Hermione shuffles through the sympathy cards, opening ones that look interesting, but all of them are just boring iterations of the same message. A small note flutters from the stack as she picks it up, It's just on a plain sheet of parchment, no fancy borders or script, just plain writing.
You'll find Bellatrix Lestrange at the hotel on the edge of town, room six. Is all it reads. Hermione knows the hotel they're talking about, everyone does. But why would Bellatrix be there, and who left the note? That really wasn't her main concern right now, her main concern is going there and making sure she's okay. It's been a week and a half and there's been nothing but silence. It's likely she's just keeping her distance to let Hermione breathe, but something really worries her about this. Especially after what Andy had told her, something wasn't sitting right about this whole thing. And what if the note was someone trying to get her to help Bella, that settles it, Hermione is going.
Night can't fall fast enough as Hermione paces the library, waiting for Andy and Ted to fall asleep. There's no way they'd let her go, and she can handle herself alone as long as she's not intoxicated. When she finally hears them retire to their room, she makes sure she's ready, wearing one of the ugly black dresses Andy insisted upon. It'll make her less obvious in the street, hopefully, and if she is noticed, at least she'll look proper, not that she's meant to even be out of the house at this point.
The walk to the hotel is a long one, but she can't risk being seen out, so she sticks to alleyways and shadows. The further she gets from Andy's house, the worse the buildings look, they're run down and some have people outside or eyes peeping out the window. Most respectable people would be in by now. She avoids eye contact with anyone she happens to see out. She reminds herself to make sure she has at least a knife the next time she's out at this time of night. The hotel is finally in her line of sight, a light on in a window signifies there's at least someone there. Walking in the door, she notices the men sitting around, drinking stale-smelling ale. She makes her way to the bar, the woman there looks less than friendly.
"I have a friend staying in room six, I'm here to visit with them," she manages to say without stumbling over her words. A key is slammed down on the counter without a word.
"Thank you," she says before turning to walk up the stairs, there aren't any signs saying where rooms are, and they seem to be numbered sporadically. Eventually, she finds the door with a "6" painted on it sloppily. Hermione knocks, but there isn't any answer. She tries again and then tries the handle, eventually putting the key in the lock and turning it. If Bella is in here, she's definitely asleep.
A lamp burns low on the bedside table, barely illuminating Bella's pale face. She doesn't look right and Hermione rushes to her side. The soft glow of the lamp doesn't work enough for Hermione to really see anything. She turns it up and strokes Bella's hair, dirt streaks her face and her complexion is more lifeless than it typically was, but she stirs when she feels Hermione's hand in her hair. Her eyes flutter open.
"What are you-" Bella doesn't finish the question, instead, focusing her energy on trying to sit up.
"Lay back down," Hermione demands.
"Nonsense, I'm fine pet, I was just resting is all," Bella tries to lie but her tone gives away the fact that something is wrong.
"You look awful, what happened?"
"I look fine, I am fine, why are you even here?" Bella tries her best to give her voice the commanding tone she uses regularly, but there's no hope, she really doesn't have the strength.
"How long has it been since you ate?" Hermione asks, her tone growing softer.
"Not too long, it was the last time I fed from you."
"That was nearly two weeks ago, how do you expect to fight other vampires if you don't eat?" Hermione asks, quickly loosening her dress so Bella can have access to her neck.
"No, I don't need to feed on you anymore," Bella says, backing away.
"Nonsense, you need to eat,"
"You're not a blood bag, I'm not going to keep using you like one," Bella says, guilt in her weary eyes.
"I know I'm not a blood bag, I want to do this, I like helping you," Hermione pleads, knowing Bella won't be able to get up if she doesn't drink from her.
"Are you sure?" Bella asks, guilt morphing into worry, why she'd be worried, Hermione has no clue.
"Yes," Hermione says, pulling the shoulder of her dress down so the vampire can drink. She helps her sit up more, the warm feeling spreads through her as Bella drinks, it's become an almost comforting experience, she feels very connected to the woman when she drinks. Almost as if they each know the other better than they could by just talking. Bella pulls away and heals the wound before Hermione can say anything about wanting it to stay there.
"Why did you-"
"Because, I don't want you looking all beat up," Bella says, Hermione gets the feeling that this isn't the only reason, but she doesn't push, there's no reason. Exhaustion is already spreading through her limbs and she feels as if she'll fall asleep right there. Bella helps her undress before rolling over on the small bed, making room for Hermione, she helps her lay down and wraps her arms around her waist. The contact is comforting to Hermione as she falls asleep, once again to the smell of sandalwood.
Hermione wakes up, still exhausted, to Bella gently shaking her. The sun hasn't even begun to rise, giving away the time.
