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.

3. BR8-11

Bella's meeting with Andy had her running scared. She couldn't be in love with her bond. She was a student. She was smart and caring and a bunch of other things the dark witch admired, but she was ultimately a student.

She was in the middle of a full on break down yet again when Dumbledore knocked politely on her door. "Go away!"

He, of course, didn't listen and let himself in. She cursed at him but barely spared him a glance as she continued her path back and forth across her kitchen. At least she had cleaned up her mess from her earlier break down.

"Mr. Potter expressed his worry. He was on his way to see you." She managed to stop for a moment and stare at him curiously, it was well after curfew, she had spent two hours with her sister going through a myriad of emotions before Andy had finally let her leave, allowing her to process her feelings and the panic they brought from the comfort of her own home away from prying eyes. "His map showed you pacing, I convinced him I was on the way to see you myself."

She wonder why he bothered. Part of her problems were his fault after all.

"I'm fine." She bit out at him before throwing herself ungracefully into a chair. She leaned forward and rest her arms on the table her head following.

"I see. I am here," sometimes she really despised his slow easy drawl. "If there is anything you need to discuss. I hope you know that, I am your friend, Bella."

She snorted, not even bothering to raise her head. "Unless you plan to explain why I have to wait I have nothing to talk about." Her words were muffled by her arm but he heard all the same. She could hear his frown as he spoke.

"I wish I could, it is not my story to tell I'm afraid." It was more than he usually said on the matter, but it only left her with more questions.

"Did you tell someone about the-" Her head snapped up, her intent to lay into him if he had betrayed her trust but he shook his head gently.

"I have not. Not even the ministry is aware. What forced my hand in this is something else completely. Just know that I have everyone's best interest at heart and I am hoping it will all resolve itself next year."

She had no bloody idea what he was on about and she wasn't in the mood for his cryptic bullshit.

"I'm not waiting another year, Albus. She has until seventh year, until her first blasted day of school. I can't take any more of this uncertainty." She hated the pitying look he gave her. She was Bellatrix Black she did not do pity. She forced herself to get it together and glared at him.

"Did you really want something or was this just to appease my godson?"

"I just wanted to ease Harry's mind. And to also warn you Minerva has heard of Hermione's detention and is not happy she received it on the first day of term."

That brought a smirk to the dark witch's face. She did so love to annoy Minerva. "Tough, she earned it." She hadn't actually, Hermione had explained it and she had believed her once she had time to process what it had looked like, but no one else needed to know that.

She had vaguely thought about canceling the brunette's detention but she wouldn't have taken McLaggen as back up into the forest, the boy would have been useless and she had no desire to enter it alone if something had spooked Hagrid, the oaf was always going in and out of the dark woods. Hermione would be good help in an emergency and her company was preferable to some of the other teachers. Worst case scenario she would send the girl back to the castle for help and defend her retreat. Honestly though she didn't expect to encounter anything, not anything more dangerous than they already had anyways.

"I will head Minerva off for now but please try to make these detentions more deserving than they were last year. Breathing too loudly in the library…"He shook his head and chuckled as he headed out just as rudely as he had entered.

Bella rested her head back on her arms. Had she really given Granger detention for breathing loudly in the library? She had given the girl so many she couldn't remember the reasons she made up anymore.

At least one good thing had come from Dumbledore's interruption, she was no longer freaking out about her feelings. Whether she loved the girl or not was meaningless, she could never do anything about it and she was sure there was no way Hermione would ever reciprocate, not the way she had treated her over the years. The best she could hope for was respect and perhaps friendship, it all depended on her decision after she found out about the bond.

~H~

Bellatrix had asked her to meet her by the lake after class the following day. She had some kind of disturbance with some Slytherins to sort through before she could begin Hermione's detention. Whatever it was must have been bad because she had been waiting for half an hour when Hagrid had appeared, blocking the sun as she peered up at his huge figure.

He was grinning down at her, his eyes and red cheeks all she could see past his bushy beard. "Wha yeh doin ere Ermione?" His eyes drifted to the lake and his smile dropped and she could see worry flitter into his eyes as they landed on the forest. "Might not be safe on yeh own, somethin out there. Can feel it watchin."

"I'm waiting on Professor Black. She gave me detention." His bright eyes turned back to her and his frown deepened.

"She can' be taken yer into the forest with her? No….tis not safe." He shook his head and turned his attention back to the castle, they could see the witch in question making her way down to them, her arms waving in aggravation as she fussed to herself about whatever mess she had been forced to deal with.

Hermione watched her approach, she looked irritated as hell which didn't bode well for Hermione's detention. Hermione had a feeling Hagrid was going to protest her going into the forest which was probably going to make the dark witch angrier. Minerva herself had tried to get the girl out of a few detentions over the years, those had been the worse, and for whatever reason Dumbledore had always sided with Black.

"What is it, Hagrid I know that blasted look, do not make my night any worse." She pointed at him as her eyes rounded on Hermione. "You did bring your wand?" She got a what the hell look and simply shook her head, she pulled the wand from her robes and received a nod of approval.

"Yer can' make Ermione go into the forest. S'not safe!" Hagrid protested. Bella rounded her dark eyes on him and he took a step back, funny considering he was far larger than Bellatrix.

"Unless you can give me one good reason why I can't have her serve her detention in a possibly useful manner don't think to tell me how I can punish her. And your bad feelings are not enough justification for me not to drag her into the forest with me, you take her, Weasley and Potter there all the time for things other than classes."

Hermione held her tongue, the witch was right, Harry had just gone with Hagrid their first school day back to help check on the humongous spiders Hagrid was friends with. Ron had flat out refused to go and Hermione hadn't been around when he asked. Not that she particularly liked them anyways, they always stared at them like they wanted to eat them. In hindsight they probably did.

"But…" Hagrid sighed utterly defeated. He didn't have another excuse. Just his gut feeling that something was wrong. Bellatrix was right though, Hermione had been in the forest more than most other students at Hogwarts and she could handle herself better than most of the teachers. "Yer, right I 'spose."

"Now if that's all the complaints about my detention methods can we get this over with." She waved for Hermione to follow and took off without glancing back to make sure she was. Hermione waved Hagrid off and took off after the teacher. When they were far enough away Bellatrix finally spoke again. "You've never tried to get out of detention before. You frightened?" She chuckled lightly.

"I didn't try this time." She protested. "I usually just try to avoid you so I don't get detentions in the first place. No one else gives them to me."

Bellatrix fell back into a moody silence, her shoulders where stiff and her head held high but Hermione had the strange feeling she had hurt the witch somehow. She had only been telling the truth, she spent a lot of time trying not to get caught around Bellatrix. Detentions ruled havoc over her sleeping and homework schedule, something she hadn't ever managed very well.

"We won't go very far in tonight. I need to properly inspect the area where Hagrid does his classes and keeps the creatures. We will go deeper as the week goes." Hermione hummed her assent but said nothing else. Bellatrix obviously didn't believe Hagrid's feelings had too much basis on truth because even as they crossed into the forest boundary she didn't draw her wand.

They spent an hour walking the boundary, they stayed just inside the woods keeping the castle in sight the entire time. Neither felt anything different, they didn't feel the eyes on them that Hagrid had seemed to feel, and by the end of the hour Bellatrix decided it would be safe for Hagrid to have classes back inside the forest. Good news because Hermione was tired of wading knee deep through the black lake.

"Go to dinner." Bellatrix told her as she headed toward Hagrid's hit to give him the news. "Meet me here after dinner tomorrow. We will see if anything changes during the night."

For a long time Hermione stared after her. She had hardly spoken, hadn't sent any jabs at her or made any snide remarks about something just to irritate her. She didn't seem to be her self and it worried Hermione.

~B~

She told Hagrid the good news and then she headed back to her apartments. She didn't feel like going to dinner herself. She had always known Hermione avoided her, she was always the one who sought the girl out and that was only ever to give her detention and more reason to despise her. It could have been different had she been able to control herself and stop acting like a bloody child about the binding in the beginning. Now she didn't know how to change. She wasn't a nice person anyways. She was snappish and rude, she held too tightly to things she wanted and pushed anyone who could hurt her away. She pushed her sisters away and it seemed she had done a very good job of doing the same to Hermione.

