Chapter Two
Almost a week had passed since that first failed expedition, and Bella and Hermione had worked their way into Little Whinging. They'd been walking for about an hour, and both were beginning to feel a tug of hopelessness.
"One last street, then we'll take a break." murmured Bellatrix.
Hermione silently nodded as they turned onto Privet Drive. They walked a moment, then Hermione stiffened and turned toward a house. Number Four. Bella looked at the house, then at her daughter.
"I… I feel something. In there." Hermione looked at the house. Bellatrix followed her gaze and set her jaw.
"Well, then. I think we'll be paying some Muggles a visit."
Hermione nodded, following her mother up the drive. They moved to the door and Bella knocked. A moment passed.
Then the door opened, revealing an oversized walrus of a man, with shiny black hair and a massive mustache. "What?" he grunted.
Bellatrix smiled grimly. "We are looking for someone."
The man eyed her suspiciously. "Who?"
"Harry Potter."
The man gaped at her. "You're one of them!" he shouted, backing up slightly. "You're a freak!"
Bella's eyes narrowed. "We plan on taking Harry and leaving here. Forever. You would never see him again."
The man calmed slightly, a vein on his forehead still twitching, and stared at them. After a moment, he snapped, "Fine. Boy! Get out here!"
A moment passed, then the two Blacks heard a shuffling sound. A small, miserable boy about Hermione's age appeared, wearing too-big, filthy clothes. He looked at them, confusion written all over his face.
"Boy." snapped the man, and Harry looked up at him.
"You will be going with these two. You're never coming back, understood?"
Harry nodded tentatively, inching out onto the drive toward the two. Bella watched him, trying to seem somewhat less threatening. This effort only succeeded in making her more terrifying, mostly toward Vernon. Harry inched a little further out, and Hermione promptly grabbed his hand, beaming at him. He blinked in surprise.
"Hi. I'm Hermione." she informed him. He blinked at her, then smiled.
Later that same day, Bellatrix had settled the children in the drawing room, and she said, "I'm going to contact an old friend. I'll be right back."
She grabbed Floo powder, quietly ordered Kreacher to keep an eye on the two, and headed for the Rookery.
"Bella!" greeted Selene Lovegood, looking up from the potion she was brewing. "How has it been going!"
"I found them." Bella wasted no time. "Both. They're at Grimmauld Place."
Selene's eyes widened. She lurched upright. "Wait. You found them- Luna! Luna! Get in here, now!"
Bella leaned forward, frowning, as Selene drew her wand, swearing. Luna skipped in, then hesitated, seeing her mother's expression. Selene started casting shield charms around several ingredients.
"I should have stayed focused!" she lamented, flinging herself back and grabbing Luna and Bellatrix. She twisted, and there was a sharp crack.
They opened their eyes on a hill, a mile or so away from the Rookery(a house with two towers, one holding Selene's lab).
The house rumbled, then Selene's lab exploded, viciously. The three staggered back, stunned.
The smoke cleared, slowly. One tower remained standing, crooked.
"Dumbledore!" snarled Selene. "He dropped by. I should have known."
Bella's eyes flashed. "He tried to kill you. If Luna had been in there- she is sometimes."
Luna looked up, frightened. "Mummy? Where are we going to go? And what about Daddy?"
Selene inhaled. "We'll get your father, and… I don't know."
Bellatrix looked at her. "You're welcome to stay with me." She looked at Luna. "And Harry and Hermione."
"You found them?" squealed Luna.
Bellatrix smiled tiredly. "Yes, I found them."
Dumbledore smiled serenely, sitting in his office and waiting. Even if- even if! somehow the woman had found her daughter and Harry, the splintering of a soulmate bond with the death of a soulmate was said to be quite painful. He could find the two from the explosion of energy they would no doubt give off. Then he could nab Harry, do some discreet Memory Charms, and send him back to the Dursleys. Everything would be back on track.
He just had to wait.