It had taken three days. One day for all the money to go through, considering she paid full price with muggle cash for the land she was surprised it hadn't taken longer, another day for Weiss to finalize the contract with both ministries, and one full day and night of building, amazing what a team of talented magicians could do.

It was ten on the fourth day and everything except the furnishings and the enchantments were finished. It was beautiful. Everything had been meticulously chosen, from the marble flooring to the wallpaper. She had even done a few details on the woodwork herself and though some more needed to be done on that front, the home was essentially ready for moving in.

She ran a slender hand over the beautiful cabinets Billy had built for her kitchen. He had been working on them from the moment she said she wanted to build a home, before she even found a suitable spot or spoke to Weiss about it. It had been well worth the wait. They were astonishing and so intricately designed she couldn't help but covet his skill.

She moved around from the kitchen back into the grand marbled hall. She hadn't wanted the home to feel like a pureblood mansion, even though it very nearly had the size of one, but she hadn't been able to deny herself the pleasure of the marble floor. She loved the way her shoes clicked on it when she walked and the cold feeling of it on her bare feet. Something that had never been possible in her own home because it wasn't proper to run around without shoes. She had half a mind to remove her boots now just to feel it on her toes.

She didn't. She continued on, up the spiraling stairs and into the landing. Everything was how she wanted it. How she imagined it. She could almost see Sterling playing upstairs in the small open area beside the stair case. She had already decided that upstairs would be the magical spaces. Muggles wouldn't take notice of it's space and only see a small loft and an office area. For now the bedrooms too would be up there but when Sterling started bringing friends home she would have her own, protected, space downstairs for sleep overs and parties.

She smiled as she looked around, the walls were a stark white but they didn't feel cold, not like the hospital had. Red, green, gold and silver accents were everywhere. From the drapes to small implements in the built in shelves to the grains on the wooden floor.

It was empty. But it already felt like home. Like a home for them.

And it would be a home. Not a manor to be lived in, filled with cold expectations and strict rules of a dated upbringing. Of prejudices that limited learning, love and compassion.

No. She built this with her very hands, helped with nearly every detail, anything she could she did herself. She put every positive feeling she had ever had in it's construction. Every hope she had for the future was embedded in the very walls.

This would be the place she helped Hermione raise Sterling. The place where Sterling would always call home, bring friends to, maybe fall in love one day….

This would be the place Hermione would feel safe…perhaps even the place she would come to find love.

It had to be perfect. She wouldn't let it be anything less.

~G~

Ginny rolled her eyes for probably the fourth time in the span of a hour as her mother prattled on about the decorations and how everything had to be just so. It wasn't their first rodeo. They knew how she got this time every year. The one day of the year when their loving but stern mother turned into a downright Christmas fanatic. She screeched and cursed and rearranged and reorganized everything. And they all knew it didn't really matter where they hung up the decorations because there was a ninety percent chance the crazed woman would come right behind them and change it all up again.

Still it was part of the family tradition and they all helped out. This year it involved Sterling, and even a mending Hermione, although the girl was forbidden from lifting anything heavy and Molly pressed her into a seat any time she so much as thought the girl looked pale.

Ginny was having a swell time teasing her about the special treatment. Hermione only glared back at her and huffed in annoyance as Mrs. Weasley once again pushed her into a wingback chair after witnessing her wince when she reached up to place an ornament on their tree.

"Rest up, dear. Ginevra can handle the rest, can't you?" She glared at her daughter as if daring her to disagree but Ginny simply offered a small smile and nodded her friend's way. Hermione thought for a second Molly was going to argue just for the sake of arguing, despite the fact her daughter was agreeing with her, but then a commotion from outside drug her attention away from the two girls.

Ginny let out a relieved breath when her mother could be heard scolding Fred, George and Ron from outside the kitchen window.

"Thought she would never leave." Ginny chuckled as she took a seat next to Hermione on the chair of the arm. "I love my mother but she is a right menace on the holidays."

Hermione smiled softly but Ginny noticed it didn't even come close to reaching her eyes. "I did notice you were up at the crack of dawn. An interesting feat for you."

Ginny scowled. "We learned to wake up so early because having mom wake you up on this particular day is not pleasant. Fred and George have nothing on mother." She shivered at a memory and shifted her attention back to her quiet friend. She took her in for a moment in silence, really took her in.

