Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Author's Note: Okay so a little plot twist…I hope ya'll wont be too angry…I tried…honestly…okay and I know that Bellatrix may be moving through this forgive and forget stuff really fast…but she is trying for Hermione's sake. Please as always read and review.

Wide Awake: Chapter 15

A week had passed since Bellatrix had seen Hermione. The younger witch had thought she had done something wrong. Their first date had moved them too fast, and she was beginning to wonder if she had scared Bellatrix away. They didn't exactly have sex, but they almost had and she knew that even for herself that her actions were a little too bold. And the owl she had sent to Bellatrix still had gotten no reply. She glanced at her watch; it was time for her to go to work. She put on her coat and left her flat.

"Morning Hermione." Luna said greeting her friend brightly.

"Morning Luna." Hermione replied.

"I am seeing Bellatrix today." Luna said casually.

"Today is the day that she has been set on since the beginning." Hermione commented.

"I thought it best not to change the date. It seemed to be working good for her." Luna said getting to her feet.

"Yes, well I guess I will see you later, my first charge gets here in ten minutes." Hermione said walking into her office.

Luna nodded and went into her office as well.

Hermione sat her desk looking out the window, though it wasn't a real window, it still reflected the weather outside, and it wasn't looking promising. It would be weird to see Bellatrix in here, but not in her office, but she supposed that this was the best way for them to continue their relationship; after all, she had been the one who suggested it. Plus it was in the code of conduct, she wasn't allowed to do something like this, or she could lose her job. She sighed, then there as a knock at the door.

"Come in." She said getting to her feet.

Andromeda Tonks walked in and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Morning Mrs. Tonks." Hermione said extending her hand.

But Andromeda stood and pulled her into a hug. Hermione was in shock, she hadn't really expected this. She hadn't really spent much time with the middle Black sister, so she wasn't sure what to expect.

"Sorry…I just couldn't help it." Andromeda said breaking the hug and sitting back down.

"It's quite alright." Hermione said sitting down as well.

There was a short pause.

"Cissy tells me that you are dating Bellatrix." Andromeda said breaking the silence.

"Yes, I am…well if that is what you want to call it." Hermione replied.

"She considers it courting no doubt. She has always been very old fashioned." Andromeda said.

There was another short pause.

"I didn't come here to ask about your relationship with my sister if that is what you are thinking. I came to you because…well because…I miss Ted." Andromeda said.

"I never thought that. I can understand why you are curious though. And I don't mind discussing it with you off the record. But if grief counseling is what you need, then that is why I am here." Hermione explained.

"Well I wasn't sure that I should even come, but Dora…she suggested you. Mainly because of what you have done for Bellatrix." Andromeda said.

"I see…well I am here to help." Hermione said reassuringly.

"She said that I could trust you. I mean I know that you can't disclose any of this as it is, but even so, she says that even if you weren't a therapist, you would still be trustworthy." Andromeda said.

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to that. It was true though. She didn't go around telling every one the secrets of her friends or anyone else who had confided in her… that was Rita Skeeta's job.

"Let's get started then shall we?" Hermione asked, her pen poised on the top of her note pad.

Andromeda nodded and began to talk about her late husband, Ted Tonks.

Bellatrix walked into the office, wishing that she was going to see Hermione instead of Luna but she knew that it wasn't possible anymore, at least not a professional level. She didn't know much about this woman, except that like Hermione, she was an exceptional duelist.

"Good morning Mrs. Lestrange." Luna said brightly as Bellatrix walked into her office.

"You may call me Bellatrix if you prefer." Bellatrix said taking a seat in one of the chairs.

"It is up to you." Luna said sitting down as well.

"Bellatrix then." Bellatrix said shrugging.

A short silence passed between them. Bellatrix felt really awkward sitting here in front of Luna, she wasn't sure how much Luna already knew about her, then she noticed the note pad in her lap, it had Hermione's hand writing on it.

"Hermione gave you those?" Bellatrix asked pointing at the note pad.