Hermione. The brightest witch of her age. The witch who had the power to break the most powerful witch in all of England by simply refusing to stay.

She was already as good as gone. She had admitted that much. She had all but told her she despised her to her face.

I usually try to avoid you.

Bella sighed. She had a lot of things to get ready for Hermione's seventh year. She decided there was no better time to start.

~N~

Nymphadora Tonks walked into her mother's kitchen, she could instantly tell something was wrong, her mother was making cookies. The muggle way. She never baked unless something was on her mind, it was her therapy.

"Mom?"

Andy smiled up at her daughter as she dumped her fifth batch of sugar cookies onto the cooling wrack.

"Honey, so lovely of you to drop in. What's the occasion?" Her smile was genuine enough but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"It's our family day." Tonks raised an eyebrow, her mother never forgot family day and she hadn't seemed to have cooked anything for dinner except cookies. Her father would be home any minute and she had no idea what his reaction would be to the five dozen cookies he would have to eat.

"Oh….I forgot." Andy sighed. "Blast it all, I've been cooking since this bloody morning." She groaned and sat heavily down at the island. Tonks took a seat beside her and turned to stare at her mother.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Is dad sick? Can I do something?"

Andy held her hand up at her daughter's rapid fired questions and shook her head. "No one is sick but your bloody aunt is in love."

That got her attention. "Aunt Cissy? She's married, there is no way she would leave Draco's…." she trailed off as her mother shook her dark curls. "Aunt….Bella?!"

"Yes. She swears she isn't but I can see it. She is so protective and she is doing everything she can to shove the girl away from her. I don't know who she is more scared of getting hurt herself or Hermione. If she doesn't do something they will both be living with the consequences."

"A woman….I never would have seen this coming. Oh this is rich." Andy swatted at Nymph as she started laughing.

"No Nymphadora it is not anything to laugh about."

"Oh mom come off it, Aunt Bella will get her shit together, when has she ever been good at denying herself what she wants?"

Andy shook her head, stared out the window of the kitchen, tears misting her eyes. "Bellatrix suffers for the people she loves. If she thinks she isn't good for the girl she will push her away until there is no hope of reconciliation. To make matters worse they are bonded."

Tonks paled. She was not pureblood, her father was a muggle born. But even she knew what bonds were, as an auror she had investigated the death of a muggleborn caused by one. She knew how the wizarding society saw them, knew how purebloods handled them.

"Hermione you said?" Andy nodded. "A student." Tonks grimaced. She could understand her Aunt's dilemma. Of all the Blacks alive she never would have suspected Bellatrix would ever be bonded. If it had to be someone she would have thought it would be her own mother.

"Don't tell her I told you, Nymph. She won't be happy with me. It wasn't my secret to tell, I'm just so worried for her." She hugged her mother tightly, nearly knocking them off their stools.

"Come on, let's get supper on the table before dad gets home and thinks we're bonkers." She would look into this Hermione, for her mother and her aunt. She recognized the name but she couldn't recall from where. In any case she had to shelve it for now, she needed to get her mother together first.

~H~

For Hermione the week passed slowly, her detentions with Black were uneventful and silent. The dark witch spoke only when she needed to, she made no cutting remarks and asked no questions. In class she was much the same, even the others were starting to notice. She gave her lectures, she answered questions without being sarcastic and she ignored Hermione more so than usual.

Her sudden change in attitude had Hermione waiting around after class. She waved off Ginny's curious look and moved to Black's desk. "Professor?"

Bellatrix glanced up toward her and sighed. "Is this about the journal?" Hermione felt a flash of guilt, she hadn't even looked at it yet, she had spent all her free time over the week making sure her friends stopped worrying about her behavior and spent the rest trying to get ahead on all the homework.

"Uh…no. I just….I was wondering if you're okay is all?"

Black glared up at her, her fingers twirling her wand lazily around. For a moment Hermione wondered if Black was thinking about hexing her.

"Do you really care, Ms. Granger. I was under the impression you couldn't stand me." Hermione gazed down at her in confusion. Sure they never got along and she had never said otherwise but not being able to stand her was a bit much….Filch she couldn't stand he was just down right mean. Black was…well she was something.

She could be mean, snarky and a down right pain in the ass, but she was passionate about teaching and her field. She took pride in her students mastering difficult spells and she always tried to figure out who really was the injured party when a fight broke out. With Hermione she had always been a bit biased and the girl had no idea why but she had seen the way Bella was around the others and she admired her. She didn't hate her.

"I-I- where-" She wanted to know why she thought that? Why it seemed to matter to her? But Bellatrix was unamused by the floundering and cut her off.

"I'm fine, Granger. You're not getting out of this last night of detention." She bit the words out harshly making Hermione flinch. Obviously she had done something to piss Black off, she wished she hadn't bothered asking about her. But she had been so concerned. The woman looked….lost. "Get out of here, I'll see you tonight after dinner." She stood up abruptly and moved off toward her office. "Hopefully you won't screw up and get any more detentions from me."

Hermione sighed heavily as the witch slammed the door shut. She had obviously upset the woman by her offhanded comment the first night she had detention but she didn't know why it upset her. Black couldn't have made it any clearer over the years that she disliked her. And she could not even fathom a Bellatrix Black with her feelings hurt.

She thought about knocking on the office door, of trying to explain that it wasn't exactly Black she avoided but the detentions she didn't have time for. Instead she left, an unsettling feeling setting in the pit of her stomach.

~H~

She had been quiet herself throughout dinner, Ginny said something about it and she mentioned that it was her last night of detention and she and Black had argued after class had ended. She wasn't looking forward to detention so of course it came all the faster.

At nine o'clock she was waiting for Black by the entrance to the forest, sitting on one of Hagrid's pumpkins. They had made plans to check the other side that night and Hagrid's hut was where Black had instructed Hermione meet her.

"Ready then?" She jumped as the voice came out of nowhere. Black was dressed in black robes and Hermione hadn't seen nor heard her approach, her hood was thrown up over her unruly dark curls. She didn't make any kind of comment about startling the girl and instead took off into the dense foliage, she didn't even bother to see if Hermione was following.

"Profes-"

"Keep quiet. We can't expect to find anything if you're yapping all night scaring things away." Brown eyes stared at her back, irritation and guilt warring in their depths. She couldn't keep quiet though, not when she preferred arguing with the witch over the stony silence she was being tortured with now.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't need an apology just be bloody quiet." Came the hissed reply. Hermione didn't let it deter her.

"I'm sorry for telling you I avoided you."

Bellatrix swallowed thickly but Hermione couldn't see. "It doesn't matter." She could hear how strained her voice was though. Maybe irritation, maybe Hermione had it all wrong and the woman just wanted a break from her. Still she felt she had to clarify, if for nothing more than her own peace of mind.

"I avoided detentions, not you."

Bellatrix didn't reply so Hermione let the subject drop. They continued on in their strained silence. They walked farther into the woods than Hermione had been before, the light from her wand barely illuminating the steps in front of them. She half suspected the witch was lost in thought and hadn't yet realize just how far they were going. Hermione had no idea where the woods ended, it could go on forever for all she knew. But just when she was about to say something Bellatrix came to a halting stop, she crashed into the back of her and the witch turned her body as if to shield her and held an arm out against her chest as she moved to keep her from going forward.

Hermione could feel it then. What Bellatrix had stopped for. An oppressive darkness that nearly felt alive. It felt as if it were breathing….watching them…..stalking them. It was almost suffocating just how heavy it felt.

She reached out and grasped Bella's cloak, needing to have a hold on her, almost afraid the witch would shift and disappear into the nothingness that surrounded them. She knew something was wrong when the dark gnarled wand suddenly sprang into her hand.

Bellatrix pulled her close enough she could whisper. "Run. Back toward the castle. Don't stop for anything."

Hermione could feel it, excited and anxious around them. It felt ancient and powerful. Whatever it was Hagrid had been right to fear it.

"I can't leave you." She clutched at the fabric of Bella's robes, unwilling to let her go.

"Stupid girl, I'll be right behind you." She spun Hermione and shoved her back toward the way they came.

They took off. Black cast a lumos but the bright light did hardly little more than Hermione's own in such oppressing darkness. There was laughter around them. High pitched and delightfully crazy. Hermione could swear she heard it muttering Black in the wind.

