A/N Goodness, is it time for this chapter already? I swear I just posted chapter 20. There is a lot of information in this chapter, including one of the explanations you've all been waiting so patiently for. It's totally fair for me to make you wait nearly 30 chapters, you get a new one every day.
The full Prophecy is here! Did you think I wouldn't tell you? Where would be the fun in that? It's a rhetorical question, you aren't meant to answer. It obviously wouldn't be very fun.
I have thrown all concepts of a 'halfway point' (whatever that is) behind me because this is just going to be a long fucking story. I have over 40 chapters written and I still have plenty more to go.
Thank you all so much for your support in whatever form it comes in, even if you are but a silent guest gazing longingly at the words on your screen, waiting for the answers you seek. Each little bit means everything to me and I promise to do my best to fulfill your expectations of this story.
Ladies and gentlemen, put your various appendages together for chapter 28!
The Prophecy of the Heir
The Heir of Morgana shall be born of non-magical humans
The Heir shall come with the Second War
With the Dark Lord's rise, the Heir shall be found
The Heir shall decide the war
Light and Dark become Grey
Shades of Gray within the world
The Heir shall choose the Brightest
The Brightest Grey, born of Change
One Eagle of Air, four Lions of Fire
Side by side
Support the Heir in her endeavors
She leads the way
They shall follow
The Heir of Morgana shall bring the darkest Black from the edge of insanity
The darkest Black, with magic of dragons
Will keep the Heir from plunging into madness
The youngest Black shall place the first stone in the Bridge a month before the Heir comes of age
The Heir will be the Brightest in a den of Lions
The estranged Black shall place the last stone in the Bridge
The Heir must be the one to cross the Bridge
Once the Heir and darkest Black are united, not even Death shall separate them
The badger shall be the Heir's protector
When the Boy of Lion turns
The Boy of Lion will be the final factor
The Heir will rise
A new tomorrow has begun
Hermione read the pages again, gently nudging Bellatrix who was dozing beside her. She mumbled something unintelligible, turning away from Hermione but scooting closer. Hermione smiled, gently running a hand through onyx curls. She knew Bellatrix would take time to wake up but would do so soon. Running her fingernails over the Death Eater's scalp, Hermione earned a shiver from the dark witch. Bellatrix looked peaceful when she was asleep, face relaxed and youthful. Slowly, Bellatrix began to wake, the sensation of fingers in her hair and the scent of walnuts and rain drawing the witch out of sleep.
"What are you doing, love?" she murmured, turning to Hermione and draping her arm over the girl's lap.
"Reading one of the books we brought back. It has my prophecy in it like your family book does. This one has more, though."
"It must be your family book. Can I see?" Bellatrix asked, sitting up, pulling Hermione into her side.
Hermione handed the book to Bellatrix, tucking into her side. She rested her chin on the Death Eater's shoulder, watching her face as she read the page. She could feel Bellatrix shudder occasionally as her breath ghosted over the older witch's Azkaban tattoo. Leaning forward, she gently placed a kiss to it, smirking when she heard Bella's sharp inhale and watching her eyes flutter closed. Emboldened, Hermione leaned up, trailing kisses down the dark witch's jaw.
Taking a deep breath, Bellatrix whispered, "Hermione, if you aren't ready to go any farther, please stop. I don't want to lose control."
"And if I am?" Hermione whispered back, noticing the clenched fists and jaw.
"Then by all means, please continue."
Before Hermione could respond, she felt her arm burning. Hissing in pain, she pulled away to look at her Mark. The tattoo was moving faintly.
"Is it the Mark?" Bellatrix asked, moving closer to Hermione, gently taking her arm in her hands.
"Yes," Hermione said between grit teeth.
"He is calling. It only hurts that bad the first time. Go, I'll be here when you get back," Bellatrix said, placing a kiss to Hermione's Mark and then her lips, pulling away before either of them could deepen it. Hermione rose from her spot on the bed, blowing a kiss to her Death Eater before going to the library.
"Ah, Hermione. I apologize if I have interrupted your sleep," the Dark Lord said when she entered, gesturing for her to sit.
"It is no trouble, my Lord. I was already awake. I found a copy of my prophecy in one of the books from my Castle. Bella says it is my family book. Is there something you need, my Lord?"
"I am glad your prophecy was not completely destroyed. I would like to see it, if I may. As for why I called you here, I was reading the Prophet when an idea came to me. I wanted to consult you before creating a plan."
"You are welcome to any books in my libraries, my Lord, as well as anything else you require. What would you like to discuss?"
"Do you read the Prophet, Hermione?"
"No, my Lord. I prefer to read more educational material."
"I expected no less. Your name has been all over the paper, courtesy of one Rita Skeeter. It seems she is rather terrified of your potential and is trying to convince the world you are evil. Since you have not officially been seen among Death Eaters, I thought you might enjoy a coming out party, in the form of tormenting a certain illegal Animagus. What do you think?"
"I think it is high time for my side to become known, my Lord. I will take great pleasure in giving her a reason to fear me," Hermione said, darkness gleaming in her eyes.
