A/N: So, I've been sitting on this chapter for at least a week now, trying to figure out if I want to post it or have an intermediary chapter. At long last, I have decided to just post it because that means having to write a chapter between this one and the last chapter, which would mean you all, my dear readers, would be subjected to even more torturous waiting. I've put a lot of thought into how I wanted this chapter to play out in terms of the key events in it. I was debating between a few different ways to do this, but I chose this way because I feel like it best fits into how things are gonna go down later.

Like I've said, I need key lines to be crossed to push both Hermione and Bellatrix to where they need to be for this story. This marks a crucial turning point for Hermione further into the darkness, so if you aren't down with that, you've been warned. That being said, feel free to PM me with any questions or let me know what you think. My goal is to provide the best story I can for all of you, my dear readers. I'll have the next chapter out as soon as I can.

As always, know that you are greatly appreciated for your continued support of this story, even when I disappear for long periods of time.

Remembering you fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white
So delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering you how you used to be
Slow drowned
You were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes
But I never see anything

-The Cure

Pictures of You

Hermione stood at the edge of Black Lake, the cold water lapping against her bare toes. Bellatrix was perched on a nearby tree, keeping an eye on the young witch. She had tried to maintain some distance but found it difficult to want to. For right now though, it was easier to keep an eye out for anything, it was just a bonus that she also got some space from the girl. It was vexing, but not in the way Bellatrix was used to. She was used to growing bored, or impatient, or annoyed, but she wasn't any of those things. Hermione made her...happy, and that's what vexed her. Happiness was something she hadn't felt in a long time. It didn't feel wrong, just unusual and Bellatrix wanted to sort herself out.

A cool breeze tickled the back of Hermione's neck. The weather was getting progressively colder and soon it would be winter. Hermione wiggled her toes, the action making tiny ripples across the water. She took a few steps forward, the rolled-up hems of her pants brushing the surface of the water. She could feel the pull of the water, trying to drag her deeper by her knees. Hermione held her ground. She had done this frequently when she was a student, hoping to catch a glimpse of the fabled squid. It took the better part of four years, but she had finally seen it after the Triwizard challenge. The water did not call to her as it seemed to do to others, so she had never been tempted to go further than her knees. She waited patiently, anticipating the strong tentacle of the squid who had taken a liking to her.

Hermione saw something break the surface of the water and knew it was only a matter of time before her friend revealed herself. A cool tentacle slid past her ankles, a gentle greeting of an old friend. Hermione smiled, happy that her time away hadn't changed anything. A moment later, the head of the squid breached the surface, coming as close to Hermione as she was able. A smile crossed her face as the tentacle wrapped firmly around her waist and hoisted her into the air.

"Hello, Lucy," Hermione laughed when she was directly in front of the squid's eye, "I missed you."

Lucy let out a noise between a chirp and a gurgle that Hermione interpreted as the return of her sentiment. The squid splashed in the water playfully with her remaining tentacles, chirp-gurgling the entire time.

"We can play for a little bit. I have a class soon."

Lucy chirp-gurgled again, loosening her grip on Hermione a fraction.

"What? No, she can't play. She can't be caught here, Lucy."

A noise of sadness exited the friendly squid.

"I know, she misses you too. I had a hard time getting her to see reason. Maybe over the holiday nights when there are fewer people."

Lucy chirp-gurgled in acquiescence, splashing more playfully. Hermione laughed, nodding her head excitedly. Lucy gave Hermione a gentle toss upwards, deftly catching her just before she hit the water. For whatever reason, Hermione had always enjoyed being juggled by Lucy. It was much better than the time she took a ride on the Whomping Willow. Lucy was gentle and had never hurt or dropped Hermione before. It was thrilling to be in the air and she had a brief wondering if this is what it felt like when Bellatrix flew. The wind rushed past her as she rose and fell in the air, seamlessly caught by Lucy each time.

Bellatrix watched Hermione out of the corner of her eye, her focus on the forest and the grounds. She could feel Hermione's energy on her periphery, steadily climbing the more she played with Lucy. From her perch, Bellatrix spotted a group of students growing slowly closer and ruffled her feathers irately. With a huff, she left her perch, arcing toward Hermione. She felt the buzz of magic, not particularly strong but headed toward Hermione and on instinct, she put herself in its path to protect her.