She glanced back, fearful for her teacher, and stumbled over a protruding root. Inertia had her flying a short ways in the air before she tumbled down a small hill landing hard on her side. Bellatrix, cursing for all she was worth, launched herself after her, hauled her up by her cloak but held her still when she made to run off again.

"It's too late. I don't know where it is now." She held Hermione behind her but she had no idea where whatever was hunting them was. She could be putting the student right in it's path. Hermione did not like their odds. If something frightened Bellatrix Black it had to be terrifying.

"What is it? It knows your name!" Dark eyes landed on her for a moment, illuminated in the light of their wands, before they went back to sweeping the darkness.

"Something old, something dangerous." Her fingers tightened where they were connected to Hermione's arm. "Hagrid had been right to be afraid, and he had been right not to bring you, blast the oaf!"

Hermione didn't exactly agree. If she hadn't been with Black the woman would have been alone. Perhaps the creature was hesitant to attack because there was two of them. Maybe he would have already gone after Bellatrix had she been alone.

"We can't stay here we have to move." She started to pull Hermione away, towards the edge of the small hill the girl had tumbled over when a voice echoed all around them.

"Yes! Yes, do run. I do so love a challenge. Fear makes the meal so much sweeter."

"Who's out there?" The wild haired woman didn't sound frightened, although Hermione could feel the slight tremble that went through her. A maniacal laughter was the only response. It sounded as if it were all around them, right beside them. Something brushed up against Hermione, a nail raked her cheek making her scream, Bella spun them around, putting herself in it's path. "What do you want?"

"I want a Black to play with! Such powerful things Blacks are. Had one or two in my time." That blasted innocent childlike tune creeped Hermione the bloody hell out. "The other one will be nice too, perhaps even better. Ohhhhhh the power you two have! I could live for centuries off of it."

Bellatrix shot a spell toward the castle, a patronus.

"Oh, naughty naughty." The creature chided.

"There!" It let out an unholy screech as Bellatrix launched an incendio its way. She grabbed Hermione and practically shoved her up the hill, her patronus came running back at them ready to guide them back toward the castle. "Follow it! Be quick."

Hermione took off running, determined not to get them caught again. She could hear Bellatrix launching spells behind them, hear the trees exploding as she tried to cover their desperate flight, but she didn't stop. She ran for what felt like forever, fled like the hounds of hell were on her heels. Just when she could see the end, see the lights of the castle in the distance she heard Bellatrix cry out from further behind her.

"Black!" The woman didn't answer. Didn't scream for her to keep going. Hermione didn't think about anything, her mind completely focused on the other woman. "Bella!" She heard the beasts laughter and took off toward it. It wasn't getting Bellatrix Black, not while she was there. She was not going to take her escape at the price of the dark woman's life. Nothing was worth that.

She burst through the foliage falling bodily into the beast and knocking it away from Bellatrix's prone body. It had felt leathery and it's smell had her heaving, it smelt of putrid rotting flesh. It smelled like pure death. She launched an incendio, the most powerful fire spell she knew aside from fiendfire, at the creatures Shadow and wasted no time feeling triumphant as it howled in pain and rage. She levitated Bellatrix's body, grasped hold of her cloak and crashed through the remainder of the forest, stopping only when her legs couldn't hold her any longer and her spell collapsed on itself, dropping the witch from air harshly to the hard ground.

She drug herself the short distance back to the teacher. Forced strength into her protesting muscles as she rolled the woman over onto her back. She wasn't breathing. Hermione forgot everything and anything she had ever learned about magic, forgot about the beast screaming in anger slowly getting further and further away from them as it retreated back into the forest. Her eyes sought helplessly toward the castle, saw the lights from wands approaching them but they were so far away. She turned her gaze back to the pale lifeless witch.

"You can't die." She reached out and tilted her head back, forgetting how muggle CPR worked but willing to try anything to get the woman breathing again. "You just can't die." Because she didn't want to live in a world without you in it.

She leaned down to give Bellatrix a breath when a hand reached up and threaded through her hair pulling her down to meet soft lips. Her breath exploded in a soft oh, the feeling electric traveling through her entire body. It was marvelous, more than anything she could have ever imagined. It was also familiar and over much too quickly.

Dazed eyes stared up at her as she pulled away. Soft lights were shinning on them now, lumos casting them both in a pale white light.

A hand slipped from her hair as Bellatrix lost consciousness again. Hermione gazed down at her in shock, unsure of what had just happened.

"What….what the bloody hell just-" She barely heard Snape's voice.

"We saw your patronus." Dumbledore said softly. Ignoring Snape's sputtering questions.

She still wasn't paying attention, lost in her own mind, forgetting about the horror they had just gone through because at the end she had gotten taste of heaven. Her hand went to her lips as she stared at the woman in surprise. She hadn't initiated that. She had wanted to save the woman's life not kiss the life out of her. Great Merlin what a kiss though, sadly it broke her heart that she knew Bellatrix hadn't known what was going on, or that it was even her.

"Oh hell enough of that." Snape snapped. Hermione jumped, finally glancing up at the two teachers, one who was thoroughly annoyed and the other amused.

"There was something out there! Something dark and dangerous." She turned back to the dark woods to see if she could see any sigh of what had attacked them. Dumbledore leaned down and motioned for Snape to check on the unconscious woman.

"There is blood," He drawled. "But she won't die."

"You should both see Poppy. Severus if you would." He motioned for the potions teacher to take Bella's prone body back to the castle. Before he turned his wizened eyes on Hermione knowingly. "I believe you were trying CRP?"

"No- yes it's CPR. She wasn't breathing." Hermione stood up as Snape levitated the witch once more. She stared down at her pale face, at the drops of blood she could see running down her forehead, her hand, one not listening to her at all, went to touch the witches chest coming to rest over her heart. It comforted her to feel the quick thump beneath. She had been so afraid Bella would die.

"Aurors will be called and sent into the forest. I will ask them to be on the look out." Dumbledore told her, stepping aside and allowing Snape to pass with the woman.

"Come along, Granger. To Pomfrey."

She had no idea what was going to happen now, how Black was going to treat that accidental kiss. If she would even remember it. But at least she was alive. If she never spoke to her again, if she never said another kind word to her again, at least she was alive. And Hermione had that accidental kiss to burn into her memory. It would have to be enough.

~BH~

Bellatrix had tried everything to escape the hospital wing, her wand had been left in the forest and she was adamant about going back in and retrieving it, damn the bloody concussion she was rather attached to the thing. But of course Poppy had made her stay. Threatened to tie her to the bed if she even tried to get up.

The only consolation was that Hermione had been forced to stay as well, the girl had collapsed the moment she entered the wing, and although she was doing everything she could to deny she had any feelings at all toward her student Bellatrix was finding it soothing to watch the girl sleep. The gentle rise and fall of the girl's chest comforted her in a way nothing else ever had.

She couldn't sleep though, she feared her nightmares. She wasn't going to allow Hermione Granger to see her weakened and frightened after a night terror. Granger probably already thought she was useless after having to save her in the Forbidden Forest. Bellatrix still couldn't believe she had been taken down by a simple blow to the head.

A gentle sound drew he attention back to the girl and away from her self berating. Hermione was frowning now, her eyes clenched shut and her mouth muttering frantic whispers Bella couldn't quiet hear.

She climbed from her bed and moved closer, leaned over to hear and sighed heavily. She should have realized Hermione would be frightened of what had happened. She fuzzily remembered the girl refusing all of Poppy's draughts, which meant she wouldn't have gotten the dreamless sleep.

Bellatrix reached out and grasped her shoulder. Intent on waking her up out of the nightmare, on letting her know she hadn't died, as Hermione was pleading with the dream version of her not to do.

"Granger?"

Coffee eyes shot open, she grasped Bella's slender wrist and tugged hard, dragging the woman down toward her. Only a breath separated them and Hermione's expression was murderous.

"Granger?!"

Slowly the fire died from her eyes as they focused on Bella's face. Hermione blushed bright red and released her immediately. Apologies spilling from her lips.

"I'm sorry, I have nightmares. I usually ward my bed I was just so tired." She trailed off. Aware she was giving away far too much.

