She's staring at the ceiling, wondering if it was all a dream. There should be a body next to hers, warming her up and comforting her, but there isn't. There should be marks all along her body to show a night full of passion, but there aren't.
She's laying in her Hogwarts bed. With her fellow Hogwarts students. At Hogwarts.
But Miss Black wasn't a dream. All of it truly happened. Everything she had promised, she made good on.
She smiles to herself as she rolls over in bed. She's not going to question how she ended up here, why Miss Black healed her body or why she feels so incredibly relaxed, as if she's still floating on a little cloud of happiness.
In three hours, she's about to enter the class of Professor Black. In three months, she will graduate from Hogwarts, older than any student before her, but perhaps also more knowledgeable than any of her fellow graduates. And in three years? She doesn't want to think about that yet. But she does. Because she's Hermione Granger and how could she not think about the future?
Yesterday she would have said she would want to work at the Ministry. One night with Bellatrix Black has changed that. If one teacher could make such a profound change in her life, doesn't she owe it to younger students to do the same for them? Not by dominating them. But by passing on her knowledge. By teaching them everything that has been taught to her.
Professor Granger. She sounds it out and nearly bursts into a giggle. It sounds strange, like an intangible thing. But it makes her heart flutter. Perhaps she truly has found her calling after all. It excites her.
"Get up, you lazy bum."
"I shan't. I'm thinking."
Ginny hits her with a pillow.
"Think somewhere else. You have about ten minutes. But just because I'm curious. What are you thinking about?"
She shouldn't say it. She really shouldn't. The implications alone could be disastrous. But she can't help herself, something inside of her is dying to get out. So, she says it. As casually as she can. With no emotion behind it.
"Professor Black."
She's a little bit disappointed when Ginny doesn't even question it.
As soon as she steps into Professor Black's classroom, she knows she's made a giant mistake. It's not the actual stepping into the classroom that is the mistake, nor is it the night they shared.
She's wearing a bra. The one thing Miss Black had forbidden. Glancing around, she wonders if there's still time to run back upstairs. She would never make it in back in time and facing Professor Black's wrath for being late isn't worth it. Bra or not. Perhaps the Professor won't notice.
Ginny is sitting right next to her, mumbling something about Harry and how work as an auror hasn't gotten in the way of their romantic letters and it makes Hermione a little bit queasy. She's happy for them, of course, but with Harry being her best friend, it often makes for awkward conversation.
Just last week, she magically tied Ginny's tongue when she started to speak about their first time together. Ginny had gotten the hint, though. There were a lot less details after that.
"The advantage of a nonverbal spell?"
The entire class freezes, several hands shoot up, including her own.
"Ms. Granger?"
"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you are about to perform, which gives you a split-second advantage."
"Five points to Gryffindor."
Hermione chuckles. The disdain for Gryffindor is still there, at least that hasn't changed. But there's something in Professor Black's eyes that Hermione can now interpret as something other than disdain.
"Something funny, Ms. Granger?"
"No Miss."
Her eyes grow wide, can't believe she's so stupid as to say Miss rather than Professor. She can feel her cheeks flush as she corrects herself.
"I mean Professor. Sorry Professor."
"Quite alright," Professor Black hums. "Bit tongue-tied perhaps?"
As soon as Professor Black speaks the words, Hermione can feel her own tongue being tied. She's unable to speak, to utter any form of communication and it turns her on. Just a little.
"Now," Professor Black says. "Last time we practiced non-verbal spells most of you looked like you overdosed on U-No-Poo. We'll start off with something simple. Ms. Weasley. Show us your best Levicorpus."
Ginny raises her wand, flicks it upwards and before Hermione knows what's happening, she's hanging upside down. Still unable to speak, she just glares at Ginny with her best 'I'll get you for this' look.
"Well done. Probably best to set her down now, hm?"
When she's safely back in her seat, she can feel the incantation leave her body and she opens her mouth to hiss at Ginny.
"Really? Me?"
Ginny just shrugs.
"Concentration and mental discipline are the most crucial whilst performing spells non-verbally," Professor Black says. "You will practice these in pairs. If I see any of you look constipated during your exams, it will be an instant fail."
She waves her hand and the students' desks move towards the walls, giving them ample space to practice their spells.
Ginny goes for a non-verbal Patronus while Hermione tries her very best to give Ginny a pig tail like Hagrid did to Dudley all those years ago.
"Stop it," Ginny hisses. "It's like you're trying to tickle my arse and I don't like it!"
She grins and puts up a shield instead when Ginny tries to retaliate. It knocks Ginny back on her arse and Hermione counts it as a win.
"You're no fun," Ginny says as she pouts. She takes the hand offered to her, regardless so.
They practice spells for a while and it's almost enough for Hermione to forget that only last night she was writhing under Miss Black, begging for a release that never came. For a moment she wonders when she will be allowed, if they're going to repeat that night many times over.
