A/N Another day and more of the story unfurls! It's so exciting.

On the subject of NEWTs, for those who are curious, Hermione will not be needing to take exams because she will be learning from some of the most skilled wizards/witches.

Enjoy!

Hermione and Bellatrix were lying in the shade of the willow tree in the garden, the grass gently tickling their skin and the air pleasant. They were looking at the sky through the branches of the willow, basking in the company of the other as they lay next to each other, hands intertwined between them. They had been lying in silence, not needing to say anything, not having anything to say. They merely wanted to enjoy their time together. There was no rush. Hermione would not be returning to Hogwarts so they had no need to share everything so quickly. They could relax and not worry about separation.

"Bella? How did you come to be a Death Eater?" Hermione asked, turning her head to face the dark witch.

Bellatrix continued to stare at the sky, bottom lip in between her teeth and Hermione's eyes instantly focused on the motion. She was thoughtful for a moment, debating on telling the young witch the events that led to her being here. The girl had not been afraid of her at all, and Bellatrix had no reason to believe the information would frighten Hermione.

"It was just after my seventh year of Hogwarts. I was to be married to Rodolphus Lestrange, who had ties to the Dark Lord. My father did, too, but I did not know that at the time. Andromeda had run away to be with a muggleborn and I managed to convince Father to disown her even though I was furious she left. I hated Ted for taking away my sister but I would still do anything to protect her. I was so lost in my hate that I started to lose my hold on the world. It didn't help that I had never been a particularly stable child, but being the eldest is always hard as a Black.

Rodolphus introduced me to the Dark Lord and he saw someone who would be useful to his cause rather than as a housewife. He could see the instability in my head and he helped me get a firmer grip on reality. I pledged myself to his cause before my husband did, but the Dark Lord protected me from Rodolphus's wrath. He guided me as far away from the edge as he could and I owe him my life for that. I've always danced on the edge, but when the Dark Lord came into my life, he gave me stability when I had none. He taught me to use my emotions to my advantage and I quickly rose through the ranks. We were fanatical back then, destroying just for the fun of it. We weren't what we are today. We were evil, truly evil.

After he was vanquished, I had no one to keep me away from the edge, especially since I was in Azkaban. But my Mark was always there to keep me from falling completely. I knew he would return because the magic that created the mark still existed. When he did, before he was strong enough to break me out of prison, he helped Narcissa discover the identity of the Heir. It took a long time but they managed to finally find the answer over the summer. He helped Narcissa choose the first book to send you. And then the day finally came where he was strong enough to break me out of Azkaban. He told me Narcissa had found you and I could write to you but I had to get better before I could meet you.

When we were all reassembled, he informed us of the change in his plans. We would no longer be destroying things for fun. We would have a new purpose, a better one. Rather than tearing the world apart at the seams, we would seek to eliminate the blood-caste. There was outrage at first, and many of his old followers disagreed. I was not one of them, nor was Lucius. We both had a long time to think about the cost of the first war. Lucius had a son now, and I was tired of being lost in hate. I was thrilled the Dark Lord no longer wished for senseless destruction and I was the first to reaffirm my allegiance. Lucius was second. Things had changed, we had changed. The Dark Lord did too," Bellatrix said, looking at the sky for the entirety of the story, lost in the memories.

"Sometimes the things we think are right at the time aren't but what matters is having the courage to see our mistakes and fix them. I'm proud of you," Hermione whispered, eyes not leaving the dark witch's face.

"You're too young to be so wise," Bellatrix murmured, turning her head so she faced Hermione.

"Wisdom comes with experience, not age."

"There you go again," Bellatrix teased, a smile on her face.

"I don't see you trying to stop me."

"Are you saying you want me to?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm saying, Bella."

"Well then I see no reason not to oblige."

Bellatrix tilted her head to capture Hermione's lips with her own. Feeling Hermione's tongue on her bottom lip, Bellatrix pulled Hermione closer by her hips and teased the girl with her own tongue. It was not a battle of dominance but a familiarization. Hermione's hands wove into Bellatrix's curls, pulling her closer, deepening the kiss. Bellatrix could not resist the taste of walnuts and rain that was Hermione, swiftly rolling so she was on top, straddling her young love's waist. Hermione moaned at the sensation of Bellatrix on top of her tightening her grip on the onyx curls and arching her back. Bellatrix pulled away with a nip to Hermione's bottom lip, her eyes dark and chest heaving. She watched Hermione watch her as the young witch caught her breath.

"Fuck," Hermione muttered closing her eyes and letting her head rest on the grass.

"Not yet, love," Bellatrix teased, kissing down Hermione's jaw. She smirked at the shaky breaths coming from the young witch, her hands reaching Hermione's ribs but going no further. Bellatrix knew they needed to take this slow, but she couldn't help the temptation. She loved everything about Hermione and wanted her to set the pace so she was comfortable with their relationship.

"What are we, Bella?" Hermione asked, clearly thinking along the same line as Bellatrix.

"We're soulmates, love. We don't need anything more than that."

"I know. I just wanted to hear you say it."

"I'll say it until the end of time."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, lion. Let's go. Cissy will be mad if we're late for dinner."

Bellatrix helped Hermione to her feet, hugging her close before taking her hand and leading her to the dining room. Hermione smiled at Bellatrix, tucking into the dark witch's side as they walked. She was glad Bellatrix had shared such information with her. She knew Bellatrix was a relatively private person, especially when it came to her past.

As they entered the Manor, Hermione couldn't help but admire the dark witch. She had been through so much more than she had shared today. Hermione knew but didn't want to push her. Bellatrix would tell her everything in time. She was just glad she was finally getting answers to the questions she had. She finally felt she was where she belonged. Everyone made her feel so much more welcome than most of the Order did. Hermione had known her decision almost from the start but she felt much more confident she made the right choice after everything that had happened.

"Wonderful! You two are here. I was just about to fetch you," Narcissa beamed as they entered the dining room.

"We would never miss family dinner, Cissa," Hermione said before Bellatrix could, sitting at the place clearly meant for her.

"It is nice to know you consider us family, Hermione," Lucius said, raising his cup in a toast.

They echoed the movement before sipping their drinks and beginning the meal. In all her time at the Burrow, Hermione had never felt as included as she did now. The Malfoys were much kinder when they were not among society. She supposed most pureblood families were that way, having to provide a stoic façade to avoid showing weakness.

"After everything that has happened, there is no one else I'd rather call family."

"We are glad you feel that way, Hermione. You'll always have a place with us," Draco said with a grin.

"As if I belong anywhere else, Draco," Hermione replied, mimicking his grin.

Dinner was a cheerful affair, the family finally being complete. They chatted about mundane things and serious things, and sometimes nothing at all. It was their way of enjoying themselves after so long. Bellatrix had been in prison for fourteen years, Draco had been at school for the year, and they had only just found Hermione. It was their first dinner together. Everyone at the table would cherish the moment when they were able to be together without worry for the future for the first time. There was still a war ahead of them, but the outlook was in their favor.

"Hermione, I hope you don't mind, but I had the house elves put your belongings in Bella's room. You can always have them moved if you wish," Narcissa whispered to the girl.

"Thank you, Narcissa. I wouldn't have it any other way," Hermione whispered back with a smile. She knew Bellatrix would respect her boundaries and had no problem sleeping in the same room. She hadn't even thought there would be an alternative. Not that she would be forced to sleep in Bella's room, more that she couldn't fathom why she would sleep elsewhere. She wasn't ready to take things further yet, but there would come a time when she was. Besides, she had been away from the Death Eater her entire life, she wanted all the time together she could get, even if she wasn't awake to enjoy it.