"Ward your bed?" She didn't get an answer but she knew Hermione hadn't fallen back asleep despite the fact she had closed her eyes. "Do you want to talk about them?" A good teacher would ask, Minerva would ask, so that's what she was doing. It wasn't because she just wanted to know everything about the girl.

Hermione shook her head though, she couldn't tell Black anything without explaining her situation at home and she was not wanting to see pity in those dark eyes.

Bellatrix hummed. She pushed at Hermione's shoulder until the girl opened her eyes and focused on her. "I plan to get some sleep so budge over. Perhaps sleeping next to someone will keep the nightmares away." It was a flimsy excuse but Bella assumed they may both need a bit of comfort after that nights affairs. And she just wanted to hold the girl. Even if it was the only time she would ever get to do it. Even if Hermione looked back on this and thought she was being manipulative, trying to be nice to her in an effort to coerce her into staying for the bond.

Either way the girl slid over onto the other side of the bed. Making enough room for Bella to slide under the covers. She slipped her hand under the pillow and drew the brunette's head down onto her chest. It was intimate, Hermione knew her heart was racing a million to nothing but she didn't care. She was wrapped in Bellatrix Black's embrace and nothing could have made her feel any safer.

Nightmares were forgotten as she focused on the breathing beneath her, her own arm came up and wrapped around the dark witch's waist.

They rested peacefully on the verge of sleep when Hermione suddenly filled the silence.

"I thought you were dead." Her voice was small and broken, arms tightened around her in response, pulling her closer.

"Go to sleep. I'm right here and I'm alive."

Hermione's eyes drifted shut. Her breathing slowly evening out. Only a few minutes after the brunette succumbed Bellatrix followed.

~B~

It's an odd feeling, knowing in the back of your mind you're dreaming but not being able to wake up. A young Bellatrix was sitting at the top of the owlery with an elderly woman making paper lanterns and watching as the old witch charmed them so they floated up into the night sky. She was enjoying it immensely, clapping as they burned up high in the air into shapes of animals before they fizzled out.

They burned so brightly that at first she mistook the brilliant bobbing light in the distance for another one. Only this one was moving on the ground and moving closer to the chilling forest she could see in the distance. It was a lumos spell, conjured at the hands of, from what she could make out, a very old long bearded wizard.

She could faintly hear a commotion going on down below them, a lot of fearful shouts before more brightly lit wands were quickly moving in the direction of the first one before they too disappeared into the pitch black trees.

"Let's go see." She held out her hand to the witch who smiled as she took it and helped the little girl off the alcove and down the flight of steps. The further down they got though the less room there seemed to be, until the steps were so narrow only Bellatrix could pass through. She was frightened for the witch, instead of a wall there was a large gaping chasm beside them, how was the old lady going to get down.

She looked up into beautiful blue eyes, eyes that seemed to accept her bad luck. She smiled kindly down at the child. 'You go on ahead dear, I'll be fine here.' She heard the kindly voice in her mind but she never saw the woman move her lips, it sent chills down her spine and gave her the prompt she needed to struggle across the narrow ledge.

It wasn't long before she was running parallel to the forest searching for the blue lights she knew she'd find in the distance. She was an adult now and her pace quickened with the lengthening of her legs, slowing only when she saw another smaller figure in the mist. "Hello."

The figure turned, it was a little girl with curly black hair and blue eyes so bright they mirrored the beauty of a clear cloudless day. "I want to go see, but don't want to go alone." The little girl held out her hand and Bella immediately took it. It felt so small in hers but it was warm and it felt right. "Will you go with me?" She found herself nodding and pulling the girl along behind her but at a slightly slower pace so her little legs could manage.

Suddenly they were at the spot she'd seen the first wizard; only the forest was gone, replaced by white marbled walls and black marbled floors. It reminded her of the ministry but she'd never seen this area before. Witches and wizards were shuffling away from an elevator all wearing the same matching look of anxiety and dread. Whatever they had seen had given them a fright, but not enough of one that they needed to run away in terror.

Bellatrix had a feeling the real horror had yet to be released and they knew it, which was why they weren't in a haste to get away just yet, they'd have time to prepare.

They passed a witch dressed in black robes with silver linings, she looked rich and familiar. Her hair was jet black and straight down to her waist where it curled in natural ringlets and her eyes were the same haunting blue of the little girls. "Wait," she called out to them before looking at another wizard, "Are you really going to let her go alone? She shouldn't be going at all she's just a child." She demanded harshly of him. The man in question was hooded making his features hard to make out but Bella could see him visibly shrug and turn away. The hauntingly beautiful woman let out a sigh and smiled down at the two. "I could go with you." She was ignoring Bella completely, she had a feeling the woman couldn't actually see her.

"I'm okay. I know what to expect." The raven was shocked speechless by the words but her stunned silence gave the little girl time to drag Bella onto a waiting elevator.

The man outside closed the grate and the man inside looked down at the child. "Are you sure about this? It's awfully frightful." She nodded. "It could be dangerous if you're the right one, can you go through with it?"

"I'm not afraid." The girl said it with such conviction the man stopped trying to dissuade her and instead pushed a button. Bella tried to see what floor they were going to but it looked as if the button had been pressed so many times the writing had rubbed off.

It didn't take long before the descent came to a halt and the man looked down encouragingly at her as he moved to open the door. Bella was too busy watching the look of concentration that came over her companion to look into the room, the girl didn't scream or jump in fright at what she saw, but her beautiful blue eyes began swirling with a strange black fluid. She couldn't seem to look away as she watched in silent horror as those once beautiful eyes took on such an unnatural quality.

Suddenly the child looked up at her and away from whatever was held within that room. Her eyes were completely black, as dark as night it was unsettling. "You have to close your eyes. You can't see it. You're not ready yet. You have to know everything to be able to face what's inside you." She grew frustrated and impatient when Bella didn't do as she was told. She grabbed both her hands in her tiny ones. "Please. If you don't, if you see it you might never wake up. This isn't just a dream, I think you know that." Bella did know that, she felt something evil with her and she quickly made her choice to trust the girl. With her eyes closed the feeling of being pursued by some nameless entity blanketed her. She had to use all of her willpower to keep her eyes tightly shut, grounding herself with the tiny hands clasping tightly at hers.

"It's going to try and get you to open your eyes. It wants more than you now. If you look at it, you feed it everything that makes you who you are. You'll feed it her, everything you feel for her, everything you have ever felt for her. Keep them shut."

Bella didn't have to understand the meaning behind the cryptic words to know the girl was desperate. She already felt hands tugging at her clothes and foul breath blowing in her ears and at her nose. She wrinkled it trying not to inhale the stench of rot and decay. "Focus on waking up. Can you feel her, she's calling for you. You need to wake up."

Bella was suddenly jerked away from the girl, her eyes opened on their own and all she could see was a swirling mass of black smoke but she could feel sharp talon tipped hands and evil eyes on her. She felt a pulling sensation in her stomach akin to apparating, she wasn't sure she wanted to go where it was going to take her. "WAKE UP!"

~B~

Hermione was muttering her name in her sleep. Bella pulled her closer, rested her cheek on soft hair and muttered sweet things she had never spoken to anyone else ever before.

It worked. The arm around her tightened and Hermione settled back into a peaceful slumber just as Pomfrey came bustling in. She gave the two a reproachful look and moved over to Bella's side of the bed.

"That bed wasn't meant for two people." She chastised the older woman gently.

Bella smiled a little, "Let me have this, seems to be keeping her nightmares away." Pomfrey huffed, although Bellatrix knew she never had any intention of making her get up. She knew they were bonded after all, it was none of her business what went on between Bella and Granger, not even in the capacity as a student and teacher at the school. Dumbledore didn't even have the right to tell Bellatrix what she could do with Hermione, and aside from murdering the girl or forcing her to do something against her will the ministry had no control over them either.

"Just make sure you keep the curtain pulled, don't want any kids spreading rumors around." She made to pull the curtain around the bed but Bellatrix stopped her.

"Poppy I need a favor." The mediwitch raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Tell her it was her that came in unconscious. I want her to believe I hauled her out of the forest and everything after she fell down the hill was a dream."

Pomfrey didn't really understand, wasn't it supposed to be a good thing they were getting along? Wasn't that the goal? To make Hermione want to stay near by? She just didn't know anymore. In any case it was Bellatrix's choice and as much as she despised lying she would tell Hermione what the professor asked her to. If anyone had the girl's best intentions at heart it would be Bellatrix.

