A/N They're just so great together, I really can't help the tender moments between Bella and Hermione. It's probably one of my favorite parts to write.
We are coming up on some important events and I just want to point out that the coming chapters take place over a few weeks, not days. I'm working on making that clearer to avoid confusion but I just wanted to let you know. There are some chapters that are the same or next day but not all of them.
Enough yammering, enjoy another chapter! (Sometimes it's really hard to only post one.)
"You two make quite the pair. Hermione, it is wonderful to see you again. I'm glad you're feeling better. I apologize you had to experience something like that on your first mission. I never intended for you to come to harm," the Dark Lord said as the two witches entered the library.
"My Lord, I am happy to see you, especially under much better circumstances. The events at the Ministry were unforeseen, indeed, but only served to affirm my choice. I will always do whatever necessary to ensure success," Hermione said, bowing to the snake-like man. Nagini was resting on the back of his chair, coiled around his shoulders.
"Even still, you performed spectacularly. Potter's Prophecy was successfully retrieved, though it is unfortunate your own was sacrificed. You will receive your Mark. It may hurt a bit, but hearing how well you handled a Crucio, I have no doubt you can manage. I will not be offended if you flinch."
"Thank you, my Lord. I hope to serve you well."
Holding out his hand, he motioned for Hermione to step forward. She did so without hesitation or trepidation. He reached out to her mind, intending to skim through it before Marking her and was pleased she let down her walls when she felt him. After a cursory glance through her thoughts, he placed his hand on her left forearm. He carefully observed her reaction as the magic flowed into her, forming the Mark on her skin. She gave no indication of pain aside from a slight clenching of her jaw and he was pleased.
"My Lord, if I may. There is something that happened on the train ride home I feel you should know."
"Go ahead."
"Potter and Weasley were sitting in the same compartment as me and wanted to know if I could visit them over break. Dumbledore had tried to make me a spy for the Order and I believe this was another attempt. I lost my temper and may have revealed my allegiance to you by mistake."
"Thank you for telling me, Hermione. I shall monitor the situation via Severus. If it is too dangerous for you to return to Hogwarts, we shall devise an alternative schooling for you."
"My Lord, if it's all the same, I'd rather not return to Hogwarts at the end of summer. Since my heritage came out, I have not exactly felt welcome in my house and now that I bear your Mark, I would risk exposure if I haven't done so already. But if you have a need for me to be at Hogwarts, I will gladly do so."
"That will not be necessary. I think Bella would be very unhappy if I subjected you to such danger and I would never put you in a situation that volatile. Seeing as you are of age, I see no problem with you learning from anyone here or your own libraries. You will also be at my disposal for missions should I have need of you."
"Thank you, my Lord. There is also the matter of Dumbledore using more extreme measures to turn me into a spy. I fear he may attempt to threaten my parents to force me to spy. I have a solution, if I may?"
"Go ahead."
"Obliviate and relocate them, my Lord. That way they are not endangered by being my parents and Dumbledore can't find them."
"I will see that it is done. Would you like a final goodbye?"
"I don't think it's necessary, my Lord. They won't remember who I am, and I don't feel the need to say goodbye."
"It will be taken care of tonight, then. I will have Narcissa and Severus do it, they are most adept with memory charms."
"Thank you, my Lord. Do you require anything else?"
"You may both go. Enjoy your time together and with family."
Bowing, Hermione and Bellatrix left the room. Bella grabbed Hermione's arm, placing a kiss on her Mark, eyes shining with pride. She loved that her witch did not react poorly to receiving the Mark as many others did. It was by no means a pleasant experience. It was a test of true loyalty. Running her thumb over the Mark, Bellatrix looked up at Hermione, who was looking at her.
"I'm glad you won't be going back to Hogwarts. I know you value your education but we can have so much more fun together."
"I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do. Come on, let's go see what Narcissa has to say about my recovery."
"That's such mundane stuff. Let's go destroy something to celebrate your Mark," Bellatrix grinned.
"In time, Bella. I'd like to hear what your sister has to say."
"What about what I have to say?" she asked petulantly, pouting slightly.
"I love what you have to say but you aren't a healer like your sister," Hermione responded, leaning forward to nip Bellatrix's lip before pulling away. The dark witch muttered to herself, leading Hermione to where Narcissa would most likely be. Hermione couldn't help but smile at her Death Eater's reaction, allowing Bella to lead the way. She had loved Hogwarts but now the school didn't feel like home. She had learned all she could from it and it was time to move on. There was so much more to learn from her new family.
Narcissa was in her potions storeroom taking inventory of what she had after the battle in the Ministry. The Order had not controlled themselves as much as the Death Eaters did. She wouldn't be surprised if the injuries some of the children sustained were because of the light. Death Eaters were vicious but they would never harm children unless absolutely necessary. The Order, on the other hand, had no qualms about throwing children into harm's way. It sickened her. Hearing the door open, Narcissa turned to see her sister and Hermione hand-in-hand and her scowl evaporated into a smile. Seeing the two together lifted her spirits and she had so desperately needed it.
"I was not expecting to see either of you until dinner. What can I do for you?" she asked, abandoning the potion she was holding.
"You said you'd like to see how I was healing. We had a free moment so I thought we should find you. I'd rather get it over with since I know you're both concerned," Hermione explained.
