magical.

She would never forget her first year, her nervous ride on a wobbly boat across the pitch black lake toward the biggest castle she had ever seen. She couldn't have imagined what waited for her inside, the magic she would learn the friendships she would make. She had felt so hopeful, so full of a desire to learn everything back then. Even now Hogwarts filled her with hope. Behind those walls she could be herself. She was free. No one could take that away from her. Not for another two years at least.

She sighed and turned away from the sight bumping into a firm body as she did so. "Watch where you're going, Granger." Malfoy sneered, shoving her aside as he and his snickering posse made there way toward the last few carriages.

He wasn't hard to recognize, he had his hood up so she couldn't see his white blonde hair but she could tell it was him by his rude attitude. He had made it quiet clear he had no time for a muggleborn her first year and he had made it equally as clear that he didn't care for "blood traitors" either. She wondered how much of that was his own opinion and how much was brainwashed into him by his parents.

Bellatrix Black was his aunt and she taught at their school. She didn't seemed to like Hermione, in fact one could say she loved to hate her, but Hermione had never seen her show any other signs of blood prejudice.

"He's such a git." Ron glared after the Slytherins, gritting his teeth in anger. He was just as bad as Harry about getting into a fight with that particular Slytherin. Hermione would never know what started the bitter rivalry. "Blasted Malfoy, doesn't even know how to use his manners. He was better behaved as a ferret."

He had made a cute ferret. Although Hermione had been aghast at the rules Moody had broken when he transformed the blonde into one for trying to hex Harry when his back was turned their fourth year. Unfortunately it had gotten the head Auror banned from the grounds barring a disaster. Still…sometimes she swore Malfoy would twitch his nose like he could still feel the whiskers.

Ginny sidled up alongside Hermione and threw an arm around her shoulder, she chuckled toward her brother. "Your manners aren't any better my dear brother." He shot her a half hearted glare.

"Where's Harry?"

"Off to get Neville and Luna." Only then did Hermione noticed Luna had disappeared. The girl had a bad habit of making herself nearly invisible until she had something she wanted to say. Hermione loved her dearly as one of her best friends but the girl could be downright scary with her ability to come and go as she pleased. She was sure she had seen her on more than one occasion chilling out in the Gryffindor common room. How she even got in was a mystery to everyone.

"Hermione….." The brunet sighed. Whenever Ginny drug her name out she needed something, usually it got her into trouble. "I forgot to write my essay on Sphynxes and Defenses. Black even reminded me during break. She will kill me!" Ginny leaned heavily on her shoulder her eyes gazing pleasingly into her own. She grimaced, mostly from the pain the girl was unwittingly inflicting on her but also from the fact she couldn't deny her friend.

"Alright. You can check mine out tonight, but don't copy it. Black hates me enough and I'd like to avoid detention on the first day."

Neville sidled up alongside her and laughed. "Saving that for the second one right?" She grinned at him, all of them completely aware it was a likely possibility.

Harry groaned as he moved to stand beside Ginny, pulling a flighty Luna behind him. "Don't even joke. I don't know what her deal is but she hates you, Hermione. I mean I never would have thought she had it in her when I was little. She loves kids. Well….she loved us anyways." Of course she did he was her godson, he and Neville both. "She's had it out for you since first year though." They followed Ron to the carriage, the ground was kicking up dust as invisible hooves pawed irritably at it. The great thestrals ready to head home and be free of their duties.

"Don't even joke." Ron agreed. "She was horrible our fifth year." He shivered just at the memory. "I got so many howlers from Mom for all the detentions I got and I'm still not sure why I got them."

Ginny didn't say anything but she and Harry shared a look. They had talked in great detail about why Ron had gotten detention. It seemed only they had figured out the pattern. Or at least that's what they thought until Luna piped up.

"She gave you detention every time you mentioned Hermione when she was in earshot." She said dreamily, smiling as she climbed past the opened mouth boy and into the carriage.

Ron stared at Hermione for a few minutes and then looked back at Harry, who nodded in agreement. "Well bloody flippen hell." He shook his head, still reeling from the fact that Luna had hit the nail on the head, and climbed in beside the blonde.

