A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I am excited that you are enjoying this different Bellatrix. She has been lots of fun to try to characterize. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. HUGE thank you to kristeristerin for beta reading this chapter!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter twelve and be on the lookout for chapter thirteen soon!
January 1968
The pending Hogsmeade weekend in combination with the Valentine's holiday had turned the school population crazy. Hermione had never seen anything like this in all her years at Hogwarts in the future. It seemed as if everyone was far more concerned with finding a mate that they could marry so soon as they graduated school, so it seemed as if the courting ritual of Valentine's Day would fit neatly into that.
It wasn't as if the looming holiday had made Hermione sour to it. She quite enjoyed the pink decorations that were up in the Great Hall and the swoop of owls bringing into orders for chocolates and gifts for a special someone. She was ready to spend several nights chatting with her girlfriends about all the gossip around the castle of who was going with who, especially now that she had a better idea of who everyone was.
No, the biggest problem she had was the little seed that Bellatrix seemed to have planted about Rodolphus taking her for a romantic Hogsmeade weekend.
Rodolphus and Hermione had been slowly building up their relationship again since the holiday break. Neither one of them talked about the kiss that they had shared, though Hermione was embarrassed to admit that she thought about it more often than she wanted. Instead, they focused their brief talks on schooling. Rodolphus realized the need to buckle down now that his NEWTs really were looming, and Hermione was happy to have a very, very occasional study partner.
Keeping things strictly academic was safe, but boring. She missed the times that he would make her laugh by saying something snarky about Professor Slughorn's lazy teaching style. She even found herself fondly remembering the ecstatic way that he would talk about his upcoming Quidditch matches.
But when she finally caught Bellatrix flouncing over to Rodolphus's spot at the dinner table, whispering in his ear and making sure to look at her, Hermione knew that she was encouraging him to ask her out for the next Hogsmeade weekend, and that was just something that Hermione couldn't allow. Her heart thudded in her chest when she thought about the possibility...surely she couldn't go out on a date with him, could she?
She needed to come up with some way to get out of it, and to her surprise, it came from none other than Arthur Weasley. When she stood up from the dinner table that evening, he happily hopped up and asked if he could accompany her back to the Common Room. Seeing Rodolphus give her longing eyes, Hermione nodded, for once happy for Arthur's company.
Once they were out of the din of the Great Hall, Arthur grew nervous. "I never apologized for how I handled the Hogsmeade weekend," he said, the tips of his ears going a bit pink. "I just wanted to take you for your first weekend, but I knew you wouldn't go if you knew it was just going to be you and me"
Hermione cleared her throat, not entirely sure what to say. "I'm...I accept your apology, Arthur," she said, thinking that it was the only safe thing she could say. It had been months since their disastrous 'date', and Hermione had long since stopped holding it against him.
"Good, good," he said before silence fell over him. Once he had gained enough courage, he got to the point that he really wanted to. "So, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with my friends and I this time?" he asked. He chuckled when he saw her nonplussed face. "I know what you are thinking - it's not another trick, I promise. A bunch of us are going - Sam and Gerald, Molly will be there, and Kieran, too. We decided that we don't have many Hogsmeade weekends left, so we would rather spend it with friends."
She bit her lip, thinking his words over. Arthur seemed earnest, and she didn't think that he would try the same tactic twice. Confident that he was telling the truth, Hermione knew this was her opportunity to get out of having to turn down Rodolphus. "Oh, alright, but only if I won't be intruding."
"We'd love to have you come with," he said brightly, looking at her with an eager smile.
Briefly, Hermione wondered if this was a terrible idea. Did Arthur still not realize that she was not going with him, but rather just with his group of friends? That she only agreed because she knew it would prevent her from going with Rodolphus Lestrange. Was Arthur even aware of the warming trend in her and Rodolphus's relationship?
The morning of the Hogsmeade weekend, Hermione was pleased to see the rest of Arthur's friends waiting with him for her. A teeny tiny part of her had been concerned that it was nothing more than a trick. They all greeted her warmly and introduced her formally to Kieran, another of the seventh year boys who she knew by face alone, but hadn't actually talked to before. Hermione got the impression that Molly and Sam were not exactly excited to have her coming along, but she shook it off. It wasn't as if it would have been a double date if she hadn't been there, seeing as Kieran had tagged along too.
The ride down to the village was rather uneventfully, with Arthur happily telling the group that he'd secured a job offer with the Ministry of Magic in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts division, contingent upon him passing his required NEWTs. Hermione warmly congratulated him, knowing how much he loved that job in the future, despite it not offering a hefty salary. In turn, Arthur was quick to pick her brain on a few muggle subjects, mostly certain dental implements. It seemed that he had done some research after their talk and was concerned that some of their tools could be used as torture devices.