When she had first met Hermione in her second year the girl had been happy, loved to learn and even though she would never admit it she loved to go on her adventures with the boys, break the rules and scold them later for not doing their homework.

It had been a long time since she had seen that Hermione. And now that she was truly paying attention, now that she had the mysterious 'accident' rumbling around in her head, she realized something had gone wrong for Hermione a long time ago and they had all been too wrapped up in their own lives to really notice. Hermione was good at hiding. Too good.

"I-" She shifted herself on the chair arm and searched her mind for what she wanted to say. Her gaze lingered on the empty fireplace as she tried to form her chaotic thoughts into some form of apology and support.

Hermione reached up and surprised her by resting a hand on her shoulder. "I know Gin. You and the boys don't have to say anything. You don't need to know anything. I always knew if I needed you there was nothing that could have stopped you from coming to help me, wands raised and cursed ready." She offered Ginny a weak smile.

"Then why didn't you tell us you needed our help?" It came out more broken than she had intended but thankfully without the judgment and anger that sometimes rolled around in her head when she wondered what her friend had been going through alone. When she tried to figure out why she hadn't trusted them enough to let them know.

"I asked for help. From Dumbledore and the Ministry." Ginny reached up and placed a warm hand over Hermione's cold one. Her eyes wide with surprise. "There was nothing anyone could do."

Ginny wanted to argue. Wanted to rant and rave and ask a million questions about what had happened. Why Hermione was raising Sterling instead of her own father, why he wasn't considered capable? Perhaps in her quiet moment of weakness Hermione might have even answered her. As it was she was once again saved by Bellatrix Black.

The fireplace lit up with green flames and not seconds later dark eyes were boring into where the girl's hands still rested together on Ginny's shoulder. A very irritated Bellatrix cleared her throat and reached out to take Hermione's arm, pulling her unceremoniously from the comfort of the chair and toward the back door. Ginny only watched in stunned silence as she ignore everyone of Hermione's protests and then no sooner having cleared the back door apparated the two of them away.

~B~

"What the hell!" Bellatrix turned down and glared at the hellion glaring up at her. She didn't offer any apologies for what she had just done, although before she had rested eyes on the two girls holding hands she had intended to ask Hermione to accompany her instead of demanding it. "You could have splinched us!"

"We have an appointment." She ground the words out through gritted teeth, aware if she said more she would no doubt trigger an argument between the two. "And I'm not so inept at apparating." Except for the times she hadn't been able to because her emotions were so chaotic. She grimaced as she realized there had been a real chance she could have injured them with her anger.

"For what?" The young brunet ignored the last quip. She too seemed to want to avoid an argument.

"For Sterling."

Hermione huffed as she trailed behind the woman, Bellatrix hadn't even noticed she was still pulling the girl along by her arm, although her grip had unconsciously eased it's bruising strength for a more gentle pull. "Then shouldn't she be joining us?"

That stopped her for a moment, left her floundering for a response. The thing was Sterling was supposed to be there. The doctor had wanted to check her ears and ask her a few questions. But Bellatrix hadn't thought beyond getting her wife away from the red haired minx long enough to actually stop and think.

Now she felt foolish, which didn't help her temper in the least. Especially not when she remembered Ginny was very happily attached to her godson…..the godson who intended to propose to her at the end of the school year is his father could be believed.

"Well she's not." She sighed heavily and rubbed the bridge of her nose with the hand not clamped to Hermione's arm. "Lets just go. It's just around the corner." She turned and tugged Hermione but the girl jerked out of her grasp.

"You can't just drag me around, Professor." The word stung like a slap in the face. She wanted to say something, her first thought to snap but instead she shook her head and continued down the dark alley she knew housed the magical clinic for children.

Hermione followed her quietly and when Bellatrix glanced back to make sure she was still there the girl was absently rubbing her arm where Bella's fingers had been. She wondered if she had bruised her and the thought had her stomach rolling in protest.

She wanted to apologize. To explain that she hadn't meant to drag her around like some kind of child. But she could never utter those words. Not ever again. Still, Hermione didn't deserve to deal with her jealousy nor did she deserve Bellatrix jerking her around like her stepfather had.

"I didn't mean to-" Hermione nodded stiffly as she followed Bellatrix in through the clinic door. It was as close as Bellatrix could get to saying I'm sorry and even that small admission had her so nauseated she could barely function. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the small of Hermione's back. "We have to sign in."