Hermione turned her head, sensing a change in the air that faintly resembled magic. Between being caught and tossed, it was difficult to pinpoint where it was coming from until she saw Bellatrix falling. Startled, Lucy rapidly retreated into the water, leaving Hermione to plummet before hitting the water with a splash. It disoriented her and she shook her head, feeling the invisible hands of the Black Lake trying to pull her deeper. She ignored them, swimming in the direction she thought Bellatrix was in. Hermione knew Lucy was fine, just startled by the collision of the spell. She was a gentle creature, easily spooked and Hermione forgave the squid for hiding.

With each passing second, Bellatrix struggled to come to her senses, knowing she was running out of time. Each moment that passed, she became more afraid that she would drown. Wings weren't useful for swimming and she didn't have the mental fortitude to shift, never mind how compromising that would be. No, it would be best if she drowned, Hermione would still be safe if a bit traumatized. Bellatrix had never really cared about her own life, but she still struggled to understand why she was so willing to give it up for the young witch she had taken a genuine liking to. She offered no resistance to the strong hands of the Black Lake, sinking further down. Bellatrix wasn't afraid. There were worse things than drowning, many of which she had already endured. It didn't matter that she had just begun to look forward to life again. Nothing really mattered except Hermione, that's why she had protected her without a thought. Truthfully, she didn't even know what she had done until she hit the dark, cold water, but she wouldn't resist this time. Even as her lungs began to burn and her vision grew dim, Bellatrix accepted her fate.

Hermione was frantically searching for Bellatrix, ignoring the burning in her lungs. She had to find Bellatrix, had to know why she hadn't just warned her so she could cast a protection charm. Hermione needed to know. Her clothes were heavy with the weight of the water but she resisted its added pull. Finding Bellatrix was more important than anything else at that moment, not because Hermione belonged to Bellatrix-she did-but because she cared for the dark witch. Hermione cared more than she wanted to admit to herself, but it was true. Bellatrix brought her life when she had wanted death, had made her stronger than she was before. For Hermione, there was no life without Bellatrix. She would rather drown with Bellatrix than ever have to live without her, but she wasn't ready to give up. For the first time in her life, Hermione fought for her own life, fought against everything to save the life of the witch she loved more than anyone she ever had before.

With that realization, Hermione swam with renewed strength, the tightness in her chest suddenly vanishing. Swimming with one hand, she felt around with her other for her wand, feeling a wave of electric energy move through her as her fingertips brushed it. With more strength than she ever had before, Hermione summoned Bellatrix to her, wrapping an arm protectively around the raven. She pointed her wand downward, silently casting a spell to propel her through the water. As Hermione broke the surface, she couldn't help but gasp for air, sending herself into a subsequent coughing fit. Hermione struggled toward the shore, fighting the downward drag of her clothes and the lake. Mercifully, she had yet to encounter any of the nefarious inhabitants of the lake and she prayed she wouldn't. Her energy was quickly being drained, and she was tempted to just let go and let the lake take her and Bellatrix.

Minerva dispelled the group of students away from the lake and back toward the castle, her authoritative gaze quickly intimidating the students. She had seen Hermione fall from the window in her office and she had rushed down as fast as she could, summoning Madam Pomfrey on her way. She knew Hermione had never been one to be tempted by the pull of the lake, had made sure of it when the young witch had first met Lucy. That's not to say she wasn't worried, she was, but she believed in Hermione's abilities. The lake was dangerous, true, but Hermione was capable and if she wasn't, well, it's a good thing Minerva had seen her fall. She waited for what felt like forever, edging into the water with each moment that passed. She was ready to dive in herself when Hermione broke the surface, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She had grown increasingly anxious, but now that Hermione was at the surface, helping her would be so much easier. As the young witch descended into coughs, Minerva waved her wand, creating a current to bring Hermione closer, while at the same time she waded further into the water.

Hermione could barely keep herself afloat when the pull of the water changed, moving her closer to shore, and the person she could only assume was Minerva. Her entire body was heavy and she was worried about Bellatrix. She couldn't tell if she was breathing or not, and she had a strange thought that Bellatrix's death would be her Boggart. It felt right. She was afraid, unsure of what to do and barely conscious herself. Her limbs faltered, and Hermione had no choice but to let the current carry her until two pairs of lean arms wrapped around her and pulled her out of the water. Before Hermione could even begin shivering, she felt the warmth of a warming charm spread through her body. She was vaguely aware of someone trying to remove Bellatrix from her grasp and she protested as much as she could, trying to keep her grip and move away.