"Apparently he talked about you a lot our fifth year," Neville wiggled his eyebrows her way but she rolled her eyes. Thankfully Ron hadn't heard him although Harry coughed surreptitiously. Harry climbed up and pulled Ginny up behind him. Neville followed and reached down to offer Hermione a hand up but a voice yelling out to them had her turning around. She groaned at the sight.

Cormac freaking McLaggen was running up to their carriage, a quick glance around proved it was indeed the last carriage back. They had lingered far too long.

"Hey wait up- oh! Granger, must be destiny." He smiled in a way she was sure he thought was charming. "Let me give you a hand up." Neville reached down quickly and grasped her hand, she flinched as his fingers settled on the recent bruising but she appreciated his act of heroism. She let him steady her as she climbed the few steps up, turning back to growl at Cormac as his hands reached up and connected with her ass in his 'gallant' way of helping her up. He grinned back at her innocently and climbed up himself, settling down beside Harry and Ginny because Neville had squeezed himself in on the other side of Hermione, thankfully putting her between himself and Luna.

"I missed you during break," Cormac told her, apparently not caring that he was receiving glares from all of her friends, except Luna that is. "You should have written or something. I was a bit busy though, remember I was working as an apprentice in the ministry." She had a vague image of him moping up spills as a janitor but pushed the fantasy aside.

"Lovely." She muttered.

He opened his mouth to say something else but Ginny cut him off. "Why were you so late, Cormac?"

"Uh-" He floundered for an answer. "I uh, thought I packed my wand by mistake." Ron snorted, no wizard worth his salt didn't have his wand on him at all times. Not even an arrogant idiot like McLaggen. It only solidified what they were all thinking, the boy was watching Hermione and trying to make sure she didn't have any other choice but to ride in the same carriage back with him. The boys all glanced at each other, an unspoken agreement between them. They would try and make sure Cormac didn't bother her too much, hiding in the shadows and trying to force his way into her life didn't sound right to them.

"How's the flying coming, Cormac?" Luna asked happily. "You made a marvelous miss at your tryouts, are you getting any better?" Ginny snickered. Luna may have looked like an airhead, acted like she had no idea what was going on, but Ginny was pretty sure the girl was far more observant than anyone gave her credit for.

"I'm a good flyer." Cormac shot a glare at Ron. "Technically I am on the team," He looked pointedly at Harry, who was the Captain. He was right, he was the back up keeper in case anything happened to Ron, and he was a good flyer. Hermione had confunded him so he'd miss the last goal and Ron would win, Luna knew that already and she knew the girl hadn't forgotten.

The carriage hit a large root and they shuffled a bit as they were bounced harshly in the seat. Hermione gritted her teeth and eased a breath out slowly as the pain receded from her side. Thankfully the ride was coming to an end, she could see the other horses being untethered and led away by professor Sprout as they made a circle to the entrance.

"Last ones in right, you lot?"

Neville waved in response and shot her a brilliant smile. She was his favorite teacher after all.

"Good. First years have already arrived, get inside already."

Cormac climbed down first, Ginny and Harry followed. Cormac turned back toward Hermione as she rose to get down and held his arms out expectantly. She raised an eyebrow at him and refused to move.

"Hurry up now, don't dawdle!" Sprout hollered at them.

Cormac chuckled. "I can wait all night, Granger." She bet he could. She didn't fancy explaining to Sprout why she wasn't climbing down, and if she protested she knew the boys would probably break out into a duel right there and land them all in detention.

She would loved to have just jumped down and ignore him but he was in the way for even that.

She sucked in a breath and took a step down before letting his hands come up around her waist. He eased her down to the ground, lingered too long at her waist but otherwise kept a respectable distance between them. She pulled away the second his grip slackened and moved to stand closer to Ginny. The red head had been talking to Harry, both facing the castle so they hadn't seen what had happened. Still Ginny sensed her discomfort and placed a comforting hand around her shoulder.

Neville shoulder past the boy roughly and led them off toward the castle. He and Ron planned to make sure Cormac was no where near Hermione at the feast, especially after the show they had just witnessed.

"That boy," Harry asked when he couldn't endure the heavy silence any longer, "did he mention what house he wanted?"

"Not really." Hermione muttered.

"Yours then?" Neville chuckled, very aware of how Hermione felt when boys developed crushes on her. She tended to find them more as a nuisance than she found them flattering.

"He thought I was in Ravenclaw."

"Why would you want to be in Ravenclaw?" Cormac butted in.

