True Love
C3: London Shopping
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
The following morning Hermione woke up before the three sisters, who were all draped over her or each other in one form or another. Bellatrix was draped completely over Narcissa with her arms firmly locked around the blonde's lithe waist while Andromeda had wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist, pressing the young brunette firmly against her body and her head resting between her generous breasts, a position she did not mind one bit.
"Good morning little lion. Did you sleep okay?" Andromeda asked softly as she pressed a kiss to the top of Hermione's head.
Hermione nodded and smiled as she turned to kiss the other brunette properly. "I did, having you three here helped my mind to settle down for the first time in six years. It's probably the best night's rest I've had in years."
Andromeda smiled and caressed the smooth skin of her lover's back. "I have to say that this is certainly a nice surprise, little lion. I didn't expect a good morning kiss already."
"Since all three of you were very prominent stars in my dreams last night, I would like to think that my mind has already come to a decision on how we're going to go forward, and that includes, but is certainly not limited to a proper good morning kiss." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Andromeda smiled as a loud groan interrupted their little moment. "It's all well and good that you've come to a decision, but why are you even awake at this hour. It's still dark outside." Bellatrix asked with a groan as she turned even deeper into the covers.
"It isn't Bella. Your face is just obstructed by the covers." Narcissa said softly as she too accepted a kiss from the brunette.
Bellatrix groaned as she lifted her head and crawled over Narcissa, quickly being pulled into a kiss by Hermione too. "Good morning beautiful. I hope you slept okay despite clearly not being a morning person." Hermione said with a tender smile.
Bellatrix smiled and pulled Hermione into her lap. "You would be right in the fact that I am not a morning person, but I did sleep very well now that we are all together. How did you sleep poppet?"
"Amazing Bella, thank you for asking. I can certainly be persuaded to make this a permanent arrangement." The brunette said with a loving smile.
Bellatrix smiled at her young lover. "And what exactly would we have to do to persuade you to make this permanent, little lion?"
"That tonight all three of you be yourselves in bed. My dreams last night were sort of prophetic and I am more than ready to at least share that with all of you. If we are supposed to be together forever, then I think this is a very good start." Hermione said with a soft smile.
The three sisters smiled at her. "I think we can manage that little love. Now what is our plan for today? We're wasting valuable time." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
"I'd say we divide and conquer. I can go and fetch the things from Gringotts, you and Hermione can do the necessary shopping and Andromeda can start on redecorating our room. It'll hold four people by the end of the day after all." Bellatrix said with a grin."
Andromeda smiled at that. "I think I can manage a room to all of our liking, since it's not going just Slytherin colors anymore."
"I know, and for once I don't mind because our little lion has proven to be plenty Slytherin herself." The raven-haired witch said as she pressed a soft kiss to Hermione's neck.
Hermione groaned as she pressed herself against the naked chest behind her. "Don't start now Bella. I want to do this properly and take my time with the three of you. We will not have a quickie for our first time together."
"Of course we won't, because all three of us will first spend a passionate night with you separately to make sure our bond is as strong as it can be before we complete it together." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at the sisters. "I can't wait. Is there a specific order we must do this in?"
"Not really, we would leave that up to you. We understand this is all very new to you." Andromeda said with a loving smile.
Hermione blushed a little at that as the three sisters pressed a soft kiss to her cheeks and neck before getting out of bed and making their way to the closet to get dressed while Hermione spent a little while longer admiring the three sisters.
"Don't stare Hermione. It's unbecoming for a lady, now out of bed so we can go. Now that we've gotten Bella into gear, it's best to get going as soon as possible." Narcissa said with a slight chiding tone.
Hermione smiled at that. "Yes, because four women and single closet is going to go so well. I was merely waiting until you three were done getting dressed. Perhaps that's an idea for our room as well, a good-sized closet for the four of us."
"Trust me that is the first thing on my list Hermione, because I seriously doubt the amount of clothes Cissy is going to buy for you today will fit in this closet." Andromeda said with a smile once she was dressed.