"Yes, I needed some back ground information on you before I could proceed with your treatment, don't worry Bellatrix, this is only between us, and no judgment has been passed." Luna replied.

Bellatrix sat back in her chair, well of course Luna needed to know what she was dealing with, or else she wouldn't know what Bellatrix needed.

"I went to school with your parents." Bellatrix said breaking the silence.

"Daddy told me he was in the same graduating class at Hogwarts." Luna said.

"Both exceptional people, though they were a little…quirky." Bellatrix said.

Luna smiled at her.

"I heard about your mum, I am sorry for your loss." Bellatrix said.

"Thank you." Luna replied still smiling.

Luna was starting to see what Hermione saw in Bellatrix. This softer side was a surprise to Luna, who had only heard and seen the more terrible side of the ex-Death Eater.

"Shall we start?" Luna asked.

"Yes." Bellatrix replied.

"It says here that you left off at your capture." Luna said looking down at the notes.

"Yes, then I spent 14 years in Azkaban…I really do not wish to talk about those years." Bellatrix said.

"We don't have to…how about we start with after your break out." Luna suggested.

"I…I went to Cissy's. She fed me up, and nursed me back into the real world. It was a long stay in such a dreadful place…I had changed, she had changed… everything had changed." Bellatrix said.

"What kind of changes?" Luna asked.

"Well for one, the cold no longer bothered me. It still doesn't bother me too much…I couldn't eat very much, I had to take potions until I was strong enough to eat solid food, and I had forgotten…what she felt like." Bellatrix replied.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked truly curious.

"The feel of Cissy's skin…she had always been so soft…but I guess over the years she had lost weight. I couldn't blame her…She didn't have it too easy while I was away, and then caring after me…she neglected herself for a while…I mean I was a scary sight when I arrived at her Manor." Bellatrix replied.

"Did you two continue with your intimate relationship?" Luna asked boldly.

Bellatrix raised her eyebrows, Luna was much more forward than Hermione was with her questions, but she supposed that she needed to answer them just the same.

"Not at first…it took a little bit for me to get back into the swing of things…I had to be sort of…retrained…" Bellatrix replied.

"It also says Narcissa kept your wand, how did you feel when you got it back?" Luna asked.

"I felt powerful again. It was like opening your eyes for the first time, it was an amazing feeling. I casted curses and spells with pinpoint accuracy and I even had a small battle of wits with her, it was just a good feeling to have that part of me back again." Bellatrix replied.

Her face had lit up and she was glowing with pride at this memory. Luna began to make some notes to follow Hermione's. Bellatrix paid absolutely no mind to the scratching of Luna's pen and continued to speak.

"I was just happy to be out into the world again, to pick up where I left off. I missed Cissy…we spent many nights together…and then I had to return to business as usual when I was strong enough." Bellatrix continued.

"How was the Dark Lord? What were his thoughts on your return?" Luna asked.

Bellatrix looked at Luna, her eyes suddenly cold and black again. Luna wasn't fazed by this, it was an expected reaction.

"He was happy of course that his best lieutenant was finally by his side. Of course there was a long de briefing of the mission and what was expected of his Death Eaters. Rodolphus and I of course were back at the top of the ranks, He knew that we could still be depended upon." Bellatrix said coldly.

Luna made another note and flipped back a few pages.

"Did you continue to have an intimate relationship with the Dark Lord?" Luna asked.

"I did. But it was however, brief." Bellatrix replied curtly.

Luna made another note on her page and then looked back up at Bellatrix.

"His betrayal… that is what led you to side against him during the War?" Luna asked.

"It is…he said he loved me…he said he wanted me as his queen when it was all over…when we had won." Bellatrix replied.

"You have been betrayed in some way by everyone you have ever loved." Luna said.

It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact that Bellatrix could not deny. Her parents had been cruel to her, Narcissa never visited her in Azkaban, and Andromeda had left the family and married a Mudblood… The Dark Lord said he loved her, but he lied…and Hermione…well she wasn't sure if she loved Hermione, but there were definitely some strong feelings when it came to the younger witch.