"There isn't anything wrong with Ravenclaw." Luna spared him a sharp glance.

"I was almost in Ravenclaw. I wanted-" She trailed off, not wanting to admit she wanted to make friends and the hat believed she would devote herself only to her studies if he placed her in such a knowledge minded home. "I just wanted to be in Gryffindor." Harry smiled back at her. Ron raised his hand in mock salute.

"Here! Here!" He cheered merrily. They filed in the great doors and passed a disapproving McGonagall.

"Always you three," She looked pointedly at Hermione, Harry and Ron. They all grinned back sheepishly. "And you lot, getting to be just as bad, McLaggen I must say this is a surprise." He just shrugged. "Well get inside. The first years are getting antsy."

They did as they were told, quickly rushing off to their respective tables. Luna bid them farewell with a quick wave as they sat down at the Gryffindor table, Neville and Ginny on one side of Hermione, Ron and Harry on the other. A put out Cormac turned and headed off toward his friends in begrudged defeat, giving Hermione some much welcomed peace.

When they were settled Dumbledore clapped his hands to garner their attention. "The first years." His voice boomed across the silent hall and the doors opened once again, allowing the small eleven years olds to filter in and make their way down to the front of the room. The head boy, a Hufflepuff named Nigel Finley, moved forward and set out a stool and an old hat. The first years watched it intently. "Welcome to our humble school." Dumbledore drawled out. "May you find your perfect home away from home and make friends that will last a lifetime. Let the sorting begin." He turned his gaze on to the hat and smiled gently as it began moving.

Let me first welcome back our tricksters, come one and all to this marvelous castle hall.

Then let me get on with what I am all about, sorting this lot all out.

To Our newcomers both young and small

I say to you, your marvelous journey will start this fall.

In one of these four houses I will place you

Your new friends will cheer and embrace you.

Keep mischievous minds and open books

Explore every Hogwarts crack and nook

Be Yee witty, loyal, brave or cunning

Your place is here in this house of learning

Keep your new friends close and your wits about

For you never know where a Wheezes will sprout

Enjoy your year, it's all in good fun

But keep your tricks safe and harmful to none.

Hermione could see a few teachers grumbling about the references to Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. She knew they had been causing quiet a few problems since Fred and George opened their shop in Hogsmeade. McGonagall shot her house a pointed look and Hermione saw Bellatrix Black point threateningly at a few Slytherin boys who had chuckled mischievously amongst themselves.

She couldn't help but stare at the woman. Just pointing at the boys had them sitting up straighter and gulping. She was always so in control and so well respected. And powerful. Anyone could tell without hearing the stories how powerful Bellatrix Black was. Power clung to her like a second skin, Hermione swore sometimes she saw raw magic arching like static electricity between the woman's fingers, especially when she was lost in thought grading papers. Something Hermione saw a lot of during her multitude of detentions.

But aside from her name and obvious power you would have to be blind not to notice just how beautiful the witch was. Her hair was wild and dark, like her eyes. But her skin was porcelain and perfectly unblemished. Hermione couldn't deny that she had spent far too much time staring at her while she was in detention, much more time than would have been deemed appropriate for a student to stare at a teacher.

Ginny elbowed her and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Your crush is showing, clap for the first years and stop staring at Harry's godmother."

Hermione grimaced, pulled her attention away from the woman and back to the first years. She clapped dutifully as the young witches and wizards were sorted. She genuinely clapped when little Adam joined his new friends at the Hufflepuff table, he caught her gaze and beamed at her. She nodded approvingly and gave him a slight wave before she once more directed her attention to the sorting.

This time it was Neville who drew her attention back to Black. "Bloody hell Hermione, what have you done to upset her already. We haven't even spoken to her yet." He chuckled half heartedly. She glanced his way, both remember the time she had received detention for breathing too loud in the library, Black had nearly given them both a heart attack that day. They hadn't even seen her coming, Neville had tried to protest on her behalf but had only gotten her another night of detention. He had politely shut up then.

She turned her eyes up toward the table, careful not to look at her first, her eyes softening at Hagrid's huge frame beside Flitwick's tiny stature sitting atop his many books. She made her way down the table until they landed on the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She had meant to keep going, to only give the woman a cursory look to see if she was indeed glaring her way. But their eyes connected and she couldn't seem to tear her's away.