The student watched as Bellatrix scratched their names on the lined paper, blushed slightly when she noticed her surname had been changed to Black.

"It's legal now. The papers were turned in to both ministries. You're my wife in both worlds now, Hermione." She let her dark eyes drift over the girls face. She hadn't expected Hermione to shout for joy and kiss her or anything but the lack of response worried her. It was as if her words meant absolutely nothing to the girl. And if she was being honest with herself she hadn't exactly given her a reason to believe they meant anything to her. She had been so wrapped up in providing a home she had gotten lost as to the reason she needed one.

They would need to talk. She could only imagine how out of sorts the young woman felt. School started just after New year and they had yet to really resolve anything. Hermione didn't even know yet that she had a home, one outside the Burrow. One that belonged to her. They hadn't talked about what to do with Sterling when they both returned to Hogwarts either.

Bella sighed and moved them toward the chairs placed about the waiting room. She kept them away from the other small families and tucked them into the most secluded corner she could. She was already garnishing too much attention by the few who thought they might recognize her. She didn't need anyone spreading rumors when Hermione wasn't ready for their marriage to be out yet. She definitely didn't want anyone eaves dropping on their conversations.

"What kind of appointment is this?" Hermione finally asked, curious because she had never heard of magical doctors outside of St. Mungo's.

"A specialist, for eyes and ears."

Hermione frowned and her eyes burned into Bellatrix's. "Ears?"

Bellatrix felt the edge of her voice more than heard it. She hadn't anticipated what to do if Hermione was against this. She had thought it was a brilliant idea she hated that she was already second guessing herself.

"It's possible, through magic, for Sterling to hear." She tried to keep it as simple as she could. Keep any kind of bias out of her voice.

"Hear…" For a moment she thought she might get away without another argument. Of course when had she ever been right about anything that dealt with Hermione. "What's wrong with the way she is now?" Hermione demanded softly, her eyes bore into the older woman, just daring her to say anything she didn't care for.

Bellatrix only sighed, tired of fighting, and shook her head. "Nothing. And if it isn't possible or neither of you want to try it I will pay for the best schools possible. I will ensure she has the fullest life despite not being able to hear." Bellatrix wanted so bad to turn away from that intense stair. To hide behind anger and self righteousness and tell her wife that this was the best for their daughter because she said it was. But that wasn't the case and that wasn't how she wanted their relationship to work, no matter how strongly she felt about giving Sterling everything she possibly could.

"She was born deaf. What if this isn't something magic can fix?"

"Then that's it. And it's fine." Bellatrix stressed the word. Trying to convey that she would love Sterling regardless. Willing Hermione to believe her, to not get up and leave without at least considering it.

"Don't get her hopes up, Bellatrix." Hermione turned her gaze down toward the ugly carpet, unable to keep the sadness from her voice.

"I won't. We don't have to tell her anything about why she is coming to this doctor. But if it is a choice, can we at least ask her?"

Hermione blew out a harsh breath and laughed coldly. "She's three, do you really think she knows what all this will entail."

Bellatrix paused, forced her immediate response down and thought about it for a moment. She could see Hermione's point of view. Could see the positive and the negative for Sterling if it was possible and she tried to form her response on what would be best for Sterling and not herself.

"No I don't. But we do. And for better or worse Hermione we are her parents now. Hopefully we always will be." The Gryffindor shifted in her seat at the reminder that she now shared the responsibility of her sister. It had been all she wanted, to keep Sterling. And with Molly running her house and practically parenting Sterling lately she had begun to worry that she had lost that right. Bellatrix was firmly telling her she hadn't. Was calling on her to make a decision as a mother, with her.

"Okay, but I want to hear everything about it first, and I want to know if it's possible before we try it. We don't speak to her about it until we know everything we could possibly need to know and how it could affect her."

Bellatrix let out a relieved breath and smiled, Hermione's breath caught at the sight. "Thank you. I know you think this is because I don't want to have a deaf child but-" Hermione raised a hand and cut her off.

"No I- I know. I'm sorry I implied it. If you really had a problem with it I doubt you would be willing to learn sign language for her."