Hermione just smiled at that. "I had expected nothing less, and I believe it is high time I start dressing the way you all expect me to. With us being bonded through Prophecy. I know there is a certain image I must portray now, and I am ready to accept that image now that I am no longer restrained by the machinations of an old man with a superiority complex."
Bellatrix grinned and scooped the young brunette off the bed and into her arms. "Spoken like a true Black indeed, poppet. I think we're going to have a lot of fun in the next couple of weeks."
Hermione just smiled and nodded as she was set down in front of the closet so she too could get dressed for the day.
…
After the four of them had a nice breakfast, Hermione and Narcissa took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron so they could then take the bus into London. "I honestly didn't expect you to own anything close to being Muggle appropriate, but I have to admit you certainly managed to surprise me with this outfit Narcissa." Hermione said with a soft smile as she once again checked her appearance in the window.
Narcissa smiled at her young lover, who now looked a lot older than she actually was. It would look strange for someone Hermione's age to be seen interacting so lovingly with an older woman so openly after all. They both had no intention of hiding how they felt, and that is why Narcissa had put an Aging Glamour on the young Gryffindor. "Contrary to popular belief I do enjoy high-end Muggle clothes. Both in quality and style they are far superior to what we have in our world."
Hermione smiled and leaned against the blonde. "I know, but Draco always painted this picture of you being the epiphany of a pureblood woman. That's why the truth has been a bit startling to be very honest."
"It is true that I portray two vastly different images. One the one hand I am that Ice Queen everybody sees in public, and I suppose elements of that bleed through to my personal life as well. I was raised to be the perfect pureblood wife and I took our mother's lessons to heart more than both Bella and Andi ever did and that is why that side comes easy to me, but on the other hand, as you will learn soon enough, I am also very capable of having fun and relaxing when the time is right. There are few things I enjoy more than to lose myself in a good book." The blonde said with a soft smile.
"With a library like the one at home, I'm not even surprised. I would get lost in there too, something I fully intend to do once everything has settled down a bit. I can't even begin to imagine the information contained there." Hermione said softly.
Narcissa smiled at her. "You'll have plenty of time to explore our library, little love. Although I do suspect that one of the ideas we have once all this madness is over might appeal to you more. You know as well as we do that no matter which side wins, we're always going to be a target. That is why we have planned to move out of Malfoy Manor as soon as the War is over. The three of us have a quaint little cottage in the country that we have started adding to after learning of the Prophecy. We'll take you there tomorrow to see what you think of it. We plan to have a decent sized library as well."
Hermione smiled at that. "That sounds like a dream honestly, but will it really be that bad after the war?"
Narcissa nodded at her. "Yes, it will. It won't be as bad when the Dark Lord wins, but even if we win we'll be hounded by everyone for our part in the War. All we want is just to be left alone and I fear that it will be impossible if we win. If the Order manages to win, we'll have an even harder time, because then Dumbledore's followers will want to see us all in Azkaban, preferably for the rest of our lives. That's why we hope there is a third way to end this conflict that will allow the Dark Lord's plans to find continuance, and that will also allow us to live in peace."
Hermione nodded and sighed softly at that. "If only there was a way we could do that, because I have a feeling that this will all be turned on it's side before this comes to a head. The only thing we can really hope for is that the Dark Lord succeeds in his plan to end Dumbledore. I have a feeling that once he is removed from the equation, the Order might actually start to think for themselves and see what he told them is nothing but lies. It might also help us to reach out to McGonagall at some point."
Narcissa smiled and nodded. "We want to, and the Dark Lord agrees, but the timing will be crucial. The same goes for Kingsley. He is the one that will take over until elections for a new Minister can be held. The Light wants everyone to believe that the Dark Lord is only focused on destruction, while in reality he is searching for unification. That is why he is reaching out to those he feels he can trust, like McGonagall and Kingsley. The only problem is that it will take time to convince them to see the truth."
"That's good to hear, and I think McGonagall will be willing to listen once she realizes why I turned on the Order. I do wonder about something though. If he is not out to destroy this time around. What happened at the World Cup?" Hermione asked softly.