Vaguely she was aware the last child had been sorted. A something Zabind. She heard Dumbledore's chair push away from the table as the celebrations quieted down and he rose to give his start of term speech. All eyes turned to their headmaster as he moved to stand before the podium while the head boy cleared the sorting hat away. All eyes except hers and Black's, who seemed just as disinclined to tear he gaze away as she was.

She wasn't really glaring, not as she usually did. But Hermione could practically feel the intent of her gaze on her. Could nearly feel the press of the woman's thoughts as she stared back at her through the obsidian pools of her eyes.

For a split second she thought she heard the woman say her name in her head, a soft murmur, softer than any tone Bellatrix had ever used on her before. But then she blinked, and Bellatrix shook her head and the connection seemed lost. Bellatrix turned her attention to their headmaster and Hermione, still slightly confused about what had just happened, did the same.

"Another year at Hogwarts. I should like to say a few things, before we tuck in and our minds become too sleepy to remember anything else." She let his soft soothing tone wash over her, let the tone slow her rapidly beating heart back to an appropriate level. He always had a calming quality to his voice. Hermione wondered if it was because he spoke so softly and slow. He could say anything and it would sound genuine. Even when he was telling you he was sorry he couldn't help you. Even when he left you to fend for yourself.

She shook herself harshly. Berated herself for her thoughts. And forced herself to listen to his words.

"We will have a surprise speaker before the end of term. In an unprecedented event we will be opening the school up at such a time to all parents, muggles and wizarding alike. The objective of this night will be to give parents a better understanding of the magical and muggle world. Owls will be sent to your parents, muggle parents will be able to ride the train from the platform. Wizarding parents may apparate or floo to Hogsmeade." He waited patiently for the bit of chatter to die down. "Remind parents that all those wishing to attend must reply by October. Now…..for a bit of my usual bits of wisdom. I wish to say to you all…fizzlepops."

Of course he ended the speech on a crazily silly note. It fit him perfectly, just like his affinity for muggle candy. Dumbledore was nothing if not eccentric. He moved back around to his seat and smiled at them all before clapping his hands sharply.

"Tuck in."

For the moment his speech was forgotten as an extravaganza of food was delivered to every table. Hermione filled her plate slowly, still feeling a little shaken by whatever had transpired between herself and Bellatrix. She could have swore she could almost feel the woman in her head, but she knew legilimency was forbidden on students outside of the classroom. Still she made a mental note to strengthen her shields.

"Arnt ya gonfta eat?" Hermione grimaced as bits of food flew out of Ron's mouth at the question. She met Ginny's eyes and shook her head. His words did prompt her to take a few bites, her appetite no where near as strong as it had been earlier.

Harry sipped his pumpkin juice and leaned around Ron, "For a second I thought you were going to rebel again for spew."

Hermione glared at him. "It's S.P.E.W. As you already know." He held his hands up in surrender and went back to his meal. Neville quickly changed the subject to Harry's two year old brother, effectively cutting off her tirade on house elf rights. She let it go. Not really in the mood to debate with them about it when her heart wasn't really in it, at least not at the moment.

She moved her eyes back up toward the staff table but found Bellatrix had disappeared. She couldn't find a reason to let them linger.

She tried to get into the spirit with everyone else, to eat until she dropped and then groan about the start of classes in the morning, okay so she had never done that last part but she had always laughed with the others while they did. But the feelings eluded her. She picked at her food and felt her friends' occasional glances. She knew she was worrying them.

She sighed heavily and let her fork drop into her plate. "I think I'm going to head off to bed." Ginny eyed her critically, she held up her hands and forced a smile. "I'm okay, just tired. I already miss Sterling." That at least wasn't a lie.

"Alright. The password is Mandrake, I'll see you after I get the new first years sorted."

Hermione nodded, she said her goodbyes to the others and crossed the distance to the doors. She was glad they had chosen to sit further back than usual, she didn't particularly care for all the attention she received when she left, she knew a few Slytherin would have loved to give her some payback for all the times she escaped them the last year.

She let her eyes trail over the portraits as she headed up the moving staircase, deftly avoiding a fake step as she went. She was enjoying being away from the crowds. Travelling the well known path to her dormitory without the press and rush of student bodies trying to get through and the prefects yelling out over all the noise.