She nodded, unable to meet Hermione's eyes. The truth was she was worried about Sterling's inability to hear but it wasn't because she thought it made her less that the beautiful child she was. She was just afraid she wouldn't be able to properly communicate, to understand and connect. She was something new in Sterling's world do of course the child loved her now but Bella wanted her to love her even in her teen years and beyond. She wanted to do the best she could and provide the best she could and the only way she really knew how to do that was to show affection through buying things.

"Bella-"

"Mrs. Black?" The nurse poked her head through the door and smiled blankly in the direction of the waiting room. Bellatrix waited a second for Hermione to finish her sentence but the girl simply sighed and climbed to her feet, leaving Bella no other course but to follow.

~H~

Hermione walked down the narrow corridor after the woman with Bella close behind. She brought them to a small, but brightly lit room, where they were told to sit and wait and a doctor would be with them shortly. Hermione would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, she was afraid what it would mean for Sterling. Afraid the other two in her small family would get their hearts set on this only to have it blow up in their faces. She didn't want that kind of heartbreak for them. The kind that stemmed from dashed hopes.

She glanced up as Bellatrix placed and arm on her shoulder. Met those dark eyes head on and swallowed thickly at the uncertainty she saw there.

"Is this okay? I….think now maybe I should have talked with you before I made the appointment."

She hated that the woman was second guessing herself now, that is was her fault. She had nothing to worry about, Hermione really had no reason to truly be angry. Not when Bellatrix had done this out of love for Sterling. Nothing she ever did out of love for Sterling should be a bad thing. Although she had to agree that it would have been better if they had both talked about it before but Bellatrix had told her in the beginning she didn't know anything about parenting. And honestly she was going to have to learn how to share the responsibility herself.

"I…I don't think we are very strong on communication." She admitted softly.

"No." The agreement was simple…and quick.

"And we can't expect to always agree….we don't exactly get along." Bella's jaw flexed as she clenched her teeth at the truth in the statement. "I would have liked to have known about this before hand. But I understand. Just in the future maybe we should both agree to discuss things involving Sterling before we do them."

Bellatrix nodded, running a hand over her face as if she could scrub the stress away.

"We should try and get along too." Bellatrix added, her hand falling from her face and into her lap, "for Sterling's sake at least."

A knock at the door forced them to break eye contact with the other. Forced their personal conversation back to the back burner as they listened to the doctor explain the ins and outs of the magic procedure.

It was rather simple, similar to a muggle cochlear implant but without surgery or any external contraptions doing the work. In essence it would regrow, or repair, whatever Sterling had that was damaged or missing. Whatever reason she couldn't hear would be fixed. The younger…the better. The only problem Hermione had was the minimum one month down time and the fact that it was likely going to require extensive effort on their part to help her understand the sounds she would be hearing for the very first time.

Hermione was adamant she not even be told about it until summer. Until they could both devote time to her recovery. Bellatrix was worried about the younger the better news and was trying to convince her young wife that Molly and her own personal house elf would be just as capable as them at helping the child through whatever she needed after the procedure. Hermione wasn't budging. It was a hard no, at least until end of year.

In the end they walked out of the office the same way they had entered it…..arguing.

Bellatrix ran her hands through her unruly curls, looking for all the world as if she wanted to pull her own hair out by it's roots. She looked so frustrated Hermione wasn't sure she wouldn't.

"I need to stop by Cissy's, she has a few of my things I need to clear for Rippley to fetch. It's not far from here." Hermione sighed, knowing that ended their debate on future appointments but whether it was in her favor or not she wouldn't know right now.

She decided this once she would follow Bella's lead and let the subject drop. She wasn't willing to let the uncomfortable silence continue though and decided it was the best time to ask about

"Rippley?"

"My house elf. My….parent's old house elf anyways. Technically he's employed by me if you must know. Father set him free when I decided to teach at Hogwarts."

"Nice of him."

Bellatrix scoffed as she moved them away from the rapidly crowding street. "No it wasn't. Broke his little heart, it was father's punishment for Rippley's part in raising me to not hate muggleborns."

Hermione's steps faltered and her eyes landed on the back of a curly head in shock. "You were raised by a house elf?" A derisive snort was her answer. "Seriously?"

"For the most part, yes." Bellatrix's tone was exasperated but Hermione couldn't stop asking questions. It was the most she had ever heard the woman speak about her past. And whatever mood had Bella being so forthcoming she was going to take advantage of it while it lasted. Before they fell into another argument anyways.