"That was an unfortunate case of several drunk Death Eaters gone rogue. They have since been dealt with." The blonde said with a soft smile as the bus came to a stop.
As they got out and made their way into Harrods, Hermione couldn't help but stare in awe. Honestly she had never been here before and knowing that together with Narcissa they were probably going to spend more than her parents made in a year was a bit daunting to her.
Narcissa noticed the brunette getting stuck in her head again and pressed a soft kiss to her cheek as they made their way up to the women's department, the blonde fully committed to make this afternoon with her little love worth while for both of them.
…
While Narcissa and Hermione were shopping in London, Bellatrix had already gotten the Cup for the Dark Lord out of her Vault and was now on her way to the Black Family Vault to retrieve a couple of things for Hermione, including the ring they had charmed for her the moment Bellatrix had shared her suspicions about Hermione with her sisters.
They had worked tirelessly to make sure that it would be perfect for their little lion, and she had full confidence that it would make Hermione feel everything they did through the bond, which she knew Hermione could handle.
She also planned to get a couple of other things from the Vault, something she hoped would give Hermione some insights on their childhood, which by all accounts wasn't something she wanted to expose the young Gryffindor to, but it was also a necessity for Hermione to understand how they had become the women they were.
The diaries she needed were safely hidden in the back where she knew her mother would never find them, along with a few other books that she knew Hermione would enjoy reading. They were books on Dark Magic that she was sure would interest the brunette, something she knew Hermione was at least interested in.
There were several options she had to choose from and while she knew Hermione had plenty of knowledge on the subject already, she wanted to make sure Hermione did not make the same mistake she did, namely wanting to dive in headfirst and wanting to learn too much at once.
To make sure that didn't happen, she searched for the books that would explain the core principles of the Dark Arts and how it should always be respected, although she suspected that last bit was something they wouldn't have to worry about.
She knew her sisters had somewhat mixed feelings about their lion learning the Dark Arts, even though they knew it was somewhat of a necessity now.
With everything coming to a head sooner rather than later all three of them had agreed that it would be best if they brushed up their lover's dueling skills a little. The months leading up to the final confrontation were sure to be full of interesting missions meant to test her loyalty to the cause, something the brunette knew and understood all to well.
That was why once they had solidified their bond properly, Bellatrix would start to teach Hermione proper dueling skills, because she knew their little witch had a remarkable talent for it as well as a knack to use her spells very creatively, something she herself was also very known for.
After getting the everything she needed, she made her way back to the top floor so she could go back home. There was a lot to prepare before Hermione and Narcissa returned, and she had promised Andromeda to help with the renovations.
As she made her way back through the Alley, she had the feeling she was being watched which could potentially be problematic.
Deciding not to dawdle any longer, she made her way to her usual apparition point in Knockturn Alley so she could go home.
Appearing in the living room she immediately made her way to the room the Dark Lord had claimed as his own for the duration of his stay in the Manor. She needed to bring him the Cup before doing anything else, since she knew he would not be pleased if she did anything else before that.
The door to his study was open and after knocking, she was allowed entry. "Ah Bellatrix. It's good that you're here. Perhaps you can answer some questions."
"Of course my Lord. What can I do for you?" She asked kindly.
"Is there a particular reason Andromeda and the majority of the House Elves have been rushing through the Manor for most of the morning?" He asked sternly.
Bellatrix smiled and nodded. "There is indeed my Lord. We are decorating a bedroom where we can properly spend the night with our Bond mate. I was supposed to help them, but I thought it prudent to pick up a few things first, one of those being the Cup you requested."
Voldemort nodded at that. "That is good to hear. I take it your bonding with Hermione is going well then?"
Bellatrix nodded at him. "Yes my Lord. We spent our first night together yesterday and I think this will continue from now on, with the exception of a couple of nights where we will bond properly with her. She has expressed to us that she is ready for this, and more importantly we can feel it in the bond too."
"That is good to hear. I have a feeling that everything will fall into place the moment you all are properly bonded. But you also mentioned that you have retrieved the Cup from your Vault?" He asked kindly.