But as with everything lately it all went to hell in a handbag.

"Hey! Granger wait up."

She did not wait up. But she did have to stop and wait on a blasted staircase, which had chosen just that second to move away. She wanted to beat her head against the stone wall, she settled for closing her eyes and counting.

"Hey, for a second there I thought you would run off."

She sighed, debating whether it was a good idea to tell him she was contemplating jumping down to the next landing at that very moment.

"What is it you want, McLaggen?"

"Huh? Oh well, I missed you over break. I know I said I was busy but I did actually send you a letter. You never responded." How could he talk about her brushing him off and still sound arrogant she did not know. She remembered the letter, Peter had been absolutely furious. Not that she had received one, he couldn't stop the boys from sending her letters for fear of another visit from Hagrid, instead he had been angry about it's contents. About the way the idiot boys made it sound like they were carrying on some kind of torrid love affair behind school walls. He had asked her to visit his home for heaven sakes, they were not even friends, they weren't even classmates any more!

"I had a busy summer." She cursed the damn stair cases. Not only was the one ahead moving so damn slow but the one behind had moved, cutting off her retreat. She glanced to her left at the large portrait before deciding against taking that shortcut. It led far out of the way, down to the dungeons, and she didn't think he knew about it. She could probably use it to avoid him in the future so long as he didn't know it was there.

"Well I know it's early but you could always come to our villa for Christmas, we are visiting relatives in Greece."

"Why on Earth would I-" She turned back around to look at him and nearly jumped out of her skin. Black was standing behind him, eyeing her nails critically and leaning against the balustrade. Hermione had no idea where she came from or when she got there. She caught her staring and smirked.

"Don't tell me you two left the feast early for some kind of lover's tiff?" Cormac whirled around in surprise.

"I- uh no, Professor." Dark eyes landed on him but only for a second before they once again settled on Hermione. There was something there, behind the dark orbs but she couldn't figure out what it was. She had the strangest feeling Black wanted to say something but couldn't. "Just had too much to eat on the train." Cormac told her, thinking she was waiting for an excuse when the silence stretched too long.

"Mhm….and you Granger, what's your excuse?"

Hermione stared at her. She felt the prickling in her mind again and slammed up her mental shields. Black narrowed her eyes and Hermione took a step back and gasp.

She had thought….but she hadn't really believed….

"You-"

"Yes, yes. I'm the bad Black, I break all the rules. I was just messing with you."

Cormac glanced back and forth between them, completely lost, as most where when the two witches weren't verbally sparing with each other. Hermione and Bellatrix were never civil around the other, with the exception of classes, where the dark witch either picked on the girl mercilessly or ignored her completely. That was normal. Watching them stare while they tried to figure each other out was not. He was a little afraid of what was going to happen. He did not want to be in the middle of a Black and Granger fight on the first day back, he was likely to get horrible detentions, probably lasting a month.

The steps in front of them snapped back with an audible scrape. Bellatrix pointed toward Cormac, "Off with you. I need a moment with Granger."

He hesitated, she actually bared her teeth at him and he scampered off up the steps toward the dormitory, toward what was going to be her safe haven.

"What is it you need professor?" A dark eyebrow raised in amusement at her irritated tone. Honestly though, how could she not be irritated when someone tries to invade the privacy of her mind.

Hermione waited through the silence, unwilling to tell the witch to just come out with it and get herself into trouble. Bellatrix sighed. "I'm giving you a private," she stressed the word, "assignment. Your always asking for extra work and I have…..come across something that made me curious." If it made Bellatrix Black curious it instantly peeked her own. It didn't sound like something the dark witch knew too much about. "I want you to research magical bonds. But you need to be careful, the type of bonds I want you to look into are ancient and taboo for pureblood families. I would hate to give you detention for fighting with Slytherins because you couldn't keep your work private."

The stairs moved again but Hermione didn't notice. "Is it illegal?"

Black shook her head, loose dark curls flying softly around her face. "No. Just rare, it's frowned upon in pureblood households. At least…those not branded blood traitors." Hermione glared, even though she knew what the witch meant she didn't like all the slurs.

"Where do I even start?"

Bellatrix moved toward her, pulled a slip of paper bearing her chaotic scrawl and passed it to her. "In the restricted section I would imagine." She smirked again, her dark eyes staring down at the girl. They were so close Hermione could smell her perfume, a mix of sandalwood and something sharper, almost wild, that she couldn't place.