Professor Black isn't treating her any different in class than before. Still pays very little attention to her and if it wasn't for the fact that she could see it in Professor Black's eyes, she would say nothing had changed at all.
But it's not true. Everything has changed. She herself has changed. And she doesn't mind. Not at all.
Mediocrity. All her students are mediocre. At least three of them have been practicing non-verbal spells for a good two years now, with little to show for it. There's one exception, though. There always is.
Hermione Granger. The girl who has changed the game. Who defied all her defenses and somehow wiggled her way into her–
She shakes her head. It's entirely too early to go there. They've only just begun. Hermione is still her student, both inside and outside of Hogwarts. Learning the ropes, although there's very little she can still teach Hermione that would be allowed within Hogwart's curriculum.
Three more months and she can teach Hermione spells the girl has only ever read about in books in the restricted section of the library. Hermione has a natural curiosity, she'll want to learn, but she'll give her an earful about it with each spell she learns.
If she's honest with herself, Hermione's talents would be wasted at the Ministry. But there's not a teacher at Hogwarts who doesn't know about her wish to work for the Minister, to bring real change to the wizarding world and if anyone can... It's Hermione. Still, she wishes Hermione would push herself a little further.
"Granger!"
Oh, that look is utterly delicious. It's a flustered look, a shy one, one that says, 'I'm not quite sure how to act around you after all that transpired between us'. They're dancing around each other on a very fine line, both so tempted to cross it. It would be disastrous.
Three months. They can do this.
"Yes, Professor?"
"Class dismissed!"
Students run out of her classroom faster than they would if they were being chased by a dementor. Except for Ginny, who's casually leaning against the door, waiting for her friend.
"Ms. Granger will catch up with you in a minute."
She doesn't miss the look that Ginny throws Hermione. A way to say, 'it was nice to know you, rest in peace'. It makes her laugh. As soon as the door closes, with Ginny safely on the other side, she turns to Hermione.
"You broke a rule."
She can see Hermione gulp, watches that faint glow appear on her cheeks. Apparently, her pet likes to be reprimanded. Well. She'll just have to teach her differently. For now. Reprimands can be fun.
"Sorry, Professor."
"Oh no," she says, moving in closer. "This time, you can absolutely call me Miss." She grabs a fistful of Hermione's hair, pulls her head back and moves in impossibly close. "Now. Show me how skilled you are in non-verbal spells."
In an instant Hermione's bra is gone. No soft mumbling, no constipated looks, just one eager to please. And she does. Hermione has been pleasing her from the moment she's stepped inside of her dungeon.
"Good girl. I think a punishment is fitting, though. Don't you think?"
"Yes Miss."
"It's a good thing, I'll have three months to think about one."
Hermione's face falters then. It's sadness that reflects onto her own face.
"You're worth waiting for, pet. Don't doubt that. You make it very hard to do the responsible thing." She smiles then. "I'm not a very responsible person."
"No more dungeon visits?"
She shakes her head. They can't. They shouldn't. It would be a horrible idea. Hermione does not yet know who exactly steps inside of her dungeons. She got lucky this time. There's another Professor who comes in from time to time. One who would absolutely have an abundance of words to say if she knew what they did last night. They can't be caught. It's not worth the hassle. She's played the waiting game before. She can do it again. In fact, this time she actively chooses to. For Hermione. For them. For everything that isn't there yet but absolutely could be.
"I'll admit you make it hard to tell you no. But there are certain boundaries we've crossed, that we truly shouldn't have. I don't regret them," she hastily adds. "But I want to do right by you. I hope you understand that."
"I do, Miss. It makes me sad, though."
"Likewise. We'll find a... more suitable solution. Perhaps you could write me a letter, hm? Letters aren't forbidden."
Hermione perks up then and it's exactly what she needs to see. Happiness. She never wants to see anything else on her face. Not at Hogwarts anyway. Outside of Hogwarts? She wants to see Hermione with all the emotions a person could possibly muster.
"Now go. Before Ginny asks too many questions." She lets go of Hermione's hair and strokes her cheek with her thumb.
"Miss?"
"Yes?"
Hermione leans forward, places a gentle kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you for being you."
She smiles and her cheek feels as if it's been blessed by an angel itself. It's warm and fuzzy. All feelings she's not quite sure how to deal with.
"You're welcome, pet. Now go."
When Hermione closes the door behind her, Bellatrix sighs. They'll be okay. Together.
Three months. It'll be worth it.
The door opens once more.
"Forgot something, Granger?"
"Not quite," a voice calls out.
Her heart is beating faster than it ever has before. This was all such a giant mistake.
"Minerva. You scared me."
"Why is that? Does the infamous Bellatrix Black have something to hide?"
She stands up taller, ready to defy and deny all accusations.
"I want to discuss the final exams," Minerva says.
Okay. Exams. She can handle that. Had Minerva been stepping inside to accuse her of sleeping with a student, she wouldn't have known what to do. They made the right choice.
Some people are worth waiting for.