Narcissa cleared her worktable, gesturing for Hermione to sit on it. She did so without complaint, Bella moving to stand next to the table but Narcissa shook her head at her sister.
Seeing her sister's scowl, Narcissa explained, "I do not want your magical energy picked up by the diagnostic spells and giving a false positive, Bella. I need to see how Hermione is doing and if you're next to her I can't do that."
Bellatrix huffed, earning a look of amusement from Hermione and Narcissa as she stalked to the corner. Hermione smiled in Bella's direction, trying to get one in return. She succeeded and Narcissa couldn't help the hope that flared in her chest. Maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to be so afraid anymore. Hermione and Bella were powerful on their own, but together, they were unstoppable. Her family would make it out after all.
"I do hope you don't mind, Hermione, but I will need to see the area the spell hit. I want to check for physical scarring to see if there is anything I can do to fix it."
"Oh. There's a faint mark. Madame Pomfrey said she couldn't do anything about it. But if you want to look just to be sure I don't mind."
Hermione undid the top few buttons on her shirt, revealing the area on her chest where the Crucio had hit. It was slightly left of center just under her collarbone and Narcissa frowned at how close it had come to hitting the girl over the heart. It had missed, thank Merlin, but a Cruciatus to the heart could kill even a prepared witch. It explained why it had taken so much of Hermione's magic to divert the curse. She had wondered why the girl had taken so many hours to recover consciousness.
"My sister did not tell me it struck so close to your heart. You are very fortunate it missed and that you thought to prepare yourself. May I?" Narcissa asked, reaching forward to analyze the scarring. Bellatrix's head snapped up at her sister's words.
"It hit where?" she growled, eyes flashing with fury. She marched forward, intent to see where Hermione had been hit. She had not seen the point of contact when it happened but she thought it was more to the right.
"Just right of her heart. Do you see the faint scarring?" Narcissa pointed out, trying to calm her sister with a hand on her arm.
"If I had known where it hit I would never have left you," she hissed, gently tracing the faint scar from the curse.
"It's okay, Bella. I'm okay. You needed to get out so they didn't catch you. Tonks kept me safe, brought me directly to the infirmary and stayed until Dumbledore forced her to leave," Hermione soothed, putting a hand on the Death Eater's cheek, forcing the dark witch to look at her. Her eyes were filled with so many emotions Hermione thought she was going to drown.
"Bella, she's okay. I can't do anything about the scars, but her magic is intact and almost fully regenerated," Narcissa said, moving her hand to her sister's shoulder, knowing the battle she was fighting. Her instincts would scream at her to annihilate the boy, but the Dark Lord needed to be the one to kill Potter and Bellatrix was loyal to him. Those two sides of her were struggling against each other, it was obvious, but she would help how she could.
"Bella. Look at me. I know you want to kill him. You can't. It has to be the Dark Lord. You know that. Why don't you go destroy a room? When you're feeling better we can sit under the willow in the garden," Hermione whispered, trying to bring Bellatrix back to her more reasonable state. She was not afraid of the darkness she saw, but she knew her witch was too close to the edge and she wanted her back. Bellatrix put her head on Hermione's shoulder, breathing in walnuts and rain. She knew Hermione was right and she was glad the young witch could pull her away from the edge so effectively. It scared her sometimes, how close she would get to falling. Her sister had always been there to keep her back enough to resist the urge to jump, but she still danced a fine line. Hermione put her on more solid ground, farther from the edge.
"Thank you," she whispered, placing a kiss on Hermione's neck before striding out of the room to go destroy something. She was calm enough not to disobey her Lord, but the anger was still there and she needed to let it out.
"You did wonderfully, Hermione. I am used to having to pull her from the edge by myself but she is much more stable when you are around. Congratulations on your Mark. We're all proud of you," Narcissa said after her sister had gone.
"Thank you, Cissa. It feels good to be among family. I do have a question, though. Why don't you have a Mark?"
"You remember the book on healing I sent you?" Narcissa asked, slightly startled at the nickname Hermione used.
"Yes. Dark magic corrupts and makes a person unable to use pure healing. Oh, I see. You are not Marked because that would corrupt your magic and you could only use dark healing. As a pure healer, you're much more useful since you're better able to heal any injuries the Death Eaters obtain on missions. The Dark Lord has no reason to doubt your loyalty because of Bellatrix and Lucius being your family and he knows you value them and your son more than anything."
"You are correct, Hermione. Mostly. The Dark Lord was the one to suggest I refrain from taking the Mark so I could keep my magic pure for healing. He knew I would remain loyal to my husband and sister, but I wanted to show him I was loyal to him as well. I took a vow, one that is not magically binding, but a vow nonetheless, and I am glad I did. The Dark Lord respects me greatly for taking one when I did not have to."
"You worry about them, don't you?"
"I worry for all of you, Hermione. But with you on our side, I feel much better about the outcome of the war."
"I could never choose a side that wouldn't accept Bella. It was never really a matter of what to decide, but when," she stated, buttoning her shirt.
"I am glad to hear that, Hermione. My sister means much to me and I love to see her so happy. She has been through so much to keep our family safe. She deserves the happiness you bring and I'm glad you've given her the chance."
"I should be the one thanking you for the chance. I would never have learned the truth without you."
"Everything is as it should be. Come, let us check on my sister before she burns my house to the ground. It wouldn't be the first time she's tried," Narcissa said, helping Hermione down from the table.