"Wh-when is it due?" Hermione frowned, pulled her eyes away and to the paper in her hand. She hated stuttering, she hated the out of control way Bellatrix sometimes made her feel when they were alone, she was sure the older witch had no idea what she did to her but she didn't think it was fair that she seemed so unaffected by Hermione's feelings. Still, she imagined the alternative would have been worse. Bellatrix could figure out Hermione had a huge crush on her and really make her life hell.

"You'll know when it's done." Bellatrix told her cryptically, a frown replacing her smirk when Hermione glanced up at her in surprise. "You have until the end of next year to complete it, technically…..but I would much prefer you finish it sooner."

Hermione frowned in confusion, "what kind of assignment is this?"

"A difficult one. If you finish it I'll write you a letter of recommendation to whatever office you want in the ministry. I know that's your goal."

Her mouth fell open, her eyes widened in shock. That…was a generous offer. One that might solve a bit of her problem if she could pull it off right. No one else had the pull in the ministry the Black's did. If she could secure an internship….if she had Bellatrix backing her they would know something was amiss if she didn't show up. Someone would come looking for her. It could be her ticket away from Peter if he really succeeded in keeping her away from the magical world after graduation.

I'll do it, but you have to stay out of my head. I don't know what you were doing back there…."

Black laughed, it sounded a little fake though. "I was just trying to spy on you and little Cormac. I have become enthralled with muggle soaps and I thought I might get to see one unfold right before my very eyes."

Coffee colored eyes narrowed at her false act of innocence. Somehow she found she didn't believe the witch at all. "And before, in the Great Hall, what was that?"

Bellatrix stopped laughing. She looked a little alarmed and genuinely confused. "I did nothing in the Great Hall. Certainly nothing of your conversations then interested me enough to pry." The question had seemed to unsettle the dark woman, just as the answer had Hermione. They both stared at each other as if they could pull the truth out by will alone. Hermione was the first to give in.

"Maybe I'm just tired then." She admitted softly.

"Off to bed then, you can't be tired for the first day, I have a great deal planned for class this year and I will not go easy on you just because I gave you extra work." And just like that the cocky Black she knew was back.

"Goodnight, Professor." She watched the dark haired woman open up the secret passage she had been eyeing earlier and disappear into the dark corridor behind it.

She clenched the paper tightly in her fist, access to the restricted section, on her first day! And a promise of a possible internship with Black's recommendation. She never recommended anyone! She felt a genuine smile break out on her face. Her year might not be too bad after all.

She turned back around and huffed, the blasted stair case had moved again.

~B~

Bellatrix walked in the dark without worry, it wasn't the first time she had walked the path from the dungeon to the stairs. She had used it a rather lot over the years to catch Hermione unaware and deliver her a detention for whatever made up transgression she thought suitable at the time. Actually she was probably the reason Hermione knew about the passage to begin with. Those last few moving stairs only led up to the Gryffindor common room and not too many Gryffindors would be trying to get to the living quarters in the dungeons.

She ran her hand along the stone wall and frowned. Hermione had mentioned something happening between them in the Great Hall and she had felt something. She didn't know what it was but she hadn't intentionally been trying to get into the girl's mind, not like she had been on the landing. It unsettled her greatly that she might have lost that little bit of control on herself without even realizing it.

To make it worse she was playing with fire giving Hermione that assignment. She wasn't sure what she hoped to achieve. The girl was brilliant, there was not a doubt in her mind that she would find something on the topic, but there was no way she could make a connection from Bella giving her the task to them being bonded. Not even if she took a full two years to complete it.

It was just her way of getting back at Dumbledore for making her wait longer. And she didn't feel as if she were standing still, as if she was just waiting to tell her now. Now she was preparing Hermione for the news. She hoped the girl would have a better understanding of it when she did learn the truth. Maybe it would help her decide how to handle it.

~H~

Hermione was resting in bed with a book when the other girls filed in from supper. She had already hidden the slip of paper Black had given her and glamoured away all the evidence of her summer with her stepfather.

Ginny smiled at her and rolled her eyes before moving to sit on the edge of her bed. "I should have known you would be in here reading."