"Indeed I have my Lord. I thought it prudent to collect that as soon as possible after you asked me to do so. It also coincided with some things I needed to pick up for Hermione. With your permission we want to start teaching Hermione the things Dumbledore denied her." Bellatrix said softly.
The Dark Lord nodded as he accepted the satchel that held the Cup of Hufflepuff. "Of course you have my permission Bellatrix. If anything we would want the girl to be as informed as possible before her first and probably only mission."
"What, if I may ask, did you have in mind for her my Lord?" Bellatrix asked a little bit nervous.
"You needn't worry Bellatrix. I know you and your sisters are quite protective of your mate and I have no intention of letting her come to harm. She will however be very important to making sure we can get to Hogwarts when the time comes. As you know Draco is mending the Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts and so far anyone we have asked to mend its twin has given up after a couple of days. I have full confidence that Hermione can mend it so that we can use it when the time comes." He said as he betrayed a soft smile.
Bellatrix smiled and nodded. "Thank you my Lord. That is honestly a load off my mind, and I am sure the same can be said for Cissa and Andi."
"I never had the intention to put your mate in any more danger Bellatrix. The last six years of her life have been full enough of that and there is no reason to add to that. We'll talk more of this tonight during our meeting, you should go and help your sister." The Dark Lord said kindly.
Bellatrix nodded and bowed before leaving the room, making her way to their new bedroom so she could quickly change before she could help. She'd rather not risk Cissy's wrath after all.
…
When Hermione and Narcissa came back later that afternoon, they were surprised to see both Andromeda and Bellatrix looking quite red in the face as they laid on the couch. "Are you two okay? You two didn't have another fight, did you?" The blonde asked as she sent their purchases up to their new bedroom.
"No we didn't Cissy. We have only just finished redecorating the room and are just taking a breather before you two got back. Did you two get everything?" Andromeda asked softly.
Narcissa smiled and nodded. "We did. Hermione has an entirely new wardrobe with both Muggle clothes and some robes as well. I even managed to talk her into some dresses."
Hermione blushed a little at that. "Only because you assured me that I would only have to wear them for parties. I'm not really comfortable in that style of dress."
Bellatrix grinned at that. "I think we can show you the benefits of wearing a dress, poppet." She said with a wink.
That only darkened Hermione's blush as she took a seat next to the raven haired witch, who wasted little time in pulling the young brunette into her side. "Why is it always when you get that look on your face something sexually charged follows."
"Bella can't help herself little love. It's just how she is." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled at that. "Well I can't say I blame her. I think we're all more than overdue for some tender love and care." She said softly as she buried herself in Bellatrix' side.
The three sisters smiled at her. "Would you like to see where said tender love and care will take place, little lion. Bella and I worked really hard on making it perfect for us." Andromeda said with a soft smile.
Hermione nodded as she followed the three sisters upstairs, all the while not straying from Bellatrix's side.
"I see your time with Cissy has made you a lot clingier. I like this development a lot, poppet." The raven haired witch said with a loving smile.
Hermione smiled at her. "Honestly the time I spent with Narcissa has little to do with it, and more with the fact that I have come to terms with what was so clearly in front of me. Whether we are bonded through Prophecy or not, it is clear that we are meant to be together."
The three smiled at that. "Every time we have read that Prophecy we fantasized about who we were to be destined with, we never imagined it would be someone who in many aspects is all three of us combined, while also being a very unique person in her own right. When Bella told us of you after the Ministry, we all knew the future would become very interesting." Narcissa said softly.
Hermione smiled at the blonde as they came to their new bedroom. "Indeed it will, and it will all start in this room. We've decorated it with all four of us in mind." Andromeda said with a soft smile.
Hermione nodded and smiled as Andromeda opened the door to show Hermione and Narcissa what they had done.