"I doubt she will believe me but I will tell her whatever you want."

"Thank you, Poppy." Bellatrix glanced back down at the young woman in her arms and tried to burn the image into her mind. She never wanted to forget the peace she felt at this moment. She sighed and eased herself out of the bed, carefully so not to wake Hermione and spoil the plan she had already formed.

She wasn't ashamed of being knocked out, whatever had chased them would have likely killed her had Hermione not turned back to save her. She was proud. Not many other students would go back for her with something so terrifying chasing them, and Hermione was hers. Her bond, her equal in just about everything. She couldn't have asked for a better partner, no one else would have fit her magic and temperament better.

But she couldn't have Hermione believe she had actually kissed her. She couldn't take the rejection she knew was coming. She was a coward. What's worse is she knew it.

Perhaps one day, if the girl chose to stay, to make her life easier, maybe then she would tell her that she cared about her. That she wanted nothing more than to kiss the life out of her and wake up with her every morning. To start a life with her, as equals, friends and lovers.

But for now….for now she had to focus on getting through the year. And right at that particular moment she needed to have a talk with Dumbledore about the creature in the forest and the lie she beseeched he keep up for her.

~H~

Hermione woke alone in the hospital wing the next morning, her head ached from so much sleep and the side of the bed she was sure Bellatrix had been on was empty and cold. Madame Pomfrey was bustling about emptying water pitchers and refilling them with fresh water, she smiled at Hermione. "Good to see you finally up dear, you gave us quiet a fright coming in the way you did. I couldn't find anything wrong with you a little sleep wouldn't cure so you should be fine to be on your way now. Dumbledore mentioned some aurors were wanting to have a word with you, I told him I would send you to Minerva when you were feeling up to it so you could answer their questions. No hurry though, dear. Rest if you still feel like you need it I can send for them to come to you."

Hermione sat up and sipped the water beside her bed, her mouth was incredibly dry. "What happed to Professor Black?" Her voice was husky but coughing and a little more water helped it get back to normal.

"Black? She's fine; She left you in my capable hands after she realized you weren't terribly hurt. Not a scratch on her, lucky me that woman is the worst patient ever." She scowled at the thought.

"But I thought….wasn't she unconscious, I thought professor Snape brought her…." Pomfrey frowned at her, a gentle hand coming to her forehead in concern. Hermione's head ached, it hadn't felt like a dream but lately she'd been so tired it very well could have been. "Never mind I must have...dreamed it, what time is it even?" She supposed it did make more sense that Black be the one to save her, and the kiss…she should have known it was all her imagination.

"It's mid afternoon, you missed most of your classes I'm afraid but Ginny Weasley said she would keep your notes up to date. Oh and we had to dispatch a letter to your parents letting them know about the incident and that you were likely to make a full recovery. I'd send them an owl if I were you, I know how parents are when they think their children are hurt." Hermione really did feel ill now; honestly though she couldn't tell if it was from the owl to her step-father or the fact that she would have to read Sanskrit if she had any hope of figuring out what went on in her classes.

She thanked the nurse and climbed out of bed. She would tackle the aurors first if McGonagall wasn't busy in a class. Then she would try and get something to eat, she was sure she would need to eat now even if she didn't feel hungry. She really hoped Ginny could decipher her own notes.

~B~

Bellatrix was annoyed. Dumbledore had agreed to go with her lie, small as it was it made no impact on the aurors ability to do their jobs. He would not, however, let her return to the forest to search for her wand. It irritated her to no end. Nymph had promised to run to Olivanders' as soon as she was done with Granger and get her a suitable replacement until hers could be found but it still infuriated her that her trusted wand was missing, perhaps even gone for good.

To make matters worse she had been forbidden by Poppy to teach her classes that day, McGonagall was teaching them. She couldn't read her notes so now her classes had spent a waste of a day learning random bits of whatever Minerva had felt like teaching them. Not that she didn't do a good job but honestly Black would rather have had Severus step in. At least he loved the subject and would have taught them something interesting, like dueling or how to create new spells. He loved to make new spells, he was credited with at least four she knew of. He probably kept a few more just for himself.

A knock pulled her away from her bored musings, a small Slytherin stuck his head in her office and fearfully told her professor McGonagall was looking for her, Miss Granger had woken up.

She dismissed him with a careless wave of her hand, careful not to show any of her nerves. She hope Poppy had pulled off her lie. The woman wasn't very good at them.

Everyone was present when she finally arrived. Hermione glanced up at her nervously and she gazed back with as much confidence and arrogance as she could afford. She was supposed to have saved the girls life after all, she had to keep up appearances even if she hadn't believed Pomfrey's lie.

"Bout bloody time." Her niece elbowed Mad Eye Moody, he rolled his one good eye and adjusted himself in his seat, his wooden leg squeaked annoyingly as he moved. She didn't remember him having so many missing parts, he certainly had his leg the last time he had been to the castle and turned her nephew into a very adorable ferret.

"Okay so we got some of Black's story but we need Granger's to finish up. We already swept the area and didn't find anything." He grunted irritably. "Black says something chased you, you fell down a ravine and lost consciousness do you remember anything else?"

Hermione hesitated, her eyes wandering up to Black. "I…I think I remember it smelled horrible. And I think it's skin was kind of…leathery maybe. It had long claws, it scratched at me."

Bella couldn't comment, she had seen the scratch just before Poppy healed it but she had thought maybe the girl got it on a tree limb in their dash, or when she fell. She hadn't realized it had gotten close enough to touch her, the thought of what could have happened made her shiver, she crossed her arms over her chest to cover the involuntary movement but her niece's Sharp eyes latched onto her. She grimaced, there was knowledge there. She was going to have to deal with Andy and her loud mouth, right after she dealt with Nymphadora "don't call me that" Tonks.

"Interesting." Moody was saying. "And you're sure it wasn't kids playing pranks?"

Bella hissed. "Do you think random immature children have enough power to challenge me? You couldn't even best me in a duel Moody, do not insult me." He held his chubby hand up in surrender.

"Covering all the basis. The alternatives are not good, not good at all I'm afraid. Perhaps it's best to tell the students to avoid- no." He changed his mind shaking his balding red head thoughtfully. "No don't tell them anything or they will just charge right on in like the idiots half of them are."

Hermione resented the pointed look Bellatrix shot her, she didn't always charge in. She knew the boys would have wanted to investigate but since she lived through the experience already she knew this one she would let the professionals handle. That creature, whatever or whoever it was, terrified her.

Hermione shivered as she remember all it's taunts. "Oh." All eyes fell on her once more and she blushed. "I remember it kept talking about how tasty we would be. How much power we had. It said it could live for centuries, so it must have been old. I….maybe it meant to eat us. I don't know but it was definitely sentient and it was talking and taunting us."

Moody's frown deepened even further. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully with one hand and adjusted his grip on his wooden cane with the other before he turned his attention back to Dumbledore. "Not good at all, Albus." He glanced back at the two teachers. "Ms. Granger can go, if you remember anything else send an owl to Tonks here. She will pass it along. We should discuss security measures, Albus, Minerva. Black if you want you can return as well." Bellatrix simply shrugged and held the door open for Hermione as well.

When they were free of the room she grabbed the girls arm and pulled her to a stop. "Stay out of the forest. That thing, if it's what I suspect it may be, was attracted to your magic. It may target you but I don't think it will come out of the safety of the woods and reveal itself."

"What is it? Why didn't you tell Moody-"

Bellatrix let go of her sleeve and cut her off. "Mad Eye and I have already spoken, he already knows what I believe. You do not need to know, I won't have panic spreading around the school. Just for once in your life do as you're told and stay out of the woods or so help me I will string you up by your toes in the dungeons Hermione Granger." She glared at her for a few more minutes and then spun off away, back toward her private quarters and away from any more questions the girl had. She had a blasted headache anyways, a good nap would do her some good…..

She didn't get a good nap, she didn't get any nap. Not twenty minutes after she got back to her room Nymphadora knocked on her door. She opened it, stood there staring at her for a moment and then growled at her as she allowed the woman to walk in.

"Your mother needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut." She grumbled, moving to her kitchen to pour them both a shot of firewhiskey, she had a feeling she might need it.