Hermione tilted the book back and glanced at the title. Honestly her mind had been too chaotic to really focus on the words but having a book in her hand had felt comforting.

"Mhm…I left my essay beside your bed for you to glance over, and I have a spare book about Sphynxes you might be able to get some extra stuff on so it doesn't look like you copied."

Ginny beamed. "You're the best."

Hermione chuckled, setting her book aside and gently shoving the red head off her bed. "Say that when your not copying my homework."

"I do!" Ginny protested, snatching the book in question and heading to her own bed. She pulled the curtains away from the side their beds shared and stretched out sideways across her own with Hermione's parchment.

The other girls were all climbing into their own beds on the opposite side of the room, they weren't paying either of the girls any mind. Hermione wondered if it would be the best time to bring up Black's special assignment. The dark witch had cautioned her to be careful but she couldn't see the harm in asking Ginny. Her family wasn't pureblood supremacists in any case.

"Hey Gin," The girl glanced up curiously at the hesitant tone. "Do you know anything about magical bonds?"

Her silvery blue eyes crinkled in confusion. "Are you talking about unbreakable vows?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think so. Black stopped me in the hall a while ago and gave me an assignment. On magical bonds. She gave me two years to complete it. She said it's….rare….and not well thought of in wizarding families."

She squirmed under Ginny's gaze. "Black did? That's strange….she was talking to mother this summer about magical bindings…..they were talking real hush, hush." So that of course meant Ginny had eavesdropped. "It...was something about binding the magic of two people together. A pureblood and a lesser blood." She ignored Hermione's scoff, they both knew she wasn't prejudiced in the least. "Mom was saying it was something that couldn't be helped, it mostly affected the pureblood and they didn't get a choice. It had something to do about keeping magic alive, I guess it happened to keep out inbreeding between the families. You can only have so many purely magical families you know, we are all related. Those pureblood idiots are ridiculous."

"I guess that's why she said it was so taboo. I can't see purebloods happy about being bound to a muggle born."

"No. That's for sure. I don't think I'd want to be bound to a pureblood myself actually. I'm not sure how the relationships worked out but the way they were talking about it they were mostly romantic. I think being bonded to someone took away the purebloods will to be with other people or something. Whatever it was it was supposed to be difficult for the pureblood and not just in society."

Hermione chewed on her lip, Ginny had given her some things to think about but it didn't all feel right. She wanted to know what bonded people together. It couldn't just be their compatible magic. She and Ginny were able to do extraordinary cooperative spells but she doubted there was any chance she would be bonded to her. And then it was so rare she had never heard about it before. Was it like a form of dark magic, or was it so bad the purebloods had stricken it from history? In any case she hadn't heard about it in their modern world so it might have even died out. She was left with more questions than answers and aside from the restricted section she really had no leads on where to start.

"Hermione…"She glanced up, surprised to find Ginny's gaze resting intently on her. "Do-do you know why Bella gave you that particular assignment? She never wanted to give you extra work before."

That was true. Hermione had asked and she had always refused, simply on the grounds that she didn't want to. It wasn't like she had needed extra credit, she had just wanted things to do during the breaks to keep her mind busy.

"I….she just said she was interested in it. I suppose she couldn't find too much on her own."

Ginny kept staring at her. "I guess that would explain why she had asked Mom but …do you think maybe she is bonded to someone?"

Hermione felt her heart dip suddenly and she sucked in a breath. "I-" She had to cough before she could continue. "I don't know. She didn't let on."

"It could be you." The words were so soft she nearly missed them. She laughed hollowly.

"I seriously doubt that. She hates me remember."

"Might be why, purebloods don't have it easy in the bond thing remember?"

Hermione shook her head. There was no way she was bonded to Bellatrix Black. It just wasn't probable. She didn't even have a good grasp on what bonds even were but she seriously doubted someone like Professor Black would be interested in staying bonded to her. And if it was as ancient and taboo and Ginny claimed someone would have found a way to rid themselves of it. Black would probably stop at nothing to rid herself of a bond if it meant she was tied to Hermione.

"Your crazy, Gin." She chuckled again before climbing under the soft warm blankets. "Don't forget to put my parchment back, I better get some sleep. Black said she was going to be torture on us this year." Or something of the like anyways.

Bonded to Bellatrix Black. Hermione thought to herself as she let her eyes drift shut. What a crazy notion.