After a quick stop at Honeyduke's to get so much needed sweets - which Hermione was pleased to see that Arthur didn't even try to pay for - the group of Gryffindors decided to head to the Three Broomsticks for drinks and snacks before the crowds would pack in. They piled into a booth in the back corner that was large enough for all of them, and unfortunately, Hermione found herself pressed into the corner next to Arthur and across from Molly. Trying to keep her focus on her butterbeer, Hermione refused to acknowledge the rude look that Molly was giving her.
"I've made some biscuits," Molly said brightly, pulling them out of her bag, ready to share with the table. "Oatmeal and toffee."
Arthur eagerly took one of the offered treats, biting into it immediately. "Ah, these are my favorite, Molly," he said with a grin on his face. "Here, Hermione, you have to try one," he encouraged, pushing the biscuits towards her.
Based on the pretty blush on Molly's cheeks, Hermione suspected that Molly had advanced knowledge of Arthur's favorite kind of biscuit. Her choice of variety was no mistake. Not to mention, it was still her specialty back in Hermione's correct time, when they were made for special occasions. Unable to stop herself from wanting that hint of nostalgia, Hermione took a biscuit as well. "These are amazing, Molly," Hermione said, giving the teenage version of Ron's mum a hesitant smile. "You are a wonderful cook."
Molly rewarded her with one of those rather pinched looking smiles, like she'd rather Hermione not have spoken to her at all. "Yes, well, I...thank you," she stumbled, unsure of how to accept the compliment.
Conversation continued, and Hermione was content to sit there just taking in what everyone else was saying. She wasn't entirely sure how it came up, but they got on the topic of squibs. "I understand that the Squib Allegiance is going to make demands of the Wizengamot later this week," Molly said, sounding rather knowledgeable about it. "It's awful the way that they are treated and I think it's high time that they got some more rights."
"Come on Molly, it's not as if they can just start accepting Squibs to Hogwarts," Gerald said, with a roll of his eyes. "Yes, they need rights, but they are asking for too much this time."
Hermione was unable to stop from butting in. "While I agree that they can't just be let into Hogwarts, it's not as if they have no rights to be educated. There is plenty to learn even if you can't do magic," Hermione said, passionately defending the Squibs, who were in many ways on the opposite side of the coin from muggleborns. "It's not right the way some families just disown their Squib relatives or push them out into the muggle world without any assistance."
"Well said, Hermione," Arthur said proudly, giving her hand a quick squeeze.
"Hm," Molly said, unable to stop herself from making a little noise to let her know that she didn't approve of Hermione's thoughts on the matter.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione glared at the other woman. She was sick and tired of being so nice to Molly and looking past all of the little snide remarks that she made, pretending as if they weren't happening. "What's that supposed to mean?" she snapped.
Molly answered with a mean little smile and feigned surprise. "Oh, I just thought it was unusual that you of all people would take that kind of stance," she said, looking Hermione up and down. "What with all the time that you spend with Lestrange."
Hermione grit her teeth. "What does Rodolphus being my friend have anything to do with Squib rights?" Hermione asked, narrowing her brown eyes in frustration. She hadn't quite realized that her friendship with Rodolphus had been enough for Molly Prewett to notice. Godric, her own roommates hadn't even said anything about it.
"It's just...well, it's no secret what his family is like," Molly continued, twisting the dagger a bit more. "His father is practically leading the charge against Squibs and muggleborns in the Wizengamot and yet here you are, friends with him."
"Rodolphus isn't his father," Hermione insisted, her jaw tightening in anger. It was true...for as much time as she'd spent with Rodolphus, he certainly wasn't foaming at the mouth to rid the wizarding world of muggleborns like she would have expected. His views - on the rare occasions they had talked about them - were nuanced and inconsistent.
"I suppose you might believe that," the older girl countered with a smirk, as though she knew some sort of information that Hermione didn't. "Listen, Hermione...I understand that to you, Lestrange probably has certain charms. I mean, we all have eyes and know how much you are always mooning over him. But, you have to see that he's just using you, don't you? One last muggleborn fling before he marries Bellatrix Black. She's the kind of witch that his family will accept. Not someone with your dubious background."
Hermione felt herself flush completely, Molly's words hitting a little too close to the quick for her liking. It was something that she had wondered herself, unable to trust Rodolphus as being genuine. "I don't know where you've gotten such fanciful ideas of mine and Rodolphus's friendship, Molly," she said icily clear. "But you're wrong. We are just friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to leave."
The rest of the Gryffindors shuffled out of the booth so that she could get up, and to her dismay, Arthur followed her outside. "Hey, Hermione, please wait," he called out, turning her to look at him. "Molly was well out of order there," he said with a frown, eyebrows bunched together while his eyes roved her face. "But, you know...I am a little worried about you and Lestrange. I just...I'm suspicious of him, is all. Maybe you should think it over."
She was too furious to listen to his words - even though they were coming from a place of genuine concern. "I can take care of myself, Arthur," she insisted, before leaving him in the center of Hogsmeade, needing to be alone with her thoughts.