"She was baking….on family night. She had five dozen cookies." Tonks gave her a pointed look, one that just spoke Black.

"That doesn't mean anything. It could have been a rough day at-"

"It was family night. You know she doesn't work on family night, Aunt Bella." The dark witch cursed and threw back her shot, Nymph politely refused hers. It was unusual for the girl not to accept a drink with her favorite aunt but she waved it off and tossed back Nymph's as well.

"She's worried you'll push her away, that you won't give her a choice and are just going to condemn yourself."

"I've got everything in order. I plan to tell her, and see what she wants to do. I can't force her to be in my life, Tonks."

"But you can tell her everything. She seems like a smart girl. You should tell her you're in love with her."

Bella wanted to rage, was the world just determined to spread her life's story. She didn't, instead she just felt incredibly tired. "No- It's not something that can happen. I'm not the type of person that loves. Hermione is young and will settle down with a nice young man and have many children. That is not something I am going to take away from her. This bond is not going to take that away from her." No matter how hard it was for her to control her jealousy. No matter how much she wanted to believe one day she would be able to tell the girl how she felt. She was determined to at least give her a chance at normalcy.

"But what if she loves you, Aunt Bella? What then?"

"She can't love me!" Bella placed her hands on the table and felt it strain under the force of her pent up magic. At least she reigned it in enough not to split it. "I'm broken, Nymphadora. My father broke me. He beat me into submission, used my love for my sisters against me, I had to endure all of their tortures for them, my love for them forced me to protect them! He beat any kind of tenderness I had out of me before I was in my first year of school. I can't be that weak again!" No one was going to use Hermione against her because she refused to give in to her love for her. Not now. Not when Hermione couldn't truly defend herself. She had no choice but to endure the bond, she would lose her mind otherwise, but she would not give anyone that kind of power over her.

Tonks stared at her aunt in shock. No one had ever discussed what things were like growing up with her grandfather. She wondered if her mother even knew….if this was what she had been trying to tell her that night at supper.

"I'm pregnant." Nymph told her softly, her fingers going up to brush away errant tears as they streamed down her cheeks. "But the father thinks I'm too good for him. He thinks I should be with someone who can offer me more. He thinks he is broken and dangerous, he is giving up on this wonderful thing. He is giving up our love and our child because he is afraid of being hurt. Just like you. You're not broken, Aunt Bella. You're amazing. You protected your sisters from suffering because you loved them. That's not a weakness that's pure strength. Now you love this amazing girl who happens to be the very thing your soul and magic want more than anything. And your running away scared. You are miserable because you are afraid she won't love you back." Tonks stood up and carefully approached her aunt, she rested a hand on her shaking shoulder. "Does she need to. If Mom and Aunt Cissa hated you, if you had just never told them you loved them…..would you have stopped protecting them? If you didn't say the words would you just stop loving them? Loving her?"

Bellatrix shook, tears fell from her eyes and landed on her hands still pressed against the table. It wasn't fair. She had just discovered her feelings and she was so torn. She wanted to be noble. Unselfish. She needed enough from Hermione already. But Tonks was right. Even if she didn't say the words, if Hermione never knew, she wouldn't stop loving her. She couldn't.

Bellatrix swallowed reflexively before she finally moved to hug her niece. "Nymph when I look at Hermione I see everything I have ever wanted." She moved back so she could look into Nymph's eyes. "But when I look at me I see absolutely nothing Hermione needs."

She feared losing herself to the voices. Forcing Hermione to do something against her will, hurting her in random acts of violent uncontrollable magic. Or just simply hurting her by being herself. The greatest threat to Hermione's happiness was Bella, one way or another she knew she was going to hurt the girl and she desperately wanted to avoid it.

"I don't believe it. Love does amazing things. You just have to give it a chance."

Bellatrix only sighed.

~B~

It had been a fitful night for Bella, actually it had been a fitful weekend. She hadn't been able to shelve her anxieties and had spent nearly every night going over lesson plans she could do without a proper wand. She had a new one, but it wasn't the same, and she had no intention of showing her students how advanced she was at wandless magic. It was a very well guarded secret she intended to keep, as it was something she had developed after bonding.

Nymph had kept her word and gotten her a new wand after Bellatrix had made her promise to go straight home afterwards and tell her mother she was pregnant. She had listen to the girl talk about this mysterious man for half an hour before the girl let slip that he was a werewolf. Bellatrix could understand his hesitation for tying her to him but the deed had already been done. Nymph was going to have to take her own advice and be brave enough to tell him the truth, and soon, before she started showing.

There was nothing she could do about it now, she would have to let Nymph sort out her own mess. She had enough on her plate as it was. In fact one of her problems was going to be walking in with the rest of the sixth years very soon.

She forced all thoughts about her family and problems away and glanced over at the notes Minerva had left for her regarding her sixth year classes. She was grateful to see the witch hadn't managed to skip too far ahead, they were still on creatures. Mimicking creatures now it seemed. They always creeped her out. Wendigoes and skin walkers…..she shivered.

She didn't have a better idea so it would have to do. She let out a huff as the class began to file in. Out of time to think of anything else Bella began writing facts on the board. She ignored Granger's searching looks trying her best to act normal for the girl. The last thing she needed was for Hermione to start asking more questions.

She finished writing just as the last student filed in and took their seat. She looked at Hermione, "Write this down."

"Miss we copied this just yesterday with Professor McGonagall." Bella glared daggers at Colin Creevey's blonde head. He squeaked in fear and sunk low in his seat.

"So you're comfortable giving the lecture I have planned on it Mr. Creevey." He shook his head furiously. "No. Pity looks like I'll have to earn my pay today after all." She looked at Hermione to make sure she was still writing. "Who was paying attention in yesterday's lesson…." She walked slowly between the desks running her fingers over the wood. Many students gulped. "Who can tell me how many confirmed skin walkers there are in the world?" No one said anything, not even Hermione's hand went up.

"Not even you Granger."

Hermione shook her head and put her quill down. "I only know what little the muggles know about them." Bella waved her on to explain. "I think it's mostly American Native Indian stories. Skin walkers would kill humans and skin them then they would wear their skin…or something like that."

Bellatrix cringed. "That is disgusting, close I guess, still disgusting. Copy this down." She made sure everyone had parchment and quills out before she continued. "There are three known skin walkers. Not much is known about this strange creature except it picks its target and it will wait years until it acts. Walkers find witches or wizards with unsurmountable power and they will wait and stalk their prey until that power reaches its peak. When that occurs they lure the witch out by taking the shape of loved ones. No one has ever survived an attack from a walker." She let that sink in and gave them a moment to finish writing.

"One of the walkers we know about is considered the deadliest. Unlike the other two who only stalk from a distance and lure their prey in to them, this one infiltrates. It bides it's time within its prey's inner circle and it's said it stays well after it's done to enjoy the after effects of its kill. It seems a little closer to a serial killer than a magical creature if you ask me." She smiled slightly; McGonagall knew what topics to pick to keep the kids interested that was for sure. Her kids were hanging on her every word, give them a boogey man and they'd listen to her talk about it for hours. Even the dopey Slytherin next to Hermione was paying attention for once.

"Has there been a sighting of a walker lately?"

Bella shook her head, not willing to admit to Hermione that was what she believed attacked them in the forest. She was going to keep up the appearance she was continuing the lecture Minerva had started. "If there has no one has noticed. It's hard to separate an attack from a walker and anything else. Contrary to muggle belief they don't strip the skin from their victims. They suck out its very magic which leaves no trace. It doesn't have to strip skin from anyone it uses the stored magic to alter its physical appearance to something its victim will recognize."

"How do we know all this if they're such difficult creatures to place?" Bella smiled at Hermione grateful she had asked the question, she was really hoping the answer might freak a few of them out.

"Why Ms. Granger walkers can talk. There is a record somewhere of one sitting down to converse with its victim….a sort of diary I suppose. The walker allowed the man to write down his memoirs before it killed him. Later a few eye witness statements of people being in two places at once popped up. The memoirs started to gather validity bodies dead without any evidence of foul play." She stopped at the head of the class and stared at the nervous class. "Muggles and wizards alike knew the truth after that diary was published. Walkers walk amongst us, and they could be anyone. They could be your closest friend and you would never know it…." Everyone looked around at their partners anxiously.