"And you took him in after?"

"Yes I did. I won't pretend I wasn't still a bigot before I was bonded to you but I do like to think I was at least decent about being fair to my students. That was in no small part thanks to Rippley. My parents taught me pureblood was supreme but he taught me all living things deserved life and respect. That included muggleborns." Their eyes met once again as Bellatrix pulled her to a stop in front of an old iron grate. The witch flipped the birdfeeder next to the side walk upside down for a moment and they both stared at each other in silence as a beautiful Victorian mansion stretched into view.

"I'm surprised your father didn't just kill him." She hadn't truly meant to say the words. And judging by Bella's flinch the witch didn't really want to talk about her father.

"Freedom is a worse fate for a house elf, Hermione." Came the quiet reply. "Dobby," She stopped her, already following her trail of thought, " is an exception. He wants to be free, to be paid. Rippley only ever wanted to be useful…accepted. Being freed was the opposite of his dreams and the cruelest thing my father could do to him."

"Your father-"

"No." Bellatrix forced the word out on a harsh breath. "No, I'm finished talking about my family, pet. Come, we shouldn't make Narcissa wait."

Hermione frowned as she watched the witch float by her, head high and back straight. A telling sign that she was close to breaking down, too close to her own horrible memories. But Hermione didn't know her well enough to see it and instead felt the bitter disappointment that they were once again arguing and Bellatrix was once again a closed book to her.

It had really been a trying day and it was only going on noon now.

She brushed her hair out of her face took one last longing look out toward the muggle streets and wished vaguely that she'd had her wand on her when Bellatrix had taken her from the Burrow. At least then she could leave her wife to her own devices and apparate back to the Burrow.

"Granger hurry it up." Hermione sighed heavily before she moved to follow the woman into the house.

Her first sight of the inside took her breath away. She had never seen anything so…ostentatiously rich. Everything looked like it cost more than she could make it her lifetime. The marble floors, the high decorated ceiling, especially the vases and various other accents placed around the room. She was terrified to touch anything, even the floor, lest she ruin it.

Bellatrix had no such qualms. She tossed her cloak on an elegant statue of a snake, likely an homage to their Slytherin upbringing, and started yelling out for her sister to 'get her arse down here'.

"Must you be so crass, Bella?"

Hermione spun around at the soft sound of the melodic Malfoy. She had only ever seen the woman in passing, at Diagon Alley, she had never heard her speak before and her voice was both soothing and frightening. Especially paired with the disgusted look she threw Hermione's way.

"I need to get my things marked for Rip." Narcissa waved her hands for Bellatrix to follow her towards the stairs but Bellatrix hesitated, her eyes drifting back towards an awkward Hermione who had retreated slowly towards the door. "She has a wonderful library if your interested."

Oh she was. But if looks could kill the look Narcissa was leveling over her sister's shoulder would have incinerated her. It was painfully clear the blonde wanted her as far away from her home and persons as possible.

"Uh…no thank you. I-" She didn't really have a plausible excuse as to why she was turning down a library, something Bellatrix knew she would practically die to see.

The dark witch turned around and leveled her own glare at her younger sibling, her words turned harsh and cold. "She will be delighted to show you her library won't you, sister?"

Narcissa nodded her head demurely but Hermione wasn't fooled, she would probably pay for whatever slight the blonde believed Bellatrix had given her. She was a big girl though, she could handle petty insults, she had handled Draco's for years after all. She doubted his mother was any more inventive.

"I will take her while you go through your things. Be quick for Merlin's sake. I have company in half an hour." Hermione caught the innuendo even as Bellatrix seemingly ignored it. Narcissa didn't want a filthy mudblood in her home when her company came to call.

It seemed not all Black's had given up their prejudices.

She watched as Bellatrix made her way up the grand stair case and turned to dutifully follow Narcissa as she made her way across the hall.

The home was far larger than it looked on the outside. And it was very clear the Malfoy's spared no expense. She tried her best not to even breath on the expensive looking decorations that littered the hall and let out a haggard breath of relief when the blonde stopped at a set of beautiful ornate double doors. She pushed them open and stepped aside for Hermione to enter.

It took her breath away. There were so many books, and all looked pristine. The fireplace with surrounding wingback chairs looked absolutely divine and she would have given anything to curl up in them with a book and a roaring fire.