"Hermione, it's Madame Pomfrey, I need to remove her from your arms so I can check on her," Madam Pomfrey explained gently, unfazed by Hermione.

"No, you can't. You can't take her away from me, you can't," Hermoine protested, trying to move away from the mediwitch. Her escape was halted by Minerva's careful hand on her shoulder and Hermione whipped her head to face her.

"Hermione-" Minerva began.

"No! You can't take her from me!" Hermione cried, voice breaking and tears beginning to well in her eyes. Minerva was speechless, having never seen Hermione like this before.

"Hermione, I need you to let go of her. I know she means a lot to you, which is why you have to let her go. I promise I will do everything I can," Madam Pomfrey reassured calmly.

"No. No. No." Hermione repeated softer, tears falling freely as she desperately held on to Bellatrix.

"Hermione," Minerva whispered, "I know how much she means to you, and I've already taken measures to protect both of you as much as I can."

Hermione looked up at Minerva, terror clear in her eyes at the prospect of Bellatrix being taken away. Minerva moved to kneel in front of Hermione, pulling the young witch into a gentle embrace.

"You know?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"I promise no harm will come to either of you for as long as I can protect you."

Hermione nodded slowly, trusting her. Carefully, Hermione loosened her grip on the raven in her arms, allowing Madam Pomfrey to take Bellatrix into her arms. She moved to stand with the mediwitch, stumbling over her heavy feet. Minerva reached out a steadying arm, wrapping it supportively around the young witch's waist. As much as she wanted Hermione to rest, she knew these were the conditions of her trust, and Hermione had always been incredibly stubborn. Madam Pomfrey deftly weaved through the labyrinth of Hogwarts towards Hermione's room. She knew that this was not something to be handled in the Hospital Wing. This was something that required more secrecy and she was fine with that. She knew Minerva would never endanger anyone residing in Hogwarts, but she had also taken a vow to aid those in need, no matter who they are. Minerva coaxed Hermione into a chair, ready to assist Poppy however she could.

"I need to shift her, it'll be easier to treat her that way," Poppy said to Minerva. Minerva complied, pulling her wand from her robes, and casting a spell. Blue light emanated from her wand and the magic wrapped around Bellatrix and shifted her from raven to human. A collective sigh of relief left everyone in the room at the successful shift. They all knew the spell wouldn't have worked if she wasn't alive. Poppy gestured toward Hermione, turning her attention to the troublesome witch she remembered from school. With her expertise, she efficiently determined and corrected any issues she came across during her diagnostic. She moved with ease, taking her time to make sure she didn't miss anything. Minerva was capable enough to deal with Hermione in the interim.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered to Minerva, voice hoarse.

"Of course, Hermione," Minerva answered, looking over Hermione as best she could. She had cast a drying and cleaning charm over the young witch, knowing she wouldn't move until Bellatrix was taken care of.

"She'll be just fine, Hermione. Some rest is all she needs now. May I?" Poppy explained, approaching the young witch gently. At her nod of assent, she began looking over Hermione. The young witch could barely stay awake but she also wouldn't take her eyes off Bellatrix.

"Some rest would do you well, too, Hermione. A solid meal, too. Other than that, you may have a sore throat for a few days but nothing serious. If anything feels out of the ordinary or you'd like me to check on Bellatrix just ask."

"Thank you," Hermione rasped, exhaustion hitting her harder, "I'm so tired."

"Get some rest, Hermione. I'll check on you when I can and I'll make sure there's food here when you wake," Minerva said, rubbing the young witch's shoulders in a way she hoped was comforting. Hermione nodded, curling into the chair as the two older witches took their leave. She gazed longingly at Bellatrix, desperately wishing to hold her but unsure if it would go over well when the dark witch woke. Hermione didn't want Bellatrix to push her away and yet she wanted to just say fuck it and curl into the older witch. Hermione yawned, deciding, in the end, to crawl into bed next to the witch she supposed she loved. Hermione curled into Bellatrix's side, nestling between her arm and torso. As soon as she stilled, Hermione let sleep overtake her, too tired to stay awake any longer.