"Sorry to wake you, pet, but my sister will have my head if you're not home and in bed," she says, it's clear in her voice that she doesn't want to get up.
"Why does it matter? Isn't she already mad at you?" Hermione asks, a small smile on her lips. She wants nothing more than to lay in this tiny bed all day, as long as Bella is in it that is.
"Yes, but she may just take pity on me in this state if I don't keep her charge out all night. Come on, I'll walk you there and help you sneak in through the window, I'll visit for breakfast and everything will be as it should be again," Hermione shrugs, as long as she gets her friend back, she'll be happy.
They set out after Hermione dresses, most people are inside at this hour, even people leaving taverns have long since fallen asleep in the street or somehow made it home. The walk doesn't feel nearly as long or scary with Bella here, Hermione finds her presence comforting, the opposite of how everyone else has always described her. Maybe there's something wrong with her, something that attracts her to "dangerous" people, but Hermione can't find a single thing that really scares her about her. Yes, she killed Rodolphus, but she did it to protect her, to keep her from being captured by the other vampires. Everyone deserves a friend that protects them like this.
The house is still dark, giving Hermione hope that she'll get inside without being caught. They go around the house to her window, squeezing through the narrow alley between it and their neighbor. The window is locked, but that's no issue for Bella, she somehow unlocks the window from the outside before sliding it up and helping Hermione in through the window.
Hermione collapses on the bed, upset that it doesn't smell like sandalwood. But she's too tired to do anything about it. She's nearly too tired to undress, but she has to, she can't have Andy finding out she wasn't home last night. She's finally ready for bed, not even needing a book to help her sleep.
She wakes up to Andy opening the curtains and humming cheerfully. Apparently, she's not noticed anything. Hermione gets dressed, the boring color doing nothing to compliment her features. She shuffles out of her room, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She smiles when she sees Bella, already seated at the chair beside Hermione's.
"Bella!" She exclaims, only half faking her excitement to see the woman, "where in the world have you been?"
"Just on a trip pet," she stands from her chair at this, getting closer until she's nearly pressed up against the younger woman, "I've missed you too, so long without my favorite plaything has left me awfully bored," she whispers against her neck, sending goosebumps down Hermione's arms. Hermione pulls away, heart trying to beat its way out of her chest.
"A-are you joining us for breakfast then?" Hermione splutters, doing her best to keep composure as she sits in her chair.
"I already asked, Andy said I could,"
"I said you could, as long as you behave," Andy says, walking through the doorway. The tone of her voice says she probably knows something. She definitely knows more than she's letting on.
It's a quiet breakfast, Bella keeps casual touches to a minimum which is slightly saddening to Hermione. But it'll all go back to normal eventually.
"What'd you learn?" Andy asks Bella.
"Well, Riddle is most definitely planning something with her, that was his new crest, by the way, he changed it because the last one became too obvious of a calling card. I'm not sure why he's hiding more, but I do know that it can't be any good. He seems to be swaying a lot of the older families now,"
"Well, it's a good thing you got out when you did, there's no telling what trouble they'll be getting into when the elders find them and have them sentenced," Andy says.
"Wait, you were part of them? What happened?" Hermione asks, all of this information only makes a little bit of sense to her.
"I didn't really have a choice, our parents wanted one of us to be a leader. Instead of going through the elders, they wanted us to go through Riddle, a newer vampire with a lot of sway already. I was meant to marry him."
"Oh, why didn't you?" Hermione asks, almost giddy to find out something about the woman's past.
"Well, when he started having me do his dirty work, I put up with it, but then it went to innocent humans and I couldn't do it anymore, so I left. Without his right hand, he had a hard time, but he's got someone new to do the dirty work now," Bella explains, remorse riddling her voice.
"So there's a side against him?" Hermione asks, trying to make sense of this mess she's been dragged into.
"In a way, yes," Andy begins, "they branched off from the elders, lead by an Albus Dumbledore. He wants to coexist with mortals, the issue with that is that last time that happened, they all tried to kill us. Most people look at him as senile, but if he can get you, show people how you and your family and friends get along, he may just build a following. That would mean turning you into a vampire,"
"So, both sides want me as a vampire, one side because I'd be powerful, the other just to use me as propaganda. But why can't Dumbledore just pick any other mortal and turn them?" Hermione asks, all this is doing at this point is confusing her more.
"He could, but it'd take a lot of convincing, and the social ties you already have with both humans and vampires, well, it'd cut down on a lot of the work for him. Not to mention, he knows what your blood means, he knows what kind of vampire you would be. You'd be able to tear through other vampires like butter, even as a youngling. You'd win the war for him, and then you'd be propaganda for him." Bella says, Hermione appreciates the honesty. The rest of breakfast is quiet, and Hermione excuses herself to the library as soon as she's finished her food.