She moved past Malfoy, intent on at least looking at the spines since she knew she wouldn't have been welcome touching anything, much less relaxing in the chairs.

She didn't get far before a stinging hex landed on her shoulder. She yelped and spun around, her hand automatically reaching for her wand only to have her paling when she remembered she hadn't had time to grab it. Narcissa smiled wickedly and advanced, backed the girl up into an elegant bookshelf and pressed her hands against the stacks, pinning her in. Her breath, soft peppermint, blew hot on her cheek as she turned her head up to glance at the wand held tight against the books and the blonde's palm.

"You cannot begin to imagine how much I loath you, mudblood." Hermione flinched but said nothing. She had learned the hard way not to antagonize someone when they already held you at a disadvantage. "I could not believe it when Bella told me she married you and adopted that…that damn muggle child."

"That's your niece your talking about now, Malfoy."

Narcissa glared at her and let her wand dip down in her hand to send a sharp stinging hex toward her ribs. Hermione cried out as it struck her still sore body but she couldn't grasp it as close as Narcissa was to her she couldn't move.

"Bellatrix has only done all this to save her own hide. You are nothing to her but a leech." Hermione blanched. "She hated you, she has hated you all these years and you can't tell me her opinion has changed so suddenly just because you were tired of being your father's whore."

Hermione tried to shove her away and only got another hex for it, her hands rested against the woman's abdomen as her words pierced her heart.

"Do you know how often my sister came to me, got drunk and fantasized about killing you. Like they would have in the old days." Narcissa smiled tightly. "Oh she wouldn't do it now, no. But don't think for a single second she honestly wants anything to do with you. Your nothing but a money hungry whore and a burden she feels responsible for. She couldn't get you well and away fast enough, away from her. There is a reason she has left you rotting away with the Weasley's rather than bring you back to the manor you know."

The snippets of conversation she had heard between Bellatrix and Kohtalo flew back to the front of her mind. Bella had said she didn't want Hermione at the mansion, at the Black mansion, and she had never given her a reason why she had left them with Molly instead of taking them back with her. They were married shouldn't she have been with Bella the whole time.

Narcissa laughed coldly. "No mudbloods on sacred ground, love. I can guarantee Bella wouldn't even take you to her home if you begged. You mean nothing to her and as soon as I figure out how to get rid of the bond for her she won't be troubled with your existence any longer." The blonde shoved off the stacks in one smooth motion and left Hermione trembling against the shelves. Her feet echoed loudly as she crossed the room and the door closed so softly it was more nerve wracking than if she had just slammed it shut.

Bellatrix came down a few minutes later, her shoulders were stiff and there was an annoyed glint in her eyes as she jerked her head back towards the doors. "Come on, time to go." She didn't glance back at Hermione as she spun on her heels and headed for the entrance, not even to make sure the muggleborn was following her.

She wondered what the blonde had told Bella Hermione had said. She couldn't think of another reason for Bella's ire. But as she trailed out behind her she couldn't think of any kind of defense that wouldn't cause some sort of argument. She wasn't sure Narcissa hadn't been telling some of the truth and she wasn't sure Bellatrix would take her word over her sister's either.

"I'm ready to go back to the Burrow, Professor." Bellatrix cursed quietly and turned around at the gate to stare at her. Hermione tried not to let her worry show, tried not to give the woman any reason to ask any questions. Whether she was successful or not she would never know. After all Bellatrix knew as much about her as she knew about Bellatrix.

"Its not even been a full hour." The dark witch muttered to her confusion.

"We've been gone quiet a while. It's well after lunch." Hermione protested a little baffled that the woman's anger seems to have melted away when only moments before she looked ready to hex something herself.

"I can feed you if you're hungry."

Hermione shook her head a little too harshly, remembering Narcissa words. How she was nothing but a leech, after Bellatrix's money. She knew it was so far from the truth but she didn't want Bellatrix to ever believe that of her.

"I'm sure Molly has something by now." Bellatrix hummed, almost sounded disappointed. "Please. I- I'm tired and sore and just want to go rest."

Dark eyes scanned her face, and for a moment Hermione thought Bellatrix might continue to argue, but with a heavy sigh she offered her arm out for Hermione to take and they left the mansion gate behind with an audible crack.