"Love is not something that I throw around easily." Bellatrix said.

"That is understandable. Given everything that you have been through." Luna said.

"But I am trying…I feel like I have paid my debt to society…I knew that Cissy was lying when she said Potter was dead…I knew that he was alive…I killed Death Eaters…of course with my level of skill, it was impossible to tell who was taking them down in all the chaos." Bellatrix said.

Luna made some more notes on her paper. She looked at her watch.

"We are out of time for today." Luna said.

Bellatrix looked relieved as she stood to put on her cloak, she extended her hand.

"Thank you Luna." Bellatrix said.

"No, thank you for trusting me." Luna said taking Bellatrix's hand.

"Well if Mione trusts you, then I know that I can." Bellatrix said letting go of Luna's hand.

"Hermione is in her office if you want to see her, but I think she is with a patient, but you are welcome to wait in the waiting room for her." Luna said opening her office door.

Bellatrix nodded and left the office, choosing one of the chairs in the waiting room, and picking up an old issue of Witch Weekly.

"I just miss him so much…I don't know how I am supposed to go on without him." Andromeda sobbed.

"You will find a way Andromeda. Sometimes it just takes a little longer for some to get over a loss like this." Hermione said handing the older woman a tissue.

"Yes, but how? How can an almost 30 year marriage just end?" Andromeda asked.

"It isn't fair." She added bitterly.

"I don't think anyone expected something like that to happen…we all lost people in the war, but we can't be sad for them. We have to celebrate their lives and live ours to the fullest, show them that we are healthy and happy." Hermione said trying to suppress her own tears.

It was difficult not to put her arms around the older witch and console her, but she knew that Andromeda needed this; she needed to cry this out. It seemed that she had been keeping everything locking inside for a while.

"Think of Teddy, think of Dora. They are still here, and they still need you. I'm not saying to put your grief on the back burner, but just think of them and how much they need you." Hermione said.

"I love them both so much." Andromeda said sobering a little.

Hermione made a few notes on her note pad and glanced at her watch.

"We are out of time aren't we?" Andromeda asked.

"Unfortunately, but we can schedule another time if you feel like you need it." Hermione said pulling out her date book.

"I would like that." Andromeda said wiping her eyes.

Bellatrix sighed, absentmindedly flipping through the faded pages of the magazine she was holding, she never understood why Narcissa read these things, and they were awfully boring. She was snapped out of her musings when she heard Hermione's office door open. She stood and walked towards the office, but stopped as she saw her sister leaving. Andromeda stopped too and they just stared at one another. Hermione was unsure of what to say, she hadn't told Bellatrix that she was going to see Andromeda, but really it wasn't any of her business who she saw at work, it was her job, nothing more.

"Bellatrix." Andromeda said breaking the silence.

"Andromeda." Bellatrix replied.

"The years have been good to you." Andromeda said pleasantly.

"Same to you. You look well." Bellatrix replied.

Hermione could feel the tension slowly start to drain away as the two sisters moved closer to one another.

"I was wondering when I was going to get to see you. Cissy said that you were getting help…it takes a lot of courage." Andromeda said.

"It hasn't been…easy…" Bellatrix replied.

She felt strange seeing her sister, she hadn't seen her since before she left the family, not counting the picture she had seen on Hermione's mantel piece a few weeks ago.

"Well all the same…I have to get going, but maybe we could have tea sometime Bella…when you're ready." Andromeda suggested.

Bellatrix smiled. She smiled a genuine smile. And Andromeda smiled back. It had been far too long for both of them.

"I would like that Andy." Bellatrix said moving forward.

And to the surprise of everyone in the room, Bellatrix pulled Andromeda into a hug. Andromeda sighed and hugged her older sister tightly. They stood like that for several long minutes.

"Oh how I have missed you Bella." Andromeda whispered.

"I have missed you too Andy." Bellatrix replied.

They let go of one another and they were both crying. It seemed that Bellatrix had really started to open up and move forward with her life. Andromeda turned and winked at Hermione and she left the office, leaving the two witches alone.

TBC….