Almost as soon as she leaves, she hears the sisters talking at the table. Knowing they're keeping things from her is frustrating but at the same time, she doesn't know if this is anything she really wanted to know. After all, Bella tends to tell her whatever is really important. A soft knock at the door pulls her from her thoughts. She sits up straighter, expecting to see Andy, but Bella walks in, a welcome sight to Hermione. As soon as she makes sure no one is following behind the vampire, she jumps up and engulfs her in a hug, inhaling the strong smell of sandalwood from the woman's glossy black hair.
"Do you think she suspected I snuck out last night?" Hermione asks, pulling herself just far enough away from Bella to look in her brown eyes, that's when she realizes something is wrong, the soft, warm brown she's so used to looking into look almost black.
"No, pet, I don't think she did, but we need to discuss something," Her tone as serious as her eyes make her look, nothing like the playful words that tend to flow from her lips.
"Like what? What could possibly be so important that it keeps you from hugging your favorite snack?" A playful tone masks the worry in her voice well enough, but she knows she can't just bring humor to this situation and have everything be alright.
"Look, as much as I want to hold you and sleep in your bed and get lost playing with your hair right now, the fact of the matter is, that's not keeping you safe anymore." Bella sighs, turning her eyes to the rug to avoid eye contact, not wanting to see the hurt in her pet's eyes when she says this next part, "We're sending you to a safe house in the countryside, there's a lovely vampire couple there who will take you in for a few months until all of this is over and you can come back, then we'll need to work out a more permanent solution for where you'll stay."
"I'm being sent away?" Hermione asks, her heart sinking in her chest as she comes to terms with this new information.
"I'm sorry pet, if there were anything else I could do I would. But as things stand right now, this is the only thing we can do to ensure your safety." the hurt in Hermione's eyes makes Bella want to hurt whoever caused this pain to her, but then she remembers it was her news that did this, and she kicks herself for hurting the one person she promised herself she wouldn't, the one person she swore to protect. Maybe it had just been a way to help herself feel better for all the wrong she'd done at first, but at this point, she really cares about this stupid, oblivious human girl. All she wants in this world is for this girl to be happy.
"Okay," Hermione lets out a defeated sigh, "when do I leave?" she knows Bella is only doing this to keep her safe, but the idea of leaving the person she's now started to feel at home with, the person she needs to feel safe when she sleeps, it just doesn't feel right, she's meant to be by Bella's side, she doesn't know how she knows this, but she does.
"You're leaving tomorrow, let's go get you packed." Packing all of the ugly black dresses is probably the most boring task Hermione could be given, but what makes it bearable is the fact that this is the first time she's seen Bella do chores without a begrudging demeanor, it's almost worth the boredom.
Hermione spends the better part of an hour haphazardly tossing her belongings into a suitcase, the whole time, she and Bella chat halfheartedly about how her time in the country could be beneficial, how the fresh air will help her cope, but somehow she always comes back to how much she'll miss Bella, her soft eyes she can lose herself in, her shiny curls she can bury her hands in, her smell that she relies on more than she'd like to admit. The rest of the day is spent with her head in Bella's lap in the library, reading books and chatting idly about anything and everything, as long as it took her mind off of her impending departure.
Dinner comes and Andy demands she dress nicely for her last-minute going away dinner. Once again Remus and Nymphadora visit, talk and drink create a buzzing atmosphere despite the very small group of people actually in the dining room. Hermione is drinking as much as is socially acceptable, her face is already flushed and she feels warm, but she doesn't care, these dinners are too much for her, they're toasting and talking about her, they're praising her leaving as if it's going to do anything positive. Maybe it's the alcohol or maybe it's the talk, but she suddenly feels too hot to sit in the dining room. She stands up, everyone quiets down when she does, apparently, they hadn't noticed how lost she looked.
"Excuse me, I think I'll retire to my room now, I have a big day tomorrow," Hermione says, trying her best not to offend these people who have become a second family to her, these people she's grown to love.
"That's quite all right, Hermione, go rest, we'll try to keep quiet in here for you," Andy says, a motherly smile that seems to say she understands exactly how Hermione is feeling spread across her face.
Hermione makes her way quickly to her room, the warm bed calling her name. As soon as she gets out of the terrible dress, she climbs into the bed, leaving the dress on the floor for sober Hermione to kick herself about.