"BOO!" She laughed as a few students, Creevey mostly, jumped a foot in the air. "Don't worry your pretty little selves; I doubt a walker would want students. They want powerful wizards like Dumbledore or even Flammel. Write me a foot and a half on telling different types of mimicking creatures apart and research any accounts of the victims you can find. I expect it on my desk by Monday."

They all groaned as she dismissed them. It was going to be a long weekend.

~H~

Fall was turning into winter. Snow was beginning to fall heavily and traveling the grounds was beginning to get tedious. Which thankfully meant less students out and about and more time Hermione could spend on her own, not even Ginny cared to come searching for her in the knee deep snow. Only McLaggen seemed to be that determined to find the brunette.

Despite his persistence Hermione's mood improved drastically as the months progressed. She was eating better and even enjoying D.A.D.A despite the fact that she and Bellatrix had gone back to their typical arguing. It wasn't until the last day in November when her mood took an abrupt nose dive.

The post had come that morning, and she never got much mail, sometimes she got an occasional birthday card and present from the boy's parents, but regardless Fallow always came to see her. She knew something was wrong when he didn't follow Hedwig in.

She found him in the owlery, a small letter attached to his leg. He must have gone home to visit, Sterling, sometimes she drew pictures and he happily delivered those back to Hermione. If he was reluctant to deliver the small paper he had now it was because he knew it meant they would be returning home for the holidays.

He nipped her finger when she made to take it from him. "Fallow." She scolded him gently. She understood his desire to remain at Hogwarts, really she did. But she couldn't ignore the letter. It could be something else, Sterling could be ill or something else could have happened. He nipped again and hopped back away from her. She sighed.

"Alright I'll make a deal with you. I will return home and you can stay the vacation here. I won't make you come home until summer vacation. How does that sound?" He stared at her, his wide brown eyes seeming to weigh her honesty. Finally he extended his leg so she could take the bit of paper. "Thank you, Fal." She scratched him affectionately and idly handed him a treat. He climbed up onto her shoulder as he ate it and watched as she unrolled the paper. She let out a heavy breath. No one was sick, Peter only wanted to remind her she was to come home for Christmas break and she wouldn't be allowed to go to any of her friends homes this year, he left a few scathing words about her illicit relationship with Cormac and her being attacked in the woods but he was very clear she was not to ask him to go anywhere else. He claimed it was her punishment for causing trouble.

Fallow screeched in an I told you so way and she let him skitter on down her arm back to his perch. "A promise is a promise." She told him dubiously. "But I'm going to miss you." He hooted his agreement.

She left him after a few more moments of scratching and climbed back down the winding stairs of the tower. She wasn't likely to get any sleep that night, letters from Peter always left her feeling unsettled, no matter what news they contained.

She stumbled over an uneven stone and would have toppled down the path had it not been for a quick arm reaching out and grasping her around the waist. She was jerked into a another's body as they struggled to balance the both of them out.

"Bloody hell, Granger, could you pay more attention. I'm not in the habit of saving mudbloods."

She flinched and pulled away from the lanky blonde boy. She couldn't believe he had saved her, granted she wouldn't have died and she didn't exactly think him evil but she never would have expected Draco Malfoy to be a bloody knight in shining armor. Not for her at least.

"T-thank you, Draco." She half expected him to snarl at the use of his given name but instead he waved her off distractedly.

"Don't mention it." He continued his journey up for he owlery but quickly turned back to glare at her, "Really don't mention it. Can't have people thinking I've gone soft on a mudblood." She nodded, she should have been angry he kept calling her that ridiculous slur but it just didn't seem to have the same disgusted tone behind it that he used to use. He turned back and this time didn't turn back around to face her. She couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into him.

~H~

She took her time getting back to the castle. She enjoyed the crisp evening air and the view wasn't anything to scoff at either. It seemed no matter how many times she had looked at it the scenery always kept it's beauty. She loved the lake, it's dark waters spreading far and wide with the dark Forbidden Forest behind it.

"Hello Hermione." She turned back toward the castle, surprised to see Luna and Dean standing only a few feet away from her. "Lovely view isn't it?" She told the brunette dreamily.

"Uh-Yes. Yes it is. What are you two doing out this way?" The owlery was all that they could get to without leaving the path and heading for the forest. She didn't want to spread panic or have students doing stupid brave games by going into the dark woods but she didn't want her friends hurt because she kept quiet about what happened the night of her detention.

"I'm sending a letter to father. He always gets a tad depressed during the holidays, I like to remind him he's not alone." She said if so airily but Hermione could tell she still missed her mother. Sometimes she forgot Luna had witnessed the woman's death. She reached out and touched her hand for just a second, offering a small, gentle smile.

"I'm sure he appreciates it. Losing a loved one is hard. Especially around the holidays." Luna nodded.

"Dean here I believe was looking for you though." The blonde smiled at the nervous boy, internally Hermione groaned. He had turned a few shades darker when they attention was drawn back to him. "I'm just going to send my letter then." They both watched as she made her way easily up the uneven path.

"Luna….I hope she never changes." Dean said suddenly. Hermione turned his attention back toward him and sighed gratefully. She had gotten it so wrong. The poor boy had it bad for Luna and Hermione doubted the girl even knew he was alive, in that regard anyways. She wasn't sure her dear friend would know someone was flirting with her even if they expressly told her.

"Were you really looking for me?" She asked him with a knowing smile. His dark skinned darkened further but he drew up a dazzling smile and extended her his arm.

She chuckled but took it. "I was actually. Ron and Harry are going to floo their parents and asked if I could fetch you for them. His map let them know where to look and well….Luna…was heading this way so I volunteered to come fetch you."

"Oh I see. An excuse for you to walk with Luna."

He didn't seemed to mind her good natured teasing. "Exactly."

"Very well then." She laughed. It was nice to enjoy a bit or normal teenage things. She was happy Dean had a crush on her friend. Luna was a good person, a bit loopy but what was life without a bit of insanity.

"I don't think she even knows I like her." He admitted. "And I have been super obvious."

"She is a bit…. Oblivious." Hermione let go of his arm as they stepped back into the castle so she could tug off her robes. Outside it was freezing but inside it was warm enough she could wear her short sleeve shirt in comfort. In fact most were walking around the castle grounds in short sleeves, it might have been a little too warm inside. "Honestly I'm kind of surprised she hasn't mention some sort of creature that tells her when people have crushes or are in love with one another. That seems like something impossible she could see and believe in."

"Yeah, but she's really talented. And you have to admit she is usually right, I might not be able to see the things she can but when she says they tell her something she's usually right about it." Luna had predicted Ron and Lavender were going to be an unhealthy couple, she can't remember what creatures she said were swarming around their heads that told her so. She definitely hadn't been wrong. Although Hermione had knew that relationship was going to the dogs when Lavender starting calling Ron her Won-Won. She shuddered.

"Bet you were just thinking about Ron and Lavender." He laughed when she rolled her eyes.

"She couldn't have been more right about them. Honestly if those two get married I'm never going to holidays at the burrow. They drive me insane."

Dean agreed, he placed his hand on the small of her back as the stair case shifted, a gentlemanly gesture she barely noticed as they maneuvered on the moving stair case. Harry had done it many times because she was famous for losing her balance in their first year. She had nearly toppled off them more than once. By second year Fred and George had taken drastic measures to keeping her between them whenever their was a mad dash up the stairs to the commons room. She always seemed to get shoved when she had been on her own. It wasn't in any way needed anymore but it seemed the gesture was imbedded in a few of her fellow Gryffindors. Even Ginny did it from time to time.

They were still chuckling about Ron and Lavender and their obnoxious PDA when they arrived at the portrait. Bellatrix Black was standing beside it, wearing very snug jeans and a black tank top, tapping her foot in irritation and glaring at the Fat Lady for all she was worth. Dean stared at her for a minute, almost unsure who it was as he had never seen their professor in anything but wizarding clothes.

"You blasted, ungrateful, tone deaf-"

"Oh! Students. Password!?" Their House Guard looked positively haggard. "For the love of Merlin tell me the password so I can let this ridiculous excuse for a professor in."