"Excellent. You and Bella will head the mission. You may take whomever you wish, but limit it to four. Make sure you are clearly seen but do not fatally harm anyone. Do you understand?"
"Yes, my Lord. This mission will be a show of sides, nothing more."
"Very good. I would like for this to be done by the end of the week. I have also ensured your parents are safe. You may go," the Dark Lord said, effectively dismissing her.
"Thank you, my Lord." Standing, Hermione bowed before leaving the room, excitement buzzing in her veins. She would be going on her first raid and her magic was thrumming. Restraining herself, she managed not to run back to her and Bella's room, already thinking about who she would bring.
"Bella, we have a raid to plan," she whispered excitedly upon entering. The dark witch was sitting on the bed, blanket wrapped around her, the book still on her lap. At Hermione's words, her head snapped up, excitement glimmering in her dark eyes.
"What kind of raid? When? Who's going?" she questioned, barely able to sit still.
"It will be my official coming out raid, to be completed within the next three days, no more than four including the two of us. I was thinking Lucius and Greyback. We're going to pay a certain unregistered Animagus a visit. We have strict instructions to cause no harm, only to be seen destroying properties," Hermione recounted, sitting next to Bellatrix on the bed.
"Lucius and Greyback are solid choices. We should strike at twilight so people are still awake to see us and it will be dark enough that we can escape easily enough. When do you want to go?"
"Can we go tonight?"
"We must inform Lucius and Greyback, have an entrance and exit strategy, as well as a backup exit plan, and a plan of attack. Lucky for us we have all day. We'll tell Lucius at breakfast and I'll find Greyback after, and we can devise a plan in the drawing room. If it's solid, we'll go tonight."
"Let's go, then. Narcissa is bound to fetch us if we don't show up soon."
Narcissa was indeed about to fetch the two witches when they arrived in the dining room. Barely contained excitement was spilling from both of them. She suspected they were feeding off of each other's excitement by the palpable way it grew. There would likely be a raid soon, Bella was not this excited about anything else.
"There will be a raid within the next three days. Lucius, you will be joining us. We are meeting in the drawing room after breakfast. Greyback will also be joining us," Hermione said as she sat down, Bellatrix to her left.
"How exciting! I cannot wait to find out what we are doing," Lucius said, clapping his hands together, his eyes shining with the same excitement as Hermione and Bellatrix.
The plan was set and the four Death Eaters were ready. It had only taken them a few hours to devise a solid plan, now they just had to wait for sunset. Bellatrix and Hermione were strolling through the garden to pass the time. They were hand in hand as they always were when they were together.
"Bella? Will you tell me what happened with the Longbottoms? I get the feeling Dumbledore didn't give the full truth and I think Neville deserves to know."
"That is not a pretty story. But I will tell you. Frank and Alice Longbottom were both Aurors during the first war. They had somehow found out about Dumbledore being the reason the Dark Lord ever rose to power and were going to expose him. They also knew of the part he played in Gellert Grindelwald's uprising. When he found out what they were going to do, he threatened to kill them and their newborn son. They came to the Dark Lord, begging for protection, for him to protect their son. They asked that it be done in a way that would allow Dumbledore to twist it so their child would be safe. The Dark Lord consented, ordering an attack on the Aurors that would incapacitate them so they would not be able to reveal Dumbledore's secret. We were ordered not to kill them under any circumstance and not to touch the child. It took us a long time, Aurors are trained to throw off the Cruciatus Curse, and they had to resist or else the plan would not have worked. I don't remember how long it was before they were no longer able to stay grounded in reality. I remember their screams and my laughter at their suffering and then they were lost and everything went sideways. I know that the Dark Lord can reverse what we did, but he has to rebuild his power and win the war first," Bellatrix recounted, occasionally pausing. Hermione did not interrupt the dark witch while she had spoken or paused.
"Thank you. For telling me. I will write Neville tomorrow, telling him the truth so he knows."
"I told you something, now I want to ask you a question. Why did you pick me?"
"Oh, Bella," Hermione said, pulling the older witch to a stop and gently kissing her. "I picked you because I love you. Because you gave me the truth when no one else would, and I didn't have to ask you to. Because I could never imagine living in a world where you're dead or imprisoned because of the things you've done to protect those you care about. Because I would do anything to protect you from suffering at the hands of the people who lied to me, even if it means killing them. Because you're the sane to my crazy and the crazy to my sane. Because you're you and I could never want anyone more than I want you."
Bellatrix didn't trust herself enough to speak. She could feel the tears in her eyes at Hermione's words and she knew if she spoke they would fall. Instead, she hugged her lion tightly, burying her face in brown hair. Hermione hugged her back, arms around her waist and chin on her shoulder, placing gentle kisses along her jaw. They didn't need to say anything, understanding each other without the need for words, their magic twisting together but still separate. Both of them felt it, the mingling of walnut and cinnamon, pine and rain. Words were unnecessary when they could communicate with their magic.