Almost two hours later, she stirs from her light sleep to hear Bella come in and put her dress in the closet, she smiles to herself and waits for the other side of the bed to dip down, declaring the presence of her sleep partner. But it doesn't, instead, she hears nothing for a good five minutes before the distinct sound of the doorknob turning makes her sit up in bed.
"Bella?" Hermione asks groggily, knowing she'll hear Bella's breathy whisper in response.
"Hermione, I thought you were asleep," Bella says, letting go of the doorknob and taking a couple of steps toward the bed.
"I was, but I'm not anymore. Were you not going to sleep with me?" She's not sure why she asked that, but she really wants the comfort of Bella for the last time for a while.
"I wasn't planning on it, pet, I didn't want to make goodbye too hard," Bella has made it to the edge of the bed.
"Is it selfish of me to ask you to sleep here tonight?" Hermione asks, pleading eyes translating even in the dark room.
"It could be taken that way, but I don't mind," Bella says, a soft laugh punctuating her statement.
"Good, I just want you, I want to spend as much time with you as possible, I don't know if we can do this when I come back," Hermione watches Bella undress and crawl into bed, they both lay down, staring up at the ceiling.
"Why wouldn't we be able to?" Bella asks.
"I don't know, everything just seems so uncertain now," Hermione rolls over, facing the window.
"Listen, pet," Bella begins, wrapping her arms around Hermione's waist, "if everything in this world turns upside down, I'll still be here to hold you."
Morning comes too soon for Hermione, but the arms around her waist make waking up a lot more bearable. Sadly, they have to get up, she has to get dressed, and then she has to leave her vampire to go to the countryside and stay for a while.
Breakfast is quiet as Hermione battles with the lump in her throat, she can't cry, not here, not now. Food doesn't seem to want to do anything but stick to the back of her throat, and each bite brings on another wave of emotions she has to fight off. She's already tried to convince one of them to go with her, so she's not alone, but they can't, they need to talk strategy, and Hermione understands that, it's completely logical. But the emotional side of her that's seemed to rule her recently. After breakfast, she heads to her room to get her suitcase, Bella insisted on accompanying her even though she could carry a suitcase on her own.
"Look, I didn't know when would be a good time to give this to you," Bella says, shifting nervously from foot to foot, she pulls a small box, wrapped carefully with printed paper, from her pocket, "don't open it until I'm out of sight of the carriage, okay?" Hermione is puzzled by the gift, but thanks her nonetheless.
"You're a wonderful friend, Bella," Hermione says, her heart fluttering in her chest at the way she's looking at her. She turns to leave the room, expecting Bella to follow, but she stays still, "Bella? Aren't you-" She's cut off by a kiss, soft and sweet, she leans in as the world seems to melt away for a moment. Andy's voice from the entryway brings them back to reality, back to the fact that Hermione is leaving. They make their way quickly to the front of the house, and Hermione jumps in the carriage with a final hug to the two sisters. As the carriage pulls away from the front of the house, she waves, her lips still tingling from Bella's kiss. She didn't realize that was how she felt about her, not until she kissed her. Then everything started to make sense.
Finally, after what feels like forever, the sisters are well out of sight and Hermione carefully unties the string holding the paper on the gift she'd been given by Bella. A small piece of paper falls out. She picks it up as if it may explode in her hand, the writing on it is small, but not impossible to read.
Hermione,
I wasn't sure how I'd tell you this, I turned it over in my head for days, playing out every scenario, and in the end, I took the coward's way out. I love you, Hermione Jean Granger, I don't know how, I don't know why, but I know I do. I'm aware of how terribly improper this is, so I'll leave it at that and the kiss, I really hope I got up the courage to kiss you. It's all I've wanted to do since I met you. Now, what's in the box is a sandalwood perfume, hopefully, you can find some comfort in it as you seem to have found some comfort in me.
I love you,
Bellatrix Black.
Hermione has no clue how to react, she loves her, she really loves her. A woman can't love a woman, that's unheard of, so why does she feel herself reciprocating that love, why did she lean into that kiss, why is she dabbing the perfume on her wrists? None of this makes sense, she's supposed to be mourning, not falling in love with a woman.
As night falls, she hears shouting outside the carriage. At first, she ignores it, not wanting to make a big deal out of nothing. But she can't ignore the carriage stopping and the horses whinnying. The driver shouts once but quickly he's silenced. She clutches the perfume bottle to her chest, wishing it would turn into Bella, wishing Bella could come and save her. But when the carriage door is ripped open, her eyes meet an unmistakable pair of eyes, eyes that belong to a Black, but not her Blacks, no, this Black is crazed, he's hungry and you can see it. Sirius Black stands in the doorway of her carriage, glaring at her with a half-mad gaze.