Bellatrix turned her dark eyes on them and glared hard at Dean. Her eyes tracing the path of his arm behind Hermione's back. Her eyes narrowed and flickered between the two before her lips settled in a grim line. "My idiot godson's mother wanted to have a word with me. Since he is flooing her I thought I would take advantage of it." And she had wanted to see Hermione but now she wasn't so sure it had been the right decision, she should have just popped in on Lily to see what the blasted witch wanted.

"Chocolate Frog." Hermione turned her curious eyes on Dean. He shrugged, unaware of the professor's jealousy directed at him. "Neville said a first year let it slip to a Slytherin, had to change it after they pulled a prank in the commons room." Bellatrix scoffed and trudged inside before the Fat Lady could change her mind.

A few young Gryffindors took one look at their DADA teacher and scampered off up to their rooms. She grinned wickedly up after them. A few others just glanced nervously at Hermione as if she were the fuse required to make Black blow, they weren't wrong but she couldn't possibly imagine what she could do to make the witch angry in their own common room. At least here Black was the outsider.

"Hey Aunt Bella." Hermione wondered how exactly Harry and Draco both managed to have the same witch as their favorite aunt. They couldn't have been more different if they tried and yet somehow she got along with both of them.

"Your mother said she had something to tell me. That she apparently couldn't put in a bloody letter." The dark witch groused. Harry smiled widely, he obviously knew something.

"Your gonna love it." He promised her. "I thought you might floo her yourself though, I didn't know you were going to be coming tonight."

Bellatrix shrugged and shooed some students away from the area around the fireplace. "I heard you and Ron talking about flooing them and thought it would be easier if I just got it over with."

Ron chuckled. "You make it sound like a horrible chore talking to your mates, Professor."

"Have you met your mother?" Bella deadpanned. "She exhausts me." They all chuckled a bit at the dramatics, her eyes flew back to Dean as he waved them off, intent on heading over to see what a group of third years were doing with some of Fred and George's new merchandise.

"See you later, Hermione, oh….don't say-"

"I won't." She smiled kindly at him and ignored the boys and Bella's inquisitive looks.

"Another crush?" She elbowed Harry rather harshly in the ribs, he groaned but his eyes lit up as Ginny came down the stairs toward them. "Gin I need help, Hermione is out to abuse me."

"Oh really? Want to know where he is ticklish? I find it's the best torture." The red head's grin was nearly as wicked as Bella's.

"Oh I got him to wet himself when he was a kid!" She cackled as Harry blushed bright red.

"Oh Merlin Aunt Bella!"

"You shouldn't have tattled." She laughed brightly at the memory. Hermione couldn't look away. Her long arms encircling her own waist as she bent over and chuckled, tears steaming down her face at the memory.

Harry groaned. "She was sitting in my mom's favorite spot and I told her mom would get mad. Well being the little shit that I was when my mom came out I pointed right to her and mom fussed at her. It wasn't all that funny." He scolded his aunt.

"Oh yes it was. You had the smuggest look on your little face. You had deserved to be tickled."

"Let's just floo mum already." He muttered glumly. A chuckling Ron handed him the powder and he flung it into the fireplace irritably. He stuck his head into the violent green flames and uttered his address very clearly. A few seconds later he shouted for his mum and pulled away from the fireplace. The green flames died down and an image of Lily Potter replaced them.

"Oh, Bellatrix. I didn't know you would be here."

"You made it seem urgent in your letter."

The younger witch scoffed as she stared curiously at her friend. "Not that urgent...Ron, Gin your mom was supposed to be here to talk to you two but she got held up, an accident at Fred and Georges joke shop."

"Are they alright?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"Yes, George just blew off his ear and it seems it may be a permanent feature. She said they were making holey jokes left and right and driving her insane. He's at St. Mungo's."

"As long as they are alright. We will see her for Christmas holidays in just a few days anyways." Ron said, shaking his head and muttering about his two older brothers and their jokes. He loved them really, but permanently blowing off an ear and still making jokes about it….that was just like them.

"Oh, Bella, let me get little Olie, for your surprise." She disappeared and came back a few moments later, a sleepy baby boy with dark messy hair appeared in the image beside her. "Your going to love this, it's his first word."

Bella sighed. "That's what all the fuss-"

"Bewa!" The dark witch stopped her complaining and practically shoved her godson aside as she scrambled to get closer to the fire. Hermione thought her excitement was down right adorable. It was the loving and gentle side she didn't get to see very often.

"Say that again, little man." The baby chuckled delightfully and repeated her name over and over. "Oh he is a smart one. Aren't you!? I knew you were my favorite. Your very first word is my name. Ha!"

"Yes. He practically refused to say anything else. We were worried about his development and then we start talking about you coming for Christmas and all of a sudden it's Bella this. Bella that. He is even calling his stuffed Lion Bella."

Bellatrix hummed. "Need to get him a snake, I can't have him naming a lion after me, I'm a proud Slytherin."

Ron laughed. "Your in the Gryffindor common room though, gotta be some bad luck for a proud Slytherin."

Bellatrix shot him a glare. "Can still give you detention." He gulped.

"Oh I've got to get him back down for bed. I just couldn't wait to show you. Harry your father wanted me to pass on that he will be picking you up from the platform. He said he found something you were looking for…" Harry nodded, a wide grin on his face.

"Excellent."

"What-"

"Not telling. It's a surprise." He told Ginny affectionately, sharing a look over her head with a grinning Ron.

"Oh and Hermione dear, Molly and I are throwing a Christmas bash we were wanting you to come if you wanted. We would pick you up in a car so not to scare your poor stepfather again."

She bit her lip, having the two mothering witches pop into the kitchen and frighten her stepfather into falling on his ass had been the funniest thing she had ever seen but she still held the scars from where he took offense to her laughing.

"I will have to let you know. He said he may have something special planned." Like keeping her away from anyone who actually cared about her.

"Just owl us when you know. We have presents for your little sister too. The picture she sent little Olie is adorable." Hermione smiled, Sterling had worked extra hard on it when she hear Hermione's friend was getting a baby brother. She wanted the little boy to know how awesome siblings were.

The baby in question started fussing. "Oh….I need to go. I love you, Harry. And the rest of you too," She laughed brightly and disappeared a few seconds later.

Hermione loved her friends parents, she really did, but sometimes after talking with them she felt so depressed. She missed her loving father and the kind loving woman her mother had been before she lost herself to the bottle and ultimately died because of it.

"I can't believe Oliver's first words was Bella." Harry shook his head at Bella's scowl.

"He's a smart boy!" She pointed accusingly at the two boys who had been friends since diapers. "Both of yours was Wobby!"

"Hey we love Dobby, he played with us and got us treats when you guys weren't paying attention." Ron told her brightly. They had been told the story of their first word multiple times, they had both said it together at a dinner when little Dobby had popped in to bring out a special treat, in honor of Bellatrix getting her teaching position.

"It should have been Bella too, I am supposed to be everyone favorite." The dark witch groused. "I'm the fun one. I let you get away with everything."

Hermione barely managed to cover her indignant scoff with a cough. Black's eyes narrowed on her playfully. "I am the fun one." She repeated. Hermione shook her head and held her hands up in surrender.

"What was Draco's first word?" She hadn't really meant to ask the question aloud. Dark eyes lost the playfully edge and hardened slightly. She didn't think the woman was going to answer.

"Ohchit." Oh shit. They broke out in laughter.

"I bet you taught him that." Ginny told their teacher mirthfully. Bellatrix looked guilty.

"I might have said it a lot when he was born, I thought I would drop him."

"You mean you didn't?" Ron was practically rolling on the floor, they were drawing a few are you crazy glances from their fellow Gryffindors. It was often students laughed with Bellatrix. And she didn't usually come see her God son in his common room, so no one really ever got to see what she was like outside of school but them. Even Hermione knew she had a softer side, even though she never turned it on her. "That would explain so much." Bella shoved Ron over but he kept laughing.

"Alright you lot. Have your fun. Don't forget to do the homework I gave you," She told the boys, effectively ending their merriment. "And you," she pointed at Hermione, "don't help them. If they haven't started it's their own fault, they have had all month." They both shot her pleading eyes but she held her hands up in surrender. "Goodnight you lot." She brushed up against Hermione as she left making the girl shiver as their skin touched. Even such a small bit felt so ridiculously smooth. She couldn't help but wonder if the rest of her was as soft.