Hermione's jaw dropped as she took in everything that had been added to the room. There was a small library and a couple of writing desks lining one wall of the room while the usually black drapes were replaced with equally thick dark red ones with golden trim, which was an obvious Gryffindor thing done for her. The bed which used to be a normal four poster bed had now doubled in size and would hold all four of them comfortably, and the bedding still was it's usual emerald with silver lining to represent the Slytherin of the three sisters. There were also to ornate doors which she guessed would hide an equally massive walk in closet. "You just couldn't resist putting in an actual walk-in closet, could you Andi?"
Andromeda smiled at her. "We did that out of necessity Hermione. Cissa's dresses take up a lot of space, and let's be honest, with four women in a relationship, we'll need the closet space. It's also the reason we enlarged the bathroom. Morning routines won't be an issue now."
Hermione smiled at the brunette as she went to give her a hug. "I know Andi. I was teasing. In the past I would've objected to this, but after shopping with Cissa, I am a lot more open to dress to my new station."
The three sisters smiled at her. "Speaking of your new station, we have a gift for you too, poppet." Bellatrix said as she took the ring from her cleavage.
Narcissa rolled her eyes at her sister's lack of manners but stood next to her sisters as Bellatrix opened the box.
Hermione carefully took the ring out of the box and smiled as she examined it. "This looks old. It's a family heirloom I take it?"
"It is little love. It's a sort of final sneer to our mother, who was the epiphany of a pureblood supremacist. Everything you used to believe about the Dark Lord, our mother embodied and believed firmly. You needn't worry though. We charmed it ourselves so we are very sure it will not harm you." Narcissa said with a soft smile.
"That wasn't my worry Cissa. I just want to treat this with the proper respect." Hermione said softly as she slipped it on, the ring fitting itself to her finger immediately. She then gasped as she instantly felt an influx of love, lust and possessiveness coming from the three witches in front of her.
The sisters wasted little time in scooping the girl up and setting her on the bed, cocooning her between them. "It'll be okay Hermione, just let it happen. It'll settle itself in a bit." Andromeda said softly.
Hermione smiled and nestled herself in their arms. "This feels so amazing. Is this what you three feel toward me?"
"Yes poppet. You will now also be able to feel our emotions like we do through our bond. Because our blood and therefor our magic is so strong, this ring will function as an anchor until we've bonded properly. After that it will balance your emotions out and allow you to feel ours like they were your own. We'll teach you to differentiate between them once we start your advanced lessons." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
Hermione just smiled and relaxed in their arms, all four of them more than content to stay like this until dinnertime.
…
After dinner the four women made their way back up to their bedroom to get changed for the meeting that was about to start and since this would be Hermione's first meeting as a full fledged Death Eater, Bellatrix wanted to make sure their love made an impact, something both Narcissa and Andromeda fully agreed with.
That led them to have Hermione on the small pedestal they had in the closet while Narcissa tried to find the perfect thing for her to wear, while Bellatrix tried to calm the brunette a little bit. "It'll be okay Hermione. Nothing will be asked of you that you won't be able to handle. Our meetings are not like those the Order does. Only the inner circle is allowed to be there, which currently only consists of our direct family. Lucius was banned from the inner circle after failing to get the Prophecy at the Ministry. Draco is a lot more useful in that aspect, which I'll be honest is mostly because of Cissy."
Hermione smiled at that. "I figured as much. It's still weird that I'm basically going to be a stepmother to multiple boys that are around my age, and a women that's at least two years older than me, who also happens to be one of my best friends."
Bellatrix and Andromeda both laughed lightly at that. "Trust me that Dora will only find it funny. All three of them were aware of our Prophecy for most of their lives. That they happen to already know you before we all met was an added bonus. That should make things a lot less awkward. Once we've bonded separately and together, it will all make sense. That I promise you. We can't really explain it because it truly is something that you can only feel." Andromeda said with a sweet smile.
Hermione smiled at her as Narcissa came back with one of her new dresses and one of Bella's corsets. "I think with these you will give the perfect first impression, and I think we should hurry and get you dressed, because we're nearly late."
With a flick of her wand Hermione dressed herself and fixed up her hair to look a bit more like Narcissa's, which would work better than her unruly curls.
Narcissa nodded her approval before they made their way up to the meeting room, and not for the first time the sisters had some difficulty taking their eyes off their lover.
Bellatrix was already looking forward to tomorrow night, when she would finally have the chance to spend a night alone with the brunette, which was something she had been looking forward to ever since the night at the Ministry when she had the brunette against her and had started the bonding process.
While Bellatrix was reminiscing about how everything started, Hermione was having quite similar thoughts. The night at the Ministry had been a staple of her dreams over the last two years as well as being the night that had fully opened her eyes. She had her doubts about Dumbledore's words ever since the Tri-Wizard, and while she acted like the good little bookworm that everyone saw her as, every moment spent on her own and not spent keeping Dumb and Dumber alive, she spent researching the truth, finding a way to communicate with Bellatrix in such a way that no one but the raven haired witch and her sisters would know that it was her.
Her inner musings were quickly quieted as they entered the meeting room, where Dora, Fabian and Luna were waiting for them. "Ah there you are. I was worried you might have been sidetracked." The Dark Lord said as he stood to greet them.
Narcissa smiled at him. "No my Lord, we wanted to make sure Hermione was presentable for her first meeting as a Death Eater. That took a bit longer than we expected. We are sorry for our tardiness."
"That is no problem Narcissa. We don't have a lot to talk about. This is mostly a chance for Dora to catch us up on what was discussed in the Order meeting, as well as to give Hermione, Fabian and Luna their assignments, so let's not waste any time. What exactly was discussed Nymphadora?"
Even in the dim light Hermione could see the tinge of red in her hair. "Dumbledore is getting desperate my Lord. His health is declining rapidly and with the loss of Hermione he is quickly running out of options. He has already sent out Harry and Ronald again towards the last Horcrux which he still believes to be in aunt Bella's Vault in Gringotts. He apparently already destroyed the Horcrux in the ring, which is what I suspect is adding to his declining health. Meanwhile his grip on the school only tightens, making sure no one speaks against him in any way, shape or form. Of course his forever loyal allies of Moody and Lupin remain staunchly by his side and are apparently willing to do anything to ensure his victory. It is something we need to be careful of. Other than that there wasn't much to it besides the usual propaganda."
The Dark Lord nodded at that. "And what are his thoughts on Hermione?"
"He has already given up on her, believing her to be dead or brainwashed, either way she is now useless for his plans and he does not seem to care which way it goes." Dora said kindly.
The Dark Lord nodded at her. "I was afraid that might happen, but as they say their loss is our gain. With Hermione on our side our victory is guaranteed. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have a couple of assignments to give out. Hermione. There is a Vanishing Cabinet here at the Mansion that requires repairs, and everyone I have tasked with its repair has failed me. I have every confidence that you will not fail."
Hermione nodded at that. "I will make it so, my Lord."
"Good. I have full confidence in your abilities. As for Fabian and Luna, I have something special for you two, if you are willing. I need you two to go back to Hogwarts and keep Draco safe while he repairs the twin Cabinet, even without Potter and Weasley at school there might be people keeping too close an eye on him. I want you to stage attempts on Dumbledore's life in the coming months. I trust you two to be discreet and keep the attention off Draco."
"It will be done, my Lord. I assume you want it to be fake attempts and not actually kill the old man?" Fabian asked softly.
Voldemort nodded at that. "Yes, that honor belongs to your mother. She will take his wand and destroy it. Such an object cannot exist in the world we want to build."
Fabian nodded at that as he took a step back. "Take this time to prepare. There will be one more raid before our final attack. The majority of the Weasley's have been a thorn in my side for a long time and it is time we deal with them."
"If I may, my Lord. Both the twins and Ginny have already proclaimed their allegiance to me. Would I be allowed to warn them so they can prepare?" Hermione asked softly.
"I see no issue in that, and since you and Bellatrix will be leading this raid, I trust you two to prepare this accordingly." Voldemort said kindly.
Hermione nodded and retook her seat next to Bellatrix, and soon after the Dark Lord dismissed them, so that they wouldn't spend the entire night talking.